Hong Kong: Bernadette Linn starts Shanghai trip

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn today lead delegations of the Development Bureau and the Legislative Council Panel on Development on a visit to Shanghai.

The delegations called on the Shanghai Water Authority (SWA) and met its Director General Shi Jiaming and officials to learn about their efforts in maintaining the city's resilience, flooding control and emergency handling measures as well as exchange views on related issues.

Ms Linn said that in the face of extreme weather, apart from enhancing the handling capacity of existing infrastructures and expediting relevant infrastructure projects, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has taken forward advance planning and engineering studies to build Hong Kong into a livable and resilient city.

The Development Bureau and the SWA emphasised that it would not be practical to pursue a design standard that mitigates all flooding risk without taking into account the cost consideration.

Instead, the capacity of flooding control should be enhanced through urban planning and flooding prevention management, and the whole of society should be well prepared for relevant contingency plans.

Ms Linn thanked the SWA for sharing its experiences and views, adding that she looked forward to further exchanges between the governments of both places on related issues in the future.

The delegations then had dinner with representatives of the Hong Kong community in Shanghai. The development chief commended their important role in the co-operation between the two cities and the contributions they have made to promote economic and cultural exchanges.

Ms Linn also said she looked forward to more co-operation and development opportunities between the two cities in the future.

This story has been published on: 2023-12-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Shanghai's foreign trade up 1.2 percent in January-November

Xinhua) 08:28, December 20, 2023

A China-Europe freight train, which set out from Duisburg, Germany, carrying exhibits for the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) arrives in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's imports and exports totaled 3.86 trillion yuan (about 540.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2023, up 1.2 percent year on year, according to the local customs office.

Over the period, Shanghai's exports rose 1.7 percent year on year to 1.59 trillion yuan, and its imports increased 0.8 percent to 2.27 trillion yuan, data from Shanghai Customs shows.

Integrated circuits, ships and new energy products have become the main drivers of export growth in Shanghai. In the first 11 months of 2023, the city exported 1.1 trillion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, up 3.5 percent year on year and accounting for 69.5 percent of its total export value during the period.

Exports of integrated circuits reached 167.33 billion yuan, up 12.6 percent and driving up exports by 1.2 percentage points. Exports of ships rose 47.7 percent to 36.77 billion yuan, boosting exports by 0.8 percentage points.

Over the same period, Shanghai's exports of new energy products climbed to 159.32 billion yuan, an increase of 45.1 percent and driving exports up by 3.2 percentage points.

Shanghai imported 516.85 billion yuan of consumer goods, up 7.4 percent year on year and amounting to 22.7 percent of the city's total import value.

Shanghai's trade with the European Union, its largest trading partner, amounted to 773.67 billion yuan, up 2.7 percent year on year and accounting for 20 percent of its total foreign trade volume during the period.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
China's economy is poised for steady growth in 2024 amid continuing recovery in consumption and services as well as the country's strengthened export competitiveness, senior experts said.

In the longer term, they said China is capable of becoming a high-income economy thanks to its strength in manufacturing and high-tech sectors and its ongoing reform efforts to enhance productivity.

The steady economic outlook, a vast domestic market and the country's deepening opening-up agenda would all sharpen the appeal of the Chinese market to global enterprises, making it a regrettable choice for a foreign business if it does not invest in China, they added.

Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce and vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said he expects China's economic momentum to further strengthen next year as the fallout of COVID-19 fades and various stimulus policies jointly generate effects.

China may achieve a GDP growth of around 6 percent year-on-year in 2024, with consumption further recovering, investment remaining buoyed and external demand for Chinese goods improving, Wei said while addressing the CEO: Growing with China forum, hosted by China Daily on Monday.

Underpinning China's exports would be the country's growing competitiveness in high-tech sectors and electromechanical products, which would help the country counter external headwinds, Wei added.

China's export growth turned positive at 0.5 percent year-on-year in dollar terms in November amid a broader pickup in economic activity as retail sales, services activity and industrial output accelerated, official data showed.

Addressing the same event, Safdar Parvez, Asian Development Bank's country director for China, said ADB forecasts that China's economic growth will remain steady at 4.5 percent in 2024, versus 5.2 percent this year, supported by a continuous recovery of the services sector and efforts to expand domestic demand, particularly consumption.

"There is room for continued accommodative monetary and fiscal policies to support this growth level."

Parvez said he has "very little doubt" that China will be able to avoid the middle-income trap as the country has strong, sophisticated manufacturing and high-tech sectors.

The middle-income trap refers to economies stagnating at middle-income levels and failing to graduate to high-income economies.

More efforts can be made in China to attract foreign investment in high-tech sectors and improve productivity levels, Parvez said, making it an encouraging sign that China's top leadership has stressed the importance of opening-up at recent key meetings.

The Central Economic Work Conference has called for efforts to expand high-level opening-up, including relaxing market access in telecommunications and healthcare sectors, making it easy for foreigners to do business, study and travel in China and solving problems related to cross-border flow of data.

Wei, former vice-minister of commerce, said the major challenge facing China's opening-up drive lies in aligning domestic regulation more with international practices, such as when it comes to facilitating the adoption of foreign drugs and medical services.

He added that China's advancements in high-level opening-up and a vast domestic market with a 1.4 billion population provide global enterprises with investment opportunities in a wide range of sectors such as consumer goods, chips and the digital economy.

Wei said: "If an enterprise, especially a foreign-funded one, fails to recognize and seize the opportunities brought by China's huge market, not building factories or making additional investments here, someday it will come to regret it deeply."

In the financial sector, Peter Ling-Vannerus, chief representative of SEB Beijing, said opportunities are abundant for European banks in the Chinese market regarding asset and pension management as well as transition finance. SEB is a northern European financial services group.

Yet he said there remains scope for China's local governments to provide a more foreseeable business environment regarding cybersecurity to attract foreign investment.
Angela Bassett is getting presidential.

The Oscar nominee has been tapped to join the sprawling cast of the Netflix conspiracy thriller series, Zero Day, led by Robert De NiroShadow and Act has confirmed. Production on the project just kicked off in New York City.

Bassett, Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine, Bill Camp, McKinley Belcher III, Gaby Hoffman, Clark Gregg and Mark Ivanir have joined the limited series alongside previously announced cast members De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen and Connie Britton.

The logline reads, Zero Day asks the question on everyones mind  how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining? De Niro leads the cast as George Mullen, a massively popular, but complicated, former American President who is pulled from retirement to head a commission tasked with investigating a devastating global cyber-attack.



Bassett will play President Mitchell, A brilliant and perceptive political tactician who has an allegiance to Mullen. Stevens is Evan Green, A charismatic loudmouth and TV host of a wildly popular political program, Green becomes a thorn in George Mullens side as his loudest critic and chief public antagonist.

Modine is Richard Dreyer, A confident, colorful public figure who is an adept politician and holds the position of the Speaker of the House. Camp is CIA Director Lasche, The ultimate insider who knows all the secrets, CIA Director Lasche can either be a dangerous enemy or a valuable friend to Mullen. Belcher III will be Carl Lopez, A tough, brilliant DOJ lawyer who serves as the Zero Day Commissions lead investigator.

Hoffman is Monica Kidder, Known both as a Silicon Valley billionaire with brilliant vision, and a soulless technocrat with the plan and means to control it.  Gregg plays Robert Lyndon, Corporate raider, provocateur, and billionaire, Lyndon has mastered the dark arts of political manipulation. And Ivanir is Natan, An intelligence operative and Mullen confidant from an era where intelligence still mattered.

Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael Schmidt are creators and executive producers. Jonathan Glickman also executive produces; andLeslie Linka Glatter is directs all six episodes and executive produces.
German Mathews is led out of Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway's courtroom after being sentenced Wednesday to 19 years in prison on charges of rape, felonious assault and kidnapping.

The attack happened on an April morning as a woman was walking to a Forest Park bus stop, on her way to work.

German Mathews, a 40-year-old Nicaraguan man, spotted the woman, then advanced toward her as she walked across a gas station parking lot. He pulled his hoodie over his head.

When Mathews was near the woman, who is developmentally disabled, she moved to the side, to let him walk past her.

Mathews then grabbed her and threw her down a hill, into a wooded area. He sexually assaulted her and beat her so badly in the head and face, according to Forest Park police Sgt. Jackie Dreyer, his hands were "covered in the victim's blood."

A bystander saw the attack and called 911. As police rushed to where it was happening, Mathews was still on top of the woman. He tried to run away but was arrested after a brief pursuit.

It was an unprovoked and brutal attack on a complete stranger, Dreyer said in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Wednesday as a judge sentenced Mathews to 19 years in prison. The 44-year-old woman suffered multiple facial fractures and head injuries. Dryer, who has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, said it was, by far, one of the most heinous crimes she has ever investigated.

Mathews "preyed upon an innocent victim," she said. "He is an animalistic predator whose actions are beyond words."

Mathews in U.S. illegally

Mathews was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the April 29 attack, which happened near Winton Road and Smiley Avenue.

Once he's released from prison, he is expected to be deported.

Mathews has been deported a total of five times, but has repeatedly returned.

His attorney, James Bogen, told Judge Alison Hatheway that Mathews grew up poor in Nicaragua. He came to this country undocumented, Bogen said, to escape poverty.

Bogen said that when the attack happened, Mathews was intoxicated and has no memory of it. Sometime before, he had stolen alcohol from a nearby convenience store.

Possessed by a demon

Bogen said when he showed Mathews an officer's bodycam video, which captured part of the attack, "he was horrified."

"He feels terrible about what he did," Bogen said.

Mathews told officials that he felt that he was "possessed by a demon" at the time.

Bogen said that based on examinations of Mathews after the attack, it's likely Mathews had experienced alcohol-induced psychosis.

The man who attacked the stranger "is not the German Mathews you see here today," Bogen told Hatheway.

Mathews pleaded guilty in November to rape, felonious assault and kidnapping. The state prison system could hold him for up to 5 additional years, depending on his conduct while in prison.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Nicaraguan man sentenced for rape, beating of woman in Ohio
An anonymous donor has come forward to offer the Winnetka Park District $3 million to shore up funding for the Elder Lane and Centennial beach project, but questions remain how this new donation could impact a similar one made by billionaire Justin Ishbia.

The donation and a letter regarding it were presented to the Winnetka Park District Board during a Dec. 14 meeting by the anonymous donors attorney, who stated the donation would be unrestricted.

Our clients hope for this gift is that it will grant the Winnetka Park District greater flexibility and autonomy in planning the future of these unique public spaces, Elizabeth OBrien, a partner with Levenfeld Pearlstein LLC said. Our client has no interest in receiving any public recognition for this gift and prefers to remain completely anonymous.

Ishbias proposed donation has caused trouble in the village with some residents angry the Park District has continued to negotiate with the future resident who already has an unfulfilled contract with the Park District.

Commissioner Cynthia Rapp shared this sentiment, saying during the meeting she is concerned about getting into another contract with Ishbia. She also took issue with the board and public receiving an updated donation agreement three hours before the meeting.

A land swap agreement, signed in October 2020, would see Ishbia swap his property at 261 Sheridan Road with a similar stretch of land at the southern end of Centennial Park owned by the Park District. Residents opposed to the land swap say the Park District shouldnt be giving away public land to private citizens even if doing so would realize a long-standing dream to unite Elder and Centennial beaches into one stretch.

Despite the land swap deal being signed, deeds have yet to be exchanged and the deal has been labeled as dormant. A lawsuit by resident Rob Schriesheim arguing the swap is in violation of the public trust doctrine, which states the land under Lake Michigan is held in trust by the Park District for residents, has also stalled the land swap. The suit was struck down by Cook County Circuit Judge Eve Reilly in October but has since been refiled in accordance with court guidance.

Ishbia also owns a 3.7-acre lot immediately south of Centennial, where he plans to build a $43.7 million mansion for his family.

His donation, which was initially described as coming with no strings attached, has included several stipulations, with the most recent draft requiring the Park District keep structures it has planned to build during the Elder/Centennial beach renovations in place for 50 years. Other stipulations require the Park District to pay back the proposed $3 million donation if the contract is breached.

Previous drafts of the agreement required the Park District to keep the structures  defined as the dog beach, its fence, the ADA accessible pathway to the beach at Centennial and the stone breakwater and walkway at the northern edge of Centennial  for 100 years.

If permitting agencies require the plans to be changed, the donation agreement could fall through if Ishbia chooses, according to Park District counsel Adam Simon.

Theres no risk of the Park District ever losing any property rights or anything as result of this covenant, Simon said. It doesnt restrict anything about what activities occur on the tableland. It doesnt restrict what improvements we can put on the tableland. It doesnt restrict what people are allowed to come and go. It doesnt grant anyone the power to use, posses or exclude anyone from the Park District property.

The payment schedule for the donation has also changed in the new draft with two payments instead of three. The first $1 million would be given at the start of the project and the remaining $2 million would come within 30 days of the project completion and arbiter review.

Other concerns were raised about the appointment of outgoing Winnetka Park District Executive Director John Peterson as arbiter for the Ishbia donation agreement. The unpaid role would see him determining if the Park District remained faithful to the agreement once the project is built. Some commissioners expressed concern about the appointment, made by Ishbia according to Peterson, saying Peterson cannot be considered neutral as an arbiter should be. Others said even though it would be favorable to the Park District to have Peterson as the arbiter, the optics are poor.

I can assure you that the place that I am going does not have any connection with Justin Ishbia or any of his direct holdings, Peterson said.

He went on to say he saw the chance to work as an arbiter would be an honor and give the Park District the best opportunity to make sure plans are done accordingly.

Commissioner Colleen Root embraced the idea of an alternative donation but questioned if now is the time to consider it. The Park District hasnt been able to look into potential grant funding as permits from several agencies are required first. Park District staff is in talks with the village on its new permitting process and once completed will then take permits to other required agencies.

Some residents argued donation talks should be put on hold until new executive director Shannon Nazzal comes on board in February.

Commissioner James Hemmings informed the board he received a call earlier in the week from the anonymous donors attorney and was told there would be some conditions for the donation. The board would be required to drop the Ishbia donation and land swap agreement along with not allowing Ishbia the opportunity for naming rights on the project.

Naming rights were included as part of initial talks for the donation but were quickly dropped.

None of those things were raised this evening by Ms. OBrien, Hemmings said. Theres none of that in this letter. There may be an implication ... that there is perhaps a condition on the donation agreement but we dont know about anything else.

Hemmings and board President Christina Codo will move forward with talks on the alternative donation and see if the conditions are still part of the offer.

I feel like this is a very welcome donation offer but Im concerned that it may turn out to be as thorny for us, Codo said.

She stressed the need to have a working relationship with Ishbia because he is a neighbor to the project on several sides and his cooperation is needed for maintenance of the parks even once the project is complete.

Regardless of the source of funding to bring it to fruition, my family and I remain supportive of the WPD Boards approved plans to activate, stabilize and enhance the Elder and Centennial parks and beaches, Ishbia said in an email. If the Park District chooses to proceed with an alternative source of funding, I would be happy to discuss contributing to another WPD project in the future.

Those in attendance at the meeting appeared in favor of the new donation, clapping as OBrien sat down.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, you can now get out from under the oppressive conditions of the Ishbia Family Foundation that they have attached to the so called donation, resident Irene Smith said. Accepting $3 million from the anonymous donor we heard about tonight is like accepting a life preserver. ... It is a dream come true.

A potential vote on the Ishbia donation has been rescheduled for the Jan. 18meeting.
A second member of Kentuckys House Democratic leadership has decided to not run again in 2024.

House Minority Whip Rachel Roberts, D-Newport, announced Wednesday morning she will not seek re-election to the Northern Kentucky House District 67 seat shes held since the 2020 election.

In a statement, Roberts said the decision was right for her and her family.

Serving those who live and work in this district has been an unparalleled honor, and I will forever be grateful for the faith others have placed in me. With their support, I have done all I can to create positive and lasting change for Northern Kentucky and the entire commonwealth, Roberts said.

Roberts became the second member of the House Democratic leadership to hang it up in the last two weeks. The decision by House Minority Floor Leader Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, to not seeking re-election came last week.

Roberts announcement leaves House Minority Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, as the only member of House Democratic leadership seeking re-election in 2024. Though she has not officially filed with the secretary of state yet, Stevenson confirmed her intention to run to the Herald-Leader.

Stevenson said she was saddened to hear of Roberts decision, but supported her 100%.

Rachel has not only been a fantastic colleague and a dynamic leader, but has become one of my very best friends. Im very sad to see her go, but support her 100% in all she does. I know just because she wont be serving her community in this particular way after this year, she will still be making the world a better place, Stevenson said.

As of mid-Wednesday, no other person Republican or Democrat filed to run for the House District 67 seat. After winning an early 2020 special election in landslide fashion, Roberts won her 2020 race by about 6 percentage points and her 2022 election by about 12 percentage points.

Ten House incumbents, including four of the 20 House Democrats, have stated that theyre not seeking re-election in 2024. House members have to run every two years.

In the Senate where members only run every four years, four of 38 Senators, including Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, arent running again.

Roberts said she was proud of legislative work to secure funding for local infrastructure and education projects like the Fourth Street Bridge, local schools and Northern Kentucky University. She also mentioned passing bills to increase protections for election poll workers and to ban people convicted of sexual assault crimes from becoming police officers.
Another rocket is expected to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base this week  but its not a SpaceX launch as weve come to expect.

Firefly Aerospace, whose first launch attempt in 2021 ended in a fiery explosion, is expected to launch its Alpha rocket from the Central Coast base on Wednesday.

According to a Vandenberg news release, the Alpha FLTA004 rocket is scheduled to launch between 9:18 and 9:39 a.m.

U.S. Space Force Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, is the launch decision authority.

At Vandenberg Space Force Base, our Space Launch Delta 30 Guardians and Airmen play a vital role in delivering robust spaceport capabilities that directly provide the to part of U.S. Space Forces mission to secure our nations interests in, from, and to space, Titus said in the release. Our commercial launch partners serve as our invaluable industrial base, enabling us to achieve robust national security objectives in support of the entire Joint Force.

The mission, called Fly the Lightning, will launch a payload for Lockheed Martin.

Fireflies are preparing for another rapid launch operation where the encapsulated payload fairing will be mated to the rocket just hours before liftoff, the aerospace company said in a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. Were hoping Mother Nature cooperates for a liftoff of @LockheedMartins payload tomorrow morning from @SLDelta30.

Firefly last launched a rocket in September, in a surprise launch that was visible from across the western United States  including the Grand Canyon.

A live webcast of the launch will be available at youtube.com/watch?v=QMJv-54Dpcc.

Its L-1 for the Fly the Lightning mission on our Alpha #FLTA004 rocket! Fireflies are preparing for another rapid launch operation where the encapsulated payload fairing will be mated to the rocket just hours before liftoff. We're hoping Mother Nature cooperates for a liftoff of pic.twitter.com/22SIKbH3rA  Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) December 19, 2023
(KRON)  The Antioch Police Department is searching for a man who has not been seen since leaving an assisted living home.

Michael Dunbar was last seen at TreVista Assisted Living, located at 3950 Lone Tree Way. He is considered at-risk due to medical conditions.

Police did not say when he was last seen, or what clothes he was wearing.

Anyone who sees Dunbar is asked to call (925) 778-2441 or 9-1-1.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Editors note: The above video shows body-worn and Ring camera footage from the Nov. 15 south Austin police shooting of 33-year-old Rajan David Moonesinghe.

AUSTIN (KXAN)  A grand jury has decided to indict an Austin police officer in connection with the deadly 2022 shooting of a 33-year-old in south Austin, multiple law enforcement sources told KXAN on Wednesday.

That officer, identified as Daniel Sanchez, was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, according to police.

Several sources confirmed the indictment with KXAN and said that Sanchez faces a charge of deadly conduct.

The shooting happened in November 2022 in the 2200 block of South Third Street, APD said.

APD releases videos from fatal south Austin police shooting

Around 12:30 a.m., 911 received a call about a man with a gun. The caller said the man seemed to be scared of something inside his own home before pointing his rifle inside and firing.

Austin Police released a Ring camera video that shows the man, identified as Rajan David Moonesinghe, outside his home with his rifle, pointing it at something off-camera and saying, Are you sure you want this? before firing the weapon. In the background, you see an officer pull up.

Sanchez gave Moonesinghe a verbal command to drop the gun before he fired his department-approved firearm. Moonesinghe was hit and fell to the ground. APD said officers began life-saving measures within a minute of the shooting. However, the video released by the police did not show the life-saving measures.

Family of man killed by APD officer last year pushes for police to commend de-escalation

During a news conference in June, Moonesinghes mother, Ruth, said the officer involved should face consequences from the department. She also called on police to release her sons property, including his cell phone, so the family can access his photos and other memories saved on it.

APD released a statement about Sanchezs indictment:

The Austin Police Department (APD) is aware of the recent indictment against APD Officer Daniel Sanchez for his involvement in an officer-involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.



APD officers are trained to respond to acts of violence and prevent injuries to innocent persons. As seen in the Critical Incident Briefing materials released by APD on December 1, 2022, Officer Sanchez was confronted with a subject who fired a rifle indiscriminately in a densely populated neighborhood. Officer Sanchez responded to that threat consistent with his training. APD will continue to support Officer Sanchez as this process moves forward. For further information, please see the attached briefing and associated videos. Per APD protocol, Officer Sanchez is on paid Administrative Duty pending the resolution of the criminal indictment. Austin Police Department

KXAN also received a statement from the defense counsel for Sanchez:

On December 19, 2023, a Travis County grand jury under the direction of District Attorney Jose Garza indicted Austin Police Officer Daniel Sanchez for Deadly Conduct. On November 15, 2022, Officer Sanchez responded to a 911 call of a man pointing a rifle down the street and at his home. The caller notified 911 that the man fired the rifle into his house. As Officer Sanchez and another officer arrived in front of the residence, they heard more gunshots. Officer Sanchez, first to arrive on foot, commanded the man to drop the gun. Officer Sanchez fired his rifle to neutralize the threat to himself, another officer, and the community. An expert report was provided to the District Attorney by defense counsel in hopes the grand jury would be provided the report. The expert detailed how Officer Sanchezs use of deadly force was objectively reasonable. The fact that Officer Sanchez was indicted for Deadly Conduct further exemplifies Jose Garzas continued attack on Austin Police Officers for doing exactly what they are trained to keep the citizens of Austin safe from harm. It is no coincidence that gun violence attacks on police officers in Austin are at the current level. I am fully confident when a jury hears all of the facts in this case, Officer Sanchez will be exonerated. Brad Heilman, Attorney for Officer Daniel Sanchez

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Court documents detail what led to a man being shot and killed in Franklin County and the alleged gunman forcing others to help him dump the body in a Maryland park.

Shane Bradley, 32, of West Virginia, faces criminal homicide and other charges in connection to the shooting death of Isiah Clark, 20, whose body was found in a park in Hagerstown on Sunday, Dec. 17, charging documents state.

PREVIOUS REPORT -> Man charged with homicide, kidnapping in Franklin County

The fatal shooting stemmed from an argument that broke out when Bradley saw Clark in the living room without a shirt on and told him to put one on because of family that was home, State Police say.

After Clark was told to put one on, he reportedly said that he was shirtless because he had just woken up, which made Bradley repeat himself before he went to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

As Clark then made his way to his room to put a shirt on, Bradley appeared from his room and fatally shot Clark, according to the criminal complaint.

There were people inside the home who tried to escape after the shooting, but Bradley forced them to help him load Clarks body into his Dodge Charger. Bradley then drove to Maryland where police say he dumped the body.

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According to State Police, there were two women in the car that Bradley let go after he drove from where they dumped Clarks body. They were able to make their way back to the scene safely and call 911.

Troopers were able to get a match for Bradley as the suspect from phone records and his Dodge was involved in a crash in 2022 where he was the driver. Witnesses were also able to ID Bradley in a photo lineup, the criminal complaint reads.

Currently, Bradley is awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania after he was arrested Tuesday in North Carolina by U.S. Marshalls.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has followed through on his threat to sue Gov. Katie Hobbs over her bypass of a confirmation process for agency directors.

Petersen and the Republican-led state Senate filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court on Tuesday against the Democratic governor. The move helps set a tone of divisiveness among state leaders before the new legislative session begins Jan. 8.

The lawsuit alleges Hobbs unlawfully withdrew her picks for 13 agency directors from the Senate's new Committee on Director Nominations "in a fit of political pique." It attacks Hobbs' attempted workaround that redesignated nominated agency heads as "executive deputy directors" who aren't subject to Senate confirmation.

The state Senate wants the court to order Hobbs to comply with the law on confirmations and pay any legal fees the Senate incurs. State law requires that agency directors must be confirmed by the Senate within one year of a governor's appointment.

"Because the Senate is entitled by law to confirm or reject gubernatorial nominees for Agency directorships, the Governors refusal to transmit nominations irreparably injures the Senate as a constitutional body," wrote private lawyers Thomas Basile and Kory Langhofer of Statecraft PLLC.

Petersen said two weeks ago he would soon file the suit if negotiations with Hobbs' office didn't lead to a resolution of their dispute. Neither side would say Wednesday why their talks didn't work out.

Petersen said he has no further comments with the lawsuit filed.

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen speaks during an open session on March 20, 2023, at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix.

Hobbs' spokesman, Christian Slater, released a written statement after the filing that mentioned one of Hobbs' main problems with the confirmation committee: its chair, Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek.

The governor had to change the system for Arizonans, who "want sanity, not chaos caused by radical obstructionists," the statement said. "After Jake Hoffman and the Senate's refusal to meaningfully do their job, Gov. Hobbs took lawful action to fulfill her duties and ensure Arizonans can continue to rely on critical services from state agencies."

Petersen and allied Republican state Treasurer Kimberly Yee, for their part, have said that Hobbs' action is putting the same state services at legal risk by not having lawfully created agency heads.

Petersen created the Committee on Director Nominees this year, naming Hoffman as its leader. Hobbs has demanded that the state Senate go back to the previous system of confirmations using standing committees with institutional knowledge of state agencies.

Hoffman said in his own statement on Wednesday that Hobbs' obstinance on the issue has "made it abundantly clear to voters that Democrats care more about playing petulant political games and throwing temper tantrums than actually governing. Republicans, on the other hand, are committed to creating a government that works for every Arizonan."

'Dropping it pretty soon': Arizona GOP leader poised to sue Hobbs on agency confirmations

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Senate leader sues governor for bypassing agency head confirmations
In a move that market analysts said might restore both the fortunes and reputation of Hong Kong-listed e-commerce platform East Buy, the company promoted its most influential livestreamer Dong Yuhui to senior partner on Monday.

East Buy, a subsidiary of New York-listed Chinese private tutoring giant New Oriental Education and Technology Group, also said late on Monday it will open a new and exclusive livestreaming channel for Dong.

East Buy, which was originally an e-learning provider called Koolearn Technology, successfully transitioned to a livestreaming-based e-commerce company last year, riding Dong's popularity as an influential livestreaming host.

Formerly an English teacher at New Oriental Group, Dong, in turn, rode East Buy to a bigger following among netizens and big money, as his insightful and humorous style helped sell a range of products, including farm produce, to millions since June 2022.

At his peak, Dong commanded a following of 20 million, swelling East Buy's patrons to 30 million.

But a dispute arose on Dec 6 after East Buy's editorial team sought to take joint credit for certain scripts that Dong's fans presumed were solely his work.

One thing led to another, creating a notion that Dong's positive impact on East Buy's livestreaming business may have been sought to be undermined. Sun Dongxu, then CEO of East Buy, sought to put things in proper perspective, but his manner online was seen as abrasive by Dong's fans, which prompted the company's board to oust Sun on Saturday and replaced him with Yu Minhong, founder and chairman of New Oriental.

This whole episode even affected East Buy's shares that slipped to HK$26.25 ($3.3) on Friday in Hong Kong, only to rebound more than 17 percent to HK$31.8 on Tuesday.

In just two days  Monday and Tuesday  over 2 million followers returned to East Buy's platform as well as restoring the overall following on Easy Buy's Douyin account to over 30 million. Douyin is the name TikTok uses in China.

Late on Monday, Yu appeared in a livestream session along with Dong, disclosing that East Buy will "set up a studio, open a separate channel and a livestreaming room for Dong's exclusive use".

Henceforth, Dong will livestream on both the new channel and East Buy, but income from the new channel will go to East Buy.

A New Oriental statement released late on Monday said Dong will also act as cultural assistant to Yu as well as vice-president of the parent company's cultural and tourism business.

In July this year, New Oriental officially kicked off its tourism business that aims to offer high-quality cultural tours to people, especially middle-aged and the elderly. In September, its first 14-day international tour focused on a slew of European cities like Paris and Rome was priced at 48,888 yuan ($6,850).

On Monday night, Dong said he will appear more on the proposed new channel in the future, and will go beyond livestreaming-based e-commerce into book promotions, author interviews, and culture and tourism promotions.

A report from China Galaxy Securities said on Monday the Dong episode shows that major livestreaming-based e-commerce companies should expect such operational hiccups. For sustained business growth, livestreaming-based e-commerce companies must embrace a business model that is "product-driven" rather than "star-oriented".

Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University's International Business School, however, said it is not easy to reduce reliance on star livestreamers overnight. "To become an influential livestreamer like Dong needs luck. Without him, New Oriental may not even succeed in reviving its business."
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The third member of a group charged in a human smuggling case was sentenced Tuesday, Dec. 19 in a federal court in El Paso to 11 years, 3 months in prison for her role in an ongoing conspiracy that resulted in the death of two migrants, the U.S. Attorneys Office for West Texas said.

According to court documents, from on or about November 2019 through on or about August 2021, Guadalupe Quezada, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, along with co-defendants Veronica Quezada, 39, also of Mesa, and Elizabeth Miranda Lozano, 39, of Dallas, actively participated in an ongoing conspiracy to bring in, transport, and harbor undocumented immigrants into the United States from Mexico.

The organization smuggled groups of migrants into the United States by traversing the border across the Chihuahuan Desert near Van Horn, Texas, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Foot guides would direct the migrants to walk through the desert and rendezvous with drivers who would then transport the immigrants to stash houses or staging areas for further harboring by stash house operators. During the time of the conspiracy, the organization twice abandoned migrants who were unable to keep pace with the group.

An investigation determined that the death of two migrants was caused by being left out in the desert, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Guadalupe Quezada and her two co-defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring an undocumented migrant to the United States resulting in death.

The dangerous smuggling of human beings across our border has become far too prevalent and those who engage in or facilitate this activity must account for their deadly dealings, said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. I commend the joint multi-district efforts of our local, state, and federal partners to bring this case to a successful close. We will continue working together at all levels of law enforcement to aggressively prosecute human smugglers as long as their operations persist.

Veronica Quezada was sentenced to 5 years, 3 months in prison on Dec. 13. Her role was to provide logistical support to foot guides, drivers, and others by registering vehicles that would be used to facilitate the human smuggling venture. She traveled daily to the United States from Mexico to oversee operations on behalf of the organization.

Lozano was sentenced to 8 years and 1 month in prison on Dec. 13. Her role was to transport and harbor migrants in staging areas prior to releasing them to their final destination. She relocated to Dallas from Arizona to manage the stash house on behalf of the organization.

HSI investigated the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Border Patrol Big Bend and Tucson Sectors, Dallas Enforcement Removal Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas Police Department, and Hudspeth Country Sheriffs Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose Luis Acosta and Patricia Acosta for the Western District of Texas prosecuted the case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
On Wednesday 20 December, the TV and Radio Committee of Armenia decided to revoke the licence of the Sputnik Armenia propaganda radio station for 30 days due to humiliating statements allowed by the host Tigran Keosayan, the husband of Margarita Simonyan [editor-in-chief of the Russian state-owned broadcaster Russia Today  ed.].

Source: This is stated in a message on the national regulator's website, writes European Pravda

Details: The commission found that on 17 November, in his programme, Keosayan "in mocking and humiliating terms" commented on Armenia and the Armenian people, "giving assessments to which a political observer and presenter, who is a foreign citizen, has no moral right."

Quote: "It was also recorded that during the programme, inaccurate or insufficiently reliable information received from unverified sources was announced," the regulator noted, without giving details.

The propaganda radio station itself said that Keosayan accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of treason, wondering if he would stay "alive" after that.

As a result, the Armenian Television and Radio Commission suspended the licence of the Sputnik Armenia owner company for 30 days and fined it 500,000 [approx. US$1240  ed.].

The Russian "media" has been spreading propaganda against the Armenian government since Yerevan started to speak more and more about its desire to reduce the country's over-reliance on Moscow a few months ago.

Prior to that, a manipulative programme about Pashinyan on the Russian federal TV channel prompted the Armenian Foreign Ministry to summon the Russian ambassador in September.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that Yerevan was primarily responsible for not implementing the agreements regarding Nagorno-Karabakh that were reached on 9 November. This statement prompted a response from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

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An Atlanta clergy organization went above and beyond to bring awareness to the worsening homelessness crisis in the area.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. took on the cold and slept outside various churches in the Atlanta area, pledging solidarity with unhoused people.

A few members sleeping in a church parking lot pitched tents and started a fire.

Were here because we care, Bishop Greg Fann told Fox 5 Atlanta. Were here because we want to know what its like to be homeless.

Participants told Fox 5 Atlanta that, while they knew they had a long, cold night ahead of them, it was worth the chance that their demonstration would address Atlantas homelessness issue, which many noted is happening alongside a growing affordable housing crisis.

An affordable one-bedroom apartment, the average is $1,400. So, were seeing people that are struggling, people that are living in their cars and tents, Reverend Shannon Jones, the president of the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, explained to Fox 5 Atlanta. They are trying to make it  people who had homes last year, people who had apartments last year.

Almost 20 clergy groups in the state spent the night outside. They are asking large corporations to get involved and help solve the areas homelessness problem.

Georgia has $11 billion that the governor can use at his discretion, Jones added. We need to put our heads, hearts, minds and hands together.

The groups planned to camp out until sunrise, estimating that to be around 7 or 8 a.m., and support Georgia Sen. Donzella James efforts to establish more regulations around rent increases made by landlords.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2,679 people experienced homelessness in January 2023, a significant increase from findings the previous year, citing the Point in Time Count that 738 people were sleeping on the streets, and 1,941 people were in shelters during the survey period.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that starting the day after Christmas, every one of the police officers at the Atlanta VA HealthCare Systems locations will wear body cameras and use dash cameras.

By the end of 2023, all VA officers will be using both types of cameras, according to the announcement.

Officials said the new policy will help VA police forces to better protect veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, visitors and VA employees while on VA property.

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The cameras will automatically record video and audio as soon as an officer draws their firearm from their duty belt, or when sirens and lights are activated in their police vehicles, according to the VA.

Additionally, officers will have their cameras on while conducting investigations and during enforcement encounters, while the in-car cameras will be on during traffic stops, while responding to calls for service or while transporting those in police custody.

Our great police officers keep Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors safe at VA facilities every day, VA Secretary Dennis McDonough said in a statement. Using dashcams and bodycams will make our facilities even safer  building trust in our great police force while increasing transparency and promoting de-escalation.

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According to the department, the VA has also taken steps to make sure use of cameras wont infringe on the privacy of those the VA serves, or the departments employees.

The VA said the policy update was in compliance with a recent executive order from President Joe Biden, which mandated all federal law enforcement agencies use body-worn cameras to promote equitable, transparent, accountable, constitutional and effective law enforcement practices.

The VA also cited requirements of the bipartisan legislation Cleland-Dole Act, which specifically requires VA police officers to wear body cameras that record and store audio and video.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the USS Gerald R. Ford on Wednesday, making a stop to meet with U.S. service members at the aircraft carrier ship during his trip to the Middle East.

Austin met with crew on the aircraft carrier  home to some 4,000 sailors  and thanked them for sacrificing their time during the holidays to keep the peace across the Middle East.

In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict, Austin said.

The USS Ford was sent to the eastern Mediterranean along with the USS Eisenhower after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, sparking an all-out war.

The aircraft carriers are stationed there, along with other U.S. assets, to deter any actors from sparking a wider conflict in the Middle East region as Israel continues its mission to dismantle Hamas in Gaza.

The Ford, which is just a few hundred miles from the coast of Israel, acts as a deterrence because aircraft could quickly assist Israel if needed. Among the threats Israel faces is Hezbollah, the militant group in Lebanon that has been trading daily fire with Israeli forces.

Austin told the sailors on Wednesday that if Israel winds down its military operation to a lower intensity, it might ease the tensions that have placed the Ford there.

Austin visited Israel on Monday, where he said he discussed Israel moving to a new phase in the war in Gaza. He also traveled to Qatar on Tuesday and is planning a stop in Bahrain.

The visit to the Ford had been planned. A U.S. official said before the trip that the Pentagon chief wanted to visit families during the holidays.

They are missing the holidays with their families, and they have done an incredible service  not only for our country, but for the region, the official said.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
You are here: China

China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the United States' arms sale to China's Taiwan region, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to the recent announcement by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency regarding a 300-million-U.S.-dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

The arms sale has severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique, Wu said.

The move has seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security, posed a grave threat to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sent an erroneous signal to separatist elements advocating "Taiwan independence," he added.

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations, the spokesperson noted.

China urges the United States to halt arms sales to Taiwan, honor its commitment not to support "Taiwan independence," and cease interference in China's internal affairs, Wu said.

Any attempt to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail, and seeking "Taiwan independence" by military means will lead nowhere, he noted.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has intensified military training and readiness to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and firmly maintain peace and stability across the Strait, Wu said.
The Austin Police Department investigated fewer community complaints it was sent by the Office of Police Oversight in 2022, despite being sent nearly 70% more complaints that year than in the previous one.

The office sent 689 complaints it received from citizens to the Police Department for an investigation into possible policy violations. Of that number, the department investigated 47 of the complaints  17 of which resulted in determination of a policy violation  and dropped 401 of the complaints that were not deemed worthy of an investigation, according to the annual report for 2022 that was released Monday.

The decrease in the number of external complaints investigated by APD reflects an opportunity for APD to build trust with the community, said Gail McCant, director of the Office of Police Oversight, in a press release sent Wednesday.

Anna Sabana, spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department, said in a written statement that the department would not be able to comment on why so few complaints were investigated "without understanding the methodology used to arrive at the data in the report."

Sabana said the department has seen the report and recognizes the "importance" of the Office of Police Oversight's "contributions."

The Office of Police Oversight did not return the American-Statesman's requests for comment on Wednesday.

Grumet: What about that national search for police oversight director? Austin scrapped it.

Why did Austin police receive more complaints?

The increase in the number of complaints sent by the Office of Police Oversight was a "predictable" result of stripping the office of its powers to investigate complaints made by the public, said Kathy Mitchell, senior adviser of Equity Action.

In late 2021, an arbitrator ruled the Office of Police Oversight had overstepped its authority by conducting investigations into complaints, stating that went against the city's contract with the police union.

Mitchell said this ruling points to why the office started sending more complaints to the Austin Police Department in 2022. The data show that people were less likely to make a report to the Office of Police Oversight when it has less power to investigate complaints, she added, and that complaints are less likely to result in discipline based on the data in this report.

"This is a broken system," Mitchell said. "This is a system designed to ensure that there is no accountability for what happens on the street. So we addressed it with the (Austin Police Oversight Act), and voters passed it by an 80% margin."

The police oversight act  approved by Austin voters as Proposition A in May's election  was meant, in part, to ensure the Office of Police Oversight had independent access to certain police records, such as body camera footage, and to make the office a central depository of records on the outcomes of complaints and officer discipline.

How did Austin police handle complaints?

Last year saw a rise of more than two-thirds in the number of community complaints the Office of Police Oversight sent in for investigation compared with 2021.

While the Office of Police Oversight was more likely to send in complaints, the Police Department was less likely to deem those complaints worthy of an investigation. For instance, in 2021 the department received 220 community complaints to investigate. Police looked into 90 of those, according to the report.

Data from the 2022 annual report show that community members were also less likely to submit complaints to the office. Overall, people contacted the office with either complaints or compliments 1,876 times in 2022, about 363 fewer times than in the previous year.

The Office of Police Oversight also oversaw how many internal complaints were made and investigated by the department. Last year, the Police Department investigated 161 internal complaints out of the 202 that were made. Of those investigated, 101 showed policy violations, the report said.

More: Lawsuit alleges Austin needs to do more to implement Prop A, police oversight referendum

Most of the 689 community complaints submitted by the office for review by the Police Department were either closed by administrators or sent to a supervisor for follow-up, according to the report. The department found that a majority of those complaints did not rise to the level of a policy violation, according to the report.

Of the 47 community complaints the department investigated, 13 resulted in up to 15 days or more of suspension, meaning a potentially serious policy violation or criminal conduct occurred.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police reviewed fewer complaints from oversight office in 2022
Austins progressive district attorney is facing criticism in the community after a man who allegedly killed two while committing his 7th DUI is walking the streets after his charges and bond were reduced.

Roberto Rangel, 52, was arrested last year in Travis County, Texas, for his 7th DUI that resulted in the deaths of 22-year-old Kate Garcia and 23-year-old Mark Narvaez, Fox 7 Austin reported.

Rangel, who has been sentenced to over 14 years in prison for DUIs dating to 1989, reportedly pulled out of a Chick-fil-A parking lot in Austin at 2:45 a.m. and parked his car sideways in the road.

A motorcycle crashed into the parked vehicle, killing Narvaez and Garcia. Rangel was reportedly too intoxicated to participate in a sobriety test at the scene.

DEFUNDED AUSTIN PD TAKES SO LONG TO RESPOND TO DUI CRASH, DRIVER SOBERS UP AND WALKS FREE: FAMILY

Roberto Rangel, left, and DA Jose Garza

Fox 7 Austin reported that Rangel's charge was reduced to DWI a few months after his arrest, and his bond was reduced from $100,000 to $10,000 before he was released. Additionally, Rangel's bond conditions were eased earlier this year, and his portable alcohol monitor was removed.

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"We dont understand why hes out," Elida Zamora, Garcia's mother, told Fox 7 Austin this week.

"I think that a guy like him is basically making a mockery out of our legal system," Mark Narvaezs father, Hector, told the outlet.

News of Rangel's release sparked intense criticism from Austin locals who say they are fed up with Garza's progressive agenda.

SOROS DA PUT MURDER CASE ON 'BACK BURNER' BECAUSE IT DOESN'T 'FIT' LIBERAL AGENDA: VICTIM'S FAMILY

"A precise example of how DA Jose Garzas policies are DIRECTLY threatening public safety," Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak posted on X. "Imagine a DA office REDUCING charges for someone arrested for their 6th DUI."

Austin criminal defense attorney Daniel Betts, who is running as a Republican candidate against Garza for Travis County DA, told Fox News Digital that while Garza's office did object to lowering Rangel's bond in July, it should have pushed for a more significant charge than DWI in the first place.

Austin, Texas

"Yet another example of how every day, in every way, Jose Garza works to make our community less safe," Betts said. "While he pays lip service to victims, he fails to protect the community and uphold the law on a multiple homicide, not even bothering to attempt to indict it as anything other than a simple DWI. Travis County has been sold a bill of goods, and it's time that the voters wake up to reality and show him the door."

An Austin Police officer who asked to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital officers are "frustrated if not more" because this type of situation happens "day in and day out," which continues to impact the victims of these tragedies.

"Very avoidable tragedies too often caused by the prosecution side of the house. For the last three years, we have seen that side falter and fail under Jose and Delia Garzas policies," the officer said. "Its time our citizens pay attention, educate themselves and vote for public safety  so they and the visitors of our great city get the public safety they deserve."

DA Garza has faced criticism in the past for how his office has handled a variety of crimes, including driving drunk. Last year, a man who pleaded guilty to driving drunk in a crash that killed his female passenger was sentenced to 10 days in jail, sparking outrage from many in the community.

District Attorney Jose Garza in Austin, Texas

"Another example of Travis County prosecutors going easy on violent criminals," the Austin Police Association, a union representing more than 1,800 Austin Police officers, tweeted in response to the sentence. "Victims lives are marginalized. Where is the justice for the families & loved ones of the victim?"

Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association told Fox News Digital this situation "again proves that this district attorney has no business in office."

"He has no experience prosecuting cases, and you've got somebody who has been arrested for DWI seven times," Farris said. "He should have been in prison already anyway. He was out, he was driving and he killed two people. And this district attorney has allowed this guy, they didn't push for a high enough bar to keep this guy in jail.

"This guy should have been charged with murder, not just intoxication manslaughter. He should have been charged with murder. And this guy should not be out walking the streets because he's been arrested seven times for DWI. He's got a problem."

Fox News Digital reached out to Garza's office for comment but did not receive a response.





Original article source: Austin's Soros-backed DA blasted after man charged with 7th DUI, killing 2 people released on bond
An Australian businessman has been found guilty by a Melbourne court of covertly working for the Chinese Communist Party, the first verdict of its kind under the countrys foreign influence laws.

Di Sanh Duong, 68, a prominent figure in the Chinese community in Melbourne, was convicted by a jury Tuesday of preparing for or planning an act of foreign interference, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

He is the first person to be convicted under laws introduced by the Australian government in 2018 to counter foreign influence in domestic politics. The legislation, which came after a series of scandals involving Beijings alleged attempts to influence Australian politics, deepened tensions with China, the countrys largest trading partner.

Duong was charged in 2020 by Victoria state police. On Tuesday, the County Court of Victoria ruled that he had attempted to secretly influence former federal government minister Alan Tudge with a large donation to the Royal Melbourne Hospital three years ago.

Photographs from an event at the hospital on June 2, 2020, show Duong presenting Tudge with a novelty check for 37,450 Australian dollars ($25,000). The money was raised by the Oceania Federation of Chinese Organizations from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, a Chinese diaspora group headed by Duong.

Federal prosecutors alleged Duong had used the donation to curry favor with Tudge. Tudge was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Lawyers for the government relied in part on an intercepted phone call between Duong and an associate in April 2020. In the recording, the court heard Duong discussing the value of a relationship with Tudge, who he considered as a potential future prime minister of Australia.

Prosecution lawyer Patrick Doyle argued in court that Duong, a former member of the Victorian state branch of Australias Liberal Party, would be an ideal target for Chinas United Front Work Department.

The United Front is a vast organization run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party that is tasked with cultivating relations with elites outside the party, including the Chinese diaspora. It has long been accused by researchers and Western nations, including the United States, of plotting global foreign influence operations on behalf of the Chinese government.

A main goal of this system is to win over friends for the Chinese Communist Party, it involves generating sympathy for the party and its policies, Doyle told the court.

The prosecutors argued that Duong had been in contact with Chinese state security officials. In the recording of another wiretapped phone call played in court, Duong was heard telling an associate: When I do things it never gets reported in the newspaper, but Beijing will know what Im doing.

Duong will be sentenced next year.

CNN has reached out to Duong for comment through his defense lawyer.

Australian Federal Police issued a statement Tuesday welcoming the verdict.

The AFP thanks its partners in the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce during this complex investigation. Foreign interference remains a significant national security priority for the AFP, the statement said.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson said he welcomed the guilty verdict in Australias first ever foreign interference case.

Successful prosecutions are key to deterring further attempts to interfere in our democracy. The AFP and prosecutors should continue to enforce the law robustly, he said.

CNN has reached out to the Australian Home Affairs Ministry for comment.

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Authorities are investigating the death of a 5-year-old boy Sunday who had been staying inside a warehouse on the Lower West Side housing several thousand migrants.

The parents of Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero are devastated, said Matt DeMateo, executive director and pastor at New Life Centers, who is consoling the family and mediating their communication with city officials as the investigation of their sons death continues.

DeMateo has been by the familys side since the boy was taken to the hospital Sunday, and Im still here, he told the Tribune.

For migrant advocates, the boys death marked the tipping point of the citys shelter system overflowing with demand. More than 26,000 migrants have come to Chicago over the past 16 months, and advocates say they have been worried about something like this happening for weeks.

Health care specialists have questioned both the conditions and coordination of care not only in the warehouse at 2241 S. Halsted St., but in the entire 27-shelter system.

Malnutrition on top of crowded conditions in the winter when there are all kinds of respiratory conditions can lead to really bad outcomes, said Minal Giri, chair of the Refugee Immigrant Child Health Initiative for the Illinois chapter at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

She said the citys health care system in shelters is disorganized and decentralized.

Jean Carlos had been sick for a couple of days prior to his death, his parents told police. The family had been outside begging for money earlier on Sunday, but came home after the 5-year-old had vomited.

At the shelter, his lips turned purple, his parents told police. The boys family members told police that staff had said the discoloration was probably because of the cold.

But after the boy complained that his stomach hurt and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, staff began performing chest compressions on him and called for an ambulance.

The boy was pronounced dead at Comer Childrens Hospital and the cause of death is under investigation, authorities said. The Chicago Department of Public Health will continue to evaluate the situation, according to a statement Tuesday from Mayor Brandon Johnsons press office, which continued to place blame for the migrant crisis on Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been busing migrants to Chicago and other liberal cities since August 2022.

Many new arrivals survive brutal and dangerous journeys to border states and are promptly and inhumanely transported with little to no triage. Border states do not take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals they load onto buses, according to the mayors office statement. As a result, interior cities like Chicago are receiving new arrivals with more severe medical needs, since many asylum-seekers are spending the night outdoors without access to sanitation, drinking water or food immediately prior to their journeys.

According to the city, the Martinez Rivero family arrived in Chicago on Nov. 30, and had been staying at the warehouse ever since.

A vigil for Jean Carlos is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday near the shelter. Volunteers are requesting those attending bring medicine to share.

Sara Izquierdo, co-founder and director of the Mobile Migrant Health Team, a group of medical students that went to police stations to provide medical care when migrants were staying there, performed a site assessment at the shelter Monday with city officials and shelter employees.

She called the conditions inside very, very concerning.

When she was providing care to migrants at police stations, she said she would promise them better resources once they got into the citys shelter system.

Now I feel almost as if I lied to them, she said.

City officials say that the citys public health department supports shelter-based care through its partners, including on-site screenings, infection prevention and vaccinations.

Strike teams from UI Health and Rush have been deployed to shelters on an as-needed basis to address outbreak responses, and currently visit the Halsted shelter twice a week to provide additional testing and vaccinations, the mayors statement said.

On Monday, after the childs death, fire officials transported five people with fevers to hospitals from the shelter, which houses 2,414 migrants. The ill people included children ages 1, 4, 8 and 9, Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

The cases do not appear related other than having originated in the same shelter, and symptoms are consistent with ongoing seasonal respiratory trends. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available, Johnsons statement said.

The ambulance call is not an isolated incident, and since the boys death, EMS calls havent stopped.

Langford said Tuesday there had been two EMS calls for migrants late Monday  a 7-year-old with an ear infection and a 3-year-old who was vomiting. Both were brought to the emergency room at the University of Illinois Hospital.

A woman in her 40s was brought to the hospital early Tuesday for chest discomfort, Langford said.

Tuesday afternoon, the Tribune watched two ambulances pull up to the shelter in the course of three hours.

Langford said he has only seen an increase in emergency calls from the shelter on Halsted Street, despite 26 other locations housing nearly 11,500 migrants around the city.

I dont know why, but that ones been getting a run, he said.

Migrants who gathered outside the shelter Tuesday afternoon said it feels like they are sleeping in a refrigerator. Euglimar Ramos, 30, from Punto Fijo, Venezuela, said she was in the same section of the shelter as the little boy who died.

Its so sad, she said, looking at her 11-year-old son Lenin. I saw him die. He shouldnt have died that young.

Giri said she has heard and seen concerning reports of conditions inside the Halsted shelter. But her biggest concern, she said, is the lack of transparency from the citys biggest contractor to handle the migrant crisis, Favorite Healthcare Staffing.

Favorite shut the door so that no one could really see whats happening in these shelters.  And its horrific, she said.

Does Favorite have a protocol for dealing with sick children? Do they have anyone in house who has any kind of pediatric background? Do they have regular access to sick visits? she asked.

Migrants told the Tribune on Tuesday there is a general atmosphere of fear in the shelters. They are worried about what will happen when their time in shelters runs out and they are put out onto the street.

Tuesday afternoon, dozens of migrants got off a CTA bus and walked into the shelter. Mothers held children swathed in blankets. They wrapped their arms around themselves to stay warm.

At 4:30 p.m. a school bus dropping off migrants pulled up to the shelter at the same time as an ambulance. The sirens flashed red onto the fluorescently lit windows of the large brick industrial building.

Lupe Guadalupe Rivera, a teacher who volunteered helping migrants at the Gresham District (6th) police station went to the shelter on the Lower West Side Saturday to hand out Christmas gifts to children staying there. Over 1,000 gifts were needed, she said.

She said the migrant children she gave gifts to were wearing flip-flops and didnt have coats. Their health needs are extensive.

Im sure as the weather is getting worse, the families are getting sicker, she said. They have a lot of allergies. They need a lot of stomach medications.  And it can be hard to keep up with that.

The volume of migrants she saw Saturday solidified to her the citys challenges providing care to everyone.

I feel like the city has been trying to do as best as they can with the resources that they have, but theres so many people there that its just difficult to handle, she said.

nsalzman@chicagotribune.com

lrodriguez@chicagotribune.com
The number of injured people from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in northwest China's Gansu Province has risen to 782 in Gansu, with the death toll standing at 113 as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a press conference on Wednesday morning.

The earthquake has taken the lives of 18 people in Qinghai Province, local authorities said on Wednesday morning.

As of 5:30 a.m., there have been 198 reported injuries in Qinghai due to the disaster, with 16 others still missing.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake jolted at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of the Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Gansu Province.
Editors note: This article was updated with additional information Thursday.

A Belleville lawyer who was suspended earlier this year was indicted Tuesday in federal court on allegations he embezzled more than an estimated $1 million from his clients and law firm, then abandoning both, according to state disciplinary records, federal court records and the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Jason Russel Caraway, 49, engaged in a scheme to embezzle money from his clients and his firm before abruptly abandoning his practice, according to the indictment filed in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

The indictment includes additional allegations that Caraway forged court orders purportedly signed by St. Clair County judges.

Caraway could not be reached for comment. Federal court records show he worked for the Belleville law firm of Caraway, Fisher & Broombaugh and lives in OFallon. Defense attorney Daniel L. Fultz of Springfield declined to comment Thursday.

A court order calls for Caraway to report to the federal courthouse in East St. Louis on Jan. 3.

The indictment is linked to actions occurring between March 2019 to January 2023

Caraway is indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud, alleging he transferred funds totaling about $146,000 by means of wire in interstate commerce. But the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office also outlines a deeper scheme that alleges he defrauded clients out of settlements and insurance payouts, some of them ordered held in special trusts to cover medical expenses.

A news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office states Caraway is alleged to have embezzled more than an estimated $1 million from a Belleville law firm and its client trust account.

He did this, according to the indictment, by improperly transferring money from client trust accounts into his firms operating account, where it was used for personal and business reasons; by moving client trust fund money into the firms operating account, then issuing checks to himself; and by forging court documents to access his clients funds.

Specific dollar amounts of the funds Caraway is alleged to have embezzled are not totaled for every client cited in the indictment, but what amounts that are mentioned total about $578,000. Its not clear why the charges stop at the amounts Caraway is accused of moving via wire transfer.

Several civil cases have been filed against Caraway in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

The federal indictment includes a summary list of some of the clients Caraway is alleged to have defrauded, including, but not limited to the family of a police officer who died in the line of duty, a disabled person who won a $250,000 personal injury settlement, a person who suffered a brain injury in a severe traffic accident, and several clients who earned workers compensation settlements.

According to the indictment, these are the clients and related accusations against Caraway:

The family of Ricardo Davis, a Washington Park police officer who died in the line of duty in 2018, was due $64,072.18 from a state life insurance policy. Caraway received the funds in two checks, but didnt forward the money to Davis family, the indictment alleges.

A victim identified only as T.K, who retained Caraway to represent him in an $86,000 business dispute. Caraway forged a court order signed by St. Clair County Judge Heinz Rudolph dismissing the case so that he could trick the client into believing he had litigated on his behalf, and keep his retainer, according to the indictment. The amount of the retainer was not specified in the indictment.

T.H. was owed $67,000 from a workers compensation settlement Caraway accepted on his behalf. Approximately $53,500 of that amount was never forwarded to T.H.

A.Y. was entitled to $161,755.71 from a personal injury award that was to be deposited into a special needs trust, specifically to cover certain expenses without jeopardizing A.Y.s eligibility for other social service programs like Social Security, Medicaid or low-income housing. Caraway is accused of forging a court order from St. Clair County Judge Thomas Cannady, releasing those funds to his firms operating account and for his personal use. As such, the money was misapplied and did not go to A.Y. or A.Y.s guardian, the indictment states.

A.W.was due more than $42,000 from a personal injury settlement, but Caraway misapplied the entire amount, according to the indictment.

M.G. was due a $63,000 workers compensation settlement, but Caraway misapplied the funds and M.G. got nothing.

D.K. sustained a brain injury in a car crash and was due payment on two separate settlements  one from the at-fault driver and another from D.K.s insurance company. The amount of those settlements were not specified, but Caraway misappropriated the money and D.K. received nothing, the indictment states.

W.A. was due a $36,000 workers compensation settlement, but Caraway kept the entire amount.

R.C. and S.C. received a settlement, but Caraway is accused of misappropriating $125,000 that was to be reserved in a client trust to cover future medical bills.

Caraways partner negotiated a settlement on behalf of M.G. but Caraway misapplied $23,000 from a client trust fund to pay future medical bills on M.G.s behalf, according to the indictment.

Caraways partner obtained a pair of settlements for J.D. who was injured in a traffic crash. J.D. received payment from the at-fault driver and from the insurance company. Caraway allegedly misapplied approximately $40,000 from a client trust fund intended to cover J.D.s medical bills.

Caraway and his partner negotiated a $7,500 civil settlement on behalf of C.T. Caraway took $5,749.22 for his personal use, according to the indictment.

Caraway won a settlement for S.K. which was paid to a client trust account with two checks totaling $89,078.91. S.K. received $2,000 of that money.

Caraway obtained a $25,000 settlement for Y.H. who was injured in a traffic crash. The indictment states Caraway misapplied a portion of that settlement that was to be used to cover Y.H.s remaining medical bills.

Attorneys have a duty to protect their clients interests and must be held to the highest ethical standard, U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said in a news release Thursday. Those who are overcome by greed and use their professional positions to embezzle from their employers and steal from innocent people will answer to the rule of law.

If convicted, Caraway could face up to 20 years imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines per count, the news releases states.

License suspension

On Sept. 23, the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which operates under the authority of the Illinois Supreme Court, reported that Caraways law license was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court.

He misappropriated $4,634 belonging to his client in a personal injury matter, falsely told the client that he had paid a lienholder, and failed to prepare or maintain appropriate trust account records, according to a case summary reported by the disciplinary commission.

A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends.
BELLEVILLE, Ill.  A 37-year-old Belleville man is accused of a shooting that left one man dead and two people wounded.

The shooting happened on Oct. 22, 2023, in the 500 block of Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis.

East St. Louis police found one victim, Marshon Martin, dead at the scene. Martin was 19. Two additional victims were treated for gunshots at area hospitals. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Stolen car seen in Central West End belongs to long-time police officer

Local police requested the assistance of the Illinois State Polices Public Safety Enforcement Group.

Over the next several weeks, investigators identified Travione Willis as the shooter.

On Dec. 4, the St. Clair County States Attorneys Office charged Willis in absentia with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery of a firearm.

U.S. Marshals located and arrested Willis on Dec. 19 in Belleville. Willis remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Nearly anyone can make a passable grilled cheese without much effort, but to get a great grilled cheese, you need to put a little more thought into this beloved sandwich.

Most grilled cheese sandwiches involve just three ingredients, and choosing them wisely is essential. But contrary to what you might think, gourmet isnt always better, and knowing how to choose the right combination of ingredients can elevate your grilled cheese from basic to divine.

We asked chefs for their tips and tricks to get the best grilled cheese possible.

Is anything better than butter?

Most people butter bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, but many grilled cheese connoisseurs think mayonnaise is superior. Josh Archibald, executive chef for Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook, Oregon, said that mayo helps crisp up the bread and gives it a savory, almost crouton-esqe crunch that is better than butter. For the best results he recommends applying the schmear very liberally, ensuring you get coverage all the way to the edges.

Another alternative to butter is olive oil. It makes it so crispy and gives it a buttery taste, without burning, said chef Lisa Dahl of Dahl Restaurant Group in Sedona, Arizona.

Laura Werlin, author of the cookbooks Great Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese, Please! has spent years developing over 100 grilled cheese recipes. She thinks nothing beats butter for the best flavor. She said that butter crisps the bread just fine while bringing richness to the entire sandwich. Werlin prefers salted butter because the bread in a grilled cheese sandwich must be seasoned, too.



Is it better to smear the bread or the pan?

When it comes to making grilled cheese, Werlin said that theres no doubt in my mind that the bread should be buttered before laying the sandwich in a hot pan, she said. The butter can be so much better distributed over the entire sandwich before cooking it this way, she explained. As long as the butter is room temperature, it can easily cover an entire slice without tearing the bread.

Werlin concedes that its easier to thow butter in the pan and let it melt before adding the bread, but said that with this method you wind up using a half a stick of butter for each sandwich and the result will border on a fried sandwich, not grilled.

Spread the butter evenly on the bread for an even, golden crust.

Spread the butter evenly on the bread for an even, golden crust.

Choose your cheese wisely.

When it comes to choosing cheese, the sky is the limit, Werlin said. However, she cautioned that the important thing to keep in mind is that not all cheeses do the same thing. While taste is largely a matter of personal preference, there is an art to creating a gooey, oozy grilled cheese.

To get a mix of flavor and a classic grilled cheese pull, mixing cheeses is best. Werlin explained that hard cheeses like parmesan will never become oozy and a soft cheese like brie, fresh goat cheese, or a blue cheese will become softer and creamy but never gooey. To get the classic grilled cheese pull, Werlin prefers Comte, a type of cheddar. Werlin often combines Comte with a hard or soft cheese to get the flavor and consistency she likes in grilled cheese.

If you prefer a cheese you can buy at the supermarket, Werlin recommends medium or sharp Tillamook Cheddar, which she said has a classic orange color and melts perfectly. She also likes Jasper Hill Farms Alpha Tolman and Uplands Cheese Companys Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Werlin noted that expensive cheeses are often a poor choice for grilled cheese.More upscale artisan cheddars often separate and become gritty when melted, she explained.

Archibald also likes to use a blend of cheeses. One of his favorite combinations is medium white cheddar mixed with sharp cheddar. The medium white has the great meltability, stretch and ooze factor we are all looking for from a classic grilled cheese, and the sharp brings in those bright and tangy cheddar notes, he said.

Although cheese is the key ingredient in grilled cheese, Dahl says that its important not to over cheese. Thats because the flavors from the bread blend as one and need to be balanced.

Use the best breads.

Even though artisan breads taste great and work well for toast, when it comes to a grilled cheese sandwich, Werlin prefers something more simple.

Its all about texture, she explained. According to Werlin, If the bread is rustic and firm, it doesnt produce the same soul-satisfying result as a bread that succumbs to the heat of the pan and cheese but maintains its structural integrity just the same.

Werlin strongly prefers store-bought sourdough for grilled cheese sandwiches. Supermarket sourdough is not as crusty as a great loaf of bakery-made sourdough, but it has the sour flavor that cuts the richness of the sandwich ever so slightly, she explained. Plus, sourdough has lots of little crannies, which is great for absorbing the flavors of the other grilled cheese ingredients she said.

Dahl prefersfabulous, good-quality grainy bread that adds an extra layer of texture. She likes using Daves Thin Slice Multiple Grain Bread because it adds a unique hint of sweetness.

A panini press is great and will give you the lines seen above, but it's not necessary.

A panini press is great and will give you the lines seen above, but it's not necessary.

The perfect pan method

Some people use a panini press or other special equipment to make grilled cheese. However, Werlin uses a nonstick pan, a lid and a spatula to create the perfect grilled cheese.

Put the buttered sandwich in the pre-heated pan, and cover it. Let it get golden underneath and then turn it. Give it a little press with the spatula and cover it again. Let the underside get golden too, remove the lid, turn the sandwich once more, give it another press with the spatula, and cook it uncovered for about 30 seconds, Werlin said.

The sandwich wont get soggy, but it will melt the cheese faster and result in a crisp, melty grilled cheese sandwich, she explained.

If you dont have a lid, Archibald recommended cooking grilled cheese low and slow, turning and flipping often to really give a chance to get a full melt on the cheese and to get the bread evenly toasted and golden brown. Pressing the sandwich down gently will help ensure that all the cheese inside melts and gets gooey.

Take it up a notch.

A great way to take your grilled cheese up a notch is to add an extra ingredient. Add-ins like bacon, tomato, apple slices, jams, chili crisp, kimchi and pretty much anything taking up space on your refrigerator door or in the back of your pantry will likely enhance a grilled cheese sandwich, Werlin said. She especially likes crunchy ingredients that give contrast to the texture of gooey cheese.

Dahl likes using a light layer of honey mustard on the inside of the bread to add some sweetness and spiciness to her grilled cheese. She also likes adding a slice of honey-baked ham.

When choosing an add-in, make your selection wisely. Werlin cautions that less is more. Sticking with one add-in per sandwich is best.

Related...
Federal regulators are proposing requiring transit agencies to assess worker safety amid an unacceptable level of assaults.

Everyone deserves a safe workplace, including and especially the frontline transit workers who keep our nation moving, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release Wednesday. Assaults on transit workers are unacceptable, and I look forward to working with leaders across the transit industry on ways to further enhance the safety of these essential workers.

The Department of Transportations Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) published a proposed General Directive on Wednesday in which transit agencies will be required within 60 days of the directives issue to have an Agency Safety Plan  under a broader regulation program called the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans  and to take actions such as conducting risk assessments related to assaults on transit workers on the public transportation system.

The National Transit Database documented an average of 241 reportable assault events on transit workers from 2008 to 2021, according to the release.

Each day, transit workers nationwide are responsible for moving millions of Americans to their jobs, schools, and other daily activities, and we must ensure that their safety remains a top priority, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said in the release. This proposed General Directive is part of FTAs ongoing comprehensive efforts to improve transit worker safety.

Investing in public transportation is part of a road map unveiled by the Biden administration earlier this year to lower emissions in the transportation sector through 2050.

Transportation policy is inseparable from housing and energy policy, and transportation accounts for a major share of US greenhouse gas emissions, so we must work together in an integrated way to confront the climate crisis, Buttigieg said in a statement.

Every decision about transportation is also an opportunity to build a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous future, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Bidens campaign on Wednesday posted a graphic directly comparing former president Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler, replete with images of the two men on each side.

The graphic, shared in a post on X, marks an even more aggressive turn in a highly charged attempt by the Biden campaign to link its likely Republican general election opponent with the Nazi leader. And it foreshadows how central the attack line is likely to be as part of the presidents efforts to win reelection.

Under the banner TRUMP PARROTS HITLER, the graphic lists three quotes from the 45th president next to those from Nazi leader. Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country, read one Trump quote. Below it read a partial quote from Hitler: Contamination of the blood by an inferior race will lead to the fall of Germany.

This is not a coincidence, the Biden campaign tweeted.



Comparing a political opponent to Hitler was once nearly verboten in political campaigns. But it has become routine for the Biden operation, which notes that historians themselves have said Trumps rhetoric echoesthat of fascist leaders. The Biden campaign has linked Trumps statements to Hitler multiple times in the past few weeks and has urged reporters to more closely scrutinize the former presidents speeches, particularly around immigration.

Trump has scoffed at the comparison. But he has not backed away from his comments. At a rally on Tuesday, he once again said immigrants are destroying the blood of our country and added that he had never read Mein Kampf  Hitlers manifesto.

The Biden camp didnt let that slide. Probably the audiobook then, responded spokesman TJ Ducklo, over X.

Although Biden has been more cautious to draw a flat out comparison between Trump and Hitler in his public remarks, he has inched closer to doing so in recent days.



At a fundraiser Tuesday night, Biden said that the language Trump uses reminds us of the language coming out of Germany in the 30s.

He has called those who oppose him vermin. And, again, this weekend, he talked about the blood of our country is being poisoned. Even conservative Republicans have spoken out against it, Biden said.


Biden claims Trump 'embraces political violence,' plays down his poor polling

President Joe Biden on Tuesday night claimed former President Donald Trump "embraces political violence" and downplayed early polling showing him losing to Trump in a hypothetical rematch in 2024.

"He's threatened to use the U.S. military on the streets of America," Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Bethesda, Maryland, according to press pool reports.

"Once again, he embraces political violence instead of rejecting it. We can't let this happen," Biden told donors.

The president, already preparing to potentially face Trump in next year's general election, has focused on an argument that Trump is a threat to the country's democracy because of how he has questioned election integrity and vowed to go after his political opponents.

Trump has countered that it is Biden who is anti-democratic because of the various criminal cases against Trump, related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, the alleged misuse of government secrets and money paid to an adult film actress before the 2016 election.

Prosecutors have pushed back on the claim they are politically motivated. Trump denies all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

MORE: Trump claims he's never read Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' as he doubles down on anti-immigrant phrase

At the campaign event on Tuesday, the president also brushed off concerns that Trump would beat him in a general election after a New York Times/Siena College poll published that day found Trump and Biden in a close race.

Other surveys have found similar results.

Biden, instead, highlighted polls showing him narrowly winning before saying it's too early to tell.

"Doesn't mean a lot right now, in my opinion," he said of the polling.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a meeting of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2023. (Leah Millis/Reuters, FILE)

Raising Trump's controversial comments from a New Hampshire rally on Saturday, Biden warned the former president would abuse the power of the presidency in a second term and noted that Trump continues to praise authoritarian leaders.

"Trump was embracing his old pal [Vladimir] Putin. Trump even quoted him this weekend. It's no surprise -- after all, there's a lot of agreement between Moscow and Mar-a-Lago," Biden said.

"The language he uses reminds us of the language coming out of Germany in the '30s," Biden continued. "He has called those who oppose him 'vermin' and again this weekend, he talked about the 'blood' of our country being 'poisoned.' Even conservative Republicans have spoken out."

In Iowa on Tuesday, at his own campaign event, Trump again used some of the same language Biden referred to.

"They're ruining our country," Trump said about migrants crossing the border. "And it's true they're destroying the blood of our country. That's what they're doing."

Reacting to recent criticism that his words over unauthorized immigrants echo those used by Adolft Hitler in the lead-up to World War II, Trump told his crowd he had not read Hitler's "Mein Kampf."

"They don't like it when I said that -- and I never read 'Mein Kampf.' They said, 'Oh, Hitler said that' -- in a much different way. No, they're coming from all over the world. People all over the world," Trump said Tuesday night.

Biden's running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, condemned Trump's comments on immigrants as she appeared on MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" later on Tuesday night.

O'Donnell asked about Trump's words in the context of Harris' own background as the daughter of immigrants.

MORE: ATrump ineligible to run for president in Colorado because of Jan. 6, court rules in historic move

"I was raised knowing that there will be some people who will use their voice in a way that is meant to dehumanize, meant to suggest that the vast majority of us don't have anything in common, when, in fact, the vast majority of us have more in common than what separates us," Harris said.

At his Tuesday campaign event, Biden brought up Trump recently telling Fox News' Sean Hannity that he wouldn't be a dictator "except for day one," so that he could focus on the border and on drilling, when Hannity asked if he would use the presidency for retribution.

As he has at similar fundraisers, Biden called Trump "a defeated former president" who "can't get tired of losing," as a rematch between the two appears increasingly likely.

"Let me be clear," Biden continued. "I think Donald Trump poses many threats to the country. From the right to choose, to civil rights, to voting rights, to the American standing in the world".

"The greatest threat Trump poses is the threat to our democracy," he added. "Because if we lose, we lose everything."

ABC News' Justin Gomez and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.

Biden claims Trump 'embraces political violence,' plays down his poor polling originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2023 shows the Potala Palace after snow in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region has completed its first water-use rights trade, with an agreement signed between Lhozhag County and Konggar County of the region's city of Shannan.

Similar to carbon emissions trading, water-use rights trading allows for the buying and selling of water-use quotas to reallocate water resources through a market-based approach.

A total of 1.81 million cubic meters of water will be transacted between the two counties, with a total transaction value amounting to 181,000 yuan (about 25,341 U.S. dollars).

Last year, three Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Water Resources, jointly issued a guideline on water-use rights reform, vowing to further improve China's water-use rights system, intensify transaction supervision and establish a unified national water-use trading market by 2025. In November, Xizang issued a plan on the implementation of water-use rights reform.

Dundrup, director of the water and soil conservation monitoring center of Shannan, said that the trading gives full play to the role of the market mechanism in optimizing the allocation of water resources and further improves the optimal allocation and efficient use of water resources in Shannan.
By Steve Holland

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden criticized presidential opponent Donald Trump's recent anti-immigrant comments as he visited a Black-owned business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a state that may prove pivotal to the 2024 election.

"I don't believe as the president, the former president, said again yesterday, that immigrants are polluting, polluting, our blood. The economy and our nation is stronger when we're tapping the full range of talents in this nation," he said.

Trump has referred to immigrants "poisoning" the blood of America in recent speeches, using language that echoes the racial and eugenics rhetoric of Nazi Germany, prompting critics to condemn political xenophobia and racism.

"Everyone deserves a fair shot," Biden said, in remarks during a visit to the Milwaukee Black Chamber of Commerce to discuss what the White House called a boom in Black-owned small businesses.

Biden repeated a familiar refrain on the economy, saying when "the middle class does well and we all do well."

"That's what we call Bidenomics," he said.

Biden first stopped by Hero Plumbing, a Black-owned small business that removes lead pipes in Milwaukee. After chatting with Hero founder and owner Rashawn Spivey, Biden gave him a ride to the event site in his presidential limousine.

Biden's visit reflected an effort to bolster support from Black voters ahead of what his campaign team is expecting to be a tough battle for re-election.

Biden's victories in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - all swing states that Republican Donald Trump carried in 2016 - were instrumental in his 2020 victory. He will likely will need to carry many of those states again to win re-election.

Black voters have for a long time been the most loyal Democratic constituency, but some feel disenchanted by the Biden presidency.

Biden is to announce that the Grow Milwaukee Coalition is one of 22 finalists for a Commerce Department program that would allocate funds to help create jobs in America's hardest-hit communities.

The coalition's proposal would invest in revitalizing Milwaukee's historic 30th Street Industrial Corridor and connecting the historically segregated Black community to economic opportunity across the city.

A White House fact sheet said the share of Black households owning a business has doubled between 2019 and 2022, after falling between 2007 and 2019, without citing the source of the data.

Next July, Milwaukee will be the site of the Republican National Convention where party delegates will officially nominate their choice for the Republican presidential nomination.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll published on Dec. 5 found that Biden's popularity was at 40%, near the lowest level of his presidency, a sign of the challenges ahead for his re-election bid.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Sonali Paul, Heather Timmons and Aurora Ellis)
Joe Biden has said it is self-evident that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist in his first public comments since Colorados supreme court removed the former president from the states 2024 ballot.

The president was speaking before boarding Air Force One to an afternoon engagement in Milwaukee, and said he would not comment on the legal premise cited by the Colorado panel for its majority decision, or the likely intervention of the US supreme court.

Whether the 14th amendment applies or not, well let the court make that decision, the president said.

But he was more forthright when asked directly if he thought Trump was an insurrectionist.

I think its self-evident  he certainly supported an insurrection. Theres no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it, about everything, he said.

Biden has mostly remained silent about the legal troubles that Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, is facing.

The president has long been critical of Trumps conduct surrounding the events of 6 January 2021, when the outgoing president incited a mob of his supporters to overrun the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Bidens election victory.

Trump was, Biden said at the time, singularly responsible for the violence of the deadly riot, in which several people lost their lives, including law enforcement officers and protestors.

Among Trumps legal cases is one in Washington DC, in which he has pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The supreme court is poised to soon hear an appeal that could affect the trial.

Jena Griswold, Colorados Democratic secretary of state, backed Bidens comments during a lunchtime appearance on MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell Reports.

The big picture, no matter if Donald Trump ends up being on the ballot or off the ballot, is the extent of how dangerous he is to American democracy, she said.

He tried to steal the presidency from the American people. He incited an insurrection with folks ramming into the US Capitol, some of whom had plans to hang the vice-president, and then he did not stop there. He spent months trying to undermine the peaceful process, the peaceful transfer of the presidency.
US President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media upon arrival at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Mandel NGAN)

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Donald Trump had clearly backed an insurrection after Colorado's top court blocked the Republican from seeking a second term over the 2021 Capitol assault.

"I'll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it, none, zero," Biden told reporters after arriving in Milwaukee, Wisconsin aboard Air Force One.

"It's self-evident. You saw it all," added the 81-year-old Democrat, who is likely to face Trump in a close-fought 2024 presidential election in a rematch of their 2020 battle.

While Biden took pains to stress that the matter was up to the courts, it marked a rare occasion that he has directly commented on the multiple legal cases piling up against Trump.

Former president Trump's campaign has said it will appeal to the US Supreme Court against the Colorado ruling, which only applies to the primary ballot in the state.

It is the first of a number of legal actions across the country to successfully invoke the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection.

Neck-and-neck with Trump in the polls and suffering from low approval ratings, Biden has taken off the gloves to launch direct rhetorical attacks on Trump.

Biden told a campaign reception on Tuesday near Washington that "the greatest threat Trump poses is to our democracy. Because if we lose, we lose everything."

He described Trump as "sitting there, watching it unfold on TV as a mob attacked the Capitol" in the assault by the Republican's supporters on January 6, 2021 aimed at overturning Trump's loss to Biden.

"This is a former president who actually condones and encourages violence against his fellow Americans," he said. "It's despicable."

dk/md
President Biden on Tuesday said that former President Trump is embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin by quoting him, while also bashing the GOP pushback over his remarks that immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country.

This weekend Trump was embracing his old pal Putin. Trump even quoted him this weekend. Thats no surprise. After all theres a lot of agreement between Moscow and Mar-a-Lago, Biden said at a campaign reception in Bethesda, Md.

He was alluding to Trumps controversial rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, during which the former president quoted Putin and made comments that have drawn comparisons to Nazi rhetoric before and during World War II.

The language he uses reminds us of the language coming out of Germany in the 30s, Biden said to a room of about 120 donors. He has called those who oppose him vermin, and again this weekend, he talked about the blood of our country being poisoned. Even conservative Republicans have spoken out.

Trump on Saturday quoted Putin and said Bidens politically motivated persecution into him shows the rottenness of the American political system. He also claimed immigrants were pouring into the United States and poisoning the blood of our country.

All over the world theyre coming into our country. From Africa, from Asia, all over the world, the Republican primary front-runner said.

Vice President Harris has also bashed the comments, arguing it is similar to rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler to describe Jews poisoning the blood of Germans.

Additionally, Republicans have said that Trumps inflammatory comments crossed the line. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) earlier Tuesday said, It strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao the secretary of Transportation, referring to his wife who is a Taiwanese American.

Other Republicans have defended Trump.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R), one of Trumps staunchest Senate allies and one of Bidens rivals, said he was mad that Trump wasnt tougher than that.

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) criticized the medias coverage of Trumps remarks, saying they had been misconstrued.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Biden administration has reached an agreement to release one of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros closest allies in exchange for the freedom of 10 Americans, the return of an American businessman charged in a large-scale bribery scheme and commitments to democratic progress in the country.

The agreement will see the return of six Americans who were deemed wrongfully detained in Venezuela, four other Americans held in jail and the return of Fat Leonard Francis, who was being held in Venezuela after escaping house arrest in the U.S. ahead of a sentencing in a massive military corruption case. Leonard reportedly fled to South America on his way to Russia.

In exchange, President Biden has granted clemency to and is releasing to Venezuela Alex Nain Saab Moran, who was on trial in the U.S.

Saab was arrested in 2020 in the island nation of Cabo Verde on charges of money laundering and transferred to the U.S. in 2021. Saab was charged by the U.S. government with carrying out a multiyear currency trading scheme by bribing Venezuelan government officials and falsifying documents.

President Biden welcomed the release of the Americans in a statement, but warned that U.S. citizens should not travel to Venezuela for fear of arbitrary arrest.

Reuniting wrongfully detained Americans with their loved ones has been a priority for my Administration since day one. As is the return to the United States of fugitives from justice, Biden said in a statement.

The president further said he was continuing to work for the release of the more than 100 people being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip; and the release of Americans determined wrongfully detained in Russia and other parts of the world.

A senior administration official said in a Wednesday call with reporters that Biden had to make the extremely difficult decision to grant Saab clemency as part of the exchange.

The consequences of this difficult decision will be to reunite parents with their children and grandchildren, children with their parents, family and friends, and to ensure that one of the most notorious fugitives from justice, Fat Leonard, is returned, and held to account for his crimes.

Leonard had pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribery and fraud charges in connection to a large-scale, decade-long conspiracy against the U.S. Navy, in which he lavished Navy officials with gifts, cash, prostitutes and luxury travel in exchange for secret information that benefited his port logistics company.

Biden administration officials, speaking to reporters on a phone call while waiting for the finalization of the exchange to take place, said that the U.S. had also secured the release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners and broader efforts toward a restoration of democracy in the country.

Administration officials said that while engaging directly with representatives of Nicolas Maduro on the deal, they also were actively consulting with members of the Venezuelan opposition, the Unitary Platform, including its presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado, and with members of Congress.

It is something that demonstrates the results of dialogue, and it opened the doors for us to continue to engage in dialogue, so that when Venezuela holds elections next year, that theyre competitive and inclusive, and that will allow Venezuelans to really determine the future of their country, a senior administration official said.

This has established, I think, a solid foundation for us to build upon and to continue the dialogue in the months ahead.

The administration also said Qatar played a role in mediating the deal. The Qatari government has also facilitated talks on Israel-Hamas hostage-for-prisoner exchanges in recent weeks.

Qatar has been an important partner for the United States across a whole host of streams as youve undoubtedly seen, but I would say with regard to the process in Venezuela, for months they facilitated conversations between Maduro authorities and U.S. officials aimed at clearing a path toward a competitive election in 2024 and the return of wrongfully detained Americans, the official said.

They have continued to offer their good offices, when called upon, and were quite grateful for those efforts.

Maduros regime is one of the most challenging foreign policy issues for the U.S., with his authoritarian leadership viewed as illegitimate, a humanitarian crisis in the country contributing to mass migration crisis, and Caracass ties with Russia and Iran contributing to global insecurity.

In October, representatives of Maduro and members of the opposition came to an agreement that elections in 2024 would include some opposition candidates, after talks overseen by Norway and signed in Barbados, referred to as the Barbados agreement.

A senior Biden administration official said Maduros release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners is not part of the Barbados agreement but brings us back in line with Barbados.

The official said that Venezuelas opposition is looking for the release of all political prisoners  there are an estimated 300, according to Amnesty International  and that competitive, inclusive elections really are not possible if there is a fear of arbitrary detention.

These are going to be parts of the ongoing conversations between the Venezuelan parties, and our approach is going to be supportive of concrete outcomes in those talks.

Updated at 2:54 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden took aim at former President Trump on Wednesday for his remarks that immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country, saying immigrants make the country stronger.

We always believed diversity is our strength as a nation. I dont believe, as the president  former president  said again yesterday, that immigrants are polluting, polluting our blood, Biden said in remarks at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce.

The economy and our nation are stronger when we tap into the full range of talents of this nation. My administration will continue to fight these attacks, because everyone deserves a fair shot, just a shot, he added.

Trump at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday claimed immigrants were pouring into the United States and poisoning the blood of our country. He doubled down on those ideas Tuesday evening, repeating his claim that immigrants coming into the U.S. are destroying the blood of our country during a rally in Iowa.

During a campaign reception Tuesday, Biden noted the GOP pushback Trump has received over the remarks, saying even conservative Republicans have spoken out. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) earlier Tuesday said, It strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao the secretary of Transportation, referring to his wife, who is Taiwanese American.

Biden also criticized Trump on Wednesday over his administrations response to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly Black-owned businesses.

Lets be clear: Republicans are against so many critical actions that help working- and middle-class people, especially Black Americans, Biden said.

Just remember how the pandemic hit Black businesses especially hard. How my predecessor on his watch, women- and minority-owned small businesses found themselves last in line to access emergency relief through programs like the Paycheck Protection Program, Biden said, arguing that when he took office, emergency relief went to minority businesses first.

The president traveled to Wisconsin to tout what the White House is calling a Black small-business boom that the presidents economic agenda helped drive.

He discussed how Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in 30 years, and that the share of Black households owning a business has doubled between 2019 and 2022, according to data from the White House.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday there was no question that former President Donald Trump was responsible for leading an insurrection. But he declined to weigh in on the legal argument unleashed by the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling that barred Trump from the states ballot, pointedly leaving those matters to the judiciary.

Its self-evident. You saw it all. Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, Ill let the court make that decision, the president said during a trip to Wisconsin. But he certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero.

Bidens comments came hours after the state Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday evening that Trumps involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection violated the 14th Amendment and invalidated him from holding elected office. They underscored the delicate balance that Democrats have tried to achieve in the wake of the ruling.

For many in the party, there was little upside seen in commenting on a legal matter that was certain to be considered by the Supreme Court  and likely to be struck down by the justices there. Their subdued reaction was driven, in part, by concerns that outward celebration would play into Trumps hands, inflaming his supporters and giving fodder for him to argue that the judicial system was stacked against him.



It just kind of adds to the pile of wood that he puts on the fire, said a senior Democratic strategist, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity. And I just dont think its helpful.

But it was also sparked by fears that cheering on the decision would make people dismiss the severity of the ruling and risk positioning Biden as hoping the court system was doing his political work for him.

I would not engage in a discussion about this, said David Axelrod, the longtime party operative. I would be preparing to face Trump. The way they're handling it is the right way. You dont want to tell the American people  I dont trust you to make the decision.

Few Democrats on Wednesday challenged the merits of the Colorado courts decision. In fact, several Biden allies said they believed that the 4-3 ruling, issued by all Democratic-appointed justices, had been correct.

I think its on point. I think theyre right in what theyre doing, said former Sen. Ted Kaufman, who served as Bidens former chief of staff. Thats what the Constitution says. It says its an insurrection, clearly what they did was an insurrection. Its pretty straightforward, isnt it?

Party officials also dismissed the idea that the court had started the country down a slippery slope, inviting a conservative state judicial body to respond by throwing Democrats off their ballot, however specious the reasoning was.

If youre worrying about that, youre buying into a Republican premise, which is that courts are hopelessly politicized, said Pat Dennis, president of the Democratic super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century. And I think that is like a fundamental premise that they need in order to delegitimize a legitimate prosecution of the former president. I dont buy that premise.

Republicans, meanwhile, were quick to denounce Tuesday nights ruling, saying that the findings by the four justices amounted to political interference in the election. They argued that they had far exceeded their authority and warned that Trump would only benefit from the decision.

Trumps rivals in the primary defended him as well, stressing that they preferred to defeat him at the ballot box  a line later mirrored by the Biden campaign.

We're not going to comment on ongoing litigation, said Biden campaign deputy communications director, Brooke Goren. What I will say is that the president looks forward to defeating Donald Trump or whoever else emerges from the Republican primary on the ballot box in November in 2024. So I'll leave it at that.

Those who did openly celebrate were the longtime conservative lawyers who had helped spearhead the case as well as a portion of the legal and political left that had joined their efforts.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) argued that even were the Supreme Court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Courts decision, it have some residual benefit  reinforcing public perception that the high court is beholden to the former president.

It's going to feed into how partisan and beholden the U.S. Supreme Court is to Donald Trump, Lieu said. It feeds into the whole Roe v Wade decision, and how he appointed ultra religious justices to overturn Roe versus Wade. And do you really want Trump, again, who is going to appoint even more.

Ian Bassin, executive director of the group Protect Democracy noted that, at a minimum, the decision meant that heading into the election, a state Supreme Court has found that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection. He also noted an almost Shakespearean irony produced by the decision.

Trumps MO has always been to accuse others of the transgressions of which he himself is guilty, largely to obfuscate his own guilt, said Bassin. So its fitting that after rising to political power by falsely accusing Barack Obama of not being eligible to be president, its Trump who it turns out has now been found by a court to be the actually ineligible one.

Sam Stein and Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report.
President Biden will visit Milwaukee on Wednesday to tout what the White House is calling a Black small business boom that the presidents economic agenda helped drive.

The president will visit the Milwaukee Black Chamber of Commerce to discuss how Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in 30 years, and that the share of Black households owning a business has doubled between 2019 and 2022, according to the White House.

Additionally, Black wealth is up a record 60 percent from before the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said. Biden will be joined for his speech in Milwaukee by the founder and owner of Hero Plumbing, a Black-owned small business removing lead pipes in the city to help meet Bidens commitment to remove all lead service lines across the U.S.

Biden, in his remarks, is set to announce that the Grow Milwaukee Coalition is one of 22 finalists for the Commerce Departments Economic Development Administration Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, which is funded by the CHIPS and Science Act to invest in economic opportunity in hard-hit communities.

The coalition proposal would invest in revitalizing Milwaukees historic 30th Street Industrial Corridor to connect a historically segregated Black community to the city.

The White House, ahead of the presidents visit, took aim at Republicans for wanting to dismantle the Presidents small business agenda and noted that every Republican voted against the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which provided funding to support small businesses.

The White House also called out Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) for opposing the bipartisan infrastructure law, previewing that Biden may take aim at Johnson while in his home state.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden and first lady Jill Bidens cat, Willow, is getting ready for a purrfect Christmas, as shes featured prominently in a new video highlighting the White Houses holiday decor.

Willow, you have snow on your fur! Jill Biden exclaimed in the video released Wednesday by The Dodo, as the first pet rolled around in some faux flakes adorning one of the holiday displays at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as part of its Magic, Wonder, and Joy theme this year.

In the video, the 3-year-old gray feline is seen working her way around the White House decorations, at one point curiously sniffing a life-sized cat figure meant to be her likeness.

It was amazing, really. She came to one of my speeches in a barn. She came and sat on the chair and listened to the speech, the first lady recalled of when she first came face-to-whisker with Willow. Biden has said she grew fond of the cat after it jumped onstage and interrupted her during a speech in 2020 at a campaign stop at a farm in Willow Grove, Pa.

The Bidens announced last year they had welcomed Willow to the White House.

In The Dodo video, executive producer Joanna Zelman is heard saying shes never been so nervous to meet a cat.

But, Zelman indicated in a statement, the interaction with Willow ended up being the cats meow.

Willow, Zelman said, is maybe the friendliest cat Ive ever pet. And Ive pet a lot of cats.

Its not the first time that the short-haired tabby has played a four-legged tour guide-of-sorts  she starred in a video with The Dodo in 2022 when she first arrived at the White House.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This photo taken on Dec. 15, 2023 shows a Twist Boron Nitride (TBN) crystal placed on a piece of fused silica in Peking University, Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology.

Prof. Wang Enge from the School of Physics, Peking University, recently told Xinhua that the Twist Boron Nitride (TBN) made by the team, with a micron-level thickness, is the thinnest optical crystal currently known in the world. Compared with traditional crystals of the same thickness, its energy efficiency is raised by 100 to 10,000 times.

Wang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said this achievement is an original innovation by China in the theory of optical crystals, and has created a new field of making optical crystals with two-dimensional thin-film materials of light elements.

The research findings were recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Laser is one of the underlying technologies of the information society. Optical crystals can realize the functions of frequency conversion, parametric amplification and signal modulation, to name a few, and are the key parts of laser devices.

In the past 60 years, the research and development of optical crystals has been mainly guided by two phase-matching theories proposed by scientists in the United States.

However, due to the limitations of traditional theory models and material systems, the existing crystals have struggled to meet the future requirements for developing laser devices, such as miniaturization, high integration and functionalization. The development of new-generation laser technology needs breakthroughs in optical crystal theory and materials.

Wang Enge and Prof. Liu Kaihui, director of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Material Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, led the team to develop the twist-phase-matching theory, the third phase-matching theory based on the light-element material system.

"The laser generated by optical crystals can be viewed as a marching column of individuals. The twist mechanism can make everyone's direction and pace highly coordinated, greatly improving the energy conversion efficiency of the laser," explained Liu, who is also deputy director of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Light-Element Quantum Materials at the Beijing Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center.

The research has opened up a brand-new design model and material system, and realized the original innovation of the whole chain from basic optics theory to material science and technology, he said.

"The TBN crystal's thickness ranges from 1 to 10 microns. The thickness of optical crystals we had known before is mostly at the level of a millimeter or even centimeter," Liu added.

The TBN production technology is now applying for patents in the United States, Britain, Japan and other countries. The team has made a TBN laser prototype and is developing new-generation laser technology with enterprises.

"Optical crystal is the cornerstone of laser technology development, and the future of laser technology is determined by the design theory and production technology of optical crystals," Wang said.

With ultra-thin size, excellent integration potential and new functions, the TBN crystal is expected to achieve new application breakthroughs in quantum light sources, photonic chips, artificial intelligence and other fields in the future, according to Wang.
Donald Trump has been criminally indicted four times, and will have a series of trials to attend in 2024 as he runs again for the White House.

His candidacy now also faces a challenge from the Colorado Supreme Court, which has ruled Mr Trump cannot run for president because he engaged in an insurrection with his actions in the days leading to the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.

Here's a guide to the five cases and what they could mean for the former president and current frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

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What are the arguments?

The Colorado Supreme Court declared Mr Trump ineligible for the presidency under the US Constitution's insurrection clause - Section 3 of the 14th Amendment - which disqualifies anyone who engages in insurrection from holding office.

Voting 4-3, the state's top court found Mr Trump had incited an insurrection in his role in the 6 January 2021 storming of the Capitol by his supporters. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the riot.

The bombshell ruling directs the Colorado secretary of state to exclude Mr Trump from the state's Republican primary on 5 March, where registered party members vote on their preferred candidate for president. But it could also affect the general election in Colorado next November.

It does not stop Mr Trump running in other states.

Similar lawsuits to to remove the Republican from the ballot in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Michigan have failed.

What will his defence be?

During a one-week trial in Colorado in November, the former president's lawyers argued Mr Trump should not be disqualified because he did not bear responsibility for the riot.

Following the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Mr Trump's campaign said immediately it would appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, where it's likely a similar argument would be made.

His legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said the ruling "attacks the very heart of this nation's democracy."

"It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order," she said.

What happens next?

The Colorado Supreme Court put its ruling on hold until at least 4 January. If Mr Trump appeals, that pause will continue until the country's top court weighs in.

If the Supreme Court does take up the case, which experts say is likely, it could be forced to decide Mr Trump's eligibility beyond Colorado to all 50 states.

That court has a 6-3 conservative majority with three justices appointed by the former president himself.

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What are the charges in Georgia 2020 election investigation?

This is the most recent indictment, the one that saw the first ever mugshot of a former US president after Donald Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on 24 August. The charges for Mr Trump - listed now as inmate no. P01135809 on Fulton County Jail records - were unsealed last month.

Mr Trump and 18 others are named in a 41-count indictment for alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

The investigation was sparked in part by a leaked phone call in which the former president asked Georgia's top election official to "find 11,780 votes".

Mr Trump was hit with 13 criminal counts including an alleged violation of Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico).

His other charges include solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiring to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery, conspiring to commit false statements, and writing and conspiring to file false documents.

What are the potential penalties?

The racketeering charge, which is mostly used in organised crime cases, carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis would need to prove that there was a pattern of corruption from Mr Trump and his allies aimed at overturning the election result in order to bring a conviction.

As for making false statements, that carries a penalty of between one to five years in prison or a fine.

And a person convicted of first-degree criminal solicitation to commit election fraud will face between one to three years in jail.

What will his defence be?

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the case and has entered a plea of not guilty.

He has defended the phone call in question as "perfect" and accused Ms Willis of launching a politically motivated inquiry.

There is no confirmed date for the trial yet.

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What are the charges in 2020 election investigation?

Donald Trump has been criminally charged in a separate federal investigation into efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.

The 45-page indictment contains four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

They stem from the former president's actions in the wake of the 2020 election, including around the 6 January Capitol riot, which occurred while Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden's victory.

What are the potential penalties?

Penalties for these charges include:

Conspiracy to defraud the US is punishable by a fine or up to five years in prison

Obstructing an official proceeding is punishable by a fine or up to 20 years in prison

Conspiracy against rights is punishable by a fine or not more than 10 years in prison, or both

But there are logistical, security and political questions around whether Mr Trump would serve time even if charged and convicted.

What will his defence be?

Mr Trump was formally charged in court in Washington DC on 3 August. A tentative trial date is scheduled for 4 March 2024.

He argues that the charges are an attempt to prevent him from winning the 2024 presidential election. Before leaving Washington after his arraignment hearing, he told journalists the case "is a persecution of a political opponent".

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the riot on 6 January 2021.

His legal team is also likely to argue that the former president is not directly responsible for the violence that unfolded that day because he told supporters to march "peacefully" on the Capitol and is protected by First Amendment free speech rights.

Short presentational grey line

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What are the charges in classified documents case?

Mr Trump is facing 40 criminal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified material after he left the White House.

Thousands of documents were seized in an FBI search at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago last year, including about 100 that were marked as classified.

The charges are related to both his handling of the documents and his alleged efforts to obstruct the FBI's attempts to retrieve them.

The majority of the counts, are for the wilful retention of national defence information, which falls under the Espionage Act.

There are then eight individual counts which include conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and making false statements.

Will Donald Trump go to jail?

These charges could - in theory - lead to substantial prison time if Mr Trump is convicted.

But the logistics, security and politics of jailing a former president mean a conventional prison sentence is seen as unlikely by many experts.

Looking at the letter of the law, the counts under the Espionage Act, for example, each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Other counts, related to conspiracy and withholding or concealing documents, each carry maximum sentences of 20 years.

Counts relating to a scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations carry sentences of five years each.

But while there is no doubt the charges are serious, many questions remain unanswered about the potential penalties should he be convicted.

What will his defence be?

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and the trial is set to begin on 20 May 2024.

The former president has offered shifting defences for the material found at his property, mostly arguing that he declassified it. No evidence has been provided that this was possible or is true.

His lawyers may argue in court that Mr Trump was unfairly targeted and that other politicians, namely Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence and current President Joe Biden, were never charged for their handling of classified documents.

But experts say the former president's case is different in a number of ways. For one, other politicians were willing to return whatever documents they had, while prosecutors allege Mr Trump resisted.

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What are the charges in New York hush money case?

Mr Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The charges stem from a hush-money payment made before the 2016 election to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an adulterous affair with Mr Trump.

While such a payment is not illegal, spending money to help a presidential campaign but not disclosing it violates federal campaign finance law.

What are the potential penalties?

Each of the charges carries a maximum of four years in prison, although a judge could sentence Mr Trump to probation if he is convicted.

Legal experts have told BBC News they think it is unlikely Mr Trump will be jailed if convicted in this case and a fine is the more likely outcome.

What will his defence be?

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in the case on 25 March 2024.

He denies ever having sexual relations with Ms Daniels and says the payment was made to protect his family from false allegations, not to sway the election.

Timeline of Trump trials v election dates

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Biggest dealer in NC county who broke out of Va. prison gets 25 years for selling fentanyl, cocaine, and crack

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  A felon who bragged about being the biggest drug dealer in Robeson County has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Bruce Carroll Callahan, Jr., 45, aka Hoss, conspired to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine sourced from Honduras and Mexico in Eastern North Carolina, according to Michael Easley, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Callahan claimed to have access to over 20 kilograms of narcotics at any time, Easley said.

While awaiting trial and prior to his Sept. 26 guilty plea, Callahan escaped from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, where he was being held.

He was discovered missing on May 1 and apprehended on May 9 just a few miles on the campus of Longwood University from the jail. Callahan was convicted for his prison escape and sentenced to 20 months in custody followed by three years of supervised release.

He escaped the prison along with Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo who is charged with murder in the August 2022 death of Wake County Sheriffs Deputy Ned Byrd.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Robeson County Sheriffs Office and ATF launched an investigation into Callahan and his drug trafficking operation in 2021 after receiving numerous community reports that he was selling drugs in the Fairmont area of Robeson County, Easley said. During the summer of 2021, investigators conducted two controlled purchases of cocaine and crack from Callahans residence.

In September 2021, law enforcement arranged for a controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl from Callahan.

Callahans Honduran suppliers arranged for co-defendants Rony Lardi-Ortiz and Jefferson Marin Funez to deliver the fentanyl to Callahans Fairmont residence on Sept. 16, 2021. Lardi-Ortiz and Funez have previously pled guilty and sentenced to 10 years and 10 1/2 years respectively for their role in the conspiracy.

After Callahan received the two kilograms of fentanyl from Lardi-Ortiz and Funez, they left Callahans residence, traveling north on Interstate 95 to deliver the fentanyl.

Deputies conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle. Though Callahan and his co-defendants attempted to jump out of the vehicle and flee, they were quickly apprehended. Investigators found the two kilograms of fentanyl sitting on the back seat in Callahans vehicle, Easley said.

A search warrant was then executed at Callahans residence where a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base were seized along with items used to package drugs for sale and a .45 caliber handgun.

Callahan pled guilty to the following:

conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack;

possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl; and

two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Callahans prior felony convictions include a 2003 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon in addition to several convictions in Robeson County Superior Court for felonious assaults, trafficking cocaine, and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com.
The second year of the Russia-Ukraine War did not pan out how either side expected, with upset and disappointment marring a conflict that looks ready to drag into a third year.

The situation remains in flux some 22 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to commence a "special operation" to "denazify" Ukraine.

The tumultuous developments this year left Russia in a lurch and scrambling at times for allies, munitions and soldiers to keep the war effort going; meanwhile, Ukraine failed to make the gains that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had promised, forcing a switch to more unsavory tactics.

Here are some of the biggest developments this year that ensured the invasion will remain one of Russias greatest embarrassments while raising some uncomfortable questions for Ukraines own efforts.

Mercenary warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin butted heads with Russias military command, which had changed a few times during the war. The revolving door of leadership allowed the charismatic Prigozhin to establish control, leading to a highly controversial policy that allowed him to recruit directly from Russias prisons to reinforce his Wagner Group.

PUTIN HOPES FOR MORE CONSTRUCTIVE US PRESIDENT IN INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE, WARNS AMERICA MUST BE CAREFUL

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Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an armoured fighting vehicle Tuesday as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues at an unknown location in Eastern Ukraine.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who took command of the Russian forces in January, cut off Prigozhin from his access to prisons and much-needed munitions. Prigozhin in June said Shoigu launched a deadly attack on the Wagner troops, which Russian authorities denied.

A Ukrainian soldier gives water to a captured Russian army serviceman, according to them, on a position recently gained in offensive, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 11, 2023. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS

Prigozhin remained committed to his task and commenced a "march of justice," which analysts quickly labeled as the greatest challenge to Putins authority during his two-decade reign. Reports stated that Prigozhin had anticipated support from several military officers and regiments but that no support materialized.

Instead, Putin fiercely vowed to put down the rebellion and make Prigozhin "answer for it." Prigozhin insisted he had no fight with Putin  his most important backer  and that he took issue only with the Ministry of Defense.

UKRAINE'S A STEP CLOSER TO JOINING THE EU. HERE'S WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT MATTERS

Prigozhin ultimately halted his effort when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko intervened and negotiated his surrender and exile, sending the Wagner troops back home. Lukashenko made it clear that Prigozhin was facing death for his actions, and the mercenary warlord took the hint.

A military purge reportedly followed, but Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the Department of Defense did not see anything that should raise an alarm.

Unfortunately for Prigozhin, the story did not end there but instead took one final, fatal turn two months later when his private jet exploded, ending the story of one of the most high-profile figures in the conflict outside of each countrys respective leader.

MISSOURI SENATOR SAYS LEFT HAS TAKEN OVER DEM PARTY AS CONGRESS FACES REAL DISCONNECT ON ISRAEL, UKRAINE

Prigozhin's exile seemed loose at best as the leader returned to Russia at least twice, seemingly within the first month he left the country. He also continued to rally for support, saying on his Telegram channel that the forces "need your support today more than ever."

The mercenary warlords plane exploded on Aug. 23 while en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, killing 10 people. The Kremlin later confirmed that Prigozhin was among those killed, along with his second-in-command and Wagners logistics chief.

Zelenskyy and the White House immediately blamed Putin, saying it was "very clear" the Russian leader was behind the murder, and the Pentagon concluded the explosion was intentional. The Kremlin waited a few days before confirming Prigozhin's death.

PUTIN USES RUSSIAN CHURCH TO SPREAD HIS SAINTLY STATUS IN NATION WITH NO SEPARATION OF RELIGION AND STATE

At the time of the explosion, Putin was in Moscow presenting a state award to the crew of an Alyosha T-80 tank, which allegedly destroyed a Ukrainian armored convoy, Russian news agency TASS reported. Some compared Putin to the "Godfather" character Michael Corleone, who attended his sons baptism while hitmen killed his rivals.

Wagners future remains in flux: Putin has variously attempted to integrate the troops into the broader Russian military while also appointing Andrei Troshev as the new leader of Wagner.

As bad as the Wagner drama may have appeared for Putin, it was far from the most troubling thorn in his side throughout the year: He spent more time figuring out how to keep the war effort going without resorting to a national draft, which would prove supremely unpopular among the Russian populace.

HUNGARY VETOES $54B EUROPEAN AID PACKAGE FOR UKRAINE, DEALING ZELENSKYY ANOTHER BLOW

Russias military also has continued to struggle with maintaining munitions after burning through its supplies in the first year. Reports from the first year found Russia utilizing Iranian drones to expand its strike capabilities.

The second year saw Russian forces burn through more munitions than it did in the first, leading to Russia striking more deals with anti-Western nations  including the hermit kingdom of North Korea.

Pyongyang in October sent 1,000 containers of equipment to Russia, and the White House revealed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un  who traveled in a massive armored train to meet in person with Putin  wanted to secure sophisticated Russian weapons technology.

Seeking to take advantage of the confusion in Russias ranks, Ukraine sought to launch a major counteroffensive and push the invaders back, but things did not pan out that way and Kyiv had to take a different, less savory approach to the conflict.

PUTIN OFFERS RARE DETAILS ABOUT WAR IN UKRAINE, SAYS THERE WILL BE NO PEACE UNTIL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED

The offensive kicked off in the spring when the snow had cleared, but by that time Russia had marshaled its forces and taken up strong defensive positions. Instead of a major push, Ukraine slowly slid into a grueling war of attrition. It recaptured a dozen villages but failed to make a dent on the Russian forces.

Instead, Ukraine turned toward attempting to assassinate Russian officials, killing Luhansk legislature member Mikhail Filiponenko, who had survived a previous car bombing just days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as a few drones in Moscow across the year in what the Kremlin said were Ukrainian attempts.

The lack of meaningful progress led Congress to question further funding of the Ukrainian effort, especially in light of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, as the U.S. has fully backed Israel and even committed two aircraft carriers to the region in an effort to prevent further escalation.

Zelenskyy visited the U.S. in a bid to make a plea for further support, which he got in the form of an additional $200 million drawdown from Pentagon stockpiles, but the further funding from Congress remains in question.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.





Original article source: The biggest twists in Russia-Ukraine war in 2023
China has ramped up its funding efforts for the restoration work in the earthquake-affected provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.

The Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Water Resources, allocated a total of 220 million yuan (31 million U.S. dollars) of funds to help restore agricultural and water conservancy infrastructure damaged after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred late Monday.

The funds will mainly be used for the restoration of greenhouses, livestock and aquaculture enclosures, dams, irrigation systems, rural water supply facilities as well as small-scale reservoirs, according to the ministries.

In addition, donations from organizations, enterprises and local governments have been sent to the quake-hit regions.

More than 8 million yuan of relief supplies and around 24 million in funding were donated to aid the regions, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
ST. JAMES PARISH, La. (WGNO)  A decades-long tradition of lighting bonfires along the levees of Louisianas River Parishes will take place once again this Christmas Eve.

Starting around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24, tourists and locals alike will stroll (or drive) along River Road to see dozens of bonfires burning, some standing as tall as 30 feet.

Though its not clear how the tradition began, its local families and organizations that keep the tradition alive each year.

$1.85M lottery ticket claimed in Plaquemines Parish

The bonfires will be lit along the Mississippi River at 7 p.m. in St. James and St John the Baptist parishes.

For St. John Parish, Sheriff Mike Tregre said that from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., contraflow will be in effect.

Traffic will be restricted to one lane heading westbound on River Road. This will start at Church Street and end at Louisiana 54 in Garyville. All traffic heading eastbound on Louisiana 44 will go northbound toward Airline Highway on Louisiana 54.

We feel this route will increase safety and traffic flow. People planning to attend this event should arrive early, refrain from parking on major surface streets, and use caution when walking along River Road, said Tregre.

More information about the bonfires can be found on the Louisiana River Parishes website.

Stay updated with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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Let's just get this out the way up front: If Donald Trump is removed from enough state ballots that one of the also-rans vying for the Republican nomination gets to run for president instead, there's a risk that President Joe Biden loses in November. All of those never-Trumpers we thought were our buddies will abandon the #Resistance so fast it will make Democratic heads spin. And the MAGA types could be so angry about losing Dear Leader they will rush the polls to vote as hard against Biden as possible.

Or maybe the opposite will happen: Trump will whine, cry and blame whoever gets the nomination, convincing enough MAGA types to sit the election out in protest, thus handing Biden an easy victory next fall.

The reality is we're facing a situation never seen before in the United States. A shameless insurrectionist is running for president while under 91 felony indictments. To add to this historic situation, the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday banned Trump from appearing on the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. The 4-3 decision follows the clear language of the Constitution's 14th Amendment barring those who "have engaged in insurrection" from running for office. Yet anyone who thinks they know how this will play out over the next 11 months is kidding themselves. The one thing that is dead certain, however, is that the Supreme Court justices would be fools not to uphold this decision.

Banning Trump from the ballot  in all states, not just Colorado  is clearly what is called for by the Constitution. It takes a herculean effort of feigned stupidity to pretend otherwise. The language of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was written to bar congressmen who joined the Confederacy from trying to pretend all that "civil war" business never happened, is not vague:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Even people who want to play word games and quibble wars over Trump's role in the January 6 insurrection  and the weeks prior, where he plotted to overthrow democracy  struggle with that one. It doesn't say convicted of insurrection. It doesn't say that you had to be the leader. You merely had to "engage." So even if you want to pretend Trump wasn't the leader, he was engaged in the coup in every way, from the "fake electors" plot to the part where he egged on rioters who were threatening to kill his own vice president.

"These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection," the Colorado Supreme Court wrote in its decision.

No one is going to accuse the six Federalist Society justices on the Supreme Court of being bound by the clear letter of the Constitution. As the public has started to realize in the wake of the Dobbs decision and the slow drip of billionaire sugar daddy scandals, the main things the conservative justices care about are pushing their right-wing ideology, helping out the Republican Party and complaining about people who find their corruption unseemly. So fine, if they don't want to do it for the country or the law, then here's an idea: Conservatives of the Supreme Court, do it for yourselves.

Clearing the way so that Gov. Ron DeSantis or former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley can win the Republican nomination solves a lot of problems for the perpetually churlish Republican appointees to the Supreme Court, and not just because it means they never have to talk to Donald Trump again  which seems reward enough! For one thing, it relieves their beloved Republican Party of the squawking orange albatross around its neck. He may be up in the polls now, but history shows that Trump and his election denialism have caused the GOP to underperform in every single election after 2016. Plus, he may be on trial or even convicted by the time November rolls around, neither of which will likely help him in the election.

Think of it this way: Trump isn't up in the polls. It's more that Biden is down, due to a general malaise and economic complaints from voters. Another Republican would do just as well, and almost certainly better. So if SCOTUS loves the GOP, cutting Trump loose is simply the safe move.

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The justices would also be wise to think about what they want life to look like after the election. If a Republican wins, wouldn't it be so much better for them if it was anyone but Trump? As multiple outlets have extensively documented, Trump's goal when he gets into office is to break the law left and right to enact his agenda. The result is that there will be a veritable ocean of Supreme Court cases, as the ACLU and other pro-democracy groups will file a lawsuit in response to every single boundary-crossing executive order Trump signs.

You have a choice, justices. The next few years of your life can be defined by billionaire-funded fishing trips and arcane tax lawsuits no one cares about. Or it can be taken up by case after case about Trump and his transgressions. Just as a matter of personal comfort, pick the former. Plus, there's a not-small chance that Trump Pt. Deux decides the Supreme Court does not bind him, and just flat out rejects court decisions he doesn't like. If they don't want to see their power even more eroded, the justices should rid themselves of the Trump problem.

As an added bonus, it would probably do much more than it should to quell the rising tide of hatred of the Supreme Court if they, just this once, actually did the right thing. Surely that has to be worth something to people who seem endlessly peeved that most people don't like them very much.

Both Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are true-blue authoritarian nuts who cannot wait to sign off on a chance to help Trump become a fascist dictator. But the rest of them would be wise to consider the strong benefits, to them personally, of getting Washington D.C. back to its normal levels of dysfunction. A truly post-Trump GOP is almost certainly one where the justices can spend their time at cocktail parties and giving speeches at legal conferences in comfort and style. Trump just brings headaches because he'll invent a few dozen novel ways to make their jobs even more difficult.

Also: It's the right thing to do.

I know doing good moves no needles in the self-interested offices of conservative Supreme Court justices, but it is worth mentioning anyway. What January 6 should have proved above all other things is Trump is a danger to everyone, not just Democrats or queer people or immigrants or women. The second he thought it might give him a shot at illegally grabbing power, he sent a murderous mob to the Capitol, threatening the lives of everyone, not just Democrats. His violent rhetoric and delusions of grandiosity are only rising.

I personally don't relish the idea of a President DeSantis or a President Haley, like I imagine the Republican justices do. (Just don't tell them Biden may still win!) But even though the other GOP candidates suck a lot, they probably aren't going to make a run at overthrowing democracy or using extralegal violence against perceived enemies. If Trump gets the White House again, however, he will not hesitate to use his power to harm anyone his paranoia tells him has crossed him, regardless of party.

Even the justices Trump appointed must know he wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. Just get rid of him, Supreme Court justices. You know, deep down in your hearts, it will be a lot nicer for you when he's gone.
Gavin Williamson resigned as a government minister last year after bullying claims were made against him - Jason Alden/Bloomberg

Boris Johnson made a panicked decision to close schools in January 2021, Gavin Williamson has told the Covid Inquiry.

Mr Williamson, who was the education secretary at the time, said that he considered resigning from his role because of the decision, which he criticised as having been made without having childrens interests front and centre.

Mr Johnson announced schools would shut on Jan 4 2021, hours after he told parents it was safe to send their children back to the classroom.

In his witness statement, one of hundreds of documents published by the inquiry this week, Mr Williamson said: I still believe that the decision did not sufficiently take childrens interests or well-being into account. I believe that the decision to close schools in January 2021 was not required. It was a panic decision, made without having childrens interests front and centre.

Mr Williamson, who resigned as a government minister last year after bullying claims were made against him, also said in his written evidence that Mr Johnson did not give his advice to keep schools open sufficient weight.

The inquiry was also told that Mr Johnson said he hoped a new Covid test would get Whitehall and the whole British army of bludgers and skivers back into the office.

The prize is immense

In a WhatsApp message from Mr Johnson to a circle of his close aides on Aug 7 2021, he asked them to work flat out to make Oct 7 COVID FREEDOM DAY.

He said in a later message: I know that I am sometimes accused of over optimism/boosterism etc but I truly think wednesdays [sic] meeting on rapid salivary testing could be a turning point. The prize is immense.

If we can offer the British public a simple and rapid turnaround test to show whether or not  to a high degree of probability  they have the disease then we have the glimmerings of a route out of the nightmare.

Mr Johnson said this would mean at a stroke the Government could reopen the most difficult and Covid-prone sectors of the economy and that people will be able to take a test in the morning and as Matt [Hancock] says go to Hamilton the musical in the evening.

He also said it would transform our approach to international travel and quarantine.

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STREAMING HERE: Boston Mayor Wu apologizing to 2 Black men wrongfully arrested in Charles Stuart case

WATCH LIVE: Boston Mayor Wu apologizing to men who were wrongfully arrested in Charles Stuart case. WATCH LIVE: Boston Mayor Wu is apologizing to two Black men who were wrongfully arrested in the 1989 Charles Stuart case. Posted by Boston 25 News on Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is expected to issue a formal apology to two men wrongfully arrested in 1989 by police investigating the killing of Carol Stuart, a case that fanned racial tensions in the city.

Months after Stuart was killed, it was revealed that her husband Charles Stuart had orchestrated her murder. He lied to investigators at the time and said the gunman was a Black man. His accusation resulted in the racist harassment of Black men, in particular those living in the Mission Hill neighborhood, by City officials and the Boston Police Department.

Wu will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall to issue apologies to Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett for their wrongful arrests. Swanson is set to be in attendance, along with Bennetts family and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.

Wu plans to publicly acknowledge the harms caused by the City of Boston to the Black community, her office said in a media advisory.

This dark time in the Citys history exacerbated distrust between Bostons Black community and the Boston Police Department, Wus office said in a statement Tuesday. Acknowledging this painful moment and apologizing for the Citys wrongdoing is an effort to aid in the healing of those still living with this trauma and our City as a whole.

Neither Swanson nor Bennett were formally charged with anything related to the case. But both men were publicly labeled as suspects in the notorious shooting.

The apology follows an extensive Globe investigation  and a related HBO docu-series  into the Stuart case and its aftermath. The series came out earlier this month.

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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In five days, he allegedly helped break into nearly 200 cars parked at luxury Charlotte apartments. On Tuesday  the sixth day  he walked into a police station, his mother by his side.

After interviewing the juvenile boy, whose age remains unknown, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers alleged he broke into at least 184 cars.

Police are also looking for 19-year-old Hannah Jayna Freeman, who sped away from officers Tuesday in one of the stolen vehicles. Once arrested, she could face more than 100 criminal violations, police said.

On Monday, one day before the boy turned himself in, police say he, along with Freeman and an unknown third suspect broke into 100 cars near Charlottes Dilworth neighborhood. Reports showed they allegedly broke into 92 cars at Camden Dilworth Apartments and eight at 1010 Dilworth Apartments. Both were off Kenilworth Avenue.

On Dec. 14, they allegedly orbited the SouthPark area, breaking into 84 cars: five at South Park Mall, two across from the mall, 26 at 800 Cherokee Apartments on Cherokee Road, 18 at The Residence apartments on Sharon Road, 17 near a Myers Park apartment building on Roswell Avenue, nine at an apartment complex off Queens road and seven at apartments near Myers Park Country Club.

The juvenile boy has been charged with breaking into a motor vehicle, larceny after breaking in, and conspiracy to break in.

Officers requested a secure custody order, but the Department of Juvenile Justice denied it. CMPD will meet with department supervisors to reevaluate.

The juvenile suspect has a lengthy criminal history and is known to officers, CMPD wrote in a news release.
A 13-year-old who admitted to planning an attack on a synagogue was sentenced to probation - and a book report.

The boy was arrested in September after he created a plan to carry out a shooting at Temple Israel in Canton, Ohio.

He was told to write a book report about Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis.

The teenager was also sentenced to a year of probation, US media reports said.

The boy previously pleaded "true", which is the equivalent of guilty in family court, to misdemeanour charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct according to local media reports.

He was not named because of his age.

Judge Jim James ruled that the boy is prohibited from having unsupervised use of the internet and ordered him to undergo counselling, local media reports said.

According to a sheriff's incident report, the boy came to the attention of the authorities in early September - before the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, which has brought heightened security concerns for the Jewish community.

Employees for Discord, a social platform popular with gamers, tipped the FBI off to "threats and plans to burn down and shoot up the Temple Israel".

The posts "included plans and maps of the synagogue made possibly by the suspect" along with an unknown individual from Washington state, the report said.

The FBI and local sheriffs interviewed the boy on 7 September.

The boy told them he was part of "multiple antisemitic and political groups on Discord", the sheriffs said.

In a statement, Stark County Sheriff George Maier said: "We stand by a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to threats made against our community."

Discord confirmed that it detected the boy's online activities and reported him to the FBI's National Threat Operations Center.

John Redgrave, Discord's vice president of trust and safety, said the platform did not allow hate and violent extremism "and when we see it, we take immediate action".

"It is a top priority for Discord to ensure a safe experience for our users," he added.

The local branch of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish advocacy and anti-extremism group, said it was "horrified" by the allegations and that it hoped the incident would be a "teachable moment".

"Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated," the ADL said.

There was no indication of how far the attack plan had progressed or if the teen had access to guns.

He will now have to write a report on Mr Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who in 1944 issued credentials to thousands of Jewish families living under Nazi occupation in Budapest.

Historians estimate he saved up to 62,000 people, but he was reprimanded for overstepping his authority when he returned to Switzerland after the war, and for years remained largely forgotten.
The boy was sentenced to a year of probation after plotting a massacre at the Temple Israel synagogue in Canton, Ohio - Kevin Whitlock/The Independent/AP

A 13-year-old boy who plotted a mass shooting at a synagogue has been ordered to write a book report about a diplomat who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

The boy, whose identity was not disclosed, planned a massacre at the Temple Israel synagogue in the city of Canton, Ohio.

But the plot was foiled after he posted it on Discord, an internet messaging platform, and it was reported to the police.

He was sentenced to a year of probation by a youth court on Friday after entering true pleas to charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct.

The judge ruled that the boy must also submit a book report to the state probation department about Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat in Budapest during the Second World War.

Diplomat saved thousands of Jews

Lutz, who died in 1975 aged 79, saved the lives of thousands of Jews who faced deportation to German death camps by Hungarys Nazi-allied regime.

He issued documents to 7,800 families in the Swiss governments name which guaranteed safe passage out of the country to what was then British Mandatory Palestine.

It is thought that Carl Lutz prevented the deportation of as many as 40,000 Jews - FORTEPAN/Creative Commons

A network of 76 safehouses was also set up to prevent the abduction, assault and murder of Jews by the Nazis or the Arrow Cross, Hungarys fascist militia.

The Carl Lutz Society estimates that he prevented the deportation of as many as 40,000 Jews who would likely have been killed.

The Ohio teenager was also ordered to have no unsupervised use of the internet and to have counselling with a licensed therapist.

Surge in anti-Semitism across US

He planned the attack before the Oct 7 shooting on Israel by Hamas.

The sentencing comes amid a surge in reports of anti-Semitism across the United States following the Hamas attacks.

The local branch of Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish advocacy group, said on Wednesday that it was horrified by the case.

And for young people like this suspect, we hope this can be a teachable moment, it said.

Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated.

The US education department opened investigations into six colleges and one Kansas school district last month.

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China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Wednesday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao SAR, said at the reception that the Macao SAR government will unite and lead various walks of the society to seize historical opportunities brought by the country's overall development, continuously advance the successful practices of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics, and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in 2024 with new achievements.

Ho recalled how the Macao SAR in the past year continuously improved legal systems and enforcement mechanisms on safeguarding national security, stepped up administration over the gaming industry in accordance with the law, compiled Macao's first comprehensive and systematic development plan on appropriate economic diversification, and made new achievements in advancing building of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, neighboring Zhuhai city.

The Macao SAR government also continuously expanded exchanges and cooperation with the outside world, achieved rapid economic recovery, and maintained social harmony and stability, Ho said.

In the coming year, the Macao SAR government will firmly safeguard national security and social stability, and speed up the implementation of major tasks and projects listed in the economic diversification plan to build Macao into a world tourism and leisure center and develop its priority industries of big health, modern finance, high technology, exhibition and convention, as well as culture and sports, Ho noted.

Efforts will also be made to speed up the building of the in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, promote high-quality economic development, fully leverage Macao's advantages to better integrate into overall national development, Ho said.

Over 1,000 guests attended the reception, including Ho Hau Wah, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Zheng Xincong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, and Liu Xianfa, commissioner of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR.

Prior to the reception, around 520 government officials and other guests attended the flag-raising ceremony.
A furious federal judge described staff of Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center as contemptuous of human life and dignity after jailers defied her order to send an inmate with a severe contagious infection to a medical facility.

Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Dora Irizarry ripped into federal prosecutors and lawyers representing the troubled jails management in a tense Wednesday morning hearing after she learned how the MDC handled the treatment of detainee James Young, whos battling a MRSA infection. MRSA is a type of staph infection.

Irizarry on Friday had threatened to hold the MDC and Bureau of Prisons staff attorney, Neha Khan, in contempt if Young, 43  who was housed in general population and clad in a yellow jumpsuit to single him out as sick  wasnt sent to a medical facility by noon Monday.

That deadline passed, and on Tuesday, Youngs public defender, Federal Defenders lawyer Allegra Glashausser, revealed in a letter to the judge that her client was merely taken to a hospital emergency room.

Young was then returned to general population at the Brooklyn jail, back in his yellow jumpsuit, Glashausser wrote.

The idea was not that hed be taken to the hospital, Irizarry said of her order. No one was talking about hospitalization. Nonetheless  he should have from there been taken to a medical facility.

Shortly after receiving Glashaussers letter, Irizarry ordered Wednesdays hearing.

I promised Ms. Khan [the Bureau of Prisons lawyer] that if you did not obey  that you would be back here so fast you get whiplash. I keep my word, the judge said.

She called the conduct of the MDC staff an abomination, utterly contemptuous of the court. Its utterly contemptuous of human life and dignity. Its appalling.

MDC staff finally sent Young to a nursing home for long-term care Wednesday, and Irizarry ultimately didnt hold Khan or the MDC in contempt.

But the judge tore into Khan and her supervisor, Sophia Papapetru, as well as the assistant U.S. attorney overseeing Youngs case, Stephanie Pak.

I was considering getting a special prosecutor on this case, Irizarry told Paks supervisor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Haggans, telling him Pak shirked an obligation to proactively find out about Youngs status on Monday. She also raised the specter of filing grievances and moving to get the MDC lawyers licenses pulled.

The government fell short of the courts expectations.  That included me, Haggans told Irizarry, saying that he should have realized that the hospital might not admit Young after his ER visit.

Khan and Papapetru offered their own apologies.

When a judge issues an order, your obligation is to obey it, the judge said, adding that she didnt know if the choice to send him to the hospital was Khans doing.

But I dont know how you can be so flip and think that somehow eventually I would not find out, she said. That you would somehow think that you wouId get over and get out from under your obligation to a court order. That you would think that youre slick.

She added, Your apologies are so empty. They are empty. It is disgusting.

Young, whos accused in a string of gunpoint store robberies, is suffering from a fractured hand and broken leg from a motorcycle crash, as well as open wounds infected by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA  a contagious, severe form of staph infection.

Magistrate Judge Robert Levy ordered him sent to a medical facility on Nov. 22, but the MDC ignored that order  and at one point even placed him in solitary confinement, which led to his medical supplies being taken away.

Mr. Youngs case is an extreme example of MDCs neglect, but there are still hundreds of people at the jail today who are not going to medical appointments, are not getting medical treatment, and who are preparing to rot locked in their cells for over a week for the holidays, Glashausser told the Daily News.

Im thankful that Mr. Young is finally going to a medical facility, but it shouldnt take two judicial orders and a judge hauling MDC lawyers into court twice for MDC to give necessary medical care, Glashausser said.

Judges and defense lawyers for years have railed about the conditions at the Sunset Park federal jail, which has housed high-profile prisoners including R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.

In 2019, the jail lost power for eight days in the dead of winter, and in 2021, defense attorneys highlighted complaints of no water or hot food, and staff levels so low that one inmate was told to figure out the correct dose for his psychiatric medication on his own.

The jail  which took on hundreds of inmates when its sister facility in Manhattan, the Metropolitan Correction Center, closed in 2021  has filled only 200 of its 301 correction officer positions as of Nov. 28, according to a recent court filing. Of those 200, 28 are on extended leave.

The medical unit is similarly short-staffed, with only 20 of 29 positions filled.
Christopher (l) and Colin (r) Nourse have been jailed over a shooting in Dartford

A man who opened fire on two people in Dartford has been jailed for 30 years.

Christopher Nourse, 45, from Ospringe Close, Penge, London, fired a handgun at the group as he believed they were trying to steal motorbikes owned by him and his brother.

His sibling Colin Nourse, 42, from Cooper Close, Greenhithe, was also jailed for 14 years at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday.

Kent Police Det Supt Gavin Moss said: "It is only by chance a member of the public unconnected with the incident did not suffer a fatal injury."

A group trying to steal the motorcycles in a communal car park close to Colin Nourse's home on 8 March 2020 ran off after being disturbed.

When two of them returned, the Nourse brothers were waiting, armed with a handgun, which Christopher Nourse fired.

He was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Colin Nourse was cleared of attempted murder, but convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Both will have to serve an extended four-year licence on their release.

The shooting happened outside Colin Nourse's home in Cooper Close, Greenhithe

Both denied the charges but were convicted at Maidstone Crown Court on 28 July 2022.

Det Supt Moss added: "Colin and Christopher Nourse are dangerous individuals who will not think twice at using violence."

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Fresh off its season one finale, Apple TV+ has retained their The Buccaneers for a second season.

Inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Whartons unfinished final novel of the same name, the series stars Kristine Frseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag, Imogen Waterhouse, Mia Threapleton and Mad Men star Christina Hendricks.

Heres the official description:

Girls with money, men with power. New money, old secrets. A group of fun-loving young American girls explode into the tightly corseted London season of the 1870s, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition. Sent to secure husbands and titles, the buccaneers hearts are set on much more than that, and saying I do is just the beginning

Its been a complete thrill to watch people all over the world fall in love with these characters, whove been brought to such vibrant life by our spectacular cast, said series creator Katherine Jakeways in a statement. We know season one left audiences desperate to know whats next for our buccaneers, so Im absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to explore the further adventures of this smart, joyful, messy sisterhood.

Rounding out the ensemble cast are stars Josh Dylan, Guy Remmers, Matthew Broome and Barney Fishwick.

The irreverence and wit of The Buccaneers charmed global audiences and were excited to be working with Katherine Jakeways and The Forge again on the next adventure for Nan and her friends, said Jay Hunt, creative director, Europe, Apple TV+.

The Buccaneers is written by series creator Katherine Jakeways, who executive produces alongside BAFTA Award nominee Beth Willis. Susanna White directs.
A national news agency has cited the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer's award-winning series Unclaimed project as one of only two known U.S. media organizations that is routinely attempting to shed light on the problem of unclaimed dead in county morgues.

Our database and stories appeared online Tuesday as part of NBC News' Lost Rites series examining how individuals are cremated or buried in pauper fields without any notification to their families.

NBC News senior reporter Michael Hixenbaugh reached out about the "Unclaimed" series after finding the database online. Hixenbaugh and NBC News reporter John Schuppe have been writing about families in Mississippi who reported people as missing only to learn that they had been listed as unclaimed and buried by coroners and medical examiners, who failed to notify them first.

Since 2019 Phillyburbs.com has been writing about the abandoned dead in its series the "Unclaimed."

The names of the unclaimed

The story of Jack Scott How Jack Leroy Scott found his way home 60 years after walking away. An 'Unclaimed' story

The NBC stories highlight the growing national problem of unclaimed dead, which are typically the result of an inability for coroners and medical examiners to identify living next-of-kin willing to accept responsibility for final arrangements.

The latest story including links to the only two known news media unclaimed dead databases maintained by the Portland Oregonian and Phillyburbs.com, citing them as examples of how local journalists have attempted to fill in these gaps by obtaining the names of the unclaimed dead held by local coroners and publishing their own searchable databases  leading dozens of families to come forward to claim the remains of estranged loved ones.

Since 2019, the Courier Times and Intell have been telling the stories of the impact of the forgotten dead in Bucks and Montgomery counties on families, coroner resources and taxpayers.

Everyone has a story. Even the dead. Since 2019 we have told the stories of the hundreds of unclaimed dead in Bucks and Montgomery counties. Check our updated database w/names of the unclaimed including 115 (and counting) who have found resting places. https://t.co/ZhBIsdbscx  Jo Ciavaglia (@JoCiavaglia) June 8, 2023

More on our Unclaimed dead series Bucks County Coroner's Office strives for unclaimed dead reunion with family

Following publication of the series, coroner offices in Bucks and Montgomery counties adopted new practices including posting the names of abandoned and unclaimed dead in their possession and reviewing old cases to look for possible missed information about family or final arrangements

As of Tuesday, at least 123 the remains of individuals have been removed from coroner offices in Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington County, New Jersey.

I stumbled upon an incredible piece of local journalism while reporting our latest story.



Since 2019, @JoCiavaglia has published a database of unclaimed persons for the Bucks County Courier Times.



Jo, it turns out, had identified a widespread national problemand a solution. pic.twitter.com/Rum80lw5z7  Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) December 19, 2023

They include the remains of more than 30 military veterans or spouses eligible for free interment in a veteran cemetery at the time of their deaths but ended up overlooked.

They include a military veteran and his wife who died in 1986, a Bensalem man who died in 1999 and a Montgomery County man whose final arrangements had been prepaid, but went unnoticed until a reporter reviewed his 2013 case file.

Why bodies go unclaimed Pennsylvania requires coroners notify family of a death. Why that doesn't always happen

With no next of kin, the dead tax county resources. How they end up in coroner offices.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Project shedding light on unclaimed dead receives national recognition
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  This week marks one year since 47 of our neighbors were killed in the Christmas weekend blizzard. That significant part of Western New York history will be preserved in the Buffalo History Museum archives for generations to come.

On Tuesday, the museum unveiled the Blizzard of 2022 Collection, a searchable archive available online at the museums archival database, found at this link.

It was our responsibility as a history museum to document that and to make sure that this history that we lived through last December was recorded so that way, future generations would better understand what happened on the 23rd and 24th of December of 2022, Director of Community Engagement Brian Hayden said.

We gotta go. Its getting bad out here: BPD blizzard body cam footage shows dramatic rescues

The museum began collecting hundreds of testimonies, videos and pictures in January following the deadly blizzard, curating them into the museums archival database found online.

Buffalo History Museum Executive Director Melissa Brown said that the blizzard left a mark on our collective memory, and now future generations can grasp the significance of this extraordinary storm through the perspectives of those who endured it.

Yes, we collect from long ago. Yes, our exhibits have objects from centuries ago, but history is happening here and now, too, Hayden said. Its up to us as a museum to ask the community to share their stories, their experiences, their memories, their media.

The Blizzard of 2022 Collection is part of a broader museum initiative of collecting from the present to create a record for the future.

The museum is also showcasing other contemporary collections like Chronicling Covid-19, a menu and cookbook collection and a historical record of the 5/14 massacre.

The collections are a community effort that, Brown says, ensures that the importance of todays events will not be lost to history.

We recognize that these blizzards are this extraordinary moment in time of challenge, of adversity and of resilience, too. So, by collecting this history now, not only will we be talking about it to the next generation, but we have a historical record now too, Hayden said.

The Museum is continuing to collect photos, video and audio recordings and written testimonials of the storm through an online submission form found here and will also consider objects related to the blizzard. Email Michelle Harris, Senior Director of Collections, at mharris@buffalohistory.org with inquiries.

More information about the collecting initiative can be found here.

Latest Local News

Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
The Bullhead City Council began its meeting with a moment of silence for the five children killed in a house fire over the weekend and their families.

Emotions in the community were running high. City officials addressed questions about the city and leaders not issuing a statement about the fire until the third day after the blaze and about fire hydrant operation.

Mayor Steve D'Amico told the couple dozen people in attendance on Tuesday that communication from city officials had been constrained by the ongoing investigation.

Earlier in the day, D'Amico expressed his sympathy to the families in a video released to the public.

Fire Chief Patrick Moore denied any fire hydrant delay when first responders arrived.

"It's unfortunate that we've got to take the time to address these kind of rumors when we should really be focused on lifting up the spirits of those that are involved," Moore said during the meeting, which also was livestreamed.

The blaze killed four siblings who lived at the home, aged 2, 4, 5, and 13, along with an 11-year-old relative of the family who was visiting, according to the Bullhead City Police Department.

An initial investigation found that the fire originated in the downstairs foyer area, according to fire officials. The fire traveled up the only staircase, likely trapping the five children, who were all located in an upstairs bedroom, officials said.

Neighbors reportedly attempted rescue efforts and placed an extension ladder to the upstairs bedroom of the duplex structure.

The victims' grandfather was an employee of the Bullhead City Fire Department, according to police.

The names of the five victims have been withheld pending official identification by the Mohave County Medical Examiners Office. One of the children was a kindergartener at the nearby Desert Valley School, according to Bullhead City School District spokesperson Lance Ross.

The local nonprofit Make Bullhead Better, led by City Council member Emily Hecht, was planning a vigil in memory of the victims for Wednesday evening. The nonprofit organization River Fund has set up an emergency fund for community donations, the "Anna Circle Fire Fund," named for the street where the fire occurred.

"We have a great community here. We always come together when there's tragedy," D'Amico said.

Republic reporter Jose R. Gonzalez contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bullhead City leaders honor children, refute rumors about fatal fire
One person remained unaccounted for Monday evening after a fire destroyed the historic Fairhaven Terminal Building in Bellingham over the weekend.

Bellingham Police confirmed Nathaniel V. Breaux, 39, is listed as a missing person in connection with the fire, according to a City of Bellingham news release.

Anyone with information about Breauxs whereabouts is asked to contact the Bellingham Police Department non-emergency number, (360) 676-6911.

Harris Avenue was closed Tuesday morning to vehicle traffic between 11th Street and 12th Street.

A makeshift memorial with flowers also started forming at the site of the fire Tuesday morning.

A makeshift memorial began to form on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, outside of the historic Fairhaven Terminal Building that was destroyed by a fire on Sunday, Dec. 17, in Bellingham, Wash. Jack Belcher/The Bellingham Herald

Crews put out the fire in the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 17, and entered the building on Monday after consulting with structural engineers and the Citys Building Services staff, the release states.

Investigators were able to conduct a partial search of portions of the first floor of the building but did not locate any victims. Several areas could not be searched as crews were unable to move any large debris in the building, due to concerns about continued instability, the release states.

Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Hewett said agencies are working with the buildings owner and insurance company to bring in equipment that can remove some of the buildings exterior walls and allow for a more thorough search inside.

Bellingham Fire and Police remained at the scene into Tuesday as the investigation continued.
ORLANDO, Fla.  The buyer of a pair of properties near Pulse nightclub said he quietly purchased the parcels to help the city of Orlandos effort to build a memorial to the 2016 mass shooting.

Property records show RMS Investments LLC, a firm tied to GOP megadonor Craig Mateer, bought the lots at 21 W. Esther St. and 20 W. Kaley St. from the onePulse Foundation for about $1 million. The sale closed Monday.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Mateer said he was asked by the city to get involved and be a bridge between the foundation, which is liquidating its assets and shutting down, and the city, which is now leading memorial efforts. The city purchased the Pulse nightclub site in October.

It was just really more I got a call from City Hall saying Hey, do you mind getting in the middle of this? he said. Im kind of excited the city is going to take the helm and get this right.

Mateer wouldnt say who at City Hall he spoke to about the transaction. But Ashley Papagni, a city spokesperson, said that City Attorney Mayanne Downs talked to Mateer about the property.

Mayanne Downs engaged in discussions about the opportunity for the property to be purchased by a community partner who would help us so the property could be used to support the Pulse Memorial, Papagni said. Any plans have yet to be determined related to the properties.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was unavailable Wednesday for an interview.

The two properties are located behind the nightclub and were once seen as pieces of land that could be critical in building a permanent memorial, though Dyer said Tuesday it was undetermined what it will ultimately look like. The lots combine to be about 0.63 acres, property records show.

The sale was recorded Monday and is among the final chapters for onePulse, which struggled to move forward with the memorial over the last seven years and has now ceded leadership to the city of Orlando.

Dyer announced his intention to complete a permanent memorial by 2026 in a Tuesday morning press conference.

George Kalogridis, the vice chair of the onePulse Foundation Board of Trustees, said in a statement Tuesday evening that the foundation hired a broker and accepted the best offer as to price and closing time frame.

As part of dissolving the foundation, we have responsibility to liquidate all foundation assets, he said in a statement provided to the Orlando Sentinel. Throughout, in the best interest of the memorial process moving forward, we kept the city aware of our progress.

Property records show the lots were sold for approximately the same price the foundation paid for them in 2022.

The parcels were meant to be part of the footprint for the foundations chosen memorial design, according to Scott Bowman, a spokesperson for the foundation. But the designs became out of reach for the foundation when construction costs skyrocketed and the organization was unable to secure the main Pulse nightclub property.

Dyer, in a Tuesday news conference providing updates on the memorial, never mentioned the properties but said he hoped the city would have the memorial built by the 10-year anniversary of the shooting, which would be June 12, 2026.

Its unclear if and how the two properties will be used in a memorial plan, but Mateer said well work that out.

Mateer, who founded and later sold a luggage carrier, Bags Inc., for $275 million, was named to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority in 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and to the Florida Board of Governors a year later.

Mateer, of Orlando, is also a frequent political contributor, with donations ranging from a $1 million check to the Republican Party of Florida, and four separate $100,000 contributions to a committee supporting DeSantis, to smaller donations like a $1,000 contribution to state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, in 2018 and an $1,100 in-kind contribution of food and beverages to a committee supporting Dyers reelection bid this year.

_____
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) appears to have scrubbed Democratic lawmakers' praise for its group from its website following blowback over its leader's controversial statements regarding Hamas, Fox News Digital has discovered.

Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, recently said he was "happy to see" the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and that the Jewish state did not have a right to self-defense because it was an "occupying power."

After Awad made the contentious comments, Fox News Digital and other publications questioned Democratic lawmakers who previously expressed support for the group in letters and statements, including some posted on CAIR's endorsements and awards page.

The endorsements and awards page that contained glowing recognition from Democrats was wiped clean sometime in the past few days and now shows a '404' error.

DEM LAWMAKERS HAVE HISTORY OF PRAISE FOR GROUP WHOSE LEADER SAID HE WAS 'HAPPY TO SEE' HAMAS ATTACK ISRAEL

The page was last captured by the Wayback Machine, an internet archiver, on December 4. It shows its previous state, including its "Awards and Recognitions from Interfaith, Law Enforcement, Elected Officials and Others."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The page contained over 100 current and former Democratic politicians heaping praise on the group. Federal lawmakers such as Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Vice President Kamala Harris had attributable quotes on the website.

Additionally, the page contained numerous quotes from lawmakers in Congress' lower chamber, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Andre Carson of Indiana, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Katie Porter of California, among others.

Awad caused headaches for several Democrats following his Nov. 24 speech at the 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the U.S., where he said he was "happy to see" Hamas attack Israel.

WHITE HOUSE SCRAMBLES TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM ISLAMIC GROUP AFTER LEADER'S PRAISE FOR HAMAS' OCT 7TH SLAUGHTER

"The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege  the walls of the concentration camp  on Oct. 7," Awad said during his speech. "And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not free to walk in."

"And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense  have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense," he said.

Council on American-Islamic Relations co-founder and executive director Nihad Awad said he was "happy to see" Hamas attack Israel.

Awad's remarks forced the White House to scramble and scrub CAIR as a committed partner to fight antisemitism on its website. A White House spokesperson also forcefully reprimanded his comments in a previous statement to Fox News Digital.

"We condemn these shocking, Antisemitic statements in the strongest terms," the White House spokesperson said. "The horrific, brutal terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on October 7th were, as President Biden said, 'abhorrent' and represent 'unadulterated evil.'"

CAIR DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS 'HAPPY' TO WITNESS OCT. 7 ATTACKS, ISRAEL 'DOES NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE'

Some Democrat lawmakers who associated with or praised the group also condemned Awad's statements after facing questions about their support, while others remained silent.

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms these antisemitic statements  and anyone who tries to make excuses for Hamas' murder of innocent civilians," Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who also had an attributable quote on CAIR's website, previously told Fox News Digital. "I strongly support Israel's right to defend itself and will continue to stand with the Israeli people as they fight back against Hamas' terrorism."

The White House condemned Awad's remarks.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told Fox News Digital that Awad exhibited "blatantly antisemitic comments."

"There are no two ways about this: Hamas's October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel were completely horrific  innocent Israelis were slaughtered, hundreds of civilians were kidnapped, and now, countless families are grieving and afraid," Baldwin said. "I condemn these blatantly antisemitic comments in no uncertain terms, and these remarks have led to me completely losing faith in the organization and its work."

Likewise, Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who previously praised a local CAIR chapter's "diversity and equality" efforts, pushed back against Awad's remarks.

"October 7th was a brutal and vicious attack on innocent Israeli civilians," Casey told Fox News Digital last week. "I unequivocally condemn the antisemitic and hateful comments made by CAIR's leadership and any comments that celebrate the despicable acts of Hamas terrorists."

CAIR did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on its endorsement page.





Original article source: CAIR quietly scrubs Democrats' praise for group after blowback over leader's pro-Hamas comments
SAN FRANCISCO  California Attorney General Rob Bonta touted a $700 million settlement from Google on Tuesday as an example of how he is putting the tech giant on notice for its allegedly anticompetitive business practices.

Bonta, a Democrat and potential candidate for governor in 2026, has increasingly sought to portray himself as a policeman overseeing Big Tech, one of the states most lucrative industries. He said his office wants to send a warning to Google and other greedy corporations that they cannot flout antitrust laws.

When youre large and you have a lot of leverage and power, I think theres a lot of temptation to use it to pad your profits, and generate as much revenue as possible, Bonta told reporters during a news conference at his San Francisco office.

He added, To all corporations doing business in California, if you use your power to illegally bend the market  well hold you accountable, well see you in court.

Bonta didnt lead the multi-state lawsuit over Googles app store policies on Android devices, a case that was initiated shortly after he took office in 2021. The lawsuit included 36 state attorneys general and was led by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, a Republican. It targeted Google for forcing app developers to pay a commission to use its app store.

The settlement is no windfall for Android users  Bonta said it will result in minimum $2 payments for about 102 million people nationwide whove used the Google Play Store.

More significantly, Bonta said, the settlement requires Google to change its practices, including by allowing Android users to install apps on their devices from third-party stores outside the Google Play Store.

Google said the deal reflects the companys efforts to provide more flexibility and choice to Android users. Wilson White, the companys vice president of government affairs, wrote in a blog post that Google is allowing competition in the app store space that other platforms we compete against simply dont.

Bontas sharp criticism of Google is part of his yearslong effort to use the attorney generals office to call out some of the nations biggest tech companies  which could be a preview of his gubernatorial talking points. The attorney general has become increasingly critical of tech as the industrys relationship with the states politically powerful labor unions frays. Bonta is a longtime labor ally whose future as an elected official depends on strong union support.

The field is already crowded with Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state schools chief Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee in the race. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins is also considering a run. Candidates and potential contenders like Bonta are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from the pack.

Two months ago, Bonta led three dozen other state attorneys general in suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over allegations it knowingly addicts children and harms their mental health.
A key defendant in the federal governments racketeering prosecution of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang pleaded guilty Wednesday in Sacramento to murder in aid of racketeering and was sentenced to life in prison.

Brant Daniel, 49, agreed to plead guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller as part of an agreement that calls for federal officials to seek to have Daniel serve his time in a federal prison instead of a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility.

Daniel has previously accused state prison guards of threatening him, planting contraband in his cell and being complicit in the deaths of other inmates.

The plea deal does not call for Daniel to cooperate with prosecutors, according to his lawyer, John Balazs.

Mr. Daniel pled guilty today to only his own conduct with NO cooperation in exchange for a life sentence with the expectation that he will serve the sentence in federal prison rather than serve his sentences in state prison, Balazs wrote in an email statement to The Sacramento Bee. By doing so, Mr. Daniel pled guilty to a murder he had already pled guilty to in Monterey County Superior Court.

He did so to spare his family the grief, expense and burden of a jury trial.

Daniels plea deal comes six weeks after federal prosecutors announced they would not seek a death penalty prosecution against defendants in the case, which is set to go to trial Feb. 26.

The racketeering case was filed in 2019 and charged members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang of orchestrating murders, drug deals and other crimes from inside California prisons.

Daniel, known as Two Scoops, has previous convictions for attempted murder and assault with a firearm from 1995 and a 2017 guilty plea in Monterey County Superior Court to the murder of fellow inmate Zachary Scott at Salinas Valley State Prison on Oct. 29, 2016.

Daniel was sentenced to 30 years to life in the Scott slaying, and is currently being held at California State Prison, Sacramento, also known as New Folsom.

He was charged by federal prosecutors with killing Scott to aid the Aryan Brotherhoods racketeering activity and bolster his position with the group.

Documents filed with the plea agreement say Daniel and another inmate attacked Scott, who died of 17 stab wounds to his arms, shoulders, face, abdomen and rib cage.

Yeah, I did it, Daniel said as officers approached. It was me. I did it, and thats all I have to say about that.

Court documents say Daniel killed Scott because Scott had failed to carry out the slaying of another inmate Daniel had ordered.
Starting Jan. 1, California police officers will have to tell drivers why they've been pulled over before questioning them on any subject.

The new law stems from a state Assembly bill passed in 2022 that will take effect in the new year.

The law, written by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), seeks to curb "pretextual stops," in which police use a minor infraction  sometimes not mentioned to the driver at the start of the interaction  as the basis to pull over a vehicle and investigate other possible crimes.

While pretextual stops have been deemed constitutional, a study by researchers at Stanford University of more than 100 million traffic stops across more than 20 states found that Black drivers were 1 to two times more likely to be searched than their white counterparts. Similar disparities existed in Los Angeles, according to a 2019 analysis by The Times.

The new law would not stop police from pulling drivers over for minor infractions  such as a broken taillight  and then escalating to a search of the vehicle if they had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed.

But Oakland Privacy, a group supporting the legislation, says that simply knowing the reason for a stop can assuage a motorist's "fear, panic and the urge to flee," resulting in less combative and potentially dangerous interactions with police.

"There is simply no reason not to do this. The role of law enforcement is to enforce the law, not to play cat-and-mouse games to try to provoke people into doing the wrong thing and causing the encounter to spiral out of control," the group said in a statement supporting the bill.

The law does allow for exceptions if an officer "reasonably believes that withholding the reason for the stop is necessary to protect life or property from imminent threat."

Some jurisdictions have already worked to limit pretextual stops.

In Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department instituted a similar rule in 2022 requiring officers to have a reason to believe a more serious crime had been committed before initiating a pretext stop. The rule requires officers to record on their body camera that reason before making the stop.

The rule quickly caused pretext stops by the LAPD to plummet.

Holden's measure drew the ire of the California State Sheriff's Assn., which called it "strict" and said that "it prohibits an officer from asking for a person's identification or even asking a person to turn off the vehicle's ignition prior to disclosing the reason for the stop."

A bill that went even further than Holden's failed to generate enough support to pass the Legislature this year.

The state Senate bill would have eliminated pretextual stops altogether, making it so police could not pull people over for minor infractions. Police would have been allowed to pull over motorists if they had two or more minor infractions at the same time, but not to pull over drivers for just one minor infraction.

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.
 Flash

The Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Tuesday handed over one million U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid to the Somali government to help victims of the recent floods in the Horn of Africa nation.

Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shangchao said the latest humanitarian assistance from Beijing will bring some respite to victims of flooding caused by El Nino rains.

"When the floods hit Somalia, China was the very first country this year to reach out to Somalia. This is already the fourth time this year for the Chinese government to reach out to Somalia in times of need, as we all know the long history of our friendship," Fei said.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, the commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, thanked China for the timely assistance to the flood victims. "The Chinese government supports Somalia directly; the assistance is tangible and reaches people."

Flooding in southern and central Somalia has killed more than 100 people and displaced 1.7 million, according to government statistics.
The California Highway Patrol taskforce assembled to combat retail crimes had a record-breaking year, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In the first 11 months of 2023, the CHP task force surpassed milestones across the board, making more arrests, recovering more stolen items and conducting more proactive operations than any year previous.

According to data released from the state Tuesday, more than 1,000 arrests were made related to organized retail theft in 2023, more than twice as many from 2022. Additionally, authorities recovered 187,515 items that were stolen from retailers, which was more than 38,000 higher than the previous year.

But the biggest leap comes from what the state is calling proactive operations, stopping crimes before they happen, which saw a more than 300% increase this year.



2023* 2022 2021 2020 2019 PROACTIVE OPERATIONS 215 (313% increase) 52 ** ** ** INVESTIGATIONS 528 (47% increase) 358 180 135 24 ARRESTS 1,005(109% increase) 482 192 109 16 STOLEN ITEMS RECOVERED 187,515(25% increase) 148,891 104,812 18,879 3,331

Newsom highlighted the national trend of increased retail theft, but said California was leading the way in its efforts to combat the issues and meeting the moment, a phrase that has become a trademark for the governor.

Im grateful for the CHP  along with our critical police, sheriff, and district attorney partners  for their continued efforts to leverage the states tools and unprecedented resources to crack down on this unacceptable crime, Newsom said.

3 busted with booster bags for stealing retail merchandise

While complete data for 2023 wont be available until next month, the numbers released this week indicate that California authorities are making an effort to crack down on the high-profile crimes that have grown more common since the 2019 when the task force was formed.

A graph released by the California Governor's Office shows the rise in "proactive operations" and arrests made by the CHP Organized Retail Crime Task Force between 2022 to Dec. 1 2023.

CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee the cooperation and dedication between local law enforcement agencies across the state is making a measurable dent in the growing problem.

These early results, which are a team effort, show California is headed in the right direction, Duryee said.

137 arrests made in California retail crime bust

The Governors Office says the CHP task force has led more than 1,225 investigations since it was established as part of Newsoms Real Public Safety Plan, which it says focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets.

The California 2023-24 budget includes more than $800 million set aside to support programs and partner agencies to battle retail crime.

Since 2019, the value of stolen retail merchandise recovered is estimated to be more than $21 million.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Three men have been arrested after a large cannabis farm was uncovered alongside 6,000 cash and an imitation firearm.

Police made the discovery after searches at two addresses in Leigh, Greater Manchester, on Tuesday.

Two men, aged 21 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis and possession of an imitation firearm.

A 29-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis, police say.

Det Insp Pat Wood said intelligence gathered during the raid would help build a picture of the illegal activity happening across the area.

He said: "The perception that the cultivation of cannabis is victimless couldn't be further from the truth.

"Drug trafficking is a major source of revenue for organised crime gangs, and funds other elements of serious crime such as firearms and modern slavery.

"We will continue to pursue these types of offenders and remove them from our streets."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, X, and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Dozens of anti-Israel protesters were arrested on Tuesday after staging an illegal rally inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., an act led by activist Linda Sarsour, according to reports.

Axios reported that roughly 60 protesters were arrested for holding a demonstration inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Activists were seen holding signs that read, "Stop Arming Israel," as participants chanted, "Not another nickel, not another time, no more money for Israels crimes."

This is not the first demonstration to take place on Capitol Hill since the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas-led terrorists.

CHAOS AT THE CAPITOL: OVER 40 PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING: POLICE

About 60 anti-Israel protesters were arrested at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.

In fact, last week, over 40 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, and like Tuesday, the activists were demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Capitol Police said in a statement that they were aware of a groups potential plan to take a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building on Tuesday and start a protest.

PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS SWARM ON CAPITOL HILL, DEMAND GAZA CEASEFIRE AS POLICE ARREST PROTESTERS

The protesters were calling for a cease-fire in Gaza during an illegal rally at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.

"It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group would break the law," the statement read.

Capitol Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for additional information.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., posted about the protest on X.

ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED

"Insurrection happening now in the Capitol," she wrote. "Is that Linda Sarsour leading the Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel insurrectionists? Very serious ties to terrorists & Progressive Democrats if its her. Arrest them all and throw them in the DC gulag in solitary confinement just like J6ers."

Sarsour emerged in 2017 as one of the organizers of the Womens March that took place after former President Trumps inauguration.

In 2020, President Bidens then campaign distanced itself from Sarsour after she and another woman were kicked out of the Womens March organization due to concerns of antisemitism following statements against Israel and claims that Jewish activists were being excluded from the movement.

The New York Post reported that last month she ridiculed the "little posters" of hostages being held by Hamas terrorists as a result of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people.





Original article source: Capitol Police arrest 60 anti-Israel activists for illegally protesting inside rotunda: reports
The FBI arrested a Minnesota man for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riots after one of his high-school classmates told the feds hed posted a selfie from the U.S. Capitol during the attack, according to unsealed federal charges filed last Wednesday. The tip was made just a day after the riot, leading FBI agents to interview Martin James Cudo on Jan. 13, 2021. During the interview, they viewed damning photos showing him inside the Capitol wearing a red, white, and blue hat with the number 45, likely referring to Donald Trump, the 45th president. The criminal complaint stated that Cudo, 43, admitted to the crime, telling agents that he attended Trumps Stop the Steal rally just before joining a crowd to break into the Capitol. He acknowledged the presence of barricades near the Capitol as he approached but stated that it appeared law enforcement moved out of the way, according to the same legal document. Cudo told the FBI he shouted at police officers but didnt physically attack them. A court filing said the man was charged with entering a restricted building with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business. On Tuesday afternoon, Cudo spoke with the Star Tribune, saying he was in custody and had a lawyer. The Minnesota newspaper stated that records did not disclose when he is scheduled to appear in court.

Read it at Star Tribune

Read more at The Daily Beast.
Police are investigating after two teenagers were stabbed in Cardiff

Two teenagers are critically ill after being stabbed in Cardiff city centre.

South Wales Police said extensive inquiries were under way into Tuesday night's attack on the pair, both male and aged 17 and 18.

Officers were called to the scene in Central Square after the attack happened at about 20:45 GMT.

Cordons sealed off part of the city centre, including St Mary Street, after the attack but they have now been removed.

Det Supt Tom Moore said CCTV had been recovered and was being used to piece together events.

"It is understood two groups of young people were in the area prior to the assault," he said.
The majority of criminal cases are resolved through plea deals. The court system would be endlessly backlogged without them.

In Ohio last year, there were guilty pleas in 78% of criminal cases, according to statistics compiled by the state Supreme Court. Only 2% went to trial before a judge or jury. The rest were dismissed or resolved in some other way.

In Hamilton County, 76% of criminal cases ended in a plea and 3% went to trial. The rest were dismissed or resolved in some other way.

Anthony McIntosh speaks with his attorneys Brandon Fox, left, and Alex Deardoff before pleading guilty Wednesday, August 30, 2023 in the 2022 fatal shooting outside the Oakley Target store. McIntosh, 23-years-old also plead guilty in another case before Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

The percentages were similar in Warren County. Butler County saw twice as many trials and fewer plea deals, according to the statistics. In Clermont County, less than 1% of criminal cases went to trial.

Here's how the plea process typically works.

How does a plea deal happen in Ohio?

After a defendant is charged with a crime, that persons attorney will review the evidence to determine if prosecutors can prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

"You have to make a decision  can this case be won at trial?" said longtime defense attorney Norm Aubin.

If its determined that a plea is in a defendant's best interests, and the defendant agrees, typically the attorney will approach the prosecutor and inform the prosecutor that the defendant is interested in pleading.

Its also common for prosecutors to present a plea offer to a defense attorney. An attorney must then bring that offer to his or her client to consider.

Either way, both sides then negotiate about what charge or charges will be covered by the plea, and if there will be a specific prison term.

In some cases, a defendant can plead "no contest," which isnt an admission of guilt but its treated at sentencing as if it were.

A defendant makes the ultimate decision about whether to plead or go to trial.

What is the role of victims and their families?

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers says victims and their families are important to the process, and her office consults them.

She said that for decades, her office has sought the input of victims.

This office has always kept them involved and informed, she said. We want to make sure they have a voice  they believe and feel justice was served.

In nearly every case, if the victim or the family is not on board with a particular plea agreement, Powers said her office will not go along with it. Its only in very rare circumstances, she said, that her office will go against the wishes of a victim or victims family.

The investigating law enforcement agency also must be consulted about a plea.

A guaranteed outcome

Without pleas, the criminal court system would be forever backlogged. Consider that 6,100 new criminal case were filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in 2022. That's about 25 new cases for every day the court is open.

Even in murder cases, its common for a defendant to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. In October in Hamilton County, for example, a man who admitted fatally shooting two people last year pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to a 28-year prison sentence.

In Ohio, murder is punishable by 15 years to life. And if a gun was used in the killing, its 18 years to life. Aggravated murder is punishable by anywhere from 20 years to life to life without the possibility of parole.

For prosecutors, a plea agreement is a guaranteed outcome, which is an important consideration because sometimes witnesses are hesitant to testify because they fear retribution or there could be evidence issues. In cases involving violent offenders, a plea can guarantee that person will not be on the streets for a specific number of years.

A plea often means "a large number of years behind bars that we know is certain," Powers said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here's how plea deals work in Ohio and why there are so many
Australian government defends weather agency from criticism amid floods

Xinhua) 09:04, December 20, 2023

CANBERRA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Emergency Management Minister has defended the weather service agency from criticism over its warning system in the lead-up to flooding in the country's north.

Murray Watt said at a press conference on Tuesday that the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had done the "absolute best" they could to accurately forecast the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Jasper but that it is not a perfect science.

The storm, which made landfall in northern Queensland on December 13, brought heavy rainfall and strong winds, causing widespread flooding that has devastated much of the region.

The BoM has faced criticism for a video update it published on Saturday suggesting rainfall was easing along Queensland's coast and that those regions were no longer subject to a severe weather warning.

Residents of the northern city of Cairns reported only receiving a flood warning from the BoM on Sunday after they had been isolated by rising waters.

Despite those issues, Watt said he has faith in the government agency to make decisions.

"I'd ask people to remember that what we were dealing with was a highly unpredictable, unprecedented amount of rain into an area of Australia that knows how to deal with storms, cyclones and floods," Watt said on Tuesday.

The federal government has deployed the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to northern Queensland to aid with evacuation and clean-up efforts and triggered financial support payments for flood-affected communities.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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A man holds the body of a victim at a hospital in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on Dec. 19, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 19,667, and 52,586 others were wounded since Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Palestinian deaths and injuries from Israeli raids in the West Bank climbed to 301 and 3,365, respectively, according to the ministry.

In Gaza, over the past 24 hours, 214 Palestinians were killed, and 300 others injured in Israel's raids, while a large number of victims were still under the rubble, Ashraf Al-Qedra, Health Ministry spokesman, said at a press conference held in the southern Gaza Strip.

Al-Qedra accused the Israeli army of destroying hospitals in northern Gaza Strip and putting them out of service.

He said the moves would displace 800,000 people and deprive thousands of wounded, pregnant women, children, and chronic patients of health services.

Al-Qedra stressed that hospitals in southern Gaza are "powerless in the face of the huge numbers of infections and are trying to differentiate between cases to save their lives with the limited clinical, medical and human capabilities available."

Since Oct. 7, Israel has been launching a large-scale war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 Israelis, according to the Israeli authorities.
Within four months of ChatGPTs launch on Nov. 30, 2022, most Americans had heard of the AI chatbot. Hype about  and fear of  the technology was at a fever pitch for much of 2023.

OpenAIs ChatGPT, Googles Bard, Anthropics Claude and Microsofts Copilot are among the chatbots powered by large language models to provide uncannily humanlike conversations. The experience of interacting with one of these chatbots, combined with Silicon Valley spin, can leave the impression that these technical marvels are conscious entities.

But the reality is considerably less magical or glamorous. The Conversation published several articles in 2023 that dispel several key misperceptions about this latest generation of AI chatbots: that they know something about the world, can make decisions, are a replacement for search engines and operate independent of humans.

1. Bodiless know-nothings

Large-language-model-based chatbots seem to know a lot. You can ask them questions, and they more often than not answer correctly. Despite the occasional comically incorrect answer, the chatbots can interact with you in a similar manner as people  who share your experiences of being a living, breathing human being  do.

But these chatbots are sophisticated statistical machines that are extremely good at predicting the best sequence of words to respond with. Their knowledge of the world is actually human knowledge as reflected through the massive amount of human-generated text the chatbots underlying models are trained on.

Arizona State psychology researcher Arthur Glenberg and University of California, San Diego cognitive scientist Cameron Robert Jones explain how peoples knowledge of the world depends as much on their bodies as their brains. Peoples understanding of a term like paper sandwich wrapper, for example, includes the wrappers appearance, its feel, its weight and, consequently, how we can use it: for wrapping a sandwich, they explained.

This knowledge means people also intuitively know other ways of making use of a sandwich wrapper, such as an improvised means of covering your head in the rain. Not so with AI chatbots. People understand how to make use of stuff in ways that are not captured in language-use statistics, they wrote.

Read more: It takes a body to understand the world  why ChatGPT and other language AIs don't know what they're saying

2. Lack of judgment

ChatGPT and its cousins can also give the impression of having cognitive abilities  like understanding the concept of negation or making rational decisions  thanks to all the human language theyve ingested. This impression has led cognitive scientists to test these AI chatbots to assess how they compare to humans in various ways.

University of Southern California AI researcher Mayank Kejriwal tested the large language models understanding of expected gain, a measure of how well someone understands the stakes in a betting scenario. They found that the models bet randomly.

This is the case even when we give it a trick question like: If you toss a coin and it comes up heads, you win a diamond; if it comes up tails, you lose a car. Which would you take? The correct answer is heads, but the AI models chose tails about half the time, he wrote.

Read more: Don't bet with ChatGPT  study shows language AIs often make irrational decisions

3. Summaries, not results

While it might not be surprising that AI chatbots arent as humanlike as they can seem, theyre not necessarily digital superstars either. For instance, ChatGPT and the like are increasingly used in place of search engines to answer queries. The results are mixed.

University of Washington information scientist Chirag Shah explains that large language models perform well as information summarizers: combining key information from multiple search engine results in a single block of text. But this is a double-edged sword. This is useful for getting the gist of a topic  assuming no hallucinations  but it leaves the searcher without any idea of the sources of the information and robs them of the serendipity of coming across unexpected information.

The problem is that even when these systems are wrong only 10% of the time, you dont know which 10%, Shah wrote. Thats because these systems lack transparency  they dont reveal what data they are trained on, what sources they have used to come up with answers or how those responses are generated.

Read more: AI information retrieval: A search engine researcher explains the promise and peril of letting ChatGPT and its cousins search the web for you

4. Not 100% artificial

Perhaps the most pernicious misperception about AI chatbots is that because they are built on artificial intelligence technology, they are highly automated. While you might be aware that large language models are trained on text produced by humans, you might not be aware of the thousands of workers  and millions of users  continuously honing the models, teaching them to weed out harmful responses and other unwanted behavior.

Georgia Tech sociologist John P. Nelson pulled back the curtain of the big tech companies to show that they use workers, typically in the Global South, and feedback from users to train the models which responses are good and which are bad.

There are many, many human workers hidden behind the screen, and they will always be needed if the model is to continue improving or to expand its content coverage, he wrote.

Read more: ChatGPT and other language AIs are nothing without humans  a sociologist explains how countless hidden people make the magic

This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversations archives.
CHEBOYGAN  During their Monday meeting, the Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education approved a new district-wide vision statement and belief and goals statements.

The statements are related to the strategic planning initiatives that began toward the end of the previous school year.

With the help of the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the district worked to create a list of priorities after months of planning and input.

Greg Janicki, the MASB consultant, gave a presentation to the board about the timeline of the planning process, including information about the data collection, retreat, implementation workshop and final report for approval.

A total of 28 community members participated in an all-day planning retreat, sharing their views and priorities about what the district should focus on over the next five years.

More: Cheboygan Area Schools approves MASB strategic planning collaboration

The 2023-2028 Strategic Plan was created with community feedback stemming from seven forums with community members, staff and families, as well as a survey that received 559 responses providing input on the process.

Janicki said the process was aided by all school board members, each attending the day-long retreat.

It's easy when you have a community and a team that is excited and engaged in the process, he said.

Individual goal statements and first-year objectives were listed in the strategic plan for five different areas, including academics and programs; learning environment/culture; communication/community engagement; personnel and leadership; and operations.

The vision for the district approved by the board at Mondays meeting is: A thriving community with a collaborative culture that empowers every individual to realize their full potential.

The approved mission statement is: To provide a caring environment that empowers a community of diverse learners pursuing their full potential and positively contributing to society.

Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage

During the Monday meeting, school board president Amber Hansen thanked the MASB for supporting the district through the process.

We absolutely could have done this on our own, but it would have taken a very long time it would not have been as productive or thorough or as successful as it was with your involvement, she said. You made this really, really easy. It was a daunting process weve been staring at for a very long time and I am extremely grateful for all the help that you gave us in the process.

Superintendent Spencer Byrd said the plan allowed the district to have an outsider's perspective and have help in identifying areas for improvement.

This is going to be a great tool for me as I continue to work with our administrative team and we try to move our district forward, Byrd said.

The strategic plan is expected to be on the district website by early January.

 Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Cheboygan school board approves 2023-2028 strategic plan
Chemical leaks at a Tennessee cheese factory sent at least 28 people to the hospital on Wednesday after valves at the factory malfunctioned.

The fire department in Greeneville was dispatched to the La Quesera Mexicana, LLC cheese factory in response to a call received at 7:15 a.m., Greeneville city manager Todd Smith said at a press briefing on Wednesday. Greeneville is a town of over 15,000 people around 70 miles from Knoxville.

Six employees were initially sent to the hospital after authorities determined they had been exposed to anhydrous ammonia, a dangerous gas that can irritate and burn the skin, mouth, throat, lungs and eyes, according to the CDC. Authorities determined that the leak came from a broken valve on the outside of the building that was fixed on site, Greeneville fire chief Alan Shipley told USA TODAY.

But nearly three hours after the first call, another 911 call from the factory reported a second, separate leak that sent at least 22 more people to the hospital, Shipley said. An additional 53 employees were also checked for symptoms of exposure.

The fire department announced there was no risk to the public, but asked locals to stay away from the area. By around 1:30 p.m., the site was successfully cleared of the gas, Shipley said.

Shipley said the Fire Department is not certain what caused the two leaks, but the factory owners were investigating.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greeneville, Tennessee cheese plant ammonia leak: Workers hospitalized
CHICAGO - A Chicago man is facing murder charges in the death of a 54-year-old victim on the city's Near West Side earlier this year.

Alex Rodriguez, 57, has been charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of murder (other forcible felony).

At about 10:22 p.m. on Aug. 16, Rodriguez allegedly fatally shot a 54-year-old victim in the 2700 block of West Wilcox Street.

The Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Rodriguez Tuesday and charged him accordingly.

His detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson lashed out at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, saying the Republican leader was creating "chaos" around the country over his bussing program that has transported thousands of asylum seekers from border towns to Democratically-led cities.

Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Johnson said migrants were being brought to Chicago in unhealthy conditions and have strained city programs and resources.

"They come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, we have mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed," he said.

"The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago," Johnson added. "Its the fact we have a governor, a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas, that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized, and then they come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed. We have people who are seeking employment. The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos hes causing for the people of this country."

MANY SENATORS HAVE ALREADY LEFT TOWN AMID BORDER NEGOTIATIONS AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS HIT RECORD

On Monday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was creating "chaos" over his state's bussing of migrants from the southern border to his city.

Texas has transported thousands of migrants to so-called sanctuary cities to bring attention to the influx of illegal immigration to the Biden administration and relieve overwhelmed border towns and border authorities.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Officials in New York City have also criticized Abbott as asylum seekers there have strained resources and city agencies.

"This is not just a Chicago dynamic. He is attacking our country!" Johnson said of Abbott.

Abbotts Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News Digital that Johnson was "flat out lying."

"If he truly cared about these migrants, he would stop spreading falsehoods and complaining about a few thousand migrants being bused into his sanctuary city," he said. "Instead, Mayor Johnson should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border  something the President continues failing to do."

SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS

A group of migrants exits a bus near a Greyhound station after being transported from Texas Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Chicago. Over 15,000 migrants have been transported to Chicago since last year.

Mahaleris noted that migrants willingly sign a voluntary consent waiver available in various languages upon boarding a bus in which the destination has been agreed to. Each bus is also stocked with food and water and makes stops along the route to refuel and switch drivers, he said.

Migrants are also allowed to purchase extra items or disembark at any stop because they were previously processed and released by border authorities, said Mahaleris.

The mayor's remarks came after a 5-year-old migrant boy recently died over the weekend and other migrants were hospitalized for illnesses. Johnson has also taken aim at the bus companies being used to bring the asylum seekers to his city.

Cristina Pacione-Zayas, his deputy chief of staff, told the Chicago Tribune that the companies are now no longer communicating about where they are dropping migrants off in an effort to avoid city penalties.

The city has filed over 50 lawsuits in an attempt to hold bus companies accountable for shuttling illegal immigrants to an already overburdened city amid winter conditions.

"Migrants are no longer being dropped off at the citys landing zone on buses from the southern border, causing people to wander with no direction looking for shelter, according to an aide to Mayor Johnson," The Chicago Tribune reported .

Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this report.





Original article source: Chicago mayor says Texas Gov. Abbott 'attacking our country' over migrant bussing to Dem cities
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday he is ready to work with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to promote bilateral ties for fresh achievements with the newly announced strategic partnership between the two countries as a new starting point.

In his phone talks with Ortega, Xi pointed out that the political decision made by Ortega and Nicaraguan Vice President Companera Rosario Murillo two years ago to resume diplomatic ties with China has made significant contribution to bilateral relations, which will be remembered by history.

Since the resumption of relations, the two sides, with a sense of urgency, have promoted a leap-forward development of China-Nicaragua relations, Xi said, adding that the two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and have comprehensively expanded and made positive progress in practical cooperation.

Xi also said that he is willing to join the Nicaraguan leader in setting an example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results.

Xi emphasized that China highly appreciates Nicaragua's adherence to the one-China principle and its public support for China's safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity on many occasions, adding that China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua, will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, and also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference.

He noted China's readiness to share its experience with Nicaragua in such fields as governance and poverty eradication, adding that he has put forward eight major steps China will take to support the joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and China welcomes Nicaragua's active synergy in this regard.

The free trade agreement between China and Nicaragua, which will come into effect on Jan. 1 next year, is a landmark achievement of cooperation between the two countries, Xi said, noting that both sides should take this opportunity to continuously boost the volume and raise the level of bilateral trade.

China encourages competitive Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Nicaragua and carry out more cooperation projects that Nicaragua needs to help it achieve self-driven development, and to bring more benefits to the Nicaraguan people, said the Chinese president.

China also stands ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, promote the development of a more just and rational international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Xi added.

For his part, Ortega said that China's remarkable achievements in development under the excellent leadership of President Xi have not only lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty, but also made significant contributions to promoting world peace, and especially to sharing development achievements with people in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and improving their well-being, bringing hope and injecting strength to the world.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and China, Ortega said he is honored to jointly announce with President Xi the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which will surely become an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations.

The Nicaraguan side sincerely appreciates China's support for Nicaragua's safeguarding of its sovereignty and independence, as well as China's valuable assistance in Nicaragua's economic development and improvement of people's livelihoods, he said.

Nicaragua highly values its friendly relations with its great brother China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports China's grand cause of reunification and supports global cooperation initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi, he said.

Nicaragua is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral friendly relations, strengthen multilateral coordination, oppose external interference and power politics, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he noted.

Ortega also conveyed to Xi the brotherly sympathies from the Nicaraguan people over the earthquake in Gansu province.

Xi expressed his gratitude and said that after the earthquake, he promptly issued instructions, urging all-out search and rescue work, and proper relocation of affected populations, and making every effort to safeguard the lives and property of the people.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and with the united efforts of the Chinese people, victory in the earthquake relief will be secured and people in the disaster-striken areas will undoubtedly return to normal life and rebuild their homes as soon as possible, Xi said.

After the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on the establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nicaragua.
A 15-year prison sentence has been requested by representatives of the prosecution for Denys Kulykovskyi, the former commandant of a detention facility known as "Isolation" in temporarily occupied Donetsk.

Source: Oleh Horbachov, the victims lawyer, and journalist Stanislav Aseiev, on Facebook

Quote: "Last week, court debates took place in the case of Denys Palych Kulykovskyi, the commandant of the Isolation detention facility in occupied Donetsk, where prisoners are being tortured

The prosecution has requested a 15-year sentence for him. In my speech during the debates, I urged the court to support the proposed punishment to the highest degree, given the vast scale of war crimes committed against civilians."

Details: The lawyer announced that a court hearing will take place on 22 December 2023, when Kulykovskyi is scheduled to make his final statement, after which the court will retire to the deliberation room to reach a verdict.

For the purposes of transparency, the defence will ask the court to announce the verdict publicly, so that journalists and others following this high-profile case can be present.

Background:

Denys Kulykovskyi, a former militant from the "DPR" (the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic) terrorist organisation and head of an illegal prison known as "Isolation" in the temporarily occupied territory in Donetsk Oblast, was detained in Kyiv by counter-intelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). The court had ordered his arrest.

Kulykovskyi was served with a notice of suspicion in absentia and declared wanted in October 2020. Law enforcement officers and police investigators gathered evidence of the crimes he had committed. He and his accomplices personally conducted interrogations of prisoners using methods of torture including electrocution, sexual assault, bone-breaking, and simulated executions, as well as live burials involving nails being hammered into the coffin.

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The death toll in China's deadliest earthquake in a decade has risen to 131, as rescuers brave freezing temperatures to search for bodies trapped under debris.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Jishishan county, near the border of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, just before midnight on Monday, sending residents out of their houses into a freezing night.

The Chinese authorities said on Wednesday that thousands of people working in sub-zero temperatures were nearing the end of their rescue operation, and would now focus on treating the injured.

At least 113 people were found dead in Gansu province, with 782 people injured, according to Chinese state media. The death toll in the neighbouring Qinghai province is 18 with 198 injured.

Chinese president Xi Jinping pressed thousands of firefighters, police officers, soldiers and about 400 medics into action to pull the injured out of the rubble and treat the victims.

Rescue operations were hindered by the intense cold snap that has gripped most of China since last week, plunging temperatures around the quake epicentre in Gansu to -15C on Tuesday night.

The tremor razed nearly 15,000 houses and left another 207,000 partially damaged, affecting more than 145,000 people. In Gansu province, the rescue operations were called off on Tuesday after 78 people were found alive, state media CCTV said, citing officials.

Earthquake-affected residents look on beside aid tents erected in a school compound in the village of Gaoli, in Jishishan (Getty)

At least 900 survivors were forced to stay the night in makeshift camps, while some sheltered outside, around bonfires.

Du Haiyi, 21, said he managed to save his mother and younger sister who were trapped under the debris of his flattened family home in Haidong.

My parents were pulled out from underneath this, but I dont know how, Mr Du said. We ran to wherever we could.

Some of the relatives of the earthquake victims defied the weather to bury the dead.

Ma Lianqiang, left, stands near the body of his wife Han Suofeiya, who was killed in the village of Yangwa (AP)

The earthquake affected 22 towns and villages, two of them within 30miles of the epicentre in Qinghai province suffering the worst damage.

Minhe county in Haidong earlier recorded 20 missing people from two villages, where a mudslide triggered by the earthquake swept through, half-burying many buildings in brown silt.

We have prepared coats with extra cotton, like military coats, and then some things to keep warm like heating equipment, said Wu Saying, a rescue volunteer in Haidong.

People complained about the lack of food supplies.

I didnt have anything to eat yesterday, and today Im eating the food left in the house, said Bao Yinzi, 53. The pot is buried, the bowl is buried. Theres nothing left.

Authorities were still searching for 16 people missing in Qinghai province.

Gansu is one of Chinas poorest regions, bordering Mongolia, and between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus. The scale of the damage in Gansu has been attributed to houses being built of clay and mud, according to experts and local authorities. The fact that the quake struck late at night made escape more difficult.

Monday's earthquake comes more than a decade after a 7.9-magnitude tremor jolted the southwestern province of Sichuan in 2008, killing more than 90,000 people.
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China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua and will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

China also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference, Xi said during his phone talks with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in which the two leaders announced the decision to elevate China-Nicaragua ties to a strategic partnership.
CARMEL, Ind. - The husband of missing Indiana mother Ciera Breland has asked an Indiana judge to delay his trial by a few months. Xavier Breland, who remains the sole "person of interest" in her disappearance, is now scheduled for a jury trial early next year in Hamilton County, Indiana, on unrelated charges.

Xavier was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in November 2022. He was extradited from Georgia back in February 2023.

He is scheduled to be in court for a final pre-motion hearing conference on Dec. 28, according to online court records.

His trial has been pushed for a fourth time to Jan. 8, 2024.

Charges for Xavier Breland

Xavier Breland is currently facing charges in connection with an incident that transpired on February 28, 2022, just two days after he reported his wife, Ciera, missing from their Carmel residence.

Ciera (Locklair) Breland (Family photos)

According to court documents, the charges against Xavier relate to what was described as "an accidental discharge of a firearm" that occurred at a residence on Baldwin Lane. Xavier informed investigators that he was in the process of moving a Christmas tree in the garage when he heard a gunshot. He reportedly rushed outside and later returned to the garage to locate the firearm, subsequently unloading it. Investigators discovered a SIG Sauer P365 and another firearm at the scene.

In addition to providing details about the incident, Xavier handed a missing persons flyer for his wife to law enforcement officers. Notably, court records reveal that Xavier has a prior criminal history, having been convicted on felony burglary charges in 2005.

A missing person's report to the Carmel Police Department states Ciera Breland was last seen at this home in the Brookstone Park of Carmel subdivision in Carmel, Indiana on Feb. 25, 2022. (FOX 59)

The legal proceedings surrounding the charges are ongoing, and further updates will be provided as the case develops.

Ciera Brelands husband questioned by police

Xavier Breland, the husband of missing woman Ciera Breland, informed the Carmel Police Department, located just outside of Indianapolis, that he last saw his wife at approximately 10 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2022. According to Breland, she had walked to a store in Carmel, Indiana, donning a black top and purple shorts despite temperatures ranging from the mid- to upper-20s.

Concerns arose when family members revealed that police informed them Ciera had never reached the store, and no surveillance footage captured her entering the establishment. Compounding the worry, her personal phone, work phone, and a burner phone were discovered at home, along with her identification, credit cards, the couple's 5-month-old son, and her cherished dog. Family members clarified that the burner phone was intended for emergency communication.

Several days after the missing person report, Xavier Breland became a person of interest in his wife's disappearance and was apprehended on an unrelated charge. Authorities uncovered an outstanding warrant for aggravated stalking in Coweta County, leading to his extradition to Georgia for prosecution.

Johns Creek police say investigators were able to last place Ciera Breland at this home on Highgate Manor Court on Feb. 24, 2022. (FOX 5)

Court records detailed accusations against Breland for allegedly placing a tracker inside a stuffed animal owned by his daughter, aiming to monitor the child's mother, his ex-wife. This legal matter originated from a custody dispute between the former couple. In August 2022, a jury cleared him of the charges. Subsequently, online jail records indicated his detention in Fulton County on contempt of court charges.

Ciera Breland's last known location

Earlier this year, authorities intensified efforts to locate Ciera Breland, who was last seen on February 24, 2022, at 7:17 p.m. at a residence along Highgate Manor Court in the Parsons Walk subdivision in Johns Creek. The Johns Creek Police Department disclosed that her last known sighting occurred after a visit to her mother-in-law's residence.

Details regarding the level of cooperation from Xavier Breland's mother, with whom Ciera was last seen, remain unclear in the ongoing investigation. However, law enforcement officials confirmed the collection of evidence from the residence through the execution of a search warrant.

Johns Creek investigators, in their pursuit of answers, enlisted the expertise of forensic professionals and cadaver dogs during the search. The focus was on uncovering potential blood stains, signs of a struggle, or any clues that could shed light on the events surrounding the couple's stay.

Despite the involvement of a K-9 unit, authorities reported that the search did not yield a discernible scent trail at the residence. The specifics of the evidence gathered during the search remain undisclosed, as the case is actively under investigation.

Ciera Brelands disappearance raises questions about troubled marriage

The mysterious disappearance of Ciera Breland has left family members grappling with uncertainties surrounding her marriage to Xavier Breland. While the details of her whereabouts remain unknown, concerns persist about whether Ciera had contemplated leaving her husband.

Xavier and Ciera, wed for approximately a year with a 5-month-old son in tow, faced a less-than-ideal union, as highlighted in an episode of Investigation Discovery's "Disappeared" dedicated to Ciera's case. The couple, who initially met in Georgia, experienced a whirlwind romance before relocating to Indiana when Ciera secured a position at a local law firm. Family members disclosed that issues in their relationship surfaced as early as June 2021 during their relocation.

During the documentary, Ciera's family revealed her admission of being in a challenging situation and her openness about contemplating departure. "I encouraged her, and her father encouraged her to come home. We just wanted her to be out of the situation, but Ciera was 31 years old. I trusted her to know what to do," stated her mother.

Despite acknowledging the difficulties, Ciera seemingly struggled with the decision to leave, citing concerns about custody arrangements for their child, Jackson, in the event of a divorce. According to her cousin, Ciera expressed her apprehensions, stating, "She had told me that she couldnt leave Xavier because she couldnt imagine letting Jackson go with Xavier."

Reports suggest that, nonetheless, Ciera was taking steps to extricate herself from the troubled marriage. Allegedly, she had been discreetly saving money in a secret bank account and discussing plans to temporarily move back in with her parents to regain stability.

Family members believe Ciera was biding her time for a suitable opportunity to make her move. However, that moment never materialized. Subsequently, Ciera's parents have been granted custody of the couple's child, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation into Ciera Breland's disappearance.

Xavier Breland Jr., was arrested in Indiana for an outstanding warrant in Coweta County, Georgia on March 1, 2022. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office)

In a development that raises questions about the veracity of information surrounding Ciera Breland's disappearance, investigators obtained a jailhouse video in March 2022 capturing Xavier Breland discussing the matter with his children. According to the footage, Breland informed his kids that Ciera would not be returning home due to her alleged kidnapping, a narrative at odds with the information provided to Carmel Police concerning her disappearance.

During a recent Investigation Discovery documentary delving into the case, Breland's father acknowledged the inconsistency in his son's statements, stating, "He just creates a different story for everybody hes talking to.

Despite the conflicting narratives, Ciera Breland's family remains resolute in their belief that Xavier holds crucial information about her fate. Expressing their unwavering conviction, the family asserts that Xavier Breland is the sole source capable of providing the answers they seek for closure, allowing Ciera to rest in peace.

The Johns Creek Police Department put up electronic signs asking for help in finding Ciera Breland on March 11, 2022. (FOX 5)

Do you have any information in the disappearance of Ciera Breland?

A year-long investigation into the disappearance of Ciera Breland, a new mother, has yielded no significant leads despite multiple organized searches and ongoing efforts by law enforcement.

Standing at a petite 5 feet tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds, Ciera Breland, described by authorities, vanished without a trace, leaving investigators puzzled about her whereabouts.

In the past twelve months, various coordinated search efforts, some concentrated on specific areas, have failed to produce any clues regarding Breland's disappearance. Law enforcement officers, in their quest for information, have actively distributed flyers and utilized electronic signs to heighten public awareness.

The missing woman and her companion were last seen driving a white 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan bearing Georgia license plate RMB 5869, featuring an FSU Law School frame around the plate. Authorities are urging anyone who observed Ciera or her vehicle in February to contact the police with potentially valuable information.

Family and friends of Ciera Breland pass out flyers in Johns Creek on March 11, 2022. (FOX 5)

With a sense of urgency surrounding the case, the Breland family is offering a $10,000 reward for any tip that leads to a breakthrough in the investigation. Investigators, spearheaded by Corporal Rozier from the Johns Creek Police Department, are urging individuals with pertinent information to come forward.

Those with information can contact Corporal Rozier at 678-372-8046, the Carmel Police Department at (317) 571-2580, Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). The relentless pursuit of answers continues as authorities and the community rally together to unravel the mystery of Ciera Breland's disappearance.

This story is being reported out of Atlanta
Cindy Crawford has honoured her brief cameo in The Crown with a beautiful memory of Princess Diana.

The former supermodel, 57, shared a clip of a scene from season six of the popular Netflix drama in which a young Prince William (Ed McVey) walks in to find Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce) looking at the pictures of models tacked to his wall.

After telling William that he has nothing to be ashamed of, Philip asks their names. Thats Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Cambell, William responds.

Celebrating the little cameo on Instagram, Crawford wrote: I still vividly remember visiting Kensington Palace to meet Diana and a teenage William (who had just discovered the Super Models).

In a subsequent Instagram Story, she reshared her 2017 tribute to Diana on the 20th anniversary of her death. Alongside a photo of her standing beside Diana, Crawfords caption read: Remembering this inspiring woman today. This photo was taken at Kensington Palace. Princess Diana had somehow got the number to my office and called herself to ask for me.

My assistant was in shock! We finally connected and she asked if the next time I was in London I would come by for tea  I think Prince William was just starting to notice models and she thought it would be a cute surprise for him and Prince Harry.

I was nervous and didnt know what to wear, but remember as soon as she came into the room and we started talking, it was like talking to a girlfriend. She was a class act and showed us all what a modern day princess should be. Rest In Peace.

The sixth and final season of The Crown chronicled the tragic aftermath of Dianas death in 1997. While previous seasons of the drama have received widespread acclaim, the latest instalment has been panned by many critics, including The Independents Katie Rosseinsky, who found that the juggernaut had squandered its once-golden potential in her two-star review.

Remember when this all felt exciting  when these on-screen royals seemed painfully, gloriously human? Rosseinsky wrote. Now they exist less as characters, more as vessels for exposition and knowing nods to present-day royal in-fighting.

Season six of The Crown is streaming on Netflix.
The City of Salina is moving more into the digital age after it decided to use its own website to publish notices beginning with the new year.

This move comes after the city commission Monday adopted a resolution to designate the city's website as the official city "newspaper."

While the change in official newspapers begins Jan. 1, the city has already taken steps to have notices also published on its website, which was updated in August, in anticipation of this move and to make sure that the notice function on the site was working properly.

Public notices and legal publications are shown on the City of Salina's website. The website will be the official city newspaper for the purposes of publications beginning in 2024.

"Back in August, the city commission approved a charter ordinance which allowed the city to charter out (of state statutes requiring print publication of most notices)," said Shawn Henessee, assistant city manager.

Henessee said that after a 60-day period for protesting that charter ordinance had lapsed, Salina was now able to make the change to going on its website for notice publication.

One of the main reasons for moving publication of notices online is about the city saving money. According to Henessee, the city paid the Salina Journal, which was designated the official city newspaper until this resolution passed, $37,258 in 2023, $42,000 in 2022 and $53,600 in 2021 to publish notices.

In addition to moving most notices to the city's website, the commission also made a decision on what to do with other notices which the state requires to have published in a "newspaper of general circulation."

Two options for these specific notices were given to the commission, continuing to publish them in the Journal, or to move publication to Salina 311, a twice-weekly newspaper in Salina.

According to Henessee, the Journal's cost was $14.38 per inch as of Aug. 1 and Salina 311's cost is $6 per inch.

Commissioner Bill Longbine said he has been pleased with the city website's public notification process has gone during the trial period and would be in favor of only using the site moving forward.

The resolution voted on by the commission included having Salina 311 be where notices would be published as required in a "newspaper of general circulation."

While changing the official Salina city newspaper to the city's website was met with universal approval by all five commissioners, Karl Ryan ended up voting no on the resolution, saying he preferred keeping the Salina Journal as the general circulation option.

In the end, the commission voted 4-1 in favor of making the city's website the official Salina city newspaper and designating Salina 311 as the alternative newspaper for publications that go in a newspaper of general circulation.

More: Donor's gift returns Birger Sandzen painting to Salina in Christmas 'miracle'

Other Salina City Commission business

The commission meeting Monday also included the following:

The recognition of the retirement of city fire inspector Jeff Daily.

Approving an ordinance, on second reading, to add group day care homes in an unoccupied dwelling as an allowed use for residential most residential zones.

Approving an ordinance, on second reading, to amend Chapter 2 of the Salina Code pertaining to administration by amending and repealing Article XII, Public Improvement Procedures.

Authorizing the execution of a special warranty deed to the Salina Community Theatre Association to expand the theater facility into Founders Park.

Approving the annexation of 41.92 acres of land into the city for the Salina Destination Development apartments.

Approving an amendment to a city ordinance on allowing the city to determine when public sidewalks must be installed in subdivisions.

Accepting an offered right-of-way and easement dedication from South Ohio Land, LLC for land located on the west side of South Ohio Street south of Schilling Road.

Authorizing the execution of transferee agreements with both The Hive Salina and Spa, and 125 North Santa Fe LLC and Salina2020 Inc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina choses its own city website as place to publish public notices
When Claire Holland vanished without a trace in 2012, police had very little to go on. Her disappearance would not officially be treated as suspicious until years later when her ex-partner Darren Osment drunkenly confessed to being involved in her murder in a 999 call. Despite quickly retracting the confession, the call gave police - who still had not found Claire's body - a target. An undercover operation to snare Osment was set in motion.

"I basically arranged it, didn't I. I've took the law in my own hands."

It was a surprise call to 999 in July 2019 from Darren Osment that tipped off police there could be something more sinister to the disappearance of his ex-partner and the mother of his child, Claire Holland.

The former chef, now 41, said he wanted to "hand himself in" for her murder.

He was quickly arrested and body-worn camera footage recorded him saying: "I didn't do it. But I had it arranged."

But police were forced to release Osment under investigation after he claimed the next day that he could not remember phoning the police or speaking to officers in person because he was "too drunk".

However, his confession sparked a 20-month-long undercover operation that eventually led to justice for Ms Holland's murder when Osment was convicted by a jury on 11 December.

He has now been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years at Bristol Crown Court.

Osment was found guilty after a two-month trial

Ms Holland, who had been in a "drink-driven" and violent relationship with Osment, effectively vanished while the country was celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend in 2012.

The 32-year-old from Lawrence Weston walked out of the Seamus O'Donnell pub in the bustling St Nicholas Market area of Bristol on 6 June and has not been seen since.

Her bank account has never been touched and calls from her family to her mobile in the days after her disappearance went unanswered.

Police had been called two years earlier to the Bradley Stoke home she shared with Osment after she was assaulted and pushed down the stairs.

Shortly afterwards, their child, who was a few weeks old at the time, was taken into foster care, something a social worker told the jury in Osment's trial he blamed his ex-partner for.

Despite the red flags, extensive searches failed to uncover anything of significance and Ms Holland's name joined the list of local missing people.

Fast forward to 2019 and in a move that would prove his downfall Osment picked up the phone to police to tell them he had killed her.

"She took my son away from me, so I took that from her," he said in a recorded 999 call.

Avon and Somerset Police had their man, but when Osment retracted his confession the next day senior officers realised they were "short of quite a few key components in the story".

Det Supt Darren Hannant said the decision to use a covert operation was made after reviewing and scrutinising the missing person's enquiry and looking at all the witness evidence they had.

"We don't have a body, we have no forensic evidence," he said.

And so in stepped an undercover police officer, who would be given the name Paddy O'Hara.

He would befriend Osment and gain his trust, to the point that Osment even suggested if he should ever get married, he wanted the officer to be his best man.

Mr O'Hara's operation ran from December 2020 to July 2022 and he even moved to Patchway, the area of Bristol where Osment lived, and asked him for help after pretending to be involved in the criminal underworld.

As their friendship strengthened, Mr O'Hara said Osment started to confide in him about what had happened to Ms Holland, discussing alibis, and potentially trying to blame other people.

Det Supt Darren Hannant said Osment was "definitely troubled" by his guilt

Det Supt Hannant said the "gradual leakage of information" - which was covertly recorded and added up to more than 1,200 hours of footage - helped police build their case.

In one conversation, Osment suggested to Mr O'Hara that as a trained chef he had "knife skills" and ran his hand across his torso while making a swishing sound to indicate he had cut up Ms Holland's body.

He also said on one occasion that Ms Holland "would not see the light of day again".

"It was a brutal and pre-meditated crime motivated by his intense hatred of Claire, who he blamed for having their child taken into care," said Det Supt Hannant.

In one of the tapes, Mr O'Hara asked Osment if he had disposed of the body in the water and "why it hasn't floated to the top".

Osment responded by telling him there had been a "massive overflow" at the time and suggested it had been "weighed down".

He later added he had got rid of the murder weapon by putting it in the knife box of another chef he was working with at the time.

Mr O'Hara told the jury at Osment's trial he saw first-hand how Osment could be violent and aggressive, and became agitated and emotional when discussing his former partner.

He said Osment had even "gagged" or "had to vomit" whenever she was mentioned.

Police released CCTV footage of Ms Holland on the night she disappeared to unearth potential witnesses

Osment was re-arrested in 2021, with police carrying out more forensic searches across the city.

The trial was told Osment had accepted he had confessed to five different parties that he was involved in the killing of his ex-partner and the disposal of her body, including a new partner, friends, uniformed police officers, a 999 call operator and Mr O'Hara.

Osment said the confessions were all made while under the influence.

A sixth person, a prison inmate who he met while awaiting trial, also said Osment confessed to him, but he denied this.

Claire Holland met Darren Osment in 2008 when they worked at the same cafe

However, the weight of evidence gathered during the undercover operation was enough to convince the jury of Osment's guilt.

When asked what exactly police think happened to Ms Holland, Det Supt Hannant said they believe Osment would have been violent towards her in an argument, but that "Darren is the only person that knows that".

"Whether or not he's going to tell us what the truth of that is, I'm not overly confident," he said.

"His behaviour up until now has not lead me to think he would do the right thing."

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Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for a photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on Oct. 7, 2022. Credit - Eric LeeBloomberg via Getty Images

Each year in October, the Supreme Court justices kick off their new term by publishing a terse list of what cases theyll hear. This year, one sentence on that list gave liberal court observers hope that Justice Clarence Thomas might recuse himself from decisions related to former President Donald Trumps effort to overturn the 2020 election, given the role Thomas wife Virginia Thomas played in promoting false claims of election fraud within Trumps inner circle.

The justices had rejected a request by John Eastman, Trumps former lawyer, to appeal a ruling that he hand over emails to Congressional investigators looking into Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Justice Thomas took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition, read the sentence, without giving Thomas reason for not weighing in.

Now Democrats in Congress and liberal legal scholars are calling for Thomas to recuse himself from other cases likely to come before the Court related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including an expected appeal to a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to strip Trumps name from the states Republican primary ballot.

The court ruled on Tuesday in a 4-3 decision that Trump is ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause, citing his actions surrounding the Capitol riot.

Trumps campaign has denounced the decision and vowed to appeal it to the US Supreme Court, which is already considering a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith that the court decide if Trump is immune from charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

More From TIME

This puts the spotlight further on Justice Thomas, whose wife Virginia was deeply involved in spreading false claims to Trumps close advisors and trying to get the 2020 election results reversed.

Thomas has no business hearing this case. Why? Because his wife was a major player in the whole insurrection, LaDoris Cordell, a retired California superior court judge, said on MSNBC on Wednesday., He should, if he had principles, recuse himself.

Thomas has been in the spotlight much of the year as investigative reports have raised ethics questions about his willingness to accept loans, expensive flights and other gifts from Republican donors. In response to the reports, the Supreme Court in November formally adopted what it called a new code of conduct, but did not say how it would be enforced.

Last week, before the Colorado ruling, a group of House Democrats led by Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia sent a letter to Thomas urging him to recuse himself from Smiths request, and any other decisions in the case of United States v. Trump. The 7 co-signers included Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

These details about your wifes activities raise serious questions about your ability to be or even to appear impartial in any cases before the Supreme Court involving the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, the lawmakers wrote, noting Virginia Thomas had attended the pro-Trump rally that preceded the Jan. 6 attack, and was deeply involved in the Stop the Steal movement.

The letter also highlighted how the Courts new code of conduct calls for Justices to recuse themselves if their spouse has interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.

Despite his recent decision to recuse himself from Eastmans appeal, Thomas is unlikely to step back from either the Jack Smith request or Trumps eventual appeal of the decision in Colorado, says Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University Law School professor.

Im skeptical he would adopt that type of sweeping recusal position, Turley says, because Supreme Court justices have historically tried to limit when they recuse themselves given that the court is the final arbiter in the country and a recusal could lead to a tie vote in the nine-member court.

The Colorado ballot case holds such momentous importance for both the Constitution and the country that the expectation is that he will rule with his colleagues, Turley says.

Turley believes that the Colorado decision went too far in banning Trump from the ballot, and argued that Chief Justice John Roberts should try to corral a rare unanimous decision overturning the ruling. There are certain moments in history that call on the court to speak in one voice, Turley said. This is one of those moments.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
ALLOUEZ  Before he ever stepped foot in Green Bay Correctional Institution, Dant'e Cottingham, then 17, had already heard rumors about the prison nicknamed "Gladiator School."

"It was a place known to be gang-infested, violence-infested, nasty COs (correctional officers). It had a reputation before you even got there, so you knew what to expect," Cottingham said. "I was met with exactly what I heard. And then, I was surprised by a couple things, as well."

Cottingham said he entered a prison coated in ancient-looking rust. As he moved through Green Bay Correctional Institution, beat-up, corroded doors caught his eyes. For at least the first month of his stay, called "orientation," he lived in isolation where he could do nothing but stare at a wall, only leaving his room about three times a week to go to recreation and to shower every other day. The year was 1995, and the longer Cottingham stayed there, the worse the prison conditions got.

In the last few years, reports of rodent infestations, poor ventilation, broken toilets, tiny cells, and severe overcrowding have surrounded discussions about what should be done with Green Bay Correctional Institution, Wisconsin's second-oldest prison, which opened in 1898.

The facility over the years has been the scene of lockdowns that have kept people stewing in 7-by-8 foot cells on a nearly 24-hour basis since June, and hundreds of assaults between staff and prisoners.

By its own admission, Wisconsin's Department of Corrections noted many of the facility's problems can be explained by age and antiquated prison design, according to a 2020 report commissioned by the Governor's Committee on Correctional Facilities Assessment.

The 10-year master facilities assessment noted that, because the prison was constructed in a "different era of prison design," fire safety, accessibility and building codes were not primarily considered. Modern standards that emphasize the safe and humane treatment of inmates didn't yet exist.

"Age has resulted in failing infrastructure systems throughout the institution that require constant upkeep and costly modernization whenever possible," the report states.

These issues have been further magnified by the number of Green Bay's prison staff, who hobble by on a 40% vacancy rating.

"It is not a place where people want to work. It is a dark, dirty, broken place," said state Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, who has been one of the biggest voices for closing the prison.

Wisconsin state Rep. David Steffen (R-Green Bay)

Steffen is among the officials pushing to close the antiquated prison, which cost taxpayers $44.8 million in the 2023 fiscal year. Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the surrounding areas have both signed letters in support of the facility's closure, as have Allouez Village Board President Jim Rafter, Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and other local officials.

Meanwhile, in an email Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers' spokesperson Britt Cudaback said the governor "has been clear that any plan to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution must be comprehensive and considered holistically based on the needs of Wisconsins adult corrections program."

Cudaback said the governor expects any plans to have "broad, bipartisan support."

So, what would closing Green Bay Correctional Institution actually entail, and why is it so difficult? How did other states do it, and what can Wisconsin learn from them? And even if it were approved today, how long before a new one would actually open?

Other states closed prisons by reducing the prison population

The state of California recently closed four of its prisons, the result of a huge reduction in inmate population between 2006 and now. Between sentencing reforms and a surge of releases connected to the pandemic, prison population decreased by 42%, according to the nonprofit news organization Cal Matters.

Similarly, New York has closed more than a dozen prisons due to criminal justice reform efforts that reduced the prison population to numbers not seen since 1984, according to The New York Times.

That's not the case in Wisconsin, where the number of people being sentenced to prison on a yearly basis has trended back up since COVID-19.

For every 100,000 people, Wisconsin incarcerates 663 people, which is nearly double the rate incarcerated in New York and 21% higher than California, according to the nonprofit organization Prison Policy Initiative.

As a result, most of Wisconsin's prisons are overcrowded. Green Bay Correctional Institution is designed to incarcerate 749 people but is currently housing nearly 1,000 people, which has led to double-bunking in cells approximately 56 square feet  7-foot-by-8-foot rooms.

Kenneth Streit, a clinical professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Law School who has been involved with Wisconsin's corrections programs for more than 40 years, said it would be extremely unlikely for the state to close one of its prisons without first addressing violent crimes.

"Closing prisons without first reducing gun-related homicide and injury will never happen in Wisconsin," Streit said, noting that New York was able to release thousands of older incarcerated men when it eliminated its 1970s-era drug sentencing laws.

Both Evers and Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr have previously pledged to reduce the prison population, but that hasn't happened. Plus, it's a hard sell for voters, Streit said, even though a majority of prison admissions are for less than five years.

"There is a substantial percentage with sentences of 20 or more years that, due to the severity, the vast majority of voters wouldn't approve," Streit said. "It would be hard for Evers or most Democrats to advocate early releases, which would be necessary to reduce prison levels if there was no change in crime rates."

Cudaback, Evers' spokesperson, said the governor has also pushed over the past five years to close the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile facilities to "relieve pressure on our other adult institutions," but Republicans have obstructed the plans.

Cottingham doesn't believe the problem of mass incarceration will be remedied by building a modern prison, although he is a strong believer in closing Green Bay Correctional Institution.

"That idea is analogous to, if you're killing someone with a rusty knife, you should do it with a clean one," said Cottingham, who, since his release in 2022, has joined Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing and now serves as its interim associate director.

He said Wisconsin needs to dramatically reform its criminal justice system, which has some of the nation's toughest community supervision rules.

In fact, the top driver of incarceration in Wisconsin is not people committing new crimes, according to a new report from Wisconsin Policy Forum. Instead, it's people getting their community supervision revoked due to rules violations.

Those revocations accounted for about 30% of new prison admissions in Wisconsin from 2000 until 2020.

"It makes absolutely no sense to build a new prison when there are thousands of men being incarcerated for those reasons," Cottingham said.

Report says 30% of Green Bay Correctional Institution needs replacement

David Robillard, a retired architect and strategic planner who lives in Allouez, has been working with Rafter over the years to draft strategic plans for Green Bay Correctional Institution's future. He got to know the facility well when he designed the new visitors center, which opened in 2018.

When he first scoured the prison to determine the best spot to put the new center, he discovered the prison's "hidden jewels," an ironic term Robillard uses to describe the facility's costly infrastructure issues.

To his surprise and confusion, he learned the 19th-century prison has been rated a 1  not suitable for programmed use  by the American Correctional Association, International Building Code, and the American Disabilities Association, according to the 2020 facilities assessment.

"It's a little confusing to me how the state of Wisconsin is not called on by American Correctional Association for not meeting standards. Every prison I've designed, boy, you better have that to the T," Robillard said.

Though Robillard is careful not to analyze beyond his field of expertise, it's his experience that simply renovating the facility "will not cut the mustard."

Robillard isn't the only expert who's reached this conclusion. Over the years, the state has paid two independent architectural and engineering firms to study the facility.

According to the study from 2018 by Minnesota-based architects BWBR and consulting engineers Mead & Hunt, nearly 30% of the prison needs replacement, including three major buildings that house prisoners, two of which are nearly a century old.

Almost half of the prison needs major work. Only 5% needs none.

Closure of Kansas prison offers parallels

Kansas State Penitentiary, known in modern days as Lansing Correctional Facility, offers parallels to Green Bay Correctional Institution. The 2017 Kansas Legislature authorized construction of new units at the Civil War-era prison, the oldest correctional facility in the state at the time.

Following a 20-year lease-purchase agreement of $362.2 million for construction, the state completed its build in 2020 and shut down the older facility. The final product was a 1,920-bed medium- and maximum-security unit and a 512-bed minimum security unit.

Similar to Green Bay Correctional institution, the older prison spent far too much money on renovations at the expense of safety and security, said Kansas state Rep. Stephen Owens, who chairs the Kansas House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice.

The decision to close the old prison took years of bipartisan discussion, Owens said, driven by representatives in Kansas "wanting to be good stewards with taxpayer funds."

Kansas' prisons also struggled with overcrowding, which got to a point where the state started shipping incarcerated people to other states, Owens said.

"It was requiring significant amount of investment financially just to keep the water running and the pipes moving," Owens said. "You reach a point, when it comes to those older facilities, that you're spending so much money just to keep it open."

What would it cost to keep Green Bay Correctional Institution open?

Carr, the corrections secretary, has previously acknowledged that Green Bay Correctional Institution is more expensive to operate than a modern facility due to its need for regular upkeep and repairs.

In addition to significant housing renovations, the facility needs a new health services building, recreation area, kitchen and dining, administration, shipping and receiving, and a public lobby, according to the 2020 facilities report.

Simply upgrading the prison likely isn't an option, according to the report, which said the process would be "difficult, disruptive and costly."

DOC spokesperson Kevin Hoffman noted in an email that the 10-year facilities report "is just a snapshot and does not prioritize projects."

Rafter, the Allouez Village Board president, has been involved in the campaign to close Green Bay Correctional Institution for the last eight years. His purpose in the beginning was to open the area up for economic development because the prison sits on some of the most valuable property in Brown County.

In the process of having conversations with Steffen, along with families and advocates over the years, Rafter has learned a lot more.

"It needs well over $100 million  and by some estimates, $200 million  just to get it up to code and make it inhabitable," Rafter said. "That's a very scary thing. We have a thousand people living in there right now when it's literally falling apart."

Dozens of people gather outside the Green Bay Correctional Institution on Nov. 9 to call for an end the lockdown and the closure of the 125-year-old facility.

Already, Wisconsin taxpayers fund one of the largest state prison budgets in the nation, spending about $220 per person per year to fund the prison system, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Both Steffen and Rafter have been told by former prison guards that Green Bay Correctional Institution is a "tinderbox" due to the failing infrastructure systems responsible for water, fire protection, electricity, plumbing and temperature control. Many see the prison's closure as an inevitability.

"The reality is, the building is going to close, whether it's going to be by our choice or because of some sort of catastrophic failure," Steffen said. "Certainly, if we can control the timeline, we have better options in place. But if there is some major operational structural issue that causes that facility to have an emergency closure, there isn't a plan B."

Architects BWBR and consulting engineers Mead & Hunt estimated in 2018 that replacing the prison could cost taxpayers anywhere from $450 to $500 million.

Criminal justice reform advocates like Cottingham may not want to see a bigger prison imposed by the state, but to Rafter and Steffen, if incarcerated people had more room to rehabilitate, that may reduce recidivism.

Steffen said a new prison would have more space for vocational training, like the masonry program, which he says operates in a small room and has a two-year waitlist.

What would opening a new prison entail, and how long would it take?

According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration, construction of additional correctional facilities is subject to approval by the state Building Commission, which includes the governor, three state senators and three state representatives, and the state Legislature's 16-member Joint Committee on Finance.

If stakeholders really want to close Green Bay Correctional Institution, Robillard says the next step is a discussion about the opportunities and constraints of each of the correctional facilities analyzed in the 2020 report.

"It's about coming to the table as a team to really, truly have a discussion, one that isn't in silos," Robillard said. "Discussions may be happening but, God help everyone, nobody's talking to each other."

That means building a unified task force that includes representatives from the prison, the American Corrections Association, the Department of Corrections, and contractors. In Robillard's experience, that process can take anywhere from six to eight months  but it can be longer, depending on myriad variables. From there, construction drawings can take another year and a half.

Once the team gets talking, the work of site selection can begin, which can also be a time-consuming process involving many environmental, financial and political considerations, according to Robillard.

Another factor is workforce needs. Owens, the state representative from Kansas, said that opening the new Lansing Correctional Facility didn't lead to more correctional officers. Instead, modern technologies reduced staff requirements by about 40%, allowing everything from electronic doors and computer systems to streamline the work and increase the safety of officers.

"New facilities are designed with technology and movement of inmates and staff in mind, and that results in dramatic benefits," Steffen said.

When Republican lawmakers grilled Carr about the aging facility in March, the corrections secretary said closing the maximum-security prison would require other prisons to have vacancies. But many of Wisconsin's maximum- and medium-security facilities are too crowded and understaffed to absorb additional prisoners.

Wisconsin Corrections Secretary Kevin A. Carr

Since his appointment by Evers, Carr has instead pushed for the state to reduce prisoner numbers.

"We lock up too many people for too long at too high a cost to taxpayers, and with not enough in the way of results," Carr told the Green Bay Press-Gazette in 2019. "We believe we can reduce the population in a way that maintains public safety."

Previous attempts to close the prison have been unsuccessful.

Steffen introduced a bill in 2017 to replace Green Bay Correctional Institution with a privately built, state-run prison. The bill stalled after a number of lawmakers objected to the idea of leasing a prison from a private company. Others questioned the cost, estimated at $300 million to $500 million.

"If we can find a way where we have better results, that's safer for both inmates and workers, and long-term that provide savings to the taxpayer, I'm not sure how anyone can continue to be against it," Steffen said.

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Closing Green Bay Correctional Institution could cost up to $500 million
Ukrainian forces are facing continuous waves of Russian troops who have not only been trained and equipped, and who have armored vehicles, but are often believed to be using drugs to enhance their attacks as well, CNN reported on Dec. 19.

Ukrainian soldiers showed journalists drone footage of a wounded Russian: his legs were cut off, but he had a creepy smile on his face, seemingly oblivious to the pain.

Read also: Russian DRGs launch seven failed infiltration attempts on Ukraine in two weeks, says Nayev

According to several Ukrainian soldiers, the huge number of Russians at the front is confusing.

"Usually, more meat means more mince," said Ukrainian soldier Ihor, referring to the fact that Russian generals throw their troops into the "meat grinder" of the front line without caring about their losses.

"(But) sometimes the machine gets it right" and then the invasion forces succeed, he added.

Read also: Ukrainian soldier says Russians trying to sever 'road of life' supply route to Avdiivka

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in militaries has a long history: The famous German historian Norman Ohler stated that the entire Third Reich and the Wehrmacht (the German army), including dictator Adolf Hitler, constantly used drugs.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active returned home to Port Angeles on Tuesday after a counter-narcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The 57-day patrol aimed to support the Joint Interagency Task Force-Souths (JIATF-S) counter-narcotics campaign. Throughout the operation, crews recovered 5,800 pounds of cocaine and detained six suspected narcotics traffickers.

Crewmembers also helped rescue five fishermen from Ecuador after they were stranded on their boat for an estimated 19 days.

The Active is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter that is under the command of the Coast Guard Pacific Area. Active supports the Coast Guards eleventh and thirteenth districts as well as JIATF-S.

I am extremely proud of the crew and their relentless pursuit of our mission objectives, said Cmdr. Adam Disque, commanding officer of the Active. These back-to-back operations were exceptionally well coordinated, which included the tactical employment of an interdiction helicopter, multiple surface boat deployments, and our highly trained boarding teams.
Babatunde Fatai, a cocoa farmer, holds a cocoa pod at a farm inside the conservation zone of the Omo Forest Reserve in Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Farmers, buyers and others say cocoa heads from deforested areas of the protected reserve to companies that supply some of the worlds biggest chocolate makers. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

OMO FOREST RESERVE, Nigeria (AP)  Men in dusty workwear trudge through a thicket, making their way up a hill where sprawling plantations lay tucked in a Nigerian rainforest whose trees have been hacked away to make room for cocoa bound for places like Europe and the U.S.

Kehinde Kumayon and his assistant clear low bushes that compete for sunlight with their cocoa trees, which have replaced the lush and dense natural foliage. The farmers swing their machetes, careful to avoid the ripening yellow pods containing beans that will help create chocolate, the treat shoppers are snapping up for Christmas.

Over the course of two visits and several days, The Associated Press repeatedly documented farmers harvesting cocoa beans where that work is banned in conservation areas of Omo Forest Reserve, a protected tropical rainforest 135 kilometers (84 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Lagos in southwestern Nigeria.

Trees here rustle as dwindling herds of critically endangered African forest elephants rumble through. Threatened pangolins, known as armored anteaters, scramble along branches. White-throated monkeys, once thought to be extinct, leap from one tree to the next. Omo also is believed to have the highest concentration of butterflies in Africa and is one of the continents largest and oldest UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

Cocoa from the conservation zone is purchased by some of the worlds largest cocoa traders, according to company and trade documents and AP interviews with more than 20 farmers, five licensed buying agents and two brokers all operating within the reserve.

They say those traders include Singapore-based food supplier Olam Group and Nigerias Starlink Global and Ideal Limited, the latter of which acknowledged using cocoa supplies from the forest. A fewer number of those working in the forest also mentioned Tulip Cocoa Processing Ltd., a subsidiary of Dutch cocoa trader and producer Theobroma.

Those companies supply Nigerian cocoa to some of the worlds largest chocolate manufacturers including Mars Inc. and Ferrero, but because the chocolate supply chain is so complex and opaque, its not clear if cocoa from deforested parts of Omo Forest Reserve makes it into the sweets that they make, such as Snickers, M&Ms, Butterfinger and Nutella. Mars and Ferrero list farming sources on their websites that are close to or overlap with the forest but do not provide specific locations.

Government officials, rangers and the growers themselves say cocoa plantations are spreading illegally into protected areas of the reserve. Farmers say they move there because their cocoa trees in other parts of the West African country are aging and not producing as much.

We know this is a forest reserve, but if you are hungry, you go to where there is food, and this is very fertile land, Kumayon told the AP, acknowledging that hes growing cocoa at an illegal plantation at the Eseke farming settlement, separated only by a muddy footpath from critical habitat for what UNESCO estimates is the remaining 100 elephants deep in the conservation zone.

Conservationists also point to the worlds increasing demand for chocolate. The global cocoa and chocolate market is expected to grow from a value of $48 billion in 2022 to nearly $68 billion by 2029, according to analysts at Fortune Business Insights.

The chocolate supply chain has long been fraught with human rights abuses, exploitative labor and environmental damage, leading to lawsuits, U.S. trade complaints and court rulings. In response, the chocolate industry has made wide-ranging pledges and campaigns to ensure they are sourcing cocoa that is traceable, sustainable and free of abuse.

Companies say they have adopted supply chain tracing from primary sources using GPS mapping and satellite technology as well as partnered with outside organizations and third-party auditors that certify farms compliance with sustainability standards.

But those working in the forest say checks that some companies rely on are not done, while one certifying agency, Rainforest Alliance, points to a lack of regulations and incomplete data and mapping in Nigeria.

AP followed a load of cocoa that farmers had harvested in the conservation zone to the warehouses of buying agents in the reserve and then delivered to an Olam facility outside the entrance of the forest.

Staffers at Olams and Tulips facilities just outside the reserve, who spoke on condition of anonymity because theyre not authorized to discuss their companies supplies, confirmed that they source cocoa from farmers in the conservation zone.

AP also photographed cocoa bags labeled with the names and logos of Olam and Tulip in farmers warehouses inside the conservation zone.

THEY BUY EVERYTHING

The Omo reserve consists of a highly protected conservation zone ringed by a larger, partially protected outer region. Loggers, who are also a major source of deforestation, can get government licenses to chop down trees in the outer areas, but no licenses are given anywhere for cocoa farming. Agriculture is banned from the conservation area, except for defined areas where up to 10 indigenous communities can farm for their own food.

Nigeria is one of Africas biggest oil suppliers and largest economy; after petroleum, one of its top exports is cocoa. Its the worlds fourth-largest producer of cocoa, accounting for more than 5% of global supply, according to the International Cocoa Organization. Yet its far behind the worlds largest producers, Ivory Coast and Ghana, which together supply more than half of the worlds demand and are often singled out in companies sustainability programs.

According to World Bank trade data and Nigerias export council, more than 60% of Nigerias cocoa heads to Europe and about 8% to the United States and Canada.

It passes through many hands to get there: Farmers grow the cocoa beans, then brokers scout farms to buy them. Licensed buying agents purchase the cocoa from brokers and sell it to big commodity trading companies like Olam and Tulip, which export it to chocolate makers.

In October, AP followed a blue- and white-striped van loaded with bags of cocoa beans along a road pitted with deep mud holes within the conservation zone to an Olam warehouse just outside the entrance of the forest. At the warehouse, which Olam confirmed was theirs, AP photographed the cocoa being unloaded from the van, whose registration number matched the one filmed in the forest.

Farmer Rasaq Kolawole and licensed buying agent Muraina Nasir followed the van to sell the cocoa, and neither expressed misgivings about the deforestation.

We are illegal occupants of the forest, said farmer Kolawole, a college graduate and former salesperson.

AP also visited four cocoa warehouses in the forest belonging to licensed buying agents: Kadet Agro Allied Investments Ltd., Bolnif Agro-allied Farms Nigeria Ltd., Almatem and Askmana. Managers or owners all told AP that they buy from farmers growing cocoa in protected areas of the forest and that they sell that cocoa to Olam. Three of the warehouse managers told AP that they also sell to Tulip and Starlink.

They do not differentiate between cocoa from local  that is farms outside the forest  and the reserve, said Waheed Azeez, proprietor of Bolnif, describing how big buyers like Olam, Tulip and Starlink buy cocoa sourced from deforested lands. They buy everything, and most of the cocoa is from the reserve.

Despite APs findings, Olam insists that it forbids members of its Ore Agbe Ijebu farmer group from sourcing from protected areas and important natural ecosystems like forests. That Ijebu farmer group is listed as a sustainable supplier on Olams website and is said to be in Ijebu Ife, a community near the reserve.

Any farmers found not complying with the code and illegally encroaching on forest boundaries are removed from our supply chain and expelled from the OAIJ farmer group, the company said in a statement emailed to AP.

However, Askmana manager Sunday Awoke said, Olam does not know the farmers. We buy from the farmers and sell directly to Olam, and no assessment against deforestation takes place.

Speaking to AP as a convoy of motorcycles brought bags of cocoa from the conservation area to his warehouse within the reserve, Awoke said he used to be a conservation worker who fought deforestation by farmers.

But I am on the other side now. I wish to go back, but survival first, and this pays more, he said.

Others agreed.

The place is not meant for cocoa farming, but elephants, said Ewulola Bolarinwa, who is both a broker and a leader of those who farm at the Eseke settlement inside the conservation zone. We have a lot of big buyers who supply the companies in the West, including Olam, Tulip and many more.

COCOA TO CHOCOLATE

Ferrero, which makes Ferrero Rocher hazelnut balls, Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread and popular Baby Ruth, Butterfinger and Crunch candy bars, lists a farming group in a community near the forest as the source of its cocoa supplied by Olam, the Italian company says on its website.

McLean, Virginia-based Mars Inc., one of the worlds largest end users of cocoa with brands from Snickers to M&Ms, Dove, Twix and Milky Way, uses Nigerian cocoa from both Olam and Tulip, according to online company documents.

Ferrero, Mars and Tulip say theyre committed to their anti-deforestation policies, use GPS mapping of farms, and their suppliers are certified through independent standards.

Ferrero also says it relies on satellite monitoring to show that its cocoa sourcing from Nigeria does not come from protected forest areas. Mars says its preliminary findings show that none of the farms its mapped overlap with the reserve.

Tulips managing director, Johan van der Merwe, said in an email that the companys cocoa bags, which AP photographed in farmers warehouses inside the conservation zone, are reused and distributed widely so its possible theyre seen across Nigeria. He also said field operatives complete digital questionnaires about sourcing with all farmers and suppliers.

On the ground, however, farmers and licensed buying agents who said they supply Tulip told AP that they were not required to complete any questionnaire before their cocoa is purchased.

Though we know they depend on our cocoa, we dont directly sell cocoa to the exporters like Olam and Tulip, middlemen do, and there are no questions about deforestation, said farmer Saheed Arisekola, 43, also a college graduate who said he turned to farming because he could not get a job.

As farmers, brokers and buying agents say cocoa from the conservation area flows into Olams export supply, U.S. customs records show a slice of where it might be going.

Olams American arm, Olam Americas Inc., received 18,790 bags of Nigerian cocoa shipped by its Nigerian subsidiary, Outspan Nigeria Limited, between March and April 2022, according to trade data from ImportGenius.

Olam and Tulip are both licensed to trade Nigerian cocoa certified by the Rainforest Alliance. However, Olam told AP that its license does not cover the Ijebu area, where it sources the cocoa it sends to Ferrero and is near Omo Forest Reserve. Ferrero says Olams sustainability standard in the area is verified by a third-party body.

Farmers who told AP that their cocoa heads to Olam and Tulip said they are not Rainforest Alliance certified. Tulip has only one farm with active certification in Nigeria, the nonprofits database shows.

The Rainforest Alliance says it certifies that farms operate with methods that prohibit deforestation and other anti-sustainability practices. It says farmers must provide GPS coordinates and geographic boundaries for their plantations, which are checked against public forest maps and satellite data.

The Rainforest Alliance told AP that Nigeria has unique forest regulation challenges, including incomplete or outdated data and maps that can lead to discrepancies when comparing forest data with real on-ground conditions.

It said it is working to get updated data from Nigerian authorities and would decertify any farms found to be operating illegally in conservation areas following a review. The organization also says companies it licenses can buy cocoa certified by other agencies or that isnt certified at all.

Starlink Global and Ideal Limited  the Nigerian cocoa exporter that the farmers and buying agents said they sell to  doesnt have its own farmland in the reserve, only suppliers from there, spokesman Sambo Abubakar told AP.

Starlink does not make sustainable sourcing claims on its website, but it supplies at least one company that does  New York-based General Cocoa Co., U.S. trade data shows.

Between March and April 2023, Starlink shipped 70 containers, each loading 4,000 bags of dried cocoa beans, to General Cocoa, according to ImportGenius trade data.

General Cocoa, which is owned by Paris-headquartered Sucden Group, supplies Mars, according to online company documents.

Jean-Baptiste Lescop, secretary general of Sucden Group, says the company manages risks to forest conservation by sourcing Rainforest Alliance cocoa, mapping farms and using satellite images but that its a continuous process because most farmers in Nigeria dont have official land ownership documents.

Sucden investigates reports of problems and is working on a response to APs findings about Starlink, Lescop said.

WHERES THE ENFORCEMENT?

The conservation zone, which spans about 650 square kilometers (250 square miles), is the only remaining vital rainforest in Nigerias southwest, conservation officials say. Such forests help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and are crucial for Nigeria to meet its pledges under the Paris climate agreement.

Besides helping fight climate change, the forest is designated an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife International, with significant populations of at least 75 bird species.

There are now more than 100 illegal settlements of cocoa farmers, who came from other states because the land here is very fertile, said Emmanuel Olabode, a conservation manager who supervises the reserves rangers in the protected areas. But after some years, the land becomes unproductive.

The farmers know this.

Well then find another land somewhere else or go back to our original homes to start new businesses, said Kaseem Olaniyi, who acknowledges that he farms illegally in the conservation zone after moving in 2014 from a neighboring state.

The government in Ogun state, which owns the forest, said in a statement to AP that the menace of cocoa farming in the reserve dates back decades and that all the illegal farmers were forcefully evicted in 2007 before they found their way back.

Arrangements are in the pipeline to engage the services of the Nigerian Police Force and the military to evict them from the Forest Reserve, the government statement said.

However, Omolola Odutola, spokeswoman for the federally controlled police, said they do not have records of such a plan.

The farmers have been ordered not to start new farms, and those who spoke with AP said they are complying. But forest guards said new farms are sprouting up in remote areas that are difficult to detect.

Rangers  who work for the governments conservation partner, the nonprofit Nigerian Conservation Foundation  and forest guards who are employed by the state government both told AP that lax government enforcement has made combating cocoa expansion a challenge.

They told AP that previous arrests have done little to stop the farmers from returning and that has led to a sense of futility when they encounter illegal farming.

The state government said it has never compromised regulations but acknowledged that farmers are in the forest despite its efforts. Homes and other buildings at farming settlements visited by AP have been marked for removal, including warehouses like that of licensed buying agent Kadet, one of the biggest there.

Farmers homes lack running water and toilets, forcing women and children to collect water from narrow streams to use while the men work.

The removals have not taken place because officials make money from the cocoa business in the forest, according to farmers and buying agents, who lament the difficult living conditions, with mud roads filled with holes creating high transportation costs that eat away their already meager profits.

The state government declined to comment about making money from illegal cocoa farming in the forest.

The agents have formed a lobby group that has rapport with government officials to ensure farmers remain in the conservation zone despite threats to evict them, said Azeez, the owner of buying agent Bolnif who is also chairman of a committee that monitors risks against cocoa business in the forest.

The European Union, the largest destination of cocoa from West Africa, has enacted a new regulation on deforestation-free products that requires companies selling commodities like cocoa to prove they have not caused deforestation. Big companies must ensure theyre following the rules by the end of 2024.

Experts at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria are launching a Trace Project in six southern states  though it doesnt include Ogun state where Omo Forest Reserve is located  to advance efforts against deforestation in cocoa production and ensure Nigerias cocoa is not rejected in Europe.

From the preliminary data collected, major exporters are implicated in deforestation, and it is their responsibility to ensure compliance with standards, said Rasheed Adedeji, who leads the institutes research outreach.

But farmers say theyll keep finding places to work.

The world needs cocoa, and the government also gets taxes because the cocoa is exported, said Olaniyi, one of the farmers.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown are looking to solve a cold case that happened in 1977.

According to state police, Elizabeth Betty Jane Berquist was a nurse at what is now UPMC McKeesport and went missing on Dec. 17, 1977. Her remains were later found in a rural part of Springfield Township in Fayette County.

State police said Berquist worked a shift at that hospital that day and stopped briefly at her parents house in Springfield Township to leave her 2-year-old daughter with them for the night.

She left still wearing her nurse uniform. She went home to change clothes and go out for the evening.

Berquist disappeared that night, state police said. The next sign of her came from a human skull that was found in a yard in a remote part of Fayette County known as Hawkins Hollow on April 15, 1978. It was the only part of her remains that was recovered.

State police said her disappearance was immediately treated as a homicide and her boyfriend was the main suspect.

Any persons with information regarding this incident are asked to contact the PSP Uniontown Station at 724-929-6262 and speak to Trooper Kristen Zelechowski or you can contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers if you have information on this crime, any serious crime, or wanted person, call the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107. Calls can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward of $5,000.

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There has been a gradual decline in college enrollment among young Americans over the past decade. As of 2022, there are approximately 1.2 million fewer 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college than in 2011, according to the Pew Research Center.

The number of young college men has decreased by about 1 million, but the number of young women has decreased by only 0.2 million. Newly released Census Bureau data found the proportion of young college students who are men has fallen from 47% in 2011 to 44%.

This change is solely due to the declining proportion of male students attending four-year universities. Men represent only 42% of students ages 18 to 24 at four-year schools, down from 47% in 2011. Two-year colleges, primarily community colleges, men and women, have both seen enrollment declines. Gender balance has not changed much, with men representing 49% of students ages 18 to 24, up slightly from 48% in 2011.

The percentage of young males enrolled in college after completing high school decreased from 47% in 2011 to just 39%. The enrollment rate of recent female high school graduates has similarly decreased, albeit not by quite the same amount, from 52% to 48%.

The widening gender gap in college enrollment is most apparent among white high school graduates. Young white women who have finished high school are now 10% more likely to be enrolled in college than similar men.

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, peoples reasons for not finishing college differ by gender. Most men without a bachelors degree who were not enrolled in college said they didnt go to college because they werent interested or didnt believe they needed more education for their desired job. However, men and women were equally likely to say they had not completed college because they couldnt afford four-year degrees.
Donald Trump is not eligible to become US president again because of his involvement in the January 6, 2021 insurrection, Colorado's supreme court ruled (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI)

Donald Trump is ineligible for the US presidency because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, Colorado's supreme court ruled Tuesday, setting off a political earthquake that could upend next year's election.

The stunning legal decision -- which Trump's campaign said it would appeal -- drew immediate condemnation from Republicans across the spectrum, and looked set to light a fire under the former reality TV star's claim to political persecution.

The ruling, which only applies to the Colorado primary ballot, is the first of a number of legal actions across the country to successfully invoke the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone formerly sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection.

"A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the Colorado high court wrote.

"Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the 4-3 majority wrote.

"We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

An earlier ruling by a lower court found that while Trump had clearly given succor to the January 6 riot, the office of president was not included in the list of federal elected positions affected by the 14th Amendment.

Noah Bookbinder of campaign group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the original case, took to social media to hail Tuesday's ruling, calling it "a huge moment for democracy."

"It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

"Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government."

- Supreme Court -

The court placed its ruling on hold until January 4, anticipating an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which Trump's campaign immediately said it would seek.

"We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Cheung said the "all-Democrat appointed" panel in Colorado was doing the bidding of a "(George) Soros-funded, left-wing group's scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden."

"Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

"They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November."

The judgment brought swift rebukes from senior Republicans, including Trump's one-time rival for the 2016 nomination, Senator Marco Rubio.

"The US has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today," he wrote on social media.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- who is running against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination but has closely aligned himself with many of the former president's political positions -- said the US Supreme Court "should reverse" the Colorado ruling.

"The Left invokes 'democracy' to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal ground," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Even as swathes of the traditional Republican Party are becoming increasingly exasperated with Trump and his brand of grievance-filled isolationism, a vocal grassroots movement continues to support him enthusiastically.

Failure to stand behind the presumed frontrunner against what he paints as a "witch hunt" can have dire consequences for even senior party figures.

Trump's historic indictments for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election -- one at the federal level and another in Georgia -- have opened a frenzied legal debate over his eligibility for future office.

The Colorado action is one of multiple 14th Amendment lawsuits against Trump proceeding nationwide. Minnesota's top court threw out a similar move last month.

hg/caw/tjj
The lawyer representing a group of Michigan voters trying to knock former President Donald Trump off the Feb. 27 Republican primary ballot said Wednesday a Colorado Supreme Court decision this week doing so in that state is "a very positive development" and provides a road map for the Michigan Supreme Court to follow suit.

"Across the board, the court found that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment (which bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection from running for federal office) applies to Trump," said Mark Brewer, an attorney and former Michigan Democratic Party chairman. "It's very supportive of what we're trying to do here."

Having lost the argument to bar Trump, who is running for reelection next year, from the ballot before a Court of Claims judge and the state's Court of Appeals, Brewer has already asked the Michigan Supreme Court to take up the case on an expedited basis. In both Brewer's case and one brought by Wayne County activist Robert Davis, the plaintiffs have argued that Trump's actions trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and egging on a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify Joe Biden as president, meets the standard of insurrection and disqualifies Trump.

As in several other states where the question has been raised, Michigan's lower courts have found that the question of whether Trump is disqualified under Section 3 is one for Congress  at least in terms of a primary election  and not the state's courts or election officials to decide.

But the Colorado Supreme Court's split decision, already on hold pending the question of whether the U.S. Supreme Court will settle the matter, turns that rationale on its head, stating definitively that there is nothing in the 14th Amendment, which was written in response to the Civil War, that requires Congress to make that determination, only that the House and Senate can lift that disqualification if they so choose.

And it noted that Colorado state law outlines a duty to "exclude constitutionally disqualified candidates," in a process run through its courts, ahead of any election, including a primary  noting a decision written by now-Justice Neil Gorsuch affirming that more than a decade ago in a Colorado case.

As to whether the Constitution authorizes states to determine if a presidential candidate is qualified, the majority of the Colorado court said, "We conclude that it does," noting that the Constitution gives the states authority in determining the manner in which presidential electors are chosen. Since slates of electors are chosen based on the names of the presidential candidates appearing on the ballot, it stands to reason the state can decide who has access to the ballot in the first place, the court said.

Immediately after the decision was issued Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denounced the ruling, calling it "completely flawed" and a "deeply undemocratic decision." "We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits," he said.

But there are myriad questions as to what the Supreme Court could rule  or even whether it would want to take up the case at this point, since Colorado Republicans, as with any political party, could always forgo a primary election and hold a nominating convention or caucus awarding its delegates to any candidate it wished. In that way, the question about Trump's qualification or not under Section 3 would be put off at least until he secured the GOP nomination, if he were to do so, this summer.

And the court has at times decided to stay out of some political questions, such as in 2019 when it took the federal courts out of the business of settling most partisan gerrymandering claims. On the other hand, it could enter the political fray to determine what it could consider a constitutional question, much as it did in essentially deciding the 2000 election for George W. Bush by ruling that Florida's recount procedures violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Steve Liedel, an elections law expert at the Dykema law firm in Lansing, said that case, however, was an anomaly and the Supreme Court typically answers questions of federal law, not state law as is being scrutinized by the Trump ballot question. "The question of whether the secretary of state has a right to remove Trump from the ballot, that's been decided in Colorado," he said.

"The question  if it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court and they decide it's timely and decide to address the question  is does Section 3 preclude Donald J. Trump from holding federal office." Liedel, while loathe to guess what the court might do, suspects the conservative majority on the court will find a reason to determine Trump should have access to the ballot, though it might do so in a limited way.

Brewer, meanwhile, is hopeful that the Michigan Supreme Court will act quickly and not wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to make a determination in the Colorado case before ruling on his. He noted that in Colorado, that state's high court decision came after a lower court held a five-day evidentiary hearing on the question of whether Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

That court said he did, though it found that Section 3 didn't apply to the president; the Colorado Supreme Court reversed that latter finding.

Brewer said a quick decision by the Michigan Supreme Court in his plaintiffs' favor would allow for a similar trial ahead of the mid-January deadline for the primary ballots to begin being printed. "We're prepared to put witnesses on the stand as they did in Colorado to demonstrate Trump violated Section 3," he said. "We're asking the court to let that happen."

Brewer also said that even though Colorado law states specifically that disqualified candidates can be excluded from the ballot  while Michigan has no such specific provision  Michigan courts have much broader authority to declare plaintiffs have certain unspecified rights, including, he argued, to keep disqualified candidates off the ballot.

Even some fierce opponents of Trump's have argued that the Colorado court went too far, and courts in Minnesota and New Hampshire have dismissed similar cases. Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a Libertarian from Cascade Charter Township who frequently sparred with Trump and voted to impeach him, posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Colorado decision "is shameful and runs completely counter to our constitutional system."

The opinion of the Colorado Supreme Court is shameful and runs completely counter to our constitutional system.



Donald Trump was not removed from office by Congress for engaging in insurrection.



Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted in a court of law of engaging in  Justin Amash (@justinamash) December 20, 2023

"Whatever you believe about whether Donald Trump engaged in insurrection has no bearing on whether hes eligible to run for president," he wrote. "No legislative, executive, or judicial body of a state should engage in extraconstitutional decision-making to disqualify a federal candidate from the ballot."

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Colorado decision barring Trump from ballot could help Michigan case
Former President Donald Trump is still on the March 5 primary election ballot in the state of California  for now.

The Secretary of States office confirmed that Trump is on its list of generally recognized presidential candidates for the March primary.

But following the Colorado Supreme Courts Tuesday decision to remove Trump from that states 2024 presidential primary ballot and California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis Wednesday call to explore legal options to remove Trump from Californias, the status of Trumps appearance on the ballot is becoming increasingly questionable.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trumps role in the January 6 Capitol riot a violation of the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment disqualification clause. Kounalakis, a Democrat, cited the same argument when she wrote to Secretary of State Shirley Weber urging her to explore ways to keep Trump off the ballot.

Section 3 of the Amendment, also referred to as the disqualification clause, straightforwardly states that no person who had previously taken an oath to support the Constitution as an elected official, who then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof, can serve in public office again.

There will be inevitable political punditry about a decision to remove Trump from the ballot, Kounalakis said. But this is not a matter of political gamesmanship. This is a dire matter that puts at stake the sanctity of our constitution and our democracy.

Unsurprisingly, Trump  who has a comfortable lead in state and national primary polls despite mounting legal troubles  said he would appeal the courts decision to the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court.

Republicans in California and around the nation had a consistent message about the ballot removal effort: Its Democrats trying to rig the democratic process.

Once again, Democrats are salivating at any opportunity to deprive Republican voters of a full slate of candidates for our nations highest office. California Democrats need to quit meddling in Republicans primary and leave this decision to California voters, said California GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson.

The California push to get Trump off the ballot

Californias lieutenant governor is not the first California politician who wants Trumps name wiped from the ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 riot.

In September, Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, wrote a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta requesting that he seek the court opinion on the legality of Trumps placement on the primary ballot for his role in the attack on the Capitol.

Eight fellow California lawmakers from both parties signed it, including Asm. Kevin McCarty, a Democrat who is now running for mayor of Sacramento.

That same month, the colorful and pugnacious Venice Beach civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman filed a lawsuit against Weber in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, on behalf of a registered voter named A.W. Clark.

In the lawsuit, Yagman alleges that Trump is disqualified from being president and should not be on the ballot  not just for violating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment but also for violating the Right to Due Process under the same amendment.

The right to vote includes as a necessary component the right to vote for a candidate for president who is constitutionally eligible to be president and who is not prohibited or barred from being president, the suit reads.

Defendant putting or allowing the putting of Trumps name on any ballot having to do with the 2024 presidential election would violate plaintiffs Due Process rights, both substantive and procedural, under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The case is ongoing, despite Trump, an intervenor defendant in the case, filing a motion to dismiss on December 8.

The motion is set for a hearing on January 8. Trump is represented in the case by Mark Meuser, who ran unsuccessfully for California Senate in 2022, and Shawn Cowles, both of the Dhillon Law Group, led by Harmeet Dhillon, the former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, and a Republican national committeewoman for California.

Yagman called Dhillon really f------- nuts and outrageous.

Her firm makes a fortune because all the Republicans go to her  Im pleased to have people on the other side who arent real lawyers, he said.

The Colorado case can help his effort, he said, because the court established that the events of January 6 did qualify as an insurrection.

When we get to that issue in our case, Yagman said, we can offer our judgments from the Colorado Supreme Court, and the court will adjudicate that issue in our favor.

Republicans respond

On Wednesday, the California Republican Party responded to California Democrats saying the former presidents opponents were trying to kick President Trump off the ballot.

This is the same play, different election cycle, for California Democrats, having also tried (and failed!) to kick President Trump off of the ballot in 2020, said CAGOP chairwoman Patterson.

A 2019 state law would have required all presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order for them to appear on the ballot. At the time, Trump was refusing to do so, though he eventually did.

The events of January 6 split Republicans  some voted to impeach Trump over his role in inciting his supporters to riot at the Capitol, and others, like fellow presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, have said that it wasnt an insurrection to begin with.

It was not an insurrection, said the Florida governor in an interview in July.

These were people that were there to attend a rally, and then they were there to protest. Now, it devolved, and it devolved into a riot, but the idea that this was a plan to somehow overthrow the government of the United States is not true, and its something that the media had spun up just to try and basically get as much mileage out of it and use it for partisan and for political aims.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who is also running for president, said after the attack that Trump let us down.

He went down a path he shouldnt have, she said in February 2021. And we shouldnt have followed him, and we shouldnt have listened to him. And we cant let that ever happen again.

She still disagreed with the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling.

We dont need to have judges making these decisions, she said. We need voters to make these decisions.
The Colorado Republican Party on Tuesday threatened to switch its presidential nominating process from a primary to a caucus system, following the states Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that rendered former President Trump ineligible to appear on the primary ballot.

The Colorado GOPs account on X, formerly Twitter, replied to a post from Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who pledged to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the states ballot.

You wont have to, the Colorado GOP replied, because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.

The states GOP Party chair, Dave Williams, reiterated this sentiment in an interview with The Colorado Sun, saying if Trump isnt on the ballot, the party would ask the state to cancel the GOP presidential primary.

Williams told The Sun that if the Secretary of States office refuses, we will ignore the primary results.

The threat comes amid a wave of backlash from Republicans to the Colorado Supreme Courts 4-3 ruling, which cited the 14th Amendments insurrection clause in arguing Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol made him ineligible to hold public office.

The Trump campaign has already indicated it plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that includes three justices Trump nominated.

The Colorado Supreme Court put its ruling on hold until Jan. 4 to allow Trump to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court. If he does, the former presidents name automatically remains on the ballot until the justices resolve the appeal.

The ruling on Tuesday marks the first time Trumps role in the Capitol riot was determined to make him ineligible to hold office again under the 14th Amendment. Several other cases have sought to do the same.

In a statement Wednesday, the Colorado Department of State made clear the state Republican party would not be permitted to withdraw or cancel the primary.

Colorado law does not allow a Presidential Primary Election to be cancelled at the request of a political party. If the Colorado Republican Party attempts to withdraw from the Presidential Primary or ignore the results of the election, this would likely be a matter for the Courts, the statement read.

Julia Mueller contributed. Updated at 4:15 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Colorado man arrested at airport after allegedly planning to fight for ISIS

A man in Colorado was arrested on Monday after he allegedly made plans to fly overseas and fight for the ISIS terrorist group.

The Department of Justice said in a press release that Humzah Mashkoor, 18, was arrested at the Denver International Airport before he was able to board a flight for the first leg of an international trip.

MICHIGAN IMAM'S PRAISE FOR JIHAD LATEST EXAMPLE OF RISING DANGER OF EXTREMISM: EXPERT

An ISIS flag laying on the ground in Israel.

Mashkoor was planning to fly to the United Arab Emirates, according to officials, and intended to stay there until he could go to Afghanistan or Syria to "serve as a fighter for ISIS."

LAS VEGAS LONE WOLF TERROR ATTACK FOILED BY FBI, POLICE

Mashkoor, from Westminster, Colorado, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Humzah Mashkoor, 18, was arrested at the Denver International Airport. He's accused of attempting to join ISIS.

The 18-year-old made his first court appearance on Monday.

The FBI Denver Field Office is investigating.





Original article source: Colorado man arrested at airport after allegedly planning to fight for ISIS
Donald Trump has been removed from Colorados 2024 presidential election ballot in a stunning, first-of-its-kind ruling by the states Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, the justices in Colorados highest court issued a majority 4-3 ruling finding that the former president must be banned from running for a second term in the White House over his role in the January 6 Capitol riot, where a mob of his supporters stormed the seat of American democracy in a bid to overturn the 2020 election.

Under the 14th Amendment, anyone who engaged in an insurrection must be barred from holding office.

In the majority ruling, the Colorado justices found that Mr Trump did indeed incite the violent insurrection that day  and also continued to support it while it was under way.

President Trump did not merely incite the insurrection. Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President (Mike) Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes, the opinion reads.

These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection.

We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection.

President Trumps direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary.

The ruling comes after a state judge last month ruled that Mr Trump did indeed incite the insurrection  but that this did not mean she could remove him from the ballot.

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of Donald Trump riot on January 6 2021 (REUTERS)

This ruling was appealed to the states Supreme Court, paving the way for Tuesdays historic ruling.

The Colorado justice wrote in the opinion that they did not reach these conclusions lightly.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us, the ruling states.

We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

So  following this historic move  what happens next?

Trump to appeal ruling

The decision has been stayed until 4 January  one day before the deadline to set candidates for the Republican primary in March  so that Mr Trump is given time to appeal.

The Trump campaign has already vowed to swiftly lodge an appeal  while baselessly blaming President Joe Biden and election interference in an irate fundraising email.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.

There appears to be a strong chance that the ruling will be overturned by the US Supreme Court  particularly in light of its make-up.

Six of the nine Supreme Court justices are conservative and three of them were appointed by Mr Trump himself.

Will this impact Trumps 2024 chances  and other state ballots?

The ruling only applies to Colorados ballot and so  even if it is not overturned by the Supreme Court  it would only prevent Mr Trump from running for the 2024 election in the state.

Mr Biden won Colorado in the 2020 election and it is predominantly a blue state, so this may not hamper his chances of reclaiming the White House.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Colorado decision emboldens other states to follow suit and oust Mr Trump from their own ballots.

While Colorado is the first to remove Mr Trump, several other states have previously heard arguments that he should be banned under the 14th Amendment.

Former President Donald Trump attends the Trump Organization civil fraud trial in New York (2023 Getty Images)

Lawsuits to oust Mr Trump have previously been filed in Minnesota and Michigan.

Last month, the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected a bid to remove Mr Trump from the GOP primary ballot  but left open the possibility that challengers can try to remove him again if he wins the primary.

Meanwhile, a Michigan appeals court also ruled last week that it would not stop Mr Trump from appearing on the state ballot.

It remains to be seen if other states will now also follow in Colorados footsteps. Notably, if Republican-heavy or swing states take such action, it could have major implications on Mr Trumps chances in the presidential race.

Backlash from GOP  and impact on Biden

Republicans have already widely condemned the action from Colorados Supreme Court  with even Mr Trumps GOP 2024 rivals speaking out against the decision.

Some are already hinting at retaliatory action against Mr Biden.

In Texas, the Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has now threatened to remove the Democrat from the ballot in the state.

Seeing what happened in Colorado makes me think  except we believe in democracy in Texas maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing eight million people to cross the border since hes been president disrupting our state, Mr Patrick told Fox News on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Senator Thom Tillis has vowed to introduce legislation that will block states from removing presidential candidates from the ballot.

Regardless of whether you support or oppose former President Donald Trump, it is outrageous to see left-wing activists make a mockery of our political system by scheming with partisan state officials and pressuring judges to remove him from the ballot, Mr Tillis said in a statement on Tuesday.

American voters, not partisan activists, should decide who we elect as our President. The Constitutional Election Integrity Act would put any constitutional challenges in the sole place they belong: the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Colorado ruling disqualifying Donald Trump from the ballot because he incited an insurrection on January 6 sets up another high-stakes, highly controversial political intervention by the US supreme court  a conservative-dominated panel to which Trump appointed three stringent rightwingers.

Related: Why did Colorado disqualify Trump from the states 2024 election ballot?

Compromised in progressive eyes by those appointments and rulings including the removal of the federal right to abortion, the court was already due to decide whether Trump has immunity from prosecution regarding acts committed as president.

Arising from one of four criminal indictments that have generated 91 charges, that case  concerning elected subversion if not incitement of insurrection  has produced intense scrutiny of Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving justice and a hardline conservative also at the centre of an ethics scandal.

Thomass wife, Ginni Thomas, is a hard-right activist who was deeply involved in attempts to overturn Trumps 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, a defeat which according to Trumps lie was the result of electoral fraud.

With the Colorado ruling, calls for Clarence Thomas to recuse from cases involving Trump will no doubt increase  and no doubt continue to be ignored.

On Tuesday, the progressive strategist Rachel Bitecofer said: Justice Thomas will get to weigh in on whether Trump engaged in insurrection for the same plot his own wife helped organise. Extraordinary.

Earlier, in a scene of extraordinary Washington pageantry, Biden addressed Thomas and the other justices at a memorial service for Sandra Day OConnor, the first woman to sit on the court.

Speaking at the National Cathedral, the president delivered a passage that would within hours assume greater significance.

To OConnor, Biden said, the court was the bedrock of America. It was a vital line of defence for the values and the vision of our republic, devoted not to the pursuit of power for powers sake but to make real the promise of America  the American promise that holds that were all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.

Citing that need for equality before the law, some prominent observers said the supreme court should uphold the Colorado ruling.

J Michael Luttig, a conservative former judge who testified before the House January 6 committee and has written with the Harvard professor Laurence Tribe on the 14th amendment, called the Colorado ruling historic, masterful and brilliant.

It will be a test of Americas commitment to its democracy, to its constitution and to the rule of law, Luttig told MSNBC, adding: Arguably, when it is decided by the supreme court, it will be the single most important constitutional decision in all of our history.

 It is an unassailable  decision that the former president is disqualified from the presidency because he conducted, engaged in or aided or supported an insurrection or rebellion against the United States constitution.

But others were not so supportive.

Jonathan Turley, a conservative law professor from George Washington University who has appeared as a witness for House Republicans seeking to impeach Biden on grounds of supposed corruption, told Fox News: This court has handed partisans on both sides the ultimate tool to try to shortcut elections. And its very, very dangerous.

This country is a powder keg, and this court is throwing matches at it. And I think its a real mistake. I think theyre wrong on the law. You know, January 6 was many things, most of it not good. In my view it was not an insurrection, it was a riot.

That doesnt mean the people responsible for that day shouldnt be held accountable. But to call this an insurrection for the purposes of disqualification would create a slippery slope for every state in the union.

This is a time where we actually need democracy. We need to allow the voters to vote to hear their decision. And the court just said, Youre not going to get that in Colorado, were not going to let you vote for Donald Trump. You can dislike Trump, you can believe hes responsible for January 6, but this isnt the way to do it.

Adopted in 1868, section three of the 14th amendment barred former Confederates from office after the civil war. But it has rarely been used. In Trumps case, much legal argument has centered on whether the presidency counts as an office, as defined in the text. In Colorado, a lower court found that it did not. The state supreme court found that it did. That argument now goes to the highest court in the land.

After the Colorado ruling, many observers also pointed out that Trump has not been convicted of inciting an insurrection, or charged with doing so. He was impeached for inciting an insurrection on January 6 but acquitted at trial in the Senate, where enough Republicans stayed loyal.

Related: Searching for the perfect republic: Eric Foner on the 14th amendment  and if it might stop Trump

What is clear is that thanks to Colorado, a US supreme court already racked by politics and with historically low approval ratings will once again pitch into the partisan fight. On Tuesday, Trump seized on the Colorado ruling as he has his criminal indictments: as battle cry and fundraising tool. His Republican opponents also slammed the ruling.

Last month, the Pulitzer prize-winning historian Eric Foner, an expert on the civil war and Reconstruction, spoke to the Guardian about 14th amendment challenges to Trump, including in Colorado. A successful case, Foner said, would be likely to act on Trump like a red flag in front of a bull.

So, it seems clear, will anything the US supreme court now does regarding the Colorado ruling.

On Wednesday a Trump attorney, Jay Sekulow, said on his own internet show he expected the court to act quickly, with the next 10 days  critical in this case and oral arguments likely by mid-January. His son and co-host, Jordan Sekulow, countered that a slow-moving case could not be counted out.
Michaela Ali has been living in temporary accommodation since March because there are rats in her housing association flat

Landlords are failing to resolve increasing numbers of complaints about rats in rental properties - and some are even blaming tenants' lifestyles, a leading housing official says.

It follows a tenfold increase in rat complaints in the past four years, the Housing Ombudsman for England adds.

It is a growing problem that needs to be "tackled with urgency", Richard Blakeway told the BBC.

The government says it has new powers to crack down on bad landlords.

Tenant Michaela Ali says rats have ruined her life. The 36-year-old nursing assistant is paying 500 per month renting a basement flat in Manchester city centre that she has not slept in since February - because of a rat infestation.

Michaela could hear the rats scurrying around in cavities in the walls, and after she reported the problem, pest control visited and made an access hole in the ceiling in which to lay bait.

"I used to wake up sweating at night, thinking they're going to fall on my head," she says.

A large rat

Pregnant with her first child, Michaela's housing association moved her out of the flat in March.

Since then, she has been put up in four different hotels and two short-stay apartments - and given birth to a baby girl - while the housing association tries to sort out the rodent problem.

"I do my shift and when I come back here, it hits me," she says, and starts to cry. "I don't know if the system is made for people like myself. Have I caused all this? That's how they make you feel. I didn't put the rats there."

Michaela says all she wants is "to be settled and for my baby to have her own bedroom". She says: "I've been living out of bags. It's very unsettling, because we don't know where we will be living - they give me two days before you've got to check out. It's draining."

Michaela says she has complained several times to her housing association, the Riverside Group, since she first reported hearing rats in her ceiling, in September 2022.

The Riverside Group told the BBC the rat problem in Michaela's flat is the result of nearby excavation work and that they have apologised to her.

"We remain determined and committed to solve this problem," it said, adding: "Like many areas across the country, social housing is scarce, which is why we have been calling on the government to provide further funding for more affordable homes."

Richard Blakeway's job is to look into complaints about registered social housing providers

Social housing landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure their properties are habitable. If tenants are unhappy with their landlord's response to housing complaints, they can escalate their concerns to the independent Housing Ombudsman Service.

The number of social housing tenants taking complaints to the Ombudsman about rats has risen tenfold in the past four years, from 71 complaints in 2019/20, to 759 in 2022/23.

The rise in complaints about rats and other pests is likely due to various factors, including increased awareness of the complaints procedure.

But Housing Ombudsman for England Richard Blakeway says the figures are a snapshot of a growing problem.

"It's clearly a significant concern that we've seen an increase in reports around rats and pests because of the implications that might have for health and well-being," says Mr Blakeway. "This needs to be tackled with urgency and it needs to be treated with seriousness."

He says that similarly to issues with damp and mould in rental properties, when it comes to complaints about rats, some landlords are blaming their tenants for the problems.

"Sometimes landlords are over reliant on blaming the lifestyle of the resident rather than accepting responsibility themselves," he says.

Michaela and her baby are living in a hotel room and have no access to any cooking facilities

The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) says it saw pest patterns change considerably during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

"Rats became more visible in residential areas. With less footfall across city and town centres, there was less associated food waste being left in bins and on the floor," says Natalie Bungay from the BPCA.

"As a result, rats were likely to move further afield to satisfy their need for a food source, often bringing them closer to residential properties.

"It may be that those habits built up over lockdown have persisted among rodent populations, meaning you're more likely to see a rat near your home now than you were pre-Covid-19."

The government says all landlords must ensure their properties are fit for human habitation and free from dangerously hazardous conditions - including pests such as rats: "Our ground-breaking Social Housing Regulation Act has introduced new powers to crack down on poor practice by social housing landlords."

Meanwhile, Michaela has been moved to new temporary accommodation, and is waiting for her flat to be sorted out.

"I want a safe home for my baby," she says, "somewhere we can both settle and I can be a mum, and just do the best I can for her."
Conan OBrien is comparing former President Trump to the Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort after President Biden declined to mention the ex-commander in chief by name.

Biden appeared in an episode of OBriens SiriusXM podcast, Conan OBrien Needs a Friend, in an episode released Wednesday.

The literary dig came while the former late-night TV host and Biden were discussing American aid to Ukraine following Russias invasion of the country last year.

I think its absolutely crucial that Ukraine prevail and its something that Im very passionate about, OBrien told Biden during the wide-ranging chat.

As you know, the Washington you came to in 1973, Republicans were always tough on foreign policy, tough on Russia, OBrien said. And now, MAGA Republicans, theyve kind of flipped the script, and theyre saying, Well, we can let Ukraine go. Its not really in our interest, and I dont understand it. Its confusing, he continued.

The other guy says, We can work with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Hes smart, Biden responded.

The other guy  I like that hes the other guy, OBrien exclaimed with a big laugh.

Hes like Voldemort now: His name shall not be mentioned, OBrien said of Trump.

Well, good point, Biden said as OBrien chuckled. I plead guilty.

Trump has referred to Putin and other authoritarian leaders as smart and strong, but he said last year that Russias president made a big mistake in attacking another country and its people.

Its not the first time that Trump has been compared to the Harry Potter evil wizard from J.K. Rowlings famed book series, who is seldom referred to by name by the other characters out of fear of retribution.

Earlier this month, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie urged fellow GOP White House hopeful Nikki Haley to criticize Trump by name.

Hes not Voldemort from the Harry Potter books. Hes not he who shall not be named, the former New Jersey governor said at a town hall event in New Hampshire.

I just said his name out loud and lighting did not strike me. I did not fall dead of a heart attack. I have not been poisoned by a member of his staff, Christie said of the 45th president.

But you would think when you look at the rest of the folks in this race that they fear thats what would happen if they said his name, Christie said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Voters look for their names outside a polling station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Congo headed to the polls Wednesday to vote for president as authorities scrambled to finalise preparations in an election facing steep logistical and security challenges. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  Lengthy delays at the polls forced officials on Wednesday to extend voting in Congo's presidential election as many residents in the mineral-rich West African nation struggled to cast ballots because of steep logistical and security challenges, raising concerns about the integrity of the process.

Polling stations that never opened on Wednesday will conduct voting on Thursday, Denis Kadima, chair of the electoral commission, said on local radio.

Some 44 million people  almost half the population  were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country's east, found it difficult to do so. The fighting prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.

At stake is the future of one of Africas largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy. Congo has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent, and there's little confidence among many Congolese in the countrys institutions.

President Felix Tshisekedi is seeking his second and final five-year term, running against 26 others on the ballot. His main rival appeared to be Moise Katumbi, the former governor of Katanga province and a millionaire businessperson.

The extension came after the national election commission spent more than $1 billion in recent years to make the process more credible. Opposition candidate and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege criticized the extension, saying the results of such a chaotic vote will not reflect the will of the people.

Three hours after voting officially began, over 31% of polling stations in Congos main cities and towns had yet to open, and voting machines were faulty in 45% of polling stations, according to Bishop Donatien Nshole, spokesman of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo and the Church of Christ in Congo observer mission, basing the figures on reports from around a fifth of its large network.

When you wake up in the morning youre hoping for good things, good work, and I want security, voter Raymond Yuma said as he and three others waited for a polling station to open in the capital, Kinshasa.

None of their voting cards was legible. A major concern is that ink on the cards has smudged. That means voters could be turned away. In addition, the voter registration list hadnt been properly audited.

Another polling station in Kinshasa received its voting devices less than two hours before polls were meant to close, while thousands of stations, particularly in remote areas, may not have received needed materials. Problems included faulty machines and some election officials not knowing how to use them, the commission said.

Allegations of voter fraud emerged in parts of the northern province of Equateur. More than 7,000 ballots reportedly were illegally marked before voting, according to Nshole.

In eastern Congo, people said they werent finding their names on voting lists.

The voters displayed on lists at the polling station are fewer than those who are lining up, voter Jules Kambale said at a polling station in Goma.

Some displaced people said they were prevented from voting because they were unable to get new voter cards. It hurts our hearts, said Hategekimana Jean Baptiste, who described it as discrimination.

At one station, an angry crowd tried to push past police officers in riot gear. And in the city of Bunia, a voting center was vandalized in a dispute between the electoral commission and voters, said Jean-Marcus Loika, a local journalist. Gunshots in the area prevented people from voting, he said.

While voting in Lubumbashi, opposition candidate Katumbi asked the population to stay at polling stations and monitor results until the end. The only result that we will accept will be the one displayed on each polling station, he said.

A fractured opposition makes Tshisekedi the likely favorite to win. There is no runoff vote.

The son of a late, popular opposition figure, he has spent much of his presidency trying to consolidate power over state institutions and working to overcome a crisis of legitimacy after a contested election five years ago. Tshisekedi voted at a Kinshasa school and waved to a crowd of screaming supporters.

Hes someone whos done a lot of things for the country  hes fought for democracy, said business owner Joseph Tshibadi.

In the east, more than 120 armed groups are fighting for power and resources or to protect their communities. Tshisekedi had promised to curb the violence, but an East African force is pulling out, along with a U.N. peacekeeping mission. A cease-fire brokered by the United States in the region was extended from 72 hours to two weeks, the White House said. Residents said it appeared to be holding.

In a time of coup detat and autocracy in Africa, this election is an opportunity to reinforce a unique democracy in central Africa, said Fred Bauma, executive director of Congolese research institute Ebuteli.

But some observers have alleged the election process is far from transparent.

The regional East African Community organization said its election observer mission was not granted access to Congo. And the European Union canceled its own mission after authorities did not authorize the use of satellite equipment for its deployment.

___

Alonga reported from Goma. Associated Press journalists Mosaab Elshamy in Kinshasa, Elisha Iragi in Lubumbashi, and Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report.
With Congress unlikely to pass a new Ukraine aid package before the new year, the Ukrainians are bracing for a tough winter as military operations slow down, troops are forced to preserve ammunition and Russian attacks continue to hammer energy infrastructure across the country.

The breakdown of U.S. and European support also threatens to derail Ukraines economy and give Russian forces an upper hand on the battlefield.

Maksym Skrypchenko, the president of the Transatlantic Dialogue Center, a Ukrainian think tank that advises the government in Kyiv, said Ukraine can hold together for only a short time before confronting a serious shortage of supplies.

In a month or two, we will be not able to defend ourselves against Russian missiles. We will not be able to conduct huge military operations, he said. More than one month is a real problem.

Skrypchenko said it will be a disaster if there is no support at all next year. He remains optimistic Congress will reach a deal, though he concedes time is not on his side.

With every week, the chances of this happening are decreasing, he said. Its going to be more difficult for those Ukraine-friendly GOP senators and members of the House to vote for Ukraine support because its completely linked with internal debates in the U.S. And its also painful for us, because we also understand the logic of many Republicans, and we dont want to be involved in the internal politics.

President Biden wants $61 billion to keep Ukraine in the fight, but that money is being held up as Congress debates border security. Republicans have tied migration reform to Ukraine aid, but lawmakers are at an impasse on how to deal with both issues.

The final tranche of U.S. aid will run out on Dec. 30, when the last of the money goes to replace Defense Department stocks that have been sent to Ukraine, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord wrote in a letter to congressional leaders this month.

Absent congressional action to approve the supplemental, the [Pentagon] anticipates only one additional drawdown package will be available, McCord wrote, urging Congress to support Ukraine without delay.

Ukrainians began saving ammunition over the fall, aware Congress was not likely to pass another aid package anytime soon, according to Skrypchenko and public reports.

But those reserves can only last so long, and troops are already struggling with a shortage of artillery rounds, which is expected to turn more severe after weeks without foreign assistance.

Air defense munitions may also run down after a couple of months, and a shortage of those critical defenses would allow Russia to pound Ukrainian infrastructure at an even faster pace.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova said Ukraine has thwarted Russian bombs on energy infrastructure and prevented widespread blackouts across the country because of U.S. assistance.

Time is of the essence, she told CBS this week of another U.S. package. We really are counting on our friends and partners here. I believe in Christmas miracles. I really hope that this Christmas will show that all civilized people, all people who believe in freedom, that we can stay the course.

Ukraines US ambassador breaks convention during desperate times

Its not just the U.S. where Ukraine support has faced resistance. Last week, Hungary blocked a $52 billion European Union package for Ukraine.

John Herbst, the senior director of the Atlantic Councils Eurasia Center, said Ukraine is in a pinch but described it as a manageable problem for the next few months. Still, he said it will grow worse over time and that a lot depends on Europe.

If Europe passes the aid package  a truly dangerous scenario is pushed back by several months, if not longer, said Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

As for the U.S., Herbst is mildly confident Congress can pass something this winter without too much damage to Ukraine.

My view is if we can get this done by March, its unfortunate for Ukrainian casualties, he continued, but not irreparable damage.

While there is some $4 billion left for Ukraine from the approved money last year, the Pentagon is out of funds to replenish stocks it transfers to the nation. Using remaining funds could leave holes in U.S. equipment stockpiles and impact military readiness.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby noted Ukraine has fended off Russian assaults this year because theyve been well-armed and well-supplied.

Ukraine still needs our help, Kirby told reporters Monday. And its well past time for Congress to act.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the U.S. last week to shore up support in Congress, to little avail.

But he also met with defense contractors as Ukraine seeks to ramp up internal production to become more independent and less reliant on Western aid. Zelensky said his country is on track to produce a million rounds of artillery shells next year  but cautioned they are still behind on production and manufacturing infrastructure.

Unfortunately, its still a challenge to produce shells  we are still left with old-time Soviet red tape, Zelensky said Tuesday during an end-of-year press conference. We will do that, but it will take time.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned in a report last month that anti-armor weapons, air defense munitions and artillery rounds remain existential requirements for Ukraine.

ISW analysts said the war has reached a general stalemate across the 600-mile front because neither side has committed enough resources yet. But they said Russia could win the war if Western support continues to dwindle.

Ukraines ability to prevent Russian forces from conducting large-scale mechanized maneuver warfare, most crucially, remains absolutely dependent on the continued provision of Western aid on at least the current scale, ISW researchers wrote in the report.

If Ukraine were to run low on critical air defense munitions, Russian bomber planes could begin a major campaign to hammer Ukrainian cities and military bases, according to war analysts. So far, Western surface-to-air missiles have prevented that from happening.

Western-supplied artillery shells, along with anti-armor weapons such as Javelin launchers, have also kept Ukraine in the fight and enabled it to hold the line against Russian onslaughts. But a shortage of those would likely open up holes in Ukraines defenses.

Ukraine will also struggle with a crippled economy if U.S. assistance falls off, as the ramifications of escalating Russian attacks ripple across the country, according to analysts.

The $113 billion in aid passed by the U.S. last year covered key financial funding for Ukraine, including paying the salaries of government workers and helping to keep energy flowing to schools and hospitals.

Herbst, from the Atlantic Council, said the economic aid is just as vital to keep Ukraines government functioning through the war.

The economic aid is essentially making sure the Ukrainian government can function, he said. Last year they lost 33 percent of their economy during the invasion. So its almost as important as weapons.

Herbst said Ukraine was facing the most dangerous period of the war but was confident that if Ukraine gets everything it needs from a fully supportive U.S. government, they can win.

As long as American aid is not diminished, Ukraine will eventually win the war, he said. But if American aid were to disappear, the prospect of Ukraine losing is very real.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Currently, representatives of both parties are still discussing the concepts of a new agreement

The U.S. Senate now anticipates that additional funding for U.S. military assistance to Ukraine will not be made until January 2024, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.

Read also: U.S. Senate blocks aid bill for Ukraine, sparks concerns over trust in NATO

Senate leaders believe that agreements on providing aid to Ukraine and enhancing U.S. border security are unlikely to be reached before lawmakers head home for the holidays.

Republican Senator John Thune remarked that reaching an agreement before Christmas is "impossible."

"Democrats have run out the clock to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before Christmas is impossible," he stated on the Senate floor.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also noted that senators would need more time to hammer out a deal.

Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back, said Schumer.

Read also: U.S. Senate to vote on aid package for Ukraine next week

Voice of America added that over the weekend, the Senate attempted to negotiate measures to strengthen the country's border security in exchange for Republican votes on the Ukraine-Israel aid package.

Read also: EU approves start of Ukraine accession negotiations

On Dec. 6, a bill financing aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, totaling about $106 billion, failed to pass a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate due to Republican demands for stricter immigration controls.

The Republican obstruction of aid to Ukraine is driven by their desire to strengthen the border with Mexico and to consider this issue in conjunction with aid to Ukraine and Israel.

Read also: Pentagon reveals that only $5.9 billion remains for Ukraine aid amid concerns of funding shortfall

On December 18, The Hill reported positive changes in negotiations on border security issues between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, laying the groundwork for a decision to approve the $106 billion White House request.

The Pentagon announced it would run out of funds to sustain security assistance to Ukraine by Dec. 30.

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
Former President Donald Trump took flak from a number of conservatives on Tuesday after he attacked Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, as a "RINO," or Republican in name only, and called for him to face a primary challenge.

"Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the Primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy. For the right person, he is very beatable. If interested, let me know!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social late Monday after Roy appeared in Iowa in support of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign.

Conservative politicians and commentators quickly jumped to Roy's defense on social media, blasting Trump's comments as "laughably insane" and "idiotic."

NIKKI HALEY TAKES AIM AT GOP RIVAL FOR CAMPAIGNING WITH ANTI-ISRAEL MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy and former President Donald Trump.

"While [Chip Roy] is fighting to do what Donald Trump promised to do  secure our southern border  the former president is on social media demanding a primary challenge to one of the most conservative members of Congress," DeSantis wrote before noting that the filing deadline for candidates in Texas had already passed.

"I stand with Chip and am honored to have his support. The time for talking is over. We must stop the invasion, and I will get it done," he added.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a supporter of DeSantis' campaign for president, also said he stood with Roy before calling Trump's comments a "shortsighted effort to intimidate" him.

NEW POLL REVEALS AMERICA'S LEAST FAVORITE LEADER IN CONGRESS WITH SHOCKING SINGLE-DIGIT APPROVAL

"I support you for President, [Donald Trump]. But I'm 100% on board with [Chip Roy]. Chip is no RINO. He's an American hero. He's a constitutionalist. He's a patriot. And most of all, he's a good man who selflessly serves in Congress," American Blockchain PAC CEO Jim Pfaff wrote.

Stephen Miller, a contributing editor at The Spectator, wrote, "Trump, who caved on bump stocks and Fauci is calling Chip Roy of Texas a RINO and to be primaried it's just laughable at this point. It's laughably insane. Run it back, guys."

Conservative commentator John Cardillo called Trump's attack on Roy an "idiotic lie," and said anyone who didn't call out the former president's "stupidity" was a "cultist."

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER KELLYANNE CONWAY LEADS CHARGE TO OVERHAUL GOP ABORTION STRATEGY, END DEMS' 2024 ADVANTAGE

"This is so nuts as to be comical. If you think Chip Roy -- Chip Roy -- is a RINO, then words have no meaning," Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies wrote.

Roy also posted his own response to Trump's attack, simply posting a photo of the former president with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a figure often scorned by conservatives.

Roy is currently running unopposed in the Republican primary for Texas' 21st Congressional District, which he has represented since 2019.

When reached for comment, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital, "Chip Roy made a blunder endorsing a moron like Ron DeSanctus, who is violently falling out of the sky like a wounded bird."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub .





Original article source: Conservatives lash out at Trump after he attacks Chip Roy, calls for him to face primary challenge: 'Idiotic'
A notorious Southern California street vendor activist, Edin Alex Enamorado, and seven others were arraigned on several felony charges during a Victorville courtroom hearing on Monday as part of a months-long, multiagency investigation known as "Operation Accountability."

All eight pleaded not guilty to the charges and are being held without bail until their next hearing on Dec. 26.

Authorities in the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office began investigating on Sept. 24 after an assault that took place at a protest in Victorville. The investigation sprawled into other nearby cities in the Inland Empire, resulting in the eight individuals being investigated for other acts of violence in several other cities.

1 OUT OF EVERY 179 AMERICANS WILL EVENTUALLY BE MURDERED IF CRIME RATE CONTINUES, STUDY FINDS

Eight activists, including Edin Alex Enamorado, are suspected of several felony charges in a months-long investigation conducted by Southern California law enforcement officials.

"This investigation began in late September when we investigated a brutal assault that occurred at a protest in the city of Victorville," Sgt. Tony Romero of the Victorville sheriff's station said. "The investigation quickly became a multiagency investigation when we discovered our group of suspects were responsible for violent acts during other protests in both San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties."

The other activists are David Chavez, 28, of Riverside; Edwin Pena, 26, of Los Angeles; Fernando Lopez, 44, of Los Angeles; Gullit Eder Acevedo, 30, of San Bernardino; Stephanie Amesquita, 33, of San Bernardino; Vanessa Carrasco, 40, of Ontario and Wendy Lujan, 40, of Upland.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Last Thursday, several search warrants were issued before the San Bernardino County sheriffs arrested the eight on a range of felony charges, which showed a conspiracy to commit a crime, false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon, according to jail records.

Enamorado, one of the more notorious activists with thousands of social media followers, is known for posting videos on social media condemning what he deems as attacks on minorities, particularly street vendors. He racked up a total of 16 charges, including assault with a deadly weapon.

But according to authorities, most, if not all, of his advocacy is a farce.

"This group manipulates videos and photos on social media in an attempt to make them look like they're protectors of underrepresented people," San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus told reporters last week. "However, they use racism to threaten and intimidate their victims, causing them to get on their knees to beg for forgiveness while still assaulting them."

MASSIVE INCREASE IN BLACK AMERICANS MURDERED WAS RESULT OF DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT: EXPERTS

Shoppers are shown at Santee Alley, July 14, 2022, in Los Angeles.

"What this group does is not protected by the First Amendment. It's illegal," he said. "This group is not about substance for the human condition but rather clickbait for cash."

In a news conference outside the courthouse on Monday, Enamorado's attorney, Christian Contreras, said law enforcement was "criminalizing First Amendment activity" after he previously dubbed the group the "Victorville Eight."

"They are criminalizing the right to protest, they are criminalizing the right to call out elected officials, and they are criminalizing their critics," Contreras told reporters. "This is a playbook straight out of a third-world country. You do not see this in the United States of America."

CALIFORNIA IS RUN BY POLITICIANS WHO ARE '100% PRO-CRIMINAL,' 30-YEAR LAW ENFORCEMENT VETERAN SAYS

A Los Angeles resident holds up a sign as the Reparations Task Force meets at the California Science Center on Sept. 22, 2022.

As shown in videos on TikTok, supporters of the eight activists called to free the suspects, whom they called the "Justice Eight." Supporters argued the arrests were part of an effort to "silence" protesters.

Fox News Digital reached out to Contreras for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.





Original article source: Controversial left-wing activist, 7 others arrested after probe into brutal assault at California protest
A sea lion which died at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary has been described by its closest human companion as an "incredible soul".

Diego died on Saturday after suffering a "urologic emergency", the sanctuary said.

Although initial treatment worked, Diego suffered complications and had to be "let go", it added.

Elliot Badrick, Diego's primary trainer, described Diego as a "joy".

He added: "Over the past year, Diego flourished, becoming his own sea lion and building an unbreakable bond with his team, who adored him.

"Just as the team was there for him, Diego was always there for them, too. He knew many a secret and would always be there for a little chin scratch - a bright spot, even on a bad day.

He added: "For those who knew and met Diego on their visits, or supported us from afar, we hope you will join us in sharing your memories of this incredible soul."

He said Diego had arrived the sanctuary in Gweek in 2009 with his brother Noito and had since kept trainers entertained "every day".

Mr Badrick, also senior animal care specialist at the sanctuary, added: "Often compared to a giant labrador, he had few boundaries when it came to personal space.

"Sometimes, he would accidentally rest his flippers on their feet or, when asked to lie down for a body check, would make sure to come as close as possible, seeking assurance that everything was going to be okay."

Describing Diego as "loyal, adorable and cheeky", he said the sea lion would "boop" his nose against the glass on the underwater window to greet the team every morning, and loved to play hide and seek, "chasing the team up and down through the windows".

He added: "Diego had so much trust with his primary caregivers, even up to his last days with us.

"Sometimes, he would be so eager to interact with his trainer, he would trip over his cumbersome front flippers and then roar out of pure humiliation."

The sanctuary said it was awaiting lab results from the post-mortem examination to "fully understand the cause of his sudden deterioration".

"As we say goodbye to Diego, we would like to thank everyone who has been so supportive to our animal care team at this hard time, and the wider Cornish Seal Sanctuary teasm, who will miss him so much."

Follow BBC News South West on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.
The life of one of only a few Cornishmen to be awarded the Victoria Cross has been remembered at a ceremony in Saltash.

William Odgers was awarded the medal for storming a fortified stockade during the New Zealand Wars in 1860 while in the Royal Navy.

His grave was blessed in a simple ceremony at St Stephen's Churchyard.

The event was attended by Mr Odgers' extended family, Royal Navy personnel and local dignitaries.

Mr Odgers was born in Falmouth in 1834 and joined the navy in 1852.

His vessel HMS Niger arrived in New Plymouth in 1860 and he was the part of a naval detachment that joined an attack on a pa - a fortified compound.

He was awarded the first Victoria Cross of the New Zealand Wars for his being first over the pa's wall and seizing flags that flew over it.

'Very brave man'

The New Zealand Wars, also referred to as the Land Wars, were fought from 1845-1872 as Maori put up resistance to the expansion of European colonists across the country.

A sea shanty singing evening will be held later at the Union Inn in Saltash, where Mr Odgers went on to become landlord after leaving the Royal Navy.

Both events have been organised by Lt Cdr Barry Brooking MBE who led the tribute to Mr Odgers.

"He was clearly a very brave man... and in spite of heavy fire was first over the top to capture the Maori war flags."

"As a fellow Cornishman, I'm very proud." said Mr Brooking.

The Victoria Cross is is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces.

Follow BBC News South West on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.
To: Fox News hosts and producers, far-right AM-radio pundits, Republican fearmongers and scary GOP narrative spinners across all media platforms

Subject: DATA SHOWS CRIME IS DOWN! URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!

We here at the Center for Right-Wing Narrative Protection have received disturbing news that threatens one of the Republican Partys most-valued narratives: Crime in America, we regret to say, is not rising, nor is it out of control.

In fact, it appears to be going down, which is not our preferred direction.

Were sure youre as upset about this as we are, and well get to some sensibly dishonest solutions shortly, but first lets look at the facts were up against.

U.S. crime is down, but at least we're still scaring people

As most of you know, our efforts to frighten the lunch out of the American electorate by repeatedly showing videos of isolated criminal activity and claiming cities led by Democrats have burned to the ground have been wildly successful.

A recent Gallup poll found that 63% of Americans describe the crime problem in the U.S. as either extremely or very serious, up from 54% when last measured in 2021.

An American city that should be on fire but isn't because crime is actually down.

Thats fantastic progress!

Even better, that same poll shows that only 17% of Americans say the crime problem in their local area is extremely or very serious. That shows how effectively were convincing people that Democratic President Joe Biden has turned the country into a criminal hellscape, even though those same people see no actual evidence to that effect.

Thats what we in the panic-inducing narrative business call a win-win!

What could go wrong? Trump as a dictator? Republicans assure us it was a joke.

Unfortunately, some inconvenient facts have come along that threaten to undermine the hard and patriotic work weve put into convincing our beloved Republican voters that their country is a wasteland ravaged by violent, drug-fueled leftists.

New FBI data comparing crime from January through September of this year with the same period last year shows a number of disturbing (for us) trends:

Violent crime is down 8%.

In cities of more than 1 million people, violent crime is down nearly 15%. (Ugh!)

Murder is down 15.6% nationally and down 25% in cities of more than 1 million people.

Robbery is down nearly 10%, and burglary is down nearly 12%.

Motor vehicle theft, in one instance of good news, is up 10%.

All told, these are terrible numbers for us.

The city of San Francisco, notably not in flames due to rampant crime and criminal activity.

This is bad news for those of us invested in bad news

Crime data analyst Jeff Asher at AH Datalytics has the murder rate down 12.6% over last year, and recently wrote that this could be either the largest or one of the largest national declines in murder on record.

He also wrote: The decline in crime shown in the quarterly data  if realized  would be historically large. To put some of this in perspective, a 4 percent decline in the nations violent crime rate relative to 2022s reported rate would lead to the lowest violent crime rate nationally since 1969.

I realize this is depressing news for all of us. But to maintain the success weve had at getting Americans to believe something that is demonstrably false, were going to have to double our disingenuity.

Liberals, enough already: Democrats need to pull themselves together and remember: Biden is still better than Trump

Recently our friends at the National Retail Federation tried their best, releasing what The New York Times called a startling estimate that 'organized retail crime was responsible for nearly half the $94.5 billion in store merchandise that disappeared in 2021, a figure that helped amplify claims that the United States was experiencing a nationwide wave of shoplifting.

Sadly, facts intervened again and the federation had to retract that claim, as apparently retail theft is down, the group was using faulty data and an expert reported that organized groups were likely responsible for just about 5 percent of the store merchandise that disappeared.

There is still hope for misinformation

Still, kudos to the National Retail Federation for its effort to propagate our narrative. Better to have lied and lost than to have never lied at all.

To keep Americans from learning about these so-called numbers that allegedly represent what is actually happening around us, we propose the following narrative-protecting steps:

Keep saying America is facing a crime spree the likes of which weve never witnessed. Whenever possible, compare it to a third-world country  they eat that stuff up. Remember, repetition is the key to success. It takes approximately 100 counterfacts to defeat each individual fact. So be relentless.

Look for any video of a crime happening and share it with your audiences repeatedly. It doesnt matter where the crime is happening, or even whether its an actual crime. It could be a cross-country skier in New Zealand falling down next to a group of people. That becomes Violent flash mobs attack tourist in Colorado ski town, showing no place is safe in Bidens America.

If it all possible, do some crimes. We can deflect attention from the data that completely contradicts our narrative, but it would help mightily if we could get those crime figures up where we want them to be. (Disclaimer: The Center for Right-Wing Narrative Protection is no way suggesting anyone engage in violent crime, theft or any form of property crime, and the center will not be held responsible for anyone who sacrifices their freedom for the good of the aforementioned narrative.)

In conclusion, keep fighting the good fight and dont let Americas falling crime rates get you down. We were able to get a shocking number of people to believe Donald Trump was a good president. Surely we can keep them believing America is a lawless land of unchecked criminals and rabid death merchants, contradictory data be damned!

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US crime is down, but Republicans, and Fox News, refuse to believe it
Cracked cold cases, unforeseen arrests, shocking violence and betrayal were among crime cases that rocked the country this year.

New York police made an arrest in the infamous Long Island serial killer case that many doubted could be solved. The longtime suspected killer of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway made a surprise confession. And the massacre of four University of Idaho students continued to grab attention from coast to coast.

There were serial killer cases in California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Oregon. Documents have revealed new details in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was nearly killed in federal prison.

Here are five of the most followed crime stories of 2023.

BRYAN KOHBERGER'S MOTIONS TO DISMISS IDAHO MURDERS INDICTMENT DENIED

While the slayings of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, took place in November 2022, it wasn't until their suspected killer Bryan Kohberger waived extradition in early January that the public got a glimpse of the evidence.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Bryan Kohberger arrives at the Monroe County Courthouse in Pennsylvania for his extradition hearing.

Police tracked Kohberger across the country, from his Ph.D. student office at neighboring Washington State University to his parents' house in Pennsylvania's Poconos.

Phone records, surveillance images of a suspect vehicle, DNA left on a knife sheath recovered at the scene and a survivor's shocking eyewitness account all played roles in a probable cause affidavit unveiled Jan. 5.

The victims of the Nov. 13, 2022, University of Idaho massacre, from left to right: Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen.

A judge denied Kohberger's request to dismiss a superseding indictment in December, clearing the way for the case to go to trial after the suspect waived his right to speedy proceedings and tried to fight the case on procedural grounds.

The judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at his arraignment in May. He could face the death penalty if convicted on any of the murder charges and one to 10 years on the burglary charge.

Once a high-powered South Carolina lawyer, Alex Murdaugh's world unraveled as years of misdeeds came to light following the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and their younger son, Paul.

Jurors found him guilty in March, and he was sentenced to two life terms in prison.

From left: Buster Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh and Alex Murdaugh.

ALEX MURDAUGH A SHELL OF A MAN FOR FINANCIAL BETRAYAL, GLORIA SATTERFIELD SISTER TELLS INTERVIEWER

The six-week trial exposed Murdaugh's crippling financial troubles and corruption. While he has pleaded guilty to a number of unrelated financial crimes, he is appealing his murder convictions.

"That jury had heard almost three weeks of evidence not related to the murder, but to the financial crimes, which he's always admitted to," defense attorney Dick Harpootlian previously told Fox News Digital. "But we believe it so prejudiced them that when we put the forensic evidence in, which is very, very strong for his innocence, acquittal, they didn't hear it."

In a shocking turn nearly two decades after the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba, longtime suspect Joran van der Sloot confessed to the gruesome details of her murder as part of a plea deal on international extortion charges.

Natalee Holloway and Joran van der Sloot in a compilation image.

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT HAS CONFESSED TO KILLING NATALEE HOLLOWAY

Van der Sloot, now 36, is a Dutch national who murdered Peruvian casino heiress Stephany Flores five years to the day after Holloway vanished.

He told the FBI in October he crushed Holloway's skull with a cinder block after she refused his sexual advances on a beach near her hotel. Then he dragged her into the ocean and set her adrift.

Van der Sloot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for extorting Holloway's mother, with credit for time already served in U.S. custody after his arrival in June. The court will allow his sentence to run concurrently with those he faces in Peru for Flores' murder. His new expected release date is June 9, 2043.

Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann appears in Judge Tim Mazzeis courtroom at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead Sept. 27, 2023. His lawyer, Michael J. Brown, is at left.

In another cold case, police arrested New York City architect Rex Heuermann in a series of murders years after the remains of a group of women were discovered along Long Island's Ocean Parkway.

Counter-clockwise from left: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Megan Waterman, 22, and Melissa Barthelemy, 24, disappeared after meeting with a client on Craigslist. The remains of the women were found in December 2010 at Gilgo Beach on Long Island.

Heuermann has been held at the jail in Yaphank, New York, since mid-July on six murder charges in the cold case deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, whose bodies police found in 2010 while searching for a different missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, 23.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS

Police now believe Gilbert's death was an accident, but they found 11 bodies in the area while searching for her. Heuermann has been charged with killing three of them and remains a suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.

The deaths of the other victims remain under investigation. Heuermann faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

A Texas jury found Kaitlin Armstrong, 37, guilty of murder last month in the shooting death of pro cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson, a 25-year-old perceived romantic rival who had gone out on a date with Armstrong's boyfriend the evening of her murder.

Colin Strickland, 36, another pro cyclist at the center of the alleged love triangle, had an on-and-off relationship with Armstrong, who lived in his house, and had a sexual relationship with Wilson while on a "break" with Armstrong. Once he was back with Armstrong, jurors heard that he continued to talk to her in secret and changed her name in his phone to hide the communications.

Armstrong led police on a 43-day manhunt after the murder and tried to escape custody just weeks before her trial, leading Travis County corrections officers on a 10-minute foot chase before they recaptured her.

She was sentenced to 90 years in prison.





Original article source: Crimes that shocked the country in 2023
Molten rock shot as high as 656ft into the air at the eruptions peak on Monday - ANTON BRINK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Iceland has warned its erupting volcano poses a threat to a critical power plant as lava spews from a 2.5-mile long fissure.

Molten rock shot as high as 656ft into the air at the eruptions peak after it began late on Monday evening on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the lava flow had since weakened, with three vents erupting, down from five before.

But it warned of further molten rock emerging from along the fissure, while Bjarni Benediktsson, the foreign minister, expressed concern over the regions key Svartsengi power station.

The geothermal plant supplies electricity and water to 30,000 people and is located about 2.5 miles from Grindavik, an evacuated fishing port near to the site of the eruption.

The power plant is located close to the volcano eruption - Maxar Technologies/via REUTERS

Barriers were built to protect the geothermal plant in recent weeks amid increased seismic activity in the area amid expectations of an imminent eruption.

Weve been worried about infrastructure. There is a critical power plant there which is immensely important for the inhabitants of the peninsula, said Mr Benediktsson.

In recent weeks, we have been building a protective barrier to protect the power plant, he added.

If lava continues moving at its current rate for another 24 hours it will meet thick, 50ft barriers set up near Grindavik, which Mr Benediktsson said created a protective circle around infrastructure.

He added that winds had so far been very favourable.

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, famed for its turquoise waters, is closed to visitors but Icelands airports remain open.

Popular tourist attraction the Blue Lagoon is closed to visitors

Gas emissions were not currently a threat, the foreign minister said, but that would have to be monitored for weeks or even months.

The meteorological office has warned that pollution from the eruption could hit Reykjavik, the capital.

Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik, southwest Iceland, in November, in the days before the eruption.

Mr Benediktsson said it had happened in the right place with the lava not flowing immediately towards the town.

There is still an increased risk of volcanic fissures opening without warning within the town limits.

The towns mayor, Fannar Jonasson, said residents had given up hope of returning home for Christmas.

Unfortunately, the hope that had ignited in the hearts of many about the possibility of celebrating Christmas at home in Grindavik was extinguished when the eruption began, Mr Jonasson said.

Mr Benediktsson said that the eruption was much larger than the ones weve had in the last three years, which he called nice touristic eruptions.

The Icelandic government has warned tourists to stay away from the eruption, which experts and authorities have warned could continue for weeks or even months.

You dont get used to these eruptions. We also find them extremely beautiful and youre in awe when you see the earth open up and fire and smoke coming up. We are sometimes referred to as the island of fire and ice, Mr Benediktsson said.

On Tuesday evening, tourists gathered on a hillside behind the closed road leading to Grindavik.

Its not made by humans, its totally mother nature itself, said Leo Kill, a 31-year-old Korean.

Thats why you just feel so tiny, you just cant do anything in front of this nature.

Johannes or Skulason, executive director of the Swedish Tourism Association, said that there have already been cancellations and rescheduling of trips to Iceland in the coming months.

We have to see how this eruption plays out. If the upheavals continue for a long time, the impact on the tourism industry can be great into next year, he said.

The volcano, which has yet to be given a name, is located near the Sundhnukagigar crater row.

Unlike the major Icelandic eruption in 2010 that grounded thousands of flights across Europe and North America, this one did not create an ash plume. Reykjaviks international airport remained open on Tuesday.

Volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.

Situated in the North Atlantic, Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

But the Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries until 2021.

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In 1086, the mechanisms of the Norman State achieved one of the most impressive feats of tabulation in history; a meticulous record of almost every inch of England. Eventually, this became known as The Domesday Book as it was assumed that the next time an account so thorough would be made would be the end of the world. Astonishingly you can still read it today, in the national archive in Kew.

In 1986, to mark its 900th anniversary, the government commissioned a second Domesday Book, dispatching envoys  mostly school children  to create a new snapshot of life for future generations. However, instead of recording hard copies of the information, it was instead entered into the very latest computer system using Laser-Disc technology. The experiment soon became a cautionary tale as Laser-Disc followed wait tapes, CD-roms, microfiche and other cutting-edge innovations doomed to obsolescence. By 2002, that computer system was so thoroughly defunct that the later Domesday had become unreadable. The Conquerors account, by contrast, still is.

I mention all this because the Ministry of Justice has just launched a consultation on digitising its archive of historic wills dating back more than 150 years. So far, so sensible. However, it is also considering destroying 110 million paper wills and supporting documents on the basis that storing the originals costs around 4.5 million a year. This would be nothing less than cultural vandalism. The authentic historical record, curly copper-plate handwriting and tangible sheaves of paper-copies, all up in smoke for the equivalent of a few minutes worth of NHS spending. Not for the first time, the custodians of our past are failing to grasp both the depths of their responsibilities, and the attendant risks to placing so much faith in technology alone.

Digitising documents relies on human efficiency, therefore it is rarely perfect or foolproof. Anyone familiar with historical research will know the feeling of annoyance when a digitised archive turns out to have been poorly uploaded, with crucial pages missing or blurred. And what of the security of the data? Many government departments, including the MoJ, have experienced serious data breaches. The British Library  whose system should be as impregnable as Fort Knox  recently suffered a ransomware-attack and was forced to admit that a vast chunk of its data had leaked onto the dark web, apparently for sale to the highest bidder.

Sometimes the consequences of technological overreliance can be mundane  the newscaster blindly reading the autocue, typos and all. Other times, they can be tragic and evil. During the Horizon scandal, the Post Office maintained that its computer system simply couldnt be wrong, in the face of unimaginable suffering.

The Windrush scandal might have been avoided had Home Office officials not destroyed the physical landing-card slips documenting Caribbean immigrants arrival dates in the UK. Sometimes we simply have no idea when a document may later prove vital, which could also be true of historic wills. This is not a case of Luddism  like wanting to uninvent penicillin. Believing we can always trust computers, no matter what, is hubris.

Part of the joy of leafing through ancient documents and publications is the possibility of accidental finds; you might discover an unexpected treasure by dipping into the book next to the one youve been looking for. Electronic records offer more convenience, but little of this serendipity. Digitised books are more vulnerable to retroactive doctoring and amendments by over-zealous publishers. Some online libraries automatically update with sensitivity changes, even if readers bought an earlier edition of a book. At a time of postmodern deceit, this also poses a threat to the writing of history: a lack of primary sources is a gift to the historian who would seek to suggest that a Norman princess was trans or a Georgian Queen was black.

Some might judge what will survive of us is love a touching sentiment. Yet Philip Larkin, himself a librarian, knew better than most that what will survive of us are numbers and stack references. The meticulous household accounts of Norfolk cleric Parson Woodforde have arguably done more to advance our understanding of 18th century rural affairs than any number of Gainsborough paintings.

Our knowledge of Early Modern domestic life is even more indebted to the Paston Letters, the remarkable collection of correspondence between members of an East Anglian gentry family over three centuries. Though England fared better than others in this regard  Germany, for example, lost most of its parish registers in the Thirty Years War  surviving records are necessarily here by the skin of their teeth. The prospect of society going out its way to destroy more of them is a bleak prospect.

The Dark Ages are so called because of the comparative lack of written evidence about their cultural life; before Sutton Hoo, we had little idea of the sophistication of the Anglo-Saxon elite, nor the accomplishments of its craftsmen. That may well be the fate of our era too, as historians are faced with obsolete or wiped records.

This Christmas, many of us will hear the phrase the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. But its not just a Christian idea that words ought to have a physical manifestation as well as a theoretical one. A future where our words are on the Cloud with none of them made flesh, should concern us all.

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On Nov. 10, a small town in Iceland cracked in half due to a sheet of magma moving between the Earths surface. Since then, scientists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office have been carefully tracking the magmas movement. It seemed like an eruption might be imminent  but volcanos are fickle. Its extremely hard to predict when lava will start spurting, or where in the Earth it will come from, according to Vincent Drouin, a scientist at the IMO whom we spoke with last month.

Then, on Monday night at 10:17 p.m. Icelandic time, lava burst above ground with little warning, in huge red curtains. (The town, which was evacuated back in November, is OK so far.) We checked back in with Drouin to learn the latest, and what the eruption means for the surrounding area. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Anna Gibbs: Where were you when you found out the eruption had finally happened?

Vincent Drouin: I was at the movie theater when it happened. When I went to the movie, there was nothing happening. It was just normal, very quiet. When I came out, there was an eruption. It was so fast.

I read that there was an earthquake swarm in the hours before the eruption. What is that?

One earthquake once in a while doesnt mean anything, but when theres an earthquake every few seconds or tenths of seconds, that means the magma is moving. We cant mistake it for anything else. Thats what we saw Monday night. But then the magma reached the surface much faster than we expected.

So the earthquakes started and then the eruption happenedall within the time period of your movie. Thats fast.

Yeah, we had just one hour and 15 minutes between the first earthquake and the eruption. We were expecting maybe a few more hours. So it was really surprising.

Did you have to jump into action once the eruption started?

I went to bed relatively early. One of my specialties is satellite data, and I have to wait for that data to come. So I just sent an email to my contact at the agency to ask them if they have any data and to send it to me as soon as possible. But some of my colleagues were working all night, flying around the area and mapping the eruption.

The fissure that opened up in the town is 4 kilometers long, and I know there was a lot of uncertainty about where the eruption would end up happening. Whats the situation now?

The eruption started in the middle of the fissure. But then the eruption started to extend outside the center, and the fissure started to grow too. We were worried that if the fissure continued propagating southwest, then it might reach the slope and the lava could start flowing to other cities, which would have been bad. But very quickly, after a few hours, the cracks started to close and focused on one part of the fissure. You go from, like, a curtain of fire, to only one vent, and then you start building a crater that becomes bigger and bigger.

Now the eruption is concentrated in the middle of the fissure again, which is perfect because theres nothing there. There was no one in the area, except people studying the fissure. So it was not as stressful of a situation as we had one month ago, when there were a lot of people in the city sleeping and the magma was moving very fast below the city. That was very stressful. The stakes are lower now, at least when we talk about peoples lives. Even for infrastructure, so farit will take a while before any infrastructure gets damaged.

Theres a power plant near the fissure. Is there any concern that that gets damaged?

So far the lava is not going there, but people are still building dams to protect it just in case. Its critical because it provides cold water and electricity for a huge part of Reykjanes Peninsula. If it was destroyed, and we lost our electricity and water for a huge part of the peninsula during the winter, it would be even more damaging than losing the city of Grindavik. So thats why theyre starting to build the walls around it. If the lava did reach it, that would only be able to divert the lava for a while, but it would help.

So whats going on under the Earths surface right now?

Around midnight on Monday night, the dike [a vertical sheet of magma within the crust] stopped growing. So well see. The problem is: Its stable now, like how it was on Monday at 8 p.m., but we dont know what would cause a new pulse of magma. So we could have another fissure or a new dike extension in a few days. Thats why we have to keep paying attention.

Do we have any idea how long this eruption will last for?

Its hard to know. The extrusion rate started high and decreased exponentially to very little. If it follows the pattern, it could be finished within a few days or a week. But a previous eruption in the area started really small and then got bigger, and it was constant for, like, six months.

It all depends on whats driving the pressure behind the flow. If it gets too small, the lava flow wont be able to keep the conduit to the surface open, so it will close naturally. But we dont really know anything about whats driving that pressure. The source is too deep, so we cant really see it. So yeah, were in the dark for this.
Czech President Petr Pavel, a top NATO leader and ardent Ukraine supporter, told Seznam Zpravy on Dec. 19 that he expects a new situation next year that could favor Moscow.

The former military general said reasons include the 2024 U.S. presidential election that could see former President Donald Trump return to power, and geopolitical deterioration in the Middle East, diverting Western resources away from Ukraine.

International fiscal support for Ukraine has tapered off since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, while global attention has shifted to Israels military response.

Kyiv is critically dependent on Western funds as it continues to battle against Russian forces. On Dec. 15, Hungary blocked 50bn in EU aid for Ukraine, while a bill authorizing over $60 billion in aid has been held up in the U.S. Congress with no end in sight.

Ukraine risks a serious economic downturn in 2024 unless its Western supporters can muster enough funds to fill a massive hole in its budget, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told POLITICO in November.

Kyiv continues to rely on allies to cover half of its overall national budget, a staggering $42 billion per year, through financial grants and loans.

Read also: Czechia, Denmark to jointly donate arms to Ukraine





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WARSAW, Poland  Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova has announced her country is advancing negotiations with Germany to carry out a joint acquisition of Leopard 2A8 tanks, and is also nearing the completion of talks to buy C-390 Millenium transport aircraft and F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

Teaming up with Berlin to purchase new tanks is expected to ensure better conditions from the manufacturer, especially in terms of the price, delivery time, the minister told local news site CZDefence.cz in an interview.

The negotiations are ongoing at the moment, and we anticipate that there should be clarity over the course of the next year, Cernochova said.

In 2022, the Czech Republic donated its Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Ukraine to support the countrys combat against Russias ongoing invasion. Under its so-called Ringtausch program, Berlin transferred a batch of Leopard 2A4s to Prague to allow the Czech military to maintain its combat capabilities.

Last July, the Czech Ministry said in a statement that Prague is considering to buy up to 77 Leopard 2A8 tanks.

Discussing her nations military acquisition priorities for next year, Cernochova said the ministry plans to sign a deal to buy two C-390 Millenium aircraft from Embraer in 2024 after talks were kicked off earlier this year.

In addition, a contract for the purchase of 24 F-35s for the Czech Air Force is to be concluded in a matter of weeks, according to the minister.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced Lennox Pierre-Louis, 22, of Boston, pled guilty in connection with three separate shootings in Cambridge and Somerville.

Pierre-Louis was sentenced to 5-6 years for the June 18, 2022 shooting, 2  years for the March 11, 2022 shooting, and 5-6 years for the December 27, 2021 shooting, Ryan said.

In June 2022, Cambridge Police responded to Hurley and Charles Streets for reports of multiple gunshots. When officers arrived on scene they were able to collect nearly a dozen shell casings and observed that at least four vehicles and one building had been struck by bullets, Ryan said.

Pierre-Louis initially fled the scene but, after crashing the car he was operating a short time later, he was arrested in the area on an outstanding unrelated warrant.

During the investigation, detectives located surveillance video and were able to identify Pierre-Louis in connection to the shooting. The video shows him firing his gun at another man across the street, missing the man, and then fleeing the scene.

He was charged with armed assault to murder, carrying a firearm without a license, trafficking cocaine over 18 grams, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of personal injury and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, according to Ryan.

During the investigation of several serious incidents where shots were fired in Cambridge and Somerville, police and prosecutors were able to connect Pierre-Louis to two other shootings.

Ryan said the first, in Dec. 2021, on Marshall Street in Somerville, one shot struck the car of a man who was leaving to go to work. The bullet passed through the passengers side and out the drivers side of the vehicle, fortunately not striking the driver.

The second, which occurred in March 2022, on Windsor Street in Cambridge, three shots were fired. A residence and a nearby building were struck.

Pierre-Louis also pled guilty to attempted assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling in connection with the Windsor Street shooting in Cambridge and attempted assault and battery by discharging a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition and discharging a firearm without a license in connection with the Marshall Street shooting in Somerville, according to Ryan.

Over the course of the past year, we have seen an alarming increase in the frequency of random gun violence, especially among young people. These bullets are striking homes and vehicles indiscriminately. Clearly, it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. Yet, we have not done enough to address the perpetrators complete lack of concern for public safety and the ripple effect that these dangerous incidents have on the well-being of the entire community, said District Attorney Ryan. We must attack this problem on all fronts. We have put tremendous resources into investigating these incidents and this case reflects that work. Beyond that, we are championing legislation to address this issue, engaging the community, and working on progressive prevention.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Speaking out for the first time, the son of a wealthy Pennsylvania dentist who murdered his own wife on an African vacation -- and then tried to cover it up -- says he didn't believe his father, Larry Rudolph, could do such a thing until he saw "horrifying" photos from the scene and heard soul-crushing testimony at trial last year.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Julian Rudolph said his father now calls him from federal prison, where he's serving a life sentence, but Julian "very rarely" picks up, unable to forgive the man convicted of fatally shooting Bianca Rudolph in 2016 so he could collect nearly $5 million in life insurance and live freely with his longtime mistress.

"It's incomprehensible to me," said Julian, now 33.

But what Julian described as equally incomprehensible is the battle he's been waging with the U.S. government for much of the past year.

"They're treating my sister and I more like perpetrators than surviving victims of a violent crime," he said.

Julian and his sister, AnaBianca, have been trying to recover millions of dollars they believe their father took from them after their mother's death. However, as the Justice Department sees it, several insurance companies were the ones defrauded out of millions of dollars, leading federal authorities to seize the bulk of Larry Rudolph's known assets and then move to reimburse the insurance companies.

Complicating matters even more, Larry Rudolph's fortune had been slashed, allegedly by lavish spending before his arrest and by mounting legal woes afterward, so Julian and his sister insist that most of whatever's left should be theirs, not the federal government's. They accuse the Justice Department of hampering their recovery efforts, rather than helping them.

PHOTO: Larry Rudolph in a photo from his Facebook page dated Oct. 7, 2011. (Facebook )

The Justice Department has maintained -- and two federal courts have so far agreed -- that it's just following the law and seeking justice for everyone affected.

"[Our] goal is to ensure that Lawrence Rudolph does not profit from a heinous crime," the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado, which is handling Rudolph's case, said in a statement to ABC News. "The Department of Justice is working in good faith with attorneys for the children of the victim to resolve disputes over how that goal can best be accomplished."

Larry Rudolph has said he wants the money seized to go to his children.

The ongoing dispute involves complicated issues of fairness, a clash of narrow legal arguments, and -- as one federal judge put it -- two sides who at times are "speaking past each other."

That federal judge, who previously ruled against Julian and his sister, is now reevaluating the case and weighing whether to appoint a mediator.

In his interview with ABC News, Julian said there's more to it all than just the language of the law, noting that prosecutors have the authority to exercise "discretion" in enforcing the law.

"It's a matter of right and wrong," he said. "I think we've been through enough."

'You want to believe'

From what Julian said he remembers about growing up outside Pittsburgh, it was "a pretty normal" suburban life, with a seemingly "peaceful" home.

He said Larry Rudolph, now 68, was "a good father," often "generous" and "charismatic." And as a successful dentist, his father "worked a lot," which allowed Bianca Rudolph to stay at home with Julian and his sister, according to Julian.

"She was an amazing mother," Julian said, choking up when first talking about her. "I loved her. She was my best friend."

PHOTO: Bianca Rudolph holds her baby son, Julian, in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Julian Rudolph)

Julian said he always had questions about exactly what happened in Africa, but his father insisted it was an accident and refused to talk about it whenever they would see each other.

As Julian understood it at the time, both of his parents, who moved to Arizona a few years earlier, had become avid hunters, and in October 2016 they jetted off to a remote nature preserve in the southern African country of Zambia to shoot wild game there.

On the final day of the trip, Bianca Rudolph suffered a fatal blast to the chest. Larry Rudolph claimed she accidentally shot herself while packing her shotgun to come home.

"And who wouldn't want to believe that?" Julian said.

In the wake of the tragedy, he and his father would only see each other about once a year. Julian was living in Miami, building a personal injury law practice there. His sister was in Pittsburgh, pursuing her own dental career at her father's practice. And Larry Rudolph was still in Arizona, living what Julian saw as a "nice lifestyle" with someone he thought was a new girlfriend, Lori Milliron.

However, Julian's "unanswered questions" lingered, he said.

Then in late 2021, more than five years after Bianca Rudolph's death, the FBI arrested Larry Rudolph on murder and fraud charges.

He maintained to his children that the FBI had it all wrong and that "the evidence is going to prove [it]," Julian recalled.

"Of course you want to believe that what you're hearing is the truth," he added.

PHOTO: The son, left, and daughter, back right, of Pittsburgh dentist Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph head into federal court for the afternoon session of the trial, July 13, 2022, in Denver. (David Zalubowski/AP, File)

So when Larry Rudolph then asked a federal judge to release him from jail pending trial, both Julian and his sister, AnaBianca, submitted sworn affidavits to the court, expressing their full support for their father.

"[We] know him better than anyone else, and we know that he is innocent," they wrote.

Julian told ABC News that he feels quite differently now.

"I can't stand by that original statement, because that was before we saw the evidence in the trial," he said.

It's unclear if Julian's sister agrees. She previously declined ABC News requests for an interview and, through Julian, recently declined again.

'The trial was eye-opening'

Larry Rudolph's trial, held in a Denver federal courtroom last year, lasted more than two weeks. Julian and AnaBianca attended all of it.

"Every day going into that courtroom, I saw something new that broke my heart," Julian said.

Prosecutors detailed a diabolical plot and a life of lies: Milliron had secretly been Larry Rudolph's mistress for more than a decade. And on the hunting trip to Zambia in 2016, prosecutors said, Larry Rudolph shot his wife so he could collect her life insurance and fund a lavish new life with Milliron, who helped him try to cover it all up. She was convicted alongside Larry Rudolph, sentenced to 17 years in prison for acting as his accessory and for lying to investigators.

PHOTO: The shotgun Rudolph claims his wife was cleaning when she allegedly accidentally shot and killed herself, but which Rudolph was convicted of using to murder her. (Prosecution Exhibit)

Prosecutors during the trial presented witness testimony, ballistics tests, and photos from the scene, including photos of Bianca Rudolph's bloody body.

"Nothing could have prepared us for those visuals, for that testimony," Julian said. "It was horrific."

At the same time, according to Julian, "the trial was eye-opening," and the evidence presented "brought a lot of clarity and answered a lot of questions for us."

For that, he said, he's eternally "grateful" to the federal prosecutors, FBI agents and other U.S. officials who worked on the case and uncovered the truth.

'Hell-bent on fighting us'

But some of those same prosecutors are now the ones Julian said are "hell-bent on fighting us in court."

After Larry Rudolph murdered his wife, he kept the entire $14 million fortune they had built together over 34 years, even though half of that fortune should have become the property of her estate and passed on to Julian and his sister. Larry Rudolph also collected $4.8 million in life insurance claims from seven different companies, falsely telling them that Bianca had died in an accident.

When the Justice Department uncovered Larry Rudolph's murderous scheme, it seized the bulk of his known remaining assets: two multimillion-dollar homes, two luxury cars, and $4.8 million still in bank accounts.

But lawyers for Larry Rudolph objected in January when the Justice Department proposed using a portion of those seized assets to reimburse the seven insurance companies he defrauded. His lawyers argued in court filings that, had Larry Rudolph not lied about his wife's death, the companies would have still paid out millions, but to his children as the beneficiaries behind their since-disqualified father.

So, Rudolph's lawyer's claimed, to now repay the insurance companies, instead of Julian and AnaBianca, "would only serve to harm" the children.

Eight days later, lawyers for Julian and his sister filed their own documents in court, similarly arguing that Julian and his sister should receive the insurance proceeds because under U.S. law they were the ultimate "victims" of their father's fraud. That argument failed in court, including on appeal.

In June, lawyers for Julian and AnaBianca filed revamped legal claims -- this time substantially based on Arizona state law -- seeking not only the insurance proceeds but also a share of Rudolph's confiscated homes and cars, and any money made from selling them, which the lawyers say have appreciated in value.

PHOTO: The Rudolph family poses for a photo in 1992. (Courtesy of Julian Rudolph)

Under Arizona law, the key question is who those assets "justly belong to," and allowing anyone but Bianca Rudolph's children to obtain them "would be unconscionable," the lawyers argued in a filing two weeks ago.

They noted that an Arizona judge recently ordered Larry Rudolph to repay his children the nearly $7 million he took from their mother's estate, plus more than $3 million in estimated interest. And while they've found additional money to cover less than half of that total judgment, the assets seized by the Justice Department are "the only remaining source" for Julian and his sister to recover the rest, wrote John Sandweg and Chris Hotaling of the firm Nixon Peabody.

As part of his sentence, Larry Rudolph was also ordered to pay a $2 million fine, in addition to serving life behind bars and paying the insurance companies $4.8 million in restitution.

In court two weeks ago, Julian and AnaBianca's lawyers submitted statements from five of those companies -- accounting for three-quarters of the insurance proceeds at issue -- saying that the money they paid out rightfully belongs to Julian and his sister.

The federal government shouldn't "profit from our mother's death," Julian told ABC News. "It's the principle," he said. "This is not about money."

The Justice Department disputes that it's trying to profit in any way from Bianca Rudolph's death, and in court documents it has accused Julian and his sister of "attempting to shortcut" the "appropriate procedure," saying that if they are the rightful beneficiaries of the insurance policies, they can obtain the money they seek by filing their own claims directly with the insurance companies.

In an order last month, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William Martinez said he is highly skeptical of Julian and his sister's latest legal arguments, but he also said there are "issues plaguing both sides," and that "it is only fair to permit both parties a second bite at the apple."

"[I]t would be vastly preferable, and almost certainly far easier for all involved, if the parties could come to an agreement ... without the Court's involvement," Martinez added, saying that, even as he weighs the new legal arguments, he is considering whether to appoint an outside mediator to resolve the whole matter.

'I want to move on'

In his interview with ABC News, Julian said he's thought "many times" about just abandoning his legal battle with the Justice Department.

"I've said to myself, 'Just move on with your life,'" he recalled. "This has been a waking nightmare."

But he said he then remembers his mother, his sister, and the children he hopes to have with his fiancee -- children who will never meet their grandmother, Bianca Rudolph.

PHOTO: Larry Rudolph with wife Bianca. (Courtesy of Julian Rudolph)

"I owe it to [all of them] to be here to fight," he said. "I want to move on with my life ... but we have to get through this last step."

As for what moving on with his life looks like, Julian said he and his fiancee are planning to elope -- in part, at least, because of what would be missing if they had a more traditional wedding.

"Nothing will ever bring my mother back. Nothing will bring my father back," he said.

ABC News' Eva Pilgrim, Mike Repplier and Lindsey Schwartz also contributed to this report.

His dad murdered his mom on an African safari. Now he says the US government is 'hell-bent' on taking what's left originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  DeadBeach Brewery says El Paso residents will have the opportunity to visit the brewery starting on Jan. 2, 2024.

The brewery will be located at 3200 Durazno Ave., El Paso, TX., 79905, and its grand opening will showcase a 27,000 square foot facility, where craft beer will be made regularly.

The brewery says over 20,000 square feet will be dedicated to production space where brewing and packaging will take place.

The rest of the facility will house the brewerys new taproom and main office headquarters.

Guests will be able to enjoy beer on-site as well as craft food. The Craft Kitchen will showcase a full menu with original favorites and many brand-new offerings.

The grand opening of the facility comes in DeadBeachs eighth year of operation and marks an incredible foot forward for the craft beer industry in El Paso, the brewery said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
(Bloomberg) -- The death toll from Chinas worst earthquake since 2014 rose to more than 130 as the government sent a top official to oversee recovery efforts.

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Some 113 people were killed in mostly rural areas of Gansu province, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Tuesday. The death toll in neighboring Qinghai climbed to 21 on Wednesday, the state-run media reported. More than 730 injuries have been recorded.

China has sent Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Communist Partys 24-member Politburo, to the area struck by a magnitude 6.2 quake late Monday. Zhang, head of the nations disaster relief commission, is making the visit after Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for efforts to minimize casualties from the disaster.

Videos and pictures on Chinas social media show brick homes turned to rubble and sections of roads crumpled. Others show food kitchens and tents set up after an estimated 155,000 homes in Gansu province were damaged.

Four-fifths of homes in one Gansu village were uninhabitable, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a local official.

The quake hit as northern China deals with a cold snap. The temperatures in Jishishan county, the epicenter of the quake, slid to as low as -16C (3F) on Tuesday.

Rural Jishishan is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu. That province had one of Chinas smallest economies in 2022.

There are signs that recovery efforts are making progress, with state media saying damaged power lines are again operational and rural roads have reopened.

Western China is prone to earthquakes, some of them very deadly. A quake in Yunnan in 2014 killed more than 600, and another in Sichuan in 2008 left nearly 90,000 dead.

--With assistance from Jing Li and Evelyn Yu.

(Updates with latest death toll in Qinghai in second paragraph)

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A County Antrim man is the first person ever to be convicted of insider trading in the Republic of Ireland.

Declan Service, of Sunnyvale Avenue, Portrush, was fined 60,000 and told he faces a potential 18-month prison term when his sentence is finalised.

The 63-year-old carer pleaded guilty to engaging in insider dealing on dates between 18 and 22 May 2020.

He used sensitive market information to sell shares in a pharmaceutical company before it was made public.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told he used inside knowledge to offload his shares in the company days before buying them again at a discounted rate.

Service, who is suffering from bowel cancer, prostate cancer and long-term depressive illnesses, made a profit of about 11,500.

The court was told that would have risen to 44,000 if he had retained his shares for a year.

Full admissions

The alarm was raised when a stockbroking firm, who Service was a client of, alerted the Irish Central Bank to suspicious transactions he had made.

A detective garda (Irish police) told the court Service made full admissions and accepted everything that was put to him.

The court heard he told police: "I truthfully didn't realise I had done anything wrong. I acted innocently in my mind. It's not in my DNA to do something I know to be illegal."

Service moved to Northern Ireland in 2021, having previously worked for healthcare companies in the US and Ireland.

His sentence is to be finalised on 19 February.
Tega Cay will consider limited uses of guns inside the city limits to control a burgeoning deer population, according to an ordinance change approved Monday.

The deer population in the city of around 13,000 people in northern York County along Lake Wylie has been at issue for years, with residents describing the wildlife as a danger to pets, plants and mess-free yards.

The city action Monday is only for wildlife management rather than recreational hunting. The ordinance will allow for U.S. Department of Agriculture contracted sharpshooter marksmen to cull the 80 deer, according to city officials who spoke at Mondays meeting. Though, its language allows for the city council to grant exceptions on a case-by-case bases for firearms or firearm-like devices.

The second reading of the ordinance was approved unanimously by city council Monday night.

Some residents wanted immediate action to cut down the number of deer, while others want an approach using birth control darts. Others want a mixed use of both to control the deer population both in the short term and for long-range management.

A city of Tega Cay Facebook post does not say when action to cull the deer would happen in early 2024. But the cost for culling the 80 deer in a proposed contract with USDA and staff costs for is around $63,000, city officials said in Mondays meeting.

Besides traditional guns, the new ordinance allows the city to allow temporary use an air propellant gun, or crossbow for wildlife management.

Several residents spoke Monday at the city council meeting about the citys plan to allow shooters to cull 80 deer. They shared a range of opinions about the decision.

A deer crosses the road in a Tega Cay neighborhood on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Tracy Kimball/tkimball@heraldonline.com

State approved Tega Cays plan

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources approved culling 80 deer in October, according to a city of Tega Cay Facebook post.

The posting said: During the December 18 City Council Meeting, the Tega Cay City Council elected to cull the deer population, utilizing The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services of the USDA. In October, SCDNR approved culling 80 deer in the City of Tega Cay.

City leaders said in the Facebook post they are still considering use of contraception methods for the deer but wanted action to start quickly.

And Tega Cay actually wants to cull more than 80 deer: the city is asking South Carolina officials to the killing 160 animals. That appeal is set for January, city officials said Monday.
An organization representing Native American veterans is set to receive a congressional charter after a nearly 20-year effort, making it the first-ever Native American-dedicated group recipient and the first of any veterans group to receive a charter in almost 15 years.

A charter for the nonprofit National American Indian Veterans, or NAIV, was included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The national defense policy bill passed through Congress last week and is headed to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it.

The charter will allow the organization to testify about veterans issues before Congress, said Joey Strickland, a retired colonel of Choctaw descent who works as the groups chief of staff. It also provides a pathway for NAIV to have some of its members accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, permitting them to log into VA systems and help veterans and their families with benefits claims  assistance that is currently lacking on tribal lands.

It was a long, hard fight, Strickland said. When we found out it passed, it was euphoric. This has been denied to Indian veterans for so many years, and weve finally made a breakthrough.

VA plans to waive medical copays for Native American vets

The organization was created in 2004 and is headquartered on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Reservation in South Dakota. Thats the home of its national commander, Don Loudner, a 91-year-old Korean War veteran who founded the group with the goal of providing more representation for Native American veterans who were fighting for VA benefits, Strickland said.

American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the military at a higher rate than any other ethnic group, but theyre less likely than other veterans to have health insurance or a service-connected disability, according to VA data.

Some advocates blame the disparity on a lack of culturally competent representation, which NAIV now hopes to provide.

Native veterans have served our country from Valley Forge to Afghanistan, and with this action, Congress has shown Native American veterans past and present the respect that is so well-earned, Loudner said in a statement Friday.

NAIV has pushed to receive a charter from the time it was founded. The group struggled to gain support in Congress until Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., took up the effort in 2021. This year, Rounds and Lujan were successful in adding the measure to the national defense policy bill, which is viewed as a must-pass bill by most lawmakers and has advanced through Congress for more than six decades.

In a statement Friday, Rounds noted that while many demographic groups have been granted a congressional charter, Native American veterans organizations had never been among them.

This charter will help give the NAIV a larger platform to continue advocating for and serving the more than 140,000 Native American veterans living in the United States, Rounds said.

With the charter, NAIV now joins the ranks of prominent veterans service organizations to be recognized by Congress, such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.

The charter was endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians  a group that serves the broad interests of tribal governments and communities  as well as dozens of other tribal and veterans organizations.

Representation is always a big thing, and having an organization that you can see yourself in  I think thats really important as a veteran, Courtney Steffen, the commander of The American Legion Department of South Dakota, told Military Times. Theres not an American Legion Post in every community or reservation. Theres not a VFW post in every community. The more, the merrier.

Overall, government recognition of Native American veterans has grown in recent years, with the VA now hosting an advisory committee tasked with taking more innovative approaches to serving the demographic. A national memorial honoring former Native American service members opened in 2020 in Washington.

Granting a charter, meanwhile, is a rare move by Congress. In the late 1980s, the House Judiciary Committee sought to limit the practice, believing that charters gave the perception that Congress was able to monitor and condone the operations of the dozens of federally chartered organizations in existence at the time.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the committee enacted a moratorium on congressional charters that lasted officially until 2019. However, lawmakers got around the moratorium on several occasions by not going through the House Judiciary Committee for approval. The most recent veterans organization to receive a charter was The Military Officers Association of America in 2009.

Dan King, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and the former co-chairman of the veterans committee of the National Congress of American Indians, said the approval of NAIVs charter could open the door for other groups to seek the same recognition.

There were several Native groups that tried it, and they got turned down, King said. The understanding was that they werent issuing any national charters anymore. To me, thats saying it would open it up for all those other groups who were trying to get a charter.

While NAIV was eager to be granted the charter, its leaders know there remains no shortage of work ahead. NAIV is looking to better organize its efforts to help veterans, as well as grow its membership base to represent more of the indigenous community, Strickland said.

The group wants to train veterans service officers to handle VA claims for indigenous veterans across the country, he said. NAIV also plans to establish a yearly national meeting.

Were excited, but we now realize the hard work has to start, Strickland said. Theres just a lot of work that needs to be done.
The Delaware County Coroner's Office has identified the victim of a fatal shooting last week in Sunbury.

The attorney for a Hilliard man charged with voluntary homicide in the Dec. 14 fatal shooting of a Sunbury man claims his client was defending himself and his 6-year-old son after a road-rage incident led to a brawl in a Wendy's parking lot.

Attorney Nick Mango said that Marshle Patrick Graham was turning left from Route 37 (West Cherry Street) into the Wendy's restaurant at 88 North Miller Drive in Sunbury and approaching a vehicle driven by Gary Langston, 58, of Sunbury.

Graham had planned to get his son a kid's meal and had parked at about 2 p.m. when Langston, apparently believing that he had been cut off, chased him down, Mango said.

"I look at it as a following, if not stalking, behavior, to go after (Graham)," Mango said of Langston.

Graham, who turned 43 on Thursday, alleges that Langston was about to swing at him when Graham punched him and a fight erupted with punches and brawling on the ground, according to Mango. At some point, Graham shot Langston beside cars in the parking lot as Graham's son remained in the rear seat of his car.

After the shooting, Graham left the scene. But within minutes, he called 911 to report the shooting and his whereabouts, a campgrounds in Berkshire Township when he had been living in a 40-foot camper with his wife and son, according to Mango.

"We're very confident his actions were justified under the circumstances," Mango said of Graham.

The Delaware County Coroner said that Langston was face down and had two bullet wounds, in his chest and his side.

The criminal complaint against Graham indicates that Graham went into "a sudden fit of rage" and shot Langston with a handgun. He was placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle bracelet after posting $35,000 cash surety bond on Dec. 19.

Prosecutors had sought a $200,000 bond. Mango had asked a Delaware County Common Pleas Court magistrate for a non-cash recognizance bond.

A probable cause affidavit by Sunbury police indicates more of a two-sided struggle. In a rambling statement to police from the campground, Graham said the argument escalated when Langston "acted like he was going to punch him, so he punched him back."

Graham alleged that Langston, at one point, reached into his car where Graham's son was sitting. Graham told police that only then did he retrieve his .380-caliber Ruger handgun from the passenger seat.

Police found blood on and inside Graham's car and on his clothes when they arrested him at the campground.

At least one other witness included a similar account of the fight, including a 30-second cellphone video she recorded. She told police that Graham threw the first punch.

A preliminary hearing scheduled Thursday in Delaware County Common Pleas Court was canceled as the case will be presented at a later date by a Delaware County grand jury for possible indictment.

Mango described a reasonable fear of harm, or self-defense response by Graham.

"Weapon or not, I think there can be a reasonable fear of harm to yourself and child ... especially from someone that you are trying to get away from," Mango said. "I think if he didn't have his kid in the car, he would have called (police) from the Wendy's."

Five days before Christmas, Mango said he's told Graham: "Go home and settle down and get back to your son, who's probably traumatized by this."

Sunbury police asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's help to process the homicide scene.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@ShahidMeighan

smeighan@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brawl led to fatal shooting at Sunbury Wendy's; gunman on house arrest
Dean Phillips, the Democratic congressmember challenging Joe Biden, is endorsing "Medicare for All legislation, aligning himself with the progressive movement in one of its longstanding gripes with the White House.

The Minnesota representative, for the first time, is signing onto a bill that would create a single-payer health care system in America.

Phillips, who shared the news first with POLITICO, insisted he is not making the shift for campaign reasons  and continues to have key disagreements with the plan. For instance, he said he doesn't support outlawing nearly all private insurance, which is precisely what Medicare for All would do. But his decision represents a symbolic step towards progressive politics for a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus who has long been associated with the centrist wing of the Democratic Party.

Its also the latest sign that Phillips is looking to win over progressive voters who may be disillusioned with Biden as he runs a long-shot primary campaign against the president. Biden declined to support "Medicare for All" legislation during the 2020 primary, even as some traditional Democrats like Kamala Harris joined Bernie Sanders and other liberals in endorsing the idea.

In an interview, Phillips acknowledged that the journey he has taken to "Medicare for All" has been a long one. An heir to a liquor fortune, Phillips said he took access to health care for granted most of his life. But that changed almost a decade ago, he said, when his then-teenage daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and he watched as other children in her hospital battled disease without health insurance.

He said that he continued to rethink the issue when he opened coffee shops in 2016 and couldnt afford to give his part-time employees health insurance, which he called profoundly disappointing. Then, when he won a congressional seat in 2018, he said his evolution continued as he found himself representing a district where UnitedHealth Group was headquartered.

I started to recognize this massive disconnect between the behemoths in the health insurance business and then the people that I represented, who were telling me the most horrifying stories about having their coverage denied or having to take on medical debt or going bankrupt, he said.

Still, Phillips did not endorse "Medicare for All" legislation until now, and he grants that he continues to take issue with key provisions of the bill. But he linked his movement toward the proposal as tied to other ideas he has supported in the past, such as a state-based public option and legislation aimed at making it easier for states to implement universal health care.

I have a progressive heart, a pragmatic head, and want to work with people on both sides of the aisle to achieve better outcomes for the country that both improve care and lower costs, he said. Those are the best combinations of progressive and conservative principles I could possibly imagine, and that makes this proposition remarkably centrist.

Phillips said he still has some differences of opinion on some of the transitional plans and some of the parameters of the "Medicare for All" bill he plans to put his name on, which was introduced by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).

In a white paper, he states that he thinks most Americans will eventually choose the "Medicare for All" plan voluntarily, and his team estimates that within a decade there may only be a few private plans left on the fringes. He likened his proposal to the public education system, where everyone has access to public school but also has the option to attend private school or be homeschooled.

Phillips declined to provide the exact means by which "Medicare for All, which analysts have said would cost trillions, should be funded. In the white paper, he laid out ideas that he said have been suggested by others, such as income-based premiums, business premiums and closing tax loopholes. But he said it would ultimately be up to Congress to decide.

During his presidential campaign that he launched in October, Phillips has made other attempts to win over progressives, bashing Biden over his opposition to marijuana legalization and criticizing Israel in its war against Hamas. But some on the left think his moves have been ham-fisted and ingenuine.

At the same time, Phillips has taken moderate positions on other issues, knocking Biden over the border and saying that U.S. special forces should potentially play a role rescuing American hostages in Gaza.

Phillips team said he will formally co-sign the "Medicare for All" bill on Wednesday.
Two detectives in the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division say they were ordered to investigate Mayor Karen Bass shortly after her election at the behest of Chief Michel Moore, allegations the chief has strongly denied.

The detectives filed the complaints with the Office of the Inspector General alleging that Moore called for Internal Affairs investigators to conduct an inquiry into a USC scholarship that Bass received.

Bass' USC scholarship had come under scrutiny during the 2022 election, when her opponent in the mayoral race, Rick Caruso, blasted her for accepting it and later offering legislation that would have given USC and private universities wider eligibility for federal funding. Bass denied any wrongdoing, and the House Committee on Ethics cleared her request to accept the tuition award.

While federal prosecutors did not charge Bass, they said in court papers that her scholarship and her dealings with USC were critical to a corruption case involving the university and a top Los Angeles County elected official.

In a message to The Times on Tuesday, Moore said: The mayor and I have NOT discussed any such investigation by anyone in the department into her USC Masters Degree in Social Work," he said. "Additionally, I have no such knowledge of any alleged investigation nor would I initiate any such investigation.

On Wednesday, after The Times' story was published, Moore posted a follow-up statement calling the allegations "patently false."

LAPD Chief Michael Moore, from left, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, discusses the recent murders of three homeless men by a suspected serial killer at the LAPD Headquarters. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

"The Los Angeles Police Department Internal Affairs Division is restricted in scope to conducting investigations of potential misconduct by Department employees," the statement read. "I did not initiate, request, or authorize an investigation as alleged in any fashion. This matter is now with the Office of the Inspector General and I look forward to their investigation into these fictitious allegations."

In their complaints, the detectives said they found Moore's alleged request, which was relayed by their supervisors, troubling to the point that they ultimately refused the assignment. It's unclear why Internal Affairs investigators would have been asked to handle such an inquiry.

Moore did not respond to a question about the possibility that his underlings might have misinterpreted him. The detectives' complaints say it was not clear "how far and to what extent" any subsequent investigation into Bass went. But they said the timing of the request  in early January, as Moore's future as the city's top cop was in limbo under the new mayor  led them to question the chief's motives.

"I believe that using LAPD resources to investigate Karen Bass was improper, unethical and a violation of City ordinances and was done for the personal benefit of Chief Moore to assure his reappointment as Chief of Police," one of the complaints said.

City Hall makes a cubist reflection in the windows of the LAPD Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

The competing narratives, between the chief and two seasoned detectives, have once again thrust the normally secretive inner workings of the department into the public spotlight after a string of embarrassing scandals involving LAPD leadership. The latest allegations are not supported by any evidence in the complaints, and neither detective would discuss the case further.

One of the detectives, Jason Turner, declined to comment when contacted by The Times on Tuesday. Attorney Greg Smith provided the Times with a copy of the other detective's complaint on the condition that they not be identified because they fear retaliation within the department.

The Times asked the Office of the Inspector General if it had received complaints regarding allegations involving Moore and Bass and a spokesperson said it had.

We have received communications regarding this matter, and we are handling them according to our standard protocols," the office said in a statement. "In general, when the OIG receives allegations of misconduct against any Department employee, we ensure that a formal complaint investigation is initiated.

The Times reviewed copies of the complaints and emails showing they were submitted. The first claim was also sent to a member of the mayor's staff, who confirmed receipt, according to a record of the email reviewed by The Times.

In response to questions Tuesday about the allegations, a spokesperson for Bass said: Mayor Bass focus is on reducing crime. People need to get with that program and stop wasting time and resources on debunked political attacks.

The complaints say Moore's order to investigate Bass was relayed by Capt. Divyesh "John" Shah, the head of internal affairs, during a meeting at a Figueroa Street high-rise that houses the department's professional standards bureau, among other city agencies.

With Moore nearing the end of his first five-year term and seeking reappointment, the detectives said they were uncomfortable with the request to look into the incoming mayor's prior scholarship.

Turner said another internal affairs supervisor who was present for the conversation, Det. Jason De La Cova, asked him to draw on his connections and experience working in the Southwest Division, where USC is located, his complaint alleges.

The two detectives had already been investigating the university over its connection to Cory Palka, the former LAPD captain who retired last year amid allegations that he schemed to cover up a sexual abuse claim against former CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves. Their investigation centered on whether Palka's daughter, who was a USC student at the time, had received an internship thanks to her father's cozy relationship to Moonves.

In their complaints, the detectives said Shah and De La Cova briefed them on a meeting about the Palka case with Moore and Michael Rimkunas, his deputy chief in charge of professional standards. Shah suggested the order to investigate Bass came out of that meeting, the complaints say.

After they refused, De La Cova took on the assignment, according to the complaints.

Attempts to reach Shah and De La Cova for comment on Tuesday were not successful.

Questions about Bass' ties to USC arose last fall when The Times, citing congressional records, reported that she had been awarded a $95,000 scholarship to USCs social work school without having directly applied. The scholarship led her to be discussed in a federal corruption case involving the schools former dean, Marilyn Flynn.

Flynn was sentenced to three years probation after she admitted to bribing one-time Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in exchange for his help securing the renewal of a county contract.

Ridley-Thomas, a former city council member and onetime Bass ally, was sentenced earlier this year to 42 months in prison after a federal jury convicted him of a scheme to extract benefits from USC for himself and his son. The jury acquitted Ridley-Thomas of 12 other charges related to a scholarship and a professorship that his son, Sebastian, received from USC. Bass did not testify during the trial. Ridley-Thomas is appealing the conviction.

In support of Caruso, the Los Angeles Police Protective League sponsored a series of biting campaign commercials that sought to tie Bass to the federal corruption case involving Ridley-Thomas. A lawyer for Bass later sent a cease-and-desist letter to five local TV stations demanding they stop airing the ad.

Bass told The Times last fall that she initially applied to USCs masters in public administration program, a degree offered by the universitys Price School of Public Policy, which is separate from the social work school. Bass also said she thought her status as a former USC employee made her eligible for free tuition, but she did not continue when she found out she had to pay for the program.

Despite the controversy, Bass won the election by a healthy margin. The question of whether to bring back Moore as chief was one her first major decisions after taking office at the end of 2022. Under the city charter, the decision on whether to reappoint a police chief rests with the five-member civilian Police Commission But, in practice the final choice effectively rests with the mayor, who appoints the oversight body's members.

Late last December, weeks after Moore expressed desire to return for a second term, the commission's president announced that a vote on Moore's reappointment would be held on Jan. 10  around the same time as the alleged Internal Affairs meeting regarding Bass' scholarship. The announcement drew criticism from some longtime department observers, who accused the commission of rushing through its decision without considering Moore's record.

The vote was delayed after Bass released a statement saying she too felt it was "too soon." She asked the commission to take it up at a later date.

Moore had faced criticism in some quarters during his first term for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department's response to the mass protests of 2020, a botched detonation of a fireworks cache that destroyed a South L.A. neighborhood, and several controversial killings by officers.

The decision to reappoint Moore had been widely expected as several commission members had signaled their support for him. In news interviews and public comments, they called him a strong leader who was familiar with the intricacies of running the LAPD  a massive, multibillion-dollar organization that is constantly under a microscope.

And despite a string of recent controversies, a Loyola Marymount University survey of Los Angeles residents showed stronger satisfaction with the LAPDs overall performance than in recent years. The one caveat was that swaths of the population still see disparities in the way the department polices Black and Latino residents.

The chief was ultimately reappointed for a second term on January 31. Moore has said he plans to serve only another two or three years to ensure a smooth handoff to his successor.

In recent months, the department has been roiled by accusations of thefts and illegal stops by anti-gang officers in the San Fernando Valley, the inadvertent release of photos of undercover officers, and an allegation that an assistant chief used an Apple AirTag to surreptitiously track an officer with whom he had been romantically involved.

Moore has maintained public support from Bass, who defended the chief and praised his response to the gang unit scandal. They appeared together recently at a news conference at the Police Academy where Bass outlined her public safety bona fides.

But there are also signs of discord. Last month, Bass met with members of the Command Officer Assn. to discuss the direction of the department, according to five people who were present at the meeting or who were briefed on it. They requested anonymity in order to speak freely about what was considered a private meeting. Several attendees spoke of sinking morale and the need for more funding, and a series of written comments that were submitted anonymously and read aloud called for a change in department leadership, the sources said.

Bass repeatedly told the senior officials gathered "I hear you," according to the sources. She further said she intended to conduct a national search to find the city's next chief. In the meantime, she said she was busy working to fill other vacancies, according to some of those present.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Detroit police officer has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly punching a 71-year-old man in the face outside a bowling alley during a disorderly conduct call, delivering a blow that hospitalized the man for three weeks before ultimately claiming his life.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the 29-year-old officer's punch knocked the elderly man to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the pavement.

Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Tuesday in announcing the charges against Officer Juwan Marquise-Alexander Brown. "But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation. This behavior cannot be tolerated from our law enforcement.

The Detroit Police Department moved to fire Brown.

Detroit Police Department cruiser.

An argument and a deadly punch

The charges stem from an incident at about 6:50 p.m. Sept. 1, when police were dispatched to a bowling alley in the 4100 block of Woodward Avenue for complaints about a man who was being disorderly. That man was Daryl Vance, of Detroit.

According to Worthy, Brown and the man got into an argument that escalated, with Brown ultimately punching Vance in the face and knocking him to the ground.

Vance was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he died Sept. 21.

According to Worthy, the Wayne County medical examiner concluded that Vances death was caused by blunt force trauma to his head, from the punch.

Detroit police statement

After charges were filed, Detroit police issued a statement:

"Mr. Brown has been terminated from the Detroit Police Department as a result of his actions on Sept. 1, 2023.

"However," the statement continued, "Mr. Brown is exercising his contractual right to appeal the termination decision."

During an appeal, DPD said he would remain off the payroll "and will not possess any law enforcement authority."

The police statement also thanked the Prosecutor's Office for its work on the case, and said it will "cooperate fully" with Worthy's efforts to convict the officer.

Brown was scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in 36th District Court. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

An attorney of record is not known for Brown yet. He could not be reached for comment.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit cop charged after fatal punch killed 71-year-old man
(FOX 2) - Charlie LeDuff, a media personality and well-known Michigan-based journalist appeared in court Tuesday on domestic violence charges, court records show.

LeDuff was in the 45th District Court in Oakland County before Judge Powell Horowitz late Tuesday morning. He was released on a $5,000 personal bond and ordered to have no contact with his wife.

He was arrested on Monday around 9:25 p.m., the interim police chief with Pleasant Ridge told FOX 2. He's being represented by Attorney Todd Perkins, who entered a not guilty plea on behalf of LeDuff.

Charlie LeDuff. Mug shot courtesy of the Pleasant Ridge Police Department.

Perkins also released a statement:

"Charlie is a man who loves his family. He would like to keep this matter private, but the existing charges against him likely won't allow him to do that. He will do the best he can to keep it private as it moves through the courts. They're unable to comment further on the legal matter and are yet to have a conversation with law enforcement regarding the allegations."

LeDuff has worked at several local news organizations, including WJBK FOX 2 Detroit and the Detroit News.
A judge this week sentenced a woman to serve prison time after she was captured on video throwing her 10-year-old dog off the second-story roof of an Australian parking garage, local officials said.

The woman's dog, a Maltese shih-tzu named Princess, suffered critical injuries and was euthanized after the act of violence, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Western Australia (RSPCA) reported Wednesday.

The incident took place earlier last year at in a parking garage for the Westfield Whitford City Shopping Center in Perth, the capital of West Australia, located near the southwest coast.

Princess, a 10-year-old dog, before officials say she was tossed off the second story of a parking garage by her owner. The dog was later euthanized.

The dog's 26-year-old owner, Amy Lea Judge, of Clarkson, an outer northern suburb of Perth, was sentenced in Midland Magistrates Court Tuesday after being previously arrested on a charge of ill-treatment of an animal, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

This case was one of the most distressing Ive seen in my 11 years as an inspector and was a callous and extremely confronting display of animal cruelty, the agency's Inspector Manager Kylie Green released in a statement after the sentencing. Dogs can be so trusting, and they rely on their owners to keep them safe. I cant think of a more disgusting betrayal of that trust."

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Video shows dog tossed 30 feet to her ultimate death

Princess fell nearly 30 feet after being thrown and was found by a passerby who, the RSPCA reported, assumed shed been hit by a car.

The dog was rushed to a nearby vet "in a state of shock" suffering severe injuries including internal haemorrhaging, brain injury, and spinal and pelvic trauma. The vet, RSPCA reported, checked Princess microchip and contacted Judge, listed as her owner.

According to the RSPCA, Judge went to the vet to "discuss the extent of the dogs injuries and the cost of treatment, ultimately deciding on euthanasia."

Princess, a 10-year-old dog, before officials say she was tossed off the second story of a parking garage by her owner. The dog was later euthanized.

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Owner's Facebook post: 'I did her a favour'

Footage of the horrific act which Green said took place April 7, 2022 shows Judge in the parking garage apparently arguing with her partner, "repeatedly dangling Princess over the side of the carpark, and allowing her to walk along the roof edge, for a period of around eight minutes."

It goes on to show Judge walk back and forth from a car before launching the animal off the side.

Facebook post from Amy Judge provided by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Western Australia.

"The offender confessed" she threw the dog on Facebook, saying she couldnt live with the guilt, RSPCA reported, but later reportedly deleted the post and told an inspector her account had been hacked.

The post, obtained by USA TODAY, also reads, "I did her a favour because all I did was hurt her and abuse her."

'A planned, deliberate and intentional act'

During the sentencing hearing, the agency reported, Magistrate Mark Millington said Judge left Princess for dead in what he described as "a planned, deliberate and intentional act."

Millington said Judge displayed a lack of remorse and "consistently attempted to shift the blame and make excuses for her behaviour."

The judge sentenced her to 10 months prison for the animal cruelty charge and two months for "another unrelated matter," officials said. He also said she is forbidden from owning an animal for the next decade.

"Todays outcome delivers some justice for the pain and terror poor Princess endured in her final hours," Green said.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Australian woman sentenced to prison for tossing dog off garage
Members of South Floridas Venezuelan community criticized the Biden administration following the release of a close confidante of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro from federal custody in a prisoner swap that is bringing several American citizens back home.

Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and Maduro ally awaiting trial in a high-profile, money laundering case in Miami, was exchanged for 10 American citizens and a Malaysian fugitive, the Biden administration confirmed Wednesday. Maduros government also liberated 21 Venezuelan prisoners, including one of the main campaign organizers for Maria Corina Machado, who won the oppositions presidential primary in Venezuela in late October.

But the release of Saab as part of the Washington-Caracas deal has stunned Venezuelan exiles and ignited uproar among members of South Floridas congressional delegation, who say that the prisoner swap could embolden the Maduro government, as well as other world leaders with hostile relationships with the U.S.

READ MORE: Major prisoner swap between U.S. and Venezuela frees Maduro aide in exchange for Americans

Are they going to release El Chapo tomorrow too? said Ernesto Ackerman, president of the Miami-based Independent Venezuelan-American Citizens, referring to the former Mexican drug lord who ran the Sinaloa Cartel and who was sentenced to life in U.S. prison in 2019.

Ackerman told the Miami Herald in an interview that the release of Saab weakened U.S. national security because it would encourage criminals to act against American interests knowing there was a chance they could be freed.

The weakness that the Biden administration is showing the whole world is very dangerous, said Ackerman.

The Venezuelan advocate also participated in a press conference called by Republicans in Doral on Wednesday condemning the release of the Colombian businessman. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Colombian community leader Fabio Andrade, and proxies for Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar and Senator Rick Scott, also participated.

Gimenez told reporters that he was extremely disappointed with the actions of the Biden administration and said that while Wednesdays swap was good news for the prisoners and their families, it would put more Americans around the world at risk.

If you are a regime and you simply want one of your criminals back, all you need to do is kidnap some Americans anywhere in the world, and this administration is going to be negotiating with you, said Gimenez. This is a continuation of a pattern by this administration to negotiate with terrorists.

After the press conference, Salazar put out a statement on her X account, describing Saabs release as a a new victory for the Maduro regime.

Saab was detained in June 2020 in Cape Verde and later extradited to the United States. U.S. prosecutors allege that he and another Colombian national funneled $350 million dollars into overseas accounts by taking advantage of a contract to build low-income housing for the Venezuelan government. The federal government also accused him of bribing Venezuelan officials to look the other way. He faced up to 20 years in prison.

Saab, who has also served as a Drug Enforcement Agency informant, was awaiting trial in prison. He was viewed as a treasure trove of information on the inner workings of the Venezuelan government.

READ MORE: Alex Saab, the key man in U.S.-Venezuela prisoner swap, made millions from Maduro regime

Jose Antonio Colina, a former Venezuelan National Guard lieutenant who leads an organization of politically persecuted Venezuelans in South Florida, told the Herald that he respected the federal governments right to broker deals that benefited national interests, but called the development disastrous. He referred to the release of two of Maduros nephews who had been convicted of drug smuggling in exchange for other American prisoners in October 2022 as another example of Biden administrations concessions to the Venezuelan government.

It seems like there is an understanding between the United States and Nicolas Maduros regime, which is perilous. It generates great concern for us. We worry that if they could hand over an individual like this one, they might hand over Venezuelan political exiles on American soil, Colina said.

William Diaz, the founder of Casa de Venezuela, an Orlando-based organization that has supported Venezuelans in Central Forida and across the U.S. for two decades, told the Miami Herald that as a Venezuelan he was unhappy about Saabs freedom, but that as an American, he was happy that the U.S. prisoners were coming home.

Diaz, whose group also works in immigration advocacy, said that despite Wednesdays news, his fellow countrymen should remember that the Biden administration had created historic benefits for them, such as the designation of Temporary Protected Status for the country in March 2021 and the expansion of the program for an additional 472,000 Venezuelans this September.

In every international conflict, there is an exchange of prisoners. Let us remember that there were some prisoners in Russia, in the former Soviet Union, in Iran, who were released through exchanges. We Venezuelans are not accustomed to international conflicts, so it surprises us and makes us think that it is a weak administration, said Diaz.
China urges U.S. to stop solely blocking UN resolutions on Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire

Xinhua) 09:36, December 20, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that China hopes the United States will stop single-handedly blocking UN Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire.

Wang said so at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on remarks by U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns at the Brookings Institution on Dec. 15 that China has a wish to become more influential in the Middle East, but the work to end the conflict is really on U.S. shoulders.

Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, China has been committed to promoting a ceasefire, protecting the civilians and easing the humanitarian crisis, Wang said.

Wang said as the president of the Security Council in November, China enabled the adoption of the first Security Council resolution since the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, submitted the Position Paper of the People's Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and worked to galvanize more support and action from the Security Council.

China has provided multiple batches of aid, including humanitarian cash assistance, food and medicine, to the people in Gaza, Wang added.

"I want to stress that China does not have selfish interests in the Middle East and does not seek to form exclusive blocs in the region. China always supports the people in Middle East countries in keeping the region's future in their own hands," said Wang.

Wang noted that China stands ready to work with Arab-Islamic countries to firmly support the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their lawful national rights.

In recent years, China has proposed a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East, a four-point proposal for the political settlement of the Syrian issue, and a three-point vision for the implementation of the two-state solution to the Palestinian question, according to the spokesperson.

Noting that China successfully hosted the Saudi Arabia-Iran talks in Beijing which produced major outcomes, Wang said all the efforts are aimed to encourage regional countries to seek strength through solidarity and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation.

"China will continue to work relentlessly to that end with the international community," Wang said.

There has been a rising voice from international community for a ceasefire, Wang said, adding that the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority.

"We hope the United States will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate ceasefire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe," Wang said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Ukrainian military and government officials continue debating ordering another wave of large-scale mobilization, Ukraines National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) secretary Oleksiy Danilov told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Dec. 20.

The Ministry of Defense, together with the General Staff, are proposing their vision [for further mobilization], said Danilov.

Read also: New mobilization initiatives expected soon, says NSDC chair Danilov

The final decision must be made by the MPs of the Verkhovna Rada. It's a complex discussion.

He added that discussions on mobilization are also taking place at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Danilov stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists on fairness in the matters of conscription.

Read also: Defense Minister urges local authorities to increase support for mobilization

So that it doesn't happen that some are currently defending the country while others are in different parts of the planet, relaxing, including some officials," he said.

Previously, Zelenskyy stated that the military suggested mobilizing an additional 450,000 to 500,000 people but he needed to be convinced of its necessity.

Read also: Why is Ukraine mulling the mobilization of 450-500k troops amidst Russian advance?

The Ukrainian parliament is preparing changes to the laws regarding the mobilization process, for which they are developing a major bill that would regulate issues related to conscription, troop rotation, and demobilization.

In the bill, MPs plan to make local authorities and police full participants in the process and abolish deferment for those studying for a second college degree.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever started streaming on Disney+ on Dec 8 with a 6+ age rating - Disney+

Disney has been accused of ruining the magic of Christmas for children with a new festive film launched on its streaming service.

The adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever started streaming on Disney+ on Dec 8 with a 6+ age rating.

But parents are calling for it to be re-rated as a 12+ so that it wont appear on young childrens accounts, after the films main character discovers a secret about Santa Claus.

Furious parents have taken to social media, claiming that the film has spoilt Christmas.

Under a post on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid account on X, formerly known as Twitter, one user questioned: Why make a movie like this FOR KIDS?

Other parents shared their grievances on the community review site Common Sense Media.

One user said: This will wreck Christmas!!! Im so disappointed with the creators. This is a trusted series and we had to stop the movie 20 min in.

The promotional content for the film does not warn of the Christmas spoiler.

Crazy and disgraceful age rating

In the original trailer, Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley is seen getting into trouble with his friends.

He is given an elf cuddly toy called Elfrendo by his mother, who tells the children that the toy will report any bad behaviour to Santa Claus.

As the trailer does not share or suggest the spoiler, parents were shocked when they watched the film and had to quickly turn it off in an attempt to save the magic of Christmas.

Parents on X said that it seemed crazy and disgraceful that the Christmas film would be rated as suitable for six-year-olds.

Others have threatened to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions unless the film is removed or the age rating is rectified.

One British primary school has reportedly emailed all parents of its pupils urging them to avoid the film if they do not want the magic of Christmas to be ruined prematurely.

A screenshot of the email  which has the contact information blurred out  was shared and reposted by parents and community groups on Facebook.

It warns that the film adaptation contains some information about Santa that you may not want your child to know.

Parents and teachers are urging people to complain directly to Disney+.

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A disoriented Brookline teenager jumped from a window after he took illegal magic mushrooms that he allegedly purchased from a man who is now facing drug charges, authorities said.

Officers launched an investigation into a suspected drug dealer in Brookline Village named Niko and learned that the 22-year-old man had taken a particular interest in selling to underage teens, according to the Brookline Police Department.

Investigators say the man purchased the drugs not suitable for kids, including psychedelic mushrooms, at local marijuana dispensaries and sold them to his many teen customers.

Many of these items have found their way onto the campus of Brookline High School, where students have been caught with items alleged to have been purchased from Niko, the department wrote in a statement.

One of the alleged customers suffered severe physical injuries after ingesting mushrooms and became so disoriented that he jumped from a sixth-story window, suffering severe injuries, police said.

The department shared a slideshow of items that were recovered after a search warrant was executed in connection with Nikos arrest, as well as a warning for local parents.

Many of the items are stored in bags designed to look like candy wrappers.

Do you recognize any of the items in the pictures? These are items recovered after a search warrant and arrest of an accused drug dealer who targeted Brookline teens, the department wrote. Many kids are unwitting victims of his harmful chemicals and toxins. So, if you see some of these items in your teens room, dont dismiss them as typical harmless pocket junk. Pay attention, and protect your kids from harmful substances.

At Brookline High School, one parent said she is mindful of the issue of teens and drugs.

Definitely a big concern, we dont know where its coming from. Were completely oblivious to whats happening. So, its a big concern, especially not knowing, said Sandra Cerda.

It is concerning people are taking these illicit drugs, but I think we have it relatively good here in Brookline, said Brookline High School freshman Amedeo Bettauer.

An investigation remains ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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December's biting breezes sweep through the Hampton Cemetery with a chill that holds a cheerful Christmas spirit and a somber air of mourning. Riding the breeze leaves rustle and roam between the headstones of Hampton County's long-departed.

As far as cemeteries go, this burial ground is a who's-who of the Lowcountry elite. Countless members of Hampton's prominent founding families rest here, as well as two former Hampton County Guardian editors, one who went on to become governor, but Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson is here to visit with members of the Murdaugh clan who no longer walk among us.

A Poinsettia has been placed at the headstone of Randolph Murdaugh III, former 14th Circuit Solicitor, at the Murdaugh family's final resting place in the Hampton Cemetery.

Blanca, the Murdaughs' former housekeeper, kneels not far from a potted Poinsettia that has been placed at a large headstone bearing the name "Randolph Murdaugh III," but there is no ornate stone erected for the person she came to commune with  only small, humble plaques bearing the names "Paul" and "Margaret," better known as Maggie.

She places miniature Christmas trees and other holiday offerings at the gravesite of two of the people she once worked loyally for  a mother and son tragically murdered more than two Christmases ago. Around the trees are plastic snowflakes, a white toy truck with greenery and holly berries and "Merry Christmas" on the driver's side door.

Christmas trees and trinkets adorn the gravesites of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, murdered two Christmases ago in June of 2021.

"Maggie loved Christmas," Blanca told the author. "She always went all out, decorating the house, a big tree. Some years I helped her decorate the trees at the entrance of Moselle."

She stops there, voice thick with emotion, as if the word "Moselle" was a cursed trigger word, then adds, "I miss her so much. She was my friend."

Christmas trees and trinkets adorn the gravesites of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, murdered two Christmases ago in June of 2021.

Maggie and her 22-year-old son, Paul, were brutally shot to death at the kennels not far from their Moselle home in June of 2021.

State prosecutors and investigators say they died in a twisted sacrifice of sorts because the family patriarch, husband and father Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, had a decade of criminal misdeeds to hide and distract attention from to stay ahead of discovery and disgrace.

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Paul's grandfather, a former attorney and solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III, died just three days after the killings, leaving the Murdaugh family to mourn three of their own in one summer week they will never fully recover from.

Alex Murdaugh crime saga brings a season of giving

The troubled crime saga of Alex Murdaugh has captured the attention of the English-speaking world. After being convicted of murdering his family during a made-for-TV trial in early 2023, and sentenced to one life sentence for every life he took, he pleaded guilty to a score of the more than 100 financial crimes he was facing.

In the swath of his decade-long crime spree, as much as $10 million was stolen from vulnerable, trusting victims in multiple counties.

But some of those victims have carved triumph from this tragedy, and are setting a resilient, noble example by using settlement monies from successful civil suits to give back to their S.C. Lowcountry communities.

In the wake of a February 2019 Murdaugh family boat crash that took the life of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, a fatal accident that eventually resulted in a $15 million settlement, the Beach family of Hampton County has plans to use some of that money to help build a new animal shelter.

Through a nonprofit named in Mallory's honor, Mal's Palz, the Beachs have some joy in their holiday season after a successful meeting with their county council to establish a public-private partnership that will hopefully honor Mallory's love of helping and homing animals in distress.

Meanwhile, another group of Murdaugh victims has been busy this holiday season: the family of the late Gloria Satterfield, a Murdaugh family employee whose death sparked an insurance scheme as well as criminal and civil cases.

Through a nonprofit in Satterfield's honor, the Gloria's Gift Foundation, this family has been busy this December bringing extra Christmas joy to multiple lower-income families in Hampton County.

Family members of the late Gloria Harriott Satterfield delivered Christmas gifts from the Gloria's Gift Foundation to the Hampton County Department of Social Services' Fill the Stocking campaign. From left are Wade Hadwin, Ginger Harriott Hadwin, and Evon Williams, retired Child Welfare Specialist at DSS.

For some Alex Murdaugh victims, it's a season for forgiving

While some of Murdaugh's victims find healing through helping, others have shown us examples of grace and forgiveness.

Murdaugh pleaded guilty to many of his state financial crimes, and during his Nov. 28 sentencing, several of his victims looked him in the eye and expressed a variety of emotions.

Tony Satterfield, whose mother, the late Gloria Satterfield, worked for Murdaugh and helped care for his children, said, "You lied, you stole, you betrayed me, my mom and my family," but added, "I forgive you, and I'll pray for you."

Tony Satterfield addresses the court during Alex Murdaugh's sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Gloria's sister, Ginger Harriott Hadwin, told Murdaugh that her sister now has a more positive legacy by creating the Gloria's Gift Foundation, which helps local families at Christmas, "so that Gloria would be remembered forever."

Ginger Hadwin, the sister of Gloria Satterfield, reads a letter to Alex Murdaugh during Murdaugh's sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Pamela Pinckney, one of the many former law clients robbed by Murdaugh and the mother of another victim, the late Hakeem Pinckney, cited the 23rd Psalm and said she forgave Murdaugh while thanking God for giving her the strength to get through this ordeal.

Another victim, Jordan Jinks, said he forgave Murdaugh and that there was no need to steal the money  he would have gladly given it to Murdaugh if he knew the troubled attorney needed it.

Jordan Jinks tears up after speaking with Alex Murdaugh during Murdaugh's sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

What lessons can we learn from Murdaugh and his victims?

What lies in the wake of the Murdaugh crime saga during a holiday season that is meant for celebration and family gatherings?

Even as Mal's Palz gets closer to its goals, this will be the fifth Christmas without Mallory for the Beach family.

While the joy of giving brightens the founders of Gloria's Gift and rewrites Gloria's legacy, Christmas will never be the same without Gloria Satterfield, who left behind two sons and seven siblings.

While many of Murdaugh's financial victims have since been "made whole" by payouts or settlements from his former law firm and the Hampton bank he used to orchestrate many of his scams, for some, the money comes too little, too late  and not when they needed it the most when they were injured, suffering, unable to work.

And you can not put a price on betrayal, on abuse of trust and privilege.

Once a prominent attorney from an esteemed Hampton County family, Murdaugh tumbled from grace as he stole from the weak and vulnerable, the trusting, the needful, the injured living and the mourned dead.

A Colleton County jury says he used two of his family's weapons to gun down mother and son at a place where they should have been safest. The families of Maggie and Paul now grieve deaths that have become public fodder for true crime fans around the country.

Murdaugh's surviving son, Richard Alexander "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., has truly suffered: his mother and brother were slain, his father disgraced and convicted, and he bears a disgraced family name now known worldwide.

There are glaringly obvious life lessons aplenty to be found in this tale of greed, deceit, betrayal, manipulation and murder in the Palmetto State. They can even be found etched in the stones of the 10 Commandments: Thou shalt not steal, kill, idolize, and I think we know the rest.

There are even broader lessons our criminal and civil justice systems can learn from what social media followers have called "The Murdaugh Mess."

More importantly, there are examples of giving, grace and forgiveness demonstrated in recent months by the victims turned victors of Alex Murdaugh, and we should certainly pay heed to those examples. If we take nothing else from this tragic tale, remember the example set by these blue-collar, hardworking Hampton County families.

But perhaps the most important lessons were shared under press spotlights outside the Colleton County Courthouse on the night of March 2, minutes after Murdaugh was convicted of murder, wise words uttered by State Grand Jury prosecutor Creighton Waters and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson that certainly hold as we gather with our families this holiday season.

"It doesn't matter how much money you have, if you do wrong, break the law, murder, justice will be done in South Carolina," swore Waters.

"When you go home tonight, hug your loved ones, hug your spouse, hug your children. You can't take them for granted," Wilson reminds us.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Holidays a season of giving, forgiving for Alex Murdaugh's victims
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The body of a young woman who was murdered by serial killer Gary Ridgway in the early 1980s has been identified through DNA testing 40 years after her death, the King County Sheriffs Office announced on Dec. 19.

The victim, whose remains were found near the Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn, Wash. in 1985, was recently identified as Lori Anne Razpotnik of Lewis County. Razpotnik disappeared in 1982 after she ran away from home when she was 15 years old.

Razpotniks bones were discovered on Dec. 30, 1985, when City of Auburn employees were called to the scene of a car that had driven over an embankment near the cemetery. Upon searching the area, officials found a pair of unidentified human remains, which they labeled as Bones 16 and Bones 17.

Lori Anne Razpotnik of Lewis County, Wash. Razpotniks remains were recently identified, 40 years after she was murdered by serial killer Gary Ridgeway. (King County Sheriffs Office)

Convicted serial killer Gary Ridgeway in 2001. (FBI)

Authorities seek info on suspicious death in Polk County

Ridgway led investigators to the same ravine in 2002 and admitted to dumping the young womens bodies there, investigators said. He pleaded guilty in 2003 to murdering the women but was unable or unwilling to identify them.

In 2012, DNA testing identified Bones 16 as 20-year-old Sandra Majors. With the help of the Virginia company Parabon NanoLabs, Inc., King County detectives obtained a DNA sample from Bones 17. Detectives then collected a saliva sample from Razpotniks mother and asked the University of North Texas to perform a DNA comparison, which confirmed that Bones 17 were Razpotniks remains.

Due to advancements in DNA technology, they were able to develop a new DNA profile to begin the forensic genetic genealogy process, the King County Sheriffs Office said. After extensive research, they concluded that the victim was Lori Anne Razpotnik.

Man slain in car near Washington Square, homicide investigation underway

Ridgeway, known as the Green River Killer, is considered one of the most active serial killers in U.S. history. Ridgeway is linked to the deaths of at least 48 women who went missing around the Pacific Northwest between 1982 and 1984.

The FBI joined the investigation in the summer of 1985 when two of Ridgways victims were found near Portland. Ridgeway was arrested by police in 2001 after his DNA was linked to one of his many victims. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to the murders of 48 women and was sentenced to life without parole.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching a billboard campaign against Republican Nikki Haley in Iowa, putting up visuals to attack her on reproductive rights as she campaigns in the state.

The DNC will put up four billboards in Davenport to equate Haley with extreme abortion bans, the committee first told The Hill. Haley is set to campaign and hold a town hall Wednesday in Davenport.

Its bold of Nikki Haley to double down on her support for a national abortion ban when the overwhelming majority of women across America disagree with her extreme position. Haley has always been an anti-abortion extremist  she signed an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest as governor, and she said she would sign any nationwide abortion ban that landed on her desk as president, Sarafina Chitika, DNC national press secretary, said in a statement.

The billboards denounce Haley as a candidate who would sign any nationwide ban as president, after she said during the November GOP primary debate that she would sign such a bill if it could pass Congress. The billboards also call her out for signing an extreme ban without exceptions for rape or incest after she signed a 20-week abortion bill as South Carolina governor in 2016 that didnt allow rape or incest exceptions.

Haley is showing the women of America who she is  and we must believe her, Chitika said.

Haley has worked to improve her standing in Iowa, and her campaign last month announced a $10 million ad buy in Iowa, as well as in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, with the Iowa Republican caucus less than six weeks away, former President Trumps lead in the state is growing, with an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll putting him at 51 percent and Haley trailing at 16 percent. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is polling at 19 percent.

Nationally, a recent Wall Street Journal poll showed Haley beating President Biden by 17 points, 51 percent to 34 percent.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
As the 2024 election cycle goes into full swing, Republican presidential hopefuls and sitting politicians are ramping up their rhetoric about their military plans for the U.S.-Mexico border.

The politicians argue that military force  effectively doubling down on the War on Drugs within the borders of Americas largest trading partner  can help stem the flow of synthetic opioid drugs like fentanyl. Such drugs killed more than 70,000 Americans in 2021, according to government data.

In recent months, former president Donald Trump, the likely GOP nominee, and his longshot rivals  including former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy  have all committed to using military force against drug cartels, with or without the Mexican governments consent.

Trumps campaign website states the former president intends to impose a full naval embargo on the cartels using Navy ships, in addition to deploying special forces, cyber warfare, and other covert and overt actions against the criminal organizations. Other proposals include drone and missile strikes, as well as special operations raids into Mexico.

The nations leader, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, strongly opposes any U.S. military action in Mexicos sovereign territory. Although more than half of Americans, according to a September Reuters/Ipsos poll, support sending troops into Mexico to fight the cartels, only 29% would support doing so against the Mexican governments wishes.

Meanwhile, the militarys efforts on U.S. soil to shore up border security amid record-high migration levels will continue into 2024.

The Texas National Guards state-controlled border security effort, Operation Lone Star, has stationed thousands of Guardsmen along the border. Because they are not considered federal military members while on state duty, they have arrested migrants on state trespassing charges in addition to manning observation posts and building barriers along the border, among other duties. Troops assigned to the mission have run afoul of intelligence oversight rules, according to a joint Army Times-Texas Tribune investigation, and have committed shootings and other controversial incidents.

Texas Guardsmen spied on migrants via WhatsApp, mishandled secret docs

U.S. Northern Command also has two federally controlled missions to support federal agencies at the border. According to the command, the larger of the two consists of 2,500 Army National Guard soldiers assisting Customs and Border Protection with tasks like camera watching, analysis support, and aerial monitoring. In a parallel but separate effort, 800 active duty troops of multiple branches remain authorized to assist CBP with administrative, logistical and surveillance work there through the end of 2023.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- Staring at the computer screen in an office complex not too far from Schriever and Peterson Space Force Bases, a Guardian had a rapidly diminishing timer with only eight minutes left to carefully type in the complex computer code needed to hack an enemy satellite.

The low-Earth orbit satellite, which was traveling at roughly 18,000 miles an hour, was reportedly gathering intelligence about U.S. military assets across the Midwest, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard on four passes -- leaving only a small contact window in which the Guardians could work to stop the enemy from collecting photos and reconnaissance.

Their plan was to slowly redirect the satellite's camera away from its intended targets by a few degrees each pass, a subtle averted gaze so as not to arouse suspicion. But if the enemy noticed any small changes, the Guardians' cover could be blown. One young specialist came up with the idea to send the operator false data, so the enemy would think it was business as usual. Then, once their mission was complete, they'd hack into the logs and erase them, hiding all traces they were even there.

Read Next: Second Air Force General Ever to Be Charged with Sexual Assault Will Face Court-Martial

A single mistype could shut down the whole operation or, worse, blow their cover. After the eight minutes, a quiet settled into the laboratory as the contact window closed and connection with the enemy's satellite was lost. It would be another hour before another pass and a chance to inflict further damage on the enemy. In the downtime, the Guardians grabbed snacks, checked their text messages and, at one point, talked about comic book collections.

The November exercise -- a simulation put on at the nonprofit Stephenson Stellar Corporation's headquarters in Colorado Springs -- was targeting the "People's Republic of Atlantica," a "small but potent threat" that has "assumed a partnership with a great Power Competitor." The imagined scenario offered a rare glimpse into the very real approaches that Space Force Guardians could use to hack, defend, operate and control an enemy's satellite, strategies the service remains tight-lipped about as it tries to preserve a competitive edge.

On Dec. 20, the Space Force is celebrating four years as a service. The smallest military branch, with around 8,600 service members, it's shrouded in more secrecy than many of the others, leading to a seemingly perpetual question from the public: "What does the Space Force do?"

Americans can see F-35s on an Air Force base's runway. They can see Army soldiers driving Humvees and watch Navy aircraft carriers ship off to sea.

But you can't see outer space and, due to the highly classified nature of the Space Force's operations, broadcasting what it does is often not possible, especially when many Guardians work from sensitive compartmented information facilities, also known as SCIFs, on carefully guarded military installations. Those SCIFs come with special rules about access to cell phones, among other protections meant to keep information from leaking out.

"I don't talk about work, and my wife doesn't really know what I do," said one enlisted Guardian, who didn't want to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media. "It helps when you work in a SCIF; you have to leave work at the door."

But the Space Force's mission statement -- "secure our Nation's interests in, from, and to space" -- is a tall order for a small force and encompasses more than just monitoring satellites, keeping an eye out for space debris, or launching the occasional rocket into the atmosphere.

It ranges from operating the global positioning system that helps billions navigate worldwide, detecting missiles being fired across the globe at a moment's notice, and protecting satellites and their networks from being attacked.

At first, the service debuted as a punch line for late-night talk shows, only exacerbated by its Star Trek-ian uniform unveiling, and faced an unclear future following President Donald Trump's one term in office. Trump had been an early proponent of the service, pushing ahead with its creation despite skepticism from lawmakers.

Since then, the service branch has outlived a Netflix comedy show of the same name, seen a historic increase in funding in 2024's annual defense policy bill, and set up commands in the Pacific, Middle East and South Korea.

The very real threats in space are growing, underscoring the important need for Guardians to prepare and train, like in the scenario set up by Stephenson Stellar, on how to defend against attacks on satellites.

"Over the past year and a half, there has been regular testing and use of reversible non-destructive capabilities, as well as a destructive test that created a debris field, jeopardizing safe operations and indicating that the domain will continue to become more contested," retired Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, the first chief of space operations for the service, wrote in a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, published in April. "China and Russia are developing and integrating space capabilities that will afford them the same advantages the United States currently enjoys, placing U.S. forces at great risk."

Training to Meet the Threats

Sitting in a conference room at the Stephenson Stellar offices, six Space Force Guardians, an Air Force Academy cadet, and several civilians from other space- and cyber-focused groups watched slideshows on what tactics would work best to degrade the capabilities of an enemy satellite.

During the discussion, some tactics involved draining the enemy satellite's battery; other ideas included changing the data so that it would give false diagnostic reports to the adversary to make them believe the satellite was functioning like normal. But most of the discussions of tactics skirted around the ideas of just blatantly destroying or crashing the satellite.

Maj. Victor Beitelman, a former Army signal officer who transferred into the Space Force in 2021, participated in the training. He told Military.com that he joined the Army to be "the tip of the spear" but that takes on a different practice in space.

"Brute force is not the way that you're going to win in space," Beitelman said. "There are ways that you can deny adversaries access to space, but it comes at the cost of sacrificing everything that's on orbit. Outmaneuvering and outpacing these threats and things like that is, that's the kind of mindset that we want in the younger generation."

One type of attack is referred to as kinetic, such as missiles to destroy a satellite ground station or a satellite itself. No country has tried this on another nation's satellite, according to CSIS, but the United States, Russia, China and India have all had success testing such attacks on their own satellites.

In 2007, China fired a ballistic missile, destroying its own satellite and creating a cloud of more than 3,000 pieces of space debris, the largest ever tracked, according to the nonprofit Secure World Foundation

These types of attacks are discouraged in the international community, in part, because of the amount of debris they cause. Picking up wreckage in space isn't possible, and the remnants of a destroyed satellite can orbit for years. There are more than 6,000 active total satellites in space and upward of 40,000 pieces of orbital debris, causing plenty of obstacles for operators.

But there are less destructive ways to interfere with satellites, such as using high-powered lasers to blind a camera. There is also a variety of methods in which an attacker could jam a satellite or, like the Guardians training in November at Stephenson Stellar were learning, types of cyberattacks.

Potential enemies have clearly demonstrated they too are developing technology and techniques to mess with satellites.

A 2021 threat report from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence indicated that "China has ground-based lasers capable of blinding or damaging optical sensors on low-altitude satellites," CSIS said in its 2023 threat assessment report.

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has also showcased the ways it's been utilizing space for warfighting. In a major show of force in November 2021, Russia launched a missile destroying one of its own satellites, creating more than 1,500 pieces of orbital debris.

But Russia has also consistently used cyberattacks against Ukraine's ground stations and toyed with commercial airline GPS. In March 2022, Starlink -- which provides free satellite internet and communications for Ukraine -- encountered Russian satellite communications jamming attempts.

It's the competitive nature of what's going on in space, with multiple countries trying to develop technologies that could surprise potential enemies, that makes so much of the Space Force's mission classified and kept secret from the public, exacerbating the relative confusion over what Guardians do.

"If you shoot a bullet, anybody can visualize that and see what the effect is," said Master Sgt. Stephen Lescroart, an enlisted cyber intelligence Guardian.

Lescroart, however, believes that the impact of what the Space Force is doing might be greater than the immediately obvious boom from other services' weapons. "With things in the cyber realm and the space realm, there are our force multipliers that support other things, and make that force greater than it is," he said.

What the Space Force might do in response to an enemy attack is generally highly classified, but Guardians are training for a wide variety of possibilities to attack and defend against those tactics.

"Now, with space, we are at the tip of the spear, but you don't have to be in orbit to actually be directly impacting national security," Beitelman said.

Preparing to Launch

The Space Force of 2019 looked a lot different than the service preparing to take on 2024's challenges.

Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Military.com that the service worked on setting up the basics for the first couple of years.

Now, especially as threats grow in Europe, the Pacific and, most recently, in the Middle East, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance B. Saltzman has been showcasing how the Space Force can be there to help.

"They spent the last three or four years doing organizational changes," Bingen said. "But now he's really tweaking it to posture them for combatant command and operational support, the same way that you see the other services be able to present forces and capabilities to combatant commanders who then execute warfighting operations."

In another important milestone for the service, U.S. Space Command -- the combatant command for all military operations in space -- reached full operational capability last week following a years-long political battle over whether it would be based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or Huntsville, Alabama.

"As the command has matured, challenges to a safe, secure, stable, and sustainable space domain have significantly increased," Army Gen. James Dickinson, head of U.S. Space Command, said in a press release. "Both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation are fielding counter space capabilities designed to hold U.S., allied and partner space assets at risk. And North Korea and Iran are in the early stages of developing their space enterprise."

The Space Force is tasked with training and preparing Guardians to meet those challenges, which are evolving every day.

Stephenson Stellar's initiative, the Stellar Space Cyber Range, is being supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory, which awarded the group a $22.7 million contract in 2021.

The goal, Stephenson Stellar CEO and President Jeff Moulton told Military.com, is to get more funding to eventually launch four CubeSats, a type of microsatellite, into low-Earth orbit that participants in the training will be able to maneuver, hack and practice with in real time.

"You have to have that real environment to practice," Moulton said. "And no one's going to let you practice on their satellites, and that's what we were trying to do."

Training in real-world environments is becoming only more important as global tensions from adversaries such as China and Russia grow.

Just last week, China deployed its highly secretive space plane into outer space for the third time. It was just one day before the Space Force's own space plane, the comparable X-37B, was set to launch. That takeoff, organized with Elon Musk's SpaceX, has been repeatedly delayed.

Saltzman told reporters last week at the Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference that China's planned launch sent a message.

"It's no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane. We're extremely interested in theirs," Saltzman reportedly said. "It's probably no coincidence that they're trying to match us in the timing and sequence of this."

Editors Note: A previous version of this article misspelled Master Sgt. Stephen Lescroart's name. It also truncated the name of the Stellar Space Cyber Range. Both have been corrected.

Related: Space Force Reports 2 Suicides This Year, Marking the First in the Service's Short History
Patric Parkey didnt know much about the bedazzled orange cape he bought at a Nashville auction a few weeks ago, other than the fact that his idol Dolly Parton once wore it on stage in the 1970s.

To Parkey, who arguably owns the worlds largest private collection of Dolly memorabilia in his east Tennessee home, the lack of provenance didnt matter that much. He was attracted to the design of the orange and pearl rhinestones, which to him looked like the star of Bethlehem, and he ended up paying about $5,000 for it.

Patric Parkey, a Dolly Parton memorabilia collector in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., recently purchased at a Nashville auction this orange cape once worn by Parton. Parkey discovered through a Star-Telegram story Dec. 18 that the cape was from Partons Fort Worth concert on Dec. 2, 1977, at Panther Hall.

Then his friend came across a Star-Telegram story published this week about Partons concert at Fort Worths Panther Hall on Dec. 2, 1977.

The story featured recently digitized negatives of photos taken by the Star-Telegram during the show  photos that hadnt been seen in 46 years. And despite the images being in black and white, Parkey recognized the sleeved tunic-like cape immediately.

Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton entering Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, with her crew for a concert. There were 1,250 people in the venues country music ballroom.

Dolly is a very religious person, and if you look at the pictures  even in black and white  in the middle it looks like the star of Bethlehem, he told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday from his home in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton performing in concert at Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, to a crowd of 1,250 people in the venues country music ballroom.

Now that he knows where and when Parton wore the garment, I like it that much more, he said.

Many of Partons gowns in the 1970s were made by her seamstress Lucy Adams. The orange cape was one of three outfits that Parkey bought at the Juliens Auctions sale in Nashville in November, bringing his total number of Parton outfits in his collection to 54. One of the other capes he bought at the auction cost more than $10,000.

Parkey and his husband also own thousands of other items including photos, posters, shoes, dolls, games and even a pink bed where Parton slept at Dollywood. About eight years ago, Parton herself visited their home to admire their shrine.

Parkey was born in Dallas and lived in the Euless area before moving to east Tennessee about 13 years ago. That made the discovery of the orange capes Cowtown connection even more exciting.

Things work in mysterious ways, he said after seeing the Star-Telegram photos. I almost just died. Really? Fort Worth, Texas?

Newly revealed photos from Dolly Partons 1977 concert in Fort Worths Panther Hall
Nicolas Lerner, 45, attended the same elite graduate school as the French president and is said to be close to him (Ludovic MARIN)

France's domestic intelligence chief was appointed Wednesday to head the country's DGSE foreign espionage service made famous by the fictional hit series "The Bureau".

Nicolas Lerner is to replace a career diplomat as head of the Directorate-General for External Security, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.

It is the first time that a former head of the Directorate-General for Internal Security (DGSI) has become chief of the foreign intelligence agency.

Lerner, a 45-year-old civil servant, graduated from the elite graduate school ENA the same year as President Emmanuel Macron and is said to be close to the leader.

Reputed to be hardworking and discreet, he has spent all his career within the interior ministry, essentially working on national security, becoming head of the DGSI in 2018.

He replaces Bernard Emie, a diplomat who had been French ambassador to Lebanon, Turkey, Great Britain, Algeria and Jordan before being appointed to head the DGSE in 2017.

Emie launched reforms within the DGSE and saw the agency's budget increase. He is said to have improved relations with the domestic security agency.

But many have criticised the DGSE under him for failing to foresee the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and a string of military coups in former French colonies Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Fictional series "The Bureau" was a huge international hit for French producer Canal+, sold to more than 100 countries and was praised even by the DGSE for its realism.

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Donald Trump, pictured at an event in Iowa on Tuesday, is set to appeal the decision - Charlie Neibergall/AP

Colorados highest court has ruled Donald Trump is disqualified from holding office and removed him from the states 2024 ballot due to his incitement of the Jan 6 insurrection.

It is the first time a state court has found the Republican frontrunner should be barred from the ballot because of a US constitutional provision disqualifying people from federal office if they have engaged in insurrection.

The decision from the Colorado Supreme Court, whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors, also marks the first time in history that this particular clause of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

It is likely to set up a showdown in the US Supreme Court which will have to decide whether Mr Trump can remain in the race.

An official investigation into the insurrection concluded Mr Trump caused the riot - AP Photo

Mr Trumps campaign said it would appeal the 4-3 ruling, which rests on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment, to the US Supreme Court.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies people from holding office if they have engaged in insurrection against the Constitution after having taken an oath to support it.

A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the court wrote.

Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

Mr Trump attended a large rally of his supporters on Jan 6  the day of the insurrection - AP Photo

They added that we do not reach these conclusions lightly.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us, the court wrote. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

The court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Mr Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol.

But the court also said the former president could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

Attorney Eric Olson argued in the Colorado court that Mr Trump is ineligible for office - AP Photo

The states Supreme Court ruling applies only to its March 5 Republican primary, but would likely also affect Mr Trumps status for the general election.

The ruling will not take effect until Jan 4, to allow for appeals.

Completely flawed decision

Steven Cheung, Mr Trumps spokesman, said they would appeal the flawed and undemocratic ruling.

Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice, Mr Cheung said.

We have full confidence that the US Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favour and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for the 2024 nomination and has at times allied himself with Mr Trump during his insurgent campaign, called it an election interference tactic to silence political opponents and threatened to withdraw his candidacy in Colorado.

This is what an actual attack on democracy looks like, he said in a statement.

I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous pic.twitter.com/qbpNf9L3ln  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 20, 2023

The US Supreme Courts 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees.

Similar lawsuits in Minnesota and New Hampshire were dismissed on procedural grounds.

Meanwhile, a judge in Michigan ruled last month that the issue was political and not for him to decide, and an appeals court affirmed the decision not to disqualify him.

The case was brought by a group of Colorado voters, aided by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew), who argued that Mr Trump should be disqualified for inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol in a failed attempt to obstruct the transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

Noah Bookbinder, the president of Crew, said Tuesdays ruling is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis asked the state's top election official Wednesday to explore "every legal option" to remove former President Donald Trump from the Golden State's primary ballot.

The request comes a day after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump doesn't qualify for its primary ballot. The court argued Trump participated in an insurrection culminating in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and he is therefore ineligible for office under the terms of the 14th Amendment.

The decision, which will almost certainly be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, could have major implications for the 2024 election and thrust the courts into the center of a particularly fraught election season.

"California must stand on the right side of history. California is obligated to determine if Trump is ineligible for the California ballot for the same reasons described in" the Colorado case, Kounalakis wrote in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

Eleni Kounalakis, candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming election, speaks during a debate sponsored by the Sacramento Press Club in Sacramento, Calif, April 17, 2018.

The California primary is scheduled for March 5, 2024, and the list of approved candidates is due next week. The state is overwhelmingly Democratic, with nearly 47% of voters registered as Democrats and only around 24% registered as Republicans, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Democrats control all of California's statewide offices and have a supermajority in each chamber of the state legislature.

"Once again, Democrats are salivating at any opportunity to deprive Republican voters of a full slate of candidates for our nations highest office," California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement Wednesday. "California Democrats need to quit meddling in Republicans primary and leave this decision to California voters.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a 4-3 opinion to disqualify Trump from the ballot Tuesday evening, but said it would stay its own ruling until early January. That gives the Trump campaign time to appeal, which will put the Constitution's insurrection clause before the high court.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, written in the wake of the Civil War, bars someone from holding office if they swore an oath to support the Constitution and then "engaged in insurrection."

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us," the majority opinion of the Colorado court read. "We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

It's unclear when the Supreme Court would consider the case, but Trump would remain eligible for Colorado's ballot as long as his appeal is pending.

John Fritze contributed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Donald Trump be kept off California primary ballot? What to know
Former President Donald Trump ramped up attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week following recent tumult in the camp of his main Republican rival, including the abrupt Dec. 16 departure of the chief strategist at the Never Back Down Super PAC.

The increasing rancor between the former GOP allies comes as the pivotal first ballot in the 2024 presidential race in Iowa is less than a month away, with a new poll from CBS News showing Trump with a commanding lead over DeSantis and the rest of the Republican field.

The Ron DeSanctimonious team of misfits and grifters has largely quit his campaign to go on to greener pastures, Trump wrote Tuesday on his platform Truth Social, echoing a term that he has used to needle DeSantis throughout the campaign.

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis

In the post, Trump highlighted Saturdays sudden resignation of Jeff Roe, who laid the groundwork for the DeSantis campaign in Iowa throughout the year.

The shakeup was foreboding as DeSantis trailed Trump by 36 percentage points in Iowa, even after the Florida governor toured all 99 counties across the state  setting up a critical first showdown with Trump just three weeks after Christmas, with DeSantis seemingly needing a miracle to win.

It has been a terrible experience for them as they have watched their candidate fall violently from the sky like a wounded bird, Trump continued in the post, adding that Jeff Roe, his chief strategist and head of his PAC, Always Back Down, after having done major surgery on Rons wallet, couldnt get out of town fast enough.

Roe said he made the decision to quit the PAC after the groups new chairman, Scott Wagner, made false statements about employees who were fired when he took the helm two weeks earlier.

Previously, Roe served as campaign manager for Sen. Ted Cruzs failed bid for president in 2016, which gave Trump another opening to make further criticism.

Now Jeff can spend full time in Texas working with Ted Cruz, formerly known as Lyin Ted, who is working hard to get back the magic they had together in 2016!

During the 2016 presidential campaign, DeSantis endorsed Trump for president and became one of Trumps most vocal defenders in Congress during special counsel Robert Muellers 2017 investigation into Russian election interference.

A year later, in 2018, Trump endorsed the congressman in the race for Florida governor as part of a strategic arrangement with DeSantis to cast him as an ideal candidate before he officially announced his run.

Trump came through for DeSantis, tweeting in December 2017, Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!

Later, in his victory speech, DeSantis thanked the president for standing by me when it wasnt necessarily the smart thing to do, adding, I think well have a great partnership.

After Trump left the White House in early 2021, he moved back to Florida, where he praised DeSantis handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Trumps influence behind the scenes notably added pressure on the governor.

Before the 2020 general election, Trump joked that he would fire DeSantis if he lost the Florida race before his own defeat to Joe Biden in the presidential race.

In early 2021, Trump floated the idea of DeSantis coming on board as his running mate in 2024, but DeSantis had bigger plans as his national profile began to rise among conservatives due to his tough policies that often defied Washington.

By the 2022 midterm election, Trump had begun calling DeSantis Ron DeSanctimonious, and the attacks have intensified since, with DeSantis taking a toned-down approach toward Trump to avoid upsetting the former presidents base.

Meanwhile, for much of the 2024 campaign, DeSantis has focused on winning big in Iowa while securing endorsements from the states senior senator, Charles Grassley, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, and a host of state and local representatives.

However, his narrow focus in the state could spell trouble in other early primaries like New Hampshire, where DeSantis is trailing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley before the Jan. 23 vote.

There is also a considerable chance that Haley could topple DeSantis in Iowa, while a defeat in New Hampshire would potentially doom the DeSantis campaign out the gate.

Another poll from Progress Florida and Florida Watch revealed growing dissatisfaction among state residents with DeSantis strict policies and his lack of focus in the state, with about half of voters expressing disapproval of his performance as governor.

The low approval ratings are an astounding turnaround from a year ago, when DeSantis was reelected by nearly 20 percentage points, with positive approval ratings continuing until last summer when the governor lost favor with voters on key issues such as the economy, affordable housing, healthcare, and public safety.

As Gov. Ron DeSantis has traveled the country speaking to voters in other states, his constituents in Florida are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the job he is doing to address the issues impacting their daily lives here at home, Florida Watch Executive Director Josh Weierbach said, according to Florida Politics. Ahead of this years Legislative Session, it certainly appears that working families and seniors in Florida are dissatisfied with the perceived lack of leadership being provided by the Governor during his campaign for President.

Nearly a year into his second term as Florida governor, DeSantis is facing a parallel political battle with his own constituents while running for president, with several controversial measures he supports sailing toward a vote during the 2024 state legislative session that is set to begin Jan. 9.
An El Paso woman is suing her doctor for negligence over an unwanted pregnancy

An El Paso woman is suing her doctor for negligence over an unwanted pregnancy was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

Grissel Velasco didnt want more kids.

In 2014, Velasco  31 years old at the time  was expecting her third child, and was receiving care at Sun City Womens Health Care in El Paso, owned by OB-GYN and then-El Paso City Council member Dr. Michiel Noe.

With Sun City staffs guidance, allegedly at Noes recommendation, she paid to receive tubal ligation  also known as tube tying  at the same time she delivered her baby boy. Having any more C-section births in the future would be risky, she said she was told.

They were the ones who read the papers to me, and for that reason I signed to not have children, Velasco said in Spanish during an interview with KERA News. I agreed to not having more children.

But around October 2015, an at-home pregnancy test came out positive. An ultrasound at a New Mexico clinic confirmed Velasco was about four or five months pregnant with a healthy baby girl.

Velasco said she came out of the appointment in tears, terrified. She remembers later trying to explain to her sons doctor how she was pregnant again when her son was only about a year old.

I broke down in tears and said to her, Its not my fault, Velasco said. She tells me, How come this isnt your fault? I tell her, no, its not my fault. I mean, I paid to have surgery, and I dont know what the doctor did, because Im pregnant again.

Nearly 10 years later, Velascos medical negligence lawsuit against Noe and his clinic is in front of the Texas Supreme Court. The courts ruling could determine to what extent people can be awarded damages for the burden of an unwanted pregnancy  or it could protect medical professionals from liability for causing those pregnancies due to negligence.

Its also a ruling that could have major implications in a state like Texas, where strict abortion laws make getting an abortion nearly impossible after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

What the law says

Texas abortion bans prioritize birth in almost all circumstances. The Texas Supreme Court examined the states narrow medical exemptions for abortion in court the very same day Velasco and Noes lawyers made their arguments to the state justices.

Velasco, now 40, said she didnt want an abortion and grew to love her daughter before she was born. But the unwanted pregnancy stirred up complicated feelings and put her life plans on hold. The Ciudad Juarez native is a nail technician and hoped to study cosmetology and eventually open her own salon.

I was late to accept my pregnancy, she said. It wasnt easy for me at all. I was very depressed, I cried a lot, sometimes I even had a really bad temper.

In an affidavit, Velasco also stated she sometimes felt suicidal, angry, distraught and guilty for feeling that way.

Dallas attorney Linda Turley said Texas courts have ruled in a number of ways on whether and to what extent damages can be awarded for an unwanted pregnancy caused by negligence. Turley  who is not involved with the lawsuit but has experience with medical negligence cases  said the cases novelty is probably why the states highest court accepted it.

What this case points out in conjunction with the elimination of rights under Roe is that when a woman does have an unwanted pregnancy in Texas, she has no options, Turley said. We have a very strict anti-abortion law, and a woman basically has no right to terminate her pregnancy, so that in situations like Ms. Velasco found herself in, were far more likely to see that pregnancy go to term  even though it is unwanted  when it results from medical negligence in providing care.

An El Paso district judge first dismissed Velascos claims of medical negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other allegations. But a state appeals court later decided the evidence supported her medical negligence claim. Noes lawyers disagreed and brought the case to the state Supreme Court.

Noe, 62, has owned and operated Sun City Womens Health Care since 2001. His lawyer Diana Faust declined KERAs requests for comment.

In court filings and during oral arguments, Noe and his lawyers say he didnt perform tubal ligation on Velasco because her medical records indicated she didnt request one. Noe testified Velasco also didnt wait the full 30-day consent period before getting her tubes tied, as required by law.

Faust isnt completely challenging the validity of Velascos claims, but she said if Noe were to pay damages for medical negligence, the amount would have to be equal to Velascos medical expenses caused by the unwanted pregnancy and birth  nothing more.

During Supreme Court oral arguments last month, she pointed out there are no other medical expenses on record for the pregnancy and birth aside from the $400 Velasco paid for tubal ligation, which was refunded around November 2015. The cap in Texas for noneconomic damages in a medical malpractice suit is $250,000, according to state law.

The court would have to conclude that this benefit, this joy, this blessing that is to be presumed from the birth of a healthy child is not a legal harm for which damages are recoverable, she said.

Overriding benefit rule

Whether having a child is an absolute benefit, considering also their health and chance of survival, is a question Texas courts have weighed in an array of cases for decades.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled in 1975 a couple could be compensated for the medical and hospital expenses of their disabled child. The couple argued Dortha Jean Jacobs could have terminated her pregnancy if she hadnt been misadvised by her doctor about the effects of rubella on her childs health.

A Waco appeals court ruled in 1995 that although Sandra Flax gave birth to a healthy child after a failed contraceptive procedure, she could still recover damages because of health issues she faced during the unwanted pregnancy.

Outside of medical negligence lawsuits, the Texas Supreme Court recently ruled that while Kate Coxs fetus received a tragic diagnosis of Trisomy 18, the Dallas native couldnt legally get an in-state abortion because she and her physician hadnt proved it was a life-threatening condition for Cox under the states medical exemption.

Joe Lopez, Velascos lawyer, argued his clients case isnt about the health, benefit or monetary value of a child. Its also not about a failed procedure, he said. Its about Noe and his staff allegedly failing to tell Velasco the procedure hadnt been performed.

Under that reasoning, she would therefore deserve compensation for the mental anguish, pain and suffering the alleged negligence caused, something Lopez said a jury should decide.

The court cant say, Oh my gosh, she had a baby, this is great, he told the justices. Thats not how the world works anymore.

Velasco has nothing but love for her family, which has grown to five kids  she had her tubes tied three years ago while delivering her youngest. Having miscarried before, Velasco said being a mother is the best thing thats ever happened to her.

Still, Velasco said she would own up to the unexpected pregnancy if she believed it was her fault.

In this case, I can tell you I love my daughter, Velasco said. But the doctor made a mistake. So, its not that Im demanding money, far from it. Its just that the doctor  what is he doing as a doctor?

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/19/texas-supreme-court-tubal-ligation-lawsuit/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
The president of El Salvador quickly weighed in after news that former President Trump was kicked off the ballot in Colorado by criticizing the idea of "democracy" in the United States.

"The United States has lost its ability to lecture any other country about democracy," El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted on X on Tuesday night.

Bukele, a vocal supporter of Trump in the past, was responding to breaking news on Tuesday night that the Colorado Supreme Court, citing the 14th Amendment, has disqualified former President Trump from appearing on the state's ballots in 2024 as a result of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.

Bukeles post, which had been seen almost 5 million times by Wednesday morning, was touted by many conservatives on social media.

CRITICS SLAM COLORADO SUPREME COURT FOR REMOVING TRUMP FROM STATES 2024 BALLOT: 'A MOCKERY'

El Salvador President Bukele and former President Trump

"Exactly right," America First Legal posted on X . "Which is one of many reasons why we must all collectively fight to see that it is overturned. This cannot stand."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"This is the president of El Salvador," conservative radio host Larry OConnor posted on X . "All the Norms restored!!!!"

"This is an accurate statement," GOP Congressman Derrick Van Orden posted on X.

DEMOCRATS SAY POLLING IS USELESS AS TRUMP PULLS AHEAD OF BIDEN IN SURVEYS

"we need an american Bukele," The Blazes Logan Hall posted on X.

Tuesday night was not the first time Bukele has weighed in on Trumps legal issues and used it as an opportunity to question democracy in the United States. Earlier this year, the El Salvadoran leader went viral on social media over his response to Trumps indictment in New York City.

"Think what you want about former President Trump and the reasons hes being indicted," Bukele, who has faced criticism in his own country over the constitutionality of his re-election campaign, wrote. "But just imagine if this happened in any other country, where a government arrested the main opposition candidate."

"The United States ability to use democracy as foreign policy is gone."

Trump touted the relationship he had with Bukele as president during a 2019 bilateral meeting in New York City.

"I have great respect for you, and I really appreciate what youre doing," Trump told Bukele. "The president has done an incredible job with MS-13. He realizes what a threat they are. And they have been very, very tough, and we all appreciate that."

Bukele has earned worldwide attention and praise from many for his major crackdown on MS-13 gang members, which has led to tens of thousands of arrests, construction of a mega prison, and a drop in homicides.





Original article source: El Salvador president blasts 'democracy' in US after Trump's removal from Colorado ballot
ELBERTA, Ala. (WKRG)  An Elberta man has died after he was involved in a single-vehicle crash early Tuesday morning.

Richard A. Graham, 65, was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado when it left the road and hit a tree, according to a news release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Two people found dead in Escambia County

Graham was pronounced dead on the scene.

The crash happened around 3:55 a.m. Tuesday on Baldwin County 83, in the Elberta city limits, the news release said.

Troopers with ALEAs Highway Patrol Division are continuing to investigate.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Duck hunters will have a simpler time with paperwork thanks to a law authored by an Arkansas senator.

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) authored the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, which was signed into law Tuesday. The law allows hunters to use a smartphone-accessible electronic duck stamp to meet federal requirements.

Arkansas senator wants to ban cell phones in schools

Hunters were previously required to carry a physical stamp to hunt waterfowl.

Boozman, a Migratory Bird Conservation Commission member, was pleased with the bipartisan bill becoming law.

Arkansans are rightfully proud of the unique environment that makes our state a world-class duck hunting location. Modernizing the Federal Duck Stamp is great news for waterfowlers who want to take part in this time-honored tradition and share their appreciation for this popular outdoor activity. Im pleased the president has signed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023 into law, he said.

According to Boozmans office, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Angus King (I-ME) championed the legislation. It was also cosponsored by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA).

Sen. John Boozman speaks on his work in Washington D.C. helping veterans

On behalf of Arkansass waterfowlers, I would like to thank Senator Boozman for leading the Senates efforts to modernize the Federal Duck Stamp, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission director Austin Booth said. This commonsense legislation not only cuts red tape but makes it easier for Arkansans to enjoy our world-class waterfowl opportunity,

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4)  Another victim has come forward in a Utah County child sexual abuse case involving an elementary school janitor during the 2017-2018 school year.

The Santaquin Police Department said it received a report of child sexual abuse last month from the Division of Child and Family Services. The victim, now 14 years old, said the abuse happened when she was 7 or 8 years old at Santaquin Elementary School.

She said the janitor allegedly confined her to a closet, exposed his genitalia to her, and forced her to touch him, documents say. The janitor threatened to hurt her or anyone she loved if she told anyone about what he was doing.

While the victim could not provide a name, she described the janitor and positively identified him in a lineup. The investigation further confirmed the suspect worked at Santaquin Elementary School when she was in the third grade.

The suspect, Adrian Villar, 65, was arrested and charged in 2018 for allegedly sexually abusing two boys ages 8 and 11 at Sierra Bonita Elementary School the year prior. The sexual abuse allegations were similar to the one recently received by Santaquin police. Investigators say Villar worked as a custodian at Sierra Bonita before moving to Santaquin Elementary School.

Villar, whose trial had been delayed several times since 2020, was on pre-trial release when he was arrested on Monday facing additional charges.

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The new charges include aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and lewdness involving a child, a misdemeanor. He still faces two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of lewdness involving a child from the previous case, all of which he has pleaded not guilty. He is currently in custody at the Utah County Jail.

The Nebo School District, which is over both elementary schools, provided the following statement to ABC4:

Adrian Villar is no longer employed by Nebo School District. Our hearts go out to the victim for all they experienced. Nebo School District is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. We believe that every student deserves to feel safe and respected at school. We want to make it clear that inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct and harassment by students or staff, is not tolerated. Nebo School District currently has and has had for many years policies and trainings that address student and employee misconduct, including sexual misconduct and harassment, and that we are continually improving and refining our policies and trainings. We remain unwavering in our mission to create a safe and supportive environment for students in our district.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
(Reuters) - More than 15.3 million Americans have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2024, a 33% increase from this time last year, according to data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday.

The Biden-Harris Administration said preliminary data also projects that over 19 million people will enroll in 2024 through the ACA marketplace.

People who want to choose a healthcare plan for 2024 under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, can enroll before the deadline of Jan. 16, 2024. The law was former U.S. President Barack Obama's signature piece of domestic legislation.

Consumers who enroll before the deadline will have coverage that starts from Feb. 1, 2024. Those who want to be covered as of Jan. 1 would have had to choose a plan by Dec. 15.

Data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month showed nearly 7.3 million Americans had signed up for health insurance so far for next year through the ACA marketplace.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The El Paso Independent School District has been awarded a $34.6 million grant to improve school security, the district announced.

The funds come from a state grant called the Safety and Facilities Enhancement, or SAFE.

El Paso ISD was awarded $34,649,713 for school safety initiatives, the second-highest amount awarded to a Texas school district, behind only Houston ISD, according to EPISD.

The money will ensure that schools within El Paso ISD meet the state mandated safety standards and will also help meet the requirements of House Bill 3, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019, according to the news release announcing the grant.

We are immensely pleased to be named the recipient of the second-largest SAFE grant awarded in the state of Texas, said Manuel Chavira, chief of El Paso ISD Police Services. Providing safe, comfortable environments where learners can be inspired and empowered to thrive is paramount to what we do. We will be better equipped to secure our facilities because of the opportunities this additional funding source provides.

This is the first cycle of the state award program. El Paso ISD plans to apply for the second cycle, which opens in 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
On 20 December, the European Commission announced the launch of three new initiatives that will contribute to the development of EU research and innovation cooperation with Ukraine.

Source: The EC announced this on Wednesday on its website, writes European Pravda

Details: According to the report, the new Horizon Europe office and New European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community Hub in Kyiv were launched and funds were allocated under the European Innovation Council (EIC) programme for the Ukrainian deep tech community.

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, launched the initiatives during a remote event together with Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov and Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi.

The new Horizon Europe office will raise awareness among Ukrainians about opportunities to participate in joint research and innovation projects within the framework of the EU Horizon Europe research and innovation program.

The European Innovation Council (EIC4Ukraine) supports the Ukrainian deep tech community by allocating 20 million to Ukrainian startups to help them develop and integrate into the European innovation ecosystem.

The initiative, implemented by the European network of startup associations, will support at least 200 Ukrainian deep tech startups, each of which will receive up to 60,000 for the further development of its innovation and business activities.

The hub of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in Kyiv will serve as a single centre for obtaining information about the opportunities provided in the European Union and beyond. It will provide Ukrainian innovators who remain in Ukraine with access to partners, markets, test sites, training and investments. The hub is located on the facility of the Ukrainian Startup Fund.

Earlier, Ukraine received 150 million of irrevocable grant from the EU to restore critical facilities destroyed as a result of the Russian aggression.

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Migrants wait for buses that will take them from Kalamata port to a migrant reception facility in Malakasa, Greece, on June 16, 2023. The European Council and the European Parliament have reached a preliminary deal to reform the 27-country bloc's rules on asylum and migration. File Photo by Yannis Kolesidis/EPA-EFE

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The European Council and the European Parliament reached a landmark deal to deliver on a promise to reform the 27-country bloc's rules on asylum and migration, the two bodies said Wednesday.

The overhaul will finally resolve long-running rows over which EU member state is responsible for handling an asylum application, cooperation between member states and how to handle crises, including the "weaponization" of migrants, according to a news release.

The deal on the core political elements of five key regulations aims to address the concerns of front-line countries bearing the brunt of migration from Africa and the Middle East and northern European states who believe too many migrants are not staying put in the first country they set foot in.

Southern states will implement tougher asylum rules and be given greater powers to remove failed asylum seekers while northern states may either accept a migrant quota or pay into a joint fund, according to the preliminary agreement which must be formally ratified for it to come into force.

The deal could also face delays from the time it would take member states to incorporate the new rules into existing national legislation.

"The EU is delivering on its promise to improve the asylum and migration system. Citizens across the EU want their governments to deal with the migration challenge and today is a big step in this direction," said Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez, the interior minister of Spain, which holds the current presidency of the council.

"This reform is a crucial piece of the puzzle. But the EU also remains committed to tackling the root causes of migration, working together with countries of origin and transit and addressing the scourge of migrant smuggling."

Amnesty International condemned the migration pact calling it a setback that would lead to more people being held in de facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations.

"This agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person's journey to seek asylum in the EU," said Amnesty International European Institutions Office Director said Eve Geddie.

"From the way they are treated by countries outside the EU, their access to asylum and legal support at Europe's border, to their reception within the EU, this agreement is designed to make it harder for people to access safety."

She said the plan would lower safeguards for people seeking asylum in the EU, with more people channeled through substandard asylum procedures, instead of a fair and full assessment of their claims.

The EU move came as French lawmakers passed a tough new immigration bill after months of political rancor.

The final legislation making it more difficult for migrants to bring their families to join them in France and restricting welfare access won the support of both President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party.

The vote split Macron's centrist party with Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigning over the issue.
Iranian state media has said the country will soon receive Russian-made fighter jets.

It's not clear when the jets will arrive, but Iran has long sought them to boost its aging air force.

Even without new Russian jets, Iran may be able to gain an aerial edge over its neighbors.

After years of rumors about Iran receiving Russian-made fighter jets, Tehran said in November that it was set to receive Su-35s in its first acquisition of foreign fighter jets in decades.

Russian fighters, along with the training jets and attack helicopters said to be included in the deal, would be a significant upgrade for Iran's air force, which fields an aging fleet of aircraft, including US-made F-14s acquired in the 1970s.

Even if the deal falls through, some analysts say Iran's current air force shouldn't be dismissed because of its advanced age. An analysis published by Shephard Media in November said that while Iran's fighter fleet might face a distinct disadvantage against modern fighters, it could still challenge a local rival, largely because it would likely be fighting over home turf and with support from the rest of Iran's military.

The Shephard analysis said Iranian aircrews also have more experience than their counterparts in Arab Gulf militaries and Iran's anti-ship and air-defense missiles could take a toll during a clash in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian military officials at an underground air-force base in February. Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk-intelligence company RANE, said Iran could probably have home-field advantages against an otherwise superior force depending on the circumstances and the "scale and scenario" of a hypothetical attack.

"A surgical stealth strike might readily overcome Iran's air defenses, but in the case of a full-scale conventional war, Iran's air defenses combined with its aging air fleet might be able to score a handful of combat successes," Bohl told Business Insider.

Bohl pointed to Serbia in the late 1990s when its small, outdated air force faced NATO air forces and "managed to still down a handful of American aircraft," including an F-117 stealth jet shot down by an antiaircraft missile.

Sebastien Roblin, a widely published military-aviation journalist, said many of Iran's outdated fighters  including US-made F-4s and Soviet-designed MiG-29As  were "powerful in their day" and had been kept flying through cannibalizing parts, reverse-engineering, and indigenously-developed components.

"The upgrades may be janky, but arguably, it's prudent to assume they do the basic job," Roblin said, adding that Iran's air force was otherwise outdated and would "struggle to achieve much" against the "world-class" US and Israeli air forces.

Ukraine-style air denial

A Russian Su-35 downed by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region in April 2022. Press service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff/Handout via REUTERS

When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, its larger and more modern air force was expected to overwhelm and destroy Ukrainian fighters and air defenses, but Ukraine's air force has survived and been able to deny Russia air superiority thanks to a combination of Russian missteps and its own ingenuity.

Roblin said the war in Ukraine showed how an "outdated air force sometimes can endure and impose costs" against a far more powerful adversary through "smart leverage" of their "planes' strengths without sacrificing them rashly and working the home field defensive advantage."

"Iran, like Ukraine, has a lot of surface-to-air missile systems and radar, which, if adroitly managed, can fence away hostile air-superiority jets and improve the survivability of aircraft," Roblin said. But the US and Israel are much better than Russia at leveraging air power, using long-range reconnaissance and strikes, stealth aircraft, and advanced suppression-of-enemy-air-defense capabilities.

Roblin said that in air-to-air operations, Iranian pilots would probably face problems similar to those of "Ukrainian pilots who find they can't press home attacks due to being outranged by enemy fire-and-forget beyond-visual-range missiles."

"However, I'd guess American and Israeli pilots may more aggressively close with enemy air assets than Russian ones do," Roblin added.

Su-35  no game changer

An Iranian F-5 fighter jet landing in Chabahar city, Iran, in June 2009. EBRAHIM NOROUZI/AFP via Getty Images

Bohl and Roblin both expect the eventual delivery of Su-35s to have a limited impact on Iran's overall airpower.

Bohl said the jets "would ease some of Iran's defense problems by providing it with at least a limited number of advanced aircraft that might be helpful in deterring a limited air campaign."

Tehran might treat the jets as "something like prestige prize" and be reluctant to use them, in which case they may be "more of a diplomatic and political win rather than a defense breakthrough," Bohl added.

Iran might also try to use its Su-35s "cautiously as a backfield airborne early-warning plane, much like it used the F-14's AWG-9 radar during the Iran-Iraq War," Roblin said.

The Shephard analysis said that in a conflict with local rivals, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran's aircraft and aircrews, its air-defense and land-attack missiles, the proximity of the combat zones, and its ability to bring its navy to bear might benefit Iranian forces.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel next to a Majid antiaircraft missile system during a rally in Tehran in November. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Against better-armed and better-trained US and Israeli forces, however, Iran would face myriad disadvantages even if it had Su-35s. Roblin said the US and Israeli air forces had extensive advantages in training and support assets, adding that the Su-35's Irbis-E radar wasn't a stealthy active electronically scanned array radar such as those typically found on newer American and Israeli jets.

The Irbis-E "basically lights up the aircraft to all observers in the neighborhood" when used at full power, Roblin said, adding that the US or Israel would probably "go out of their way" to destroy Iranian Su-35s on the ground and that it wasn't clear whether Iran could dodge those strikes as well as Ukraine.

While the Su-35 is a first step to modernizing Iran's air force, the 24 that Tehran is apparently receiving will only be a limited upgrade.

"Given Iran's economic circumstances, the cost of even more 4.5-generation jets would likely be exorbitant, and the huge sums could be spent on military capabilities with a better-guaranteed bang for the buck, like ground-based air defenses, drones, or ballistic missiles," Roblin said. "Iran's air force and its tentative modernization look more useful, though, if considered as a defense against less capable regional enemies or even internal uprisings."

Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Tuesday, a former Alabama corrections officer was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for beating a restrained inmate and using chemical spray on him.

Mohammad Shahid Jenkins pleaded guilty in September to using excessive force on an inmate at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility near Bessemer, and lying in an official report to cover up the abuse, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

On Feb. 16, 2022, Jenkins entered the victims cell  whose real name is Victor Russo according to the Alabama Political Reporter, but is identified as V.R. in the statement  and assaulted the victim over the course of five minutes.

Jenkins willfully deprived inmate V.R. of his right to be free from excessive force by kicking him, hitting him, spraying him with chemical spray, striking him with a can of chemical spray and striking him with a shoe while V.R. was restrained inside of a holding cell and not posing a threat, the statement said.

Jenkins left and reentered the cell numerous times outside the presence of other officers and inmates to continue assaulting Russo and using a chemical spray on him, according to the press release.

Jenkins later filed a false incident report where he denied using any force on the inmate. In a report from the Montgomery Advertiser, Russo died nine days after the assault. A separate report from AL.com noted that officials have not labeled his death a homicide.

As part of a plea agreement, Jenkins also admitted to assaulting a separate inmate in 2021.

Jenkins willfully deprived inmate D.H. of his right to be free from excessive force by repeatedly spraying D.H. with chemical spray while D.H. was handcuffed behind his back and compliant, by hitting D.H. in the head with the can of chemical spray and by delivering an open-hand strike to D.H.s head while he was suffering from the effects of chemical spray, the Justice Department said.

Jenkins was sentenced to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The 52-year-old spent 20-plus years in law enforcement before his sentencing.

Related...
WASHINGTON  A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years behind bars for joining a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol nearly three years ago.

Charles Donohoe was the second Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to obstruct the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory. His sentence could be a bellwether for other Proud Boys conspirators who agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Donohoe, 35, of Kernersville, North Carolina, apologized to his family, the law-enforcement officers who guarded the Capitol on Jan. 6, and America as a whole for his actions on Jan. 6.

I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked down, he said.





U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced him to three years and four months in prison. Donohoe could be eligible for release in a month or two because he gets credit for the jail time he already has served since his March 2021 arrest.

The judge said Donohoe seems to be doing everything in his power to make amends for his crimes.

I think youve got all the ingredients here to put this behind you, Kelly said.



Donohoe was president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina. He was a lieutenant of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison  the longest prison term so far in a Capitol riot case.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and three other former Proud Boys leaders of seditious conspiracy charges for plotting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Biden.

Donohoe agreed to cooperate with federal authorities when he pleaded guilty in April 2020 to two felony counts: conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding police. But he wasnt called to testify at the trial of Tarrio and other Proud Boys earlier this year.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence ranging from 35 to 43 months for Donohoe. Sentencing guidelines recommended a prison term ranging from 70 to 87 months.

Donohoe and his co-conspirators organized and led a small army as they launched an attack on the heart of our democracy. They took these actions because they did not like the outcome of the election, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

A New York man, Matthew Greene, was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to conspiracy. Greenes sentencing hearing hasnt been scheduled yet.

Donohoe acted as the eyes and ears of the group on the ground in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, Justice Department prosecutor Jason McCullough told the judge. But prosecutors argued that Donohoe deserves credit for his early acceptance of responsibility and cooperation with the investigation.

On the morning of Jan. 6, Donohoe marched with over 100 members of the Proud Boys to the Capitol. He didnt enter the Capitol, but he threw two water bottles at officers confronting the mob outside the building.

Donohoe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two deployments in Iraq, has eagerly divorced himself from the Proud Boys, said defense attorney Ira Knight.

It took Charlie time to understand the nature of his wrong, Knight said.

More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a judge or jury after trials. Over 700 have been sentenced.

A case unsealed on Monday charges a local political activist from Florida with storming the Capitol building on Jan. 6 with a Proud Boys member. Barbara Balmaseda, 23, of Miami Lakes, Florida, was arrested in her hometown last Thursday on charges including obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct.

A Fox News journalist who interviewed Balmaseda in 2021 identified her as director-at-large of Miami Young Republicans. Her attorney, Nayib Hassan, claims the case against Balmaseda is politically motivated and asserted that her arrest was a waste of law enforcement resources.

She is relieved this process will finally move toward a final resolution, Hassan said in a statement.


Alice (left) has been reported missing and Theo (right) is a person of interest (El Cerrito Police Department)

At the beginning of December, Alice Alyx Kamakaokalani Herrmann was enjoying spending time at a rowing event in Santa Cruz.

A little over a week later, the 61-year-old vanished without a trace.

There is little information about what happened following her time in Santa Cruz, but the trail she left behind came to an ominous halt when her car was found outside her boyfriends home in El Cerrito the day she was reported missing.

Since then her boyfriend, retired musician Theobald Theo Lengyel has been named as a person of interest in her disappearance.

While it is not known what happened to Ms Herrmann, police have there is enough evidence to suggest that it could be a homicide case, according to ABC7.

Heres what we know so far:

Where was Alice Herrmann last seen?

Ms Herrmann was last seen on 3 December at a rowing event in Santa Cruz.

The missing womans brother told ABC7 she did not show up for work the following day. Her family then grew suspicious when they had not heard from her for over a week, prompting them to report her missing on 12 December.

Her brother added that she was supposed to be in Hawaii visiting family by that time.

The 61-year-olds movements between 3 and 12 December remain unaccounted for, but her vehicle was found outside of her boyfriends home by El Cerrito investigators - with no sign of her.

Alice (left) has been reported missing and Theo (right) is a person of interest (El Cerrito Police Department)

Meanwhile, police searched her residence in Capitola, but did not see any trace of her.

Capitola Police Captain Sarah Ryan told Lookout that she does not know how long Ms Herrmann had lived in Capitola but said that her residence suggests that she seemed established and appeared to be living alone.

Meanwhile, public records show Ms Herrmann has lived in a residence in Capitola since at least 2009, but neighbours say she did not live in the area full-time, according to Lookout.

Police describe Ms Herrmann as a Pacific Islander woman, 504 tall, 135 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair.

Who is Alice Herrmanns boyfriend Theo Lengyel?

Since she vanished, Ms Herrmanns boyfriend Theo Lengyel has been named as a person of interest in her disappearance.

Police say her vehicle was found outside Mr Lengyels home in El Cerrito, and added that the 54-year-old has not been cooperating with them in the investigation to find Ms Herrmann.

In the days after Ms Herrmanns disappearance, police say that Mr Lengyel had driven from El Cerrito in California to Portland in Oregan in a blue 1989 Ford pickup truck with the license plate UNCLDRT.

Both Ms Herrmanns and Mr Lengyels vehicles are now in police custody.

Mr Lengyel was one of the founding members of Mr Bungle in Eureka, California, who made it big when they became signed to Warner Bros. Records.

He played saxophone, clarinet and keyboards in the Humboldt County rock group that he joined at age 16 in 1986, before moving to San Francisco in the early 90s, during which the band attained commercial success.

He left the band in 1996, and according to a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to Mr Lengyel, he entered a career in software development and data engineering.

Alices Toyota Highlander SUV (left) and Theos Ford pickup truck (right) (El Cerrito Police Department)

Mr Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn recalled in a 2005 interview how Lengyel left the band on bad terms.

We unanimously decided to go on without him because he wasnt growing with the rest of the band and we were running out of things for him to do, he said.

He got pissed off and I havent heard from him since.

Mr Lengyel is described by police as a white man, 510, 170 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

El Cerrito police say Mr Lengyel also goes by the alias Mylo Stone.

A recommendation on Mr Lengyels LinkedIn profile from a profile named Mylo Stone who is listed as Mr Lengyels client, reads: I, Mylo Stone, hereby endorse Theo Lengyel and everything he has ever done. I know him quite well, and I can say without hesitation that the scariest thing about him is his unfulfilled potential.

What have police said?

While police still do not know what happened to Ms Herrmann, El Cerrito Police have enough evidence to suggest that it could be a homicide case, according to ABC7.

Meanwhile, a police statement noted officers are looking for information about the actions of both [Lengyel] and [Herrmann] from December 3, 2023, to present.

Theres a lot that we dont know, and we dont have closure, Captain Ryan said. Thats the worst part.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the El Cerrito Police Department as it continues the investigation, which is being bolstered by detectives from the Capitola and Portland Police Departments.

Investigators also asked residents who spend time in regional parks and open spaces to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, suggesting such sights could lead to clues about the missing womans whereabouts.

We are worried, Ms Herrmanns brother told ABC7. At the same time, we are trying to remain hopeful for a good outcome.
Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb on Tuesday envisioned Donald Trump winning in a landslide his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court against being booted from the presidential primary ballot in Colorado.

Earlier in the day, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump ineligible to appear on the states 2024 ballot  under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution  because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trumps campaign said it will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The real key issue in this case is, is Trump an officer of the United States in the context in which that term is used in Article Three of the 14th Amendment, Cobb explained. And in 2010, Chief Justice Roberts explained in free enterprise that people dont vote for officers of the United States.

Cobb envisioned the Supreme Court taking the case and handling it quickly.

And he predicted a 9-0 ruling in Trumps favor.

That would sure be a statement, commented Burnett.

Burnett later asked Cobb if Trump would see the latest Colorado ruling as some kind of victory.

Oh, totally, he replied. This vindicates his insistence that this is a political conspiracy to interfere with the election and that hes the target and people shouldnt tolerate that in America.

He added, Its doodah. But thats the way he tries to sell this.

Related...
Its very important that we be very assertive in our fight for equity and justice within the private sector and public sector, Lee told theGrio.

Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California and several other Congressional Black Caucus members have written a letter to Julie Su, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, to address the disproportionate layoffs of Black tech employees.

An excerpt from the letter reads, We write to express our concerns with recent reports highlighting the impacts of widespread layoffs within the tech industry and its disproportionate impacts on the African American community and women.

Tech companies who previously agreed to address bias and discrimination and create greater opportunities in the workforce are now quietly defunding diversity pledges, the letter maintained.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., (above) and several other Congressional Black Caucus members wrote a letter to Julie Su, the acting labor secretary, to address the disproportionate layoffs of Black tech employees. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In 2015, the CBC launched Tech 2020 to ensure that Black Americans would be better represented in the industry by 2020. However, Lee says those Tech companies that pledged to be more inclusive are falling short of their promise.

Lee told theGrio it is important for her and fellow members of the CBC to hold the tech industry accountable.

Weve been fighting for justice and for economic parity and security as part of the mission of the CBC, she said, and so when we established Tech 2020, it was about equity and inclusion.

Now with all the Supreme Court decisions and with all of the backsliding, especially by Republicans, its very important that we be very assertive in our fight for equity and justice within the private sector and public sector, she shared.

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According to the letter, since the beginning of 2023, more than 240,000 tech workers have experienced layoffs, which is a more than 50 percent increase from 2022.

Lee found that minorities and women make up most of the tech layoffs that have occurred this year.

The longtime representative told theGrio it is important that the tech industry remain diverse.

If you dont have African-Americans developing content, Lee said, then were going to have Black people, brown people [and] women disproportionately impacted.

In this May photo, Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford (center), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, leads a news conference following the CBCs National Summit on Democracy & Race near Capitol Hill surrounded by caucus members, including Rep. Barbara Lee (far left). (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

This country is supposed to be a representative democracy where you include people and you dont discriminate against them, she added. When you see the disproportionate numbers of people being laid off, then that is a red flag that it could be discrimination occurring against these workers and employees.

Lee is hopeful that the Department of Labor will respond positively to the CBC missive.

The letter was sent to the secretary of labor, and its the federal governments job to conduct oversight and to answer these questions, she contended.

I would hope that the tech companies would welcome this so that they can get their act together and make sure that they dont disproportionately lay off African-Americans, she noted, which is occurring right now.

Never miss a beat: Get our daily stories straight to your inbox with theGrios newsletter.

The post Exclusive: Rep. Barbara Lee and CBC members letter addresses layoffs of Black tech employees appeared first on TheGrio.
By Jack Queen

(Reuters) - Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been charged in four separate criminal cases, and could face his first trial as soon as March.

The former U.S. president has pleaded not guilty in all the cases, and his legal woes are unlikely to prevent him from reclaiming office if elected. Below is an explanation of why.

IS TRUMP ELIGIBLE TO BE PRESIDENT DESPITE THE CRIMINAL CHARGES?

The U.S. Constitution requires that presidents be at least 35 years old and U.S. citizens who have lived in the country for 14 years.

Congress added a clause in the 14th Amendment following the Civil War that bars officials who engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding federal office.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 19 that Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state's primary election ballot because he engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, who has denied wrongdoing on Jan. 6, has said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees. The Colorado ruling is on hold until at least Jan. 4, 2024.

Courts are divided on whether the insurrection clause applies to the president. The Colorado ruling reversed a lower court judge who agreed Trump had engaged in insurrection but said he was not an "officer of the United States" who could be disqualified under that Amendment.

Judges in several states, including Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire have dismissed lawsuits similar to the one brought in Colorado.

Trump has not been formally charged with insurrection.

COULD TRUMP END THE CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST HIM IF HE'S ELECTED?

Trump faces two federal cases, including one accusing him of unlawfully attempting to reverse his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden and another over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office. Both cases were brought by U.S. special counsel Jack Smith.

Trump could not fire Smith directly but could appoint an attorney general who would, though Smith could only be dismissed for misconduct or "other good cause."

Trump also has been indicted in New York state court for hush money payments paid to a porn star ahead of his 2016 election win and in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Presidents do not have the authority to fire state prosecutors and Trump would have no power to end these investigations.

HAVE TRUMP'S LEGAL WOES HURT HIS BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY?

So far, Trump has used the cases to his advantage, claiming they are part of a political conspiracy against him, and his campaign's financial filings have shown surges in donations following his indictments.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in early December found that 52% of self-identified Republican voters would vote for Trump even if he were convicted of a felony by a jury, and 46% would vote for him if he were serving time in prison.

Some 31% of Republicans would not vote for him if he were convicted, and 39% would not if he were in prison. The rest said they did not know what they would do.

COULD TRUMP PARDON HIMSELF IF HE IS CONVICTED?

If he is elected president, Trump could try to pardon himself if he were convicted in either federal case. Presidents have broad pardon powers, though legal scholars disagree about whether a self pardon violates the basic principle that nobody should be the judge in their own case.

The question would almost certainly be decided by the Supreme Court.

Trump has no power to pardon himself in the state cases. He could still be elected and sworn into office even if he is convicted in either the New York or Georgia case.

The New York case is currently set for March 25. The Georgia case is not expected to take place before the election.

(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Daniel Wallis)
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Trump attends a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa

By Jack Queen

(Reuters) -Donald Trump was disqualified from Colorado's presidential primary ballot by the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday, an extraordinary ruling that could be struck down ahead of the November 2024 US election.

Here is a look at the decision and what it means for the former U.S. president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination.

WHAT DOES THE RULING SAY?

A slim majority of the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state's ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars anyone engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding federal office.

A lower court judge previously ruled that Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021, during a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters amounted to insurrection but stopped short of disqualifying him, saying Section 3 does not apply to presidents.

The Colorado Supreme Court paused its own ruling pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, which Trump said he will immediately seek.

WILL THE RULING STAND?

The case involves a host of unprecedented legal issues related to Section 3, which was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War and has rarely been tested.

It is not clear how the Supreme Court would rule, but it is dominated by a conservative majority that includes three Trump appointees, some of whom are longtime skeptics of giving courts powers that are not clearly based in legislation.

That was a top concern for the dissenting justices in the 4-3 Colorado decision, who said the majority's ruling would strip Trump of one of his most basic rights without adequate due process.

They noted that Trump has not been convicted of insurrection by a jury and did not have the right to subpoena records or compel witnesses to testify in the case, among other basic rights afforded to criminal defendants.

WHAT DOES TRUMP SAY ABOUT THE RULING?

Trump's campaign called the court decision "undemocratic."

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court," a campaign spokesperson said.

He and has allies have criticized disqualification cases in Colorado and several other states as undemocratic and part of a conspiracy by his political rivals to keep him out of office.

HOW COULD THE RULING IMPACT THE ELECTION?

Even if the ruling survives Supreme Court review, it could be inconsequential to the outcome of the November 2024 election because Trump does not need to win Colorado and is not expected to, given its strong Democratic leanings.

Colorado has nine of the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. Biden won the state by more than 13 percentage points in the 2020 election.

But similar lawsuits could be filed in competitive states that Trump must win to prevail, and while none of those courts would be bound by the Colorado decision, judges will likely study it closely while reaching their own conclusions.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF OTHER TRUMP DISQUALIFICATION CASES?

Voters and advocacy groups have sued to block Trump from the ballot in more than 12 states, but at least seven of them have failed for a variety of reasons.

Courts in Michigan, New Hampshire and Florida have dismissed similar cases on procedural and jurisdictional grounds, with some rulings stating that courts do not have the power to unilaterally disqualify candidates from ballots.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has also rejected a disqualification case.

(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Demonstrators of the "Free Alex Saab" movement participate in a caravan, in Caracas

By Luc Cohen and Alexandra Ulmer

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to grant clemency to Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as part of a deal in which Maduro's government released Venezuelans linked to the political opposition and 10 detained Americans.

Here are some details of the U.S. criminal case against Saab, a 51-year-old Colombian businessman.

WHEN WAS SAAB ARRESTED?

Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in June 2020 pursuant to a U.S. indictment after his plane stopped to refuel. Venezuela's government said at the time Saab had been designated a diplomat to negotiate shipments of fuel and humanitarian aid from Iran.

He was extradited to the United States in October 2021 and held in federal jail in Miami while awaiting trial.

WHAT ARE THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM?

Federal prosecutors in Miami charged Saab with siphoning around $350 million out of Venezuela through the United States as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate.

Saab and an associate were accused of bribing Venezuelan government officials to secure payment in U.S. dollars at a favorable rate, and laundering money through a scheme involving building low-income housing in Venezuela.

WHAT DOES HIS DEFENSE SAY?

Saab pleaded not guilty to the charges. His U.S. defense attorneys have called the corruption charges a "cryptically alleged scheme" and said their client denied the allegations.

In a statement on Wednesday, Saab's lawyer Joseph Schuster said the prisoner swap agreement "allows an innocent Venezuelan diplomat to return home after serving over three and a half years in custody."

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE CASE?

A trial had initially been scheduled for October 2022, but was delayed as Saab appealed U.S. District Judge Robert Scola's denial of his bid to dismiss the charges on grounds of diplomatic immunity.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had not yet ruled on Saab's appeal at the time the prisoner swap deal was announced.

WHY IS SAAB A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE?

Venezuela's opposition once held out hopes that Saab would provide information to the U.S. government that could help disrupt Maduro's efforts to evade economic sanctions imposed by Washington. The United States accuses Maduro of violating human rights and rigging his 2018 re-election, which Caracas denies.

U.S. Court filings showed that Saab agreed to be an "active law enforcement source" for the Drug Enforcement Administration before his arrest, though one of his lawyers said he only met with U.S. law enforcement officials to explain that his companies had done nothing wrong.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
FRANKLIN, Ky. (WKRN)  Emergency crews responded to Simpson County on Wednesday after an explosion was reported at a industrial facility.

The Franklin Police Department posted on their Facebook page on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at approximately 11 a.m. stating, First Responders are on scene at R3 Industrial on E. Cedar Street working after an explosion occurred within the industrial facility.

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Authorities reported that all employees safely evacuated the facility, and one employee was treated and released by EMS.

Franklin police are urging people to avoid the area of East Cedar Street until crews clear the scene.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. No other information was immediately released.

 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.

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 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Consequences of the Russian attack on Kherson Oblast on the night of December 20

Russian forces attacked Kherson Oblast in one of their most extensive attacks yet, injuring sixteen residents in total, including four children, Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Telegram on Dec. 20.

36 missiles were fired at the city of Kherson in total during the bombardment.

Read also: Elderly man killed, six police officers injured in Russian shelling of Kherson Oblast

Russian forces also struck residential areas of the oblast, a critical infrastructure facility, as well as an educational building. A kindergarten, a medical facility, a post office, and a boat station were also damaged.

State Emergency Service

According to the State Emergency Service, six vehicles and industrial infrastructure were set on fire on the territory of an industrial enterprise. Rescuers and first-responders worked throughout the night to extinguish the blaze.

Read also: Russian UAVs strike Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk oblasts as debris hits buildings, no victims reported

That same night, Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 18 out of 19 kamikaze drones launched by Russia over Ukraine, including near Kyiv. Kharkiv was targeted by S-300 missiles, which struck the territory of a transport depot.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Wake County school system is meeting the states deadline for following the new Parents Bill of Rights law that critics say is Dont Say Gay legislation.

The Wake school board gave final approval Tuesday to an updated parental involvement policy that incorporates several of the new laws requirements. The policy includes provisions such as requiring parental notification of student name and pronoun changes and barring discussion of LGBTQ topics in some elementary school grades.

The school system has been pressured from competing groups. Some dont want Wake to implement the law. But other groups want the county to use the law to remove LGBTQ books from elementary school libraries.

The parental involvement policy is heavily based on wording suggested by the N.C. School Boards Association.

Wake has already adopted several other policies to comply with the new state law.

Advocates opposing veto overrides of N.C. bills banning transgender athletes and restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors hold a press conference at the Legislative Building in Raleigh on Aug. 16, 2023.

Schools have a Jan. 1 deadline on the law

In August, Republican lawmakers overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to pass the Parents Bill of Rights into law.

The law requires public schools to provide parents with information on topics such as nonpublic school options, academic offerings and clubs at schools.

It says parents must be notified before their child uses a different name or pronoun in school. Wake sent schools a memo in November with guidance on how to follow the notification requirement.

Another provision bans instruction on gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality in the curriculum in kindergarten through fourth-grade classrooms. Wake says gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality are not part of the curriculum in K-4 classes.

Schools are required to create a grievance process for parents who feel the new law isnt being followed. But the State Board of Education, which would decide on grievances, has said it doesnt have any enforcement powers.

Legislators gave schools an extension until Jan. 1 to implement the law.

Title IX challenge against the law

School boards across the state have been modifying their policies to meet the deadline.

The Asheville-based Campaign for Southern Equality has urged schools not to follow the Parents Bill of Rights because the group says it violates federal law by creating a hostile educational environment for LGBTQ+ students.

The Campaign for Southern Equality plans to file a federal Title IX complaint against the new state law. Its also among three groups that filed a Title IX complaint last week against the Buncombe County school system for adopting policies to comply with the new state law.

In contrast, Julie Page asked the Wake County school board on Tuesday to reject the parental involvement policy because she said it doesnt do enough to comply with the Parents Bill of Rights.

Page, who founded the Wake County chapter of Moms for Liberty, said the policy doesnt address issues such as keeping gender ideology materials away from K-4 students. Wake County isnt emulating Johnston County in interpreting the Parents Bill of Rights to say it must include books in elementary school libraries.
After the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is ineligible for office because of the Constitutions insurrectionist ban, some prominent Republicans bashed the unelected judges for their decision.

We need elections that we can trust, that we can believe in, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday at a campaign event in Mason City, Iowa. That means yes, unelected judges are not going to decide willy-nilly across the state who ends up on a ballot and who doesnt.

GOP Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida also criticized the unelected judges for issuing a garbage ruling in a social media post Wednesday. And Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin told Politico that the case was decided by a bunch of unelected, left-wing judges. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe similarly said unelected liberal judges shouldnt determine who can be president.

Facts First: These comments arent entirely accurate. In Colorado, supreme court justices are initially appointed by governors but then have to face the voters by running in statewide retention elections. Colorado voters previously chose to keep all four justices who were in the 4-3 majority that ruled against Trump.

All seven justices on the states high court were appointed by Democratic governors, which has become a point of criticism from Trumps campaign after the ruling.

The justices serve for an initial two years  and then Colorado voters decide on a yes-or-no ballot whether to keep them for a subsequent 10-year term, according to state law. This is different from some states, where they run head-to-head against an opposing judicial candidate.

Six of the seven Colorado justices have won statewide retention elections to stay on the bench. The seventh was appointed in 2021 and will be on the ballot next year.

From the majority opinion in the Trump case, Justice Melissa Hart was retained in 2020 with 75% of the vote, Justice Richard Gabriel was retained in 2018 with 74%, Justice William Hood was retained in 2016 with 71%, and Justice Monica Marquez was retained in 2014 with 68%.

Among the dissenters, Chief Justice Brian Boatright was retained in 2014 with 69% of the vote and Justice Carlos Samour was retained in 2020 with 73%. Justice Maria Berkenkotter, who also dissented, took the bench in 2021 and will be up for election next year, along with Boatright and Marquez who are coming to the end of their 10-year terms.

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Claim:

Donald Trump said reading "Mein Kampf" in college had a profound effect on him and he has tremendous respect for Adolf Hitler as a leader.

Rating:

Rating: False

According to an internet meme circulating since April 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump said in a 2002 Time magazine interview that he read Adolf Hitler's book, "Mein Kampf," in college and it had "a profound affect [sic] on me."

We found instances of the meme's being shared on both Twitter and Facebook, including a popular Facebook page titled "Joe P. Kennedy III for President 2020," which did not appear to be owned or operated by Kennedy himself:

"Reading Mein Kampf in college had a profound affect [sic] on me. Very, very interesting. Of course there were many problems in Germany at the time, they were losers, they lost. But Adolf Hitler, that is to say, I don't agree with everything he was saying at the time of course but I do respect him. As a leader. Tremendous respect. And I suppose you could say, I try to incorporate some of his teachings into everything I do to this day. In business, my daily life and my politics."

- Donald J. Trump

(Interview with Time Magazine, 2002)

However, not only were we unable to locate an original source for this quote, or evidence that Time magazine even interviewed Trump in 2002, we found no discernible record of the quote's existence prior to the meme's first go-around in 2019. Yet it's the kind of statement that would have been quoted ad nauseum in the press had Trump said it. No such references exist.

Nor were we able to find isolated instances of Trump praising "Mein Kampf" or Adolf Hitler in public statements. The cadence and grammar of the passage are Trump-like ("... but I do respect him. As a leader. Tremendous respect."), but all indications point to its being fabricated.

That said, Trump was quoted in 1990 as saying he had been given a copy of Mein Kampf by a friend  though it turned out he was mistaken about which of Hitler's books had been given to him.

In its September 1990 issue, Vanity Fair ran a lengthy, unflattering profile of Trump written by Marie Brenner. The subject of Hitler came up in a strange discussion about his alleged ownership of a book containing the Nazi dictator's speeches called "My New Order":

Donald Trump appears to take aspects of his German background seriously. John Walter works for the Trump Organization, and when he visits Donald in his office, Ivana told a friend, he clicks his heels and says, Heil Hitler, possibly as a family joke. Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitlers collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed. Kennedy now guards a copy of My New Order in a closet at his office, as if it were a grenade. Hitlers speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist. Did your cousin John give you the Hitler speeches? I asked Trump. Trump hesitated. Who told you that? I dont remember, I said. Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and hes a Jew. (I did give him a book about Hitler, Marty Davis said. But it was My New Order, Hitlers speeches, not Mein Kampf. I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but Im not Jewish.) Later, Trump returned to this subject. If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.

To recap, Trump's then-wife Ivana (from whom he was separated) allegedly told her lawyer Trump owned a book of Hitler's speeches and read from it occasionally; Trump claimed he was given a copy of "Mein Kampf" by a Jewish friend (who, in fact, was not Jewish and said the book was "My New Order"); then Trump refused to acknowledge whether he owned the book, and said if he did, he would never read it.

In a subsequent television interview with Barbara Walters, Trump did acknowledge receiving a copy of "My New Order," though he appeared to bristle at the implication he admired Hitler's speeches:

WALTERS: In the current issue of Vanity Fair, the author, Marie Brenner, says that you read from Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, and that these are speeches that you seem to admire. What's your reaction? Do you have this book? Do you have these speeches? TRUMP: It is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. A friend of mine sent me a book. A man who I think is Jewish, although I don't know, sent me a book. It happened to be that book. All of a sudden Marie Brenner somehow found out that he had sent me a book. It is the most ridiculous thing I've seen, and I'm probably going to sue Vanity Fair over it.

Trump later called the Vanity Fair article "one of the worst ever written about me." In an infamous coda to the episode, Trump walked up behind Brenner at a public event and poured a glass of wine down her back (an incident both Trump and Brenner acknowledged happening).

As the evidence stands, no strong case exists for the claim that Trump read or admired Hitler's "Mein Kampf." A viral quote attributed to him in which he supposedly lauded "Mein Kampf" and its author was clearly fabricated. It appears, on the other hand, that Trump did (and perhaps still does) own a collection of Hitler's speeches that a friend presented to him as a gift. According to Vanity Fair, Ivana Trump told her lawyer that her husband kept the book near his bedside and occasionally read from it. Also according to Vanity Fair, however, Trump insisted he had never read it, nor would he.

In a 2016 column for The New York Times, Maureen Dowd reported Trump's responses to questions she asked about both books. "I wondered about ex-wife Ivana telling her lawyer, according to Vanity Fair, that Trump kept a book of Hitlers speeches by his bed," Dowd wrote. "Or the talk in New York that in the 90s he was reading 'Mein Kampf'. Nein, he said. 'I never had the book,' he said. 'I never read the book. I dont care about the book.'"

It's unclear exactly which book he was referring to, though the context suggests it was "Mein Kampf."

Questions about what he read or didn't read aside, we have yet to stumble upon a verifiable instance of Trump expressing respect or admiration for Adolf Hitler. What we did find is that people (including some close to him) have been insinuating that Trump has an affinity for Hitler for the better part of 30 years, which is interesting in and of itself.

Lastly, in December 2023, during a campaign rally for his 2024 presidential reelection bid, Trump reiterated that he had never read "Mein Kampf." He mentioned it after repeating one of the most controversial statements about undocumented immigrants he has ever made: "They are destroying the blood of our country."

In an off-the-cuff digression, he continued, "They don't like it when I said that. I never read Mein Kampf. They said, 'Oh, Hitler said that.' In a much different way."

Sources:

Brenner, Marie. "After the Gold Rush." Vanity Fair. September 1990.

Dowd, Maureen. "Will Trump Be Dumped?" The New York Times. 19 March 2016.

Eckardt, Stephanie. "A Brief History of Donald Trump Spitefully Pouring Wine Down Women's Backs." W. 14 November 2017.

Liles, Jordan. "Did Trump Echo Hitler with Remark About Migrants, 'Poisoning the Blood of Our Country'?" Snopes. 6 October 2023.

20/20. "Barbara Walters Interviews Donald Trump." 17 August 1990.

ABC News. "Trump claims he's never read Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' as he doubles down on anti-immigrant phrase." 19 December 2023.
(Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's election commission has stated for months that it can deliver a free and fair vote on Wednesday, even as opposition candidates and independent observers flagged irregularities they said would jeopardise the legitimacy of the results.

Africa's second-largest country modified its electoral law in June last year to improve the traceability of votes and curb irregularities in the compilation of results observed in a disputed 2018 poll, among other reforms that critics said fell short.

The presidential election will be decided in a single round, requiring a simple majority of the vote to win. Voters were also casting ballots on Wednesday for national and provincial lawmakers, as well as local councillors.

Here is what is expected to happen when polls close.

HOW WILL VOTES BE TALLIED?

Vote-counting starts at polling stations immediately after polls close.

The count is supposed to take place in the presence of witnesses, observers, journalists and five voters designated by the head of the polling station, and will continue without interruption until it is complete, the law says.

The results are then immediately made public and posted at the polling stations before being relayed to compilation centres at the electoral district level and on to the election commission headquarters in the capital, Kinshasa.

The commission tallies the votes from the compilation centres and prepares the provisional results, which must be certified by all members of its board before they are announced.

The commission president or a substitute is expected to announce the full provisional results by Dec. 31.

WHY CRITICS ARE WORRIED

Despite the passing of the revised electoral code, doubts have persisted over the independence of the electoral commission and the appointment of Denis Kadima at its helm. Kadima is an election expert who hails from the same province as President Felix Tshisekedi. His appointment was challenged by opposition parties.

The election commission has also struggled to get enough financial and logistics support from the government to organise the vote.

A key concern for the opposition and independent observers has been an alleged lack of transparency with voter registration and the publishing of voter lists, which they say could enable electoral fraud.

Opposition leaders Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, have warned that they'll only accept results that are published from polling stations and nothing else, raising the prospect of a protracted dispute after the vote.

HOW WILL DISPUTES BE RESOLVED?

Political parties, candidates or those mandated by them have two days after the provisional results are announced to challenge the outcome of the presidential election at the Constitutional Court. The court then has seven days to rule on the case and proclaim the final result.

The next president is due to be sworn in on Jan. 20.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Alex Richardson)
A federal judge in New York has ordered a mass unsealing of court documents in early 2024 that will release to the public the names of scores of Jeffrey Epstein's associates. The documents are part of a settled 2017 lawsuit claiming Epstein's ex-beau Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, the settlement terms of which were not disclosed. According to ABC News, Judge Loretta Preska slated the document release for Jan. 1, providing anyone who objects to their documents becoming public time to object.

Anyone who did not successfully work to have their name excluded from the civil case could see their name released to the public upon the documents' unsealing, including Epstein's victims, co-conspirators and innocent associates. Certain minor victims' names will stay redacted. Preska's decision notes, however, that because some of the included individuals have done media interviews their names should not remain private. Some names belong to individuals who were simply included in depositions, email or legal documents, while others belong to people who have already been publicly associated with Epstein.

Though the documents may not clarify why a certain individual became associated with Giuffre's lawsuit, more than 150 people are expected to be identified between the hundreds of files that may expose more about Epstein's sex trafficking of women and girls in New York, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other locations. Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison after she was convicted of sex trafficking and procuring girls for Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Assaults on transit workers are up around the country, prompting federal regulators to require major transit systems to conduct internal safety assessments, according to a draft proposal from the Federal Transit Administration.

The plan is meant to address the significant and continuing nationwide safety risk associated with assaults on transit workers, the feds wrote.

Regulators reported a 121% uptick in assaults from 2008 to 2021.

National data from 2008 to 2019 shows over eight in 10 of the assaults were on bus workers, with the remainder targeting rail employees.

Assaults on transit workers are also on the rise in New York City.

MTA data for January through October of this year shows 144 transit workers were assaulted, a 31% increase compared to the same time frame last year.

Out of those, 63 assaults were on bus workers, 69 were on subway workers and the other 12 were on employees of other MTA divisions.

In April, a Bronx man opened fire on an MTA fare enforcement team after hed been booted from a bus for failing to pay.

In August, an unhinged passenger beat a C Train operator with a pipe after the transit worker woke him up at the last stop in Manhattan.

A month later, a station agent in the Bronx was attacked with no warning, punched in the head multiple times while in uniform on his way to work.

The federal report cites several steps transit agencies can take to better protect their workers, including taking fare enforcement responsibility out of the hands of bus drivers, adding barriers to buses, and training employees in deescalation.

Many of those policies are already in use by the MTA.

One assault on a transit worker is too many, Mike Cortez, a spokesman for the transit agency, told the Daily News.

If enacted, the federal directive would require transit agencies serving cities with populations of 50,000 or more to immediately conduct a risk assessment for their workers and involve the workforce in developing additional safety strategies.
The Russians hit the evacuation vehicle of Valentyn Bondar, a 35-year-old Poltava resident, with an anti-tank missile. Valentyn has been undergoing treatment for six months after being seriously injured and losing both legs.

Valentyn Bondar voluntarily joined the Armed Forces in early November 2022. The man became the main company driver of the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade. He was seriously injured six months after he started his service. The Nezlamni (Unbroken) rehabilitation centre said that it happened in May on the Bakhmut front.

Valentyn was evacuating infantrymen from positions that were being actively attacked by the Russians. He was the first in a convoy of vehicles travelling along the so-called "road of life". An occupier hit his car with an anti-tank guided missile. The car caught fire.

Despite severe injuries and burns, Valentyn managed to get out of the fire trap. He said that he had fallen to the ground and rolled for several metres. When he opened his eyes, he saw his legs smashed and tried to apply a tourniquet on his own.

An occupier hit Valentyn's car with an anti-tank guided missile. The car caught fire

"I was blinded and deafened. I saw an orange colour, and hot metal was ringing in my ears. I could feel my body burning," Valentyn recollects.

He has been undergoing treatment for six months  doctors in several hospitals fought for a long time to save Valentyn's lower limbs, but in vain. His legs had to be amputated.

Valentyn's legs had to be amputated

Now he is completing his rehabilitation in Lviv, where doctors healed his burns and formed stumps for prosthetics.

The prosthetists used a 3D printer to make modern and lightweight stumps for Valentyn. He has already received his first temporary leg prostheses and is learning to walk on them. He plans to receive permanent artificial limbs in his native Poltava to maintain the prostheses at home.

ALL PHOTOS: The Nezlamni (Unbroken) Centre

Valentyn says he accepted his injury on the battlefield.

"I went through hell. And I got out for the sake of my girls. I have three of them: my wife, Valentyna, and two daughters, Milana and Anastasiia. So now I just want to be with my family," he says.

Valentyn wants to continue working for Ukraine's victory, but as a civilian.

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Despite tremendous gains in HIV prevention and treatment, a UNICEF study of 2022 cases found that girls are more than twice as likely as boys to be infected with the virus.

Girls and young women account for 71% of new HIV infections among people aged 10 to 19, a UNICEF study found.

While there have been tremendous gains in HIV prevention and treatment  particularly for infants  the recent UNICEF study found that girls are more than twice as likely as boys to be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, according to The Washington Post. There were approximately 98,000 teenage girls infected with HIV in 2022 alone.

In sub-Saharan Africa, which has the most significant proportion of HIV-positive children and adolescents, the prevalence among females is three times that of males.

A red ribbon is displayed on the North Portico of the White House to recognize World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2020. A recent study found that in the 10-to-19 age group, females make up the bulk of new HIV infections. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

It is unacceptable that adolescent girls, who should be planning their futures, continue to bear the heaviest burden of HIV infection, said UNICEFs associate director of HIV/AIDS, Anurita Bains. We  the UN, communities, governments and organizations  must eradicate the obstacles that make HIV a threat to their health and wellbeing. This includes ensuring the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent girls and young women are met.

The analysis came as part of an annual overview on children and HIV/AIDS and revealed that gender inequity, restricted access to health care, and a lack of educational initiatives put girls at increased risk for HIV globally.

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Syphilis and other STDs are on the rise. States lost millions of dollars to fight and treat them

Associated Press

The Gathering Place

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The Gathering Place works hard to support and comfort Black cancer patients

ShaCamree Gowdy

HBCU PrEP Ambassador Program, HBCU HIV prevention, Black HIV prevention, Black people with HIV, PrEP, The Human Rights Campaign, HBCUs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HIV prevention at HBCUs, Pride Month, Black LGBTQ, Black sexual health, theGrio.com

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HBCUs are helping the Human Rights Campaign stem HIV in Black and brown communities

Kay Wicker

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Conservative fight against PEPFAR in Africa condemned as a war on Black bodies

Gerren Keith Gaynor

While eastern and southern Africa contain the most HIV-infected children under the age of 19, the World Health Organization also recognized West and Central Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean as hotspots.

The research also indicated that approximately 1 million HIV-positive children and teenagers go untreated, and antiretroviral therapy lags globally owing to testing requirements and a shortage of age-appropriate medicine, The Post reported.

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The post Females are the majority of new HIV diagnoses in10-19 age group appeared first on TheGrio.
Dr. Eric Scott Sills was convicted of second-degree murder Tuesday after prosecutors argued he had strangled wife Susann Sills and then staged her death as an accident. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

An Orange County fertility doctor was convicted of second-degree murder Tuesday in the death of his 45-year-old wife, despite the defense's suggestion that she had received her wounds by accidentally tumbling down the stairs during a migraine attack and then falling prey to the family's rambunctious dogs.

Eric Scott Sills and his wife, Susann, ran a fertility clinic in Carlsbad, he as medical director and she as managing partner. They lived with their 12-year-old twins in a $1-million home in San Clemente.

On the morning of Nov. 13, 2016, Sills called 911 and said he had woken up to discover his wife unconscious at the bottom of a staircase.

"We've got a patient here who's fallen off the stairs and I don't have a pulse," Sills told the emergency dispatcher, in a recording played for jurors in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana. "I think she tripped because it was dark."

More than two years later, after an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, prosecutors charged Sills with her murder. Two pathologists identified strangulation as the cause of death.

"This man killed his wife and hid it, and he hid it pretty well, because it took a while to bring him to justice," Deputy Dist. Atty. Jennifer Walker told jurors. While the couple presented a facade of normalcy, she added, "people do not know what is going on in the privacy of relationships."

Read more: Orange County man charged with murder after claiming he found his wife dead at bottom of stairs

Walker argued that the doctor had strangled Susann Sills during an argument and then, realizing his children were asleep in the house and he could not dump her body, scrambled to stage her death as an accident.

Walker emphasized the position of her body when authorities found it, supine below the staircase with her right foot splayed on a lower stair. The emergency dispatcher had instructed Sills to place his wife on a flat, hard surface to attempt CPR, but the prosecutor said he deliberately left her foot on the stair because "he wanted that connection to the stairway."

Walker argued that as rescue workers were en route, "this doctor who helps people create life" burned time by pointlessly searching for his pulse oximeter rather than trying to save his wife.

"Oh Lord, where is my pulse ox?" Sills is heard saying on the 911 call, his distraught children audible in the background.

What Sills did not have time to do, the prosecutor argued, was to clean up the signs of a bloody struggle elsewhere in the house. In one room, the drapes were splotched with the defendant's blood, a piece of evidence the defense suggested might have gotten there innocently at an earlier point due to an exposed nail on a nightstand.

Sills, 58, did not take the stand in his defense. His attorney, Jack Earley, sought to persuade jurors there was an alternate explanation for Susann Sills' death.

"She's had a migraine for two days, three days," Earley told jurors, arguing that she had not eaten in a day or two and had the benzodiazepine Valium and the opioid painkiller tramadol in her system, which might have left her disoriented on the stairs. "We don't know how she fell."

The couple's son, Eric, initially told police that his parents had been arguing in the hours before his mother's death. Now 19, he appeared to retreat from that claim when he took the stand at trial.

The defense attempted to explain the signs of apparent strangulation on the victim's body: As Susann Sills lay at the bottom of the stairs, one or both of the family's dogs, somehow loosed from their overnight kennels, had tugged at a rayon scarf around her neck.

Walker, the prosecutor, pointed out that it would have taken minutes to kill her in this way, that the scarf had no tears or holes, and that Eric Sills had made no mention of dogs in his 911 call.

She derided the defense's account that his wife had fallen down the stairs  as if "in a soundproof pinball machine"  without waking the family, and "then was strangled by her dogs."

Prosecutors did not provide a motive for the killing, a weakness in the case the defense repeatedly emphasized.

According to the couple's text exchanges, however, there were signs that they had fought bitterly in the months preceding Susann Sills's death. There was friction about work, friction about her husband's children from a prior marriage, and friction about his temper.

"I will never be free, ever," she wrote at one point. "You are killing me, don't you see? ... I just want out."

Another source of discord, the prosecutor argued, was his apparent chagrin that she had posted a topless photo of herself online after losing a bet.

"Is that the reason he killed her? I don't know," Walker said  but perhaps "he is done with her embarrassing him."

The jury deliberated for a day before reaching its verdict of second-degree murder, rejecting the prosecutor's argument that it was first-degree murder involving premeditation.

Sills, who had been free on bail, was taken into custody after Tuesday's verdict. He faces 15 years to life in prison at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for March 15 before Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Tuesday claimed the social media platform TikTok is creating warped perceptions of Israels war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

When asked on CNNs The Lead about the reason behind the divisions in the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas war, Fetterman responded, I really dont know. I know that a lot of people are getting their perspective from TikTok.

And I think, if youre kind of getting your perspective on the world on TikTok, its going to tend to be kind of warped or not reflective of the history and actually the way things absolutely are, he continued.

Fetterman has remained steadfast in his support of Israel following Hamass Oct. 7 attacks on the country that left about 1,200 people dead. The Pennsylvania Democrat has argued Hamas bears responsibility for the ongoing violence in Gaza as Israel carries out a campaign in the Hamas-run territory to destroy the group and its military capabilities.

The violence in Gaza has killed more than 19,000 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

And what is very clear is, is that Hamas started this, and they actually broke the cease-fire, and they attacked and murdered babies, children, women, attacked a music concert and everything. Its outrageous, Fetterman said.

And from now on, its been very clear that Israel would very much want there to be peace. But they have made it very clear that, after Oct. 7, that thats just not possible so long as Hamas is allowed to exist, he added.

The Hill reached out to TikTok for comment.

Fetterman is not the first lawmaker to bring up concerns over TikTok and its impact on peoples perception of the conflict.

NBC News reported last month other congressional members, conservative activists and tech investors have renewed calls to ban TikTok, with some arguing the platform has a pro-Palestinian bias. TikTok called the allegations of bias baseless, NBC News reported.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last month, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) urged the Biden administration to establish a ban on TikTok, arguing the Chinese-owned company has the power to radically distort the world-picture that Americas young people encounter.

TikTok responded to concerns over the platform last month, pointing out that hashtags are created and added to videos by users  not the platform  and warned against comparing the number of videos and views associated with a hashtag.

The platform has also pushed back against the concerns over its algorithms, claiming its algorithm does not take sides and has rigorous measures in place to prevent manipulation.

TikTok said it also created a command center and assembled specific resources and personnel to robustly respond to the Israel-Hamas war. It said the platform removed more than 925,000 videos from Oct. 7 to Oct. 31 for violating TikToks policies around violence, hate, misinformation and terrorism. Those videos included content promoting Hamas, the platform said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SEATTLE - A twice-convicted drug trafficker has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in a Western Washington-based drug trafficking ring.

The U.S. District Court in Seattle announced Tuesday that 38-year-old Alan Gomez-Marentes was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Gomez-Marentes and 18 others were indicted in July 2020, following an 18-month wiretap investigation into a Western Washington-based drug trafficking ring. Gomez-Marentes is the final member of this drug trafficking ring to be sentenced.

The ring leader was sentenced to 17 years in prison earlier this month.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DEA-led task force in Puget Sound targets violent drug trafficking organization linked to Mexican cartel

The investigation led to law enforcement seizing 45 pounds of methamphetamine, 12 pounds of heroin, 3,200 fentanyl pills, 22 firearms and $566,391 in cash.

According to prosecutors, Gomez-Marentes ordered drug shipments, directed underlings to process drugs, and he and his sister laundered the trafficking money. He was heard on wiretapped calls ordering conspirators to get new phones or pack up materials to avoid police scrutiny, prosecutors say, and asking them to jump a trafficker who owed him money.

Gomez-Marentes, who is a Mexican citizen who also lived in Los Angeles and Tukwila, and was previously convicted in 2005 for trafficking cocaine at Washington State University. At the time, he was sentenced to five years in prison and then deported back to Mexico. There, he was convicted for another drug trafficking crime and sentenced to five years in prison, where he assisted drug dealers by translating with buyers in the U.S.

He illegally returned to Washington in 2019.

"Alan Gomez-Marentes played a central leadership role in this highly successful organization for at least 10 months," wrote prosecutors. "He oversaw all aspects of drug trafficking: he orchestrated loads of drugs from Mexico; he managed the conversion of liquid methamphetamine to crystal methamphetamine; he directed numerous redistributors, providing them drugs for delivery and collecting cash drug proceeds; and he laundered tens of thousands of dollars."
The group behind a constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access in Florida says it is confident it has enough signatures to qualify for the 2024 ballot.

But even if it gets the required 891,523 verified petitions by the Feb. 1, 2024, deadline, the fate of the proposed ballot measure still depends on the states conservative Supreme Court.

As of Tuesday, elections officials have verified 753,771 of the petitions submitted by Floridians Protecting Freedom, according to the Department of State. More are in the verification process. The group said it expects to submit a total of 1.4 million petitions by the end of this month.

Floridians have shown that they want to see this initiative on the ballot, campaign director Lauren Brenzel said in a statement. Brenzel added, Were confident were going to submit enough petitions to get on the ballot.

The group said it plans to submit all petitions by Jan. 2, 2024, to give supervisors of elections offices time to validate them ahead of the deadline.

Members of the group have said its effort is nonpartisan and that it estimates that more than 150,000 of the petitions collected have come from Republicans.

The amendment would protect abortion access in Florida until viability, which is estimated to be around 24 weeks. The text of the amendment reads in part that no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider.

If approved by voters, the amendment would effectively undo Floridas current law banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. State lawmakers also this year passed a stricter abortion measure that would limit most abortions after six weeks. That law could be enacted depending on the outcome of an ongoing battle in the Florida Supreme Court over the current 15-week law.

In addition to gathering the total number of petitions required, the group must also have a certain number of petitions, equal to 8% of the votes cast in the last presidential election, from at least half of Floridas 28 congressional districts.

As of Tuesday, the group has enough petitions in eight congressional districts, according to the state website. Floridians Protecting Freedom has cautioned on social media that nothing is official until the state finishes certifying signatures.

Anna Hochkammer, the executive director of Floridas Women Freedom Coalition, one of the groups involved with the amendment push, said the next focus is engaging volunteers, ensuring people are registered to vote and doing polling, research and testing to make sure they are getting their message out in the right way.

You cant copy-paste when it comes to Florida, Hochkammer said.

The effort to get the constitutional amendment on the ballot is backed by groups including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Florida and has raised nearly $9 million as of the end of September.

In Ohio, voters in November approved a ballot measure to protect abortion, making it the seventh state since 2022 where voters have opted to either affirm abortion access or deny further restrictions.

Floridians Protecting Freedom launched its campaign immediately after the close of Floridas legislative session in May, giving the group less than a year to collect the required petitions.

Once the group officially gets the required number of signatures, the language of the proposed amendment must pass scrutiny by the Florida Supreme Court. Attorney General Ashley Moody has already asked the court to disqualify the amendment, saying the language could confuse voters.

If the Supreme Court approves the ballot language, the group would need at least 60% of Florida voters to approve the amendment.
Florida has taken a turn for the worse when it comes to health, ranking among the bottom 20% percent of states in key indicators including access to care and preventable hospitalizations, according to the latest Americas Health Ranking.

The unique mental health challenges that often come with military service can become overwhelming.

Florida is now 31st among states for overall health, a slide from 27th place last year, according to the assessment done annually the American Public Health Association and the United Health Foundation.

Florida ranks 44th among the 50 states for public health funding and 43rd for people avoiding getting medical care when it is needed because of the cost.

Roughly 13% of Florida residents avoided getting medical care because of the expense while the national rate is 10%.

The reason for Florida sliding in its ranking is not something that the analysis aims to explain; the findings are instead designed to spark a conversation and encourage action, according to United Health Foundation.

George Calderon of Immokalee provides information to a health care worker before receiving his COVID-19 vaccine, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at a DOH-Collier site in Immokalee.

The state is near bottom at 46th place for its high uninsured rate of 11% compared to 8% nationwide. That is a factor for why the state is near the bottom, at 41st place, for preventable hospitalizations among seniors.

The state Department of Health in Tallahassee, which oversees public health services, could not be reached for comment.

More: Florida ranks 27 among states for overall health, but drug deaths spiked 52%

More: Most SWFL hospitals earn high marks for patient safety and outcomes

The healthiest states are generally in the Northeast which are New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and Minnesota, according to the rankings.

The unhealthiest states tend to be in the South and are Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama.

Chronic medical diseases on rise in U.S.

The annual report is in its 34th year and is designed to gain perspective on the health well being of the nation and where there have been improvements and setbacks. The analysis uses 28 data sources for 87 measures of health, lifestyle and surroundings.

Efforts like (the ranking) underscore the importance of having high-quality demographic population data for benchmarking, as well as for tracking where we are and where we need to go, Dr. David Huang, with the National Center for Health Statistics that is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the report.

The analysis found eight chronic health conditions reached their highest numbers since the national rankings began.

A total of 29 million Americans report three or more chronic conditions. That is 11% of the U.S. population.

The conditions are arthritis, asthma, cancer, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression and diabetes.

More: Life for Florida's elders: The good, the bad, the ugly in new report

Rates of depression surged nearly 22% to affect 54 million adults while diabetes increased nearly 12% with 32 million Americans having the disease, the data shows.

Roughly 8% of adults, or 21 million Americans, reported having been diagnosed with cancer excluding non-melanoma skin cancer.

The chronic disease rates for each state was not included in state reports although Florida saw a 16% increase in its premature death rate before the age of 75.

The country saw a 13% decline in the number of primary care providers of roughly 107,000 professionals, an issue that has been ongoing for years in Florida and across the country.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president, is opposed to expanding Medicaid coverage to the low income under the Affordable Care Act yet his budget plan for next year increases Medicaid rates to physicians and other providers to improve access to services.

He proposes $117 million in rate increases for hospital labor and delivery, $79 million in rate increases to physicians for adult care, and $295 million for mobile services for primary care and behavioral health.

Expanding physician residency funding is one way to address physician shortages and DeSantis budget includes $429 million for graduate residency education, the same amount that was in the 2023 budget.

Other key data points

Adults in Florida are not getting the flu vaccine; the state is 46 th for its flu vaccination rate, according to the findings.

A longstanding issue is lack of sufficient access to mental health providers with Florida 43 rd for its rate of dedicated mental health providers based on population.

The finding about mental health access in Florida is similar to whats been found at the local level, including in the recent community assessment by the Collier Community Foundation, Nancy Dauphinais, chief operating officer of the David Lawrence Mental Health Center in Collier County, said in an email.

Thats where 23% of surveyed residents say mental health access needs to be a priority, along with controlling housing costs, managing growth and protecting the environment.

The community assessment, released in late October, was done in conjunction with the Richard M. Schulze Foundation to gauge how quality of life has changed since 2018 and what should be priorities.

We know that we can make a difference through collective impact, she said. We will continue to increase awareness of these vital issues among Florida citizens, and continue to urge residents to increase their advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels to bring about meaningful and sustainable solutions.

Does Florida stand out anywhere?

Florida ranks second among states for its fourth grade reading proficiency although the state is 36 th for its high school graduation rate of nearly 90%. That is the same as the national U.S. high school graduation rate at 90%.

The state ranks fourth for its adult exercise rate with 27% engaging in exercise, which is better than 23% rate in the U.S.

Occupational fatalities dropped 16% from a rate of five deaths per 100,000 workers to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 workers.

The state is 11 th in tobacco use with 11% of adults smoking verses 14% in the U.S.

Florida ranks 12th for excessive drinking among adults where near 17% report engaging in this behavior while the national rate is 18%.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: America's Health Ranking shows Florida in bottom 20% of states
The trek for groceries can be particularly strenuous for Del Valle residents.

In November, the American-Statesman reported that many who live in Del Valle and eastern Travis County faced continued obstacles to accessing their groceries of choice. Food price, quality and selection led many to leave their neighborhood  which is served most proximately by a collection of minimarts, convenience stores and specialty grocers  for the bulk of their food purchases. The burden of commutes, though, meant many made the trips less frequently than they would like.

Your biggest obstacle is getting nutritional food at a price you can afford, said Patricia King, vice president of the Del Valle Community Coalition. We can go and get it  but its costing us more.

The ways that local and national agencies measure and label this problem is nuanced. How, then, can one describe the relationship between this community and groceries? As a food desert? An example of food insecurity or lack of food access? The Statesman spoke to professors and local policy leaders to understand what we know and dont know about Del Valles relationship to food.

More: Facing food insecurity, Del Valle residents continue calls for better food access, an H-E-B

Is Del Valle a food desert?

The lack of a large grocery store in Del Valle has led some news outlets and community members to refer to the area as a food desert. The term has no set definition, but tends to describe an expansive area without a grocery store.

It remains popular because it conveys a message really clearly by contrasting a basic need with an image widely identified as barren, Baylor University public health professor Kathryn Janda-Thomte said.

Today, scholars and local food policy leaders like Janda-Thomte avoid the term, arguing it can oversimplify or convolute a communitys food conditions.

Irene Ray walks away with her groceries at the H-E-B on South Congress Avenue near Slaughter Lane to a nearby bus stop on Tuesday November 21, 2023. Ray rides a bus from her home in Del Valle to get groceries at the H-E-B.

That is in part, Janda-Thomte said, because food access, or the ability to reach points where food is sold, isnt usually defined by extremes.

Saying that theres nothing is a bit of a misrepresentation, she said. What's more important is whether consumers use the stores around them.

Others, like city of Austin Food Policy Manager Edwin Marty, believe the term doesnt centralize the question of economic security as it should. The lack of adequate grocery stores in Southeast Austin is a problem, he said, but that by itself doesnt create conditions of disadvantage. Being low-income or having limited access to a vehicle on top of this, though, might.

What terms explain the conditions of Del Valle residents?

Del Valles lack of a comprehensive grocery store is a concern of access. When community members choose to leave the area for their shopping, its also a question of utilization, or whether individuals decide to use the food options that are most accessible to them.

Both of these play a role in conditions of food security and insecurity, Janda-Thomte said, as do the availability of food types and the stability over time of food sources.

Food insecurity, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, refers to conditions of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

A grocery store could help improve food security, but it wont be be silver bullet solution, Janda-Thomte said.

Community activist Patricia King plays Bingo during a Meals on Wheels event at the Del Valle Community Center on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. King organizes weekly events at the community center to feed Del Valle residents and create opportunities to socialize.

What does the data say?

There is no specific data on food insecurity in Del Valle, but 2021 numbers from Feeding America, a national network of food banks, suggested that about 1 in 8 Central Texans experiences it.

Mapping projects show some of the conditions of food access in the Austin area.

The USDA Food Atlas map marks census tracts that are both low-income and low-access, as measured by distance to the closest grocery store. The city of Austins 2017 Food Environment Analysis identifies areas where a certain number of residents are affected by multiple access barriers like low economic status, vehicle access or low store proximity.

In these maps, large chunks of what are now the most populated parts of Del Valle  the areas east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, south of the Colorado River and north of FM 812 are not identified as vulnerable, or areas experiencing more than one condition for food insecurity.

The USDA map marked the areas east of the airport as low-income but not low-access, by its definitions. The citys map identified almost all of Del Valle as having low proximity to healthy food but almost none of it as having low household income.

More: With food security 'worse than ever,' these Austin urban farms strive to solve inequities

So, does the data mean nothings wrong?

Scholars who spoke to the Statesman said food access maps, while important, need to be read with nuance.

One important thing to consider, University of Texas regional planning professor Alex Karner said, is that the data used in these projects might not fully represent current realities.

Conditions of life change quickly, especially in a metro as fast growing as Austin, he said. Data sets can also be older than their publication dates, as large survey projects like the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey use accrued data from five-year periods.

Irene Ray gets on the bus with her groceries at the H-E-B on South Congress Avenue near Slaughter Lane on Tuesday November 21, 2023. Ray rides a bus from her home in Del Valle to get groceries at the H-E-B.

The USDAs most recent Food Atlas Map was published in 2019, but it uses U.S. Census Bureau population data from 2010 and income data from 2014-2018. The citys 2017 map uses 2015 ACS data.

We have to understand that they dont represent a snapshot of the current moment. Theyre in some sense a projection of the past, as well, Karner said.

The numbers provide valuable context, he said, but they also require us to understand their limitations and supplement them with current information from residents.

That's the gold standard.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Is Del Valle a food desert? What we know about area's limited access
A Former Jefferson County band teacher has been indicted for rape and sex abuse, according to a news release from the Jefferson Commonwealths Attorney office.

On Dec. 18, a Jefferson County grand jury returned an indictment against Cyr T. Wilson charging him with three counts of third-degree rape and one count of first-degree sex abuse, the news release said.

The indicted charges are in connection to a series of crimes from Aug. 1, 2017 through June 30, 2020 while he worked with students, the news release said.

Wilson has been reassigned from his position as band director and teacher at the Academy @ Shawnee as a result of district policies, JCPS spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said.

He was officially employed by JCPS in January 2020 as a teacher at the Academy @ Shawnee, she said.

Callahan said according to Wilsons resume, while in college from 2017 to 2019, he was the Marching Band Ensemble Coordinator in connection with the Band Boosters at Ballard High School. This was not JCPS employment, she said.

Wilson is scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Jan. 8, the Commonwealths Attorneys news release said.

A Sept. 2022 Herald-Leader investigation showed of the 194 cases of teachers who voluntarily surrendered or had their license revoked or suspended from 2016 to 2021, 61% lost their license due to sexual misconduct. The overwhelmingly majority of those cases involved male teachers and teenage girls.

A 2023 bill would have upped training requirements for teachers and required more disclosure of past allegations of sexual misconduct. The bill, however, did not pass the full Senate. The bills sponsor Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, has said he plans to file a similar bill in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.

Kentucky teacher fired after alleged inappropriate communications with students
A former Brashear High School student who was beaten and stomped by a classmate is suing Pittsburgh Public Schools.

NyHier Williams was a junior in January 2022 when another student slammed him to the ground in a school hallway and stomped on his head while he was unconscious.

>> Brutal fight at Brashear High School leaves 17-year-old student motionless, now hospitalized

According to the lawsuit, school officials knew of at least three other attacks but failed to protect him.

In the lawsuit, Williams said that violated his civil rights.

In March 2022, Quincey Garland was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Its unclear if prosecutors followed through with the charges.

According to the lawsuit, incidents between Williams and Garland were documented as far back as September 2021.

Channel 11 reached out to Pittsburgh Public Schools for a comment, but we have not heard back.

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Former federal judge Michael Luttig argued Wednesday that the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling disqualifying former President Trump from the states ballot is not anti-democratic, but rather the conduct that prompted the disqualification was anti-democratic.

Responding to former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnsons comments arguing all eligibility requirements are anti-democratic in a sense, Luttig said, It is not the former presidents disqualification that is anti-democratic.

The Constitution itself tells us that it is the conduct that gives rise to disqualification under the 14th Amendment that is anti-democratic, Luttig added during an appearance on CNNs This Morning.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday handed down a bombshell ruling that Trump should be kept off the ballot in light of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Invoking the 14th Amendments insurrection clause, the Colorado courts 4-3 ruling states Trump participated in an insurrection through his false claims of election fraud and encouragement of supporters to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The decision goes against a lower court ruling that the office of the president doesnt fall under the insurrection clause, which states those who previously took oaths to support the Constitution cannot participate in a rebellion against it.

Several lawmakers argued the decision sets a dangerous precedent for how courts might be used to decide who can compete in elections.

It is a serious matter  nonpolitical matter though to this extent, Luttig continued. We live under the rule of law in this country, and its imperative that all Americans accept the decision of our courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. It is not an option in the United States of America to protest in the streets [the] decisions of our courts  state or federal.

Luttig, a conservative legal thinker appointed to the federal bench by President George H. W. Bush, has been a leading proponent of using the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from returning to office. He has also called the former president a clear and present danger to US democracy during testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee last year.

Trumps campaign has already pledged to appeal the Colorado ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for disqualification challenges in other states, Luttig said.

Thats why the Supreme Court will take this case. It will decide it  and that will be a uniform rule nationwide for at least the 2024 election, Luttig continued.

I caveat it that way because it is possible that the Supreme Court would decline to take this case, because this case only disqualifies the former president from a state primary. It would be a legitimate interpretation of the Constitution that the states have the prerogative under the federal Constitution to conduct their primaries as they see fit without federal interference by the United States Constitution or Supreme Court.

Lawsuits seeking to keep Trump off the ballot have also been brought in Minnesota and North Carolina, citing the 14th Amendment. Colorados ruling, however, marks the first time Trump has been blocked from the ballot.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) dug into the Colorado Supreme Courts disqualification of former President Trump from the state ballot, calling it pure partisan ridiculous stuff.

I dont need to lay out my bona fides as my opposition to Donald Trump. But this is just  pure partisan ridiculous stuff here, Kasich said in an interview on MSNBC. Look, youve got a partisan court  all Democrats. They barely could say that [Trump] should be disqualified.

Colorados Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack should block him from being on the ballot, citing the 14th Amendments insurrection clause. The justices pointed to the former presidents false claims of election fraud and rallying of supporters to go to the Capitol prior to the insurrection.

The courts 4-3 ruling overturned a lower court argument that the office of the presidency does not fall under this clause, which states those who previously took oaths to support the Constitution cannot participate in a rebellion against it.

Kasich said he has concerns over the type of precedent the ruling could set for how courts in the future may determine election eligibility.

I worry about the fact that  You do this to me and then I do this to you, and this just goes on and on and on, Kasich said. I just think this case  is not going to hold up.

If it were to hold up, you tell me  what were looking at in terms of future decisions being made by partisan judges that tell somebody who should be on the ballot and who shouldnt, he continued. And frankly, I know therere probably a lot of Democrats excited about this, but I got news for them, or some advice for them: Why dont you figure how to beat Trump? That would be the important decision.

Kasichs remarks echo those of several current and former GOP lawmakers and leaders who claim the ruling is an illegal attempt at election interference to prevent Trump from taking back the White House in 2024. Others are arguing Colorados ruling can be blamed on the makeup of the Centennial States high court, whose bench was entirely appointed by Democratic governors. Six of the seven justices have won retention elections, and a seventh will run to do so next year.

Kasich, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, has been a vocal critic of the former president and has urged the 2024 GOP presidential candidates to similarly disavow Trump in public.

Asked if Colorados ruling is net positive for Trumps narrative, Kasich said, I can tell you what these Trumpets are going to say. Theyre going to say, You see, that deep state, they wont even let him compete. They wont even let him into the ballpark and be able to swing at a pitch, thats what theyre going to say.

And [Trumps] going to say it. He says, The deep state is back at it again,' Kasich continued, adding that the ruling gives the former president an opportunity to vent more.

Shortly after the ruling was issued Tuesday, Trumps campaign sent out a fundraising email with the subject line REMOVED FROM THE BALLOT that encouraged supporters to donate to the former presidents 2024 White House bid.

Trump warned the Colorado ruling would allow other groups to challenge his eligibility to be on the ballot in the other 49 states and repeated his longtime claim that Democrats are attempting to rig the election against him, though President Biden and Democratic officials were not involved with the courts ruling.

Trumps campaign has already pledged to appeal Colorados ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A United States court on Tuesday sentenced a former Haitian senator to life in federal prison over his role in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

Joseph Joel John was sentenced by the Miami federal court after he pleaded guilty in October to three charges, including conspiring to kill and kidnap a person outside the US, and providing material support and resources to carry out the plot to kill Moise. John was extradited from Jamaica in May 2022.

Moise was killed during an attack on his private residence in Haitis capital Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. Haitis first lady, Martine Moise, was also shot but later recovered.

A probable cause affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint in 2022 alleges that John admitted to helping obtain vehicles and firearms in service of the plot. He also admitted to attending a meeting with co-conspirators a day before Moise was assassinated, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent.

A mourner holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise during a memorial ceremony in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 20, 2021. - Matias Delacroix/AP/File

John was the third man charged in connection to Moises assassination, according to the US Department of Justice. Mario Antonio Palacios and Rodolphe Jaar were both arrested and charged in 2022.

Jarr, a Haitian-Chilean national, was sentenced to life in June after an earlier guilty plea on three counts, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the US and providing material support resulting in death, according to the plea agreement.

Court records show Palacios, a Colombian national, is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

A number of Haitian American citizens and at least 20 Colombians participated in the plot, according to the Department of Justice.

Haiti has seen deepening unrest since Moises assassination, with the spread of gangs and a wave of violence that has swept the impoverished Caribbean nation. Moises successor, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, has so far struggled to staunch the violence.

Attacks carried out by gangs on rival villages have included beheadings, rapes, and kidnappings, according to a report released last month by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti.

In October, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a multinational support mission to help Haitis national police fight gang violence, with Kenya taking a leading role and pledging 1,000 police to the mission.

However, the announcement did not specify when the security forces would arrive in Haiti, and the deployment has been tied up by legal challenges.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The families of the victims of a Keller middle school band director were in tears Tuesday as they addressed the man who sexually abused at least 13 boys, including two 17-year-olds and 11 younger students, after a judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

They told the judge how the boys Jedidiah Maus abused over the course of at least 10 years no longer feel like they can use public restrooms, have struggled academically, dont like being alone with teachers and in some cases cant be alone in the same room with a man to whom they arent related. One man, who as a teenager was abused repeatedly by Maus, said the abuse has impacted his ability to have healthy romantic relationships.

Tarrant County Criminal District Judge Wayne Salvant heard hours of testimony including from the defendants victims and their families at Tuesdays sentencing hearing.

Maus pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecency with a child by exposure, one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact and one count of indecent exposure. In total, he was sentenced to 25 years and 180 days, but because the sentences will be served concurrently he will only spend 15 years behind bars.

Families of the victims described how Maus preyed on boys as young as 10 years old, in some cases following them into bathrooms at school and in other cases telling them to go to the bathroom with him. In at least one instance, the prosecution said, Maus walked into a band practice room at school to masturbate in front of a child. They also said he assaulted a teenage girl, the sister of one of the boys he sexually abused, by putting his hand around her throat.

The victims described how Maus would start off by looking at them at the urinal and having them look at him, then escalate things to masturbating with each other in the restroom and in some cases touching the genitals of the boys and making them touch his.

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The prosecution asked for the maximum sentence which, if served concurrently, would have resulted in 20 years in prison. The defense asked for leniency, insisting that Maus should be rehabilitated instead of punished, requesting little to no time in prison.

The father of one victim, the first boy to come forward and speak out about abuse, told Maus that a prison sentence was a gift.

Prison is probably the safest place for you, the father said.

Survivors describe the abuse

Because he pleaded guilty, Tuesday was the first time the court heard from Maus victims and their families.

The Star-Telegram is not identifying the victims of the sexual abuse.

Salvant first heard testimony from a boy who described how when he was in Maus band class he was not only followed into the bathroom by Maus but led there on some occasions. He described how there were times Maus would invite him to leave class for a snack.

We almost always ended up in the bathroom, the boy said.

He and most of the other victims said they didnt even realize at first that they were being sexually abused. One parent told the court that her son told her how Maus masturbated in front of him, but had trouble finding a way to describe it because he didnt yet know what masturbation was.

One man, now in his 20s, said the abuse continued even into high school. One day, while Maus was with his middle school students at the mans high school for a concert, he led the man, at the time a sophomore, into the bathroom.

Another boy said the abuse happened the entire time he was on campus for his eighth-grade year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the boy said, the first nine weeks of school were remote. But when he returned to campus, Maus began exposing himself in the bathroom with the student.

After a little while, the abuse became consistent at about three times a week.

Before this, he was my favorite teacher, the boy said. This is an evil thing. People who prey on young children should be locked away.  He built trust with his students so he could abuse them.

Both the boys and the man who testified about the abuse they survived said they are still processing what happened. It stole their innocence and left them feeling powerless.

Two said they came forward  one to an administrator and the other to peers  but werent believed. The other said he wanted to come forward but couldnt find the strength and didnt think anybody would believe him. All said they know the abuse isnt their fault but still blame themselves for the abuse of other boys who came after them.

The prosecution emphasized that in therapy Maus was determined to have above-average intelligence and suggested that he used that to determine the safest way to manipulate and initiate his abuse with each survivor.

Parents said they couldnt understand or forgive the abuse.

Two fathers who took the stand talked about the impacts on their families. Both said that their faith has helped them get through it, but that nothing has been able to stop the hurt, anger, devastation and sense of betrayal.

As a dad it made me feel like a failure, then the rage sets in, logic sets and you think about what you could lose if you take matters into your own hands, one father said. My son hid my gun because he was worried I would kill him.

The father said he would have killed Maus if hed caught him in the act, but said he explained to his children that he couldnt do that after the fact because it could result in the father facing charges and being taken away from his children.

Both fathers said they wanted to kill Maus but theyrealized that wasnt a real option.

Your first emotion is righteous anger, but you have to let go of that anger to care for your son, the other father said.

That father emphasized that the known instances of abuse span nearly a decade and that the actual number of boys Maus has harmed is unknown.

One mother who spoke said her 11-year-old son didnt know he was a victim, even as he described the abuse.

We literally went from putting money under his pillow from the tooth fairy to hearing about a teacher (masturbating) in front of him in the bathroom, the mother said.

Her son and others wont be alone with teachers anymore because of the trauma of what happened. They wont go to tutoring and some have been failing state testing as a result.

The mother said her son, like all the other boys who spoke or had parents testify, either wont use public restrooms or feel at danger when they do. He wont go to see the nurse at school because the nurse is male. Instead, she and her husband have received texts from him when he is feeling unwell at school.

The survivors and their parents all asked the judge to sentence Maus to the maximum.

Investigation

After the first boy reported abuse to a parent, Detective Bethany Todd with the Keller Police Department began investigating Maus.

Maus, when he was called to speak to HR, claimed that in the first reported instance he needed to use the restroom and couldnt wait, so he went to the student bathroom instead of one for staff. Todd said she reviewed security camera footage from the school and found that wasnt true.

Instead, Todd told the court, she saw footage of Maus pacing back and forth outside the bathroom until the boy went inside, then following him in. It was a common trend in surveillance video she watched.

Todd said she watched more than 400 hours of security footage, following Maus from the moment he arrived on campus to the moment he left since the start of that school year. Every time he walked into a student bathroom, which she said was nearly every time he used the restroom, she had to back up the video to see if any students were still inside and then watch until he left to see if any boys went in after him.

The detective identified at least 10 other boys who may have been abused but the boys either couldnt endure a forensic interview or the parents wouldnt allow their sons to be interviewed by police, she and the prosecution said.

In court Tuesday, Maus was asked about the total number of boys he has abused.

Do you even know how many children youve sexually abused? prosecutor Deanna Franzen asked.

I do not, he responded.

The parent of one survivor left the courtroom after Maus said that, visibly angry.

Franzen suggested he may have abused other boys when working at schools in Duncanville, which Maus said was possible.

Todd said she cant know the full extent of Maus abuse, either. Especially in the case of boys who have survived sexual abuse, she said victims can be hesitant to come forward and that for each one who did, it was a difficult experience. In many cases, she said, even adults who hear about sexual abuse of boys might not take it as seriously as abuse of girls because of social stigmas and ideas that boys are strong enough to grow out of the trauma.

Thats not true, Todd, the parents and Ezio Leite, a psychologist and therapist who works both with sex offenders and survivors, all said. The trauma is something that almost all survivors will carry with them for the rest of their lives, regardless of their gender.

During her investigation, Todd said her office physically moved from the police station to Bear Creek Intermediate School, one of the two campuses at which Maus was working when his abuse was discovered. She interviewed teachers, students and administrators to get a full picture of the band directors abuse and who he was.

Many school employees told her they blamed themselves for not noticing something was off about him. Students told her they saw Maus outside of student restrooms so often they thought he was a bathroom monitor, something Bear Creek Intermediate Principal Brenda Riebkes said the school doesnt even have.

.

Maus testifies

Maus took the stand at the start of the defenses case, telling Salvant that he is sorry for what hes done and hes working to become a better person. His words appeared to ring hollow to the survivors and their families in the courtroom.

He said hes taken his therapy seriously and is on medication for obsessive compulsive disorder, which he said contributed to his actions.

When questioned by prosecutors, though, Maus admitted that he downplayed the seriousness of his abuse of boys when he started going to therapy. He said he didnt think it was that harmful, thought since the students he victimized were male that it wasnt as serious, claimed the survivors of his abuse were exaggerating what happened and said he felt like he was a victim for being arrested and charged.

In court Tuesday, Maus said he doesnt still feel those things and knows he did wrong.

Pleading for leniency

Maus, his attorneys and family and friends all pleaded with Salvant to be lenient. One friend, Greg Shapley, told the judge that Maus deserved mercy.

Shapley said he met Maus about 20 years ago, when Maus was still in high school. He was introduced to him at church because of his musical talent and said Maus played instruments in church productions and volunteered with children at a church music summer camp while in high school.

He said that Maus deserved justice, but that his idea of justice was different than that of the survivors and their families. He said being arrested, losing his job and registering as a sex offender was justice enough. When later asked by the judge, he said he thought Maus deserved mercy. The judge asked him to define that.

This person has obviously committed a sin, a transgression, and he has admitted to that, so we all put down our stones and walk away, Shapley said. Thats mercy.

Shapley also referred to Maus abuse as a thorn in the mans side, referencing the biblical writings of the apostle Paul, which one of the fathers brought up after sentencing, during victim impact statements. The father said that Paul wrote about a thorn in the side while falsely imprisoned and awaiting trial for being a Christian and that comparing Maus actions to the meaning behind the writers words wasnt right.

When he left the stand and walked back toward the gallery, Shapley patted Maus on the shoulder reassuringly.

Maus sister also asked for the judge to give her brother probation instead of time behind bars, but also told the prosecution that she if she were to have children one day she cant say she would be comfortable allowing them to be alone in a room with Maus.

Maus wife also testified, saying her husband has been in therapy and has admitted to his family everything he did. She pointed out that as a condition of his bond Maus has been monitored constantly with software on all his devices that allows authorities to see everything he does on computers, tablets and phones.

She said Maus, who has gotten a job as an accountant since his arrest, has been a good husband. But she, too, couldnt say that she would allow her husband to be alone in the same room as her children. Maus ex-wife has received court orders preventing Maus from seeing their son in any way but supervised FaceTime calls.

Attorneys built on the idea that Maus was a good teacher, something that students and one father in victim impact statements called a ridiculous thing to worry about in light of his crimes.

Riebkes said that before she knew about the abuse she thought he was a gifted musician and teacher, but her opinion of him changed after she learned what hed done to boys. The prosecution asked in closing statements if he could have actually been that good a teacher if he was spending so much time out of the classroom, standing outside bathrooms waiting for boys to abuse.

Leite, the psychologist, said that Maus has shown improvement in therapy and has been diagnosed with an obsessive compulsive disorder that leads him to act on sexual impulses to abuse boys and has been taking his medication. The defense attempted to use Maus desire to get treatment as a way to argue for leniency for the sake of his rehabilitation.

But when it was the prosecutions turn to question Leite, the psychologist told the judge that Maus knew what he was doing was wrong and he still did it. He said there was a dissonance between his moral compass and his actions.

Sentencing





Salvant, the judge, said he believes in rehabilitation but that he didnt have a choice but to sentence Maus to time behind bars because of the nature and extent of his crimes.

Thats something I cant quite forgive, Salvant said. His behavior was not only unacceptable, it was reprehensible.

He said he hopes Maus continues working to rehabilitate himself, even in prison, but that the abuse not only of the boys but of the trust they and their families put in him as a teacher was too much.

He added that a lot of people were watching the case. That mattered because one consideration in sentencing is making an example to deter future offenders.

The sentence had people on both sides of the case crying.

During victim impact statements, Salvant was seen crying from the bench. One police officer, with tears in her eyes, plugged her ears while some of the survivors and their family spoke to Maus through distraught cries.

It didnt only affect me, one of the survivors said. Like you said, you dont know how many other kids you did this to.

The girl who prosecutors told the court was choked by Maus said she hasnt had a full eight hours of sleep since she was assaulted by him. She wakes up in the middle of the night crying. She cant let her father hug her or put an arm over her shoulder because of the trauma. Some of the survivors and family members were crying so heavily their words werent understandable.

One father told the court he wanted to give a victim impact statement but couldnt.

Theres nothing but anger, he said. Just too much anger.

One of the survivors who testified left a letter with someone to read on his behalf in which he wrote that after four years of being violated he has felt fear, shame and regret and cant use public restrooms. He wished hed spoken up sooner.

The last person who spoke, one survivors father, said Maus prison sentence was a gift because prison would be safer for him than being out in the world with the families of the boys he abused. The father also said the way the defense tried to frame Maus as a normal person and a good teacher who just messed up is one reason people lack faith in the justice system, even calling out one defense attorney for being on his phone instead of paying attention during the impact statements.
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  A former New Orleans model accused of attempted rape has been released, the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office confirms.

OPSO officials said 52-year-old Dean Kelly was released on bond on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

$118K to be returned to Louisiana resident after computer-based fraud scheme

According to the New Orleans Police Department, Kelly was arrested on Dec. 7 on charges of attempted third-degree rape and sexual battery from October.

Kelly is known for his appearance in an Aerosmith video.

Additional information has not been released.

Stay updated with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate Mike Rogers says technically, he believes he is the first and only candidate to qualify for the ballot so far, and he has started collecting endorsements from what he calls a key group of professionals: law enforcement.

Rogers spoke with News 8 Political Reporter Rick Albin earlier this week while he was in Grand Rapids.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers enters Michigan Senate race as the first prominent Republican

The good news for us is that in eight weeks when we announced, eight weeks later we had 30,000 signatures in the box ready to go. Thats really never been done, Rogers said. And that tells us, candidly, were the only candidate qualified to be on the ballot today  really, really important.

Keeping people safe, he says, will be a key issue in the 2024 race.

And the endorsements of the issues that are really going to matter, crime and border security, is going to be a big deal in this election, Rogers continued. As it should be. Its affecting Michigan.

To The Point: Mike Rogers, Rep. Skaggs

Rogers says he thinks people are ready for a law and order candidate and points to his endorsement by 24 sheriffs from around the state, as well as the Police Officers Association of Michigan.

The former Congressman is one of a number of Republicans who have indicated their intention to run for the open seat created by the retirement of longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Among other notable names in the GOP contest is former West Michigan Congressman Peter Meijer.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
As their search for a new executive director reaches its final stages, officials at Four Corners Economic Development already are developing a plan for the organizations next steps, one that includes seeking a sizable investment from state lawmakers to expand the local energy economy.

Jeremiah Hayes, the chairman of the executive committee of 4CED, a public-private partnership dedicated to building San Juan Countys economic future, told members of the San Juan County Commission during a Dec. 19 presentation that his group plans on asking the state Legislature for $100 million to jump start an expanded energy economy in the county. The money would be used on such projects as a planned western interstate hydrogen hub project at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry headquarters south of Farmington, as well as for investments in infrastructure and sequestration support, he said.

Hayes sounded an optimistic tone about the potential for the funds being awarded, despite the sizable nature of the request.

There is a lot of hope that we have a better opportunity this legislative session than we have had in the past, he said.

Hayes delivered a presentation of approximately 20 minutes to commissioners in which he outlined the state of the economy in the county and his organizations efforts to lead the county to a prosperous future. He began by noting that the county is in the midst of transitioning away from a fossil fuels-based economy, a shift that has been reflected in tax revenue over the last 10 years, he said.

In 2013, Hayes said the top 10 fossil fuels industry taxpayers in San Juan County  including the Arizona Public Service Co. and the Public Service Co. of New Mexico  made up 54% of the total taxable value assessed in the county. By this year, that figure had shrunk to 24.8%, he said.

Hayes also said the countys population has declined by 7.4% over the last 10 years, while the size of its workforce has fallen by 5%.

4CED, which has been without a full-time executive director since March, when Arvin Trujillo resigned to accept a position as senior adviser and executive administrator to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, has spent the last few years trying to answer one question, Hayes said  What do you focus to not only recover what was lost, but exceed all prior metrics of economic prosperity, sustainable for multiple generations?

Hayes described that question as the heart (and) soul of what 4CED does.

In search of an answer, the organization has spent $250,000 engaging with the University of Minnesotas economic development and expansion program, and Diane Lupke & Associates, an economic development consulting firm, he said. Those efforts have led 4CED to put together a three-pronged strategy for 2024 that is headlined by the request for $100 million to help expand the local energy economy, Hayes said.

The other two points of emphasis for the organization will be its continued advocacy for the creation of a railroad spur in San Juan County and its work to expand broadband Internet service.

Hayes said the federal government has awarded a $50,000 grant that will be funneled through 4CED for rural broadband expansion, and the organization will be building a plan for that expansion.

Additionally, Hayes said, 4CED officials have come to recognize that their efforts stand a much better chance of succeeding if they build a strong partnership with the Navajo Nation.

If we can figure out how we play well together and encourage one another and invest in one anothers interests  that is really one of the key ways that our community is going to thrive in the future, he said.

After Hayes presentation, County Commissioner Terri Fortner, a member of the 4CED executive committee, said the organization would begin interviewing candidates for the executive director position this week. 4CED has been led by interim executive director Scott Bird since Trujillos departure at the end of March.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: San Juan County commissioners hear 4CED plan for energy economy growth
By Michel Rose and Tassilo Hummel

PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday defended a bill to toughen immigration laws despite an embarrassing parliamentary vote that put his ruling alliance on the same side as Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement national party.

The legislation, approved by both houses late on Tuesday, was initially good news for the centrist president, who made the migration bill a key plank of his second mandate and might otherwise have had to shelve it.

But the support of Le Pen's opposition party for the bill surprised Macron, prompting him on Wednesday to accuse Le Pen of political opportunism and to add in a television interview: "That was a shoddy move."

Just six months before European Parliament elections in which immigration will be key, the bill's adoption could boost Marine Le Pen who called the rejigged bill "a great ideological victory" for her far-right party.

An Elabe poll for BFM TV showed 70% of the French backed the new bill, including 87% of Macron's supporters.

But in a sign Le Pen had won the battle of narratives in public opinion, the same poll showed 73% thought her party's ideas had inspired the bill.

COUNCIL COULD STRIKE DOWN MEASURES

Macron will refer the bill to the Constitutional Council for checks on whether it complies with the French constitution before he would sign it into law. The council could strike down some of the tougher measures if it deems them unconstitutional.

The conservative Les Republicains, who partnered with his ruling alliance on that bill and have over the years hardened their discourse closer to that of the far-right, also claimed victory, saying the bill was essentially theirs.

The bill underscored Macron's difficulties governing without a parliamentary majority, which he lost last year, as well as the rightward shift in much of Europe as governments try to curb the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.

"This bill will help us fight against what feeds the Rassemblement national," Macron said in the TV interview. "Our fellow citizens tell us we don't control illegal immigration well enough."

He said there were measures in the bill he didn't like, such as the fact foreign students will need to present a refundable deposit. He said that could be reworked.

"My work here is not done. I still have 3-1/2 years ahead of me. I can assure you, I won't stop now," he said.

The tougher rules - including migration quotas, making it harder for immigrants' children to become French citizens, and delaying migrants' access to welfare benefits - were added to the bill to win the support of right-wing lawmakers.

The bill makes it easier to expel undocumented migrants, while watering down plans to loosen curbs over residency permits for workers in labour-deprived sectors.

Those conditions caused unease among Macron's more left-leaning lawmakers, and dozens either abstained or gave it the thumbs-down in a vote on Tuesday.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned in protest over the immigration bill. "It's not possible for me to defend this text," Rousseau, a former Communist, told Le Monde daily.

The rebellion within the government seemed to be contained as all the other left-wing ministers were present at a weekly cabinet meeting that Rousseau skipped and no other resignation had materialised by Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne rejected talk of a crisis in Macron's camp.

"We've done our job, we wanted a text with useful measures that our citizens were calling for," she said, adding: "Now let's move on."

UNEASE IN PARLIAMENT

But Brittany lawmaker Jean-Charles Larsonneur told France Bleu radio he was leaving the centrist Horizons group, part of Macron's alliance, saying the law breached "republican values."

Even the lower house of parliament's president, Yael Braun-Pivet, who voted in favour of the bill, told BFM TV she was "terribly bothered" by some of its content, in particular delaying access to welfare benefits for migrants with children.

The rebels in Macron's party could further weaken his hold on parliament and complicate the rest of his five-year mandate.

Macron won his two presidential mandates in 2017 and 2022 after voters rallied behind him to bar Le Pen from winning, and left-wing MPs said the rejigged migration bill was a betrayal of promises made to fend off right-wing ideas.

According to statistics office INSEE, the immigration share of France's population has been growing steadily.

The number of immigrants - people living in France but born abroad - stood at 5% in 1946, reaching 7.4% in 1975 and 8.5% in 2010, to just over 10% of the population, or 2.5 million people, in 2022. About a third have become French.

Other governments across Europe have also opted for tougher migration policies. The European Union itself reached an agreement on Wednesday to reshape its migration and asylum rules with the aim to limit the number of incoming migrants.

In the Netherlands, the far-right's Geert Wilders topped elections last month after the previous government collapsed over immigration. In Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing deep divisions within his party over asylum policies.

(Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Geert De Clercq, Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau, Nicolas Delame; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Michel Rose; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Howard Goller)
Northern Ireland's devolved government at Stormont has been out of action since February last year (Paul Faith)

A lengthy boycott of devolved government in Northern Ireland will stretch into 2024 after talks to end the impasse stalled Tuesday, with frustration mounting over political dysfunction and crumbling public services.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew from the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont in February 2022, forcing its mothballing because of post-Brexit trading rules it said undermined the region's place in the wider United Kingdom.

But the resultant cuts in central funding from London have led to a decay in vital everyday public services such as hospitals, road maintenance and education.

Rolling strikes during the year by public transport staff, nurses and teachers demanding long held up pay increases have fuelled growing discontent, with potentially more walkouts to come in January.

Anger over the impasse is acute at hospitals in the province, where waiting times for treatment and surgery are the longest in the country.

"Nothing seems to function properly in this country," Leonard Shields, 82, told AFP outside Craigavon hospital west of Belfast.

"It's a disgrace there is no local government here for almost two years, I should have regular checks but haven't been called up in ages," said the pensioner from Annalong who suffers from colitis.

"Politicians need to get back to work," Trevor Johnstone, a 34-year-old businessman shopping for Christmas presents, told AFP at a taxi queue in Belfast during the latest bus and train strike.

But while the inconvenience was "annoying", he said he sympathised with the workers' demands.

- Absence -

The impact of the power vacuum came into sharp focus after a series of recent environmental crises.

Business and shop owners in town centres devastated by flooding in October complained that London's emergency financial aid response was feeble compared to that offered to those affected by the government in Dublin in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland.

During the summer months, damage caused by spectacular pollution on Lough Neagh -- the largest freshwater lake in the UK -- could have been mitigated by swift intervention, say angry locals.

Blooms of toxic blue-green algae on the vast lake which supplies almost half of Northern Ireland's drinking water grew so large they were visible from space.

Primarily caused by sewage and farming waste run-offs as well as climate change the algae -- described by some pundits as a metaphor for political stagnation -- later subsided.

But it left people living nearby fearful about its return.

"It's left me on the backfoot, preparing to combat the same situation next year if it was to arise again," Gavin Knox, whose watersports business at Ballyronan marina by the lake was hit by the outbreak.

Neglect by the authorities also hit another Northern Irish landmark, the rural avenue lined with beech trees famed for its appearance in the "Game of Thrones" TV series.

Known in the show as "The Dark Hedges", several of the dying trees, one of Northern Ireland's top tourist attractions, were cut down last month. Critics blamed negligent management.

- Imminent return -

The DUP's political foes, including the largest pro-Ireland nationalist party Sinn Fein, have heaped pressure on the party to return to Stormont.

On Tuesday UK Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, responsible for setting budget allocations for public services, offered the main parties a "final" package of 3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) on condition that the executive is restored.

But ruling out a deal before Christmas, the DUP said the financial offer was still not enough to end its boycott and that talks on post-Brexit trading arrangements were not yet finalised.

Unionist hardliners insist the so-called "Windsor Framework" negotiated between London and Brussels leaves in place a de facto border in the Irish Sea at the behest of EU law.

Only the removal of the "internal frontier" can clear the path for a return to the Stormont executive, a group linked to pro-UK loyalist paramilitaries said Tuesday.

Posters erected last week by a fringe pro-UK party Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) that read "Stop DUP sellout!" hinted at its suspicion that the DUP was ready to compromise.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson angrily accused the TUV of "intimidation" and seeking to "undermine their fellow unionists".

The combative response was a signal that he is "paving the way" for an imminent return to Stormont, according to James Pow, a politics lecturer at Queens University Belfast.

"It is harder and harder for the DUP to distance its boycott from the day to day decline of public services -- that may be accelerating its need for a deal," he said.

pmu/phz/cw
Rite Aid will not be able to use any kind of facial recognition security system for next five years as part of its settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which accused it of "reckless use of facial surveillance systems. The FTC said in its complaint that the drugstore chain deployed an artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition technology from 2012 to 2020 to identify customers who may have previously shoplifted or have engaged in problematic behavior. Apparently, the company had created a database with tens of thousands of customer images, along with their names, dates of birth and alleged crimes. Those photos were of poor quality, taken by its security cameras, employees phones and even from news stories. As a result, the system generated thousands of false-positive alerts.

Samuel Levine, Director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the technologys use left Rite Aids customers facing humiliation and other harms. Employees would follow flagged customers around the store, the complaint said, would publicly accuse them of wrongdoing in front of friends and family and would sometimes get the police involved. Further, the system was more likely to generate false positives in predominantly Black and Asian communities. A Reuters investigation in 2020 revealed that the company used facial surveillance in largely lower-income, non-white neighborhoods. The FTC noted in its complaint that the technology and Rite Aids failures were likely to cause substantial injury to consumers, especially to Black, Asian, Latino and women customers.

In addition to prohibiting the use of facial surveillance technologies, the order also requires Rite Aid to delete the photos it collected, notify consumers when their information is registered in a database for security purposes and to provide conspicuous notices if it does use facial recognition or other types of biometric surveillance technologies. It also has to implement a proper data security program to protect the information it collects and will need to have a third party assess it. The proposed order will take effect after being approved by the bankruptcy court, since the company is currently going through bankruptcy proceedings.

Rite Aid, however, said that it fundamentally disagree[s] with the agencys allegations and that it stopped using the surveillance technology years ago.

We are pleased to reach an agreement with the FTC and put this matter behind us, the drugstore chain said in a statement. We respect the FTCs inquiry and are aligned with the agencys mission to protect consumer privacy. However, we fundamentally disagree with the facial recognition allegations in the agencys complaint. The allegations relate to a facial recognition technology pilot program the Company deployed in a limited number of stores. Rite Aid stopped using the technology in this small group of stores more than three years ago, before the FTCs investigation regarding the Companys use of the technology began.

Rite Aids mission has always been and will continue to be to safely and conveniently serve the communities in which we operate. The safety of our associates and customers is paramount. As part of the agreement with the FTC, we will continue to enhance and formalize the practices and policies of our comprehensive information security program.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is celebrating its fundraising efforts to expand access to its state parks. The agency says it has exceeded its $400,000 goal to purchase more track chairs, allowing people typically confined to wheelchairs to travel beyond trails.

The DNR says the agency has raised $444,931 over the last five years. Fifteen state parks currently have track chairs available to use for free. Ten more locations will receive chairs soon.

Its so inspiring to see the program grow and to witness more people taking this simple yet powerful action that makes their favorite places more accessible to everyone, Michelle OKelly, the DNR Parks and Recreation Division resource and fund developer, said in a release.

The DNR partnered with several disability nonprofits across the state, including Kalis Cure for Paralysis Foundation and Family Hope Foundation. Campers and boaters were also able to chip in, choosing to contribute an additional $2 when making park and harbor reservations.

Track chairs available for Holland State Park visitors

The electronic track chairs can navigate through snow, sand and up to 8 inches of water, allowing users to experience more parts of the states parks.

Chairs are now available at Grand Haven State Park, Hoffmaster State Park, Holland State Park, Mears State Park, Muskegon State Park and Warren Dunes State Park.

Sean Mulligan, the park supervisor at Holland State Park, says he has seen firsthand how these tools can make a big difference.

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We hear heartwarming stories from people who thought they would never be able to enjoy a day at the beach, and who tell us how thrilled they are to be here, Mulligan stated. It really does mean a lot to us to make these experiences possible for even more folks. We try to provide a great place for people to come and create those lifelong memories, and having the ability to expand those opportunities is phenomenal.

The DNR says the agency will continue to raise money to purchase more track chairs. Donations can be made through the DNR state parks giving page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
BOSTON - Local service organizations, nongovernmental agencies and immigrant advocates throughout Massachusetts have stepped up from the beginning to help the migrants being lodged on an emergency basis in the state.

In Gardner, providers have helped with English-language classes, connecting migrants with services and even providing food, clothing and information for accessing medical care.

Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, D-Gardner, praised local service providers for their work in welcoming and helping the 38 migrant families housed in the city through the state's emergency shelter system.

Our top priority has been to get individuals work permits from the federal government, said Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, D-Gardner. Weve made a lot of progress, its happened quicker than expected. We were initially told it may take four to six months to move the paperwork. Now almost all those eligible to work have received work permits.

Some, Zlotnik said, are still waiting for their paperwork. However, the process of finding jobs has started, with some migrants already placed and others in the employment pipeline.

We will find them all jobs, Zlotnik said. He praised local partners Mount Wachusett Community College, the Gardner CAC and local churches for their work offering English-language classes to families living in the city.

There has been positive progress. Helping the new residents has been a top priority since the summer, Zlotnik said. He has yet to study the governors report but said a total cost and a plan for going forward is definitely needed.

Where families are lodged in Worcester County

According to a report released by the Healey/Driscoll administration Monday, there are 38 families lodged in Gardner and a total of 818 families in communities throughout Worcester County. The largest number of migrants, 303 families, have been lodged by state agencies in Worcester. Westborough is host to 105 families, Shrewsbury to 74 families and Milford to 64 families.

To qualify for a spot in the state's shelter system, migrant families must have entered the country legally under federal immigration laws. Those finding their way to Massachusetts hail from countries in Central and South America and have either applied for asylum, been granted temporary protected status or are otherwise lawfully present. Local families must meet different criteria to qualify for emergency shelter including financial restrictions.

As of Monday when the report was released, there were 7,532 families in shelters, roughly half of them, 3,516 families, who were identified as migrants, and about 200 additional families on the waiting list. That list was created in October when Gov. Maura T. Healey capped the system at 7,500 families, claiming the state was running out of lodgings, service providers and funds to care for the influx of migrants and those families with Massachusetts roots who find themselves in crisis and homeless.

In the report, Healey outlines her plan to fund the states emergency shelter system at least halfway through fiscal 2025 by using the states transitional escrow fund, now estimated at $700 million to pay for lodging, services and the creation of additional housing and development incentives throughout the state.

The fund, created by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2021 with a nest egg of almost $1.5 billion of surplus funds, was created to ensure funding for fiscal 2022 appropriations, according to a 2021 report issued by the state comptrollers office. While drawdowns on the fund have diminished it, Healey has earmarked the remainder for the states shelter system.

Massachusetts has currently spent $205 million in fiscal 2024 on funding the emergency shelter system and has disbursed an additional $3.03 million to school districts to support the added burdens placed on certain districts including increased enrollments and the need for bilingual teaching and support staff. In July, the state Legislature authorized the appropriation of $325 million for emergency shelters.

What the state allocated to Worcester County school districts

Worcester County school districts have received almost $800,000, with Worcester receiving $436,280, Westborough $186,992, Shrewsbury $102,648 and Oxford $71,552.

Data indicates that most families spend more than a year in the states emergency shelter system once they have qualified for aid. That average length of time was used as the basis for calculating future costs of maintaining the shelter system through the end of fiscal 2025.

The Healey/Driscoll administration plan for funding the state's emergency shelter system using the transitional escrow fund, as outlined in the report released Monday.

The report predicts the state will be $224 million short in fiscal 2024 despite a boost of $260 million into the system approved by the Legislature in the supplemental or closeout budget passed last month. It also expects the costs to top $915 million in fiscal 2025.

Fundamentally, the crisis of family homelessness requires a multifaceted set of policies including shelter, supportive services, education and workforce training, and affordable housing programs that enable families to leave shelter and ultimately move on to stable housing, according to authors Matthew Gorzkowicz, secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and Edward M. Augustus Jr., Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities.

In the report, the authors said, Thankfully, the state has the resources available in Transitional Escrow to put a plan in place that will address FY24 and much of FY25 without requiring offsetting budget cuts to other programs to meet the spending requirements of the family shelter crisis.

In addition, the governor proposes to transfer a portion of the escrow account, $150 million, to the emergency housing and community trust fund to invest in housing production and preservation and create dwelling options that are affordable to low-wage earners.

How the escrow fund will be distributed:

$148 million for support services and safe shelter  case management, housing searches, public health costs, community supports, child care, workforce training and English-language supports

$67 million for school districts and unhoused K-12 students, increased enrollments, special education services, language supports and recruitment of multilingual staff

$10 million for specialized immigration and refugee health and community supports

The administration estimates it will hold $326 million in reserve for fiscal 2025.

While Zlotnik supports the administrations plans to increase housing throughout Massachusetts, he noted that a two-bedroom apartment in his district can cost between $1,200 and $1,500 a month, more affordable than similar apartments in other Massachusetts communities.

There are some vacancies, but theres not a plethora either, Zlotnik said, adding the lack of housing of all types is a problem that has been building for decades.

Lack of dwellings, lack of affordability key issues

The housing shortage did not happen overnight, Zlotnik said, noting that it will not be resolved overnight, either. Construction of multifamily dwellings has been few and far between for years, although with the Healey/Driscoll administrations support, there are new developments being approved and in the pipeline, he said. They should be coming online in the next few years.

Sky-high housing costs, a fact of life in Greater Boston, have been creeping westward in recent years, Zlotnik said.

Im looking at the house across the street from me that just went on the market for $300,000. I never thought that there would be a house selling for $300,000 on my street, Zlotnik said.

12.18.2023 EA Report Packet-Final (1) by Michael Elfland on Scribd

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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MA emergency shelter could cost close to $1 billion through FY25
Chinese, New Zealand's FMs discuss bilateral ties on phone

Xinhua) 09:48, December 20, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about bilateral relations with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in a phone conversation on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, congratulated Peters on reassuming the office.

He said the international situation has undergone complex and profound changes, but the importance of the ties between China and New Zealand has not changed, the complementarity of the economies of the two countries has not changed, and China's positive attitude and policy of advancing the China-New Zealand relationship has not changed.

China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with New Zealand and continue to carry forward the spirit of "striving to be the first" to work for new development of the China-New Zealand ties at a new starting point, in a bid to make it continue to serve as an example of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results for countries with different systems, civilizations and sizes, Wang said.

China and New Zealand have huge potential for cooperation, Wang said, noting that the upgrade to the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement entered into force last year, which the two countries should implement with high quality.

The two sides should also start the negotiation on a negative list for service trade as soon as possible, and continuously promote the high-quality development of economic and trade cooperation, said Wang.

As China and New Zealand differ in the political system, history and culture, and development stage, the two sides should respect and understand each other, put themselves in each other's shoes, and properly handle differences and disagreements, Wang added.

China is ready to strengthen multilateral coordination with New Zealand, so as to jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, he said.

For his part, Peters expressed condolences over the earthquake in China's Gansu Province. He said New Zealand attaches importance to its relations with China, and is willing to push for the continuous development of bilateral ties to safeguard and promote the common interests of the two countries.

Peters said New Zealand looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in such areas as trade and tourism to make up for the losses caused by the pandemic. New Zealand is committed to upholding and consolidating multilateralism, attaches importance to China's role in international and regional affairs, and expects China to make greater contributions to regional and world peace and stability, he added.

As Pacific countries, New Zealand and China can strengthen cooperation in climate change and other fields so as to jointly bring benefits to the Pacific island countries, said Peters.

The two sides also exchanged views on the international hotspot issues including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, soon to be signed into law, should be applauded for including important provisions that enable the trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Unfortunately, however, Congress missed a generational opportunity to ensure enhanced technology cooperation between the United States and its AUKUS partners.

While a new quarterly review process in the NDAA offers some hope, the law nevertheless leaves the outcome on this key issue very much in doubt and subject to the vicissitudes of a historically reluctant export control bureaucracy.

Specifically, the final NDAA text restates a long-standing requirement in existing law that the United States must make a determination of the comparability of Australian and U.K. export control systems to the U.S. system as a condition precedent to the establishment of paradigm-changing, country-specific exemptions from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR. This provision was put in place in 2000 by Congress, working closely with allies in the State Departments Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, precisely to defeat ITAR exemptions that the Clinton administration sought to establish for Australia and the U.K. Over the 20-plus years since its enactment, this comparability standard, administered by the bureau, has in fact served as a poison pill to deeper technology sharing.

As a workaround, the Bush administration eventually negotiated  and the Senate ratified  treaties to create the very same ITAR exemptions that would be available to a trusted community of private sector entities. However, Congress and its allies struck again and adopted the Security Cooperation Act of 2010, which rendered the treaty exemptions unusable.

Why the resistance to change? Fundamentally, opponents of ITAR exemptions believe that efforts to move away from the traditional case-by-case export licenses, with provisos and exclusions that limit their scope, would open the tech transfer floodgates and put U.S. technology-based military dominance at risk. In effect, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and its allies have assigned more value to preserving our antiquated and cumbersome export control system than broadening coalition cooperation and bringing more commercial innovation into defense systems.

Thus, in this historical context, Congress missed a generational opportunity in the FY24 NDAA to adopt the exemptions without requiring that the onerous standards in existing law be met. In short, its Groundhog Day again.

Opponents of the ITAR exemptions no doubt will applaud this outcome and instead point to NDAA provisions that, in their view, enhance the ability of AUKUS participants to export products and technology through traditional means and outside the scope of any new ITAR exemption. Unfortunately, however, these mechanisms, while useful at the margin, do not eliminate the inherent limitations of technology sharing under case-by-case, narrow licenses.

The NDAA does offer some hope on this critical issue, however, by establishing a mandatory process: quarterly determinations by the president of whether Australia and the U.K. meet the export control comparability standards and, if not, what steps are needed to meet it.

Allies target early AUKUS milestones to keep 20-year plan on track

This process, if reasonably managed with a get to yes rather than get to no attitude, could cement AUKUS as an important Biden administration accomplishment. However, the reality is that the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which administers ITAR, will be at the center of the comparability determination. In practice, the question is whether, as some have suggested, the bureau has changed its attitude and now is supportive of, rather than resistant to, establishing the exemptions.

The burden, thus, is on the administration to put into place guide posts and safety rails to ensure that the exemptions get done and are not, yet again, doomed to failure by the opponents of serious export control reform.

Specifically, in this uncertain context, there are two things the Biden administration should do to keep the process on track and produce usable ITAR exemptions with greater technology sharing with close allies.

First, the Biden administration should establish a rigorous internal process to ensure that the bureau is using reasonable, reachable standards of comparability rather than standards designed to get to no. This means clear timelines and deadlines, with at least weekly meetings between the administrations senior leadership team and the bureau, during which progress is reviewed  with ultimate judgments made by the overall U.S. AUKUS coordinator in consultation with the State Departments AUKUS adviser and the Defense Departments policy arm.

Further, any bilateral or trilateral meetings with Australia and the U.K. should include other administration officials  not only the bureau. In essence, a bureaucratic supervise and surround approach should be used, under which officials with a broader perspective, more willing to make trade-offs in favor of AUKUS collaboration, would be in charge.

Second, the administration should in parallel work to ensure the standards enabling businesses to qualify for the ITAR exemptions are reasonable. While the trusted community concept of eligibility (i.e., a set of vetted enterprises) makes sense, the U.S. AUKUS coordinator as well as counterparts from the State and Defense departments again must ensure the details are workable for traditional defense contractors and commercial firms alike. Technology-based exceptions to the ITAR exemptions should also be kept to a minimum to ensure the deep technology sharing anticipated under the second pillar of AUKUS can proceed in advanced areas like unmanned systems.

In summary, while the FY24 NDAA didnt rise to the occasion on AUKUS collaboration, the process it established, combined with good will and a strong administration push, can become a tool to achieve what long has alluded us.

Jeffrey P. Bialos is a partner with the Eversheds Sutherland law firm, where he also serves as co-head of the Aerospace, Defense and Security Group. He previously served as deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs during the Clinton administration.
A Spanish journalist and author has filed a criminal complaint against Gerard Depardieu for allegedly raping her during an interview nearly three decades ago in Paris.

Ruth Baza, 51, filed the complaint with Spains national police last week for the alleged rape, becoming one of more than a dozen women who have accused the French actor of sexual abuse.

Baza has alleged that she was 23 when Depardieu raped her when she interviewed him for the Cinemania magazine in Paris on 12 October 1995, reported Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia.

She said that the actor kissed her on the face and penetrated with her fingers through her cloths, an allegation that has been classified as rape by the police, it reported.

Baza said she felt paralysed in what she said was an intrusion without any consent, at any time.

Initially, Baza told AFP about "sexual assault", but when questioned specifically about rape, she confirmed it was described as rape by the police.

Last year Spain passed new legislation known popularly as the only yes means yes law to remove the distinction between sexual abuse and sexual aggression (rape) by explicitly stating that consent is the determining factor. The law was also expanded to include online abuse and grooming into the definition of rape, each carrying different punishments.

Gerard Depardieu has been accused by 13 women of sexual harrasment (AFP via Getty Images)

A rape conviction under Spains laws carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Baza told AFP that she had completely forgotten the alleged assault by the French actor but the latest string of allegations brought back the memories.

Depardieu was first put under judicial investigation on rape and sexual assault charges in 2020. He was indicted on rape and sexual assault charges after he was accused of raping French film star Charlotte Arnould, 28, at his Paris mansion in 2018.

The case was dropped in 2019 with authorities citing a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020 when criminal charges were filed. He is currently awaiting trial or for the charges to be dismissed.

In April this year, he was accused of sexual harassment by 13 women, a number that has reportedly increased to 16. French investigative news website Mediapart said Depardieu has been accused of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting these women.

Paris prosecutors are also investigating the apparent suicide earlier this month of actress Emmanuelle Debever, aged 60, who had claimed she was sexually assaulted decades ago by Depardieu.

Emmanuelle Debever accused Depardieu of sexually assaulting her on film set a decade ago (Gaumont)

Prosecutors said they are investigating the cause of her death based on "media reports" regarding complaints she filed against the actor in 2019. On Facebook, she had alleged that Depardieu had fondled her during the filming of the movie Danton in 1982.

Her death on 12 December coincided with the release of an investigative documentary that included the footage of the actor making sexist remarks about women. The documentary titled Gerard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre was aired on national TV channel France 2 and reignited a debate about sexism in French cinema and on allegations against the actor.

Depardieu earlier denied all the allegations against him in an open letter in Le Figaro in October.

Never, ever have I abused a woman, he wrote. To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself.

His family has called it an "unprecedented conspiracy" against him.

On 7 December, French media outlets reported a new complaint had been filed against Depardieu by French actor Helene Darras. Darras, who worked with Depardieu on the 2008 film Disco, claims she was sexually assaulted on the films set.

File A Grevin wax museum employee checks the Gerard Depardieu wax effigy at the Grevin museum in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

On Monday, the Grevin Museum in Paris removed the wax figure of the actor amid the renewed focus on allegations of sexual assault

It followed the Belgian municipalitys decision to strip Depardieu of honorary citizen title after the Quebec province of Canada also withdrew its top honour to the actor over the comments shown in the documentary.

The Oscar and Bafta-nominated actor is known for his work in French classics like The Last Metro, Jean de Florette and Cyrano de Bergerac and English-language movies including Green Card and Life of Pi.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
BOSTON  A Quincy man who is a member of a violent Boston gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges Monday in federal court after breaking into a home and assaulting one of the occupants, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Prosecutors said Michael "Asian" Nguyen, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence and one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, more commonly referred to as RICO.

According to court documents, Nguyen is a member of Cameron Street, a gang based largely in Dorchester that uses violence and threats to protect and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear and enhance its reputation. Cameron Street members use firearms to murder and assault gang rivals as well as protect narcotics and drug proceeds, prosecutors said in the news release.

Cooperating witnesses identified Nguyen as a member of Cameron Street who, among other duties, often infiltrated rival gang territory to conduct surveillance, prosecutors said.

They said that in July 2018, Nguyen and two co-defendants broke into a home through the back entrance while wearing masks and dark hoodies and carrying firearms. One victim ran out the front entrance and called 911.

A second victim was punched in the head and held at gunpoint as Nguyen and others ransacked the house, demanding, Wheres the stuff, wheres the money, wheres your boyfriend?

The assailants fled in a silver pickup trick after stealing $2,000 in cash and a safe.

Officers pursued the truck until it abruptly stopped in Stoughton, colliding with the police cruiser. Nguyen and another assailant got out of the truck and ran off, prosecutors said. The unidentified assailant was quickly apprehended and a firearm was recovered from the scene.

Nguyen faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on each charge.

U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for March 20.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy man admits to gang-related charges, federal prosecutors say
Germany's Federal Prosecutor General Peter Frank has submitted paperwork to confiscate 720 million euros ($787 million) in Russian funds currently frozen in Germany, Der Spiegel reported on Dec. 20, citing sources.

If the plan comes to fruition, it would mark a change in Germany's position toward Russian assets it holds, as currently Germany has only frozen funds belonging to sanctioned individuals and companies.

The $787 million belongs to a subsidiary of the Moscow Stock Exchange, which the EU sanctioned in June 2022. Germany also froze its assets located in German banks.

After the stock exchange was sanctioned, the subsidiary attempted to transfer the funds. Sources said that the failed transfer could be considered an attempt to circumvent sanctions and, therefore, a crime.

If the funds are confiscated, they would be redirected into Germany's federal budget.

There has been an ongoing debate in the West about how best to confiscate frozen Russian assets and redirect them to Ukraine.

One of the significant portions of frozen Russian assets is the $300 billion from Russia's central bank.

The plan to confiscate the funds has widespread support from Kyiv and Brussels but has been bogged down by legal issues.

Read also: Reconstruction in Kyiv suburb sabotaged by local officials, discouraging foreign investors

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
CLEVELAND (WJW)  The Cleveland Animal Protective League is asking for help funding an affectionate German Shepherd mixs vital ear surgery.

According to Cleveland APL, 5-year-old Bozi suffers from chronic ear infections. His ear canals have calcified, causing him debilitating pain and potentially permanent hearing damage.

Were maxed out: Local dog shelters at capacity

The animal shelter says Bozi was dropped off by his owner when she realized she couldnt give him the necessary medical care.

Now, Cleveland APL says the pup will need two ear canal ablations done, which is expected to cost $6,500.

Bozi needs this surgery to live a healthy, happy life. The pain hes experiencing is so severe and cannot be healed any other way, the shelter said in a social media post.

Tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep space

The Cleveland is asking for donations to help give Bozi a second chance.

There are two other animals  a dog and a cat  that also need medical attention. Any extra donations raised will go toward their care, the organization says.

Learn more about how to donate on Cleveland APLs Facebook page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor has raised the issue of confiscating hundreds of millions of euros of frozen Russian assets, which could establish a precedent in the country, with the total value of the frozen assets amounting to 720 million.

Source: Spiegel, European Pravda reports

According to Spiegel, Federal Prosecutor Peter Frank has filed a motion with the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main to confiscate 720 million of frozen Russian assets into the state budget.

If the process goes ahead, it will establish a precedent for Germany. Until now, sanctioned Russian assets have only been frozen, depriving their Russian owners of the ability to manage them, but allowing them to retain ownership.

This includes money from the National Settlement Depository of the Moscow Exchange that was frozen in the summer of 2022.

According to Spiegel, as soon as the inclusion of these assets in the EU sanctions list was confirmed, JP Morgan received a request to transfer more than 720 million to the Commerzbank account of another Moscow Exchange subsidiary, National Clearing Corporation. Due to the sanctions, the banks refused to complete the transaction.

However, investigators are now considering this as grounds for confiscation of funds as an object of a crime, as an attempt to withdraw them after the sanctions have been imposed may be considered an attempt to circumvent EU sanctions.

Since the chances of arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators are almost zero, the state may try to confiscate the funds by court order.

The magazine also notes that Germany has had great difficulty even tracking Russian money since the implementation of sanctions. Even after the creation of a special working group, this has remained a problem because the real owners of luxury properties, yachts and cars are hiding behind complex schemes.

Meanwhile, US media outlets have learned that the US, in discussions with G7 partners, has stated that they can see ways to confiscate Russian assets in a way that is consistent with international law, and relevant debates have picked up in recent weeks.

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Billboards featuring a mysterious masked figure have appeared in cities across Ghana in the run-up to the country's 2024 presidential election.

The "enigmatic" posters feature an "unidentified figure cloaked in a mask" alongside the slogan #TheNewForce, said GhanaWeb. They started to appear last month in Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi, Ho and Tamale, according to Semafor.

With the presidential election a year away, the emergence of a new, anonymous contender has added an "air of mystery and curiosity to the already charged political atmosphere", GhanaWeb added.

'The New Force' or a familiar face?

While some view the figure as a "symbol of hope" and a "fresh contender distinct from the traditional players" of Ghana's two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), others have expressed scepticism over the stunt.

"It will be difficult to vote for someone whose face I cannot see," said one member of the public speaking to GhanaWeb.

Almost nothing is known for certain about the candidate and "The New Force" beyond its billboard messaging, which promises "leadership for a new generation".

In late November, the campaign issued a statement promising that their masked candidate would be revealed in "the shortest possible time" alongside its "policy objectives and goals". But so far, few details have emerged.

Online, and in the Ghanaian media, there is speculation that the masked figure may be businessman and socialite Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as "Cheddar".

"It is obvious it is Cheddar, the stature of the individual looks exactly like him," said graphic designer Felix Frimpong from Accra, speaking to Semafor.

Bright Simons, research lead at the Imani Centre for Policy in Accra, wrote on X that he believed Bediako was the "bankroller" of the movement, calling him a "maverick businessman" with "a thing for tamed, neutered, tigers". This is a reference to a recent BBC story, which said that Bediako had been ordered to remove two imported pet tigers living at his home in Accra.

The beginning of a third political force?

Power in Ghana has alternated between the two main political parties, the NPP and the NDC, since the country embraced multi-party democracy in 1992.

But critics say their governance "has been marred by nepotism, corruption, and financial mismanagement", said Semafor.

The New Force's supporters hope the campaign could herald the emergence of a new, third political force in the country. But it is unlikely the campaign will be able to win enough support in the next year to take on Ghana's ruling parties.

"A third force will be difficult to emerge at this time to disrupt the NDC or NPP within the next 12 months," said political analyst Professor Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, speaking to the news site.

And the campaign will also have to compete with Movement of Change, a political group founded by Alan Kyerematen, a former trade minister who left the ruling NPP.

Few other details have emerged about the campaign, save for short videos posted to The New Force's X account, featuring the campaign's apparent spokesperson, 30-year-old Belgian national Shalimar Abbiusi.

In one video, Abbiusi says that the campaign's agenda is that "of the people of Ghana" to "look into our current state" and figure out "how to attain the aspirations of the people".

But the campaign is facing further controversy after Abbiusi's arrest earlier this month on charges of acquiring a student permit in Ghana through false declarations, according to GhanaWeb.

Prosecutors subsequently dropped the charges against her, but she has since been re-arrested by the Ghana Immigration Services, reported the news site.
Lawmakers in New York are pushing to change a decades-old state law to ban family members of convicted criminals from profiting from their crimes.

It comes amid outrage that Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, is reportedly being paid $1m for a Peacock TV docuseries.

Ms Ellerup, who filed for divorce six days after Mr Heuermanns July arrest for the murders of three sex workers, attended his most recent court appearance with a camera crew following her.

The Son of Sam law, which was named after David Berkowitz, a convicted serial killer who terrorised New York City in the 1970s, keeps convicts from making money off their crimes.

Its been a law in New York since 1977, but the US Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional in 1991. The law was then amended in 2001 with the revision that victims families will be notified by the Office of Victim Services to ensure they can sue their offenders for any proceeds more than $10,000, the Long Island Press reported.

Now, New York state Senator Kevin Thomas and New York state Assembly member Fred Thiele want to expand the law to also ban spouses, ex-spouses and other family members of convicted criminals from making profits.

Rex Heuermann appears in Suffolk County Supreme Court in November (AP)

With the alarming reality of media companies exploiting tragedy for profit, my hope is that victims are given the opportunity to receive the justice and compensation they deserve, Mr Thomas told the Long Island Press.

New York has a long history of blocking people convicted of a crime from benefiting from their illegal activity. My legislation aims to take it a step further to ensure that media deals surrounding a crime are subject to the same transparency and accountability as the perpetrator themselves. No one should be profiting off a crime.

However, Ms Ellerups attorney argued that the bill was a publicity stunt.

Asa Ellerup, and her two adult children, Victoria Heuermann and Christopher Sheridan have reportedly sold their life rights for the documentary (GoFundMe)

Its a sad day in America when people are willing to trample on the constitution to get press coverage, Bob Macedonio said. The next thing they will attempt is to control media coverage.

The proposed legislation is expected to come up for debate in early 2024. If passed, the bill would take effect immediately.

Its a move applauded by attorney John Ray, who represents victims families.

[Ellerup] is a ghoul and shes feeding on the dead by using their memory and the circumstances that her husband caused and she may have a part in, he said.

A Peacock spokesperson told CBS New York that Ms Ellerup was not paid for her participation, but was paid a licensing fee for use of her archive materials, which cannot go to Mr Heuermann or his defence.

Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City in the 1970s (Getty)

Mr Heuermann is accused of murdering Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22, whose remains were found at Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York between 2010 and 2011. He has pleaded not guilty.

He has also been named the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes  who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City. He is due back in court on 6 February.

The four victims, together known as the Gilgo Four, all worked as sex workers and disappeared after going to meet a client.

Their bodies were found in December 2010 within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape and some wrapped in burlap  all dumped along Gilgo Beach.

In total, the remains of 11 victims were found along the shores of Long Island in 2010 and 2011, sparking fears of one or more serial killers.

The case began back in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a young woman working as a sex worker, vanished after leaving a clients house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again.

During a search for Gilbert in a dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered human remains. Within days, four victims had been found.

By spring 2011, the number of victims rose to 10.

Clockwise from top left: Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Megan Waterman ((AP))

Gilberts body was then found in December 2011. Her cause of death is widely contested with authorities long claiming that it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the clients home.

However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her family continues to believe she was murdered.

No charges have been brought in connection to the other victims also found along the shores.

Court records show that Mr Heuermann was linked to the Gilgo Four murders through a tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, sadistic online searches and phone calls taunting victims families.

His DNA was also found on one of the victims, while his wifes hair was found on three of the four women he is connected to, according to prosecutors.

Investigators are continuing to work to determine if Mr Heuermann is also linked to any of the other victims  while law enforcement officials across the country are probing cold case murders for any potential ties.
Georgia Melonis Brothers of Italy party believes traditions are being undermined and need protection - Reuters/Remo Casilli

Giorgia Meloni has threatened to fine or discipline school principals who scrap nativity scenes and plays during the Christmas season.

The move to safeguard the Christmas tradition is outlined in a new bill introduced in the Senate on Wednesday by Senator Lavinia Mennuni from Ms Melonis hard-Right Brothers of Italy party.

The legislation also seeks to protect plays and other events connected to Christmas or Easter.

The nativity scene is a central element of the countrys Catholic heritage and cities such as Naples are famous for their creative interpretations of the classic scene. The Vatican nativity scene in St Peters Square is a big draw for pilgrims at Christmas.

The Brothers of Italy believes such culture is being undermined and needs protection.

For some years now we have been witnessing unacceptable and embarrassing decisions by some school bodies to ban nativity scenes in schools, Senator Mennuni said.

It is absolutely fundamental to safeguard and protect our cultural roots of which the nativity scene is the perfect example.

Profound meaning of humanity

The bill specifically prohibits schools from preventing initiatives promoted by parents, students, or competent school bodies, aimed at activities linked to traditional celebrations such as Christmas and Easter, such as the setting up of nativity scenes, plays and other events in order to remember their profound meaning of humanity and the relationship that binds them to Italian national identity.

The legislation was criticised by political opponents, unions and principals.

Gianna Fracassi, secretary-general of CGIL, Italys largest trade union, said: Everyone must remember that we live in a secular country, school is secular. Actions like this which interfere, among other things, with the autonomy of schools, are not acceptable.

Attilio Fratta, president of DirigentiScuola, which represents school principals, dismissed the law as a joke because it was so poorly defined. We are dealing with measures that are only useful for diverting the attention of Italians from the real problems of our schools and country, he said.

The law is the latest attempt by the Meloni government to dominate the nations culture wars. Since it was elected in 2022, the government has sought to defend the traditional family and national identity, protect cultural heritage and restrict migrant arrivals.

It also made it harder for same-sex couples to register their children, a move that drew condemnation from the European Parliament.

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Rudy Giulianis home and office were raided in 2021 by federal authorities as part of an investigation into whether the former New York City mayor illegally lobbied on behalf of Ukraine, according to newly revealed court records.

Investigators were looking into whether Giuliani pushed to have the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine removed on behalf of interests in the country. He was never charged with a crime.

The warrant, first acquired by The New York Times, sought to determine whether Giuliani was illegally compensated for lobbying the Trump administration to dump Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.

The document claimed Giuliani was encouraged to push out Yovanovitch in exchange for a lucrative D.C. lobbying job on behalf of Ukrainian prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko.

Giuliani was interested in being engaged to do that work, and proposed a retainer with a $200,000 upfront payment, the warrant application said. Thus, it appears that Giuliani took steps to cause the firing of the Ambassador to prove  what he could achieve.

It also claimed Giuliani wanted Lutsenko to launch an investigation into then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. Those interactions were later part of then-President Trumps first impeachment investigation.

Using the warrant, federal investigators determined that Giuliani was never paid the $200,000 retainer but highlighted that a quickly worsening financial position made it possible that he could have seriously considered the offer.

Investigators also revealed text messages with Trump aide Lev Parnas about the scheme, in which Giuliani says he had little influence over Yovanovitchs eventual ouster. Parnas was sentenced to 20 months in prison last year in an unrelated illegal lobbying case.

Without significant evidence, prosecutors ended the investigation into Giuliani in late 2022.

The former mayors finances have been at the center of his recent legal troubles over attempts to overturn the 2020 election. He was handed a $148 million penalty in a Georgia defamation case last week, after baselessly accusing a pair of election workers of fraud.

Giuliani also faces a criminal trial in Georgia over his involvement in attempts to overturn 2020 election results there on behalf of Trump.

He has reportedly struggled to pay for legal representation in the cases, repeatedly asking Trump for funds. He was sued by his former attorney over unpaid legal bills in September, and the IRS placed a lien on his Florida condo in August over unpaid taxes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In a recent CNN poll, 71 percent of Republicans said Joe Biden "did not legitimately win enough votes to win the presidency," and 41 percent said there was "solid evidence" to support that conclusion. Last Friday, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., gave those Republicans 148 million reasons to think again.

Former Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani could have avoided that ruinous defamation verdict if he had "solid evidence" to support his assertion that two Georgia election workers helped Biden steal the presidency. But as usual, Giuliani claimed to have proof of massive election fraud that he inexplicably could not share. Giuliani never puts up, but he never shuts up either.

Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who are mother and daughter, sued Giuliani in December 2021 because he had repeatedly accused them of introducing and counting thousands of phony absentee ballots at Atlanta's State Farm Arena after the 2020 election. That story had been thoroughly debunked by Georgia election officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who supported Donald Trump's reelection.

A March 2023 report from Raffensperger's office reiterated that "all allegations made against Freeman and Moss were unsubstantiated and found to have no merit." But Giuliani seemed completely unfazed by the facts until last July, when he submitted a "nolo contendre stipulation" in an attempt to resolve the lawsuit.

Giuliani conceded that his claims about Freeman and Moss were "defamatory per se." And "to the extent the statements were statements of fact and other wise actionable," he said, "such actionable factual statements were false."

The following month, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that, because Giuliani had willfully failed to meet his discovery obligations, he was liable for defamation by default. The jury's task therefore was limited to assessing damages.

During the trial, Giuliani reverted to form. Although his own lawyer said he was "not excusing" Giuliani's "irresponsible" promotion of the baseless allegations against Freeman and Moss, the defendant himself was unrepentant.

"When I testify," Giuliani said outside the courthouse four days before the verdict, "you'll get the whole story, and it will be definitively clear what I said was true." He insisted that "everything I said about them is true." But Giuliani never testified.

After the verdict, Giuliani told reporters he had "no doubt" his defamatory statements about the plaintiffs "were supportable and are supportable today." Unfortunately, he said, "I just did not have an opportunity to present the evidence."

Giuliani has been singing the same tune since November 2020, when he began insisting that Trump had been denied his rightful victory through a combination of deliberately corrupted voting machines and massive dumps of fake Biden ballots like the one that supposedly happened in Atlanta. That conspiracy, he said, was "easily provable," although he was not yet at liberty to divulge all of the evidence.

Somehow the time for presenting that secret proof never arrived. As happened last week, Giuliani repeatedly made claims that he was not prepared to back up in court.

At the Washington, D.C., rally that preceded the Capitol riot by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, Giuliani said he was about to present "conclusive proof" of machine-facilitated election fraud in Georgia. "I'm willing to stake my reputation," he said. "If we're wrong, we will be made fools of." The very next day, the Trump campaign abandoned the lawsuits that Giuliani had just insisted would vindicate his claims.

The defamation lawsuits that Giuliani faced as a result of those claims gave him yet another chance to substantiate his "easily provable" allegations. Although he passed up that opportunity last week, he still faces lawsuits by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, two companies he said had helped rig the election.

Giuliani's televised allegations against Dominion figured prominently in the defamation case that Fox News settled last April by agreeing to pay the company $787.5 million. But surely Giuliani, as the keeper of "conclusive proof," can do better.

 Copyright 2023 by Creators Syndicate Inc.

The post Giuliani Never Puts Up, but He Never Shuts Up Either appeared first on Reason.com.
HANOI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Watermelon has become the next farm produce of Vietnam to be exported to China via the official channel with China's recent permission, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The fresh watermelon meeting phytosanitary standards will be exported to the Chinese market through designated border gates.

According to the report, the fresh fruit permitted to enter the Chinese market must come from cultivation and processing establishments registered with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Meanwhile, China's General Administration of Customs will verify the list of businesses provided by Vietnamese authorities and regularly update the list on its website. 
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Less than 2 weeks ago, Portland City Commissioner (and mayoral candidate) Rene Gonzalez said on Eye on Northwest Politics that his office has been unsuccessful in securing permanent funding for the Portland Street Response program.

Now he wants Multnomah County to pay for it  and Gonzalez, who is also the Public Safety Commissioner, said the homeless tax provides more than enough money to bankroll the program. He said the Joint Office of Homeless Services should fund the Portland Street Response from Metros Supportive Housing Services tax.

Man slain in car near Washington Square, homicide investigation underway

The tax was passed by voters in 2020, the same year as the Portland Street Response program which helps people experiencing mental and behavioral health crises.

Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand, December 19, 2023 (KOIN)

But advocates, like Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand, argue thats not how voters approved it to be used and accuse Gonzalez of dodging responsibility.

Hes actually abdicating the responsibility that he was elected to do, and thats to see this program through, Sand told KOIN 6 News. Its unfortunate because those Metro tax dollars are not meant for that program. And theyre meant to have housing and supportive services.

Sand has seen firsthand the impact PSR has on the city and said 98% of the calls they respond to free up police. Shes concerned that shifting the program to the county will reduce how effective it is and thinks Gonzalez should instead figure out how to access Medicaid funding and other options.

Yes, we need that funding spent faster and better. But we dont need to misallocate it, she said, and thats what hes asking. Hes basically kicking his own responsibility outside of the city and onto someone else.

Gonzalez told KOIN 6 News the county is underspending in the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

Portland man accused of stealing of over 100 laptops

But fundamentally, I think when voters approved that they were looking on the streets and wanting to see relief for folks on the streets, the most visceral manifestation of homelessness in the community, he said. Portland Street Response is part of the solution.

Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez in his office, December 19, 2023 (KOIN)

As PSR is currently backed with one-time ARPA funds, Gonzalez said his team has struggled to find permanent funding for the program or to expand it around-the-clock as he previously promised.

He said both Multnomah County and the Joint Office have the resources needed to pay for the program, calling it a financial imbalance. He said the City of Portland sends a check for more than $40 million a year in addition to the funds they allocate to address the crisis on Portlands streets.

But whats the plan if Multnomah County says no?

Taking a really hard look at whether the City continues to participate in Joint Office of Homelessness, he said. We are sending too many dollars to have to go hat-in-hand to support these important interventions on our streets.

While Gonzalez said he is agnostic on where the program ultimately lands, he told KOIN 6 News shifting how the Portland Street Response is funded will not necessarily move it from his office. He also said it wont impact how PSR is currently dispatched through 911 and the non-emergency line.

A Portland Street Response vehicle, December 19, 2023 (KOIN)

KOIN 6 News reached out to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pedersons office for comment. The office said her staff is continuing to work with city partners.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Semafor Signals

Insights from MIT Technology Review, The New Yorker, and NPR

NEWS

Google said it will restrict the types of election-related queries its artificial-intelligence powered chatbot Bard will answer. The move comes as tech companies prepare for a slew of key elections next year in the U.S., India, Taiwan, and other places.

In a bid to prevent AI-powered misinformation from spreading, Google will also require election advertisers and YouTubers to disclose whether their content has been generated using AI.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Most US adults are worried about AI-generated fake news

Sources: The Associated Press, CNBC, MIT Technology Review, The Washington Post

Nearly six in 10 U.S. adults are worried that AI will amplify misinformation in the countrys upcoming presidential election, an AP poll indicated. The 2024 elections are going to be a mess because of AI-powered fake news, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned. Generative AI has been used to create disinformation campaigns in at least 16 countries in 2023, according to a Freedom House report. AI chatbots also have a tendency to spout falsehoods, which could exacerbate the problem as tech giants race to integrate generative AI into their search engines. Microsoft Bings chatbot gave false information 30% of the time when asked about recent elections in Germany and Switzerland, The Washington Post reported.

The jury is out on AIs ultimate sway on elections

Sources: The New Yorker, Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review

Not everyone agrees that AI poses a threat to elections. Conspiracy theories and doctored images have long proliferated without AI, a New Yorker writer noted. And an AI-turbocharged disinformation deluge has so far yet to emerge, a media forensics expert told the magazine. Most internet users also choose not to interact with misinformation online, researchers argued, and that dynamic is unlikely to change even with a potential explosion of AI-generated misinformation.

Companies crack down on AI advertisements

Sources: The New York Times, NPR

Google isnt the only tech giant seeking to limit AIs potential impact on elections. Facebooks owner Meta recently said it would bar political campaigns and advertisers from using its generative AI products in adverts. Snapchat blocks political ads in its AI chatbot, and reviews political ads for misleading uses of AI. Even so, generative AI will allow political campaigns and propagandists alike to individualize their messaging at a scale previously unimaginable, NPR reported.
A slew of GOP lawmakers slammed the Colorado Supreme Courts decision to kick former President Trump off the ballot under the 14th Amendment, with some claiming its an attempt by Democrats to prevent Trump from winning the 2024 election.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday night arguing Trump should be prevented from appearing on the states Republican primary ballot because of his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

In a 4-3 ruling, the court ruled Trump was involved in an insurrection by promoting false claims of election fraud and directing his supporters to the Capitol, where some participated in the riots to stop the certification of 2020 election results.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) railed against the decision, calling it nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.

Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary, Johnson wrote in a statement, adding he trusts the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next president of the United States.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trumps campaign, vowed the Trump campaign would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority and includes three justices nominated by Trump.

Cheung said the decision could be blamed on the all-Democrat appointed court. The Colorado Supreme Courts seven-member bench was entirely appointed by Democratic governors, six of whom won retention elections, and a seventh will run to do so next year.

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) similarly dug into the justices, writing in a statement, Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election.

Calling the decision unAmerican, Stefanik argued Democrats are so afraid Trump will win the 2024 general election and that they are illegally attempting to boot him from the ballot.

Stefanik said this attempt will backfire and further strengthen Trumps reelection campaign.

Without calling out Democrats directly, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said they will do everything they can to block Donald Trump from being president again.

Banks also appeared optimistic such attempts will not be successful, writing, But it wont work. It only emboldens those of us who know America is worth fighting for and that Donald Trump is the fighter we need back in the White House.

Calling the ruling extreme judicial activism, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) said the ruling was designed to suppress the votes and voices of Colorado residents.

I am confident the U.S. Supreme Court will remedy this horrible decision so Coloradans will have the right to cast their ballot for our 45th and 47th President, Donald J. Trump. We will fight this every step of the way! Boebert wrote on X.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) called the justices behind the decision a disgrace to our country, and echoed the ruling is just more election interference.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), who publicly endorsed the former president earlier this year, said Democrats are trying to imprison the partys chief political opponent.

Democrats are trying to imprison their chief political opponent and have now apparently succeeded at removing him from the ballot. This is what dictators do, Gaetz wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding he is confident the U.S. Supreme Court will reverse the ruling.

The American people will decide their next president, not activist judges in Colorado, Gaetz continued.

Conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) echoed her Republican colleagues comments, arguing the decision stole the election away from Colorado voters and robbed them of their right to vote for Trump.

This is an unprecedented First amendment violation that must be struck down by the SCOTUS. This can not be allowed to stand, Greene wrote on X.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) weighed in on the decision, suggesting the Colorado Supreme Court violated an interest of the U.S.

The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today, Rubio wrote on X.

Kari Lake, who is currently seeking one of Arizonas seats in the Senate, said the decision overturns over a century of judicial precedent.

This is HISTORIC election interference. SCOTUS MUST overrule, Lake wrote on X.

Even Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), who came under attack by Trump on Monday, expressed his opposition to the ruling. In a repost of Sen. Mike Lees (R-Utah) post that read, This lawless, cynical ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court will not stand, Roy wrote, Agree.

A day earlier, Trump went after Roy, who has long backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss Republican presidential nomination, calling for someone to primary Roy, though the election filing deadline already passed.

In a vow to appeal the ruling, Trumps campaign also shot back at the decision.

Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November, Cheung said in a statement.

Colorados Supreme Court put its ruling on hold until Jan. 4 to allow Trump to first seek review from the Supreme Court. If he does, Trumps name will automatically remain on the ballot until justices resolve the appeal.

If the ruling is allowed to take effect, Colorados secretary of state will not be allowed to list Trumps name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor will she be allowed to count any write-in votes cast for him.

Recent analysis from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ shows Trump with a 54 percent lead over his GOP rivals, while multiple recent polls of a Trump-Biden match-up show the former president narrowly beating Biden in several swing states.

Updated at 9:30pm.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This article was originally published in The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.

Brian Miller is a fixture at Charles W. Harris School in Phoenix, a familiar face kids and parents encounter four days a week.

Mornings and afternoons, the school resource officer is in the parking lot directing traffic  and sometimes, he notes, defusing a little road rage. Before lunch, hes on the playground herding students toward the cafeteria, or in classrooms where teachers have requested help. In between, hes walking the campus or in his office, on standby for serious disciplinary incidents or lockdowns prompted by crimes nearby.

What he doesnt do, Miller acknowledges, is provide comprehensive mental health services to the many students who need them. Thats where Cartwright Elementary Districts counselors and psychologists come in.

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District officials believe both types of positions are essential for a secure campus, which is why they asked the Arizona School Safety Program to fund one officer and one additional counselor at 19 of their schools, including Harris, this year. In all 19 cases, the state paid for only the officers, the result of a 2022 legislative requirement forcing the Department of Education to prioritize requests for campus police over mental health positions.

In fact, more than 100 schools throughout the state received officer funding while a counselor or social worker request went unfulfilled this year, as Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne embraced the strings Republican lawmakers had tied to the grant money. In another 130 cases, schools that asked only for mental health positions did not receive them, according to an AZCIR analysis of School Safety Program data.

Overall, district and charter schools requested funding for 857 counselor and social workers and 301 campus officers, citing problems with bullying, trauma, suicidal ideation, truancy and more in the hundreds of applications reviewed by AZCIR. About a third, or 291, of those mental health positions went unfunded after the grant program ran out of cash.

The apparent mismatch between what schools need and what certain state leaders want to give them reflects an ongoing clash over which types of positions actually make a campus safer. In the wake of tragedies like the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting, proponents of campus police say officers are the professionals best equipped to respond to dangerous situations, while advocates for expanded mental health services argue counselors, social workers and psychologists could help stop many of those situations before they start.

In interviews with AZCIR, officials representing districts and charter schools in both rural and urban areas across Arizona were hesitant to criticize the School Safety Program, worrying they would be perceived as ungrateful for needed funding. But they indicated it should be up to school leaders, not politicians, to determine which positions are best suited to tackle the post-pandemic surge in mental health issues theyre observing among students.

The schools know better what is needed, said Monika Fuller, director of Prescott Valley School, a K-9 charter that received money for police but not a counselor this year.

Pointing to the breakdown of funding requests, she said the numbers dont lie.

Arizona leaders expanded the School Safety Program, initially created to fund school resource and juvenile probation officers, to cover counselors and social workers in 2019. At the time, the state had the worst student-to-counselor ratio in the country  905:1, nearly four times the recommended 250:1  as schools continued to confront Recession-era cuts that had decimated the ranks of campus-based mental health professionals.

The program, which awards funding on a three-year basis, could not meet the resulting appetite for counselors and social workers, leading to a wait list nearly 90 schools long. That demand only grew after COVID-19 swept the state, leaving students to cope with new sources of grief, anxiety and anger.

In 2021, the state Department of Education dedicated $21 million in federal pandemic relief dollars to unfunded campus counselor and social worker positions. The move eliminated the wait list, which had continued to grow, and further reduced the states student-to-counselor ratio to 651:1. But, with the federal dollars 2024 expiration date in mind, schools expressed a desire for a more stable, permanent funding source for mental health staffing.

Instead, the GOP-controlled Legislature decided to prop up the School Safety Program for another three-year cycle  and stipulated the additional $50 million had to go toward requests for school police first, before officials could consider counselor and social worker needs.

Though schools could technically apply for up to two School Safety Program positions of either type this year, Horne warned applicants that schools with no armed presence would not receive a recommendation from this Department to the State Board of Education if they didnt request an officer. In some cases, this led schools to rank their requests for SROs as higher-priority than their requests for counselors or social workers, in an effort to make sure they got at least something.

Yet campus officers are not interchangeable with school counselors or social workers, even if some of their responsibilities overlap.

Fundamentally, school resource officers are taking more of an enforcement approach  and often are viewing behaviors through a lens of threat, said Angela Kimball, senior vice president of advocacy at national mental health policy coalition Inseparable. School mental health professionals, meanwhile, are viewing behaviors as a manifestation of challenges a youth may be having in terms of their thoughts, their feelings, their perceptions and giving them coping skills, she said.

Fuller, the Prescott Valley School director, is hopeful that whoever fills the charters School Safety Program-funded officer position can back up administrators on heavy-duty disciplinary issues. But she said the roughly 450-student school, which has been relying on a virtual counselor because its all we can afford, still needs in-person mental health support  both to provide targeted interventions for kids with emotional disabilities and to help educators address students pandemic-related trauma more broadly.

Cottonwood-based Mingus Union High School District, which has just one physical school, is much better off when it comes to campus mental health professionals: Its high school has counselors for each grade level, as well as one psychologist.

But even that team has struggled to fully meet what Superintendent Mike Westcott described as the mounting needs of the students around social-emotional health, particularly as the rural school finds itself having to step up in ways that maybe schools in larger areas dont.

Like Prescott Valley, the district sought funding for both officer and counselor positions, with Westcott envisioning the additional counselor working as a liaison with area mental health agencies. The district also hoped a new counselor could help implement suicide prevention efforts, trauma-informed teaching strategies and grief management services, so the states decision to grant only the SRO request has left Mingus Union in a bit of a lurch.

Westcott also expressed concern over the patchwork of limited-term grants and relief funds districts have largely relied on to pay their mental health professionals, as did several other school officials interviewed by AZCIR. He urged the Legislature to view campus counselors and social workers not as extras but as integral components of what we do, and to fund them in a way that can be sustained.

Uncertainty about the positions staying power, as well as shortages of available law enforcement officers and mental health providers, has made it difficult for some schools to hire at all. As of October, more than 130 School Safety Program-funded SRO posts remained open, according to ADE, as did 148 counselor and social worker spots.

That month, the states School Safety Task Force unveiled a plan to fill campus police vacancies by shifting more than $18 million in grant funding for full-time SROs to part-time school safety officers. It offered no comparable plan to assist schools with counselor and social worker vacancies.

After the task force presented its final report on Dec. 7, Horne doubled down on his commitment to the police-first approach, saying he had very little patience for criticism.

Ive encountered opposition from people who say they dont want a school-to-prison pipeline, Horne said, referring to those whove questioned whether boosting the ranks of campus officers would ultimately push already-marginalized students out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system. What theyre really saying is people should be able to violate the law without consequence.

Under the part-time officer staffing plan, off-duty police sign up to work school safety shifts as their schedules allow, a change that has reduced vacancies but sacrificed the kind of continuity districts like Cartwright believe have made their officers successful.

Ema Jauregui, the deputy superintendent who oversees the districts SROs, said officers ability to have a consistent, visible presence at a specific school has been an essential part of building trust and goodwill with students and families in the Maryvale area.

Our community, they value the SROs because they see them out on the playground. They see them out during (pickup and dropoff) traffic. They see them talking to kids in a positive way, she said. When Uvalde happened, you would not believe how many kids did not want to come to school because they were scared, and I think the police presence made our families and kids feel safer.

Jauregui acknowledged not every school system has had the same experience, calling Cartwright very lucky. Nationwide, school resource officers have made headlines for using excessive force against children, disproportionately arresting students of color and for contributing to what civil rights organizations have described as a threatening, rather than safe, school environment.

Arizona School Safety Director Michael Kurtenbach has repeatedly emphasized the importance of officer training when it comes to preventing such controversies. Kimball, the national mental health policy advocate, said she has seen training in adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care help school police shift their focus from rigid enforcement to understanding and prevention elsewhere in the country.

Still, she believes its better to hire mental health professionals directly, versus hiring people that you have to train to be like mental health professionals.

Harris School Resource Officer Miller, for his part, promotes a collaborative approach that involves school police and mental health staff working closely while deferring to each others areas of expertise.

To make the arrangement work, he said, police must adopt a different mentality when shifting from patrol work to a campus setting  and not every officer can do it.

You dont talk to people (at a school) the same way you do on the beat. Its a different philosophy, he told AZCIR. And if you dont have that desire to work with kids, this is probably not the position for you.

AZCIR is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a group of newsrooms that are covering stories on mental health care access and inequities in the U.S. The national partnership includes The Carter Center and newsrooms in select states throughout the nation.
Republicans rallied around Donald Trump on Tuesday after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the former president was ineligible for reelection because he stoked an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel blasted the ruling as election interference in a post on X, writing that the partys legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory.

Like the rest of the unprecedented, constant and illegal election interference against President Trump, this will backfire and further strengthen President Trump's winning campaign to Save America," House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik said in a statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also threw his weight behind the former president and rejected the ruling, calling it nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.



Trumps primary competitors joined the fray, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has staked his campaign on positioning himself as a foil to Trump.

Christie, answering a question at a town hall in Bedford, New Hampshire, said the ruling was probably premature because Trump hasnt been tried for inciting insurrection.

I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being president of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being president of the United States by the voters of this country, Christie said, adding that he had not yet had a chance to read the ruling that came out while he was en route to his campaign event.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley echoed Christie's remarks. "We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions," she said in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register.

She added at a campaign event: "Were going to win this the right way."

Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to withdraw his name from the Colorado primary ballot and encouraged his opponents to do the same.

The Framers of the 14th Amendment would be appalled to see this narrow provisionintended to bar former U.S. officials who switched to the Confederacy from seeking public officebeing weaponized by a sitting President and his political allies to prevent a former President from seeking reelection, Ramaswamy wrote in a social media post.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another of Trump's primary rivals, also attacked what he saw as judicial overreach. "The Left invokes 'democracy' to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse," he wrote on a post on X.

GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were among the many other Republicans to denounce the ruling on social media.

This is extreme judicial activism that is designed to suppress the vote and voices of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, which is absolutely unacceptable, Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said in a post to X.

Kari Lake, who famously refused to concede her loss in the 2022 Arizona governor race, called for the Supreme Court to block the state courts ruling.

Shortly after the ruling was announced, a spokesperson for Trumps campaign said that the former president would file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lisa Kashinsky, Kelly Garrity and Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Wednesday roundly condemned former President Donald Trump for making xenophobic comments about migrants poisoning the blood of the U.S., a rare move in todays Republican Party.

With the exception of Alaska Natives and Native Peoples, most of us are daughters and sons of immigrants who came to this country to build a better life for themselves and their families, Murkowski wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Legal immigration from people across the world is woven into the fabric of American exceptionalism, and comments from the former president couldnt be further from the truth. This is more hateful, harmful rhetoric from Donald Trump that is poisoning our country, the senator added.

Murkowski, who won reelection last year, has long been critical of Trump. She voted to convict the ex-president in his Senate impeachment trial following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol over his efforts to stay in power despite his loss in the 2020 election

Trump made the comments about migrants crossing the southern border at a rally on Saturday, drawing comparisons to language used by Adolf Hitler and other dictators. The 2024 presidential candidate defended himself at another campaign event on Tuesday, saying that immigrants in the U.S. illegally are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

Murkowski issued her statement on Wednesday just as many Republicans were rallying to Trumps side in the wake of a court ruling disqualifying Trump from the presidential ballot in Colorado for engaging in an insurrection against the United States.

A day earlier, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also took a swipe at Trump over the remark, invoking his Chinese-born wife, Elaine Chao, who was in Trumps Cabinet.

It strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao secretary of transportation, McConnell said.

Most Republican senators, however, stayed silent on Trumps comments or simply dodged questions about them. One senator, however, said he was disappointed that Trump didnt go far enough.

Im mad he wasnt even tougher than that, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters on Tuesday. When you see whats happening at the border? Were being overrun. Theyre taking us over.

Related...
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday blasted the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling that former President Trump should be barred from the ballot in that state under the 14th Amendment as a blatant political decision.

Hagerty, who endorsed Trumps campaign for president in April and served as Trumps ambassador to Japan, told Fox Businesss Maria Bartiromo that we have a ruling here that would disenfranchise half of Colorado.

Theres been no due process here at all, this is a blatant political decision, he argued.

Hagerty then sought to link the 4-3 state court ruling to the Biden administration and President Bidens weak poll numbers, though the administration doesnt appoint justices to the Colorado court.

Every week that passes, the public sees more and more the desperation of the Biden administration. The fact that theyre losing in the polls leads to results like this. And they have literally no interest in the democratic process, Hagerty said.

The courts seven justices were appointed by former Democratic Govs. Bill Ritter and John Hickenlooper, and current Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

Hagerty said the ruling to boot Trump from the Colorado ballot in 2024 poses a greater threat to democracy than anything Democrats are warning about if Trump, who resisted transferring power to Joe Biden in 2021, is elected to another term in the White House.

The real threat is rulings just like this, Hagerty said.

Hagerty, who spent time with Trump on Monday, said Trump wont be intimidated by the legal challenges he faces, which include the 91 felony charges across four criminal trials.

As long as he keeps fighting for the American people, the American people are going to support him. Thats precisely the reason hes being attacked, because the establishment is deeply uncomfortable by a disruptor. Hes an outsider, hes a businessman, the Tennessee senator said.

The conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court is expected to review the Colorado courts decision, and many Republicans expect the court in Washington to overrule it.

I think its got to go to the Supreme Court. It will happen quickly, Hagerty said. I think the Supreme Court is going to have to put its foot down.

The Democrats have been laying the predicate to contaminate the Supreme Court, to somehow dissuade the American public from trusting the Supreme Court but they have to do their job, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Republican senator from Alabama co-signed former president Donald Trumps words about immigrants poisoning the blood of the United States, saying that the former president and Republican frontrunner for the partys nomination for president did not go far enough.

Sen Tommy Tuberville told The Independent that Mr Trumps words were too timid when discussing migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border.

Im mad he wasnt tougher than that because youre seeing whats happening on the border? Were being overrun, Mr Tuberville told The Independent.

Mr Tuberville, who endorsed Mr Trump for re-election, made the remarks after Mr Trump spoke in New Hampshire about migration degrading the United States in extreme terms.

Theyre poisoning the blood of the country. Thats what theyve done, the former president said. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America. Not just the three or four countries we think about. But all over the world theyre coming into our country, from Africa, from Asia.

Mr Tuberville has come under fire in the past for his defence of white nationalists serving in the US military, saying in response to a question from CNN host Kaitlan Collins that white nationalists are people who believe white people are superior, Well, thats some peoples opinion.

Other Republicans dodged when asked about Mr Trumps response.

I'm not going to comment, Sen Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told The Independent. I'm just avoiding commenting on the former president.

Sen Susan Collins of Maine called Mr Trumps words deplorable.

That was horrible that those comments are just they have no place, particularly from a former president, Ms Collins told The Independent.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune also criticised the remarks.

My grandfather was an immigrant, he told The Independent. And we're a nation of immigrants. But we're a nation of laws. We have to enforce our borders.

The remarks come as Republican senators continue to demand restrictions on immigration in exchange for aid to Ukraine.
Just a few days before Christmas, Gov. Roy Cooper commuted one mans prison sentence and granted pardons to four other North Carolinians convicted of crimes.

The actions were reviewed by the Office of Executive Clemency, the Office of General Counsel and the Governors Office, a news release said Wednesday. The reviews consider the nature of the peoples crimes, how much time they have served behind bars and how ready they are to resume life outside prison.

A year ago, Cooper commuted the sentences of six people in state prisons and pardoned four others who had been convicted decades earlier, The News & Observer reported previously.

In early December, protesters marched outside the governors mansion in Raleigh demanding Cooper commute all the states death sentences to prison terms.

Whose sentence was commuted?

Darnell Cherry, 42, has served 26 years in prison for being involved in a murder and other crimes when he was 16 years old.

Cherry was involved in the murder and robbery of Robert Earl Edwards Jr. and the robbery and shooting of Sonja Williams in Bertie County.

His commutation was recommended by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, formed by Gov. Cooper in 2021 to review petitions from people sentenced to prison for crimes they committed while they were under the age of 18.

Who received pardons?

Portia Bright-Pittman, 38, was pardoned for involvement in a 2008 robbery in Orange County. She was 22 at the time. Bright-Pittman owns Bright Books, a shop that publishes childrens books on how the government works and promotes civic engagement. She worked in state government for many years as a legislative assistant according to her website.

W. Samuel Fagg, 43, was pardoned after being convicted of drug-related offense in Wake County in 2002, when he was 21 years old. Fagg is a biologist, researcher and assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch who conducts scientific research related to regenerative medicine, according to the university. He obtained a doctorate degree in molecular biology from the University of California Santa Cruz.

Tramayne Hinton, 42, was pardoned for a robbery in Perquimans County in 1998 when he was 16 years old. He went on to graduate from high school, owns a business and works in sales and marketing.

Flemming Ragas, 45, was pardoned for charges related to a theft in Lee and Cumberland counties in 1999. He was 20 when the offenses were committed. Ragas is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, and was deployed twice to Iraq. He received the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal for his service.

Ensuring careful review of cases while taking executive clemency action is a responsibility I take seriously, Cooper said in a statement. We carefully consider recommendations made by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board to commute sentences for crimes committed by minors. All of these individuals are deserving of clemency and we will continue to work to protect our communities and improve the fairness of our criminal justice system.
MOGADISHU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank said it would provide 100 million U.S. dollars in additional financing to help more than 200,000 Somali households benefit from cash transfers to help them cope with flooding and food insecurity.

The World Bank-funded Somalia Shock Responsive Safety Net for Human Capital Project (SNHCP) will provide emergency cash transfers to 215,000 households affected by floods and drought, the lender said in a statement Tuesday evening.

The World Bank said the program would also extend ongoing safety net support to 200,000 poor households with regular nutrition-linked unconditional cash transfers (UCT) for six months and provide UCT to a recertified cohort of 50,000 beneficiaries.

"This additional financing and concurrent restructuring will support the scale-up of support and extension of the regular Baxnaano program, strengthening key building blocks for resilience to future shocks," said Kristina Svensson, the World Bank country manager for Somalia. Baxnaano program also aims at developing a State-led social safety net system to boost human capital and build resilience in Somalia.

The World Bank said the program would further reinforce the linkages between the social protection program, available health and nutrition services, and the labor market.

It will also support the nationwide expansion of data collection for the unified social registry which will form the core of a national adaptive social protection platform.

According to the World Bank, the investments will allow the government to promote human capital development and build essential resilience to future crises.

Ali Nadeem Qureshi, World Bank senior social protection specialist, said the long drought and recent floods have hit Somalia hard. Qureshi stressed that the World Bank is committed to helping the government respond to the immediate needs of the people while strengthening the national adaptive social protection system.

"This strategic initiative reflects our commitment to addressing urgent crisis needs to ensure that the poor and vulnerable households that have suffered compounded impacts of conflict, locust invasion, COVID-19, and recent floods receive critical assistance while creating the foundations for inclusive economic growth," he added.

According to the World Bank, the project reflects a strategic response to resilience and human capital development, demonstrating the World Bank's unwavering dedication to contributing to the long-term goal of eliminating extreme poverty in Somalia.

An estimated 8.25 million people -- half of the population -- in Somalia presently require humanitarian assistance after having been affected mainly by drought and floods, the World Bank said. 
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he would support a ban on cell phones in the classroom for students in K-12 on Wednesday, Dec. 20, during his monthly press conference with reporters.

Cox said the evidence was overwhelming when looking at the connection between learning loss and smartphones.

South Jordan man found guilty of murder at 2021 graduation party

We talk about learning loss during COVID  and it was severe  but if you go back and look at the data, learning loss in our country and all over the world has really started happening in 2012 when smartphones became ubiquitous, said Cox.

Cox said he would be sending a letter to every school in the state to ask principals to take more measures to prevent kids from using their smartphones during class time.

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As of Wednesday, Dec. 20, there are no numbered bills that seek to ban smartphones from the classrooms, though it is something that could come up when Utah lawmakers come together for the 2024 General Session.

Cox told reporters, however, that there are always exceptions to the rule. He said he doesnt have a problem with students who may need their phones in case of medical emergencies to have their phones with them at all times, for example.

But, by and large, we know that things improve at least giving kids a break for that six to seven hours a day while they are in the classroom, said Cox.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Editor's note: This story was updated to show that a 911 caller reported that Rajan Moonesinghe was pointing a gun down the street of his home. A previous version of the story misstated what the caller reported.

This story has been updated to remove an incorrect statement issued by the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas regarding Austin police officer Daniel Sanchez's legal representation.

A Travis County grand jury has indicted the Austin police officer accused of shooting and killing Rajan Moonesinghe, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur. Officer David Sanchez is charged with felony deadly conduct.

Sanchez, who worked at the Austin Police Department for almost three years, was placed on administrative leave after the shooting.

Moonesinghe was killed shortly after midnight on Nov. 15, 2022, when police responded to a 911 call reporting that a man was pointing a gun down the street.

Ruth Moonesinghe speaks at a press conference at the Travis County District Attorney's office on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 about her son Rajan Moonesinghe, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur. Moonesinghe was killed by Austin Police Officer David Sanchez. Officer Sanchez is charged with felony deadly conduct. During the early hours of Nov. 15, 2022, police received a 911 call reporting that a man had shot into Moonesinghe's residence. Moonesinghe was killed by Austin Police shortly after midnight.

As officers arrived on the scene, Moonesinghe fired two shots into his Bouldin Creek residence. In security footage given to the American-Statesman by family members, Moonesinghe seemed to believe that there was an intruder in his home.

Police video shows that Sanchez fired at Moonesinghe immediately after telling Moonesinghe to drop his gun. Sanchez shot Moonesinghe five times, striking him in the chest, back, abdomen and thighs.

In security footage, police can be seen handcuffing an injured and unresponsive Moonesinghe. He remained in handcuffs for six minutes.

Brad Heilman, Sanchez's defense attorney, issued a statement denouncing the grand jury's decision: "The fact that Officer Sanchez was indicted for Deadly Conduct further exemplifies (Travis County District Attorney) Jose Garza's continued attack on Austin Police Officers for doing exactly what they are trained to keep the citizens of Austin safe from harm. It is no coincidence that gun violence and attacks on police officers in Austin are at the current level."

Rajan Moonesinghe, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur, was shot and killed by police outside his South Austin home in November 2022.

In the wake of his death, Moonesinghes family members have publicly called for more police accountability.

Moonesinghe was of Sri Lankan descent and grew up in California. With his brother Johann Moonesinghe and other partners, he co-founded inKind, a hospitality app that invests in restaurants.

In a statement, interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said the Police Department "will continue to support Officer Sanchez as this process moves forward."

The statement said Sanchez was "confronted with a subject who fired a rifle indiscriminately in a densely populated neighborhood."

Family and friends of Rajan Moonesinghe react after speaking about Moonesinghe's fatal shooting by Austin Police during public comment at the Austin City Council meeting at City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. Council is discussing whether to renew the Austin Police Department's current contract for one year or begin a new four year contract. Moonesinghe's family is in favor of extending the one year contract.

In security footage, Moonesinghe appears to aim inside his house and pull the trigger twice.

During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Garza, the district attorney, said he was "disappointed" by Henderson's statement.

"It is an inaccurate statement of the facts of this case," Garza said. "But what is more troubling is that the statement reflects an alarming disregard for the rule of law, for our criminal justice system, for the criminal justice system and for Rajan and his family. No one is above the law in Travis County."

Moonesinghe's mother, Ruth Moonesinghe, also spoke. She said that "there is more work to be done."

She asked the district attorney to present video evidence to another grand jury so that charges can be brought against Sanchez "that are consistent with the law and the facts."

In a statement, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas reiterated its commitment to supporting Sanchez, who is a member of the union.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police officer indicted in fatal shooting of Raj Moonesinghe
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, and promote the development of a more just and rational international order, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

China is ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Xi said in phone talks with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. 
Mr Modi said the allegations won't affect India's ties with the US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will "definitely look into" any evidence provided on its alleged links to an assassination plot in the US.

In November, the US charged an Indian man of conspiring to murder a Sikh separatist leader in New York.

Mr Modi told the Financial Times that the allegations will not affect ties between India and the US.

This is the first time he has spoken publicly about the issue.

"If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," the prime minister told the newspaper.

The target of the attempted assassination, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is a dual US-Canadian citizen who is a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement which advocates for a separate Sikh state.

US prosecutors claimed that a man named Nikhil Gupta had paid $100,000 (79,000) in cash to a hitman to assassinate Mr Pannun and that he was allegedly directed by an Indian government official.

India has designated Mr Pannun a terrorist, but he denies the allegation and says he's an activist.

The allegations came about two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of having links to the murder of another Sikh separatist leader named Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in Canada.

India has strongly denied the allegations and accused Canada of providing shelter to "Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who threaten India's security.

Delhi has also repeatedly claimed that Ottawa has not yet shared concrete evidence to back the allegation.

The diplomatic row has damaged India-Canada ties.

In an interview with Canada's public broadcaster CBC, Mr Trudeau said he went public with the allegations against India after weeks of quiet diplomacy.

He said his aim was to "put a chill on India" and deter any alleged agents who were thinking of carrying out further attacks in Canada.

Mr Trudeau added that he had noticed a shift in tone from India after the US came forward with their own allegations.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," he said.

The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan.

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state. It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

Experts say that the recent accusations of extra-judicial killings of Sikh separatists threaten to dent India's ties with the US, which have been steadily growing.

However, Mr Modi told the Financial Times that he feels confident about the upward trajectory of the relationship.

"There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership," he said."I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," he added.

He also said that India was concerned about the "activities of certain extremist groups based overseas".

BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features.

Read more India stories from the BBC:
Family members of the 45-year-old man who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in west Dallas on Saturday night say he always had a smile and loved helping others.

Terry Ivory was walking along the Interstate 30 service road near Cockrell Hill Road when he was struck by a car, officials said. Ivory crashed through the windshield and landed in the passenger seat. The driver, 31-year-old Nestor Lujan Flores from Arlington, drove 38 miles to White Settlement with Ivorys body beside him, according to police.

That is something that couldve been avoided, Ivorys sister Nikitria Beasley told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. It didnt have to happen.

Ivorys sisters told WFAA that even though their brother experienced homelessness, his family members and friends were constantly looking out for him. In their final phone call, Ivory expressed his worry about the onset of cold weather, Beasley said.

The siblings told KDFW-TV that Ivory had been living under the bridge on I-30.

Ivorys sister Tesha Shannon said her brother was always trying to do the best he could, WFAA reported.

He had such a good heart, Shannon said. Even with his situation, he would still find ways to help other people.

White Settlement police responded to a Jack in the Box parking lot around 11 p.m. Saturday. They found Ivorys body upside down in the passenger seat of a gray Kia Forte, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The driver, Flores, was asleep in the car.

Flores seemed unaware that a person was dead inside his car, police said. He told law enforcement that he thought hed hit a deer between Dallas and White Settlement. Flores is expected to face a charge of intoxication manslaughter, pending the results of a blood test, police said. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail on a charge of accident involving death.

The arresting officer said it smelled like a brewery in the back seat of his patrol car, White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said Monday at a news conference.

You are so impaired that you strike a pedestrian on a service road, and you dont even realize it is a human being? Cook said. I cannot fathom the level of impairment.

Court records from Collin County indicate Flores pleaded guilty in 2021 to driving while intoxicated in Plano in 2020. Court records list the sentence as local jail, but do not say for how long.

White Settlement police reached out to other North Texas law enforcement agencies for help in determining where Saturdays crash took place. Officials with the Dallas County Sheriffs Office believe the accident occurred on the I-30 service road near Cockrell Hill Road. Ivorys legs were severed below the knee and were found in that area, according to the affidavit.

A friend of Ivorys came up to investigators at the Dallas scene and asked if he was the person who was hit, the affidavit states.

Its almost like a movie to hear the story and to know what happened and then find out its your loved one its difficult, Beasley told WFAA.
HADDON HEIGHTS - A borough teacher has been placed on a leave of absence and is barred from school property after his arrest for alleged child-pornography offenses.

Joseph Dalessandro, a science teacher at Haddon Heights High School, was charged Dec. 14 after an eight-week investigation that began Oct. 20, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

The 37-year-old Washington Township man was arrested after a search of his home found "numerous files" of illicit images, the prosecutor's office said.

Investigators have told district administrators "that the alleged criminal offenses did not occur on school grounds," Superintendent Carla Bittner said in a Dec. 15 family notification.

:Suspect taught at Cumberland Regional Haddon Township man, a Bridgeton high school teacher, is accused of a child-porn crime

She also reported "no indication that any school students or additional staff members were involved."

Dalessandro, a Haddon Heights teacher since September 2021, is not allowed on district property, the superintendent said.

Bittner asked parents and guardians to contact her "if your child shares anything with you that may pertain to this matter."

"This situation can be difficult for adults and students to process. Any student or employee who is struggling with this matter is encouraged to meet with a school counselor," she said.

Students in a class taught by Dalessandro have met with high school administrators, the superintendent noted.

Dalessandro was held at Salem County Jail after his arrest, but has since been released to await trial.

He is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The accusations are related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material,, the prosecutor's office said.

The charges are only allegations. Dalessandro has not been convicted in the case.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Joseph Dalessandro arrested after search of Washington Township home
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is neck and neck with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in the Iowa GOP primary, while former President Trump continues to hold a wide lead for first place, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Emerson College Polling Iowa survey found Trump at 50 percent among Republican caucus voters when respondents were asked who they would be most likely to vote for, while Haley received 17 percent and DeSantis received about 15 percent.

The margin of error is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points for the survey size of 420 voters, meaning Haley and DeSantis are within the margin of error.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy received 8 percent. Six percent said they were undecided, and another 4 percent said they would support former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Haley has seen an increase of 10 percentage points since a similar survey was conducted in September, while Trump, DeSantis and Ramaswamy have only seen a 1-point increase.

The polling is notable as DeSantis and the super PAC supporting him have largely staked out their presence in Iowa. DeSantis has widely been polling in second place in the Hawkeye State behind Trump, though a NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom survey released in late October showed Haley tied with DeSantis for second place.

Among registered Republicans, Trump leads with 52%, compared to 16% for Haley and 14% for DeSantis  independents show a closer contest, with Trump at 43%, Haley at 25%, and DeSantis at 15%, Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, explained in a press release. These numbers suggest that Trump will perform better in closed primary states where only registered Republicans can vote.

Kimball noted that Haley has created an edge against Trump among post-graduate GOP voters of 20 points but still trails the former president among both female and male voters in the state.

Haley has made inroads with female voters where she trails Trump 47% to 20% (27 point difference) as compared with males who break for Trump 53% to 15% (38 point difference) for Haley, Kimball said.

The polling also comes as Haley has steadily risen in the polls in New Hampshire, where she largely sits in second place. A CBS News/YouGov survey released over the weekend showed Trump at 44 percent while Haley sat at 29 percent in the Granite State.

Though the CBS News/YouGov poll shows Haley narrowing the gap in New Hampshire, Trump still holds a double-digit lead over her and DeSantis in both early states  raising questions about whether either will be able to keep the race competitive against the former president.

The Emerson College Polling survey was conducted Dec. 15-17 with 1,094 Iowa voters surveyed and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. The Iowa GOP caucus subset has a survey size of 420 voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nikki Haley is facing a barrage of sexist attacks in her bid to become the GOP nominee for president, underscoring the hurdles women face when running for the highest office in the country.

The 51-year-old former United Nations ambassador is experiencing surging momentum as the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary near, tailoring her pitch around her credentials to beat President Biden.

But the gendered attacks from her male opponents also raise the question of how they might impact her standing before voting begins in the critical early primary states.

Theres no winning, no matter what approach she chooses, said Jennifer Horn, a former New Hampshire GOP chairwoman. Whether she decides to ignore it and continue to just advance her message or to stand up and push back strongly, its a lose lose.

When a woman tries to push back hard, Horn added, shes perceived as whining and complaining.

Haley, who is still polling behind former President Trump, has nonetheless risen among other rivals after she used several strong televised debate performances to position herself as a viable alternative to the 45th president. On the national stage, she came out strongly against Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech executive who has repeatedly used gender-based critiques against her.

During an especially heated Republican debate in Miami, Ramaswamy labeled the former South Carolina governor, who is hawkish on foreign policy, as Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.

References to womens shoes are seen by some observers as sexist fodder often used by male candidates as a way to suggest their female counterparts are consumed with appearances. Haley, who has shown a quick wit against her male rivals, took on Ramaswamy over his slight.

Id first like to say, theyre five-inch heels, she retorted, adding, I dont wear them unless you can run in them. Her answer also suggested a preparedness to move quickly as commander in chief. In case that wasnt explicitly clear, Haley went a step further by denouncing any insinuation that shes frivolous. I wear heels, theyre not for a fashion statement, theyre for ammunition, she said.

The sexist attacks have only escalated with polls showing Haley gaining ground on her partys male opponents. One poll in particular garnered attention from New Hampshire voters after she won the coveted endorsement of the states popular GOP governor, Chris Sununu.

The survey by CBS News shows her closing in on Trump and outpacing him as more likable, a historically tough metric for female candidates to overcome. Shes also seen as the most reasonable, according to the survey, and is just 1 point below Trump in preparedness for higher office, earning 53 percent to his 54 percent.

Trump sought to paint Hillary Clinton as highly unlikable in 2016, seizing on a public sentiment that dogged her campaign. While its not yet clear if he will take that same approach through Haleys ascent, her other opponents and their allies have already embraced sexism as a tool against her candidacy.

Shes in a particularly difficult situation because shes running against some men who are widely, openly, publicly sexist in Donald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy, Horn said. If she can find a way to message that highlights just how aged and out of touch these attacks are, rather than taking them on personally, she should take them on as a crusade for women.

So far, Haley has been reluctant to do that. While shes fired back at Ramaswamy and even outside figures in the media such as Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who suggested early in the race that women of Haleys age were past their prime, she hasnt made the explicit plea to Americans to vote on the basis of her sex.

Instead, shes made more lighthearted remarks, like referring to herself as a badass woman in front of a crowd of Keene, N.H., residents. At the most recent debate in Alabama, she joked, I love all the attention, fellas, amid a flurry of attacks from her male rivals.

I do not believe she needs to lean into the first female president angle more, said Rina Shah, a Republican operative. That would make her seem as if shes putting identity ahead of qualifications. Thats something her political ideology doesnt jive with nor ever has. She can speak to the positive aspects of being a mom, military spouse, daughter of immigrants but doesnt need to overtly come out making the case for herself to be the first female POTUS.

Republican strategists like Shah say that Haleys political maneuvers so far have already outshined her opponents, and she should continue to lean into that strategy.

At this point in the race, there is a real and palatable jealousy in the GOP primary candidate field for the financial support and boost in the polls that Nikki Haley has earned after her performances at the first three debates in particular, Shah said.

Particularly, within the GOP, there hasnt been buzz about how a womans right for the job nor any buzz about her being the right woman for the times or the job, she said, until she proved to be aggressive and relentless on the debate stage. Those who diminished her candidacy before it took off, on the basis of merit, was a sexist way of looking at her place in the race.

Ramaswamy is not the only Republican making negative comments about her gender. Fight Right, a leading super PAC boosting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, her closest rival other than Trump, has tried to pin Haley to the unpopularity of Hillary Clintons brand among the voters she needs to win, hoping to portray her as equally unfit.

We know her as Crooked Hillary, but to Nikki Haley, shes her role model, the reason she ran for office, a narrator said in an ad run by the PAC, which showed composite images of Haley and Clinton together. That came after the 39-year-old Ramaswamy accused her of using identity politics to gain an edge  one of the most common criticisms levied against Clinton.

There is irony in the case against Ambassador Nikki Haley that women arent tough enough for the role of president, said Emily Matthews, an independent political strategist focused on the 2024 election.

If were going to apply old stereotypes to the reasoning, she is, in fact, tougher than most of her counterparts, she said.

Women in politics have long lamented the double standard between how they are judged and how men competing for the same positions are often perceived. The 2020 presidential cycle offered a vast slate of female candidates who all criticized elements of sexism throughout their bids, with Vice President Harris arguably facing the biggest onslaught of targeted attacks over not only her gender but also her race as a Black and Indian American woman.

Haley, who is also Indian American, would offer the chance of victory for many longing to see a woman win the White House.

Its very difficult to convince people to vote for you just because youre a woman. The idea that its time for a woman? Sure. But are you the right woman? Horn said. For Nikki Haley, she has to be able to make the argument that shes the right person for this job.

On Monday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) called Haley a brunette Liz Cheney in an attempt to knock her down in stature. She hates free speech as much as she loves war and foreign aid, Massie wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Defenders see the jabs not only as unjust but as proof that shows she is being battle tested beyond other contenders, a pitch that she can take to voters on top of her resume.

In addition to serving in incredibly consequential, high-pressure roles, Ambassador Haley also has to regularly combat the typical sexism and inferiority complexes that are far too present in this industry, Matthews said. To top it off, she does it with a lot of grit and somehow, grace.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley tied with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Quinnipiac Universitys newest poll of the GOP presidential primary race, marking the latest sign of Haleys emerging threat to the Florida governor.

The new poll, published by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday, found 67 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters support former President Trump, while DeSantis and Haley each received 11 percent support.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies support fell into the single digits, with 4 percent choosing Ramaswamy and 3 percent choosing Christie.

The poll marked Trump and Haleys highest levels of support and DeSantiss lowest point since Quinnipiac University began the national surveys in February 2023. In February, DeSantis received 36 percent support, pollsters noted.

Among the Republican and Republican-leaning voters, 50 percent said they might change their candidate choice depending on what could happen leading up to the Republican primaries, which are less than a month away. About 48 percent said they are firm on their choice regardless of what happens before the Republican primary.

Haley has continued to rise in the polls in recent weeks, and in some places  notably New Hampshire  she has surpassed DeSantiss once-comfortable second-place spot.

DeSantis continues his yearlong slide. Haley gains momentum. The battle for second place heats up, but its unlikely it will send a holiday chill through MAGA world, Quinnipiac University analyst Tim Malloy wrote in a statement.

Trump has continued to maintain a strong lead over his GOP rivals in recent polls, despite four ongoing criminal cases, a civil fraud trail and, as of Tuesday, a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court that bars him from appearing on the states ballot.

Trump earlier this month dismissed Haleys apparent surge in the polls, writing on Truth Social, Wheres the Nikki Surge? I hear about it from the Fake News Media, but dont see it in the Polls, or on the Ground.

When it comes to the general election, Quinnipiacs poll found Trump and President Biden in a virtual dead heat in a hypothetical match-up. About 47 percent supported Biden and 46 percent backed Trump.

Support for each candidate fell along party lines, with about 94 percent of Democrats supporting Biden and 93 percent of Republicans backing Trump. Independents leaned slightly toward Biden by a margin of 6 points  46 percent to 40 percent.

Adding in independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Biden garnered 38 percent support, Trump had 36 percent and Kennedy received 22 percent. When pollsters added in independent candidate Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Trump led the race with 38 percent, and Biden came in closely behind at 36 percent. Kennedy received 16 percent support, and West and Stein each received 3 percent support.

Iowas first-in-the-nation caucus will take place on Jan. 15, kicking off the primary season. New Hampshire will later hold their first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. GOP candidates have spent considerable amounts of time in each of these states on the campaign trail, hoping to take away votes from the former presidents strong lead.

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted among 1,647 self-identified registered voters nationwide surveyed from Dec. 14-18. The poll included 702 Republican and Republican-leaning voters with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points and 683 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters with a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Editor's Note: For the latest news on the Israel-Hamas conflict, please see our live updates file here.

The United Nations Security Council again Wednesday delayed the vote on a resolution calling for more humanitarian aid into the devastated Gaza Strip and for a halt in fighting as members negotiate over the text's wording.

The vote  which has been delayed three times this week  will now take place on Thursday. According to Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, high-level discussions are underway to try to reach an agreement on a text that can be adopted.

The United States is seeking to avoid using its veto power by changing the resolution's references calling for a "cessation of hostilities" and putting the U.N. in charge of inspecting humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which Israel currently controls.

President Joe Biden told reporters on his way back from Milwaukee that "were negotiating right now at the U.N. the contours of a resolution that we may be able to agree to."

Meanwhile, the leader of the Hamas political wing was in Cairo on Wednesday for talks toward a truce that could allow more prisoner-hostage exchanges and increased humanitarian aid. Ismail Haniyeh was holding "critical discussions" with Egyptian officials, Egypt Today reported, as the Palestinian death toll surpassed a staggering 20,000.

The Gaza Government Media Office said the figure included 8,000 children and 6,200 women.

A weeklong cease-fire that ended three weeks ago resulted in the release of more than 100 militant-held hostages and more than 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. More than 100 hostages remain under militant control. All were taken on Oct. 7, when a Hamas-led attack into Israeli border communities killed 1,200 people. Within hours, Israel struck back.

UN Security Council vote on Gaza: Resolution delayed; most US voters disapprove of Biden's handling of war

Developments:

 The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was offering a one-week pause in the fighting in return for the release of 40 hostages. Other media outlets reported similar negotiations. Earlier this week, CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar for talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Israelis on Wednesday that the military won't stop fighting until Hamas is crushed, all hostages are released and the threat to Israeli security posed by Gaza is extinguished.

 Israel had no rocket launch alerts from Gaza for 24 straight hours, a first since the war began except for during last month's cease-fire. The quiet skies fueled hopes that another temporary truce could be negotiated soon.

 Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to visit with families of hostages, including U.S. citizens. "These hostages are innocent civilians," he said. "Its evil to hold them. Full stop. Bring them home."

 The U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a cease-fire to allow for the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid into Gaza was delayed until Wednesday as negotiators worked to avoid a U.S. veto. A similar resolution drew a veto less than two weeks ago.

 Mobile phone and internet service was down across most of Gaza again on Wednesday, adding to the difficulties of funneling humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 20, 2023.

'We know they were raped': Chilling details of what Hamas hostages faced

IDF dog's body cam captured audio recording of 3 hostages killed

A military search dog with a body camera captured audio of three Israeli hostages shouting for help in Hebrew, five days before they were mistakenly shot to death by Israeli troops, the armys chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said.

The dog captured the audio on Dec. 10, according to new information released Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation. In the audio, the hostages can be heard shouting in Hebrew the words help, hostages and two of their names, Alon and Yotam.

Soldiers had sent the dog into a building in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, suspecting that militants were in inside. The dog was shot to death by the militants. The militants were killed in a firefight with Israeli forces. The Israeli military believes this is how the hostages were able to escape.

The dogs recording was not reviewed until after the hostages were killed days later as they tried to make themselves known to Israeli forces.

The hostages were shirtless and held a stick with a white cloth as they emerged Friday from a building about a mile from the location that had been searched by the dog. An Israeli sniper killed the first two hostages and the third hostage ran back into the building but was killed by other soldiers chasing him.

 The Associated Press

'World would welcome' a second Israel-Hamas truce, Blinken says

The U.S. would welcome another pause in Gaza fighting, but the problem remains with Hamas, which reneged on promises it made during the first hostage deal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

"But certainly, it's something that we would welcome, I know that Israel would welcome, and I think the world would welcome," he said. "We remain very actively engaged in seeing if we can get a pause back on and hostages moving out again of Gaza. That's something we're on every single day."

And he reiterated the long-held administration position that the war would end today if Hamas put down its weapons. The world is putting far more pressure on Israel than the militants to stop fighting, he said.

"What is striking to me is that ... we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see," he said. "I hear virtually no one saying, demanding of Hamas that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that."

 Francesca Chambers

Some Israeli officials critical of truce talks

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed outrage at negotiations for another hostage release deal with Hamas. Smotrich was upset that Israel's War Cabinet allowed Mossad chief David Barnea to discuss freeing high-risk Palestinian prisoners in return for Israeli hostages.

"The War Cabinet should send the head of the Mossad to thwart the leaders of Hamas wherever they are and not talk to them and negotiate with them," Smotrich said.

Israels National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was even tougher, saying any talks should "immediately stop" and calling for the execution of imprisoned militants for each day Israeli prisoners of war are held.

"This is not the time for pauses, this is the time for decisions!" he wrote on Twitter.

'Their bodies tell the tale': Hostages were sexually assaulted, Israelis say

Evidence is mounting of rape, sexual violence and mutilation of women and men during the Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7. And sexual assault was not confined to Oct. 7, two Israeli doctors say. The physicians, who have been treating released hostages, and an Israeli military official familiar with the matter confirmed to USA TODAY that some released hostages revealed they suffered violent sexual assaults in captivity. One of the doctors assessed that "many" of the released Israeli female hostages 12 to 48  there are about 30 of them  were sexually assaulted while held by Hamas in Gaza. Read more here.

The voices of so many of these women and girls were stolen by Hamas, but their bodies tell the tale, said Carly Pildis, director of community engagement at the Anti-Defamation League. Broken pelvises. Mutilated genitals. Brutalized bodies. Then we have eyewitnesses coming forward with stories of gang rape, of torture, of murder."

 Kim Hjelmgaard

Contributing: Francesca Chambers; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel Hamas live war updates: UN delays Gaza aid resolution
A group of journalists from international media outlets have been deeply impressed by the development of wine industry in northwest China's Ningxia after a recent on-site visit. A correspondent from Cuba explains why. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service








A hiker was rescued from a ravine in Washington state's Olympic National Forest over the weekend, after falling more than 1,200 feet down an avalanche on Mt. Ellinor, officials said. Rescuers found the 30-year-old man at the bottom of a large avalanche runout, suffering from symptoms of hypothermia in addition to a broken arm and "significant abrasions," according to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

The regional U.S. Navy branch said one of its search and rescue teams responded to a call from the man's hiking partner, who had reported being unable to find or contact him at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday. The naval team found "no trace" of the hiker while surveying the area near the top of Mt. Ellinor, a popular hiking spot in Olympic National Forest with challenging trails. Elevation is almost 6,000 feet at the mountain's summit.

After searching near the top of Mt. Ellinor, the crew moved to lower ground. The Naval Air Station said rescuers began to look for the hiker at the bottom of a large avalanche runout, which stretched some 1,000 feet down slope from the mountain peak. During that part of the search, crew members noticed a flashing light near a boulder field just below the runout.

/ Credit: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island

They located the hiker in a spot vulnerable to more avalanches or rock falls, so the rescue operation was carried out quickly. Rescuers pulled him up into their helicopter and transported the hiker to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Search and rescue crews from the Naval Air Station Whidbey island have conducted 44 missions in 2023, including six searches, four medical evacuations and 33 rescues overall, the station said.

Crews out of Oregon performed a similar, although notably "complex," rescue mission recently after a woman fell hundreds of feet while hiking on Mt. Hood. The woman, identified as Leah Brown by CBS affiliate KOIN, slipped and descended one of the slopes during a notoriously dangerous glacier climb up the mountain's South Side. She was rescued during a mission that involved multiple agencies and took about seven hours.

Ukraine aid delayed in Congress until 2024

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A 30-year-old hiker is recovering after being rescued from the bottom of an avalanche on Mt. Ellinor in the Olympic National Forest.

The man was hiking with a friend when he fell more than 1,200 feet down a ravine on Saturday, December 16th.

A helicopter search and rescue crew from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was called in to help Mason County search and rescue ground crews.

The Whidbey SAR crew couldnt find the hiker at the top of the mountain, so they started searching the bottom of the avalanche, about 1,000 feet below.

While they were looking at the avalanche runout, they spotted a flashing light near a boulder field about 1,200 feet down from where the hiker initially fell.

A runout is where the avalanche slows down and stops at the bottom of a slope.

The Whidbey crew lowered a member and hoisted the hiker back into the helicopter.

The hiker was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to be treated for a broken arm, hypothermia, and abrasions.
BISSAU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Wednesday dismissed Prime Minister Geraldo Martins, who was appointed a week ago.

No reason was given for the dismissal announced in a presidential decree.

Martins was reappointed as prime minister on Dec. 12. He was first appointed prime minister in August this year. As a former senior executive at the World Bank, he served as minister of finance under former President Jose Mario Vaz. His reappointment last week came after the president dissolved the parliament, following armed clashes that broke out on Dec. 1 in the capital of Bissau between elements of the National Guard and the Presidential Guard.

Embalo described those clashes as an "attempted coup."

A few hours after the dismission, Embalo appointed Rui Duarte Barros as Prime Minister by a presidential decree.

Rui Duarte Barros, who is the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), a political party in Guinea-Bissau, served as transitional prime minister from May 2012 to July 2014 and minister of Economy and Finance in 2002. He was also commissioner of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). 
A Caterpillar excavator pulls down sections of the former Julian Hotel at 724 SW Adams Street on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in Peoria. The building had been vacant since 2002.

PEORIA  The old Julian Hotel on Southwest Adams Street is being torn down after sitting in a state of disrepair for decades.

Located at 724 SW Adams Street, the Julian Hotel has been vacant since 2002 after federal housing officials found numerous safety violations with the building.

Built in 1895, the hotel had other names over the years, including the Ray Hotel, Grace Hotel, Mitchell Hotel and the Home Run House.

One room in the building used to be called the "Richard Pryor Room" because it is said to be where the famed comedian and Peoria native stayed when he was first starting out in comedy.

A corner section of the former Julian Hotel comes tumbling down during demolition Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in Peoria.

On Tuesday afternoon, demolition crews from Baldovin Construction had the entire back end of the old hotel torn down and were still working to bring down the rest of the building.

More: Luxury residences and a rooftop pool planned for Peoria's riverfront. Here's what we know

Community Development Director Joe Dulin said Baldovin applied for the demolition permit for the site about a month ago.

Baldovin Contruction purchased the property in July from the Downtown Development Corporation for $250,000.

Its former owner, Kelly Petersen, once had plans to turn the building into a luxury apartment complex with underground parking included, but those plans never came to fruition. In 2020, he sold the building to the Downtown Development Corporation for $150,000.

The Julian Hotel occupied a prime piece of real estate in Peoria's growing Warehouse District. It sat across the street from Dozer Park and the popular Zion Coffee. Behind the Julian Hotel sits the Winkler Lofts residential complex on Washington Street.

Baldovin Construction, too, has a lot of stake in the Warehouse District's growth. It is behind numerous construction projects in that neighborhood, including the Adams and Oak residential development.

More: This popular Bloomington chicken restaurant is expanding to Peoria next year

A Caterpillar excavator tears out the back of the former Julian Hotel at 724 SW Adams Street in Peoria.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Julian Hotel in Peoria torn down after years of disrepair
William Faulkners dictum that the past is never dead  its not even past has rarely been more troubling. The conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Taiwan, and many smaller disputes, are based on contested history. So are the Wests culture wars, obsessed with 17th and 18th-century misdeeds and their supposed present-day consequences.

I cannot think of a time when the past (in Marxs phrase) has more weighed like a nightmare on the brains of the living. History is filling a contemporary intellectual void, as once dominant ideologies have faded. Even when ancient beliefs are still potent, they conceal themselves behind a veil of secular history. Todays social justice activism draws not on present-day inequalities, but on the perpetuation (as Lord Sumption has put it) of grievances on account of past events that have no practical relevance to modern lives.

The truth of quasi-historical claims may not be believed by those making them, but they calculate that plenty of others will be convinced. Weaponising history is made easier by the common postmodern view that there are no objective historical truths, only a cacophony of narratives, with those of the oppressed having moral authority as my truth. Such imposition of new orthodoxy was grimly satirised in 1984 by George Orwell, whose anti-hero Winston Smiths job is rectifying the past to serve the ever-changing present. But you could prove nothing, muses Winston. There was never any evidence. Scholars today are praised for making evidence tell a different story to fit a contemporary agenda.

History can more easily be retrofitted if people dont know much about it, or are even uncertain about what is truth and what is fiction. Many of us were astonished to see televised interviews with people demonstrating in London for a Palestine free from the river to the sea, without knowing which river or sea. Some polls indicate that many young Americans think the Holocaust was a myth, and a notorious British poll suggested that many young people believed Churchill was fictitious.

Ignorance opens the way for those claiming expertise, such as Kehinde Andrews, professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, who has stated that Churchills ideas are the very same ideas through which the Nazis came to power. Theyre not even parallel; theyre the same, right?

Given these alarming levels of historical ignorance, one can confidently assume that the number who could in any way assess the truth of Russias claim to Ukraine or Chinas to Taiwan is infinitesimal. Yet here history is central. Putin insists that Ukraine is not a nation, but merely a rebellious province of Russia. The Chinese Communist Party makes the same assertion about Taiwan.

In fact, Ukraine was only annexed to the Russian Empire in the late 18th century and Taiwan, an independent kingdom, to the Chinese Empire in the late 17th. Both are former colonies with rights to independence at least as great as (let us say) those of the Irish Republic. As for the position of Israel, which some characterise as a colonial and apartheid state, the present conflict cannot be understood without knowing that both Israelis and Palestinians include a high proportion of refugees, the former not only from Europe but from across the Muslim world.

Yet while knowing something of history is essential to understanding the present, we must not place on history a weight that it cannot bear. The past  Marxs nightmare must not dictate the present, or subordinate the rights of the living and the yet unborn to those of the dead. Doubly so when a distorted past is being used as a weapon.

We must sometimes accept that the past is indeed past, that history gives no imprescriptible right to determine the present. The historian Heinrich von Treitschke insisted that the people of Alsace were German whether they liked it or not, to which the French philosopher Ernest Renan replied that a nation was a voluntary association.

No nation has been as willing as Britain to adopt Renans idealism in an extreme form. Our electoral system places the UKs continuance in the hands of a momentary plurality among a minority of voters. This fragility is one reason to be concerned about the historical narratives purveyed within our (present) borders: Renan, after all, believed the cohesion of his voluntary nation relied on a common history.

What is happening to our history? We are constantly subjected to negative readings. No subjects are today as sensitive as slavery and empire. Yet surely we all know  at least those with any interest in the past  that slavery was practically universal, and Britain, once a major participant, became the principal actor in ending openly practised slavery around the world. Yet the story now being actively pressed is that Britain was uniquely guilty, that its wealth is based on slavery, that its anti-slavery efforts are irrelevant, and as a result it is racist today.

Liverpools International Slavery Museum ignores African and Arab slavery and downplays British abolitionism. The implicit theme of the Black Atlantic exhibition at Cambridges Fitzwilliam Museum is that Atlantic slavery was worse than all other forms, because it was uniquely based on a racism which, it claims, was central to British culture. This is clearly untrue, and moreover it makes abolition incomprehensible.

From such narratives come demands for shame, apologies, reparations and privileges for supposed victims today. Scholars who pointed out glaring errors in an academic article linking industrialisation with slavery were sternly told that empiricism was a colonial construct and that they were supporting white domination.

Contentious claims, in Moscow, Beijing or Cambridge, cannot be judged by people with no knowledge of history. I am glad to be a member of an advisory committee helping to draw up a model history curriculum for schools  an initiative of Kemi Badenoch. But no curriculum can or should teach everything. What I hope it can do is to inculcate historical knowledge and awareness: looking at evidence and at causes, thinking logically and being sceptical of subjective narratives.

Britain is highly unusual in not giving much time for teaching history at school. In todays world this is an expensive luxury.

Robert Tombs is the author of The English and Their History, an updated edition of which has just appeared

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By Joanna Plucinska, Susanne Neumayer-Remter and Christine Uyanik

LONDON/MUNICH (Reuters) - Travel within Europe in the busy holiday season is exceeding 2022 levels, despite security warnings from authorities around Europe as consumers remain determined to enjoy holidays, prolonging the post-pandemic travel boom.

Christmas markets and popular tourist sites in cities such as Munich and Paris have been bustling lately, albeit with strong security presences, as holiday travel within the European Union and including Britain was set to climb 22% above 2022 levels, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys.

The spike has been driven by continued post-pandemic demand, executives and analysts said, with some people only travelling to see their families for Christmas this year for the first time since the pandemic.

But security warnings remain in the back of tourists' minds. In late November, European security officials warned of a growing risk of attacks tied to the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat from potential "lone wolf" assailants.

Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium in October killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. Italy has reimposed border controls with Slovenia, citing the risk of militants entering the country.

There was a slight spike in ticket cancellations over the Christmas period between Dec. 21 and 31, ForwardKeys said, from 2.4% to 3% since Nov. 24.

"Although this number is small, this could be an impact of the terrorism warning sent throughout Europe since the start of the recent conflict in Israel," said Juan Gomez, an analyst at ForwardKeys.

TRAVEL CONTINUES

But tourists continued to swarm popular destinations, displaying an increased trust in the security apparatus in place across European hubs.

"I feel very safe and very conscious of the state of the world. And it's certainly something I think about every day, both conflicts in Europe, conflicts in the Middle East," said Gwen Fitzgerald, who visited a Christmas market in Munich this week from Boston.

"But I also really am desperate for joy at the same time."

Christmas arrivals to places such as Italy, Austria and Sweden have also grown by 25% or more year-on-year.

Tourists said that, with the rise in warnings in recent years and the reinforced security around Europe tied to them, there was more of a sense of calm and they felt comfortable not calling off their travel plans.

"When we are here and we stay just one day in the downtown, we see a lot of police and security, we feel safe," said Danny Sanchez, a tourist from Villareal, Spain, visiting the Munich market.

(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Alex Richardson)
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP  A recent demolition project has uncovered clues to the 200-year-old history of a once-thriving mining village here, offering insights into what historians call "the last ghost town in Morris County."

The 19th-century log cabin in the township's Hibernia section emerged during an aborted attempt to raze a dilapidated house off Green Pond Road. Peeling back layers of clapboard, shingles, aluminum siding and two additions, the owner discovered the rough-hewn, one-room dwelling that likely served as a mine worker's home in the 1800s.

"This is an amazing find," said Cathy Finkel, president of the Green Pond History Association. "It's history right in front of our eyes. There were 3,000 people living here, working those mines."

"Now it's a ghost town," added Joe Macasek, president of the Canal Society of New Jersey, during a recent visit to the property.

Through records, Finkel has documented much of the iron-mining industry that once thrived in the Upper and Lower Hibernia sections of the sprawling township. But little in the way of physical evidence of mining operations still exists.

"This is something I never thought we would ever see in my lifetime," she said of the tiny dwelling and basement. "We thought we knew all the historical structures, so to see something like this discovered in 2023 is amazing."

Peeling layers of history

The cabin sits on an elevated lot off Green Pond, with the rocky Wildcat Ridge forest preserve rising behind it. It's owned by Tucker Kelley, a lifelong Rockaway Township resident and former local councilman who owns more than a dozen residential and commercial properties in town.

Kelley bought the lot in 2007 from an elderly woman who lived in a small home there but moved away when she took ill.

"I wasn't interested in the house," Kelley said. "I just wanted the land to maybe develop at some point."

He subsequently built a home for his family up the road, but later drew up plans to build a farmhouse-style dwelling on the Green Pond site and make it his permanent address.

Owner Tucker Kelly, Cathy Finkel of the Green Pond History Association and Finkel's grandson beside a log cabin uncovered earlier this fall in Rockaway Township. "This is an amazing find," Finkel said of the cabin, which may date back to the 1820s. "It's history right in front of our eyes."

When he began the demolition earlier this fall, operating his own equipment, Kelley noticed a "weird beam" as he stripped away the yellow aluminum siding to sell as scrap metal.

Closer inspection revealed jointed, hand-cut logs in one corner of the building. Eventually, Kelley carefully razed the front and side additions that had been added to the structure, revealing the log cabin within that had been converted into a kitchen.

"I stripped the inside by hand to preserve it as best I could," he said.

Relics of the past

He also found a trove of newspapers, books and other items inside dating back to the early 20th century. Two dolls he discovered now decorate the exposed front window of the cabin, along with a makeshift Christmas tree decoration and an American flag.

Other relics, including a small "grapeshot" cannonball and antique nails and tools, were handed over to Finkel. She has enlisted experts from Morris County and beyond to determine the building's exact age.

A historian at Columbia University estimated a "first guess" of its origin at 1820 to 1840, Finkel said, "but without further structural testing and other archeological evaluation, we don't know yet."

"There's not a lot of written information on this area," she added. "You didn't have the town halls and counties keeping records like they do today."

Rockaway Strong: Meet the North Jersey strongman who's gone from barroom arm wrestling to national champion

The experts, Finkel said, are examining the nails and other evidence from the cabin in what she terms "a very tedious process" that can cost "tens of thousands of dollars."

Hibernia mines armed Washington's army

Macasek is another historian excited by the find.

"To appreciate this, you have to understand where you are," Macasek said. "It was a mining town. People have lived here since the 1700s. There was a blast furnace across the street. This was an economic and industry center of Morris County. Thousands of people lived and worked here."

Hibernia dates back to the early 18th century and predates the incorporation of Rockaway Township by more than 100 years. As it did in many northwest New Jersey towns, iron mining spurred growth in the area, especially after the Civil War, historical documents show.

By 1870, an underground railroad stretched from more than 2,500 feet inside the Hibernia mine and connected with rails along Green Pond Road to deliver iron ore to destinations as far away as Trenton and Phillipsburg. But flooding problems and competition from Midwestern mines led to a steep decline for the local industry by 1913.

The tale is told on historical markers scattered around the area, including at Hibernia United Methodist Church, the Kitchel Homestead and the Mount Hope neighborhood, where an ironworks made ordnance for George Washington's Army.

'Not just a cabin'

Tucker Kelley found this sign when he tore down one of the walls covering the one-room cabin. which may have been the home of a mine worker.

Macasek pointed out that Morris County is full of preserved historic homes of the wealthy.

"But how many workingman's houses, in a workingman's town, as simple as this, have survived into the 21st century?" he asked. "This kind of thing almost never survives. This is a workingman's house, Very humble, but typical. It's not just a cabin in the woods."

Kelley said the discovery has slowed his home-building plans, "but it's worth it."

"Most contractors or developers would just run it over, but I own it, so let's see what we can do," he said. "Let's get as much information as we can and find opportunities to either preserve it here, move it or, at a minimum, document it for history."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com; Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Home demolition uncovers historic log cabin from 'last ghost town in Morris County'
A Honduran man was behind bars in Lubbock Tuesday for a murder officials believe he committed in Florida.

Yesnin Salvador Bonilla-Iscoa, 29 of Honduras, was arrested Monday in west Lubbock County and remained at the Lubbock County Detention Center Tuesday night on a murder charge, according to jail records.

Bonilla-Iscoa was wanted for first-degree murder out of Orange County, Florida, Lubbock's Texas Anti-Gang Center (TAG) announced in a news release Tuesday.

The agency said TAG and Orange County Sheriff's Department investigators determined Bonilla-Iscoa was living in Lubbock County, and on Monday, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and TAG investigators located and arrested Bonilla-Iscoa at a home in the 5500 block of County Road 1260, the release stated.

Bonilla-Iscoa is awaiting extradition to Florida, TAG said. No additional details about the alleged homicide were immediately available.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Honduran man arrested in Lubbock for Florida murder
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Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice, is being honored during a week of ceremonies in Washington. Thousands of people are still without power after a vicious storm battered the Northeast. And a poll shows the vast majority of young voters are unhappy with Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

 Hi, Tuesday! Laura Davis here. Its time for the news.

 But first: She left her new engagement ring in a rest stop bathroom. Heres how she got it back.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Life, legacy of Sandra Day O'Connor honored

Sandra Day O'Connor, the gritty ranch girl who became the first female Supreme Court justice and one of the nation's most powerful women, was remembered during a funeral service Tuesday as a "pioneer" and pragmatic jurist who shaped the law always with an eye toward the court's enormous impact on Americans. "Gracious and wise, civil and principled, Sandra Day O'Connor, daughter (of) the American West, was a pioneer in her own right, breaking down the barriers in legal and political worlds," President Joe Biden said. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O'Connor would become among the court's most influential justices, finding middle ground on issues such as abortion and civil rights during nearly 25 years on the bench. O'Connor died at 93 on Dec. 1 of complications related to dementia and a respiratory illness. More from the funeral service.

President Joe Biden attends a funeral service for former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the National Cathedral in Washington on Tuesday.

Flooding, power outages continue across Northeast

Areas across New Jersey and through New England remained flooded on Tuesday as hundreds of thousands of people were without power a day after a storm ravaged much of the Northeast. Many school districts canceled classes on Tuesday after the storm, which first blasted through the Midwest and Southeast, brought torrential rainfall and fierce winds to the region. Flood warnings were in effect throughout the Northeast as entire roads remained underwater often because of river runoff. The powerful storm system snarled traffic, delayed flights, toppled trees, knocked out power for hundreds of thousands and killed at least five people.  More updates from the storm.

Monday's storm brought down a tree on Foundry Street in Easton, Mass., and took a telephone pole with it.

Real quick

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Poll: Young voters disagree with Biden on Israel war

Most U.S. voters disapprove of President Joe Biden's handling of the Israeli-Hamas war, and younger voters are far more critical of Biden's efforts and Israel's conduct than older voters, a New York Times/Siena College poll released Tuesday found. The poll shows almost 75% of voters 18 to 29 years old, traditionally leaning Democratic, disapprove of Biden's efforts in Gaza. And among registered voters, they say they would vote for former President Donald Trump by 49% to 43%. Just five months ago those voters backed Biden by 10 percentage points.  Live updates from the Israel-Hamas war.

I saw raw footage of Hamas attack on Israel. The horrors still haunt me. | Voices

A man sits with children by a fire outside one of the tents housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.

Iceland volcano erupts

Orange skies, flowing lava. After weeks of earthquake activity, Icelands Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano, located in one of the country's most populated areas, erupted Monday night, opening a 2.5-mile-long crack in the earth and sending a river of lava toward nearby towns. The eruption was anticipated by scientists monitoring the volcano. It took place about 2.4 miles northeast of the fishing village of Grindavik and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, in the Reykjanes Peninsula at about 10:17 p.m. local time. Authorities evacuated more than 3,400 people from Grindavik as a precaution in November when seismic activity began to increase.  Here's the latest on the eruption.

Emergency personnel and scientists observe the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, western Iceland, on Monday.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sandra Day O'Connor funeral, Israel-Hamas war, Iceland volcano: Tuesday's news
Israel's defense chief has said the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip is focused on the southern city of Khan Younis, and warned it will take months to achieve the Israeli government's stated goal of destroying the Palestinian militant group. But there was rising hope Wednesday that cease-fire talks could soon be back underway, as Hamas' top political leader arrived in Egypt and Israel indicated it was willing to negotiate another pause in the fighting in exchange for Hamas freeing more hostages.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' top leader based at its political office in Qatar, arrived Wednesday in Cairo to meet Egypt's spy chief for a discussion on the "aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters," according to a statement released by Hamas.



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Sources close to Hamas told CBS News on Wednesday that the group was hoping to secure an agreement for a truce of up to two weeks, which, if it comes to fruition, would be double the length of the cease-fire that saw Hamas free more than 100 hostages at the end of November in exchange for Israel releasing more than 200 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli media reported Wednesday that the government was considering a new week-long truce in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages.

The Washington Post reported, meanwhile, that Israel was considering a pause in the fighting that could be extended for up to two weeks as it looks to enter the next, more focused phase of its war with Hamas, which was sparked by the militant group's brutal Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.

See inside the biggest Hamas tunnel Israel says it's found in Gaza

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of the roughly 130 hostages still believed to be captive in Gaza on Tuesday that he'd twice sent the head of the Mossad spy agency to Europe for discussions intended to "free our hostages." The head of Mossad met in Poland Monday with CIA chief William Burns, among other officials.

"It's our duty, I'm responsible for the release of all the hostages," Netanyahu told the families on Tuesday, calling the hostages' rescue "a supreme task" and vowing that he would "spare no effort on the subject, and our duty is to bring them all back."

Freed Israeli hostage on 54 days of terror in GazaPressure mounts as Gaza death toll soars

But with the discussions in Cairo just getting underway, despite mounting pressure from the international community  including a vote now scheduled for Thursday in the U.N. Security Council, which could, if the U.S. doesn't block it again, pass a binding resolution calling for a new halt in the fighting  the prospects for and timing of any new cease-fire remained uncertain.

There have been several sticking points in the U.N. draft resolution, including the proposal to set up a U.N. monitoring mechanism for aid flowing into Gaza, and negotiators told CBS News that an agreement at the Security Council will also depend on whether or not the U.S., Israel and Egypt can agree to a pause in the fighting and the release of additional Israeli hostages.

On the ground in Gaza, meanwhile, the war was still very much on. In the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel was focusing its battle against Hamas, there was gut-wrenching grief after yet another Israeli missile strike.

The number of Palestinians killed across Gaza since the war started was very near 20,000 on Wednesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, including hundreds killed over the past few days alone.

Israel insists it is targeting only terrorists, and it accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and fighters in densely-packed civilian neighborhoods, but as the bombs rain down, no one, of any age, is safe. The dead and injured have continued to flood the last functioning hospitals in the south of the Palestinian territory.

"I lost two grandchildren," said Suzan Zourob as she carried the body of an infant. She said the baby was killed in a strike before the new-born's birth could even be registered.

Suzan Zourob, the grandmother of two Palestinian children, new-born Al-Amera Ayesha and a young boy Ahmed Zourob, who were both killed in an Israeli strike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, holds a child's body next to the baby's wounded parents, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Dec. 19, 2023. / Credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA /REUTERS

CBS News producer Marwan al-Ghoul witnessed the aftermath of an airstrike that left a massive crater in the ground, and at least 19 people dead.

"Glass shattered over us," one little girl told CBS News at the scene. "We ran out of our home."

"What crime have our children done to deserve to be killed?" begged Umm Walid al-Azayza amid the rubble of another Israeli strike on the nearby city of Rafah. "The house fell on us. What is our crime?"

Israel's military said Wednesday that it struck more than "300 terror targets" in the previous day alone across Gaza, as the war continued into its 75th day.

A Palestinian child wounded in an Israeli strike is rushed into Nasser hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Dec. 20, 2023. / Credit: BASSAM MASOUD/REUTERS

The Israel Defense Forces have said their goal is to dismantle and destroy Hamas, but that rescuing the remaining hostages is also a priority.

Two of the 129 captives still believed to be in Gaza appeared in a new proof-of-life video released late Tuesday by Hamas' ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. It was the second such video released by Palestinian militants in two days, intensifying pressure on Israel to strike a new deal amid rising fear that its military campaign is putting the captives' lives in danger.

CBS News correspondent Pamela Falk contributed reporting.

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Junior doctors in England have staged successive strikes over pay and conditions (Daniel LEAL)

Hospital doctors in England begin their longest strike action yet on Wednesday in a move that health bosses fear will pile pressure on services at the busiest time of year.

Junior doctors -- those below consultant level -- join picket lines from 0700 GMT to the same time on Saturday in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute.

Six more days of industrial action are planned from January 3.

The strike comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS), as it faces increased pressure from seasonal respiratory illnesses.

The strike has drawn criticsm from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and hospital leaders who have described the lengthy walkout as their "worst fears realised".

"We would encourage junior doctors to consider carefully the extremely significant impact striking at such a challenging time will have both on the NHS and for individual patients and to return to talks," Sunak said on Tuesday.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced the strike earlier this month after a breakdown in talks with the government.

The union said junior doctors have been offered a 3.0-percent rise on top of the average 8.8-percent increase they were given earlier this year.

It rejected the offer because the cash would be split unevenly across different doctor grades and would "still amount to pay cuts for many doctors".

Health policy is a devolved matter for the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the UK government overseeing England.

Junior doctors in Wales are due to walk out for 72 hours from January 15. Those in Northern Ireland are being balloted for potential strike action.

Their Scottish counterparts have struck a deal with the government in Edinburgh.

The NHS typically sees a rise in the number of people in hospital in the two weeks after Christmas due to people delaying seeking treatment in order to spend the festive season with loved ones.

NHS England's national medical director Stephen Powis warned that the strike would cause "huge disruption" and "put the NHS on the back foot" as it enters its most pressurised time of year.

The service is already facing huge backlogs in waiting times for appointments and surgery, blamed on treatment postponement during Covid but also years of under-funding.

srg/phz/cw
House Republicans are taking aim at the White House after President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was left off the Marine One passenger list following a longstanding tradition of omitting him from other records such as its visitor logs.

"The White House may not have helped that the president is keeping far away from Hunter's local woes," Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported Tuesday. "We were all just watching the First Family's return from Delaware on Marine One, and my colleague Peter Doocy noticed someone hop off the chopper who was not on the passenger list the White House gave us: Hunter Biden."

"So, Hunter is apparently here at the White House after defying a Congressional subpoena while being indicted and facing a maximum of 17 years behind bars on financial crimes plus another 25 on the gun charges that he is facing," Heinrich said.

BIDEN DAUGHTER ADDS TO LENGTHY FAMILY HISTORY OF TAX ISSUES

President Joe Biden (L) and Hunter Biden (R)

The Hunter Biden omission prompted the House Republican Conference's social media account to question what else the White House is leaving out of its records regarding the president's son.

"Fox News reports that Hunter Biden is currently at the White House after being spotted exiting Marine One," the House GOP account wrote on X. "He was not on the White House's passenger manifest. What other manifests and visitor logs has Hunter Biden been left off of?"

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

During a Thursday press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a question about whether the White House will announce Hunter Biden's presence on Marine One moving forward.

BIDEN ADMIN AGENCY QUIETLY LEANED ON SOROS AND OTHER BILLIONAIRE-BACKED GROUPS FOR KEY POLICY ROLES

"That's something that we've never done," Jean-Pierre responded. "This is the family. The family gets to travel with the president, and that's been the case with every other president, and so it's not something that we have done or we would be doing moving forward."

The Biden White House has repeatedly claimed they are the "most transparent administration in American history." However, a previous Fox News Digital review found that its visitor logs from the beginning of the Biden administration through February 2023 have not included any of Hunter Biden's White House visits or extended stays. It appears the White House is still omitting Hunter's name from the visitor logs.

The review included several articles to piece together Hunter Bidens whereabouts during his dads administration and found that he had visited the White House over a dozen times through February 2023.

A majority of the White House visits that Fox News Digital found were from 2022, which include the annual egg roll, Medal of Freedom ceremony, France State Dinner on the South Lawn, Christmas tree lighting, and his daughters wedding, among others. However, his presence at the White House was absent from the visitor logs, including what appears to be extended stays.

A White House spokesperson previously pointed Fox News Digital to a policy released at the start of the administration.

"The White House will not release access records related to purely personal guests of the First and Second Families (i.e., visits that do not involve any official or political business)," the policy states, which appears to be less transparent than the Obama administration.

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, walks with family members in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S, November 24, 2023.

While many of these events are ceremonial and a tradition at the White House, Fox News Digital previously reported how Hunter Biden sought to use such events for his personal financial gain during the Obama administration.

Hunter, who defied a congressional subpoena last week and was seen shopping with his dad in Delaware on Monday, is currently facing nine tax-related charges in California. If convicted, he could face up to 17 years in prison.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.





Original article source: House GOP takes aim at White House for omitting Hunter Biden on Marine One list amid missing visitor logs
One month after GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana announced House Republicans would post nearly all 44,000 hours of Capitol security video from Jan. 6, 2021, to a public website, a CBS News review finds less than an estimated 0.4% of the footage has been uploaded.

But the task of posting the footage is daunting and has no firm deadline for completion, according to multiple interviews conducted by CBS News.

The decision to post a comprehensive set of Jan. 6 security camera videos is already shrouded in controversy. House Republicans have lauded the efforts, arguing it will ensure "truth and transparency." But the plan is being blistered by some House Democrats, who warn the initiative is motivated by politics and conspiracy theories. They said it also creates safety vulnerabilities for Capitol Police and the Capitol complex.

CBS News found the project has been weighed down by a series of unique logistical challenges that will be difficult to untangle. The vast quantity of video  which would require five years of 24-hour-per-day viewing for any single person to watch from beginning to end  and the intricate security configurations of closed-circuit surveillance footage are complicating efforts to upload large chunks of the video.

The Jan. 6 security videos

As of this week, there have been two major batches of video posted  viewable but not downloadable  on a Rumble web page operated by House Republicans or on the House Administration Committee's government web page.

One batch is an approximately 90-hour set of hallway, overhead and exterior camera video that was previously made available to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year, according to multiple congressional staff who spoke with CBS News.

A second wave of videos, which appear to have been posted over the past two weeks, include 24-hour chunks from three main security cameras. The estimated 162 hours of total video now available on the website is a tiny fraction of the 44,000 hours in the possession of the House.

The House Administration Committee, which has oversight of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Capitol complex, is tasked with managing and uploading the footage. Months after winning a majority and control of the House, Republicans on the committee opened a Capitol Hill screening room to allow members of the public to view hours of the security video.

In November, the committee posted the first batch of video on its official government website and later shifted footage to the committee's Rumble page, to better accommodate the larger files and potential web traffic.

A spokesman for GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, who oversees the subcommittee managing the footage, said there are plans to upload new sets of video each week.

"Each video must be converted out of the proprietary CCTV format and into a format that can be uploaded. Unfortunately, when the video is converted, it doesn't retain the time stamp," the spokesman said. "This is an issue we are aware of and plan to embed time stamps in the videos in the future. For now, the title of each video indicates down to the millisecond what time the clips start."

After reviewing a set of the Jan. 6 videos released to him by House Republican leadership this spring, Carlson falsely claimed on his then-Fox News primetime program in May, "These were not insurrectionists. These were sightseers."

He ran fleeting clips of the video, showing some of the movements about the Capitol before or in between the violent outbursts that forced lawmakers to evacuate, resulted in the injuries of more than 140 police officers and halted the certification of electoral votes in the 2020 election. Carlson, who no longer works for Fox News, argued the video showed peaceful citizens on Jan. 6.

Carlson's claims fueled criticism that by releasing the video, House Republicans were seeking to provide political cover for former President Donald Trump, who is charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and accused of directing the mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump has pleaded not guilty, and persists in making claims about Jan. 6 that are based on conspiracy theories. At a rally on Saturday, he referred to Jan. 6 criminal defendants as "hostages."

Democrats warn that Trump supporters would cherry-pick clips of the video to spin conspiracy theories. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who was a member of the House Jan. 6 select committee that probed the attack and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, told CBS News the videos could be misused to underwrite more false claims.

"They can ransack these tapes for scenes of people walking down the hallway without assaulting police. I'm sure they'll find them," he said. "That doesn't mean 140 police officers weren't injured  in the brutal assault."

"You could show the 9/11 hijackers 45 minutes before they took over the plane and directed it into the Twin Towers, sitting munching peanuts and drinking ginger ale," he added. "But that doesn't mean that what happened didn't happen."

A dispute over blurring faces

Johnson said House Republicans intend to blur the faces of some of the people captured by the surveillance camera footage.

"You have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day, because we don't want them to be retaliated against and charged by the [Department of Justice]," Johnson said earlier this month.

A spokesman later clarified Johnson's statement: "Faces are to be blurred from public viewing room footage to prevent all forms of retaliation against private citizens from any non-governmental actors. The Department of Justice already has access to raw footage from January 6, 2021."

The time and editing technology needed to blur faces will further prolong an already laborious process to upload the video, according to multiple congressional staffers who spoke with CBS News. The House Administration Committee employs approximately 70 staffers, according to a review of House disbursement reports. A spokesman told CBS News that uploading the video "is a top priority for the subcommittee" and said that it is hiring extra staff to process and upload it.

The first sets of posted videos, which were the same videos given to Carlson, do not include face blurring.

Democratic Rep. Norma Torres of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Administration subcommittee, blasted the decision to publicly post the footage.

"By providing unfettered public access to Capitol security footage from the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, despite legitimate security concerns from the U.S. Capitol Police, he is prioritizing partisanship over safety," Torres told CBS News. "There is nothing transparent about this  it is irresponsible and dangerous. Speaker Johnson may want to erase the facts of an attempted coup and undo the bipartisan investigation of the Jan. 6 Committee, but he can never alter the facts. Instead, his actions are putting members of Congress, staff, the press and all visitors to the Capitol at risk and further delegitimizing the integrity of this institution."

During court proceedings, the Justice Department has already publicly released large caches of videos showing the most violent moments and attacks of Jan. 6, including the beating of police by rioters with makeshift weapons, the mob surrounding lone Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman near the Senate chamber, some vicious and brutal battles in a tunnel, the breaches of windows and doors, the parading of a Confederate flag through the Capitol and injuries suffered by police and members of the crowd.

Hundreds of hours of that footage have been posted to a Justice Department cloud video web portal, accessible remotely by those who enroll to view it.

As of this month, more than 1,200 people have been charged for roles in the Capitol riot. More than 440 of them have been charged with assaulting or resisting police. More than half of all people charged have pleaded guilty to federal charges.

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The killing of an elderly woman and her daughter in Gaza Citys Holy Family Church on Saturday (Dec. 16) was the sixth attack by Israeli Defense Forces on the compound since war in Gaza broke out, a relative told The Washington Post.

Following the IDF sniper fire that Catholic church sources say killed Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton, the latters brother told The Washington Post that he and others present in the church building went out and saw his mother and sister lying face down.

When we saw Samar, we all rushed to save her, and snipers opened fire on us, wounding my two children, Issa Antoun told The Post by phone, according to a Dec. 18 article, adding that when the continued shooting of the IDF later slowed, they recovered the bodies and buried them in a church cemetery. This is not the first time that the church has been targeted since the beginning of the war, but rather the sixth time. The patriarchate has asked for international protection for us, but as I speak to you, bulldozers are closing the church door, blocking it with a pile of cars that were on the street.

British Member of Parliament Layla Moran, who has relatives in the last Catholic church building in Gaza where Christians have taken refuge from bombings, said today (Dec. 19) in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that IDF forces were still present at the compound. She quoted the daughter of one of her cousins inside the church building as saying, Tanks still outside. Down to almost no provisions. Ive been told food and water was delivered by the IDF but no sign of it yet. When will this nightmare end?

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa on Saturday night (Dec. 16) issued a statement on the patriarchs website disclosing that an IDF sniper killed the two Christian women on the church premises in the Shejayia area of Gaza City as they were walking to the Sisters Convent building in the compound.

Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound, Pizzaballa stated. No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there were no belligerents.

The BBC quoted a relative of a woman trapped inside the church building as saying her family had spent a couple of hours hiding on the ground of the compound because they believed Israeli forces were shooting anything that moves.

They were terrified to go to the bathroom, because the women were shot trying to get to the toilet, Fifi Saba told the BBC.

Moran told CNN that Hamas has never been present at the church compound.

The assertion that Hamas is operating from that church is baseless, she told CNN. There are children there. The women who are killed, if anyone dares to look at the pictures, could not look less like Hamas fighters.

The IDF on Sunday (Dec. 17) issued a statement to Fox News Digital acknowledging that an incident took place at the church compound.

When reviewing incidents that may have taken place in the vicinity of churches in Gaza, it was found that an incident took place during yesterday afternoon (Saturday) in another area in Gaza, near the Latin Church in the Shejayia area, the IDF spokesperson said in the statement. An initial review suggests that IDF troops, who were operating against Hamas terrorists in the area, operated against a threat that they identified in the area of the church. The IDF is conducting a thorough review of the incident.

Before the patriarchate had learned of the killings in the compound, church representatives had contacted the IDF regarding explosions heard near the parish, prompting the IDF to issue a prior statement reading, No reports of a hit on the church, nor civilians being injured or killed, were raised. A review of the IDFs operational findings support this.

In the statement about the killings later on Saturday (Dec. 16), the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem also disclosed that a rocket from an IDF tank hit the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa in the compound, where more than 54 people with disabilities reside.

The buildings generator (the only source of electricity) and the fuel resources were destroyed. The house was damaged by the resulting explosion and massive fire, Pizzaballa said in the statement. Two more rockets, fired by an IDF tank, targeted the same Convent and rendered the home uninhabitable. The 54 disabled persons are currently without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive.

Three people in the church compound were wounded the previous night due to heavy bombing in the area, he said, and solar panels and water tanks were destroyed.

We cannot but express that we are at a loss to comprehend how such an attack could be carried out, even more so as the whole Church prepares for Christmas, Pizzaballa stated.

A Palestinian with relatives in the Holy Family Church, Hammam Farah, said in a post on X that about 530 Christians have taken refuge in the compound, 60 percent of them women and children.

Christians are said to have inhabited Gaza since the first century. Today there are fewer than 1,000 Christians estimated to remain in the strip, down from 3,000 when Hamas assumed complete control in 2007; the resulting Israeli blockade of Gaza led many Christians to flee the worsening poverty.
HOUSTON - The Houston Police Department has released body-worn camera video following an officer-involved shooting on December 4.

The incident took place at approximately 3:45 p.m. in the 500 block of Seminar Drive.

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That's where officials said they located Albert Holmer, who had an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated robbery.

As he stopped a vehicle at an apartment complex on Seminar Drive, officers pulled up behind him to take him into custody.

However, police said Holmer got out of his vehicle and ran through a gate entering an apartment complex.

Officers followed him on foot, giving him verbal commands to stop, but he continued evading and pulled out a gun.

Holmer was commanded by police to drop the gun and Holmer moved near an uninvolved person.

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That's when, one officer fired his duty weapon, striking Holmer.

Holmer was later taken into custody and officers rendered aid until paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital.
Parade for new recruits whom Houthis say to send to Gaza

DUBAI (Reuters) -The leader of Yemen's Houthis warned on Wednesday they would strike U.S. warships if the Iranian-backed militia was targeted by Washington, which this week set up a multinational force to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, have since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, attacks it says respond to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

The U.S.-led security initiative will see Washington and ten other, mostly NATO countries patrol the Red Sea to deter and respond to future Houthi attacks that have so far led to major global shipping lines rerouting around Africa instead.

"We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it," Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said.

"Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations," he said in a televised speech.

The crisis in the Red Sea has grown out of the war between Israel and Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the latest conflict in the Middle East to pit the U.S. and its allies against regional power Iran and its Arab militia proxies.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters stormed across the Gaza border into southern Israel, where Israeli authorities say the militants killed about 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis and foreigners.

Israels retaliatory bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which Israeli officials state is aimed at wiping out Hamas, has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the densely populated, coastal enclave.

Iranian proxies including the Houthis and Lebanese Hezbollah have fired rockets at Israel since the conflict began. The Houthis, meanwhile, have stepped up their Red Sea attacks, threatening to target all ships heading to Israel and warning shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

The attacks have disrupted a key trade route that links Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal and caused container shipping costs to rise sharply as companies seek to ship their goods via alternative, often longer, routes.

Dubbed "Operation Prosperity Guardian", Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, along with the U.S., will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the adjacent Gulf of Aden.

"As long as the Americans want to enter into a direct war with us, they should know that we are not those who fear them, and that they are facing an entire people," al-Houthi said.

He warned the Americans against sending soldiers to Yemen, saying they would "face something harsher than what they faced in Afghanistan and what they suffered in Vietnam."

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios in Dubai, Mohammed Ghobari in Aden; writing by Jana Choukeir and Alexander Cornwell; editing by Andrew Heavens, Mark Heinrich and Toby Chopra)
In a televised speech on Wednesday, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said that his militants would not stand by if the US 'commit foolishness by targeting our country'

The leader of Yemens Houthi rebels has vowed to attack American warships if the conflict in the Red Sea escalates.

On Monday, the United States unveiled an international coalition aimed at stopping attacks by the Iran-backed group, which has caused massive disruption to global shipping.

Joe Biden is weighing up military action against the group, with American, British and French warships now in the waters around Yemen as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.

A tenth of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea and shipping companies have begun re-routing around Africa, adding at least 10 days to their route.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the rebels leader, said that his militants would not stand by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it.

Any American strike would be met fiercely, he said. We will make American battleships, interests and navigation a target for our missiles, drones and military operations.

As long as the Americans want to enter into a direct war with us, they should know that we are not those who fear them, and that they are facing an entire people, he said.

The popularity of the Houthi rebels has grown within Yemen since they pledged to disrupt maritime traffic in response to Israels bombing campaign in Gaza.

Mr Al-Houthi said that if the United States sent soldiers to Yemen  something that is not under consideration  they would face something harsher than what they faced in Afghanistan and what they suffered in Vietnam.

The popularity of the Houthi rebels has grown in Yemen since they pledged to disrupt maritime traffic - OSAMAH YAHYA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

About 50 merchant ships pass through the Red Sea every day, travelling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. At least 15 have been attacked since mid-November.

Operation Prosperity Guardian, which comprises 10 mostly Nato nations, plans to create a safe corridor through the Red Sea by shooting down attacks rather than escorting ships, according to reports.

Officials familiar with the plan told the Financial Times that it was at an early stage and could still change.

On Wednesday, shipping companies said that they remained unclear on how their vessels would be protected.

There are still a number of unknowns with the coalition. We dont know exactly how many warships will be involved, how long it will take those vessels to get to the region or their rules of engagement and the actual protection scheme that will be put in place, Corey Ranslem, the chief executive of the British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global, told Reuters.

An international coalition is aiming to stop attacks by the Houthis, which have included seizing the cargo ship Galaxy Leader - HOUTHI MILITARY MEDIA/via REUTERS

Another shipping source raised questions about the effectiveness of the coalition, saying: Will they do anything except swat the missiles out of the sky? If thats all, then will it give the assurances that are needed for shipping companies? We dont know yet.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, visited the Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, hailing it as a symbol of American deterrence.

The nuclear-powered Gerald R Ford, which houses 4,000 people and eight squadrons of aircraft, rushed closer to Israel after Hamass Oct 7 attacks.

Mr Austin has extended the Gerald R Fords deployment three times, hoping that its presence would make Iran and groups aligned with its regime think twice before joining the fight.

This carrier and crew are making history. Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things that we stop from happening. And at a moment of huge tensions in the region, you all have been the lynchpin to preventing a wider regional conflict, he said.

The Pentagon has also moved the Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier to the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen and close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait where the attacks have taken place.

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Houthi militants in Yemen say they will not stop attacking vessels in the Red Sea despite the formation of a U.S.-led task force to protect commercial shipping in the region.

"Our war is a moral war, and therefore, no matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop," Houthi ruling council member Mohammed Albukhaiti told The Washington Post Tuesday.

FILE: Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023.

Commercial vessels have for weeks been under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis say the attacks are in protest to Israels ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed. Others have rerouted their vessels, adding costs and delays.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS OPERATION PROSPERITY GUARDIAN WILL COUNTER HOUTHI THREATS AGAINST SHIPS IN RED SEA

"Participating in a coalition to protect the perpetrators of genocidal crimes is a disgrace in the history of the participating countries," Albukhaiti told The Post. "If America had moved in the right direction, it would have obliged Israel to stop its crimes without the need to expand the scope of the conflict."

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His comments came hours after the U.S. and a host of other nations announced the creation of a new task force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea.

Cargo ships are seen at Israel's Haifa commercial shipping port in the Mediterranean Sea on December 13, 2023.

"This is an international challenge that demands collective action," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement released just after midnight in Bahrain. "Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative."

There are about 400 commercial vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, an area roughly the size of Washington D.C. to Boston, at any given time.

Under the new mission, the military ships will not necessarily escort a specific vessel, but will be positioned to provide umbrella protection to as many as possible at a given time, an official familiar with the plans told The Associated Press.

Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthis' chief negotiator and spokesman, challenged the U.S.-created coalition on Tuesday, saying the Iranian-backed rebels would continue targeting Israel-linked vessels off Yemen.

"The American-formed coalition is to protect Israel and militarize the sea without any justification, and will not stop Yemen from continuing its legitimate operations in support of Gaza," he wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

He said the Houthis' attacks "are not a show of force nor a challenge to anyone," adding, "Whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of his actions."





Original article source: Houthis vow to keep attacking ships in Red Sea despite formation of US-led task force
A group of prominent humanitarian organizations is calling on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to halt military and other aid to Israel over its operations in Gaza that they say have caused staggering civilian harm, according to a letter sent to the Pentagon chief on Wednesday.

The groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, urged Austin in the letter to withhold U.S. assistance, in accordance with U.S. law and policy, that would facilitate violations of international humanitarian law and refrain from transferring explosive weapons to Israel for use in Gaza. The letter, which POLITICO obtained, was also sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser.

The groups argue Austin has failed to live up to his own sweeping overhaul of the Pentagons efforts to reduce harm to civilians in U.S. military operations, under the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan.

The Departments response to the devastating harm in Gaza has failed to live up to  and actively undermined  the commitments set by the CHMR-AP, the groups wrote, using the acronym for the action plan. To protect civilians in Gaza and live up to the aspirations of the CHMR-AP, administration rhetoric on the protection of civilians must be backed by action and leverage.

DOD spokesperson Sabrina Singh declined to comment on the letter.

The letter comes as Austin and Gen. C.Q. Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, huddled with their Israeli counterparts this week in the Biden administrations latest effort to press Israel to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. Israel says it warns civilians before strikes and blames Hamas for hiding within civilian locations like schools and hospitals, pledging to continue operations until the militant group is eliminated.

Austin has recently been advising Israeli leaders to begin moving from major combat to a more precise and targeted campaign against Hamas. Israels operations have flattened much of northern Gaza, displaced over 1 million and killed almost 20,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative, Austin said on Monday in Tel Aviv, noting that during his meetings he offered thoughts about how to transition from high-intensity operations to lower intensity and more surgical operations.

While the groups wrote that they appreciate Austins comments, they added his remarks appear detached from the ongoing reality of Israels operations, which continue to cause devastating levels of civilian harm and destruction and inhibit the provision of life-saving humanitarian aid  all using U.S. support.

The result is civilian harm at a massive scale amidst a humanitarian crisis, they wrote.

Other signatories to the letter included Airwars, Anera, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Humanity & Inclusion, InterAction, Doctors Without Borders USA, Norwegian Refugee Council USA, Oxfam America, PAX, Refugees International, Save the Children US and Zomia Center.

In the letter, the groups noted that the United States is Israels largest provider of security assistance and arms; Washington gives $3.8 billion to Israel annually. They argue the U.S. therefore has a responsibility to ensure that assistance does not contribute to human rights violations.

The groups also argue that any human rights violations in Gaza by Israeli forces should prompt the U.S. to withhold security assistance based on U.S. law and policy. President Joe Bidens own Conventional Arms Transfer policy, governing all U.S. arms transfers, prohibits Washington from sending weapons when the administration assesses it is more likely than not that the arms will be used to violate human rights, the letter notes.

Further, despite well-documented and credible allegations of gross violations of human rights by the Israeli military, the U.S. has never cut off any Israeli units from security assistance as is required by the Leahy Law, according to the letter.

In addition, section 6201I of the Foreign Assistance Act bars U.S. security assistance to any country where the government prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.

The U.S. should also stop transferring explosive weapons to Israel for use in Gaza, in accordance with the U.S. commitment last year to limit civilian harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the groups wrote. The U.S. along with 82 other nations endorsed the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in November 2022.

The groups specifically pointed to Austins overhaul of how the Pentagon reduces civilian harm, which he announced in the fall of 2022. The Pentagon is expected to soon release the details of its plan to implement the strategy, according to one person familiar with the discussions, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement.

One objective of the plan stipulates that DOD will incorporate civilian harm risk assessments and tailored conditionality into U.S. security cooperation, the groups note.

They urged Austin to categorically oppose the targeting of civilians, indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between civilian and military targets, the holding back of humanitarian assistance, and the use of siege tactics to deprive the civilian population of items indispensable to its survival.

The groups also cited Bidens recent remarks that Israel has engaged in indiscriminate bombing, arguing that the practice clearly violates international humanitarian law.

The letter criticized U.S. officials claims that there are no conditions applied to U.S. assistance to Israel, as well as statements that the administration is not currently assessing Israels compliance with international humanitarian law, or IHL.

Conditions ensuring compliance with IHL and human rights, including the facilitation of humanitarian assistance, should be the baseline of all U.S. assistance to any country, according to the letter.
In normal years, the Christmas lights around Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, would steal the show.

Huge effort is poured into the festive illuminations.

But this December, the violent light and sound show that erupted along the Reykjanes peninsula has overshadowed everything.

"It's a bit stressful," says 63-year-old Andrzej, with an understatement characteristic of many we meet.

The former fisherman was among the 4,000 residents of Grindavik who were evacuated last month over fears the volcano would blow.

"It's a wonderful, great town. But we're always very worried Grindavik will disappear from the map."

Iceland has been braced for volcanic activity around its south-west coast for weeks, as the area has been experiencing an uptick in earthquake activity.

The volcano finally erupted on Monday night.

A police officer near the volcano spoke to the BBC on Wednesday morning.

She said nobody is currently allowed near the volcano - only scientists and responders accompanied by the police.

That's because it's too dangerous, and the terrain is unpredictable.

"Now, the priority for the police is to try and save the town of Grindavik as it could be damaged by the lava. We are working on a plan on how to do that," said the police officer.

"We will probably go back to people's houses and pick up their most important belongings. It will not be today, as it's too dangerous - likely tomorrow.

"The people who have been evacuated will almost certainly not be allowed to return home in time for Christmas," she said.

A photo taken with a drone on Tuesday shows lava and smoke spewing from the volcano near the town of Grindavik

On Wednesday, we met Andrzej - who is originally from Poland - at a counselling session at a centre run by local authorities and the Red Cross.

"They're really great here," he said. "Today I've been talking to a social worker, which I'm finding really helpful."

Despite the emotional toll of experiencing four volcano eruptions here, he says he won't abandon his town.

"No, I'm not afraid of going back. If it starts to shake again, I'm just going to leave. "

Former fisherman Andrezj has lived through four volcanic eruptions

Inside the centre, a boy and a girl play in a soft area. There's Lego, cuddly dinosaurs and crayons.

Cake, fruit salads and coffee await the parents who come here and try to plan the next few weeks of their upended lives.

It's here that we meet father-of-three Eggert Solberg Jonsson.

"I think many were afraid to see the images and the videos, but the kids in Grindavik are used to it"

Eggert works as an official in the area that's been evacuated and says the main priority is looking after the 500 children aged six to 16 at the elementary school.

"We are living in a place where there's lava all around the town. And it is what it is, living in Iceland. There are threats in every town. Our threat is this volcano."

Eggert's wife is a teacher at the school. They have been trying to find alternative accommodation with their two sons, aged five and 11, and their eight-year-old daughter in the five weeks since they were evacuated.

"We are fortunate that some friends have just said we can stay until the spring so the next few months," he explains.

"Not all people are as lucky as we are - but the safety net here is strong."

Grindavik will always be a great place to live, says Eggert

Eggert says his children are doing incredibly well in the circumstances but says he feels sorry for them being away from home this Christmas.

"But the volcano is part of their lives. They need to go back home and so do we. I hope we can go home as soon as possible.

"This is a unique location and will always be a great place to live."

Tourists attracted

The new reality facing the 4,000 evacuees is a stark contrast with the experience of many tourists who can't believe their luck.

About 40 minutes' drive away, at the edge of the exclusion zone, emergency services have been moving on the visitors who've been trying to stop at the side of the dual carriageway to try to film the volcano.

Guorun, who works for the Iocal authority, was trying to look after the arrivals.

"We are fully prepared. Everyone today went to work, and went ahead with their normal lives. We know how to deal with these situations. The only people here taking pictures and videos are tourists."

Onlookers gather to watch the lava flow after a volcanic eruption near the town of Grindavik

Two American friends, George and Matt, were visiting from Chicago with their two young children. They were taking selfies with the bright orange lava forming a spectacular backdrop.

"This is awesome! It's a force of nature!"

George's daughter said she was hypnotised by the flames and could hardly look away.

George said: "It's like when in the US you see a hurricane on TV you can't look away. But here, we can actually see it happening in real life. I'll never forget it."

Even from a distance, you can hear the rumbling of the volcano. And the smell of the smoke hangs in the icy air.
With a decades-old history of Islamic extremist attacks, Nigerias Bauchi state is home to a Christian community that continues to suffer oppression and killings, a long-time pastor said.

While Muslim officials and others drove Christians to the outlying edges of the city of Bauchi decades ago, those areas later became the city center  from which Christians were again forced out and now live far from their worship sites, said the Rev. Abraham Damina Dumus, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bauchi State, and a Baptist pastor.

In spite of the number of Christian worship places here, Christians do not live here in the city center, simply because of persecution, Pastor Dumas told Morning Star News. Christians who own these worship places are forced to live in the suburbs or outskirts of the city.

Those Christians have been faithful to make the trips back to their church worship services and other programs, he said.

The dexterity of Christians not to be deterred by Muslim authorities here in Bauchi has made them to remain steadfast, and they have continued to use their worship places, Pastor Dumas said. Without the commitment of Christians, these worship places would have been shut down completely.

At present no Christians live in the old city center of Bauchi, he said.

Christians who were living inside the old city as tenants were chased out by Muslims, he said. They had to move out and live in the outskirts.

At the same time, the extremism of area Muslims is such that anti-Islamic events elsewhere, including internationally, lead them to vent their fury on local Christians, he said.

Anytime these Muslims are provoked by events occurring elsewhere, Christians living in the suburbs become their targets of attacks, Pastor Dumas said. For instance, the Yelwa area, a Christians suburb where Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, are located, is readily attacked by Muslims any time they feel provoked by events occurring elsewhere, even when they know that Christians in Bauchi state have nothing to do with such events. These areas have been attacked numerous times over the years.

As part of Nigerias northeastern geopolitical zone, where Islamic extremism took root in the early 1990s, Bauchi state has a history of bombed churches and assaults that continue to this day, he said.

The persecution of Christians in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area has remained a thorn in their flesh up to this very moment as I speak to you, Pastor Dumas said. From 1991 to date, there has been continuous bloodletting by Muslim terrorists targeted at Christians in that area.

Bauchi state Gov. Bala Mohammed recently expressed concern over a spike in attacks by terrorists whom he said were coming from other states.

Because of the federal governments sustained war against bandits and terrorism in other zones of the country, the state is becoming a hiding place for the unscrupulous elements who are beginning to disturb the peace of the citizens, Mohammed told a meeting of traditional rulers in September. We have established a Ministry of Internal Security that will partner with the federal government just to drive the issue of providing internal security.

Armed terrorists cross state borders in their assaults. A police rescue effort in response to a kidnapping in Bauchi states Toro County on Nov. 29 resulted in the recovery later that evening of three others who had been kidnapped in neighboring Plateau state, a pastor and two other Christians.

Bauchi state, where sharia (Islamic law) has been instituted as the main body of civil and criminal law since 2001, is estimated to be about 85 percent Muslim. Christians make up about 6 percent of the population, with traditional indigenous religions followed by 9 percent of the inhabitants.

The history of bombings of churches in Bauchi state hit a new level with the birth of the rebel Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in 2009, Pastor Dumas said.

In three years, 2009-2012, Boko Haram terrorists bombed almost all the churches in Bauchi city, he told Morning Star News. Christians worship places were bombed on Sundays as Christians gathered for worship services. It was from here in Bauchi that the Boko Haram attacks spread to Maiduguri in Borno state. In these massive attacks against Christians, my house was burned down by the terrorists. Many houses belonging to Christians were also burned down during these attacks.

Christians in northern Bauchi state, saw their homes and church buildings burned down in Azare, Misau, Danbam, Giade, Zaki and others, and many of them were killed, he said.

Also in the southern part of Bauchi state, in places like Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, and the rest, the situation was nasty and ugly to the church, Pastor Dumas said. It was like the church was going into extinction as there were clear signs that Christians were not going to exist in Bauchi state.

In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.
An Indiana County man was convicted by a jury Wednesday of trying to steal over a million dollars from a bank.

Boyd Watson, 59, of Shelcota, was found guilty of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and attempted theft by deception.

In March 2021, Watson opened a business account with a local bank after allegedly starting a collections business a month earlier. The Indiana County District Attorneys Office said after two months of no business activity, Watson had over a million dollars diverted into the account during the third month.

The bank quickly determined that the deposits were fraudulent and returned the funds. Before the funds were returned, Watson was able to withdraw $5,000 from the account.

Watson later contacted the police and admitted to taking the money and refused to return it.

While most of us are going to work to earn our paychecks, Mr. Watson tried to steal a large amount of money without regard to whom it belonged. Even after admitting to taking the money, he refused to return it, District Attorney Robert Manzisaid Manzi. The jury easily saw through his scam and found him guilty on all charges. I appreciate the investigation by the Indiana Borough Police Department that led to this defendant being held accountable for his actions.

Sentencing for Watson is scheduled for March 15 at 8:30 a.m.

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Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify the I-69 project will connect Evansville to Indianapolis.

Drivers in Central Indiana are used to seeing road construction projects as they commute from place to place, especially driving in the Indianapolis area. While 2023 was a busy year for the Indiana Department of Transportation, the next 12 months are just as packed with roads, ramps and bridges being built or rehabilitated.

The projects listed below from INDOT or other local municipalities either have bids or are expected to open bids to contractors in the coming months. After a contractor bids on a project, construction can begin.

Here's what Hoosiers in Central Indiana can expect to see during their commute soon.

Fishers slated to widen roughly a mile of Cumberland Road

Minor widening and pavement rehabilitation has been planned for about a mile stretch of Cumberland Road between 106th Street and 116th Street, from Cumberland Park to Chase Bank.

The project will widen Cumberland Road to travel lane widths of 12 feet and improve drainage. Crews will add a raised median to develop left turn lanes into adjacent residential and commercial developments. Bike lanes and pedestrian paths will be added to the 1-mile stretch of the road.

Estimated project cost: $7.3 million

Estimated opening bid date: April 2024

Beech Grove roundabout for Churchman Avenue

Drivers in Beech Grove will notice construction just northeast of Sarah Shank Golf Course as crews work to put a roundabout in the 2800 block of Churchman Avenue, connecting the intersecting points of Churchman, Perkins and Southern avenues.

Estimated project cost: $2.7 million

Estimated opening bid date: February 2024

Carmel eyes dual-lane roundabout on 106th Street

Carmel plans to eliminate a signalized traffic intersection at 106th and Westfield by constructing a dual-lane roundabout in its place. Construction will occur in the 1600 block of E. 106th Street near Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.

Estimated project cost: $4.7 million

Estimated opening bid date: March 2024

Move over, Carmel: This proposed sunken highway-roundabout for Indianapolis is massive

Other INDOT projects in the works include construction years in development, such as the I-69 and Clear Path project.

I-69 Finish Line project getting closer to wrapping up

Reaching completion, the I-69 Finish Line project is expected to wrap up major construction by the end of 2024, according to INDOT. The $2 billion, decades-long effort to construct an interstate connecting Evansville to Indianapolis will add a travel lane on I-465 from I-65 to I-70 on the southwest side of the city.

"Indianapolis drivers and commuters have and will continue to see changes to this interstate as we near the finish line," said Kyleigh Cramer, Public Relations Director for INDOT's East Central District. "I think many Hoosiers are excited to see the final configuration and drive on the new interstate."

When finished, I-69 will run continuously from the Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan to Evansville, reducing travel time from Martinsville to Indianapolis and adding over- and underpasses.

More: Noticed police parked along I-465 and I-69? Heres what they're doing, who's paying them

Further construction on the Clear Path project on I-465

Drivers will eventually notice less congestion along I-465 and I-69 on the northeast side of Indianapolis after the Clear Path project is finished, which adds travel lanes, new ramp lanes and 14 bridges to the roadway, according to INDOT.

The project is on track to open by the end of 2025, Cramer said. Until then, drivers on the northeast side of Indianapolis should expect occasional delays as construction continues.

The I-465/I-69 interchange will have less weaving and merging, according to INDOT, aided by ramps that provide direct connections. A new two-lane ramp will connect eastbound I-465 traffic to northbound I-69, and a separate ramp will direct eastbound I-465 traffic exiting onto 82nd Street.

Local traffic entering and exiting I-69 at 82nd Street and Binford Boulevard will be separated from the rest of I-69 traffic by a concrete barrier, dedicated ramps and collector-distributor lanes. The I-465 stretch from the White River to Fall Creek will have four lanes in each direction.

Ramp metering, variable speed limits begins in southeast side of Indianapolis

Drivers on the southeast side of Indianapolis will soon notice changes in how they merge and how fast they travel on I-465. According to INDOT, ramp meters will be placed on I-465 between I-65 and I-70 on the southeast side of the loop.

Ramp meters will be used during peak travel periods and when crashes occur, INDOT states, and are planned for the following locations:

Emerson Avenue

Southeastern Avenue

Shadeland Avenue

Brookville Road/US 52

Washington Street/US 40

Drivers can soon expect to see ramp meters on I-465 between I-65 and I-70 on the southeast side of the loop. Ramp meters and variable speed limits are safety measures aimed at improving safety and easing the flow of traffic during peak travel times.

According to INDOT, when the meter is in use, the signal located on both sides of the ramp will cycle between red and green to indicate to motorists when to merge. When not in use, the signal will flash yellow, and merging will resume as normal. If the ramp gets full while the meter is in use, the signal will adapt to traffic conditions and temporarily flash yellow until the ramp is empty again.

Other INDOT projects slated for construction

$2.5 million bridge rehabilitation over Big Eagle Creek bridge at I-65 NB.

$3 million pavement project along US 136 at I-465, at SR 134 / Girls School Road

$7.2 million concrete pavement restoration project with bridge painting from I-74 to 16th St. on the east side of Indianapolis.

$1 million intersection improvement on US 421 & 96th Street near Michigan Road.

IndyStar reporter Kayla Dwyer and Katie Wiseman contributed to this article.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2024 Central Indiana road projects that could impact your commute
People gather around the body of a man, outside a hospital morgue in Imphal

By Zarir Hussain

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - More than 80 people killed in ethnic clashes in India's northeastern Manipur state over the past seven months were laid to rest on Wednesday, officials said, as sporadic violence continued in the region.

At least 180 people have died since fierce fighting broke out between members of the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities in May, following a court order suggesting privileges granted to Kukis also be extended to Meiteis.

Earlier efforts to carry out the last rites of the deceased were marred by conflicts between the communities, which prevented the bodies from being handed over to relatives, as well as legal disputes.

More than 60 victims were buried last week in a similar ceremony, following directions from the Supreme Court to give victims a "dignified burial".

Those buried on Wednesday belonged to the Kuki and Zomi tribes, according to officials from the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an apex tribal body.

They were laid to rest in Churachandpur district in the presence of hundreds of mourners who chanted slogans declaring them martyrs.

Local gospel choirs sang funeral songs before the burial while friends and relatives placed floral wreaths on the coffins of the deceased before a special prayer was said as they were lowered into the graves, S. Vunminthang, a church leader present, told Reuters by telephone.

Churachandpur is among the areas in the state that continue to remain tense. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the district for the next two months following clashes between two groups earlier this week.

Manipur, bordering Myanmar, is among the smallest states in India with a population of 3.2 million people.

Of its residents, 16% are Kukis, who live in the hills and receive economic benefits and quotas for government jobs and education, while 53% are Meiteis, who control the more prosperous lowlands.

(Writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Alison Williams)
In an eastern Indonesian village, schoolchildren scrawl the distinctive circles and lines of Hangul script on a whiteboard, but the language they are learning is not Korean. It is their own (Yuli Purnomo Sidi)

In an eastern Indonesian village, schoolchildren scrawl the distinctive circles and lines of Hangul script on a whiteboard, but the language they are learning is not Korean. It is their own Indigenous Cia-Cia tongue.

The language of the Cia-Cia ethnic group in southeast Sulawesi province's Baubau has no written form, and the syllable-based tongue does not readily translate to the Latin alphabet often used to transcribe Indonesia's national language.

But the Korean Hangul script, developed in the 15th century, shares a syllable-based system that has made it an unusual tool in the effort to preserve and transmit the language of the approximately 80,000 Cia-Cia people.

"In Latin words, for instance, there's no agreed way to pronounce the sounds 'pha' or 'ta'. But after I learned Korean, it turns out there are Korean characters for the sounds," 48-year-old teacher Abidin, who goes by one name, told AFP.

"They are not exactly the same, but they're similar."

Indonesia is a vast archipelago nation with myriad tribes and cultures that boasts more than 700 unique languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse nations in the world.

The country's official language is Bahasa Indonesia, which owes its standard written form using Latin letters to Dutch colonial rule.

But the Cia-Cia's language had no surviving written form until 2009, when Hangul was introduced after a cultural exchange between Baubau city and Korean scholars.

The decision was the outcome of a concerted push by South Korean linguists, who visited to tout Hangul's sound-based system as the perfect fit.

After the visit, the city sent teachers and students to South Korea to learn Hangul with the goal of developing a standard way to write and teach their language.

- Preservation efforts -

In ancient times, leaders of the community committed the language to scraps of paper and wood using non-standard symbols that were never passed down and withered away.

But now Cia-Cia names dot the city's schools, streets and government institutions, rendered in Hangul.

The tongue is also taught to students from elementary to high school using Hangul symbols, though it remains largely a spoken rather than written language.

Abidin spent six months in South Korea training on Hangul, and is seen as a pioneer of transcribing Cia-Cia in the script. He has even penned a dictionary for the language using Hangul.

Hangul is viewed with great pride in South Korea, where it was once banned under Japanese rule, and word of the script's role in Indonesia has been hailed by some politicians and newspapers as proof of the writing system's global presence.

Its adoption by the Cia-Cia illustrated a fierce desire to preserve their language, said linguist Dalan Mehuli Perangin-angin at Indonesia's Sanata Dharma University.

"This shows that there is a longing from the people for their own script," he said.

Even the spoken form of Cia-Cia faces pressure from the dominance of Bahasa Indonesia and other regional languages, said Ilyas, a local elder, who goes by one name.

"Many words have been lost due to the influence of Indonesian and other regional languages. This has been happening for about 20 years," the 50-year-old said.

Fears about their language's future prompted elders to accept the use of Hangul, but some do have concerns.

- Language legacy -

Baubau is the only place in Indonesia to use Hangul, and while the South Korean push for the script is not backed by Seoul, its nationalist tint could blur the community's identity, said Periangin-angin.

"Language contains memories, history, morality, and wisdom of our ancestors. A language script is a legacy," he said.

He suggests the Cia-Cia could have adopted a script already used by another dialect in Sulawesi, which would have had closer linguistic links.

But for Sarianto, who was among the students who learned Hangul in South Korea, the script has "sparked the creation of new discourses dedicated to the preservation of the Cia-Cia language".

"Before the introduction of Hangul, many of Cia-Cia people used to feel a bit hesitant about using the local language in formal settings," he said.

"However, with the implementation of Hangul, people say our Cia-Cia language has become global."

str-agn/jfx/sah/sco
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The New Mexico Department of Corrections has identified the inmate who died on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility outside of Las Cruces. His death is being treated as a possible homicide, officials said.

Inmate death at Southern NM jail being investigated as homicide

Richard M. Cresap, 22, was the inmate who died, according to the Corrections Department. According to court documents, Cresap was serving a sentence for second degree murder out of Rio Rancho, N.M. He received a plea deal in the March 2021 murder of 15-year-old Alex Jackson. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison last July.

New Mexico State Police are treating the death as a possible homicide and are leading the investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
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In June of 2022, law enforcement arrived at a modest home on East Calvert Street in South Bend, Indiana. They threw dozens of tear gas grenades into the house, launched flash-bangs through the front door, smashed windows, destroyed the security cameras, punched holes in the walls, ripped a panel and fan from the bathroom wall and ceiling, ransacked and tossed furniture, snatched curtains down, and broke a mirror and various storage containers. The tear gas bombs left openings in the walls, floors, and ceiling. Shattered glass lay strewn across the interior, and a litany of personal belongingsfrom clothing, beds, and electronics to childhood drawings and family photoswere ruined.

Police had their sights set on a man named John Parnell Thomas, then a fugitive, who is now behind bars. But law enforcement didn't apprehend Thomas at the residence on East Calvert, as he did not own the home, did not have any relationship with its owners, and had never been there.

The actual owner, Amy Hadley, was not a suspect in law enforcement's investigation. She was, in some sense, punished anyway, as the government left her to pick up the tab after officers dismantled and wrecked much of her home.

A faulty investigation led police to Hadley's house. An officer with St. Joseph County attempted to locate Thomas via Facebook, concluding erroneously that he was accessing social media from the IP address tied to the Hadley residence.

He was not.

On June 10, 2022, upon surrounding the house, police ordered those inside to exit. Hadley's son, Noahwho was 15 years old at the timewas the only one home; he came out with his hands up as instructed. Police immediately conceded on the body camera footage that he was not who they were looking for. They placed him in double handcuffs, put him in a caged squad car, and took him to the police station anyway.

A neighbor called Hadley to let her know something dire appeared to be happening outside her home, prompting her to return to the residence. She told law enforcement that Thomas was not inside and that her security cameras, which would be destroyed soon after, would have alerted her if a stranger had forced his way in. A South Bend SWAT team, along with backup from the St. Joseph Police Department, proceeded forthwith. Over 30 officers were dispatched to Hadley's home.

The result forced Hadley and her son to sleep in her car for several nights as the toxic fumes lingered, while her daughter, Kayla, stayed elsewhere until the space was safe to live in again.

Hadley, who is employed as a medical assistant, does not dispute that police had a valid warrant and a right to search her property. What she does dispute, however, is that the government can leave her to shoulder the financial burden of their mistake. After contacting the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and St. Joseph County, she received a mixture of demurrals and radio silence, according to a lawsuit recently filed in the St. Joseph County Circuit Court.

A year and a half post-raid, those agencies have paid her nothing. Her home insurance helped her in part but declined to pay the full amount, which totaled at least $16,000 in damages, per her suit, leaving her thousands of dollars in the hole.

It's not the first time the government has destroyed an innocent person's property and left them to pick up the pieces, both literally and figuratively. Hadley's experience once again requires that we answer the following: When law enforcement wrecks someone's house or business in pursuit of public safety, who should bear the cost?

Carlos Pena, a small business owner in Southern California, recently filed a suit that probes the same question, although his attorneys say the answer is clear. In August 2022, about two months after the raid on Hadley's house, a Los Angeles SWAT team threw over 30 tear gas canisters into Pena's print shop while attempting to catch a fugitive who had forcefully ejected Pena and barricaded himself inside. His inventory and most of his equipment were ruined, costing him about $60,000 in damages and thousands in revenue from lost clients. After building his business, NoHo Printing & Graphics, for over three decades, he now operates at a much-constrained capacity out of his garage.

Like many policies, Pena's insurance told him they were not responsible for damage caused by the government. But Los Angeles has, at different times, ignored him or told him they are not liable, according to his lawsuit, which was filed in July in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Whether or not such victims are entitled to relief comes down to the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which promises that people are entitled to "just compensation" when their property is usurped, or in this case destroyed, for public use. But various jurisdictions have been able to dance around that thanks to some federal jurisprudence which has held that actions taken under "police powers" are exempt from the pledge in the Takings Clause. "Apprehending a dangerous fugitive is in the public interest, and 'in all fairness and justice,' the cost of apprehending such fugitives should be borne by the public as a whole," says Hadley's suit, "not by an unlucky and innocent property owner whose property is put to a public use to serve the public's interest."

Another plaintiff, Vicki Baker, sued the city of McKinney, Texas, in 2021 after a local SWAT team caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to her home and rendered her daughter's dog deaf and blind. Again, a fugitive had barricaded himself inside; again, Baker was not suspected of any criminal wrongdoing; again, her insurance declined to pay. When she sought assistance from the government, they told her they weren't liable and that she didn't meet the definition of a "victim." "I've lost everything," Baker, in her 70s and struggling with cancer, told me shortly after filing her suit.

Following a lengthy court battle, a federal judge allowed her to proceed before a jury, characterizing the law that threatened to block her suit as "untenable." That jury awarded her about $60,000 in June 2022. And then in October of this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed that, somewhat begrudgingly, ruling that current precedent foreclosed relief on the basis that police acted by "necessity during an active emergency."

"For future victims, [this] would mean that you're probably out of luck under the federal Constitution from the 5th Circuit, unless this case gets reversed," Jeffrey Redfern, an attorney for the Institute for Justice which represents Baker, told me in October. "It's a pretty big deal." Fortunately for Baker, he added, the jury's award should survive under the Texas Constitution, as opposed to the U.S. Constitutionalthough she only got that judgment after government stonewalling and a protracted court battle, which not everyone has the time and resources to finish.

As for Hadley, it remains unclear if she will receive compensation after the government acted on its error-prone investigation and left her home a shell of what it once was. But one thing is almost certain: There will be more innocent people like her in the future whose lives are upended by the state, only to be told that's just their tough luck.

The post This Innocent Woman Is on the Hook for Thousands After a SWAT Team Destroyed Her Home appeared first on Reason.com.
Gov. Dan McKee's administration will conduct a two-part investigation into why the condition of the Washington Bridge deteriorated so suddenly that the state had to abruptly close the westbound lanes of Interstate 195 West last week.

First, one of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's regular bridge-inspection contractors will conduct a forensic analysis of the bridge and how anchor rods holding it together broke sometime between July and December.

Then, to make sure that analysis has been done well, the Department of Administration is seeking a second consultant and "independent expert to ensure that a thorough review of what led to the Washington Bridge closure is completed," administration spokeswoman Laura Hart said.

Who will be the independent expert and when will it be done? Unknown

The two-part probe aims to satisfy McKee's promise to have objective, outside eyes examine the bridge while not holding up repairs that will allow use of the westbound span again. Westbound and eastbound traffic are currently sharing the lanes of the eastbound span, but at half the capacity of normal operations.

Who the independent expert will be, when they will be hired and how much they will be paid is unknown.

A side-by-side image showing a sheared anchor rod in the Washington Bridge. RIDOT officials say the photo from an inspection in July shows the rod is intact, and the photo from the December inspection shows it has been sheared. Officials claim something "catastrophic" happened to the rod, one of many to have failed, between July and December, prompting the emergency closing of the bridge.

The state "is currently evaluating procurement options," Hart said and there is no timeline.

The initial forensic analysis will be done by WJE as a subcontractor to Michael Baker Co., which DOT spokeswoman Lisbeth Pettengill describes as "our regular bridge-inspection company."

Neither WJE nor Michael Baker performed any of the last four of the annual inspections of the Washington Bridge that deemed it fit for use.

The last bridge inspection, in July, was performed by AECOM. It did not find damage to the anchor rods that, spotted by an engineer working on the bridge, triggered the bridge closing that froze traffic in Providence and East Providence. The unidentified "young engineer" as he was dubbed by state officials, worked for VHB, part of the consortium repairing parts of the bridge.

More: Was your business harmed by the Washington Bridge closing? New SBA recovery center opens.

Will the feds step in?

What is less clear is what role, if any, the federal government will play in figuring out what happened to the bridge and whether it could have been prevented.

Last week, as the resulting traffic problems peaked, Rhode Island's congressional delegation wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking for federal help to "evaluate the adequacy of bridge inspections."

And with some state lawmakers calling for General Assembly oversight hearings on the bridge closing, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said finding answers to what went wrong is better left to experts at the Federal Highway Administration.

The opening of temporary westbound lanes on the eastbound span of the Washington Bridge has eased the bumper-to-bumper traffic that clogged Interstate 195 last week.

"What's going to happen from what I understand right now is that the Federal Highway Administration is going to come in here. They're going to take a look at actually what happened with this bridge," Ruggerio said. "And once we find that out, then we can move forward and question how this came about."

Asked for more details on the federal role, Ruggerio clarified that he didn't know for certain that the FHWA is going to investigate, but that it can and should be called in.

"Normally that's something that could be requested," he said. "The FHWA has people in different regions throughout the country [who] do this. From my understanding, they're going to come in and take a look at it. Once they take a look at it, we get the report and then we'll take a look and decide what action we are going to take."

An FHWA spokeswoman reached late in the day Tuesday promised to look into the agency's role.

The DOT's Pettengill wrote in an email that she did not know what the FHWA will ultimately do, only that the federal agency does not have a role in the forensic audit the state is commissioning.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Bridge investigation will include forensic analysis
Seeing a bald eagle can be a rare, and sometimes magical event. But, during Iowa winters they're a common sight. And, you might see more of them this year after an improved nesting season.

More than 100 volunteers and Iowa Department of Natural Resource staff members check up on Iowa's bald eagles every year. Volunteers help with two surveys: The Bald Eagle Midwinter Survey and the Bald Eagle Nest Monitoring Survey.

What are the Iowa DNR's bald eagle surveys and why are they important?

The midwinter survey takes place in early January each year. Surveyors drive a standardized route, counting all eagles seen along the way. During the nest monitoring survey, volunteers collectively watch between 250 and 350 nests around the state, reporting on a nest's activity and success in producing and fledging eaglets.

Last year was the worst nesting season in many years for Iowa's bald eagles. For the first time in the history of the survey, the average number of young fledged per nest dropped below one. For 2022, an average of only 0.88 eagles were fledged per nest, which is thought to be the result of the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak last summer.

What does Iowa's bald eagle population look like in 2023?

Volunteers counted more than 2,900 eagles along more than 1,600 miles of waterway in January 2023.

The most eagles were counted on the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers, though the highest density  eagles per mile  was on the Iowa River.

The DNR's nesting survey also showed an improvement over 2022's record poor numbers. Of the active nests surveyed, 66% were successful and an average 1.77 young were fledged per nest.

The report said the number of young produced in 2023 was more than twice the number in 2022 and estimated that 720 eaglets were fledged from nests in the state.

One of the important things the Iowa DNR keeps an eye on is the proportion of the count made up of immature eagles, as it is a good indicator of population health. Since the survey started in 1991, that proportion has hovered around 30% and this year was consistent with that at 32%.

Where are the best spots for bald eagle watching in Des Moines?

The best spots for eagle watching in the Des Moines metro are anywhere along the river where there's open water, said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife diversity biologist at Iowa DNR.

Anna Buckardt Thomas, avian ecologist at Iowa DNR recommends these three spots around the Des Moines metro area:

Sycamore Access boat ramp (4640 NW 66th Ave., Johnston)

Saylorville Lake, particularly along any ice

Center Street Dam (downtown Des Moines)

"Right now since there is so much open water, eagles will likely be dispersed, but as the water freezes the congregations of birds are expected to get larger," Buckardt said.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where to watch bald eagles in the Des Moines metro
Hot food and warm tents: how affected residents in Gansu get through first night after earthquake

09:49, December 20, 2023 By Zhao Yusha, Fan Wei, Li Hao and Hu Yuwei ( Global Times

Photo: Li Hao/GT

After a 6.2-magnitude earthquake took over 100 lives in Gansu province, Gansus local governments raced against time and coldness to provide shelters and food for people affected by the earthquake.

The Global Times reporters visited a shelter at Dahe village in Jishishan County in Gansu on Tuesday night. Roughly 130 tents were erected at a square in the village center. A person from Blue Sky rescue team, who helped set up the tents, told the Global Times that a tent can accommodate three to five people. All those tents have electricity and heating, he said.

Some people in the shelter were calling their families to report their safety; some were lining in front of the hot stoves waiting for food. Volunteers preparing the food, including steamed buns, tried to calm people in the shelter: dont worry, you all can get the food. Tomorrow we can get you beef noodles.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake jolted at 11:59 pm Monday and has a focal depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 kilometers from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Salar Autonomous County in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

As of 4:50 pm on Tuesday, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 127, including 113 from Gansu Province and 14 from Qinghai, Xinhua reported.

Vehicles carrying relief goods from all over the country are pouring into the shelter. Large trucks carrying relief goods can be seen all the way from Gansus capital city Lanzhou to Dahe village. Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management, along with other government departments, has already dispatched a third patch of relief goods to Gansu, including 2,000 tents, 5,000 folding beds, 5,000 cotton coats, and 10,000 cotton blankets.

An officer from PLAs Western Theater Command named Li Kai told the Global Times that his team rushed to Dahe village the moment they were informed about the earthquake. Li said they helped transfer the victims and move their belongings, such as furniture and livestock. Some of those people are not rich so we are doing what we can to reduce their losses.

A 15-year-old boy told the Global Times that although his parents were not with him at the moment, he got a lot of help from his teachers and classmates after the earthquake. I got everything I need right now. I am not hungry nor cold, the boy told the Global Times.

Hao Xiangyong, head of the emergency medical relief team from Gansu Provincial People's Hospital that went to Dahe village, told the Global Times that they have already treated more than 70 injured people since Tuesday morning, and those in severe condition were sent to hospitals with better conditions.

A mobile field hospital established by the Gansu Provincial People's Hospitals emergency medical relief team could provide X-ray examinations for earthquake victims to confirm cases of fractures or broken bones. The mobile hospital's blood testing unit can examine victims' blood and urine samples to determine instances of blood loss and diagnose certain physical injuries. For patients requiring emergency surgery, the surgical vehicle brought along can provide necessary operations.

For people with more severe injuries, we first administer IV fluids and other stabilizing treatments to regulate their vital signs before evacuating them to hospitals with better resources. Our supplies are currently abundant, said Hao.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  The government has other options in dealing with Chinese embassy officials amid Beijings increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea instead of sending back Ambassador Huang Xilian, a former Supreme Court justice said.

We could recall our own ambassador in Beijing or we could expel lower echelon officials of the Chinese embassy, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio told CNN Philippines The Source.

He said addressing the issue should be calibrated depending on the seriousness of the situation. For now, it is too early and extreme to expel Huang since many things can still happen, he added.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said the Chinese envoy should stay in his post as he is just doing his job. He made the comment amid calls for Huang to be sent back to China following Beijings recent aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also said declaring the Chinese official persona non grata needs serious consideration.
LARNACA, Cyprus/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel and Cyprus agreed on Wednesday to pursue ways to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, a move Israel said was an "important step" towards disengaging economically from the enclave it has invaded to wipe out Hamas militants.

Israel's foreign minister was in Cyprus for talks on the corridor, proposed by Nicosia in early November. It will be subject to a security inspection coordinated by Israel, an Israeli foreign ministry statement said.

Cyprus, the closest European Union member state to the Middle East, has offered to host and operate facilities for sustained aid directly into the Gaza Strip once the devastating war between Israel and Hamas ends.

Should the plan materialise, it will be the first time an Israeli naval blockade on Gaza is eased since it was first imposed by Israel in 2007, after the Islamist Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory.

"International aid, well supervised, will help the region gain more stability and prosperity," Cohen said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos.

The announcement came with Israel facing increasing pressure from its international allies to rein in a military onslaught that has laid waste to much of the coastal enclave in retaliation for a cross-border Hamas killing spree on Oct. 7.

Until then, Israel allowed only heavily restricted trade with impoverished and isolated Gaza, and a limited number of permits for Gazans to work in Israel for much higher pay.

The overall objective, Cohen said, was to create a "fast track" for humanitarian aid to be delivered via a sea corridor. Technical teams from the two countries would be discussing the matter further on Wednesday and Thursday, he said.

"Our aim is to have all the details agreed as soon as possible," Cohen said.

The two ministers visited the port of Larnaca, which is situated some 370 km (230 miles) northwest of Gaza and would be the security checkpoint on the Cypriot end of the maritime lane.

Gaza lacks port facilities but Britain has offered amphibious vessels able to access the enclave's coastline without the need for special infrastructure.

Israel calls its long-standing Gaza blockade a precaution against arms reaching Hamas and other Palestinian militants by sea, and enforces it on any and all shipping.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said ships taking part in aid deliveries through the corridor would be exempted from the blockade.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas, Dan Williams and Emily Rose; editing by Mark Heinrich)
U.S. officials are urging Israel to scale down its war against Hamas.

During meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials in Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appealed for a shift to less intense combat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported .

https://www.twitter.com/SecDef/status/1736756616752456069?s=20

Austin and Brown pressed Israel to shift to more targeted raids in Gaza to limit civilian casualties, allow more humanitarian aid to reach the enclaves population and regain more international support for the effort, the publication said.

Those meetings are part of a larger diplomatic effort by Washington and some Middle Eastern governments for Israel to begin to wrap up the most intense phase of its military operation in Gaza, the Journal noted.

As we previously reported , U.S. officials have privately told the Israelis they want to see the scale of the fighting reduced in a matter of weeks, not months, over growing concerns about the humanitarian toll.

Palestinians are gathering amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an Israeli bombardment in Deir El-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on December 19, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continue. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Israel, however, has resisted calls to end the intense phase of fighting, with indications the fighting could go on at this level for months longer.

The tone was one of resolve. I think this is still a society still very much in mourning given the horrific nature of Oct. 7, is how one U.S. official described the meeting to the Journal, referring to Hamass attack on Israel that triggered the war. The Israeli side made clear that it wants to see this mission through, the official said.

Analysts say they have doubts that Israel will be able to achieve victory within a U.S.-set timeline, especially if Israel is pushed to reduce the intensity of its ground offensive by the end of January.

If we end the war right now, it will be a terrible Israeli defeat, former Israeli army general Giora Eiland, who previously chaired Israels national security council, told the Journal. Eiland added that he didnt think pulling out ground forces and shifting to airstrikes and commando raids would succeed in uprooting Hamas.

In an opinion piece for the Israeli Haaretz newspaper , former diplomat Alon Pinkas argues that U.S. President Joe Biden understands Netanyahu is trying to lure America into a wider war for his own political gain.

Netanyahu is blatantly trying to gaslight both the U.S. administration and the Israeli public by advocating repeatedly that this is a much bigger war than Gaza," Pinkas wrote. "This is a civilizational conflict, one that Biden is trying to avoid, he claims.

https://twitter.com/haaretzcom/status/1737097236771733655

The Gaza Strip and Red Sea shipping are now the two central arenas around which the U.S.-Israel dialogue revolves, as well as American concerns about preventing an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. In those two arenas, the United States is preempting Netanyahu's politically driven efforts to confront Biden by taking steps and exerting soft pressure.

https://twitter.com/JacobMagid/status/1737110189923287357

The Biden administration, Pinkas stressed, wants to avoid a confrontation with Netanyahu, and, as a result, has yet to demand a ceasefire.

Given that, the U.S. president is unlikely to issue an ultimatum, make demands or initiate visible public pressure on Israel, wrote Pinkas. There are more nuanced ways to effect behavioral change and impel Israel to shift its management of the war from high intensity to low intensity conflict, and the Americans began employing those means this week.

Additionally, Netanyahu does not share Bidens vision for a two-state solution with involvement by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in a post-war Gaza. His failure to advance viable alternatives , and Jerusalems assertion that Israel will maintain overall security control of the Strip are dissuading regional and global actors from cooperating with U.S. efforts to rehabilitate the enclave after the war. That according to the Times of Israel reported , citing three senior Western diplomats  two of whom are ambassadors.

Meanwhile, Biden - who faces a tough reelection fight from likely Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump - continues to see his poll numbers slide over his ongoing strong support for Israel. Given the Netanyahu government's seeming intransigence, it remains to be seen if or when Washington comes down harder to make its private vision for the future of this conflict a reality.

US President Joe Biden (L), sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo by Miriam Alster / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

After Austin and Jones made their push for Israel to reduce the scope of their attacks, Israels military said it is adding forces to destroy tunnels and undertake targeted raids aimed at Hamass leadership in southern Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported .

The new moves are a response to the demands of southern Gazas densely populated battle zone, Israeli officials said. In the north, Israels military has relied more on airstrikes and holding territory and on Tuesday said it had established full operational control of Jabalia, a former Hamas stronghold in Gaza City, after more than two months of fighting.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that it had carried out what it called targeted raids in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis , where it believes Hamas leaders are hiding and many hostages are still being held. The IDF said it found a weapons storage facility containing explosives, weapons and military vests. Israel believes senior Hamas leaders are hiding in the groups network of tunnels under the city.

Israeli officials said the use of targeted raids in Khan Younis isnt a response to U.S. pressure. Israels military leadership has stated repeatedly they are conducting the war on their own terms, the Journal reported. The fight in southern Gaza may still require airstrikes and heavy combat, they added.

While Israel said it has taken control the Jabalia neighborhood, there was a lot of combat still taking place in Gaza City, especially in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.

Hamas has claimed several attacks on Israeli troops and equipment in that part of a city Israel had claimed last month it had largely captured .

https://twitter.com/AoR3138/status/1737082559085818259

Hamas released new video it says shows its fighters battling the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza City.

https://twitter.com/WasifAl15962347/status/1737127035259195512

Another Hamas video shows intense street fighting above ground in northern Gaza and their operations in tunnels underground as well.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1735757052603937041?s=20

Palestinians say a number of people were killed and injured after an Israeli bombardment of the Assalam Association charitable organization in Gaza City.

https://twitter.com/PalestineNW/status/1737107089699561494

The IDF says its troops from the Shaldag Unit have found 1,500 tunnel shafts in Gaza City since the beginning of the war.

https://twitter.com/IsraelWarRoom/status/1737158886673486084

Troops from the IDF's 162 Division operating in the Al-Atatra and Jabalya areas of northern Gaza found "weapons production sites and a storage facility containing a large stockpile of armaments," the IDF said. "The soldiers located missiles, rockets, and explosives inside a building. During the operation, the soldiers conducted targeted raids on the residences of terror operatives where they located weapons, maps of significant tunnel routes and intelligence findings. While scanning a building, a rocket lathe was discovered with hundreds of missiles and a truck intended for their transportation to launchers."

https://twitter.com/IsraelWarRoom/status/1737091450569933144

The IDF said it also found an explosive device planted inside a medical clinic near a school in the Shejaiya neighborhood.

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1737058588567150965

This video below shows the bombed out remains of the neighborhood, with several Israeli Merkava tanks parked outside destroyed buildings as Israeli troops maneuver to the sounds of gunfire.

https://twitter.com/IDFsoldiergirl/status/1737073361312698836

The IDF demolished a Hamas memorial in the Zeitoun-Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City dedicated to the kidnapping of Israeli troops, pulling it down with an armored bulldozer.

https://twitter.com/Natsecjeff/status/1737015041445273639

Ahmad Kahalot, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalya, who was apprehended Dec. 12, said during interrogation that Hamas has turned hospitals into military facilities under their control, the IDF claims. Kahalot told his interrogators that Hamas was hiding its operatives there, carrying out military activity, moving around Hamas members, and even bringing a captured soldier to the hospital.

"I was recruited to Hamas in 2010 with the rank of Brigadier General," Kahalot said. "There are employees in the hospital who are military operatives of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - doctors, nurses, paramedics, clerks, and staff members."

"They hide in hospitals because for them a hospital is a safe place," he said during the interrogation. "They won't be targeted when they are inside a hospital."

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1737118015509147970

The IDF said it killed Subhi Ferwana, a top Hamas financier, in a targeted airstrike. Ferwana and his brother "funneled tens of millions through his company 'Hamsat' to fund Hamas' military forces, terrorists' salaries and war activities," the IDF claimed.

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1737047329679482899

A journalist said he was shot by an Israeli sniper while in Jabalya. Mohammed Balousha, working for the Emirati-owned Al Mashhad channel, told the Washington Post that he was filming a report near his home at the weekend when he was shot in the thigh. He said he was wearing a helmet and press badge at the time.

Balousha said he was unconscious for around 20 minutes after he was shot, and that it took him six hours to reach the second floor of his house, where he kept a first aid kit. According to the report:

He needed surgery, which could only be done at al-Ahli Hospital, the last functioning operating facility in northern Gaza. The ambulance headed out but had to turn back because Israeli tanks blocked the way to the hospital, Balousha said. With no other option for surgery in Jabalya, he returned home.

Balousha accused the IDF of directly targeting him as a journalist:

I was wearing everything to prove that I was a journalist, but they deliberately targeted me, and now I am struggling to get the treatment necessary to preserve my life.

Research by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that as of December 17 at least 64 journalists and media workers were among the more than 19,000 people killed since the Israel-Gaza war that began on October 7. About 18,000 died in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, CPJ said, citing Gaza Ministry of Health statistics and about 1,200 in Israel. This deadly toll on journalists lives is coupled with harassment, detentions, and other reporting obstructions as they go about their work across the region.

https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1736125327431086568

The IDF said its initial review of an incident in which two women who were shot dead by troops near the Latin Church in Shejaya on Dec. 17 concluded that "Hamas terrorists launched a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at IDF troops from the vicinity of the church. The troops then identified three people in the vicinity, operating as spotters for Hamas by guiding their attacks in the direction of the IDF troops. In response, our troops fired towards the spotters and hits were identified."

While this incident occurred in the area where the two women were reportedly killed, "the reports received do not match the conclusion of our initial review which found that the IDF troops were targeting spotters in enemy lookouts. We are continuing our examination of the incident."

The IDF said it "takes claims of strikes on sensitive sites very seriously, especially churches that are the holy sites for the Christian faith. The IDF directs its operations against the Hamas terrorist organization and not against civilians, regardless of their religious affiliation. The IDF takes many measures to mitigate harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip. These efforts stand in contrast to Hamas that does everything in its power to endanger civilians and exploits them, as well as religious sites, as human shields for their terrorist activities."

The victims were reported as Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar, who were killed in the compound of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.

At a regular briefing, White House spokesperson John Kirby said:

Weve been very clear that we believe every effort possible must be made to prevent civilian casualties.

https://twitter.com/LPJerusalem/status/1736781608315707742

Hamas continues to launch rockets across Israel, including another barrage against Tel Aviv.

https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/1737071795084075419 https://twitter.com/astraiaintel/status/1737080048325128328 https://twitter.com/James_J_Marlow/status/1737067135640174832

Among the hostages still being held are three elderly Israeli men who appeared in a recent video released by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and which the Israel Defense Force (IDF) described as an atrocious terror.

According to The Times of Israel , IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said of the video: It shows the cruelty of Hamas against elderly civilians, innocents, who require medical attention. The world must work to allow medical aid and to verify their conditions.

Hagari also provided the following message to the three men in the video:

You should know that we are doing everything to return you home safely. We will not rest until you return.

Those men have been named by the media as Chaim Peri (aged 79), Yoram Metzger (80), and Amiram Cooper (84). All mens wives have also been released.

https://www.twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/1736821501435810052?s=20

Israeli operations in the West Bank city of Jenin are causing internal Israeli frictions.

IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir traded barbs in a closed cabinet meeting on Monday night following the IDFs announcement that it was suspending soldiers for reciting the Shema Yisrael prayer in a mosque there, The Times of Israel reported .

Halevi explained to him the decision was based on the values of the IDF and its commanders, at which point the minister replied: I am a cabinet member, I am the political rank, we decide [what is moral].

The Israeli military chief responded: You are wrong; I will decide what is a moral act and what is not in the army. Do not threaten me.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1737097311744868412

There has been a significant development on the humanitarian aid front, with the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza opening on Sunday for aid trucks for the first time since the outbreak of war, according to officials. It is hoped that this will double the amount of food and medicine reaching Gaza, with Kerem Shalom operating alongside the Rafah crossing.

On Sunday, more than 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli government. More than 190 trucks were inspected and passed into Gaza today (Monday), the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced.

https://www.twitter.com/cogatonline/status/1736801730292330638?s=20

The IDF says it has uncovered the largest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, only a few hundred metres from a major border crossing. According to an AFP photographer who was granted access to it, the tunnel was big enough for small vehicles to drive into. It was just one part of a more elaborate tunnel network, stretching for more than 2.5 miles and coming within around 400 yeards of the Erez border crossing, according to the IDF.

https://www.twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1736400654216692030?s=20

The IDF released additional video showing the machine that was used to construct the tunnels as well as more evidence of their extent, with heavy doors leading to large, multi-level chambers.

https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1736405702288040266?s=20

The Lebanese border remained tense as Israel and Hezbollah traded attacks.

The Iranian-backed group claims it caused "substantial damage" to an Israeli Iron Dome air defense system , according to The Telegraph .

"The Lebanon-based group said it had hit two missile launchers in Kabri, northern Israel, on Monday afternoon," the newspaper reported. "The claim came amid reports that an Israeli missile strike hit a building opposite a Hezbollah fighters funeral procession in southern Lebanon, without causing casualties."

Israel has not yet commented on the alleged strike. It has previously warned it would destroy Lebanon if Hezbollah, which backs Hamas, entered the war.

A number of projectiles were launched into northern Israel Tuesday, including the town of Kiryat Shmona.

https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1737133079662346282

In response, the IDF carried out a number of attacks on Hezbollah positions.

https://twitter.com/Natsecjeff/status/1737105192087425518

The IDF continues to warn that the constant attacks by Hezbollah could open the door for a wider conflict. You can read more about the massive arsenal the Lebanese group can rain down on Israel in our deep dive here .

https://twitter.com/jconricus/status/1736884169215561880

This is a developing story. We will update it when there is more news to report about the Israel-Hamas war.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Semafor Signals

With insights from Haaretz, The Washington Post, and The Guardian

NEWS

Israel and Hamas appeared open to new talks after hostage negotiations broke down earlier this month following a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Hamas leader arrived in Cairo Wednesday for talks on a new ceasefire, a day after Israels president said the country was ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

While an agreement seems to be some way off, officials on both sides have restarted informal talks through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Israel is offering a one-week ceasefire to Hamas in exchange for three dozen hostages, Axios reported.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Israel must look beyond the war

Sources: The Washington Post

Israel has indicated the war could last for months, but both Israeli and U.S. officials seem to agree that a withdrawal from Gaza is in sight, David Ignatius noted in The Washington Post. Think of whats ahead as the day before the day after,  he wrote. Its likely that fighting will continue, but efforts will be made to establish a governing body that can step in as Hamas authority breaks down. Israel needs to plan for what will be a massive rebuilding of the shattered landscape in Gaza, Ignatius argued.

Is Netanyahu angling for a broader Mideast conflict?

Sources: Haaretz, Semafor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to pull the U.S. into a broader conflict in the Middle East, Israeli newspaper Haaretz argued. The war is playing out not only in the Gaza Strip, but in the Red Sea, where Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted shipping vessels. The U.S. considers the attacks an undeclared war by Tehran  but its unlikely Washington is interested in a broader conflict. Netanyahu is blatantly trying to gaslight both the U.S. administration and the Israeli public by advocating repeatedly that this is a much bigger war than Gaza, Alon Pinkas wrote.

Israeli support for war is still high

Sources: The Guardian

Protests have been growing in Israel as the government has stalled on securing the release of more hostages. But support for the war remains high, in part because the Israeli public is so inextricably linked to the Israel Defense Forces, one expert told The Guardian. In Israel, the people are the army and the army is the people. Its impossible to direct criticism directly at the army because their children, husbands and brothers are still busy serving right now, Dahlia Scheindlin, author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel, told the newspaper.
Until this week, the Israel-Hamas war had cleaved the top three California Democratic candidates in the U.S. Senate race into two distinct camps: for or against a cease-fire. Now, Rep. Katie Porters trying to carve out her own middle ground, calling for an end to the violence  with an asterisk.

With Rep. Barbara Lee claiming the anti-war position and Rep. Adam Schiff not budging in his opposition to a cease-fire, Porter is left with little room to maneuver.

But her swerve also heightens the knotty political dynamics at play for all three Democrats, now that each contender has staked out a distinct lane.

A lasting bilateral cease-fire

Porters new position brings her in line with a slew of House Democrats who now embrace the freighted word cease-fire, but add a varying number of conditions, such as the release of all hostages or humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

Its a complex position not easily distilled in a soundbite (ergo Porters nearly 400-word statement). The question is whether voters will see the stance as nuanced or just confusing. The change of heart also calls attention to how undefined Porter is when it comes to foreign policy, especially compared to Lee, an anti-war icon for her solitary opposition to the Iraq War, and Schiff, who has a well-established profile as a centrist on national security.

Rival campaigns see political motivations at work. Cease-fire support has galvanized the partys progressive flank, which would typically be Porters natural base. Her third-place finish for the Democratic state party endorsement last month, well behind Lee and Schiff, may have been powered by her anti-cease-fire stance at the time, her opponents theorize.

She waited until the polling and the outcry became so large that she had to put forth a statement. It's a bunch of caveats and conditions to get her to be able to say the word cease-fire, said Konstantine Anthony, the mayor of Burbank who switched his endorsement from Schiff to Lee because of the latters long-standing support for a cease-fire.

Not so, says Porters campaign, who see the new position as simply a reflection of changing realities in a volatile war. Her team brushed off insinuation that Porter was trying to correct for a political vulnerability, arguing that most polls show the race is relatively stable with Schiff and Porter in the top two spots.

Schiff on an island

Meanwhile, Schiff now stands as the only top Democrat in the race not to call some form of a cease-fire.

Once you have Katie Porter jump sides, now there's immense pressure for Schiff to take a stance on this, Anthony said.

But Schiff is holding fast to his original position. He supports Israels right to defend itself and the Biden administrations urging that Israel limit Palestinian civilian deaths. Instead of a cease-fire he calls for humanitarian pauses for hostage release and aid delivery.

With Hamas promising to attack Israel again and again, he has not supported calls for a permanent cease-fire that would preserve Hamas terrorist governance in Gaza and the continued detention of over a hundred hostages, including Americans, campaign spokesperson Marisol Samayoa said.

Schiffs consistency will certainly play well with stalwart supporters of Israel. But locking arms with the Biden administrations approach has its own risks. A new New York Times-Siena College poll found that nearly 60 percent of registered voters disapprove of the presidents handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lee looks to capitalize

Lee hoped her early call to stop military action would jump-start her under-resourced bid, and it certainly won her loyalty with progressive activists. Her supporters say Porters shift is a boon, highlighting that Lee was there first on backing a cease-fire. But its expanding definition may muddle what has been her signature cause.

Lees team made clear theyre not seeing Porters new position as akin to her own. In a statement, her campaign said a conditional cease-fire is not a cease-fire, especially when the conditions are so unlikely to ever be achieved.

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NETANYA, IsraelIn a hotel basement in the coastal city of Netanya, young children displaced by war play make-believe in makeshift kindergartens. One of their favorite games, despite being largely out of range of Hamas rockets in their new temporary home, is feigning sirens and pretending to run for cover from incoming attacks.

Theyre 2 years old, said Gila Shalit, the kindergartens director. These are the kind of memories theyre going to grow up with.

Shalit and other local volunteers hope the kindergarten can give the children a sense of normalcy in a situation that is anything but. For more than two months, the hotel has hosted more than 500 evacuees from Israels south and north. The hotels inhabitants are among the 250,000 Israelis who are still effectively refugees in their own countrythe largest internal displacement in the countrys historywhile they wait out a war with no end in sight.

The majority are from the north, where entire cities and towns lining the border with Lebanon sit virtually empty amid ongoing exchanges of fire between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah. In the south, meanwhile, many of the thousands of evacuees from the communities near Gaza have no homes to return to in the wake of Hamas attack. While some of the displaced left at the order of the Israeli military, others fled of their own volition, fearing the same fate that befell 1,200 of their murdered countrymen on October 7.

The main obstacle in rebuilding the communities both in the north and the south is reestablishing a sense of safety, said Tirael Cohen, the founder and president of Kedma, an Israel-based nonprofit working to strengthen community resilience in border communities across the country. Houses that were breached on October 7 will not be inhabited until Hamas doesnt pose a threat, and in the north many fear that Hezbollah will try to reenact the atrocities we saw in the Gaza envelope.

In other words, two months of displacement could easily extend several more. Hotels across the country are overflowing with refugees of all ages, along with their pets and remaining belongings. Local volunteers have joined forces with municipal governments to provide services to the displaced families, from child care to educational programs for the elderly. In addition to their time, Israelis have donated food, toiletries, winter gear, and other supplies to the refugeesmany of whom fled their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Nonprofit organizations have also mobilized to provide mental health support to the displaced, particularly those from southern communities most affected by Hamas massacre. Many of the refugees have family members and friends who were murdered in the initial onslaught, while others are still awaiting the return of kidnapped loved ones from Gaza. After being in this terrorism event, they were also evacuated from their homes, Cohen told The Dispatch. Theyre still so profoundly inside of the trauma.

This is certainly true for Kazak al Kabez, a 63-year-old from the southern city of Sderot whose son was among those killed by terrorists on October 7. After being evacuated from the embattled city by the Israeli military during Hamas initial attack, al Kabez was unable to return to her childs grave site one month after his burial, as is typical according to Jewish custom. Now, she has no sense of when shell be able to return home.

Everyone helps me, but Im still sad. I cant be the normal me, al Kabez said from the hotel in Netanya. I have a home but I dont have a home. All of my life I built a home, a place where I can be safe. But now I know that I dont have that anymore.

Al Kabez and her neighbors have long lived in the line of rocket fire. But for her and many Israelis, the October 7 invasion shattered the idea that even uncomfortable coexistence with a Hamas-run Gaza can be achieved through diplomatic means. I cant make peace with somebody who wants to kill me, said Lezi Levi, a volunteer with Bonot Alternativa, the group running the kindergarten. If you want to talk, talk. Dont shoot.

Everyone feels inside of them this conflict, this dissonance. We want to be in our home, but on the other hand we are not safe and the world doesnt protect us, Linoy Hagag, another volunteer with Bonot Alternativa and a resident of the southern city of Beer Sheva, told The Dispatch. I go to sleep with a knife.

Meanwhile, evacuees from the north have watched as an increasingly dire situation plays out along the border with Lebanon. The IDF began to urge residents of the north to evacuate as early as October 8, when rocket fire and terrorist infiltrations from southern Lebanon opened a second front in the war. Since then, the army has issued mandatory evacuation orders to some 80,000 Israelis living within 6 miles of the border.

Like Israelis from the south, most of these afflicted families are no strangers to conflict. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, thousands of Israeli civilians fled the northern border regions to avoid being caught in the crossfire. But the scale and ferocity of the attack out of Gaza came as a shock to residents of the north such as Shay Cohen, causing them to look across their own border at Hezbollahan Iranian-backed terrorist group with military outposts and fighters on the very edge of Israeli territorywith a renewed sense of horror.

They took our feeling of security. We dont feel safe anymore, anywhere, said Cohen (no relation to Tirael), who fled northern Israel and is now working on behalf of the local government to help families at the Netanya hotel. Prior to October 7, Cohen added, she and many others felt a false sense of securityeven as Hezbollah inched closer to the border with Israel. But Hamas attack highlighted the imminent danger posed by the Lebanese militants, who boast a bigger fighting force and a larger, more lethal arsenal than their Gazan allies.

They are more powerful, and they can do something much worse than what Hamas did. Theyre waiting for the right time, and I dont want to be there at the right time, she said. If we also have to go to war in Lebanon now, this is what we have to do. Because we cant have the risk that this will happen again.

By some accounts, it looks like the Israeli military may be preparing for such a contingency. The Times reported Monday that the IDF had drawn up plans to push Hezbollah forces out of southern Lebanon if they dont withdraw voluntarily, lending credence to threats made by Israeli leaders in recent weeks.

If the world doesnt get Hezbollah away from the border, Israel will do it, Benny Gantz, a minister in Israels war cabinet, said during a visit to the area last week. Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed mayors from northern Israel that their constituents cant return home until the terrorist group is driven north of Lebanons Litani Riversome 18 miles from the border between the two countries.

In the meantime, the displaced families are living in a state of limbo.

Its very difficult. You dont have your privacy, youre staying with people you dont know. Youre living in one room. And you dont know how long its going to take, said Anat Yaloz, who evacuated from the border town of Shlomi more than two months ago and has been living at a hotel in the northwestern city of Haifa ever since. You have no clarity about the future, and youre scared to go back to your home. Because now we understand that what happened on the 7th of October in the south could happen in the north.

All these years, I thought that I was safe, she added. I thought that the army was protecting us, and nothing like this could happen. And now we know that this could happenit could happen to us.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Israel has proposed a fresh pause in fighting in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages that are still held captive in Gaza, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.

The development would mark a significant shift since Israels military operations resumed in the war and formal hostage negotiations came to a halt.

Adding to hopes of a new cessation in fighting, Hamass political chief visited key mediator Egypt on Wednesday.

The general framework that Israel is proposing would once again entail hostages  women included  being released in phases, with the ultimate goal of all hostages in Gaza getting out.

But the source stressed that a deal at this moment is not imminent, and that the discussion of proposals mark, at most, the beginning of negotiations. Still, Israel appearing to return back to the negotiating table is notable.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government face domestic pressure over hostages, particularly after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages.

Another source familiar with the discussions said that a proposal Israel has made to Hamas, via mediator Qatar, is that fighting be paused for a week in order to allow for the release of hostages.

A wall in Tel Aviv is covered with images of hostages held in Gaza. - Amir Levy/Getty Images

Axios was first to report that Israel is offering a weeklong pause in the fighting as part of the negotiations.

It comes as Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas political bureau, arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on the latest developments in the Israel-Gaza conflict, Hamas said in a statement on Telegram Wednesday.

Hamas, too, is under significant pressure, and both US and Israeli officials have said they believe the resumption of fighting, and particularly the IDF targeting southern Gaza, would ramp up the pressure on Hamas to accept another temporary ceasefire.

Hamas is asking for more heavy-duty prisoners than before, an Israeli official said, a reference to the release of Palestinian women and teenaged prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages in the last deal between the two sides.

The deal last month was the result of painstaking negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the US, with Qatar playing a major mediating role. Beginning on November 24, the deal was renewed twice before ending on Friday, December 1.

During the first seven-day pause in fighting, Hamas had to release each day at least 10 Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7. The truce came to an end when Hamas refused to release the remaining female hostages. Since then, US and Qatari officials have continued to discuss ways to secure the release of additional hostages.

The framework saw 80 Israelis, some of whom hold dual citizenships, released from captivity. Additionally, a number of foreign nationals  23 Thai citizens, one Filipino and one dual Israeli-Russian citizen  were freed as part of separate negotiations outside the truce.

On the other side, a total of 240 Palestinians were freed from Israeli prisons, mainly women and minors, and many of whom had been detained but never charged.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Israeli troops cordon off a road junction north of the West Bank city of Hebron after shooting dead a Palestinian motorist they suspected of preparing to attack them (MOSAB SHAWER)

Israeli troops killed a Palestinian motorist in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, while the army said it had "neutralised a terrorist".

Basel Wajeeh al-Muhtasib, 28, "died as a result of being shot by occupation (Israeli army) bullets" as he drove through Bayt Inun junction, north of the city of Hebron, Wafa reported.

Israeli security forces cordoned off the area preventing Muhtasib from being taken to hospital, the report said.

The army said troops had opened fire on the vehicle after the driver attempted to carry out a "car ramming attack". It did not give further details.

Even before the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on October 7, violence was on the increase across the West Bank.

Since the war in Gaza started, the death toll has risen sharply, with more than 300 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry.

The United States announced earlier this month that it would refuse visas for extremist settlers implicated in recent violence against Palestinians in the territory.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967 and, excluding annexed east Jerusalem, is now home to around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.

crb-jd/lcm/kir
A fireball after Israel strike Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip - Said Khatib/AFP

A camera strapped to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dog captured a hostage pleading for help days before he was mistakenly killed by Israeli troops.

The canine was sent into a building in the Gaza Strip on December 10 as part of a reconnaissance mission after a group of Hamas operatives opened fire on Israeli soldiers.

The dog was shot dead by Hamas gunmen, who were in turn killed by IDF troops, allowing Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim and Samar Talalka to escape captivity, according to new details from the militarys investigation into their deaths.

Five days later, Shamriz, Haim, and Talalka attempted to approach troops but were instead shot and killed.

During the battle, the camera mounted on the dog recorded the voice of one of the trio, thought to be Mr Shamriz, shouting for Help and that there were hostages inside the building.

The group are not seen on the footage, which was not being monitored live and was only discovered on December 18, after the body of the canine was recovered.

03:59 PM GMT

Today's live coverage has ended

Todays live blog is closing. Here is a roundup of the days main events:

The head of Hamas has arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials after Israel indicated it was willing to agree to another pause in fighting in exchange for the release of more hostages.

Hamas is not interested in exchanging hostages just to get bombed by Israel afterwards, a senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera.

Hamass leader in Gaza narrowly evaded capture by the Israel Defense Forces twice in recent days, according to Israeli media reports.

Foreign minister Sir David Cameron will travel to Jordan and Egypt this week to push for a sustainable ceasefire and further humanitarian pauses in Gaza, the foreign office said on Wednesday.

Israels clearing operation in northern Gaza appears to be entering its final stages, the Institute for the Study of War has said.

03:49 PM GMT

Netanyahu rules out Gaza ceasefire before 'elimination' of Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the war in Gaza will continue until Hamas is destroyed.

In a statement to the media, Mr Netanyahu declared: Were continuing the war to the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed  until victory until all the goals we set are met: destroying Hamas, releasing our hostages and removing the threat from Gaza.

Anyone who thinks well stop is unmoored from reality Were raining fire on Hamas, hell fire.

03:45 PM GMT

Rocket sirens sound in northern Israel

Rocket siren alarms have been heard in a number of communities in northern Israel, including Maalot-Tarshiha, Shomera, Abirim and Kfar Vradim.

There are no immediate reports of anyone being hurt in the apparent attack.

Before the alert, the skies above Israel had been unusually calm as Hamas leaders visited Egypt for talks revolving around a possible pause in the fighting and the release of hostages.

03:27 PM GMT

Shoes laid out to represent dead children

Thousands of shoes have been laid out in Rotterdam to symbolise the children who have died in Gaza during the war.

A woman places pairs of shoes among thousands of others - ROBIN UTRECHT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

03:05 PM GMT

Strikes kill at least 46 in Jabalya

Heavy airstrikes in the Jabalya area of northern Gaza have killed at least 46 people in the area.

Videos shared on Wednesday showed destruction and thick smoke in the area as people picked through the rubble.

Gazas Hamas-controlled health ministry claimed that 46 bodies had been recovered and 110 injured had been taken to Jabalya Health Center.

They said that dozens are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

02:46 PM GMT

Fast-track humanitarian aid to Gaza via Cyprus, says top Israeli diplomat

Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor from Cyprus, Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen has said.

Mr Cohen said Israeli and Cypriot teams would spend Wednesday and Thursday hammering out the details of the initiative so that aid shipments can begin as soon as possible.

Cyprus pitched the idea of such an aid corridor shortly after the start of the war in Gaza.

Officials from the country have stated that several countries, including Britain, have dispatched aid that is currently stored at the Cyprian port of Larnaca.

02:33 PM GMT

IDF 'almost catch' Hamas leader hiding in tunnel

Hamass leader in Gaza narrowly evaded capture by the Israel Defense Forces twice in recent days, according to Israeli media reports.



Yahya Sinwar is believed to be hiding in tunnels under Gazas southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli forces have been engaged in intense fighting in recent weeks.

IDF troops are said to have breached some of the underground structures as they attempt to hunt down Sinwar and other Hamas leaders who orchestrated the terror groups October 7 raid on southern Israel.

But the Hamas chief was reported to have escaped just before the Israeli forces arrived.

Intelligence gathered by the IDF indicates that Sinwar is on the move rather than remaining in any one place for an extended period.

02:10 PM GMT

US defence secretary makes unannounced visit to USS Gerald R Ford

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent the conflict from growing.

Mr Austin has been in the region to press Israel to shift its bombardment of Gaza.

Using the ships public address system, Mr Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up their holidays because of the mission.

Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things we stop from happening, Austin told the crew. In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the lynchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict.

The aircraft carriers more than 4,000 sailors and the accompanying warships were supposed to be home in early November.

01:48 PM GMT

IDF deploys tactical drones

Soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces have been deploying tactical drones near the border with Gaza.

An Israeli military tactical drone operator prepares a drone - REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoynea

01:29 PM GMT

First aid convoy from Jordan delivers food to Gaza

The first aid convoy to travel directly from Jordan to Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7 has delivered 750 metric tonnes of food to the Palestinian enclave, the UN World Food Programme said on Wednesday.

This crucial first step could pave the way for a more sustainable aid corridor through Jordan and allow for the delivery of more aid at scale, WFP said in a statement.

12:48 PM GMT

Hamas official refuses to play game of releasing hostages for a ceasefire

Hamas is not interested in exchanging hostages just to get bombed by Israel afterward, a senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera.

Ghazi Hamad told the Qatari broadcaster: Israel will take the card of the hostages and after that they will start a new round of mass killing and massacres against our people.

He added: We will not play this game.

The Hamas official also mooted a reconciliation between the terrorist group and Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).

Though Hamad said the group had reached out many times to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah, with an intention to take decisions together, such a move could trigger more extensive US sanctions.

12:23 PM GMT

IDF claims to have discovered long-range rockets in Gaza truck

The Israel Defence Forces has released an image of what it believes to be long-range rockets intended for use by Hamas, found in a truck in Gaza City.

Over the past day, IDF troops conducted a targeted raid in Jabalia and located a truck with long-range rockets installed by the Hamas terrorist organisation, the IDF said in a statement.

Fighters from the Nahal Brigade and the 551st Brigade Combat Team claim to have located the vehicle in the Jabaliya area before destroying the truck, which they say also harboured numerous guns.

Long-range rockets in the back of a truck which IDF claims was intended for use by Hamas - Israel Defence Forces

11:59 AM GMT

Hamas leader arrived in Cairo for talks

The head of Hamas has arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials after Israel indicated it was willing to agree to another pause in fighting in exchange for the release of more hostages.

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is expected to lead a high-level delegation to meet with Egypts spy chief and others on stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners, according to reports.

It follows mounting international pressure for a new truce, with the United Nations due to vote on calling for a ceasefire later today.

11:39 AM GMT

At least 66 per cent of jobs lost in Gaza

At least 66 per cent of jobs have been lost in Gaza since the conflict erupted in October, the International Labour (ILO) said on Wednesday, warning that employment losses could continue to increase in the enclave.

The losses amount to a total of 192,000 jobs in the small Palestinian territory, the ILO said in its second assessment of the impact of Israeli ground and air strikes on Gaza.

In a first assessment released in early November, ILO estimated that 182,000 jobs had been lost in Gaza, a figure representing more than 60 per cent of employment.

Today hardly anybody in Gaza is able to earn income from work, said Peter Rademaker, ILO deputy regional director for the Arab states.

Its clearly a still growing curve, he said of employment loss. It might even get worse.

11:21 AM GMT

Pictured: Israeli operations continue

The Israeli Defence Forces have been photographed during their ongoing mission inside of Gaza.

Infantry corps tanks entering Gaza at Erez Crossing - Ziv Koren / Polaris / eyevine

Yahalom unit combatants outside of a Hamas tunnel - Ziv Koren / Polaris / eyevine

Infantry corps bulldozers entering Gaza at Erez Crossing - Ziv Koren / Polaris / eyevine

11:03 AM GMT

Greece advises vessels to avoid Yemeni waters after Red Sea attacks

Greece has advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to avoid Yemeni waters, keep only the necessary crew on the bridge and follow alerts issued by maritime authorities to avoid attacks in the area.

Greek ship-owners control about 20 per cent of the worlds commercial vessels in terms of carrying capacity.

A shipping ministry advisory was issued on Saturday, as recent attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group on vessels have forced leading shipping companies to reroute via the cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

According to a document seen by Reuters, vessels should also conduct fire drills for regular checks of their safety equipment before they reach Yemeni shores, and are advised to sail through the southern Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at night.

10:41 AM GMT

Hamas releases series of hostage videos

Hamas and other affiliate groups have released numerous hostage videos this week.

The series of videos show various hostages under duress, pleading for their return to Israel.

Three elderly male hostages could be seen in a video released by Hamas on Monday.

It was denounced by Israel as a criminal, terrorist video.

Yesterday al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, released a further video of two male hostages.

The pair, Gadi Moses, 79 and Elad Katzir, 47, were kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir.

Mr Moses said that their current situation was unbearable.

Israel believes that 129 hostages are still inside Gaza.

10:23 AM GMT

IDF 'neutralises' attacker in West Bank

The Israeli Defence Forces has neutralised a Palestinian driver who attempted to ram soldiers at a West Bank junction outside of Hebron.

Troops from a reserve battalion had been guarding the junction at the time of the attack.

No injuries were reported.

10:08 AM GMT

Hamas and Israel not 'near a final deal at the moment'

Hamas and Israel are not near agreeing upon a hostage deal, an Israeli official has said.

For the time being, its still negotiations. There is nothing final, the official told CNN.

They added that Hamas is asking for more heavy-duty prisoners than before, referring to the previous release of Palestinian women and teenage prisoners from Israeli prisons.

It is thought that 129 hostages from the October 7 attack are still being held in Gaza, of which 108 are still alive and 21 dead.

09:52 AM GMT

Gazans warned to avoid Salah al Din road and axis

The Israeli Defense Forces has warned Gazans to avoid the Salah al-Din road and axis, describing it as a battlefield.

The fighting and military advance of the defence forces in the Khan Younis area do not allow the movement of civilians through the Salah al-Din axis in the sections north and east of the city of Khan Younis, IDF Arab spokesman Avichay Adraee said.

The Salah al-Din axis constitutes a battlefield, so it is dangerous, he added.

Adraee warned people to leave the city via roads to its west, adding that a humanitarian pause will take place in the city of Rafa between 10 am and 2 pm local time (8 am-12 pm UK time).

09:41 AM GMT

In pictures: The latest from Gaza

Civil defense teams and Palestinians conduct search and rescue operations for the people in a building that has been attacked by Israeli forces in Deir al-Balah, Gaza - Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images

IDF forces inside of a Hamas tunnel - Ziv Koren / Polaris / eyevine

People conduct rescue work after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah - Xinhua / Alamy Live News

A Palestinian injured in Israeli airstrikes is treated at Nasser Medical Hospital - Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

09:19 AM GMT

Half of Gazans starving, according to UN agency

Half of Gazans are starving and often going entire days without food amid Israels attacks, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The amount of aid crossing into Gaza does not meet a fraction of the needs, the WFP wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The WFP said that just 10 per cent of the food Gaza needs has entered the strip over the past 70 days.

Two weeks ago, the WFP warned that 97 per cent of Palestinians in northern Gaza and 83 per cent in the south reported inadequate food supplies.

09:03 AM GMT

Internet services cut in southern Gaza

Internet services are down in southern Gaza, according to a connectivity tracking service.

NetBlocks said there had been a collapse in connectivity in numerous areas, despite some connections being restored recently.

Throughout the conflict, internet connection has been sporadic in Gaza, with Hamas blaming Israel for the outages.

08:48 AM GMT

Israel nears end of operation in northern Gaza

Israels clearing operation in northern Gaza appears to be entering its final stages, the Institute for the Study of War has said.

The ISW, a US based think tank, said that Israel had broken down Hamas brigade in north Gaza.

#Israel#Hamas War Update, Dec. 19, 2023: Israel has degraded Hamas North Gaza Brigade, which is consistent w/ CTP-ISW's observation that Israel appears to be nearing the final stages of its clearing operation in the northern #Gaza Strip.



Full report: https://t.co/HG6aKFbPln pic.twitter.com/YGJDT7nM9Q  Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 20, 2023

On Tuesday, the Israeli Defence Forces announced that it had dismantled Hamass three battalions operating in Jabaliya, just north of Gaza City.

The IDF said in an update that at least 500 Palestinians believed to be Hamas fighters had surrendered in the Jabaliya refugee camp.

08:33 AM GMT

David Cameron to visit Jordan and Egypt this week

British foreign minister Sir David Cameron will travel to Jordan and Egypt this week to push for a sustainable ceasefire and further humanitarian pauses in Gaza, the foreign office said on Wednesday.

Sir Cameron, on his second visit to the region, will travel with Britains Minister of State for the Middle East Tariq Ahmad and progress efforts to secure the release of all hostages, step up aid to Gaza and end Hamas rocket attacks and threats against Israel.

In Jordan, Sir Cameron will meet his counterpart Ayman Safadi and in Egypt, he will travel to Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see the impact of UK aid being sent to Gaza.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos discussed the logistical details of a Cyprus plan to set up an aid corridor for the besieged Gaza Strip (Elisa AMOURET)

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed support during his visit to Cyprus on Wednesday for plans to send humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip from the Mediterranean island.

Cyprus has proposed establishing a corridor to collect, inspect, and store aid on the island before shipping it to Gaza.

Cohen, after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, emphasised the need for an "organised and well-inspected" transfer of aid.

"We aim to create a fast track for humanitarian aid to Gaza through this corridor," he told reporters.

The ministers visited a search and rescue coordination centre in Larnaca, discussing logistical details for the plan. Cohen also inspected facilities at Larnaca port, the departure point for aid shipments.

Cyprus was ready to deliver large quantities of aid through this "maritime lifeline" expected to provide "a sustained flow of high-volume humanitarian assistance to the civilians" in Gaza, Kombos said.

"We look forward to your green light for the first voyage," he told Cohen.

Under the plan, the aid would checked in Cyprus by a joint committee, including representatives from Israel.

The initiative aims to enhance humanitarian relief to Gaza by importing large volumes by ship instead of the limited deliveries by truck through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure that could speed up the dispatch of much-needed aid to Gaza, subjected to months of sustained Israeli bombardment.

Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza, in response to the October 7 attacks in which around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, were killed and about 250 abducted, according to the latest Israeli figures.

Its retaliatory aerial bombing and ground offensive has killed 19,667 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The Israeli response also left swathes of Gaza in ruins, including hospitals. The United Nations says it has also displaced 1.9 million of the territory's 2.4 million people.

Forced into overcrowded shelters, the displaced have struggled to find fuel, food, water and medical care.

Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides has promoted his Gaza initiative among fellow EU leaders and friendly Arab states, and Larnaca was chosen due to its proximity to the Middle East.

The city is also home to the island's international airport, expected to receive aid from other countries.

cc/hkb/dv
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) --- China denied claims by a lawmaker that Beijing might be funding destabilization efforts in Manila through online trolls, dismissing the allegations as categorically false and baseless.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said Filipino politicians should stop hyping up the maritime tension between China and the Philippines.

Such irresponsible remarks heightened tensions over the South China Sea, poisoned the atmosphere of China-Philippines relations and undermined the diplomatic efforts to manage our differences through dialogue and consultation, the embassy said in a statement.

China has always advocated and remains committed to properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation, it added. China will keep the door of dialogue and contact open.

Senator JV Ejercito told reporters on Tuesday that he was a victim of social media attacks from supposed trolls for his stance on Chinas aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

He added that the alleged destabilization efforts online also previously targeted House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Philippine Coast Guard's Commodore Jay Tarriela, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., and Senate President Migz Zubiri.

China said those who make such claims should do more in line with the interests of the Filipino people and China-Philippines friendship, instead of making irresponsible anti-China accusations.

We also hope that the Philippine government listens to the voice of reason, acts upon the call of the two peoples, works with China to earnestly honor the consensus of the two heads-of-state on properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation so as to ensure sound growth of China-Philippines ties and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, it added.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country is willing to enter into a pause in fighting against Hamas for the delivery of humanitarian aid if Hamas releases hostages, but that the responsibility lies with the other side.

Herzog, the head of state, issued the offer during a virtual discussion held by The Atlantic Council on Tuesday. His remarks follow statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was working to restart negotiations with Hamas.

There is an effort by brokers. I dont know much more than that because Im not involved in the details  Netanyahu met with families of hostages an hour ago and repeated the fact that he sent [David Barnea, head of Israels intelligence agency, Mossad], to Europe twice in order to reignite the process of hostage negotiations, Herzog said.

The Israeli presidents remarks followed reporting that Barnea, CIA Director William Burns and Qatari officials met in Warsaw, Poland, to move forward talks with Hamas.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the head of Hamass political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, traveled to Cairo for talks on a possible truce and releasing hostages.

More than 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, which is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group, after the Oct. 7 attack by the group into Israel, which has triggered a larger war.

Ive said it today and I repeat, Israel is willing to enter another humanitarian pause and bring in additional humanitarian aid in order to bring back the hostages, Herzog said.

So the entire responsibility for this issue lies with Sinwar and his people, the president continued, referring to Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamass military wing.

We should know that there are about 129 hostages still there in Gaza, Herzog said.

But 129 including babies, children, women, and grown-ups and old people are all there. And first and foremost, I must must state outright that there are so many humanitarian cases that you know, make make it even more urgent to bring them back home. But we are dealing with a murderous I would say psychopathic leader whos holding them and hes using, hes treading on our nerves.

An earlier agreement at the end of November had led to the release of 120 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of more than 200 Palestinians prisoners from Israeli jails and a pause in fighting that allowed for an increase of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

That truce lasted for seven days. Israel and the U.S. have blamed Hamas for its end, arguing the group held back on a further release of women and children.

Israel restarted its military operation, arguing that such pressure would bring back Hamas to the table. Axios reported that Israel is offering a one-week pause in fighting.

The first truce was implemented for a few days, and then extended an additional day in exchange for every 10 hostages Hamas identified and was willing to release.

The latest talks come amid increasing pressure on Israel from the Biden administration and the international community.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution that would call for a temporary cessation of hostilities and that if passed without a U.S. veto, would be legally binding to implement  although Israel could choose to ignore the demand. Hamas, as a paramilitary and political group and designated terror group, is not a member of the United Nations.

Released hostages have given a grim reflection of what like is like for those still in captivity.

They said they were held underground with little food and were subject to torture and assault.

Israels military operation is also a threat. Three hostages who managed to escape Hamas were killed by Israeli soldiers in what Israel said was an accident and a circumstance of the fog of war, despite the three men appearing shirtless, speaking Hebrew and waving a white flag.

Herzog reiterated that Israel was not willing to enter into a long-term cease-fire, and that the goal of the military campaign in Gaza was not yet fulfilled. Israel is seeking to end Hamass ability to govern the Gaza Strip and destroy its military infrastructure and kill its leadership, steps it says is necessary to ensure Israels security.

The majority of the international community has called for Israel to implement a cease-fire given widespread destruction by its military campaign, which has killed thousands of people in Gaza  with Hamas estimating that the death toll is nearing 20,000. The territory is in a deep humanitarian crisis, with more than 1 million people displaced, tens of thousands wounded and injured, and critical shortages of basic necessities.

The Biden administration, which has backed Israel amid divisions within the Democratic Party, has also sent clear signs it wants changes to militarys operations.

Despite Israels intense air and ground incursion into Gaza, Hamas has maintained the ability to shoot rockets into Israel. Israel has also exposed underground tunnels leading into Israel, some wide enough to fit vehicles, that it is working to destroy to counter the threat.

Some of these tunnels were not used in the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas destroyed a border fence and crossed overground by truck, motorbike and foot, and from the air on motorized paragliders, undertaking a massacre of Israelis on the street, at a music festival and in their communities  killing about 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage.

Updated at 9:40 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An Italian court has given a Pakistani couple life sentences for killing their 18-year-old daughter because she refused an arranged marriage.

Saman Abbas's body was found at a farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022, 18 months after she disappeared.

Her father, Shabbar Abbas, was arrested in Pakistan and extradited to be tried for her murder in August.

Her mother, Nazia Shaheen, was convicted in her absence. She is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan.

Shabbar Abbas had earlier made an impassioned plea to the court, asserting that "never in my life did I think of killing my daughter".

The teenager's uncle, Danish Hasnain, was given 14 years in jail for involvement in the murder, but two of her cousins were cleared.

Saman Abbas's so-called honour killing by her family in late April 2021 shocked Italy. Following her disappearance, Italy's union of Islamic communities issued a fatwa - a religious ruling - rejecting forced marriages.

The teenager had emigrated with her family from Pakistan to the farm town of Novellara in 2016, according to Italian reports.

She began dating a young man of Pakistani origin, and a photograph of them kissing on a street in the regional capital, Bologna, reportedly drew the fury of her parents.

Italian investigators said Saman Abbas's parents had wanted her to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage in 2020, but she refused.

She then lived for several months under the protection of social services from October that year, but returned to the family home in Novellara in late April 2021 in response to a flurry of messages from her family, Italian reports said.

Prosecutors said she had been tricked into returning home and it was at this point she disappeared.

CCTV footage released by the police showed three of Saman Abbas's family members walking with spades, a crowbar and a blue bag on 29 April 2021. The following day, separate footage showed the missing teenager leaving the house with her parents.

Her body was eventually recovered last November, close to a farm house not far from where the family lived, after her uncle had revealed where she had been buried.

A post mortem examination found she had suffered a broken neck bone, possibly as a result of being strangled.

Members of the family holding spades were captured on video in late April

Her parents had immediately left Italy for Pakistan after she disappeared, while her uncle Danish Hasnain and two of her cousins travelled to France and Spain.

The uncle was eventually detained in Paris in 2021, while her father was arrested in 2022 and finally extradited on 31 August this year. Her mother remains at large.

Although Nazia Shaheen was in absentia, the court in the northern city of Reggio Emilia convicted both parents and sentenced them to life in jail.

Shabbar Abbas had earlier told the court he was innocent, insisting he and his wife had only followed their daughter on the night she disappeared because they were unhappy it was so late and they wanted to see where she was going.

"This trial is not complete. I too want to know who killed my daughter," he said, according to Italian media.

The idea that a murder can be "honourable" is believed to have come from some tribal customs, where an allegation against a woman is perceived to bring dishonour to her family.

According to these customs, male family members of a woman who has interactions with unrelated men - however innocuous - should first kill the woman, then go after the man.

Human rights groups say the most common reasons for "honour killings" are when the victim refuses to enter into an arranged marriage or have been raped or sexually assaulted.

But killings can be carried out for more trivial reasons, like dressing in a way deemed inappropriate or displaying behaviour seen as disobedient.

In Pakistan, hundreds of women are killed in this way each year. A much smaller number of men are also murdered in such cases.

Last month, an 18-year-old woman in the remote Kohistan district was shot dead by her father and uncle on orders from tribal elders - because of a photo that showed her with a man.

The photo, which went viral, was later found to have been doctored. Her father has been arrested while her uncle is on the run.
NEW YORK  Despite a municipal government-wide hiring freeze enacted by Mayor Eric Adams, the citys welfare agency can keep filling vacant positions focused on processing food stamps and other public assistance benefits, City Hall officials said Tuesday.

Word of the hiring freeze exemption comes on the heels of the New York Daily News reporting exclusively Monday that Adams administration has this year failed to process thousands of applications for emergency food stamps within a seven-day time frame required by law. The benefits, commonly known as E-SNAP, have the short processing window because theyre meant for New Yorkers who earn less than $150 per month and are at the highest risk of food insecurity.

In a briefing Tuesday afternoon, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom blamed the delays on increased E-SNAP demand as well as staff shortages at the Human Resources Administration, which oversees the citys public assistance programs. To address the staffing gaps, Williams-Isom revealed the HRA isnt impacted by the hiring freeze Adams placed every city agency under earlier this year due to budgetary concerns.

This group of people have not been subject to the hiring freeze, Williams-Isom said at City Hall.

Its unclear if there are any other categories of municipal jobs exempted from the hiring freeze. Spokesmen for City Hall did not immediately return a request for comment.

Adams instituted the freeze this fall, citing a need to offset hundreds of millions of dollars the citys spending on sheltering and providing services for tens of thousands of newly arrived migrants.

The hiring freeze that we have in place is not because we dont want to hire, Adams said at Tuesdays briefing. The hiring freeze is because we have a financial problem that is coming from the cause of the asylum seekers and the migrants.

Due to the processing delays, the Legal Aid Society and other groups asked Monday that Adams administration be held in contempt of a 2005 federal court order requiring that E-SNAP benefits be processed within seven days.

Williams-Isom lamented the contempt request. Im not sure what more we could be doing at this time, she said.

Responding to Williams-Isoms comments, Edward Josephson, a Legal Aid attorney, said in a text: The city has known about this crisis for well over a year, and its incumbent on them to immediately rectify the problem.

In addition to E-SNAP, HRA has also this year failed to process thousands of applications for regular food stamps, known as SNAP, and cash assistance benefits within a 30-day window required by law, as previously reported by the Daily News.

Williams-Isom said she hopes processing rates for all benefit categories will look very much better by the spring thanks to ongoing hiring efforts.

_____
President Joe Biden is welcomed by Leo Varadkar to Dublin for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement in April - POOL/GETTY IMAGES

You can bet your bottom dollar that Joe Biden will be taking a keen interest in Irelands lawsuit against Britain.

The United States is not a member of the European Convention of Human Rights or its court. But it has long been obvious that Mr Bidens special relationship is with Dublin and not with London.

The president gave Dublins rare legal challenge his personal blessing when he met with Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, just two months ago. The Irish government is disputing a new British law giving immunity to hundreds of soldiers during the Troubles.

Mr Biden, who is fiercely proud of his Irish roots, offered Mr Varadkar his support in the case and the effective green light in New York in September.

I told him we had no specific ask at the moment, but we are very happy that he is continuing to keep abreast of issues in Ireland, Mr Varadkar said after his powwow with the worlds most powerful man.

The most Irish president since John F Kennedy and the second Catholic in the White House after him has form when it comes to intervening in rows between Ireland and the UK.

When Boris Johnsons government threatened to rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol Brexit treaty, Dublin picked up the phone to Washington.

Trade deal

Binning the Irish Sea border would break international law and undermine the Good Friday Agreement, Dublin told the president. It also put Irelands place in the EUs Single Market at risk.

Mr Biden warned Britain that it could forget any hopes of a US-UK trade deal  long seen as a prize of Brexit  if it tore up the treaty signed with the EU.

It wasnt the first time such threats had been issued from a man who says his hero is Wolfe Tone, an 18th century Irishman sentenced to death for leading a revolt against British rule

He was vice-president to Barack Obama, when he warned Britons they would be at the back of the queue for any US trade deal if they voted to leave the EU.

Relations with Britain warmed when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister and signed the Windsor Framework, which replaced the Northern Ireland Protocol.

But hopes for even the barest of bare bones foundational trade agreement, far short of a fully fledged deal, were dashed on Monday.

The talks were shelved because senior Democrats did not want a deal welcoming more foreign-made products into America ahead of next years elections.

Codename Celtic

Mr Bidens outspoken love for Ireland is such that he has published a family tree of his Irish ancestors and goes by the secret service codename Celtic.

His ancestors fled a famine-ravaged Ireland for a better life in the US in around 1851 because of, in his words, what the Brits were doing.

As a senator in 1985, Mr Biden opposed and watered down an extradition treaty with Britain that would have made it easier to bring to justice IRA terrorists.

Senior unionists in Northern Ireland have accused Mr Biden of hating Britain and of harbouring dreams of a united Ireland.

In April, this most green of presidents was given a rapturous welcome on a visit to Ireland, where he memorably confused the All Blacks rugby team with the hated British Black and Tans, constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary.

Before his victory lap, he stopped off in Northern Ireland.

In Belfast, he urged the DUP to support Mr Sunaks new Brexit deal for the region and dangled billions in investment before unionist eyes if they accepted the Irish Sea border.

It wasnt until a month later in New York, that the president revealed his true motivation  a deep distrust of Britain. He told a Democratic national committee fundraising reception that he went to Ireland to make sure the Brits didnt screw around.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that former President Donald Trump supported an insurrection against the U.S. government when Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election result.

The Colorado Supreme Court had said Tuesday that Trump is disqualified from appearing on state ballots as he seeks to retake the White House, because the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars insurrectionists from holding office.

Biden said he wouldnt comment on the court case, but when a reporter asked if Trump is an insurrectionist, Biden called it self-evident.

Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, well let the court make that decision, Biden said after getting off Air Force One in Milwaukee. But he certainly supported an insurrection. Theres no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it.

Whether the events of Jan. 6, 2021, counted as an insurrection was a key consideration for the Colorado Supreme Court, which parsed multiple dictionary definitions in its opinion. The case will likely wind up at the U.S. Supreme Court, with the Colorado court delaying the implementation of its own ruling until Jan. 4 so the high court can weigh in.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, drafted after the Civil War with an eye toward barring former Confederate officials from serving in Congress, says that nobody can hold any office in the U.S. if they had previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion.

The Colorado Supreme Court said that for the purposes of Section 3, any definition of insurrection would encompass a concerted and public use of force or threat of force by a group of people to hinder or prevent the U.S. government from taking the actions necessary to accomplish a peaceful transfer of power in this country.

Trump attorney Scott Gessler argued before the court that theres no workable definition of insurrection, but that the word nevertheless describes something worse than what happened on Jan. 6.

Its more than a three-hour riot in one building, Gessler said in an oral argument earlier this month. The events of January 6th were more like a riot and far less like  far less than a rebellion  and insurrection is far closer to rebellion than it is riot.

Regardless, the court found the Jan. 6, 2021, mob of rioting Trump supporters to be insurrectionary, and found that Trump had engaged in the insurrection through his public encouragement of their actions, both that day and in the prior weeks. More than 1,200 of Trumps supporters have been charged with crimes, and Trump himself faces criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The idea that the Constitution already bars Trump from holding office again, without Congress taking any action, has been endorsed and popularized by a conservative legal scholar and former appeals court judge named J. Michael Luttig.

Biden has previously referred to the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol as an insurrection.

This wasnt a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection, Biden said on the first anniversary of the attack. They werent looking to uphold the will of the people. They were looking to deny the will of the people.

Some Republicans have always quibbled with the I-word, though prominent lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have embraced the term.

Related...
PEARL RIVER  Former Rep. Mondaire Jones fired an early salvo in one of New York's key congressional races on Wednesday, blasting Rep. Mike Lawler outside his Rockland County office for supporting House Republicans' "baseless" impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

Standing with a cluster of sign-holding supporters at a press conference outside the Blue Hill Plaza office complex, Jones accused the Republican freshman of backing a "sham" probe that has found no wrongdoing by Biden while the GOP-led House neglects more important issues for his constituents.

Despite months of wild-goose-chasing and lying to the public, Republicans in Congress like Mike Lawler have found no shred of evidence  no shred of evidence  implicating Joe Biden in the behavior of his son, Hunter Biden, Jones said.

Jones, who plans to challenge Lawler next year for New York's 17th Congressional District seat, held his event one week after the House voted along strict party lines to open a formal impeachment inquiry. That vote simply continued the work that three House committees were already doing but could lead to articles of impeachment if Republicans decide to proceed.

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones holds a press conference outside the Pearl River office of Rep. Mike Lawler to denounce House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Dec. 20, 2023.

Lawler, who couldn't be reached on Wednesday, said in a statement after last week's vote that he didn't see grounds for impeachment at this stage but supported looking further. He cited past payments by foreign businesses to Biden's brother and son, and what he said was the White House's withholding of some documents demanded by congressional subpoenas.

"Is it enough to impeach the president today? No. Not for me, Lawler said then. However, the White House's refusal to turn over additional information, including their failure to comply with subpoenas, is deeply concerning and has necessitated a more formal approach to get the whole truth.

"We will follow the facts and evidence wherever they may lead, he added.

Rival withdraws: Gereghty ends bid for Congress and backs Jones as Democratic challenger for Lawler in 2024

Inquiry a lightning rod in run-up to 2024

Democrats have pounced on the inquiry as a political liability for vulnerable Republicans with tough re-election races ahead in 2024. A Democratic group called the Congressional Integrity Project announced the start of an ad campaign on Wednesday that uses the inquiry to attack Lawler and the 16 other GOP House members representing districts Biden won in 2020.

Jones represented the 17th District for one term before Lawler, who narrowly beat another Democrat  five-term Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney  to win the seat last year after congressional lines were redrawn. Jones and MaryAnn Carr, a former Bedford supervisor and councilwoman, are competing to be Lawler's Democratic challenger next November.

Supporters of former Rep. Mondaire Jones holds signs during a press conference outside the Pearl River office of Rep. Mike Lawler to denounce House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Dec. 20, 2023.

Three Jones supporters from Westchester and Rockland counties spoke after him at Wednesday's press conference, taking turns denouncing the impeachment probe and blasting Lawler and House Republicans for misguided priorities.

"Why would Lawler support an inquiry that President Biden correctly called a baseless political stunt?" asked Carissa Weiss of Armonk. "I'll tell you why. Because Mike Lawler and his Republican colleagues are entirely beholden to MAGA extremists and their petty, vindictive, insurrectionist leader."

Speaker visit: House speaker set to lead Lawler fundraiser at Westchester home of former Trump official

Jones later said he wouldnt be surprised if Republicans impeach Biden after their inquiry. But he said their doing so would be really sad, given that Lawler and other New York Republicans told voters last year that they were running for Congress to improve public safety and lower costs for working families.

But that is not what we have seen, Jones said of their campaign messages. And every moment that is spent on this baseless impeachment inquiry, every taxpayer dollar that is spent on that, is time and money not spent on actually improving the lives of working people here in the lower Hudson Valley.

And I think Republicans are going to pay the price in the polls next November, Jones added

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jones rips Lawler over House GOP's 'sham' Biden impeachment inquiry
The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday, saying it needs information about the Department of Justices (DOJ) demand for the communications of congressional staff that took place under the Trump administration.

The subpoena follows an initial request from Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) seeking information about a 2017 subpoena to Google for information on a former Senate Judiciary staffer and other congressional aides.

Jason Foster, who served as investigative counsel for the panel, announced in October that his communications as well as those of other staffers were sought amid oversight of the departments handling of its investigation into the 2016 election and the decision to spy on a Trump campaign staffer.

The New York Times reported in 2021 that the DOJ under the Trump administration had subpoenaed communications companies for private data on both staffers and members of Congress, including Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (Calif.).

Those subpoenas are already the subject of an inspector general investigation following a referral by Garland.

In his letter to Garland, Jordan wrote the subpoenas indicate that the Executive Branch used its immense law-enforcement authority to gather and search the private communications of multiple Legislative Branch employees who were conducting Constitutional oversight of the Departments investigative actions.

The subpoena seeks all DOJ documents related to requests for communications from members of Congress or their staff from any telecommunications company.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

But in a letter to Jordan earlier this month obtained by The Hill, the Justice Department said Fosters communications were sought in connection with an investigation into a leak of classified information.

The investigation was initiated after a referral for criminal investigation was made to the National Security Division by a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community, DOJ wrote, noting that the information had been shared with both executive and legislative branch employees.

DOJs letter notes the department had to approach Congress for information protected by the Speech and Debate Clause for its investigation, which was approved by the Senate in 2018.

James Wolfe, who served as the director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, serving two months in prison.

The Trump administration took a number of aggressive steps to track down leakers, including seeking the communications of journalists.

In the cases of both staffers and journalists, the Justice Department also pursued gag orders that block companies including Google from alerting clients their records were being sought, with the Biden administration reversing course on the gag orders six months into the new administration.

The episode has prompted the Justice Department to draft new policies for seeking subpoenas from members of Congress, their staff and reporters.

Guidelines released in November for subpoenas of members or their staff now require additional consultation and approvals from DOJs Public Integrity Section.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A judge denied bond for one of the two men charged in a school van crash that killed a 15-year-old girl.

William Solidays attorney said he is suffering from serious injuries and needs medical care. A judge ruled he is too much of a danger to the community to be released.

>> 2 men accused of racing, causing Dravosburg school van crash that killed 15-year-old girl

Investigators say Soliday was driving more than 100 mph when he hit a school van along Richland Avenue in Dravosburg on Sept. 20.

Samantha Kalkbrenner, 15, was killed in the crash while on the way to school.

>> Channel 11 speaks to family of 15-year-old Serra Catholic cheerleader killed in school van crash

Soliday is charged with is facing multiple felony charges including third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle. The man he was reportedly racing, Andrew Voigt, is charged with accidents involving death or personal injury.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Rep. Scott Perry must disclose to federal prosecutors more than 1,600 emails, text messages and other communications related to the investigation into Donald Trump and his allies bid to subvert the 2020 election.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg concluded that the vast majority of the messages Perry exchanged  some with other members of Congress, some with members of the Trump administration and some with allies outside of government  could not be shielded from prosecutors by Perrys constitutional protections as a member of Congress.

Rather, Boasberg concluded, the 1,659 exchanges had little to do with Perrys job as a legislator and therefore were not subject to the Constitutions speech or debate clause, which prohibits prosecutors and courts from prying into the official business of Congress.

The records in question could help fill crucial gaps in special counsel Jack Smiths investigation. An inadvertently disclosed court document obtained last month by POLITICO revealed key aspects of the messages Perry had sought to shield from Smiths team, including exchanges with Trumps alleged co-conspirators in the effort to disrupt the transfer of power. The messages showed Perry as a crucial go-between for Trump and his allies on key aspects of their effort in the final frantic weeks of Trumps presidency.

An attorney for Perry said he has not yet determined whether he will appeal Boasbergs ruling.

The FBI seized Perrys phone in August 2022 in connection with its investigation into former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, a key Trump ally in his bid to prevent the transfer of power. Perry introduced Trump to Clark in the final weeks of his presidency and pressed Trump to elevate Clark to the top of the Justice Department. Trump came close to appointing Clark acting attorney general  part of a last-ditch plan to use the Justice Department to raise doubts about the outcome of the election  before a mass resignation threat by DOJ and White House officials led Trump to back down.

Boasbergs order largely endorses a ruling made nearly a year ago by his predecessor, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who found that Perry was required to disclose 2,055 communications he had attempted to shield, with only about 200 others protected from prosecutors. Howell ruled that Perrys informal efforts to probe election fraud were not covered by the speech or debate clause because he was not authorized by any House committee to conduct the investigation.

Howell also ruled that many of Perrys contacts with members of the Trump administration could not be shielded because he was seeking to influence the executive branch and pursuing political ends rather than legislative ones. In other communications, he was seeking to influence the Pennsylvania state legislature.

Perry appealed Howells ruling in January, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals quickly halted her decision, considering the matter for another eight months before ruling that Howell had gone too far. Instead, the circuit ordered Boasberg  who by then had succeeded Howell as chief of the Washington, D.C. district court  to review all 2,055 emails Perry was attempting to shield and decide whether they could be disclosed.

Boasberg ultimately agreed that nearly all of Howells initial determinations were correct. While some of Perrys contacts with executive branch officials or outside allies related to his legitimate work as a legislator, the vast majority, he determined, were non-legislative communications that could not be shielded from investigators.

Boasberg also said messages Perry exchanged about efforts to urge Vice President Mike Pence to resolve disputes about electoral votes were too tangential to Perrys own legislative duties to qualify for protection. Pence ultimately concluded he did not have the power to determine whether particular slates of electoral votes were valid.

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  A Muntinlupa court has granted separate motions filed by prosecutors and by former Senator Leila de Lima to transfer to the national penitentiray 11 inmate-witnesses in her remaining drug case over concerns for their safety.

In an order dated Dec. 13 but made public only on Wednesday, Judge Gener Gito of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 approved De Lima's motion to transfer custody of seven persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), and the prosecution's request to transfer another four inmates.

The PDLs were ordered moved from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Minimum Security Compound in Muntinlupa City.

Those named in De Lima's appeal were German Agojo, Tomas Donina, Jaime Patcho, Wu Tuan Yuan, Engelberto Durano, Jerry Pepino, and Hans Anton Tan, who claimed they were coerced to testify against the former senator.

READ: De Lima wants court to verify 7 inmates' claim they were coerced to testify against her

In her motion before the court, De Lima said the inmates said their lives and those of their family members are at risk, as they themselves appealed to be transferred outside of Sablayan.

Also citing safety and security concerns, the prosecution meanwhile requested for the transfer of PDLs Herbert Colangco, Noel Martinez, Nonilo Arile, and Joel Capones.

The Muntinlupa court ordered NBP personnel to make sure the 11 inmates are safe.

De Lima had been detained for over six years starting 2017 for allegedly benefitting from the illegal drug trade inside the NBP when she was head of the Department of Justice. She has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the Duterte administration is allegedly silencing her for her criticisms of its bloody drug war.

In November, the Muntinlupa court allowed De Lima to post bail for her third and remaining drug case, giving her provisional liberty.

She was acquitted in the two other cases in February 2021 and in May this year.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday swore in four directors of the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC).

Asian Development Bank (ADB) veteran executive Vicky Castillo Tan along with Andrew Jerome Gan, German Lichauco, and Roman Felipe Reyes are expected to help steer the Maharlika Investment Fund, the Presidential Communications Office said.

Tan was former chairperson of the corporate governance committee of Maybank Inc. as well as former deputy president of SteelAsia Manufacturing Inc.

She also served as ADBs senior financial analyst, senior advisor to the vice president, regional cooperation and operations coordination division director, and budget and management services division director.

Gan was Singapore advisor for Picfel & Cle, Banquiers as well as managing director of Globe Land Development Corp. and Beacon Holdings Inc. He was also Nuovo Moda Inc. director and Fil Lmour Inc. treasurer and director of communications.

Lichauco was a senior partner at the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo, and Ongsiako Law Offices. He was also president of Gemarvic Holdings Inc.

Reyes is a current director of Radio Philippines Network Inc., Pampanga Sugar Development Co. (Pasudeco), All-Asian Countertrade, Philippine Geothermal Production Co. and Converge ICT Solutions Inc.

He is also the chairman and founding partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. He was a supervisor of Ernst & Young New York and was vice-chairman and partner at SGV & Co.

Their appointment came a month after Marcos named Rafael Consing Jr. as president and chief executive officer of the MIC.
A Bullitt Central High School band teacher was fired after an investigation by school officials found he had inappropriate communications with students, according to a release from Bullitt County Public Schools.

School officials were first contacted in May 2023 by a former student who raised concerns about Rodney Stults.

That information was turned over to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Shepherdsville Police Department.

An internal school investigation substantiated allegations Stults had violated the school policies regarding communications with students.

Meanwhile in July, Shepherdsville Police Department told school officials additional students had contacted police alleging inappropriate conduct by Stults while they were in school.

Stults was placed in an administrative position while the Shepherdsville Police Department investigation was ongoing.

After that investigation was shared with Bullitt County Schools, Superintendent Jesse Bacon decided to terminate Stults contract, according to Bullitt County Schools.

The school declined to comment further. Stults can challenge his termination.

Officials with Shepherdsville Police Department did not immediately return phone calls asking for comment. However, WDRB in Louisville, which first reported on the allegations against Stults, reported Shepherdsville police said due of the statue of limitations, no charges will be filed against the band teacher. The TV station also said the allegations involved at least eight possible victims between 2013 to 2022.

Former band teacher at Kentucky school indicted for rape, sex abuse
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, tendered his resignation from Congress on Tuesday, indicating hed officially leave on December 31.

Once McCarthys resignation becomes official, California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be required to call for a special election within two weeks to fill the remainder of his term that ends January 2025.

The primary for the special election would likely be in March, potentially on the same ballot as the primary for the term starting in January 2025. If no candidate gets a majority of the votes, then a runoff would take place in May.

A number of candidates who are running for their own term in Californias 20th Congressional District could also run in the special election. Californias 20th, which holds parts of Kern, Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties, will almost definitely go to a Republican, analysts say.

There are several GOP contenders who are running to succeed McCarthy and could decide to run in the special election as well, including Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, business owner David Giglio, former fighter pilot Matt Stoll, California City Mayor Kelly Kulikoff and Fresno businessman Kyle Kirkland. Democrats Marisa Wood, a Bakersfield school teacher, and Andy Morales, who works in private security, filed to run for the term starting in January 2025 as well.

Californias secretary of state said Friday that Assemblyman Vince Fong could not run for a full two-year term in Congress in 2024 because he had already qualified for re-election in his Assembly district. Fong is going to file a lawsuit challenging the decision this week, his campaign said Wednesday.

The Bee asked the secretary of state if Fong, R-Bakersfield, would be allowed to run in the special election  the term ends after the next Assembly session begins.

McCarthy, who turns 59 in January, said hed to retire from Congress in December after being ousted as House speaker this fall. In October, eight Republicans and all Democrats voted to remove the nine-month speaker after GOP hardliners were angered by his bipartisan deal to stave off a government shutdown.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent the great people and communities of Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Tulare, Fresno, and Kings counties over the past 17 years, McCarthy wrote in his resignation letter, and especially my hometown of Bakersfield and the Central Valley of the great state of California.
A prominent businessman from North Yorkshire who was kidnapped in Ecuador has been released from captivity.

Colin Armstrong, 78, was abducted on Saturday from a farm he owned near the city of Guayaquil.

Mr Armstrong, who also owns the Forbidden Corner visitor attraction in the Yorkshire Dales, is the president of Ecuadorean agriculture firm Agripac.

His spokesperson Leo Morris said Mr Armstrong was now with the police and authorities in Ecuador.

Mr Morris, who manages Forbidden Corner as well as Mr Armstrong's affairs in the UK, said: "The staff, tenants, farmers and friends of Colin are absolutely delighted at the news. It couldn't have come at a better time."

The businessman would be spending Christmas with his family in South America, he added.

Mr Morris also praised the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, saying its staff had done "a very good job" of helping the family and keeping them updated.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Chris Campbell, the British Ambassador in Ecuador, said he was "delighted" Mr Armstrong had been "safely released".

According to a message from the Ecuadorean police, also posted on X, Mr Armstrong was found on a road near Manabi.

Cesar Augusto Zapata Correa, Ecuador's police chief, posted: "Our units released citizen Colin A, kidnapped a few days ago in Los Rios. At the moment he is safe and healthy."

He added that nine people had been arrested in connection with the kidnap.

Mr Armstrong was awarded the OBE and Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George for services to the British Monarchy in 2011.

He was a former UK honorary consul to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, a voluntary role which involved supporting British interests and providing support to British nationals who found themselves in difficulty.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.
Colin Armstrong (centre) was found at the side of a road in the province of Los Rios near where he was snatched

A British businessman who was kidnapped from his South American ranch by an armed gang has been rescued by police.

Colin Armstrong, 78, was reportedly dragged out of his home in Ecuador by a band of 15 gangsters disguised as police officers in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police found the Yorkshire landowner on Wednesday at the side of a road in the province of Los Rios near where he was snatched.

They have made nine arrests and are reported to have questioned Katherine Paola Santos, Mr Armstrongs Colombian partner, who was kidnapped alongside him.

A video appears to show Ms Santos having an explosives vest removed by a bomb disposal expert. She has not been arrested.

Cesar Augusto Zapata Correa, Ecuadors police chief, confirmed his release and published a photograph of Mr Armstrong smiling with two officers on either side of him.

At the moment he is safe and healthy, he wrote on social media.

The 78-year-old was reportedly dragged out of his home in Ecuador by a posse of 15 gangsters

Monica Palencia, the interior minister, praised the police investigation, adding: We will not allow impunity.

A source inside Ecuadors security forces told The Telegraph that British intelligence services assisted with the investigation.

It is suspected that the brutal Los Tiguerones gang kidnapped Mr Armstrong and Ms Santos after he refused to pay a monthly protection fee.

The organised crime group, which is linked to Mexican cartels, runs drug-trafficking operations and major extortion rackets.

The kidnapping of wealthy expats is a rising crime in Ecuador and is often carried out by drug trafficking gangs who hold Westerners to ransom.

Mr Armstrong's partner has been questioned by police

A video posted on social media purportedly showing the house Mr Armstrong was kidnapped from shows blood-stained sheets on a bed and ransacked rooms.

Local media reported that the kidnappers sped away in Mr Armstrongs own black BMW before later abandoning it.

Mr Armstrong, who was awarded an OBE in 2011, runs Agripac, an agricultural company, and owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire.

He was Britains former honorary consul in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil until his son, Nick Armstrong, took over in 2016.

The younger Armstrong is believed to have flown to Ecuador to help police locate his father.

The Foreign Office previously said it was in contact with authorities following the disappearance of a British man.

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.
Kim Jong Un told North Korean newspapers this week that the country's recent successful missile launch proves he has options against aggression from Washington, D.C.

Kim, the supreme leader of North Korea, celebrated the country's "overwhelming strength" following the launch, according to state outlets.

"Noting that it was an occasion to clearly show what action the DPRK has been prepared and what option the DPRK would take when Washington makes a wrong decision against it, [Kim] appreciated that the drill once again and strikingly displayed the DPRK's will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength," an article in Korea Central News Daily read.

"DPRK" stands for the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea"  the country's official name.

KIM JONG UN PERSONALLY OVERSEES LAUNCH OF NORTH KOREA'S MOST POWERFUL ICBM YET

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views a missile launcher as North Korea conducts what it says is a drill to launch a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile at an unknown location in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency.

Central Military Commission of the Workers Party of Korea described the launch as "a powerful warning measure under the grave situation, in which the hostile forces anti-DPRK military threat that has persisted for the whole of this year is getting evermore undisguised and dangerous even at this moment of year-end December," KCNA reported.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Kim was present at the site of the Monday launch, joined by commanding officers of the DPRK Missile Administration , as he was briefed on the drill.

NORTH KOREA TEST-FIRES INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE CAPABLE OF HITTING US: REPORT

People sit near a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at a railway station in Seoul. North Korea fired another internationally banned "long-range ballistic missile," the South's military said, after Pyongyang voiced outrage over deeper nuclear cooperation between Seoul, South Korea, and Washington, D.C.

The projectile, which has the capability of traveling more than 9,300 miles and reaching the mainland U.S., flew 73 minutes before landing in an area west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Reuters reported, citing Japans Defense Ministry and Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake.

South Koreas military said the North Korean missile was launched at an elevated angle in an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries.

The ICBM launch came after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea said, with Pyongyang blaming the U.S. for escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views the launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile during what North Korea says is a drill at an unknown location in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea criticized the Sunday launch as a "clear violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions that have banned the North from using ballistic technologies.

Fox News Greg Norman contributed to this report.





Original article source: Kim Jong Un says 'when Washington makes a wrong decision,' ICBM launch proves best option
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) weighed in on the Colorado Supreme Courts disqualification of former President Trump from the states ballot, saying that hes mixed on what it could mean.

Kinzinger argued Wednesday that the bombshell ruling will likely feed into Trumps narrative while also deferring judgment to the courts.

Im mixed from a political perspective, and thats of course how I say [and] think of things. Thats my background. I think this is probably good for Donald Trump, Kinzinger said during an interview with CNN. And [it] probably  builds into that whole narrative of the whole systems after me, and everybody wants to get me.'

But the thing I struggle with, and the reason I guess I cant give a definitive answer, is the Constitution exists for a reason, he continued. Now, as you know, [Im] not a constitutional lawyer, I have to leave it up to the judges and ultimately the Supreme Court to decide what the 14th Amendment means when it comes to Donald Trump.

His comments come just a day after the Centennial States high court ruled that Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should prevent him from being on the ballot under the 14th Amendments insurrection clause  citing his false claims of election fraud and rallying of supporters before the insurrection. The clause states that those who previously took oaths to support the Constitution cannot participate in a rebellion against it.

The courts 4-3 ruling overturns a lower court argument that the office of the presidency does not fall under this clause.

Kinzinger, one of two Republicans that sat on the Houses Jan. 6 select committee that looked into the riots, pushed back against arguments that the ruling or eligibility requirements are anti-democratic.

These things were put into place not because theyre anti-democratic, but because  they knew  the founders, the writers, the authors of the amendments  that at some point, there would be a moment maybe where public pressure wanted them to do something, and they put these guardrails in place to say, No, you cant,' he said Wednesday.

While the former lawmaker said he cannot give a definitive answer on his reaction to the ruling, Kinzinger said he believes its going to be really bad for politics, probably good for Donald Trump.

But Im still like, kind of back-and-forth on this idea of, the Constitution exists for a reason and Donald Trump undoubtedly performed an insurrection, he said. I think we showed that on the Jan. 6 committee, and for 187 minutes, he watched it unfold and did absolutely nothing, only to act when he saw that law enforcement was able to turn the tide against them.

Kinzinger has previously said Trump is absolutely guilty of a crime surrounding the riots.

Earlier Tuesday, former federal judge Michael Luttig also argued that Colorados ruling is not anti-democratic, but rather Trumps conduct that led up to this point was anti-democratic.

A slew of GOP lawmakers and presidential candidates also railed against the decision, claiming it is an illegal attempt by Democrats to prevent Trump from clinching the 2024 general election.

The Colorado Supreme Courts seven-member bench was entirely appointed by Democratic governors. Six of them have won retention elections, and a seventh will run to do so next year.

A spokesperson for Trumps campaign said the decision could be blamed on the all-democratic appointed court, and vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nations highest court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices nominated by Trump.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Speaker Charles McCall and two House leaders have issued a subpoena to state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters seeking information they say he has refused to provide. Walters has until Jan. 5 to comply.

The unusual subpoena of state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters this week by the Oklahoma House of Representatives raises many questions.

House Speaker Charles McCall joined Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, and Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon  leaders of House committees that oversee education  in signing the subpoena that was sent Tuesday. Walters has until 3 p.m. on Jan. 5 to comply with the subpoena. For months, McBride has consistently complained about Walters not being forthcoming with information about the Oklahoma State Department of Education, which Walters leads as superintendent.

Walters has not commented publicly on the subpoena, but his senior adviser, Matt Langston, said McBride has made up false narratives and has yet to show a serious effort to improve education in Oklahoma. All Oklahomans should question his political and ideological stances. Langston did not address the contents of the subpoena.

Here are a few things to know about the subpoena:

Who are Charles McCall, Mark McBride and Rhonda Baker?

McCall, R-Atoka, is about to begin his eighth year as speaker of the House, one of the most powerful roles in state government. His signature on the subpoena adds an additional layer of gravitas and authority to the document.

McBride is entering his 12th and final year in the House. He is the chair of the Houses Appropriation and Budget Education Subcommittee and a member of the House Education Committee, of which Baker is the chair. Baker, a former middle school teacher, has served in the House since 2016.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is pictured at the November meeting of the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Does the Oklahoma House have the authority to issue subpoenas?

It does. Bob Burke, a longtime Oklahoma historian whos an expert on the state Constitution, said two sections of that document allow either the House or a committee of the Legislature to subpoena an elected official, or anyone else, if the purpose of the subpoena is related to any subject over which the Legislature has authority. The Oklahoma Constitution commands the Legislature to appropriate funds to provide an education for the children of the state.

Another section of the Constitution, Burke said, gives sweeping authority to the Legislature, as the framers of the document wanted the Legislature to be more powerful than the governor or other executive officers.

What did the House subpoena request?

Essentially, the subpoena asks for information that McBride previously had requested from Walters and the Education Department. McBride has said his previous requests have mostly been ignored.

The House is asking for details about a claim by Walters during a television interview about 950 out-of-state teachers applying for Oklahoma jobs. The subpoena also asks for details about school districts that arent performing at grade level and what Walters and the agency are doing to support those districts. The House also wants information about a $2 million software purchase and how the department might be utilizing the software.

Also included is a demand for Walters to explain how he and Matt Langston, his senior advisor, have communicated with McBride. The subpoena also asks if Walters approved of Langston using letterhead from Walters office for those communications.

Has Ryan Walters said anything publicly about the subpoena?

He has not. The only statement issued from the Oklahoma State Department of Education on Tuesday was credited to Langston. A spokesman for the department didnt respond Wednesday to messages seeking comment from Walters.

A previously scheduled state Board of Education meeting is set for Thursday, and its possible Walters might issue his first public thoughts on the subpoena during or after the meeting.

Who is Matt Langston and why is he the one responding publicly?

Langston began working for Walters during Walters campaign to becoming state superintendent and has continued doing so after the election, overseeing the agencys high-level departments.

Many people around Walters say Langston is the person most responsible for the combative, and sometimes offensive, messaging that comes from Walters. In a profile in The Oklahoman, people who previously worked with Langston said he was difficult to work with, embraced controversial messaging without much thought and was often aggressive toward members of the media.

Some legislators, including House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, during a recent television interview, have claimed Langston continues to live in Texas. Neither Walters nor Langston have confirmed or denied if thats true.

How unusual is it for the House to issue such a subpoena?

Its certainly unusual, but not unheard of. In 2017, a House committee subpoenaed members of then-Gov. Mary Fallins executive staff, as it investigated alleged financial mismanagement at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Historians contacted by The Oklahoman couldnt immediately recall any instance of an elected state officer receiving such a subpoena from the House.

Certainly not this way and certainly not this publicly, said James Davenport, the associate dean for social sciences and professor of political science at Rose State College in Midwest City. The fact that we cant find another example of this does lend to the serious nature of whats going on.

What happens if Ryan Walters doesnt respond to the subpoena?

That will be a story for another day, McBride told The Oklahoman. That said, a subpoena from the House is similar to one received from a court in that if the recipient does not obey the subpoena, that person is subject to being held in contempt. Burke said some believe if Walters defies the subpoena and then is found to be in contempt, that would constitute an impeachable offense.

The House would have to vote on articles of impeachment, and if they should pass, the state Senate would serve as the jury deciding whether or not Walters should be removed from office. (The latter explains why Senate leaders have remained publicly quiet about the subpoena.) An important item to note, Burke said, is that the Legislature  and not the courts  have absolute authority over the impeachment process. There is no appeal to any court."The Legislature is vested with oversight authority that requires state officials to comply with lawful requests," according to a statement issued Wednesday from state Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office.

The state Constitution says all elected officers of the state  which would include the state superintendent of public instruction, which is Walters formal title  are subject to the Legislatures power to impeach.

The Constitution, and the Legislature in 1915, Burke said, noted the grounds for impeachment as willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has defined moral turpitude as conduct that is contrary to justice, honesty, or morality.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What's in the Ryan Walters subpoena? Is it legal? What to know
The claim: No one has shown that human CO2 emissions drive global warming

An Oct. 3 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows Ian Plimer, a skeptic of human-driven climate change, speaking at the Australian Conservative Political Action Conference in 2022.

"Game over. We are dealing with a fraud," the video is captioned. "Geologist, Professor Ian Plimer, exposes the monumental fraud that is 'human-induced global warming' in just two minutes: 'No one has ever shown that human emissions of carbon dioxide drive global warming  And if it could be shown, then you would have to show that the 97% of emissions which are natural, do not drive global warming.'"

The post was shared more than 3,000 times in two months.

More from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:

Our rating: False

More than a century of experimental and observational research by generations of scientists shows that modern global warming is driven by greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. Scientists know that natural CO2 emissions are not driving modern global warming because they are reabsorbed by natural "carbon sinks." However, additional emissions by humans have resulted in excess greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere  driving global warming.

Multiple lines of evidence and decades of research show humans are causing climate change

Human CO2 emissions have warmed the planet by amplifying Earth's "greenhouse effect"  the process by which greenhouse gases slow the release of heat into space. Scientists determined this through a lengthy process, which included establishing that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, determining that both CO2 and temperatures are increasing, determining that the increase in atmospheric CO2 is due to human behavior and using this knowledge to accurately predict future warming.

In the mid-1800s, scientists Eunice Foote and John Tyndall experimentally demonstrated that CO2 is a greenhouse gas. These gases, such as CO2, warm the planet by absorbing radiation otherwise destined for space.

After absorbing this radiation, CO2 molecules release their own radiation  some of which makes its way into space. But some of it also gets directed laterally to be absorbed by other CO2 molecules or back down to the Earth, effectively trapping warmth in the lower atmosphere.

Scientists have repeatedly confirmed the existence of this physical process.

"The theory and mathematics of radiation passing through gases are clearly defined," Michael Roman, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester, previously told USA TODAY. The greenhouse effect has "been verified by laboratory experiments and meteorological observations."

Can we count on renewable energy? Four ways wind, solar and water can power the US

Researchers have also shown that Earth's atmospheric CO2 concentrations are rising. For instance, in 1938, British engineer Guy Callendar determined that concentrations were increasing by analyzing historical records.

Two decades later, in 1958, geochemist Charles Keeling began daily measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at the Mauna Loa station in Hawaii. Ongoing station measurements show that CO2 concentrations have increased by more than 100 ppm since then, rising to 420 ppm.

Callendar also reported that Earth's temperature had warmed, a finding that has been subsequently verified by multiple independent climate agencies based on global temperature sensors and satellite data. Modern scientists have also documented the consequences of this warming, which include glacial and polar ice melt, sea level rise  due to both ice melt and the expansion of warming seawater  and an increase in the frequency of certain extreme weather events, such as heat waves.

Based on the physics of the greenhouse effect and other processes, a certain amount of warming should result from a given increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations on Earth. And this is what scientists have observed.

"The amount of warming we see matches what we expect based on the increased CO2 we've added," Josh Willis, a NASA climate scientist, previously told USA TODAY. "The timing of the warming matches the timing of the CO2 increase caused by people. Not only that, the timing of global sea level rise matches the CO2 increase."

Successful predictions show climate science is sound

Scientists have successfully leveraged their understanding of greenhouse gas and climate physics to predict future warming far in advance.

For instance, in the 1970s, scientists at oil giant ExxonMobil predicted decades of CO2-driven global warming before it occurred.

Harvard University historian of science Naomi Oreskes co-authored a 2023 analysis of ExxonMobil data from that time, reporting in the paper that "63 to 83% of the climate projections reported by ExxonMobil scientists were accurate in predicting subsequent global warming."

In an email to USA TODAY, she called the Facebook post's claim "preposterous."

Past independent academic and government projections have also been relatively accurate, according to a 2017 Carbon Brief analysis of eight "prominent" climate models published between 1973 and 2013.

"Climate models published since 1973 have generally been quite skillful in projecting future warming," wrote Zeke Hausfather, the author of the analysis, who was working as a research scientist at Berkeley Earth at the time. "While some were too low and some too high, they all show outcomes reasonably close to what has actually occurred, especially when discrepancies between predicted and actual CO2 concentrations and other climate forcings are taken into account."

Past scientists also used their understanding of greenhouse gas and climate physics to predict that, while Earth's lower atmosphere would warm as CO2 levels increase, the stratosphere  an atmospheric layer roughly between 6 and 30 miles above the Earth's surface  would cool.

This stratospheric cooling, caused in part by the increased retention of radiation in the lower atmosphere, has since been documented by researchers using weather balloon and satellite measurements.

In addition to demonstrating that CO2 has increased and warmed the lower atmosphere, scientists have also confirmed that the excess CO2 in the atmosphere is due to human emissions.

One clue is that "the accumulation in the atmosphere matches the amount we've added through burning fossil fuels," Hausfather previously told USA TODAY.

Additionally, modern atmospheric CO2 contains a disproportionately high amount of a certain type of carbon  the type found in fossil fuels.

"There are many different 'fingerprints' that have been clearly identified by scientists as evidence that industrial pollution is the cause of recent global heating," Dargan Frierson, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington, told USA TODAY in an email. "This is not exactly a 'whodunit' situation. The evidence is overwhelming that fossil fuel burning is the culprit."

Natural CO2 emissions reabsorbed in 'carbon sinks,' humans tipped the scale

The post also implies that if natural CO2 emissions dwarf human emissions, then human CO2 cannot be the driver of climate change. That is wrong.

Currently, around 95% of annual CO2 emissions are natural, according to the 2022 Global Carbon Budget. This is similar to the figure in the post.

However, Earth's ecological systems reabsorb natural emissions in carbon sinks, such as forests, as part of Earth's carbon cycle, Gavin Schmidt, a NASA climate scientist, told USA TODAY.

Excess CO2 emissions are accumulating in the atmosphere because Earth's natural carbon sinks do not have the capacity to absorb all of the extra CO2 that humans emit, he said.

After decades of accumulation, atmospheric CO2 levels have increased by 50% since pre-industrial times, rising to levels unprecedented in hundreds of thousands of years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Fact check: Humans are responsible for a significant amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

USA TODAY reached out to Plimer and the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Climate Feedback also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is global warming caused by humans? Evidence says yes | Fact check
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday signed into law the 5.768 trillion government budget for the upcoming year.

The 2024 General Appropriations Bill was ratified in a ceremonial signing in Malacanang, a little over a week after Congress greenlighted the reconciled version of the proposed budget.

Next years budget is 9.5% higher than this years.

In his speech after the signing, Marcos warned fellow workers in government against red tape, as well as underspending and overspending, as he urged them to spend taxpayers money the right way [and] on time.

Implementation delay and illegal deviations inflict the same havoc of denying the people of the progress and development that they deserve, he said.

The president also tempered expectations, saying that while the budget details his administrations battle plan for next year, initiatives and projects are still limited by the funds available in public coffers.

We can be reckless, take the easy path, borrow, let our children pick today's tab up tomorrow, Marcos said. But debt is not the kind of inheritance that we want to leave those who will come after us. Good fiscal stewardship imposes upon us discipline not to be led into temptation of bloating what we owe.

The 2024 budget does not include confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for civilian agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The requested CIF of the Sara Duterte-led offices was realigned to agencies focused on national security to boost defense, particularly in the West Philippine Sea amid escalating tensions with China.

The reallocation of the combined 650-million confidential funds fueled rumors of a rift between Duterte and Marcos. The vice president has since withdrawn her request for the CIF and believes she still has the trust of the president.

Meanwhile, Marcos has declared that the issue of the non-inclusion of Duterte's CIF is already "settled."

'Best budget' in years?

For Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the 2024 budget is "the best budget we have seen in years."

Zubiri said he believes it has a "good balance" of social services, infrastructure development, and defense and security.

In a separate statement, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said nearly 500 billion has been allocated for the social amelioration program or "ayuda" for at least 12 million poor and low-income families.

Of this amount, he said 60 billion is for a new government initiative to help the "near-poor" or families earning up to 23,000 a month by giving them a one-time cash aid of 5,000.

Zubiri, meanwhile, noted the increase in funding for the Philippine Coast Guard in the wake of fresh tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.

Romualdez also said Congress set aside 1.5 billion for the development and expansion of the airport on Pag-asa Island in the disputed waters. He added that an extra 800 million has been allocated for the construction of a shelter port for fishermen and boats in Lawak, Palawan, an island near Ayungin Shoal.

House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. France Castro also welcomed some changes in the signed budget.

She cited in particular the realignment of confidential funds and the lower funding for the Barangay Development Program of the state's controversial anti-communist task force.

However, she also raised some criticisms, including what she described as a questionable move to exempt from the Government Procurement Act purchases made in connection with the revised modernization program for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This, she said, raises risks of corruption.

Castro also questioned the power given to the president to allow CIF for civilian agencies with no mandate to perform security and intelligence-related functions, if the president finds an "extreme necessity" for it.

"Naghain ang Makabayan Bloc ng petisyon sa Supreme Court para ideklarang unconstitutional ang paghingi, pagtanggap at paggamit ng P125 million confidential fund ng OVP noong 2022, kasama ang pag-apruba nito ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., pero ang ginawang amyenda ng bicam ay kabaliktaran nito," Castro said.

[Translation: The Makabayan Bloc filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the P125 million confidential fund requested, given to, and used by the OVP in 2022, as well as President Marcos' approval of this, but the amendment made by the bicam runs contrary to this.]

RELATED: SC to study whether to consolidate petitions vs OVPs 2022 confidential funds
Kyivstar, Ukraine's leading phone operator, reported outages in cities in the west and south of the country, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 20, citing Kyivstar spokesperson Iryna Lelichenko.

Ukraine came under a massive cyberattack on Dec. 12, which targeted Kyivstar and one of the country's largest banks, Monobank. People across the country reported internet and network outages, as well as issues with air raid alerts.

Kyivstar has over 24 million mobile customers and more than 1 million home internet customers as of September this year.

A Russian hacker group allegedly linked to Russian intelligence services claimed responsibility for the attack.

Lelichenko did not comment on the cause of these outages and said the company was working to restore service as soon as possible.

Russia has been repeatedly accused of backing cyber-crime groups in attacks against its rivals. Moscow has also deployed its cyber capabilities against Ukraine, including attacks on government institutions, the defense sector, and energy infrastructure.

Read also: Reconstruction in Kyiv suburb sabotaged by local officials, discouraging foreign investors

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to delay the implementation of Senate Bill 43, the landmark legislation that expands the criteria by which people can be detained against their wills by police, crisis teams and mental health providers.

The motion to delay, proposed by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, was passed on a 4-1 vote. L.A. County now joins 45 other counties that have formally declared their intention to hold off implementation. Supervisor Janice Hahn cast the lone dissenting vote.

I know there are people on our streets who are not going to survive and maybe would have a chance if we implemented this sooner to help them get the treatment that they need, Hahn said to her colleagues.

SB 43 gave counties the option to implement the law either at the start of 2024 or not until Jan. 1, 2026. In her motion, Horvath cited the immense amount of work required to implement the law, which adds severe substance use disorder to the longstanding definition of gravely disabled.

"We cannot afford the liability cases and the risk of civil right violations and risk getting this wrong," Horvath said at the board meeting.

Passed by state legislators in September and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, SB 43 represents the first major revision of the states 1967 conservatorship law, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act.

It is intended to address not only the epidemic of mental illness among homeless populations in the state but also the proliferation of highly addictive drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, which researchers say exacerbate psychotic disorders.

However, according to the motion, the size of the crisis presents logistical problems for counties responsible for administering involuntary holds that proceed conservatorship hearings. Adding severe substance use disorder to the definition of gravely disabled would lead to an increase of those involuntarily detained, according to the supervisors motion.

Read more: California lawmakers approve key changes to landmark mental health law

Los Angeles County joins a majority of counties across the state tapping the brakes on what Newsom considers crucial legislation for transforming Californias behavioral health landscape. Last week, he lambasted those who chose to wait.

You have a crisis out there, he said at a news conference. There is a crisis on the streets, and people are talking about delaying the conservatorship efforts until 2026. We cant afford to wait. The state has done its job. Its time for the counties to do their job  with a deeper sense of urgency. They have to recognize that people are dying on their watch. People are literally losing their lives, and we cant waste another day.

The supervisors decision to delay comes three weeks after the county Department of Mental Health issued a report on the feasibility of implementing SB 43 at the start of the new year. Written in conjunction with the county Department of Public Healths Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, the report recommended holding off on implementation.

Among the reasons was the need to increase training to ensure appropriate and consistent understanding of the definition of grave disability among those qualified to initiate an involuntary hold and perhaps most crucially, to address a shortage of treatment facilities for those with medical, substance use and mental health treatment needs.

The county currently has no locked facilities for treating substance use disorder.

Our mental health service system, while larger than it was in the 1960s, is still under-resourced and under-staffed, according to Horvaths motion, which references the disastrous results of not developing community services following the closure of state psychiatric hospitals in the 1970s. This board cannot afford to make the same mistakes that our state leaders did decades ago.

Read more: California is reinventing how it deals with mental illness. Now the locals have to make it work

Prior to the vote, Hahn had expressed disappointment with efforts to stall SB 43.

We have a drug addiction and mental health crisis on our streets, and I want to see a sense of urgency from our county departments," she said in a statement. "I think we can get this done sooner, and I want to see us try.

In a letter of support for the motion, the Hospital Assn. of Southern California, representing 170 hospitals in six counties, recommended waiting.

The current behavioral health system is not prepared to support the influx of new patients meant to be served by this law and our hospital emergency departments are not prepared to hold and care for these patients until we can identify appropriate treatment, wrote Adena Tessler, a regional vice president with the group. A rushed implementation of this expanded definition, without proper preparation, is not in the best interest of the very patients it is intended to help.

San Francisco and San Luis Obispo counties have indicated that they will implement SB 43 at the start of the new year, and last week by a vote of 3 to 2, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors agreed to delay implementation until January 2025, when it will reevaluate its readiness to adapt the new criteria ahead of the 2026 deadline.

But the expectation is that it will be implemented within a year, said Luke Bergmann, director of behavioral health services for San Diego County.

While logistical constraints have led to the decision to delay implementation, there is also concern that SB 43 might be challenged in court as an impingement upon civil liberties. Soon after the CARE Act was passed in 2022, three civil rights groups challenged the law in court. Their petition was ultimately dismissed.

Although no lawsuit has been filed against SB 43, Disability Rights California, which opposed the legislation, argued against a hurried roll-out.

It's really disheartening to hear the governor criticize counties for exercising an option  deferral  he agreed to in SB 43, said Deb Roth, a senior legislative advocate. "It seems very short-sighted not to want county-readiness before implementing such major changes."

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.
Family members of a Los Angeles County hospital patient who was found earlier this week have been located, officials said Wednesday.

The woman is currently at the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and has been there since Dec. 15 after she was found near 68th Street and Converse Avenue in the Florence-Graham area.

She did not have any information or belongings to help identify her, hospital staff said.

Officials issued an advisory Tuesday in hopes of finding the womans family and it worked.

Thank you for your assistance. The patients family has been found  We appreciate your help, Marketing and Communications Manager Linda Woo said Wednesday.

Anyone who has additional information is asked to call St. Francis Medical Center at 310-728-0714.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
A proposed 80-home development on the same block as the Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta was unanimously rejected by the city council Tuesday due to concerns over the zoning changes required for the site.

Known as La Villetta at Avenue 58, the development was proposed by Rodeo Credit Enterprises LLC, which has similar small-scale, clustered developments in other parts of Southern California.

The project, which gained approval from the citys planning commission on a split vote in June, did not receive much opposition from the public, with nobody but the developers team speaking during Tuesdays hearing in the council chambers.

The city council first considered the project in September, but delayed a final decision to give the developer more time to address concerns related to the projects electrical supply and other issues.

Some of those concerns remained during Tuesday's hearing. Councilmembers were particularly reluctant to approve the projects zoning changes, which would have required a change to the citys long-term General Plan.

What was in the development?

Located on two vacant parcels just southwest of the intersection of Avenue 58 and Monroe Street, the development was slated to feature 80 detached, single-family homes on a 9-acre site, including some two-story homes. The homes would have been sold at market-rate prices.

La Villetta at Avenue 58 also included plans for a community clubhouse, a shared pool and spa, new landscaping, a space for bocce ball and a passive park for its residents.

The proposed site is bordered by a few homes to the west, as well as the Piazza Serena development across the street to the north. The Andalusia Country Club is just a few hundred feet to the west of the proposed development.

The developers team also took some steps to address the councils concerns since their last hearing in September. On Tuesday, project manager Kris Pinero pointed to the developers commitment to a cost-sharing deal with Imperial Irrigation District for the installation of a new electrical substation for the area.

What did the council say?

Despite those efforts, the council was still concerned about other components of the project, including its zoning change from low-density residential to medium-high, or from four homes per acre to 12 per acre. Most of the surrounding area in La Quinta and its sphere of influence is zoned as low-density residential.

How do we sit here and say, Well, we made an exception for this group, but the next two, three, four people that come forward are going to present a similar postage-stamp model, Mayor Linda Evans said during the meeting.

Evans also noted her prior opposition to the proposed Coral Mountain surf project last year due to its request for major zoning changes. Other members also raised concerns Tuesday about the projects density, noting the eight-foot setbacks between some homes.

Several members also noted a lack of public transit and job opportunities nearby. While Pinero said the city already has a couple similar developments  Codorniz and Solterra  Mayor Pro Tem John Pena replied that those sit along major thoroughfares of the city, unlike the Avenue 58 project.

If this project was proposed up in that area somewhere, I'm sure it would probably be approved, because it is a nice project, Pena said. But out in this area, I think it lends itself to not being compatible with that area.

Pinero said the project would be harmonious with the other neighborhoods nearby, though in response to a question from Pena, she acknowledged the surrounding developments do not include two-story homes.

Councilmembers also questioned the projects affordability, with early estimates for the home prices in the $700,000 range. Pinero said the development would offer a better alternative for people looking to buy their first homes.

We're just trying to provide an alternative, a diversity of housing, Pinero said. Not everyone can afford a $1.2 million house in Andalusia. We've got to come up with something that's going to help our young professionals.

But some councilmembers were skeptical that the homes would be affordable for those younger demographics.

I would consider (it) a high-end home at $700,000 or $600,000, Councilmember Kathleen Fitzpatrick said. That that's not a starter home for anybody, I don't think.

The council then unanimously declined to alter the citys General Plan as part of the proposal, effectively rejecting the project.

What other housing plans are in the works?

While the Avenue 58 project was rejected, city officials have approved other plans that will eventually bring a few hundreds new homes to La Quinta.

Last month, the council approved a 252-unit apartment complex, known as Troutdale Village, at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Avenue 50, after several public hearings to work through community concerns.

City officials are also eyeing land just off Highway 111, along La Quintas main retail corridor, for potential affordable housing down the road. Earlier this year, the city council agreed to buy 5.2 acres in the area, about a year after they bought a 15-acre lot nearby with similar goals. The city hopes to find a single development partner to build on those lots in phases.

Developing those projects should help La Quintas achieve its affordable housing goals outlined in its long-term, state-mandated Housing Element plan. By 2029, La Quinta is supposed to add 1,530 housing units, including hundreds of affordable homes for people at very low-to-moderate income levels.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta council rejects 80-home development due to zoning concerns
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  With lawmakers home for the holidays, theres a lingering sense of frustration in Washington. Many say Congress was chaotic and unproductive in 2023.

We saw a year marked by chaos, extremism and paralysis, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (R-N.Y.).

Im not very happy with how productive the Senate has been this year, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Republicans are to blame. He accuses them of wasting time with contentious battles over selecting a speaker, censures of fellow lawmakers, and an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Weve seen repeated efforts by MAGA extremists to jam their right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, Jeffries said.

Congress failed to reach deals on several big priorities, leaving them with an agenda packed full of tough issues to tackle in 2024.

We go into next year with not only the challenges around the Ukraine, and border, and Israel, and humanitarian aid funding, but also not one but two potential budget disasters, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said.

Lawmakers are scheduled to be back in the capitol the second week in January. That will give them just days before the first of two government funding deadlines.

Senate Leader Chuck Schumer says in order to pass something to avoid a shutdown, Republicans and Democrats will have to work together.

Without bipartisanship, we will not get anything done, Schumer said. Embracing the hard right philosophy is a path to nowhere.

Senator McConnell says the sooner the parties can reach a budget compromise the better.

We need to reach an agreement on the top line and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible, McConnell said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Nineteen laptops were stolen from Virginia Heard Elementary School when the school was broken into during late November, according to Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Public Information Manager Shelia Blanco.

Blanco confirmed in an email to the Savannah Morning News that the break-in occurred over the Thanksgiving break when schools were closed. She did not provide a specific date in her initial response, so the window that the break-in occurred would have been between Nov. 18- 27, according to SCCPSSs 2023-24 academic calendar.

Blanco indicated there was a subsequent break-in, however, nothing was taken during that incident. She also said that SCCPSS campus police are working with federal and state authorities in South Carolina to apprehend the suspect.

No notification regarding the break-ins has been sent to Heard families. At least one parent voiced concerns about lack of communication to school administration.

Blanco said: "We would not normally send a parent notification regarding an incident that happened after hours and did not affect students. There is not believed to be any threat to the school, students, or staff.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Laptops stolen from Heard Elementary in Savannah, Ga.
A plane that took off from Boryspil Airport on 19 December was the largest passenger aircraft in Ukraine, a Boeing 777-300ER. It was evacuated to Europe.

Source: avianews.com

Details: According to open data from Flightradar24, the airliner, with tail number UR-AZR, operated by Skyline Express, formerly known as Azur Air Ukraine, took off from Boryspil in the morning and landed at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport in France a few hours later.

"This airfield is used as a base for airliner maintenance and long-term storage," avianews.com states.

On 24 February 2022, the Boeing 777-300ER was at Boryspil Airport and unable to take off because Ukrainian airspace had been closed due to the start of the full-scale invasion.

The Boeing 777-300ER arrived in Ukraine at the end of 2021 after being operated by the Russian airline Azur Air. What made the airliner special was its capacity  it could carry 531 passengers, a record for Ukrainian aviation.

Prior to Russias invasion of Ukraine, the airliner was used to take tourists travelling with the affiliated tour operator Anex Tour to Caribbean resorts in the Dominican Republic and Cancun, Mexico.

In addition to the Boeing 777-300ER, two Airbus A400 military transport aircraft were evacuated by Turkiye on 20 December 2022. They had arrived at Boryspil on the night of 23-24 February 2022 and remained stuck there due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace.

Also, on 4 April 2023, Ukrainian airline SkyUp was able to fly a Boeing 737-800, registration UR-SQP, from Boryspil Airport to Romania. This was the airlines only aircraft that was in Ukraine at the time of Russias invasion.

Background:

The Boeing 777-300 took off from Boryspil International Airport at around 09:00 on 19 December 2023.

Boryspil Airport said in a statement that this technical overhaul of the aircraft "contributes to testing the [flight  ed.] resumption policy".

It was also reported that this was the fourth successful flight from Boryspil Airport since the beginning of the full-scale war.

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Graduating high school seniors in the Las Cruces Public Schools district wont have to endure excruciating temperatures this spring when they walk across that stage to receive a diploma.

The district announced on Friday, Dec. 15, that all 2024 graduation ceremonies for the six high schools will be held indoors at the New Mexico State University Pan American Center instead of the Las Cruces Public School's Field of Dreams.

The ceremonies were initially held at the Pan American Center but were moved in 2020 due to COVID-19 health restrictions.

Parents and seniors overwhelmingly voted to return to the Pan Am for the class of 2024. The district hopes to recover some of the costs  which were negotiated at a lower rate with New Mexico State University  through sponsorships, a news release from the district stated.

The times and dates for the ceremonies can be found below.

Guests should be aware that NMSU has a clear bag policy when entering its venues.

Thursday, May 23, 2024

9 a.m. - Arrowhead Park Early College High School

6 p.m. - Organ Mountain High School

Friday, May 24, 2024

9 a.m. - Rio Grande Preparatory Institute

6 p.m. - Las Cruces High School

Saturday, May 25, 2024

9 a.m. - Mayfield High School

6 p.m. - Centennial High School

Ernesto Cisneros is a reporting fellow with the UNM/NM Local News Fund program. He covers education for the Sun-News and can be reached at ECisneros@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter at @_ernestcisneros.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces Public Schools to hold spring 2024 graduations indoors
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas police have identified a homicide victim whose body was located in a desert area on the Las Vegas Strip in 1979 as a missing Ohio woman, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.

Gwenn Marie Story, 19, of Colerain Township, Ohio, was murdered near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue on Aug. 14, 1979, police said. A man discovered her remains on the site of the demolished El Rancho hotel, though the nearby intersection gave her the moniker Sahara Sue Doe.

Gwenn Marie Story, 19, of Colerain Township, Ohio, was murdered near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue on Aug. 14, 1979, police said. (LVMPD/KLAS)

DNA testing led to Storys identification last month. Texas-based Othram Labs, which works with Metro police to identify cold case victims, made the match through familial DNA, LVMPD cold case investigator Terri Miller told the 8 News Now Investigators.

Witnesses saw Story and an unidentified man visit a now-closed liquor store near the intersection about an hour before the discovery of Storys body, Miller said.

A store clerk described the man as being about six-feet tall with a thin build and a mustache that was a different color than the color of his hair, Miller said. Police released a composite sketch of the man shortly after the discovery of Storys body.

Police released a composite sketch of the man shortly after the discovery of Storys body. (LVMPD/KLAS)

In the summer of 1979, Story traveled to Las Vegas with two men who were also from the Cincinnati area, Miller said, in an attempt to find her biological father in California. The two men returned to Ohio without her and are likely living.

Do you think one of those men killed Gwenn? 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Miller.

I dont know, until I am able to interview them, and I dont have a name on them either, Miller said. Were at the very beginning stages of this investigation on the homicide portion of it.

Another composite photo of a suspect in the murder of Gwenn Marie Story. (KLAS)

It was also unclear Tuesday if the man whom Story visited the store within the hour before her death was one of the two men she traveled with, Miller said.

Finally after 44 years of not knowing what happened to our sister Gwenn Story, we have news that she had been identified, Storys family said in a statement. We are looking for some closure on this case. Our family just wants some answers, we would really appreciate the help. Our family would also like to thank all the many detectives who have worked this case over the years at the Las Vegas Metropolitian Police Department. If it wasnt for you, we would still be wondering where Gwenn is.

Tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 702-385-5555 or at crimestoppersofnv.com/report-a-crime. Information can also be sent via text by sending CRIMENV and then your message to CRIMES (274637). Crime Stoppers offers a reward for information that leads to an arrest.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) The operator of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is gearing up for the expected increase in traffic volume for the holiday rush from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2.

"This is the first Christmas and New Year where Filipinos will be able to celebrate without a state of public health emergency. Please plan your trips well as we expect high traffic volume during these days," NLEX Corporation president and general manager Jose Luigi Bautista said in a statement on Wednesday.

NLEX said it will deploy more than 1,500 toll personnel to patrol its toll plazas, with medical response teams, customer service hotlines, and traffic management teams positioned at its checkpoints and centers.

They will be deployed at the checkpoint areas of Arborlink, Meycauayan, Bocaue, Candaba Viaduct, San Simon, San Fernando, Dau, Mabalacat ramps, and the Toll Service Facilities.

For a smoother travel experience, the NLEX-Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) will suspend all ongoing construction and development works on its freeways from Dec. 15 to Jan. 2.

"NLEX reminds its motorists that all its toll plazas are still 100% RFID as part of the Toll Regulatory Board's dry run for cashless toll transaction," the statement said, advising motorists to load up their Easytrip RFID.

The company said toll plazas in Balintawak, Mindanao, and Tarlac are expected to register a high volume of traffic from noon of Dec. 22 until the evening of Dec. 23, and from noon to evening of Dec. 29.

Meanwhile, it said Tarlac is most likely to have a high traffic volume on Dec. 25 and 26, and Jan. 1.

NLEX also advised that congestion of vehicles is expected at the Bocaue toll plaza on Dec. 25, from early afternoon until midnight of Dec. 26, the morning of Dec. 27, from afternoon to midnight of Dec. 29, and from noontime of Jan. 1 until late in the morning the next day.

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A law that could have resulted in unhoused people facing jail time for sleeping on state land was struck down Wednesday by the Missouri Supreme Court.

The law was cast aside by the Show Me States highest court in a unanimous ruling because it violated a section of Missouris Constitution that bars legislation from having many unrelated subjects, according to The Associated Press. The bill also covered topics such as city governance and COVID-19 regulations.

The 2022 law also barred state funding for the usage of permanent housing for unhoused people. Alternatively, the funding was pointed toward temporary shelters and substance use help, alongside mental health treatment.

Advocates for unhoused people said lawmakers blamed mental health and substance abuse for causing homelessness, but ignored that the real problem is affordable housing and offered no real mental-health or substance-abuse solutions in the bill in an amicus brief, according to The Associated Press.

And in the process, they tried to justify criminalizing homelessness as a method of improving outcomes for homeless individuals, attorneys for organizations like the National Coalition for the Homeless wrote, per the AP.

A report from the nonprofit United Way of the National Capital Area earlier this year found that San Jose, Calif., has the highest ratio of unhoused young adults in the nation. The report looked at data from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on the number of people experiencing being unhoused and vacant housing units. New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle were also in the top five cities with the most unhoused young adults.

The Hill has reached out to the Missouri Attorney Generals Office.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Senators bolted for the holidays Wednesday  and left behind a mountain of problems for Congress to tackle immediately in January as domestic and international crises mount.

In the new year, Congress will have to figure out how to fund the government in a matter of days and avoid a shutdown for part of the federal government. Fewer than two weeks after that, another shutdown looms for the rest of the government.

Plus, there are deep partisan divisions over how to handle the crises at the southern border, which Republicans insist must be resolved first before the US can come to the aid of two allies  Ukraine and Israel  who are at war.

Then, there are the internal divisions within each party. House and Senate Republican leaders are at sharp odds over their spending strategy. And a growing number of Democrats want conditions placed on aid to Israel and money for displaced Palestinians amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza  amid a growing rift with the White House over Israels prosecution of the war.

The coming storm has lawmakers from both parties fearful that the historically unproductive 118th Congress will plunge the country deeper into crisis.

Oh, God, yes, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, said when asked if he was fearful for what looms in January.

Some believe the crises will be averted  somehow  but were hardly confident.

Normally, at the end of the day, somehow, some way, we get to the next step, said Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat. But, thats hardly a prescription for full-scale confidence.

And others were blunt about how they viewed the 118th Congress. Asked if he believed the 118th Congress had been productive, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee said bluntly: No.

House and Senate clash ahead of shutdown deadline

When lawmakers return in the new year, there will be nine legislative days to avoid a partial government shutdown by January 19. The second shutdown deadline for the rest of the federal government is just weeks later on February 2. And the GOP-led House and Democratic-led Senate have no path yet to resolve the differences.

Behind the scenes, appropriations and leadership staff have been trying to find an agreement on spending levels for next year, but sources involved in those talks say the negotiations have not yielded any breakthroughs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has made clear that he wont pursue a short-term patch to keep the government open  so theres growing expectation that the House GOP leadership will opt to pursue a full-year extension of government funding through the end of next September. But that plan that has already prompted sharp pushback from top Senate Republicans.

A full-year CR would be extremely damaging, said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, referring to a stop-gap measure known as a continuing resolution, or CR. It would end up costing taxpayers more money, it would lead to 330 projects and programs at the Department of Defense being put on hold.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP leader, raised similar concerns at a Tuesday news conference.

A CR is simply unacceptable for a year, McConnell told reporters. Its devastating particularly for defense, and weve got all of these wars going on. So we need to reach an agreement on the topline and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible.

From left, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. - Getty Images

But Republican leaders in the House are under pressure from their right flank to pursue even deeper across-the-board cuts in a stopgap resolution  a move that will almost certainly prompt White House and Senate Democratic opposition as well.

You are going to have a huge fight over spending both in January and in February, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the GOP Senate whip, told reporters.

The differences between the two chambers are stark. The Senate, on a bipartisan basis, has largely followed the $1.59 trillion spending caps outlined in the debt ceiling law and an agreement to reprogram other savings  a deal cut between then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the White House earlier this year  with an additional $13.7 billion funding for defense and other emergencies.

The House, meanwhile, advanced bills through committee at much lower levels and passed the bills they could with just GOP votes  aiming to set spending levels at $1.5 trillion with all of the cuts going to non-defense programs. Those differences remain, and aides say that could raise the prospect for a yearlong continuing resolution, which appropriators warn would have major consequences for defense and non-defense programs because of automatic cuts that would be triggered as a result of a provision included in the debt ceiling law.

Some senior House Republicans are worried about the prospects of a stopgap as well.

A CR is really bad news, said Rep. Tom Cole, a top Republican appropriator from Oklahoma. Its bad news for governance. Its a bad signal to our adversaries overseas, and its going to be a big cut in defense. It is very possible and in some ways, it is even the most likely (option). But it should not be the desired outcome, and its not something I know (Johnson) wants. He would much prefer a negotiated deal.

Others were at a loss at how any of the issues will get resolved  with so little time left on the calendar to avoid a crisis.

I am not worried about a shutdown, but I am worried about how we are going to do it, West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said of government funding.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican who helped negotiate the debt ceiling deal that set spending caps for 2024 and 2025, argued that the House and Senate need to just follow the law that was already passed. But if Johnson pursues that route, hell face sharp pushback from his right flank, already angry that he agreed to a short-term spending deal to punt the funding fight until early 2024  a similar dynamic that led to McCarthys ouster.

The topline is determined, McHenry said. Its determined in law. We have an agreement with the White House. All that is set, but executing that takes time. It takes weeks, and we have burned a lot of weeks and that is a huge mistake.

Prospects uncertain for emergency aid package

Despite around-the-clock negotiations over the last few weeks, a bipartisan group of senators, administration officials and leadership aides didnt clinch an agreement on the border security package before Christmas, an essential step in injecting more aid into Ukraine. On Tuesday, McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement pledging that the Senate will not let these national security challenges go unanswered.

But when lawmakers return in January, the presidential election will be in full swing and Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner who has provoked his party to support cutting funding for Ukraine, may be well on his way to winning the nomination. Plus, Trump could very well rail on any deal cut on immigration as insufficient  a prospect that could make it harder to win GOP support in Congress for any bipartisan plan.

That could happen, Thune acknowledged when asked about Trumps potential opposition. But I think in the end, as long as we get what we believe are the right policies in place  hopefully we can get the necessary votes in the Senate and in the House to move something, irrespective of what others may say about it.

Biden administration officials have been warning for months that the funding for Ukraine is almost dried up, with about $1 billion left to help the Ukrainians and another billion in defense surveillance funds. After that, theyve warned the US will have exhausted its options to send money and weapons to Ukraine.

But even if senators can find agreement on the border, there is no guarantee Johnson  who has already warned that the package must contain robust border security measures similar to what was in the House-passed immigration bill that Democrats have rejected  would be willing to put such a package on the floor. Some on the hard right say the base will rebel if Johnson did agree to move on a Senate compromise to fund Ukraine in exchange for new border policies.

I think its so insulting to the American people to pair our border security to Ukraines border, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a close Trump ally, told CNN. Thats completely wrong. Our border should come first and foremost.

Yet the White Houses willingness to embrace more restrictions at the southern border  along with potentially tighter asylum laws and greater authority to deport undocumented migrants  has prompted sharp pushback from the left.

I just think this is a mistake. Its not going to solve the situation at the border. Its just reverting back to draconian policies that are going to cause more chaos, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat and the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told CNN. Ultimately, its going to throw immigrants under the bus.

But even if the immigration issues are resolved, Democrats will be under pressure to add more humanitarian assistance for Palestinians  a move that could prompt pushback from the right.

Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the party is engaged in talks about placing conditions on Israels conduct of the war  another complex issue that is gaining steam among Democrats but already generating stiff GOP opposition.

We are going to need to have a compromise with the House, so I dont know what is possible, Schatz said. But I do think it is fair for members of Congress to ask Israel to conduct this war in a manner that is consistent with United States foreign policy and with the international law of armed conflict. The truth is every federal appropriations has conditions. The question is what are the conditions for this federal appropriation.

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The Lexington Police Department is looking for a white SUV in connection to a hit and run collision that occurred on Nov. 21, 2023 in Lexington and left a pedestrian dead. The driver was later found and charged in Anna Kolokotsas death.

A Lexington woman accused of being the driver in a crash that left a pedestrian dead has been charged with leaving the scene of the incident.

Olivia Fouts, 26, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with death or serious physical injury, according to court records. Online records from the Fayette County Detention Center indicate shes not in jail and there is no information about bond in online court records.

Fouts is accused of hitting Anna Kolokotsas, 44, with her BMW SUV on North Broadway in November. Kolokotsas was transported to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where she later died.

Fouts arrest citation says she immediately failed to stop and ascertain the extent of Kolokotsas injuries after the collision.

Investigators previously released information on the case as the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week. Detective Kristyn Klingshirn with Bluegrass Crime Stoppers said the police department received lots of tips which helped a detective corroborate previously known information and identify Fouts as the suspect.

Some of them were quite detailed, so it made a significant difference, Klingshirn said.

Its unknown if Fouts could face additional charges in the case, according to Klingshirn. She is due in court for an arraignment on Jan. 11, according to court records.

The collision happened two blocks away from where Kolokotsas was visiting some family members, according to her obituary. Kolokotsas loved taking walks, her family wrote in her obituary.

She had insisted on walking to her home, even though we begged her to let us give her a ride, her family said.

Kolokotsas death was one of 19 incidents in which a pedestrian was killed in a crash in Lexington through the end of November this year. Thats a 533% increase from the same time last year. Lexington had reported 48 total fatal crashes through the end of November this year, according to Kentucky State Police data.
Gov. Bill Lee is joined by other dignitaries at the LG Chem Groundbreaking on Dec. 19 in Clarksville, Tenn.

Officials gathered at Industrial Park in Clarksville Tuesday for the groundbreaking ceremony of LG Chem plant, a cathode manufacturing facility that will bring an investment of $3.2 billion and almost 900 jobs.

Just a week after a deadly tornado hit Clarksville, state and local officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the global company, which will bring a starting investment of $1.2 billion to the city.

Sitting on 420 acres, the LG Chem plant has been in the making for a while and its completion marks a significant milestone in the expansion of the Industrial Park.

Gov. Bill Lee addresses the crowd of over 100 at the LG Chem groundbreaking ceremony in Clarksville, Tenn. on Dec. 19, 2023.

I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to the state of Tennessee, Montgomery County and the city of Clarksville for today, said Hak Cheol Shin, CEO of LG Chem.

More: What to know about LG Chem's $3.2B investment in Middle Tennessee

LG Chem cannot have found a better site than Clarksville. It offers excellent geographical accessibility to major customers and raw material imports. An abundance of skilled workforce accessibility of renewable energy and most importantly, friendly environment and the fantastic support and cooperation from the state and local government.

LG will be the largest cathode manufacturing facility in the U.S. and the largest direct foreign investment in Tennessee's history.

Making history in Clarksville

The plant will make cathodes, a key material used in batteries for electric vehicles. By 2028, it is projected to produce 60,000 tons of cathodes a year for electric vehicles.

In November 2022, Tennessee had produced more than 180,000 electric vehicles since 2013, ranking the state No. 1 in the southeastern U.S.

Hyundong Cho, Korean Ambassador to the U.S. attends the groundbreaking ceremony of LG Chem, cathode manufacturing company, on Dec. 19 in Clarksville, Tenn.

What's most important to us is that there are hundreds of Tennesseans' families lives that will be possibly impacted by the decision that you made to make a major investment in our state, said Gov. Bill Lee.

Once everything is complete, LG Chem will have invested $3.2 billion into Clarksville, and the plant is expected to bring in 860 new jobs to the city with a starting pay of $24 an hour with 200 jobs making at least $100,000 a year.

There is Fort Campbell, that offers up a uniquely skilled workforce. Plus, Austin Peay State University, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology and an award-winning Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, city communications manager Jimmy Settle said about the project last year.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts shared comments with the crowd of over 100 at the groundbreaking ceremony of LG Chem, cathode manufacturing company, on Dec. 19 in Clarksville, Tenn.

Austin Peay State University is trying to prepare engineering students for the employment opportunities. Last month, the dean of the College of STEM, Karen Meisch, traveled overseas with members of the Clarksville Economic Development, visiting LG plants to see what job skills are needed, said Michelle Hueffmeier, the communications and marketing vice president.

According to the Clarksville Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, construction on the plant will begin in March 2024 and be completed a year later. By the end of 2025, LG Chem will be fully operational in Clarksville.

More than 100 in attendance for LG Chem Groundbreaking ceremony the groundbreaking ceremony of LG Chem, cathode manufacturing company, on Dec. 19 in Clarksville, Tenn.

Workforce in the making

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden acknowledged the company for giving back to the community already.

Here in Clarksville, Montgomery County we have our culture of community, and everyone understands that, said Golden said. We know LG Chem understands that because just yesterday, they presented United Way with a $100,000 check."

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, Gov. Bill Lee and LG Chem CEO Hak Cheol Shin attend the groundbreaking ceremony of LG Chem, cathode manufacturing company, on Dec. 19 in Clarksville, Tenn.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said he is "grateful" for the collaboration with the company.

This news is the capstone of a great year weve had in our community," Pitts said. "And its been a banner year because of the work we do together. It is the people of our community who make our city the best.

Buck Dellinger, Clarksville Montgomery County Economic Development Council CEO, called the company's expansion a "transformational project" for Clarksville Montgomery County and the state by bringing high wage, high skill jobs, including 248 engineering positions.

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32. Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: LG Chem breaks ground in Clarksville on $3.2 billion project
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Transport group PISTON on Wednesday filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to block the government's Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program.

The filing of the 56-page petition for certiorari and injunction came nearly a week after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) issued a memorandum circular revoking permits of unconsolidated operators by Jan. 1, 2024.

PISTON is seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order or a court order to prevent the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB from enforcing the PUV modernization plan, especially the mandatory franchise consolidation, until the petition is resolved.

The group also wants the high court to declare the order formalizing the modernization plan and circulars for the consolidation as null and void.

The petitioners are Mody Floranda, PISTON national president; Jason Fajilagutan, jeepney operator; Gaylord Despuez, Bayan Muna Party-list National Capital Region coordinator; Elmer Forro, No To PUV Phaseout Coalition of Panay member; and Ma. Flora May Cerna, KOMYUT spokesperson.

"The matter of the mandatory consolidation of franchises is a matter of public and personal interest for the petitioners in this case," they said. "It is more so a matter of transcendental importance, with potential effect on millions of operators, drivers, users and beneficiaries of jeepney operations."

PISTON and another transport group Manibela have been conducting nationwide strikes since Monday to protest the Dec. 31 consolidation deadline.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said there will be no further extension for the franchise consolidation, a key component of the PUV modernization program. He argued that the government "cannot let the minority cause further delays."

Arguments raised

The petitioners argued that the latest LTFRB memorandum circular, which would revoke provisional authorities of unconsolidated operators, was a "gross and patent violation" of the Constitutional freedom of association.

"In this case, the revocation of the individual operators provisional authorities for failure to consolidate into juridical entities thereby prohibiting them from being registered as a public utility vehicles are confiscatory and oppressive of their property rights," they added.

The petitioners also claimed that jeepneys were "unreasonably singled out" in the modernization program, violating the equal protection clause in the Constitution.

Noted in the petition was the small amount of subsidy for operators, 160,000, which the petitioners said only covers 5.7% of the total cost of the modern jeepney. "The high costs of the modern jeepneys will then correlate to the increase in the fare that will have to be spent by the commuting public," they warned.

PISTON is challenging the government's figure of 70% compliance with the consolidation, saying this represents all operators of different types of PUVs nationwide.

The group said that in Metro Manila, which has the largest number of PUVs, only 26% of jeepneys have consolidated and 36% for UV Express. Government data also showed a 26% consolidation rate for the capital region as of November.
A lieutenant from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office is being accused of removing narcotics evidence, including cocaine and fentanyl, from storage without lawful authorization and later returning the drugs but in "substantially different" conditions, officials said.

Kevin T. Matthew, 47, of Cedar Grove has been charged with official misconduct, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and structuring financial transactions, the attorney general announced Tuesday.

The release from Attorney General Matthew Platkin also said the lieutenant had razor blades with cocaine residue in his office.

An investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountabilitys Corruption Bureau revealed that Matthew allegedly entered police databases for drug cases and signed out narcotics from the main evidence vault of the Prosecutor's Office in Paramus.

Local: Here's how Bergen County helps towns during shortage of EMS crews

Matthew reportedly had no authority to make the transactions because officials say he is part of the prosecutor's Special Victims Unit, not a narcotics unit. His job duties do not include access to narcotics evidence, officials said.

The attorney general's press release also said Matthew made a series of cash deposits at various financial institutions spread out across dates that match the period when the evidence was removed. The report said this pattern indicates "an intention to avoid the banks federal requirement to report cash transactions in excess of $10,000 aggregated daily."

"As alleged, the defendants conduct constitutes a shocking and brazen disregard of the law by a high-ranking officer who was sworn to uphold the law," Platkin said.

Thomas J. Eicher, executive director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, echoed the sentiments of the attorney general.

"The law applies to everyone, including those who wear the badge," Eicher said. "We are committed to strengthening the publics faith in law enforcement and in the criminal justice system, and to taking action against officers whose alleged conduct damages communities trust and relationships with New Jerseys courageous, self-sacrificing men and women in uniform.

Matthew would face five to 10 years in state prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines if convicted.

The attorney general's release said Matthew signed out narcotics evidence between October 2022 and November 2023. He has been on leave since Nov. 3.

Authorities said some items were returned to the vault in different conditions from when they were removed. The lieutenant said the evidence he returned was presented as exactly the same as the items he allegedly removed from storage.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County NJ lieutenant prosecutor faces multiple charges
The steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington were vandalized overnight Tuesday with graffiti that read Free Gaza, among other phrases, according to U.S. Park Police and local news reports.

U.S. Park Police confirmed to The Hill that vandalism was discovered in the area of the Lincoln Memorial Circle and the Reflecting Pool. While park police did not confirm when the incident occurred, DC News Now reported it likely occurred sometime overnight Tuesday, and crews were called to the memorial around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

U.S. Park Police said National Park Service conservators began the process of removing the paint Wednesday morning. The removal process could take several days, and the steps on the west side of the Reflecting Pool are closed to visitors in the meantime, police noted.

Footage from DC News Now shows phrases including Free Palestine, Free Gaza and Give Land Back written in red paint across the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Crews on the scene told DC News Now the paint is water-based and will remove fairly quickly.

DC News Now is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

Park Police asked anyone with information to contact its tip line at 202-379-4877 or by email at USPP_tipline@nps.gov.

The incident comes amid a flurry of vandalism, protests and overall heightened tensions in the wake of Israels war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. Several local offices in D.C., along with congressional members offices and other properties, have reported vandalism incidents in recent weeks.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said his home in Washington state was vandalized earlier this month by people advocating for a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza, which came shortly after Herzl-Ner Tamid, a synagogue in his congressional district in Washington, was vandalized last month.

Last month, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish, said his New York City district office was vandalized and defaced with spray-painted pro-Palestinian slogans, including Free Palestine, Let Gaza live and Blood on ur hands.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Homemade gifts can help save money and be a sentimental way to show appreciation during the holiday season. A recent study revealed what the most popular DIY Christmas gifts are in Ohio.

The study by photo-printing company StoryBoards analyzed the average monthly Google searches for DIY Christmas gifts, including terms such as how to make and make your own to determine which gifts are most popular.

Heres how K-12 education changed in Ohio in 2023

The most popular DIY gift in Ohio is soap, according to the study.

It is easy to customize the [color] or scent depending on who it is for, giving it that personal touch, the study said. It can be easily made using a pre-made soap base that you can find in most craft stores. Alternatively, it can be made completely from scratch with natural ingredients.

The second most popular DIY gift in Ohio is Christmas ornaments, which have countless opportunities for personalization and are often treasured for years after they are bought or given.

Ranked in third place in the study is snow globes. Snow globes are easy to make given the numerous tutorials that exist online, the study said. They are also completely customizable and can be made using old jars.

Where Bojangles has opened a second central Ohio location

The fourth most searched DIY gift is candles. Candles have endless possibilities for customization to make the gift unique to the person who will receive it. Not only can the color and scent of the candle be customized, the base can be made with old jars, wine glasses and more.

The fifth most popular DIY present in Ohio is Christmas cards, which can be a sentimental gift and especially easy for children to make.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Lithuania sent a new batch of military aid to Ukraine

Lithuania provided Ukraine with a new batch of military aid, including essential field service equipment and tens of thousands of dry food packs for Ukrainian soldiers, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Twitter on Dec. 20.

"We remain committed to helping Ukraine, recognizing the importance of such aid during winter," the ministry added.

Read also: Lithuanian leader calls for more support to ensure return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia

Lithuania has reportedly repaired a batch of Ukrainian Leopard-2 main battle tanks, which are now being prepared for shipment back to Ukraine, the ministry announced on Dec. 15. The tanks were transported to Lithuania from the battlefield in Ukraine.

The repairs were conducted by Lithuania Defense Services (LDS), a joint venture formed by two German defense manufacturers  Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann  that supply arms to NATO countries.

Read also: Lithuanian EU envoy slams Orban's stance on Ukraine

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Lithuania plans to deliver training for 3,500 Ukrainian soldiers next year.

Source: LRT, citing Lithuanias Armed Forces

In 2023, Lithuanian instructors trained about 2,900 Ukrainian soldiers in Lithuania and as part of a multinational programme in Britain and the EU mission. This included basic training, as well as training on specific types of equipment and training for commanders of various levels.

1,600 Ukrainian military personnel underwent training on 88 different courses in Lithuania itself, and bomb disposal experts were trained as part of Lithuania's initiative with the Nordic countries.

Next year, Lithuanian instructors will be involved in the training of about 3,500 Ukrainian soldiers  again within the framework of the EUMAM mission and Operation Interflex in the UK, as well as in Lithuania itself.

Background:

A new batch of military aid from Lithuania arrived for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 20 December 2023.

Last week, Lithuania delivered several million cartridges and several thousand rounds of ammunition for short-range portable anti-tank grenade launchers, as well as about a thousand folding beds.

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Lithuania has enforced a ban on empty freight transport crossing its borders with Belarus and Russia, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

This prohibition aligns with European Union regulations preventing the export of automotive equipment to Russia and Belarus and the transit of such equipment through Russia.

Read also: Polish truckers block border with Ukraine to grumble about Ukraines transport visa-free agreement

Vehicles registered in European Union countries, including Lithuania, are not allowed to cross into Russia or Belarus without cargo, said the Lithuanian customs authorities.

The regulations, implemented from Dec. 18, 2023, signify an escalation in Lithuania's oversight of the export and transit of sanctioned goods through Belarus and Russia. According to Lithuanian customs officials, as of this date, the submission of a mandatory manufacturer's declaration is required during the export (re-export) or transit of sanctioned goods. Failure to provide the manufacturer's declaration to Lithuanian customs will result in the goods under sanctions being retained within the European Union.

Read also: Norway may follow Finland by closing border with Russia, says PM, Estonia may follow suit

The declaration must confirm the manufacturer's awareness of the end consumer and assurance that the goods will not be utilized to circumvent sanction restrictions.

This move comes as part of Lithuania's increased scrutiny over shipments to Russia and Belarus in 2023, driven by the European Union's sanctions against Moscow and Minsk. Notably, the Lithuanian customs now employ X-ray equipment to scan nearly all freight vehicles at the borders with Russia and Belarus.

Read also: Norway latest EU country to ban cars with Russian license plates

In a related development from September, Lithuanian authorities mandated vehicles with Russian license plates to exit the European Union within six months.

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
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Sen. Francis Tolentino has filed a resolution seeking to amend Senate committee hearing procedures so that witnesses or resource persons can be heard before being cited in contempt.

In Senate Resolution No. 889 dated Tuesday, Tolentino proposes a specified period in which witnesses can submit statements before an inquiry as well as restrictions on when and how they could be cited in contempt.

The Supreme Court in November nullified the implementation of the Senates contempt and arrest orders against Pharmally executives, ruling that they were cited in contempt "without giving them the opportunity to be heard."

READ: SC nullifies contempt, arrest order vs Pharmally execs

With that, yong decision ng Supreme Court sa Pharmally case ay nasagot na, he told reporters on Wednesday. Dahil sa Pharmally, hindi raw binigyan ng blue ribbon ng karapatang magpaliwanag. Ito ngayon masasagot, sobra sobra pa.

[Translation: With that, the decision of the Supreme Court related to the Pharmally case is addressed. Because the court said during the Pharmally case, the blue ribbon did not give them the right to explain. This time, it will be addressed and more.]

The resolution specifically would amend Sections 16 and 18 of Resolution No. 5, or the Senate Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in aid of legislation.

Kailangan ng resolution because it must be adopted by the entire body lalo pag blue ribbon [committee], he explained.

[Translation: It needs a resolution because it must be adopted by the entire body, especially the blue ribbon committee.]

The proposed provision states that within 15 days from the adjournment of the Senate inquiry, "all persons under investigation or witnesses appearing in or whose rights are affected by such inquiry" may submit a legal brief or memorandum summarizing their position about the hearing's topic.

"Upon the expiration of the said period, the committee shall come up with its report notwithstanding the absence of the said memorandum," Tolentino wrote.

He also suggested in his resolution that no witness appearing before the committee shall be cited in contempt for testifying falsely or evasively without being given the opportunity to be heard.

Panel chairpersons would also be required to issue an oral order giving witnesses "the immediate opportunity" to explain for the record why they should not be cited in contempt. Another option would be to issue a written show cause order answerable within three days from issuance why they should not be cited in contempt.

Tolentino put forward that the person cited in contempt may file a motion for reconsideration, not exceeding 15 pages, within five days from the day the contempt was ordered.

It would also need a majority of all members of Senate panels to reverse or modify the contempt order, the resolution read.

The resolution said those cited in contempt may be ordered by the Senate committee to be arrested and detained, but the period of detention shall only last until the termination of the legislative inquiry under which said power is invoked.

Tolentino said the hearing is terminated when the committee report is approved or disapproved or the expiration of one Congress, which was patterned from a Supreme Court ruling in 2018.
On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson posted a video to X explaining that she does not believe the Colorado Supreme Court ruling will affect Utah elections.

Hendersons video comes the day after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled former President Donald Trump should be barred from the states 2024 ballot. The courts opinion rests on their belief that Trump was in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment due to his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment reads:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection, the opinion states.

Henderson said she had received questions about how Colorados ruling would impact Utahs elections. The short answer is it doesnt have any effect, at least short term, on how we are operating in our state, she said.

Utah allows individual parties to decide if theyll have a presidential primary. Henderson explained, And the Republican Party in the state of Utah has decided not to have a presidential primary. Instead, they are having a party caucus on Super Tuesday, and that is a function of the party and not something that the state has any oversight on.

By Aug. 31, 2024, parties will have to certify the names of their nominees for president and vice president to the lieutenant governor, Henderson said.

But for now, the Colorado ruling has no impact, at least at the moment, on how we are going to be operating in the near future, she said.

Related
An inventor-entrepreneur wants to improve upon a beachfront home with stunning views of the Hillsboro Inlet by adding one more amenity to the multimillion-dollar property: a new 87-foot dock.

But the Hillsboro Inlet District, the public taxing authority that has operated in the area for more than 60 years, is presenting a dire warning of the potential, unintended result: The district argues accommodating the dock could set off a chain of events including accelerating erosion of the beach and jeopardizing the integrity of a jetty.

The proposal has put one competing interest against another: the applicants effort to add to the property against the districts efforts to maintain the inlet the way it always has, including its process for dredging and beach renourishment.

It will radically change the inlet as weve known it for all these years, said Denise Bryan, the chair of the Hillsboro Inlet District.

Leathem Stearn, the applicant behind the dock proposal, said the project has been in the works for about three years. He told the South Florida Sun Sentinel hes going to ensure the plans will work toward everyones benefit, making the area better.

Im open to anything that will make the job better, he said.

A destination for boaters

The Hillsboro Inlet, connected with the Intracoastal Waterway, has long been an attraction for boaters and beachgoers alike, drawing people in with its glittering views of the water and a historic landmark, the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse.

Stearn, who has worked in a variety of industries including real estate, tech and fashion, called the inlet one of South Floridas special jewels and a boaters paradise, expressing a desire to preserve it for himself and all those who use it. He has owned other properties in Florida, he said.

In 2020, the Pompano Beach home near where the dock would extend from was bought for $5.7 million, Broward property records show. The owner is listed as Hillsboro Point LLC, whose registered agent is Stearn, state records show. The five-bedroom residence is a pristine example of luxury Florida waterfront homes, according to a listing on Zillow, the real estate marketplace website, posted earlier this year.

Stearn said he is focused on obtaining his permit for the dock, which would serve as an extension of his current seawall. According to the permit application, the aim is to build an 87-foot dock bordering the property.

He has not decided what hell put at the dock yet, he said, mainly because he said he is not certain when this process will be completed. But he hopes to use it for standard pleasure boating, he said.

The permit application states the projects design has been developed to reduce or eliminate adverse impacts from other people beaching their boats onto or dragging anchors near the property.

Raising concerns

The inlets district is concerned a new dock could change the nature of the inlet as it is now. The district wants to amend the proposal, citing concerns about how a dock of that size and in that location would make it difficult to dredge the inlet as well as maintain navigation and proper drainage.

David Tolces, the general counsel for the Hillsboro Inlet District, wrote this summer to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the agency processing the dock application, to describe why the district opposes the plan. He argued the location of the proposed dock and subsequent seawall  which would stabilize the shoreline, according to the permit application  could interfere with the inlet districts operations.

The project, as proposed, will have an adverse effect on the public health, safety, and welfare or the property of others by impairing navigation and drainage through the Inlet, Tolces wrote. Should the District be unable to continue its dredging and sand-bypass activities, the Inlet will become overloaded with sand. This will render it less navigable.

Any commercial boaters, recreational boaters, and other maritime related businesses will not be able to use the Inlet. The increase of sand in the Inlet will cause flooding issues for upland properties, loss of jobs, loss of income, and reduced taxes due to the lack of access through the Inlet.

The district has a PVC pipe running from the interior of the inlet over the sand and onto the public beach, said Bryan, the districts chair.

The pumping of sand helps renourish the southward beaches, preventing erosion and making it possible for daily commercial and recreational boaters to freely use the inlet, Tolces said.

Beyond beach maintenance, the Hillsboro Inlet also acts as a drainage outlet for stormwater flowing from land in northern Broward County, Tolces said, and the district believes this function could be in jeopardy if the dock, as proposed, forges ahead.

Tolces argued approval of the dock project, as is, would result in extra costs because the district would have to find more expensive alternatives to bypass sand to the south.

This would also mean spending more money for equipment, manpower, consultants and oversight, Tolces wrote, which could possibly create a spike in the tax rate, meaning higher costs for the Hillsboro Inlet taxpayers.

Stearn said his intention has never been to disrupt any district operations, and what he is proposing should not limit the current activities the district conducts to maintain the inlet.

I want to make the area better, not worse, for everyones sake, he said. Any issues we could deal with quite efficiently.

Stearn said what he has proposed should not add to the districts costs.

If it does, well find a way to accommodate it, he said.

Moving forward

The application is currently under review with the Department of Environmental Protection, and the department has issued requests for more information, with one in June and another in September, said Jon Moore, the departments communications and external affairs manager.

The department is working with the applicant to ensure the proposed structure will not impede navigation or impact state-owned lands, Moore wrote in an email.

With projects of this scale and scope, it is not uncommon for there to be multiple requests for additional information in order for the department to have all the information it needs to evaluate alternatives for the proposed projects, avoidance and minimization requirements, and wildlife, water quality and resource protections, Moore wrote.

Once the department receives all extra requested information, it will request comment on the proposal from other agencies, such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Historical Resources/State Historic Preservation Office. DEP is still in the initial stages of its review, so the details may change.

All permit applications are carefully evaluated under Florida law to ensure that all aspects of the construction and operation comply with rules and regulations, minimize environmental impacts and are protective of human health and safety, Moore wrote. The project cannot proceed without all required authorizations.

The district and the Department of Environmental Protection are working to come up with a way for everyone to walk away satisfied.

At the end of the day, the district is attempting to work with the property owner to come up with a solution because the district needs to come up with a solution, Tolces said. Hopefully, the state of Florida can help the district and the property owner come up with a solution.
A tougher version of the Immigration Bill was voted in on Tuesday - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

Emmanuel Macron insisted his landmark immigration Bill that has split his government would help fix Frances festering immigration problem and stop the hard-Right from getting into power.

In a combative two-hour broadcast from the Elysee, the centrist French president denied that the tough law passed on Tuesday night was an ideological victory for Marine Le Pens National Rally, which backed the Bill in a last-minute ploy that some called the kiss of death.

Quite to the contrary, he said to stop Ms Le Pens party being elected to government we need to address the problems that they feed on.

The immigration Bill comes six months before European Parliament elections in which Ms Le Pens party is currently polling to come first.

With European sentiment hardening on immigration, the EU on Wednesday agreed to an overhaul of its asylum laws that includes more border detention centres and speedier deportations.

Marine Le Pen is currently polling first place in European Parliament elections - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

In the interview on Wednesday, Mr Macron said that while France was not overrun by illegal immigration, one had to acknowledge that failing to get a handle on the problem led to a loss of control of who we are.

The Bill was a shield that we needed, he said of the law that sparked the resignation of his health minister, Aurelien Rousseau.



An initial version of the Bill was voted down last week only to be approved in a tougher form on Tuesday night.

The government passed the law thanks to a last-minute pledge not to enact the legislation without relying on support from the National Rally. While it did not need Le Pen MPs support to pass the Bill, it would have failed if they had voted against it.

Some called it a Pyrrhic victory for the French president as it left deep scars in his centrist majority; around a quarter of the 251 MPs in Macrons camp voted against the Bill or abstained.

He said the legislation was essential to offer efficient and realistic solutions that were backed by a large majority of the French.

According to an Elabe poll out on Wednesday, some 70 per cent of French people backed the Bill. However, an ever higher amount - 73 per cent - said it had indeed been inspired by ideas from Ms Le Pens National Rally.

A key part of the new French immigration law will now see social security benefits for foreigners conditional on being in France for at least five years, or 30 months for those who have jobs, echoing some of the National Rallys long-time campaign lines.

It also removes automatic citizenship for foreign children born in France. They must formally ask for it between the ages of 16 and 18.

Backlash

The French Left argues such measures pander to Ms Le Pen who claimed the legislation had taken on board her calls for national preference by toughening foreigners rights to state welfare benefits.

Left-leaning leaders of 32 of Frances departements, or counties, said they would refuse to implement the new restrictive welfare rules.

Francois Hollande, Frances former Socialist president, said: If you keep playing with the ideas of the [far Right], you give it centre-stage.

A protestor holds a placard that reads "Immigration law = stupid idea" during a demonstration against France's new immigration law - SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS

Mr Macron denied betraying Left-leaning voters who helped him secure a second term, pointing out that he had upheld a key measure that would allow illegal immigrants in work to apply for stay permits unless they have a criminal record.

He said: All the good souls who explain to me that what youre doing isnt right are all the people who have governed the country for 40 years and who have done what?

Have they resolved mass unemployment? Have they resolved deindustrialisation? Have they resolved the problems of integration, have they resolved the problems of immigration and crime? No.

What has given rise to extremes? All of the above.

Analysts said the rebels in Mr Macrons party could further weaken his hold on parliament, where he lacks an absolute majority, and complicate the rest of his five-year mandate.

He denied this, saying that his government was learning to live with a lack of absolute majority in parliament and despite this had already passed the two flagship reforms of his second term - pension reform and now the immigration law.

He said he had no intention of becoming a lame duck.

I havent finished the job as I would like to reassure people I still have three years before me and I dont intend to stop there, he said.

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Macron said Depardieu is the target of a 'manhunt' (Valery HACHE)

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday French film icon Gerard Depardieu, accused of rape, had become the target of a "manhunt" as the actor faces fresh scrutiny over sexist comments.

"You will never see me participate in a manhunt," Macron told the France 5 broadcaster when asked about possibly stripping the actor of a state award.

"I hate that kind of thing," he added.

The award, France's Legion of Honour, which Depardieu received in 1996, "is not a moral tool", Macron said.

Last week, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said the actor's behaviour shamed France, noting that he might be stripped of the Legion which is the country's top award.

Depardieu, an icon of French cinema with more than 200 films to his name, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.

A television report released this month that included footage of him making sexist comments, has thrown the allegations back in the limelight and reignited a debate about sexism in French cinema.

Broadcaster France 2 showed the actor on a 2018 trip to North Korea repeatedly making explicit sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualising a small girl riding a horse.

Depardieu in October rejected all accusations against him, and since the documentary aired his family has denounced an "unprecedented conspiracy" against him.

Over the weekend, a Belgian municipality stripped Depardieu of the title of honorary citizen, several days after the Canadian province of Quebec revoked its top honour over his "scandalous" comments against women.

In 2017, Macron withdrew the Legion of Honour from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein after a series of accusations of sexual harassment and rape.

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Madison Township Fire Chief Ken Justus says he is going to be working to raise the departments rating with the Insurance Services Office in an effort to reduce homeowners insurance costs. Justus said during his administrative report at the trustees regular meeting on Monday that his effort coincides with an upcoming five-year ISO evaluation.

Justus told the board the departments last evaluation was in January 2019, when it received a score of a mid-range 5 out of 10, which the township first received in 1980. He explained that the rating represents the departments score for service within five miles of a recognized fire station and within 1,000 feet of a recognized fire hydrant or recognized water supply.

Justus noted improvements have been made to achieve a better classification, and he will be working for a better rating for outside areas with hydrants. He said the department will work to receive credit for using a new tanker in cooperation with neighboring townships to haul water to scenes where an established water supply is not present.

Madison Township Fire Chief Kenneth Justus

Justus said there is no set amount residents will save on fire insurance if the rating improves because each property and structure is different. There are a lot of variables, but it will make it better, he added.

Traffic crash study

The chief also reported that he researched Ohio Highway Patrol records about car crashes on roads in the area of the township hall and Madison High School and Junior High. He said Trustee Cathy Swank asked for the study following a fatal crash Dec. 11 at the intersection of Ohio 430 and Stewart Road.

Justus said that during a three-year period, there were 11 crashes at Ohio 430 and Stewart, 34 at U.S. 42 and Stewart, and 22 at the intersection of Stewart and Grace Street. While the majority of the crashes have been property damage crashes, the more serious injury crashes have been at 430 and Stewart.

Justus said he would like to work with county officials to see if something can be done about the problem. Trustees Chairman Tom Craft pointed out that Richland County Regional Planning and the county engineers office have been doing studies for some time but have not yet presented a solution.

Justus also reported that the Stuff the Ambulance campaign Nov. 26 and Dec. 10 was a huge success with the department able to deliver a very large amount of toys, clothes, blankets and other gifts for children and adults to Richland County Children Services. The department also delivered two large loads of groceries to Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army.

Signage questioned, EMS contract approved

During the first public comment portion of Mondays meeting, Trustee Jim Houser reported that the township has received an opinion from the county prosecutors office that the township should charge a permit fee for window signs in township businesses. The issue was raised earlier this year by Ridge Road resident Tom Brandt over a business that had recently opened. Brandt has been bringing up zoning issues to the board for years,

The opinion was that window signs should be charged in every business in Madison Township, Houser said. We have not done that in the past. Were reviewing that opinion.

That was one of the things. If you havent done it in the past, dont start. If youve done it in the past, you better keep doing it, added Craft.

There was a debate between trustees and Brandt whether the requirement is in the township code and if there are any records of permits being issued.

In other business, trustees approved a contract for 2024 with Monroe Township to provide EMS coverage at a cost of $52,000. The figure is the same as 2023.

We do first response on EMS calls and, if they have crews, they do transports, Justus explained. He said Monroe Township already has approved the agreement.

Swank recognized as her term is about to end

Craft recognized Swank for her last four years of service to the township. Swank was not re-elected last month and her term ends Dec. 31.

Cathy Swank

Tom and Jim, its been a pleasure working with you. We got along well and we got, I think, things done, Swank said. We each did our own thing and it all came together.

Swank said she will continue working on current employee negotiations until the end of her term.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison fire chief looks at department insurance rating, accidents
Cebu (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Power demand in the Visayas, especially in the isaland of Cebu, is increasing significant and new power plants are needed even more now, officials from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said.

Although Cebu province has enough power supply, the reserves are getting thin and demand is steadily rising as more industries and business activities thrive in the province.

The business sector is also concerned about the projected rise in power cost in Cebu in 2024 with the absence of new inland power plants.

On Dec. 18, the Visayas grid only had 241 megawatts (MW) of power reserves, the lowest compared to that of Luzon and Mindanao.

Luzon has 2,532MW of power reserves while Mindanao has 960MW of reserves.

The entire Visayas grid has a generating capacity of 2,449MW while demand is pegged at 2,209MW. Cebu province accounts for half of the region's total demand.

Metro Cebu alone needs at least 500MW daily or about half of the province's demands.

Atty. Cynthia Perez-Alabanza, NGCP assistant vice president and head for public affairs, said additional inland power plants are needed to bolster the existing capacity, establish reserves, and meet the anticipated boom in investments and population.

Alabanza said power consumption continued to rise with the full re-opening of the economy after COVID-19 and that there was even an increase in power demand during the pandemic.

Now, with the economy fully reopening, we are witnessing a substantial surge in power requirements, she said. All roads lead to Cebu when we talk about power consumption in the Visayas.

Abner Bardoquillo, NGCP network operations senior manager for the Visayas, said Cebu needs to build more inland power plants for it to have self-sufficient power supply.

With its rising population and growing investments, Cebu has to generate its power supply and not rely on sources outside the province, especially during emergencies.

The Department of Energy and the NGCP have previously announced that Cebu has been picked as one of the main sites for large generation capacity expansion.

Before the pandemic, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) identified the potential of Cebu for new investments in heavy and extractive industries, including shipbuilding and other allied activitie; car manufacturing and car parts manufacturing; aerospace parts; resource-based industries; and fabricated metals.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has expressed its concern about the high cost of power to the national government.

Former CCCI president Felix Taguiam emphasized that resolving Cebus power cost challenges hinges on the provinces ability to independently meet its energy demands.

Taguiam suggested that if Cebu can achieve self-sufficiency in power generation, it could ease the issue of costly electricity.

Cebu-based correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.
The MAGA offensive against Donald Trump challenger Nikki Haley took a profane twist at AmericaFest, the annual political convention hosted by the Christian nationalist group Turning Point USA, billed as the biggest freedom party of the year!

Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, in a speech to the all-ages crowd at the Phoenix Convention Center, compared the former South Carolina governor and Trump U.N. ambassador to Lucifer. And his warning that there will be establishment pressure to make Haley Trumps running mate spurred the crowd to chant, Fuck Her! Fuck Her!

The vitriol of Bannons speech, and the angry crowd reaction, underscores how the MAGA movement now identifies Haley as Trumps most serious opponent in the GOP primary, providing yet another marker of her surge at the expense of fading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (A pro-Trump super PAC has also hit Haley with attack ads in New Hampshire.)

In his speech, Bannon blasted weak and devious RNC fat cats whom he claimed have been using the GOP presidential debates to raise Haleys profile. Nikki Haleys not gonna beat Trump, Bannon insisted. But she is gonna consolidate that Never Trump vote. And mark my words. Theyre gonna make a big move on: Nikkis got to be the vice president.

As he said these words, Bannon was interrupted by a roar of boos from the audience. You dont love Nikki? Neoliberal, neocon Nikki? Bannon said, egging on the crowd. Youre not fans of Nicki as VP?  Were gonna have to stop that!

The War Room host then levied a biblical broadside against Haley: Shes ambitious as Lucifer, Bannon said, warning that Haley would betray the MAGA masses as Trumps veep. That viper, he said. Thatd be worse than Judas Pence in the West Wing, Bannon added  alluding to former Vice President Mike Pence, whom MAGAdonians blame for betraying Trump by certifying Joe Bidens election victory. The Christian conservative crowd then broke into the spontaneous foul-mouth chant. Holding out his mic to amplify the Fuck her! from the audience, Bannon remarked: Oh my Lord! This is not PG rated. Lord have mercy!

After publication, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA spoke to Rolling Stone, asserting that Bannon misheard the chant from the audience, and that the crowd was instead cheering on Tucker  as in Tucker Carlson  as a superior runningmate for Trump than Haley. The spokesperson did not contest that Bannon heard the words fuck her in real time, but blamed an acoustical anomaly on stage for the supposed misunderstanding. Bannon, who never mentioned Carlson in his speech, shared Rolling Stones story on Gettr, writing: Technically I think the audience responded: Tucker.'

AmericaFest was a four-day extravaganza, sponsored by many far-right Christian institutions like Hillsdale College and Liberty University. Bannon delivered his speech Sunday night. The party wrapped up Tuesday, with the release of a straw poll revealing the MAGA crowds presidential preferences. Of those assembled, 83 percent backed Trump; Haley scored 1 percent  trailing undecided. The vice presidential preference in the poll split between former Fox News host Carlson at 35 percent, and Vivek Ramaswamy at 26 percent. (Consistent with the chanting, Haley registered just 2 percent.)

Turning Point USA is a far-right group that originally focused on spreading economic conservatism on American college campuses. It has morphed into a broader, far-right political powerhouse, which pushes a Christian nationalist agenda and aggressively engages in the culture wars, or what it terms the fight to restore traditional American values. TPUSA is a registered non-profit, with a dark-money arm known as Turning Point Action. As these organizations have gotten larger and more influential, founder Charlie Kirk has come under scrutiny for the growth of his personal wealth, which includes multiple, million-dollar properties.

AmericaFest opened under a cloud of recent hateful rhetoric from its headline speakers. And the events speeches, indeed, were a motley mess of extremism. Comedian Roseanne Barr kicked off the convention with a bizarre rant about an alleged conspiracy  among what she described as Stalinist! Communists!  A huge helping of Nazi fascist thrown in, plus the caliphate  to wipe Christian nations from the Earth.

TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk emceed much of the confab. In an exchange with ex-Minnesota Rep. and former GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, Kirk gave voice to white nationalist rhetoric. He insisted that Minneapolis is the perfect example of the Great Replacement, a racist conspiracy theory that holds that white Americans are purposefully being replaced by minority newcomers at the direction of a nefarious cabal of elites. Kirk elaborated that Minneapolis is a city that was safe and peaceful  and then you bring in a bunch of third-worlders that dont share our values and it gets destroyed. Leaving no doubt, Kirk emphasized he was referring to the importation of Muslims into our country.

Carlson, in an on-stage roundtable with podcaster Tim Pool, took up similar themes, discussing the horror of whites becoming a U.S. minority. By their definition, being a minority is a threat to your life in this country  and theyre celebrating a group becoming a minority, Carlson said of Democrats. Were all too embarrassed to say so, but thats genocidal language!

Bannon used his speech to deliver a bellicose message to the TPUSA crowd  including constant invocations of the Revolutionary War, and the type of rhetoric that marked the runup to Jan. 6, 2021. Bannon called the AmericaFest faithful an army of the awakened. He invoked the recent 250th anniversary of the Tea Party in Boston Harbor, telling the fighters in the crowd: Youre a vanguard of a populist, nationalist movement we have not seen in this nation since 1773.

Bannon underscored that the time lapse between the Boston Tea Party and the outbreak of revolutionary violence was just 16 months, almost to the day. The founding fathers, he said, knew the war was coming  just like we know the wars coming.

Are you ready for that? Bannon asked: Are you gonna let em take your country? Are you going to do everything in your power  and I mean, everything in your earthly power  to stop that? Continuing to compare the crowd to the colonists he insisted: Your fights the same, exact fight.

Blasting the nations traitors and the dangerous vermin in the media, Bannon told the religious TPUSA audience that their foes are demons who hate you for your beliefs. He continued: This is not a disagreement. They dont disagree with you. They hate you. They hate your values. They hate what you stand for.

To close, Bannon again invoked the fights that kicked off the Revolutionary War, but took a small step back from the insurrectionist edge  by pointing to Election Day as the start of his desired upheaval. We have our Concord and Lexington, he declared, on the fifth of November of 2024.

Update, Dec. 21: This story has been updated to reflect Turning Point USAs perspective that AmericaFest audience members were not shouting a profanity.

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MAGAWorld Gets Its 2024 Villain

Tucker Carlson speaks at the Turning Point Action USA conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 15, 2023. (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

PHOENIXIn recent years, GOP base confabs like Turning Point USAs AmericaFest have largely concentrated their ire on the same stockpile of alleged RINOs: Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell. But here at the Phoenix Convention Center this week, all those villains took a backseat to a new Dr. Evil: presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk went after Haleys (unspecified) awful ideas in his conference-opening monologue. Her sole presidential rival to speak at the conference, Vivek Ramaswamy, pledged that the likes of Nikki Haley or any other neocon would not serve in his presidential administration. Sunday and Monday nights keynote speakers, Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, luxuriated in long anti-Haley segments, which both played for laughs.

Should you put air quotes around Nikki Haley? Carlson asked just minutes after taking the stage. Because otherwise youre just assuming this is a real person, and not just a hologram put out there by Ken Griffin and the billionaire class to torment you. He went on to speculate at length about how much Iranian oil money it would take for Haleyknown for years as an Iran hawkto instead become a cheerleader for the mullahs: Like, there is a number, right?

Meanwhile, out on the floor of the sponsor hall, Turning Point Action was conducting a veepstakes straw poll. The listed possibilities: Kari, Tucker, Noem, DeSantis, and Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haleya nod to the dog-whistle jokes about her full name that have regularly resurfaced in MAGAworld this year. (Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa and took her husbands last name when they married in 1996.)

This outpouring of vitriol comes as Haley has strengthened her case as the GOP primarys strongest second-place contenderalbeit a very, very distant one to Donald Trump, whose national lead over the field has only continued to grow. Haley got her best poll of the cycle in New Hampshire this weekend, with CBS News finding her within 15 points of Trump in the state.

Haleys boomlet hasnt done much to change anyones expectations of a Trump victoryshed need about a dozen dominoes to fall her way over the next two months even to make that a conversation. But it has rejuvenated questions about whether Trump should consider her as his vice presidential pick. After all, her star has risen with the part of the party over which his grasp is weakest, and she has so far conducted her campaign without making the sort of scorched-earth attacks against the frontrunner that would burn that bridge. (Surrogates for Ron DeSantis, Haleys neck-and-neck competitor for the silver-medal spot, have increasingly been insisting that Haley-for-Veep is in fact Trumps plan.)

Its exactly that possibility that the MAGA infotainment-industrial complex seems to be mobilizing to try to prevent. To them, Haley represents the most contemptible, most infuriating faction in politics: the Republican Party as it existed until just a few years ago. And after a year in which the Republican primary seemed likely to shape up as a contest between Trump and DeSantistwo candidates who, whatever their differences, are broadly aligned in their vision for the GOPthe MAGA faithful seem to relish the chance to finally let loose against a more deplorable foe.

You dont love Nikki? Neocon Nikki? Neoliberal neocon Nikki? You dont love her? Bannon said during his TPUSA speech, pausing to drink in the boos. Shes ambitious as Lucifer.

Were gonna have to stop that viper over therethatd be worse than Judas Pence in the West Wing, wouldnt it? he went on. Youre not fans of Nikki? Youre not fans of Nikki as VP?

Members of the crowd were not fans. Tucker! Tucker! a chant broke out. And then, rhyming it: F her! F her!

Oh my Lord, this is not PG-rated, Bannon smirked. Lord have mercy.

Notable and Quotable

The objective of, I would say, the entire administration and its enablers in the Republican Partywhich is most elected officials thereis to destroy the United States. Tucker Carlson in a keynote speech to Turning Point USAs AmericaFest, December 18, 2023

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ZIM, the Israel-based global shipping company, has had its authorisation rescinded following the ban announced by the Malaysian prime minister - Alamy Stock Photo

Malaysia has banned Israeli owned and flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports after accusing Israel of continuous cruelty against Palestinians.

The ban, announced by the office of Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister, will prohibit any vessels heading to Israel from loading cargo at any port in the largely Muslim Southeast Asian nation.

It is thought to be the first move of its kind taken since the beginning of the war in Gaza, which erupted after Hamass attack on Oct 7 in southern Israel.

In a statement, the prime minister said: This sanction is a response to Israels actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people.

Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel but Israeli-registered companies and ships have been allowed to dock in the country since 2005.

Anwar Ibrahim has been vocal in his criticism in Israel's retaliation in Gaza - POOL/VIA REUTERS

These include ZIM, the Israel-based global shipping company, which was singled out in the statement as now being subject to the new boycott. Authorisation granted to it in 2002 had been rescinded, said the statement.

Malaysia, like some other Muslim-majority Asian countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, does not recognise Israel, and it has long lobbied for Palestinian causes.

Mr Anwar has personally championed Palestinian rights since his student days in the 1960s, and has been Asias most outspoken leader in criticising Israels offensive in Gaza.

At a rally last month, he denounced the military action as the height of barbarism, and he has continued to express support for Hamas despite the threat of US sanctions.

The prime minister recently told parliament, Malaysians should unanimously back the Palestinian cause.

His comments have chimed with growing public anger in Malaysia over the Israel-Hamas conflict, with citizens marching en masse as part of protests against Israels conduct and boycotting fast-food outlets that are seen to have ties with the country.

The sanction is thought to be the first move of its kind taken since the beginning of the war in Gaza - JAMES D MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES ASIAPAC

Analysts have also pointed out that Mr Anwar cannot afford to be seen as having weak views on the issue at a time when religious conservatism is rising in Malaysia and his ruling coalition is increasingly being challenged by a pro-Islamic opposition.

Malaysias shipping ban comes at a time of mounting international pressure for a new truce in Gaza that could allow for increased aid to be delivered to the besieged Palestinian territory and the freeing of hostages still held by Hamas.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, 19,667 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the war to date.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says more than 60 percent of Gazas infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged and more than 90 per cent of the enclaves 2.3 million population uprooted.

Israel has lost 132 soldiers in the fighting inside Gaza since it invaded the territory in response to Hamass October raid, which killed 1,200 people and saw 240 others taken hostage.

A truce in late November mediated by Qatari and US diplomats lasted for a week before collapsing. A total of 110 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.

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Joanne Pescatore, Chief of Homicide, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, appears during a news conference in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Authorities say a man accused of slashing people with a large knife while riding a bicycle on a rail trail in Philadelphia is now a person of interest in the cold-case murder of a medical student that occurred among a series of high-profile sexual assaults two decades ago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

PHILADELPHA (AP)  A man accused of slashing people with a large knife while riding a bicycle on a trail in Philadelphia in recent weeks has been formally charged in the cold-case rape and slaying of a medical student that occurred among a series of high-profile sexual assaults in a large city park two decades ago.

Elias Diaz, 46, was arraigned Wednesday on murder, rape and other counts in the 2003 slaying of Rebecca Park. He was ordered held without bail pending a Jan. 8 preliminary hearing. He had been held on aggravated assault and other counts in the attacks or attempted attacks in late November and early December, where police say he used a machete-type knife against people on the Pennypack Park trail in northeast Philadelphia.

The Defender Association of Philadelphia, listed as representing him in both the 2003 case and the recent attacks, declined comment earlier on all charges.

Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford Jr. said Diazs DNA appeared to connect him to the 2003 strangulation killing of Park in the citys sprawling Fairmount Park and perhaps to several other sexual attacks there. Park, 30, a fourth-year student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine from Olney, Maryland, vanished after going running in the park in July 2003. Her body was found buried under wood and leaves in a steep hillside in the park, about 200 feet (60 meters) off the road, authorities said.

Police said that crime was linked to the April 2003 rape of a 21-year-old jogger in the park, and in October of that year a 37-year-old woman managed to fight off a man who tried to rape her. In 2007, a 29-year-old woman walking on a path in Pennypack Park was sexually assaulted and robbed, police said. No charges have yet been filed in those cases.

In 2021, a DNA analysis helped create a series of composite sketches of the man believed responsible for the assaults. Genealogy databases yielded a link to a man named Elias Diaz, but he couldnt be found. Officials said the suspect just arrested had previous contact with police, but authorities didnt have his DNA until his arrest in the recent assaults.

Stanford said the two-decade-old Fairmount Park assault cases and Parks slaying had haunted the community and the department.
The grandson of a North Carolina pastor has been accused of stealing nearly half a million dollars from the church his grandfather has led for almost 50 years.

Police arrested and charged Jordan Blake Shortridge, 28, with felony larceny for allegedly using more than $470,000 in church funds for non-church related purchases.

The Dallas Church of God, which sits in a town of about 6,000 people, is led by Rev. D.R. Shortridge, according to its website and social media accounts  which have since been made private. Local outlets reported the reverend is Shortridges grandfather.







Its accountants first noticed the discrepancies in 2021 when they found both withdrawals and payments made through PayPal, Dallas police wrote in a statement.

The transactions dated back to 2018, police said.

Church leaders reported the fraud on July 31, 2023, and officers arrested Shortridge on Dec. 8, after an investigation.

He is charged with felony larceny.

Dallas Church of God is continuing to pray for all parties involved, the church wrote in a statement to Queen City News.
A 46-year-old man was accused of shooting a man in the chest during a robbery attempt while the victim was sleeping in an apartment in west Phoenix, Phoenix police said.

Henry Celaya, Jr. of Tempe was booked into a Maricopa County jail after being arrested on Tuesday near 33rd Avenue and West Washington Street, police said in a news release.

The shooting occurred Tuesday morning. Police found the victim, David Cordova, 29, at the scene with a gunshot wound, police said. He was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead by medical staff, police said.

A witness told police Celaya came to an apartment on South 31st Avenue, banged on the door, and then forced his way into the living room, where Cordova was sleeping, according to court records.

The witness told police Celaya struck the victim in the face, yelled at him to "give me everything," grabbed the victim's necklace, and then pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and pointed the gun at the victim's head, according to reports.

The witness told police Celaya then pointed the gun at the victim's chest and shot him once, according to court records. The witness told police Celaya then fled, according to the police report. Police later found Celaya hiding in a black Toyota Camry parked in the 100 block of South 33rd Avenue, court records indicate.

A tactical unit detained Celaya without incident after he came out of the vehicle, according to court documents.

Before being taken into custody, Celaya placed a baggie on the trunk of the vehicle, the police report said. The bag contained a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, court records indicate.

Police located a semi-automatic gun under a trash can in the area, according to the police report.

Celaya was charged with first-degree murder, burglary in the first degree, attempted armed robbery, misconduct involving weapons/prohibited possessor, possession of dangerous drugs, discharging a firearm within city limits and two probation violation felony warrants, according to the police report and Maricopa County Superior Court records.

According to court records, Celaya was being held on a $1,500 bond. He was scheduled to appear in Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday, according to court records.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Henry Celaya arrested after fatal shooting of David Cordova in Phoenix
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A 45-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man is facing multiple charges in connection to a deadly shooting last month outside a KC residence.

Jackson County prosecutors on Tuesday charges Gabriel Eredia with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.

KCPD sounds alarm after thieves break into River Market condominium, steal packages

According to court records, Kansas City police officers responded on Saturday, Nov. 18, to the sound of gunfire in the 1800 block of Mercier Street just before 1 a.m.

Officers were unable initially to locate a crime scene. Several minutes later, officers found 31-year-old Richard Gonzalez lying dead in the front yard of a house

A witness identified Eredia, who was a federally convicted felon and prohibited from carrying a firearm, as the person who was in the yard with the victim when shots rang out.

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Eredias DNA was found on spent shell casings at the crime scene, according to court records.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A Multnomah County jury found a man guilty of a deadly shooting outside Silver Dollar Pizza Company in Northwest Portland two years ago.

Marshawn Edwards, 27, was convicted on 12 separate charges Tuesday, including second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault, after DNA found on bullet casings were matched by detectives.

DNA identifies unknown Gary Ridgway victim as teenager from Lewis County

Around 2 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2021, gunshots rang out in Portlands Nob Hill neighborhood  shattering the glass door of Silver Dollar Pizza Company at Northwest 21st and Glisan Street. One customer, Jacob Knight-Vasquez, was shot and killed while two others sustained serious injuries.

Co-workers of Jake Vasquez posted this in the door of the Blue Moon in Northwest Portland after he was shot to deah while sitting at Silver Dollar PIzza across the street, September 25, 2021 (KOIN)

Jacob Knight-Vasquez was shot to death at the Silver Dollar Pizza in NW Portland on September 24, 2021. (Undated photo, family via PPB)

Shots were fired outside Nob Hills Silver Dollar Pizza Company. Sept. 24, 2021. (KOIN)

Sam Macbale, the owner of the restaurant, previously told KOIN 6 the suspect was not inside and was not a customer when the shooting occurred.

It was completely out of the blue, Macbale said. A guy was walking by and was shooting, in fact, from this door.

Man slain in car near Washington Square, homicide investigation underway

However, PPB reported they did not believe this was a random act where somebody walked by and started shooting, although they also said they didnt believe Vasquez was the intended target.

After collecting DNA evidence from the bullet casings found at the September shooting, police discovered in December that the DNA samples they collected matched DNA records from a sexual assault kit tied to Edwards from when he was 17.

Marshawn Edwards (KOIN)

Authorities seek info on suspicious death in Polk County

Police also linked the bullet casings found at the Silver Dollar crime scene to a separate shooting outside of Whelans Irish Pub that occurred months after the original crime.

According to police documents, surveillance cameras caught Edwards wearing the same black North face coast at both shootings.

Edwards is expected to be sentenced in March 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Police in Kyiv have arrested a man who desecrated a monument erected on the capitals Independence Square to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (UJCU) said on Telegram on Dec. 19.

In a video posted by the UJCU, the man refers to the menorah as "rakes." He then approaches it and allegedly urinates next to it, making inflammatory remarks.

Read also: Mayor Klitschko vows harsh response to demolition of historic building in Kyivs Podil

"Our land is Ukrainian land, Cossack land, and not for some Jews to settle it, the man says.

Why are our boys dying? So that our land is settled by Jews?"

The Kyiv police reported that on Dec. 19 they came across the video while monitoring social media. The identity of the man was established, revealing him to be a resident of Kyiv Oblast born in 1988. He was subsequently arrested.

Law enforcement officers initiated a criminal case under Part 1 of Art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, addressing the violation of equality among citizens based on race, nationality, religious beliefs, disability, and other grounds.

Read also:

The man may face a fine ranging from 200 to 500 non-taxable minimum wages, or up to five years of restricted freedom, along with the potential deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in specific activities for up to three years.

The Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. This holiday is one of the most significant in the Jewish tradition and is celebrated by Jews worldwide. This year, Hanukkah extended from the evening of Dec. 7 to the evening of Dec. 15.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
An Oklahoma man who served the longest wrongful prison sentence in U.S. history was formally declared innocent this weekclearing his name after always maintaining he never committed murder. Oklahoma County District Court Judge Amy Palumbo on Tuesday gave Glynn Simmons, 71, a declaration of actual innocence, six months after he was released from prison. The declaration makes Simmons eligible for up to $175,000 in compensation from the state for the wrongful conviction, but the Associated Press reports it could be years before Simmons receives that money. He is currently living off GoFundMe donations as he battles cancer. Simmons had been convicted of slaying Carolyn Sue Rogers inside an Oklahoma liquor store in 1974. He insisted during his trial that he was in Louisiana at the time of Rogers murder, but a jury sided against him, and he was sentenced to death. Five decades later, however, Palumbo said her court determined theres now clear and convincing evidence that Simmons didnt commit the crime.

Read it at Associated Press

Read more at The Daily Beast.
(CNN)  Israeli officials are exploring the potential construction of a humanitarian compound in northern Gaza to house displaced Palestinian civilians, two Israeli officials and an international humanitarian official familiar with the plans told CNN.

The establishment of such a compound would allow some Palestinian civilians to move to northern Gaza once the Israeli military completes its current phase of military operations in northern Gaza, the sources said.

The planning for the compound is in its early stages and it was not yet clear how many people the compound could accommodate or whether it would ultimately come to fruition. But it marked the first indication that Israel is beginning to consider how Palestinian civilians could return to northern Gaza once the current phase of military operations there concludes.

Israel has informed the United States it is exploring the project and a senior Israeli official said Israel would seek assistance from other countries as well. The international humanitarian official also confirmed discussions about the project and said other countries and private entities could be involved.

Israeli military officials have said they believe they are close to defeating Hamas militants in Jabalya and Gaza Citys Shujaiya neighborhood, Hamas last remaining strongholds in northern Gaza.

Israels Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday hinted at the possibility of allowing displaced civilians to return to northern Gaza once Israel achieves its military objectives there.

In every area where we achieve our mission, we will be able to transition gradually to the next phase and start working on bringing back the local population. This can be achieved maybe sooner in the north rather than in the south, Gallant said during a news conference alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Nearly 85% of Gazas population has been displaced by the war between Israel and Hamas, but many of those displaced from northern Gaza will have no homes to return to  hence the need for the construction of shelters to allow some of the population to return.

By the end of November, about 80% of buildings in northern Gaza had been damaged or destroyed amid relentless Israeli bombardment, according to an analysis by the United Nations Satellite Centre published last week.

The Israeli government is exploring the project amid pressure from the United States to ramp down its military campaign in Gaza and establish more safe zones for Palestinian civilians.

The news that Israel is exploring the construction of shelters for Palestinians in northern Gaza follows visits by Austin and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who both pressed Israeli officials for a timetable on ramping down the fighting and focusing more on special operations and providing humanitarian relief to Palestinian civilians.

Israel has also begun to explore the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip with the United States and Gulf countries, the officials said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Israel exploring construction of humanitarian compound in northern Gaza after fighting subsides"
Vajid Ali was jailed for seven years and nine months at Leeds Crown Court

A man has been jailed after he was forensically linked to a sawn-off shotgun discovered by a metal detectorist.

The weapon and a cache of ammunition were found buried in Grimescar Woods, near Huddersfield, in November last year.

West Yorkshire Police said following forensic testing the items were linked to 34-year-old Vajid Ali.

Ali, of Wheatley Court, Halifax, was jailed for seven years and nine months at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting firearms offences.

The sawn-off shotgun found by a metal detectorist near Huddersfield

Ali pleaded guilty part-way through his trial to possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of ammunition for a prohibited firearm.

Police began an investigation after the metal detectorist reported finding the shotgun and cartridges buried in the ground in the woods.

The ammunition, weapon and packaging they were contained in were forensically examined and linked to Ali, the force said.

Det Sgt Seb Morgan said: The shotgun was found to still be a viable weapon.

"Thanks to the member of the public who found this firearm and ammunition, we have been able to ensure that it is safely disposed of and prevented from getting into the wrong hands."

Some of the shotgun cartridges found in the woods

Ali has tried to downplay his involvement and claimed he was forced to bury the gun, but we have been able to demonstrate his wider involvement in serious organised criminality," he added.

"The sentence he has been given demonstrates the severity with which the criminal justice system treats such offences and I hope it sends a strong message to others about the repercussions of handling prohibited weapons.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA)  A man who has been in jail since November 2022 has been charged in connection with a 2021 deadly shooting in St. Petersburg, according to police.

Keondre Flournoy, 28, was in jail on unrelated charges, but has now been charged with second-degree murder, police said.

Flournoy allegedly got into an fight with his roommate, 47-year-old Qareeb Muhammad, on Dec. 29, 2021 and shot him, according to police.

Muhammads body was found in a vacant lot in the 2100 block of 17th Avenue South, police said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A Columbus man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to crimes related to the sexual exploitation of at least 25 victims in at least three states, including girls at a Columbus high school.

As part of a plea agreement, Lorenzo Winfield, 22, pleaded guilty to two charges:

Possession, distribution and receipt of child pornography

Extortion for interstate communications

Winfield also faced a count of sexual exploitation of a minor and coercion and enticement of a minor, but those were not mentioned in a news release from Kenneth Parker, the United States Attorney of the Southern District of Ohio. The convicted Columbus man faces 23 to 27 years in prison.

Next time Ill shoot at you: Woman walks outside to find dog attacked in southeast Columbus

From 2016 to 2021, Winfield used extortion to collect explicit photos of underage girls at the Arts and College Preparatory Academy, where he was known as the ACPA Hacker, the news release said.

Winfield would contact students at the school and demand nude photos of them, sometimes hacking into the victims social media accounts and using the photos he obtained against them. He would also extort the victims by having them send him sexually explicit content in order to regain control of their social media accounts, the news release said.

He would tell the victims he had nude photos of them or other students, and that he would distribute to friends and family unless the victims complied. Winfield followed through with his threats, distributing the sexually explicit photos of his victims to others, according to Parker.

Winfield used accounts on platforms such as Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype and Google Hangouts to extort the victims. Winfield was additionally investigated for exploiting at least four victims in Fairfax and Prince William counties in Virginia, and at least one victim in College Station, Texas.

In one instance, Winfield made contact with an 11-year-old girl and sent nude photos of the victim to students at her Virginia middle school. Eventually, as she got older, he sent nude photos of her to students at her high school. The victim originally met Winfield through a social media game. He threatened to harm her family if she did not comply with his requests, and he continued to exploit her up until his arrest.

Parker asked anyone who believed they were a victim of Winfields crimes, or anyone with information related to the case, to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 614-849-1733.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Chinese scientists invent ultrathin optical crystal for next-generation laser tech

Xinhua) 10:05, December 20, 2023

This photo taken on Dec. 15, 2023 shows a Twist Boron Nitride (TBN) crystal placed on a piece of fused silica in Peking University, Beijing, capital of China. A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology. (Xinhua/Wei Mengjia)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology.

Prof. Wang Enge from the School of Physics, Peking University, recently told Xinhua that the Twist Boron Nitride (TBN) made by the team, with a micron-level thickness, is the thinnest optical crystal currently known in the world. Compared with traditional crystals of the same thickness, its energy efficiency is raised by 100 to 10,000 times.

Wang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said this achievement is an original innovation by China in the theory of optical crystals, and has created a new field of making optical crystals with two-dimensional thin-film materials of light elements.

The research findings were recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Laser is one of the underlying technologies of the information society. Optical crystals can realize the functions of frequency conversion, parametric amplification and signal modulation, to name a few, and are the key parts of laser devices.

In the past 60 years, the research and development of optical crystals has been mainly guided by two phase-matching theories proposed by scientists in the United States.

However, due to the limitations of traditional theory models and material systems, the existing crystals have struggled to meet the future requirements for developing laser devices, such as miniaturization, high integration and functionalization. The development of new-generation laser technology needs breakthroughs in optical crystal theory and materials.

Wang Enge and Prof. Liu Kaihui, director of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Material Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, led the team to develop the twist-phase-matching theory, the third phase-matching theory based on the light-element material system.

"The laser generated by optical crystals can be viewed as a marching column of individuals. The twist mechanism can make everyone's direction and pace highly coordinated, greatly improving the energy conversion efficiency of the laser," explained Liu, who is also deputy director of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Light-Element Quantum Materials at the Beijing Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center.

The research has opened up a brand-new design model and material system, and realized the original innovation of the whole chain from basic optics theory to material science and technology, he said.

"The TBN crystal's thickness ranges from 1 to 10 microns. The thickness of optical crystals we had known before is mostly at the level of a millimeter or even centimeter," Liu added.

The TBN production technology is now applying for patents in the United States, Britain, Japan and other countries. The team has made a TBN laser prototype and is developing new-generation laser technology with enterprises.

"Optical crystal is the cornerstone of laser technology development, and the future of laser technology is determined by the design theory and production technology of optical crystals," Wang said.

With ultra-thin size, excellent integration potential and new functions, the TBN crystal is expected to achieve new application breakthroughs in quantum light sources, photonic chips, artificial intelligence and other fields in the future, according to Wang.

Researchers use equipment to prepare optical crystal and test wavelength conversion at a lab in Peking University, Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 15, 2023. A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology. (Xinhua/Wei Mengjia)

Liu Kaihui (front), director of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Material Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, and other members of a research team pose for a group photo in Peking University, Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 15, 2023. A team of Chinese researchers used a novel theory to invent a new type of ultrathin optical crystal with high energy efficiency, laying the foundation for next-generation laser technology. (Xinhua/Wei Mengjia)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Thoughts and prayers for the walls at Donald Trumps place right now.

In a bombshell decision from the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday, the former president was ruled ineligible to appear on the states 2024 presidential primary ballot under the 14th Amendment, citing his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Mary Trump didnt need to say much to summarize how her uncle may have been reacting to the news:

In loving memory: pic.twitter.com/KstB9tLl6K  Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) December 19, 2023

In loving memory, she wrote, alongside an image of a dozen small ketchup bottles.

She was referring, ostensibly, to Donald Trumps alleged reaction to some other bad news in December 2020.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top White House aide, testified to the Jan. 6 committee last year that Trump flung his lunch at a wall after learning that then-Attorney General Bill Barr said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in that years presidential election.

The incident left ketchup dripping down the wall, Hutchinson said.

Asked about the ketchup debacle on Jimmy Kimmel Live in October, Hutchinson shared another condiment anecdote, claiming that Trump favors the small Heinz glass ketchup bottles because he has a potent fear of being poisoned, and likes to hear the pop when the bottle is opened.

Trumps campaign said its appealing Tuesdays decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Related...
Republican commentator Michael Steele was speaking a few months ago with Bob Ehrlich, one of only two GOP Maryland governors in the last 55 years.

Hes like, Hey man, I cant wait to see you at the 20th anniversary of our administration,' said Steele, Ehrlichs former lieutenant governor, in an interview.

I said, What celebration? I dont know anything about that,' Steele continued. I didnt get an invitation from the state party for a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ehrlich-Steele administration.

Steeles absence from the Oct. 12 Salute to Gov. Bob Ehrlich fundraiser at a BWI Marshall Airport hotel underscores issues facing a party eager to move forward  largely by emphasizing fundraising and grassroots organizing  but yet to reconcile with former stalwarts such as Steele and conservative commentator Linda Chavez who feel estranged because party leaders continue to embrace the polarizing figure of former President Donald Trump.

I dont feel at home in the Maryland Republican Party, said Chavez, who lost a U.S. Senate election to Barbara Mikulski in 1986, and currently hosts a political podcast with fellow conservative Mona Charen. You have to be willing to do what Ronald Reagan did, which is to compromise. They want to pretend that people like me are progressive, left-leaning [George] Soros surrogates.

Nicole Beus Harris, a conservative political and marketing consultant, was selected to chair the state party one year ago, replacing Dirk Haire, who didnt seek reelection. The transition came after the GOP turned over the governors office it had held for eight years in 2022 and lost races for Maryland attorney general, comptroller and several county executive offices.

Ehrlich and Adam Wood, the state partys executive director, told The Baltimore Sun there was no intention to slight Steele, an MSNBC commentator and former state and national party chair who has long urged the party to turn away from Trump and from claims that the 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was rigged.

Ehrlich said in an interview that written invitations were not sent out for the celebration. Rather, he said, that event is basically word of mouth and he hoped Steele could have attended.

No Republican has any reason to feel estranged from the MDGOP, as they are welcome to join our efforts, Wood said in an email.

Steele said the issue wasnt just about an invitation but that no one from the state party has reached out to me. You kind of have to have a come-to-Jesus realization that if this party is going to expand and grow, its got to figure out what its true landscape is, where it is, who its voters are, how many of those voters are out there.

Harris, who is married to U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a longtime Trump backer and the states only Republican congressman, declined to be interviewed but responded to written questions from The Sun.

Asked what has changed in the partys approach this year, she said it is now focused on training grassroots activists, election workers and observers, campaign staff, and candidates using more resources, including from the Republican National Committee.

When the presidential election arrives in November next year, she said Maryland Republicans will be united behind our nominee to prevent another four disastrous years of a second Biden administration.

Ehrlich said the party must identify and target races it can win.

There are winnable seats, he said. There are a couple of congressional races that that are winnable.

In addition to Andy Harris Harford County and Eastern Shore seat that he is favored to win again next year, Republicans have targeted Western Marylands 6th Congressional District. Republican Neil Parrott narrowly lost to Democratic Rep. David Trone in 2022 in the states most competitive U.S. House race and told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday he is considering running again. Trone is running for the U.S. Senate, and a host of Democrats  including attorney April McClain Delaney and state Dels. Lesley Lopez and Joe Vogel  are seeking to take his place in the House.

Trump, the leading contender for the GOP nomination, is a deeply unpopular figure in Maryland, in which Democrats have a better than 2-to-1 voter registration advantage.

Ehrlich, who represented the 2nd Congressional District from 1995 to 2003, said divisions among state Republicans over Trump are more about personality than policy.

I would say that theres a common factor here that will bring both factions together, which is the Biden record, Ehrlich said. The failures of the Biden administration, especially on the economic front, is certainly bringing people together.

While the state party is hardly abandoning the former president, GOP leaders said the party must focus on Maryland.

I dont blame the media for dwelling on Trump. Hes clickbait. Hes as entertaining as he is outrageous, said Tom Kennedy, chairman of the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee.

But, Kennedy said, none of that is helpful to me as the city GOP chairman because the more time the media spends on him, the less time theyre talking about real things, like crime rates, a broken public school system, and the kind of deep-seated corruption that only happens in a one-party town.

While Trump generates enthusiasm among pockets of Republican voters, the party has been losing ground statewide.

In 2020  the last presidential election year  Democratic voter registration rose 3.8% from January through November, when the election was held. Republican registration rose 2.2%.

Frederick, Kent and Talbot counties flipped to Democratic in the presidential contest after voting Republican in 2016. The evolving landscape is caused largely by population shifts that are turning once-rural counties into extensions of Democratic-oriented suburbs.

This year, the rate of Marylanders registering as independents has been outpacing those signing up as Republicans. The trend has been evident for at least a few years but is more pronounced today.

In November  the last month for which figures are available  9,320 Democrats registered compared to 7,058 independents and 3,337 Republicans.

Political parties have gotten such a bad rap. People say, I wouldnt want to be part of that screaming,' said John T. Willis, a Democrat and former Maryland secretary of state in the administration of Democratic former Gov. Parris Glendening.

Republicans best Maryland strategy may be to keep elections locally focused, Willis said. Overall, the GOP fares better in elections for county executives, commissioners and states attorneys than it does statewide.

They need to focus on issues, Willis said. The local elections for county commissioner dont have anything to do with Trump.

In overwhelmingly Republican Garrett County, for example, it doesnt matter what Trump does. Its very predictable, Willis said.

In 2022, the western Maryland county voted for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox, a Trump loyalist, by a nearly 3-to-1 margin over Democrat Wes Moore, who was elected with 64% of the statewide vote.

Moore succeeded Larry Hogan, the first two-term Republican governor since Theodore McKeldin in the 1950s.

Im sure there are some Republicans that thought after having Larry Hogan there for as long as he was, there was this incredible opportunity, said Roger E. Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimores College of Public Affairs. The partys hope, Hartley said, was that you could marshal that into a party that could become competitive in statewide races.

But since Hogan left in January, nobody else has emerged who can govern from the center and do it really well, and keep all the bases together, Hartley said.

Nicole Harris, asked by The Sun why Hogan was unable to build on his two terms, drew a distinction between Hogan and Ehrlich.

When Bob Ehrlich was governor, he prioritized raising money for the party and electing Republicans down ballot, the party leader said. Larry Hogans priorities were different, but he was successful in becoming the first Republican governor to be reelected in modern history.

Hogan could not be reached for comment through several former associates and strategists.

Hogan was at odds with Trump long before leaving office. Hogan sometimes contrasted Trumps style with former Republican President Ronald Reagans, suggesting Reagans more tempered approach was preferable for the nation because he wasnt focused on scoring partisan points.

Hogan declined to vote for Trump in 2020, casting a symbolic write-in vote for Reagan, who died in 2004.

Nicole Harris was an alternate delegate to the 2020 Republican National Convention and supported Trump.

Maryland has about an even number of Trump and Hogan Republicans. In state and local politics, weve called a truce, said Kennedy, the Baltimore Republican chairman.

Politics isnt brain surgery, although some act like it is, he said. In Baltimore, its about offering commonsense solutions to problems that have apparently mystified the mayor and city council for decades.

Other Republican leaders, too, said they plan to stress issues close to home.

The upcoming presidential election will dominate headlines, said Beth Rettaliata Lawson, the Howard County Republican Party chair.

But she said Republican organizations like hers will continue to shine light on local issues and advocate for conservative, market-based solutions at the local level.
Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D) said the fear of former President Trump is the reason behind the GOPs resistance to Ukraine aid in a clip posted Wednesday.

This is good foreign policy, Auchincloss said in an MSNBC clip he posted on social media Wednesday. If we cut and run, itll be a disaster for our allies and for our overseas standing. And Republicans understand that, but theyre afraid of Donald Trump.

Auchincloss also said that if the former president fell down tomorrow and got a concussion and decided he was actually anti-Putin, pro-Ukraine, we would see a magical 180 in the House Republican Conference.

Congress isnt likely to pass a new package of aid for Ukraine before the final tranche of aid for the Eastern European country runs out at the end of the month. Despite President Biden wanting $61 billion in new aid for Ukraine, Congress is holding that aid up while it is trying to figure out a deal on border security.

Trump has a history of opposing more aid to Ukraine. In May 2022, he criticized lawmakers for their attempt to pass $40 billion in aid to the war-stricken country.

The Democrats are sending another $40 billion to Ukraine, yet Americas parents are struggling to even feed their children, Trump said in a statement issued through his Save America PAC.

He said no one is talking about the baby formula shortage that was happening at the time in the U.S., calling it a national disgrace.

It is unthinkable that in the year 2022 American families are unable to get baby formulas for their children. Families whose children have serious allergies and require elemental formula are in even more desperate and dire straits, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tuesday nights swearing-in ceremony was a brief opportunity for the people of Great Falls to welcome in newly elected and returning city officials, and to offer thanks to those few who will be leaving public office. Upwards of 150 people packed the commission chambers to witness a new mayor, two city commissioners, a new municipal court judge, and the members of nine neighborhood councils take their oath of office.

I thank you all for being here, Municipal Court Judge Steven Bolstad told the enthusiastic audience. This is a wonderful turnout.

Before leading each incoming official in the oath of office, Bolstad - who will soon begin his fourth term as judge  took the opportunity to praise our system of government despite the deep discord that frequently plagues it.

Our system of justice is not perfect, but its still the best in world, he said, and I believe that about our government as well. Its not perfect, we have problems, but it is the best in the world.

With that each in-coming official repeated a quick oath, accepted the audiences applause, signed a few documents, and it was over. The entire ceremony took less than half an hour.

Bolstad expressed personal gratification on the swearing in of Mark Dunn, who as of January 1 will become a second municipal court judge for Great Falls. In recent years the citys court, which until now has included only one municipal judge, has been overwhelmed by its caseload. Judge Dunns arrival promises to help clear the backlog of cases and ease the burden on Bolstads courtroom.

Mark Dunn (left) places his hand on his grandfather's bible while being sworn in as Great Fall's second Municipal Court Judge on Tuesday

For me its a special night, Bolstad said. I get a second judge finally, which is greatly needed.

While each individual swearing-in was met with loud applause, the major focus of the night was both the arrival of a new mayor and the departure of Bob Kelly, who has served as Great Falls mayor for the past eight years.

Mayor Reeves speaks of his hopes for the future

Former Cascade County Undersheriff Cory Reeves will officially assume the office of mayor after the first of the year but has never before served as an elected official. Reeves said he does not consider himself to be a political person, and thats its a skill he will have to learn after taking office. He also spoke about his priorities in the years ahead, and his motivations to run for public office. He said the impulse to become mayor came to him during a casual night at home with his family.

I was just reminiscing about things that I enjoyed about our city and things that Id like to see improve in our city, Reeves recalled. It was like a spiritual thing that came over me that said I should have the courage to run. I prayed about it, I talked to my wife about it and she said this is your call - whatever you want to do. So, I jumped in."

He added that he had no interest in running against incumbent commission candidates Rick Tryon or Eric Hinebauch for one of the two open commission positions but had heard that Mayor Kelly would be retiring after four terms in office.

I didnt want to run against Mayor Kelly, just like I didnt want to run as commissioner against Eric or Rick. I respect them all  but since there was going to be an opening why not see what I can do.

At the Nov. 7 election Reeves bested the vote totals of three other candidates for mayor, winning with more than 40% of the total votes cast. He said his two greatest priorities upon assuming office will be advancing economic development and growth in Great Falls and working to address the citys housing shortage.

I really want the work with our planning and community departments to ensure that our policies, procedures, our resolutions, and ordinances are streamlined, he said. That way if you show up in our community to start a business, to build a house youre not waiting three-, six-, nine-months to do that. Were going to streamline things to the best of our abilities and get the economic growth going.

Newly elected Mayor Cory Reeves (left) is congratulated by Municipal Court Judge Steven Bolstad after taking the oath of office Tuesday night

Reeves said that the failure of the Public Safety Levy proposal last November means the city commission is going to have to go back to the drawing board about operations within Great Falls fire, police, and municipal court departments.

In my opinion people didnt say no law enforcement or the fire department, he said of the failure of Public Safety Levy. They just said no to more taxes right now, but just because the levy and bond failed doesnt mean that the need went away. Its still there.

People want to move to a community thats safe, Reeves added. I think Great Falls is still safe, but our resources are just too extended, whether its fire or police. We really do have to take a hard look at what were going to do moving forward. What that looks like is to be determined.

He said he is deeply grateful for all their help and support hes received from the other commissioners and city staff as he transitions into his new role, especially for Mayor Kelly

Hes a great mentor to me and is extremely gracious, Reeves said of the outgoing mayor. I think what we both want is to have seamless transition.

I know were undoubtedly going to have challenges ahead of us, but Im excited to take on those challenges, he concluded. I eager to begin working together with my fellow commissioners, community members, the different committees we have throughout the city to see what we can get done.

Praise and applause for Bob Kelly

The open house that followed the official swearing-in ceremony was described as an opportunity for the public to meet their new city officials, but most of the attention was on Bob Kelly, thanking him for more than 10 years of service on the commission including four terms as mayor.

The open house began with a presentation from Col. Barry Little, commander of the 341st Airwing at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Little described Kelly as a dear friend and outstanding partner who had strengthened relations between the Air Force and Great Falls throughout his tenure. He then presented Kelly with an American flag, folded and sealed within a triangular wooden display case.

We have flown (this flag) over all of the missile alert facilities that constitute the 341st missile wing and represent the deterrent that we provide the United States, Little told the audience. It was flown in honor of Mayor Kellys contribution to the airman of Malmstrom Air Force Base. It is signed by the facility managers entrusted with this flag at these facilities and by me at the bottom.

The group of people that work on the base, both at Malmstrom and at MANG (Montana Air National Guard) are incredible, Kelly responded. They bring a background to our community that does nothing but makes us better. The things that the base does that many people dont even know about are quiet things that keep us safe and keep us secure. They do it quietly and they do it well.

Weve just come through a decade of dominance where the Blanchard Trophy (awarded by the Air Force Global Strike Command to the best missile maintenance team in the country) was awarded for the fifth time in a row to Malmstrom Air Force Base, and its never ever been done three time in a row before.

Always a gracious public speaker, Kelly encouraged those in attendance to take the opportunity to thank an airman for their service during the Christmas season.

Many of them are far away from home," he said. "They have their homes on base and in our community, and I think we make them feel welcome, but this is a special time to let these young men and women know how much we appreciate them, not only for what they do for Great Falls but for our country.

Bob Kelly speaking in 2021 during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Great Falls.

After accepting words of praise and appreciation from multiple city officials in attendance, including an award for his many years of distinguished service, Kelly shared his thoughts with the Tribune about what his role of mayor had meant to him and about his plans for the future.

Asked what advice he would give himself if he could travel back in time to the opening days of his first term as mayor, Kelly replied listen better, learn as much as possible, and be as available as possible.

There were many surprises along the way, he added. When you have an organization that has 500 people and a $125 million budget, you never really understand it until you jump into the middle of it. I was absolutely impressed with the professionalism of the staff thats here and their commitment to the city. I developed a real admiration for who I work with.

I was fortunate," he added. "Im retired and my wife was able to work fulltime to support my commitment to the community, he said of the many long, largely unpaid hours he put in representing the citizens of Great Falls.

The mayor of Great Falls earns just $468 a month for their service, little more than a stipend to pay for transportation and cell phone service.

There have been some people in the past and there will be in the future who will have full-time jobs, and they may not be able to dedicate the amount of time that I was able to, Kelly noted.

He also said that if he were able to speak with other mayors from Great Falls' past, it would be fun to exchange tales with them about some of the characters they encountered at city commission meetings, and about how they dealt with the issues they faced.

I recently had an opportunity to meet with the mayor of a small village in Nepal, Kelly said. We talked through an interpreter and discovered that many of our issues are the same including the many characters that show up at our meetings.

Kelly, who is now 69, said he and his wife plan to travel through the first quarter of 2024, and that when they return he will begin thinking about his plans for the future.

I want to take a look at where my interests lie, he said. I going to still stay committed to the community but in a less formal sense.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Great Falls mayors exchange thoughts on their futures at swearing-in
Reed Marcum hands a toy to a child at the 2022 toy giveaway. Marcum is always the first volunteer to greet kids and families when they reach the front of the line.

Reed Marcum was just a fifth-grader when he really started to show off his charitable nature.

It was on a small scale at the start, but it didnt take long before something special arose.

First, I had started my bookbag giveaway, he said. And I noticed that not all of my classmates had enough school supplies to go through the first semester. So of course when Christmas rolled around, I realized Christmas was going to be a tough time for everyone.

Marcum decided to take matters into his own hands.

I wanted to make sure no kid was left out of Christmas and they all had a toy under their tree, he said.

So Marcum launched a toy drive as part of his National 4-H Council youth project in his hometown of McAlester in southeast Oklahoma.

'It grew this community'

Each year, the 18-year-old holds a toy drive at the McAlester Expo Center  the most recent one was on Dec. 9. Hundreds of volunteers assist Marcum, and its become a huge event for the community. Each kid who shows up gets one toy, and heading into the last drive, more than 54,000 gifts had been handed out.

McAlester has not always been a tight-knit group, but I think ever since I started my service projects, it grew this community, Marcum said.

Reed Marcum

Marcum is a freshman at Oklahoma State University.

He had to overcome his share of obstacles during his childhood as he struggled with ADHD and social anxiety. And during his senior year of high school, his grandmother and his 4-H mentor passed away. His older brother, who was in Alaska as a member of the Army, also died. That was just before one of the toy drives, but it didnt stop Marcum from leading it.

Despite all those challenges, Marcums passion for the drive is as high as ever.

More: What to do: Oklahoma events celebrating Christmas season, from leg lamps to parades

And although he lives in Stillwater and is attending college, everything is running smoothly.

Of course its going to be a lot more difficult, Marcum said. But I have a great support group in McAlester, along with family and friends that are there to help and push me and help me the whole way.

Marcum has lots of help, which makes it easier to operate despite him living more than two hours away from McAlester.

Hundreds of volunteers we have come over and come out to help us during the actual event, he said. But we have many volunteers throughout the entire year to set up and get toys for the toy giveaway.

McAlester toy drive will offer gifts to anyone under 18

Any kid can show up to the drive and receive something as long, as theyre under 18.

The drive includes a variety of toys. It also has things like headphones for teenagers.

We get the toys from all across Oklahoma, Marcum said. We get toys from local businesses, local individuals that are a part of the community that donate. We buy toys that we can find for good deals when we go shopping and such.

But the mass majority of everything we collect and everything is from donations made from national businesses, local businesses and local community members.

The toy drive isnt the only endeavor Marcum is involved in. He has several others.

Greg Owen, a 4-H educator in Pittsburg County, has been nothing but impressed with Marcum.

Pittsburg County 4-H leader Greg Owen, center, and Hensley Kidd, Miss Teen McAlester, load toys into cars at the 2021 4-H toy giveaway.

Owen has seen Marcums progression from a timid kid to what he is today, a well-spoken and poised adult. Among one of Marcums best talents is public speaking. Hes competed in contests and thrived.

Reed is a natural public speaker, Owen said. Very natural giving speeches, talking in front of people.

Marcum also has developed a skill at spreading the word of his projects through social media.

One of the things hes known for  for all of his service work  is he makes videos on Facebook, Owen said. Reed does not have Facebook, so he would use his moms Facebook, and that would help him get the word out.

Marcum plans to continue building on what hes done.

Owen summarized Marcum pretty well, calling him a true servant leader.

He lives to serve others, Owen said. Thats what motivates him. And then because of his leadership and his social media presence, the community has started throughout the years to build and grow behind him."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: McAlester Oklahoma toy drive started by one teenager's idea
The golden arches are going snuggly and huggable.

On Dec. 19, McDonalds announced it will be offering what many stuffed toy aficionados have been waiting for: the Squishmallows Happy Meal. It will be making its debut at McDonalds restaurants nationwide on Dec. 26 for a limited time, while supplies last.

With the Squishmallow Happy Meal, kids (and those young at heart) have the opportunity to collect up to 12 Squishmallow characters with the purchase of a Happy Meal. Classic Squishmallow characters like Cam the Cat, Fifi the Fox and Maui the Pineapple will be part of the lineup.

Theres at least one new Squishmallow to welcome to the soft and plushy universe: everyones favorite McDonaldland character, purple bestie and viral shake muse, Grimace. There will also be a surprise mystery character for some to discover when they open their Happy Meal.

The Squishmallows Happy Meal features 12 Squishmallow characters  including Grimace. (McDonalds)

Were all about connecting our fans to culture and Squishmallows are some of the hottest toys out there right now, said Tariq Hassan, McDonalds USA chief marketing and customer experience officer, in a press release. This collaboration welcomes McDonalds and Squishmallow fans alike to enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience with the first McDonalds Squishmallows Squad.

Theres a fun reason why every toy includes music notes or headphones, too: Each Squishmallow comes with a unique playlist, courtesy of Universal Music Group. By scanning the QR code on Happy Meal boxes, families can access each toys playlist, each of which were carefully curated based on their unique personalities. Heres hoping Grimaces playlist has Purple Rain on it.

The Squishmallows Happy Meal has taken the world by storm, said Gerhard Runken, senior vice president of brand and marketing at Jazwares, Squishmallows parent company, in a release. We are excited to bring the program to our millions of fans in the U.S. with fun new ways to collect and connect with the Squishmallows brand.

Chatter has been bubbling on the internet about the U.S.-based collab for a while, since the partnership launched in other global markets, like the Halloween-based Squishmallows offered in the U.K. and Ireland.

The Squishmallows fanbase is a fiercely devoted one, with folks showing off their hundreds-strong collections on TikTok, Reddit and beyond. The TikTok hashtag #squishmallows has an astonishing 6.3 billion views (thats with a B), so this collaboration with McDonalds is primed for a popular run, to be sure.

For grown-ups craving a bit of McDonalds-based nostalgia, the chain recently released its latest adult Happy Meal: the Kerwin Frost Box, which features remixes of the McNugget Buddies toys from the 80s and 90s.

This follows the rousing success of its first adult Happy Meal from 2022. The collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market caused a large influx of orders, long lines and unhappy workers.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Oregon has awarded $264 million in grants for drug treatment and recovery under Measure 110, but some providers have spent little money and some counties are at risk of not providing all required services, state auditors said in a report released Wednesday.

The measure decriminalizing possession of small amounts of illegal substances, including heroin and cocaine, was approved by Oregon voters in 2020 and went into effect in 2021.

Oregon's addiction crisis persists despite the measures expansion of drug treatment with a 28% increase in the overdose death rate and the fastest-growing youth drug death rate in the country. The measure established Behavioral Health Resource Networks with money from the state's marijuana tax revenue. The networks are required to provide client screening, assessment and planning, substance use treatment, peer services, housing, and harm reduction services. A BHRN can comprise one community network or several to provide the six required services.

The Secretary of State audit, mandated by the Oregon Legislature, reviewed where the funds went.

Since its been implemented, the top question on everyones minds has been: Is Measure 110 working? Audits Director Kip Memmott, said in a press release. Its a complicated question to answer and much of the public conversation about Measure 110 is outside the scope of this review."

Memmott said auditors identified progress, "but its clear there is still much work to be done."

There were 233 BHRN providers approved in the initial grant period and established in July 2022. Of those, 168 provided peer support and mentoring services, 110 provided behavioral needs assessments, 109 provided substance use treatment, 87 provided housing services, 84 used grants for harm reduction, and 52 directed funding to support employment.

Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade acknowledged the public interest in Measure 110 in a statement about the audit.

There has been a lot of interest around Measure 110, and I have no doubt that many will want to look to this audit as a measuring stick for the law," Griffin-Valades said. "That would be a mistake, as this report is narrowly focused on answering questions about the OHAs grant making program. Within that scope, its a valuable tool.

Behavioral health resource networks spent one-third of grant money

The auditors found network providers in the BHRNs reported spending $95 million, one-third of the $261 million in active grants through December 2023, two-thirds of the way through the initial grant period.

In 12 of Oregon's 36 counties, provider networks reported serving no clients in one of the six required service categories from April to June 2023. In five rural counties, networks reported serving 15 clients or less across all six categories.

Auditors said the networks were an important expansion of needed treatment and services in a state with "substantial gaps" in substance use services.

An Oregon Health and Science University and Portland State University inventory and gap analysis found a 49% gap in substance use disorder services needed in the state. The state had the 6th highest substance use disorder rate in the United States according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Measure 110 is a "substantial addition" to the state's investments in substance use disorder services, auditors determined. The Oregon Health Authority estimates the funding will be a quarter of total spending on substance use disorder services and half of non-Medicaid spending, they wrote.

Other reasons for low spending, issues implementing Measure 110 grants

The auditors also identified the following barriers that resulted in low spending and services:

Concerns with the stability of funding related to concerns that M110 could be repealed or modified

High housing costs that made it difficult to attract staff and provide housing for their clients

Opposition against M110 and stigma against providing substance use services

Low calls to the hotline established by M110 which was meant to serve as a source of new clients

Reduced referrals from drug courts during the pandemic and after decriminalization

The report suggested the OAC and OHA take a "more strategic approach" in the future when funding grants. The approval process for grants did not include analyzing potential demand for services by county, the report noted.

They also suggested the OHA improve its public reporting by working with providers to clarify and add additional details to their responses to quarterly reports of client counts and expenditures.

The report released Wednesday also took a closer look at denials for grant funding. The OAC received 328 grant applications and denied 87 of them, about a quarter. One applicant, Boulder Care applied in all 36 counties and was denied 28 times.

The OAC also denied applications in 17 of the 26 Oregon counties. They denied 46 of 129 applications in Multnomah, Benton, Clackamas, and Washington counties according to the report. The four counties accounted for more than half of all denials.

The most common reasons for denials were unclear applications, high salaries for administrative staff and directors, and high barriers to treatment including random house calls or requiring sobriety for housing.

Audit IDs improvements for new grants

The audit also identified three areas to improve ahead of the next round of grants: application quality, transparency and consistency.

The report cited the volume of applications, vagueness of some applications and pressure to review applications quickly after funding delays as some of the reasons behind inconsistencies and a lack of public discussion.

The report released also looked at how much total funding went toward administrative costs. According to provider reports, there was an average of 7% in administrative costs but there was a large range from 0% to 20% in some networks.

Auditors also were tasked with analyzing how much of Measure 110 funding went toward culturally specific providers to improve outcomes for populations most impacted by addiction. The exact number was unclear, they determined, and suggested the grant process could be improved to better attract community-based applicants.

Memmott said the Oregon Audits Division will conduct another audit of Measure 110 to more directly assess program efficacy.

Lawmakers are expected to introduce additional legislation during February's short session addressing Measure 110.

Three committee meetings have been held in the interim to discuss the state's addiction crisis and potential policy changes.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her atdlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Measure 110 audit finds low spending on treating addicts
The Ukrainian Blackjack hacker group carried out a cyber attack against Rosvodokanal, a Russian water utility company, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 20, citing undisclosed law enforcement sources.

The attack, targeting Rosvodkanal's digital infrastructure, was likely supported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the sources told Ukrainska Pravda.

The news comes only a week after a massive Russian-linked cyberattack against the Ukrainian phone operator Kyivstar, which caused internet and network outages across the country.

Blackjack allegedly attacked more than 6,000 computers and deleted over 50 terabytes (TB) of data, including internal documents, correspondence, cyber protection services, backup data, and more.

The SBU is now analyzing 1.5 TB of Rosvodkanal's data, sources told Ukrainska Pravda.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the report, and the Russian company did not comment on the alleged attack on its website or social media channels.

Rosvodkanal supplies water to around 7 million people and is part of the Alfa Group, co-owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman.

RBC Ukraine reported in late November that the Blackjack group hacked the website of the Russian Labor and Social Protection Ministry with the help of the SBU, downloading a large amount of classified information.

Read also: Massive cyberattack reported on Ukrainian bank, phone operator

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
FILE PHOTO: Workers of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) work amid an outage in Mexico's electricity network on a day of high temperatures, in Ciudad Juarez

By Stefanie Eschenbacher

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico emitted "extreme" amounts of methane from a natural gas pipeline running through its northern border state Durango in 2019, a research paper published on Tuesday showed, citing data collected from satellites.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and warms the planet much faster than carbon dioxide in the short term, is considered a top threat to the climate.

Scientists from Harvard University, led by Marc Watine and Daniel Varon, identified a hot spot in Durango that released thousands of metric tons of methane over two months.

Watine said the team was able to trace the methane leaks to the El Encino-La Laguna pipeline that passes through the states of Chihuahua and Durango, transporting natural gas from the United States to Mexico.

"Our analysis shows that there were emissions from several different parts of the pipeline between April and May that year," Watine said in an interview. "Not all of it came from one location."

On May 12, 2019, between 260 and 550 tons of methane were released per hour from one location, totaling 1,130 to 1,380 tons over three hours, the scientists found.

It was not clear what caused the emissions or which company was responsible for them.

Government documents showed the pipeline, owned by state-owned power utility CFE, is operated by Fermaca Pipeline El Encino.

CFE did not immediately respond to a request for comment and no contact details are listed in public documents for Fermaca Pipeline El Encino.

Scientists have said Mexican companies, including state energy company Pemex, lag behind their obligations to identify, report and mitigate emissions from their infrastructure.

In September 2022, another group detected two methane leaks from Pemex infrastructure in the Ku-Maloob-Zaap oil field cluster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Methane, the main component of natural gas, is invisible and odorless. However, in recent years satellite technology has evolved to make detection possible and more accurate.

The latest research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer reviewed journal.

(Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Jamie Freed)
United Teachers of Dade, Floridas largest teachers union, failed to meet the requirements of a new state law that requires at least 60% of union members pay dues  setting in motion a decertification process that could leave about 30,000 Miami-Dade public school educators without representation.

In a statement sent exclusively to the Miami-Herald on Tuesday, UTD confirmed that an audit conducted by an independent auditor showed that the number of eligible employees who were union-paying members fell short of the threshold, despite UTD adding more than eligible 800 new members, an unprecedented growth in the past five months.

In the statement, UTD condemned the new requirements, saying we have not achieved the new 60% membership density mandated by the onerous anti-worker law.

UTD did not provide the final tally of its membership when asked by the Herald. But on Nov. 10, one week before the district began its review, the number was at 58.4%.

The audit results do not immediately decertify the union. Instead, it sets off a series of steps the union must take to renew its certification with the state. First, the union will have to prove at least 30% of its bargaining unit wants a union. Then, its members will have to vote to move forward with certifying UTD again.

On Tuesday, UTD confirmed it was collecting showing of interest cards to meet that initial requirement of 30% -- though union leadership told the Herald that effort had been underway even before they were made aware of the audits outcome. UTD did not respond to a question regarding how many cards its collected so far.

According to the statement, UTD submitted its application to renew its union certification to the states Public Employees Relations Committee (PERC) on Monday.

If PERC determines the union is eligible to qualify for a certification election  after it has proved at least 30% of its members want representation  the union will hold a vote seeking recertification and top at least 50% support to earn it.

Come next year, though, it will still have to prove it has met the 60% threshold to remain certified  potentially fueling a never-ending cycle.

Nevertheless, the union confirmed with the school district that its current contract will stay in place while we undergo a mandatory election, the statement read. It remains unclear when that vote will happen.

The school district also confirmed to the Herald on Tuesday that officials will maintain the status quo when dealing with the union and would honor the contract ratified earlier this year until a decision is made regarding its certification. (The union successfully bargained for its members to receive pay raises ranging from 7% to 10% this school year.)

New law targets unions

Tuesdays news comes months after a new law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers went into effect. The law, Senate Bill 256, increased the threshold of union-paying members to 60% and blocked unions from pulling dues directly from teachers paychecks.

Supporters of the law say the new requirements aim to increase more transparency about unions. Critics of the law, including union leaders and Democrats, argued the move was a union-busting effort to silence critics.

Meanwhile, police, firefighters and correction-officers unions are exempt from the law, leading teachers unions to argue the law was political retaliation and a violation of their First Amendment, equal-protection and contract rights.

Teachers unions in particular have been a vocal and consistent critic of the governor and Republicans over education policy changes in recent years that have limited and, in some cases prohibited, what can or cannot be discussed in the classroom. (Karla Hernandez-Mats, UTD president, ran against DeSantis in 2022 as the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. She is also the vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.)

Before the law went into effect, Hernandez-Mats called it the most egregious, most anti-union bill ever proffered.

On Tuesday, included in the statement, UTD said it strongly condemn(s) the legislative tactics employed to eradicate our union and, more importantly, adversely impact working-class people, particularly those who helped Floridas largest school district achieve another A-rating.

Earlier this month, the Miami-Dade schools earned an A rating for the 2022-23 school year  the fourth time in a row it received the top score.
WINTER PARK  John Mica, in his 24 years as a Republican member of Congress from Central Florida, worked alongside presidents, helped build roads, bridges and airports, and developed close relationships across the aisle.

Along the way, he collected more groundbreaking shovels than he knew what to do with.

Ive had probably 50 or 60 of them, Mica said, holding a particularly shiny shovel on display at the Winter Park Library used at the U.S. Veterans Affairs nursing home in Orlando in 2016. Ive been giving them away.

Micas documents, letters and assorted mementos from his 12 terms in office and nearly four decades in public life are now part of the Winter Park Library archives, alongside those of his former boss, U.S. Sen. Paula Hawkins, Floridas only woman U.S. senator.

There are between 150 and 170 of these crates for us to process, said archivist Rachel Simmons  But archival work just takes a really long time, especially with a collection like this that spans about 40 years.

Shes got a good career ahead of her to sort through them all, Mica said.

In addition to the dozens of bins of papers that include records of almost every 1990s GOP investigation of President Bill Clinton from Whitewater to Travelgate is an award made up of two metal railroad spikes, a signed sketch of Richard Nixon, a ticket to George W. Bushs second inauguration, and hard hats worn at construction projects, all of which will be accessible to researchers.

For now, parts of the collection make up an exhibit on Mica and Hawkins can be seen by visitors behind glass. At least a few people walking by did a double take, noticing that the large portrait and the man standing in front of it were identical.

There are a few special things he still wants to find among all the boxes for display. One was an office nameplate that was one of the first in the Capitol to include Braille, a change he pushed for in 1994. Another was a nameplate from the Capitol visitors center, which at 580,000 square feet was the largest-ever addition to the building when it opened in 2008.

It wasnt just my project, but I championed it, he said. And then it went slightly over budget, like all federal projects, from $100 million to $620 million. But now they couldnt build it for three times that.

We want you to run

Mica, now 80. was a 20-something fresh out of the University of Florida when he began his career in politics, including working on the Richard Nixon campaign in 1968.

After a stint in the state House and as Hawkins chief of staff in Washington, he was well into a career as a Winter Park developer before Republican higher-ups told him he would make a great candidate for Congress in 1992  only not in Winter Park.

The Chairman of Seminole County, Jim Stelling, who died last week, he came down, sat in my living room and said, We want you to run, Mica said. I lived five blocks from the county line, but a congressman doesnt have to live in his district, just in the state. So I ran.

Throughout his 24 years in Congress, he still thought of himself as a builder more than anything else.

Im not an attorney, I was a developer, Mica said. And I love to build and construct things. The attorneys go up and they fight the philosophical wars and spend a lot of time chattering at each other, but I liked to come away with projects I thought would make a difference.

Getting those projects passed, however, was another matter. He told one story of how an amendment to rebuild the Interstate 4 bridge over the St. Johns River, the most deadly stretch of interstate in the United States, didnt get into a transportation bill as expected.

Wheres my amendment? a shocked Mica asked his staff. I cant go home! What the hell? So I freaked out, of course. But you always have to find a way.

Democratic Minority Leader Dick Gephardt also had one of his pet projects left out of the bill too. So as chair of the House Civil Service Subcommittee, Mica struck a deal.

So I said, Hey, Dick  I need this bridge. And you need this. So, quietly, we put them in. And the bridge was authorized at the end of a civic reform bill.

Some of his biggest fights were over the Orlando International Airport, he said, going back to his days in Tallahassee in the 1970s.

I cant believe youre going to give Mica $20 million for the overpass to a cow pasture, he recalled one legislator telling state officials about a planned road to a remote part of the airfield.

He was walking through the new, state-of-the-art Terminal C earlier this month when he spotted an image that took him back to where it all began.

Theyve got these massive screens, and they put pictures of different scenes, Mica said. Were walking there and I look over, and son of a bitch! Theres a cow pasture.

Working with Democrats

While in Congress, Mica served during three presidential administrations and saw Republicans gain the congressional majority, lose it, and gain it back again. So working with Democrats was a must.

Even Corrine and I got along sometimes, he said of Democrat Corrine Brown, who later served time in prison for fraud. Some of my best friends are on the other side of the aisle.

Of course, he added, I could name a half a dozen I wouldnt want to spend any time with.

Two Florida Democrats particularly close to his heart are his brothers Daniel, a former Democratic congressman, and David, a top aide to Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles.

Heres one of the Democratic family members now, Mica said when Daniels number popped up on his phone.

Sometimes being bipartisan could backfire, he said, like when he was at a transportation bill signing with President Barack Obama.

I had a tough Republican primary, and I was trying to avoid getting too close to Obama and in pictures, he said.  So Im trying to position myself so I dont get in the picture. Obama comes out and he says, First, I want to thank Congressman Mica. [The photo] was just him pointing to me. So that didnt work.

Mica wasnt surprised by the seeming chaos in the current Congress, which deposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and replaced him with Mike Johnson after three other candidates went down in flames. Johnson now must avoid a potential shutdown when the House returns in January.

It hasnt changed, if you read history, Mica said.  Johnson set up this next-year catastrophe-to-be. But its a brinkmanship game. Everybodys trying to get what they can.

An aide to Hawkins

Hawkins, who died in 2009, had donated her papers to her hometown library in the late 1990s. So when it came time to donate his archives, I thought this the ideal place where everybody could have access, Mica said.

Hawkins started out in Republican politics as the Housewife from Maitland before moving to Winter Park. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980.

Mica was in the next room when Hawkins suffered a freak accident at a Winter Park TV studio in 1982, when a wall on the set fell on her back.

I came running in there when it hit her, Mica said. For the rest of her term, she was in constant pain.  Wed take her to events, shed be in the back seat, laying down.

She was able to use Sen. Strom Thurmonds hideaway office while the Senate was in session, which included a hospital bed.

The injury played a role in her loss to then-Democratic Gov. Bob Graham after one term in 1986, he said. Grahams running around the state in a jet, announcing good things everywhere. And shes the hellhole of Washington, getting beat up.

Mica himself ended his long career with a loss to Democrat Stephanie Murphy in 2016. Unlike some politicians who cant seem to stop, Mica and his wife, Patricia, are finally taking it easy.

I dont represent anybody, I dont want to be anything, Mica said. We totally retired last year. My wife and I travel quite a bit. I collect Italian old master drawings. I had an exhibit at Rollins Museum. Thats it. Enjoying life.

Meanwhile, theres still at least one shovel he still possesses.

It was a shiny, golden one given to him by Donald Trump, before he became president, after the Obama administration awarded him the contract to renovate the Old Post Office in D.C. into a hotel.

Its quite the shovel, said Mica. Ive given some away. But not all of them.
The migrant surge overwhelming US-Mexico border authorities is being driven by pseudo-legitimate travel agencies and organized transportation networks that are advertising travel to the US southern border and ultimately connecting migrants to smugglers, according to a US Customs and Border Protection official.

Those smugglers are facilitating the illegal crossings of 500 to 1,000 people at a time, the official said.

These smugglers are recklessly putting migrants into harms way: in remote locations across the border, onto the tops of trains, or into the waters of the Rio Grande River, Troy A. Miller, CBPs senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, said in a statement.

One particular nationality is the Senegalese, the CBP official said. Pseudo-legitimate travel agencies emerging in cities like Dakar, the capital of Senegal, advertise visa-free travel to Europe and then to the US, the official said. The so-called travel packages include a connection to smuggling organizations that facilitate movement to the US southern border with the help of large bus lines in Mexicos northern state of Sonora that operate dozens of buses a day to random spots on the border, according to the official.

Last week, a CNN team in Lukeville, Arizona, witnessed dozens of Senegalese men who had just entered the country illegally and were waiting for transportation to immigration processing.

Earlier this month, CBP announced an effort to crack down on smuggling transportation networks, including bus and van lines used to facilitate illegal migration.

The measures include specific law enforcement operations focused on transportation companies and their employees who are facilitating migrant smuggling activities, Miller said in a statement issued on December 2.

The result of these illicit efforts by international groups is an unprecedented migrant surge that has overwhelmed US Border Patrol, prompting the federal government to suspend operations at crossings in San Ysidro, California, Lukeville, Arizona, and El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas.

The closures have allowed the reassignment of 100 port of entry personnel and other law enforcement personnel outside of CBP to the impacted areas. The Bureau of Prisons is also providing transportation support, Miller said.

Border is nearing a breaking point

The situation at the US-Mexico border is nearing a breaking point, current and former Homeland Security officials told CNN, pushing federal resources to their limit.

The arrival of thousands of migrants across the US southern border and the lack of capacity and resources to address them is amount to the type of scenarios US officials once planned for but hoped wouldnt come to fruition.

Under the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security considered multiple scenarios and planned for surges at the border as high as 16,000 to 18,000 arrivals a day, ahead of the lifting of a Covid-era border restriction that officials worried would prompt a surge.

We could have  and we could sustain  a couple days at 12,000 encounters, a former Homeland Security official told CNN.

But the reality is that a sustained flow of 12,000 to 14,000 is what we determined would buckle the system. Anything beyond that started a significant strain of resources and detention. Ultimately, we knew we were surpassing the capabilities of DHS, the former official said. It will break.

What makes this moment uniquely challenging, officials said, is that multiple sectors along the US southern border are overwhelmed, making it more difficult to decompress the areas of the border that are grappling with large groups of migrants.

A Homeland Security official said personnel are being moved around to try to absorb the flow of migrants and thousands of people are waiting to be processed.

Over recent days, more than 10,000 migrants have unlawfully crossed the US-Mexico border daily  numbers not seen since May, days before the lifting of the Covid-era restriction known as Title 42 that allowed authorities to turn back migrants at the border. Border officials contended with a spike of migrant arrivals at the time, though numbers dropped drastically after Title 42 expired.

The nationalities and demographics of migrants have also consistently presented a challenge for authorities because there isnt enough detention space or repatriation flights for those who dont qualify for asylum.

This week, there were more than 26,000 migrants in Customs and Border Protection custody  nearly 10,000 people over capacity.

US Border Patrol processed 10,500 migrants who crossed the border unlawfully on Tuesday, according to a Homeland Security official.

In the first 14 days of December, more than 37,000 migrants were apprehended in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector, which includes Lukeville, according to John Modlin, the sectors chief patrol agent.

Officials cite multiple reasons for the latest surge, including misinformation spread by smugglers and limited resources in Mexico, which the US has generally leaned on for help in stemming the flow of migrants.

While officials say lessons were learned from previous migrant surges, the current situation is straining already-overwhelmed federal resources. Homeland Security officials are pulling in help from agencies within the department and seeking assistance across other federal agencies.

The White House supplemental request sent to Congress in October also included $14 billion for border security, but it remains stalled in Congress.

The CBP official said the agencys resources can handle about half of the volume of apprehensions its currently encountering on the border. Agents are tasked with both establishing security and responding to major medical emergencies, the official said.

CBP and our federal partners need additional funding from Congress so that we can continue to effectuate consequences for those who do not use the established pathways, Miller said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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By Cheney Orr, Laura Gottesdiener and Ted Hesson

EAGLE PASS, Texas (Reuters) -Dozens of major U.S. agricultural groups on Wednesday urged the U.S. to reopen two rail crossings on the Texas-Mexico border in an effort to restore the trade routes shuttered due to increased migrant crossings, saying they are causing steep export losses.

In a sharply worded letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the growers - representing corn, milk, rice and soybean producers, among others - said the crossings could be easily reopened.

"Each day the crossings are closed we estimate almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are potentially lost along with export potential for many other agricultural products," the groups wrote, adding that blocking food heading to Mexico could lead to inflation or food insecurity there.

Railroad companies and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in recent days have pressed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to reopen the two rail bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, after U.S. border authorities closed them on Dec. 18 in order to "redirect personnel" to process migrants crossing the border.

Among the groups signing the agricultural business letter were the National Grain and Feed Association, U.S. Wheat Associates, American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association.

U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 10,800 migrants at the southwest border on Monday, according to an internal agency report reviewed by Reuters, which several current and former officials said was near or at a single-day record high.

The news came after Mexico's immigration agency said in an internal Dec. 1 memo reviewed by Reuters that it would suspend migrant removals due to an end-of-year funding crunch.

Operations should return to normal in January, a Mexican source familiar with the matter said, adding that the U.S. closure of legal border crossings appeared to be an attempt by the U.S. to pressure Mexico over the scaled-back enforcement.

Mexico's foreign ministry spokesperson said no date had been set for resuming the repatriations.

The agricultural groups said CBP could reopen the railroad bridges with as few as five employees per crossing, challenging the agency's rationale for closing the trade routes.

A White House spokesperson said on Wednesday that the U.S. is "working closely with the Mexican government in attempt to resolve this issue, and also surging personnel to the region. We are communicating regularly with industry leaders to ensure we are assessing and mitigating the impacts of these temporary closures."

In October, total rail freight between the El Paso and Eagle Pass ports topped $3 billion in both directions, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That accounted for some 4% of total trade across the U.S.-Mexico border that month.

Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to Reuters that the rail shutdowns "will inflict significant economic harm" and "do nothing to secure the border."

The increase in migrant crossings comes as Democratic President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024, has sought to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers that would pair increased U.S. border security with military aid for Ukraine and Israel.

But a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a compromise have so far failed to reach a deal as a Christmas break approaches.

'NEED TO HAVE OPEN TRADE'

Eagle Pass and El Paso have received thousands of newcomers in recent days, as migrants - including many families with young children - make their way to the border by bus, atop cargo trains, on foot and even by bicycle.

Among them was Isabel Rodriguez, 55, who said he fled his home country of El Salvador after he was attacked earlier this year by gang members who were enraged that his nephew had refused to join their ranks.

"I left my country because they threatened to kill me, and they said they would find me wherever I went," he said, speaking by the riverbank in the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass.

On Wednesday in Eagle Pass, hundreds of migrants were being held in an outdoor area near the Rio Grande. Three migrants were carried out with medical emergencies in the afternoon while others called out for food, a Reuters witness said.

CBP said it was aware of two medical emergencies, one related to dehydration and another that appeared to be seizure-related.

During a press conference near the border, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents Eagle Pass, urged U.S. lawmakers to make legal changes to deter illegal border crossings that have disrupted trade and transit.

"This has to come to an end," Gonzales said. "We need to have open trade and commerce again."

Some 270 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been pulled from their jobs handling deportations and international investigations to help with migrant transport and other tasks at the border, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss internal operations.

Union Pacific and Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF Railway, two of the nation's largest freight railroad companies, warned of supply chain disruptions ahead of the Christmas holiday due to the railway bridge closures.

Union Pacific said in a statement on its website that a range of products - including grain, beer, metals, cement and automotive parts - have been halted due to the closures. The closed bridges account for about 45% of its cross-border shipments and that the overall economic impact of the closure will be more than $200 million per day.

BNSF declined to comment on the value of goods affected by the closings.

In addition to the railroad crossing closures, U.S. border authorities this month have closed a busy pedestrian crossing near San Diego, California, and another crossing in remote Lukeville, Arizona, to free up workers to process arriving migrants.

(Reporting by Cheney Orr in Eagle Pass, Texas, Ted Hesson in Washington and Laura Gottesdiener in Monterrey, Mexico; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Karl Plume in Chicago; and Cassandra Garrison and Dave Graham in Mexico City; Editing by Mary Milliken, Aurora Ellis and Leslie Adler)
One year from now, we may once again find ourselves facing myriad right-wing activists and entities seeking to overturn the results of a presidential election. At the center may be the current speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican previously known to few outside the Christian right. When the 2024 election takes place, Johnson will barely have reached his first anniversary as speaker.

Johnson spent the tense, chaotic period between the 2020 election and the inauguration persuading Republicans to sign onto an amicus brief he crafted for a Texas lawsuit asserting that state legislatures alone had the power to decide how to run elections. The lawsuit itself was drafted by Trump allies, including the head of a Christian nationalist legal group that employed Johnson before he entered higher office.



The lawsuit failed. The violent aftermath on January 6, 2021, would be caught on thousands of video feeds. Several weeks into being speaker, Johnson would pledge that when releasing 44,000 hours of footage of the attack on the Capitol, he would have the faces of the rioters blurred to protect them from prosecution by the Department of Justice. Mike Johnson is the most disturbing and influential Christian nationalist of 2023.

Numerous reports over the last two months have examined the question, Where did Mike Johnson come from? But thats not a difficult question to answer. Hes been frank about where he came from, telling the Louisiana Baptist Message when he was running for Congress for the first time back in 2016: Some people are called to pastoral ministry  I was called to legal ministry and Ive been out on the front lines of the culture war defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals that have been under assault.

The more salient question is, How did so many people (including myself, to be honest) not see Mike Johnson coming? The answer is that Johnson went this long passing as yet another Republican because many of us didnt pay enough attention to the warnings from those who track the rise of Christian nationalism and who have been deeply troubled by it for a long time. Johnson has not moderated his Christian nationalism with his political ascent. The Lord told me very clearly to prepare and be ready, said Johnson this December, accepting an award at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers gala. Taking the speakership, he told the group, was merely one part of Gods plan for him.

Johnson is not the only member of Congress who seeks to rule the United States according to biblical values, but he is the one most clearly groomed for this role by the Christian right. He spent years moving in secretive circles. He found mentors and future supporters among those on the right who have been pushing the mainstream conservative movement, urging its members to unleash their most extreme tendencies. Johnson was made by those groups and networks; now they have a powerful ally third in the line of presidential succession. They made him powerful, and he owes them.

If you want an example of all this, look to Johnsons membership in the Council for National Policy, an influential conservative group regarded as a kingmaker. Members of CNP are forbidden from telling anyone outside the group that they are a member. Their executive director recently told The Washington Post that the group doesnt do anything. Its aim, as laid out in its vision statement, is to create a united conservative movement that can [restore] religious and economic freedom, a strong national defense, and Judeo-Christian values under the Constitution. Journalist Anne Nelson, author of the book on the Council for National Policy, Shadow Network, has described them as the secret hub of the radical right. She has also described Johnson as their creation.

Leaked CNP membership lists have included a whos who of the far- and farther-right: anointer of conservative judges Leonard Leo; Clarence Thomass conspiracy theorist spouse, Ginni Thomas; and longtime Christian-right leadership figures like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Michael Farris of Alliance Defending Freedom (thats the group that had employed Johnson, where he could put his legal ministry to work). Such members reportedly meet in secret three times each year, often in Ritz-Carlton hotels. They are joined by lesser-known members too, some who have been current or former leadership in the John Birch Society, the neo-Confederate group League of the South, and the violent anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. Josh Duggar, of the fundamentalist reality televisionstarring Duggar family, has been a member, while working for the Family Research Council. Mike Johnson was photographed with Duggar at a 2014 campaign event. In 2021, Duggar was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material.

These proceedings are all closed-door. But video has been obtained by the investigative journalism site Documented, including of Mike Johnson speaking at a CNP meeting in New Orleans in October 2019. Probably all of my biggest heroes are in this room tonight, Johnson said, before listing them. I literally was the bag boy for Matt Staver when I began. Staver is the founder of Liberty Council, another Christian-right group devoted to religious freedom in the sense that Alliance Defending Freedom is: defending the freedom to ignore LGBTQ and womens rights, if not eliminate them. And Tony Perkins, I was his bag, Im not kidding. I was a young lawyer, and I just wanted to learn, and so I followed those guys around. Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, where Duggar once worked. Johnson also remarked that earlier, he was telling Morton Blackwell, a founder of CNP, Im in Congress primarily because I called him for help and he got me here. Johnson may have laid this chapter of his origin story out in private, but once this video leaked, it was widely reported.

Johnson also shared a telling story about his more recent exploits. Somehow, I found myself invited to a small dinner that Charles Koch was having, he began. The other guests, as Johnson described them, were 25 of the top conservative donors in the U.S. (They may have held as much as $4 billion in assets, according to an estimate from the Center for Media and Democracy.) Unlike several other members of Congress who have attended CNP meetings, The Daily Beast reported, Johnson failed to report the trip in his personal financial disclosures. Johnsons spokesperson said his campaign bought him his plane ticket. It remains unclear who paid for Johnsons registration fee, hotel, or meals, though Johnsons remarks point to at least 25 possibilities.

Were those donors pleased when, one year later, Johnson led Republican members of Congress to help Trump overturn the 2020 election? Johnson is more dangerous because he wrapped up his attempt to subvert the election outcomes in lawyerly and technical language, said law professor Rick Hasen this fall, shortly after Johnson became House speaker. A good example would be the language Johnson posted to Twitter on the morning of January 6, 2021: We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! his tweet read. It will be my honor to help lead that fight in the Congress today.

Johnson had already crossed paths with some of those storming the Capitol that day. One of Johnsons former clients, Jason Storms, assistant director of Operation Save Americathe anti-abortion group targeting abortion providers formerly known as Operation Rescuewas one of many violent anti-abortion group leaders that day surrounding and swarming the Capitol. In 2009, Johnson represented him in a case involving Stormss anti-abortion protests at clinics. We were brothers on the path, said Stormss father, Grant, who Johnson had also represented, defending his protests of gay events and venues in 2003. He always had our back.

On January 6, Jason Storms climbed the scaffolding to shoot video of himself and the rioters, saying, Were not going anywhere. He also recorded himself hollering, Yeah, baby! when someone near him bellowed out, Hang them high! This summer, at a conference of anti-abortion groups, Storms suggested that ending abortion in the U.S. might involve a civil war.



Held aloft by rioters outside the Capitol on January 6, among the bright Dont Tread on Me Gadsden flags and the stark Blue Lives Matter flags, was a lesser-known flag with a smallish evergreen tree against a white background, the Appeal to Heaven flag. The flag has become synonymous with the New Apostolic Reformation, whose leaders were some of the first on the Christian right to embrace Trump, drawing him into their vision of an America ruled by Christianity. One of these white flags now hangs inside the Capitol, outside Johnsons office.
Rhea-Lee Thompson emigrated from Jamaica to the United States in 2019. She never thought about joining her adopted country's military but became enamored with the idea of service once she saw her school's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or JROTC.

"JROTC has given me a home away from home and [helped me] grow as a person," Thompson, 16, told Military.com in a classroom that serves as home base for the military's footprint at Alexandria City High School.

The room, in a school nestled in a wealthy northern Virginia suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., is filled with trophies and other accolades from generations of students who were in the program. It's one of the only public schools in an area littered with exclusive private schools.

Read Next: Second Fort Jackson Drill Sergeant Found Dead on Base This Month

Thompson, who sees the military as a pathway to citizenship, has a decorated academic resume for a teenager. She's her JROTC class leader, or "battalion commander," and her GPA is over 4.0. She hopes to move onto ROTC in college and become a medical officer.

It's students like her whom the military hopes to convert from promising applicants to active-duty service members. JROTC is a program funded by the Pentagon designed to teach basic civics and leadership skills -- all while subtly pitching military service to those students through trips to military bases, doing military-style physical challenges like obstacle courses, and having them occasionally wear uniforms. JROTC units are commonplace in parades and other military ceremonies to give those students a taste of the culture.

The Pentagon has generally struggled to fill the ranks in most of its services, a slump that is a complicated amalgamation of issues. Many experts and service planners point to a lack of cultural touch points: Young Americans simply aren't exposed to the culture. There is no "Black Hawk Down" in movie theaters courting the would-be door kicker, the most popular video games have become increasingly fantastical and detached from the military realism some titles sought in the mid-2000s, and recruiters are still struggling to regain a foothold in high schools since the COVID-19 pandemic forced everybody to stay home.

But JROTC, a program that has existed since World War I, offers an increasingly rare means of connecting students who will soon be old enough to join the military with those in uniform. Army planners are quick to say JROTC isn't a recruiting tool, but roughly one-quarter of students in the program end up enlisting or commissioning. Though it's unclear how many of those students would have otherwise joined the military, as other cultural touchstones evaporate, the services have planted a flag in schools across the country and plan to grow their footprints.

"By definition, we are not a recruiting tool," Col. Ken Jones, the director for Army JROTC, told Military.com. "We're charged with introducing kids to opportunities. We want them to know what's available to them, and that includes military opportunities.  We're that connective tissue between the community and their Army."

The program has been rocked by controversy since the Vietnam War over concerns of militarizing America's youth.

Concerns over course instructors sexually harassing or assaulting teenage cadets have also been persistent. In recent months, the Army has established new guidance aimed at preventing gender-based discrimination and enforcing laws against sexual violence by instructors. A New York Times investigation found that thousands of teens were forced into the program by their schools, a move that is discouraged but not outright forbidden by the military services. Congress just recently included a provision in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, banning forced enrollment.

That bill, which is set to be signed into law by President Joe Biden, also directs the Pentagon to submit an annual report of sexual misconduct in JROTC, including details on the outcomes of investigations. Officials will also be required to notify the secretary of their service within two days of any allegations of sexual misconduct involving an instructor.

There are now 1,734 Army JROTC programs in high schools, with some 275,000 cadets. The program has steadily grown each year, with even more expansion in the coming years being mulled by Army planners. Some 280 schools are on a wait-list for their own JROTC programs to be established. With a relatively modest $200 million budget, it costs the Army only about $800 per cadet each year, sharing a lot of the costs with the school.

Students who finish the program, in some cases, may earn scholarships or some advanced placement in ROTC in college. Cadets who complete three years of JROTC can enlist in the Army as a private first class, though the Army offers numerous other fast tracks to that rank. The active-duty force at large doesn't generally hold JROTC experience as a major achievement, and those who complete the program are sometimes viewed as having missed out on chances of a more rebellious youth.

But that doesn't mean it isn't valuable to the military services, with the chance for more if the reputation could be buttressed.

"It's certainly missing an X-factor, something that makes it cool," one infantry Army lieutenant told Military.com on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the topic. "The footprint is there, there's a lot of value in that, but I think there's an opportunity for the Army to double down."

Editors Note: This story has been updated to include details on potential promotion fast tracking that is available to ROTC cadets.

Related: Senators Seeks More Safeguards in JROTC Program After Reports of Sexual Abuse
Russian forces advanced between one and half and two kilometers in some areas of the Avdiivka sector at the cost of around 20,000 killed and wounded in the past two months, Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesman for the Tavria group of forces, said on Dec. 20.

Russia intensified its attacks against Avdiivka in early October, reportedly suffering heavy losses in an attempt to encircle the front-line town at the doorstep of occupied Donetsk.

"If we count from Oct. 10, when the enemy became more active, in some places he advanced by one and a half to two kilometers," Shtupun said on television.

"But it cost them dearly. In a little more than two months... the enemy lost almost 25,000 men dead and wounded, about 200 tanks, and over 400 armored vehicles in the Tavria group's area of responsibility in Donetsk Oblast."

Around 80% of these figures concern the Avdiivka direction, the spokesperson said.

The head of Avdiivka's military administration, Vitalii Barabash, said on Dec. 19 that Russia changed its tactics in the sector, focusing its attacks in specific directions rather than across the entire line.

The U.K. Defense Ministry reported that recent assaults against Avdiivka have resulted in a 90% increase in Russian casualties.

Read also: Ukraine holds back Russian assault on Avdiivka as long winter battle looms

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This story, part of a series of investigative reporting projects by Military.com on veterans health, was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

Julie Akey was just 46 when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that she describes as an "old man's disease," typically diagnosed in those 65 and older.

The news shocked the former Army linguist. She had no family history of the relatively uncommon disease.

While searching for a potential cause, Akey learned that a location where she once lived, Fort Ord, California, was designated a Superfund site in 1991 by the Environmental Protection Agency for extensive contamination of its soil and groundwater. Even today, parts of the former installation are so polluted, they can't be redeveloped.

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"I'm not a scientist, but in my opinion, it was the [solvent trichloroethylene]," Akey said, citing an industrial chemical used extensively by the Army that contaminates an aquifer beneath Fort Ord as the cause of her disease. "To this day, there is still a TCE plume in the water there."

The problem is not unique to Fort Ord. Across the country and around the world, environmental pollution at active and former U.S. military sites has created the specter of potential health threats for former service members and their families who worked and lived in places now known to have been contaminated.

The list of exposures and illnesses among former military personnel seems endless: firefighters with testicular cancer linked to the foam used by the Defense Department; military aviation crews with higher rates of brain and nervous system cancers than is normal; missileers with non-Hodgkin lymphoma; female troops with a 40% higher chance of developing breast cancer than their civilian counterparts; and post-9/11 veterans with twice the diagnosis rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, than the general population.

The 2022 Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act provided a pathway for millions of ill veterans to obtain health care and disability compensation for environmental exposures abroad, one of the largest expansions of Department of Veterans Affairs benefits in the history of the agency.

But many veterans and their families who lived through potential exposures closer to home in the U.S. -- like Fort Ord -- were not included and face an arduous process proving their illnesses are tied to military life, often with minimal assistance or guidance from the VA.

Akey, who has amassed research linking TCE exposure to multiple myeloma and other blood cancers, has been denied twice for her condition.

"This summer, I filed again and it hasn't been denied, but it's come back and they have asked me for so many different things. I feel like they are just stringing me along. It's 'wait, deny and then they die.' I really feel like that," Akey said.

The VA has always had something of a two-tiered system for handling help for those facing health consequences from their lives in and around the military. Some conditions are automatically accepted as tied to service, known as presumptive conditions, allowing for a streamlined course for receiving benefits.

The PACT Act opened this path for veterans sickened by burn pits and other environmental pollutants in the Middle East, Afghanistan and elsewhere, making more than 20 disease classifications eligible for expedited health care and benefits.

But those who suspect their illnesses were caused by contamination at U.S. installations elsewhere aren't covered by the law, leaving them to prove via extensive paperwork that their illnesses are "service connected" -- a monumental task, they say, especially for ailments like cancer that are slow to develop, leaving years between exposure and consequences.

Roughly 2,300 miles away from Fort Ord lies another closed Army post, Fort McClellan, Alabama, once home to the service's Chemical Corps School, the Army Development Command Chemical/Biological/Radiological Agency, the Army Military Police School and more.

While the base is not a designated Superfund site, the former installation was possibly contaminated with radioactive compounds and chemical warfare agents, according to the VA.

Another potential source of toxic exposure for those assigned to or who trained at Fort McClellan was a Monsanto plant in nearby Anniston that was forced to pay the residents of the town a $700 million settlement in 2003 for allegedly dispersing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, for decades in the region. The chemicals are linked to birth defects, weakened immune systems and certain types of cancer.

Service members assigned to Fort McClellan were not part of that settlement.

"I can only say with a degree of certainty that there are thousands and thousands of Fort McClellan veterans suffering from a wide variety of rare and not so rare cancers and adverse health conditions that would otherwise be presumptive if they served in Vietnam or Camp Lejeune [North Carolina]," said Bill Bonk, a former Army officer who trained at the base in the early 1980s and wrote a book about contamination on the installation.

Halfway across the world, also in the 1980s, Betty Seaman and her husband, Navy Capt. Jim Seaman, lived at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, where they thought nothing of a neighboring commercial incinerator that frequently belched black smoke across the base.

In his later years, Seaman, an A-6 Intruder pilot, was an avid cyclist who liked to paddleboard and kayak, and he built his dream retirement home in Hollywood, Maryland, near Naval Air Station Patuxent River. But three months after moving into the house, Seaman was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died five months later at age 61.

Seaman was never a smoker. His widow Betty thinks Atsugi may be to blame.

"We just assumed if [the incinerator] was something horrible, they would have told us," said Betty, who has become an advocate for families of pilots and those assigned to Atsugi who have developed cancer. "Three out of four of us have had cancer in my family."

'Wait, Deny and Then They Die'

It is difficult to directly connect an environmental exposure to a person's medical condition even if research shows a cause and effect because there may be no paperwork on the extent or specific type of an individual's exposure.

Research by various arms of the federal government, including the VA, the Army and the Navy, has said that no one at Fort Ord consumed unsafe water, that there is no increased cancer risk among residents at Atsugi or high levels of toxic exposure at Fort McClellan.

It can take decades for illnesses tied to exposure to surface, and often decades further for the VA to establish any presumptive conditions for an exposure. Herbicides used in Vietnam, which didn't see applicable legislation until 1991, contaminated water consumed by residents of Camp Lejeune for 30 years before finally being formally recognized in 2017. Burn pits were acknowledged as a cause of illness by the PACT Act 16 years after an Air Force colonel warned of their potential to cause chronic health conditions.

In the interim periods, the federal government often denied any connection between a contaminant and an illness, contracted studies to disprove a connection, prevented the disclosure of documents on known environmental hazards, or ignored expert advice on potential consequences.

It happened with Vietnam veterans and Agent Orange, with Persian Gulf War veterans cleaning a water treatment facility or destroying a chemical storage facility, with service members and families at Camp Lejeune, and with troops and contractors living and working alongside burn pits.

It's understandable, said Shane Liermann, a former Marine who serves as national deputy legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, that affected veterans are angry.

"[The federal government] missed the opportunity in many instances to do the right thing," Liermann said. "We can't just ignore each of these [exposures] or all of these for another 30 years. Too many veterans are not going to have access to what they need to survive."

The VA has the ability to establish presumptive conditions without congressional input or studies from outside sources.

Even before passage of the PACT Act, the VA designated three conditions -- rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma -- as well as nine rare respiratory cancers as linked to service in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere.

Liermann said he would like to see the VA use that authority to broaden the list of presumptive conditions or find a way to "upfront, make it easier to get service connection for a condition before it becomes a presumptive."

"I know everyone likes to say the phrase 'veteran-centric,' but this really needs to be 'life-centric.' The longer we wait, veterans are having more health problems and losing their quality of life. They may be losing family members. We need to take quicker action," Liermann said.

At nearly every opportunity he gets, VA Secretary Denis McDonough tells former service members they should file claims for any injury or illness they believe is service-connected even if it is not an established presumptive condition.

"Veterans who did not serve in Central Command [in the Middle East] but who have been exposed to toxins, we urge them to file a claim, and then we'll work through with them establishing a service connection," McDonough said during a press conference in July.

Without the presumptive connection to service for a medical condition, however, the pathway to receiving VA disability is an enormous challenge.

VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said the department does not track specific military exposures other than what is covered under the PACT Act, nor does it have "site-specific data that we can link to claimed conditions."

"VA continues to further explore and study the effects of all toxic exposures concerning veterans and follow the science when it comes to treating these conditions and granting service connection for disabilities as appropriate," Hayes wrote in a statement to Military.com. "While these studies are ongoing, service-connected disabilities are not a requirement to receive care at VA, and we encourage all eligible veterans to sign up for care at VA."

Akey maintains a spreadsheet of nearly 1,300 former residents of Fort Ord who are sick, including 149 with multiple myeloma and hundreds of others with blood cancers. She has a six-page letter from her doctor testifying that her illness was caused by exposure to TCE.

Yet her VA claim has been denied and she is aware of just one veteran whose colon cancer claim citing per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, contamination at Fort Ord was approved.

Bonk said that some veterans have had their claims approved and posted their elation on Fort McClellan social media groups that he belongs to, with success rates seemingly ticking up following the passage of the PACT Act, but "there are still scores denied."

Betty Seaman, who is in contact with pilots affected by cancer and family members who lived at Atsugi, said the path to claims is "very restrictive" regarding locations under the PACT Act.

"Every person I have ever dealt with [at the VA] has been committed and sincere in wanting to help," she said. "But when you've just been hit with a cancer diagnosis, can't get the VA to acknowledge it and get treatment, you don't see that."

The PACT Act Spotlight

The military services, Defense Department and VA are conducting or planning to launch studies on potential exposures at various locations where veterans have already reported problems.

The Air Force is working to determine whether 14 types of cancer are more common in active-duty personnel and veterans who worked on nuclear missile bases after a former missileer raised concerns over possible cancer clusters in December 2022.

The VA was required, under the PACT Act, to conduct an epidemiological study of Fort McClellan and has hired a contractor, Prometheus Federal Services, to conduct the research, with the study design expected to be released in late 2024.

The Department of Defense launched an investigation in 2017 to determine the extent of PFAS contamination at 714 military installations. To date, it has found that 359 former and active military sites will require cleanup, while another 248 are still in the testing phase. The remaining 107 don't require further remediation work, according to the department.

PFAS chemicals have been used by the DoD for decades in firefighting foam used for training and response to aviation mishaps and shipboard fires. The man-made substances, dubbed "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment, have been tied to testicular and kidney cancer, as well as low sperm counts, preeclampsia in pregnant women and diminished vaccine response in children.

The VA has a research study in the works that will investigate PFAS levels in military firefighters and construction workers and look at any correlations between those levels and cardiometabolic diseases such as heart attack, stroke and insulin resistance.

The results of that study are expected in 2026, according to McDonough.

The DoD was also ordered by Congress to test military firefighters' PFAS levels.

Each of these efforts is welcomed by veterans and veterans service organizations, said Liermann, who penned a white paper for the DAV on Fort McClellan urging Congress to establish a concession of exposure for all veterans who served there. But the results can't come fast enough for affected veterans, he added.

"The PACT Act has raised a level of awareness that we've never seen before, which is great because veterans who are getting diseases associated with these exposures, even domestically, we can't just ignore ... for another 30 years," Liermann said.

The VA is in the process of considering adding several types of blood cancers to the list of presumptives under the PACT Act, including multiple myeloma that originates below the neck.

But it won't help people like Akey, who never deployed to an area listed in the legislation.

"They're just stringing me along, just waiting till I'm just too sick or too tired, too fed up to keep going with this darn VA claim," she said. "I think it's because if they approve mine -- and this is why I'm fighting so hard -- then I will set a precedent for other people, for all these other people who are sick and have been denied as well."

Related: VA Plans Outreach to Screen 3 Million More Veterans for Toxic Exposures
Ukraine has already produced 50,000 first-person-view (FPV) drones in December, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said on Dec. 20.

FPV drones are cheap to manufacture and can be precisely flown into targets. They have the capability of destroying much more expensive military equipment.

Kamyshin said in October that Ukraine aimed to massively scale up its production of drones to tens of thousands per month.

He added on Dec. 10 that Ukraine has the capability to produce 10,000 mid-range drones and 1,000 long-range drones, which can fly more than 1,000 kilometers, in 2024.

The full-scale invasion has fueled a significant increase in the production of drones, as well as their technical innovation.

Ukraine's "Army of Drones" is a joint initiative of the Digital Transformation Ministry and the governmental UNITED24 fundraising platform. It was launched in July 2022, with Star Wars actor Mark Hamill as the initiative's ambassador.

In addition to procuring drones, the initiative is tasked with repairing drones and training soldiers on how to operate them.

Read also: Deadly drone arms race intensifies as Ukraine, Russia embrace the future of war

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Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, highlighted winterization techniques at a Diamondback Energy tank battery facility in Midland last December. Tim Fischer/Staff file photo

MIDLAND  Temperatures are just starting to slip toward wintertime lows, but the Texas oil and gas industry and regulators are taking steps to prepare for the cold weather ahead.

Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, said his groups members have invested in weatherizing facilities and training to keep the natural gas the states electric grid needs to operate from freezing up when temperatures drop.

Our system is complex, including production, processing and transport across the vastest areas to help Texans heat their homes and feed their families, Shepperd said in an emailed response to questions. This includes our communities here in the Permian Basin, which often face the brunt of winter weather in Texas. We are proud of those operators and employees who take this job so seriously and work out in the cold, damp nights so that we may be warm and dry in our homes.

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The Railroad Commission of Texas, which is charged with regulating the states energy industry, also has begun weatherization inspections of production and transport facilities across the state, said Patty Ramon, a commission spokeswoman. She said it is also working to ensure there is ample natural gas in underground storage leading up to the winter season.

The activity is in response to new laws enacted after Winter Storm Uri, the February 2021 deep freeze that led to blackouts when a near-collapse of the state power grid thrust much of Texas into darkness and cold, leading to hundreds of deaths. Now, gas companies are required to winterize their equipment to ensure it doesnt freeze up and can continue sending fuel to power-generating plants. New laws also designated critical infrastructure that needs to continue receiving power in case of planned blackouts.

Ramon noted there also are layers of information recently added to the states electricity supply chain map that will enhance real-time responses to maintenance or repair issues that occur at generating plants or natural gas facilities during weather emergencies.

At the well site, operators are using seasonal weatherization techniques, she said, including methanol injection, temperature-activated pumps, steamer units, equipment shelters and insulated critical lines and valves.

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Beginning last December, operators with facilities required to weatherize under the new laws were expected to report their emergency preparedness plans to the Railroad Commission, including considerations for how each will protect employees, the environment and their equipment when implementing their plans. Requirements extend to external support operations such as water disposal wells, a necessary function to continue oil and natural gas production.

Texas has an edge over many other states, said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association. Thats due to its vast natural gas storage infrastructure funded by the private sector, he said in a statement.
The previous design of the Minnesota state flag has long been criticized for depicting a shirtless Native American person on horseback, seemingly being displaced from his land by a settler farmer. (Photo/courtesy)

Minnesota is getting a new flag that more accurately represents every Minnesotan, said the state's Lt. governor, Peggy Flanagan.

The new flag, approved by the State Emblems Redesign Commission on December 19, shows a white Northern star over a dark blue backdrop in the abstract shape of Minnesota, beside a lighter blue thats meant to symbolize the significance of water to our state, according to the commissions notes.

The previous design of the Minnesota state flag has long been criticized for depicting a shirtless Native American person on horseback, seemingly being displaced from his land by a settler farmer. The Minnesota state legislature passed a bill to redesign the flag in May 2023.

The designs must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota's shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities, the commissions mandate reads. Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design.

Dare I say anything thats not a Native person being forced off their land is a flag upgrade?! Flanagan, citizen of the White Earth Nation, wrote on X. Excited to have a new state flag that represents every Minnesotan.

The new design was done by Minnesota resident Andrew Prekker.

Prekker said in a statement that he hopes the new flag can properly represent the states diverse populations.

That every Minnesotan of every background including the Indigenous communities and tribal nations whove been historically excluded can look up at our flag with pride and honor, and see themselves within it, Prekker said.

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

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
A panel tasked with choosing a new Minnesota state flag officially announced the winning design to replace the state flag that has been criticized for being offensive to Native Americans.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission voted Tuesday on both a new state flag and seal, which will become official April 1, 2024, unless the state Legislature rejects the new designs, The Associated Press reported.

Minnesotas current state flag features a Native American riding off on a horse as a white settler plows a field with a rifle resting against a stump nearby.

The Minnesota state flag is displayed in the state Capitol building rotunda, March 24, 2022, in St. Paul, Minn. | Mohamed Ibrahim/Report for America via Associated Press

The new design is much more simplistic. A white eight-pointed star on the left side of the flag references the state motto  Star of the North  while the dark and light blue panels represent the states waterways.

The winning design by 24-year-old Andrew Prekker was chosen from more than 2,600 submissions.

It is my greatest hope that this new flag can finally represent our state and all its people properly, Prekker said. That every Minnesotan of every background  including the Indigenous communities and tribal nations whove been historically excluded  can look up at our flag with pride and honor, and see themselves within it.

Minnesota is the latest state to opt for a more minimalistic state flag. Heres a look at the states that have adopted new flags in recent years:

Utah

In 2023, the Utah Legislature passed a law creating a new state flag.

The old design is a seal-on-a-bedsheet flag featuring an eagle, two American flags, a beehive and more, on a dark blue background.

The old Utah flag flies over the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

The new design pays homage to the states snow-capped mountain peaks, red-rock canyons and nickname, the Beehive State, according to The New York Times.

New Utah state flag. | State of Utah

Mississippi

In January 2021, Mississippi officially replaced its old state flag, a controversial design that featured the Confederate battle emblem.

Mississippi was the last state to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its flag, according to The New York Times.

The old Mississippi state flag flies outside the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Mississippi, June 25, 2020. | Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press

The new design features the states flower  a magnolia  and the phrase In God We Trust.

The new design of the Mississippi state flag displayed outside the Old State Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson, Miss on Sept. 2, 2020. | Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press

States considering changing their flags

Other states that are considering officially changing their state flag include:

Michigan.

Illinois.

Maine.
The flag was approved by Minnesota's State Emblems Redesign Commission after an 11-1 vote

After months of debate and thousands of submissions, Minnesota has unveiled a new flag to replace a design many Native Americans considered offensive.

The proposed state flag, which features a white eight-pointed star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, was revealed on Tuesday.

The special commission that approved it said the design was an ode to Minnesota's motto, Star of the North.

It added that the light blue represented the state's waters.

The chairman of the redesign commission, however, acknowledged that the flag could be interpreted differently by others.

Andrew Prekker, a 24-year-old Minnesotan artist whose design formed the basis of the new flag, said it was "hard to express his gratitude and amazement".

"Among the many emotions I'm feeling, the strongest are a sense of honour, privilege, excitement, and gratitude," he said in a statement. "It's such a rare privilege to be able to contribute to our state's history in such a special way like this."

The flag was approved by Minnesota's State Emblems Redesign Commission after an 11-1 vote. The commission also approved a new state seal that features a loon, the state bird.

Barring an unlikely rejection by the state legislature, the new flag will become official on 11 May - Minnesota's Statehood Day.

The current flag, which dates from 1957 and is an updated version of the 1893 original, features a horse-mounted Native American riding away from a farmer who has a plough and a rifle.

It has been the subject of years of debate in the state, and some members of the redesign commission said it could be viewed as a reference to the displacement of Native Americans in Minnesota.

Indigenous members of the commission said Minnesota's current flag was offensive to Native Americans.

Mr Prekker's design, however, has been compared by some to the flag of Puntland, a Somali state.

Minnesota is home to a large Somali diaspora, and is represented in Congress by Somali-born representative Ilhan Omar, but officials have said that any similarity is a coincidence.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon addressed the issue directly during a commission meeting earlier this week, noting that Iowa's flag is similar to France's and Texas' is similar to Chile's.

Several other US states have been redesigning their flags. Mississippi, for example, chose a new design in 2020 to replace one that featured the Confederate emblem.

Some observers compared the new Minnesota flag to that of Somalia's Puntland region
A Russian missile hit a transport depot in Kharkiv overnight, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Dec. 20.

The location was "purely" a civilian target, he said, with no military infrastructure nearby.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russian forces used S-300 missiles and struck the Saltivka district of the city twice, causing damage. He did not say if there were casualties.

Russian forces attacked other locations in Kharkiv Oblast, including Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, where a 55-year-old woman was injured.

Read also: Reconstruction in Kyiv suburb sabotaged by local officials, discouraging foreign investors

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One Mississippi Coast city that regularly tops various travel guide lists is atop yet another.

Ocean Springs is the only Mississippi city listed on World Atlas list of nine towns in the South that are ideal for seniors.

The list aims to highlight cities in a region known for its friendly people, excellent cuisine, and world-renowned beaches and World Atlas chose cities based on affordability for seniors, and that offered a mild climate.

Heres what World Atlas had to say about Ocean Springs:

The World Atlas list described Ocean Springs as a mature, friendly, and welcoming community.

World Atlas also highlighted Ocean Springs affordability compared to national figures and its access to health care as its reasons for making World Atlas list.

As reported by the New York City-based financial media website Investopedia, the median home value in Ocean Springs is an attractive $184,800, which is $60,100 less than the national average. This difference could contribute significantly to an emergency fund, the list says. Additionally, Ocean Springs has an Income-to-home-value ratio of 34.4%, six percentage points higher than the national average.

The list also highlights Singing River Health Systems Pascagoula location for its Neurology and Nursing departments.

Other cities that made the list include Naples, Florida; Abingdon, Virginia; Blowing Rock, North Carolina; Cumming, Georgia; New Port Richey, Florida; Beaufort, North Carolina; St. Augustine, Florida and Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Wednesday attacked the Colorado Supreme Courts decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the states presidential primary ballot for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The Colorado ruling, which came down late Tuesday night, was the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate. The Civil War-era provision bars from office any officer of the United States who took an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it.

Ashcroft, a Republican candidate for Missouri governor in 2024, told a room of reporters in Jefferson City that the Colorado court erred when it determined that Trump was an an officer of the United States under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump faces criminal charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for his role related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. The former president for months refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and held a rally to protest its certification. A mob of his supporters then attacked the Capitol to stop Congress from affirming the results.

The state of Missouri will reject what happened in the Colorado Supreme Court, Ashcroft said. The people of this state will make a decision as to who they want to be the President of the United States

Other offices covered under the provision in the U.S. Constitution include senators, representatives, electors of the president and vice president and all others under the United States, but it doesnt specifically name the presidency.

President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President, the Colorado justices wrote in the ruling.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

The Colorado court stayed its decision until Jan. 4 or until the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, ruled on the case. Three of the courts nine justices were appointed by Trump.

Under a plain reading of the 14th Amendment, the president is not an officer, Ashcroft argued on Wednesday.

The law is clear, he said. Its been clear until a certain someone that a large portion of the people of the United States do not want to be president. I get that. But the law is supposed to apply to everyone equally.

Ashcroft said he wanted to make clear that if Missouri voters select Trump as the Republican nominee for president, then the former president will appear on the 2024 ballot in Missouri.

However, he did not answer when asked what he would do if the states highest court upheld the Colorado ruling. He said that the U.S. Supreme Court would not uphold it because they would have to go against the plain language of the United States Constitution.

When asked whether he pushed back on the argument that Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack, Ashcroft said there are a whole lot of points to push back on related to the Colorado decision.

You can push back on the fact that they putatively found him guilty of a federal crime and yet he had no right to a jury trial, he said. That court was a kangaroo court. It is a jurisdictional mess.

Ashcrofts comments come as he mounts a campaign attempting to appeal to right-wing supporters typically aligned with Trump. While voters and advocacy groups have sued to block Trump from the ballot in other states across the country, there is no ongoing challenge in Missouri, Ashcroft said.

Ashcrofts Republican opponents in the race for governor, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel from Weldon Spring, also attacked the Colorado decision.

Kehoe, in a statement, said voters have the right to decide who our President is, not unelected liberal judges. Eigel in a statement called the ruling outrageous.

Missouri will hold a series of caucuses in 2024 to determine each partys presidential nominee. State lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 that got rid of the states presidential primary election as part of a broader elections bill that also enacted strict voter ID requirements.
Missouri already faces a massive teacher shortage in its public schools. What will happen if educators are forced to betray their transgender students  or else face the loss of their careers and livelihoods?

Unfortunately, we may find out soon.

H.B. 1739  which bills itself the Parents Bill of Rights 2024  is one of a host of anti-LGBT bills pre-filed by Missouri lawmakers ahead of the 2024 legislative session, which starts next month. It is sponsored by state Rep. Doug Richey, a Clay County Republican who is running for a promotion to the state Senate.

Much of the bill is relatively innocuous: It would guarantee parents and guardians the right to important pieces of information about their childs public school education  the names of teachers and guest lecturers, access to their students education and medical records, and information about medical records.

That seems reasonable enough. We expect that most Missouri schools already have such policies and procedures in place.

Its the rest of H.B. 1739s text, though, that is potentially harmful: Teachers and other public school employees would be ordered to out transgender students to their families.

How? Richeys bill would require educators to inform parents immediately if a student approaches them to express discomfort or confusion about the students documented identity. It would also order those same teachers to also quickly notify parents if a student asks a school official to refer to the student using personal pronouns that are associated with a gender other than the students documented identity. And the legislation would mandate that classroom educators call students only by names approved  in writing  by their parents.

The bill would also prohibit teachers from encouraging students to undergo gender reassignment therapy or surgery. Fair enough, we suppose: Teachers who listen empathetically shouldnt encourage students to undertake a gender reassignment, or give any surgical advice, actually.

Punishments would be harsh.

Teachers who violate the requirements could have their license revoked or suspended on charges of incompetence, immorality or neglect of duty. School nurses could be tagged with the stigma of unethical or unprofessional conduct involving a minor. Other officials could be banned from working in public schools for up to four years.

Educators who inform on colleagues for violations, on the other hand, would be offered protections under the states whistleblower law.

The point is clear: Richeys bill would close off some of the few remaining safe spaces left to many transgender students in Missouri  and do so by threatening the careers and livelihoods of our states educators.

We would hope that every student has a warm and supportive family environment to honestly explore any questions they have about gender and identity: These issues can be complicated and deeply personal, after all. But those supportive environments arent always available. Richeys bill would make it impossible for young people even to hint at their questions with other trusted adults in their lives.

More broadly, the legislation would probably make it that much harder for Missouri public schools to hire and retain teachers. That is already a huge problem in the Show-Me State.

The earlier generation became teachers and stuck with it, Jon Turner, a retired teacher and associate professor of educational leadership at Missouri State University, told The Star last year. That doesnt happen anymore, because of the stresses of teaching, the politics involved in teaching.

Richeys bill would only add to those political stresses. Who would want to work in a Missouri public school, knowing they could lose their job at any time because a student came to them to discuss a deeply personal issue? The legislation seems designed to keep the states public educators looking over their shoulders  or out of the profession entirely.

Then again, that may be the least of Richeys concerns: He has also pre-filed legislation to create a tax credit for Missouri parents who send their kids to private schools, a so-called universal school choice bill that would inevitably undermine the states support for public schools.

Missouri Republicans appear determined to make the state ever-less welcoming to its LGBT residents. Thats a tragedy. Worse, their crusade threatens to undermine other institutions, like community schools, that form the backbone of public life in this state. And that will make the state less welcoming for all of us.
Amy Hadley stands on the porch of her home in the 1800 block of East Calvert Street in South Bend. Hadley seeks compensation for damages inflicted by local police departments after her home was mistakenly raided in June 2022.

SOUTH BEND  A South Bend woman is suing local police departments after police mistakenly raided and damaged her home in search of a fugitive who was reportedly never there and had no connection to her family.

According to a Dec. 15 lawsuit and body-camera footage, more than 30 officers from the South Bend Police Department and the St. Joseph County Police Department surrounded Amy Hadley's home in the 1800 block of East Calvert Street on June 10, 2022.

Police believed they had tracked a fugitive's social media activity to the home, the lawsuit states. But the only person there was Hadley's teenaged son, Noah, who was playing video games when he heard officers ordering anyone in the house to come out with their hands up.

"I look outside and I see everybody pointing their guns at me," the boy, 15 years old at the time of the raid, says in a video released by the nonprofit Institute for Justice, a libertarian civil liberties law firm representing Hadley.

As Hadley's son walked out, an officer can be heard on body-camera footage saying: "That's not him." Officers can be heard telling him that he wasn't suspected of any crime. Police handcuffed the boy and took him to the police station anyway, the lawsuit states.

A window in Amy Hadley's home in the 1800 block of East Calvert Street in South Bend is haphazardly patched after it was broken during a mistaken police raid in June 2022.

The lawsuit states that officers waited about 40 minutes longer, shouting for the fugitive to come out. Then they "launched dozens of tear gas grenades into the house, destroyed the security cameras, shattered windows, punched holes in walls, ransacked furniture and closets, tore down a panel and fan in a bathroom," according to the lawsuit. A family kitten in the home survived, but family photos, electronics and furniture were reportedly ruined.

Lawyers aren't challenging the warrant to search Hadley's home for the fugitive, which police obtained from a St. Joseph County judge that day. But they are demanding just compensation for the damage inflicted to private property, which police are required by federal and state law to provide.

Hadley's homeowner's insurance covered only a portion of the estimated $16,000 in damage, the lawsuit states.

When governments aren't required to pay for the damage that they inflict, there's not really an incentive for them to be measured in their responses," said Marie Miller, an attorney on the case for the Institute of Justice. "There wasn't any incentive for them not to go over the top in what they did to Amy's house.

A South Bend police spokeswoman said the department won't comment on pending litigation. A spokesman for St. Joseph County police was not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit states that a St. Joseph County police officer had tracked the Facebook usage of then-30-year-old John Parnell Thomas, who was wanted on multiple warrants, to an IP address he had believed was associated with the Calvert Street home.

Officers had surveilled the home the previous night and shortly after noon on June 10, believing Thomas was inside.

Thomas was arrested elsewhere days later for allegedly shooting and killing 32-year-old Eric Johnson on May 14, 2022, after an argument near the LaSalle Park Homes on South Bend's west side.

Thomas was charged with murder, but earlier this year he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Hadley and her daughter, Kayla, first saw the commotion from the street as they walked up to their home. They pleaded with police to stop the raid and told officers that they were at the wrong house.

Hadley told The Tribune that police left after the raid without admitting their fault or following up. She learned from neighbors that her son was at the police station. Once she picked him up and they returned home, they found that the tear-gas residue made it too uncomfortable to sleep inside.

"Breathing was very difficult," she said. "So we were unable to even stay in the house. We ended up staying in the car that night before we were able to go back in the house.

The Institute for Justice is representing other property owners who have been left to pay for a government agency's damage. The firm says it's filed lawsuits on behalf of a Los Angeles printer whose equipment was destroyed during a police raid and a Texas woman whose home was wrecked by a SWAT team.

But Miller said she remains shocked by the number of officers who responded to the Calvert Street home and by the extent of the damage done. She said it's also stunning that Hadley and her family are entirely innocent yet haven't been reimbursed by police.

"I dont feel like (the officers) cared," Hadley told The Tribune. "I mean, they completely destroyed my property and just took off. There was no follow-up or anything. They didnt admit that they were wrong or anything. I definitely have a big mistrust in police and the law, at this point.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend woman sues police for mistaken raid and property damage
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vaguely rebuked Donald Trumps recent remarks about immigrants, invoking his wife, Elaine Chao.

CNNs Manu Raju asked the Kentucky Republican about the former presidents controversial claim on Saturday that immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country.

McConnell said, Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao secretary of transportation.

He did not explicitly answer Rajus question about whether he was comfortable with his partys leading presidential candidate using that language.

McConnell rarely weighs in publicly on matters relating to Trump. Their relationship soured after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Chao, a Taiwanese American, served as Trumps transportation secretary from 2017 to 2021, when she resigned over his role in the Capitol attack.

.@mkraju: Are you comfortable with your party's leading presidential candidate referring to legal immigrants as people who are poisoning the blood of our country?



Mitch McConnell: That didn't bother him when he appointed [my wife] Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation. pic.twitter.com/UfVw7IMdgL  The Recount (@therecount) December 19, 2023

Trump has since referred to Chao as McConnells China-loving wife and Coco Chow, attacks which were widely condemned as racist, including by Chao herself.

Trump set off a firestorm after telling rally attendees in New Hampshire over the weekend that immigrants are pouring into the U.S. from around the world and poisoning the blood of our country.

Many critics and commentators have likened Trumps rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler, who suggested in his fascist manifesto Mein Kampf that Jews and immigrants were poisoning the purity of German blood.

Related...
The founder of Sushi Zushi alleges in a lawsuit that managers of the restaurant chain have misappropriated millions of dollars. Shown is the Sushi Zushi at 999 E. Basse Road. Google maps

The founder of Sushi Zushi has accused managers he brought in to operate the restaurant chain of misappropriating millions of dollars from the business.

Sushi Zushi founder Alfonso Tomitas Strategenic Management LLC made that allegation and others in a lawsuit against TXFMP Management LLC and its principal, Jason Kemp.

Strategenic seeks to recover substantial damages on behalf of itself and the restaurant.

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The litigation comes as Kemp and TXFMP partners Allen Jones and Larry Harris Jr. are defending themselves against another lawsuit accusing them of using two now-bankrupt San Antonio restaurant companies  Fresh Acquisitions LLC and Buffets LLC  as their personal piggy banks while misusing millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds. The trio has denied the allegations.

Sushi Zushi and Tomita appear to be the latest victims of Kemps unscrupulous schemes, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in state District Court in San Antonio. Jones and Harris were not individually named as defendants in the case.

A lawyer representing TXFMP and Kemp didnt respond to a request for comment.

Expansion goals

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Tomita launched Sushi Zushi in 2001 and expanded it to eight restaurants over 17 years. In 2018, he partnered with TXFMP in hopes Sushi Zushi could flourish and expand to even more locations, according to the lawsuit.

Under the partnership arrangement, Kemp, Jones and Harris became managers of the chain. They took a 65% majority ownership interest in it through Alamo SZ LLC, the suit says. Tomita owned the remaining 35%.

In addition, the agreement called for TXFMP to receive 4% of Sushi Zushis net consolidated revenues minus sales tax in exchange for providing management services.

A company agreement required the managers to maintain the restaurants books and provide a monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet to the owning members. But, the suit says, Tomita has not had access to the restaurants financial information, other than certain limited documents, since 2018.

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Last year, it says, Kemp, Jones and Harris began making statements to Tomita about Sushi Zushis financial wellbeing which alarmed Tomita.

Then, late in the year, Jones and Harris unexpectedly transferred their interests in Alamo SZ to Kemp, the suit says. Separately, state corporate records show both TXFMP and Alamo SZ are inactive, having forfeited their existence in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Save Sushi Zushi

Tomita offered to look for investors in an effort to save Sushi Zushi, the suit says. By this time, it adds, Tomita learned of lawsuits filed by investors who had partnered with Kemp in other ventures and alleged he had stolen money from those businesses.

In response, Tomita hired an accounting firm to review the limited financial documents he had been given.

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To Tomitas shock, the accounting firm identified approximately $3.6 million of unexplained transfers or withdrawals from Sushi Zushis accounts, as well (as) approximately $2.6 million in payments to TXFMP that were in excess of the amount it was entitled to under its management agreement, the lawsuit says.

In July, Tomita sent a demand to Kemp to inspect the restaurants books and records. He also requested bank statements, income statements, balance sheets and other financial information from 2018 to present.

But, the suit adds, Kemp has stonewalled Tomita and refused to provide the requested information or give any explanation for the excess payments to TXFMP or the unexplained transfers.

At least one of Sushi Zushis vendors has demanded payment from Tomita for alleged balances owed by the restaurant, the lawsuit alleges. The restaurant has not paid the alleged debts, the suit says, adding that its the result of Kemps diversion of Sushi Zushis funds for his personal benefit and/or the benefit of the entities that he controls.

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Tomitas Strategenic has filed multiple causes of action, including for unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duty. Its also seeking access to the restaurants financial records.

The defendants, which also include Alamo SZ, had not been served with the lawsuit as of Tuesday morning, the courts website shows.

At the time of the 2018 deal, Sushi Zushi had four locations in San Antonio and two each in Austin and Dallas. Its website shows it currently operates three locations, all in San Antonio.

A lawyer for Strategenic didnt respond to a request for comment.

Bankruptcy litigation

Separately, the liquidating trustee in the Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy in Dallas last month accused Kemp, Jones and Harris of hindering the trustees ability to litigate a lawsuit filed against them.

The trustee, David Gonzales, alleges the trio controlled, misused and abused the Debtors for their own benefit by making fraudulent transfers of monies and real property to themselves and their companies. They also are accused of committing fraud in connection with the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to provide money to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees affected by the pandemic. Borrowers could have the loans forgiven if the money was spent on payroll and other eligible expenses.

Fresh Acquisitions and Buffets received a combined $13 million in PPP loans in 2020 but filed for bankruptcy protection about a year later. The companies  which operated such popular chains as Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet and Ryans Buffet  never emerged from bankruptcy.

The Justice Department filed claims against Fresh Acquisitions and Buffets for alleged violations of the False Claims Act, a law used to combat fraud against the federal government.

In a settlement reached with the liquidating trustee and approved by the bankruptcy judge in August, the Justice Department agreed to accept reimbursement of the $13 million in loans and forgo the collection of penalties and damages of three times the loan amounts.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Police say a security guard at Kirby Middle School lost her handgun after leaving it in the schools bathroom Tuesday afternoon.

The security guard told police she accidentally left the weapon in the girls restroom around 10:50 a.m., and when she went to retrieve the gun at 12:05 p.m., it was gone.

School staff said surveillance video showed a female student with red braids and a black hoodie exit the restroom at 10:59 a.m. and said she appeared to be hiding something underneath her hoodie.

Payday loan employee accused of stealing $60K in forged loans

They said the student was also seen leaving the school with another student through an unauthorized exit a few minutes later.

Police said both students had been identified and did not have permission to leave school.

Wednesday, Memphis Police still wouldnt say whether the gun was recovered. As of that afternoon, no arrests had been made.

Kirby Middle is a charter school run by Green Dot Public Schools.

Its policy states it recognizes its responsibility to maintain order and security, and they cooperate with police and agency officials when unlawful activities occur.

We wanted to know who employs the security guard, if she faces suspension or termination and how long they have had armed security guards at their middle schools.

We reached out to the principal, Green Dot staff and the media contact but have yet to hear back.

According to the state of Tennessees website, the security guard has had an active license since 2022.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
A Long Beach man was nailed on criminal charges after allegedly trying to damage vehicles with roofing nails, Long Beach police say.

Jody C. Barcelona, 60, was arrested Tuesday and charged with leaving a dangerous substance on a highway. Police accuse him of intentionally throwing roofing nails and tacks into the road to damage vehicle tires.

Police say an investigation has been ongoing since Nov. 23 into who has been leaving nails and tacks in the road in the area of Alexander Road, between Pineville Road and Benton Drive, as well as in the area of Kohler Street.

About 17 incidents regarding nails in the roadway were documented between Nov. 23 and Tuesday, according to police.

Barcelona was transported to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center upon his arrest.

Long Beach Police are asking that anyone with additional information regarding this incident or victims of the nails in the roadway, call the Long Beach Police Department at 228-865-1981.
Medical bills are often stressful, but they should at least be sent in a timely fashion. If theyre sent too late, more than 10 months after the medical services provided, patients are not obligated to pay more than what would not have been covered by their insurance carrier, according to a Texas law passed in 1999. Prapass Pulsub/Getty Images Former state Rep. Scott Hochberg, shown at a February 2023 news conference, authored a 1999 Texas law that addresses the problem of late billing. He said he intended it to be fair to patients and reasonable for medical providers and insurance companies. HARRY CABLUCK/AP If a medical bill is past due because the provider is very late sending it, the patient may not be obligated to pay it all, according to a Texas law passed in 1999. Fotolia

Alex Kelly gave birth to her baby boy in October 2021 via an unplanned cesarean section. Because she is self-pay, meaning she does not have traditional health insurance, she says shes extremely alert to medical costs.

Kelly recalls checking with her OB-GYN provider  at six weeks postpartum and again at six months  to ensure all bills were accounted for. She was assured they were.

Fast forward 18 months to spring 2023, and the North Texas resident received a roughly $1,400 bill for the unplanned C-section.

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This prompted financial anxiety followed by weeks of research and hard work. Finally, she found what she needed, as well as something readers of this column need: a 1999 Texas law that addresses the problem of late billing.

I suspect 97.6%  I enjoy fake precision  of you have not heard of this law. Nor, probably, has the billing department of your medical provider. But this is what you should know so you can tell them:

If they want to get paid, medical providers must send a bill within 10 months of providing service. The reason is that insurance companies typically have a deadline for reimbursement, after which they will not honor claims submitted for payment.

If the provider does not send an invoice in a timely way, according to the 1999 law, the patient is not obligated to pay any more than they would have if the claim had in fact been paid by their insurance company. This way the patient is protected from their insurance provider saying too much time has passed.

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In Kellys case, even though she did not have traditional insurance, she was able to argue that the law covered her. She did not have to pay the $1,400 bill, and the OB-GYNs lawyer ultimately agreed.

Seeking fairness

Former state Rep. Scott Hochberg of Houston told me he intended this bill, which he authored while a member of the Texas House, to be fair to patients and reasonable for medical providers and insurance companies.

Matthew Ungs of Tennessee-based Patient Fairness, which helps patients navigate and dispute medical bills, said the Texas bill seems to be very reasonable.

With no limitation of claim-bill submission, patients, employers and insurers would have the risk of old liabilities hanging over their heads indefinitely, he said. Most states, Ungs said, set some limit on medical billing.

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In that spirit of fairness to providers, there is no enforcement action against a provider for sending a late bill after 10 months  at least no civil, criminal or licensing penalty. That may explain why some providers either dont know or act like they dont know about this law. We can imagine a billing department having an incentive  either from strategic negligence or actually being unaware of the law  to send a late bill just in case itll be paid.

In fact, when Kelly spoke to her OB-GYNs billing department, people there said it had undergone 100% turnover in personnel from October 2021 to April 2023. They probably didnt know the history of service or Kellys attempt to be billed in a timely way. They just saw an unpaid bill. They also claimed to be unaware of the 1999 state law absolving her of an obligation to pay it.

The billing department also told her, in Kellys paraphrasing, Some people may acknowledge that they do owe the money, and morally might feel they need to pay it. And if you want to pay some of it, just let us know.

Kelly, rightfully in my mind, did not feel that obligation. As she told me, I dont feel morally wrong for not paying this. I wanted to. I tried to. A lot of times in the medical world, its easy to feel pressured or blindsided. I just dont think this is OK.

The penalty within the 1999 law is that late billers dont get fully paid. That seems right in this case.

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Other resources

I recently wrote about a medical billing problem I had, involving an out-of-network anesthesia practice, that could not get resolved by my insurer, over the course of many months, without a lawyer taking my case. Once I got a lawyer, it did get resolved. But this type of treatment of patients is not OK, in my opinion.

When it comes to feeling unjustly treated or billed, a few more resources are worth knowing. The Texas Medical Board maintains a toll-free number to which you can submit complaints if you feel poorly served by your practitioner. That number is 800-201-9353.

If the problem seems to lie with your insurance provider, you could file a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance.

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If the issue is for an out-of-network provider or balance billing, that may be covered by protections against surprise medical bills, and theres a special Insurance Department website for submitting those complaints.

Meanwhile, the not-for-profit investigative journalism site ProPublica published a series last year about the frequent, and frequently frustrating, experience of having medical claims denied by your insurance provider.

After that, ProPublica created a free page to help patients request a claim file with their medical insurance companies as a first step toward understanding why their claims were denied. Federal law requires insurance companies to maintain a file about policyholders claims. By requesting it, a person may understand better the reasons for denial and be on more level ground to make a stronger case.

ProPublicas intent behind its sites claim file request form is not only to help readers with their bills, but also to gather data on how patients may be unfairly disadvantaged when interacting with their insurance providers. And that could help ProPublica investigate situations for other people.
A viral video on TikTok with millions of views shows Gautier police officers in a surprising place  working at a car wash.

The seven-second long video posted by user @courtneymof3 earlier this month shows police officers operating the car wash, including directing traffic and using a hose tool to spray a pre-soak spray onto vehicles entering the car wash.

Aint no way the car wash man going to jail so now the police gotta do his job, the video, which has over 5 million views and half a million likes, reads with Akons Locked Up song playing over top of it.

So did police arrest the car wash man and start running the car wash in their stead?

According to Gautier Police, yes.

Gautier police officers arrived at Cajun Clean Car Express Wash on Highway 90 on Dec. 1 after receiving a call about two employees fighting, according to Gautier Police Capt. Jonathan Allmand.

Gautier police then arrested the two employees on simple assault charges, leaving the car wash mostly unattended.

While they were waiting on other employees, the line was backing up and officers decided to help out with the managers assistance, Capt. Allmand said. Our officers were still serving the community even in this unfortunate aspect, they stepped in to help out instead of having the cars get backed up.

Allmand says his departments officers, who will often step in to direct traffic after an accident, likely have never had to step in to run a car wash before.

Allmand also confirmed that Gautier police officers have indeed seen the viral video.

At first it was funny-ish, but it felt good seeing my officers step in without second guessing, helping with what they can, Allmand said when asked what he thought of the video.

The videos viewers also seemed to find the video funny, cracking jokes about tinted windows in the comments.
HARTFORD, Mich. (WOOD)  A middle school teacher in Hartford faces several charges related to child pornography, police say.

Phil Joel McAndrew, 50, has been charged with three counts of aggravated distributing of child sexually abusive activity, three counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and two counts of using computers to commit a crime, court records show.

He was arraigned on the eight charges, all felonies, Monday. His bond has been set at $50,000.

McAndrew is a middle school teacher in Hartford, Michigan State Police told News 8.

MSP in a release said he was investigated after the material was found on a computer at his home.

Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about using the internet safely, the MSP Computer Crimes Unit said. It pointed parents to resources to help keep their kids safe found at missingkids.org.

Anyone with information about possible child sexual exploitation should report it at missingkids.org/cybertipline.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
The Mount Vernon Police Department must soon make public its records of officer misconduct and discipline, according to a decision handed down last week by a state Supreme Court justice in Westchester County.

The judgment reaffirms the publics right to access police, firefighter, and probation officer misconduct records under the states Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).

Reporters for Gannett Network New York  parent organization of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the Journal News and 10 other local New York newspapers  initially filed the original FOIL request for records of officer wrongdoing in June 2020.

For nearly two years, Mount Vernon failed to provide any response, despite state law mandating a response to requests within five business days. Gannett and legal counsel at Greenberg Traurig filed the lawsuit against the City of Mount Vernon and its police department in May 2022.

The citizens who are being policed have the right to know who the public officers who are doing the policing are, to a great degree because they are ultimately the ones the [sic] bear the brunt, culturally, socially, and financially when bad police act badly, wrote Judge George Fufidio in his decision. It is disheartening that...the [City of Mount Vernon] made no real effort to provide the Petitioner with anything they requested in their FOIL application and offered no basis, reasonable or otherwise for failing to do so.

The Mount Vernon police and court complex across from City Hall on July 17, 2019.

Mount Vernon is currently the subject of a Department of Justice investigation into an alleged pattern of discriminatory policing and excessive use of force. City officials did not initially respond to requests for comment.

Gannett is also pursuing litigation against the Town of Greenburgh, in Westchester County, over the same classes of records. Earlier this year, a Gannett New York lawsuit against the village of Herkimer yielded records showing a police officer had discharged his weapon in police department offices.

In June 2020, amid nationwide protests against police abuse, the New York state Legislature repealed section 50-a of the state Civil Right Law, a statute initially intended to protect police officers from attacks on their credibility but that evolved into a way of shielding officer disciplinary files from the public.

Mount Vernon's disciplinary records Despite mayor's support, Mount Vernon hasn't released police records

Gannett New York's FOIL request to Mount Vernon was one of more than 500 that have been filed by the Network and partners following the repeal of section 50-a as part of a project to help the public better understand decades of secretive police misconduct and the discipline that has or hasnt been dealt by departments as a result. Materials received from departments are being made available to all via a public database.

Following the repeal of section 50-a, multiple police unions and departments challenged the disclosure of police records under the changes to FOIL, particularly opposed to the release of records created prior to June 2020 and those describing allegations against officers that the department ultimately deemed unfounded.

Herkimer Police records made public Gun fired in police station, Taser used on pregnant woman: Inside Herkimer police records

However, in the past year, other decisions from the Appellate Division and the First, Second and Fourth Departments of the New York court system have also determined that the appeal of 50-a included "no categorical exemption from disclosure for unsubstantiated allegations or complaints of police misconduct, facilitating the proper application of FOILs provisions to police records.

"We are pleased that Judge Fufidio respected the law and ordered Mount Vernon's police disciplinary records be made public," Gannett New York State Editor Mike Kilian said. "Law-enforcement officers play a vital role in our communities, and public disclosure of how police departments handle citizen complaints can only strengthen best policing practices in Mount Vernon and elsewhere."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Police disciplinary records: Mount Vernon NY must release documents
MUNCIE, Ind.  Work is continuing by the 17-member taskforce on Muncie violence, organized after the Industry Neighborhood shooting in July that killed one and wounded 17. Community members, police and government officials met Tuesday morning to report on efforts to aid in resolving issues leading to ongoing violence in the city.

A 17-member community taskforce on violence in Muncie met Tuesday morning at City Hall to review progress and go over results of informal surveys regarding the causes of violence. The taskforce was created after a shooting incident in central Muncie killed one man and injured 17 others during the summer.

Mayor Dan Ridenour presented findings of a survey of taskforce members and an informal survey of community members about the violence and its underlying causes.

Taskforce members primarily said that laws and ordinances needed to be better enforced and that young people need to know they will be held accountable for their actions.

More: Battle against gun violence in Muncie fought by neighborhoods and law enforcement

Other factors, such as poverty and lack of male role models, also contributed to violence among young people in Muncie, with some saying ready access to guns was also a factor.

Much of the discussion and work of the taskforce centers on youth, even though the shooting that brought attention to community violence occurred among adults during a street party on the early morning of July 30 at Willard and Hackley streets. Estimates of up to 1,000 people were in the street when a dispute between two men broke out and bullets began to fly.

Joseph Bonner, 30, Muncie, died from bullet wounds that night. John L. Vance Jr., 36, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.

Justin Elliott Bonner, 29, brother of the late Joseph Bonner, was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. All the charges stem from the outbreak of gunfire that wounded nearly a score of people in the streets that night.

Ridenour noted possible solutions suggested in the survey included enforcement of laws and ordinances, education about guns and conflict resolution, having more mentors for young people and developing relationships between neighborhoods and police.

Ted Baker, from the city board of public works, said his board has placed a moratorium on granting variances for the city noise ordinance since the large party where the shooting occurred. He noted the city has no ability to handle parties that grow so large without proper planning.

Police Chief Nate Sloan said his department continues to work with neighborhoods and provides additional security when additional police presence is requested.

The issue of mental health and its impact on violence was also discussed during the meeting. Deputy Police Chief Chris Deegan said the department is continuing to recruit for a social worker position within the department. The position would engage in crisis intervention and make referrals for those struggling with mental health issues, substance use disorder, homelessness and traumatic events.

More: Star Press hosts community forum about gun violence

Deegan also noted that among the 30 people hired by the police department since 2020, five were minorities and four of those are still with the department.

Kaitlyn Sheridan, the trauma program manager at IU Ball Memorial Hospital, said the hospital would assist the task force and provide information about the nature of violence being seen by the medical personnel in Muncie.

Ridenour also told the group that work on the planned Crisis Center at the former Workman's Bar on West Eighth Street has resumed. The center will be owned by the city and operated by IU Health, which is supplying a staff of 14 social workers to keep the center staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Work had temporarily slowed at the building after the discovery of termites earlier this year.

More: Shooting taskforce meets out of public eye for talk on guns, crime and juveniles

City Parks Superintedent Carl Malone told other members of the taskforce that he will be going into Muncie Community Schools classrooms, reaching out to students. He noted the need to help children after a case in Indianapolis this week in which a gun fell out of the backpack of a first grader in school.

Malone said the parks department will strive to help kids both at home and in school.

Stephen Hargrave of Real Black Excellence, a group working inside Southview Elementary teaching children there, is also aiming to help students in their home whenever need is found.

Hargrave said his crew is willing to provide help in the homes of the youngsters he teaches, including clean the houses of students if necessary.

"We are going to get this done for our community," he said.

Ridenour said that so much of the problem is a lack of personal responsibily.

"We have got to hold people, even our youth, accountable," he said.

Taskforce member and Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman also told the group that juvenile justice in the Muncie community is not working because the juvenile judge has to approve any charge he makes against a juvenile.

"It's very frustrating," he said.

More: Second arrest made in Muncie block-party gunfire that left one dead, 17 wounded

The prevailing philosophy in this county is to be soft on juvenile crime, and the young people committing crime know it and take advantage of it, he said. They are failing to learn that actions have consequences.

The meeting adjourned as the discussion continued among some members afterward. Ridenour said he intends to call another taskforce meeting to continue the discussion early in the new year.

David Penticuff is a reporter with The Star Press. He can be contacted at dpenticuff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Violence taskforce scans work, plans action, laments juvenile justice
Karachi's colonial-era prison is adorned with murals of rural Pakistani life, painted by convicted murderers and kidnappers locked away from the world (Asif HASSAN)

Karachi's colonial-era prison is adorned with murals of rural Pakistani life, painted by convicted murderers and kidnappers locked away from the world but learning their craft inside its walls.

A rehabilitation art and music programme has seen some inmates sell their work for several thousand dollars at exhibitions supported by the local arts council, according to prison chiefs.

"Before I was jailed, it was another life with no responsibility and immaturity," Mohammad Ijaz told AFP from the prison studio.

"But I have found the true meaning of life since being jailed. They have taught us that life is full of colours and the colours themselves speak."

Ijaz, who declines to give details about his conviction under a penal code covering kidnapping and abduction, says he is about halfway through a 25-year sentence.

Despite being locked up, he has earned huge sums from his art depicting horses -- funding his mother's pilgrimage to Mecca and his sister's wedding.

"In the beginning, my family didn't believe me that I had become an artist," said the 42-year-old, who now teaches other prisoners. "When they saw us in the exhibition, they were happy."

The art programme was launched at Karachi Central Jail in 2007, and aims to reform inmates serving long sentences or those on death row.

Prisoners can also learn languages such as Arabic, English or Chinese, as well as hand embroidery and beadwork.

"Engaging them in constructive pursuits kind of polishes them," senior prison official Ammad Chandio told AFP. "It helps them reflect upon their past, what crime, what sin or what violation of law they had committed."

"Any art that is being produced inside the correctional facility, it is actually the property of the inmates, and any proceeds that come from the sale of these products, the property of those inmates."

Prisons across Pakistan are often dangerously overcrowded with limited access to water, sanitation and food, but central jails in major cities generally receive better funding.

"Efforts to rehabilitate prisoners should be at the fore, the purpose of penal punishments is to help them become better citizens," said Sarah Belal, executive director of Justice Project Pakistan.

Mehtab Zakir is serving a murder sentence handed down five years ago but his family still depends on him for financial support.

"I know I haven't wasted time here, at least we have learnt something," said the 34-year-old. "I feel happy when I finish a painting and it gives me confidence that at least I can do something."

bur-ecl/jts/sco
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) slammed former President Trumps recent comment that immigrants were poisoning the blood of the country, arguing the former presidents rhetoric is poisoning our country.

With the exception of Alaska Natives and Native Peoples, most of us are daughters and sons of immigrants who came to this country to build a better life for themselves and their families, Murkowski wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Legal immigration from people across the world is woven into the fabric of American exceptionalism, and comments from the former president couldnt be further from the truth, she added.

This is more hateful, harmful rhetoric from Donald Trump that is poisoning our country.

Murkowski is among a handful of Republicans who have condemned Trumps remarks made last Saturday during a rally in New Hampshire, where he claimed immigrants were pouring into the United States and poisoning the blood of our country.

All over the world theyre coming into our country. From Africa, from Asia, all over the world, Trump said, suggesting the influx will lead to an uptick in crime and terrorism.

Later on Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, Immigration is poisoning the blood of our nation.

The comments drew comparisons to Adolf Hitler from Democrats, the Biden campaign and Vice President Harris, who argued Trumps words were similar to rhetoric used by the Nazi leader.

Trump pushed back on the Hitler comparison and reiterated his comments while speaking at a rally in Iowa on Tuesday.

Theyre destroying the blood of our country. Thats what theyre doing. Theyre destroying our country. They dont like it when I said that  and I never read Mein Kampf, Trump said in Iowa, in reference to Hitlers manifesto.

Senate Republicans appeared to recoil at the comments, with some arguing the former presidents rhetoric went too far.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday criticized Trump, pointing out the then-president appointed his wife, Elaine Chao, who is Taiwanese American, to serve as secretary of Transportation in 2016.

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 GOP senator, told The Hill Trumps rhetoric crossed the line, while noting several Republicans agree the influx of migrants coming through the southern border is a major national security issue.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he thinks its unhelpful rhetoric, while Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) noted she does not agree with the comments.

Other Republicans, notably Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), appeared to downplay Trumps comments, stressing the concerns over border security. Vance on Tuesday argued the former president was referring to how illegal drugs crossing the border are poisoning Americans.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Migrants walk the Rio Grande searching for a way through the concertina wire and into the U.S. at Eagle Pass. A surge in crossings has prompted federal officials to close international railroad bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News Migrants walk to a U.S. Border Patrol processing center under International Bridge II in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. A surge of migrants started early in the week leading to Customs and Border Protection to suspend vehicular processing operations on Bridge I to assist with the processing of the migrants. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News A pedestrian crosses one of the international bridges in Eagle Pass. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

Federal authorities have closed two international railroad bridges in Texas to foil smugglers they say are using freight cars to transport migrants across the border.

The bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso suspended operations at 8 a.m. Monday. The closure serves two purposes. First, it denies human traffickers one means of moving migrants into the U.S. from Mexico: in railroad shipping containers. Second, it allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection to shift personnel from the bridges to assist in processing crowds of migrants seeking asylum.

The agency said the latest spike in crossings has been fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals. Traffickers have been putting out the word that the government was allowing crossing between legal ports of entry, CBP said.

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Theres also been a resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, the agency said. CBP said it was working with Mexican authorities to address this concerning development.

Human smugglers long have used railroad boxcars to transport migrants. Above, law enforcement personnel at a rail yard near Eagle Pass where an immigrant was found dead in a sweltering boxcar near Eagle Pass in March 2023. Eleven others were rescued. Courtesy Maverick County Sheriff

The bridge closures evoked a pointed response from U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, a moderate Democrat whose district includes a large swath of the Mexican border.

The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade, Cuellar said on social media. This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions.

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Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border, Cuellar wrote.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican whose district includes hundreds of miles of border extending nearly to El Paso, said the bridge closures showed that our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels.

Trade is slowly coming to a standstill & our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime, Gonzales wrote on X, formerly Twitter. If there was ever a time to sound the alarm, this would be it.

The rail bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso are the latest crossings to be shut down in response to the migrant crisis.

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Since late November, vehicle crossing have been suspended at Eagle Pass International Bridge 1. In San Diego, pedestrian traffic at the San Ysidro port of entry has been halted; and the port of entry in Lukeville, Ariz., has been closed.

The closures depress cross-border trade and cost local governments millions of dollars in revenue. Eagle Pass, for instance, relies on fees paid by bridge users to help fund municipal services. During the current fiscal year, the citys international bridges will generate $13.8 million to fund city projects and operations, according to Eagle Pass 2023-24 budget.

This transfer allows the city to maintain a lower property tax rate while also providing much needed services (related) to the citys influx of tourists and travelers, the budget document says.

Eagle Pass has been a busy crossing point for migrants entering the U.S. between legal ports of entry. For that reason, it has been a focus of Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts border security measures, which include construction of a state-built border wall.

In July, Abbott had a 1,000-foot line of massive buoys installed in the middle of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass to discourage border-crossers. Texas National Guard soldiers and state troopers also have installed coils of razor wire along the rivers banks.

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On Friday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered National Guard troops to her states border with Mexico, saying the closure of the Lukeville port of entry has led to an unmitigated humanitarian crisis.

Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe, said Hobbs, a Democrat.

Border authorities apprehended 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, a 2% increase over October, CNN reported.

Packing migrants into rail containers or tractor-trailers is a long-standing tactic of human traffickers.

In March, three immigrants were found dead in sweltering rail cars in South Texas in separate incidents over a 24-hour span.

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On March 23, sheriffs deputies found a dozen people trapped in a boxcar in a rail yard near Eagle Pass. They rescued 11; the 12th was already dead. The migrants were from Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia. The train was operated by Union Pacific and began its journey in Mexico.

A day earlier, 17 migrants were rescued from a Union Pacific train near Knippa, about 70 miles west of San Antonio. Two Honduran men died, and 10 others were hospitalized with heat-related illnesses. Police in nearby Uvalde were alerted to the migrants plight by a 911 call saying that people were suffocating in a rail car.

Some of the deadliest incidents have involved tractor trailers.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  As the year winds down, there are still a number of people wanted for homicide and other violent crimes that officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department are seeking to bring into custody.

The police department maintains a list of its Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives, which is updated every Wednesday on the Criminal Warrants Division Facebook page. The suspects on the list are often considered to be some of the most violent offenders in the city, according to police.

Over 70 of Nashvilles Most Wanted fugitives arrested within one year

Of the suspects on this weeks list, half are wanted on homicide or murder charges, with several of those alleged crimes dating back more than five months, and one linked to an incident that happened over two years ago.

Tyrone Walker has repeatedly appeared on the list since being named in a grand jury indictment charging him with first-degree murder for the August 2021 shooting death of Cecil Holmes Jr.

The other half of Nashvilles Most Wanted suspects are wanted on charges such as rape by an authority figure, child endangerment, aggravated assault and burglary. One of those people has 40 outstanding warrants related to a string of alleged appliance thefts.

Convicted felon surrenders months after fleeing from Nashville police

While the search for these suspects continues, the Most Wanted list has aided police in several arrests. At least 80 people who have appeared on the list have been taken into custody since the program was first launched in October 2022.

According to authorities, tips from the public have been key in many cases, stacking up to a nearly 70% arrest rate among Most Wanted fugitives. Below is a list of the suspects who made the police departments Top 10 Most Wanted list the week of Dec. 20.

1. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith

Lagarrion Blacksmith (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

At number one, Lagarrion Blacksmith, 34, is considered this weeks Top Most Wanted fugitive, according to the MNPD. He was added to the list on Nov. 29 after police were reportedly able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar earlier this year.

Officers said they found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18. He had reportedly been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened.

RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike

According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear.

Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun.

However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

2. Raceme Crutcher

Raceme Crutcher (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Police have been looking for Raceme Crutcher, 21, since July, when he was named as one of two suspects in a deadly Fourth of July shooting.

RELATED: Teen killed in shooting at East Nashville apartment complex

Officials said the shooting happened at the Fallbrook Apartments on Dellway Villa Road. Etabo Malanda, 16, was reportedly standing on the porch of an apartment when two armed individuals came from around the corner and confronted him.

Malanda allegedly tried to pull out a pistol that was inside his hoodie, but he was shot. Police said he died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

According to investigators, four guns were recovered from the apartment, including one that was reported stolen. Crutcher and 17-year-old Jaylin Brown were reportedly connected to the crime through witness accounts.

SEE ALSO: Teen wanted in connection with deadly Fourth of July shooting arrested

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage and additional information from community members that they said pointed to Crutcher and Brown as suspects in the case. Officials believe the motive may have been an ongoing dispute between the suspects and Malanda.

Brown was taken into custody on Aug. 31 after police reportedly caught him driving a stolen car. However, authorities said Crutcher is still on the run. He was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 15. His last location is unknown.

3. Tyrone D. Walker

Tyrone D. Walker (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Tyrone Walker, 29, has repeatedly appeared on the list since July 12 after being named in a grand jury indictment charging him with first-degree murder.

Police said the charge is related to the August 2021 shooting death of Cecil Holmes Jr. The 39-year-old was reportedly found dead in the Edgehill Homes parking lot on 11th Avenue South after being shot multiple times.

RELATED: Police searching for suspect charged in 2021 Nashville apartments parking lot murder

The investigation into Holmess death led to the identification of Walker as the suspected gunman, officials reported.

In addition to the murder charge, Walker has also been indicted on charges of felon in possession of a weapon, felony probation violation and four counts of failure to appear. Police said his last location is unknown.

4. DeTynn Q. Smith

DeTynn Q Smith (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

DeTynn Smith, 20, has regularly appeared on the Most Wanted list since March 8.

He is believed to be the third and final suspect in the April 2022 murder of 39-year-old Tywane Miller. The incident happened in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven gas station near the intersection of Maxwell and Gallatin Avenues.

RELATED: Third suspect sought in deadly Nashville shooting from April 2022

Initial reports from police indicated that Miller was shot and killed by at least one person who got out of a white Ford Flex. Miller died at the scene and a passenger in his car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

After the shooting, an officer reportedly saw the Flex on Shelby Avenue at I-24. The officer pursued the vehicle as it sped off, but eventually ended the pursuit because of the potential danger to other drivers.

The Flex then got onto I-40 and hit the center retaining wall and four other cars before coming to a stop on the interstate between Fesslers Lane and Elm Hill Pike.

SEE ALSO: Tywane Millers family continues hope for justice in his death

Three occupants, including one believed to be DeTynn, then got out of the Flex and carjacked a 35-year-old Nashville man who was driving a 2013 Subaru Forester SUV, according to police. The Subaru was later found abandoned in a Bordeaux neighborhood.

On March 1, MNPD detectives arrested one of the suspects, Deshawn L. Smith, 31, on a first-degree murder and aggravated robbery indictment. Another suspect, Michael Clay, 31, was charged last September.

DeTynn is wanted on a grand jury indictment charging him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and possession of a gun during the commission of a felony, according to the MNPD. His last location is unknown.

5. Kejuan Jordan-Cole

Kejuan Jordan-Cole (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Kejuan Jordan-Cole, 21, is believed to be one of seven suspects involved in another deadly shooting on the Fourth of July, according to officials.

RELATED: Man dead after 7 people reportedly shot at him on Buena Vista Pike

Investigators said the victim, 27-year-old Christopher L. Harris, was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his vehicle on Buena Vista Pike. Witnesses told police a group of young men approached Harris and around seven of them opened fire.

Harris was reportedly struck by the gunfire while standing next to his vehicle. Officers told News 2 as many as 100 rounds may have been fired during the incident.

The suspects  one of whom appeared to be shooting a rifle  left the scene in three separate vehicles, officials reported. Since the shooting, authorities have arrested and charged 16-year-old Jaden Wright, 17-year-old Erion Nesbitt, 16-year-old Kentrell Baugh and 23-year-old Deandre Jordan.

SEE ALSO: Metro police arrest 4th of 7 suspects from deadly July 4 shooting in Bordeaux

However, police said Jordan-Cole, who was identified as a suspect on Aug. 16, is still on the run. The charges against him include criminal homicide and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

He was added to the list last week. Officials said his last location is unknown.

6. Michael A. Yarlett

Michael A. Yarlett (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Michael Yarlett, 28, is wanted on three counts of aided and abetted rape, according to the police department. Court documents indicate he is one of two suspects in the incident, which happened more than a year ago in September.

Yarlett was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 22. His last location is unknown.

7. Terrance Boyd

Terrance Boyd (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Terrance Boyd, 43, is wanted on an outstanding warrant for statutory rape by an authority figure, according to officials. He was added to the list on Oct. 25. Police said his last location is unknown.

8. Elmer Vargas Catalan

Elmer Vargas Catalan (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Elmer Vargas Catalan, 21, is wanted on over three dozen outstanding warrants related to a string of appliance thefts that occurred at multiple recently constructed homes last month, according to police.

Following the crime spree, detectives said they recovered nearly 50 stolen appliances, including ovens and washers and dryers, at two separate locations. While four people believed to have been involved in the burglaries have now been arrested, Catalan is still at large.

RELATED: 3 arrested, 2 at large after 48 ovens, dryers stolen from Nashville homes

The charges against Catalan include 36 counts of burglary, two counts of aggravated burglary, theft of property greater than $10,000 but less than $60,000 and vandalism greater than $2,500 but less than $10,000.

He was added to the list on Dec. 6. According to investigators, Catalan was last seen in the Hermitage area.

9. Amber Fiddler

Amber Fiddler (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Amber Fiddler, 35, is wanted by the MNPD on outstanding warrants for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment with a weapon and felon in possession of a weapon.

She first appeared on the Most Wanted list on Aug. 23. Her last location is unknown.

10. Taylor G. Lipert

Taylor Lipert (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Taylor Lipert, 25, is wanted on multiple outstanding warrants stemming from a Nov. 13 crash in which Lipert was reportedly driving on the wrong side of Interstate 40 with her child in her car.

RELATED: Woman facing charges after wrong-way crash on I-40 in Hermitage

The crash happened just after 7 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-40 at mile marker 221 near exit 221A, which is the Hermitage exit. According to Metro police, Lipert was driving her Mitsubishi Eclipse west in the eastbound lanes for about one mile before she crashed into a van head-on.

The driver of the van, Lipert and her 3-year-old child all sustained injuries from the crash.

(Source: WKRN)

Detectives believe Lipert got onto the interstate from the 221A exit ramp, where multiple signs that read Do Not Enter and Wrong Way are posted. Lipert reportedly told officers she is new to Nashville, does not know the area and is an inexperienced driver.

Police said she did not show any signs of impairment at the scene. The charges against her include aggravated child endangerment and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officials said her last location is unknown.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Eric Silagy, the president and CEO of Florida Power & Light during an interview Thursday, June 9, 2022. Eric Silagy, the president and CEO of Florida Power & Light along with Gera Peoples, the Vice President and Chief Litigation Council for NextEra Energy and David Reuter, the spokesperson for FPL met with reporters from The Florida Times-Union, the Orlando Sentinel, and Floodlight News in a lengthly interview in Jacksonville, FL to discuss the attempt by FPL to purchase the JEA, political funding and the use of outside agencies to facilitate FPL's activities.

COMMENTARY | A group of investors filed a complaint in federal court earlier this month alleging executives at Florida Power and Light and its parent company, NextEra, "falsely and misleadingly" denied involvement in a series of controversies across the state, including in Jacksonville, that were the subject of reporting last year by multiple newspapers, a rolling series of scandals that "shatter the belief that this publicly regulated utility is a safe, secure, and non-volatile investment."

The 91-page lawsuit, filed in South Florida, adds to a series of legal challenges stemming from ex-FPL CEO Eric Silagy's tenure, which ended abruptly in January and was accompanied by a disclosure filed the same day informing investors that the public scandals could ultimately result in a finding that FPL or (NextEra) violated federal campaign finance or other laws." That news led to an 8.7 percent drop in NextEra's stock price, or about $14 billion in value, one of NextEra's largest single-day plunges over the past quarter century, according to the investors' attorneys.

The lawsuit is based on reporting from those newspapers, including the Times-Union, and the findings of an investigation conducted by the investors' attorneys, who interviewed an unnamed former vice president of Matrix, a consulting firm whose employees were accused of orchestrating some of those controversies on behalf of FPL. Reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, the Times-Union, the Miami Herald and the nonprofit newsroom Floodlight showed former Matrix employees meddled in elections, deployed troubling tactics in an effort to lay the groundwork for NextEra to buy Jacksonville's public utility  including having this columnist placed under surveillance by a private investigator  and secretly controlled a purportedly independent news site and used it to push FPL priorities and attack its critics, including journalists.

NextEra has indicated it plans to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, a standard step in private securities-fraud litigation. A federal law enacted in the 1990s, intended to deter frivolous securities litigation, sets a high bar plaintiffs must establish to win such cases, and it stays the discovery process until a judge has ruled on the motion to dismiss, meaning the lawsuit against NextEra is unlikely to generate any significant revelations for months.

NextEra is "vigorously defending against the claims in this proceeding," the company said in a quarterly disclosure report. NextEra is also the subject of a federal elections complaint filed last year by a Washington-based watchdog organization related to the alleged use of a dark-money network to prop up preferred candidates.

Cryptically, NextEra also indicated in its disclosure filings that it has received separate "demand letters and books and records requests from counsel representing other purported shareholders" who are pushing for a board of directors investigation into "similar allegations." The company said one of those shareholders has agreed to a "specified stay" on all activities related to those demands.

The crackup of Matrix  whose former employees were accused of orchestrating the alleged election meddling and other hardball tactics across Florida  rocked the world of utilities in the Southeastern United States, culminating with Silagy's departure in late January. Joe Perkins, the owner of Matrix, accused his former CEO, Jeff Pitts, of taking on millions of dollars worth of off-the-books work for FPL without his knowledge, accusations that, by 2021, were the subject of litigation between the two of them. Amid that feud, internal Matrix records detailing some of that alleged work had begun making their way into the hands of reporters at Florida newspapers.

The lawsuit against NextEra draws a line through what it deems a pattern of lies from NextEra and FPL executives as the Sentinel, Times-Union and others began using those leaked Matrix records to piece together the secret work FPL's consultants had been conducting around the state.

The investors' attorneys indicated they interviewed an unnamed former Matrix vice president who worked at the firm for two decades and was involved in an effort by Perkins to discover what work Pitts had performed for FPL. "There was a lot of misbehavior by the Florida crew. The FPL executives are tied up in it. There was a lot of money going into LLCs and disappearing," the unnamed former Matrix employee told the attorneys.

NextEra has repeatedly indicated it conducted its own internal investigation  and potentially more than one  into the Matrix-related allegations and concluded its employees engaged in no wrongdoing, but it hasn't revealed anything more about those efforts. That review would be an obvious source of interest for the investors' attorneys in the discovery process, should the lawsuit advance.

Perkins and Pitts settled their litigation last year, and the flow of Matrix records subsequently dried up, leaving a lot of questions unanswered about the scope of secret work operatives undertook on FPL's behalf around Florida. Many of the records that formed the basis for the newspapers' reporting were often partial or redacted. One of the sources of those documents, an anonymous leaker who communicated with this columnist using an alias, described the contents of additional records that were never ultimately provided. In short: there is considerably more to be learned about the Matrix-NextEra saga.

Nate Monroe is a metro columnist whose work regularly appears every Thursday and Sunday. Follow him on Twitter @NateMonroeTU.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nate Monroe: Lawsuit could shine more light on FPL, JEA and 'ghost' candidates
On January 17-18, Brussels will host a meeting of the highest military body of NATO, the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session. The event will include the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council held on the level of commanders of the armed forces.

Source: This was reported by the press service of the Alliance, writes European Pravda

Details: Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, will head the meeting, which will be attended by senior Allied military officials and their counterpart from Sweden.

They will be joined by General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as well as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation HQ, General Philippe Lavigne.

On the first day of the meeting, the military top officials of NATO states will meet for the first time in the format of the Ukraine-NATO Council. The meeting may be attended by General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Quote: "They will discuss Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation on the ground, and NATO and Allied continued support to Ukraine," the press service said.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was invited to join the discussions of the NATO Military Committee in the past. In May of this year, he did not join the meeting even by video link due to the difficult operational situation on the battlefield.

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One of North Carolinas most prominent figures in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.

Charles Donohoe, a 35-year-old Marine from Kernersville, planned an attack by members of his Proud Boys group to stop the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, federal prosecutors said.

Donohoe was sentenced to three years and four months in prison by Judge Timothy Kelly in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, court records show.

Donohoe, state president of the Proud Boys, a far-right, U.S. extremist group, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to the felony charges of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time.

He was among at least 32 North Carolinians charged in the attack. A March 2022 indictment named him and five other Proud Boy members from around the country as being involved.

Donohoe was the first Proud Boy to plead guilty and promised to testify against his alleged co-conspirators as part of his plea, the Observer reported.

In court Tuesday, Donohoe apologized to his family, law-enforcement officers who defended the Capitol that day, and to America as a whole, The Associated Press reported.

I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked down, he said, according to the AP.

The 2022 indictment accused Donohoe and other named Proud Boys conspirators, including national chairman Enrique Tarrio, of plotting a Capitol assault in the weeks before Trumps Stop the Steal rally in Washington on the morning of Jan. 6.

Tarrio was sentenced in September to 22 years in prison after being convicted of seditious conspiracy charges and other felonies.

According to the indictment, the Proud Boy defendants and other members of the group were among the first to assault police to get into the Capitol.

Donohoe stayed outside the building but created encrypted messaging channels he and his fellow conspirators used, prosecutors said.
During the final days of November 2023, we learned about the necessary closure of the NC State Veterans Home in Fayetteville, and the relocation efforts for the 85 residents from their home by February 2024.

As reported by various news agencies, the NC Dept. of Military & Veterans Affairs (NC DMVA) is responsible for this facility, with care provided from PruittHealth, and with administrative oversight provided by Whitney Bell and Kweilin Belitsos. Officials have confirmed the current building is unsafe for occupancy, having structural and environmental issues beyond repair in its current location.

More: Fayetteville veterans home winter move raises questions. The public deserves answers.

NC DMVA leaders have promised to ensure each affected Veterans wellbeing and best interests are top priority, and their excellent standards of care will continue and not be compromised after their relocations.

The N.C. State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville is managed for a percentage of revenues by PruittHealth, a Georgia-based corporation.

Approve emergency funding

We, the NC Veterans Council, call upon our elected representatives in Raleigh and in Washington, DC to approve any emergency funding for our NC DMVA to acquire the necessary new home site; to approve an expedited contracting process and provide full funding for the immediate construction of a new NC State Veterans Home in the Fayetteville area; to fully fund the NC DMVA trust funds necessary for long-term administration, maintenance, and staffing for all of our NC State Veterans Homes; and to fully fund the NC DMVA trust funds necessary to support long-term administration, staffing and maintenance of our NC State Veterans Cemeteries.

More: Fondling, falls and fights: What Fayetteville veteran home has been cited for in past

As any responsible parties should always beheld accountable where necessary, we must also recognize those in leadership who take necessary actions and make the proper tough calls. It is our understanding that NC DMVA leaders have met with each affected Veteran resident and many family members, to ensure the smoothest transition possible given the dire realities; details have been shared for current options and negotiations being implemented for all residents, with several veterans already relocated or in the process of moving.

We commend those NC DMVA leaders, and appreciate their compassionate actions thus far. This isnt simply a facility to these Veterans; this is their home. We must not find ourselves asking, What if this was your family member?

No simple promises of tomorrow

Make no mistake; these ARE our family! These are our loved ones, who answered our nations call to service, put on the uniforms, and defended liberty and freedom wherever their duties were demanded. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and must show our appreciation, giving them the respect and dignity they have earned and deserve.

Simply relocating these patriots to other locations and other accommodations is not satisfactory. We call on our elected representatives to act now, and help ensure the replacement of this home.

While we appreciate these efforts, we cannot accept simple promises of tomorrow. Remember, it took several extra years for the NC State Veterans Home in Kernersville to finally open.

This isnt the musical, 'ANNIE,' where we will accept being entertained with a song and dance about tomorrow. We must see action today.

Today is the day

Today is when our elected representatives fully fund and support the NC DMVA efforts to replace this home and restore dignity and normalcy to the lives of our affected Veterans, not tomorrow.

Today is when our elected representatives fully fund and support our NC DMVA in their responsibilities for the other NC State Veterans Homes, not tomorrow. Today is when our elected representatives fully fund and support our NC DMVA to provide respectful cemetery services for our heroes, not tomorrow.

Our NC DMVA cannot provide their vital ministries to our deserving patriots and heroes without the necessary assets and talent. Today is when our elected representatives prove that NC is the most friendly, the most respectful, and the most grateful state in the nation to Veterans and their familiesnot tomorrow.

Respectfully,Jay Wood is Commander of the NC Veterans Council.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC Veterans Council: Help veterans in Fayetteville leaving their home
As of Dec. 2023, there have been 191 instances of politically-motivated persecutions affecting residents of the occupied Crimean peninsula, with 123 of these cases involving Crimean Tatars, Tamila Tasheva, the Presidential Representative of Ukraine in Crimea, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on Dec. 20.

Tasheva noted that Russian occupation authorities often accuse local residents of terrorism and sabotage, especially Crimean Tatars.

Read also: Tensions rise after attempted drone attack on oil facility in occupied Crimea

On the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea, the representatives of the indigenous people  the Crimean Tatars  are the most persecuted and repressed, said the parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

As part of a policy to replace the indigenous population of Ukrainians, Russians are importing migrants from Central Asia into the occupied territories. This is linked to Russians efforts to alter the demographic composition of the population in the temporarily occupied territories, reported the National Resistance Center.

Read also: As counter-offensive drags on, Zelenskyy claims wins over Black Sea Fleet, Crimea raids as successes

Russia has illegally detained 116 representatives of indigenous people of Ukraine. Among the Kremlin's prisoners are human rights activists Abdurrashid Djeparov, Lenie Umerov, and politician Nariman Dzhelyal. Additionally, Crimean Tatars are persecuted in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, with on trumped-up charges of terrorism.

All lists of political prisoners are forwarded to international partners and to the Presidential Office in Kyiv for exchange purposes, but the release of any of the political prisoners is not expected soon, Tasheva 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
OCEAN GROVE - Eight months after opening to fanfare and controversy, the $1.3 million, Christian cross-shaped pier here has been closed after engineers found a loose piling, officials said.

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which owns and governs the community within Neptune Township, closed the pier a week ago, marking the second time the structure has been temporarily closed due to safety concerns.

Neptune Township officials, who have been updated, said the project's engineering firm, Neptune-based Leon S. Avakian Inc., recommended that the Camp Meeting Association close the pier and undergo a more thorough safety inspection.

"I can't speak for the whole committee, but I have concerns, and we are asking for further investigations be done to make sure this isn't a systemic problem," Neptune Mayor Keith Cafferty said.

Ocean Grove has blocked off the entrance to its pier, not allowing access.There is a safety concern with the pilings of the structure.. Ocean Grove, NJ Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Camp Meeting Association, the Methodist organization that founded the town in 1869, opened the 500-foot-long pier in April, more than a decade after superstorm Sandy washed away the previous pier and private fishing club.

The pier has become a flashpoint in the debate between the separation of church and state. It was built in the shape of a cross. And the terms of the permit, approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, have been used by the state to challenge the Camp Meeting Association's rules prohibiting beach access from the boardwalk on Sunday mornings.

Church and state: Religious symbolism on Ocean Grove beach badges challenged by locals

The closing raises more pressing questions: Is the pier safe?

The Camp Meeting Association announced the decision to close on its website and Facebook page on Dec. 12, saying, "The pier is temporarily closed. The construction company and the engineers have been made aware that a single piling is loose."

The Camp Meeting Association didn't respond to an email left Monday seeking more information. A person who answered the phone at Leon S. Avakian said no one would be available to comment.

Neptune Business Administrator Gina LaPlaca said the pier was temporarily closed in October after a torrential storm left a piling damaged. The Camp Meeting on Oct. 9 wrote on its Facebook page: "The pier is open. The engineers have inspected and approved reopening."

LaPlaca said she learned about the recent closing through the Camp Meeting's Facebook post last week and spoke to an Avakian official on Dec. 13.

North end development plans: Condos, homes, stores and a hotel in Ocean Grove? Neptune will have to make a decision

LaPlaca said, "Avakian indicated they were going to meet with the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to sort of revisit best practices, (saying), 'OK, let's assess the whole pier before we reopen it. Let's understand what we're dealing with. Is this a pattern? Is this an issue we're going to keep having, or is this a one-off based on weather or something we couldn't have expected to happen?'"

A sign at the pier's entrance notes that the pier is private property that is built, maintained and insured by the Camp Meeting Association.

The state Department of Environmental Protection, which approved the pier's permit in August 2022, does not require safety inspections of piers, a spokesperson said.

Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean Grove cross-shaped pier: What must be done to reopen it?
PARIS  The Netherlands plans to spend as much as 250 million (U.S. $274 million) on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the North Sea to protect the cables and pipelines that crisscross the seabed off its coast.

The Defence Ministry will mount cameras, radar systems and automatic identification system trackers on drilling platforms and offshore wind turbines, as well as buy satellite capacity to observe ship movements, Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and State Defence Secretary Christophe van der Maat wrote in a Dec. 19 letter to lawmakers.

The Netherlands also plans to buy two vessels with underwater monitoring technology.

This capability helps deter potential perpetrators of sabotage and espionage, Ollongren and Van der Maat wrote. Improving the protection of the vital infrastructure on the North Sea has the full attention of the cabinet.

Seabed warfare has become a hot topic for European nations ever since last years attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. On the Dutch continental shelf, there are about 2,796 miles of pipeline and 3,728 miles of cable. The government considers offshore infrastructure essential to the Dutch economy and national security.

The current threats are primarily surface vessels carrying out undesirable underwater activities, according to the two officials. The government has assessed that there are presently no unmanned underwater vessels that can conduct sabotage operations in the Dutch-controlled area of the North Sea without the support of a surface vessel.

The ministry plans to buy commercial satellite capacity to track ship movements, including so-called dark vessels that turn off their automatic identification system transponders, until the Netherlands can build up its own satellite assets starting in 2027. The military will also monitor sea areas adjacent to the countrys area of responsibility in the North Sea to detect vessels that may pose a threat.

The costs of boosting the Dutch ISR capability in the North Sea will be between 50 million and 250 million, according to the letter.

The government in June announced a plan to develop its independent military satellite capacity through a constellation of satellites, within a spending bracket of 100 million to 250 million.

The Netherlands plan to acquire two relatively simple ships for a small crew would help monitor underwater activities, according to the ministers. Those ships will also serve as anti-air missile carriers for Dutch air defense frigates.

The Netherlands has 4.7 gigawatts of installed offshore wind power, enough to supply about 16% of the countrys current electricity demand. The government anticipates offshore wind will become the largest source of sustainable energy for Europe. Nine European countries, including the Netherlands, in April declared their aim of turning the North Sea into Europes green power plant, with combined targets for at least 120 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar is grappling with another network outage, as users in southern and western Ukraine faced connectivity and internet disruptions on Dec. 20.

Kyivstar customers took to social media platforms to voice their concerns, prompting the company to acknowledge these technical difficulties in specific oblasts.

Read also: Kyivstar still experiencing network problems after hacker attack, says CEO

Concerns regarding communication services were prominently highlighted on Facebook in the morning, with users reporting issues related to voice communication and the functionality of Kyivstar's mobile application. The affected areas primarily included cities in Ukraine's western and southern regions.

Read also: Kyivstar provides updates on service restoration efforts

"We are doing everything possible to resolve the technical issues as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement responding to these concerns.

The company did not say whether this disruption was related to a recent Dec. 12 cyberattack on the operators network, which took down Kyivstar connectivity for several days, including telecom and internet services.

Russian hackers associated with the Suntsepiok group, a unit associated with Russian military intelligence (GRU), claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Three employees at an El Paso Dunkin' Donuts were arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police say they pulled guns on customers who wanted to see the manager. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

Police in El Paso say they arrested three Dunkin' Donuts employees on aggravated assault charges after customers requested to speak with a manager and were met with handguns instead.

Officers responded to a Dunkin' Donuts on Dyer Street around 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 for a report of a person with a weapon, according to a news release from the city.

An unidentified 41-year-old man and his girlfriend had attempted to order doughnuts at the drive-thru, asking to speak with a manager due to "rude" behavior of an employee on the intercom, according to the release. Using explicit language, the employee on the intercom told the customers that he was the manager.

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As the customers approached the pick-up window, three employees came out of the back of the restaurant and began brandishing handguns, according to police. One of the three employees approached the 41-year-old man and chambered a round in a pistol, pointing it at the man and saying, "Y'all gonna die tonight."

Police arrested 17-year-old Jesus Dominguez, 20-year-old Luis Arturo Dominguez and 19-year-old Elijah Richard Garcia on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Police discovered three handguns during the arrest, the release said.
News helicopter crashes in New Jersey woods, killing the pilot and a photographer

A Philadelphia news helicopter crashed in a wooded area of New Jersey on Tuesday night, killing the pilot and a photographer on board, the television station said.

The helicopter was returning to Philadelphia from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when it went down in Washington Township, New Jersey, around 8 p.m., WPVI-TV reported Wednesday.

The pilot was identified as Monroe Smith, 67, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, and the photographer was identified as Christopher Dougherty, 45, of Oreland, Pennsylvania, WPVI reported.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

They have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years, the station said, calling it a "devastating day."

The New Jersey State Park Police received a call just before 11 p.m. Tuesday about a missing helicopter in the area of Wharton State Forest, Chief George Fedorczyk told reporters Wednesday.

A debris field was discovered shortly after midnight "in a remote location" near Mullica River Road in the area of Middle and Quaker Bridge Atsion roads in Washington Township, he said.

Video taken from a WTXF-TV helicopter showed the crash site and the wreckage of the chopper scattered in the woods.

Flight tracking data shows the flight took off just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, where the chopper is based, and it was last seen at 8:03 p.m. in New Jersey. The single-engine helicopter, which seats seven, had made three trips earlier that day, as well, according to FlightAware data.

A Federal Aviation Administration representative will conduct an initial assessment this morning, and the scene has been secured by New Jersey State Park Police.

The FAA said in a statement just two people were on board the chopper  a 2013 Eurocopter AS350B2, which WPVI leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. in North Carolina.

The news station said that U.S. Helicopters has been in touch with the victims' families.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, noting a preliminary report will be ready within 30 days.

An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene to examine the aircraft, and the helicopter will be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation, the agency said.

NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, an NTSB spokesperson added.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Kenyan President William Ruto arrives for the Compact with Africa (CwA) conference at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, 20 November 2023.

Some Kenyans are mockingly referring to President William Ruto as Zakayo - Swahili for the biblical figure Zacchaeus, who is portrayed in the Christian holy book as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus.

This is because Mr Ruto has introduced a raft of new taxes, and raised old ones, since he was elected president in August 2022, making him unpopular with many Kenyans who believe he has betrayed his campaign pledge to champion the interests of "hustlers" - those who struggle financially.

Mr Ruto has acknowledged that the taxes are "painful" but, in an Independence Day speech on 12 December, said the sacrifices the nation was making "would make our freedom fighters proud".

For him, higher taxation is necessary to reduce government borrowing, and bring down the national debt, which has increased to 10 trillion shillings ($65bn; 51bn), although Mr Ruto inherited much of this from previous governments.

"We have made the right choices, sometimes taking very difficult and painful decisions, to steer Kenya back from the edge of the catastrophic cliff of debt distress," he said.

Nor does the president mind being compared to the biblical figure.

"Since I have already been referred to as Zakayo in some areas, maybe we will have a tax collector day," he jokingly said in May.

But many Kenyans are not in agreement with him. The pain of taxes dominate everyday conversations, especially with the rising cost of living.

They also say the taxes are only helping to fund extravagance in government rather than improve public services.

This perception has grown, especially after Kenya's Controller of Budget - an independent office that oversees the use of public funds - recently raised concern over the high taxes amid "wasteful" spending, including on domestic and international travel by government officials. Since then, budget cuts have been announced, and spending on foreign trips has been reduced.

President Ruto, who has made over 40 trips abroad in about a year, has defended his travelling, saying he was seeking foreign investment and job opportunities for Kenyans.

In about the same time, 70,000 private-sector jobs have been lost amid a drastic rise in operating costs, and the closure of some businesses, according to the latest report by the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE).

It warns of the risk of more job losses, pointing out that 40% of employers are still considering scaling down their operations.

FKE has called for the government to review taxes, but businesses complain that the government is not listening.

Kenya's government has denied there has been a net job loss since Mr Ruto came to power and says it has created hundreds of thousands of jobs in the public sector, and negotiated opportunities for Kenyans to work abroad.

Security forces have been accused of being heavy handed in their response to protests over the economic crisis

Economist Ken Gichinga says Kenya has been discouraging business by placing a heavy tax burden on companies that are supposed to create jobs, make profits and boost government finances.

In the end, some firms relocate to other countries, people who were thinking of opening a small business like a restaurant drop the idea, while existing businesses are forced to go into the informal sector to avoid paying taxes - something that has already started happening.

Mike Muriuki, the director of a 10-year-old company that distributes and markets LPG gas cylinders, tells the BBC that tax hikes are suffocating his business.

He says ordinary people have no money to buy cooking gas - that has made his business shrink over the past year from orders of 700 cylinders a day to only 200.

Mr Muriuki says this has forced him to lay off more than 70% of his workers, leaving him with just about 20.

For many small- and medium-sized businesses like his, Mr Muriuki says, the impact of the taxes have been very burdensome - and the conduct of tax collectors has bordered on "harassment" in some cases.

Last month, a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) unit with paramilitary training visited one of his premises in Kiambu county, which borders the capital, Nairobi.

The tax agency's unit was deployed in September to enforce tax compliance.

At his premises, Mr Muriuki says, the tax officers asked for his sales and income records, including from mobile money transactions, as well as his tax returns. They also took pictures of the shop.

It was "scary", he tells the BBC.

"The manner they did it [can] put a lot of fear in businesspeople People think these guys are coming to arrest us," Mr Muriuki adds.

He says people are "now trying to find ways to hide what they are collecting", including resorting to hard cash and directing mobile money payments to personal numbers rather than to business till accounts.

An owner of an auto spare parts shop in downtown Nairobi says he has stopped using his business till number amid higher transaction costs.

The gradual shift in the mode of payments has been the subject of recent social media discussion in Kenya, although data from the largest telecoms company Safaricom still shows a rise in mobile money transactions up to September.

Tax agents have stepped up visits to businesses as the government tries to increase its revenue

Since July, there has been an increase in the highest rate of tax on salaries from 30% to 35%, a new 1.5% housing tax, a 2.75% hospital insurance fund levy, a 3% turnover (gross sales) tax on small businesses and a doubling of taxes on fuel to 16%, among others.

Some of the taxes, amid a rising cost of living, led to deadly street protests earlier in the year.

A steep increase in the cost of obtaining identity cards, passports, birth, marriage and death certificates was also announced but has since been suspended by the courts.

The owner of a tour company founded in 2017 that mostly deals in outdoor adventure tells the BBC he is exasperated by the unfriendly business environment that he now finds himself in.

Speaking on condition of anonymity as he fears reprisals, he says higher taxes have reduced the ability of people to spend on things like travel, adding that everyone in the tourism sector is feeling the heat, but in different ways.

For him, the rapid decline of the value of the Kenyan shilling, even against other currencies in East Africa, has made it impossible for him to plan in advance.

He complains that the Kenya Wildlife Service has decided to more than quadruple entrance fees to parks, yet "there is no [extra] value that is being given".

"Tourists ask me: 'What is happening in your country?'," he tells the BBC, adding that Kenya is destroying its tourism market as people can get better deals in neighbouring Tanzania and Rwanda.

In the last couple of months, he has not organised any local tours - and has moved into other sectors, including farming, to survive.

Kenya's government however says the country remains one of Africa's top tourist destinations.

It says that the removal of visa requirements for all visitors would increase the number of international tourists from the current "1.48 million annually to 2.5 million in the short term and 4.5 million by 2026-2027".

KRA, in a report on 11 December, says it has maintained an upward revenue growth since July, but it was below its annual target, as the increase in the price of oil had driven down demand for imports.

It acknowledged that demand for domestic goods and services had reduced, while also citing an increase in lending rates and a reduction in banks' profitability.

A fortnight ago, the treasury minister told MPs the country was finding it difficult to get money to pay civil servants' salaries as well as to give MPs money for their constituency projects, which means there will be less development.

With such a gloomy picture, many Kenyans are hoping that Mr Ruto will offer them relief and back down, just as Zaccheaus eventually did when he climbed down a tree after Jesus called him.

Correction and update: This article has been corrected to reflect that the price of ID cards and other official documents has not taken effect. It has also been updated to reflect the government's position on its record on spending, job creation and tourism.

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President Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to supporters from the Ellipse at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress prepares to certify the electoral college votes.

President Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to supporters from the Ellipse at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress prepares to certify the electoral college votes.

WASHINGTON  With voting now just 26 days away, the non-Donald Trump candidates are again opting not to exploit his greatest vulnerability: The continuing legal consequences of his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt.

After Tuesdays decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump had, in fact, engaged in an insurrection and was therefore ineligible under the Constitution to hold federal office, his rivals for the 2024 GOP nomination are attacking the justices who issued that ruling, rather than Trump for his actions leading up to and on that day.

There was no trial on any of this. They basically just said: Well, you cant be on the ballot. How does that work? said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday morning at an appearance in Urbandale, Iowa. Could we just say that Biden cant be on the ballot because he let in 8 million illegals into the country and violated the Constitution, which he has? Could we just say, Oh, well, they have money coming to Hunter, whatever?

The last thing we want is judges telling us who can and cant be on the ballot, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told reporters Tuesday night in Iowa, the site of the first election contest of the 2024 primary season on Jan. 15.

Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been the most critical of Trumps post-election behavior, said the matter was not for the courts. It would cause a lot of anger in this country if people had the choice taken away from them, he told a New Hampshire audience Tuesday evening.

DeSantis claim that the Colorado high court ruled without a trial, however, is false. The trial court spent a week hearing evidence about Trumps actions between Election Day 2020 and Jan. 6. Trumps lawyers conducted cross-examinations and were allowed to present their own witnesses, as well.

Rick Wilson, a longtime Republican consultant from Florida who broke from the party after it embraced Trump in 2016, said the comments are unsurprising.

This points out the fundamental lie of the 2024 Republican primary. Not one of them was ever running against Trump. They were only running in the hope that the actuarial tables or fate would take Trump off the battlefield, Wilson said. All of them except Chris Christie, who has no chance of being elected, have accepted the moral compromise and swallowed the poison of allowing Trump to operate under a separate set of legal and ethical rules than any other figure in the history of American politics. Theyre weak, and this is one more demonstration of it.

Other Republicans, though, said that the non-Trump candidates responses are completely logical, given the views of most Republican primary voters.

GOP pollster Neil Newhouse pointed to a new survey showing that 79% of Republicans believe Trump should be found not guilty of charges that he tried to overthrow the election and that 66% believe that Trump should be permitted to be the nominee, even if he is convicted of crimes.

Not sure theres a single Republican that considers Jan. 6 an insurrection, said former Republican Congressman David Jolly. Only Christie has shown a willingness to try to persuade GOP voters. Haley and DeSantis remain intent on affirming them. It wont get them the nomination, but at least they wont get booed at the convention.

One top Iowa Republican consultant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, The GOP was embarrassed by Jan. 6 but do not think it was a coup or an insurrection. The tribe doesnt accept your premise.

That view of Jan. 6, though, did not start that way. In the first days and weeks after the coup attempt, even many die-hard Trump supporters realized that things had gone too far. Top Trump campaign aide Jason Miller advised spreading the lie that it wasnt Trump supporters who had perpetrated the violence but Antifa. Many Trump followers aggressively pushed that falsehood in the early days.

And that Trump was likely to face legal consequences, both civil and criminal, was cited by Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell after he decided against convicting Trump following his impeachment by the House for inciting the Capitol attack.

He didnt get away with anything yet, said McConnell on Feb. 13, 2021. Just days earlier, on Jan. 6, he had called the assault this failed insurrection.

McConnell said, We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one.

But in the coming months, McConnell essentially stopped talking about Trump at all while other Republican leaders actively began rehabilitating his image, in part to use his massive fundraising operation for their own benefit.

And as Trump resumed pushing his lies about the 2020 election having been stolen from him and began spreading a revisionist account of Jan. 6 in which his violent followers who had attacked and beaten police officers were recast as patriots and, now, political prisoners, many elected Republicans, particularly in the House, began joining in.

Countering this were but a handful of Republicans like former House members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who were effectively excommunicated by the party. Kinzinger chose not to run for re-election. Cheney was soundly defeated in her primary.

I would love it if all Republicans were Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, but look at what happened to them, the Iowa consultant said.

Most Republican voters believe Trump is a victim. And DeSantis and Haley know thats how most Republican voters feel, said former GOP congressman Joe Walsh, who tried unsuccessfully to oust Trump in the 2020 GOP primaries. So if you want the Republican nomination and/or you want to stay viable in the Republican Party, you must echo what Republican voters believe. Even if you know, its bullshit.

Regardless of how Trumps GOP rivals either do or do not make an issue of Trump and Jan. 6, Democratic President Joe Bidens re-election campaign has made clear that it fully intends to put Trumps coup attempt front and center.

Its self-evident. You saw it all, Biden told reporters Wednesday morning as he stepped off Air Force One in Milwaukee. Now, whether the 14th Amendment applies, Ill let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. Theres no question about it. None. Zero.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he vetoed a controversial bill adopted by the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), which would have reformed urban planning, for his own reasons, not because any international partners advised him to.

Source: Zelenskyy at his end-of-year press conference

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Regarding the law on developers and so on, no one has ever contacted me personally and asked me not to sign it. So this is my personal choice, and there are reasons. No one from the European Union, the United States or the G7 has ever raised this issue."

Background: Bill No. 5655, which was considered to have advanced the interests of developers, was met with hostility from the public.

In December 2022, a petition demanding that the urban development reform bill be vetoed gained the required number of signatures in record time.

Furthermore, according to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, numerous innovations in the law are aimed at eliminating any effective developer liability for unauthorised construction.

The draft law drew scathing criticism from the Verkhovna Radas Main Legal Department. Parliamentary lawyers expressly pointed out that "the provisions of the bill are not consistent with the norms of the Constitution and laws of Ukraine". The law was strongly opposed by the Association of Cities of Ukraine. Thirty-nine mayors submitted a personal joint statement against the so-called urban planning reform.

The adopted law arrived at the Presidents Office on 19 December 2022, and the President did not veto it within the prescribed 15-day period. At a press conference in the summer, he stated that he could not veto it because the deadline had expired, and expressed a desire to meet with the heads of hromadas who are for and against the bill to figure out the issue [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories - ed.].

In a resolution passed on 16 June in support of Ukraine's fast-track NATO membership, the European Parliament called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to sign the controversial urban planning reform bill.

In November, the European Commission recommended in a report on EU enlargement policy that Ukraine veto Law No. 5655 on Urban Planning Reform.

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FILE - North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song addresses a Security Council meeting on Non-proliferation/North Korea, Thursday, July 13, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Dec. 19, on Pyongyangs latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called a warning counter-measure to threats from the U.S. and other hostile forces. Song called this the most dangerous year for security on the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday on Pyongyangs latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called a warning counter-measure to threats from the U.S. and other hostile forces.

North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said this is the most dangerous year in the military-security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, pointing to stepped up U.S.-South Korean military exercises and the U.S. deployment of nuclear-powered submarines and other nuclear assets to the area that have raised a nuclear war danger.

The U.S. and nine allies pointed to five North Korean ICBM launches, over 25 ballistic missiles launches and three satellite launches using ballistic missile technology this year, violating multiple Security Council resolutions and threatening the peace and stability of its neighbors and the international community.

In a statement read just before the council meeting by U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood, surrounded by diplomats from the other countries, the 10 countries condemned the latest ICBM launch on Dec. 18 and all launches before it.

Kim urged the international community to think about North Koreas security concerns, calling its counter-measures an absolutely reasonable, normal and reflective response in exercise of its legitimate right to self-defense.

He warned the U.S. and South Korea that if they continue with their reckless and irresponsible military threat, North Koreas armed forces will never remain an onlooker to it and the provokers will be held entirely responsible for all the consequences.

North Korea will also continue to build up its strategic power of a more advanced type to contain and control any threat from the U.S. and its followers with immediate, overwhelming and decisive counter-measures, Kim warned.

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Koreas first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking  so far unsuccessfully  to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. And the two veto-wielding council members have blocked any council action, including media statements, since then.

The 10 countries  Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States  said silence from the Security Council sends the wrong message to Pyongyang and all proliferators.

They urged North Korea to abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and instead invest in feeding the people in North Korea and engage in diplomacy. They also urged all Security Council members to overcome their prolonged silence and uphold the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

Russias deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva called attempts to condemn Pyongyang a one-sided approach.

She warned that the situation is escalating to a dangerous brink, pointing to both Pyongyang and Seoul justifying their hostile moves as self-defense. And she accused the United States of deploying its massive military machine in the region, saying this looks more and more like preparations for an offensive operation, even though the U.S. says it has no hostile intentions.

Evstigneeva said Russia again calls for a peaceful settlement of all issues on the Korean Peninsula through political and diplomatic means without external pressure.

Wood, the U.S. deputy ambassador, countered that U.S. military exercises are defensive and its North Korea that has violated U.N. Security Council resolutions  not South Korea, Japan or the U.S. And he said the United States has tried repeatedly to have an unconditional dialogue with Pyongyang but it has refused.
Striking junior doctors have formed a picket line at Northampton General Hospital on previous strike days

Health bosses are warning that planned junior doctors' strikes will have a "serious impact" on NHS services.

Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which plans and funds local services, urged people to prepare for the industrial action.

Doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) are to walk out for three days from Wednesday in a dispute about pay.

The BMA said the government had been unable to present a credible pay offer.

Its latest strike will start at 07:00 GMT on Wednesday and finish at 07:00 on Saturday.

A further six-day strike has been scheduled to start on 3 January.

It follows the breakdown of talks between the government and the BMA, which is pushing for a 35% pay increase.

The Northamptonshire ICB said the strikes would mean longer waits and delayed treatment.

Dr Imogen Staveley, the interim chief medical officer for NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board, said: "Junior doctors are qualified doctors with up to eight years' experience working in hospitals or up to three years in general practice.

"They make up around half of all doctors in the NHS, so there is likely to be a significant impact on local services at a time when the NHS is already under severe pressure.

"During these upcoming periods of industrial action, we will be prioritising emergency care, critical care, acute mental health care, neonatal care, maternity and trauma."

Kiara Vincent, a local BMA official, joined the picket line at Northampton General Hospital during a previous strike

The ICB has apologised to those who will be affected by the industrial action, and has advised people to use alternatives to 999 where possible.

It has also urged people to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours.

The BMA said: "We have been clear from the outset of these talks that we needed to move at pace - and if we did not have a credible offer, we would be forced to call strikes.

"After five weeks of intense talks, the government was unable to present a credible offer on pay by the deadline."

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830.
Shane James Jr., 34, was charged with capital murder of multiple people and booked into the Travis County Jail at 1:32 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6. Austin Police Department

The Austin Police Department released body camera footage of the moments leading up to an officer being shot by a man accused of going on a shooting spree in San Antonio and Austin earlier this month.

Video from APD detective Joseph Strother shows the detective approaching the home on Austral Loop, where police would later find the bodies of Catherine Short, 56, and Lauren Short, 30. Police said the mother and daughter had fatal gunshot wounds.

Shane James Jr. is accused of killing six people, including his parents, and injuring three others on Dec 5. He faces several charges, including four counts of capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and one count of aggravated assault mass shooting, according to Travis County Jail records.

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He is accused of killing both his parents in a home in Bexar County before fleeing to Austin to commit the rest of the killings. His charges in Bexar County are still pending.

In the footage, Strother is seen opening the door to the home's backyard. Seconds last, several gunshots can be heard, as well as the detective screaming. Strother returned fire in the shooter's direction but suffered multiple gunshot wounds. James was not shot during the incident, police said.

Strother is then seen running to the home's front yard, where he meets up with another APD officer Khristof Oborski, who tells him to take cover behind a vehicle.

"I'm hit, I'm hit," Strother said. "He just ran out the back."

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APD also released body camera footage from Oborski's perspective, where Strother can be seen running from the home's backyard, as well as police radio traffic audio from the incident.

Strother was taken to a local hospital and was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. He was later released and is recovering at home.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as he arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/POOL

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Extraordinary Times

The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to remove Donald Trump from the GOP primary ballot has cast us deeper into uncharted waters.

I had a vague notion even into adulthood that the constitutional order in America was challenged every 50 years or so in ways that stress-tested the system. By that measure, I regret to inform you that we live in extraordinary times.

Since 1998, some of the markers  by the numbers:

3 going on 4 presidential impeachments;

2 winning presidential candidates losing the popular vote;

1 going on 2 presidential elections decided by the Supreme Court;

1 attempted coup; and

4 criminal prosecutions of an ex-president.

While its not just Donald Trump, you can see his outsized impact on those numbers.

Im not of the view that testing constitutional limits is somehow dangerous or ill-advised. We should thoroughly ventilate the 14th Amendments Disqualification Clause, as is being done now. Its been a mistake, in my view, to spend decades circling around but never quite confronting the true extent of executive privilege. In the half century since Watergate, we shouldnt have operated under the untested specter of a Justice Department opinion that sitting presidents cant be criminally charged.

So I dont think theres anything inherently ill-advised about treating the Constitution as a robust mechanism to be used, tested, amended, and reinvigorated. Not every brush with a constitutional question is a constitutional crisis. (To clear up any possible confusion, Im talking here about the constitutional structure itself, not the scope of individual rights protected by the Constitution, whose developments have their own history and evolution under the law.)

The next few months are going to see a series of new tests.

Whats On Tap For The Supreme Court

Its hard to envision a scenario in which the Supreme Court doesnt take up the Colorado decision. Not touching it leaves a momentous decision intact and could lead to a patchwork of state-by-state decisions without a nationwide Supreme Court ruling to provide consistency.

But touching it creates all sorts of legal and logistical challenges. I think its going to be important, for instance, to see this first and foremost as an elections case. Colorado officials will soon be up against the clock on basic election administration issues like printing the ballot. While the GOP primary in the state isnt until March, early voting starts well before then in February. That creates a sense of urgency not just in Colorado, but in other states where courts may be newly emboldened to rule against Trump on the Disqualification Clause.

Ive seen a number of smart observers note that because the Colorado decision was stayed until the Supreme Court rules, the Supreme Court could do nothing and just let the GOP primary proceed with Trump on the ballot. Im skeptical that it will backdoor its way to a decision that way. Its possible, but that would cast a cloud over the entire election.

I lean toward more expedited and immediate action from the Supreme Court, but I cant predict the outcome here. There are a number of different paths the Supreme Court could take. The suspense is real. The stakes could hardly be higher.

A Departure From The Norm

Neither the majority opinion nor the three dissents (remember, all seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors) offers much real insight into how the Supreme Court will rule, so Im not going to dissect them here for you. I think the Supreme Court will largely consider the legal issues anew. Remember: the Supreme Court really isnt bound by the Colorado decision, except it has to defer on what state court says about Colorado law. So this will be close to a fresh bite at the apple for the high court.

Informed Reaction

Harry Litman: [W]e are in for a wild and woolly constitutional ride over the next 16 days and perhaps beyond, and its difficult to know where or how it will end.

Aaron Blake: 4 takeaways from the Colorado Supreme Courts disqualifying Trump

Law professor Derek Muller: Never in history has a presidential candidate been excluded from the ballot under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. United States Supreme Court review seems inevitable, and it exerts major pressure on the court.

Political Analysis Falls Short

The reaction to the Colorado decision from elected officials and political reporters (as opposed to legal reporters) was predictable and tired.

Jack Smith Still Gets Access To Rep. Scott Perrys Phone

WaPo: A federal judge on Tuesday granted the Justice Department access to nearly 1,700 records recovered from the cellphone of Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) in a long-running legal battle in the criminal investigation of former president Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Plus  bit more on what was on the phone.

A Glimpse Of What DOJ Was Doing Before Jack Smith

Politico: Months before special counsel Jack Smith took over the case, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. were considering obstruction charges in connection with Donald Trumps bid to subvert the 2020 election.

From The Ellipse To The Supreme Court

TPM was the first to report back in 2021 that a second rally had been planned for Jan. 6 by Trumps Stop The Steal allies, this one at the Supreme Court. Now a new inspector generals report from the Interior Department adds further confirmation and detail to what we previously knew.

Rudy Gs Financial Desperation Played A Role In Probe

Newly unsealed documents show that criminal investigators were looking into whether Rudy Giulianis antics in Ukraine were driven in part by his increasingly dire personal financial situation. As you know, the case was closed with charges being brought against Giuliani.

What Trump II Would Do To The Pentagon

TPMs Josh Kovensky: How Trump Is Laying The Groundwork For A Coopted Military

Sign Of The Times: Trump Denies Reading Mein Kampf

Trump renewed his vicious anti-immigrant rhetoric in Iowa Tuesday, telling a crowd: Theyre destroying the blood of our country. Thats what theyre doing  theyre destroying our country.

Great Lede

Philip Bump on the racism and ahistoricism of Trumps poison the blood rhetoric:

Donald Trump doesnt hate immigrants. He married two women who immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe. Nor is he particularly insistent about immigrants having children in the United States. His three oldest children were born to Ivana Trump, who at the time had not yet become a citizen. His youngest child was born in March of the year that Melania Trump got her citizenship.

Removal Of Confederate Memorial Is Back On

A federal judge in Virginia lifted the order blocking removal of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery after visiting the site himself and being satisfied that graves were not being disturbed, as the pro-memorial plaintiffs had claimed.

The Best Reaction Of All

No! Dont do it! Pleeeease!

I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately  or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous pic.twitter.com/qbpNf9L3ln  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 20, 2023

For its part, the Colorado Republican Party says it will ditch the presidential primary in favor of a caucus if Trump is left off the ballot.

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!
One of the youngest juveniles in Georgia to be sentenced to prison has been released.

Michael Lewis, known as Little B, was 13 when he was convicted of the murder of a young father of two.

Lewis has maintained his innocence and is now living in California, thousands of miles from home.

Channel 2s Karyn Greer was there as he was released from a transitional facility in Macon when he was granted parole after serving 26 years in 13 different prisons.

Lewis is now 40. He was 13 in February 1997 when he was charged with killing 23-year-old Darnell Woods

Woods was fatally shot in his car while he was waiting for his wife outside a Vine City convenience store. His two young sons were in the backseat.

They asked you in court, Did you do it? And you said? Greer asked Lewis.

No, Lewis said.

Has anyone ever point-blank asked you, Did you kill this man? Greer asked Lewis.

No. Everybody told me I did, you know? Everybody told me Oh, you did, you did, Lewis said. That night in particular, nothing was different about that night, you know? Everything that goes on in the Bluff. I heard the shots. But thats normal in my neighborhood, Lewis said.

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Prosecutors called Lewis a cold-blooded thug, a super predator and said Lewis was on the scene and committed the murder.

He became the first and youngest teen to be tried under Senate Bill 440, a law in Georgia requiring children as young as 13 be treated as adults and prosecuted in Superior Court if they committed what was considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins: murder, rape, armed robbery, child molestation, sodomy, sexual battery or manslaughter.

Lewis told Greer that his young life at 13 was not easy.

For you living in the bluff, making a little money meant doing what? Greer asked Lewis.

Selling drugs, you know, whatever I could do to survive, the best way I could. If it meant stealing in front of the store, Id do that, Lewis said.

Lewis spent days in the juvenile detention center before being bound over to the Fulton County Jail with adults to await trial.

Initially I was at 445 Capitol Avenue, where the juvenile (center) was. And then, like, a week after that they binded me over to adult court, Lewis said.

After his 9-day trial, Lewis was convicted of malice murder and was sentenced to life.

When I got back to the jail, I saw my mother. (She) was arrested too. They consoled her. She was crying and whatever, and then I appealed, and she came over and hold me. She was in the same outfit that I got on, Lewis said.

Former Black Panther Elaine Brown wrote a book about Lewis  The Condemnation of Little B.

It brought the teen national attention. She also became his unofficial guardian, visiting him in prison and working for his release. He now calls her mom.

Without her, Id still be sitting in prison, Lewis said. Nobody saw the political crucifixion I was enduring. Nobody saw none of that. She made her life all about freeing me.

Lewis has relocated to California. He told Greer that for the first time, he is living his life.

It means a chance at a new life. It means  I cant necessarily see a new life or chance at life, because I never really had a life. You know, when I was condemned, even when I was born, basically, you know? So this is the opportunity for me to live and Im thankful for it, Lewis said.

Greer contacted Woods family to get their thoughts on Lewis parole. She never received a response.

Woods would be 49 years old.

IN OTHER NEWS:
NYPD Officer Philip Fioranelli was criminally charged with misconduct Wednesday for allegedly sitting on a handcuffed detainee and spraying pepper spray in his mouth and eyes.

Fioranelli appeared briefly before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michelle Rodney and was released on his own recognizance. He pleaded not guilty to one count of official misconduct.

Prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorneys police accountability unit allege the incident occurred on May 18 when Fioranelli, 48, was working a paid security shift in uniform at a lower Manhattan parking garage.

The day before, the alleged victim, Aqil Alshimary, bought a multiday parking ticket, which he refused to provide when he came to pick up the vehicle, prosecutors allege.

A security supervisor called Fioranelli, who told the man to leave, to no avail, leading to a skirmish during which the cop tripped over a bicycle rack, according to the description of CCTV footage in court papers.

Prosecutors say Fioranelli then pulled out his NYPD-issued firearm, and Alshimary immediately complied with his orders, laying face-down with both hands behind his back. The cop then mounted the detainee and straddled him with one leg on either side before unholstering his pepper spray and spraying multiple bursts in Alshimarys eyes and mouth.

[Fioranelli] then used his own hand to spread and rub the O.C. chemicals around Alshimarys face. Over the next few seconds, [Fioranelli] deployed additional bursts from close range into Alshimarys face  in the process, exposing himself to the O.C. spray chemicals and inadvertently rubbing them into his own eyes  before returning the canister to its holster, prosecutors wrote in court papers.

Approximately two minutes later, [Fioranelli] again took out the O.C. spray and deployed it directly in Alshimarys face.

The cop stayed atop the detainee for more than three-and-a-half minutes, intermittently and gratuitously yanking at the neck of his sweatshirt, pulling at his handcuffed arms and putting pressure on his back as a complying Alshimary writhed in pain underneath from the intense burning effects, court papers detail.

In a statement, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said, There is no question that New York City Police Officers are put in extremely challenging positions every day, but officers who violate the law must be held accountable.

The work of our police accountability unit is essential for trust in the system, which directly impacts public safety, and that is why these cases will continue to be a key pillar of our work in the Manhattan district attorneys office, the DA added.

Fioranelli, on the force since 2004, was suspended by the NYPDs Internal Affairs Bureau following the incident. He and his lawyer had no comment leaving court. An NYPD spokesman confirmed his unpaid suspension.

The cops disciplinary history notes four infractions he either pleaded guilty to or was found guilty of, resulting in 45 docked vacation days, including impeding a police investigation off duty, being in wrongful possession of a bogus or counterfeit police shield, and getting into a physical altercation with another cop.

In a statement, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry condemned the charge.

This is another case that shows the upside-down world in which police officers are working. This individual violently assaulted this police officer, but he is not being prosecuted, Hendry said.

Our police officer deserves fairness and due process, but the criminal who assaulted him absolutely should not walk away scot-free.

Alshimary was charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment stemming from the skirmish with the cop. After attending a community treatment program, he got whats known as an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal on Oct. 18  meaning if he stays out of trouble for six months, his case will be dismissed.

Alshimary could not be reached for comment.
ASHTABULA, Ohio (WJW)  A local massage parlor suspected of illegal activity was raided by the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and the Ashtabula County Sheriffs Office, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Medina teacher charged in investigation resigns: BOE

The task force executed a search warrant at the Aloha Spa, 2048 E. Prospect Road in Ashtabula, on Tuesday, Yost said.

Investigators said they discovered evidence that the spa was conducting a sex-for-pay operation out of a commercial property owned by ALVA LLC.

During the execution of the search warrant, investigators said they seized documents, financial records, and more than $10,000 in cash.

Warrensville Heights Schools closed for reported bomb threat

Yost said anyone with information regarding this business can call the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force tip line at (216) 443-6085.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
A migrant waits in Matamoros, Mexico, to cross the Rio Grande near Brownsville. Smugglers control the movement of migrants into the U.S., charging steep fees in return. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

The smuggling ring brought migrants from Mexico into Texas through the Chihuahuan Desert.

Near Van Horn, a desolate crossroads southeast of El Paso, smugglers handed the new arrivals over to guides, who led them across the arid landscape to rendezvous points, where drivers would pick them up and take them to stash houses.

The going is hard in the desert, and migrants who couldnt keep up would be left behind. Two died, according to federal authorities.

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Now, a federal judge in El Paso has sentenced three women to prison for their roles in the operation. The women  one from Texas and two from Arizona pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to bring an undocumented immigrant into the country, resulting in death.

The longest sentence  11 years and three months  was handed down Tuesday to Guadalupe Quezada, 35, of Mesa, Ariz. According to the Justice Department, she handled financial aspects of the operation.

She would receive human smuggling proceeds in bulk as well as through financial institutions and redirect them to promote the human smuggling and to invest in real property, DOJ said. Quezada used her smuggling income to buy three pieces of real estate in Phoenix, authorities said. The government has seized them under criminal forfeiture laws.

Her two co-defendants were sentenced Dec. 13.

Veronica Quezada, 39, also of Mesa, handled logistics. She registered the vehicles used by the smugglers and traveled daily between the U.S. and Mexico to oversee operations, prosecutors said. She was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

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Elizabeth Miranda Lozano, 39, of Dallas, was sentenced to eight years. Her job was to transport migrants and hold them in stash houses before they were released to travel to their final destinations in the U.S., authorities said. She relocated to Dallas from Arizona to manage a stash house on behalf of the smuggling ring.

As demonstrated by these defendants, human smugglers have a callous disregard for the value of life, said Francisco B. Burrola, special agent-in-charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso.

Migrants maneuver between boulders after a smuggler brought them across the Rio Grande and left them on the U.S. side near Roma. Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

The trio ran the trafficking operation from November 2019 to August 2021, according to court documents.

During that time, the organization twice abandoned migrants who were unable to keep pace with the group, the Justice Department said. An investigation revealed that the abandonment of the migrants under the harsh conditions resulted in their deaths.

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Jaime Esparza, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas., said: The dangerous smuggling of human beings across our border has become far too prevalent and those who engage in or facilitate this activity must account for their deadly dealings.
Hi OnPolitics readers! Colorados Supreme Court ruled yesterday that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from the states primary ballot heading into 2024.

The decision is sure to spark a complicated battle over the Constitution, Trumps actions surrounding the Capitol riot and more. USA TODAYs reporters are here to explain:

 Why was Trump disqualified? The legal puzzle at the center of the case is the wording of the Constitution's insurrection clause and whether Trump incited an insurrection when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, USA TODAYs John Fritze, Aysha Bagchi and David Jackson report.

 Walk me through the 14th Amendment: The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in the post-Civil War era, intended to extend liberties in the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people, USA TODAYs Kinsey Crowley explains. But it also bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection after swearing to uphold the Constitution (by being sworn into office, for example), from holding office again.

 How did Trumps rivals respond? Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw from the Colorado primary ballot after the decision, and he demanded his Republican rivals do the same. President Joe Biden said theres "no question" Trump supported the insurrection, but the president didnt weigh in on the Colorado Supreme Court's specific decision.

Stay in the know on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump was disqualified from a Colorado ballot. Here's why.
Microsofts burgeoning relationship with OpenAI is piling scrutiny on the tech giants market power and ways it is building and yielding that power in the lucrative artificial intelligence (AI) space.

Microsoft successfully skirted some of the spotlight on the market power of other technology giants, such as Apple and Google, over the past few years. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a target for global regulators and lawmakers, Microsofts growing partnership with the leading AI firm and creator of ChatGPT is bringing renewed attention.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is examining the nature of Microsofts investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg News reported. The U.K. Competition Market Authority (CMA) also launched an initial review last week to see if Microsofts growing relationship with OpenAI resulted in a relevant merger situation, and if that change would lessen competition.

Microsoft invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has incorporated ChatGPT into Microsoft services. The lines between the two companies, however, have been blurred in the aftermath of the tumultuous firing and rehiring of OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman.

The relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI existed prior to that. But that debate, that very public dispute, showed really the extent of Microsofts control over OpenAI, said Lee Hepner, legal counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonprofit that supports aggressive antitrust enforcement.

The OpenAI board announced Altman was ousted as CEO on Nov. 17, a Friday. By the following Monday, Microsoft announced it would be hiring Altman to lead an AI research team.

Altman returned to the AI startup just a few days later  with the blessing of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella  after hundreds of OpenAI employees threatened to quit if he was not reinstated.

One week later, OpenAI announced Microsoft would have a nonvoting position on its board of directors.

The question on everyones minds here is, Who absolutely controls OpenAI? Hepner said.

On the one hand, you have this perception of a nonprofit board that is controlling OpenAI and making critical decisions about the future of development of AI, generally. On the other hand  the public tussle over the disposition of Sam Altman and his role at OpenAI, I think, made very clear that actually Microsoft controls OpenAI, Hepner added.

Microsoft has pushed back on accusations that it controls OpenAI.

After U.K. regulators asked for comment on the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership  the first step before the potential launch of a formal investigation  Microsoft President Brad Smith said it has fostered more AI innovation and competition, while preserving independence for both companies.

Smith said the only thing that has changed is that Microsoft will now have a non-voting observer on OpenAIs board. He also said the situation is very different from an acquisition such as Googles purchase of DeepMind in the UK, seemingly taking a shot at rival Google over its 2014 acquisition of an AI company.

Sam Weinstein, a former Justice Department antitrust attorney who is now a professor at the Cardozo School of Law, said the change in having a nonvoting board observer potentially raises more red flags for antitrust enforcers.

Instead of whats been characterized by Microsoft as this kind of economic interest where they have no actual control  now you have a board observer. Of course, they dont have a vote, but theyre in the room. So do they exert control there? We wont know  were outside the room  but its a question, he said.

The situation also draws more questions about how information is flowing between the companies, he said.

The board observer kind of raises the stakes a little bit and catches the eye of the enforcers, Weinstein added, acknowledging the situation falls in a legal gray area.

The Clayton Act prohibits a board member from serving on the board of management of a competing corporation, but a nonvoting observer from Microsoft may not violate that law, he said.

One way you could look at this is Microsofts exerting some kind of control over OpenAI, its kind of hard to say how much, in a way that at least seems like it doesnt implicate the antitrust laws, Weinstein said.

Theyre sort of dancing around the scope of what the enforcement agencies can do by having this unusual arrangement, he added.

Microsoft has also sought to tamp down concerns about its influence on OpenAI.

While details of our agreement remain confidential, it is important to note that Microsoft does not own any portion of OpenAI and is simply entitled to share of profit distributions, Microsoft chief communication officer Frank Shaw said in a statement following the CMAs invitation for comment.

The FTC declined to comment on whether it was probing the Microsoft-OpenAI relationship, but a source familiar with the situation told The Hill that the agency has not reached out to Microsoft about the matter.

FTC Chair Lina Khan, a vocal critic of tech giants market power before assuming her role at the agency, has focused the commission on the potential competition concerns raised by AI.

In a June memo, the agency pledged to use its full range of tools to identify and address unfair methods of competition.

The FTC voted unanimously last month to authorize the use of compulsory process, such as subpoenas, in nonpublic investigations involving AI-related products and services. The FTC is currently controlled by three Democratic commissioners after the departure of two Republican colleagues earlier this year and last.

The agency said the update will streamline the agency staffs ability to issue civil investigative demands.

Theres an obvious effort at the Federal Trade Commission to move quickly here, and I think that thats what is most important. The outcome will be a result of the investigation, but its critical that the Federal Trade Commission move quickly before this runaway train gets too far down the track, Hepner said.

The American Economic Liberties Project and other tech advocacy groups, including Demand Progress and the Center for Digital Democracy, sent a letter Wednesday to Khan and Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general and head of Justice Department antitrust division, urging their offices investigate Big Techs concentration in the AI space.

The letter specifically calls out changes between Microsoft and OpenAIs relationship, including the restructuring that secured Microsoft a nonvoting board position. The groups said the change indicates a greater level of access and control for Microsoft over the management and future trajectory of OpenAI, according to a copy of the letter.

The rise of generative AI comes heels of the federal governments ramped up scrutiny of the market power of tech giants  an effort that spawned a blockbuster 2020 House report and lawsuits filed by antitrust enforcers with both the Trump and Biden administrations.

While Microsoft avoided much of the recent push to rein in Big Tech, the company is no stranger to antitrust scrutiny.

The federal government sued Microsoft in 1998, alleging the company was violating antitrust law through restrictions placed on its software. Microsoft and the Justice Department eventually reached a settlement after the company successfully appealed a district court ruling that would have broken up the firm.

More recently, the FTC challenged Microsofts $69-billion acquisition of the gaming company Activision Blizzard, but the deal went through after the FTC lost its bid to block it.

The FTC is still fighting the merger, through an appeal, even after the deal closed. A decision on the appeal has not yet been reached.

The 2020 House antitrust report  and hearings with the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook that followed  focused largely on how the tech giants amassed their power and if they stifled innovation by acquiring nascent companies as the modern-day internet and social media landscape took shape.

Microsoft may have avoided the spotlight of that push, but Weinstein said the industry is at another inflection point as key AI companies rise up and pose a potential threat  or valuable input  to tech giants.

Microsoft and OpenAI are now in the middle of that debate.

Regulators have to face the question of whether companies like Microsoft and Google should be able to control their affiliated AI companies or if they should compete separately and possibly overthrow the current set of dominant firms, Weinstein said.

If you want the latter, and think OK, these companies are the competitive threat weve been waiting for, to the Facebooks, Apples, Amazons, etc., you probably want them outside the control of those monopolists, as pure competition matter. And that doesnt seem to be whats happening, Weinstein said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Editors Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.

Theres something otherworldly about the Arctic. During the Polar Night, which can last for months, the sun does not rise above the horizon, leaving the region in continuous darkness broken by periods of almost mystical twilight.

Frida Ghitis - CNN

On cloudless nights, one can see the Aurora Borealis dance across the vast skies, its swirling greens and blues contrasting with the stark white of the endless expanses of snow.

But then, at the Troms harbor in Norways northernmost reaches, the natural landscape is broken by the metallic military grey of a Norwegian Navy frigate. Its a reminder that the Arctic is not immune from the tensions besetting the rest of the globe.

In fact, the temperatures here are rising nearly four times faster than in the rest of the planet  and thats just the thermometers reading. When it comes to geopolitics, the coldest region in the world risks becoming its hottest.

In a recent speech to the Arctic Council  the intergovernmental body that acts as the regions steward  Admiral Rob Bauer, the head of NATOs Military Committee, warned, We cannot be naive and ignore the potentially nefarious intentions of some actors in the region.

Conflict, he said, can present itself at any moment, in any domain, including the Arctic, he added, ominously.

That was not hyperbole. The regions fast-growing militarization, fueled by increased international tensions, are compounding a push to benefit from the Arctics strategic and economic potential. Melting ice is also creating new shipping lanes and opening natural resources to exploitation, making strategic control of the Arctic ever more enticing.

A Norwegian Navy frigate looms large in Troms harbor, in the northernmost reaches of the country, as captured by CNN Opinion columnist Frida Ghitis. - Frida Ghitis

A few hundred miles from Tromss port, the Kola Peninsula in Russia is home to the countrys Northern Fleet, where multiple ballistic missile submarines, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, troop concentrations, airfields and other military assets are massed near NATOs border.

This past weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a thinly veiled threat to Finland, one of eight countries in the Arctic and NATOs newest member, warning that there will be problems, between the two countries now that Helsinki joined the alliance. Russia, he said, will soon concentrate military units near the northern part of the countries shared frontier.

Just weeks earlier, Finland closed its border crossings with Russia, accusing Moscow of launching a hybrid operation  weaponizing desperate migrants by helping them reach the frigid European border in the Arctic in an effort to destabilize the European Union.

In an interview with state media, Putin claimed that the two countries had no problems before Finland joined NATO, having resolved their territorial disputes in the 20th century. But Finland remembers how they were resolved  with a Russian invasion and a ferocious 1939-1940 Winter War that left Russia in possession of parts of Finland.

When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Finland decided neutrality did not guarantee safety. It needed the protection of joining NATO.

Tensions along the Arctic have grown exponentially since Russias unprovoked 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but the troubles were growing long before.

For decades, the region at the top of the globe seemed like a special place, where world powers could come together for the common good. The Arctic Council looked like a model of coexistence: A forum created in 1996, during that brief interlude of optimism in relations between post-Soviet Russia and the West.

The group, made up of the eight countries with territory inside the Arctic and indigenous peoples  Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the US  sought to promote peace, stability, and sustainable developments, safeguarding the region.

By the turn of the century, however, relations with Russia  and later with China, whose role in the region is now emerging  took a negative turn.

In retrospect, some observers argue that Russia exploited that perception of Arctic exceptionalism the mantra of High North, low tension, publicly proclaiming its commitment to peaceful cooperation, while simultaneously launching a gargantuan military buildup.

In October 2021, Russia took over the rotating chairmanship of the Council. Speaking to the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, Nicolay Korchunov, a top Russian Arctic official, outlined Moscows plans. During Russias chairmanship, he explained, we will continue to foster constructive cooperation, maintain peace and stability

A few months later, Russia invaded Ukraine. The work of the Arctic Council froze. Its very future was put in doubt.

Soon after, Russia accelerated its military and commercial activities in the region.

In brazen disregard for environmental safety standards, Russia started using thin-hulled  rather than ice-class oil tankers  to transport crude across the region. One shudders to imagine what a major oil spill would do to this unspoiled top of the world.

During a summit between Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in March, the two countries agreed to focus on the Arctic, appearing to open a new front against the West. By some estimates, China has invested $90 billion in the region.

Moscow and Beijing are working together to build a Polar Silk Road, with economic, geopolitical, and military objectives. China is unsubtly crafting an argument to become a player in the region, declaring itself a near-Arctic state.

NATO finds it all concerning, according to Admiral Bauer, because while Russias intentions in the Arctic have become clear in recent years, Chinas remain opaque.

Moscow meanwhile has decried NATOs eastward expansion. And now, the accession of Finland, and possibly Sweden into the alliance, would leave Russia as the only Arctic nation outside of NATO.

If, as some argue, Russia managed to pull the wool over the eyes of its Arctic neighbors, its invasion of Ukraine ripped it off. It might be hard to understand how deep the peace has been in Norway, said Norways Deputy Defense Minister Anne Marie Aanerud. We literally felt nothing could go wrong for generations.

Now Norways Arctic is not just the place to watch pods of whales go foraging for herring among soaring icebound fjords. NATOs military forces also make frequent visits, responding to provocative maneuvers by Russias massive military presence.

In September, Troms residents saw a French Navys submarine emerge from its waters. Days later, a US submarine was also greeted here.

Aanerud recalled a Russian military exercise a few months ago, which appeared to practice cutting off the Scandinavian peninsula.

In response, Scandinavia will soon host the enormous Nordic Response military exercise, with participation of some 20,000 troops from 14 countries.

The Arctic  the extreme northern latitude  with its dramatic landscapes, exotic atmospheric phenomena and still-pristine nature, may seem like a safe refuge from a tempestuous planet.

But the seemingly-otherworldly oasis is very much of this world. The turbulence roiling the planet is making its way to the top of the globe, and the tensions in the High North are likely to increase even after some of todays headline-grabbing conflicts recede.

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Editors Note: Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and a member of the USA Today board of contributors. Follow him on Twitter @RaulAReyes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

On Tuesday, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts signing of a bill that he says will enable his state to fight illegal immigration. Under SB 4, migrants who enter Texas without authorization will be committing a state crime. Local law enforcement officers in the Lone Star State will have the power to arrest them, and state judges will be able to order them removed to Mexico. The law is scheduled to take effect in March. Abbott said at a Monday news conference that he was taking this action on immigration because President Bidens deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself.

Raul A. Reyes - CNN

In escalating the battle over immigration between Texas and the Biden administration, Abbott is playing a dangerous, cynical game. His new law is constitutionally suspect and logistically impractical. It will open the door to racial profiling of Latinos while placing Texas communities at risk. And there is no sound evidence that it will lead to a significant drop in illegal immigration.

Abbott made this move against a backdrop of record levels of unauthorized entries at the southern border. In November alone, officials apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry, a border patrol chief told CNN. This ongoing influx of migrants has become a huge political liability for President Joe Biden, and a drain on resources in border states.

Yet SB 4 is legally problematic because it encroaches on federal authority over immigration. Under the Supremacy Clause of the constitution, federal laws take precedence over state measures, and existing federal law already guarantees migrants the right to apply for asylum. Texas cannot sweep such humanitarian relief away with its own law.

In addition, for over 100 years the Supreme Court has held that the power to regulate immigration lies exclusively with the federal government. In the 2012 case Arizona v. US, the high court established that states may not put in place their own immigration laws, citing the federal governments broad, undoubted power over immigration. Its no wonder that a group of 30 former immigration judges, appointed by both Republicans and Democrats, signed a November letter opposing SB 4 as unlawful.

SB 4 will allow state and local law enforcement in Texas to arrest people they suspect of being in the country illegally. However, as some Texas police chiefs have pointed out, this will pull police away from their regular duties, such as fighting violent crime. The law burdens local officers with immigration responsibilities, for which they may not have been trained.

In a state that is 40% Latino, according to the US Census Bureau, and about 17% foreign-born, according to the American immigration Council, how are state and local police supposed to decide who is undocumented  by asking for papers? Or judging people based on their skin color or language preference?

Turning all police into de facto immigration agents is bad policy because it will discourage migrants and their families from reporting crimes or coming forward as witnesses. Texas new law will likely sow distrust between local law enforcement and Latino communities.

Thats why three county chief executives in Texas have written to Biden, urging him to take action against SB 4; they recognize the measure as a threat to public safety. It also represents a potential financial burden on state and local jail and justice systems, as Texas localities will bear the costs of incarcerating migrants and adjudicating their cases.

Without a doubt, SB 4 is an extreme measure. Just ask Abbott. He called the legislation that he signed on Monday so extreme that it would keep migrants away from the state. His comment bespeaks a lack of compassion for people who are fleeing persecution and violence in their countries of origin.

Gov. Greg Abbott signs three bills into law at a border wall construction site in Brownsville, Texas on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, that will broaden his border security plans and add funding for more infrastructure to deter illegal immigration. - Valerie Gonzalez/AP

For migrants, SB4 will mean more suffering, more mistreatment and an improper abridgement of their right to an asylum hearing and due process. Since the law curtails access to lawful humanitarian relief, it could drive more migrants to attempt to enter the country with smugglers and cartels, which is hardly a desirable outcome for anyone.

True, there is a crisis at our southern border. But Abbott is wrong when he says that Biden is doing nothing on immigration. Biden has ended Title 42, a Trump-era public health regulation used to turn migrants back at the border. He has granted Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan nationals; and set up a new mobile app that asylum-seekers can use to apply for appointments. Biden is taking action on immigration  just not the kind of action that Abbott wants. Nor are our borders open; this year, the administration has been ramping up deportations.

The president makes immigration policy, not state governors, and for good reason. Imagine if all 50 states initiated their own immigration and deportation programs. It would create havoc with US foreign policy. Already, Abbotts actions could backfire, by sending a message to lawmakers in DC working on an immigration compromise (tied to Ukraine aid) that GOP leaders are not acting in good faith on this issue. SB 4 could throw a wrench in their plans, by conflicting with any possible immigration deal.

SB 4 is an assault on civil and human rights and a threat to public safety. It undermines federal authority on immigration. The Biden administration should join the ACLU in suing to prevent this harmful measure from going into effect.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed that once Ukraine joins the EU, all Central European support  including that for Hungary  will be directed to Kyiv.

Source: Hungarian news outlet Index, citing Orban in an interview on TV2 Hungarian TV channel

Details: Orban added that never before in the history of Europe has a country at war sought to be a member of the European Union.

However, Orban noted that it was unclear whether Ukraine would join the EU with the territories currently under Russian control. It is worth noting that neither the EU nor Kyiv is currently considering this option.

"There is no doubt that if we accept Ukraine, all the aid that has been granted to Central European countries, including Hungary, would be directed to them," the Hungarian prime minister lamented, providing no explanation for his allegations.

Background: At the EU summit on 14 December, EU leaders supported the opening of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

Although the decision on Kyiv had long been blocked by Hungary, its veto was overridden by persuading Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to leave the room during the vote and thus abstain from voting.

Orban himself later claimed that he agreed to give up his veto right at the start of Ukraines EU accession talks since he would have many more opportunities to block this process.

Learn more: Orban's defeat or victory for Ukraine. Why is EU summit historic

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) receives Colombian businessman Alex Saab at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA-EFE

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden said Wednesday 10 Americans held in Venezuela are coming home while fugitive Leonard Francis is being returned to the United States.

An ally of Venezuela President Maduro was released in the exchange.

Alex Nain Saab Moran, a Maduro ally, was facing money laundering charges in the United States. Florida charged him in 2019, but he fled and was arrested en route to Iran.

According to CBS News, senior officials said Qatari officials helped make the prisoner swap happen.

Biden said Wednesday in a statement, "Today, 10 Americans who have been detained in Venezuela have been released and are coming home, including all six wrongfully detained Americans. These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more."

The Biden administration said Wednesday 10 Americans held by Venezuela are coming home. In exchange, Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being released. Saab's face is seen on a mural in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2021. File Photo by Rayner Pena/EPA-EFE

The released Americans included Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Joseph Cristella and Savoi Wright, along with former Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry. The other names of those freed have not yet being released.

The deal is viewed by many as a sign of thawing relations between the United States and Venezuela.

One of the prisoners being freed in the deal between the United States and Venezuela, Alex Nain Saab Moran, is an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (pictured, 2019) and was facing money laundering charges in the United States. Florida charged him in 2019, but he fled and was arrested en route to Iran. File Photo by Prensa Miraflores/EPA-EFE

In October, a deal was reached to lift some economic sanctions after the Venezuelan government and opposition leaders there agreed to conditions for presidential elections that will include opposition candidates. That election is set to happen in the second half of 2024.

"We are ensuring that the Venezuelan regime meets its commitments," Biden said in the Wednesday statement. " They have announced an electoral roadmap -- agreed to by opposition parties -- for competitive presidential elections in 2024. This a positive and important step forward."

The fugitive returning from Venezuela to the United States is known as "Fat Leonard," a former defense contractor behind one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. history.
An Oregon man arrested in connection to the death of his cousin while they were on a fishing trip in 2021 pleaded to murder in the first degree, according to the Shasta County District Attorneys Office.

Clayton Allen Stearns, 37, will receive a sentence of 25-years-to-life in prison and will be sentenced on Jan. 24, 2024, the DA's office said Tuesday on its Facebook page.

Stearns had contacted his cousin about going fishing after the two had not spoken for some time. "Stearns was dealing with mental health issues, so the victim decided to go fishing to try and help his cousin," the DA's office post said.

Related: Oregon man arrested on suspicion of killing cousin after fishing trip north of Redding

Stearns had arranged to meet his cousin in a remote portion of Shasta County.

After the victim did not return home as planned, their family became concerned and called law enforcement.After locating the victim's truck by tracking his iPhone to the area of Keswick Lake near the Chappie/Shasta Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, deputies found the victims pickup and later found the man's body down an embankment in thick foliage, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said at the time."He was obviously deceased," said the DA's statement on Tuesday.

Shasta County Sheriff's Office logo

An autopsy showed the male victim was likely assaulted with a sharp object, such as a knife and had died from those injuries, the DA's office said.Investigators on the case said Stearns returned to his property in Oregon after the murder. The DA said that Stearns waited until he was in Oregon "to receive medical treatment for injuries he likely received in the murder of his cousin."Stearns lied to detectives about his work schedule, the DA's office said.DNA analysis showed that blood traces found in Stearns vehicle belonged to the victim. DNA analysis on a rock located near the victims body showed DNA from both Stearns and the victim, the DA said.

No knife was found during that search, according to the statement.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Oregon man will be sentenced in late January after pleading to murder
Theory of foreign interference reflects intensifying political divisions in US: experts

10:31, December 20, 2023 By GT staff reporters ( Global Times

The US Capitol building is seen in Washington, DC Nov 10, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

A US government report on Monday found no evidence that foreign governments compromised the vote during the 2022 midterms, but experts said the investigation itself shows the intensifying political divisions in the US have led American politicians to eagerly promote the topic of foreign interference in elections to smear their competitors and win votes.

"There is no evidence that this activity prevented voting, changed votes, or disrupted the ability to tally votes or to transmit election results in a timely manner; altered any technical aspect of the voting process; or otherwise compromised the integrity of voter registration information or any ballots cast during the 2022 federal elections," the report issued by the US Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security concluded, Reuters reported.

The report represents a declassified overview of the US government's assessment of election security in 2023, according to the AP.

US politicians have a "habit" of describing its external environment as being threatened, so they can constantly create rumors in this regard, while also using these rumors to vilify their so-called competitors, experts pointed out.

When they spread rumors about foreign interference in elections, they usually point fingers at China or Russia, depending on the preferences of different political parties. They completely fabricate a story based on their own competitive situation, and once it becomes a focal point of public opinion, relevant departments will claim to investigate, but the result is always without evidence, Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

This kind of sensationalism is not uncommon, and in recent years, due to intensified partisan struggles, these American politicians are even more eager to tarnish each other by accusing their main rivals of receiving support from foreign governments, in order to gain votes from the electorate, experts said.

However, experts believe that the release of such reports still carry a strong partisan bias to some extent.

"It is an attempt to shift the blame for their failure of governance onto China and Russia. In the 2024 US election, the narrative of foreign interference, especially Chinese and Russian interference, is unlikely to disappear. On the contrary, it will be hyped up by certain political factions or media outlets in the US because this topic can attract wide attention and increase viewership. Therefore, from the perspective of narrow political self-interest and expanding media influence, such a narrative will continue to proliferate in the US, which actually reflects the extremely unhealthy political and public opinion atmosphere in the US," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Octavia Johnson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at octavia.johnson@houstonchronicle.com.

Before joining the Chronicle, Octavia worked as a digital content producer at WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., where she became a leader in producing fast paced, audience-focused content.

Octavia graduated from UNC Pembroke with a bachelor's degree in journalism before earning her master's degree in media and communications at Norfolk State University.
Lisa Roberts spent 12 years in prison before she was exonerated.

Lisa Roberts spent 12 years in prison before she was exonerated.

Lisa Roberts had just a few minutes to explain to a group of state lawmakers on a video conference call all that she had lost from being convicted of a murder she did not commit.



It wasnt just the 12 years in prison, although that was, of course, hell. She missed her only childs high school graduation. She missed the birth of her first grandchild. And she missed the chance to spend time with mother before she died. She missed opportunities to build a career  even after her exoneration, the National Guard would not allow her to return to her job as a mechanic.



I was released with nothing more than with the clothes on my back, Roberts testified in a March 2021 legislative hearing. The state wrongfully incarcerated me for 12 years, and I still struggle just to make ends meet.



At the time, Oregon was one of just 15 states that did not have a law to compensate people who had been wrongfully convicted. Roberts helped change that. Although Oregons wrongful conviction compensation bill stalled in 2021, it passed the following year with unanimous support in both chambers of the legislature. When Senate Bill 1584 went into effect in March 2022, people who could prove by a preponderance of evidence that they did not commit or aid in the crime they were convicted of became eligible for $65,000 for each year spent in prison, and $25,000 for each year spent on parole or on the sex offender registry. The bill also allowed the state to give exonerees access to social services, including counseling, housing assistance and job training.



But more than a 1 1/2 years after the bill went into effect, state officials could only name two exonerees, who were wrongfully convicted of the same homicide, who had received compensation. Others who have sought payment, including Roberts, are facing fierce opposition from Oregons Department of Justice, which is forcing most petitioners into the lengthy and potentially traumatizing process of relitigating their innocence in court.

That was not the intention, state Sen. Kim Thatcher (R), the chief sponsor of the bill, said in an interview with HuffPost. There was no intention to have to have a court battle.



Thatcher was inspired to introduce the wrongful conviction compensation bill after a conversation with John Loveless, a handyman who installed appliances in her home. In 2000, Loveless was exonerated after being wrongfully convicted of child sex abuse. He was in his late 60s by the time he met Thatcher, but told the lawmaker that retirement was not an option. He had spent roughly a decade of his earning years locked up, unable to make a living wage.



Exonerations are often depicted in the media as joyful, redemptive experiences, but being declared innocent does not magically restore all that is lost to years of incarceration. People just dont understand the ongoing hell that these exonerees go through, said Janis Puracal, the executive director of the Forensic Justice Project. There is a stigma that attaches to a person once youve been in prison that never leaves you. And it does not matter whether youve been exonerated or not.



Thatcher worked closely with policy experts to draft a bill that built on best practices in other states. They also incorporated feedback from Oregons Justice Department, which ultimately supported the final version of the bill. In order to receive compensation, exonerees are required to first file notice with the Department of Administrative Services and then file a petition in court, giving the Justice Department the opportunity to fight claims they think are illegitimate.



As of late October, 28 people have filed notice of intent to seek compensation, about a dozen of whom have filed petitions in court. (State officials said they were unable to provide updated numbers ahead of publication.)A review of court records show that Justice Department lawyers appear to be fighting compensation for nearly every case filed in court, including people who are on the National Registry of Exonerations  a vetted list of contemporary exonerations in the U.S.  and who testified in support of the bill.

In at least one case, DOJ lawyers tried, unsuccessfully, to block an individual seeking compensation from mentioning that he is on the National Registry of Exonerations in his petition, arguing that it is frivolous and/or irrelevant to the issue of whether or not he actually committed the crime for which he was previously convicted of.



I am really surprised by DOJs response to these cases, said Puracal, who worked closely with the Justice Department to reach a consensus on the bill. Its kind of a gut punch to turn around and see that no one is getting compensation, and that the bill has turned into another fight for these exonerees.



According to the states Justice Department, the only people who have received payment through the bill are Christopher Boots and Eric Proctor, who were convicted in the 1983 killing of a store clerk after Boots discovered the body at a 7-Eleven and reported it to the police. They were exonerated after eight years in prison when the actual killer was surreptitiously recorded confessing to the crime.



After their release, Boots and Proctor settled a civil lawsuit against the city of Springfield and two police officers over allegations that police gave incorrect information on lab tests and intimidated witnesses into providing false testimony. Presented with conclusive evidence of their innocence and egregious police misconduct, the Oregons Justice Department agreed Boots and Proctor were entitled compensation under S.B. 1584 before they even filed their petition in court, according to the pairs lawyer, Jesse Merrithew.



That Boots and Proctor are the only recipients of compensation is indicative of the agencys extraordinarily narrow view of what counts as innocence. Until the passage of S.B. 1584, there was no mechanism in Oregon for people to definitively establish their innocence. There were, however, legal mechanisms that strongly indicated innocence, like receiving a pardon on the basis of innocence or a judge vacating a conviction after reviewing new evidence.



These people have been fighting against wrongful convictions for years, even decades. And they won, said Ben Haile, senior counsel at the Oregon Justice Resource Center. The DOJ is setting the bar too high. The law is designed to compensate people who are truly innocent, but its not working that way, continued Haile, who is one of the lawyers representing Roberts and another petitioner, Earl Bain.



At the advice of their lawyers, both Roberts and Bain declined to be interviewed for this story while litigation is ongoing.

Oregon Department of Justice spokesman Roy Kaufmann declined multiple requests for an interview to discuss the agencys implementation of S.B. 1584, citing a policy against commenting on pending matters.

Lisa Roberts served in the Army and worked as a mechanic for the National Guard.

Lisa Roberts served in the Army and worked as a mechanic for the National Guard.

Legal Unicorns

Roberts was arrested in 2002 and charged with killing her romantic partner, Jerri Williams. Roberts maintained her innocence throughout two years of pretrial incarceration. But when her trial lawyer claimed prosecutors could pinpoint her at the park where Williams body was found at the time of the crime, she agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a 15-year prison sentence, rather than risk a life sentence.



Roberts soon regretted her decision and began appealing her conviction. In 2008, she filed for federal habeas corpus relief, the process of contesting unconstitutional imprisonment. Prisoners are required to file for habeas relief within a year of conclusion of state remedies, and Roberts had missed that deadline. There is, however, a so-called actual innocence gateway around this time restriction: If a prisoner can present new evidence of innocence that shows it is more likely than not that no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find [the prisoner] guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge can excuse the procedural issue and move on to consider the constitutional error raised in the habeas claim.



In 2014, U.S. District Judge Malcolm Marsh ruled Roberts had cleared the actual innocence gateway, citing DNA evidence that pointed to a different suspect with a history of violence against women, and evidence that undermined the prosecutions theory of the crime. Marsh went on to consider Roberts habeas claims and granted relief on one, finding that she had received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. He ordered her released from prison, unless the state retried her within 90 days, which it declined to do.



The actual innocence gateway, also called the Schlup standard after its Supreme Court precedent, is an extraordinarily high bar to meet. According to Roberts legal team, only 1.7% of Schlup claims in Oregon federal courts have been successful. But Oregon DOJ lawyers are now arguing that its not enough to warrant compensation.



As part of his review of her case, Marsh reviewed three habeas claims, including a so-called freestanding innocence claim. Unlike other habeas claims, free-standing innocence claims would not require prisoners to identify a constitutional error in their case. Instead, they argue they should be freed solely on the basis of their innocence. The Supreme Court has suggested that this could be possible in instances where the evidence unquestionably establishes innocence, but it has never identified a case that met this standard. Similarly, no circuit court has ruled in favor of a free-standing innocence claim, and some have even held that they cannot be raised in court.

Twelve years of wrongful incarceration left Lisa Roberts struggling to make ends meet after her release.

Twelve years of wrongful incarceration left Lisa Roberts struggling to make ends meet after her release.

In a California case involving an exoneree seeking compensation, the court stated that findings of unquestionable existence are legal unicorns, assumed for arguments sake to be viable by some courts  but never seen as the ultimately successful predicate for the grant of habeas relief.

Unsurprisingly, Marsh denied Roberts free-standing innocence claim. In other words, although he ruled that no reasonable juror would have found her guilty in light of newly presented evidence, he found she did not meet the almost impossible high standard of unquestionably proving she did not kill Williams. In a June court filing, DOJ lawyers claimed that legal technicality meant that the question of Roberts innocence had already been heard, considered, and rejected.

Steve Wax, the legal director of the Oregon Innocence Project and one of Roberts lawyers, said in an interview that he has handled and supervised more habeas corpus cases than anyone in Oregon. The reality is, that regardless of the claim, you have to prove prejudice, he said. Given the reluctance of judges to risk releasing someone who has been convicted, this means they have to believe that there is a real injustice  that is, a reasonable likelihood that the person is innocent.

In September, the judge overseeing Roberts compensation case rejected the states argument that the outcome of her free-standing innocence claim during habeas proceedings precluded her from receiving compensation under S.B. 1584. However, the judge also rejected Roberts argument that clearing the Schlup standard meant she had already proven her innocence. The trial is scheduled to begin early next year.

If you look at the cases that are on file, these exonerees went to great lengths to prove that they were, in fact, innocent, so that they could be exonerated in the first place, Puracal said. And now the attorney general is pretending like none of that happened. Theyre ignoring all of the evidence that came to light in post-conviction proceedings and forcing these people to do the same thing all over again.

Part of the problem, according to Puracal, is the lack of an independent unit within Oregons Department of Justice to review compensation claims. Its just human nature. DOJ cant, under one case, be arguing that the person is guilty and then, in another case, turn on their heels and agree that theyre innocent.

You Go Through All That Just For A Sorry

Earl Bain received a rare gubernatorial pardon on the basis of innocence.

Earl Bain received a rare gubernatorial pardon on the basis of innocence.

Even a man pardoned by the governor on the explicit basis of innocence is facing opposition from the Justice Department. In 2009, Earl Bain was convicted by a non-unanimous jury of sexually abusing his daughter. He was sentenced to six years in prison, 10 years of post-prison supervision, and required to register as a sex offender. The only evidence was statements from his daughter, who was 7 years old at the time of the allegations, and the subject of a bitter custody battle between Bain and his ex-wife. Bain, who has always maintained his innocence, rejected a plea deal that would have spared him prison time if he admitted guilt and underwent treatment.

Years later, when Bains daughter was in her mid-teens, she recanted the allegations in a taped interview with Bains lawyers. By then, she was living with her paternal grandparents, had worked with a therapist, and was adamant that the abuse did not occur. Years earlier, she had begun asking questions about her fathers case, she said in the interview. She realized her own story about the alleged abuse always changed, and she believed somethings wrong, she said. After reading Bains case file and transcript, she told her grandmother, My dad didnt do this. Asked why she accused Bain of abuse when she was younger, Bains daughter said she believed she was influenced by her mom.

Bain had completed his prison sentence by then, but he filed a federal habeas petition, seeking release from post-prison supervision and the sex offender registry. Like Roberts, Bain filed his petition outside the one-year limitation period, but argued that Marsh, the same judge, should consider his claims because of the evidence of his innocence. But the judge found that Bain did not meet the high standard required under the Schlup, the actual innocence gateway.

[T]his court does not question the sincerity of [Bains daughters] recantation, Marsh wrote in his 2018 opinion denying habeas relief. However, the totality of the evidence only renders it possible that a reasonable juror would not have convicted Bain.

Bain appealed the denial to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed Marshs decision. A dissenting judge, however, argued that Marsh should not have made his decision before holding an evidentiary hearing to assess the credibility of Bains daughter.

By 2020, Bain had completed his post-prison supervision sentence and was working on rebuilding his relationship with his daughter. But still, he wanted to clear his name. With support from the Oregon Innocence Project, Bain applied to then-Gov. Kate Brown (D) for a pardon. Later that year, Brown granted Bain her first and only pardon on the basis of innocence.

I concluded that Mr. Bain was truly innocent and should be pardoned, Brown wrote in a report to lawmakers, noting that Bains alleged victim had completely and legitimately recanted her allegation.

Malheur County District Attorney Dave Goldthorpe, who met with Bains daughter, supported Bains pardon.

Along with Roberts, Bain became a key face of the wrongful conviction compensation bill. He testified in legislative hearings in both 2021 and 2022 and wrote an op-ed about the need to compensate exonerees. He described the pain of losing custody of his two daughters and being forbidden from communicating with them during his incarceration. Even after his release, he spent thousands of dollars on polygraphs mandated by his parole officer and endured the stigma of being a registered sex offender. A combat Army veteran, Bain had hoped to make a career in the military, but after all this, he said, My bodys too tore up.

Before he was pardoned on the basis of innocence, Bain spent thousands of dollars on polygraphs mandated by his parole officer.

Before he was pardoned on the basis of innocence, Bain spent thousands of dollars on polygraphs mandated by his parole officer.

Im appreciative of the exoneration, but basically, it was kind of like, Were sorry that that happened to you. And that was kind of it, Bain testified in 2021. You lose all those years and you go through all that for just a sorry. Its kind of like, almost whats the point?

Bain was one of the first exonerees to seek compensation after S.B. 1584 went into effect. But the Oregon Department of Justice fought his case too. In a July court filing, the state DOJ argued that the governors pardon does not prove that he did not commit the crime he was convicted of. The trial for Bains compensation case is scheduled to begin in mid-2024.

I dont understand the position that the attorney generals office is taking in these cases. They supported the compensation bill and are now opposing nearly all claims, said Wax, who also represents Bain.

The attorney generals office presents itself as a strong supporter of womens rights and the rights of crime victims, Wax continued. When [Bains daughter] presented as a victim under the influence of her mother in an horrific custody dispute, she was treated with the utmost respect. When she came back years later and said she was not abused, she has been given no respect. Instead, both she and Lisa are being put through the ringer and retraumatized.

None of this is what state lawmakers had in mind when they passed S.B. 1584. They envisioned the state Justice Department intervening against baseless innocence claims or people whose convictions were overturned based on a technicality, rather than evidence of innocence. But they didnt expect the DOJ to oppose almost every compensation petition.

Oh, my word. You gotta be kidding me, Thatcher, the state senator who introduced S.B. 1584, said when told Bain had yet to receive compensation. I had not heard that. I thought for sure hed be first in line and the first one to get it.

What a nightmare, Thatcher added. This was not the intention. Not at all.

The resulting legal battle would take a toll on anyone, Haile said, but is especially difficult for people who were wrongfully convicted. Each time they go to court to fight for compensation, [it] brings back the trauma of their horrible experiences in court, of being in prison, and of being scorned and disbelieved each time they asserted their innocence, he continued.

The policy experts who worked to pass S.B. 1584 say the Justice Departments enforcement approach defeats the purpose of the bill. Before the bill passed, exonerees had the option to seek monetary damages through civil litigation. But many chose not to because going through a civil suit is incredibly, incredibly difficult, Puracal said. Not only is it time consuming and expensive, but most of them fail because there are things like immunity for prosecutors and immunity for police.

The goal of a wrongful conviction compensation statute, Puaracal continued, is to avoid all of that and focus on the fact that weve got an innocent person with years taken away from them.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Republican Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz is leading a coalition of lawmakers who want to challenge the presidents authority over public lands.

On Tuesday, the congressman announced he had officially filed an amicus brief that directs the U.S. Supreme Court to review American Forest Resource Council v. United States of America and Murphy Company v. Biden.

Explosion of Oregon fentanyl use one of many challenges found in Measure 110 audit

In Bentzs statement, he upheld much of what the two plaintiffs said in their original cases: the presidents  first Barack Obama and now Joe Biden  acted outside of their duties by allowing the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Obama expanded the landscape shortly before his final term ended in January 2017. His administration said the expansion would maintain [the monuments] diverse array of natural and scientific resources and preserve its cultural and historic legacy.

However, Bentz and other coalition members argue the former president misused the Antiquities Act of 1906 and violated the Oregon and California Railroad and Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant Lands Act of 1937.

Last 5 years at Navigation Center has been hell

The Antiquities Act protects cultural and natural resources on federal land that have historic or scientific interest, while Congress passed the O&C Act to allow timber harvesting on many acres of land in Oregon.

According to the recent amicus brief, the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument ceased yield harvesting in certain areas, affecting loggers and forest-dependent communities.

The Presidents job is not to make law, but to enforce them, Bentz said in a statement. Yet, in recent years, Presidents have increasingly usurped congressional authority In this brief we urge the Supreme Court to hear these cases and to make it clear that the President cannot circumvent Congress by rewriting our nations public land laws with the stroke of a pen.

DNA identifies unknown Gary Ridgway victim as teenager from Lewis County

Fellow Oregon Rep. Lori ChavezDeRemer co-signed the congressmans brief, along with Washington Reps. Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding office again under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states 2024 presidential primary ballot.

At least 35 cases have been filed across the country trying to disqualify Trump under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars anyone engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding federal office.

While most of these efforts have largely been unsuccessful, Colorados top court made history becoming the first state to hold the former president accountable for his efforts in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

The state court ruling sets a historic precedent which other states may follow, Bennett Gershman, a former New York prosecutor and law professor at Pace University, told Salon. It is a landmark ruling. I cant think of an application of this provision in modern times.

The ruling could have a devastating impact on the former presidents quest for the nomination and election if other states follow Colorado's lead, Gershman said.

A lower court judge ruled last month that Trump engaged in an insurrection by inciting a riot at the Capitol, but stopped short of disqualifying him, asserting that Section 3 does not apply to presidents.

The state's Supreme Court upheld the trial judge's conclusion that Trump engaged in insurrection and also affirmed the decision that Trump's January 6 speech at the Ellipse was not protected by the First Amendment.

But they didnt agree with the lower courts ruling that the framers of the amendment, concerned about the return of former confederates to power, would prohibit them from low-level offices, but not the highest position in the country.

President Trump asks us to hold that Section 3 disqualifies every oathbreaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land, the court wrote in its 4-3 decision. Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section 3.

However, the justices asserted that they did not reach these conclusions lightly and remain mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before them. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Noah Bookbinder, president of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the suit in Colorado on behalf of Republican and unaffiliated voters seeking to disqualify Trump, praised Tuesdays ruling.

The courts decision is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country, Bookbinder said. Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government.

While the decision removed Trump from the Republican primary ballot in Colorado, the justices paused their ruling so the former president could appeal to the US Supreme Court, which his campaign said it intended to do. If the appeal isn't settled quickly, it could preserve Trumps spot on the state's GOP primary ballot in March.

The former presidents campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung criticized the Colorado Supreme Court's decision as politically motivated, blaming the justices appointed by Democrats.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, Cheung said in a statement.

It remains unclear how the Supreme Court will rule, given its conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump.

But, some Republicans quickly rallied behind Trump soon after the decision came, condemning the ruling for allegedly infringing on voters rights to select their leaders.

Democrats are so afraid that President Trump will win on Nov 5th 2024 that they are illegally attempting to take him off the ballot, Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy shared a video on social media, vowing to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot unless Trump is allowed to remain on the ballot as well.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country, Ramaswamy said.

Similarly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also campaigning for the Republican nomination, blasted the latest ruling.

The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds, DeSantis wrote on X. SCOTUS should reverse.

Trump, who in recent months has used his legal troubles as an opportunity to raise money pushing claims that democrats are conspiring against him, took to Truth Social once again, asking for donations.

Breaking news: Colorado just removed me from the ballot! Chip in now, he posted on the platform, The Guardian reported.

If "many other states" remove Trump from the ballot, his chances of being nominated fall significantly, Gershman explained.

The big question now is whether the Supreme Court will agree to review the ruling or perhaps wait to see if other states follow Colorado, Gershman said.
Dr Jyoti Shah has started a mobile community clinic to raise awareness of prostate cancer

A prostate cancer outreach bus will be touring a city centre to encourage men to attend cancer screenings.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust's Macmillan consultant urological surgeon Jyoti Shah MBE, is bringing her national campaign to Peterborough to raise awareness of the disease.

One-stop clinics are being set up to make cancer screening more accessible to communities.

On Saturday, 30 December, a bus will be outside Peterborough Town Hall from 09:00 GMT offering health checks.

According to the NHS trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

It is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

Peterborough city centre is the first location for the mobile community clinic.

The bus is owned by Light Project Peterborough and funded by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB), Peterborough City Council and NHS Charities Together.

Men can get a health check from Dr Shah and her team if they meet the following criteria:

Be aged between 50 and 80 years

Have no known prostate cancer

Have not had a PSA test within the past year

Booking onto the bus will ensure men receive a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, a prostate examination and have their blood pressure taken.

The NHS website says the PSA test can help detect the disease, but "it's not perfect and will not find all prostate cancers".

The concept follows on from Dr Shah's previous successful community clinics run under the Fighting Prostate Cancer banner.

"Not only do they take the pressure off GPs, but they provide education and awareness in what many may see as a less formal environment," she said.

"A lot of men like to bury their head in the sand when it comes to their health; they are often too busy to go to their doctor or to access the relevant services.

"Because prostate cancer often doesn't have any symptoms - they won't appreciate the need to go and get checked for a problem that effectively doesn't exist."

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830
Four checkpoints on the border with Poland remain blocked for Ukrainian lorries as of the morning of 20 December, and approximately 5,220 vehicles are queuing to enter Ukraine.

Source: Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "Polish border guards said there are 3,600 lorries queuing toward Ukraine in 4 blocked areas as of this morning: Sheghyni  1,000, Rava-Ruska  600, Krakowiec  500, Yahodyn (traffic was blocked on 18 December after 15:00 Kyiv time)  1,500 freight vehicles."

Details: Speaking about other areas, Demchenko reported that 570 lorries were waiting to pass from Slovakia to Ukraine toward the Uzhhorod checkpoint as of Wednesday morning. There is a temporary suspension of movement of freight vehicles from Ukraine. A total of 700 lorries are registered in the eQueue electronic queue to leave Ukraine this morning.

Traffic toward Hungary is moving, but there are queues. As of the morning of 20 December, 250 lorries were waiting to pass through the Tysa checkpoint into Ukraine.

As of this morning, 800 lorries were waiting to pass towards Ukraine at the Porubne checkpoint in Romania.

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Oyster River fifth-graders vote in NH kid governor election

Oyster River Middle School fifth-grade students cast ballots in the NH Kid Governor election in Durham Town Hall.

DURHAM  Oyster River Middle School fifth-grade students participated in the democratic process and cast votes in the annual NH Kid Governor election.

Students walked from the school to Durham Town Hall, where clerks checked them in and handed them a ballot. Students entered voting booths and dropped their completed ballot in the town's voting box, which is 107 years old.

Fifth-grade teachers embedded lessons from the NH Kid Governor program into the curriculum, imparting information about the states three branches of government, the role of the governor, how to research issues and develop campaign platforms, and how to vote and hold elections.

Fifth-graders from across New Hampshire run for Kid Governor, creating a platform and recording a video. This year's platforms focused on issues such as increasing classroom funding, childhood hunger, animal abuse, littering, kindness and inclusion, and mental health.

Superintendent James Morse and Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Filippone joined students at Durham Town Hall, where they congratulated students for voting and recognized fifth-grader Noah Sanders, who was one of seven candidates statewide. Noah's platform focused on eliminating homelessness.

This year's program was coordinated by fifth-grade teacher Diana Pelletier.

Principal Bill Sullivan thanks the NH Kid Governor organization for its guidance and support.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Oyster River fifth-graders vote in NH Kid Governor Election
I spent $1,200 to spend five hours in Alaska's Katmai National Park.

To visit, guests must take a plane into Katmai and attend "bear school."

I'd wholeheartedly recommend the trip to Katmai to any nature lover visiting Alaska.

When I first heard the cost of visiting Katmai National Park, I audibly gasped  $1,200 per person for a package that included a round-trip plane ticket, lunch, and five hours in the park.

My husband and I wanted to splurge for our first wedding anniversary, so we booked the tickets. The excursion (including the scenic flight to get there) ended up being my favorite part of our trip to Alaska.

Here's why I would recommend Katmai National Park to anyone who can swing it in their travel budget.

Katmai National Park is famous for its brown bears

Roughly 2,200 brown bears reside in Katmai National Park. Emily Pogue

Unlike some national parks known for their geological features or historic significance, Katmai is known for its famous residents: the bears.

Roughly 2,200 brown bears live in the park, allowing visitors unprecedented access to witnessing these creatures in the wild.

The bears are able to thrive because of the park's extreme remoteness. The park is so remote that guests have to arrive by either plane or boat.

It took us almost 2 hours to fly into Katmai

We flew into Katmai National Park on a floatplane. Amanda Pogue

For our flight to the national park, we booked with a company called Fly Katmai and headed to the small hangar at 8 a.m.

Parked next to the hangar was our ride for the day: a floatplane.

Floatplanes, which can take off from and land on water thanks to special floats on the bottom, are a popular way to get around in Alaska, as so much of the state is inaccessible any other way.

I'd never been on a floatplane, so I was excited for the experience.

After being treated to coffee and snacks, we met the five other passengers joining us on our journey.

My husband and I managed to sit directly behind the pilot, which meant he could easily point things out to us during the flight (which was helpful because it was quite loud).

I was excited for my first trip on a floatplane. Emily Pogue

It took about an hour and 45 minutes to fly to Katmai from Anchorage, Alaska. And when I say my face was glued to my window the entire flight, I mean it.

The scenic flight alone was worth the price

The views from the plane were incredible. Emily Pogue

The landscape seemed to change every five minutes, from glassy water to lush fields and stunning glaciers.

Our pilot even swooped down to a few valleys, where we saw our first bears fishing in the streams.

Around 10 a.m., our floatplane landed gently on the water  a perfect introduction to Katmai National Park.

Before we could explore, we had to attend 'bear school'

With hundreds of bears roaming around, the park rangers want to make sure guests don't scare the animals (or put themselves in danger).

So, the first stop after arrival was sitting through the 15-minute "bear school" to learn the safety rules to follow around bears.

There was one golden rule above all else: Don't run. Running can trigger a bear's predatory instinct.

Instead, the rangers taught us to travel in groups and talk (or sing) loudly so we didn't surprise any bears.

We were also instructed to put any food or scented items in special "food cache" buildings so the bears weren't attracted to any tasty smells on us.

We were free to explore after getting our "bear school graduate" pins to prove we attended.

Although there were plenty of park rangers around, it was emphasized that in Katmai, you're responsible for your own safety.

We tried to make the most of every minute in the park

We saw around 40 bears during our trip to Katmai National Park. Emily Pogue

With only five hours in the park, my husband and I speed-walked to the most iconic spot in the park: Brooks Falls.

To get there, you walk on a mixture of trails and raised platforms that were built to safely observe the bears in the river and waterfall below.

In July, guests can see dozens of bears in Brooks Falls at once, catching the salmon swimming upstream to spawn. This, of course, draws quite the crowd  meaning the small platforms can reach capacity quickly.

We visited in September, another prime month to see the bears in action, as they're actively trying to bulk up for winter.

Since there are far fewer visitors in autumn, there were times when we had a whole platform to ourselves. This allowed us unfettered viewing access.

At one point, we could see 14 bears scattered throughout the river. In total, we saw upwards of 40 bears on our trip.

Our included lunch was better than we expected

Included with our flight was lunch at Brooks Lodge.

I half-expected a deli sandwich and chips, so when we were treated to a buffet of chicken, steamed vegetables, soup, and cake, I was thoroughly thrilled.

However, we ate quickly and headed back out to the park to make the most of our time.

Our last few hours in the park ended with a surprise

As we made our way back to the plane, we came across a mama bear and her cub. Emily Pogue

After enjoying some final bear viewing, we made our way back to our plane.

As we approached, our pilot quietly motioned for us to hop on the plane's float. We looked to our right, and a mama bear and her cub had just emerged from the trees down the beach from us.

We held our breath as they moseyed toward us, totally unbothered by us tiny humans. Finally, the cub got a burst of energy and ran by, with his mom reluctantly following.

This showed us the unpredictability of running into bears in Katmai National Park.

Our flight home was even more picturesque

On our return flight back to Anchorage, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow. Emily Pogue

When I thought our excursion couldn't get any better, we were treated to a rainbow just after taking off for our return flight.

Our pilot swooped down for one last view of the valleys, where we saw more bears, caribou, and even a pack of wolves.

We arrived back in Anchorage just before 5 p.m., where we followed the bears' lead and treated ourselves to a salmon dinner.

Overall, the day couldn't have gone any better. I'd wholeheartedly recommend the trip to Katmai to any nature lover visiting the Anchorage area.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A court in Italy has sentenced a Pakistani couple to life imprisonment for killing their 18-year-old daughter for refusing an arranged marriage.

Prosecutors said Saman Abbas was killed by her family on 1 May 2021. Her body wasnt discovered until it was dug up at an abandoned farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022.

The so-called honour killing was one of the most high-profile murder trials in the past year in Italy, which has launched a wider probe into the slaying or mistreatment of immigrant women by their families.

Her father Shabbar Abbas, who was extradited to Italy in August to face trial, and mother Nazia Shaheen, who remained in Pakistan, have been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty by a court in the northern city of Reggio Emilia on Tuesday.

Her uncle, Danish Hasnain, was handed a 14-year prison term while her two cousins were found not guilty and were ordered to be released from jail.

Her father maintained his innocence during a tearful statement to the court before the judges deliberations.

"This trial is not complete. I too want to know who killed my daughter," he told the court.

The girl had emigrated to a farm town, Novellara, in Italys northern region of Emilia-Romagna from Pakistan as a teenager. There she began dating a Pakistani man and posted a picture kissing her boyfriend on a street in the regional capital, Bologna in a social media post.

The post enraged her Muslim parents, according to prosecutors, who tried to force her to marry a cousin in Pakistan in 2020.

She began living under the protection of social services in October 2020 but returned to her parents in Novellara in April 2021 before she went missing, according to Italian media reports.

She reportedly told her boyfriend that she feared for her life, because of her refusal to marry an older man in her homeland.

CCTV footage released by the police showed her parents and her uncle walking with spades, a crowbar and a blue bag on 29 April 2021. The next day, the teenager was seen leaving the house with her parents in separate video footage.

An autopsy revealed the young woman had a broken neck bone, possibly caused by strangulation.

The term honour killing refers to the slaying of a woman or girl after she is perceived to have broken religious beliefs or societal norms. Human rights groups have condemned such violence against women, which can be carried out over trivial reasons like dressing in a way deemed inappropriate, refusing arranged marriages or having love affairs.

Pakistan has several laws specifically banning honour killing and has made sentencing tougher in the past two decades, including closing a loophole that previously allowed killers to go free if they were forgiven by the family of the victim.

Yet human rights groups say the practice remains widespread, with an estimated 800 to 1000 women killed each year in Pakistan in honour-based violence.
PRYOR, Okla. (KFOR)  Panasonic has once again decided to take its business elsewhere. This is the second time the multinational electronics company has decided against an Oklahoma factory location in as many years, despite the millions of dollars in incentives the Sooner State is offering.

Oklahoma has been working for years to lure big businesses into the Sooner State, particularly electric vehicle ventures.

Not seeing results: OK Senate working on plan to retain businesses after Michelin pulls out

We have the opportunity to land one of the largest factories in the entire country, just a humongous, humongous factory with billions of dollars in investment, thousands and thousands of jobs, said Governor Kevin Stitt in an April 2022 pitch for lawmakers to pass an incentive package.

However, that opportunity fell flat by June 2022, when Panasonic announced its latest electric vehicle plant would be located in Kansas.

By March 2023, Gov. Kevin Stitt had signed a $698 million incentive package into law to entice a major company to set up shop at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Many in the state were hoping that major company would be the Volkswagen Group.

But just a few weeks later, VW had announced it would be going to Ontario, Canada.

Study: Oklahoma ranks 41st in Americas Top States for Business

So, Oklahoma set its sights on Panasonic once again.

Oklahoma lawmakers formed a bipartisan committee to explore ways to expand the Sooner States economic investments.

The Legislature also appropriated $145 million for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce in 2023 to make improvements and upgrades at the Pryor facility at Panasonics request.

Despite this, Panasonic says the deal hasnt panned out.

In April 2023, we entered into an agreement with the state of Oklahoma to explore building a factory in the state, with the understanding that we would make a decision about whether or not to move forward at the end of that exploratory process, Panasonic spokesperson Alison Klooster said in an email to Oklahoma Voice. After careful deliberations, we have made the decision not to move forward with developing the site.

 Have big stories come to you: Subscribe to KFOR News Alert emails 

Now, Oklahoma leaders are back to the drawing board with hope for future endeavors.

The Legislature provided that which was requested by the executive branch to win the commitment of [Panasonic], House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said in a statement to Oklahoma Voice. Oklahoma remains open for business, and we are excited about the economic development advancement we have recently seen in our state, including the 1,500-job manufacturing facility under construction by Enel.

It is unclear why Panasonic is pulling out of Pryor. Klooster told Oklahoma Voice that decisions about where to build new facilities are complex and based on a wide range of factors.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Wolf Whitney envisioned a lifelong military career until an injury derailed her plans. Following a medical discharge from the Army she came to Vermont to heal her body and soul and discover a new path. Woodworking and stone carving sparked a new pursuit  to become an art therapist working with veterans. But starting over meant going back to school for a psychology degree.

Fortunately, she could utilize the GI Bill  federal benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)  to pay for her education and get a monthly stipend to offset living expenses to attend school full time.

That path had its own landmines.

After attaining her associate's degree she transferred to Northern Vermont University  Johnson campus to pursue her bachelor's degree just as the school was being integrated into what became Vermont State University. Everything, she was told, was in order for her VA benefits when she enrolled over the summer. In addition to tuition, she normally received a $2,400 a month stipend for living expenses  at the time she had a wife, two kids and a household to support while not working full time.

Wolf Whitney, a military veteran and Vermont State University student, detailed the delays she experienced getting federal education benefits owed her during an interview in Morrisville on Dec. 5, 2023. The school told her that her GI Bill benefits, which include tuition and a monthly living stipend, would be paid but she hadn't received the money during the four months of the fall semester. VTSU said a paperwork filing problem led to delays, which stemmed from integrating three colleges into the newly formed state college system over the summer.

Two weeks into the semester she and 200 veteran and military-connected VTSU students found out the school hadn't been approved to receive VA benefits. Students were told the problem would be resolved soon. But one month became two, then three and then four. Suddenly Whitney and many others were $8,000 and more behind in living expenses.

"That's a hit. That is your mortgage for a lot of people," she said. "And Christmas is coming, that's a lot."

Many faced with financial hardship, students say they felt forgotten and mistreated, an extreme lack of communication and updates from the school, advisors were unaware of the issues, bills were riddled with charges for services they didn't need or access, and some like Whitney felt unappreciated to the point they decided to leave.

"It was a slap in the face," Whitney said.

'We worked hard and we suffered to get these benefits'

Julie Rinaldi was also considering her options for the spring with two weeks left in the fall semester. Her VA advisor discouraged her from attending VTSU for the fall and now the spring semester because there was no facility code for the school to apply the benefits.

In early December, Rinaldi said she was not sure if she could even enroll for the spring semester because her fall classes had yet to be paid  a question her VTSU advisor could not answer. The registrar in charge of veterans benefits wasn't answering, despite numerous phone calls and attempts to reach her.

Rinaldi was receiving benefits through a disability and readiness program for post traumatic stress disorder related to serving in law enforcement in the Army and National Guard. She had served 11 years and went on to a government career in immigration for more than 20 years.

Now in her fifties, Rinaldi is a nontraditional college student, just like many other veterans. Without the military subsidizing her education she wouldn't be able to afford the tuition to attain what she hopes will be a doctorate in psychology. Her hope is to use her myriad of life experiences to help people through counseling and alternative medicine.

Fairfax resident and veteran, Julie Rinaldi, was frustrated by being told Vermont State University would be able to accept her military education benefits but had yet to do so four months into the fall semester, on Dec. 1, 2023. Some 200 students had yet to receive tuition money and their monthly living stipend through the VA due to a paperwork filing issue during the establishment of the new state college system.

"We worked hard and we suffered to get these benefits," Rinaldi said, referring to the mental toll, bodily risk and also a potential exposure to Agent Orange and PCBs, chemical compounds that can cause cancer and other health problems, at Fort McLellan in Alabama.

As an older student who knows the VA system well, she felt compelled to come forward on behalf of others who were less experienced or afraid to speak about their frustrations about delayed VA payments. She felt the school was disorganized, unresponsive and seemed ill-equipped to manage the situation. Through its inaction, it was causing real harm to students.

"The school is making false promises and misleading students," she said.

Missing payments

Rinaldi was behind by more than $8,000 for the semester  close to $6,000 for tuition which goes directly to the school, plus $500 to $600 a month living stipend multiplied by four months that is usually deposited into her bank account. She said the school did front her book stipend, which was about $100.

One semester doesn't put her into financial hardship, Rinaldi said, but she had hoped to use the living stipend for a heat pump for her house to replace one that recently failed.

Whitney also said she was managing  a recent divorce meant she had fewer financial responsibilities  but she knew other students who were four months behind on rent.

A computer screen shows ways to get information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which veteran student Julie Rinaldi was attempting to do when her benefits hadn't come in for fall classes she'd taken at Vermont State University on Dec. 1, 2023.

VTSU knew some students were in dire straits by at least November.

"Normally, the institution wouldnt be in the middle of this at all, but students communicated to us that they were struggling to pay rent and eat," Katherine Levasseur, VTSU's spokesperson wrote. "These extraordinary circumstances called for extraordinary measures and we stepped in to provide the emergency loans."

The university system offered students emergency loans for unpaid living stipends. Students would be responsible for paying the school back when their VA benefits came through.

Without knowing precisely when the VA would pay them and if the organization would guarantee all missed payments from the fall semester, students told the Free Press they were hesitant to put themselves at financial risk with the university by taking the loans.

Whitney said it's in a university's best interest to take care of veteran students because their enrollment is guaranteed money for the school as their tuition is paid by the federal government. She knew several veteran students planning to leave because of this situation.

"You go where you're appreciated," she said.

Losing confidence in VTSU

Levasseur, the university spokesperson, said without pointing fingers at anyone else that VTSU was not to blame for the missing VA benefits.

Nolan Atkins, vice president for academic affairs and provost, sent a letter to veteran students on Dec. 8.

"As you know, there has been a delay in the Federal Veterans Administration evaluation of our new merged Vermont State University," Atkins wrote, "This delay was caused by an error with the State of Vermonts submission when they submitted the Vermont State University paperwork earlier this year."

Students say whether the university is to blame for the initial error or not, the lack of communication is where much of the breakdown in trust occurred.

Levasseur said the university system became aware of the problem in July. Students say they weren't notified until September, two weeks into the semester, when it was too late to reasonably drop classes and re-enroll elsewhere.

A note from Stephanie Cleveland, the VTSU registrar overseeing VA benefits, said in an email dated Sept. 29 to Rinaldi that the State Approving Agency, which is part of the Vermont VA office, was certifying VTSU's ability to receive VA benefits and that "the approval will be finalized no later than next Friday, October 6."

Vermont State University's website has a page dedicated to recruiting and assisting veteran and military-connected students, in this screenshot from Dec. 15, 2023.

Cleveland later sent a note on Dec. 1 to veterans which Rinaldi said she only received second hand, stating she contacted the State Approving Agency in early November.

Cleveland said she recently learned from the State Approving Agency there was an error in the initial submission to the VA and that some information would need to be resubmitted. At the time she said she heard "yesterday" the resubmission occurred.

Cleveland said Veterans Affairs had an additional 30 days to complete the process. The note mentioned the university's offer of emergency loans and the school was extending the deadline for when loans needed to be paid back to February.

In his note to students on Dec. 8, Atkins wrote, "we expect the delay in benefits to be cleared mid-February."

In the meantime, students said they felt strung along and didn't know what to believe.

Whitney, who had attended Community College of Vermont (CCV) before VTSU, was working as CCV's veteran and military connected student mentor helping connect students with resources they need. Some students knew her from CCV and were inundating her with questions to help solve their issues of non-payment because they felt they weren't getting answers from the school.

Whitney said the school should have been doing what she was trying to do and she ultimately told Cleveland how frustrated and angry veterans had become and pushed her to send out a status note, which Cleveland did in early December, two weeks before the end of the semester.

Why VTSU veteran students didn't get education benefits promised them

It appears the initial paperwork filing error occurred within the State Approving Agency of the Vermont Veterans Affairs office and there are references to issues that came to light in July and again in November.

The Vermont VA office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A federal VA spokesperson wrote, "On Dec. 8, 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs received the necessary information from Vermont State Approving Agency to finalize the approval and allow for payment of VA benefits. Enrolled GI Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment students will be entitled to retroactive monthly housing allowance and tuition and fee payments made to the school on their behalf."

The organization did not, however, answer questions about the initial error or what had occurred in the intervening time.

How VTSU plans to help veteran students

VTSU says it has and continues to be committed to supporting veteran and military-connected students. The school hosts a yearly veterans' summit, there's a partnership between the school and the Vermont National Guard which includes scholarships for service members. And now it says it is supporting these students by providing emergency loans.

"While we are waiting for the VA approval, we are doing what we can do to support our students," Levasseur wrote. "The students should not see financial risk or out-of-pocket expenses  VTSU will be paid for the loans when the VA pays us."

She said students should repay their loans once they receive their living allowances from the VA and as long as the school is paid in a reasonable time after receipt of federal money there would be no penalties. She said the deadline was Feb. 15 to pay the lump sum back but could be extended if VA payments are delayed.

As of Dec. 11, VTSU said the school had disbursed $30,000 in emergency loans to veteran and military-connected students.

The emergency loan application that veteran and military-connected students of Vermont State University could fill out to receive payment for living expenses they expected to receive through the VA, but hadn't yet. The school system had yet to be approved to serve veteran students on Dec. 1, 2023 after attempting to gain approval since July. As a result, students hadn't received monthly stipends that many used to pay for housing and bills, in addition to their tuition remaining unpaid.

No details about loans

Students told the Free Press they had received no information from the school about the loan terms, repayment, if there was a guarantee the VA would pay out retroactively for the semester, or how to know how much to borrow as the VA payments can vary month to month.

On Dec. 14, Rinaldi received answers to specific questions about the loans from Cleveland, but said there had been no widespread communication up to that point. She and others feared the financial risk and legal ramifications of taking out loans through the school if the federal money failed to cover the loans. Information provided by the school so far included incorrect timelines or had been incomplete.

Levasseur said the school has a guarantee from the VA that benefits will be paid.

Levasseur said the school submitted for approval on July 13 and on Oct. 23 VTSU received confirmation from the State Approving Agency that the school could officially train veterans and military-connected students. She said this approval ensures eligible students can receive living allowances retroactive to July 1.

Julie Rinaldi shows off pictures of her military days in the Army and National Guard during her eleven years of service. The Fairfax veteran hadn't been paid the military education benefits promised her by Vermont State University and was seeking answers on Dec. 1, 2023.

Veteran students noted additional problems that further degraded their trust with the university system including being billed for services they didn't access  like on campus housing and health insurance  and being pushed to register for more than a full-time course load.

Whitney and Rinaldi both feel at their wit's end. "I have zero trust in the school right now," Rinaldi said. "I'm screaming, 'it's fraud!'"

Exasperated, Whitney asked, "I do not know if this is incompetence to the 9th degree or are they just trying to scam students at this point?"

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Veterans at Vermont State University have yet to receive VA benefits
Brian Cornejo views the eclipse during the Space Center Houston Annular Eclipse Celebration and viewing event at NASAs John Space Center Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

Great American Eclipse, a website featuring maps and information on upcoming solar eclipses, is predicting millions of people could travel next April for the Total Solar Eclipse, including a potential million-plus to Texas.

The prediction estimates between 931,000 and 3,725,000 people traveling inside the path for the eclipse Monday, April 8, 2024. For Texas, the estimate ranges from 270,000 to 1,080,000 visitors.

The path of totality crosses 15 states. It will be the last time a path of totality for a total solar eclipse crosses the continental United States until Aug. 23, 2044.

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"I think Texas will be the big state for the eclipse, just as Wyoming was a big state for the 2017 eclipse," said Michael Zeiler, the founder of the Great American Eclipse. "I think Texas will actually exceed my predictions. I tried to stay on the conservative side. Houston certainly will have many people travel to the path of totality. It's going to be a huge event."

PLACE TO BE: National Geographic says Texas is a top 2024 destination for eclipse views

About 12 million people live in the path of totality, including all of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Austin and San Antonio are located in the path, as well.

Kerrville is expected to be one of the most visited areas in the country for the eclipse with the Great American Eclipse's prediction ranging between 122,000 and 488,000 people. The duration of totality will be four minutes and 23 seconds in Kerrville and Eagle Pass, which is among the longest durations for the entire eclipse. Zeiler said he is planning on spending that Monday close to Kerrville in Fredericksburg.

What makes Texas a prime destination for the eclipse is not just the number of major cities located in the path and high totality duration but also the likelihood of good weather.

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A Lynn man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to sexually exploiting impoverished children he was teaching English to in a foreign country, according to authorities.

56-year-old Michael Sebastian pled guilty to three counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.

Between May 2018 and September 2019, Sebastian used his position of authority to sexually abuse three minors, according to Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

Charging documents say Sebastian owned a school in Laos during that time where he taught English to several children, most of whom were living in poverty. He allowed certain students to live with him in his apartment while teaching there.

If students were unable to pay for their living expenses, Sebastian would reportedly make them perform chores around the house to earn credit towards their rent payments.

These chores involved giving Sebastian massages while he was naked, and required students to touch him inappropriately, according to federal investigators.

He was arrested and charged with these crimes back in July 2020 when he returned to the United States.

Mr. Sebastian ingratiated himself into a position of trust and then manipulated his relationships to exploit vulnerable minors who sought refuge and education, Levy said. His horrific conduct is a parents worst nightmare. This case should send a resounding message to Americans in Massachusetts and beyond: predators will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.

Sebastian will be sentenced on March 28, 2024.

The charge of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Saman Abbas's body was found near her family home in the town of Novellara, in Italy, in November 2022

An Italian court has sentenced two parents to life in prison for murdering their teenage daughter after she refused to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage.

The so-called honour killing of 18-year-old Saman Abbas, who went missing in April 2021, shocked Italy.

Shabbar Abbas, the victims father, was convicted by the court in the northern city of Reggio Emilia on Tuesday after being extradited from Pakistan to be tried.

Nazia Shaheen, the victims mother, who remains at large and is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan, was tried and sentenced in absentia.

Ms Abbass remains were found near her family home in the town of Novellara in November 2022, some 18 months after she went missing.

She was identified by her dental records. An autopsy revealed the teenager had suffered a broken neck bone, possibly as a result of being strangled.

Danish Hasnain, Ms Abbass uncle, was given 14 years in jail for involvement in the murder. Two of her cousins were cleared of wrongdoing.

Danish Hasnain will spend 14 years in jail - Newsflash

The verdict can be appealed.

Father protests innocence

Her father, who had been extradited in August after he was arrested in his village in eastern Pakistan on suspicion of murder, wept and protested his innocence in testimony given to the court on Tuesday.

This trial is not complete. I too want to know who killed my daughter, he said, according to local media reports.

Ms Abbass killing is one of a string of high-profile criminal cases in Italy involving the murder or mistreatment of women or girls who have rebelled against relatives insisting they enter arranged marriages.

In the wake of her disappearance, Italys union of Islamic communities issued a religious ruling rejecting forced marriages.

The teenager had emigrated to Italy with her family from Pakistan in 2016, according to local media reports. Often pictured wearing red lipstick and a red headband, she has since become a symbol of violence against women in the country.

Parents anger over boyfriend

Prosecutors said Ms Abbass parents were angered when they discovered she had a boyfriend, reported to be of Pakistani origin.

Investigators said they had wanted her to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage in 2020, but she refused, leading to a row which resulted in her living for several months under the protection of social services.

She returned to the family home in April 2021 after receiving a flurry of messages from relatives, according to local media reports. Prosecutors said she had been tricked into going back and disappeared afterwards.

Ms Abbass parents later claimed that she was killed when she returned to the family home to collect some documents.

Nazia Shaheen remains at large and is believed to be hiding in Pakistan

CCTV footage released by the police showed three of her relatives carrying spades, a crowbar and a blue bag on April 29, 2021. Separate footage recorded the following day showed the teenager leaving her family home alongside her parents.

Her body was eventually recovered close to a nearby farmhouse, after her uncle told investigators where she was buried.

Ms Abbass parents left for Pakistan immediately after she went missing, while Mr Hasnain and two of her cousins travelled to France and Spain. Her uncle was detained in Paris later in 2021.

Honour killings shameful

Tuesdays ruling was welcomed by political leaders and activists, with Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister and head of the hard-Right League Party, saying it underscored the need to fight violence against women and Islamist fanaticism every day.

Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister, described the decision as just, adding that honour killings were shameful and had to be stopped.

(We must) stop the use of women as slaves who have to take meaningless orders from parents, Mr Tajani said.

Every year, hundreds of women in predominantly Muslim Pakistan are victims of honour killings, carried out by relatives professing to be acting in defence of a familys honour, often in deeply conservative rural areas.

Several such murders have also been carried out in Europe in recent years.

Differenza Donna, an Italian organisation fighting violence against women, said it hoped the court decision would contribute to a change in Italys judicial system, arguing it too often minimised male violence against women.

The ruling came after the killing last month of a 22-year-old university student and the arrest of her ex-boyfriend for the crime sparked an outpouring of grief and anger in Italy, where many women say sexism is entrenched and toxic male behaviour often goes unchecked.

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Pope Francis has granted his approval to Catholic priests blessing same-sex couples, a policy change announced by the Vatican on Monday. It was overdue, and yet is but a small first step toward love and acceptance. SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

The Catholic Churchs history with gays and lesbians has been a sad one, and 1986 was a particularly painful year.

At a time when the AIDS epidemic was ravaging the gay community, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, condemning same-sex attraction as an objective disorder. It also accused the burgeoning gay rights movement of deceitful propaganda.

During that same period, two prominent Catholics  Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen and Catholic University of America moral theologian Charles Curran  were censured by the church for taking liberal positions on LGBTQ issues.

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In the face of this rejection, Rosemary Baxter, a representative with Dignity Canada, an organization standing up for the concerns of LGBTQ Catholics, said, I do not see how they can ask a person to deny any part of their humanity.

Thats been the central issue dividing the Catholic Church and LGBTQ individuals over the years. Catholic gays and lesbians have been made to feel they must choose between their faith and an essential part of their humanity.

Theyve been shunned by their own church, made to feel unworthy of Gods blessings and instructed that to avoid a sinful life, they must either pretend to be straight or opt for celibacy.

Thats why Mondays announcement from the Vatican was such welcome news. Pope Francis granted his approval to Catholic priests blessing same-sex couples.

In a way, its only a small step.

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The newly sanctioned blessings for same-sex couples will be confined to irregular situations and done without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Churchs perennial teaching on marriage, according to the Vatican document.

Nonetheless, given the churchs long history of intransigence on LGBTQ issues, this is a major development. It signals that the church, under the leadership of Pope Francis, is moving toward acceptance, if not full approval, of same-sex relationships. And you cant get to approval if you dont first reach acceptance.

In 2013, the same year he was elected, Pope Francis said, If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?

Three years later, one of his advisers, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, responded to the deadly mass shooting at Pulse, an Orlando gay nightclub, by saying the Catholic Church needed to apologize to gays and lesbians for marginalizing them.

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Pope Francis agreed, and extended the apology beyond the LGBTQ community.

I think the church must not only apologize  to a gay person it offended, but we must apologize to the poor, to women who have been exploited, to children forced into labor, apologize for having blessed so many weapons, the pope said.

This weeks announcement will receive criticism from Catholic traditionalists who consider same-sex relationships sinful.

In truth, however, there has never been much of a biblical basis for the churchs long history of ostracizing gays and lesbians.

There are no scriptural quotes from Jesus Christ against same-sex relationships. The most-cited biblical justification for opposing LGBTQ rights comes from the Old Testament, part of a litany of commandments in the Book of Leviticus.

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Comedian and Sirius radio host John Fugelsang is the Catholic son of a nun and a Franciscan monk who left their orders to marry. He argued this week that true Christians know better than to follow Leviticus, saying its un-Christian to use it against others.

Fugelsang celebrated the Vaticans declaration by posting on X, I love days where Pope Francis enrages the fake Christians by acting like Jesus.
Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) is endorsing Medicare for All legislation  a move likely meant to appeal to progressives.

As president, my first priority will be ensuring every American has access to affordable, exceptional healthcare, Phillips said in his announcement. I believe that Medicare for All is the best way to accomplish that priority.

In his statement, the Minnesota lawmaker claimed medical debt accounts for 67 percent of U.S. bankruptcies. He noted that when his daughter Pia was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2014, he saw the devastating effects of the current health insurance system.

Phillips told Politico, who first reported the news, that he isnt making the decision for campaign reasons. Though, he added, he doesnt support outlawing all private insurance.

But, the lawmaker continued, companies will just whither on the vine in competition with a federal insurance program.

Phillips acknowledged some people may want to keep their private insurance plans, but he argued that once they see the cost savings and the increased benefits, he is confident they will have a change of heart.

The legislation was originally proposed by Democrat Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Debbie Dingell (Mich.), along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Under Phillipss proposed plan, there would be no copayments, deductibles or cost sharing, and the country would transition to the system by the end of his first term.

The Minnesota Democrat claimed the country is already paying enough for each American to have health care, but the exact funding strategy and mechanisms for funding will need to be figured out by Congress.

Why do all of our peers around the world, developed nations with strong economies, why do they ensure that everybody has healthcare and we cant? he said in a video posted online.

Phillips officially announced he was challenging President Biden in the 2024 presidential race in October, after previously signaling he would not do so. He has repeatedly called for a competitive primary instead of Biden running unopposed for the nomination.

While he said he supports Biden, the Democratic presidential hopeful added he is skeptical of his abilities to beat former President Trump.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nassau County Sheriffs Office and Fernandina Beach Police Department shut down another police-reported drug house.

On Dec. 13, the Special Response Team and Narcotics Unit served a warrant to a residence on Old Dixie Highway in Callahan.

Read: JSO: Amtrak train struck car resulting in life-threatening injury

Thirty-four-year-old Cody Leslie Redding and 45-year-old Amanda Kay Emery were both located and arrested for selling methamphetamine.

Read: Christmas party leads to shooting in Glynn County

Cody Leslie Redding

Amanda Kay Emery

Redding was also charged with selling drugs within 1000 feet of a public school last month. He is currently on probation in Georgia for additional drug offenses.

According to the Nassau County Sheriffs Office, it should be noted that convicted felons are not allowed to possess firearms.

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Read: Perfection is the pursuit: Blue Angels practicing early for 78th Jacksonville air show next year

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A news station helicopter crashed in a densely wooded state forest in southern New Jersey Tuesday night, killing a photographer and a pilot, authorities said.

The two were returning from an assignment on the Jersey Shore when Action News 6's helicopter went down sometime after 8 p.m. in Washington Township, which is less than 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, according to 6ABC News (WPVI). The Philadelphia station did not release the names of the pilot and photographer because family was still being notified Wednesday morning.

"They have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years," the station reported.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement posted on X said, "Our thoughts are with the pilots, their families and with the media community. Our deepest condolences go out to the Action News family following last nights helicopter crash in Wharton State Forest."

An Action News van exits the parking lot of the Wharton State Forest Atsion office on Wednesday December 20, 2023 after a pilot and a photographer were killed when Action News' helicopter Chopper 6 crashed in a wooded area of Burlington County, New Jersey, on Tuesday night.

Investigation began after daybreak

In a news conference Wednesday morning, New Jersey State Park Police Chief George Fedorczyk said authorities received a call around 10:50 p.m. reporting a missing helicopter in the area of Wharton State Forest, deep in the Pine Barrens, about 20 miles northwest of Atlantic City and 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Just after midnight, a New Jersey State Police officer discovered the crash site.

A representative from the Federal Aviation Administration was at the scene within hours and, "due to the remote location" and limited visibility, the investigation was suspended until after daybreak, Fedorczyk said. In the early morning hours, various New Jersey law enforcement agencies were working to secure the scene.

Fedorczyk referred all questions to the National Transportation Safety Board, which will take over the investigation once representatives arrive later Wednesday morning.

A police vehicle partially blocks a road behind the Wharton State Forest Atsion office on Wednesday December 20, 2023 after a pilot and a photographer were killed when Action News' helicopter Chopper 6 crashed in a wooded area of Burlington County, New Jersey, on Tuesday night.

Jennifer Gabris, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, said in an email to USA TODAY that investigators on Wednesday will begin documenting the crash scene and examine the aircraft before the plane is taken to a "secure facility for further evaluation."

The agency's investigation will center on three aspects of the incident: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, Gabris said. A preliminary report laying out facts gathered during the initial phase of the investigation will be available within 30 days. A final report is expected within the next 12-24 months.

Flight path of the Channel 6 helicopter that crashed near Wharton State Parkin in Burlington County, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.

Tracking the helicopter's flight path

According to tracking data from Flight Aware, the American Eurocopter AS-350-A-STAR left the Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 7:23 p.m. and headed southeast toward the Jersey shore.

The chopper made several loops around the area of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway, just northeast of the Atlantic City International Airport at 8:03 p.m. The chopper then returned on the same flight path back toward Philadelphia before crashing.

Contributing: Anthony DiMattia, J. Staas Haught, Courier Post

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 6ABC helicopter crash: Photographer, pilot killed in New Jersey
Migrants stand in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. Jessica Phelps Department of Public Safety troopers stand guard over migrants in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. William Luther Migrants stand in a detention area as the sun sets Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. William Luther A Customs and Border Protection officer talks on a megaphone to migrants in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. William Luther

WASHINGTON  The Department of Public Safety has adopted a written policy telling troopers working for Gov. Greg Abbotts border security initiative to avoid separating migrant families after state officers split up dozens of families earlier this year by pressing trespassing charges against fathers.

The policy, obtained by Hearst Newspapers through a public information request, went into effect Nov. 10. It says parents and children should be referred to federal immigration officers as a family in lieu of troopers arresting members on state charges, if those charges would cause the separation of children from parents.

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The policy is described as general guidance and specifically includes exceptions for cases in which a family member is arrested on an active state or federal felony warrant, or when an officer develops probable cause to arrest a family member who has engaged in a serious crime constituting a

danger to another person including a danger to another family unit member.

Migrants gather in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of immigration pushes across the border. William Luther Staff

The agency says it is not a shift in policy, but rather a more formalized version of longstanding guidance put in writing for the first time at the urging of state Sen. Juan Hinojosa, a McAllen Democrat with a seat on the Border Security committee.

A DPS spokesman said troopers can still arrest people claiming to be fathers for criminal trespass, but the agency will not separate children from their mothers. He said the policy would not be affected by the states new law allowing any law enforcement officer in Texas to arrest migrants accused of unlawfully entering the state from Mexico, and empowering judges to order their removal.

Attorneys representing migrants arrested under Operation Lone Star say they are aware of more than 40 cases this year in which families of mothers, fathers and children were broken up as state troopers pressed trespassing charges against the fathers, several of whom have since been deported, while their families were released into the U.S. to await their immigration cases. Hearst Newspapers first reported the practice this summer.

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Last month, DPS Director Steve McCraw testified to the Senate Border Security Committee that the agency has arrested fathers in some instances, but always keeps children with their mothers. He said DPS has been consistent in referring families to Border Patrol, generally.

McCraw said the agency did not have a written policy on handling migrant families because, frankly, we separate families all the time if theyre U.S. citizens  DWI, a single parent DWI, child in the back seat, unrestrained.

In those situations, we always turn the child over to CPS (Child Protective Services), McCraw said. Now were dealing with family units that were detaining and referring back to Border Patrol. Its our policy to always send a child and a parent back to Border Patrol.

Hinojosa told McCraw the agency needed a written policy because theres confusion, sometimes misinformation  certainly there have been instances for whatever reason the families have been separated when they shouldnt be separated.

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The American Bar Associations South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, which represents migrants in their federal immigration cases, received 43 referrals of fathers who had been arrested separately from their families in August and September.

Twelve of those men were either deported or in the process of being removed from the U.S. before they were transferred to other detention centers out of the ABA projects service area, said Luis Rios, a supervising attorney.

Families seeking asylum are typically allowed to make their case as a unit, and the arrests put fathers, who might spend weeks in jail, on a separate track from the rest of their families.

That probably weakens your case, Rios said. Instead of going to a credible fear interview as a family, you go alone, by yourself.

Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have speculated that male migrants and possible cartel members are posing as the fathers of unaccompanied children.

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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz described a recent tour with Border Patrol in which they encountered a group of 20 to 25 migrants, mostly women and children. Among them, Cruz said, was a roughly 10-year-old girl with a 35- to 40-year-old man she said was her father. Cruz said the man was not, and said the girl looked terrified.
A volcano erupts north of Grindavik, Iceland on the Reykjanes peninsula. Photo courtesy of Icelandic Met Office/EPA-EFE

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A volcano eruption in Iceland has become a tourist attraction, with a hiker requiring rescue by helicopter and police warning travelers to "think four times" before making the journey up to the volcano.

Since Monday's eruption, the 11- to 12-mile route to the site near Sylingafell mountain has become "extremely challenging," peppered with rough lava, which is extremely difficult to cross, and "considerable gas pollution and uncertainty," police said.

A cold and exhausted hiker had to be air rescued late Tuesday halfway to the site.

The popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in nearby Svartsengi is closed through Dec. 27.

When some 4,000 residents of nearby Grindavik were told in November they would have to leave their homes amid escalating seismic activity, there was some hope they might be able to return before the Christmas holiday. But Monday's eruption near Sylingafell mountain, less than two miles from the town, spoiled those plans.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said about 320 earthquakes have been measured over the magma channels since the eruption. The largest, with a magnitude of 4.1, occurred just before midnight Monday.

Solny Palsdottir, 53, a Grindavik teacher and photographer, told The Guardian the eruption left many unprepared. Palsdottir's home was on a large slant as a result of the earthquakes before the evacuation.

"It came up really quickly and no one was prepared," she said. "The police were saying [on Monday] maybe we could go home tomorrow [Wednesday]. Nobody was expecting this last night. It surprised all of the scientists."

Grindavik Mayor Fannar Jonasson apologized to displaced residents.

"Unfortunately, the hope that had ignited in the hearts of many about the possibility of celebrating Christmas at home in Grindavik was extinguished when the eruption began yesterday," Jonasson told reporters.

The current eruption is the fourth in three years on the Reykjanes peninsula and much more powerful than the previous three. In an interview Wednesday on radio station Ras 2, volcanologist orvaldur orarson said the eruption may be short-lived.

"It always reduces the danger more and more, and in my opinion there is almost no chance of an eruption, for example, down in Grindavik or very close to it," he said.

But, orvalur also said it's likely that more will erupt in the area from Eldvorp to Fagradalsfjall in the coming years.

"I don't think it's over, unfortunately. There is just as much chance that we will have a repeat of these events in the coming years.
Migrants stand in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. Jessica Phelps Migrants stand in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. Jessica Phelps Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass William Luther Migrants stand in a detention area Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass as a surge of migrants push across the border. William Luther

WASHINGTON  El Paso County and two immigrant rights groups on Tuesday sued to stop what they called patently illegal legislation empowering Texas officials to remove people they suspect of being in the country illegally, less than 24 hours after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law.

The new law, set to take effect in March, would allow any law enforcement officer in Texas to arrest migrants accused of unlawfully entering the state from Mexico and empower judges to order their removal. It was widely expected to wind up in the courts and has seen pushback from the Mexican government and Democrats in Congress, who have urged the Department of Justice to step in, as well.

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The law is a major escalation of Abbotts border security initiative, Operation Lone Star, and has been cast by the governor and other state officials as an invitation for the Supreme Court to revisit longstanding precedent leaving immigration enforcement solely to the federal government.

The ACLU, which is representing the plaintiffs, argues that the states deportation scheme violates the U.S. Constitution by putting federal power in the states hands. The law creates a new state system to regulate immigration that completely bypasses and conflicts with the federal system, the lawsuit says.

S.B. 4 jettisons this system, grasping control over immigration from the federal government and depriving people subject to that system of all of the federal rights and due process that Congress provided to them, including the rights to contest removal and seek asylum, the suit says.

The complaint was filed in a federal district court in Austin on behalf of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and American Gateways, two nonprofits that assist asylum seekers and other migrants, as well as El Paso County. It names as defendants Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and Bill Hicks, the district attorney for the 34th Judicial District, which includes Culbertson, Hudspeth and El Paso counties.

The ACLU also issued a travel advisory on Tuesday, saying the law poses a risk to any person while in Texas, since travelers and Texas residents alike may be accused of 'illegal entry' into Texas and face arrest and even be ordered deported by a Texas judge.

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Abbott said during a bill signing ceremony Monday in Brownsville that the measure is a step to stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.

The third-term Republican argued that the state has the authority to proceed with the new law and accused President Joe Biden, a Democrat, of failing to secure the border, leaving Texas to do so on its own. Abbott predicted the deportation law would lead to a 50- to 75-percent drop in border crossings into Texas.

The law empowers police across the state to arrest people they suspect of unlawfully entering Texas from Mexico under a new class of illegal entry state crimes. Judges would decide whether to issue an order to return to Mexico in lieu of prosecution, with consent from migrants.

But judges also would be required to issue return orders for anyone convicted of illegal entry. People would face stiff penalties for refusing the orders, effectively leaving them to choose between state-ordered deportation to Mexico or up to 20 years in prison.

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Abbott, a former attorney general, said he believes the law was crafted in a way that can and should be upheld in the courts on its own.

Nonetheless, he said, it does open up the possibility for the Supreme Court to reconsider a 2012 landmark ruling that held that only the federal government has the power to enforce immigration laws.

In that case, the high court struck down portions of an Arizona law that authorized police to arrest anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. Then-Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the federal government has broad discretion in setting immigration policy and that the state could not pursue policies that undermine federal law.

We think that Texas already has the constitutional authority to do this, Abbott said. But we also welcome a Supreme Court decision that would overturn the precedent.
Poland's pro-EU government on Wednesday launched a reform of state media and sacked their management, as right-wing lawmakers staged a sit-in to protest the changes and public broadcasts were interrupted.

The shakeup comes a week after Prime Minister Donald Tusk took power and after eight years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

PiS politicians denounced the media reshuffle as "illegal", while their ally, the country's president, called on the government to "respect Poland's legal order".

State-owned media under the PiS were regularly accused of biased reporting, transmitting government propaganda and launching verbal attacks on the opposition.

The culture ministry said in a statement the chairmen and boards of the state-owned television, radio, and news agency had been removed in a bid to restore the "impartiality" of public media.

Shortly after the announcement, state news channel TVP's regular broadcast was suspended, with only the television logo visible on TV screens.

The TVP Info news channel's website also went offline.

- Opposition protests -

On Tuesday, the new ruling bloc had adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of the "impartiality and reliability of the public media".

But PiS lawmakers largely boycotted the parliamentary vote, staging a sit-in in the state television buildings that continued through the night into Wednesday.

And on Wednesday, President Andrzej Duda weighed in.

"In connection with the culture ministry's actions today regarding public media, I call on Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the cabinet to respect Poland's legal order," he wrote on X.

Attached, was a letter to Tusk in which he said that "a parliament resolution does not have the force of law".

Tusk immediately tweeted back, saying: "as I already informed you, today's actions are -- in accordance with your intention -- aimed at restoring legal order and common decency in public life.

"You can count on our iron determination on this matter," he added.

Following the changes in state media management, PiS chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski was seen entering the state television building.

Kaczynski is the party's most prominent politician and for eight years was widely regarded as Poland's de facto leader.

"There is no democracy without media pluralism or strong anti-government media, and in Poland these are the public media," he told reporters on Tuesday evening.

- 'Partisan discourse' -

Kaczynski said PiS politicians could continue the protest on rotating shifts.

Former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, also present in the building, said "a forcible intrusion" of the new management was taking place in state-owned television.

"What we are seeing is the first step towards a dictatorship," Morawiecki told reporters.

On Wednesday, an AFP reporter also saw police enter the television building.

A former culture minister in the PiS government said the state media reshuffle was "illegal".

"This is clearly an attack on free media, it is a violation of the law," Piotr Glinski told AFP.

The PiS government was frequently criticised by the opposition and non-profits alike for trying to stifle independent media and limit freedom of expression.

Global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in 2020 said "partisan discourse and hate speech are still the rule within (Poland's) state-owned media, which have been transformed into government propaganda mouthpieces."

In the 2023 report, RSF also said the PiS government "has multiplied its attempts to change the editorial line of private media and control information on sensitive subjects."

mmp/amj/jj
Donald Tusk took power last week after his pro-Brussels coalition won a majority in Octobers election - LESZEK SZYMANSKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Polands state television news channel stopped broadcasting on Wednesday after the countrys new pro-EU prime minister Donald Tusk sacked biased media chiefs.

The walkout at TVP Info came after the culture ministry announced the heads of the state television, radio and news agency had been sacked to restore impartiality

Mr Tusk, who took office last week, campaigned on a pledge to dismantle the state broadcaster, arguing it had been used as a mouthpiece by the former Right-wing government, the Law and Justice (PiS) party.

On Tuesday, the former European Council president shared budget plans for 2024 that did not include state funding for TVP.

Jarosaw Kaczynski, PiSs leader, responded by holding an all-night vigil inside the stations headquarters after storming out of a debate in the Polish parliament over the broadcasters future.

Former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to journalists in front of the TVP building - Pawel Supernak/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

TVP reacted to the move by changing the colour of its headline banner from red to black and then on Wednesday ceased broadcasting. The news channels website was also taken down.

In frequently chaotic scenes following the culture ministers decision to change TVPs leadership, the authorities entered the offices of TVP, and some of the networks channels and websites were taken down.

Polands two other main state media channels have continued to operate.

Mateusz Morawiecki, the former prime minister, accused Mr Tusks administration of taking illegal actions that show how the authorities that supposedly care about the rule of law violate it at every step.

What is going on here looks like the situation in Belarus, he said on Wednesday afternoon as he arrived at TVPs headquarters in Warsaw to show his support.

Mr Kaczynski added: Our opponents believe that a good citizen is an ill-informed citizen, that the common man should not know anything about the elites. And we, as in many democracies of the world, think exactly the opposite.

A pro-PiS propaganda tube

Polands former Right-wing government was frequently criticised over the perceived transformation of state media into its mouthpiece.

Anne Applebaum, a respected American-Polish journalist, said: TVP was illegally turned into a pro-PiS propaganda tube, and was illegally run by PiS functionaries.

What you are watching is the re-establishment of public broadcasting.

PiS has long argued that before Mr Tusks previous stint as prime minister came to an end in 2015, Poles had little access to independent media with differing political views.

Mr Tusk took power last week after his pro-Brussels coalition won a parliamentary majority in Octobers election.

His return to domestic politics in Poland marked a dramatic shift away from eight years of PiS government, when Warsaw was seen as a thorn in the side of the EU.

Almost immediately taking office, Mr Tusk attended an EU summit in Brussels, vowing to halt Polands perceived erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence to unlock billions of euros of EU funding.

During his campaign, Mr Tusk accused TVP of spreading lies about him and his party on behalf of PiS.

He has subsequently banned journalists from the organisation from accessing events and conferences held by his government.

The public media as it exists in its current shape does not deserve to be financed from the taxpayers pocket at all, Mr Tusk said on Tuesday.

But Stanley Bill, a professor of Polish studies at the University of Cambridge, said: This approach to the justified aim of replacing degraded public media boards will do little to repair the damage PiS has done to Polands democratic processes and political culture.

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MPs from the former ruling party entered TVP headquarters after the new government sacked state TV chiefs

Polish state TV channel TVP Info has been taken off air after Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new government moved to depoliticise public media.

Parliament in Warsaw backed a resolution on Tuesday night calling for independence, objectivity and pluralism in public TV and radio.

The new culture minister has dismissed the heads of TVP and Polish Radio.

MPs from the Law and Justice (PiS) party who lost power in October reacted by staging a sit-in at state TV HQ.

The ex-PiS prime minister condemned the Tusk government's "illegal actions".

State media is an important tool in Poland. About a third of people rely solely on it for their news, having no access to private broadcasters.

In recent years, TVP's main evening news broadcasts, and TVP Info, became a propaganda machine for the PiS government, and the new coalition, led by pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk, had promised voters to turn state media into a platform for "reliable information".

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski joined the protest at TVP headquarters in Warsaw all night, leaving the building after 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT).

He returned, along with dozens of other PiS MPs on Wednesday after TVP's 24-hour news channel was taken off air. TVP Info continued to broadcast on YouTube, showing video of a TV screen airing the output, until it also stopped.

On Tuesday night, TVP Info, the 24-hour news service, symbolically changed its headline strap from red to black.

Then on Wednesday the new minister of culture, Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, dismissed the heads of state TV and radio as well as state news agency PAP.

New management boards were also appointed. and then the news channel went off air altogether. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused the new government of violating its "supposed care for the rule of law... at every step".

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has moved quickly to dismiss appointees of the previous government from state bodies

The Tusk-led coalition was eventually sworn in a week ago, after winning October elections on a promise to overturn years of PiS reforms.

The former president of the European Council has moved quickly to dismiss PiS appointees from government bodies. On Tuesday he appointed new heads of state security, intelligence and anti-corruption offices. He described the new chiefs, including two women, as "very good, loyal and disciplined".

By law, state media should not serve the political interests of any one party. In practice, it is normally partial to whichever government is in power.

After taking office in 2015, PiS went much further than any previous government in controlling TVP's narrative.

It changed Poland's media law and set up a rival media regulator to allow it to sack management boards and pack the public media with journalists sympathetic to its policies.

While it was doing this, it enacted legislation to increase its political control over the judiciary and the civil service. It put its own people in charge of the security services and state-controlled companies.

Many Poles old enough to remember the crude propaganda of the communist-era authorities in the 1970s and '80s said TVP's methods were even worse.

PiS set out to "repolonise" Polish media and used the country's state-controlled energy company Orlen to buy Poland's largest regional media outlet, the German-owned Polska Press, taking political control of its newspapers and websites.

It also passed legislation to limit foreign ownership of the media, leading Washington to protest the bill was aimed at the US-owned TVN. The protest caused President Andrzej Duda to veto the bill.

In response to PiS's actions, privately owned newspapers and broadcasters, such as TVN 24 news, became markedly more critical of the PiS-led government.

Under the previous government, Poland dropped from 18th to 57th place in the World Press Freedom Index.

So how can its former leader, Mr Kaczynski, say the protest is defending democracy and media pluralism?

In his definition, media pluralism will be reduced by PiS losing control over TVP. For him, TVP acts as a conservative bulwark against the private broadcasters supporting the new coalition government.

Poland's media regulator, the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), which has also been politicised by PiS, said the dismissals were illegal. "Turning off the television signal and websites of TVP Info is an act of lawlessness and recalls the worst times of martial law," said chairman Maciej Swirski.

PiS said the parliamentary resolution did not give the government the power to sack the management boards. But the culture minister said the ministry had ownership rights over the state companies and did have the authority.

Mr Tusk has learned from PiS's eight years in power. When he was first elected prime minister in 2007, he left a PiS appointee, Mariusz Kaminski, in his post as head of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau until 2009.

Mr Kaminski served as interior minister under the recently departed PiS-led government.

On Wednesday he was handed a two-year jail sentence for abuse of power for his part in an anti-corruption sting dating back to 2007, for which President Duda had already pardoned him in 2015.

The Tusk government may face resistance to its planned changes from the president, a PiS ally, who has the power to veto legislation.

Mr Duda wrote to the parliamentary speaker on Tuesday evening saying any changes to the state media must be carried out in accordance with the law.

Presidential adviser Marcin Mastalerek said on Wednesday that the parliamentary resolution had no legal impact on state media.

Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that the coalition government did not plan a wide-ranging purge of TVP personnel, saying up to 60 employees who violated journalistic standards would lose their jobs. The newspaper said the government planned to make the changes by Christmas.
Democrats and Republicans alike point to some form of election interference for their parties most recent presidential losses, a new poll suggests.

In a Deseret News/HarrisX poll of U.S. voters, the most common reason Democrats give for Hillary Clintons 2016 loss to Donald Trump is foreign election interference. And the most common reason Republicans give for Trumps 2020 loss to President Joe Biden is ballot tampering.

The poll was conducted Nov. 21-22 among 1,012 registered voters. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Voters were offered a list of a dozen potential reasons why the candidate won either election and were invited to select all the reasons that applied. Options included he ran the best campaign; he had the best policy platform; he was destined to be president; and he was the most qualified candidate, among others.

When asked why they think Trump won in 2016, 31% of self-described Democratic voters say there was foreign election interference. Another 21% say Trump represented the change that voters wanted and 19% say he was the most charismatic candidate.

Republicans, however, point to Trump being the change that voters wanted as the top reason (43%); nearly one-third, 32%, say he was willing to stand up to Washington or he best understood the issues that matter most to voters.

When asked why Biden won in 2020, half of Democrats (50%) said he was the most qualified candidate. 49% said he represented the change voters wanted and 43% said he best understood the issues that mattered most to voters.

But a majority of Republicans, 51%, cite tampering with ballots as the leading reason for Bidens victory. The most-frequent responses after that, at 15%, were he represented the change that voters wanted and he chose Kamala Harris to be his vice president.

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the months following the 2020 election, top government officials within the Trump administration declared the election the most secure in American history; Trumps former attorney general likewise disputed claims that there was fraud sufficient to overturn the election.

Related

Nonetheless, many prominent Republicans  including Trump himself  continue to claim that the election was stolen. Trump now faces criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the election.

There is evidence Russia tried to influence the 2016 election, though a bipartisan Senate investigation did not find that any votes were changed or any voting machines were manipulated. Instead, Russias tactics focused on cyberespionage.

In 2019, special counsel Robert Mueller said he found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
An overwhelming majority (72%) of Ukrainians would disapprove of the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and only 8% believe that there are serious disagreements between him and President Volodymyr Zelensky, a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) released on Dec. 20 found.

Earlier, reports surfaced in Western and Ukrainian media about supposed disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, which have received much public attention following Zaluzhnyi's interview on the state of the war for The Economist.

The poll found that Zaluzhnyi is the most trusted military leader at 92%, followed by the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, at 60%.

When asked about the supposed disagreement between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky, 8% believed it was serious, 35% said it was not that serious, and 39% believed there was little to no disagreement.

Anton Hrushetskyi, the executive director of KIIS, said that the results of the poll demonstrated that there is still a relatively high level of trust in the top military and political leaders and that Ukrainians have not really listened to rumors about the supposed rift between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky.

He added that an attempt to remove Zaluzhnyi would likely cause a backlash.

Read also: Are Zelensky and his top general really in discord?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The majority of Ukrainians (55%) want corrupt politicians and officials to be punished as fast as possible, even if it means there is a violation of the law in the process, a poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Dec. 20 found.

A KIIS poll released in November showed that, aside from the war, Ukrainians are most concerned about corruption.

The results should be viewed in light of the extremely low public trust in the courts and prosecutors, said Anton Hrushetskyi, the executive director of KIIS.

"The less respondents trust the courts, the greater the demand to punish as quickly as possible," Hrushetskyi said.

The percentage of those who support swift punishment for corrupt politicians and officials has grown since the beginning of the full-scale war.

A similar poll conducted in October found that 25% of Ukrainians supported more radical measures taken against corrupt officials, while 67% believed that those accused of corruption should be tried according to the law, even if it takes a long time.

Read also: Investigative Stories From Ukraine: Journalists allege that key state agency controlled by unofficial boss

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The majority of Ukrainians (72%) would view the resignation of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, negatively.

Source: survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 4-10 December

Details: A total of 43% of Ukrainians believe that there may be some disagreements or friction between President Zelenskyy and General Zaluzhnyi, with 8% believing that the situation is very serious, and the remaining 35% believing that these misunderstandings are not very serious. The poll found that 39% respondents did not believe that there was any conflict at all, while 18% were undecided.

The presence of disagreements, friction, misunderstandings between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi in the regional dimension

infographic: Kyiv International Institute of Sociology

The majority of respondents (72%) would view Zaluzhnyis resignation negatively, while only 2% would see it in a positive light. Another 21% were neutral on this issue, and 5% were undecided.

If the decision of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dismiss Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replace the Commander-in-Chief with another general was made, how would you react to this??

infographic: Kyiv International Institute of Sociology

Earlier this week, KIIS shared the results of a survey that showed the overwhelming majority of respondents had absolute trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (96%, the same number as in December 2022). When asked about the credibility of Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi, 88% said they trusted him.

In another part of the survey (using another sample of respondents), an additional question was asked: "To what extent do you trust or distrust the following Ukrainian public figures? If you dont know him or her, please say so." The scale used in this question was slightly different from the one used to explore peoples trust in institutions.

The list of names included Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Defence Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov and Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but did not include descriptions of their positions or activities, only their first and last names.

All three of these military commanders are highly trusted by the respondents, and the difference in the levels of trust between them is largely a result of different levels of awareness of who they are. The results showed that 92% of respondents trust Zaluzhnyi, 60% trust Budanov (but 18% do not know who he is), and 33% trust Syrskyi (but 48% do not know who he is).

Among those who know these commanders, 94% trust Zaluzhnyi, 73% trust Budanov, and 63% trust Syrskyi, with 5% distrusting Zaluzhnyi, 24% Budanov, and 29% Syrskyi.

Previously: During an end-of-year press conference on 19 December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he has a working relationship with Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and plans to go on working with him.

For reference: KIIS conducted Omnibus, an all-Ukrainian public opinion poll that included questions about trust in military commanders and Valerii Zaluzhnyis possible resignation, from 4 to 10 December 2023.

A total of 1,200 respondents living in all oblasts of Ukraine (except the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) were interviewed using computer-assisted telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile numbers.

The survey was conducted with adult (aged 18 years and older) citizens of Ukraine who, at the time of the survey, lived on the territory of Ukraine within the limits controlled by the Ukrainian authorities until 24 February 2022.

Residents of the occupied territories that the Ukrainian government did not control prior to 24 February 2022 (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and some areas in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) were not included in the sample, and the survey was not conducted with citizens abroad.

Formally, under normal circumstances, the statistical error of such a sample (with a probability of 0.95 and taking into account the design effect of 1.1) did not exceed 3.2% for indicators close to 50%, 2.7% for indicators close to 25%, 2.1% for indicators close to 10%, and 1.4% for indicators close to 5%.

In times of war, a certain systematic deviation is added in addition to the specified formal error. However, sociologists are convinced that the results obtained retain high representativeness and allow for a fairly reliable analysis of public sentiment.

KIIS believes that the results remain highly representative of the Ukrainian population living on Ukraine-controlled territory, and can be used to offer a reliable analysis of public opinion.

Background:

In an interview with The Economist, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraines Armed Forces, said he believed that the situation at the front has reached a stalemate, when neither side can advance because they are technologically equipped at the same level.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he did not think the situation on the front in Ukraine had reached a stalemate.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told British tabloid The Sun that military personnel who are going to enter politics should not "deal with war".

On 29 November, The Economist wrote that, alongside the grim reality of a trench war, the "political battleground" in Kyiv is becoming increasingly tense, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeing a rival in Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and political infighting damaging Ukraine.

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Just 26% of Americans would favor a national abortion ban like the one in Texas that led Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman whose fetus had a fatal disorder, to travel out of state to terminate her pregnancy earlier this month, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. A majority (56%) would oppose such a ban.

After reading a brief description of the case, a full 68% of Americans say Cox should have been allowed to have an abortion in Texas. Just 13% say an abortion should not have been allowed.

The survey of 1,533 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Dec. 14 to 18, highlights the political risks facing anti-abortion Republicans ahead of the 2024 election if they continue to push for hard-line Texas-style bans. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, 14 states have banned abortion entirely, while another seven have banned the procedure at an earlier stage of pregnancy  ranging from six to 18 weeks  than previously allowed under Roe.

Political analysts say Republican candidates have repeatedly lost otherwise winnable races as a result.

In Texas, abortion is now outlawed after six weeks of pregnancy. Six-week bans  which come into effect before many women are aware that they are pregnant  were already unpopular prior to the Cox case; in general, just 34% of Americans favor them, according to the new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. And even among those who approve of six-week bans, nearly two-thirds say they want an exception for when the pregnancy seriously threatens the health of the mother  meaning just 6% of Americans favor a six-week ban without such an exception.

In theory, Texas is supposed to have just that: an exception that permits abortion after six weeks if the female is at risk of death or serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. In practice, however, the Cox case demonstrated how narrow  bordering on nonexistent  the Texas loophole is.

After diagnosing Coxs fetus with trisomy 18  a severe genetic disorder that nearly always results in miscarriage, stillbirth or the infants death within a year  her doctor determined that carrying the pregnancy to term would risk her health and jeopardize her future fertility. But when Cox sought a court order allowing her to receive an abortion in Texas, the state attorney general and Supreme Court declared that she did not qualify for an abortion based on the medical-necessity exception  meaning her doctor could be prosecuted for a first-degree felony for performing the procedure. Cox, a mother of two, left the state to terminate her pregnancy.

Few Americans of any political stripe agree with that outcome. In fact, roughly six in 10 Republicans (57%) and independents (63%) say Cox should have been allowed to have an abortion in her state; just 21% and 14%, respectively, say the opposite.

Likewise, nearly four out of five Americans say that doctors (79%) rather than courts (6%) should have more say in whether a pregnancy poses enough of a threat to the mothers health to justify an abortion. The numbers among Republicans (79% and 4%) and independents (74% and 7%) are equally stark.

And on the question of whether they would want a national abortion ban like Texass, independents are opposed by a more than two-to-one margin (55% to 24%)  while even Republicans are evenly split (40% in favor, 39% opposed).

Overall, just a quarter of Americans (26%) say they're likely to vote for a candidate for major office who wants to ban most abortions that were legal under Roe v. Wade. High-profile cases like Coxs  which show voters how strict abortion bans affect real-life mothers  will do little to shift those numbers in Republicans favor ahead of Election Day.

____________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,533 U.S. adults interviewed online from Dec. 14 to 18, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to Nov. 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.8%.
Pope Francis meets with Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin and delegation from the Mediterranea Saving Humans

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke out in favour of an Italian migrant sea rescue charity whose members are facing charges of abetting illegal immigration.

A judge is due to decide on Feb. 14 whether Luca Casarini and five others from the Mediterranea Saving Humans charity should go to trial over the accusations.

"They do a good job, they save a lot of people, a lot of people," Francis said about the organisation during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

Greeting a delegation from the charity present at the audience, the pope said they "go out at sea to save the poor people who flee from slavery (in) Africa".

The delegation included Casarini, a former far-left activist well known in Italy, who has recently aligned himself with the Catholic Church.

Casarini, who is often attacked by anti-migrant, pro-government newspapers in Italy, was a special guest at the bishops' summit, or synod, which the pope presided over in October.

Mediterranea has been indicted in Ragusa, Sicily, over a 2020 operation in which its vessel picked up 27 migrants from a Danish cargo ship and took them to Italy.

The migrants, including a pregnant woman, had been stranded on the ship for more than a month after being rescued from a wooden dinghy.

The company operating the cargo ship, Maersk Tankers, later paid a firm linked to Mediterranea about 125,000 euros ($136,950.00), a money transfer that prosecutors allege was connected with a possible breach of Italy's immigration laws.

The charity says it was just a spontaneous donation.

($1 = 0.9127 euros)

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones and Andrew Heavens)
Here is a look at foggy San Antonio on the morning of Nov. 16, 2023. Similar conditions are expected Wednesday morning. Express-News/Anthony Franze

San Antonio, get ready for several days in a row with muggy and foggy conditions to start the day. The best chance of fog will be between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. in San Antonio, the Hill Country and many surrounding areas. Visibility levels will be especially low at times, possibly reaching less than a quarter-mile during the Wednesday morning commute. Patchy drizzle could make roads wet, but heavy rain is not expected.

Heres the reason: Winds are moving in from the southeast, carrying moisture from the Gulf of Mexico straight into San Antonio. This is raising dew points into the low to mid-50s Wednesday morning, which is exactly where low temperatures are expected to fall. Whenever the dew point and the temperature are the same, that means the relative humidity value reaches 100%, the air becomes saturated, and fog develops.

DRIVING THROUGH CLOUDS: How fog forms and why we are seeing it now in San Antonio

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Here is a look at visibility levels in South Texas from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Fog in some areas near San Antonio could reduce visibility to less than a quarter-mile. Pivotal Weather

Unfortunately, this is a weather pattern San Antonio will be dealing with for several days in a row. High dew points are expected to cause foggy conditions Thursday and Friday mornings, and it could even continue into the holiday weekend. Thankfully, the fog will not stick around all day, ending by 10 a.m. most days.

Wednesdays forecast

After the fog dissipates, nice weather is expected for the rest of the day. Temperatures will rise to the mid-60s by noon, on their way to the low 70s by the afternoon, readings well above average for December. Mostly cloudy skies are expected in the Alamo City. While a rogue shower cannot be ruled out, most of the rain will stay off to the east and along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Rain chances increasing

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As a system of low atmospheric pressure draws closer by the second half of the week, rain chances will start to increase. After a foggy start and mostly dry afternoon on Thursday, showers will move into South Texas late Thursday and early Friday.

While rain chances will increase to 50% to 60%, rainfall should stay light in San Antonio. Only one or two tenths of an inch of rain is expected, but that will still cause travel concerns if youre heading out Friday morning for the holiday weekend.

Temperatures will stay above average for the foreseeable future, too. Peak temperatures near 70 degrees are expected both Thursday and Friday. Thanks to the rain and overcast skies, low temperatures will stay quite mild, dipping to only the upper 50s to near 60 during the night.

Christmas Eve storms?

By the weekend, a heavier round of showers and thunderstorms will move across Texas. However, the heaviest rain looks to stay north and east of San Antonio, where multiple inches will be possible in Dallas, Houston and East Texas. For this round of wet weather, San Antonios best chance of rain will come late Saturday and into Sunday morning.

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Here is a look at expected rainfall in South and Central Texas, according to the National Weather Service. A quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain is expected in San Antonio through Christmas Eve. NWS Austin/San Antonio

The overall chance of rain in the Alamo City is 30% to 40%, but rainfall totals are once again expected to stay quite low with less than half an inch expected. By late Christmas Eve, models agree that the rain chances will have pushed off to the east, toward Houston and Louisiana.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Authorities say a Portage man has been charged with working with a call center in Pakistan as part of a telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans.

Irfan Gill, 62, was charged in federal court with seven counts of mail fraud and 11 counts of money laundry. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan.

Gill allegedly pretended to run several businesses, including Cable Upgrade, D Network, D Tech, Direct Network, Dish, Dish Upgrade and Sky Satellite. The call center in Pakistan would cold-call victims to offer equipment and software upgrades or service discounts. The victims were allegedly told to mail payments to Gills post office boxes in Portage. He would allegedly deposit the money into his bank account and pay a portion to the call center, the release said.

The U.S. Attorneys Office believes there were more than 1,400 victims nationwide.

Federal officials are working to find those who may have been victims of the telemarketing fraud scheme. If you believe you or someone you know is a victim, you are asked to go to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigans website or call victim coordinator Kathy Schuette at 616.808.2034.

As we have alleged, defendant Irfan Gill ran an international network to exploit Americas seniors, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a news release. These scams are not going away and so we need to remain vigilant. Be cautious when you receive an unsolicited contact or offer. Resist the pressure to act quickly. Never send personally identifiable information or anything of value to unverified people or businesses. Combatting elder fraud and abuse is a top priority for my Office and we will continue to hold perpetrators accountable, whether at home or abroad.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Over 100 laptops and dozens of other electronics were recovered in a weeks-long burglary investigation by the Portland Police Bureau, with a suspect being arrested, officials said.

The 51-year-old Kevin D. Williams of Portland was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on four counts of second-degree burglary, police said.

Man found dead in car near Washington Square, homicide investigation underway

The investigation began in late August when police responded to reports of a burglary at a business on North Mississippi Avenue, in which investigators determined a laptop and tablet were stolen. Soon, several other burglaries were reported to police over two months by other businesses on North Mississippi Avenue, with dozens of electronics being taken, police said.

Officers identified Williams as the suspect after working with the impacted Boise Neighborhood businesses during the investigation. A search warrant was executed at a home in the 8700 block of North Delaware Avenue on Monday. More than 120 laptops were recovered by officers collecting evidence, according to PPB.

Police said the case remains under investigation and that anyone who has information is urged to email detectives through their crime tips address and reference case number 23-290763.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The Portland Police Bureau is seeking public comment for revisions to their directives with their manual of policy and procedure.

There are currently opportunities to give input on existing directives as well as proposed revisions of other directives, PPB said. The comment period is currently open, with most of them ending on Jan. 15, 2024.

The directives in the first universal review are policies that have not been revised yet. They include property and evidence procedures, procedural justice, body-worn camera use and management, vehicle collision review board, temporary detention areas in police facilities and custody and transportation of subjects.

Once the first universal review and public comment period ends, PPBs website states: An updated draft reflecting changes to the current directive will be posted on the PPBs website at the start of the [next] Second Universal Review and Public Comment Period.

The second universal review directives are updated drafts of policies that are also open to public comment before they are finalized. Those currently being considered include directives on timekeeping including overtime, exempt employee time tracking and management leave guidelines, bias crime reporting, stolen vehicles and community member observation of police.

Bear in mind that the feedback is done through a web form for each individual directive and that PPB recommends a certain format. According to PPBs website, the guidelines are recommended for giving feedback for existing directives (first universal review):

Comments should be limited to a substantive review of the directive content or proposals for additional related content. Comments should not include questions, as they will not be answered in this forum. After the close of this public review and comment period, all comments received are discussed during the Bureaus internal review process for potential inclusion in a draft containing proposed changes to the current active directive.

Man slain in car near Washington Square, homicide investigation underway

When it comes to giving comments on drafts of proposed updated directives (second universal review), the guidelines are quite similar. However, PPB notes on its website that all comments received are again discussed during the Bureaus internal review process for potential inclusion in the final version.

Portland man accused of stealing of over 100 laptops

Each directive that is open for comment can be reviewed in a PDF document, the bottom of which contains the Provide Feedback link that will direct you to the feedback web form. Below people can find links to each directives PDF, the date when the comment period ends, and a link to their respective web forms for providing feedback.

First Universal Review and Public Comment Period

0660.10 Property and Evidence Procedures  comment period ends Dec. 31, 2023 PDF  Provide Feedback



0025.00 Procedural Justice  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



0620.00 Body-Worn Camera Use and Management  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



0640.52 Vehicle Collision Review Board  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



0870.25 Temporary Detention Areas in Police Facilities  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



870.20 Custody and Transportation of Subjects  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



Second Universal Review and Public Comment Period

0210.30 Timekeeping including Overtime  comment period ends Dec. 31, 2023 PDF  Provide Feedback



210.22 Exempt Employee Time Tracking and Management Leave Guidelines  comment period ends Dec. 31, 2023 PDF  Provide Feedback



0640.80 Bias Crime Reporting  comment period ends Jan. 1, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



0630.61 Stolen Vehicles  comment period ends Jan. 15, 2024 PDF  Provide Feedback



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The bodies of dozens of persons who were allegedly slain by militias affiliated with Sudanese paramilitary groups have been discovered in a mass grave in West Darfur, according to a statement from the UN on Thursday.

The United Nations has "credible information" to support this. The bodies of 87 persons, some of them are members of the Masalit tribe of ethnic Africans, were deposited in a shallow grave not far from the West Darfur city of Geneina, according to the Human Rights Office.

According to the U.N., the first 37 dead were interred on June 20. The agency stated in a Geneva-based statement. 50 more bodies were dumped at the same location the next day. Those who were buried included seven ladies and seven children, as reported by CBS News.

Since an open battle broke out between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15, Sudan has been shaken by bloodshed. The 12-week conflict's focal point has been Darfur, where RSF troops and affiliated Arab militias have been attacking African ethnic communities.

According to rights organizations, the RSF and affiliated Arab militias ravaged the western province, driving hundreds of thousands from their homes. Many of them crossed the border into neighboring Chad. Whole towns and villages in the West Darfur area have been looted and set on fire amid the pillaging.

When ethnic Africans rebelled against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in the early 2000s, Darfur was the scene of a horrific war. The former regime of Omar al-Bashir was charged with retaliating by arming local Janjaweed nomadic Arab tribes, who attacked people.

A ceasefire between the two sides was arranged by the United States and Saudi Arabia in May, but it was quickly abandoned after the two countries accused both sides of violating it. Washington imposed sanctions on organizations and people connected to the RSF and Sudan's military forces when the battle resumed.

Read also: Sudan Crisis: Fighting Resumes in Khartoum Shortly After Expiration of 24-Hour Ceasefire

The Sudan War

The war in Sudan is a complex and long-running conflict that has its roots in the country's colonial history. The conflict has caused immense suffering and displacement and has had a devastating impact on the country's economy and infrastructure.

(Photo: by -/AFP via Getty Images) A man walks in a street in Khartoum on June 19, 2023. An international donors' conference is set to begin in Geneva today for Sudan, where a ceasefire was held but the UN says the humanitarian situation is worsening after two months of war.

The current war in Sudan began in December 2013, when the Sudanese government, led by President Omar al-Bashir, launched a military offensive against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a rebel group that is fighting for greater autonomy for the country's Nuba Mountains region. The conflict has since spread to other parts of Sudan, including Darfur and South Kordofan.

The conflict in Sudan is a major humanitarian crisis. The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire and for the parties to the conflict to engage in peace talks. However, the fighting has continued, and there is no sign of a resolution in sight.

Related article: Sudan Violence: WHO Warns of Biological Hazard Risk as Rival Camps Seize National Laboratory

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Once the world's largest steel company, US Steel has now entered a historic agreement to be acquired by Japan's leading steelmaker, Nippon Steel, for a monumental $14.1 billion.

The deal, which signifies the end of an era for the iconic 122-year-old US Steel, once the world's largest company, comes amid a period of decline for the American industrial giant, as per to CNN News.

Nippon Steel's $14.1B Deal Reshapes US Steel's Legacy

US Steel, a symbol of American industrial prowess and one of the pioneering conglomerates, has faced a gradual decline in recent years, no longer holding the status of the largest US steelmaker, having been surpassed by Nucor Steel. The acquisition by Nippon Steel marks a significant chapter in the company's history, culminating months of uncertainty and strategic review since rejecting an offer from rival Cleveland-Cliffs in August.

The all-cash offer from Nippon Steel, valued at $14.1 billion, represents a notable increase compared to the previous offer from Cleveland-Cliffs. The deal positions Nippon Steel to establish a substantial presence in the American steel industry, strategically timed as the US anticipates a surge in infrastructure spending, with US Steel being a key supplier to the lucrative automotive market.

The transaction, creating a global steel powerhouse with plants spanning from Slovakia to Osaka and Pennsylvania, propels the combined entity to the status of the world's second-largest steelmaker, boasting over 86 million tons of capacity. This surpasses European giant ArcelorMittal, with only China's state-owned China Baowu Steel Group exceeding the new entity's capacity.

While the deal presents significant opportunities for Nippon Steel, it has already sparked political controversy, drawing criticism from influential entities such as the United Steelworkers (USW) union and facing opposition from at least three US senators. The USW has raised concerns about the foreign takeover, urging close scrutiny from US regulators, according to The Straits Times.

Read Also: 'It Matters': Boston Globe Demands Harvard to Reveal if Claudine Gay Plagiarized

Nippon Steel Optimistic on US Acquisition Approval

Despite the political and union opposition, Nippon Steel remains confident in navigating regulatory hurdles, emphasizing Japan's strong relationship with the US The deal's success hinges on obtaining approval from the US Steel shareholders and clearing regulatory bodies, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS).

The acquisition signifies a strategic move for Nippon Steel, which has been seeking growth opportunities abroad due to a slowdown in demand in Japan, a weakening yen, and increased competition in Asia. The company aims to capitalize on the growing US population, abundant energy resources, and renewed emphasis on infrastructure development.

As part of the deal, Nippon Steel has committed to maintaining the US Steel's name, retaining its Pittsburgh headquarters, and honoring all agreements with the USW. The transaction has caused a surge in US Steel's stock value, prompting optimism from both companies that the deal will close by the third quarter of 2024.

While the acquisition represents a strategic move for Nippon Steel, the deal's approval process is expected to be protracted, facing opposition from the USW and potential scrutiny from CFIUS, which reviews transactions involving foreign investment with national security implications. As the steel industry undergoes this historic transformation, the outcome will shape the future landscape of global steel manufacturing, Voice of America reported.

Related Article: Parked SUV in Joe Biden's Motorcade Accidentally Hit by Sedan; No Injuries Reported

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Tech group representing major tech companies, NetChoice filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging Utah's groundbreaking laws mandating parental consent for children and teens to access social media apps.

The laws, signed by Republican Governor Spencer Cox in March, also impose restrictions on social media usage for minors between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., requiring parental authorization, as per Associated Press.

NetChoice Challenges Utah Social Media Laws

NetChoice lodged the lawsuit in federal court, naming Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Division of Consumer Protection Director Katherine Hass as defendants. The laws, championed by Governor Cox, aim to safeguard teenagers from potential mental health harms associated with social media.

The legislation includes provisions necessitating parental consent for minors to sign up, implementing parental controls for minors' accounts, and facilitating private individuals to sue social media companies for perceived harms.

Opponents, including industry groups, argue that the laws raise concerns related to free speech and privacy. NetChoice echoed these concerns in its court filing, asserting that the laws violate the First Amendment by linking free speech rights to personal data for age verification.

The lawsuit also contends that the laws infringe on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and other federal statutes. NetChoice emphasized its belief in families equipped with educational resources to determine online service and privacy protection approaches.

Chris Marchese, director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, stated, "We are fighting to ensure that all Utahns embrace digital tools without the forceful clutch of government control."

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, voiced its support for federal legislation streamlining parental approval for teens' app downloads. Meta expressed concerns about the current "patchwork" of state laws governing app use, deeming it cumbersome for parents.

Utah's laws apply to platforms with at least 5 million users, exempting smaller platforms. NetChoice argues that this creates disparate regulations for websites with similar social content based on user numbers, according to KSL.

Read Also: Fastest Growing UK Grocery is Now Vapes

Utah Leaders Address Social Media's Impact

In response to the lawsuit, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams emphasized the state's commitment to addressing mental health issues aggravated by social media platforms, especially among young people. The state has previously filed suits against major social media platforms, alleging that they knowingly designed features addictive to minors.

Governor Cox, a vocal critic of social media companies, has likened them to the tobacco industry and has expressed concern about their impact on the mental health of children. The state has ongoing investigations into platforms like TikTok, accusing them of harming youth mental health through addictive algorithms and targeted advertising.

Despite the legal challenges and opposition, lawmakers in Utah assert the necessity of protecting minors online and view the social media regulations as a crucial step in addressing the adverse effects of excessive social media use on mental health.

The lawsuit by NetChoice seeks to prevent the laws from taking effect on March 1, 2024, and requests that the state cover attorney fees and litigation costs if the plaintiffs prevail. The legal battle underscores the complex intersection of technology, regulation, and free speech rights in the evolving landscape of social media governance, Fox 13 reported.

Related Article: North Carolina: Probe Links Sushi Restaurant to 240+ Probable Norovirus Cases

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FIRST ON FOX - A group of Republican state attorneys general ripped Special Counsel Jack Smiths request to the Supreme Court to expedite former President Trumps immunity case as "driven by partisan interests, not the public interest."

Earlier this month, Smith petitioned the high court to decide Trumps immunity claims in his case facing charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Smith asked for expedited consideration of the case to essentially have the high court take over jurisdiction before the lower federal courts have fully decided the matter, bypassing an entire appellate process though a special rule  Rule 11  reserved for emergencies.

But 19 attorneys general filed a brief to the high court Tuesday arguing that Smiths rationale is politically motivated to keep Trumps trial ahead of the 2024 election in November.

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM

"The United States petition repeatedly proclaims  but never explains why  '[i]t is of imperative public importance that respondents claims of immunity be resolved by this Court and that respondents trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected," the brief states.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"That silence is both telling and troubling, suggesting that the United States demand for extraordinary and immediate relief is driven by partisan interests, not the public interest," it says.

Rule 11 says that a petition to the high court to review a case pending in an appeals court, before judgment is entered in that court, will be granted only upon a showing that the case is of "such imperative public importance as to justify deviation from normal appellate practice and to require immediate determination in this Court."

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who led the brief for the GOP states, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the special counsels petition "is strong evidence of a political prosecution designed to decide the 2024 election."

"In November of last year, Joe Biden vowed that Donald Trump would never become president again. Then, in August 2023, more than 30 months after the events alleged in the indictment, the federal government indicted Trump and now seeks to rush him to trial in March 2024. But the former President is entitled to appeal the trial courts order denying him presidential immunity," said Marshall.

SUPREME COURT: TRUMP MUST RESPOND TO SPECIAL COUNSELS PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY PETITION BEFORE CHRISTMAS

"Thus, worried about losing his trial date, the special counsel is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to jump into the fray. But he gives no reason why the public interest demands a rushed trial, which suggests the real reason is to swing the presidential election," stated Marshall.

"The Court should not play along," he said.

Smith wants the Supreme Court to answer, "whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin."

Smith argues that the "ordinary process... may not result in a final decision for many months," which "might prevent this Court from hearing and deciding the case this Term."

But the AGs maintain that "[t]hats not an argument. Its a tautology: If the Court does not review now, it cannot review now. But why is it imperative to review now?"

The top state prosecutors went on to reference when the high court did allow for expedited proceedings  for example, the Iranian hostage crisis in the '80s and the steel production crisis during the Korean War.

FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES TRUMP'S CLAIM OF PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY IN SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S JAN. 6 CASE

Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith

In contrast with Trumps case, they said, "The government has not shown an urgent need in this case.

"Is there a war, a hostage negotiation, or a border crisis at issue? No. And the petition cites no authority for its position that some prosecutions must go so quickly that a criminal defendant loses his right to an orderly appeal," adding that, "the governments recitation of the trial date is quite meaningless as every prosecution that goes to trial has a trial date."

"All criminal defendants have a right to a fair and orderly process. The gravity of this particular prosecution is all the more reason to ensure that right," the AGs write.

"For reasons unknown, the prosecution has sought and secured an expedited trial and an expedited appeal. But this Courts Rule 11 requires more than a vague government interest in speedy trials. The United States has not shown that its plan to take President Trump to trial on March 4, 2024, is of such imperative public importance as... to require immediate intervention by this Court," the Republicans said.

The brief was submitted by the states of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.





Original article source: Red state AGs blast special counsel push for SCOTUS to rush Trump case: partisan interests
A victim of the Green River Killer was identified nearly four decades after her body was found.

Two sets of human remains were found in Auburn, Washington, along a steep embankment in 1985, according to a news release from the King County Sheriff's Office. At the time, the remains were investigated by the Green River Task Force  set up to investigate a series of bodies found dumped in the woods along the Green River in Washington state in the early 1980s. The sets were identified as Bones 16 and Bones 17, the sheriff's office said.

In 2002, the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, led officials to the location and said he had placed victims there. He pleaded guilty to the murders of those two victims, as well as 46 other women and girls, in 2003. In 2012, the set of remains known as Bones 16 was identified through DNA testing as Sandra Majors.

It wasn't until this week that investigators were able to conclude that Bones 17 were the remains of Lori Anne Ratzpotnik, a 15-year-old who had run away from home in 1982, the sheriff's office said. Ratzpotnik had lived in Lewis County, about 75 miles away from Auburn.

Lori Anne Ratzpotnik / Credit: King County Sheriff's Office

Investigators worked with Parabon NanoLabs to use forensic genetic genealogy testing on the remains. The lab was able to develop a new DNA profile. Razpotnik's mother provided a saliva sample to detectives, and the University of North Texas carried out DNA comparison testing "which confirmed that they were Lori Anne's remains," the sheriff's office said.

Ridgway's first murder victims were found in 1982 and Ridgway was arrested in 2001. In 2003, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to all murders that he had committed in King County to avoid the death penalty. Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder in the first degree, according to King's County, and remains imprisoned for life without a chance of release at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Two victims remain unidentified: though Ridgway admitted to their murders, he could not "supply any significant information that would assist" in their identification, King County said in a page dedicated to the investigation into the Green River Killer.

The county also said there are three women  Kassee Ann Lee, Kelly Kay McGinnis and Patricia Ann Osborn  who were last seen in the Seattle area in the early 1980s. They remain missing today and "are listed on the official Green River Homicides list," but Ridgway was not charged in their disappearances.

Kassee Ann Lee, Kelly Kay McGinnis and Patricia Ann Osborn. / Credit: King County

The county noted that authorities are also looking for three missing women, one of whom is unidentified, who have been missing since the early 1980s. One of the women was an associate of Tammie Liles, another victim of Ridgway's. Police have asked that anyone with information about these women, or any other crimes linked to the Green River case, contact them.

"CBS Evening News" headlines for Wednesday, December 20, 2023

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Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., submitted his formal resignation to Congress on Tuesday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has formally submitted his resignation from Congress, ending the Republican lawmaker's near 20-year political career.

His resignation letter was read to lawmakers Tuesday by House Reading Clerk Tylease Alli, who said McCarthy will step down as the representative of California's District 20 on Dec. 31.

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent the great people and communities of Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Tulare, Fresno and Kings counties over the past 17 years and especially my hometown of Baker Field and the Central Valley of the Great State of California," McCarthy said in the resignation letter read by Alli.

The announcement comes after McCarthy said earlier this month that he will resign from his House seat by year's end in the wake of becoming the first speaker in history to be removed by a House vote.

McCarthy became House speaker in January after the Republicans retook the chamber of Congress. But he was only handed the gavel following 15 rounds of voting, which highlighted the tensions present within the party.

He gained the position only after courting enough votes by making concessions to far-right Republicans -- a move that would ultimately see him unseated.

Among the compromises was the reinstatement of a procedure that permits for a sole House member to call a vote to vacate, which Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., used when McCarthy made a deal with the Democratic Party to prevent a government shut down by passing bipartisan legislation in the fall.

McCarthy held the title of House speaker for only 269 days, which is the third shortest tenure in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He has since been succeeded by Rep Mike Johnson, R-La.
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD)  An Ottawa County judge has been charged with domestic assault, the Holland Sentinel reports.

Judge Bradley Knoll, 72, was arrested Dec. 13 and charged with a count of misdemeanor domestic violence, according to court records obtained by the Holland Sentinel.

The news outlet cites a complaint filed against Knoll, which says he was charged with assault or assault and battery of his spouse. He is ordered to have no contact with her or her home, according to the pretrial release order.

Knoll was released on a personal recognizance bond and is set to appear in court for arraignment on Jan. 9. A Muskegon County judge, Geoffrey Nolan of the 60th District Court, will preside over the case, the Sentinel reported.

Knoll, who is the chief judge of the 58th District Court, was not suspended from the bench but is not presiding over any domestic violence cases, he told the Sentinel.

He was first elected over two decades ago in 2002 and then re-elected in November 2020. His term is set to run through 2026.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Israeli soldiers take positions near the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas Oct. 7 attack into Israel. | Ohad Zwigenberg, Associated Press

As the Israel-Hamas war approaches 21 2 months since Hamas first launched attacks on Oct. 7, Americans opinions on the conflict have become more partisan and age-relative.

Recent polls by The Wall Street Journal and Pew Research show Democrats are much more likely to be critical of the Israeli government amid the conflict with Hamas than Republicans, who are most likely to say Israel is taking the right approach.

Republicans tend to sympathize with Israelis, while Democrats tend to sympathize with Palestinians

On the whole, The Wall Street Journal report that 42% of Americans sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, but these numbers vary significantly between parties. Only 2% of Republicans sympathize more with Palestinians in the conflict, while 69% of Republicans sympathize more with Israelis.

On the other hand, Pew Research data shows nearly half of Democrats are likely to say they sympathize with both groups equally, but are more likely to sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis, 24% to 17%, respectively.

Republicans and Democrats agree that Hamas has a lot of the responsibility in the current conflict, but disagree on the level of responsibility across different groups.

Half of Democrats and a fifth of Republicans polled say the Israeli government has a lot of responsibility for Israel and Hamas currently being at war. And while 29% of Republicans responded that Palestinians have a lot of responsibility in the conflict, the number was significantly lower among Democrats, at 12%. Another 16% of Democrats and 10% of Republicans faulted Israelis for the conflict.

Younger adults are most likely to say Israel is going too far against Hamas

Age influences views on the conflict as well. Pew Research show Republican adults age 65+ are the most likely to say Israel isnt going far enough in their military operation against Hamas at 34%. This group was the least likely to respond to the question with, Not sure.

Meanwhile, Democrats ages 18 to 34 were the most likely to say Israel is going too far against Hamas at 56%. Nearly half of Republicans ages 18 to 34 responded that they werent sure if Israel was going too far in their military operations.

Wall Street Journal data showed these trends without political party division. On the whole, 22% of Americans believe the U.S. is doing too much to support the Israeli people, and 25% think the government is doing too little.

Divided by age, fewer young adults ages 18 to 34 sympathize with Palestinians than Israel, at 23% to 31%, respectively.

Over half of the 65+ population sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, and just 6% of this same population say they sympathize more with Palestinians.

Related

Democratic views of Israel isolate Jews on the left

A poll published in 2021 by Pew Research showed that a majority of Jews living in the U.S. are ideologically on the political left. About 7 in 10 Jews identify as Democrat or lean left of center, while 26% lean right or identify as Republican.

Longtime Democrat Yaffa Rubinstein said she feels betrayed by her party due to the emerging anti-Israel sentiment, per NPR.

A spokesperson for the Republican Jewish Coalition, Sam Markstein, told NPR, The Democratic Party of today has had a very loud and growing and ascendant anti-Israel voice and wing and theyve been coddled and enabled by leadership for years.

He continued, That, I think, has led to a point where you will see Jewish voters who may have never voted Republican in their lives seriously considering voting Republican for the first time ever in 2024.

Even within the House of Representatives, views on Israel seem to be dividing Democrats, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., calling the Israeli government an apartheid system and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., rejecting her use of the phrase, From the river to the sea, per a press release.

Related

The Wall Street Journals poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters from Nov. 29-Dec. 4 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Pew Researchs study included a sample of 5,203 individuals through an online survey with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Dec. 17, 2023. Credit - Justin SullivanGetty Images

The Colorado Supreme Court decided Tuesday night to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the states presidential primary ballot in 2024a ruling that will surely be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The move has already been met with strong reactions across parties.

Read More: Donald Trump Banned From 2024 Ballot in Colorado After Historic Ruling by State Court

Democrats have affirmed the decision.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager during Trumps first impeachment trial and a candidate for U.S. Senate in California, posted on X, formerly Twitter: The Colorado Supreme Court just ruled Donald Trump is disqualified from the ballot  and from holding office  under the 14th Amendment. Accountability for inciting an insurrection. Its about time.

Colorado Democrat Rep. Jason Crow posted: The Colorado Supreme Court has it right. The Constitution protects the right to vote and bars candidates who abuse the process or engage in insurrection. Donald Trump has done both.

And Marylands Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee and the lead impeachment manager during Trumps second impeachment trial, told MSNBC of the decision that it was a very powerful and exhaustive opinion dealing with everything from is this really just a political question up to Congress? to the question of whether the President is an officer under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to whether hed in fact engaged in an insurrection and what an insurrection means. Raskin added in a post on X: Insurrection, Lincoln said, attacks the peoples right to choose their leaders.

When asked for his reaction to the Colorado decision, President Joe Biden said he wouldnt comment on the legal aspect. Thats up to the court. When asked if he thought Trump was an insurrectionist, he said: Well, I think certain things are self-evident. You saw it all. Now, whether the 14th Amendment applies, Ill let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero.

Read More: The Case for Why the Constitution Blocks Trump Being President Again

Meanwhile, Trump, his allies, and fellow Republicans have lambasted the decision.

Trumps campaign said in a statement: Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice. Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November. The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.

And the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC said: Todays ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court is much more than a political attack on President Donald Trump  its an attack on the Republican Party and an attack on the very fabric of America. Everyone, including the Republicans running against Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, and even President Joe Biden, must speak out swiftly against this unconstitutional ruling and stand for fair and honest elections.

Even a foreign leader has weighed in. El Salvador President Nayib Bukelenotorious for his authoritarian leadershipposted on X: The United States has lost its ability to lecture any other country about democracy.

Other Republican presidential candidates

Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the U.N. and currently the leading contender in the GOP primary race behind Trump, told reporters at a campaign event in Iowa: I will tell you that I dont think Donald Trump needs to be President. I think I need to be President. I think thats good for the country  But I will beat him fair and square. We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, posted on X: The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse.

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who has been an outspoken opponent of Trumps fitness for a second term, told supporters at a town hall in Bedford, New Hampshire: I cant comment on the opinion itself, because I want to read it first. But what I will say is this: I do not think Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country.

Christie explained his reasoning, saying: He will have had to incite insurrection, be a part of an insurrection, for him to be excluded. There has been no trial of him on that. And while I have very strong feelings about that, as you know, I also have very strong feelings about the fact that people in this country deserve to have a trial before rights are taken away from them and deserve to have a decision by a jury of their peers before rights are taken away from them. So I know it will be counterintuitive for people who listen to me about Donald Trump, but I hope it just goes to prove to you that I dont hate him. I dont. I just think that what hes done is horribly wrong and that he doesnt deserve the right that we would give him as voters to lead us again. But as far as the court decision  I think this is probably premature and jumping ahead of it, and I think it would cause a lot of anger in this country if people had the choice taken away from them. I would rather have them make the choice that he doesnt deserve it, rather than having some court take it away from them.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the former biotech entrepreneur turned populist political novice known for his acerbic approach of staking out positions he believes establishment politicians might find outlandish, posted a video on X in which he described the Colorado decision as a bastardization of the Constitutions 14th Amendment. This was a provisionSection 3that was designed to bar Confederate members, people who switched to the Confederacy, from actually being able to serve. Thats very different than whats at issue here, to say the least. This is a hollowed out husk of what the country was built on: the basic principle that we the people select our leadership, not the unelected elite class in the back of palace halls, he said.

Ramaswamy then said he would withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot unless and until Trumps name is restored, and he called upon his fellow primary candidates to do the same thing lest they be complicit in what the security state is trying to do to shut down Trump.

I think it's up to Republicans to step up and stand up with a spine for our countrys future, he said. Yes, it would be easier for other Republicans like me who are running in this race to say, Hey, if Trump is sidelined, theres our opportunity. No doubt, other candidates are probably privately celebrating with their corporate sponsors. Thats not the right thing to do.

In a response on X to Ramaswamys pledge to withdraw from the ballot in Colorado, the Colorado Republican Party said: You wont have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.

Trumpworld

Trumps closest allies shared a common refrain: that the Colorado decision represents a Democratic Party attack on democracy.

Donald Don Trump Jr., Trumps 45-year-old eldest son, posted on X: There is no greater threat to democracy than todays Democratic Party. Destroying democracy in the name of democracy Todays American Communist Party (formerly democrats).

Eric Trump, Trumps 39-year-old son, also commented on X, saying: Lets not worry about Democracy or the will of the American people If you cant win, cheat This is unAmerican and the typical playbook of the modern democratic party.

Stephen Miller, one of Trumps closest advisors, posted on X: Mass censorship. Intelligence coups. Imprisoning dissidents. Election interference. And now, removing Trump from the ballot. Democrats have declared war on Democracy.

Miller added in an appearance on Fox News that December 19th will be remembered in history.

Jason Miller, the chief spokesman of Trumps 2016 campaign and a senior adviser to his 2024 campaign, posted on X: Biden. Attacks. Democracy. Direct connection between the ruling in Colorado and President Trump posting his largest lead ever over Joe Biden today. Watching Democrats resort to lawfare that disenfranchises millions of Americans to win an election is quite stunning.

Sean Spicer, Trumps former press secretary, said: Threats to democracy? - one party canceled a primary to prevent dissent - one party is pushing to keep its political opponent off the ballot.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who served as Trumps personal lawyer and was recently ordered by a court to pay $148 million in damages over lies he spread during the 2020 election, posted on X: The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court is a direct attack on Democracy. These Democrat Party judges are further destroying the publics faith in our judicial system. The Supreme Court must quickly act, as this would be disastrous for America.

Ben Carson, Trumps former housing and urban development secretary, said: Colorado just decided to disenfranchise the people of their state by choosing to remove Donald Trump from the ballot. A government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take away your right to choose your President. But We the People will not allow it. I stand with my friend President Donald J Trump!

Ronna McDaniel, chairperson of the Republican National Committee, posted on X: Election interference. This irresponsible ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and our legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory. The Republican nominee will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court.

Mick Mulvaney, who was once Trumps acting chief-of-staff and former director of the Office of Management and Budget, said: The Left is so blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome that they dont realize how much this helps him.

Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster and consultant and former Trump aide who served as his campaign manager in 2016, told Fox News: The Democrats think they own the issue threats to democracy. They dont own it. A lot of people are tired of being censored and shadowbanned and put upon by the government and its ridiculous regulations and legislation and calling things like Inflation Reduction Act, which is no such thing. I think threats to democracy is going to increase as a focal point for Republican and center-right independent voters.

Right-leaning commentators

Hugh Hewitt, conservative radio host and a frequent contributor to the Washington Post and Fox News, criticized the court decision, posting on X: Colorado Supreme Court, by a vote of 4-3, beclowns itself and its state. SCOTUS should move quickly to reverse this idiocy. The politicization of courts at all levels is greatly damaging to the rule of law. It should [be] a 9-0 reversal and it should be quick.

Chanel Rion, former chief White House correspondent for One America News Network who has been dubbed Trumps favorite reporter and settled multiple defamation lawsuits related to lies she promoted about the 2020 election results, posted on X: This is only the beginning to what lengths theyll go to stop Trump. By removing Trump from the ballot - four Colorado Judges just decided America cannot be trusted to think for itself. If we interpreted the 14th Am. the way these judges did we could argue THEY just violated the 14th am. and should submit their resignations immediately. But they wont. The Constitution doesnt say what their Trump deranged brains think it says. And they know it. They just hope you wont notice.

Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and founder of InfoWars who filed for bankruptcy last year after being sentenced to pay more than $1 billion in damages for defamation related to falsehoods he spread about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, said in a video posted on X: Ladies and gentlemen, the Democratic Party just stole the 2024 election long before the polls opened.  This is criminal activity in front of everyone. This is the oligarchy thats hijacked our country setting up a totalitarian dictatorship in our face.  This is open election meddling.

Pollster Frank Luntz also offered his two centsand a forecaston X: Colorado has just proven Trumps theory true that hes the victim of political persecution. His poll numbers wont drop. On the contrary, they will rise.

Benny Johnson, a YouTuber and political commentator who was once fired from the politics desk at Buzzfeed for plagiarism, posted on X: They impeached Trump twice. Indicted him 4 times. Charged him 91 times. And now they are trying to remove him from the ballot. In spite of all that, Trumps poll numbers are currently the highest theyve ever been in the history of his political career. There is nothing the Deep State can do to stop this man short of destroying democracy itself. The man is unstoppable.

Ben Shapiro, a lawyer and conservative political pundit who founded the Daily Wire, posted on X: The Colorado Supreme Courts ruling barring Trump from the ballot isnt just insane. Its actually dangerous, and sets the stage for the ugliest presidential election of our lifetime, with the real possibility of violence ahead, alongside a clip from a segment from his eponymous Daily Wire show, in which he said: It seems that the chances of civil war in America just rose somewhat dramatically.

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host and now a right-wing commentator on X, said in a video posted to X: Whatever else January 6 was, and in some ways we still dont know exactly what it was, it was not a Trump-led insurrection. The crowd had no guns, they had no plan to overthrow the government, nothing like that has ever emerged. And above all, Trump was not leading it.  So why were the people on television telling us that Trump led an insurrection? This was of course a lie, it was also a very obvious lie. So clearly, were watching the rollout of a talking point, words crafted for a specific purpose. But what was the purpose? We got an answer to that  when the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that because he led an insurrection, Donald Trumps name cannot appear on the states ballot next fall.

Donald Trump cannot run for president because hes an insurrectionist, Carlson continued. No more trials or evidence or jury verdicts. An accusation made on television is now enough to remove a front runner from the presidential race. If Nancy Pelosi and Joe Scarborough call you bad, Americans are not allowed to vote for you.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who announced in 2022 that he would begin to vote Republican, commented on the court ruling in replies to posts about the news. These actions will have the opposite effect of what was intended, he said, and: History will judge this poorly.

GOP members of Congress

A growing number of Republican representatives and senators have chimed in expressing similar sentiments of outrage. Here are just a few examples:

House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.-04): Todays ruling attempting to disqualify President Trump from the Colorado ballot is nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack. Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary. We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next President of the United States.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.-03): This is extreme judicial activism that is designed to suppress the vote and voices of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, which is absolutely unacceptable. I am confident the U.S. Supreme Court will remedy this horrible decision so Coloradans will have the right to cast their ballot for our 45th and 47th President, Donald J. Trump. We will fight this every step of the way!

Rep. Ronny Jackson (Texas-13): UNBELIEVABLE! This is what the last days of this nation look like!! What the partisan Colorado Supreme Court has done is CORRUPT, OUTRAGEOUS, and UN-AMERICAN!! They KNOW they cant beat Trump so theyre RIGGING the election. THIS WONT STAND! WE WILL BEAT THEM! TRUMP WILL BE BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!

Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.): This is insane. In the US, we dont allow political hacks to kick their 'enemies' off the ballot because they disagree with them. If this is the path that radical Dems choose to weaponize the courts against conservatives, we are no better than the socialist regimes in VZ & Cuba.

Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.): The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.-1): Democrats are trying to imprison their chief political opponent and have now apparently succeeded at removing him from the ballot. This is what dictators do. Im confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will not allow this egregious ruling to stand. The American people will decide their next president, not activist judges in Colorado.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.-13): The U.S. Supreme Court is going to have a field day tearing apart this opinion.

Rep. Gregg Steube (Fla.-17): Not even Jack Smith charged Trump with Insurrection. Yet, 4 liberal judges in Colorado want to tell every voter in the state to vote for Joe Biden. They dont even want voters in Colorado to have the choice of a candidate. Thats not a democratic republic, thats a banana republic.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (Utah): The Threat to Democracy crowd is afraid of voters actually voting for their preferred candidate. Its a joke and once again will backfire.

Rep. Jim Banks (Ind.-03): They will do everything they can to block Donald Trump from being President again. Really nothing surprises me anymore. But it wont work. It only emboldens those of us who know America is worth fighting for and that Donald Trump is the fighter we need back in the White House to save America. Bring it on!

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Presidential Republican nominees showed their support for former President Donald Trump after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not be on the Colorado ballot because of his involvement with the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is running for president in 2024, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse. https://t.co/D4pCzZ7FhY  Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 20, 2023

Others joined DeSantis, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who despite saying Trump is praising dictators, said that judges shouldnt decide whether Trump is on the Colorado ballot.

We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions, she said in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register.

In its decision, the Colorado Supreme Court wrote that they had little difficulty reaching the decision.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, the decision read. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said during a town hall in New Hampshire that the ruling was premature and that the decision should not have been made until a trial for the 2020 election interference case.

I dont think a court should exclude somebody from running for president without there being a trial and evidence thats accepted by a jury that they did participate in insurrection, Christie said.

Trump is expected to face trial in March for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election.

Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, wrote on X that Democrats are terrified of democracy and that the RNC will continue fighting this case up to the Supreme Court.

Election interference, McDaniel wrote in another post on X. This irresponsible ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and our legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory. The Republican nominee will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court.

Election interference.



This irresponsible ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and our legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory.



The Republican nominee will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court. https://t.co/TpzY6oULhu  Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) December 19, 2023

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who ran for president against Trump in 2016, wrote on X that the ruling was garbage.

This ruling is garbage, he wrote. This WILL be appealed to the Supreme Court & the Supreme Court WILL reverse it. To every Dem & media outlet saying save Democracy, this is a test: Will you denounce these partisan judges trying to PREVENT THE VOTERS from choosing the next President?

This ruling is garbage.



This WILL be appealed to the Supreme Court & the Supreme Court WILL reverse it.



To every Dem & media outlet saying save Democracy, this is a test:



Will you denounce these partisan judges trying to PREVENT THE VOTERS from choosing the next President? https://t.co/pFL94zNjtQ  Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 20, 2023

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote on X that the Colorado judges stole the election from Colorado citizens.

This is an unprecedented First amendment violation that must be struck down by the SCOTUS, Greene wrote. This can not be allowed to stand.

The Democrats and 4 Colorado judges just stole the election away from the people of Colorado and robbed them of their right to vote for President Trump.



This is an unprecedented First amendment violation that must be struck down by the SCOTUS.



This can not be allowed to stand.  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) December 20, 2023

Related...
Police rescued a hiker who got too close to a volcanic eruption in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula.

The volcano began erupting on December 18 after a series of earthquakes hit the surrounding areas.

Icelandic police said tourists should "think four times" before approaching the site.

A Coast Guard helicopter flew by Iceland's volcanic eruption on Tuesday to rescue a hiker who was wandering too close to the site, The Guardian's Miranda Bryant reported.

The volcanic eruption started on Monday evening at 10:17 p.m. local time near Grindavik, a town on the country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula. The eruption created 2.5 miles of lava rivers in the region.

The Icelandic volcano is seen erupting from above. Marco Di Marco/AP

A spokesperson for the Icelandic Coast Guard told The Sun that a hiker flashed a light as a plane flew by on Tuesday, signaling a call for help. Police told The Guardian that the hiker was "exhausted, cold and shocked halfway to the eruption" when they were rescued.

Iceland's authorities are now doubling down on their warnings to the public to stay away from the area by advising tourists to "think four times" before getting close to the site, according to The Guardian.

"A little information about the location of the eruption that will hopefully make people think four times before they set off. The first 500 meters are on a decent path, but then rough, rough lava takes over, which is extremely difficult to cross," police told The Guardian. "It will take an experienced hiker about 4-5 hours to walk this route, which is not for everyone."

Speaking to The Guardian, authorities added that there's "considerable gas pollution" in the area, where lava could also freeze over on Wednesday. (Icelandic police did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.)

Prior to the rescue, authorities had been urging people to stay away from the area due to toxic fumes being released into the atmosphere by the eruption. But some  including tourists  have continued watching the lava flow from a distance since the volcano erupted.

People watch the volcanic eruption from a distance. Micah Garen/Getty Images

The volcanic site is about two miles from Grindavik, where as many as 2,000 earthquakes created deep cracks and holes in the streets in November. The seismic activity led to an evacuation of 3,300 locals, as The Washington Post reported, and prompted nearby tourist sites like the Blue Lagoon to close as Iceland declared a state of emergency on November 11.

While Iceland's meteorological office thought the lava was headed towards Grindavik on Monday, on Tuesday, they said it looked like the eruption's course was taking a different direction, The Guardian reported at the time.

Before the volcano erupted, experts in volcanology told Business Insider that air travel probably wouldn't be affected so tourists wouldn't necessarily need to cancel their plans to visit Iceland.

On Wednesday, a few flights were canceled at Keflavik Airport, but most are arriving and taking off as usual, according to its website. And a Euronews report from Wednesday said the volcano is emitting "minor to no ash"  a good sign, since ash can typically impact flights by decreasing visibility and causing damage to aircraft.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Israel's campaign in Gaza started in the north but has now shifted to the southern area.

Researchers mapping the damage say more than a third of the buildings in the strip have been destroyed.

Tens of thousands of munitions  a mix of precision and unguided  have been dropped on the enclave.

Israel's continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks has damaged more than a third of all buildings that existed there before the war began over two months ago, according to analysis by a pair of satellite data researchers.

The scale of the destruction underscores the intensity of the ground fighting and air campaign, which has seen Israel drop tens of thousands of munitions  a mix of deadly precision and unguided weapons  on the coastal enclave since the early October massacre.

Since that day, Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher, two researchers who work with satellite data to examine the impact of armed conflict, have been monitoring and charting structural damage across the Gaza Strip. They recently shared their findings and imagery with Business Insider.

All likely damage across Gaza between Oct. 5 and Dec. 16. Source: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

As of Dec. 16, the researchers estimate that between 102,000 and 129,000 buildings across the enclave have been damaged out of a pre-conflict total of nearly 288,000 structures. At the lower end of their estimate, that's a little under 36% of all buildings, and at the upper end, that figure jumps to nearly 45%.

Northern Gaza has suffered the most overall destruction during the conflict, the researchers found, which is consistent with where the Israeli military focused its efforts during the first half of the conflict.

Following its nonstop aerial bombardment of Gaza, the Israeli military began its ground invasion in the northern part of the strip and eventually ended up controlling much of the territory there as intense urban battles with Hamas continued.

Fighting briefly paused during a week-long truce with the militant group that saw Hamas release over 100 of the more than 200 hostages it was holding, but after hostilities resumed in early December, the Israeli military began operating more frequently in the south.

The shift to the south can be observed in data analyzed by Van Den Hoek and Scher, who found that the area around the southern city of Khan Younis suffered more damage than any other area in Gaza  including North Gaza, Gaza, Deir Al-Balah, and Rafah  between the recent stretch between Dec. 11 and Dec. 16.

Khan Younis likely suffered the most damage of Gaza's five major areas between Dec. 11 and 16. Source: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

In addition to airstrikes in and around Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also been operating on the ground in this area.

"We saw at the beginning of the war an intense bombardment in Gaza, primarily, as well as North Gaza," Van Den Hoek, an associate professor of geography at Oregon State, told Business Insider. "After the ceasefire, there was a bit of a turn to the south  in particular, Khan Younis."

To obtain their data, the researchers use open-source satellite radar data from the European Space Agency's Copernicus network and analyze changes in how radar waves echo in urban areas. This involves comparing stable areas before a conflict to those same areas during a conflict, and looking for signs of destabilization. Those signs are detected by their algorithms and flagged as damage-affected areas.

A missile explodes in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on October 8, 2023. MAHMUD HAMS

The researchers also remove false positives, clean up the map, compare it to known buildings in Gaza before the war started, and break down the amount of aerial damage estimated in an area.

Scher, a PhD candidate at the City University of New York, said that even though there may have been relatively little damage in southern Gaza during the first few weeks of the conflict, the number of buildings damaged or destroyed is still an "order of magnitude" above the most recent clash between Israel and Hamas, which occurred in 2021.

"What now looks small  relative to what's happening in the north  is still pretty unprecedented for air campaigns over Gaza in the last 10 years at least," he told Business Insider.

An Israeli soldier looks on from Merkava tank during operations in the Gaza Strip in this handout picture released on Dec. 17, 2023. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS

Israel's air campaign has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and nearly 85 percent of the population forced to flee their homes.

The intensity of the air operations has drawn comparisons to other major bombardments this century, including the US-led coalition fight against the Islamic State, the war in Afghanistan war, Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There have also been comparisons to bombing campaigns during the Vietnam War and World War II.

Van Den Hoek and Scher said that this type of satellite radar data collection has only recently allowed researchers to compare damage across conflicts, but they've already noticed that the pace and magnitude of the destruction in Gaza is unlike anything they've seen before in their work.

"We're talking about one of the fastest  if not the fastest  aerial bombardment campaigns in modern history," Van Den Hoek said. "How does anyone respond to that kind of intensity, that kind of dynamism?"

Read the original article on Business Insider
A US senator has expressed his anger and disappointment after one of his aides reportedly appeared in a sex tape recorded in a Senate hearing room.

Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, stated that the staff member linked to the clip is "no longer a Senate employee." Speaking to reporters on Monday, Cardin emphasized that the incident was a breach of trust and has caused significant frustration and anger. He also expressed concern for the well-being of the staff affected by the situation, as per BBC News.

Capitol Police Probe Senate Room Explicit Video

Capitol Police acknowledged on Saturday that they were aware of the incident and investigating it further. The Daily Caller, a news outlet, published parts of the video on Friday, allegedly showing two men engaging in sexual activity inside a Senate hearing room.

However, the video has not been independently obtained or confirmed and the identities of the individuals involved remain unverified. Cardin's office released a statement after reports emerged of his staffer's involvement, stating that the individual, Aidan Maese-Czeropski, is no longer employed by the US Senate.

Maese-Czeropski, in a now-deleted statement on his LinkedIn account, described the situation as challenging and claimed to have been attacked for his personal life while pursuing a political agenda. He asserted that his actions should not be misrepresented and expressed his intention to explore available legal options.

When questioned about Maese-Czeropski's apology, Cardin clarified that he had not directly spoken to the former staffer. He also mentioned that he was unaware of any prior disciplinary issues involving his former aide. Cardin made these comments shortly after dismissing Maese-Czeropski just two days after the video went viral.

The Daily Caller has obtained and subsequently published explicit footage that allegedly depicts two individuals engaging in sexual intercourse on a Senate hearing room dais. According to the outlet, the video was filmed by a congressional staffer within the Hart Senate Office Building's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room, known for hosting significant confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justices.

In a recent incident, the identity of the responsible staffer was not disclosed, but the name of Maese-Czeropski quickly gained traction on various social media platforms, according to CBS News.

Read Also: Appeals Court Rejects Mark Meadows' Request To Move Georgia Election Subversion Case to Federal Court

Senator's Office Faces Explicit Video Scandal

The video's release followed a report by the American Spectator, stating that a male staff member in Cardin's office had been recording pornographic videos in the Capitol. Although the staffer's name was not disclosed, the article referenced one of the staffer's social media accounts, where sexually explicit content was allegedly shared.

Maese-Czeropski, aged 24, has not confirmed his involvement in the explicit video. Instead, he used social media to distance himself from the responsibility and threatened legal action. The post on his LinkedIn account, along with his entire profile, has now been deleted.

The matter is currently under active investigation by the US Capitol Police. In a recent statement, Senator John Kennedy, a prominent Republican hailing from Louisiana, has put forth the notion that the ongoing investigation may lead to the possibility of criminal charges.

In a statement released on Monday, Cardin confirmed that he is fully cooperating with the ongoing inquiry conducted by the Capitol Police, Washington Examiner reported.

Related Article: Texas Gov Greg Abbott Signs Border Bill Making Entering State Without Legal Authorization a Crime

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Willow Bend, the Rockford Homes housing subdivision under construction on the north side of River Road between Park Trails and Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, will add traffic on River Road. Schottenstein Homes is seeking land to build apartments on the south side of River Road.

NEWARK  The section of River Road from Thornwood Drive Southwest to Canyon Road is short, just 1.2 miles, but it has a long history of disputes about housing developments.

A potential new development continues that tradition.

The latest focus lies south of River Road, just west of Thornwood Drive, in the city of Newark. Two River Road residents in the Granville Exempted Village School District and one in the Newark City School District said they were recently approached by a real estate agent seeking to buy their land for a multifamily housing development.

The housing shortage in Licking County and the thousands of employees coming to work at Intel Corp.s $20 billion computer chip manufacturing facilities near Johnstown have combined to put development pressures on much of Licking County.

River Road is not only where Newark and Granville school districts meet, and where suburban and rural lifestyles intermingle; its where housing developers and new housing opponents clash.

Allison Sergio, who lives in the 2900 block of River Road in the city of Newark and the Granville school district, across from Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, said Scottenstein Real Estate talked to her about a month ago about her property.

"I know its in the name of progress, but I dont like it," Sergio said.

I feel like Im living in the Land of Lorax, tearing down trees. Im going to have to be faced with all these apartments. I dont know how to fight this.

Sergio said two of her neighbors have agreed to sell, one of them owning 20 acres.

Dr. Mourad Abdelmessih, a neurologist who lives next to Sergio in the 2900 block of River Road in the Granville district, said he declined an offer from Schottenstein Real Estate and opposes adding multifamily housing along River Road. He moved there in 1996, a few years before construction started on the Park Trails housing subdivision, which began the areas transformation.

Abdelmessih said he prefers single-family housing to multifamily housing because there is less burden on the streets and on the schools.

But he said what he really prefers is the rural environment that was there when he moved into his home.

I like to see the cows, Abdelmessih said. We know the area is going to develop. Its going to happen someday, but we can ride the storm as long as we can.

Jeanne Crumrine, who lives just east of Sergio on River Road in the city of Newark, but in the Newark school district, said she reached a preliminary agreement with Schottenstein Real Estate on the sale of her 5 acres on River Road. She said it was hard to pass up.

The only reason I would is because of the offerings, Crumrine said. What do you do? Im older. Nobody wants to be surrounded by apartments. Were just in an LOI, letter of intent. No contract. Im waiting. Its ultimately up to the city to allow the rezoning.

A map showing a 1.2-mile stretch of River Road between Thornwood Drive SE on the east and Canyon Drive on the west that includes properties in the Newark and Granville school districts. A fight is brewing over a proposal for more multifamily development along the road, which already has the Redwood Apartments Neighborhood as well as some single-family residential subdivisions.

Newark City Engineer Brian Morehead said the city is aware of the latest development possibilities on River Road.

Schottenstein has been in here and said theyre interested in doing a project in the city and will be looking around, but we dont know exactly who theyll be talking to, Morehead said. We havent seen any plans or layouts, but I know developers are talking to all kinds of folks in that area.

Morehead said everything on the south side of River Road and west of Thornwood Drive is zoned single-family residential, so Schottenstein would need rezoning approval to move forward with any apartment project.

Jason Ullman, a real estate agent who said he represents a potential developer, said he is not aware of any timeline or deadline for the developer to purchase the properties or begin the development.

Theyre just trying to acquire some ground to get some projects started, Ullman said. I am just trying to get neighbors interested in selling. Theyve been very open to speaking with me; not a door-in-the-face situation. Development is coming to Newark, regardless.

Other housing developments

About a mile away, south and just east of Thornwood Drive SW, Vista Properties plans a nine-building, 308-unit apartment complex on West Main Street, between Thornwood Drive SW and Coffman Road.

Scott Hartley, regional partner for Vista Properties, said 42 acres are under contract and three of four parcels were rezoned in September. Hartley said he hopes the project will be on the Newark Planning Commission agenda in January.

The development will include one- and two-bedroom apartments in two- or three-story split buildings. If approvals are obtained from the city, Visa Properties could break ground in summer 2024, he said.

Another housing development is underway on the north side of River Road, between Park Trails and Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, where Rockford Homes is building Willow Bend, a 67-lot housing subdivision on 30 acres.

Ever since Granville Township landowner Gebhard Keny filed a request Oct. 31, 1994, for his 281-acre property to be annexed into Newark, River Road has been a battleground. Keny had the land under contract for sale to Columbus developer M/I Schottenstein Homes, which eventually built 361 homes.

A five-year court fight followed Kenys request, with the Ohio Supreme Court approving the annexation on May 13, 1998. Granville Township Trustees appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the fight ended Oct. 6, 1999, when Granville Village Council approved a resolution in support of an agreement between Granville Exempted Village Schools, M/I Schottenstein Homes and the city of Newark to provide at least $3.3 million to Granville schools during the next 20 years.

The Park Ridge housing subdivision developed on the south side of River Road, just across from Park Trails. Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods was built on the north side of River Road.

The Licking County Auditor's Office shows 489 parcels on Park Trails, Park Ridge and River Bend. Add in 113 apartments in Redwood, and thats an estimated 600 households emptying onto River Road before the addition of the Rockford Homes development and any Schottenstein apartment development.

Impact on schools

Newark and Granville school districts have taken a somewhat different approach to housing developments adding to their enrollments.

In March 2021, overwhelming opposition from the community and Granville school officials halted Corridor Developments plans to build 322 homes and 180 apartments on 111 acres within the Granville school district boundaries.

Newark Service Director Dave Rhodes, who is also director of the Newark Planning Commission, told Corridor Development he would not approve the rezoning, prompting Corridor to cancel its request.

Granville Schools Superintendent Jeff Brown said he continues to monitor all potential housing developments in the district because Granville schools are all near capacity

Ive heard rumors of some type of apartments, Brown said of the River Road activity. "The parcels identified were in Newark (district), and one parcel in Granville Schools of less than 5 acres. Every new development matters when it comes to future growth.

An August 2022 report projected enrollment would double in Granville schools by 2050. Capacity at the time of the report was about 90% in the elementary school, almost 100% in the intermediate school, 79% in the middle school and nearly 81% at the high school.

In Newark schools, the situation is much different.

Newark superintendent Dave Lewis said the district has lost enrollment, from between 6,400 and 6,500 students before COVID to about 6,000 now. He said its been a nationwide trend.

COVID pushed people to other forms of education, Lewis said. An increase in homeschooling, charter schools or other online academies.

The district acquired the former State Farm building, where three preschool classes from Cherry Valley and Hillview elementary schools will move in fall 2024, freeing up more space. River Road students attend Cherry Valley Elementary and Wilson Middle School.

Theyre not busting at the seams, Lewis said of those two schools. Theres going to be a lot of growth in this region. We dont know specifically what that means for Newark. Were excited for growth as long as we can keep our eye on it. Right now, I think were in good position to absorb some growth.

Impact on roads

Elizabeth Hampton, a Park Trails resident for 22 years, said there should be sidewalks along River Road for students walking to school. She also said the road has potholes and there are problems with water runoff.

My big concern is Newark doesnt have a long-range plan for the area, Hampton said. They let the developers take the reins and decide what needs to be done.

We have a lot of traffic now, already. I dont feel like its a safe road. You have to complain and complain and complain to get them to fill the potholes.

Morehead said improvements to River Road will likely include a three-lane section with a center turn lane. He said the city works with developers to make road improvements, but the developers do not dictate what happens with the roads.

We would like to make improvements to River Road, Morehead said. We havent got all that determined yet. Its an old township road that has development."

A development a couple years ago proposed Planned Unit Development zoning and a roundabout on River Road. That development was withdrawn, but Morehead said there could eventually be a roundabout in front of Rockford Homes Willow Bend subdivision to improve traffic flow.

A roundabout under construction at the connection of Thornwood Drive, a realigned River Road, Reddington Road and Thornwood Crossing will ease the pain of River Road residents trying to turn left onto Thornwood Drive. The project, which includes a new road and new bridge over Raccoon Creek, is scheduled for completion in November 2024.

Lindsey Fallon, who moved back to Newark in 2020 and lives in Park Trails, said the roundabout "will be nice. But more housing? I cant even imagine."

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

740-973-4539

Twitter: @kmallett1958

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: River Road residents oppose multifamily housing developments in area
Apartment residents say theyre spending this winter in the cold after their apartment complex hasnt fixed the heat.

Two women in the same unit at the Scarlet Pointe Apartments say they have no heat.

Its an apartment complex Channel 9 has covered several times before. Residents at the northwest Charlotte apartment complex have told us the apartments are dangerous to live in.

PAST COVERAGE:

Dayana Douglas said Wednesday she moved into Scarlet Pointe in the spring of last year, and for the second winter in a row, she has no heat.

I even have emails I saved from back in December, she told Channel 9s Evan Donovan. They asked me would I consider moving to another unit and I said yes, because back then, I didnt have any heat. And every time it rained, I was going through leakage issues in my living room. Not only in there, it leaked in my kitchen.

Douglas said the ceiling had to be fixed several times. But the complex never fixed the heat; instead, they gave her a temporary solution: a heater.

The rent office gave me this last winter, she said. And just two weeks ago, they gave me that heater, because I went up there and Im like, This is not working.

Cora King moved into the apartment below Douglas four months ago.

They actually gave me a heater that actually burned out the socket, she told Donovan.

She said her lights flicker and she has no heat either.

This has been the worst experience ever, King said. I have to get up in the morning time and turn my oven on an hour early just to get myself ready for work, just to heat up my apartment.

Your oven? Donovan asked.

Yes, I use my oven, she said.

And you leave the door open? he asked.

Yes, King said. And I know thats dangerous and thats something Im not supposed to do, but its just so cold in the mornings.

Channel 9 has documented many issues at Scarlet Pointe, including exposed walls and wiring, flooding, and bugs.

Around this time last year, Mecklenburg County was investigating at least 18 code enforcement violations at the complex. Weve asked county officials how many are still outstanding.

Douglas showed Donovan a letter that appears to serve notice of another violation for her lack of heat.

Im tired. Its hard, its frustrating, its overwhelming. I dont know what to do, she said. Im just asking for help because I dont feel like I deserve this, not two years living off a heater -- thats unfair.

With Christmas just five days away, Douglas and King are not feeling the warmth this holiday season.

(PREVIOUS: Apartment tenants fed up with missing fire extinguishers, other safety issues)
Rescue efforts pour into NW China as quake death toll reaches 127

10:34, December 20, 2023 By GT staff reporters in Linxia and Beijing ( Global Times

Firefighters search for survivals in Jishishan county, Northwest Chinas Gansu Province on December 19, 2023 after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the county the previous midnight. Photo: Courtesy of Gansu Forest Fire Brigade

Rescue and disaster relief forces, medical teams and urgent supplies are pouring into Northwest China's Gansu Province and the neighboring Qianghai Province after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted a Gansu county at a depth of 10 kilometers at 11:59 pm Monday, causing 127 deaths as of press time.

More than 700 people were injured in the two provinces and dozens more were reported missing; more than 155,000 houses were damaged or collapsed, according to media reports. Infrastructure related to water, electricity, telecommunication, and roads around the epicenter of Jishishan county of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu have also been damaged to varying degrees.

President Xi Jinping has urged all-out search and rescue efforts and proper arrangements for affected people to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. He also urged allocation of relief supplies to the affected regions as soon as possible, repair of damaged infrastructure such as electricity, communications, transportation and heating, and proper accommodation of the affected people to ensure their basic living needs, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated on Tuesday 200 million yuan ($28 million) of central emergency response fund to the quake-stricken areas.

The State Council's Earthquake Relief Command and the Ministry of Emergency Management have raised the national earthquake emergency response to Level II. The national disaster relief emergency response has also been elevated to Level III.

A Y-20 large transport aircraft from the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command arrived in Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu, on Tuesday noon to deliver the emergency command group and supplies.

China's home-developed Wing Loong-2H emergency relief unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) have also been deployed, the Global Times learned from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. Upon arrival at the disaster zone, the drones will carry out emergency communication support and disaster reconnaissance, among other tasks.

More than 1,500 firefighters, 1,500 police officers, and 1,000 PLA soldiers have been dispatched to the disaster-stricken area, Gansu authorities revealed. Coordinating departments also urgently transported the first batch of emergency supplies to the affected region, including cotton tents, folding beds, blankets, stoves, and more.

The National Health Commission (NHC) sent out a team of medical experts and ordered medical teams from nearby provinces to assist the affected region. More than 100 ambulances were dispatched to transfer the injured.

NHC is working together with local medical staff to systematically screen for hidden injuries, and has already developed individualized diagnosis and treatment plans.

A total of 386 medics from hospitals within Gansu have formed 19 teams to aid the rescue and treatment in Jishishan county and other places in Linxia prefecture.

According to Xinhua, 279 out of 314 telecommunication base stations in Jishishan county have resumed operation and power supply returned for 88 percent of local households as of Tuesday afternoon.

At a temporary shelter in Dahe village, Jishishan coutnty, the Global Times saw local government staff preparing hot food, drinks and instant noodles for victims. About 130 tents were built and each can accommodate five people.

Dahejia Middle School is located in the severely affected Jishishan county. The school principal, surnamed Ma, told the media that all 2,100 students and 190 teachers have safely returned home without injuries. "We have conducted frequent drills at our school for fire and earthquake safety. In critical situations, our teachers were able to quickly evacuate the students," Ma said, adding that more than 1,500 students and all the teachers in school live on campus.

The principal recalled that when the tremor began late Monday night, they first heard a loud bang and then realized that the entire building was shaking. "The teachers soon found that many doors couldn't be opened as they were deformed by the quake. Several male teachers worked together to strike open all the doors." As the school lost power amid the quake, students helped each other by shaking everyone awake, while the teachers ran into each dormitory to evacuate the students. "It only took about 5 minutes to evacuate the entire school," Ma said.

Preliminary analysisof the cause of the earthquake indicates a thrust rupture. Within a 200-kilometer radius of the epicenter, there have been three quakes measuring magnitude 6 or higher since 1900.

There also remains possibility of strong aftershocks with magnitude 5 or higher in the epicenter in the coming days, based on seismic zone analysis, local officials in Gansu warned.

Hours after the quake in Gansu, another 5.5-magnitude quake struck the city of Artux in the neighboring Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 9:46 am on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. No casualties have been reported as of press time.

Relief complex

Analysts explained that the relatively large casualties and losses resulted from its high intensity and the shallow depth of epicenter. The seismic resistance of the affected-region's buildings is lower than that of the developed regions, the epicenter is a densely populated county, and the timing of midnight also aggravated the situation.

Secondary disasters also pose challenges to the disaster relief. Mountain landslide occurred in a village in Minhe county neighboring Jishishan, which trapped residents and buried several houses.

Yan Wei, deputy director of China's civilian rescue organization the Blue Sky Rescue Team's Gansu branch, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the disaster situation in the local region is severe as 70 to 80 percent of the houses have collapsed in areas around the epicenter.

Yan said that local communication and transportation were also damaged to different degrees, but rescue vehicles are still able to reach the epicenter despite the damages.

Experts reached by the Global Times also warned that the sweeping cold wave and the drastic drop in temperatures have posed another major challenge. The typical golden rescue time window for earthquakes is 72 hours, but this time it is likely to be shortened due to the bitter cold weather, analysts said.

The temperatures drop to -14 C at night, which is a big problem, said Yan. "Many villagers were left without shelters after their houses collapsed. The rescue forces, right after arrival, started building hundreds of tents. They also provided instant noodles and hot water. The situation is improving."

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
A Florida man has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a Supreme Court justice, according to the Justice Department.

Neal Sidhwaney, 43, of Fernandina Beach, entered a guilty plea on Friday in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida. Court records show that Sidhwaney pleaded guilty to a single felony count of making an interstate threat to injure, as per Politico.

Florida Man Guilty of Threatening Supreme Court Justice

According to a news release from the Justice Department, the guilty plea is a result of a call made by Sidhwaney to a Supreme Court justice in July. In court documents, it has been revealed that the targeted justice remains unidentified.

However, Sidhwaney has been accused of explicitly stating his own name in a voicemail filled with profanity. Furthermore, he is alleged to have made repeated threats to kill the justice in question. In the voicemail, Sidhwaney issued a warning, stating that even if the justice involved the deputy US Marshals, he would still carry out his intention to harm and potentially kill them.

Sidhwaney faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for transmitting an interstate threat. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Court documents have revealed that the reason behind Sidhwaney's threat remains unclear. In a recent development, US Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson has made the decision to order a competency hearing for Sidhwaney, several weeks after his arrest in August. Based on a forensic psychological evaluation, Sidhwaney has reportedly denied experiencing any psychotic symptoms.

However, it was observed during the examination that Sidhwaney exhibited delusional thought processes. It has been determined that he does, in fact, meet the minimum standards necessary to proceed with a trial, according to NBC News.

Read Also: Appeals Court Rejects Mark Meadows' Request To Move Georgia Election Subversion Case to Federal Court

Biden Ensures Safety for Justices' Families

President Joe Biden took action last year by signing legislation into law. The legislation's primary objective was to ensure the safety and security of the family members of Supreme Court justices. This decision came in response to mounting concerns over their well-being, particularly in the wake of the reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision.

In the wake of the arrest of a California man accused of plotting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh and subsequently take his own life in the Washington, DC-area, this legislation has been introduced. Nicholas John Roske, the individual in question, has entered a plea of not guilty in the case involving an alleged attempt to assassinate a Supreme Court justice.

Sidhwaney, a resident of Fernandina Beach, Florida, made an expletive-laden and threatening voicemail to the Supreme Court on July 31, according to the Justice Department. He was subsequently arrested in August. The court documents, available online, indicate that the threat was directed at Chief Justice John Roberts.

The US Supreme Court Police Protective Intelligence Unit, in collaboration with the Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section, investigated the case, stated the Justice Department. Sidhwaney now faces a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison, although a specific sentencing date has not yet been determined, WPTV reported.

Related Article: Texas Gov Greg Abbott Signs Border Bill Making Entering State Without Legal Authorization a Crime

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Two young brothers lost their lives in a tragic car accident in San Diego after a police chase ended in a devastating collision. Reports indicate that the boys, aged 8 and 4, were identified as Malikai and Mason Orozco-Romero.

The boys were traveling in a Honda driven by a family friend on Interstate 405 on December 8. Simultaneously, law enforcement officers were pursuing a BMW driven by Angel Velazquez Salgado, a 20-year-old who did not possess a driver's license, as per People.

Children Killed in High-Speed Crash, Suspect Faces Charges

According to prosecutors, Velasquez Salgado was allegedly traveling at approximately 100mph when he forcefully struck the Honda from the rear, causing a violent crash. The impact caused the vehicle to collide with a tree and burst into flames almost immediately. Tragically, the two children lost their lives instantly, while their mother, Victoria, who was seated in the passenger seat, sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized.

Velasquez Salgado made a desperate attempt to escape the scene, resorting to a rather ill-advised strategy of removing his clothes in an effort to disguise himself. In a turn of events, the individual in question was apprehended by authorities mere blocks from the scene, taking refuge within a residential neighborhood.

It has been reported that Velasquez Salgado was involved in a prior incident where they rear-ended another vehicle. This unfortunate event resulted in injuries to an older woman. It is worth noting that this incident occurred during the course of the police chase.

A suspect is facing a number of severe charges including two counts of murder, hit and run resulting in death, vehicular manslaughter, felony evading, and driving without a license. The accused person, who was initially granted bail in the amount of $1 million, has now had his bail revoked at the request of the prosecution.

The defendant firmly declared his innocence by pleading not guilty to all charges. Velasquez Salgado, if found guilty, may potentially receive a sentence that spans from 39 years and four months to life in state prison, according to Daily Mail.

Read Also: WHO Develops LGBTQ Health Guideline-Here's What Trans, Other Gender Diverse People Should Know

Community Supports Grieving Family After Tragic Loss

The devastating loss of these young brothers has left their loved ones heartbroken. Their godmother, Brittany Phommavong, started a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses and their mother's medical bills. Phommavong stated that the boys' father, Tyrone Orozco, had passed away in December of the previous year.

She also shared that their mother had been battling lupus since the age of 11 and had been facing numerous challenges. The GoFundMe campaign has achieved more than half of its $40,000 goal, with the funds intended to provide the boys a dignified farewell and support Victoria's medical expenses.

The tragedy has deeply affected the boys' family, with their grandmother expressing immense grief and the sense that life will never be the same. She highlighted her daughter's resilience despite a difficult life and the profound impact the loss of her children will have on her.

The community has rallied around the family during this difficult time, offering support, condolences, and donations to help them navigate the aftermath of this devastating incident, Mirror reported.

Related Article: North Carolina: Probe Links Sushi Restaurant to 240+ Probable Norovirus Cases

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Germany and Lithuania have signed an agreement that will see German troops permanently deployed in Lithuania, marking the first permanent deployment of German troops abroad since World War II.

The agreement was signed on December 18, 2023, between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Lithuanian counterpart, Arvydas Anusauskas, as per Kyiv Independent.

Germany Commits Troops to Lithuania in Historic Move

The decision represents a significant step in defense relations, especially given the lengthy war between Ukraine and Russia, with the latter bordering Lithuania and Belarus, a close ally of Russia, also bordering Lithuania.

The announcement of the agreement was made in Lithuania, where both officials outlined a multi-year "Roadmap Action Plan'' involving approximately 4,800 permanently stationed German soldiers in the Lithuanian cities of Kaunas and Vilnius, beginning in 2024.

Most troops are expected to be deployed in 2025 and 2026, with full-operation capability anticipated by 2027. In turn, Lithuania has committed to providing all necessary civilian and military infrastructure to support the deployment.

"The German commitment of permanently stationing a brigade in Lithuania is a historical step for both Germany and Lithuania," said Anusauskas in a press release. "We are turning over a page of even deeper strategic partnership. The German Brigade will significantly increase our defensive potential and enhance NATO deterrence and collective defense."

The plan was formulated by experts within the defense ministries of both nations, and most of the German troops will be stationed in the Rudninkai military training ground, while the rest will be deployed in the town of Rukla. The 203^rd Panzer Battalion, based in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 122nd Armored Infantry Battalion, based in Bavaria, will be moved to Lithuania.

Lithuania's enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group will be transformed into a multinational battalion to become "an integral part of the brigade," the release said. Germany already leads NATO's multi-national battle group in Lithuania of some 1,000 troops, which will be integrated into the brigade, according to Newsweek.

Read Also: Texas Gov Greg Abbott Signs Border Bill Making Entering State Without Legal Authorization a Crime

Germany Signals NATO Commitment in Lithuania

"The speed of the project clearly shows that Germany understood the new security reality. We will ensure reliable deterrence, and we will be ready to defend NATO. We are sending a clear signal with this step to those who present a threat to peace and security in Europe," said Pistorius.

During the joint press conference in Lithuania, Pistorius compared the agreement to the stationing of allied forces in West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.

Germany was pressured by the United States and other Western allies in January to provide Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine for its defense efforts against Russian forces. "The eastern flank has now moved to the east, and it's the duty of Germany to protect it," said Pistorius.

The Lithuanian lawmaker Laurynas Kasciunas, head of the parliamentary National Security, and Defense Committee said the country will allocate 0.3% of its gross domestic product over the next several years to help fund the deployment and to build housing, training grounds, and other infrastructure for the German troops. Taxes will likely have to be raised to accommodate this plan, he said.

"We should expect not only good scenarios but also the very worst scenarios," said Anusauskas. "So we must be ready. Russia remains the main threat to us and NATO."

Overall, the agreement marks a critical juncture in the strategic partnership between Lithuania and Germany, as evidenced by their shared dedication to bolstering collective defense and NATO deterrence.

Given the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the deployment of German troops in Lithuania represents a considerable advance toward assuring peace and security in Europe, FirstPost reported.

Related Article: UN Postpones Vote Calling for Gaza Ceasefire to Meet US Objections

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With the Work and Family Mobility Act nearing six months as law, officials from the state Department of Transportation and Registry of Motor Vehicles said the rollout was smooth and successful, but the agencies want to reach many more residents.

The law, implemented in July, permits eligible residents to obtain a standard drivers license regardless of immigration status, including learners permits and Class D or M drivers licenses.

In a Dec. 15 interview with the Times, Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie said the process is safe for undocumented residents to go through, that their data will not be handed over to immigration authorities.

We believe there are additional individuals (who) are eligible for this driver's license, Ogilvie said. And while we had a massive push with the implementation of the law and a lot of information sharing over the summer about how to access and navigate registry services, we want to ensure people understand that that opportunity is still available.

Law and stats

Since the law was passed, the RMV has issued over 91,961 learner's permits and 54,952 drivers licenses, Ogilvie said. She said the law has been instrumental in allowing residents without lawful presence in the U.S. to participate more fully in society.

In April 2022 photo, Mass. Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie speaks during a press conference about organ donation. She says the rollout has been smooth for the law enacted six months ago that allows undocumented residents to seek driver's licenses.

We have a lot of immigrants that live in this state, and they have families and lives and jobs like all of us do, Ogilvie said. This enables them to get to doctor's appointments, do their grocery shopping, visit family and friends, and gives them a sense of independence that they may not have experienced prior to this law.

The number of people who have received proper driving documentation since last year has increased 227%, Ogilvie said.

Measure means increased safety on Bay State roads

Public safety was a key factor in pushing for the law, she said. The idea being, the more residents who go through the proper channels, the safer said roads would be.

Currently, 19 other states, including Connecticut and Rhode Island, offer similar measures for undocumented residents  such as Connecticut and Rhode Island  and officials have said there has been a decrease in the number of traffic accidents and hit-and-run incidents since their implementation.

If you're not an English proficient speaker or reader, then you have the ability to take the permit test in a language that's most comfortable for you to make sure you understand and learn the rules of the road in Massachusetts, Ogilvie said. And then followed by a road test where we test your skills and abilities to operate a vehicle safely in Massachusetts.

Data sharing concerns

When the law was initially passed, advocates and the immigrant community worried about the data being handed over to federal immigration authorities like U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Despite concerns, there were several efforts to dispel such anxieties through the language of the legislation and community engagement.

We built into the law, as many protections as we could to ensure that information didnt go to ICE, said Laura Rotolo, field director for the American Civil Liberties Union Massachusetts.

The ACLU has been working with the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell to draft tightened regulations to hedge against sharing participating residents' data with immigration authorities, Rotolo said.

We are hoping that they will continue to provide robust protections, so that the data is not misused for deportation, she said. We have not seen any issues since the law took effect, and we have not heard from anybody that their information is being shared with ICE.

Where are RMVs on the Cape and Islands?

Registry of Motor Vehicles offices on the Cape and Islands are 16 Broad St. on Nantucket; 11 A St. in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard and 1068 Route 28 in South Yarmouth.

The documents required are proof of date of birth, proof of residency in Massachusetts, and a Social Security number.

There is a process for those who don't have a Social Security number. An individual can sign an affidavit with an RMV employee present stating they never had a Social Security number.

We also want to highlight that there are bad actors out there, Ogilvie said. There are still people that are trying to take advantage of individuals that are new to government processes that are new Massachusetts.

She said the RMV only charges for a permit test, a road test and the issuance of a driver's license, totaling $115. They do not charge for an interpreter or for or making an appointment, Ogilvie said.

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter:@jd__walker.

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: Six months later: A look at the Work and Family Mobility Act
SALISBURY, N.C (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Members of the Salisbury Professional Firefighters Union are asking the city to implement step raises to help attract and retain staff within the department.

As it stands, Salisbury firefighters claim there is no clear way for them to move up in their pay scale, and its causing valuable employees to leave.

Stanley Fire Department passes surprise inspection, town officials claim

This year alone, weve lost over 11 members of the fire department, six of whom were senior members, one of whom was a captain, said union vice president Ethan Chirico.

In October 2022, the city conducted a pay study that resulted in pay increases for 63 percent of the fire department. But Chirico said it wasnt as great a success as city leaders made it out to be.

Chirico believes step raises would benefit both the firefighters and the city. Employees would receive set pay increases for reaching various years of experience.

He gave an example of a 29-year veteran in the department who has not even made it to the mid-range of his salary scale.

It properly demonstrates the experience of the service you are going to receive, said Chirico. A five-year firefighter service is different from a one-year firefighter service, which is different from a 15-year firefighter service.

In a statement to Queen City News, Salisbury City Manager Jim Greene said, in part, Although we do not have a step-raise program, the city offers alternative methods for increasing pay, including cost of living adjustments, merit pay, bonuses, and career development opportunities.

Its excitement. Salisbury parks filled with thousands of trout

Chirico said he feels Greenes response makes a mockery of the hardworking firefighters.

We have reached out as an association to meet with him multiple times, and he has refused those invitations, he said.

Members of the union believe the consequences go beyond just making a living wage. Chirico said public safety is at stake.

Firefighters who have to work 48-hour shifts because were mandatorily forced to because of shortages are not as safe driving fire trucks, are not as safe making life-or-death decisions as officers on a fire scene, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
One of the Cottonwood Connect ski shuttles is parked up Big Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

Cottonwood Connect is officially back this weekend for a second season to help carry skiers and snowboarders to resorts up Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.

The shuttle service is slated to run every day between Friday and New Year's Day before operating every weekend and on major holidays throughout the rest of the ski season, as it did when it was introduced last season to help reduce traffic congestion in both canyons. The last shuttle will run on April 14, 2024.

"We know it makes a difference not just for locals, but also for people visiting from out of state," said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. "We know that the congestion in the canyon is a challenge, and we know that commonsense solutions and all of us working together are what will make the difference in the end."

Cottonwood Connect debuted in January as an emergency ski bus service in the middle of what ended up being a record-breaking season for Utah's ski resorts after the Utah Transit Authority, citing a large driver shortage, cut its Salt Lake County ski bus service in half. Salt Lake County and local communities, along with UTA and Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude resorts came together on a plan to create the service.

A little more than 9,000 riders ended up using the service over the course of 12 weekends, 83% of whom were out-of-state visitors.

The view out of one of the Cottonwood Connect ski shuttles as it drives up Big Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday. The service will return for a second season beginning on Friday. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

UTA, which began its seasonal service last month, has yet to bring back what it provided before last year's cuts. It announced some improvements for this season, such as providing the four resorts with vans for employees to pool in to help open up seats for resort visitors, improving the efficiency of getting buses into and out of their parking lots and offering "backup buses"  when available  during high-traffic demand and other peak ridership periods.

Agency officials said they planned to lean on Cottonwood Connect this year, too.

"We recognize that the demand is higher than we might be able to meet at times and Cottonwood Connect will be an important component to that," said Carlton Christensen, chairman of UTA's board of trustees, reaffirming the need for the service on Tuesday. "We're confident that there will be plenty of rides for skiers that are looking for service."

The interior of one of the Cottonwood Connect ski shuttles at the Utah Transit Authority Holladay Park and Ride lot in Holladay on Tuesday. The service will return for a second season beginning on Friday. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

Wilson said the service is "bigger and better than ever" this time around because of the experiences from last season and because more groups are helping out. The biggest change, however, is that it's available in time for the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

There are four routes for people to choose from:

 Midvale/Midvalley: This route runs from the Fairfield by Marriott and Homewood Suites hotels in Midvale to UTA's Sandy Park and Ride (9400 S. Highland Drive) to Snowbird and Alta resorts in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

 Cottonwood: This route runs from the Hyatt Place, Residence Inn Cottonwood, Hampton Inn and Courtyard by Marriott hotels in Cottonwood Heights to Snowbird and Alta.

 Sandy A: This route runs from the Courtyard by Marriott Sandy, Residence Inn by Marriott and Hyatt House hotels in Sandy to UTA's Sandy Park and Ride to Snowbird and Alta.

 Sandy B: This route runs from the same Sandy hotels as the Sandy A route, but the shuttle travels to UTA's Holladay Park and Ride (6200 S. Wasatch Blvd.) before going to Solitude and Brighton resorts in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Every shuttle seats 28 skiers and snowboarders, county officials say. Reservations are required to ride; one-way trips will cost $10 while and it's $20 for round trips. Online reservations and the shuttle's schedule can be found here.

Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski said the shuttle service, along with UTA ski buses and employee vans, will be given priority access during the busiest periods in the canyons. This means the vehicles are escorted to the front of the line when the canyons are open.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson speaks at a press conference announcing the return of the Cottonwood Connect ski shuttle for the 2023-24 season at the Utah Transit Authority Holladay Park and Ride lot in Holladay on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit held its annual toy shop drive on Tuesday at the Wayne-Westland Corps Community Center for families in need.

The organization began distributing grocery store gift card and some items on Monday for families and seniors who pre-registered for Christmas assistance and made an appointment in advance. The event will service over 250 families in need and ends on Thursday.

The Salvation Army helps me a lot, said Christine Cullerton. I thank God for them.

Cullerton said she took custody of her grandchildren despite knowing it would be a struggle. She has a fixed income, receiving disability, and a little over $200 in food stamps from the state of Michigan.

Christine Cullerton, 63, of Inkster smiles at left as she gets some help from volunteer Kristi Willets, 50 of Westland shopping at the Salvation Army Wayne Westland Corps Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Cullerton, who is the guardian of her 9 grandchildren, came to shop for gifts for them. "I really appreciate this," said Cullerton "I just couldn't afford a Christmas for these kids." The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit is spreading holiday cheer to families in need across southeast Michigan through the non-profit's annual toy shop drive.

When The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit held its annual Toy Shop Drive on Tuesday, she went to get food and Christmas gifts for them.

Christine Cullerton, 63, of Inkster makes a phone call to a friend in hopes of getting a ride after shopping at The Salvation Army Wayne Westland Corps Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Cullerton, who is the guardian of her 9 grandchildren, came to shop for gifts for them. "I really appreciate this," said Cullerton "I just couldn't afford a Christmas for these kids." The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit is spreading holiday cheer to families in need across southeast Michigan through the non-profit's annual toy shop drive.

I do what I have to do so my grandkids will be alright, Cullerton said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Salvation Army of Metro Detroit hands out food, gifts to needy families
Investigators with the Sanford Police Department are asking for help identifying potential additional victims of a registered sex offender who was arrested on allegations of sexual abuse.

 WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

39-year-olld Jeremiah Edge Johnson was arrested in Orlando on December 8 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on a warrant charging him with ten counts of sexual assault by a custodian on a person between 12 and 18 years of age.

The investigation began on November 23.

READ: Deltona man accused of shooting at deputies before setting his home on fire, sheriff says

According to court documents, the victim told investigators she met Johnson when she was just 14 years old and Johnson was approximately 34.

The victim said she and Johnson formed a close relationship that escalated to multiple instances of sexual intercourse between the two over a span of approximately two years.

As part of their investigation, detectives reviewed text messages exchanged between the victim and Johnson in which he expresses anger at the victim for telling a mutual friend about their relationship, and becomes concerned that the mutual friend would go to police.

Investigators also conducted controlled phone calls between Johnson and the victim in which the victim discusses their sexual relationship.

READ: New name unveiled for Amway Center in Orlando

In those conversations, police say Johnson doesnt deny the allegations and apologizes to the victim for hurting her feelings.

Police secured a warrant for Johnsons arrest on Dec. 7. They found Johnson the next day and transported him to the Seminole County jail.

In a statement announcing the arrest, Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said he was shocked by the allegations against Johnson, but commended the victims bravery in coming forward.

Given the disturbing nature of the situation, the courage demonstrated by this victim in coming forward is exemplary, Chief Smith said. Intentional acts such as these will always be a shock to my senses.

READ: Central Florida lawmakers work to reduce fines that can be issued by HOAs

Based on the facts of the investigation, Sanford police say they believe Johnson could have additional victims.

Theyre asking anyone who thinks they may have been victimized by Johnson or who has any additional information on the case against him to contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-8477, or online here.

Crimeline callers are able to remain anonymous and could become eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information they provide leads directly to an arrest.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CAA exemption will be relief to millions of children - but they must go to bed in time (Tumisu/Pixabay)

Father Christmas will be able to fly unimpeded into UK airspace, Britains aviation regulator revealed on Wednesday.

The promise - responding to calls by MPs to copy a tradition in Ireland - came as the Government unwittingly cast light on just how Santa Claus can be in so many places at once.

We can confirm Santa has an approved operating licence to carry presents into the UK and is all clear to enter UK airspace, a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson told the Standard.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride earlier said that the annual guarantee by Irelands parliament was enormously important.

And I know that the Prime Minister, the whole Government, we are all very pro-Santa Claus, he stressed on Sky News. Absolutely, there will be no barriers to Santa Claus delivering this year.

The minister was speaking after MPs weighed into the debate. The SNPs Owen Thompson said it was a really lovely tradition for the Dail - Irelands lower house - to confirm Santa has permission to enter Irish airspace for Christmas.

He filed an Early Day Motion (EDM) lamenting that the CAA does not make a similar gesture and joked: Hopefully a move like this would also ensure no attempts from the Tory Right to divert Santas sleigh to Rwanda.

The Midlothian MP on Wednesday welcomed Mr Strides intervention. It was great to see the UK Gov have confirmed Santa can enter UK airspace in response to my EDM yesterday, he tweeted.

Elsewhere in the Commons debate, MPs discussed their favourite Christmas films. Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said he knew the entire script for Home Alone and Home Alone 2, but described later sequels as abominations.

Leaked footage emerged meanwhile of a "private conversation" between Science Secretary Michelle Donelan and Professor Dame Angela McLean, the UK Governments Chief Scientific Adviser.

 We're disappointed that footage of a private conversation between @uksciencechief and @michelledonelan has been made public (sources say elves are responsible), and we've taken the decision to publish the video in question for the benefit of any non-believers... pic.twitter.com/d9l26305rZ  Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (@SciTechgovuk) December 20, 2023

In the video, Dame Angela explains to Ms Donelan the mystery of how Santa can deliver millions of gifts all in one night. He cannot break the laws of physics so cant travel faster than the speed of light, the top boffin says.

But there are some things in quantum physics that we think he may well be using to help him in that all-important work of getting a present to every child all round the world, Dame Angela reveals.

So what we think he's doing is he gets toys that he's made at the North Pole, and he puts them into this special state. It's called an entangled state.

And what that means is that when the first child opens a present on Christmas morning, that ensures that every child all over the world is going to get a present.

But there is one cast-iron rule, the scientist stresses.

If anyone were to see Father Christmas, that would break the entangled state and none of this would work. So that's why we have to absolutely insist that children get to bed in good time on Christmas Eve.
The news that one of Sarasota County's largest private employers is being acquired has been met with excitement by trade partners and local business leaders, even as the headquarters of one of the region's brightest business stars will shift north to Tampa after the deal closes sometime in mid-2024.

Masonite International Corporation has agreed to buy Venice's PGT Innovations in a deal valued at $3 billion, while touting the potential of $100 million in annual cost-saving synergies.

Though both firms are behemoths in the window and door construction market, Masonite's primary trade partners have been large institutional wholesale buyers, while PGT's biggest customers have been dealers who sell directly to residential costumers.

The two companies were billed as complementary during a conference call with stock market analysts on Monday, as several executives highlighted future growth opportunities through selling products across the combined company's customer base, according to a transcript of the call posted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website.

However, analysts were told about half of the $100 million in "cost-saving synergies" will come from reduced expenses that could begin to be "unlocked" within the first two years of the deal's closing.

"... You could see some of those savings before year end 2024, youd more likely realize them in full toward the second half of 2025 and early 2026," Masonite CFO Russell Tiejema said. "So its a two-year ramp over which we believe those cost synergies can be unlocked."

What was meant by unlocking cost synergies was not explained in detail.

In response to an email to PGT Innovations seeking additional information on the merger and its impact on local operations, a representative for the company sent a statement attributed to PGT Innovations President and CEO Jeff Jackson.

"PGT Innovations and Masonite share deep roots in the state of Florida and look forward to continuing to be an important part of our communities," Jackson said in the statement.

PGT starts small, grows to $1.5 billion in revenue

The Venice-headquartered company was co-founded by Rodney Hershberger in 1980 as Vinyl Tech, before it rebranded to Progressive Glass Technology and eventually PGT Innovations. In recent years, PGT has been one of the most notable business success stories in Sarasota County history as well as one of the region's biggest business boosters, often supporting local community events with sponsorships and leadership.

Twenty years ago, the company's revenue was an impressive $250 million, but that's just a fraction of what the company will generate this year, with about $1.5 billion in revenue over the previous 12 months of financial records.

PGT's current Sarasota County headcount has been reported at about 2,500 people, with another about 3,000 people working outside the region.

Kathy Lehner, president and chief executive officer with the Venice Chamber of Commerce, said the local chamber has about 1,000 members with PGT being "one of the largest."

PGT officials have joined numerous community organizations in leadership positions ranging from local nonprofits to the symphony, she said.

"They're huge," she said. "PGT is very involved with the community. They're very engaged with their hometown."

The company recently was a sponsor of a Venice Chamber awards ceremony, something they have done for years.

She said the company leadership she's interacted with have stressed how they view the community and their employees as family.

"I don't see Jeff Jackson (PGT president and CEO) striking any kind of deal that's going to hurt the employees," she said. "When you look at PGT, they talk about finding your new home with PGT. You become part of the family."

"I don't see them doing anything to hurt the reputation they have built over the years."

She pointed to investments in workforce training and a daycare facility the company built for employees as examples of the company investment in retention.

Instead of spending time worrying about what the merger means for the local business community, Lehner instead chooses to focus on how inspirational the company's success can be viewed by other Sarasota County entrepreneurs.

"To me, it's more of a story of inspiration," she said. "They started as a small business here in Venice and now look what they've accomplished."

Nate Yoder, marketing director for Mullet's Aluminum, also downplayed any potential of a downside in the merger.

Mullet's Aluminum has worked with PGT for decades and was one of the first trade partners for the company, Yoder said.

Yoder said the construction business has been extremely busy in recent years while noting that he views the merger as a positive.

"There's no slow-down. There's no hesitation. There's no signs this building boom is showing any signs of slowing," Yoder said. "Florida is an amazing state and people are moving here in masses."

Yoder called the merger a "great marriage of two great companies."

"The merger strengthens their overall market position," he said. "That is a great merger and we are excited. We were one of PGT's first dealers and we've been consistently one of their largest dealers."

Previous coverage: One of Sarasota County's largest employers targeted for acquisition by Tampa-based company

More: PGT Innovations acquires full ownership stake in Eco Enterprises, LLC

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Cost savings expected in first year of $3 billion PGT-Masonite deal
A growing number of victims of financial and sexual exploitation are linked to host clubs, which have dotted Japan's red-light district Kabukicho for decades (Richard A. Brooks)

Growing up, Mirai Kisaragi fled her abusive parents, survived homelessness and contemplated suicide. At 18, she met her "saviour" at one of Tokyo's hundreds of host clubs, where men entertain women.

Except he, too, was no good.

Before long, Kisaragi became one of a growing number of victims of financial and sexual exploitation linked to these establishments, which have dotted Japan's red-light district Kabukicho for decades.

Just like in hostess clubs, where the clients are men, hosts spruced up with make-up and immaculate hairstyles regale female customers with sweet talk and expensive alcohol.

Lured by the promise of romance, women can find themselves tricked into abusive relationships, towering debt and even prostitution, activists say.

Kisaragi ended up in Kabukicho after running away from home at 14. There, she occasionally slept in emergency stairwells before she was sent to a care home.

At 18, she met a "cool" attentive man who actually seemed to care -- a host.

"Whenever I opened the door of the host club to see him, he would say 'welcome home' -- something no one had ever said to me at home," Kisaragi, now 23, told AFP.

But he installed her in one of Tokyo's ubiquitous "net cafes", where she was made to work as a prostitute, dispatched on demand.

He collected all her profits, and as she continued to visit the club, she piled up debts.

"What the host was really doing was to manage me as a prostitute. But I naively thought back then that he had given me a job and a smartphone on the spot," she said.

"He looked like a saviour to me then."

- 'Human trafficking' -

Women like Kisaragi are drawn into clubs in different ways. Some are chatted up on Kabukicho's streets, while others are persuaded by hosts they interact with on TikTok.

They can accumulate debts of hundreds of dollars a night ordering overpriced drinks, while hosts dangle everything from sex to assurances of love and marriage to manipulate them, activists say.

Hosts sometimes even move in with women who are lonely or experiencing poverty and then browbeat them into sex work, in what resembles "domestic violence", said Kazuna Kanajiri, head of Tokyo-based advocacy group PAPS.

"Young and poor women from single-parent families, for example, make the most lucrative targets for them," she told AFP.

Indebted women are sent to "scouts" to find jobs in the sex trade.

The cash flow between hosts, scouts and sex businesses amounts to "straight-up human trafficking", Hidemori Gen, founder of a support group for parents, told AFP.

"'This woman must be worth 20 million yen' ($140,000). That's the kind of thinking upon which host clubs exist," he said.

Families have reported at least 250 cases to his group since July, an explosive rise from previous years that he attributes in part to the end of pandemic restrictions.

Not all businesses are unscrupulous, and some say clients were already sex workers before getting entangled with hosts.

"I always warn girls about the price tag before they order drinks," Kabukicho host Saito, who only gave his last name, told AFP.

"So getting into debt is really their choice, but some still fail to pay, and I end up shouldering their debt," the 27-year-old lamented.

- 'I wanted to be loved' -

Still, the industry has begun soul-searching, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urging action and police conducting widespread raids on establishments.

Host club operators in Kabukicho this month pledged to stop allowing clients to run up massive debts, and eradicate ties with the criminal underworld.

The industry "has undoubtedly been aware" of the problem, but "hasn't taken it as seriously as we should have", Takayuki Makita, head of major host club operator Group Dandy, told reporters last week.

"There is no way driving women into bankruptcy can ever be the right way for us to operate."

Male customers can often incur massive bills at hostess clubs, but activists say they are not as vulnerable to the sexual exploitation for profit that women face with hosts.

One 20-year-old woman told AFP she spent over 10 million yen ($70,000) in two years on hosts, and ended up in sex work to pay down debts.

She was in institutional care from infancy, she said, with little memory of her parents.

"I wanted to be loved," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"I thought that if my host hated me, life would no longer be worth living."

Now a member of PAPS, Kisaragi does outreach work in Kabukicho and sees her teenage self in many girls she encounters there.

"Kabukicho is a town where committing suicide can be treated as some kind of heroic act," she says.

"I'm talking to them thinking, 'You dont have to die'. I want them to live."

tmo/stu/sah/sco
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) added Russian-Israeli business tycoon Mikhail Fridman to Ukraine's wanted list, according to the Interior Ministry's website.

Fridman was charged by the SBU on Sept. 5 for helping to finance Russia's war against Ukraine.

According to the security service, the oligarch has poured around 2 billion rubles ($22 million) into Russian military plants since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The date of Fridman's disappearance indicated on the website is Oct. 10, 2023.

The oligarch is under both international and Ukrainian sanctions, and Kyiv has blocked the assets of several of Fridman's companies.

Sense Bank, a former Ukrainian subsidiary of the Russian oligarch's Alfa Bank, was nationalized in July.

Fridman was arrested in the U.K. in December 2022 before being released on bail.

The Ukrainska Pravda news outlet managed to track down the tycoon in London in September this year.

Read also: Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Russian oligarchs continue luxurious life in London despite sanctions

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Texas' new immigration law, which allows local officials to arrest illegal crossers who cross the border without authorization, prompted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file a lawsuit.

The legal challenge was filed in a federal district court, alleging that Gov. Greg Abbott's bill is unconstitutional and arguing that it runs against federal immigration law. The ACLU filed the lawsuit with the ACLU of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project on behalf of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, American Gateways, and the County of El Paso, Texas.

Texas's New Border Law Faces Legal Challenge

In a statement, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU, Anand Balakrishnan, said that Abbott's efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people's right to due process are unconstitutional and prone to error. He added that the efforts would disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status.

The new bill is the latest in a series of efforts by Texas Republicans to test the limits of the state's authority in their attempts to tighten border security and curb illegal immigration. On Monday, the legislation was signed and expected to take effect in March, as per Politico.

Following the signing of the bill, Abbott said that United States President Joe Biden has repeatedly refused to enforce federal immigration laws that are already on the books. He noted that in the Democrat's absence, his state has the constitutional authority to secure the border through historic laws such as SB 4, the latest bill.

On the other hand, the Mexican government is also gearing up to challenge Texas' new "inhumane" law. On Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that his administration is getting ready to fight against the bill.

Abbott said that his new bill comes as migrants who enter the US without authorization can already be charged with illegal entry or re-entry under federal laws. He argued that the Biden administration's failure to enforce such laws contributed to the immigration surge.

Read Also: Texas Gov Greg Abbott Signs Border Bill Making Entering State Without Legal Authorization a Crime

Addressing the Migrant Crisis

In the past few years, the Texas governor has launched a crackdown on illegal immigration under the name "Operation Lone Star." According to Yahoo News, he has rolled out the National Guard and concertina wire along the border while also ordering the installation of a floating barrier in a stretch of the Rio Grande River.

During his morning press conferences, Obrador, a leftist, has frequently criticized Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has also urged Mexican-Americans who are eligible to vote in the United States not to support either lawmaker.

Abbott's new law also received criticism from the White House as Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that it is "extreme" and also works to "dehumanize" immigrants. She argued that the new bill puts them in "harm's way."

The press secretary's remarks came during a press briefing on Tuesday, where she said that Texas' new law will not and does not make communities any safer. She said that instead, it was "very much in line" with what GOP members do, which "demonize" and dehumanize immigrants, said Fox News.

Related Article: Biden Admin Introduces Refugee Program Allowing US Sponsors to Recommend Individuals for Migration

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Many Columbus-area school cafeterias underwent health inspections in the last two months, and the Ledger-Enquirer compiled a list of the latest scores.

Schools from Columbus, Phenix City, Smiths Station, Harris County and Chattahoochee County are included in the list with scores pulled from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Public Health.

In Georgia, food establishments receive one of four letter grades that are assigned based on how many points are deducted from 100:

A grades mean food safety is excellent is achieved by receiving 90-100 points

Bs are issued when there is satisfactory compliance with the business receiving 80-89 points

Cs mean there is marginal compliance and applied to scores between 70-79

Us represent unsatisfactory compliance and are applied to scores of 69 or less.

Establishments that receive a C or U food safety grade will have at least one additional routine inspection added in a twelve month period, according to state law.

Alabama state law generally requires food service establishments to be inspected at least three times a year depending on the type of food being prepared.

Establishments are placed in one of four categories that determine the reinspection schedule and use of enforcement actions:

Scores of 85 to 100 are considered to be satisfactory compliance and inspected on a routine schedule

Establishments that score between 70 to 84 require a follow-up inspection within 60 days

Scores of 60-69 require follow-up and reinspection within 48 hours

Establishments that score below 60 are closed immediately

No school in Georgia or Alabama received an unsatisfactory score or required a follow-up inspection.

Here are the most recent school cafeterias health inspection scores.

Muscogee County public schools

Elementary schools with perfect scores

Allen

Blanchard

Brewer

Britt David

Clubview

Dawson

Dimon

Dorothy Height

Double Churches

Downtown

Eagle Ridge

Forrest Road

Fox

Gentian

Johnson

Key

Lonnie Jackson

Martin Luther King

Matthews

Midland Academy

North Columbus

Reese Road

River Road

South Columbus

St. Marys

Waddell

Wesley Heights

Wynnton

Other elementary schools

Davis, 91

Georgetown, 96

Hannan, 96

Rigdon Road, 96

Middle schools

Aaron Cohn, 96

Arnold, 96

Baker, 100

Blackmon Road, 96

Double Churches, 100

East Columbus, 100

Eddy, 100

Fort, 99

Midland, 91

Richards, 100

Veterans Memorial, 100

High schools

Carver, 100

Columbus, 100

Hardaway, 100

Jordan, 100

Kendrick, 100

Northside, 100

Shaw, 99

Spencer, 100

Others

Marshall Success Center, 100

Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, 100

St. Elmo Center for the Gifted, 100

Harris County

Creekside, 100

Harris County Carver Middle School, 100

Harris County High School, 100

Mulberry Creek, 100

New Mountain Hill, 100

Park, 100

Pine Ridge, 100

Chattahoochee County

Chattahoochee County Education Center - 100

Chattahoochee County Middle/High School - 87 (Residue on chute of ice machine, food items kept at incorrect temperatures)

Phenix City

Central Freshman Academy - 100

Central High School - 100

Creative Learning Center - 100

Creekside Early Learning Center - 100

Culinary Arts Center - 100

Lakewood Elementary School - 100

Lakewood Primary School - 100

Meadowlane Elementary School - 100

Phenix City Elementary School - 100

Phenix City Intermediate School - 100

Phenix City Special Education - 100

Ridgecrest Elementary School - 100

Sherwood Elementary School - 100

South Girard School - 100

Success Academy - 100

The Brick - 100

Westview Elementary School - 100

Russell County

Dixie Elementary School - 100

Ladonia Elementary School - 100

Mount Olive Elementary School - 100

Oliver Elementary School - 100

Russell County High School - 100

Russell County Middle School - 100

Smiths Station

East Smiths Station Elementary School - 100

Smiths Station High School - 100

Smiths Station Junior High School - 100

South Smiths Station Elementary School - 100

West Smiths Station Elementary School - 100

Private schools

Brookstone - 96

Calvary Christian - 100

Glenwood - 100

Pacelli Catholic High School - 100

St. Annes School - 100

St. Luke Early Learning Center - 100

St. Luke Ministry Center - 100
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised to "take swift action" on the national supplemental security bill early next year, which will unlock billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel and the southern border.

"Challenging issues remain, but we are committed to addressing needs at the southern border and to helping allies and partners confront serious threats in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific," the statement read. "The Senate will not let these national security challenges go unanswered."

Lawmakers in the upper chamber have been negotiating with White House officials since last week on a border security policy that would be included in the supplemental package.

Republicans first demanded stronger border security provisions in the package last month, but Democrats were unwavering in their quest to exclude any immigration policy changes from making headway in the bill until negotiations began heating up last week.

SEN. CARDIN BREAKS SILENCE AFTER STAFFER ALLEGEDLY FIRED OVER SEX TAPE FILMED IN HEARING ROOM

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, left, and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The clock has now run out for any deal to be reached this year, even as Schumer canceled part of the Senate's holiday recess to continue negotiations this week.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action on the national security supplemental early in the new year," the joint statement read.

The leaders said that negotiators  Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.  and Biden administration officials will "continue to work in good faith" on a framework for border security legislation. Lawmakers have cited in the last few days that "progress" was being made but would not reveal specifics.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources on Tuesday, there were more than 12,600 migrants encountered at the southern border in the preceding 24 hours, the highest figure recorded in a single day.

MANY SENATORS HAVE ALREADY LEFT TOWN AMID BORDER NEGOTIATIONS AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS HIT RECORD

Immigrants wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico, with the U.S.-Mexico border barrier in the background, on Aug. 6, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona.

Talks have been ongoing with senators and Biden administration officials as Republicans have refused to pass some $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine unless it is tied to strict border security measures, such as immediate screenings for asylum processing, more detention beds and quicker expulsions for illegal entrants.

The total amount of supplemental aid the White House first requested in October amounts to roughly $106 billion and includes $14 billion to assist Israel. President Biden has been urging Congress to take action on the package, and Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy made a final plea last week to both chambers in private meetings.

The White House has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Last week, Biden announced the administration would send $200 million in additional military aid to the Eastern European nation.

LAWMAKERS UNLIKELY TO ADVANCE BORDER SECURITY, UKRAINE FUNDING LEGISLATION BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.

On the floor Tuesday night, Schumer announced Wednesday's Senate session at noon would be for "housekeeping business" and that there would be no more votes until January.

Senators proceeded to reauthorize temporary funding for the Federal Aviation Administration until March 8 and confirmed by a voice vote the remaining 11 military nominees, who were previously delayed by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville's monthslong blockade over the Pentagon's abortion policy.

Congress will return the week of Jan. 8 and will also have to pass some appropriations bills to keep some government agencies afloat by Jan. 19.

Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.





Original article source: Schumer and McConnell vow to take 'swift action' on supplemental package early next year
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is prepared to enter talks for the future of Ukraine after more than a year of fighting.

Putin is the one who ordered military troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and has since repeatedly said that he is ready to talk about peace. However, many Western officials believe he is waiting for the next US presidential election before making a genuine effort.

Vladimir Putin Talks About Peace

During a meeting of the defense leadership in Moscow, Putin said that in Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia and in Europe and in the US who want to negotiate can do so. However, the Russian strongman argued that such discussions would be based on Moscow's national interest.

Putin said, "We will not give up what is ours," and added that Russia does not intend to fight with Europe. Moscow currently controls roughly 17.5% of the territory internationally recognized as part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, as per France24.

In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and Moscow said last year that the four additional regions of Ukraine that its troops partially control are part of its territory. On the other hand, Kyiv said that it would not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its soil.

The Russian president spoke during a defense ministry meeting attended by the military's top brass. These include Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, and Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov.

The president said that Russian military troops now had the initiative on the battlefield in the war with Ukraine. He added that they will not abandon the "special military operation" goals but noted that his country needs better military communication, surveillance, targeting, and satellite capability.

Read Also: [BREAKING] EU Opens Membership Talks with Ukraine, Moldova

Ending the Russia-Ukraine War

According to Yahoo News, Putin added that Russia's defense industry is responding faster than the West and noted that his country would continue to upgrade its nuclear forces while keeping its combat readiness at a high level.

Shoigu said that Russia's tank production has also increased since February 2022 by 5.6 times, unmanned aerial vehicles by 16.8 times, and artillery shells by 17.5 times. He added that Moscow had taken on 490,000 contract and voluntary soldiers this year. Russia will try to bolster its contracted force to 745,000 next year.

Russia's military forces have laid 7,000 kilometers of minefields in Ukraine, some stretching for 600 meters in width. They have also set up 1.5 million anti-tank barriers and 2,000 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.

Putin also said that there will only be peace in Ukraine after Moscow achieves its goals as he called for the "denazification of Ukraine." He also seeks Kyiv's demilitarization and neutral status.

An analyst for the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Tatiana Stanovaya said that Putin just made a peace proposal to the West on the conditions of Ukraine's total capitulation. The Guardian said Russia's year-end press conference lasted more than four hours and included questions from soldiers from the frontlines and regional journalists.

Related Article: Estonia Shares How Ukraine Can Defeat Russia in 2025

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A federal judge issued an order to publicly release dozens of documents naming disgraced financier's victims and associates in 2024.

New York Judge Loretta A. Preska issued the order on Monday, which is the latest filing in a settled case by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She is an American woman who claimed that Epstein sexually abused her when she was a minor and that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and longtime accomplice, aided in the abuse.

Jeffrey Eptein's Victims and Associates

In 2019, Epstein was indicted on federal charges of operating a sex trafficking ring in which he allegedly sexually abused dozens of underage girls. The disgraced financier later died by suicide while he was in jail awaiting trial.

New York prosecutors indicted Maxwell on sex trafficking charges involving multiple victims and she was convicted last year. While Giuffre's 2015 defamation lawsuit was settled in 2017 and placed under a protective order, parts have been unsealed since then.

The development came as Giuffre, Maxwell, and several third-party figures have argued about what should and should not be released to the public. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in August 2019 unsealed hundreds of pages of documents a day before Epstein died in prison, as per CNN.

The appeals court later remanded the case back to the district court to review the documents individually and determine what could be unsealed. In July 2020, Judge Preska ruled for the unsealing of more documents, including Maxwell's 2016 deposition related to the lawsuit and emails and depositions by others.

Many of the alleged victims gave public interviews and have already been identified by the media. Additionally, Preska's Monday order noted that others "did not raise an objection" to the unsealing of the documents.

The judge also gives Jane and John Does 14 days to appeal before the parties confer and publicly release the documents. On the other hand, it is unclear how many of Epstein's associates have been investigated for alleged wrongdoing or will face such probes.

Read Also: Appeals Court Rejects Mark Meadows' Request To Move Georgia Election Subversion Case to Federal Court

Public Release of Documents

The judge in the case set the release of the documents for Jan. 1. However, the documents did not clarify why a certain individual became associated with Giuffre's lawsuit, but it is expected that more than 150 people will be identified, according to ABC News.

Prosecutors said that Epstein and Maxwell worked together from 1994 to 2004 to identify girls, groom them, and entice them to travel and transport them to the former's properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and elsewhere.

With the release of the documents, the public is expected to learn more about Johanna Sjoberg, who claimed that Britain's Prince Andrew groped her when she sat on his knee at a party at Epstein's New York mansion.

On the other hand, records mentioning victim Haley Robson and Giuffre's father, Sky Roberts, will also be included in the document release. The judge noted that additional parties in the soon-to-be-unveiled documents had testified at Maxwell's trial in 2021 or saw portions of their depositions released previously, said the Daily Beast.

Related Article: Over 400 Jewish Institutions Reportedly Targeted With Fake Bomb Threats Over the Weekendzsd

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The ex-wife of the French killer who is responsible for the murder of Joanna Parrish has been found guilty of complicity and was sentenced to life in prison.

The father of the victim said that he is satisfied with the conviction of Monique Olivier over her role in aiding her serial killer ex-husband. Parrish was killed in the French city of Auxerre by Michel Fourniret, who was nicknamed the "Ogre of the Ardennes."

Joanna Parrish Murder

During a press conference in Nanterre on Tuesday, Roger Parrish spoke after Olivier was reportedly found guilty of being complicit in his daughter's murder, as well as those of Marie-Angele Domece in 1988 and Estelle Mouzin in 2003.

The 20-year-old Parrish was murdered in 1990 while she was working as an English teacher during her gap year. Her body was discovered in the River Yonne and a post-mortem examination found that she was raped, beaten, and strangled.

The 75-year-old ex-wife of the French killer admitted in court that what she had done had been "monstrous." However, she said that she was intimidated by her ex-husband and was scared of going against him, as per Independent.

On the other hand, the prosecution argued that Olivier had been a willing participant and had repeatedly passed over chances to help victims to escape. Parrish's father added that there was no doubt that she was equally responsible for the murder of his daughter and the other completely innocent victims.

Parrish asked for a moment so that he could remember all of the victims and later said that they were glad that the court recognized Olivier's part in the crimes. He argued that from the first time that a victim was identified, she knew exactly what would happen to them. He noted that not only did she not do anything, she encouraged and participated in the acts.

Fourniret was arrested in 2003 in Belgium and was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for the murder and the rape or attempted rape of seven female teenagers and young women in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2001.

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Guilty of Complicity

In 2021, the French killer died aged 79 before authorities could bring him to trial for the murders of his victims. Defendants in French trials do not make a plea but Olivier said that she acknowledged all the facts, the three of which she was reproached, according to The Guardian.

Olivier said that her ex-husband beat 20-year-old Parrish until she was unconscious on May 16, 1990, before raping and strangling her. She said that the French killer then disposed of the victim's body by throwing it in the River Yonne near the Burgundy town of Auxerre.

French authorities also charged Olivier with complicity in the disappearance of nine-year-old Mouzin, whose body has not yet been found despite extensive searches two decades on. Individuals who are sentenced to life in France become eligible for parole after 18 to 22 years.

However, prosecutors cited "the exceptional gravity of the acts committed and the necessary protection of society." Prosecutors highlighted Olivier's strategy of gaining the trust of Domece and Parrish, said the Daily Mail.

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Darien Harris has been released after spending 12 years in prison over the murder of Rondel Moore after he was found to have been wrongfully convicted of the crime.

The news of Harris' release came on Tuesday and all charges against him have been dropped by prosecutors. In the evening of that same day, he walked out of custody a free man and his mother, Nakesha Harris, was eager to see her son.

Darien Harris Released

Harris was only 17 years old when he was arrested and later convicted for the murder of Moore. Moore's killing came in 2011 when he was at a gas station at 66th Place and Stony Island Avenue.

The star shooter for the prosecutors said that he saw the shooter and identified him to be Harris. However, it was later revealed that this key witness is actually legally blind. The eyewitness was said to be credible, honest, and unimpeachable.

Lauren Myerscough-Mueller, an attorney for the Exoneration Project, said that this fact was only learned after Harris' conviction. On Tuesday, a Cook County judge officially dropped the charges against Harris, which paved the way for the now-30-year-old to become free, as per ABC7 Chicago.

Before her son's release, Harris' mother said that the development did not feel real, adding that she would believe it after she held her son in her arms. Harris' release also ends his 76-year prison sentence.

In 2019, Harris' family and legal team started to push for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to review the case. This was after the fact that the prosecution's key witness was found to be legally blind.

Harris' mother asked Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to throw out her son's conviction based on the revelation. On Tuesday, she said that when the question came up in court, the witness said that his eyesight was "okay."

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Rondel Moore Murder

The Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago Law School chose to pick up Harris' case and later argued that the prosecution's key witness suffered from advanced glaucoma at the time of the murder in which Harris was convicted. It added that no physical evidence actually tied Harris to the killing, according to WGNTV.

Myerscough-Mueller added that they had experts who looked at the records to find what the witness could actually see, which was nothing. A Cook County judge ordered to vacate Harris' murder conviction on Dec. 5, as prosecutors considered whether or not they would re-try the case.

The Exoneration Project attorney said that Harris had to grow up largely in prison but was able to remain positive in life. The key witness in the case was identified as Dexter Saffold, and his testimony was the primary basis of Judge Nicholas Ford's ruling against Harris.

At the time of the initial trial, Saffold testified that he was riding his motorized scooter north on Stony Island Avenue near the gas station when he heard gunshots. He said that he then saw someone roughly 18 feet from him aiming a handgun at a person near a car that had its hood up.

The witness noted that he could see the muzzle flashes and then heard more than two gunshots. Saffold added that the shooter bumped into him while trying to get away from the scene of the crime and nearly dropped the gun as he was trying to put it inside his pocket, said the Chicago Tribune.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a threat of "more offensive actions" in response to perceived increasing US-led military threats, following the third test of the country's most advanced missile, the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Kim's statement, reported by state media, indicates confidence in North Korea's growing missile arsenal, with potential continued weapons testing activities ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. However, observers argue that more substantial tests are required to prove the functionality of missiles targeting the US mainland, as per The Independent.

North Korea's Hwasong-18 ICBM Raises Concerns

The Hwasong-18 ICBM, a solid-fueled developmental missile, is considered North Korea's most powerful weapon. The built-in solid propellant makes launches more challenging to detect than liquid-fueled missiles. Despite this, foreign experts suggest that North Korea faces technological hurdles, such as ensuring reliable atmospheric reentry conditions for warheads.

Kim's supervision of the Hwasong-18 launch demonstrated North Korea's ability to respond to perceived threats. The missile, launched at a high angle to avoid neighboring countries, covered a distance of 1,002 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of 6,518 kilometers, landing off the North's east coast. Kim expressed "great satisfaction" with the launch, reinforcing the missile's reliability as a strategic core striking means.

This marked the third test of the Hwasong-18, following launches in April and July. Experts view this as a signaling exercise and a developmental test, indicating North Korea's growing confidence in its new solid propellant ICBM. While missile engine technology has progressed, there are limits to what North Korea can learn from lofted trajectory firings.

Kim's statement also referenced a recent US-South Korean meeting, openly revealing plans for joint drills, including a simulated nuclear attack on North Korea.

The Nuclear Consultative Group meeting aimed to update nuclear deterrence and contingency strategies, incorporating nuclear operation scenarios in combined military exercises. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized the formation of a "nuclear-based, powerful Korea-US alliance," according to ABC News.

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Coordinated Response to North Korea's Actions

The North's actions have led to concerns and coordinated responses. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced coordination with Washington and Seoul for a United Nations Security Council meeting.

The United States, South Korea, and Japan have strengthened military training, enhanced trilateral security cooperation, and increased temporary deployments of US military assets in South Korea. Real-time missile warning data sharing on North Korea has been initiated, and trilateral exercises' details have been established.

North Korea perceives growing US-South Korea-Japan partnerships as a security threat, seeking closer ties with China and Russia. Suspicions arise that North Korea may receive sophisticated weapons technologies from Russia in exchange for supplying conventional arms to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

Expert opinions suggest that the Kim regime concentrates resources on its weapons program due to justified actions of cooperation and information-sharing among allies. Kim strategically navigates regional alliances, gravitating toward Beijing and Moscow to serve as a thorn in the side of US-allied countries while protecting North Korea's security and interests, WION reported.

Related Article: Illinois NAACP President Apologizes After Being Suspended for Calling Migrants 'Rapists,' 'Savages'

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The Western powers involved in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran have lodged serious accusations against Tehran.

They claim that Iran has been engaging in the development and testing of ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level. These actions are in direct violation of a UN resolution endorsing the deal, as per The Independent.

The Unraveling of the Iran Nuclear Agreement

The accusations were made by Britain, France, and Germany at a semi-annual meeting of the Security Council, which was focused on the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement. The United States, which withdrew from the agreement in 2018, strongly supported the claims made by the Western powers.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the agreement is known, aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange for limiting uranium enrichment to peaceful levels, economic sanctions against Iran were lifted.

While these accusations have been met with denial by Iran and its ally Russia, tensions continue to rise. Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Iravani and Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia both blamed the United States' withdrawal from the JCPOA, as well as Western sanctions and an alleged anti-Iran stance, for the current standoff.

Iravani asserted that Iran has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, while Nebenzia rejected evidence suggesting the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.

Former President Donald Trump, upon unilaterally withdrawing from the accord in 2018, had promised to negotiate a stronger deal. However, these negotiations never materialized.

Subsequently, Iran began to break the terms of the agreement, with its recent 60% enrichment nearing weapons-grade levels, according to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Formal talks to find a roadmap to restart the JCPOA collapsed in August 2022, leaving the future of the agreement uncertain.

Amidst these developments, UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo emphasized that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still considers the JCPOA to be the best available option in ensuring the peaceful use of Iran's nuclear program. DiCarlo, along with the three European countries involved in the agreement, called on Iran to reverse its course, according to Voice of America.

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Iran's Enriched Uranium Surge Sparks Global Concerns

They cited a joint statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which revealed that Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium now exceed the JCPOA limit by 22 times. The European countries firmly stated that there is no credible civilian justification for Iran's nuclear program and expressed concerns about its trajectory towards weapons-related capabilities.

In response, the European nations and US Minister Counselor John Kelley emphasized their commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons by all means necessary.

Kelley urged Iran to take actions to build international confidence, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further nuclear provocations that pose serious risks of proliferation. He highlighted that the United States remains fully committed to resolving the international community's concerns through diplomatic means. However, Kelley expressed concerns that the actions of Iran suggest that this goal is not their priority.

Ambassador Iravani from Iran reiterated their persistence in working towards the revival of the JCPOA and being prepared to fully implement the agreement once it is revived. However, he stressed that the revival of the agreement requires genuine political attentiveness and the full implementation of obligations by the US and all other parties. Ambassador Nebenzia of Russia firmly stated that there is no alternative to the JCPOA.

As tensions escalate and the accusations continue to fly, the future of the nuclear deal and discussions around it remain uncertain. The situation warrants careful monitoring as the international community seeks to navigate a delicate path towards a peaceful resolution, Business Standard reported.

Related Article: North Korea Threatens US of More Offensive Actions in Response to Washington's Hostility

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China-backed high-rise complex project starts capping in Egypt's New Alamein

Xinhua) 10:48, December 20, 2023

Guests attend the capping ceremony of the D01 residential building of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt, Dec. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Alamein Downtown Towers Project in Egypt's New Alamein City, a cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has started capping its main structures.

A ceremony was held on Monday for the capping of the D01 residential building of the high-rise complex project, being constructed by the Egyptian branch of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC Egypt).

As an outstanding representative of Chinese enterprises in Egypt, CSCEC Egypt has aligned itself with the Egypt Vision 2030 sustainable development strategy, tapped deeply into the potential of China-Egypt cooperation and contributed to the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Chinese Consul General in Alexandria Yang Yi said at the ceremony.

Deputy chairman of Egypt's New Urban Communities Authority Abdel Moteleb Mamdouh said thanks to the project, the past two years have witnessed the rising of skyscrapers on a vast expanse of desert. When completed, it will become the core area of Alamein New City. China and Egypt have completed many cooperation projects under the BRI, and there will be many more in the future.

The Alamein Downtown Towers Project of New Alamein City, located on Egypt's Mediterranean northern coast, consists of a 300-meter-high iconic tower, four 200-meter-high buildings, and affiliated commercial and municipal facilities covering a total area of 1.09 million square meters.

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the D01 residential building (L) of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the capped D01 residential building of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the capping ceremony of the D01 residential building of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the construction site of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

People attend the capping ceremony of the D01 residential building of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in New Alamein City, Egypt, Dec. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Colorado Supreme Court issued an explosive ruling disqualifying former United States President Donald Trump from the state ballot in the 2024 presidential race.

The Tuesday ruling was made over the Republican businessman's engagement in insurrection due to his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, Capitol Hill riot. The decision is expected to put the basic contours of next year's election in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump Disqualified From Colorado Ballot

With the ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court becomes the first in the country to find that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment applies to Trump. That particular provision disqualifies people who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it.

The development directs the secretary of state of Colorado to exclude Trump's name from the Republican primary ballot in the state but does not address the general election. The four-justice majority wrote that they did not reach the conclusions lightly.

They added that they were mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions that were placed before them. The justices also said that they were mindful of their solemn duty to apply the law without fear or favor and without being swayed by public reaction, as per the New York Times.

The former president's campaign immediately said after the ruling that it plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado justices anticipated the possibility by putting their ruling on hold at least until Jan. 4.

If Trump appeals the decision before then, the hold will continue until the Supreme Court issues a ruling on the matter. Additionally, while the decision affects the former president's campaign in only one state, it could still force the highest court to decide the question for all 50.

An assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, Anthony Michael Kreis said that it was difficult for the Supreme Court not to take the case. If the justices of the highest court do take it, it would join the pile of other Trump-related matters that they have agreed to or are likely to decide.

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A Series of Legal Challenges

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung issued a statement saying that they would swiftly file an appeal to the Supreme Court. He added that they would file a concurrent request for a stay of the "deeply undemocratic decision," according to France24.

The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling comes after a group of voters challenged a previous ruling that Trump's involvement in the Capitol siege did not preclude his running for president again. That particular decision was based on the interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The situation also comes after a liberal group on Monday appealed a ruling that keeps Trump on the ballot to the Michigan Supreme Court. The group, Free Speech For the People, appealed last week's ruling that said the Republican Party can place whomever they want on the ballot for its presidential primary, regardless of whether or not they are qualified for the office, said the Associated Press.



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A Chinese spacecraft, which is on its third mission, was found to have launched six unidentified objects into Earth's orbit that emit various signals, prompting the United States Department of Defense to monitor the situation.

The craft, known as Shenlong which means "Divine Dragon," made the flight on Dec. 14, and the objects that it deployed have been designated OBJECT A, B, C, D, E, and F by the Defense Department. The official NORAD TLE designations are 58573 through 58577, and 58581.

China's Unidentified Space Objects

An amateur astronomer and satellite tracker, Scott Tilley, has also been closely analyzing the objects. OBJECT A was found to emit signals that are reminiscent of "wingman" emissions from previous Chinese space plane missions.

The signals are characterized by limited data modulation and suggest a potential link to the Asian nation's earlier space activities. OBJECTS D and E, on the other hand, were found to be emitting idle "placeholder" signals that are devoid of data. Additionally, these signals tend to be intermittent and do not stay for very long, as per Gizmodo.

The unique nature of the various signals, particularly their modulation at 2,280 MHz, which is a frequency that was previously associated with Chinese space plane missions, and their appearance near the objects' predicted orbital paths led to them being associated with the objects themselves.

Tilley urged other observers to continue monitoring the close encounters between OBJECT A and OBJECTS D and E in the next few days. They are expected to come close to each other at their perigee, which is the nearest point in their orbits.

Similar situations have been observed in the past, during Shenglong's September 2020 and August 2022 missions. It released similar unknown objects into orbit and speculation suggests that they could be service modules, inspector satellites that are meant for tracking the spacecraft, or test items for orbital placement.

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Staying in Earth's Orbit

It is also entirely possible that the Chinese spacecraft has developed enough that it could carry out more ambitious experiments. For example, it could carry satellites capable of on-orbit manipulation and disrupting, degrading, destroying, and surveilling other satellites, according to The Drive.

The United States is also operating a reusable robotic space plane in relative secrecy, which is the Boeing-built X-37B. Similar to China's space plane, there is little information regarding this particular craft and its operations or capabilities. The U.S. Space Force is currently planning to launch the spacecraft on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 28 after several delays.

Furthermore, the timing of the two reusable space plane launches can be considered as more than just a coincidence. In a statement, U.S. Space Force's Chief of Space Operations, General Chance Saltzman said during a conference earlier this month that they are the two most watched objects in orbit, said Space.

At least publicly, China has claimed that its space plane was designed for commercial use but it could also have military applications. This includes a convenient and potentially efficient way to get into orbit and stay there for extended periods.



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Taiwan announced how it will handle the Chinese spy balloons appearing across the Taiwan Strait. The Asian island nation announced this new effort as more and more surveillance aircraft of Beijing are being spotted.

As of writing, the Taiwanese government is on high alert since it alleges that China will make drastic efforts to intervene in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, which are expected to start on January 13, 2024. On Wednesday, Dec. 20, Taiwan finally shared its plan for how it will handle Chinese surveillance balloons that are flying nearby. Here's what the defense ministry said.

Taiwan Announces How It'll Handle Chinese Spy Balloons

During a media conference, Sun Li-Fang, Taiwan's defense ministry spokesperson, told reporters that they had been spotting Chinese balloons near the island country from October 2022 to March 2023.

"Generally speaking most of the ones we have spotted so far are weather balloons," he explained via Yahoo News.

"They are from mainland China, and not necessarily from the People's Liberation Army," added the top Taiwanese defense ministry official.

He added that Taiwan will start handling these Chinese spy balloons based on their threat levels. However, he didn't clarify if they will take serious measures if the threat level is higher.

This December, the Taiwanese government claimed that it had spotted four Chinese surveillance balloons over the Taiwan Strait's sensitive areas. Officials said that afterward, these aircraft would cross the airspace to the north before vanishing.

Read Also: China's iPhone Crackdown Worsens as Western Smartphone Ban in State Firms, Government Departments Expand

Latest Chinese Spy Balloon Sightings in Taiwan

The Associated Press recently reported that two Chinese surveillance balloons were spotted flying over north of Taiwan on Monday, Dec. 18. It was the second time that the Taiwanese government identified China's surveillance aircraft.

The first one in December happened on Dec. 7, when a Chinese spy balloon crossed southwest of Keelung. These sightings a few months after the U.S. government shot down an allegedly Chinese spy balloon flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

Taiwan's officials are concerned about these surveillance balloons since it was recently reported that Chinese officials discussed how they should interfere with the upcoming Taiwanese elections.

Sources claimed that Wang Huning, the fourth-ranking leader of the Chinese Communist Party, attended a high-level meeting where he urged other Chinese officials to be more effective and discreet when disrupting Taiwan's presidential election.

Related Article: More Chinese Weather Balloons Appear Across Taiwan Strait as Taiwanese Presidential Election Nears

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France passed a new tough immigration law that highlighted President Emmanuel Macron's parliamentary majority and how it is showing signs of division.

Lawmakers gave their final approval of the contested bill on Tuesday, handing a policy victory to Macron. It is a compromise between the president's party and the conservative opposition and it illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe.

France's New Immigration Law

In a statement after the vote, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that strict measures are necessary in today's time. He said, "It's not by holding your nose in central Paris that you can fix the problems of the French in the rest of the country."

The official expressed relief with the passage of the immigration bill with the votes of his centrist coalition and the conservatives. It did not have to rely on the surprise endorsement of far-right lawmakers, whose support had resulted in embarrassment in the presidential camp.

The French government initially said that the bill would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it much easier for migrants who are working in sectors that lack labor to get a residency permit. However, it would also make it easier for authorities to expel illegal migrants from the country, as per Reuters.

The government agreed to tone down the residency permit measures while delaying migrants' access to welfare benefits in order to gain support from the right. The benefits include benefits for children and housing allowances and the delay would amount to several years.

The people of France have long prided themselves on having one of the most generous welfare systems worldwide. The country grants payments even to foreign students, helps them pay rent, or care for their children with means-tested monthly contributions of up to a few hundred euros.

But more recently, the far right and conservatives have argued that these benefits should be reserved for French people only. The Tuesday deal would delay access to housing benefits for unemployed non-EU migrants by five years.

Read Also: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Unveils Details of 2024 Budget Following Detrimental Court Ruling

Paving the Road for the Opposition

Following the passing of the law, Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau offered his resignation in protest. However, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne did not say whether or not she would accept Rousseau's resignation, according to The Guardian.

Scores of MPs within Macron's centrist grouping voted against the immigration bill or abstained from the vote. A key figure on the left of the president's party, Sacha Houlie, voted against it. She was the one who led the special committee on the law.

The compromise to pass the immigration bill put Macron in an extremely uncomfortable position between a brewing internal revolt and what French news media have described as a "kiss of death" from the far-right National Rally party and its leader, Marine Le Pen.

A professor of political science at the University of Nice, Vincent Martigny said that when Macron was elected in 2022, he said that he would not forget the people who supported him because they wanted to oppose Le Pen. Martigny noted that now, the president is doing the opposite and paving the way for the opposition leader, said the New York Times.



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Las Vegas travelers may soon find airport screening easier, thanks to the new self-service screening tech that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are working on.

For the past few years, completing an airport screening has been quite a hassle for many Americans, especially during the holiday season and other busy months.

But, this could soon change, thanks to the self-service screening option of TSA and DHS. Here's everything you need to know about this airport technology.

TSA Working on New Airport Self-Service Screening Tech for Las Vegas Travelers

DHS confirmed that the Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport would have a new self-service screening tech as early as January 2024.

This technology became possible thanks to the efforts of the Screening Speed team of the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, as well as TSA's Innovation Task Force.

In 2021, TSA and DHS Screening at Speed Team awarded contracts to Voxel Radar, Vanderlande Industries, and Micro-X. These three companies are the ones working with the two agencies in developing the new self-service screening technology.

Officials said that Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport's transportation security officers were already trained on how to manage the self-screening option for travelers.

But, before that, the new technology will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which is scheduled for January 2024, as reported by Fox Business.

Aside from Las Vegas, TSA and DHS also allowed other airports to try the new self-service screening process. One of them is the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.

This airport tried a prototype of the new airport technology back in March and has been screening volunteer American travelers, as well as their belongings.

Read Also: American Airlines Secret Policy Might Disappoint YouHere's Why

How Airport Self-Service Screening Tech Works

According to The Daily Mail UK's latest report, the new self-service screening tech works as its name implies. This means that passengers will be allowed to scan their documents and will be given the responsibility to inspect their bags for banned items.

Aside from this, the machine used for screening will no longer be handled by TSA officers. Instead, the machine will work by itself, preventing travelers from passing through in case there's an issue.

"Travelers will use passenger and carry-on screening systems at individual consoles or screening lanes themselves, reducing the number of pat-downs and bag inspections TSOs need to perform and freeing their time to be reallocated to the busier aspects of screening operations," explained DHS Screening at Spead's Program Manager Dr. John Fortune.

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The UK's controversial Troubles Legacy Act would face a legal challenge filed by the Irish government on Wednesday (December 20).

Dublin's opposition stemmed from the law giving an amnesty to alleged murderers during The Troubles, the 30-year conflict in Ireland marked by violence and lawlessness that took over 3,500 lives and left thousands seriously injured.

Ireland's lawsuit was filed under the European Convention on Human Rights, the BBC reported.

Separately, victims and survivors of The Troubles have already taken Westminster to court in the High Court in Belfast.

Last September, British Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said that passage of the bill marked a "significant milestone as the government aims to deliver on our pledge to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles while helping society to look forward."

Read Also: Dublin Protesters Erupted in Riots After the Stabbing Incident Involving 5 People, Including 3 Children

Irish Deputy PM: We Have No Choice But to Sue

The bill was introduced by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021 in a bid to "draw a line" under The Troubles, including bringing an end to all new inquests and civil actions related to the conflict, which Dublin vehemently opposed.

"This decision was taken after much thought and careful consideration," Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a statement. "I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made."

He also said that the British government "pursued legislation unilaterally" despite the concerns of the Irish government and other stakeholders.

"We are not alone in our concerns," Martin added. "Serious reservations about this legislation have also been raised by a number of international observers, including the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights."

Martin further claimed that the law was "opposed" by people in Northern Ireland, a region where the UK still holds the island as its own.

Related Article: England: Teachers Granted Autonomy to Reject Student's Request to Change Gender Identity

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A new anti-anti-resistant bacteria antibiotics class has been discovered for the first time in over 60 years. This is thanks to the help of artificial intelligence.

For the past few years, health experts have been concerned about the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, especially since they don't know yet how to effectively fend off these alarming infections.

In 2019, studies revealed that anti-resistant bacteria were responsible for over 1 million deaths. Medical researchers also warned that this number could increase in the coming decades.

Can the new anti-anti-resistant bacteria antibiotics change this predicted health crisis? Here's what researchers revealed.

New Anti-Anti-Resistant Bacteria Antibiotics Discovered by AI!

According to New Scientist's latest report, scientists and health experts at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Massachusetts tested the impact of over 39,000 compounds of three types of liver cells, Staphylococcus aureus compounds, as well as lungs and skeletal muscles.

They used their acquired results to train AI models so they could learn how to predict the antibacterial activity of such compounds and their potential toxicity.

These trained AI models used computer simulations to analyze 12 million compounds to find 3,646 compounds that could have ideal-like properties. Aside from this, involved scientists also used additional calculations that were able to identify chemical structures needed to explain each compound's properties.

After comparing the substructures in different compounds the AI models discovered new classes of anti-anti-resistant bacteria antibiotics, as well as two harmless compounds that can kill drug-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci.

Health experts checked the efficiency of the new anti-anti-resistant bacteria antibiotics via mouse experiments. They specifically tested them in skin and thigh infection treatments caused by MRSA.

The results were great since each of the compounds was able to reduce the MRSA population by a factor of 10.

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Importance of Newly Discovered Antibiotics

The newly discovered anti-anti-resistant bacteria antibiotics showed that artificial intelligence can really help in finding medicines that can save lives.

"Our [AI] models tell us not only which compounds have selective antibiotic activity, but also why, in terms of their chemical structure," explained Felix Wong, one of the study's lead authors, via EuroNews.

He added that their work was a big deal for the health industry since they are the first to identify a new class of antibiotics, which complements other antibiotics, in over 60 years.

Related Article: Walking Pneumonia: Mysterious Disease Affects Children Worldwide; Here's the Little-Known Symptoms You Should Be Aware Of!

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Lake Boehmer shimmered in the West Texas sun, a 60-acre body of water in Pecos County growing by roughly 200 toxic gallons a minute.

The dry desert air around Boehmer carried salt and the stench of rotten eggs, a hallmark of poisonous hydrogen sulfide. Sulfur and salt crystals coated the withered remains of mesquite killed by water about three times saltier than the ocean.

More dangerous is what you cant see, feel or smell at Lake Boehmer  the subsiding earth, the radioactivity in the water, the methane in the air.

The high-pitched whine of an alarm pierced through the stench, indicating hazardous levels of hydrogen sulfide. Hawk Dunlap, a well control specialist tasked with monitoring the gushing problem at a nearby ranch, ushered observers to safer ground. Come on, Dunlap said. The winds dying. Lets get out of here.

The headwater of Lake Boehmer is a wildcat well drilled generations ago and passed along, in 1951, to then-landowner William B. Neely for use as a water well. It sprang to life in the early 2000s, belching out water that no one asked for. The lake of oil field waste has been growing for 20 years.

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Boehmer, named after another former landowner, has become a poster child for what can happen when no one takes responsibility for an old well. It provides a pathway for toxic waters flowing underground to rise to the surface.

Pressure forces flows onward, heedless of property lines as they search for an outlet. In this way, water and pressure are combining to expose previously undiscovered holes, leaks and cracks that may allow toxic waters to run amok underground. Geysers, gushers and road-swallowing sinkholes are signs at the surface that something is festering underground.

In some cases, operators are injecting wastewater into old oil fields that have problems no one realized until recently. Without warning, the wastewater can return to the surface through orphaned wells that were never documented or plugged wells that are failing, according to new research by Laura Capper, director of the Produced Water Society and principal of the consulting firm EnergyMakers Advisory Group, which is studying the relationship between pressure and aging subsurface infrastructure.

It's a problem that has been unfolding for generations, she said, citing records from the 1940s in which operators reported water they were injecting underground was going missing. Salty wastewater flowing underground could have sped the deterioration of cement and steel needed to protect aquifers and seal off formations from each other.

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We didn't used to think water going anywhere was bad. You know, they just probably thought, 'Oh, good. It's not my headache. I'm getting rid of my water.' They didn't think about where it's ending up, she said. The good news is I think people are generally figuring this out.

She said its hard to blame today's operators and regulators who until now did not know how deteriorated some subsurface conditions had become. I think it's far greater forces that have been evolving for a long, long time.

Rancher Schuyler Wight looks over a sinkhole near Highway 1053 Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in Imperial. The sinkhole happened following TxDOT filling in a well near the roadway. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

A threat to the industry

For those working in the field, issues with salty water migrating through mysterious channels underground and into unplugged wells have become easy to spot, said Kurt Knewitz, who brokers saltwater disposal wells. Knewitz said he has backed away from the business after seeing the phenomenon firsthand and worrying about the broader implications for the industry.

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The problem not only threatens Knewitzs disposal business, which manages wastewater from oil and gas producers, but also groundwater resources in drought-prone West Texas as well as the larger oil and gas industry.

Its a matter of time before some of these become very serious, significant issues, he said. Theres a threat to the entire industry, really, especially with (the Biden) administration. They could start imposing new regulations that could be extremely restrictive for us to be able to operate in the state.

Knewitz said he has been trying to raise the alarm in his circles, but its not a topic that people want to talk about. They want to ignore it because it takes money and time and resources.

Salt crystals form a lake that started from a well on property owned by Schuyler Wight. (Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer) Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

While operators and regulators might prefer to address this problem quietly, Antina Ranch owner Ashley Watt shouts about it from the rooftops. Watt, a Houston energy entrepreneur who inherited her familys property, has dug in her heels and spent millions of dollars investigating and drawing attention to what she believes could be the biggest contamination story in human history.

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It didnt start out that way, she said. After the first well on her property, Estes 24, started spewing toxic water in June 2021, she said she approached Chevron. The supermajor acquired some of the old wells at her 22,000-acre ranch in Crane County when it bought Gulf Oil in 1984. Her request was polite but firm: Clean up the ranch.

What I didn't realize is cleaning this up is their worst nightmare because if the precedent is they have to clean up this mess each time, she said, they're bankrupt.

Chevron said in a statement that it is trying to work with Watt, and blamed her for delays to the process.

We have continuously tried to address concerns raised by Ashley Watt about her Antina Ranch property, it said. Over the course of the past two years, she has denied or slowed access to Chevron experts.

Ashley Watt, owner of Antina Ranch near Monahans in West Texas, stands outside Chevron headquarters in downtown Houston on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

'A medusa'

The issue of underground water spewing from uncapped or insufficiently capped wells is coming to a head. Fracking a well requires a massive amount of water and it releases even more water trapped in sedimentary rock, which comes back to the surface as unpotable wastewater. Most of that water gets reinjected underground for disposal under high pressure in old oil wells.

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Regulators in Texas and New Mexico began limiting where operators could put their wastewater after they blamed deep injections for a rash of earthquakes in the region in 2021. The desperate hunt for disposal wells forced operators to inject it into shallower spaces which, in some areas, caused pressure to build in shallow reservoirs that are closer to protected groundwater resources.

You think you're fixing an earthquake and you may put something closer to an aquifer than you should, EnergyMakers Advisory Group's Capper said. Weve been in a lot of conversations lately with operators.

Lorie Sanders didnt even know she had old wells on her 40-acre property outside Abilene until dirty water started springing from one of them in February. The Railroad Commission was notified. A few weeks later, she said, it showed up and started digging up trees and installing trenches to hold the salty water. Another well sprung a leak, as did wells on her neighbors properties, she said.

The damage done to her property is irreversible, Sanders said, yet it seems there is no one taking responsibility. I feel like somebodys being protected and its not me.

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A dried riverbed where the Pecos River flows on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in West Texas. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

A traveling nurse, Sanders is familiar with consequences. She doesnt understand why oil and gas operators dont appear to face any for their actions, even if unintentional.

Im a nurse. If I didn't follow through and I killed a patient, what would happen to me? she asked. I would go to prison.

Accountability in these matters can be trickier than it seems, said Robert Traylor, a retired geologist who worked with the Railroad Commission for 25 years. It gets complicated to figure out what the hell is going on, he said. The well that is spewing water may not be the one that is causing the problems. It's a medusa. The more you try to look at it, the more complicated and messy it gets.

In the case of Lake Boehmer, decades of finger-pointing over who should be held accountable has let the filthy lake fester and grow. The Railroad Commission says it is a water well  not an oil well  so it falls outside its jurisdiction. But the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District argues the well was drilled for oil and oil field waste is what gurgles from it. The district blames nearby oil and gas operators intentionally pressuring up their fields so they can extract more crude. The local groundwater district is pursuing the matter through a formal hearings process in an attempt to convince the commission to take responsibility.

The combination of abandoned wells that are unplugged or need to be re-plugged, together with nearby enhanced recovery operations, is causing rampant subsidence and the degradation of groundwater and surface water quality, the groundwater district wrote in its complaint, citing groundwater sampling that found radioactive compounds, methane and hydrogen sulfide.

Lake Boehmer is pictured Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Imperial. (Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer)

The district lobbied the Legislature, which in its latest session approved a $10 million grant to plug old water wells in Pecos County. The water district plans to continue its appeal with the Railroad Commission.

Underground injections of dirty water and other chemicals also threaten the future of underground aquifers that, decades down the road, could be crucial to survival in drought-prone West Texas, said Virginia Palacios, executive director of Commission Shift, a nonprofit advocating for more-stringent oil and gas regulation.

"It turns into this situation where you end up having to manually clean all old water before its available for human use," she said, "and that gets very expensive."

Solutions wont be easy, Traylor, the geologist, said. These problems have been brewing since the first oil wells were drilled in the 1800s.

We were more interested in making money. We didnt know to think of all the bad things that could have happened, he said. We just went ahead, closed our eyes and carried on. Now were having all these problems comin to bite us.

A sinking feeling

Uncontrolled water flowing beneath old wells also is a recipe for sinkholes. The unplugged or poorly plugged wells can act as a pathway for water to travel into other formations, including layers of salt and limestone that are easily washed away. Without the layer of salt propping up Texas soil, the earth caves in.

Thats what appears to be happening with a well around the corner from Lake Boehmer that is buckling a stretch of FM 1053, a two-lane road connecting Imperial with Fort Stockton. State agencies, which tried once to cap the well, have thrown up their hands and decided it would be easier to move the highway than fix the sinkhole.

The Texas Department of Transportation said it plans to spend $30 million moving the road due to the continued growth of the subsidence zone.

Schuyler Wight, who owns a ranch neighboring the sinkhole, said he fears the same will happen with one well on his property recently plugged by the Railroad Commission. He said the casing had collapsed and the crew couldnt find bottom. The Railroad Commission argues the plug job was done successfully, noting decades of expertise in this area. It is not always safe or advisable to seal all the way to the bottom, it said, lest the plugging itself cause the well to collapse.

Schuyler Wight owns a ranch in West Texas that neighbors a sinkhole. The sinkhole happened following TxDOT filling in an oil well near the roadway. (Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer)

If they were to do more than that, it would collapse, a spokeswoman said. They fill it as much as the engineers say is safe.

Standing on the dry, cracked bed of the Pecos River, Wight looked up at a once-underwater wellbore, riddled with large, rusty holes. Wight estimates the undocumented well is nearly 100 years old. It offers a window into what the other wells might look like underground, he said  rife with holes that allow dirty water to go where it shouldn't. This is going to cost a boatload of money, he said.

When the river was flowing, he could run cattle and the water would act as a natural barrier. Elsewhere on the property, cow tracks were visible in the mud where oil and water spilled from old wells. He said the cows are drawn to the salt, so they often lap up the toxic fluids flowing from the neglected wells. Do you wanna eat beef thats licking off this stuff?

He knew there were old oil wells on the property when he started buying parcels in the 1980s, he said, but he didnt realize they would get this bad before someone plugged them. Its severely limited what I can do with the property.

Gas and salty water bubbles out of a well on Lake Boehmer on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Imperial. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

This story is the second in a three-part series. Read Part 1 here.
Mesquite waved in the breeze at Antina Ranch as well control specialist Hawk Dunlap dipped a stick into a hole in the ground and smelled it. See? he asked, extending the stick.

It smelled like gasoline.

Where theres the odor of oil and gas theres often noxious fumes such as benzene. His device measured 104 parts per million of volatile organic compounds outside one hole on the West Texas property southwest of Odessa. An invisible stream of chemicals was pouring up from below.

And thats with the wind, too.

The site is just one of dozens of legacy oil wells on the 22,000-acre property in Crane County that have mysteriously reanimated, spewing a toxic mix of crude oil, salty water and methane from holes that in some cases were drilled more than 50 years ago. The crew assembled to address the issue at Antina calls them zombie wells.

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An unplugged well is a portal into a dimension where brine can flow like an underground river, at times carrying the detritus of oil and gas production. They include chemicals used in extraction, leftover hydrocarbons and radioactive elements freed by drill bits cutting through the sedimentary rock. Modern regulations mandate steel and cement caps to prevent what flows beneath from traveling up through a retired well. When those protections fail, as they have at Antina, climate-warming gases and toxic waters can freely rise to the surface, poison groundwater aquifers and kill plants.

Hawk Dunlap shows how the cement in a plug from 2021 has broken and is no longer holding it in place on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Monahans. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Hawk Dunlap shows a stick, reeking of crude oil after dipping it until an improperly plugged well on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Monahans. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Hawk Dunlap smells a stick after dipping it into an abandoned well that had been plugged on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Monahans. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Hawk Dunlap holds soil that smells like oil outside a plugged well on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 in West Texas. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Hawk Dunlap takes an air sample in an abandoned well that had been plugged on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Monahans. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Hawk Dunlap put a stick in an abandoned well that had been plugged on Antina Ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Monahans. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

There is no way to know how many among the millions of wells in the U.S. are leaking, though one estimate suggests there could be 500,000 plugged wells leaking nationwide. Failing plugs compound another daunting problem  the nation is already drowning in at least 120,000 orphaned wells with no corporate parent to claim responsibility for them, and even more undocumented wells yet to be discovered.

Its a costly mess that belongs to all of us for not knowing better in days gone by, said Dan Arthur, president and chief engineer of Tulsa, Okla.-based ALL Consulting. He has decades of experience working with aging wells and the challenges they pose and says some blame belongs to companies operating when lasting environmental impacts were less understood but also to governments that tore protective steel casings from wells along the Gulf Coast to feed the war machine during World War II.

It wasnt someone being an evil person, he said. This is stuff thats happened over time.

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The Texas Railroad Commission, the states primary regulator of the oil and gas industry, said in a statement that it does not believe so-called zombie wells are a systemic issue. Despite social media posts by some concerned citizens, there is little evidence of a widespread occurrence of previously plugged wells leaking due to failing plug jobs.

Yet an expanding pool of evidence suggests otherwise.

Measuring failure

Dunlap wore red coveralls as he inspected the Antina wells, squinting in the Texas sun. His lip bulged with chewing tobacco. Watch for snakes, he cautioned as he headed into the brush.

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Many of the wells on the property were operated by Gulf Oil, whose liabilities were acquired by Chevron when it bought the oil company in 1984.

Dunlap said the plugged wells appear to be failing at a rate of around 90 percent, but Chevron disagrees. Whether Chevron is responsible for the problem wells  however many there are on the property  is a matter getting hashed out in court. Antina filed suit last year alleging the oil giant and its affiliates failed to protect the ranchs soil and groundwater from contamination, damaging the propertys value and usability.

The litigation is ongoing, and Chevron said it continues to work with the ranch to address issues under its purview. Chevron is a responsible operator and proud of its 100-plus year history in West Texas, it said in a statement.

What exactly is going on beneath the surface and who is responsible for what is a matter of debate, but Dunlap said its a problem many companies would rather not know about.

You cant see in the well. You cant visually look. You have to investigate, he said. Think about the money that youd have to spend to investigate and plug all this stuff.

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Neighboring cattle rancher Schuyler Wight is having problems of his own across his sprawling 20,000-acre cattle ranch. More than 200 wells on his property belong to non-responsive oil operators and many of them are leaking. Most of them arent on the orphan list  yet  but the Railroad Commission recently spent roughly $900,000 to plug one orphan on his property, he said.

Wight spent around $23,000 plugging one well himself. He attempted to plug another, spent $203,000 in the process before eventually throwing in the towel. A rig costs $10,000 a day, and it could take weeks to get it done. Unlike rigs that drill for black gold, there is no money at the bottom of an old well.

Thats a lot of money to be paying off with cows, Wight said. My pockets are not that deep.

Groundwater was spotted leaking from an abandoned well on Schuyler Wights ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Imperial. (Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer) Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Haphazard approach

In the early days of Texas oil, wildcatters poked holes everywhere that gave them a tingling feeling, including dozens of sites around Houston. Even after regulations began taking effect in the 1920s, many took a free-wheeling approach, leaving present-day regulators in the dark about how many holes could be out there. Holes that ended up being dry more than a century ago may nevertheless threaten the environment.

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A lot of guys would go drill a well and if it was a dry hole, they wouldnt bother getting a lease, said Robert Traylor, a geologist who worked as a consultant with the Railroad Commission for nearly 30 years before he retired in 2015. And so nobody even knew they drilled a well.

Wells also become orphaned when their owners go bankrupt or dissolve, absolving operators of liability. Oil majors dont go bankrupt, but they often sell their low-producing wells to smaller companies that do. Small companies squirrel away vast numbers of low-producing wells, squeezing them for their remaining oil. This way, one small company that goes bankrupt or dissolves can leave behind scores of wells that become wards of the state.

The number of such wells added annually to the Railroad Commissions list of those to be plugged through industry fees is in the hundreds. The queue now has more than 8,200 wells that were sloughed off over more than a century of oil production by operators who ran out of the money  or will  to plug them.

Patrick Courreges, communications director with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, said his state is treading water with its own list of orphaned wells, which currently number around 4,500.

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Youre playing catch-up in states that had that big gold rush in oil back in the day, Courreges said. Thats a lot to catch up.

Federal funds to fix wells without liable owners started trickling into Texas earlier this year, but $4.7 billion shared among the states just scrapes the surface of what promises to be a costly problem. Around 14 million Americans live within a mile of a documented orphan well, including 315,000 people in Texas, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group.

More than 100,000 more inactive, low-producing and delinquent wells in Texas are in danger of soon becoming orphaned, according to analyses by environmental groups and financial services firms. Around 120,000 idle wells in Texas are at high risk of becoming orphaned, said Adam Peltz, a director and senior attorney in the Environmental Defense Funds energy program. Some have been inactive for decades, according to RRC data, but Peltz said the chances of those inactive wells ever coming back into production are low.

The problem isnt limited to onshore sites. There are an estimated 14,000 wells in the Gulf of Mexico and its tributaries that are no longer producing and need to be plugged  a mounting liability estimated to cost $30 billion, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis and Louisiana State University published in May in the journal Nature Energy.

Official well counts dont capture undocumented wells that predate modern reporting  estimated to be around 1.2 million nationally, according to the think tank Carbon Tracker, which researches the connection between capital markets and the energy transition. The firm estimated that at the current pace, it could take 300 years to plug the nations nearly 4 million unplugged wells.

An abandoned well on Antina Ranch property in West Texas, pictured Tuesday, April 25, 2023, was found to be leaking. Groundwater was spotted leaking from an abandoned well on Schuyler Wights ranch on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 near Imperial. (Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer) Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

The Railroad Commission plugged 1,068 wells during fiscal 2022 at a cost of $29.5 million, and added another 944 over the same period. During the second quarter, it said it plugged 363 wells at a cost of $11.7 million  119 wells with state funds and 244 wells with money from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which has promised Texas nearly $320 million in phased disbursements.

Plugging wells is becoming more costly as unconventional wells get deeper, standards become more stringent, labor and equipment costs rise and as the energy transition weakens the value of aging assets. It can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $1 million to plug a single well, depending on the integrity of the remaining structure. The longer an old well sits, the more the steel casing and cement protecting the hole degrade.

If things go wrong, said Dwayne Purvis, a reservoir engineer, the total dollars can really go off the top.

Still, the Railroad Commission is reluctant to continue accepting the new funds until federal guidelines are released. In February, the commission asked the U.S, Department of the Interior to reconsider guidelines that could require the RRC to submit data about wells plugged with federal dollars and monitor the sites afterward for gas emissions and potential groundwater contamination. Such monitoring would fall outside its statutory abilities, it said.

We are still waiting on receipt of final guidelines before we can make any determinations as an agency, a spokeswoman for the agency said in a statement. Meantime, the list of uncapped wells grows.

Schuyler Wight walks away from a well as it leaks oil and produced water onto the surface of his ranch on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in West Texas. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Out of sight, out of mind

Plugging orphaned wells and repairing wells whose plugs are coming undone is a priority for the Biden administration because of the cumulative and significant impact the hundreds of thousands of unplugged orphaned wells have on climate change, said Winnie Stachelberg, infrastructure coordinator for the Department of the Interior. She said the departments initial disbursement of $25 million to Texas would plug 800 wells.

We have heard from so many people how relieved they are that someone is finally doing something, Stachelberg said.

The Railroad Commission said its well-plugging crews are stretched across the state, and it denies the existence of any systemic issues with orphaned and unplugged wells. Its program has plugged more than 44,000 wells since the early 1980s.

But for some in West Texas, progress comes at a glacial pace. A fourth-generation oil field worker who grew up riding pump jacks in East Texas, Hawk Dunlap said the industry has lately lost its charm.

The romance is kind of gone for me after seeing all this, he said gesturing out toward a sea of leaking old wells. There should not be an orphan well problem in the state of Texas. We can do things the right way. The fact that we just dont is heartbreaking.

This story was updated July 18 to clarify that the Railroad Commission plugs wells using funds from the oils and gas industry.

This story is the first in a three-part series. Read Part 2 here.
Golden Chick at 747 E. Louetta Rd. Submitted by Golden Chick

A popular chicken-focused restaurant has opened its doors to the Cy-Fair community.

Salim and Eliyan Muman are no strangers to the food industry. The franchisees' new Golden Chick restaurant near Jersey Village joins their two other Houston area locations.

Golden Chick is a fast-service chicken restaurant with more than 200 locations in several states across the U.S.

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Its menu features items such as crispy tenders and yeast rolls. Through the end of the year, the restaurant will be offering its buffalo ranch chicken sandwich.

The Mumans have a location on North Rosslyn and another on Airport Boulevard that opened less than a month before the Cy-Fair restaurant, according to a news release.

Opening two locations within one month is no easy undertaking, Mark Parmerlee, CEO of Golden Chick, said in a statement.

The Mumans are also co-owners of Sugar Land-based Universal Food Corp, LLC. They will be looking to continue their growth in the start of the new year with a restaurant under construction on Galveston Avenue.

Salim and Eliyan are exemplary franchisees due to their strong knowledge of the Houston area and their goals for explosive growth alongside the Golden Chick brand, Parmerlee said. We look forward to seeing what these two continue to accomplish within this community.

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Former Shanghai chief procurator sentenced to imprisonment for bribery

Xinhua) 10:50, December 20, 2023

XIAMEN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court Tuesday sentenced Zhang Bencai, former chief procurator of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate, to 13 years imprisonment for accepting bribes.

Zhang took advantage of the various posts he held between 2005 and 2020 to assist others in land development, business operations, project contracting, job transfers and promotions, among others, according to the verdict issued by the Intermediate People's Court of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

In exchange, Zhang directly or indirectly accepted money and valuables worth more than 48.32 million yuan (about 6.8 million U.S. dollars), according to the judgment.

The court said Zhang was also fined 4 million yuan, with his illegal gains from bribery recovered and turned over to the state treasury.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Accused serial killer Jose Gilberto Rodriguez is escorted from court after an appearance before State District Judge Kristin M. Guiney at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Monday, July 23, 2018. ( Melissa Phillip /Houston Chronicle ) Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle

A man charged with capital murder after a week-long 2018 crime spree that left three people dead will spend the rest of his life in prison, the Harris County District Attorneys Office said Tuesday.

Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 51, pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder and two counts of aggravated robbery related to a series of crimes committed in north Houston in July 2018.

Rodriguez was set to go to trial in January. Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty against Rodriguez, one of the few Harris County defendants facing the punishment at trial.

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MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: One dead after shooting near Cypress Lakes High School, sheriff says

Instead, Rodriguez pleaded guilty and agreed to serve five consecutive life sentences. The three life sentences related to the murders do not have the possibility of parole.

This was a series of horrible and violent crimes, and we were preparing to seek the death penalty, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release. This plea agreement ensures that Jose Rodriguez will never again breathe free air and can never appeal these convictions or prison sentences.

The plea agreement took months of negotiations and happened on the cusp of a lengthy jury selection intended for the death penalty trial, said defense attorney Anthony Osso. The trial in the 232nd District Court would have lasted at least three months.

Recent interviews the prosecutors conducted with Harris County Jail guards suggested Rodriguez could be imprisoned without being a danger to anyone, the lawyer continued.

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Hes been a model inmate since 2018, when he was arrested, Osso said. That played into it.

The multiple life sentence, which Osso said is one of the longest ever imposed in Harris County, likely saves taxpayers about $1.5 million that would have gone toward the cost of post-conviction legal proceedings and housing him through the trial, he said.

Rodriguez also agreed to pay $20,000 in fines, officials said. He cant appeal his convictions.

Rodriguez has been in custody since July 17, 2018, a day after authorities said they were looking for him in connection to a series of robberies and deadly shootings at a home and two Houston-area mattress stores.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo holds a photo of Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 46, during a press conference Monday, July 16, 2018. Jay R. Jordan

In the days before he was arrested, police believed Rodriguez robbed a home in the Tower Oaks neighborhood, killed a woman in Cypress, took her car and then killed another woman at a mattress store in the Willowbrook area. He then shot and wounded a Metro bus driver in Frenchtown and killed another man at a Mattress One store in the Northside neighborhood.

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The people Rodriguez killed were Pamela Johnson, 62, a mostly deaf widow who had been in the midst of planning her mothers 100th birthday party; Allie Barrow, 28, a one-time hair stylist who had planned to get married; and Edward Magana, 57, a husband and father of four who had immigrated to the United States from El Salvador.

The victims had no apparent connection to each other, and Rodriguez never explained his motive for the homicides.
A wild jaguarundi is shown in this 1999 photo taken at the Ebanos Ranch in Tamaulipas, Mexico, about 120 miles south of Brownsville, Texas on Mexico's Gulf Coast. The range for jaguarundis stretches from southern Brazil through Central America and Mexico, but is rapidly dwindling. At one time it reached north along Mexico's Gulf Coast into the subtropical scrub of the Rio Grande Valley, the only place they have been documented in the United States. (AP Photo/Arthur Caso). ARTHUR CASO/AP A full-body black spotted leopard (panther) is ready to be auctioned at Winkler Center on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, in Houston. More than 700 taxidermy pieces will be auctioned by TexMAX Auctions on Saturday, January 20. Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle

The black cat-like figure is pictured standing in a grassy field. The mysterious photo has been at the center of hundreds of social media comments trying to understand  or claiming to know for certain  what the animal is since it was posted to Facebook on Dec. 16.

"We have officially spotted a panther on our property," Jerel Hall wrote when he posted the picture from Huntsville. Since then, the flood of comments has been hoping to discern if the animal is a black panther, a house cat or something else entirely.

Animal experts delivered what might feel like disappointing news.

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"It looks like a regular black house cat," said Jason Lombardi, the statewide large carnivore research coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "When we're talking about species currently living in Texas, there are no cats in East Texas that can be black besides a house cat."

It is not uncommon to see Texans submit photos of large cats and call them black panthers, said Monica Morrison, founder of Texas Native Cats, an animal advocacy nonprofit. Black panthers do not exist, she said, even if the name is sometimes used colloquially.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is aware of the photo but will likely not investigate further, said Dana Karelus, state mammal specialist at the agency.

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Morrison said that the black color makes it unlikely that the animal is a mountain lion. Mountain lions, typically light brown, can be up to 170 pounds and are found in Texas. Karelus noted that the shape of the body also lacks the long, droopy tail that curls up at the end usually seen among mountain lions.

"We get these inquiries quite a bit, and domestic cat is the outcome in almost every case. Scale and detail are difficult to discern in grainy photos, which certainly adds to the intrigue, but I have to say with great confidence that is not a mountain lion," wrote Lisanne Patracca, an assistant professor of carnivore ecology at Texas A&M University at Kingsville in an email.

Hall took the photo from around 120 feet away from the animal, he told Chron.com. He added that he saw what he said was a smaller black panther chasing a herd of feral hogs nine years ago.

Jaguarundis, wild cats weighing less than 16 pounds with charcoal or reddish fur, are sometimes floated as explanations for mysterious cat sightings in Texas. According to Lombardi, who spent time researching jaguarundis in Texas, the cats are out of the running because they are extinct in the state.

The last sighting of a wild jaguarundi in the state was in 1986 along a Brownsville highway.

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This image, captured Tuesday afternoon from the Geostational Orbital Environmental Satellite, shows widespread clouds north and south of Houston. Wednesdays skies over Southeast Texas should be mostly to partly sunny before more clouds arrive Thursday. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Houstons forecast for much of this week has been primarily influenced by a sprawling ridge of high atmospheric pressure parked nearly overhead. But the chilly mornings will give way to warming temperatures through the end of the week and into the last weekend before Christmas.

The warming trend does come with a catch: rain. Lets start first with Wednesdays sunshine, because it may be the last time well see it for a while.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WEATHER: Sunny skies early this week might make holiday visitors want to stay a bit longer

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One last day of sunshinefor now

If you havent had the chance to get outside and enjoy the sunny skies in Southeast Texas so far this week, you still have time.

On Wednesday, a quick-moving upper-level disturbance will pivot east of the Houston metro area in the morning. This means well likely start with a mostly cloudy sky early on before breaking into more sunshine by the afternoon.

Those of you in Palacios or Matagorda Bay have a tiny chance of a passing light shower before noon Wednesday, but that chance is only at about 10% to perhaps 20%. Near and east of Houston, after a few morning clouds, look for mostly sunny skies. Along and west of Interstate 45, a few more clouds will likely keep skies partly cloudy through Wednesday.

Southeasterly winds carrying tropical air from the coast will result in temperatures warming to near 70 degrees by the afternoon.

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This image shows projected cloud cover for Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Blend of Models. WeatherBELL

Temperatures rise, rain soon to fall

Dry weather will continue Thursday for most of Southeast Texas, in spite of increasingly cloud-filled skies.

Those of you west of the Brazos River have a slim chance for a light passing shower or two Thursday afternoon. While skies turn mostly cloudy in Houston by Thursday afternoon, daytime temperatures should have no problem climbing into the upper 60s and lower 70s.

The Houston metro area will find itself squarely in the path of a series of upper-level disturbances by Friday, including an upper-level system of low atmospheric pressure off the California coast, with the first disturbance to push into the region Thursday night into Friday.

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Forecast models depict widespread showers by Friday morning, so if you have one last day of work before the holiday weekend, plan for a slower drive into the office. Although we shouldnt expect a substantial break in shower activity until possibly Saturday, the potential for strong storms will be absent from this first round of storms.

Messy holiday weekend travel

This weekends weather could certainly lead to issues getting to your holiday destinations. After the first round of messy weather arrives in the Houston metro area Thursday night into Friday, on-and-off showers are expected through possibly as late as Saturday morning east of Interstate 45.

Once showers push out Saturday morning, both European and American forecast models suggest drier weather is possible Saturday afternoon ahead of more rain by Christmas Eve on Sunday.

This map shows how radar could look Friday afternoon, according to the American forecast model. Rain likely will be across much of Southeast Texas, with a few heavier downpours occurring through the evening. Pivotal Weather

As several upper-level systems mingle over the Four Corners region in the southwestern United States this weekend, a surface low pressure system is expected to develop near the Texas Panhandle on Saturday night.

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Does the surface low pressure move due north or northeasterly? Its too early to answer that question accurately, but the exact track of the low pressure system will ultimately play a role in how quickly our next cold front arrives.

The combination of a developing surface low pressure to our north and abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will usher in rain and thunderstorms for Christmas Eve, with both European and American forecast models suggesting heavier rainfall through the afternoon and evening. A few stronger storms cannot be ruled out Sunday, with forecast highs climbing into the upper 60s, but widespread severe weather is unlikely.

Christmas Day outlook

Uncertainty persists regarding the forecast for Christmas Day. Does our next cold front sweep through early enough to briefly dry us out in time for the holiday? Will a developing low pressure system off the Texas Gulf Coast bring widespread rain on Monday?

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Harris County Commissioners, from left, Lesley Briones, Tom Ramsey, Judge Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia stand as they get ready to take photos with those honored during the Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

More Harris County residents facing eviction will have access to free legal support after Harris County Commissioners Court approved $4 million in eviction defense funding.

The decision doubles the county's initial $4 million investment earlier this year that boosted legal representation in half of the county's justice of the peace courts. Now, attorneys with Lone Star Legal Aid and Neighborhood Defender Services will be able to help tenants in all 16 of the courts.

LOOKING AHEAD: Houston Republicans blast plan to cut taxpayer subsidy for paid neighborhood patrols

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Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the funding will support thousands of Harris County renters at risk of losing their homes

"This was a problem before 2020 and became a crisis in the pandemic," Ellis said in a statement. "Since March 2020, landlords have filed at least 220,800 evictions in Harris County courts.

The funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which the county has been using to create free child care slots, a guaranteed basic income program and affordable housing units.

HOW TO APPLY: What to know about Harris County's guaranteed income program

Members of the court also expanded the county's alternative response team that answers non-violent 911 calls. In its year-long pilot program, the team diverted more than 2,200 calls from law enforcement responses, freeing up law enforcement to focus on violent crimes and helping to connect people experiencing mental health crises with available resources.

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Commissioners voted in June to grow the Holistic Assistance Response Team program by extending it to additional areas and making the team of mental health crisis workers available 24/7. On Tuesday, they awarded the company managing the program, DEMA Consulting & Management Texas, $4.6 million to fuel that expansion.

Commissioners Court has adjourned for the rest of the year, but will return in January to continue tackling major county issues including neighborhood contracts with constable's offices.

The court likely will take up debate on how neighborhood associations pay to receive extra patrols from constable's offices. Currently, those groups cover about 70% of the cost of the deputies' salaries, benefits and vehicles, while the rest of the cost is paid for by taxpayers across the county  many of whom don't receive the additional protection.
Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters fill City Hall chambers Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Yilun Cheng, Houston Chronicle

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, around 150 advocates supporting either Israel or Palestine filled the City Council chamber to capacity Tuesday afternoon during outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner's last public meeting.

Local pro-Palestine protesters, who have been engaging city leaders for the past month, urged the mayor and council members again to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Outside City Hall, about 100 advocates chanted cease-fire now and free free free Palestine." Meanwhile, pro-Israeli speakers, for the first time since the conflict began, turned out in large numbers at the council chamber to ensure their perspectives were also heard.

Hamas fighters carried out a surprise attack in Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting around 240 hostages. The Israeli military responded with bombardment on Gaza, resulting in over 19,000 Palestinian deaths, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

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Last week, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to demand a humanitarian cease-fire. In the United States, cities including Detroit, Seattle and San Francisco have all passed resolutions calling for cease-fires in the conflict.

Turner, responding to the advocacy of pro-Palestine protesters, repeatedly stated that the Houston City Council does not pass resolutions of this nature. However, some advocates said Tuesday that this was merely an excuse, arguing that city officials could take a stance in a personal capacity or advocate for them in front of members of Congress if they so desired.

I do not for one second believe that you as the mayor of the fourth largest city are powerless to act, advocate Trisciola Ranilez said during the public meeting, noting Turners statement condemning Russia's actions following its invasion of Ukraine. Houston has the second largest population of Palestinians in the United States, and right now your legacy will be one of indifference toward their suffering.

Turner, pushing back on Ranilez's statement, emphasized that during his past travels to Israel, he always visited Palestinian people as well.

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At the same time, about a dozen members of Houston's Jewish community spoke to highlight violence perpetrated by Hamas militants and anti-Semitic rhetoric in the United States.

PROTEST FOR PALESTINE: Houstonians protest siege in Gaza.

Tali Kalmans, a Jewish student attending college in New York, recalled her experiences of feeling unsafe on campus. She said she received a campus alert recently to stay in her dormitory after a scheduled walkout turned raucous.

The campus I call home has many active Jewish groups, but our lives have been very different since Oct. 7, Kalmans said.

Rabbi Edwin Goldberg challenged claims the Israeli government is perpetrating genocide against Palestinian people.

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Israel is at a war for its existence. Its ugly, messy and its sad for all sides. We sympathize with all whove been impacted, but its wrong to call it genocide, Goldberg said, arguing that Israel's actions are a defense against a violent terrorist threat.

However, not all Jewish residents who attended Tuesday's meeting expressed alignment with the Israeli government.

Id like to remind everyone in this room that for years the Jews killed in the Holocaust were considered to be the incidental cost of war, said Amanda Hunt, a Jewish constituent who recounted her familys own experience with persecution. Im horrified to see America and Israel pull the same rhetoric to justify violence against Palestinians.

Mary Benton, a spokesperson from the mayor's office, explained Tuesday the city typically only issues resolutions for matters directly related to the city's procedures and operations. She said the city does not have a history of issuing resolutions regarding global conflicts.

We welcome Houstonians to sign up for city council public session and share their concerns about current events, Benton added.

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Meanwhile, Harris County and its public mental health authority have launched an emotional support hotline, 833-812-2481, to assist those affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The hotline provides round-the-clock counseling and offers translation services in over 150 languages.
A migrant family from Venezuela reacts after breaking through a razor wire barricade into the United States after waiting for hours on a river bank on the Rio Grande river in Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/TNS

WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted a request by Texas to bar Border Patrol agents from cutting or moving state-owned razor wire along the Rio Grande as the ongoing legal battle over a key piece of Gov. Greg Abbotts border crackdown plays out.

The order, by a three-judge panel of the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, marks an early victory for Texas in one of several ongoing legal battles with the Biden administration and civil rights groups over the states border security initiative, Operation Lone Star.

Attorney General Ken Paxton in October sued to stop Border Patrol agents from tampering with the wire, arguing they have no authority to damage or seize state property that is not on federal land and their actions are thwarting state border operations.

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While the case is ongoing, the appeals panel wrote that Texas has demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on those claims.

Border Patrol has said the wire is preventing its agents from reaching at-risk migrants and increasing the risk of drowning as some struggle to leave the water. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes Border Patrol, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The order stops federal agents from damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with the roughly 29 miles of state-owned wire near Eagle Pass. It includes an exception for agents to cut or move the wire to respond to medical emergencies.
At least 102 million people in the US will be able to receive the $630 million settlement from Google following its lawsuit loss against Epic Games.

Out of the over 100 million beneficiaries, 70% or 71.4 million of the eligible customers will receive the payment even without filing a claim.

Residents from the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands are also entitled to a share from the settlement, according to the court ruling released last Monday.

How to Receive Settlement Money from Google

According to the settlement terms agreed on last September, individuals who made payments via Google and Google Play Store from Aug. 16, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2023, can have their share of the settlement.

In-app purchases, subscriptions, and bill payments are qualified for the reimbursement of at least $2.

The legal address written on the claimant's Google payment profile must be within the 50 US states and the aforementioned territories.

There are no avenues yet as to where people can file their claims.

Also Read: Epic Games Wins Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

Google Antitrust Lawsuit Settlement

Aside from the $630 million settlement, the tech giant is also required to pay $70 million to become part of state funds.

Google will also be making big changes to its payment methods on its Play Store app, including allowing developers to offer direct payment options and other third-party systems to users.

Consumers previously were only able to pay or purchase from the apps on the Play Store via the Google Pay channels where it charges developers 30% of the payment for using its billing system.

Google will also be simplifying the process for users to download apps and software from the developer's website rather than go through the Google Play store.

As for Google itself, public policy vice president Wilson White assured that Android and Google Play "have continuously evolved to provide more flexibility and choice" for both customers and developers.

The lawsuit was first filed in 2021 after Epic Games asserted that Google has a financial monopoly on in-app purchases in the mobile market.

Related Article: Google Play to Expand Payment Options After Antitrust Lawsuit
(Photo : Unsplash/ Valentina Chernobay)

The CEO of the aerospace supplier, Hugue Meloche, is willing to spend over C$10,000 per skilled foreign worker to fill critical positions in his Montreal-area factories. According to Reuters, this decision is driven by the need to meet increased orders, especially from clients like General Electric, and avoid leaving crucial roles unfilled.

Meloche Group hired 20% of its 500-strong workforce from countries such as Mexico, Tunisia, and Brazil, as clients boosted production in 2022 and added C$1 million cost for a company generating a revenue of C$100 million annually.

Small Suppliers Challenges

Smaller suppliers with limited resources struggle with additional costs, forcing them to cut expenses elsewhere or pass on the charges to customers. This challenge arises as they try to meet the demands of competitive pricing and increased production from aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.

Aircraft repair shops and suppliers in North America, especially in Canada, are hiring more foreign workers due to a shortage of manufacturing labor caused by retirements during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this helps with staffing needs, it poses a new challenge for small suppliers, as their human resources teams are not typically equipped to assist newcomers with housing and transportation. These difficulties will persist until 2025, as airline and aerospace executives remain cautious about supply chains.

Aerospace Supplier

Meloche's Quebec-based company assists recruits by providing loans and short-term housing. With four dedicated employees, they support newcomers in various aspects, such as finding homes and buying cars. Meloche emphasizes the company's commitment to immigration as a necessity due to significant needs. While plane and engine manufacturers can attract domestic talent with better incentives, recruiters note that they are not entirely unaffected by the challenges of relying less on foreign labor.

READ ALSO: FAA Imposes Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing for Foreign Aircraft-Repair Shop Workers, Affecting 65 Countries

Bombardier

Bombardier, a business jet maker with a global workforce of 17,000 and $6.9 billion in 2022 revenue, expects international recruitment to constitute 10% to 15% of its Quebec production workforce in the coming years. Currently employing around 9,400 in Quebec, the company is actively recruiting workers globally, including 40 new hires from Morocco, with additional recruits planned. Airbus' Canadian division acknowledges the need for immigration in meeting recruitment demands, while Boeing notes limited use of U.S. visas for foreign workers. Montreal-based Bombardier facilitates international hires with housing, flights, and other benefits, a practice challenging for smaller suppliers in Quebec's aerospace sector, where most of the 17 companies seeking foreign workers in 2022 are smaller entities, according to data from Canadian recruitment specialist AURAY Sourcing International.

Apartment Hunting

AURAY client services manager Emilie Sauve mentioned that human resource departments are now tasked with additional responsibilities like apartment hunting. For companies like Meloche, facing employee poaching or departures to plane manufacturers, hiring foreign workers under immigration rules brings the advantage of increased loyalty, as these workers are obligated to stay with the hiring company.

Despite expecting C$135 million in 2023 revenue, Hugue Meloche acknowledges that recent economic challenges ease the labor shortage. However, recruiting foreign workers will continue in Canada's aerospace hub. Compared to their U.S. counterparts, Canadian aerospace companies tend to utilize foreign workers more due to immigration programs that facilitate such hiring. Meanwhile, U.S. aircraft repair companies are also considering foreign workers to address North America's expected shortfall of 43,000 aviation maintenance workers by 2027, as noted by consultant Oliver Wyman. A U.S. trade association for aircraft repair shops is exploring the possibility of special visas for in-demand jobs like aircraft mechanics.

AAR Corp.

According to company vice president Ryan Goertzen, the aircraft maintenance network AAR Corp in Chicago has addressed shortages by recruiting technicians from Mexico under existing visas. While specific figures for foreign aerospace workers in the U.S. were unavailable, Canadian government data shows 125 temporary foreign worker positions for aircraft mechanics last year, compared with 66 in 2019. In Canada, various programs are utilized for recruiting foreign workers, with expectations of higher numbers due to growing demand. The number of aerospace positions targeting international candidates at a Canadian firm has surged by 136% compared to the previous year.

KF Aerospace

In British Columbia's KF Aerospace, about 7% of the workforce comprises workers from countries like South Africa and the Philippines, with 22 apartments for short-term staff housing.

The company has hired 40 skilled foreign workers this year, recognizing the investment of over C$11,000 per worker in relocation and immigration costs as worthwhile to meet the need for skilled workers and mentor local apprentices.

Retention of Skilled Foreign Workers

KF Aerospace's Chief Corporate Services Officer, Grant Stevens, emphasized the importance of retaining skilled foreign workers once hired. He noted that traditional hiring methods, such as simply putting out an ad, are no longer sufficient.

RELATED ARTICLE: Work Permit Strife: Rising Tensions Between Newcomers and Immigrants with Longtime US Residents

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ William Topa)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is dealing with its overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers. As reported by CNN, a special panel is expected to be created to review safety risks and the impact of job-related fatigue on controllers.

Series of Close Calls

Traffic Controller shortage has been identified as one of the near-miss incidents factors involving commercial aircraft at large airports this year, which prompts the Federal Aviation Administration to take immediate action.

Near-collision was confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board, which involved air traffic controllers working overtime on a six-day workweek. Similar incidents were reported in various locations throughout the year, including Boston, Honolulu, New York, California, Florida, and Reagan National Airport outside Washington, DC.

Shortage of Traffic Controllers

The Federal Aviation Administration has been criticized for not addressing the issue of over 3,000 air traffic controller shortages on several occasions, where only six new controllers were hired by the FAA in the previous year, according to a report released last month by the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association labor union. As stated by CNN, the main reason for controller fatigue is the shortage of certified professionals and emphasized the need for a sustained commitment to hiring and training air traffic controllers to address prolonged fatigue.

READ ALSO: 5 Negative Impact of Extended Work Hours on People and Companies According to Research

Out of 3,200 air traffic controllers, two out of ten had made significant on-the-job errors in the previous year, with most attributing these errors to fatigue in a 2015 NASA study. Approximately one-third of the controllers surveyed described fatigue as a high or extreme safety risk.

FAA's Staffing Problems

The Federal Aviation Administration has faced staffing problems since the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan dismissed many traffic controllers following a strike. Due to retirements and limited recruitment, the FAA has struggled to sufficiently replace these workers, as stated in a November report commissioned by the agency.

The 2018-2019 government shutdown and the COVID-19 pandemic further worsened the situation. Reports indicate that the FAA has 1,000 fewer traffic controllers than in 2012, with a shortage of about 3,000 positions. The November report predicts a net gain of fewer than 200 controllers being hired over the next decade, suggesting a slight improvement in staffing. Around 40% of the FAA's facilities meet the agency's 85% controller staffing goal, as per agency data seen by the Journal. However, on a national level, the FAA only has 81% of the fully certified controllers it requires, according to the Journal.

The FAA's flawed staffing model and inconsistent hiring have led to new hires not keeping up with attrition over the past decade, stated Rich Santa, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union earlier this year. The agency had to reduce air traffic in the past year to prevent incidents despite managing safety risk claims, which, according to an agency spokesperson speaking to The Wall Street Journal, is done to ensure safety when there is a shortage of controllers.

Frank McIntosh, the FAA's deputy chief operating officer of operations, reassured the Journal that efficiency is never compromised for safety, citing the agency's ability to address individual staffing issues.

RELATED ARTICLE: FAA Imposes Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing for Foreign Aircraft-Repair Shop Workers, Affecting 65 Countries

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/Dr.Kanapon Phumratprapin)

According to the staff, St. Louis Nursing Home, the largest nursing home in Northview Village, suddenly shuts down on Friday without any warning. Older residents, including those with dementia, were quickly moved in wheelchairs while still in hospital gowns, and younger patients, some being treated for injuries or mental illness, walked out into the street on their own.

As the workers' union reported, issues began on Friday when 130 workers did not receive their pay, and it was uncertain whether they would eventually be compensated. The facility's operator informed the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services that the facility would be closing down, leaving no comment.

Nursing Home Challenges

In recent years, the nursing home sector in the United States has faced many challenges, with staffing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in patients with more complex health conditions, and a surge in medical and supply costs. These overlapping issues have led to the financial insolvency of several facilities in the sector.

Medicaid cost reports indicate Northview Village experienced financial losses for multiple years. SNFdata Resources, a tracker of the nursing home sector, revealed that Northview Village had been operating at a deficit since 2018. According to data submitted to Medicare in the previous year, Northview Village reported operating expenses exceeding $16.4 million for 2022, while its revenue was around $13.3 million.

Absence of Forewarning

The abrupt closure of nursing homes is highly uncommon. Typically, state regulators are provided with advance notice, allowing them to collaborate with owners to facilitate a sale or ensure alternative housing arrangements for residents. In Northview Village, employees expressed being unexpectedly left without employment. In contrast, relatives faced the challenge of urgently searching for new facilities where their loved ones had been relocated.

Northview Village received a one out of five-star rating in a federal system, which can sometimes be inflated, per a Times investigation this year. According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the nursing staff at Northview Village spent nearly two hours per day on each resident, which is about half of the national average.

READ ALSO: Labor Market Cooling: Cause of Rising Applications for Jobless Claims in The US

Over the last three years, the facility faced over 20 citations following complaints investigated by inspectors. From March 2021 onwards, it accumulated fines exceeding $140,000 for failing to meet federal standards.

Lenny Jones, the Missouri state director of the Service Employees International Union, mentioned that Northview Village faced staffing shortages. He noted that in recent years, the facility had seen a shift in its patient demographics, with a more significant proportion consisting of younger individuals dealing with mental illness and substance abuse issues, as opposed to the predominantly older population.

The nursing home employees inquired about the company's intentions regarding payment for their last weeks of work on Tuesday while actively seeking new job opportunities and exploring assistance options. Jones emphasized the significance of this particular paycheck they had anticipated just before Christmas.

RELATED ARTICLE: Yellow's Bankruptcy Casts Uncertainty Over the Future Landscape of the Freight Sector

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hong Kong: SMS sender scheme set for Dec 28

The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today announced that the SMS Sender Registration Scheme will be launched on December 28 to help members of the public verify SMS senders identities and beware of scams.

The scheme will first be implemented in the telecommunications sector and all registered senders will use registered SMS sender IDs with the prefix # to send SMS messages to local subscribers of mobile services.

Members of the public may visit OFCA's website to check the list of the first batch of telecommunications service providers participating in the scheme.

OFCA explained that the scheme is aimed at helping citizens identify registered SMS senders to stop fraudsters from sending scam SMS messages masquerading as other companies or organisations.

SMS messages with sender IDs containing "#" but not sent by registered senders will be blocked by the telecommunications networks. Subscribers of mobile services do not need to apply for the service, install any mobile apps or change their handset settings.

However, the scheme is not applicable to SMS messages in which the receiver is expected to reply to the sender via phone numbers, OFCA noted.

Members of the public are reminded to stay highly vigilant when receiving SMS messages from unknown senders. They must not disclose to unidentified senders any personal information, bank account numbers or credit card details, transfer money or access any hyperlink in the SMS messages.

When in doubt, report to Police immediately.

OFCA will also continue to work with Police and the telecommunications sector to enhance education and publicity against fraud.

This story has been published on: 2023-12-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Communist Youth League of China aids quake-hit areas

Xinhua) 10:51, December 20, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) on Tuesday decided to allocate membership dues and a work team was sent to support the rescue efforts after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Gansu Province.

The CYLC allocated 1 million yuan (about 140,000 U.S. dollars) to the Gansu Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League and another 300,000 yuan to the provincial committee of the Communist Youth League in Qinghai, neighboring Gansu.

Three foundations under the CYLC, the China Youth Development Foundation, the China Guanghua Foundation, and the China Foundation for Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment, have organized 1.7 million yuan of charity funds in total for the earthquake-hit areas and have started to raise funds and relief supplies from the public.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Volumes cover from Neolithic treasures to Joseon elegance

By Park Han-sol

In April 2021, the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hees vast personal art trove found its way to major state-run museums in Korea, when his family donated over 23,000 works in an attempt to settle a substantial inheritance tax bill.

The National Museum of Korea (NMK) became the biggest beneficiary of Lees estate, receiving a total of 21,693 cultural assets  earthenware, ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts, calligraphy, paintings, wooden furniture and stone sculptures  that spanned from the Neolithic Age to Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

As part of its efforts to conduct a comprehensive survey of this extensive collection, the museum published nine catalogs of donated items last year under the series titled The Lee Kun-hee Collection at the National Museum of Korea.

This week, it announced the release of four additional volumes, each focusing on historical records, Buddhist sculptures, wood and lacquer crafts, and stone sculptures.

The volume on historical documents introduces 180 pieces of epitaph tablets, maps, royal investiture books, seals and letters. Among them is the 19th-century jade investiture book, which was previously thought to have been lost during the 1866 French invasion of Korea.

The publication on Buddhist sculptures highlights 135 ancient pieces from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE  668) to the Joseon era, including seven state-designated national treasures or treasures such as the millennia-old Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva Triad.

Meanwhile, the volume on wood and lacquer crafts lists 592 items of furniture, stationery and ornaments, a majority of which were produced during and after the 18th century, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of the late Joseon period.

Lastly, the publication on stone sculptures features 835 stone monuments and assets spanning over a millennium, like pagodas, stupas, statuettes and totem poles.

The NMK plans to release four more catalogs on Lees collection of calligraphy, paintings and white porcelains over the next two years, bringing the total to 17 by 2025.

All publications are publicly available on the museums website.
By Lee Hae-rin

Incheon International Airport, the countrys largest and busiest international air transport hub, expects to see a full-scale recovery in the number of air passengers to pre-pandemic levels next year, Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) said, Wednesday.

The airport has gone through difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic, but airport operations are back to normal  The number of air passengers has recovered at around 80 percent of 2019's number and we expect a complete recovery next year, which is a year earlier than the initial forecast, IIAC President Lee Hag-jae said during a press conference at the company headquarters in Incheon.

By the end of the year, the company predicts around 56 million air passengers will use the airport, which is a 213.1 percent jump from last year and a recovery of 78.6 percent of the 2019 figure. The increase is due to soaring air travel demand from and to neighboring Japan and Southeast Asian countries followed by an international rebound in overseas travel, the company explained.

Next year, the airport expects to receive 67.5 million to 71 million air passengers, which is nearly equivalent to or slightly over pre-pandemic levels.

Amid the global economic recession and worsening semiconductor industry, the airport expects a 6.9 percent decrease in cargo transport at 2.7 million tons this year. However, the figure was on a gradual upswing in the latter half of the year, according to IIAC.

Following this momentum, the company is optimistic about a turnaround in net profit for the first time in three years  by the end of the year.

The company expects its annual turnover will reach 2.1 trillion won ($1.6 billion) with a net profit of around 380 billion won, which is a 132 percent and 72 percent increase from last year, respectively.

Next year, IIAC aims to focus on continuing to implement digital technologies to improve the air traveling experience.

The year 2024 will be the year of digital transformation for Incheon airport and the company will introduce cutting-edge technology to improve passenger convenience and lead global standards of tech-driven smart airports with exceptional level of services, Lee said.

This year, the company introduced a new biometric identification system using the facial features of travelers, known as Smart Pass at departure and boarding gates at a trial level. The document-free service, which aims to ease passenger congestion and enhance aviation security by replacing paper-based in-person identification with a biometric system, will be gradually implemented in the airport next year.

Meanwhile, IIAC garnered international attention with its airport management know-how and is discussing public-private partnership (PPP) deals with the aviation authorities of Kuwait and the Philippines. Under the 600 billion won deal with Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority, the airport operator is set to manage and develop the state-owned Batam Han Nadim International Airport by 2046.

The company aims to win 10 additional PPP deals with international airports by 2030 and export Koreas airport management technology and know-how overseas, Lee said.
NK leader says he has 'no intention of avoiding war' with S. Korea
Advertise in the February 2024 (TV Kids Festival & Pre-Kidscreen Summit) Print and Digital Edition! When you advertise in the February edition of TV Kids, you will receive the following extensive print and online exposure: The magazine will be sent out as a digital edition to approximately 35,000 online subscribers.

The digital edition will be extensively promoted in our newsletters, websites and social media handles for several weeks before and during the TV Kids Festival and Kidscreen Summit.

and Kidscreen Summit. The magazine will also be mailed to our subscribers worldwide. We can offer you two options: A full-page advertisement in the print and digital edition for US$2,000, or a two-page spread for US$3,000.

A two-page spread advertisement solely in the digital edition for just US$2,000. Here are all the free value-added benefits you will receive from advertising with us in the February edition. We have the best articles, the best interviews, the best design, the best paper, the best printing, the best distribution and the best circulation. You will receive an article up front in the magazine featuring program highlights, an image of a show, a quote from an executive at the company and a headshot. Your article will also run in TV Kids Daily and World Screen Newsflash before the events. Your article will also run on TVKids.com before the events. You will receive invaluable social media exposure by having your article shared to @worldscreens and @tvkidsdailys followers. You will also get your complete program listings in the February digital edition of TV Listings, which will be available to our online database of 35,000 readers before the events. We will also place video clips of your programs in your own Screening Room on TVKidsScreenings.com, our video portal powered by Brightcove. Your companys product news will receive priority treatment in our online daily and weekly newsletters. Deadlines for the February 2024 Issue:

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...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CST FRIDAY... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON CST FRIDAY... ...WIND CHILL WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM FRIDAY TO NOON CST TUESDAY... * WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 8 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 25 below zero. For the Wind Chill Warning, dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 50 below zero. Coldest wind chills are expected Saturday night into Sunday morning. * WHERE...Portions of east central, northeast, and southeast Nebraska. * WHEN...For the Winter Storm Warning, from 3 PM this afternoon to 9 PM CST Friday. For the Wind Chill Advisory, from midnight tonight to noon CST Friday. For the Wind Chill Warning, from 9 PM Friday to noon CST Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be hazardous. Areas of blowing snow will reduce visibilities, even after snow has stopped falling. The hazardous conditions will impact the Thursday evening and Friday commutes. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&
Ex-refugee says China worried border collapse could result in end of Kim regime

By Jung Min-ho

Chinas policy of forcibly deporting North Korean escapees is a brutal one for such freedom-seekers. What is lesser known is that it is also a costly one for political leaders in Beijing.

As a signatory to the U.N. Refugee Convention and other international treaties, the Chinese government isnt pleased to see its global reputation become marred by the policy it maintains largely for Pyongyangs interest. The repatriation of North Korean escapees, mostly women, also causes agony for Chinas own citizens as it could mean the tragic separation of families as many wives and mothers are sent back to political prison camps, or worse, in North Korea.

Beijing bears these political and diplomatic burdens because it knows the risk of stopping it, according to Kang Chol-hwan, a North Korean defector-turned-activist.

China knows that an exodus of North Korean refugees would be massive and unstoppable once they realize China is safe to go to, Kang, president of the North Korea Strategy Center, a Seoul-based NGO, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. Border guards would be among the first to flee. That means the collapse of the border and the beginning of the end of the Kim Jong-un regime  Many know that something is deeply wrong with their country, but they dont escape due to their fears of deportation and death.

Beijing came under international criticism in October after repatriating hundreds of North Koreans who had been detained in China over the past three years of extreme pandemic isolation. Human rights activists urged officials in Seoul to be more proactive in resolving the issue, but little has been done so far other than the promise of more diplomatic efforts.

Preoccupied with its national security priorities such as North Koreas nuclear threats, South Korea has a tendency of treating human rights issues like the Chinese deportation policy as less important matters. But Kang thinks placing a greater focus on resolving such issues could bring a more profound change to North Korea than the decades of failed efforts to denuclearize it with sanctions targeting its nuclear weapons.

According to experts, one of Chinas greatest fears regarding North Korea is its instability, as evidenced by reports about its project of building refugee camps near the border. Kang said convincing Beijing to give up its deportation policy is not impossible if South Korea shows its will to alleviate concerns.

One thing South Korea could do is to promise, possibly through an official treaty, to take all North Korean refugees, he said. Another possible move could be to give its formal support for North Korea to adopt Chinese-style reforms. I dont see any reasons China would not like it.

All such moves would take careful diplomatic efforts and coordination with not just Beijing but also Washington and other governments. But Kang said it is important for South Korean officials to keep in mind that Chinas national interest has been  and always will be  very different from North Koreas and they should aim at making the most of that difference when developing strategies.

After the execution of Jang Song Thaek, the current North Korean dictators uncle known for his pro-China and pro-market stance, the diplomatic relationship between the two countries has gone through ups and downs. North Koreas three nuclear tests between 2016 and 2017 prompted China to vote in the U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang.

I think North Koreas development of nuclear weapons began with its distrust of China. If it offers a nuclear umbrella as the U.S. does for South Korea, why would North Korea need its own nuclear weapons? Kang said. If South Korea sincerely shows its will and good reasons for China to shift its deportation policy, I think its not an impossible goal and the aftereffect would be consequential.
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Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki praised, on Tuesday in Marrakech, King Mohammed VIs role, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in preserving the Palestinian presence in this Arab, Christian, and Islamic city.

Al-Malki highlighted, at a joint press briefing with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, following talks on the eve of the 6th Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, the importance of the efforts made by the Palestinian Authority, Morocco, and Arab and Islamic countries to preserve the unique character of the city of Al-Quds.

In this context, he expressed his thanks to Morocco for its constant commitment to the Palestinian cause and praised the Kingdoms positions regarding the rights of the Palestinian people.

This is not unfamiliar to King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan people, and the Moroccan government, he emphasized, expressing confidence in the Kingdoms commitment to continue providing support and assistance to its brothers in Palestine and to the Palestinian leaders to overcome the current tragedy.

In this vein, Bourita underscored Moroccos unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and its consistent position in favor of the Palestinian National Authority as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians.

Bourita, who brought up the situation in Gaza and the broader developments of the Palestinian issue, reaffirmed the consistent supportive stand of Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the President of the Al-Quds Committee, regarding the efforts by the Palestinian Authority to secure the rights of the Palestinian people and the rightful aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their state within the 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds as the capital.

Recalling Moroccos positions on the Gaza situation, articulated by the King during the Riyadh Summit, Bourita pointedly highlighted the clear responsibility of the international community. He decried its failure to put an end to Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, describing such inertia as both unacceptable and inexplicable.

Bourita, who reiterated Moroccos rejection of targeting Palestinian civilians, called for a sustained and controlled ceasefire, coupled with the seamless and ample delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian populace.

The minister underscored that the prevailing political impasse could only breed crises, advocating for a shift from the logic of crisis management to that of a final settlement of the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legality and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Today, human consciousness and all mechanisms of international law, along with relevant international institutions, bear responsibility for this situation, he stressed, explaining that managing the crisis required a departure from conventional approaches.

In this respect, the Moroccan top diplomat further emphasized the imperative of a genuine pause to establish lasting peace that safeguards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, as well as the security and safety of all nations, including Israel.

Turning to the ongoing provocations and unilateral actions in Al-Quds, particularly the recent land confiscation in the eastern part of the city, Bourita reiterated the Kings deep concern regarding these actions. He decried such provocative measures, emphasizing the need for an immediate cessation of Israels unilateral actions and a sincere political engagement with the Palestinian Authority.

Stability and peace in the region hinged on the establishment of a Palestinian state, coupled with bolstering the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority through financial and political support  a pivotal solution to curbing the regions recurring crises.
Morocco has pleaded from Marrakech on Wednesday to make of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum a frame for effective and active strategic dialogue and for practical and fruitful partnership and for the creation of an Economic and Cultural Forum to go beyond the logic of classic diplomatic dialogue, towards innovative and concrete models of collaboration.

The plea was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, at the opening of the 6th Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, held in Marrakech with the participation of Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League Houssam Zaki, and ministerial delegations from various Arab states.

We aspire to elevate this forum to the level of an effective and active Arab-Russian strategic dialogue, which is a genuine space for coordination and constructive, practical and fruitful partnership capable of serving the interests of both parties in a balanced way and contributing to the security and stability of our Arab region, stressed Bourita.

The Foreign Minister, who is chairing the proceedings of this 6th session of the forum, underlined that the foundations of this partnership should be mutual respect and shared responsibility, and that it is a singular partnership in terms of content and open in terms of governance, with solidarity as the watchword and respect for commitments as the principle.

Likewise, the Minister said, this partnership must reconcile the preservation of political and economic interests, on the one hand, and consider the reality of the partners, as well as their potential and aspirations, on the other.

In this respect, Bourita called for a collective reflection aimed at defining a roadmap for a successful and active partnership that takes into consideration the framework governing cooperation between the two parties, to move from the classic model of political dialogue to that of strategic dialogue, according to a proactive vision that takes into account global and regional developments and common interests.

He noted that this partnership should also consider the opening up to economic and cultural bodies and players through the creation of an Economic and Cultural Forum, following the example of the Russia-Africa Cooperation Forum, so as to go beyond the logic of classic diplomatic dialogue, towards innovative and concrete models of collaboration.

He also stressed the need to reconsider the frequency of Forum meetings, to ensure proper preparation and sufficient time to implement the joint action plan, in coordination with stakeholders in the member states. It is also a question, he continued, of benefiting from the experiences and best practices of regional partnerships, notably the Russia-Islamic World International Forum and the Russia-Africa Cooperation Forum.

The Minister also pointed out that the Russian-Arab Forum is being held against a backdrop marked by the continuing wave of armed violence in the Gaza Strip, with thousands of civilian casualties, destruction, and total blockade.

In this context, Bourita reiterated King Mohammed VIs call, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, for collective action, each from its own position, to bring about de-escalation to achieve a lasting and verifiable ceasefire, ensure the protection of civilians, allow for the steady delivery of humanitarian aid, in sufficient quantities, to the inhabitants of Gaza. The Sovereign has also called for a political perspective to be fostered on the Palestinian question, in order to relaunch the two-state solution, Bourita recalled.

The Minister said that the King has repeatedly stressed that there is no alternative to genuine peace in the region, a peace guaranteeing Palestinians legitimate rights within the framework of a two-state solution and an independent Palestinian state with East Al-Quds as its capital. The Sovereign likewise stressed that there is no alternative to strengthening the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, and setting up sustainable regional security mechanisms based on respect for international law and recognized international references.

Regarding the Libyan crisis, Bourita expressed hope that the political process in this country would be completed as soon as possible by the Libyan brothers themselves, through the holding of elections on the set date, free from outside influence and interference. This would mark the start of a new phase in this brotherly country, based on stability, legality and meeting the needs of the Libyan people.

We also hope that the situation will stabilize throughout the Arab world, with dialogue and peaceful initiatives prevailing, he noted.

Based on the Russian Federations position in the international community, and given its active regional role and close relations with the Arab world, we see Russia as a partner capable of playing a constructive role in resolving these issues, in accordance with the principles of effective solidarity and positive influence, said Bourita.

The time has come to adopt a different approach in dealing with the issues and concerns of the Arab world, an approach capable of meeting the current challenges facing the Arab region, and enabling us to deal with the Arab countries as a coherent influential bloc at the regional and international levels, he pointed out.

The Minister also stressed that the Kingdom sees the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum as an extension of the historic relations between Morocco and Russia, which have been rooted for more than two centuries and have always been marked by dialogue, cooperation, and mutual esteem and respect, recalling that these relations have undergone a qualitative leap following the two official visits made by His Majesty the King to the Russian Federation in 2002 and 2016, the last of which was crowned by the signing of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership that laid new foundations for bilateral relations.

While the Kingdom of Morocco occupies third place among Russias five most important trading partners in Africa, this ranking remains below our ambition and our desire to raise the strategic partnership to higher levels with broader prospects, the Minister said, explaining that the Kingdoms commitment to strengthening this forum at all levels reflects its desire to further develop its multidimensional relations with the Russian Federation.

The Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum is a regional meeting held at foreign ministers level. Over the past few years, the significance of this Forum has grown as a platform for exchanging views and coordinating positions on various regional and international issues, as it takes into consideration the interests and priorities that bind the Arab and Russian parties in the realms of politics, economics, and trade.
Two men remained at the Lancaster County jail Thursday, a day after prosecutors charged them in connection with 645 pounds of marijuana found in their rental truck.

Brandon Arrington, 30, of McDonough, Georgia, and Edward Babb of Houston both are facing four felonies: two counts of possession with intent to deliver and two counts of no drug tax stamp.

In an affidavit for their arrests, a Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy said he stopped a GMC Penske rental truck with Virginia plates Tuesday after seeing its passenger side tires cross onto the shoulder of Interstate 80 near the Lincoln Airport exit.

During the traffic stop, the deputy became suspicious the men were involved in criminal activity.

They both denied a request to search the truck, but the deputy deployed his police dog around it after seeing what he believed to be marijuana residue on the floorboard.

The search turned up 645 pounds of marijuana and 4.74 pounds of THC vapor pens in the truck's cargo area inside cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic wrap, according to court records.

On Wednesday, at their first court appearances on the charges, Lancaster County Judge Matt Acton set their bonds at $250,000.
A federal judge last week gave Nebraska Beef Ltd. one last chance to avoid being found in contempt of court for its failure to produce documents in connection to a Minnesota multidistrict case where the countrys four largest meatpackers  which supply roughly 80% of the beef supplied to the U.S. market  stand accused of price-fixing.

Attorneys for JBS had subpoenaed the information in the case where it, Tyson Foods, Cargill, Swift Beef Company and National Beef Packing Company are accused of conspiring to artificially raise beef prices while paying less than competitive prices for slaughter-ready cattle by a collection of restaurants and grocers ranging from Kraft Heinz and Sysco to Sonic, HyVee and Whataburger.

In a court brief, attorney Tom Monaghan, who represents Nebraska Beef, said the company worked diligently to provide JBS with the information it sought (suppliers names and the price paid by Nebraska Beef for each transaction during the time period at issue).

JBS wants the information to see if cattle suppliers treated independent meat packers, like Nebraska Beef, differently than JBS in an effort to prove that JBS hadnt engaged in price fixing.

At an August hearing, the court ordered Nebraska Beef to cooperate with JBS and allow its expert to examine its computer system and pull the information to obtain documents or entries that disclose the data.

Nebraska Beef appealed, but the ruling was affirmed.

Yet the company asked the judge for multiple extensions of the deadline, which ultimately was pushed back to Nov. 3.

But when the deadline came and went, JBS filed a motion 10 days later asking the judge to compel Nebraska Beef to turn over the information and to find them in contempt.

In a brief opposing the move, Monaghan called the allegation that Nebraska Beef had failed to cooperate inaccurate and said the company already had provided USDA records that contained everything but the names of the cattle producers tied to the price paid.

To protect the confidential information, which they considered unnecessary to the underlying litigation, he said Nebraska Beef was willing to expend considerable time and money to give JBS exactly what it requested in a usable form, which required Nebraska Beef to analyze its data in a way it never had before.

What JBS fails to mention are the razor thin margins that are a reality for independent meat packers like Nebraska Beef. The intensity of competition in the beef processing market means that Nebraska Beef operates as a lean, bare-bones concern that squeezes every ounce of usefulness from any system it invests in, Monaghan wrote.

He said Nebraska Beefs concerns are informed by decades of experience surviving the efforts of the Big 4 to force them out of business.

Thus, when Nebraska Beef vigorously protects its interests to the nth degree before this court, it does not do so out of any disrespect for the courts authority  it does so because it believes it must either prevail or perish, Monaghan said.

He said ultimately, despite diligent efforts, Nebraska Beef was unsuccessful in its attempts to isolate and pull the data and concluded that the specific data sought by JBS does not exist in its electronic system.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart was not swayed.

In an order Dec. 11, she said rather than having its computer data copied as required by the court order, Nebraska Beef tasked its IT specialist to investigate what data was available and determine if the information would be useful to JBS.

After discussions with the companys cattle purchase administrators and financial consultants, the IT specialist reviewed the information stored in Nebraska Beefs computerized record-keeping system for cattle purchases, and concluded it wasnt accurately contained there.

Nebraska Beef has stonewalled JBS effort to obtain the discovery ordered by this court, Zwart wrote.

She said the company requested extensions while promising it was preparing to cooperate when it really was preparing to essentially relitigate a prior order, arguing that the data is unreliable, wont help JBS in the Minnesota case, and that Nebraska Beef shouldnt have to disclose it.

Zwart dismissed the companys argument that its information is highly confidential, saying any disclosure is subject to a protective order and for Attorneys Eyes Only in the Minnesota case.

Nebraska Beefs business model is no doubt unique. But Nebraska Beef is not above the law, she said.

Zwart also dismissed Monaghans assertion that the company has had to spend unreasonable amounts of time responding to subpoenas in the antitrust case, to which they arent a part, and that its forced them to reallocate sparse human resources to educate itself on the computer system the company has been using for two decades.

She said Nebraska Beef created the problem by using outdated technology to track its multi-million-dollar business.

Against this backdrop of filibustering, Nebraska Beef now expects the court and JBS to accept, at face value, that the information within the AS400 (its computer record-keeping system) is so inaccurate that JBS should abandon any effort to obtain it, and this court should not enforce its prior order. I am not convinced, Zwart said in her order.

She granted JBS attorney fees spent handling the case.

But she stopped short of finding Nebraska Beef in contempt of court. Zwart gave the company one last and final opportunity to immediately comply. If it chooses not to, Zwart said, she will certify the companys acts as constituting contempt.
Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

During an interview with PIX 11 on Sunday, Eric Adams fielded questions about his decreased popularity with New Yorkers and a lack of federal aid for the migrant crisis, among other topics. He also said something very weird  even by Eric Adams standards.

Anchor Dan Mannarino opened the conversation by asking the mayor how he would describe the year 2023 in one word. Adams responded with two words, New York, and thats when things got strange.

I can assure you with 100% confidence you will not guess what Eric Adams said when asked one word to describe this year in New York City pic.twitter.com/sZayd0wyZC  B.W. Carlin (@BaileyCarlin) December 18, 2023

Adams continued, This is a place where every day you wake up, you can experience everything from a plane crashing into our Trade Center to a person whos celebrating a new business thats open. This is a very, very complicated city and thats why its the greatest city on the globe.

The interview continued, as if the mayor had not just randomly invoked the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 across three states.

Adams, of course, has more to worry about than a viral moment. Last month, it was revealed that the FBI and federal prosecutors had launched an inquiry into whether his 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government. The mayor is also pushing a series of steep budget cuts to city services in response to the financial burden of the migrant crisis. These factors have contributed to a significant decrease in Adamss approval rating among city residents, with a recent Quinnipiac University poll finding that only 28 percent of New Yorkers surveyed approve of the job hes doing as mayor.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In 2021, federal agents raided Rudy Giulianis home and office and seized his electronic devices as part of an inquiry into his dealings with Ukraine. Though the former New York City mayor was never officially charged in the matter, newly unsealed documents revealed that Giulianis troubled finances were a major factor.

Search warrant materials, made public following a request to the judge from the New York Times, reveal that prosecutors thought Giulianis foreign lobbying could be an attempt to supplement his income. Per the Times, Giuliani had around $1.2 million in cash and about $40,000 in credit-card debt when he left his legal firm to become Donald Trumps personal lawyer in May 2018. By early 2019, that debt had ballooned to $110,000, leaving the former mayor with only $400,000. A divorce settlement with his third wife, Judith Nathan, reportedly further depleted Giulianis accounts to less than $300,000.

Around that time, Giuliani began his overtures to Ukrainian officials, urging them to investigate thenpresidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Bidens ties to the company Burisma. Prosecutors also examined Giulianis attempt to work out a $200,000 deal with Yuriy Lutsenko, a Ukrainian prosecutor, for Lutsenko to retain Giulianis legal services to help locate misappropriated Ukrainian assets. The deal ultimately didnt go through. The Associated Press reports that investigators were also looking into whether the former mayor received anything in exchange for pushing the Trump administration to force out Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Giulianis financial woes have only deepened in recent months. Last week, a Washington, D.C., jury ruled that he must pay $148 million in damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two former Fulton County election workers whose lives were upended after Giuliani promoted and pushed lies about them following the 2020 election. Before the decision, Giulianis lawyer Joseph Sibley called the amount of money being sought in the defamation case the civil equivalent of the death penalty. On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered that Giuliani must pay the $148 million penalty to Moss and Freeman as quickly as possible out of concern that he might attempt to hide his assets, per the Washington Post.

Its unlikely that Giuliani will be able to pay anywhere close to what he owes. In addition to the defamation sum, Giuliani is also on the hook for several additional outstanding debts. He is currently being sued by one of his former lawyers, Robert Costello, for lack of payment. In October, it was reported that the IRS had placed a lien on his Palm Beach condo. And the problems dont stop there: Giuliani is still a co-defendant in Georgias election-interference case, a matter that will require him to retain a lawyer for months at least through 2024.

On Thursday, there was an even stronger sign of Giulianis ongoing financial strife. The former mayor has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy just days after defamation ruling, his court filing listing about $153 million in debts.

Chapter 11 will afford Mayor Giuliani the opportunity and time to pursue an appeal, while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, to ensure all creditors are treated equally and fairly throughout the process, said Ted Goodman, Giulianis political adviser, in a statement.

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Community agencies across Alabama have been awarded $1.7 million in grants to help low-income residents achieve economic self-sufficiency, state officials announced on Friday.

Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded Community Services Block Grants to 18 community action agencies, including the Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. based in Lee County. The grant will fund several programs.

Sometimes people need a helping hand to lift themselves up when they are going through hard times, Ivey said. These agencies provide emergency assistance for immediate needs but also help put people on a path toward lasting success.

The programs this grants will fund help people find employment, education, improve their budgeting skills and secure emergency funding for adequate housing, food and health services.

The Community Action Agency Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa will receive more than $28,100 to serve Chambers, Coosa, Tallapoosa counties. The Macon-Russell Community Action Agency Inc. will also receive over $35,400 to serve its two-county area of Macon and Russell counties.

The goal of these programs is to provide low-income residents with the tools they need to support themselves now and in the future, ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. ADECA is glad to join Gov. Ivey in supporting these agencies and the comprehensive services they provide.

These agencies that will also receive grants:

Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc.: $57,519 (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale) 256-766-4330, caanw.org.

Community Action Partnership Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties Inc.: $115,163 (Limestone, Madison) 256-907-1550, caa-htsval.org.

Walker County Community Action Agency Inc.: $23,096 (Walker) 205-221-4010, caawalker.org.

Community Action Agency of Etowah County Inc.: $35,306 (Etowah) 256-546-9271, communityaction-etowah.org.

Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties Inc.: $86,552 (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega) 256-362-6611, communityactiontcrcc.com.

Community Action Partnership of Middle Alabama Inc.: $84,003 (Autauga, Chilton, Elmore, Shelby) 205-755-1204, capmal.org.

Montgomery Community Action Committee and Community Development Corporation Inc.: $89,412 (Montgomery) 334-263-3474, mcacinc.org.

Organized Community Action Program Inc.: $72,476 (Bullock, Butler, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Lowndes, Pike) 334-566-1712, ocaptroy.com.

Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc.: $356,846 (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall, St. Clair) 256-638-4430, caaneal.org.

Mobile Community Action Inc.: $163,640 (Mobile, Washington) 251-457-5700, mcamobile.org.

Pickens County Community Action Committee and Community Development Corporation Inc.: $9,910 (Pickens) 205-367-8166, caapickens.org.

Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership Inc.: $88,885 (Barbour, Coffee, Geneva, Henry, Houston) 334-347-0881, southeastalabamacommunityactionpartnership.org.

Community Action Agency of South Alabama: $103,664 (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe, Wilcox) 251-626-2646, caaofsa.org.

Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc.: $92,492 (Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Winston) 256-355-7843, capna.org.

Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc.: $153,244 (Bibb, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Sumter, Tuscaloosa) 205-752-5429, cspwal.com.
New Report Reveals Contact with Objects and Equipment Was the Most Common Cause of Workplace Fatalities in 2022

ISNs report uncovers trends in industries such as transportation, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining and utilities.

ISN, a global leader in contractor and supplier information management, has released its latest Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) White Paper. This comprehensive report, encompassing data from 2017 to 2022, sheds light on the risks workers face in key industries such as transportation, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining and utilities.

According to a release, the analysis is based on over 127,000 recorded incidents. It reveals nearly 24,000 cases classified as SIFs, including over 20,000 hospitalizations, 3,154 amputations and 871 fatalities. Hospitalizations spiked during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, despite a decrease in overall work activity, and the report noted a return to pre-pandemic numbers in 2022.

In addition, ISNs report highlights the re-emergence of sprains, strains and tears as the leading type of incident in 2022, largely attributed to an aging workforce. Contact with objects or equipment was the most common cause of fatalities in 2022, followed by trips, slips and falls and overexertion and bodily reactions. Mid-size corporations reported the highest rates of fatalities, suggesting a correlation between company size and the likelihood of SIF occurrences.

As reducing SIFs remains a focus across industries, ISN is committed to developing avenues for organizations to meet their safety goals and ensuring they have access to the latest tools and best practices to improve hazard recognition, ISN President/COO Brian Callahan said in a statement. From the company level down to the individual, organizations can intimately scrutinize the competency of contractors to safely perform work through ISNs suite of tools. By enabling organizations to anchor their safety initiatives in real-time data trends, we aim to support the most important goal: ensuring that employees return home safely to their families each day.

Industry-specific insights include the high rate of transportation-related deaths due to human factors. The oil and gas sector's highest fatality rate lies in the upstream-onshore sector, and the manufacturing industry has lower-than-average overall SIF rates. In mining, 89 percent of SIF cases were classified as Days Away from Work. And the utilities industry has shown progress in implementing safety measures, accounting for less than 1 percent of total SIFs reported.
Critics argue that these divestments may not lead to better environmental practices, as local companies taking over might have less stringent emissions controls.

The divestment trend, which has accelerated in recent years, is attributed to concerns over security in the Niger Delta and a global push towards cleaner energy.

Equinor, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and other oil majors have sold or are planning to sell their Nigerian assets to local companies.

The oil and gas multinational divestment from the Niger Delta that kicked off over a decade has now hit fever pitch. Hordes of oil and gas majors have exited the Nigerian market in the current year, with their timing curious considering they are leaving a few years after the country opened its doors wider exploration courtesy of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

The latest development came in November when Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) finalized the sale of Equinor Nigeria Energy Company (ENEC) to local firm, Chappal Energy. The sale brings to a close the companys three-decade-long partnership with Africa's largest oil producer, during which Equinor pumped more than a billion barrels of crude from the Agbami Field. Prior to that, Chinese company Addax sold its four oil blocks to Nigerian state oil company, NNPC. In September, the Italian energy multinational Eni S.p.A.(NYSE:E) announced plans to sell its onshore operations to local entity Oando.

Additionally, back in February, U.S. oil and gas supermajor Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) announced plans to sell its equity interest in Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, which holds more than 90 shallow-water and onshore platforms as well as 300 producing wells, to Seplat Energy Plc. for approximately USD1.3 billion. Former President and Oil Minister Muhammadu Buhari initially approved the deal before reversing his decision. A final decision is yet to be made. Exxon, however, announced it will continue with its deep-water operations, ExxonMobil will maintain a significant deep-water presence in Nigeria, including interests in the Erha, Usan and Bonga developments via Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, the company said in a statement.

Escaping Justice?

But the most dramatic divestment drive in the Niger Delta has been by none other than Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell Plc (NYSE:SHEL). Since 2010, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), has sold off several of its stakes in onshore oil fields in the Niger Delta with little fanfare. In its 2014 annual company report, Shell revealed that it had sold eight Oil Mining Leases in Nigeria between 2010 and 2014. During last years report, Shell revealed it had already sold 50% of its Nigerian oil assets. In April 2022, Shell confirmed it was selling its interest in several onshore and shallow water fields, producing over 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The million-dollar question at this point is why all these transnational oil companies are packing their bags after six decades of exploiting Nigerias massive oil and gas resources.Well, two things, according to the IOCs: insecurity and climate concerns.

We cannot solve community problems in the Niger Delta; thats for the Nigerian government perhaps to solve. We can do our best, but at some point in time, we also have to conclude that this is an exposure that doesnt fit with our risk appetite anymore, Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden told shareholders while speaking at the companys annual general meeting in May 2021.

Similarly, in April 2022, TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Pouyanne, talked about disruption of local communities are sources of great concerns as the reason for the companys divestment.

For ExxonMobil, its simply a question of priority in investment, This sale will allow us to prioritize competitively advantaged investments in our strategic assets, and it supports the Nigerian governments efforts to grow its oil and gas operations, Liam Mallon, President, ExxonMobil Upstream Oil and Gas, said in the sales statement.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX) and Eni offered similar justification as their bigger peer.

Although these companies have mostly cited insecurity and prioritizing their other assets as the key reasons for exiting the Niger Delta, the climate angle could be just as important. After all, as the world continues grappling with climate change, oil majors have been selling off polluting assets around the globe. To wit, Shell has repeatedly said in annual reports that divestments in Nigeria and elsewhere have been playing an important role in decreasing the companys greenhouse gas emissions.

But not everybody is buying these claims. In its recent report,  Dirty Exit, We the People claims the divestments are simply a criminal flight designed to escape justice after decades of massive pollution in the Niger Delta.

 Since that landmark ruling about Shells parent company having to answer for the crimes done by their Nigeria branch, there has been a new wave of lawsuits in Nigeria and the home countries of oil companies demanding justice for abuses. For most of the communities in the Niger Delta, there is finally a real prospect of holding oil companies accountable for decades of destruction, the report explains.

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Ironically, the Washington Post has reported that communities left behind after these oil giants sell their Niger Delta assets have fared even worse with local companies doing an even more shoddy job on emissions control.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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North Korea on Wednesday lauded its latest launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as a "major success" that will help the country "counter any crises."

The North's missile flew about 1,000 kilometers at a lofted trajectory before coming down in the East Sea on Monday, according to South Korea's military.

It marked North Korea's fifth ICBM test this year alone  the highest number ever recorded in a single year  that also followed the launch of a military spy satellite in November.

The North boasted about the latest launch on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, its main newspaper for the domestic audience, saying it has displayed the "toughest retaliation will" and "overwhelming strength" to hostile forces.

North Korea said it has acquired the "strongest of power" to firmly counter any military crises with the spy satellite and the ICBM, referring to them as "eyes overlooking a very long distance" and a "strong fist beating a very long distance."

The newspaper went on to stress the importance of self-reliance and touted the launch of the ICBM and the spy satellite as self-attained feats.

South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's ICBM launch as a "flagrant" breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions and agreed to strengthen their trilateral cooperation to deter further provocations. (Yonhap)
Western sanctions on the Russian oil and gas sector and entities have not yet been as functional as expected by most. Still, Moscows energy stranglehold on Europes energy sectors has been broken by Western actions. Until now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been hitting back with a vengeance, but that looks like it's about to change. Putin has ordered the seizure of Austrias OMV and Germanys Wintershall DEA assets in Russia. The main aim is clearly to hit back at the West while also cementing control of the existing Western assets in Russias Arctic, which are still valued at several billion dollars. As Russian reports stated yesterday, under the presidential decrees published on December 19, stakes in the Yuzhno-Russkoye field and in the Achimov projects, held by OMV and Wintershall DEA, will be reverted to newly created Russian companies. The move is a clear break with still existing ties with Germany and Austria. Both German-speaking countries are officially in the Ukraine Camp, supporting the Ukrainian military campaign against the Russian invasion, but politicians inside both countries are still very diffuse in their own views or future strategies. Mainstream German and Austrian politicians are still open to a rapprochement with Moscows leader Putin, sometimes even indicating an interest in Russian energy imports.

Putins decrees however have undermined these Kremlin factions inside of Berlin and Viennas power circles. The Russian leader has chosen to go on the attack, not because of a strong position or a winning strategy in Ukraine, but mainly due to the need to gain access to additional revenue options, while indicating to the West that he is willing to wage an economic war too. The new moves are inline with other seizures already in place, such as the eight breweries of Carlsberg and several factories of French food giant Danone.

When looking at the existing confrontation between Russia and the West, Putins move should not be very surprising. Since 2022, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Russian assets have been frozen in the West. At the same time, the assets of Russian investors and businessmen have been seized. Germany has been at the forefront of this since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as shown by Germany taking control of major Russian-owned Schwedt oil refinery which supplies 90% of Berlin's fuel. The nationalization of former Gazprom Germany GmbH, now called SEFE, is another sample.

At the same time, the seizure of OMV and Wintershall DEA assets in Russia should be put in light of the growing pressure on Western, or especially European, governments not only to seize Russian assets or financial reserves but also to start using seized Russian assets to support Ukraine in its military conflict with Moscow. The Biden Administrations struggles with releasing a new financial and arms package for Ukraine are particularly pertinent. European moves to release Russian assets to fund Ukraines economy and military very soon are seen by Russia as an additional attack. At present, based on current information, Russian assets of around $300 billion have been seized or frozen. If part of these funds can be transferred to Ukraine, to finance Kyivs war effort or reconstruction, it would be seen as a significant blow to Putin.

Wintershall and OMV also have reacted to the seizure of their Russian assets. Both parties have indicated that the situation at present is that all their assets have been nationalized, so should be written off. BASF and Wintershall Dea indicated that the seizure of its Russian assets will have a detrimental effect on its production, as Russian projects accounted for half of its total production. Wintershall Dea, which at present is still a JV between BASF and Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridmans investment company LetterOne. At present Wintershall already was in the process of exiting Russia. Austrian oil and gas company OMV already left Russia in 2022. In 2024, Wintershall Deas activities with or inside Russia will be legally separated.

When looking at the potential financial loss of both entities, Wintershall Dea already reported a net loss in 2022 of EUR 7.3 billion due to impairment caused by the deconsolidation in Russia. In the same year, OMV expected a potential loss of EUR 1.5-1.8 billion from the Russian pullout. Information at present indicates that the stakes in the Achimov projects will be transferred to specially set up limited liability companies, which will be offered for evaluation and sale to a little-known company called Gazovyye Tekhnologii. The OMV assets are expected to be sold to the joint stock company SOGAZ, which provides insurance to Gazprom.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

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Record-high crude oil production is driving a record in crude oil exports, too, as traders rush to rid themselves of inventory that they would otherwise have to pay taxes on.

Reuters reported this week that average crude oil shipments abroad from the Gulf of Mexico have averaged some 4 million barrels daily since the start of the year. This is half a million barrels per day over last year's average.

U.S. crude oil production recently hit an all-time high of 13.2 million barrels daily, according to the Energy Information Administration, whose latest confirmed data is for September. This is driving higher exports for Europe and Asia.

"Flows bound for Asia are looking to finish the year strongly, particularly for cargoes heading to China," Kpler's Matt Smith told Reuters. In fact, rising U.S. exports of crude oil to Asia were one reason, according to Bloomberg, that Saudi Arabia cut its oil prices for Asian buyers earlier this month. The intensifying competition from U.S. barrels seems to be pressuring the world's top exporter to fight for its market share.

Now, the end of the year is adding another motive for oil sellers to be quick about placing as many barrels as possible on tankers bound for Asia or Europe. Tax season is upon them, and the less oil they have in inventory as 2023 ends, the less they will pay in taxes. As a result, Kpler's Smith expects U.S. oil exports to end the year on a high note, at an average daily of 5 million bpd.

U.S. crude oil is shaping up as the biggest reason for the moderation in oil prices this year. With its main markets in Europe and Asia, exported crude from the world's top producer has proved a useful lever for keeping a lid on benchmarks even as Saudi Arabia and Russia reduced their production, especially the former.

The addition of WTI Midland to the Brent basket was a big reason for that surge in U.S. oil exports and, in turn, their moderating effect on global prices.

"As Midland becomes more and more important in the dated Brent assessment, it has a knock on effect on other grades having to price themselves lower to compete with WTI Midland," Vortexa market analyst Rohit Rathood told Reuters in August this year.

Midland is the cheapest grade included in the Brent basket, and this has been instrumental in making U.S. crude more popular, along with Europe's embargo on direct Russian oil flows.

The record exports will probably decline in January after tax season is over. Yet chances are they will remain much stronger than before as production continues to climb higher, albeit at a slower pace, at least according to the EIA. The agency has forecast that U.S. oil output will add some 180,000 bpd next year as opposed to 1 million barrels daily this year.

It may yet surprise to the upside, however. Forecasts for this year were that U.S. output would reach 12.5 million bpd in the final quarter. Yet actual output has significantly exceeded this, even at lower rig counts, to the surprise of many industry observers. Drillers themselves attributed this to improvements in drilling efficiency. These may continue, complicating OPEC+'s task of maintaining control of global oil prices. Unless they decide on a repeat of the 2014 flooding strategy that saw prices tank and dozens of U.S. drillers go under.

Should this happenand some energy analysts predict it maythere would be fewer U.S. drillers to be affected by the move, and they would be more resilient as the industry matures and consolidates. This time, the flooding strategy may backfire.

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Nearly five million barrels of Sokol grade crude oil from Russia is languishing en route to Indian refiners, caught in a sanctions trap for a month, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, citing tanker tracker data, one tanker, the NS Century, remains stuck near Sri Lanka due to U.S. Treasury Department sanctions on the vessel. Now, two other tankers, both owned by Sovocomflot, are stuck in the same place. All three tankers are carrying Russian Sokol grade crude.

Bloomberg suggests that the tankers are stuck due to the G7 price cap imposed on Russian crude, though this has not been independently confirmed.

In November, Reuters reported that Indias top refiner, Indian Oil Corp., had purchased a cargo ol Sokol for November delivery. At that time, Reuters said it signaled that output from Russias Sakhalin-1 project was potentially recovering in the wake of Exxon Mobils exit.

The price cap set by the G7 and the EU says that Russian crude shipments to third countries can use Western insurance and financing if cargoes are sold at or below the $60-a-barrel ceiling. The measure took effect at the end of 2022 when the EU imposed an embargo on imports of Russian crude oil.

In mid-November, the European Union said it was considering tighter sanctions on Russian oil due to the fact that virtually none of the sanctioned crude was trading below the price cap ceiling.

Throughout the course of 2023, Russia has significantly increased crude oil exports to both India and China.

According to pipeline monopoly Transneft, Russian volumes of crude to China reached 2 million barrels per day this year. Russia says it has exported 100 million tons of its crude to China this year and 70 million tons to India.

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China could see its oil production growth taper off in the coming years as the recent new discoveries could prove challenging to develop while output at mature fields declines, according to analysts and forecasters.

Since 2019, China has boosted its crude oil production every year, by around 2% per year, as the state-owned oil giants have endorsed the official government policy to ramp up exploration and production to make China  the worlds top crude oil importer  less dependent on imports.

In the first nine months of 2023, Chinas crude oil production rose by 1.9% percent year on year, according to official Chinese data.

Chinese state oil firms are spending record amounts of money to boost exploration and production, and most of these efforts have paid off in recent years as output has grown.

For example, earlier this year, state oil and gas giant CNOOC raised its capital expenditure budget for 2023 to a record high to support growth in its reserves and production.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, commonly known as Sinopec, announced last month the first oil and gas flows from the deepest onshore well in Asia, which was recently completed.

But after several years of growth, Chinas oil production increase is set to slow or flatline next year, according to analysts and OPEC.

State giants now have to chase the high-hanging fruit, as most new fields are ultradeep and challenging to develop, Angus Rodgers, head of Asia Pacific upstream analysis at Wood Mackenzie, told Reuters.

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OPEC placed China among the top drivers of non-OPEC supply growth this year behind the U.S., Brazil, Kazakhstan, Norway, Guyana, and Mexico, in its Monthly Oil Market Report for December. But the cartel doesnt expect China to contribute to non-OPEC supply growth in 2024 at all. OPEC expects Chinas oil production next year to be essentially the same as it is in 2023at around 4.56 million barrels per day (bpd).

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Chinese lenders arranged three-fourths of all the $120 billion in global financing for coal projects last year, new research from BloombergNEF showed on Wednesday.

Chinese banks accounted for a massive 76%, or $93 billion, of the arranged financing for coal projects last year, followed by U.S. banks, which were at a distant second with $10 billion worth of coal project financing, BNEFs report found.

According to BNEFs researchers, the share of coal financing is still too high and not aligned in any way with a path to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Coal financing accounted for around 13% of all fossil fuel funding, while the share has to plunge to just 1% by the 2040s for a chance at reaching the Paris Agreement target to limit global warming, BNEF said in the report.

All the top 10 banks that arranged funding for coal last year were in China, led by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, according to the findings.

China continues to rely on coal and expand its coal generation capacity despite the fact that its also the world leader in renewable capacity expansion and investment in green technologies.

Its banks continue to finance coal, while many banks, especially in Europe, have already dumped coal financing and are either limiting or halting funding for oil and gas projects, too.

But global coal demand is set to rise by 1.4% this year and surpass a record-high level of 8.5 billion tons for the first time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said last week.

While coal demand in the United States and the EU is set for a 20% record decline, coal use in emerging economies remains very strong, increasing by 8% in India and by 5% in China in 2023 due to rising demand for electricity and weak hydropower output, the IEA said in its Coal 2023 annual report.

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Chinas coal demand is expected to drop next year and plateau through 2026, and global demand is set to decline to 2026, but China will have the last word, the IEA noted.

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Lloyds has added Guyana to its risk list, which also features the Red Sea and the Black Sea due to heightened military tensions.

While there is no immediate threat to oil transportation around Guyana, the recent flare-up in bilateral relations with Venezuela was considered sound reason enough for the addition.

The dispute between the two neighbors dates back to the late 19th century when an arbitration court gave control of a region called Essequibo to Guyana. It represents two-thirds of the countrys total territory.

The dispute flared up as the U.S. lifted oil sanctions on Caracas temporarily in a bid to increase the supply of heavy crude for Gulf Coast refineries.

Venezuela held a referendum in early December regarding its claim of sovereignty over Essequibo and the majority voted in favor. This sparked worry about a possible invasion and indeed Venezuelan troops were amassed by the border with Guyana. Urgent diplomatic efforts followed, leading to talks between the two heads of state.

These ended on a positive note, with both pledging to not resort to force to support their respective claims. Even so, Lloyds has deemed it appropriate to warn shippers moving cargos in the region that the Guyana exclusive economic zone may not be the safest place in the world.

The news comes as global shippers begin avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal due to the string of missile and drone attacks on vessels in the area coming from the Yemeni Houthis.

Earlier this week BP, too, said its tankers will no longer use the route until the attacks end. That prompted a fast reaction from the U.S. which announced a coalition to beef up international military presence in the Red Sea to support better security for the ships still using the route that handles some 14% of global trade.

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Nigeria is reducing the costs for oil companies willing to sign new production contracts as OPECs largest African producer looks to attract firms in its oil and gas industry again, the head of the oil regulator told Bloomberg in an interview published on Wednesday.

Nigeria plans to replace the so-called signature bonuses that companies owe to the government at the signing of contracts with lump sums for production, Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), said.

Lower costs and tackling delays in licensing would be a paradigm shift in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, Komolafe told Bloomberg.

Companies bidding in the next licensing round, which is expected shortly, will

see that Nigeria is ready to do business differently, the CEO of the upstream regulator added.

Nigeria has struggled in recent years to boost its oil and gas production and has consistently failed to produce to its quota under the OPEC+ agreement. The combination of pipeline vandalism and oil theft with a lack of investment in capacity has made Nigeria the biggest laggard in crude oil production in the OPEC+ alliance.

Since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, he has pledged to boost oil and gas production and make the sector attractive for international oil companies again.

Shell sees $6 billion worth of oil and gas investment opportunities in Nigeria, the countrys presidency said earlier this month, following a meeting of senior executives of the supermajor with Nigerian officials.

Zoe Yujnovich, Shells Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, and the top executives of Shells Nigerian unit, Shell Nigeria PLC, held talks in early December with Nigerian President Tinubu in Abuja.

According to presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale, Shell has identified a $5 billion investment opportunity in Nigerias offshore oil exploration and production and has said it would invest another $1 billion within 10 years to ramp up natural gas production in Nigeria for domestic supplies and exports.

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Germanys Wintershall Dea and Austrias OMV are being stripped of their multi-billion-dollar stakes in joint ventures developing natural gas projects in Russia under a decree by Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president has signed a decree ordering that the shares of the two Western energy companies in the Yuzhno-Russkoye field and in the Achimov projects in Russias Arctic be transferred to newly set up Russian firms.

OMV and Germanys BASF and its joint venture with LetterOne, Wintershall Dea, held minority stakes in the development of the Yuzhno-Russkoye field.

According to Putins decree, all corporate agreements that have been in force so far are no longer valid.

The move is part of Russias efforts to protect its national interests amid the illegal and unfriendly actions of the West in relation to Russian assets, according to the decree cited by Reuters.

Wintershall Dea is in the process of exiting Russian operations while OMV announced an exit last year.

Commenting on Putins latest decree, a spokesperson for Wintershall Dea told Reuters in a written response to questions that The presidential decree is further confirmation: Russia is no longer a reliable economic partner and is unpredictable - in every respect.

BASF told Reuters on Wednesday it learned of the order for asset seizures from the news and it was in the process of analyzing all the facts.

OMV and Wintershall Dea are not the first major Western oil and gas firms to have their Russian assets transferred to newly created Russian entities.

Last year, a decree from Putin stipulated that a newly set up state Russian company would take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the joint venture running the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project.

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Shell and Japans Mitsui and Mitsubishi were minority shareholders in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co, whose biggest shareholder is Gazprom. Shell had already announced it was pulling out of Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine before the decree was issued.

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Russian crude oil shipments continued to increase on a four-week average basis, despite maintenance work that reduced flows out of the port of Primorsk on the Baltic Sea last week, tanker-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg showed on Tuesday.

Russian crude oil exports from its ports averaged around 3.28 million barrels per day (bpd) in the four weeks to December 17an increase of about 80,000 bpd compared to the four-week average to December 10, according to the data reported by Bloombergs Julian Lee.

In the four weeks to December 10, Russias crude oil shipments jumped after storms in the Black Sea that had disrupted loadings in November subsided.

Despite a four-day halt to Primorsk loadings in the week to December 17, Russian crude oil shipments were higher by 80,000 bpd compared to the four-week average to the week ending on December 10.

At the end of last week, a storm and planned maintenance at Primorsk forced Russia to suspend on Friday around two-thirds of the shipments of its flagship crude grade Urals from its Baltic and Black Sea ports.

Russia has pledged to reduce its oil exports by 300,000 bpd until the end of 2023, in a show of solidarity with its OPEC+ partner Saudi Arabia, which is voluntarily reducing its oil production by 1 million bpd until 2023.

At the latest OPEC+ meeting, Russia said it would deepen the export cut to 500,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2024, with May and June of 2023 being the reference export levels for the cut, which will consist of 300,000 bpd of crude and 200,000 bpd of refined products.

Russia has always been evasive about its compliance with the OPEC+ agreement, even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has classified its oil production and export data, saying it would not provide detailed information about its oil sector which could be used by the West to track down and clamp down on Russias oil exports, or oil revenues.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that Russia has promised oil-flow tracking companies and price reporting agencies to provide data about its production, inventories, and fuel output after OPEC+ asked Moscow for more transparency in tracking its compliance with the cuts.

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Russia has increased significantly its crude oil exports to China and India this year, with volumes to China hitting 100 million tons annually, or around 2 million barrels per day, Nikolay Tokarev, the head of Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, told Russian media on Wednesday.

Export volumes to China and India have increased significantly; many times over. I can say that about 70 million tonnes of oil were supplied to India this year, while about 100 million tonnes of oil went to China, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Tokarev as saying in an interview with state television Rossiya 24.

According to the Transneft executive, Russia sent crude to new markets this year.

New markets have appeared: Egypt, Morocco, Myanmar, Pakistan. I can list many more, Tokarev said.

China and India have become the key export outlets for Russias oil this year after the EU embargo on Russian crude and products and the G7-led price caps, above which Western insurers and financiers are prohibited from offering services for the shipment of Russian oil. Both China and India saw their respective imports of crude from Russia hit a record high at some point in 2023.

In November, Russia remained Chinas top crude supplier, with Beijing importing around 2.2 million bpd of Russian oil last month, per Chinese customs data cited by Reuters.

Between January and November, Chinas imports of Russian crude oil jumped by 22.2% compared to the same period of 2022, according to the data.

India has also become a top buyer of Russian crude oil alongside China since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the embargoes and price cap the EU, the U.S., and the G7 imposed on Moscow in an attempt to stifle Putins oil revenues.

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Indian imports of Russian crude hit a four-month high last month, at 1.6 million bpd, according to data Reuters has obtained from trade sources. The November imports were 3.1% higher than Indias intake of Russian crude in October and accounted for more than a third of all Indian crude oil imports last month.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol called Wednesday for strengthening surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to deal better with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Yoon made the remark as he presided over a meeting of the presidential defense innovation committee, noting the North's recent launches of a spy satellite and an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"North Korea's provocations will continue according to their timetable, so we must always have a full readiness posture," he said during the meeting at the presidential office, which was attended by Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, top military leaders and civilian committee members, including former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.

"During this third innovation committee meeting, I ask you to discuss ways to dramatically strengthen our military's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which are meant to prepare against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," he said.

South Korea has been stepping up its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear program.

Early this month, South Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, before successfully conducting its third test flight of a solid-fuel space rocket.

"We must share with the United States our surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which will strengthen in the future, and use the real-time missile warning data sharing system between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to effectively deter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats," Yoon said.

Yoon also called for measures to drastically shorten procedures for procuring weapons and other military hardware, saying the application of standard government procedures, which seek to ensure fairness and prevent corruption, will only lead to the deployment of outdated weapons.

"This is not only a waste of finances but security incompetence," he said.

During the meeting, the defense ministry reported plans to diversify weapons procurement methods and integrate overlapping verification and analysis steps in current procurement procedures, according to the presidential office.

Under the plan, the government expects to halve the average time required for weapons procurement from 14 years to seven years, it said. (Yonhap)
UAEs Mubadala Energy announced a natural gas discovery in an offshore block in Indonesia.

The discovery, analysts say, is the second-largest deepwater gas find this year, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the company said the discovery was made in the South Andaman area, around 100 km offshore of North Sumatra.

The exploration well Mubadala Energy had drilled produced 30 million cubic feet daily of excellent gas quality, the company said.

With our strategy to expand our gas portfolio to support the energy transition, this development offers material commercial opportunities and adds momentum to our strategic growth story, said the chief executive of the company, Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed.

The reservoir that Emirati Mubadala Energy tapped may have some 3.3 trillion cubic feet in recoverable reserves, according to Wood Mackenzie estimates, Reuters noted in its report.

Indonesia said that the discovery would go towards its target of 12 billion cubic feet in daily natural gas production by 2030. That would be a twofold increase in its current gas production rate.

Italys Eni also made a significant discovery offshore Indonesia in October. The company said it had tapped a reservoir that contained an estimated 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and there could be another 5 trillion cubic feet in the surrounding area, off the coast of East Kalimantan.

Eni said it would fast-track the development of the Geng North deepwater gas field off the Indonesian coast, with first commercial production planned for 2027.

Indonesia has seen its natural gas production drop considerably over the past decade or so. From more than 8.4 billion cubic feet daily in 2011, production has to date declined to about 6 billion cubic feet. Once a major LNG exporter, Indonesia has lost its place among the leaders in this segment and is now looking to restore it.

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A crew is expected to begin work soon, perhaps as early as Wednesday, to fence off and begin tearing down the vacant Spencer Homes East public housing apartments in North Omaha.

The City Council voted Tuesday to approve a demolition contract, nearly 1 years after the Omaha Housing Authority relocated all the apartment residents as part of a multimillion-dollar, federally funded redevelopment that OHA is doing with the City of Omaha and Illinois-based Brinshore Development.

The unanimous vote came after an emotional public hearing in which North Omaha community advocates criticized the city and the Omaha Housing Authority for allowing the buildings to sit vacant and open for months as they descended into dangerously dilapidated conditions and became a magnet for trash dumping, scavenging and people seeking shelter.

The city will issue a notice to Cox Contracting Co. to proceed with the demolition as soon as the $305,000 contract is signed by Mayor Jean Stothert, Kellie Johnston Dorsey of the Omaha Planning Department told the council. The first thing theyll do is erect a 6-foot permanent fence, she said. They have to do lead and asbestos abatement before razing the buildings.

We actually have (a notice to proceed) already all typed up, Johnston Dorsey told the council. Weve been in communication with the contractors. They know it could be as early as tomorrow. We hope it is.

Council President Pete Festersen said hell be the acting mayor for the next few days.

So itll be my duty to sign all these documents were approving today, he said. And when this ones ready, I dont care if its midnight or any time tomorrow morning, let me know and Ill sign it right away.

The six apartment buildings have been vacant since June 2022. The Housing Authority relocated all Spencer Homes residents then, but only demolished the Spencer West buildings last summer, and left the Spencer East buildings standing. OHA and city officials have said thats because they found out they didnt have enough money to demolish all the apartments and they needed to start building new mixed-income housing on the former Spencer West site.

The heightened level of urgency Tuesday came after North Omaha residents and community advocates Celeste Butler and Sherman Wells publicly demanded last week that something be done about the conditions of the apartment buildings, which are in a residential neighborhood at 26th Avenue and Spencer Streets. They said they had complained several times over months about the property, yet the buildings remained open. Trash piles were growing. There was evidence of a fire in at least one apartment. At least four manhole covers were missing, presumed stolen, exposing a several-feet drop into sewers.

Although by then the demolition contract was already on the Dec. 19 council meeting agenda, Butler, Wells and City Council member Juanita Johnson pressed for the apartments to be secured and demolished immediately. The housing authority sent crews to pick up the garbage as soon as it was made aware of the dumping, and is sending them back at least daily, OHA CEO Joanie Poore told the council. She said the housing authority had gotten manhole covers  plastic, because metal ones would be stolen again  to cap the sewer holes.

We are also frustrated at the condition of the property, Poore said.

Wells was not placated.

Evacuating Spencer East and abandoning it without proper boarding created a hazardous situation and an eyesore for our community, he said. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated occurrence. Its a pattern observed in many Black communities across America.

Thats a pattern of neglect that feeds despair, Wells said.

It appears there was an assumption that North Omaha will tolerate the buildings sitting abandoned until March, he said.

Butler said she had sent an email and a video about the apartments in July 2022 that were forwarded to a city official. She had had a frightening encounter with a man on the North Omaha Trail adjacent to Spencer East. She has said she alerted officials to portions of a temporary fence going missing in May 2023. The rest of the fence disappeared during the summer and she saw men frequently coming in and out of the empty apartments.

Im looking at schoolchildren standing on the bus stop in that neighborhood as well as two blocks away at 6 oclock in the morning, Butler said. And still to this day, theyre wide open.

Council member Johnson, whose District 2 includes North Omaha, called the situation part of a bigger issue, which is North Omaha has a problem receiving services from the city with speed and accuracy.

I stand with my community regarding the total disregard to the property that is abandoned and then leaving an opportunity for homeless to come in and an opportunity for individuals in that community to become harmed, injured, perhaps even a casualty that is a loss of life, Johnson said.

She and Poore said they had met to discuss how to address issues involving the housing authority and people North Omaha.

Photos: Vacated Omaha apartments left wide open and in disrepair
TRENTON, N.J.  For years in New Jersey, any Democrat weighing a run for statewide office had to grapple with an important question: What about Bob?

It wasn't a reference to the 1991 Bill Murray flick but to Bob Menendez, the incumbent U.S. senator whose political influence placed him atop the state Democratic Party food chain. He kept allies in line, helped anoint rising stars and had an important voice in determining the fate of both candidates and policy proposals. Even after a federal corruption indictment ended in a hung jury in 2017, Menendez continued to wield considerable power.

The What about Bob? question is no less relevant now, though it has taken on new meaning. It still bears no connection to the movie, though it has cinematic qualities of its own. Menendez is facing federal charges that he secretly aided Egypts authoritarian government and tried to thwart a friends criminal prosecution in exchange for gold bars and cash. He and his wife, who was also charged, and other co-defendants in the alleged scheme have all pleaded not guilty.

So if New Jersey Democrats ask the question these days, they're more likely to be wondering when he'll get out of the way and let them get on with the business of trying to keep a crucial U.S. Senate seat in Democratic hands.

Menendez, for his part, hasn't said whether he'll seek another term but vows that he's not going anywhere. Jason Tuber, Menendez's chief of staff, said in an email that the people of New Jersey will determine who their Senator will be. He didn't specify Menendez's plans.

Senator Menendez has been powerful, effective, and indispensable in delivering for New Jersey and the Senator is prepared to put his record up against anyone who enters the race, he said.

Still, many in the party he once held considerable sway over already are looking beyond him.

Anybody looking at that indictment has no choice but to move on, said former state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. It was horrendous.

Party leaders, from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy to local officials, have called on Menendez to resign, his home county party has dropped its endorsement, and with the Democrats' U.S. Senate majority hanging in the balance, a field of robust primary challengers has begun to emerge.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim entered the race a day after the indictment, and the states first lady, Tammy Murphy, has jumped into the campaign and begun to win significant support from county party officials. Establishment support is typically a key factor to winning primaries in New Jersey because county parties can award the line or favored positioning on the ballot. Other prominent Democrats could join the race, too.

Theyre already assuming hes toast, said Daniel Cassino, executive director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. He doesnt have the pull he had before.

That's due to a couple of factors, according to Cassino and other experts. Menendez's previous indictment unfolded with a Republican governor in office, who would have been likely to tap a GOP senator if the seat opened up. That case also erupted years before Menendez faced reelection, so Democrats had some incentive to see how things would wind up before deciding how they should proceed politically.

Now, rather than back him again amid a second federal corruption case, the party seems poised to move on.

A reliably blue-leaning state with nearly 1 million more Democratic registered voters than Republicans, New Jersey hasnt elected a GOP senator since 1972. The possibility of a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden has Democrats optimistic about their chances of keeping the seat, even if Menendez mounts a reelection effort.

The Republican field at the moment includes Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner. A handful of others are also considering running. The GOP has struggled to win statewide elections, and typically performs better in gubernatorial races, which happen in odd-numbered years, than in Senate races. GOP state party chairman Bob Hugin spent millions of his own cash to try to unseat Menendez in 2018 and came up short.

Menendez has taken a defiant stance in the face of charges brought earlier this year by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Mounting a reelection effort while battling the case against him could be too much of a challenge, according to Brigid Harrison, political science professor at Montclair State University.

Its going to be hard for Bob Menendez to raise money with the scandal overhead. That is a serious impediment, she said.

Ben Dworkin, who heads the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship, acknowledged that some Democrats are looking to nudge Menendez off the political stage and that public polls have shown support declining for him. Still, he added, Menendez has survived politically before.

"You cant ever count Menendez out," he said.

The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024 1. West Virginia 2. Montana 3. Ohio 4. Pennsylvania 5. Arizona 6. Nevada 7. Wisconsin 8. Michigan 9. Texas 10. Florida Analysis: Pennsylvania moves up list of contested Senate seats in 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel  Tantrums, tears, temperature, toilet accidents. These travails of childhood are familiar to any parent. But for Doron Katz Asher, the daily whims of children took on a new, frightening dimension while in Hamas captivity with her two young daughters.

If the girls cried, militants would bang on the door of the room where she was being held. When they were hungry, she didnt always have anything to feed them. She slept with one eye open, always keeping watch over her daughters.

(I felt) Fear. Fear that maybe because my daughters are crying and are making some noise theyll get some directive from above to take them, to do something to them, Katz Asher told Israel Channel 12 TV in a lengthy interview broadcast. Constant fear.

Her account builds on a growing number of freed captives who are sharing their harrowing stories of weeks in captivity even as roughly 129 hostages remain.

Katz Asher, 34, and her daughters Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2, were visiting family in Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas attacked the sleepy farming community on Oct. 7. Katz Asher, her daughters and her mother were put on a tractor and driven to Gaza. An exchange of fire erupted between the militants who snatched them and Israeli forces, killing her mother and leaving her and Aviv lightly wounded, she said in the interview. They were part of some 240 people taken captive that day whose plight has stunned and gripped Israelis.

After they made it to Gaza, Katz Asher said she and her daughters were taken to a familys apartment, where her wounds were stitched up without anesthetics on a couch as her girls looked on. She did not say if Aviv was treated.

The father of the house spoke Hebrew, which he said he had learned years earlier working in Israel. A Palestinian mother and two daughters served as their guards for the 16 days they were held in the home. They were told to keep quiet, but were given coloring pencils and paper and passed the time drawing. Katz Asher said she started teaching her 4-year-old how to write in Hebrew. The first word she taught was aba, or dad.

As the sounds of the Israeli militarys fierce bombing campaign rang out around them, her captors fed her false hope, telling her a deal was imminent for their release. She and her daughters would eventually be freed in a temporary cease-fire deal in late November.

With food running low at the family home, one night she was dressed in Muslim attire that concealed her identity and she and her daughters were forced to walk for 15 minutes to a hospital that was not named in the interview, where they were sealed in a room with other Israeli captives who she recognized. Ten people were locked together in a 130-square-foot room with a sink but no mattresses. The window was sealed shut, food was inconsistent and using a toilet hinged on the permission of the captors.

They could open after five minutes or after an hour and a half, she said, echoing similar testimony from other freed captives. But, she added, small girls cant hold it.

Katz Asher said one of her daughters had a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit for three days straight. To bring it down, she ran cold water over her forehead.

They made a deck of cards and drew the foods they badly missed to pass the time. Katz Asher saved her own small portions of food  pita with spreadable cheese and spiced rice with meat  so that her daughters wouldnt go hungry.

Her daughters had an incessant list of questions about their ordeal, the innocence of a childs curiosity colliding with an inexplicable calamity. When will we return to dad at home? And when will they return to day care? And why is the door locked? Why cant we just go home? And how will we even know the way home?

All the while, with dread engulfing her, Katz Asher said she projected calm to her daughters, promising them, and perhaps herself, they would go home soon.

What helped me survive there was that my daughters were with me, she said. I had something to fight for.

The vulnerability of Nir Oz: Inside Hamas unprecedented hostage operation
Offutt Air Force Bases fleet of nuke-sniffers is now complete.

The Offutt-based 55th Wing took delivery of its third refurbished WC-135R Constant Phoenix jet earlier this month, giving the unit its most robust radiation-detection capability in 30 years, Air Force officials said.

The jet, tail number 64-14829, arrived at Offutt Dec. 4 from Greenville, Texas, where the former Arizona Air National Guard aerial refueling tanker had been undergoing conversion for its new atmospheric-collection mission since September 2021.

The two other refurbished aircraft were delivered in July 2022 and May 2023. The total cost of the program was $218 million.

Col. Mark Howard of the 55th Wing said in a statement that the arrival of the additional plane was an historic day for the Fightin Fifty-Fifth, adding that having this third jet really opens up a lot of options.

The plane is assigned to the Wings 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, which flies the Constant Phoenix mission.

Lt. Col. Maria Methe, the squadrons commander, said her crews will now be able to carry out missions in two parts of the world while keeping one for training at home.

Because a third tail allows for additional flying, we are able to train more crews in WC-135 operations and increase overall RC-135 pilot and navigator training at home station, Methe said in an email.

The Air Forces radiation-monitoring mission began after the 1963 establishment of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which barred nations from testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.

The United States converted 10 C-135 variant jets into WC-135 weather-reconnaissance planes, specially configured with radiation-monitoring gear to monitor international compliance with the treaty.

The mission faded after the Cold War, and the 55th Wing has had no more than two Constant Phoenix aircraft since the 1990s. They received no significant upgrades in recent decades and had become increasingly prone to breakdowns.

Their mechanical condition was so poor that the squadrons chaplain jokingly called one of the planes Lucifers Chariot at its 2020 retirement ceremony. The other was retired in 2022, after the arrival of the first refurbished jets.

Built in 1964, the new planes are only two to three years newer than the aircraft they replace, although all three were upgraded with new, quieter, turbofan engines in the early 1990s, and are equipped with newer avionics and flight controls that match the rest of the 55th Wing reconnaissance fleet. And they have been flown 5,000 to 10,000 fewer hours.

Because they can generate more power, the aircraft is able to fly longer, and more efficiently, Methe said.

In the back end, they have been equipped with sensing pods on each side of the fuselage, over the wing. Filters inside the pods capture tiny particles from a nuclear blast, giving analysts critical information about the composition of the bomb or other radiation source. Its the first major upgrade for monitoring equipment since 2004.

The arrival of the third WC-135R ushers in a new age of the mobile nuclear airborne sampling mission, said Lt. Col. Stephen Jimenez, commander of the Air Force Technical Application Centers 21st Surveillance Squadron, which operates the planes radiation-detection equipment, in a statement. AFTAC and the 55th Wing will operate in new places to provide our national leaders information promptly so they can hold others accountable.

The 55th Wing had little advance notice of the December delivery of the latest plane, but it has begun putting the aircraft through its paces. It flew training missions on Dec. 12, 15, and 18, according to information gathered from the air-traffic monitoring website FlightRadar24.com by a former 55th Wing crew member who uses the social media handle @MeNMYRC.

The two other aircraft already have between them completed deployments to England, Qatar, Okinawa, Puerto Rico, and the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Photos: StratCom Experience Day at Offutt Air Force Base
President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated a former Douglas County Court judge and current federal magistrate judge to fill a vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the State of Nebraska.

If confirmed by the Senate, Susan Bazis will fill a vacancy on the court left by U.S. District Judge John Gerrard, who assumed senior status  essentially a partial retirement  in February 2022. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer said in a statement that she first recommended Bazis as a potential pick for the federal judgeship to Biden in January.

Her broad experience in both criminal and civil affairs will continue to serve our state and its people well, Fischer said. I encourage all of my Senate colleagues to support her nomination.

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts also supported Bazis nomination, saying in a statement that he applaud(s) Senator Fischer for working with the president to nominate a qualified and well-respected Nebraskan to the federal bench.

Bazis was selected to join the federal bench as a U.S. magistrate judge in 2017. Magistrate judges serve eight-year, renewable terms and are responsible for the management of most pretrial proceedings in federal criminal and civil matters. Unlike other federal judges, magistrates are not appointed by the president and do not require Senate confirmation.

Before joining the federal judiciary, Bazis spent about a decade as a Douglas County Court judge. Before that, she worked in various roles in private practice and, briefly, as an assistant public defender in Douglas County. She is a 1993 graduate of the Creighton University Law School.

Bazis nomination is one of five U.S. district judge nominations made by Biden on Tuesday. This round of nominees caught the attention of Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who studies federal judicial nominations, because they are all from states with two Republican senators: Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming and Utah.

Tobias said this round of nominations shows that the White House has been making a concerted effort to work with Republican senators to fill federal court vacancies in their states, as evidenced by the endorsement of Bazis by Fischer and Ricketts. Republican senators in Utah and Texas have also thrown their support behind Bidens judicial nominations.

With the support of Nebraskas senators, Tobias expects Bazis confirmation process to go smoothly. He anticipates that confirmation proceedings will begin sometime in January or February.

After a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the committee will vote on Bazis nomination. Following approval by the committee, her nomination will head to the Senate floor for a final vote.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of December 2023
BLOOMINGTON  A dozen Boy Scouts with Hudson Troop 957 set out Tuesday evening to bring holiday cards and songs to residents of Luther Oaks Continuing Care Retirement Community in Bloomington.

In an emailed statement, Scoutmaster Jared Bierbaum said it was their third year in a row visiting Luther Oaks. Last year, he said the Scouts handed out Christmas cards, playing cards and board games.

Bierbaum said the Scouts look forward to doing this every year. They brought in supplies and took time to prepare Christmas cards together during Scout meetings.

He said the troop is "boy led," and includes 25 Scouts ages 11 to 17 from junior high schools and high schools in Bloomington-Normal, Lexington, El Paso, LaSalle and Peru.

The Scoutmaster said they do a lot of community service around the Hudson and Bloomington areas throughout the year, and a senior patrol leader and other troop leaders decide on their activities and camping sites.

Additional adult Scout leaders assisting on Tuesday were Thomas Biehl and Erin Picton. The troop went camping at a Wisconsin cave in November, and is headed to Forest Glen campground in Westville next month. A ski trip is planned for February.

Bierbaum said the Luther Oaks residents always appreciate the Scouts' caroling, and ask them about their troop activities. Some residents were Boy Scouts when they were kids.

Bierbaum said one resident shared a recipe for "mud potatoes," where a potato is covered with mud and baked in fired coals. Once it's cooked for a while, the mud is washed off the potato.

Bierbaum said it was a neat idea and the Scouts loved to hear it.

"We will certainly try it sometime this next scouting year," he said.

Close Ainsley Gaines, grade 3, Glenn Alex Swanzy, grade 2, Stevenson Alex Swanzy, grade 2, Stevenson Amelio Matheny, grade 4, Fairview A'mere Johnson, grade 2, Stevenson Amir Taylor, grade 2, Stevenson Andy Carr, grade 3, Grove Athanasius Wolfe, grade 2, Parkside Aurora Jones, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Avleen Kaur, grade 3, Fox Creek Bella Riggs, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Bella Riggs, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Bennett Wort, grade 2, Parkside Braden Cotton, grade 3, Washington Brielle Villafuerte, grade 2, Parkside Brittany Carrillo, grade 3, Fox Creek Brock Beer, grade 2, Stevenson Brody Beall, grade 2, Parkside C., grade 4, Fairview Cameron Zahareaf, grade 3, Washington Caroline Allen, grade 2, Homeschool Charlotte Kopp, grade 3, Washington Chase Ellerman, grade 3, Washington Claire Bauman, grade 3, Washington Corrigan Wright, grade 2, Parkside Da'Mani Hansbrough, grade 3, Washington Dave, grade 3, Glenn Dave, grade 3, Glenn David Lanier, grade 3, Glenn Dominic Russell, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Dylan Yontz, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Ellis, grade 2, Washington Elora Jennings, grade 2, Stevenson Emily Bingaman, grade 3, Grove Emma Fifarek, grade 2, Washington Emmalee Scearce, grade 2, Parkside Ethan McKenney, grade 2, Parkside Felicity Henning, grade 3, Washington Gabby G., grade 4, Fairview Gavin, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Gianna DiMichele, grade 3, Washington Hannah, grade 3, Glenn Harper Ryan, grade 4, Washington Harper Ryan, grade 4, Washington Harper Stuehlmeyer, grade 4, Fairview Iliana Villafuerte, grade 2, Parkside Isaac Wilcox, grade 4, Fairview Isabella Damon, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Isabella Shapiro, grade 3, Washington Isabelle Dundov, grade 3, Washington Jack Graham, grade 2, Stevenson Jaxon Turner-Harpes, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Jayah Hooker, grade 2, Sugar Creek Jenna Lawhorn, grade 2, Washington Jensen Perry, grade 3, Fox Creek Jonah Quinn, grade 3, Fox Creek Jordan, grade 2, Glenn Jordan, grade 2, Stevenson Josephine Shoults-Wilson, grade 3, Washington Joshyra Lewis, grade 4, Grove Justice Simmons, grade 2, Washington Kali Johnson, grade 2, Stevenson Kamran Eggleston, grade 2, Stevenson Kate Nickel, grade 3, Washington Katie Carr, grade 1, Grove Keegan M., grade 4, Fairview Kellan Adniyi, grade 3, Washington Kennedy Bell, grade 3, Fox Creek Kennedy Davis, grade 3, Washington Khloe Huett, grade 3, Fox Creek Khristian Gleghorn, grade 2, Parkside Kyle McCully, grade 3, Grove Lake Hobart, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Leah Nevius, grade 2, Parkside Lexi Hakes, grade 3, Grove Lilah Nafziger, grade 3, Washington Lilly Fogarty, grade 2, Stevenson Logan, grade 2, Stevenson Maanvi McKela, grade 3, Glenn Marcos Beltron Antones, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Maria Issa, grade 3, Fox Creek Marshun Williams, grade 2, Stevenson Mason Scogin, grade 2, Parkside Mason Walker, grade 3, Fox Creek Max, grade 3, Washington Musica G., grade 4, Fairview Nevaeh Valadez, grade 2, Washington Nicholls McCoy, grade 3, Fox Creek Nihal Bommineni, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Jefferson Park No name, Washington Norah Robertson, grade 3, Grove Olivia Mullins, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Paisleigh Ferguson, grade 2, Parkside Parker Roberge, grade 2, Parkside Reece Duzer, grade 2, Sugar Creek Riaan Chauhan, grade 3, Grove Roland Roberts, grade 2, Jefferson Park Ruby Brandon, grade 3, Glenn Ruthvik Ganji, grade 2, Glenn Ryker Crackel, grade 4, Fairview Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Saanvika Alagiri, grade 3, Washington Sanga Mithra Arunvasagan Jayanthi, grade 2, Glenn Sanga Mithra Arunvasagan Jayanthi, grade 2, Glenn Sathvik Gleen, grade 2, Glenn Savannah Simpson, grade 2, Sugar Creek Scarlett Sweeney, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Sebastian Martinez, grade 2, Parkside Shannon Alomoto Casco, grade 4, Fairview Shriya Patel, grade 5, Prairieland Sloan Stephey, grade 2, Glenn Tiahna Abbott, grade 4, Fairview Tyson Aikens, grade 3, Washington Varshita Karri, grade 2, Glenn Vera Kate Preston, grade 3, Grove Will Nicholson, grade 2, Stevenson Winter Dangerfield, grade 2, Glenn Zach Hoerr, grade 2, Parkside Aria, grade 2, Washington Avry Baer, grade 2, Washington Camren Zaharoff, grade 3, Washington Corrigan Whitman, grade 2, Washington Danielle Young, grade 3, Washington Danielle Young, grade 3, Washington Emma Leahy, grade 3, Washington Isabella Shapiro, grade 3, Washington Isabelle Dundov, grade 3, Washington Kate Nickel, grade 3, Washington Makenzie Johnson, grade 4, Washington Malin Molchin, grade 2, Washington No name, grade 3, Washington Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Sloane Yocum, grade 3, Washington Flying Horse: Christmas/Favorite holidays Ainsley Gaines, grade 3, Glenn Alex Swanzy, grade 2, Stevenson Alex Swanzy, grade 2, Stevenson Amelio Matheny, grade 4, Fairview A'mere Johnson, grade 2, Stevenson Amir Taylor, grade 2, Stevenson Andy Carr, grade 3, Grove Athanasius Wolfe, grade 2, Parkside Aurora Jones, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Avleen Kaur, grade 3, Fox Creek Bella Riggs, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Bella Riggs, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Bennett Wort, grade 2, Parkside Braden Cotton, grade 3, Washington Brielle Villafuerte, grade 2, Parkside Brittany Carrillo, grade 3, Fox Creek Brock Beer, grade 2, Stevenson Brody Beall, grade 2, Parkside C., grade 4, Fairview Cameron Zahareaf, grade 3, Washington Caroline Allen, grade 2, Homeschool Charlotte Kopp, grade 3, Washington Chase Ellerman, grade 3, Washington Claire Bauman, grade 3, Washington Corrigan Wright, grade 2, Parkside Da'Mani Hansbrough, grade 3, Washington Dave, grade 3, Glenn Dave, grade 3, Glenn David Lanier, grade 3, Glenn Dominic Russell, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Dylan Yontz, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Ellis, grade 2, Washington Elora Jennings, grade 2, Stevenson Emily Bingaman, grade 3, Grove Emma Fifarek, grade 2, Washington Emmalee Scearce, grade 2, Parkside Ethan McKenney, grade 2, Parkside Felicity Henning, grade 3, Washington Gabby G., grade 4, Fairview Gavin, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Gianna DiMichele, grade 3, Washington Hannah, grade 3, Glenn Harper Ryan, grade 4, Washington Harper Ryan, grade 4, Washington Harper Stuehlmeyer, grade 4, Fairview Iliana Villafuerte, grade 2, Parkside Isaac Wilcox, grade 4, Fairview Isabella Damon, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Isabella Shapiro, grade 3, Washington Isabelle Dundov, grade 3, Washington Jack Graham, grade 2, Stevenson Jaxon Turner-Harpes, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Jayah Hooker, grade 2, Sugar Creek Jenna Lawhorn, grade 2, Washington Jensen Perry, grade 3, Fox Creek Jonah Quinn, grade 3, Fox Creek Jordan, grade 2, Glenn Jordan, grade 2, Stevenson Josephine Shoults-Wilson, grade 3, Washington Joshyra Lewis, grade 4, Grove Justice Simmons, grade 2, Washington Kali Johnson, grade 2, Stevenson Kamran Eggleston, grade 2, Stevenson Kate Nickel, grade 3, Washington Katie Carr, grade 1, Grove Keegan M., grade 4, Fairview Kellan Adniyi, grade 3, Washington Kennedy Bell, grade 3, Fox Creek Kennedy Davis, grade 3, Washington Khloe Huett, grade 3, Fox Creek Khristian Gleghorn, grade 2, Parkside Kyle McCully, grade 3, Grove Lake Hobart, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Leah Nevius, grade 2, Parkside Lexi Hakes, grade 3, Grove Lilah Nafziger, grade 3, Washington Lilly Fogarty, grade 2, Stevenson Logan, grade 2, Stevenson Maanvi McKela, grade 3, Glenn Marcos Beltron Antones, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Maria Issa, grade 3, Fox Creek Marshun Williams, grade 2, Stevenson Mason Scogin, grade 2, Parkside Mason Walker, grade 3, Fox Creek Max, grade 3, Washington Musica G., grade 4, Fairview Nevaeh Valadez, grade 2, Washington Nicholls McCoy, grade 3, Fox Creek Nihal Bommineni, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Glenn No name, grade 2, Jefferson Park No name, Washington Norah Robertson, grade 3, Grove Olivia Mullins, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Paisleigh Ferguson, grade 2, Parkside Parker Roberge, grade 2, Parkside Reece Duzer, grade 2, Sugar Creek Riaan Chauhan, grade 3, Grove Roland Roberts, grade 2, Jefferson Park Ruby Brandon, grade 3, Glenn Ruthvik Ganji, grade 2, Glenn Ryker Crackel, grade 4, Fairview Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Saanvika Alagiri, grade 3, Washington Sanga Mithra Arunvasagan Jayanthi, grade 2, Glenn Sanga Mithra Arunvasagan Jayanthi, grade 2, Glenn Sathvik Gleen, grade 2, Glenn Savannah Simpson, grade 2, Sugar Creek Scarlett Sweeney, grade 3, Cedar Ridge Sebastian Martinez, grade 2, Parkside Shannon Alomoto Casco, grade 4, Fairview Shriya Patel, grade 5, Prairieland Sloan Stephey, grade 2, Glenn Tiahna Abbott, grade 4, Fairview Tyson Aikens, grade 3, Washington Varshita Karri, grade 2, Glenn Vera Kate Preston, grade 3, Grove Will Nicholson, grade 2, Stevenson Winter Dangerfield, grade 2, Glenn Zach Hoerr, grade 2, Parkside Aria, grade 2, Washington Avry Baer, grade 2, Washington Camren Zaharoff, grade 3, Washington Corrigan Whitman, grade 2, Washington Danielle Young, grade 3, Washington Danielle Young, grade 3, Washington Emma Leahy, grade 3, Washington Isabella Shapiro, grade 3, Washington Isabelle Dundov, grade 3, Washington Kate Nickel, grade 3, Washington Makenzie Johnson, grade 4, Washington Malin Molchin, grade 2, Washington No name, grade 3, Washington Ryker Meisner, grade 3, Washington Sloane Yocum, grade 3, Washington
NORMAL  Eastern Illinois Foodbank will distribute food to area families next month in Normal, Farmer City and throughout McLean County.

The Normal distribution will be 9:30-10:30 a.m. Jan. 20 at Normal West High School, 501 N. Parkside Road, and is open to McLean County residents.

The Farmer City distribution will be 9-10 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Trinity Community Fellowship, 1300 W. Clinton Ave., and is open to residents of DeWitt, Piatt, and McLean counties.

The foodmobile will also travel through northern McLean County on Jan. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and southern and western McLean County from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 24.

Visit eifoodbank.org/help/mobile/html for a list of distribution sites and times. Preregister at EIFclient.com; income guidelines will apply.

Participants are asked to bring boxes or bags to transport food.

Photos: Santa visits Sarah E. Raymond School of Early Education SANTA SUPERINTENDENT 121723-blm-loc-Mouser2.JPG 121723-blm-loc-Mouser3.JPG 121723-blm-loc-Mouser4.JPG 121723-blm-loc-Mouser5.JPEG 121723-blm-loc-Mouser6.JPG
NORMAL  Heartland Community College has received $264,000 in grant funding to expand programming in the Heartland Academy for Learning Opportunities, or HALO.

Funding was from the Illinois Community College Board Innovative Bridge and Transition grant and will go toward assisting individuals with intellectual and development disabilities and learning challenges.

Previous dollars from this grant allowed Heartland to double the number of students who participate in the program at our Main Campus location in Normal," said Kori Folkerts, Heartland's director of student access and accommodation services, in a statement. "Now we will be able to offer HALO programming at our Pontiac location as well.

The grant will expand HALO offerings to the Pontiac area, offer more tuition waivers for HALO students and expand college-wide training on inclusivity.

The Innovative Bridge and Transition grant program funds are intended to help colleges and community organizations meet four main objectives including transition for students with disabilities.

Previous IBT grant funding helped Heartland develop four additional courses to HALO including transition to college and basic skills, success education, professionalism and career preparation and social-emotional development.

Visit www.heartland.edu/halo to learn more about HALO and the program's application process.

Photos: 'Shop with a Cop' brings early Christmas to Bloomington-Normal kids SHOP WITH A COP 121623-blm-loc-shop2.JPG 121623-blm-loc-shop3.JPG 121623-blm-loc-shop4.JPG
Over 95 per cent of Junior High School (JHS) graduates have been placed by the 2023 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), the highest so far.



The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has described as impressive the outcome of the CSSPS, which has recorded 95.60 per cent placement into various Senior High Schools (SHS) as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.



He explained that the sharp increase from automatic placement of 81 per cent into their selected schools three weeks ago to more than 95 per cent now attested to the interest and confidence students, parents, as well as other stakeholders, had in the CSSPS.



Dr. Adutwum announced this when he addressed the media after meeting the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in Kumasi.



The visit, which was at the request of the House of Chiefs, allowed the minister to highlight all reforms taking place in the nations education space, especially in the Ashanti Region.



Presided over by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs invited the minister to brief them on the various policies and interventions being implemented by the ministry.



The excited minister attributed the increased enrollment to prudent measures put in place by the ministry and other agencies aligned to the exercise, and commended all the stakeholders for their roles leading to the success of this years exercise.



During the meeting with the House, the Education Minister explained all the policies and the motive for their implementation, as well as their role towards the nations transformation.



Dr. Adutwum said, I must admit that we encountered few challenges but notwithstanding, we have been able to record over 95 per cent placement which is remarkable for the nation.



The Education Minister stated, We have new high schools under construction, and science labs are being built in existing schools. WASSCE scores have improved under President Akufo-Addo. There is no doubt that we are seeing major transformation. STEM education has been given a major boost.



He commended parents for their support through complying with the laid down placement processes and pledged to continue putting in place strategic measures to help get the best for the nation.



The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who presided over the meeting, applauded Dr. Adutwum for his vision and commitment towards transforming the nation through education.



He pledged the support of the traditional authority towards creating an enabling environment for improved education in all communities.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho thanked U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday for her cooperation on a wide range of economic and financial issues and voiced hope for stronger bilateral ties, his office said.

Choo delivered the message during a teleconference with Yellen, as he was to leave the post to run in the April general elections.

"The two sides have had close consultations on various pending issues on the economy and finance, and the bilateral relations have enhanced further this year, marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance," Choo said.

The outgoing minister asked for continued cooperation between the two nations and expected the upcoming trilateral finance ministers' meeting involving Japan to serve as a chance to further deepen three-way economic ties.

During a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Maryland in August, the three sides agreed to hold an inaugural trilateral meeting between their finance ministers.

Choi Sang-mok, former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, was named the minister of economy and finance, who doubles as deputy prime minister for the economy, to replace Choo. (Yonhap)
Kenya's President William Ruto is mockingly referred to as Zakayo - Swahili for the biblical figure Zacchaeus, who is portrayed in the Christian holy book as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus.



This is because Mr Ruto has introduced a raft of new taxes, and raised old ones, since he was elected president in August 2022, making him unpopular with many Kenyans who believe he has betrayed his campaign pledge to champion the interests of "hustlers" - those who struggle financially.



Mr Ruto has acknowledged that the taxes are "painful" but, in an Independence Day speech on 12 December, said the sacrifices the nation was making "would make our freedom fighters proud".



For him, higher taxation is necessary to reduce government borrowing, and bring down the national debt, which has soared to 10 trillion shillings ($65bn; 51bn).



"We have made the right choices, sometimes taking very difficult and painful decisions, to steer Kenya back from the edge of the catastrophic cliff of debt distress," he said.



Nor does the president mind being compared to the biblical figure.



"Since I have already been referred to as Zakayo in some areas, maybe we will have a tax collector day," he said in May.



But many Kenyans are not in agreement with him. The pain of taxes dominate everyday conversations, especially as the cost-of-living is rising.



They also say the taxes are only helping to fund extravagance in government rather than improve public services.



This perception has grown, especially after Kenya's Controller of Budget - an independent office that oversees the usage of public funds - recently raised concern over the high taxes amid "wasteful" spending, including on domestic and international travel by government officials.



President Ruto, who has made over 40 trips abroad in about a year, has defended his travelling, saying he was seeking foreign investments and job opportunities for Kenyans.



In about the same time, 70,000 private-sector jobs have been lost amid a drastic rise in operating costs, and the closure of some businesses, according to the latest report by the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE).



It warns of the risk of more job losses, pointing out that 40% of employers are still considering scaling down their operations.



FKE has called for the government to review taxes, but businessmen complain that the government is not listening.



Economist Ken Gichinga says Kenya has been discouraging business by placing a heavy tax burden on companies that are supposed to create jobs, make profits and boost government finances.



In the end, some firms relocate to other countries, people who were thinking of opening a small business like a restaurant drop the idea, while existing businesses are forced to go into the informal sector to avoid paying taxes - something that has already started happening.

Source: BBC









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Strategic Communication Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa), Ghanas premier communication agency, has held another successful edition of its Brand Reputation Week with a comprehensive communication skills capacity-building clinic and training programme focusing specifically on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).



The 2023 Brand Reputation Week, under the theme, "Driving SME Growth Through Strategic Communication, was held over two days from 5th to 6th December 2023 to help SME participants appreciate the pivotal role effective communication can play in facilitating their growth and profitability. It demonstrated Stratcomm Africas commitment to driving positive change through strategic communication. Entrepreneurs drawn from different sectors, including food and beverage, fashion, beauty, film, construction, real estate and communication were among the participants.



During the two-day programme, seasoned Stratcomm Africa consultants exposed participants to Communication principles and tools for facilitating sustainable business growth and navigating the competitive business landscape. Topics covered included the importance of developing and working with coherent Communication Strategies as part of delivering on business strategies, Digital communication, building and sustaining Brand Reputation, among others. Mawuena Trebarh, a renowned business strategist, delivered a session on Business plan development and implementation, driving home the importance of building a strong business as a basis for developing and maintaining a positive brand reputation.



The Communication and Brand Reputation Clinic provided a platform for discussing and diagnosing unique communication needs of the participants and determining how to meet them effectively.



Brand Reputation Week aligns with Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrations. In her opening remarks for the programme, Ms. Esther A N Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stratcomm Africa, emphasized the fundamental importance of SMEs for national development. "SMEs are the backbone of our economy. As they thrive, the economy grows. Through working with SMEs to employ communication for growth, we demonstrate the importance of communication for business operations and national development, remarked the CEO. Our Skill Up in Communication to Scale up your Business initiative has evolved over the years to expose stakeholders to employing communication for self, business or community enhancement, she added.



Participants expressed profound gratitude for the valuable exposure and experience they obtained.



A participant in the food and beverage sector summed up her experience as follows, "The two-day event has been enlightening, emphasizing the significance of effective communication and brand positioning. It has underscored that running a business requires a level of intensity we had not fully grasped. We have learned that how we communicate and what we convey to our clients are pivotal. As a result, I will reassess and refine the communication strategy for my brand."

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The trial of CEO of defunct gold dealership firm, Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah aka NAM1 begins today, Wednesday, December 20, 2023 as prosecution is expected to call first of its 11 witnesses.



The presiding judge in the case says he hopes to deliver judgement by March 2024.



Justice Ernest Owusu-Dapaa, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an Additional High Court judge gave the assurance after a successful completion of Case Management Conference (CMC).



NAM1 had on Friday December 8, pleaded not guilty to 39 counts on an amended Charge Sheet filed by the Prosecution on November 16.



They include a count each of selling gold contrary to section, operating deposit-taking business without license and inducement to invest.



The others are  22 counts of defrauding by false pretenses, seven counts of fraudulent breach of trust and seven counts of Money Laundering.



The latest Charge Sheet though similar to the previous one, the GHc1.6 billion total sums in the previous charged sheet has reduced to GHc340 millions.



The Judge, Justice Owusu-Dapaa said his Court is open the option of Plea Bargaining if the parties with to explore that option.



The testimonies of all 11 witnesses for the Prosecution are expected to last for 35 hours.





Source: kasapaonline









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STC Chief Executive Officer, Nana Akomea has cautioned the Electoral Commission on their decision to abandon the use of indelible ink during elections.



The Electoral Commission (EC) has served notice that the indelible ink will no longer be required in the nation's elections.



The Commission assures that a biometric authentication system has been adopted to replace the indelible ink which is a semi-permanent dye applied to a voter's finger to prevent double voting and this move is being piloted at the ongoing district elections.



"Once you have been verified, it goes into the system, and you cannot come back a second time. You can try it if you wish at this election. Of course, it will be deemed as an electoral offence," the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa expressed confidence in the new system.



But Nana Akomea has asked the EC to rethink their decision, explaining that though this is a good initiative, it is advisable to weigh the pros and cons ensuring the system is foolproof.



He expounded that machines are not entirely fail-safe, so wondered if the EC authentication system is fully reliable.



"These are machines. It can be faulty anytime...If the EC says it won't use the india ink again, they should be careful...You can't rely on them (machines) 100%" and they must consult with all the parties for them to agree to the arrangements, he commented during Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will today open nominations for aspiring parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament.



While the nominations are expected to close on December 25, 2023, the party has fixed January 27, 2024, to conduct the final leg of its internal election to elect its parliamentary candidates.



Already, some aspirants such as Michael Oquaye Jnr., Roni Nicol, Hayford Siaw, Alois Mohl and Bice Osei Kuffuor alias Obour are ready to contest to represent the party in the Dome-Kwabenya, Ablekuma West, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Nandom and Asante Akyem South respectively.



The others are Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, who will be seeking to unseat the incumbent Kennedy Nyarko Osei; Commissioner of Police (retd) Alex Mensah for Bekwai and Raphael Agyapong for Bantama.



Another area of interest will be the Fomena constituency, where the incumbent, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, won the seat as an independent candidate after quitting the NPP.



However, he has been the bargaining chip for the ruling NPP and is also the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament.



It is unclear how many sitting MPs will be seeking re-election.



From history, some incumbent MPs indicate they would not be seeking re-election but turn around to contest.



Forms



Ahead of the opening of the nominations, a December 11, 2023 statement signed and issued by the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said no aspirant should be denied access to nomination forms.



An aspiring parliamentary candidate denied access to the nomination forms at the constituency shall purchase same at the regional secretariat, and if denied, same may be downloaded from the party's website (www.newpatrioticparty. org).



It said forms printed from the party's website should be submitted to the general secretary at the national secretariat of the party in Accra and aspirants who downloaded nomination forms from the party's website should, upon submission, show proof that they were denied an opportunity to purchase the forms at both the constituency and regional levels.



Filing fees



The statement said the nomination forms would be sold at GH3,000 while aspirants shall pay a non-refundable filing fee of GH35,000.



Women, Persons with Disability and the youth shall be granted a 50 per cent rebate on the filing fee.



For emphasis, a youth is an individual between 18-40 years, it said.



In addition, aspirants are to pay a non-refundable Development Fee of GH40,000 while all payments shall be made in Bankers Draft to the New Patriotic Party National Headquarters, Accra.



Appeals



Additionally, it said there shall be a National Parliamentary Appeals Committee to decide on appeals from disqualified parliamentary aspirants from Wednesday, January 10, 2024, to Friday, January 12, 2024 (if any), with the deadline for the submission of appeals to the National Parliamentary Appeals Committee being Tuesday, January 9, 2024.



It stated further that detailed rules and regulations for the parliamentary primaries would be attached to the nomination forms which would be made available to aspiring parliamentary candidates upon purchasing of forms.



The statement reiterated the partys commitment to free, fair and transparent parliamentary primaries and called for the support of all stakeholders.

Source: graphiconline









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Deputy General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustafa Gbande, has asked Ghanaians to arm themselves when going to vote during the 7th December 2024 general elections.



According to him Ghanaians should carry guns and machetes or anything they can lay their hands on to enable them protect themselves and their ballot at the various polling stations.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that he has told the leadership of the NDC that they have to prepare in advance for the NPP ahead of the elections.



" . . they think the way to go is violence so I've told our leaders that if possible let's prepare twice the NPP and wait for them, when you are going to the polling station put a cutlass in your pocket . . . if we do, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will not be able to misbehave toward us.



This, he noted is the only way to guarantee a free and fair elections.



He added that some members of parliament armed themselves with guns when they visited the constituencies for the district level elections.



"We have records of some members of parliament who went to their constituencies with military men to disrupt the district level elections and we will not allow people to be killed just like they did in the 2020 general elections," he said.



He further sounded a word of caution to the Electoral Commission who have proposed to abandon the use of indelible inks during voting.



"If the Electoral Commission wants to have a peaceful, free and fair elections, they should rescind that decision," he cautioned.





Watch Video Below













Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has officially opened nominations for aspiring parliamentary candidates, sparking keen interest in the fiercely contested Bantama constituency ahead of the party's parliamentary primaries on January 27, 2024.



In the spotlight is the incumbent MP, a first-timer, Francis Asenso-Boakye, engaged in a heated battle against Rapheal Agyapong, the brother of Kennedy Agyapong.



GhanaWeb explores the profiles of these contenders.



Francis Asenso-Boakye



Francis Asenso-Boakye is a Ghanaian politician and businessman, currently serving as the Minister for Works and Housing. He secured his position within the New Patriotic Party by defeating the incumbent Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency in Kumasi, Daniel Okyem Aboagye.



Born in Kumasi and hailing from Bantama in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, Asenso-Boakye was a student activist during his time at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.



He played a significant role in the Tertiary Students Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON), the party's tertiary students' wing.



Asenso-Boakye holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration, earned as a Rotary Scholar at Michigan State University in the United States. His professional journey includes roles at Delta Acquisitions and Development, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, Michigan House of Representatives, Global Media Alliance, Tema Export Processing Zone, Ghana Free Zones Board, and Ghana Investment Promotion Center.



Appointed in January 2017 as Deputy Chief of Staff and political assistant at the Flagstaff House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Asenso-Boakye also emerged victorious in the Bantama NPP primaries against incumbent Daniel Okyem Aboagye in the 2020 general elections.



Ralph Agyapong



Ralph Agyapong, 42, is a lawyer affiliated with Kwame Gyan & Associates and the brother of Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central. Agyapong, who holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of London, confirmed his intention to contest in the parliamentary primaries for the NPP in the Bantama constituency.



He picked his nomination forms this morning; he confirmed in an interview with Ghanawebs Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese,



Ralph Agyapong disclosed that the grassroots support for his candidacy became evident as people began circulating his campaign posters on social media platforms.



He disclosed seeking guidance from his brother, Kennedy Agyapong, who gave his blessing for him to contest and secure victory.



Friction between Kennedy Agyapong and Asenso-Boakye has been noted, stemming from remarks made by the latter during the NPP presidential primaries in which Kennedy was a contender.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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Prof. Smart Sarpong, a Research Fellow at the Kumasi Technical University, has expressed disappointment in the Electoral Commission over their mishap yesterday in the district elections across the country.



The Electoral Commission (EC) rescheduled the district-level elections in some electoral areas in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions due to technical challenges involving the printing of ballots.



The affected districts which included Bantama, South Sontreso, Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Mponua, Dadeso and Santasi; according to a statement by the Acting Head of Public Relations at the EC, Michael Boadu, will vote on Thursday, December 21, 2023.



Discussing the matter during Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", Prof. Smart Sarpong feared the chaos that such a blunder on the part of the EC could erupt into should it occur in the 2024 national elections.



He wondered how come the EC failed to do due diligence before the day of the district elections to avoid these challenges and cautioned them not to repeat this problem in next year's elections stressing it would be extremely unacceptable for the Commission to interrupt elections.



"Learn from your mistakes. The EC job is more action than talk...Technical challenges could have been avoided...if the teams in charge did their work and did their work well," Prof. Smart Sarpong advised, hoping the Commission will up their game.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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A Bathymetric data showing the Northwest Sahul continental shelf with eustatic and regional sea level curves projected. Ai Coastline morphology during the Marine Isotope Stage 4 sea level lowstand (70 ka61 ka), and Aii during the Marine Isotope Stage 3 sea level highstand (52 ka49 ka). Aiii Coastline morphology during the Marine Isotope Stage 2 sea level lowstand (27 ka17 ka), with place names shown. B Sediment cores from the Bonaparte Basin showing the sequence of environmental facies (adapted from Yokoyama et al., 2001a; Yokoyama et al., 2001b). C Core locations are shown along a surface transect of the Malita Basin, and in the expanded inset of Aiii. Credit: Quaternary Science Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108418

New research conducted by a team of archaeologists and Earth scientists has shed light on the ancient landscapes of Sahul, the Pleistocene (Ice Age) landmass comprising Australia and New Guinea.

The findings, published this week in Quaternary Science Reviews, offer a fascinating glimpse into a previously unrecognized chapter of human history. The article is titled "Sea level rise drowned a vast habitable area of north-western Australia driving long-term cultural change."

For the majority of the last 65,000 years of human history in Australia, lower sea levels revealed a vast expanse of dry land in the northwest of the continent, connecting the Kimberley and Arnhem Land into a contiguous area.

Through meticulous analysis of high-resolution bathymetric data (ocean floor topography), it has been unveiled that this region, now submerged, existed as an extensive archipelago during Marine Isotope Stage 4 (71,00059,000 years ago), which remained stable for ~9,000 years

This transformed into a fully exposed shelf in Marine Isotope Stage 2 (29,00014,000 years ago), featuring an inland sea adjacent to a sizable freshwater lake, encircled by high escarpments cut by deep gorges.

The team's demographic modeling indicates that this now-submerged shelf experienced fluctuating potential carrying capacities through Marine Isotope Stages 4-2, potentially supporting populations ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 people at various times.

However, rapid global sea level rises between 14,50014,100 years ago (during Meltwater Pulse 1A) and between 12,000 and 9,000 years ago resulted in the rapid inundation of approximately 50% of the Northwest Shelf, causing profound changes in the space of human life spans.

These events likely triggered the retreat of human populations ahead of the encroaching coastline, evident in peaks of occupational intensity at archaeological sites across the Kimberley and Arnhem, and the sudden appearance of distinctive new rock art styles in both regions.

Lead researcher Kasih Norman said, "The presence of this extensive archipelago likely facilitated the successful dispersal of the first maritime explorers from Wallaceathe region of modern-day Indonesiaproviding a familiar environment for their adaptation to the vast continent of Sahul."

Furthermore, the study emphasized the critical role that the now-submerged continental margins played in early human expansions.

"The temptation to overlook the continental shelf margins of Late Pleistocene Sahul in discussions of early peopling and expansion risks oversimplification and misunderstanding of this pivotal period in history," added Norman.

The implications of these findings underscored the need to reevaluate the narrative of early human migration and the impact of climate change on ancient populations.

Norman said, "Our demographic modeling showed a peak in population size at the height of the last ice age ~20,000 years ago, when the entire extent of the Northwest Shelf was dry land. This finding has now been supported by new genetic research showing very large populations for the Tiwi Islanderslocated just to the east of the study regionat the height of the last glacial period."

As submerged landscapes continued to yield invaluable archaeological insights, the rise of undersea archaeology in Australia contributed to a global understanding of human migration during the Late Pleistocene.

This research marked a significant milestone in understanding the complex interplay between ancient landscapes, human populations and environmental change. Dr. Norman said as exploration and analysis of underwater sites expanded, it promised to unravel more secrets of our shared human history.

More information: Kasih Norman et al, Sea level rise drowned a vast habitable area of north-western Australia driving long-term cultural change, Quaternary Science Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108418 Journal information: Quaternary Science Reviews
The chief financial regulators from Korea and Japan agreed to expand the two nation's cooperation into digital transformation and financial innovation in addition to financial cooperation.

Kim Joo-hyun, chairman of Seoul's Financial Services Commission (FSC), and Teruhisa Kurita, commissioner of Tokyo's Financial Services Agency (FSA), held a meeting in Seoul, the first regular meeting between the top regulators from the two countries in seven years.

In October, the two chiefs agreed to resume regular "shuttle meetings" between the top financial regulators.

During Wednesday's meeting, Kim and Kurita agreed that the two countries will make efforts to expand their cooperation on financial innovation and the digitalization of financial services. (Yonhap)
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:

Australias Carbon Budget 2010-2019. A product of the National Environmental Science Program - Climate Systems Hub; and a contribution to the Global Carbon Project - Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes-2. Credit: NESP-2

If you really want to know how much Australia contributes to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO) in the atmosphere, you have to study all the "sources" and "sinks."

Sources release CO into the atmosphere, while sinks take it out. There are sources from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, and there are natural sinks such as plants absorbing CO. You can tally it all up on a balance sheet to find the net result. Are we adding to CO levels in the atmosphere, overall? And if so, by how much?

It's an enormous undertaking, but not impossible. We have just published the most comprehensive assessment of Australian CO sources and sinks. It covers the decade from 2010 to 2019, and it reveals some surprising features.

Astonishingly, we found the net annual carbon balance of the entire continent switches from year to year. Australia can be a large net source of CO one year and a large net CO sink the next, in response to our increasingly variable climate. That makes it harder to detect long-term trends and understand whether our natural carbon sinks are growing or decreasing.

What is the contemporary carbon budget?

Our research reveals what we call the "contemporary carbon budget" for Australia.

This budget is different from the "remaining carbon budget," which refers to the CO that can still be emitted before we exceed a certain level of warming.

We constructed the contemporary budget using a wide variety of data and modeling approaches. We needed to estimate the carbon "fluxes" (sources and sinks) of land-based ecosystems, freshwater bodies, and of human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land clearing and revegetation.

Credit: The Conversation

We also used global assessments, Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and trade statistics. And we used atmospheric and satellite CO information to constrain the dynamics of the Australian carbon balance, as well as other satellite-based data to estimate Australia's fire emissions.

We developed this carbon budget with the best available data and scientific tools. However, large uncertainties such as data gaps and model limitations remain for some of the estimates. We report all uncertainties in the research paper.

Carbon in, carbon out

The biggest CO source from Australia's human activities is fossil fuels, with an average of 403 million tons of CO for the decade 201019. That can be broken down into coal (44%), oil (34%), gas (18%), gas flaring (3%) and cement (1%).

Emissions from wildfires (natural) and prescribed burning (human-caused) were 568 million tons of CO a year which, unlike fossil fuels, are largely offset by subsequent vegetation regrowth. This led to a net CO accumulation in the atmosphere of 36 million tons a year. CO emissions from the Black Summer fires in 2019 were exceptionally high at 951 million tons, much of which has already returned to vegetation after three years of above-average rainfall.

Rivers, lakes and reservoirsboth natural and human-madeare also sources of CO, contributing 82 million tons.

Natural forests, savannas and the large expanses of rangelands all contributed to removing vast amounts of CO from the atmosphere at a rate of more than 388 million tons a year.

Coastal ecosystems "blue carbon" such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses soaked up 61 million tons of CO a year, further adding to Australia's CO sinks. However, estuaries, including tidal systems, deltas and lagoons, released 27 million tons of CO into the atmosphere.

Credit: The Conversation

The oceans surrounding Australia are also strong CO sinks, removing about 183 million tons of CO a year. This highlights the important role of the oceans, in addition to the land sink, in slowing the buildup of atmospheric CO due to human emissions.

Exported carbon

Every year, about 1 billion tons of CO are exported in the form of fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas.

A further 22 million tons of embedded CO are exported every year in products such as wheat, wood pellets and livestock.

When these exported fossil fuels and products are consumed overseas, they release their carbon content into the atmosphere as CO.

However, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and rules supporting the Paris Agreement only require nations to report emissions released from their own territory. Emissions from exports are counted by the countries where the fossil fuels and products are eventually consumed.

The flip-flop carbon dynamics

We have long known about the "boom and bust" dynamics of Australia's vegetation growth as it responds to periods of above-average rainfall and drought.

But we never imagined the entire nation could flip-flop so quickly from being a very strong and globally significant CO sink, as in the La Nina of 201011, to being a major source of CO. But that's precisely what happened as drought and fire changed the carbon accounts of Australia, during the southeast drought of 201819 and the following Black Summer fires in 2019.

What this tells us about the path to net zero

When we put all of the land-based CO sources and sinks together, overall Australia was a net source to the atmosphere of 200 million tons of CO a year during 201019. This drops to 140 million tons of CO a year if we count the sinks from coastal ecosystems.

This means CO sinks are partially offsetting fossil fuel emissions. This is something we have also estimated at the global scale, where about one-third of global fossil fuel emissions are removed by terrestrial land-based CO sinks.

While this highlights the important role natural CO sinks play in slowing climate change, it does not imply we have less work to do to reach the net zero emissions target.

That is because natural CO sinks are already accounted for in estimates of the remaining carbon budgets and decarbonization pathways to stabilize the climate. Accordingly, the Paris Agreement calls for achieving a balance between anthropogenic emissions and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases, the so-called net zero target.

The large year-to-year variability of Australia's non-anthropogenic carbon dynamics also underscores the need for a comprehensive and long-term monitoring and modeling observatory system to track the evolution of sources and sinks. We need high quality data supplementing the National Greenhouse Accounts to support decisions around how to use Australia's natural assets to mitigate climate change.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are an example of a species with formerly high local abundances that has declined in number. Credit: T. Hill

Researchers at iDiv looked at long-term trends of land-based insects, such as beetles, moths, and grasshoppers, and found that decreases in the number of the formerly most common species have contributed most to local insect declines. Common or abundant insect species are those species that are locally found in the highest numbers, but which species these are differ among locations. The study's findings, published in Nature, challenge the idea that changes in insect biodiversity result from rarer species disappearing.

The study follows the recent sounding of alarm bells about insect loss, as researchers note dramatic declines in the total number of insects in many parts of the world. However, little is known about the general trends among locally rare and abundant species over long periods.

"It was obvious this needed exploring," says Roel van Klink, lead author of the study and senior scientist at iDiv and MLU. "We had to know whether observations about declines in total abundances of insects differed among common and rare species, and how this translated into changes in the overall insect diversity."

More common species are losing out

Van Klink and colleagues set out to better understand trends in insect numbers by diving into past studies. They compiled a database on insect communities using data collected over periods between nine and 64 years from 106 studies. For example, one Dutch study on ground beetles was started in 1959 and continues today.

With this updated database, the researchers confirmed that despite variation among the data, on the whole, land-based insects from these long-term surveys are declining by 1.5% each year. To better understand this pattern, they compared the trends of species in different abundance categories and found that species that were the most abundant at the start of the time series showed the strongest average declinearound 8% annuallywhile rarer species declined less.

Importantly, the losses of previously dominant species were not compensated for by rises in other species, which has far-reaching implications: Abundant species are a staple food for birds and other insect-eating animals, making them essential for ecosystems.

"Food webs must already be rewiring substantially in response to the decline of the most common species," explains van Klink. "These species are super important for all kinds of other organisms and for the overall functioning of the ecosystem."

Insect populations with the steepest abundance declines included beneficial insect species, such as predatory beetles (Poecilus versicolor). Credit: F. Vassen

Winners and losers

The analysis clearly shows that the formerly abundant species are consistently losing the most individuals compared to the less abundant insect species. However, less abundant and rare species are also taking losses, driving declines in local species numbers. The study found a modest decrease in the overall number of species of just under 0.3% annually. This decline indicates that in addition to significant losses of common species, some rare species are going locally extinct.

Coming out on top are new arrivals who managed to successfully establish themselves. Most of these new arrivals stay locally rare and replace other formerly rare insects, but occasionally they become very abundant. The invasive Asian Ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis), which is now common throughout Europe, the Americas and South Africa, is one such example.

According to the paper's authors, further research is necessary to determine the underlying causes of these trends. Although this study did not explicitly investigate possible causes, the declines are likely linked to recent human-related impacts, such as climate change and urbanization, which are considered major drivers of biodiversity loss.

"Insects seem to be taking a heavier hit than many other species as humans continue to dominate the planet," explains Professor Jonathan Chase, senior author of the study and professor at iDiv and MLU. "Other studies, including those our team has worked on, have not found such diversity declines at local scales from many other groups of animals and plants."

While the study's results are striking, these trends are strongly biased to data on insect communities in Europe and North America. As such, they should not be interpreted as a global phenomenon. Chase adds, "The patterns we observed might be a best-case scenario for quantifying the real impact of people on insects," referring to what scientists have called the lifeboat effect.

"These declines were observed in long-term data from areas that have remained largely intact, sort of like a lifeboat, rather than in areas where massive conversion of natural areas into human-dominated landscapes has occurred, such as malls and parking lots."

More information: Roel van Klink, Disproportionate declines of formerly abundant species underlie insect loss, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06861-4. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06861-4 Journal information: Nature
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Credit: NASA

The cosmos comes alive in an all-sky time-lapse movie made from 14 years of data acquired by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Our sun, occasionally flaring into prominence, serenely traces a path through the sky against the backdrop of high-energy sources within our galaxy and beyond.

"The bright, steady gamma-ray glow of the Milky Way is punctuated by intense, days-long flares of near-light-speed jets powered by supermassive black holes in the cores of distant galaxies," said Seth Digel, a senior staff scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, who created the images. "These dramatic eruptions, which can appear anywhere in the sky, occurred millions to billions of years ago, and their light is just reaching Fermi as we watch."

Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light. The movie shows the intensity of gamma rays with energies above 200 million electron volts detected by Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) between August 2008 and August 2022. For comparison, visible light has energies between 2 and 3 electron volts. Brighter colors mark the locations of more intense gamma-ray sources.

"One of the first things to strike your eye in the movie is a source that steadily arcs across the screen. That's our sun, whose apparent movement reflects Earth's yearly orbital motion around it," said Fermi Deputy Project Scientist Judy Racusin, who narrates a tour of the movie, at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Most of the time, the LAT detects the sun faintly thanks to accelerated particles called cosmic raysatomic nuclei traveling close to the speed of light. When they strike the sun's gas or even the light it emits, gamma rays result. At times, though, the sun suddenly brightens thanks to powerful eruptions called solar flares, which can briefly make our star one of the sky's brightest gamma-ray sources.

The movie shows the sky in two different views. The rectangular view shows the entire sky with the center of our galaxy in the middle. This highlights the central plane of the Milky Way, which glows in gamma rays produced from cosmic rays striking interstellar gas and starlight. It's also flecked with many other sources, including neutron stars and supernova remnants. Above and below this central band, we're looking out of our galaxy and into the wider universe, peppered with bright, rapidly changing sources.

Most of these are actually distant galaxies, and they're better seen in a different view centered on our galaxy's north and south poles. Each of these galaxies, called blazars, hosts a central black hole with a mass of a million or more suns.

Somehow, the black holes produce extremely fast-moving jets of matter, and with blazars we're looking almost directly down one of these jets, a view that enhances their brightness and variability.

"The variations tell us that something about these jets has changed," Racusin said. "We routinely watch these sources and alert other telescopes, in space and on the ground, when something interesting is going on. We have to be quick to catch these flares before they fade away, and the more observations we can collect, the better we'll be able to understand these events."

Fermi plays a key role in the growing network of missions working together to capture these changes in the universe as they unfold.

Many of these galaxies are extremely far away. For example, the light from a blazar known as 4C +21.35 has been traveling for 4.6 billion years, which means that a flare up we see today actually occurred as our sun and solar system were beginning to form. Other bright blazars are more than twice as distant, and together provide striking snapshots of black hole activity throughout cosmic time.

Not seen in the time-lapse are many short-duration events that Fermi studies, such as gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful cosmic explosions. This is a result of processing data across several days to sharpen the images.

The concept for the LAT was invented at SLAC, the instrument was assembled and tested at SLAC, which was also responsible for the electronics and flight software, and SLAC continues to process newly downlinked data several times per day.

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership managed by Goddard. Fermi was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States.
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Synthesis, manufacturing and processing of ZIF-62 and derived glasses. a, Crystal structure of ZIF-62 in the a direction. b, Photograph of upscaled ZIF-62 synthesis with large crystals growing on the walls. c, Photograph of as-synthesized 10 g ZIF-62(Zn) from a single-batch synthesis and micrograph of a typical crystal. d, PXRD data of ZIF-62 and a g ZIF-62 nP and simulated ZIF-zni and ZIF-62. e, Schematic of the in situ heating stage for the optical microscope. f, DSC signal to determine T m of the ZIF-62 batch and cyclic scans of heat capacity c p with heating and cooling rates of 20 C min1 to determine T g . g, Flow chart for melt processing applied to ZIF-62 in this study. ZIF-62 and the derived materials are shown in red. Credit: Nature Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01738-3

Separating carbon dioxide molecules from gas mixtures requires materials with extremely fine pores. Researchers from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, in cooperation with the University of Leipzig and the University of Vienna, have now found a novel way to do this.

They transformed crystalline metal-organic framework compounds into glass. In doing so, they managed to reduce the pore size of the material to the point where it becomes impermeable to certain gas molecules. They have reported their findings in the journal Nature Materials.

Compressed metal-organic frameworks

"Actually, these glass-like materials were previously considered non-porous," explains Dr. Alexander Knebel from the Otto Schott Institute of the University of Jena, who led this work. "The starting material, i.e., the crystalline framework compounds have very clearly defined pores and also a large internal surface area. Hence, they are also researched as materials for storing or separating gases. However, this defined structure is lost during melting and compression. And we took advantage of that."

"Metal-organic framework compounds consist of metal ions linked together by rigid organic molecules," says the leader of the junior research group. "In the spaces of these three-dimensional, regular grids, gas molecules can move easily. During the glass processing, we compressed the material. Put simply, we were able to squeeze the pores down to the desired size."

Ordered disorder

Even though the overall structure of the crystal disappears during meltingparts of the crystal retain their structure. "In technical terms, this means: during the transition from crystal to glass, the long-range order of the material is lost, but the short-range order is preserved," explains Knebel.

Oksana Smirnova, a doctoral student at the University of Jena and the lead author of the work, adds, "When we now melt and compress this material, the porous interstices also change." As a result, channels with constrictionsor even dead endsare created, and consequently, some gases simply no longer fit through.

In this way, the group achieved pore diameters of 0.27 to 0.32 nanometers in the material, with an accuracy of one-hundredth of a nanometer. "For illustration: This is about 10,000 times thinner than a human hair and 100 times thinner than a DNA double helix. With this pore size, we were able to separate, for example, carbon dioxide from ethane," explains Knebel. "Our breakthrough in the field is probably the high quality of the glasses and the precise adjustability of the pore channels. And our glasses are also several centimeters in size."

"One goal of this work is to develop a glass membrane for environmental applications. Because separating carbon dioxide from gases is undoubtedly one of the great technological challenges of our time," says Knebel. "That's why I am also grateful ... for the outstanding commitment of my doctoral student Oksana Smirnova, who contributed significantly to the success of this work."

More information: Oksana Smirnova et al, Precise control over gas-transporting channels in zeolitic imidazolate framework glasses, Nature Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01738-3 Journal information: Nature Materials
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Palau, which lies in the western Pacific, is one of several island countries added this year to ND-GAIN. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

"We will not sign our death certificate," said Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) last week, calling for a clear commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.

Schuster was representing the Alliance of Small Island States and drawing attention to the fact that rising sea levels, tropical storms, droughts and dwindling freshwater supplies pose existential threats to life on many small islands around the world.

Despite these vulnerabilities, islands often have little influence in shaping major climate resolutions. But researchers at the University of Notre Dame say there is something that could lend islands more influence: data.

"We have lots of data on the vulnerability and preparedness of wealthy nations with highly developed infrastructure," said Danielle Wood, director of the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) and an associate professor of the practice in Notre Dame's College of Engineering. "But having routine data collection is expensive. Low-income countries are usually data scarce, with islands often lacking the resources to collect it. What this means is that we often have the most information on the countries likely to be the least impacted."

Wood pointed out that the lack of data can deepen existing disparities and create a vicious cycle. "Many small islands contribute a negligible amount to greenhouse gas emissions, but we quite often don't have a clear picture of where the most critical vulnerabilities lie or how the situation might worsen without action. That lack of data can discourage investment on the part of governments and philanthropistsincluding the investments that would help collect better data," she said.

ND-GAIN is a signature climate change adaptation tool that has long been central to conversations at COP and other climate change conferences. Updated annually, ND-GAIN's Country Index ranks more than 180 nations according to how vulnerable they are to climate change and how prepared they are to deal with climate change's effects.

Until this year, measurements specific to islands were largely absent from ND-GAIN. This year's update, however, includes data on Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands. It also includes updated vulnerability indicators that reflect the core concerns of islands, such as how dependent the country is on imported energy.

"Before the recent addition of these islands, we have routinely received questions about data for islands and representation in ND-GAIN," said Brian Wanbaugh, program manager for ND-GAIN.

"This update is a step in the right direction," Wood cautioned, "but it helps make the case that the data needs to be part of a larger conversation about justice in climate adaptation."

Camile Cleveland, a policy manager at Hua Nani Partners, which relies on ND-GAIN in its climate policy, strategy and advocacy efforts, welcomed the updates.

"Donors and agencies are very data-driven. Without solid evidence, it's tough to make a case for funding, and this data will help show why islands need attention and investment," Cleveland said. "And although all islands are vulnerable to climate impacts, they are vulnerable in different ways; we need a clearer picture of who is most at risk now."

Cleveland also emphasizes that we should see islands not just as vulnerable places on the "front lines" of climate change but also as leaders developing innovative solutions to climate adaptation.

"Island communities were thriving on their own for centuries before colonizers reached their shores, so they have cultures and indigenous practices that reflect an impressive mastery of natural systems," Cleveland said. "These cultures combined with the need to adapt to climate impacts are leading to innovations that should be given more attention on the global stage."

The updated ND-GAIN Country Index is available to download at gain.nd.edu. Free and open source, the ND-GAIN Country Index helps decision-makers in governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations and academia prioritize investments for a more efficient response to the global challenges ahead, such as overcrowding, food insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and civil conflicts.

ND-GAIN is a program within Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative, with more than 60 faculty across several disciplines pursuing research solutions for some of the key environmental challenges of our time.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Although SpaceX's massive Starship and Super Heavy is still exploding mid-air during test flights, the fixes made to the launch pad have both company founder Elon Musk and NASA happy and could bode well for a pad planned for Florida's Space Coast.

"Just inspected the Starship launch pad and it is in great condition!" Musk posted on X after the most recent orbital launch attempt of the company's next-generation rocket on Nov. 18. "No refurbishment needed to the water-cooled steel plate for next launch. Congrats to @Spacex team & contractors for engineering & building such a robust system so rapidly!"

The first launch of the combined two-stage rocket back on April 20 obliterated the launch pad at SpaceX's test site Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, under the power of the first stage Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines that were capable of producing nearly 17 million pounds of thrust on liftoff.

The destruction raised concerns not only for when SpaceX might be able to try another test launch from Texas but also for the construction of a similar pad at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A.

It was among a litany of fixes SpaceX had to tackle. That launch ended with SpaceX sending up the command to self-destruct after the upper stage Starship was not able to separate from the first stage Super Heavy booster.

The pad adjustments meant adding more than 35,000 cubic feet of steel-reinforced, high-strength concrete below it, Musk said, but also the introduction of a massive water-cooled, steel flame deflector that's "basically two thick plates of steel that are welded together with channels going through it," he said.

"You basically have this water-cooled steel sandwich, and there are perforations in the top, so it will actually shoot a lot of water out," he said. "Think of it as a gigantic upside-down shower head. It's going to basically blast water upwards while the rocket is over the pad to counteract the massive amount of heat from the booster."

Musk said SpaceX's efforts were "going for overkill" to ensure the ability for quick turnaround on launch

Nearly seven months later, SpaceX and Super Heavy launched again and still managed to suffer not one, but two explosions. Still, it was deemed incrementally more successful than the first attempt as the Starship's upper stage managed to separate from the booster and actually fly into space but not make orbit before the end of its insertion burn.

The booster successfully fell away several seconds after separation before it exploded over the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX later announced the upper stage's self-destruct system had activated near the end of its burn.

Still, the launch pad remained relatively intact, meaning SpaceX has already prepped for its next orbital launch attempt. It has rolled out the next Starship upper stage called Ship 28 to a nearby suborbital launch pad for testing for what is expected to be an early 2024 launch, even though technically the rocket has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration after the second launch's doubly explosive end.

"The FAA will oversee the SpaceX-led mishap investigation," the FAA stated after the launch. "A return to flight of the Starship Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.

NASA has a vested interest in Starship and Super Heavy achieving success. A version of the rocket is tasked with taking NASA's Artemis III mission astronauts to the lunar surface. That mission still on the official NASA timeline for no earlier than December 2025 would slip if Starship isn't ready yet.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he was encouraged by the launch.

"Congrats to the teams who made progress on today's flight test. Spaceflight is a bold adventure demanding a can-do spirit and daring innovation. Today's test is an opportunity to learnthen fly again. Together @NASA and @SpaceX will return humanity to the moon, Mars & beyond," Nelson wrote on X after the launch.

The company needs to successfully achieve its first orbital launch test as well as dozens more uncrewed test flights, the introduction of an inflight refueling process that will be needed for its trip to the moon, and successfully perform a test landing on the moon before NASA will give the green light for its use on the Artemis III mission.

Between now and then, SpaceX will be shifting launches from Texas test flights to operational flights from Kennedy Space Center.

At both sites, the 469-foot-tall launch integration tower, which Musk has referred to as "Mechazilla," is designed to not only support the launch without suffering destruction between launches but also withstand a return landing capture of the Super Heavy booster with the aid of two pivoting metal arms called the "chopsticks."

Any damage from such a launch and landing, though, at KSC could threaten NASA's ability to launch crewed missions on the Falcon 9 rocket. So SpaceX is building out a second crew-capable launch tower at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 and duplicating its launch pad engineering improvements in Texas before KSC's first Starship launch.

SpaceX has not announced a timetable for when the Space Coast might see its first Starship launch.

"What a great time in human spaceflight to now be talking about a single company launching a single vehicle and having multiple launch pads or runways to choose from," said Sarah Walker, SpaceX's mission management director for its Dragon spacecraft program.

With a backup option in place, it allows some leeway for SpaceX's Starship launch plans.

"SpaceX currently is making modifications within the Launch Complex 39A pad perimeter to support Starship launches while maintaining the ability to launch Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions," NASA said in a statement after the most recent Starship launch. "SpaceX's activities are covered by its agreement for the pad's use."

For now, SpaceX is only allowed to build out the infrastructure at LC-39A.

"Launching and landing will involve further review and approval, to include construction of a launch pad that meets NASA's safety and environmental requirements," NASA said in a statement. "NASA currently is evaluating an update to the 2019 environmental analysis for Starship operations at LC-39A, to include operational changes as well as additional needed infrastructure in support of the Starship program."

That said, NASA notes that the FAA is the final regulatory authority for launch licenses for Starship when the time comes that it would need to launch commercial missions from KSC.

"We anticipate that it would do so for Starship launches from LC-39A," NASA said.

2023 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Study area indicating investigated reaches A and B. Credit: Geophysical Research Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2023GL105839

A new way to monitor the flow of rivers from satellites could provide a valuable early warning system for flood risk, scientists say.

University of Glasgow researchers have developed the first method of measuring the speed of river flows by analyzing video footage captured from orbit.

Their analysis techniques could replace or enhance the way governments and land managers currently monitor rivers, and improve the ways that floods are predicted.

In the future, their research could help mitigate the impact of flooding on communities around the world as climate change makes unpredictable weather events more common.

The researchers, from the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, outline their breakthrough in a paper titled "Satellite Video Remote Sensing for Estimation of River Discharge," published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Currently, river flows are most often measured using stream gauges, which directly take stock of the volume of water flowing past a particular point in a river every seconda measurement known as discharge. However, stream gauges are expensive to install and maintain, and difficult to place in remote areas.

While stream gauges provide detailed measurements of river discharge at specific points, satellites equipped with video sensors provide a much broader visual overview of large areas of land. That makes them useful for monitoring geographical changes over time and providing real-time information on the spread of floods.

However, until now, it has been impossible to use satellite video footage to accurately measure the flow of rivers and floods.

In the paper, the team demonstrated how they used video footage from a Chinese satellite to measure the discharge of a February 2022 flood along a 12-mile section of the Darling River in Tilpa, Australia.

They developed techniques to track and analyze the movement of visible surface features between frames in the video footage, which helped them estimate the speed of the flow of the water.

By combining the flow estimates with detailed elevation maps of the flooded area, they were able to estimate the flow discharge to within 15% of real measurements taken by stream gauges on the river during the flood.

Christopher Masafu, a Ph.D. student in the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, is the paper's corresponding author. He said, "Close to 30% of the world's population is exposed to flood risk and threats to the availability of fresh water.

"Despite that, many rivers don't have stream gauges or other measurements in place, which limits how much we can learn about their flows and any potential risks they may pose to local populations during heavy rains.

"Satellites can be deployed anywhere around the world relatively cheaply and easily compared to the cost and effort of physically gauging all of those unmonitored rivers. However, their potential to measure river flows hasn't been fully shown until this research, which is a really exciting breakthrough."

Professor Richard Williams is a co-author of the paper and Christopher's Ph.D. supervisor. He said, "Satellites give us the ability to monitor rivers in real-time from a high vantage point, and being able to watch them swell and flood during heavy rains can be very helpful in emergencies.

"What this technology allows us to do is mine that real-time video monitoring for even more useful information. That could help provide improved forecasts and warnings to help with on-the-ground planning during challenging situations."

Dr. Martin Hurst is the paper's third co-author, and co-supervisor of Christopher's Ph.D. He said, "There are limitations to the work we've demonstrated so farthe main one is that the measurement technique can only be used on footage captured during periods without cloud cover.

"However, it's a big step towards making satellite footage a valuable tool for measuring the discharge of rivers around the world in addition to traditional stream gauges. We're looking forward to developing the technique further in future research."

More information: Christopher Masafu et al, Satellite Video Remote Sensing for Estimation of River Discharge, Geophysical Research Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2023GL105839 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Historically, one of the primary ways organic chemists have explored and created compounds is by constructing a carbon skeleton and making modifications to its structure. But instead of building a carbon skeleton from scratch to make new compounds, UChicago scientists have developed a new method where they can insert atoms within an already existing carbon framework.

The innovation comes from a paper recently published in Science, by Rui Zhang, a fifth-year graduate student with the Guangbin Dong Lab. Zhang, with assistance from undergraduate Tingting Yu, developed a new "hook and slide" strategy that promises to optimize medicinal chemistry.

"It could lead to fast access to different drug candidates and thereforesave a lot of time in the drug discovery process," said Zhang.

Homologation

Back in May of 2021, Zhang began work on a problem having to do with how scientists create new molecules.

By tweaking the structure of molecules in a systematic way, scientists can explore how these changes affect the properties of the substances they are working with, providing a useful tool for tailoring molecules to specific needs in various applications. This is especially relevant in fields like drug development, where new lead-identification can potentially save lives.

Specifically, Zhang wanted to successfully realize the homologation process with amides, a difficulty that had preoccupied the field and that had yet to be solved.

Homologation is one of the most important strategies for molecular modification.

In homologation, scientists build a family of related molecules where each member has a longer structure than the previous one. Once identified, they then add specific building blocks, often called methylene groups. As efficient as this process is, for years, when investigators tried to homologate amides, a compound found in proteins and formidable polymers like plastics, they were met with resistance and difficulty. Compared to other functional groups, amides have proven difficult because they are laconically inert, making them hard to activate, and thus manipulate.

Inspired by the technical challenge, Zhang was not satisfied with simply overcoming the difficulty, but finding new ways to do it well.

"There are no existing methods to homologate amides," said Professor Guangbin Dong, also an author on the study. "Our goal was to provide tunable homologation so we can insert a carbon unit of almost any length."

Hook and slide

Where previous methods failed to achieve the desired results, Zhang was able to complete the process and then some.

With what Dong describes as a "hook and slide strategy," they found the key to not only activate the bond, but to make the homologation process tunable.

Once Zhang nailed down the method for activation, he spent another two years honing the project, screening through different conditions, and finding more efficient ways to activate and create bonds.

With the publication in Science, he now feels that his work has finally paid off.

"We gained new knowledge about how to break this very inert carbon-carbon bond and we hope this can inspire the field to investigate more of this inert chemical bond activation," Zhang said. "We hope this tells the community that if you design the strategy well and it has a great catalyst, even an inert bond can be manipulated."

More information: Rui Zhang et al, Rhodium catalyzed tunable amide homologation through a hook-and-slide strategy, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adk1001 Journal information: Science
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers have developed an innovative method for detecting harmful organophosphorus (OP) chemicals, presenting a significant advancement in environmental monitoring for pesticide contaminants. They provide details in the International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise.

With the escalating impact of agriculture and industrialization on the environment, there is an increasing need for effective detection of environmental contaminants. Sumit Mor, Saveena Solanki, and Vikas Dhull of the Maharshi Dayanand University in Haryana, India, have used an interesting approach to creating sensors with a specific focus on monitoring these compounds. The team synthesized nanoparticles and modified a screen-printed gold electrode by layering a mixture of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (c-SWCNTs) to form ZnO NPs/c-SWCNTs/SPAuE.

The team adds that the integration of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which is affected by organophosphorus compounds on to the modified electrode, along with the application of cellulose acetate to prevent enzyme leaching and electrode fouling, gave them a highly efficient biosensor for detecting organophosphorus compounds in a range of samples. The researchers demonstrated rapid response times of less than 14 seconds. The sensor is reusable and remains stable in storage thanks to the protective cellulose acetate layer.

The practical implications of this strategy could go beyond environmental monitoring. The biosensor could be used for on-site analysis. It could also be adapted to detecting other contaminants from the food and textiles industries, and even in medical diagnostics.

As the world population grows, its impact on the environment intensifies. This research represents a step towards improving environmental monitoring, which would improve our management and control of these important chemicals to safeguard the environment and vulnerable ecosystems as well as human health.

More information: Sumit Mor et al, An intelligent pesticide screening strategy using screen-printing technology, International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise (2023). DOI: 10.1504/IJIE.2024.135442

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A specimen of Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis from the Yangon Region, Myanmar. Credit: Wolfgang Wuster

Finding and describing new species can be a tricky endeavor. Scientists typically look for distinctive characters that can differentiate one species from another.

However, variation is a continuum that is not always easy to quantify. At one extreme, multiple species can look alike even though they are different speciesthese are known as cryptic species. At the other extreme, a single species can be highly variable, creating an illusion of being different. But what happens when you encounter both extremes simultaneously?

Herpetologist Dr. Chan Kin Onn (previously at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, now with the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, USA) led a study describing a new species of pit viper from Myanmar that is similar and different from its sister species.

The discovery is published in ZooKeys.

"Asian pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus are notoriously difficult to tell apart because they run the gamut of morphological variation. Some groups contain multiple species that look alike, while others may look very different but are actually the same species," they say.

The redtail pit viper (Trimeresurus erythrurus) occurs along the northern coast of Myanmar and is invariably green with no markings on its body. A different species called the mangrove pit viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) occurs in southern Myanmar. This species typically has distinct dorsal blotches, and incredibly variable dorsal coloration including gray, yellow, brown, and black, but never green. Interestingly, in central Myanmar, sandwiched between the distribution of the redtail pit viper and the mangrove pit viper, a unique population exists that is green with varying degrees of blotchiness, which appears to be a blend between the redtail pit viper and the mangrove pit viper.

A specimen of Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis from the Yangon Region, Myanmar. Credit: Wolfgang Wuster

"This mysterious population in central Myanmar baffled us and we initially thought that it could be a hybrid population," the researchers said. In a separate paper, Dr. Chan used modern genomic techniques and determined that the population in central Myanmar was actually a distinct species and not a hybrid population.

But this was not the end of the story. The researchers discovered another surprise when they examined the snake's morphological features: they found that the new species was also highly variable. Certain populations are dark green with distinct blotches, easily distinguishable from its closest relative, the redtail pit viper, which is bright green with no blotches. However, some populations of the new species are bright green with no blotches and look virtually identical to the redtail pit viper.

A specimen of Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis from Mwe Hauk Village, Ayeyarwady Region in Myanmar. Credit: Dong Lin

"This is an interesting phenomenon, where one species is simultaneously similar and different from its closest relative (the redtail pit viper). We think that at some point in the past, the new species may have exchanged genes with the redtail pit viper from the north and the mangrove pit viper from the south," says Dr. Chan.

The new species is called the Ayeyarwady pit viper (Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis) in reference to the Ayeyarwady River, which is the largest and one of the most important rivers in Myanmar. The river forms an expansive delta that is bounded by the Pathein River to the west and the Yangon River to the east. These rivers and their associated basins also mark the westernmost and easternmost distribution boundaries of the Ayeyarwady pit viper.

A specimen of Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis from Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary, Pyapon District, Ayeyarwady Region in Myanmar. Credit: Hla tun

More information: Kin Onn Chan et al, A new species of pit-viper from the Ayeyarwady and Yangon regions in Myanmar (Viperidae, Trimeresurus), ZooKeys (2023). DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1186.110422 Journal information: ZooKeys
By Ko Dong-hwan

Korean and Chinese business leaders have met in Seoul to renew manuals on keeping the bilateral alliance up to date, according to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Wednesday.

It was the fourth such meeting since its foundation in 2018 that brought together chairmen, CEOs and presidents of key conglomerates from the two countries. KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won met with top executives from nine Korean companies including Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung Electronics, SK Group and LS Group as well as Yoo Il-ho, former strategy and finance minister, who leads the Korean delegation of 16 parties.

The Chinese delegation was led by Bi Jinquan, executive vice chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE). The group consisted of 15 parties, including the heads of China Petrochemical Corp., China Huaneng Group, China Eastern Airlines, Fosun Pharma and Luye Life Sciences Group.

Yoo said during the meeting that rapidly changing global economic environments and increasing global status of the two countries are forcing Korea and China to undergo structural changes. He said the two countries should thus find new ways to better deal with globally rising industrial sectors, the climate crisis and digital commerce.

Bi said the two economic trade partners should expand the scope of cooperation in sectors like cutting-edge technologies, renewable energy-based vehicles, artificial intelligence, "eco-friendliness" and public health. As to more critical fields, the two should together pioneer a new market in third countries and try to stabilize supply chains, he added.

The two delegations penned six terms of agreement. They included cooperation for stable supply chains for parts and materials as well as medical healthcare, carbon neutralization and digital commerce. They also agreed to complete follow-up deals from the Korea-China FTA including investment conditions, immigration regulations and intelligence property protection. A joint research on synergy of the bilateral economic partnership was among the terms as well.

"The bilateral economic partnership needs a paradigm shift that fits new vision and goal," said Chung Chul, vice-president of Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, who was one of the Korean delegation. "They should introduce a more open and transparent environment for bilateral trade and investment. They should also jointly strive to reduce uncertainties in these matters."

Zhang Yansheng, a chief researcher from CCIEE, said that at the center of the bilateral partnership for promising future businesses is "digital green transition" and it has many rooms for the two countries' strategic cooperation.

"While the two countries' commonly significant business sectors will be affected by non-economic factors for the next decade, they should maintain their cooperative tie through trust and partnership," said Zhang.

The next meeting will be hosted by China in Beijing, according to the KCCI.
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Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel and Charlotte Hopfe work together at the Chair of Biomaterials. Credit: Jurgen RenneckeUBT

Whether spider silk is stronger and tougher depends on the environmental influences to which it is exposed. Researchers have conducted a study in which they show that spider webs are particularly robust in areas of heavy rainfall.

The results of the study of 50 spider species are now presented in the journal Current Biology under the title "Impact of environmental factors on spider silk properties."

In the course of evolution, spiders have developed "orb webs" to catch their prey. The radii of these orb webs are particularly important as they absorb the energy of prey collisions. These so-called major ampullate silks, also known as dragline silk, are tougher than most natural and man-made fiber materials.

In the latest study by Prof Dr. Thomas Scheibel, Chair of Biomaterials at the University of Bayreuth, silk from 50 spider species in Colombia was examined and compared. The aim was to understand how the environment affects the mechanical properties of the silk.

"It was the first study on spider silks to analyze entire area-wide environmental factors along climatic and altitudinal gradients," explains Scheibel. "The results show that spiders in regions with a lot of heavy rainfall have stronger silk threads than spiders that live in regions in which heavy rain events are less frequent."

This means that spider silk from regions with strong rainfall can also absorb more energy. This applies not only between different spider species, but also within the same species. "It is likely that the mechanical properties of the silk have been optimized in areas with heavy rainfall in order to minimize damage to the webs and the associated energetic loss for the spider," says Scheibel. This knowledge allows material scientists to direct their search for new exceptional silks more effectively.

More information: Charlotte Hopfe et al, Impact of environmental factors on spider silk properties, Current Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.043 Journal information: Current Biology
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Controlled growth of hexagonal and rectangular non-layered 2D MnX. Credit: Advanced Powder Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.apmate.2023.100164

In a crystal, facets refer to the planes composed of different atom arrangements. In nature, crystals tend to form a polyhedral shape due to multi-facets, and realizing a single-facet in a crystal is very challenging. Nonetheless, in a study published in Advanced Powder Materials, a group of researchers from China outlined a new synthesis approach that can synthesize large-area 2D materials with atomic thickness and expose single-facet at the same time.

"The exposed facet is crucial since it determines the surface structure and property of 2D materials," explains first author of the study Jingwei Wang, Shuimu Scholar at Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University.

"Previously, most researchers used wet-chemistry methods to synthesize nanoparticles with specific facets. However, these samples suffer from small surface area, low quality, and the presence of multiple facets which is not suitable for studying the identical properties of one certain facet."

The study's multidisciplinary team of scientists found that using a three-fold symmetric growth substrate, such as mica, yields 2D MnSe crystals with a (111) facet. Conversely, on a two-fold symmetric substrate like MgO (100), 2D MnSe crystals with (100) facets can be grown. These 2D MnSe flakes not only exhibit large-area surfaces of single-facet but also possess high crystallinity and ordered domain orientation. They further prove that these samples are ideal candidates for studying facet-dependent properties (e.g. electrocatalysis).

"Until now, revealing the relationship between crystal facet and properties [has been] challenging since the nanomaterials usually expose multi-facets. Our approach shows that the single-facet can be controlled in atomic thin 2D materials on specific growth substrates," says Bilu Liu, the corresponding author of the study. "We hope that our results encourage scientists to continue investigating facet-engineering of 2D materials for desired properties and applications."

More information: Jingwei Wang et al, Facet-engineered growth of non-layered 2D manganese chalcogenides, Advanced Powder Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.apmate.2023.100164

Provided by KeAi Communications Co.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The signs started appearing in early November, and people waited anxiously as earthquakes and ground swells indicated a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Iceland, was imminent.

Monday night, the volcano erupted. But the waiting game continues.

"I think we're less than 24 hours in after the actual eruption so it's early days for sure," Daniel Douglass, teaching professor in marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern's Marine Science Center, said Tuesday morning.

"It will end eventuallythere's not an endless body of magma that will be releasedbut how long it takes depends on how much magma needs to come out, and I've not heard any prediction of whether this is going to be days, weeks or months."

Residents of Grindavik, a fishing town in southwestern Iceland, evacuated and a state of emergency was declared in early November, as local authorities warned of an imminent volcanic eruption following earthquake activity and a 6.2-mile plume of magma moving underground.

But then the area went into a "kind of holding pattern," Douglass said, as signs died down. That ended Monday night as a 2-mile fissure began spewing lava. Magma is called lava when it is on the surface of the earth.

"The initial force of eruption was pretty impressive, and there's been a decrease in activity since then," Douglass said. "There was a report of five main places where lava is coming out now, but the flow rate has subsided from the surge of the initial eruption."

For example, Douglass said lava was "only" getting thrown 100 feet in the air currently, and the ash has not gone high enough to affect international air travel.

But many questions remain.

The direction and distance of the lava's flow is uncertain. Douglass described the area as fairly remote. However, he said there is a power plant and tourist attraction to the west of the eruption and Grindavik to the southwest.

"If it doesn't keep erupting long enough, those places will probably not be affected, but there's the chance the lava does make it that far," Douglass said.

And although he didn't predict a "catastrophic burying of half of Iceland in volcanic dust," there is potential for local damage. Douglass notes that the lava hits the surface at approximately 2,000F and travels downhill at the speed of a fast run. But the rate at which it cools and the distance it travels are difficult to discern.

But most notably, it is unclear how long the eruption will last.

Douglass explained that the eruption will end when all the lava has come out; however, the size of the underground "magma chamber" that holds what will be that lava is difficult to measure. The activity may also intensify or weaken.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Douglass notes, however, that on a geological scale, the wait won't be long.

"Geologists think over thousands or millions of years," Douglass said. "And from geologists' thinking, this eruption may calm down but it's only a matter of time before an eruption happens again."

This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu.
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The new species of fanged frog, Limnonectes phyllofolia. Credit: Sean Reilly

In general, frogs' teeth aren't anything to write home aboutthey look like pointy little pinpricks lining the upper jaw. But one group of stream-dwelling frogs in Southeast Asia has a strange adaptation: two bony "fangs" jutting out of their lower jawbone. They use these fangs to battle with each other over territory and mates, and sometimes even to hunt tough-shelled prey like giant centipedes and crabs.

In a new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers have described a new species of fanged frog: the smallest one ever discovered.

"This new species is tiny compared to other fanged frogs on the island where it was found, about the size of a quarter," says Jeff Frederick, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago and the study's lead author, who conducted the research as a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. "Many frogs in this genus are giant, weighing up to two pounds. At the large end, this new species weighs about the same as a dime."

In collaboration with the Bogor Zoology Museum, a team from the McGuire Lab at Berkeley found the frogs on Sulawesi, a rugged, mountainous island that makes up part of Indonesia. "It's a giant island with a vast network of mountains, volcanoes, lowland rainforest, and cloud forests up in the mountains. The presence of all these different habitats means that the magnitude of biodiversity across many plants and animals we find there is unrealrivaling places like the Amazon," says Frederick.

While trekking through the jungle, members of the joint US-Indonesia amphibian and reptile research team noticed something unexpected on the leaves of tree saplings and moss-covered boulders: nests of frog eggs.

The new species of frog's eggs, laid on a leaf. Credit: Sean Reilly

Frogs are amphibians, and they lay eggs that are encapsulated by jelly, rather than a hard, protective shell. To keep their eggs from drying out, most amphibians lay their eggs in water. To the research team's surprise, they kept spotting the terrestrial egg masses on leaves and mossy boulders several feet above the ground. Shortly after, they began to see the small, brown frogs themselves.

"Normally when we're looking for frogs, we're scanning the margins of stream banks or wading through streams to spot them directly in the water," Frederick says. "After repeatedly monitoring the nests though, the team started to find attending frogs sitting on leaves hugging their little nests." This close contact with their eggs allows the frog parents to coat the eggs with compounds that keep them moist and free from bacterial and fungal contamination.

Closer examination of the amphibian parents revealed not only that they were tiny members of the fanged frog family, complete with barely visible fangs, but that the frogs caring for the clutches of eggs were all male. "Male egg guarding behavior isn't totally unknown across all frogs, but it's rather uncommon," says Frederick.

Frederick and his colleagues hypothesize that the frogs' unusual reproductive behaviors might also relate to their smaller-than-usual fangs. Some of the frogs' relatives have bigger fangs, which help them ward off competition for spots along the river to lay their eggs in the water. Since these frogs evolved a way to lay their eggs away from the water, they may have lost the need for such big imposing fangs. (The scientific name for the new species is Limnonectes phyllofolia; phyllofolia means "leaf-nester.")

"It's fascinating that on every subsequent expedition to Sulawesi, we're still discovering new and diverse reproductive modes," says Frederick.

"Our findings also underscore the importance of conserving these very special tropical habitats. Most of the animals that live in places like Sulawesi are quite unique, and habitat destruction is an ever-looming conservation issue for preserving the hyper-diversity of species we find there. Learning about animals like these frogs that are found nowhere else on Earth helps make the case for protecting these valuable ecosystems."

More information: A new species of terrestrially-nesting fanged frog (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia., PLoS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292598 Journal information: PLoS ONE
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Adirondack Moving Company plans to expand with a new office and self-storage units in Queensbury. The company is owned and operated by Nick Carlino and offers various services like packing, out-of-state moves, commercial and home moves, storage, as well as junk removal. Since the business has grown, so has the need for more space.

He built this business himself and hes been looking for a couple of years to find a place to relocate and expand, attorney Jonathan Lapper said of Carlino at a recent Queensbury Planning Board meeting.

Carlino purchased a 9.15-acre property at 170 Luzerne Road a few months ago with expansion in mind. An auto body shop and a scrapyard currently exist on the property. The plan is to construct 10 self-storage buildings, totaling 340 units, and to convert the auto body shop into a new office, according to project documents.

Representatives for Carlino also said the storage facilities could have a positive impact on the residential neighborhoods on either side of the property, as noise and appearance would be less intrusive than a vehicle scrapyard.

We think that with this proposal, cleaning up the site and having such a low usage rather than what was there before will certainly be a betterment to the neighbors, project engineer Luigi Palleschi said.

The construction of the 10 self-storage buildings will take a couple of years to complete, as it will be done two at a time. Minor landscape buffering is also expected, according to Lapper.

The Queensbury Planning Board approved a change of zoning use from auto repair to moving and storage. The site plan for this project will go before the board in January for final approval.
Editor's note: This story is part of 'ESA at 50,' a series that examines the past, present and future of the Endangered Species Act. Often called the "pit bull of environmental laws," the ESA has provided federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants. On its 50th anniversary, it grapples with political uncertainty and unforeseen ecological challenges.

Yellowstone National Parks bison are one of only two populations in the world to have continually persisted on their current landscape for more than 14,000 years  barely.

In the early 1900s, about 20 bison had avoided hunters by hiding in the parks remote backcountry. By breeding these animals with other bison moved from Texas and northwest Montana, the population slowly rebounded from a genetic bottleneck.

Listen: Endangered Species Act turns 50 and Montana has been the battleground Montana Untamed: Often called the pit-bull of environmental statutes, the ESA has given federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants.

Its now estimated there are 420,000 plains bison in commercial herds spread across the United States. One of the largest of these is owned by media mogul and part-time Montana resident Ted Turner. Turner Enterprises touts 45,000 bison across 14 ranches, two of which are in Montana. Most of those are descended from Yellowstone Park populations.

Another 20,500 bison are in what the Fish and Wildlife Service calls conservation herds. Out of the total population, about 15,000 bison are considered wild by the Department of Interiors estimate.

Despite these numbers, the agency under current Secretary Deb Haaland has referred to bison as functionally extinct and this year dedicated $25 million to restore the species. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to list Yellowstone bison a threatened or endangered species under the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

Thats justified because wild bison populations, without connectivity, are suffering from a lack of genetic diversity, according to Darrell Geist, habitat coordinator for Buffalo Field Campaign, a bison advocacy group that has sued to push a listing.

As a wildlife species, bison are in serious, serious trouble, Geist said. Which is why it is vitally important we protect one population in the Lower 48 states, at least one that might make it for the long term.

In other words, the issue is not about how many bison are on the landscape, but the ancient evolutionary qualities that made it the dominant herbivore on the North American continent until the 19th century.

Above all, its the wild genome thats at risk of extinction, Geist said, pointing to human managements artificial selection of which animals die. Youre going to end up with an entirely different bison than the ancestral one, known as the wild American buffalo.

Limiting their range, thats going to affect their ability to adapt to changing circumstances in the future, he added. Really youre hobbling a wild characteristic.

Conservation triumph

The restoration of bison in North America is hailed as a conservation success story. After nearly being obliterated by market hunters and the federal governments attempt to starve Plains Indian tribes into submission in the late 1800s, bison  also called buffalo  were nursed back from near oblivion.

While wild bison in the Lower 48 states are now constrained, their ancestors roamed across continents. Its estimated the bisons much larger predecessor, Bison antiquus, first migrated into North America from Asia around 130,000 years ago. The smaller version now roaming Yellowstone has been around since the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years ago.

Before European settlement, its estimated 30 to 60 million bison roamed North America from Alaska to Mexico and all the way from Nevada and the Great Plains to the eastern Appalachian Mountains.

In part because of their incredible history, in 2019 bison were recognized as the national mammal.

That has not done anything to elevate its conservation prospects, apparently, said Western Watersheds executive director Erik Molvar. It hasnt changed the public debate.

Thanks to transfers of live bison, the animals have also repopulated historic lands on the Blackfeet, Crow, Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian reservations in Montana, as well as other states. A large conservation herd has also been established on ranch lands purchased by the nonprofit American Prairie group in north-central Montana. Because of that group's goal to reestablish bison as a keystone species on the prairie grasslands, which include federal grazing leases, American Prairie has drawn continual fire from some state politicians and livestock groups.

Last fall, Yellowstones bison population was estimated at 6,000 animals. Following a harsh winter and heavy migration into the Gardiner Basin, the number shrank by more than 1,500 through hunting, shipment to slaughter or being held for the parks quarantine and transfer program that ships live, disease-free bison to tribes.

Its all take, take, take, take, take, Geist said. Capture, trap, hunt, shoot, remove.

Environmentalist George Wuerthner compared Yellowstone to a bison ranch, saying the animals are subject to unnatural, selective slaughter and likening the existing animals to fish raised in hatcheries.

The issues are not the number of bison but the quality of the bison and the question of domestication, he wrote in a recent column.

Wildlife or livestock?

Bison are unique among wildlife in Montana where they are managed as a species in need of disease control because they can carry brucellosis. Brucellosis also infects some elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that move freely in Montana, yet they are not similarly managed.

Brucellosis can cause pregnant cattle to abort, which is why the Montana Department of Livestock shares oversight of bison with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Under regulations established between the state, Yellowstone National Park and other agencies, bison are confined mainly inside the park boundaries with the exception of two tolerance zones to the north, near Gardiner, and to the west, near West Yellowstone, where bison are allowed. These two areas are also where tribal and public bison hunting occur in Montana.

The Fish and Wildlife Services review of bison for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act is being undertaken as Yellowstone National Park considers an overhaul of its bison management plan. The Park Service has offered three alternatives. One would attempt to keep the population between 3,500 to 5,000 animals using hunting and culling as well as live bison transfers to reduce the population.

See which species are endangered in the U.S. Explore which species in your state have made the endangered species list.

Another alternative would allow the bison population to grow to 6,000 animals and emphasize live transfers of bison to tribes to control the population. However, this alternative would allow park officials to shoot bison within the parks capture facility to reduce the population if needed.

The third alternative would allow the bison population to grow to 7,000 animals and rely on hunting outside the park, as well as live bison transfers, to reduce the population. If the population approached 7,000 bison, removals would occur.

Range curtailment is one of the factors the FWS will consider in its review. One estimate put the amount of land bison currently roam at one-tenth of one percent of the species historic range.

Critics call for population, disease control

The Montana Stockgrowers Association criticized the parks plan in a fall press release. That was followed by a 17-page letter from Gov. Greg Gianfortes office, written in consultation with the director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Department of Livestocks executive officer.

Alternatives should include management tools like population control, spring hazing, vaccination, culling, tribal hunting, and shipment of excess animals to processing facilities, said Raylee Honeycutt, executive vice president of the Stockgrowers. While alternatives include some components, it is imperative to have all management tools be available to manage the herd depending on time of year, location, and environmental scenarios.

The press release went on to state, MSGA continues to express its concerns with the increase in the bison population as it is likely to increase bison migration out of the park and the risk of brucellosis transmission to cattle and the limited forage availability in the park during winter for a growing herd size. The association is further concerned with the concept of limiting management tools as the population increases, leading to an exponential growth in bison numbers.

In his letter, Gianforte and his administrators decried all of the parks proposals in great detail and called Yellowstone officials posture uncollaborative and obstinate. The letter also included a not-so-veiled threat.

Given Montanas strident and consistent opposition to the alternatives proposed, and the fact that YNPs alternatives may undermine the foundation of Montanas tolerance, common sense precludes assuming that Montanas tolerance zones will remain unchanged, the state officials warned.

In other words, should the Park Service move ahead with a plan to increase or maintain a higher bison population, the state could pull back from its agreement allowing bison to wander north and west outside of Yellowstone.

On the other side of the fence, Defenders of Wildlife has argued for a higher low-end number of bison  4,000 animals. The group also proposed recognizing tribes as co-stewards to manage the herd and expanding the transfer program.

Giving bison ESA protection would check states abilities to treat bison like domestic livestock.

Endangered Species Act protection can break the stranglehold Montana has placed on recovering wild bison in the Yellowstone ecosystem, said Geist in an online post. We need to honor, protect and restore Yellowstone bison where they are now extinct because of the failure of the State of Montana to provide for a self-sustaining population in the wild.

Decades of court fights



Buffalo Field Campaign, along with the Western Watersheds Project, petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect bison under the Endangered Species Act in 2014. They were preceded by other petitioners.

In 1999, Minnesota author James Horsely appealed to FWS to safeguard Yellowstone bison. Ten years later, in 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds asked the FWS to protect bison. Each time the agency turned down the petitions.

In 2018, a federal judge accused the Fish and Wildlife Service of picking among contradictory scientific studies without explaining why the most recent petitions science was unreliable, irrelevant or otherwise unreasonable. A year later, the FWS again turned down the petition, and in 2022 a federal judge for a second time ordered the agency to revisit its decision.

The repeated delays have frustrated Western Watersheds Molvar, who said his group is again considering legal action to compel the FWS to move ahead.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is definitely dragging its feet, Molvar said. The same issues keep cropping up over and over again.

He accused the agency of ignoring best available science and being motivated by political agendas, instead of whats best for bison.

Finally, in June 2022, the FWS said it would conduct a comprehensive status review of Yellowstones bison to determine if the species warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act. The agency noted the petitioners had presented credible information to indicate potential threats to the (distinct population segment) from reductions of its range due to loss of migration routes, lack of tolerance for bison outside Yellowstone National Park, and habitat loss. The FWS also acknowledged management actions, disease and loss of genetic diversity may pose further threats.

Although the agency calls its assessment a 12-month finding, its 14-page list showing all of the species being studied for protection in the United States forecasts the bison work wont be done until 2026.

The Service is conducting an in-depth status review and analysis using the best available science and information to arrive at a finding as to whether listing is warranted, Joe Szuszwalak, a public affairs specialist for FWS, said in an email. If listing is found to be warranted, the Service would then conduct a separate rulemaking process, with public notice and comment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is overseen by Martha Williams, a former director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

'Listing is a long haul'

Robert Fischman, a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, testified in April before a U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources subcommittee regarding the Endangered Species Act.

When contacted for this story, he said the Fish and Wildlife Services latest move is not a signal that bison will be listed as threatened or endangered. Instead, the agency will be conducting a two-part test: One is to decide if the bison are a distinct population segment; and the other to resolve whether theres a trend suggesting bison are threatened or likely to be endangered.

The Fish and Wildlife Service could also decide the Yellowstone bison are a distinct population, but not rule on listing them, citing other priority species, Fischman said.

One thing I think it will be important for readers in Montana to understand is that this would be a good time, before listing, for stakeholders to get together and decide: Well, whats something we can all accept that would contribute to bison conservation?

That was done in Montana when greater sage grouse were considered for listing under the ESA. Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances were developed with landowners in existing core sage grouse habitat. The landowners voluntarily agreed to maintain and enhance bird habitat. In exchange, the landowners have fewer federal restrictions to worry about if the sage grouse is listed under the ESA.

Such a collaborative deal could protect a migratory corridor or create a program where private landowners could haze or shoot bison on their property, Fischman said as an example.

If you can fold all those practices into a plan and show the Fish and Wildlife Service how that would be a net benefit for bison, then the agency can approve the agreement and whatever is authorized by the agreement could continue to occur even if bison were listed, he explained.

Without such an agreement, were bison to be listed, Fischman said Park Service management would likely change little, if at all. However, it could affect how other agencies  like the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, as well as the state of Montana and private landowners  deal with bison when they migrate out of the park.

The bottom line is: It doesnt matter how few bison there are, Fischman said. It doesnt matter how constricted their habitat is. It doesnt matter whether the International Union for Conservation of Nature says these animals are in danger of disappearing. From a legal perspective, to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, its an administrative action that stems from this rulemaking procedure. So no matter how imperiled the species, if its not subject to a final rulemaking, its not protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Nonetheless, Geist of the bison advocacy group Buffalo Field Campaign, said his group sees the Fish and Wildlife Services decision to conduct a 12-moth status review as quite the milestone. He also points to the federal courts twice ruling in the groups favor as encouraging.

Endangered Species Act listing is a long haul, he said. Anybody expecting a quick listing is going to be greatly disappointed.

50 years of the ESA: Explore this series, in photos
ATLANTIC CITY  The union for the citys firefighters is opposing planned state-imposed reductions in supervisory roles, reallocations of resources and brownouts of the engine company in the Inlet, union President John Varallo said Tuesday.

Varallo, of Atlantic City Professional Fire Fighters Local 198, said the city and state have decided to permanently fill 11 supervisory positions rather than the expected 13 who are in acting positions right now.

Varallo was number 12 on the list, he said, and wonders whether the action was aimed at punishing him for his role as union president.

They also decided to close Engine Co. No. 7 in the Inlet Monday through Friday and open it only on weekends, and to reduce by one the number of firefighters in the training division, he said.

The State only authorized us to promote eleven captains and 23 recruits, said city spokesman Andrew Kramer. We will be at the full nine companies every day during our busy tourism season and in the offseason from Friday morning to Monday morning. We will only be moving to eight companies the other four weekdays in the offseason.

No one from the state provided a comment by press time.

The main things are depleting the training department and the brownout (of Engine Co. No. 7), Varallo said. The things we respond to are not specific to the weekend.

He said the state informed him of the decision late Monday, and the promotions and part-time closing of Engine Co. No. 7 will start Friday.

Varallo said 23 recruits need to be trained starting in January and the training division also needs to keep all firefighters up to date on safety and best methods.

There has been nothing given to us to explain why certain positions are not being filled, Varallo said.

He acknowledged that promotion decisions are managerial and the city and state have the right to make them. They are outside of the firefighter contract, he said.

The Small administration supports public safety and nobody pushes for public safety more than me, my track record proves it, said Mayor Marty Small Sr. The Atlantic City Fire Department didnt complain about the new contracts they just got and they need to know they cant have it both ways.

In October, firefighters signed a new contract, which touched off a controversy with city police, who said they were unable to get a new contract, just a memorandum of agreement.

Atlantic City police say their pay scale should equal firefighters' Atlantic City's police force, which has an ongoing problem recruiting and retaining officers, now has another hurdle to attracting talent, according to the president of the local police union: rising firefighter pay.

Police also said they will make less after 12 years on the job than firefighters will.

Starting salaries between the two departments are about the same, said PBA President Jules Schwenger. But for those with 12 years on the job, a police officer makes $87,700 and a firefighter $107,000.

Varallo said Tuesday the recent decisions jeopardize safety.

He posted a letter on social media that was sent to Small, fire Chief Scott Evans, Gov. Phil Murphy and City Council.

The people of Atlantic City deserve a fire department with proper staffing and supervision, the letter states. We request an immediate meeting with you both to discuss this critical issue and explore alternative solutions that prioritize public safety and firefighter well-being.

The union claims the departments resources have been cut several times over the past six years.
The state Election Law Enforcement Commission voted Tuesday to submit an amicus brief in a GOP lawsuit against Jersey Freedom, an independent expenditures committee alleged to have broken campaign finance laws and backed phantom conservative candidates to harm Republicans.

If accepted by Superior Court Judge Michael J. Blee, the brief will provide an independent voice in the lawsuit, said ELEC Chairperson Thomas H. Prol.

The decision was applauded by representatives of the League of Women Voters and the New Jersey Working Families Party who attended the meeting, as well as by state Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, who is part of the lawsuit.

Millions of voters went to (the polls) to determine control of the New Jersey Legislature in November, said Antoinette Miles, interim director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. Jersey Freedoms actions ... made a mockery of election laws and threatened to weaken our democracy.

After the election was over, Jersey Freedom filed disclosure reports with ELEC showing it had raised $225,000 from Brighter Future Forward, a South Jersey Democratic super PAC.

The case is shining light on what some say are inadequacies in the Election Transparency Act signed into law in April, which Jersey Freedoms attorney William Tambussi has said removed some requirements for independent expenditure committees.

Tambussi has represented the Camden County Democratic Party since 1989. He moved last month to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing ELEC should handle any complaints against Jersey Freedom.

We found out what we expected, that organs of the South Jersey Democratic machine were involved in an attempt to trick Republican voters to abandon candidates in favor of phantom candidates, Miles said. These types of shenanigans are detrimental to our democracy and totally unacceptable.

Jersey Freedom, Republicans square off in court over election reporting rules Atlantic County Superior Court judge Michael Blee will decide by Jan. 10 if a lawsuit by state Republicans will proceed against an independent expenditures committee the GOP says worked to split the GOP vote to benefit Democrats and broke election reporting rules to hide its true nature.

Blee will decide by Jan. 10 whether New Jersey Republican State Committee vs. Jersey Freedom will proceed, he said at a Dec. 11 hearing.

ELEC collects financial disclosure forms about donors and expenditures from candidates, parties and independent groups and makes them available to the public. It sets deadlines for submission of disclosures based on state law and can fine those who do not follow the law.

Prol said no details about what the brief will contain will be available until it is developed by ELEC staff and submitted by the commissions legal counsel, Edwin R. Matthews.

The New Jersey Republican State Committee sued Jersey Freedom Nov. 1, alleging the group was not complying with state law regarding reporting its donors and expenditures and that it was misleading voters through support of phantom candidates.

In the 2nd District, which covers most of Atlantic County, Jersey Freedom paid for mailings and television ads for Libertarian candidate for state Senate Shawn Peck.

Peck dropped out of the race when he realized the group was in fact trying to get Democrat Caren Fitzpatrick elected rather than incumbent Polistina. He dropped out too late to have his name removed from the ballot.

Polistina won with about 53% of the vote to Fitzpatricks 44% and Pecks 3%.

The lawsuit also alleges Jersey Freedom supported phantom candidates in the 4th District who were recruited by Democrats to put their names on the ballot as conservatives but didnt really conduct campaigns. The 4th District covers parts of Camden and Gloucester counties and Buena and Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County.

Polistina seeks ELEC investigation into dark money group Jersey Freedom State Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, has asked the state Election Law Enforcement Commission to do a full investigation into the Jersey Freedom super PAC's activities in the Nov. 7 general election.

Jason Sena, general counsel to the New Jersey Republican State Committee, told ELEC there needs to be a serious investigation and people testifying under oath in court about how Jersey Freedom was formed and how candidates in the 4th District ended up on the ballot.

He also said Jersey Freedoms chairman and treasurer Eric Peterson, of Queens, New York, should have to answer under oath who asked him to start the organization, how donors were approached and more.

This has the potential to have far reaching consequences, Sena said. A bad decision in the case quite frankly would have negative effects moving forward.

Polistina was happy ELEC is getting involved.

Well see how it plays out, Polistina said after the ELEC meeting. Certainly they have the expertise and knowledge about what should be done to comply with the law.
French Trade Minister Olivier Becht said the electric vehicle (EV) subsidy policy of Paris is not discriminatory toward foreign carmakers, pointing out all models are eligible to win support as long as they meet carbon emission standards.

Becht, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, also noted that the policy was aimed at decarbonizing the European nation's industry.

The remark came after Paris unveiled the list of cars eligible to win such subsidies last week encompassing 78 models of 22 brands, with Hyundai Motor's Kona SUV, manufactured in Europe, being the only Korean EV to be included.

The list, however, did not include models manufactured in Korea, including the Niro EV of Kia Corp. The French government provides subsidies ranging from 5,007 euros ($5,490) to 7,000 euros for consumers of EVs.

On the previous day, Korea's industry ministry expressed regret to Becht over the exclusion and requested the French government to expedite the complaint procedures for the Korean government and businesses.

Becht said although cars manufactured far from France, which may emit more carbon during the shipping process, might have less chance of qualifying for subsidies, the policy mainly evaluates carbon emissions and does not consider the nationality of manufacturers.

Touching on the bilateral energy cooperation, the French minister noted that the carbon-free energy policies of both countries align perfectly as they also consider nuclear energy.

Becht said while countries need to phase out traditional resources, such as gas, oil and coal, they also need sources that are capable of generating power without carbon emissions. (Yonhap)
WILDWOOD CREST  Madison Resorts said Tuesday it has acquired the Royal Hawaiian motel for $13.4 million and plans to combine it with its neighbor, the former Oceanview Motel, to create what it says will be Cape May Countys largest resort.

After $7 million in renovations and updates, Madison Resort Wildwood Crest will offer more than 200 rooms, three restaurants, two pools, five conference rooms, two rooftop event spaces, beachfront weddings and more, the company said in a news release.

Phase one of the combined resort is expected to open in early spring 2024 at Beach Avenue and Rambler Road. The Royal Hawaiian portion of the resort will open in early summer 2024, the company said, just in time for the return of the Barefoot Country Music Festival to Wildwood.

When I received the call about the availability of the Royal Hawaiian, it became clear that we had an opportunity to weave its timeless architecture into the fabric of Madison Resort, said Dan Alicea, president of Madison Resorts. In a world where such architectural marvels are scarce, embracing the legacy of the past is not just a choice; its a commitment to preserving the extraordinary in a rapidly changing landscape.

Madison Resorts began rehabbing the shuttered Oceanview, built in 1964 and closed since 2021, more than a year ago. What started as planned updates to the lobby, rooms and exterior evolved into a major demolition and rebuild project, the company said, setting back the opening date from Memorial Day weekend 2023 but resulting in a modern facility it said pays homage to the islands doo-wop architecture.

Oceanview work has included rebuilding the rooms, demolishing and repouring the pool, adding a hot tub, adding new exterior railings, building new staircases, removing the deck to make room for unobstructed views of the ocean, building a second elevator, replacing concrete work, and adding bistro lighting and speakers around the pool, the company said.

The building had deteriorated in its final years in operation, incurring code violations, operating in summer 2021 with several rooms ordered closed due to a degraded pedestrian walkway and suffering a partial roof collapse later that winter.

In order for us to deliver our promise in maintaining the doo-wop architecture, the iconic glass in the lobby had to be custom made for the project, Alicea said. It is our passion and our commitment to deliver on our promises. We couldnt deliver on those promises if we would have rushed to open the property.

Madison Resorts also owns the Montreal Beach Resort and Harrys Ocean Bar and Grille in Cape May.

Reservations are open to the public for summer 2024. For more information, call 609-389-6666 or visit madisonresortwildwoodcrest.com.
Three Woodbine residents were arrested Monday after authorities searched their home and found a cache of drugs and weapons, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said.

Tyrone Brown, 28, and Azanna Shelton, 26, were each charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess methamphetamine in an amount greater than half an ounce, distribution of drug paraphernalia, possession of an assault firearm, possession of a firearm while in the course of a drug offense, possession of a high-capacity magazine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a public place, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public place and endangering the welfare of a child.

Jamal Matthews, 26, was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess methamphetamine in an amount greater than half an ounce, distribution of drug paraphernalia, possession of an assault firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm while in the course of a drug offense, two counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a public place, two counts of possession with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public place, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine and possession of a handgun.

On Monday, the Prosecutors Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Cape May County Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit, State Police and the Cape May County Regional SWAT Team searched the home of Matthews, Brown and Shelton in the 600 block of Adams Avenue, as well as the vehicle of Matthews. During the search, authorities seized about three ounces of suspected methamphetamine, about one-half ounce of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, an AR-15 style rifle, a 9mm handgun, high-capacity magazines and ammunition, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.

Matthews and Brown were sent to the Cape May County jail, while Shelton was released on a summons pending court.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is set to allocate $19.6 million for economic projects in Atlantic City, aiming to rejuvenate both neighborhoods and the citys downtown.

The Atlantic City Revitalization Grant Program will tap into the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized under the American Rescue Plan, which nationally distributed $350 billion to aid communities in recovering from the pandemic.

According to an NJEDA press release, eligible projects must not only address challenges created by the pandemic but also contribute to the broader goal of revitalizing Atlantic City.

Renovation or restoration of vacant buildings, as well as new construction aimed at improving the vitality of the citys downtown, are eligible. Additionally, projects that create jobs or office space, address food insecurity, or further the citys clean and safe initiatives are encouraged.

Both for-profit and nonprofit entities can participate in this initiative.

Program grants will range from a minimum of $1 million to a maximum of $10 million, with the grants covering up to 50% of the project costs.

All projects will require applicants to demonstrate they have secured the remaining funding before obtaining NJEDA board approval.

The program approved today adds to the NJEDAs robust suite of impactful and strategic programs to strengthen Atlantic Citys economy in the wake of the pandemic, NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan said.

Atlantic City administration achieved 91% of its goals for 2023, directors report Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Monday his administration met more than 90% of its goals this year.

Mayor Marty Small Sr. said the pilot program would assist the city in rebounding from the impact of the pandemic on development plans by supporting capital projects, bolstering vital coastal infrastructure and creating additional opportunities to generate revenue.

State Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, characterized the program as a monumental investment into Atlantic City and our shore town communities.

Due to the prolonged effects of the pandemic, small businesses throughout the state  especially those at the Jersey Shore  are still struggling to survive, Polistina said. This initiative will help alleviate some of that economic stress by supporting capital projects, bolstering vital coastal infrastructure and creating additional opportunities to generate revenue.

Polistina was joined by Assembly members Don Guardian and Claire Swift, both R-Atlantic, in praising the program.

This city has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that I championed as mayor and that will be funded through this grant program, Guardian said.

Swift said the funding would uplift Atlantic Citys communities through projects that support jobs, repurpose abandoned buildings, and improve the health and security of residents.

The funding for the Atlantic City Revitalization Grant Program represents a substantial portion of the $30 million allocated for Atlantic City Initiatives in the states 2024 Fiscal Year Appropriations Act.
ATLANTIC CITY  The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority on Tuesday said yes to a $250,000 subsidy to help keep the Save-A-Lot grocery store in operation.

There are bigger plans in the works for the site, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said at the meeting, but CRDA staff said the grant is aimed at keeping the doors open at least through April 2025.

This is purely allowing him to continue keeping his store open to service the public, Thomas Meehan III, director of project implementation and management for CRDA, told the board before the vote. We were afraid that he would shut down.

The store serves more than 5,000 customers a month at Renaissance Plaza at New York and Atlantic avenues, a complex the food store shares with a liquor store, a dollar store and other businesses.

The plaza has drawn numerous complaints about vagrancy, public intoxication and drug use, and other issues. It is also the site of one of the citys largest food stores, seen as a vital service in a city described by officials at the state and local levels as a food desert.

The CRDA has sought for years to address that, and shown a willingness to invest far more than the $250,000 approved Tuesday. The authority had agreed to $18.7 million to build a 44,000-square-foot supermarket at Baltic and Indiana avenues.

But that deal fell apart in 2022, and after seeking new proposals for an operator, the CRDA rejected the four proposals it received this year.

This gives us time to figure out whats next, Meehan told the board at the meeting.

Maisha Moore named CRDA interim executive director The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has named Deputy Executive Director Maisha Y. Moore its new interim executive director, the agency said Tuesday.

In an interview before the meeting, Save-A-Lot owner Shawn Rinnier said the subsidy is separate from the plans for a new grocery. Rinnier said Monday he was working on finding the funding to remodel the Save-A-Lot, and reached out to the CRDA to ask if the authority could help support the grocery for a year, with an eye toward long-term plans.

Speaking at the meeting, Small said his administration has been working with the owner of Renaissance Plaza on improvements to the site, including a much larger footprint for the food store.

CRDA Chairman Mo Butler said there are multiple stakeholders working on resolving the citys food desert status.

As proposed, the CRDA would provide the owner with more than $20,000 a month, not to exceed a total of $250,000, with the aim of ensuring residents continue to have access to fresh fruits, vegetables and other food, Meehan said.

The owner has been working cooperatively with the CRDA, the Governors Office, the landlord and other agencies to develop a plan to keep the business in operation.

There are several efforts aimed at addressing food insecurity in the city, with the organization CROPS selling fresh produce and the state and Virtua Health bringing food to neighborhoods as part of a mobile Eat Well program, funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

In November, Gov. Phil Murphy pledged more than $5.5 million to address food insecurity in Atlantic City, citing families who travel out of the city to buy groceries.

We want to stay. Were all working together to try to figure out how to do it, Rinnier said Monday. I think its important that we stay there because the city needs us.
OCEAN CITY  The city's Community Services Department will take over operation of the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center next year from the Cape May County Division of Aging and Disability Services, the county said Tuesday.

Effective Feb. 1, the city will assume responsibility for all functions of the Simpson Avenue senior center, including programming, staffing and meals, the county said in a news release.

The city plans to supplement and expand transportation beyond what is currently provided.

The two county employees previously assigned to the Stainton center will be transferred to another county-run senior center, the county said.

City and county representatives informed senior program participants at the center Thursday, giving them the opportunity to ask questions, the county said.

Cape May County has done an amazing job operating the Howard Stainton Senior Center, and we are grateful for their dedication to the senior population of our town, Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement. This building is a one-of-a-kind multipurpose facility, and as such, Ocean City sees tremendous opportunity to expand and improve the quality of programs offered to the seniors of our town by assuming operations of the center.

The city came to the county with a request to assume operations at the city, according to Ronald Simone, the countys assistant administrator.

The county is supportive of Ocean Citys decision and we will continue offer any assistance necessary with the transition. We will also continue to provide supplemental services in partnership, Simone said.

Gillian told the participants in programs at the senior center that the city was eager to expand what he described as the already exceptional program at the center, which is also home to the city library, the historical museum, art center and the Aquatic and Fitness Center.

The Community Center is really a treasure for everybody in our town, and were always looking to make improvements to every aspect of it, Gillian said.

Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen said the additional cost to local taxpayers is expected to be minimal, with the city expecting to continue with grants that fund current operations, and will be eligible for additional money through Community Development Block Grants and other programs.

According to the county's website, the Stainton center provides a number of amenities for local seniors, including pharmaceutical assistance, exercise programs, craft activities and games.

Lunch is served daily at 11:30 a.m. by reservation.

The county will continue to provide services in partnership with Ocean City through the countys Fare Free Transportation Department and the Division of Aging and Disability Services, including but not limited to weekly/daily transportation, and as a continued site for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which provides free tax preparation for households with an annual income of $60,000 or less.

The move is the latest by the county to offload some of its responsibility for senior care services.

In October, it approved a 10-year lease agreement for Allaire Health Services to operate the Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cape May Court House. That contract takes effect Jan. 1.
High pressure will keep the state dry for the rest of the week. A storm will then likely disintegrate by the time rain or snow wants to reach here Saturday.

Dec. 17-18 storm recap: Record rain, 50+ mph gusts and a water rescue Meteorologist Joe Martucci recaps what was likely the wettest December storm on record. In addition to the record rain, 50+ mph and coastal flooding gripped South Jersey.

The high pressure will stay centered on West Virginia through Thursday. On Friday, that high pressure will merge with a stronger high pressure in Quebec, which will then hold through the holiday weekend.

Stay Informed: Follow Snow Search for 5-10 day forecasts every Wednesday Get honest analysis on snow and cold threats 5 to 10 days out. The second season of SNOW SEARCH will air Wednesdays through March with Meteorologists Joe Martucci and Sean Sublette.

Since it spins clockwise, our winds will continue to be from the north through at least Friday. That will prevent any warmup from happening.

Citizen footage of a water rescue in Ventnor Monday A neighbor in Ventnor captured video footage of a water rescue taking place in town on Monday. 2 to 2.5 inches of rain plus coastal flooding made some roads impassable during the afternoon.

Each day between Wednesday and Friday will be about the same. All will have a good amount of clear sky.

Morning low temperatures will be in the low to mid-20s in the morning for Linwood and inland spots. In Atlantic City and along the coast, well start off on either side of freezing.

The afternoon will warm up into the 40s. Well be more seasonable Wednesday and Thursday, with highs in the mid-40s. Come Friday, highs will be a bit chillier, hovering just above 40.

Perhaps more important, its dry. Thats good news for last-minute decorating outside and traveling. Up and down the East Coast will be rain free. The only part of the country where airport delays will threaten will be Southern California.

Moving into Saturday, a warm front will slowly move in from the south. Typically, precipitation is ahead of the front. I doubt well see anything, though. High pressure will be close to us, pumping in so much dry air, we should just have cloud cover. Highs will be in the upper 40s, and well stay above freezing Saturday night.

The warm front then passes and were pretty mild and very dry for Christmas.

I foresee a good amount of sunshine Sunday and Monday. Traveling around the state or to Philadelphia will be just fine, at least from the weather.

If Santa is coming to your house, he wont have any issues, as the North Pole-to-New Jersey route should be largely snow free.

High temperatures in the region will be at or just above 50 degrees.

Our next storm will come sometime between Tuesday night and Thursday morning. Like the previous two storms, this will be a rain maker. Wind and coastal flooding will be a good bet, too.

Finally, our last Across the Sky podcast of the year is online. This time, our podcast team goes over the top 10 things to know about winter. Find it at PressofAC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Let's get caught up.

Keep scrolling for celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history. Plus, give our daily news podcast a listen:

Here's a preview of today's top stories:

Trump defends controversial immigrant comments

Pandemic gear stockpiles are expiring

Elon Musk's labor battle across Scandinavia

Hope for another hostage swap in Gaza

Protests in Argentina

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A closer look at Colorados historic ruling banning Trump from the ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court made history Tuesday with an unprecedented, ruling that former President Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run in 2024 because the 14th Amendments ban on insurrectionists holding public office covers his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021.

The 4-3 decision removes Trump from the Republican primary ballot in Colorado, which is scheduled for Super Tuesday in early March. However, the Colorado justices paused their ruling so Trump can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could even preserve his spot on the states primary ballot if the appeal isnt settled quickly.

In many ways, the landmark ruling holds Trump accountable for trying to overturn the 2020 election and provides a political punishment for his anti-democratic behavior. The ruling is also a massive vindication for the liberal groups and constitutional scholars of all stripes who championed such 14th Amendment lawsuits despite their long odds.

But Trump has mastered the art of converting legal setbacks into polling bounces. Hes already in a stronger position today to beat President Joe Biden than he was one year ago, before he was criminally indicted in four jurisdictions. And he and his GOP allies kicked into high gear Tuesday night, playing the victim card and railing against the ruling.

Here are the key takeaways from the decision and what comes next:

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MORE TOP STORIES

Musk and Tesla are battling unions across Scandinavia

Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The showdown pits the electric car maker's CEO Elon Musk, whos staunchly anti-union, against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries.

None of Tesla's workers anywhere in the world are unionized, raising questions about whether strikes could spread to other parts of Europe where employees commonly have collective bargaining rights  notably in Germany, Tesla's most important market.

Here are key things to know about the union fight:

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States are trashing pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

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Hamas leader visits Cairo

Hamas top leader traveled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another cease-fire and hostage swap at a moment when the militant group is putting up stiff resistance to Israels offensive.

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Putin ratchets up military pressure on Ukraine

After blunting Ukraines counteroffensive from the summer, Russia is building up its resources for a new stage of the war over the winter, which could involve trying to extend its gains in the east and deal significant blows to the country's vital infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be hoping that relentless military pressure, combined with changing Western political dynamics and a global focus on the Israeli-Hamas war, will drain support for Ukraine in the nearly 2-year-old war and force Kyiv to yield to Moscows demands.

***

Argentina's new president to face first protests

Just days after taking office, Argentine President Javier Milei's government announced drastic economic measures that angered some social and labor groups, and warned it would crack down on any protests blocking streets.

The right-wing populist on Wednesday will face the first test of how his administration responds to demonstrations after those groups called on people to turn out to protest the economic shock measures, which Milei has said are needed to address Argentinas severe crisis.

***

MORNING LISTEN

This week's episode of the Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles podcast is an update of the 1990 Susan Negersmith case from Wildwood, New Jersey.

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TRENDING TOPICS

***

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today in history: Dec. 20 On Dec. 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.

Today in sports history: Dec. 20 In 2009, Ben Roethlisberger becomes the first Pittsburgh quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a game. See more sports moments from this date.

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TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Celebrity Birthdays: Dec. 20 Alan Parsons Billy Bragg Chris Robinson Colin Woodell David Cook Dick Wolf Jenny Agutter JoJo Jonah Hill Peter Criss Sonny Perdue Todd Phillips Walter Wolfman Washington
John Baker had no idea he would end up in the whiskey business. It just sort of happened.

The founder of Cat's Eye Distillery, Baker first got into the industry in 2010 when his brother-in-law asked for his help opening a distillery in Van Buren County. Baker had prior experience owning companies, so he agreed to help with the paperwork.

But it didn't take long for him to get involved in the distilling process. And that's where the story begins.

"We set it up, he showed me how the process worked and I fell in love with it," he said. "I took classes to learn different things, but after four years we shut it down. I took all the equipment, brought it up here, and started Cat's Eye Distillery."

The unusual name has a deep meaning for Baker, whose passion is astronomy and whose hobby is astrophotography. The name started out as Cat's Eye Nebula, the name of deep-sky object NGC-6543, and what many consider to be the Hubbell Space Telescope's greatest picture.

"Started out with that and then my wife and I started doing tastings in the grocery store and people would ask us the same question: where did that name come from," he said. "I'd explain it to them: It's deep sky object NGC-6543 blah, blah, blah."

After that, his wife Linda stepped in to assist with marketing. Their daughter had a cat named Maui, and Linda took a picture of his eye for the label. He became the mascot and his face is on every bottle. But, Baker's favorite sky object still makes an appearance on the back of the label.

He started with a 2,200-square-foot warehouse space at 3232 Bear Tooth Court in Bettendorf. It was a great place to begin, but a pattern began to develop rather quickly.

"Then we ran out of room and I rented out the place next door, another 1,100 square feet. Ran out of room and we rented that 53-foot trailer at the end of the drive; ran out of room so we rented those two trailers at the end of the parking lot," he said with a laugh.

Now, the warehouse is filled with more than 100 different barrels and is where all the magic happens, he said. That magic, specific to the Cat's Eye line, comes in the form of two main products: Essence of Iowa and Krupnik.

Essence is Baker's take on a hand-crafted whiskey derived from corn and is perfect for both beginners and refined whiskey drinkers. The team uses premium cuts from the hearts of the distillation run and ages them in new charred oak barrels, according to its website.

Krupnik, a holiday favorite, is a honey-based whiskey that Baker remarked resembles "the taste of Christmas." The team uses the same cuts as Essence but adds honey, orange, lemon zest, cinnamon, and other spices. Usually, it comes in at about 55-60% abv., and can be sipped warmed, chilled, or right off the shelf.

Both products are sold at Fareway and Hy-Vee stores on the Iowa side, and about 14 other states. In addition to the main two, the distillery has three other lines that stem from its newfound success in the sourcing and blending categories.

The company is co-owned by Baker's son, Jason Baker, and Gene Nassif, a whiskey enthusiast and lawyer in Des Moines. Nassif and the Bakers connected in an online whiskey forum in 2016 and Nassif joined the company in 2018.

At the time, only two products were coming out of Cat's Eye, but Nassif thought he could help put them on the map in a bigger way. People were beginning to come around to the idea of sourcing, and he felt this was a niche market Cat's Eye could capitalize on.

"Sourcing is when you're getting the product from other distilleries, bringing it in, re-casking, re-aging or continuing to age the product, blending and ultimately bottling," he said. "A lot has changed from the days of Templeton, for example, and the controversy that surrounded Templeton Rye."

The popular distillery has its headquarters in Templeton, Iowa, and was advertising home-grown origins. In 2015, the whiskey giant settled three class-action lawsuits that alleged the whiskey was not "made in Iowa" as it was marketed but instead based on a spirit from LDI distillery (now MGP) in Indiana, according to the Des Moines Register.

The news made waves across the whiskey community and, "quickly transferred into an appreciation for people that seek out different spirits from all over the world, bring them in, and create new products with that. And that's the concept that we ran with," Nassif said.

This concept is popular among many famous distilleries like Johnny Walker and Alexander Murray, which purchase casks of scotch, allow them to age, bottle them, and then release them to consumers.

"Our goal was to bring those concepts to American spirits, and now it is international spirits," he said.

The distillery's line, Obtanium, was born out of this notion of "obtaining" old barrels and either bottling them at barrel strength or blending them to create signature flavors. Nassif finds barrels from as nearby as Bettendorf to as far away as distilleries in Jamaica and has them shipped back to the warehouse.

"He has the nose for whiskey and he hobnobs with all the brokers around the country and globe and we're able to purchase barrels of whiskey from different brokers at a decent price and are able to bottle them straight ... or bottle at barrel strength," Baker said.

Cat's Eye started with MGP distilled light whiskey; a fairly new product at the time. At the time, light whiskey was not on trend but in 2019 the spirit made a massive comeback. Light whiskey, Nassif said, is distilled between 160 and 180 proof and aged in uncharred oak barrels.

"In practice, it oftentimes comes in the form of a high-proof corn whiskey," he said.

Because it is distilled higher than a typical corn, wheat, or rye whiskey it often has a sweeter, more delicate flavoring, Nassif said. This holds up well for aging and makes a good base for blending.

Blending and re-barreling is a concept that is just starting to gain popularity again, but capitalizing on that has paid off for Cat's Eye in a very big way.

"We took Cat's Eye Distillery from being in Iowa and Illinois to now being in 14 states with Alaska and Texas coming online shortly," Nassif said. "We really spread out quickly and created a big national presence."

The way they accomplished that, he said, goes back to how he came in contact with the company: online. Cat's Eye currently does not have a taproom, although one is in the works for Des Moines. If all goes well, Baker said, Bettendorf will follow.

Until then, Cat's Eye will continue its online presence on Facebook and especially YouTube where other whiskey enthusiasts try their products and help put them on the map, he said. But the venture into a niche market does not stop there.

Baker said custom barrel picks are popular among enthusiast who want a blend all to themselves. Those interested will come down to the warehouse to sample different barrels and pick the ones they like.

Other times, Cat's Eye will ship out a few different samples and blend the ones the customer chooses. Those are then bottled, outfitted with a custom label, corked, and dipped in wax to seal them. All of those steps are done by hand by Baker, his son, and a third employee, Steve Dooley. Nassif handles the marketing and sales from Des Moines.

Looking back eight years to when it all started, Baker said he never dreamed it would grow as big as it has. When he first started it would take all night to bottle one barrel. Now, the team has it down to a science and can bottle a barrel in about an hour.

That has come in handy considering a 2022 winter release of Magi Rye, a blend of 21-year Canadian rye and a six-year MGP rye, made headlines in the whiskey community.

Fred Minnick, a renowned spirits writer, gave it a score of 93 and ranked it 25th on his list of 100 best whiskeys of 2022. Nassif said other whiskeys on the list included big names like Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, proving the little distillery in Bettendorf could compete with the best of them.

"We were up there with the best and very proud of that and all that we have accomplished," Nassif said. "We have really grown this concept of American independent bottling which is something that really has not been accomplished."
Flights to Charlotte take off from Moline Wednesday, and so far, so good.

Ashleigh Davis, PR and marketing manager for the Quad Cities International Airport, said bookings filled up quickly. For the first week of service, things look really strong.

The North Carolina-bound service via American Airlines was announced in July. With the pilot shortage and smaller airports slowly losing flights, community leaders said at the time they saw the Charlotte addition as a way of helping the region grow.

Flights are available seven days a week, twice a day, at 6:50 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Booking opened Saturday, July 15. Davis said flights are almost entirely booked, which is not unusual considering Christmas is only a few days away. But, that includes flights leaving from and coming to the Quad-Cities.

What that tells us, long-term, is there is really strong demand to and from our cities, which is fantastic news, Davis said.

Regional airports are beginning to see a resurgence of leisure travel, she said, where passengers fly someplace for business and bring their family along to make a vacation out of it. This trend nearly stopped all together with COVID, but has re-emerged, helping to keep the planes full.

Airlines look at load-factor when determining the success of a route, she said. Its done by comparing the number of seats on the plane to the number of tickets booked. The load factor for Charlotte flights is at about 85% for the next several weeks, Davis said, with that tailing off after the first of the year.

Typical with post-holiday travel, things slow down in January, but they always do, she said. Thats not a popular time to travel but we would expect that to pick back up again in February.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) came in as the worlds 19th busiest airport in 2022, with almost 48 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. In an average day it sees 114,000 arrivals and departures according to the airports website.

The last time the Quad-Cities added a flight was 2015 with daily service to Washington D.C.

This was due in large part to a push from the Pentagon to protect the Arsenal from a base realignment, Davis said in an email. The flight lasted less than a year. Charlotte service was secured under vastly different circumstances.

One of the main reasons for connecting Moline and Charlotte, Davis said, is the latter is a global hub. With so many flights, travelers have more options on where to travel to and an easier path when its time to come home.

This allows people to better connect to flights going up and down the East Coast, the Caribbean, Mexico, she said. It helps people get back to their homes faster.
Shenzhen, a trailblazer of China's deepened reform, opening up

Xinhua) 11:00, December 20, 2023

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 28, 2023 shows the east tower of Lingdingyang bridge and west artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

SHENZHEN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Building upon transformative strides taken over the past decades, the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen is embarking on a new chapter in the country's reform and opening-up efforts.

Shenzhen, once a small fishing village, became a testing ground for China's reform and opening-up when it was designated as one of the country's first special economic zones in 1980.

It evolved into a massive manufacturing center, with assembly lines churning out computers, phones, and other gadgets for many foreign brands. However, escalating labor costs, resource bottlenecks and the changing global situation have made it challenging to sustain this development pattern.

The city is now again at the forefront of China's transformation to high-quality and innovation-driven development, playing a trailblazing role in the country's deepened reform and higher-level opening-up.

NEW MISSION

Known as a paragon of opening-up and development, Shenzhen has developed into a key economic hub, with its GDP topping 3.23 trillion yuan (about 455.04 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022.

As China's reform has entered deep water, grappling with domestic institutional and mechanistic barriers amid a complex external environment, Shenzhen harbors great hopes in pioneering reform as "a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics." This new mission was assigned to Shenzhen in 2019.

Under a plan for the 2020-2025 period, measures to improve the market-based allocation of factors of production, business environment, and overall utilization of urban space, among others, are Shenzhen's leading attempts amid China's efforts to comprehensively deepen reforms and expand all-around opening-up.

The plan has pledged to pilot comprehensive reform measures, granting Shenzhen greater autonomy in crucial areas and key processes. The goal is to develop replicable experience that can be implemented in other regions.

Three years on, 40 kinds of practices and innovative measures that have proven successful in the city have been underscored by the central government to be replicated in other parts of the country.

In Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the Shenzhen-Harbin industrial park, which draws on the experience of Shenzhen including streamlining administrative approvals, project bidding and tax incentives for talent, is attracting more and more high-tech companies and supporting the local economy.

Shenzhen's success is not accidental and is not only fit for the city. It is the epitome of China's 40-plus years of reform and opening-up, and can help other countries, said Tao Yitao, director of the China Center for Special Economic Zone Research, a think tank under Shenzhen University.

The think tank is working to introduce Shenzhen's experience to other countries, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Kazakhstan, and help them in their building of special economic zones, according to Tao.

CENTER OF INNOVATION

"Shenzhen has turned to supercharging high-tech sectors and trying to reinvent itself as a center of innovation. It's a smart way of development," Tao said.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying food package is landing at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

The city of more than 17.66 million people is now home to some of China's biggest tech players like Huawei, Tencent, BYD and DJI, and is attracting young talent and entrepreneurs from all over the country, as well as from abroad.

"Talent, a complete industrial system as well as an efficient and supportive government combined make Shenzhen a perfect place for innovation," said Li Luyang, co-founder and CEO of VisionNav Robotics, a company that develops and produces driverless forklifts.

"Seriously speaking, in Shenzhen, I can build a prototype twice faster than elsewhere," said Li, who came to Shenzhen after graduating from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"When we moved to Shenzhen's Hetao zone for sci-tech innovation cooperation in 2020, we only had 75 employees, and now the number has increased to 500 while our business revenue recorded 10-fold expansion during the past three years," he said.

In Shenzhen, innovation platforms such as Hetao and Guangming Science City are giving full play to the potential of talent like Li and fostering tech start-ups, and have become new drivers of innovation.

To attract top talent from around the globe and strengthen its position as an innovation hub, the city last month unveiled a 30-point plan, which encompasses a wide range of initiatives and incentives to foster an ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship, research and technological advancements.

Last year, it also released the country's first-ever local regulation dedicated to boosting the development of artificial intelligence.

Shenzhen's value-added industrial output of strategic emerging industries expanded 8.3 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2023, accounting for 42.5 percent of the city's GDP, with the proportion further rising from 41.1 percent in 2022 and 37.7 percent in 2019.

Analysts believe that by creating an environment that offers attractive policies and opportunities, Shenzhen will become a magnet for top talent from around the world, and with the city's ambitious vision and initiative, it can solidify its leading role in innovation and technology.

HIGH-STANDARD OPENING-UP

For Wang Congbao, president of KASIKORNBANK (China) Company Ltd., the wholly foreign-owned entity of leading Thai bank KASIKORNBANK, China's high-standard opening-up makes Shenzhen a city of opportunities.

Unlike other foreign financial institutions that are inclined to establish their China headquarters in the country's financial hub of Shanghai, KASIKORNBANK built its China headquarters in Shenzhen in 2017, betting on opportunities stemming from the development of the country's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as well as closer cooperation with ASEAN and other Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries.

As the pioneer city of China's reform and opening-up, Shenzhen's competitive advantages in economic vitality, more open market, improving business environment and sound infrastructure have made it an attractive destination for foreign businesses, Wang said.

KASIKORNBANK (China) moved into its newly-purchased office building in downtown Shenzhen this month. "The Chinese market will be the most important engine for our future development. It has already been one of our largest investment entities outside Thailand, and we remain confident in the market," Wang said.

"We believe the biggest stability factor of the Chinese economy lies in the sound economic fundamentals underpinned by a vast domestic market and its policy certainty of continuously pushing forward high-standard opening-up," he added.

In Shenzhen, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone was established amid China's efforts to promote Qianhai as a test bed for the country's financial reform and opening-up.

The country released 30 rules for Qianhai, aimed at establishing a financial rule system in line with international standards and a world-class financial environment inside the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone by 2035.

The annual Central Economic Work Conference held from Dec. 11 to 12, during which Chinese leaders chart the course for the economy in the coming year, listed priorities including advancing technological innovation to lead the development of a modern industrial system, deepening reforms in key areas, and expanding high-standard opening-up.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
By Jon Dunbar

Seoul City Stomp (SCS), an all-vinyl DJ collective specializing in soul and reggae, is throwing a party this Saturday, partly to celebrate Christmas, and also partly to welcome back one of its founding members, an American musician and DJ who wished to be identified only as Thee Baron.

Baron co-founded SCS in 2014 with Nah Beomju, also known by aliases such as Jude Nah and Bombed You, a ska musician who's been in various bands including reggae band the Pegurians, two-tone ska band the Rulerz and ska-punk band Skasucks.

Baron describes himself as a "multi-format/multi-genre DJ," who started DJing post-punk, 1960s soul, garage rock and glam in San Francisco in 2011. He came to Korea in 2013 and started DJing for Seoul Shindig  "and work as a dancing monkey teaching English," he added.

"I'll play whatever whenever  from obscure vinyl-only oldies at record bars to guilty pleasures at Club FF," he said.

Baron left in 2017, and Nah went to the U.S. in 2018.

SCS has been kept alive by British DJ Pablo Winchester who specializes in northern soul, and DJ Shinji from Japan who plays mostly reggae, both of whom were brought into the fold early in SCS' history. "Pablo and Shinji kept the soul fire alive," Baron said.

Baron ended up in Shanghai, which he describes as a very different experience from Korea.

"Shanghai is a must-visit city for partying. Wild crowds, bigger rooms and later nights," he said. "Shanghai was pretty wild when I moved there in 2017. Lots of excess. In 2018 there were a lot of crackdowns on drug users and sellers, and quite a few iconic clubs shut down. A lot of businesses didn't survive the big lockdown, but things are starting to come back."

In Shanghai, Baron kept spinning vinyl, founding Shanghai Soul Club (SSC) with DJ Sacco Vanzetti, who now runs Uptown Records Tokyo.

"I feel like the Johnny Appleseed of northern soul in East Asia ..." Baron laughed. "The party became a massive success, and I got to DJ with touring British northern soul DJs in Shanghai like Andy Smith, Ozsoul and Glen Walton."

He's not just DJing there, having also joined the local expat punk band Round Eye.

"I'm DJing less and playing live music more," he said. "China's punk scene has been exploding with the younger generation since the lockdowns ended."

The band is set to tour the Philippines and Hong Kong next month, with plans to record and tour the U.S. later in the year.

He's back in Seoul this month to visit his Korean family, and as has happened several times over the past few years, he is teaming up again with SCS for another adventure through some of the best vinyl collections located in the country.

"I love visiting Seoul to see friends and family, but it's a bit harder to build up a crowd because there aren't so many expats or local people willing to dig a little deeper for oldies," he said. "The big advantage Seoul has, though, is that I haven't experienced any police raids in Korea. You're more or less left alone, which can be good or bad depending on who is leaving you alone."

Visit fb.com/seoulcitystomp or follow @seoulcitystomp on Instagram for more information about SCS and the show this weekend.
With Christmas just days away, the family of a Knox County deputy died in the line of dutry has had its mortgage paid in full thanks to a New York-based non-profit.

Knox County Deputy Nicholas "Nick" Weist died April 29, 2022, after being hit while he was setting out spike strips to stop a suspect's vehicle from feeling police. To thank him for his service and sacrifice, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation paid off the mortgage on his home as part of its 2023 Season of Hope.

The suspect, Daylon K. Richardson, is charged with murder in Henry County in Weist's death. His trial is scheduled for February, 2024.

The Tunnel to Towers annual Season of Hope is a yearly commitment to "do good and honor the sacrifices of Americas heroes" according to a news release. This year, the foundation will deliver 40 mortgage-free homes to Americas heroes nationwide between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Weist graduated from Western Illinois University in 2009 with a degree in law enforcement and justice administration degree. He started his career with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department, before joining the Aledo Police Department and then the Knox County Sheriff's Office in 2018. He also served as a volunteer firefighter for the Viola Fire Department

The 34-year-old left behind his wife Jessica Weist, and two children.

The Fallen First Responder Home Program has been a huge blessing to my family, and it has helped relieve some of the financial burden of navigating a single-parent household now that Nick is no longer with us," Jessica Weist said in a news release. "I am extremely grateful to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and all their donors who have made this gift possible.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was founded in New York following the death of Stephen Siller, a firefighter who died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The foundation carries out its mission to do good, by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
Three people were wounded, two critically, in a shooting at a Clinton bar early Sunday, Clinton police said.

According to the arrest affidavits by Clinton Police Det. Joshua Winter, Clinton officers were sent to Ohanas Neighborhood Bar, 92 Main Ave., to investigate a report of shots fired at 1:16 a.m. Sunday.

Officers spoke with several witnesses who identified Ralph Antonio Beal as the person shooting in the bar.

Two of the bars customers subdued and disarmed Beal. Beal then fled the scene.

Officers then were sent to MercyOne Clinton Medical Center where three people were being treated for gunshot wounds. Two of the victims were listed in critical condition, while the third victim suffered a minor gunshot wound to the face.

While officers were at the bar and hospital, the Whiteside County Sheriffs Department received a call from a person saying they had seen a man, later identified as Beal, at a gasoline station. The person said that Beal appeared to have serious injuries.

Whiteside County Sheriffs deputies located Beals vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Beal had injuries consistent with being subdued during the shooting.

Beal is charged in Clinton County District Court with two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of reckless use of a firearm causing serious injury. Each of the charges is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carry a prison sentence of 10 years.

He also is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years.

During a first appearance on the charges Monday in Clinton County District Court, District Associate Judge Kimberly Shepherd scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Dec. 28.

Beal was being held Tuesday night in the Clinton County Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
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Rapid Citys Nostalgia Night is taking an intermission for 2024.

Since its inception in 1995, Nostalgia Night has been a fundraiser for the Devereaux Library at School of Mines. The popular classic film series has previously only missed one year  2021  due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nostalgia Night organizers announced on Dec. 11 that the 2024 series has also been cancelled, though not for health reasons.

The former library director has left the university and the position is currently unfilled. As a result, the library is currently short-staffed, and this impacts our ability to organize and present the Nostalgia Night film series. Accordingly, we have made the difficult decision not to run the film series in 2024. South Dakota Mines plans to hire a new library director in the coming year. Once a new director is in place, we hope to return to hosting Nostalgia Night in 2025, Nostalgia Night organizers said in an announcement on the film series Facebook page.

Brent Deschamp and Benjamin Titus serve on the board of the Friends of the Devereaux Library, which was established in 1993. Nostalgia Night raises funds the library uses to help cover costs of upgrades and projects that might not otherwise be possible. The library is open to the public and, in addition to technical and academic materials, it contains a good archive of local history.

According to Deschamp and Titus, Nostalgia Night is possible because of many local sponsors, but the librarys support and its staffs assistance are especially vital.

The university has been very gracious over the years and they have allocated for some of the librarians on staff to work on Nostalgia Night, Deschamp said. We get together, we find movies, we have to negotiate with distributors and we put together a program (for each week of the series) that contains information about the film thats showing and the history of Rapid City.

(For example) if a movie was released in 1963, we have a section of the program that tells what was going on in Rapid City in 1963 and what was going on at the School of Mines, so the Devereaux Library librarians have been given time to do that and do the printing (of programs and ticket booklets). The university has been very nice to provide resources, Deschamp said.

Without a library director, the remaining library staff are dealing with an added workload. Titus said the School of Mines hopes to begin a search for a library director in 2024 and have a director hired by January 2025.

Now, because Nostalgia Night has attracted a dedicated following of movie lovers through the years, Deschamp and Titus are asking the public to show their support for the series.

We dont know what will happen with a new library director. We want to be in a position where a new director is hired and we (Friends of the Devereaux Library) are there to say, We have this fundraiser. Its been successful and wed like to continue and sell this new director on what we see as a very valuable and entertaining part of our community, Deschamp said. Our hope is to be back in 2025.

The Friends of Devereaux Library are encouraging the public to share their memories of Nostalgia Night. Send comments to nostalgianight.2023@gmail.com.

We have been asking people to lend a hand in selling Nostalgia Night to the new library director. Tell us your stories. If you went to Nostalgia Night, what did you enjoy about it? How was it valuable to you? What were your favorite movies? Deschamp said.

We would love to have a new director come in and hand them a big stack of testimonials, because that puts us in a good position to keep it around, he said. This isnt just about entertaining the community. Nostalgia Night does tie the School of Mines campus to the community and one of our hopes is that there is a good relationship between Rapid City and the School of Mines.

'Loyal community following'

Nostalgia Night initially was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II.

People enjoyed it so much that it has continued ever since. We exist to support the library and Nostalgia Night is our main fundraiser for that purpose, Deschamp said. Nostalgia Night had great audience interaction and a pretty loyal community following as well.

For most of Nostalgia Nights history, the film series was shown at Elks Theatre in downtown Rapid City and attracted between 400 and 500 people per movie, Deschamp and Titus said. The film series relocated to the Historic Theater at the Performing Arts Center in Rapid City in 2022 and 2023.

The Nostalgia Night series screens movies on Sunday nights in January and February. Each series showcases a curated list of movies that follow a theme, such as 2023s All Aboard the Nostalgia Train featuring movies in which trains are essential to the plots.

We try to figure out what people would enjoy, and we try to present a variety. Most years we have a western, a drama, a thriller, a romance, a comedy. We try to have a wide range, Deschamp said. We really strive at Nostalgia Night to give people a variety and find movies people have definitely seen and also find good movies people havent heard of.  Weve shown movies people would say theyd love to see on the big screen.

The value of Nostalgia Night is you could sit in your living room and watch these old movies, but its way different to sit in an audience. People jump and they scream, and people laugh and its a much different experience to share it with the whole crowd, he said. Its a cold winter night, and you can go down and watch a movie with a bunch of people who love movies.

Go to friends.sdsmt.edu for more information about Friends of the Devereaux Library, go to sdsmt.edu/Library to learn more about the Devereaux Library, and follow the Nostalgia Night Film Series page on Facebook for updates.
The federal government is urging South Dakota to take a more proactive approach in keeping the state's children from losing health insurance coverage.

South Dakota is tied for the largest percentage drop of children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

From March to September 2023, the state saw a 27% drop in enrollment  amounting to 27,572 children. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote he was "deeply alarmed" by the data in a Dec. 18 letter to Governor Kristi Noem. Noem is one of nine Republican governors receiving such a letter; the other governors include Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Brad Little of Idaho, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Mike Dewine of Ohio and Greg Abbott of Texas.

Those nine states account for around 60% of the child enrollment decline in the U.S. in that time period.

Governor Noem's office directed the Journal to the Department of Social Services for comment.

In an email Tuesday, DSS Cabinet Secretary Matt Althoff praised South Dakota's strong economy, low unemployment rate and rising per-capita income. Althoff explained DSS is "confident in the results" from its unwinding efforts and said Medicaid and CHIP enrollment were steadily declining before the pandemic.

"South Dakota has expected enrollment rates to decline and trend toward pre-pandemic levels as a result of the end of the public health emergency," Althoff wrote.

Althoff pointed to a child enrollment decline of 0.32% from 2020 to June 2023  comparable to a 0.30% decline in each of the two years prior  despite the continuous coverage requirement and redetermination process.

South Dakota's Medicaid Report for FY 2022 indicated 64% of those covered by Medicaid or CHIP are children, and 50% of the state's children will rely on either program in their first year of life. Almost 40 million children nationwide rely on these programs.

The process of redetermination  or "unwinding"  began in early 2023 as the public health emergency enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic expired. Federal regulations during the pandemic prevented states from disenrolling people even if they were no longer eligible for the program. States began a systematic re-evaluation, with those disenrolled losing coverage April 1.

Althoff said South Dakota followed all federal guidance and examined eligibility based on the state's Medicare plan, which was reviewed and approved by the federal government. A DSS release from earlier this year stated they began redeterminations in February and notified applicants in a timely manner. The plan prioritized first evaluating cases most likely to be ineligible based on those who no longer meet a coverage group, aged out of a coverage group, a coverage group time limit has expired, or whose income has increased.

Since the beginning of the redetermination period, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP among children has declined by 2.2 million children nationwide, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Becerra offered several strategies for addressing the decline and ensuring children maintain uninterrupted access to healthcare coverage. HHS has approved nearly 400 "flexibilities" to make renewals easier, including allowing Medicaid-managed care organizations to assist with renewals, delaying procedural terminations to conduct additional outreach, or renewing Medicaid eligibility for individuals with no income through auto-renewal.

Althoff said South Dakota evaluated several of Becerra's suggestions, specifically examining auto-renewals using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) data.

"We determined that this approach could result in enrolling individuals in Medicaid who are not eligible," he said.

South Dakota's Medicaid program expanded July 1 to cover adults with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
Todd County, South Dakota middle school teacher Albert Bobber Her Many Horses, Sicangu Lakota, was surprised with a $25,000 cash prize and the national Milken Educator Award.

Her Many Horses is a Lakota language teacher and music teacher in Mission. Born and raised in Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, Her Many Horses is an active member of his tribal community.

The teacher was presented the award for his innovative teaching methods. Her Many Horses works to find different ways of incorporating technology in the classroom and worked hard to engage students in 2020 while learning from home.

Her Many Horses was also honored for being active in helping students outside of the classroom. In addition to his teaching, he tutors students in math and science, sponsors an in-school wellness group, and teaches summer classes at Sinte Gleska University.

Her Many Horses serves alongside other Rosebud Sioux Tribal members on the Lakota Language and Culture committee, which advises the integration of Lakota language and culture within schools.

The award presentation is part of a nationwide tour honoring exceptional educators for excellence and innovation in education. Her Many Horses is the only recipient from South Dakota this year.

Congratulations to Bobber Her Many Horses on receiving the Milken Educator Award, said U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, who attended the celebration. Bobber is a leader in the community of Mission and has had a significant impact on the students at Todd County Middle School. He is not only a role model to his students, but for teachers across the state and country as well. This well-deserved award is a testament to Bobbers hard work, both in and out of the classroom.

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley, joined by South Dakota Secretary of Education Joseph Graves, presented Her Many Horses with the award in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media.

The award is given to K-12 educators with the hopes of inspiring youth to pursue a career in teaching.

Albert Her Many Horses shares a perspective and personal experience with the young hearts and minds he is molding within the very community that shaped him, said Foley, a 1994 Milken Educator from Indiana. Alberts unique insight and deep understanding of the needs of his students, school and community make him an excellent leader and mentor.

The awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country in 2023-2024 as part of the Milken Family Foundations Journey to the 3,000th Milken Educator. This year will also mark $75 million given in individual financial prizes during the initiative.

Mr. Her Many Horses has all the hallmarks of what constitutes a first-rate teacher: he is an expert in his fields of music and the Lakota language, he is highly adaptable to new technologies and new situations, and he is an exceptional role model for his students and fellow teachers at Todd County Middle School, said Graves. His hard work will inspire his students throughout their lifetimes  his dedication to them ensures that.

All Milken award honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June 2024, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.

Honorees also receive mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy.

The $25,000 cash award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their childrens or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
A Pennington County judge Tuesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to a 15-year suspended prison sentence, a six-month suspended jail sentence, and 12 years of probation for statutory rape.

Although she did not sentence him to prison, Circuit Court Judge Stacy Wickre warned Ryan Painter, "you have got a long road ahead of you."

A Pennington County grand jury charged Painter on May 11 with fourth-degree rape. The indictment alleged he had sex with a 15-year-old in February 2021.

Painter ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 7. The plea offer asked he admit to the rape charge and plead guilty to a reduced petty theft charge for stealing a dirt bike in October 2021. He originally faced a grand theft charge in that case.

Grand theft is a class 6 felony with a maximum sentence of two years in prison and up to a $4,000 fine, whereas petty theft is class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Fourth-degree rape is a class 3 felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine.

For the theft case, Wickre gave Painter a one-year suspended jail sentence and one year of probation.

At Painter's sentencing, Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Adam Shiffermiller noted the gravity of the crime and the impact on the victim.

He asked the judge for a lengthy probationary sentence and local jail time. The victim and her family did not speak at the sentencing.

Painter's defense attorney and two other people spoke on his behalf.

Robert Rohl, Painter's legal counsel, said Painter "has been a model of behavior."

He said his client admitted himself to a treatment program before the charges were officially filed against him.

The eight-month program Painter attended, Rockside Ranch, is located in northern California. According to the nonprofit's executive director Craig Thompson, it is a "life restoration program."

Thompson testified in court through video conference. He said the program focuses on sobriety, mental health and job and life skills.

He said Painter voluntarily gave up his cell phone and keys when he joined the program, surrendering his independence. He detailed a day at the ranch, which included devotions, chores, farm projects, Bible study, classes and other activities.

Mark Veal, who said Painter was a friend of his children as they grew up, also testified on behalf of the defendant.

Veal attributed Painter's crimes to him separating from positive friends, the negative influence of media, and a societal idea that actions are acceptable if they feel good. He said Painter "let go of the reins of his life."

Veal noted the gravity of the charges against Painter and said rape is "horrible."

"I don't think there's any way to condone it," he said.

Veal said Painter understood the potential consequences and was ready to accept whatever the court decided.

"I also know there is mercy and grace," he said.

Wickre noted the overwhelming support in the courtroom, which was filled with Painter's supporters.

"It's rare, Mr. Painter, that this courtroom is filled with support for the defendant. It's usually the other way around," she said.

The judge said Painter has "done a lot of work." She noted his choice to move away from Rapid City and people who fed his addiction issues, but she urged him to take his addiction and the recommendations of a psycho-sexual evaluation seriously.

"I hope you continue down the path you're on," the judge told Painter before he walked out of the courtroom to begin his probation.
You can do so much because the teachers here are really willing to work with you, which is one of my favorite things about VMI.

- Abigail Basener, Class of 2024

Ever since chatbots powered by artificial intelligence became widely accessible last year, theres been much hand wringing about how the technology might mean the end of student writing assignments.

Its a valid concern. But at a small school in western Virginia, one student is working to develop software to detect whether AI wrote a student paper. Abigail Basener, a member of the class of 2024 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, is conducting an honors project aimed at developing tools that can tell the difference between human- and machine-generated content.

My goal is to investigate those tools and learn how they work, learn how the detection algorithms work through building my own detection tool, Basener said.

Sentence structure, sentence length and word usage all come into play: Wherever AI-generated text varies significantly from the way humans write, there may be a way to sniff out whether a student actually wrote a paper they put their name on.

At a typical school, one might expect such research to be done by a graduate student enrolled in one department, working with one professor. But at VMI, which has an enrollment of about 1,600 students, interdisciplinary projects are common  and Baseners is no exception. For her AI chatbot research project, Basener is receiving guidance from professors in three different departments: applied mathematics, computer science and English.

For Basener, such collaboration is a welcome reminder that learning shouldnt be separated into silos. Its so much fun to be able to work with different research projects and for teachers in different departments, she said. And you get to branch out and understand how different people approach projects, how different people think about different problems.

An applied mathematics major with a minor in economics and business, Basener came to VMI after earning an associate degree in computer science. And while it would have been easy to enroll in a typical college afterward, Basener was seeking something more.

I came to VMI because I was looking for something a little bit different, she said. The traditional college didnt seem to have enough responsibility or rigor. So, I wanted something that would push me a little bit further, that would require a little bit more.

Basener found what she was looking for. At VMI, students, who are called cadets, all wear uniforms, live in barracks and participate in military training exercises. Military commissioning is optional. The school has long been known for its exceptional commitment to undergraduate education, with a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, and ample opportunities for mentored undergraduate research.

You have a lot more opportunities to do things you wouldnt have at a bigger school, said Basener. So, I do a ton of research. Ive done research with history teachers. Ive done research with math teachers and with engineering teachers. Im currently starting some research that Im doing with an English teacher. You can do so much because the teachers here are really willing to work with you, which is one of my favorite things about VMI.

After VMI, Basener plans to attend graduate school for math, computer science, data science or statistics  or possibly a combination of those fields. As she ponders her next steps, shes very glad she chose the path less traveled.

Theres as many academic opportunities at VMI as you make, she said. Theres so many things I wouldnt have been able to do if I wasnt at VMI.

For more information, visit vmi.edu.
A state investigation has found that the hospital that initially treated Irvo Otieno, who later died in the custody of sheriffs deputies, failed to meet care standards while he was in a mental health crisis.

The investigation of Parham Doctors Hospital, where Otieno, 28, was briefly detained, was led by the state Department of Health.

Two inspectors said Parham staff were found to be not in compliance with health guidelines for hospitals that treat mental health crisis patients. The report also states that Otieno was never examined by a psychiatrist during his six-hour stay in the emergency department.

The facility staff failed to provide stabilizing treatment for one of twenty-five patients after the patient presented to the emergency department with an emergency medical condition, the report states.

Parham Doctors Hospital is owned by Hospital Corporations of America, commonly known as HCA. The company also owns sister hospitals across the region, including Henrico Doctors Hospital, Retreat Doctors Hospital in The Fan and Chippenham Hospital in Richmonds Southside.

We strive to always provide compassionate, high-quality care to all patients, said Pryor Green, a spokesperson for HCA. Parham Doctors Hospital is working collaboratively with the Virginia Department of Health and has submitted the requested action plan.

Otieno lived with his mother, Caroline Ouko, in Henricos Three Chopt District.

On March 3, a neighbor called police, after seeing Otieno in their yard, authorities have said. His mother, Ouko, explained to police officers that her son needed medical care, after which he was transferred to Parham Doctors Hospital. While there, Otieno was arrested for assaulting an officer.

According to the newly released report, investigators for the Department of Health later interviewed staff and reviewed documents, which describe the arrival of a patient in police custody on March 3.

Patient is extremely angry, agitated and bizarre, the report read. It classified the patient as a high suicide risk. Not answering but when (patient) does is an insult to examiner.

Doctors prescribed 20mg of an antipsychotic known as Geodon, as well as 50mg of Benadryl, an antihistamine with sedative properties.

Those drugs appeared to wear off after an hour. The report detailed the patient resuming yelling and screaming. A Henrico police officer, whose name was redacted, was observed to have a bruise on the left side their face, medical staff wrote.

The patients right hand and ankle were restrained, the report said, yet staff were afraid the patient was going to get out and hurt another patient or themselves. Otieno was over 6 feet tall and weighed approximately 270 pounds.

Ultimately, an emergency room physician said they felt they couldnt control the patient in the emergency department setting.

While at Parham, Otieno was separated from his mother, Ouko, who was told to wait in the hospitals lobby area.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has pledged to craft a law in Otienos name. Irvos Law would allow the parents of those experiencing a mental health crisis to see their children.

Mark Krudys, an attorney for the Otieno family, described his treatment received at Parham as non-care.

The very reason that lrvo was brought to the hospital was to stabilize his condition, but that effort was effectively abandoned, Krudys said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.

The family recently settled an $8 million lawsuit over Otienos death.

A separate criminal trial remains ongoing for eight defendants accused of second-degree murder. One is an employee at Central State Hospital, who assisted seven sheriffs deputies in the videotaped moments where Otieno died.

Two other hospital workers have had their charges dropped by the former Dinwiddie prosecutor.
Sereen Haddad, 19, a psychology student at VCU, said she has lost more than 70 family members in Gaza since the outbreak of the latest fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Its horror on top of horror, she said.

Her family is a large, tight-knit group, she said, all of whom live near one another in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, one of the areas hardest hit by the Israeli military's offensive.

Many have died in their homes during the bombing and airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces, she said. Survivors have been separated, dispersing widely across the region in search of shelter, food, water and medical care.

As the reported death toll climbs toward 20,000 in Gaza, Palestinian Americans like Haddad say they are struggling to go on under the weight of unrelenting grief for the dead and anxiety for the living.

It just shatters your heart

Sereen is from Northern Virginia and currently lives in Richmond, but much of her fathers family lives in Gaza. The news she has received from family has been "truly horrible" since Israel launched its campaign against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attacks.

On multiple occasions, she said her family has received an automated call from the Israeli military, (saying) you have five minutes to get what you need and leave the house and then its going to be  bombed.

(They) are told you must leave, you must evacuate to the south, otherwise you will be considered targets, she said.

As a result of the airstrikes, Sereen said the family home passed down for generations has been completely leveled and dozens of family members have perished.

Theyre  pulling (each others) lifeless bodies out of the rubble, she said. Hearing it, every single time, it just shatters your heart. It never gets easier.

Matt Haddad (no relation to Sereen), 53, of Henrico County, is the son of a Palestinian refugee who in 1948 was ejected from his home in Jerusalem. He also described the pain of witnessing the violence from afar.

Theres immense pressure on all of us, he said. To see children without their parents  its brutal. Weve suffered for a long time.

We dont want to look at it, Matt Haddad went on. But we have to look. We have an obligation to do so and to pass it along so people know.

They all had their own dreams

As the casualties mount, it becomes easy to reduce the deaths to an emotionless figure, Sereen said. But she refuses to let her loved ones become statistics.

Each of these was a whole human life, she said. Its really often that people will hear numbers, but not too often that they hear names.

Names like her late cousins Esam and Jamal, who loved to play ping pong and represented their towns in competitions. Or her late cousin Hani, who was a gifted interior designer. Or her late cousin Tuda, a bride who was killed on the day of her wedding.

They all had their own dreams, aspirations, hopes, hobbies they loved to do, Sereen said of her loved ones. And they couldnt carry them out, because many of them were killed before their lives even started.

Matt Haddad called the civilian deaths heinous.

Its worse than anything weve seen in a long time, he said.

Part of the problem, he said, is that the public perception and portrayal of Palestinians have been dehumanizing. He said Palestinians have been cast as savages and animals.

What Palestinians want is to be seen as human beings, Matt Haddad said. I dont know a single Palestinian that wants anything other than to be able to live free and equally.

My motivation is them

At a rally in Monroe Park last Sunday, several hundred people gathered to protest Israels military operations and demand a ceasefire.

Zaid Mahdawi, 25, of Richmond, an organizer of the event and a descendant of displaced Palestinians, urged the crowd to continue to pressure U.S. officials to push for a ceasefire. Mahdawi also encouraged protestors to boycott companies he said were sympathetic to the IDF and its campaign in Gaza.

Mahdawi and other speakers criticized Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, for what they characterized as a failure to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. They also listed McDonalds and Starbucks as targets of boycotts.

Israeli McDonalds franchises in October announced they would donate meals to IDF units and others involved in the defence of the state. Also in October, Starbucks sued the union organizing its workers, alleging the union had made pro-Palestinian social media posts that damaged the companys reputation.

The boycotts (and)  pressure are working, Mahdawi said of the public backlash surrounding both incidents.

Like Mahdawi, Sereen has become involved in local activism on behalf of Palestinians.

Despite her sorrow and fear, she said, her perseverance stems from her conviction that her family and others who live in Gaza depend on her.

We want justice, she said. My family  everyone who has died, and everyone whos still alive  they dont have a voice. I have to continue on, pushing and persisting, because I have a responsibility to be a (their) voice.

My motivation," she added, "is them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

'Let me tell them goodbye before they get killed': How eSIM cards are connecting Palestinian families 'Let me tell them goodbye before they get killed': How eSIM cards are connecting Palestinian families Taking 'baby steps together across the world'
By Jon Dunbar

Seth Mountain released his latest album, titled "Hush," on Dec. 6, bringing a moody and hushed reverence to the Christmas shopping season.

"Actually, I consider 'Hush' to be more of a regular album about or inspired by Christmas, than a proper Christmas album," the American folk musician living in Seoul told The Korea Times.

"As a folk musician, it feels a bit like a rite of passage to make a collection of personalized takes on Christmas songs, and whether you are religious or not, having a Christmas repertoire almost comes with the territory."

The seven songs represent various traditions stretching over about 1,000 years of history. All but one are traditional.

"Hush," the title track, is a mix of two poems from Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), a Christian missionary from Ireland who lived for 55 years in India, during which she focused on rescuing girls from temple prostitution.

"Hush can be a gentle and warm or caustic and cold word for 'be quiet,'" Mountain said. "It can be about silence that comes with a sense of awe and suspense, as in 'a hush fell over the crowd.' You have to hush first if you want to hear something carefully, but we are surrounded by noise. Its a word that makes me feel warm and reminds me of motherly love, but also it signals a time to be silent and serious."

"Good King Wenceslas," probably the best-known song on the album, pulls from a legend about a 10th-century Bohemian king and uses a 13th-century melody first published in the 1500s.

"Friendly Beasts" traces back to 12th-century France. "Mary Had a Baby" and "Poor Little Jesus" are Black spirituals. "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" comes from a 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a lament over the American Civil War.

"I chose this batch mainly because they are what I was loving most this fall and winter," Mountain said. "Taken together, they make a very brooding, diverse bundle that I think underscores the pain, hope, longing and radical, revolutionary, anti-authoritarian, peace message that used to be central to Christmas but is now mostly drowned out by jingly commercialism."

But Mountain said this album isn't intended to be too radically anti-consumerist.

"It is what it is," he said of the state of Christmas these days. "Anything todays consumer culture touches it perverts and distorts. But Christmas is still a living, folk tradition, so the anarchist in me loves when mass un-culture tries to consume and appropriate the Christmas season. Its swallowing a Trojan horse with a belly full of revolutionary messages and beautiful, profound art."

He added that this album isn't intended for Christians only, and he shared his complex relationship with God and organized religion.

"I love voluntary religion, and believe in 'God'  because I love freedom and culture and hold life to be sacred  but I have been fighting organized religion, especially organized Christianity, for most of my adult life," he said. "I still am opposed to any organized religion to the extent that it violently dictates what others can and cant do or believe, against their will. And that includes the biggest and scariest organized religion of them all these days: 'The Cult of Technological Progress,' with its faith in certainty, its intolerance of all 'undeveloped' or still-too-human peoples and cultures, and its worship of AI, comfort, infantilization and tech-surveillance-enforced morality as the answer to all our problems."

Through the album, he explores various themes he's been grappling with in recent years. "Especially about the relationships between pain and love, silence and wisdom, hope and the reality or absence of the sacred in most of our modern techno-consumerist dystopia. I wanted to let the songs and their history speak through me, not just for those listening but because I think I really needed the encouragement of their messages and historical spirits too," he said.

"Ive also been processing a lot about the way that mothers, children, animals and the Earth have all become, as I see it, increasingly objectified, disregarded or even hated as inconvenient or dirty in popular tech-driven development culture these days  yes, I mean leftist and progressive circles too. When I read the responses to the Itaewon tragedy and watch one town or market after another get bulldozed around me to make way for shiny new  and 'green'  high-rises, as people increasingly move their waking life and various identities out of the physical world and into the 'untact' virtual frontier, I feel more and more that the world I find myself in is barely human, and we are mostly united not in culture, but in our alienation, addiction to tech mediums and collective hatred of Earth ('Mother Nature'), non-tech tradition, mothers, children and many other 'types' that slow down efficiency and progress."

Mountain confessed that "Hush" is not his first Christmas album.

"About 15 years ago, another musician friend and I were broke and living on our buddys farm," he said. "We made a wild, lo-fi, somber but also silly album, mostly meant to be a sort of gift for friends and family. To my joy, it actually was pretty well-loved, but a few years later, for personal reasons, we agreed not to share it publicly anymore. Since then, I have wanted to make another Christmas album, but time and circumstances never allowed it."

This album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mountain's friend Joe Kim, who has more recently opened Baekusaeng Makgeolli, which offers Kim's own traditional alcohol, as well as classes on making makgeolli. Kim runs a small bar in western Seoul's Ahyeon Market. For the past year Mountain has been hosting frequent concerts at Baekusaeng, featuring musicians from various folk and indie genres, in support of the new shop and as a way to celebrate the connections between local music, traditional markets and homebrew culture.

Visit sethmartinandthemenders.bandcamp.com to hear the songs of "Hush," or go to baekusaeng.com for more about the brewery.




A cut in state funds for Richmonds push to meet a state deadline to clean the James River is worrying Mayor Levar Stoney  he fears it will mean bigger water bills for people who already pay some of the highest bills in the state.

The General Assembly, which has set a 2035 deadline for stopping overflows of sewage from Richmonds aging drains when heavy rains hit the city, dropped the $100 million promised this year when voting on its much-delayed state budget.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin had highlighted the $100 million of funding in a speech a year ago introducing that budget.

This year, though, Youngkin has proposed $50 million for Richmonds combined sewer overflow project in the two-year budget he will present Wednesday.

Thats a lot less than the $100 million a year in state and federal grants city financial analysts and engineers had been counting on as they draft contracts and schedules for the giant projects still to be started. Arguing for state help, city officials say the James is Virginias river, not just the citys.

I was disappointed that the Governor included only $50 million in his proposed budget for Richmonds CSO project, Stoney said.

Stoney said hell push for budget amendments to boost that total. He said the citys General Assembly delegation is on board with this effort.

Although the 2035 deadline set by state law may seem far off, its just around the corner for a project as large and complicated as Richmonds combined sewer modernization project, he said.

Richmonds 34-year effort to make sure heavy rains dont overwhelm its sewers and start carrying sewage into the James River has cut such storm and wastewater overflows by more than 3 billion gallons a year.

But that $300 million worth of work has not finished the job, and the citys Department of Public Utilities says whats still to be done will cost more than $1 billion.

Work thats planned or underway and scheduled for completion in 2027 would cut overflows of combined waste- and stormwater by more than 180 million gallons.

But the biggest and costliest task in the final push to stop overflows altogether by 2035 is still to be started.

That project involves figuring a way to stop the giant Outfall 6 from releasing some 483 million gallons of overflow a year into the James.

Outfall 6 is next to the 14th Street Takeout, a ramp for kayaks or canoes on the north bank of the James.

City Department of Public Utilities engineers are exploring some previously unthought-of ways to do this, which could hold down the final bill.

In the meanwhile, simply cutting a big check at some point in the future  assuming ratepayers could afford it or that the state would step in  isnt practical, city officials say.

It makes more sense to chip away at the bills over time, they say.

Our team needs significant, predictable grant funding from the Commonwealth to meet that deadline. Stoney said.

Richmond remains committed to reducing overflows, but we cannot ask our residents and businesses to shoulder the cost of this project alone, he added.

The governors office noted that Richmond has asked for $100 million per year beginning in fiscal year of 2024 ending on fiscal year 2028 and that the state has provided $150 million in funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act for the combined sewer project.

The $50 million in the governors proposed biennium budget recognizes the long-term importance of the project, but also balances the surplus limitations with the Governors desire to ensure funding going to priority projects getting us closer to the Commonwealths 2025 Bay Goals, spokesman Christian Martinez said.

Today in history: Dec. 19 1777: Valley Forge 1950: Dwight D. Eisenhower 1960: USS Constellation 1972: Apollo 17 1974: Nelson A. Rockefeller 1998: Impeachment 2008: George W. Bush 2011: Lori Berenson 2011: North Korea 2012: Park Geun-hye 2016: Andrei Karlov 2016: Berlin 2022: Capitol Riot Investigation
More than 20 years after then-Gov. Jim Gilmore failed to fully repeal the so-called "car tax," another Republican governor is preparing to take a swing at the local government levy on personal vehicles that Virginians love to hate.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin confirmed on Tuesday that he is considering proposals to do away with the local tax on personal property - which he called "the most hated tax in Virginia" - by finding new sources of revenue for local governments to replace it.

It is despised to such a universal degree that there is nothing I hear more complaints about as I travel across the commonwealth of Virginia than the car tax, Youngkin said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Eliminating the car tax is a complicated and challenging endeavor, the governor said. I believe there is a path to eliminate it, but it requires full cooperation from Republicans and Democrats, executive branch and legislators, local leaders and state leaders in order to take the big step of permanently eliminating this most hated tax."

The car tax has traditionally been particularly unpopular in Northern Virginia, because rates are higher and the taxes come due in the fall, not long before kids start making Christmas lists.

In Northern Virginia the car tax rate for most vehicles is $4.57 per $100 of assessed value in Fairfax County, $5 in Arlington County and $5.33 in the city of Alexandria.

A proposal to eliminate the tax won't be part of the two-year budget that Youngkin will propose to the assembly money committees on Wednesday, but the governor intends to mention the possibility in his speech to lawmakers. It comes three weeks before a new, Democratic-controlled legislature convenes for a 60-day session with forecasts of revenues barely keeping pace with current obligations.

Such a proposal would now have to get through two chambers led by Democrats, who flipped control of the House of Delegates while holding the Senate in the Nov. 7 elections.

The details of the plan are not yet clear, but the governor indicated that the path to eliminating the car tax leads to changes in Virginia's sales tax, both in its rate and structure.

There is opportunity with our sales tax rate, particularly when compared with the rates and structures of other states, to provide capacity to explore eliminating the car tax, Youngkin said Tuesday.

Sending a signal

The administration signaled its intention last week. The Virginia Department of Taxation sent an email inquiry to every locally elected commissioner of revenue in Virginia to gather data about a tax that varies widely from local government to local government, making it hard to devise a statewide plan that treats each locality equitably.

In an email to the commissioners, the tax department asked for this information: the local personal property tax rate on vehicles; the number of vehicles subject to the tax in each locality; the assessed value of the vehicles; and the total tax levy, Winchester Commissioner of Revenue Ann Burkholder confirmed on Tuesday.

Burkholder, who serves as president of the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia, said the tax department requested the information for 2021, 2022, 2023 and projected for 2024.

"It is a complicated issue," she said.

Gilmore's effort

So complicated that it confounded Gilmore, who won election as governor in 1997 with a simple, bumper-sticker slogan: "No Car Tax."

Repealing the car tax proved much more difficult and expensive for the state. It is spending $950 million in its general tax funds each year to compensate local governments for partial elimination of the tax, or about 70%. Virginians still pay the tax, but not for the vehicle's entire value. The state reimburses localities for the amount of revenue they lose.

"The car tax is a pretty hated tax in the commonwealth of Virginia, but it also is a pretty significant revenue source for local government," said Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke County, a certified public accountant who has been a valuable ally for Youngkin in other tax policy battles, such as the elimination of the state's portion of the sales tax on groceries last year.

McNamara acknowledged last week that "the car tax has been talked about" by the Youngkin administration and that he has been involved in those discussions "to some degree."

He also said it won't be easy.

"To completely eliminate the car tax will take a pretty significant investment," he said.

Youngkin won't try to replace the local reimbursement already provided in the budget, even though doing so would free up almost $1 billion a year in general tax funds for other priorities.

"That's a pretty big undertaking," said Dean Lynch, executive director of the Virginia Association of Counties, which learned late last week of the request sent to the commissioners of the revenue.

The challenge is finding a uniform method to replace a tax that is levied at different rates across 131 localities, with varying effects based on the number of vehicles and their value.

Local governments say they cannot afford to lose the tax without something to replace it. They have fewer sources of revenue than the state to pay for services they deliver to their residents and depend primarily on taxing real estate - whether homes or business, The Dillon Rule doctrine limits their taxation powers to those that the General Assembly and governor explicitly allow.

"Localities can't just come up with their sources of revenue," said Burkholder in Winchester.

Out of elected office since 2002, Gilmore ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and made longshot bids for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016.

He continues to advocate for full repeal of the car tax.

In an opinion column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch two years ago, the former governor said the public "enthusiastically embraced the car-tax cut" in his 1997 gubernatorial campaign and the General Assembly's decision the next year to begin phasing out the levy.

"Even now ... I am approached almost every day by random citizens who thank me for that partial tax relief that continues today," he wrote.

Gilmore blamed "big government spenders, including liberal Republicans" for balking at phasing out the tax before he left office and then permanently capping it in 2004 under then Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, and a Republican-controlled assembly.

Close Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reached a tentative agreement with the parent company of the NBAs Washington Wizards and NHLs Washington Capitals to move those teams from the District of Columbia to what he called a new visionary sports and entertainment venue in northern Virginia. The proposal, which would need the state legislature's approval, calls for the creation of a $2 billion development south of Washington in Alexandria, just miles from the existing arena, Youngkin said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of an announcement Wednesday at the site. It would include an arena for what would be the state's first major professional sports teams, as well as a new Wizards practice facility, a separate performing arts center, a media studio, new hotels, a convention center, housing and shopping. The Commonwealth will now be home to two professional sports teams, a new corporate headquarters, and over 30,000 new jobs, Youngkin said in a statement. Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis appeared with Youngkin and city officials at Wednesday's announcement. He endorsed the proposal, thanked Youngkin and said he had goosebumps at the thought of the project coming together if all goes as planned. Monumental also owns the WNBAs Mystics, and Leonsis said his expectation was that Capital One Arena, where the Wizards and Capitals currently play, could host womens sports and other events like concerts. Our intention is to expand here and keep Capital One Arena in D.C. a great place, Leonsis, an entrepreneur and former AOL executive, said. The new development would be located in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria, along the Potomac River and near Virginia Techs ambitious Innovation Campus, an under-construction graduate school. To help finance the project, Youngkin will ask the Virginia General Assembly in the 2024 session to approve the creation of a Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority, a public entity with the ability to issue bonds. While no upfront state taxpayer dollars would go toward the project, the terms of the agreement would divert new tax revenues from the project to pay down the bonds. We have reached a very clear understanding, really subject to finalizing the General Assemblys work, Youngkin said in the interview, noting that a key bipartisan legislative committee endorsed the incentive structure earlier this week. On Tuesday night ahead of the announcement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a counterproposal she said had unanimous support from the D.C. Council. The legislation would direct a half billion dollars to modernize Capital One Arena. At a news conference Wednesday, Bowser said she holds out hope the teams will stay in the District, noting that the complex financing arrangement to bring the teams to Virginia needs legislative approval. Fundamentally, though, she said Leonis must decide if he wants an urban site or a suburban site. Fans, she said, prefer the city.  National Landing Wizards doesnt quite have the same ring, she said, poking fun at the National Landing moniker that Virginia economic development officials have used to market Potomac Yard and the surrounding region. Bowser said the city took the threat of losing the teams seriously. It was only able to put the $500 million incentive package together recently, though, after learning that it could refinance existing debt. When the Capitals and Wizards moved from suburban Maryland to D.C.s Chinatown district in 1997 in what was then known as MCI Center, officials credited the arena with sparking a revival in downtown Washington. In recent years, critics who have faulted city officials for what they call lax crime policies have said the neighborhood around the arena has suffered disproportionately. The administration expects the proposed 9-million-square-foot Virginia entertainment district to generate a combined $12 billion in economic impact for Virginia and Alexandria in the coming decades and create around 30,000 new jobs, Youngkin's office said in a statement. Subject to legislative approval and sign-off from the Alexandria City Council, it would break ground in 2025 and open in late 2028. The development would be a major blow for D.C. and a massive win for Youngkin, a former private equity executive and college basketball player who said he had a pre-existing friendship with Leonsis from the business world. To get it over the finish line, he will have to work with Democratic majorities in both General Assembly chambers after his party fell short of its stated expectations in Novembers elections. Democrats, including incoming House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, were on hand for Wednesdays news conference, along with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. Other key legislative leaders were not there. Scott Surovell, who will serve as Senate Democratic leader come January, said in an interview that the project seemed like it could be a good opportunity, but he stopped short of fully endorsing it. Legislators will have questions about transit, taxpayer risk and compensation for the workers who will build the project, he said. The broad outlines of the proposal call for Monumental to invest $403 million in the $2 billion development. Alexandria will put in $106 million toward the construction of the performing arts venue and the development of underground parking. The rest of the approximately $1.5 billion would be supported through the authority-issued bonds. Those bonds would be repaid over time through rent paid by the team, parking fees, naming rights and new tax revenues generated by the development. There is no upfront investment or inclusion of any taxes already being collected by the Commonwealth to repay the bonds and there will be no tax increases for local residents, Youngkin's office said. Potomac Yard, just south of Reagan National Airport, is currently occupied by strip malls and other retail. The site is adjacent to the redevelopment sparked by Amazons construction of a new headquarters nearby in neighboring Arlington. Moira Salcedo, who lives in the area, attended Wednesday's event to protest, saying she and her neighbors were blindsided. I hate subsidizing billionaires. And Ive lived here for the last 10 years, and I know theres no infrastructure for this, she said. In the 1990s, the site received serious consideration as a location for an NFL stadium, but negotiations between the team and Virginia fell through. 6 things we learned about $2 billion arena plan in Northern Virginia Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has a tentative agreement with the parent company of the NBAs Washington Wizards and NHLs Washington Capitals to move those teams out of D.C. to northern Virginia. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reached a tentative agreement with the parent company of the NBAs Washington Wizards and NHLs Washington Capitals to move those teams from the District of Columbia to what he called a new visionary sports and entertainment venue in northern Virginia. The proposal, which would need the state legislature's approval, calls for the creation of a $2 billion development south of Washington in Alexandria, just miles from the existing arena, Youngkin said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of an announcement Wednesday at the site. It would include an arena for what would be the state's first major professional sports teams, as well as a new Wizards practice facility, a separate performing arts center, a media studio, new hotels, a convention center, housing and shopping. The Commonwealth will now be home to two professional sports teams, a new corporate headquarters, and over 30,000 new jobs, Youngkin said in a statement. Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis appeared with Youngkin and city officials at Wednesday's announcement. He endorsed the proposal, thanked Youngkin and said he had goosebumps at the thought of the project coming together if all goes as planned. Monumental also owns the WNBAs Mystics, and Leonsis said his expectation was that Capital One Arena, where the Wizards and Capitals currently play, could host womens sports and other events like concerts. Our intention is to expand here and keep Capital One Arena in D.C. a great place, Leonsis, an entrepreneur and former AOL executive, said. The new development would be located in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria, along the Potomac River and near Virginia Techs ambitious Innovation Campus, an under-construction graduate school. To help finance the project, Youngkin will ask the Virginia General Assembly in the 2024 session to approve the creation of a Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority, a public entity with the ability to issue bonds. While no upfront state taxpayer dollars would go toward the project, the terms of the agreement would divert new tax revenues from the project to pay down the bonds. We have reached a very clear understanding, really subject to finalizing the General Assemblys work, Youngkin said in the interview, noting that a key bipartisan legislative committee endorsed the incentive structure earlier this week. On Tuesday night ahead of the announcement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a counterproposal she said had unanimous support from the D.C. Council. The legislation would direct a half billion dollars to modernize Capital One Arena. At a news conference Wednesday, Bowser said she holds out hope the teams will stay in the District, noting that the complex financing arrangement to bring the teams to Virginia needs legislative approval. Fundamentally, though, she said Leonis must decide if he wants an urban site or a suburban site. Fans, she said, prefer the city.  National Landing Wizards doesnt quite have the same ring, she said, poking fun at the National Landing moniker that Virginia economic development officials have used to market Potomac Yard and the surrounding region. Bowser said the city took the threat of losing the teams seriously. It was only able to put the $500 million incentive package together recently, though, after learning that it could refinance existing debt. When the Capitals and Wizards moved from suburban Maryland to D.C.s Chinatown district in 1997 in what was then known as MCI Center, officials credited the arena with sparking a revival in downtown Washington. In recent years, critics who have faulted city officials for what they call lax crime policies have said the neighborhood around the arena has suffered disproportionately. The administration expects the proposed 9-million-square-foot Virginia entertainment district to generate a combined $12 billion in economic impact for Virginia and Alexandria in the coming decades and create around 30,000 new jobs, Youngkin's office said in a statement. Subject to legislative approval and sign-off from the Alexandria City Council, it would break ground in 2025 and open in late 2028. The development would be a major blow for D.C. and a massive win for Youngkin, a former private equity executive and college basketball player who said he had a pre-existing friendship with Leonsis from the business world. To get it over the finish line, he will have to work with Democratic majorities in both General Assembly chambers after his party fell short of its stated expectations in Novembers elections. Democrats, including incoming House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, were on hand for Wednesdays news conference, along with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. Other key legislative leaders were not there. Scott Surovell, who will serve as Senate Democratic leader come January, said in an interview that the project seemed like it could be a good opportunity, but he stopped short of fully endorsing it. Legislators will have questions about transit, taxpayer risk and compensation for the workers who will build the project, he said. The broad outlines of the proposal call for Monumental to invest $403 million in the $2 billion development. Alexandria will put in $106 million toward the construction of the performing arts venue and the development of underground parking. The rest of the approximately $1.5 billion would be supported through the authority-issued bonds. Those bonds would be repaid over time through rent paid by the team, parking fees, naming rights and new tax revenues generated by the development. There is no upfront investment or inclusion of any taxes already being collected by the Commonwealth to repay the bonds and there will be no tax increases for local residents, Youngkin's office said. Potomac Yard, just south of Reagan National Airport, is currently occupied by strip malls and other retail. The site is adjacent to the redevelopment sparked by Amazons construction of a new headquarters nearby in neighboring Arlington. Moira Salcedo, who lives in the area, attended Wednesday's event to protest, saying she and her neighbors were blindsided. I hate subsidizing billionaires. And Ive lived here for the last 10 years, and I know theres no infrastructure for this, she said. In the 1990s, the site received serious consideration as a location for an NFL stadium, but negotiations between the team and Virginia fell through.
ALEXANDRIA  A federal judge expressed strong misgivings Tuesday about extending a restraining order that is blocking Arlington National Cemetery from removing a century-old memorial there to Confederate soldiers.

At a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston said he issued the temporary injunction Monday after receiving an urgent phone call from the memorials supporters saying that gravesites adjacent to the memorial were being desecrated and disturbed as contractors began work to remove the memorial.

He said he toured the site before Tuesdays hearing and saw the site being treated respectfully.

I saw no desecration of any graves, Alston said. The grass wasnt even disturbed.

While Alston gave strong indications he would lift the injunction, which expires Wednesday, he did not rule at the end of Tuesdays hearing but said he would issue a written ruling as soon as he could. Cemetery officials have said they are required by law to complete the removal by the end of the year and that the contractors doing the work have only limited availability over the next week or so.

An independent commission recommended removal of the memorial last year in conjunction with a review of Army bases with Confederate names.

The statue, designed to represent the American South and unveiled in 1914, features a bronze woman, crowned with olive leaves, standing on a 32-foot (9.8-meter) pedestal. The woman holds a laurel wreath, plow stock and pruning hook and a biblical inscription at her feet says: They have beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Some of the figures also on the statue include a Black woman depicted as Mammy holding what is said to be the child of a white officer, and an enslaved man following his owner to war.

Defend Arlington, in conjunction with a group called Save Southern Heritage Florida, has filed multiple lawsuits trying to keep the memorial in place. The group contends that the memorial was built to promote reconciliation between the North and South and that removing the memorial erodes that reconciliation.

Tuesdays hearing focused largely on legal issues, but Alston questioned the heritage groups lawyers about the notion that the memorial promotes reconciliation.

He noted that the statue depicts, among other things, a slave running after his massa as he walks down the road. What is reconciling about that? asked Alston, an African American who was appointed to the bench in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump.

Alston also chided the heritage group for filing its lawsuit Sunday in Virginia while failing to note that it lost a very similar lawsuit over the statue just one week earlier in federal court in Washington. The heritage groups lawyers contended that the legal issues were sufficiently distinct that it wasnt absolutely necessary for Alston to know about their legal defeat in the District of Columbia.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who disagrees with the decision to remove the memorial, made arrangements for it to be moved to land owned by the Virginia Military Institute at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shenandoah Valley.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Cemetery, from the RTD archives
In a quaint era before the internet and the first Harry Potter book, a board game called Dungeons & Dragons inspired the sort of moral panic now reserved for TikTok.

You couldnt have lived through the 1980s without hearing accounts of how the role-playing, imagination-driven Dungeons & Dragons was a portal to youth suicide, by way of witchcraft, satanism and all manner of barbarism. Depression, drug addiction and other pre-existing conditions were largely disregarded in the zeal to assign D&D bogeyman status.

That panic passed, and looks as silly in hindsight as some of the clothing, hairstyles and supply-side economic policies of that decade. But history repeats. And today, it seems, when it comes to the ruination of young minds, TikTok is the new D&D.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to ban individuals under 18 from the popular social media app  a video-based medium with more than 1 billion active users worldwide.

Youngkin, by executive order, last December banned the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps on state devices and state-run wireless networks. Hes among elected officials who are suspicious of TikToks relationship with the Chinese government and view it as a potential threat to national security and personal privacy.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy wrote that Montanas lawmakers and attorney general were more interested in targeting Chinas ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers.

Youngkins ban asserts that TikTok causes psychological problems in children and adolescents. John Littel, Youngkins secretary of Health and Human Resources, told the State Board of Health that TikTok uses addictive and aggressive tools to hook young viewers, according to Eric Kolenichs story in Tuesdays Times-Dispatch.

So, a business has curated its product to make it irresistible. That sounds like social media doing what social media does. Actually, it sounds like just about every product we cant do without, from sugar to caffeine to alcohol.

The case that TikTok and other social media are hazardous to young people is far from definitive.

In May, the American Psychological Association released a study that says using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people, but its effects likely depend on what teens can do and see online, teens preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up.

A Pew Research Center survey released last week found declining support for a TikTok ban among U.S. adults, from 50% in March to 38%. But like nearly everything in this country, the findings have a partisan divide, with Republican and Republican-leaning respondents more likely to support a ban. (Its interesting how the party of limited government is now all about the government flex against free speech and a womans right to an abortion.)

Given the legal landscape lying before Youngkin, hes really got a high hill to climb with his age-based TikTok ban, said Kevin Goldberg, the First Amendment specialist for the Washington-based Freedom Forum.

If challenged by TikTok in the courts, Virginia would have to prove that social media in general and TikTok in particular harms people under 18. And, it must show that whatever ban the state creates is actually going to help and not be over broad by prohibiting access to speech that is valuable or by barring access by adults.

Such bans call for a widespread, pervasive problem, not speculative harm, Goldberg said. You know its happening and it must be stopped. And were doing the thing that is going to prevent that harm from occurring to anyone else, while letting everybody who can enjoy the content continue to enjoy the content.

That raises questions of how to justify blocking all access to the TikTok app, including well-regarded content, such as American journalist V Spehars popular UnderTheDeskNews.

Another problem: How do you prove someone is actually 18? Numerous states have tried to implement age verification policies that are ineffective, Goldberg said: What they end up doing is preventing adults from accessing content theyre legally allowed to access.

Social media sites are criticized for not protecting children enough. But bans tend to lose in court because of constitutional questions raised by the imperfections of their age verification system, Goldberg said. Children find ways around them, and adults sometimes cant.

He also wonders: Why just TikTok other than the fact we know Glenn Youngkin doesnt like TikTok because hes already banned it from state devices, Goldberg said. I wonder if TikToks not going to have a pretty good legal argument that says: Youre really picking on us and not other sites. Why is our content so different?

Can we at least be real about this?

If these politicians are arguing that TikTok is a Trojan horse for Beijing collecting sensitive data on U.S. citizens, as one story in Politico said, address that in a way that doesnt run afoul of the Constitution. But dont try an age workaround that purports to be about the kids. Where would that remedy leave the rest of us?

Carlyle Group, the private equity firm once co-led by Youngkin, is an investor in ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese technology firm that owns TikTok. That Youngkin would make this issue about the mental well-being of children is on brand for a governor whose first act in office was to shield white students from classroom lessons on American racism.

Its the perfect blend of his apparent animus toward TikTok and the continuation of parents rights pandering that has enabled book censorship in schools and public libraries. With books and the internet, parents  not government  should be controlling what their children absorb.

According to Kolenichs story, lawmakers will introduce multiple bills involving TikTok and other social media companies during the upcoming General Assembly session.

There are more pressing issues the legislature might pursue to protect the health and well-being of our children.

Close 03-14-1950 (cutline): New sign for safety--J.E. Mann and E.W. LeMay, advertising officials, and State Police Captain W.L. Groth, deputy administrator of the Governor's Highway Safety Committee, watch a new safety sign go up on Petersburg Pike. 05-28-1981 (cutline): It's the billboard on the left, not the one on the right, that was paid for by Thomas Cannon, a benevolent Postal Service employee who often gives money for worthy causes. Creative Displays said yesterday that the company erred when describing the details Tuesday to the Times-Dispatch. Meanwhil, the "concerned citizen" who bought the space on the billboard on the right remains anonymous, the company said. These billboards are at Fourth and Franklin Streets. 01-11-1980 (cutline): The message sounds political, but it isn't accoring to a Creative Displays Inc., of Richmond executive. And there's no "consumer party," a display assistant, Ann Anderson said. The striking announcement, though, is getting second looks from Richmond motorists who face various versions of the "candidates' slogans" on billboards around town. It's an "advertising promotional," she said, declining to elaborate. 02-10-1991 (cutline): Drumming up business? Forty-four of these billboards appeared around Richmond this weekend, alarming the pancake house's employees and customers. It turns out the red-and-black signs are part of a reverse-psychology campaign. 10-05-1990 (cutline): Ronald Lewis (left), Harold B. and Robert El stand in front of billboard designed by El. El, 17, will have his work on 10 city billboards during Fire Prevention Week. 10-12-1946 (cutline): Billboard Appeals For Chapter Vote--This is one of the 16 bill board advertisements placed by the Richmond Citizens Association in widely scattered parts of the city to urge an affirmative vote in the November 5 referendum election a study of the city government. Hugh Thompson, executive secretary of the association, pointed out today that the voter will actually vote "For" instead of "Yes" on the question of having a commission study the city charter. Mr. Thompson said the bullboard ads were prepared before it was learned that the wording to appear on the ballot will be "For" or "Against." 03-23-1987 (cutline): "McGruff The Crime Dog," along with opponents and supporters of billboards, have their eyes on such signs in Henrico County. 06-04-1987 (cutline): A 4-month anti-drug campaign was begun this morning by Lamar Outdoor Advertising with the help of Mayor Roy A. West and City Manager Robert C. Bobb. The billboard, at 1000 Jefferson Davis Highway, is part of the company's 26-city, 11-state public service campaign directed against drug abuse. 03-1989 (cutline): Willie Vance Harris, an employee of Smith Advertising, changes a billboard at the intersection of Wythe and West Streets in Petersburg. 03-12-1992: Billboard 08-09-1991 (cutline) Disappearing Act--The complete caption doesn't appear on the billboard, but a similar print public service announcement that uses this image answers the question it poses: "A chicken. What else. A real man takes responsibility for his actions. From the archives: A look back at Billboards in and around Richmond 03-14-1950 (cutline): New sign for safety--J.E. Mann and E.W. LeMay, advertising officials, and State Police Captain W.L. Groth, deputy administrator of the Governor's Highway Safety Committee, watch a new safety sign go up on Petersburg Pike. 05-28-1981 (cutline): It's the billboard on the left, not the one on the right, that was paid for by Thomas Cannon, a benevolent Postal Service employee who often gives money for worthy causes. Creative Displays said yesterday that the company erred when describing the details Tuesday to the Times-Dispatch. Meanwhil, the "concerned citizen" who bought the space on the billboard on the right remains anonymous, the company said. These billboards are at Fourth and Franklin Streets. 01-11-1980 (cutline): The message sounds political, but it isn't accoring to a Creative Displays Inc., of Richmond executive. And there's no "consumer party," a display assistant, Ann Anderson said. The striking announcement, though, is getting second looks from Richmond motorists who face various versions of the "candidates' slogans" on billboards around town. It's an "advertising promotional," she said, declining to elaborate. 02-10-1991 (cutline): Drumming up business? Forty-four of these billboards appeared around Richmond this weekend, alarming the pancake house's employees and customers. It turns out the red-and-black signs are part of a reverse-psychology campaign. 10-05-1990 (cutline): Ronald Lewis (left), Harold B. and Robert El stand in front of billboard designed by El. El, 17, will have his work on 10 city billboards during Fire Prevention Week. 10-12-1946 (cutline): Billboard Appeals For Chapter Vote--This is one of the 16 bill board advertisements placed by the Richmond Citizens Association in widely scattered parts of the city to urge an affirmative vote in the November 5 referendum election a study of the city government. Hugh Thompson, executive secretary of the association, pointed out today that the voter will actually vote "For" instead of "Yes" on the question of having a commission study the city charter. Mr. Thompson said the bullboard ads were prepared before it was learned that the wording to appear on the ballot will be "For" or "Against." 03-23-1987 (cutline): "McGruff The Crime Dog," along with opponents and supporters of billboards, have their eyes on such signs in Henrico County. 06-04-1987 (cutline): A 4-month anti-drug campaign was begun this morning by Lamar Outdoor Advertising with the help of Mayor Roy A. West and City Manager Robert C. Bobb. The billboard, at 1000 Jefferson Davis Highway, is part of the company's 26-city, 11-state public service campaign directed against drug abuse. 03-1989 (cutline): Willie Vance Harris, an employee of Smith Advertising, changes a billboard at the intersection of Wythe and West Streets in Petersburg. 03-12-1992: Billboard 08-09-1991 (cutline) Disappearing Act--The complete caption doesn't appear on the billboard, but a similar print public service announcement that uses this image answers the question it poses: "A chicken. What else. A real man takes responsibility for his actions.
(Image: The Edge Markets)

Head of research for Rakuten Trade, Kenny Yee has advised investors to practise caution and prudence when investing and trading glove stocks amidst a recent rally, following renewed interest among the public in such stocks. This came as Malaysias Covid-19 infections surpassed 20,000 cases last week.

Investors have been picking up glove stocks at a bargain, which subsequently led to a gain of over 18% for Top Glove Corp Bhd, the worlds largest glove maker, in just a week. Hartalega Holdings also saw its share price climb up to RM2.75  the highest in 17 months  whereas Kossan Rubber Industries Bhds shares rose to a 21-month high of RM1.88.

The rally in glove stocks also lifted Bursa Malaysias overall trading volume on 18 December to RM3.02 billion, with 4.81 billion shares.

This positive sentiment for glove stocks came despite the fact that many of these companies are still not profiting, and are in fact facing fierce competition from glove makers abroad  such as in China and Thailand. There is also an oversupply of gloves globally, which has resulted in intense pressure on the average selling price of the item.

(Image: The Malaysian Reserve)

The sudden interest in glove stocks is the result of several factors, which include the spike in Covid-19 cases. In addition, the sector also witnessed a turnaround in the third-quarter results season, where some players also saw narrowing losses, said Yee, who further explained that this latest round of glove stock surge is essentially a form of rotational play. He also said that investors may consider glove stocks for trading purposes, but urged them to be careful in doing so.

To note, Malaysia had experienced a round of glove stock mania back in 2020, which was triggered by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic within the country. During this period, the shares of some glove makers had even surged more than 1,000% at one point, but the rally eventually lost steam in 2021 following the distribution of vaccines.

(Source: The Star)

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Air passenger bound for Cancun with 11 million in cash detained

Mexico City, Mexico  A man bound for Cancun with 11 million in cash was taken into custody Saturday. Authorities at the Mexico City International Airport arrested the male traveler before he was able to board his Aeromexico flight for Cancun.

During an X-ray scan of his pull luggage, airport authorities noticed what appeared to be wads of cash inside. The suitcase was reserved for a second inspection, revealing the money.

SSC arrested German V after he was found traveling with 11 million in undeclared cash. Photo: SSC December 16, 2023.

Airport authorities proceeded to take the man into legal custody after he failed to produce the necessary documents declaring the 11 million pesos.

Police from the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) of Mexico City proceeded to arrest German V from the airport. An investigation has been started by the Attorney Generals Office of Mexico City (FGJ-CDMX).
Lopez Obrador says Mexico will challenge new Texas law

Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico will challenge a Texas law that allows state police to detain migrants and judges to deport them. Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says they have begun the process to challenge a law promulgated by the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott.

He says the Texas state law allows police to detain migrants and gives local judges the authority to order them to leave the country. The process is being carried out through Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A procedure is already being carried out in Foreign Affairs to challenge this law and, in addition, we are always going to be against these measures. Tell our countrymen and migrants that we are going to be defending them, he said Tuesday during a press conference.

Lopez Obrador says the federation will intervene because matters related to foreign relations are powers of the federal government of the United States.

Those are not the powers of the states. He is usurping functions and it has to do with foreign policy and that corresponds to Congress and the President of the United States, he noted.

This law, which he described as inhumane and political, is carried out in an electoral environment in the United States with the purpose of gaining popularity among voters, however, it violates human rights.

The governor of Texas acts that way because he wants to be a vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party in the United States and he wants to gain popularity with these measures.

He is not going to win anything. On the contrary. He is going to lose sympathy because in Texas there are many Mexicans, many migrants, he said.

He forgets that Texas is from Mexico, like ten states in the American Union, and he forgets that there are 40 million Mexicans in the United States and he forgets that this great nation was consolidated, strengthened thanks to migrants in the world, he added during his Tuesday conference.
Let me begin where Ill also end: Nadya Williams latest book, Cultural Christians in the Early Church (Zondervan), is a masterful exercise in historical research, a compelling portrait of early Christians who professed Jesus with their words but not with their actions. Its also thoroughly enjoyable to read. Engaging in style and rich in human detail, its designed for a general audience, not just professional academics.

As a record of past events, Cultural Christians matters because history matters. And history matters because memory matters. A man with amnesia is a man without identity, doomed to repeat his mistakes. The same applies to communities of faith. History is a repository of lessons learned from experience. When accurately retold, it can teach religious believers two things: humility and hope. Humility, because humans have a bottomless capacity for sleepwalking into disasters; and hope, because were also graced with intellect, conscience, and free will, and God never abandons us. Thus, the great value of the Williams text lies in what we can learn from the past and its relevance for American Christians today.

But more on that in a moment. First, some context.

America, as a Catholic bishop friend likes to say, is the fruit of a mixed marriage: a child of both biblical faith and Enlightenment reason. The marriage was never perfect. It was often fractious. But in happier days, it produced a public square and popular culture shaped by a remarkable degree of responsible freedom. Now, as Christian practice steadily declines in the United States, mom and dad are getting a divorce. The result could get ugly, and the reason is simple. John Courtney Murraythe influential Jesuit theologian and a man clearly sympathetic to the American experimentnoted that, without its biblical grounding,

American culture, as it exists, is actually the quintessence of all that is decadent in the culture of the Western Christian world. It would seem to be erected on the triple denial that has corrupted Christian culture at its roots, the denial of metaphysical reality; [the denial of] the primacy of the spiritual over the material; [and the denial] of the social over the individual.  Its most striking characteristic is its profound materialism.  It has given citizens everything to live for and nothing to die for. And its achievement may be summed up thus: It has gained a continent and lost its own soul.

He added that, in view of the fact that American culture is built on the negation of all that Christianity stands for, it would seem that our first step toward the construction of a Christian culture should be the destruction of the existing one. In the presence of a Frankenstein, one does not reach for baptismal water, but for a bludgeon.

Murray spoke those words in 1940. Mainline Protestant Churches had already begun their collapse into the nations increasingly secular environment. He believed, or at least hoped, that Catholics would take their place as the cultures Christian conscience. Catholics had faced a century of bigotry and occasional violence as a suspect minority in a heavily Protestant country. But precisely because of that, Catholics had a high degree of community integrity and potential public witness.

Murrays reasoning thus made sense  in theory. In practice, he underestimated the U.S. Catholic appetite to assimilate. He also misread the cultures capacitythe materialist spirit and hugely productive pragmatism at the heart of our national personalityto bleach out any serious religious witness and leavening. More than 80 years later, most American Catholics are indistinguishable from anyone else in the public square. Our current Catholic president is merely the most obvious example, an icon of where cultural Christianity leads. It would be easy to blame this on impersonal social forces, an inevitable result of the American Founding. But it would also be wrong. As Christians, we helped create our current environment. We chose it by our actions. We chose it by our omissions. And since theres no quick fix for problems we behaved ourselves into, the only way out of them is by behaving differently. In other words, we need conversion. And that brings us back to the bishop friend I mentioned a moment ago, and one of his inconvenient truths: Living as a Christian isnt complicated. Its just hard. Which is why so many of us dont do it.

As it turns out, and as Williams skillfully shows, a great many self-described Christians have always avoided actually living as a Christian, starting in the apostolic age. In a sense, this is hardly new news. Anyone familiar with the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of Paul, James, and others, already knows the problems that plagued the earliest Christian communities: the backbiting, sexual immorality, factionalism, ambivalent loyalties, and apostasy. But we read of these things in the New Testamenta sacred text with a sacred glowfrom a distance of 2,000 years. This can have an unintended effect, obscuring the immediacy and abbreviating the ugly reality of the sins, and detaching them from our own lived experience.

Not so with Williams. The author trained in the Classics and specializes in the Greco-Roman world. She drills down through the crust of the past to provide a kind of soil sample of Christian experience through the centuries. The result is a detailed record of cultural Christians, their foibles, and their unseemly compromises with the world in three distinct periods: the New Testament era, the age of persecutions, and the age of Constantine and beyond. Her reference to Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, and his third century text On the Dress of Virgins is especially memorable. He was irritated by the habit of consecrated Christian virgins bathing nude in mixed-gender Roman public pools. That does tend to stick in the imagination.

Williams purpose in writing is both simple and clear:

Instead of thinking of cultural Christianity as the exception, a phenomenon that could only flourish in very specific kinds of conditions, perhaps we should think of it as a default, a natural result of the fallen and sinful state of humanity  [and, because] so many of us too are cultural Christians, then trying to fix the world through politics or just through particular policies on marriage, for instance, will never work. Rather, we need to pursue genuine conversion and sanctification.

Williams writes for a primarily Protestant audience, and one of her targets is the nostalgia for an imagined golden age of early Christianity that can emerge in times of religious crisis. But in the real world, the Church has always been a mix of darkness and light, sin and heroic virtue. Thats the nature of our human clay. Nostalgia is a drug. Its an anesthetic for the burdens that come with any serious Christian commitment. And as the historian Christopher Lasch noted, Americans are uniquely prone to nostalgia because we have so little interest in and facility with real historya fact thats hardwired into our nations gene code as a novus ordo seclorum, a new order of the ages. For Christians, this is lethal. Just as Jews have kept their distinct identity alive, despite centuries of persecution, through the discipline of zakhor (remembering), so too it must be with the Church. Remembering our history accurately, including its sins, reminds us of what we believe, who we are as a people of faith, and why God put us in the world. It sustains both our Christian identity and our mission.

I cant close this review without noting a few reservations. Williams very nearly lost me in the first sentence of her introduction. There, and throughout her text, she dates events as CE (common era) rather than AD (anno domini, in the year of the Lord). Its not a small thing. Words matter. Williams is a Christian scholar, writing for a Christian audience and a Christian publisher. If Jesus Christ truly is the center and most important event of human history, why would anyChristian author, or any Christian publisher, conform his or her dating of time to the artifice of a neutered academic vocabulary? Its a needless concession.

Its also odd that pro-life appears in the text only four times, abortion four times (one of them in the index, the other three in criticizing an excessive Texas law targeting abortion providers), and the Didache not at all. Written in the late first century, the Didache is one of the earliest Christian teaching documents. Its rejection of abortion is one of the defining marks of the early Christian community. Given the current American environmentwith well over 50 million unborn children killed in the womb in the last half century, and billions of dollars underwriting the abortion industryits strange that the author pays so little attention to the issue, especially given the contrast between early Christian practice and the behavior of so many nominal Christians today.

Finally, Williams narrative of cultural Christians in the past, while immensely valuable, can have the effect of obscuring the most obvious fact of all: Christianity survived, grew, and created an entire civilizationdespite the sins of its people and leadersbecause vast numbers of Christians actually did believe and actually did live their faith. Problems in the Church today can easily overshadow the fact that many fruitful efforts at renewal exist right alongside Christianitys more prominent difficulties. And thats a source of hope.

These concerns, however, dont outweigh the great value of the Williams text. As a lesson for Christians today, Cultural Christians is a welcome encounter with reality.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline won two federal approvals Tuesday: One to charge higher rates for the natural gas to be shipped through the 303-mile pipeline, and the second for more time to build an extension into North Carolina.

The requests were approved at a meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Over its nearly 10-year lifespan, the project has faced intense opposition that played a role in delaying construction and increasing costs  which Mountain Valley cited as justification for both requests.

The joint venture of five energy companies building the pipeline first projected it would cost $3.7 billion. The estimated price now stands at $7.2 billion.

As a result, Mountain Valley asked for permission to raise its transportation rate  the amount paid by companies known as shippers who will then deliver the gas to end users  from $26.92 to $53.42 per dekatherm per month reservation.

The buried pipeline will transport up to 2 million dekatherms  which amounts to 2 billion cubic feet  of gas per day from northern West Virginia, through the New River and Roanoke valleys, to connect with an existing pipeline near the North Carolina line.

We find that Mountain Valley has provided sufficient support for its revised cost of service and revised recourse rates, FERC said in an order released after its meeting.

In public comments to the agency that regulates pipelines and other energy projects, many people and organizations voiced concerns that the higher transportation rates will ultimately be passed on to ratepayers.

Granting permission to the company to raise its rates would harm consumers and is unacceptable, Appalachian Voices wrote in a letter to FERC that was digitally signed by more than 3,200 people from across the country.

Mountain Valley spokeswoman Natalie Cox said the rate change has no effect on previously negotiated agreements with its current shippers, which include Roanoke Gas Co. The negotiated rates remain confidential and will be filed with FERC prior to the pipeline going in service  which is now projected to happen by late March.

The revised recourse rates provide additional clarity to both current and future shippers and will apply to future customers, Cox wrote in an email.

FERC noted in its order that Mountain Valley will be required to file a cost and revenue study after the pipeline has been in operation for three years.

The three-year report will provide an opportunity for the Commission and the public to review the estimates upon which Mountain Valleys initial recourse rates are based to determine the accuracy of those estimates and whether the Commission should exercise its authorityto establish just and reasonable rates, thus ensuring Mountain Valley is not over-recovering its appropriate cost of service, the order stated.

The other approval from FERC involved the Southgate Project, a 75-mile extension of the pipeline from its current end point in Pittsylvania County south into North Carolina.

Mountain Valley first proposed the extension in 2018, and FERC approved the companys plans the following year and ordered that construction be completed by June 18, 2023.

But after construction of the main pipeline was delayed repeatedly by court challenges of Mountain Valleys government permits  approvals that a federal appeals court found did not provide adequate environmental protections  plans for Southgate were put on hold.

In June, Congress passed a law that fast-tracked completion of the main pipeline. About two weeks later, Mountain Valley asked FERC for another three years to complete Southgate, which would extend the deadline to June 18, 2026.

Opponents decry the lack of progress toward Southgate project permitting but ignore that it was persistent litigation and opposition from many of these opponents that has caused the cascading series of delays that Mountain Valley has experienced, the company wrote in papers filed with FERC.

The three-year extension was approved Tuesday by the commission, which found that Mountain Valley had shown good cause for needing more time.

Mountain Valley is pleased with FERCs decision and remains committed to the MVP Southgate project, spokesman Shawn Day wrote in an email. We continue to evaluate options to help meet public demand for affordable, reliable natural gas.

Southgate must still obtain at least two state permits, and Day said there is currently no estimate for when work will begin.

As part of the rate increase and construction extension cases, pipeline opponents said Mountain Valley should not be allowed to blame its problems on the multiple lawsuits it has faced over the past six years.

The projects increased costs, cited by developers as the reason for the increase, are self-created, Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, wrote in a letter to FERC.

These problems stem from selecting steep mountainous terrain and inadequate construction practices, Rasoul wrote, not from external sources or project opponents.
City police said officers responded at about 8:50 a.m. to the incident near the intersection of Cove Road and Lancelot Lane Northwest.

A female juvenile entered the roadway and was hit by Roanoke City Public Schools Bus #29, which was headed to James Breckinridge Middle School, according to the school system.

The girl was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with injuries that did not appear life-threatening, police said. Several other students were on board the bus, but no other injuries were reported.

Police said no other vehicles were involved in the collision, and the department would consult the Roanoke Commonwealths Attorney Office regarding possible charges.

Chief Assistant Commonwealths Attorney John McNeil told police Tuesday that the prosecutors had finished reviewing the evidence.

It is clear from the investigation that the driver of the bus was completely unaware that the juvenile was approaching and was at no fault in this incident, McNeil said in an email to Lt. Kenneth Sauls.

A spokesperson for the parent company of Durham School Services, which transports city public school students, also said Tuesday that an internal investigation found that their bus driver was not at fault.

Our driver was back on their scheduled routes yesterday, confirmed Anna Lam with National Express LLC.

Roanoke City Public Schools did not comment Tuesday on the status of the injured girl.
A U.S. B-1B bomber took part in a joint aerial exercise that South Korea, the United States and Japan held over waters around the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday in a show of force after North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The trilateral exercise took place over waters east of the southern resort island of Jeju, where the air defense identification zones of South Korea and Japan overlap, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, amid heightened tensions in the wake of the North's firing of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM on Monday.

South Korean F-15K, U.S. F-16 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets also took part in the exercise, the JCS said, although it did not specify the number of B-1B bombers deployed.

"This exercise was planned ... to strengthen the three countries' capabilities to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, including its firing of a solid-fuel ICBM, and to demonstrate the strong resolve for joint response," the JCS said in a release.

Hours after the ICBM launch, Defense Minister Shin Won-shik said in a media interview that talks were under way for the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula with trilateral drills, involving Japan, being considered in conjunction with the deployment.

It marked the latest trilateral aerial exercise between the three sides since they held their first-ever one in October. (Yonhap)
A man who police said ambushed a Clifton Forge officer outside police headquarters Dec. 8 while armed with a knife has been charged with attempted malicious wounding. Micah Allen Godfrey, 24, of Clifton Forge, is scheduled for a Feb. 6 preliminary hearing on the felony charge in Alleghany County General District Court.

Police shot Godfrey during the incident, and he was airlifted to a Roanoke hospital for treatment. His condition was not released by Virginia State Police in announcing the charge on Wednesday.

State police investigated the incident at the request of the town police department.

State police said the incident happened at 9:37 p.m. Dec. 8 at the rear entrance of the Clifton Forge Police Department, when a police officer was knocked to the ground after he exited the building.

While the officer was on the ground, the subject advanced on the officer and was shot. The attack was an unprovoked, ambush style attack, according to a statement issued by state police Sgt. Rick Garletts.

State police investigators will turn their findings and evidence from the completed investigation over to Alleghany Countys commonwealths attorney for review, Garletts said.
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UN Security Council again delays Gaza aid resolution vote as high-level talks try to avoid US veto

The U.N. Security Council has again delayed a vote on a new U.N. resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza as the Biden administration struggles to change key wording in high-level negotiations seeking to avoid a U.S. veto
FLORENCE, S.C.  HopeHealth Christmas elves decked the (former) fire hall with holiday cheer and piles of presents to transform it into their North Pole this year.

Today were giving a tour of our famous North Pole. its where we house of toys for our Children of Hope program. This year we raised over $45,000 and its going straight to gifts for families and basket supplies for parents, said Charlee Rhodes, HopeHealths development and events coordinator. This is where all the wrapping, sorting and delivering happens for our Children of Hope program.

This years North Pole  it has had several previous locations  was at the former Florence Fire Department Station No. 4 on Palmetto Street, now First Reliance Banks community center.

Its going to be a community center, thats why we bought it, said Tom Ewart, market president for First Reliance Bank. It has plenty of space and were going to do some upgrades and renovate it, put some technology in here. Anyone who wants to use this space or they want to have conferences here that fit within the space of this facility theyll be welcome to it.

The Children of Hope program offers a myriad of benefits and not just for the recipients.

We have a wonderful committee and group of volunteers who have been getting those wish lists from the families and shopping for them, its been exciting to see, Rhodes said.

I got a few families I was able to shop for and it was really exciting, she said. I had some kids who really liked action figures or their favorite color was green so just going through and choosing gifts youre imaging in your mind theyre going to be excited about opening on Christmas morning.

For the first time in five years the program increased its per-child budget but some volunteers who went above and beyond didnt hesitate to cover the overage, Rhodes said.

Were on track do adopt 130 families, she said.

Were a community bank and we serve the communities that were chartered to do business in. We try to help those who are just a little bit less fortunate and if they need a Christmas and were going to make Christmas happen, Ewart said. Im a guy who used to always send letters to Santa Claus at the North Pole. I used to get some pretty good stuff, my kids did too. My chance to repay.
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Let's get caught up.

Keep scrolling for celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history. Plus, give our daily news podcast a listen:

Here's a preview of today's top stories:

Trump defends controversial immigrant comments

Pandemic gear stockpiles are expiring

Elon Musk's labor battle across Scandinavia

Hope for another hostage swap in Gaza

Protests in Argentina

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A closer look at Colorados historic ruling banning Trump from the ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court made history Tuesday with an unprecedented, ruling that former President Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run in 2024 because the 14th Amendments ban on insurrectionists holding public office covers his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021.

The 4-3 decision removes Trump from the Republican primary ballot in Colorado, which is scheduled for Super Tuesday in early March. However, the Colorado justices paused their ruling so Trump can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could even preserve his spot on the states primary ballot if the appeal isnt settled quickly.

In many ways, the landmark ruling holds Trump accountable for trying to overturn the 2020 election and provides a political punishment for his anti-democratic behavior. The ruling is also a massive vindication for the liberal groups and constitutional scholars of all stripes who championed such 14th Amendment lawsuits despite their long odds.

But Trump has mastered the art of converting legal setbacks into polling bounces. Hes already in a stronger position today to beat President Joe Biden than he was one year ago, before he was criminally indicted in four jurisdictions. And he and his GOP allies kicked into high gear Tuesday night, playing the victim card and railing against the ruling.

Here are the key takeaways from the decision and what comes next:

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MORE TOP STORIES

Musk and Tesla are battling unions across Scandinavia

Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The showdown pits the electric car maker's CEO Elon Musk, whos staunchly anti-union, against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries.

None of Tesla's workers anywhere in the world are unionized, raising questions about whether strikes could spread to other parts of Europe where employees commonly have collective bargaining rights  notably in Germany, Tesla's most important market.

Here are key things to know about the union fight:

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States are trashing pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

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Hamas leader visits Cairo

Hamas top leader traveled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another cease-fire and hostage swap at a moment when the militant group is putting up stiff resistance to Israels offensive.

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Putin ratchets up military pressure on Ukraine

After blunting Ukraines counteroffensive from the summer, Russia is building up its resources for a new stage of the war over the winter, which could involve trying to extend its gains in the east and deal significant blows to the country's vital infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be hoping that relentless military pressure, combined with changing Western political dynamics and a global focus on the Israeli-Hamas war, will drain support for Ukraine in the nearly 2-year-old war and force Kyiv to yield to Moscows demands.

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Argentina's new president to face first protests

Just days after taking office, Argentine President Javier Milei's government announced drastic economic measures that angered some social and labor groups, and warned it would crack down on any protests blocking streets.

The right-wing populist on Wednesday will face the first test of how his administration responds to demonstrations after those groups called on people to turn out to protest the economic shock measures, which Milei has said are needed to address Argentinas severe crisis.

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MORNING LISTEN

This week's episode of the Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles podcast is an update of the 1990 Susan Negersmith case from Wildwood, New Jersey.

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TRENDING TOPICS

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TODAY IN HISTORY

Today in history: Dec. 20 On Dec. 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.

Today in sports history: Dec. 20 In 2009, Ben Roethlisberger becomes the first Pittsburgh quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a game. See more sports moments from this date.

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TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
Felicia Chin shared that a fight in 2021 almost ended her years-long relationship with Jeffrey Xu. (PHOTO:Instagram/iamfeliciachin)

They may appear to be the gold benchmark of relationships, and even had a shared mental image foreshadowing a life together, but celebrity couple Felicia Chin and Jeffrey Xu arent perfect either. In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao for her upcoming drama I Do, Do I, Chin shared that she had a big fight with Xu when they were dating and they almost broke up.

She said, A big reason is because we grew up in different environments. Although we speak the same language, the expressions and words are not necessarily the same, which sometimes leads to friction. In addition, we have different personalities. Although we love each other, the relationship may not stand the test.

Chin, 39, recalled an incident on 31 Dec 2021 when they almost split. The couple were arguing before their church gathering and Chin had left in a huff.

I walked pretty far, but suddenly I felt that I should go back, and I shouldn't leave like this... We almost broke up that night, but the pastor brought us back together.

Now, the couple have been happily married for a year, and have been together for eight.

Felicia Chin has yet to test whether she is pregnant

On Chins YouTube series Lets Take a Walk, Xu also credited Chin for helping him rediscover his passion for acting.

She texted him words of encouragement while they were filming the 2015 series Life - Fear Not, which he said stopped him from spiralling downwards.

Xu added, Ever since I started out, up to that time, I have never received encouragement from a colleague. So when you encouraged me, I was surprised. I didn't know we could encourage each other.

As for whether the couple will have kids, Chin told the Chinese daily that theyll let nature take its course.

I believe that this gift will come to us at the right time, she said, while laughing and adding that she had yet to test whether she is pregnant.

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Cardinal William Goh, Singapore's Catholic Church leader, clarified that the Vatican's recent declaration does not endorse same-sex unions. (PHOTO: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore)

SINGAPORE  The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore has clarified that the Catholic Church has not changed its traditional stance on marriage, amid the recent declaration from the Pope that approves blessings for same-sex couples.

In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday (19 December), the Catholic Church in Singapore pointed out that the focus of the Declaration is not on the blessing of the unions of same-sex couples".

Distinguishing between official church blessings and pastoral blessings

Cardinal William Goh, Archbishop of Singapore and leader of the Catholic Church, clarified in the statement that the Vatican's recent declaration focuses on the distinction between the Church's official blessings and pastoral blessings for all occasions outside the liturgical and sacramental settings.

In doing so, he hopes to correct the misimpression that the Church has changed its stance on its traditional doctrine about marriage.

He added that while official church blessings involve approved prayers in addition to conditions to be met, pastoral blessings are ad-lib prayers extended spontaneously to individuals.

"We are not blessing the unions of same-sex couples," he said in the statement. "We are blessing couples who are in irregular situations, such as those who are divorced and remarried, individuals struggling to be faithful to God's commandments, and those who aborted their babies, just as we bless the sick, the elderly, and those who request spiritual and temporal blessings.

"We do not bless the sins of the person, but rather, the individual who is always loved by God, even when he or she is a sinner."

Embracing mercy without endorsing irregular marriages or same-sex unions

The Catholic Church said the recent document provides guidelines for priests to bless couples in these situations, specifying that "This declaration, therefore, rather than endorsing the blessing of irregular marriages and same-sex unions, sets out the rules and boundaries for priests as to how they should bless these couples without having these blessings mistaken by others as the Church's approval of such unions."

Story continues

The Church also expressed gratitude for the directive, saying, "We are grateful that the Holy Father has authorised this declaration so that Church ministers will not act in a way that gives others the wrong impression that the Church endorses same-sex unions.

"At the same time, it shows the Church's mercy and love for all sinners, and that we are all sinners endeavouring to grow in authenticity and perfection."

What does the landmark Vatican ruling signify?

The Vatican said on Monday that a landmark ruling approved by Pope Francis allowed for Roman Catholic priests to bestow blessings upon same-sex couples. However, these blessings are permitted only outside regular church rituals or liturgies.

This ruling, a reversal of the Vatican's 2021 declaration, clarifies that these blessings do not confer legitimacy upon irregular situations but symbolise God's inclusive acceptance of all individuals.

The Vatican emphasised that these blessings should in no way be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage. It highlighted that priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and should not prevent or prohibit the Churchs closeness to people in every situation in which they might "seek Gods help through a simple blessing".

The Church's teachings distinguish that same-sex attraction is not considered a sin, while homosexual acts are. Pope Francis, since assuming the papacy in 2013, has aimed to foster a more inclusive environment for the church's 1.35 billion members without altering its moral doctrines.

In Singapore, the Parliament voted in December 2022 to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, a colonial-era law which criminalises gay sex between men. It also voted to endorse amendments to the Constitution to protect the current definition of marriage from legal challenge.

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document released on 18 Dec 2023. (PHOTO: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa  Dordt University professor Mark Volkers recently experienced something wholly unfamiliar while teaching his mass media class.

As part of a lecture on the history of media technology, the school's digital media production instructor cranked up a phonograph from the early 20th century and played a piece of scratchy-sounding big band music. The 26 students taking the course then began to move.

"And it was the first time in my entire teaching career that I had students dancing right in class," Volkers marveled.

Dordt University phonographs Three of the six phonographs Dordt University received are displayed in their Digital Media Lab. Irvin Soule, the Sioux City man who donated t

The career first for Volkers wouldn't have been possible without a recent donation by an 84-year-old Sioux City man.

In late November, Irvin Soule, who built and designed tools for Prince Manufacturing, gifted six Victrola-style phonographs (which average 100 years in age) and hundreds of recordings to the Sioux Center school. Soule's thinking in giving up the six? "Maybe Dordt can get some use out of them and appreciate them," he said.

For years, Volkers said, he'd kept his eyes peeled for high-quality Victrola phonographs, which were common in middle-class homes during the 1910s and 1920s. (Victrola was a brand-name phonograph manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company, but the name of the company's popular floor-height, cabinet-style phonograph became something of a catch-all term for that type of phonograph, which was produced by several companies.)

A fellow Dordt staffer knew about Volkers' phonograph interests and eventually came across Soule's collection. Soule was preparing to move into the Sunrise Retirement Community and he and his kids were trying to figure out a way to find a new home for the equipment.

In 1986, Soule said, he bought the first of the six he passed on to Dordt. Over the next 20 years, he bought a few more. One of the pieces he snatched up was a Cheney Talking Machine Company phonograph which had its production ended more than 90 years ago. He said the oldest phonograph was from about 1915. Two Edison players were from 1918 and 1919.

"I was in Lawson one time and happened to buy one and that got me started," Soule said about his phonograph-buying habits. "It was kind of broken down and I bought it to fix it up and restart it because I like to work on stuff like that. So then I just got the bug."

Edison phonograph This Edison record player in the Dordt University Digital Media Lab in Sioux Center is one of six the school received as a gift from Sioux Cit

American inventor Thomas Edison introduced the cylinder phonograph in 1877. Cylinder phonographs, which played cylinder records rather than discs, dominated the market through the turn of the century, until they were displaced by disc records. The Edison Company wouldn't fully embrace discs until the 1910s when competitors such as Columbia and the Victor Talking Machine Company were well-established.

An early format war  in which a given company's media system only plays back that company's media format  took hold. (A much later and better-remembered format war pitted VHS tapes against Betamax.)

"If you owned an Edison, you had to buy Edison records. And theyre very thick, double the thickness of a normal record. And theyre made out of shellac (which is) bug excrement from southeast Asia," Volkers said.

In addition to wanting to tinker with pieces of music history, Soule had another motivation for his burgeoning hobby.

"I just wanted to play records, mostly," he said. "Big band music from the '30s and '40s like Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, those kinds of guys. And silly music, whatever I could find." One example of a silly record Soule remembers fondly is a piece from about 1910 that he said has someone telling a story laughing after every word he said.

Volkers said two of the six phonographs he received from Soule were in perfect working order.

"Theres a third I can get working, no problem. And a fourth probably. Two of them need work," he said. "Their innards are identical to the other two that are working so its a matter, I think, of putting things back together."

Soule said an issue he occasionally encountered is the main frame of a phonograph breaking, rendering the device unplayable. "Dad, when he was a tool engineer, made all his replacement pieces on his lathe at home. Hed make them from scratch," Soule's son, Mark, said about the repair process. As fate would have it, Irvin Soule's own father would also do maintenance work on phonographs the family had.

According to Volkers, the phonographs he got have a big metal tube that would be referred to today as a speaker. The doors of several of the phonographs have curlicue lattice work and, behind them, a big metal speaker with a "baffle."

"So you have a lever you can push or pull and it moves a baffle into that metal speaker to close it off and get softer. If you push the lever it pushes the baffle back out and opens it up. That's how you control the volume. Its very physical," Volkers said.

To get the phonographs to play, Volkers said a person needs to crank them. "You've got to thread in the handle on the side of the machine and then crank it up."

The machines play 78 records, a format in which the record spins at 78 revolutions per minute and has relatively wide grooves; these fast-spinning records only hold one song per side. Much later, vinyl long-play or LP records would spin at a leisurely 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, with much finer grooves. LP records hold entire albums.

Silvertone phonograph This Silvertone phonograph, seen in the Dordt University Digital Media Lab, was made by the Sears company. Digital Media Production Instructor

When Soule was young, he said he used to deliver papers to an old man who would play 78s for him. Because of Soule's gift to Dordt, a whole new generation of young people can now experience music from a bygone era.

Volkers said such a gift provides a much more tangible history for students and helps close some loops on the development of sound technology.

"You know, I always tell my students,'You are stepping into a stream of history that goes back over 100 years.' We need to know where the stream comes from," Volkers said.
HARTLEY, Iowa  A Hartley couple has been arrested and charged with child neglect for allegedly smoking marijuana around their 3-year-old son.

Johnathan Peters, 26, and Victoria Barnes, 25, both were booked into the OBrien County Jail Monday on a felony charge of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person and misdemeanor child endangerment.

According to court documents, an Iowa Department of Human Services caseworker removed the boy from the Hartley home on Nov. 8 after receiving allegations of the use of illegal substances by Peters and Barnes. On Nov. 17, the caseworker notified authorities the boys hair tested positive for the presence of marijuana.

During interviews with investigators, Barnes admitted smoking marijuana a few times a week at a friends house but not around her son. Peters said he usually smoked marijuana in the garage and sometimes in the house while on a different floor from his son.

The two, who told the DHS worker they smoked marijuana daily, said they believed their son tested positive because of their interactions such as hugging and kissing him right after smoking, court documents said.
SIOUX CITY  A 35-year-old Omaha, Nebraska, man is facing a vehicular homicide charge in connection with a February rollover crash near Salix that killed a woman.

Curtis J. Cotton was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Woodbury County Jail on charges of vehicular homicide, a class B felony, and operating while intoxicated  second offense, an aggravated misdemeanor.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4 p.m. Feb. 21 on Interstate 29 southbound near mile marker 132. Ashely Bond, Cottons girlfriend, was ejected from the vehicle and died from her injuries.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Woodbury County District Court, Nicholas Bauerly, an Iowa Department of Transportation officer, responded to a silver Oldsmobile Alero on its top in the west ditch. He observed Cotton moving around the scene of the crash and Bond lying on the ground north of the car. The complaint stated that Cotton was begging Bauerly to help Bond.

Bauerly and others began trying to treat Ashley. While doing that, the defendant kneeled beside him. Bauerly could smell alcohol on his breath, the complaint stated. He also noticed that the defendants eyes were bloodshot and watery.

Kyle Cleveringa, a sergeant with the Woodbury County Sheriffs Office, spoke with Cotton at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center and noticed that he had bloodshot, watery eyes, according to the complaint.

Cotton told Cleveringa that he and Bond had come from Omaha to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, where they played slots for five to six hours.

When asked if he had anything to drink at the Hard Rock Casino, the defendant said he had one shot of Rumple Minze 2-3 hours prior to the accident. When asked if Ashley had been drinking, the defendant said that she also was drinking, the complaint stated.

When Cleveringa asked Cotton who was driving, he was adamant that Ashley was the driver, according to the complaint.

Investigators reviewed video of the crash from a semi drivers dash cam.

As they were passing (the truck drivers) semi, you can see a Caucasian hand in the passenger side window moving, thus indicating that the decedent victim was the passenger and not the driver, the complaint stated.

Witnesses allegedly observed Cotton driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed before the crash. A technical investigation revealed that Cotton was driving an average of 84 mph and that the car was going approximately 70 mph at the time he lost control of the vehicle and it left the roadway. Cottons blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) level was 0.124%, according to the complaint. Iowas legal limit is 0.08%. The complaint stated that Cotton also had marijuana in his system.

Cotton was previously convicted of operating while intoxicated  first offense in Monona County District Court on Nov. 9, 2021.
Korea expands presence in global arms market as exports estimated to reach $14 billion

By Jung Min-ho

Korea is solidifying its position as a major player in the global arms market as its exports are estimated to exceed the $10-billion mark for the second consecutive year, with the number of importers having tripled.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, Korean companies signed nearly $14 billion worth of weapons deals so far in 2023. This figure was a little shy of a record high of more than $17 billion the previous year, which was largely attributed to $13 billion worth of contracts with Poland.

Given that arms exports to the European nation accounted for 72 percent of last years total, this years performance has been impressive and is a positive sign for Koreas prospects as a rising weapons maker and exporter, according to officials.

Ministry officials told reporters that one of the biggest accomplishments this year was to triple the number of Koreas partner countries to 12. New importers include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and three members of NATO  Norway, Estonia and Finland. The number of armament types exported from Korea increased from six to 12.

With another set of megadeals with Poland gaining traction, the size of its arms exports will likely surpass the $20-billion mark for the first time next year, officials said.

The government previously estimated that reaching that figure would be possible within this year. An official said a delay in additional sales contracts with Poland was the main reason for missing the goal, adding that the second round of deals could be finalized as early as the first quarter of 2024.

Given that Poland is a key partner in the defense industry, we will try our best to reflect its demand on local production, the official said.

Last year, Poland signed deals with Korean weapons manufacturers to procure K-2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers, K-239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and FA-50 light attack aircraft to bolster its defenses amid growing tensions following Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, the companies have expanded their global presence. Earlier this month, Hanwha Aerospace clinched a $2.4 billion contract to sell 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles to Australia. In February, Korea Aerospace Industries, the nations only full-scale aircraft maker, signed a $920 million contract to sell 18 FA-50 light attack aircraft to Malaysia.

In close cooperation with the government, Korean arms makers aim to carve out a five percent share of the international export market by 2027 to become the fourth-largest defense exporter after the U.S., Russia and France.

Achieving that feat may not be impossible as the rising demand for weapons, prompted and accelerated by wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, opens new opportunities for Korean companies as top exporters such as the U.S. and Russia struggle to produce enough for themselves and their allies, according to experts.

Many countries in Eastern Europe, armed mostly with Soviet-era weapons, are now seeking to replace them. Others in the West and Southeast Asia are trying to diversify the sources of their arms amid geopolitical uncertainties, they said.

With the proven quality of its military hardware and the ability to deliver them fast, Korea is in a good position to continue to expand its presence globally, a defense company official told The Korea Times.
SIOUX CITY  A Sioux City woman awaiting trial for the shooting death of her boyfriend has been sentenced to two years in prison for possession of more than 1,000 fentanyl pills while her two children were present in her home.

After a bench trial, District Judge Tod Deck found Katrina Barnes, 33, guilty of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and two counts of child endangerment.

Deck on Tuesday sentenced Barnes to 10 years in prison on the two drug charges and two years on the child endangerment charges. Deck suspended the 10-year prison sentence and placed Barnes on three years' probation on the drug charges and ordered her to serve the two-year sentence for child endangerment. Barnes will be given credit for any jail time previously served.

Police officers investigating Barnes for selling the controlled substance executed a search warrant at her home in the 1400 block of Prescott Street in June and found 1,250 fentanyl pills in her bedroom. Her children, then ages 7 and 5, were living with her at the time.

Evidence at trial showed Barnes admitted to police she sold the fentanyl to pay for an attorney for her pending murder trial.

Charged with second-degree murder, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance in connection with the June 9, 2022, shooting death of Dolorean Wade, Barnes had been out on bond at the time of her arrest for selling fentanyl.

Barnes is accused of shooting Wade through the door of her apartment at 516 Ninth St. while he was banging on it. According to court documents, the two had been arguing all day before Wade left and returned later. While investigating the shooting, police found 18 pills believed to be laced with fentanyl in her purse, plus 17 grams of marijuana.

Barnes has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 23 in Woodbury County District Court. Her attorney has filed notice that Barnes was justified in using deadly force to protect herself and that she will also use a diminished responsibility defense because she suffered from battered women syndrome.
SIOUX CITY  A federal jury has found a Sioux City man guilty of child pornography charges.

Anthony Tucker, 36, was convicted Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Jurors heard one day of witness testimony and deliberated for more than three hours before reaching their verdict.

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Because of a prior conviction for lascivious acts with a child, Tucker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip in January 2022 from Google that accounts belonging to Tucker contained more than 90 images and three videos of child sexual abuse material.
SIOUX CITY  An East High School student was found with a firearm on school grounds Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release.

The firearm was found at the "very end of the school day," according to a Sioux City Schools news release.

"Building administration acted immediately to ensure that students and staff were safe, and the student was taken into custody," according to the release.

The Sioux City Police Department is investigating the incident and Leslie Heying, director of communications for the Sioux City Schools, said there is no additional information at this time.
SIOUX CITY  The Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center Authority has agreed to pay for a new Baker Group employee to deal with records requests.

The Authority approved a line item titled "Baker Groups time and material costs for legal representation" at $75 per hour on Tuesday.

Shane Albrecht of the Baker Group said there are two attorneys working with the LEC Authority and the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors and there are multiple documentation requests occurring with a large number of records that need to be given over.

"It's too much to still do our job and do that," Albrecht said.

Jodie McDougal of Fredrikson, Bryon, P.A. and John A. Templar, Jr. of Whitfield and Eddy Law, represent the LEC Authority and the board of supervisors, respectively, represent the county in issues related to the construction of the facility.

Albrecht proposed that the local Baker Group office would have "a couple of" administrators that would be in charge of finding and organizing the documentations for requests at $75 an hour.

"It's less expensive than having Jodie's team do that with a bunch of garbled information that comes from me," Albrecht said.

The Authority also received an update on the project. On Tuesday, a large group tour the facility on Tuesday including the Authority's attorney, the board of supervisors' attorney, Goldberg Group Architects' attorney, Hausman Construction's attorney, Woodbury County attorneys, Board of Supervisors Chair Matthew Ung, Building Services Director Kenny Schmitz and more.

Punchlist issues and corrective work is ongoing throughout the entire facility, Albrecht said. All of the missing fire dampers have been installed. No indication has been given on when the facility will be completed.
LONDON  So much for women and children first.

The phrase and its grave implications about who to save first in a catastrophe are rooted in the shipwrecks of centuries past and popularized by Hollywood's treatment of the Titanic disaster. It is getting another airing at a time when, in many societies, women are expected to do most everything men do. Experts say the unwritten law of the sea is a Hollywood-fed myth and a relic of Victorian-era chivalry.

At the center of this round of questions is the prisoners-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas in November that prioritized releasing women and children after negotiators agreed that mothers and their children should not be separated. Israelis are overwhelmingly supportive of this approach. But it leaves behind elderly and injured men during the most chaotic phase of the war, a result that has angered some families.

To say women and children in the 21st century  as if families can be whole without the fathers, as if children that have come back with their fathers still there can in any way start recovering from the trauma  is unthinkable," Sharone Lifshitz, whose mother was freed in October and whose 83-year-old father, Oded, remains in captivity, said.

Of about 240 people who were kidnapped during Hamas' Oct. 7 rampage, 86 Israelis were released. Seventeen Thai men also were let go. That left 119 men  many of them injured or elderly  and 17 women and children as hostages in Gaza.

In a private meeting on Dec. 5, Israeli media reported, the families of the remaining captives ripped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to prioritize women and children  then resuming Israels bombardment of Gaza with no known plans to negotiate the release of anyone else.

You think the men are strong? Its too hard for them. Bring them all home," Sharon Cunio, whose husband, David, and other family members are still hostages, told Netanyahu and Israels war Cabinet, according to local media.

"Children first" seems to be a widely agreed-upon crisis action plan, whether it's a rescue from a natural disaster or a hostage-taking. And women and children generally pay an outsized price in crises: The death toll from Israel's bombardment of Gaza tops 18,700  around two-thirds of them women and children.

But other standards, such as women before men, can lead to fraught judgments about whose lives are more valuable  and reflect the human impulse to sort each other.

Experts say the choice nowadays often is to save the most vulnerable first, which would include children but also older people and those who are sick and the injured, no matter their gender.

Other dynamics weigh heavily, such as how much time people have before a ship sinks as well as the societal and cultural norms of the people involved.

What is considered valuable is determined by the actors controlling the situation, says Edward Galea, a professor at the University of Greenwich who specializes in evacuation and human behavior. In a fire or other disaster, it's those directly involved  say, a ship captain or passengers. In a hostage situation, he says, it's external actors"  in the case of the Gaza war, it's intense politics and a watching world.

In real time, human behavior in catastrophes often plays out more like every person for themselves, according to experts who have studied the dynamics. There's often no time to consider who belongs to which group, or to fight over terms as in a wartime hostage release. Leadership is key; someone has to go first.

In Italy in 2012, that someone was Francesco Schettino, the captain of the luxury liner Costa Concordia who slammed it into a reef, capsizing off the Tuscan island of Giglio. Thirty-two people died. Schettino is serving a 16-year prison sentence for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all of the passengers and crew had evacuated.

The women-and-children ethos is widely attributed to the 1852 sinking of the HMS Birkenhead a few miles off the coast of South Africa. In the wee hours of Feb. 25, with about 638 people aboard, the steam paddler hit a rock off Danger Point. Water flooded the forward hull and the equipment used to lower most of the lifeboats malfunctioned, according to accounts at the time.

British Lt. Col. Alexander Seton, 38, is widely credited with understanding as the ship sank that fleeing men would swamp the few functioning lifeboats, which were filled with women and children.

He gave the order to his crew: "I implore you not to do this thing and I ask you all to stand fast. They did, according to multiple survivor accounts. Britain's National Army Museum says the 193 survivors included all 26 women and children aboard.

Thus was born what became known as the Birkenhead drill, whereby women and children were saved first in shipwrecks. To stand an be still to the Birkenead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, Rudyard Kipling wrote in 1896.

The drill would become most closely associated with the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, killing at least 1,500 of the more than 2,200 people aboard. Accounts differ, but testimony from the inquiries afterward indicates that someone or someones  from Capt. Edward Smith to various passengers  prioritized putting women and children into the lifeboats, of which there were not enough to evacuate everyone aboard.

In the end, 70% of the women and children were saved compared to only 20% of the men, according to a 2012 study by two economists at Uppsala University in Sweden.

That's not how evacuations and rescues tend to play out in real life, according to one of the authors of the 2012 study, which looked at 18 maritime disasters over three centuries. The Titanic was the exception, according to Mikael Elinder, because leadership had an effect on the behavior of the crew.

We don't see this in most shipwrecks, just chaos, Elinder said. When there is a threat to loss of life, one tries to save oneself."

2023 in photos: Year in images on the African continent
WATERLOO, Iowa  Former President Donald Trump has defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America, and he reinforced the message while denying any similarities to fascist writings others had noted.

I never read Mein Kampf, Trump said at a campaign rally Tuesday in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitler's fascist manifesto.

Immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Trump said, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red MAGA hats, Trump responded to mounting criticism about his anti-immigrant blood purity rhetoric over the weekend. Several politicians and extremism experts have noted his language echoed writings from Hitler about the purity of Aryan blood, which underpinned Nazi Germany's systematic murder of millions of Jews and other undesirables before and during World War II.

As illegal border crossings surge, topping 10,000 some days in December, Trump continued to blast Biden for allowing migrants to pour into our country. He alleged, without offering evidence, that they bring crime and potentially disease with them.

They come from Africa, they come from Asia, they come from South America, he said, lamenting what he said was a border catastrophe.

Trump made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to disqualify him from the state's ballot under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the U.S., dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists.

But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand  ideological screening  for people immigrating to the U.S. He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling.

In Waterloo on Tuesday, Trump's supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesn't always say the right thing.

I don't know if he says the right words all of the time, said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because you're not fortunate enough to be born in this country, doesn't mean "you don't get to come here.

But it should all be done legally, she added.

Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the U.S. doesn't have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didn't agree with Trump's comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the country's character and bring different perspectives.

Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the U.S. stronger.

But Trump's blood purity message might resonate with some voters.

About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing U.S.-born Americans to lose their economic, political and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border.

You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd, Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.

At a congressional hearing July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by U.S. citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens.

Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks.

Call it what it is, said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat.

Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his own wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration.

Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation, McConnell said.

Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rivals momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there.

I will not guarantee it, Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it.
KYIV, Ukraine  A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine's soldiers nearly two years after Russia invaded their country.

Despite a disappointing counteroffensive this summer and signs of wavering financial support from allies, Ukrainian soldiers say they remain fiercely determined to win. But as winter approaches, they worry that Russia is better equipped for battle and are frustrated about being on the defensive again in a grueling war. Some doubt the judgment of their leaders.

Discontent among Ukrainian soldiers  once extremely rare and expressed only in private  is now more common and out in the open.

In the southern city of Kherson, where Ukraine is staging attacks against well-armed Russian troops on the other side of the Dnieper River, soldiers are asking why these difficult amphibious operations were not launched months ago in warmer weather.

I dont understand, said a commander of the 11th National Guard Brigades anti-drone unit who is known on the battlefield as Boxer. Now its harder and colder.

Its not just my feeling, many units share it, said Boxer, who spoke on condition that only his battlefield name would be used.

Russia, which illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, controls about one-fifth of Ukraine. After 22 months of war the two countries are essentially in a stalemate along the 620-mile-long front line.

Russian forces aim to push deeper into eastern Ukraine this winter, analysts say, so that Russian President Vladimir Putin can cite this momentum as he campaigns for reelection, an outcome that is all but certain. Emboldened by recent gains on the battlefield, Putin said last week that he remains fully committed to the war and criticized Ukraine for sacrificing" troops to demonstrate success to Western sponsors.

In the United States, which has already spent some $111 billion defending Ukraine, President Joe Biden is advocating for an additional $50 billion in aid. But Republican lawmakers are balking at more support  just as some lawmakers in Europe are on the fence about providing another $50 billion to Ukraine, after failing to deliver on promised ammunition.

The reason the Ukrainians are gloomy is that, they now sense, not only have they not done well this year  they know that the Russians' game is improving, said Richard Barrons, a former British army general. They see whats happening in Congress, and they see what happened in the EU.

Ukraine may be on the defensive this winter, but its military leaders say they have no intention of letting up the fight.

If we wont have a single bullet, we will kill them with shovels, said Serhii, a commander in the 59th Brigade that is active in the eastern city of Avdiivka and who spoke on condition that only his first name be used. Surely, everyone is tired of war, physically and mentally. But imagine if we stop  what happens next?

The fatigue and frustration on the battlefield are mirrored in Ukraines capital, Kyiv, where disagreements among leaders have recently spilled out into the open.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month publicly disputed the assessment by Ukraines military chief, Valery Zaluzhny, that the war had reached a stalemate. And the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has repeatedly lashed out at Zelenskyy, saying he holds too much power.

Disquiet in the halls of power appears to have filtered down to the military's rank and file, who increasingly have misgivings about inefficiency and faulty decision-making within the bureaucracy they depend on to keep them well-armed for the fight.

In the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, where momentum has slowed since the summertime counteroffensive, drones have become a crucial tool of war. They enable soldiers to keep an eye on  and hold back  Russian forces while they conduct dangerous and painstaking operations to clear minefields and consolidate territorial gains. But fighters there complain that the military has been too slow in training drone operators.

It took seven months to obtain the paperwork needed from multiple government agencies to train 75 men, said Konstantin Denisov, a Ukrainian soldier.

We wasted time for nothing, he said. Commanders elsewhere complain of not enough troops, or delays in getting drones repaired, disrupting combat missions.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov insists Ukraine has enough soldiers and weaponry to power the next phase of the fight.

We are capable and able to protect our people and we will be doing it, he said. We have a plan and we are sticking to that plan.

The limited momentum Ukraine's forces had during their summertime counteroffensive has slowed  from the forests in the northeast, to the urban centers in the east, to the slushy farmland in the south.

With Russia hoping to take the initiative this winter, Ukraine is mainly focused on standing its ground, according to interviews with a half dozen military commanders along the vast front line.

Despite wet, muddy ground that makes it harder to move tanks and other heavy weaponry around, the Russian army has bolstered its forces in the eastern Donetsk region, where it has recently stepped up offensive maneuvers.

Said Parker, the Ukrainian commander of a mechanized battalion near Bakhmut who asked to go by his battlefield name to speak freely: The main goal for the winter is to lose as few people as possible.

Upward of 20,000 Ukrainian amputees face trauma on a scale unseen since WWI
MIAMI (AP)  The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as Fat Leonard who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, officials said Wednesday.

The deal represents the U.S. governments boldest bid to improve relations with the major oil-producing nation and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader. The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuela's history comes weeks after the Biden administration agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Maduro and an opposition faction to work toward free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.

The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020 and long was regarded as a criminal trophy by Washington, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader. U.S. officials said the decision to grant him clemency was difficult but essential in order to bring home jailed Americans, a core administrative objective that in recent years has resulted in the release of criminals who once once been seen as untradeable.

Among the Americans behind bars in Venezuela are two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were involved in an attempt to oust Maduro in 2019. Also detained are Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who were accused of entering Venezuela illegally from Colombia. More recently, Venezuela arrested Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

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Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will visit the last of Iowa's 99 counties this week with a campaign stop in Franklin County, his campaign announced.

Ramaswamy will hold the 99th county event at 7 Stars Family Restaurant in Hampton at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, finishing up his first 99 county tour.

The Ohio biotech entrepreneur has said he will have completed the "full Grasley" 99-county tour twice over before the Jan. 15 caucuses.

The candidate has been on a fast-paced rural campaign tour over the last several weeks, often holding five or more events in a day at local restaurants and community centers.

"Some candidates boast about doing the 'Full Grassley' - visiting all 99 counties in Iowa," Ramaswamy said on social media this month. "Proud to announce Ill be the first presidential candidate in history to do all 99 counties *twice over* in less than a year. Well hit it by first week of January."

Some candidates boast about doing the Full Grassley - visiting all 99 counties in Iowa.



Proud to announce Ill be the first presidential candidate in history to do all 99 counties *twice over* in less than a year. Well hit it by first week of January.



Well lead America https://t.co/BcbgFAcMEr  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 4, 2023

As he has already visited many counties multiple times, by Jan. 2, Ramaswamy's campaign said he will have visited each county twice after a Jackson County stop. The campaign said it will hold a rally to celebrate the feat on Jan. 2 in Scott County.

Despite the aggressive campaign schedule, Ramaswamy has struggled to increase his support among likely Republican caucusgoers, according to recent polling. Ramaswamy received 5% of support in the December Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Haley super PAC swipes at DeSantis

A new ad from a group backing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president calls Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign a "dumpster fire."

The 30-second spot from SFA Fund, Inc., consists of one continuous shot of a dumpster full of burning trash, accompanied by audio of TV news clips criticizing DeSantis' campaign efforts, including a headline categorizing his campaign as a "dumpster fire."

The ad, which will run in Iowa starting Tuesday, is the latest in a string of anti-DeSantis ads the super PAC has released ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses.

DeSantis has criticized Haley this week for spending money against him rather than Trump, suggesting she is angling to become Trump's vice-presidential pick.

"As illustrated on our new microsite at TrumpNikki2024.com, Nikki Haley is so committed to her VP ambitions that she refuses to spend a dime attacking Donald Trump, despite MAGA Inc's new ad accurately blasting her for being a tax-hiking liberal, said DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin in a statement on Tuesday.

Biofuels group says DeSantis checks all boxes for ethanol producers

A prominent coalition pushing the advancement of Iowa biofuels says Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only 2024 presidential candidate to check All the Boxes on vital agriculture, biofuel issues.

Of the presidential candidates currently campaigning in Iowa for the Republican nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate to date that has taken a positive position on all eight topics vital to the future of Iowa farmers and biofuels producers, according to Biofuels Vision 2024, a coalition of Iowa organizations that includes representatives from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Iowa Corn and Soybean associations.

The group tracks candidates stances on eight issues vital to the future of biofuels and the Iowa economy, but does not endorse or rank candidates.

All Republican presidential candidates actively campaigning in Iowa support a growing role for biofuels and finalizing a rule that would allow the year-round sale of E15  gasoline blended with 15% ethanol  while opposing laws and regulations that directly or indirectly mandate electric vehicle purchases, according to the coalition.

However, DeSantis  who as a member of Congress cosponsored legislation that would have repealed the federal renewable fuel mandate  is the only candidate running who also supports adopting a methodology favored by the ethanol industry in guidance to companies looking to claim tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel, according to Biofuels Vision 2024. Additionally, DeSantis also supports preserving exiting biofuels tax credits, unlocking higher ethanol blends and supports reauthorizing energy title programs in a new Farm Bill to expand the production and use of agriculture-based renewable energy.

Information on all eight priority issues and where candidates stand can be found at: biofuelsvision.com.

Iowa leads the nation in biofuel production, using more than half of the corn grown in the state to produce as much as 4.5 billion gallons a year, pumping $7.2 billion into the states economy and supporting more than 57,000 jobs across the state, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner, has repeatedly taken swipes at DeSantis as a raging opponent of ethanol.

In Congress, DeSantis co-sponsored legislation that would have eliminated the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which encourages ethanol and biodiesel production by requiring a certain amount of biofuels be blended in the nations fuel supply.

Earlier this year, DeSantis announced an energy plan that lacked mention or details about renewable fuels and the federal mandate.

DeSantis later wrote an op-ed published in the Des Moines Register pledging to support giving drivers additional low-cost options at the pump, including higher ethanol blends such as E30 and higher octane options.

Trump has touted that his administration finalized a rule, later thrown out by a federal appeals court, allowing for year-round access to E15, gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol. Iowa is the nation's largest ethanol producer.

Unlike 'DeSanctus,' I will be your ethanol champion, Trump said during a campaign event last week in Coralville.

Nikki Haley announces Quad-Cities endorsers

Ahead of a visit to Davenport Wednesday, GOP hopeful Nikki Haley announced a slate of new Quad-Cities area endorsers.

The endorsements come from a former state Senate minority leader from the Muscatine area, county and school elected officials, former state and city officials and a business leader.

Jack Rife, former Iowa Senate Minority Leader and state lawmaker from Muscatine from 1985-2001.

Former State Rep. Linda Miller, a Republican from Bettendorf, who served in the state Legislature from 2007 to 2017

Don Thiltgen, former Mayor of DeWitt

Kathryn Kunkel, School Board Member, Pleasant Valley, elected 2021

Jean Dickson, Scott County Board of Supervisors, elected 2022

John Axel, former State Central Committee Member

Steve Geifman, President of Geifman First Equity

PHOTOS: Ron DeSantis Visits Bettendorf 121923-qc-nws-desantis-1.jpg
The U.S. military in South Korea fully returned its former base, Camp Market, to the Asian country Wednesday, the defense ministry said, as part of a broad relocation scheme to consolidate its bases across South Korea.

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) handed over about 257,000 square meters of land in Camp Market near Seoul to South Korea, four years after returning some 216,000 square meters of land in the base in the first phase.

The agreement was made in a meeting of the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee, which governs the legal status of the 28,500 American soldiers stationed in South Korea.

"As the rest of the site of Camp Market, which was used for a bread factory and warehouse, has been returned, the return process of a total of 473,000 square meters of land has been completed," the defense ministry said in a joint statement with the ministries of foreign affairs, environment and land.

"It is expected to give momentum to the Incheon government's development plan for the site," it added.

The former site of Camp Market in Bupyeong, about 25 kilometers west of Seoul, was previously used as a weapons factory for the Japanese military during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before being taken over by the U.S. military in 1945.

South Korea opened part of the returned site of Camp Market to the public in October 2020 for the first time in 81 years. Decontamination work is currently under way in other parts of the former military base.

The return is part of a broad relocation scheme to consolidate U.S. bases across South Korea into two garrisons in Pyeongtaek, 60 km south of Seoul, and Daegu, 237 km southeast of the capital, with the aim of enhancing defense readiness and operational efficiencies in the face of North Korean military threats.

So far, the USFK has handed over 69 out of 80 bases under the relocation plan, while some parts of Yongsan garrison and bases in Gyeonggi Province have not yet been returned.

"The government will continue consultation with the United States to expedite the scheduled return of U.S. military bases by taking into account comprehensive social, economic and environmental issues," the ministry said. (Yonhap)
I love spending holidays with my family, particularly the matriarchs who've sacrificed so much for their children and grandchildren while keeping their fire. But lately, I dread the comments I know I'll be getting from some of them.

"When you're my age, you're going to end up alone over the holidays," one of my tias declared as I ate dinner at my Mexican grandmother's house with my many cousins for Thanksgiving. The room grew quiet as she addressed me, the 35-year-old woman without children.

Suddenly, I was as self-conscious in my body as I'd been during puberty, except instead of maturing, I felt like I was decaying in people's eyes.

"I'm freezing my eggs in January," I said meekly. Then, with a bit more oomph, I declared: "Either way, I don't think I'll ever end up alone."

Like most educated women in their 30s who don't have kids but want them, I've delayed having children for various reasons, mainly my career and struggle to find a partner who is supportive and stable, who adds rather than detracts from my life, which is rich in community, purpose and other passions. Many of us face unhelpful family pressure over the holidays. It can be even more intense within historically marginalized communities that are held together by strong matriarchs.

My mom says I'm too picky, that I need to lower my standards. Whenever I break up with a man because he suffers from addiction, Peter Pan syndrome or other significant problems  the majority of the straight male dating pool, according to anecdotal evidence and academic research  she's crestfallen.

"Nobody's perfect," she argues. "You could have had a baby and then left."

My mother had me and my sister with my dad, a magnetic but deeply flawed and absent man. She loves us and doesn't want me to miss out on motherhood.

Sing along to the year in politics, set to holiday songs Rick Ho-Ho-Horowitz leads carolers through some of the biggest political events and controversies of 2023

But if I'm going to have a kid, it's going to be with the help of a stable partner. Not because I doubt the power of single moms, but because I don't want any child to live with the same guilt I have from seeing mine carry a huge burden by herself. And I want to have the resources to help my mom when she needs me.

This desire to break bad generational patterns is common among women in their 30s, especially first-generation daughters cultured to pick up the slack for troubled relatives. Yet often, our family members are urging us to ignore red flags in making this critical life decision.

Many women who want kids can't have them. This doesn't detract from their value. But when I'm with my family, I can't help withering in the face of their pity and scorn.

Seeking guidance, I called Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez, a 38-year-old Latina author whose writings about family have helped me before. She has a forthcoming book that touches on women without kids.

Mojica Rodriguez argues for expanding our notions of motherhood. For example, there's allomothering, a phenomenon in nature in which living beings parent the offspring of others, improving the health of a species.

Women without kids have more time, energy and financial resources to fight the many threats we face, from climate change to fascism and Big Tech's AI. Many of us are prioritizing larger society, while demonized as selfish. The casual lack of empathy toward childless women is misguided and hurtful. Studies show 90% of them are childless not by choice.

Research also suggests women without kids generally end up happier than moms in the long term. That doesn't mean childlessness is necessarily the better choice. Birth rates are plummeting, most dramatically among Latinas. We need little ones. But women who don't have them are worthy of as much admiration as strong mothers.

Let's reject divisive views of women. Instead, we can link arms in the fight for universal child care and paid parental leave. Those of us without children should be unabashed about it over the holidays. We're forging a better world for all children.
The essential moment in Jack Smiths 2020 election obstruction case against Donald Trump might have arrived  and, oddly, the substance of the charges has nothing to do with it.

The special counsel recently filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to speedily review the former presidents claims that he is immune from prosecution. The strategy is gutsy, but it might be necessary to get the case to trial before the general election  and that is a wholly legitimate goal for Trumps prosecutor.

Smith has asked the justices to grant him whats known as certiorari before judgment. This is an extraordinary request, but the special counsel is hardly summoning a legal theory out of thin air. The Supreme Court has embraced the procedure in many cases involving national crises, including in United States v. Nixon, when President Richard M. Nixon refused to turn over his infamous audiotapes.

Thats because, as a long line of law recognizes, the public is as entitled to the fair administration of justice as anyone standing trial. Part of what makes this case extraordinary is Trumps unique potential to force a halt to the prosecution. Even when defendants use delay as a courtroom tactic, they typically still have to face prosecutors at some point.

By ignoring that timing in a case with the peaceful transition of power at its heart, the courts would allow themselves to be manipulated by a politician using his status as a candidate to avoid accountability. The gambit to prevent District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan from meeting a March 4 trial date, by appealing her rejection of Trumps immunity defense, is only the latest delay tactic by the Trump legal team. The former presidents allies and his lawyers appear to believe his surest route to escaping accountability is to win reelection before a jury manages to convict him, then instructing the Justice Department to drop its cases.

The Supreme Court would show that the justice system wont be tricked if, instead, the justices ensured the case is tried on the merits.

The merits arent too difficult to assess. A Washington, D.C., circuit panel has already decided that a presidents civil immunity for actions taken while in office is limited when those actions are taken not in the presidents role as president, but in his role as a reelection seeker  as when Trump gave his Jan. 6, 2021, speech urging supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol.

The argument that a president is free from criminal liability during his tenure, meanwhile, has next to nothing to support it in doctrine or in history. Theres a reason, after all, that Nixon required a pardon from Gerald Ford, and that Bill Clinton gave up his law license as part of a deal to avoid prosecution following his perjury scandal.

This makes sense: A presidents duties will never require him to break the law, much less to do so intentionally. Whats more, much of the conduct described in the indictment, such as pressuring electors to defect or urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes cannot be construed to be inside the scope of the executives official duties.

Trump also argues that charging him based on the same violations for which he was impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate would constitute double jeopardy. Yet the Constitutions Impeachment Judgments clause says that if a president is convicted by the Senate, he can still be tried in a court of law. Reading this backward to suggest that if a president isnt convicted by the Senate, he cant be tried in a court of law defies common sense. The Framers clearly designed impeachment to serve a distinct purpose from prosecution.

The Supreme Court should grant the special counsel the speedy hearing he has asked for, because of the public interest in a decision that is quick, carefully considered and, crucially, final. If it does not. the justices should at least instruct lower courts to move briskly, after which they should promptly choose once and for all whether to review the case. This procedural matter will swallow up the substance of the case unless the courts decide not to let it.
DENVER (AP)  A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nations highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorados highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, wrote the courts majority. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Trumps attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation's highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

Trump's legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement Tuesday night: This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nations democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.

Trump didn't mention the decision during a rally Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa, but his campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a tyrannical ruling.

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labeled the decision Election interference and said the RNCs legal team intends to help Trump fight the ruling.

Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and doesnt need the state to win next years presidential election. But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorados lead and exclude Trump from must-win states.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationally to disqualify Trump under Section 3, which was designed to keep former Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War. It bars from office anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it, and has been used only a handful of times since the decade after the Civil War.

I think it may embolden other state courts or secretaries to act now that the bandage has been ripped off, Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor who has closely followed the Section 3 cases, said after Tuesday's ruling. This is a major threat to Trumps candidacy.

The Colorado case is the first where the plaintiffs succeeded. After a weeklong hearing in November, District Judge Sarah B. Wallace found that Trump indeed had engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and her ruling that kept him on the ballot was a fairly technical one.

Trumps attorneys convinced Wallace that, because the language in Section 3 refers to officers of the United States who take an oath to support the Constitution, it must not apply to the president, who is not included as an officer of the United States elsewhere in the document and whose oath is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

The provision also says offices covered include senator, representative, electors of the president and vice president, and all others under the United States, but doesnt name the presidency.

The states highest court didnt agree, siding with attorneys for six Colorado Republican and unaffiliated voters who argued that it was nonsensical to imagine that the framers of the amendment, fearful of former confederates returning to power, would bar them from low-level offices but not the highest one in the land.

President Trump asks us to hold that Section 3 disqualifies every oathbreaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land, the courts majority opinion said. Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section 3.

The left-leaning group that brought the Colorado case, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, hailed the ruling.

Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government, its president, Noah Bookbinder, said in a statement.

Trumps attorneys also had urged the Colorado high court to reverse Wallaces ruling that Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack. His lawyers argued the then-president had simply been using his free speech rights and hadnt called for violence. Trump attorney Scott Gessler also argued the attack was more of a riot than an insurrection.

That met skepticism from several of the justices.

Why isnt it enough that a violent mob breached the Capitol when Congress was performing a core constitutional function? Justice William W. Hood III said during the Dec. 6 arguments. In some ways, that seems like a poster child for insurrection.

In the ruling issued Tuesday, the court's majority dismissed the arguments that Trump wasnt responsible for his supporters violent attack, which was intended to halt Congress' certification of the presidential vote: President Trump then gave a speech in which he literally exhorted his supporters to fight at the Capitol, they wrote.

Colorado Supreme Court Justices Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, Monica Marquez and Hood ruled for the petitioners. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright dissented, arguing the constitutional questions were too complex to be solved in a state hearing. Justices Maria E. Berkenkotter and Carlos Samour also dissented.

Our government cannot deprive someone of the right to hold public office without due process of law, Samour wrote in his dissent. Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past  dare I say, engaged in insurrection  there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office.

The Colorado ruling stands in contrast with the Minnesota Supreme Court, which last month decided that the state party can put anyone it wants on its primary ballot. It dismissed a Section 3 lawsuit but said the plaintiffs could try again during the general election.

In another 14th Amendment case, a Michigan judge ruled that Congress, not the judiciary, should decide whether Trump can stay on the ballot. That ruling is being appealed. The liberal group behind those cases, Free Speech For People, also filed another lawsuit in Oregon seeking to bounce Trump from the ballot there.

Both groups are financed by liberal donors who also support President Joe Biden. Trump has blamed the president for the lawsuits against him, even though Biden has no role in them, saying his rival is defacing the constitution to try to end his campaign.

Trumps allies rushed to his defense, slamming the decision as un-American and insane and part of a politically-motivated effort to destroy his candidacy.

Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said in a statement.

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
The United States has freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor. That contractor is known as Fat Leonard and he's at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal. The American detainees were back on U.S. soil late Wednesday. The deal represents the Biden administration's boldest move yet to improve relations with the major oil-producing nation and extract concessions from Maduro. The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuelas history comes weeks after the Biden administration agreed to suspend some sanctions.
MIAMI (AP)  The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor known as Fat Leonard who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.

The American detainees were back on U.S. soil late Wednesday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Six of them arrived at Kelly Airfield Annex in San Antonio.

Savoi Wright, a Californian who had been arrested in Venezuela in October, said, Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, free at last after disembarking the plane.

The deal represents the Biden administration's boldest move yet to improve relations with the major oil-producing nation and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader. The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuela's history comes weeks after the White House agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Maduro to work toward free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.

Maduro celebrated the return of Alex Saab as a triumph for truth over what he called a U.S.-led campaign of lies, threats and torture against someone he considers a Venezuelan diplomat illegally arrested on a U.S. warrant.

President Biden, we wont be anyones colony, a defiant Maduro said with Saab at his side for a hero's welcome at the presidential palace.

The release of Saab, long regarded by Washington as a bagman for Maduro, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader. Former President Donald Trump's administration held out Saab as a trophy, spending millions of dollars pursuing the Colombian-born businessman, at one point even deploying a Navy warship to the coast of West Africa following his arrest in Cape Verde to ward off a possible escape.

U.S. officials said Biden's decision to grant him clemency was difficult but essential in order to bring home jailed Americans, a core administrative objective that in recent years has resulted in the release of criminals once seen as untradeable.

These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The agreement also resulted in the return to U.S. custody of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship-servicing company who is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history.

But the exchange angered many in the Venezuelan opposition who have criticized the White House for standing by as Maduro has repeatedly outmaneuvered Washington after the Trump administrations campaign to topple him failed.

Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County public defender arrested almost two years ago along the Colombia-Venezuela border, was one of the U.S. detainees. After arriving in Texas Wednesday night, he thanked Biden "because I know he made a difficult decision that will have a lot of pressure on him on Capitol Hill. But he got us home and were with our families. And so were incredibly grateful, all of us.

Hernandez added, Honestly, all you think about when youre in prison is how you didnt appreciate being free while you were free.

Wright told reporters: I didnt know if I would ever make it out. And its really scary to be in a place where youre used to having freedoms and youre locked into a cell. ... Its a very challenging situation.

In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry following promises by Maduro that he would level the playing field for the 2024 election, when he's looking to add six years to his decade-long, crisis-ridden rule. A Nov. 30 deadline has passed and so far Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office.

Biden told reporters earlier in the day that, so far, Maduro appeared to be keeping his commitment on a free election. Republicans, echoing the sentiment of many in the U.S.-backed opposition, said Saab's release would only embolden Maduro to continue down an authoritarian path.

Disgraceful decision, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The White House went to lengths to assure it won't hesitate to snap back sanctions if Venezuela's government fails to fulfill electoral commitments hammered out during negotiations with the opposition. A $15 million reward seeking Maduro's arrest to face drug trafficking charges in New York also remains in effect, it said.

The agreement also requires Maduros government to release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners, in addition to a close ally of Machado, and to suspend arrest warrants of three other Venezuelans.

The U.S. has conducted several swaps with Venezuela over the past few years, including one in October 2022 for seven Americans, including five oil executives at Houston-based Citgo, in exchange for the release of two nephews of Maduros wife jailed in the U.S. on narcotics charges. Like that earlier exchange, Wednesday's swap took place on an airstrip in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Saab, who turns 52 on Thursday, hugged his wife and two young children as he descended the staircase of a private jet at the Simon Bolivar International Airport.

It was a stark reversal from the scene on another tarmac, in Cape Verde, where he was arrested in 2020 during a fuel stop en route to Iran to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduros government. The U.S. charges were conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing. Saab was also sanctioned for allegedly running a scheme that stole hundreds of millions in dollars from food-import contracts at a time of widespread hunger mainly due to shortages in the South American country.

After his arrest, Maduro's government said Saab was a special envoy on a humanitarian mission and was entitled to diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution under international law.

Life is a miracle, Saab said, standing alongside Maduro at the neoclassical presidential palace in Caracas. I'm proud to serve the Venezuelan people and this government, a loyal government, which, like me, never gives up. We will always triumph."

Absent from Maduro's chest-thumping was any mention of Saab's secret meetings with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In a closed-door court hearing last year, Saab's lawyers said that he was for years helping that agency untangle corruption in Maduros inner circle and had agreed to forfeit millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from corrupt state contracts.

But the value of the information he shared with the Americans is unknown; some have suggested it may have all been a Maduro-authorized ruse to collect intelligence on the U.S. law enforcement activities in Venezuela. Whatever the case, Saab skipped out on a May 2019 surrender date and shortly afterward was charged by federal prosecutors in Miami.

The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas, including a high-profile prisoner exchange last December when the U.S. government  over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials  traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

The swaps have raised concerns that the U.S. is incentivizing hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in U.S courts.

What happened to the separation of powers? said Juan Cruz, who oversaw the White Houses relations with Latin America while working at the National Security Council from 2017-19. Normally you would have to wait a defendant to be found guilty in order to be able to pardon him for a swap. This is an especially bad precedent with a Trump 2.0 potentially around the corner. It invites winking and nodding from the executive.

But Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad requires difficult dealmaking.

Making this deal more palatable to the White House was Venezuela's willingness to return Francis.

Nicknamed Fat Leonard for his bulging 6-foot-3 frame, Francis was arrested in a San Diego hotel nearly a decade ago as part of a federal sting operation. Investigators say he bilked the U.S. military out of more than $35 million by buying off dozens of top-ranking Navy officers with booze, sex, lavish parties and other gifts.

Three weeks before he faced sentencing in September 2022, Francis made an escape as stunning and brazen as the case itself as he snipped off his ankle monitor and disappeared. He was arrested by Venezuelan police attempting to board a flight from Caracas and has been in custody since.

Tucker reported from Washington and Garcia Cano from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Jim Mustian in New York, Julie Watson in San Diego and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Warrior Hotel Food and Beverage Director Andrew Roberts is ready to flip the script when it comes to holiday cocktails.

Hows he going to do that?

By introducing a line of flip cocktails on the menu at the 525 Sixth St. hotels Crown Rooftop Bar.

A flip cocktail is drink which contains liquor, that is sweetened with sugar and shaken with a whole egg.

For one cocktail, Roberts combined brandy with a house-made syrup along with an egg into a shake which he shakes vigorously. Pouring it into a cocktail glass, he rims it with nutmeg for a drink that is as frothy as well as festive.

Roberts next cocktail is made with Rye Whiskey, port wine, house-made syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice and just an egg white for a smooth and satisfying night cap.

I know people sometimes get weirded out by a drink containing a raw egg, Roberts allowed, But, believe me, these cocktails are delicious.

After all, the Warrior Hotels master mixologist is an old pro when its comes to potent concoctions.

A mainstay at the Warriors The Bar at Woodburys since its opening in 2020, Roberts was recently promoted to a position where he oversees all food and drink operations Woodburys American Steakhouse, the hotels two bars and, even, the War Eagle Lanes bowling alley.

Before moving to Sioux City, he worked in upscale bars in various cities in Texas as well as in Denver, Colorado.

I like working in hotel bars because you always have a mix of hotel guests from all around the world as well as local guests who are looking forward to a fun night on the town, Roberts said.

With both types of clientele, he gets to put his own personal spin on some seasonal classics.

The holiday season is unique in that we still are in the mood for fall flavors because were not yet in the dead of winter, Roberts said.

Christmas cocktails The Warrior Hotel's Andrew Roberts pours a Port Sour cocktail with port wine, rye whiskey, house-made syrup, egg white, and freshly squeezed l

On a mild day for December afternoon, he makes a variation of an Old Fashioned, with top shelf bourbon, bitters and a dollop of pumpkin butter before finishing it a toasted cinnamon stick as an aromatic garnish.

Since this is the Warrior Hotel, which has birds as its symbol, I call this our Owl Fashioned, Roberts said with a smile. It was so popular in autumn that we wanted to continue it into December.

Talking inside of the Warriors art deco-inspired bar, he is keenly aware of the hotels historical significance.

Originally built in 1930, the Warrior  and the next door Davidson Building  were both a part of a $73 million redevelopment project.

In a setting like this, youre inspired to take cocktails to the next level, Roberts said.

To some extent, that is because customers are demanding it.

People see shows like (Netflixs) Drink Masters and know the art of the cocktail has been elevated, Roberts explained. We not be able to make competition-worthy drinks on a busy Friday night but we are certainly willing to up our game.

Indeed, Roberts considers himself a bit of a mad scientist behind the bar. Luckily, his crew is just as mad as he is.

When we prep for the change of a season, I work with my staff on new cocktail ideas, he said. In many ways, my staff is as creative as I am.

Christmas cocktails Igloos can keep guests warm outside at the Crown Rooftop Bar on top of the Warrior Hotel..

So, what can Rooftop Bar aficionados be on the lookout for?

Roberts is currently testing out recipes for a matcha-inspired cocktail, containing the finely ground powder of matcha, which is a green tea favorite in Japan.

Hmm, a bright-green cocktail? That sounds interesting.

Wait, theres more.

Im also working on a Blueberry Pie cocktail, which tastes just like the real thing, Roberts said. Ive always liked the idea of a deep blue cocktail. I think the color as well as the flavor will set this cocktail apart.

Christmas cocktails Andrew Roberts, food and beverage director for the Warrior Hotel, pours an "Owl Fashioned," an Old Fashioned with pumpkin butter, bourbon, bit

Roberts said he is expecting a big increase in customer during both Christmas and New Years.

I dont mind working during the holidays, he said. Guests tend to be in a festive mood and that makes everything fun.

Will Roberts be making a furious number of Flip cocktails or Owl Fashioned drinks this month?

I hope so, he said. Both are very festive, very delicious and perfect for the holidays.

Christmas cocktails An "Owl Fashioned," an Old Fashioned with pumpkin butter, bourbon, bitters, and garnished with a toasted cinnimon stick, is shown at the Crown
The long-awaited Disney+ TV adaptation of Rick Riordans bestselling young-adult series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is finally here. Fans of the beloved Greek mythologyinspired books, about a 12-year-old boy who is thrust into the middle of a long-standing conflict among the Greek pantheon after he finds out hes the forbidden demigod son of Poseidon, have been waiting for a worthy screen adaptation since 2005, when the series first book was published. They suffered through two cursed movies that failed to meet expectations of both the financial and fan variety. Now, with author Riordan having fought tooth and nail to be involved in the second adaptation attempt, fans are hoping theyll finally receive the faithful series they deserve. Let me assuage the fears of all the Percyheads out there: The new show is the Percy Jackson weve been waiting for.

First, some ancient history: While no one can expect a screen translation of a novel to mirror its source material to a tee, fans of the series arent being dramatic when they say that the original films were a mess. Even Riordan has concurred: In 2018 the author published a statement summarizing his poor experience consulting on the production of the first film. He even included emails he had allegedly sent to the films producers in 2009, cautioning against aging up the cast, and criticizing the script. None of his advice was heeded, as evidenced most clearly by the ages of the actors: Logan Lerman, playing Percy, was 17 when he filmed Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and 21 when he filmed its sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Alexandra Daddario, who played Percys love interest, Annabeth, was 22 when she starred in the first film. Brandon T. Jackson, who played the satyr GroverPercys best friend and sworn protectorwas nearly a decade older than Lerman. Naturally, this aging up inspired a darker take on the story, a removal of much of the comedic levity, and the inclusion of not-so-kid-friendly languageall of which alienated the novels core audience.

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Thankfully, Disney has learned from the mistakes of 20th Century Fox (which it acquired in 2019). With love to Lerman, who did the best he could with the material he was given, our Percy is finally here, in the form of Walker Scobell. Scobell, 14, is joined by Leah Sava Jeffries, also 14, and Aryan Simhadri, 17, who play Annabeth and Grover, respectively. Not only are the actors the proper ages for their roles, but they also make up a more diverse ensemble than whats represented in the books. (And to any of the fans who were angry about canonically blond Annabeth being played by a Black girl, I have to say: These characters are demigods. Their parents are literally deities!) More importantly, they truly deliver the main trios personality traits: Percy is sarcastically humorous, Annabeth is headstrong and loyal to the point of hostility, and Grover is the lovable peacemaker of the three. The rest of the ensemble is great as wellthe character Luke (Charlie Bushnell), in particular, is given so much more room for development here than in the movies, in a way that does justice to his journey in the books.

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Fans will also be glad to know that the plot has been left blessedly intact, at least judging from the four episodes made available to the press. So far, the show closely follows the order of the first books events. Scenes and storylines that were left out of the filmpresumably for the sake of time, although the movie also bafflingly made up a whole new side quest about pearls owned by the goddess Persephoneare present. Riordans intricate plot, which unfolds over the course of six book installments, is well suited to television, a medium that, by nature, allows for slower, more detailed storytelling.

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None of this is to say that an adaptation cant make changes to or improve upon its source material, but in the case of Percy Jackson, it seems wise to finally give the fans what theyve been clamoring for. The journey of the entire series traverses some of the most complex years of ones life: age 12 to 16. Normal kids go through puberty; Percy has to deal with that and make a decision that will either save or destroy the world. His youth is important: It underscores the gravity of the fact that these children are being roped into what becomes an actual supernatural war. Sure, Percy Jackson is a fun adventure with whimsy out the wazoo, but its also about adulthood, friendship, loyalty, and morality, as all the best coming-of-age stories are.

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A lot was riding on this adaptationnot just fans sky-high expectations, but also Disneys next big bet on a franchise. The new series certainly isnt perfect, but it succeeds in shaking off the specter of the earlier films; in a touching gesture, Lerman himself left Scobell a message of support and encouragement, from one Percy to another, as Scobell starts his journey down the hard road of embodying a character so beloved by (very loud, very opinionated) fans. Above all, 2023s Percy Jackson and the Olympians promises to be faithfuland, coming from a longtime Riordan hive member, thats the best thing it can be.
There has been a lot of speculation about the rap sheet of one Kevin McCallisterbetter known as the kid from the Christmas classic Home Alone. In the film, McCallister booby-traps a two-story mansion in the stately enclaves of Chicago with the intention of stymieing a home invasion, which, taken in a vacuum, falls into the relatively safe legal waters of self-defense. However, McCallister also seems to revel in his torment of two of the dumbest criminals alive, to the point that it could be accurately categorized as elder abusenot only does he light their heads on fire, he shatters their rib cages, lures them into a mildewed basement that has been converted into a torture chamber, and so on.

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You can scroll through countless Reddit threads and SEO-friendly law firm blogs adjudicating the extent of Kevins crimes, as well as the depths of his disconcerting psychopathic imagination. But on my most recent rewatch of Home Alonemy fiancee and I savoring the yuletide maiming of Joe Pesci, as we do every yearI found myself considering a different, and far more pressing ambiguity. Seriously, what kind of punishment would Kevins parents be facing? Theyre the real villains in this story! You cant just leave your 8-year-old at home for days on end and get away with it, right? Right?

In Home Alone, much effort is taken to concoct the precise combination of chaotic elements that could cause people like Kate and Peter McCallister to inadvertently abandon their youngest son during the Christmas holiday. (There are botched head counts, disposed plane tickets, and a breezy, extremely pre-9/11 airport security system all working to their disadvantage like a perfect storm.) Midway through their trans-Atlantic flight to Pariswhere the McCallisters have inexplicably decided to spend ChristmasKate realizes theyve made a horrible mistake. Kevin, it turns out, was forgotten. She immediately races back to Chicago by herselfPeter is a little, uh, checked outarriving three days later, on Christmas morning, hours after Kevin brutalized and humiliated the two home invaders. The film ends before any serious police investigation into the various vectors of child endangerment that occurred, and youre left believing that everyone in the McCallister family lived happily ever after. (Or, at least until the sequel.)

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Theres just one problem. Illinoiswhere Home Alone is setis one of the few states in the union that has a statute on the books outlining the exact parameters for what age a minor can be legally left under their own supervision without the parents facing charges for child neglect. The age is 14, which seems high! (Again, in the movie, Kevin is portrayed as a uniquely precocious 8-year-old.) So, by the letter of the law, Kate and Peter would be in hot water, because seriously, how do you board an airplane without being totally sure that your whole family is with you? Who does that?

However, Jonah Perlin, an associate professor of law at Georgetown University who graciously agreed to answer my questions, argues that the law is a bit more nuanced than it might seem. In particular, he points to a clause written in that Illinois statute stating that, in order for an incident of child abandonment to be considered a crime, the minor must be left alone for an unreasonable period of time without regard for [their] mental or physical health, safety, or welfare. Does an 8-year-old stranded in the comfort of his own home, regardless of the presence of a low-IQ Joe Pesci, represent an abdication of their safety? Thats the stuff that defense attorneys are paid to argue about, baby!

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Many states dont have a hard-and-fast law for this stuff, explained Perlin. They dont have a specific age cutoff, they just go by the circumstances. But the statute does grant leeway with the administrative language about the greater risk of harm.

With that in mind, it seems like Peter and Kate might actually be in good shape. They didnt leave Kevin locked in a hot car, or adrift at a Walmart, and their dereliction was the result of a genuine misadventure, rather than something sadder or weirder. At most, said Chuck Rohde, a lawyer in Illinois and a member of the Department of Children and Family Services, theyd be facing a misdemeanor offense and a stint of community serviceno prison time whatsoever. Most of these cases happen after Mom or Dad has to go to work and there are extenuating circumstances. There is even a first-offense probation for this statute, which is a slap on the wrist and parenting classes. They arent going to go to jail, said Rohde.

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Another factor working in the McCallister parents favor is theyand all five of their childrenare witnesses to an active breaking-and-entering crime scene. (Yes, most of the action in Home Alone occurs after Kevin is deserted, but eagle-eyed experts of the film will remember that Joe Pesci cases their house in the opening scenes, dressed as a fake police officer, right in front of Kevins parents.) This makes Kate and Peter valuable assets to the prosecution of the two burglars. You know what would disrupt those proceedings? A child endangerment hearing.

The prosecutors want them to be cooperative, said Rohde. They wouldnt want to drop the hammer on one of their key witnesses.

So there you have it. Despite leaving their youngest child alone at home for three straight days, Kevins parents are going to walk free, hopefully with a renewed sense of the meaning of Christmas. As for Home Alone 2? Well, the less said about that, the better.
At the beginning of the month, this local news clip started making the rounds online. It shows a woman in a courtroom, charged with a grim crime: abuse of a corpse. The corpse here, it was her own fetus. Brittany Watts is the woman facing these potential charges. She had a miscarriage at home. Suddenly, that information was very, very public. Watts looks frail and overwhelmed in front of the judge. Her lawyer rubs her back to comfort her.

Mary Ziegler is a law professor who has been following the Watts case closely. Shes written books like Roe: The History of a National Obsession and Reproduction and the Constitution in the United States. She says cases like this one will tell you a lot about how the limits of reproductive rights are being tested right now. Weve been promised by a lot of legislators that the laws are not intended to target women. But the visual of someone like Brittany Watts being prosecuted for something like this was pretty striking.

Abuse of a corpse, thats a felony in Ohio and could result in up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine, according to Ziegler. Its both pretty harsh and pretty unusual.

On Wednesdays episode of What Next, we looked at how the Brittany Watts case may be a new kind of template for anti-abortion activists. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mary Harris: The case against Brittany Watts is centered around what happened after she miscarried, in September. But the days leading up to that miscarriage are also really telling. Brittany Watts is 33 years old and works as a medical receptionist. She was just under 22 weeks pregnant when things started to go wrong. She went to the hospital complaining of pain and bleeding. Her medical records show that doctors deemed her pregnancy not viable. They said that if they didnt induce labor, Watts was at significant risk of death. But they werent sure if they could act. That meant Brittany Watts sat around for nearly eight hours while doctors debated whether they could perform the induction they said she needed.

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Mary Ziegler: The state of abortion law in Ohio is complicated. This was later in pregnancy, and the physicians werent sure if they provided her an induction whether that would count as an illegal abortion and they would face criminal consequences. So they went back and forth multiple times about whether they could intervene. And ultimately, Watts just went home because it didnt appear there was going to be any resolution anytime soon.

And as a woman whos been in the health care system, I understand that instinct. Youre stuck at a hospital, youre waiting, youre uncomfortable. It doesnt seem like anyones helping you. It seems like a pretty natural instinct to go home. But then, of course, that landed her in this situation where she miscarried there.

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Absolutely. And its worth emphasizing that there was no guarantee they were going to provide her an induction if she had stayed, because the reason the delay was occurring was not just ordinary health care bureaucracy. It was because they werent sure they could offer her an induction without violating the law.

Yeah. So she was really stuck.

She was. And then she delivered a fetus that was about 15 ounces over the toilet.

So less than a pound.

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Right. She didnt know what to do. She scooped out what she thought was clogging the toilet and placed some of it near the garage, then took a shower, then drove to a hair appointment, because she didnt want her mother to find out about this. The hairdresser was worried about hershe didnt look welland took her to the hospital. That was the fourth time shed been to the hospital that week.

Do we know how the police got involved in her case?

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We do. When Watts returned to the hospital, she was asked by a nurse, who had learned she had a miscarriage, where she had put the fetal remains. And the nurse reported that information to law enforcement, and law enforcement visited Watts at the hospitalwhile assuring her that she was not in troubleto investigate.

The police also went to her home to investigate, right?

They did. They went to her home to inspect the fetal remains. And they were probably also, although we cant be sure, looking for evidence that she had done something wrong to cause the miscarriage. At this point, no oneprosecutors, law enforcementis disputing that the miscarriage happened with no intervention by Watts. But they may have been looking for evidence to the contrary.

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So I guess you could maybe understand the motivation of the police here to make sure that Brittany Watts hadnt harmed a viable fetus. But they went pretty far. Like, they disassembled her toilet to look in her pipes and see what was there.

Even that is strange. I think the fact that Brittany Watts is a woman of color has everything to do with that, too. Because if we look at evidence collected by the group Pregnancy Justice, the overwhelming majority of people who were prosecuted in cases of pregnancy loss tend to be low-income people of color who have issues either with taking legal substances, like prescription drugs or alcohol, or illegal drugs. So, when a pregnancy loss looks suspicious to the police has everything to do with who the pregnant person is.

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She wasnt behaving in a way that prosecutors expected pregnant people to behave. The prosecutor sent a note to reporters essentially saying, She got rid of this baby and went on about her day like nothing had happened. She wasnt acting the way they expected while she was pregnant, and she wasnt acting the way they expected after she was pregnant. And likely her race and class, too, rendered her probably suspicious before anything even happened.

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If you miscarry at home, what are you supposed to do? Because it strikes me, of course, youre going to miscarry over the toilet and I dont know what youre supposed to do at that point if thats happening to you. And I assume Brittany Watts didnt know either.

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I dont think most people know. People have miscarriages at home all the time. And there is no standard guidance about what to do with fetal remains. There are different sources you could get guidance for this. Theres medical groups like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and their advice on what to do when youre miscarrying largely involves when you need to seek medical care, essentially when youre in danger.

Are the prosecutors saying what they think Brittany Watts should have done in this case? Ive heard them say that she shouldnt have gotten her hair done afterward or she shouldnt have flushed the toilet. But do they have a scenario that theyre saying, Well, this is obviously what should have happened instead?

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No, what you have is prosecutors essentially saying what should not have happened without offering any guidance on what should have happened. So, we can infer from that that they thought she shouldnt have flushed the toilet or gone to the hairdresser. Thats about all.

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What do we know about why the prosecutor decided to move forward here? Because it seems to me that this was a real choice. You can look at the same set of circumstances and make a different decision, I assume.

Absolutely. Prosecutors in general have a lot of discretion about how to proceed and what to prioritize, because no prosecutors office has unlimited time or money. So, the choice to focus on this case is about priorities. And this prosecutor believed that Brittany Watts case was a priority.

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Its interesting to me to hear their language now, the prosecutors, because theyre saying stuff like, The county was compelled to move forward once the case was bound over from municipal court. Theyre acting like their hands are tied a little bit here, but Im not actually sure thats true.

No. And when you read them talking about Watts case, the assistant prosecutor said something like, The issue isnt how the child died or when the child died. Its the fact that the baby was put into a toilet. That doesnt sound like their hands were tied. That sounds like a prosecutor that thought that a deep wrong was committedmore important than other crimes occurring in that districtthat deserved time and energy.

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When I watched footage from the courtroom, Brittany Watts attorney raised this question that I thought was so important: What constitutes a corpse? If a fetus hasnt taken a breath, is it a corpse that you can abuse? Which seems like an important question. Can you explain why thats so important?

Theres the basic legal point that Ohios law, like most statutes about abuse of a corpse, requires particular boxes be checked for a guilty verdict. The law says, No person, except as authorized by law, shall treat a human corpse in a way that would outrage reasonable community sensibilities. So, Watts attorney and really prosecutors, too, are fighting about the status of this fetus. Is this fetus a person and therefore a human corpse, or is the fetus not yet a rights-holding person, somehow just different from a corpse? And I dont think the law is clear about this in part because abuse of corpse laws were written a long time ago, largely to address grave robbing, not circumstances like this. So, theres an assertion of personhood on both sides thats at issue here.

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If this fetus is ruled as a corpse, what will that mean in a larger way?

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In a smaller picture way, itll mean that other people who miscarry and dont know what to do, like Brittany Watts, will potentially be more easily criminalized too. But that obviously has two purposes for the anti-abortion movement. One, it will further add a chilling effect to people who are unsure what they can and cannot do when it comes to abortion and pregnancy. And fear often renders people paralyzed.

Theres also a legal strategy at play here, which is to write the idea of fetal personhood into more and more areas of the law that are not abortion until abortion law looks like an outlier. If a fetus is a rights holder in every area of the law but abortion, its going to look weirder and weirder that the law doesnt treat that fetuses as a rights holder in the context of abortion. So this is a brick-by-brick strategy to change the way the law approaches fetal personhood.

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For years, even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, Id hear about cases like the one against Brittany Watts, women charged with causing their own miscarriages or not handling them appropriately. Im wondering if this one seems different to you for some reason or particularly notable.

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It does because, again, its the old fact pattern: low-income womenmostly women of color, but almost always low-income womenwho were being charged for essentially doing a bad job being pregnant and making risky decisions that ended a pregnancy. They were more abortion-adjacent. It was people being charged for pregnancy loss but not for abortion.

This is a case where everyone agrees that Brittany Watts did not cause the end of the pregnancy, and yet were seeing a prosecution anyway. So, were seeing this pursuit of fetal personhood spread and change and evolve. And thats really whats significant. This is not a case where were blaming someone for ending a pregnancy. This is a case where everyone agrees that the pregnancy was nonviable and nothing could be done. And yet were seeing these charges anyway.

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Youve said this is another brick in the wall for the anti-abortion movement trying to get fetal personhood on the agenda. How would this work?

The anti-abortion movement knows that if you just ask voters to recognize fetal personhood, its almost certainly not going to work. Weve seen voters at the polls choose abortion rights over and over again, and fetal personhood would go considerably further than a lot of the bans we already see on the books in states. So when anti-abortion activists are making this argument, theyre really directing it either toward state legislators or to judges.

Basically ignoring the voters.

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Essentially doing an end run around voters. And what they want ideally is to create what looks like a groundswell of cases to say, Look, other judges in other courts in other places are recognizing fetal personhood in all of these contexts. So surely you, the conservative Supreme Court, should revisit this question. They see this as a long-term project. If getting rid of Roe was the last big project, this is the next big project. They really are proceeding stepwise, case by case. I dont know if they know how many Britany Wattses its going to take, but we can predict that theyll be in it for as long as it takes. It took them half a century to get rid of Roe, and theyll stay in it to achieve fetal personhood at least that long.

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Im glad you brought up voters, because part of what makes Brittany Watts case so striking to me is that she had her miscarriage in September. And this was just as the state of Ohio, where she was, was gearing up for a big election about abortion. And in fact, in November, voters chose to amend the state constitution to protect an individuals right to make and carry out ones own reproductive decisions. What does it tell you that this case is moving forward in the courts at the same time that voters are saying they want women to be able to seek whatever reproductive health care they need?

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It tells you, again, that there are lawmakers and prosecutors who have a strong sense that fetal personhood is a moral principle that trumps what voters want. And thats revealing because what happened to Brittany Watts, if you put that question to voters, you would get even more support for mercy for Brittany Watts than you would for a state constitutional abortion right. Because, again, Brittany Watts wasnt even making a reproductive decision. She didnt even have the ability to make a reproductive decision because her miscarriage happened with no say-so from her at all.

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So, this is a reminder that as much as one of the stories post-Dobbs has been voters weighing in on the side of abortion rights, voters views wont always carry the day. There are power levers in this country that are pretty insulated from political pressure. This seems to be a good example of that.

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The one thing I cant stop thinking about, about Brittany Watts case, is how alone she seemed to be at every turn and how the law actually made it more likely that she would be alone, whether she was in the hospital in terrible pain, about to miscarry a child and left alone for hours on end while the doctors were tied up discussing whether they could even help herthat made her alone. And then she went home, and she had this miscarriage. And when she sought care, she was being prosecuted for it. It just seems like the law is actually creating situations where its hard to know where a woman in crisis can turn.

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Its a situation where the law is actually creating crises. Imagine you are someone like Brittany Watts and maybe youre pregnant and maybe youre afraid. What message does this send? The message this sends is dont tell your health care provider, dont trust law enforcement, because if you do, theyre coming for you. And we already know in the United States that we have, embarrassingly, really grievously high rates of maternal mortality, particularly in communities of color. And cases like this one not only render people like Brittany Watts alone, they endanger them. They create incentives for them to avoid prenatal care they need both to avoid pregnancy loss and to avoid morbidity and mortality.
Donald Trump is an astoundingly dangerous candidate for president. He is a pathological liar, with clear authoritarian instincts. Were he elected to a second term, the damage he would do to the institutions of our republic is profound. His reelection would be worse than any political event in the history of America  save the decision of South Carolina to launch the Civil War.

That fact has motivated many decent lawyers and law professors to scramble for ways to ensure that Trump is not elected. On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court gave these lawyers new hope by declaring that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment bars Donald Trump from the Colorado ballot. That decision will certainly reach the United States Supreme Court as quickly as any. And if that court is to preserve its integrity, it must, unanimously, reject the Colorado Supreme Courts judgment. Because Section 3 of the 14th Amendment does not apply to Donald Trump.

The puzzle in Section 3 is that it seems as if the framers of that text were just sloppy in their enumeration. The clause bars insurgents from being a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or [to] hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State. The obvious question is why they would enumerate Senator or Representative  not to mention elector of President  but not the president.

Defenders of the Section 3 argument suggest this was a mere drafting error but that the clause applies to the president nonetheless, since the president occupies an office  under the United States. And in any case, these lawyers argue, it would be absurd to read the clause to apply to every elected official, including electors for president, but not the president.

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Related From Slate The Fate of Jack Smiths Election Case Is in Limbo Read More

Law professor Kurt Lash has shown that the crafting of Section 3 to omit the president was not an oversight. As his work shows, an earlier draft of the clause expressly mentioned the president; that mention was removed. And many (digital) trees have been felled to address a related issue: Whether the president is properly described as occupying an office of the United States? At best, that work is ambiguous, though the Colorado Supreme Court made a strong argument that the president is.

But what is not ambiguous is whether it would be absurd to exclude the president from the reach of Section 3: because it is plainly not absurd. Indeed, excluding the president and vice president from the scope of the clause makes perfect sense.

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Lash argues that it could make sense because the framers of that clause likely expected it to apply to Civil War insurrectionists alone. No one, he argues, feared an insurrectionist presidential candidate after 1865. What they feared was insurrectionists in Congress. Other parts of the 14th Amendment are plausibly read as targeting the Civil War alone. This clause, on that understanding, could be so read as well.

But even if one assumes that Section 3 was meant to be prospective, there is an obvious reason why the only two nationally elected officers would be excluded from its reach. It took mere moments after the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling to see why, as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened to remove President Joe Biden from the Texas ballot as retribution. You see, with every other officer excluded under the provision, the state official or state court effecting that exclusion would feel the political costs of their decision alone. If the Missouri secretary of state decides that Josh Hawley was an insurrectionist  for both advancing a plainly illegal theory under which Congress could reverse the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, and for rallying the rioters on Jan. 6 with his now-infamous salute  then Missouri and its voters will bear the political costs of that decision alone. Its act would not impose a cost on other states. But if state officials from blue states can remove red state candidates, or vice versa, that state bears no cost. Instead, it gains a political victory. In the language of economics, the decision imposes an externality on the nation, which is exactly the kind of decision that states alone should not be making for other states. Such behavior is obvious to lead to a tit for tat and a breakdown of our entire electoral system.

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All this will be enough for the Supreme Court to see why there is no argument from absurdity that justifies stretching the words of the 14th Amendment to cover this extreme case. It also suggests the wisdom in the compromise of including elector of President in the list of excluded officers. For this language makes clear that the framers of the 14th Amendment  like the framers of the 12th Amendment  expected electors to exercise judgment. In this case, the framers decided simply to ensure that the people who would elect the president were not themselves insurrectionists. But if these noninsurrectionists themselves decided to support a candidate who was, that judgment, those framers plainly believed, was a judgment properly vested in them. Better that the college called into being for the sole purpose of selecting a president decide the matter than for sitting politicians or state officials.

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These considerations will lead the Supreme Court to reject Colorados judgment. For the sake of the institutional integrity of the Supreme Court, I hope it rejects the judgment unanimously. One does not need to like Donald Trump in order to see that the law does not preclude him from being a candidate. Or at least, such must be true, if the rule of law is indeed about law, and not about this awful man.

No doubt, and again, electing Trump would be the worst political decision of the nation since the Civil War. But excluding him, wrongfully, by a close vote of the Supreme Court could well trigger the next Civil War. We must defeat him politicallynot through clever lawyer interpretations of ambiguous constitutional texts.
Nearly 75 percent of gangsters rounded up during a monthslong police crackdown were between their teens and 30s, officials said Wednesday, suggesting a growing number of young gangsters in the country.

The National Office of Investigation said they have booked 1,183 gangsters, up 44.6 percent from the same period a year ago, and formally arrested 189 of them during the four-month crackdown that began in August.

Police have also confiscated the proceeds of 5.46 billion won ($4.2 million) from the crime before indictment, over threefold the amount collected last year.

When categorized by age group, 888 people were found to be in their 10s, 20s or 30s, followed by 210 people, or 17.8 percent of them, in their 40s and 85 people, or 7.2 percent, in their 50s.

Of them, 509 people, or 43 percent of the total, were found to be ex-convicts with over nine offenses, and 432 people, equivalent to 36.4 percent, ranged from first offenders to those with up to four offenses.

The gangsters mostly committed crimes in the form of business, including phone scams and by operating gambling sites, amounting to 44 percent of the total, followed by violence or extortion targeting citizens, which stood at 26.1 percent, and 21.5 percent were caught joining or engaging in gang groups.

"The young gangsters showed a high tendency to be nabbed for forming a new gang or engaging in existing ones among other crimes," the National Police Agency said, vowing to enhance their investigative capacity to counter various types of group violence centered on young gangsters. (Yonhap)
Anxiety, depression, and stress have become common in everyday modern life, impacting relationships, families, communities, and even the workplace. In fact, mental health problems have an impact on employers and businesses directly through increased absenteeism, and a negative impact on productivity and profits. According to Mental health America (MHA), managing stress and balancing professional and personal demands continues to be a prominent issue for employees.

In 2021, some 80% of employees agreed that the stress from work affects their relationships with friends, family, and co-workers. A further 71% of employees say that they find it difficult to concentrate at work -up by 6% from 2020. Very often anxiety manifests itself in the form of increased heart rate, rapid breathing, restlessness, trouble concentrating, insomnia, and others.

If you experience some of these symptoms perhaps you might want to seek help from a trained mental health professional. But in the meantime, you might consider trying out some mental health apps to help relieve your anxiety.

What is an Anxiety App?

Anxiety apps are tools that help users focus on improving different aspects of their mental health and well-being. They employ a variety of behavioral exercises and relaxation techniques to help you break free from anxious thoughts and feelings. These may include meditation sessions, calming tracks, breathing exercises, mood monitors, sleep therapy, goal setting, courses, and more. With anxiety apps, all you need is your mobile device and a few minutes to focus. Anxiety apps not only help you overcome panic attacks but also help you receive therapy in the comfort of your own home. They make it easier for people to reach out for help and are easily accessible for anyone trying to cope with mental health problems.

Why You Should Download an Anxiety App

Anxiety apps can help you find the right mental health services that suit your needs. They also can help ease any apprehensions when it comes to seeking to address a mental health issue in person. There are many potential benefits of using anxiety apps for alleviating depression and anxiety and including:

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Affordability: Unlike therapy with a mental health professional anxiety apps come at a relatively low price. However, they may not be the best substitute for treatment if you are dealing with anxiety at work or serious mental health issues.

Unlike therapy with a mental health professional anxiety apps come at a relatively low price. However, they may not be the best substitute for treatment if you are dealing with anxiety at work or serious mental health issues. Supplement existing therapy: Anxiety apps can supplement treatment as they help to offer compliance to routine treatment through worksheets and tools.

Anxiety apps can supplement treatment as they help to offer compliance to routine treatment through worksheets and tools. Convenience: Anxiety apps come in the palm of your hands making it easy for you to access some tools to help you cope with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. They also offer convenient ways of practicing strategies learned in face-to-face therapies and include reminders that can be set to increase treatment and continuation of therapy.

Anxiety apps come in the palm of your hands making it easy for you to access some tools to help you cope with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. They also offer convenient ways of practicing strategies learned in face-to-face therapies and include reminders that can be set to increase treatment and continuation of therapy. Gathering data and trends: Some anxiety apps can generate data through graphs or tables showing improvements or areas that need improvement. This can help therapists determine which interventions are working best and which ones should be changed.

Benefits of Using Anxiety Apps Description Affordability Anxiety apps are generally more cost-effective than traditional therapy, making them an affordable option for mental health support. However, they may not be suitable for severe mental health issues. Supplementing Existing Therapy These apps can complement existing therapy by offering tools and worksheets that enhance the effectiveness of routine treatments. Convenience Anxiety apps provide easy access to tools for coping with depression, anxiety, and insomnia, right at your fingertips. They also facilitate practicing strategies learned in face-to-face therapy and offer reminders for treatment continuity. Gathering Data and Trends Some anxiety apps can generate valuable data in the form of graphs or tables, showing improvements and areas that require attention. This data can assist therapists in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and making necessary adjustments.

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Choosing an Anxiety App: Our Methodology

When it comes to selecting an anxiety app, its crucial to consider various factors that cater to their specific needs and well-being. Here are the key criteria we take into account, with each rated on a scale from one to five, with five representing the most crucial elements:

Effectiveness (Importance: 5/5): The primary criterion is the apps ability to effectively help manage and reduce anxiety. Its track record in aiding anxiety relief is paramount. User-Friendly Interface (Importance: 4/5): A simple and intuitive user interface ensures that users can easily navigate the app and access anxiety-relief tools when needed. Accessibility (Importance: 4/5): The app should be readily available on both iOS and Android platforms, making it accessible to a wide range of users. Evidence-Based Techniques (Importance: 5/5): The apps anxiety management techniques should be grounded in evidence-based practices, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or mindfulness. Customization (Importance: 3/5): The ability to customize anxiety-relief exercises and strategies allows users to tailor their experience to their unique needs. Offline Access (Importance: 3/5): The app should offer offline access to anxiety relief tools, ensuring users can use them even without an internet connection. Privacy and Data Security (Importance: 4/5): Ensuring user data privacy and security is essential, especially when dealing with sensitive mental health information. Community and Support (Importance: 3/5): Features that facilitate connecting with a supportive community or accessing professional support can be beneficial. Cost (Importance: 2/5): The apps pricing structure should be reasonable and align with the users budget, with free or affordable options available. Reviews and Ratings (Importance: 4/5): Checking user reviews and ratings can provide insights into the apps effectiveness and user satisfaction.

Criteria Description Importance (out of 5) Effectiveness The app's ability to effectively help manage and reduce anxiety should be a top priority, with a track record of proven anxiety relief. 5 User-Friendly Interface An intuitive and user-friendly interface ensures ease of navigation and access to anxiety-relief tools when needed. 4 Accessibility Ensure the app is available on both iOS and Android platforms to cater to a wider audience of users. 4 Evidence-Based Techniques The app's anxiety management techniques should be grounded in evidence-based practices, such as CBT or mindfulness. 5 Customization Customizable anxiety-relief exercises and strategies allow users to tailor their experience to their unique needs. 3 Offline Access The app should offer offline access to anxiety relief tools, ensuring usability even without an internet connection. 3 Privacy and Data Security Ensuring user data privacy and security is crucial, especially when dealing with sensitive mental health information. 4 Community and Support Features that enable users to connect with a supportive community or access professional support can be highly beneficial. 3 Cost The app's pricing structure should be reasonable and budget-friendly, with options that suit users' financial constraints. 2 Reviews and Ratings Checking user reviews and ratings provides insights into the app's effectiveness and user satisfaction, helping in decision-making. 4

Best Free Apps for Anxiety

If you need help coping with anxiety, depression or insomnia try one of the free anxiety apps below:

1. Mindshift

MindShift CBT helps users manage their anxiety and stress using effective, evidence-based anxiety management strategies based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This free self-help anxiety relief app helps to reduce stress, learn more about anxiety, develop more effective ways of thinking, be mindful, and relax. It comes with a user-friendly intuitive design, tools based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed for anxiety relief and self-management; daily check-in to keep track of your anxiety levels and mood tracking; facts and tips to overcome general worry, social anxiety, perfectionism, panic attack, and phobias; goal setting tools to keep users accountable; coping cards and statements to help users deal with anxiety; guided relaxation and mindfulness meditations; tips and tricks for incorporating healthy habits into your life and minimizing anxiety naturally; the ability to share data to streamline sessions with your counselor, therapist, or psychologist; and more.

Available on: iOS and Android.

2. Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is a free app for meditation and mindfulness developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to users lives. The user-friendly interface is designed to assist people in dealing with the pressure, stress, and challenges of daily life. It has dedicated sleep programs for adults, teens, and even kids. The app offers guided meditations that help users wind down at night to assist with both getting to sleep and improving overall sleep quality. It also touts being able to help increase productivity and attention; help in anxiety reduction and stress management; offer clearer and more focused thinking; and increased positive emotion, life satisfaction, and self-esteem beyond the workplace.

Available on: iOS and Android.

3. Dare: Panic & Anxiety Relief

Dare app offers users an interactive experience that helps users overcome anxiety, panic attacks, worry, and insomnia. It comes with evidence-based information on anxiety, panic attacks and other topics. It has exercises to help users work through their anxieties and offers several meditations too. Users can also download the free audio guides to help them meditate and tackle insomnia. In addition to its free version, its robust paid subscription comes at a price tag of $9.99 a month.

Available on: iOS and Android.

4. Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help

Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help app helps users monitor and manage symptoms of panic. The app includes articles about anxiety and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and includes effective tools for relaxation, mindfulness, and teaching audios. With it, users have access to a mood log and analysis, cognitive diary, healthy goals, and more.

Available on: Android.

5. Bearable

Bearable is a simple, customizable health tracker that helps users track trends and patterns in relation to their mood, and symptoms through the use of calendars and graphs. With it, users can understand the impact of different treatments and medications on health issues such as anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, and mood disorders. Users can also use Bearable to identify triggers, find the cause of flare-ups, help with medical appointments, manage existing health conditions, and to understand correlations between their habits and health. Users can customize reminders for diary entries, medication, and more while being able to sync their health data from Apple Health and Apple Health Kit. The free version comes with a basic version while subscriptions start at $4.49/month,

Available on: iOS and Android.

6. Shine

Shine app can help you start your mental wellness through daily meditation and Self-Care Courses. It helps users to log and track their mood, get support from a diverse community, and explore an audio library of over 800 meditations, bedtime stories, and calming sounds to help you shift your mindset or mood. Its free version offers daily meditations, a daily article and the ability to log your gratitude its more robust paid version comes with a $14.99 a month subscription.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Best Apps for Anxiety Disorders (Paid)

If you are relooking for anxiety apps that offer robust features and enhanced tools you might want to look towards paid apps where you pay upfront for the app or through subscriptions. Below are our picks of best-paid anxiety apps:

7. Calm App

Calm is an easy-to-use meditation app that helps to relieve anxiety. It achieves this by offering nature sounds and sleep stories to help users get into a relaxed sleep. The app is designed to cater to anyone, whether youre new to meditation or a seasoned expert. Its also for anyone who needs a mental break, a soothing sound, or a peaceful nights rest. It comes with guided meditations that are available in lengths of three to 25 minutes. Additional features include sleep stories narrated by well-known voices like Matthew McConaughey, a music library with exclusive tracks from top artists like Keith Urban and Disney, short videos with mindful movement and gentle stretching for every body type and Masterclasses taught by world-renowned experts in the field of mindfulness, soundscapes and nature sounds to use during meditation or to help you sleep, breathing exercises to help you relax, and more.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: Calm comes with a $6.99 a month subscription while with the free version, the app offers a limited number of guided exercises and meditative audio to help relieve stress.

8. Sanvello

Sanvello formerly known as Pacifica is a health and wellness app that focuses on stress, anxiety, and depression. Users journey with Sanvello journey is customizable meaning the app checks in with how youre feeling so you can track your emotions and progress over time. As patterns are identified, Sanvello will provide customized tools, rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy, to keep you on the path to feeling better. The app focuses on mindfulness and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and comes with audio exercises that focus on meditation, deep breathing, and other activities. Users can also access tools that include a mood tracker, daily challenges, goal tracking, and a health tracker.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: Sanvello comes with a $3.99 monthly subscription while offering a limited free version.

9. Insight Timer  Meditation App

Insight Timer app offers meditation solutions to calm the mind, reduce anxiety, manage stress, sleep deeply and improve happiness. It comes with free guided meditations for both beginners and experienced practitioners. It also offers short meditation sessions when you are on the go, helping you to build a daily habit in addition to thousands of music tracks and ambient sounds to calm the mind, focus, sleep better and relax. This app also offers statistics and milestones for tracking your progress.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: Insight Premium Meditation comes with a $9.99 monthly subscription while offering a free version as well.

10. InnerHour

The InnerHour app is created by mental health professionals that offer a self-help tool, which provides users with a digital experience of therapy. The easy-to-use app has specific programs to help with worry, stress, sleeplessness, depression, and anger. It comes with self-help courses on depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, stress, anger, and happiness. Users can also access therapists through the app.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: InnerHour comes with a $4.99 monthly subscription while offering a limited free version.

11. HeadSpace

The headspace app helps users to meditate and sleep soundly. It offers guides on how to practice mindfulness in your everyday life. With it, you learn how to relax, manage stress, and focus your energy to become more centered and well-rested. Its features include daily meditations, sleep meditations, stress relief, coping meditations, and more. It offers over 40 effective meditation courses on topics that include stress and sleep

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: Headspace comes with a $12.99 a month subscription while offering a seven-day free trial.

12. BetterMe: Mental Health

BetterMe mediation app helps users by offering simple meditations and guided courses for mental well-being. The app is a product of a collaboration with mental health specialists to offer tools and coping strategies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you tune in to the world surrounding you. The tools available include guided meditations, stress-relief practices, breathwork, and sleep meditations.

Available on: iOS and Android.

Pricing: BetterMe comes with a $9.99 a month subscription while offering a free version as well.

Take Steps to Improve Your Mental Health Today

Mental health issues are a very serious matter, as they affect how we think, feel, and behave in our daily life. They also affect our ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and deal with lifes setbacks. Strong mental health isnt simply about the absence of mental health problems but also about being emotionally resilient.

Emotionally and mentally resilient people can cope with difficult situations and maintain a positive outlook. This helps them remain focused, flexible, and productive during both good and bad times. Mental health is not only about mental health issues such as generalized anxiety disorder or elevated anxiety levels but also about making continuous improvements on how we deal with issues and strive to be better versions of ourselves

Speaking to a Mental Health Professional

If you regularly have anxious thoughts or experience anxiety symptoms seeking the help of a mental health professional can help you better understand yourself, your feelings, and generally make sense of everything going on in your life and how that makes you feel. They can also help you resolve complicated feelings or find ways to cope with them.

What is the best app for anxiety?

Calm is considered the best app for anxiety. It helps tackle insomnia that comes with feeling anxious. Through its sleep, meditation, relaxation and other tools Calm helps you not only deal with anxiety but remain productive and emotionally resilient.

Is there an app for people with social anxiety?

Headspace can help people deal with social anxiety. It offers guides on how to practice mindfulness in your everyday life. With it, you learn how to relax, manage stress, and focus your energy to become more centered and well-rested.

Is there a free app to help with anxiety?

MindShift helps users manage anxiety and stress using evidence-based anxiety management strategies based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This free self-help anxiety relief app helps to reduce stress, learn more about anxiety, develop more effective ways of thinking, be mindful, and relax.

What is a good game for anxiety?

SuperBetter is an app designed by Jane McGonigal and is inspired by her book SuperBetter. It helps to incorporate Role Playing Gaming (RPG) in real life to address challenges such as anxiety, depression insomnia, willpower, and others by offering activities to do to overcome them.
Bagels have a long history in the United States. Theyve been around since the late 19th century when Eastern European immigrants arrived in New York City. Today, its a multibillion-dollar industry.

New York City remains the bagel capital of the country. The majority of franchise opportunities started in New York before spreading to other states. The food franchises are well known by both locals and visitors.

As an industry category, bagel franchises are often lumped in with donut franchises but for purposes of the list below, we separated them.

Selecting the Perfect Bagel Franchise: Our Methodology

When it comes to breakfast or a quick, delicious snack, bagels have become a beloved staple for many. If youre considering the entrepreneurial path of owning a bagel franchise, youre in for a treat. Bagel franchises offer the opportunity to deliver mouthwatering delights to your community while running a thriving business. But how do you pick the best one from the sea of options available? Weve ranked these criteria on a scale of importance, using a 1-10 rating scale, with 10 being the highest importance and 1 being the lowest.

Lets take a look at the criteria we used when creating our list of the top bagel franchises:

Taste and Quality of Bagels (Rating: 10/10) The taste and quality of the bagels should be exceptional, as its the core product and a key factor in attracting and retaining customers. Brand Reputation and Recognition (Rating: 9/10) A well-established and recognized brand is crucial for drawing customers. Brand reputation often aligns with product quality. Location and Foot Traffic (Rating: 9/10) Selecting the right location with high foot traffic is vital for success. Its equally crucial as brand reputation because it directly impacts visibility and sales. Menu Variety and Customization (Rating: 8/10) Offering a diverse menu with customization options can enhance the customer experience and cater to various preferences. Franchise Fees and Costs (Rating: 7/10) The financial aspect is important, but its not as vital as taste, location, and brand. Consider initial franchise fees, ongoing royalties, and startup costs. Marketing and Advertising Support (Rating: 7/10) Effective marketing support from the franchisor can significantly boost brand visibility and customer acquisition. Supplier Relationships (Rating: 6/10) Maintaining reliable and cost-effective supplier relationships is significant but slightly less crucial than core factors. Training and Support (Rating: 6/10) Comprehensive training and ongoing support from the franchisor are essential but not as high-priority as core elements. Equipment and Technology (Rating: 5/10) Proper equipment and technology matter for efficient operations but rank lower in importance compared to others. Community Involvement (Rating: 4/10) Engaging with the local community can be beneficial, but its not as critical as the core factors.

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Bagel Franchise Opportunities

Here are the best bagel franchise businesses for aspiring entrepreneurs to consider:

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels

The Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise may be the largest, with more than 300 franchises in 27 states. So theres tons of brand recognition in high quality locations throughout the country. The Einstein Bagel franchise also includes made-to-order sandwiches and extravagant desserts.

As with others in the bagel business. specialty coffee is a mainstay of the menu. Einsteins is called Darn Good Coffee (because it is). Einstein also offers catering.

This food franchise is looking to expand. The franchise fee is $35,000.

2. Manhattan Bagel

This bagel business is also owned by the Einstein Bros. Bagels parent company. The franchise opportunity includes locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Manhattan Bagel specializes in the traditional NYC bagel, with boil and bake style preparation. The business also offers specialty sandwiches, all made with quality ingredients.

Manhattan has been offering franchise opportunities since 1987. The franchise fee is $25,000.

3. Big Apple Bagels

No mention of Big Apple Bagels is complete with the inclusion of My Favorite Muffin, which is part of the menu offerings. Big Apple keeps the quality food franchise offerings varied with specialty sandwiches and salads.

Compliment any menu choice with the Big Apple signature Brewsters brand coffee. The franchise fee is $25,000.

4. NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop

Since 1995, the NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop has been offering franchise opportunities in the New York and New Jersey areas.

The signature touch of the NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop business is in the preparation. The bagels are made, then left to ferment for 12 hours. After the 12 hours have passed, the bagel is boiled.

A NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop franchise opportunity is available in those base states, and the business is likely to expand. As many of the franchises do  and its obvious in the name  the fare includes a sandwich shop.

The NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop franchise fee is $29,500.

Related: Sandwich Franchises

5. Brooklyn Water Bagel

You may wonder  why is Water in the name of this business? Thats because the ingredients include special, proprietary water. Brooklyn Water Bagel uses an old-world recipe to provide quality menu items and a memorable brand experience.

The business has been franchising since 2011, with a franchise fee of $35,000.

6. Shmagels

Shmagels is hugely popular with residents and visitors to Ocean City, Maryland. There are two Shmagels in Ocean City, and the company is seeking to expand.

Shmagels is advertising that the company is actively seeking to expand.

7. Between Rounds

Between Rounds is a bakery cafe and bagel shop. The company launched in Connecticut in 1992.

Between Rounds is known for the modern, comfortable interior of its shops, and also for offering drive-thru services. Like Shmagels, Between Rounds is seeking to expand.

The franchise fee ranges from $22,500 to $25,000.

The Rise of Specialty Bagels: A Trend to Embrace

In recent years, the bagel industry has witnessed a surge in specialty and artisanal bagels. These unique creations go beyond the traditional plain or everything bagel, offering customers an array of flavors and textures. As an aspiring bagel franchise owner, embracing this trend can set your business apart and attract a broader customer base.

Heres why specialty bagels are a trend worth considering:

Diverse Menu Appeal: Specialty bagels allow you to cater to a more diverse customer base with varying tastes. Whether its a blueberry bagel for a touch of sweetness or a jalapeno cheddar bagel for a spicy kick, these options expand your menus appeal. Creativity and Innovation: The possibilities with specialty bagels are endless. You can experiment with unique ingredients and toppings, creating signature bagels that become customer favorites. Think outside the box and collaborate with your franchisor to develop exclusive recipes. Upselling Opportunities: Specialty bagels often command higher prices, providing an opportunity to increase your average transaction value. Customers are willing to pay more for a gourmet or artisanal experience, boosting your revenue. Customer Engagement: Introducing limited-time or seasonal specialty bagels can generate excitement and anticipation among your customer base. It encourages repeat visits and engagement on social media platforms as customers share their discoveries. Competitive Edge: Embracing the specialty bagel trend can give you a competitive edge in your market. While traditional bagels are beloved, offering something unique can help you stand out and draw customers away from competitors.

Criteria Description Taste and Quality of Bagels Exceptional taste and quality are paramount for customer satisfaction. Brand Reputation and Recognition A well-established brand often aligns with product quality and attracts customers. Location and Foot Traffic Selecting the right location with high foot traffic is vital for visibility and sales. Menu Variety and Customization Offering diverse menu options with customization enhances the customer experience. Franchise Fees and Costs Consider initial franchise fees, ongoing royalties, and startup costs. Marketing and Advertising Support Effective marketing support can boost brand visibility and customer acquisition. Supplier Relationships Maintaining reliable and cost-effective supplier relationships is significant for consistent operations. Training and Support Comprehensive training and ongoing support from the franchisor ensure smooth operations. Equipment and Technology Proper equipment and technology matter for efficient operations but rank lower in importance. Community Involvement Engaging with the local community can be beneficial but is not as critical as core factors.

How Much Does a Bagel Franchise Cost?

The franchise fee is typically from $25,000 to $35,000. Although that is affordable, the cost of the initial investment can range from $200,000 to $800,000. The investment includes brick and mortar, purchase of real estate and equipment, purchase of inventory and more.

The NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop has one of the lowest startup costs at $120,000. But this is a base cost in the industry, with many other factors at play.

Are bagel shops for sale? Yes. There are business opportunities to purchase already-established franchises. For an additional investment, the franchisee may purchase a multi-unit business.

Are bagel shops profitable?

Franchisors require that an applicant have a significant net worth, typically from $500,000 to $800,000. Bagel franchises are plums in the franchise world, and franchisors want to make sure they are connecting with the best owners.

The best owners are the ones who already have proven their ability to make money. That is proven by their net worth. Although the start-up costs are high, the return on investment for that type of franchise is also high.

How much does a bagel shop make a year?

Lets say you put up $300,000 in total cost including the franchise fee, to open the business. You should be able to make that back in two years.

BUT, its all about location. How can you make money selling a $2 product? That depends on the number of customers you sell it to, in a day, week, month and year. If you dont open in a good location, simply put, youre not going to make money.

From 2002 to 2016, revenues for coffee and snack shops doubled. Things were booming. The businesses that adapted to a changing market remained profitable. Those businesses offered Vegan, nut-free and gluten-free choices.

Why choose a bagel franchise?

Theres a whole lot to love about a bagel franchise.

For someone interested in buying a franchise in the restaurant industry, the bagel franchise offers a great place to start. Here are some reasons why:

The menu is simpler, in comparison to a typical restaurant. Most businesses in the bagel franchise industry also include a sandwich shop with a varied menu.

The store hours are better. Most franchises close by 3 p.m. daily. Thats because they typically offer breakfast and lunch only, with lunch being offerings from a typical sandwich shop. Some advertise the additional offerings in the business name, such as the NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop.

You wont need as many employees, most often from 7 to 12. The dining atmosphere is casual and friendly.

Inventive creativity is possible, not just the common NYC bagel. Why, what about the Chorizo Sunrise? Thats Chorizo sausage, avocado, pepper jack cheese with a jalapeno salsa smear, on a green chili gourmet bagel. (You can get that at Einstein Brothers Bagels.) Bagel choices have come a long way since the standard NYC bagel.

The varieties are endless. Also endless are the opportunities for creative twists on the historic NYC bagel. The tasty doughy circle was everybodys favorite quick, light meal. It wasnt long before franchises like the NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop took things to the next level. To the original tasty treat, they added sandwiches, specialty coffee, gourmet coffees, and more.
To ensure the integrity of the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is initiating a comprehensive crackdown on erroneous claims. More than 20,000 disallowance letters are being sent out to taxpayers with disallowed ERC claims. This action targets entities that are either non-existent during the eligible period or without paid employees as part of the effort to curb improper ERC payments.

The IRSs decision to intensify scrutiny on ERC claims comes in response to misleading marketing campaigns that have targeted small businesses and other organizations. The agencys current initiative includes a special withdrawal program for those with pending claims who now realize their tax returns may have been inaccurately filed. Additionally, a forthcoming voluntary disclosure program will offer a pathway for those who received questionable payments to rectify their situation and avoid future IRS actions.

Danny Werfel, IRS Commissioner, expressed concern over the aggressive marketing tactics seen around the credit, leading to claims that starkly deviate from legal requirements. The action we are taking today is part of an initial set of steps in our compliance work in this area, and more letters will be going out in the near future, including both disallowance letters and letters seeking the return of funds erroneously claimed and received, Werfel stated.

The IRS emphasizes that the disallowance letters aim to protect taxpayers from audits, repayment demands, penalties, and interest. These letters also prevent incorrect refunds from reaching ERC promoters and conserve IRS resources by intercepting incorrect credits before they enter the audit process.

Taxpayers receiving the disallowance letter, designated as Letter 105 C, Claim Disallowed, can respond with supporting documentation if they disagree with the disallowance. This group of letters focuses on two primary issues: entities not in existence during the eligibility period and those without paid employees during that time.

The IRS has also announced plans for additional letters and is finalizing a special voluntary disclosure program involving ERC claims. This move aims to offer a proactive solution for those who have erroneously claimed the credit.

In light of this development, the IRS is also continuing its moratorium on processing new ERC claims through at least the end of 2023, following concerns about aggressive ERC marketing from tax professionals and others. The agency warns taxpayers to be cautious before applying for the ERC and to consult with a trusted tax professional regarding their eligibility.

Small Business Deals

For more information on ERC eligibility, taxpayers are advised to refer to the ERC frequently asked questions and the ERC Eligibility Checklist, available as an interactive tool or a printable guide.

This IRS action reflects a commitment to safeguarding the integrity of tax programs and protecting businesses and organizations from the repercussions of dubious claims. By ensuring only eligible entities benefit from the ERC, the IRS aims to uphold the programs purpose: to support businesses that continued paying employees during the COVID-19 pandemic amidst operational challenges.
Social media marketing stands as a key component for business success. Its dynamic nature constantly evolves, offering new avenues for businesses to connect with their audience. Particularly for small enterprises, mastering social media marketing can be a game-changer. It opens doors to wider audiences, fosters brand loyalty, and drives sales. These 25 social media marketing tips will help you get on that path.

Why a Business Needs a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Crafting a successful social media marketing strategy is no longer optional for businesses; its a necessity. A well-defined marketing strategy serves as a roadmap, guiding businesses in navigating the complex and ever-changing social media landscape. It ensures that every post, reply, like and comment serves a purpose, contributing to the broader business objectives.

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How can robust social media marketing strategies benefit small businesses? Consider the following advantages:

Alignment with Business Goals : A social media strategy ensures that every online action aligns with the businesss overall objectives. This alignment helps in focusing efforts and resources on activities that drive real business results.

: A social media strategy ensures that every online action aligns with the businesss overall objectives. This alignment helps in focusing efforts and resources on activities that drive real business results. Consistent Brand Messaging : Its crucial to maintain a consistent brand voice across all platforms. A strategy helps in crafting messages that resonate with the brands values and ethos, ensuring a uniform brand experience for the audience.

: Its crucial to maintain a consistent brand voice across all platforms. A strategy helps in crafting messages that resonate with the brands values and ethos, ensuring a uniform brand experience for the audience. Effective Engagement with Target Audience : Understanding and engaging with the target audience is key. A strategy allows businesses to tailor their content and interactions to meet the specific needs and interests of their audience.

: Understanding and engaging with the target audience is key. A strategy allows businesses to tailor their content and interactions to meet the specific needs and interests of their audience. Increased Brand Visibility : Regular and strategic social media activity boosts brand visibility. It helps in reaching new audiences and keeping the brand top-of-mind among existing customers.

: Regular and strategic social media activity boosts brand visibility. It helps in reaching new audiences and keeping the brand top-of-mind among existing customers. Measurable Results: A strategic approach to social media enables businesses to set measurable goals and track progress. This data-driven approach aids in refining tactics and improving ROI over time.

25 Essential Tips for an Effective Social Media Strategy

In the realm of digital marketing, social media stands as a powerful tool for businesses. To effectively harness its potential, its crucial to implement a variety of strategies. Keep reading as we take your through 25 essential social media tips for small businesses.

Each tip is designed to enhance your online presence and engage effectively with your audience.

Small Business Deals

Social Media Marketing Tips What is it? Know Your Audience Understand demographics, interests, and behaviors to tailor content and choose platforms. Set Clear Objectives Define achievable goals to guide efforts and measure success. Create Engaging Content Develop content that resonates, encourages interaction, and aligns with brand values. Leverage Video Content Use dynamic video content to capture attention and enhance engagement. Consistency is Key Maintain a regular posting schedule to build a loyal following and stay visible. Utilize Social Media Tools Employ tools for efficient post scheduling, data analysis, and account management. Engage With Your Audience Interact with followers to build relationships and gather feedback. Monitor Social Media Metrics Track analytics to measure campaign success and refine strategies. Use Hashtags Wisely Increase reach and discoverability with relevant and trending hashtags. Run Contests and Giveaways Boost engagement and audience growth through interactive contests and giveaways. Collaborate with Influencers Partner with influencers for extended reach and added credibility. Share User-Generated Content Build community and trust by sharing content created by customers or fans. Keep Up with Trends Stay relevant by incorporating current trends into your marketing strategies. Optimize for Mobile Users Ensure content is accessible and engaging for mobile device users. Prioritize Customer Service Use social media as a platform for effective customer service and engagement. Personalize Your Approach Tailor content to individual preferences for a deeper audience connection. Focus on Quality Over Quantity Prioritize high-quality posts over frequent, lower-quality content. Experiment with Ad Formats Test different ad formats to find what best resonates with your audience. Utilize Stories and Live Features Engage in real-time with Stories and Live broadcasts for a personal touch. Analyze Competitors Gain insights from competitors strategies to identify opportunities and gaps. Integrate with Other Marketing Efforts Create a cohesive strategy by linking social media with other marketing activities. Highlight Customer Testimonials Use testimonials to build credibility and showcase real-life endorsements. Embrace Authenticity Foster trust and genuine connections by being authentic in interactions and content. Explore Paid Advertising Options Enhance reach and engagement through targeted paid advertising campaigns. Continuously Learn and Adapt Stay abreast of changes in the social media landscape and adapt strategies accordingly.

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is foundational in social media marketing. Its crucial to analyze demographics, interests, and online behaviors. This knowledge not only guides which platforms to focus on but also shapes the content strategy. Tailoring your approach to the audiences preferences ensures your message resonates and engages effectively.

2. Set Clear Objectives

Setting clear, achievable, and measurable goals is vital for a social media marketing plan. These objectives should align with your broader business goals. They provide a clear direction for your social media efforts and a benchmark for measuring success. Clear objectives help in focusing efforts and resources effectively.

3. Create Engaging Content

Creating engaging content is key to social media success. It should captivate the audience, encourage interaction, and reflect your brands values. The content must be creative, relevant, and aligned with the interests of your audience. Engaging content is more likely to be shared, increasing your brands reach and impact.

4. Leverage Video Content

Video content is highly effective in capturing attention on social media. It enhances engagement and conveys messages dynamically. Videos can be used to tell stories, showcase products, or share insights. They are more likely to be shared and can convey complex messages in an engaging way.

5. Consistency is Key

Maintaining a consistent presence on social media is crucial. Regular posting keeps your brand visible and engaged with your audience. Consistency in your posting schedule helps build a loyal following. It also ensures that your brand remains top-of-mind among your audience.

6. Utilize Social Media Tools

Various tools and software can streamline social media management. They assist in scheduling posts, analyzing data, and managing multiple accounts. These tools save time and enhance efficiency. They also provide valuable insights into audience behavior and campaign performance. Utilizing effective social media management tools is key for businesses to maintain an organized and impactful social media presence.

7. Engage With Your Audience

Active engagement with your audience is essential. Prompt responses to comments and messages build relationships. Engaging with your audience shows that your brand values its followers. It also helps in gathering feedback and understanding audience preferences. Avoiding common social media marketing mistakes like neglecting audience engagement can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your social media strategy.

8. Monitor Social Media Metrics

Tracking and analyzing social media metrics is crucial. These metrics measure the success of your campaigns. Insights from social media analytics help in refining strategies and improving engagement. They also provide a clear picture of what content resonates with your audience.

9. Use Hashtags Wisely

Hashtags increase the reach and discoverability of your posts. Using relevant and trending hashtags can expose your content to a broader audience. They should be used strategically to maximize impact. Hashtags are a simple yet effective way to increase visibility.

10. Run Contests and Giveaways

Contests and giveaways are effective for boosting engagement and growing your audience. They encourage participation and can increase visibility. These activities can also be used to gather user-generated content. They are a fun way to interact with your audience and build excitement around your brand.

11. Collaborate with Influencers

Partnering with influencers can extend your reach and add credibility. Influencers can introduce your products or services to a wider, engaged audience. This collaboration can lead to increased brand awareness and sales. Choosing the right influencers who align with your brand is key. For businesses unsure how to proceed, learning how to hire a social media manager can be invaluable in navigating these partnerships.

12. Share User-Generated Content

User-generated content, such as customer reviews or photos, builds community and trust. It shows appreciation for your audience and provides authentic content. Sharing this content can enhance brand loyalty and engagement. It also encourages other customers to share their experiences.

13. Keep Up with Trends

Staying updated with the latest social media trends keeps your content relevant and engaging. It shows that your brand is current and adaptable. Incorporating trends can make your content more appealing and relatable. However, its important to choose trends that align with your brand values.

14. Optimize for Mobile Users

Ensuring your content is mobile-friendly is essential. The majority of social media users access platforms via mobile devices. Mobile optimization enhances user experience and engagement. Its important to test content on various devices to ensure it looks and performs well. In this context, using WhatsApp for business can be a strategic move to engage with mobile-centric users.

15. Prioritize Customer Service

Social media is an effective customer service platform. Prompt and helpful responses to queries and concerns can enhance your brands reputation. Good customer service on social media can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Its a direct way to address customer needs and showcase your commitment to service.

16. Personalize Your Approach

Personalization in social media marketing can significantly impact engagement. Tailoring content to individual preferences and behaviors makes your audience feel valued. Personalized marketing creates a deeper connection with your audience. It can lead to higher engagement rates and customer loyalty.

17. Focus on Quality Over Quantity

Quality should always take precedence over quantity in social media posts. High-quality content is more likely to engage and retain your audience. Its better to post less frequently with high-quality content than to overwhelm your audience with frequent, low-quality posts. Quality content reflects well on your brand and can lead to higher engagement rates. Utilizing free marketing tools can help in creating high-quality content without a significant investment.

18. Experiment with Ad Formats

Experimenting with different ad formats can help identify what resonates best with your target audience. This approach allows for more effective and targeted advertising.

Trying various formats can reveal what works best for your brand and audience. Its important to track the performance of different ad types to optimize your strategy.

19. Utilize Stories and Live Features

Stories and live broadcasts are powerful tools for real-time engagement. They offer a more personal and immediate way to connect with your audience. These features can be used for behind-the-scenes content, Q&A sessions, or live events. They add a dynamic element to your social media presence. For those looking to monetize their social media presence, understanding how to make money on social media can be beneficial.

20. Analyze Competitors

Analyzing your competitors social media strategies can provide valuable insights. It helps identify opportunities and areas for improvement in your own strategy.

Understanding what works for competitors can inspire new ideas. However, its important to maintain your unique brand voice and approach.

21. Integrate with Other Marketing Efforts

Integrating social media marketing with other digital marketing strategies creates a cohesive approach. This integration enhances overall marketing effectiveness.

It ensures a unified message across all channels. Integration also allows for cross-promotion and a broader reach. This approach is particularly important in paid, owned, and earned media, where a harmonized strategy across different media types is crucial.

22. Highlight Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials on social media can build credibility and trust. They provide real-life endorsements of your products or services. Sharing positive customer experiences can influence potential customers. Testimonials are a powerful form of social proof that can enhance your brands reputation.

23. Embrace Authenticity

Authenticity in social media is key to building trust and a genuine connection with your audience. Being true to your brands values and voice is essential. Authentic interactions and content resonate more deeply with audiences. This approach differentiates your brand in a space often crowded with inauthentic messaging.

24. Explore Paid Advertising Options

Paid advertising on social media can significantly boost your reach and engagement. It allows for targeted campaigns that reach specific demographics. Understanding the various advertising options and their benefits is crucial. Paid ads can complement organic strategies, leading to a comprehensive online presence.

25. Continuously Learn and Adapt

The social media landscape is ever-evolving, making continuous learning and adaptation essential. Staying abreast of new platforms, tools, and trends is crucial.

Adapting your strategy to these changes can keep your social media marketing efforts effective and relevant. A willingness to learn and evolve is key to long-term success in social media marketing.





FAQs: Social Media Marketing Tips

What are the Best Times to Post on Social Media?

The best times to post on social media vary depending on the platform and the target audience. Generally, weekdays during lunch hours and evenings see high engagement. However, its crucial to analyze your specific audiences behavior.

Tools like Facebook Insights or Instagram Analytics provide data on when your followers are most active. Tailoring your posting schedule to these times can increase visibility and engagement.

For businesses looking to extend their social media strategy, exploring avenues like managing a Facebook page or learning how to make money on Facebook can be beneficial.

How Often Should a Business Post on Social Media Platforms?

A business should aim for a balanced posting frequency on social media channels. Typically, posting once a day on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and three to five times a day on X, is effective. The key is consistency and quality over quantity.

Over-posting can overwhelm followers, while infrequent posting may reduce visibility. Regular, engaging content keeps the audience interested and connected with your brand.

Can Small Businesses Compete with Larger Ones on Social Media?

Small businesses can effectively compete with larger ones on social media by leveraging their unique strengths. They can create more personalized, community-focused content, engage directly with their audience, and quickly adapt to trends.

Small businesses often have a more authentic, relatable voice, which resonates well on social media. By focusing on these aspects, small businesses can create a strong, loyal online community.

How Can ROI be Measured in Social Media Marketing?

Measuring ROI in social media marketing involves tracking metrics that align with your objectives. This can include engagement rates, website traffic from social media, conversion rates, and follower growth.

Social media marketer professionals rely on tools like Google Analytics and social media platform insights, each valuable in their analyses. Setting clear goals and using these tools to measure relevant metrics helps in assessing the effectiveness and financial return of your social media efforts.

What are Common Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing?

Common mistakes in social media marketing include inconsistent posting, neglecting audience engagement, and being overly promotional. Ignoring analytics and not adapting content based on performance data can also hinder success.

Likewise, failing to tailor content to each specific platforms audience and format is a common oversight. Avoiding these mistakes ensures a more effective and engaging social media presence, fostering better connections with your audience.
I used to come to Slovakia as a tourist, now I'm a refugee.

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The first impression is usually formed when meeting and greeting each other. Its the same for people and the countries we visit. My first experience with Slovakia dates to the mid-1990s.

I accompanied a Ukrainian group of children on their trip to the picturesque Tatras during the winter holidays. I fell in love with Slovakias impressive nature, majestic landscapes, and a snowy winter in the mountains. Then, I saw Slovakia through the eyes of a tourist who was welcomed with delicious national food, hospitality and smiles.

In 2010, I saw the country from a different side. At that time I was a manager at a tour operator and was lucky enough to take part in the promotional tour "Slovakia - Little Big Country" organised by a Slovak ministry responsible for tourism. The main goal of the tour was to show foreigners what an incredible country Slovakia was. And it was really great: lots of palaces, mostly restored, magnificent caves, rivers and mountains, and many spa resorts with thermal waters and a wide range of procedures. I also enjoyed the time I spent in small and elegant towns: Kosice, Bojnice, Piestany, and Poprad. I returned from the trip convinced Slovakia was a country with great potential not only for tourism, but for life. It was open to new people and possibilities, telling them to come back. Back then, real estate prices were quite good and I even thought about moving to Slovakia.

Years passed by, Russia's war in Ukraine started, and many Ukrainians had to leave their motherland in 2022. Our family was among those who fled: myself, my daughter, Tamara, and our dog, Pablo.

At first, we ended up in Albania because my daughter got a job offer there. But after a year and a half, we decided to move to Slovakia. Tamara had to change her job because of health problems and her cousin lived in Slovakia. He told us a lot about how life in Slovakia was peaceful and comfortable . Moreover, we missed home a lot and Slovakia neighbours Ukraine. So, in September, I found myself in Slovakia once again, but in a completely different situation.

My daughter and I were refugees. We were granted temporary refuge status. We arrived in the country where no one, no furnished accommodation, nor things necessary for a comfortable life, waiting for us. Confronted with a different perception of Slovakia, a different feeling of reality, I had to adjust my life and learn to live in a new environment. From the very beginning, we had no illusions. We knew that it would not be easy, and we focused on solving our problems to speed up our integration into life in Bratislava.

I can't say that this time Slovakia was shining in bright colours. When I told someone that I was Ukrainian, people often changed their attitude and tried to finish our conversation, or even refused to communicate with me. For example, when I tried to open a bank account, the manager didn't want to speak English, he insisted I had to speak Slovak. It didn't matter that I had arrived in Slovakia two weeks ago and that it would have been impossible to learn the language so fast. At times, I felt depressed.

Since our arrival, every day has been either joyful and hopeful, or disappointing. But difficulties and troubles always disappear, as life provides opportunities. Uncertainty is replaced by concrete decisions. And fate often intervenes - unexpected meetings happen, acquaintances turn into friends. I believe that accidents don't happen, there are only missed opportunities.

One such meeting happened a couple of weeks ago. We were looking for a flat, and we came across a Ukrainian, Dmytro, a manager from a real estate agency. With great determination to help us, he told my daughter to reach out to The Slovak Spectator. Now, you can sometimes read her articles on this website.

Another time, one evening the lights went out in the house where we were temporarily staying (We moved to a new place in December!). And who do you think came to help us? A group of Ukrainian guys who were working on a new building on our street. Five minutes later, a miracle happened. The lights were back on.

When I'm depressed, I usually take Pablo and we go for a walk to a beautiful place. We often return to Vrakunsky Lesik (Vrakuna Forest Park), which was close to our previous home. It's a big park. It was there that I once got to know an old Slovak couple. They love Pablo, he loves them and our small, kindly chats makes me feel better.

Our adventures continue. Day by day our life in Slovakia becomes more organised, and we feel happier.

May pleasant coincidences fill you with joy and inspiration!
More trains for Christmas holidays, Bratislava outskirts teeming with culture, and a recipe for Christmas baking.

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Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, December 20 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Novaky mine ceases operation

Miners on the last day of operation of the Novaky mine. The inscription reads: The last mining cart with Slovak brown coal. (Source: TASR)

After 70 years, the production of electricity and heat from lignite at the Novaky power plant finally ended when the last turbine shut down on Wednesday.

The last coal train arrived at the power plant on Sunday, December 17.

The last mining cart with brown coal was pulled from the Novaky mine at the same time.

The power plant went active in 1953. Over the years, it gradually lost its place as a key electricity producer to nuclear power plants. In addition to electricity production, it has also served as the central source of heating for the Prievidza region since 1987.

"Despite large investments in making its operations greener, production in the power plant was gradually reduced and, following a government decision, coal was burned in the so-called general economic interest," electricity supplier Slovenske Elektrarne stated.

The only remaining coal-fired power plant in the country. Vojany, in the Michalovce district, eastern Slovakia, will be shut down in the first half of next year.

MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY

Domestic market was not enough for this Slovak furniture maker

The founding and successor generation of the Zajko family (from left: sons Martin and Michal, and father Jozef). (Source: Courtesy of Idona)

Idona broke into the market producing atypical, custom-made furniture in small-batch production. The name Idona is an abbreviation of the first syllables of the Slovak words for interiors, accessories and furniture.

The family business is growing and expanding into foreign markets.

EVENT FOR FRIDAY

One concert ahead of Christmas

video //www.youtube.com/embed/v5oOtl1DOdk

This Friday, popular Bratislava-based band Billy Barman will play a special concert to say goodbye to their old playlist ahead of a new album release. The event will take place in the Kacecko venue in the city centre. Tickets are limited, so get yours here.

IN OTHER NEWS

Had an election taken place in mid-December, Smer would have won with 24.1 percent of the votes, followed by Progresivne Slovensko with 19.4 and Hlas with 15.7 percent . The SaS, KDH, and far-right Republika parties would have also made it into the parliament. Meanwhile, the Slovensko movement, Krestanska Unia and Za Ludi coalition, and current government coalition member SNS, would not have got into parliament, according to a survey by the Ipsos polling agency. (TASR)

. The SaS, KDH, and far-right Republika parties would have also made it into the parliament. Meanwhile, the Slovensko movement, Krestanska Unia and Za Ludi coalition, and current government coalition member SNS, would not have got into parliament, according to a survey by the Ipsos polling agency. (TASR) Parliament approved the establishment of a new Tourism and Sport Ministry via fast-track proceedings . The ministry, officially to be established on January 1, 2024, will be headed Dusan Keketi, former director of the Bratislava airport. (TASR)

. The ministry, officially to be established on January 1, 2024, will be headed Dusan Keketi, former director of the Bratislava airport. (TASR) Approximately 70 public figures have launched a petition to allow Zuzana Denkova to continue as director of the Slovak Mining Museum in Banska Stiavnica , central Slovakia. She was dismissed from the post on December 14 by the Environment Ministry. No reason was given for her removal. In response to the petition, the ministry stated that Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nominee) wants to cooperate with people he can trust in terms of management. (TASR)

, central Slovakia. She was dismissed from the post on December 14 by the Environment Ministry. No reason was given for her removal. In response to the petition, the ministry stated that Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nominee) wants to cooperate with people he can trust in terms of management. (TASR) On Wednesday, the revitalized park at the Racianske Myto locality has been opened to the public following a comprehensive renovation, including water retention measures to make it better adapted to droughts and summer heat. Its official opening will be next spring . (TASR)

a comprehensive renovation, including water retention measures to make it better adapted to droughts and summer heat. Its official opening will be next spring . (TASR) Slovakia rejects any form of compulsory migrant quotas and related financial compensation from the European Union, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said at a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Budapest. (TASR)

A small bear cub named Linda spends time on a tree in the Kosice Zoo. The orphaned cub was brought a month ago from the rescue station in Zazriva. (Source: TASR)

WEATHER FOR THURSDAY

Cloudy and overcast, snow in many places. Windy. Daily temperatures between 0 C and 8 C. With the exception of parts of western Slovakia, several weather warnings, including for ground ice, snowfall, and wind, have been issued for the rest of the country. Find out more here. (SHMU)

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More carriages for those on some international routes.

ZSSK will boost trains during Christmas holidays and around the New Year. (Source: SME - Marko Erd)

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The Slovak Railway Company (ZSSK) will lay on 25 extra trains and up the number of carriages on InterCity trains during the Christmas holidays and around the New Year .

Of the 25 trains, which started operating on Wednesday, December 20, 5 will be express trains, while the rest are fast trains.

ZSSK director Peter Helexa said the situation will be monitored daily and more trains may be added if necessary.

When it comes to IC trains, 42 cars in total will be added to regular services which are expected to be busier during holidays. Between one to three cars will be added to a single train.

Select international fast trains operating between Kosice, eastern Slovakia, and Mukachevo, western Ukraine will get an extra carriage as well between December 20-23, December 26-30, and January 2-14.

Meanwhile, ZSSK recommends anyone who wants to travel to buy a train ticket and reservation in advance either online, via an app or SMS service, to avoid queues at ticket kiosks at stations. Occupancy on the busiest trains is already at 83 percent, according to ZSSK spokesperson Dominik Drevicky.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/colorado-court-rules-trump-disqualified-from-2024-primary-ballot---filing-1115689238.html

Colorado Supreme Court Disqualifies Trump From 2024 Ballot in First-Ever

Colorado Supreme Court Disqualifies Trump From 2024 Ballot in First-Ever

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from being on the 2024 Republican primary ballot, court documents revealed.

2023-12-19T23:45+0000

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"This appeal from a district court proceeding under the Colorado Election Code, the supreme court considers whether former President Donald J. Trump may appear on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot in 2024. A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot. The court stays its ruling until January 4, 2024, subject to any further appellate proceedings," the court stated on Tuesday. Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment states that no person who has "engaged in insurrection" or given aid to enemies thereof shall be eligible to hold public office in the United States. The plaintiffs case contends that Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 due to his alleged role in the January 6 US Capitol riot. Although Trump urged demonstrators to protest peacefully, the case argues that the former president nevertheless organized the group and incited them to breach the US Capitol.It is the first time a state court has ruled that Trump should be barred from the 2024 election on those grounds.This ruling is pivotal, especially as Trump is gaining momentum in various polls and is a strong contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Despite the ruling, which could restrict Trump's ability to secure Colorados 10 Electoral College votes, courts in Minnesota and Michigan have dismissed similar legal challenges to Trump's eligibility. The legal battle over Trump's candidacy remains ongoing in several states, including Michigan, where an appeal has been filed following a lost suit. Amidst these legal proceedings, Trump's increasing lead in polls is accompanied by heavy criticism of Joe Biden. Additionally, there are claims suggesting that the allegations against Trump are part of a political strategy by the Biden administration to undermine his potential candidacy, considering his strong chances in the upcoming 2024 presidential race. On multiple occasions, Trump has claimed that he is targeted by the current administration which employes means of political oppression to influence the election's outcome.Trump will challenge a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court barring him from the states primary vote for the upcoming election, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a press release.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230802/trump-indictment-shows-free-fair-2024-election-no-longer-possible-watchdog-says-1112336655.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230825/never-give-up-how-x-users-reacted-to-trumps-mug-shot-1112890009.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/china-nicaragua-upgrade-relations-to-strategic-partnership-1115699017.html

China, Nicaragua Upgrade Relations to Strategic Partnership

China, Nicaragua Upgrade Relations to Strategic Partnership

China upgraded diplomatic relations with Nicaragua to a strategic partnership on Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said

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Earlier today, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega, in which both praised the rapid development of bilateral relations after they were restored two years ago. Xi and Ortega confirmed their countries' readiness to support each other in matters regarding their core interests and concerns. In particular, Nicaragua reaffirmed its commitment to the One-China principle and made clear that the Chinese government is the only lawful representative of the country. In August, China and Nicaragua signed a free trade agreement which was designed to allow the two countries to achieve "a high level of mutual openness in such areas as trade in goods, services and access to investment markets." In December 2021, Managua reestablished diplomatic relations with Beijing after severing ties with Taiwan.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230929/brics-expansion-indicates-world-tired-of-us-hegemony---nicaragua-1113793646.html

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By Jun Ji-hye

Avon Domalaon of the Philippines worked for construction companies in Korea from 2006 to 2012 on an E-9 nonprofessional employment visa under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

After having gained various experiences in Korea, he returned home and became the deputy mayor of Prieto Diaz, a coastal municipality in the province of Sorsogon.

Koreas Ministry of Employment and Labor recognized his success, presenting an award to him at an event held on Nov. 22 in Seoul where 15 foreign workers who have returned to their home countries after working in Korea under the EPS were present.

When I entered Korea first, I felt uncertainty as I was on the threshold of a new life, Domalaon said. But I had good experiences. Companies I worked for put importance on safety, advising workers to comply with strict rules. I could also have an opportunity to experience Koreas systems and culture.

Domalaon said that the money he saved while working in Korea helped him to begin a political career in his hometown.

I am currently serving as the deputy mayor of my hometown by utilizing knowledge and experience that I gained in Korea, he said. My experience in Korea has allowed me to contribute to my hometown. I want to make more developments in the future based on it.

The EPS is a migration labor program, under which workers from 16 Asian countries including the Philippines, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand are allowed to work in Korea with E-9 nonprofessional employment visas.

The system began in 2004 to address personnel shortages in small- and medium-sized companies. So far, about 940,000 workers have entered Korea to work under this system.

Domalaon said he has continued to communicate with his old colleagues and friends that he met in Korea through Facebook and other messenger programs.

I highly recommend working in Korea as the country offers a safe working environment and an opportunity to grow. I enjoyed working with Korean people, he said.








https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/israel-not-prepared-to-face-houthi-gaza-deployment---however-rhetorical-the-threat-1115711320.html

Israel Not Prepared to Face Houthi Gaza Deployment - However Rhetorical the Threat

Israel Not Prepared to Face Houthi Gaza Deployment - However Rhetorical the Threat

The war in Gaza has raged since early October, when in response to deadly ground attacks on Israeli border towns by Palestinian militants, Israel launched an all-out assault that has killed an estimated 20,000 people.

2023-12-20T22:02+0000

2023-12-20T22:02+0000

2023-12-22T10:25+0000

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hasan ozertem

houthis

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red sea

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As Israels invasion of Gaza rages on, the Yemeni Ansarallah movement, better known as the Houthis, have joined the regional struggle against both Israeli forces and their American allies. Their latest move has been to threaten to dispatch ground forces to Gaza to fight the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) alongside other Palestinian groups like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.Sputnik spoke with regional experts about the feasibility of a Yemeni deployment to the Gaza Strip and what the culpability is of the United States, which supports Israel and has launched an international task force to break the Yemeni blockade of the Red Sea to Israeli shipping, in the Gaza conflict continuing and spiraling into a regional war.Ankara-based security and political analyst Hasan Selim Ozertem told Sputnik that if Ansarallah sent troops to Gaza, however unlikely that is, it would mean further dispersion of the conflict throughout the Middle Eastern region.Regarding Houthis sending their forces to Gaza, though it is not something possible to do, I suppose, considering the geopolitical dynamics. They need to mobilize the forces and they need to send them via the Red Sea or the Saudi Arabian lands. This is not something possible under current circumstances, he noted.So rather than sending troops, I may suppose that there may be some maneuvers to undermine security, as we witnessed in the last couple of weeks, like attacking two vessels carrying oil from the region. So over here, we may also see a further engagement of the coalition forces with the Yemeni Houthis to take control of such conflicts and also sustain security of the traffic flow from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.Lorenzo Trombetta, a Beirut-based scholar and analyst specializing in the Middle East, told Sputnik that Ansarallahs threat to send troops to Gaza was a rhetorical argument used to show muscle and not an actual threat.Mehmet Rakipoglu, a researcher on international affairs at the London-based think tank Dimensions for Strategic Studies, told Sputnik that the Israelis are already overstretched in Gaza, so if Houthi forces made an unexpected appearance it could be decisive.If the Houthis carried out their plan, of course it will change the course of hostility in Gaza, because Israel will have to deal with the Houthis. So the focus will be directed at Houthis not just on Gaza, not just on Hamas or Islamic Jihad or any other resistance movements, he said.Rakipoglu explained that Ansarallah has most concretely intervened in the Gaza war already, noting that their threatened deployment to Gaza is a move to challenge the narrative embraced by the United States or Israel.It's kind of a threat to both Israel and the US regarding the situation in Gaza. Because the United States is the only country voting against the ceasefires in Gaza. I think if they can send these soldiers to Gaza, of course, it means that there's a regional war, he added.Ozertem noted the region of Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) has its own instabilities separate from any US involvement - instabilities the war in Gaza will continue to fan.Trombetta said the US is by no means the only Western country interested in Red Sea events, either.Rakipoglu said plainly that of course the United States is responsible for this current escalation, since the United States is the only UN Security Council member that's voting against this ceasefire in Gaza and supports Israel without any humanitarian concern.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/journo-us-israel-in-quagmire-as-yemen-expands-gaza-war-into-regional-conflict-1115707682.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/yemens-houthis-say-carrying-out-general-mobilization-to-possibly-send-soldiers-to-gaza-1115703930.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/israel-working-on-new-deal-with-hamas-to-release-30-40-hostages-from-gaza---reports-1115692185.html

Israel Working on New Deal With Hamas to Release 30-40 Hostages From Gaza - Reports

Israel Working on New Deal With Hamas to Release 30-40 Hostages From Gaza - Reports

Israel is working on a new deal for the release of hostages with Palestinian movement Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, which may include 30 to 40 women, elderly people and persons with physical or mental illnesses being held in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Tuesday, citing sources.

2023-12-20T02:53+0000

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The Channel 12 broadcaster reported that Israel cannot go for Hamas' demand for a complete cessation of hostilities, so the possibility of several humanitarian pauses "in stages" is being considered. The Jewish state, in response, will consider a "flexible" approach to the number of ceasefire days depending on the number of released hostages, as well as agreeing to release Palestinian prisoners charged with a serious offense, the report said. Israel is also reportedly ready to expand humanitarian zones and the amount of humanitarian aid that will be allowed into the enclave. The Israeli military has said about 128 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said earlier on Tuesday that the Jewish state was ready for another humanitarian truce in Gaza to release the remaining hostages, adding that such a decision belongs to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip across the border, killing over 1,200 people and abducting some 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 19,400 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of the conflict, the local authorities said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231129/israels-gaza-offensive-ends-in-political-and-military-defeat--scott-ritter-1115278076.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/it-wont-be-pretty-julian-assange-files-final-appeal-as-he-faces-possible-extradition-to-us-1115692799.html

It Wont Be Pretty: Julian Assange Files Final Appeal as He Faces Possible Extradition to US

It Wont Be Pretty: Julian Assange Files Final Appeal as He Faces Possible Extradition to US

On Tuesday, it was announced by Julian Assanges wife, Stella Moris-Assange, that he would file his last appeal in order to avoid extradition to the US.

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On Tuesday, it was announced by Julian Assanges wife, Stella Moris-Assange, that he would file his last appeal in order to avoid extradition to the US. The public hearing will take place on February 20 and February 21 in the High Court of London. Assange could face a sentence of up to 175 years for exposing war crimes committed by the US military in the Afghan and Iraq wars.Brad Birkenfeld, a famed financial whistleblower who exposed international money laundering and income tax evasion in the Swiss bank industryspoke with Sputniks Political Misfits and shared his thoughts on Assange and his potential extradition.And that's what he did, said Birkenfeld, in reference to the nearly 500,000 documents leaked in the early 2010s by WikiLeakssome of which exposed US war crimes. So don't take it out on Julian Assange - take it out on the people who are breaking the law to begin with. And certainly nothing has happened to those folks in the military that we know of. So I think the problem you have here is that the Biden administration, who claims to be so righteous, has done nothing to protect this gentleman who has done a lot to clean up the system. But with Julian's options here, it's hard to say exactly what's going to happen because it's not that transparent, he continued. Whatever the verdict here... will really be up to what's going on behind the scenes, in my opinion. I don't think this will be a fair system.Birkenfeld went on to address the double standard of the Biden administration. An administration, he says, which claims to uphold human rights standards, but yet wants to make him the scapegoat. Though, the extradition battle against Assange was very heavily escalated under the authority of then-President Donald Trump, and this battle would be passed over to Bidens desk depending on the decision.Assange, who has essentially been in solitary confinement since 2010, was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London until four and a half years ago. Then, he was forcibly removed and put in maximum security Belmarsh Penitentiary in south London, where he spent most of his time, again, in solitary confinement.I really feel bad for Mr. Assange because I don't think you'll get a fair hearing, said Birkenfeld who adds that the US is lashing out against the whistleblower because he made them look bad. I don't think it will be pretty number one, said Birkenfeld when asked what incarceration for Assange would look like. The Justice Department can never be trusted. Time and time again, they lie, they obstruct, they hide evidence and so on and so forth. And they really don't go after the real perpetrators of crimes in the US because the problem is there's too many overlapping interestsHe's just going to be dragged through this process, which they claim is righteous, which it isn't. And it's really discriminatory to him. Why is he in solitary confinement? I mean, he hasn't done anything physically bad, he's just exposed what they did, answered Birkenfeld, when asked how long Assange would have to wait before he actually goes to trial. The impending verdict in Julian Assange's final appeal against extradition to the US is fraught with significance, not only for Assange himself but also for the principles of journalistic freedom and transparency. With Assange's history of exposing uncomfortable truths through WikiLeaks, his case has become a litmus test for the limits of free speech and the protection of whistleblowers. As Birkenfeld points out, the perceived lack of fairness in the proceedings and the potential for political motivations behind the extradition request raise serious concerns about the integrity of international justice systems. The outcome of this case will likely have far-reaching implications for the treatment of similar cases in the future, underscoring the precarious balance between national security interests and the public's right to know.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230919/renewed-anti-espionage-efforts-to-encourage-public-to-safeguard-national-security-in-china---1113519512.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230627/australian-court-rejects-russias-appeal-against-revocation-of-lease-on-new-embassy-1111469185.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/journo-us-israel-in-quagmire-as-yemen-expands-gaza-war-into-regional-conflict-1115707682.html

Journo: US and Israel in Quagmire as Yemen Expands Gaza War Into Regional Conflict

Journo: US and Israel in Quagmire as Yemen Expands Gaza War Into Regional Conflict

If the US decides to launch direct attacks on Yemeni forces imposing a blockade against Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, it will only make Washingtons tenuous situation in the Middle East even worse.

2023-12-20T17:40+0000

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2023-12-20T17:56+0000

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Several major global shipping companies announced that they are to seek alternate routes from the Red Sea after the Yemeni militant group Ansarallah, better known as the Houthi movement, closed it to Israeli cargo traffic, throwing global trade into chaos. In response, the US has mobilized an international task force dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian to keep the sea lanes open.Meanwhile, the Pentagon is weighing whether its patrols will be purely defensive in nature or will also include offensive strikes against Ansarallah targets in Yemen, which the group mostly controls after eight years of brutal civil war and Saudi-led military intervention.Ansarallahs actions, which include capturing several Israel-linked vessels in the area in recent weeks, are in response to Tel Aviv's invasion of Gaza, which has killed nearly 20,000 people and displaced almost the entire population of 2.3 million. The group has also fired ballistic missiles at the southern Israeli port of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba in the northern Red Sea.Beirut-based broadcaster and journalist Laith Marouf told Sputnik that the multinational task force assembled by the US includes several European allies but also Bahrain, a small Persian Gulf state that hosts a massive US Navy base, and the Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian Ocean with a coast guard composed of nine small patrol boats used to combat piracy and illegal fishing.The [recent] attack that the government in Sana'a did on the two ships in the Red Sea was the first attack recorded in any military of a ballistic missile hitting a naval target that is moving at 60-somewhat knots, which was these ships that were moving. So we see now that the Yemenis have actually some of the most advanced land-to-sea missiles in the world. "Knowing that the American aircraft carrier is now parked on the shorelines of Somalia facing Yemen, they are in the range of these missiles. Probably the Yemenis will not need to hit this aircraft carrier if the United States actually attacks Yemen or any of the sites of launching these missiles from Yemen. The Yemeni forces, all they have to do is sink a few destroyers and that aircraft carrier will scurry running back home because it wouldn't have any protection.Canadian, French, British and American ships will be sinking if the United States or this coalition dares to attack Yemen. Yemen has been under attack for a decade by the United States and its vessels in the region, and even the vessels that were co-operating in the attacks on Yemen - namely the Saudi government and the United Arab Emirates government - have refused to join this coalition. Why? Because their assets will be fried if the United States attacks Yemen. And this is why we're seeing right now: these vessels are each one of them being given a role. "The Emirates and the Saudis are continuing to allow trade to come through their ports on trucks to Jordan to the Zionist colony, and they're all going to be kept out of this war. In this situation, it's not only that their assets, their oilfields, would be attacked if they join this coalition, but also because they need to continue to be the lifeline of the Zionist colony in terms of trade in the future as this rolls out, Marouf said.Marouf added that we will be entering a new stage of this war if Yemen fires back on the coalition ships because it will trigger wider attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria by allied militia forces, which have been happening at a somewhat low intensity since early October.The Axis of Resistances regional coordination against Israel and its allies is going to be taught in military schools and strategists schools for decades to come, Marouf told Sputnik.What has been rolling out for the last two and a half months, clearly, the Resistance Axis that includes all these groups in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen and Iran are very coordinated, he said. They have all now shared all their capabilities in terms of military and training. So we see units of each one of these components that fought in the different battlefields across the last 15 years in the region. And the technology knowledge on building capabilities has been passed along across this whole region. So now we have a more kind of homogeneous coalition between these groups. "They all have one thing that they agree on, which is ending American presence in the region and then sovereignty for the peoples. So to see them, how they are playing out right now, each one of them, their own role separately is a brilliant thing to watch. And the United States and Israel are in a quagmire, and the end is clear for everybody to see.Growing US Public OppositionHe likewise noted that opposition to the Israeli attack on Gaza has continued to grow in the United States, where new protests are happening daily in hundreds of cities and towns, and constituents are pressuring politicians to take a stand against the war.So what happens in the next election? I think Palestine, just like Vietnam in the 1970s, is going to be one of the decisive things that drive this election and actually the conversation of the United States as a whole. And I hope people of all walks of life take advantage of how Palestine now has exposed all the true lines of power and the limitations of the so-called democracy and freedoms that were touted to be given to them and figure out something before the next election. Maybe to push for a third party, if that's even possible at this moment. "But if the United States is in a regional war that is spilling into a global war before this election, it may be that this election will never happen in the United States. I'm maybe too pessimistic, but I see things from now till next year, if this war keeps on going in the stages that are and how long these stages are taking us, as we see it now, its taking us two and a half months to get to the stage of real possibility of a regional war. And once this a regional war, how long is it going to take for it to become a global world war? Those are things that may be indicating that all this experiment of democracy in the West is dead.Israel's Economy in Dire StraitsMarouf noted that Israel was suffering severe economic repercussions due to the war, not just from the recently imposed Yemeni blockade, but also due to the constant bombardments from Gaza, the simmering border war with Hezbollah, and simply due to having mobilized hundreds of thousands of citizens into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).Ansarullah, the government in Yemen, has been able to shut down all trade, almost 88% of trade has stopped into the [Israeli] ports, even the ones in the Mediterranean. Because remember now, although all the ones that were supposed to go to the Red Sea port in the Aqaba Gulf had to turn around. "So now there's a delay in an empty space in Israeli ports for the next two weeks. So, the country is in a total standstill and it's now living off the handouts coming from the West. And the American public has an ability to make a difference if they cut these handouts, because this country cannot continue to exist at this moment without that.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/yemens-houthis-say-carrying-out-general-mobilization-to-possibly-send-soldiers-to-gaza-1115703930.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/father-christmas-may-be-delayed-wests-antagonism-of-russia-iran-block-red-sea-alternatives-1115683219.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/palestine-appeals-to-international-criminal-court-over-israels-actions-in-gaza-1115705590.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/kremlin-welcomes-adoption-by-unga-of-russias-resolution-to-fight-glorification-of-nazism-1115698259.html

Kremlin Praises UNGA Adoption of Russian Resolution to Combat Glorification of Nazism

Kremlin Praises UNGA Adoption of Russian Resolution to Combat Glorification of Nazism

Moscow welcomes the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a Russian-drafted resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

2023-12-20T11:03+0000

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The UN General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a Russian-drafted resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism. The resolution was approved in a 118-49 vote, with 14 member states abstaining. Russia, China, and Israel were among those that voted in favor. The United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Germany voted against. The resolution urges nations to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination by all appropriate means, including, via legislation. Besides, the document strongly condemns the use of school materials, as well as educational rhetoric, that promote racism, discrimination, hatred and violence based on one's ethnicity, nationality, or religious beliefs.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230925/untold-story-of-how-canada-became-a-safe-haven-for-ukrainian-wwii-era-nazis-1113656627.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/putin-holds-meeting-with-russian-council-of-legislators--1115697276.html

Putin Holds Meeting With Russian Council of Legislators

Putin Holds Meeting With Russian Council of Legislators

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with the Council of Legislators of the Russian Federation on December 20.

2023-12-20T11:25+0000

2023-12-20T11:25+0000

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Sputnik comes to you live as Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting with the Council of Legislators (CL) of the Russian Federation on December 20.CL is an advisory and consultative body to the chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (the Federation Council and the State Duma). It coordinates legislative measures for implementing state policies when it comes to the separation of powers. Today's event is dedicated to the Federal Assemblys 30th anniversary.Follow Sputniks live feed to learn more!

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/reporters-without-borders-fails-to-explain-disregard-of-russian-correspondents-deaths-1115695916.html

Reporters Without Borders Fails to Explain Disregard of Russian Correspondents' Deaths

Reporters Without Borders Fails to Explain Disregard of Russian Correspondents' Deaths

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has refused to give any comments to Sputnik on why its war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev and Rossiya 24 TV channel correspondent Boris Maksudov had not been included in the list of journalists killed in Ukraine in 2023, citing "editorial policy."

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2023-12-20T08:57+0000

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After RSF released last week its annual report on journalists killed in the line of duty worldwide, Sputnik sent the organization a request to comment on the absence of the two Russian reporters on the list. RSF spokeswoman Elena Garcia said she would forward the request to her colleague responsible for the region of Russia and Eastern Europe. However, later she told Sputnik that everyone "was busy" and "no one could give a comment" on the topic. Once a Sputnik correspondent announced their intention to wait for explanations in real time, Garcia said "it would not be possible" for the media outlet to get any comments. When asked what type of media she meant, Garcia just ignored the question and ended the conversation by hanging up the phone. Zhuravlev was killed by a Ukrainian cluster bomb strike in the Zaporozhye Region in late July. Maksudov was injured in a Ukrainian targeted drone attack against journalists in the Zaporozhye Region on November 22 and died of his wounds on the following day. However, RSF's annual report says only 11 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the conflict in February 2022, with two of them  Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist Arman Soldin and Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Bitik  killed in 2023 alone.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230724/un-condemns-attacks-on-press-including-death-of-sputnik-zhuravlev-1112120090.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/slovak-leader-confirms-eu-extended-exemption-on-selling-fuels-from-russian-oil-to-czechia-1115710074.html

Slovak Leader Confirms EU Extended Exemption on Selling Fuels From Russian Oil to Czechia

Slovak Leader Confirms EU Extended Exemption on Selling Fuels From Russian Oil to Czechia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed on Wednesday that his country would continue refining Russian crude and exporting fuels to the Czech Republic, after the European Union extended its exemption as part of the bloc's 12th package of Russia sanctions.

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The regulation allowing Bratislava to sell Russian-origin oil products to its neighbor expired on December 5. On Tuesday, Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova said the exemption was extended for one year. Earlier in the day, Nikolai Tokarev, head of Russian pipeline company Transneft, said that Slovakia and the Czech Republic had asked the EU to allow imports of Russian oil as they could not take it from elsewhere. In November, Slovak parliamentary speaker Peter Pellegrini warned that oil supplies in Europe could be disrupted if Bratislava's exemption from EU sanctions on Russian oil was not secured. Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft has already invested in changing its technology to process a different type of oil, but the transition is likely to take a while, he added. After Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine, the West actively searched for ways to limit Moscow's energy-related income, notably from oil and gas. Moreover, the Ukraine conflict also stopped the flow of Russian gas to Europe, which led to a spike in energy prices and shortages, forcing countries to look for alternatives.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231218/eu-approves-12th-anti-russia-sanctions-package-targeting-over-140-people-and-entities-1115664221.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/ukraine-loses-up-to-250-soldiers-in-donetsk-region-in-past-day---russian-mod-1115702481.html

Ukraine Loses Up to 250 Soldiers in Donetsk Region in Past Day - Russian MoD

Ukraine Loses Up to 250 Soldiers in Donetsk Region in Past Day - Russian MoD

Ukraine has lost up to 250 soldiers both killed and wounded in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Wednesday.

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Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repulsed five assault attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk direction and another one in the direction of Donetsk. Kiev has also lost up to 180 soldiers in the Krasny Liman direction and up to 110 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction, the ministry added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/ukraine-lost-383000-soldiers-since-start-of-the-special-op--shoigu--1115677303.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-considering-taking-military-action-against-houthis-to-protect-red-sea---reports-1115700032.html

US Considering Taking Military Action Against Houthis to Protect Red Sea - Reports

US Considering Taking Military Action Against Houthis to Protect Red Sea - Reports

The United States and its allies are considering possible military strikes against Yemens Houthi militia in order to cripple their ability to target cargo ships in the Red Sea, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the matter.

2023-12-20T11:23+0000

2023-12-20T11:23+0000

2023-12-22T10:23+0000

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By doing so, Washington recognizes that the newly announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, established to protect the vital shipping route in the Red Sea, may not be enough, the broadcaster reported late on Tuesday. The US has yet not decided to go ahead, as strikes against the Houthis may worsen the US-Iranian relations, as Tehran is considered by top US officials to be providing support to the Yemeni rebels, Bloomberg reported. Moreover, the Middle Eastern states which Washington sees as its allies, for instance, Saudi Arabia, are unlikely to approve such an approach to eliminating the threat as they fear the region might turn into a flashpoint, according to the report. On Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin unveiled Operation Prosperity Guardian, saying it will bring together the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada and France, among other countries. After the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas flared up on October 7, the Houthis have conducted multiple missile and drone attacks, threatening civilian infrastructure in Israel and commercial shipping operating in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthi rebels have said they will continue to prevent the passage of ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel until the latter's military actions in the Gaza Strip end.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/us-escalation-in-the-red-sea--a-loselose-proposition--1115679933.html

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A total of 18 civil representatives have been selected to join this year's nationally televised bell-tolling ceremony in central Seoul on New Year's Eve, including a person who rescued a stabbing rampage victim, officials said Wednesday.

The popular midnight bell-ringing celebration at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul on Dec. 31 has been held every year since 1953 to ring in the new year, except during the 2019-2021 COVID-19 pandemic period when it was broadcast online.

Among the 18 people selected to ring the bell as civil representatives this year is Yoon Do-il, who rescued a victim bleeding after being attacked during a stabbing rampage by a man in Bundang, south of Seoul in August.

The others include an optical shop worker who came to the rescue of an elderly citizen who was lying unconscious outdoors, the eldest exam taker of this year's national college entrance exam and an orphan-turned-mentor for youths in need, according to Seoul city government officials.

A selection committee of the Seoul city government chose them out of a list of about 200 recommended candidates by the standards of exemplary citizenship and service to other people.

To reach out to global audiences of the ceremony, the city has also invited six global influencers, including a popular YouTuber from Kazakhstan and an Indian YouTuber, who will feature the event on their channels. (Yonhap)
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-crackdown-on-pro-palestine-organizing-shows-contradiction-in-foreign-policy-priorities-1115709673.html

US Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Organizing Shows Contradiction in Foreign Policy Priorities

US Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Organizing Shows Contradiction in Foreign Policy Priorities

A recent episode in Congress highlighted a longstanding contradiction in US foreign policy: projecting an open-minded image of Western culture is a major part of US soft power, and Washingtons unshakeable support for Israel.

2023-12-20T20:20+0000

2023-12-20T20:20+0000

2023-12-20T20:16+0000

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Journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin told Radio Sputniks The Critical Hour on Tuesday that the CIA has long worked to cultivate a controlled opposition on the left that would repeat both Western-critical ideas but also defend Western society, whether it was against communism during the Cold War or against authoritarianism in the decades since the fall of the Soviet Union.And you can't underestimate the role of things that don't even seem political, like art galleries and paintings and all of that, right? Coming out of the Great Depression, the school of art that was so popular in the United States was what they called social realism. Go to a post office and look at the murals, you know, it tends to show working-class people, tends to show them a little bit stronger and more muscly than they would be in real life. It tends to show working class people in kind of an optimistic way, people of different races working together, and glorifies the bulk masses of the American people, working hard, creating wealth. That's social realism. And in the 1950s, we understand the CIA argued that that school of social realism was somehow an ideological threat. And so they started funding modern art.And we now know the CIA funded Jackson Pollock and did everything they could. You know, this guy who just splattered paint on a canvas, who was a little bit of a leftist, who'd been around the Communist Party in the 1930s - but he made this art that had no shapes or images, and it was just kind of painting splatter on a canvas. And the CIA thought, well, this is what we want to spread around the world. And they teamed up with the Rockefeller think tanks to make it popular. And you would think that that has no political value, right? I mean, who cares that the paintings you're looking at - are they people, are they splattered images - but it did have political value: it was disorienting, especially to the kind of intellectual circles where the Soviet Union had drawn great support in previous times, Maupin explained.Well, you know, starting in the mid-fifties, we saw a huge effort by the CIA not to push things in a rightward direction, but to push them in a left-wing direction that they could control. And that's what the Congress for Cultural Freedom Program of the CIA was about. It was about finding leftists and socialists who were not in favor of the Soviet Union, who would support their regime-change interventions around the world, and would repeat their propaganda against the socialist countries. They found a way that you could be a leftist, you could be a critic of US society, a critic of American culture, a critic of militarism, but also be on their side when it mattered, Maupin said.And we also know about how later in the 1960s, you had Project MKULTRA, which was the CIA's drug program, in which they worked to flood college campuses and other areas where you'd find dissidents with hallucinogenic drugs. They had experimented with LSD and other drugs as potential mind-control vehicles, and throughout the 1960s, there were big sections of the population that were going out and protesting and such. We know that due to the efforts of the CIA, a lot of hallucinogenic drugs were distributed in those circles and a lot of lives were really damaged by the widespread use of hallucinogens. I mean, you read about, you know, Google Operation Midnight Climax, it was called, where they just walked through San Francisco dropping LSD into random peoples drinks, many people had no idea it was going to happen, they just started hallucinating. I mean, this was some pretty dangerous stuff they were doing to the American people.Maupin also noted how the CIA has worked hard to co-opt elements of the intelligentsia, including journalists and academics, including gaining control over the American Newspaper Guild in the late 1960s. However, that practice never disappeared, and recent events revealed a deep contradiction in US interests on college campuses after the US Congress grilled the heads of several leading US universities over growing pro-Palestine sentiments on their campuses.Part of that - you know, a lot of those countries that people are coming from are Muslim countries or are countries where people are not as supportive of Israel as they are over here. And part of the role that those schools play is they show people that the United States is a much more open and tolerant society than detractors of the United States would like to believe. And also, they work very, very hard to present an image of the United States that isn't particularly accurate. You know, Harvard is a lot more open-minded, there's a lot more different ideas floating around on the Harvard campus than there are in middle America. But it's very much about creating an image of the United States as an open, free society.So, having people at Harvard University who speak against Israel and support the Palestinians actually kind of helps the United States in the long term, but Israel certainly doesn't approve, especially at a time like this, where they're just going after Gaza and they want all the support they can get," Maupin said. And this shows kind of a conflict of interest. On the one hand, those Ivy League schools are about courting people from around the world and getting them to see that America has room for different ideas, etc. But at the same time, you know, there are a lot of pro-Israel people in the United States who say, especially at Harvard, especially at MIT, especially at Yale and Princeton, we want everyone supporting Israel as loudly as they can. This is a contradiction.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231129/cia-director-increasingly-supplanting-neocon-blinken-in-gaza-diplomacy---analyst-1115272444.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231213/lawmakers-call-for-resignation-of-harvard-mit-presidents-1115546908.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-house-speaker-calls-colorado-ruling-to-bar-trump-from-2024-vote-partisan-attack-1115690919.html

US House Speaker Calls Colorado Ruling to Bar Trump From 2024 Vote 'Partisan Attack'

US House Speaker Calls Colorado Ruling to Bar Trump From 2024 Vote 'Partisan Attack'

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Colorado courts ruling to bar former President Donald Trump from the state's primary election is a partisan attack.

2023-12-20T01:29+0000

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Earlier in the day, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump is barred from being in the states 2024 Republican primary vote. Johnson emphasized that regardless of political affiliation, every US voter should not be denied the right to support Trump, who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary. The House Speaker added that he trusts the US Supreme Court will set aside the courts "reckless" decision and let the American people decide the next US president.Trumps campaign said they will appeal the court ruling and described it as a flawed decision.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/colorado-court-rules-trump-disqualified-from-2024-primary-ballot---filing-1115689238.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-nearly-out-of-time-money-to-support-ukraine---blinken-1115708422.html

US Nearly Out of Time, Money to Support Ukraine - Blinken

US Nearly Out of Time, Money to Support Ukraine - Blinken

The United States is nearly out of money to support Ukraine and out of time to approve more assistance, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

2023-12-20T17:50+0000

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We are nearly out of money that we need, and were nearly out of time, Blinken said during a press briefing, when asked about Ukraine aid. Blinken underscored the urgency of the Biden administrations supplemental funding request to the US Congress, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel. There is no magic pot from which the US can pull funds to support Ukraine, Blinken added.Earlier in the day, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the approaching ground freezes on the battlefield in Ukraine coupled with the reluctance of Congress to approve new funding for Kiev, make time an adversary rather than an ally of Washington.Kirby said earlier this week that the Biden administration will be able to send one more security aid package to Ukraine and will run out of money after it unless Congress acts to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel.The White House is asking Congress to approve a $106 billion supplemental bill that will include more than $60 billion for Ukraine as funding is slated to run out by December 30.Republicans in the Senate recently blocked an effort to bring the supplemental bill closer to a final vote to force negotiations to bolster border security as the United States struggles to deal with a record-setting crisis on the US southern border.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/ukraine---another-lost-usnato-war-with-no-regrets-1115679845.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-releases-maduros-close-ally-in-exchange-for-jailed-americans--reports-1115705698.html

US Releases Maduro's Close Ally in Exchange for Jailed Americans  Reports

US Releases Maduro's Close Ally in Exchange for Jailed Americans  Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The Biden administration has agreed to free a "close ally" of President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for jailed Americans, the Associated... 20.12.2023, Sputnik International

2023-12-20T14:52+0000

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Alex Saab, who was arrested on a US warrant for alleged money laundering in 2020, was released from custody on Wednesday, the report said. As part of the swap, Maduro will free some, if not all, of the at least 10 US citizens who remain imprisoned in Venezuela, the report added, citing a person familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing a high-level Venezuelan source, that the Maduro government will release a total of 36 people, including 12 Americans.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-returns-military-base-camp-market-to-south-korea---reports-1115700738.html

US Returns Military Base Camp Market to South Korea - Reports

US Returns Military Base Camp Market to South Korea - Reports

The United States has fully returned its former military base, Camp Market, located near the capital city of Seoul, to South Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the South Korean Defense Ministry.

2023-12-20T12:46+0000

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The US Forces Korea (USFK) has transferred around 257,000 square meters (63.5 acres) of Camp Market land after the countries agreed in 2019 the hand-over of various military facilities and the first 216,000 square meters of the base were returned to South Korea. Therefore, the process of transfer of all 473,000 square meters of land was finished, the report said. The agreement for transfer was reached at a meeting of the South Korea-US Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee that is in charge of 28,500 US troops currently stationed in the Asian country. The return was effected as part of the US effort to consolidate bases in South Korea into two garrisons to improve defense readiness and operational efficacy amid ongoing tensions on the peninsula. To date, the USFK has transferred 69 out of 80 facilities according to the relocation plan. In 2019, the US agreed to return four military bases to South Korea  in Wonju, Bupyeong, and Dongducheon  that were closed for up to 10 years as well as to continue discussing with Seoul the issue of cleaning environmental contamination at the bases. Meanwhile, South Korea demanded the US take up the decontamination efforts to clean the bases.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/us-senator-says-ukraine-western-backers-desire-to-return-to-1991-borders-fantasy-1115707929.html

US Senator Says Ukraine, Western Backers Desire to Return to 1991 Borders Fantasy

US Senator Says Ukraine, Western Backers Desire to Return to 1991 Borders Fantasy

The desire of Ukraine and its Western backers to return the country to its 1991 borders is a fantasy, US Senator JD Vance said on Wednesday.

2023-12-20T17:17+0000

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The fundamental problem with the Ukraine war is not inadequate funding or too few weapons. It was the Western conceit that Ukraine could throw Russia back to 1991 borders. That was a fantasy 18 months ago; it is a fantasy today, Vance said in a statement via social media platform X. The only question for the United States is how much further destruction it ought to foist on Ukraine before advocating for peace, the statement said. The outcome of the Ukraine conflict will be blamed on lawmakers who were skeptical of funding the conflict, the statement added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231024/rfk-jr-says-biden-administration-more-focused-on-securing-ukraines-border-than-its-own-1114456335.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/we-prepared-to-use-them-in-vietnam-untold-story-of-us-toxic-romance-with-depleted-uranium-1114200068.html

'We Prepared to Use Them' in Vietnam: Untold Story of US' Toxic Romance With Depleted Uranium

'We Prepared to Use Them' in Vietnam: Untold Story of US' Toxic Romance With Depleted Uranium

The US and Britains decision to send depleted uranium (DU) shell-equipped Abrams and Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine has reignited public debate about the controversial weapons, which have left deep scars in every country theyve touched. But DUs history goes back further than most imagine. Sputnik has details you wont find anywhere else.

2023-12-20T05:00+0000

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The first batch of the M1 Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine in late September, with President Volodymyr Zelensky thanking Kievs US allies for fulfilling the agreements and saying the tanks would be made ready to strengthen our brigades.Washington pledged 31 Abrams to Kiev back in January, several months before the Ukrainian Army kicked off its ill-fated summer counteroffensive, but held off on delivering the refurbished equipment for months, swapping out the tanks secretive Chobham composite armor in favor of cheaper, weaker protection. All 31 made it into the country by mid-October.The Abrams arrival follows the deployment of 14 British-made Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in March. Kiev held off on using the highly pampered British MBTs on the battlefield until September, when at least two of the heavy armored behemoths were destroyed in heavy fighting in Zaporozhye shortly after being deployed.The rationale behind the invention of depleted uranium ordnance is three-fold: their incredible armor-piercing capabilities, lower cost compared to tungsten ore-based penetrator projectiles, and the opportunity to recycle spent nuclear fuel a country may have lying around, in this case by firing it at the enemy. As DU-equipped shells are fired, molten bits of uranium slough off the penetrator, enabling projectiles pierce deep into even the thickest of enemy armor.The main downside of DU weapons relates to the radioactive record of destruction they leave wherever theyre used, resulting in alarming rates of cancers and other health problems, both among residents of countries attacked using the weapons, and among military personnel using them.Who Thought Up Using Uranium as a Conventional Weapon?A casual English-language internet search on the history of uraniums use as a conventional weapon lands on an unsourced article in Encyclopedia Britannica claiming that the United States defense military first began using depleted uranium in 1977, with the development of DU ammunition attributed to advances in tank armor construction by the Soviet Union. The Environmental Protection Agency similarly attributes the start of the creation of Americas DU munitions stockpile to the 1970s.But a deeper dive reveals that the idea of using uranium in bullets and shells actually goes back to the Second World War to even before the dawn of the nuclear age. Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production Albert Speer would recall in in his memoirs how he ordered the use of uranium in the production of armor-piercing ammunition, with the halt of imports of the iron manganese tungsten oxide wolframite from Portugal in 1943 resulting in critical shortages in Nazi Germanys war production.The Third Reich hoped to make up for it using its plentiful uranium reserves after seizing about 1,200 tons of the stuff from Belgium in 1940. Uranium core rounds were subsequently developed and incorporated into Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 30 mm caliber autocannons, used in both ground vehicles and fighters, and were reportedly deployed to the Eastern Front sometime after 1943.We Saw It, We Had ItStarting in the 1950s, US government agencies began researching possible uses for Americas growing stockpiles of depleted uranium. The Pentagon quickly caught on, with the US and some of its overseas allies beginning programs to develop and test fire DU-equipped munitions including armor penetrators and spotter rounds. Thousands of DU rounds rained down on military bases across the US in tests and training through the 1960s, including in Washington State and Hawaii.Now, when I was in Vietnam, I dont know for sure that they used it. The area I was in or what I was doing was not involved with DU as far as I know. I do know that aircraft there in the Air Force had Gatling guns, 20 millimeter Gatling guns, which were capable of firing DU rounds, Anderson said.The massively successful M61 Vulcan 20-mm rotary cannons that began to be fielded by the Air Force, Army and Navy starting in the late 1950s did come equipped with armor-piercing DU round capability. The hydraulically operated, electrically fired heavy guns were fitted aboard a wide array of Air Force jets used in Vietnam, including the F-105D Thunderchief, the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-111 Aardvark. The guns have also been used by the Navy as close-in weapons, and fitted to ground vehicles such as the M163 tracked, mobile air defense system.I know that the American aircraft were capable of using them, because at the time in the States, we were preparing to use them, we were training. The pilots were training with them. And as a munitions expert, my job was to take care of accidents with those things. We were prepared to handle accidents and move them or move the materials around if we had to, Anderson recalled.Even back then, Anderson said, specialists were well aware of how dangerous DU could be. We prepared and studied them and knew about themWe knewthat this is bad stuff. We didnt want to be around it or handle it unless we actually definitely had to for some reason.From the 1970s onward, M61 Vulcan guns were attached to a number of newer planes, including the F-14 Tomcat, the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F/A-18 Hornet, as well as aircraft used by a handful of US allies, including Italy, West Germany, Brazil and Japan.Later, a heavier, 30-mm autocannon known as the GAU-8/A Avenger was developed, and attached to A-10 Thunderbolt II heavy ground attack aircraft. That gun is also capable of firing DU rounds.DU Developments Behind the Iron CurtainIn the Soviet bloc, military scientists foray into depleted uranium munitions started much later, with tank shell developers introducing the 125-mm 3BM32 Vant armor-piercing DU APFSDS in 1985, several years after the Abrams deployment had already begun. The Vant consisted of a DU-nickel-zinc alloy, and offered an estimated 15 percent improvement in armor-piercing performance over the BM29 Nadfil-2, a non-DU anti-armor shell for the T-72.A second DU tank round known as the BM48 Svinets ("Lead") was also created, featuring superior penetration. A tungsten-based variant of the Vant known as the BM-42 Mango was introduced in 1986, and featured armor-piercing capabilities superior even to the 3BM32, resulting in its widespread deployment aboard Russian and Ukrainian T-90 and T-80U MBTs alongside the new DU penetrator-equipped shells.DU is Dangerous: PutinWarsaw Pact armies never ended up using DU munitions on the battlefield, with post-Soviet Russia similarly choosing to refrain from their use, perhaps mindful of experiences the US and its allies had deploying the toxic weapons in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 US-UK invasion, in Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999, and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan, Syria, and Gaza.Without exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands, literally hundreds of thousands of such rounds. We havent use them yet, Putin added.Nobody Should Be Using This StuffIraq and the former Yugoslavia, where DU weapons were most heavily used in the past, have been made to pay a heavy cost.According to Iraqi government data, cancer rates in the country jumped from just 40 cases per 100,000 people in 1991 to 800 per 100,000 in 1995, and 1,600 per 100,000 by 2005. Particularly high incidence rates have been reported in Baghdad, Basra and Fallujah, all cities heavily bombarded by US and British DU weaponry in 1991 and 2003.Residents of Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia have faced similarly grim outcomes, suffering outsized rates of oncology among European countries in both adults and children, along with abnormally high levels of infertility, autoimmune diseases, mental disorders and other illnesses attributed to DU exposure.Tens of thousands of American and other NATO servicemen were exposed to DU munitions during these wars, with courts across Europe ruling that DU can cause cancers, and ordering governments to pay out millions in compensation. In the US too, veterans can file claims for disability compensation if they think theyve been exposed to DU during their service.But the same courtesy has not been offered to countries impacted by NATO's wars, with the alliance claiming immunity from prosecution to depleted uranium poisoning-related lawsuits filed by Serbs, and the US ignoring a similar campaign by lawyers in Iraq. Earlier this year, as London and Washington prepared to send DU munitions to Ukraine, a chorus of officials and legacy media voices have repeated ad nauseam that 'DU is safe' and that the risks of its use are minimal.Because from what I have read in literature and experiences in other areas of the world, its very harmful to humans and lingers in the environment and can be absorbed into the body. Im not a medical expert, but I know enough from what Ive read about it and use in Iraq and other places and what we were told even in the sixties that we didnt want to play with this stuff and be around it even if it was used, the veteran stressed.We Were Not Told Anything About DUUS Navy veteran Mike James, a Mass Communication Specialist Petty Officer who fought in Iraq in 2008, says information about the dangers of DU munitions wasnt made available to him and his comrades by that time.We were stationed, at the time we called it Ali Airbase. It had several names, James recalled. The Army called it Camp Adder, I believeBut it was near the town of Al-Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, which is one of the largest air bases in the country. And Al-Nasiriyah is one of the biggest cities, the biggest city in southern Iraq.It was one of the places where a lot of depleted uranium munitions were fired, beginning in the 90s during the [Iraqi] retreat from KuwaitA-10 Warthogs fired depleted uranium rounds at retreating Iraqi units from KuwaitAnd then again later in the 2000s during Operation Iraqi Freedom, James, who educated himself on the use of DU in Iraq independently after leaving the military, said.From my research, about 300 tons of depleted uranium were fired or are lying around in the desert of Iraq. Thats just from what has been independently verified, the officer noted, adding that he believes the true figures are much higher.The health consequences are horrendous. They are worse than any American is willing to think about or come to terms with. At least thats the way it seems. The general public simply cannot come to terms with the horrific effects, James added, comparing the consequences of DU munitions use to Hiroshima.The former soldier, who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries following deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, told Sputnik hes not sure if he got a serious dose of radiation from exposure to DU-contaminated vehicles, land, water and air during his tour in Iraq, but recalled that the rate of pollution was incredible, with a burn pit containing hundreds of Iraqi military vehicles knocked out by DU rounds burning round the clock.DU Deliveries Prove US Establishment Does not Care About Ukrainian PeopleJames is convinced that Washingtons decision to send DU to Ukraine constitutes a war crime.Anderson agrees that there definitely seems to be a hidden psychological motivation behind NATO countries' decision to deploy DU to Ukraine.Theyre trying to prepare the public to accept the use of nuclear weapons in war, which I think is a stepping stone to using tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. They keep wanting to present these kinds of weapons, like DU and the B61 bombs, which are tactical, a smaller, dialed down yield of nuclear weapons, as acceptable. And I think its a continuing psychological escalation to prepare the American people to accept [that] its possible that we could get into a conflict using nuclear weapons, and that its survivable, its winnable.Ultimately, such thinking amounts to a suicidal dead end for humanity, Anderson concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230906/bad-decision-all-around-ex-pentagon-officials-blast-us-move-to-send-ukraine-depleted-uranium-1113160766.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230907/how-us-media-learned-to-love-depleted-uranium-shells-amid-ukraine-counteroffensive-1113179148.html

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Robert Anderson explains how American troops were trained to use depleted uranium shells in the 1960s. Robert Anderson explains how American troops were trained to use depleted uranium shells in the 1960s. 2023-12-20T05:00+0000 true PT0M56S

Mike James: We know there was depleted uranium Mike James: We know there was depleted uranium 2023-12-20T05:00+0000 true PT0M56S

Mike James: It is about imperial domination over the planet and their effort to destroy Russia. Mike James: It is about imperial domination over the planet and their effort to destroy Russia. 2023-12-20T05:00+0000 true PT0M43S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/xi-tells-biden-taiwan-will-reunify-with-china-but-timing-not-yet-set-1115704220.html

Xi Tells Biden Taiwan Will Reunify With China, But Timing Not Yet Set

Xi Tells Biden Taiwan Will Reunify With China, But Timing Not Yet Set

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned US President Joe Biden during their November summit in San Francisco that Taiwan would eventually reunify with China, but on a schedule yet to be determined, NBC reported on Wednesday, citing three current and former US officials.

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Xi said during the meeting that China prefers that the reunification occurs peacefully, rather than through force, the officials said. They described his remarks as candid, but not confrontational. Xi also said that US military leaders were incorrect to predict that China would seek to reunify with Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, as the timing had yet to be determined. Chinese officials requested prior to the summit that Biden issue a public statement afterward that the US supported Chinas goal of peaceful reunification and not Taiwanese independence, the report said. However, the White House refused the request.

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Global Believer S made a believer of a field of quality trotters at Ballys Dover after he won his second straight Open Handicap on Tuesday night (Dec. 19).

I Get It left quickest off the gate in the $25,000 Open and forced seats to JL Cruze, Certify and the 4-5 betting favourite Global Believer S en route to the opening quarter in :28.2. Global Believer S, who left from post eight, settled in fourth at the quarter then brushed for the lead passing the stands. Global Believer S took control of the field and reached the half in :57.1

Driver Tim Tetrick and Global Believer S continued on an uncontested lead and buzzed the three-quarters in 1:25.2, a :28.1 panel. Global Believer S held his lead into the stretch. I Get It left the pocket and charged late, as did Certify. Global Believer S held on and won by a neck in 1:54.3. He paid $3.40 for the win. I Get It finished second and Certify picked up the show spot.

Global Believer S (Donato Hanover-Platinum Shine) is owned by Engblom Stable LLC and Kasper Foget, both from New Jersey. Trained by Per Engblom, the six-year-old gelding has won four consecutive races and nine of 12 starts since arriving in North America this past summer.

The win was one of four on the card for Tetrick.

Corey Callahan secured three driving wins on the night.

The feature race on Wednesday, Dec. 20 is the Mares Open Handicap Pace headlined by Feeling Sweet and Majorica N. There is a $1,454 Pentafecta carryover to Wednesday nights card. Post time on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 21 is 4:30 p.m.

(With files from Bally's Dover)
The number of Korean workers who took parental leave rose by the most in 11 years in 2022 and a record level of nearly 30 percent of workers taking such leave were fathers, data showed Wednesday.

A total of 199,976 workers took time off to take care of their children last year, up 14.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

It marked the sharpest annual growth since 2011, when the number jumped 28.7 percent on-year.

"The growth came as many companies opted to end their work-from-home policy amid eased antivirus curbs and the government extended support for parents," an agency official said.

By law, people whose children are younger than eight, or below the second grade of elementary school, are entitled to apply for a maximum one year of maternity or paternity leave.

The government provides financial support for subscribers to employment insurance who also sign up for parental leave in an effort to tackle the country's ultra-low birthrate.

The number of male workers taking parental leave surged 28.5 percent on-year to 54,240 in 2022.

It was the first time that the number of fathers who took such leave surpassed the 50,000 level since 2010, when the agency began compiling the relevant data.

The proportion of male workers taking the leave reached an all-time high of 27.1 percent last year.

The ratio has been on a constant rise from six percent in 2015 to 12.8 percent in 2017 and 22.6 percent in 2020.

Women accounted for 72.9 percent of the total workers on parental leave last year, and the number of women who took maternity leave rose 9.6 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

By age, women aged 30-34 accounted for the biggest portion of all mothers who took maternity leave with 40.8 percent, followed by those aged 35-39 with 34.1 percent.

Among male workers, people aged 35-39 accounted for the largest 39.7 percent, followed by those in their 40s with 35.3 percent.

More than six out of every ten employees who took parental leave in 2022 worked for large-sized companies.

Of male workers who took the leave, 70.1 percent were affiliated with companies with 300 and more employees, and the proportion came to 60 percent for working mothers.

By industry, employees in the manufacturing sector accounted for 22.6 percent of fathers who took such leave, followed by 20.2 percent in the public administration and defense sector.

Among mothers, those working in the public health and welfare segment took up the largest share of 19.1 percent, followed by the public administration and defense sector with 15 percent and the education service field with 12.5 percent, the data showed. (Yonhap)
The Board of Directors of Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Darryl Kaplan as the new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 15, 2024. Mr. Kaplan will succeed Dan Gall in these roles.

With a remarkable 20-year tenure at Standardbred Canada, Mr. Kaplan has contributed significantly to the organization, previously serving as Managing Editor, Manager of Industry Communications, and Senior Director of Innovation and Information. His extensive experience within the association and deep understanding of the industry set the stage for his new leadership role.

Joanne Colville, Chair of Standardbred Canada, expressed her confidence in Mr. Kaplan's appointment: "The board is thrilled to welcome Darryl as our new President and CEO. His comprehensive knowledge of our association, coupled with his passion as a horse owner and racing enthusiast, positions him ideally to lead our association. His exceptional skill set, business acumen, and energy will undoubtedly drive our continued growth and representation in the industry."

Ms. Colville also highlighted the rigorous nature of the selection process: "This was a highly competitive recruitment, with several top-tier candidates. We are grateful to everyone who participated and are excited to work with Darryl moving forward. We are equally fortunate to have Dan Gall's support during this transition period," she concluded.

In addition to his new role at Standardbred Canada, Mr. Kaplan holds prominent positions as President of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and Vice-President of the Canadian National Exhibition Association. He has also been actively involved in various boards across the Greater Toronto Area.

"I am extremely excited to be stepping into the role of President and CEO of Standardbred Canada," said Kaplan. "I look forward to working with our fantastic team, our dedicated members, and all stakeholders in continuing to strengthen our industry.

"The long-term health of Standardbred racing and breeding, from coast to coast, is something that is very important to me and to our organization. By putting the horse first, and facing challenges head on, I believe we can accomplish great things."


With the books now finalized after the last live card of racing took place on Saturday, Dec. 9, Batavia Downs has reported a major growth in handle that started last January during its first winter meet in 20 years. The New York half-mile track ended the year showing a 75 per cent increase in wagering over its previous record high.

Batavia Downs reported that its total all-source handle for the entire 67 days of live racing conducted at the Downs in 2023 was $15,414,846, which easily eclipsed the old record high of $8,779,409 established in 2019 over that 63-day meet and set a new all-time high wagering mark during Western Regional Off Track Bettings 21-year tenure as owner of the track.

Breaking down the numbers further, the average daily all-source handle of $230,072 bested the old mark of $146,987 set in 2021 (for a full year schedule) by 57 per cent. The average daily handle in 2020 was $170,268, but it was during a Covid-shortened meet that ran only 42 days.

Another number that saw an uptick at the Downs in 2023 was the total on-track live handle of $935,790, which rose 2.5 per cent from the $912,822 wagered last year.

The momentum in the handle started during our winter meet when we set several daily records and picked right back up when we returned in July," said Don Hoover, Director of Live Racing at Batavia Downs. "I am very happy that the wagering support from our customers, both remote and live, carried over to our regular meet.

The momentum Hoover eluded to started on Monday, Jan. 30 after bettors came out in force to pump $340,602 (from all sources) through the windows to set a new all-time single card mark at Batavia Downs. That total was the largest handle recorded since WROTB re-opened the Downs in 2002 and surpassed the old mark of $339,000, which occurred during the 2019 New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions.

Then, only a week later on Monday, Feb. 6, that record was broken again after $348,205 was wagered on the very competitive third leg card of the Western New York Pop-Up Series.

The healthy daily average handle for the short 14-day 2023 winter meet was $238,895, and compared to $227,742 for the 53-day summer/fall meet, remained almost identical all year despite increased competition by the greater number of tracks that raced live later in the year.

Batavia Downs will once again host a winter meet in 2024 and it begins on Thursday, Jan. 4 with 16 dates that run through Monday, Feb. 26. Post time for every race day will be 3 p.m.

(With files from Batavia Downs)
Gregory Pecs, one of the most successful sires in Virginia's 26-year history of pari-mutuel harness racing, passed away earlier this month at the age of 21.

A son of champion trotter Muscles Yankee, Gregory Pecs produced three Virginia Breeder's Stakes champions and a total of 17 top three finishers in the annual two and three-year-old title matches, which have been held at Colonial Downs, Oak Ridge Racecourse and Shenandoah Downs.

Ironically, Muscles Yankee made a big impact in Virginia, winning the Breeders Crown Colt Trot as a three-year-old in 1998, the same year harness racing debuted at Colonial Downs.

Owned by Gideon Brenneman, who purchased the stallion with his brother Leroy in 2010, Gregory Pecs bred 55 mares and produced 16 starters from 35 registered foals while standing nine years in Virginia. When combining his four years in North Carolina and two in Indiana, he bred a total of 97 mares and produced 29 starters from 58 registered foals. Brennaman kept Gregory Pecs at his farm in Union Grove, North Carolina then shipped him to Paul Schlabach's farm in Tazewell, Virginia, where he resided for the breeding season.

Virginia Breeder's champs by Gregory Pecs include the Renfrow Hauser-trained Speedy Taxi, who won the $43,000 Two-Year-OldColt/Gelding Trot in 2016 in Woodstock. Speedy Taxi followed up with wins at Shenandoah Downs in 2018 and 2019, then captured a Breeder's aged event in 2020.

Sweet Reason was best in the $43,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot in 2019 for trainer Scott Warnick. Ironically, the top four finishers from that race were all by Gregory Pecs -- runner-up Zsa Zsa Dabor, third-place finisher J Go and fourth-place finisher Audree Helpburn. Zsa Zsa Dabor also finished second as a two-year-old then in aged company as both a four and five-year-old.

The third champ was Renfrow Hauser's Lizzybeth Taylor, who prevailed in the 2016 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot, which carried a $48,475 purse.

From a purse earnings standpoint, Indiana stakes winner Angel Band earned $103,808, Zsa Zsa Dabor bankrolled $92,574 followed by Speedy Taxi's $79,430, the top three among offspring by Brenneman's trotting stallion.

Knowing Gregory Pecs's days were numbered, Brenneman acquired another trotter named Crime Fighter, who stood in the Commonwealth last year and is one of 20 that will stand this coming year.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Gregory Pecs.

(With files from VHHA)
The wreaths were decorated by various WNCC departments in a friendly competition. The winning wreath was created by the TRIO Student Support Services department featuring the famous leg lamp from the movie A Christmas Story.

I wanted to come up with a way to spread some holiday cheer to the communities that support WNCC and our students, said Jenny Keener, HR generalist and Cougar Strides Wellness Committee member. We thought about the people that we serve in our communities who could use some holiday cheer and we decided to deliver them to nursing homes in our service area.
A Statesville man entered a plea in connection with the 2019 death of his 2-year-old stepchild.

Jordan Hoyt Simmons, 31, of Alexander Street, entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder on Dec. 12. Iredell Senior Superior Court Judge Joe Crosswhite sentenced him to an active term of at least 10 years.

Simmons received a sentence of 125 to 164 months in a case prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carrie Nitzu.

An Alford plea means the defendant does not admit to the crime but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to convict.

The case began on Sept. 5, 2019, when Statesville Police Department officers were sent to a residence on Alexander Street concerning an unresponsive 2-year-old. Officers spoke with Simmons, who said he was the childs stepfather, police said. He told police he took the child on a motorcycle ride earlier in the day, which resulted in an accident. Upon returning home, police said, Simmons indicated he placed the child in a bathtub filled with water before briefly leaving the premises.

When he returned, he discovered the child unresponsive in the bathtub, police said.

The child was transported to Iredell Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead.

The SPDs Criminal Investigation Division uncovered evidence that the childs injuries were inconsistent with the initial account given by Simmons, police said As the investigation progressed, Simmons was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse with serious injury.

The SPD expressed its gratitude to District Attorney Sarah Kirkman and the entire DAs office for their dedication and commitment to seeking justice and closure for the family and community affected by this tragedy.
As the flu, COVID and RSV continue to spread in North Carolina, Iredell Memorial Hospital is responding to the challenge of treating those with serious symptoms, while protecting other patients from contagious viruses.

Effective Thursday, children ages 13 and younger are not permitted to visit patients at Iredell Memorial Hospital. Children under the age limit should only visit the hospital if they are seeking medical attention. Siblings are permitted on The Birth Place only, with no age restrictions, but must wear a mask if they are 13 and younger. Exceptions may be made in special circumstances, such as visiting a family member who is in end-of-life care, but must be arranged with the patients care team.

Anyone with a cough, cold, fever or sore throat  no matter their age  is asked to refrain from visiting hospital patients as well.

Restrictions like this are necessary to help protect our patients as well as our staff and visitors, said Pam Gill, director of infection prevention for Iredell Health System. We also encourage all visitors to use the masks, hand sanitizer and tissues available at public entrances of Iredell Memorial.

Even though the flu season is well underway, its still not too late to get vaccinated.

For whatever reason, too many people choose not to get the flu shot, said Gill. They may be afraid it may make them sick or heard of someone who had a bad experience. Yet, the evidence shows that the flu shot is the best tool we have to slow and prevent the spread of the virus.
No one was injured in an early morning house fire in Sugar Grove on Tuesday.

Smyth County Emergency Services Coordinator Curtis Crawford said crews with the Sugar Grove, Atkins and Adwolfe fire departments were dispatched to the home on Flat Ridge Road around 1 a.m.

The family who lived at the home, Crawford said, was able get out and sought shelter at a nearby neighbors before crews arrived.

The dwelling, a mobile home, was unsalvageable, he said, adding that the family was put in contact with the American Red Cross for assistance.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Crawford said home fires statistically tick upward in the wintertime.

Around the holidays, of course, cookingand cooking is the No. 1 fire-starter statisticallybut also fires from candles for decorations, [Christmas] trees that are dehydrated and get hot because of the lights, things of that nature are some of the larger fire-starters this time of year, he said.

Heat sources are also known to cause fires. Crawford recommended using furnaces and fireplaces only as recommended, ensuring that chimneys are cleaned and inspected prior to use and never leaving fireplaces unattended without proper precautions. He also suggested using flameless decorations and keeping Christmas trees and wreathes well hydrated.

Additional holiday fire safety tips and information can be found on the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.
Japan allocated US$7 million to assist children and families with the help of UNICEF, according to Syria TV.

The Government of Japan has recently allocated nearly US$7 million to assist children and families affected by earthquakes and the ongoing conflict in Syria. UNICEF, the UN agency overseeing the initiative, announced that the funding will be utilized to provide essential resources such as clean water, sanitation, hygiene kits, and education services in affected areas.

Hirofumi Miyaki, Japans Charge dAffaires and Special Coordinator for Syria, affirmed Japans steadfast commitment to aiding children impacted by conflict and earthquakes in Syria. In a press statement, Miyaki emphasized the comprehensive approach of the contribution, aiming to address both immediate emergencies and long-term needs. He stated, Through this contribution, we aim to address not only the emergency but also the long-term needs, giving more children in Syria access to basic necessities for their lives, such as education, water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The partnership between UNICEF and Japan will focus on rehabilitating water facilities and sewage networks damaged by earthquakes. Additionally, it aims to enhance childrens access to safe learning environments by refurbishing schools and temporary learning spaces. The initiative will provide non-formal education opportunities for out-of-school children and those at risk of dropping out. Moreover, it includes efforts to strengthen the capacity of teachers and education workers.

Highlighting the broader commitment, UNICEFs website notes that Japan has contributed a total of US$49.9 million between 2020 and 2023 to support vulnerable children and families in Syria. This sustained effort underscores Japans dedication to making a meaningful impact on the lives of those affected by crises in the region.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Jordan said its army is actively engaged in repelling the armed militias back into Syrian territory, according to al-Souria Net.

It is evident that recent Jordanian military operations have taken on a broader scope compared to previous efforts. This development is a response to the Jordanian armys proactive measures to counter drug trafficking operations originating from Syrian territory towards Jordan. These illicit activities receive direct support from Iran, Hezbollah, and and the Syrian regime, escalating from conventional interventions to include air strikes, armed clashes, and resulting in injuries among soldiers.

This situation prompts an inquiry into Jordans stance on the viability of normalizing relations with the Syrian regime. The surge in drug trafficking from areas under Syrian control raises doubts about the effectiveness of the Jordanian initiative to address the Syrian crisis. The initiative, centred on halting the export of Captagon to Jordan and the Arab Gulf countries while curbing Iranian influence in Syria, seems to face challenges. The question arises: Are these military maneuvers by Jordan a reflection of their conviction in the failure of normalization and the initiative, or are they strategic moves solely intended to safeguard national security, irrespective of the Syrian regimes actions?

Clashes and injuries of soldiers

The artillery barrage occurred shortly after an official military statement from the Jordanian army disclosed armed confrontations between border guard forces and smuggling militias along the Syrian border. These clashes persisted for an extended duration, constituting an attempt to forcefully breach the Kingdoms borders.

The military source affirmed that the Jordanian army is actively engaged in repelling the armed militias back into Syrian territory. Consequently, several members of the Jordanian border guard forces sustained injuries, ranging from light to moderate conditions.

Over the past few days, there has been a noticeable escalation in the frequency of these operations. What were initially infiltration and smuggling attempts have evolved into full-fledged armed clashes, with the explicit objective of forcibly crossing the border by targeting Jordanian border guard forces.

The source highlighted that these confrontations are part of a sustained series of operations by armed militias, resulting in casualties among smugglers, the apprehension of one individual, and the unfortunate death of a Jordanian forces member with another sustaining injury.

Emphasizing a commitment to national security, the source underscored the armed forces vigilance in monitoring the movements of these militias. The military is determined to take all necessary measures to thwart and pursue these groups, ensuring stability and security within the borders of the Kingdom.

Weapons and drugs

The Jordanian Armed Forces Command released photographs and identities of arms and drug smugglers apprehended during clashes on the border with Syria on Monday.

An official military source from the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces reported casualties among the smugglers during the confrontations. The source shared images revealing the identities of eight out of the nine arrested smugglers, along with pictures of confiscated weapons and drugs.

The source detailed the quantities of narcotics seized, totaling 4,926,000 Captagon pills and 12,858 units of hashish. These confiscated substances have been promptly handed over to the relevant authorities.

Emphasizing the commitment to security, the source reiterated that the Jordanian armed forces will employ force and determination to address any threats along the border fronts. Any activities aimed at undermining the security of the homeland and instilling fear among its citizens will be met with resolute action.

Jordans National Security Threat

This form of military operations and clashes underscores the significant challenges confronting Jordan due to the Syrian regime and the escalating influence of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria. Despite the security measures and military tightening implemented by Amman along the Syrian-Jordanian border, smuggling operations have not only persisted but have also intensified.

A particularly alarming security threat arising from these clashes is the initiation of arms and rocket smuggling operations, underscoring the extent of Iranian pressure on Jordan. Minister of Government Communication and spokesperson for the Jordanian government, Muhannad Mubaydeen, highlighted on Monday that his country is engaged in a cross-border conflict with Syria due to the prevailing lawlessness of power in the region. This is exemplified by the smuggling activities of militias supported by regional powers, involving both drugs and weapons. Mubaydeen emphasized that the target extends beyond Jordan, reaching Arab and Gulf countries.

Speaking to CNN, Mubaydeen referenced the role of Iran-linked militias in recent confrontations on the northern border with Syria. He asserted that Jordan is not merely an isolated target; rather, it is part of a broader regional problem stemming from the activities of these militias, supported by both regional and non-regional powers. Their actions pose a direct threat to the security and stability of Jordan.

Mubaydeen elaborated on the nature of the challenge, stating, Drug traffickers are not just isolated groups; they are part of a network of smugglers and organized militias backed by regional and non-regional powers, with the aim of destabilizing neighbouring countries through the illicit drug trade.

On December 14th, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi issued a warning about ongoing attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons across the border from Syria. He emphasized the imperative to pursue the aggressors against Jordans security wherever they are. The statement underscores the determination of the Jordanian government to address the security threats and protect its borders.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Justice ministers remarks trigger debate on political impact of probe into Kim Keon Hee

By Nam Hyun-woo

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is floating the idea of putting off the launch of a special counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee until after the upcoming general elections in April next year, in a bid to counter the oppositions push to pass a bill to facilitate such an investigation this month and take advantage of negative public sentiment toward the first lady in election campaigning.

The idea, brought up by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who is likely to be named as the interim leader of the PPP in the near future, is interpreted as a tactic to protect President Yoon Suk Yeol from possible criticisms regarding his vetoing the bill, while minimizing the probes impact on the general elections.

There should be no exceptions before the law, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon told reporters, Tuesday. However, the bill is intended to disclose the investigation process in real-time and includes other controversial clauses. Most of all, it is a bad law that allows the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to exploit it as a propaganda campaign during the general elections.

The comments were interpreted as him being open to accepting the special counsel bill if some clauses of the bill are removed and the special counsel probe begins after the general elections.

A special counsel probe refers to an investigation by an independent counsel, called a special prosecutor, who works on cases involving high-ranking officials. First lady Kim faces allegations that she was involved in the stock manipulation of one of BMW's licensed Korean dealerships.

To appoint a counsel for first lady Kims case, the minor opposition Justice Party proposed the bill in March, and this is set to be tabled at a National Assembly plenary session on Dec. 28, upon the main opposition DPKs endorsement. Since the DPK holds 168 out of 300 seats of the Assembly, the party can singlehandedly pass the bill.

If it takes place, the investigation of Kim is expected to be one of the most controversial issues preceding the general elections, as the investigation is likely to peak in March  just a month before the elections  with the aim of swaying public sentiment away from not only Kim but also the president and the ruling party.

Yoon is likely to veto the special counsel probe even if the bill passes the Assembly. But it is also seen as an undesirable choice because the president has already vetoed several bills passed by the DPK, and surveys showed that the public wants the investigation to take place.

Against this backdrop, Hans remarks on accepting the special counsel probe are interpreted as a tactic reflecting the reality that the PPP cannot stop the DPK from passing the special counsel bill, and the DPK will not accept the idea of launching the probe after the general elections.

Proposing the idea of launching a special counsel probe after the general elections provides a pretext for the ruling bloc that it is open to the probe to some extent, but it has to postpone it after the elections due to the concern that the DPK would exploit it for its aims in the election.

This alleviates possible concerns for Yoon over using his veto power once again, which could be interpreted as an abuse of power. And at the same time could become a criticism against the DPK implying that the partys purpose of pushing for the first ladys special counsel probe, is to gain an advantage in the general election, rather than as a matter of justice.

The DPK slammed Hans remarks Wednesday, labeling him a spokesperson for first lady Kim, and vowed to pass the bill by any means during the Dec. 28 plenary session.

Justice Minister Han is mentioned as the interim leader of the ruling party, and it seems obvious that he will end up being an avatar of President Yoon, DPK spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said. Tuesdays remarks indicate that he is considering himself as a personal guard of the first lady, and there were plenty of criticisms within our Supreme Council Meeting today.

During a radio interview with broadcaster CBS, DPK Rep. Jung Sung-ho said that the PPP is using the rationale that the DPK is seeking to use the special counsel probe to affect the general elections, but the ruling party could have accepted it earlier if it were truly open to the special counsel probe bill, adding if the PPPs logic is fair, all investigations on opposition politicians should be postponed as well.

Unlike Tuesday, Han refused to explain further about his idea on the first ladys special counsel bill on Wednesday, telling reporters that I have said enough.
Mekdad and Amir-Abdollahian called for facilitating aid access to the Palestinian people, according to al-Baath.

In a significant diplomatic exchange, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian engaged in a telephone conversation to deliberate on the escalating situation in the Palestinian territories, with a focus on recent developments in the Gaza Strip. This discussion comes amid heightened concerns over increasing hostilities by the Israeli forces.

During the call, both ministers expressed strong condemnation of what they described as continuous Israeli and Western aggression against Palestinians. They highlighted the tragic human cost of these conflicts, noting the loss of nearly 20,000 innocent lives, predominantly women and children.

The ministers denounced the Israeli governments policies, which they claim involve the targeted destruction of essential infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, and attacks on medical staff. They asserted that these actions constitute blatant violations of international humanitarian law. In their conversation, Mekdad and Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian Resistance, which they view as a bulwark against what they termed as barbaric attacks by Israeli forces.

The dialogue also encompassed a review of diplomatic efforts undertaken at regional and international levels aimed at addressing the ongoing violence in the region. Both ministers discussed potential strategies and necessary steps to curb the current aggression.

A key part of their discussion involved the humanitarian aspect of the crisis. Mekdad and Amir-Abdollahian called for facilitating aid access to the Palestinian people and urged the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli government to adhere to global norms and respect international consensus. This call for action underscores the critical nature of the situation and the urgency with which these ministers view the need for a resolution.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria.

An airstrike believed to have been carried out by Jordans air force struck a province in southern Syria late on Monday night, as Amman said it killed several smugglers in a border clash. At the same time, a four-wheel military vehicle of the IRGC was hit by a drone near al-Boukamal. Three fighters were killed.

An airstrike likely carried out by Jordans air force targets drug dealers in Syria, reports say

An airstrike believed to have been carried out by Jordans air force struck a province in southern Syria late on Monday night, Syrian opposition activists said. Hours earlier, Jordanian authorities said their troops killed several smugglers in a border clash, according to AP.

There was no immediate confirmation from Jordan on the strike that hit the province of Sweida, a known route for drug smuggling from war-torn Syria to its southern neighbor.

Smugglers have used Jordan as a corridor over the past years to smuggle highly addictive Captagon amphetamines out of Syria, mainly to oil-rich Arab Gulf states. Jordanian authorities have managed to stop several smuggling attempts, including some in which smugglers used drones to fly the drugs over the border.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Mondays airstrike targeted the area of Salkhad and killed a well-known drug dealer in the region. It said the strike was most likely carried out by Jordans air force but did not elaborate.

Earlier Monday, Jordans state news agency said the countrys border guards killed and wounded several smugglers along the border with Syria. It added that nine smugglers were detained and that troops seized nearly five million pills of Captagon, as well as an unspecified amount of cannabis.

Turkey announces assassination of prominent Syrian Kurdish commander Sherwan Hassan

Turkish authorities announced on 17 December that they had assassinated Sherwan Hassan, a prominent Kurdish commander, in northeastern Syria in a continuation of its targeting of the Syrian Kurdish leadership, New Arab reported.

Hassan, who helped found the Kurdish Self Defense Forces (HXP) in northeast Syria and was a member of the Deir az-Zour military council, was killed by an explosive device on 5 December after leaving a meeting with the international coalition to defeat the so-called Islamic State (IS).

In a statement after his death, the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that Hassan had a pivotal role in the organisation after IS was defeated and that he was a clear target for hostile parties that do not want good for the region.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) was responsible for the assassination of Hassan in Deir az-Zour, according to Anadolu Agency.

His assassination as Turkey carries out an intensified campaign against the SDF since a government building was bombed in Ankara on 1 October, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian group.

Turkey has since carried out extensive bombing on northeast Syria, hitting civilian infrastructure and killing 48, nine of whom were civilians, according to Qamishli-based Rojava Information Center.

Turkey views the SDF as an outgrowth of the Kurdistan Workers Party, with which it has waged a 40-year-long civil war. It has pledged to push the Syrian Kurdish group away from its southern border.

Syrian Jihadist Sentenced To Life For German Knife Attacks

AFP reports that a 27-year-old Syrian Islamist was sentenced to life for murder and attempted murder in Germany on Tuesday over two stabbing attacks earlier this year in the western city of Duisburg.

The defendant, named only as Maan D., was a supporter of the Islamic State group and admitted his crimes, the court in Duesseldorf said in a statement.

He was still determined to kill those he sees as infidels', added the court.

Maan D., who arrived in Germany as a refugee during the 2015 influx, attacked a man at random in Duisburg on April 9, stabbing him at least 28 times in the abdomen, head and neck with a kitchen knife.

The 35-year-old victim, who had been partying on a street with friends, died later the same day.

Less than two weeks later, Maan D. stormed a gym in Duisburg, where he attacked three men in the locker room and shower area with the same knife, leaving them with life-threatening wounds in their upper bodies. He then also inflicted two stab wounds to the thigh of a first aider.

The court classed the crimes as particularly grievous and ordered Maan D. held in in preventive detention beyond the 15 years usually served in Germany under a life sentence.

It found that he had been radicalised since 2020 by militant-jihadist ideology of the Islamic State (IS) terror organisation on the internet and saw all who didnt share his views as infidels.

Hence he decided  without directly belonging to IS or any other terror organisation  to kill randomly selected male residents of the federal republic, the court said.

Unidentified drone kills three fighters in Deir ez-Zor

The war monitor SOHR reported a four-wheel military vehicle of the IRGC was targeted in the desert near Al-Sukareyah town north-west of Al-Boukamal city within areas controlled by the Syrian government and Iran-backed armed groups.

In the past, both US and Israeli warplanes have targeted Iran-backed armed groups in Deir ez-Zor. But thus far, neither has claimed the drone strike.

The drone attack comes amidst the ongoing war between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces, with Iran-backed groups retaliating against US support for Israel by targeting its airbases and installations in Iraq and Syria.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary, told reporters on Dec. 14 that well continue to take appropriate actions to protect those forces and also deter future attacks.

A Pentagon official told Kurdistan24 on Dec. 15 that Iran-backed armed groups have carried out a total of 98 attacks on US forces, with 46 occurring in Iraq and 52 in Syria since Oct. 17.

On Nov. 29, the US Treasury Department sanctioned 20 persons and entities for facilitating financial transactions for Irans IRGC and other military institutions of the country.

Death and fear among civilians in NW Syria amid Assad regimes bombardment

In recent devastating events, the military under President Bashar al-Assad launched bombardments in Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo, leading to the death of seven civilians and injuring 20 others. The Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, reported that the attacks in Darat Izza resulted in the deaths of five people, including a child and a pregnant woman, and injured five others, including two children.

This assault, according to Al-Jazeera report, is part of a series of 48 attacks this month across 15 cities and towns, claiming nine lives, including three children and a woman. The continuous shelling has instilled fear and caused widespread displacement among residents. Majoun Turki, a resident of Shuhada Camp in Darat Izza, was injured by shrapnel during the attacks, leading his family to flee for safety.

The Syrian regime and its ally Russia have consistently denied targeting civilians, claiming their operations are aimed at military factions. However, observers like Abu Amin report that recent attacks, such as those in Idlib, appeared unprovoked and not directed at military positions.

Despite a ceasefire truce since March 2020, the region has witnessed relentless violations, with Civil Defence teams documenting 1,206 attacks by regime forces and allies this year, resulting in 154 deaths and 652 injuries. This escalation exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the region, where 2.9 million of the 4.5 million residents are displaced, living in camps lacking basic services.

The UN has expressed deep concern about the impact of these bombings, with recent displacement figures reaching 120,000 people. This situation represents one of the most severe escalations in the region since 2019.
Southwest Washingtons upper Green River watershed and its tributaries now have the states highest level of protection from future water degradation.

The Washington Department of Ecology on Monday announced it designated four water bodies as outstanding resource waters that warrant special protections, the first time the state has taken this step. The upper Green River watershed in Skamania County is one of the three river systems to receive the most protective form of this designation, indicating it has exceptional water quality, as well as significant ecological and recreational value.

Any activities that would generate pollution are prohibited with minimal exceptions.

Green River drops from snowmelt on a ridge adjacent to Spirit Lake before flowing through Mount St. Helens foothills. Waters thread through old-growth forest that survived the volcanos 1980 eruption, eventually meandering westward and emptying into the North Fork of the Toutle River in Cowlitz County.

American Rivers, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, previously defined Green River as one of the nations most endangered waterways due to proposed metal mining near its headwaters at Goat Mountain.

New protections strengthen Vancouver-based nonprofit Cascade Forest Conservancys decadeslong campaign to end mining in the area, said Molly Whitney, the groups executive director. Cascade Forest Conservancy was among seven groups, including American Rivers, that petitioned the state ecology department to confer the outstanding resource water designation to the water bodies. Ecology applied the same protective designation to river systems farther north, including portions of the Napeequa River in Chelan County and the upper watershed of the Cascade River in Skagit County.

A separate tier of protections now covers Soap Lake in Grant County, which are less stringent than the river systems though still mitigate water degradation. Activities there must meet extra requirements to ensure potential harm from wastewater is minimal, according to the ecology department.

Tribes, elected officials, hunters and fishers, businesses and nonprofit organizations collectively lauded the state Department of Ecology for the new designations.

Whitney said the Green Rivers waters support the genetic diversity of wild salmon, as well as provide respite for foragers, hunters and backcountry explorers.

Changes were informed by years of public engagement, beginning in July 2021 as a part of Ecologys triennial review. A flood of responses led the state ecology department to pursue outstanding resource water designations for key river systems. The process concluded in September after subsequent webinars, a string of public hearings and a final comment period.

Washingtons water quality standards limit pollution in rivers, lakes and other natural waterways by providing discharge permits and upholding regulations defined under the federal Clean Water Act of 1972.
Editor's note: This story is part of 'ESA at 50,' a series that examines the past, present and future of the Endangered Species Act. Often called the "pit bull of environmental laws," the ESA has provided federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants. On its 50th anniversary, it grapples with political uncertainty and unforeseen ecological challenges.

Some of the most efficient tools used today to keep predators away from livestock, grain and humans are the same ones that have been utilized for thousands of years  dogs and shepherds.

Listen: Endangered Species Act turns 50 and Montana has been the battleground Montana Untamed: Often called the pit-bull of environmental statutes, the ESA has given federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants.

Its kind of ironic, you know? says Wesley Sarmento, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks prairie bear specialist. The recovery of these predators is requiring us to relearn ancient practices, we're having to re-learn how people lived with predators throughout all of human history.

Grizzly bears got federal protection soon after the Endangered Species Act was ratified in 1973. Fifty years later, the big bears are widely considered to be recovered in the Lower 48 states. Grizzlies remain listed under the ESA, although state and congressional leaders in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have all demanded the bears be turned over to state management. Learning ways of co-existence may be key.

Over the last 30 to 40 years of having those protections, grizzly bear populations have really rebounded, and they're increasing in both the numbers and now the distribution as well, Sarmento said. So that recovery zone is essentially full of bears. And so bears are expanding out from that mountainous environment onto the prairies, east of the Rocky Mountains.

Saddle up

To Sigrid Olson, her job is simple. Shes the eyes and ears in the hills.

Her job as a range rider is to observe and monitor cattle and the predators who share the same landscape outside Potomac, in the Blackfoot River valley.

She is employed by the Blackfoot Challenge, whose mission is to coordinate efforts to conserve and enhance natural resources and the rural way of life in the Blackfoot watershed for present and future generations. Since 2008, the organization has worked with producers in the Blackfoot Valley to deploy range riders to monitor predators after the reintroduction of wolves. Range riding has become a powerful tool in preventing all predator conflicts.

Olsons day starts with a drive south from Highway 200 down a bumpy road up the Ashby Creek drainage. In tow is a rumbling stock trailer with her horse Jake aboard.

The road ends at a gate where tens of thousands of acres of state and Bureau of Land Management property feed various herds of cattle from producers in a local grazing association.

With a can of bear spray around her left arm and small digital camera tied to her right, she mounts her horse and rides out.

She isnt looking for grizzly bears. Shes looking for cattle, using all of her senses to find signs of how predator and prey interact. The idea is simple: Put a human between the livestock and predators. This human presence becomes a deterrent for the hungry carnivores. Its a practice used by humans for thousands of years.

As she rides, Olson leans over in the saddle scouring the ground for tracks and scat. She loves recent rain that makes tracks easy to spot. She uses her ears for the sound of scavenging birds overhead and her nose for the smell of carcasses and wildlife. She also deploys a network of game cameras so she has eyes all over, 24 hours a day.

Once Olson locates some cattle, she looks for injured or dead members of the herd. She also observes their behavior. Placid grazing, or agitated milling? The herd's anxiety level indicates the presence or absence of bovine threats. Anything she finds she jots down in a small notebook.

When the sun sets and the days ride is over, Olson takes everything she jotted down that day and shares a report of her findings to the ranchers and other interested parties. They in turn know to remove a carcass or treat an injured animal, reducing the attractants to grizzlies and other predators.

Conflict prevention is a shared value among all groups, said Gary Burnett, who helped develop the range-rider program as leader of the Blackfoot Challenge before he became executive director of the Heart of the Rockies Initiative. We all benefit from more conflict prevention programs. Its as much a social program as it is a biological program.

Another benefit according to Burnett is the ability to monitor loss. If there is a compensation program, you have to confirm that loss. If you cant confirm, you cant claim that loss, Burnett said.

The tools have proven so effective that in December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $23 million in new Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding for Montana and four other western states. About $16.5 million of that will flow through the Heart of the Rockies and Western Landowners Alliance.

People working together and communicating helps me in the woods and it helps the producers feel good and then it helps the community as well. Olson said. "It's something that I enjoy doing, and that I love doing. And I'm helping people at the same time.

Let the dogs out

Early one morning last year, Jennie Becker sent her son Henry out to check on the flock of meat chickens on their ranch outside Conrad.

The scene Henry met was one of carnage. A grizzly bear got into the chicken coop and wreaked havoc on the birds. Around 40 dead chickens lay on the lawn outside their house.

That scared the daylights out of me, Becker said. That could have been his last day checking on the chickens."

From that day on, Stickleg Ranch operators Jennie and her husband Seth Becker embarked on a mission to coexist with grizzly bears. So they reached out to Wesley Sarmento, the prairie bear specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He told them to get a dog.

But not just any dog. Specifically, Anatolian shepherd dogs. The 100-plus-pound dirty white dogs came from nomadic tribes in the Middle East where they were bred to protect flocks of sheep from the same bears and wolves humans live with today.

Enter Zia and Astra, two young Anatolians bred for the job.

We had reservations about it because we had a lot of misconceptions, said Seth Becker. "We thought maybe they would be territorial. We thought maybe they'd be too aggressive with livestock or children."

But they discovered the dogs were quite the opposite. By day, the pair lay around from one shady spot to another on the ranch. But come night, they are on the prowl looking for hungry intruders in the coulees and grain fields nearby.

From what we found they're great with children," Sarmento said. "They're great with people. They're great with other dogs. And so it's just been really awesome at keeping bears away from people."

It literally changed our lives having these dogs, Seth Becker added.

They no longer fear for the lives of their three children and countless livestock because there could be a bear napping in the brush or walking down the driveway at night. They've recorded a significant drop in bear visitation to homes with the guardian dogs versus homes without.

For the Beckers, its their lives and livelihood on the line, but they wouldnt want it with the bears gone all together.

See which species are endangered in the U.S. Explore which species in your state have made the endangered species list.

I think they're cool as heck. But I don't want them in my yard. And I don't want my kids to be threatened, Seth Becker said. Can it be Montana without the grizzlies?

Sarmento's position was created by the states wildlife agency in 2017 in response to the expanding grizzly bear population of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, after increasing number of grizzlies were reported making their way from the mountains to the prairie. In mid-2023, confirmed sightings placed the big bears as far east as the Upper Missouri River Breaks north of Lewistown.

In addition to coordinating dogs and range riders, Sarmento's bear experts help prairie residents install electric fences to protect bee hives and calving and lambing yards. They invested in a commercial size vacuum that can clean grain spills before the bears get on it.

The overall goal is to keep people safe, and minimize the problems that bears cause and the concerns that bears cause, Sarmento said. When you do that, you increase tolerance for the species and people will be more willing to have bears around. And that's better for the species itself.

What about the ranchers?

Denny Iverson has been raising cattle and working land shared by grizzlies since the 1970s when his father moved the family out to the Blackfoot Valley from Minnesota. At the time, perhaps 600 grizzly bears remained alive south of the Canadian border. After a half-century of recovery efforts, an estimated 1,000 grizzlies inhabit the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, covering a swath of the Rocky Mountains between the Canadian border and Iverson's property.

The Endangered Species Act is credited with keeping almost 2,000 animals and plants from going extinct. But only about 3% of those have been taken off federal protection  a statistic many critics of the law consider a failure.

Grizzlies remain listed as a threatened species under the ESA, although state and congressional leaders in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have all demanded the bears be turned over to state management.

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines recently warned U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams of the "weaponization of the ESA" by grizzly bear protection advocates who've sued to block wolf-trapping policies they say put grizzlies at risk.

The litigation uses the Endangered Species Act and the current listed status of grizzly bears as a wedge to block the state from implementing science-based wolf trapping regulations," Daines wrote. "This ... alienates state and local partners who are best positioned to make positive gains for wildlife.

FWS officials, in turn, have warned that the growing list of anti-predator laws and policies erode federal confidence that grizzly populations will be secure under state management. That could keep the bears under federal protection even longer as their numbers grow.

Today, Iverson is in the process of transitioning the operations of the Iverson Family Ranch to the next generation and he sees coexistence with predators as the only way forward. When asked if he likes grizzly bears, Iverson quickly responds no with the caveat that having them out there is pretty cool as long as they are behaving themselves.

Theres more people in this country that want grizzly bears on the landscape than dont, and we have to come to the realization we have invaded [grizzly bears] territory, Iverson said. So we've to work to live with them. We need to find the balance between using this land and having those same landscapes support grizzly bears.

That balance is vital to the success of communities that rely on agriculture and public lands. Iverson acknowledges that agricultural operations are themselves attractions for predators but, on the same hand, says he has no plans of getting out of the business because of the predators.

It's not just producer/predator coexistence  it's community-wide survival, Iverson said. "There's areas in Montana where the whole community relies on the cattle producer having cattle on that public land. Without it, those cattle producers would be out of business. And then so would the town."

50 years of the ESA: Explore this series, in photos
TACOMA  For the second day in a row, jury deliberations had to start over Tuesday in the historic trial of three Tacoma police officers charged with the death of Manuel Ellis.

A juror tested positive for COVID and was relieved on Tuesday. That juror, a man, will remain in the pool of alternate jurors, which stands at two.

On Monday, a juror was relieved and placed in the alternate pool because their spouse had a medical incident that required hospitalization. Despite the reshuffling, the composition of the jury remains seven men and five women.

The jury deliberated for a day and a half last week before it had to start the process over on Monday when an alternate joined the panel. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff told lawyers in the case that if further COVID cases develop among jurors it threatens to postpone deliberations into January.

The court has already announced that the case will recess at the end of the day Friday for the duration of the Christmas holiday week.

Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died March 3, 2020, after repeatedly telling police he couldnt breathe while they struggled in a south Tacoma intersection. The Pierce County medical examiner ruled Ellis death a homicide caused by oxygen deprivation. Lawyers for the officers have argued that the high level of methamphetamine and a heart condition caused Ellis death.

Officers Matthew Collins, 40, Christopher Shane Burbank, 38, and Timothy Rankine, 35, are on trial for first-degree manslaughter. The jury also has the option to convict them of the lesser included offense of second-degree manslaughter.

Collins and Burbank, the first officers to encounter Ellis when they say he was reaching for the door of a passing car, face second-degree murder charges as well. All three officers have pleaded not guilty, are free on bail posted by a sympathetic Tacoma business owner and remain employed by the Tacoma Police Department on paid leave.

The charges against the officer represent just the sixth time in the past century that law enforcement officers in Washington state have been charged in an on-duty death. The last time so many officers went on trial for a death was 85 years ago.

The trial marks the first courtroom test of Washingtons police accountability law, Initiative 940, passed by voters in 2018 and the state Legislature in 2019. It removed barriers to charging officers for on-duty actions that severely injure or kill someone and called for sweeping reforms to increase the independence of investigations when police kill.

During 10 weeks of testimony and evidence, prosecutors from the Washington Attorney Generals Office presented eyewitnesses who said the officers assaulted Ellis without provocation.

Nationally recognized experts said the officers used excessive force, ignored training that makes clear someone in handcuffs and hobbles  a strap linking ankles and wrists behind their back, as Ellis were  is at severe risk of death, and that they caused his death by bearing down on him while he was in a prone position.

Collins and Rankine testified, claiming theyd only done the minimum to gain control of Ellis as he resisted them to the end. Burbank chose to not testify.

The defense called expert witnesses who said the officers acted appropriately under the circumstances and that Ellis was destined to die from drug toxicity and health problems.
A Spokane doctor believes her team of researchers has broken the code to fight kidney disease with a new treatment.

Dr. Katherine Tuttle is executive director for research at Providence Inland Northwest Health and one of the leading researchers of kidney disease in the nation.

Tuttle called her teams discovery a breakthrough treatment that can eventually treat millions of kidney disease patients.

The treatment will be tested next year in an 11,000-person study led by the University of Oxford. The study will be one of the largest trials ever conducted on kidney disease, according to Oxford professor Will Herrington.

The drugs researched by Tuttle are really quite astonishingly effective, added Harrington, who will conduct the study through the Oxford Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Indiana University School of Medicine Professor Rajiv Agarwal said the research brings hope and the promise of improvement in kidney care. Agarwal has written an editorial comment for medical journal The Lancet, which has published Tuttles research.

How is kidney disease treated?

Human bodies produce waste and byproduct that must be removed or they build up and cause death. The kidneys siphon off these wastes toxic to the body and filter them out through urine.

But as the kidneys are damaged over time through various processes, they can become less effective.

Without treatment to slow this progression, many patients end up in kidney failure and require a kidney transplant or dialysis for the rest of their life.

Kidney disease is most commonly treated with ACE inhibitors. This class of drugs was created to treat high blood pressure, but was found to reduce damage to organs like the heart and kidney. Since being approved for these conditions in 2001, ACE inhibitors have become the standard of care.

But the impact these drugs have on the kidneys is really very modest, according to Tuttle. With an average 16% to 20% improvement to kidney disease, ACE inhibitors barely make a dent in the 1 in 5 Americans with kidney disease. They also do not typically halt the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure  when the patient would need to have a kidney transplant or be on dialysis for the rest of their life.

Even with that moderate effect, Tuttle said the drug is not prescribed for most patients with kidney disease because the condition is so underdiagnosed. She pointed to Cure CKD, a Providence-UCLA partnership that maintains a registry of 4 million people with chronic kidney disease or who are at high risk for it.

According to a study of the registry she co-authored, only 25% of those in the registry were getting the treatments they should be.

We have had such terrible outcomes because the disease is under recognized. Its markedly undertreated, and the treatments we have are just marginally effective, she said. People in our country have kidney disease, but most of them dont know they have it. Because its asymptomatic until the late stages when it has very devastating complications.

Kidney disease treatment shifted approximately five years ago when a new drug was found to treat it. SGL2 inhibitors were developed as a treatment to prevent diabetes, but studies found they also reduced the risk of kidney and heart failure.

SGL2 inhibitors reduced the risk of kidney failure by 40% if used in conjunction with ACE inhibitors, Tuttle said. Despite these results, the drug combination has not been widely adopted  with only 6% of patients in the registry being prescribed it.

We have done so little for these patients, Tuttle said. Were now at the point with breakthrough therapies that are really set to change the paradigm. But the key is going to be getting them to the patients, because it doesnt matter if we have treatments and nobody gets them.

Tuttles discovery

In the new study, Tuttle has combined the two previous drugs with a third called Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitor, which reduces a body hormone that can damage the kidney.

A side effect of both ACE Inhibitors and SGL2 is an increase to aldosterone levels in the long term  reducing the efficacy of both drugs in their treatment of kidney disease. Adding ASI to the treatment plan had a greatly additive effect to the other drugs.

The Providence trial enrolled 714 patients in Spokane from February 2022 to July 2023. Approximately half of patients given ASI treatment saw a clinically meaningful reduction in damage to the kidney, according to the study. That reduction jumped to 70% of patients when ASI was combined with the other two drugs.

A noted side effect of the ASI treatment was an excess of potassium in the body, which occurred because Aldosterone regulates sodium and potassium.

Should these results be replicated in future studies, the treatment plan discovered in Spokane has the opportunity to be on par with some of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine, Tuttle said.

This is not just a moment in the field of kidney disease, but in that of medicine and the human condition. This is back to the impact of antibiotics for pneumonia in terms of a public health impacts, she said.

This is not a rare disease. This is not trivial. And we now have a chance to make huge impact.

Approximately 1 in 5 people in the United States has some form of kidney disease. While this treatment will not help those who have reached kidney failure and are on dialysis, it has the possibility of preventing millions from reaching that point.

The way forward is combined treatments to hit multiple disease paths, Tuttle said.

Herrington said he agrees about the impact these drugs could have on those with kidney disease across the globe.

We see nearly halving of the rate and risk of kidney disease progression in the trials. They are also well-tolerated drugs, he said in a statement  noting he is aware of practitioners in the field moved to tears when seeing trial results involving SGLT2 inhibitors.

While calling the research groundbreaking, Agarwal was more conservative in his predictions for the future.

If we prove that this thing works, that would be a very large breakthrough. But when you do a small study, and then you replicate it in a large study  we cant say thats going to pan out that way or not. Thats why we are doing the research, Agarwal said.

Next year, Tuttles study will be replicated in a global effort led by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Providence Sacred Heart will participate in this study as well.

For those in Spokane with kidney disease, the new trial will begin to enroll patients in the first three months of next year.

Were very happy that Providence, and particularly here at Sacred Heart in Spokane, we are a very active clinical trials center, and it is an opportunity for local patients with chronic kidney disease to consider participating in this or another clinical trial, she said.

Because of the massive size of an 11,000-person trial, the drug regimen is not anticipated to be used in clinical practice for another four years. But should her results be replicated, Tuttle is concerned the treatment will still not be widely adopted.

Im confident the research is going to deliver and now the onus is really on the health care systems to deliver, and that means getting these treatments to patients, she said. I think what we can say is that our expectation is that if we implement these breakthrough therapies, the number of people on dialysis will dramatically decrease, and many more people will survive and live productive lives.
Google Maps will launch address descriptors from India early next year, marking its first global launch from the country, a senior company executive said on Tuesday. The descriptor will include the nearest landmark and the direction from there to the location shared by a map user.

"We are introducing a new India-first innovation, Address Descriptors on Google Maps, to help our users understand addresses better, in a way they are used to in real life," Google Maps VP and GM Miriam Daniel said.

She said that the feature will be launched early next year across India.

Daniel announced the launch of Street View walking navigation which will show directions using virtual reality imposed on the real images of buildings or pathways that users will come across while walking.

"Live View walking navigation is coming to over 3,000 cities and towns in India, starting with Android," she said.

The feature is already available in several countries overseas.

The company will also super impose Lens in Maps to help people know about shops and their businesses which on the way during the walk.

" Lens in Maps will be launching in 15 cities across India by Jan 2024, starting with Android," Daniel said.

Google will also launch fuel-efficiency-based route feature to India.

"By January next year, users across India will be able to access this feature for four-wheelers as well as two-wheelers, offering more sustainable alternatives. India and Indonesia will be the first countries in which we're rolling out this feature for two-wheelers," Daniel said.

One more thing! We are now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us there so you never miss any update from the world of technology. To follow the HT Tech channel on WhatsApp, click here to join now!
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Pennsylvania congressional candidate Shamaine Daniels has a new campaign staffer named Ashley who has made thousands of calls to voters.

There's one catch: Ashley isn't a real person.

Ashley is an artificial intelligence character, and the companies that developed her say Daniels' campaign is the first in the world to use AI-powered interactive campaign calls customized to each recipient.

The robot's creators say they will soon offer the technology to more political candidatesa move that could shake up campaigning by streamlining voter outreach but would also bring concerns about the potential for ethical issues and misinformation.

Daniels, a Democrat and three-term Harrisburg City Council member, said the AI tool makes it easier for candidates who don't get large donations to do voter outreach.

"It makes reaching voters much more affordable," she said. "It also makes you able to communicate with voters much earlier on in the process, as you're developing your policies, as you're thinking about issues."

But using AI to contact voters is "a really, really double-edged sword," said AI expert Wasim Khaled, CEO and co-founder of Blackbird.AI, which helps companies protect themselves from artificial intelligence.

Daniels is one of several Democratic primary candidates hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, who represents Central Pennsylvania's 10th District, in 2024. Perry, a leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus and a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, is seeking a seventh term. Daniels won the Democratic nomination but lost the general election to Perry in 2022.

Getting campaign calls from a robot

After weeks of testing, Daniels' campaign began making AI calls to likely Democratic primary voters last weekend, her spokesperson Joe Bachman said.

Ashley has already made thousands of calls, according to Ilya Mouzykantskii, the cofounder of Civox, which made the tool in partnership with Conversation Labs.

The robot can answer questions about Daniels' platform. It speaks multiple languages and discloses that it's an AI tool and that the call is being recorded. The calls can help recruit volunteers and get donations and feedback that can direct campaign messaging.

If Ashley doesn't have the answer to a question, it gives an option for a real person to contact them, according to Daniels.

Daniels' campaign staffers can access transcripts of the conversations to identify common themes, Bachman said, and can read the conversations and reach out to the constituent afterward.

Mouzykantskii said he expects to take on more Democratic and progressive candidates as clients soon.

"At this point, we have far more demand than we have supply," Mouzykantskii said.

Ashley was developed specifically for Daniels' campaign, and other campaigns will have their own characters.

While Daniels and the companies that created Ashley emphasized the affordability of the technology, neither would disclose how much the tool costs.

"We are significantly less expensive than human-paid phone bankers and we are more expensive than making dumb robocalls," Mouzykantskii said.

Concerns over the use of AI as a campaign caller

Daniels said she and Civox both want to use AI "as more of a democratizing tool rather than a disinformation tool or a tool for other nefarious reasons."

Mistakes are inevitable, but Ashley keeps a record of why each decision was made throughout its conversations to help developers understand mishaps, Mouzykantskii said.

Tools like Ashley learn and improve as they're used. And as AI technology has rapidly developed, regulations lag behind, causing concerns surrounding misinformation and privacy.

Daniels acknowledged the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

"We have to make sure that we are promoting responsible use because, whether I use it or someone else uses it, the technology is here, it's going to be used broadly, and we can either wait for my Congressman Scott Perry to develop ethical frameworks for dealing with AI or we can go ahead and do it ourselves," she said, "and hopefully make sure that voters are starting to familiarize themselves with the technology so that way they are not taken advantage of."

Khaled, of Blackbird.AI, said the technology has value if used by good actors, but also great potential for harm.

Even when developers train the model on what to talk about or avoid, it's impossible to think of all the cases that could come up and be immune to hacker groups who want to make a campaign look bad, Khaled said.

Khaled said that it's important for people to keep in mind that AI gives the "most probable answer to the sequence of words that you gave it," that is "likely to be approximately correct." It doesn't reason and think, similar to Google's auto-fill guessing the rest of your search when you start typing, he said.

"There is just a huge potential for getting this kind of thing wrong because everything is moving so quickly," Khaled said. "And there is an arms race right now for campaigns spending money to get their candidates the most exposure."

2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Fraunhofer ISI

By 2023, billions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices found their way into almost every area of life, industry and critical infrastructures. As these permanently connected smart devices process very sensitive data, their up-to-dateness is essentialespecially in times of hacker attacks, data misuse or industrial espionage.

In this context, a new Fraunhofer ISI study analyzed data of 52 billion devices, their geographical locationand whether their installed firmware is up-to-date and which impact the European General Data Protection Regulation has on this. The findings show that it is only a matter of time before very serious cyberattacks could easily happen.

Users track their health and fitness with wearables, place smart speakers with powerful microphones in their living rooms, and install cheap sensors from no-name manufacturers to automate tasks in their smart homes. The same applies for industry, where Industrial IoT devices connect and monitor machines for example. Most of these devices are quickly forgotten, once they are installed and run.

Possible vulnerabilities in outdated firmware and updates or patches are often ignored, even if some manufacturers of IoT devices provide themwhich is not always the case since many of them prioritize fast time-to-market and provide only infrequently software or firmware updates and patches. This can create serious privacy and security threats for users.

Policymakers around the world have become aware of these threats that users are faced with and pursue strong regulations such as the European GDPR. Further, the "right for updates" stipulated in an EU directive and in force since 2022, is another important step towards more secure devices. Very recently, the EU commission signed the Cyber Resilience Act which introduces a legal obligation for manufacturers to provide consumers with timely security updates during several years after the purchase.

Which impact does this have on the manufacturers of smart devices?

A new study tried to provide answers to this and other questions and analyzed 400 terabytes of real-world data from the IoT search engine Censys.io from October 2015 until the end of November 2021. The analysis consists of data from 52 billion devices. Out of them, 175 million devices revealed analyzable information, leading to a data set containing 7,116 distinct models from 384 manufacturers categorized into 17 different device types.

The data allows comparisons between a wide variety of countries, namely all EU member states, G7 states, and Switzerland but also Russia and the Ukraine, as well as Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan and the U.K. The findings show that the majority of the devices are deployed in the U.S. (52%), followed by Germany (7%), Russia (4%), the U.K. (4%), Japan (4%), France (4%), Canada (3%), Poland (3%), Singapore (1%), Indonesia (1%) and other countries (16%).

Major cybersecurity risks due to old firmware and device age

Examining the status quo of end 2021, the age of the firmware running on the devices in Germany is 689 days, respectively 1.9 years (y). Further, the devices have not received any other update (software update, patch etc.) for almost one year (351 days).

On an EU level, the situation is even worse with a firmware update delay of 930 days (2.5 y) and other updates being ignored for 411 days (1.1 y). This means that the use of many of these devices is associated with major cybersecurity risks and that data protection is no longer possible herethe devices are vulnerable and easy prey for hacker attacks, for example.

Looking at the device age and the geographical differences, the results find that devices in Ireland are most up-to-date (239 days), whereas Portugal brings up the rear with 786 days. If we look to Southeast Asia, it becomes clear that Singapore performs best (299 d) and Malaysia worst (477 d, 1.3 y). The oldest devices can be found in Japan (716 days, almost 2 years).

Has the GDPR improved the up-to-dateness of the installed firmware?

Regarding the question of whether the situation has changed for the better since the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effectit contains explicit regulations on this issuethe study shows interesting findings: While on the global level, the devices' age has decreased, the situation is quite different for Europe: In fact, for 28 out of 35 EU member states, the devices' age increased on average 99 days.

Dr. Frank Ebbers, author of two research papers on this topic (one published in the 2023 IEEE 8th International Conference On Software Engineering and Computer Systems (ICSECS) and one in IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering), interprets the results. "The low up-to-dateness-rate should alarm both manufacturers and users but also policymakers and sharpen the focus on this issue. It is also surprising that the GDPR [did not have] the expected impact on software updates within the EU.

"This might be explained by the fact that users believe now that GDPR is in force that only companies are responsible for updates and that these organizations care more about the privacy of customers."

Ebbers believes that the manufacturers, the regulatory authorities and the users themselves have a responsibility here. "Only through the joint efforts of these three partners is it possible to create a more secure IT infrastructure. "

It is often said that the situation can be improved with automatic updates, so-called "over-the-air" updates. He takes a critical view of this. "The first question that arises here is who is liable for damage caused by errors in automatic updates. Just think of the medical sector, where a faulty update of portable ECG devices can cost lives."

Regulatory authorities should therefore issue recommendations to manufacturers that force (or nudge) them to incorporate good update mechanisms into the devices, which can then be easily understood by end users. In addition, updates should become a prerequisite for commissioning in Europe as part of CE labeling.

More information: Frank Ebbers, Effects of the GDPR in Southeast Asia vs. EuropeA Large-Scale Analysis of IoT Devices, 2023 IEEE 8th International Conference On Software Engineering and Computer Systems (ICSECS) (2023). DOI: 10.1109/ICSECS58457.2023.10256372 Frank Ebbers, A Large-Scale Analysis of IoT Firmware Version Distribution in the Wild, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1109/TSE.2022.3163969
U.S. troops on Danish soil "breakthrough" in defense policy: PM

Xinhua) 11:02, December 20, 2023

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States will be allowed to permanently station soldiers on Danish soil as part of the country's new defense cooperation agreement with Washington, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said here on Tuesday.

"The agreement gives the U.S. defense access to the three air bases at Karup, Skrydstrup and Aalborg," Frederiksen told journalists, describing the deal as a "new breakthrough in Danish defense policy."

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasized Denmark's sovereignty over the three bases.

"In those areas, the Americans will station American soldiers, personnel, and equipment. It is important to stress that all activities must be coordinated with the Danish defense," he said.

The defense agreement comes after a year and a half of negotiations between Denmark and the U.S.

The U.S. and Denmark are expected to sign the agreement this week, according to reports citing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Similar bilateral defense cooperation agreements with the United States have recently been signed by Finland and Sweden. Similar terms were agreed upon in 2021, when Norway granted the U.S. access to four military bases.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
By Kim Ji-soo

At a cozy neighborhood near Hongik University in western Seoul, the temperature is below zero and it's Sunday. Still, people are lining up outside a small eatery before the 11 a.m. opening. At Okdongsik, there are only about 10 seats so waiting seems inevitable yet it is still an impressive sight. The small restaurant's main offering,"dweji gomtang" (pork soup, and standard romanization would be "dwaeji"), was recently picked as one of the Top 8 New York City dishes for 2023 by the New York Times.

Dweji gomtang? Really? This is probably the second time for me to respond in such a way this year after I found that "tteokbokgi" and "stinky" version of kimchi or the well-fermented kind sold well in the United States. Korean food is reaching out globally. Since I could not fly to New York immediately, I tried the Okdongsik gomtang in Seoul, which offered a clear broth with finely sliced pork and chives over rice. Its broth is as lucid as a pho base or even a consomme soup, as the restaurant does not use bones for the soup. The usual dweji gomtang or the larger category of "gukbap" (rice and soup) tend to have a denser, rich soup. The clientele in Seoul were busy imbibing the hearty dish that Sunday, as employees seemed to be silently celebrating the news from the New York restaurant that Okdongsik's owner-chef has been running since for a year.

Another dish is the "mulhwe noodles" at Bansang, a fusion Korean restaurant in San Francisco, which was voted one of the 23 best American cuisines by the same U.S. paper. The cold version of thinly sliced squid tossed with spicy sweet and sour gochujang, and accompanied by shredded vegetables such as cabbage and cucumber? Surprising. Bansang's dish featured capellini in fermented chile broth topped by slices of seasonal fish, pickles, radish and cucumber, the New York Times wrote.

Both dishes come from specific regions. Gukbap originated from the southeastern cities of Busan, Milyang and Daegu. Mulhwe (standard romanization is "mulhoe") anchors along the coastal Korean regionalities of the Gyeongsang provinces, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island. Nowadays the dishes can be found anywhere, while the former is more commonplace, and the latter, the mulhoe, is more of a delicacy. So it is a surprise to find these dishes in a U.S. newspaper's best cuisine or dishes list.

Korean food is hot. It's a whopping contrast to when I used to live in New York, actually Queens in the late 1970s. Back then, 0ne was careful to eat kimchi mostly in the evening so that the fermented garlic smell might not offend. Even in the early 1990s, I had to steal furtive glances over my shoulder to make sure my dorm mates were not around before opening my kimchi jar.

It is not only the United States  palates in Asia and other regions are salivating over Korean dishes. In Singapore, a Korean restaurant offering grilled pork and pork-and-rice soup is one of the most popular right now. A pork grill restaurant reigns in the Philippines.

Three Korean food-related words  "chimaek" or chicken and beer, "galbi" or marinated grilled pork or beef and "samgyeopsal" or grilled pork belly  are now registered in the Oxford English dictionary.

The popularity of Korean food is gratifying for those who take pride in the soul-warming cuisine and also satisfying the hunkering for recognition of Korea's soft power. It is no doubt boosted by the outreach of Korean dramas and films, but also creating a virtuous cycle of food exports. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in November announced that foodstuffs and related industrial products gained 2.1 percent year-on-year through November this year, at a figure of $10.9 billion.

Yet there is a certain wariness if this is the peak of Korean food's popularity, and the way forward is downward. The changing lifestyles of Koreans, the high prices of eating out and the challenges of running a restaurant in Korea, especially during COVID-19, have changed what appears on our dining tables. But where one sees crisis another sees opportunity. Michelin Guide New York announced in October showed that out of the 71 restaurants awarded stars, 11 were Korean.

It's a long way from the early 2010s when the government including the first lady promoted Korean food, but did not pan out. The landscape has changed so let's see how far Korean cuisine  hansik  can progress.

The writer is a member of the Editorial Board at The Korea Times.








People with Down syndrome often have to fear bone fractures because they are less likely to heal and can be fatal. Texas A&M researchers are working to lower that fatality rate.

A&M researchers were recently awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study bone regeneration with the ultimate goal of assisting individuals with Down syndrome. As bone density in people with Down syndrome is lower, there is a higher chance of bone fracture, leading to serious health concerns for people with Down syndrome and could limit participation in activities, according to A&M research.

Weston Porter, professor in the Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology department, said the $1.8 million grant was awarded to labs in order to further Down syndrome research.

This program is part of NIH INCLUDE, [INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE], which is a big direction from Congress to invest in research focused on Down syndrome, he said.

Porter said hes previously done focused research on Down syndrome and hopes to continue alongside the research team to look into bone regeneration.

Down syndrome is the most common genetic disease  1 in 700 people are born with it, he said. We want [our work] to go from the bench to the bedside  weve got parents of these kids with Down syndrome that want them to be active, but fear fractures.

Each member of the research team specializes in a specific field, allowing collaboration between the departments, Porter said.

We all have different areas that were focusing on, but were three labs that are working very close together, he said. Theres a lot of cross-interaction of data thats going to go back and forth. Im excited to see where this is going to go.

Larry Suva, professor and department chair of the Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology department, said they are currently using mouse models to research different aspects of Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a very diverse set of people, he said. When we talk about in-vivo models, were talking about multiple animals that have been generated by Down syndrome researchers over time that represent different aspects of the condition.

In order to ensure their work is ethical because it involves animals, Suva said research must be approved by A&Ms Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Having been on lots of IACUCs across my career, the requirements and the standards set by [A&M]s IACUC is even higher than the federal standards. Thats exactly how it should be at a premier university, let alone a premier vet school, Suva said.

While there is currently research for increasing bone mass, more work needs to be done to ensure it is sufficient for the Down syndrome community, Suva said, something he hopes their research can provide.

We have shown in previous studies that you can increase bone mass and decrease fracture risk using FDA-approved therapies, but theyre not approved for the Down syndrome population, he said. We are poised to be able to generate sufficient data to do these clinical trials.

Dana Gaddy, professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, said people with Down syndrome are at a higher risk for fractures because they dont form as much bone.

This is what led us to use mouse models to see whether or not this low bone formation could be something we can study, she said. The fracture aspects are what Larry [Suva] and I have been working on.

By using the mouse models, Gaddy said they hope to look into bone regeneration abilities and also apply that knowledge to benefit many different groups of people.

If weve done a manipulation within those different animal models, we can see the impact on those cells to make more bone, she said. That helps in potentially developing treatment. If you can enhance the capacity to make more bones, thats got great potential for the human condition.

Lindsay Dawson, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, said the NIH grant will fund studies across the board and open the door to new possibilities.

This is having such a huge impact on the trajectory of my lab, she said. I am now able to carry on my lab for five years and this grant supports people who are going to do really amazing research.

The grant will allow many A&M researchers to explore regenerative capabilities in the human body, allowing for more discoveries that could help bone health and fracture treatments, Dawson said.

Ive got someone in my lab who is an amazing geneticist and does amazing molecular work, she said. Its really funding studies across the board and the manpower behind it.

Other members of the research project include James Cai, Ling Yu, Mingquan Yan and Kirby Sherman.
Bryan woman charged for injuring deputy

A Bryan woman was arrested Monday for allegedly causing injury to a Brazos County deputy in a car wreck, according to the Bryan Police Department.

Ashley McNabb, 38, has been charged with causing a collision involving injury, according to police.

At 11:22 p.m., police said officers responded to a report of a car accident in the area of North Harvey Mitchell Parkway and Providence Avenue. A Gold GMC had collided with a marked Brazos County deputy vehicle and the driver of the GMC had fled the scene, according to police.

Witnesses told officers that the driver of the GMC, later identified as McNabb, had failed to yield the right of way, causing the deputy to crash into her vehicle.

The deputy was transported to St. Josephs Hospital in Bryan and treated for his injuries.

McNabb was later found in her mothers apartment and told officers that she had thought the roadway was clear.

A collision involving injury is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

McNabb is being held under a $30,000 bond, according to Brazos County Jail records.
College Station duo face tampering charge

A College Station man and woman were arrested Tuesday for allegedly deleting text messages and removing drug paraphernalia from the residence in which a death was being investigated, according to the College Station Police Department.

Joseph Champlin and Norma Perez, both 29, have been charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to Brazos County Jail records.

On Oct. 23, police said officers responded to a call from Perez that her friend, identified as I.G., had stopped breathing. Officers said police and the College Station Fire Department arrived on the scene and immediately began life-saving measures but were unable to revive the patient.

According to police, Champlin told officers that he and his wife Perez, had gone to his parents home while I.G. had remained at their residence. Champlin said when they returned home I.G. was snoring in a chair in their bedroom but that within several minutes he stopped breathing.

After interviewing both Champlin and Perez, police said they found inconsistencies in their stories causing them to believe that evidence of drug use had been tampered with.

On Oct. 26, police said they received a search warrant for Champlins phone and found over 600 deleted text messages between him and Perez discussing the removal of drug paraphernalia from the apartment before police arrived.

Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Champlin and Perez are being held under separate $25,000 bonds at the time of publication, according to jail records.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 11.970-12.320 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 12.220. The company issued revenue guidance of $65.4 billion-$67.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $66.5 billion. Accenture also updated its FY24 guidance to $11.97-12.23 EPS.

Accenture Stock Down 0.1 %

Accenture stock opened at $341.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $214.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.23. Accenture has a 12 month low of $242.80 and a 12 month high of $346.96. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $319.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $315.83.

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Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.17 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.72% and a return on equity of 29.74%. Accentures revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Accenture will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 18th will be issued a $1.29 dividend. This represents a $5.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 17th. Accentures dividend payout ratio is presently 47.91%.

Accenture announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, September 28th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. They set a neutral rating and a $333.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $312.00 to $300.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 29th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $312.00 to $300.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, September 29th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $344.65.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACN

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total value of $2,622,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,830 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,441,220.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $1,887,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,622 shares of the companys stock, valued at $48,816,308.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total transaction of $2,622,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,830 shares in the company, valued at $10,441,220.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,334 shares of company stock valued at $10,939,027 over the last three months. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 113.2% during the second quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 8,952 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,763,000 after acquiring an additional 4,753 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $352,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 65.3% during the second quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 5,605 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,730,000 after acquiring an additional 2,214 shares during the period. West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 95.5% during the second quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 1,425 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $440,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the period. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,685,000. 70.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Accenture

(Get Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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Adviser Investments LLC raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,290 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the quarter. Adviser Investments LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 100,097.6% in the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,100,359,981 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,846,307,000 after buying an additional 1,099,261,791 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 8.5% in the second quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 96,401,945 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,367,008,000 after buying an additional 7,546,851 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,564,529 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,262,710,000 after buying an additional 1,240,150 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.8% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 43,615,505 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,962,702,000 after buying an additional 1,585,048 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,025,033 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,672,836,000 after buying an additional 1,168,982 shares during the period. 58.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert Matthews Davis purchased 1,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,473 shares in the company, valued at $343,156.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $42.43 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.18. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.06 and a one year high of $51.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 237.91% and a net margin of 35.58%. The firms revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.28 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.24%. Altria Groups payout ratio is currently 79.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 13th. StockNews.com cut Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America decreased their target price on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $47.53.

View Our Latest Analysis on Altria Group

Altria Group Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY  Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $33.00 to $37.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services providers stock. The Goldman Sachs Groups price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.49% from the companys current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. TheStreet downgraded Ally Financial from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, October 13th. TD Cowen began coverage on Ally Financial in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. They issued a market perform rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Ally Financial from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Ally Financial from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, September 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $31.25.

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Ally Financial Price Performance

Shares of Ally Financial stock opened at $34.75 on Monday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $27.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.56. Ally Financial has a 52 week low of $21.58 and a 52 week high of $35.78. The company has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 11.36% and a net margin of 14.64%. The businesss revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Ally Financial will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. WealthPLAN Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ally Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Ally Financial during the third quarter worth $26,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ally Financial by 115.0% during the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 645 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ally Financial during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its holdings in Ally Financial by 167.3% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 1,200 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.04% of the companys stock.

Ally Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Ally Financial Inc, a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services to consumer, commercial, and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations segments.

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Ameren (NYSE:AEE  Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at Mizuho from $77.00 to $72.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the utilities providers stock. Mizuhos price target would indicate a potential downside of 0.50% from the stocks current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ameren from $80.00 to $77.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Ameren from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. KeyCorp lowered Ameren from an overweight rating to a sector weight rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Ameren from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered Ameren from an outperform rating to an in-line rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $85.33.

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Ameren Stock Up 1.7 %

AEE stock opened at $72.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $76.99 and a 200-day moving average of $79.68. Ameren has a fifty-two week low of $69.71 and a fifty-two week high of $91.18.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.07. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.67% and a net margin of 14.59%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.65, for a total value of $116,475.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,009,993.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 3,244 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $250,696.32. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 198,937 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,373,851.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.65, for a total transaction of $116,475.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,009,993.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the first quarter worth $25,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the first quarter worth $27,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 138.1% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 331 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 218.2% in the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.77% of the companys stock.

Ameren Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution and transmission businesses.

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Shares of Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH  Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 289,407 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 115% from the previous sessions volume of 134,526 shares.The stock last traded at $22.97 and had previously closed at $23.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on BCH. HSBC downgraded Banco de Chile from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Banco de Chile in a research report on Monday, October 16th. They issued a hold rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Banco de Chile in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on BCH

Banco de Chile Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $21.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82 and a beta of 0.41.

Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.04). Banco de Chile had a return on equity of 24.67% and a net margin of 30.53%. The company had revenue of $647.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $815.07 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco de Chile will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco de Chile

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCH. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Banco de Chile by 252.3% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 685,643 shares of the banks stock valued at $13,384,000 after purchasing an additional 491,004 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco de Chile in the 1st quarter valued at $3,970,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco de Chile in the 1st quarter valued at $146,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Banco de Chile in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,328,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Banco de Chile by 80.4% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 256,655 shares of the banks stock valued at $4,536,000 after buying an additional 114,359 shares during the period. 1.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banco de Chile Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Banco de Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and financial products and services to customers in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, and Treasury and Money Market segments. The company offers deposit products, such as checking accounts, current accounts, demand deposits and accounts, saving accounts, and time deposits; commercial, mortgage, consumer, working capital, syndicated, and installment loans; and credit cards.

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Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS  Get Free Report) (NYSE:BNS) has been given a C$64.00 price target by stock analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group in a report issued on Monday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a hold rating on the banks stock. Canaccord Genuity Groups target price indicates a potential upside of 1.60% from the stocks previous close.

BNS has been the subject of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$66.00 to C$63.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 23rd. TD Securities dropped their price target on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$59.00 to C$56.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. CIBC cut their price target on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$62.00 to C$58.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$68.00 to C$60.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Finally, Cormark cut their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$68.00 to C$65.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of C$64.54.

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Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Performance

Shares of TSE:BNS opened at C$62.99 on Monday. Bank of Nova Scotia has a 52 week low of C$55.20 and a 52 week high of C$74.41. The firm has a market cap of C$76.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.95. The firms fifty day moving average is C$59.43 and its 200-day moving average is C$62.57.

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS  Get Free Report) (NYSE:BNS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 28th. The bank reported C$1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$1.68 by C($0.42). Bank of Nova Scotia had a return on equity of 9.81% and a net margin of 25.33%. The company had revenue of C$8.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$8.28 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Bank of Nova Scotia will post 6.5536295 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets segments.

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Burt Wealth Advisors lessened its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 7.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,454 shares of the companys stock after selling 187 shares during the period. Burt Wealth Advisors holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Group LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 159.1% during the second quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 57 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 156.4% in the 1st quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 100 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LLY shares. Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $600.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a hold rating and a $535.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a buy rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up previously from $612.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $583.24.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total transaction of $382,637.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,708 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value of $382,637.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,708 shares in the company, valued at $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total value of $130,169,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at $60,404,028,326.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY opened at $579.81 on Wednesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $309.20 and a 1 year high of $629.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $550.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.33. The firms fifty day moving average price is $589.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $533.23.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 48.12%. The company had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.88 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 81.88%.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report).

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LG Chem, Korea's leading chemical firm, said Wednesday it has started the construction of a 1.8 trillion-won ($1.4 billion) cathode plant in the United States to meet the rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

LG Chem's 60,000-ton-a-year cathode plant will start production in 2026 with an aim to supply the key battery component to clients in the U.S., the world's most important automobile market, the company said in a statement.

Cathodes consist of nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum. The quality and content of these minerals in lithium-ion battery cells and the manufacturing technology determine the capacity and life of an EV.

On Tuesday (U.S. time), the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for the cathode plant in Clarksville in the southeastern state of Tennessee.

"We are aiming to emerge as the No. 1 cathode supplier in the U.S. market by providing a differentiated value to our customers there," LG Chem Vice Chairman and CEO Shin Hak-cheol said in the statement.

LG Chem has already secured two major cathode supply deals with General Motors and Toyota Motor.

Last year, LG Chem signed a long-term deal to supply 950,000 tons of cathodes to GM plants. In October this year, it inked a 2.9 trillion-won contract with Toyota to provide cathodes to the Japanese carmaker's U.S. plant, the statement said. (Yonhap)
Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CNQ) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from C$106.00 to C$100.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a buy rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus price target would suggest a potential upside of 16.60% from the stocks previous close.

CNQ has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from C$95.00 to C$105.00 in a report on Monday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from C$114.00 to C$106.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 8th. National Bank Financial upped their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from C$90.00 to C$101.00 in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Canadian Natural Resources from C$86.00 to C$90.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Canadian Natural Resources from C$98.00 to C$96.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$95.12.

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View Our Latest Analysis on CNQ

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of CNQ opened at C$85.76 on Monday. Canadian Natural Resources has a 52 week low of C$67.13 and a 52 week high of C$93.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.13. The company has a market capitalization of C$93.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.89. The stocks 50-day moving average price is C$88.75 and its 200-day moving average price is C$83.23.

Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CNQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported C$2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of C$2.20 by C$0.39. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 18.33% and a net margin of 19.74%. The firm had revenue of C$9.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$8.79 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources will post 8.0018975 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Senior Officer Timothy Shawn Mckay sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$89.95, for a total value of C$3,372,975.00. In other Canadian Natural Resources news, Director Stephen W. Laut acquired 512 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$85.44 per share, for a total transaction of C$43,745.28. Also, Senior Officer Timothy Shawn Mckay sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$89.95, for a total value of C$3,372,975.00. Insiders sold 167,752 shares of company stock worth $14,924,022 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.15% of the companys stock.

About Canadian Natural Resources

(Get Free Report)

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).

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The European Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE:EEA  Get Free Report) Director Christopher Pleister sold 1,479 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.35, for a total transaction of $12,349.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

The European Equity Fund Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of EEA stock opened at $8.74 on Wednesday. The European Equity Fund, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.45 and a 52-week high of $8.93. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.29.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EEA. Shaker Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of The European Equity Fund by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 307,983 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 31,097 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The European Equity Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $123,000. City of London Investment Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The European Equity Fund during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $129,000. CSS LLC IL grew its position in shares of The European Equity Fund by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. CSS LLC IL now owns 44,307 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 9,414 shares during the period. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing LLC grew its position in shares of The European Equity Fund by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 283,808 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 8,100 shares during the period. 51.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About The European Equity Fund

The European Equity Fund, Inc is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc The fund is managed by Deutsche Asset Management International GmbH. It invests in the public equity markets of Europe. The fund seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Private Bancorp of America (OTCMKTS:PBAM  Get Free Report) and Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Private Bancorp of America and Banco Santanders revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Private Bancorp of America $91.56 million 2.12 $24.71 million $7.04 4.83 Banco Santander $58.55 billion 1.15 $10.12 billion $0.66 6.28

Banco Santander has higher revenue and earnings than Private Bancorp of America. Private Bancorp of America is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Banco Santander, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Private Bancorp of America 32.99% 20.77% 1.68% Banco Santander 18.51% 10.38% 0.59%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

This table compares Private Bancorp of America and Banco Santanders net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

5.4% of Private Bancorp of America shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.1% of Banco Santander shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.5% of Banco Santander shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Private Bancorp of America has a beta of 0.23, indicating that its stock price is 77% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Banco Santander has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its stock price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Private Bancorp of America and Banco Santander, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Private Bancorp of America 0 0 3 0 3.00 Banco Santander 0 2 1 0 2.33

Private Bancorp of America currently has a consensus price target of $44.00, suggesting a potential upside of 29.41%. Given Private Bancorp of Americas stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Private Bancorp of America is more favorable than Banco Santander.

Summary

Private Bancorp of America beats Banco Santander on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Private Bancorp of America

(Get Free Report)

Private Bancorp of America, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for CalPrivate Bank that provides banking products and services to individuals and businesses in California. The company's personal banking services include personal checking and savings, money market, certificate of deposit, and retirement accounts; personal credit lines and term loans; additional services, such as direct deposits, online banking, ATMs/debit cards, credit cards, savings/line of credit overdraft protection, and safe deposit boxes; and certificate of deposit account registry services. Its business banking services consist of business checking and savings accounts, sweep accounts; and business services comprising treasury management, merchant card, bill pay, positive pay, e-statement, remote deposit capture, wire transfer services, electronic payments and collections, electronic check acceptance, account reconciliation, cash vault, and gift and business credit cards, as well as funds management services. In addition, the company offers commercial real estate, small business administration, construction, and equipment and business expansion loans, as well as working capital lines of credit and letters of credit. The company has offices in La Jolla, San Diego, Coronado, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, El Segundo, Temecula, Mission Valley, and Redlands. Private Bancorp of America, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in La Jolla, California.

About Banco Santander

(Get Free Report)

Banco Santander, S.A. provides various retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large companies worldwide. The company operates through Retail Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, and PagoNxt segments. It offers demand and time deposits, and current and savings accounts; mortgages, consumer finance, syndicated corporate loans, cash management, export and agency finance, trade and working capital solutions, and corporate finance; and insurance products. The company also provides cash, asset, and wealth management; and private banking services. In addition, it is involved in the corporate banking, treasury, risk hedging, foreign trade, and investment banking activities, as well as provides digital payment solutions. The company was formerly known as Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A. and changed its name to Banco Santander, S.A. in June 2007. Banco Santander, S.A. was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

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Cwm LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 19.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 180,436 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 29,341 shares during the period. Cwm LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 56.7% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 774 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.94% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MO. Bank of America cut their target price on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert Matthews Davis bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $343,156.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $42.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $41.42 and a 200-day moving average of $43.18. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.06 and a one year high of $51.57. The company has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 237.91% and a net margin of 35.58%. Altria Groups quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.24%. Altria Groups payout ratio is currently 79.84%.

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV  Free Report) by 77.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,162 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,566 shares during the period. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF comprises 2.2% of E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd.s holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $3,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 117,228.0% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195,582,257 shares of the companys stock worth $75,144,659,000 after buying an additional 195,415,560 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 212,409.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 53,346,337 shares of the companys stock worth $23,776,996,000 after buying an additional 53,321,234 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 38,525.9% during the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,421,288 shares of the companys stock worth $27,783,000 after buying an additional 11,391,719 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,101,052,000. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC increased its stake in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 122.2% during the 2nd quarter. IMC Chicago LLC now owns 534,522 shares of the companys stock worth $238,242,000 after buying an additional 2,941,401 shares during the period.

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iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:IVV opened at $478.90 on Wednesday. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a 52 week low of $376.49 and a 52 week high of $479.08. The companys 50 day moving average is $445.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.24. The company has a market cap of $370.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 1.00.

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Company Profile

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market.

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Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI  Get Free Report) Director Edward Rogers purchased 400 shares of Rogers Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$61.01 per share, for a total transaction of C$24,405.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$24,405.96.

Rogers Communications Stock Performance

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Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported C$1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$1.07 by C$0.20. The company had revenue of C$5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$5.06 billion.

Rogers Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of . The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Desjardins upgraded shares of Rogers Communications from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th.

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Fiverr International Ltd. (NYSE:FVRR  Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $39.10.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Fiverr International in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. They set a buy rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Fiverr International from $34.00 to $26.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 10th. JMP Securities cut their price objective on shares of Fiverr International from $50.00 to $40.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 10th. Roth Mkm upgraded Fiverr International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $33.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Fiverr International from $49.00 to $43.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 10th.

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Read Our Latest Research Report on FVRR

Fiverr International Stock Performance

NYSE:FVRR opened at $28.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -467.59 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a current ratio of 2.71. Fiverr International has a fifty-two week low of $20.04 and a fifty-two week high of $47.66.

Fiverr International (NYSE:FVRR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.11. Fiverr International had a negative return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 0.66%. The company had revenue of $92.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $91.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.31) EPS. Fiverr Internationals revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Fiverr International will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FVRR. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Fiverr International by 30.6% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,612 shares of the companys stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Fiverr International by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,850 shares of the companys stock valued at $868,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Fiverr International by 6.8% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,449 shares of the companys stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Fiverr International by 3.1% during the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 35,176 shares of the companys stock worth $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fiverr International by 134.4% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,517 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.55% of the companys stock.

Fiverr International Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Fiverr International Ltd. operates an online marketplace worldwide. Its platform enables sellers to sell their services and buyers to buy them. The company's platform includes approximately 600 categories in ten verticals, including graphic and design, digital marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, music and audio, programming and tech, business, data, lifestyle, and photography.

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Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND  Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. They presently have a $115.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $95.00. Stifel Nicolaus price target suggests a potential upside of 2.38% from the companys previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Floor & Decor from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 20th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Floor & Decor from $115.00 to $95.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Floor & Decor from an outperform rating to an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. TheStreet lowered shares of Floor & Decor from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Floor & Decor from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $90.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $93.65.

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View Our Latest Research Report on FND

Floor & Decor Price Performance

FND opened at $112.33 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Floor & Decor has a 52-week low of $68.29 and a 52-week high of $116.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $89.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.24. The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.71, a P/E/G ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 1.91.

Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Floor & Decor had a net margin of 6.30% and a return on equity of 15.69%. On average, analysts expect that Floor & Decor will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Floor & Decor

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Floor & Decor by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 655 shares of the companys stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Floor & Decor by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 11,300 shares of the companys stock worth $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Floor & Decor by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,259 shares of the companys stock worth $4,393,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC grew its position in Floor & Decor by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 2,580 shares of the companys stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Floor & Decor by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,946 shares of the companys stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter.

Floor & Decor Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-channel specialty retailer and commercial flooring distributor in Georgia. The company offers tile, wood, laminate, vinyl, and natural stone flooring products, as well as decorative accessories, wall tiles, and installation materials and tools.

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ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM  Free Report)  William Blair lifted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of ABM Industries in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 13th. William Blair analyst T. Mulrooney now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $3.40 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.31. William Blair currently has a Market Perform rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for ABM Industries current full-year earnings is $3.30 per share.

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Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ABM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered ABM Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $43.00 in a report on Friday, September 8th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on ABM Industries from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 11th. Truist Financial raised their price target on ABM Industries from $43.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on ABM Industries from $52.00 to $40.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ABM Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $45.20.

ABM Industries Price Performance

ABM opened at $46.62 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.94 and a 200-day moving average of $42.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 1.08. ABM Industries has a 12-month low of $37.61 and a 12-month high of $53.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 13th. The business services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. ABM Industries had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 3.10%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of ABM Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of ABM Industries by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 14,095 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in ABM Industries by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,833 shares of the business services providers stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in ABM Industries by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,692 shares of the business services providers stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in ABM Industries by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 34,949 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in ABM Industries by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,469 shares of the business services providers stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.42% of the companys stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Scott B. Salmirs sold 25,000 shares of ABM Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $1,250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 326,690 shares in the company, valued at $16,334,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Scott B. Salmirs sold 25,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $1,250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 326,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,334,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Rene Jacobsen sold 6,341 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total transaction of $279,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 59,059 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,598,596. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 41,107 shares of company stock worth $2,000,702. Insiders own 0.85% of the companys stock.

ABM Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 4th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 3rd. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. This is a boost from ABM Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. ABM Industriess payout ratio is 23.22%.

About ABM Industries

(Get Free Report)

ABM Industries Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of integrated facility, infrastructure, and mobility solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Business & Industry, Manufacturing & Distribution, Education, Aviation, and Technical Solutions segments.

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GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (CVE:GPV  Get Free Report) Senior Officer Michael Sieffert sold 3,500 shares of GreenPower Motor stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$4.21, for a total value of C$14,735.00.

Michael Sieffert also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Monday, December 18th, Michael Sieffert sold 2,500 shares of GreenPower Motor stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.37, for a total value of C$10,925.00.

On Thursday, December 7th, Michael Sieffert sold 1,000 shares of GreenPower Motor stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.07, for a total value of C$4,070.00.

On Monday, December 4th, Michael Sieffert sold 1,300 shares of GreenPower Motor stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.25, for a total value of C$5,525.00.

On Friday, December 1st, Michael Sieffert sold 3,500 shares of GreenPower Motor stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.05, for a total value of C$14,175.00.

On Monday, November 20th, Michael Sieffert sold 1,000 shares of GreenPower Motor stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.00, for a total value of C$4,000.00.

GreenPower Motor Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of CVE:GPV opened at C$4.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of C$110.78 million, a P/E ratio of -5.69 and a beta of 3.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 66.74, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 0.25. GreenPower Motor Company Inc. has a 1 year low of C$2.27 and a 1 year high of C$7.00. The stocks fifty day moving average price is C$4.09 and its 200-day moving average price is C$4.30.

GreenPower Motor Company Profile

GreenPower Motor ( CVE:GPV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 13th. The company reported C($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C($0.10) by C($0.13). The business had revenue of C$11.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$26.73 million. GreenPower Motor had a negative net margin of 26.43% and a negative return on equity of 55.58%. Sell-side analysts expect that GreenPower Motor Company Inc. will post 0.0647549 earnings per share for the current year.

(Get Free Report)

GreenPower Motor Company Inc designs, manufactures, and distributes electric vehicles for commercial markets in the United States and Canada. The company offers commercial vehicles for delivery, public transit, schools, vanpools, micro-transit, shuttles, and other; and passenger, student, low floor transit, and cargo transportation.

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By Ko Dong-hwan

EcoPro is moving to launch a new public foundation to support cultural, artistic and educational talent in the country's provincial areas, according to the battery materials maker, Wednesday.

The company said it has pooled 100 billion won ($77 million) from Daisy Partners, a business consulting firm whose major stakeholder is EcoPro Group's former chairman Lee Dong-chae, for the foundation. It is currently taking legal steps to launch the foundation with the scale expected to grow five times more later on.

The foundation will first target existing social infrastructures for those with promising skills in the aforementioned fields in the country's provincial regions to revamp them. Refurbishing educational ecosystems to help talented people in comparatively underdeveloped regions will come as the secondary objective.

The company said that it will create a specific list to support underdeveloped regions through the foundation during the first half of next year. The foundation will be set up by next March and officially begin its service during the second half of next year.

"Former chairman Lee had pondered for a long time about his role as a businessman to support the country's provincial regions, which are losing population fast compared to the capital region," said an official from the company.

EcoPro said that the foundation's birth runs parallel with how the company itself first caught a break as a minor firm based in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, and grew to wield an international presence. The foundation, according to the company, is an extension of the company's successful business model while being driven by its own goal to support local talent, especially those who are deprived of opportunities.

Apart from the foundation, the company said it is also considering introducing a new public fund that is reserved for the country's venture firms based in provincial regions. It will hopefully nurture them to grow and become the next EcoPro, according to the company.

Founded in 1988, EcoPro ran operations in green technologies and grew to become a global high-nickel cathode manufacturer with accumulative sales of 9 trillion won ($6.9 billion) and 3,500 employees.
Independent Wealth Network Inc. bought a new stake in Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA  Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,204 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. purchased a new position in Coterra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,472,575,000. State Street Corp bought a new stake in shares of Coterra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,493,855,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coterra Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,559,100 shares of the companys stock valued at $469,640,000 after buying an additional 64,835 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coterra Energy by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,844,954 shares of the companys stock valued at $400,877,000 after buying an additional 586,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coterra Energy by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,400,833 shares of the companys stock valued at $389,641,000 after buying an additional 1,147,286 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.54% of the companys stock.

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Coterra Energy Price Performance

NYSE:CTRA opened at $25.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Coterra Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.25 and a 1-year high of $29.89.

Coterra Energy Dividend Announcement

Coterra Energy ( NYSE:CTRA Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 6th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Coterra Energy had a net margin of 33.97% and a return on equity of 17.14%. Equities research analysts forecast that Coterra Energy Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 15th. Coterra Energys payout ratio is presently 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Coterra Energy from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Coterra Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Coterra Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Coterra Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $30.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Coterra Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $28.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coterra Energy presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $32.07.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on CTRA

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coterra Energy news, Director Dan O. Dinges sold 68,275 shares of Coterra Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total transaction of $1,858,445.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,152,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $85,808,110.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Coterra Energy news, Director Dan O. Dinges sold 68,275 shares of Coterra Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total transaction of $1,858,445.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,152,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $85,808,110.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Dan O. Dinges sold 400,000 shares of Coterra Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.60, for a total transaction of $10,640,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,302,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,843,627.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Coterra Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Coterra Energy Inc, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the development, exploration and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company primarily focuses on the Marcellus Shale with approximately 183,000 net acres in the dry gas window of the play located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

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Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:INO.UN  Get Free Report) insider Inovalis S.A. bought 12,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.54 per share, with a total value of C$18,465.60.

Inovalis S.A. also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Monday, December 18th, Inovalis S.A. bought 6,300 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.57 per share, with a total value of C$9,879.66.

On Monday, December 11th, Inovalis S.A. bought 39,900 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.55 per share, with a total value of C$61,992.63.

On Friday, December 8th, Inovalis S.A. bought 28,800 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.57 per share, with a total value of C$45,253.44.

On Wednesday, December 6th, Inovalis S.A. bought 16,700 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.57 per share, with a total value of C$26,203.97.

On Friday, December 1st, Inovalis S.A. bought 18,900 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.32 per share, with a total value of C$25,029.27.

On Wednesday, November 29th, Inovalis S.A. bought 8,300 shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$1.11 per share, with a total value of C$9,237.90.

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust Price Performance

INO.UN stock opened at C$1.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$1.89 and a 200-day moving average of C$2.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 78.74. Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust has a 12 month low of C$0.69 and a 12 month high of C$4.95. The firm has a market capitalization of C$49.85 million, a P/E ratio of -1.43 and a beta of 1.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Desjardins cut their price objective on shares of Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust from C$3.00 to C$1.25 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on INO.UN

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust established pursuant to a declaration of trust under the laws of the Province of Ontario. The REIT has been created for the purpose of acquiring and owning office properties primarily located in France and Germany but also opportunistically in other European countries where assets meet the REIT's investment criteria.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. decreased its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV  Free Report) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 303,113 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,526 shares during the quarter. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF accounts for approximately 11.0% of Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $130,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in IVV. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 117,228.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195,582,257 shares of the companys stock worth $75,144,659,000 after acquiring an additional 195,415,560 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 212,409.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 53,346,337 shares of the companys stock worth $23,776,996,000 after acquiring an additional 53,321,234 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 38,525.9% during the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,421,288 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,783,000 after purchasing an additional 11,391,719 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,101,052,000. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC boosted its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 122.2% during the 2nd quarter. IMC Chicago LLC now owns 534,522 shares of the companys stock valued at $238,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,941,401 shares during the period.

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iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA:IVV opened at $478.90 on Wednesday. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a 12-month low of $376.49 and a 12-month high of $479.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $445.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $444.24.

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Profile

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL  Free Report) by 3.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,311 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 372 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 66.75% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, CFO Steven Kent Beaver sold 3,114 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.71, for a total transaction of $257,558.94. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,729,796.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.47, for a total value of $38,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,598 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,033,949.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven Kent Beaver sold 3,114 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.71, for a total transaction of $257,558.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,729,796.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 165,315 shares of company stock worth $13,420,962. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $79.63.

Read Our Latest Report on AFL

Aflac Stock Up 1.0 %

AFL stock opened at $82.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $60.20 and a 52 week high of $84.64.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 24.17% and a return on equity of 17.86%. Aflacs quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Aflacs payout ratio is 22.13%.

Aflac Company Profile

(Free Report)

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. It operates in two segments, Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Amcor plc (NYSE:AMCR  Free Report) by 14.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,860 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 5,462 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in Amcor were worth $402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Amcor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,852,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Amcor by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,872 shares of the companys stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Amcor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $64,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Amcor by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 768,124 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,959,000 after buying an additional 472,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Amcor by 99.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,814 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the companys stock.

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Amcor Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE AMCR opened at $9.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Amcor plc has a 52-week low of $8.45 and a 52-week high of $12.37. The businesss 50 day moving average is $9.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.50.

Amcor Increases Dividend

Amcor ( NYSE:AMCR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Amcor had a return on equity of 24.92% and a net margin of 6.72%. The business had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Research analysts predict that Amcor plc will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 21st. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.13%. This is a positive change from Amcors previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Amcors dividend payout ratio is currently 75.76%.

Insider Transactions at Amcor

In related news, Director Arun Nayar sold 10,261 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.39, for a total value of $96,350.79. Following the transaction, the director now owns 52,527 shares of the companys stock, valued at $493,228.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TheStreet lowered Amcor from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Truist Financial cut their price target on Amcor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Amcor presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $10.40.

Read Our Latest Report on Amcor

Amcor Profile

(Free Report)

Amcor plc develops, produces, and sells packaging products in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions. The company operates through two segments, Flexibles and Rigid Packaging. The Flexibles segment provides flexible and film packaging products in the food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. increased its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX  Free Report) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,581 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $1,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in TJX Companies by 0.5% during the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,720 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in TJX Companies by 5.3% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,368 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Adero Partners LLC increased its position in TJX Companies by 4.5% during the second quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 2,807 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. increased its position in TJX Companies by 0.7% during the second quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 18,064 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $1,532,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chatham Capital Group Inc. increased its position in TJX Companies by 1.7% during the second quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 7,627 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.28% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on TJX shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, September 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. They issued an outperform rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $99.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.06, for a total transaction of $1,514,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 576,105 shares of the companys stock, valued at $51,307,911.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

TJX Companies Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of TJX Companies stock opened at $91.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.92 and a 1 year high of $93.78. The firms 50-day moving average is $89.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $104.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.88.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 15th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.04. TJX Companies had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 62.67%. The company had revenue of $13.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be given a dividend of $0.3325 per share. This represents a $1.33 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 14th. TJX Companiess payout ratio is 37.68%.

TJX Companies Company Profile

(Free Report)

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. lifted its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE  Free Report) by 156.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,679 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 15,069 shares during the quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $1,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Magellan Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Country Trust Bank raised its stake in NextEra Energy by 975.6% in the third quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 441 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower View Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

NEE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of NextEra Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $105.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $83.00 to $72.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of NextEra Energy from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $73.14.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other NextEra Energy news, Director Nicole S. Arnaboldi bought 8,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.59 per share, with a total value of $506,515.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,523 shares in the company, valued at $686,655.57. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other NextEra Energy news, Director Nicole S. Arnaboldi bought 8,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.59 per share, with a total value of $506,515.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,523 shares in the company, valued at $686,655.57. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Nextera Energy Inc bought 3,097,524 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, October 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.21 per share, with a total value of $74,991,056.04. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,097,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,201,056.04. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NextEra Energy stock opened at $61.58 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.98. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.15 and a 12 month high of $86.47.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.15% and a net margin of 27.82%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 24th were given a $0.4675 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 22nd. NextEra Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 49.47%.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and natural gas facilities. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.

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Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $79,410.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $238,230. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $28.15 on Wednesday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $30.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a current ratio of 2.38. The stock has a market cap of $158.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.61. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.76 and a fifty-two week high of $52.16.

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Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.15. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.72% and a net margin of 15.30%. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.77 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.97%. This is a positive change from Pfizers previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 25th. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.62%.

PFE has been the topic of a number of research reports. TheStreet downgraded Pfizer from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $42.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $44.00 to $33.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Pfizer from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $40.35.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Pfizer

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RB Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 5,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its stake in Pfizer by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 36,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,868,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in Pfizer by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 46,671 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC raised its stake in Pfizer by 136.3% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 36,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,903,000 after buying an additional 21,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Pfizer by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,337,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $69,238,000 after buying an additional 79,887 shares during the last quarter. 68.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Canton Hathaway LLC grew its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 29.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,554 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the quarter. Canton Hathaway LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $85,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 98,197.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,948,438,709 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $71,468,732,000 after buying an additional 1,946,456,532 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 445,384,893 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $18,171,704,000 after buying an additional 2,516,132 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 287,201,692 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $10,534,558,000 after buying an additional 5,374,611 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 218,931,933 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $8,932,423,000 after buying an additional 19,602,359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 89,592.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 161,143,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $8,257,000,000 after buying an additional 160,963,976 shares during the last quarter. 68.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Pfizer Price Performance

PFE opened at $28.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.76 and a 52-week high of $52.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $30.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.92. The company has a market cap of $158.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.61.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.15. Pfizer had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 16.72%. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.77 billion. On average, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 26th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a boost from Pfizers previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.97%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 25th. Pfizers payout ratio is presently 89.62%.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $79,410.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $238,230. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on PFE. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Pfizer from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $38.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. TheStreet cut shares of Pfizer from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, September 25th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Pfizer from $34.00 to $28.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $40.35.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Pfizer

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,604 shares of the transportation companys stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth $217,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,838 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 7,616 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth $243,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,918 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,508 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. 71.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 29th. TheStreet cut Delta Air Lines from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $44.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $64.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $54.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 9,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.80, for a total transaction of $326,772.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 98,392 shares in the company, valued at $3,424,041.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 9,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.80, for a total transaction of $326,772.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 98,392 shares in the company, valued at $3,424,041.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Taylor purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $30.75 per share, for a total transaction of $307,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,470 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $844,702.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.1 %

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $41.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.39. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.60 and a 52 week high of $49.81. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $35.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 12th. The transportation company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $15.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 54.95% and a net margin of 5.94%. Delta Air Liness revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 12th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 11th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Delta Air Liness dividend payout ratio is currently 7.58%.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

(Free Report)

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon.

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Naver, Kakao, Coupang vulnerable to reverse discrimination

By Lee Min-hyung

Naver, Kakao and Coupang  three leading platform firms here  are feared to suffer reverse discrimination from controversial platform regulations being pushed by an antitrust agency, as the move could weaken their business competitiveness against Google and other foreign rivals, industry officials said Wednesday.

The concerns came in response to the Fair Trade Commission's (FTC) latest decision to introduce the regulation targeting what the watchdog calls "de facto monopolistic platform operators."

The FTC plans to enforce its legislation after designating a group of market-dominant companies. Those classified into the group will be subject to the regulation whose details include a ban on any unfair business acts restricting users of a certain platform from using others.

But officials in the IT industry cried foul over what they consider an unfair policy, because foreign platform giants  such as Google  are highly likely to evade the regulatory hurdle again.

It looks doubtful whether the authority will be able to regulate Korean platform firms and their overseas counterparts on an equal footing, an official at a local platform company said on condition of anonymity.

The watchdog is likely to consider a set of standards  such as the number of users or sales volume  for the designation of the list of monopolistic platform companies. But authorities still face a tough time in exactly calculating the sales and revenues of overseas platform firms, including Google. Under the circumstance, Korean companies will be hardest hit by the regulation, which is not fair.

Another official at a platform firm also raised concerns over the planned introduction of the regulations, saying that they are redundant.

The watchdog can regulate platform firms under the current legal system, but pushes ahead with another regulation, which may hamper the potential growth and innovation of local firms amid their intensifying rivalry with foreign competitors, the official said.

But the FTC appears set in pushing ahead with the legislation, arguing that the move will generate preventive effects against any possible undue business activities by platform firms.

The watchdog has reacted to any unfair practices by monopolistic platform firms, but the pace of our countermeasures was too slow to block the monopolistic acts and help build a fair competition ecosystem here, an official from the FTC said.

The authority expected the legislation of the regulation to boost fair competition in the market, thereby reducing the financial burden on small business owners and customers.

The regulation is expected to reinforce innovation and competition in the platform industry by enabling more startups to make their entry into the market, the FTC official added.

Kwon Sae-hwa, head of internet policy division at K-Internet, said the organization will come up with countermeasures against the regulatory move. K-Internet is an association representing a group of the aforementioned local platform giants.

We are reviewing measures on how to minimize the potential repercussions of the regulation, he said. For now, Korean companies will be a major target, considering that the FTC and other authorities have virtually failed to regulate overseas platform giants for the past few years due to a legal grey area. This will be the same case for the latest regulation.

Spokespeople from Naver, Kakao and Coupang declined to comment in detail, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

An association representing local internet firms expressed strong opposition to the planned legislation.

As was shown by AliExpress rapid rise to become the No. 2 e-commerce platform in Korea, the digital market is open to free competition without entry barriers, the Digital Economy Confederation said in a statement shortly after the FTCs announcement. The regulation will result in customers and small business owners incurring damage without generating any positive impact on the industry, according to the confederation.
Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Polaris Inc. (NYSE:PII  Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $312,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PII. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Polaris by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,510 shares of the companys stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Polaris by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 152,648 shares of the companys stock valued at $16,077,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Polaris by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 20,905 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,202,000 after buying an additional 1,993 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Polaris by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,803,771 shares of the companys stock valued at $505,933,000 after buying an additional 13,281 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its holdings in Polaris by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 33,033 shares of the companys stock worth $3,575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on PII. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Polaris from $138.00 to $110.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 12th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on Polaris from $145.00 to $115.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Polaris from $125.00 to $100.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on Polaris from $122.00 to $95.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Polaris in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $109.55.

Polaris Price Performance

Shares of PII opened at $92.89 on Wednesday. Polaris Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $138.49. The firm has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.08 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $90.10 and a 200-day moving average of $107.65.

Polaris (NYSE:PII  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $2.71. Polaris had a return on equity of 51.02% and a net margin of 6.57%. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.25 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Polaris Inc. will post 9.78 EPS for the current year.

Polaris Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Polariss dividend payout ratio is currently 25.42%.

Polaris Company Profile

(Free Report)

Polaris Inc designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets powersports vehicles worldwide. It operates through three segments: Off-Road, On-Road, and Marine. The company offers off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side vehicles; military and commercial ORVs; snowmobiles; motorcycles; moto-roadsters, quadricycles, and boats; and aftermarket parts and apparel.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in iShares MSCI Austria ETF (NYSEARCA:EWO  Free Report) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,024 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,487 shares during the period. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC owned about 1.02% of iShares MSCI Austria ETF worth $531,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EWO. Raymond James & Associates bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Austria ETF during the 1st quarter worth $975,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Austria ETF during the 1st quarter worth $367,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Austria ETF during the 1st quarter worth $332,000. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI Austria ETF by 555.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 25,419 shares of the companys stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 21,543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI Austria ETF by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 142,479 shares of the companys stock worth $3,078,000 after buying an additional 81,304 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI Austria ETF Trading Up 1.2 %

EWO opened at $21.85 on Wednesday. iShares MSCI Austria ETF has a 12-month low of $18.49 and a 12-month high of $21.89. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $20.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.28. The company has a market capitalization of $57.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.13 and a beta of 1.15.

iShares MSCI Austria ETF Profile

iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Austria IMI 25/50 Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index consists of stocks traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

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Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK  Free Report)  Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Nokia Oyj in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, December 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the technology company will post earnings of $0.11 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.13. The consensus estimate for Nokia Oyjs current full-year earnings is $0.34 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nokia Oyjs Q1 2025 earnings at $0.09 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.10 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $0.41 EPS.

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Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NOK. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Nokia Oyj from $4.50 to $4.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Nokia Oyj from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $5.10 to $3.40 in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Nokia Oyj from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a sell rating on shares of Nokia Oyj in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Finally, DNB Markets raised Nokia Oyj from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $5.06.

Nokia Oyj Stock Performance

Nokia Oyj stock opened at $3.32 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $3.38 and a 200-day moving average of $3.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.35. Nokia Oyj has a 1 year low of $2.94 and a 1 year high of $5.04.

Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The technology company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.04). Nokia Oyj had a net margin of 15.62% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The business had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Nokia Oyj

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Nokia Oyj during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in Nokia Oyj during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC purchased a new stake in Nokia Oyj during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Nokia Oyj by 265.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 9,505 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 6,905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nokia Oyj during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 5.26% of the companys stock.

About Nokia Oyj

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Nokia Oyj provides mobile, fixed, and cloud network solutions worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Network Infrastructure, Mobile Networks, Cloud and Network Services, and Nokia Technologies. It offers products and services for radio access networks and microwave radio links for transport networks, and solutions for network management, as well as network planning, optimization, network deployment, and technical support services.

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ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP  Free Report)  Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of ConocoPhillips in a note issued to investors on Thursday, December 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the energy producer will post earnings of $2.67 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.62. The consensus estimate for ConocoPhillips current full-year earnings is $9.09 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for ConocoPhillips Q2 2025 earnings at $2.64 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.67 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $10.65 EPS.

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ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The energy producer reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.12. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 23.30% and a net margin of 17.91%. The firm had revenue of $14.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.32 billion.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Mizuho raised their price target on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, September 18th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $151.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, September 18th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $138.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $135.35.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $116.49 on Monday. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $91.53 and a 52 week high of $127.35. The companys 50 day moving average is $116.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.43. The company has a market cap of $138.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 14th were issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 13th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillipss previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. ConocoPhillipss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 44,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.64, for a total transaction of $5,044,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 578,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,347,670.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 30,800 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total transaction of $3,813,964.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,937 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $735,178.71. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 44,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.64, for a total value of $5,044,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 578,748 shares of the companys stock, valued at $66,347,670.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norris Perne & French LLP MI increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 4,364 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Tevis Investment Management increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 3,294 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 35.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CRA Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 4,702 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 80.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ConocoPhillips

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ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids in the United States and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; various LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.

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Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSE:QSR  Get Free Report) (NYSE:QSR) Director Jonathan Domanko sold 251 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$97.97, for a total value of C$24,590.47.

Jonathan Domanko also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, December 19th, Jonathan Domanko sold 218 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$101.01, for a total value of C$22,020.18.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 1.6 %

TSE:QSR opened at C$102.48 on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 1 year low of C$82.61 and a 1 year high of C$103.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 308.68. The stock has a market cap of C$31.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of C$94.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$95.88.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

Restaurant Brands International ( TSE:QSR Get Free Report ) (NYSE:QSR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The company reported C$1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of C$1.14 by C$0.07. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of C$2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$2.53 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 6.1152187 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 4th will be paid a $0.763 dividend. This represents a $3.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 20th. Restaurant Brands Internationals payout ratio is presently 77.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from C$86.00 to C$87.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 6th.

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About Restaurant Brands International

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Restaurant Brands International Inc operates as a quick-service restaurant company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Tim Hortons (TH), Burger King (BK), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLK), and Firehouse Subs (FHS). The company owns and franchises TH chain of donut/coffee/tea restaurants that offer blend coffee, tea, and espresso-based hot and cold specialty drinks; and fresh baked goods, including donuts, Timbits, bagels, muffins, cookies and pastries, grilled paninis, classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, and other food products.

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Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 32.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,887 shares of the asset managers stock after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc.s holdings in BlackRock were worth $1,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.01% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock Stock Up 0.6 %

BLK opened at $801.38 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $688.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $690.85. BlackRock, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.18 and a twelve month high of $819.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 3.72 and a current ratio of 3.72. The firm has a market cap of $119.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.33.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.57. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 30.66%. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.55 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.85 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 7th will be given a $5.00 dividend. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 6th. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is currently 56.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on BLK. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 15th. BNP Paribas raised BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on BlackRock in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on BlackRock from $820.00 to $720.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $771.54.

View Our Latest Report on BlackRock

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BlackRock news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total value of $10,031,481.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 435,260 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $283,802,577.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.06% of the companys stock.

About BlackRock

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

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Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB  Free Report) by 40.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,393 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,543 shares during the quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc.s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SLB. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Schlumberger by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 106,818,561 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $5,246,928,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129,628 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Schlumberger by 1.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 83,794,992 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $4,136,112,000 after acquiring an additional 861,439 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Schlumberger by 85.7% during the 2nd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,080,354 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,116,107,000 after acquiring an additional 19,885,771 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Schlumberger by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,158,939 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,873,604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 6.9% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 35,212,430 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,728,928,000 after purchasing an additional 2,280,503 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.43% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SLB. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Schlumberger from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. Finally, Societe Generale started coverage on Schlumberger in a report on Monday, October 9th. They issued a buy rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $70.36.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SLB opened at $52.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $75.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.68. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $54.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.05. Schlumberger Limited has a one year low of $42.73 and a one year high of $62.78.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 20th. The oil and gas company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $8.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.32 billion. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 21.80%. Schlumbergers revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Schlumberger Limited will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Schlumbergers dividend payout ratio is presently 34.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director La Chevardiere Patrick De sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.76, for a total value of $28,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,664,065.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director La Chevardiere Patrick De sold 500 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.76, for a total value of $28,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 28,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,664,065.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.44, for a total value of $327,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 169,765 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,902,476.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,925 shares of company stock worth $1,429,917 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the companys stock.

Schlumberger Profile

(Free Report)

Schlumberger Limited engages in the provision of technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company provides field development and hydrocarbon production, carbon management, integration of adjacent energy systems; reservoir interpretation and data processing services for exploration data; and well construction and production improvement services and products.

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Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,252 shares of the companys stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc.s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.6% in the second quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,024 shares of the companys stock worth $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 688.2% in the second quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,736 shares of the companys stock worth $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 3,262 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 13.0% in the second quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the companys stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Physicians Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the second quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,718 shares of the companys stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $630.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. TheStreet cut Eli Lilly and Company from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. Argus increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $470.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $710.00 target price (up previously from $612.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, October 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $583.24.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.0 %

LLY stock opened at $579.81 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $309.20 and a 12-month high of $629.97. The stock has a market cap of $550.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.04, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.33. The businesss 50-day moving average is $589.77 and its 200 day moving average is $533.23.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 48.12%. The business had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.88 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total value of $130,169,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total transaction of $382,637.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,708 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report).

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Legacy Private Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,875 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 4,915 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $730,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.7% in the third quarter. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 329,710 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,472,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter worth about $3,660,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 6.6% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 55,304 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 89.2% in the third quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 4,381 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the period. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 2.2% in the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 316,668 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $12,939,000 after purchasing an additional 6,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Odeon Capital Group raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $56.08 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, December 14th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a buy rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, September 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $48.00 to $43.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.56.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

WFC stock opened at $50.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.18. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $35.25 and a one year high of $50.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $42.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.58.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.15. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 11.18%. The firm had revenue of $20.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. Wells Fargo & Companys payout ratio is 30.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, Director Richard K. Davis purchased 3,500 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $41.22 per share, for a total transaction of $144,270.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,244 shares in the company, valued at $174,937.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.

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Blend Labs (NYSE:BLND  Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $3.50 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $1.50. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective would suggest a potential upside of 53.17% from the companys previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on BLND. William Blair reissued a market perform rating on shares of Blend Labs in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a hold rating and issued a $2.00 price target on shares of Blend Labs in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Blend Labs from $1.40 to $1.60 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $1.96.

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Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Blend Labs

Blend Labs Stock Performance

BLND stock opened at $2.29 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $1.41 and its 200-day moving average is $1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 7.69, a current ratio of 7.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.81. The company has a market cap of $567.14 million, a P/E ratio of -2.31 and a beta of 0.49. Blend Labs has a twelve month low of $0.53 and a twelve month high of $2.30.

Blend Labs (NYSE:BLND  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $40.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.01 million. Blend Labs had a negative return on equity of 336.06% and a negative net margin of 144.45%. Equities research analysts forecast that Blend Labs will post -0.64 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Blend Labs news, insider Nima Ghamsari sold 111,940 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $153,357.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 11.83% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLND. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Blend Labs by 3,104.7% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,774,979 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,719,592 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Blend Labs during the 1st quarter worth $6,897,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Blend Labs by 195.9% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,169,796 shares of the companys stock worth $6,667,000 after purchasing an additional 774,425 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in Blend Labs by 52.0% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 126,251 shares of the companys stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 43,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blend Labs by 1,862.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,117,426 shares of the companys stock valued at $63,369,000 after purchasing an additional 10,550,895 shares in the last quarter. 46.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Blend Labs

(Get Free Report)

Blend Labs, Inc engages in the provision of cloud-based software platform solutions for financial services firms in the United States. It operates in two segments, Blend Platform and Title365. The company's Blend Builder Platform offers a suite of products that powers digital-first consumer journeys for mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, vehicle loans, personal loans, credit cards, and deposit accounts; and offers mortgage products to facilitate the homeownership journey for consumers comprising close, income verification for mortgage, homeowners' insurance, and realty.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that his country's military has seized the initiative in Ukraine after repelling a monthslong counteroffensive and is well positioned to achieve Moscow's goals.

Putin spoke at a meeting with top military brass a day after he presented documents to Russias Central Election Commission to seek reelection in the March presidential vote that he's all but certain to win.

Our troops are holding the initiative, the Russian leader said. We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want. Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defenses they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where it's needed.

The Russian leader praised Russia's troops for beating back Ukrainian attacks during the counteroffensive that started in June.

The enemy has suffered heavy casualties and to a large extent wasted its reserves while trying to show at least some results of its so-called counteroffensive to its masters, Putin said, adding that the myth about invulnerability of Western weapons also has collapsed."

All attempts by the West to deliver us a military defeat, a strategic defeat, were shattered by the courage and fortitude of our soldiers, the growing might of our armed forces and the potential of our military industries, Putin said.

During the counteroffensive that began in early June, Ukrainian forces have failed to make any significant gains as they faced multiecheloned Russian defensive lines, including sprawling minefields.

Speaking at the same meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Russian minefields spread for 7,000 kilometers (more than 4,300 miles).

Shoigu said that 650,000 Russian soldiers have received combat experience in Ukraine, turning the Russian army into the best prepared and capable army in the world, armed with advanced weapons that have been tested in combat.

Despite the sanctions, we produce more high-tech weapons than NATO countries, Shoigu said.

He declared that the Russian arms industries have increased the output of tanks by 5.6 times, the number of drones built by 16.8 times and bolstered the production of artillery munitions by 17.5 times since the start of what the Kremlin calls the special military operation in Ukraine.

Shoigu said the military has received more than 1,500 new and modernized tanks, more than 2,500 armored infantry vehicles and 237 new planes and helicopters.

The minister said Russia's armed forces were finalizing preparations for putting the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile on combat duty and also building the infrastructure for the deployment of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone.

Shoigu charged that military personnel from NATO countries operate Ukraines air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers and tactical missile systems and also help plan military operations and train troops. He didnt provide specifics to support his claim.

While hailing the military's performance, Putin noted the need to improve military communications, streamline the use of intelligence and counterartillery means, and increase supplies of precision munitions and drones. He added that Russia also needs to expand the capability of its satellite assets.

Putin particularly emphasized the importance of bolstering the country's nuclear forces, saying that their role has increased amid the changing character of military threats and the emergence of new military-political risks.

Putin reaffirmed his long-held argument that he sent Russian troops into Ukraine to counter security threats to Russia posed by Western plans to incorporate the country in NATO. Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the move by Moscow as an unprovoked act of aggression.

The West isn't abandoning its strategy of containment of Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine, Putin said. "Well, we also aren't going to abandon the goals of the special military operation.

He declared that Russia is open for talks to end the conflict but warned that we won't give up what is ours.

If they want to talk, let them enter the talks,Putin said. But we will proceed from our interests. (AP)
WJ Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 3,432 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $312,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NVO. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Lee Financial Co purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 165.3% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 199 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.41% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NVO. Argus assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, October 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Friday, December 1st. They set an overweight rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $115.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 1.0 %

NVO opened at $99.99 on Wednesday. The firms 50 day moving average is $99.40 and its 200-day moving average is $67.11. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52-week low of $65.05 and a 52-week high of $105.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $448.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.40.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.58 billion for the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.20% and a return on equity of 86.53%. Analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

(Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products in the areas of insulins, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products, obesity, glucagon, needles, and other chronic diseases.

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Zhang Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY  Free Report) by 56.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,508 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLCs holdings in Hershey were worth $502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Institutional & Family Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 121.3% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 135 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.47% of the companys stock.

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Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $182.55 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $189.45 and a 200-day moving average of $215.17. The company has a market capitalization of $37.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.34. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $181.27 and a 52 week high of $276.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Hershey Announces Dividend

Hershey ( NYSE:HSY Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.13. Hershey had a net margin of 17.11% and a return on equity of 54.74%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.17 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $1.192 per share. This represents a $4.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 16th. Hersheys dividend payout ratio is currently 51.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They issued a neutral rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hershey from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the company from $240.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They issued an overweight rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $265.00 to $218.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Hershey from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and lowered their target price for the company from $239.00 to $213.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $239.81.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on HSY

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,816 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,413,912. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,816 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,413,912. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Pamela M. Arway sold 182 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.56, for a total transaction of $35,409.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,562 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,027,742.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,682 shares of company stock valued at $920,800 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the companys stock.

About Hershey

(Free Report)

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.

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New Zealand conglomerate Zuru plans $400 mln investment in southern Vietnam

By Tri Duc Wed, December 20, 2023 | 10:48 pm GMT+7

New Zealand firm Zuru plans to invest $400 million in a factory making prefabricated houses and a seaport in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang.

A delegation from the firm delivered the project proposal to Soc Trang authorities at a Tuesday meeting.

Lam Van Man (center, left), Secretary of the Soc Trang Party Committee, and Soc Trang Chairman Lam Hoang Nghiep (center, right), meet with a delegation from New Zealand firm Zuru in the Mekong Delta province, December 19, 2023. Photo courtesy of Soc Trang TV.

The delegation said it plans to implement the project on an area of 150-200 hectares, with the seaport able to receive 50,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) ships.

Soc Trang Vice Chairman Lam Hoang Nghiep asked relevant agencies to cooperate with Zuru in surveying sites for the project.

Zuru is most well-known for Zuru Toy, its toy-making branch with a daily output of 600,000 toys and distribution to 120 countries.

Zuru Edge, its consumer goods branch, manufactures products for pet care, baby care, personal care & beauty, homecare and health & wellness.

Zuru Tech, the construction branch, develops architectural design and manufacturing software BIM (Building Information Modeling), enabling state-of-the-art and fully automated robotic production plants.

As of November 20, Soc Trang had attracted 17 valid foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a total registered capital of $431.9 million, ranking it 49th among 63 localities in the country, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
PM Chinhs Tokyo visit set to trigger new Japan investment wave into Vietnam

By Anh Minh Wed, December 20, 2023 | 11:43 am GMT+7

A large number of deals signed and high interest shown by Japanese businesses during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs recent trip to Japan is expected to trigger a new investment wave into Vietnam, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

Besides strengthening further political trust between the two countries leaderships after bilateral ties were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership last month, the PMs visit helped deepen economic ties, Viet said in an interview granted to the press about the outcomes of the PMs December 15-18 visit.

Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (center) attends the Vietnam-Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo, Japan, December 16, 2023. Photo courtesy of the governments news portal.

Both sides agreed to expand cooperation to ensure economic security, with a focus on promoting and beefing up the participation of Vietnamese enterprises in Japanese enterprises global supply chains, especially in the fields of automobile, electronics, medical equipment, and textiles.

Viet asserted that the visit opened up cooperation opportunities in new fields like energy transition, digital transformation, and innovation.

At talks with leaders of top Japanese corporations, the Japanese business community highly regarded Vietnam's economic growth and stability as well as business and investment prospects.

Japanese businesses showed their keenness on Vietnams policies and needs, and committed to foster investment ties in new areas, the diplomat noted.

During his stay, PM Chinh called for increased Japanese investment in Vietnam and witnessed government agencies and companies of the two countries exchange more than 30 documents on cooperation projects worth nearly $3 billion, Viet added.

The documents embraced key areas such as finance, education, healthcare, and industrial parks. In addition, more than half of them embraced new areas, including smart cities, green transition, digital transformation, logistics, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

Among them, Tokyo Gas and partners were granted an investment license to build a $1.99 billion LNG-to-power plant in the northern province of Thai Binh. Major Japanese retailer Aeon Mall announced plans to invest another $500 million to open two new shopping malls. Sumitomo will invest $500 million in expanding its Thang Long II Industrial Park in the northern province of Hung Yen.

This could be the start of an investment influx from Japanese firms into new areas in Vietnam in the near future, he stressed.

Japan has been falling behind China in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Southeast Asian country. According to Vietnamese government data, FDI commitments from Japan totaled $3.1 billion in Jan-Nov 2023, ranking it Vietnams fifth largest investor, one rank below China.

In 2021 and 2022, Japan was one rank ahead of China as the third largest foreign investor in Vietnam.
CARBONDALE  Mayor Caroline Harvey and new city employees delivered the State of the City address during a luncheon Tuesday, discussing the citys successes from 2023 and big plans for 2024.

Harvey said this has been a historic year for Carbondale, including within the city council.

The community elected the citys first transgender city councilor, who is also the first in the state of Illinois, she said. For the first time in Carbondales 150-year history, the majority of city council members are African Americans, and Harvey is also the first African-American mayor of the city.

Legislative firsts include the adoption of a Sustainability Action Plan which will guide future energy decisions, Harvey said.

She said the city also established a Parks and Recreation division, in which millions of dollars have been invested to improve Turley Park, Evergreen Tatum Heights and the Superblock, where improvements have been made to the ballparks and new sidewalks and buildings for concessions and restrooms.

Harvey said staff created a community housing trust to improve the housing stock and established a tourism office within city government.

Carbondale partnered with the city of Marion to secure direct flights to Chicago, which will improve connections for residents and destinations around the country and the world, she said.

Harvey also touched on infrastructure and recreation improvements, including paving projects, public paths, public work projects, construction on the $25 million Regional Transportation Center, and an effort to build the citys first permanent stage downtown.

Harvey said Carbondale has performed well financially through the pandemic and will continue to build reserves into a projected $24 million fund balance at the end of the fiscal year. Additionally, the city won the Distinguished Budget award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 36th year in a row and a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 35th consecutive year.

Harvey also introduced Dena Haun  the citys first tourism and special events coordinator  and Diannah McGreenham, director of violence prevention programs.

Public Relations Officer Eva Fisher concluded the address by saying that, though some fear that Carbondale is in decline, she thinks the opposite. I feel that Carbondale is budding and about to bloom in a cultural renaissance, she said.

See our Thursday edition for more details regarding the State of the City address, including specifics on efforts to combat gun violence in the community.
SouthernCarolina Alliance Project Manager Joshua Urwick announced that an existing industry in Bamberg County is poised to expand, bringing more than a dozen jobs and $6 million in capital investment.

Project Knox is an expansion project that were working with. That says a lot about the community to stay right here and want to continue to expand their roots here. Thats 14 jobs and $6 million in capital investment, Urwick said during a Dec. 4 Bamberg County Council meeting.

SCA is an economic development group serving Bamberg and six other counties.

Urwick also reported on site visits in the county.

We still have had six site visits in the last month since the last meeting. So thats been promising, Urwick said.

He continued, Weve had some good traction at the Wolfe site also over there in Denmark with a couple of bigger projects that are looking for a good bit of land. Thats been encouraging to see. So hopefully finishing out this year and then moving into next year, well get off to a hot start.

In other business:

 County Treasurer Alice Johnson gave the October financial report, stating that in October the county had $3,184,218.42 in income and expenditures of $889,298.74, for a positive balance of $2,294,919.68.

When the bank balance at the end of September was added, the countys regular account stood at a positive $1,133,061.81.

County Controller Gina Smith said that was commendable because the countys balance in its regular account was a negative $146,000 at the same time last year.

Smith also reported that the county was nearing completion of its June 30, 2023 audit.

 Council gave final third reading to an ordinance to allow the addition of Old Town Lane in Denmark to the county road list. The road was previously omitted.

 Council heard from Dr. William Molnar, executive director of the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, on an upcoming community needs assessment hearing to be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the County Courthouse Annex.

We use this to solicit funding, especially from the Economic Development Administration. ... It helps us with state and federal funding, he said.

Nicholas Terry, LSCOG community and economic development manager, later said, Its just an opportunity for anybody within the county to come out and discuss what they think the priorities and needs are for the communities in Bamberg County. Its typically in the area of housing, infrastructure, economic development, public safety, public facilities and neighborhood revitalization.

Individuals seeking more information can contact Terry at 803-508-7069.

 Council heard from Joy Haynes, owner of Shop Her Closet Outreach Community Center located at 3722 Main Highway in Bamberg.

We are a food pantry. This year alone, we fed 6,000 people, she said.

Haynes said the community center also serves other community needs.

We're asking for resources. We're asking for you to come to the center, be a part of what we do there. Were not just a building occupying a space. We are a very good resource. There are a lot of people who come in with a lot of different issues, Haynes said.

We do COVID testing, vaccines, gift cards, just anything to kind of meet the needs of the community. Were an advocate for all of Bamberg County.  We don't turn anyone down or around, she said.

Council Chairman Dr. Jonathan Goodman II recommended Haynes send the council a calendar of events, so we can  know some of the things that youre doing so that it will be easier for us to participate when schedules will align and allow.

Im very familiar and knowledgeable of what you have provided and what you are providing. So we appreciate that, he said.

 Council gave first reading approval to an ordinance authorizing an infrastructure credit agreement, including special source revenue credits, between the county and Rockberg LLC.

Preston later explained the ordinance.

Gibbs International is purchasing the Rocklon/Rocburg property. They have a potential company that is going to lease space from them, but they are not ready to announce the details yet. The site is a Brownfield site. In addition, they intend on cleaning up the property where the old mill used to be and move another company into it. They are not prepared to announce job or investment information yet, he said.

Gibbs International Inc. is a Spartanburg-based company founded in 1973 that is primarily engaged in textiles, commercial real estate, industrial equipment, power generation and decommissioning.

 Council heard from county resident Ken Ahlin, stating that he had questions about the submission of public comments concerning agenda items via email and then having all comments provided to council for their review.

What happens if youre not able to send them? Are you still allowed to speak? Ahlin said.

Goodman said, The whole purpose for that was if someone could not make it to the meeting. ... Youre still allowed to come and speak as youve done tonight.

The chairman said he and the county administrator would also respond to Ahlin via letter.

 Council heard from Bamberg County couple William and Ruth McMillon on the condition of Oak Grove Road, with William stating that the road is nearly impassable when it rains and has been on the list of roads to be repaired for nearly a decade.

When it rains, you need a boat to go through probably, he said.

Goodman said he and the county administrator would look into the matter.

We will respond and let you know what the plans are, if there are any, he said.
A 47-year-old St. Matthews man is serving time in prison after he pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, although he was originally charged with attempted murder.

Anthony Wally Obrian Elmore, of 146 Raymond Court, entered his guilty plea before Circuit Judge Maite Murphy during a recent term of court held at the Orangeburg County Courthouse.

Murphy sentenced Elmore to five years in prison and gave him credit for having already served 472 days in jail.

Elmore faced the following charges, but they were dismissed: two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and one count each of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent felony.

Elmores charges stem from a Dec. 29, 2019 incident in Orangeburg.

Warrants accused him of pursuing a mans vehicle on U.S. Highway 301 South and firing a single shot, hitting the victims vehicle behind the drivers seat.

In other recent guilty pleas:

 Dennis Franklin Alexander Jr., 45, of 171 Mcalpine Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to removing timber without permission valued $5,000 or more.

Murphy sentenced him to five years in prison, suspended to probation for three years.

She also ordered him to pay restitution, obtain his GED, complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing.

Alexander faced an additional count of removing timber without permission valued $5,000 or more, but it was dismissed.

 Mario Isaiah Bowman, 35, of 7703 Freedom Road, Branchville, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of a controlled substance.

Murphy sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended to probation for 18 months. She gave him credit for having already served 68 days in jail.

She also ordered him to complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing.

Bowmans charges of third-degree assault and battery and first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana were dismissed.

 Ulysses Steven Conner Jr., 31, of 1548 Cordova Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of non-violent second-degree burglary, although he was originally charged with first-degree burglary for one of those counts.

Murphy sentenced him to 10 years in prison and gave him credit for having already served 236 days in jail.

Conner faced the following charges, but they were dismissed: unlawful carrying of a pistol, possession of a stolen pistol and first-offense possession of cocaine.

 Richard Dantzler, 38, of 288 Calhoun Road, St. Matthews, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a pistol and first-offense failure to stop for blue lights.

Murphy sentenced him to three years in prison. Because Dantzler already served 68 days in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years.

Murphy also ordered him to complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing.

Dantzler faced one count each of first-offense driving under suspension license not suspended for DUI and having an expired vehicle license, but those charges were dismissed.

 Vynique Dash, 52, of 292 Treadwell Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to trespassing and shoplifting valued at $2,000 or less with enhancement.

Murphy sentenced Dash to jail for 21 days and gave credit for time served.

 Jarrett Haskell Davis, 28, of 1756 Ghents Branch Road, Denmark, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine or cocaine base, possession of implements capable of being used in a crime and breaking into a motor vehicle.

Murphy sentenced him to five years in prison, suspended to two years of probation.

She also ordered him to pay restitution, complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing.

Davis faced the following charges, but they were dismissed: first-offense possession of a scheduled narcotic, damaging or tampering with a motor vehicle, malicious injury to real property valued at $2,000 or less and unlawful entry into enclosed places.

 David Anthony Deleon, 30, of 420 Hadwin Road, Bamberg, pleaded guilty to first-offense trafficking in 10 grams but less than 28 grams of methamphetamine or cocaine base and first-offense possession of a controlled substance.

Murphy sentenced him to eight years in prison, provided that after he serves four years, the remainder of his term will be suspended to one year of probation. She gave him credit for having already served 205 days in jail.

She also ordered Deleon to complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing.

She recommends Deleon be housed in the addiction treatment unit in prison.

Deleon faced the charges of unlawful carrying of a pistol and first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, but those charges were dismissed.

 Shadae Benjamin, 21, of 240 Bill Salley Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-offense third-degree burglary, although he was originally charged with first-degree burglary.

Circuit Judge Heath P. Taylor sentenced him under the Youthful Offender Act not to exceed five years. Because Benjamin already served 55 days in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years.

 Joseph Eddie Anthony Burgess, 40, of 419 Lake Edisto Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to shoplifting valued $2,000 with enhancement.

Taylor sentenced him to 32 days in jail and gave him credit for time served.

 Olanda Cepeda Givens, 53, of 2805 Bamberg Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and battery.

Taylor sentenced Givens to jail for 15 days. Givens was given credit for having already served one day.

Givens is allowed to serve the term on weekends only.

Givens was also charged with kidnapping, but that charge was dismissed.

 Joshua Damien Riley, 24 of 220 Boswell Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a pistol and first-offense failure to stop for blue lights.

Taylor sentenced him to 18 months in prison and gave him credit for having already served 120 days in jail.

Rileys charges of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person convicted of a violent felony and first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana were dismissed.

 Sopheia Cheri Garvin, 41, of 1658 Baugh Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.

Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein sentenced her to three years in prison. Because Garvin already spent three days in jail, the remainder of her term was suspended to three years of probation.

Garvin is also required to successfully complete a domestic violence intervention program.
South Carolina State University awarded honorary doctorates to four people who have supported the university in various endeavors.

The honorees are Judge Clifton B. Newman, doctor of laws; state Sen. Harvey S. Peeler Jr., doctor of humane letters; Diane E. Sumpter, doctor of humane letters; state Sen. Kent M. Williams, doctor of humane letters.

Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access.

At the Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony, SC State Board of Trustees Douglas Gantt and President Alexander Conyers presented the four honorees with their honorary degrees as Dr. Frederick Evans, provost and vice president for academic affairs, announced their accomplishments.

Newman, a South Carolina Circuit Court judge elected by the South Carolina General Assembly, served as an assistant solicitor for 17 years and 24 years as a practicing attorney. He served on the executive board of The I. DeQuincey Newman Institute for Peace and Social Change and received historical preservation awards for his work in restoring historic buildings in Kingstree and Columbia.

Sen. Harvey S. Peeler Jr. has served more than 43 years in the South Carolina Senate representing District 14 and sits as the second most senior senator. He serves as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Joint Bond Review Committee and the State House Committee among many Senate committees including the Senate Education Committee. Peeler became the first elected president of the South Carolina Senate.

Diane Sumpter managed and administered government contract engagements for DESA Inc., both competitive and sole source Small Business Association 8a awards. Sumpter initiated diverse company offerings that include steering a university engineering department toward accreditation and she also spearheaded efforts to assist SC State in obtaining ABET Certification, which accredits colleges in engineering allowing graduates to sit for the engineering licensing exam.

Sen. Kent Williams has served more than 19 years in the South Carolina Senate representing District 30. An active SC State alumnus, he has been a tireless advocate for improving the institution, raising awareness of the need to replace aging infrastructure at the university. Williams secured the largest appropriation ever received from the General Assembly in the history of South Carolina State University.
The board of directors of one of the state's largest community health centers has announced the resignation of its chief executive officer.

Family Health Centers Inc. issued a statement on Wednesday that FHC CEO Leon A. Brunson Sr. is resigning after 14 years of service.

The initial statement indicated the resignation was immediate. A revision states it is effective Jan. 2.

Brunson has played a vital role in the center's development and success and was responsible for many significant accomplishments, according to the statement.

"Mr. Brunson's focus on service excellence has been fundamental in the continued growth and success throughout the entire organization and his commitment to ensuring a stable and highly competent medical community ... allowed the Family Health Centers Inc. to provide quality care and remain dedicated to serving the community," the board stated.

Further, "There have been many accomplishments by Mr. Brunson, a CEO that has set goals and conquered them. Administrators, staff and patients will continue to reap the benefits from the legacy has has left behind."

Chairman Julius Jones said the FHC board thanks Brunson for his "dedication and commitment to excellence as the CEO."

"We appreciate his leadership and the direction he provided, and we wish him the best in his next endeavors," the chairman said.

The FHC board will appoint an interim chief executive officer until a search for the next CEO is done, according to the statement.
A meeting of Qatars premier and the heads of the Israeli Mossad spy agency and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on Monday on steps to free further hostages held by Hamas was positive but no deal is imminent, a source briefed on the diplomatic efforts said.

The three met in Polands capital Warsaw to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a potential release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and a "humanitarian pause" in Gaza's war.

"The talks were positive with negotiators exploring and discussing different proposals in an attempt to progress on negotiations," the source told Reuters. "An agreement is not expected imminently however."

In a statement on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "sent the head of the Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process for the release of our hostages", without giving details of what was discussed.

"I will spare no effort on the subject and the demand is to bring everyone (home)," Netanyahu said.

The CIA declined to comment.

The talks between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as the Gulf state's foreign minister, Mossad Director David Barnea and CIA Director Bill Burns followed a meeting of the three in Europe last week.

Qatar has said it is working to repair a humanitarian truce deal that collapsed after a week on Dec. 1, and pushing for a comprehensive end to the more than two-month-old Israel-Hamas war that has caused a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

Qatar and Egypt were mediators between Israel and Hamas in the late November truce during which Hamas released 110 women, children and foreigners it was holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers freed from Israeli jails. (Reuters)
(TBTCO) - Gia ca phe hom nay (11/1) tai thi truong trong nuoc noi dai chuoi ngay i len. Ghi nhan cho thay, muc giao dich cao nhat trong cac ia phuong uoc khao sat la 70.500 ong/kg. Trong khi o, gia tieu dao ong trong khoang 78.000 - 80.000 ong/kg sau khi uoc ieu chinh giam ong loat. oi voi cao su, gia ky han tren hai san giao dich uoc ieu chinh tang duoi 2% trong phien sang nay.
ABOARD USS GERALD R. FORD US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, and thanked its crew for their role in, according to US diplomacy, helping to prevent a broader conflict in the Middle East during the Hamas-Israel war.

The nuclear-powered Ford, a small, floating city of over 4,000 people with eight squadrons of aircraft, became a powerful symbol of American allegiance by rushing closer to Israel after it was attacked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Austin has extended the Ford's deployment three times, hoping its presence would make Iran and Iran-aligned groups  particularly Lebanon's Hezbollah  think twice before joining the fight against Israel.

"This carrier and crew are making history. Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things that we stop from happening," Austin said in an all-hands call broadcast over the ship's intercom.

"And at a moment of huge tensions in the region, you all have been the lynchpin to preventing a wider regional conflict."

He added: "One of our goals is to make sure that the crisis in Gaza does not expand into a regional conflict. And I think weve done a good job of managing that."

How much longer the Ford stays in the eastern Mediterranean is unclear, as is whether it will depart for its home port in Virginia before Israel moves from high-intensity combat in Gaza to a more limited phase of the war to dismantle Hamas.

Austin discussed planning for the transition with Israeli leaders on Monday in Tel Aviv, with an international outcry mounting over the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

Asked whether the risk of regional war would be reduced when and if Israel shifts to a lower-intensity campaign in Gaza, Austin told reporters traveling with him on Wednesday: "If that happens ... it's hard to speculate but I think it's logical that ... we would see some reduction in activity."

It's unclear when Israel might start that transition and Austin told reporters that he was not in Israel to dictate timelines to the close American ally.

Maritime security initiative

Until regional tensions subside, Austin must consider what more the US and its partners can do to deter Iran's allies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen  all of whom are trying to impose costs on Israel and Washington over the Gaza conflict.

In Iraq and Syria, US troops have faced drone and rocket attacks by Iran-backed militia.

Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have disrupted global trade by attacking commercial tankers and container ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles.

On Tuesday, Austin announced the creation of a maritime security initiative to respond to the attacks and convened a meeting of more than 40 defense ministers, calling on them to contribute.

Austin also met senior leaders in Qatar, which helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and is one of few countries with an open line of communication to both nations.

US and Israeli officials say the rapid deployment of the Ford and other assets after the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war sent a critical message to Hezbollah, warning it of the costs of opening a major new front for Israel.

Even so, experts say tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border are still high and Israel remains concerned about a possible ground incursion in the north.

The Ford is the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier. Its air wing has carried out more than 8,000 sorties, more than a quarter of them since repositioning to the eastern Mediterranean Sea after the war in Gaza began.

Captain Rick Burgess, the commanding officer on the Ford, acknowledged that extending the vessel's deployment over the festive holidays hit the crew hard at first, but that they were doing well now.

"I think everyone went through a few days of just getting through it," Burgess told reporters.

More than 3.5 million meals have been served on the aircraft carrier, and the crew has consumed more than 155,000 Red Bull energy drinks, the military says.

"I'm honestly not sure what I find more impressive: That you've racked up more than 15,000 flight hours, or that you've consumed more than 155,000 Red Bulls," Austin said.


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There was an unsubstantiated bomb threat Tuesday morning at the Eastridge Mall in Casper, which was one of three threats this week in Natrona County.

The other two incidents included an earlier threat in Natrona County and another reported threat in Evansville, the Casper Police Department announced in a statement Wednesday.

All three threats initiated full responses from law enforcement agencies, the statement said.

The Eastridge Mall bomb threat appears to be related to multiple threats made this week across the United States, the statement said. It is unclear whether the other two threats were also related.

Dispatchers received a call at about 10:37 a.m. Tuesday reporting an online bomb threat to the Eastridge Mall, the statement said.

Casper police responded to the mall and quickly secured a perimeter while patrons and employees evacuated the building, the statement said.

The threat was ultimately unsubstantiated, the statement said.

Members of the public and businesses are encouraged to be prepared for this and other critical incidents by having an emergency action plan in place, the statement said.

Orderly and controlled responses to threats maximize law enforcement resources and prepare family members, employees, and other stakeholders for crisis situations, the statement said.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in Wyoming, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Star-Tribune app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
GLOBAL growth is expected to remain weak, with the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region projected to experience 2% GDP growth in 2023. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests that T&Ts economy is on a broad-based recovery path. Explore these and other international, regional and local economic insights from the Chambers Trade & Business Development Unit.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Energy minister Stuart Young hold up a commemorative plaque to mark the signing of an agreement for a new unitised commercial structure for

Atlantic LNG in London. They are flanked by executive vice president of gas and low carbon energy at bp Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, from left; executive vice president LNG at Shell Cederic Cremers; bpTT president David Campbell; president of the National Gas Company Mark Loquan; and senior vice president and country chair Shell Trinidad Adam Lowmass.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday disqualified former President Donald Trump from the ballot in the states presidential election next year over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

The ruling makes Trump the first presidential candidate in U.S. history to be deemed ineligible for the White House under a rarely used provision of the U.S. Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding office.

The court concluded that the U.S. Constitution bars the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024 from appearing on the ballot because of his role instigating violence against the U.S. government.

The ruling applies only to the state's March 5 Republican primary, but its conclusion would likely also affect Trumps status for the Nov. 5 general election. Nonpartisan U.S. election forecasters view Colorado as safely Democratic, meaning that President Joe Biden will likely carry the state regardless of Trump's fate.

The case was brought by a group of Colorado voters, aided by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who argued that Trump should be disqualified for inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol in a failed attempt to obstruct the transfer of presidential power to Biden after the 2020 election.

Trump's campaign called the court decision "flawed" and "undemocratic," and said it would be appealed.

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," a spokesperson from the Trump campaign said.

Trump's campaign has condemned 14th Amendment challenges as an attempt to deny millions of voters their preferred choice for president.

The decision is a victory for advocacy groups and anti-Trump voters who have mounted several similar legal challenges to Trumps candidacy under section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was enacted after the Civil War.

The decision reverses a ruling by a lower court judge who found Trump engaged in insurrection by inciting his supporters to violence, but, as president, Trump was not an officer of the United States who could be disqualified under the amendment.

A lawyer for Trump argued that the riot at the Capitol was not serious enough to qualify as an insurrection and that Trumps remarks to his supporters in Washington that day were protected by his right to free speech. The lawyer contended that courts do not have the authority to order Trump removed from the ballot.

Advocates have hoped to use the case to boost a wider disqualification effort and potentially put the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Courts 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees.

The Colorado court said the ruling is stayed until Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for appeals.

"The court's decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment based on his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and that Secretary Griswold must keep him off of Colorados primary ballot. It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country," said CREW President Noah Bookbinder. (Reuters)
THE Merriam-Webster dictionary defines icon as a person or thing widely admired, especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere.

Subhas Panday believes his brother, Basdeo Panday, was such a person... and then some.
Trinidad and Tobago has lost a man who blazed a trail like few others before him ever had, and like few others ever will again.

These were the words of President Christine Kangaloo as she paid tribute to former prime minister Basdeo Panday at his state funeral, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando, yesterday.
It was one of the best tributes (eulogies) I saw or heard, and perhaps the best speech Presi
Raytheon in Tucson will build two high-power microwave antenna systems for the Navy and Air Force that will use directed energy to defeat drones and other airborne threats.

Under the three-year, $31.3 million contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Raytheon will design, build and test the prototype systems and deliver them to the Navy and Air Force as part of the Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat (DEFEND) program.

The systems, which use powerful electromagnetic pulses to defeat airborne threats, are designed to be rugged and transportable for front-line deployment, Raytheon said.

Colin Whelan, president of advanced technology at Raytheon, said such non-kinetic defense systems are a key part of Americas national defense strategy.

The new iterations of Raytheons high-power microwave systems are cost-effective, reliable and durable solutions that operate at the speed of light  enabling our warfighters to defend against faster and more maneuverable threats, Whelan said.

Work on the DEFEND contract is being conducted in Tucson in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Prototypes are expected to be delivered in fiscal years 2024 and 2026, Raytheon said.

Raytheon says the new prototype systems build on Raytheons decades of experience developing capabilities like the Counter-Electronic High Power Microwave Extended Range Air Base Defense, known as CHIMERA, under development now with the Air Force Research Lab.

Raytheon, the Tucson areas biggest employer with about 12,000 local workers, also has delivered one prototype of a mobile high-power microwave system known as Phaser to the Air Force under a demonstration contract.

Since 2019, the Air Force has deployed overseas multiple units of Raytheons High-Energy Laser Weapon System, which can shoot down drones, rockets, artillery shells and mortars with direct laser hits.
PHOENIX  Kari Lake will now have to prove the charges she leveled against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer are true to avoid being found guilty of defaming him.

In an extensive ruling Wednesday, a Maricopa County judge said it is clear the claims made by Lake, the failed Republican candidate for governor, that Richer sabotaged the election were not, as her lawyers claim, mere rhetorical hyperbole.

In point of fact, defendant Lakes statements regarding improper 19-inch ballots and/or the existence of 300,000 fraudulent ballots may be discerned by a factfinder as either true or false when considered in the light of any available evidence. These statements constitute assertions of fact that are actionable under prevailing Arizona law, Superior Court Judge Jay Adleman wrote in allowing Richers defamation lawsuit against Lake to go forward.

That means the burden is now on Lake to back up, in court, what she said about him  and she has been unable to prove her claims in her legal efforts to get any court to overturn her 2022 election loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes.

Actual malice

And theres something else.

Adleman said Richer has enough allegations in his lawsuit against Lake, her campaign and the Save Arizona Fund she has used to raise cash, to provide a basis to show she acted with actual malice.

That is critical.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people who are considered public figures, like Richer, who is an elected Republican official, cannot sue for defamation unless they can prove by clear and convincing evidence that the statements were made with actual malice. In general, that means the person making the statement knew it to be false or that the statement was made with a reckless disregard for the truth.

Wednesdays ruling clears the way for a trial.

Endless and vile threats

Richer, in a written statement, said he was pleased he will get to present his case to a jury.

My family and I have faced endless and vile threats, including calls for our execution, and Ive lost important personal relationships and seen my reputation severely damaged by defendants, he said.

Working as a public servant should not lead to death threats, harassment or defamation, Richer continued. No one is above the rule of law in this country.

Lake, in a post Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, doubled down on her allegations, saying Richer is suing me for revealing the corruption in the elections he administered.

This is about taking away our First Amendment rights and interfering in the U.S. Senate race, she said, a reference to her bid for the GOP nomination for that seat in 2024. This case should have been tossed out of court.

The claims

The case involves two separate claims made repeatedly by Lake about her loss and what she said was Richers role.

One involves problems in Maricopa County on Election Day.

The county, like several others, uses vote centers. That allows any registered voter to cast a ballot at any location rather than just their home precinct.

That, in turn, requires the ability to print 20-inch ballots on site that are specific to each voter, listing only those races applicable to that voter such as city council, school board, Legislature and Congress.

What happened is that many of the printers  the number is in dispute  spit out images designed to go on 19-inch paper. That made them unreadable by the tabulators, which spit them back out. Long lines ensued at the vote centers.

Lake charged that Richer and others did that deliberately, knowing that Republicans are more like to vote on Election Day than Democrats who tend to cast early ballots. She said that some people, rather than wait in lines, simply left without voting, contributing to her loss.

They realize that they couldnt cheat in some of the other ways that they cheated before so they had to do something as diabolical as intentionally printing the wrong image on the ballot on Election Day only, Lake said in a Twitter Space broadcast in April, one of the claims cited by Richer in his lawsuit. The only way they can win these days is to cheat elections.

But Richer, in his lawsuit, pointed out that neither he nor his office was responsible for Election Day operations but only for early voting. That was the responsibility of the Republican-led Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Enough evidence for jury to decide

Judge Adleman also took note of something else.

The county had asked Ruth McGregor, a retired Supreme Court chief justice, to look into the issue of the ballot-size problems.

Although separating related causes is always difficult, in my judgment, the primary cause of the Election Day failures was equipment failure, McGregor wrote, not intentional acts. That report was published in April, before Lake made some of her charges.

The judge said that provides enough evidence for a jury to decide whether Lakes claims amounted to defamation.

Then theres Lakes claim Richer injected about 300,000 phony early ballots received on Election Day into the final vote count, including at one point saying that they had to sabotage Election Day.

Richer, however, pointed out that Lake had made similar claims of intentional misconduct about the ballots to a trial judge who was considering her bid to overturn the election. And in that case, Richer said, the judge found nothing to substantiate Lakes claim of intentional misconduct  a ruling that was made months before Lake made her comments charging Richer with sabotaging the election.

Here, too, the judge said, that allows Richer to force Lake to prove her statements in a defamation lawsuit.

The judge made a special note to reject Lakes contention that she was entitled to have the lawsuit dismissed right now, before any evidence was presented, based on the states anti-SLAPP law.

It is designed to provide protections for those sued by government officials, allowing them to avoid having to go through the time and expense of a trial. But it first requires a defendant to show that the public official sued primarily to deter, retaliate against or prevent the lawful exercise of a constitutional right. Adleman said Lake did not prove Richer sued to keep her from speaking out.
The Philippine defense minister rebuked China on Wednesday for accusing his country of provoking tension and stirring trouble in the South China Sea, saying only Beijing believed what it was saying.

"Truth and in fact, no country in the world, none, supports unequivocally their claim to the whole of South China Sea," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as both nations have exchanged accusations over recent collisions in the waterway.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of commercial shipping annually, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis, a ruling the United States supports but Beijing rejects.

More than a week ago, Manila and Beijing traded accusations over a collision of their vessels in the South China Sea, with the latter saying the incidents were "entirely caused" by the Philippines.

Following the incidents, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday a "paradigm shift" was needed in how his country deals with the South China issue because diplomatic efforts with China were headed "in a poor direction".

China "will keep the door of dialogue and contact open," the spokesperson for its embassy in Manila said in a statement later on Wednesday.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have grown under Marcos, who has increasingly complained about China's "aggressive" behavior, while he sought closer ties with the United States, Manila's treaty ally.

Marcos has said the Philippines will continue to talk to its partners in the Indo-Pacific region and come up with a joint position on their responsibilities in the West Philippines Sea.

The Philippines refers to the part of South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippines Sea.

"China has always advocated and remains committed to properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation," the embassy's spokesperson said. (Reuters)
PHOENIX  Senate President Warren Petersen is suing Gov. Katie Hobbs over what he calls her end-run around laws giving the Senate the power to confirm, or reject, her picks to head state agencies.

In the new lawsuit, Petersen, a Gilbert Republican, said the Democratic governors nominations are conditional on approval by the GOP-controlled Senate.

Petersen does not deny that Sen. Jake Hoffman, whom he tapped to head a special committee to review Hobbs picks, has failed to call for votes on some of her nominees, and in other cases has yet to even schedule a hearing.

But Petersen contends that does not give Hobbs the power to do what she did. She withdrew the pending nominations and then had each nominee reappointed as executive deputy directors of the same agencies. Since each agency has no director, Hobbs says that gives each deputy the same powers as if they were in charge  and without the need to get Senate approval.

Hobbs has said Hoffmans inaction left her no choice but to find another way to ensure that state government can continue to function for Arizona.

Now Petersen wants Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Mikitish to order Hobbs to send her nominations to the Senate by Jan. 12.

In a fit of political pique, the governor withdrew her nominations for the directorships of 13 agencies that, by law, must be administered by Senate-confirmed appointees, wrote an attorney Petersen has retained, Thomas Basile.

He says that, despite Hobbs actions, the director positions remain vacant.

In refusing to nominate agency directors and bypassing the Senates advice and consent process, the governor has violated a binding statutory directive, acted in excess of her lawful authority, and failed to perform a nondiscretionary duty of presenting her nominees for Senate review, Basile wrote.

She took lawful action

Hobbs spokesman Christian Slater said Wednesday that she took lawful action to fulfill her duties and ensure Arizonans can continue to rely on critical services for state agencies.

He emphasized that Hoffman refused to move forward with the nominations.

Extremists like Jake Hoffman would rather engage in partisan attacks to push their radical political agenda than work across the aisle to support veterans, grow jobs and invest in small businesses, and protect Arizonas children, Slater said, referring to some of the agencies whose picks for directors have not been considered by Hoffmans Committee on Director Nominations.

She stands ready to work with anybody in the Senate who is serious about putting the political games aside, Slater said.

Hoffman responded in kind.

Theres nothing extreme about protecting the citizens of Arizona from unelected, unqualified partisan hacks who seek to advance a radical political agenda instead of doing whats best for the state and its people, he told Capitol Media Services.

Hoffman said that Hobbs, in trying this maneuver, has rendered every decision, new hire and operational change by her fake agency directors illegitimate and open to legal challenge.

Hobbs withdrew the nominations in September. In a letter to Petersen, she said Hoffman, a Queen Creek Republican, was not just disrespectful to her choices but trying to leverage the confirmation of qualified nominees for the implementation of his policy preferences within the executive branch.

He has contacted nominees to imply that their confirmation hinged on the rescission of long-standing agency policies over which he has no authority, Hobbs told Petersen. He has held up the confirmation of a nomination simply for identifying as pro-choice.

System changed this year

But Petersen, in his lawsuit, said Hoffman and the Senate may consider any factors they want in determining a nominees qualifications, not just those required by law, as long as they do not violate the state or federal constitutions.

He said through his attorney that theres no legal requirement for the Senate to have a hearing or vote on a nomination.

The Senate may, in its discretion, decline to hold a vote on a nominee, Petersen said, adding that failure to have a vote does not automatically mean that person is confirmed.

If there is no confirmation, Petersen said, the governor is free to appoint that person as an interim director. But he said state law limits that appointment to no more than one year, after which she has to pick someone else.

Much of the dispute revolves around Petersens decision to not just create the special committee but to put Hoffman, the head of the Arizona Freedom Caucus and one of the more conservative lawmakers, in charge.

It hasnt always been that way.

Under the old system, a nominee would go to a committee with comparable expertise. This year that would have meant Hobbs choice of Jennifer Toth to head the Arizona Department of Transportation, for example, would have gone to the Senate Transportation and Technology Committee.

Instead it went to Hoffmans panel, and he asked Toth what she thought about the role of racism in road construction decisions and of toxic masculinity in accidents. She responded that she would be carrying out policies set by the governor and the Legislature and that her feelings arent relevant.

Hoffman has not put her confirmation up for a vote.

Others havent even gotten a hearing, like Karen Peters to head the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: The pogroms against the Jews that were conducted by the Russians in the Pale of Settlement in southwest Asia in the late 1880s led to antisemitisms continued rise in Europe and the rest of the world. With single-language nationalism starting to replace polyglot Empires, it was recognized that post-Great War countries would be created, especially in the areas of the Ottoman Empire including the Middle East. The key for Jews was the Balfour Declaration of 1917, dated November 2, 1917, which started the recognition from a powerful country, in this case Great Britain, for support for a Palestinian homeland for the Jews.

Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour, the writer of the letter to Lionel Walter Rothschild, was not a supporter of the Jews. The letter, which later became known as the Balfour Declaration, was Balfours way of finding a place anywhere but in Europe for the Jewish people. By promising to support the Jewish desire for a homeland, Balfour felt he could take care of the European Jewish problem. The Declaration, he believed, would also consolidate more support for the British in its horrifying struggles during World War I.

For decades other locations were suggested. A part of Uganda was also suggested by the British in 1903. Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, suggested the Sinai Peninsula town of Arish, a few miles from Gaza. In 1928 the Soviet Union offered a Far East near the state of Manchuria on the Chinese border under Soviet rule. Another idea floated was in Japan in the 1930s, but there would be no independence. The Nazis in 1940 suggested the Madagascar Islands since the French surrendered and their colonies, including Madagascar, would be under SS control. Even Mussolini once suggested parts of Ethiopia he conquered in 1935. The United States in 1939 suggested Sitka Island in Alaska, across a bay from Juneau, Alaska.

The Balfour Declaration was opposed by the only Jewish member and British Minister, Edwin Montagu. While the Balfour Declaration was officially dated November 2, 2017, Montagu did write a letter to the British Parliament in August 23, 1917, against the concept of a Jewish state in Palestine for reasons that still resonate today. Jews were not really a nation but were a religion and Montagus own Jewish family had assimilated into the British system generations before. Montagu believed that a proposed Jewish state in Palestine would promote antisemitism around the world and lead other countries to expel their Jews to the small new Jewish state. He was concerned that the British government would be seen as supporting the Zionist belief that excludes all others who are not Jewish. He finally was concerned that a Jewish Palestinian state would drive out the Muslims and Christians who had just as much a religious right to Palestine as Jews. He also warned earlier in his letter that by establishing a nation, Perhaps also citizenship must be granted only as a result of a religious test. (The Israeli Citizenship laws today make it nearly impossible for non-Jews to become citizens, but very easy for out-of-country Jews of the Diaspora to become citizens. There is no non-Jew citizenship by birth in Israel, in contrast to the citizenship laws of the United States). It is almost impossible for the millions of Palestinians whose families have lived for thousands of years in Palestine to gain Israeli citizenship.

There was in the Balfour Declaration the wording nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, but when it comes to political power, some words are ignored in favor of those words that are more politically supported, just like the fanatical Biblical interpretations promulgated by right-wing American Republican politicians today.

The simplistic, short-term political gain by the British over 100 years ago has led to the complex, seemingly intractable situation of today.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Californias attorney general will not seek criminal charges against a police officer who in 2020 fatally shot a man outside a pharmacy in the San Francisco Bay Area amid national protests over the police killing of George Floyd, his office announced Tuesday.

A Vallejo police officer fatally shot 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa on Jun 2, 2020, after responding to reports of suspects stealing from a pharmacy as peaceful protests and civil unrest swept across the country following Floyd's killing a week earlier in Minneapolis.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta found there was not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jarrett Tonn, who was a detective with the Vallejo Police Department at the time of the shooting, did not act in self-defense or in defense of his partner officers.

Sean Monterrosas life mattered and there is nothing that can make up for his death. His loss is and will continue to be felt by his family and the Bay Area community, Bonta said in a statement.

My office remains committed to doing everything in our power to prevent these kinds of incidents from occurring and putting forward policy solutions to help ensure law enforcement are responsive to the needs of their communities," he added.

Tonn fired a rifle five times through the windshield of his patrol pickup, hitting a kneeling Monterrosa once in the head. Police said they initially thought Monterrosa was carrying a handgun in his waistband. But they found a hammer in the pocket of a sweatshirt he was wearing.

Video released by the Vallejo Police Department a month after the shooting shows Tonn firing from the backseat of the moving vehicle that was carrying two other officers.

The windshield of the patrol pickup truck, considered a key piece of evidence in the case, was destroyed, leading city officials to seek a criminal investigation into how that happened. Bonta took the case in 2021 after Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams recused herself.

Bonta found there was no destruction of evidence by the Vallejo Police Department and said that the officers who replaced the windshield were not involved in the shooting.

"The officers did not act with a criminal intent to suppress or destroy evidence when they had the windshield replaced and returned the vehicle to service, he said.

Michelle Monterrosa, Sean Monterrosas sister, said Tuesday she found Bonta's decision frustrating and disappointing. It's just really disappointing that we see people put their political careers ahead of actually doing what they need to do to bring justice to our loved ones," she said.

Tonn was terminated last year after an independent third-party investigation determined he violated several department policies, including using deadly force that was not objectively reasonable, failing to de-escalate the situation, and failing to activate his body-worn camera in a timely manner. Tonn's termination was overturned this year after an arbitrator found the deadly force he used was legally justified. The detective was reinstated to his job in August.

The Vallejo Police Department has come under repeated criticism in other cases as well.

The month after Monterrosa's killing, then-Police Chief Shawny Williams started an independent investigation after two people in the department said officers had their badges bent to mark on-duty killings.

The department has had several other controversial slayings by police, including that of Willie McCoy, 20, of Suisun City, in February 2019. McCoy was killed after he fell asleep with a gun in his lap in his car at a Taco Bell drive-thru. Six Vallejo officers fired 55 shots.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP)  A few years back, Sage Brook Carbone was attending a powwow at the Mashantucket Western Pequot reservation in Connecticut when she noticed signs in the Pequot language.

Carbone, a citizen of the Northern Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island, thought back to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she has lived for much of her life. She never saw any street signs honoring Native Americans, nor any featuring Indigenous languages.

She submitted to city officials the idea of adding Native American translations to city street signs. Residents approved her plan and will install about 70 signs featuring the language of the Massachusett Tribe, which English settlers encountered upon their arrival.

What a great, universal way of teaching language, she said of the project done in consultation with a a member of the Massachusett Tribe and other Native Americans.

We see multiple languages written almost everywhere, but not on municipal signage, she said. Living on a numbered street, I thought this is a great opportunity to include Native language with these basic terms that were all familiar with around the city.

Carbone has joined a growing push around the country to use Indigenous translations on signs to raise awareness about Native American communities. It also is way to revive some Native American languages, highlight a tribe's sovereignty as well as open the door for wider debates on land rights, discrimination and Indigenous representation in the political process.

We have a moment where there is a search for some reconciliation and justice around Indigenous issues, said Darren Ranco, chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine and a citizen of the Penobscot Nation. The signs represent that, but by no means is that the end point around these issues. My concern is that people will think that putting up signs solves the problem, when in fact, it's the beginning point to addressing deeper histories."

At least six states have followed suit, including Iowa, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Signs along U.S. Highway 30 in Iowa include the Meskwaki Nation's own spelling of the tribe, Meskwakiinaki, near its settlement. In upstate New York, bilingual highway signs in the languages of the Seneca, Onondaga and Tuscarora tribes border highways and their reservations.

In Wisconsin, six of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state have installed dual language signs. Wisconsin is derived from the Menominee word Weskohsaeh, meaning a good place and the word Meskousing, which means where it lies red in Algonquian.

Our partnerships with Wisconsins Native Nations are deeper than putting up highway signs, WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement. We are proud of the longstanding commitment to foster meaningful partnerships focused on our future by providing great care and consideration to our past.

Minnesota has put up signs in English and the Dakota or Ojibwe languages on roads and highways that traverse tribal lands, while the southeast Alaska community of Haines this summer erected stop, yield, Children at Play and street name signs in both English and Tlingit.

Douglas Olerud, the mayor at the time, told the Juneau Empire it was healing for him after hearing for years from Tlingit elders that they were not allowed to use their language when sent to boarding schools.

This is a great way to honor some of those people that have been working really hard to keep their traditions and keep the language alive, and hopefully they can have some small amount of healing from when they were robbed of the culture, he said.

In New Mexico, the state transportation department has been working with tribes for years to include traditional names and artwork along highway overpasses. Travelers heading north from Santa Fe pass under multiple bridges with references to Pojoaque Pueblo in the communitys native language of Tewa.

There have also been local efforts in places like Bemidji, Minnesota, where Michael Meuers, a non-Native resident, started the Bemidji Ojibwe Language Project. Since 2009, more than 300 signs in English and Ojibwe have been put up across northern Minnesota, mostly on buildings, including schools. The signs can also be found in hospitals and businesses and are used broadly to spell out names of places and animals, identify things such as elevators, hospital departments, bear crossings  MAKWA XING  and food within a grocery store, and include translations for welcome, thank you and other phrases.

Maybe its going to open up conversations so that we understand that we are all one people, said Meuers, who worked for the Red Lake Nation for 29 years and started the project after seeing signs in Hawaiian on a visit to the state.

The University of Maine put up dual language signs around its main campus. The Native American Programs, in partnership with the Penobscot Nation, also launched a website where visitors can hear the words spoken by language master Gabe Paul, a Penobscot pronunciation guide.

For me, and for many of our tribal citizens and descendants, it is a daily reminder that we are in our homeland and we should be at home at the university, even though it has felt for generations like it can be an unwelcome place, Ranco said.

But not all efforts to provide dual language signs have gone well.

In New Zealand, the election of a conservative government in October has thrown into doubt efforts by transportation officials to start using road signs written in both English and the Indigenous Maori language.

Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, earlier this year proposed making 94 road signs bilingual to promote the revitalization of the language.

But many conservatives have been irked by the increased use of Maori words by government agencies. Thousands wrote form submissions opposing the road sign plan, saying it could confuse or distract drivers.

The effort in Cambridge has been welcomed as part of what is called the participatory budgeting process, which allows residents to propose ideas on spending part of the budget. Carbone proposed the sign project and, together with a plan to make improvements to the African American Heritage Trail, it was approved by residents.

I am so excited to see the final products and the initial run of these signs, Carbone said. When people traveling around Cambridge see them, they will feel the same way. It will be just different enough to be noticeable but not different enough that it would cause a stir.

Carbone and others also hope the signs open a broader discussion of Native American concerns in the city, including representation in the city government, funding for Native American programs as well as efforts to ensure historical markers offer an accurate portrayal of Indigenous people.

When she first heard about the proposal, Sarah Burks, preservation planner at the Cambridge Historical Commission, acknowledged there were questions. Which signs would get the translations? How would translation be handled? Would this involve extensive research?

The translation on streets signs will be relatively easy for people to understand, she said, and inspire residents to stop and think" about the Massachusett Tribe and to "recognize the diversity of people in our community.

It will be attention-grabbing in a good way," she said of the signs, which are expected to go up early next year.

Associated Press writers Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.
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

A Broken Arrow man will serve 25 to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to gunning down a man and shooting at another he tried to carjack five days earlier.

In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Denim Lee Blount, 21, admitted to his part in a May 13, 2021, robbery in Haikey Creek Park in Broken Arrow that left two men dead.

Blount also admitted to attempting to carjack another person five days earlier and then firing a shotgun at the person as he fled, wounding him.

Blount and Hunter Isaiah Hobbs, 22, both faced federal charges linked to the shooting deaths of acquaintances Caleb Vaughn Collier, 20, and Kelly Ray Olen John Landsaw-Davis, 21.

Blount told a judge Tuesday that he and Hobbs asked Collier and Landsaw-Davis to give them a ride in their vehicle.

Once at Haikey Creek Park, Blount said he asked to see a gun Landsaw-Davis was carrying. After being handed the gun, he said he tried to shoot Landsaw-Davis with it, but it was unloaded.

Blount said he then grabbed a shotgun that Hobbs had given him earlier and shot Landsaw-Davis in the face and torso while Hobbs shot Collier, first eight times and then again in the face.

The stipulated plea agreement, which still requires judicial approval, calls for Blount to serve a prison term ranging from 25 to 30 years followed by five years of supervised release.

A grand jury named the duo in an April 18, 2022, second superseding indictment filed in Tulsa federal court that alleged two counts of conspiracy to use a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of attempted carjacking, one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery in Indian Country, felony murder in Indian Country and causing death by using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Prosecutors alleged that Hobbs and Blount conspired to rob the two acquaintances and then killed them to prevent them from reporting the robbery to police.

Prosecutors also charged the pair in connection with the attempted carjacking May 8, 2021, at an apartment complex parking lot in the 7400 block of East 47th Street.

The victim survived despite being shot about 10 times after refusing to give up his vehicle to two men.

In all, Blount pleaded guilty to six of eight charges: attempted carjacking, robbery in Indian Country, causing death by discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, obstruction of justice by killing a victim and two counts of conspiracy to use a firearm during a crime of violence.

Hobbs, meanwhile, was sentenced in October 2022 to three life without parole terms after a jury found him guilty in 2022.

Prosecutors claimed in court filings that Blount was a member of the Hoover Crips while Hobbs had indicated an interest in joining the gang.

The two victims and Blount were members of tribal nations, which established federal jurisdiction since the crimes occurred within the Muscogee Nation reservation. Hobbs is white.

Blount will be sentenced after completion of a presentencing report, provided the judge accepts the plea agreement.

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Susan Bynum, Tulsa attorney and wife of Mayor G.T. Bynum, has been named the vice president of OU-Tulsa.

The University of Oklahoma made the announcement Tuesday, pending the approval of the OU Board of Regents. Bynum will officially begin in the role Jan. 8.

Our momentum for OU-Tulsa has grown tremendously in recent years, and we are thrilled to welcome Susan Bynum to serve in this key leadership role, said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. Susan brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, executive leadership and community engagement  all of which will be crucial as we endeavor to accelerate OUs impact in Tulsa and throughout northeastern Oklahoma.

Bynum has called Tulsa home for nearly two decades, building a career that combines government, private and nonprofit sector experience. She is currently an attorney for the Tulsa law firm Frederic Dorwart Lawyers PLLC, focusing on nonprofit compliance, employment and general corporate law.

As vice president, Bynum will lead strategic initiatives to enhance the OU brand, cultivate partnerships and fortify relationships with stakeholders, aligning with OU-Tulsas strategic vision for the future, officials said.

Serving as the brand champion for OUs Tulsa programs, she will focus on building influential relationships within the university and the broader community, fostering collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to joining Frederic Dorwart Lawyers PLLC seven years ago, Bynum spent 10 years as a consultant in Oklahoma and Washington, D.C., focusing on government relations, business strategy and public relations. Early in her career, she served as executive director of the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce.

Bynum earned a bachelors degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations from OU. She received her law degree from the University of Tulsa, graduating with honors.

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Related content University of Tulsa launches cyber research institute

Air Force Brig. Gen. Chad Raduege, who most recently served as chief information officer at the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, has been named the inaugural executive director of the Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute at the University of Tulsa.

TU announced that Raduege is bringing his vast experience with technology, operations and communications as well as his academic credentials in business administration and organizational management to lead the new institute.

The institute was created earlier this year through an initial $24 million investment from Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act funds and George Kaiser Family Foundation matching funds for workforce development, small business outreach and lab-to-market technology innovation.

The University of Tulsa conducted a national search for the right person to set the bar for OCII, and we were fortunate to attract candidates of Gen. Radueges caliber, said TU President Brad Carson. Chads background and skills are uniquely aligned to advance the universitys history as a world leader in cyber education and research for nearly 25 years.

The Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute focuses on developing, testing and deploying cyber research outcomes and technology developments.

The university is leveraging nationally recognized cyber scholars in academia and research, in addition to Tulsas dynamic business and innovation community, to meet the global demand for cyber talent and technology, according to a TU news release.

Before taking the role of CIO and director of command, control, communications and computers/cyber with the Air Force in Europe, Raduege served as CIO for Air Combat Command in Hampton, Virginia. In this position, he was responsible for organizing, training and equipping cyberspace capability to build, extend, operate, secure and defend the Air Force portion of the Department of Defense global network.

Prior to that position, Raduege served as commander of the White House Communications Agency in Washington, D.C., and commander of the 690th Cyberspace Operations Group in San Antonio.

He has also served in deployed missions to Bosnia, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan and was a recovery team leader in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

After a fulfilling military career in service to our nation, I am honored and excited to join another distinguished team  The University of Tulsa  where I look forward to tackling another meaningful mission: the intersection of Oklahomas technical workforce development and Tulsas emerging technology ecosystem, Raduege said.

Our Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute looks forward to helping shape our nations technological development, evolution and future.

TU was recently ranked in the top 25 schools for cybersecurity by U.S. News and World Report, tied with institutions such as Harvard University.

Now, OCII is attracting world-class scientists and engineers to work alongside TUs renowned cyber faculty in the areas of digital transformation, critical infrastructure protection, autonomous systems and organizational security, according to a TU news release.

Chad has organized critical missions, led hundreds of personnel and managed millions of dollars in budgets. He brings a wealth of experience to this new position and will provide strong direction for the OCII as the institute seeks to empower tomorrows cyber professionals to create technological innovations that address national security issues, said Rose Gamble, vice president for research and economic development and professor of computer science.

For more than two decades, TUs Cyber Corps program has led the way in training the experts who defend businesses and individuals in the United States from hackers, rogue states and serious national security threats.

TU has Centers of Academic Excellence designations in Research and in Cyber Defense from the National Security Agency. TU has held Centers of Academic Excellence designation since 2000 and was one of the first 14 institutions awarded this distinction.

Since 2008, the campus has been home to an elite National Computer Forensics Institute lab, a federally funded center dedicated to training law enforcement in cybercrime investigations.

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The U.S. Senate voted 52-14 on Tuesday to confirm former Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill to a federal district judgeship in Tulsa.

Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford voted for the nomination, while Sen. Markwayne Mullin was among 34 senators not voting.

Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. hailed the vote in a statement.

Today, on a bipartisan basis, the United States Senate made history, confirming former Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill as the first female Native American Oklahoma federal district judge, Hoskin said.

Hill will fill a vacant judgeship in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma in Tulsa.

The nomination of John David Russell to the Northern District of Oklahoma bench was also scheduled for Tuesday but had not occurred by early evening.

Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 14-7 to recommend that Hill be confirmed to the bench. The committee voted 18-3 to approve Russells nomination.

Hoskin thanked Lankford, Mullin and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond for their support of Hill.

Senators Lankford and Mullin placed our collective interest in improving access to justice in Oklahoma federal courts over genuine partisan divisions with the president on other matters, Hoskin said.

Gov. Kevin Stitt opposed Hills nomination, as did state Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

Stitt has been critical of the Supreme Courts McGirt decision, a landmark ruling on tribal sovereignty backed by tribal governments.

Hill was the Cherokee Nation attorney general from 2019 until she resigned in August to go into private practice.

Hill also has prior experience in the Northern Districts U.S. Attorneys Office, serving as a special assistant U.S. attorney from 2014 to 2015 while she also served as the Cherokee Nation deputy attorney general.

She also served as the Cherokee Nations secretary of natural resources from 2015 to 2019 and was the tribes assistant attorney general from 2004 to 2014.

Hills nomination was hailed by both the National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund.

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Felix Clary Tulsa World Indigenous Affairs Reporter Follow Felix Clary 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

The Choctaw Nation, Cherokee Nation and College of the Muscogee Nation received a total of $24.1 million in federal assistance grants for education initiatives and high-speed internet.

The awards issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were announced Tuesday by Kenneth Corn, state director for the USDAs Rural Development agency.

Most of the funding, $22.3 million, will help deliver high-speed internet throughout the Choctaw Nation.

Smaller awards will go toward education initiatives, including $558,000 for free Choctaw language courses. The online courses are open to the public through Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna  the School of Choctaw Language.

Cherokee Nation STEM and languages courses received $1 million to assist the Cherokee    (language department) with its classes and programs.

The College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, serving tribal and nontribal students while emphasizing Native culture, received $334,000.

Recently, President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to our Tribal Nations in Oklahoma and across the nation, that the administration is prepared to deliver historic executive action to strengthen the understanding and respect for tribal sovereignty, Corn said in a Dec. 18 announcement.

He encouraged tribes to partner with the USDA to assist in meeting their needs.

Contact (the) state office at 405-742-1070 to sign up for our upcoming Oklahoma Tribal Opportunity Partnership Summit. I want every tribal nation in Oklahoma to have the opportunity to share in this historic level of investment and opportunities of economic growth, as well, Corn said.

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Oklahoma House of Representatives Republicans issued a subpoena to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters on Tuesday, demanding that he turn over previously requested information, including the status of a $2 million expenditure designated for a specific software program.

The subpoena was signed by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, along with Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education Chairman Mark McBride, R-Moore, and Committee on Common Education Chairwoman Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon.

Specifically, the demand is for information related to the $2 million expenditure, Walters claim in an Oklahoma City television interview that he has recruited 950 teachers from out of state, and emails sent to his address with the nonprofit advocacy organization Every Kid Counts Oklahoma. It also asks for emails related to Walters senior advisor Matt Langstons interactions with Baker and McBride and statements by Walters concerning student achievement.

The subpoena says the materials must be delivered to McBride's Capitol office no later than 3 p.m. Jan. 5.

Tuesday's move is the latest escalation in a dispute between legislators and Walters, who they say has been nonresponsive to requests for information about department activities and expenditures.

Matters reached a boiling point last week when Langston, Walters chief lieutenant, answered a letter from Baker and McBride with Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

This prompted an angry rebuke from McBride, who apparently took the lead on the subpoena.

As the branch of government charged with appropriations and oversight, the Legislature has a responsibility to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being spent properly by the agencies and departments under its purview, McBride said Tuesday in a written statement.

Myself, and many of my legislative colleagues, have repeatedly tried to communicate with the superintendent and his staff about these important issues. With the amount of tax dollars being spent by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), legislative oversight of this spending is crucial, he said.

Langston, in a written response, accused McBride of lying and creating false narratives.

All Oklahomans should question his political and ideological stances, Langston said. Rep. McBride actively works with Democrats and teachers unions to undermine Superintendent Walters and Oklahomans conservative policies.

McBride is term-limited after the coming session and has given no indication that he intends to continue in politics.

We have tried to work with the superintendent, like we do with all state agencies, but have been met with a lack of transparency and increasingly unprofessional conduct, McBride said. As chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, I am constitutionally bound to ask questions and statutorily entitled to have them answered. 

The time for playing political games is over, and the time for answers is at hand. My focus is, and always will be, doing what is best for the children of Oklahoma.
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Every time a new TikTok dance starts to create a buzz, theres a good chance Kim Wales already knows about it.

I feel like my job keeps me very current, said Wales, a content moderator for the social media platform, where new dance routines are among the kinds of videos users frequently post.

She can even demonstrate many of the dances, she said  although when she does, it usually doesnt go over so well at home.

My daughters just like, Mom, no. Please dont do that. So I only entertain myself, Wales said, laughing.

No one would blame Wales, though, for not feeling much like dancing of late.

Although shes maintained her upbeat attitude and sense of humor in the face of a recent health crisis, she knows what shes up against. And its been a drain not just physically but emotionally.

Wales, a 53-year-old Broken Arrow resident, is battling acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of the disease that offers only a five-year survival rate of around 30%.

First diagnosed in June 2022, she was able to achieve remission in October last year.

But despite Wales high hopes at the time, the cancer returned in March. Since then, shes been hospitalized four times for chemotherapy, including a recent stretch thats lasted through much of the holidays.

Ive had over 100 blood and platelet transfusions just this year, said Wales during an interview in her hospital room last week. Donors have absolutely saved my life.

Her best hope for the future, she said, is a bone marrow transplant. That cant happen, though, until shes in remission.

So for now, Wales must fight on and focus on short-term goals.

The most important goal at the moment, she said, is just being home for Christmas.

Thankfully, Wales got the news on Monday that her release from the hospital has been approved. Shes looking forward to spending the rest of the holidays with her family, including her teenage daughter and adult son.

Treatment forced her to miss Thanksgiving, so they plan to make up for it now, she said.

Were going to do Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once, she said.

The holiday will allow her to take her mind off, if only briefly, the reality of her situation.

They dont give me but about a five-year lifespan, and I have refused to wrap my head around that, she said.

Living emoji

A big believer that attitude can boost her survival chances, Wales tries to find the humor in her experiences.

Losing all of her hair from chemo, for example, wasnt exactly fun, she said. So she put a fun spin on it.

Ive decided I look like a living emoji, she added, running her hand across her newly bald head.

I try to stay cheerful, she added. I ugly cry every now and then. But its usually when no ones around.

The stress of being a single mom and needing to support herself and her daughter adds to the pressure.

Wales job with TikTok, which allows her to work from home and has provided flexibility, has been a blessing.

I work the overnight shift from home so that I can do treatment during the day, said Wales, who monitors TikTok user videos to make sure they conform to the site rules.

But the last year and a half since her cancer fight began has been a steady drain on resources.

She said The Salvation Army and Tulsa World Project Santa have been lifesavers, helping her not to lose her house and to keep the electricity on.

Wales feelings of gratitude dont end there.

Shes especially thankful for the people she credits with keeping her alive.

The blood donors  I wish I could thank them all. I dont know if they realize how they save peoples lives donating.

Whatever the future holds for her, Wales plans to teach and preach the blessing of donating blood products, she said. We need more awareness because there are people that dont donate that could and should.

Most of all, Wales is grateful for her family.

That includes 16-year-old Karree, her daughter and best friend.

Karree is a junior at Broken Arrow High School, where she excels at track and hopes to earn a college scholarship. Thats another of Wales goals: to be able to attend one of her daughters track meets this spring.

The pair got to celebrate a special milestone together recently.

When I got out of the hospital in September, our whole mission was to get her drivers license and get her a car, Wales said.

Wales, unfortunately, had lost her own car when it was repossessed.

But I got blessed enough to get my daughter a car. Now shes like my personal Uber, she laughed.

Seeing Karree smile, as she enjoys being at the wheel of her first car, reminds Wales of what her fight really is all about.

The hardest part is not that you may or may not survive the cancer, she said. Its leaving your kids behind. Thats been the most traumatic part of this for me.

Its also motivation not to give up.

Ive got like the hardest frickin leukemia to cure, Wales said. Im in the fight of my life, but Im in it. Im going to fight to the end.

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Staff Writer Tim Stanleys most memorable stories of 2023 Grateful for 'American hearts,' Tulsa Ukrainians mark war anniversary with 'thank you' event Project Santa: Despite debilitating disease, young Tulsan keeps music dream alive Jewish 'Ritchie Boys' from Oklahoma showed 'moral courage' in helping defeat the Nazis Family of slain Henryetta teen still seeking answers, but glad for support ahead of Saturday benefit Black History Month: 90-year-old veteran's experience in newly desegregated military offered hope, lessons Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now
A recently released report by the U.S. Institute of International Education (IIE) cited the U.S., Australia, and Canada as the top study destinations for Vietnamese nationals.

According to the 'Open Doors 2023 Report on International Educational Exchange' by the IIE, 21,900 Vietnamese students chose to study in the U.S. during the 2022-23 academic year, representing a 5.7 percent year-on-year increase.

Though the number of Vietnamese students in the U.S. is on the rise compared to what it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still far lower than the 24,392 Vietnamese students enrolled in U.S. schools during the 2018-19 academic year.

Comparatively, a total of just 20,713 Vietnamese students studied in the U.S. in the 2021-22 academic year, according to the report.

Despite the decrease, Vietnam still tops Southeast Asian countries in terms of the number of nationals studying in the U.S..

As of November 2023, Vietnam held the fifth position worldwide in the count of students pursuing education in the U.S., constituting two percent of the total international student population in the U.S.

The top four countries on the list include China (27 percent), India (25 percent), South Korea (four percent), and Canada (three percent).

Australia is also a study destination favored by Vietnamese students, with 29,693 Vietnamese nationals at its universities as of September this year.

Vietnam currently ranks sixth in terms of the number of students studying in Australia.

The top two spots are taken by China and India with 159,485 and 122,391 nationals studying in Australia, respectively.

Also in the top ten countries with a large number of students studying in Australia are the Philippines (5th), Thailand (7th), and Indonesia (10th).

Canada is another top destination for Vietnamese students.

According to Statista.com, 16,130 Vietnamese were studying in Canada in 2022, placing them 8th on the list of countries with large student populations in the North American country.

Comparatively, India had the highest number of students in Canada, at 319,000, followed by the Philippines with 32,425.

Interest in overseas studies amongst Vietnamese nationals extends to non-English speaking countries as well.

As of April 2022, data from the Korean Educational Development Institute reveals that there were 37,940 Vietnamese students in South Korea, making up 22.7 percent of the total 166,869 foreign students in the country.

Japan is also a significant destination for Vietnamese students. According to official data from Japanese educational authorities in 2022, there were 37,405 Vietnamese students studying in the East Asian country.

Much like their counterparts in South Korea, these students engage in diverse educational programs, encompassing undergraduate and graduate degrees, along with Japanese language courses.

Vietnam was the second-most popular source country for Japan's educational institutions, following China (103,882 students) and outranking Nepal (24,257), South Korea (13,701), and Indonesia (5,763).

Data from the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam for the period of September 2021 to September 2022 indicated that around 27,000 Vietnamese students were studying in China.

This number is more than double the figure recorded in 2018, when there were around 11,000 Vietnamese students in China.

Data analyzed by The Education Data Center in Taiwan indicates that by the end of 2022, there were over 23,700 Vietnamese students on the island.

This marked a notable 26-percent increase from the figure reported in 2021.

This number included around 7,000 students participating in Chinese courses and exchange programs, and 16,000 students pursuing degree programs.

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Toshiba was delisted on Wednesday after 74 years on the Tokyo exchange, following a decade of upheaval and scandal that brought down one of Japan's biggest brands and ushered in a buyout and an uncertain future.

The conglomerate is being taken private by a group of investors led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) that also includes financial services firm Orix, utility Chubu Electric Power and chipmaker Rohm.

The $14 billion takeover puts Toshiba in domestic hands after protracted battles with overseas activist investors that paralysed the maker of batteries, chips, and nuclear and defence equipment.

Toshiba "will now take a major step toward a new future with a new shareholder," the company said in a statement, adding that it would appreciate continuous understanding and support from its stakeholders.

Toshiba shares ended Tuesday, their last trading day, at 4,590 yen, down 0.1% from the previous day.

Toshiba Corp. Chief Executive Taro Shimada poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, June 7, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Although it is not clear what shape Toshiba will ultimately take under its new owners, Chief Executive Taro Shimada, who is staying in his role following the buyout, is expected to focus on high-margin digital services.

JIP's support for Shimada had derailed its earlier plan to team up with a state-backed fund. Some industry insiders say splitting up Toshiba may be a better option.

"Toshiba's difficulties ultimately were caused by a combination of bad strategic decisions and bad luck," said Damian Thong, head of Japan research at Macquarie Capital Securities.

"I hope that through divestitures, Toshiba's assets and human talent can find new homes where their full potential can be unleashed."

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Japan's government will be keeping a close watch. The company employees around 106,000 people and some of its operations are seen as critical to national security.

Four JIP executives will join the board, as well as one each from investors Orix and Chubu Electric. The new management team will be joined by a senior adviser from Toshiba's main lender, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group.

Toshiba has begun moving already, teaming up with Rohm to invest $2.7 billion in manufacturing facilities to jointly produce power chips.

A Tokyo Monorail train passes near the logo of Toshiba Corporation displayed at the company's building in Tokyo, Japan, April 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The company needs to get out of lower-margin businesses and develop stronger commercial strategies for some of its advanced technologies, said Ulrike Schaede, a professor of Japanese business at the University of California, San Diego.

"If management can figure out a way to let those engineers truly engage in breakthrough innovation activities, they can emerge as an important player," Schaede said.

"They're a deep tech company."
Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

-- The total number of air passengers in 2023 is expected to reach 74 million, reflecting a 34.5-percent increase compared to 2022 and a 7.4-percent drop compared to the pre-pandemic level, as reported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has declared a restriction on vehicle access to Le Loi Boulevard and Nguyen Hue Boulevard in District 1 from 9:00 pm on Tuesday through December 26 to facilitate the organization of the third Ho Chi Minh City International Music Festival Ho Do 2023.

-- The Peoples Committee of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City is coordinating efforts to repair damaged sidewalks, with plans to upgrade a minimum of 85 sections of sidewalks and alleyways by allocating VND220 billion (US$9 million) to the project in 2024-25, an official said on Tuesday.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport had organized 2,150 exams for 394,557 candidates, with 274,813 successfully passing and obtaining drivers licenses by the end of November, as reported to the Ministry of Transport.

-- Police in Buon Ma Thuot City, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, are investigating a video circulating on Facebook of five women riding a motorbike, seeking grounds for addressing their potential administrative violations.

-- Traffic police in Hanoi are probing a viral video on social media which depicts a man on a motorbike obstructing a Toyota Land Cruiser with a blue license plate, indicating a government-owned vehicle was on duty, while the car was running in the direction against traffic in Ba Dinh District.

-- The Ministry of Public Security initiated legal proceedings against and arrested Le Duy Minh, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, on charges of taking bribes related to an oil trading company scandal, Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman for the ministry, said on Tuesday.

-- Concerns have arisen among drivers as the Tuyen Quang-Phu Tho Expressway, a VND3.7 trillion ($151.9 million) investment set to be operational soon to reduce travel time from Tuyen Quang Province to Hanoi from three hours to approximately two hours, lacks truck escape ramps.

-- Recent data from the Indonesia-based news site Seasia has revealed that Vietnam holds the highest motorbike usage rate in Southeast Asia in 2023, standing at 72.8 percent, while Singapore records the lowest rate at 2.4 percent.

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Large glaring LED screens installed along Ho Chi Minh City streets have distracted many road users, thus threatening traffic safety.

These screens can spread diverse advertising messages and create a strong impression.

However, local residents have expressed discontent, citing the intense brightness and continuously moving images of the LED screens.

They argue that these screens, combined with street lights and vehicle lights, contribute to inconvenience and disturbance for them.

Such LED screens are often installed on the facade of high-rise buildings, along streets, and at intersections.

Large LED advertising screens are often installed at the intersections of large streets in Ho Chi Minh City.

As a case in point, residents who halted at a traffic light at the intersection of Tran Huy Lieu and Nguyen Van Troi Streets in Phu Nhuan District, as well as another intersection of Dinh Tien Hoang and Dien Bien Phu Streets in District 1, reported being dazzled by the LED screens.

Similar facilities are also situated along the median strips of Truong Son Street in Tan Binh District and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street in District 3.

The municipal Department of Transport has recently concluded that LED screens showing moving images or videos with the brightness changing continuously may reduce the attention and visibility of road users.

As a result, the department required removing a LED screen on an overpass on Ba Thang Hai Street in District 10, where two people died in traffic accidents due to their lack of focus.

A LED screen is installed at the intersection of Tran Huy Lieu and Nguyen Van Troi Streets in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Local residents say that the screen is too bright, thus dazzling their eyes.

LED screens at the intersection of Hoang Van Thu and Nguyen Van Troi Streets in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City

LED screens along Truong Son Street in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City

Three LED screens on the facade of a high-rise building at the intersection of Dinh Tien Hoang and Dien Bien Phu Streets in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

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Police in Vietnam are investigating a video circulating on Facebook of five women riding a motorbike, seeking grounds for addressing their potential administrative violations.

A leader of the traffic police team in Buon Ma Thuot City, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, said on Tuesday that the report on social media had yet to be verified, so police officers were unable to conclude the potential wrongdoings of the motorbike rider and relevant individuals.

They need to determine the street on which the women were traveling and the time when the case transpired.

They would also clarify if the video had been edited and specify whether it was recorded while the motorbike was in motion or stationary, the police officer added.

Previously, a video depicting a young woman wearing a helmet while carrying four others without helmets on a motorbike had circulated on social media.

The vehicle was traveling on Truong Chinh and Nguyen Dinh Chieu Streets in Buon Ma Thuot City before stopping at a bar.

The video recorded by one of the five women showed they were also joking on the vehicle.

Police in Buon Ma Thuot City, located in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, are investigating a video of five women riding a motorbike.

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Tourism and catering service providers in Phu Quoc, a tourist island city off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, have pledged to offer products and services at listed prices as a way to attract tourists back to the city, thus reviving its tourism, Phu Quoc chairman Huynh Quang Hung said on Monday.

At a conference to launch a series of events to promote Phu Quoc tourism themed 'I Love Phu Quoc,' Hung said tourism businesses commitment demonstrated their respect, hospitality, and politeness to visitors.

Local authorities will impose strict sanctions on those involved in overpricing.

Hung also called on local tourism service providers and residents to express their hospitality by greeting domestic and international tourists.

Between Thursday this week and Tuesday next week, the citys 33-member inspection team, led by Huynh Thanh Minh, head of the economic division in Phu Quoc City, will assess the quality and pricing of tourism services throughout the city to ensure the interests and safety of tourists.

Besides an existing hotline, the division has proposed the Phu Quoc City administration add another for tourists complaints and reports of violations, Minh informed.

The new hotline will be prominently displayed at all hotels and resorts as well as on passenger transport vehicles, including both traditional taxis and ride-hailing cars.

The Kiss Bridge in Phu Quoc will be officially opened on December 23, 2023. Photo: Quoc Anh / Tuoi Tre

Complaints about overpriced tourism services on Phu Quoc have circulated widely on social media.

The exorbitant prices have kept tourists away from the island city.

During the National Day holiday from September 1 to 4, Phu Quoc saw the sharpest-ever decline in the number of domestic tourists, at 26.5 percent.

The average occupancy rate of lodging facilities reached about 27 percent only, according to Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper.

However, the city welcomed over 4.7 million tourists in the January-September period this year, up 15.5 percent year on year.

Of the total, there were some 470,500 international travelers, nearly triple that in the same period last year.

The city earned more than VND12.2 trillion (US$497 million) in tourism revenue in the nine-month span, surging 117.7 percent, news site Vietnamplus reported.

The 8Wonder Winter Festival in Phu Quoc on Saturday last week, during which renowned American band Maroon 5 graced the stage, attracted more than 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

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Apple TV+ has announced a season two renewal for The Buccaneers, the drama inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Whartons unfinished final novel of the same name.

The series stars Kristine Frseth as Nan St. George, Alisha Boe as Conchita Closson, Josie Totah as Mabel Elmsworth, Australian Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy Elmsworth and Imogen Waterhouse as Jinny St. George. Christina Hendricks is Mrs. St. George, with Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable.

Its been a complete thrill to watch people all over the world fall in love with these characters, whove been brought to such vibrant life by our spectacular cast, said series creator Katherine Jakeways. We know season one left audiences desperate to know whats next for our buccaneers, so Im absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to explore the further adventures of this smart, joyful, messy sisterhood.

The irreverence and wit of The Buccaneers charmed global audiences and were excited to be working with Katherine Jakeways and The Forge again on the next adventure for Nan and her friends, said Jay Hunt, creative director, Europe, Apple TV+.

Girls with money, men with power. New money, old secrets. A group of fun-loving young American girls explode into the tightly corseted London season of the 1870s, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition. Sent to secure husbands and titles, the buccaneers hearts are set on much more than that, and saying I do is just the beginning

The ensemble cast also includes Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Noughts + Crosses) as Lord Richard Marable, Guy Remmers (Lessons) as Theo, Duke of Tintagel, Matthew Broome (Scandaltown) as Guy Thwarte and Barney Fishwick (Living) as Lord James Seadown.

The music-driven series blends 1870s English aristocracy with a modern soundtrack produced by Stella Mozgawa (of the band Warpaint) and packed with songs from todays top female performers that include Taylor Swift, Maggie Rogers, Bikini Kill, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Angel Olsen, Brandi Carlile and more, along with original music from Folick, Lucius, Alison Mosshart, Warpaint, Gracie Abrams, Sharon Van Etten, Bully, Danielle Ponder and more, as well as series composers Avwaves

Written by series creator Katherine Jakeways (Tracey Ullmans Show, Where This Service Will Terminate), season one was directed by BAFTA Award winner Susanna White (Bleak House, Jane Eyre, Generation Kill). BAFTA Award nominee Beth Willis (Doctor Who, Ashes to Ashes, Help) and Jakeways serve as executive producers. The Buccaneers is produced for Apple TV+ by The Forge Entertainment.
SBS Ombudsman Amy Stockwell has found two breaches of the SBS Code of Practice following a broadcast of The Point: Australia Decides broadcast on 14 October.

The broadcaster received 8 complaints under its Code of Practice. The Ombudsman found two breaches of the SBS Code of Practice as part of those investigations, relating to impartiality and balance.

In a heated interview between former SBS Board Member and No campaigner Warren Mundine hit out at Yes campaigner Marcia Langton.

Im not going to take any comments from a person who thinks that we are a racist country, and that we are racist people, he said.

Host Narelda Jacobs interjected, defending national treasure Marcia Langton whose words were twisted.

Langton denied claims that she branded No voters racist or stupid while speaking at a referendum event in Bunbury earlier this month, clarifying her quotes were taken out of context.

Ombudsman Amy Stockwell advised Mundine, You have indicated in your complaint you were referring to a recording of comments reportedly made by Professor Langton in 2017.

The host and panellists understood you were referring to comments made by Professor Langton the previous month in Bunbury 

Given the timing and the context of the program, the hosts belief you were referring to the comments made by the Professor during the referendum campaign was not unreasonable.

After Narelda Jacobs told viewers, Well, weve just seen who Warren Mundine is Stockwell noted: The terms chosen for that specific intervention, particularly the character observation in the closing statement, gave the impression one perspective had been unduly favoured over another in a way that was inconsistent with the impartiality provisions of the Code.

SBS apologises for these breaches, Stockwell wrote to Mundine. The content will not be rebroadcast.

We note the SBS Ombudsmans findings related to elements of a robust exchange between guests during the live program. The intention of the actions taken by the program team was to ensure that the conversation taking place remained clear for audiences, fact-based and a safe space for discussion, SBS said in a statement.

SBS and NITV support the work of its teams throughout the year in delivering comprehensive and impartial coverage of the referendum which explored a diversity of views, provided important insights elevating First Nations perspectives, and made a constructive contribution to the national conversation. This included The Point which travelled 39,000km to broadcast from locations in every state and territory, to ensure the voices of First Nations communities across the continent were heard.

Source: Daily Telegraph
Rising sea levels pose an existential threat to low-lying islands like the Bahamas - Bahamas Tourism

The holiday is over  at least, it will be by 2050. Amid environmental catastrophes, ethical quandaries and economic turmoil, travel as we know it is on the brink of extinction  and if its trajectory continues, holidaymakers will be forced to embrace virtual vacations instead.

So begins a searing new report on the future of travel, published by leading adventure travel company Intrepid and foresight consultancy The Future Laboratory. It pulls no punches, citing climate data from NASA and the World Meteorological Organisation, hard examples of overtourism  Venice, Barcelona, Bali et al  and bleak tales aplenty from tourisms front line.

Overtourism is a big issue in Venice - Getty

By 2050, it says, low-lying islands such as the Maldives and Bahamas could become uninhabitable; by that same year, the Dead Seas popular spa resorts will overlook a dried-up crater. The likes of Miami, New Orleans and Bangkok are already threatened by rising oceans which, according to the US Global Change Research Programme, are set to swell by a further 20-30cm by 2050.

The dystopian thesis continues: last year, the island nation of Tuvalu announced that it would be the first digitised nation in the metaverse, creating VR versions of its landscapes and cultural rituals enabling people to visit if it is swallowed by rising tides. The metaverse will be the only route to engage with places rendered inhospitable [by] climate change, where people will be able to interact with former iterations of these destinations, predicts Intrepid, chillingly.

The [travel] industry is faced with two potential roads ahead, states Dr Susanne Etti, Intrepids global environmental impact manager, who was named a climate pioneer in this years BBC 100 Women  its annual list of inspiring and influential women.

One where climate breakdown and tourism restrictions curb the pursuit of wanderlust, and one where regenerative breakthroughs change the future of travel  and the world  for the better.

Story continues

The island nation Tuvalu is creating VR versions of its landscapes in case they become destroyed by climate change - Getty

Because yes, travel is an undeniable force for good, a global $7.71 trillion (6.07 trillion) industry that bolsters whole economies, unshackles innovation and oils the wheels of diplomacy. But not all holidays are created equal  and when the talk turns to climate change, winter sun getaways are standing awkwardly in the corner, eyeing up the door. Sure, flying halfway across the world to flop on a beach can put the spring into your step, but is it regenerative in Intrepids sense?

By its very nature, this type of trip is frivolous and indulgent  not a do-gooder. So, though it has long been something to aspire to, will long-haul winter sun lose its lustre in the coming decades?

Entirely likely, says Douglas Quinby, CEO and co-founder of travel company Arival. Two in three [young] Gen-Z and Millennial travellers are already making [holiday] choices based on the impact the activity has on the environment and local community, he states. This message is echoed loudly across the industry, with the likes of Amex, Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy returning similar conclusions from their own recent research.

Gen Z, those currently aged between 11 and 26, are already pouring scorn on their elders holiday choices. In a Telegraph Travel panel earlier this month, under-30s branded all-inclusive holidays depressing, lazy and narrow-minded  but the next generation, known as Alpha (born between 2010 and 2025), may have even stronger opinions.

By 2040, it will be unusual to see members of Generation Alpha without a carbon footprint tracker on their smartphones, Intrepid muses. Every Uber ride, plane journey and trip to the supermarket will be logged in their devices, noting their carbon footprint in real time.

Before Covid-19 temporarily clipped our wings, one in five travellers were flying less due to flight shaming, according to a 2019 study by the Swiss bank UBS. Of 6,000 western travellers, around 20 per cent said that being called out for travelling by air was keeping them grounded  a trend that, UBS warned, could halve air passenger growth.

The pandemic derailed that of course, but the travel industry is bouncing back strong (in October, over seven million people travelled through Heathrow, more than in October 2019)  and shame is back in the discourse. Flight Shaming Will Return In 2023, predicted Forbes this year, and it wasnt wrong: in May, France banned domestic flights where the journey could be taken by rail, and earlier this month Spain set out plans to do the same.

With the summer seeing vast areas of Europe devastated by forest fires, travellers may pick cooler destinations for their next holiday - Getty

Our lust for sunshine may be waning, too. After a summer of extreme temperatures across Europe, which saw vast areas of Greece, Spain, Italy and southern France devastated by forest fires and drought, climate change is already affecting how we choose our holidays. Two in five Britons (43 per cent) say that as future temperatures rise in the UK, they will use holidays to cool down in colder destinations, according to a new report by Booking.com.

Moreover, almost half of us (42 per cent) say that climate change has already influenced our trip plans for 2024; heat has officially had its holiday heyday, quips Booking.com. Whether by trend or necessity, our pursuit of winter sun may, in fact, end far sooner than 2050.

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As a federally owned enterprise, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. On behalf of the German Government, GIZ provides advisory services to the Vietnamese Government in four priority areas: (1) Vocational training, (2) Environmental, (3) Energy, and (4) Sustainable Economic Development. For further information, please visit www.giz.de/viet-nam.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is implementing the Sector Program (SP) Social and Ecological Transformation of Textile Supply Chains.

The SP aims to raise awareness and recognition of sustainable textiles among consumers. It also strengthens Germany's efforts to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns within the global textile industry. The sector project comprises three main components: The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST), a multi-stakeholder initiative that combines the forces of various actors from politics, business and civil society to improve social, economic and ecological conditions along the global textile supply chain; The Green Button, a government-run certification label for sustainable textiles that ensures compliance with human rights and environmental standards; Siegelklarheit, a German government initiative that helps consumers navigate the multitude of labels and standards prevalent in the market, enabling them to make informed and sustainable purchasing decisions. Within these three subdivisions, various projects are developed and implemented to achieve the goals of the SP Social and Ecological Transformation of Textile Supply Chains.

The project "Digital Complaint Management and Capacity Building" is developed by members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST) and has two objectives, first to raise awareness of national and international labour rights, and second to provide and/or improve internal and external factory grievance mechanisms. The project will be implemented in Vietnam (expected regions: Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi) and will target managers (including HR managers, factory managers, department managers), workers (including team supervisors, rank-and-file workers) and worker representatives.

On behalf of the Sector Program, the GIZ Office Hanoi is conducting a tender to seek qualified National Consulting Firm(s) (here after called as NC) for the assignment:

a. Tentative duration: from Feb.2024 until Feb.2025.

b. Place of assignment: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

c. Requirements: The selected contractor is expected to have expertise and experience:

- In the technical field of capacity building in labour rights including grievance mechanisms in the textile industry with 02 reference projects (with minimum commission value of 7000 EUR) and at least 2 reference projects in Eastern Asia in the last 3 years.

- 8 years of experience in the field of development cooperation in the textile industry.

- Proven experience in providing on-site training on internal and external grievance mechanisms to workers and managers.

Please send email to Question-from-bidder-PoS-VN@giz.de by 28.12.2023 to receive tender documents.

Interested NCs are requested to prepare the following documents in English:

1. Letter of interest (with Directors or authorised persons signature and company stamp).

2. NC profile (incl. Business license (for firm) or Decision of establishment (for association), Tax code registration, organisational chart, references for the summary of experience as described in the c. Requirements).

3. Audited financial reports of the last 3 years. Important/key information in the audited financial reports or in annual tax reports must be translated into English if documents are in Vietnamese.

4. Consortium (if at least 2 entities join the assignment): Consortium contract and nomination of consortium leader.

LCs send Eligibility dossiers to VN_PoS_Quotation@giz.de latest by 17:00 (Hanoi time) on 03.01.2024 with email subject: Tender 83456482-Textile supply chains-Eligibility dossier.

GIZ is obliged to ensure the confidentiality of all bidding documents submitted.

Important notes:

1. Request of tender documents to be sent to Question-from-bidder-PoS-VN@giz.de by 28.12.2023

2. Eligibility assessment related questions to be sent to Question-from-bidder-PoS-VN@giz.de by 28.12.2023

3. Eligibility dossier to be sent to VN_PoS_Quotation@giz.de before 5 PM on 03.01.2024. Sending documents to wrong email address will lead to disqualification of the bidder.

4. Only selected bidders will be invited to present technical and financial offers.
Feature: Gazan parents struggle to provide shelter, food for their children amid conflict with Israel

Xinhua) 11:11, December 20, 2023

GAZA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Mohammed Saad, a displaced Palestinian man, finally found a shelter for his eight-member family in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, more than 70 days after the outbreak of Hamas-Israel conflict on Oct. 7.

The 59-year-old father of six used to be a well-off businessman, until Israeli attacks destroyed their homes in Gaza City. After being forced to relocate southward, he started to take his family from one refugee shelter to another in Rafah.

"I took nothing except some cash when we moved south, and the amount can only afford daily necessities like food and water," he told Xinhua.

"We had once sheltered in a UNRWA center in Deir al-Balah, but the Israeli army ordered us to evacuate and then we went to Khan Younis until we received another evacuation order. That's how we end up in Rafah," he said.

Currently, his family lives in a temporary tent established in the western part of Rafah and has to share toilets with other families.

"I have to wait in long queues to get food, water, cooking gas, or any other things. Sometimes, I may go back to the tent without getting anything," he said.

The Rafah city, located near the border with Egypt, is crowded with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by Israeli raids amid worsening humanitarian conditions.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a press statement that with an estimated four-fold increase in population density, exceeding 12,000 people per square kilometer, Rafah is now the most densely populated area in the Gaza Strip.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), nearly 1.9 million people in Gaza, or approximately 85 percent, have been displaced from their homes and areas of residence, including people who have been displaced multiple times.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 19,667 while 52,586 others wounded since Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Israel is still attacking Gaza from the air, land, and sea, denying the people there of any hope that their suffering would end soon.

"The current unprecedented war has left me helpless as I do not have any money to buy the medicine for my children," Semaan Rashid, another Palestinian taking shelter in Rafah, told Xinhua.

His family sleeps in an old car and has to wait for hours for the distribution of food from the UNRWA.

"Where can I go with these poor sick people? No one cares about us or our situation ... We are asking for mercy and help only for the sake of our children," the man shouted in desperate tones.

Starvation is broadly reported among a large number of people taking shelter in southern Gaza, according to the World Food Program, as food security there is significantly deteriorating with the influx of population.

The WFP estimated that at least 50 percent of displaced families go to bed hungry at night.

The severe shortage of cooking gas has led to heavy reliance on firewood, wood scraps, and burning waste, which increases the risk of respiratory diseases.

Meanwhile, the rain, which was once considered a blessing, is simply making the situation worse for those who are displaced and living in makeshift tents.

Om Ali Rabhi, a 55-year-old displaced woman who lost her husband to an Israeli raid and now lives in a small tent in Rafah with her 10 children, told Xinhua that they sometimes woke up in mud and drenched from rainwater.

"We used to rejoice at the rain, but now in a situation like this, we have begun to pray for the rain to stop," she said.

"My family is hungry, waiting for any meal from the association or the benefactors. We went to sleep at night and do not know what will happen to us tomorrow."

With tears in her eyes, she said "what do you do when you have nothing to give to your little children, and you can't even keep them dry, warm and clean?"

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
2024 will mark the centenary of the death of one of history's greatest revolutionaries: Lenin. Communists do not honour such great figures through pilgrimages or ceremonies; we think the best way to honour a great revolutionary is to study and learn their ideas.

It is precisely for this reason that Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione, the Italian section of the International Marxist Tendency, organised a Marxist school on 16-17 December in Milan. The aim of the event was to provide intensive training in the theory, methods and tactics of Lenin, which, if we can master them, are the finest weapons in our arsenal. This is an urgent task, but it has been made complicated by the calumnies of bourgeois academics on the one hand, and the grotesque distortions of Stalinist historians on the other.

200 comrades from 24 cities across Italy participated in this event / Image: SCR

200 comrades from 24 cities across Italy participated in this event, including many young comrades who have become members of the IMT in recent months. They were joined online by a hundred comrades who followed the livestream.

It was two days of intense discussions, involving both plenary meetings and smaller workshops. Some of the talks are already available to watch in Italian via Youtube, while the others will be made available in the coming days.

Lenin's contribution to Marxism

The Saturday morning plenary, introduced by Alessandro Giardiello, was dedicated to providing a political biography of Lenin. Alessandro looked at the contributions Lenin made to the advancing of Marxist theory and the construction of the party, which he was able to masterfully guide through the changing political situation, from its beginnings in small circles to the conquest of the masses in the October Revolution.

What is to be done? Lenin on party building

Building the revolutionary party is the first task of every communist. The discussion on party building, introduced by Serena Capodicasa, explained the lessons of Lenins masterful work What is to be done?, written in the context of the ideological battle against economism.

In this text, Lenin explains the fundamental features of party building, such as the need to subordinate the economic struggle to the political struggle, in order to liberate workers not only from economic exploitation, but also from national and political exploitation. Serena also explained the need for a national and international organisation, a newspaper as a collective organiser, and the methods of democratic centralism (maximum freedom of discussion, maximum unity of action). However, it was also explained that Lenin always knew how to adapt organisational methods to the changing concrete conditions, in order to be able to connect the party with the masses, starting with the most advanced layers.

The theory of the state

The panel on the Marxist view of the state, introduced by Franco Bavila, dealt with Lenin's writings on the state. In his State and Revolution, Lenin draws on the ideas of Marx and Engels to explain the oppressive and class nature of the State, which is a means of the ruling class to maintain power through violence. Franco explained that in a healthy transition to a socialist society, workers are increasingly involved in the management of their lives, so that the state gradually withers away. Lenin's vision of the state has nothing to do with the huge bureaucratic apparatus of the Stalinist USSR or the ruthless tool of a tyrant  this is precisely why this part of his thought is so often distorted.

The National Question

Lenin's vision of the state has nothing to do with the huge bureaucratic apparatus of the Stalinist USSR / Image: SCR

The discussion introduced by Roberto Sarti was devoted to the national question, a central theme for Lenin in the context of tsarist Russia, the prisonhouse of nations. Lenin developed ideas that are fundamental today in order to take the correct position on recent developments in Palestine. Tsarist Russia in fact included a huge number of oppressed nationalities and peoples. Lenin, while standing firm on the principle of internationalism, always upheld the right of self-determination of oppressed peoples and the voluntary membership of the constituent nations of the USSR, as the unquestionable basis for achieving genuine unity of the workers of all countries.

Lenin and Trotsky: their real and alleged differences

The differences of opinion between Lenin and Trotsky have long been part of the Stalinist parties' smear campaign against the latter, even after Trotskys death. In this discussion, introduced by Claudio Bellotti, it was explained that many of these differences were conjured out of thin air. While Lenin and Trotsky did at times disagree, this was not as the result of a fundamental opposition in ideas. Rather, they were sincere revolutionaries, who shared the common aim of leading the masses to victory, and many of their differences were later resolved.

In particular, this discussion explained that despite the divergence between Lenin's initial slogan of democratic dictatorship and Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution, the two revolutionaries found themselves united on the necessity of the seizure of power by the Soviets in October 1917.

Lenins final fight

The last plenary discussion, introduced by Alessio Marconi on Sunday morning, looked at Lenin's final fight against the bureaucracy represented by Stalin, before Lenins untimely death in 1924. The extremely harsh conditions in which Russia found itself after the October Revolution necessitated drastic measures, which were considered temporary, in an attempt to save the Revolution, but the lacking material conditions strengthened the enemies of communism, old and new.

Lenin's final fight was against the bureaucracy and its champion: Stalin. To understand this, Sunday's plenary focused on the politics of post-1917 Russia, and Lenin's increasingly open struggle against Stalin and the party's bureaucratic degeneration.

Concluding the event, Alessio Marconi emphasised that these two days of discussion were not an academic exercise or a formal tribute for the centenary, but a fundamental moment to sharpen our theoretical weapons and put them to use in the construction of the revolutionary party. This was the goal to which Lenin dedicated his entire life.

A revolutionary only dies when his ideas are forgotten, and his struggle is abandoned. We bear the banner of the great revolutionaries who came before us, and we will continue to fight to build a party that is not a lifeless machine. The revolutionary party must be an organic union of ideas, built on the basis of disciplined theoretical discussion. In order to overthrow the capitalist system, the party must be a living organism, a cohesive group of revolutionaries capable of this task.

With this seminar, the Italian section of the International Marxist Tendency marked a decisive step in our work. The high political level of the discussions, as well as the enthusiasm of the comrades, were a reflection of the excellent growth of our organisation in recent months since the launch of the Are you a communist? campaign earlier this year. This has allowed us to reach 500 comrades in Italy! The announcement of the reaching of this key milestone was met with loud applause and the singing of the Internationale by all the comrades.

This seminar was a step forward in preparing all comrades for the struggles that we are already experiencing. These struggles will only intensify in the coming period, and we are ready to meet them with militant determination. Onwards, with boldness, boldness, and still more boldness!
HA NOI  As China is opening its market for some Vietnamese fruits, it will bring billions of dollars in exports next year and help Viet Nams fruit and vegetable industry to set new records.

ang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Viet Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association, forecast that the export revenue would surpass US$6 billion and even reach $7 billion in 2024, providing a significant momentum for Viet Nam to become a global food powerhouse.

The industry is on track to hit a milestone of $5.5 billion this year, after posting an increase of 70 per cent in the first 11 months to reach $5.2 billion.

This means that the industry finishes two years earlier than the target set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at a $5 billion export value by 2025.

China remains the largest importer of Viet Nams fruits and vegetables with a value of $3.4 billion in January  November, a dramatic increase of 149 per cent over the same period last year and accounting for 65.4 per cent of Viet Nams total fruits and vegetables export value.

The increase is largely driven by the soar in the durian export after China approved the official export of this fruit in July 2022. Exporters are expecting a durian export value of $2.3 billion this year after earning $2.1 billion in the first 11 months, from a modest value of $300 million last year.

Following the recent visit to Ha Noi by Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, China is set to import more fruits from Viet Nam, as part of the effort to boost bilateral trade.

During the visit, the two countries established a protocol to officially import fresh watermelon, bringing the total number of farm produce approved for official export to China to 14, which also include dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, banana, mangosteen, lychee, black jelly, passion fruit, durian, sweet potato, and birds nest.

The two countries are actively promoting the signing of protocols for official exports of more Vietnamese fruits, such as coconuts, avocado, custard apple and frozen fruits, which are expected to bring billions of dollars to Viet Nams exports.

According to Nguyen, Viet Nams export of watermelon to China might double to $50-60 million in 2024, thanks to the protocol.

Statistics of the Plant Protection Department showed that to date, 162 watermelon growing areas and more than 1,000 packaging facilities in 38 provinces has been granted codes for official export to China.

Nguyen said that when China opens markets for other farm products, Viet Nams fruits and vegetables export could increase by billions of dollars, forecasting a new record high export value next year.

Enormous market

Nguyen said Viet Nam has advantages to increase the export of fruits and vegetables to China which spends around $15 billion every year buying fruits and vegetables from other countries, including Thailand, Chile and Viet Nam.

Exporters hope that more protocols for official exports of farm produce will be signed after the Chinese leaders visit to Ha Noi.

Nguyen Minh Tien, director of the Trade Promotion Centre for Agriculture, said there is untapped potential for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables export to China, given this markets enormous demand for fresh fruits such as durian and mango.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung uc Tien said that Viet Nams agro-forestry-fishery export to China increased by 18 per cent this year thanks to the signing of protocols in 2022, which opened the door for official exports of many types of farm produces, coupled with Chinas removal of Zero-COVID policies which unleashed this markets enormous consumption demand.

With a population of more than 1.4 billion and a rising middle class, China is a huge market for high-quality farm products of Viet Nam.

Viet Nams export of farm produces to China currently accounts for less than 5 per cent of Chinas import, meaning that the room to increase exports remains huge, he said.

The Chinese leaders visit to Ha Noi is expected to give a boost to the bilateral trade of agricultural products between the two countries, Tien said.

To tap the potential, Viet Nam must focus on improving the quality of farm produce, meeting requirements and establishing trust, he urged.

Tien said that the ministry would increase negotiations with China for official exports of more agricultural products with standardised quality, packaging, ensure food hygiene and safety and traceability, and put under Vietnamese brands.

There are changes in the way Chinese enterprises do trade with Vietnamese enterprises, switching away from unofficial trade, Ngo Thi Thu Hung, general director of food exporter Ameji Viet Nam said.

She said that Chinese importers have higher requirements for not only product quality and origin traceability but also governance and financial capacity of trade partners, urging Vietnamese exporters to make preparations for the changes.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam's fleet is grappling with significant challenges in adapting to global environmental shifts, said industry insiders and experts.

Commencing January 1, 2024, in line with European Union (EU) regulations, ships entering EU ports will incur fees for carbon emissions. The estimated cost for the maritime transport sector to comply with these regulations hovers around US$3.6 billion, urging global shipping companies to expedite the transition to eco-friendly practices.

Leading global shipping companies, including Maersk Line, Cosco, CMA-CGM, and Evergreen, are spearheading efforts to construct ships powered by clean fuels. This presents a formidable challenge for Vietnamese shipping firms, particularly those operating on international routes, as a failure to adapt swiftly could lead to obsolescence.

A pivotal change on the horizon involves complying with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) criteria to prevent air pollution from ships. The IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee approved the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships at its 76th session in 2021.

According to the Vietnam Register, of approximately 1,500 Vietnamese vessels, over 400 have been approved for the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI). However, only about 40 per cent comply with regulations, with 60 per cent still needing to implement measures to reduce power. Notably, the EEXI regulation's most substantial impact is observed in the oil tanker and bulk carrier categories.

Ageing fleet

For vessels that do not meet regulations, feasible measures such as reducing power, enhancing the bow or stern, utilising alternative fuels, or adopting energy-saving technologies can be applied. However, limiting engine/power output emerges as the most practical solution.

Fuel-efficient vessels with shorter port waiting times are advantageous in terms of carbon emissions and compliance with the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) for the same travel distance. However, impending stricter ranking criteria in the coming years pose a challenge for vessels to comply without continuous improvements.

According to a representative from the Vietnam Register, vessels need to embrace more technologies to optimise logistics processes and reduce waiting times at ports.

Hoang Le Vuong, deputy head of the Maritime Transport Department of the Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC), highlighted the unit's application of new technologies to reduce emissions. VIMC's shipping companies have collaborated with ports to install shore power supply stations, aiming to decrease fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, optimising vessel engine capacity, selecting optimal engine power during rotations, enhancing inspections to clean the hull and propeller to reduce drag force and fuel consumption, and increasing vessel speed are among the measures undertaken.

In the long term, enterprises' primary solution is to decommission old and non-compliant vessels and invest in rejuvenating the fleet with new-generation vessels. VIMC plans to build six container ships, four oil tankers, and eight bulk carriers by 2030, in addition to acquiring used ships under 10 years old. The company is also exploring investments in developing vessels using green fuels like methanol or LNG for new ships.

However, Vuong noted that achieving the EEXI index requires most current vessels to reduce their main engine power, impacting operational efficiency. He emphasised the challenge for some vessels in securing cargo transportation contracts due to an inability to achieve the required operational speed.

Sharing a similar perspective, Nguyen ai Hai, deputy general director of Viet Nam-based Tan Cang Maritime Transport Company, highlighted that charter contracts now consider criteria related to reducing carbon emissions. They evaluate compliance with emission reduction standards when deciding whether to approve the charter.

This predicament presents a considerable challenge for Vietnamese shipping enterprises, especially those with older vessels. Meanwhile, the cost of building new vessels running on clean fuels with low emissions is substantially higher, with a difference of around $10 million compared to conventional vessels.

As a major player in the Vietnamese maritime fleet, VIMC disclosed that currently, 45 out of 60 of its vessels have been approved for EEXI. Among them, 11 vessels are exempt from power restrictions, while more than 40 vessels have to install power-limiting equipment (reducing to 70-60 per cent). Additionally, 52 VIMC vessels fall under the category requiring evaluation for the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi Promotion Agency on Investment, Trade and Tourism (HPA) plays an important role in designing and implementing investment promotion activities abroad, creating new driving forces for the citys socio-economic development.

In 2023, the world situation changed rapidly, with the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and tightened monetary policy, leading to many socio-economic difficulties. However, Viet Nam is still considered an attractive destination for foreign investors, with many preferential policies and a strategic geographical location suitable for deep participation in the global supply chain.

The HPA has actively contributed to preparing for diplomatic activities of city leaders abroad and welcoming international investors, creating good opportunities for Ha Noi city to strengthen promotion activities and connections with French organisations, businesses and investors to find out information and seize safe and effective investment opportunities in Ha Noi and Viet Nam.

Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen said: "Promotion activities have contributed positively to the preparation for diplomatic activities of the city's leaders abroad as well as welcoming foreign investors and organisations come to work with the city leaders, and at the same time provide effective support for domestic and foreign investors to learn about investment policies, laws and procedures in Viet Nam, and together solve difficulties and obstacles for investors in the process of implementing investment projects in the city."

The centre has organised various promotion activities, such as the organisation of the investment, trade and tourism promotion delegations in France and the cooperation programmes in China and Japan, which opened up new opportunities for Ha Noi and Vietnamese businesses and potential international partners.

Last August, the centre participated in organising an investment, trade and tourism promotion delegation in France on the occasion of Ha Noi city leaders visiting and working in France.

Previously, many activities took place to enhance investment, trade and tourism promotion activities between the Ha Noi and French partners. Among them, prominent events were the "Hanoi-France Investment and Trade Promotion 2023" conference, to promote investment and attraction of technology transfer; exports of goods; introduction of Vietnamese products, promoting culture, tourism and trade; and connection between Vietnamese and French businesses and distribution systems and with the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in France, to promote exports to French and EU markets.

In September 2023, HPA also organised a working group to implement the Ha Noi investment, trade, tourism and business connection cooperation programme in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. Many activities have been implemented to make the cooperation between the two localities more substantive, effective and in-depth, continuing to open a new and dynamic period of development for common benefits.

In November 2023, HPA organised an investment, trade and tourism promotion delegation to Tokyo city and Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, with the following activities: Organising a pavilion to promote Ha Noi city at the Viet Nam- Ha Noi Festival in Fukuoka, which introduces images and promotes culture, tourism and typical products of Ha Noi city; and working with the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka, the Vietnamese Trade Office in Japan.

HPA also organised investment and trade promotion activities with the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Japan, and worked with the government promotion agencies and business associations of Fukouka and the Kyushu region to promote Ha Noi's investment and business environment to survey production models and technologies of Japanese enterprises and connect businesses of the two countries.

Promotion activities and events organised by HPA have actively supported businesses in finding markets, promoting import and export, connecting global value chains to find raw material sources, and contributing to reducing difficulties for import-export companies, production and trading firms in Ha Noi and other provinces and cities.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nams National Innovation Centre (NIC) in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, Ha Noi, uses ABB's energy management solutions and smart building technology to save energy.

NIC plays a key role in connecting the countrys domestic technology ecosystem with global networks, helping accelerate the countrys position as a regional innovation destination.

Built to the highest global standards by the Ministry of Planning & Investment, the 4.96 hectare site provides an international conference centre and smart building office space for investment funds, major technology companies, and start-ups and SMEs.

The NIC prioritises eight industrial sectors, including smart factories, smart cities, hydrogen, semiconductors, environmental technology, medical devices, digital communications, and cyber security.

Providing smart buildings for sectors driving economic growth is an important part of progress towards net zero emissions targets. Building automation and energy management systems can increase energy efficiency by 25-67 per cent, reducing operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions and improving workplace wellbeing.

ABB Vietnam, Vice President of Electrification, oan Van Hien, said: This exciting project is supporting the governments net zero objectives and providing safe, smart, sustainable electrification for the countrys nationally important buildings. ABB's innovative, energy-efficient solutions play a crucial role in making NIC Hoa Lac a smart building, cutting operational costs, and ensuring a safe working environment for its occupants.

The ABB Ability Energy Manager enables the NIC team to monitor and optimise energy consumption and CO2e, contributing to operational cost savings and sustainability goals. The smart digital solution provides real-time data and predictive insights that enable users to make smart decisions and operators to make timely maintenance plans.

The digital platform connects with ABBs smart power supply solutions for the National Innovation Center campus. These include an innovative System pro E Power main distribution switchboard solution that ensures the highest reliability and safety for the building and its occupants, as well as smart circuit breakers, multi-function meters and contactors.

ABB Vietnam has a solid track record in providing power solutions for smart buildings in the country, supporting iconic projects such as the National Assembly Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Office, the Army Television Tower, and Vincom Landmark 81  the tallest building in Southeast Asia.  VNS
Journalist Tran Mai Huong, former General Director of Vietnam News Agency and former Editor-in-Chief of Viet Nam News daily, has just launched a memoir titled Hoi Ky Phong Vien Chien Truong (Memoir of a War Reporter), which recounts the unforgettable incidents he witnessed during the American War in Viet Nam as well as important moments of the nation.

Viet Nam News reporter Le Huong chats with him about the book and his thoughts on journalism today.

How did you decide to write the memoir?

I wanted to tell the story of my life as a journalist, events I witnessed, people I have met in my life, and incidents I have experienced; especially days during the war with so many difficulties and sacrifices.

I wanted to feature the portraits of myself and my colleagues over my working time.

The Vietnam News Agency has many staff and reporters who have made considerable contributions to journalism, nation protection fights and nation-building processes.

Many of them lost their lives. As many as 260 people in the agency died in battles, which urged me to write everything again to help maintain the memories of those unforgettable days.

Im over 70 years old now. I should complete the book, which should not be postponed anymore.

What do you think working in fierce war meant to your career?

Wars are the most serious challenges to a nation and a person.

In extremely difficult situations, on the border of death and life, people reveal their characters the most.

People often say that nowhere can people understand one another like in a battle, which is quite true.

To a war journalist, things were not limited to difficulties, sacrifice, betting ones life on each trip, each campaign. A much bigger challenge is completing his mission in such circumstances.

He should not only appear at the site and witness the scene, but also get images, and information to send news back to the office.

This big challenge requires not only bravery but also determination, agility to deal with problems; and of course, a necessary professional skill level.

He should take good photos, and write quickly and well.

The war offered an environment for us to practise our skills, good characteristics, and spirits, which have been good foundations for us in peacetime.

What do you remember most from those days?

I was in Quang Tri Battle between 1972-73, Ho Chi Minh Campaign in Spring 1975; and followed Vietnamese voluntary soldiers to Cambodia. I was in the capital Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979; in Ha Giang and Cao Bang provinces in the 1980s during the northern border fight.

There have seen so many unforgettable moments that I cannot mention them all. The moments went along with events and people that left deep marks in my memory.

In early 1972, when I first passed the North-South borderline in Ben Hai River, I wrote in my diary: "The river reflects sunset rays and lone dilapidated Hien Luong Bridge.

A white paint line divides the bridge, which is the fragile border of the two regions in our country. To erase that fragile line, thousands of people lost their lives

To me, Quang Tri will remain a land with many memorable events: The mass offensive with many big fights; and the happiness of being liberated, for which many people sacrificed a lot.

I took photos of female guerilla Thu Hong and a few weeks later, I heard she died when she was not yet 20.

Photographer Nghia Dung, a journalist of the Military News Agency, met me on the way marching to the battle. He was wearing a shirt with the smell of his 3-year-old boys urine. He said he wore it so that he could no longer miss the boy. He died right at the beginning of the campaign.

Spring 1973, after Viet Nam signed the Paris Agreement with the US, engraved in my memory with special images: tears of a couple, who were imprisoned, when they met again after 12 years in a prisoner exchange site by Thach Han River.

The rare moment on the peak of Linh Quang- Trieu Phong, when liberating soldiers and Sai Gon regime soldiers met.

In the Spring of 1975, I could not forget the moment I entered Hue, a Nang in liberation days and the image of a tank of liberation troops rolling into the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975.

In my photo, thats the tank with number 846 led by Nguyen Quang Hoa, driven by Tran Binh Yen with artillery people Nguyen Van Quy and Nguyen Ba Tu. They then became my friends.

I will never forget my stunned feeling standing in the middle of the capital Phnom Penh, a dead city in literal meaning.

I was there in the afternoon of January 7, 1979, together with Vietnamese voluntary soldiers. Then came a difficult deadly dry season in the country with the soldiers.

I will never forget the moment we welcomed the first traditional lunar new year far from home.

In Cambodia that dry season, we walked in the middle of mined land. The stingy smell of corpses overwhelmed the atmosphere. We were constantly afraid of being shot from behind.

In the Spring of 1975, your older brother, journalist Tran Mai Hanh, departed to the battle. Why did you want to join him?

In early 1975, I travelled from the central province of Vinh Linh to Ha Noi to attend a course hosted by the National Economic University. In March, 1975, after the victory in Buon Ma Thuot, VNAs General ao Tung prepared to lead a team of journalists to the southern battle including my brother Tran Mai Hanh.

At the same time, VNA also prepared to send another team of journalists to the Tri Thien battle. Hearing that news, I asked the VNA chief to cancel my study and let me join the team. My proposal was accepted.

As I have many memories with Quang Tri and Tri Thien, I wanted to return to that region. I also sensed that a big opportunity came to me and I wanted to join the campaign.

But at that time, I could not imagine that I could then travel all along the country and reach Sai Gon in that historic Spring.

Thats a big luck in my career as a journalist.

Overviewing your life with various moments from wars to peace and many achievements in your career, what do you still worry about?

In my memoir, I wrote: I have lived through heroic moments in history. I have witnessed historic moments, sacrifices, pains and losses of people. Many of my colleagues have lost their lives in battles with cameras and guns in their hands. Those sacrifices are priceless.

As a person lucky enough to return and live in peace, I and other lucky people have always thought of the deads sacrifices.

Hence, how should I live a worthy life to satisfy the deads wishes is often my big question.

I have received much luck and support from others. What I have done is very humble. I still feel regret when reviewing my past life.

If I had a second chance, I would have lived and done better things.

But people just have one life; Im happy to lead such a life and if I could choose once more, I would have chosen the journalism career again to praise good things and good people in my beloved country.

Reading the memoir, I can see that you have a habit of noting things down carefully. Is that an important characteristic of a journalist? What advice do you want to give young journalists now?

Observing, sensing and noting down are important things to journalists, which are foundations for real precise, timely and vivid stories.

There are also many other demands including philosophy, awareness of the career, citizens responsibilities, and willingness to overcome obstacles to complete missions, these are all leading conditions for the career.

Living skills and capabilities to adapt to working conditions are important, too.

Of course, good professional skills are decisive factors.

These characteristics require constant practice by journalists.

You have published many touching poems on your mother and other members of your family. How do you think family is important to your career and your life? What do you often teach your children?

I highly appreciate the support of my family. My parents and brothers and sisters at I and my wifes side are reliable anchors in my life.

In the war, my family was very poor. My parents overcame all difficulties to bring me and my brother and sisters up.

My brother Tran Mai Hanh inspired me to follow journalism. I deeply thank my wife, teacher Bui Thi Kim Van, who had spent all of her love for me at her young age and came with me through the most difficult moments. She took care of the family, and brought up my children so that I could follow my career.

I want my children and my grandchildren to grow up with good dignity, know how to lead a good life, love people, and have bravery and a strong will to overcome difficulties to become good citizens.

What do you want to tell young journalists through this memoir?

Life has changed a lot. Journalism is now quite different from that in the past. Previous generations of journalists tried their best to fulfill their missions. Today's young journalist generation has many advantages, are well-trained, especially in technology and modern journalism skills. They are passionate, brave, and have a high responsibility to the nation and people. I strongly believe that today's journalists deserve to continue previous journalists' generations to complete their duties and help develop Vietnamese journalism. VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam actively took part in and made important contributions to the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation while obtaining substantive results from bilateral activities in Japan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs o Hung Viet has said.

In an interview granted to the press about the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs visit to Japan from December 15 to 18 at the invitation of Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio, Viet highlighted Viet Nams active participation in and important contributions to the commemorative summit, from making preparations and building the agenda to delivering remarks at the event.

PM Chinhs speeches were profound and comprehensive as they reviewed the 50 years of ASEAN-Japan relations, and also held strategic significance as they proposed orientations for the relations future, the Deputy Minister said, noting that the speeches received high evaluation from other countries.

The Government leader of Viet Nam highly valued the solidarity and cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, which have helped them surmount trying times and challenges over the last half a century. He also proposed three major orientations for bilateral ties to become a model, an active factor, and an important contributor to a peaceful and stable environment for common development in the region.

In particular, PM Chinh asked ASEAN and Japan to enhance strategic cooperation to build an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture with ASEAN at the centre. He called on Japan to continue its active support for the countries in the Mekong sub-region to effectively cope with non-traditional security challenges, soon reactivate the Mekong cooperation mechanism, and prioritise the programmes and projects that assist with sustainable development in the spirit of leaving no one behind.

He emphasised the demand for investing in the human factor, welcomed cultural and people-to-people exchanges within the framework of the heart to heart partnership between ASEAN and Japan, and asked for practical cooperation projects, programmes, and plans to carry out exchanges.

Besides, the Vietnamese leader underlined four connections, Viet said, elaborating that he asked the two sides to boost economic, trade, and investment connectivity and consider this as the focus and impetus for the development of the ASEAN-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership.

He proposed stepping up the connectivity of infrastructure, especially strategic facilities; expanding the connectivity in new areas, particularly innovation, digital transformation, green economy, circular economy, knowledge-based economy, and smart agriculture, and turning these areas into new vitality for bilateral cooperation; and connecting the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals during which they should not pursue economic growth at the expense of social progress, equality or the environment.

On this occasion, PM Chinh also attended the first summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), where he conveyed a message about Viet Nams strong determination and actions to deliver on its commitments, including actively strengthening cooperation to achieve all the three targets of carbon emission reduction, energy security, and economic growth in Asia, according to Deputy Minister Viet.

Viet went on to say that the PMs visit to Japan also concluded a year full of activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Viet Nam-Japan diplomatic relations. It took place just two weeks after the two countries elevated their ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.

Highlighting many substantive and important results of the trip, Viet noted that first, the visit further intensified the political trust between the two countries, enhanced the PMs personal relations with Japanese leaders, and was also the first step to implement the newly established cooperation framework.

Second, the visit was helpful in promoting substantive economic cooperation as both sides agreed to expand ties in ensuring economic security and boosting Vietnamese businesses engagement in Japanese firms global supply chains, particularly in automobile, electronics, medical equipment, and textile-garment industries. PM Kishida Fumio and other leaders of the Japanese side pledged assistance for Viet Nam to successfully carry out industrialisation and modernisation and build an independent and self-reliant economy.

Third, the visit helped reinforce human resources connectivity, locality-to-locality cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

And fourth, it opened up cooperation opportunities in new fields like energy transition, digital transformation, and innovation. Japanese businesses showed their high interest in Viet Nams policies and demand and vowed to foster investment ties in new areas. More than half of the documents signed between the two countries ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses at the bilateral economic forum covered new areas, including smart city building, green transition, digital transformation, logistics, artificial intelligence, and robotics. This could be the start of an investment influx from Japanese firms into new areas in Viet Nam in the near future, Deputy Minister Viet added.  VNS
PARIS  Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and Director General for International Relations and Strategy at the French Ministry of the Armed Forces Alice Rufo co-chaired the third Viet Nam-France defence strategy and cooperation dialogue in Paris on December 18 (local time).

The two heads of delegations agreed that since the second dialogue in April 2022, bilateral defence cooperation has been continuously consolidated and strengthened in a practical, effective direction consistent with signed cooperation documents and agreements, especially the Joint Vision Statement on Viet Nam - France defence cooperation for the 2018  2028 period and the Framework Agreement on Viet Nam - France defence cooperation.

The two sides' agencies and units have closely coordinated, reviewed and effectively implemented cooperative activities set in the Viet Nam - France defence cooperation programme, and achieved outstanding results, such as regularly conducting delegation exchanges, the mechanism on strategic dialogue, consultation and military cooperation; improving the legal framework for cooperation; implementing collaboration in the education, training and peacekeeping fields, as well as coordinating and supporting each other at regional and global security forums.

Sen. Lieut. Gen Chien emphasised that the two sides have coordinated to implement a reportage about Vietnamese students at the French Naval Academy and publish a handbook on Viet Nam - France military terms, saying these activities are of practical meaning, creating motivation for teaching and learning French in the army as well as supporting Vietnamese soldiers in preparing to participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions in French-speaking countries.

This is also a testament to the existing good friendship between the two countries' ministries of defence, contributing to marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of the Viet Nam - France Strategic Partnership, Chien added.

Within the framework of the dialogue, the two delegations' heads were provided with reports of the working groups on the outcome of the group meetings.

The head of the French delegation affirmed that the cooperative relationship between Viet Nam and France is a typical example of foreign relations between countries around the world. She said France wishes to continue close, sustainable cooperation as a reliable and effective partner of Viet Nam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Regarding orientations for future cooperation, the two sides agreed to continue to promote defence cooperation in a practical and effective manner, with a focus on increasing exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially at the high level, maintaining and promoting the effectiveness of the strategic dialogue mechanism and cooperation in defence and UN peacekeeping, studying the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and training, and strengthening military medical cooperation and collaboration in maritime security, cyber-security, anti-terrorism, and overcoming post-war consequences.

At the dialogue, the two sides also shared their views on the global and regional situations of shared concern, and highly valued the role of the region and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

The head of the Vietnamese delegation said that Viet Nam consistently follows the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, multilateralisation and diversification of ties, and the defence policy of "four no's".

He stressed Viet Nam's consistent stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue is that disputes should be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Chien respectfully invited leaders of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Director General for International Relations and Strategy Rufo, and defence enterprises of France to attend the Viet Nam International Defence Expo 2024.

At the end of the dialogue, the heads of the two delegations signed the minutes of the dialogue and announced the French-Vietnamese Military Terminology Handbook.

Within the framework of his working visit to France, Chien on Tuesday met with French Secretary of State for Veterans and Memory Patricia Miralles.

At the meeting, Chien conveyed the regards and invitation from Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang to French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu to pay an official visit to Viet Nam. Chien also invited Miralles to make a working visit to Viet Nam at an appropriate time.

Regarding the two countries cooperation in sharing memories and tackling the consequences of war, the two sides agreed to assign competent agencies of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to continue to coordinate in studying and collecting documents and materials and then, proposing specific cooperation contents.

Chien emphasised that the cooperation content is humanitarian, helping to enhance trust, respect history, putting aside the past, and looking forwards to the future. The two sides will join hands to cultivate friendship, and bring the relations between the two countries in general and their defence cooperation in particular to new heights.

The Ministry of National Defence of Viet Nam is willing to coordinate with the French side and Vietnamese relevant agencies to implement the cooperation content.

For her part, Miralles agreed with Chiens proposed cooperation contents, affirming that the past needs to be closed for a new future of cooperation.

She said France will not ward off historical problems and want to cooperate with Viet Nam, practically developing the defence cooperation between the two countries and making it a model in the France-Viet Nam Strategic Partnership for the benefit of each country, and for peace, stability, and common development of the region and the world.

On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation visited and worked with leaders of Airbus Group. The groups representatives expressed their hope to participate in the defence industry expo next year in Viet Nam. VNS
TOKYO  Major General Vu Trung Kien, Deputy Commander in charge of law of the Viet Nam Coast Guard and Vice Commandant Watanabe Yasunori of the Japan Coast Guard co-chaired the 10th bilateral meeting between the two forces in Tokyo on Wednesday.

This is one of the last events of a series of cooperative activities this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Japan diplomatic relations, the 75th anniversary of the traditional day of the Japan Coast Guard and 25 years of the traditional day of the Viet Nam Coast Guard. It is held within the framework of a working trip to Japan by Vietnam Coast Guard delegation from December 19-22.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed their cooperative activities, including sending ships to visit each other and coordinating in non-combat exercises at sea, exchanging high-level delegations, completing procedures for a project on improving maritime law enforcement capacity for the Viet Nam Coast Guard funded by Japan and the 10th bilateral meeting between the two forces.

Major General Kien emphasised that all cooperation activities between the two forces in 2023 have been carried out seriously and effectively, thus helping the Viet Nam Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard improve law enforcement capacity at sea.

He underlined that in the joint statement on upgrading the Viet Nam-Japan relations to a "Comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world", the two sides agreed to bolster cooperation in maritime security and safety through the enhancement of cooperation activities, including joint trainings, information sharing, and capacity building between the Coast Guards from both sides.

This is clear evidence that the leaders of Viet Nam and Japan acknowledged the sound cooperative relationship between the two coast guard forces and want to develop this cooperative relationship in the future to join hands to build safe, peaceful, cooperative and friendship maritime areas, he said.

The two sides agreed on cooperative activities in 2024, including organising the 11th bilateral meeting between the two forces in Viet Nam.

During its stay in Japan, the Viet Nam Coast Guard delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Commander of the Japan Coast Guard, met the former Deputy Commander of the Japanese Coast Guard and visited a number of units and ships of Yokohama Coast Guard Station.  VNS
HA NOI  Cost of cervical cancer screening should be considered for coverage by health insurance to help reduce the financial burden on women and their families, said experts.

The Vietnam Women's Union coordinated with the Social Committee of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health organised a workshop on Tuesday to propose a policy to include the cost of cervical cancer screening in the list of health insurance coverage.

Cervical cancer is an issue of concern for public health because this disease greatly affects the welfare, health and spiritual life of women and the entire population, Ton Ngoc Hanh, deputy chairwoman of the Viet Nam Women's Union, said in the meeting.

Without any intervention, it is estimated that about 200,000 Vietnamese women will die from cervical cancer by 2070, she said.

Cervical cancer treatment is very expensive, but the disease can be completely prevented or eliminated based on HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination and regular screening to detect and treat pre-cancerous signs early.

However, in Viet Nam, the rate of access to cervical cancer prevention and screening measures among Vietnamese women is still low, she said.

According to Viet Nams Ministry of Health and UNFPA research in 2021, only 12 per cent of women and girls aged 15-29 were vaccinated against HPV and only 28 per cent of women aged 30-49 were screened, very low rates.

One of the reasons leading to the low rate of access to cervical cancer prevention and screening measures is that the cost of HPV vaccine is very high and it is not included in the expanded vaccination programme, and cervical cancer screening is not covered by health insurance.

Hanh said: Increasing women's access to screening, examination, and early diagnosis of cervical cancer services is necessary, in accordance with the policy of people's health care to meet the principle of disease prevention is better than treatment, as well as helping reduce the financial burden on women and their families and decreasing social costs from cervical cancer treatment.

This is also consistent with Viet Nam's international commitments in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Hanh said.

According to the World Health Organisation's assessment, eliminating cervical cancer will contribute to the implementation of SDG1 on multi-dimensional poverty, SDG3 on healthy lives, SDG5 on gender equality and SDG10 on reducing inequality.

The global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer announced by the World Health Organisation in 2020 has set a target that countries need to achieve by 2030 to eliminate cervical cancer with 90 per cent of girls fully vaccinated against HPV before age 15; 70 per cent of women receiving highly accurate screening tests at ages 35 and 45; and 90 per cent of women who are identified as having pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions receiving care and treatment.

According to the Department of Maternal and Child Health under the Ministry of Health, cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. Every year in the world, there are about 604,000 new cases and 342,000 women die from this disease. HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Preventing cervical cancer plays an indispensable role in achieving sustainable development goals.

In Viet Nam, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women and the 2nd most common cancer in women of reproductive age, after breast cancer.

The standard incidence rate by age is about 8.1 per 100,000 women. Each year there are over 400 new cases and over 2,000 deaths from cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer screening methods in Viet Nam include VIA (naked eye observation with acetic acid) that has sensitivity of 40-70 per cent and specificity of 88-95 per cent and tested every three years; cervical cell test (Pap smear) - sensitivity of 50-55 per cent, specificity of 96.8 per cent and performed every three years; and HPV test with sensitivity of 94.6 per cent, specificity of 94.1 per cent and performed every five years.

Thus, HPV testing is one of the effective and long-term valuable disease screening and prevention measures.

The goal of the National Action Plan by 2025 is to have 25 per cent of girls vaccinated against HPV by age 15; 60 per cent of women getting screened with highly effective methods at age 35 and rescreened at age 45; 90 per cent of women with pre-cancer or invasive cancer getting treatment.

The department affirms that cervical cancer is not only an obstetric and gynaecological disease, but also a public health and primary health issue. The participation of authorities and international partners, the health sector, school health systems, the Women's Union, families and individual women are needed.

It is necessary to mobilise resources from sectors and agencies, aiming to include the cost of cervical cancer screening in the expanded vaccination programme and health insurance.

Phan Van Toan, deputy director of the Health Insurance Department, Ministry of Health, said that the number of people participating in health insurance by December 31, 2023 is over 91.07 million people, reaching 92.04 per cent of the population.

The health insurance fund ensures balance of revenue and expenditure and has a surplus, Toan said.

In the draft revised Law on Health Insurance, people with health insurance will have medical examination and treatment costs covered by the health insurance funds, including rehabilitation, regular prenatal check-ups, childbirth, medical examination to assess the risk of certain diseases such as cervical cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis B and C; prenatal and newborn screening, preventive treatment, and periodic health checks for children under six years old and pensioners, he said.  VNS
HOA BINH  Moved by the plight of families grappling with congenital blood disorders, Nguyen Thu Hien, deputy director of the Population and Family Planning Department in the northern province of Hoa Binh, devised an innovative testing model for preventing thalassemia at local health stations.

Hoa Binh, a mountainous province with a vast and intricate terrain, faces transportation challenges between regions. The population, predominantly engaged in agriculture and forestry, struggles with low average income, resulting in numerous impoverished households.

Without early screening for thalassemia, the repercussions on health, both physical and mental, for patients and the economic burden on their families and society are substantial.

As a doctor, Hien thinks about the tough times her patients go through and the challenges families face when dealing with someone with this disease. This makes her want to focus on preventing it early.

This rare and horrendous condition can be identified early through screening tests, detecting the disease gene in pre-marital and prenatal stages, she said.

Hien's idea was recognised by the Prime Minister and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour in the "one million initiatives to overcome difficulties, innovate and triumph over the COVID-19 pandemic" event.

"It's disheartening as most families grappling with this disease belong to impoverished ethnic groups," said Hien.

The primary treatment for thalassemia involves blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Despite the 100 per cent coverage by health insurance for children, costs for meals, travel, and medication are exorbitant for families relying solely on rice fields and pig farming.

Prescription drugs cost millions, not to mention supplements and liver enzyme medications, which are drugs not covered by health insurance.

Thalassemia is a lifelong genetic disorder with no cure, but many are unaware of carrying the gene. Numerous individuals, marrying and having children without suspicion, are fortunate if their partner does not carry the gene.

However, not everyone is as fortunate, and tens of thousands of individuals with the thalassemia gene have married others with the same gene. These unions result in children born with thalassemia, an inherited disorder with no cure.

"People with thalassemia need lifelong blood transfusions. Late or improper treatment can lead to severe complications such as a flat nose, protruding teeth, stunted growth and discoloured skin. Many children have succumbed early due to this disease," Hien explains.

The root cause is the lack of awareness among the population about thalassemia, leading to a failure in preventive measures and prenatal screening. This is a disservice to the future of unfortunate children carrying the disease gene. Hien and colleagues at the Population and Family Planning Department pondered the necessity of early screening, especially in high-risk areas.

In setting up the thalassemia prevention testing model at local health stations, a key feature is the connection of healthcare systems from district to commune. This involves training and improving the knowledge of thalassemia for healthcare professionals. Local health stations play a direct role in collecting samples for testing, delivering advanced services from the provincial level directly to the community, particularly in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

This model impacts the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of the people. Ethnic minority populations in the province, as beneficiaries, not only receive 70 per cent support for thalassemia gene screening tests, but also gain awareness and guidance on thalassemia prevention, and continuous monitoring and counselling if carries the gene.

"This is the first model implemented in Hoa Binh and the entire country. During the rollout, we faced challenges as people were not well-versed in thalassemia and its consequences, and no one came forward to register. We, along with our team, sat waiting, feeling desperate," said Hien.

"We had to ask local leaders, encourage families to get tested, share results, and give guidance. We convinced neighbors, relatives, and families to support the doctors. After getting results, if someone had the gene, we spent sessions reassuring them. We told them to keep going with their work and studies, not to stress. If they knew about the gene, we advised caution in relationships and marriage. When registering, both partners had to undergo testing," Hien explains.

Additionally, geographical distances posed a challenge to transporting test samples. After collecting in the locality, the working group often had to rush to preserve and transport the blood samples promptly to the provincial hospital for timely testing.

According to Hien, thalassemia is a challenging disease to cure but not to prevent. Viet Nam has the scientific capability to diagnose the disease. However, the missing link is public awareness. Hien hopes that frontline healthcare personnel, those closest to the people, become advocates, disseminating information to the public.

From these struggles, Hien and the leadership of the Population and Family Planning Department researched, proposed and constructed policies emphasising thalassemia prevention activities at the grassroots level.

Phung Thi Tiep, a census agent in Dan Chu Ward, Hoa Binh City, remarks: "Before the thalassemia prevention testing model, people did not pay attention to pre-marital health check-ups due to economic constraints. Now, the model is widely implemented, and most importantly, people understand the dangers of the disease, actively taking measures to prevent it."

In the midst of the practical challenges, grappling with the difficulties of grassroots healthcare, regarding the people not just as research subjects but as fellow beings sharing their lives and tribulations, Hien and her team emphatise with thalassemia patients, inspiring them to live "happily" with the disease.

"We believed that we have passed on an inspiration to people, giving them a stronger belief in life even if they are sick. This in turn also make us want to educate more people about the disease, encouraging them to screen for it more effectively," said Hien.  VNS
Protests and demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are being butchered by the Israeli military, have been dubbed an antisemitic incitement to violence against Jews. This is part of a conscious campaign to criminalise and silence the legitimate democratic right to express support for an oppressed people. In particular, the use of the term Intifada, including by communists of the IMT, has been condemned by the western establishment. But what is the attitude of communists towards antisemitism, and what was the real nature of the First Intifada?

To support the right of the Palestinian people to rise up in defence of their right to a homeland, where they can live in peace; while also opposing the Zionist ruling class of Israel, cannot be construed as anti-Jewish. For a start, many Jews are anti-Zionist. Revolutionary communists are opposed to antisemitism as we are opposed to all forms of racism and discrimination. What do we mean by antisemitism? It is a hatred of all Jews, simply because they are Jews, just as Islamophobia is hatred of all Muslims, simply because they are Muslims.

Antisemitism, along with all forms of bigotry, is propagated by the ruling classes as a means of dividing working-class people, preventing unified class struggle. Such prejudices are also used to whip up support from the most backward layers of society, and divert peoples attention away from the real source of their problems (poverty and inequality resulting from capitalism) towards scapegoats.

At times of extremely acute crisis, these ideas can be used as a focal point to organise the forces of reaction, with the aim of physically destroying the rights and organisations working people have won over many generations of class struggle. The Nazis placed all the blame for the economic crisis that severely hit Germany in the 1920s and 30s on the Jews. The German ruling class backed this policy - with terrible consequences for the Jews in Germany, and all Nazi-occupied territories in Europe - as it was a convenient way of distracting attention away from those who were really to blame for the crisis: the capitalist class.

Communists are against antisemitism

The Communist International and the German Communists opposed antisemitism at the time. This is what Lenin had to say on this question in 1919:

It is not the Jews who are the enemies of the toilers. The enemies of the workers are the capitalists of all lands. Among the Jews there are workers, toilers, they are in the majority. They are our brothers, comrades in the struggle for Socialism, because they are oppressed by capitalism. Among the Jews there are Kulaks, exploiters, capitalists, just like amongst us all. [My emphasis] The capitalists are tireless in their endeavours to stir up enmity between the workers of different faiths, different nations and different races. The rich Jews, just like the rich Russians and the rich of all countries, are united in trampling upon, oppressing and dividing the workers. Disgrace and infamy to the damnable Tsarism which tortured and persecuted the Jews! Disgrace and infamy to whoever sows enmity against Jews and hatred against other nations! Long live brotherly faith and unity in struggle of all nations, for the overthrow of capitalism! (From a gramophone record made during the Civil War, in 1919. Available with English subtitles here.)

In the tradition of Lenin in 1919, communists today are firmly opposed to antisemitism. We are also opposed to our own imperialist ruling classes in the advanced capitalist countries, who today stand firmly behind the state of Israel as a reliable proxy for western imperialism in the Middle East.

It is for this reason, and not any solidarity with Jews, that the imperialists and their mouthpieces in the media wage a systematic campaign to present any criticism of the state of Israel today as antisemitic. That is like stating that to be opposed to the British political establishment, British imperialism, the Tories and all the reactionary trappings of the British state is the same as discrimination against British people in general.

The right-wing reformist leaders, such as Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, have become some of the staunchest advocates of this smear campaign. On the one hand, they are eager to show the ruling class they can be trusted to defend capitalist interests at home and abroad, and stick up for western allies. On the other hand, false claims of antisemitism were an important weapon in the Blairites war against the Labour left under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, himself a long standing supporter of Palestinian rights. In the hands of the social chauvinists, claims of antisemitism remain a valuable stick to beat the left with.

It is an unfortunate fact that many so-called leaders of the left have succumbed to pressure from the establishment, and refuse to combat this campaign of lies and slander. By contrast, communists firmly reject this blatant attempt to silence legitimate solidarity with the Palestinian people. And we do not limit ourselves to a superficial analysis of the present situation, but aim to place it in its historical context.

The First Intifada came after a decade of systematic colonisation of the Palestinian Territories by Israeli settlers / Image: Efi Sharir, Wikimedia Commons

We do not need to repeat what we have amply explained in other articles. Suffice it to say that the state of Israel was created by displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland in 1947-48. Terrorist attacks on Palestinian villages, and the killing of hundreds, was the method used to achieve ethnic cleansing on a massive scale.

Since then, the situation for the Palestinian people has continued to worsen, especially after the 1967 war, which saw Israel permanently occupy Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Since the latter part of the 1970s, the West Bank has been systematically colonised and thousands of Palestinians have been killed, many more being arrested, and further displacements have taken place.

This is the context in which we need to view the First Intifada, which erupted at the end of 1987. Only by approaching the question in this manner can we achieve any real understanding of what the call for Intifada actually means.

The First Intifada came after a decade of systematic colonisation of the Palestinian Territories by Israeli settlers, which began with the coming to power of Menachem Begins Likud Party. The economy in the Occupied Territories was also rendered totally dependent on Israel. This process was at a very advanced stage by the time the First Intifada erupted.

On top of the historic catastrophe for the Palestinian people, the 1948 Nakba, there was a number of successive setbacks for the Palestinians; from the 1967 occupation, which saw more refugees fleeing the territory; to military defeat at the hands of the Jordanian Army in 1970; to the massacres suffered in South Lebanon in the early 1980s.

Before the outbreak of the Intifada, the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO, the main political organisation of the occupied Palestinians) had been forced into exile in Tunisia, and were completely out of touch with the mood of frustration and anger that was developing among the Palestinian masses. That explains their astonishment when the Intifada finally broke out.

An explosion waiting to happen

For anyone who was aware of the conditions on the ground, it was not too difficult to see what provoked such a mass movement. Between 1982 and 1986, the settler population had tripled in the West Bank, with 50 percent of the land coming under direct Israeli control, and with over 80 percent of the water supply being diverted to Israel and the settlements.

This was all combined with growing, armed, Jewish vigilante-settler groups, backed by the support of the IDF, terrorising the Palestinian population. Gaza in particular was described as a pressure-cooker ready to explode. (Emile Nakleh, The West Bank and Gaza, in the Middle East Journal, Spring 1988).

In the same period, from 1985 up to the eruption of the First Intifada in December 1987, there had been a growing protest movement in the Occupied Territories, which led to the increasing arrest and detention of young Palestinians.

What finally triggered the explosion was the famous incident in Gaza on 7 December 1987, in which an IDF truck hit a car, killing four Palestinian workers. It was the spark that set alight the Palestinian Territories, with the conflagration spreading from Gaza to the whole of the West Bank.

The most significant feature of the First Intifada was the mass nature of the movement, and the fact that it was initially led by the Palestinian workers and youth in the neighbourhoods. Ever since then, attempts have been made to bury the true nature of that movement, all the better to present it as simply a violent outburst that sought to destroy Israel and the Jews living there. But this is completely false.

The methods used were not at all those of guerrilla warfare or terrorism, but included general strikes, and civil disobedience, such as tax strikes and shop closures. Popular Committees had been elected in all the neighbourhoods which, apart from organising a general strike, also managed the distribution of basic supplies. By the middle of the following year (1988) it was estimated that over 40,000 such committees had been set up. For a more detailed account of the functions of these bodies, read The history of Israel-Palestine to 1993.

When revolutionary communists raise the slogan of Intifada, it is a direct reference to the 1987-88 mass movement of the Palestinian people, using the methods of class struggle. It was precisely the mass nature of the Intifada that revealed to the Palestinian masses their own power and raised their class consciousness. It also had an impact inside Israel itself, as we shall explain later.

Some may respond by saying that this is a prejudiced, communist interpretation of those events. The problem is that the truth is concrete and it has the tendency to eventually emerge, despite all attempts to falsify it.

Consider an interesting article, recently published in Foreign Policy magazine (14 December 2023), titled Defining Away Palestinians Right to Resist, with the subheading: What does it mean to say that rising up against injustice is impermissible? The author is Howard W. French, presently a columnist at Foreign Policy, and a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Previously he had been foreign correspondent and senior writer at The New York Times, and a writer for the International Herald Tribune.

Foreign Policy, The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune can in no way be considered anti-Israel or pro-Hamas, nor having sympathies for communist ideas. They are all bourgeois journals, we could say of the liberal type, which means they are mouthpieces of the capitalist class, and of the political establishment in the United States.

When revolutionary communists raise the slogan of Intifada, it is a direct reference to the 1987-88 mass movement of the Palestinian people / Image: Efi Sharir, Wikimedia Commons

Howard French in fact starts by making it clear where he stands: Hamas fully deserves whatever wrath comes its way. Having established his credentials, he then adds that the Palestinian people do not deserve this wrath He goes on to develop the idea that the Palestinians do have a right to struggle for a homeland of some kind.

This does not fundamentally contradict the latest position of US imperialism, which is now calling on Israel to be more careful in its attacks on Gaza. How an army that is out to destroy Hamas bases and fighters, which are embedded throughout Gaza, without massive civilian casualties, is not explained by these gentlemen, of course.

In reality, the imperialists are carrying out a PR operation whereby they continue to support Israel, providing it with the arms and funding it requires to continue with its butchery, while at the same time putting up a pretence that they are concerned for the civilian population of Gaza. This is a crude ploy to appease public opinion at home; an attempt to portray themselves as having humanitarian concerns, while in reality they back the carnage.

What really concerns them is not the plight of the Palestinian people, but the destabilising effect the present situation is having across the whole of the Middle East, with the risk of a widening of the conflict. This could have a major impact on oil and gas supplies, and on the important trade route that goes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which is already being choked by Houthi militants from the West of Yemen.

The First Intifada was a grassroots mass movement

Howard Frenchs explanation of what the First Intifada really was is extremely interesting, particularly as it is published in a journal that defends the interests of US imperialism:

There has been too little clarity about the meaning and implications of the word intifada It derives from the Arabic verb nafada, which means to shake off, in the sense of shaking dust off ones clothes, say, or shaking off lethargy. The word intifada, then, literally translates as a shudder or shiver, or when used in a political context, a popular uprising. It does not mean genocide [my emphasis].

He continues:

The word intifada became familiar to newsreaders worldwide in 1987, when the term was used to describe a popular uprising mounted by Palestinians that year against Israel. That uprising, which lasted until the early 1990s and came to be known as the First Intifada, began as a largely peaceful protest movement involving acts of civil disobedience, such as strikes and boycotts, but it became more violent later on, partly in reaction to the harsh Israeli security response [my emphasis].

Bayliss Thomas in his book, How Israel was Won: A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, published in 1999, states the following:

"The intifada was unquestionably a grass-roots movement that surprised the Israeli government and PLO alike  the PLO having neither encouraged nor financed it. [then-Prime Minister Yitzhak] Shamir and [later Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon seemed to believe, given a weakened PLO, that Palestinian docility under occupation would continue indefinitely. In fact, PLO weakness only added to popular desperation, fostering a new activism and self-reliance at the local level." [My emphasis]

He then goes on to outline how the local committees came together as an organised body:

"At first, local communities acted separately. Later, a broad leadership comprising many factions emerged, called the United National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU). The traditional elite of Palestinian nationalism (professionals, journalists and academics) were not involved initially. Operating underground, the UNLU [Unified National Leadership of the Uprising] communicated through leaflets secretly printed and distributed at night. A spontaneous, fragmented resistance to occupation began to acquire a unified voice through UNLU announcements of commercial and transportation strikes, mass demonstrations, protests and solidarity drives such as flag-raisings, prayer, fasting, work projects, marches and donation activities. Israel and the United States were roundly condemned, though without focus on Jewish people. The UNLU did not encourage violence, yet stone-throwing and petrol-bombing were inevitable [My emphasis]. The intifada centered primarily on protest about the conditions of occupation. Gradually the UNLU consulted the PLO about how to remedy local Israeli occupation abuses - how to gain release of political prisoners, stop settlement activity and land confiscation, avoid various Israeli taxes and remove restrictions on industrial and agricultural products exported from the territories.

What is interesting to note is the fact that, initially, the Intifada was not controlled by the PLO, and there was actually a disconnect between the activists leading the movement in the neighbourhoods, and the PLO in exile. A revealing account is provided by Charles D. Smith in his 2004 text, Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict - a History with Documents:

A spontaneous uprising undirected by any higher committee or organization, the intifada spread rapidly from Gaza to the West Bank. It sustained itself through an extensive network of local committees formed over the previous decade and of neighborhoods that organized for mutual assistance. At its heart, the intifada was a rebellion of the poor and the young, the less-advantaged sectors of the population, who organized popular committees that PLO representatives then sought to co-opt under their own direction [my emphasis].

Smith points out that: Various decisions were made on the spot. One restricted the protests to demonstrations and stone-throwing; knives and guns were banned [my emphasis].

The Intifada, which had been led by activists on the ground in the Occupied Territories, was eventually taken over by the PLO / Image: Wiki4All, Wikimedia Commons

However, because the PLO had always been seen as the traditional political expression of the Palestinian people, eventually the exiled leaders managed to gain a position at the head of the Intifada, even though they had played no role in promoting it. Nevertheless, in the absence of any alternative, the UNLU looked to the PLO as its only point of political reference.

Smith highlights the fact that: The PLO had always tried to repress local leadership independent of its control, even if such individuals identified themselves with PLO goals. Now, necessity demanded not only cooperation but reliance on information and advice from the territories a political agenda quickly appeared. In January 1988, the leadership in the territories called for an independent Palestinian state, governed by the PLO, that would coexist with Israel [my emphasis].

This was the beginning of a move by the PLO leaders towards a two-state solution, abandoning their previously held position of a single, unified state across the whole of historical Palestine.

As Smith explains, these ideas: ...were initially announced by individuals not connected to the intifada, men more widely known to the outside world as moderates, such as Sari Nuseibeh and Faysal al-Husayni, who had their own ties to the PLO in Tunis. As members of a social elite, they were viewed with suspicion by both the popular leadership and PLO committee heads when these points were first declared [my emphasis].

Subsequently, the PLOs plan for a deal with Israel based on a two-state solution became the official agenda of the intifada.

This is how the Intifada, which had been led by activists on the ground in the Occupied Territories, was eventually taken over by the PLO leadership and guided towards what was to become a dead end.

The call for a general strike in January 1988

But let us go back to the Intifadas initial inception by those leading it on the ground. It was a movement based on class struggle methods, the general strike being a powerful element. Here we reproduce in full Communique No. 1 of the Intifada, issued as a leaflet on 8 January 1988 by the UNLU, calling for a general strike and business closures:

"In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. Our people's glorious uprising continues. We affirm the need to express solidarity with our people wherever they are. We continue to be loyal to the pure blood of our martyrs and to our detained brothers. We also reiterate our rejection of the occupation and its policy of repression, represented in the policy of deportation, mass arrests, curfews, and the demolition of houses. We reaffirm the need to achieve further cohesion with our revolution and our heroic masses. We also stress our abidance by the call of the PLO, the Palestinian people's legitimate and sole representative, and the need to pursue the bountiful offerings and the heroic uprising. For all these reasons, we address the following call: All sectors of our heroic people in every location should abide by the call for a general and comprehensive strike until Wednesday evening, 13 January 1988. The strike covers all public and private trade utilities, the Palestinian workers and public transportation. Abidance by the comprehensive strike must be complete. The slogan of the strike will be: Down with occupation; long live Palestine as a free and Arab country. Brother workers, your abidance by the strike by not going to work and to [the] plants is real support for the glorious uprising, a sanctioning of the pure blood of our martyrs, a support for the call to liberate our prisoners, and an act that will help keep our brother deportees in their homeland. Brother businessmen and grocers, you must fully abide by the call for a comprehensive strike during the period of the strike. Your abidance by previous strikes is one of the most splendid images of solidarity and sacrifice for the sake of rendering our heroic people's stand a success. We will do our best to protect the interests of our honest businessmen against measures the Zionist occupation force may resort to against you. We warn against the consequences of becoming involved with some of the occupation authorities' henchmen who will seek to make you open your businesses. We promise you that we will punish such traitor businessmen in the not too distant future. Let us proceed united to forge victory. Brother owners of taxi companies, we will not forget your honorable and splendid stand of supporting and implementing the comprehensive strike on the day of Palestinian steadfastness. We pin our hopes on you to support and make the comprehensive strike a success. We warn some bus companies against the consequences of not abiding by the call for the strike, as this will make them liable to revolutionary punishment. Brother doctors and pharmacists, you must be on emergency status to offer assistance to those of our kinfolk who are ill. The brother pharmacists must carry out their duties normally. The brother doctors must place the doctor badge in a way that can be clearly identified. General warning: We would like to warn people that walking in the streets will not be safe in view of the measures that will be taken to make the comprehensive strike a success. We warn that viscous material will be poured on main and secondary streets and everywhere, in addition to the roadblocks and the strike groups that will be deployed throughout the occupied homeland. Circular: The struggler and brother members of the popular committees and the men of the uprising who are deployed in all the working locations should work to support and assist our people within the available means, particularly the needy families of our people. The strike groups and the popular uprising groups must completely abide by the working program, which is in their possession. Let us proceed united and loudly chant: Down with occupation; long live Palestine as a free and Arab country." [Source: Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict - a History with Documents, Charles D. Smith, 2004, page 430)

No one can doubt what was being called for here: a mass general strike with the aim of ending the occupation and winning a Palestinian homeland, alongside Israel. This call had massive support among the Palestinian youth, the workers and the small shopkeepers. It was truly a movement that had the backing and participation of the whole people. It was so powerful that it even had an impact within Israeli society. It sent a clear message that a whole people was opposed to the Israeli occupation, even affecting some of the soldiers.

The scale of the Intifda and the determination of the Palestinian masses impressed upon some Israeli troops the fact that they were unwanted occupiers. That explains why some - albeit a small minority - adhered to the famous Refusenik phenomenon, whereby a section of young soldiers refused to serve outside the borders of Israel. Had the Intifada not been betrayed, who knows how far this process might have gone? That also explains why the Zionist ruling class was determined to crush the Intifada.

The emergence of Hamas as a factor

Note that the UNLU leaflet states clearly that they recognised the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Hamas played no significant role in the early stages of the First Intifada. It was only set up as a separate organisation in February 1988, once the Intifada had begun, and it was not yet the force it was later to become in Gaza. Although it was present as an important minority opposition grouping, and was seeking to expand its influence at the expense of the PLO. In fact, as Bayliss explains:

Islamic groups such as the social-service Moslem Brotherhood and Islamic Jihad were also consulted. A breakaway group from within the Moslem Brotherhood, Hamas, took an early, militant interest in the intifada."

We need to remember that at that time the Israeli ruling class considered the PLO as the main threat to their interests. When Hamas emerged, it was seen by the Zionist elite as a useful counterweight to the PLO. Charles D. Smith in his 2004 text, quoted above, explains well the thinking behind this:

Israeli occupation and intelligence officials had encouraged the growth of the Muslim Brothers in Gaza from the later 1970s, through funding and by imposing fewer restrictions on their movements than they did on known PLO sympathizers. They assumed that increased adherence to Islam would undercut loyalty to the PLO and its secular political goals. These officials permitted militant students to travel from Gaza to Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, outside Jerusalem, to rough up PLO supporters, and the Israeli governor of Gaza told a journalist that the Israeli Government gave me a budget and the military government gives to the mosques."

Thus we see how the organisation behind the 7 October 2023 attack on Southern Israel was originally backed and sponsored by the Israeli authorities themselves. In one form or another, the thinking behind this policy continued until very recently.

A New York Times article, Buying Quiet: Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up Hamas, published on 12 December, states that:

For years, the Qatari government had been sending millions of dollars a month into the Gaza Strip  money that helped prop up the Hamas government there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel not only tolerated those payments, he had encouraged them.

The same article points out that Netanyahu saw Hamas as a political asset. And it explains:

As far back as December 2012, Mr. Netanyahu told the prominent Israeli journalist Dan Margalit that it was important to keep Hamas strong, as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Mr. Margalit, in an interview, said that Mr. Netanyahu told him that having two strong rivals, including Hamas, would lessen pressure on him to negotiate toward a Palestinian state.

All this exposes the sheer hypocrisy of Netanyahu and his far-right friends in the Israeli government today / Image:   , Wikimedia Commons

All this exposes the sheer hypocrisy of Netanyahu and his far-right friends in the Israeli government today, who have collaborated over many years in allowing funding to reach the Hamas administration in Gaza. In Netanyahus thinking, this was a good policy because it kept Gaza, run by Hamas, divided from the West Bank, which is administered by the Palestinian Authority, controlled by Fatah (the dominant political force within the PLO). This division is considered as a way of weakening the Palestinian people and pushing back on any kind of independent Palestinian state ever emerging. Also, the violent methods espoused by Hamas were actually seen as useful to the Zionist propaganda in Israel, as they helped draw the Israeli population behind them, and gave a convenient excuse for their brutal military excursions into Gaza.

An interesting event took place back in the spring of 1988, at the peak of the First Intifada. Charles D. Smith explains what happened:

From the Palestinian perspective, the intifada had two sides: a popular resistance to Israeli oppression and an offer of coexistence once a Palestinian state was created. Both tracks had the same goal, getting rid of Israeli domination, but the second was just as threatening to most Israeli politicians as the first. For Israeli leaders, the Israeli-Arab relationship could not be one of equality. Arabs who espoused compromise were often incarcerated. For example, two Arab lawyers from Gaza were invited to speak on the goals of the intifada at a gathering at Tel Aviv University in the spring of 1988. They did so, advocating peaceful coexistence in separate states. Within two weeks each had been arrested and sentenced to six months' detention without legal recourse in Ansar 3, a new prison built in the Negev to house such individuals. The Israeli organizers of the conference had no doubt about the reasons for such detention: advocacy of peace was again more threatening than pursuit of violence [my emphasis].

Here we see how the state of Israel had absolutely no interest in peaceful relations with the Palestinians. Indeed, those who advocated peaceful methods were seen as a threat. Anything that could in any way impact on the consciousness of ordinary Israelis - and the First Intifada had begun to have this effect - was seen as more dangerous than all the individual terror attacks that led to the killing of ordinary Israeli Jews. The cynicism of the Zionists here is laid bare for all to see.

Where did the violence come from?

But let us return to the nature of the First Intifada. The point made by Howard French about the Intifada becoming violent in the face of Israeli repression is an important one. In a 1998 six-part BBC series titled The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (see this article), it is revealed that a section of the Israeli cabinet suggested a quick, sharp method of shooting on crowds to kill a thousand Palestinians in order to crush the Intifada. The rest of the cabinet rejected this method, as they understood it would have the opposite effect. But that does not mean that they adopted a soft approach. On the contrary!

In the first few months 160 protestors were killed, mostly teenagers. An order was also issued to break bones'', leading to IDF forces heavily beating young Palestinian protestors, aiming to break their hands and legs. This was accompanied with the blowing up of hundreds of homes, as well as strict curfew conditions. In 1988-89, 1,600 curfew orders were issued, and those who broke curfew conditions for any reason were shot dead on the spot.

Within the first 18 months, 574 Palestinians had been killed, either shot or literally beaten to death. By the end of the second year, around 700 Palestinians had been killed, with a further 15-20,000 injured. The number arrested or imprisoned rose to 50,000, with many suffering torture at the hands of their captors, according to Amnesty International.

By 1991, the number of Palestinians killed during the Intifada had risen to 1,135, according to Peace Watch. By June 1993, 400,000 Palestinians had either been detained or imprisoned, and by 1994, the number killed had risen further to 2,000.

And yet the UNLU committees had taken the conscious decision not to take up arms. So today, when the media, western governments, together with the Zionist government of Israel, point the accusing finger at anyone who raises the slogan of Intifada, they are consciously obfuscating the truth. The violence did not come from the organisers of the Intifada, but from the Israeli security forces, as the figures provided above graphically illustrate.

Faced with brutal repression, the oppressed Palestinians started fighting back with whatever they had. That explains why there were a number of violent - but unarmed - protests against the Israeli occupation. But this violence was mainly limited to stone throwing, the use of Molotov cocktails, the burning of tyres in the streets and the building of barricades to hold back the advancing Israeli military. It was a very uneven fight, with unarmed, oppressed people facing vastly superior military forces.

Eventually, as we have seen, the PLO established its leadership over the Intifada and used it to guide the whole process towards the Oslo Accords of 1993. We have explained elsewhere how those Accords were a complete betrayal of the real aspirations of the Palestinian people. This, combined with years of the Palestinian Authority administration of a part of the Occupied Territories, which saw corrupt officials policing the Palestinians in cooperation with Israeli security, is what produced a power vacuum that Hamas was able to fill. The organisation was able to present itself as the only significant Palestinian force opposing the Accords.

This was a tragic turn in events, for Hamas leadership is bourgeois and reactionary in its outlook, and has a negative view towards mass protests of the Palestinian people. In fact, during their period of administration of Gaza, they have repeatedly repressed youth protests, for instance.

It was in the Second Intifada, which was much more influenced by Hamas and other Islamic fundamentalist groups, that saw a heavy use of suicide bombings and other methods of individual terrorism. It started as a popular uprising after Ariel Sharon - guarded by hundreds of Israeli riot police - made a provocative visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000. The Israeli security forces responded immediately with the shooting of protestors. This had the effect of further escalating an already very tense situation. This also explains why the Second Intifada very quickly became an armed conflict on both sides. The overall number of deaths this time was much greater, with over 4,300 killed, the bulk being Palestinians, but also with a significant number of Israeli dead, both soldiers and civilians.

Intifada until victory, in the view of genuine communists, is a call for social revolution / Image: Abarrategi, Wikimedia Commons

When today the media conflates the Intifada with the call for violent attacks on Jews in Israel, it is the Second Intifada that they are emphasising - while always ignoring what actually provoked its violent character. Namely, the lack of revolutionary leadership during the First Intifada, which was driven down a blind alley and disappointed the aspirations of the masses. This was coupled with years of violent clampdowns on the part of the Israeli security forces.

Let us not forget that, throughout the two Intifadas, the ratio of Palestinians killed compared to Israelis was three to one. This gives an idea of where most of the violence came from. And here we need to return to Howard Frenchs article, where he states:

Neither of these uprisings came anywhere close to being genocides. With the conflation of intifada with genocide seemingly now well underway, though, the world must ask itself: What does it mean to say that the act of rising up, or civil uprising, by Palestinians is impermissible? Do we really mean to say that they should not be able to resist against a miserable, constricting fate that has locked large numbers of their people into hopeless lives in Gaza, or that they should resolve themselves to seeing lands in the West Bank that they once controlled and lived on steadily annexed by Israel while they increasingly come under violent attack? Does it mean that the Palestinians of Gaza must resign themselves to being bombed and starved out of their territory? Most importantly of all, does it mean that Palestinians must be silent, abandon demands for a state of their own, and merely accept whatever Israel deems is sufficient for them? Have people who hold this view paused to think what avenues are open to Palestinians to object to such things? Can they imagine themselves, for an instant, accepting this? [my emphasis].

This is a good note on which to conclude! Our call for Intifada till victory, does not at all imply a threat to the ordinary Jewish people presently living in Israel. It is a call for mass action by the Palestinian workers and youth, as we saw back in 1987-88. It is a call for the use of class struggle methods to achieve a homeland for the Palestinians. Following 30 years in which the so-called two-state solution has been revealed to be a sham, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians today have abandoned that perspective.

Intifada until victory, in the view of genuine communists, is a call for social revolution. It can only mean a struggle for a single socialist state of two peoples, where no Zionist bourgeois elite holds the reins of power, and where no bourgeois Arab elites decide the fate of the Palestinian masses. This alone can realise the aspiration for freedom and a dignified existence expressed through the First Intifada.
HOA BINH  Bui Hong Thanh, 70, of Phu Cuong Commune, Tan Lac District, in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, has 15 years of experience in disseminating and encouraging local people to obey laws and eliminate outdated customs.

Thanh said most people in the commune were ethnic Muong. Some of them still followed backward customs.

The most difficult thing is how to make them understand the benefits of complying with laws and know that what consequences are if they violate the laws, he added.

He has coordinated regularly with the local administration to disseminate the law on marriage over the past time.

Therefore, many cases of child marriage had been prevented, contributing to changing local people's awareness of child marriage.

He also often reminds local people to obey traffic safety laws, not to participate in gambling and alcohol abuse, but to focus on economic development to improve their daily lives.

Thanh was among reputable people selected by local people in the commune since 2008.

He has participated in disseminating activities, mobilising people to eliminate outdated customs and obeying the Party's policies and guidelines as well as the States laws since then.

Bui Thi Hao, a resident of the communes Vin Bai Village, said thanks to regular dissemination of laws, she and local people in the village had greatly improved their understanding.

We are now aware of obeying the law when participating in traffic and avoiding social evils," she said.

Ly Thi Huong, another resident in the commune, said the number of child marriages had been reduced after local people learned about the consequences of the practice.

Like Thanh, Bui Van Quya, 68, of the districts ong Lai Commune, was also among reputable people of the district.

He was a good example in mobilising local people to implement the Partys guidelines and policies as well as the States laws.

He voluntarily donated 350sq.m of his familys land to build roads and 250 sq.m to build irrigation systems. He mobilised 30 households to donate a total of 2,500 sq.m of their land to build the local irrigation system and road.

Bui uc Phuong, chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Cuong Commune, told Lao ong (Labour) online newspaper that Thanh was a reputable and very enthusiastic person in the commune.

Thanks to his contributions, Thanh was awarded a certificate of merit by the People's Committee of the commune for his outstanding achievements in the local emulation movement.

Bui Tien Luc, head of the districts Ethnic Group Office, said that reputable people had now become the core force to support authorities at all levels to disseminate and mobilise ethnic groups to strictly comply with the Party's policies and guidelines, and the State's laws.  VNS
HONG KONG  The easing of the visa policy for Vietnamese citizens by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China from October 25 is one of the highlight's in the relations between the two sides in 2023.

Experts said Hong Kongs market opening for Viet Nam's skilled workers as well as multiple-entry visas valid for 24 months for Vietnamese enterprises and visitors were a result of the sound coordination between authorities.

In nearly three years, the General Consulate of Viet Nam persistently worked with relevant authorities, associations, enterprises and individuals in Hong Kong to mobilise the administration to change its policy for Vietnamese workers, while coordinating with Vietnamese agencies to handle shortcomings that Hong Kong has been interested in.

They held that the change in Hong Kong policy meets the territorys demand for high-quality labourers, and offers job opportunities and facilitates travel for Vietnamese businessmen and citizens.

Vice Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries Anthony Lam said it is amazing that Hong Kong opened its labour market to Viet Nam, describing it as a major flaw between the two sides that needs a long-term negotiation.

Viet Nam and Hong Kong have enjoyed thriving trade and investment ties, with average growth of 14.5 per cent over the past five years, he said, adding labour exchange between the two sides has an important role to play.

Demand for connectivity and people-to-people exchange between the two will increase as Hong Kong is a financial hub not only in the region but also the whole world while Vietnam has provided a lot of IT services for Hong Kong.

Given this context, he said, easier travel will enhance cooperation.

He said Viet Nam is a potential market where Hong Kong firms could find development opportunities, adding Hong Kongs investment in Vietnam will increase in the coming time with the latter becoming an important production base in the world.

Doan Quynh Linh, a lawyer who has been living and working in Hong Kong for nearly 16 years, said the visa relaxation will open up a new page in the Viet Nam-Hong Kong relations.

With this new policy, the Vietnamese community in Hong Kong will be expanded, making contributions to the economic development in the host territory and the Viet Nam-Hong Kong relations, she added.

Hong Kong is an ideal fund raising hub for Vietnamese firms who wants to expand their business, she said, stating they can send their experts and managers to Hong Kong for work while international firms based in Hong Kong can invite Vietnamese experts to Hong Kong for exchange and research.

Additionally, education cooperation between Viet Nam and Hong Kong has witnessed rosy developments over years.

Boasting the worlds leading education establishments, open and dynamic economy, and policies to attract talents, Hong Kong has offered various opportunities to foreign students to pursue study and work there.

The Vietnamese General Consulate has worked with universities in Hong Kong and mobilised them to enhance admissions and provide scholarships for Vietnamese students.

Assoc.Prof. Phan Quang Tuan from the Hong Kong Universitys Business School and head of the Hong Kong Universitys representative office in Viet Nam held that the Vietnamese diplomatic agency has an important role to play in removing visa bottlenecks for Vietnamese citizens. This is a good opportunity for Vietnamese students, parents and businessmen who will contribute to the relations in various areas, particularly economy, education and tourism, he said.  VNS
Travel lovers will have the opportunity to freely explore attractive tourist destinations and scout for air tickets, hotels, and travel services on the Traveloka platform. They will be free from financial concerns thanks to the new buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment method from Home Credit's Home PayLater.

The deal brings users, especially young people, the most convenient experience on just one platform. When they want to travel, they can comfortably make plans without worrying about the costs. This is a strategic step for Home Credit to promote its BNPL service in Vietnam, creating more products with competitive advantages and bringing the best experience to customers.

Michal Skalicky, chief customer officer at Home Credit Vietnam said, "Young people have a need to explore new lands through travel. However, amidst the challenging economic situation, many need to cut costs to the maximum. The BNPL method from Home PayLater completely meets consumers expectations  travel now and pay later by splitting your payments."

"Through the tie-up with Traveloka, we aim to provide customers with super preferential promotions and flexible payment methods to meet their travel needs in the upcoming Lunar New Year," he added.

Home Credit and Traveloka join forces on buy now, pay later with Home PayLater

With Home PayLater, customers can immediately use the services available on Traveloka without paying in advance. The first payment period starts from 1 month after the date of purchase, with zero interest.

In addition, Home PayLater does not apply conversion fees, hidden charges, or account opening payments, unlike other BNPL providers in the market. Home Credits BNPL payment limit is instantly approved within 60 seconds, thanks to its digital technology.

In addition, with the Home PayLater payment method, customers will receive a 50 per cent discount up to VND100,000 ($4.22) or a five per cent discount up to VND300,000 ($12.66) for all the services available on Traveloka.

Users will also receive attractive promotions with Home PayLater Day taking place every Tuesday on Traveloka. The programme applies a 10 per cent discount up to VND500,000 ($21.10) for services such as booking rooms, buying airline tickets, and ordering both domestic and international tours on Traveloka.

Caesar Indra, president of Traveloka explained, "The collaboration with Home Credit to launch Home PayLater demonstrates our continuous improvements in technology, and aims to provide users with a new payment solution that delivers a seamless and complete experience."

"Home PayLater also underscores Traveloka's commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Vietnam, as it allows us to expand travel services to more customers and open up opportunities for more people. At the same time, this is a crucial step in the digital transformation of Vietnams tourism industry," Indra continued.

Home Credit Vietnam and Traveloka partner to introduce Home PayLater

BNPL services have become increasingly familiar to Vietnamese consumers, especially among tech-savvy and financially proactive young shoppers. Home Credit is one of the pioneering companies in this segment.

The launch of Home PayLater provides users with a quick and simple method of registering to BNPL. Home PayLater takes full advantage of digital technology and targets clued-up young customers who have are looking for a convenient and seamless shopping experience.

Market data shows that the BNPL financing industry in Vietnam will reach a compound annual growth rate of 31.1 per cent between 2023 and 2028. BNPL-financed purchases are expected to climb from $1.5 billion in 2022 to $9.1 billion in 2028.

With this great potential, Home Credit will have a first-mover advantage in its development and market share to improve the experience, retain customers, and stimulate demand.

Home PayLater's BNPL method is available across more than 450 points of sales and e-commerce platforms nationwide, such as Tiki, Meta.vn, Gosumo, Shooz.vn, Thegioididong, Hoang Ha Mobile, Bach Long Mobile, ShopDunk, and Di Dong Viet.

This shows that, along with traditional sales channels, brands also employ the BNPL option via Home PayLater to attract more customers amidst the fierce competition in the market.

Home Credit sets sights on Vietnamese consumer finance Despite the recent headwinds in the consumer finance market, Home Credit Vietnam still has its sights set on Vietnam. Pham Ngoc Khang, the company's CFO, spoke with VIRs Thanh Van about his strategy to navigate amidst the turbulence.

Home Credit takes ESG to new heights Home Credit, a global consumer finance provider, today released its third group sustainability report, covering the year 2022. The report highlights the companys progress in serving its customers and communities in a sustainable way, through the promotion of responsible finance and digital empowerment across its markets.
At Ngurah Raiinternational airport in Indonesia (Source: AFP)

Jakarta  Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said on December 18 that the COVID-19 situation remains under control, ensuring safety during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

He said relevant authorities are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will provide recommendations in the event of complex developments.



To ensure health and prevent the spread of the disease, people need to take preventive measures such as wearing masks, maintaining hygiene, and limiting large gatherings, he said.



According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, 216 new COVID-19 cases were reported on December 17, along with 128 recoveries and one death.



Indonesia and many countries worldwide have recently witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases, mostly due to the emergence of the new variant named JN.1.
Infants given top priority in injection of 5-in-1 vaccine (Photo: VNVC)

Hanoi  Vietnam will prioritise injecting combined DPT-VGB-Hib vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), also known as 5-in-1 vaccine, for the youngest age group from 2 months old and more, the Ministry of Health said on December 19.

Accordingly, infants from 2 months old and more who have yet to receive any DPT-VGB-Hib vaccine injection will be given the highest priority.



Deputy Director of the ministrys National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Duong Thi Hong said that the expanded national immunisation programme on December 15 received 490,600 doses of this type of vaccine donated by the Australian Government to implement the vaccination for babies in the first months of 2024.



In the first quarter of 2024, the ministry will continue strengthening surveillance over diseases in the expanded national immunisation programme such as measles, rubella, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, neonatal tetanus, and prepare to implement the vaccine against acute diarrhea caused by Rota virus as a new vaccine in the programme in 33 provinces and cities from the second quarter of 2024.

Second mothers save thousands of infants The sister of a two-year-old from Nam Tu Liem District in Hanoi phoned Doctor Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa to tell her the young boy is in good health after receiving intensive care in the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Hanoi after his premature birth two years ago.
Health Ministry, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Source: nst.com.my)

Kuala Lumpur  Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has stated that despite the rising number of infections, the situation is under control as the ministry has strengthened its five-point COVID-19 management plan.

These include community tracing via the TRIIS (test, report, isolate, inform and seek) system, monitoring of health facilities, as well as digitalisation of pandemic management via the MySejahtera app.

He said authorities are optimistic that it will be able to manage the numbers without having to introduce restrictions, as enforced during the early days of the pandemic in 2020.

He highlighted that at present, the situation is not causing a burden on the countrys health facilities, and warned people do not be alarmed but, at the same time, take precautionary measures such as maintaining distance from one another, practicing good hygiene, wearing masks in indoor or crowded spaces, and getting booster shots, especially those in the high-risk categories.

A total of 20,696 COVID-19 cases were reported in Malaysia during the week of December 10 to 16, a 62 per cent increase compared with the previous week.



The minister said about 97 per cent of the cases were considered low-risk, in categories of asymptomatic and mild symptoms, with 28 fatalities and 151 cases needing treatment in the intensive care unit, and 96 cases requiring ventilators.

Malaysia records 13,000 COVID-19 cases Malaysia reported nearly 13,000 COVID-19 cases during the country's 49th Epidemiological Week (ME 49/2023) from December 3-9, compared to 6,796 cases in the previous week.
Malaysia attracts foreign property buyers with new tiers under MM2H programme (source: thestar.com.my)

Kuala Lumpur  The Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has announced the relaxation of conditions for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

Accordingly, it will simplify the MM2H registration process, which has been criticised as too complicated.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said the objective is to introduce more flexible and clear requirements, adding the revamped MM2H will be on trial for a year and can still be adjusted according to circumstances.

The minister expressed confidence that the revamped MM2H will attract a wider group of participants and boost Malaysias standing as a second home destination for foreigners.

Accordingly, three tiers have been introduced for the new MM2H programme, including platinum, gold and silver.

Under the Platinum tier, participants must have a fixed deposit (FD) of 5 million MYR (1.05 million USD). After one year, a maximum withdrawal of 50% is allowed for property purchase, healthcare and domestic travel within Malaysia.

The Gold tier sets the FD requirement at 2 million MYR with similar withdrawal provisions for property purchases (minimum value of 750,000 MYR and above), healthcare and domestic travel.

The Silver tier requires 500,000 MYR in FD with similar withdrawal provisions.

Irrespective of the chosen tier, all participants must fulfil the minimum stay requirement of residing in Malaysia for a cumulative total of 60 days annually.

The minimum age requirement of the revamped MM2H has also been been lowered to 30 years, together with an expanded list of eligible dependents.



For inpiduals aged 30 to 49, their residence in the country must be fulfilled by their principal, partners, or their dependents, respectively.



The MM2H programme, endorsed by the Malaysian Government, was introduced in 2002 to attract foreigners to make Malaysia as their second or holiday home.

The programme is open to all foreigners, irrespective of their age. Participants who meet the programme's requirements are given a Social Visit Pass with multiple-entry visa from the Malaysian Immigration Department, valid for 10 years and renewable thereafter.

Malaysia targets 10,000 digital economy entrepreneurs Malaysia is set to improve digital economy centres to achieve the target of 10,000 digital economy entrepreneurs nationwide next year, with a focus on young people.
According to the latest statistics from the Immigration Department of Malaysia, the country has surpassed Thailand to top Southeast Asia in terms of the number of international tourists in the first 11 months of this year.

Vietnam ranked fourth with 11.2 million visitors, behind Thailand and Singapore.

Those visiting Malaysia from Singapore accounted for the largest figure with more than 12.6 million, followed by Indonesia with 3.1 million. The number of visitors from Thailand, China, Brunei, and India stood at 2 million, 1.4 million, 900,000, and 780,000, respectively.

Photo: Cao Anh Tuan

Although the target number for visitors in 2024 has not been announced, many experts predict that Vietnam could welcome up to 15 million next year.

To achieve a rapid recovery like Thailand, a rival of Vietnams tourism industry in Southeast Asia, experts also agree that Vietnam needs more attractive promotion campaigns and new products.

According to Varun Grover, country head of Vietnam for booking.com, the two nations have been successful in attracting foreign tourists, with a surge in travel demand in both markets, especially since international travel resumed.

However, Thailand has received 22.3 million foreign tourists over the year to date, more than double when compared to Vietnam.

"Flexibility remains a key driver of travel decisions, so industry players should prioritise leveraging technology to create a seamless experience, develop adaptable booking policies, and deliver great value to customers," said Grover.

"Contemporary travellers are placing a strong emphasis on sustainability and a desire to celebrate local communities. Furthermore, a strategic focus on tech-driven solutions can simplify and enhance the overall travel experience while also suggesting value-for-money options," he added.

According to booking.com, when it comes to the nationalities planning winter trips to Vietnam from December 1 to February 29, 2024, travellers from South Korea top the list, followed by Australia, the United States, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Booking.com also revealed the 10 most searched for domestic destinations by Vietnamese travellers between the same dates. These were Hoi An, Dalat, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Sapa, and Mui Ne.

Given its proximity to Vietnam, Bangkok tops the list of the most searched for international destinations by Vietnamese tourists over the year-end period.

Interestingly, the 10 most popular international destinations for winter travel are all within the Asia-Pacific region, with Bangkok being followed by Singapore and Tokyo.

Tourism industry leads in terms of total emissions globally Tourism activities in the Asia-Pacific region are responsible for generating the most emissions, exceeding the global average, according to information shared at Markethub Asia 2023 that took place in Thailand on November 22-23.

Work to do for Vietnam to mirror Thailands tourism successes Vietnam is at risk of being left far behind rival Thailand in the race for more tourism revenues.

A greener focus for tourism Sustainable tourism is now a mandatory requirement worldwide. Ha Van Sieu, deputy director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, told VIRs Hoang Oanh about the green development directions of Vietnams tourism industry.
Built to the highest global standards by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the almost 5-hectare site boasts an international standard conference venue and smart office building space for investment funds, major technology companies, startups, and other small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The new National Innovation Centre, Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park

The NIC prioritises several cutting-edge industrial sectors, such as smart factories, semiconductors, environmental technology, medical devices, digital communications, and cybersecurity. Providing smart buildings for sectors driving economic growth is an important part of progress towards net-zero emissions targets.

The smart digital solution provides real-time data and predictive insights that enable users to make smart decisions and operators to make timely maintenance plans.

Integrating automation and energy management systems can increase energy efficiency by 25-67 per cent, and reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions while improving workplace wellbeing.

Doan Van Hien, vice president of Electrification ABB Vietnam, said, This exciting project is supporting the Vietnamese governments net-zero objectives and providing safe, smart, sustainable electrification for the countrys nationally important buildings. ABB's innovative, energy-efficient solutions play a crucial role in making NIC Hoa Lac a smart building, cutting operational costs, and ensuring a safe working environment for its occupants.

The ABB Ability Energy Manager enables the NIC team to monitor and optimise energy consumption and emissions, contributing to operational cost savings and sustainability goals.

The smart digital solution provides real-time data and predictive insights that enable users to make smart decisions and operators to make timely maintenance plans.

The digital platform connects with ABBs smart power supply solutions for the NIC campus.

These include an innovative main distribution switchboard solution that ensures reliability and safety for the building and its occupants, as well as smart circuit breakers, multi-function meters, and contactors.

ABB Vietnam has a solid track record in providing power solutions for smart buildings in the country, supporting iconic projects such as the National Assembly Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Office, Army Television Tower, and Vincom Landmark 81  the tallest building in Southeast Asia.

Vietnams own innovation centre a defining concept The importance of innovation has never been more obvious. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung told VIRs Nguyen Huong about the development of the National Innovation Centre and support for innovation startups.

Plan approved to develop National Data Centre The Government on October 30 approved a development plan on the National Data Centre, expected to help Vietnam reach higher positions in the global e-Government, information technology, and cybersecurity rankings.
PepsiCo gains permission to build food factory in Ha Nam (Photo: VNA)

Ha Nam  The Peoples Committee of Ha Nam province on December 19 handed over an investment registration certificate to a PepsiCo food production project of the PepsiCo Vietnam Foods Company Limited to invest in Dong Van I industrial park in Duy Tien commune.

Covering an area of 80,000 sq.m, the project has a total investment capital of more than 2 trillion VND (82.2 million USD) with a capacity of over 23,000 tonnes of all kinds of snacks a year. The project is expected to complete construction in the third quarter of 2025.

Speaking at the conference, chairman of the provincial People's Committee Truong Quoc Huy said the project will actively contribute to improving the provinces industrial production value in particular and socio-economic development in general. He requested relevant departments and branches to create favourable conditions to help the company carry out administrative procedures as well as remove obstacles in the construction process.

The chairman also asked the company to focus on financial and human resources in order to implement the project on schedule and pay attention to vocational training and job creation for local labourers.

Nguyen Viet Ha, General Director of PepsiCo Vietnam Foods Company Limited, said the company will make efforts to implement the project on schedule.

The company will invest in expanding raw material areas in the locality and other northern provinces. The firm will also apply regenerative agriculture methods and digital technology, he added.
Israels ongoing war on Gaza is undoubtedly the defining political event of 2023. The entire political establishment has lined up behind Israel, justifying a brutal military campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinians (which has killed around 20,000 civilians so far) as self defence. While liberals, reformists and even some self-proclaimed communists parrot the rhetoric of the bourgeoisie, or descend into utopian moralising, genuine communists must boldly proclaim a revolutionary solution for the liberation of Palestine.

The IDF onslaught against Gaza has awakened an immense wave of anger among the masses around the world, with millions hitting the streets in protest. Comrades of the IMT have faced McCarthyite attacks from the establishment for our solidarity action for Palestine, yet we will not back down. It is the duty of communists to stand on the side of the oppressed: supporting the struggle for a Palestinian homeland, against Western imperialism-supported Israeli aggression.

But what does a genuine communist approach to Palestinian liberation look like? Where next for the solidarity movement?

For the final episode of 2023, the Spectre of Communism Podcast welcomes two speakers on this important topic: Khaled Malachi, a leading member of Socialist Appeal, the British section of the International Marxist Tendency (who has personal experience of state repression towards the Palestine solidarity movement); and Hamid Alizadeh, editor for marxist.com.

The podcast will be taking a short break over the New Year, but will return in January 2024 with a wealth of new and exciting content.

More articles on the current and historical situation in Israel and Palestine, as well as our comrades activities in the solidarity movement, are available here.

Pre-order In Defence of Lenin, a new biography by Rob Sewell and Alan Woods, today!

Listen and subscribe below

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Marxist.com Podcasts:

https://podcast.marxist.com/2023/12/19/palestine-a-communist-perspective/
Bia Saigon was honoured with the Best Key Visual and the Best 'Out of Home' Campaign Award for its 2023 Tet campaign, '63 is 1', developed by Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam.

The '63 is 1' collection consisted of 63 beer cans featuring signature images of scenery, culture, and customs from provinces and cities across the country, accompanied by a short quote. The special edition 64-can Saigon Beer box promoted the diverse cultural beauty of Vietnamese Tet, from every corner of Vietnam.

The campaign aimed to honour and promote Vietnamese cultural identity and values, one of the commitments of SABECO and Bia Saigon's '4C' sustainable development strategy, centred on 'Country', 'Culture', 'Conservation', and 'Consumption'.

Two days earlier, SABECO was honoured as being among the Top 20 Best Annual Reports, in the non-financial industry group, at the 16th annual Vietnam Listed Company Awards, in Nha Trang. The ceremony was co-hosted by the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, the Hanoi Stock Exchange, VIR, and Dragon Capital, with the participation of four top auditing and consulting firms to ensure accuracy and professionalism in the selection process.

After nearly six months of voting and analysing nearly 600 businesses listed on both exchanges, the awards committee selected more than 50 businesses across three categories, annual report, corporate governance, and sustainable development report.

In the annual report category, 116 businesses with the best annual reports were voted into the final round. The voting council selected 30 businesses with the best annual reports to be honoured, including 10 businesses in the finance industry group and 20 in the non-financial industry group.

SABECO is honoured to be among the Top 20 Best Annual Reports in the non-financial industry group

SABECO was also honoured to be in the Top 100 Sustainable Businesses in Vietnam for the first time. The ceremony was held in Hanoi by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development on December 13. The award is a comprehensive and objective testament to SABECO's relentless efforts in its journey of sustainable development in Vietnam.

SABECO has been implementing numerous environmental, social, and governance initiatives as part of its green growth goals, and the beer giant invested heavily in renewable energy projects in 2020 as part of its net-zero emissions by 2050 goal. After phase two of its solar-energy project, the entire rooftop solar power system installed in 17 out of 26 SABECO factories is expected to meet about 23 per cent of the electricity consumption of all SABECO factories, equivalent to saving 25 million kWh of electricity, and about 18,000 tonnes of carbon per year.

Besides this, SABECO has also started to use biomass fuel from plants, such as rice husks, sawdust, cashew shells, and leaves, instead of boilers burned by fossil fuels. The brewer has also reduced the amount of water used to produce beer from 5 litres in 2018, to under three litres in 2022, thanks to initiatives in wastewater collection and treatment, and improved packaging with thinner cans, lighter cartons, and reusing bottles to minimise the impact on the environment.

In addition, every year, SABECO gives out the 'Best beer production and management factory' award to promote factories that have adopted a sustainable development mindset in their production and business activities in line with the corporation's commitment to the national green growth goals.



Only the best for SABECOs sustainability direction Following the trends of sustainable development in the Vietnam and around the world, Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation, known as SABECO, is implementing related targets and campaigns not only for the business but also for the whole of society.

Vietnam Grand Sale 2023 kicks off with the contribution of SABECO The Vietnam Grand Sale 2023, which is an important solution to promote the domestic market and increase total retail sales, is supported by numerous businesses, including the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Company (SABECO).
Staff at Samut Sakhon Hospital explain medications to a migrant worker undergoing a medical checkup as part of the labour registration process in the province adjacent to Bangkok. (source:bangkokpost.com)

Bangkok  Thailands Ministry of Public Health has announced that its Health Insurance for Non-Thai People (Hint) system will debut on January 1, 2024, allowing stateless and non-Thai people to get access to healthcare coverage.



Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, the ministrys acting deputy permanent secretary, said the Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has a policy to improve access to health care in border areas, especially among non-Thai groups.

The Hint system offers quick registration, with processing time of just five minutes compared with a few weeks under the old system. It also allows non-Thai people who do not hold identification documents to register for treatment and coverage.



The system is linked with the ministrys financial data hub, which will enable hospitals to reimburse medical fees of non-Thais within 24 hours and can guarantee transfers in 15 days.

Thai government approves 225-million-USD scheme to tackle PM2.5 pollution Thailands government has greenlighted incentives worth 8 billion THB (225 million USD) for sugarcane farmers who agree to cut fresh sugarcane without burning the residue, a move aimed at helping reduce the amount of PM2.5 dust in the 2022-2023 harvest year.

Thailand announces new tax refund scheme to boost consumption Thailand has announced a new tax refund scheme to stimulate domestic spending and encourage the use of electronic invoices.
Singapore is a nation with a proven track record for trust-worthy business practices, peace, and prosperity for all. There were times when uncertainties loomed over it in 1965 as it gained the status of an independent sovereign nation, following which, it became the 117th member of the United Nations in September 1965.

Overcoming the challenges faced by its people, it has made landmark developments for a sustainable future. Vietnam and Singapore cherish their strong bilateral relations, which led to Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to Vietnam in August, further strengthening the strategic partnership between both countries.

The said visit marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years since the establishment of the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership.

Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park Quang Ngai is a bright spot that attracts foreign investment to the province

Singapore is geographically placed in the heart of the Southeast Asia, possessing one of the worlds busiest seaports and excellent airport infrastructure. As a core member of ASEAN, it is also credited for the establishment of numerous regional free trade zones, including ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand, ASEAN-China, and ASEAN-India.

The countrys efforts to create a smooth process for setting up businesses, high corporate governance standards, tax incentives, and other foreign-friendly policies make Singapore a global magnet for investors and an efficient gateway for ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

Vaibhav Saxena, lawyer at VILAF (left) and Quang Anh, associate at VILAF

Mutual partnership

Vietnam and Singapore have shared strong bilateral relations throughout history. Singapore was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973. In addition, in 1992, both countries signed a bilateral investment treaty.

In 2005, the nations also executed a connectivity framework agreement, with the primary aim of linking the production, trade, investment, and consumption stages with each other to create complementarity and combine the two economies' potential.

This created a favourable policy environment for businesses of the two countries to cooperate, promoting the bilateral relationship and supporting engagements with other countries.

Singapore Cooperation Centres are also engaged in supporting the expansion of capacity building activities.

Singaporean companies have expanded their investments in Vietnam in multiple industries, including logistics, infrastructure, and more. They are also active members of free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Bilateral trade between Singapore and Vietnam has been steadily rising over the last few years, thanks to the strategic partnership and free trade agreements. Vietnam was the 11th largest trading partner of Singapore, with bilateral trade clocked at $9.16 billion in 2022. This showed a rise of 11.7 per cent compared to 2021.

For the first six months of 2023, trade between the two nations reached $4.51 billion, equivalent to 49 per cent of 2022's total trade value.

Key exports from Singapore to Vietnam included iron, petroleum, and associates products, as well as computers, electronic goods and components, and beauty products, among others. Exports from Vietnam during this period were dominated by computers and electronics, electrical machinery and equipment, glass and associated products, mobile phones, vehicles, and spare parts.

In 2019, Singapore implemented the Global Connect programme to assist foreign companies and businesses investing in Vietnam. Since then, the scheme has helped more than 500 businesses and more than 400 projects in Vietnam, contributing to the expansion of investment.

During an official visit by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in early 2023, the two sides agreed to further foster political trust by increasing exchanges and implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Singapore has significant expertise in financial services, serving as a financial hub for the entire region. Banking and finance, real estate, international trade, and telecommunications are some of the country's most important sectors.

Vietnam currently has 153 ventures in Singapore, with a total registered capital of more than $690 million.

According to Vietnams Foreign Investment Agency, Singapore has 2,866 projects in Vietnam, totalling about $67.5 billion as of March 2022. Singaporean investors are seen placing their focus on the processing and manufacturing sectors, real estate, and electricity, which account for 82.2 per cent of Singapores total investment in Vietnam.

A clear example of business cooperation is the presence of Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks at various locations in Vietnam.

Over the first 8 months of this year, Vietnam remained a favourite location for Singaporean investors, reaffirming their confidence in the Vietnamese business climate. The period saw investment of $3.83 billion, making up just over 21 per cent of the country's total.

Future prospects

Vietnam aims to remain an ideal destination for foreign investors in general, and those from Singapore in particular.

An MoU on energy cooperation was signed in October 2022 for the import of 1.2GW of low-carbon electricity from Vietnam through a 1,000km-long high-voltage subsea cable. Singapore plans to increase this to 4GW by 2035.

At the Singapore Regional Business Forum on July 7, 12 MoUs were signed between Singapore and Vietnam to promote cooperation on investment, finance, logistics, education, and innovation.

To further strengthen bilateral relations, on August 28, PM Chinh and PM Loong witnessed the signing ceremonies for seven new cooperation agreements between ministries, branches, and authorities in the two countries.

These documents included agreements on study and thematic study programmes, the amendment of the Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity Framework Agreement, the Singapore-Vietnam Innovation Talent Exchange Programme, cooperation on education, skills, and labour development, and sustainable infrastructure development in Ho Chi Minh City.

The future remains bright, with commitments made and foundations laid for strategic-economic collaboration between Vietnam and Singapore.

Abundant potential for Vietnam-Singapore relations Vietnam and Singapore have been working closely to strengthen bilateral ties in the green and digital economy. Gan Kim Yong, Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, spoke with VIRs Minh Anh on the sidelines of the Singapore Week of Technology and Innovation 2023, about the next steps for bilateral relations.

Singaporean investors increasingly drawn to Vietnam Thanks to the open economic landscape and enormous growth potential in various sectors, Vietnam has always been on the list of favourable destinations for Singaporean investors, who have consistently been among the leaders in terms of foreign capital inflows into the country.
Vietnam has caught up with the worlds AI trend. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  With the development of several language models designed specifically for Vietnamese users like PhoGPT, Vietnam has caught up with the worlds AI trend, an expert from VinAI under Vingroup conglomerate said on December 19.

At the VinFuture Foundations forum themed AI: Transformation Opportunities and Challenges, Prof.Dr Bui Hai Hung, founding director of VinAI, highlighted that Vietnams generative AI features have allowed users to create contents in marketing and given them a great deal of support when they want to enrich their knowledge.

As the technology has an increasing impact on the society, it is necessary to capitalise on it and use it for good, he said, adding core technologies should be developed so as to develop new tools that are suitable for Vietnams language and culture.

Dr. Xuedong Huang, Chief Technology Officer at Zoom, said that AI is an incomplete model, therefore it is necessary to develop a content filtering system to ensure the right content for the society.

Meanwhile, Prof.Leslie Gabriel Valiant from Harvard University stressed that since AI is only bad if it is used for bad purpose, people should join hands to control and safely use the technology instead of giving the control to computers.

Discussing the boom of AI and its impact on everyday life, other worlds leading experts in the field said 2023 is a breakout year for AI  a new factor that shapes up the global socio-economy.

AI chatbots is a popular source of information for millions of people, while OpenAIs ChatGPT reaches 100 million users just two months after launching, they said, adding the development of the GPT-3 (2022) and GPT-4 (2023) marks a major milestone in the implementation of AI.

Enterprises and research organisations could take advantage of AI to improve their productivity and reduce the researching time, thus saving production cost and creating an interesting and competitive working environment; however, it is just the best-case scenario, they said.

The technology has posed formidable challenges in ethics, security and equal access, especially when AIs massive capacity is controlled by a minority group, experts elaborated.

Besides, they added that AI is billed as a profound threat since some 300 million people across the globe may lose jobs to this technology as said by economists from Goldman Sachs Group, a leading global investment banking, securities, and investment management firm in the US.

The VinFuture Foundation, established on the International Human Solidarity Day on December 20th, 2020, is a non-profit organisation co-founded by Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife, Pham Thu Huong. The Foundation's core activity is awarding the annual VinFuture Prize, which recognises transformative scientific and technological innovations capable of making significant positive changes in the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Ericsson and RMIT University to establish AI Lab in Vietnam Ericsson and RMIT University have elevated their cooperation to a new height with an agreement signed on August 18 for the launch of the RMIT & Ericsson AI Lab at RMIT's campus in Hanoi.

Vietnam seeks to develop sustainable AI ecosystem Government officials, experts and businesses gathered at Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Festival (AI4VN 2023) in Ho Chi Minh City on September 21-22 to promote the development of a sustainable AI ecosystem in the country.

The future of banking: Unleashing AI Phillip L. Wright, COO of HSBC Vietnam, scrutinises the future of banking leveraged by the power of AI.

AI: unstoppable trend of the future At MMA Impact Vietnam 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City on October 26, MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart spoke to VIRs Bich Ngoc about integrating AI into marketing and branding activities.

VSMCamp 2023 focusses on AI The Chief Sales and Marketing Officer (CSMO) Association of Vietnam, in partnership with Le Bros, held the 7th edition of the National Sales and Marketing Congress (VSMCamp) and the CSMOSummit on November 24-25.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong (R) and President of Udon Thani Rajabhat University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khanisara Thansunthornsakun. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong hosted a reception in Hanoi on December 28 for a delegation of Thailands Udon Thani Rajabhat University led by its President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khanisara Thansunthornsakun.

Phuong commended the universitys establishment of a centre of Vietnamese studies in November on the occasion of the universitys 100th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership, calling it a meaningful event in politics and culture.



The legislator expressed his hope that the centre will not only perform its education-training tasks, but also contribute to deepening the cultural relations between the two countries.



For her part, Thansunthornsakun briefed the hosts on cooperation between the university and educational institutions in Da Nang city, and Quang Tri, Thai Nguyen and Dien Bien provinces, adding that 20 Vietnamese students are studying at the university, and 80 Thai students are studying the Vietnamese language.



To date, the school has trained nearly 300 students who have Vietnamese language proficiency, contributing to promoting the friendship between the two countries, she said.



On this occasion, the NA Vice Chairman presented the Thai university with a set of books by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and others, with the hope that its students will have an insight into the land, people, culture, reform and development of Vietnam.
Many businesses in the sector have already secured export orders, mostly small, for the first quarter (Q1) of next year when the shopping season in Vietnams key export markets such as the EU and US begins.

Tran Hoai Huu, director of Gia Nhien Co., Ltd. based in Ho Chi Minh Citys Binh Thanh district, said. "We have successfully finalised export orders serving the year-end festive occasions and in November, we began receiving orders for Q1 next year."

Exports have seen an improvement by leveraging certain support factors such as increased trade promotion and a better-than-expected recovery of the global economy.

According to Tran Quoc Manh, chairman of Saigon Trade and Production Development Corporation (Sadaco), like many firms, Sadaco was expecting a sharp decline in its order intake and revenue this year.

The company, however, saw a rebound and many workshops have resumed production at 60-80 per cent of their capacity, which has been a positive signal on the threshold of the new year.

To Dang Trung, director of Cung Viet Co., Ltd. (Curvetta) based in the southern province of Binh Duong, however, assumed that exports of wood and wooden furniture would see a rebound, even though the process has been rather slow, and furniture is being sold at low prices.

Luckily, material costs went down slightly in the later months of the year, so that Curvetta, as well as other firms in the sector, have hopefully been able to maintain profit levels as they have been in previous years, said Trung.

Our firm finalised presenting new products to customers in the UK and Spain several months ago. The success of orders comes to about 80 per cent or more. We expect about a 40-50 per cent jump in the number of export orders in Q1 of 2024, compared to the same period last year, Trung added.

Exports have seen an improvement by leveraging certain support factors such as increased trade promotion and a better-than-expected recovery of the global economy.

The pace of the rebound, however, is slow, and the situation is forecast to remain so for the foreseeable future. This has meant businesses in the sector have put their pricing policies at the top of their agendas.

Price is decisive in securing export orders, said Huu from Gia Nhien, adding, "We offer loyal customers competitive price schemes, whereas new customers are offered these discounts depending on the order value."

Similarly, Trung from Curvetta, said, "We offer a 20 per cent discount to customers buying from 10 containers full of products, and a 35 per cent discount for those buying from between 4050 containers."

Garment firms look to brighter horizon Vietnam's textiles sector could be facing brighter prospects this year as, despite the overall gloomy forecast for the global economy for 2023, local producers are aiming to meet the growing demand for clothes in the international market.

Production revamp wanted in woodwork Vietnam is becoming a destination for many woodworking machinery manufacturers seeking to cement partnerships with local partners.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP)  Investigators were looking for evidence Wednesday of what caused a news helicopter to crash in the New Jersey Pinelands the night before, killing the pilot and photographer on board.

Chopper 6 from WPVI-TV in Philadelphia was returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when it went down Tuesday night in a section of Wharton State Forest in Washington Township, Burlington County, authorities said.

The TV station said the crash occurred around 8 p.m. The New Jersey State Park Police said they were notified of a helicopter that had gone missing shortly before 11 p.m.

Wednesday afternoon, the station identified the pilot as 67-year-old Monroe Smith of Glenside, Pennsylvania, and the photographer as 45-year-old Christopher Dougherty of Oreland, Pennsylvania.

During a live report in which she choked up with emotion, reporter Maggie Kent told of speaking with colleagues of the crew members at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, where the chopper was based.

They are described as the best guys that you would want to know, on the job for decades, she said. They are highly skilled in what they do. They loved their craft.

Earlier in the day, reporter Katherine Scott spoke on air about the loss of her colleagues.

Our hearts are just broken for these men," she said. "They're broken for their families. We just can't believe this has happened.

The TV station said the chopper took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport before 7:30 p.m. and the crew flew to an assignment near Galloway Township, not far from the Jersey Shore outside Atlantic City. Flight tracker data shows the helicopters altitude dropping while returning to Philadelphia, and it was last airborne over Wharton State Forest.

A state troopers cruiser idled Wednesday near the forested scene, where paved roads turn to gravel and signs advised that motor vehicles were restricted from entering the area near the forest.

The site is part of the New Jersey Pinelands, a million-acre wilderness area that stretches across more than seven counties and features dense woods, rivers and rare plant species.

Video taken from a WTXF-TV helicopter over the wreckage site showed scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the crash site at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday and took control of the investigation.

An officer with the park police found the wreckage shortly after midnight, said George Fedorczyk, chief of the department.

Due to the remote location of the scene and the limited visibility, it was determined at that point that the investigation would be suspended until sometime after daybreak, he said at a morning news conference Wednesday. Know that our thoughts are with the pilots, their families and the media community.

WPVI-TV reported that it leases the helicopter from U.S. Helicopters Inc., which is based in North Carolina. In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the company said, We deeply sympathize with their families and share in their grief as a result of this tragic event.

Emails seeking comment were sent Wednesday to New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police and the FAA.

There have been other deadly helicopter crashes involving staff from television stations in the United States. Among them was a July 2007 crash, when two helicopters from KNXV-TV and KTVK-TV collided over Phoenix while covering a police chase. Four people  both pilots and two photographers  were killed.

In November, a pilot and a meteorologist who worked for a North Carolina television station died when a news helicopter crashed along a Charlotte-area interstate, with police praising the pilot for heroically avoiding the road in his final moments.

Follow Wayne Parry on X, formerly Twitter, at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina's election board threw out on Tuesday a voter's challenge to keep former President Donald Trump off the March presidential primary ballots that argues that the Constitution disqualifies Trump because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The State Board of Elections, composed of three Democrats and two Republicans, voted 4-1 to dismiss the candidate challenge made by Brian Martin, of Stokes County. The majority determined that it lacked the authority in state law to consider such a challenge. The rejection of the challenge could be appealed to state court.

Martin, a business consultant and retired lawyer, wrote that Trump wasn't qualified to be president because he violated a section of the 14th Amendment that bars from office anyone who once took an oath to uphold the Constitution but then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it. The provision was used primarily after the Civil War to keep former Confederates out of government.

Trump opponents argue the section applies to the ex-president for his part in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and encouraging his backers to storm the U.S. Capitol. Late Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court cited the section in declaring that Trump is ineligible for the White House and removed him from that state's primary ballot. The ruling could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

North Carolina board members said earlier Tuesday that their ruling didn't prevent someone from trying to challenge Trump's candidacy for the general election should he win the GOP nomination, WRAL-TV reported. Siobhan Millen, a Democrat and the lone vote against dismissing the challenge, said the board was hiding behind a technicality to avoid the issue now.

The dismissal came as the state board gave initial approval to names of the presidential candidates that will be on the March 5 primary ballots for the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties.

The board approved the candidates offered by party leaders earlier this month. The board will meet Jan. 2, when they may consider additional names before ballots are printed.

State law directed the parties earlier this month to provide lists that must have candidates whose candidacy is generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina.

The state Democratic Party listed only President Joe Biden. Other announced candidates like U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and Marianne Williamson were omitted.

In addition to Trump, the state GOP's letter identified Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy. The Libertarian Party listed 10 names for their presidential primary ballot.

The Green Party and the No Labels Party also are official parties in North Carolina. They can offer presidential tickets in 2024 to place on the general election ballots.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  The city of Sioux Falls has decided to spend $55,000 to evaluate a menagerie of taxidermy animals contaminated by arsenic that fill a now-closed natural history museum at the states largest zoo.

The contract was approved Monday by a working group that was created after a backlash to the Delbridge Museum's closure, The Argus Leader reports.

Issues arose in August when nearly 80% of the museum's specimens tested positive for detectable levels of arsenic.

Community and museum taxidermy experts argued that the arsenic risk was overblown. Older taxidermy specimens are frequently displayed, experts say, with museums taking precautions like using special vacuums to clean them  or encasing them in glass. But Sioux Falls officials have expressed concerns about the cost.

The situation is complicated by a morass of state and federal laws that limit what can be done with the mounts. One issue is that the collection includes 53 endangered species, according to zoo officials, and under federal law and international laws they are protected  even in death.

The contract with A.M. Art Conservation will bring a project team of five people, described by Great Plains Zoo CEO Becky Dewitz as experts from the natural history museum world, to Sioux Falls for five days to assess the condition of the museum and its specimens.

They would inspect the mounts and speak with staff before issuing a report that would outline the condition of the mounts, the techniques used to care for them, which ones need more treatment, how much that treatment could cost, and overall recommendations for restoring or replacing them.

But thats going to take a while, Dewitz said. The earliest the team could visit Sioux Falls is sometime in late January, with a report expected 60 days after their visit.

The group also discussed a $1 million estimate for removing the mounts, storing them for 6-12 months, working on mitigating the arsenic and creating new dioramas for the pieces  which they said would come to a little under $1 million. Thats assuming a considerable chunk of the mounts, at least 25%, are beyond saving.

Costs from putting the specimens behind glass were not included, Dewitz added. Previously, she's said the price of that, plus improved ventilation in whichever space the mounts are displayed, could be upward of $3 million.

The group also discussed the viability of donating the collection, or parts of it, to a new owner  a plan that faces some hurdles in state law.

Currently, county or municipal museum collections can be given to certain nonprofit organizations  but they must remain within South Dakota and the new caretaker could not themselves dispose of the collection.

Councilor Alex Jensen said hes had conversations with state legislators about working on a legislative amendment that could allow for the donation of the collection.

As for the mounts themselves, consulting attorney James Moore is working on a legal opinion about whether they are able to put them in storage while these various options get sorted out  something Dewitz seemed eager to do, citing the increased space for indoor recreation shed have if the animals were not all sitting unused inside the museum.
Multiple Central Texas police agencies collaborated early Wednesday to make arrests after an effort to recover a stolen car turned into a 37-mile high-speed chase on I-35.

According to an arrest affidavit, officers with the Lacy Lakeview Police Department began chatting online Tuesday night with a person who admitted to possessing a stolen 2021 Dodge Charger and who was looking to sell it for $2,500. Officers arranged the meet the seller in the 1700 block of I-35 in Bellmead to conduct the sale.

Officers from Lacy Lakeview, Bellmead, Waco and the McLennan County Sheriffs Office were waiting when the Charger arrived just after 11:30 p.m., the affidavit says. Officers attempted to contain the stolen vehicle, but the Charger sped up and nearly hit several patrol cars as it maneuvered around the parking lot and escaped onto I-35, the affidavit says.

According to the affidavit, the Charger then turned off its lights and reached 150 mph in an attempt to escape north on Interstate 35. As the car reached the county line, police contacted officers with the Hillsboro Police Department and the Hill County Sheriffs Office to assist with stopping the chase.

The pursuit ended at the 371 mile marker north of Hillsboro, just south of the split for I-35E and I-35W.

The driver of the vehicle, 17-year-old Adrian Garcia, was arrested and charged with evading arrest and theft of property, both third-degree felonies. The passenger was also arrested, but the name and charges were not included in the affidavit because the passenger is a minor.

Garcia remained in the McLennan County Jail on $10,000 bond Wednesday afternoon. The affidavit says the minor was transported to the Bill Logue Juvenile Justice Center in Waco.
All three candidates in the wide-open November election for House District 56 named the southern border, education and Bosque River water quality among top campaign priorities, though the two Republicans and one Democrat have their own approaches to each issue.

The seat representing most of McLennan County in the state Legislature is without an incumbent candidate for the first time in at least 20 years, after Rep. Charles Doc Anderson announced in September he would retire at the end of his term. Anderson has held the position since unseating Democratic incumbent John Mabry in 2004.

Pat Curry and Devvie Duke, the two Republican candidates, will face one another in the March 5 primary. Each has gained the support of a major Texas Republican figure, with Gov. Greg Abbott endorsing Curry and Attorney General Ken Paxton endorsing Duke. Anderson also announced his endorsement of Duke on Tuesday.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Erin Shank in the Nov. 5 general election.

Pat Curry

Curry, a Waco businessman, was the first to throw his hat in the ring. He announced his campaign in September only a few days before Anderson announced his retirement. Curry was born and raised in Waco, and was highly involved in the revitalization of Central Freight Lines in the 1990s, according to his campaign website.

Curry has also owned Rabroker Air Conditioning and Plumbing in Hewitt and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Centers. Curry said his experience as a business owner and leading thousands of employees would translate well into the Legislature, and pledged to be an accountable public servant.

We need more businessmen in political positions, Curry said. I dont know all the issues down there. And Im not going to sit here and pretend like I do. I promise you one thing, when I dig into an issue, Ill study it hard and Ill know when I walk in the room what I think about it. Ill listen to what people say and make a decision. What Ill also do is be accountable. I will come back here when I make a vote on something, Ill come back here and explain the vote. And Ill explain why it affects McLennan County in this way, and why I did what I did. And Ill back it up.

Curry said the primary issue he is focused on is Bosque River water pollution. Earlier this year, many of Wacos civic leaders raised alarm as the Legislature considered House Bill 2827, which aimed to remove regulations for dairy farmers along the Bosque River watershed. The Bosque River is the main source of water for Lake Waco, and many local leaders said the bill would lead to increased pollution of Wacos water supply.

Anderson unsuccessfully tried to hold up the bill with a procedural move before the House took it up and approved it, and he voted against it on the floor. Rep. Angelia Orr, whose District 13 includes Bosque County and parts of McLennan County, voted in favor of the legislation.

After the House approved the bill, it died in committee in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. Sen. Brian Birdwell, whose District 22 includes McLennan and Bosque counties and who chairs the Senate committee where the bill landed, declined to schedule a committee hearing on the measure before the legislative session ended.

While Curry said he is pro-business and supports the right of the dairy farmers to conduct their business, he said a solution must be found that benefits both sides. He said he will try and accomplish this without passing new legislation, and suggested looking to diversify Wacos water sources as a possible solution to the issue.

Curry also said he will be focused on fixing the issues at the southern border, problems he said he sees firsthand owning a ranch near the Texas-Mexico border. Curry said it is not an immigration issue, but rather a human trafficking and national security issue, and that the influx of border crossings under the Biden administration is funding cartels in Mexico.

Thats why its not an immigration problem, Curry said. The immigration problem is that our federal government has not properly put in the facilities nor the people to process these people. But, have them stand in line, have them come and be processed or be checked out and decide whether they should be allowed to come in or not. If they are, then give them a tax number, let them come in and let them go to work. We are a country of immigrants.

Curry also said he supports the education savings account bill, or vouchers bill, that has recently been pushed by Abbott. The proposal, which has divided the Republican party and so far failed to pass through multiple special sessions called for the purpose, would provide state money to at least partially pay tuition at private schools.

Curry said school choice has always existed for public schools and parents should have the option for private schools if they so wish. Curry said he believes the current bill would be a good test of the program, as only 25,000 students would be eligible for vouchers.

Curry also said he heavily supported the inclusion of pay raises for teachers in the bill, and said if elected, he plans to push for public school funding as well.

Im certainly supportive of education savings accounts, as long as it gets passed with the proper funding for schools as well, Curry said. I dont want to take money away from public schools to do this test in this program.

Devvie Duke

Duke was formerly the president of the McLennan County Republican Women, and is a member of the State Republican Executive Committee. A grassroots organizer, Duke said her experience in local Republican leadership, which often entailed traveling to Austin to testify on pending bills, makes becoming an elected representative the natural next step in her political journey.

Duke said under her leadership, the McLennan County Republican Women became one of the largest chapters in the Texas Federation of Republican Women. On the State Republican Executive Committee, Duke serves as chair of the election integrity committee as well as chair of the legislative workgroup for election integrity, and said all of this experience with the Legislature sets her up perfectly for a position in the House.

Duke said election integrity will remain one of her hot-button issues if elected, with border security also being near the top of her priority list. Duke said the unsecured border has led to increased human trafficking and drug overdose deaths.

Duke also said she is focused on solving the Bosque water issue. She said McLennan County needs to diversify and increase its water sources, and said the regulations put into effect 20 years ago to protect Lake Waco need to stay in effect.

Sometimes in legislation, we have to make sure they dont undo good things, Duke said. We need to innovate and increase our water capacity as the population has grown so much. Thats still a statewide problem. Population has grown everywhere in Texas.

Duke also said she wants to see the school voucher program work without having further regulations imposed on public or charter schools.

I want freedom of choice for kids to go to school wherever their parents want them to go, Duke said. I dont want to see them restricted by their ZIP code, and that needs to apply to everybody.

Duke criticized Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, as working too much with Democrats, and said too many Republicans in Austin are focused on working through Democratic priorities instead of Republican ones.

If elected, Duke said she would be focused on passing conservative legislation.

Im the only true conservative choice in the county, Duke said. Austins really broken. And when we put conservatives in office, we expect them to get conservative legislation passed. If youre the majority, youre the majority. Im sure theres going to be some compromising that has to go on, but I look for Republicans to lead.

Erin Shank

Shank is a bankruptcy lawyer and former teacher who unsuccessfully ran against Anderson in the 2022 election, garnering 29.8% of the vote to Andersons 70.2%. Shank touted her experience with the law and representing clients, and said her opponents do not have experience representing constituents.

I believe it is time that McLennan County is represented by someone who is experienced with representing people and knows how to study laws and write laws and can hit the ground running, Shank said. We have been represented by a retired veterinarian for 20 years in a role in which he had never represented people before that and didnt have any experience in law. And I think its very important because I think we have lost a lot in the last 20 years and we need to catch up.

Shank also said it is important to have a candidate who listens to the wishes of voters in the county, which she said Anderson had previously not done.

That is the most important thing that McLennan County will get with me, because I dont care what party tells me to vote for something, Shank said. If it is wrong for Waco and McLennan County, I will vote against it, absolutely. Because Im not there for what the party said. Im there for whats the best for my community who Im representing: House District 56.

Reforming immigration and fixing the Bosque water issue are at the top of Shanks list of priorities if elected. Shank said the current immigration laws are broken, and even though immigration is a federal issue, the Texas Legislature should be involved in the process since Texas is the state with the longest border with Mexico.

Shank said Texas should stop trying to sue the Biden administration and instead try to come together to reach a consensus on immigration. She also said migrants who apply for asylum should be allowed to work while their applications are pending, and that the applications need to be processed quicker.

Shank also took aim at the education savings account bill, which she referred to as the voucher scam. She said vouchers would negatively affect McLennan County schools, and that the majority of students in the county are enrolled in public schools.

If elected, she said her focus would be on advocating for teacher pay raises and increased funding for public schools.

We got 31 billion extra dollars, lets pay our teachers, Shank said. Thats the most important job we have, is making sure theres a well-educated generation to follow us.

While Shank is running in a solidly red district and was handily defeated in her last race, she said she learned a lot from her first campaign and remains confident she could garner enough support to flip the seat. She said her last campaign taught her how to be a candidate, and she will apply what she learned last time to this race.

Shank said she plans to conduct a block walking program and several voter registration drives to get people ready for the election, and also wants to speak with constituents to better understand the issues.
Instagram is  among many other things  the home of inspiring messages. Youve seen the one about the journey, not the destination, right?

As much as you want that to be true, it doesnt apply to growing a thriving Instagram page. The journey matters, sure, but its the destination youre after. Yours isnt a sunny beach with beautiful seashells and a fruity cocktail. Its the peak of Mount Instagram.

You need a high follower count and an impressive engagement rate to make it happen.

Unfortunately, youre thwarted by numerous obstacles along your path. Active users consider who deserves a follow more carefully than ever, and the Instagram algorithm also stands in your way. Unless you can show social proof (a lot of IG followers!), your chances of being discovered through the explore page are slim and organic followers wont find you.

So, what should ambitious future Instagram users, brands, and small business owners do to build their Instagram presence? Buying real Instagram followers is one common solution. It works  often better than you could imagine  but only if you get Insta followers from a reputable growth service.

Discover where to buy IG followers in this post, and get one step closer to your destination!

You deserve the best: Where to buy Instagram followers

This list covers all the largest and best sites to buy authentic followers, as well as some newcomers and not so great options.

Where should you go if you want to boost your engagement rate, build brand awareness, and reach the explore page as soon as possible?

Our favorites are:

1. Buzzoid  A highly-experienced Instagram growth service that sells high-quality followers at affordable prices.

2. Twicsy  A great team focused on quality and customer service at low rates, with numerous unique follower packages.

3. Rushmax  A wonderful Instagram service with instant delivery, even if you need a lot of followers today.

4. InstaPort  A successful and reputable site that connects you with real people genuinely interested in your brand.

If youre gonna buy Instagram followers, you may as well do it from the best. Why settle for less when these four sites offer everything you need at very reasonable rates?

Choose one of these services, and you know you wont have problems with fake followers or slow delivery. Remember that destination we talked about earlier? Its success, and youre nearly there!

20 best sites to buy Instagram followers (real)

As one of the earliest Instagram growth services on the web, Buzzoid has an insane amount of experience  just to rub it in, Buzzoid has been supplying real Instagram followers, creating happy customers, and turning active users into Instagram influencers since 2011.

Some important things people exploring Buzzoid should know include:

Buzzoid offers Instagram follower packages that deliver between 100 and 20,000 followers in the same order. You can place repeat orders and get a total of 100,000 IG followers within a month.

You can pick from high-quality and premium followers. Both are good, but premium followers have more regular Instagram posts and tend to have a lot of followers themselves.

Buzzoids affordable prices prove that you dont always get what you pay for  sometimes you get more.

You can buy Instagram likes, comments, and views from Buzzoid for a total engagement rate explosion!

One final thing  if any of your Buzzoid IG followers unfollow you, Buzzoid automatically sends you new followers, with no need to contact their customer support team!

Twicsy is another giant in the Instagram growth industry. The team behind Twicys success (and, soon, yours?) knows everything there is to know about the Instagram algorithm, keeping up with all changes to consistently deliver you the kinds of Insta followers who can build brand awareness for you.

Connecting with your target audience is infinitely easier if you work with Twicsy, which offers two types of Insta followers. All of Twicys followers are real people, but pick active followers if you need to boost your engagement rate to the max. (Or choose a mix of both and go for balance in all things!) If you want, Twicsy also offers likes, views, and comments.

In addition to the quality of Twicsys Insta followers, the affordable prices, multiple payment methods, and friendly customer support team make Twicsy as great as it is.

You might have worked out  the hard way  that Instagram mainly boosts active users with high follower counts. As a small fry, youre unlikely to start trending and reach the explore page. Rushmax, one of the leading Instagram services in the US, can help you solve that problem. Not next year, not six months from now, but today!

Rushmax always delivers high-quality followers who stick around. Theyre all real users with active accounts and great Instagram posts. People looking for active followers in their target audience should check out Rushmaxs premium followers to build better brand awareness.

Oh yes, heres another crucial detail: Rushmax has close to instant delivery, so youll never wait long before your new followers show up.

By the way, people hoping to build a presence on multiple social networks should know Rushmax sells services for TikTok and YouTube, too, plus other Instagram services, including likes and views.

4. InstaPort

InstaPort is a spectacularly efficient service that guarantees real Instagram followers will be delivered within 24 hours. Are you ready for the Instagram algorithm to take you to the explore page? Do you want to boost hashtags or get more interactions on your Instagram Stories and posts? InstaPorts high-quality Instagram followers will be with you every step of the way.

The follower packages InstaPort has include huge ones  10,000 followers on the same day! Yes, all are real people relevant to your Instagram page, and InstaPort has competitive prices.

Customers who prefer paying by PayPal or Bitcoin have no trouble with InstaPort, but they accept credit cards as well.

5. Emerge IG

Emerge IGs Insta followers are active users who can take your Instagram page to the next level without a wait. This Instagram service has a straightforward approach because it only offers one follower type and three follower counts  100, 500, or 1,000. You can place as many orders as you want, though (just not on the same day), and your genuine followers always arrive within 24 hours.

6. Space Bunny Social Marketing

Although Space Bunny Social Marketing is a different kind of service, it still deserves a spot on this list. This digital marketing agency is dedicated to all things social media, and Instagram services are just a portion of what they do.

Buying real Instagram followers from Space Bunny Social Marketing may be a good idea if youre also hiring them to overhaul your brand design and marketing strategy for social media platforms. Theyll connect you with real followers in their network, but the service is only meant for small business owners.

7. InstaWave

InstaWave sells genuine followers that generally arrive within a day (but some may be a little late). This service is best for people hoping to become Instagram influencers with a broad target audience because they dont let you select specific follower types.

Thanks to its affordable prices, InstaWave is one of the best places for cheap Instagram followers.

8. ViralFollowers

ViralFollowers is another option to consider if you want to buy authentic followers at low rates. Their IG followers arent necessarily super active users, but ViralFollowers doesnt use bot accounts, which could put your Instagram profile at risk. These IG followers provide a quick boost to your follower count.

9. Phoenix Social

Phoenix Social sells growth services for various social media platforms. Buy Instagram followers from them if you want a service that doesnt scam you with fake accounts but you think your purchased followers dont need to be part of a specific target audience. This service has good rates and accepts Bitcoin.

10. IGnite

Ready to pour some fuel on the flames of popularity and gain social proof? IGnite is a solid Instagram growth service that sells two types of IG followers  regular and active Instagram followers. Their fast delivery times are commendable, too.

Theres only one reason IGnite isnt much higher up the list, and thats prices. IGnite charges too much for its services, and once you know there are cheaper places to buy IG followers that are just as good, youll have little use for them.

11. Instatrendz

You can get your Insta followers from Instatrendz if youre looking for unusual follower numbers, which other sites dont offer. For example, you can buy just 10 followers if you like. That kind of service can be helpful for people who just made an Instagram account and dont want to arouse suspicion. However, Buzzoid offers 100 followers for the same price.

12. Socialroll

Socialroll offers some cost-effective Instagram follower packages, especially for active users buying under 1,000 followers a month. The prices go up if you want a lot of followers in one day, but new users can benefit from this service.

13. InstaSpree

InstaSpree is a safe and secure way to buy Insta followers. They accept payment via cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin) and never need to know more about you than your Instagram username. The followers you get include active users and people who barely post, but theyre all real people.

InstaSpree has a responsive customer service team that replies within 30 minutes, and you can easily buy up to 5,000 new followers today with this service.

14. Apex IG Marketing

Apex IG offers a basic follower plan and premium followers. The basic Insta followers arent really worth it  they dont have bios or profile pictures. The premium followers are OK and can be yours for pretty good rates.

Customers should know that Apex IG only accepts credit cards at this time, and your authentic Instagram followers can take over 24 hours to join you.

15. Growth Expert

Whether you have a new Instagram profile or are trying to build brand awareness, having a lot of followers is the best way to increase the chance that your quality content gets seen. Growth Expert can help you with that.

They supply cheap followers reliably, and depending on how many you order, you wont wait for more than 48 hours.

16. InstaSpice

Having a high follower count is the easiest way to get discovered on Instagram. Have you been pining for the explore page? You could try buying real Instagram followers from InstaSpice, where you can also buy likes and views.

Unfortunately, theres no easy way to get in touch with them. If there are any issues with your follower packages, youll have to send an email and wait for a reply.

17. EZFollo

EZFollo allows you to buy 20 to 2,000 Instagram followers. This service offers very small follower packages, which is enticing for some because its best to start with slow growth when you have a new Instagram page.

Theyve also launched a new service, where they supply Instagram comments via AI. This can help you break through the noise and increase your engagement rate. Sadly, prices are a little steep.

18. REAL Instagram Followers Now

Were sorry to say that this particular Instagram growth agency feels like its trying to jump on a trend. With two follower packages (regular and plus) that dont seem to be different at all, they mimic better services poorly. The Insta followers this site sends your way are real people, but they dont necessarily have active accounts.

19. Insta Lux

Insta Lux sells cheap Instagram followers and makes all the right promises. You can buy a large number of followers for discount prices. Unfortunately, these Instagram followers dont stay with you, and if you complain, they dont refill despite a guarantee. This is why we cannot recommend Insta Lux as one of the best sites to buy real Instagram followers.

20. Followgram

Followgram promises to deliver high-quality followers, but in reality, you can expect people with random accounts from all over the world. These followers arent part of your target audience and may not even have completed their bios or made any Instagram posts.

This provided content was produced by Lee Enterprises. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display.
REINBECK  A seasoned New York state banking executive will take over as Lincoln Savings Banks new chief executive officer Dec. 29.

Sean Willett served as chief administrative officer at Five Star Bank, a $6.1 billion institution in western New York, before accepting the Reinbeck-based banks top job, according to a news release.

Hell replace Erik Skovgard, a University of Northern Iowa graduate who resigned in June after having been CEO since 2014 and with Lincoln since 1994.

Willett has more than 25 years of experience in both traditional core banking and emerging fintech models. Hell relocate to the Cedar Valley with his wife and three children.

Emily Girsch, executive vice president since 2009 and chief financial officer since 2007, had been serving as interim CEO since Skovgards resignation. Girsch will return to her previous role.

I am honored and excited to lead Lincoln Savings Bank into the next phase of its journey, Willett said in a statement. I am committed to building upon the solid foundation that Emily Girsch and the entire team have established. Together, we will drive profitability, growth, and continued success for our employees, customers, and shareholders.

The bank said Willetts hiring comes after a comprehensive search involving Travillian, a national executive recruiting firm. Willett was chosen for his proven track record in revenue growth, operational efficiency, and financial profitability aligning seamlessly with the Lincoln Savings Bank goals.

The metro and rural customer demographics closely resemble those of Seans current clientele, the release stated. Seans strategic expertise, robust operations background, and digital experience, coupled with his commitment to talent development, customer satisfaction, and community service position him as the ideal candidate to lead Lincoln Savings Bank into the future, the release continued.

According to his LinkedIn page, Skovgard founded Skovgard Consulting in July. The website describes it as a firm offering strategic planning and business management consulting services with expertise in fintech and BAAS (banking as a service).

Lincoln Savings Bank controls $1.8 billion in assets and has 400 employees, Skovgard had previously said. It has 17 branches, one in Waterloo and two in Cedar Falls as well as in Nashua, Reinbeck and Hudson.

Close Flags fly outside a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Trump 2024 teddy bears are seen at a vendor stand before a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. A vendor moves his cart outside a former President Donald Trump's commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Supporters wait to enter a former President Donald Trump's commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Alex R. of Fairfax, Va., waits to enter a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Alex R. of Fairfax, Va., waits to enter a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. PHOTOS: Trump supporters await former president's arrival in Waterloo, Iowa Former President Donald Trump is making his second stop this year in Waterloo on Tuesday. The 45th president, who is vying for a second term, is holding a Commit to Caucus event less than a month before the Iowa caucuses Jan. 15. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Waterloo Convention Center. The doors opened at 3 p.m. Flags fly outside a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Trump 2024 teddy bears are seen at a vendor stand before a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. A vendor moves his cart outside a former President Donald Trump's commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Supporters wait to enter a former President Donald Trump's commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Alex R. of Fairfax, Va., waits to enter a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo. Alex R. of Fairfax, Va., waits to enter a former President Donald Trump commit to caucus rally Tuesday in Waterloo.
A former Waterloo Community Schools educator who was fired after police found three pounds of marijuana at her home is entitled to jobless benefits, a judge has ruled.

According to state records, Amy Garrison-Perkins was employed by the Waterloo Community School District as a behavior interventionist at Expo Alternative High School earlier this year.

In September, police went to the school and served a search warrant on Garrison-Perkins in connection with a search of her home. Garrison-Perkins allegedly informed the districts chief human resources officer that she had a medical-marijuana card, officially known as a Medical Cannabidiol Registration Card, and that because it was too expensive to legally purchase the product from vendors, she was growing marijuana at home.

Garrison-Perkins allegedly told district officials she was authorized to have four grams of medical marijuana in connection with her medical prescription, but that law enforcement had removed three pounds of marijuana from her home.

Under the terms in which Iowas Medical Cannabidiol Registration Cards are provided, Garrison-Perkins was prohibited from possessing cannabidiol in any form that could be smoked or eaten.

Several weeks after the search took place, Black Hawk County prosecutors charged Garrison-Perkins in October with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. Court records indicate police executed the search warrant at her home after spotting five marijuana plants that were plainly visible in her backyard. A jury trial is scheduled for January.

The district fired Garrison-Perkins, and she subsequently applied for unemployment benefits. After a hearing dealing with that application, Administrative Law Judge James Timberland noted that the district had no policies applying to off-duty conduct, and that Garrison-Perkins actions did not involve the school, students or staff.

Timberland awarded Perkins unemployment benefits, adding that the decision in no manner condones the claimants off-duty misconduct.

Photos: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigns in Waterloo, Dec. 19 Trump Waterloo 1 Trump Waterloo 2 Trump Waterloo 3 Trump Waterloo 4 Trump Waterloo 5 Trump Waterloo 6 Trump Waterloo 7 Trump Waterloo 8 Trump Waterloo 9 Trump Waterloo 10 Trump Waterloo 11 Trump Waterloo 12
WATERLOO  Less than an hour before former President Donald Trump took the stage for a rally Tuesday night, his supporters in the crowd received news alerts that he is barred from Colorados presidential primary ballot.

But the former president and 2024 Republican front-runner kept his focus solely on issues important to Iowans. He did not address the breaking news while speaking before hundreds of people at the Waterloo Convention Center.

The Colorado Supreme Court cited the 14th Amendments insurrectionist clause, which bans politicians from taking office if they engaged in insurrection. The states highest court ruled Trump instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The decision is likely to be appealed.

Doug Kruger of Waterloo didnt know the details of the courts decision, but was adamant Iowa would not take Trumps name off of the ballot.

Its not even close, he said. Iowa is a very red state.

Trump leads the Iowa contest by a huge margin in the most recent poll that asked which candidate caucusgoers plan to support.

In a Dec. 11 Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, Trump has the majority of support at 51%. Holding second place is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 19%. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is at 16%.

Steve Grimm of Waterloo also plans on caucusing for Trump. He caucused for him in 2016, and he and his wife, Margo, voted for him in 2016 and 2020.

I just wanna make America great again, no matter what it takes, Grimm said. It did happen under Trump. It was a great start. And when Biden came into power, he destroyed a lot of that.

The event was intended to persuade attendees to commit to caucus for Trump on Jan. 15. With Iowas first-in-the-nation status, Trump focused much of his speech on issues specific to the state.

His remarks focused on trade, farming and ethanol. He slammed DeSantis, as well as President Joe Biden.

Trump said while he was in office he reworked the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he called the worst trade deal ever made, into the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, or the best trade deal ever made. He also said he gave billions of dollars to farmers from tariffs from China, although those tariffs were paid by Americans.

He called himself Iowas savior when it comes to ethanol.

No one gets abused  worse than American agriculture, yet no other president lifted a finger for you, Trump said. Under my leadership, we will have a great rebirth of loyalty to the American farmer and loyalty to the American flag.

He said DeSantis, whom he called Ron Desanctimonious the entire night, wants to bankrupt farmers.

He spent his entire political career vindictively trying to kill the ethanol industry, voting again and again to devastate Iowa farmers by eliminating the billions of dollars generated each year from ethanol and wiping out 48,000 Iowa jobs, Trump said. He voted against it. I will be your ethanol champion for four more years.

As for the current president, Trump said farmers are the last people on Bidens mind after China, Ukraine, undocumented immigrants and environmental maniacs.

Another issue important to Iowans, according to several people at the rally, is immigration and border security. After the event, Nikki Williams of Clarence said she liked the idea of Trumps border wall.

Doug Kruger did not hesitate to say the most important issue to him is border security. He believes an influx of immigrants will result in chaos.

(The border) is how the physical war to take over this country will happen, he said. We already know they are not refugees. Theyre military of-age men.

Trump said if elected he would reverse open border policies. He said people crossing the border are ruining the U.S., and responded to growing criticism of his anti-immigrant blood purity rhetoric over the weekend.

Its destroying the blood of our country, he said. They dont like it when I say that, and Ive never read Mein Kampf. They said, Oh, Hitler said that. But in a much different way.

Trump reiterated his stance that there is no way to know if undocumented immigrants are healthy, and they could bring diseases into the country.

He said what happens in November will determine whether or not we even have a country left. But Trump has faith in his supporters.

With your vote this election, together were going to save America, he said. Were going to bring our country back from hell.

Photos: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigns in Waterloo, Dec. 19 Trump Waterloo 1 Trump Waterloo 2 Trump Waterloo 3 Trump Waterloo 4 Trump Waterloo 5 Trump Waterloo 6 Trump Waterloo 7 Trump Waterloo 8 Trump Waterloo 9 Trump Waterloo 10 Trump Waterloo 11 Trump Waterloo 12
WATERLOO  UScellular donated $5,000 worth of needed items to the Youth Art Team for the holiday season.

The donation included furniture, apparel and art supplies to support the organization's mission to bring together students from a variety of backgrounds and life situations to complete exceptional works of art through a process that values student voices in decision making.

Items included four vintage library chairs, branded beanies for a holiday party and art supplies that include big drawing pads, mechanical drawing pencils, printer ink, sketchbooks, sponges and white erasers.

This is among 40 "Gift of Connection" nonprofit donations to organizations across the country in honor of UScellular's 40th anniversary.

Saving for your kids' college education? Everything you need to know about 529 plans Saving for your kids' college education? Everything you need to know about 529 plans
The man charged in a Monday slaying in Mason City has a violent criminal record dating back to at least 1996, including previous charges of robbery and attempted murder.

Frederick Joseph Olson, 51, is accused in the beating death of Leroy White, 63, at Olsons home at 1916 S. Grover Ave.

According to the Mason City Police Department, officers conducted a welfare check around 1:26 p.m. Monday at the residence, and found Whites body upon entering the home.

The police report alleges Olson assaulted White, causing Whites death. Olson is being held at the Cerro Gordo County Jail without bail on felony first-degree murder charges. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison in Iowa.

Olson was last released from prison in November 2022 and completed parole in April.

In addition to the murder count filed Monday, Olson is awaiting trial for previous charges, the most recent a Nov. 27 arrest for eluding and operating while intoxicated.

According to court documents, troopers attempted to stop Olson for a traffic violation in Cerro Gordo County. The defendant refused to pull over and sped away. Olson traveled several city blocks before driving over a curb and into a yard. He told troopers he just got nervous and did not want to get into trouble again. Olson said he did not know why he ran.

The defendant stated that he just told himself f*** it, I am going to try and get my truck back to my property so it doesnt get towed.

Court documents say Olson had red blood-shot watery eyes, constricted pupils, and was very hyper active and restlessness. He consented to field sobriety tests and showed indications of intoxication, but a preliminary breath sample measured .000. A drug expert evaluation determined Olson was impaired by drugs. He refused to provide a urine sample for chemical testing.

The earliest arrest charge on Olsons rap sheet is a domestic abuse charge from 1996.

According to Globe Gazette files, he found trouble again in December 2000 when he was arrested on several counts in a Mitchell County burglary at the Carpenter Bar and Grill, including assault on a peace officer.

Olson was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2010 for assaulting a correctional officer at BeJe Clark Residential Facility.

He was arrested again in a December 2012 burglary at Dugans Supermarket in Rockwell.

In August of 2013 he was charged with attempted murder in a Mason City stabbing. He was eventually sentenced in 2015 to a maximum of 15 years in prison for the break-in at Dugans Supermarket. It was part of a plea agreement to resolve three separate cases including the stabbing.

That agreement was later vacated on appeal in 2017. But Olson had since been sentenced in 2016 to up to 10 years in prison for striking a corrections officer and dealing meth.

The investigation of Mondays killing was assisted by The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office and the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force Special Operations Group.

Police are asking that anyone with any information regarding the crime call (641) 421-3636.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has made eminent domain one of his top campaign issues in Iowa. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Republican presidential contenders are generally against using eminent domain to build carbon dioxide pipelines in Iowa, according to their public statements in recent months and information their campaigns have provided to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

The issue is a regional dispute that has gained wider attention as the candidates seek Iowans votes in the upcoming first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Three such pipeline have been proposed in Iowa in recent years. One of the projects failed amid regulatory setbacks but two others are pending.

Summit Carbon Solutions is the furthest along in its permitting process in Iowa. Final arguments about its permit are due next month, after which the Iowa Utilities Board will decide whether to approve the project and the companys use of eminent domain to obtain land easements for about a quarter of its nearly 700-mile route in the state.

Many of those who oppose the project argue that eminent domain is improper because the pipeline system doesnt serve a sufficient public benefit. There are also those who are ambivalent about the pipeline projects themselves but who still oppose their use of eminent domain.

Nearly 80% of Iowans oppose the use of eminent domain for the pipelines, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll in March, and its an issue that is being raised at presidential campaign events.

In a July appearance in Council Bluffs, former President Donald Trump appeared unprepared to field a question about the pipeline situation.

Well, you know, were working on that, Trump said. And you know, we had a plan to totally  its such a ridiculous situation isnt it? But we had a plan, and we would have instituted that plan. It was all ready, but we will get it right away. If we win, thats going to be taken care of. That will be one of the easy things we do.

His campaign did not respond to a request to comment further about the issue.

Trump has a commanding lead among Iowas likely Republican caucusgoers, according to a recent Iowa Poll. About 51% say he is their top pick.

His closest contenders  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who are the top picks of 19% and 16% of likely voters  have said the use of eminent domain should be avoided for the projects.

There is a narrow role for eminent domain for things that are of really significant public use, DeSantis said in Garner in August, according to Radio Iowa . I mean, it has been used for highways. I would use it for the border wall down south if need be, but that would be kind of last resort.

In September, Haley told Radio Iowa she supports the pipeline concepts for their potential to help the ethanol industry but that eminent domain should not be used to build them.

I want us to be energy dominant, and I think we do that by having an all-of-the-above energy approach, but we have to always be respectful of the rights and freedoms of hardworking Americans, Haley said.

Summits pipeline system would span five states and would transport captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to North Dakota for underground storage. The project would enable the company and ethanol producers to also capture generous federal tax credits for sequestering the greenhouse gas and for producing low-carbon fuels.

Ethanol producers would further benefit from the ability to sell their fuels in low-carbon markets.

Opposition to the pipelines and the state rules that regulate them has grown over time. The Republican-controlled Iowa House of Representatives approved legislation to restrict the use of eminent domain for the projects in its last legislative session. And despite recent federal court rulings that said Iowa counties do not have the power regulate the pipeline routes, more counties are considering pipeline ordinances and are prepared for a legal fight. Kossuth County adopted such an ordinance last week.

Presidential candidate Ryan Binkley, a Texas pastor and businessman, announced his opposition to the pipeline projects in September. He called Summits project a controversial approach to fight climate change with technology that has produced inconsistent results.

Ive met with hundreds of people on this issue, Binkley said. Only one person I met with has been in favor of it, and they work for an ethanol company. A few companies stand to make a lot of money from this pipeline.

His opposition to the projects appears to have had little effect on his support among caucusgoers. About 0% of Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll respondents listed Binkley as their top pick.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, is polling at 5% and recently took up the pipeline issue in opposition of eminent domain. He insinuated that the candidates he trails in the polls are reluctant to speak strongly against the projects  which he said serve no legitimate purpose  because of donations they have received from pro-pipeline groups. Similar accusations have been leveled against some of the states elected officials.

Every politician dances to the tune of their biggest donor, Ramaswamy said at an event early this month with the Free Soil Coalition.

He called for the Iowa Utilities Board to deny eminent domain for Summits $5.5 billion project and said the boards ruling should be challenged in court if it doesnt. Ramaswamy further said that, as president, he would bar the federal tax credits for companies that use eminent domain.

These projects are illegal and unconstitutional under settled law, he said.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association  which advocates for the ethanol industry and supports the pipeline projects  released a lengthy rebuttal to Ramaswamys position on the pipeline projects, which it said is driven by politics and is just an attempt at clickbait for his campaign.

The association said Ramaswamys disdain for carbon dioxide pipelines is at odds with his support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which was blocked by President Joe Biden.

Keystone is a private, foreign-owned, for-profit entity that is using eminent domain to secure its route, said Monte Shaw, the associations executive director. Any politician who touts support for the Keystone XL pipeline while attacking carbon pipelines in Iowa on the basis of protecting property rights is nothing more than a hypocrite.

Candidate Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, also said eminent domain isnt appropriate for the projects.

Instead, a fair negotiation process should be employed, and if landowners do not agree, pipeline builders should seek alternative routes, Hutchinson told Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he has spoken to one of the Fianna Fail councillors in Co Galway who had criticised Government policy on migration.

The exchange took place after a suspected arson attack at the weekend on a disused hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway, where 70 asylum seekers were to stay from Thursday.

Fianna Fail councillor Noel Thomas said in the aftermath that he did not condone the suspected attack on the Ross Lake House Hotel, but said Ireland should stop accepting asylum seekers because the inn is full.

Mr Martin cited the comments of Co Galway Fianna Fail TD Eamon O Cuiv, who argued there was room at the inn, in the form of an empty hotel that could have housed people before it was damaged.

The Fianna Fail leader said he had spoken to Mr Thomas and had tried to get in touch with another councillor, Seamus Walsh, who had criticised the Government policy as senseless, to tell them that he disagreed with their views.

I have spoken to one of the councillors and endeavoured to speak to the other, (but) didnt make contact, he said.

I rang (Mr Walsh), in fairness, I made a call  he may not have identified my number on his phone  I may not be on his list. I rang councillor Noel Thomas, the party has subsequently spoken to councillor Walsh.

He added: I do not agree with what those councillors have said, I take strong issue with the nuance and the implications of what they said.

I spoke to councillor Noel Thomas and I made that very clear that there can be no implication, no nuance, around a criminal attack on a building, on a property.

To be fair, he was clear to me that he was making no implication, but nonetheless he did make comments to the effect that the attack was as a result of Government policy.

The Government plan had been the subject of local opposition and demonstrators blocked the entrance to the hotel on Saturday in protest.

Those due to be housed in Rosscahill were among the approximately 200 applicants who are without an offer of state accommodation.

The Government has struggled to meet its international obligations to house asylum seekers, and said its plans to limit State supports for Ukrainian nationals arriving from February are expected to limit numbers arriving in Ireland.

The suspected arson attack in Rosscahill also follows a clear pattern of attacks on other accommodation centres for asylum seekers this year, according to the Irish Refugee Council.

Mr Martin said that the absolutely unacceptable comments of the councillors also follows a pattern of similar commentary in the Dail.

Those comments were absolutely unacceptable in my view, and the nuance and also the implication in both councillor Walshs and councillor Thomas commentary, which weve heard from other TDs in the Dail, that there is a link somewhere between migrants and bad behaviour or criminality.

I think that has to be, in my view, completely knocked on the head and ruled out. Thats unacceptable kind of talk or language. Theres no evidence base for that at all and I really took issue with that implication.

He added that Brexit had offered a lesson in pursuing knee-jerk policies in response to a surge in migration.

He said that this attempt to control migration had not limited the numbers going to the UK, adding that the number of people moving between countries was ultimately a function of how the world is working or not working.

Asked about repercussions for the councillors, Mr Martin said he wouldnt pre-empt the review process.

There is a process in place and natural justice applies, but its a very rigorous process and it has been used in the past. We will continue to review the situation.
Tomas Hernandez JD'13

Tomas Hernandez JD13 embarked on his legal journey with a genuine passion for making a difference in peoples lives. Transitioning out of active duty in the army, he sought out a career that would enable him to make an impact. He settled on pursuing a career as a lawyer,though his law school experience at Willamette Law was anything but typical. While already balancing a family, including a newborn, Hernandez was deployed in his second year. He displayed an unwavering commitment to return to his legal education after 14 months of deployment.

Upon graduating, Hernandez wasted no time building an impressive career. He joined Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) as a staff attorney and immersed himself in the learning process of a new lawyer, gaining valuable insight into the intricacies of becoming a practicing attorney. In this role, he focused on assisting low-income community members who might otherwise be unable to access legal representation. Throughout this time, making a difference in peoples lives by breaking down barriers to legal services remained Hernandezs primary goal.

Venturing into private practice, Hernandez worked in immigration law for a number of years before returning as a director for LASO. Reflecting on his career, Hernandez treasures the individual people he impacted. Notably, the cases that come to mind when Hernandez thinks about his career highlights involve his not only helping to represent clients in their legal cases, but also going above and beyond to ensure his clients maintained their dignity.

His commitment to helping others extended beyond just his clients to the local legal community. Hernandez was dedicated to mentoring new and future lawyers, especially through the Oregon State Bar and Willamette Laws Attorney Mentor Program. His commitment to supporting law students and guiding them on their legal journeys earned him the law schools Mentor of the Year award in 2021.

In reflecting on the importance of mentoring law students, Hernandez shares, Students need role models and they need to know that they can accomplish their goals, particularly from someone who has walked the same journey. My aim was always to provide encouragement and support.

Returning to his alma mater as the Associate Director for Career Planning and Development felt like a natural step for Hernandez. He was able to jump in and make an impact immediately, keeping him focused on his long-time career goal of helping others. He made it a point to get to know students and find new ways to get them engaged with the Office of Career Planning & Development (OCPD).

Almost immediately, I looked into student engagement to see how students were interacting with OCPD. I wanted to see what the trends were and how I could make an impact with the students, particularly engaging with our BIPOC students in a meaningful way, he says.

For Brooke Trujillo JD23, Hernandez has been a mentor to her since her second year of law school. She also worked with Hernandez when she was a law clerk at LASO. The dedication he had to supporting others and his work ethic were contagious. Trujillo shares that Hernandezs guidance and mentorship have impacted my legal career tremendously. When it came to applying for jobs, or even just believing in her own capabilities, Trujillo was consistently motivated by Hernandez.

As for his impact on the law school community, Trujillo says that Hernandez doesnt just try to help students achieve their goals, but he tries to connect with them as well. He is knowledgeable, honest, and gives constructive feedback.

Patrick Le JD24 found a mentor in Hernandez following a challenging 1L year of law school. When the prospect of entering the legal field seemed daunting, Hernandez was able to work with Le to better explore and define his interests within law. He also helped Le feel that he was part of a community. Le says, he graciously welcomed me into the Oregon legal community, connecting me with numerous outstanding mentors.

Recognizing Hernandezs significant impact during his first year at Willamette Law, he has been appointed to the role of Assistant Dean of Career Planning & Development. In this new position, Hernandez is determined to enhance programming for students, with a primary goal of building partnerships with local nonprofit and community organizations. He is also focused on strengthening the College of Laws Pro Bono Honors Program.

Willamette Law Dean Brian Gallini is looking forward to how Hernandez will make an impact for students. He shares, we are lucky to have Dean Hernandez in this new role. He brings a student-centric philosophy alongside an admirable passion for ensuring that we are serving the whole student. I look forward to the many contributions Dean Hernandez will no doubt make to our community.

This new role marks a full circle moment for Hernandez. From the outset of his career, his focus was always on helping others. Now, he has the opportunity to guide aspiring law students in discovering the myriad ways they can positively impact others.
Keep going and you get Lucky 13!

12th package of sanctions on Russias war of aggression against Ukraine: additional 61 individuals and 86 entities included in the EUs sanctions list

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/12/18/12th-package-of-sanctions-on-russia-s-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-additional-61-individuals-and-86-entities-included-in-the-eu-s-sanctions-list/

As part of the comprehensive twelfth package of sanctions adopted earlier today, the Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 61 individuals and 86 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Todays new listings target primarily the military and defence sectors. The Council is listing more than 40 companies taking part in the Russian military industrial complex, 7 Russian private military companies and one of their founders, 12 Belarusian individuals involved in the military support to Russias war against Ukraine, and further Russian officials and Russian businesspersons in the defence sector.

Furthermore, restrictive measures will apply to important economic actors: AlfaStrakhovanie Group, one of the biggest insurance companies in Russia, Rosfinmonitoring, the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring, four telecom companies in the territories of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied: LLC Mirtelecom, LLC SC Lyukstrans, JSC Krymtelecom, and JSC Beto and further Russian businesspersons.

Among the listed individuals and entities, there are also 14 members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, and 2 members of regional commissions which have been responsible for organising illegal referenda in 2022 and the so-called illegal elections in September 2023 in the territories of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied, along with those responsible for the military re-education of Ukrainian children, including the movement Volunteers of Victory, the Avangard Center and the Crimea Patriot Centre.

Lastly, listings will also cover the Russian IT sector, 2 entities and 2 individuals responsible for circumventing EU sanctions, as well as actors spreading disinformation and propaganda in support of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, including Tsargrad TV Channel, and Spas TV Channel, Russian propaganda media outlets.

The Council also extended the listing criteria so as to include individuals and entities responsible for the forced take-over of EU companies established in Russia, and those benefiting from it. Moreover, the Council set out the conditions for the possibility to maintain deceased persons on the list if it considers there is a likelihood that the assets concerned would otherwise be used to finance Russias war of aggression against Ukraine or other actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to almost 1 950 individuals and entities altogether. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.

The relevant legal acts, including the names of the listed individuals and entities, have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Background

In the European Council conclusions of 26-27 October 2023, the EU reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter and reaffirmed the EUs unwavering support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression.

The European Union will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.

Can we make it, Lucky 13?

WtR

12-sanctions  PDF Zippy Yippy Dippy
After the European Union approved the 12th sanctions package against Russia , 18,772 illegal restrictive measures were introduced.

European states act under the dictation of the United States and primarily harm their citizens.

The eurozone economy is forecast to contract within six months. This means a recession  the first since the coronavirus pandemic.

As one of the leading American publications admits, Washington hoped that the departure of Western companies would help strangle the Russian economy. But the Russian leadership had other plans and turned the boycott of Western companies into success for the state.

Western companies that announced their withdrawal from our country lost more than $103 billion .

This money remained in Russia.

By the way, by the end of the year, our countrys GDP growth will be 3.5%.
The nonprofit in Wisconsin Dells that helps provide food and household goods to district families held its seventh holiday event last weekend.

Happy Kids Network hosted the Holiday Market in the commons at Wisconsin Dells High School from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. The set up was different than in past years, with families lined up and sent in individually to pick out goods of their choosing. Along with food, toiletries and toys were also available. All items were free.

The new set up was designed to ensure that an equal amount of goods were available for later-day shoppers, Happy Kids Network vice president Autumn Giddings said. There were roughly 20 percent more shoppers this year than in 2022, she added.

We are trying, as always, because it is our mission, to create equity amongst the families of the School District of Wisconsin Dells, to show that equity, even at our Holiday Market, Giddings said. They were being brought in as we could handle them and as they could be taken care of.

Volunteers for the nonprofit worked for nearly 15 hours on Saturday after working five hours the previous day. Giddings said the organization is seeking more volunteers, and that the shortage was more noticeable with the higher traffic this year.

Happy Kids Network volunteering Anyone interested in volunteering with Happy Kids Network can either email wdfits@gmail.com or send Happy Kids Network a message on Facebook Messenger.

We put, very literally, another 15 hours of prep and cleanup work into it as volunteers, Giddings said.

The first three hours of the Holiday Market has always been full during past years, she added, but volunteers usually get a break to restock around 2:30 to 3 p.m. That was about 5 p.m. this year. Despite the volunteer challenges, Giddings called this years event a major success, with more donors funding or donating items than in years past.

The Happy Kids Network also provides food items for The Market at Wisconsin Dells High School, which has free food for district children. It is open on from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday before closing for winter break. The Market will reopen on at 4 p.m. Jan. 4.

The usage keeps growing, even within our daily market, Giddings said, referring to increased shoppers at The Market.
A conservative law firm filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the State Bar of Wisconsin's diversity clerkship program unconstitutionally discriminates based on race.

The program offers summer internships for first-year law school students at top law firms, private companies and government offices. Past participants have included Alliant Energy, Froedrert Health, the Kohler Co., the city of Madison, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the state Department of Corrections.

The lawsuit is the latest of its kind to be filed across the country targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the private and public sectors after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring that race cannot be a factor.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the latest lawsuit targeting the bar association's internship program. It argues that the bar is violating the equal protection rights of law students by operating the program that is not open to all law school students and classifies applicants based on race.

The lawsuit also argues that the bar, by collecting mandatory fees from members that help pay for the program, is violating the free speech and free association rights of those who object to having their dues used this way.

The State Bar of Wisconsin is a mandatory professional association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for all attorneys who hold a law license in the state. It has about 25,000 members.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of eastern Wisconsin, seeks a ruling preventing the bar association from unconstitutionally administering or promoting the internship program.

Larry J. Martin, executive director of the State Bar of Wisconsin, promised to vigorously defend the program which he said the organization has long considered an important tool to support Wisconsin law school students.

Neither race nor ethnicity is an eligibility factor or requirement for purposes of participation," he said in a statement.

On its website, the bar association says the program is for University of Wisconsin and Marquette University law school students with backgrounds that have been historically excluded from the legal field. But the lawsuit alleges that is a new focus and that the program has historically been touted as a way to increase racial diversity among attorneys at law firms, private companies and in government.

About 600 internships have been created under the program since it began 30 years ago, according to the bar association.

Internships are competitive  as they should be," Daniel Suhr, an attorney and bar association member represented by WILL in the lawsuit, said in a statement. But when one group is given preferential treatment over the other to apply for these programs, the programs lose competitiveness and hurt all Americans.

Suhr said he objects to his annual dues being used to fund the program.

Opposition has been growing among Republican legislative leaders to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Google has agreed to pay consumers $630 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had constrained competition against its Android app store  the same issue that went to trial in another case.



Although Google struck the deal with state attorneys general in September, the settlements terms werent revealed until late Monday in documents filed in San Francisco federal court. The disclosure came a week after a federal court jury rebuked Google for deploying anticompetitive tactics in its Play Store for Android apps.

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The settlement with the states includes $630 million to compensate U.S. consumers funneled into a payment processing system that state attorneys general alleged drove up prices for digital transactions within apps downloaded from the Android-based Play Store.

Eligible consumers will receive at least $2, according to the settlement, and may get additional payments based on their spending in the Play Store from Aug. 16, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2023. The estimated 102 million U.S. consumers who made in-app purchases during that time are supposed to be automatically notified about options to receive their cut of the money.

Another $70 million of the pretrial settlement covers the penalties and other costs that Google is being forced to pay to the states. The agreement is more than 25 times the $23 million consolidated settlement earlier this year of class action privacy lawsuits going back a decade.

States wanted to ask $10.5 billion in court

Although Google is forking over a sizable sum, its a fraction of the $10.5 billion in damages that the attorneys general planned to seek from the company if the case had gone to trial.



Like Apple does in its App store, Google collects commissions ranging from 15 percent to 30 percent on in-app purchases. State attorneys general contended those fees drove prices higher for consumers than they would have been in an open market for payment processing. Those commissions generated billions of dollars in profit annually for Google, according to evidence presented in the recent trial focused on its Play Store.

Google agreed to make other changes to make it easier for consumers for the next five years to install Android apps from outlets other than its Play Store. It will refrain from issuing as many security warnings, or scare screens, when alternative choices are being used.

The makers of Android apps will also gain more flexibility to offer alternative payment choices to consumers instead of having transactions automatically processed through the Play Store and its commission system. Apps will be able to promote lower prices available to consumers who choose an alternative to the Play Stores payment processing.

Androids phones are tops worldwide, not so in U.S.

Worldwide, more than 7 in 10 mobile phones use an Android operating system, according to Statcounter Global Stats. In the U.S., nearly 6 in 10 smartphones use Apple software.


PromarkerD to be available in Chile in expanded deal with Omics Global Solutions



PromarkerD licence with Omics Global extended to Chile

Perth, Dec 20, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ) is pleased to announce the signing of a licence agreement to expand PromarkerD's reach in Central and South America.



The deal with long-standing partner Omics Global Solutions (Omics) will see the predictive test for diabetic kidney disease made available in the Republic of Chile, which is home to 1.7 million adults with diabetes.



- Proteomics International has signed a licence agreement for the sale of the PromarkerD predictive test for diabetic kidney disease in Chile



- Deal expands a long-standing partnership with biotechnology company Omics Global Solutions



- In Chile, 1.7 million adults, or 12.7% of the adult population, lives with diabetes



- Omics now targeting other markets in Central and South America



Almost one in eight adults in Chile have diabetes, where the number of people with the condition has risen almost 50 per cent in the past ten years.



Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe said it was fantastic to expand the collaboration with Omics. "The company was the first licence partner for PromarkerD (sold as Innovatio ND2), launching the test in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic ahead of entry to the United States market. We are delighted to be expanding the relationship with Omics to bring the test to patients in South America."



The licence with Omics Global Solutions is for five years, extendable by mutual agreement, and exclusive to Chile. The licence agreement also includes commercially agreed royalties based on sales of the test, which Omics manufactures under licence. The agreement is also subject to standard terms and conditions (including confidentiality and the parties continuing to comply with their obligations) and warranties typical for a document of its type. As for any novel test, market penetration cannot be reliably predicted, hence for the new market it is not possible to reliably quantify the potential financial impact on Proteomics International in any given timeframe.



The test will initially be targeted at Chile's private payer market. Omics is also targeting expansion into other markets in Central and South America.



Omics General Manager, Luben Ron said the company was delighted to bring the PromarkerD test to more patients in Latin America. "Our vision is to introduce innovative diagnostic products that help health professionals intervene early and save lives," he said. "We are pleased to be working with Proteomics International to improve quality of life for people living with diabetes in Central and South America."



About PromarkerD (www.PromarkerD.com)



Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious complication arising from diabetes which if unchecked can lead to dialysis or kidney transplant. PromarkerD is a prognostic test that can predict future kidney function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes and no existing DKD. The patented PromarkerD test system uses a simple blood test to detect a unique 'fingerprint' of the early onset of the disease by measuring three serum protein biomarkers, combined with three routinely available conventional clinical variables (age, HDLcholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)). A cloud-based algorithm integrates the results into a patient risk report. In clinical studies published in leading journals PromarkerD correctly predicted up to 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who went on to develop diabetic kidney disease within four years. Further information is available through the PromarkerD web portal.



To visit the PromarkerD virtual booth please see:

https://www.PromarkerD.com/product



About Omics Global Solutions



Omics Global Solutions (OGS) vision is to serve as a platform to develop and commercialise innovative diagnostic products based on the "omics" sciences (proteomics, genomics, etc.) to have an impact on the lives of patients, and medical professionals involved with their treatment. Located in Puerto Rico (USA) it seeks to serve the population of the Latin American and the Caribbean.





About Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd





Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company at the forefront of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The Company specialises in the area of proteomics - the industrial scale study of the structure and function of proteins. Proteomics International's mission is to improve the quality of lives by the creation and application of innovative tools that enable the improved treatment of disease.

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Charlie Sheen's former wife is reportedly 'leaning on family' while she is in a program to deal with her struggle and co-parenting her children with ex-husband.

Dec 20, 2023

AceShowbiz - Brooke Mueller is rumored to be in a 12-step programme she is "really liking." The actress, 46, is reportedly in the scheme to help her fight addiction, which was also infamously suffered by her 58-year-old former husband Charlie Sheen - whom she married in 2008 and with whom she had 14-year-old twins Max and Bob.

Brooke is "currently in a program" and she "really likes it," according to sources close to Charlie's ex told Page Six. The insider added, "It seems to be working for her."

Brooke is also said to have been "leaning on family" while co-parenting her 14-year-old twins with Charlie. She made a rare appearance in New York earlier this year, where she attended her sister Sidney's wedding at Cipriani Wall St.

The actress was said to be "all good and happy" while hanging out with family friend skincare guru Peter Thomas Roth, 66, who she previously dated in 2016.

In a new interview with People, Charlie claimed he was a "single dad," and said Brooke "was not in the picture too much right now." But sources told Page Six Brooke is "very much in the picture," and that her focus these days is on her sobriety and being present for her boys. An insider also said she has even introduced the twins to surfing and music.

"Platoon" actor Charlie and Brooke divorced in 2011, the same year he was fired by "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre, 71, in 2011. This week, Charlie insinuated Brooke is now uninvolved in parenting their boys. He has told People, "I've mostly been raising my 14-year-old boys. Their mom has been trying to figure some stuff out on her end, so she's not in the picture too much right now."

But one of Brooke's friends told Page Six Brooke is far from "out of the picture" when it comes to parenting her and Charlie's kids. The insider said the pair's youngsters split their time between Charlie and Brooke. They added the boys are living with Charlie in Malibu because Brooke is waiting for her own new Malibu home to be ready after a move.

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The 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' actor is seen going for a stroll in New York City less than 24 hours less than 24 hours after he was found guilty of harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.

Dec 20, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jonathan Majors is seemingly unbothered by his guilty verdict. Just less than 24 hours after he was found guilty of harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, the "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" villain enjoyed a me-time in New York City.

The 34-year-old was spotted grabbing coffee solo in the Big Apple on Tuesday, December 19. For the outing, he opted to go with a red plaid shirt, a matching red beanie, grey and pink pants and white sneakers that he paired with sunglasses and a long, black trench coat.

Jonathan's girlfriend, Meagan Good, was noticeably absent during the afternoon stroll. Whereas, she'd been by his side throughout his assault trial.

The "Creed III" star has been convicted of two misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault of his ex-partner Grace. Majors was also found not guilty of one count of intentional assault in the third degree and one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree.

Jonathan was arrested on March 25 on assault and harassment charges, after Grace accused him of assaulting her in the backseat of a private car after she took his phone to read a text message he had received from another woman. She alleged the star forcefully took his phone back from her, causing an "excruciating" injury to her right middle finger. She also said when she got out of the car Jonathan hit her on the back of her head and then tried to force her back into the car, causing a cut behind her right ear.

Jonathan denied he assaulted Grace and his defense team alleged she was the aggressor when she took his phone. During the actor's nearly two-week trial, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office released a series of texts between him and Grace, as well as an audio recording that was used as evidence.

It included messages in which Jonathan seemingly attempted to persuade Grace not to go to the hospital following a head injury and another in which the actor threatened suicide. In the audio, Jonathan told Grace she needs to act like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama because he's "a great man" who is "doing great things, not just for me, but for my culture and the world."

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After the 'Like a Prayer' songstress apparently turned down the gig, the 'Born to Run' rocker is approached by the festival organizers to make a comeback at the event.

Dec 21, 2023

AceShowbiz - Bruce Springsteen is said to be in talks to headline next year's Glastonbury. The "Born to Run" rocker, 74, topped the festival and has reportedly been tapped up by organizers Michael and Emily Eavis to make a comeback at the event in Worthy Farm, Somerset, after Madonna, 65, apparently pulled out of the running.

A source told The Sun, "Bruce has a jam-packed summer schedule but after Michael and Emily failed to secure Madonna, they have been in talks with him. Bruce was sensational at BST Hyde Park and they think he is the perfect booking for Glastonbury."

"Talks with his team are ongoing and the Eavis' hope they can come to an agreement. Bruce headlined in 2009 and joined Sir Paul McCartney during his set in 2022 and now he is keen to return with his E Street Band. The organisers know they need to book someone with the same legendary status and gravitas as Madge, and Bruce would be ideal," the source added.

Bruce has had recent form for huge U.K. gigs, playing a three-hour set during his headline set at BST Hyde Park in London in July. Also in the running to headline Glastonbury 2024 are Dua Lipa and Coldplay, who are also set to take slots on the festival's Pyramid Stage on the last weekend of June.

The Sun reported earlier this year Dua, 28, and Coldplay have already signed up, but claimed the costs of hosting Madonna was the reason she never signed up for next year's festival.

Bruce is set to kick off the European leg of his world tour in Wales on May 5 and his last show before Glastonbury is in Nijmegen in the Netherlands on Thursday June 27. His schedule would just leave him time to play Glastonbury before he gets back on stage on July 2, when he is set to play in Werchter, Belgium.

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The Cassie Howard depicter reveals she and her co-stars on the raunchy HBO show were left devastated by the shocking death of Angus on July 31 from an accidental overdose.

Dec 21, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sydney Sweeney couldn't stop crying after the death of her "Euphoria" co-star Angus Cloud. The 26-year-old actress made her name playing popular highly-strung high schooler Cassie Howard on the raunchy HBO show alongside Angus, and she has now said she and her fellow stars on the series were left so devastated when he died on July 31 from an accidental overdose aged 25 at his family home in Oakland, California they kept weeping on phone calls with each other.

Sydney told Glamour U.K. magazine's December digital issue about their reaction to Angus' passing, "(My co-stars and I) were constantly on the phone with each other crying, because it was just such a shock. I don't think it'll truly feel real or hit me until we're filming and I won't see Angus on set. (At least) when we are filming, all of our eyes are on each other and we're there for each other, just in a different way than we're able to when we're all in very separate places in the world. It's really interesting when someone passes away in our industry, because they're still alive in so many forms."

In September, Angus' devastated mum has revealed his final words were, "I love you, mama - you're the best." His mother Lisa Cloud told PEOPLE he told her when she was on her way to bed the night he died, "I love you, mama - you're the best. I'll see you in the morning."

The next morning, Lisa went to check on Angus and found him slumped over his bedroom desk. She admitted that wasn't out of the ordinary as he regularly fell asleep during his desk-bound art sessions, but she felt something was wrong as she approached him.

Lisa added, "I started shaking him and screaming. I pushed him hard, and he fell on the floor. I tried to resuscitate him - mouth to mouth - and I was compressing him. I was screaming for my neighbor because I didn't want to leave him and call 911, and I just kept at it until they took him away. I miss him so much. He was the love of my life."

In a Facebook post in August, Lisa thanked friends for their "love for my family at this shattered time" and added Angus' final day was "joyful." The Alameda County coroner said Angus suffered acute intoxication from a combination of drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and benzodiazepine.

In the weeks leading up to his death, the actor, who played drug dealer Fezco on "Euphoria" alongside his friend Zendaya Coleman, was grieving the loss of his dad Conor Hickey, who died from cancer two months earlier. His friends revealed he was so grief-stricken he was too "traumatized" to scatter his fathers ashes at a private ceremony.

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The actress portraying Phoebe Halliwell on the drama series shares a message about 'resilience, gratitude, compassion' and empathy to mark her 51st birthday.

Dec 20, 2023

AceShowbiz - Alyssa Milano gets cryptic in a new post after being accused of getting Shannen Doherty fired from "Charmed". When reflecting on her life on her 51st birthday, the Phoebe Halliwell depicter on the drama series shared a message about "resilience."

"Today is my birthday! However, instead of just saying my age, from now on I'm going to say that I have reached 'level 51,' " the actress began in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, December 18. "To unlock this level, I have discovered a few cheat codes that have helped me navigate the challenges and triumphs along the way. The first cheat code is RESILIENCE."

"I have faced my fair share of heartache, anxiety, and depression, but I have managed to overcome them with LOVE," she continued. "Love for myself, which keeps me evolving and searching, love for others, which keeps me gentle and forgiving, and love for the world around me which keeps me in awe at what has been created here. It is through this love that I have found the strength to keep pushing forward.

Noting that "another cheat code that has been instrumental in reaching level 51 is GRATITUDE," Alyssa added, "Compassion and empathy are two more cheat codes that have helped me reach level 51 status." She further elaborated, "Although they can sometimes be uncomfortable emotions to experience, they have shaped me into a kind and humble person who strives to ease the suffering of humanity."

"However, the most significant factor in reaching level 51 is the people in my life who love me unconditionally. Their support, care, and acceptance have been the driving force behind my personal growth," she concluded. "So, as I celebrate my birthday at level 51, I do so with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. I embrace the challenges and joys that lie ahead, knowing that I have the cheat codes of resilience, gratitude, compassion, empathy, and the love of those around me to guide me through this game of life."

Alyssa made the post after her "Charmed" co-star Holly Marie Combs claimed that she was the reason behind Shannen's firing from the show. When appearing on Shannen's "Let's Be Clear" podcast, Holly recalled a meeting with show producer Jonathan Levin in the early 2000s to get to the bottom of why Shannen was fired.

"(Jonathan) said, 'We didn't mean to, but we've been backed into this corner, we're basically in this position where it's one or the other,' " Holly recounted. " 'We were told (by Alyssa) it's her or (Shannen) and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.' "

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The International Advertising Association (IAA) is thrilled to unveil the forthcoming 45th IAA World Congress, poised to captivate Penang, Malaysia, from March 6th to 8th, 2024. Against the dynamic canvas of a rapidly evolving global landscape, this landmark event pledges to unite influential leaders and trailblazers from the advertising and marketing realm for an immersive three-day experience brimming with insightful discussions, innovation showcases, and unprecedented networking opportunities.

At the core of the 45th IAA World Congress lies the compelling theme 'Brand: Re-Code,' an imperative call for businesses to adapt, infusing creativity, compassion, and technology into their strategies to redefine brand narratives. In an era characterized by transformative shifts - social, economic, and technological, organisations must recalibrate their approaches. The vulnerabilities exposed by recent crises underscore the need for a re-evaluation of traditional brand models and the adoption of agile operating frameworks.

The 45th IAA World Congress aims to probe into cutting-edge trends shaping the advertising landscape. Through engaging dialogues, insightful knowledge exchanges, and the sharing of best practices and case studies, attendees will gain illuminating insights into frameworks that empower brands not only to thrive but also to positively impact the evolving global scenario.

Building on the resounding success of the 2019 IAA global Congress in Kochi, India, which witnessed a remarkable gathering of industry experts, the 45th IAA World Congress in Penang is poised to establish new benchmarks. Penang, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and exceptional connectivity, provides an ideal backdrop for nurturing meaningful collaborations and connections among industry professionals.

Expressing his excitement, John Chacko, President, IAA Malaysia and Chairman of the 45th IAA World Congress, Penang, said, "The convergence of social, economic and climate issues, along with rapid technological advancements has created a new reality for businesses to navigate. Equally, social issues such as inequality, diversity and inclusion have gained significant attention with customers and the workforce demanding more ethical practices all around. All these issues would be discussed and debated by senior global experts in Penang. And Penang itself is a wonderful confluence of diversity, heritage, and culture.

Pradeep Dwivedi, Group CEO, Eros Media World PLC and IAA Global Vice President & Area Director, APAC Region, added, The Indian media, advertising and marketing talents are making big waves globally in creative excellence, impact, and effectiveness. The IAA World Congress 2024 in Penang, Malaysia offers Indian delegates with the perfect blend of learning and sharing same with the worldwide community of professionals. I am confident of its wide appeal and benchmark level of participation from India, coming on the back of phenomenally successful IAA World Congress previously held in Kochi, India. I am especially delighted to share that my good friend and an esteemed industry colleague, Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network has been chosen as the leader of the Indian Delegation to IAA World Congress at Penang and looking forward to it. With Indians not needing visas to come to Malaysia the path has been made even easier for a good participation from India."

Further, Avinash Pandey, President, IAA India Chapter and CEO, ABP Network, said, "The 45th IAA World Congress marks a pivotal gathering, echoing the success of our 2019 Congress. It serves as a hub for innovative ideas and transformative discussions, shaping the future of our industry. We eagerly anticipate a robust Indian delegation, expecting invaluable insights and collaborations.

The 45th IAA World Congress will feature an exceptional line-up of some influential figures as speakers from the creative and marketing domain. Some of them will include Maher Nasser (UN Director of Outreach Communications), YAB Chow Kon Yeow (Chief Minister of Penang), Dr. Alex Connock (Senior Fellow, Oxford University), Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (Founder & CEO of Air Asia, Capital A), Caroline Yap (MD, Global Google AI Business), Dato' Loo Lee Lian, CEO of Invest Penang, Dato' Seri Paduka Maimunah, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and Ashwin Gunasekaran, CEO of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), amongst others.

With its focus on fostering innovation, collaboration, and redefining brand strategies, the 45th IAA World Congress invites global leaders, industry experts, and visionaries to be part of this transformative journey.
Authored by Anand Chandran, Head of Growth, WorkIndia



In the dynamic landscape of the blue-collar tech industry, where skilled workers are the backbone of success, building a robust employer brand is more crucial than ever. While the tech sector has traditionally focused on white-collar professionals, the increasing demand for skilled workers in trades such as manufacturing, construction, and logistics necessitates a strategic approach to talent acquisition. The term "Blue Collar Tech" recognizes the increasing integration of technology into traditionally manual or labor-intensive industries. It suggests that technology, such as automation, robotics, and advanced machinery, is playing a significant role in transforming and enhancing traditional blue-collar jobs. Given the change in the landscape, it has become imperative for companies to establish and strengthen employer brand in the blue-collar tech space.

The first step in building a compelling employer brand is understanding the unique needs and aspirations of your target audience. Blue-collar tech professionals are often motivated by hands-on work, career advancement opportunities, and a sense of purpose. Tailor your messaging to resonate with their values, emphasizing the tangible impact of their contributions and the growth potential within your organization.

Highlighting the success stories of your blue-collar tech employees can humanize your brand and provide prospective candidates with a glimpse into the potential career paths within your organization. Feature employee testimonials, detailing their journey from entry-level positions to leadership roles, and emphasize the skills development and training programs that contributed to their success.

Engage with your audience on social media platforms where blue-collar tech professionals are active. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of daily operations, spotlight employees, and showcase the positive workplace culture. It could also utilised to display and emphasize the impact of their contributions towards the vision of the company and how it impacts the society and our nation. Social media provides a direct channel for communication and allows you to build a community around your brand, fostering a sense of belonging among potential candidates.

Investing in the ongoing training and development of your workforce not only enhances their skills but also positions your organization as a long-term career partner. Clearly communicate your commitment to employee growth and professional development, outlining specific training programs, certifications, and advancement opportunities available to blue-collar tech workers.

Forge partnerships with vocational schools, community colleges, and technical training programs to create a pipeline of skilled talent. Actively participate in career fairs, workshops, and apprenticeship programs to showcase your organization as a preferred employer. Collaborating with educational institutions also allows you to contribute to the development of industry-specific curricula, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for the demands of the blue-collar tech sector.

Safety is paramount in blue-collar tech industries. Demonstrate your commitment to the well-being of your employees by implementing and promoting robust safety measures. Highlight safety records, certifications, and initiatives that contribute to a secure working environment. A strong emphasis on workplace safety not only attracts talent but also contributes to employee retention.

Ensure that your organization's careers website is user-friendly, informative, and visually appealing. Provide detailed information about job opportunities, benefits, and the overall workplace culture. Incorporate interactive elements such as employee testimonials, virtual tours, and informative videos to make the recruitment experience engaging and transparent.

In the competitive landscape of blue-collar tech, a strong employer brand is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining top talent. By understanding the unique needs of blue-collar professionals, sharing authentic stories, leveraging social media, emphasizing training, and fostering partnerships, organizations can build a robust employer brand that resonates with the skilled workforce, setting the stage for sustained success in the blue-collar tech industry.
Google has committed to a $700-million payment and facilitating increased competition within its Play app store, as outlined in the terms of an antitrust settlement with US states and consumers revealed in a San Francisco court.

The tech giant will enable developers on its Play app store to provide direct payment options to users, addressing antitrust concerns in the ongoing regulatory scrutiny of the tech giant's practices.

Google has been accused of suppressing competition to its Play Store on Android devices.

The tech giant was also accused of overcharging customers through unnecessary fees for in-app transactions. The proposed settlement dictates that Google should contribute $630 million to a fund for consumers and $70 million to a fund for states, pending final legal approval. Eligible customers may receive a minimum of $2, with the possibility of additional payments based on their spending patterns on Google Play between August 2016 and September 2023.

Google's Vice President of Government Affairs, Wilson White, said that this settlement builds on Android's choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections and retains Google's ability to compete with other OS makers and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers.

Criticism has mounted against Google for alleged abuse of competition practices and monopolistic behavior. This recent settlement addresses concerns specifically related to its app store, which has been subject to intense scrutiny. Notably, the Google Play Store, alongside Apple's App Store, is one of the primary marketplaces for mobile apps, and its fee structure has been a point of contention.
TOKYO, Dec 20 ( News On Japan ) - The Japanese government has decided to discontinue the use of fax machines and 'hanko' (personal seals) in educational settings by 2025.

In a meeting on digital and fiscal reform held at the Prime Minister's official residence, the decision was made to fast-track the digitalization of administrative processes in schools. As a result, the reliance on fax machines and 'hanko' for these processes will be completely phased out by fiscal 2025.

The plan also includes equipping all schools to conduct research using tablet devices at least three times a week by 2026 and to create an environment where digital textbooks can be practically utilized by 2028.

The government has also decided to allow 'ridesharing', where private individuals use their cars to transport passengers for a fee, starting next April. This service will be limited to areas and times where taxis are scarce.
Max Life Insurance Company Ltd. ("Max Life" / "Company") in association with Humans of Bombay has unveiled its latest social media campaign, Ambassadors of Bharosa, debuting exclusively on HOBs Instagram handle, with riveting stories that illuminate the diverse ways individuals become pillars of trust within their communities.

The campaign in collaboration with Humans of Bombay, seeks to inspire audiences to introspect and acknowledge the #AmbassadorsOfBharosa in their lives. The stories unveiled will be a recreation of real-life instances, illustrating the profound impact that a single individual, driven by trust, can have on the lives of others.

Commenting on the campaign, Rahul Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance said With #AmbassadorOfBharosa campaign, we delve into extraordinary stories of individuals that resonate with Max Life's 'You Are the Difference' philosophy. These narratives mirror our commitment to being the trusted partner in our customers' lives. As we celebrate the unsung heroesambassadors of trust and kindnesswe not only bring about a positive change in our communities but also affirm Max Life's dedication to empowering our customers to be the difference in shaping a secure and brighter future together for their loved ones.

Isha Savardekar, Lead Writer - Brands & YouTube, Humans of Bombay, said Our mission is to connect people through powerful narratives and cultivate a vibrant community. It's with immense delight that we join hands with Max Life Insurance to unveil a truly impactful initiative. Together, we're honoured to shine a spotlight on an extraordinary individual, celebrating their compassion, kindness, and selfless contributions to society. Through this partnership, we aim to inspire and uplift, fostering a culture of empathy and recognition for those whose actions exemplify the best of humanity."

As the campaign unfolds, audiences will be encouraged to actively participate, sharing and celebrating their own stories of trust and compassion, amplifying the campaign's impact through the hashtag #AmbassadorOfBharosa.

Production House: Humans of Bombay

Creative Agency: FCB Interface

Link to access the video: Max Life X Humans of Bombay
As one of the most entertaining channels of the Telugu industry, Zee Telugu has always been the first to come up with unique fiction and non-fiction shows, blockbuster movies, spiritual and devotional shows. Omkaram, one of Zee Telugu's most well-known spiritual and devotional show, just finished a successful ten years in business. Omkaram airs every day at 8 am, only on Zee Telugu!

The show which started on 12th December 2003 is hosted by Devishree Guruji. Omkaram is a Telugu spiritual show which provides information on astrology and spirituality. In this one-of-its-kind show, where Devishree Guruji gives astrological solutions based on RAMALA SHASTRA. The show covers a wide range of subjects, including how to perform poojas and reap their advantages, how to overcome obstacles in one's horoscope, how to grow a small business to a bigger one, among other astrological queries.

Anchored by Priya, the show completed 10 fruitful years, and the technicians in PCR and camera department have been a part of the show since its beginning. The support the Telugu-speaking audience is providing for the show has been overwhelming.

As the show completed 10 years successfully, this is what anchor Priya had to share  For me, "Omkaram" is more than just a spiritual show. We make an effort to educate the audience every day on tithi, vaara, and nakshatra as well as how and when one should pray and what benefits they might derive from the same. We also address several issues that people face and cover topics such as health, the story of righteousness, vastu remedies, and how Ayurveda benefits people in their daily lives. Knowing that Dr. Devi Sri Guruji's "Omkaram" is receiving so much attention across the world, it is really encouraging, and I consider myself lucky to have worked as an anchor for this show for so long.

Watch your favourite spiritual show, Omkaram, every day at 8 am, only on Zee Telugu
A Conway, S.C. man and woman are accused of using racial slurs against their neighbor and placing a burning cross in front of their home, according to police.

Alexis Paige Hartnett and Worden Evander Butler have been charged with harassment. Hartnett also faces a charge of assault.

Butler, 28, and Hartnett, 27, is accused of harassing and stalking their next-door neighbors with racially-motivated words and actions between Nov. 23 and 24 on Corbett Drive, according to an Horry County Police report.

The racial slurs were about the victim being Black, the report said. In another incident, the suspects erected a cross that could be seen over the neighbors privacy fence and was facing the victims home, the report said. The suspects then set the cross on fire.

Horry County Police and Fire Rescue responded to the incident. The FBI on Wednesday searched the home of the two suspects, WMBF TV reported.

While police were interviewing the victims and Butler, body camera video shows Hartnett repeatedly using a racial slur toward the victims family, the report said.

The victims feel that the suspects are a danger to their safety and the incidents are getting more frequent and threatening, according to the report.

Butler is also accused of providing the location of the victims by posting a photo of the mailbox on Facebook, adding that he was summoning the devils army and I dont care if they and I both go down in the same boat and I/m about to make them pay.

It appears that the home is a second home for the victims, the report said.

We are working jointly with the U.S. Attorneys Office, as well as our local and state partners, to thoroughly examine this matter, and were dedicated to ensuring equality and fairness within our communities, the FBI said, according to WMBF. We are dedicated to this matter and the civil rights of all Americans.

___

(c)2023 The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

Visit The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) at www.thesunnews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Authorities are asking for the publics help identifying a woman who was found dead Sunday on southwest Birmingham roadway.

A passerby made the discovery at 5:22 p.m. on 17th Street S.W. between Laurel Avenue and Cedar Avenue.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office said the woman was a white female between the ages of 20 and 49.

She was 5-feet, 3-inches tall and weighed 139 pounds. She had green/hazel eyes and black/gray medium length hair.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the woman had upper dentures. Her nose, lips and both ears were pierced.

The woman had a Hello Kitty tattoo on her right forearm near her wrist. She also had a sunburst tattoo around her navel.

Authorities are trying to identify a woman found dead Dec. 17, 2023, in southwest Birmingham.(Contributed)

She was wearing jewelry that included a silver beaded pendant with image of praying hands, a red string anklet, three hoop style piercings found in the lips and nostril and one stud style piercing found in the right side of the nose.

There was no evidence of past surgical procedures.

Yates said an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play in her death. The cause of death is pending additional lab studies.

All local, state, and national fingerprint searches provided no matches to the decedent.

Anyone with information is asked to call the coroners office at 205-930-3603.
A U.S. Supreme Court shaped by Donald Trump is destined to play a pivotal role in determining whether he will land in prison  or return to the White House.

Trump vowed to seek Supreme Court review after Colorados top court on Tuesday barred him from the 2024 presidential ballot there, saying his incitement of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol disqualifies him from holding office. The 4-3 decision said that under the Constitutions insurrection clause, he had forfeited his right to run.

And the high court could say this week whether it will take up Special Counsel Jack Smiths request for fast-track review of the former presidents bid for absolute immunity from criminal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Together, the cases  and others potentially on the way  promise to give the justices enormous sway over his legal and political fate.

Supreme Court involvement is all but a certainty, said Carter Phillips, a Washington lawyer at Sidley Austin who has argued 81 high court cases and signed a brief opposing Trumps assertion of immunity. There are just too many issues floating around.

Already the justices are set to hear an appeal from a Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant in a case that could undercut part of Smiths prosecution of Trump.

Supreme Court success isnt guaranteed for Trump. Although his three appointees  Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  shifted the court sharply to the right, that hasnt translated into victories for Trump in his legal battles.

Trump Rejections

Under Chief Justice John Roberts, the court repeatedly rejected Trump and his allies as they sought to overturn President Joe Bidens election victory. And in the three years since Trump left office, the court has rejected him four times in document-related battles with prosecutors and lawmakers.

The court dealt with most of those cases without any public dissent, and none of the Trump-appointed justices raised any objections in the cases directly affecting him.

For the most part, John Roberts has been singularly unsuccessful in his quest to make the court appear to be a nonpartisan institution, said Michael Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Cornell Law School. However, the one place where he has had some success is in cases that directly involve Donald Trump.

The insurrection clause case is likely to reach the high court by the first week of January. Although the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling would bar him from the states primary ballot, the majority put its decision on hold, giving Trump until Jan. 4 to appeal.

The ruling, the first of its kind, invoked a constitutional provision approved after the Civil War to say that Trumps incitement of the Jan. 6 riot rendered him ineligible to serve as president again.

This is an extraordinary holding from the Colorado Supreme Court, said Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. The Supreme Court will face intense pressure as it is asked to weigh in on this hot-button political case.

Trial Date

Smiths request is geared toward ensuring a trial in Washington can start as scheduled on March 4. He is asking the Supreme Court to immediately consider Trumps argument, rejected by a federal trial judge, that he enjoys absolute immunity for election-related actions taken while he was president.

Because the trial is on hold until Trumps appeal on the issue is resolved, Smith says the justices should take the unusual step of bypassing the Washington-based federal appeals court that would normally be next in line. Trumps response is due by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Trumps arguments, if successful, would mean dismissal of the charges against him in Washington and probably also in Georgia state court, said Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Immunity is really the key issue here, Vance said. There are a lot of good reasons for the Supreme Court to resolve all of this very quickly. And the question is whether they see it that way or not.

If the Supreme Court doesnt intervene right away, the justices are likely to have another chance early next year. The appeals court has put the case on an expedited track, with arguments planned for Jan. 9 in case the justices dont take up the matter immediately.

Phillips said it is absolutely critical to peoples sanity that the Supreme Court resolve the issue. A ruling against him would go a long way toward at least quieting some of the foment about all this, he said.

Still more issues are likely to follow. Trump and his legal team have suggested they will seek Supreme Court review of an appeals court ruling restricting his ability to attack key figures in the election-obstruction case. Trump is facing a similar gag order in New Yorks civil fraud trial against him.

Trump is also pressing two other motions to dismiss the Washington indictment. One makes arguments similar to those being pushed at the Supreme Court by Jan. 6 defendant Joseph Fischer, saying prosecutors are misusing a 2002 law that criminalizes at least some forms of obstruction of an official proceeding.

The court has a raft of Jan. 6 and Trump-related issues to sort through, said Timothy Zick, a constitutional law professor at William & Mary Law School. Democracy issues will certainly be front and center at the court this term.

___

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A federal judge on Tuesday certified a class action lawsuit against Pornhubs parent company led by a woman who was sexually abused as a child five years ago in Alabama and whose rape was uploaded to the pornography website.

Anyone who appeared in videos or images taken when they were under 18 years old that were available on Pornhub or other websites run by Aylo, its parent company, from Feb. 12, 2011 through Tuesday can join the class action lawsuit, ruled Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler in Tuscaloosa.

Aylo, formerly known as Mindgeek, said it would not comment on the ruling out of respect for the integrity of court proceedings.

We look forward to the facts being fully and fairly aired in that forum, the company told AL.com.

The woman, only identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, was 16 years old when she was drugged and raped in 2018 by a Tuscaloosa man who uploaded video of the sexual assault to PornHub.

Coogler noted in his ruling that the womans abuser was convicted.

The lawsuit was also brought by a California victim whose abuse was uploaded to Pornhub.

The victims contend Pornhub violated a number of laws, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act , which allows victims to sue entities in civil court who benefit from a venture that it should have known was engaged in a violation, including that an act involving a child 18 years of age or under constitutes a violation, according to their complaint.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs claim Pornhub did not make an effort to check whether the Alabama victim was a minor or victim of rape or sex trafficking.

They applauded Cooglers decision on Tuesday to allow the class action case to move forward.

Were gratified that the court has certified this class of victim-survivors and look forward to holding Pornhub and its related companies accountable for their actions, said Josh Hayes, partner at Prince Glover Hayes, who represents the Alabama victim, in a statement. This is a team effort and were grateful to all of the firms who are partnering with us to represent Jane Doe and the other survivors. Jane Does courage in representing the class helps more vulnerable [child] victims come forward with their claims and potentially receive relief than might otherwise come forward individually.

The lawsuit is the second in the country to be certified as a class action against Pornhubs parent company.

Updated 7:38 p.m. with comment from Aylo.
A 53-year-old man was found shot to death inside his Bessemer home.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Hera Lorenzo Lyons.

The discovery was made Tuesday afternoon when family members were unable to reach Lyons by phone. One of them went to the residence in the 2000 block of 15th Street North and found Lyons unresponsive inside.

He was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:35 p.m.

Bessemer police Det. Justin Burmeister said he believed Lyons had been killed within a day of when he was found.

Detectives are working to determine a motive and identify a suspect.

Lyons is the 10th homicide in Bessemer this year. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 185 homicides, including the 10 in Bessemer.

Anyone with information is asked to call Bessemer police at 425-2411, the Tip Line at 205- 428-3541 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Alabama State Senator and U.S. Congressional candidate Merika Coleman will be in Mobile Thursday to roll out new legislation addressing policing transparency during an event that its organizer says is not a campaign event.

But the news conference, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Mobiles Government Plaza, is definitely a campaign move on her part, according to state Senator Vivian Figures, the Democrat who represents Mobile in the Alabama State Senate and whose son, Shomari Figures, is also a Democratic candidate for Congress.

She doesnt even live in this district and is coming down here wanting to run for Congress, said Figures, about Coleman, who is a Birmingham Democrat. She wants to take this issue to get publicity on it to use it for her for congressional campaign, bottom line.

Figures is not the only lawmaker upset. State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, who is also running for the congressional seat and who sponsored the most recent body cam legislation in the Alabama House that was adopted into law in September, said she was very embarrassed and disappointed with Coleman. She accused her Senate colleague in of capitalizing on the backs of the dead, in reference to the family of Jawan Dallas, who are expected to be at the news conference.

Figures and Givan also criticized Coleman for going beyond typical legislative protocol that requests a legislative colleague reach out to the supporter of an issue and let them know about their interests in sponsoring new legislation.

Figures said its common courtesy for a lawmaker to reach out to their colleagues who are already sponsoring legislation first.

Givan said at no time did that happen.

You dont take that issue on yourself without at least giving the courtesy of that legislator on whether they mind, said Figures. (Coleman) is in the middle of a congressional race. I just think that it is just not a good thing to do.

Deanna Dee Reed, a community organizer helping to organize the news conference, said that Coleman, as chair of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, is hosting the news conference in her role as state lawmaker.

Coleman was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

Inspired at rally

12 1 / 12 Emergency Community Meeting for Jawan Dallas

Reed said that Colemans interest in the legislation came after she attended an emergency community meeting and rally on Nov. 30, at All Saints Episcopal Church in Mobile.

During the rally, the Rev. William Barber of the Poor Peoples Campaign, urged Coleman to craft legislation requiring access to body cam footage, and to host a major press conference in Mobile outlying the amendments you make.

The community event was organized as a rally in support of the Dallas family and was attended by their attorneys who have since filed a federal civil lawsuit seeking $36 million from the City of Mobile over the handling of the Dallas case. Jawan Dallas, 36, died shortly after an altercation with two Mobile police officers on July 2, in Theodore.

Christine Dallas, Jawans mother, and family attorney Roderick Van Daniel are expected to be at the news conference.

Christine Dallas and Phil Williams, Jawans father, spent several months pleading publicly with Mobile city officials to view the body camera footage of their sons death. They were repeatedly denied by authorities, who cited the cases ongoing investigation and Alabamas grand jury secrecy act.

Only after the investigation was completed in mid-November was Christine Dallas and her attorneys able to view the footage. Her attorneys have since described Jawan Dallas death as brutal, comparing it the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Floyds death at the hands of a white police officer ignited protests nationwide over police brutality and racial injustice.

Dallas died after he was approached by police who, at the time, were investigating a trespassing or burglary complaint. Dallas was struck around 13 times by a Taser, according to the familys attorney.

Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood has said that Dallas died from underlying medical conditions, and not Tasing or police brutality. A toxicology report, Blackwood said, showed drugs in Dallas system at the time; mojo, a synthetic cannabinoid, and some sort of amphetamine. The Dallas family attorneys have since argued that Jawan Dallas did not show signs of impairment during the encounter with police.

The footage has not been released to the public or the media, and Alabama law does not permit for the public release of police-worn body cam footage.

According to the news release, Colemans legislation aims to enhance transparency by designating recordings from body-worn and dashboard camera as public records.

The legislation will also provide for an appeals process if a law enforcement agency fails to provide a requested recording.

New law

The rollout comes about 3-1/2 months after Givans legislation became law. The new law allows people whose image or voice is subject to body camera footage to file a written request to review it. An attorney, parent, spouse or another designated representative can also make the request. The agency receiving the request then has to either show the video or notify the requestor it was denying its release.

But there is no guarantee an agency that receives the request is required to show the footage. The new law also doesnt require law enforcement to give a reason for denying a request.

The Alabama State Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that police bodycam and dashcam videos were considered investigative materials, like detective field notes and witness statements. The videos are considered exempt from disclosure requirement of the state public records law, under a determination of the Supreme Court in an 8-1 ruling.

Given said she is working Republican colleagues like State Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Birmingham, to make amendments to the new law. But she said any legislation requiring public disclosure of police body cam footage will not go anywhere in the supermajority Republican Legislature.

Givan said Coleman is giving the Dallas family a sense of false hope.

Treadaway, who has over three decades of police experience, said he believes the legislation is an attempt to capitalize politically on a tragedy without listening to the trained professionals.

I dont know anyone in the DAs office or law enforcement who doesnt want transparency in this area, but they will stop short of jeopardizing an investigation when doing that, Treadaway said. There is a proper time to do that.

He declined to comment about Colemans bill, noting he had not seen its language. The bill has not yet been released.

Coleman, who has served in the Alabama Legislature for more than two decades  in the House before she was elected to the Senate in 2022  is among 11 Democrats qualified and running for the 2nd congressional district seat in South Alabama. The primary is March 5, 2024.

Coleman, who does not live in the district, has said she plans to live in a loft in Montgomery.

The U.S. Constitution does not have a residency requirement requiring someone to live within the congressional district they are pursuing. But the Constitution does require a candidate to live within the state.

Alabama's new 2nd Congressional District on a map approved by a federal court in October. The map will be used for the first time in the 2024 elections. (Image from the Legislature's Reapportionment Office)Mike Cason/AL.com

The districts newly-drawn boundaries include much of Mobile and Montgomery, and also includes a swath of rural counties through the southern Black Belt region of Alabama.

The 2nd District is the hottest race in Alabama next year due to a federal court approval of a new map last fall that changed the district from a safe Republican district to one where Democrats have a chance to win. There are eight Republicans who are also running in the race.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America, and he reinforced the message while denying any similarities to fascist writings others had noted.

I never read Mein Kampf, Trump said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitlers fascist manifesto.

Immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Trump said, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

See also: Tuberville mad that Trumps immigrants poisoning the blood comments were not tougher

In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red MAGA hats, Trump responded to mounting criticism about his rhetoric over the weekend, when he doubled down on anti-immigrant blood purity remarks in front of several thousand supporters in New Hampshire.

Theyre poisoning the blood of our country, Trump said in New Hampshire about the record numbers of immigrants coming to the U.S. without immediate legal status.

At Tuesdays rally, he reprised his comments from the weekend that migrants pour into our country and lamented what he said was a border catastrophe.

He made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Courts decision Tuesday to disqualify him from the states ballot under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the U.S., dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists.

But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand " ideological screening " for people immigrating to the U.S. He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling.

In Waterloo Tuesday, Trumps supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesnt always say the right thing.

I dont know if he says the right words all of the time, said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because youre not fortunate enough to be born in this country, doesnt mean you dont get to come here.

But it should all be done legally, she added.

Its about the volume of border crossings and national security, said her husband, John Geist, 68.

America is the land of opportunity, however, the influx  it needs to be kept to a certain level, he said. The amount of undocumented immigrants that come through and you dont know what youre getting, things arent regulated properly.

Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the U.S. doesnt have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didnt agree with Trumps comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the countrys character and bring different perspectives.

Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the U.S. stronger.

But Trumps blood purity message might resonate with some voters.

About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing U.S.-born Americans to lose their economic, political and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump is focusing on immigration policy, a critical piece of his second-term agenda, as the Biden administration and Congress try to negotiate a border security deal. President Joe Biden has been criticized for the record numbers of migrants at the border and is trying address a political weakness before a potential rematch with Trump.

Jackie Malecek, 50, of Waterloo said she likes Trump for the reasons that many people dont  how outspoken he is and that hes a little bit of a loose cannon. But she thought Trump saying immigrants are poisoning the blood took it a little too far.

Im very much for cutting off whats happening at the border now. Theres too many people pouring in here right now, I watch it every single day, Malecek said. But that wording is not what I would have chosen to say.

Malecek supports allowing legal immigration and accepting refugees, but she is concerned about the waves of migrants crossing the border who are not being vetted.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday criticized Trump, who remains popular in his state, calling Trumps rhetoric dangerous and uncalled for  in an interview with The Associated Press. He added that immigrants living in the country illegally are still people, and we shouldnt dehumanize human beings, a sentiment echoed by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in a Tuesday MSNBC interview.

Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border.

You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd, Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.

At a congressional hearing July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by U.S. citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens.

Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks.

Call it what it is, said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat.

Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his own wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration.

Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation, McConnell said.

Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rivals momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there.

I will not guarantee it, Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it.
Any idea when Amtrak services between Mobile and New Orleans will start?

Its a question asked often along the Gulf Coast, and beyond. The answer is complicated, with no definitive start date to provide. And some passenger rail advocates are wondering aloud why the trains are not rolling between New Orleans and Mobile approximately 13 months after the parties involved in a historic case before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced they reached some sort of settlement.

This is a train for crying out loud, said Todd Liebman, president of All Aboard Arizona who testified in support of the Amtrak Gulf Coast route before the STB closing into two years ago. Liebman would like to see the project completed to connect the state to the Gulf Coast.

Were not colonizing Mars, he said. Trains have been around for 190 years. We can do this. If there are unreasonable stumbling blocks, they need to be removed, and fast.

Federal and local officials say the slowdown in the projects progression wasnt unexpected. The primary issues appear to be in Mobile, where negotiations are ongoing between Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpsons office and Amtrak over a lease agreement for a train stop at the foot of Government and Water streets.

The two sides met on Thursday, and a city spokeswoman said further work is needed.

There is a critical piece of property owned by the city on the riverfront, said Candace Cooksey, spokeswoman for Stimpson. We need to develop a land use (agreement) and, in addition to that, there needs to be some answers on a (request from the city) on a monetary commitment. Were waiting for that information. I think there is some indication that Amtrak will be prepared to start working on the funding agreements next month.

The Federal Rail Administration is not surprised by the slow progress.

President Joe Biden speaks during an event to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Friday, April 30, 2021. The Biden Administration views the Amtrak Gulf Coast route as a "priority" project. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP

Restoring passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast for the first time in nearly two decades is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, according to a statement from an FRA spokesperson to AL.com. The project, which includes infrastructure and safety improvements, modernized accessible passenger stations, operating agreements and environmental considerations is currently advancing at a pace consistent with projects involving numerous stakeholders.

The FRAs statement credited the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021 for contributing in a historic investment in this project, adding we continue to work with the stakeholders who are party to the Surface Transportation Board agreement to develop a safe, reliable and efficient Gulf Coast Corridor that is supportive of the needs of residents across the region.

Everyone is disappointed

But the lack of train service is rankling some advocates who have been working on the restoration project since Hurricane Katrina damaged the Gulf Coast line in 2005.

Jim Mathews, president and CEO with Rail Passengers Association  a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that advocates for passenger rail in regions nationwide  said everyone is disappointed over the lack of progress.

The twice-daily connection between New Orleans and Mobile, with four stops in Mississippi  Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis  was supposed to be running before the end of 2023. The revised schedule has Amtraks return pushed back to the fall of 2024.

Mathews said the problem is the timing of some projects, including the lease agreement in Mobile. Those projects did not begin until after the official announcement of a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant even though Amtrak and the freight operators along the rail line  CSX and Norfolk Southern  had reached a proposed settlement in their dispute in November 2022.

Alabama State Docks and rail yard in Mobile. Mobile photos 2021. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com).Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

The fourth party to the settlement was the Alabama State Port Authority, whose officials once vehemently opposed the Amtrak project out of concern that additional passenger trains would disrupt port business in Mobile.

The $178.8 million CRISI money dedicated toward infrastructure improvements along the Gulf Coast line was not announced until late September.

We knew the CRISI grant was coming, Mathews said. The work could proceed in anticipation of the CRISI grant and that is not what happened.

Cooksey confirmed that Mobiles work began after the CRISI grant was awarded. The infrastructure projects were included in the grant application, she said. The city sent Amtrak a lease agreement in early November, and talks have been ongoing ever since.

I would categorize it as us doing our due diligence and working with Amtrak to fine-tune agreements that will go before the city council, Cooksey said. "

Cooksey said Mobile is dealing with some very prescribed steps in the design and engineering of the rail improvements that need to be completed, and not just in Mobile. She said there are environmental regulatory steps that also need to be finalized.

Its not as easy as just flipping a switch (and the trains can run again), Cooksey said. After our meeting with Amtrak last week, we are all on the same page and its clear on what the process will be on the city of Mobiles end.

An Amtrak spokesman said last week that our conversations with the city continue, with everyone working toward an agreement.

Maggie Oliver, spokeswoman with the Alabama State Port Authority, said the parties involved in the STB case remain under a confidential settlement agreement, but added that this is a complicated process with many moving parts, and I am confident everyone involved is working towards the same goal.

The four parties in the case are required to file a supplemental joint status report to the STB by Feb. 1.

Run out the clock

Mathews suggested there is skepticism about whether the project is intentionally being slowed by those who vocalized opposition before the STB. And that included almost every speaker from Alabama, who expressed concerns that the twice-daily Amtrak service  without infrastructure improvements to the rail line  would harm Mobiles major economic engine.

Passenger rail advocates, at the time, claimed that Mobile and Alabama officials were being misled about the project by the freight operators.

Its almost as if people opposed to the project are trying to run out the clock, and thats a shame, said Mathews.

In Mobile, there is no guarantee that a lease agreement will even pass the city council. Its been almost four years since a previous council voted 6-1 in early 2020, committing $3 million to support the trains operations over three years.

That agreement, however, is out-of-date and needs to be reconsidered before a completely different council  of the seven members who voted in 2020, only three remain on the council.

Mobile City Councilman Joel Daves speaks during an inauguration ceremony for mayor and the seven members of the Mobile City Council on Monday, November 1, 2021, at Government Plaza in Mobile, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

One of them is Councilman Joel Daves, who was the sole No vote and once called the project a joyride for the affluent. Also on the council is Ben Reynolds, elected in 2021, who has also vocalized his general opposition toward Amtrak. Assuming both vote against a revised agreement, all the other council members would have to vote in favor of it. It takes a five-vote supermajority to pass almost any city expenditure.

Daves, late last week, said he has not been approached about the project.

I am not voting for money, lease, or anything that has to do with passenger rail unless or until the reps with Amtrak and the (Southern Rail Commission) meets with the city council and we go through every piece of it, step-by-step and (learn) what the expectations are from the city and what they expect ridership will be and the capital costs and all of that, Daves said. Well see what happens then.

Members of the Southern Rail Commission attend their quarterly meeting at The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala., on Friday, September 8, 2023. Pictured from left to right: David Clark, Knox Ross and John Spain. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

Knox Ross, a longtime-based Mississippi representative on the Southern Rail Commission said he believes that at some point, Mobile and Amtrak are going to have to talk about why this isnt happening. He noted that the proposed settlement before the STB includes improvements along the rail line, and that the CRISI grant makes track improvements that will make the railroad more fluent than it is now.

He said if the sticking points in Mobile are not worked out, it makes it harder to do the project. Ross said the stalling has tampered down some of the enthusiasm for the project, though he acknowledged energy for it still exists.

The project has political support in Louisiana and Mississippi, but not in Alabama. As Cooksey said, the ongoing negotiations between Mobile and Amtrak are unique because they include a municipal government and not a state government. The state of Alabama has not contributed monetary support for the project, and it has not been supported by the current or past governors.

Amtrak officials, in 2021, said support from the state of Alabama was not needed for the Gulf Coast project to operate.

Its different from what Amtrak is used to, Cooksey said. Their agreements are with the states, and so its good for us to get together and hash out details on what this looks like and what questions we will need answers for before going to the council. Theyve been receptive to all of that.

Matt Wolfe, senior vice-president with Greater New Orleans Inc., said his agency is appreciative of Amtraks commitment to the project, as evidenced in their annual report and long-range plan.

Wolfe and Mathews, with the Rail Passengers Association, say the Amtrak crews are ready for the service to begin.

The equipment is there, the crews have been training, everyone is about to be qualified on the territory, Mathews said. Everything is basically where it needs to be. And so were really hoping this will be the final set of delays.
TOKYO, Dec 21 ( NHK ) - Japan's Justice Minister Koizumi Ryuji has left the Nikai faction of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party after prosecutors raided the group's office due to a fundraising scandal.

Tokyo prosecutors searched the offices of the LDP's Abe and Nikai factions on Tuesday in connection with suspected violations of the political funds control law. Koizumi belonged to the Nikai faction.

On Wednesday, Koizumi submitted a request to leave the faction, saying he wanted to avoid any potential conflict of interest as the justice minister has authority over investigations by the prosecutor-general.

The Nikai faction accepted Koizumi's request.

The minister told reporters that considering it is the Justice Ministry's duty to perform its work in a fair manner strictly based on the law, he left the faction so as not to invite any misunderstandings among people.

Koizumi added that he did not leave the faction just temporarily.

Referring to opposition parties' calls for his resignation, the minister said he will do his best in carrying out the duties given to him.

Meanwhile, the opposition camp agreed to take a united front in demanding that Koizumi step down as justice minister, saying it is not appropriate for him to remain in the post as he belonged to the Nikai faction.

Last week, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio replaced four Cabinet ministers and five state ministers who belong to the Abe faction. But he said he intended to retain two ministers from the Nikai faction, including Koizumi, in his Cabinet.
As Birmingham wrestles with an ongoing homicide crisis, experts and advocates say it is important for communities to work together to cope, heal and identify solutions.

Catrina Carey said remembering her son is easy, but the grief will never go away. Since losing her son, Derrick Marks, 25, in 2020. Carey has become a counselor and mentor to many community members who have lost a loved one.

It helped me in my healing process to know that Im able to relate and help someone through their healing process, Carey said. It just means a lot to be able to just sit and talk them through it, help them, cry with them, hug them. Sometimes they just want to talk about it, they just want to be able to get it out. Sometimes they just want to talk and dont want to hear anybody talk back, they just want you to listen.

She advises others to help those who are struggling with grief by getting to know the resources available within their own communities, such as grief counseling and mental health programs.

We have to stay unified to be able to come up with a solution to stop the violence, she said. That means being in unity with the police, the officials, organizations working together on one accord because were all working toward the same greater good.

To cope with grief, Daniel Marullo, Ph.D., pediatric psychologist and neuropsychologist with Childrens of Alabama, said people who live in areas with higher rates of violence are at a higher risk of distress.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 184 homicides so far in 2023, including 132 in Birmingham.

Those who have lost a loved one may experience secondary victimization, where the stress and trauma may cause depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder.

Its not unusual, whether its a traumatic event or not, for people to hold on to some grief. Its just a natural part of being a human being. The question becomes whether that person is experiencing just a normal grief reaction or is it slipping into something more like depressive disorder or post traumatic stress disorder, which really begins to interfere with life, Marullo said.

But one thing I think is helpful is making it possible for people to talk about and acknowledge that something has happened and allowing people the time and the space to grieve in a healthy way. And part of that is just making it okay to talk about things, he said.

Cassandra Crifasi, Ph.D., co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, said violence and crime are often concentrated in communities where high-quality education, jobs and housing are hard to find.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 26% of Birmingham residents lived in poverty compared to the nations 11.5% poverty rate, in 2022. Per capita income is approximately $29,289 compared to the $41,261 national average.

Crifasi notes that gun violence drains communities of resources and often makes people impacted feel unsafe and uncertain. She said when a shooting happens, individuals or businesses may leave or choose not to invest in the community, causing a resource drain and leaving people more vulnerable to engaging in violence.

In communities where we see high rates of gun violence, there are immense economic costs. They have huge societal impacts in terms of loss in that community beyond just that individual and that family, she said, [Communities] suffer from the perpetuating cycle where there are high rates of violence, she said.

Trauma, its like throwing a pebble into a pond. There are ripple effects. It affects the individual and affects the immediate family. And then it goes out from there because were part of a community, Marullo said. The uncertainty of something traumatic like a shooting, really just shakes a communitys sense of safety and security, because of that shock and disbelief.

In addition to policies that would address gun violence specifically, Crifasi said communities should also consider public health solutions such as violence intervention programs and street outreach that bring in the whole community.

Community members and government leaders have launched many initiatives and support systems to curb the violence, including the Offender Alumni Associations Hospital Linked Violence Intervention Program at the University of Birmingham Hospital, Jefferson Countys RESTORE program to help at risk youth get back on track and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabamas initiative to remove language barriers for Hispanic and Latino victims of crime.

It gives communities a voice. They have a seat at the table. They are a part of the creation of solutions, Crifasi said.

The Amelia Center at Childrens of Alabama offers resources for those who are grieving; counselors for adults, teens, and children can be reached at 205-638-7481. Additional resources for families, including talking about death, methods of coping with loss, child trauma, and bereavement, can be found on the Childrens of Alabama website.
An Englishman pleaded guilty in an Alabama federal courtroom Wednesday to traveling from the United Kingdom to Huntsville to have sex with a child under 12 years old, prosecutors said.

Mark Anthony Bedwell, 53, of Lowestoft, England, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse in connection with the May 2013 incident, said Prim F. Escalona, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

Bedwell travelled 10 years ago from the U.K. to Huntsville before engaging in a sex act with a child in Madison County, prosecutors said, citing court documents in the case.

He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced.

In a related case, 37-year-old Huntsville resident Charles Dunnavant pleaded guilty on June 16, 2015 to the same offense before U.S. District Court Judge Madeleine H. Haikala, who also oversaw Bedwells case.

Dunnavant was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison.

Anyone suspecting possible sexual exploitation of a child was asked to contact law enforcement.

The FBIs Birmingham office can be notified at 205-326-6166.

Reports may also be filed online at www.cybertipline.org.
The deaf Old English Sheepdog stolen from his Alabama home was at the center of an ongoing lawsuit when he was snatched earlier this month in Baldwin County.

Rags former owners, Monte and Dottie Marsh, were suing Olivia Gardner in an effort to get the dog back when he was taken from Gardners home in Silverhill.

On Monday, the Marshes filed a motion -- which was granted -- to dismiss their case against Gardner, saying the dog, named Rags [sic] was stolen and pointing out the story is all over the internet and TV, according to Baldwin County Circuit Court records.

Plaintiffs dismiss their claim to recover the dog as the court cannot effectively order the production of the dog and further litigation is useless, the filing stated.

The Marshes filed their lawsuit against Gardner in late July, claiming they gave Rags to Gardner to keep, own and provide for the dog as long as defendant kept the plaintiffs involved in the dogs life, according to an affidavit in the case.

Almost immediately the defendant kept the dog not involved in the plaintiffs life. and has blocked the plaintiffs from seeing or interacting with their dog. Plaintiffs own the dog, the affidavit continued.

Meanwhile, Gardner countersued the Marshes, claiming the couple gave her ownership of the pooch because they could not care for Rags and their other dog was aggressive toward the sheepdog.

Gardners countersuit accuses the Marshes of malicious prosecution.

Since June, 2023, the Marshes decided they made a mistake and have engaged in a malicious campaign of harassment of Gardner, including, calling and speaking with her employer, calling her mother and accusing her mother of lying about the aggressiveness of their other dog which Gardners mother had witnessed, the counterclaim alleged.

The Marshes have engaged in this lawsuit maliciously as they are aware that they gave Rags to Gardner freely, there was no agreement for any visitation with Rags, and knowing that Gardner does not have a high income, deliberately and with malice, placed an unnecessarily high bond on a non-purebred dog without significant monetary value, it went on to claim.

Rags was stolen Dec. 8 while Gardner was at a local Christmas parade. Home security video shows the thief simply walking through the front door and a moment later leaving, leading the dog by its collar.

The Marshes denied any involvement in the theft to WKRG, which reported that authorities believe Rags is possibly being held out of state.

Gardners boyfriend was home at the time, but didnt think anything was amiss when the front door opened, according to WEAR, but when it closed a second time he became suspicious and discovered the dog missing.

Initially, they thought Rags had somehow gotten out and run off, but Rags had a GPS-enabled collar which led them to an intersection in Fairhope. Rags collar was there, but not Rags.

Gardner, who is a veterinary technician, has been seeking donations in order to offer a cash reward for Rags return. By Friday morning, the amount raised through a GoFundMe page and the Venmo account of a local rescue, Paw and Order Rescue Ranch, had reached $3,000.

Im not one to ask for handouts, especially during the holiday season, but whoever has information on the trash human who took my boy might just bring him back home to me with a cash offer, Gardner wrote.

This still shot taken from home surveillance footage shows the suspect who walked into a Silverhill home last Friday and stole the familys deaf dog.(Facebook image)

Silverhill police are investigating the theft, but have not identified a suspect. The thief was wearing a ski mask in the video. He is also seen in what appears to be a hoodie with GOAT across the front, warm-up style pants and white sneakers. Its also been noted by those seeing the video the suspect has a tattoo on his left wrist.

Gardner also noted there is little in monetary gain to be had from stealing Rags, who is not only deaf, but neutered.

While Gardner and her family are heartbroken at Rags theft, she is gratified by the outpouring of community support.

I know Rags is out there, I know he is wondering where I am, she wrote Friday. I wont stop until I have him home. Theres nothing in this world I love more than my animals and family. There are so many unanswered questions and theories. All I can say is, please be kind. I am enraged that this has happened more than anyone could even imagine, and so is my family. All that I ask is that you all keep looking and listening. Share the posts, talk with your neighbors, and keep an eye out.

I know Rags is out there and he is ready to come home to his family. If you know anything please call the police or reach out to me. We just want our boy home.

Anyone with information on Rags or the person who stole him is asked to contact the Silverhill Police Department at 251-945-5200.
This is a guest opinion

Samford University in Birmingham is struggling with LGBTQ+ students protesting that they are not protected from discrimination. The Baptist, private campus has ethical and legal issues to deal with as students say their reports go unheard.

Birminghams Samford is not alone in dealing with harassment of students with different beliefs and cultures.

At Columbia University students are demonstrating and being accused of antisemitism while at other prestigious schools claims of Islamophobia have also made national news. Similar controversies have arisen at Cornell, Wellesley and the University of Pennsylvania. Jewish and Muslim students say they are afraid.

The U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights is investigating to determine if the schools are in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin. The issue is complicated assuring campus security while protecting free speech.

But should we also ask what is expected of a college education? Narrow-mindedness? Is it time to take a second look at those admission essays? What happened to analytical thinking? College should enlighten students by stimulating the mind and enlivening the soul.

Scholars over decades have pondered what is the purpose of education. Maybe the best assessment is from Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1930, she wrote Good Citizenship: The Purpose of Education.

If you were to ask even a relatively small group of teachers, administrators, students, parents, community members, business leaders, and policymakers to address the question of purpose, how difficult do you think it would be to reach a consensus?

You might have better luck asking, What is the meaning of life?

In the United States historically, the purpose of education has evolved according to the needs of society. Educations primary purpose has ranged from instructing youth in religious doctrine, to preparing them to live in a democracy, to assimilating immigrants into mainstream society, to preparing workers for the industrialized 20th century workplace.

And now, as educators prepare young people for their futures in a world that is rapidly changing, what is the goal? To create adults who can compete in a global economy? To creative lifelong learners? To create emotionally healthy adults who can engage in meaningful relationships?

Yes.

Before getting a masters degree from the University of Alabama, I graduated in 1971 from what was then a new college, the University of South Alabama in Mobile. There was no ivy on the buildings. But we did have issues to confront. I was a member of the Student Government Association and we debated how to deal with anti-Vietnam War students and those enrolled on ROTC scholarships.

I had many friends in each group. I had been a sorority girl and dated frat boys, some who were ROTC. But I fell in love with a smart hippie who I later married. I hope Im not too sentimental to remember that many of us respected the views of our fellow students. As proof, a planned demonstration in the center of campus at the flagpole was nonviolent.

Shouldnt it be our goal to provide students exposure to and understanding of different views?

Eleanor Roosevelt nailed it. She summed up the proper education. To graduate citizens who can contribute to the well-being of the community.

Jean Lufkin Bouler is a former education reporter for The Birmingham News and author of several nonfiction books
Several Alabama Republicans on Tuesday criticized the Colorado judges who ruled to remove Donald Trump from that states primary ballot.

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, suggested the Colorado Supreme Court put its thumb on the scale when it ruled 4-3 that Trump violated the 14th Amendment by engaging in insurrection and is therefore disqualified from appearing on the ballot.

This is election interference, Moore tweeted Tuesday. America stands with President Trump!

This is election interference.



America stands with President Trump! https://t.co/ZKA6oT7bDY  Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) December 20, 2023

The Colorado Supreme Courts decision is stayed until Jan. 4 to give the U.S. Supreme Court a chance to settle the matter as Trump said he will appeal the ruling.

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said he is optimistic the nations highest court will rule in the former presidents favor.

Im confident the United States Supreme Court will reverse the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court, he said, adding that [s]tate courts should not be in the business of deciding who may or may not seek federal office. This ruling also realistically has no impact at all on the electoral college.

Im confident the United States Supreme Court will reverse the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court. State courts should not be in the business of deciding who may or may not seek federal office. This ruling also realistically has no impact at all on the electoral college.  Robert Aderholt (@Robert_Aderholt) December 20, 2023

Tuesdays unprecedented decision should not be celebrated, according to Rep. Gary Hoover, R-Hoover.

Voters deserve the ability to elect their president, not partisan judges, he said. Removing President Trump from the ballot sets a dangerous precedent where the Constitution becomes a meaningless document weaponized by the left against their political enemies.

Removing President Trump from the ballot sets a dangerous precedent where the Constitution becomes a meaningless document weaponized by the left against their political enemies. pic.twitter.com/0c8HG6NVmC  Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) December 20, 2023

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, said the Colorado decision will only strengthen Trumps standing with the electorate.

Colorados effort to remove President Trump from the ballot will fail because people see clearly what is happening. Trump is popular because he produced the greatest economy in generations & kept his promise to represent the American people instead of Washington special interests, Strong tweeted. The more Americas liberal elite try to silence him, the more support President Trump will earn. I am glad he intends to appeal this horrendous decision out of Colorado, and I trust that the Supreme Court will let the American people pick President Bidens replacement.
The 2022 data shows a staggering 18% of Chads population, approximately 3.2 million people, suffering the impacts of natural disasters. This places Chad in a precarious position, highlighting the urgent need for effective disaster management and mitigation strategies.



Globally, the year 2022 was marked by significant natural disaster occurrences. Tonga led the list with a devastating 79% of its population affected, primarily due to the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano and subsequent tsunamis. Following Tonga, Belize and the Central African Republic each saw 42% of their populations impacted by natural disasters, including the effects of Hurricane Lisa and severe flooding, respectively.



The study further reveals a concerning global trend: an increase in damages caused by flooding. While in 2012, the world saw nearly 21 billion in flood damages, this figure skyrocketed to over 35 billion in 2022, a 74% increase over a decade. This uptick underscores the growing impact of climate change on global weather patterns and the escalating need for robust climate action.



In a geographical risk assessment, Asian countries emerged as the most vulnerable to natural disasters, with the Philippines, India, and Indonesia being at the highest risk. Seven out of the top ten most at-risk countries are located in Asia, demonstrating a regional concentration of natural disaster threats.



As 2023 progresses, the global community faces 75 billion in damages from natural disasters, a figure that, while significant, is considerably lower than the total for 2022. This data not only highlights the evolving nature of natural disaster risks but also underscores the importance of international collaboration in disaster preparedness and response.



The findings from this study are a clarion call for nations, including Chad, to strengthen their disaster resilience strategies and invest in sustainable solutions to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters on their populations.
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It seems that a new wave of breast-beating mea culpas has taken over the ruling elites of Ireland. They are apologizing for having been the beneficiaries of  get this  white privilege.

Now, dont laugh. I say it is about time.

It is true that the (native) Irish are white, and you know it. Until the 1960s, Ireland was 94% Irish. Horror of horrors. And why was that?

Can you say, racism?

There were not many boat people landing on the Cliffs of Moher.

It might have been that Irelands cool, damp, wet (lets be honest, subarctic), miserable climate was not that attractive to migrants of color from warmer and sunnier climes. Or maybe it was the fact that, until the 1990s, Ireland was a poor country. People left Ireland, not migrated to it. Irelands glorification of alcohol was probably considered an abominable moral failing to Islamic migrants.

And frankly, there were no mosques in Ireland at that time. A woeful lack of tolerance on Irelands part.

The Gaelic infidels just refused to embrace the wonders of the miracle of the eternal Quran. The Irish were always a recalcitrant lot, most them not even having embraced the Reformation.

The Irish had barely won their freedom after centuries of abuse at the hands of the British government. They were still aiming to get the last remnant of their country, Ulster, back. The Irish had been the victims of British imperialism, religious prejudice, and a major starvation (aggravated by English land policies), to the point where half of the Gaels had fled.

But forget all of that. The real problem was that the Irish were incurably white.

Yes, and they were the worst of whites. About half of Ireland has blue eyes (at least among the native stocks), and another 30% has mixed or green eyes. Only Scandinavia and the Baltic areas have higher rates. And even the brown-eyed Gaels have a blue-eyed parent.

And the Irish are pale:

It's no secret that Irish people are some of the palest  if not the palest  people in the world.

Indeed, while not as blond as Scandinavians, they have paler complexions.

Yes, Irish are paler in skin complection [sic] than Scandinavians. Irish people are the palest in the world, according to studies 65% of the Irish population are type 1, which is characterised as being very pale white (ivory) and always burning, and never tanning. This skin tone often has light/red hair, light eyes and possibly freckles.

They are unbelievably white.

Forget that Oliver Cromwell ran a genocidal rampage through Ireland in the seventeenth century. Forget that the British tried to prevent aid to the Irish from landing during the potato famine. Forget that the demographic effect remains, and Ireland has fewer people today than it did in the nineteenth century.

Forget all that history. It doesnt matter. The Irish are criminally white.

Though there was no black slavery in Ireland  and until recently, there were no blacks at all  whose fault was that? The Irish benefited from white privilege.

Now, dont deny it. Everyone knows it is true. Be honest.

The Irish remain impervious to the violence of their hateful ingrained racism. They had no affirmative action programs for blacks in the twentieth century. And neither did their schools encourage bilingualism in Spanish! Of course not! Was Tito Puente ever invited to the Emerald Isle? And it is not as if some intrepid heroes havent tried to introduce the magnificence of salsa music (click here) to the thick-headed Celts.

But did the Irish listen? Did the Clancy Brothers ever sing about the Dominican Republic?

Hopeless bigots, the Irish are.

True, they elected a half-Indian gay prime minister, but he looks almost white. That doesnt count. The Irish were only pandering to the gay community. It is an obvious ruse.

Everybody will be given rights  gays, Jews, Asians  before blacks are. It is a fact.

Now, it is true that some forward-looking north-side Dubliners did embrace an African identity (click here), and their multicultural attitudes did offer some hope, but not enough. Such visionaries were few and far between. Ireland does have a black history month, but even that is a token. It means nothing.

The Irish have proven to be irredeemably white.

It is hopeless.

So what is the solution?

The cure will have to be brutal. Nothing else can root this evil out. It will involve a population transfer.

As punishment for their racism, the Irish must forever be banished from Erin. They should be shipped to New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver.

Instead, the isle of Erin should be given as a remedy to a truly deserving and victimized people of color: the Gazans. Cork could be renamed Al-Khorq. Dublin could be renamed Al-Dubleen. Belfast could be renamed Balfazz. Derry could be renamed Derree, and the island could be renamed West Palestine.

The Irish are pro-Palestinian anyway, so they should consent to the justice in this.

If Britain complains about placing 2 million Gazans adjacent to their own island, they must be reminded that this is the consequence of their Balfour declaration.

Yes, America will suffer. Brooklyn will become more Irish and less Arab, but this will be the condign punishment we deserve for our American racism. We will just have to suffer our lot, as a national atonement.

Come to think of it, Norway may be racist as well.

And Iceland...and the Baltic countries...and Poland...

Image: Still Burning via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0.
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue recently filed a lien against the property of Ashley Biden for $5,000 she has owed in income taxes since 2015. Her father was the vice president at the time.

Ashley lives in Philadelphia with her husband. Liens enable the government to recoup unpaid taxes. The amount would be higher than the original amount because the government adds hefty penalties and interest. Maybe she should move to Maryland.

Michael Byrd, the Capitol police officer who murdered Ashli Babbitt on January 6, seems to have no fear of the government coming after him. He has owed the government $56,366 since 2019. He bought a $520,000 house in Prince Georges County, MD, the same year despite his previous multiple foreclosures and bankruptcies. His house has no lien on it.

His last bankruptcy, in 2009, showed debts of $1.2 million, which he incurred after a bankruptcy ten years before. The court let him satisfy the 2009 claims for $14,547.

His indebtedness to the government since 2019 has skyrocketed. An accredited business site online claims that Byrd would now have accumulated a $26,632.80 penalty and interest of $11,244.78 for a total of $94,243.29. No effort is being made to make him pay.

Looks like Black privilege to me.

Susan Daniels is a licensed investigator and the author of The Rubbish Hauler's Wife versus Barack Obama: A True Story available on Amazon.com.

Image: USMC
The headlines are impressive: A federal district court judge has ordered that documents containing the names of more than 150 Jeffrey Epstein associates must be released after January 1. However, before getting too excited, there are some caveats. Overall, though, this does rank as a good thing.

In 2015, Virginia Guiffre sued Epsteins procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, alleging that Maxwell facilitated Guiffres sexual exploitation at Epsteins hands. The two of them settled in 2017. Since then, theres been a push to un-redact existing documents that identify people associated with Jeffrey Epstein but who were named only as John Doe or Jane Doe. In addition, there are apparently documents that were filed under seal and never released at all.

Judge Loretta Preska, a United States District Judge in the Southern District of New York and a George H. W. Bush appointee, has now issued an order mandating that the names must be unsealed. However, she included a caveat to that order: The Court stays its order for fourteen days to permit any impacted Doe the opportunity to appeal Once that 14-day period expires, counsel are asked to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing pursuant to this order, and post the documents on the docket.

Image: Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell as imagined by AI (note the funky fingers).

There are a few comments to make here. First, associates can mean a lot of things, so were not necessarily going to get the names of people who engaged in sex crimes. Nor does someone being named prove that he or she even committed a sex crime. A lot of rich and famous people hung about Epstein because he was rich and famous.

Moreover, a lot of non-criminally inclined people nevertheless get a frisson of pleasure from associating with certain types of criminals. I learned that decades ago in Dallas when people I knew thought it was thrilling to go to a mediocre pizza place that was reputed to be a mob money laundering site.

Second, a lot of the names may already be familiar to us from other revelations about Jeffrey Epstein. Thus, if Bill Gatess name crops up but doesnt implicate him in illegal activitywell, we already knew that.

Third, expect the people named to come from both sides of the political aisle. As we are repeatedly reminded, when power and money collide, no one is immune to moral corruption. Moreover, according to Forbes,

Its not clear who will be named, but Preskas list of the unsealed names suggest they include law enforcement, individuals whose names were listed in Epsteins address book, a journalist who investigated Epstein, Epsteins employees and victims of his sexual abuse, among others.

Fourth, one has to wonder about the procedure for filing those objections to having ones name released. After all, only those named will do the filing, which means that, by filing an appeal, theyre effectively outing themselves. Interestingly, the order doesnt say anything about those filings being made under seal. However, since I havent followed the case, maybe thats already a standing order, so it goes without saying.

Fifth, the list is obviously incomplete because it only includes those who intersected with Guiffres claim. Its just a subset of the Epstein universe. In other words, even if every one of the names were released after January 1, there would almost certainly be rich, powerful, and creepy people who still lurk in the shadows.

Still, this is a start, and for that we should be grateful.
Right in the middle of the holiday season, the Colorado Supreme Court rendered a ruling that is as embarrassing to the state as Santa getting stuck in a chimney. It threatens our good cheer, but we will use it as an opportunity.

According to an article in The Coloradoan, published Tuesday, December 19, 2023, [t]he Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled former President Donald Trump ineligible for the states March 5 presidential primary election, setting the stage for a fight thats likely to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

To a Coloradoan who has been paying attention  namely, me  this seems like a setup. It looks as though Democrats colluded to get this ruling at the Colorado Supreme Court, with Secretary Jenna Griswold in the mix. (I attended a debate before the 2022 election where she slandered and smeared President Trump on and on when she should have been talking about the office she holds.)

Lets go back to the case that was appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court. Some Republicans in name only (RINOs) sued to keep Trumps name off the primary ballot. Secretary of state Jenna Griswold was represented during the case. The petitioners did not prevail. However, oddly, Judge Sarah B. Wallace made a finding that the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was an insurrection.

Well, now, even though Trump was never charged with insurrection, the Colorado Supreme Court takes that finding and extends it in this ruling, saying that Jan. 6 was an insurrection and Trumps speech, which they assert is not covered by the First Amendment, incited the insurrection.

The Court wrote the following without assigning it to any one justices name (per curiam):

The sum of these parts is this: President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot. We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach. We are also cognizant that we travel in uncharted territory, and that this case presents several issues of first impression. But for our resolution of the Electors challenge under the Election Code, the Secretary would be required to include President Trumps name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot. Therefore, to maintain the status quo pending any review by the U.S. Supreme Court, we stay our ruling until January 4, 2024 (the day before the Secretarys deadline to certify the content of the presidential primary ballot). If review is sought in the Supreme Court before the stay expires on January 4, 2024, then the stay shall remain in place, and the Secretary will continue to be required to include President Trumps name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, until the receipt of any order or mandate from the Supreme Court.

Ill assign some names. I kind of think Coloradoans would like to know which justices to vote off the bench when they can.

First the good guys. Here are the names of three who dissented from this stinky ruling: Chief Justice Boatwright, Justice Samour, and Justice Berkenkotter.

The Grinch justices who went with the ruling are Justice Richard L. Gabriel, Justice Melissa Hart, Justice Monica M. Marquez, and Justice William W. Hood III.

Coloradoans should remember to toss Judge Sarah B. Wallace off the bench, too.

Certainly, Coloradoans will want to bar Secretary Griswold from the governors office if she runs in the future. Again, her fingerprints are all over this ruling, even though she says she will just abide nicely by the Courts ruling.

This Christmas, Coloradoans will put clothespins on their noses, link arms, and sing  like the Whos down in Whoville  and not let the grinches spoil our holidays, in spite of their ruling. Also, we will find a way to use this ruling as an opportunity to turn our state red again.

C.S. Boddie writes for Meadowlark Press, LLC.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Why do the Colorado courts claim that there was an insurrection and President Trump was the organizer, when the FBI says none of that is true? The answer is they really dont care about facts, just the narrative; see a report below, from Reuters:

Exclusive: FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated - sources The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials. Though federal officials have arrested more than 570 alleged participants, the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations.

From a Washington Examiner essay:

The Cambridge Dictionary defines insurrection as: an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence By that definition, there was no insurrection at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the FBI.

The FBI confirmed that there was no organized effort on January 6th, 2021 to overturn the election, so why do so many media outlets and other Democrats continue to claim there was?

Well, for the last seven years the media and other Democrats, along with many establishment Republicans, have done everything they could to destroy Trump, no matter how much they have to lie.

Trump told the protesters to march peacefully and patriotically to the Capitol. He did not call for any violence. Telling people to fight like hell for what they believe in is not a call for violence.

So why would any of these protesters be in D.C. anyways? Could it be that a social media billionaire was spending millions of dollars to allegedly buy illegal votes?

Election report finds Facebook moguls Zuck Bucks broke law, swayed election outcome in Wisconsin A 2020 election integrity probe in Wisconsin reported findings Tuesday that a nonprofit group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg committed election bribery when it targeted $8.8 million in get-out-the-vote funds to five heavily Democratic jurisdictions.

The media didnt care about this bribery any more than they care about all the bribes that the Biden family has taken over the years.

Could it be that the public doesnt trust the FBI, 51 former intelligence officials, most of the media, and other Democrats when they buried the truth about the Biden family corruption and the Laptop from Hell before the 2020 election?

Could it be that there was complete bewilderment over why some states stopped counting during the night of the election, only for a statistical impossibility to emerge in the vote count?

For example: It was widely reported that Georgia stopped counting for four hours because of a burst pipe. But it wasnt a burst pipe; it was a leaking toilet! Of course that wasnt widely reported.

Could it be that so many states had so much mail-in voting, and mail-in voting is ripe for fraud? From Breitbart on Saturday:

A poll from Rasmussen Reports and the Heartland Institute proves that nationwide mail-in voting in the 2020 election was an invitation for fraud, Chris Talgo of the Heartland Institute says. The poll, published this week, revealed that more than 1-in-5 voters in the 2020 election said they filled out mail-in ballots on behalf of someone else  a practice that is illegal under federal election law. In an exclusive interview on SiriusXM Patriots Breitbart News Daily, Talgo said mailing tens of millions of ballots based on outdated and inaccurate voter rolls, youre probably going to have a substantial amount of voter fraud which is what our poll shows. The lack of security to have tens of millions of ballots go through the U.S. Post Service  I think is an invitation for fraud, Talgo said.

In 2012, even the NYT was worried about fraud with mail-in votingbut now they pretend it is very safe.

In December 2019, Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar were worried about election machines, but after the 2020 election, no one should ever question them. Democrats challenged the 2000, 2004, and 2016 elections when their chosen ones lost, but according to them the election in 2020 was 100% clean and anyone who questioned the results must be labeled an election denier and cant be allowed to run again. They are a threat.

The media interferes massively in every election, and now judges are so worried that Trump could win, they are trying to prevent voters from having a choice. Now that is voter suppression. What is not voter suppression is requiring proof of identity, like a valid drivers license, to vote. That is another lie.

They want to infect the country with four more years of disastrous domestic and foreign policies with an incompetent, corrupt figurehead in office. No one can truly believe that Joe Biden is in charge of anything. If we get four more years of this, it will be that much harder to save our great country.

Image: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
Proving that they are a collection of brainless, malevolent, leftist hacks who fake the law and seemingly want to foment a civil war, a majority of (Democrat) judges on the Colorado Supreme Court have accepted the lefts spurious 14th Amendment argument and kicked Donald Trump off the Colorado ballot for 2024. As of now, Colorado voters cannot vote for Donald Trump in either the primaries or the November presidential election. It is to be hoped that the United States Supreme Court will address this matter immediately.

The Trump campaign is definitely appealing the decision:

BREAKING: Donald Trump responds to the Colorado Supreme Courts ruling removing him from the state's 2024 ballot pic.twitter.com/ZgDxa7099l  Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 19, 2023

Steven Cheung is correct The courts disgraceful decision is unfettered by facts or law. There was no serious substantive hearing on the facts underlying this interpretation of events because there couldnt have been such a hearing. After all, the Biden government has been hiding all the facts, everything from the presence of FBI agents on the ground on January 6 to the 41,000 hours of footage, only around 200 of which have been released. This allows leftists and their fellow travelers to keep lying about the facts, even though many of their lies have been exposed.

The entire lower court proceeding took less than a month and was based, in significant part, on the January 6 committee report. As you may recall, that was conducted without even a pretense of due process. The evidentiary portion took place in secret, and the hearing was a pure kangaroo trial. In a real trial, everything developed there would be thrown out under federal evidentiary rules, and yet these (ahem) justices used it to throw a serious presidential contender off their ballot.

Insurrection is a federal crime, and even Jack Smith lacked the chutzpah to charge Trump with being guilty of an insurrection under 18 U.S.C.  2383. Neither the trial court nor the Supreme Court have the authority to find Trump guilty of insurrection under federal law. That finding was garbage.

The Courts entire legal discussion is just as disgraceful. Typically for leftist decisions, the judges try to make it look legitimate by burying the reader with authority, pages and pages of it. However, as best as I can telland I freely admit that Im writing this having only skimmed the 213-page decisionit never mentions that, in 1872, Congress revoked the bar as it applied to the people against whom it was clearly enacted.

Section 3 was ratified three years after the Civil War ended to ban from public office those who engaged in insurrection or rebellion:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. (Emphasis added.)

The Fourteenth Amendment was applied specifically to a four-year-long Civil War that resulted in 600,000 deaths. Section 3 was intended to keep that generation out of office. Within four years, the same Congress that ratified Section 3 concluded that the situation had changed sufficiently to remove that bar. The bar was about the Civil War, and the Civil War generation ended it. Its ludicrous to pretend that, while Confederates who actually waged this war were freed of Section 3s restraints, President Trump is bound by them.

Moreover, as Vivek Ramaswamy points out, the statute cannot affect Trump:

Trump is not a former officer of the United States, as that term is used in the Constitution, meaning Section 3 does not apply. As the Supreme Court explained in Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (2010), an officer of the United States is someone appointed by the President to aid him in his duties under Article II, Section 2. The term does not apply to elected officials, and certainly not to the President himself.

This is idiocy on steroids.

Depriving Americans of their right to elect a presidentand the People are the ultimate judge and juryis an attack on Americas core democracy. These subnormal, black-robed jurists, all of whom seemingly rotted their brains on Colorados endless supply of potent marijuana, are terrified of the American Vox Populi, and it shows.

To wrap up, heres what voices on X have to say:

This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado. Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 19, 2023

BREAKING: The Colorado Supreme Court has just removed Trump from the ballot heading into 2024 based on 14th Amendment insurrectionist ban argument that has failed in every other half-baked legal challenge.



ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 19, 2023

BREAKING: The Colorado Supreme Court has removed Trump from the 2024 state ballot, citing the 14th amendment.



Hey guys, this is what an actual attack on democracy looks like: pic.twitter.com/vpiV2qCqTP  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 19, 2023

This is blatant disenfranchisement of millions of voters from the Colorado Supreme Court.



Trump says it best: Theyre not after me. Theyre after you. Im just in the way.



TRUMP 2024. https://t.co/mcxKVfVbll  Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) December 19, 2023

We have a process to disqualify office holders from running and this isnt it. As Congress failed to impeach + convict Trump and he hasnt yet been criminally convicted of anything that would prevent him from appearing on a ballot, it should be left to voters. The CO ruling is  AG (@AGHamilton29) December 20, 2023

My prediction is that Trump's popularity will shoot to the stars. If there has been anything more brazen than this in our political history, I haven't heard of it.  MarkWhittington (@MarkWhittington) December 19, 2023

Colorado has just proven Trump's theory true that he's the victim of political persecution



His poll numbers won't drop.

On the contrary, they will rise.  https://t.co/9m0AQNX7Yp  Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) December 20, 2023

Image: Trumps just in the way. Internet meme.
The Hamas October 7th rape, mutilation, and butchery of innocent babies, children, women, men, the elderly, whole families, and entire communities sickened the moral world. Hamas very public promise on October 24 to launch second, third, and fourth such blitzkrieg attacks should have received far more alarmed coverage than the media gave it. They mean it; they wont stop. And no amount of diplomatic entreaty, intrigue, or accommodation will bring Hamas to heel. They acknowledge no earthly master to whom they owe fidelity or from whom they will accept limitations on their destructive jihad. Totally obliterating Hamas is the only civilized response available.

Gazans voted Hamas into power. Gazan mobs took to the streets to celebrate the massacre and to record the abasement of the hostages. As of a couple of days ago, more than half of Gazas residents, and three-quarters of those who identify as Palestinians overall, expressed support for the Hamas attacks and policies. More than 10,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since early October, with at least 10% landing in Gaza itself.

There is no possibility for peace and stability, either within Israel or regionally, as long as Gaza continues to exist.

Image: A Gaza tunnel under a hospital. YouTube screen grab.

Removing Hamas as a political entity must result in the reduction of Palestinian governance, for now, to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. This does not mean that the PA should have any control over what is currently called the Gaza Strip. Rather, Gazans wishing to live under PA governance should be relocated to the Palestinian portion of the West Bank. Its only about 40 miles as the crow flies. The remainder, after careful vetting, could dwell as internally displaced persons under Israeli governance. Let the people choose.

If the Palestinian Authority cant afford the influx, they could petition the UN or international banks or maybe even Qatar to return the billions stolen from the Gazans by their Hamas overlords.

It will take months and lots of bunker-buster bombs to rid the Gaza area of all the terrorist and smuggling tunnels. Every piece of infrastructure used to house terrorists and support their activities needs to be reduced to rubblehouses, office and apartment buildings, markets, schools, and hospitals. It might be best just to turn Gaza into a vacant lot.

Such a demolition should serve as a clear message to those allowing the use of their territories as a base from which to attack Israel. However, I doubt there is much room for lessons to be learned. Parts of the West Bank and southern Lebanon might be better off as vacant lots, too. And Yemen. And Syria.

Gaza must disappear. Those of its people who wish to live under Israeli governance should be then treated as accepted refugeeshoused, educated, trained, and employed. Perhaps, in a generation or two, without outside interference from the UN and other radicalized nongovernmental or multilateral organizations, they will be contributing members of a thriving, peaceful country.

A redevelopment plan for the Northwest corner of Israel, perhaps as a Special Economic Zone for trade and tourism, could be implemented. That way, infrastructure like water and sewer would be guaranteed to stay in place and not be repurposed for warfare.

The Abraham Accords established a good modelpeaceable commerce and trade with Israel lead only to increased prosperity. Peaceable commerce and trade within Israel would, too.

So its goodbye, Gaza. And honestly, is there any viable option?

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant.
Who knew that Texas had to ask Mexicos permission to pass new laws? Heaven forbid an American border state promotes law and order, and considers the interests of the American people living there! From a Reuters report via Yahoo News yesterday:

Mexico to challenge Texas new inhumane migration law, president says Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday said his government was preparing to challenge a new Texas law allowing state law enforcement to arrest suspected migrants, which he called inhumane. On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the law giving local officers powers long delegated to the U.S. government.

Mexico has immigration laws theyre allowed to enforce, but if America begins to do the same, its inhumane and cruel.

Has the Mexican president vocalized how inhumane it is to allow open borders policies that facilitate the murder, rape, and trafficking of people (even children) by the cartels? No, I didnt think so. But arresting people for violating our laws is somehow the inhumane thing to do?

Has AMLO condemned the Democrats and their promotion of baby murder through birth? After all, Mexico itself has abortion limits, so naturally one can assume they recognize the humanity of a child in the womb (at least to some extent). Therefore, shouldnt AMLO be lambasting the political party whose members fight for the right to dismember and poison living children?

Ive also not heard AMLO castigate the Democrats policy adoption of gender-affirming healthcare (more accurately, sexual mutilation) for minors, even extremely young ones. Isnt chopping off healthy and functioning organs during an identity crisis, or perhaps because a child has been a victimized by a woke pro-trans guardian, an inhumane reality?

Has he said anything about the heavy taxation imposed upon Americas working class, or the big spending programs subjected the American people to financial slavery and serfdom? Isnt that inhumane and entirely unjust?

Texas won its independence from Mexico over 187 years ago, which means 187 years ago, Texas earned the right to never have to listen to the Mexican government again.

Image: EneasMx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
According to much of what's read in the media and among some advocates, the Vatican's changed!

It's finally come around to embracing the LGBTQ+ agenda, and is now offering blessings for gay couples for inclusivity's sake, and who knows, soon may be offering gay marriages!

Here is some of the cheering from Christopher Lamb at CNN:

With five words, uttered right at the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis changed the Catholic conversation about LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, when asked by a journalist about gay priests, the pope famously replied: Who am I to judge? Over the last decade the pope has shifted the churchs tone and approach to gay people, refusing to take a judgmental stance, something that church institutions and leaders had often been accused of doing in the past. His decision to authorize the blessings of same-sex couples is the most significant development to take place in his pontificate in terms of his outreach to gay Catholics, and follows earlier, more gradual developments. Francis latest move will be welcomed by many who have long called for reform in this area, but it is also likely to face significant pushback from parts of the church deeply opposed to his vision.

Here is even more cheering from lefty Jesuit publication America, citing gay advocate priest (and senior editor) Rev. James Martin, S.J.:

This is an early Christmas present for the Catholic Church and for so many people who have felt that God really isnt accompanying them, Father James Martin says on this episode of Inside the Vatican. https://t.co/ARTTqOHxuC  America Magazine (@americamag) December 19, 2023

Martin, who has plenty of pull with Pope Francis, couldn't conceal his enthusiasm:

Who can stop now fr James Martin? pic.twitter.com/OE5KaG65Kf  Sara Enini (@SanCatherina) December 19, 2023

I cannot see this tweet directly, since James Martin blocked me long ago for quoting from the gospel of Matthew. It speaks volumes, however, on where his priorities lie, and what master he serves. Pray for his conversion. pic.twitter.com/xYLPrkfp6O  dei gratia (@JackoEdward) December 18, 2023

Which is a kind of stretching things.

According to Democracy Now!, a more even-tempered lefty website:

Pope Francis has formally approved a document from the Vaticans doctrinal office that for the first time allows priests to bless same-sex couples, so long as the blessing does not resemble a wedding. Advocates hailed the move as a major step toward ending the Catholic Churchs discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people, but warned the church still holds the official position that marriage is between a man and a woman  and that same-sex couples are living in sin. Marianne Duddy-Burke is director of DignityUSA, which focuses on LGBTQ+ rights and the Catholic Church. Marianne Duddy-Burke: Obviously, for same-sex couples, sacramental equality is what would put us on the same footing as any other Catholics seeking recognition of their relationships. Were not there yet. This is an important step, but it is yet another step on a journey that still has probably miles and miles to go.

That more closely describes what's in the Vatican document, which is more about style than substance and doesn't change Church doctrine a bit.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who's probably been hearing from people in his area, put out a tweet (that may have been deleted), wisely suggesting that everyone just read the document closely.

It actually doesn't change anything, yet at the same time, it's not terrible news for gay people of reasonably good will.

That's because when has anyone ever heard of a gay person being denied a blessing? Most Catholics wouldn't want it that way. They would agree that altars shouldn't have the gay flag and gay marriages shouldn't be performed nor recognized nor hailed, and Catholic churches shouldn't follow Unitarian churches, but aside from that, gay individuals are no different from anyone else in the eyes of the Church, the rules are the same for everyone, so they shouldn't be denied blessings.

I have no idea what Ric Grennell's religion is, but if he and his partner (if he has one) asked for a blessing, shouldn't they get one? I don't even think anyone has to be Catholic to get one.

Shouldn't those two Sicilian guys who founded the Dolce & Gabbana line of beautiful designer dresses, who are gay and undoubtedly Catholic, and who took flak for speaking out against gay adoption, get a blessing if they ask for one? Nobody would want them not to.

On the other hand, should a pair of guys who claim to be "married" and spend their time trolling Hollywood Boulevard for a third partner each night, and who march naked in the local gay pride parade get blessings, too? Should a "throuple" get one, or a bigamist, or someone in a "relationship" with a barnyard animal? Can the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence demand one as a matter of civil rights? You know they will.

You can see the obvious problems. It's obviously going to require some discernment, as they say, from the priest giving the blessing, which is going to lead to some abuses.

Nor has anyone ever heard of people in irregular situations being denied. The pope is right to say he doesn't need a huge analysis of anyone's moral state before offering a blessing. That's because blessings are given regularly in all kinds of irregular situations and always have been. They are given to those on their deathbeds who didn't exactly lead perfect lives. They are given to others in, as the Vatican delicately puts it, in "irregular" marital situations, too.

When I was a college student, I remember that when one of my great professors, George Lerski, a lion-like Polish freedom fighter who brought news of the Holocaust to the world and was named "Righteous Among Nations" by Israel, died in the 1990s, he was given a full Catholic funeral at the Jesuit University of San Francisco's cathedral -- and his situation was irregular, having been divorced and remarried. It happens. It's the same with people who commit suicide, they get blessings, too. The Church rightly waves these things through on the assumption that people were out of their minds when they killed themselves and didn't realize what they were doing, so they get full blessings at the funeral, too. Except for in some harsh pockets of rigid doctrinaire thought, waving things through and offering blessings, always giving the benefit of the doubt, has been the way of the Church for decades.

So nothing has really changed.

So why did Pope Francis do it?

Very likely it was to get the gay lobby off his back, but also to annoy the traditionalist Catholics, with whom he has been at loggerheads. He can't change doctrine, not even if he tries, and he knows he can't.

As Martin cheered, African bishops who preside over rapidly growing churches cranked out documents warning Catholics not to misread this. And -- UPDATE here -- the bishop of Astana, in presumably Kazakhstant, has hurled verbal thunderbolts.

The end result has been a lot of confusion.

The biggest problem with this Vatican statement is that it appears to endorse the gay agenda, rather than gay people.

The New York Times, after all, hailed it as a historic "first" and featured a gay-couple blessing by Martin, who must have been easy to reach for this story, given that he solicited the gay couple for the blessing.

The Times began its piece this way:

As a Jesuit priest for more than two decades, the Rev. James Martin has bestowed thousands of blessings  on rosary beads, on babies, on homes, boats, and meals, on statues of saints, on the sick, on brides and on grooms. Never before, though, was he permitted to bless a same-sex couple  not until Monday, when the pope said he would allow such blessings, an announcement that reverberated through the church.

Did Martin really deny these guys blessings because they were gay earlier? I have my doubts.

But what we do see is the public hailing of the event, the publicity, the appearance of the Vatican joining the gay agenda.

It was really nice, Father Martin said on Tuesday, to be able to do that publicly.

A money quote from the Times:

Its like you said, Jason told his husband, Its like were claiming our space.

That doesn't sound like God's space, and that's where it gets skeevy.

The Times tried to be thorough in its report as to what this was and wasn't, and cited the various prohibitions and allowances within the document:

In keeping with the Vaticans admonition that such a blessing should not be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding, Father Martin wore no robes, and read from no text. There is no blessing for same-sex couples in the thick book of blessings published by the U.S. Conference of Bishops. Instead he selected a favorite of his own from the Old Testament.

This too:

The decision does not overturn the churchs doctrine that marriage is between a man and a woman. It does not allow priests to perform same-sex marriages. It takes pains to differentiate between the sacrament of marriage  which must take place in a church  and a blessing, which is a more informal, even spontaneous, gesture. And, a priests blessing of a same-sex couple should not take place in connection with a civil marriage ceremony, it says.

It all sounds like the command is for the matter to be private and informal, not a trumpet-blast event in public like a wedding announced to the world.

What's Martin trying to do here, going against the spirit of the document to achieve his "historic first," the press at his side? He even tweeted it out to his substantial following on Twitter:

Dear friends: I was honored to bless my friends Jason and Damian this morning in our Jesuit residence, according to the new guidelines laid out by the Vatican for same-sex couples. But before this, I've been blessed by their friendship and support. https://t.co/aojq5Vhpez  James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) December 20, 2023

It sounds like vanity. That isn't exactly the right climate for a blessing, at least not one from God.

Why Pope Francis did this, having to know that Martin would run away with it like that, calling in the cameras, is rather a mystery. As he often does, the pope sows confusion.

Image: Twitter screen shot
Now that President Trump has been taken off the ballot by a nest of rabid Democrats in Colorado, Joe Biden can take a bow for bringing the U.S. squarely into the third world.

According to the New York Times:

Colorados top court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald J. Trump is disqualified from holding office again because he engaged in insurrection with his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, an explosive ruling that is likely to put the basic contours of the 2024 election in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado Supreme Court was the first in the nation to find that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment  which disqualifies people who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it  applies to Mr. Trump, an argument that his opponents have been making around the country. The ruling directs the Colorado secretary of state to exclude Mr. Trumps name from the states Republican primary ballot. It does not address the general election.

Trump has not been charged with 'insurrection' nor has he been convicted of a slew of drummed-up charges by Biden's special prosecutor. But no matter to the Colorado judges. Sentence first, then trial. Trump is as good as jailed for them.

Boing, boing, boing.

It's a beyond-disgusting ruling with potentially grave consequences for the future of the U.S. It also opens the gates for other states to disqualify candidates their justices don't like. There might be some blue states, or even red states, that follow suit, making U.S. elections quite the tinpot dictatorship thought-leader on elections even as the U.S. strives to catch up.

What's bad here is that no matter how this matter goes as challenges are filed, the U.S. has lost global stature.

Tinpot regimes everywhere are rejoicing, because what they see going on in the states ... is the same trash they pull back home on their own dissidents.

What's Joe Biden going to say to Venezuela's dictator, Nicolas Maduro, about his acts to disqualify Maria Corina Machado from Venezuela's presidential ballot?

What's Joe Biden going to say to Nicaragua's beyond-crummy little dictator, Daniel Ortega, who threw all seven of political opponents in jail to get them off the ballot in the last Nicaraguan election that he "won" last year?

What's Joe Biden going to say to Russia's Vladimir Putin, who seems to have "disappeared" his political opponent, Alexey Navalny, to prevent him from running against him in the upcoming election? Navalny has disappeared in some Siberian Gulag and suddenly nobody knows where to find him.

What's Joe Biden going to say to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, who jails his potential rivals, too?

And while this is not presidential politics, what's Joe Biden going to say to China's Xi Jinping, who's got newspaper magnate Jimmy Lai on trial for printing the truth as he found it, and is facing a long laogai (China's Gulag) term through a Chicom kangaroo court?

Every one of these cases is a textbook case of what tinpot dictators do -- they disqualify their opponents from running for office and frequently jail them, too.

In the past, this was the sort of thing you could find in a low-grade African dictatorship, and it was so low-lifey it was obvious.

Now, we are seeing this trash happen in rapid sequence, in Latin America, Asia, and beyond. It's even spread as close as Brazil, where the ruling socialists have barred President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years, knowing full well how popular he is.

But now, under socialist rule here, this same dissident-banning practice has spread to the United States.

It's the height of hypocrisy. After all, weren't there lists and lists of dictators who banned their opponents a few years ago when some of President Trump's supporters shouted 'lock her up,' meaning, Trump's rival of 2016, Hillary Clinton?

Eric Holder, Garry Kasparov -- they were full of tut-tutting at dictatorships that threw their opponents in jail, forecasting the end of the republic, even though nothing in the end ever happened to Clinton. In the press, there was list after list after list after list.

What is Joe Biden going to say when these dictators -- and there are probably more than just the ones named -- laugh in his face?

He won't have a leg to stand on. This kangaroo court act to bar President Trump from public office has up until now only been found in night-haunted dictatorships. Joe Biden has brought it here.

So much for American exceptionalism. We're as crappy as the worst of them out there in places where people don't migrate.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
Every year, The Christmas Story is a holiday feature. I enjoy it a lot!

The Chinese restaurant ending is great! Everything about this movie is so politically incorrect, from the old man to Mrs. Parker, to just about everything else. Remember the line about the old man being as good as an Arab trader when they are looking for Christmas trees? What about the lamp?

The late Roger Ebert reviewed this movie in 2000. Im not sure why he waited so long but he nailed it. This is Mr. Eberts review:

One of the details that A Christmas Story gets right is the threat of having your mouth washed out with Lifebouy [sic] soap. Not any soap. Lifebouy [sic]. Never Ivory or Palmolive. Lifebouy [sic], which apparently contained an ingredient able to nullify bad language. The only other soap ever mentioned for this task was Lava, but that was the nuclear weapon of mouth-washing soaps, so powerful it was used for words we still didnt even know. There are many small but perfect moments in A Christmas Story," and one of the best comes after the Lifebouy [sic] is finally removed from Ralphies mouth and he is sent off to bed. His mother studies the bar, thinks for a moment, and then sticks it in her own mouth, just to see what it tastes like. Moments like that are why some people watch A Christmas Story every holiday season. There is a real knowledge of human nature beneath the comedy.

Yes. This is a movie that touches every nerve of growing up. As for me, Mrs. Parker sticking that soap in Ralphies mouth brought back some memories of my mom freaking out over certain Spanish words that we werent supposed to say. The other scene when she breaks up a couple of boys fighting reminded me of a few times in my life when stuff like that used to happen.

As Mr. Ebert points out, this movie is about Christmas, BB guns, and childhoodto that last element I would add before computer games killed it.

Merry Christmas and enjoy this classic. I believe that it was released 40 years ago and will be enjoyed for a lot longer.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image: YouTube video screen grab.
Update: Samsung has politely requested that we remove all of these leaked images. We have decided to oblige and have removed all of the Galaxy S24 images that we leaked this week.

With less than a month before the rumored Galaxy S24 launch, anticipation and excitement among Samsungs fans and tech enthusiasts are reaching a fever pitch. To add to the excitement, we bring exclusive official renders of the base Galaxy S24 in all four rumored colors. The renders give you a close look at the phone from various angles, detailing its design ahead of launch.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 exclusive official renders

Samsung is rumored to launch the Galaxy S24 in four colors globally: black onyx, marble gray, cobalt violet, and amber yellow. We have exclusive official renders of the phone in all of these colors. Shared with us by a trusted, confidential source, the renders show the handset from the front, back, and sides, letting you get a detailed look at its design. We are also expecting Blue, Green, and Orange colors exclusive to Samsungs official website.

The Galaxy S24 has rounded corners and a flat front. The back panel is flat, too, but with a chamfered edge. Samsung has also flattened the power and volume buttons, both of which sit on the right  standard Samsung stuff, you know. The frame is completely flat and has antenna lines, confirming a metallic body.

Rumors say Samsung will stick to its Armor Aluminum material for the smaller two Galaxy S24 models. The Galaxy S24 Ultra may get a titanium frame. On the front, the new Samsung flagship has symmetrical display bezels and a centered punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The Korean firm has opted for the same design language across the lineup, including the Ultra.

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While the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a curved display, the upcoming Ultra has a flat panel with symmetrical bezels. The change makes for a design consistency. Apart from this, the Galaxy S24 series doesnt see major design changes over the Galaxy S23. The rear camera array, which Samsung hasnt changed on any Galaxy phone this year, remains unchanged in the upcoming flagship lineup.

We have three camera rings individually protruding out of the back panel in a vertical array. The LED flash unit sits next to the camera column, positioned such that it sits between the top two cameras. The Plus model features the same design, while the Ultra looks slightly different thanks to a fourth camera and a laser autofocus sensor sandwiching the flash unit.

Samsung is readying two different processor variants of the phone

This year, Samsung shipped the Galaxy S23 series with an overclocked version of Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor globally. Everyone appreciated the company for finally moving away from its in-house Exynos chipsets, which have had their fair share of power and performance issues in recent years. However, the Korean firm is returning to Exynos next year.

The Galaxy S24 will feature the Exynos 2400 in some markets, including Europe. In the US, Samsung still plans to ship the phone with an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Its the same story for the Plus model. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to feature the Qualcomm processor globally. Hopefully, Samsung has fixed its Exynos woes, or it has to be ready to face a public backlash.

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The company may get a stick from prospective Galaxy S24 buyers for one more reason. While it is upgrading the Plus model to 12GB RAM as standard, the base model will seemingly come with just 8GB of RAM. There are rumors that the phone may have a 12GB RAM variant in some regions, but we dont have any evidence supporting those claims. The Ultra isnt getting a RAM upgrade either, staying at 12GB of memory.

The base storage option of the Galaxy S24 may irk a few fans, too. Samsung is offering 128GB base storage on the phone, with a 256GB option. It is unclear whether the 128GB variant has a UFS 3.1 storage solution or UFS 4.0. The Galaxy S23s 128GB variant has UFS 3.1 because Samsung didnt make UFS 4.0 chips with 128GB storage capacity. The other two Galaxy S24 models start at 256GB storage.

A display upgrade is on the cards

Samsung will equip the Galaxy S24 with a 6.2-inch AMOLED display. It is an LTPO OLED panel with a 48-120Hz variable refresh rate and a full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution. The company has reserved the WQHD+ display for the other two models. However, the new phones will have a peak brightness of a whopping 2,500 nits, or maybe even more. Thats a massive brightness boost over the Galaxy S23s 1,750 nits of peak luminance.

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This isnt the only display upgrade, though. The Galaxy S24 series also jumps to the M13 OLED material. Samsung used M12 OLED displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5. The newer display tech allows for improved power efficiency, luminance, and color accuracy. It makes the display assembly thinner, too.

Samsung arguably makes the best smartphone displays, so you can rest assured that the Galaxy S24s screen wont leave a lot to be desired. You will get bright and vibrant colors with great outdoor legibility and viewing angles. The new Galaxy flagships will be ideal for content consumption of the highest quality. The Ultra model even adds S Pen support for enhanced multitasking and more.

Camera hardware may remain unchanged

Cameras have always been one of the strengths of Samsungs S-series flagships. The Galaxy S23 series offers a solid all-round camera performance. If leaks are anything to go by, the company is keeping this winning formula largely unchanged next year. The Galaxy S24 isnt expected to bring newer camera sensors. We might get the same 50MP primary shooter, 10MP ultrawide lens, 10MP 3x optical zoom camera, and 12MP selfie camera.

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The Plus model will feature the same camera hardware. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 200MP main camera and a second zoom cameraa 50MP periscope lens with 10x or 5x optical zoom. All three models will let you capture 8K videos at 30fps (frames per second) with support for stereo sound audio recording and HDR10+. You can record 1080p videos at 960fps.

Despite largely unchanged camera hardware, the new Samsung flagships may capture better photos and videos than their respective predecessors thanks to improved software processing and AI integration. Samsung will ship the Galaxy S24 with Android 14-based One UI 6.1 software. It brings new AI features for improved photography. Among other things, the new phones are said to enhance low-light photos.

They will use AI to identify various objects in a scene and optimize the scene by adding more details. The phones may enhance colors, tone, and dynamic range to improve the overall quality of the photo. Samsung may also use AI to improve the camera performance in other ways, such as more accurate edge detection, de-noising dark scenes, and filtering out noise in video sound.

A bigger battery but the same charging speed

For the past few years, Samsung has offered a maximum charging speed of 45W on its phones. The Galaxy S24 series doesnt go beyond that. Well, only the Plus and Ultra models reach that speed. The base Galaxy S24 charges at just 25W. It may not sound fast in todays world when smartphone charging speeds are topping a whopping 200W. However, it should still charge the phone fully in just over an hour.

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As far as the battery capacity is concerned, Samsung is adding 100mAh more juice to the Galaxy S24, taking its total capacity to 4,000mAh. The Plus model may get a 4,900mAh battery, while the Ultra has a 5,000mAh unit. All three models will offer 15W wireless charging. You also get reverse wireless charging that allows you to charge your earbuds or watch on the back of the phone in urgent situations.

No Wi-Fi 7 for the Galaxy S24 but satellite connectivity could be there

The Wi-Fi 7 standard is all set to go official early next year. However, Samsung isnt offering the new wireless tech on the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S24+. Only the Galaxy S24 Ultra has Wi-Fi 7. The other two models only get Wi-Fi 6E, the same as the Galaxy S23. This is a bit of a disappointing decision from the company. Wi-Fi 7 devices will be all around us in a few years, so the Galaxy S24 will then feel outdated.

Thankfully, Samsung seems to be offering satellite connectivity on all three Galaxy S24 models. When you are out of a cellular network connection, you can use built-in satellite connectivity to send short text messages. The feature will come in handy when you are lost and cant connect to a cellular network. You can reach out to emergency services via satellite. The rescue request will include your location so you can be tracked by rescuers.

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Other miscellaneous Galaxy S24 specs include an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner, Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX, Ultra Wideband (UWB), AKG-tuned stereo speakers, Bluetooth 5.3, IP68 dust and water resistance (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes), and Android 14-based One UI 6.1 software. Leaks have already revealed many AI features that One UI 6.1 will bring to Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S24.

Galaxy S24 has AI built into the system software

Samsung has built artificial intelligence all over the Galaxy S24, not just the camera. You will be able to use AI to generate wallpapers based on text keywords. You can also add various weather effects to your lock screen. Additionally, the phone can smartly limit charging to 80% when you go to sleep at night, preserving the batterys health. Charging will resume just before you wake up, so you have a fully-charged battery in the morning.

AI will also let you add or remove objects from photos and videos on the Galaxy S24. If you want to expand a photo to add a friend to the frame, you can do that, too. The phone can also remember your last edits. Elsewhere, Samsung Notes can arrange and summarize notes with key points. If you want to quickly make an internet search for something on the screen, you can draw a circle around it, and your Galaxy S24 will run a web search.

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Samsungs voice recorder app can identify ten different voices and tag them. It can even transcribe the recordings and summarize what each person said in a recording. The Galaxy S24 can even pull out key points from audio calls and recommend actions based on what you spoke. It can recommend actions based on the content of screenshots too. Bixby Text Call, which can transcribe calls, supports call translation on the new Samsung flagship.

As the tech industry ushers into an AI era, Samsungs Galaxy S24 series is poised to be the perfect AI phone next year. The company has developed an in-house generative AI tool that works offline on the new phones, ensuring the safety of your data. Leaks suggest you can also use third-party AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. However, those will require an active internet connection.

Samsung may not charge you more for the new flagships

The Galaxy S24 is a decent upgrade over the Galaxy S23. However, Samsung reportedly wont charge you more for the new flagships. Rumors say the base model will start at $799. The Galaxy S24+ will cost you $999, and the Ultra will start at $1,199. Considering what you are getting, these are pretty competitive prices. There may not be many incentives for those switching from the Galaxy S23, but the Galaxy S24 is a notable jump from older flagships.

The Korean firm is expected to launch the Galaxy S24 series on January 17, 2024. Like before, it will open pre-orders for the phones immediately after the launch event, which takes place in San Jose, USA. Samsung plans to start general sales of the new flagships on January 30. Stay tuned for the official confirmation of Samsungs next Galaxy Unpacked date.
2024 is going to be a busy year, especially in the context of the political landscape. The upcoming year will witness several elections including the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. But thats not all. It will also witness the national elections in the worlds largest democracy, India, and South Africa, among others. Amid this particularly tense situation, Google parent Alphabet affirmed that it will limit how its chatbot Bard and search generative experience responds to election-related queries. Its said to commence in early 2024.

The world, and political parties especially, are acutely aware of the immense sway social media holds over voters. Global leaders have already made numerous attempts to leverage its power. Now, with the rise of generative AI as a potent new tool, tech giants are rolling up their sleeves to prevent it from manipulating voters or becoming a vehicle for propaganda.

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Google, Meta & X are preparing 2024 elections

Google is prepping up by limiting election-related queries. It told Reuters that it will work with an increased focus on the role artificial intelligence (AI) might play to serve voters and campaigns.

Meanwhile, Facebook parent Meta has cracked down on AI-generated political ads, barring campaigns and other regulated industries from using its generative AI tools. Additionally, Meta now requires disclosure of AI or digital alterations in political, social, and election-related ads on Facebook and Instagram. This move aims to combat misinformation and increase transparency.

Elon Musks X, interestingly, has made a U-turn on its global ban on political ads. Now, candidates and parties in the U.S. can advertise on the platform, prompting concerns about potential abuse and misinformation. However, X is also expanding its safety and elections team to mitigate these risks.

Governments worldwide are tightening the grips on AI-powered political ads. The European Union, for instance, is implementing mandatory labeling of such ads, including information about sponsors, costs, and targeted elections. These rules are still being worked out, but its a good beginning.
If youre waiting for Motorola to release its new budget phone, we have a treat for you. The Motorola Moto G 5G (2024) just surfaced in the form of CAD-based renders, thus the phones design got revealed.

The Motorola Moto G 5G (2024) design gets revealed early

There are a handful of images included in the gallery below the article. A 360-degree look at the phone is possible via the video included below. The Moto G 5G (2024) will feature a flat display, and rather thin bezels except for the bottom one. That bezel aka chin will be considerably thicker than the others.

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A centered display camera hole is visible at the top as well. All the physical buttons sit on the right-hand side. The power/lock button will double as a fingerprint scanner, as expected.

On the back, two cameras will be included. Theyll sit inside a camera island, which will be placed in the top-left corner. That camera island does seem to protrude a bit. Motorolas logo is placed on the back too, right in the middle.

A 6.5-inch display will be included

Now, OnLeaks and MySmartPrice also confirmed that we can expect to get a 6.5-inch display here. So, basically the same as on its predecessor. It remains to be seen if it will be the exact same panel, though.

Another detail that is worth noting is the fact that a 3.5mm headphone jack seems to be sitting at the bottom of the phone. Thats also where its speaker, Type-C USB port, and microphone are located.

Having said that, the phone will likely include a 120Hz display. Storage expansion will likely be possible, and you shouldnt expect a powerful processor here. This is a budget phone. The Motorola Moto G 5G (2023) includes the Snapdragon 480+ SoC, so dont boost your expectations too high.

This years model arrived back in May. If Motorola aims to wait until May 2024 to launch the 2024 model, then were in for quite a wait. Well see.
Chinese embassy hands over 1 mln USD to help flood victims in Somalia

Xinhua) 11:17, December 20, 2023

MOGADISHU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Tuesday handed over one million U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid to the Somali government to help victims of the recent floods in the Horn of Africa nation.

Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shangchao said the latest humanitarian assistance from Beijing will bring some respite to victims of flooding caused by El Nino rains.

"When the floods hit Somalia, China was the very first country this year to reach out to Somalia. This is already the fourth time this year for the Chinese government to reach out to Somalia in times of need, as we all know the long history of our friendship," Fei said.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, the commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, thanked China for the timely assistance to the flood victims. "The Chinese government supports Somalia directly; the assistance is tangible and reaches people."

Flooding in southern and central Somalia has killed more than 100 people and displaced 1.7 million, according to government statistics.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Scottish Governments affordable housing target remains important, the Deputy First Minister has said, despite a more than 200 million cut to the housing budget.

Shona Robison  who also serves as the countrys Finance Secretary  announced her first Budget in the role on Tuesday.

The document  which was published against the backdrop of a 1.5 billion black hole in the countrys finances  increased taxes, including the creation of a new tax bracket for higher earners.

But the housing budget was slashed from 738.3 million last year to 533.2 million, including a cut of 188.8 million for house-building.

The Scottish Government has a target of building 110,000 new affordable homes by 2032, while three councils have declared a housing emergency.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday, Ms Robison said the target is still important, but there will have to be different methods of funding used to fulfil it.

Shona Robison outlined the Scottish Governments Budget at Holyrood on Tuesday (PA)

A 10% cut to our capital budget over the next five years is having an impact on our capital programmes, she said.

What we had to prioritise next year was our legal and contractual commitments, things that were already in train.

What were doing, and the work were doing with the housing minister, is to look at how we can lever in innovative finance.

Work is well advanced on that to make sure that working with private sector organisations we can lever in additional finance, because we recognise that affordable housing is a key anti-poverty measure and we want to be able to deliver on our commitments, but well have to do that in a different way.

Ms Robison also announced councils will receive 144 million to freeze council tax, but local authority body Cosla said the funding needs to be closer to 300 million.

In its initial reaction to the Budget, Cosla said the funding settlement  which it said totals 13.2 billion  amounts to a cut of 251 million.

Ms Robison, however, said the settlement is fair.

The SNP governments budget is the chaotic culmination of 16 years of incompetence. They are making savage cuts across the board to fill an enormous budget gap that they created. This is not as good as it gets. Change is coming.  Michael Marra MSP (@michaeljmarra) December 19, 2023

They are getting an increasing share of the overall budget, something that they have asked for, she said.

Of course on capital, yes, capital is difficult, weve got a 10% cut to our capital budget over the next five years, so nowhere in the public sector can be immune from the impact of that capital budget reduction that we are having to manage.

Ms Robison said the settlement  which she claimed totals more than 14 billion for the next year  is not a bad offer.

Scottish Labour finance spokesman Michael Marra also spoke to BBC Radio Scotland, saying there had been a scathing reaction to the Budget.

He said: Theres blood on the carpet right across the public sector but also huge concern from business and private individuals.

When it was put to him that the Labour-run Welsh Government also faces a challenging budget, he said: Despite Barnett consequentials we have still got an economy fundamentally under-performing the rest of the UK.

Scottish Conservative finance spokeswoman Liz Smith said: The Scottish Government has just been unable to deliver the growth that we desperately need.

She said the Budget had received one of the most negative responses that Ive seen for a very long time.

Reallocating money for the planned national care service will help to avoid cuts elsewhere, she added.
Victoria Atkins declined to give her personal view on whether there should be a vote on legalising assisted dying, citing her responsibility as Health Secretary.

Ms Atkins recognised how incredibly emotional the issue is, but re-stated the Governments line that it should be up to Parliament whether or not to have another debate on changing the law.

Dame Esther Rantzen, who has stage four lung cancer, has called for a free vote on the issue.

The Childline founder and broadcaster this week revealed she had joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic.

In an interview with BBCs The Today Podcast, she said she feels it is important that the law catches up with what the country wants.

Currently, her family could be prosecuted if they were to travel with her to a Dignitas clinic.

Ms Atkins was asked on Wednesday if it is time for another vote on assisted dying.

She told reporters: This rightly is a matter for Parliament and for members of Parliament. Its a matter of conscience.

I feel very honoured to be the Secretary of State for Health, but Im also very aware of the responsibility that brings and so it must be for Parliament, it must be for individual members of Parliament. And I shouldnt be, I cant be, drawn on my own views because I wouldnt in any way want to pre-empt that discussion.

Dame Esther Rantzen, who has stage four lung cancer, revealed she has joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said on Tuesday he thought it was time for another parliamentary debate on the issue.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman has said the Government position has not changed so it remains a matter for Parliament to decide and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than Government policy  as it was in 2015 when the House considered it and rejected making any changes.

On Mr Gove expressing a view, the spokesman said it remains a matter for individual MPs, who are able to express their views.

Ms Atkins described it as an incredibly emotional issue.

She added: There are a range of views on this and weve seen obviously in the last couple of days some of the impacts that very, very long-term, life-threatening conditions have on people and their families.

And so I very much respect that it is a matter for Parliament and a matter for individual MPs.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said on Tuesday he thought it was time for another parliamentary debate on assisted dying (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

In Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to murder or other charges.

The Health and Social Care Committee is due to publish its report into assisted dying and assisted suicide in England and Wales, having launched an inquiry in December 2022 to examine different perspectives in the debate.

Legislation is being put forward in Scotland by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is due to come before Holyrood next year.

A Bill to legalise assisted dying on the Isle of Man will be scrutinised by a committee next year before progressing to the next stage through the islands Parliament.

That bill, as it stands, would apply only to terminally ill adults who have been ordinarily resident on the island for at least a year and who are reasonably expected to die within six months.

It passed a second reading vote in October in what pro-change campaigners hailed as a historic moment which they said puts the Isle of Man on the path to becoming the first part of the British Isles to see assisted dying legalised.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has pressed for an increased flow of aid and fuel into Gaza during a visit to Jordan.

On his second trip to the Middle East since being appointed to the Cabinet post last month, he met Jordans foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, in the capital, Amman.

The former prime minister is also set to visit Egypt this week, where he will make the argument for a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Officials said that during his trip he will seek to progress efforts towards securing the release of all hostages by Hamas, stepping up aid into Gaza, and putting a stop to rockets being fired into Israel by Palestinian militants.

This morning I visited the Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organisation @_jhco with HRH Prince Rashid and @tariqahmadbt to hear about the ongoing challenges of getting aid into Gaza. Positive news that today a @WFP direct aid convoy from Jordan has reached Gaza for the first pic.twitter.com/H78aI2BN14  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 20, 2023

Lord Cameron has said that, without Israels security being guaranteed, there can be no lasting peace or two-state solution.

Alongside Middle East minister Lord Ahmad and Prince Rashid, Lord Cameron visited the Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organisation, a focal point of Jordanian humanitarian support for Gaza.

On X, formerly Twitter, Lord Cameron wrote: Positive news that today a direct aid convoy from Jordan has reached Gaza for the first time since October 7. The UK and Jordan are working together to get significantly more lifesaving aid to those who need it.

The Foreign Office said, while in conversation with leaders from the two countries neighbouring Israel, Lord Cameron will reiterate the UKs position that leaving Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip will be a roadblock to reaching a long-term political solution to the crisis.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a call echoed by Lord Cameron, has recently started pushing for a sustainable ceasefire in a move that appears to underline the Wests hardening attitude towards Tel Avivs conduct in the war.

US President Joe Biden has warned that Israel is losing international support because of its indiscriminate bombing, with almost 20,000 Palestinians killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Ahead of his return to the Middle East, Lord Cameron said: This week I am making my second visit to the region to press the case for getting aid into Gaza and the remaining hostages to be released.

On aid, I will be seeking to build on Israels decision to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to ensure significantly more aid and fuel can reach Gaza, through as many routes as possible.

No-one wants to see this conflict go on for a moment longer than necessary. But for a ceasefire to work, it needs to be sustainable.

If Israel is still facing Hamas in Gaza with rockets and terror tactics, not only will a ceasefire not be sustainable, a two-state solution in the longer term will also not be possible.

The Conservative peer is expected to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who this week won a third six-year term in office, and foreign minister Sameh Shoukry while in Cairo.

David Cameron met Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi in 2015 while prime minister (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Lord Cameron has previously met Mr el-Sisi, including in Downing Street in 2015 while prime minister.

During his time in Egypt, officials said the Cabinet minister will visit Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see first-hand how UK aid is being administered.

He will hear from the Egyptian Red Crescent about the impact the UKs aid deliveries, such as wound care packs, are having in Gaza  the besieged territory ruled by Hamas.

The Foreign Office said Lord Cameron will use the trip to welcome Israels decision to open the aid crossing at Kerem Shalom, a Gaza border point that lies at the junction of both the Israeli and Egyptian jurisdictions.

Mr Sunak had called for the opening, including during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The UK and France are working together to maintain support for Ukraine and find a long-term political solution to the crisis in the Middle East. It was great to speak to President @EmmanuelMacron and @MinColonna in Paris today  pic.twitter.com/KXm2aTLM6d  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 19, 2023

Last week Lord Cameron announced a fresh batch of sanctions, targeting both leaders and financiers of Hamas, while also placing restrictions on Israelis responsible for settler violence in the West Bank.

He visited Paris and Rome on Tuesday as part of UK efforts to help co-ordinate the European response to the Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine.

Israel and Hamas have been at war for more than two months following the Palestinian militant groups deadly raids on October 7, which saw 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage.

A week-long pause in the fighting saw some 100 hostages released in a Qatar-brokered deal, but an estimated 129 people are thought to still be held captive.
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

The former Blanchard Community Library bookkeeper was arrested Thursday for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 of library funds over at least a decade according to a statement by District Attorney Greg Totten.

Tammy Jean Ferguson, 55, of Santa Paula, was arrested in Camarillo Thursday on eight felony counts of embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds and falsifying accounts. The charges include a special allegation that Ferguson stole more than $200,000. Tottens statement noted that Ferguson was hired by BCL in 1993 and from 2003 to 2013 was the librarys sole financial officer. According to Totten, The library is funded primarily by taxes on citizens living within its district. It is alleged that starting in 2006 Ferguson embezzled money using the library-issued credit card for personal purchases by transferring funds to her personal credit cards, and withdrawing cash using an ATM and debit card on a library account. There have been tumultuous times for the independent library: in April 2013 the BCL Board, fired Librarian Dan Robles following a year of public criticism and contentious meetings. The rising controversy had contributed to two new members being elected to the five-trustee panel in November 2012. Robles had been employed by BCL for more than 30 years, starting as a teenage volunteer. Sometime in May 2013, the library no longer employed bookkeeper Ferguson. Robles, who was making more than $70,000 annually plus benefits, later filed a lawsuit against the board for breach of contract and wrongful termination. Among the responses listed by the board against Robles was mismanagement; the board later settled with Robles who received a $35,000 payment. In August 2013 the library board announced they were launching an investigation into approximately $750,000 of missing money. Just less than a year ago the librarys insurer paid $450,000 on the BCL claim that funds had been embezzled. Bail for Ferguson was set at $40,000; if convicted she could face up to 12 years 4 months, the maximum term.
The Walt Disney Company and the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) have both filed a motion to dismiss a claim from British actress Julia Ormond which accuses the companies of knowing Harvey Weinstein presented a danger to women.

In October, Ormond filed a lawsuit accusing the disgraced movie producer of sexually assaulting her in December 1995 at her apartment after a business dinner and then hindering her career.

The 58-year-old also accused the Walt Disney Company and her former agents CAA of knowing Weinstein was a danger to women in the entertainment industry but did nothing about it, alongside a claim made against Miramax.

Julia Ormond in 1997 (Rebecca Naden/PA)

On Tuesday, lawyers for the Walt Disney Company requested an order from the New York Supreme Court to dismiss a claim of negligent supervision and retention made by Ormond, while lawyers for CAA also requested the same motion.

Among the reasons cited for the claim to be dismissed, court documents state that Ormond has not proved that the Walt Disney Company knew of instances of sexual battery misconduct from Weinstein prior to December 1995.

Lacking are any facts describing any knowledge by the Walt Disney Company of any prior acts of misconduct by Harvey Weinstein, the documents said.

It also stated that Ormond does not claim Weinsteins alleged conduct took place on the companys property and does not claim the company employed Weinstein  which they say make it illegible to claim negligent supervision.

Similarly, court documents from lawyers for CAA state: It is now widely known that Harvey Weinstein committed multiple sexual assaults and that his deplorable conduct had a devastating impact on many women.

Harvey Weinstein (Anthony Devlin/PA)

But prior to Plaintiffs alleged assault by Weinstein in December 1995, which is the only timeframe relevant to Plaintiffs claims against Creative Artists Agency, CAA did not have that knowledge about Weinstein.

CAA thus had no reason to believe there was any risk to Plaintiff in arranging a business dinner with Weinstein.

In February, Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles, while he was already serving a 23-year sentence for a different rape and sexual assault conviction in New York.

Ormonds notable film credits in the 1990s include Legends Of The Fall with Brad Pitt; Sabrina with Harrison Ford; and First Knight with Sir Sean Connery and Richard Gere.

The Walt Disney Company lawyers Wesley Earnhardt and David H Korn, from Cravath, Swaine and Moore LLP, have been contacted for comment, alongside lawyer Loretta E Lynch for CAA and a representative for Ormond.
The Irish Government has been challenged to say what it is doing to deal with Troubles legacy cases in its jurisdiction by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

Sir Jeffrey accused Dublin of double standards after it launched legal action over the Troubles Legacy Act.

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said on Wednesday that his Government would initiate an interstate case against the UK on the grounds that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UKs obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Aspects of the laws, which received royal assent in September, include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The DUP leader told the BBC: I think there are double standards on the part of the Irish Government here and whilst I am strongly opposed to the Governments amnesty plans, we voted against it, we spoke against it and we continue to oppose it, but I dont think the Irish Government are in a very strong position to point the finger at the UK Government because the Irish Government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues.

No proposals to deal with the quite significant number of murders that were committed either in their jurisdiction or from their jurisdiction.

For years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.

Sir Jeffrey added: What I would like to see, and I said this to Micheal Martin last week, where are their proposals to deal with legacy?

What are they going to do? Are they going to pursue criminal justice investigations into the murders committed in their jurisdiction, which include the murder of gardai, of Irish Army soldiers, of innocent civilians?

And of course many UK citizens murdered in Northern Ireland as a result of actions carried out by the IRA using the Republic of Ireland as their base.

He added: I think it is difficult to see how this can improve relations between the UK Government and the Irish Government at this time.

I think the UK Government would take a similar view to many who would look at what the Irish Government are doing and say where are your proposals? What are you going to do about legacy?

Interstate case will strengthen challenge to shameful Legacy Act  @MaryLouMcDonald Victims and families have been stating from the outset that this cruel and shameful Act is a flagrant breach of international human rights law"https://t.co/mypPAeKw6S  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) December 20, 2023

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald backed the Irish Governments legal challenge, describing the Legacy Act as a flagrant breach of international human rights law.

She said: The British Tory Government rushed through this legislation despite the clear opposition and concerns raised by victims and families, all political parties, the Irish Government, the US, UN, the Council of Europe and human rights experts.

It is a blatant attempt to shut the door on families efforts to achieve truth and justice through the courts and to give an amnesty to British state forces involved in the murder of, and serious human rights violations against, Irish citizens.

Heartbroken families have been fighting for years, determined to get truth and justice for their loved ones. They should not have been forced to take individual legal actions against this Act, and this action by the Government will now complement these challenges.

We will stand with those families as they challenge this cruel and cynical law, and as they continue to campaign with dignity and determination for truth and justice.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Irish Government move was utterly necessary.

He said no political party or institution on this island supports the Act, describing it as the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

The British Government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the North and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors, he said.

The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said the move by the Irish Government was not surprising.

He said: With an election year on the horizon they will have taken that opposition attack line off the table.

This might sound cynical, but the reality is the Irish Government have done nothing to address the legacy of our past, they have refused to open parallel mechanisms or deal with the very real fact that Ireland was not an innocent bystander in the Troubles.

He added: Any interstate case will go through the courts and there will be an outcome at the end.

But if both the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government are not willing to fix the wrongs of the past then it will be the victims who suffer once again.
The Government has been widely mocked on social media for claiming 235 million spent in London is part of its Network North pledge.

Under new proposals, road repairs in London boroughs such as Hillingdon, Bromley and Barnet will be funded by money originally allocated for HS2, before it was scrapped in October this year.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the redirected HS2 funding will ensure road users across London have smoother, faster and safer journeys.

Senior Labour politicians such as deputy leader Angela Rayner, shadow transport minister Louise Haigh and Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham are among those who took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticise the Government.

Hang on. HS2 money, pledged to level up the North. Cancelled.  Re-directed to London. Are they for real? https://t.co/MS3IbmVuvR  Angela Rayner  (@AngelaRayner) December 20, 2023

Ms Rayner, who represents Ashton-under-Lyne, wrote: Hang on. HS2 money, pledged to level up the North. Cancelled. Re-directed to London.

Are they for real?

Ms Haigh, MP for Sheffield, Heeley, described the announcement as ludicrous.

She added: Now it turns out Network North actually means repairing roads in London. You couldnt make it up.

Meanwhile, Mr Burnham wrote: Network North seems to include everywhere  except the North.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram branded the announcement gerrymandering, and said the Norths potential is being constrained.

Mr Rotheram said: Unless Network North is shorthand for Network North Circular, I really fail to see how fixing roads in London will help to improve journey times between Liverpool and Manchester, get more freight onto rail, or make a jot of difference to a single person in the North.

Its more smoke and mirrors from the Government, a PR stunt from a photo-op Prime Minister who is more interested in shiny graphics for social media than tackling the issues facing real people. The Norths potential is being constrained by creaking, overburdened infrastructure, which is crying out for high-speed links and additional capacity.

Its the kind of gerrymandering that would even make the Republican Party blush.

The question now is, if the Government believes that London is now part of the North, will our area start to see the same level of public transport investment as when London was in the South?

This is ludicrous. First Sunak cancels the biggest rail investment in the north in a generationThen he promises to 'join up' the north and midlands with 'Network North'Now it turns out 'Network North' actually means repairing roads in London You couldn't make it up. https://t.co/5KxlYV8zcJ  Louise Haigh (@LouHaigh) December 20, 2023

The Department of Transport said the funding is part of an 8.3 billion investment to resurface more than 5,000 miles of roads across England.

Between now and March, 7.5 million is to be made available, followed by a further 7.5 million in 2024/2025, with the remainder extending until 2034.

Over the next year, Hillingdon will receive 354,000, 455,000 for Bromley and 368,000 for Barnet.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: This Government is on the side of drivers and is investing 235 million to improve and repair Londons roads, part of the biggest-ever funding uplift for local road improvements.

This funding is part of a long-term, 11-year plan to ensure road users across London have smoother, faster and safer journeys by using redirected HS2 funding to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future.

On X, Mr Harper wrote that it was great that people are talking about our Network North plan and claimed that every penny of the 19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the North.
The Duke of Yorks alleged links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are set to come under further scrutiny with the release of hundreds of files from a defamation case.

US Judge Loretta Preska ruled on Monday that documents relating to more than 170 people who were either associates, friends or victims of disgraced financier Epstein should be made public.

The Duke of York (Toby Melville/PA)

They include 40 documents of evidence from Johanna Sjoberg, who has claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaires Manhattan apartment in 2001.

Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations are categorically untrue.

The documents are part of a 2015 US defamation case by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who supplied Epstein with underage girls.

Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!! Theres going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, whos on the naughty list? This would t be possible without https://t.co/xVfFfQ0UMH  Virginia Giuffre (@VRSVirginia) December 20, 2023

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Giuffre said: Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!!

Theres going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, whos on the naughty list?

This (would not) be possible without the Honourable Judge Preska.

The individuals who are set to be named in the documents will have 14 days to appeal against the judges decision  meaning they are likely to be released in early January.

Ms Giuffre settled her civil claim against Maxwell, but representatives of the media have since argued documents that were sealed as part of the case should be made public.

Jeffrey Epstein (Us Dept of Justice)

Judge Preska ordered some individuals should be named because they had already given interviews to the media  including Ms Sjoberg.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case to Ms Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.

The duke was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

In January 2022, ahead of his legal settlement, his mother Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020, despite numerous attempts from her defence counsel to have her released on bail.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June last year.

The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had faded, distorted and motivated memories.

Her appeal is currently scheduled to be heard in November next year.
The Irish Government has been praised as doing the right thing for victims of Northern Irelands Troubles after indicating they will legally challenge the UKs Legacy Act.

The Act is intended to halt future legal cases around Northern Irelands troubled past and legacy inquests.

It is also set to offer a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

Earlier this year, a judicial review challenge to the Act was heard at the High Court in Belfast.

Belfast solicitor Padraig O Muirigh (Niall Carson/PA)

Confirmation of Irelands legal challenge to the Act has been welcomed by Amnesty International, political parties and victims of the Troubles.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UKs Northern Ireland deputy director, said it is important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

The Irish Government is doing the right thing for victims, for the rule of law and for the upholding of human rights, she said.

Victims rights to truth, reparations and justice must be realised.

This challenge is vital for victims here and around the world who face the prospect of similar state-gifted impunity.

The UK Government doggedly pursued this legislation which shields perpetrators of serious human rights violations from being held accountable. Its important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

This state-level challenge is very welcome and made necessary by the UK Governments actions. Victims should be at the heart of how the Troubles is addressed, not swept to the side with denial of rights imposed.

We hope this critical litigation will bring all Troubles victims closer to the justice they deserve.

Solicitor Padraig O Muirigh, director of O Muirigh Solicitors, described the Legacy Act as draconian legislation and incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

It also fundamentally undermines the Good Friday Agreement 1998 which placed a duty on the British Government to incorporate the ECHR into domestic law, he said.

The 2023 Act contains provisions that will guillotine existing judicial and investigative mechanisms such as inquests and civil actions and replace these with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The families that I represent are strenuously opposed to this legislation and the establishment of the ICRIR.

Mr O Muirigh said his office will also be submitting applications to the European Court of Human Rights early in the new year on behalf of bereaved families who are impacted by the provisions of the legislation.

Belfast solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law (Liam McBurney/PA)

Solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law said the announcement by the Irish Government is the right decision politically, morally and legally.

It is a massive fillip to all those who have been agitating for decades to get access to the truth in unresolved killings, he said.

In terms of timing this development couldnt be any more important

It comes at a time when the courts here in Belfast are adjudicating on a series of conflict-related challenges

It will have an immediate impact on those cases

We expect the courts here to take cognisance of this significant development

Todays news sends a resounding message that Ireland as a nation wont be found wanting when it comes to upholding the human rights of thousands of people affected by the Troubles.
Legal action launched by the Irish Government against the UKs controversial Legacy Act will complement challenges from Troubles victims in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Mrs McDonald said the legislation, designed to deal with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, was a flagrant breach of international human rights law.

However, Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said the Irish Government had done nothing itself to address the legacy of the Troubles.

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said on Wednesday that his Government would initiate an interstate case against the UK on the grounds that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UKs obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Aspects of the laws, which received royal assent in September, include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

Interstate case will strengthen challenge to shameful Legacy Act  @MaryLouMcDonald Victims and families have been stating from the outset that this cruel and shameful Act is a flagrant breach of international human rights law"https://t.co/mypPAeKw6S  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) December 20, 2023

The Sinn Fein leader said: Victims and families have been stating from the outset that this cruel and shameful Act is a flagrant breach of international human rights law.

The British Tory Government rushed through this legislation despite the clear opposition and concerns raised by victims and families, all political parties, the Irish Government, the US, UN, the Council of Europe and human rights experts.

It is a blatant attempt to shut the door on families efforts to achieve truth and justice through the courts and to give an amnesty to British state forces involved in the murder of, and serious human rights violations against, Irish citizens.

Heartbroken families have been fighting for years, determined to get truth and justice for their loved ones. They should not have been forced to take individual legal actions against this Act, and this action by the Government will now complement these challenges.

We will stand with those families as they challenge this cruel and cynical law, and as they continue to campaign with dignity and determination for truth and justice.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Irish Government move was utterly necessary.

He said no political party or institution on this island supports the Act, describing it as the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

The British Government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the North and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors, he said.

The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.

Mr Beattie said the move by the Irish Government was not surprising.

He said: With an election year on the horizon they will have taken that opposition attack line off the table.

This might sound cynical, but the reality is the Irish Government have done nothing to address the legacy of our past, they have refused to open parallel mechanisms or deal with the very real fact that Ireland was not an innocent bystander in the Troubles.

He added: Any interstate case will go through the courts and there will be an outcome at the end.

But if both the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government are not willing to fix the wrongs of the past then it will be the victims who suffer once again.
The father of Joanna Parrish, who was murdered in France 33 years ago, said he is satisfied that Monique Oliviers role in aiding her serial killer former husband has been recognised after she was sentenced to life in prison.

Ms Parrish was killed in the French city of Auxerre by Oliviers ex-husband Michel Fourniret who was dubbed the Ogre of the Ardennes.

Roger Parrish spoke during a press conference in Nanterre on Tuesday, after Olivier was reported to have been found guilty of being complicit in his daughters murder, as well as those of Marie-Angele Domece in 1988 and Estelle Mouzin in 2003.

Ms Parrish, 20, from Gloucester, was murdered in 1990, while working as an English teacher during her gap year.

Her body was found in the River Yonne and a post-mortem examination showed that she had been raped, beaten and strangled.

Olivier, 75, admitted in court that what she had done had been monstrous, but said she had been intimidated by Fourniret and scared of defying him, Sky News reported.

The prosecution had argued that she had been a willing participant and had repeatedly passed over chances to help victims to escape.

Mr Parrish said there has never been any doubt in our minds at all that Olivier was equally responsible for the murder of Joanna and the other completely innocent victims.

Mr Parrish asked for a moment to remember all the victims, then said: Were satisfied that the court has recognised Monique Oliviers part in the murder of our daughter and sister. She has been found guilty on all counts and a verdict and sentence passed accordingly.

Theres never been any doubt in our minds at all that she was equally responsible for the murder of Joanna and the other completely innocent victims.

From the very first moment that a victim was identified, she knew exactly, exactly, what would happen to them. And not only did she do nothing to help them, but she actively encouraged and participated in both their capture and subsequent murder.

Her presence alone would have gained the confidence of all the victims, who would never have believed a woman could be a part of such an appalling and depraved act. And her participation in these acts has now been proved beyond any doubt.

Finally, we now hope after this last obstacle in our struggle to gain an element of justice for Joanna has been overcome, we can remember our daughter and sister with a smile on our faces which is how of course all her many friends remember her.

Arrested in 2003 in Belgium, Fourniret was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for the murder and the rape or attempted rape of seven female teenagers and young women in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2001.

Fournirets then-wife, Olivier, received a life sentence as an accomplice in several of the cases.

Ten years later, he was sentenced again to life imprisonment for the murder of the companion of a former cellmate, who had disappeared in 1988.

The same year, he confessed to two other murders, including that of Ms Parrish.

In 2019, Fourniret was charged in the case of Estelle Mouzin, a nine-year-old girl who disappeared in 2003 as she was coming back from school in Guermantes, a small town east of Paris.

In March 2020, Paris prosecutor said Fourniret confessed to murdering Estelle.

Olivier, who divorced Fourniret in 2010, accused him of several other murders of which he was suspected of being involved.

Fourniret died in 2021 aged 79.
Sir Keir Starmer and shadow defence secretary John Healey will visit British troops deployed near the Russian border and stress Labours commitment to Nato on a visit to Estonia.

They will thank the servicemen and women for their courage, integrity, loyalty and professionalism and wish them a happy Christmas.

The Labour leader will also use his visit to the Nato base to warn that the West must not lose sight of Moscows threat to Europe.

Sir Keir, who polls suggest is on track to enter No 10 after next years general election, will pledge that a Government led by him would reinforce Nato allies neighbouring Russia, and would ensure the UK plays a leading role in defending the High North and other regions seeing increased Russian aggression.

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, he will signal Labours readiness to back further support for its resistance against Vladimir Putins forces.

Sir Keir and Mr Healey will praise British military personnel for helping to protect Natos eastern flank.

The pair will observe military exercises at the base in Estonia, which shares a 182-mile border with Russia, before joining troops in the canteen over lunch.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, left, and shadow defence secretary John Healey (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Ahead of the visit, Mr Healey said: Serving in our Armed Forces is the ultimate public service. Our troops embody the values of courage, integrity, loyalty and professionalism that the British people most admire. They make Britain  and Labour  proud, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.

On backing Nato allies on the Russian border and military support to Ukraine since the illegal invasion began, the Government has had  and will continue to have  our fullest Labour support.

We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to win. We stand ready to back further assistance to Ukraine and our Nato allies like Estonia.

Amid signs of war fatigue among Ukraines Western allies, Labour has heaped pressure on Rishi Sunaks Government to reveal the UKs plans for future military aid for Ukraine.

The UK gave 4.6 billion of military aid across 2022 and 2023.
Bereaved families have praised the Irish Government for giving them fresh hope by challenging the UKs controversial Legacy Act.

The Act, passed earlier this year despite widespread opposition, will end future court action and legacy inquests, funnelling cases from Northern Irelands troubled past to the newly set up Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The commission will be able to offer a limited form of immunity from prosecution in exchange for information.

With dozens of legacy inquests remaining at hearing or yet to be heard, and while other families are still campaigning for a fresh inquest, the Act was viewed as dashing hopes for justice.

A judicial review of the Act was heard at the High Court in Belfast earlier this year.

Campaigners at the Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

The Irish Government will bring the case under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Emmett McConomy told the PA news agency he was delighted the Irish Government will challenge the Act.

But he said it was tempered by the realisation we should never have been in this position in the first place.

Mr McConomy was seven in 1982 when his 11-year-old brother Stephen died after being hit in the head by a plastic bullet as he played close to his home in the Bogside area of Londonderry.

Victims needs have been trampled across by the Government, they have been brushed aside and the only beneficiaries of this Act are the perpetrators of violence, he said.

So to see the Irish Government finally act upon what it suggested it may do is a relief.

Were happy its happening but its going to be several months of legal cases in Europe, which is several more months than some victims families wont have  were not getting any younger  and we have to assume the British Government will fight this tooth and nail as they tend to when it comes to victims needs.

Victims campaigner Raymond McCord (Liam McBurney/PA)

But today gives us a little bit of hope and I think thats the only thing that victims have ever had was hope, and we cling on to that and thats priceless to us, and we will never lose hope regardless of what successive British governments propose to inflict upon victims.

Weve always remained hopeful that the truth will come out and that justice will rightly be served.

He said they are absolutely opposed to the commission and have told them they will not co-operate with them.

Rosaleen Dalton, whose father Sean was killed in an IRA booby trap bomb at a house in Derry in 1988, with two other people, as they went to check on a neighbour in what has become known as the Good Samaritan case, also welcomed the announcement.

Her family has been refused a fresh inquest into her fathers death, but she said she was pleased there was fresh hope for other families.

I think its a great decision. I think its the best decision and I think its the only recourse of action really, that that can be taken, she said.

We lost our case this year, but I think itll give other families hope for the future.

As the Legacy Act stands, it puts an end of all those inquests and investigations.

People like ourselves and our families have nowhere to go, so just knowing that somebodys fighting in our corner just gives us some fresh hope and optimism.

Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond McCord junior was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, has publicly thanked Irish premier Leo Varadkar and deputy premier Micheal Martin.

Anyone in Northern Ireland who condemns or criticises the Irish Government over their action is no friend of victims, he said.

The Conservatives showed that not only do they not care about justice but they also treated the entire population of our country with contempt with such an abuse of human rights.

We all should thank the Irish Government for taking the case to Europe. Unionists and nationalists victims have been given hope by the Dublin Government in our quest for truth and justice.

This challenge is not orange or green but the beginning of the end of the Bill which we have fought so hard to stop.

Thank you Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin.
Lord Cameron will head to Jordan and Egypt this week to make the argument for a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Making his second trip to the Middle East since being appointed Foreign Secretary last month, officials said the former prime minister is looking to progress efforts on securing the release of all hostages by Hamas, stepping up aid into Gaza and putting a stop to rockets being fired into Israel by Palestinian militants.

The Cabinet minister said that, without Israels security being guaranteed, there could be no lasting peace or two-state solution.

The Foreign Office said that, while in conversation with leaders from the two countries neighbouring Israel, he will reiterate the UKs position that leaving Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip will be a roadblock to reaching a long-term political solution to the crisis.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a call echoed by Lord Cameron, has recently started pushing for a sustainable ceasefire in a move that appears to underline the Wests hardening attitude towards Tel Avivs conduct of the war.

US President Joe Biden has warned that Israel is losing international support because of its indiscriminate bombing, with almost 20,000 Palestinians killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Ahead of his return to the Middle East, Lord Cameron said: This week I am making my second visit to the region to press the case for getting aid into Gaza and the remaining hostages to be released.

On aid, I will be seeking to build on Israels decision to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to ensure significantly more aid and fuel can reach Gaza, through as many routes as possible.

No-one wants to see this conflict go on for a moment longer than necessary. But for a ceasefire to work, it needs to be sustainable.

If Israel is still facing Hamas in Gaza with rockets and terror tactics, not only will a ceasefire not be sustainable, a two-state solution in the longer term will also not be possible.

David Cameron previously met Egyptian president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi while prime minister in 2015 (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

In Jordan, the Foreign Secretary, who will be accompanied by Middle East minister Lord Ahmad, will meet his counterpart, foreign minister Ayman Safadi.

He will then visit the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation, a focal point of Jordanian humanitarian support for Gaza.

The Conservative peer is expected to meet Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who this week won a third six-year term in office, and foreign minister Sameh Shoukry while in Cairo.

Lord Cameron has previously met Mr el-Sisi, including in Downing Street in 2015, while serving as British prime minister.

During his time in Egypt, officials said Lord Cameron will visit Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see first-hand how UK aid is being administered.

He will hear from the Egyptian Red Crescent about the impact the UKs aid deliveries, such as wound care packs, are having in Gaza  the besieged territory ruled by Hamas.

The UK and France are working together to maintain support for Ukraine and find a long-term political solution to the crisis in the Middle East. It was great to speak to President @EmmanuelMacron and @MinColonna in Paris today  pic.twitter.com/KXm2aTLM6d  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 19, 2023

The Foreign Office said Lord Cameron will use the trip to welcome Israels decision to open the aid crossing at Kerem Shalom, a Gaza border point that lies at the junction of both Israeli and Egyptian jurisdiction.

The opening had been called for by Mr Sunak, including during a phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lord Cameron last week announced a fresh batch of sanctions, targeting both leaders and financiers of Hamas, while also placing restrictions on Israelis responsible for settler violence in the West Bank.

He visited Paris and Rome on Tuesday as part of UK efforts to help co-ordinate the European response to the Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine.

Israel and Hamas have been at war for more than two months following the Palestinian militant groups deadly raids on October 7, which saw 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage.

A week-long pause in the fighting saw some 100 hostages released in a Qatar-brokered deal, but an estimated 129 people are thought to still be held captive.
People wait for the bus in the rain on Market Street in San Francisco. A mix of rain and snow slowed morning commutes and raised the risk of mudslides on some California roadways. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

A formidable winter storm flexed its muscles over the Bay Area on Wednesday, pelting the region with rain and wind, snarling traffic and producing localized flooding.

For those who like the pitter-patter of rain, hot cocoa and a good book on a wintry day, it was ideal.

For those traveling by plane, train or automobile, it was suboptimal.

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Nearly an inch of rain fell on San Francisco from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, with similar amounts in surrounding areas.

Crashes and flooding on roadways caused heavy congestion during the morning commute, slowing drivers on the Bay Bridge, along the Embarcadero and at myriad other locations. BART kept trains to moderate speeds given the wet tracks and potential for debris.

Richard Gayle, 65, waited for a BART train to San Francisco from Berkeleys Ashby Station, his jacket dripping and his wet bicycle leaning against the wall. He had pedaled from the Emeryville Amtrak Station after an 18-hour train trip from Portland. He had an uphill ride to his brothers house near Sutro Tower.

He was not bothered by the weather.

This rain is not a big deal, he added. The hill would be.

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I hate the hill, Gayle said, adding that San Francisco traffic zooming up said hill was also annoying. In the final analysis, getting wet is no big deal.

As a steady rain fell across a good swath of the Bay Area, the storm provided different definitions of wet.

Big Sur was expected to get as much as 4 inches of rain, increasing the risk of flooding and minor mudslides on roadways, according to the National Weather Service.

Yet, the rain totals were starting to accumulate everywhere given the double whammy of storms that hit the region.

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Two separate storm systems between Sunday and Wednesday brought the Bay Area its wettest weather so far this season, said Chronicle meteorologist Anthony Edwards. More than 3 inches of rain fell in San Francisco, 2 inches in Oakland and 1.5 inches in San Jose.

Drier weather is expected for the holiday weekend, but additional storms are possible during the final week of the year, Edwards added.

On Wednesday, weather-related travel delays continued at the Bay Areas major airports, where 46 flights were delayed and one flight canceled in the morning, FlightAware reported. More than 30 of the delays occurred at San Francisco International Airport, the majority caused by late inbound flights delayed at their airport of origin.

Drivers traveling in the Sierra Nevada were cautioned to expect wet conditions throughout the day. South of Lake Tahoe, Caltrans required chains on trucks on an 11-mile portion of U.S. 50 from Twin Bridges to Meyers, where snow and fog prevailed Wednesday morning.

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The storms were boosting the snowpack, with more than a foot of snow at Sugar Bowl ski resort in the past week, 7 inches at Northstar and 6 inches at Heavenly.

Getting to South Lake Tahoe wasnt easy, however, after a rockslide forced the closure of U.S. 50 Tuesday night after boulders from Echo Summit tumbled into the roadway, according to California Highway Patrols South Lake Tahoe division. Caltrans officials reopened the road after three hours, but CHP said workers were blasting the larger boulders on Wednesday, with additional cleanup efforts underway.

The rest of the week was likely to bring mostly sunny skies on Christmas Day and temperatures hovering around 60 degrees.
Mark Drakeford would not accept a seat in the House of Lords if asked, the First Minister of Wales has said.

The Welsh Labour leader described the unelected Upper House of Parliament as a democratic anachronism when asked if he would accept a peerage in order to swell Labours numbers in the chamber.

There are currently 175 Labour peers in the Lords, compared with 270 Conservatives.

Baroness Smith of Basildon, Labours leader in the Lords, recently told the House magazine that the party would need to refresh our numbers in the Lords in the coming years, as existing Labour peers age.

Asked by the PA news agency if he would accept a peerage to bolster the number of Labour lords, the First Minister of Wales said: I will not be looking to, if I were ever to be asked  I would not be looking to become a member of an unelected House of Lords.

He added: I simply dont believe that that is the right way to run things in a democracy.

Mr Drakeford is a supporter of Labour former prime minister Gordon Browns proposals to replace the House of Lords with an elected upper chamber, described as an assembly of the nations and regions.

The outgoing First Minister suggested these were long-term reforms, and not something an incoming Labour government would be able to carry out immediately.

Mr Drakeford said: I dont say for a minute that they all have to be done on the first day, but there is a journey of House of Lords reform that we need to embark upon.

The fact that there are hereditary peers still making laws in this country is surely, well if I was to call it a democratic anachronism, that would be giving you the kindest description I can think of.

He added: There are immediate steps that a Labour Government ought to take on a journey to a reformed second chamber, much smaller, representing as the Brown report says the nations and the regions, elected, not appointed.

That is not going to come straight away, but while the House of Lords remains as it is now, bloated, unelected, not responsible to anybody that is not a place where I am planning to spend my time.
Campaigners opposed to the building of a new nuclear power plant near Sizewell in Suffolk have urged regulators to intervene after losing the latest stage of a legal battle with the Government.

Protest group Together Against Sizewell C objects to a decision, made in 2022 by then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, to give the development the green light.

The group had mounted a Court of Appeal challenge after losing a High Court fight earlier this year.

EDFs Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk (Chris Radburn/PA)

But three appeal judges have dismissed the groups appeal.

Sir Keith Lindblom, Lady Justice Andrews and Lord Justice Lewis delivered a ruling on Wednesday after considering arguments at a Court of Appeal hearing in London in November.

Campaigners said they were dismayed by the appeal decision and called on the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency to flex their regulatory muscles.

They said they would continue their fight for the soul of Suffolk.

A spokesman for Together Against Sizewell C said: We are dismayed by this decision. The Office of Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency have the power to stop Sizewell C.

We can only encourage them to step up, flex their regulatory muscles and call Sizewell C out for the polluting, unnecessary and wasteful white elephant it is and refuse to licence it.

Kwasi Kwarteng gave the Sizewell C development the green light in 2022 while he was business secretary (UK Parliament/PA)

He added: Our fight for the soul of Suffolk will continue and we are in discussions with our legal team to consider our plans moving forward.

Lawyers representing the group told judges the central issue relates to whether a development consent order was lawful without any assessment of the environmental impacts of an essential fresh water supply.

The group had taken legal action against Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho and Sizewell C Ltd.

Lawyers representing the two defendants said the appeal should be dismissed.

Together Against Sizewell C argued at a High Court hearing earlier this year that the Government failed to assess possible environmental impacts, including the impact of the water supply, and did not consider alternative solutions to meeting energy and climate change objectives.

The Government argued that it had made legitimate planning judgments.

Stop Sizewell C and Together Against Sizewell C campaign groups outside EDFs Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk (Gregg Brown/PA)

A High Court judge  Mr Justice Holgate  had dismissed Together Against Sizewell Cs challenge.

Together Against Sizewell C argued, at the appeal hearing, that ministers needed to guarantee how a permanent water supply of two million litres per day for Sizewell C would be obtained, before giving consent.

Campaigners said the environmental impact of such a plant was not included in the planning application for the nuclear power plant, and therefore neither assessed nor taken into account.

But appeal judges backed Mr Justice Holgates reasoning.

They said in a written ruling published online: He correctly concluded that the Secretary of State was entitled in this case to regard the project as the power station, and that the provision of a permanent water supply was not part of that project but formed a different and separate project.

French energy giant EDF, which is due to develop the plant, has said Sizewell C is expected to generate low-carbon electricity to supply six million homes.

Ministers have said the multibillion-pound project will create 10,000 highly-skilled jobs, with its go-ahead being welcomed by unions and the nuclear industry.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokeswoman said: The Secretary of State granted development consent for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station on July 20 2022, having considered all relevant information.

We are pleased with the Court of Appeals judgment and are carefully considering the ruling.

A Sizewell C spokesman said: We welcome todays judgment and now look forward to the next steps for this project.

Sizewell C will play a key role in Britains clean energy future, and this judgement comes at an exciting phase in the projects development: following excellent progress of pre-commencement work this year, were now looking forward to beginning the construction phase in 2024.
Jeremy Hunt is to strike a financial services deal with Switzerland aimed at easing UK firms access to the Swiss market and vice versa.

The Chancellor is in Bern on Thursday to sign the agreement, which is based on the mutual recognition of each others laws and regulations governing the sector, the Financial Times reported.

It will create a framework to facilitate cross-border trade in wholesale financial services, with the Treasury hoping this will boost the City of London.

The Chancellor will ink the deal with Swiss finance minister Karin Keller-Sutter.

The FT said Mr Hunt will attribute the UKs ability to strike its own trade deals with major finance hubs to Brexit.

The Treasury told the newspaper: The Bern Financial Services Agreement is only possible due to new freedoms granted to the UK following its exit from the EU.

The agreement will enhance the UK and Switzerlands already thriving financial services relationship.

It added that the two nations relationship is underpinned by a commitment to international standards and a shared belief in the value of open and resilient financial markets.

When Britain left the bloc it risked losing the benefits of its former trading arrangements with Switzerland, which were based on EU rules despite it not being a member state.

The new deal permanently restores the UKs access to Switzerlands financial sector and opens to door to a wider trade deal, according to the FT.

Labour MP Paul Blomfield, who is the co-convenor of the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission, said: This agreement will be well received across the City and is a welcome acknowledgement from the Government that providing regulatory certainty between UK industries and their most important markets is a good thing.

The EU remains the largest overseas market for most British businesses and protecting them demands similar arrangements of beneficial regulatory alignment, which will break down barriers, reduce costs and unlock the huge potential of the UK economy.
Major firms supplying essential household services are failing in every area of customer service as standards plumb new depths in the post-pandemic era, according to watchdog Which?.

Many businesses were already offering sub-standard customer service before Covid forced them to close call centres and cut support staff, but the consumer group found firms in key sectors have failed to improve or worsened.

A survey of more than 3,000 members of the public about their most recent customer service experience in the energy, financial services, retail and telecoms sectors found around 20% on average were unhappy, climbing 22% for the telecoms sector and 25% for the energy industry.

Almost a quarter were unhappy with how long it took to speak to someone who could help (23%) and how long it took to get an answer to their query (22%).

These figures rose to 33% and 31% respectively for those contacting energy companies, with 49% of Scottish Power customers and 47% of Ovo customers saying they were unhappy with the wait to get through to someone who could help.

One Scottish Power customer told Which? It took ages to get hooked up to live chat. The AI chatbot was useless and it took so long to get the answer I needed.

An Ovo customer said: It took 90 minutes for an agent to finally accept a live chat.

Almost a fifth of respondents were unhappy with the ease of finding contact information (17%), and with the methods provided (18%).

For energy companies, these figures rose to around a fifth (21% and 24% respectively), with Scottish Power, Ovo and British Gas performing especially poorly in this area.

Over a third (36%) of Scottish Power customers were dissatisfied with the contact options provided, and 29% of Ovo customers found it difficult to find contact information, as did 25% of British Gas customers.

A fifth (21%) who contacted an energy company were dissatisfied with how seriously the company took their issue.

The findings follow Turner Prize-winning artist Sir Grayson Perry revealing he had spent about three hours at least on the phone to energy supplier EDF after they tried to raise his monthly electricity bill from 300 to 39,000, with other customers including journalist Jon Sopel reacting with similar stories.

Within the telecoms sector, 26% of Sky customers struggled to find contact information.

Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: Too many people are experiencing shockingly poor customer service, whether that means struggling to get through at all, deficient chatbots or poorly trained staff that only seem to make the problem worse.

Our research has found shoddy customer service in a number of sectors, with the energy industry performing particularly poorly.

Any companies falling short on customer service need to up their game. Everyone should be able to get the answers they need without long waits or endless loops, be kept informed and treated fairly, with empathy and as an individual.

A Sky spokeswoman said: We are committed to providing the best service for our customers. Our customer service number is listed on our online help pages and within our extensive help guides. Were proud to consistently be named as one of the least complained-about telecoms providers in Ofcoms quarterly complaints data.

Scottish Power said: 98% of customer emails were responded to within two days and our average speed of answering phone inquiries is under 110 seconds.

These figures, collated as part of a robust study by Citizens Advice and released this week, puts us top of the large suppliers when it comes to customer service call waiting times and email turnaround.

Weve worked tirelessly to improve and enhance our services for all of our customers and will continue to do everything we can to help them.
The Scottish Government should assess the long term behavioural changes caused by its tax policy, the chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) has said.

The Deputy First Minister announced on Tuesday that a new tax band is to be created for higher earners, while the top rate will rise by 1p in the pound.

Taken alongside the increase of two lower bands by inflation and maintaining the higher rate band at its current level to catch more taxpayers, the Scottish Government said the changes will bring in 1.5 billion more next year.

We have published our forecasts that accompany the @scotgov 2024-25 Budget announcement. You can find them here: https://t.co/8jzar8xi6t #ScotBudget pic.twitter.com/DMYI17t0Np  Scottish Fiscal Commission (@scotfisccomm) December 19, 2023

But continued changes to Scotlands taxation policy have raised concerns of potential behaviour shifts among Scots in a bid to pay less tax.

While such changes could include leaving the country altogether, they could also see higher earners take action to avoid paying increased tax.

According to the SFCs most recent forecasts, the increase to the top rate and creation of the new advanced rate  which will impact those earning 75,000 per year or more  will bring in a net of 82 million, with 118 million lost due to behavioural changes.

Speaking to journalists at a briefing following Tuesdays Budget, SFC chairman Professor Graeme Roy was asked if there has been enough work done on the long term behavioural impact of tax divergence.

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison outlined the Scottish Governments Budget on Tuesday (PA)

In short, no, but I think part of that is because data comes out with a lag, so you need to wait for the data to come through and it take a bit of time for that to happen, he said.

Part of it is a data issue, but I do think that this is a really important question, that weve never had in the UK before about substantial tax differentials.

So its a really interesting research question.

I would think, I would hope, that a Government who are really interested in thinking about their economic policies would have a really clear plan for evidence about the impacts of its policy choices, including on tax, but also then what that funding is hoping to support as well.

I would hope that was something that Government would have a key interest in, Parliament should have an interest in as well, but Government has certainly got the resources to ask that question and look at it  it would be really interesting to see what it comes up with.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: The Scottish Governments tax policies are grounded in evidence and carefully balance the need to raise revenue with the impact on taxpayers and the economy.

People base their decisions on where to live and work on a wide range of factors, not just the tax they will pay. People who call Scotland home enjoy a range of support not available throughout the UK, such as the Scottish child payment, free prescriptions and free access to higher education.

Since the Scottish Government made changes to income tax rates and bands in 2017-18, net migration of working age people from the rest of the UK to Scotland has averaged almost 7,000 per year. This is adding significantly to Scotlands workforce and helping to grow Scotlands economy.

The Scottish Government continues to work with stakeholders such as HMRC to develop the evidence base on potential behaviour change, with a view to making a further constructive contribution to the public debate on taxpayer behaviour in Scotland in the new year.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison confirmed any further legal challenge to recent rulings on the controversial gender recognition reform will be scrapped, but pledged to robustly defend the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking to BBC Scotlands The Nine, Ms Robison said the move to drop any further appeals was a difficult decision and that the Scottish Government had looked very carefully at the outcome.

It comes after the Court of Session dismissed an appeal against Westminsters decision to override MSPs and axe the Gender Recognition Reform bill last week.

Ms Robison told the BBC the UK Governments evocation of a section 35 order to overturn the bill and prevent it from becoming law was outrageous.

The legislation had attempted to simplify the process for transgender people to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) and officially change their legally-recognised sex.

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said it was a very difficult decision for Scottish Government to scrap any further appeals over gender recognition reforms (Andrew Milligan/PA)

But the UK Government ruled it could have an adverse impact on equalities legislation across the UK.

We took all of the factors in the round, around what the case and what the prospects of the case would be, as well as all the other considerations and the impact indeed on the trans community.

So, weve made that decision for all of the reasons that we have set out, Ms Robison said.

She added: The point here is that Scotlands democratic institution overwhelmingly supported a piece of legislation that is within devolved competence.

And because the UK Government and the Secretary of State for Scotland didnt like it, he thought he could ride roughshod over the democratic wishes of this Parliament.

The Deputy First Minister said the Scottish Government was concerned about a pattern of behaviour and said that any future attempts to block legislation would not be tolerated.

She added: If we see this again, on a piece of legislation the Secretary of State for Scotland happens not to like, we will continue to robustly defend the wishes of this Parliament.

(We will) make sure that we get the support of civic Scotland and other institutions in Scotland, to make sure that we send a loud message that this pattern of behaviour will not be tolerated.

And we want to make sure if there is a change of government at UK level that we get a different understanding and a different relationship that is based on respect.

Alba Party MSP Ash Regan, who left the Scottish Government and the SNP over her stance on GRR, said she welcomed the decision.

She told The Nine: I think its welcome, Im disappointed that unfortunately the Scottish Government has got itself into this mess to begin with, it didnt have to do that.

But what I will say, whilst this legislation, which is deeply unpopular with the Scottish public, is blocked for now, what I would like to see is that this legislation is withdrawn and I would like to see the Scottish Government say they will never implement this bill.

Alba partys Ash Regan welcomed the Scottish Governments decision on Tuesday (Jane Barlow/PA)

The debate around gender reform in Scotland has been controversial with opponents claiming it could endanger the safety and rights of women and girls, while its supporters  including the Scottish Government  said it was a minor clerical change that would affect a small number of trans people in Scotland.

In statements given to the BBC, the Scottish Trans Alliance called the current system for gender recognition intrusive, stressful and difficult and said the bill that passed last year would have improved the lives of trans men and women.

For Women Scotland, who have campaigned against changes in the law, urged the Scottish Government to draw a line under the issue.
The UK Government profoundly regrets a move by the Irish to legally challenge its legislation to deal with Northern Irelands troubled past.

In a statement, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris slammed the case as unnecessary and warned it came at a particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland.

It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts, Mr Heaton-Harris said.

But earlier, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said his government was left with no option but to legally challenge the UK Government over the Legacy Act.

The Taoiseach said the strong legal advice was that the UK Legacy Act breached the UN Convention on Human Rights.

The Act received royal assent in September despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims organisations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

Irelands deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said they were taking the case reluctantly after having spent time trying to change the UK Governments mind.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said his government was left with no option but to legally challenge the UK Government (Niall Carson/PA)

Amnesty International praised the Irish government as doing the right thing for victims of Northern Irelands Troubles by taking a stand.

The Irish government is to argue that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UKs obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Aspects of the laws include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The new Act will also halt future civil cases and legacy inquests.

A legal challenge was brought by victims of the Northern Ireland conflict against the UK Governments Legacy Act (Liam McBurney/PA)

Multiple Troubles victims and family members are supporting a legal challenge against aspects of the Act at Belfast High Court.

The UK Government also said it was prepared for the move by the Irish government, and would robustly defend the legislation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said: The government took a decision that we will take an interstate case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, seeking a judicial review of the UK Legacy Act.

The attorney generals advice on this is very strong, his advice is that the UK Legacy Act is in breach of the UN Convention on Human Rights. Its also the view of the UN high commissioner and also the Council of Europe.

It is something that were genuinely doing with a sense of regret, and would prefer not to be in this position, but we did make a commitment to survivors in Northern Ireland and to the families of victims that we would stand by them, respect their wishes and also stand by the Good Friday Agreement, which specifically references the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Taoiseach added that the Stormont House Agreement had received consensus from both governments and parties in Northern Ireland.

He said: The UK Government decided for their own reasons, and of course they have the right to do this, to go down a different path, which is the UK legacy legislation, which is now law.

But we dont agree with that, we think that the agreement agreed by the parties in Northern Ireland, the two governments is the better approach and we think at this stage we really have no option but to ask the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to carry out a judicial review of this legislation.

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said the British Government had removed the political option, and left us only this legal avenue (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Martin said: This decision was taken after much thought and careful consideration.

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made.

However, the decision by the British Government not to proceed with the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and instead pursue legislation unilaterally, without effective engagement with the legitimate concerns that we, and many others raised left us with few options.

The British Government removed the political option, and has left us only this legal avenue.

In his statement on Wednesday evening, Mr Heaton-Harris also challenged the Irish government on its approach to legacy, describing it as inconsistent.

At no time since 1998 has there been any concerted or sustained attempt on the part of the Irish state to pursue a criminal investigation and prosecution-based approach to the past, he said.

We note, in particular, the former Irish justice minister and attorney generals 2014 reference to an informal decision on behalf of the Irish government to not investigate Troubles cases  something that he restated publicly in 2021 in response to our proposals.

Indeed the Irish government should urgently clarify the number of criminal prosecutions brought in Ireland since 1998 relating to Troubles cases.

He also added: It is also a matter of public record that successive UK and Irish governments during the peace process worked closely together on a range of initiatives which have provided conditional immunity and early release from prison.

His statement concluded by describing the UK Governments bilateral relationship with Ireland as one we value deeply.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the Irish government of double standards (Liam McBurney/PA)

Despite this misguided action, we will continue to work to minimise the consequences and protect the interests of the people and businesses that bind us together, he added.

Meanwhile, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the Irish government of double standards.

Sir Jeffrey told the BBC: I think there are double standards on the part of the Irish government here and whilst I am strongly opposed to the Governments amnesty plans, we voted against it, we spoke against it and we continue to oppose it, but I dont think the Irish government are in a very strong position to point the finger at the UK Government because the Irish government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues.

No proposals to deal with the quite significant number of murders that were committed either in their jurisdiction or from their jurisdiction.

For years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.
The UK Government will seek reimbursement from the Scottish Government following confirmation that Holyrood ministers will not appeal against the blocking of gender reforms.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack confirmed on Wednesday that an application will be lodged for all of the Westminster Governments legal expenses to be covered.

Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirmed her Government will not launch an appeal after the Court of Session ruled use of a Section 35 order of the Scotland Act to block the reforms was lawful.

The move by Mr Jack prevented the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from gaining royal assent.

The legislation had attempted to simplify the process for transgender people to obtain a gender recognition certificate and officially change their legally-recognised sex.

But the UK Government ruled it could have an adverse impact on equalities legislation across the UK.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the Court of Session case used public money which could have been better spent (Victoria Jones/PA)

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, Ms Somerville said the Bill will not be withdrawn, despite admitting it may be impossible to see a way forward.

Following the announcement, Mr Jack said the UK Government welcomed the acceptance of the court ruling.

But he added: The Scottish Government chose to pursue this litigation in spite of the cost to the taxpayer.

These resources would have been better spent addressing the priorities of people in Scotland  such as growing the economy, cutting NHS waiting lists and improving our childrens education.

The UK Government now intends to lodge an application with the court seeking our expenses in defending this matter.

Prior to the ministerial statement, Ms Somerville was forced to apologise to the Scottish Parliament after the decision was leaked to the press on Tuesday.

Scottish Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville said her Government is committed to enhancing the rights of transgender people (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ms Somerville said it was deeply disappointing and regrettable, but said Deputy First Minister Shona Robison responded to direct questions when asked about the matter during a media interview.

In a reduced statement in Holyrood, she said the Scottish Government is open to working with current or future Westminster governments to move the Bill forward.

She said: If a future UK government are willing, we will do so with them, so that the Section 35 could be lifted and the Bill progress.

It seems clear that the current Government will not do this and it remains to be seen what a future government will do.

She maintained the Scottish Government views the use of Section 35 powers as a veto which UK ministers will use on legislation they do not agree on.

Regardless of peoples views and opinions on gender recognition, that is a very worrying place for our Parliament to be, she said.

We will therefore focus on working with an incoming UK government which we hope will have more respect for devolution and is willing to work together, even when sometimes we disagree.

Ms Somerville also assured transgender people that the Scottish Government will never waver in its commitment to enhancing their rights.

You are not a threat and you will always be able to live your lives free from prejudice and abuse in the type of Scotland we want to see, she said.

Meghan Gallacher, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, said: When Nicola Sturgeon said last year that this debate would be over by Christmas  I dont think she meant this Christmas.

She said her party had repeatedly warned the legislation was fundamentally flawed.

But the SNP Government didnt listen. Instead, theyve spent time and taxpayers money on a doomed legal battle to revive laws which the majority of the Scottish public do not want, she said.

She added: Womens groups were ignored throughout this whole debate and I am delighted that their hard-fought campaign has been won.

Scottish Labours Paul OKane, the partys social justice spokesman, said: The Cabinet Secretary has essentially said that the Bill will remain in limbo after the smoke from the court wrangling between the two governments clears.
A US servicewoman wept in court and said she had no idea why she did not see a motorcyclist who crashed into her car and died when she pulled out of a side road and across his path.

Airman first class Mikayla Hayess voice cracked with emotion as she told Norwich Crown Court: I still to this day have no idea why I didnt see that motorcycle.

The 25-year-old, dressed in a white shirt and dark blazer, said Im so sorry then sobbed when her barrister Christine Agnew KC asked her about motorcyclist Matthew Day, who died of his injuries.

Matthew Day died of injuries sustained in the collision in Southery on August 26 last year (Family handout/PA)

Hayes was handed a box of tissues by the court usher and wiped tears from her eyes, before the judge asked her if she needed a short break.

The defendant had been turning right, towards her home in Downham Market, as she travelled back from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk where she worked, when the crash happened.

She emerged from the B1160 Lynn Road across the path of 33-year-old Matthew Day as he travelled south along the A10 at Southery in Norfolk on August 26 last year.

The father-of-ones Yamaha motorbike struck her Honda Accord and he died of his injuries later that day.

Hayes denies causing Mr Days death by careless driving.

She told jurors: I believe Im a very careful driver and I kept looking for traffic both ways and I dont know why I didnt see him that day.

Questioned by Ms Agnew, Hayes said she was married and her husband, parents and friends were in the public gallery at the court.

She said she was originally from Indiana and was stationed at RAF Lakenheath where she works as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic, working on equipment associated with jets such as generators, heaters and tow bars.

Hayes said she joined the US Air Force in 2021 having previously attended two separate universities but not finishing either degree.

Mikayla Hayes, left, denies causing Mr Days death by careless driving (Joe Giddens/PA)

She said she completed her basic and technical training in Texas and had put England at the top of her dream sheet of locations where she wanted to work.

I always dreamed of coming here, she said.

She said she married in December 2021 and arrived in the UK in April 2022, with her husband initially working as a teaching assistant at the elementary school on the base, but isnt currently employed.

She said she was not offered accommodation on the base, with couples with children prioritised.

She got accommodation in Downham Market, which she said was a 35-minute journey from the base on a good day.

Hayes said she got her full US drivers licence aged 16 and after moving to the UK, passed a written test about the highway code.

Hayes had been travelling from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk to her home in Downham Market in Norfolk at the time of the collision (Emma Sword/PA)

She said she had received a speeding ticket in the US for being five miles over the limit, and was involved in two incidents  one when a deer ran in front of her car, writing it off, and a separate minor collision with an SUV at a shopping mall.

She told her barrister that neither collision was put down to being her fault.

Hayes said she stopped driving after the collision on August 26 until May of this year, adding: I was terrified  I had traumatic visions in my mind of driving and I do not want to hurt anyone.

She said she found the junction intimidating.

Theres a lot to look at, she said.

Theres traffic coming from left, two lanes to the right, occasionally the farm track though its very rarely used.

The trial was being held at Norwich Crown Court (Stephen Pond/PA)

She said that traffic that Friday, at the start of the August bank holiday weekend, was heavier than normal.

She said she did not see the motorbike until it was about a second (away), five to six feet in front of me.

She told Ms Agnew there was nothing she could do to avoid the collision.

Asked if she had been arrested before, she told her barrister: No mam.

I was absolutely terrified, I had never gotten in trouble before, she said.

She was taken from the crash scene to hospital in Kings Lynn, then into custody, and she was not bailed until a hearing the following Thursday, with conditions to remain in the UK and surrender her travel documents.

Ms Agnew asked her: Did it ever cross your mind to try to leave the UK?

Hayes replied: No mam.

The trial continues.
All Of Us Strangers and Oppenheimer lead the pack for major nominations at the London Critics Circle film awards 2024.

Andrew Haighs romantic fantasy has scored nine nods while Christopher Nolans biopic blockbuster has picked up seven, with both being nominated for film of the year.

It was announced on Wednesday at The May Fair Hotel in London that they will go against Barbie, Killers Of The Flower Moon, Anatomy Of A Fall, The Holdovers, May December, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone Of Interest for the coveted prize.

The cast of Oppenheimer, which has been nominated for seven awards (Ian West/PA)

Andrew Scott has also been nominated for actor of the year for his performance in All Of Us Strangers, while his co-stars Paul Mescal and Claire Foy have been shortlisted in the supporting actor categories.

Scott will face tough competition from Bradley Cooper for his starring role as composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy and Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction.

Carey Mulligans portrayal of Bernsteins wife Felicia Montealegre in Maestro has also earned her a nod alongside Lily Gladstone for her role in Killers Of The Flower Moon, Sandra Huller for Anatomy Of A Fall, Greta Lee for Past Lives and Poor Things star Emma Stone.

Meanwhile, Mescal has been nominated for the supporting actor of the year award along with a host of Hollywood stars including Robert Downey Jr for Oppenheimer, Ryan Gosling for Barbie, Poor Things star Mark Ruffalo and Charles Melton for his performance in May December.

Paul Mescal has been nominated twice (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

The supporting actress category is also star-studded with Foy being nominated alongside Julianne Moore for May December, Saltburn star Rosamund Pike, Sandra Huller for The Zone Of Interest and DaVine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers.

Greta Gerwig and Nolan will go head to head in the director of the year award for Barbie and Oppenheimer respectively.

They will also face competition from Martin Scorsese for Killers Of The Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone Of Interest.

Among the other top gongs up for grabs at the ceremony being held in central London on February 4 is the British/Irish performer prize which takes into account their body of work across the year.

Scott has been recognised for his role in All Of Us Strangers again while Mescal has also been selected for his performance in the film and his roles in Gods Creatures, Foe and Carmen.

Murphy has been nominated in the category for Oppenheimer, Mulligan for Maestro and Saltburn and Tilda Swinton for The Eternal Daughter, The Killer and Asteroid City.

Jeffrey Wright will be presented with the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film (Ian West/PA)

At this years ceremony, US actor Jeffrey Wright will be presented with the London Critics top honour, the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.

He has starred in a host of major productions including Wes Andersons The French Dispatch, Asteroid City and Rustin as well as playing Felix Leiter in three James Bond films opposite Daniel Craig.

The chair of the Critics Circle Film Section, Rich Cline, said: We are thrilled to present such an iconic actor as Jeffrey Wright with the Dilys Powell Award.

And we are planning another special award as well, new this year, to be announced soon.

As always, our nominees stand out from other awards because our members actually take the time to watch all of the years films.

So these nominations represent a cross-section of the very best movies we saw in 2023. Instead of being critical, its nice to celebrate films, filmmakers and performances that deserve attention.

The winners of the 44th London Critics Circle Awards will be announced on at a ceremony held at Londons May Fair Hotel on February 4, hosted by film critic Mark Kermode.
Former Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Terry Wiley, left, speaks at a news conference supporting fired Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, right, on Feb. 5. Wiley will be San Franciscos first inspector general overseeing its jails. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Terry Wiley, a veteran Alameda County prosecutor who lost that countys district attorneys race to Pamela Price last year, was picked to be San Franciscos first inspector general overseeing the Sheriffs Department and its two jails holding roughly 800 people.

Wiley, who spent more than three decades with the Alameda County District Attorneys Office, the last couple as a chief assistant overseeing human resources, will be responsible for spearheading investigations into misconduct claims and deaths in custody, a role that has so far been filled by the citys Department of Police Accountability, which already fulfills that function for the San Francisco Police Department.

Wiley will also make recommendations on disciplinary actions and department policies to the Sheriffs Department.

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Im thrilled and honored to serve as the inaugural inspector general for the city and county of San Francisco, Wiley said after taking his oath of office at a Wednesday news conference. As leader of this office, the most important thing I will strive for is competence.

The citys seven-member Sheriffs Department Oversight Board, tasked with overseeing the inspector general, selected Wiley after almost a yearlong nationwide search. The board spent the fall reviewing applications, said board Vice President Xochitl Carrion.

We asked ourselves who is the best of the best, she said. Lucky that Terry Wiley was among them.

After remarks and well-wishes from board President Julie Soo, Carrion, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Department of Police Accountability Director Paul Henderson and Bar Association of San Francisco Executive Director Yolanda Jackson, the oath was administered upon Wileys request by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, a mentor who, Wiley joked, has never said no to me.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, left, administers the oath of office to incoming Inspector General Terry Wiley at City Hall on Wednesday. Daniel Lempres / The Chronicle

The oversight board, which began meeting in August 2022, was formed after a 2020 state law that took effect in 2021 created a process for counties to create oversight boards for their sheriffs departments. Two-thirds of San Francisco voters approved of forming the board by passing Proposition D in 2020.

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Twenty-four people have died in Sheriffs Department custody between 2010 and 2022, including four in the past two years, according to data collected by the California Department of Justice.

The department has come under fire in recent years for poor treatment of incarcerated people. In 2020, the city settled a lawsuit brought by people whose cells were flooded with raw sewage for months while they were held in the jail. The city settled another in 2021, agreeing to extend the time allotted to incarcerated people for sleeping from five hours to seven hours.

In October, a federal judge decided a class-action lawsuit alleging inhumane jail conditions. The suit argued that the jails practice of preventing people from accessing sunlight amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. The judge ordered the city to allow incarcerated people access to sunlight for at least 15 minutes a day.

A 2022 report from the Department of Police Accountability showed that the most common sustained misconduct finding against sheriffs personnel was failing to perform safety checks on inmates and lying about it, which happened six times last year. The department also had two confirmed incidents of unnecessary force last year.

Members of the oversight board asked people incarcerated in County Jail #3, the larger of the two jails and located in San Bruno, what they would like to see in an inspector general during a September tour. They were told the inspector general should not be connected to the Sheriffs Department, should be familiar with the jail system and should know how it feels to be in here, a board report stated.

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While Wiley worked closely with Alameda Countys law enforcement agencies, he is not directly connected to the department hell oversee.

SFGATE first reported Wileys appointment on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from U.S. custody Wednesday in exchange for 10 Americans detained in Venezuela and the return of a notorious fugitive who had fled the U.S.

Six of the Americans freed from Venezuelan custody were considered wrongfully detained. The U.S. secured the extradition of Leonard Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who fled to Venezuela while facing sentencing for orchestrating one of the biggest bribery scandals in U.S. Navy history.

In exchange, Biden granted clemency to Alex Saab, long considered a bag man for Maduro who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020.

The swap, first reported by the Associated Press, follows months of negotiations between the U.S. and the Maduro government as part of the Biden administration's efforts to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas.

President Joe Biden, in a statement, said the 10 Americans released from Venezuela "have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence." He added. "I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more."

As part of the deal, Maduro has also agreed to release 20 jailed Venezuelans who the U.S. considered to be political prisoners, three other Venezuelans who faced arrest warrants and Roberto Abdul, a member of Maduro's opposition party who was arrested on treason charges.

Pedestrians walk near a poster asking for the freedom of Colombian businessman and Venezuelan special envoy Alex Saab, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 9, 2021.

Biden said the U.S. is ensuring that the Maduro regime "meets its commitments" and pointed to an "electoral roadmap" agreed to by opposition parties to ensure competitive 2024 presidential elections in Venezuela. "This is a positive and important step forward," Biden said.

The U.S. confirmed the release of Americans Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who were accused of entering Venezuela illegally from Colombia, as well Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

The U.S. did not disclose the names of the six other American detainees freed from prison, citing privacy considerations. Among other Americans imprisoned in Venezuela are two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were involved in an attempt to oust Maduro in 2019.

Some of the participants in the coup attempt alleged they had high-level contacts in the Trump administration with knowledge of their plans, according to investigations by the Associated Press and the Miami Herald.

U.S. officials denied any role in the attack. The AP found no indication U.S. officials sponsored the men's actions nor that Trump authorized covert operations against Maduro, something that requires congressional notification.

At the time, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would use all possible means to win the freedom of Denman and Berry.

Saabs release is a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is the target of a $15 million U.S. reward for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Saab faced charges in the U.S. for conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing for Venezuelas government. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 while traveling to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduros government.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Saab of helping to enrich Maduro and his regime by orchestrating a vast corruption network that exploited no-bid contracts to loot hundreds of millions of dollars from starving Venezuelans.

Before his death from cancer in 2013, Venezuelas strongman Hugo Chavez handpicked Maduro, a former bus driver and union boss, as his vice president and successor. Maduro assumed the presidency after Chavezs death and has held onto power ever since.

Francis was arrested in Venezuela in 2022 following a manhunt after he removed an ankle bracelet during house arrest in the U.S. while facing sentencing. Francis pleaded guilty to bribing Navy officials from 2004 to 2013 with tens of millions of dollars and gifts, including prostitutes and luxury travels, to steer contracts to his company and steering Navy ships to certain ports.

With his return to the U.S., Francis will "be held fully accountable for his time, as well as for his attempts to escape from justice," a U.S. official said.

The six wrongfully detained American detainees secured from Venezuela mark the latest prisoners brought home by the Biden administration.

In September, Iran released five imprisoned Americans in exchange for the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets and two Iranian prisoners who had been jailed in the U.S.

Last December, the Biden administration secured Russia's release of WNBA star Britney Griner in a one-for-one exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been held in a U.S. prison since 2012.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Saab among those swapped for 10 Americans in Venezuela-Biden deal
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

When you need a comforting addition to your Christmas dinner spread, make grandma proud with one of these flavorful main and side dish casseroles. This collection of warm and cozy casseroles ranges from cheesy scalloped potatoes to savory stuffing. Recipes like our Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage and Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe are healthy and delicious options that will be welcome on any table.



Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage

This amazing wild-rice stuffing recipe is bursting with fall flavors, including rye bread, sausage, apples, dried cherries, pecans and fresh herbs.

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Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes with Spinach

Classic scalloped potatoes get a burst of color, heartier texture and a healthy update with the addition of chopped spinach. The greens in this side dish also create a nice contrast to the creamy, velvety potatoes.

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Carrot Casserole

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Carrot casserole is a great holiday side dish thats both creamy and savory with just a touch of sweetness from the carrots. Coriander and dry mustard add lovely background flavors to the cream sauce. Microwaving the carrots gives them a jump-start in the cooking process and ensures that theyre cooked through. The carrots should all be sliced thinly so they cook evenly. If you have one, a mandoline can make quick work of the slicing, but a good sharp knife will also do the trick.

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Broccoli Casserole

This lightened-up broccoli casserole is sure to be a hit. Learn how to make this classic side dish healthier.

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This crowd-pleasing mashed potato casserole is made for entertaining. You can prep it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when youre ready to eat. Waxy Yukon Gold potatoes yield a creamier texture than more starchy russets. Leaving their thin skin on instead of peeling them cuts down on prep time and also offers a boost of fiber.

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Baked Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber.

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Au Gratin Potatoes

We use flour-thickened milk combined with a modest amount of tangy sharp Cheddar to make a creamy cheese sauce for our healthy spin on the classic potatoes au gratin recipe. They're topped with additional cheese and some breadcrumbs, then baked until golden brown and bubbling. Serve the au gratin potatoes as a Thanksgiving side or with roasted chicken and vegetables for a satisfying dinner.

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Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

If you're looking for a twist on classic scalloped potatoes, this recipe using roasted sweet potatoes and melty Gruyere has all the creaminess of the original with a new flavor twist. The sweet potatoes and lightened sauce--made with flour and low-fat milk--keep it healthier than butter- and cream-laden versions. Don't cut your sweet potatoes too thin--they'll turn mushy under the sauce.

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Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

This delicious vegetarian lasagna recipe showcases seasonal vegetables. Butternut squash brings a sweet richness while spinach gives it a nutrition and flavor boost. As a bonus, this recipe makes an extra lasagna that you can freeze for an easy holiday-season meal.

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Sweet Potato Souffle

This creamy sweet potato souffle is complemented with a crunchy pecan-oat topping for a truly scrumptious side dish. The filling can be made up to five days ahead, so you just have to top it and bake it when it's time. Whip up this healthy sweet potato souffle recipe for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion.

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Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

If green bean casserole is a must-have in your family at Thanksgiving but you're, well, ready for a change, give this cheesy version a whirl.

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Cornbread & Oyster-Mushroom Stuffing

Mushrooms are a rich, meaty addition in this healthy cornbread stuffing recipe. Here we use oyster mushrooms, but you can use any variety you like. If you have time, bake the cornbread a day or two in advance so it has time to dry out a bit, which lets it absorb the flavors more readily.

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Easy Lasagna

This classic beef lasagna recipe is easy to make and will be ready to eat in just over an hour.

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Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Now everyone can enjoy classic Thanksgiving favorites, like this dairy-free green bean casserole. We make a homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup using almond milk for the creamy base that's combined with fresh green beans. Top it off with classic french-fried onions (we have a vegan recipe for that, too!) for a side dish everyone will devour.

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Cheesy Corn Casserole

This cheesy corn casserole is surprisingly light and fluffy, thanks to eggs and a whirl in the blender. The sweet corn batter and salty Cheddar cheese make this casserole pleasing to kids and adults alike.

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Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole

Diana Chistruga

Thanksgiving isn't complete without a homemade sweet potato casserole. We like to sprinkle chopped pecans on top along with the marshmallows for a bit of texture.

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Sage Cornbread Dressing

Johnny Autry

A cast-iron skillet gives the cornbread nutty brown edges that impart extra color and flavor to the dressing. Serve this sage cornbread dressing as a holiday side or anytime you want some Thanksgiving flavors.

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Monticello's Macaroni

Jerrelle Guy

This is the macaroni and cheese recipe that would have been made in the kitchens at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Jefferson first became familiar the creamy, cheesy baked dish of macaroni from his time in Paris and it was enslaved cooks, James Hemings, Peter Hemings, Edith Hern Fossett and Frances Gillette Hern, who prepared this favorite dish over the years. The popularization of this iconic American dish can be traced to Black cooks, like Peter Fossett (the freed son of Edith Hern Fossett), Rufus Estes and Freda De Knight, who helped spread the dish throughout the United States. Learn more about Macaroni and Cheese at Monticello.

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Mushroom-Cornbread Stuffing

This healthy mushroom-and-leek cornbread stuffing recipe is a lightened-up version of the must-have holiday side. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, you can make this recipe moist or crispy. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

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Slow-Cooker Corn Casserole

With just five ingredients, you can make this healthy corn casserole with ease. The tang of the cream cheese and sour cream balances the sweetness of the corn. Frozen corn can vary in sweetness, so taste the brand you're using to determine if the optional sugar is needed. This creamy corn casserole makes the perfect veggie side for any meal.

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Read the original article on Eating Well.
Passengers aboard a Bahamas-bound cruise trip had their holiday beach vacation dreams turned upside down when they were rerouted to Boston, Maine and Canada instead due to weather concerns.

Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia was supposed to set sail for sunny, sandy Caribbean beaches over the weekend. Instead, one day before its departure from New York on Saturday, passengers were informed about a last-minute itinerary change due to unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather.

The sudden change was a shock to some passengers already in New York for the cruise.

We thought we were being punked. But its just like Bahamas, Boston  its a huge difference, passenger Val Montgomery told NBCs TODAY show.

MSC Cruises said the weather would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City.

The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of cancelling the cruiseand thousands of peoples vacationsoutright, MSC Cruises added. Guests were given a choice between sailing to the new stops or canceling for future cruise credit.

Under the new schedule, the cruise departed from New York City on Dec. 16, docked in Boston for three days and was scheduled to stop in Portland, Maine, on Wednesday and Canada on Thursday before returning to the Big Apple on Saturday.

It's unclear how many guests decided to board the rerouted cruise aboard the ship that can accommodate over 5,000 passengers and 1,600 crew members.

The itinerary change left guests scrambling to repack for winter cold instead of tropical heat.

Imagine me having three kids to pack up. They were all packed with summer clothes. We immediately ran to Walmart because all our bags are already packed, to repack all of the winter stuff, Lakeya Allen said in an interview with "TODAY."

Once on board, Allen shared a TikTok video showing kids swimming in an outdoor deck pool on the ship in chilly New York weather.

Its cold cold  like wind-blowing cold. Like officially cold, Allan said in the clip.

She shared other videos enjoying the indoor pool and jacuzzi, casino and dining options on board the ship. In the comments section, Allen said it was a beautiful ship despite the itinerary change.
Brown University is moving ahead with trespassing charges against 41 students arrested during a peaceful protest last week.

As of Tuesday, members of the Brown Divest Coalition, which organized the Dec. 11 sit-in at University Hall, were preparing for six court dates stretching over winter break, from Jan. 9-18.

Coalition member Jo Ouyang said students will need to find their own housing during that time and arrange any necessary transportation.

Eiden Spilker, another coalition member, said an attorney for the students was attempting to find out whether the school would seek to have the charges dropped or at least have the court dates shifted.

University spokesman Brian Clark said "Brown would be agreeable to date changes that enable the students' court appearances to take place after their return from winter break."

But Clark said the charges remain in effect.

Ouyang said a group called Brown University Alumni for Palestine launched a legal fund to help with students' legal expenses, and alumni also started an email campaign that has prompted some 3,000 emails to university President Christina Paxson, calling for the charges to be dropped.

More than 200 Brown University students gathered on Dec. 11 outside University Hall, where 41 students inside demanded that the school divest from weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war.

What happened during the protest?

Clark said students entered the building around 9 a.m. and staged a sit-in. Photos show the students wearing white T-shirts printed with "divest for Hisham," a reference to Hisham Awartani, a junior, who was shot and paralyzed by an assailant in Burlington, Vermont, over Thanksgiving break. He was with two friends who were also shot and wounded. All three are of Palestinian descent.

More: 'Its a miracle': Uncle of Brown student shot in Vermont talks about rehab, resilience

The coalition is calling on Brown to divest from weapons manufacturers such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon amid the Israel-Hamas war. Its members have tried to assert a connection between Brown's investments and Awartani's shooting. Ouyang contended "Hisham was shot because of hateful rhetoric that Brown University is complicit in."

In response, Clark said, as he has in the past, that "there is a common misunderstanding that Brown directly invests its endowment in individual stocks, bonds and other financial instruments."

"In fact, the Brown University endowment is almost entirely invested through external specialist investment managers, all with the highest level of ethics and all whom we believe share the values of the Brown community," Clark said. "This includes the rejection of violence. The endowment is not directly invested in defense stocks or large munitions manufacturers."

More: Brown University arrests 41 student protesters at sit-in calling for divestment

Why were students arrested?

By nightfall, shortly after the close of business, campus officers arrested all 41 protesters. Providence police charged them with trespassing.

It was the second time in recent weeks that protesters have been arrested while demanding that Brown reform its investments. In November, the school had 20 students arrested. The response has left activists feeling that their message had been ignored.

"How many students are they willing to arrest instead of even bringing something as simple as the question of divestment to the table?" asked coalition member Hannah Aboueid.

More: Brown University celebrates legacy of activism, but today's protesters feel ignored

What is President Christina Paxson saying?

Paxson delivered students a letter explaining why she wouldn't support their calls for divestment, which are outlined in a 2020 report identifying several divestment targets. The Brown University Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices created the report. Members of that committee included faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Paxson said the report didn't explain how divestment stops social harms and claimed it "did not adequately address the requirements for rigorous analysis and research."

Yet Brown has used divestment as a tool in the past, divesting from South Africa during apartheid. That followed a student uprising in the 1980s that called on the school to act. Similarly, Brown divested from Sudan during the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Students have used these two historical points to back up their calls.

Now, Aboueid said, students' relationship with the administration is "reaching a boiling point."

"They dont seem to be taking our demands seriously," Aboueid said, "even as student support for divestment grows exponentially."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown University continues to press charges against student protesters
Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon

Cameron Diaz is shutting down the crazy rumors that she and Jamie Foxx had an ongoing feud on the set of Back In Action.

I really hate all of the things that were being said about our set at the time  You just want to scream at the top of your lungs, like, What are you talking about? Diaz, 51, said during a Tuesday, December 19, episode of Molly Sims Lipstick on the Rim podcast.

Specifically, the actress said she heard rumblings that Foxx, 56, was making everything miserable and that I was never gonna make another movie again because of him.

Back in Action marked Diazs return to the big screen after stepping back from acting in 2014 to focus on her family life and start her Avaline wine company. Diaz clarified that everybody loves Foxx, and he was the on-set cheerleader.

Stars Who Left Hollywood Behind: Cameron Diaz, Michael Schoeffling and More

Celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Rick Moranis rose to stardom in Hollywood  only to leave their acting careers in the past. Diaz got her start with a role alongside Jim Carrey in the 1994 film The Mask. The actress continued to find success with movies including My Best Friends Wedding, Theres Something About []

While the rumors got under Diazs skin, they didnt bother Foxx. When I see and hear people trying to take another person down like that  [Jamie is] so classy. Hes like, Nope. Just let them [talk], Diaz said, explaining that the whole situation just really made me angry.

This was far from the first time Diaz and Foxx have starred in a movie together. They shared the screen in 1999s Any Given Sunday and in the 2014 film adaptation of Annie.

David M. Benett/WireImage

We have so much fun on the set with him, and hes just a professional on every level, Diaz gushed of Foxx. Jamie is the best. I love that guy so much. Hes such a special person and hes so talented, so much fun.

While Diaz acknowledged that there were hiccups during filming, all were natural incidents that werent beyond the ordinary. Nothing got delayed other than, obviously, toward the end, she said, referencing Foxxs health scare. And thats something that is not my place to speak about.

Foxx was hospitalized in early April with an undisclosed illness while filming in Atlanta, his daughter, Corinne Foxx, publicly announced at the time. He was released from the hospital in May, and addressed the health scare via Instagram in July, telling fans that he went to hell and back.

Britney Spears and Alyssa Milano Unexpected Celebrity Feuds

Celebrity feuds are so captivating that theres even an award-winning Ryan Murphy anthology TV series devoted to the topic. While some A-list beefs seem inevitable  Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B, for example, or Jef Holm vs. Arie Luyendyk Jr.  others seem to come out of nowhere. Freddie Prinze Jr., for instance, spoke ill []

The Django Unchained actor made his first public appearance on December 4 to accept the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Associations Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements. He opened up a bit about the medical complication that led to his lengthy health battle while on stage.

Ive been through some things, Foxx told the crowd of fellow honorees and guests. Its crazy; I couldnt do that six months ago. I couldnt actually walk.
Corrections and clarifications: This story has been updated to clarify which food services would be affected by the bill.

A new bill introduced in New York could force certain Chick-fil-A locations at rest stops along Interstate 90 in the state to be open on Sundays.

Chick-fil-A is known for its delicious chicken and waffle fries, which are only offered from Monday through Saturday since it closes its doors on Sunday, unlike other chain restaurants.

However, a new bill in New York could affect the company's decades-long tradition.

Under Bill A08336, introduced in New York, contracts entered into by the New York State Thruway Authority with food providers at transportation facilities and rest areas would require the food services to remain open seven days a week, according to the New York State Assembly.

Chick-fil-A at the New York State Thruway Plattekill service area May 3, 2023. Thruway Opens Plattekill Rest Stop

Why does Chick-fil-A close on Sunday?

Chick-fil-A opened its doors in 1946, and its founder, S. Truett Cathy, decided to keep its doors closed on Sundays for his employees to worship or rest.

Chick-fil-A closing its doors on Sunday is not the only religious principle it has practiced. The company came under heavy criticism after donating to anti-LGBTQ groups in 2012. The company didn't stop sending donations until seven years later, in 2019.

What will Chick-fil-A do?

The New York State Thruway Authority hasaccounted for Chick-fil-A closures on Sunday by offering other restaurants in the rest stops to provide additional options for travelers according to Thruway spokesperson Jennifer Givner.

"Our requirement is that we have at least one hot food option available," said Givner. "If Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays we have other alternatives for our customers."

Seven Chick-fil-As are located in multiple New York State Thruway rest stops, with three more planned to be built, according to WRGB Albany.

The bill also will require New Jersey to enact the same law for food services at the Port Authority, which will take effect after New Jersey passes a statute similar to the one in New York.

USA TODAY has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chick-fil-A open on Sunday? NY bill could impact rest stop locations
By Alessandro Diviggiano, Xiaoyu Yin and Liz Lee

HAIDONG, China (Reuters) -Braving sub-zero cold, rescuers on Wednesday pulled to safety victims of an earthquake that rocked a remote area in China's northwestern Gansu province, while survivors faced months of uncertainty ahead without permanent shelter.

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake jolted Jishishan county near the border straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces a minute before midnight on Monday, sending frightened residents out of homes into the cold in the dead of the night. Roads, power and water lines and agricultural production facilities suffered damage, and the quake triggered land and mudslides.

In Gansu, 113 people had been found dead as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday (0100 GMT) and 782 were injured, authorities said. The death toll in neighbouring Qinghai rose to 21 with 186 injured and 13 missing as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Seventy-eight people have been found alive in Gansu, where rescue operations ended on Tuesday afternoon, Chinese media said, as the focus shifted to treating the wounded and resettling residents as a months-long winter loomed.

It was not immediately clear whether the search in Qinghai had ended or not.

In Gansu, more than 207,000 homes were wrecked and nearly 15,000 collapsed, affecting more than 145,000 people. More than 128,000 emergency supply items including tents, quilts, tent lights and folding beds were delivered while food such as steamed buns and instant noodles were provided to the victims.

The quake-stricken area is geographically a transition zone between two plateaus, featuring terrains of altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,300 metres (5,906 to 14,108 feet) with "very complex" topography, CCTV said.

The post-quake recovery has been further challenged by an intense cold snap that has gripped most of China since last week. Temperatures around the quake epicentre in Gansu fell to about minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday night.

According to local media citing researchers, people trapped under rubble exposed to minus 10C conditions without help are at risk of rapid hypothermia and may only be able to live for five to 10 hours even if uninjured.

In Qinghai's quake-hit Haidong city, Du Haiyi said his family home had been completely levelled. The 21-year-old told Reuters he had managed to save his mother and 16-year-old sister, who were trapped under debris the night of the quake.

"My parents were pulled out from underneath this, but I don't know how," Du said. "We ran to wherever we could."

Du, an occasional labourer, said his family of seven had slept exposed to the elements with neither sustenance nor adequate covers, taking shelter in a tent provided by the local government.

HOMELESS IN WINTER

Those who lost homes had few options but to gather in fields, burning wheat straw for warmth. One family of seven took refuge in a car for the night as emergency tents were prioritised for the elderly and young, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Within 50 km (30 miles) of the quake epicentre on the edge of Qinghai province, the earthquake affected 22 towns and villages, but of that, two villages suffered the worst damage.

The county of Minhe in Haidong earlier recorded 20 missing people from two villages, where a mudslide swept through, half-burying many buildings in brown silt. Search and rescue operations and efforts to resettle residents were complicated as mud blocked main roads, state media said, showing footage of bulldozers clawing through mud and rubble.

"We have prepared coats with extra cotton, like military coats, and then some things to keep warm like heating equipment," said Wu Saying, 21, a rescue volunteer in Haidong.

Food supplies were also a concern.

"I didn't have anything to eat yesterday, and today I'm eating the food left in the house," said Bao Yinzi, 53. "The pot is buried, the bowl is buried. There's nothing left."

AFTERSHOCKS

The frigid cold was not the only concern weighing on rescuers and working groups assessing the situation.

The Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau said strong aftershocks of magnitude 5 were still possible around the area in the coming days, based on the characteristics of Monday's quake, historical seismic activity and other factors.

The aftershocks will be closely tracked so as to issue early warnings, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua cited the bureau's deputy director as saying.

Wu, the volunteer, said villagers whose homes were seriously damaged were given tents. He said he was worried about aftershocks.

By early Wednesday, there were two aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 and above, and eight of magnitude 3.0 and above, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

The quake centred in Gansu's Jishishan county was logged at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), which experts consider shallow. Earthquakes with shallow focal points can easily cause considerable damage to the ground, Xinhua reported citing a senior engineer with the China Seismological Network Center.

Earthquakes are common in Chinese provinces such as Gansu, lying on the northeastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. China's deadliest quake in recent decades was in 2008 when a magnitude 8.0 temblor struck Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people.

(Reporting by Alessandro Diviggiano and Xiaoyu Yin in Haidong, Liz Lee in Beijing and the Shanghai newsroom; editing by Sonali Paul, Gerry Doyle and Mark Heinrich)
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie weighed in on the Colorado Supreme Courts decision to knock former President Trump off the states ballot, arguing voters, not the courts, should decide if Trump should be prevented from being reelected to the White House.

What I will say is I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States, by any court, Christie said in a statement Tuesday. I think he should be prevented from being the President of the United States by the voters of this country.

Christie said he doesnt believe its good for the U.S. if Trump is kept off the ballot by a court.

I think its bad for the country if that happens, Christie said. Now, the other reason I believe that is because, you know, he will have had to incite insurrection, be a part of an insurrection for him to be excluded. Theres been no trial of him on that.

Trump is currently facing charges from the Department of Justice related to his alleged efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election, which included blocking the certification of 2020 election votes.

The trial is slated to begin March 4, though Trump is attempting to have the case tossed out on the grounds he has presidential immunity from federal prosecution.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday night arguing Trump should be prevented from appearing on the states Republican primary ballot because of his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

In a 4-3 ruling, the court ruled Trump was involved in an insurrection by promoting false claims of election fraud and directing his supporters to the Capitol, where some participated in the riots in an attempt to stop the certification of 2020 election results.

Christie, who has made his criticism of Trump a central focus of his bid for the White House, said while he has very strong feelings about Trumps actions on Jan. 6, he also strongly believes people deserve a trial and jury decision before rights are taken away from them.

So I know it will be counterintuitive to a lot of people who listen to me about Donald Trump, but I hope it just goes to prove [to] you: I dont hate him at all, Christie said. I just think what hes done is horribly wrong and that he has reserved the right that we would give him as voters [the chance] to lead us again.

Colorados Supreme Court put its ruling on hold until Jan. 4 to allow Trump to first seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority. If he does, Trumps name will automatically remain on the ballot until justices resolve the appeal.

Trumps campaign vowed Tuesday that they would be appealing the decision to the nations highest court.

Recent analysis from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ shows Trump with a 54 percent lead over his GOP rivals. Christie has struggled to gain any significant ground in the GOP primary, garnering about 2.7 percent of the GOP primary vote, compared with Trumps 64.9 percent show of support.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Colorado Supreme Court's decision to bar Donald Trump from the state's ballot will help the former president in his quest to win the Republican nomination next year, political insiders in both parties say.

Some Democrats fear it could boost him next November, too.

Republican elected officials raced to rally around Trump in the hours after the ruling was released Tuesday  even those not backing him for president in 2024. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has not endorsed Trump, wrote a bill aimed at preventing states from blocking presidential candidates from their ballots. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is competing with Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, even interpreted the decision as an attempt by Democrats to aid Trump.

Donald Trump during a

"They're doing all this stuff to basically solidify support in the primary for him, get him into the general, and the whole general election's going to be all this legal stuff," DeSantis said in answer to a voter's question in Urbandale, Iowa, Wednesday morning.

"It's unfair. They're abusing power, 100%," DeSantis said. "But the question is, is that going to work? I think they have a playbook that unfortunately will work, and it will give [President Joe] Biden or the Democrat, whoever, the ability to skate through this thing."

Already facing criminal charges in four cases at the federal and state levels  with each indictment appearing to cement his political base  Trump has turned his pending prosecutions into a political argument that he and fellow Republicans are being persecuted by in-power Democrats.

The broader question is whether the ruling feeds into Trumps narrative in a way that is easily absorbed by swing voters should he advance to a general election.

"You know, we talk about democracy, but the whole world is watching the persecution of a political opponent thats kicking his ass," Trump argued about Biden during a speech Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.

Biden portrays Trump as a threat to democracy, and he deployed that message against Trump acolytes in 2022 before many of those GOP candidates went down in defeat in the midterms. Now, some Democrats close to the president fear that knocking Trump from the ballot will flip that script  or at least blunt Bidens message.

"They're pissed," said a source familiar with discussions involving senior White House and Biden campaign officials. The decision makes it look "like Colorado is attempting election interference through non-elected Democratic-appointed justices with funding from 'shady left-wing donors,'" the source said.

We all hope Biden wakes up on Christmas morning to an A3 story in the Delaware News Journal saying that the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of Trump, the person added.

While the Supreme Court could at any time overturn the state court's position  that Trump is ineligible under the 14th Amendment because his actions on Jan. 6 amounted to insurrection  Trump is reaping immediate political rewards. Shortly after the decision was handed down, he sent out a fundraising pitch.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the decision "a thinly veiled partisan attack" on Trump.

"Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary," said Johnson, who endorsed Trump last month.

One of Trump's rivals, Vivek Ramaswamy, pledged Tuesday night to withdraw from the Colorado primary ballot if Trump isn't on it  and called on their opponents to do the same. A Ramaswamy aide, asked how the ruling affects Trump, put it succinctly: "Oh, I'm sure it will help his poll numbers."

It's not just Republicans who think the state Supreme Court has handed Trump a gift.

"The optics of the decision before any court has ruled on his indictments just feeds the Trump persecution complex," Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, a veteran presidential campaign aide, said. "And unfathomable as it may sound to Democrats, [this] will likely strengthen him."

David Axelrod, who served as a top adviser to President Barack Obama, described Trump's courtroom travails as "battery packs" on the GOP campaign trail.

Trump already holds wide leads over his Republican presidential rivals in national and state-by-state polling, and, with less than a month before voters caucus in Iowa, the Colorado decision promises to rob his opponents of oxygen at a crucial moment for their campaigns.

"Under 30 days to the caucus, time and attention are at a premium," said Matt Gorman, a former top campaign aide to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who suspended his presidential effort last month. Instead of his opponents being able to contrast themselves with Trump, theyre forced to rightly defend him.

They were quick to respond publicly  and took Trump's side  demonstrating the political need to avoid angering Republican primary voters who see Trump as the victim of partisanship.

"The last thing we want is judges telling us who can and cant be on the ballot," said former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who vowed that she will "beat him fair and square" anyway.

The one GOP candidate who sounded a different note: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a vocal Trump critic who has attracted little support from GOP voters.
Juan Murillo, left, and Sonia Montes, center, with four of their six children, from left, Carlos, 14; Tadedo, 1; Sonia, 10; and Joshua, 18, at their home in Fairfield on Dec. 4. When Murillo lost one of his two jobs, the family fell behind on bills and rent. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

When Juan Murillo and Sonia Montes left their hometown of Guadalajara in Mexico, they hoped to improve their lives north of the border. They arrived in Fairfield, encouraged by Murillos brothers, who had found steady work in the area, and settled in.

The couple welcomed their first child in 2005. By 2013, Montes had left her job at a commercial laundry facility, where she washed tablecloths and napkins from nearby hotels and restaurants, to care for what had become a bustling household. Murillo worked two jobs, one in construction and the other as a janitor. But when the family welcomed their sixth child in October 2022, they suddenly found themselves close to living on the streets.

Murillo requested five days off to help care for the children and Montes. He returned to his janitorial position without a problem. But he was shocked to find out he had been fired from his construction job. He did not get an explanation, he said in Spanish, just a thank you, and good luck.

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Losing his job of eight years thrust the family into a precarious position.

Sonia Montes holds son Tadedo, 1, while daughter Karla, 10, kisses his cheek at their home in Fairfield on Dec. 4. After her husband lost one of his jobs, bills piled up. We felt hopeless, Montes said. I felt desperate. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

We felt hopeless. I felt desperate, Montes said in Spanish.

More about Season of Sharing Since its inception in 1986, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has raised and distributed $192 million to help house, care for and nourish Bay Area residents. All administrative costs are covered by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, so 100% of donations go directly to help people facing crises. For more information or to donate, visit www.seasonofsharing.org/donate.

Bills piled up. The couple could pay only a portion of their monthly rent. To help with the groceries, the couple relied on CalFresh benefits. Still, they were living day-to-day.

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We had to decide between putting food on the table and making payments, but we have children in our home, and they have to eat, Montes said.

Murillo was looking for another construction job but encountered one obstacle after another. Companies were fully staffed. Then the work did its customary slowdown at the end of the year. Then it was slow to pick back up due to unusually stormy weather at the start of 2023.

Murillo eventually got a job at an industrial filter factory in Vacaville. But by then, overdue bills and months of back rent had stacked up.

With assistance from Vacavilles Family Resource Center, Sonia Montes, left, and Juan Murillo applied to the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund, which helped them get caught up on their bills and rent. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Our landlord was starting to tell us to hurry up and pay so we dont get evicted, Montes recalled.

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Looking for help, Montes met Ana Siebert, a family support worker with the city of Vacavilles Family Resource Center, which connects in-need families with resources and information. Siebert helped Montes apply to the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund, which works year-round to fight homelessness and hunger in the Bay Areas nine counties.

Montes applied to Season of Sharing in July, saying the process to request financial assistance with the back rent was easy. She finally felt optimistic.

Now, the family is all caught up on their bills and rent. Murillo continues working his two jobs, and Montes looks after their six children. Going out as a large family is prohibitively expensive, so they make the most of their time at home.

We spend a lot of time together, Montes said, hoping they can continue sharing time together at their Fairfield home.
A Denver-area teenager was charged Monday with trying to help terrorists after he allegedly planned to travel to the Middle East in order to become a soldier for the Islamic State terrorist group.

The defendant, Humzah Mashkoor, 18, of Westminster, Colorado, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado with knowingly providing or attempting or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

An FBI agent's narrative included in the criminal complaint alleges Mashkoor, born in the United States but raised in part in his family's native Afghanistan, desperately wanted to return to fight for the Islamic State group, better known as ISIS.

FBI agents arrested him Monday at Denver International Airport as he attempted to fly to the United Arab Emirates as part of the alleged plan to end up back in Afghanistan and meet with ISIS "brothers," according to the complaint.

The bureau became aware of Mashkoor in 2021 when a social media company alerted it to a post by the defendant that expressed support for the terrorist group, the court filing states.

The federally designated Foreign Terrorist Organization based in Iraq and Syria is a jihadist group  militants who pine for a holy war that would leave their school of Islam victorious  that has undertaken or inspired terrorist attacks resulting in thousands of casualties around the world, according to the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In July 2022, police in the city of Thornton, about 10 miles north of Denver, alleged Mashkoor assaulted a relative, who told officers the teenager said he "wanted to kill people and cut their heads off," according to the court document.

Another relative allegedly told police Mashkoor "struggled from mental illness and had high-functioning autism."

In September 2022, he started communicating online with an FBI agent posing as an ISIS supporter, the complaint said.

From then through Monday of this year, that agent and others posing as ISIS supporters communicated with the teen, documenting his alleged intentions, the filing states.

At one point, Mashkoor communicated with two real ISIS supporters with alleged real-world terrorist ties, including one convicted for terror-related activity in a foreign country, the complaint alleged.

He pondered staying in the United States to work for ISIS to help carry out a domestic attack, according to the complaint. The idea, suggested by an online ISIS contact, "was something I considered as a last effort," Mashkoor is quoted in the complaint as saying.

The teenager also considered the possibility he would be immediately be deployed as a suicide bomber upon reaching ISIS militants in the Middle East, the document states.

He pondered whether to go to Syria instead of Afghanistan, but fretted that the had no contacts there, prosecutors said. He also fretted about finding a bride, which seemed integral to his alleged plan, they said.

The defendant thought about sending money to ISIS by converting it to cryptocurrency, but he had difficulty determining how to do so without being traced, according to the complaint. After turning 18, he asked for a relative's help in removing their name from his bank account so he could move forward with the cryptocurrency plan without their knowledge, it stated.

When one of the covert agents asked if the relative knew what he was trying to do, Mashkoor said it was likely. "She cried a little after I changed the stuff and then she said, 'You are not allowed to send money to any bad people,'" the complaint quotes the defendant as saying.

Mashkoor said he suffered from depression, and he couldn't wait to leave the United States, the agents in touch with him said, according to the court filing.

"I can't stand another day of humiliation living in dar ul kuf," the defendant is quoted as saying. The term "dar ul kuf" refers to the portion of the world that doesn't follow Islam.

The trip to United Arab Emirates was postponed by more than a week because the Mashkoor contracted Covid, the filing states.

On Monday, just after 9:30 a.m., FBI agents arrested Mashkoor at Denver International Airport. Later, they searched his home in Westminster, about 20 miles north of Denver, and found journal entries, according to the complaint.

In prosecutors' words, the teenager wrote that "he has felt isolated since he was young, but then discovered that there were 'others like' him."

Mashkoor is also quoted as stating his goals in a journal entry: "Victory over my enemies, or martyrdom.

Mashkoor made an appearance Friday in federal court. It wasnt immediately clear if he had a lawyer, and the federal public defender in Colorado did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
With a brisk wind and temperatures around freezing, about 60 Mennonites rallied Tuesday outside the offices of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, calling for peace in the latest Israel-Hamas war.

The Rev. Joel Miller, pastor at Columbus Mennonite Church, read a letter that was delivered to the senator's Columbus office:

"We are Mennonites from across Ohio, asking you to stand with us and publicly call for a permanent ceasefire in Israel and Gaza," Miller said. "A ceasefire is the first step toward ending the devastation in Gaza and promoting a lasting peace for all Israelis and Palestinians. Our call is rooted in values that compel to follow Jesus Christ's model of active peacemaking.

"We were shocked and horrified by Hamas' brutal attacks against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and were heartbroken and horrified by Israel's continuing attacks on Palestinian civilians, including the deaths of thousands of children. Over the past several months, we've watched in disbelief, as the scale of violence in Palestine has reached staggering levels: Cities are in ruins; children are trapped under the rubble; hostages are being held captive; hospitals are collapsing; entire family lines have been wiped out.

"As bombs, funded by our tax dollars, rain down on Gaza, our hearts ache for the people of Palestine who are living through an unimaginable humanitarian crisis. We recognize the trauma of Israelis fearing for their existence and do not believe the present war serves their ultimate security.

"We cannot turn away; we cannot keep quiet. Our faith demands that we speak out."

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Mennonites call for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss campaign launched a new website Tuesday accusing presidential candidate Nikki Haley of running for the White House just to become former President Trumps vice president.

The Trump-Nikki 2024 website lists a series of comments made by Haley and other politicians that the campaign argues shows she wants to be Trumps vice president, not president. The website also plays off of Trump by dubbing the mock campaigns slogan as Make the Establishment Great Again!

For years, Nikki Haley has wanted to be Donald Trumps Vice President and now she is using her 2024 candidacy to finally make her VP dream a reality by following the lead of the former president as theyve combined to spend over $30 million against Ron DeSantis, all while she refuses to attack Trump, the website states.

DeSantis has been critical of Haley in recent days as she surges in New Hampshire polls. He recently pressed the former U.N. ambassador to answer whether she would accept a vice presidential nomination from Trump if he asked her.

Theres a reason why they spend money against me. Haley and Trump spend money against me, DeSantis said during a campaign stop in New Hampshire earlier this month. He has not spent any money against her, and she has not spent any money against him.

She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this: Will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no? he added.

Despite the DeSantis campaigns claims Haley and Trump do not attack each other, super PACS associated with Haley and Trump released dueling ads Tuesday in New Hampshire criticizing each other. The ad supporting Haley argued Trump is attacking the former South Carolina governor because she is the only threat to him securing the GOP nomination.

Of all the Republicans running for president, why is Donald Trump only attacking Nikki Haley? Because Trump knows Haleys the only one who can beat him, the narrator in the ad stated.

The MAGA Inc. ad released Tuesday criticized Haley for walking back a 2013 South Carolina gubernatorial promise to not raise the gas tax. Haley said Tuesday that the ad means Trump is getting nervous about her.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the website when reached for comment by The Hill.

Holy shit, the DeSanctus campaign is really staffed by dumbasses, he said.

The Hill has reached out to the Haley campaign for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Dunkin' Donuts franchise in Boston.

Three former Dunkin employees in Texas are facing assault charges after police said they threatened a drive-thru customer with a gun earlier this month.

The three employees, ages 20, 19 and 17 were arrested for a dispute that took place on Dec. 9 at a franchised Dunkin store in northeast El Paso. They each face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

A woman, who was accompanied by her boyfriend to purchase doughnuts reported that three employees confronted the couple in the drive-thru after she asked to speak with a manager.

All three employees approached the couple with a weapon in hand, the woman told police.

Heres what we know.

What happened the night of the dispute?

The couple said they arrived at the Dunkin around 8:30 p.m. with the intention of purchasing doughnuts from the drive-thru.

The woman, who was driving the vehicle, told the El Paso Police Department that she felt that the employee who had attended them was rude. When she asked to speak to management, an employee on the other end of the intercom stated he was the manager using explicit language, according to a police news release.

The woman alleged that one of the Dunkin employees had chambered a round in a gun before pointing at the womans 41-year-old boyfriend, saying Ya'll gonna die tonight, according to police.

Officers were responded to reports of a disturbance involving a person with a gun in in the area before the three employees were arrested. The three guns believed to be involved in the dispute were seized by the police, the agency reported this week.

All three men have since been released on a $100,000 bond.

How has Dunkin responded?

Dunkin shared with the El Paso Times, part of the USA Today Network that they were aware of the incident that took place on Dec. 9.

The franchised team members have been terminated and the franchisee is fully cooperating with police in their investigation," a spokesperson said.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dunkin Donuts workers with guns threaten Texas customers, cops say
A former senator in Haitis parliament was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison after he had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill his countrys leader  but at a court hearing the ex-politician told a Miami federal judge that his intention was only to arrest President Jovenel Moise, not assassinate him.

The former senator, Joseph Joel John, who also is known as John Joel Joseph to his countrymen, is the third defendant to be given the maximum sentence by U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez in the Haiti assassination case. However, he seemed to contradict his plea agreement struck with prosecutors in October. He pleaded guilty to knowingly conspire to provide material support to kill Haitis president, provide that support himself, and knowingly conspire to murder a person outside the United States.

But at Tuesdays hearing, John, 52, insisted that he only participated in a plot to arrest Haitis president and remove him from office because the impoverished country was in turmoil under threat of a civil war.

I was never part of any plan to assassinate him, John said, even though he admitted in a signed factual statement with his plea agreement that he attended key meetings with several co-conspirators. They discussed carrying out the coup operation, acquiring weapons and assassinating the president. One such meeting was held the day before the assassination was carried out on July 7, 2021.

It got out of hand, John told the judge, as he asked for mercy. I am very sad this ugly crime happened. ... It was not deserving for him to to be killed.

Martinez, the judge, did not call out John for his apparently inconsistent position  but he reminded the convicted defendant that whatever his intentions may have been, he admitted to being part of a conspiracy that ended with the Haitian presidents death.

Whether you attempted to assassinate [him] or not, you got into very dangerous territory, Martinez told John.

Afterward, Johns defense attorney, Brian Kirlew, downplayed the apparent inconsistency, saying that his client admitted he was part of the conspiracy but that it was not his intention to kill Haitis president. I think he wanted the president arrested and tried [in Haiti] because he saw him as an illegitimate failure.

During the brief hearing, federal prosecutors asked the judge to give John a life sentence, while Kirlew argued that his client was very cooperative with investigators and deserved no more than 30 years in prison. Martinez said that he expected the prosecutors to recommend a sentence reduction for him in the future.

So far, four defendants out of 11 charged in the Miami case have pleaded guilty to their supporting roles in the deadly plot targeting Haitis leader more than two years ago. A fifth defendant, a Colombian commando accused of being at the presidents home during the ambush when he was riddled with bullets, is expected to plead guilty to conspiracy and related charges on Friday, court records show.

Johns assertion that he only wanted to arrest Moise and not kill him is consistent with the testimony of another suspect in the assassination plot, Joseph Felix Badio, according to sources familiar with the Haitian police investigation. Badio, an ex-government employee who is considered a central player in the ongoing probe to figure out who killed Moise, was arrested in Port-au-Prince in October after a cop spotted him grocery shopping. He had been on the lam for more than two years.

Both Badio and John are considered important players in the kidnapping-turned-killing plot, which initially entailed using a bogus warrant signed by a Haitian judge to arrest Moise.

A well-known member of Haitis opposition, John bragged about having contacts in Washington, according to Haitians who know him. And at the height of Moises growing unpopularity, John was among those who publicly called for his ouster from office.

In a resurfaced interview John gave in 2019 when Haiti was in the midst of a lockdown, he alluded to Moises death, saying he hoped the leader would not suffer the same fate as the countrys founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Dessalines, who declared Haiti free from France, was assassinated on October 17, 1806, while on his way to fight rebels.

Haitian people, John said, we have taken an engagement to say we are going to do another October 17.

Addressing the presidents increasing lack of popularity, John said of Moise: Today, he is prepared to die in power.

In the same interview, John appealed to gang leaders and police officers, asking them to join the population in their fight against Moise, who had began using foreign mercenaries in his security detail.

All of the conditions are there for Jovenel to go, John said, directing his comments to the underpaid members of the Haiti National Police, some of whom would later be accused of standing down during the presidents brazen assassination. Jovenel sees this so clearly that he doesnt believe in you to provide him with security that he has appealed to international mercenaries.

He wanted to become prime minister

John, who had been detained in Jamaica before being brought to Miami last year, told FBI agents that he had met with some co-conspirators the day before they embarked on the mission to kill President Moise at his suburban home outside Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021, according to court records.

Jovenel Moise, president of Haiti, speaks at the United Nations General Assembly General Debate at the United Nations in New York on Sept. 27, 2018. He was assassinated at his suburban home outside Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021, according to court records.

John said he helped obtain rental vehicles, made introductions to Haitian gang members and tried to get firearms for the co-conspirators operation targeting Haitis leader, according to the factual statement filed with his plea agreement. Johns goal was to become the prime minister under Moises successor following the leaders removal from office, according to an FBI affidavit.

An expansive Haiti police investigation says as John attempted to rent vehicles, he was accompanied by Vitelhomme Innocent, a gang leader who has since emerged as one of Haitis most dangerous figures. Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation named Innocent to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and doubled an award to $2 million for information leading to his arrest. With his image splattered on billboards around South Florida, Innocent faces charges in the U.S., not for his alleged role in Moises assassination, but for the kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Haiti, including 16 American missionaries.

Like John, two other defendants sentenced to life are also assisting the FBI and U.S. Attorneys Office.

Retired Colombian army officer German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, aka Colonel Mike, 45, admitted that he met with several co-conspirators from Haiti and South Florida before leading a group of former Colombian soldiers to the Haitian presidents home to kill him. In October, Rivera was sentenced to life in prison, but he is hoping to get his sentence reduced with cooperation.

Also, Haitian businessman Rodolphe Jaar, 51, admitted to providing weapons, lodging and money in the conspiracy to assassinate Haitis president. A dual Haitian and Chilean citizen, Jaar was sentenced in June to life in prison but is hoping to get his prison term decreased with cooperation. Previously, he was also convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.

John was transferred in May 2022 to Miami from Jamaica, where he had been jailed on an immigration violation. John served in the Haitian Senate from 2009-15 and worked as a political and security consultant.

After Johns transfer and arrest in Miami, his wife and two sons were allowed to come to the United States, according to his attorney, Kirlew.

Theyre here in the United States, and theyre safe, Kirlew said after the plea hearing in October. The hope is they can remain here.

John, according to a Haitian police investigative report, rented five vehicles for the deadly mission five weeks before the murder plot was carried out. He was joined by a powerful gang leader, Innocent, and a former rebel leader known as the Torturer, Miradieu Faustin.

Hes also believed to have been an interlocutor between the various groups. On the night of the killing, he was in communication with several main suspects.

READ MORE: Made in Miami. Who was involved in killing of Haiti president Jovenel Moise?

John was part of the plotting in the run-up to the presidents killing, according to prosecutors Frank Russo, Andrea Goldbarg and Monica Castro. The original plan was to arrest Moise in a coup, but then it shifted in the final weeks to the plot to assassinate him.

Meeting in Doral to plot Moises murder

In April 2021, John joined other co-conspirators at the Doral office of CTU Security. Among those attending the meeting: the companys CEO, Anthony Intriago; another CTU employee, Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, who was also an FBI informant; James Solages, a Haitian American who worked for CTU; and Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-American physician who aspired to replace Haitis president in a planned coup.

John also attended another meeting that month at the Weston office of Walter Veintemillas Worldwide Capital Lending Group, which provided $173,000 in funds for the groups plot to remove Haitis leader by force. Others attending the meeting were Ortiz, Intriago, Solages and Sanon.

At meeting, the group spoke about financial opportunities to invest in Haiti after the removal of President Moise, according to Johns factual statement.

John was also present at meetings in Haiti where the operation to kill the countrys leader was discussed, including one gathering at Jaars home the day before the assassination. Among those attending that critical meeting: Solages, Jaar, Rivera, Joseph Vincent, a Haitian American from South Florida who previously worked as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, a Colombian commando who is accused of being involved in the assault on the presidents home.

Vincent pleaded guilty to the murder conspiracy and related charges earlier this month, and Palacios is scheduled to plead guilty to the same offenses on Friday, according to court records.

At that time, Solages told John and others present, in substance, that the operation was going to result in the assassination of President Moise, according to Johns statement.

The following day, Johns co-conspirators attacked the presidents residence and fatally shot him and wounded his wife.

Miami Herald Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles contributed to this story.
As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs, ran an early advertising jingle attributed to Johann Tetzel, a 16th-century indulgence salesman. Funding the church offered believers an alternative to paying for sins in the afterlife. The carbon-credit market promises something similar. Instead of reducing your carbon footprint, why not simply pay someone else to do it for you?

It is a nice idea. Yet the voluntary carbon marketas opposed to compliance markets, such as the EUs emissions-trading schemeis in turmoil. Latter-day Martin Luthers, whose objections to Tetzel led to the Reformation, have pointed out that offsets struggle to prove they make a difference to emissions: renewable projects are often viable on their own, thus providing funding does not lower emissions.

Scandals have also sapped investor appetite. A report by the Guardian, a British newspaper, alleged that many leading nature-based offsets, which usually attempt to restore forests, are junk. Activists argue that middle men hog the proceeds and indigenous people fail to benefit. Prices for nature-based offsets plunged from $15 a tonne after the COP climate summit in Glasgow two years ago to a disastrous $0.10 a tonne after the recent meeting in Dubai, according to Xpansiv, an exchange.

Reformers were at the summit in force, with proposals for how to fix the market. These include plans to verify, tally and register offsets. Six outfits, including the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative, which provides advice on how to use credits, and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, which aims to set offset rules, launched what they called an end-to-end integrity framework.

The hope is that such reassurance might tempt back corporate buyers. McKinsey, a consultancy, has estimated that the market value of voluntary offsets could reach $50bn by 2030, up from $2bn or so today, given the number of firms that have vowed to decarbonise supply chains. Banks have begun to open trading desks to buy and sell offsets. On December 4th the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an American regulator, published guidance on how it will regulate markets.

Vast flows of private finance could provide money for poor countries to fight global warming. Americas state department therefore outlined plans for its own carbon-offset scheme at COP, through which firms could pay countries to clean up electricity production. The Dominican Republic and Nigeria have signed up. So have McDonalds, a fast-food chain, PepsiCo, a consumer-goods firm, and Bank of America.

The Rockefeller Foundation, which is working with the state department, also supports a similar scheme. The idea is to mix private investment, loans and carbon credits to reduce the cost of replacing coal with renewables. The first deal has been agreed between ACEN, a Filipino energy firm, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the island-states central bank. Companies will be able to use credits to pay the territorys carbon tax from 2024.

Countries also inked deals under a provision of the Paris agreement on climate change that allows them to co-operate in meeting emissions promises. Switzerland came to an agreement with Ghana under which it will fund four waste facilities. Singapore signed a deal with Papua New Guinea that will allow it to count some of the latters emissions cuts as its own.

Yet negotiations over a final rule book for bilateral deals, as well as a carbon-credit market with the imprimatur of the UN, went nowhere. Negotiators clashed over how much transparency to require. Without nationally accredited schemes, firms will have to turn to the Wild West of the voluntary market, says Mandy Rambharos of the Environmental Defence Fund, a charity. The danger is that bad press provides an excuse for firms to withdraw from the market altogether. After cop, the price of nature-based offsets fell even further; the hope is that they will rise once the reforms are actually implemented. For carbon sinners, heaven can wait.

Correction (December 21st 2023): This article has been updated to specify that activists accuse middle men, rather than landowners, of hogging proceeds from offset schemes.

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 2023 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/12/20/can-the-carbon-offset-market-be-saved
Tennessee hit-and-run laws require that anyone involved in an accident stay at the scene of the incident and provide their information. Failure to do so can carry significant fines and penalties. If you were involved in a hit-and-run accident in Tennessee, find out what steps to take and whether or not your car insurance will help repair the damage.

Hit-and-runs in Tennessee

When someone is involved in a collision with another car, someones property or a person, and does not stop at the scene to provide their information, they have committed a hit-and-run. These types of accidents have increased in recent years, with 48 hit and runs involving at least one fatality occurring in Tennessee in the last year that data was available, according to the AAA Foundation.

Further, in a study published in 2021, the Insurance Research Council estimated that 23.7 percent of Tennessee drivers are uninsured  the third highest rate in the country. One of the best ways to financially protect yourself while on Tennessee roads is to have sufficient car insurance in place.

This includes having uninsured motorist coverage, which covers you if you are involved in an accident and the at-fault driver doesnt have insurance to cover your injuries or if youre the victim of a hit and run. Keep in mind that uninsured motorist coverage breaks down into two separate coverage types, one for injuries and lost wages and one for property damage (which is not available in all states but is available in Tennessee). Collision coverage could also help pay for damage to your car, but you would be responsible for the deductible before insurance kicks in.

Tennessee law requires that insurers offer you uninsured motorist coverage, but you can decline it in writing. If you dont have this type of coverage, however, you could be responsible for paying any out-of-pocket costs for medical bills or vehicle repairs if you are the victim of a hit and run.

Tennessee hit-and-run laws

According to Tennessee accident laws, if you cause an accident with injuries or death of another person in a public area  near a shopping center, apartment complexes or on highways  you must stop at or as close to the scene as possible, provide your information and render aid. The information you must be prepared to provide includes your name, address, vehicle registration number and insurance information. Rendering aid means you must provide reasonable assistance, including calling an ambulance to assist the victim.

Additional important laws include:

If it is suspected that property damage of $1,500 or more has occurred, the driver is required to notify the police about the accident.

Failure to stop and provide your information to the impacted party or property owner could result in a Class A misdemeanor, fines up to $2,500, up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and drivers license suspension.

A Class E felony may result if you fail to stop despite reasonable belief that the accident resulted in death and could be punishable by up to six years in jail and potentially having your drivers license revoked.

If you are involved in a hit-and-run in Tennessee and get a ticket for leaving the scene, you could face higher insurance rates, a canceled policy or be required to carry high-risk car insurance.

5 things to do after a hit and run in Tennessee

If you cause an accident, no matter how minor, it is best to stop as close as possible to the scene to provide your insurance information and render aid if needed to avoid being charged with a hit and run.

But with a high rate of uninsured drivers in Tennessee, you may become a victim of a hit and run at some point. If you are the victim of a hit and run in Tennessee, follow these steps:

Stop the car: If another driver has hit you, stop as close to the scene as is safe to do so. Assess the scene: If your car is driveable and in the roadway, move to the shoulder near the accident scene. If the car is not driveable, get out of the car if you are not injured and wait nearby to avoid being involved in another accident, especially if you are traveling a busy road. Call for help: Make sure you and your passengers are okay, and call the police, especially if the at-fault driver has left the scene, creating a hit-and-run scenario. If someone is injured, notify the police that an ambulance is also needed at the scene. Document what happened: While it is still fresh, detail the weather conditions, the location where the accident occurred and any other details you can remember. Take photos of your car from all angles. Contact your car insurance company: Even if the other person involved or responsible for the accident leaves the scene, you should contact your insurance company to file a claim and make them aware of the situation. Provide as much detail as you can to your insurance provider. If you have collision coverage or uninsured motorist coverage, you may be able to file a claim to help pay for damage or injuries.

Will insurance cover a hit-and-run?

If you are at fault for an accident in Tennessee, your liability coverage will help pay for the injuries and damage sustained by other parties and property. If you are the victim of a hit and run in Tennessee, you will need to have coverage in place prior to the accident in order for your insurance provider to help pay for the expenses you incur.

Those types of coverage include:

Medical payments: Helps pay for your medical bills if you are injured in an accident.

Uninsured motorist property damage: Helps pay to fix your car if you are the victim of a hit and run or the other driver does not have insurance.

Uninsured motorist bodily injury: Helps pay for your injuries if the other driver leaves the scene or does not have insurance.

Collision coverage: Helps pay for damage to your car as the result of any collision with another vehicle.

If you have uninsured motorist coverage or collision coverage in Tennessee and file a claim for a hit and run, you will likely be required to pay a deductible. There is typically no deductible for liability bodily injury or property damage or medical payments coverage.

Frequently asked questions
Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Workers at Wells Fargo, the fourth largest bank in the US, have ramped up their union organizing campaign in recent weeks in a move that marks the largest union drive at a US bank in decades.

Four Wells Fargo branches have filed for union elections since November in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bethel, Alaska, Atwater, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida. The first union elections in New Mexico and Alaska are set to be held on 21 December.

Related: UAW wants to unionize Tesla. It faces a tough and high-profile battle with Musk

The union organizing effort kicked off during the Covid-19 pandemic. Workers met with the Wells Fargo CEO, Charles Scharf, in December 2020 over the banks numerous scandals over the years, concerns with company policies and lagging pay and benefits.

Last year the bank agreed to pay $3.7bn in fines over a long list of charges that it harmed consumers by charging illegal fees and interest on auto loans and mortgages among other issues.

Mac Siruta, who has worked in the claims assistance center at Wells Fargos Jordan Creek campus in West Des Moines, Iowa, for about three years, said: Right now, were losing talent to competitors, who are offering higher pay. Bank of America just raised their minimum wage to $23 an hour. So our best talent is going to go where they can make the most money or achieve the most success.

Siruta said workers at Wells Fargo feared retaliation due to Wells Fargos opposition to unionization, an issue Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio has raised with federal bank regulators.

Dont be the unions bait, said one anti-union flyer distributed by Wells Fargo. Another anti-union flyer claimed the Communications Workers of America was pulling the strings, behind Wells Fargo Workers United and claimed the union did not have enough experience in the banking industry.

Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf said he was going to exercise his right to speak to workers about these issues. Nobody has spoken to us about these issues. No executive has spoken to me or anyone on my floor about these issues. There is no way for us to speak to the executives, added Siruta.

A Bloomberg report in April 2023 noted leaders at the bank were worried a union organizing wave could hit the bank following the high-profile union drives in recent years at Starbucks and Amazon. The bank has settled two unfair labor practice charges filed by workers with the National Labor Relations Board. Several others that have been filed around the US are still under review.

Workers emphasized working conditions, policies, pay and benefits were behind their push to unionize at Wells Fargo.

Corinne Jefferson, a personal banker for about 13 years at Wells Fargos Daytona Beach, Florida, branch, cited chronic understaffing at her branch, lagging wages and expensive healthcare benefits as some of the issues driving workers to want to unionize at Wells Fargo.

Were not getting lunch breaks because theres no staff and there are plenty of other branches where workers are not getting lunches, said Jefferson. Theres no reason why Wells Fargo employees would not be able to take lunches, theres no reason why they should not get enough in their paychecks to be able to pay their bills. There are employees who cant go to the doctor because they cant afford the health insurance. They should not be in that situation at this company.

She said that since her branch filed for a union election, HR representatives had been at the branch regularly handing out anti-union flyers to workers.

Jefferson claimed the representatives have said they are there to support the workers but refuted that notion because they had not stepped in to support understaffed departments in the branch.

There are plenty of other workers at other branches not getting lunches, added Jefferson. We as employees are sticking together, were not backing down.

A spokesperson for Wells Fargo said: We strongly believe everyones individual voice should be heard and that working directly together is the best way to continue to support our employees. Were proud of what we have accomplished together, and while there is always more to be done, we believe we do our best work for our customers and our employees by working together without the intervention of a third party.
Toyota

It turns out the $10,000 pickup truck is actually too good to be true. But only by a little bit. The production version of the Toyota IMV 0 concept, now known as the Hilux Champ in Thailand, starts at 459,000 Thai Baht, or just over $13,000 at the current exchange rate. On the one hand, thats 30 percent higher than the price we heard from Toyota engineers during a brief test drive in Japan. On the other hand, its a brand new truck with a full bed capable of hauling 2,200 pounds thats almost as cheap as a 22-year-old Ford Ranger on Bring a Trailer. As a further reminder, the 2024 Tacoma base price is $32,995. The Hilux Champ is still a deal, and to learn more about how Toyota pulled this off, we got some answers straight from Dr. Jurachart Jongusuk, chief engineer for Toyotas IMV platform as well as regional chief engineer for Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing.

One reason the Hilux Champ doesnt cost much is the utter bare-bones nature of the truck. This is first and foremost a commercial vehicle, closer to the chassis cab Ford F-350 box truck you rent at U-Haul in terms of features and amenities than anything Toyota sells to the U.S. consumer. Dr. Jongusuk told Road & Track Toyota focused on Optimization of specification to only necessary items through extensive target customer input, through a simple but highly functional interior and exterior.

Toyota

Another reason is the relentless cost-cutting that went into the Hilux Champs development, going so far as to apply the Toyota Production System all the way down the supply chain.

Purchasing engineers went to supplier manufacturing plants to study part-making in every process, Dr. Jongusuk says. They applied their knowledge from past projects to improve productivity at supplier level. They even visited tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers to do the production improvement activities to further reduce cost.

Toyota

One such example of these extreme lengths was figuring out that painting the inner and outer parts of the rear leaf spring shackles different colors was the most cost-effective way to make those similar parts.

The other part of the Hilux Champs price is that Toyota sells it in a less complete state than it would for a non-commercial vehicle and expects customers to add on to what is essentially a blank canvas. Dr. Jongusuk describes this as Delivering the car at 70 percent finished, with the remaining 30 percent customized by the customer.

Toyota

That customization includes everything that can be grafted onto the back from a simple cargo box, to a full food truck. And, much like the upfitting process for commercial vans like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit in the U.S., Toyota Thailand will connect you with a specialist shop for whatever you need. And to improve that affordability, Toyota Motor Thailand offers everything from a 5 percent down payment to 108-month loan terms, and some of the conversions can be combined with the purchase payment.

Our ultimate goal was to make this car affordable and accessible, says Dr. Jongusuk, if people can afford their first car, which they can use to run a business and generate income, it will enhance their quality of life and provide new economic opportunities.

Toyota

That theme of opportunity through affordability harkens back to the original concept for the IMV platform, and also where the IMV 0 name comes from.

The development was positioned as a return to the origins of the IMV, with the desire to make it not just a model change of the IMV, but a car that will help make our future brighter together with the people of Thailand, Dr. Jongusuk says.

IMV is short for Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle, and was launched in 2002 as a way for Toyota to expand into emerging markets with a global platform using shared engines and parts. It took over the lineage of the Toyota Hilux pickup in 2004, followed by the Fortuner/SW4 SUV, and Innova minivan, produced in Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, and South Africa and built from knock-down kits in several more countries.

Toyota

The inspiration for the Hilux Champ, however, goes back further. The root of the idea for the IMV comes from the Toyota Kijang, says Dr. Jongusuk, referring to Toyotas original super-affordable pickup for southeast Asian markets from 1976. Also known as the Tamaraw, you can see the resemblance in the basic utilitarian form of the newer truck.

Like the Kijang/Tamaraw, the Hilux Champ is set to spread all over the world. After its launch in Thailand, the IMV 0 (possibly under a different name) will go to Indonesia and the Philippines. Neither Toyota nor Dr. Jongusuk has further comment on other countries, but Africa plus South and Central America are surely part of the plan.

Toyota

Alas, that likely means the Hilux Champ will never make it to the United States, if you didnt already figure that out. The gasoline and diesel variants sold in Thailand are Euro5 emissions compliant. Presumably bringing the gas engines up to U.S. EPA or the current Euro6 standard is possible but it, like everything else that would make this truck more palatable for even the most austere-minded of American customers, would raise the purchase price. But hey, eventually you can get one for that income property youre planning to buy in Costa Rica.

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Jesse Grant/Getty Images; Victor Boyko/Getty Images

Kanye West just launched an unlikely collaboration with a cast member from Selling Sunset: Jason Oppenheim, whos selling Wests 4,000-square-foot Malibu home.

Oppenheim, 46, listed the four-bedroom, five-bedroom property for $53 million, but theres a catch. The home has no doors, windows, plumbing, architectural finishes or HVAC system and isnt wired for electricity. Call it a luxury fixer-upper?

It will take several million dollars for the house to be finished, Oppenheim told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, December 19, adding that the home is currently a blank canvas. Much of the architectural integrity and the architectural value of the house exists.

Designed by Pritzker Prizewinning architect Tadao Ando, the California home was built in 2013 by financier Richard Sachs, who sold the home for $75 million in 2020. West, also 46, purchased the home in 2021 for $57.25 million.

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Best known for his minimalist structures and his assured use of reinforced concrete, Andos trademark design of smooth-as-silk concrete is wholly present in the structure and surface of the home, reads a description of the home on The Oppenheim Groups website. Constructed of approximately 1,200 tons of concrete, 200 tons of steel reinforcement and 12 massive pylons driven more than 60 feet into the sand with AD100 architecture firm Marmol Radziner acting as executive architect and general contractor, the structure is an everlasting beacon of permanence on Californias coastline.

The Sun/News Licensing/Mega

The property also boasts ocean views from every room and approximately 1,500 square feet of outdoor decks. The home sits on a lot measuring 5,674 square feet. The O Groups listing describes it as an exceedingly rare architectural achievement that should be seen as a masterful work of art, rather than just a residence.

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Oppenheim declined to say why West wants to sell the home. In September, the rapper was sued by a contractor who worked on the property and also served as a live-in caretaker. According to court documents, the contractor alleged he was forced to work 16 hours a day and sleep on the floor near open insulation.

The Sun/News Licensing/Mega

He went on to allege that West owes him more than $1 million in unpaid wages and fired him after he refused to rip out the houses electrical system and replace it with large generators, which he believed would be a fire hazard.

Plaintiff was terminated for not complying with Defendants dangerous requests, read the lawsuit. Specifically, when Plaintiff refused to engage in unlawful conduct or to engage in activity that would further cause him physical injury, Mr. Ye responded, If you dont do what I say, youre not going to work for me, Im not gonna be your friend anymore and youll just see me on TV. Plaintiff replied, I dont watch TV. Mr. Ye ended the exchange with leave.

West denied the allegations.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state Department of Justice will not seek charges against the Vallejo officer who shot and killed Sean Monterrosa. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The California Department of Justice will not file criminal charges against the Vallejo police officer who fatally shot Sean Monterrosa, citing insufficient evidence, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday.

Monterrosa, 22, was shot in a Walgreens parking lot on June 2, 2020, just over a week after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking widespread protests against police violence. The officer who shot Monterrosa, Jarrett Tonn, said he believed Monterrosa had a gun and was about to shoot him, but Monterrosa was only carrying a hammer.

In May 2021, the Department of Justice began an investigation into potential criminal charges against Tonn. But the department concluded there was not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Tonn was not acting in defense of himself or his fellow officers, according to Bonta.

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Bonta said in a statement Tuesday that his department reviewed all of the available evidence in the case, including 911 recordings, surveillance video from the Walgreens and an autopsy report for Monterrosa, who was shot in the back of the head.

On the night of Monterrosas death, Vallejo police were responding to several reports of vandalism, carjacking, burglary and other crimes across the city. According to the Department of Justice report, Tonn and several other officers were patrolling the area around the Walgreens  which had already been broken into twice that night  when an officer spotted a group of 10 to 12 people who he suspected were going to steal from the store.

That officer warned over the radio that he believed the group was armed, according to the report.

Inside the store, Monterrosa was using a hammer to try to open a locked cabinet, security footage reviewed by the department showed. As officers arrived, Monterrosa climbed out of the Walgreens drive-thru window with the hammer poking out of his sweatshirt pocket, the report said.

Monterrosa began running away from the police officers, but suddenly stopped and turned to face them, according to the report. Tonn told officials that he saw Monterrosa grab at what Tonn believed was a gun, and in turn, shot at him five times through his windshield, hitting him once in the back of the head, according to the report.

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None of the body camera footage captured Monterrosa running or turning around, but at one point his head could be seen below the roof of the car, suggesting a lowered body position, the report read. Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams previously said Monterrosa was kneeling and raising his hands above his waist when he was shot.

The morning after the shooting, Tonn told investigators he believed Monterrosa was kneeling down to start shooting based on the hammer in his waistband and the other officers warning that the group could be armed, according to the report. Tonn said he was already on edge from the reports of widespread crime in the city and claimed he shot out of fear for the other officers.

In October 2022, Tonn was fired after an independent review of the incident found he violated department policy on use of force and failed to de-escalate the situation. But in August, he was rehired after an arbiter determined the firm had used hindsight analysis not permitted by state and federal law. Two use-of-force experts hired for the Department of Justice report concluded that Tonns use of force was reasonable and aligned with Vallejo Police Department policy.

The departments reports also dispelled concerns that a key piece of evidence in the case  the windshield through which Tonn shot Monterrosa  was destroyed on purpose. According to Bonta, the department concluded that the officers who replaced the vehicles windshield and got rid of the damaged one were not involved in the shooting and did not purposefully replace the windshield to destroy evidence.

Despite the fact that no criminal charges will be brought in the case, Bonta said the California Department of Justice would continue to be involved in oversight of the Vallejo Police Department. Bontas department is currently seeking court approval of a judgment ordering the city and the police force to meet several reforms it failed to in the past, including a policy barring police officers from shooting outside of moving vehicles unless faced with an immediate threat, and a policy requiring officers to de-escalate situations when possible.

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Bonta said the reforms are intended to prevent future deadly use-of-force incidents, such as the one that led to Monterrosas death.
Kate Moss and her younger sister Lottie are both models

David M. Benett/Getty Kate Moss and her sister Lottie Moss attend the Topshop Unique show at London Fashion Week AW14 at Tate Modern on Feb. 16, 2014 in London, England.

Modeling runs in the Moss family  both Kate Moss and her younger sister Lottie Moss have made names for themselves in the high-fashion industry.

Kate was born in 1974 to Linda Shepherd and Peter Moss and rose to fame on catwalks and magazine covers in the '90s. Kate's parents divorced when she was 14, according to a 1994 Spin interview, and Peter went on to welcome Lottie with model Inger Moss in 1998.

The younger Moss started modeling at 16, in an issue of Teen Vogue, and by 18, had landed the cover of Vogue Paris. Lottie has said that being a Moss and being compared to her elder sister wasn't always easy, even if there were some perks. In a series of tweets from 2022, Lottie responded to social media commenters calling her a "nepo baby" and chalking her success up to her famous last name.

Lottie wrote that she was "privileged being related to a huge model," and added that she understood "its not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that." But, ultimately she added, "Life isn't fair  if you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything!"

Related: All About Kate Moss' Daughter Lila Moss

So, who is Kate Moss sister? Heres everything to know about Lottie Moss and her relationship with the British model.

She and Kate have a 24-year age gap

Mike Marsland/Getty ; Neil Mockford / Ricky Vigil M/GC Images Left: Lottie Moss attends the launch of the Real Housewives Townhouse on Oct. 25, 2023 in London, England. Right: Kate Moss arriving at the Burberry A/W 2023 Womenswear Collection Presentation at Central Hall Westminster on March 11, 2022, in London, England.

While they may share the same father, the sisters didnt spend much time together growing up.

By the time Lottie was born, Kate was a household name nearing the height of her modeling career. The younger Moss told The Sunin 2023 that because of their 24-year age gap, she and Kate had struggled to have a strong relationship.

"I love her. Shes my sister, but were just not close," Lottie said.

While speaking to Vogue in 2015, Lottie reminisced about playing a classic childhood game with her older sister when she was younger. My first memory of my sister is that shed always dress me up in her clothes, and when I was really young shed always put huge fur on me and these glittery things, Lottie said.

She was one of Kates bridesmaids

Neil Mockford/FilmMagic Kate Moss at her wedding to Jamie Hince with their bridesmaids, including her sister Lottie Moss, on July 1, 2011 in Southrop, England.

In 2011, Kate married Jamie Hince, from the indie-rock band The Kills. She had 12 flower-crowned bridesmaids, including her 8-year-old daughter, Lila Grace, and her 13-year-old sister. When photographs of the wedding were publicized, her dad got a scouting call from Sarah Doukas  the same agent who discovered Kate decades earlier.

He was the one who was there with Kate when she was scouted in the airport at 14, Lottie told You Magazinein 2019. So Sarah was, like, Honestly, Peter, you should just box up your genes and give them to us.' 

In 2017, Lottie spoke to W Magazine about how funny her discovery was: My mom was like, Your sister is going to be so pissed. No one noticed her, everyone was like, Whos that? 

Shes a model

Gareth Cattermole/BFC/Getty Kate Moss' sister Lottie Moss walks the runway at the TommyNow show during London Fashion Week February 2020 at the Tate Modern on Feb. 16, 2020 in London, England.

Lottie began modeling as a teen. She landed her first gig for Teen Vogue at 16 and went on to pose for Calvin Klein. She landed her first cover, for Vogue Paris, when she was 18.

Although she has had success in front of the camera, Lottie has since said how detrimental it was being in the public eye at that age.

In a 2022 essay for Glamour UK, she wrote, When I started out, I was always just Kate Mosss sister. That was really hard for me growing up, especially not being that close with my sister (we still dont really have a relationship now, which is something I never really speak about)."

She continued, Its hard when you have someone close to you doing the exact same job as you, whos already very prominent in the industry, but not having any advice or guidance.

She has a face tattoo

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Kate Moss' sister Lottie Moss attends the Glamour Women of The Year Awards 2023 at One Marylebone on Oct. 17, 2023 in London, England.

In December 2022, Lottie tattooed the word lover on her left cheek. She wrote in her Glamour UK essay that the ink was an expression of her post-rehab journey of self-discovery.

Nearly a year before getting the tattoo, in February 2022, Lottie announced that she was in rehab, though she did not share what she was being treated for. In November of that year, she said on Jamie Laings Private Parts podcast that going to the treatment facility was the best thing ever.

[Im] learning to love myself again while finally being free from my former life, she wrote for Glamour UK. Thats why I decided to get my face tattoo; the word lover under my eye. Yes, it was impulsive, but after years of being so controlled, it was my way of expressing that I am free.

She has a relationship with Kates daughter

Eamonn M. McCormack/Eamonn McCormack/Getty ; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Left: Kate Moss' sister Lottie Moss celebrates Mithridate fashion launch on Oct. 28, 2019 in London, England. Right: Kate Moss' daughter Lila Moss attends the Dior Men's Fall 2022 show at Olympia Grand on Dec. 9, 2021 in London, England.

Kates daughter Lila is five years younger than Lottie, which the model has said helped them to bond. Lottie told You Magazine in 2019 that she views Lila more as a little sister than a niece and that they used to play together when they were younger.

Lottie also stayed with Lila and Kate at their Gloucestershire mansion during the COVID-19 lockdown. Me and [Lila] got closer, she told The Sun in 2023. But she lives in New York now [where she is a model], she lives her own life. We text sometimes and I see her out and about. I dont give her advice. I think my sister can give her modeling advice!

She experienced backlash after starting an OnlyFans account

Lottie Moss Instagram Kate Moss' sister Lottie Moss.

In her 2022 Glamour UK essay, Lottie wrote that she took a step back from modeling in April 2021 and was inspired to start an OnlyFans account by her best friend and fellow model, Sahara Ray. Once word got out, she said a brand collaboration was canceled and she was "axed from her agency."

Despite that, Lottie added that she felt like a part of a community on OnlyFans and that it put her in the best place shed ever been mentally.

The modelling industry is so glamourised and OnlyFans is so villainised, yet OnlyFans is the only place Ive felt this empowered and safe," she wrote.

She has talked about her relationship with Kate

Danny E. Martindale/Getty Kate Moss and her sister Lottie Moss attend the Topshop Unique show at London Fashion Week AW14 on Feb. 16, 2014 in London, England.

In August 2023, Lottie told The Sun that she and Kate are not as close as people may think.

She doesnt have to want to have a relationship with me, Lottie said. When I was younger, I couldnt understand it ... But now Ive learned, especially speaking to other friends who dont speak to their mum or dad, that family is complicated."

Just because shes a really high-end model, it doesnt mean that its any different in our family," Lottie continued. "We just dont see eye to eye on many things. I love her. Shes my sister, but were just not close. It is what it is.



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Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram

Kourtney Kardashian is hitting the gym for the first time since giving birth to baby Rocky.

7 weeks postpartum: first day in the gym doing 30 minutes walking 3.0 12.0 incline taking it easy, Kardashian, 44, wrote via Instagram Story on Wednesday, December 20, alongside a clip of her walking on the treadmill.

The Kardashians star shared an encouraging message for fellow mothers. No rush no pressure mamas, your body is healing, its not a race.

Kardashian and husband Travis Barker welcomed Rocky Thirteen in November. She also shares sons Mason, 14, and Reign, 9, as well as daughter Penelope, 11, with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick. The Blink-182 drummer, 48, is dad of son Landon, 20, and daughter Alabama, 17, whom he shares with ex-wife Shanna Moakler. He is also a father figure to Atiana, 24, who is Moaklers daughter with ex Oscar De La Hoya.

Kourtney and Travis Celebrate Anniversary of Courthouse Wedding

While Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barkers relationship came as a surprise to many, the pair knew each other for years before their whirlwind romance. After Barker spent time with Kardashian at her mom Kris Jenners Palm Springs, California, home in January 2021, Us Weekly confirmed that the pair were dating. Kourtney and Travis are officially []

Since Rockys arrival, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that his older siblings have embraced the newest addition to their family. They have been taking turns to help Kardashian and Barker any way they can and are so excited to have a little brother.

The source added that Kardashian and Barker, who wed in May 2022, have been fairly isolated since welcoming Rocky. While the pair are home with their baby now, another insider exclusively told Us in November that it was the scariest pregnancy [Kourtney] has had.

Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram

Travis was right by her side supporting her, the source shared. Both parents are feeling so very blessed to be new parents and are so grateful that Rocky Thirteen Barker is in this world!

Two months earlier, in September, the Poosh founder underwent emergency fetal surgery following a complication.

Kardashian-Jenner Family: A Guide to the Fathers of Their Kids

The Kardashian-Jenners come from a big brood and have only added to their ranks over the years. Kourtney Kardashian was dating Scott Disick when she gave birth to their three children, but they eventually broke up in 2015. However, their post-split parenting dynamic paved the way for others in the family who found themselves raising kids alongside their exes. []

I will be forever grateful to my incredible doctors for saving our babys life, Kardashian shared via Instagram at the time. I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock. And to my mom [Kris Jenner], thank you for holding my hand through this. As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasnt prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent fetal surgery.

She continued: I dont think anyone who hasnt been through a similar situation can begin to understand that feeling of fear. I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant. Praise be to God. Walking out of the hospital with my baby boy in my tummy and safe was the truest blessing.
New Years Eve is fast approaching and if youre looking for a way to celebrate that doesnt involve starting the new year with a brutal Champagne hangover, which may or may not fly in the face of one of your resolutions, we have some fresh ideas for you. Here, a list of fun and interesting New Years traditions from cultures around the world, many of which are believed to bring good luck.

22 New Years Eve Outfits to Wear Even If Youre Just Home Alone Drinking Straight from a Bottle of Champagne

1. Watch the Ball Drop

Jason Dean/Getty Images

Most Americans are familiar with this one, since the NYC ball drop in Times Square is a famous event of epic proportions. Its also a tradition that has been enhancing the Big Apples New Year countdown since 1907 and has become more grandiose with every passing year. Its worth noting, though, that other cities have followed suit, while adding their own flourish to the traditiona fleur-de-lis in New Orleans and a giant wedge of cheese in Plymouth, Wisconsin, for example. And in our humble opinion, the Times Square ball drop is best enjoyed from the comfort of your couch, anyway. (Hint: its a lot more fun to watch the excited crowds on TV than actually join them.)

2. Eat Something Round

Yana Iskayeva/Getty Images

Round food items are considered to be a symbol of prosperity and good luck in many cultures due to their likeness to coins, and are thus consumed around the world in various ways on New Years Eve. In the Philippines its typical for a fruit bowl stocked with exclusively round options to be the centerpiece of the party spread, and the custom is to eat one for every month of the year for good tidings in the year to come. Italians prefer legumes to fruit and eat as many lentils as they can before midnight on New Years Eve to secure a year of abundance; not unlike the Hoppin John tradition of the American South, where black-eyed peas are the legume of choice.

3. Break a Plate

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Forget rage roomsjust head to Denmark to get your aggression out while simultaneously rejoicing in the promise of a new year by smashing dishware on the doorsteps of every friend and neighbor around. If you have a big mess of broken ceramic in front of your own house come New Years Day, it means youre well-loved in the community and things might just go your way in 2024.

4. Feast on Fish

carlosgaw/Getty Images

According to the History Channel, fish is a popular New Years food in many places, including Germany, Poland and Scandinavianamely because its seen as a symbol of fertility, long life and bounty. If you want to adopt this tradition, you can prepare a (secular) Feast of the Seven Fishes or opt for the surf-and-turf at the restaurant where youre celebrating.

5. Make Resolutions

Westend61/Getty /Images

This familiar Western tradition dates back a lot farther than youd think; in fact, it is thought to have begun 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians who conceived the notion of making promises to the gods in order to curry their favor for the coming year. (You can read more about the evolution of the tradition here.) Needless to say, New Years resolutions have stood the test of timeand the time to start drafting yours is fast approaching.

6. Beat the Walls with Bread

Lourdes Balduque/Getty Images

Once youve feasted on fish, legumes and round fruits, do like the Irish and start giving the walls of your home a beat down with that loaf of bread youre too full to even look at. Seriouslythis is an odd but fun Irish New Years tradition that quite literally involves throwing, smashing or otherwise battering Christmas bread against the walls in order to rid the home of bad spirits before the New Year.

7. Throw a Bucket of Water

Alexandre Morin-Laprise/Getty Images

The Puerto Ricans have a different way of driving away evil spiritsnamely by dumping a bucket of water out their window. Should you be visiting Puerto Rico over the New Year, we strongly suggest you stroll the streets in a bathing suit. (Dont worry, its warm enough.)

8. Eat Long Food

Ting Mang Tung/Getty Images

Back to food: the Japanese have a New Year tradition of dining on a dish called toshikoshi soba, which features long buckwheat noodles in a light, umami-forward dashi broth with a simple scallion garnish. This meal is as full of symbolism as it is flavor, being associated with breaking free from the past, gaining resilience and growing fortune in the future.

9. Buy (and Smash) a Peppermint Pig

Travel back statesideto upstate New York, specificallyfor another tradition that involves smashing something. Theres a little less destruction than you might find in, say, Denmark, because this custom from Saratoga Springs simply involves smashing a peppermint-spiked candy pig with a small hammer and eating a small piece for good luck in the New Year.

10. Wish Your Livestock a Good Year

Matt Porteous/Getty Images

When it comes to New Year celebrations, no creature is left behind by the Walloon and Flemish farmers of Belgium. To ensure a prosperous and bountiful year, the farmers wake up first thing on New Years Day to pass the well wishes on to all their livestock.

11. Jump Off a Chair

Picture Store/Getty Images

Another New Years tradition courtesy of Denmark involves standing on the nearest chair and jumping off of it at the strike of midnight. The leap of faith is thought to do away with bad luck and bring the good kindjust make sure you proceed with caution so you can start the year off on the right foot (literally).

12. String Up Some Onions

JannHuizenga/Getty Images

In Greece, onions represent rebirth and growthnamely because they thrive without much maintenance or attention. As such, the Grecians have a New Years tradition of hanging bunches of the allium outside their front door to welcome prosperity and fertility into their own homes during the coming year.

13. Sing Auld Lang Syne

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Scotlands New Years tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne has traveled far and wide. This beautiful piece of music originated in Scottish folklore and was turned into a song about reflecting on the past and looking to the future by poet Robert Burns. Its commonly sung while holding hands with friends and loved ones as a way to bring in the bells and ring in the New Year.

14. Kiss Someone You Love

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Mistletoe isnt just for Christmas, friendsand its not even necessary for a fortuitous New Years kiss. The tradition actually dates back to Old English and German folklore as a way of securing love for the New Year. If youre looking for an intimate relationship to come your way, take note and give a smooch to the nearest suitor when the clock strikes midnight.

15. Jump Over Seven Ocean Waves

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Seven waves, seven wishesor so goes the tradition in Brazil, where its customary to celebrate the New Year and score yourself some good luck by heading to the ocean to jump over breaking waves. Youll find the biggest celebration in Rio, where the New Year's tradition of jumping over incoming waves and making wishes is common practicejust remember you have to narrow down your wishlist to seven if you want to hit the water prepared.

16. Wear White

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When you hear white party you might think of celebrities in the Hamptons, but its actually a New Years tradition in Brazil, where white is thought to be a symbol of peace and good luck for the New Year. Don your freshest whites and be careful not to party too hard, lest you stain them.

17. Or Opt for Polkadots

Cavan Images/Getty Images

Remember how we mentioned the Philippines as a place where the symbolism of round objects has particular significance? Well, you can find evidence of that beyond the fruit bowlnamely in the polka dot printed attire thats favored for the occasion.

18. Eat 12 Grapes

Lucy Lambriex/Getty Images

The number requires little explanationone for each month of the yearbut the Spanish and Latin American tradition plays out on a very specific timeline. Eat one grape at every stroke of midnight for good fortune, and if you fail (or god forbid, choke) you might be out of luck.

19. Cook Up Some Hoppin John

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Often enjoyed with collard greens and cornbread, this traditional New Years dish of black-eyed peas, pork and rice hails from the American South, where its considered to be a harbinger of peace and luck for the coming year. (Bonus points if you place a penny under the finished dish, but we promise its delicious either way.)

20. Gift Someone a Lucky Charm

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This New Years tradition of gifting good luck charms is particularly prominent in Austria and Germany. The tchotchkes can be found at any Christmas market and typically come in the form of mushroom, pig or chimney sweepeach with their own significance that you can read more about here.

21. Bake a Cake with a Hidden Surprise

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You might have heard of a Three Kings Cake, and the idea behind this Greek tradition is somewhat similar, in that its a gamble that involves baking a coin into a special New Year cake called vasilopita. The guest whos served the lucky slice can supposedly look forward to a good year ahead. (Everyone else just gets a yummy dessert and a different kind of gamble called life.)

22. Go for a Run with an Empty Suitcase

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Make sure to pack a pair of running shoes and nothing else if youre celebrating the New Year in Colombia. And dont be surprised if when you arrive you see folks sprinting around the block with a suitcase in handjust join them in a unique and particularly energetic New Years tradition that makes an impactful statement about leaving behind the past years baggage.

23. Make a Wish on the River

Noppasin Wongchum/Getty Images

In Singapore, New Years celebrations are a feast for the eyes, and one tradition in particular stands out. Every year, the city decorates its river with thousands of glowing, colorful spheres representing the wishes (and perhaps resolutions) of all the revelers. If you ever have a chance to see the breathtaking spectacle firsthand, dont miss your chance to make a wish and watch it float away.

24. Break Fruit, Not Bread

Ekaterina Vasileva-Bagler/Getty Images

As previously mentioned, round fruits play a significant part in New Years traditions around the world, but in some cultures they aren't just for eating. In Turkey, its customary to smash a pomegranatea highly prized symbol of prosperity and abundanceon your doorstep to celebrate the New Year.

25. Open Your Doors and Windows

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Out with the old and in with the newthats the idea behind the New Years tradition of opening all the doors and windows when the time comes to bid adieu to the present year. This custom is practiced all over the world, but in places with cold winters, were guessing the ceremonial farewell is fairly brief.

33 New Years Eve Games to Ring in 2024
By Omar Younis

SANTA MONICA, California (Reuters) -Forget the beach or the bar. Californians are looking for love in a new place  near-freezing ice baths.

Just outside Los Angeles in the coastal city of Santa Monica, single people have stripped down to swim trunks and bikinis for speed dating in a pool of frigid water.

Called Icebreakers, the event is designed to get conversations flowing. After a meditation and musical "sound journey" session, attendees are paired up at random to plunge into a tub of water set at 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2.78C).

Employees provide waterproof cards with questions such as, "What does love mean to you?" for bathers to discuss while neck-deep in water during their three-minute sessions.

"At first it was hard to kind of focus in on what the question was because you're focused on how cold you are," said Caitlyn Moyer, a 25-year-old dancer, after she emerged from the water during a recent Icebreakers event.

"But then," she said, "we kind of locked eyes and just kind of focused in on how we were both feeling, and then it was easy."

Her bathing partner, 27-year-old engineer Miles Gibson, said it was "nice to have someone in there with me to kind of support me" while acclimating to the temperature.

Gibson said he attended the event to "show up as my authentic self and be open to whatever was sort of there for me. ... Not necessarily looking for love, but open to receiving whatever feels right."

The concept was created by Kyle Cassidy and his business partner Aryan Davani, co-founders of IcePass, a Venice Beach company that offers ice bath plunges and saunas. Ice baths have become popular among athletes, who say cold water helps relieve muscle soreness and speed recovery.

IcePass has held three speed dating events so far, each drawing roughly 30 to 40 people. Seven couples have gone on second dates and three are still together, according to Cassidy, who urged bathers to enjoy the experience as they seek a partner.

"If you're forcing it into existence, a lot of times you're pushing it away," Cassidy said. "The goal is to come here to just connect, and if love sparks, that's pretty special."

Whitney Hancock, a 36-year-old mental health worker, shared an ice bath with 39-year-old video producer Dustin Steward.

"I was surprised at how present that we could actually be with each other," Hancock said, "and how kind he was, even though we were both in, like, pain."

(Reporting by Omar Younis;Writing by Lisa RichwineEditing by Leslie Adler)
Mitch McConnell with his wife, Elaine Chao, the former secretary of transport - EPA

Mitch McConnell invoked his wife to take a rare swipe at Donald Trump over his controversial comments claiming that migrants are poisoning the blood of the US.

The Senate Minority leader, who has a fraught relationship with the former president, was asked about Mr Trumps language which has been likened to the rhetoric used in Nazi Germany.

During a speech in New Hampshire on Saturday, Mr Trump said: They let  I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country. Theyre poisoning the blood of our country. Thats what theyve done.

Mr McConnell was on Tuesday questioned on whether he was comfortable with his partys leading presidential candidate referring to illegal immigrants as poisoning the blood of our country.

Earlier this year Mr McConnell adopted a policy of not commenting on any of the Republican candidates running for president - largely to avoid answering questions about Mr Trump.

But on Tuesday he broke his pact, saying: It strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao the secretary of transportation.

Ms Chao, who is Taiwanese-American, is Mr McConnells wife and was appointed to Mr Trumps cabinet in 2017.

She stepped down in the aftermath of Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol, saying the traumatic and entirely avoidable event had deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside.

Mr Trump has previously been accused of making racist comments about Ms Chao, having referred to her as China-loving and Coco Chow on Truth Social last year.

Marc Short, a former Trump administration official and senior advisor to former Vice President Mike Pence, described his comments as a racial slur and obviously wrong.

Steven Cheung, Mr Trumps spokesperson, said at the time that the former presidents criticism of Ms Chao was centred on her familys potential financial conflicts and not race.

At the start of 2023 Ms Chao hit back, saying: When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name. Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation.

He doesnt seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.

Mr Trumps poisoning the blood comments have provoked backlash from several other GOP lawmakers.

My grandfather was an immigrant so I dont agree with that sentiment, said Senate Republican Whip John Thune.

Meanwhile, Thom Tillis, who is part of Mr McConnells leadership team, called Mr Trumps comments unhelpful rhetoric.

Shelley Moore Capito, another member of the Senate GOP leadership team, told The Hill: Obviously, I dont agree with that.

Were all children of immigrants, she said. Its just part of his campaign rhetoric, I guess. I dont know, I cant explain it.

But some Republicans have doubled down on their support of the former president.

Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville said he was mad that Mr Trump wasnt tougher.

Because have you seen whats happening at the border? Were being overrun, he said. So a little bit disappointed it wasnt tougher.

Meanwhile, Democrats have been quick to denounce Mr Trump.

Donald Trump channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong-un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy, a spokesperson for the Biden-Harris campaign said.

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A UN Security Council vote on a resolution meant to spur more humanitarian aid into Gaza has been delayed again and is now expected Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Intense negotiations were underway at the United Nations ahead of an expected vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for a halt in hostilities to allow much needed aid to enter Gaza, according to diplomats.

Diplomats had been working behind closed doors to finalize a resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates.

The vote was originally scheduled for Monday, but was delayed a day to allow more time for negotiations.

The delay into Wednesday suggests agreement hasnt yet been reached on language that could gain a yes vote from the United States, or at least an abstention, which would allow the measure to pass.

Were still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN during a Tuesday afternoon briefing at the White House. Its important for us that the rest of the world understand whats at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats.

The draft resolution is said to have originally included a call for a cessation of hostilities to allow much-needed aid to enter Gaza. Diplomats were hopeful that changing the language to suspension of hostilities could gain American support.

The US has vetoed previous measures at the UN Security Council and voted against a call for a ceasefire in the larger UN General Assembly.

If the US eventually allows the resolution to pass, it would amount to an important signal to Israel  including from its top ally  of the growing international outcry over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

During the Security Council meeting, a senior US diplomat said that while the attacks by Hamas on October 7 were atrocities that must be condemned, civilians and journalists must still be protected and vital humanitarian aid needs to reach civilians.

Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood did not imply how the United States will vote on the upcoming resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza to allow for the delivery of critically needed humanitarian aid.

Wood also expressed concern about the alarming increase in Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, saying the United States condemns the violence by settlers and urges the Israeli government to investigate the violence and hold the settlers accountable.

Earlier this month, the United States vetoed a resolution in the 15-member UNSC that included the word ceasefire in the text. Wood told the Security Council at the time it was because there was no mention of the October 7 Hamas attacks in the draft.

As one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, a US veto means the resolution will not pass.

According to Nusseibeh, who was involved in drafting the text and leads the 22-member Arab group as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, intensive efforts to pass the latest resolution come amid a critical need to stop hostilities and allow in aid as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave reaches catastrophic levels.

Every single day, innocent people in Gaza are struggling desperately for want of food, water, medicine and fuel. Members of the UN Security Council have seen the consequences of this humanitarian catastrophe firsthand, and the need for more aid could not be clearer, Nusseibeh said.

This Council resolution responds to that need by opening border crossings, the transport of aid by land, sea, and air, and a UN-led mechanism that would streamline inspection, monitoring, and approvals. It underlines the critical importance of stopping hostilities to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid and we will continue to aggressively pursue that goal.

Nusseibeh also said, These deliverables are important to save lives, and our approach  from the start  has been focused on ensuring adoption. That has been the basis of our engagement with Council Members, including the US, in the negotiations with whom we have been discussing this text closely and in good faith alongside the concerned Arab countries.

Last week, the wider United Nations General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, in a rebuke to the United States, which has repeatedly blocked ceasefire calls in the Security Council. While the General Assembly vote is politically significant and seen as wielding moral weight, it is nonbinding, unlike a Security Council resolution.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNNs Michael Williams contributed to this report.

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A Philadelphia news helicopter crashed in a wooded area of New Jersey on Tuesday night, killing the pilot and a photographer on board, the television station said.

The helicopter was returning to Philadelphia from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when it went down in Washington Township, New Jersey, around 8 p.m., WPVI-TV reported Wednesday.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and the pilot and the photographer who died were not identified.

They have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years, the news station said, calling it a "devastating day."

The New Jersey State Park Police received a call just before 11 p.m. Tuesday about a missing helicopter in the area of Wharton State Forest, Chief George Fedorczyk told reporters Wednesday.

A debris field was discovered shortly after midnight "in a remote location" near Mullica River Road in the area of Middle and Quaker Bridge Atsion roads in Washington Township, he said.

A Federal Aviation Administration representative will conduct an initial assessment this morning, and the scene has been secured by New Jersey State Park Police.

The FAA said in a statement just two people were on board the chopper  a Eurocopter AS350B2, which WPVI leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. in North Carolina.

The news station said that U.S. Helicopters has been in touch with the victims' families.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene to examine the aircraft, and the helicopter will be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation, the agency said.

NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, a NTSB spokesperson added.
CAA's headquarters in Century City. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Creative Artists Agency on Tuesday sought to dismiss a complaint from an actor who had alleged that the talent agency failed in its fiduciary duty to protect her from being sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein.

Actor Julia Ormond said in her lawsuit filed in October at the Supreme Court of New York that CAA set up a meeting with the now-disgraced producer in 1995 to discuss a film project. Following the meeting, Weinstein sexually assaulted her, she said. Ormond said that her agents, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane of CAA, discouraged her from reporting the incident.

CAA in its legal filing said that Ormond did not tell Lourd, Huvane or CAA about the assault until she approached the agency with a demand letter this year. Weinstein's attorney has denied the allegations.

"CAA has deep sympathy for Plaintiff as one of the women who, as alleged, suffered at Weinsteins hands," CAA said in its legal filing. "However, in suing CAA, Plaintiff places blame on the wrong defendant."

Read more:Julia Ormond sues Weinstein for assault and says top CAA agents enabled him

CAA said that while it is now widely alleged that Weinstein committed multiple sexual assaults, the agency did not have knowledge of those incidents back then. The agency also said that the business relationship between CAA and Ormond does not meet the legal standards to trigger a duty to warn or protect her.

"On the face of the Complaint, CAA had no knowledge of Weinsteins history of sexual assault at any time relevant to Ms. Ormonds claims, and CAAs alleged failure to act was not, as a matter of law, a cause of the harm Plaintiff suffered," CAA said in its filing. "Even a heightened fiduciary duty does not require a party to warn or protect another person from harm that is not foreseeable."

According to her complaint, Ormond had met Weinstein in 1994, prior to signing on with CAA in 1995. The agency in August 1995 helped Ormonds production company get a film production agreement with Miramax, where Weinstein served as co-chairman, her lawsuit said. To secure funding for a project that involved going to Africa, CAA helped arrange a business dinner for Ormond and Weinstein in New York, the lawsuit said.

"That was the sum total of CAAs involvement in the events that took place in December 1995," CAA said.

Read more:Behind the calamitous fall of hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Ormond said in her lawsuit that, after the dinner, Weinstein insisted on discussing the project at the Manhattan apartment Miramax provided for the actor.

Once there, Ormond, who was inebriated to the point she could not put the keys in the door, said that despite her protests, Weinstein stripped naked, forced her to give him a massage, climbed on top of her, masturbated and then forced her to perform oral sex on him.

In Ormond's October lawsuit against Weinstein, she also named CAA as defendants, alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as Miramax and its onetime parent company Walt Disney Co., accusing them of negligent supervision and retention.

The Walt Disney Co. in a court filing on Tuesday also asked for the court to dismiss the complaint, saying that Ormonds lawsuit does not sufficiently allege that Weinstein was a Walt Disney Co. employee, or that the company knew of Weinstein's prior alleged misconduct or that it could control Weinstein's behavior.

Miramax also filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.

Ormond's lawyers said that they will oppose these motions and are confident she will prevail.

"As we allege in the complaint, CAA, Disney, and Miramax knew that Harvey Weinstein was a predator before he attacked Ms. Ormond, and they did nothing about it because Weinstein made them money," Ormond's attorneys said on Tuesday.

Ormond is suing under the Adult Survivors Act, which was passed in New York in 2022 in the wake of the #MeToo movement. It establishes a one-year lookback window for survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18, regardless of when it took place.

The men at CAA who represented Ormond knew about Weinstein. So too did Weinsteins employers at Miramax and Disney, Ormond's lawsuit states. Brazenly, none of these prominent companies warned Ormond that Weinstein had a history of assaulting women because he was too important, too powerful, and made them too much money.

Read more:CAA majority stake sold to Pinault investment firm

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Since 1999, federal officials have been looking for Roger Dale Parham, an Arkansas man who failed to appear in court after being charged with the rape of a minor.

It turns out, he had already been found at the bottom of a lake in Kentucky, but it took nearly 25 years for his body to be identified.

Two fisherman found the body wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack in Lake Barkley on May 6, 1999.

Kentucky State Police announced Thursday that advanced DNA technology had helped them identify the remains as Parham, according to a news release.

Parham was 52 years old when he was arrested for rape involving a minor on Nov. 21, 1998, according to the FBI.

The Circuit Court of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Fort Smith District, released him on bond, but his bond was revoked when he didnt show up in court, and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued on June 3, 1999, according to the FBI. That was about a month after the unidentified body had been found in Kentucky.

A federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was filed against Parham, and a federal arrest warrant was filed in September 1999 in federal court in Fort Smith, Ark.

The FBIs wanted poster said Parham, who was said to be very charming, was thought to have fled Arkansas and might have gone to Mexico.

Parham did computer-related work and was said to have an interest in photography as well as fixing and selling antiques. He prefers odd jobs so that he can get paid in cash, the FBI poster stated.

While the FBI was on the lookout for Parham, Kentucky State Police were having trouble identifying the body found in the lake in Lyon County.

State police said in the news release that they werent able to identify him using traditional investigative techniques of that time.

In 2016, the body of the victim was exhumed in hopes that further examinations would help make an identification, the release stated. Despite extensive efforts using DNA technology, dental examinations, forensic pathology, and other advanced forensic testing, the victim remained unidentified. A profile for the remains was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NAMUS) as case: UP# 75.

The break in the case came earlier this year, when state police began working with Othram, which they said is a private forensic lab that specializes in forensic genealogy.

A partnership with NAMUS and Othram Inc. allowed for advanced genealogy DNA testing of the remains, state police said.

They said the testing helped them find a relative of Parham and make a positive identification.

While the cause of death is unknown, state police said they are investigating the case as a homicide because of the suspicious circumstances in which the remains were located.

State police asked that anyone with information about Parhams death call Post 1 in Mayfield at 270-856-3721 or leave a tip on the website at Kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/tip.
Passengers on a cruise ship hoping to spend their holiday season in a tropical destination werent too pleased when a change was made to their original plans.

The MSC Cruise Meraviglia ship made a sudden decision ahead of its 17 December departure to reroute its travel due to weather concerns. But what was meant to be a fun, sun-soaked trip to Florida and the Bahamas will now be a cold exploration of Boston, Maine, and Canada before heading back to New York, where travellers first boarded.

The Meraviglia will be docked in Boston until 19 December. MSC Cruises made the decision to stop in the east coast city in order to avoid severe weather conditions in the Bahamas. When the ship was docked in Boston on Sunday, the city was held under a damaging winds alert.

According to a report from the New York Post, all ticketed passengers were notified of the adjustment in an email the night before they were to embark on the trip. To ensure the safety and well-being of everyone onboard, we will sail to New England and Canada instead, where we expect to encounter fairer weather conditions that will allow us to offer you the pleasant cruise experience that you expect, the message reportedly stated.

Speaking to the Boston Globe, traveller Girish Keswani recalled: The guy helping us with our luggage said: Youre going to Canada. We all laughed it off. Another passenger was extremely disappointed upon finding out their first stop would be Boston. Another passenger named Connie confessed to the Globe that she regularly visited the city for work, but her company usually pays for those trips.

I did not want to pay $5,000 [for my family] to come to Boston, Connie proclaimed. This was supposed to be our Christmas vacation.

Neither Connie nor any of the other passengers were obligated to go on the trip if they didnt want to. MSC Cruises allowed ticketed individuals the opportunity to cancel their reservation the night before free of charge and receive a refund in the form of a Future Cruise Credit. Passengers were also given the option to rebook their trip.

MSC Meraviglia sailed to Canada and New England instead of the Bahamas this week due to unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City, a representative for MSC Cruises told The Independent. The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of cancelling the cruise - and thousands of peoples vacations - outright.

In other cruise news, the worlds largest ship - the Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas - will be setting sail on 27 January. With more than 18 passenger decks, seven swimming pools, 40 restaurants, and multiple bars holding 5,610 guests, the new vessel is bigger than the companys Wonder of the Seas cruise ship.

Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of delivering memorable experiences and our next bold commitment to those who love to vacation, said president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, Michael Bayley. Now more than ever, families and friends are prioritising experiences where they can bond and enjoy their own adventures.
A Central Freeway pillar in San Francisco was charred Tuesday by a fire in a tent encampment. Stephen Lam/the Chronicle Items belonging to people in a tent encampment were charred Tuesday by a fire. Stephen Lam/the Chronicle A fire erupted at an encampment under San Franciscos Central Freeway on Tuesday afternoon, officials said, prompting an inspection of freeway infrastructure. Getty Images

A fire erupted at an encampment under San Franciscos Central Freeway on Tuesday afternoon, officials said, prompting an inspection of freeway infrastructure to ensure nothing was substantially damaged.

San Francisco police officers detained a man near Vermont and Division streets suspected of starting the fire, but it was not immediately clear if the man was arrested.

A 911 caller reported someone setting fire to tarps at the scene, said Fire Department Capt. Justin Schorr. Fire trucks arrived within a minute but did not see anyone lighting flames, said Schorr. He said that the fire was put out quickly and no injuries were reported.

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Because of the fires proximity to the highway, a nearby support pillar will undergo inspection, said Schorr.
The Eurovision Song Contest has rejected calls for Israel to be removed from the competition amid the war with Hamas.

The annual celebration of European music will take place in Malmo, Sweden next year, following singer Loreens second triumph in the 2023 competition. The UK will be represented by Years and Years singer Olly Alexander.

As some UK politicians call for a sustainable ceasefire in the Middle East, musicians from Iceland have called on their home nation to boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned from taking part.

Responding to the calls, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the contest, said: The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public service broadcasters from across Europe and the Middle East. It is a competition for broadcasters  not governments  and the Israeli public broadcaster has participated in the contest for 50 years.

The Eurovision Song Contest remains a non-political event that unites audiences worldwide through music.

Earlier this month, the Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland (FTT), announced that they were opposing their countrys participation in Eurovision 2024 unless Israel is disqualified.

Noa Kirel represented Israel in Liverpool in 2023 (PA)

The FTT, which represents artists in the European nation, said: We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children. We always have the choice not to put our name to such things, whether we are individuals or state institutions.

We owe it to the nations that act with military force to not share with them in an event that is always characterised by joy and optimism.

Since Hamass attack inside Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 240 others taken hostage, more than 19,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza.

A blockade has also been imposed, with the UN and aid agencies arguing that nowhere near enough of critical items like food, water, fuel and medical supplies are getting into the Strip. Around 85 per cent of the territorys population of 2.3 million have been forced to flee their homes, with Israel calling on them to move southwards.

Eurovision has previously banned countries from competing in the competition due to global events.

Next years competition will take place in Sweden following Loreens victory (PA)

In 2022, Russia was banned from taking part in the competition following criticism from a number of countries in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. The country did not return to the competition last year.

Initially, the EBU said that it had no plans to prevent Russia from competing, but later backtracked.

The group said that it had widely consulted it membership on the matter and had made a decision based on a recommendation earlier today by the Eurovision Song Contests governing body.

The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this years contest would bring the competition into disrepute, they said.

Israel was represented by Noa Kirel in the 2023 competition. They last won in 2018, with Netta and her song Toy.
People walk past a collapsed building in Dahejia town in the worst-hit Jishisan county

Rescue efforts for survivors of an earthquake that killed at least 131 in China's north-west are coming to an end.

Authorities on Wednesday said they were wrapping up operations and would now focus on treating the injured and helping those who lost their homes.

The 6.2 magnitude quake hit Gansu province Monday night, injuring nearly 1,000 in the mountainous region.

Thousands of workers have been operating in sub-zero temperatures.

Temperatures hit -13C (8.7F) on Tuesday, Chinese media reported. Large parts of northern China are caught in a cold snap, with many cities reporting record low temperatures.

Sixteen people remain missing in neighbouring Qinghai province, to the south of Gansu.

Local officials in Jishishan county, the worst-hit in Gansu province, said more than 5,000 buildings in the area had been damaged.

Many other buildings in the province were hit by mudslides triggered by the quake, while roads were damaged by landslides.

Pictures from the region showed entire villages split by the quake, as well as collapsed buildings and houses.

Residents who fled their homes were also shown huddling over makeshift fires at hastily erected evacuation camps.

Survivors said the tremors had felt like "being tossed by surging waves" and recalled rushing out of their apartments.

"I woke my family up and we rushed down all 16 floors in one breath," said one man named Mr Qin by Chinese outlets.

Monday's quake was reported as China's deadliest earthquake since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed by a quake in south-western Yunnan province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered thousands of firemen, soldiers and policemen, as well as medical personnel, to the region, which is among the poorest and most diverse in China.

Gansu lies between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus and borders Mongolia. The remote region is one of China's poorest and most ethnically diverse.

The epicentre of the quake was in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, home to many Chinese Muslim groups, including the Hui, Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar people.

Chinese authorities said the quake measured 6.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude of 5.9 and depth of 10km (6 miles). Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed the initial quake. Officials also warned of possible tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.0 in the coming days.

Officials had told the BBC on Monday they had limited time to rescue people in the sub-zero conditions.

"It is too cold to bear... it's -15C [here]," Wang Yi, chief commander of the Blue Sky Rescue Team, told the BBC. Blue Sky is China's largest non-governmental humanitarian organisation, with more than 30,000 volunteers across the country.

Rescuers carry an injured woman in Dahejia town

Mr Wang said he expected the number of casualties to climb. "We now need to dig deeper [into the rubble]. But there are no big buildings in the area. So it will rise, but it won't be much," he said.

President Xi has said "all efforts should be made to carry out search and rescue, treat the injured in a timely manner, and minimise casualties".

China sits in a region where a number of tectonic plates - notably the Eurasian, Indian and Pacific plates - meet. It is particularly prone to earthquakes.

An earthquake in Yushu in Qinghai province, which is next to Gansu, claimed almost 2,700 lives in 2010.

China's most devastating earthquake in recent decades was in the south-western province of Sichuan in 2008 when 87,000 people were killed.

Additional reporting by Laura Bicker in Beijing

Map showing the epicentre of the earthquake in Jishishan county, Gansu province, north-west China.

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Mourners sit next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Rafah on Tuesday

Last-minute negotiations have delayed a UN vote on a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Wrangles over the wording of the Security Council resolution, reportedly to avoid another veto by the US, mean the vote has moved to Wednesday.

Increased pressure for a suspension of fighting between Israel and Hamas comes as the leader of Hamas is expected to travel to Egypt for talks.

Ismail Haniyeh is due in Cairo later on Wednesday, a source told the BBC.

Egypt, alongside Qatar, helped broker a truce last month that led to a week-long ceasefire and the release of some 100 hostages captured by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians being held in Israeli jails.

Israeli leaders have rejected a new ceasefire since then, saying it would only benefit Hamas.

But on Tuesday Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the country was ready for another pause in the fighting to enable more hostages to be released.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan told a news conference in Beirut on Monday that the group was "open to any initiative aiming for a ceasefire", but he insisted there would be "no negotiations on a hostage swap deal until the Zionist [Israeli] aggression completely stops".

The original draft Security Council resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" to allow "safe and unhindered humanitarian access".

Initially diplomats thought they were very close to an agreement, 99% of the way there, but the final discussions have been complex, according to the UAE.

The US says it is engaging constructively with other members to resolve outstanding issues. Late on Tuesday, the US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, was asked by the BBC whether the US supported the draft resolution and he said: "We're still working on the text with other players and I don't want to get ahead of where we are at this point. So let's just see how the discussions go this afternoon."

Diplomats say the main sticking points are how to frame calls for a cessation of hostilities and the proposal for a UN mechanism to inspect aid going into Gaza. The US, along with Israel, opposes a ceasefire because they say it would benefit Hamas. Washington vetoed a previous Security Council resolution demanding one. The UK abstained, but every other member supported it. And Israel, according to one Security Council diplomat, is pressuring the US to veto this resolution as well, out of fear that a UN mechanism to monitor aid would prevent them from controlling deliveries in Gaza.

When US state department spokesperson Matt Miller was asked whether Israel had asked the US to veto it, he said they had been in discussions with their ally, as well as other countries in the region, and they would ultimately make their own determination about what the best course of action was depending on what the final resolution stated. The current draft has already been watered down and now calls for a suspension of hostilities, rather than a sustainable cessation of hostilities, but it still includes a phrase calling for "urgent steps" towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

The UAE's Ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, said the priority and focus of the resolution were to have a real impact on the ground with a scaling-up of access, the opening of all land, sea and air crossing points, and ensuring Egypt has the support it needed from the UN in the form of a mechanism to streamline the process of monitoring aid. But overriding all of that, she said, was ensuring that humanitarian workers could deliver aid safely and were protected by the normal rules of de-confliction.

But the Israeli government is under growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire because of the mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

It is also facing pressure at home for a deal that would see more hostages freed, after Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three Israeli men who had been held captive in Gaza last week.

Gaza has been devastated by the war, which was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people were killed - most of them civilians - and about 240 taken hostage.

Since then, more than 19,600 people have been killed in Gaza, about 70% of them women and children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

It reported that about 100 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli air strikes on Tuesday.

Ahead of the Security Council meeting, UN aid workers in Geneva could not hide their despair at the failure of the international community to put an end to the conflict and tackle the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Unicef spokesman James Elder, who recently returned from the territory, told reporters that "every single child is enduring these 10 weeks of hell and not one of them can escape".

He lamented that "not even lip service" had been paid to requirements, under international law, to safeguard medical facilities, food and water.

Only eight of Gaza's 36 hospitals are still partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization. They are overwhelmed by casualties and facing critical shortages of medical supplies and fuel for generators, as well as providing shelter for thousands of displaced people.

WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said her colleagues in Gaza had run out of "words to describe the horror" they were witnessing. They were not even able to walk through emergency wards at "for fear of stepping on people" lying on the floor "in severe pain" and asking for food and water, she added.
Cargo ships are seen at Israel's Haifa commercial shipping port in the Mediterranean Sea on December 13, 2023. In solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, Yemen's Houthis are warning that they will target cargo vessels sailing through the Red Sea if they are heading for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality. Credit - Mati MilsteinNurPhoto/Getty Images

The U.S. has launched a 10-country coalition force to patrol the Red Sea and prevent cargo ships from being attacked by Houthi Rebels, who control a portion of territory in Yemens northwest.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have declared their support for the Palestinian cause and began attacking all ships that they believed were stopping at Israeli ports, causing insurance prices on ships passing through the Red Sea to rise dramatically and severely disrupting international trade.

The coalition, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, will include Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the Seychelles, and the United Kingdom. The Houthis have been fighting a war with the Saudi-backed government of Yemen since 2014, and seek to control the entirety of Yemen.

"These reckless Houthi attacks are a serious international problem and they demand a firm international response," said U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin at a virtual meeting with ministers from countries involved in the coalition on Tuesday.

A senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, responded by writing on X that America's announcement of the establishment of the Coalition of Shame will not prevent us from continuing our military operations this is a moral and humanitarian position that we will not abandon, no matter the sacrifices it costs us.

More From TIME

Some of the worlds largest shipping companies, including MSC.Hapag-Lloyd, and Maersk, have all opted for alternative sailing routes around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to avoid the violence.

Read More: The Attacks From Yemen's Houthi Rebels in the Red Sea Are Having a Significant Global Impact

Experts say that the U.S. coalition will likely reduce the Houthi threat, at least in the short run.

Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute who specializes in maritime warfare, says that the countries in the coalition have the defense capabilities to intercept Houthi missiles, but the costs of running such a program indefinitely may make things more complicated. The U.S. has already placed two warships, the USS Carney and USS Mason in the Red Sea, which intercepted 14 drone strikes on Saturday.

In terms of the ability to intercept Houthi drones, I think that there is certainly credible capability there, and we've seen that in how the USS Carney has been able to operate over the last few weeks, says Kaushal. Kaushal says that as the coalition sends more warships to the area over the coming weeks, the severity of the threat will likely decrease. However, he does warn that such a strategy may not be sustainable in the long run.

I think there is a question about the ability to replenish stocks, in particular air defense interceptors since vertical launch systems can't be replenished at sea, says Kaushal. In order for these systems to be replenished, the vessel must dock in a friendly country and restock. This could become time consuming and costly in the long run.

If the situation ends up becoming ongoing, Kaushal says that it is likely that the U.S. and other members of the coalition may opt to attack Houthi launch infrastructure, as they did previously in 2016 when Houthis launched a Chinese-made cruise missile at a U.S. ship. The U.S. responded with launching Tomahawk cruise missiles against the radar sites that were suspected of being used to launch the missiles.

There is a question of whether something similar becomes more attractive to the allies as they weigh having to expend pretty expensive defensive capabilities, says Kaushal.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
By Joe Cash

BEIJING (Reuters) -China and Nicaragua upgraded their bilateral ties on Wednesday, setting the stage for the Asian giant to provide more economic support to the sanctioned Central American state and furthering Beijing's strategic ambitions in the United States' backyard.

Beijing and Managua re-established diplomatic ties in 2021 after Nicaragua broke off relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which U.S. officials attributed to the allure of the prospect of fresh investment from China after Western countries sanctioned President Daniel Ortega's government over human rights abuses.

"I am willing to work with President Ortega to take today's announcement of a China-Nicaragua strategic partnership as a new start, to push relations between our two countries forward to build a model of solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit," Chinese President Xi Jinping told Ortega during a call to mark the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties, Chinese state media reported.

Xi said the China-Nicaragua Free Trade Agreement would take effect on Jan. 1.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is already a major investor in Central and Latin America and could provide Nicaragua with welcome financial support as the United States ratchets up economic pressure on Ortega's administration.

"China is also willing to strengthen its solidarity and cooperation with Nicaragua in international affairs and opposing hegemony and power politics," state media reported Xi as saying.

Nicaragua also faces sanctions from Canada, the United Kingdom and European states, while a United Nations Human Rights Council report in March concluded the Nicaraguan government had committed "widespread and systematic human rights violations that amount to crimes against humanity."

In 2018, Ortega's government waged a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests - which it has made illegal - and has jailed dozens of opposition figures that officials have accused of fomenting a coup. Rights groups have denounced the actions as a descent into dictatorship.

In an earlier statement, China's foreign ministry said it "firmly supports Nicaragua in steadily moving forward with its domestic political agenda and resolutely opposes interference in Nicaragua's internal affairs by external forces".

Nicaragua reiterated that it would not have any form of official exchange with Taiwan, the ministry said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry criticized the comments, saying Ortega had switched to China for his own personal gain and has "willingly become an accomplice in China's destruction of democracy and peace, which is despicable".

Nicaragua has strategic importance for China given its proximity to the United States. In recent years, Beijing has steadily stepped up its diplomatic engagement across the region, establishing diplomatic ties with neighbouring Honduras in May and offering support to nearby, diplomatically isolated Cuba and Venezuela.

"China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua and will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence, dignity and in opposing foreign interference," Xi said.

(Additional reporting by Qiaoyi Li, and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Gerry Doyle and Louise Heavens)
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine defence minister rebuked China on Wednesday for accusing his country of provoking tension and stirring trouble in the South China Sea, saying only Beijing believed what it was saying.

"Truth and in fact, no country in the world, none, supports unequivocally their claim to the whole of South China Sea," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as both nations have exchanged accusations over recent collisions in the waterway.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of commercial shipping annually, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis, a ruling the United States supports but Beijing rejects.

More than a week ago, Manila and Beijing traded accusations over a collision of their vessels in the South China Sea, with the latter saying the incidents were "entirely caused" by the Philippines.

Following the incidents, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday a "paradigm shift" was needed in how his country deals with the South China issue because diplomatic efforts with China were headed "in a poor direction".

China "will keep the door of dialogue and contact open," the spokesperson for its embassy in Manila said in a statement later on Wednesday.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have grown under Marcos, who has increasingly complained about China's "aggressive" behaviour, while he sought closer ties with the United States, Manila's treaty ally.

Marcos has said the Philippines will continue to talk to its partners in the Indo-Pacific region and come up with a joint position on their responsibilities in the West Philippines Sea.

The Philippines refers to the part of South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippines Sea.

"China has always advocated and remains committed to properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation," the embassy's spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Sonali Paul, Kanupriya Kapoor)
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I like to put it simply, says Randy R Dub! Williams, a late-night slow jams DJ from San Diego whos also known as the Sultan of Slowjamastan. I ran out of countries, so I created my own.

A broadcaster by night, Williams has spent his life attempting to visit every country in the world. With just one UN-recognized nation left to visit, he decided to buy an 11.07-acre plot of empty arid land in the California desert to build a new country named after his radio show.

Wearing his best suit and sunglasses, the sultan of Slowjamastan officially declared independence from the United States of America at 12:26 p.m. on December 1, 2021 as he broadcast the secession live from his open-air government office in Dublandia, the capital of the Republic of Slowjamastan.

Two years on, and while the Sultan of Slowjamastan has instigated more than a few bizarre laws (hes outlawed the wearing of Crocs, for example), the Republic also has all the trappings of a fledgling nation-state. It issues its own passports, flies its own flag, prints its own currency (the duble), and has a national anthem thats played on state occasions.

The Republic of Slowjamastan even claims over 500 registered citizens, while 4,500 more are said to have been conditionally approved or are waiting in line for citizenship. Now that Williams is set to complete his lifetime goal of visiting every country in the world, hes inviting tourists to visit the Republic of Slowjamastan as he plans to create the worlds foremost micronation.

The Sultan of Slowjamastan

Williams bought a plot of land in the California desert to create his country. - Republic of Slowjamastan Ministry of Communications

When Im not on the radio, Im probably traveling to a country most havent heard of, Williams told CNN not long before heading on a trip to Turkmenistan, the final country on his list of 193 UN-recognized nations. One of the reasons I created Slowjamastan was because, after 193 countries, I wanted a 194th!

Officially named The United Territories of The Sovereign Nation of The Peoples Republic of Slowjamastan, Williams self-declared country is located off California State Route 78, a two-and-a-half-hour drive northwest of San Diego. The small plot of land isnt much more than desert, but Williams has erected an enormous Welcome to Slowjamastan sign by the highway, hes built a border control post and flies the colorful Slowjamastan flag above his ministerial office, which is currently open to the elements.

Williams was inspired to create his own country after visiting various micronations  self-declared territories often run by eccentric leaders  on his world travels.

In August 2021, Williams visited the Republic of Molossia, an 11.3-acre micronation in Nevada that declared independence from the United States of America in 1998, where he was given a personal tour by His Excellency President Kevin Baugh. He learned about the Republic of Molossias ongoing war with now-defunct East Germany, how the local currency (the valora) is backed by chocolate chip cookie dough instead of gold, and had his passport stamped and his photo taken on the border with the United States.

When he returned home to San Diego, Williams immediately began drawing up grand plans for his own micronation. In October 2021, he purchased a plot of land for $19,000 and by December had declared Slowjamastans independence.

A dictatorship in the desert

Williams says there have been plenty of people lining up to become Slowjamastan citizens. - Republic of Slowjamastan Ministry of Communications

Were a dictatorship most of the time, Williams says, as he explains his Republics system of government. On occasion, well hold special voting ceremonies and referendums. Recently, I allowed citizens to vote on what should be our national fruit, sport, and even what our national animal should be named.

It might seem quite paradoxical for a republic to have a dictatorial sultan as its head of state, but thats the point. Williams travels have taken him to some of the worlds most curious destinations, and hes seen firsthand the bizarre cults of personality and contradictions that exist in places like The Democratic Peoples Republic of North Korea.

Williams likes to pose for photographs and make public addresses wearing his bright green sultans uniform, complete with faux military awards, golden epaulets and tinted sunglasses. He hires border guards and surrounds himself with security when he hosts events in the Republic of Slowjamastan and enforces a list of prohibitions that all citizens and visitors have to follow in order to avoid banishment. Currently, these prohibitions include Crocs, mumble rap and people who put their feet on the dashboard.

The Sultan of Slowjamastans character and dress is Williams way of highlighting the absurdities found in politics and dictatorships, and theres a long line of people ready to share in his micronational experiment. People can apply for citizenship and cabinet positions via the Slowjamastan website, and its proven exceptionally popular, with a backlog of applications numbering into the thousands.

Hes now opened the border to tourists, too, and he tells CNN Travel how the most popular activities include taking selfies in front of the Slowjamastan sign, visiting Independence Square and searching for the elusive Slowjamastan raccoon, the national animal.

His next grand plan is to raise enough funds to build a lazy river, an armadillo farm, an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ establishment and, of course, a giant statue/monument of The Great Leader (me).

We also host a handful of activities throughout the year, Williams adds,including opportunities to have your Slowjamastani passport stamped, join in on the commemoration of new states, and even meet the sultan.

In search of diplomatic recognition

Williams says he's working on diplomatic ties with other countries. - Republic of Slowjamastan Ministry of Communications

Williams says he is working on creating diplomatic ties with other countries, and hes had his Slowjamastan passport stamped by 16 different countries on his recent travels, including South Africa, New Zealand, Vanuatu, and the United States.

He makes it clear that Slowjamastan technically meets the criteria for a sovereign nation-state as defined by the 1933 Montevideo Convention, which is typically cited as the best definition of a country.

The Montevideo Convention requires a country to have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the capacity to enter into diplomatic relations with other states, all prerequisites which Williams claims the Republic of Slowjamastan has met.

The next stage is for the sultan to gain recognition of his micronations secession from the United States, although that might be a little far-fetched even for Williams.

Im a little frustrated to admit that, despite emails and DMs to President Biden on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and MySpace, our messages have all been left unread, explains Williams. Perhaps they are stuck in his spam folder. Were going with that.

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A South Carolina highway trooper was arrested and charged with cruelty to children after he allegedly bit a 2-year-olds cheek hard enough to leave a mark, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

SLED announced the arrest in a statement Tuesday. While the warrant provides few details, it states that Jesse Brassell, 23, admitted on Sept. 20 that he intentionally bit the childs cheek in Cottageville, South Carolina.

In a statement, SLED said the Colleton County Sheriffs Office asked it to investigate the incident. The child, whose name and gender are not included in the warrant, suffered a bite mark on the right cheek, according to the warrant.

Brassell was employed by the Highway Patrol for approximately 27 months, according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety, which oversees highway patrol.

He had been under suspension without pay since September 22, 2023, the date the allegation was brought to our attention, according to a statement from the department. Brassell, who held the rank of trooper first class, officially resigned from the agency on Dec. 15, 2023.

During his time as a highway patrolman, Brassell was assigned to Post B of Troop 6, which covers Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Jasper counties. A roster for a basic training graduating class released by the Highway Patrol listed his hometown as Summerville, South Carolina.

Brassell was charged under South Carolinas cruelty to children statute. Under the law, it is a misdemeanor for a parent, guardian or anyone who has charge or custody of a child to inflict unnecessary pain or suffering or to deprive the child of necessary sustenance or shelter.

Brassell was booked at the Colleton County Detention Center. Records from the jail state that he received a $200 bond by Associate Chief Magistrate Sophia T. Henderson.

The case will be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitors Office Public Integrity Unit, according to SLED. The unit, which is a collaboration between the 14th and 1st Circuit Solicitors Offices, investigates officer involved shootings, public corruption and other use of force cases across both circuits.
The Irish government is to begin a legal challenge against the UK government over its decision to offer immunity for Troubles-era crimes.

The UK's controversial Troubles legacy act became law in September, despite opposition from Dublin and all Northern Ireland's main political parties.

Critics argued the law gave an amnesty and removed access to justice.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he "profoundly regrets" the Irish decision.

"It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts," he said.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, he added the Irish government's action was "inconsistent and hard to reconcile with its own record" on dealing with legacy matters.

'Serious reservations'

Victims and survivors have already taken action against the UK government at Belfast's High Court, opposing the bill which Boris Johnson, then-prime minister, said in 2021 was to "draw a line under the Troubles".

The 30-year conflict cost more than 3,500 lives and left thousands more seriously injured.

The legislation also brought an end to all new inquests and civil actions related to the conflict.

Ireland's case is being taken under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Outlining the decision, Tanaiste (Irish Deputy PM) Micheal Martin said the UK government had "pursued legislation unilaterally" despite the concerns of the Irish government and others.

Tanaiste (Irish Deputy PM) Micheal Martin said his government's decision was taken after careful consideration

"Serious reservations about this legislation have also been raised by a number of international observers, including the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights," Mr Martin added.

"Most importantly, this legislation is opposed by people in Northern Ireland, especially the victims and families who will be most directly impacted by this Act."

Analysis box by Julian O'Neill, NI crime and justice correspondent

The Irish government has opposed the UK's new legacy law right from its conception.

Victims' groups had lobbied it repeatedly to take a case in Europe.

It now means the Troubles Act is being challenged on two legal fronts.

Bereaved relatives have gone to court in Belfast and Dublin is acting in Strasbourg.

A decision by the Irish government had been on the cards, but this is a big step which will not have been taken without evaluating political implications.

Some victims' families have backed the Irish government's legal challenge; including Emmett McConomy, whose 11-year-old brother Stephen was killed by a soldier in 1982 in Londonderry.

Mr McConomy told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme the challenge was "proper order".

"It gives us some hope today, we have never lost hope and I think like all victims out there, the only thing we actually have is hope".

Emmett McConomy says the legal challenge is 'proper order'

Mr McConomy said victims and survivors want "truth and accountability, justice and our rights upheld".

He added: "I don't think that's too much to ask in a civilised society."

'Only show in town'

In September, the Northern Ireland secretary said the bill marked a "significant milestone as the government aims to deliver on our pledge to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles, while helping society to look forward".

He added it offers "a real opportunity to deliver greater information, accountability and acknowledgement to victims and families, moving away from established mechanisms that have left far too many empty-handed".

On Wednesday, Chris Heaton-Harris said of the Irish government's legal action: "While this step is disappointing, it is one for which the UK Government was prepared."

NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris defended the government's legacy bill

"The UK Government remains confident that the Act provides a robust and effective framework to allow the ICRIR (Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery) to discharge our legal obligations."

Northern Ireland Office minister Lord Caine added the bill was "the only show in town" and the UK will "try and minimise" any consequences for relations between the two governments.

"But if you're asking me this evening can I rule out any consequences, the answer is no," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster in an interview to be broadcast on Thursday.

The ICRIR was set up in an attempt to help families find out more about the circumstances of how their loved ones were killed or seriously injured.

Self-confessed perpetrators who provide a truthful account of their actions to the ICRIR can be granted immunity from prosecution.

'Necessary decision'

Victims' campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, said: "Anyone in Northern Ireland who condemns or criticises the Irish government over their action is no friend of victims".

Amnesty International said the Irish government was "doing the right thing" for victims of the Troubles by taking the case.

The human rights organisation the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) said it was "the right decision and a necessary one".

The Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the Irish government of double standards.

"The Irish government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues, no proposals to deal with the quite significant number of murders that were committed either in their jurisdiction or from their jurisdiction," he continued.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald also welcomed the Irish government's move, as did Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said the Irish government's decision was "not surprising" and it takes an "opposition attack line off the table" ahead of an election year.
Former President Donald Trumps harsh rhetoric and Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts contentious new law have reignited Republican efforts to make border security the focus of the 2024 election  elevating the fight over immigration policy to new heights.

The renewed focus on immigration comes at a politically sensitive moment for President Joe Biden, who is negotiating a deal with congressional Republicans on immigration and border policy changes  a GOP demand as part of a broader emergency aid package that will also include funding for Ukraine and Israel.

Already, Biden is facing backlash from key progressive allies over his willingness to make concessions on border policy.

The stakes of the immigration debate  now playing out on Capitol Hill, in courtrooms and on the campaign trail  are enormous. Shifts among Latino voters  who have moved in the GOPs favor in recent elections in certain key regions  could tip swing states such as Arizona and Nevada in the 2024 election. Meanwhile, Biden must hold together a Democratic coalition that includes moderates concerned about border security and young voters and progressives, who polls have shown are already frustrated with the president.

Trump set off a political firestorm Saturday when he claimed during a New Hampshire campaign speech that immigrants from South America, Africa and Asia were poisoning the blood of our country  a remark that drew comparisons to the language of Nazi Germany.

He followed those comments with a pledge Sunday in Nevada to to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history.

Then, on Tuesday night in Iowa, he acknowledged and rejected the comparisons of his language to Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf, but repeated his claims about immigrants.

Its crazy whats going on. Theyre ruining our country. And its true, theyre destroying the blood of our country. Thats what theyre doing. Theyre destroying our country. They dont like it when I said that, Trump said.

And Ive never read Mein Kampf. They said, Oh Hitler said that. In a much different way.

In Texas, Abbott, the third-term Republican governor, on Monday signed into law a measure that will test how far states can go to keep undocumented migrants out.

The new law will make entering Texas illegally a state crime  granting local law enforcement the power to arrest migrants and judges the ability to issue orders to remove them to Mexico. It has sent ripples of fear throughout the Latino community in Texas, which makes up 40% of the states population.

Already, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit, claiming that the Texas law is unconstitutional and runs afoul of federal immigration law.

The bill overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities, Adriana Pinon, legal director of the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement.

Bidens White House condemned the Texas law on Tuesday, raising doubts about its legality.

This is an extreme law that will not and does not make the communities in Texas safer. It just doesnt, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news briefing.

She called the law very much in line with what  many Republicans like to do or tend to do, which is demonize immigrants and also dehumanize immigrants.

The ongoing surge of migration at the US-Mexico border has placed immense pressure on local and federal resources. Abbott and the Biden administration have sparred over some of the states measures to curb illegal immigration along the southern border. On Sunday, US Customs and Border Protection announced it would temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, starting Monday, due to a surge in border crossings by migrants.

Border authorities apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, a 2% increase compared with the 188,000 migrant apprehensions in October, US Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CNN.

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States stand on the banks of the Rio Grande at the southern US border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on December 18, 2023. - Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Democrats signal border concerns

Democrats in recent days have conceded that they see border security as a problem.

We all know theres a problem at the border. The president does, Democrats do and were going to try to solve that problem consistent with our principles, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.

In Arizona  one of the nations most important swing states  Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs last week signed an executive order mobilizing the Arizona National Guard to the southern border.

Hobbs order said her state has borne the burden of federal inaction on border security.

In the past few weeks, the Biden administration has closed ports of entry to either vehicular or pedestrian crossings in Eagle Pass, Texas; Lukeville, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California.

The closure of the Lukeville port of entry, Hobbs order said, has led to an unmitigated humanitarian crisis in the area and has put Arizonas safety and commerce at risk.

Still, many progressives are warning of potential backlash from the Democratic base if Biden makes too many concessions to Republicans in the negotiations for a border security and foreign aid package.

If he does go too far in the Trump direction when it comes to this, its going to be felt at the ballot box next year. No doubt about it, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California told CNN.

Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are expected to speak this week, according to two sources familiar with discussions, amid the latest surge at the US southern border that has pushed federal resources to the limit.

The US has generally leaned on Mexico to help stem the flow of migrants moving through the Western hemisphere. Last month, Biden and Lopez Obrador met in San Francisco at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, where the two discussed unprecedented levels of migration, among other issues.

Trumps comments spark GOP criticism

Its not just Democrats who are divided on immigration and border security.

Trumps claim about migrants poisoning the blood of our country drew backlash from some of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination  many of whom have similarly called for strict border measures.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who frequently faults Trump for failing to finish the US-Mexico border wall, described the former presidents comments as a tactical error.

DeSantis said Trump had given Democrats, who are fractured on the issue, something to seize on and rally the partys disparate factions.

Heres the thing: This border is such a disaster, DeSantis said Monday following a campaign event in Adel, Iowa. Its a huge liability for Biden.

To give  the opposition an ability to try to make it about something else, I think, is just a tactical mistake, he said.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was harshest in his condemnation of Trumps remarks. Hes disgusting, Christie said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union while also calling the comments dog whistling.

Trumps former attorney general, Bill Barr, told CNNs Jake Tapper on The Lead on Wednesday that he, too, was offended by it, because it has racist overtones.

Does bringing in a lot of people at once from a different country, does that put strains on our system, and harm the country to an extent? Yes, it does. But the attacks, on the idea that they pollute our blood, you know, I think are foul, Barr said.

However, on Capitol Hill, Trumps remarks received relatively little blowback  and even some encouragement.

Asked for comment, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked his wife, former Trump official Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States as a child.

Well, it strikes me, that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao secretary of transportation, the Kentucky Republican said.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who has endorsed Trump, urged the former president to be tougher in his rhetoric toward immigrants.

Im mad he wasnt tougher than that, Tuberville said, because have you seen whats happening at the border? We are being overrun. Theyre taking us over.

This story has been updated with additional reaction.

CNNs Jack Forrest, Manu Raju, Kit Maher, Asher Moskowitz, Haley Talbot, Kate Sullivan, Priscilla Alvarez, Camila DeChalus, Michael Williams, Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfeldt and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Megan Fan Munce is a reporter who joined the San Francisco Chronicle as part of the two-year Hearst Journalism Fellowship, spending her first year of the program at the Houston Chronicle.

Munce grew up in San Jose before attending Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, graduating with a B.S. and M.S. in journalism and a second major in political science.

She previously worked as an audience engagement fellow and a reporting fellow at the Texas Tribune, as well as an audience intelligence intern for KQED.

She can be reached at Megan.Munce@sfchronicle.com.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council again Wednesday delayed the vote on a new U.N. resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza for another day as the Biden administration struggles to change key wording in high-level negotiations seeking to avoid a U.S. veto.

The United States is seeking to change the text's references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war and to putting the United Nations in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods, which Israel opposes.

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, which sponsored the Arab-backed resolution, said very high-level discussions are underway to try to reach agreement on a text that can be adopted.

Everyone wants to see a resolution that has impact and that is implementable on the ground, she told reporters after the 15 council members held closed consultations. We believe today, giving a little bit of space for additional diplomacy, could yield positive results.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak with his Egyptian and UAE counterparts to try to reach a consensus either late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Nusseibeh said the UAE is optimistic but if the negotiations yield no results by Thursday, then we will assess in the council to proceed ... to a vote on the resolution.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe and that a total collapse of the humanitarian support system would lead to a complete breakdown of public order and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt.

The U.N. food agency reported last week that 56% of Gazas households are experiencing severe levels of hunger, up from 38% two weeks earlier.

The vote  initially postponed from Monday and then pushed back to Tuesday and then Wednesday  is now expected on Thursday morning, Ecuador's U.N. Ambassador Jose Javier De La Gasca Lopez-Dominguez said.

The draft on the table Monday morning called for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities, but this language was watered down in a new version that was to be put to a vote on Wednesday. It would call for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

That draft also calls for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to quickly establish a mechanism for exclusive U.N. monitoring of aid deliveries to Gaza  bypassing the current Israeli inspection of aid entering the strip.

A council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were private, said the U.S. and Egypt are engaging directly to ensure any aid monitoring mechanism can work for everyone.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also raised two other issues Wednesday morning that are not in the Arab-sponsored resolution  condemnation of Hamas deadly Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel that sparked the latest war and Israel's right to self-defense.

Its important for us, if the Security Council is going to speak on this, that theres a condemnation of Hamas and what they did on the 7th of October, theres a recognition of the need for Israel to be able to defend itself, and theres of course, significant commitment by all members on getting humanitarian assistance into the people of Gaza, Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden was enroute to Wisconsin.

The U.S. has repeatedly called for condemnation of Hamas Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and recognition of Israels right to self-defense, which have not been included in any of the adopted resolutions or the latest draft.

Blinken told a Washington news conference later Wednesday that the U.S. has engaged intensively and in very good faith in negotiations on the resolution, so I hope we can get to a new place.

The U.S. on Dec. 8 vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all other council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on Dec. 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions.

In its first unified action on Nov. 15, with the U.S. abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in the fighting, unhindered aid deliveries to civilians and the unconditional release of all hostages.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said during a briefing with ambassadors Tuesday that Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

But the UAE's Nusseibeh said the new resolution must go a little bit further.

Security Council resolutions are important because they are legally binding, but in practice many parties choose to ignore the councils requests for action. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a significant barometer of world opinion.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry since the war started. Suring the Oct. 7 attack, the militants also took about 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, and its Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Thousands more Palestinians lie buried under the rubble of Gaza, the U.N. estimates.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani on board Air Force One and Matthew Lee and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
By Renju Jose and Lucy Craymer

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's new prime minister, Christopher Luxon, said on Wednesday he would look into the benefits of joining a part of the AUKUS defence pact that focuses on shared military technology amid a "more challenging" world order.

Luxon, visiting Australia on his first official trip abroad since he was sworn in as prime minister last month, said the AUKUS weapons development and procurement project between the U.S., Britain and Australia would help ensure peace and stability in the Pacific region.

The "pillar two" of the AUKUS pact is separate from the first pillar designed to deliver nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.

"We're interested in exploring pillar two, particularly in AUKUS, and the new technologies and the opportunities that may mean for New Zealand to participate," Luxon said during a joint press briefing with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

New Zealand is not a party to the trilateral pact though the U.S. has said the door was open for it to engage on AUKUS.

But Luxon reiterated New Zealand's nuclear-free stance which he said was "non-negotiable". New Zealand and the U.S. describe themselves as close strategic partners, although their alliance was suspended in the 1980s when New Zealand barred visits from U.S. nuclear-powered or armed warships.

Close security ties with Australia, New Zealand's only formal defence ally, are "very foundational" as the country faces "a more challenging and complex world," said Luxon, a former airline executive.

Both New Zealand and Australia would "work together as bedrock partners in the region together working with our Pacific Island nations partners," he added.

Albanese said he had a long working relationship with Luxon and Australia would continue to deepen its trade and economic ties with New Zealand and work together to respond to shared challenges, including climate change.

"On a personal level, Christopher and I are perhaps the two leaders of nations who are more than anyone else aviation nerds, having built the relationship when Prime Minister Luxon was the head of Air New Zealand and I was Australia's transport minister," Albanese said.

Foreign policy and defence largely have a bipartisan consensus in New Zealand, and the current government is following a similar path to the previous Labour government, which had become increasingly concerned about China's growing influence in the Pacific.

David Capie, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University, said he expected the new government to pay more attention to its traditional partners such as those in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group including Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.

"While it's tempting to focus on what's new, I think on a host of foreign policy trade and security issues there is bipartisan shared ground and there will be a lot of continuity as well," he said.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Stephen Coates and Jamie Freed)
A strike by public sector workers planned for early next year will be "the biggest ever seen" in Northern Ireland, a trade union has said.

Thousands of Nipsa members, including civil servants, health and education workers, will strike on 18 January.

It coincides with industrial action already planned for the same day.

Nipsa said the action, being coordinated with other unions, was "an unprecedented escalation" in a long-running pay and conditions dispute.

"It has all the characteristics of a general strike," Nipsa's general secretary Carmel Gates told BBC News NI.

"It will be the biggest strike action Northern Ireland has ever seen."

Some 584m to address public sector pay issues has been offered by the UK government as part of a financial package of more than 3.3bn for the return of a Northern Ireland Executive.

But on Monday, a pre-Christmas deal to restore Stormont was ruled out.

Chris Heaton-Harris 'must act now' on public sector pay, Nipsa says

"It is unacceptable to say that only if the executive returns will public sector workers get a pay rise," Ms Gates said.

"Given that the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has admitted our services are underfunded, given he has accepted public sector workers need a pay rise, he must make that money available now.

"It needs to happen now".

Ms Gates said civil servants doing the same jobs in the other UK regions can earn between 3,000 and 10,0000 more than Northern Ireland staff.

"It is time to end the pay border down the Irish sea," she said.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said unions had no option but to "intensify" their industrial action.

He said January 18 would be a "generalised day of action" that would affect "every part of public services" in Northern Ireland.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) announced a half-day strike from 08:00 GMT until 12:00 on 18 January

Earlier on Tuesday, The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) announced midwives and maternity support workers are to take part in the 18 January strike action.

The RCM announced a half-day strike from 08:00 GMT until 12:00 but said care would still be provided to those who need it.

The industrial action is due to take place across all five of Northern Ireland's health trusts.

RCM's Director for Northern Ireland Karen Murray said the patience of midwives had run out.

"Our members have been more than patient, seeing their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and England getting pay uplifts while their own stands still", she said.

Northern Ireland health and social care staff remain the lowest paid in the UK.

The RCM has sought to reassure patients that the strike with not impact the delivery of safe services.

Midwives and maternity support workers last took to picket lines in Northern Ireland in September when they joined a wider strike action by health and social care staff.

Ms Murray said that the RCM had been "hopeful" that the Executive at Stormont would be reinstated by now, "and that we could have worked towards a resolution on pay before Christmas".

'Overstretched'

"Our members are overstretched and under enormous pressure to deliver safe care," Ms Murray said.

"Day in, day out midwives work flat out to help deliver safe and high-quality care for women, babies, and their families," she added.

"Maternity services in Northern Ireland cannot continue to run on the goodwill of our hardworking members," she said.

All five of Northern Ireland's main teaching unions, including headteachers, have also said their members would walk out on strike on 18 January.
By Soo-hyang Choi

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday.

Kim made the remark as he met with soldiers working for the military's missile bureau and congratulated them over Pyongyang's recent launching drill of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), KCNA news agency said.

He said the test demonstrated the loyalty and strong stand of the armed forces and was "a clear explanation of the offensive counteraction mode and the evolution of the nuclear strategy and doctrine of the DPRK not to hesitate even a nuclear attack when the enemy provoke it with nukes", KCNA reported.

DPRK is the abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea said this week it had tested its newest ICBM on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear forces against mounting U.S. hostility.

The top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and urged Pyongyang to engage in "substantive dialogue without preconditions".

Kim said Monday's launch showed the military's high mobility and rapid attack capability, and called for efforts to further strengthen its combat efficiency, KCNA reported.

In a separate statement, Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, condemned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for holding a meeting over the ICBM launch, saying it was an exercise of the country's right to self-defence.

"The UNSC should place heavy responsibility on the irresponsible behaviour and act of the U.S. and the ROK, which have aggravated the tension on the Korean peninsula through all sorts of military provocations all year round," she said.

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The United States, South Korea and Japan staged a joint air drill involving a U.S. strategic bomber near the Korean peninsula on Wednesday, the latest U.S. strategic asset to be deployed as part of Washington's pledge with Seoul to boost defence readiness.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang ChoiEditing by Sandra Maler, Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle)
Oshada Jayasundera was on an MSc project management course at Nottingham Trent University

The family of a student fatally struck by a car during a police chase say they "hope for justice to prevail".

Oshada Jayasundera, 31, a mature student at Nottingham Trent University, was pronounced dead at the scene in Nottingham on Wednesday.

His family, who live in Sri Lanka, said their hearts were "heavy with grief".

Joshua Gregory, 27, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by driving whilst uninsured.

Mr Jayasundera, who was on an MSc project management course, was described as an "engaged and committed" student by the university.

'Unfortunate tragedy'

His family, who were calling for justice in a statement, said: "It is with profound sorrow that we share the devastating news of the tragic passing of our beloved family member, Oshada Jayasundera, in a fatal accident. Our hearts are heavy with grief as we come to terms with this unfortunate incident.

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Nottinghamshire Police staff, Nottingham Trent University staff members, Coroner's Office, The High Commission of Sri Lanka in the UK, the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry, Nottingham Shanthi Vihara and Meditation Centre as well as friends and colleagues. Their unwavering support and guidance has been a source of strength during these challenging times.

"We hope that no-one will have to endure such an unfortunate tragedy in the future. As we grieve deeply, we earnestly hope for justice to prevail in this matter in honour of Oshada's memory."

The mature student was pronounced dead at the scene

Mr Gregory, of Westfield Road in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, has been charged with four offences.

These include causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving whilst uninsured, failure to stop after a road accident, and failure to provide a specimen for analysis.

He has been remanded into custody and will next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 12 January.

An IOPC spokesperson previously said it had started an investigation into the pursuit after being notified by the force.

"We sent our investigators to the police post-incident process and scene to begin gathering information, including initial accounts from the officers involved and other police witnesses," they said.

"We are also gathering police dashcam and body-worn video footage.

"We understand that the Focus initially came to the attention of police at about 03:10 GMT but officers lost sight of it.

"A pursuit began when officers in another vehicle spotted the Focus, which subsequently collided with a male pedestrian shortly after 03:20.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.
Maria Telesheva, right, plays the accordion with her father Sergei Telesheva at their Eugene home on Dec. 13, 2023.

Since she was 6 years old, Maria Telesheva was destined to be on stage.

Born and raised in Eugene, Telesheva grew up watching her father, Sergei Teleshev, perform as a world class accordion player. Teleshev, originally from Russia, travelled the world, eventually coming to Eugene to perform at the Oregon Bach Fest and officially moving to Eugene in 1996.

At age 6, Telesheva tried out the accordion for the first time, falling in love with the art form. A couple months later, she competed in her first international competition, winning first place despite being the youngest contestant in the 5 to 10 age range. She said that first win was a huge motivation for her to stick with her music.

While Telesheva won $150 in prize money, all she remembers was the small ceremony, and the feeling of hearing her name being called and accepting her medal.

Now 15, Telesheva is a sophomore at North Eugene High School, but her nine years of playing and competing haven't slowed down her love for music. She and her father now play as the duo TWO ACCORDIONS, finding international success. She has won awards in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Italy, Belaruse and France.

Sharing music with others

Through it all, Teleshev has been Telesheva's rock in her pursuit of music. When she began hitting a wall at age 10, finding difficulty with music theory, he helped keep her on track and maintain her passion. She said she was grateful for the push. Now, she practices between one to three hours a day, depending if they have a competition coming up.

When they're not competing, Telesheva and Teleshev spreading their music to local community groups and, at times, a national audience.

The duo has done educational performances in California and will soon be going to Texas. They previously have done presentations through Head Start of Lane County and plan to offer classes through the Lane Arts Council. These educational performances include intermittent lectures and explanations on the history of accordions. Telesheva said she likes showing how versatile the accordion can be, from jazz to rock to classical music, it can do it all.

"Educational performances are a lot more close to my heart," Telesheva said. "When I was little, obviously, I went to school assemblies and we always had either artists or performers come in and share their talent with us or art. I wanted to do that for other kids as well."

The duo does presentations for all ages, but Telesheva said her favorite audience is elementary-age students who are often passionate during audience participation.

Teleshev has long been a music instructor, offering lessons in accordion often to adults, but he maintains Telesheva is his best student, hinting she has even surpassed his own talent.

"I liked working with her from the very beginning," Teleshev said. "She progresses very fast and (is) a good learner."

A scholarship for good

Last spring, Telesheva found out about a new scholarship opportunity through NEHS.

The Lij Taylor Memorial Grant is coordinated by NEHS librarian and English teacher Amary Taylor. She scholarship is designed to help students pursue their passion projects in honor of Taylor's son Elijah, who died in 2017 at age 11. Instead of a scholarship that would be a "drop in bucket" for someone's tuition, Taylor wanted the money to inspire students and be something memorable for them.

"In a system with this many students... it's hard to really drive something that is like, 'what do you want to do?'" Taylor said.

Taylor had been wanting to do something to honor her son and his memory. The idea started in 2022, coming to fruition at the end of the spring term in 2023.

Amary Taylor, North Eugene High School librarian and English teacher, shows off photos of her son Elijah, who died in 2017. Taylor has created a scholarship in his honor, the Lij Taylor Memorial Grant, which help fund student passion projects.

Telesheva found out about the grant through her history teacher, who recommended she apply. With her father's help, she submitted a promo video, showing her accordion playing and singing from when she was younger to now. She applied with the premise of making a music video in California.

Telesheva wasn't sure if she would get any funding, but her dad had every confidence in her.

"I knew she's gonna be in because she's so talented," Teleshev said, smiling.

Seeing the submissions of Telesheva as the 14 others that applied for funding, Taylor wasn't able to choose just one winner. With goals ranging from a new school newspaper to launching a train company, Taylor said she saw her son reflected in each passion project and could see each being good friends with him. Each of the 15 students was awarded between $100 to $500 out of the $5,000 grant pool. Taylor felt that was the exact way Elijah would have wanted it.

Telesheva won $400 from the Lij Taylor Memorial Grant. The funds went toward lodging and other expenses in her travels to California. The music video features Telesheva singing "Agua de Beber," a Brazilian bossa nova jazz song from the 1960s, as her dad accompanies her on the accordion. The two are pictured around La Jolla in San Diego.

Although this is not her first ever music video she and her dad have shot, Telesheva said she put extra effort in because she wanted to make her scholarship worthwhile.

Once it was uploaded, the video was spread around NEHS by staff who were impressed by the quality. Taylor remembered being stunned after watching.

"She's so humble and kind of understated," Taylor said, adding that she had no idea Telesheva was an awarded musician before her application. "As much as she's a performer, it's not performative. It's just, she's doing this thing that she loves."

Telesheva said the entire experience was rewarding.

"It took so much time and effort," Telesheva said. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity with the grant. Hopefully I do something like this again in the future."

Taylor wants to open up the grant again for summer 2024, hopefully getting even more applicants and donations.

"It's coming from a really good place, and it's based on something and someone very magical," Taylor said. "It both brings me joy, and it makes me sad, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love them so much, and I love being reminded of him."

To donate to the Lij Taylor Memorial Grant, visit www.nehsbooster.com/lijtaylormemorialgrant.

Exploring her passion

Apart from accordion, Telesheva dances and can play the shaker, piano, melodica, flute, violin and is starting to learn guitar, but her big focus now is on her vocals.

Since winning the grant, Telesheva has put more effort into honing her voice. Although she has been singing since she was young, this is her first time trying to sing more professionally.

Maria Telesheva, sophomore at North Eugene High School, is a internationally awarded accordion player. She is pictured in her ceramics class at NEHS on Dec. 14, 2023.

She began taking vocal lessons from a teacher in Ukraine in the past few months and is already seeing improvements despite how challenging its been.

"It has been difficult, but I've seen a lot of results in a very short amount of time," Telesheva said. "I had to relearn a lot of what I thought I already knew, coming from a professional teacher. I have to do things very differently.

"I almost don't recognize my own voice."

Telesheva continues to be dedicated to her art. She knows she wants to pursue a career in music.

"I have been told before that it's just a hobby, my opinions are going to change in high school, but they haven't," Telesheva said. "I want to be on the stage. I have so much love and passion for music, and I would like to continue to pursue it."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Meet North Eugene student and world-class accordion player Maria Teleshova
A serial killer's ex wife has been sentenced to life in prison for her complicity in two murders and a kidnap.

Monique Olivier, 75, was on trial in France for her part in the rape and murder of 20-year-old Joanna Parrish, from Gloucestershire, in 1990 and 18-year-old Marie-Angele Domece in 1988.

She was also accused of helping kidnap nine-year-old Estelle Mouzin, whose body has never been found, in 2003.

Michel Fourniret died before he could be brought to trial for the killings.

Olivier is already serving life in prison for her part in the past crimes of her former husband, who died in 2021.

She has now been handed a second life sentence, with a minimum of 20 years.

Ms Parrish's father Roger Parrish held a moment of silence for all of Fourniret's victims.

"We've waited a long time," he said.

On Olivier's role in the crimes, he added: "Her presence alone would've gained the confidence of all the victims, who would never have believed a woman could've been such a part of such an appalling and depraved act."

The Parrish family lawyer, Didier Seban, said: "This is first of all a victory, a victory for the families."

Monique Olivier was sentenced after a three-week trial in Paris

The three-week trial concerned Olivier's part in the abduction, rape and murders of Miss Parrish and Miss Domece, and the kidnap of Miss Mouzin.

The court was told how Olivier's role in the murders was to reassure the victims so they would enter Fourniret's van.

Olivier admitted her presence in Auxerre when Miss Parrish was kidnapped, imprisoned, raped and murdered.

She said the rape and murder could have been at the house in St Cyr les Colons, and not in the van.

Dubbed the "Ogre of the Ardennes", Fourniret was jailed for life in 2008 after being convicted of the murders of seven girls and young women.

Fourniret, pictured here in 2004, died in jail two years ago

In 2018 he was given a second life sentence for an eighth murder.

In total, he confessed to 11 murders before he died - including that of Miss Parrish.

Fourniret's victims - most of whom were raped - were aged between nine and 30. They were shot, strangled or stabbed to death.

Shortly before the jury in Paris retired to consider her role in the crimes, Olivier expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from her victims' families.

She told the court: "I regret everything I did and I ask for forgiveness from the families of the victims, while knowing that it is unforgivable."

Joanna's body was found in a river on 17 May 1990

During sentencing on Tuesday, the court was told Estelle Mouzin was coming home from school at 6pm, but that she never made it.

Her body has never been found.

Olivier was questioned for hundreds of hours in 2019, and accepted Fourniret had left for France, looking for a young girl to rape.

The court heard she knew he had "gone hunting".

'Dehumanised'

During sentencing, President of the court Didier Safar said: "This is about the extreme gravity of the facts that contributed to the death of two young women, and a nine-year-old girl, in inhumane circumstances.

"Monique Olivier had no empathy for her victims, who she dehumanised."

Most of Fourniret's victims were killed in the Ardennes region of northern France and in Belgium.

Languages student Miss Parrish had moved from Newnham-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, to Auxerre in France in 1990 for part of her university course.

But after posting an advert offering English lessons, she was murdered by Fourniret.

Her body was found in the Yonne River on 17 May. She had been raped, beaten and strangled.

Joanna Parrish's parents, Roger Parrish and Pauline Murrell

Mr Seban said he hoped this trial would start a new chapter in French justice, adding: "For the Parrish family, it has been hard.

"They've waited more than 30 years for this trial. They led the charge, coming every year to Auxerre to show their drive to get this done.

"Their dignity throughout there hasn't been an angry word, a cry or a desire of vengeance. It's been a desire for justice."

Mr Parrish said: "After this last obstacle in our struggle to gain an element of justice for Joanna, we can remember our daughter and sister with a smile on our faces."

Estelle's father Eric Mouzin said: "The suffering of all the victims must have a purpose against the evil we've seen."

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A Satanic Temple display inside the Iowa capitol was torn down and beheaded by Michael Cassidy, a former Republican Congressional candidate in Mississippi. AP

A former GOP politician ripped apart a Satanic Temple statue in Iowa's capitol.

He's now facing a criminal charge, but says his " conscience is held captive to the word of God."

He's raised nearly $80,000 for his legal defense. The maximum fine for his charge is $2,560.

A former Republican candidate says he was filled with religious fury when he drove to Iowa's capitol building and destroyed a Satanic Temple display.

Now he's raised nearly $80,000 to defend himself in court, where he faces a maximum fine of about $2,600 on state charges.

Michael Cassidy was charged in Iowa with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a low-level offense, after he admittedly vandalized a statue of Baphomet in the Iowa State Capitol.

Cassidy, a military veteran who ran for Congress in Mississippi and lost in a landslide to incumbent Michael Guest, told The Sentinel that he smashed the statue last week to "awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government."

"My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree," Cassidy told the conservative outlet. "And so I acted."

The Satanic Temple doesn't actually believe in Satan

The Satanic Temple installed the display of candles and a shimmering goat head above a red and black wreath containing a pentagram in the capitol building this holiday season. The goat display was permitted under Iowa state law that allows religious displays in government buildings.

The Temple is a nontheistic organization, meaning it doesn't believe in the existence of literal Satan.

Instead, they support the literary idea of Satan modeled on works like the poem "Paradise Lost", challenging religious expression laws in the US  and roiling some conservative Christians.

"The freedom of religion is granted to all Americans under the First Amendment, including Satanists," said a man from the Satanic Temple who helped create the display and gave his name as Mortimer Adremelech in an interview with local outlet WHO13. "Our state motto is 'our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain', and that means a lot to me."

In a statement on Facebook after the statue was destroyed, the Temple vowed to "rebuild."

"As our time at the Capitol concludes, we carry with us a sense of accomplishment and a renewed commitment to advocating for religious pluralism and freedom of speech," the Satanic Temple wrote, linking out to a fundraiser.

Michael Cassidy's fundraiser draws thousands

Cassidy's supporters launched a fundraiser of their own.

The Sentinel (the outlet that interviewed him about the statue's destruction) started up an online fundraiser for his legal fees.

"Help this conservative Christian, a man of courage in an age of cowardice, defend himself in court!" the fundraiser page reads.

The legal defense fund has since taken off, with more than $77,000 raised as of Tuesday morning. The fundraiser was briefly taken down once Cassidy hit his $20,000 goal on Thursday but was put back up soon after and has been raking in cash since.

"His attorneys will challenge the investigation and now anticipate much higher expenses," the fundraiser wrote in an update.

Cassidy's lawyer R. Davis Younts told Business Insider that Cassidy may face an investigation from the Navy that could prove costly.

The fundraiser says leftover money will be donated "at the discretion of Cassidy" to a "nonprofit that helps Christian service members in similar situations."

"Mr. Cassidy will make a decision as to what organization will receive excess funds based on guidance he receives from friends and his pastor," Younts said in a statement to BI. "His commitment is that it will be to an organization that is engaged in representing Christians facing legal challenges related to their faith and religious freedom. Because he is a veteran, I know that issues impacting veterans are important to him."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Southwest Airlines and its pilots union have reached a new preliminary labor agreement, ending months of tense negotiations and becoming the last of the largest U.S. airlines to strike a deal that is set to give aviators big raises.

The five-year deal is worth about $12 billion, Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, told CNBC on Tuesday. The union didnt immediately provide details about pilot pay increases.

The companys pilots will need to approve the preliminary contract. CNBC reported earlier this month that the two sides were close to a deal.

American, United and Delta pilots finalized deals earlier this year that were worth billions and gave aviators double-digit pay hikes. The Covid-19 pandemic derailed negotiations across the industry.

As travel demand snapped back, pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers have pushed for not just higher pay, but also better working conditions such as more predictable schedules.

Labor unions have flexed their power throughout the year, yielding a string of big labor deals including agreements between Hollywood studios and actors, and the studios and writers, as well as between automakers and the United Auto Workers union. Those agreements followed prolonged strikes.
It is believed that more than 100 hostages remain alive in Gaza, 10 weeks after Hamas's attacks on Israel

While a full ceasefire in the Gaza Strip still looks a long way off, there are fresh signs that a new pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas could be possible.

However, that would require a shift in Hamas's public position. It has consistently said that it will only free more Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who usually lives in Doha, has now travelled to Cairo along with a "high level" delegation for talks with Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel.

That indicates a level of seriousness.

Both Egypt and Qatar play key roles in mediation efforts and helped secure a week-long truce late last month.

Israel maintains that the war in Gaza will only end when its goal of dismantling Hamas - which has governed there since 2007 - has been achieved.

According to mainstream Israeli media reports, Israel has presented a plan to mediators which could secure the release of some 30 to 40 hostages. This prioritises the remaining women, as well as men who are elderly or in need of urgent medical care.

It is thought that they could be exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons who have been convicted of more serious offences than the women and teenagers released in the previous deal, and that a truce could last for a week or two.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met Iran's foreign minister and spoke to Iranian media in Doha before flying to Cairo

The Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, told foreign diplomats on Tuesday that his country was ready for "another humanitarian pause, and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages".

Later, after meeting a select group of families with loved ones held in captivity in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "retrieving them is a top goal".

He confirmed that the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency had been twice to Europe in recent days to promote a new release deal. On Monday, in Poland, he and his US counterpart met the Qatari prime minister.

More on Israel-Gaza war

Israeli leaders have continued to assert that only strong military pressure on Hamas will bring it to the negotiating table. However, the families of the remaining hostages have openly expressed scepticism about that.

Their anxiety has risen since Friday's accidental killing by Israeli forces of three hostages.

In recent days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed faction, have put out two videos showing a total of five men still held captive, pleading to be brought home. All appear thin and the speakers say they fear becoming victims of Israel's bombardment.

Next week, the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, is also due to travel to Cairo with other senior officials from his group.

Alon Shamriz was one of the three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces last week

It is believed that more than 100 hostages remain alive in Gaza, after 105 civilians were released from captivity in late November, most of them Israeli women and children.

Four hostages had been released prior to that and one had been rescued by Israeli troops.

A number of bodies have also been recovered and the Israeli prime minister's office has confirmed the deaths of more than 20 people who had been held by Hamas.

At a global level, there are growing calls for a complete ceasefire, including at the UN General Assembly.

With the death toll now close to 20,000 in Gaza, according to local health officials in the Hamas-run territory, the UN estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have fled or lost their homes. There is growing concern about the limited scope for aid agencies to help them.

"Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink," Tor Wennesland, the UN's Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Tuesday.

While UN officials say much more needs to be done, a new pause in fighting could at least allow a boost in aid delivery and distribution.
Andrew Haigh on the set of All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures/Chris Harris

When Andrew Haigh first read Japanese writer Taichi Yamadas 1987 novel Strangers and began thinking of adapting it into a movie, he recalls being captivated by the idea that like it or not, none of us really outgrow our childhoods.

I loved the novels central conceit that the child in us is always there, the British writer-director (45 Years) shared during an interview with the Chronicle in early November at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel. Haigh splits his time between the U.K. and Los Angeles and was in the city for an advance screening of his latest movie, All of Us Strangers.

Jamie Bell, left, and Claire Foy play parents fixed in time before their fatal accident in All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures

Based on the supernatural novel by Yamada, the film is a ghost story wrapped in a love story. It was a hit at fall film festivals and is now being discussed as a likely Oscar contender for its two Irish heartthrob leads.

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Paul Mescal (Normal People) and Andrew Scott (known as the Hot Priest in Fleabag) play lovers who both live in an eerily empty apartment building in London. Scotts character, Adam, is a lonely screenwriter struggling to write about his deceased parents when his younger neighbor, Harry (Mescal), shows up at his door with a bottle of Japanese whiskey. The two men quickly develop an intense physical and emotional bond.

Andrew Scott in a scene from All of Us Strangers. Associated Press

When Adam starts taking the train to revisit his childhood home, he discovers his parents (played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), who died in a car crash when he was 12, are still there, fixed in time before the fatal accident. Theyre now the same age as their grown son and can discuss with him all that has been unsaid since their deaths  namely, their sons career, his enduring grief and his sexuality.

When you think about it, this idea of the past, the present and the future being something linear makes no sense since we can fly backwards and forwards in time so easily through sense memory, said Haigh. You can be brought back in an instant, through a smell, a sound or a piece of music, to exactly how you felt when you were a kid and your mum hugged you. We pretend  that the present is all we have, but this exists all the time.

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Andrew Scott is an adult still haunted by the loss of his parents during his boyhood in All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures Paul Mescal co-stars with Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures Andrew Scott stars in All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haighs adaptation of Japanese writer Taichi Yamadas 1987 novel Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures Jamie Bell stars in All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures Jamie Bell, left, Andrew Scott and Claire Foy in All of Us Strangers. Searchlight Pictures

Haigh,who lived in San Francisco for three years in the early 2010s while shooting his HBO series Looking, explained that the films central idea, involving memory, nostalgia and time travel of a very personal nature, guided his screenplay adaptation as he worked on it during the COVID pandemic.

He knew his film would affect audiences as deeply as he hoped if he got a specific tone right, one that was grounded but also metaphysical.

Adams parents are ghosts, but I didnt want it to be too surreal, Haigh said. I was trying to find this liminal space so the audience can have the emotional sensation of floating through this slightly unusual world.

Jamie Bell, left, and Claire Foy in All of Us Strangers. Searchlight Pictures

Judging by the number of people hes seen leave theaters during early screenings, with tissues in hand, wiping away tears, Haigh succeeded in making a movie as poetic and erotic as it is emotionally shattering. Its already picked up four Gotham Independent Film Awards and seven British Independent Film Awards, and Scott recently received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor.

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Casting, Haigh said, was crucial for these two romantic leads who exude sexual chemistry and tender vulnerability onscreen with each other. Thankfully, it was evident right away, he noted, that the instant rapport between Scott, who is gay, and Mescal, who is straight, would light up the screen as entirely believable lovers.

Andrew Scott, left, and Paul Mescal portray lovers in Andrew Haighs All of Us Strangers. Parisa Taghizadeh/Searchlight Pictures

Indeed, the actors teasing affection for each other was evident over a video call with the Chronicle a few weeks later from Los Angeles. They sat close, joking and complimenting each others talents as they each noted how vulnerable their roles required them to be onscreen.

We knew each other just a bit beforehand, but Im kind of grateful that we didnt know each other better because it allowed us to create a bit more (in person), and as a result of the filming process weve grown very close, said Mescal, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work in 2022s Aftersun and is currently filming the Gladiator sequel.

Haighs script, they said, touched them each deeply, if slightly differently, when they first read it.

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Andrew Haigh, left, and Andrew Scott on the set of All of Us Strangers. Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures

I connected with the immense privilege and the great fear that goes into loving somebody and how vulnerable it can leave you, said Mescal, Its both an incredibly intoxicating and very frightening feeling. That was my in and why I wanted to make the film.

More Information All of Us Strangers (R) opens in theaters Monday, Dec. 25.

Scott, who stars in the much-anticipated Netflix limited series Ripley next year, echoed Haighs initial inspiration about allowing himself to tap back into his childhood self.

I kind of knew that Id have to go back in some way to a very childish place, he said. Thats not something I mind because, as an actor, keeping access to that child within you is whats required. Even when theres a lot of pain there, a feeling that you might not be accepted for who you are, it doesnt take much to bring you back.
A new border law signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) picks a direct fight with federal authorities on a key constitutional question: Who gets to control Texass border, which is more than 1200 miles long?

To most legal scholars, this is not a question at all: They hold that the authority rests with the federal government, a view most recently upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012 after Arizona sought to allow state police to check residents immigration status.

El Paso County and the American Civil Liberties Union cited that Supreme Court decision in a Tuesday lawsuit challenging the Texas laws constitutionality, asserting the federal government has exclusive power over immigration.

But in the years since the shuttering of official federal crossings early in the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in undocumented border crossings, Texas Republicans have asserted that the border is in crisis  and that only they can fix it.

By passing the new law, theyve set the stage for another showdown over where authority on the issue lies  a showdown Abbott, at least, argues Texas can and should win.

President Bidens deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself, Abbott said in a statement Monday.

Today, I will sign three laws to better protect Texas  and America  from President Bidens border neglect.

The new laws, the governor argued, will help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas, add additional funding to build more border wall, and crack down on human smuggling.

The first on that list is also the farthest reaching. Senate Bill 4, passed during a previous special session of the state Legislature this fall, makes crossing the border into Texas outside an official port of entry a criminal offense  and one with a potential penalty of 20 years in prison.

Texas has been tiptoeing into criminalizing migration. The state has arrested more than 30,000 migrants since the beginning of its border interdiction operations in 2021 on criminal trespassing charges  creating what border legal organizations call a shadow criminal legal system.

But the new law goes even further. By giving state police officers the right to arrest migrants, and state judges the right to sentence them, that law marks an apparent incursion into a policy area presided over by the federal government  which has long reserved unto itself the right to regulate the nations borders.

In Arizona v. U.S., the Supreme Court upheld that right, ruling 5-3 that federal law overruled  or preempted  state authority on a host of laws related to the border.

That 2012 decision struck down an Arizona law that made it a state-level crime for migrants to be in the country unlawfully  arguing that the law was an unconstitutional foray into federal authority.

In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy laid out a clear vision of federal authority on border policy  which Abbott is now challenging.

The Government of the United States has broad, undoubted power over the subject of immigration and the status of aliens, Kennedy wrote. The federal power to determine immigration policy is well settled.

This was important, he added, because it is fundamental that foreign countries concerned about the status, safety, and security of their nationals in the United States must be able to confer and communicate on this subject with one national sovereign, not the 50 separate States.

Abbott told reporters that he believed the new law was constitutional  but that he welcomed a challenge.

We think that Texas already has a constitutional [right] to do this, but we also welcome a Supreme Court decision that would overturn the precedent set in the Arizona case, he said.

Conservatives argue he has a shot. The Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Arizona leaves open a big opportunity for states to step into immigration policy, wrote law professor John Blackman of the South Texas College of Law Houston.

In the libertarian magazine Reason, Blackman pointed to one of Kennedys caveats in the decision: that that case didnt require the court to decide whether reasonable suspicion of illegal entry or another immigration crime would be a legitimate basis for prolonging a detention, or whether this too would be preempted by federal law.

That means he left open the question of whether Texas can detain aliens who violated federal immigration law, Blackman wrote. The Court could uphold Abbotts order without overruling Arizona. But this holding would undermine the weight of Arizona.

Denise Gilman, a law professor at the University of Texas, argues that reading is exactly backwards, however.

Justice Kennedy, she said, was arguing that the court didnt need to take on the problem of states pursuing their own immigration policy  or their own detentions  because the legal case was so obvious.

Arizona was quite clear that the regulation of immigration law should not be done by state level authorities unilaterally, that state level authorities can cooperate with federal immigration authorities but that they shouldnt be engaged in immigration enforcement unilaterally, she said.

And thats exactly what [Senate Bill 4] asks state authorities to do.

Gilman pointed to what she called a particularly egregious part of the law: the fact that it effectively allows the state to conduct deportations.

Under the new law, she said, migrants picked up by state police and charged with unlawful entry have an out  they can agree before a state magistrate to leave the country in exchange for charges being dropped.

If they dont leave  or if Mexico doesnt take them  they can be charged with a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison.

This method of driving migrants to leave the county is another whole level well beyond what even the court in Arizona was looking at, she said. Its been generations of constitutional law that  made clear that the federal government is exclusively charged with decisions about deporting noncitizens from the United States.

The new Texas law is part of a broader package of legislation signed into law by Abbott during the special sessions of the state Legislature this fall, including other measures that may step into areas traditionally governed by federal authority.

First, there is $1.54 billion in funding for Texas to run its own border patrol and build a border wall.

Second, a bill passed this special session  confusingly also called Senate Bill 4  prescribes harsh penalties against smugglers. That law targets both those moving people, for whom it sets a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, and those moving or transshipping drugs such as fentanyl.

These measures also give added funding and teeth to another sweeping suite of bills that state Republicans were able to pass during the normal 2023 Texas legislative session.

Those laws allow the state police deployed on the Texas border to search and arrest migrants, as well as to coordinate with police forces in other states taking their own steps into border enforcement  without asking for congressional approval.

In addition to pushback over its constitutionality, the law imposing criminal charges on undocumented border crossers has raised concerns about human rights and potential unintended consequences.

Border civil society groups such as the Border Network for Human Rights were quick to condemn the bill, which they argued would be used to target families in communities along the border.

The bill will only further increase the human and civil rights violations currently being committed and drive hundreds of mixed-status families, Texans of color, immigrants and refugees further into the shadows, said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights.

Abbott has left us no choice but to resist, Garcia added.

As a rhetorical justification for the law and the others in the package, the Texas Republican Party has pointed to the wave of overdose deaths from fentanyl  something Abbott cited in a 2022 executive order calling Mexican drug trafficking organizations foreign terrorist organizations.

The Texas government has called on the Biden administration to join them in this designation, which would open up broad powers to freeze cartel assets and allow prosecutors to pursue tougher punishments against those who provide material support to the cartels.

The federal government is reportedly considering making such a move.

However, since hitting a peak in February 2023, fentanyl seizures had by October fallen by half amid Homeland Security interdiction operations such as operations Blue Lotus and Artemis.

Encounters at the border, meanwhile, continued to rise for part of the same period before they, too, began falling in recent weeks  although some reports suggest they have been spiking again in December.

As the third Texas special session began in October  with an official mandate  the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that its contact with migrants in the space between official crossings had just been at an all-time high, with nearly 220,000 encounters.

To explain this number, CBP pointed to a world experiencing global levels of migration not seen since the great refugee upheavals following World War II  a conflict that left altered borders, ruined states and rising ethnic nationalism across Europe and Asia.

CBP noted that many of the encounters at the U.S.s southern border were with refugees from Venezuela  a longtime target of conservative criticism whose crashing economy and authoritarian government have propelled nearly a quarter of the countrys population to leave in less than a decade.

Mexican citizens also crossed into the U.S. in record numbers, many fleeing increased insecurity amidst fighting between criminal groups in the western states of Guerrero and Michoacan.

The new law puts many of these people in a difficult situation, Gilman said.

A Venezuelan or Central American person caught by state police on the border can agree to self-deport to Mexico under Senate Bill 4.

But Mexico is not obligated to take them, and if it doesnt, they then become candidates for felony charges under the new state law, she said.

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for his part, has vowed to fight the law, saying Tuesday that the Foreign Ministry is already working on mounting another challenge against it.

As the Texas session proceeded this fall, numbers of border patrol encounters were falling  particularly in Texas.

A report on October crossings found a two-thirds drop in the number of Venezuelans specifically coming into the U.S. without documentation, and a 14 percent drop compared with the previous month.

That fall was particularly dramatic in Texas, where migrant encounters with border patrol fell drastically in the states most popular crossing points  dropping by around half in the El Paso and Del Rio sectors compared with the previous year.

The decline seems to be largely a result of an agreement worked out at the federal level, as the Biden administration signed a deal with the Venezuelan government to resume deportation flights.

With federal deportations in full swing  the CBP boasted in October that it had deported more people in four months than any previous fiscal year  a Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) report found that many Venezuelans have opted to wait and see, rather than risk being sent home after a grueling overland journey.

These actions, and the declining number of both fentanyl seizures and undocumented crossings, appear to contrast with the vision of federal weakness on border enforcement that Abbott and other Texas Republicans have promoted as justification for Texass new laws.

But border crossings are expected to increase again, the WOLA report found, driving further confrontations between the Texas state authorities, northbound migrants and the federal government.

This drop will probably be short-lived as conditions in the country remain dire and Venezuelans considering migration realize that the real probability of aerial deportation is slim, the report found.

Some conservatives have argued that the full suite of Texas laws  the $1.54 billion for new border walls, the more stringent penalties  effectively mean Texas is paying a lot of money for policies that strengthen and fund the very criminal organizations the state says it wants to combat.

Immigration restrictions gives cartels a lucrative source of income, David Bier of the Cato Institute told Congress in February: They can charge immigrants for their help overcoming the obstacles to cross into the U.S. without documentation.

And aside from the added danger the policies are creating, Gilman said, It just isnt working.

Operation Lone Star, Abbotts border initiative, has been in effect for several years now, along with really restrictive federal border policies, she said. And were seeing the numbers continue to rise.

The reason for that, she said, is that migrants arent drawn to the U.S. by its border policies, lenient or otherwise.

What is making the decision, was making the decision, is conditions in their home country, she said. And right now were seeing massive forced displacement around the world.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Three U.S. Republican senators on Tuesday urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to block the $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, the world's fourth largest steelmaker, citing national security concerns.

Nippon clinched a deal on Monday to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion in cash, prevailing in an auction for the 122-year-old iconic steelmaker over rivals such as Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal and Nucor.

"Despite the absence of any security-focused deliberation on U.S. Steel's part, domestic steel production is vital to U.S. national security," according to the letter on Tuesday from Republican Senators JD Vance, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio.

Yellen chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a panel that scrutinizes deals for potential national security risks, which is expected to review the transaction.

No comment was immediately available from the Treasury Department.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a regulaor White House briefing that there could be a regulatory review of the deal, but gave no further details.

At least four Democratic senators, Sherrod Brown, John Fetterman, Bob Casey and Joe Manchin, have also expressed opposition to the deal, as have two Democratic members of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Casey, Fetterman and representatives Chris Deluzio and Summer Lee wrote to Nippon Steel President Eiji Hashimoto on Tuesday to express their "deep concern" about the failure of the two firms to consult or notify the United Steelworkers union ahead of the announcement, as its contract "would seem to require."

The lawmakers asked Hashimoto to answer specific questions about the proposed acquisition, and whether Nippon was aware of the "full scope of commitments made to workers under U.S. Steel's contract with the steelworkers union, which represents thousands of workers at the steelmaker.

Fetterman vowed on Monday to do everything in his power "to block this foreign sale."

The union has also come out against the transaction.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary, Bianca Flowers, Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Stephen Coates)
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Dec. 17 in Reno, Nev. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Colorado's Supreme Court made history Tuesday in its ruling to ban former President Donald Trump from the ballot in the states 2024 Republican presidential primary using Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, a rarely used clause of the U.S. Constitution.

What does the ruling say?

In a divided 4-3 decision, the Colorado justices, who were all appointed by Democratic governors, ruled that Trump is ineligible to return to the White House under the 14th Amendment, citing his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The ruling only applies to the state of Colorados March 5 Republican primary.

"We conclude that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot," the court's majority opinion said. "Therefore, the Secretary may not list President Trump's name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him."

What does the 14th Amendment say?

The so-called insurrection clause, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, bars anyone who once took an oath to uphold the Constitution  like members of Congress, the military, and federal and state offices  and have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof from holding public office.

Trump has not been explicitly charged with insurrection or rebellion in any of his four criminal cases.

The provision also says if someone is found to be disqualified to serve, Congress can overturn that decision with a two-thirds majority.

When and why was it added to the U.S. Constitution?

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was ratified during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War in 1868. Its goal was to prevent those who held roles in the Confederacy from becoming a member of Congress or being elected to other offices.

Have any other courts tried this before?

No, its the first time in U.S. history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

How are people reacting to the decision?

GOP members have condemned the Colorado decision and have rallied support around the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, including his political primary rivals.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley essentially both said it should be up to the voters of the country to decide who will be the next U.S. president  not a court.

Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he would take his name off the Colorado primary ballot until Trump is allowed to be on it and called on his primary rivals to do the same.

Meanwhile, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel dubbed the ruling election interference and vowed that the GOP nominee will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court.

When asked if Trump was an insurrectionist on Wednesday, President Biden said: "It's self-evident. You saw it all. Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, I'll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero.

What impact would the ruling have on Trump in the 2024 presidential election?

Trump doesnt need to win Colorado in the 2024 November election, as the state holds nine of the 270 electoral votes a candidate needs to win the Oval Office. Biden won the Democratic-leaning state in 2020 by more than 13 percentage points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the state by about 5 percentage points over Trump.

However, similar lawsuits in competitive states that Trump needs to win could use the Colorado decision as a road map to help reach their own decisions.

Are there other challenges like this in other states?

Efforts to block Trump from appearing on an election ballot have also been made in New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan. A federal court in Arizona dismissed the lawsuit in early December, while New Hampshires secretary of state said in September he wouldnt prohibit Trumps name from being on the ballot.

In Michigan, a group called Free Speech for People is hoping their challenge to block Trump from the state ballot will prevail before the states Supreme Court after it lost in lower courts. The group asked for a decision no later than Christmas Day in order to meet ballot deadlines before the states Feb. 27 presidential primary.

Biden won Michigan in 2020, as well as Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Trump would need to flip a few of these states in order to declare victory in 2024, according to The Hill.

What happens next?

Colorado's justices put their decision on hold until Jan. 4 to allow for further appeals, which is one day before the deadline for Colorado to print its March 5 presidential primary ballots.

If the issue is pursued before the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of Jan. 4, the pause will remain in effect in Colorado. The state will then be required to include Trumps name on the primary ballot while awaiting action by the Supreme Court.

Following Tuesdays decision, a spokesperson for Trumps campaign said they are swiftly filing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and called the courts decision undemocratic.

If the issue is taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court and it ends up ruling that Colorados decision stands, then that would mean it wouldnt just apply to the Centennial State, but to all states.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Tuesday dismissed a new ad targeting 2024 GOP candidate Nikki Haley, whom he endorsed last week, and said it only points to former President Trumps concern that his base would leave him.

The ad, launched by a Trump-aligned super PAC, accuses Haley of flip-flopping on support for a gas tax hike while she was governor of South Carolina. CNNs Jake Tapper, noting that her support for the tax hike was contingent on being offset by other tax hikes, asked Sununu how Haleys team should respond to such an ad.

You dont worry about it. Hes scared. Thats actually the best part about this ad, is that clearly Trump is scared, Sununu told Tapper. Clearly, he knows momentums on her side. She has a ground game that he doesnt have: the door-knockers, the folks on the phone, the connection. Shes answering questions, doing things that Trump is not and will not do over the next four or five weeks.

So, yeah, when he starts spending money on attacking someone directly, you know, hes very nervous about losing, Sununu added.

Sununu further pointed to Trumps recent rhetoric suggesting immigrants were going to poison the blood of America and said that kind of language shows Trump is appealing directly to his base, which, Sununu said, he wants to make sure he doesnt lose.

Its funny  he was here over the weekend and he spent all this time saying this horrible rhetoric against illegal immigrants and all this sort of thing. And all hes doing there is trying to spur up his base, Sununu said. Hes nervous his base is going to leave him at this point. Thats why he gets so extreme in some of these speeches hes giving.

And he does it around the immigration issue, because he doesnt want people to remember, by the way, you were there for four years, buddy, Sununu continued, in comments first highlighted by Mediaite. You had a chance to secure the border. You had a chance to make Mexico pay for it, as you told us you would. You didnt do any of it. So hes doing everything he can to distract from the fact, almost like he wasnt president.

Since Sununu endorsed Haley last week, he has acted as a surrogate for her, campaigning in his state ahead of the primary early next year.

Also since his endorsement, Haley has seen a boost in the New Hampshire polls. A recent survey from CBS News/YouGov shows Haley narrowing the gap against Trump in the Granite State, with the former president at 44 percent support and Haley at 29 percent.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Biden administration completed a prisoner swap with Venezuela Wednesday, granting clemency to one of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's close allies in exchange for the freedom of 10 Americans who had been jailed in the country, the White House said.

"Today, ten Americans who have been detained in Venezuela have been released and are coming home, including all six wrongfully detained Americans," President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more.

As part of the deal, the White House said that Venezuela has also allowed notorious fugitive Leonard Glenn Francis or "Fat Leonard," the mastermind behind the worst corruption scheme in the history of the U.S. Navy, to be taken into U.S. custody, and that it will release a high-profile member of the country's opposition party charged with treason, free another 20 political prisoners as well as suspend arrest warrants for other opponents to Maduro.

MORE: US government injects confusion into Venezuela's 2024 presidential election

PHOTO: U.S. citizens imprisoned in Venezuela pose for pictures upon arrival at Joint Base San Antonio Kelly Annex in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2023, after being freed amid a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Venezuela. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. has not revealed the identities of all of the released prisoners, but a senior administration official said that Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Joseph Cristella and Savoi Wright were among them.

Hernandez, Kenemore and Cristella were charged with illegally crossing the border into Venezuela from Columbia in 2022. The details surrounding their arrests remain murky. Even less is known about the circumstances surrounding Wright's arrest, which occurred in late October. Venezuelan officials have not publicly spoken to the allegations against him.

Wright's family said in a statement that they are "relieved that this ordeal has ended" and "forever grateful" for the efforts to secure his release.

PHOTO: Eyvin Hernandez (C) steps off a plane upon arrival at Joint Base San Antonio Kelly Annex in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2023, after being freed amid a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Venezuela. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

Other notable Americans detained in Venezuela thought to be included in the deal include Luke Denman and Airan Berry, two former Green Berets accused by Venezuela's government of participating in a botched mission to overthrow Maduro in May 2020 and subsequently sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

Francis is coming back to the U.S. under a very different set of circumstances. In 2015, the Malaysian defense contractor pleaded guilty to offering lavish parties that included prostitutes, luxury hotels, cigars, gourmet meals and more than $500,000 in cash bribes to Navy officers so they could steer business to his company. Federal prosecutors say the scheme bilked at least $35 million from the U.S. Navy over the course of a decade.

After he was arrested in 2013, Leonard gave information to prosecutors -- helping bring cases against 34 defendants, including many Naval officers. Francis was placed on house arrest during the trials, but in September 2022 he escaped to Venezuela and was arrested by the country's authorities while trying to board a plane for Russia.

MORE: 'Fat Leonard,' mastermind behind US Navy corruption scandal, arrested

PHOTO: The Americans released from Venezuela landed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2023. (Pool via ABC News)

Maduro's ally, Alex Saab, is the only Venezuelan released by the U.S. in the exchange. Saab was arrested for money laundering in 2020 and awaiting trial.

Saab's freedom is seen as a major concession to Maduro. The Biden administration's top diplomat for Latin America previously said that releasing him would "never [be] one the table."

In response to the deal, the top Republicans on both the Senate and the House foreign affairs committees issued a statement Wednesday saying that the "swap strengthens Maduro and makes Americans less safe around the world."

PHOTO: Venezuelan President Maduro speaks as he stands next to Alex Saab, behind second microphone, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 20, 2023. (Matias Delacroix/AP)

The prisoner exchange is the product of years of sustained hostage diplomacy and U.S.-facilitated process to broker talks between Maduro -- who the U.S. and many other nations view as an illegitimate leader who usurped power after the death of former President Hugo Chavez -- and the opposition.

Through the negotiations, the Biden administration hopes to move both factions toward holding democratic elections in 2024 and eventually normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela.

On Wednesday, Biden expressed optimism that the plan was on track.

MORE: Maduro orders the 'immediate' exploitation of oil, gas and mines in Guyana's Essequibo

"It looks good. It looks like Maduro so far is keeping his commitment on a free election. It ain't done yet, we got a long way to go, but, but it's good so far," Biden said.

To encourage Maduro, the Biden administration has rolled back sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry, although White House officials say that no financial restrictions were eased as part of the deal.

PHOTO: Nicolas Maduro (Gaby Oraa/Getty Images)

Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens has also been directly engaged in efforts to free many of the returned American detainees for years, making multiple quiet visits to Venezuela to advocate for their release.

On multiple occasions in recent years, U.S. negotiators have appeared to be on the precipice of an agreement with Venezuela only to have the deal fall through at the last minute. In the hours before the 10 Americans were allowed to board a plane headed for the U.S., officials were highly cautious -- wary that plans might still go awry.

The Biden administration has successfully secured the release of multiple Americans jailed by Venezuela in the past.

In October 2022, the U.S. exchanged two of Maduro's nephews for seven wrongfully detained Americans, including five oil executives -- part of a group known as the Citgo 6 -- that were jailed in Venezuela for nearly half a decade.

ABC's Mary Bruce, Luis Martinez, and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.

US releases ally of Venezuelas President Maduro in a swap for 10 jailed Americans originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth had nine private secretaries. These men (and they were all men) were her primary advisors, and The Crown has depicted some of these advisors, including in a pivotal episode in season six, where Robert Fellowes (played by Andrew Havill) and Robin Janvrin (played by Jamie Parker) are featured.

As the royal family's website explains, "The Private Secretary is responsible for supporting The Queen in her duties as Head of State. The office holder is the channel of communication between the Head of State and the Government, not only in the United Kingdom but also in the other realms of which The Queen is Sovereign. The Private Secretary also liaises with the Armed Forces, the Church and the many organisations of which Her Majesty is patron."

Here, Queen Elizabeth's key advisors throughout her reign:

Sir Alan Lascelles

Private secretary from 1952 - 1953

Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles was King George VI's private secretary, and upon his death and Queen Elizabeth's accession, he became the young queen's private secretary. He retired at the end of 1953. He served in the British Army before working for the royal family.

Fox Photos - Getty Images

Sir Michael Adeane

Private secretary from 1953 - 1972

Michael Adeane, Baron Adeane, was Queen Elizabeth's private secretary for 19 years. He served in the military, and then was King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's assistant private secretary, before taking over the role of private secretary. Adeane is pictured here, walking behind the Queen, in October 1963.

Central Press - Getty Images

Sir Martin Charteris

Private secretary from 1972 - 1977

Martin Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield, was the Queen's longest-serving Assistant private secretary. Before, he served as private secretary to then-Princess Elizabeth.

In The Crown seasons one and two, he's portrayed by Harry Hadden-Paton, and in seasons three and four, he's played by Charles Edwards. The show depicts him in the office much longer than he actually was.

Keystone - Getty Images

Sir Philip Moore

Private secretary from 1977 - 1986

Philip Moore, Baron Moore of Wolvercote, served in World War II, before starting a career in the British government. In the 1960s, he was Deputy British High Commissioner in Singapore, then Chief of Public Relations of the Ministry of Defence, before joining the Firm as assistant private secretary to the Queen, and eventually becoming her private secretary. Moore is pictured here with the Queen in Morocco in 1980.

Tim Graham - Getty Images

Sir William Heseltine

Private secretary from 1986 - 1990

William Heseltine, who is Australian, joined the royal household in the 60s as an assistant press secretary, before taking on the role of press secretary from 1968 to 1972. Soon, he moved into the Private Secretary's Office. After he retired from the Firm, he moved back to Western Australia.

Heseltine is pictured here with the Queen at the Derby in 1989.

Tim Graham - Getty Images

Sir Robert Fellowes

Private secretary from 1990 - 1999

Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes is the brother-in-law of Princess Diana; he's married to Lady Jane Spencer. When Fellowes married Jane, he was an assistant private secretary to the Queen. (He previously served in the Scots Guards, then as a banker.) He worked for the royal household for over two decades, including the nine years he spent as the Queen's private secretary.

Fellowes is pictured with then-Prince Charles in 1993. In The Crown seasons five and six, Fellowes is portrayed by Andrew Havill.

Tim Graham - Getty Images

Sir Robin Janvrin

Private secretary from 1999 - 2007

Robert Janvrin, Baron Janvrin, served in the Royal Navy before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In the 80s, he was recruited to join the royal household as a press secretary, and then became assistant private secretary, then deputy, before succeeding Fellowes as private ecretary. He retired in 2007.

In The Crown season six, Janvrin is portrayed by Jamie Parker.

Tim Graham - Getty Images

Sir Christopher Geidt

Private secretary from 2007 - 2017

Christopher Geidt, Baron Geidt, began his career in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army, then working for the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2002, he joined the royal household. He served as private secretary for a decade before retiring. Most recently, he served as a standards adviser for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

Sir Edward Young

Private secretary from 2017 - 2022

Edward Young, Baron Young of Old Windsor, was Queen Elizabeth's final private secretary, and stayed on as co-private secretary to advise King Charles at the start of his reign (he stepped down this past May). He joined the royal household in 2004, and led the planning of the Diamond Jubilee.

Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

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San Remo (gin, Cointreau, blueberry, lime and sparkling elderflower) at ArBaretum, which opened in Napa in 2022. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

If youve imbibed in Napa over the past year, chances are youve sipped from a highball glass or a coupe along with the standard Riedel stemware. Napa has emerged as a hot spot for spirits with a rush of new craft cocktail bars opening since 2022.

They range from tropical tiki styles to cocktail programs focused specifically on gin or Mexican spirits. Others offer a Napa spin on the classics, with ingredients sourced from local farms and a culinary approach in their execution. Much of this cocktail activity blooms downtown, where a new Napa nightlife has emerged with foot traffic following concerts at the Uptown Theatre, Blue Note Napa and Oxbow RiverStage.

For Jose Mendez, a Napa native and fierce cocktail enthusiast (he converted his garage into a full-fledged tiki lounge), this spirits renaissance in Wine Country couldnt be more appreciated. He remembers when downtown was very much a dead zone, especially in terms of finding a quality cocktail.

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Now, youll find him posted up at new bars like Chispa. This downtown spot opened in August from co-owner Aubrey Bailey, a former French Laundry sommelier who also oversees Cadet Wine & Beer Bar down the block. But instead of single-vineyard Pinot Noir and tastings of Pliny the Younger, its all about tequila and mezcal at Chispa.

At the end of the day, you dont want more wine if youve been wine tasting all day, said Mendez, in between sips of a mezcal-based Negroni. The tannins build up. Its just nice to have a variety of things, like the cocktail Im having now.

The Scenic Sling (blanco tequila, lemon, strawberries, Cocchi Rosa) at Chispa, a tequila-centric bar in Napa that opened this year. Ramin Rahimian/Special to the Chronicle

Cocktails are unlikely to become the new Cabernet Sauvignon as Napas drink of choice. But are they already more in demand than Cabernet Franc?

That would seem to be the case on a recent Saturday night at the Fink, a cocktail bar adjacent to the Napa River Inn that opened in July. The bar is named after owner Judd Finkelstein, who was raised in Napas wine industry and is the namesake of Judds Hill Winery, founded by his parents in the 1980s.

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But its all about cocktails for Finkelstein, a true Napa character in his chunky Buddy Holly-styled glasses and seersucker suits. Drop into the Fink and youll find a refurbished boathouse thats packed with locals and tourists sipping cocktails like the Axolotl, a bright blend of blanco tequila, elderflower, lime, celery juice and a splash of celery bitters.

Napa isnt just drawing wine lovers now, said Finkelstein. Its a destination unto itself. Its a beautiful place with great restaurants and a lot to do. I feel that everything is here (for Napa) to be known as a travelers cocktail destination.

Napas cocktail movement has been bubbling up for the better part of two decades. In 2003, Finkelstein founded the Friends of Ardent Mixology, aka FOAM, a cocktail appreciation society in Napa. They held regular tasting events and invited guests such as Martin Cate, the founder of rum bar Smugglers Cove in San Francisco, to get schooled on cocktail history and techniques.

I always enjoyed cooking and playing with ingredients, said Finkelstein. I also had the appreciation of balance and complexity with my wine background. With cocktails, theres instant results. You could get creative and play around.

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The local spirits scene was boosted with the opening of Napa Valley Distillery, which produced its first batch of spirits in 2009. Napa Valley Distillery is a longtime fixture of Oxbow Public Market with its bottled cocktails and bar accessories. The distillery itself, located in an industrial stretch of downtown Napa, is home to the Hollywood Room, which includes a bar and live music. In 2022, the team opened ArBaretum, a bustling downtown spot with spirits tasting and cocktails.

I think Napa can become a California center of cocktails, said Arthur Hartunian, founder of Napa Valley Distillery. Why not? Its all about food and wine here. I love martinis, but its not just about that anymore. The mixologists and bar owners, theyre going beyond a regular martini and really adding different flavors.

Kyle Peete prepares a cocktail at ArBaretum, which is part of the bar boom in Napa. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

In a sense, Napa is finally staking its claim into a craft cocktail movement thats evolved since the late-1980s, with the Rainbow Room in New York among its pioneers. Spots like Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco and Manhattans Death & Co. continued the momentum with an emphasis on artisanal ingredients, curated spirits and a deep reverence for cocktail history and its craftsmanship  often while pushing the envelope with chef-like techniques.

Napa was certainly well primed for its own renaissance. The region has already been awash with alcohol for a half-century as its modern wine industry was established. Meanwhile, the valleys culinary sensibilities play well with the crafty side of cocktails in terms of recipes and sourcing ingredients.

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ZuZu takes an oenophiles approach to its gin-focused bar program that launched in late 2022. Earlier this year, owner Mick Salyer also opened the Bitter Bar inside Hanks Takeaway, which is located next door in the space that once housed the classic Napa dive bar Henrys.

But its all about gin at ZuZu, with house-made tonics that rotate monthly and a gin menu thats divided between juniper, citrus, botanical and earth and sea.

Gin is terroir driven, and this plays deep into whats going on in Napa, said Salyer. Regionally, you can see all the gins popping up in California, and theyre interesting.

And the role of bartenders is increasingly similar to chefs, he added. Our bar manager works with the chef and says, Hey, what do you have coming in today? We have all these micro-farmers that we as a restaurant get, so we repurpose that into (the cocktail program), Salyer said. People are having a culinary experience with cocktails, and there are some really serious bartenders in Napa right now.

A busy Friday at ArBaretum, a cocktail bar in Napa. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

One of those would be Kayla Mays, bar manager of Folklore, a hybrid bar and record shop on Third Street. Beyond its wine program, which includes more than 250 bottles and has one of Napa Valleys most exciting wine lists, it also features more than 20 classic cocktails.

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Among the offerings are Kaylas Concoctions, a trust-your-chef kind of drink that changes to Mays liking. On a somewhat recent night, as the nearby streets were packed with a Dia de los Muertos festival, that concoction was her Ojos de Tigre: Patron reposado, Becherovka herbal liqueur, lemon, mole bitters, sugar and egg white.

Napa is booming, said Mays, while surveying the foot traffic outside Folklore. Places are opening up right and left. Im like, where do I go first?

Now, efforts are being made to better organize the key players in Napas cocktail renaissance. Theres talk of starting a Napa Valley cocktail week to spotlight establishments and bring in mixologists from around the world.

Hartunian thinks this new wave of cocktails is just the beginning, that Napa has the potential to be the New Orleans of the North Coast.
The Dusseldorf-based tech enterprise Rheinmetall has scored a significant success in marketing its new Skyranger 30 air defence system as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative: Hungary, a NATO and EU member nation, has awarded Rheinmetall a contract for the conceptual development of the Skyranger 30 turret for the future Lynx KF41 Mobile Air Defence Vehicle. The contract was signed on 15th December 2023 in Budapest.

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The Lynx Skyranger 30 will be a pathbreaking air defence system based on the tried-and-tested Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle (Picture source: Rheinmetall )

For Rheinmetall, the development contract is worth close to 30 million. The customisation development of the Skyranger 30 turret for the Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the integration of additional effectors responds to Hungarys need to address the current threat situation, adding a new member to the Lynx family in the process.

The order highlights the Groups role as the global leader in short-range air defence  an innovative force driving the ongoing development of cutting-edge air defence systems. Rheinmetalls Skyranger 30 is the ideal solution for contemporary scenarios that involve countering drone attacks and other aerial threats.

The Lynx Skyranger 30 will be a pathbreaking air defence system based on the tried-and-tested Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle. Integrating the state-of-the-art Skyranger air defence system results in an even more effective and versatile air defence capability. The system offers an optimum combination of mobility, survivability, flexibility and precision, capable of thwarting highly challenging new threats in the short and very short domain. A hybrid solution, its turret combines a high-performance 30mm automatic cannon, surface-to-air missiles and the accompanying sensor suite, all on a single platform. Moreover, the system is compatible with a variety of modern guided missiles, such as the Mistral, Stinger and Chiron.

Armin Papperger, chairman of the Groups executive board, points out that with the Skyranger 30, Rheinmetall is making an important contribution to the security of our customers and their ability to defend themselves. Were committed to offering solutions that will remain more than a match for steadily evolving threats. In this development contract, well be setting the standard yet again in the world of air defence technology. The Lynx Skyranger 30 is a top performer, capable of countering a vast variety of threats including ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft. Were proud to be able to offer our customers worldwide an advanced solution that meets their security needs so superbly.

A highly qualified team of Rheinmetall engineers and expert technicians from different Rheinmetall entities will carry out the development of the Lynx Skyranger 30. The Group has longstanding experience in developing and integrating air defence systems and is determined to widen its lead in this area. The development contract also means an increase in capabilities for Rheinmetall's subsidiaries in Hungary.

This development project forms part of the European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI, which seeks to significantly Europes air defence capabilities in the next few years. The ESSI aims to protect Europes NATO member states more effectively against aerial attacks. To achieve this quickly, ESSI member nations plan to jointly procure, deploy and maintain the relevant hardware, including radar systems, automatic cannon and surface-to-air guided missiles.

The Bundeswehr is eager to restore the German Armys organic air defence capability. Procurement of around 20 Skyranger 30 systems is currently under consideration, to be mounted in this case on the Boxer 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle.

Earlier, Denmark had already announced its intention to buy around 15 Skyranger 30 systems, to be integrated into a different 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle.

Defense News December 2023
43 Oppn MPs left in LS; I.N.D.I.A. calls for Dec. 22 protest

Suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicks presiding officers in an impromptu skit depicting the proceedings of the House during a protest at the Makar Dwar over the suspension of MPs amid the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi (PTI Photo/Vijay Verma)

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday suspended another batch of 49 Opposition MPs as both the government and the Opposition hardened their stances, leading to an unprecedented situation in Parliament. After Tuesday's suspension, the total number of Opposition members suspended during the Winter Session of Parliament now stands at 141  95 members from the Lok Sabha and 46 Rajya Sabha MPs.

After the latest suspension, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has lost more than two-thirds of its strength in the Lok Sabha for the duration of the Winter Session.

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties had a strength of 138 in the Lok Sabha, of which 43 MPs are now left in the House. Only nine MPs of the principal Opposition party Congress, including former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, are left in the House.

The opposition alliance at its meet elsewhere announced countrywide protests on December 22 against the suspension of its MPs.

Congress' floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Trinamul Congress' floor leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay in Lok Sabha are among those suspended. So far, 13 of the 22 Trinamul Congress MPs have been suspended. From the DMK, which has a strength of 24 members in the Lower House, 16 MPs have been suspended.

The National Conference's Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Karti Chidambaram and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav are among those who were suspended for "misconduct" on Tuesday as they demanded a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach.

Supriya Sule of the NCP, S. Jagathrakshakan and D.N.V. Senthil Kumar of the DMK, Giridhari Yadav of the JD(U), Danish Ali, who has been suspended from the BSP, and Sushil Kumar Rinku of the AAP are among other MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha.

Shah attended the Lok Sabha in the post-lunch session as the House took up discussion on the new three criminal laws after the suspension of 49 Opposition MPs. He is expected to give a reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to the discussion on these bills.

The Congress alleged that a "complete purge" is being executed so that "draconian bills" are passed without any meaningful debate and the BJP MP "who facilitated entry of the two intruders" into the Lok Sabha on December 13 goes scot-free.

"It is clear that they want an Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha and they will do something similar in the Rajya Sabha. At this point, unfortunately, we have to start writing obituaries for parliamentary democracy in India," said Congress MP Tharoor.

Abdullah asked what would have happened if the Union home minister had made a statement in Parliament on the security breach.

Earlier in the day, as soon as the Lok Sabha session started, the Opposition members were on their feet; some even entered the Well of the House shouting slogans against the government and holding placards. Some MPs were carrying a morphed picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said the whole House condemned the display of a morphed picture of the Prime Minister and demanded action against the MPs carrying it.

Speaker Om Birla said it was completely against the rules to bring placards into the House. "This House belongs to you. We have all decided that no one will bring placards inside the House. But you have come here with placards. Even you have come to the podium. Is this correct? Please go back to your seat. I am giving you a last warning," he said. However, the Opposition members ignored Birla's pleas and continued their protests leading to the adjournment of the proceedings.

When the House met again at 12.30 pm, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal brought the motion to suspend the Opposition members.

With most of the Opposition members seats vacant, the Lok Sabha passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill 2023; the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill 2023 in the post-lunch session.

The two rows of benches on the Opposition side were nearly empty, with only two MPs sitting, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Simranjit Singh Mann. Mann kept shouting towards the chair: "You are not being democratic. Mr Speaker, you are running the House with no Opposition."

As the House took up to pass the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) bill through voice vote, Mann said, "As there is no opposition, who would say no?"

Some of the members of the BJD, BSP, YSRCP and Akali Dal (Badal) were present during this period. After this, the Lok Sabha took up discussion and passed the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill 2023.

The Rajya Sabha also witnessed several disruptions on Tuesday as the Opposition members continued to create uproar in the House over the Parliament security breach issue.
2023 in review: A fruitful year for China's manned space program

11:20, December 20, 2023 By Guo Meiping ( CGTN

It has been a busy year for China's manned space program. In 2023, the country welcomed the return of its Shenzhou-15 crew, sent two manned spaceships and one cargo spacecraft to its space station and harvested fruitful scientific research results in the space.

As 2023 draws to a close, let's look back at the memorable moments of China's manned space program during the year.

The launch of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft

A Long March-7 Y7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

China launched the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft on May 10, which later docked with its space station.

The primary purpose of the Tianzhou-6 was to deliver essential supplies and spacesuits to the Shenzhou-15 crew, which arrived at the space station in November 2022. The cargo craft also transported maintenance components, application facilities and propellant to support the operation of the space station.

Its successor, the Tianzhou-7 cargo craft, is scheduled to be launched in early 2024 to deliver supplies for the astronauts.

The return of the Shenzhou-15 crew

On November 29, 2022, China launched the Shenzhou-15 manned mission, which wrapped up the last stage of the construction of its space station. Since then, the China Space Station (CSS) entered a new phase of application and development, which will span more than 10 years.

A see-off ceremony for three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-15 manned space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Nov. 29, 2022.(Xinhua/Liu Lei)

After an over 180-day stay in the CSS, the re-entry capsule with the Shenzhou-15 crew members Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu aboard touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on June 4.

During their stay, the three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, accomplished four extravehicular activities, setting a new record for Chinese astronaut crews in spacewalks. They also conducted a series of scientific experiments and tests, including installing an extravehicular extension pump set and a cross-cabin cable installation and connection.

The Shenzhou-15 crew not only achieved a milestone in extravehicular activities but also witnessed the historic moment when the CSS was fully completed in 2022.

The CSS welcomes the Shenzhou-16 crew

The Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft embarked on its journey to the CSS on May 30. It is the first manned mission since the space station entered its application and development phase.

CGTN infographic

The Shenzhou-16 crew consisted of mission commander Jing Haipeng, spaceflight engineer Zhu Yangzhu and payload expert Gui Haichao. Gui became the first Chinese civilian in space, the first payload specialist to go to the CSS and the first taikonaut wearing glasses.

The crew returned to Earth after a five-month stay at the space station. The three taikonauts completed a series of tasks during their trip, including an extravehicular activity, a science lecture titled "Tiangong Class" and multiple extravehicular installation tasks. Closely cooperating with the ground crew, the Shenzhou-16 crew also carried out a slew of space science tests and experiments concerning human factors engineering, space medicine, life ecology, biotechnology, materials science, fluid physics and astronautical technology.

On their way back, the crew captured the first images of the complete configuration of the CSS with Earth in the backdrop.

A picture of China Space Station captured by the Shenzhou-16 crew. /China Manned Space Agency

The Shenzhou-17 taikonauts join their colleagues in space

The Shenzhou-17 taikonauts arrived at the space station on October 26, just a few days before the return of the Shenzhou-16 crew on October 31.

CGTN infographic

The Shenzhou-17 crew, the country's youngest lineup by average age since the CSS's construction began, comprises commander Tang Hongbo, 48, and operators Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, aged 34 and 35, respectively.

The Shenzhou-17 crew will undertake a series of tasks, including in-orbit tests of space science and application payloads, extravehicular activities, installation of extravehicular payloads, and space station maintenance.

What to expect for 2024

CGTN infographic

China has scheduled four missions to its space station in 2024, including two cargo spacecraft, the Tianzhou-7 and the Tianzhou-8, and two manned missions, the Shenzhou-18 and the Shenzhou-19, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Let's look forward to hearing more from China's space station in the coming year!

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
A classic John Burtonism from John Burton. Jack Ohman/The Chronicle John Burton represented San Francisco in the Assembly, state Senate and the House of Representatives during his long career. Vincent Maggiora/The Chronicle 1981

Before there was Speaker Nancy Pelosi, before there was Vice President Kamala Harris, before there was potential presidential candidate Gov. Gavin Newsom, there were the Burtons. The aforementioned political careers would not have happened without the San Francisco political machine that the Burtons created.

From the 1950s through well into the 21st century, John Burton, the former San Francisco congressman, Assembly member, California Senate president pro tem and state Democratic party chairman, along with his late brother, Rep. Phil Burton, and Phils wife, the late Rep. Sala Burton, ran San Francisco Democratic politics alongside former mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.

The Burtons tapped Pelosi to succeed Rep. Sala Burton in Congress, and Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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John Burton, famously profane, barely swore during an interview last week. He hasnt mellowed, exactly, but on Dec. 15, his 91st birthday, he was definitely tart.

When asked about his relationship in Sacramento with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he noted that as an Assembly member he was irrelevant to me. I mean, I was the leader of the senate. I was the president pro tem. There was no relevance between us.

When do you think McCarthy changed?

I dont know  probably the fact that he stood up for Trump after the riots and all that stuff  he (Trump) had a lot to do with that riot and the fact that he caused that.

Do you think McCarthys going to have a role in the Republican Party going forward?

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I dont know. I dont think so  I think hell probably go to work with some corporation or some board of directors or stuff like that.

Maybe Elon Musk is hiring.

What of the political fortunes of Vice President Harris?

Vice presidents, except for LBJ, kind of feel irrelevant  I dont really give a lot of thought to it.

OK, you know what? Who was it? John Nance Garner (President Franklin Roosevelts first vice president 1933-41). It (the vice presidency) is like a bucket of warm spit. 

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Burton, born in 1932 during the collapsing Herbert Hoover administration, may well have contemporaneous childhood memories of Vice President Garner, who was the recipient of President John F. Kennedys final phone call wishing him birthday greetings on Nov. 22, 1963.

What of President Joe Biden, who was also a sometimes-underestimated vice president himself?

Were definitely worried about next year. If were not, we should have our heads examined.

What of the would-be One Day Dictator, former President Donald Trump, who was the recipient of a classic John Burtonism in his last speech as party chairman: F Trump!

He didnt say that this time, but close.

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Always (does) his best to make the rich people richer, at the cost of the working class and the low, low-income people. I dont think hes good for the country.

Are you concerned about Trump as a potential dictator?

Hes kind of a thief and a fascist  I worry about Trump. I worry about what hes done to the country, the future that my kids, my grandkids  (but) we can get beyond this.

How did Trump get us to this point where democracy is imperiled?

Because I think, in many ways, the Democrats failed somehow in talking about the issues (about) whats important in life, (but) its the Republicans who just abdicated  their responsibility. I mean, who would ever think that one of the (leaders) to save democracy is Liz Cheney?

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How has Congress changed since you, your brother and your sister-in-law served there in the 1970s and 1980s?

I served with three John Birchers (members of the right-wing political advocacy group John Birch Society)  you could talk to them. You could joke with them. You could have a drink with them, whatever the hell you want to do. Now theres just a  line of people who just dont like anything.

Imagine pining for the good old days of your comparatively agreeable John Bircher House colleagues.

Burton now occupies his time with the John Burton Advocates for Youth, which helps foster children and homeless kids navigate the world, and he is finishing a book about his career.
The Prime Minister also sought to dispel any notion that the matter could damage India-US ties

New Delhi: Breaking his silence on the Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun case that has become an irritant in India and the United States ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is ready to look into any information provided to it regarding the actions of any of its citizens and that the country is committed to the rule of law. Mr Modi also expressed concerns about the extremist activities of pro-Khalistan elements abroad who, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

In an interview with the London-based newspaper Financial Times, the Prime Minister was quoted saying, If someone gives us any information, we will definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

Pointing out that India has always been extremely concerned about certain extremist groups based overseas, Mr Modi was further quoted as saying, "These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence."

The Prime Minister also sought to dispel any notion that the matter could damage India-US ties. "There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership... Security and counter-terrorism cooperation have been key components of our partnership... (I) don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," Mr Modi was quoted as saying.

India has already set up an inquiry committee to investigate certain inputs provided by the US concerning an alleged plot to kill US citizen Pannun on American soil after the US said that two Indian citizens are alleged to be part of the conspiracy, including an Indian government employee who allegedly directed the plot.

The Indian government employee is reported to have described himself as a "senior field officer" who claimed to have served earlier in India's CRPF. In the alleged plot, the Indian government employee is alleged to have directed another Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, who was arrested by Czech authorities in June this year.

Besides the US, Canada had also accused India of involvement in the murder of another pro-Khalistan extremist Hardip Singh Nijjar in June this year.

Pannun, who reportedly is both a US and Canadian citizen, has been hurling threats against airline Air India as well as against Parliament in the latest of his frequent anti-Indian terror threats.

New Delhi had earlier this month said that it is taking the threats issued against India by Pannun seriously and has taken up the matter with both the US and Canada. It added that Pannun is wanted by Indian agencies.

Recently, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament that as far as the US is concerned, certain inputs were given to us as part of our security cooperation with the United States... (and that) an enquiry committee has been constituted." He added that in so far as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us.

In a recent reaction, India said that the United States court proceedings linking Mr Gupta with an Indian government official in an alleged plot to murder Pannun are a matter of concern for India and that it is against government policy to carry out such plots or killings.

New Delhi added, "The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning and extremists at an international level is also a serious issue for law enforcement agencies to consider. It is precisely for this reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted. We will obviously be guided by its results."

Just recently, United States principal deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer, in his meetings in New Delhi, including with national security advisor Ajit Doval and Mr Jaishankar, raised the Pannun issue with India.

FBI director Christopher Wray is also believed to have raised the issue during his visit to India last week.
The alliance failed to find a convener or set up a secretariat for the alliance in the national capital

New Delhi: The leaders of 28 political parties of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc met in the national capital on Tuesday. Sources say that

Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the Prime Ministerial face of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, at a meeting of 28 Opposition parties here on Tuesday.

Kharge is learnt to have downplayed the suggestion by asserting that the alliance should first win the required MPs and then talk about the Prime Minister candidate.

After the meeting, MDMK leader Vaiko said that Banerjee and Kejriwal had proposed Kharge's name. The alliance failed to find a convener or set up a secretariat for the alliance in the national capital.

After the conclusion of the meeting, the Congress said: "In all 28 parties participated in our fourth meeting and kept their thoughts before the committee of the alliance. It is a matter of happiness that a unanimous decision was taken on how the alliance should go forward."

On the issue of seat sharing, Kharge said it will be done at the state level. If there is any issue then it will be taken up at the central level. "Whether it's Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, UP, Delhi or Punjab, issues on seat-sharing will be resolved," he added.

When asked if he could be the Prime Minister candidate for the Opposition alliance, Kharge said, "First we have to win and get a majority, then MPs will decide democratically."

According to sources, most of the tricky issues between the alliance partners are expected to be settled by this month.

The Congress chief said that the bloc has decided to hold 8-10 meetings across the country. "If alliance partners don't come together on one stage, then people will not know about it. It's a good thing that the meeting lasted for 2-3 hours."

The Congress on Tuesday formed a five-member committee to hold discussions on forging alliances with other parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with senior party leader Mukul Wasnik as its convener. Other members of the national alliance committee are former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. Former Union minister Salman Khurshid and senior leader Mohan Prakash are also members.

On suspension of Opposition MPs from Lok Sabha, Kharge stated: "We have passed a resolution that suspension is undemocratic. We will all have to fight to save democracy and all of us are ready to do that. We raised the issue of security breach in the Parliament. We have been saying for a long time that Union home minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come to the Parliament and speak in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha about the issue, but they are refusing to do so."

The Congress president stated that in the meeting, it has been decided to hold a nationwide protest against the suspension of MPs on December 22. "This is the first time 151 members of Parliament have been suspended in the country. We will fight against this. This is wrong. We have united to fight against this," he further stated.

Senior leaders who attended the meeting included Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, M.K. Stalin, Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, Uddhav Thackrey, Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar.
The recent security lapse at the Parliament has highlighted the inherent risks associated with prolonged vacancies in critical positions

In the aftermath of the security breach, there was a presumption among officers across services that the executive director (security) would be promptly replaced. However, it was discovered that the vacancy had persisted since mid-November, following the departure of Raghubir Lal, a 1997-batch IPS offer to Uttar Pradesh as ADG (security) after completing an extended one-year tenure. (File Image: PTI)

In a notable display of urgency, newly appointed Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma wasted no time in making his mark on the administration. Even as he is consulting the Centre on the composition of his cabinet, within hours of assuming office he announced the selection of three seasoned IAS officers for crucial roles in the Chief Ministers Office (CMO).

Though it is pointed out that this is a temporary arrangement, T. Ravikanth was appointed as the principal secretary to the chief minister, succeeding Kuldeep Ranka who served ex-chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Adding further depth to Mr Sharmas team, Ms Anandhi, an IAS officer of the 2007 batch, assumed the role of Secretary to the CM, while Dr Saumya Jha of the 2017 batch joined as joint secretary to the CM, to inject fresh perspectives and youthful dynamism.

Such prompt actions, observers note, not only set the tone for Mr Sharmas leadership but also underscore the urgency with which he aims to address key issues facing Rajasthan, as much as his desire to distance his government from the previous Congress government under Mr Gehlot. Still, these are early days of the administration and among Sharmas tasks will also be to show that despite his rookie status within the BJP, he has what it takes to do a good job.

Security breach fallout: Time for a swift overhaul

The recent security lapse at the Parliament has highlighted the inherent risks associated with prolonged vacancies in critical positions, emphasizing the urgent need for a reevaluation of our approach to national security. This most significant breach since the 2001 terror attack, has prompted a reassessment of key affairs, particularly the management of personnel at the highest echelons.

One glaring issue lies in the extended absence of a full-time joint secretary to head the Parliament security service. Currently filled by Brijesh Singh, a director-level officer, the executive director (security) position at the Parliament has been vacant for too long.

In the aftermath of the security breach, there was a presumption among officers across services that the executive director (security) would be promptly replaced. However, it was discovered that the vacancy had persisted since mid-November, following the departure of Raghubir Lal, a 1997-batch IPS offer to Uttar Pradesh as ADG (security) after completing an extended one-year tenure.

Further, the incident has woken up the government to the precarious situation of key central armed police forces like the CRPF and CISF, which have been operating under ad hoc arrangements for months. Notably, the post of CRPF Director General has been ad hoc managed by ITBP DG Anish Dayal Singh since the beginning of this month, replacing Dr Sujoy Lal Thaosen. Similarly, the DG CISF post has been filled by IPS officer Neena Singh in an ad hoc arrangement, since the retirement of Sheel Vardhan Singh in August.

Prolonged vacancies in such critical roles pose a direct threat to national security and demand swift action.

UP chief secys next move remains a mystery

With the appointment of three new faces as chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Modi Sarkar, once again, revealed its penchant for unpredictability. The attention has now shifted to the intensifying politicking in Uttar Pradesh, where some punters are predicting a similar upheaval. However, among UP babu circles the big question is whether chief secretary Durga Shanker Mishra will get another extension of service.

Mr Mishras trajectory follows a unique and unprecedented path. Originally the Union Secretary for Urban Affairs, he became chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh in December 2021. A growing consensus suggests that Mr Mishras tenure may extend beyond this month, marking his third successive extension. But, unlike previous extensions, this one might be limited to six months.

If Mishra indeed secures another extension, sources claim that political rivals are expected to resort to legal challenges, as seen recently in similar cases like that of ED chief S.K. Mishra and Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar. However, the Centre has successfully navigated such challenges in the past.

Another school of thought suggests that after December 31, Mishra may wade into politics and potentially contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from UP. This however seems like a remote possibility given the Centres likely reluctance to release him before achieving its Mission 2024. Mr Mishra is unlikely to defy the decisions of the Centre.
Today's news: Japan's new Industry Minister wants to revive microchip production; Tehran executes child bride Samira Sabzian; India - the world's former second largest sugar importer - risks having to import this raw material from 2025 due to climate change;. Fighting continues in Gaza UN postpones (again) Security Council vote on truce; Joint patrol operations on the border between China and Laos.

MALAYSIA - ISRAEL

Kuala Lumpur has banned the docking of ships flying the Israeli flag with immediate effect; boats bound for Israel will be prevented from loading goods in ports. This was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in response to the violation of "fundamental humanitarian principles" and "international law" in Gaza. Israeli shipping company Zim has also been banned.

JAPAN

New Industry Minister Ken Saito plans to step up efforts to revitalize Japan's microchip manufacturing base, including grants to Taiwanese manufacturer TSMC and foundry Rapidus. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appointed him to lead the powerful ministry in a broader framework of internal purges within the executive to contain the damage linked to a financial scandal.

IRAN

Iran hanged Samira Sabzian at dawn, a "child bride" in prison for 10 years for killing the husband she was forced to marry when she was only 14 years old. This is denounced by activists from Iran Human Rights (IHR), who speak of "the victim of the murderous machine of an incompetent and corrupt regime, of gender apartheid, early marriages and domestic violence.

INDIA

India, the world's second largest sugar producer and exporting country for the last six years, has blocked foreign marketing since the start of the agricultural year in October and could be forced to import in 2025. Farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs are focusing on other crops , while drought, fueled by El Nino, causes crop failures in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

INDONESIA

The government financial intelligence agency has identified suspicious transactions worth trillions of rupees (one trillion is equal to approximately 59 million euros), linked to the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. Thousands of individuals of "various political affiliations" were involved. Over 204 million Indonesians will vote in February for "the largest one-day election" in the world.

GAZA - UN

Fighting continues in Gaza, while the UN postpones (for the second time) the vote - scheduled for today - in the Security Council on the truce, in an attempt to find an agreement on the resolution that avoids the United States' veto. In the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, 1,200 people died and 240 hostages. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, almost 20 thousand Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of them civilians, with over 52 thousand injured.

LAOS - CHINA

Border guards from Laos and China conducted joint border patrol operations in the northern province of Phongsaly this month. The border crossing, which runs between Yot Ou district in Laos and Mengkang port in China, is a common route used for human trafficking and illicit trade. The goal is to prevent illicit activities.

RUSSIA

A new book by the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill dedicated to the Mother of God has been released, entitled The Queen of Heaven and Her Protection over Russia. In the volume he shows Mary's assistance in the most difficult periods of Russian history and states that "today it is It is necessary to mobilize the spiritual energies of the people, asking the Lord and the Mother of God for the strength to stop the enemy".

TURKMENISTAN

The Arkadag football club, named after the new Turkmen city in honor of the father of the homeland and the incumbent president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, won the Turkmenistan championship in its debut season. The team overwhelmed all their opponents, renewing the Soviet practice of "regime teams" for which defeat is not allowed.
The official death toll in the earthquake that struck the two northwestern provinces of the People's Republic of China has risen to 131. The extremely cold weather is making rescue operations difficult. The Chinese Catholic community is also mobilising.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - While rescuers dig through the rubble in the cold, Pope Francis today also wanted to express his closeness to the populations affected in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, in the north-west of the People's Republic of China.

The confirmed death toll from the quake - which occurred the other night with its epicenter located in the Jishishan area, about 100 kilometers from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province - has risen to 131 deaths. But what is especially worrying are the conditions in which rescue operations are taking place in what is the most serious earthquake to hit China since 2014. In the area in question the temperatures in this season are in fact very cold: during the night temperatures reach close to 20 degrees below zero.

Pope Francis, with a new gesture of great closeness to the Chinese people, wanted to remember at the end of today's general audience those who are suffering due to the earthquake. I turn my thoughts to the victims and injured.I am close with affection and prayer to the suffering populations. I encourage the rescue services and invoke the blessing of the Almighty on everyone to bring comfort and relief from pain."

From the city of Dahejia, near the epicenter of the earthquake, the AFP agency reports people huddled in the streets around small open fires, afraid of returning to their severely damaged homes. The state media of the People's Republic of China reports the mobilization of firefighters and rescue personnel sent to the disaster zone.

Even Chinese Catholics, now on the eve of Christmas, are looking with concern at the situation in Gansu and Qinghai. The Xinde website says it has contacted local Catholic communities by telephone, but they do not report any people directly affected by the disaster. However, Xinde is in contact with its local partners to offer its contribution to assistance activities.
As Christmas approaches, the pontiff dedicated todays general audience to the 800th anniversary of the first nativity scene by Saint Francis in Greccio. For him, this representation is a school of sobriety against the consumerism that corrodes the meaning of celebration and joy." Francis also urged the faithful not to forget when standing before the "prince of peace" the children who suffer from war.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis addressed the faithful gathered in the Paul VI Hall for his weekly general audience. In his address, the pontiff said that, The Nativity scene is like a living Gospel, a domestic Gospel. Like the well in the Bible, it is the place of encounter where we bring to Jesus the expectations and worries of life.

The pontiffs catechesis was inspired by the 800th anniversary of the living nativity scene that Saint Francis created in Greccio at Christmas in the year 1223, which is considered the origin of the tradition of representing the scene of the Nativity of Jesus.

For Francis, Christians must rediscover the dimension of amazement when standing in front of the nativity scene. If we Christians look at the crib as a beautiful thing, as something historical, even religious, and pray, this is not enough. Before the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, before the birth of Jesus, we need this religious attitude of amazement.

The nativity scene, he added, is a "school of sobriety", especially today when we are immersed "in a consumerism that corrodes its meaning. The representation was created to bring us back to what matters: to God Who comes to dwell among us.

This is why it is important to look at the Nativity scene, because it helps us understand what matters and also the social relationships of Jesus in that moment, the family, Joseph and Mary, and loved ones, the shepherds. People before things. And often we put things ahead of people.

Greggio's nativity scene is also full of joy. In this regard, the pontiff quoted the Franciscan account of that Christmas night in 1223. And the day of gladness comes, the time of rejoicing! [...] Francis [...] is radiant [...]. The people flocked and rejoiced with a joy they had never tasted before [...]. Everyone returned home full of ineffable joy.

But where did this Christmas joy come from? asked the pope. Certainly not from having brought home presents or having experienced lavish celebrations.

No, it was the joy that overflows from the heart when one tangibly touches the nearness of Jesus, the tenderness of God, who does not leave us alone, but consoles us [translators note: stands with (con) those who are alone (soli)].

Closeness, tenderness, and compassion, such are the three attitudes of God. And looking at the Nativity scene, praying before the Nativity scene, we can experience these things of the Lord that help us in everyday life.

With the nativity scene in mind, Pope Francis did not fail to remember "the peoples who suffer the evil of war," in Palestine, Israel, and martyred Ukraine.

"Wars, he said, are always a defeat. Let us not forget this. Only the arms manufacturers gain. Let's think about children in war, the things they see. Let us go to the crib and ask Jesus for peace. He is the Prince of Peace.
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Betsy Marston is the editor of Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service that seeks to spur lively conversation about the West. Want to comment, subscribe to our newsletter or write a column? Contact the editor at writersontherange.org.
San Francisco schools Superintendent Matt Wayne is calling for $40 million in budget cuts this year, $103 million next year and $155 million in 2025-26. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle 2022

In the most recent San Francisco Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Matt Wayne presented an interim report that found the school district may not meet its financial obligations in each of the next three fiscal years.

In plain language, San Francisco Unified School District is in deep financial trouble. On its current course, San Franciscos schools will have a $421 million deficit by the 2025-26 school year.

In the same meeting, Wayne presented an initial projection for how to close the gap. He called for $40 million in cuts this year, building up to $103 million in cuts next year, and culminating in a total of $155 million in cuts by year three. For context, by year three the cuts would total 20% of unrestricted general fund expenditures.

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Its a sobering, eye-watering prospect.

And Waynes initial projection still looks insufficient. Sources of cuts were only identified for next year; the cuts in subsequent years were merely aspirational. A mysterious additional revenue assumption of almost $30 million was used in 2025-26. And even with these aspirational cuts and mystery revenue, the district would still be deficit spending by then.

This lack of a stabilization plan led Board of Education Commissioner Jenny Lam to note that even these dire projections seemed to represent the very best possible scenario.

San Francisco is a rich city, and we rightly spend hundreds of millions of dollars per year to support our schools. In fact, San Francisco is the best-funded major urban school district in California. Yet our budget problems go far beyond those of most other California school districts.

So, how can San Francisco schools be in such fiscal trouble?

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San Franciscos teachers recently threatened a strike to receive higher wages. Obviously, higher wages represent an increased cost. But dont blame the teachers for demanding higher wages. San Franciscos teachers are not well-paid and should be paid more. Before the new contract, San Francisco was only in the 31st percentile among California school districts for salary, and we all know the city is an expensive place to live.

The problem is the number of people the district employs, not how much they are paid. San Francisco employs more staffers per student than any other major California school district.

You may now be thinking, Aha, its all that wasteful central office staffing. But no, the overwhelming majority of staffers for any school district are teachers, and San Francisco is no exception. San Franciscos spending is out of whack because it employs more teachers per student than any other large urban school district in California.

Why does the district employ so many teachers? Because it has so many under-enrolled, small schools. Since 1995, enrollment has declined by 20%, while the number of schools remained the same. As a result, the district has significant empty space at its schools. Since by far the biggest operating expense in a school district is personnel, the biggest cost to having under-utilized schools is duplicate overhead and inefficient teacher staffing.

And San Franciscos schools are not just under-enrolled. They are also too small. The typical California school district has 400-700 students per elementary school. In San Francisco, the average elementary school enrollment is 341, the lowest among all major California school districts.

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Worst of all, there is no evidence that having such small schools improves student outcomes.

It is critical to distinguish between small classrooms and small schools. Used skillfully, classrooms with a small teacher-to-student ratio can be a powerful tool to improve student outcomes. But thats not the same as just having small, under-enrolled schools. An independent analysis and one done by the San Francisco school district shows no benefit in student proficiency or student growth to having abnormally small schools.

The districts budget crisis comes from employing too many teachers and other staff. Its excess staffing is inextricably linked to its having too many under-enrolled, small schools. And having all these under-enrolled, small schools does not improve student outcomes.

What are the solutions?

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The best possible outcome would be to grow student enrollment: this would fill up the schools and increase state funding, which is allotted per pupil. Unfortunately, due to San Franciscos demographic aging and high cost of living, student enrollment is, if anything, projected to decline further.

Another solution would be to provide more money. And to be crystal clear, San Francisco absolutely should continue to provide generous funding to its public schools. But both the state and the city face severe budget pressures, and current funding is not well used.

The unfortunate reality is that the district must take a hard look at consolidating schools.

For too long, we watched passively as student enrollment declined. Benign neglect was never the right policy; now it is no longer even a viable option.

School consolidation raises profound equity issues. Low-enrollment schools are often in neighborhoods with historically marginalized populations. Any discussion of closing them must be done with careful consideration. But it must be considered.

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The status quo serves no one. For the sake of our children, its time to act like adults. Lets work together to build a sustainable San Francisco school system that uses resources effectively to improve student outcomes.
There's a lot of Italian stuff going on for 2024, and it's all flavored with Stellantis treats. However, we must decide- which is our digital favorite: the Lancia Ypsilon or the Fiat Panda and potentially its Abarth HF performance twin?

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Stellantis, the conglomerate formed in 2021 from the merger (of equals) between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group, has a lot of big brands under its car. It also packs a lot of 'spare change,' though. Marques like Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Fiat , or Lancia used to be worldwide heavyweights, but nowadays, most of them are mere shadows of their former selves.Alfa Romeo is on a rising trend as it addresses the well-known reliability and quality issues at the same time while selling the refreshed Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover, plus rekindling the passion with the Tonale compact CUV and the upcoming limited-edition 33 Stradale supercar of theandvariety. Even better, it's also en route to present the Milano , an all-new smaller crossover SUV that will turn into its first-ever mass-market EV.Abarth, meanwhile, is content with selling the new 500e model with zero emissions as it looks forward to Fiat and Lancia bringing out more models to play with. Fiat, for example, just launched the 600e  the subcompact sibling of the Peugeot e-2008, Opel Mokka Electric, DS3 E-Tense, and Jeep Avenger. As for Lancia, it's on its way to a much-awaited 'revival' with an all-new Ypsilon in tow and other more significant stuff teased by the Pu+Ra HPE concept.Until then, Lancia needs to contend with yet another embarrassing situation  the 2024 Ypsilon, which hasn't been officially launched yet, leaked (literally, with lots of water) while impersonating a white (not yellow) submarine. This is all due to a mishap with a prototype that was taking an unwilling bath somewhere in France, probably due to an incident while filming a potential reveal commercial.Anyway, that allowed some intrepid folks to cook up the unofficial design of the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa sibling  the peeps over at Kolesa , along with their resident pixel master Nikita Chuicko, aka 'kelsonik' on social media, have imagined the styling of the little Italian hatchback ahead of its official unveiling. Frankly, this hypothetical rendering looks way cooler than the real (leaked) deal that we saw getting hoisted out of a river/lake/canal in France.Indeed, I am afraid the real Lancia Ypsilon will look a lot blander than this, which is probably one of the main reasons I'm sorry this is merely wishful thinking. On the other hand, the Italian digital creator Tommaso D'Amico (aka tda_automotive ' on social media) has a potentially more exciting proposal from Fiat  the fourth generation of the iconic Panda city car styled initially by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani of Italdesign. Even better, he also imagined the Abarth Panda HF to go along with it. So, which is your virtual Italian favorite?
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Photo: Subaru

You might be wondering if you're getting anything new as standard for that rather shocking $2,130 difference in base price. The answer is yes, beginning with 11.6 inches of STARLINK infotainment as opposed to the previous 7.0-inch dual-screen setup.Also new for 2024, every single WRX  including those equipped with the only transmission that suits the WRX's character  comes with EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. Vehicles equipped with the stick shift include Advancedwith Lane Centering, Lane Departure Prevention, auto emergency braking, and Pre-Collision Brake Assist.Those specified with the SPT, which is a chain-drivenmarketed as the Subaru Performance Transmission, add Pre-Collision Throttle Management. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay also need to be mentioned, as well as STARLINK Safety and Security. When it comes to extras, each and every trim level available for 2024 can be had with a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot.Five grades will start arriving at dealers in early 2024, beginning with the self-explanatory Base. In addition to the aforementioned, other highlights include Hill Start Assist, 17-inch alloy wheels mounted with summer performance tires, Welcome Lighting, automatic LED headlights with high-beam assist, a USB-A charge or input port, a 3.5-millimeter AUX jack, remote keyless entry, plus power windows, power locks, power mirrors, and a power fuel door.If that list seems a bit spartan, fret not because the Japanese automaker offers the WRX in four better-equipped specifications. Priced at $34,635, the Premium adds larger wheels, heated front seats and mirrors, a windshield wiper deicer, LED fog lights, aluminum pedal covers, push-button start, USB-A and USB-C ports for both the front and rear passengers, as well as a body-color trunk lid spoiler.The Premium SPT is $35,985, with said transmission adding paddle shifters, eight preselected gear ratios that should come in handy when driving downhill, Auto Vehicle Hold, and SI-Drive Engine Performance Management. The range-topping GT costs $44,215 and comes exclusively with the SPT.Slotted between the Premium and GT, the Limited is equipped with a power moonroof and an 11-speaker Harman Kardon audio system that would otherwise set you back $1,865 in the Premium. The real star of the lineup is the returning TR trim level, which flaunts Brembo brake calipers fore and aft, larger rotors and pads, and a larger brake master cylinder.Retailing at $41,655, the TR further sweetens the deal with 19-inch alloys, Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber, Recardo Performance Design front seats wrapped in black-and-gray Ultrasuede with red contrast stitching, 8-way power adjustments for the driver's seat, stiffer springs, revised damping rates, and a retuned steering rack. Regardless of grade, the 2024 Subaru WRX continues to rely on the 2023 model's 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder boxer with 271 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) on tap.
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Aside from potential jokes about the ship with the same name seen in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, it is notable that Alfa Romeo's 75, aka Milano, was the final model released by Alfa Romeo ahead of its acquisition by Fiat. Now, under the guidance of its multinational parent Stellantis, Alfa Romeo is rekindling the love for the nameplate that honors the city of Milan  albeit in the form of a "sport urban vehicle," aka a subcompact crossoverSadly, because the newcomer is based on the STLA Small vehicle architecture and shares lots of DNA strands with the Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, or the DS3 Crossback, it is entirely logical that it won't make it Stateside. Initially teased in front of the Milan Cathedral, the Milano is coming next year withorelectric options plus a rumored three-cylinder turbo gasoline mill, at least during the initial years of production.With this, Alfa Romeo would look a lot like a regular car brand, selling the Milano, Tonale, Giulia, Stelvio, and wrapping up with the limited-edition 33 Stradale supercar  both in-powered andform. The model was officially teased recently but also leaked, as per tradition, across the vastness of the internet. Naturally, that sparked a lot of attention around it, both from the rumor mill and the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. For example, the good folks over at the Q Cars and PoloTo venues on YouTube propose their unofficial takes on the CGI design for the upcoming Alfa Romeo Milano  and I'll be damned if I can believe any of them.First, both resident pixel masters  from Q Cars and PoloTo  are in a hurry to emulate the looks of the Stelvio crossover SUV with a few AI-assisted CGI flourishes here and there. That's not bad as far as the low-slung profile is concerned, and I could even withstand the childish rear LED treatment from both design projects. But what bothers me the most is the front end has the same elongated headlight design as the Giulia and Stelvio before the refreshes.In fact, I am pretty sure those leaks are accurate, and Alfa Romeo adopts a quirky front end for the Milano. If not, at least they will style the newcomer in the same way as the Tonale instead of adopting a styling that's been growing long in the tooth for years. Remember, we can always take all these renderings with a grain of salt, as most will remain merely wishful thinking. The times when CGIs turn to reality are the exception, not the norm.
If youre in the market for an Italian exotic of the semi-classic nature, they really dont get much sweeter than the Ferrari 550 Maranello and every single other model that was derived from it. This includes the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, 575M Maranello and this, the 575 Superamerica.

Photo: Bring a Trailer

You cant talk about any 575 variant without first paying tribute to the 550. Its the car that sort of ignited Ferraris grand tourer emergence, to the point where luxury and performance could meet halfway.The 550 Maranello is also kind of a cult classic, especially after it starred in Bad Boys II back in 2003. Fun fact, that was Michael Bays very own 550 Maranello, and he also used his personal Porsche 911 Turbo in the original Bad Boys movie (1995).Anyway, after six or so years, the 550 gave way to the 575M, which was pretty much an updated version of the former, featuring only minor styling changes courtesy of Pininfarina. It did, however, come with a redesigned interior, larger brakes, more power, plus a few other mods that made it worth buying over its predecessor.Later during its production run, the Superamerica was introduced as a convertible 575M, featuring this awesome electrochromic glass panel roof, shifting 180 degrees at the rear in order to lie flat over the trunk area. With the roof open, the rear window would also act as a wind deflector, while the glass itself was manufactured in collaboration with French specialist Saint Gobain.These cars are extremely cool, and rare too, with the total production amounting to 559 units  one of them being this 2005 575 Superamerica, getting auctioned off with just 2,800 miles on the clock.As you can see, with time almost running out, the highest bid has surpassed $230,000, making this nearly 20-year-old Ferrari grand tourer about as expensive as a brand-new Lamborghini Huracan In terms of highlights/specs, we count the Rosso Corsa exterior, xenon headlights, quad-exhaust, 19-inch multi-piece wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires and red-finished calipers, plus the Fiorano Handling Package and the Skyhook adaptive dampers.Meanwhile, the interior features power-adjustable Daytona-style bucket seats with matching upholstery everywhere (rear bulkhead, door panels, lower dashboard), carbon fiber trim, automatic climate control, a HiFi sound system with a CD changer (remember those?), and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.As for the engine, its a 5.75-liter quad-cam naturally aspirated V12, factory rated at 533 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque, with everything going to the rear wheels via a six-speed F1 automated manual gearbox.Back when the 575 Superamerica came out, Ferrari marketed it as the worlds fastest convertible car, thanks to its top speed of 199 mph. It could also get to 60 mph in about 4.1 seconds, which still makes for a very good acceleration time even by 2023-2024 standards.
If the North American P-51 Mustang was the LeBron James of World War II American fighters, you can think of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk as almost like Carmello Anthony. Undoubtedly a lethal and capable dogfighter, but perenially in the shadow of more recognizable and more celebrated military aircraft. But it almost wasn't this way. Had the pages of history written even a slightly different story, the P-40's legacy would have lived on even longer through its planned replacement.

Photo: USAF Archives

Photo: USAF Archives

Photo: USAF Archives

This is the story of the Curtiss P-60, a Warhawk's airframe given a liberal dose of upgrades and modifications to try and extend its service life indefinitely. Safe to say, things didn't even go remotely close to plans. But to understand the impetus behind the failed P-60, we must understand what life was like for a Curtiss-Wright engineer in the late 1930s. By 1939, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company of Buffalo, New York, had already long been absorbed along with Wright Aeronautical of Patterson, New Jersey, into the conglomerate we all know today as Curtiss-Wright.The new company's first mono-wing fighter, the P-36 Hawk, never got up to much in U.S. Army Air Corps service apart from frantically scrambling to defend U.S. Navy personnel and civilians from attacks from Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor. But the Hawk's successor, the P-40 (Warhawk, Tomahawk, Kittyhawk), was the exact opposite. In service with the U.S., Great Britain, the Netherlands, China, Canada, Australia, Finland, Poland, and even the Soviet Union, the P-40, with its trademark Allison V-1710 V12 and six M2 Browning machine guns, gave Axis pilots hell over the skies of all of the war's major theaters.Through countless battles early on in the war, including in service with the iconic Flying Tiger volunteer fighter squad against the Japanese, the P-40 proved to be a very capable, maneuverable, and reasonably fast fighter plane. But even before the war began, dictations declared that American aerospace contractors would continue to beat the drums of innovation until victory against perceived future foes was at hand.This was why North American Aviation reached out to the British Royal Air Force in the late 1930s to provide the RAF with a fighter capable of meeting its strict performance requirements. With the P-40 only being in service for a year by 1939 and its production lines in Western New York now at full capacity, the atmosphere was right for North American to take full advantage of the situation. The results of this move would be none other than the P-51 Mustang.But even if P-40s were leaving Curtiss-Wright factories like snow during a lake effect event, the company still had room to formulate a plan to eventually replace the P-40 outright with something more capable, more powerful, and flat-out better on paper. The first thing on the agenda at Curtiss-Wright in this regard was solving the shortcomings that'd come to define the P-40 in its combat operations. A stark lack of a dual-stage supercharger, a la the Mustang or the British Spitfire, was one Achilles heel that made the Warhawk not entirely up to par with the German Focke-Wulf Fw-190 or the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.A general drive towards increasing the Warhawk's airframe high-altitude performance and stability during complicated maneuvers was also on the agenda at Curtiss-Wright. The first fruits of these efforts came in the form of a beefed-up Warhawk dubbed the Curtiss XP-46. With two 50-caliber machine guns in its nose and provisions for up to eight 30-caliber machine guns, four in each wing, the XP-46 was a step in the right direction. Even so, the same anemic Allison V-1710 that plagued Warhawks in service wouldn't cut it with the RAF anymore than it did in the P-40.The RAF axed its planned production order for the XP-46 soon after its first flight in February 1941 and sent Curtiss-Wright back to the drawing board again. This time around, Curtiss-Write intended to modify the P-40's airframe to an even more extreme degree than the XP-46, including the addition of laminar flow wings for reduced drag and better speed/handling characteristics, similar to the ones employed on the P-51 Mustang. Initially, plans called for the new warbird to sport a Continental XI-1430 inverted V12 engine capable of producing 2,100 horsepower at full war-emergency power.The XI-1430's unique inverted arrangement made it look more like a German engine than it did one from the Allies, as the Luftwaffe made frequent use of inverted Daimler-Benz and Junkers Jumo V12s in their aircraft during the war. However, changes to the design requirements requested by the USAAC and RAF soon caused plans to use the Continental engine to be scrapped after one prototype, dubbed the XP-53, had already been built. Soon, Curtiss-Wright opted to install a British-built Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 with a twin-stage, dual-speed supercharger on the next prototype, giving birth to the bespoke XP-60 line of Curtiss fighters.Trials of the XP-60 airframe paired with an upgraded Allison V-1710 sporting a B-14 turbosupercharger were also conducted for a time with a single production example. Tentative future plans even called for a production variant sporting the Chrysler XIV-2220 inverted V16 engine with its innovative hemispherical combustion chamber. That's right, folks, an XP-60 variant very nearly flew using the world's first Chrysler HEMI engine. Ultimately, the engine that came to define the P-60 program was not a liquid-cooled V-engine of any kind but rather a radial engine.The engine in question would be the genuinely legendary Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder engine famous for its use in the Vought F4U Corsair, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and approximately a few dozen other aircraft both military and civilian of the period. With in excess of 2,000 horsepower to work with and no complicated liquid-cooling to worry about, the Double Wasp made sense to Curtiss-Wright's engineers as a fitting engine for the P-60 program. Christened the XP-60C in this configuration, a set of two contra-rotating propellers was the design's biggest change besides the engine.With its first flight less than a year after the XP-46 in September 1941, Curtiss-Wright had thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, at providing the U.S. and its allies with a suitable P-40 replacement. But it was all for nothing. Flight testing soon found the XP-60s laminar-flow wings were more prone to excess drag than the P-51 Mustang. Even if the XP-60C's flight characteristics were generally up to the mark in other areas, the proverbial hoard of Mustangs, Thunderbolts, P-38 Lightnings, and P-39 Airacobras entering service around the same time saw the P-60 platform's potential flight squadrons get taken up with other, arguably more capable aircraft.Even so, work continued in Buffalo throughout the war in a frantic yet spirited effort to squeeze every last drop of capability out of the P-40's airframe . New variants like the Merlin 61-powered XP-60D and the bubble-canopied XP-60E continued to make developments using the airframes of previous prototypes as their basis. Out of six total XP-60 airframes, including the original XP-53 prototype, Curtiss managed to squeeze an impressive 12 variants, both built and not built, before the program finally called it quits in 1944.At that time, XP-60s often found themselves in competition against fighter designs from other American companies at venues like the future Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , then known as Wright Field. Each time, the XP-60 failed to impress.With this in mind, all production orders for P-60 airframes, some totalling in the thousands of units, to be axed. The last known mention of a P-60 in any significant capacity was an attempt to field a single airframe in the 1947 running of the National Air Races, the precursor to the modern-day Reno Air Races, where the single entry crashed on a trial run before the race, and was never seen again.By the start of the 1950s, Curtiss-Wright had sold the non-engine aspects of its business to North American Aviation, the very company whose P-51 routinely overshadowed Curtiss planes during World War II. It leaves us aviation enthusiasts today to wonder what could have been had proceedings gone just a little bit differently.
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Apple originally planned to reveal the first vehicles fitted with CarPlay 2.0 by the end of the year, but the company obviously missed the target, with an announcement now likely in early 2024.The new-generation CarPlay comes with big benefits over the existing version, and carmakers are likely to be in a rush to adopt it. However, not everybody is a big fan of handing control of its data to Apple, so staying away from CarPlay 2.0 is part of their long-term strategy.Hyundai has recently suggested that it won't offer CarPlay 2.0 in its future models. The carmaker was missing from Apple's list of brands projected to adopt the new CarPlay, and a company spokesperson recently revealed the reason.Speaking for South Korean media, the spokesperson said the two magic words that drivers aren't always big fans of: proprietary software. Hyundai wants to create its operating system that would make the next-gen CarPlay redundant, as all features bundled with Apple's software would also be available in Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models without the support for the new CarPlay experience.The good news is that Hyundai won't step away from CarPlay completely. The carmaker will continue to offer the existing CarPlay version in all its models, so unlike General Motors, Hyundai will still offer phone projection systems in its future lineup.However, it's obvious Hyundai believes CarPlay 2.0 provides Apple with access to data that it doesn't want to hand over. A custom-built operating system would allow Hyundai to retain control of the data, though it remains to be seen if the company can convince customers to leave CarPlay behind and forget about the new-gen capabilities Apple's system offers.Hyundai wants to install its proprietary operating system on all new models by 2025.While the South Korean carmaker has no plans to adopt the new-generation CarPlay, it doesn't mean Apple's system will be a flop. Several carmakers have already confirmed that they'll adopt the system and offer it in their future models, including Honda, Renault, Nissan, Ford, Lincoln, and Volvo. The number will probably increase once Apple announces the new CarPlay experience.The battle for infotainment control has become fiercer. General Motors took an unprecedented step earlier this year when it announced that CarPlay and Android Auto would no longer be offered in future EVs. The carmaker will offer Android Automotive, an embedded operating system with more advanced capabilities but also paves the way for new monetization options, including subscriptions. GM's controversial strategy has already come into effect, with the 2024 Blazerdropping Android Auto and CarPlay for Android Automotive.
American Honda Motor Co. has recently issued a mammoth recall over a rather shocking oversight. As it happens, an estimated 106,030 examples of the CR-V Hybrid have been produced with 12-volt battery cables that do not contain a fuse for the power circuit, thus increasing the risk of an electrical short.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

Photo: Honda

The first instance of a short circuit caused by a missing fuse occurred on May 17, 2021. Two days later, none other than therequested Honda's assistance in inspecting the vehicle in question. Come August 18, 2021, the Japanese automaker concluded there was no evidence of any high-voltage related issue.Be that as it may, Honda reevaluated the incident in October 2021, concluding that the vehicle's extreme clash angle was a rare occurrence with marginal probability of being repeated. Once again, it turned out that Honda was completely off the mark. To understand how off the mark, documents filed with thereveal that Honda changed the cable design on June 13, 2022 by adding a 100-amp fuse.Otherwise put, Honda clearly knew that 2020 to 2022 model year CR-V Hybrid vehicles produced between August 8, 2019 and June 9, 2022 are susceptible to short in certain types of crashes. Vehicles produced during said timeframe don't feature said fuse. Adding insult to injury, Honda became aware of a second incident on August 18, 2022, almost two months after introducing the 100-amp fuse in series production.Truth be told, the automaker should have recalled the aforementioned vehicles immediately after the introduction of the 100-amp fuse for the power circuit of the 12-volt battery cables routed outside of the body frame. A short is most likely if the vehicle is involved in a crash to the left front fender's area.Honda once again dismissed the incident as a rare occurrence. Fast forward to August 29, 2023, and Honda received another warranty claim over a short circuit. The automaker reevaluated its previous conclusions, concluding that the third incident didn't have the same circumstances as the previous two. On December 6, 2023, which is better late than never, Honda admitted that a defect related to motor vehicle safety did exist in the 2020 to 2022 CR-V Hybrid On December 14, dealers nationwide were instructed to replace the battery cable with the improved part at no cost to affected owners. Said owners will have to wait until January 29 to receive a Honda-branded envelope via first-class mail, informing them that Honda's electrical engineers didn't really pay attention to the design of the CR-V Hybrid's electrical system. In the meantime, owners can use the NHTSA's VIN look-up tool to determine whether their crossovers are indeed recalled or not.As you're well aware, the CR-V Hybrid premiered in the US market for the 2020 model year with 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet (315 Nm) to its name. Back then, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated a combined fuel economy of 38 miles per gallon (6.2 liters per 100 kilometers) compared to 30 (7.8) for the front-wheel-drive 1.5 turbo and 29 (8.1) for the all-wheel-drive version.Redesigned for 2023, the CR-V Hybrid is currently listed on Honda's configurator with a starting price of $33,700 for the Sport trim level. Slightly less powerful but also torquier than before, the CR-V Hybrid now returns up to 40 miles per gallon (5.9 liters per 100 kilometers) as opposed to 30 and 29 for the combustion-only CR-V with the 1.5-liter turbo.
Protesters opposed to the execution of Death Row prisoner Kevin Cooper rally in Larkspur in 2004. Cooper has gained support from the president of the American Bar Association, who has told Gov. Gavin Newsom that prosecutors withheld evidence from his legal team. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/SFC

Death Row prisoner Kevin Cooper, whose convictions for the murders of a married couple and two children are hotly contested by his lawyers but backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, has gained support from the president of the American Bar Association, who has told Newsom that prosecutors apparently withheld evidence from the governors legal team.

Given the numerous errors that have occurred throughout the history of the investigation and prosecution of this case  including major pieces of physical evidence that the State concedes were destroyed rather than preserved and tested  it is particularly important that there be full disclosure of the remaining records, Mary Smith, a Chicago attorney and president of the nations largest legal organization, said in a letter to Newsom last week on behalf of the ABA.

I urge you to take action to ensure that the State discloses all relevant evidence and that any such evidence is evaluated before acting on Mr. Coopers petition for executive clemency.

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Although Newsom declared a moratorium on executions after taking office in 2019, he has not granted clemency to any of Californias 652 condemned prisoners by reducing their sentences to life in prison. Without clemency, they could still face execution if Newsoms successor lifts the moratorium.

Speaking from prison in October, Cooper told the Chronicle that he had been framed for the killings and that Newsom was a moral coward.

Cooper, now 65, was convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal stabbings of Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter, Jessica Ryen, and 11-year-old house guest Christopher Hughes at the Ryens home in Chino Hills (San Bernardino County) in 1983. Two days before the killings, Cooper had escaped from a nearby state prison, where he was serving a sentence for burglary.

His appeals have been rejected by state and federal courts. But a 2009 decision against Cooper by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals drew a 101-page dissent from five judges, led by William Fletcher, who said they had reason to believe officers had manipulated and planted evidence against Cooper. And in 2015 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a 32-page report concluding that the state had violated Mr. Coopers right to due process and a fair trial.

Newsom ordered an investigation of Coopers case in May 2021 by the Morrison & Foerster law firm, which he described as an independent counsel. In January, the firm issued a 243-page report saying the evidence of Coopers guilt was extensive and conclusive.

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Coopers legal team issued a rebuttal report in October saying the study commissioned by Newsom was riddled with confirmation bias and had brushed aside evidence that the Ryens 8-year-old son, Josh, who survived the attacks, had identified the attackers as three white men. Cooper is Black.

The rebuttal also said prosecutors at Coopers trial had not disclosed that a paroled murderer, Lee Furrow, had been seen wearing bloodstained coveralls in the area soon after the killings. Six months later, a sheriffs deputy questioned Furrow about the coveralls, then threw them into a dumpster without testing them.

The Morrison & Foerster report to Newsom said the actual killers clothes would have been covered with blood, not merely bloodstains, and noted that investigators at the murder scene had found Coopers DNA, which his lawyers say was planted to frame him. Danella Debel, a spokesperson for Newsom, said the governor has reviewed both reports and is convinced that Cooper is guilty.

In her letter to Newsom last week, Smith said the legal team the governor had commissioned to examine the case asked Coopers prosecutors for records of all law enforcement evidence in the case, including anything that might raise questions about Coopers guilt. But she said the prosecutors provided only the evidence they had introduced at Coopers trial.

Among the documents withheld, the ABA president said, were records of multiple physical pieces of evidence from the crime scene, Josh Ryens initial description of his attackers, and police files regarding alternate suspects, an apparent reference to Lee Furrow.

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Without transparency about law enforcements original investigation of the case, confidence is undermined in any conclusions drawn  whether by judge, jury, or special counsel, Smith wrote.
Hyundai decided to sell its factory in Russia following the federations invasion of Ukraine. The factory has not been active for almost two years, since Russia attacked Ukraine.

ABS

But the Korean carmaker is taking a big blow, selling it for a nominal of 7,000 rubles, which is the equivalent of only $77.22 at the current exchange rates. A Hyundai spokesperson said that Hyundai will receive a total of 10,000 rubles ($111).Hyundai is the latest carmaker that decided to sell its assets in Russia. Operations at its production center in Saint Petersburg were suspended in March 2022, less than a month after the war in Ukraine broke out, following sanctions imposed on the state.Russian firm Art-Finance, supported by car dealer group Avilon, is the buyer. The transaction is carried out based on a clause that Hyundai can buy back the factory within two years of the sale.The deal has already been greenlighted by Russias governemnt commission on foreign asset sales, which demands discounts of at least 50 percent on deals that companies departing from the state are involved in.The deal will be completed by December 28. Hyundai admitted in a regulatory filing that it is taking a 287 billion won ($220.75 billion) loss on selling the plant.Together with Kia, Hyundai was among the top three selling brands in Russia before the war. But in the context of a collapsing car market, sales have turned slow, with Hyundai only selling six new cars in August 2023. In the same period of last year, the Asian carmaker had sold 2,892 units.Back in 2019, Hyundai and Kia were scoring impressive numbers, selling as many as 400,000 vehicles in Russia in 2019. As of 2021, the two brands had a 22.5% market share in Russia.The production center has the capacity to build over 200,000 cars per year. That is where Hyundai used to manufacture the Solaris , Creta, Rio, and Rio X-Line.Hyundai follows in the footsteps of other Western carmakers which decided to halt operations on the territory of the Russian Federation. One year ago, Nissan sold its local production center to Russias Central Research and Development Automobile and Engine Institute for just one euro ($1.10).This translates into a loss of 100 billion yen ($697.43 million). According to a clause in the sale contract, Nissan can buy back the facility within the next six years.In May 2023, Volkswagen sold its production facility to Art-Finance. While global players are pulling out of the Russian car industry, the Chinese brands are replacing them. Meanwhile, the Russian carmakers are collapsing.For instance, Lada rolled out the new Niva without a single airbag on board. However, for the first time in its history, the car is equipped with. The anti-lock braking system has been a mandatory feature on all cars since 2012 in the US.
Believe it or not, the S650 Ford Mustang is getting lonely in the space occupied by American muscle cars. But that only happens in the real world because the parallel universes of vehicular CGI have other plans.

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The Blue Oval company is getting 'dibs' on the niche of American pony cars because Stellantis is about to end production of 2023MY Dodge Charger sedans and Challenger coupes as promised through the seven 'Last Call' special editions. Moving on, they may completely retire the Challenger nameplate because the Charger is reverting to old-school two-door traditions and is also adopting thelifestyle. Plus, the rumor mill believes it will become a member of the Hurricane inline-six turbo family of models alongside Jeeps and the 2025 Ram 1500s.As for General Motors, they are casually neglecting their fans because the Camaro just ended production with the final ZL1 from the sixth generation produced in Michigan, and no successor is in sight. Well, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators doesn't like that  just like a lot of fans. And the good thing is they can also take matters into their own hands. Or rather, at the tip of their CGI brushes, as is the case here.For example, the good folks over at the Q Cars channel on YouTube aim to daze and amaze the audience with a potential styling of their vision for an unofficial Chevy Monte Carlo revival. Many outlets are striving to envision what comes next from Chevy now that the Camaro is no more, and there's a big gap between the $25k Malibu mid-size sedan and the C8 Corvette that's close to a $70k starting price. As such, some believe that more sedans are coming  and they would love to see a revival of the Impala SS at around $50k with Camaro ZL1 bits and pieces like the 650-hp supercharged V8.On the other hand, others only want two doors in their video streams, so they usually go down the reborn Chevelle route. Not this channel and their resident pixel master, though. Instead, they dream of a hypothetical moment when GM's corner office head honchos approve Chevrolet's request to revive the Monte Carlo personal luxury car (produced between 1969 and 1987 and then again from 1994 to 2007). Interestingly, they are very eager to make everyone happy, so their Monte Carlo unofficially comes back as a two- and four-door coupe Take all this with a healthy grain of salt as nothing is official from GM, but the idea  while entirely wishful thinking  does have its merits. For example, Chevrolet could easily sell a larger sedan above the Malibu because Dodge is abandoning the muscle sedan area. They could also use a nice throwback-style coupe slotted below the C8 Corvette because it is clear the modern Camaro didn't have the power to fight off the retro-styled Challenger, let alone the mighty Mustang. So, what do you think?
Cars that are autonomous to some degree are already a reality of our time. With the exception of a single carmaker, however, no one really dares say their cars are fully self-driving, for the simple reason they are not.

Photo: NASA

Photo: NASA

The difficulty of making a truly autonomous vehicle to roam the roads of our planet does not necessarily come from the limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, or those of detection hardware, but from the complexities that make driving on Earth something that can only be properly handled (at least for now) by human beings.Knowing that you'd think automated driving is perfectly suited for use on other worlds, powering rovers and other such gear sent up there by our species on exploratory missions. You'd think wrong, as it appears NASA does not trust itself enough to fully put AI in charge of a rover mission to the Moon.At the end of next year, the lunar south pole will receive an important robotic visitor. It's called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, and it is tasked with a simple yet crucial mission: find and map water so it can be used in situ by the crewed missions planned to land there.NASA relies heavily on AI not only to make the rover suitable for the task, but also to plan its movements on the Moon. We've already discussed an AI system called SHERPA (System Health Enabled Real-time Planning Advisor), built to help the team running the VIPER rover get a better sense of the crucial aspects of navigation in the dangerous environment on the Moon.Like most rovers sent to other worlds by our species, this one too uses cameras and software suites. They are used to get a better sense of the environment around the rover and detect potential hazards.But while Earth-going cars pack both the cameras and sensors inside themselves, the VIPER only carries the cameras with it. The SHERPA software doesn't even make the trip to the Moon, and it is only deployed here on Earth as a means to inform humans of their choices.So, why does NASA not give the AI system the reigns of the mission and let it decide where best to send the rover? The answer might surprise you.You all know how an artificial intelligence system is only as good as the data used to train it. And although NASA has a lot of data about the Moon, it completely lacks the experience of what driving a robotic rover on the Moon is all about.That's because despite being the only space agency to have sent people to the Moon and several successful rovers to Mars, NASA has never landed a robotic rover on the lunar surface.In a nutshell, it doesn't trust itself enough to teach the AI all it should know to make this a safe enough automated mission, so it takes a more cautious approach by "keeping humans in the loop," in a bid to balance out the risks and rewards of using AI for science purposes.So SHERPA will not become the first AI to actually drive a rover on the Moon . It will instead be used to create maps of the rover's mission area, and trained with the existing tools at NASA's disposal.Those tools include first and foremost the hundreds of photographs snapped from lunar orbit by a spacecraft called Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Data of VIPER's operating area obtained with the help of a laser shot down at the surface to see how long it takes for it to bounce back up is also being used.That data is used to create a model of the lunar terrain for the NASA team to look at as it plans the VIPER mission. The model is not only useful for the rover to be directed properly, but also for it to be steered clear of shadow areas that would spell doom for the solar-powered device  the thing uses a solar-charged battery with a peak power of 450 watts.So SHERPA is being used by NASA's mission planners not as a driver per se, but to "assess the various risks of different routes [] and even provide contingency branches for where to go if something changes or doesn't go according to plan."As for the VIPER itself, we're talking about a machine that is the size of a golf cart and weighs 992 pounds (450 kilograms). When it launches on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket next year it will become the heaviest cargo NASA has ever sent into space using the rockets of one of its commercial partners.The planned duration of the mission is only 100 days, but that can be extended if all goes according to plan, as it happened so many times before in the history of space exploration.
We all tried to keep busy with one project and another during the isolation of the pandemic to keep boredom at bay and ease anxieties. But while some of us dedicated the new-found free time and attention to mundane things like reading books, learning a new skill, or redecorating the house, a northeastern Pennsylvania retiree took on a much more ambitious project. He built a giant bumper car in his garage using an old Chevy Aveo and a motorcycle.

Dan Hryhorcoff is the mastermind behind the mammoth bumper car you see pictured here. The 72-year-old man's aim was to build a model big enough to fit an adult, and he took inspiration for the project from the bumper cars at an amusement park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, called Knoebels.The item he wanted to replicate was a 1953-model bumper car made by a company called Lusse. This particular model piqued his interest because it had a "Chevrolet pickup truck sorta look" from the 1950s. After an eight-hour-long visit to the amusement park and studying the vintage ride to gather as much information as possible for his project, Hryhorcoff put his engineering skills and his passion for mechanical innovation to good use and ended up creating this giant contraption that is not only unique and fully functional but also street-legal.He first crafted a replica using styrofoam and then used it to create molds for the final body made of fiberglass. His bumper car is 13 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 5.5 feet high, which is twice the size of the original article.The design skillfully combines elements of a Chevrolet Aveo and a motorcycle. The front of an Aveo is integrated into the rear, and a motorcycle wheel at the front, giving the bumper car a remarkably small turning radius. This setup makes the vehicle a tricycle in legal terms, which has contributed to its street-legal status.Most of the exterior body parts are handmade from fiberglass, and the retiree also included a long, vertical electricity pole in the back of the automobile to make it look as similar to the original bumper cars as possible, but it's there just for aesthetic reasons Power for this larger-than-life vehicle comes from a repurposed Chevrolet engine. But the front-wheel-drive vehicle's mill and gear train were moved to the back, making Hryhorcoff's creation a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive bumper car.This colossal bumper car is not Dan Hryhorcoff's first automotive endeavor, which explains his ingenuity and engineering skills. Early into his retirement, he also made a replica of a vintage Murray General pedal car from the '50s. That particular project taught him a lot about working with fiberglass, which came in quite handy during the bumper car project. His impressive portfolio of past projects also includes a yellow submarine, go-karts, and more.
Xiaomi's first car is just around the corner, and as it happens with imminent product unveilings, leaks are almost unavoidable.

However, the Chinese tech giant has had enough of all the leaks in the automotive space lately and targeting its first-ever vehicle, so it decided to take action against those responsible.First, the company says it fired three employees who previously spread false information about the upcoming Xiaomi Car. Xiaomi says the three employees, who were part of the teams working on the electric system and software components, stamping and casting, and quality groups, attended meetings without authorization and shared false tidbits about the car.The three employees received what Xiaomi described as "consulting fees," though the company emphasized that all the data they provided to brokerage firms and investment groups was inaccurate.Second, Xiaomi will take legal action against two Chinese media outlets that leaked videos showing the Xiaomi Car despite signing confidentiality agreements.The latest information in the rumor mill suggests Xiaomi could announce the Xiaomi Car in the last week of the year, though the company has never confirmed the date. However, several people familiar with the matter said the vehicle is projected to reach the mass production stage in the first half of 2024, with the company aiming to build 100,000 vehicles in the first year alone. The output will double in 2025 when Xiaomi could also announce a second model China's MIIT previously disclosed essential information about Xiaomi's first car, including images that reveal a Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S-inspired look. Called SU7, Xiaomi's first-ever vehicle could land as a sedan with a range of approximately 800 kilometers per charge, though the company is also exploring a performance-oriented version with different specifications.Xiaomi is the first tech giant to launch a vehicle built from scratch. Apple is the next big name to follow in its footsteps, though compared to Xiaomi, Apple needs more time to complete the vehicle development. The latest information coming through unofficial channels indicates that the Apple Car could land in 2026, at the earliest, though the iPhone maker is reportedly tempted to push the unveiling towards the end of the decade due to the development struggles.Apple has reportedly dropped some of the most ambitious systems, sticking with a more traditional approach for its first-ever vehicles. The car was originally supposed to be a self-driving model with a cabin doubling as a living room on wheels and a productivity workspace. However, Apple's latest plans include a more conventional cabin with a steering wheel, pedals, and everything else you can find in a car today, as the company believes a more revolutionary approach wouldn't be possible this decade.Apple has never commented on the Apple Car, so all information surfaced through unconfirmed channels.
The 39-year-old Dmitry Setrakov was mobilized, along with hundreds of thousands of other Russian men, late last year and sent to the frontline in Ukraines southern Zaporyzhzhia region mostly occupied by Russian forces following their February 2022 invasion of the country. Setrakov fled a military hospital there in April this year, according to the Russian human rights group Idite Lesom that helped him take refuge in Armenia in late November.

The group revealed recently that Russian military police arrested and transferred Setrakov to a Russian military base in the northwestern Armenian city of Gyumri in early December. It said on Tuesday that he is currently in police custody in Russia.

They got him out of Gyumri, he is not there anymore, said Idite Lesom spokesman Ivan Chuviliaev.

Both Idite Lesom and an Armenian human rights group, the Helsinki Citizens Assembly (HCA), earlier condemned Setrakovs detention in Armenia as illegal. The HCA leader, Artur Sakunts, appealed to Armenian prosecutors to clarify how Russian officers were able to arrest the man on Armenian territory. Sakunts also demanded that they prevent his extradition to Russia.

The Office of the Prosecutor-General said on Wednesday that Russian law-enforcement authorities had not asked it to track down, detain and extradite Setrakov. It claimed to have no information about his detention in Armenia. It thus remained unclear how the fugitive soldier was flown back to his country where he is now facing up to ten years in prison on desertion charges.

An HCA spokeswoman, Ani Chatinian, decried the prosecutors statement and accused the law-enforcement agency of inaction.

In essence, Dmitry Setrakov was illegally transported to the Russian Federation, and Armenia signed the [guilty] verdict which will be given to him in Russia, Chatinian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Setrakov is the first Russian soldier known to have fled to Armenia and been arrested there after refusing to take part in fighting in Ukraine.
20 December 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The growing conflicts around the world have reached a tipping point. According to statistics, 186 conflicts around the world have been engaged to date, exceeding its norm for 30 years. Cut off one head of the hydra, and two will appear in its place. This formulation can be attributed to those countries and coalitions headed by these "hydras".

Many people ask questions about the origin of all the troubles on Earth, having received the answer to the first two questions, stopping in a daze, not reaching the rest. The same applies to countries and states, many of which in ancient times were reformatted to suit their needs. By whom and for what were they reformatted?

As there are creators and builders, there are destroyers and killers, and the main thing here is to keep the balance. It should be noted that wars, famines, and various kinds of disasters came often from the countries of "crusader" origin when peace and order flourished in the other half of the Islamic world.

You reap what you sow - despite internal problems related to new laws for which now it is a question of survival of farmers in the country, discrimination, racism, extremism and all sorts of other manifestations, France continues to conduct separatist activities in the structures of power. Although there are still many Armenian lobbyists around the world, they have tempered their ardour towards Azerbaijan, as some have suddenly realised that it is better to shake the outstretched hand of a neighbour than to play Russian roulette.

It has become known that several Armenian lobbyists in France - Anne Hidalgo, Bruno Retailleau, Xavier Bertrand, Valerie Pecresse, Carole Delga, Michel Rubirola, Michel Delafosse, and Jeanne Barseghian - have signed a joint appeal against the organisation of COP29 in Azerbaijan.

It is not the first time Azerbaijan has faced such anti-Azerbaijani, Islamophobic statements from French officials. We are well aware of some of the personalities who, back in the summer, clung to the defence line of Armenia and their separatist clan. Having pulled off the idea of a blockade of Lachin road, they (French officials) forced the world community to believe in the idea of blockade not by Armenia, but by Azerbaijan. In the end, we remember how everything ended, the failure of delivery of weapons for the separatist clan under the guise of "humanitarian aid", the failure of the blockade of two roads, and the failure of forced "starvation" of the Armenian people.

After the completion of the anti-terrorist operation, Azerbaijan exploring the liberated territories from the separatists found a huge amount of weapons and ammunition of different calibre and range. This amount of weapons found in Garabagh is commensurate with waging a war lasting two years. How did it get there? Who was interested in the conflict? At this point, we can see who the "hydras" are.

Groups from the French "hydras", mayors and public figures, made an absurd appeal to protest against the decision to hold the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Azerbaijan in 2024. What does this mean? It means that the French have taken offence, and they are no longer being stroked on the head by their masters, and they will continue to pressurise Azerbaijan, but again with failure. The French may be furious that Armenia has taken the path of peace, making a step towards signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. The French make no secret of the fact that they will continue to arm Armenia, perhaps through Armenia and Ukraine, in confrontation with Russia.

Armenia will transfer Tochka-U tactical ballistic missile systems and Osa-AK anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, Russian source Rybar claims.



According to Rybar, agreements on this may have been reached during a meeting between Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's pic.twitter.com/1tLGYg52ek  Clash Report (@clashreport) November 20, 2023

But no matter how hard the French try, they are doing more than enough at home. Digging a hole for someone else, and they fell into it themselves. Bedbugs, Rats, rubbish, crime, and it all continues to grow in the French capital. What's the most frequently asked question bothering French people on Google? "How to get rid of bedbugs", not Azerbaijan, not Armenia, but bedbugs. Consequently, the increasing influx of migrants into the country (Paris) will follow the increase of all disasters, as migrants do not walk and swim 400-1000 km distances to get to France by themselves. They need migrants to create disasters inside the country.

France continues to receive punches from Azerbaijan, and all in fairness and without propaganda. Among the signatories of the statements, is Valerie Pecresse, who was once a candidate for the presidency of France, who two years ago illegally entered Garabagh and met in Khankandi with the separatist clan (Araik Harutyunyan and David Babayan) in the representative office of "Francophonie". Armenia was the first to support COP29 in Azerbaijan, on the way to achieving peace between neighbours, and other countries responded and eventually agreed to hold a forum on climate change and the fight against it in Azerbaijan.

France, which shouted about the "Armenian genocide", and the famine, and which continues to arm Armenia, remains content with the achievement of awarding the title of "honourable citizen of Paris" to several Garabagh Armenians.

The French will continue to conduct anti-Azerbaijani propaganda on par with anti-Islamic propaganda, as the "crusader" clans need a conflict on religious grounds where believers in Islam and those who profess it will be in the crosshairs. The war in the Middle East provoked anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic rallies all over the world, and according to statistics, countries with a large influx of migrants are "crusader" countries. Although France continues to exert imaginary pressure on Azerbaijan, it will soon be preoccupied with the internal problems of the country from the consequences of their decisions.

Azerbaijan will continue to strengthen its positions at all levels and will continue to seek truth and justice for the oppressed peoples from the consequences of France's colonial policy.

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Abbas Ganbay is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @Noend33

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
20 December 2023 22:50 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

The successes of the Azerbaijani army in the 44-day Patriotic War and the liberation of our territories were not enough for the military-political leadership of Armenia to learn from this heavy and humiliating defeat. Recently, the revanchist views voiced by the Armenian leadership and foreign officials on the Armenian side have not ceased. As it is known, territorial claims to Garabagh were put forward from the outside, with the help of propaganda and pressure from Armenia.

The groundless opinions expressed by officials from the Armenian authority do not match the initiatives regarding the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly exposed Armenia's aggressive policy at important international events and demanded that the aggressor abandon its fascist ideology. Those who plant revanchist thoughts in Armenia should not forget the example of the 21st-century war, which Azerbaijan demonstrated to the world. Against the backdrop of the new realities created by Azerbaijan, Armenia has opportunities to sign a peace treaty and find peace in the South Caucasus. If the Armenian leadership misjudges the situation, the defeated country will find itself in an even worse situation. In the post-war phase, certain forces in Armenia and abroad still have not given up the habit of revanchism. One of those voicing these revanchist views is Luis Moreno Ocampo, a "lawyer" from Argentina.

It was known that Eduardo Eurnekian, an Armenian billionaire living in Argentina, played a major role in voicing these revanchist ideas. Because it is he who finances the Armenian lobby in this country. The Argentinean media even published several articles about his influence on the presidential elections in that country. Moreno Ocampo's revanchist views against Azerbaijan show that Eduardo Ernekian has a strong influence on Argentine officials thanks to the power of money. It is interesting that in his recent speeches, Ocampo addresses not only Azerbaijan but also Europe and the United States. According to him, the countries mentioned above (EU and USA) have sacrificed the Armenian people for their interests. Ocampo called the restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty a 'genocide'. These ideas of Ocampo create a very ridiculous situation. The fact that a person who does not know history, or deliberately ignores it, expresses such an opinion shows that he is ready to sell his soul for money. Foreign officials with anti-Azerbaijan sentiment should realize that the war is over and no revanchist idea can question the sovereignty of Azerbaijan. Otherwise, voicing such revanchist ideas reminds us of the proverb: "The dogs bark, but the caravan passes".

As for Armenia, they are advised not to take religious figures seriously or even listen to them. This may even lead to serious consequences for the future of Armenia. For example, Bagrat Gastanyan, the head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who is famous for his revanchist ideas in Armenia, could be a vivid example of his recent sermon. His hate speech addressed to the Azerbaijani people and the Turks, in general, is a shred of real evidence for the young Armenian generation who are filled with such aggression, antagony, and disdain under such religious figures. Calling himself a revanchist, he urged Armenians to go to war with Azerbaijan. It is interesting that a person who expresses such an opinion wears a cross on his chest and holds an important position in the Tavush Diocese. I would like to note that, as far as is known, Christianity calls people to peace and tranquility. It seems doubtful to me that a person calling his people to hatred and war against Azerbaijanis is a priest. Interestingly, the photo of this man with weapons and uniform was distributed during the war. The fact that the representatives of this nation, who call themselves "early Christians", especially a priest make such a statement, is not surprising. The fact that religion for Bagrat Galstanyan is just a tool for the realization of his nefarious goals. People like him are even ready to leave the people to die with their sick thoughts.

Armenia should realize and know that Azerbaijan has correctly defined its mission. Azerbaijan is responsible in this crucial time for the South Caucasus, making serious efforts to achieve real goals. Therefore, Yerevan should follow Azerbaijan to achieve peace in the South Caucasus.

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20 December 2023 11:31 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Azerbaijan has revealed the amount of food eggs that are exported to Russia, Azernews reports.

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20 December 2023 15:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The tension in the Red Sea, caused by Iran-backed Yemen's Houthis, continues. On Tuesday, Houthis announced that, despite all attempts by the USA, they would stop attacking ships linked to Israel.

"Even if the United States succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our operations will not cease until the genocide in Gaza stops," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, said in a post on X on Tuesday.

On the other hand, as one of the main international transport routes passes through the region, the tension concerns the whole world. Just 2 years ago, when the Panamanian-flagged container ship Ever Given in 2021 ran aground in the Suez Channel, prices in the world market rose. Many think that the world can face a similar problem again. British energy giant bp has already announced that it will avoid the Red Sea and reroute through Africa. Several international companies issued similar statements. It is worth noting that roughly 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Houthi attacks have effectively rerouted a significant portion of trade by forcing freight companies to sail around Africa, and of course, they impose higher costs and delays for energy, food, and consumer goods deliveries.

The crisis in the Suez Canal in 2021 was solved rapidly and did not last too long. However, many believe that the Houthi crisis in the Red Sea differs from the above-said one and can protract for an unknown time because the present crisis is being caused deliberately by an armed group. How long can it last, and what will be the consequences?

The British journalist and expert on energy issues, Neil Watson, in a comment for Azernews, noted that it is difficult to predict exactly how long the Houthi drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea will continue, but the actions of the Yemeni-based, Iranian-backed rebels are umbilically connected to the situation in Gaza and the Hamas-Israel conflict. He said that Houthis are deliberately targeting Israeli or Israeli-connected ships.

"Just a few hours ago, the US announced a 10-nation force to counter the attacks, and the coalition will include Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, and the UK, according to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. This may dissuade them from continuing this aggressive activity, but Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official and spokesperson, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the group would confront any US-led coalition in the Red Sea. Also, numerous Arab nations are expected to join the coalition, including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, which want to keep the Red Sea open. However, ultimately, a de-escalation in the Hamas-Israeli conflict is the only way past the impasse," Watson noted.

He added that at least 12 shipping companies, including the Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), French CMA CGM, and Danish AP Moller-Maersk, have suspended transit through the Red Sea due to safety concerns. On Monday, BP became the latest firm to announce it would avoid the waters. Inevitably, this re-routing will cause a hike in the costs of oil and all commodities, as logistics costs and shipping times will escalate exponentially.

He also touched on the safety issues on the trade route in the Indian Ocean basin, such as private attacks, Houthis, and so on.

"The main issue is the lack of cohesion in and between the East and West at the present time and the mercenary nature of pirates, Houthi rebels, and others engaged in such activities. If countries worked together more effectively to combat such attacks and piracy and shared information more readily, these people would not take such risks for greed or as proxies of pariah regimes. However, the world is becoming polarised, and these groups capitalise on this. There is scope for new international organizations  not dominated by the US  to be established to make it clear that such behaviour is, and always has been, totally unacceptable and against international law. Those perpetrators and their backers run the risk of losing absolutely everything. Such a purely reactive act that we are seeing at present demonstrates the lack of agreement to combat such horrendous threats that have the potential to affect us all," the expert concluded.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Former President Donald Trump greets supporters at the California Republican Party convention on Sept. 29 in Anaheim. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

The Colorado Supreme Courts decision to remove Donald Trump from the states 2024 presidential ballot has prompted calls for state officials to take the same action in California. But Californias laws and past court rulings may make that task more difficult, and the final decision, in any event, will most likely be up to the Supreme Court and its conservative majority.

I dont think the U.S. Supreme Court will allow this to be resolved state by state. They want to be the ones to decide it, David Sloss, a Santa Clara University law professor, said Tuesday.

He spoke after Colorados high court ruled 4-3 that Trump was ineligible for the states primary election ballot under Section 3 of the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment, which bars anyone from seeking or holding federal or state office who has taken part in, or aided, an insurrection or rebellion against the government. Trump plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Sloss plans to file arguments for a group of law professors urging the court to uphold the Colorado ruling.

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Similar suits have been filed in several states, backed by the liberal nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, which Sloss said has also encouraged his court filing. California courts have not ruled on any such cases yet, but a group of state lawmakers is urging election officials to act on their own.

We all watched in horror Mr. Trumps insurrection against the United States when he ordered a mob of his supporters to the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Assembly Member Evan Low, D-San Jose, and eight other Democrats wrote in a letter in September asking state Attorney General Rob Bonta to seek a court ruling on Trumps eligibility for the California ballot.

Or, as Low put it in a column for the San Jose Mercury News two weeks later, The time is long due for the judicial system to show its teeth and protect our great Republic from the domestic enemy within.

Bonta has not responded to the letter, and his office had no immediate comment on Tuesdays Colorado court ruling. Low did not announce any further action, saying only that I applaud the Colorado Supreme Courts decision to remove Donald Trump from their ballot for his illegal incitement of the deadly January 6 insurrection. No one is above the law.

Another possibility is that Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Californias top election official, could order Trump removed from the ballot. That would appear to be a plausible outcome if the U.S. Supreme Court denies Trumps appeal of the Colorado ruling, said Sloss, although the former president would almost certainly challenge any such action. Webers office did not respond to the Chronicles request for comment.

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And the state could strengthen Webers authority over ballot access under newly proposed legislation.

Under current law, Sloss said, a ruling like Tuesdays Colorado decision seems less likely in California, despite liberal majorities on the state Supreme Court and most appellate courts. He cited a 2010 ruling by the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento that rejected a lawsuit by a member of the fringe birther movement seeking to remove President Barack Obama from the 2012 California ballot, based on the fictitious argument that he had been born in Kenya.

Californias secretary of state does not have a duty to investigate and determine whether a presidential candidate meets eligibility requirements of the United States Constitution, Justice Arthur Scotland wrote in a 3-0 ruling that is still a binding precedent for trial courts in California.

In addition, Scotland said, the presidential nominating process is not subject to each of the 50 states election officials independently deciding whether a presidential nominee is qualified, as this could lead to chaotic results. Such a decision he said, is best left to each party, with national oversight by Congress.

That, said Sloss, would appear to be an argument for California to stay put and leave it to the Supreme Court.

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But state Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine (Orange County), told the Chronicle on Wednesday that he will introduce a bill next year to overturn the 2010 ruling and require the California secretary of state to determine whether presidential candidates are legally eligible for the ballot. Min said he was motivated by the Colorado decision, which he expects the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn.
20 December 2023 14:59 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The Agricultural Start-ups Forum was jointly organized by the Azerbaijan State Agricultural University (ADAU) and the Ganja Agricultural Innovation Center, Azernews reports.

The forum's goal is to promote agricultural innovations among farmers, entrepreneurs, and youth, to develop agricultural startups in the regions, and to aid in the improvement of agricultural productivity through the use of digital technologies.

Acting Rector of ADAU Zafar Gurbanov made an opening speech and talked about agricultural projects implemented in the liberated territories in recent years. He stated that promoting the innovation and startup sectors is especially important among young people. Gurbanov said that startups from all over the country were represented at 19 stands at the Forum.

Niyazi Bayramov, Ganja city's executive power, emphasized the importance of such events and wished the Forum success.

At the event, a video about agricultural innovations was screened.

Then, officials and representatives of different organizations took the floor and talked about the Agricultural Start-ups Forum.

The panel discussions were held at the end of the Forum. Rashad Azizov of the Public Association Regional Development and moderator of the project "i2b: from idea to business" heard the speeches of 12 specialists on three different topics.

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20 December 2023 16:16 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

For the first time, cable products are being exported to Indonesia, Azernews reports.

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20 December 2023 10:30 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The Days of Azerbaijani Culture have been held in Samara, Russia. The event was timed to the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the 20th anniversary of the public organization League of Azerbaijanis of the Samara Region, Azernews reports.

A round table was held on the topic Russia - Azerbaijan: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and a film presentation about National Leader Heydar Aliyev was organized as part of the Cultural Days.

More than 120 nationalities live in the Samara region. Public organizations and associations play a major role in strengthening friendships between peoples. Azerbaijanis actively participate in the public life of the region and enhance its cultural traditions.

League of Azerbaijanis, which acted as the main organizer of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture, Khayal and Alpan professional ensembles were formed. Today, these creative groups are frequent participants in cultural events of the city and region.

Representatives of Azerbaijan and the regions neighboring Samara, members of the Public Chamber, public figures, scientists, leaders of local national public organizations, heads of Azerbaijani public associations of the regions of the Volga Federal District, the Republic of Dagestan and the city of Moscow took part in the event as guests.

Deputy Chairman of the Samara Region Government Natalya Katina read out a letter on behalf of the Acting Governor of the Samara Region Dmitry Azarov.

"Azerbaijanis living in our region, relying on the spiritual traditions of their ancestors, together with other peoples of our multinational province, are solving the pressing problems of today. While maintaining an inextricable connection with your historical Motherland, you do a lot to develop friendly relations between our countries and peoples. Together with other national public organizations, you carry out great educational and educational work. Unity of actions and thoughts allows us to overcome any difficulties with dignity and makes us stronger. I am sure that we have great prospects ahead for fruitful joint activities in the name of preserving interethnic peace, strengthening friendship and partnership relations between the Samara region and the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter says.

Natalya Katina thanked the chairman of the League of Azerbaijanis Shirvan KArimov for his contribution to strengthening friendly ties between peoples. The head of the Samara city district, Elena Lapushkina, presented letters of gratitude to members of the public organization.

The culmination of the first day was a spectacular gala concert. Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Ismayilov and the Samara brass band under the baton ofHonored Artist of the Samara Region Mark Kogan, People's Artist of Russia Mark Levyant, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Nezaket Teymurova accompanied by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Elshan Mansurov (kamancha) and tar player Intigam Oktayla, laureate of All-Russian and international competitions Vadim Zubkov, Khayal and Alpan dance ensembles and laureate of All-Russian music competitions Aida Akbarova thrilled the audience with colorful show.

On the second day, guests of the region visited the House of Friendship of Peoples of the Samara Region.

The director of the house Igor Burov briefed them about the history and activities of the organization, national cultural centers, as well as interethnic and national events held in the region.

Representatives of Azerbaijan appreciated the importance of the work of the House of Friendship of Peoples, and also expressed gratitude for the support provided to League of Azerbaijanis.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
20 December 2023 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijani Parliament) will ratify the agreement on air communication between Azerbaijan and Iraq, and the draft law on this has been submitted to the Parliament, Azernews reports.

The draft law "On Approval of" Agreement on Air Communication between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Iraq "was discussed in the Milli Majlis Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Relations and was recommended to the plenary session of Parliament.

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20 December 2023 12:34 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The issue of reducing greenhouse gases can be resolved at the COP29 to be held in Baku. According to Azernews, this was told by the former Secretary of State of France, former Minister of Environment, and executive coordinator of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Brice Lalonde.

He said at the "Tomorrow's Oil" conference held at the International Commercial Higher School in Paris, the capital city of France, with the support of the French Institute for Prospects and Security in Europe that Azerbaijan can play a decisive role in making urgent decisions for the protection of the planet.

B. Lalonde said that he has great hopes for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will be held in Baku next year.

"All countries should unite and achieve a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to our planet. The work done in this direction will have a real solution next year It can be found at COP 29, which will be held in Baku. We have high hopes that Azerbaijan will play an important role in this matter."

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has joined the fight against global climate change by being a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our country aims to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. After 2030, a more ambitious target has been set, which consists of reducing greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2050.

The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been held annually since 1995. The main purpose of this event is to evaluate the progress made in the fight against climate change around the world.

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20 December 2023 13:11 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

The Western Azerbaijani Community stated that Armenia's talk about the "destruction of Armenian cultural heritage" is first of all hypocrisy, Azernews reports.

Statements by the Western Azerbaijani Community on the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people were perceived in Armenia as a threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In response to the statement of the Western Azerbaijan Community, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on December 19, 2023, claiming that Armenian cultural heritage has been destroyed in Garabagh, a statement that is first and foremost hypocrisy.

The fact that in recent days the Armenian Foreign Ministry has accused Azerbaijan of "blockade," "aggression," "ethnic cleansing," and reintroduced such a made-up pre-2020 expression as "the people of Nagorno-Karabakh" shows the destructive nature of Armenian diplomacy in Luis Ocampo's thinking and his attempt to undermine the peace process."

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20 December 2023 14:44 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The Swiss Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Thomas Stahli, said that he will make maximum efforts to develop cooperation between Switzerland and Azerbaijan in various fields, Azernews reports.

"Holding COP29 in Azerbaijan will draw the attention of the world community to the country."

According to the Ambassador, since he arrived in Azerbaijan, he has noted the manifestation of great interest in Switzerland.

"I aim to further deepen relations between Switzerland and Azerbaijan in all spheres. Be it at the political level, Switzerland can contribute to the search for and establishment of lasting peace in economic matters. Besides, Swiss companies can contribute to the diversification of the economy or in the field of sustainable development. Also, we should not forget about the cultural sphere, where projects from Switzerland are always given great attention," the diplomat noted.

Thomas Stahli also emphasised the importance of the upcoming year 2024 for the history of modern Azerbaijan.

"I am looking forward to the year 2024. We are on the threshold of a historic moment: the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which will have a global impact. I am proud to have witnessed this historic event.

Azerbaijan will also host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the world's largest international conference in 2024, drawing the attention of the world community to the country," the Ambassador noted.

To recall, on October 24, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to our country, Thomas Stahli.

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20 December 2023 14:23 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The delegation led by Professor Ismayil Koyuncu, rector of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) of Turkiye, was a guest of the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction (AzUAC), Azernews reports.

The Turkish guests had a meeting with a large delegation from the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction. At the round table meeting, the main topics of discussion were the expansion of the dual diploma program in the field of civil engineering between ITU and AzUAC, increasing the number of students, and the development of dual diploma contracts for other specialties.

At the same time, the parties voiced proposals for the diversification of relations and directions for future cooperation. Paying attention to the effective cooperation between the two universities in the field of civil engineering, a detailed discussion was held in the direction of signing the double diploma agreement at the master's level in the field of architecture and the implementation of this agreement.

At the meeting, a preliminary agreement was also reached on creating conditions for the active participation of ITU and AzUAC teachers in the Erasmus program, preparing joint projects, as well as introducing dual diploma programs in the specialties of urban planning and life safety, and organising a joint graduation day.

Then the guests visited the AzUAC campus, had a look at the teaching process at the Faculty of Architecture, and interacted with the academic staff. They inspected the project work exhibited in the corridor of the faculty.

The guests visited the Department of Ecology, as well as the construction of engineering systems and facilities, and inspected the laboratories operating under the departments.

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20 December 2023 13:17 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Zeynal Naghdaliyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Department for Territorial and Organisational Issues, said at a meeting for chairmen of district election commissions at the Central Election Commission that Azerbaijan has made more progress in the transparency of elections, Azernews reports.

According to Zeynal Naghdaliyev, the country's leadership has always given instructions to ensure the transparency of elections.

"Thanks to the decisive actions of the President, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has been fully restored. The whole world is watching the process of "Great Return" to the liberated territories. For the first time, elections will be held in the liberated territories, where 4,395 people have already returned," the official added.

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20 December 2023 15:58 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

The Media Development Agency of Azerbaijan has held a conference on Media Literacy.

According to Azernews, the conference was attended by Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov, Head of the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security Ilgar Musayev, as well as heads of media entities operating in Azerbaijan, media representatives, and volunteers from several state bodies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov noted that media reforms carried out in Azerbaijan serve both to support professional media and to create a healthy media environment.

In his speech, he also noted that so far, the agency has organised several educational events on the topic of media literacy of young people in the regions of Azerbaijan.

"Also, various seminars with the participation of profile experts from Europe have been organised during this period," the executive director stressed.

A. Ismayilov touched upon the increasing number of cases of disinformation in the current global information era.

"This, in turn, implies the importance of such measures and educational work in the direction of media literacy. We believe that media literacy will have the best impact on protecting people from harmful aspects of the new media environment," he said.

Ilgar Musayev, head of the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security (SSISIS), spoke about the importance of raising awareness of possible cyberattacks amid the increasing number of units on social networks.

"The State Service regularly conducts monitoring in the information system of state bodies as well as assessments in the direction of their security. In this regard, I can say that during the current year, the sending of more than 1 million, 400 thousand malicious e-mails to state bodies and their employees was prevented," Musayev said.

At the end of the speeches, the presentation of the Media Literacy platform took place.

Head of Media Support Projects and Strategic Planning Department of Media Development Agency Lyaman Iskenderova mentioned that the website platform consists of 5 sections and 10 subsections.

After the presentation, Feyza Gizlogider, Deputy Head of the Human Resources and Education Department of the High Council of Radio and Television of Turkiye, gave an extensive lecture on the topic of "Remaining a Trace of What We Observe".

The conference continued with a panel session.

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Bob Egelko has been a reporter since June 1970. He spent 30 years with the Associated Press, covering news, politics and occasionally sports in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, and legal affairs in San Francisco from 1984 onward. He worked for the San Francisco Examiner for five months in 2000, then joined The Chronicle in November 2000.

His beat includes state and federal courts in California, the Supreme Court and the State Bar. He has a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and is a member of the bar. Coverage has included the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the appointment of Rose Bird to the state Supreme Court and her removal by the voters, the death penalty in California and the battles over gay rights and same-sex marriage.

He can be reached at begelko@sfchronicle.com.
20 December 2023 14:13 (UTC+04:00)

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has sent a congratulatory letter to Pope Francis on the occasion of Christmas.

The letter says as follows:

Your Holiness,

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and, through you, all your fellow believers, delivering my sincerest and warm wishes on the occasion of the holy Christmas.

One of the holiest celebrations in the Christian world, the Christmas holiday, signifies renewal, mercy, and compassion, bringing people together around high spiritual ideals and values, filling hearts with bright hopes, and inspiring for new achievements. In the Azerbaijani society, known for its high coexistence culture and centuries-old tolerance environment, the Christmas holds a special place among the traditionally celebrated religious holidays.

I proudly acknowledge that Azerbaijan emerged today as a haven where ethnic and religious diversity is safeguarded as a national asset, ensuring equal conditions for all faiths, and gained global recognition as a champion of multiculturalism. In our country, exemplary empathy and brotherhood prevail among people of diverse ethnicities and representatives of various religions who have historically coexisted in an atmosphere of tranquility, friendship, mutual respect, and trust.

In our society, preserving and maintaining ethnic-cultural diversity, interfaith harmony, religious-moral heritage, and multicultural values constitute core tenets of our state policy. Christian citizens in Azerbaijan actively engage, alongside members of other faiths, in all aspects of our country's socio-political life, offering valuable contributions to the comprehensive development of our state. I am confident that the Christian community will continue to contribute their strength and skills to the progress and prosperity of their homeland, Azerbaijan.

The steady and dynamic development of relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See is gratifying. The history of our relationships that serve goodwill intentions is rich in landmark events and achievements. I express my gratitude to you for your great personal contribution to the development of Azerbaijan-Holy See cooperation and the expansion of our constructive dialogue, as well as your high appreciation of Azerbaijan's traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

I believe that the exemplary cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See will contribute to fostering an environment of mutual confidence among civilizations and promoting universal values.

I avail myself of this pleasant opportunity to sincerely congratulate you on your birthday and on the upcoming New Year of 2024, and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your supreme mission for the triumph of humanism ideals.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 14 December 2023

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20 December 2023 17:27 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The regular board meeting was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, with the participation of board members, representatives of structural units of the ministry, and subordinate institutions, Azernews reports.

The Ministry informed that the chairman made a speech and said that important measures for the future development of the energy sector have been envisioned in accordance with the national priorities set by President Ilham Aliyev, the Socio-Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2022-2026, and stressed the importance of timely and efficient execution of measures.

Then, following the agenda of the meeting, reports were heard on the implementation status of the measures that the Energy Ministry had identified as the main executive in the strategy. In the reports presented by the representatives of the relevant structural units of the Ministry, the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources, and the Agency for the Regulation of Energy Issues, the work done on the tasks that will expire in 2023 has been brought to attention. The achieved results and plans for the next years were discussed.

At the meeting, the draft of the Work Plan of the Board of the Energy Ministry for 2024 was reviewed, and a decision was made to approve the Work Plan.

In the end, the chairman of the board gave relevant instructions about the measures planned for the next year, the tasks ahead, and the necessary steps to ensure their prompt implementation.

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20 December 2023 17:38 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The issue of amending the current legislation on domestic violence will soon be discussed in the Azerbaijani parliament, Azernews reports.

Sevil Mikayilova, MP of the Milli Majlis and member of the Family, Women's, and Children's Affairs Committee, said this at the event on the results of the II All-Republic Blogger contest dedicated to the most active blogger on the promotion of family values and women's and children's rights.

At the same time, the deputy emphasised that changing the laws is not enough and that there is a need for propaganda in this area.

According to her, our legislation is quite adequate against the background of intensifying the fight against situations that erode family values, violate gender equality in our society in one way or another, and trample on the rights of children and women.

"We improve our legislation in almost every session of the parliament. We also tighten the laws in accordance with the social orders of society. Every year, when we listen to the report of the State Committee on Family, Women, and Children's Problems, we see how the laws work in this area. There are stereotypes that laws are not enough to explain it as a ban," the MP said.
20 December 2023 16:08 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov met with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, who is on an official visit to the country, on December 20, Azernews reports.

According to the Cabinet of Ministers, the meeting highlighted the importance of the official visit of the Turkish Vice President in terms of further strengthening good neighbourly and brotherly relations between the two countries.

Special attention was paid to the efforts of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the comprehensive development of strategic partnerships and alliances.

It was noted with satisfaction that Azerbaijan and Turkey have always supported each other.

It was underlined that trade and economic cooperation have very high dynamics. Last year, the volume of mutual trade totaled about 6 billion US dollars, showing a 25% growth. In the first 11 months of the current year, the growth was 33 percent.

The sides discussed issues related to the expansion of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in agriculture, humanitarian, educational, tourism, and other spheres.

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20 December 2023 18:10 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

On December 20, Azerbaijan Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Special Representative of the President in Lachin district, Masim Mammadov, and other officials of the Ministry met with military personnel serving in the liberated territories, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.

The Defense Minister emphasized the importance of properly fulfilling the assigned duties by the military personnel in order to improve the individual training of the personnel, and to further increase their knowledge and skills. It was brought to the attention of the servicemen that they should be ready to accomplish all tasks of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief at any moment.

M. Mammadov spoke about the work done in all regions of the country, including the liberated territories, in order to further improve the material and technical support and social and living conditions of military personnel thanks to the attention and care of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He expressed confidence that these works will be continued hereinafter.

Then, a group of distinguished servicemen was awarded with valuable gifts. The Minister viewed the presented military equipment and inspected the readiness of its crews.

The Defense Minister got acquainted with the conditions created in the military unit and was reported that there is a weapon room, dormitory, canteen, kitchen, food and clothing warehouses, bath and sanitary facility, laundry and boiler complex, and generators that provide uninterrupted electricity to the area.

Colonel General Z.Hasanov gave instructions to the relevant high-ranking officers on improving the social and living conditions of servicemen, as well as maintaining a high level of combat readiness.

In the end, a lunch was held with military personnel.

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20 December 2023 23:20 (UTC+04:00)

On December 19-20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted consultations on international legal issues between the Treaty and Legal Department of Uzbekistans MFA and the Main Treaty and Legal Directorate of Belarusian MFA, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz News Agency.

The delegations of the parties were headed by Komil Rashidov from Uzbekistan and Alexey Panferov from Belarus.

The event took place in accordance with the Program of consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries for 2023-2024, signed on April 13 in Samarkand.
20 December 2023 20:40 (UTC+04:00)

Somalia on Wednesday received the second batch of humanitarian aid shipments from Turkiye, which will be distributed to those affected by the country's recent heavy floods caused by El Nino phenomena, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Somalias National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) received the humanitarian aid shipments sent by the Turkish Red Crescent.

The shipment was handed over to the head of the Red Crescent Somalia office in Mogadishu by Turkish Deputy Ambassador to Somalia Ismail Emre at a ceremony held in the capital Mogadishu.

The humanitarian food package will help Somalis affected by the country's recent flooding.

This aid is aimed to be distributed to the needy facing difficulties across the country, SoDMA Commissioner Mahamuud Moallim, who received the shipment, said, expressing gratitude to Turkiye for its support in the challenging time.

The aid is the second shipment from the Turkish Red Crescent to arrive in the Horn of Africa nation since flood relief began in mid-October of this year.

Extreme floods caused by El Nino phenomena have wreaked havoc in Somalia, displacing over 750,000 people and overall affecting over 2 million inhabitants of the country.

The floods have also killed more than 100 people in the worst affected areas, including Baidoa, the administrative capital of Somalias south-western state, one of the floods epicenters.

Last month, the Somali government declared the floods a "national state of emergency."

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State Sen. Dave Min said Wednesday that he plans to introduce a bill to make it easier for candidates like Donald Trump to be removed from California ballots. Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

In the wake of the Colorado Supreme Court declaring Donald Trump ineligible to run for president, a California lawmaker plans to introduce a bill to make it easier for candidates like Trump to be removed from Golden State ballots.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled Trump ineligible for the states primary election ballot under Section 3 of the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment, which bars anyone from seeking or holding federal or state office who has participated in or aided an insurrection or rebellion against the government.

Trump plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is dominated by conservatives, including three he appointed.

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State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, told the Chronicle he will introduce legislation next year that would mandate that the California secretary of state determine whether presidential candidates are eligible to appear on the ballot. The bill would overturn a 2010 state appeals court ruling that found the California secretary of state shouldnt determine presidential candidates eligibility, and give voters the ability to sue to enforce it.

Min, who is running to replace Rep. Katie Porter in Congress, announced his plans to introduce the bill in an Instagram video Wednesday morning. He said his bill was inspired by the Colorado decision. He said he thinks the U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely to uphold that decision, but that he believes the Colorado ruling is based on sound legal reasoning.

I never thought a president would commit insurrection or rebellion, and yet here we are, Min said in the video. This seems to clearly apply to Donald Trump.

Min told the Chronicle he hopes the bill will move quickly. He plans to introduce it in January with an urgency clause, which allows laws to take effect immediately if they are approved by two-thirds of lawmakers and signed by the governor. Its too late for the proposal to apply to California primary ballots, but it could take effect before the 2024 general election.

If the Supreme Court takes up the Colorado ruling, it might make Mins bill moot with respect to Trumps eligibility. Min said he still thinks the measure will be important to safeguard Californians ability to ensure that presidential candidates who appear on their ballots are eligible for the office.

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This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal . The author of this post is Theresa Opeka North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall told Council of State members at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.She said the state set a record with more than 30,000 new businesses created during the period of July and August 2023, higher than any other July or August on record. The number for August was 16,133, while July's number was 14,324. As of August 31, there are more than 121,000 (or 720 per business day) new business creations for the year, leaving the state to be on pace to have the second-highest year on record for job creation. For context, Marshall said it translates to a 76% growth for new businesses compared to 2019.The state has also seen historic levels of annual report filings with more than 550,000 between January 1 and August 31, 70,000 more than the same period last year.Marshall reiterated the need for more funding and an increase in staffing, as she previously mentioned at last month's meeting.she said.Lieutenant Gov. Mark Robinson told the council that he has been concerned over the number of job losses that have been mounting in the state, especially in large manufacturing firms like the Canton paper mill, furniture maker Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams, and others, including thousands of well-paid skilled positions.he said.North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said that students are making academic gains despite school closures from the pandemic, information first presented at last week's State Board of Education meeting.she said.Truitt continued.She went on to say that you cannot listen to an education podcast without hearing about both cognitive and considerable research that has gone into showing that what has been invested in teachers in the way of professional development for the past two years coming out of the pandemic is what works for all children.Truitt noted that there have been upwards of 50% gains in early reading skills for the state's youngest readers in some of the most economically distressed counties, which, in turn, is paying off in older grades as well.she told Gov. Roy Cooper.
Do you consider Election Integrity an issue of some real importance, or just another conspiracy theory interfering with Democratic Socialist political hegemony? No, complete access to everyone voting, even in a willy nilly manner, is more important than getting it right by limiting access to those that would commit Voter Fraud. Yes, the most inalienable right of real citizens of this Democratic Republic is the Right to Vote, and that right shall remain sacrosanct for perpetuity. Again, I don't vote and I don't care. 721 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal Critics of North Carolina's photo voter identification law will not be able to reopen discovery in their federal lawsuit challenging the law. A judge questioned whether ID critics had acted inwhile denying their request Tuesday for additional discovery.Discovery involves collecting documents and conducting interviews while preparing for trial.US Magistrate Judge Patrick Auld determined that ID critics had identified no evidence ofthat would permit reopening of discovery that originally ended in 2020. The federal lawsuit dates back to 2018.Auld wrote in his 31-page order.Auld also focused on thein the plaintiffs' request for additional discovery.the judge wrote.Auld wrote, referencing an injunction ID critics secured from District Judge Loretta Biggs in 2019. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals later threw out that injunction.While the federal lawsuit proceeded, ID critics secured a favorable state court ruling against the 2018 ID law. The state Supreme Court overturned that ruling and reinstated voter ID in April. Voters are expected to show a photo ID for this year's municipal elections.Auld wrote.Auld cited a 10-year-old court ruling in a different case.The courtAuld wrote. When state legislative leaders attempted to intervene in the lawsuit to defend the ID law,the judge added.Auld wrote.Auld wrote.he concluded.Discovery in the federal voter ID lawsuit ended in June 2020. At that time, a trial was scheduled for January 2021.A federal judge delayed that trial and later blocked the case from moving forward. In the meantime, the state Supreme Court ruled in April that the ID law is constitutional.Republican state legislative leaders and the Democrat-led State Board of Elections both objected to additional discovery in the federal suit.Lawmakers warned that additional discovery could delay resolution of the federal lawsuit until after the 2024 election.according to a document legislative leaders filed on Aug. 16.Lawmakers reminded the court that ID critics attempted to shut the General Assembly out of the federal lawsuit. An 8-1 ruling from the US Supreme Court in June 2022 enabled Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, to take part in the case.legislators' lawyers wrote.The document also referenced the potential impact on future elections.A stay issued in December 2021 placed the case in limbo. Plaintiffs challenging the ID law returned to federal court this year after the state Supreme Court's April ruling allowed the ID requirement to move forward.Auld determined during a July 26 hearing that ID critics would not be allowed to request additional information or conduct interviews with lawmakers.Berger and Moore urged Auld to decide that the case should move forward based on discovery conducted by June 2020.legislators' lawyers wrote.Berger and Moore's legal team added.Lawmakers emphasized the prospect of a lengthy court proceeding.Berger and Moore's lawyers wrote.lawmakers' lawyers warned.Purcell is the 2006 US Supreme Court precedent calling on federal judges not to issue decisionsBerger and Moore's lawyers concluded.In a separate court filing, the State Board of Elections explained its objections to reopening discovery in the case.the elections board's lawyers wrote.according to the document.the elections board's brief continued.
Understanding that there are two firm positions concerning the Open Border Crises, but many realties regarding its current, and, or projected real impacts to the functioning, sustainability of this Constitutional Republic: What position below best represents what you know to be true regarding this impactful policy?

0% The United States' must continue the Executive initiative of Open Borders until a Democratic Congress can codify full Demographic Inclusion by keeping the Biden /Harris Open Borders policy in place.34.62% Our United States' borders are sovereign just as are our self-governed citizens, where borders must be maintained, monitored and defended, which is the position of core Republicans.3.85% I am in favor of Open Borders to make my America more of a global community; however, the federal government must now fix problems that "Red State" governors have caused in our cities.61.54% I do NOT favor the Democratic Socialists' disruption of the cultural fabric of my Representative Republic, and there will be Treasonous Hell to Pay when the certain calamity begins in earnest.
Three eastern German states will hold state elections at staggered times next year, and the polls have shown the parties of the right - traditional and populist - leading. Local elections are also held at staggered times instead of all at once, and those leading up to these state elections are being scrutinized for what they foretell about the coming state elections.

The most recent town election in Pirna in Saxony shows the populist right running very strong. Saxony has been a stronghold of the traditional conservative CDU since the fall of communism, and the CDU has also consistently governed Pirna. This election, however, the vote moved rightward and the CDU was displaced by the populist / nationalist anti-immigraion Alternativ fur Deutschland (AfD).

The race came down to a three way contest between three parties of the right, the CDU, AfD, and the populist / nationalist anti-immigration Free Voters. Most of the other big national parties endorsed the CDU candidate. When the votes were counted, the AfD candidate won with 38.5%, followed by the CDU with 31.4% and the Free Voters candidate with 30.1%. Between them, the two populist right anti-immigration parties received over 2/3rds of the vote.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/germany-afd-candidate-wins-saxony-mayoral-election/

Here is the latest poll results from the respected Forsa polling company:: CDU plus CSU 31&, AfD 23%, Social Democrats 14%, Greens 13%, Free Democrats 5%, Left Party 3%. On these numbers, the Left Party will crash out of the Bundestag completely and the Free Democrats are on the knife edge of doing so. The populist nationalist Free Voters, while strong in a number of states, have never been a factor in national elections. This chart also compares polling number with votes in the last election:

https://rmx.news/germany/germanys-anti-immigration-afd-party-soars-to-new-high-in-year-end-poll/

https://rumble.com/v41vxlq-migrants-are-collapsing-germanys-economy-and-fueling-crime-says-afds-female.html

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People gather to see the main stage at the Night Market in the Sunset District of San Francisco on Sept. 15. New data suggests the citys population has grown over the past few years. Felix Uribe/Special to the Chronicle

After seeing some of the biggest pandemic population losses of any American city, San Francisco is starting to bounce back.

The citys population began growing again in 2021 after plunging at the onset of the pandemic, a year earlier than previously thought, according to California Department of Finance data released Tuesday.

Read more: The California exodus continues. Chart shows how unusual the population drop was

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The city gained about 1,400 people between July 2021 and July 2022, according to a revised estimate. A previous Department of Finance report estimated a loss of around 4,400 people during that period. The revisions incorporate migration data from the Internal Revenue Service and 2020 census data.

Gains were stronger in the following 12 months: The city grew by about 4,900 people to a total of a little over 848,000 residents, a positive sign that it remains appealing in the age of remote work and despite persistently high housing costs. San Franciscos 0.6% gain was the fourth-highest percentage increase among California counties, behind the three rural counties of Yuba, Madera and Mono.

The citys return to growth could boost its economy as it grapples with a budget crisis and stave off fears of a doom loop. Population swings have been driven mostly by people moving out or in, rather than births and deaths. By voting with their feet, many departing residents told the Chronicle that the city was no longer worth it.

They flocked to destinations such as Texas and Washington state during the pandemic. But the more recent gains show that San Francisco is drawing in more people than it is losing, though it remains roughly 22,000 people smaller than it was in mid-2020.

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Between July 2022 and July 2023, the city saw a net gain of 4,682 people through domestic and international migration, the highest growth among California counties from those two sources. Notably, net domestic migration accounted for a gain of 1,070 people, up from a loss of nearly 3,000 people in the prior 12 months.

Between July 2020 and July 2021, San Francisco lost a staggering 29,013 people, or 3.3%, almost all due to net out-migration amid stringent health restrictions. (The U.S. Census Bureau, which uses a different methodology, said the population loss was 6.3% during that time, the biggest percentage drop of any major American city.)

Three of the Bay Areas most populous counties also saw gains. Santa Clara County grew by about 8,500 people, or 0.5%, between July 2022 and July 2023. San Mateo County grew by 2,800 people, or 0.4%, and Alameda County increased by a little over 6,000 people, or 0.4%. The other five Bay Area counties lost population, with Napa County seeing the biggest percentage decline of 0.8%, or about 1,000 people.

The population of Los Angeles County, home to over 9.8 million people, or a quarter of the states residents, fell by about 15,000 people, or 0.15%.

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Californias total population fell by only 0.1%, a loss of 37,200 people, in the same period, thanks to fewer deaths and an immigration rebound compared with the prior year. The loss was far narrower than the 0.75% drop between July 2020 and July 2021, a net loss of 295,000 people.

The state lost a net 260,400 people to domestic out-migration. The Department of Finance noted that net domestic migration has been negative for almost 20 years, leaving the state dependent on births and international immigration to make up the loss.

The state gained 107,300 people from natural increase  births minus deaths  plus a net 115,900 people from international migration.

San Francisco population loss was a common subject during the early part of the pandemic. But new data suggests people were moving into the city sooner than previously thought. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Only 16 of Californias 58 counties grew, with four Bay Area counties seeing some of the biggest gains.

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Separately, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Tuesday that California lost over 75,000 people between July 2022 and 2023, using different methodology. In contrast, 42 of 50 states gained population. County-level census data will be released in March.

The U.S. population grew by 1.6 million, or 0.5%, as the country recovered from the pandemic during that time. A striking 87% of the countrys population growth happened in the south.

The Department of Finance previously told the Chronicle that the Census Bureaus 2022 estimates, which showed a lower San Francisco population, were likely more accurate than its own. But this year, the departments figures are probably stronger, said Department of Finance chief demographer Walter Schwarm, since they account better for in-migration.

State data comes from drivers licenses, birth and death certificates, address changes, tax returns, health care programs, elementary school enrollment, immigration reports and group quarters population data.
For ASCs, providing anesthesia in 2023 was a huge obstacle amid provider shortages and declining reimbursements.

"Today's shortage of anesthesia providers has been compounding for years and has turned into an incredible challenge for all," Andrew Lovewell, CEO of Columbia (Mo.) Orthopaedic Group, told Becker's. "Not only is it difficult to find anesthesia coverage, finding coverage that understands and embraces the priorities and workflow of an ASC are seemingly impossible."

Here are five key notes on how the shortage tangibly affected providers:

1. More than 2,872 anesthesiologists left the workforce from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from Definitive Healthcare.

2. ASCs are struggling to afford to pay anesthesiologists as costs soar.

"Anesthesia used to be a seemingly unlimited commodity," Jeff Dottl, principal at Ventura, Calif.-based Physicians Surgery Centers, told Becker's. "They were lucky to be invited to work at your surgery center. The tables have turned, and now if centers have anyone to cover anesthesia, it usually comes at a hefty price."

3. In November, Portland, Ore.-based Providence Portland Medical Center and Providence St. Vincent Medical Center canceled several hundred surgeries because of a shortage of anesthesia providers. The shortage dame after the hospitals' anesthesia staffing was taken over by Tacoma, Wash.-based, private equity-backed Sound Physicians.

4. In January, Montana's health systems said they had been experiencing a shortage of anesthesiologists. Billings Clinic, for its part, had signed a contract with Billings Anesthesiology in November 2022 to alleviate the shortage.

5. Shawna Alfano, MSN, RN, administrator and director of nursing of Walnut Creek, Calif.-based BASS Surgery Center, told Becker's that the importance of an anesthesia backup plan was the most important thing she learned in 2023.

"Without anesthesia, it really does not matter whether a center can run successfully from a financial standpoint, as you are not running anything without the proper medical staff to perform the cases," she said.






Greenwich, Conn.-based psychologist Michael Lonski, PhD, was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment for operating a $2.6 million healthcare fraud scheme.

Dr. Lonski and his wife Evelyn Llewellyn, PhD, ran medical practices out of their home, according to a Dec. 19 news release from the Justice Department. Dr. Lonski assumed responsibility for submitting claims for reimbursements provided by himself and his wife, both at their home office and at skilled nursing facilities.

From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Lonski billed for services he knew were not rendered, including those provided to patients who were deceased or when he was out of the county. The fraudulent claims resulted in more than $2.6 million in losses, according to the report.

On Dec. 12, 2022, Dr. Lonski pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud. He is required to report to prison on March 25, 2024.

In May 2023, Dr. Llewellyn entered an agreement to pay $658,294 to settle claims she received payment for fraudulent claims submitted by Dr. Lonski.
This year has been a tumultuous one for ASCs. With issues such as reimbursement declines, physician shortages and rising burnout levels at the top of mind for industry leaders, there has been a lot to monitor.

Here is a breakdown of the biggest ASC updates in each month of 2023, as determined by Becker's page views:

January

Here is a list of the 10 worst states for physicians to retire, based on affordability, quality of life and healthcare.

February

Here is a comparison of the average income earned by experience between nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

March

From consolidation to physician shortages, seven physicians spoke with Becker's to discuss the healthcare trends they are wary of in 2023.

April

Here are the youngest healthcare billionaires in the U.S. for 2023.

May

ASC operator and physician services company Envision filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Envision has been battling high labor costs and was recently in a dispute with UnitedHealthcare in which the insurer alleged Envision was billing routine visits as unnecessarily complex care. The company had approximately $7 billion in debt.

June

Here is a list that ranks all 50 states ranked by number of ASCs using CMS' most recent data.

July

UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, is on a spending spree, acquiring more than $10 billion worth of companies in the last year. Here are seven of the company's deals to know in 2023.

August

A change to Stark law policies left some physician groups that provide certain medical equipment, devices and supplies to their Medicare patients worried they may be in violation. Many groups were using mailing services to send patients their supplies throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency, which was lifted May 11. The update required Medicare beneficiaries to come to the practice's office to pick up their durable medical equipment when they are furnished and billed by physicians.

Physician practices can still mail the equipment if the prescribing physician both personally enrolls as a Medicare durable medical equipment supplier and personally performs all the services related to the equipment.

September

As of September, eight major U.S. health systems had canceled their Medicare Advantage contracts, often citing low reimbursement rates and prior authorization hassles.

The large-scale termination of these contracts could signal a national trend that could affect ASCs and health systems.

Here is why the eight health systems cut ties with Medicare Advantage.

October

From cardiology to minimally invasive spine procedures, four ASC leaders joined Becker's to discuss which procedures they see moving to the outpatient setting.

November

Beginning Jan. 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts will no longer cover the use of monitored anesthesia for certain gastrointestinal patients undergoing endoscopic, bronchoscopic, or interventional pain procedures.

It will no longer consider the use of monitored anesthesia medically necessary for these procedures unless a patient receives documentation by the operating physician or anesthesiologist/certified registered nurse anesthesiologist that specific risk factors or significant medical conditions are present, according to the new policy.

December

In wake of declining reimbursement and other issues, the number of physicians who have decided to no longer treat or accept Medicare and Medicaid patients has increased in recent years. Here is a look at why.
Multibillion-dollar insurance giant UnitedHealthcare Group is the largest health insurance company in the U.S. by market share. Here are five of the company's most impactful healthcare moves in 2023, as determined by Becker's page views:

1. UnitedHealthcare's first of two waves of prior authorization cuts started Sept. 1. The first wave eliminated 20% of its current prior authorization requirements, and the second and final wave in November included cuts to community plans.

2. UnitedHealthcare is discontinuing some Medicare Advantage plans and exiting some service areas for 2024. In a message sent to providers, the insurer said affected plans include some plans co-branded with AARP; UnitedHealthcare MedicareDirect, a fee-for-service-based program; some dual-eligible plans; and other MA options. However, a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told Becker's the company is expanding its overall Medicare Advantage offerings for 2024.

3. UnitedHealthcare revamped planned prior authorization policy changes after receiving pushback from medical groups and other organizations.

The insurer planned to implement new gastroenterology and endoscopy prior authorization policies June 1 but decided to enact an advance notification policy for non-screening and nonemergent GI procedures.

Gastroenterology societies and other organizations pushed back against the proposed policy, arguing it would result in delays for medically necessary care, add unnecessary paperwork burden to physicians and staff, and may violate Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight recommendations.

The company then reworked its policy; however, the replacement policy was also met with criticism. Experts argued the reworked policy would still limit patient access to lifesaving procedures and that there is no evidence of overuse of the affected GI procedures that would make the restrictions necessary.

4. UnitedHealthcare plans to enhance the benefits of its UCard, an integrated insurance ID card with many uses for members.

The UCard is for Medicare Advantage and D-SNP members to use as a traditional insurance ID card to access care and fill prescriptions, along with offering a way to pay for healthy food and over-the-counter products at certain retailers, pay for utilities and check in at the gym, if eligible.

In 2024, UnitedHealthcare is expanding its MA plans to reach 96% of all Medicare-eligible individuals.

5. UnitedHealthcare was hit with a lawsuit by Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health that alleged the company breached its contract by disclosing information about Prisma's rate proposals to media outlets and not providing a copy of any statement to the media to Prisma 48 hours before publication. The health system requested a temporary injunction preventing UnitedHealthcare from disclosing further information.

UnitedHealthcare responded, saying it did not breach its contract with Prisma and that the health system "coordinated a media effort to put pressure" on the insurance giant. The companies were in the midst of negotiating a new contract.
Here are three major updates since Nov. 17 from Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, parent company of ASC chain United Surgical Partners International, the largest ASC chain in the country.

USPI is a major focus of Tenet's growth. The company said at the beginning of the year it would invest approximately $250 million annually into its ASC business.

John Muir hospital deal scrapped

John Muir Health called off its acquisition of San Ramon (Calif.) Regional Medical Center from Tenet a month after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the deal.

Walnut Creek, Calif.-based John Muir holds a 49% stake and had planned to require the remaining 51% from Tenet. The FTC said the deal would drive up healthcare costs and eliminate competition.

COO named for Palm Beach Health Network and St. Mary's Medical Center

Maria Morales-Menendez was named as the group COO for Tenet's Palm Beach Health Network and West Palm Beach, Fla.-based St. Mary's Medical Center. She previously served as COO of Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach, Fla.

3 South Carolina hospitals sold

Tenet sold three hospitals in South Carolina to Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health for $2.4 billion. The hospitals are Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, Hilton Head Hospital in Hilton Head Island and East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant.

Tenet's ASCs in the market will remain operated by USPI. Under the agreement, Novant and USPI will also enhance their ASC partnership with the goal of increasing access to care.
Bay of Burma owners Ei Kay Zin, left, and Ryan Zin say their restaurant has been targeted by armed robbers twice since September. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Ei Kay Zin and Ryan Zin had high hopes. After saving for six years, they opened a restaurant called Bay of Burma in May on the ground floor of a new South of Market apartment building.

But, on opening day, they received some unexpected news: The city planned to acquire the building at 1174 Folsom St. and convert its 42 studio apartments into supportive housing for homeless youth. At the end of November, the city purchased the property for $27 million, in what was the years largest local multifamily real estate sale.

Though she supports expanding such services, Ei Kay Zin said the move was a shock and left us feeling utterly helpless and ignored.

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The neighborhood, already burdened by three similar projects, has shown the strain these facilities can bring, she said. This, coupled with the citys track record of poorly maintaining such projects, casts a shadow over the future of our restaurant and the surrounding area.

Operating in SoMa has already been challenging. Bay of Burma has experienced vandalism, theft and nearby drug use, escalating to a robbery at gunpoint on Sept. 13.

Thieves took a cash register with $250 and forced the restaurant to close for three days, leading to $10,000 in losses related to food waste and employee compensation. Insurance only covered $750, said Ryan Zin.

Then on Dec. 11, less than two weeks after the city bought the building, another man with a gun entered the restaurant and demanded cash, security footage shows. He left only because the store went cashless after the first robbery.

A man attempts to rob Bay of Burma restaurant at gunpoint at 1174 Folsom St. in South of Market on Dec. 11, 2023. Courtesy Bay of Burma

Workers now feel unsafe, and the Burmese restaurant has already been losing money every month, said Ryan Zin.

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Expenses are around $20,000 per month, including rent of almost $4,800 per month. Sales total only around $12,000, said Ryan Zin, who said he has close to $100,000 in debt.

We are at a breaking point. The mental toll of these past months has been immense as we are barely keeping afloat, said Ei Kay Zin.

(She and Ryan Zin arent related. Burmese people dont have last names, but many adopt Zin as a last name, Ryan Zin said.)

The city has approved payments of around $1.8 million to relocate 34 existing market-rate residential tenants. Bay of Burmas owners hope to secure $200,000 in relocation assistance, which is equivalent to the cost of building out the restaurant. The city hasnt responded to the request.

We want to relocate like the residential tenants, Ryan Zin said. We didnt sign up for this.

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The business is barely surviving, he said. People are scared to come into the city. Right now its so hard.

Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for Mayor London Breed, said police are actively investigating the attempted robbery.

We have no tolerance for these kinds of crimes against our small businesses or anyone, he said. We are working to address crimes in all of our neighborhoods, including the South of Market area where local, state, and federal law enforcement have dedicated a lot of resources to shut down the open-air drug markets and any crimes related to those.

Cretan said the building will have 24-hour staffing, and safety will likely improve. He hopes the restaurant will stay. This is the kind of investment we need to continue to make progress on homelessness, he said.

Payam Nejad, a real estate broker at Colliers, represented seller Greenseed Folsom Land LLC in the sale. He said the citys purchase price of $651 per square foot was less than the cost of construction. The size of the building and a second-floor office space gives room for program space to provide the residents the resources they need, making the property ideal for the supportive housing program, he said.

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New tenants are expected to move in during the spring as long as the city passes legislation to renew streamlining for homelessness programs, Cretan said. If not, move-ins will be delayed for several months.
Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Physician Network added Sheryl Christy, DO, to its team of cardiologists.

Dr. Christy has clinical interests in congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and preventive cardiology, according to a Dec. 19 news release from the health network.

Dr. Christy is seeing patients at Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology in Crown Point, Ind.

Franciscan Physician Network serves patients throughout Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, according to its website.
Here are the 10 most expensive ASCs announced or opened in 2023, as reported by Becker's. The moves' price tags together top $715 million:

1. Eisenhower Health's Rancho Mirage (Calif.) Hospital is investing $156 million in a four-story cardiology ASC and an expansion of its cardiology pavilion.

2. Camden, N.J.-based Cooper University Health Care announced plans for its $150 million ambulatory care center inside of a former Sears department store in Moorestown, N.J.

3. The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington submitted a certificate-of-need application for a $130 million multispecialty ASC.

4. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital was given conditional approval from the state to build an ASC for $78.4 million.

5. HealthPartners began construction on a $50.5 million specialty ASC in Woodbury, Minn.

6. A topping-off ceremony was held for a $40 million, Enfield, Conn.-based ASC, the S. Prestley and Helen Blake Ambulatory Care Center.

7. Newmark Healthcare arranged a $30 million construction loan to develop a 99,000-square-foot medical office building in Madison, Miss. The building will be constructed by Boldt Healthcare Real Estate Development.

8. The Indiana Joint Replacement Institute started construction on its $28 million orthopedic surgery center in Noblesville, Ind.

9. Centennial, Colo.-based Centura Health opened a $28 million ASC at its St. Anthony Hospital campus in Lakewood, Colo.

10. UC San Diego Health was given $25 million by the McGrath Family Foundation in support of the development of the health system's new outpatient center.
Despite Senate budget committee members recently opening an investigation into private equity ownership in healthcare, private equity remains a powerful force in healthcare.

Here are four recent private equity moves for ASCs to know:

1. Global investment firm KKR is working with Veritas Capital to acquire a 50% stake in healthcare analytics company Cotiviti for between $10 billion and $11 billion.

2. GI Partners, a private equity firm, partnered with a group of former Healthcare Trust of America executives for a joint venture focused on investing in medical outpatient buildings.

3. Digital health company Virgin Pulse finalized a $3 billion merger with benefits and analytics platform HealthComp, and private equity group New Mountain Capital is now the majority owner of the merged company.

4. Private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired EHR vendor NextGen Healthcare for $1.8 billion.
Jonesboro, La.-based Jackson Parish Hospital has broken ground on an $11 million two-part expansion project.

The first phase of the project will make upgrades to the front of the hospital by updating the patient and vehicle traffic flow, Jason Thomas, PhD, COO and CIO of Jackson Parish Hospital, shared with Becker's in an email. Inside the hospital, the former surgery and business office areas will then be combined into an expanded endoscopy suite, along with parts of a new emergency room area.

Shutting down the existing ER, phase 2 will then move its services into the newly expanded phase 1 space while knocking down the former ER to upgrade and rebuild it. The existing ER and surgery space sit at around 2,500 square feet each. Once complete, the project will allow for a combined 12,000 square feet between the new ER and surgery space.

The new ER will feature eight treatment rooms and two trauma rooms, with additional access to the new surgery space's single trauma room and three treatment areas if needed. A new ambulance bay will also be a part of the project, allowing for four-vehicle pass-through availability, along with ambulance and patient dedicated lanes. A 46-car parking lot will also be included in the project.

"Our hospital has been a sixty-year fixture of the community, but only one major renovation has occurred in that entire history and that was for the inpatient wings," Dr. Thomas told Becker's. "While we've made greater progress in implementing state-of-the-art technology throughout our hospital, this facility renovation will help match the building to modern healthcare requirements as well and provide more space tailored to today's needs with plans for tomorrow's growth."

The project is being funded in part by a $2 million community appropriation project supported by Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., with the rest coming from the hospital's operating funds. Phase 1 is expected to wrap up in November or December 2024, with phase 2 completing construction in summer 2025, Dr. Thomas said.
Cardiologists are speaking out against a Lown Institute report that alleged 1 in 5 stents placed in Medicare recipients were considered "overuse," Medscape reported Dec. 20.

The October report looked at percutaneous coronary interventions using Medicare claims data from 2019 to 2021 at 1,773 hospitals with the capacity to perform the procedure. The stent placement was defined as "overuse" if it was in a patient with stable coronary artery disease. It concluded more than 229,000, or 20%, of stent placements were unnecessary.

However, cardiologists said the Lown criteria for overuse ignored the appropriate use criteria and other guidelines published by professional societies.

"Their invented, new definition of overuse is something that belongs to them," George Dangas, MD, PhD, president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and professor of medicine and surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Medscape. The overuse definition "doesn't have validity or generalizable utilization by anyone except for themselves," he said.

Wayne Batchelor, MD, chair of the Interventional Council at the American College of Cardiology, told Medscape Lown "used an extremely liberal definition of overuse" and noted it covered any stent placed during a nonemergency.

"It's just not consistent with reality, nor does it take into account the multiple factors that go into decision-making for implanting stents that patients and physicians must take into account," he said.

The Lown Institute countered that its calculations have been published and its methodology for the report is based in part on a 2014 investigation a JAMA on low-value care in Medicare and a 2021 paper on overuse of medical tests. The Institute explained its methods in a 2023 white paper.
As we continue to move out of the pandemic, Chris Bergman, vice president and CFO of Dayton Children's Hospital, is dedicating much of his time and effort to tackling the behavioral health crisis among kids in the new year.

"That really was growing rapidly before COVID, and COVID just made it explode exponentially in terms of the need," Mr. Bergman told Becker's. "Like most children's hospitals, [behavioral health] was not a major part of your business."

In an effort to expand, Mr. Bergman said Dayton Children's is adding more capacity on the inpatient side, while also expanding outpatient reach: "We're in year two of that. We're building a brand new $100 million dollar inpatient facility, and then also expanding our outpatient into our communities and trying to get sourcing out into our outpatient communities."

When children get admitted for behavioral health, Mr. Bergman said they don't always return home well, like if they were to break an arm and have it completely heal.

"We need to build some day centers where parents drop their kids off and spend a day, and it may be a three-week course, four-week course, or however long it takes that you need help afterward. So we're building things like that," he said.

Underserved children and those who don't have primary care service access is another top priority for Dayton Children's.

"We say that sometimes a person's level of care is determined less by their genetic code and more by their ZIP code," Mr. Bergman said.

However, the ongoing challenge remains finding the funding to bridge these types of gaps.

"Behavioral health is a huge challenge because I don't have enough resources yet," Mr. Bergman said. "I've got to build capacity to take care of these kids, but it's way underfunded. When we look at our business, it's like one of our lowest margin services, but it's the one that needs to grow the most. It needs to probably double in size, but it's the lowest margin of all the things we do."

Mr. Bergman said running sharp operations and working closely with payers is key to getting money.

"The state of Ohio has done a really nice job to try to put some money into behavioral health, a lot of it on the pediatric side," he said. "So, they're doing their job and the payers are attuned to it because I think they're hearing the same thing, particularly from their employers that then cover."

To avoid losing money fast, Mr. Bergman also encourages other CFOs to keep a tight revenue cycle: "I always say to my CFO peers, you just have to just put the money into that, do what you need to do to keep it really sharp. It's easy to only collect 95% where you're supposed to and that 5% is a really big number at that point in time. So it's just that constant challenge."

Moving forward, Mr. Bergman wants people to realize that health is wealth, especially as patients age out of pediatric care.

"So once a child ages out, let's say like they get to 19, 20, nobody realizes the impact of what we do for them now, their healthcare needs into the future," he said. "Our whole healthcare system is built around taking care of sick people, and so they don't measure that. Well, if I kept them healthier, and did the right things to get them healthier, that would save you so much money for when they're age 20 to 80."
James Leonard, DO, was selected as the new CEO of Valparaiso, Ind.-based Northwest Health-Porter.

Dr. Leonard is the first physician to be appointed CEO of the organization, according to a Dec. 19 news release shared with Becker's. He has served at the helm on an interim basis since Aug. 1.

Dr. Leonard has held various roles at Northwest Health since joining the Valparaiso-based system a decade ago. He has served as emergency room medical director, administrative physician executive and, most recently, market chief medical officer.

"Dr. Leonard's experience as a practicing physician and chief medical officer combined with his leadership skills and ability to drive high quality performance makes him the right person to lead Northwest Health  Porter," Karen Allen, PhD, RN, chair of the Northwest Health-Porter board of trustees, said in the release. "The board looks forward to working with him to move our plans forward."



Northwest Health-Porter, which is owned in part by physicians, includes two hospital campuses as well as outpatient facilities in Northwest Indiana.
Spine and orthopedic devicemakers are ramping up their robotics efforts and have ambitious plans for the year ahead.

Stryker has its eyes on two launches in 2024  spine and shoulder robotic applications. Stryker's vice president of investor relations, Jason Beach, said Mako spine is expected to launch in the second half of 2024, while the initial shoulder launch is planned toward the end of that year. In a November earnings call, CEO Kevin Lobo said the spine robot will focus on pedicle screw placement.

Meanwhile Zimmer Biomet, which is known for its Rosa Knee robot, is also gunning for a shoulder application launch. CEO and former COO Ivan Tornos said in February that he expects the company will beat Stryker to the punch with the shoulder robot.

Another contender in the joint replacement space is Globus Medical. CEO Dan Scavilla said in a November earnings call that the company is awaiting the FDA's approval for a knee robot, and he expects to launch it in the first half of 2024.
Awake spine surgery has slowly grown since the beginning of 2022. Here are five milestones to know:

1. Ernest Braxton, MD, performed the first awake robot-assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in Colorado.

2. Kingsley Abode-Iyamah, MD, performed one of the first robotic-assisted awake spinal fusions in Florida.

3. The first awake spinal fusion with Wenzel Spine's VariLift-LX interbody implant has been completed. The minimally invasive spine surgery was performed by Ahmer Ghori, MD, of Orthopaedics Northeast in Fort Wayne, Ind.

4. Terence Chen, MD, performed the first awake spine surgery with the ExcelsiusGPS robot at Walnut Creek (Calif.) Medical Center. Dr. Chen performed an intradiscal lumbar interbody fusion on a patient with back issues caused by degenerative discs.

5. Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University has successfully completed its first awake spinal surgery, led by Josiah Orina, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery, and Kevin Blaine, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology. The outpatient procedure, a minimally invasive microdiscectomy, took two hours.
Rachel Lederman, senior counsel for the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, announced a class-action lawsuit against San Francisco and its police officials on behalf of those arrested during the Dolores Hill Bomb event in August. The annual unpermitted skate event at 17th and Dolores streets often devolves into chaos, as crowds gather to watch skateboarders barrel down a steep hill. More than 100 hundred young people were arrested during the event. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Four teens filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking class action status against San Francisco police alleging they wrongfully arrested a group of young participants and revelers after a summer skateboarding event known as the Dolores Hill Bomb turned chaotic.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco federal court, alleges officers in riot gear needlessly corralled teens and young adults and detained them for hours in the cold without legal grounds in August at the event. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims the police response violated the groups constitutional rights to gather in public and be free of unreasonable arrests, searches and seizures, among other claims.

Police officials have said they took action after they declared the event an unlawful assembly and ordered the crowd to disperse after people graffitied and climbed on top of Muni vehicles and threw fireworks and bottles at officers. Police contained the crowd and opted for mass arrests to stop the unlawful assembly and destruction of property, Chief Bill Scott said in a statement a day after the event.

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Police detained more than 100 people on suspicion of inciting a riot, including 32 adults who were booked into jail and 81 juveniles who were cited and released. The allegations in the lawsuit put the Police Department under renewed scrutiny for its response to the annual gathering, which is not sanctioned by the city. The department did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The event attracts large crowds every year as skateboarders barrel down a steep hill, sometimes crashing spectacularly. At last years event, there was a sideshow and a stabbing. In 2019, renowned local skateboarder Tomoko Oikawa fell and fractured her skull.

The lawsuit was announced Tuesday afternoon during a news conference at Dolores Park. Standing on the corner of Dolores and 18th streets, attorney Rachel Lederman said police were supposedly concerned about safety during the event, but it was police that endangered these youth. She called the ordeal an illegal mass arrest.

According to the lawsuit, the Police Department was aware of plans for the event and did not connect with the skateboarding community to discuss safety concerns. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes the area where the young people were detained, previously said there were several community meetings before the event.

On the afternoon of the event, police and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency set up barriers but did not post signs that the event was prohibited, according to the lawsuit. The suit claims officers confined teens and young adults and didnt allow them to leave. According to the lawsuit, a 15-year-old girl, Carmel Lopez, who is named as a plaintiff, heard police order attendees to leave the park, but did not hear specific instructions about how to leave.

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The lawsuit claims there was no probable cause to arrest the teens and young adults, many of whom are Latino and Black. The lawsuit alleges officers violated a department policy requiring officers to give crowds some time to leave an area and designate a safe and clear route for crowds to disperse.

According to the lawsuit, those arrested were detained for hours as the night turned cold and windy. Officers turned down their requests for access to bathrooms and refused to release them to their parents until hours later, the lawsuit says.

In the aftermath, some residents and elected officials suggested the police response was heavy-handed and escalated the situation. Police officials defended their response, saying that in one incident, a boy spat on an officers face. When the officer tried to arrest the boy, a girl interfered, officials said. During the incident, the crowd threw fireworks, smoke bombs, glass bottles and metal cans at officers, they said.

Lederman, the attorney, said officers had no reason to believe the people who were detained were involved in the vandalism or other crimes. She said she will ask for a court order to clear the arrest records of the teens and young adults.

In a video of the event posted on YouTube, a boy who is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit can be seen beside a Muni vehicle as it is being graffitied, holding something in his hand. Lederman declined to comment on the video.

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The San Francisco District Attorneys Office said Tuesday that it charged one person with setting off a destructive device and possessing a dangerous firework. On Thursday, he was ordered to stand trial. He remains in custody and could face more than 11 years in state prison if convicted of the charges, according to the office.
Famous NI cafe hit with one-star hygiene rating as boss blames complacency

SD Bells has been warned major improvement is necessary following an inspection by a City Council food safety officer at its coffee bar at Knock in east Belfast

Top East Belfast cafe SD Bells hit with one star score for hygiene

Stephen Gordon Wed 20 Dec 2023 at 07:25

A famous Northern Ireland tea and coffee specialist has been hit with a one star out of five hygiene rating at its popular Belfast cafe.
Campaigners opposed to the building of a new nuclear power plant near Sizewell in Suffolk have lost the latest stage of a legal battle with the Government (Tom Pilgrim/PA)

Campaigners opposed to the building of a new nuclear power plant near Sizewell in Suffolk have lost the latest stage of a legal battle with the Government.

Protest group Together Against Sizewell C objects to a decision, made in 2022 by then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, to give the development the green light.

The group had mounted a Court of Appeal challenge after losing a High Court fight earlier this year.

But three appeal judges dismissed the groups appeal on Wednesday.

EDFs Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk (Chris Radburn/PA)

Sir Keith Lindblom, Lady Justice Andrews and Lord Justice Lewis had considered arguments at a Court of Appeal hearing in London in November.

Lawyers representing the group told judges the central issue relates to whether a development consent order was lawful without any assessment of the environmental impacts of an essential fresh water supply.

The group had taken legal action against Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho and Sizewell C Ltd.

Lawyers representing the two defendants said the appeal should be dismissed.

Together Against Sizewell C argued at a High Court hearing earlier this year that the Government failed to assess possible environmental impacts, including the impact of the water supply, and did not consider alternative solutions to meeting energy and climate change objectives.

The Government argued that it had made legitimate planning judgments.

A High Court judge  Mr Justice Holgate  had dismissed Together Against Sizewell Cs challenge.

Kwasi Kwarteng gave the Sizewell C development the green light in 2022 while he was business secretary (UK Parliament/PA)

During its appeal, Together Against Sizewell C said ministers needed to guarantee how a permanent water supply of two million litres per day for Sizewell C would be obtained, before giving consent.

Campaigners said the environmental impact of such a plant was not included in the planning application for the nuclear power plant, and therefore neither assessed nor taken into account.

But the appeal judges backed Mr Justice Holgates reasoning.

They said, in a written ruling published online: He correctly concluded that the Secretary of State was entitled in this case to regard the project as the power station, and that the provision of a permanent water supply was not part of that project but formed a different and separate project.

They said Mr Justice Holgate had been right to conclude that it was rational for the Secretary of State to defer appropriate assessment of the impact of the permanent water supply under habitats regulations to a later stage, because the information necessary for a proper assessment was not available at the time of his decision on the application for development consent for the power.

French energy giant EDF, which is due to develop the plant, has said Sizewell C is expected to generate low-carbon electricity to supply six million homes.

Ministers have said the multibillion-pound project will create 10,000 highly-skilled jobs, with its go-ahead being welcomed by unions and the nuclear industry.

A spokesman for Together Against Sizewell C said after the ruling: We are dismayed by this decision
From dropping the baby Jesus to vomiting onstage, these are just a few of the awkward moments that have briefly paused the hugely anticipated annual nativity play in some primary schools across Northern Ireland in years gone by.

Always happy memories, the nativity play has been a constant in the school calendar year for decades, sometimes taking months to prepare and perfect for the beaming proud parents to come and watch their children stand on stage in their makeshift costumes singing their hearts out to Christmas carols.

But the nativity, to some, hasnt been your typical story of Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem only to be told there was no room at the Inn.

Some schools have taken quite a creative twist on the age-old story, from an Abba-themed nativity to a script based on the reality show Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

Bursting with a fresh and exciting story and unusual costumes, you will certainly not be caught yawning at the Riverdale Primary School nativity play in Lisburn, where they have even based their nativity off Paddington and The Great British Bake Off in previous years, aptly named the Bethlehem Bake Off.

Young performers in costume at Riverdale Primary School in Lisburn

In 2021, the school made headlines for producing a video of their nativity movie.

The project involved 23 separately filmed scenes and 12 songs, all performed by pupils from primary one through to primary four, in socially distanced bubbles.

Taking it back to basics this year, however, the schools head of Key Stage 1, Victoria McKee said that the nativity play is the highlight of the school year  for both staff and pupils.

This is probably the first year we have went back to a more traditional nativity play called Everyone loves a baby about the innkeeper and his wife who have had a baby of their own as Mary and Joseph arrive seeking a room, she explained.

But in previous years we have went a bit more creative writing our own scripts and our own take on the Christmas performance, so we went more traditional this year for a change!

A total of 120 pupils take to the stage at Riverdale from P1 to P4, with everyone in character but only primary four pupils getting a main speaking part.

All the other years each get their own moment in the spotlight, however, whether it be a small speaking part or a song of their own, we make sure everyone feels included, said Ms McKee, who added that planning for the production usually begins in September.

Its always a fun time and the teachers live for it, but of course, there is always something not quite going to plan.

In previous years we have of course had the forgotten lines on stage, a shepherd or wise man picking their nose or someone dropping the baby Jesus! she said.

Or if its not that its the stress of the week before or the week of the performance where everyone gets sick, but this year thankfully things went smoothly.

The Co Down teacher said that the school really put an added emphasis on drama as part of their curriculum.

I think the Christmas performance really makes up the best memories children have of school, she said.

The 120 pupils performing at Riverdale Primary School's nativity play in Lisburn

Its all about showtime, getting up on stage, singing, performing and having a great time.

Its also really lovely seeing those children who maybe arent the most academic up there because they are the ones who really shine on the stage, she added.

Theres more to school than literacy and numeracy, and I think its important to remember that.

Principal of Riverdale, Andy Burns, explained that the school has continued to video their school plays since the success of the first one so that no parent or guardian will miss out on their childs performance if they cant make the real thing.

All of us in the school really enjoy the plays, whether its the staff doing all the behind-the-scenes work or the kids enjoying the spotlight, its just a great way to end the year, he said.

And if you dont feel Christmassy after seeing our nativity play then theres something wrong!

From struggling to give everyone a part in Riverdale, to children playing multiple roles in one of the countrys smallest primary schools on Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island.

Friends, family and the local community all flock to see the children of St Marys Primary School on Rathlin Island perform each year.

With only twelve pupils attending from primary two to primary seven, on occasions some pupils have had to play multiple roles in the school play.

Principal of the school, Edward McGuigan, only started working in the school in September but emphasised that the annual nativity performance is definitely a community event.

Pupils from St Mary's Primary School on Rathlin Island

We have the children play the tin whistles and sometimes some of the islanders play instruments and get involved as well, he told Belfast Telegraph.

Its very unlike any other school play where its not just parents and friends and extended family invited, an invite is extended to everyone on the island to come along to the church and enjoy the show.

This years play is a Christingle celebration performed in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on the island.

Its not your usual nativity play, explained Mr McGuigan.

As someone reads a prayer from the lectern in the church, someone acts out a part of the nativity story.

This year we have three kings, Mary, Joseph, shepherds and angels, so while it isnt a big production everyone still has a part and each child is either reading, singing or acting  or in some cases all three! he added.

You never have to worry about getting someone a part to play.

St Marys could well be the smallest school in the whole of Northern Ireland  or even Ireland  with only two classrooms for their twelve pupils.

One houses P2 to P4 and the other P5 to P7.

Mr McGuigan, who is originally from Co Tyrone but now lives in Ballycastle, explained that he previously worked in much bigger schools in England and also Dubai before taking up his post on Rathlin.

In some schools in England there would be 90 pupils in just one year group, so it was a totally different approach to organising the nativity play, he said.

The difficulty with that is of course trying to get every child involved, but on the other hand at St Marys you rely so heavily on each child to fulfil each part that if there is a sickness, much of the performance cant go ahead.

Thankfully we have had a very smooth year with no sicknesses!

Also keeping the nativity traditional is Forth River Primary School which, after serving the children of the community for 182 years, makes it the oldest school in Belfast, and possibly the longest-running nativity play in the city.

Pupils from Forth River Primary School dressed as angels

The school was first established in 1841 and in 2003 it moved to its own grounds just off the Ballygomartin Road in west Belfast.

Principal Judith Stevenson has been working at the school for 34 years, starting off as a teacher and working her way up to the role of principal.

She explained that, in that time, their annual nativity play has come full circle after starting off as a church carol service, before branching off into a contemporary take on the nativity, and now returning back to its traditional service.

In previous years we have had some fantastic versions of the nativity play, including one year where a teacher rewrote all the hits from ABBA into songs to do with the nativity, but with the tune of some of the bands big songs, said Ms Stevenson.

We even had the kids wearing sparkly bellbottoms to get into the 70s spirit!

But over the years we noticed it getting busier and busier when we performed it in the school and had to perform two plays  one for the younger ones and one for the older ones  but some parents who had kids in both key stage one and key stage two were coming twice so we figured we can host more people through the church service and also have the whole school at the one place at the one time, she added.

Now, because the school performs the same play each year, everybody already knows what role they will perform ahead of time.

The P1 boys are the animals in the stable, the P1 girls are all angels, the P2s are shepherds and the P3s are wise men.

Its been easy to organise in a way because everyone knows what theyre doing ahead of time and we have gathered a good collection of costumes after doing it for so many years, she said.

Keeping it simple means we can focus on the younger ones if they have lines and also helps that no one is disappointed because its the same structure with the core group of Mary and Joseph and the three wise men performing the drama within the carol service, she added.

Thats not to say nothing goes wrong each year  of course you get the predictable forgetting of the lines by some poor child looking anxiously around with someone not so obviously whispering their lines to them.

We have had it all, even with someone being sick on the stage one year! But you just get on with it and subtly clean it up as the children finish the song that theyre on.

The nativity is a big event in the school calendar because we dont do any other productions throughout the year, so its a big opportunity to just go all out and have a bit of fun with it.
Former soldier diagnosed with PTSD raises funds for Womens Aid and more with sea challenge

A veteran who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is calling on members of the public to take a dip in the sea after he completed a 300-day cold-water challenge.

Anthony McToal, from Larne, served a seven-month tour in Afghanistan with the Royal Irish Regiment, during which he witnessed some of the worst things anyone should have to see.

The 32-year-old has suffered from mental health and substance abuse problems since leaving the Army in 2013. He was diagnosed with PTSD last year.

While he practises meditation and has undergone therapy, he found the best thing for helping his head was going for a swim in the ocean.

My good friend Gary Beggs started doing cold-water immersion, and he invited me down to the water last December, Anthony said.

When I got out, I was cold and wondered if it was for me, but then I started to heat up and got a sudden rush of happiness over my whole body. I was hooked from that moment.

He decided to embark on his challenge on February 7, going for a dip in the sea every day until December 3.

He marked his achievement with a final celebratory swim at Ballygally Beach on December 9, joined by around 40 others.

People joining Anthony on one of his swims

Even outside of mental health, it [cold water immersion] is incredible for the body, and Id advise everybody to give it a go, Anthony said.

Other soldiers and veterans have reached out to me from across the country.

Theyve told me that theyre trying it out in their areas, and that its been helping them. People are always coming back with good news.

Anthony helped to raise more than 3,000 for the domestic abuse charities Womens Aid Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and Newtownabbey and the Mens Alliance NI through his initiative, with the funds being split evenly between the organisations.

Domestic violence is something ongoing. Its something we wanted to put our stamp on to try and raise awareness for mental health, Anthony said.

Members of both charities joined him on December 9 for his final official dip, as did Rachael from the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioners Office.

Not that it was his last swim ever  far from it.

Ive still been going more or less every day, Anthony said.

Its helped my mental health massively and its given me a way to relieve some of the stress that I can go through most days.

It has continued to help me as time goes on.

Anthonys Cold Water Warrior group has connected with similar bodies in Belfast, Fermanagh and surrounding areas.

He wants to continue encouraging new people to join him for cold-water dips and meditation sessions in the new year.

To find out more about Anthony and his cold-water challenge, search for cold water warrior on Facebook
A man charged over the discovery of guns and explosives in Derry has been refused High Court bail to establish if he is the father of a newborn baby.

John Kelly, 43, was seeking release from custody to undergo a DNA test and then spend time with the child if their familial relationship is confirmed.

Denying his application, Lord Justice Horner ruled that any risks could not be managed.

Kelly, of Columbcille Court in the city, was arrested during a major police operation earlier this year.

Two Soviet grenade heads, plastic explosives, two electric detonators and two handguns were seized in searches of properties on September 7.

Sixteen PSNI officers sustained injuries when rioting broke out at the scene.

Kelly denies charges of possessing a firearm, ammunition and explosives with intent to endanger life.

He is allegedly linked to the recovered weaponry by forensic and mobile phone evidence.

Two other members of his family have also been charged as part of the investigation.

Prosecutors have claimed that Kelly used his more vulnerable relatives to transport and store weaponry on behalf of the New IRA.

He allegedly ran a money-lending scheme for the dissident republican grouping, a previous court heard.

Defence lawyers dispute the strength of the DNA and mobile phone evidence against him.

At a renewed application for bail, the judge was told Kelly could potentially be the father of a newborn baby.

He wants to be released firstly to complete a DNA test and to spend time with that child, a prosecution barrister said.

She described the suggested change of circumstances as entirely speculative at this stage and insisted that the checks can be carried out in custody.

Counsel for the defence said the babys mother is quite sure that Kelly is the father.

He would be keen to get out and pursue a relationship, the lawyer submitted.

He also (wants) to get some certainty around him being the actual father of this child.

It was also contended that Kelly has already been safely released temporarily to attend a family funeral.

But Lord Justice Horner ruled that the accused must remain in custody.

He said: On the basis of the evidence I would not be in a position to impose conditions which would adequately meet the risks.
The statue was stolen a month ago.

The statue in place at the library before it was stolen in November

The statue was brought to the east Belfast auctioneer by a scrap metal dealer

Justin Lowry of On the Square Emporium returning the statue to the Ormeau Library

The return of a statue stolen from a south Belfast library last month is a Christmas miracle, the antique dealer whose chance encounter led to its return has said.

The statue  depicting a girl and blackbird reading a book  had stood on a plinth outside Ormeau Road library until it was reported stolen on November 20 this year.

Designed by artist Daniela Balmaverde, the statue was inspired by a 9th century Irish poem known as the Blackbird of Belfast Lough and had been an integral part of the library since its installation in 2011

Police at the time had appealed for CCTV or doorbell footage that could help track those responsible for its theft, but exactly a month on, the statue has turned up again via a rather unorthodox pathway.

The statue was brought to the east Belfast auctioneer by a scrap metal dealer

It was returned to the library by east Belfast antique dealer Justin Lowry, who said he had been approached last week by a scrap metal dealer who he had not dealt with before.

"We would regularly buy from a network of scrap dealers and salvage hunters, most of whom we know well, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"In 10 years this is the first time we have come across a stolen item. I was wary of the statue when the scrap dealer, who I have not had dealings with, brought it in.

"I didnt want to buy it until I had done a check on it, but I didnt want it to go away.

"So I agreed to pay a holding deposit. Im very glad I did, and it gave us great pleasure to return the fantastic statue, especially at this time of year on the run up to Christmas.

The statue in place at the library before it was stolen in November

The statue had originally been reported stolen sometime between approximately 7.35pm on Sunday November 19 and 4.30pm on Monday November 20.

Both Ormeau Road library and the PSNI have been approached for comment.
Liner shipping could need up to 1.7m teu additional capacity to reroute all their services that normally use the Red Sea route via the Suez Canal following the disruption caused by the Houthi attacks, according to analysts.





Rerouting all containership traffic around Africa would soak up 5%-6% of global capacity, said Lars Jensen, chief executive of Vespucci Maritime.





Analysts say rerouting all containership traffic via the Horn of Africa will require significant additional capacity [ Illustration: Caixin Global]





However, given the current climate of overcapacity, this is certainly feasible, he explained.





Jensen said the boxship segment could require around 1.4m-1.7m teu additional capacity to overcome this challenge, as multiple container line services typically transit the Red Sea including Asia to northern Europe, Asia to Mediterranean, India to Europe and Asia to the US east coast.





Drought in the Panama Canal means vessels on the Asia to US east coast route cannot use the [Panama] canal and this will result in more significant disruptions for such vessels, said Jensen.









He also noted how the real containership freight rate effect will not be felt until around four weeks time.





Containership freight rates on the Asia to the Mediterranean route have already risen by 20%, according to Peter Sand, chief analyst of Xeneta.





Crucially, as highlighted by Jensen, the latest disruption comes amid a very different context than for example during the Ever Given casualty of 2021, with freight rates much lower now. The attacks have also come during the typical low season for the east-west box trades.





Nevertheless, securing safe passage through the Suez will be the utmost priority.





The worst case scenario for shipping would be the failure to get a coalition of navies to escort merchant vessels in the Red Sea, said Jensen.





Both analysts, however, expect boxships to make up for the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope by speeding up vessels, as, until now, the majority have been slowsteaming with maximum speeds of no higher than 16 knots.





Rerouting vessels around Africa will likely add $1m to a large containerships fuel costs, said Sand.





Eight containerships bound from Asia to Europe have been diverted via the Cape of Good Hope in the past few days (see below).





A further eight large containerships are currently idling in the Arabian Sea having had their transit of the Red Sea cancelled, analysis of Lloyds List Intelligence data confirms. All eight vessels may be diverted to the Cape of Good Hope.





Nine containerships from Europe bound for Asia are presently heading southbound in the Red Sea although the majority appear to be idle off the coast near Jeddah.









The last large containership in the Asia/Europe trade to enter the Red Sea was Evergreens 24,000 teu Ever Alp (IMO: 9893929), which transited the Bab al-Mandab Strait yesterday, December 17.





Evergreen said: Long-haul routes connecting Asia to the Mediterranean, Europe and the east coast of the US, and containerships that are scheduled to pass through the Red Sea, will be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope to continue their voyages to destination ports.





by Enes Tunagur and Rob Willmington for Lloyds List.com. Click here to read the original article
Mr McAfee was found dead in his living room in 2013.

Police have issued a new appeal for information relating to the shockingly violent murder of a man in north Belfast a decade ago.

Pascal Basil McAfee (50)  known as Basil  was found dead in his home close to the Cavehill Road on December 20 2013.

Its believed the father-of-two was the victim of an attack involving an axe and a knife.

The appeal, which comes on the 10th anniversary of his murder, is backed by a reward of up to 20,000 from the charity Crimestoppers.

It also includes a specific request for two females who may have information that could assist the investigation to get in touch.

Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Wilson said: Mr McAfee was found dead in the living room of his home in Henderson Avenue, just off the Cavehill Road, on the afternoon of Friday 20 December 2013. He was last seen alive the previous evening.

The 50-year-old suffered a shockingly violent and vicious death. I believe he was beaten about the head with a sharp implement and then stabbed.

This attack took place in what should have been the safety of his own home, with a number of items then taken from the house.

Ms Wilson continued: Its now 10 years on, and Basils family are left tortured with thoughts of how their loved one died. Their run up to Christmas  a happy time for many  is once again full of sadness.

This was a cruel attack, and one which shocked an entire community. I am asking anyone with information to please search their conscience and speak to our team.

I am particularly keen to hear from two women who took a taxi from outside licensed premises on the Dublin Road, Belfast, on Wednesday December 18 2013 at approximately 11pm.

"The two were dropped off at Henderson Avenue, and made their way into Basils home. I am asking you to get in touch with us on 101, as you may have information that could assist our investigation.

A spokesperson for the charity Crimestoppers explained: Our charity is here for you if you prefer to stay anonymous or to be eligible for our reward.

With Crimestoppers, computer IP addresses are never traced. Telephone calls are never recorded, there is no caller line display and no 1471 facility. We are independent of the police and guarantee complete anonymity.

The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police. A reward code must be asked for when speaking to our Contact Centre or when completing an anonymous online form via our website.

Contact Crimestoppers online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or call the charitys 24/7 Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.
Crowds of union members gathered at Belfast City Hall on day two of a 48 hour strike by healthcare workers (PA)

A trade union official called for the detail of a financial package offered by the Government, in part to address public sector pay issues, to be revealed.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Alan Perry of the GMB union said he's not sure in the region of 584m offered to address the pay issues is enough. We need to see the detail and we haven't got that. Is it enough to address all our concerns - I'm not sure," he said.

It comes ahead of a strike by public sector workers planned for January 18 next year, which will be "the biggest ever seen" in Northern Ireland, according to Nipsa - also participating in the strike.

Thousands of their members will be involved, including civil servants, health and education workers. It coincides with industrial action already planned for the same day.

Mr Perry said on Wednesday: "Everyone has come together in relation to the current situation we find ourselves in. I do firmly believe that the public is very much on our side. Our members live in the very community that they serve. We want to try and find resolutions so we're not in similar situations going forward."

The Secretary of State has the power to end the ongoing disputes over pay, he said. "There is money on the table but so far it's not forthcoming. Basically what he is doing is holding a carrot out to every public sector [worker[ that there is, to say look we have a pay rise potentially on the table but until the Executive is up and running, you're not going to get that. Our workers across the public sector should not be used as pawns."

To date, 3.3bn has been offered in a financial package from the Government for the return of a Northern Ireland Executive.

But on Monday, a pre-Christmas deal to restore Stormont was ruled out.

Translink workers are set to strike again on Friday following two days of strike action last week.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said unions had no option but to "intensify" their industrial action.

He said January 18 would be a "generalised day of action" that would affect "every part of public services" in Northern Ireland.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) announced a half-day strike from 08:00 GMT until 12:00 on 18 January.

Karen Murray from the Royal College of Midwives said the strikes show there is extreme frustration in the workforce.

She said: We also all recognise that we cannot continue in the way were going. That feeling of being undervalued and undermined is very strong in our membership.

And earlier on Tuesday, The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) announced midwives and maternity support workers are to take part in strike action also on Thursday.

The RCM announced a half-day strike but said care would still be provided to those who need it.

The industrial action is due to take place across all five of Northern Ireland's health trusts.

All five of Northern Ireland's main teaching unions, including headteachers, have also said their members would walk out on strike on 18 January.
The UK Government has indicated they will defend the legislation robustly.

Legal action being taken by the Irish Government over the UKs controversial Troubles Legacy Act is misguided, the Secretary of State has said.

Chris Heaton-Harris also hit out at Dublins own handling of legacy investigations and said his Government would robustly defend their legislation.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin announced on Wednesday that the Irish Government would be taking a legal case against the UK, arguing the Legacy Act is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

It includes a form of limited immunity for some perpetrators of crimes committed during the Troubles and would also prevent future civil cases and inquests into legacy offences.

Mr Martin said the decision was taken with much thought and careful consideration.

"Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the ICRIR, are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin.

The British Government enacted this legislation on 18 September 2023, shutting off any possibility of political resolution.

We now find ourselves in a space where our only recourse is to pursue a legal path.

It is important to leave the next steps to the court.

Mr Heaton-Harris said the legal challenge was unnecessary.

"The decision comes at a particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland. It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts, he said.

"The Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery (ICRIR), led by Sir Declan Morgan KC, is continuing its work ahead of its full establishment next year.

"The UK Government urged the Irish Government, before considering action, to engage directly with the Commission to understand better its plans for the implementation of the legislation, particularly given that effective information recovery for many families will require cross-border cooperation.

"It is a matter of considerable regret that it has chosen not to do so.

"We believe that the Irish Governments stated position on dealing with legacy issues is inconsistent and hard to reconcile with its own record.

"At no time since 1998 has there been any concerted or sustained attempt on the part of the Irish state to pursue a criminal investigation and prosecution based approach to the past.

While this step is disappointing, it is one for which the UK Government was prepared.

"The UK Government remains confident that the Act provides a robust and effective framework to allow the ICRIR to discharge our legal obligations.

"The bilateral relationship with Ireland is, and always will be, one we value deeply.

"Despite this misguided action, we will continue to work to minimise the consequences and protect the interests of the people and businesses that bind us together.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the Irish Government of double standards over the legal action.

"I dont think the Irish Government are in a very strong position to point the finger at the UK Government because the Irish Government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues, he told the BBC.

For years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.

"I think it is difficult to see how this can improve relations between the UK Government and the Irish Government at this time.

Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald welcomed Dublins decision and said the action will complement individual legal challenges taken by victims and survivors of the Troubles against the controversial act, which became law in September.

The legislation was opposed by all five main political parties in Northern Ireland, the Irish Government and victims rights groups.

The Government argued that it aims to deliver on its pledge to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles, while helping society to move forward.

UUP leader Doug Beattie said his party had been clear in their opposition to the act.

If both the UK Government and the Irish Government are not willing to fix the wrongs of the past then it will be the victims who suffer once again, he said.

News of the move was also welcomed by Amnesty Internationals Grainne Teggart, who said it was doing the right thing for victims, for the rule of law and for the upholding of human rights.

Legal firm O Muirigh Solicitors, which represents a number of Troubles victims, also welcomed the move, while Ciaran Mac Airt from victims campaign Time for Truth thanked the Irish Government for being the last line of defence for victims.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Irish intervention was both welcome and utterly necessary.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly, he said.

"This is great news before Christmas and will give a superb boost to the resilience of our families for continuing our campaigns for truth and justice in the New Year.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been pranked into talking about his dreams of separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain" and bizarre claims that Ukraine is supplying weapons to the IRA.

It happened in a phone call by pro-Kremlin Russian comedians pretending to be African diplomats.

Russian duo Vovan and Lexus chose Mr Varadkar as their latest high-profile target, having previously made headlines for prank calls with the likes of Elton John and Bernie Sanders.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was also recently duped by the two men.

The duo gained access to the Taoiseach by pretending to be a representative of the African Union Commission, according to a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar.

The video meeting took place earlier this year and a 13-minute clip of the meeting has been uploaded to social media site Rumble.

A caption accompanying the video posted by the comedians states the Taoiseach seemed to have drunk a good dose of Guinness as he shared his dreams of separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The video shows Mr Varadkar saying it is in the Irish Constitution that at some point there will be unification.

He said it was a very clear position that unification can happen without force, guns or armies and any vote would have to be done fairly and freely.

The video also shows Mr Varadkar being asked about why some politicians are still claiming that Ukraine also tries to supply weapons to Irelands republican army.

Thats news to me, I havent heard that, said Mr Varadkar.

The Irish Republican Army ended its military action in 1997 and then gave up its weapons. But if you have any evidence or information, Id be very

He added that the IRA was a very socialist organisation, very linked to Cuba and so on.

It also shows the Taoiseach being asked about the war in Ukraine.

Its very hard to see the war ending any time soon because both sides still think they can win. I wouldnt like to see another frozen conflict, he said.

The phone call ended with the prankster telling the Taoiseach to say hello to your leprechauns.

Mr Varadkar later said he was immediately suspicious but played along, giving careful answers before ending the call.

He also cautioned it is not as it appears on their video, as he said artificial intelligence was used.

There were no Russians, they used an AI image of somebody who works with the African Union, he said.

So what theyve done is theyve overdubbed it with these Russian voices, theyve doctored it and edited, so what youre seeing on that site is not actually what happened, so it is fake in that sense.

Mr Varadkar said those responsible secured the video call by impersonating somebody who worked for the African Union, adding that his office had since changed their procedures in relation to calls.

At the outset of the call, because they used the image of the person and their voice, we believed it was genuine, he said. But it became very quickly very obvious that there was something afoot of course and there was something wrong.

I ended the call, but kind of needed to play along for a little while before assuming that it was a suspect call, but I think youll note from my answers to the questions, I was very careful in my answers, because I was suspicious immediately, and then it became increasingly obvious through the course of the conversations that it was fake.

The Taoiseach said his staff told the African Union what had happened and warned other governments.

And as a result of that, we have changed our procedures in relation to video calls, he said. And it is the new world of artificial intelligence, it is actually really easy now to produce the fake image of somebody on a screen, and that fake image can have the persons voice and mannerisms and everything.

So in some ways now, I think one of the strange consequences of things like AI is that people are going to want to see things for themselves a bit more, people are going to be much less trusting of photographs and video and images that they see on screens and are going to want to be able to hear with their own ears and see with their own eyes.

We have to have very strict security protocols around this for the future, which we do, but I do think in general, because of the advancements in technology, a lot more important things are going to have to happen in person that we might have thought, during the pandemic, were going to move to a virtual world.
The Duke of Yorks alleged links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are set to come under further scrutiny with the release of hundreds of files from a defamation case.

US Judge Loretta Preska ruled on Monday that documents relating to more than 170 people who were either associates, friends or victims of disgraced financier Epstein should be made public.

The Duke of York (Toby Melville/PA)

They include 40 documents of evidence from Johanna Sjoberg, who has claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaires Manhattan apartment in 2001.

Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations are categorically untrue.

The documents are part of a 2015 US defamation case by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who supplied Epstein with underage girls.

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Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Giuffre said: Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!!

Theres going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, whos on the naughty list?

This (would not) be possible without the Honourable Judge Preska.

The individuals who are set to be named in the documents will have 14 days to appeal against the judges decision  meaning they are likely to be released in early January.

Ms Giuffre settled her civil claim against Maxwell, but representatives of the media have since argued documents that were sealed as part of the case should be made public.

Jeffrey Epstein (Us Dept of Justice)

Judge Preska ordered some individuals should be named because they had already given interviews to the media  including Ms Sjoberg.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case to Ms Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.

The duke was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

In January 2022, ahead of his legal settlement, his mother Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020, despite numerous attempts from her defence counsel to have her released on bail.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June last year.

The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had faded, distorted and motivated memories.

Her appeal is currently scheduled to be heard in November next year.
Darren Osment, 41, has finally been brought to justice for killing mother-of-four Claire Holland, 32, in Bristol in June 2012 (Handout/Avon and Somerset Police)

A judge has urged a pub chef convicted of murdering his former partner 11 years ago to reveal what he did and where her remains might be found so she can be laid to rest.

Darren Osment, 41, has finally been brought to justice for killing mother-of-four Claire Holland, 32, in Bristol in June 2012, following a lengthy undercover policing investigation.

Ms Holland, whose body has never been recovered, was last seen leaving the Seamus ODonnells pub in the city centre on the evening of June 6.

The case was treated as a missing persons inquiry for seven years until Osment  who a judge described as haunted by what he had done  rang 999 while living in Exeter, Devon, in July 2019.

Osment claimed he had arranged for Ms Holland to be killed and was arrested but later released under investigation after denying any involvement in her disappearance during police interviews.

In 2020, Avon and Somerset Police decided to send in an undercover officer using the name Paddy OHara to befriend Osment, then living in Patchway, Bristol, to find out what happened to Ms Holland.

Mother-of-four Claire Hollands body has never been found (Handout/Avon and Somerset Police)

The undercover investigation between December 2020 and July 2022 saw the officer pose as someone involved in the criminal underworld with links to organised crime.

His conversations with Osment were covertly recorded, amounting to more than 1,200 hours of footage, including repeated confessions relating to Ms Holland from the father-of-two.

Osment was arrested and charged with Ms Hollands murder in August 2022. He pleaded not guilty to the offence but was convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court by a majority verdict last week.

On Wednesday afternoon, in a televised hearing, Mrs Justice Cutts sentenced Osment to life and ordered him to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison.

She told Osment that Ms Holland was a warm and vivacious person who was deeply loved and was starting a new chapter in her life when she was murdered.

Darren Osment was sentenced on Wednesday afternoon (Crown Prosecution Service/PA)

The judge said: For 11 long years no-one, except you, knew what had happened to Claire. She went missing on the night of June 6 2012, never contacting her family or her children again.

There was an extensive police missing persons investigation which failed to find her. You were spoken to in the course of that investigation. You could and should have told the police what had happened.

You could and should have admitted that you killed Claire. You did not. You left her family with the agony of not knowing where she was or what had happened.

Yet it is clear that you could not live with the burden of what you had done.

I accept the prosecution case that you were haunted by it and, seeking to relieve the burden of what you did, you have made confessions over the years  to six people in all.

Had you truly been remorseful you would have told the police and faced the consequences of your crime.

Osment and Ms Holland, described as alcoholics at the time, met in 2008 and had a child two years later. That child was taken into care shortly after birth.

Screen grab of Darren Osment, a former chef convicted of Claire Hollands murder (Handout/Avon and Somerset Police)

Mrs Justice Cutts told Osment it was clear he blamed Ms Holland for that, adding that they were both responsible for the fact the child could not be cared for at home.

She said Osment had thrown Ms Holland down the stairs shortly after she gave birth, had previously strangled her and she feared he would kill her.

The judge described Osment as a vile drunk, adding: You are quick to temper and abusive and violent to women. Claire was on the receiving end of that violence.

Ms Holland had phoned Osment on June 6, asking to meet to discuss their child. The judge said they arranged to meet later that day, with Ms Holland vulnerable as it was late at night and she had been drinking.

Osment is believed to have killed Ms Holland, probably by strangulation, after they argued.

The judge told him that he should have told police what happened at the time and over the years that followed.

You could and should have told them and Claires family what you did with her body. In your cowardice you have never done so. You have shown not a shred of remorse, she said.

I am sure on the evidence that you were responsible for the dismembering and disposal of Claires body and, given your reaction around water, that you disposed of her body in the water.

For Claires familys sake and for the sake of your child, I urge you for once to stand up to what you have done in the very near future and to disclose what you did and where her body might be found so that she may be laid to rest.

Court artist sketch of Darren Osment, 41, at Bristol Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

As Osment was taken down to the cells, he unfolded a piece of paper with the word innocent written on it in black pen and held it to the glass of the dock.

The judge commended officers involved in the investigation, including the undercover officer known only by his pseudonym, Paddy OHara.

In victim personal statements, the family of Ms Holland asked Osment to disclose the location of her remains.

Her sister Michaela Holland told him: Darren, I want you to know that you have destroyed our family. We have so many questions. What were her last words? Did she see it coming? Did she suffer?

If you have got it in your heart, please, tell us where she is. After eleven years, we just want to lay her to rest.

Another sister, Sarah Holland, said: Claire never got a final resting place, this was something else that was stolen from her. Nowhere for the family to go to grieve or pay our respects.

Claire has missed eleven Christmases. However, this Christmas, Claire will be right with us celebrating that her story has been heard and justice paid.

Ms Hollands daughter, Rosie Holland-Hall, told Osment: I will never forgive you for what you have done and the damage you have caused.

In footage from the undercover investigation, Osment is shown suggesting to Mr OHara that he had killed Ms Holland, cut her body up with a knife, and dumped her remains in water.

Osment appears to suggest he weighted down Ms Hollands remains so they would not come floating back.

Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant, the senior investigating officer, described Osment as a violent misogynistic murderer.

Osments continual refusal to be honest about what he did means were still unable to provide clarity to Claires family about what happened to her body after he killed her, he said.

I sincerely hope in time Osment does explain fully what he did because Claires family and friends need to know. Sadly, knowing what we do about Osment, I find it hard to believe he is capable of doing the decent thing.

The officer described the undercover investigation as vital and paid tribute to Paddy OHara for putting his safety at risk to gather information from Osment.
A judge said he was left in no doubt that Bierton should never be released from prison after the murder of Pauline Quinn (Nottinghamshire Police/PA)

The Probation Service has apologised for unacceptable failings that led to a convicted double-killer being housed next door to an elderly woman who he went on to murder.

Lawrence Bierton was on a life licence for two murders committed in 1995 when he was moved into a property in Rayton Spur, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, in November 2020, next door to the home of 73-year-old Pauline Quinn.

Bierton, 63, went on to bludgeon Ms Quinn to death with a coffee table on November 9 2021, and was given a whole-life order on Wednesday  meaning he will never be released.

The judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, described the decision to move Bierton to Rayton Spur  a complex for elderly and vulnerable people  as a significant mistake, with a member of the Probation Service admitting that the decision was incorrect.

Following the sentencing, the service said one member of staff had received a formal warning over the case and that changes had been made regarding the management of serious offenders once they leave prison.

A spokesperson said: We are sorry for the unacceptable failings in this case and our thoughts remain with the family of Pauline Quinn.

We have taken action to ensure decisions on where serious offenders live once they leave prison can now be reviewed independently and we are injecting more than 155 million a year into the Probation Service to recruit thousands more staff to keep the public safe.

A serious case review has already been completed into the handling of Biertons case, with a serious further offence review also undertaken.

While the findings of the reviews are to be shared with Ms Quinns family, the Probation Service confirmed on Wednesday that they will not be made publicly available.

The probation watchdog can carry out a separate independent review of such cases, but the body said this was not being conducted in this case because it had not been ordered by the Justice Secretary.

Bierton was given a life sentence in 1996 for the murders of two elderly sisters, 79-year-old Aileen Dudill and 73-year-old Elsie Gregory, at their home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in 1995.

He was first released in December 2017, but was recalled to prison in July 2018 due to behaviour concerns.

Pauline Quinn suffered 29 separate injuries and was hit 10 times over the head during the attack that killed her (Family Handout/PA)

He was released again in May 2020, moving to Rayton Spur six months later, before an alcohol tag was removed in early 2021 after Bierton complained of swelling in his legs.

On the morning of Ms Quinns death, Bierton drank rum and vodka and took crack cocaine and Subutex, an opioid.

The Probation Service said following sentencing that Biertons alcohol tag was voluntary, but it had since changed licence rules so that prisoners could be compelled to wear a tag if a probation officer feels drinking would lead to reoffending.

As a result of Biertons case, independent senior managers now chair panels which risk assess the management of prisoners who receive life sentences.

It added that a formal review has been launched into how those on licence are placed in accommodation, which once complete would place clear requirements on probation staff when deciding where to accommodate offenders.

In his sentencing remarks on Wednesday at Nottingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Pepperall said: That decision (to house Bierton at Rayton Spur) was flawed and you should not have been housed among elderly and vulnerable residents.

Ms Quinn was entitled to expect better, and the system plainly failed her.

Handing down the whole life order, the judge said the murder of defenceless Ms Quinn showed an extraordinary level of violence and was as senseless as it was brutal, adding that Bierton must never again be given the opportunity to walk the streets.

Before sentencing, the court heard from Saika Jabeen, head of the Nottinghamshire county probation delivery unit, who said that Biertons behaviour on his second release appeared markedly improved, but said there were also unsubstantiated links to Mamba (a synthetic cannabinoid) use and possible benefit fraud.

She said it was not appropriate for him (Bierton) to have been approved housing in the complex, adding that the decision was incorrect and that a second, serious further offence review was also ongoing.

She also said there was now greater scrutiny of accommodation decisions to ensure that decisions were defensible.

She added that senior managers would apologise to the family on behalf of the Probation Service for the serious oversights in the case.
Airman first class Mikayla Hayes, 25, denies causing Matthew Days death by careless driving in a collision in Norfolk in August last year (Joe Giddens/PA)

A US servicewoman wept in court and said she had no idea why she did not see a motorcyclist who crashed into her car and died when she pulled out of a side road and across his path.

Airman first class Mikayla Hayess voice cracked with emotion as she told Norwich Crown Court: I still to this day have no idea why I didnt see that motorcycle.

The 25-year-old, dressed in a white shirt and dark blazer, said Im so sorry then sobbed when her barrister Christine Agnew KC asked her about motorcyclist Matthew Day, who died of his injuries.

Matthew Day died of injuries sustained in the collision in Southery on August 26 last year (Family handout/PA)

Hayes was handed a box of tissues by the court usher and wiped tears from her eyes, before the judge asked her if she needed a short break.

The defendant had been turning right, towards her home in Downham Market, as she travelled back from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk where she worked, when the crash happened.

She emerged from the B1160 Lynn Road across the path of 33-year-old Matthew Day as he travelled south along the A10 at Southery in Norfolk on August 26 last year.

The father-of-ones Yamaha motorbike struck her Honda Accord and he died of his injuries later that day.

Hayes denies causing Mr Days death by careless driving.

She told jurors: I believe Im a very careful driver and I kept looking for traffic both ways and I dont know why I didnt see him that day.

Questioned by Ms Agnew, Hayes said she was married and her husband, parents and friends were in the public gallery at the court.

She said she was originally from Indiana and was stationed at RAF Lakenheath where she works as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic, working on equipment associated with jets such as generators, heaters and tow bars.

Hayes said she joined the US Air Force in 2021 having previously attended two separate universities but not finishing either degree.

Mikayla Hayes, left, denies causing Mr Days death by careless driving (Joe Giddens/PA)

She said she completed her basic and technical training in Texas and had put England at the top of her dream sheet of locations where she wanted to work.

I always dreamed of coming here, she said.

She said she married in December 2021 and arrived in the UK in April 2022, with her husband initially working as a teaching assistant at the elementary school on the base, but isnt currently employed.

She said she was not offered accommodation on the base, with couples with children prioritised.

She got accommodation in Downham Market, which she said was a 35-minute journey from the base on a good day.

Hayes said she got her full US drivers licence aged 16 and after moving to the UK, passed a written test about the highway code.

Hayes had been travelling from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk to her home in Downham Market in Norfolk at the time of the collision (Emma Sword/PA)

She said she had received a speeding ticket in the US for being five miles over the limit, and was involved in two incidents  one when a deer ran in front of her car, writing it off, and a separate minor collision with an SUV at a shopping mall.

She told her barrister that neither collision was put down to being her fault.

Hayes said she stopped driving after the collision on August 26 until May of this year, adding: I was terrified  I had traumatic visions in my mind of driving and I do not want to hurt anyone.

She said she found the junction intimidating.

Theres a lot to look at, she said.

Theres traffic coming from left, two lanes to the right, occasionally the farm track though its very rarely used.

The trial was being held at Norwich Crown Court (Stephen Pond/PA)

She said that traffic that Friday, at the start of the August bank holiday weekend, was heavier than normal.

She said she did not see the motorbike until it was about a second (away), five to six feet in front of me.

She told Ms Agnew there was nothing she could do to avoid the collision.

Asked if she had been arrested before, she told her barrister: No mam.

I was absolutely terrified, I had never gotten in trouble before, she said.

She was taken from the crash scene to hospital in Kings Lynn, then into custody, and she was not bailed until a hearing the following Thursday, with conditions to remain in the UK and surrender her travel documents.

Ms Agnew asked her: Did it ever cross your mind to try to leave the UK?

Hayes replied: No mam.

The trial continues.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election test after MP Peter Bone was recalled by voters (Andy Buchanan/PA)

The Tories will fight for every vote as Rishi Sunak battles to avoid another by-election humiliation after Peter Bones voters ousted him from the Commons.

The disgraced former Conservative MP was ejected after more than 10% of voters in his Wellingborough seat voted to recall him.

The recall petition was triggered when Mr Bone was handed a six-week suspension from the House of Commons after an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.

The result in Wellingborough will be an early test for the Tories and Labour ahead of the general election expected in 2024.

The Tories will decide when to start the by-election process after the Commons returns in January.

Mr Bone had been sitting as an independent after losing the Conservative whip in the aftermath of the ruling.

MP Peter Bone in Whitehall (PA)

He held the Northamptonshire seat in 2019 with a majority of 18,540 over Labour, but the Tories have suffered a series of by-election defeats in recent years, including in constituencies which were theoretically safer.

Wellingborough has been held by the Conservatives since 2005, when Mr Bone won it from Labour.

The majority is smaller than the Tory cushions in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire which fell to Sir Keir Starmers party in October.

(PA Graphics)

Cabinet minister Mel Stride said it would be foolhardy to say the Conservatives will definitely retain the seat.

But he claimed Labours national poll lead of about 20 percentage points is wafer thin in terms of how strong it is, with no real desire among voters for Sir Keir to become the new prime minister.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told Times Radio: Yes, we have a fair bit of ground to make up but there is no strong burning passion for Keir Starmer or another Labour government.

There is a wide lead in the polls at the moment but its very thin.

And we will be fighting for every single vote.

On Sky News he said there is all to play for and we will go at it has hard as we possibly can.

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Gen Kitchen, Labours parliamentary candidate in Wellingborough, said the recall petition outcome shows that constituents want change.

Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth visited the seat on Wednesday and said voters want a fresh start but insisted the party is taking nothing for granted in Wellingborough.

Asked if the contest will be a litmus test ahead of the general election, the shadow paymaster general told the PA news agency: I think across the country people will say its time for change.

They will look at 13, 14 years of the Conservatives and feel, like, what have they got in return for all the extra tax they are paying? Their mortgages have gone up, the NHS is on its knees, weve got schools across the country with roofs falling in.

I think people want a change, and theyre looking to Labour.

(PA Graphics)

At the conclusion of the six-week Wellingborough recall process, North Northamptonshire Council said 10,505 people agreed that Mr Bone should lose his job as their MP.

The by-election threshold had been set at 7,904 people  a tenth of the 79,046 eligible voters in his constituency.

A date for the by-election has not been set but rules around parliamentary procedure mean it will not take place before February.

In a statement published on social media, Mr Bone said having a by-election seems bizarre because 86.8% of the electorate did not want to remove me from office, nor for there to be a by-election  a reference to the constituents who did not sign the petition.

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The veteran politician, who has been spotted in Westminster in recent days, said the allegations against him are totally untrue and without foundation.

Mr Bone was found to have committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct against a staff member in 2012 and 2013.

Parliaments behaviour watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, upheld an earlier investigation which found he broke the MPs code of conduct on four counts of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

The panel found that he had indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid.

Mr Bone has repeatedly denied the allegations and said in his statement on Tuesday that he will have more to say on these matters in the new year.

The former minister was kicked out of the Tory parliamentary party a day after the report was published on October 16.
UN biodiversity official urges implementation of Kunming-Montreal framework

Xinhua) 13:57, December 20, 2023

MONTREAL, Canada, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' top biodiversity official on Tuesday called for renewed efforts to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Celebrating the first anniversary of the adoption of the historic agreement, David Cooper, acting executive secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that the momentum must be kept to protect and restore nature, to prosper with nature, to share benefits equally, and to invest and collaborate for nature.

"In the grand scheme of things, let us remember that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will guide us for the next 10-30 years on our journey to achieve the global vision of living in harmony with nature," Cooper said.

He took stock of the key achievements in the past year, including the establishment of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

"The Fund currently stands at over 200 million U.S. dollars," Cooper said.

The UN official also highlighted China's role, saying China's leadership as the presidency of COP15 was critical to adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Pakistan President Dr. Arif Alvi has emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in trade, economy, and culture with Egypt, Oman, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, and Cyprus. He expressed these views while engaging with ambassadors-designate/High Commissioner of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Republic of Cyprus, and the Democratic Socialist of Sri Lanka. The envoys presented their diplomatic credentials to the President and separately called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr today (Dec. 19).





High Commission-designate of Sri Lanka, Admiral (R) Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne, Presenting Credentials to the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi





Welcoming the ambassador-designate of Egypt to Pakistan, Dr. Ihab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan, the President highlighted the significance Pakistan attaches to its bilateral relations with Egypt, reflecting shared bonds of common faith, cultural affinities, and values between the two brotherly countries. He emphasized the need for increased trade, economic, and cultural cooperation.





In discussions with the Ambassador-designate of the Sultanate of Oman, Mr. Fahad Sulaiman Khalaf al Kharusi, the President mentioned the excellent relations between Pakistan and Oman in various fields. He informed the ambassador about Pakistans investment-friendly environment and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which provides a one-window operation for investment in IT, corporate farming, minerals, and the energy sector. The President also highlighted the atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K).





Welcoming the Ambassador-designate of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Emin Cohodarevic, the President stated that Pakistan deeply valued its friendship with Bosnia & Herzegovina based on brotherhood and mutual trust. He highlighted the tremendous scope to increase cooperation in trade, economy, and people-to-people contacts.





Speaking to the High Commission-designate of Sri Lanka, Admiral (R) Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne, the President remarked that relations between Sri Lanka and Pakistan had strengthened over the last seven decades. He emphasized the need for enhancing and strengthening cultural linkages between the two countries and exchanging visits at the political and cultural levels. The President acknowledged that Sri Lanka was the first country to enter into a Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan and highlighted the need to increase bilateral trade.





During his discussion with the Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Andreas P. Kouzoupis, the President expressed Pakistans consideration of Cyprus as an important friend and the desire to further improve bilateral relations. He appreciated the Republic of Cyprus consistent support to Pakistan in the context of the European Union. The President voiced strong concern over happenings in Gaza, stating that Israeli security forces had crossed all limits by killing innocent people, including children and women.





The President congratulated the envoys on their appointments and expressed hope that they would play their roles in further boosting bilateral cooperation with Pakistan.
Rishi Sunaks strong declaration on high taxes and a strike from Britains doctors feature among the stories leading Wednesdays papers.

The Daily Express relays an upbeat declaration from the Prime Minister, who said it is time to look forward and move on from higher taxes.

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The Times echoes warnings from charities and NHS leaders who say hospitals across the UK will find it extremely difficult to care for elderly patients over Christmas as doctors begin the biggest strike in their history.

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The Telegraph says the US is considering plans for military strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen after the Iran-backed group launched attacks against Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea.

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The Independent displays a photo of the volcano in Iceland that erupted on Tuesday, lighting up the sky near the evacuated town of Grindavik.

Spy chiefs have been urged to investigate a penthouse overlooking the London HQ of the Secret Intelligence Service, according to the i.

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The Daily Mirror continues its coverage of 83-year-old Childline founder and broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, whose daughter Rebecca Wilcox said she would be horrified at the thought of her mother dying alone in Switzerland as the family calls for a free vote on assisted dying.

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The Guardian reports on the ongoing pressure on Israel as deaths in Gaza grow close to 20,000.

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The Daily Mail runs with words from Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch on contested and confused gender ideology in schools.

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The Sun leads with potential further scrutiny for the Duke of York after a US judge ruled court documents relating to more than 170 people who were either associates, friends or victims of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein should be made public.

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Documents naming dozens of Epsteins associates will be released on New Years Day, according to the Metro.

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The Financial Times reports that activist investor Cevian has taken a 1.2 billion euro stake in Swiss Bank UBS.

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And the Daily Star says Inbetweeners star James Buckley said he was scared of being mugged by monkeys.
An electric car maker in China has demonstrated a new battery capable of powering a vehicle for more than 1,000 km on a single charge.

Shanghai-based Nio claims the next-generation battery will enter mass production in April 2024, offering a longer range than any other electric or fuel-powered car currently on the market.

Nio chief executive William Li drove the all-electric ET7 vehicle 1,044 km (649 miles) during a 14 hour live stream, which saw the car travel from Zhejiang Province to Fujian Province on Sunday at an average speed of 84kph (52mph). A separate test of the breakthrough battery reportedly saw it cover 1,145 km, although this was not broadcast.

The completion of this endurance challenge proves the product power of the 150 kWh ultra-long endurance battery pack, Mr Li wrote in a post to the Chinese social media site Weibo.

This battery is currently the battery pack with the highest energy density in mass production in the world and has excellent safety performance. More importantly, all models on sale can be flexibly upgraded to 150kWh batteries through the Nio battery swap system.

Nio takes an unorthodox approach to charging vehicles, favouring a battery swap system rather than plugging the car in to an outlet and waiting for the battery to recharge.

A unique mechanism built into the vehicle means an empty battery can be swapped with a fully-charged battery in less than three minutes  roughly the amount of time it takes to refill a fuel-powered vehicle.

Customers are able to buy a vehicle without a battery, and then pay a monthly subscription fee to use batteries within Nios network.

Nio President Qin Lihong said that buying the new battery outright would cost 298,000 yuan (33,000)  roughly equivalent to the price of a Tesla Model 3  which is why the company advocates for the swappable hire scheme for its customers and the broader EV industry.

Nio started battery swap from the very beginning, it has been ready to open up its technologies and infrastructure to the entire industry, Mr Li said.

Similar to the cloud service provided by Internet companies, Nios Power Swap network and Power Cloud also followed the path along which we started with developing infrastructure and achieving a closed loop internally, and then open to others after validating the service across various scenarios.

The company revealed in November that it has provided over 32m battery swaps for users through its network of more than 2,000 Power Swap Stations worldwide.

 The Independent
As Black Santa currently sits out at St Annes Cathedral, the Dean of Belfast highlights the impact childbirth can have on mothers

How are you? Its a question we often ask, especially when we meet up at Christmas with someone we havent seen all year. And sometimes well ask: How are you feeling? But do we really want to know the answer?

Were happy if the answer is Im great, how about you?. But what if the reply is I really dont know how Im going to cope?

Mary takes centre stage in the Christmas story. In every school nativity play, Mary is the one who receives the news from an angel that she is to be the mother of the baby who will change the course of history, a child who will rescue his people and bear the name Jesus, which means Saviour.

But did anyone ever ask Mary, in the days after the angels visit, How are you? or How are you feeling?

In todays world we might put the question differently: Mary, how is your mental health, your mental wellbeing?

We know from the biblical account that Joseph was minded to put her away privily.

Mary, perhaps a girl of about 15 years, was pregnant, and her fiance, Joseph, was not the father. Despite the angels assurances, Mary, during her pregnancy, must have had some very dark thoughts about what the future could hold for her and her precious baby.

The mental wellbeing of women both before and after the birth of their child is something seldom discussed, especially if a new mother finds herself in a dark place. One of the charities which the Black Santa Appeal supports, ESC Films, has worked through film workshops and creative engagement with mothers who struggle with their perinatal mental wellbeing, sometimes called post-natal depression.

The donations which are made to this years Black Santa Appeal can make a lifetimes difference to a mother whose experience at the time of their childs birth is an experience of emotional and mental struggle.

So if you hear the biblical words and Mary pondered all these things in her heart, perhaps take a moment to wonder: What was she really feeling?

And then be thankful for those today who, with the support of Black Santa, are able to listen to a struggling mothers answer.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (center) waves as he arrives with his wife Wan Azizah to support pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a rally at the Bukit Jalil indoor stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 24, 2023.

Malaysia on Wednesday banned an Israeli shipping company, vessels using the Israeli flag and those headed there from docking at its ports, saying the move was a response to the Jewish states actions in Gaza.

The ban, effective immediately, was a reaction to what the Malaysian government said were Israels violations of international law in its war against Hamas fighters in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave where the death toll has reached nearly 20,000.

The Malaysian government has decided to block Israel-based shipping company ZIM from anchoring in any Malaysian port, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement, referring to a publicly held Israeli cargo shipping company.

In addition, Malaysia has also decided to no longer accept ships flying the Israeli flag to dock in the country. Malaysia has imposed a ban on any ship that is heading to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports, Anwar said.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. ships were allowed to dock in Malaysia starting in 2002, and permission was extended in 2005 to cargo vessels, but these authorizations were canceled as of Wednesday, Anwar said.

These sanctions are a response to Israels actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people, Anwars statement read.

The ban will also apply to a ZIM ship scheduled to arrive Dec. 26 at Malaysias Port Klang. It will be denied entry, said Anthony Loke, Malaysias transport minister.

A container ship is anchored at the North Port in Port Klang outside Kuala Lumpur Jan. 8, 2009. [Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters]

Anwar said hes confident the ban wont harm his countrys commercial activities.

Port Klang is Southeast Asias second-largest port and a key intermediate hub for cargo intended for other destinations. It is also ranked as the 12th busiest port in the world.

ZIM officials did not immediately respond to a BenarNews email requesting comment.

Much of the world is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza where the death toll is mounting and the destruction of civil and health infrastructure has led to a dire humanitarian crisis.

Israels military actions in Gaza began following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that killed about 1,100 people, according to an Agence France-Presse report relying on data from Israels social security agency.

Anwar has been among the most outspoken of the worlds Muslim leaders in his support for Palestinians. Malaysia has refused to end ties with Hamas, despite pressure from the United States.

Medical equipment is scattered outside the emergency ward of the Indonesian Hospital at the edge of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Nov. 24, 2023. [Mohammad Ahmad/AFP]

Indonesian Hospital in Gaza

Malaysias ban comes even as several international shipping companies, including Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), have suspended their operations in the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red seas following attacks on ships by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The rebels have said the attacks are payback against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza.

In neighboring Indonesia, meanwhile, a humanitarian organization on Wednesday denounced Israel, saying it had occupied the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza and was using it as a military base, which was against international law.

Sarbini Abdul Murad, the chairman of Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), which operates the hospital, said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops took control of the hospital two weeks ago.

He also called on the World Health Organization to send a team to investigate.

We urge Israel to abide by international law and make the hospital a neutral place, Sarbini told a news conference.

Israel must leave the hospital and stop using it as a shield.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus in Jakarta contributed to this report.
Drones are seen at a site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image from the Iranian Army obtained on April 20, 2023.

The United States has sanctioned four firms in Malaysia and one in Indonesia as part of a fresh round of restrictions targeting Irans drone program.

Washington accuses Iran of supplying deadly drones to terrorist proxies in the Middle East and to Russia for use in Ukraine.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it had targeted 10 entities and four individuals  located in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia  for their alleged involvement in a network that facilitated the procurement of components worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization.

The U.S. has issued two previous rounds of sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guards production of Shahed-series one-way attack drones, which carry built-in warheads and self-destruct on impact, the department said in a statement Tuesday.

The United States, in close coordination with our allies and partners, will continue to use the full range of our tools and authorities to disrupt these illicit procurement networks, as well as hold accountable the individuals and entities who seek to support them, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said.

The U.S. accused Iran-based Hossein Hatefi Ardakani of leading the network, which operated a string of front companies in Asia and the Middle East that exported sensitive technology to Iran. The goods ranged from servomotors to electric fuel pumps and antennas  most of which are classified as dual-use technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

The Malaysian entities sanctioned by the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control were listed as Arta Wave, Integrated Scientific Microwave Technology, Nava Hobbies, and Skyline Advanced Technologies.

Indonesia-based firm Surabaya Hobby, which on its website advertises itself as an authorized seller of Chinese-made DJI drones, was also sanctioned for allegedly aiding shipments of at least 100 servomotors destined for Irans Pishgam Electronic Safeh Company, another sanctioned company.

Agung Surya Dewanto, the owner of Surabaya Hobby, was sanctioned individually for his coordination of the shipments, the department said.

Sanctions deny people or companies access to assets within the U.S. and prevent American citizens or financial institutions from doing business with them.

Concurrent with fresh restrictions, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Ardakani and Chinese-national Gary Lam, also known as Lin Jinghe, for crimes related to the illegal procurement and export of American-made dual-use and sensitive technology to Iran.

Todays coordinated action with the Treasury Department demonstrates the Justice Departments commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division.

Iran has been the subject of a range of U.S. sanctions since 1979, following the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by radical students.
In this photo published by the U.S. embassy in Port Moresby, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, greets a member of Papua New Guineas Defense Force in Port Moresby during a December 2023 visit to the Pacific island country.

The U.S. militarys transportation command has assessed port and airport infrastructure in Papua New Guinea for upgrade over several years under a defense cooperation agreement between the superpower and the most populous Pacific island nation, its commanding general said.

The United States and Papua New Guinea signed the defense pact in May that critics have said impinges on the Pacific island countrys sovereignty. In August, just days after the U.S. State Department said the agreement had come into force, Papua New Guineas opposition leader sought a Supreme Court review of whether it is consistent with the countrys constitution.

Weve had an opportunity to assess some of the infrastructure and we had discussions on how we would be able to support that development, out fully, of that infrastructure, so that they can achieve their goals for the region, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told reporters on Tuesday.

We discussed how we work together to modernize the existing infrastructure over the next several years.

Van Ovost, commander of the branch of the U.S. forces responsible for the logistics of war and disaster relief contributions, visited Papua New Guinea last week  part of a recent U.S. focus on the Pacific region in response to Chinas inroads with some island states.

Her comments emphasized the boost defense cooperation with the U.S. would give to Papua New Guineas capacity to respond to natural disasters. The country of more than nine million people is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its defense force personnel number only about 4,000.

Papua New Guinea is committed to expanding their humanitarian assistance disaster relief capability and to developing that resilient infrastructure we talked about so that they could have a fast response either for their own people or for others in their region, Van Ovost said. They want to be a leader in doing this.

The 15-year defense agreement allows for unrestricted U.S. use of six sea and air ports in Papua New Guinea, including the capital Port Moresbys airport and seaport, the Lombrum Naval Base and the airport and port at Lae, an industrial center.

The U.S. has sought to bolster its already significant military presence in the Pacific and East Asia in response to Chinas claims to the South China Sea that impinge on several Southeast Asian countries waters, its belligerence towards Taiwan  which Beijing considers a rebel province  and other activity.

Aside from Papua New Guinea, the U.S. has strengthened its defense ties with the Philippines, which is embroiled in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The U.S. and the United Kingdom are also working to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines by next decade under the AUKUS pact  another source of concern for some Pacific island nations that fear being dragged into superpower competition.

Chinas military spending has grown rapidly for the past two decades but remains dwarfed by that of the U.S., which also has hundreds of military bases around the world.

Van Ovost, responding to a question from a journalist in Indonesia, said there is no territorial ambition or threat to other nations involved with the U.S. military expansion in Papua New Guinea. The Pacific country has a 760-kilometer (472-mile) border with Indonesia, which overshadows Papua New Guinea in population, economic size and military strength.

She said the agreement deepens the U.S.-Papua New Guinea relationship and also gives Papua New Guinea the ability to achieve its national security goals.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) greets Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prior to their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Dec. 17, 2023.

The Philippines inaugurated a Japanese-made radar system on Wednesday that could cover hundreds of miles in boosting national air defenses and helping protect its territorial waters, officials said.

The FPS-3ME Advance Air Surveillance Radar can detect incursions as far away as 300 nautical miles (555 km), including in West Philippine Sea waters where Chinese ships often encroach, Filipino officials said. The West Philippine Sea is Manilas name for territories and features it claims in the disputed South China Sea.

The inauguration occurred after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in Tokyo over the weekend that both countries were finalizing an agreement to give Japanese troops legal approval to train in the Philippines.

With over 7,000 islands to guard, the PAF needs the radar system to keep watch of the entire archipelago with greater accuracy and efficiency. This becomes even more crucial given the evolving security landscape in the region, Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreno, the Philippine Air Force chief, told reporters during the unveiling of the radar system at the Wallace Air Station in San Fernando, a city northwest of Manila.

The acquisition of this advanced radar system represents a major leap in our capability to protect our sovereign territory and ensure the safety of our citizens, Parreno said.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. received the radar systems documents from Kenichi Matsuda, Japans temporary charge daffaires in Manila, during the turnover ceremony.

A Philippine Navy sailors face is reflected on a radar screen aboard the BRP Tarlac landing ship off the shore of Calayan island, Philippines, June 30, 2023. [Ezra Acayan/Pool via Reuters]

The system is the first of four, valued together at 5.5 billion pesos (U.S. $98.7 million), which Manila is acquiring from Japans Mitsubishi Electric Corp. under the Philippines ongoing military modernization program.

Previously, the army had acquired weapons including an Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System armed with 155mm self-propelled guns, multi-launch rocket systems and land-based missile systems, as part of the program to upgrade the nations arsenal.

Strategic location

Teodoro said the radars range would improve the nations defense system.

We will have a clear picture, not only in the West Philippine Sea but also in other parts of the Philippines sea and air domains, (detect) those who are entering our EEZ (exclusive economic zone), he said.

Wallace Air Station was chosen because of its strategic location, he said.

This is an exit point of our international airspace and an entry point to Philippine airspace and it is naturally open to the West Philippine Sea and it is unobstructed, Teodoro said.

Access agreement

The Philippines and Japan, he said, were working to fast-track the Reciprocal Access Agreement between the two countries. The RAA, which is similar to the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States, will pave the way for larger military exercises between Filipino and Japanese troops. The VFA allows American troops to rotate in and out of the Philippines for training drills and war games.

Crew members from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier Izumo wave their caps during a farewell pass with Philippines naval ship BRP Davao del Sur after completing joint drills in the Sulu Sea, June 28, 2019. [Emily Wang/AP]

Marcos and Kishida discussed the reciprocal agreement while on the sidelines of a 50th anniversary commemorative summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan over the weekend.

We are in agreement that we considered this to be extremely significant between our two countries. The Reciprocal Access Agreement will give us a greater capability in terms not only of security, but also in terms of disaster preparedness, Marcos told Kishida, according to transcripts of their meeting.

The agreement, he said, would bring us greater capacity to maintain peace in the South China Sea.

Last month, Kishida became the first Japanese leader since World War II to address the Philippine Congress where he pledged Japans defense assistance.

In the South China Sea, trilateral cooperation to protect the freedom of the sea is underway, Kishida had said, referring to the Philippines, Japan and key military ally the United States.
Activities by countries claiming territory in the South China Sea have made a devastating impact on coral reefs, with vast areas being destroyed or badly damaged, a new report said.

In recent decades, increased fishing, dredging, and landfill, along with giant clam harvesting, have taken a devastating toll on thousands of species found nowhere else on earth, said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a new report released on Dec. 18.

One of the main findings is that more than 6,200 acres (9.65 square miles) of coral reef have been destroyed by island-building efforts in the South China Sea, with 75% of the damage being done by China, according to the report.

Another 16,353 acres (25.55 square miles) of coral reef were damaged due to giant clam harvesting by Chinese fishermen.

Industrial fishing by Vietnam and China, especially the use of bottom-trawling  catching fish by towing a net along the sea floor  has caused serious damage to the marine environment.

Overall, fish stocks in the South China Sea are depleted, resulting in fish catch stagnating since the 1990s despite increased fishing efforts, the report said.

Reef destruction

AMTI researchers looked into the alarming destruction of coral reefs caused by island-building activities by some of the claimants  China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Those five countries and Brunei are the parties that claim parts of the South China Sea, with Chinas claim being the most expansive.

To support their maritime claims, these countries have established outposts in the sea and developed new islands using invasive methods like dredging the seabed for landfill or land reclamation materials.

An aerial view shows the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, in the contested Spratly Islands, South China Sea, March 9, 2023. [Eloisa Lopez / Reuters]

China has caused the most reef destruction through dredging and landfill, burying roughly 4,648 acres (7.26 square miles) of reefs, the report said.

Vietnam comes second with 1,402 acres (2.19 square miles).

The AMTI report sheds light on the dredging method used by China to build artificial islands.

Its cutter suction dredgers would slice into the reef and pump sediment through floating pipelines to shallow areas to deposit it as landfill, it described.

This process disturbed the seafloor, creating clouds of abrasive sediment that killed nearby marine life and overwhelmed the coral reefs capacity to repair itself.

Beijing carried out most of its island-building activities during 2013-2017.

By 2022, China had fully militarized the three largest reefs  Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross.

Other claimants are known for using less destructive dredging methods.

Until recently, Vietnam had primarily used clamshell dredgers and construction equipment to scoop up sections of shallow reef and deposit the sediment on the area targeted for landfill, AMTI said.

This method is slower and causes less collateral damage to surrounding areas.

More recently, however, Vietnam has turned to cutter suction dredgers like Chinas. This large-scale expansion of Vietnams South China Sea outposts remains ongoing and will have major consequences for the surrounding marine environment, it warned.

Fish swim near coral reefs in Komodo waters, Indonesia, April 30, 2009. [Dita Alangkara/ AP]

Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have also been developing their islands, but to a much lesser extent, and there have been efforts to minimize the environmental impact.

Dredging will be less harmful with more sedimentation and plume control during the dredging and reclamation works, said Kamaruzaman Legiman, a Malaysian engineering expert who works as Development Lead at the firm JL Projects Sdn Bhd.

Additional mitigation can also be implemented via frequent water quality inspection to avoid any unwanted damages, Kamaruzaman added.

Giant clam harvesting

Besides dredging and landfills, the AMTI report has also discovered another major destructive factor  giant clam harvesting  that is responsible for the damage of vast areas of coral reef.

The harvesting of giant clams for their remarkable shells has become popular in recent decades because of their resemblance to elephant ivory, which is now extremely difficult or illegal to obtain, it said.

Chinese fishermen work on a fishing boat in the South China Sea after the beginning of a new fishing season, Aug. 1, 2004. [Reuters/China Photos]

They are sold as jewelry or statues in China for high prices of up to U.S. $106,000 per carved shell, according to the researchers.

The report said Chinese fishermen have been using an extremely harmful method of dragging specially made brass propellers to dig up reef surfaces and to more easily harvest both live and dead clams attached to the reef.

As a result, many reefs in the South China Sea now show arc-shaped scars, said the report, noting that Chinese fishers are known to use this method.

This report was produced by Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
EQS-Ad-hoc: Altech Advanced Materials AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Altech Advanced Materials AG: Altech Advanced Materials AG publishes results of definitive feasibility study for planned Silumina Anodes plant in Schwarze Pumpe



20-Dec-2023 / 17:35 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc.



The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.







Based on the current price and cost calculation, full capacity utilisation of the plant opens up an EBITDA potential (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) of EUR 105 million per year on average in the medium term. At full production capacity utilisation of 8,000 tpa, the plant's total annual revenue amounts to EUR 328 million, based on a long-term FOB (Free On Board) price for silumina anodes, which offers the same unit energy price as conventional graphite products with improved energy density.



The net present value (NPV) before taxes for the investment is EUR 684 million at a discount rate of 10%. The internal rate of return (IRR) is 34% and the capital repayment period is 2.4 years. The cost of capital for the plant on a full cost basis, including additional provisions and commissioning, is EUR 112 million.



Tests have shown that Silumina anodes enable at least 30 % higher energy density and thus performance of the batteries, as well as a longer service life and increased safety.



Explanatory part

Altech recently announced (see press release dated 16 November 2023) that it would concentrate its entire production capacity on silicon. Originally, Silumina Anodes were to be a coated composite material consisting of a mixture of 90 % graphite and 10 % silicon. The concentration on silicon leads to considerable improvements in the overall economic balance of the project, without this technical adjustment resulting in significant additional costs. The pilot plant is nearing completion and is currently being commissioned and is expected to produce the first material for qualification by battery manufacturers in early 2024.



Silumina Anodes is particularly suitable for use in the field of electromobility. Altech has concluded extensive NDAs with German and US car manufacturers as well as a European battery manufacturer and a US supplier of battery materials. The companies are showing great interest in acquiring commercial samples for their testing and qualification processes. Altech has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ferroglobe, a leading global manufacturer of metallurgical silicon, to secure the future supply of high-purity nano-silicon.



The Silumina Anodes plant has received a "Medium Green" Rating from the independent Centre for International Climate Research (CICERO) in Norway. This means that the plant complies with all green bond principles and is suitable for green bond financing. This "Green" certification of Silumina Anodes is also an important argument for battery and car manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint.



The summary of the feasibility study can be downloaded from the Altech Advanced Materials AG website



About Silumina Anodes

The Altech Group has developed a wet-technical method for coating the anode material of a battery with high-purity aluminium oxide in the nanometre range in a cost-effective and high-quality industrial standard. By coating silicon with high-purity aluminium oxide and adding it to the usual graphite anode material, the performance of the battery can be increased. With an admixture of 10 %, an increase in performance of more than 30 % has been confirmed in laboratory tests, as silicon has ten times the energy storage capacity of graphite. Until now, however, silicon could not be used in commercial lithium-ion batteries because silicon particles swell by up to 300% during the battery charging process. This leads to partial failure of the battery. At the same time, lithium ions attach themselves to the anode as a separating layer and are thus deactivated, meaning they are no longer available for the energy flow. Although this also happens with pure graphite anodes, this negative effect is much stronger with silicon-containing anodes and leads to an initial charge loss of up to 50 % of the theoretical battery capacity. These side effects have so far cancelled out the potential benefits of adding silicon. The Altech Group has succeeded in coating silicon in the nanometre range and thus largely overcoming the problems described.



About Altech Advanced Materials AG

Altech Advanced Materials AG (ISIN: DE000A31C3Y4 and DE000A31C3Z1), based in Frankfurt am Main, is a holding company listed on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company's aim is to participate in the market for solid-state batteries for stationary battery use with CERENERGY.



Another focus is on lithium-ion batteries. An innovative anode material based on high-purity aluminium oxide (HPA) - Silumina Anodes - is intended to significantly increase the performance of this battery for electromobility.



Further information at: www.altechadvancedmaterials.com



Altech Advanced Materials AG

Executive Board: Iggy Tan, Uwe Ahrens, Hansjorg Plaggemars

Ziegelhauser Landstrae 3

69120 Heidelberg

info@altechadvancedmaterials.com

Tel: + 49 6221 649 2482

www.altechadvancedmaterials.com



Press contact

Ralf Droz / Doron Kaufmann, edicto GmbH

Tel: +49 (0) 69 905505-54

e-mail:



ARIKON AG

Arikon AG, Komturstrae 18 A, 12099 Berlin, e-mail:



Hatch Kuttner GmbH

Hatch Kuttner GmbH, Alfredstr. 28, 45130 Essen,

Altech Advanced Materials AG ("AAM" or the "Company") (FRA: AMA) announces the results for the definitive feasibility study (DFS) prepared by Altech in cooperation with HATCH Kuttner GmbH ("HATCH"), responsible for plant and process engineering, and ARIKON Infrastruktur GmbH ("Arikon"), responsible for building, infrastructure and environmental engineering, for the Silumina Anodes plant in Schwarze Pumpe, Saxony, for the coating of silicon for anode composite material to increase the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Since the preliminary feasibility study published in April 2022, Altech has achieved significant technical improvements in the preparation of the Silumina Anodes project, which is also reflected in the forecast financial figures for the Silumina Anodes plant. The plant is designed for the production of 8,000 tonnes per year of metallurgical silicon coated with aluminium oxide. Silumina Anodes material is added to conventional anode graphite at a rate of 10%, providing a performance-enhancing anode composite material for the production of approximately 120 gigawatt hours (GWh) of high-performance lithium-ion batteries.Based on the current price and cost calculation, full capacity utilisation of the plant opens up an EBITDA potential (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) of EUR 105 million per year on average in the medium term. At full production capacity utilisation of 8,000 tpa, the plant's total annual revenue amounts to EUR 328 million, based on a long-term FOB (Free On Board) price for silumina anodes, which offers the same unit energy price as conventional graphite products with improved energy density.The net present value (NPV) before taxes for the investment is EUR 684 million at a discount rate of 10%. The internal rate of return (IRR) is 34% and the capital repayment period is 2.4 years. The cost of capital for the plant on a full cost basis, including additional provisions and commissioning, is EUR 112 million.Tests have shown that Silumina anodes enable at least 30 % higher energy density and thus performance of the batteries, as well as a longer service life and increased safety.Altech recently announced (see press release dated 16 November 2023) that it would concentrate its entire production capacity on silicon. Originally, Silumina Anodes were to be a coated composite material consisting of a mixture of 90 % graphite and 10 % silicon. The concentration on silicon leads to considerable improvements in the overall economic balance of the project, without this technical adjustment resulting in significant additional costs. The pilot plant is nearing completion and is currently being commissioned and is expected to produce the first material for qualification by battery manufacturers in early 2024.Silumina Anodes is particularly suitable for use in the field of electromobility. Altech has concluded extensive NDAs with German and US car manufacturers as well as a European battery manufacturer and a US supplier of battery materials. The companies are showing great interest in acquiring commercial samples for their testing and qualification processes. Altech has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ferroglobe, a leading global manufacturer of metallurgical silicon, to secure the future supply of high-purity nano-silicon.The Silumina Anodes plant has received a "Medium Green"from the independent Centre for International Climate Research (CICERO) in Norway. This means that the plant complies with all green bond principles and is suitable for green bond financing. This "Green" certification of Silumina Anodes is also an important argument for battery and car manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint.The summary of the feasibility study can be downloaded from the Altech Advanced Materials AG website www.altechadvancedmaterials.com in the "Project information" section.The Altech Group has developed a wet-technical method for coating the anode material of a battery with high-purity aluminium oxide in the nanometre range in a cost-effective and high-quality industrial standard. By coating silicon with high-purity aluminium oxide and adding it to the usual graphite anode material, the performance of the battery can be increased. With an admixture of 10 %, an increase in performance of more than 30 % has been confirmed in laboratory tests, as silicon has ten times the energy storage capacity of graphite. Until now, however, silicon could not be used in commercial lithium-ion batteries because silicon particles swell by up to 300% during the battery charging process. This leads to partial failure of the battery. At the same time, lithium ions attach themselves to the anode as a separating layer and are thus deactivated, meaning they are no longer available for the energy flow. Although this also happens with pure graphite anodes, this negative effect is much stronger with silicon-containing anodes and leads to an initial charge loss of up to 50 % of the theoretical battery capacity. These side effects have so far cancelled out the potential benefits of adding silicon. The Altech Group has succeeded in coating silicon in the nanometre range and thus largely overcoming the problems described.Altech Advanced Materials AG (ISIN: DE000A31C3Y4 and DE000A31C3Z1), based in Frankfurt am Main, is a holding company listed on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company's aim is to participate in the market for solid-state batteries for stationary battery use with CERENERGY.Another focus is on lithium-ion batteries. An innovative anode material based on high-purity aluminium oxide (HPA) - Silumina Anodes - is intended to significantly increase the performance of this battery for electromobility.Further information at: www.altechadvancedmaterials.comExecutive Board: Iggy Tan, Uwe Ahrens, Hansjorg PlaggemarsZiegelhauser Landstrae 369120 HeidelbergTel: + 49 6221 649 2482Ralf Droz / Doron Kaufmann, edicto GmbHTel: +49 (0) 69 905505-54e-mail: AltechAdvancedMaterials@edicto.de Arikon AG, Komturstrae 18 A, 12099 Berlin, e-mail: info@arikon.de , web https://www.arikon.de/ , is a leading project developer and industrial plant constructor and combines expertise in all peripheral trades including architecture, air, waste water and building services engineering and also manages the relevant approval procedures.Hatch Kuttner GmbH, Alfredstr. 28, 45130 Essen, info@kuettner.com , Web. www. kuettner.com/de, is part of the world-leading engineering and consulting company HATCH. With extensive expertise and resources in plant and process engineering in general and chemical processes in particular, HATCH is the competent partner for the development and construction of the Silumina Anodes plant. The pilot plant was developed by Altech together with HATCH.



End of Inside Information

20-Dec-2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


Nguyen Tien Trung speaks at an event hosted by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, United States.

Democracy activist and former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Tien Trung, his wife, and two children arrived in Germany for resettlement purposes on December 14, 2023.

Trung fled Vietnam for Thailand to apply for refugee status in August 2023 following heavy surveillance by Vietnams security forces, which forced him to visit police stations multiple times.

Trung has been an activist fighting for democracy in Vietnam for more than a decade. He was arrested in 2009 on charges of anti-State propaganda. In 2010, he was sentenced to seven years in prison, along with other prominent activists such as Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Le Cong Dinh, and Le Thang Long.

After being discharged from prison in 2014, he continued his pro-democracy activities in various forms, including writing commentaries and compiling reports on the Vietnamese governments human rights violations and sharing them with the international community.

From a refugee camp in the city of Cologne, Trung told Radio Free Asia how he escaped Vietnamese security forces at home and in Thailand.

RFA: Congratulations to you and your family on having arrived in Germany. What are your feelings now?

Trung: I did not plan to come to Germany, but the dangerous situation facing me in Vietnam forced me to leave my country.

My feelings are mixed. I am happy because my family has arrived in a safe place, but I am also sad to have to leave Vietnam and my colleagues there.

RFA: What dangers forced you to flee your home country?

Trung: In the early morning of Aug. 18, 2023, when leaving my home [in Ho Chi Minh City] to buy breakfast, I encountered five plain-clothed security officers who came out from a coffee shop at the beginning of the alley to my home. They stopped me and asked me to follow them to the ward office.

I asked whether they had any written summons for me, who they were, and why they stopped me. They replied that they did not have a summons, but I must go to the ward office. They also said that after I went to the ward office, they would send the summons to my home. However, I refused to go, saying this was a kidnapping plot.

After arguing with me for a while, they made eye contact with around five other security officers, who were sitting inside the coffee shop, asking them to come out. When they stood up, I counted them and realized that around 10 security officers were watching and wanting to arrest me.

Therefore, I had to run back to my home. Fortunately, I ran fast enough and was able to get in and lock the gate. Shortly after that, police officers in uniform came with an invitation, asking me to go to the ward police station for a meeting on the same day. I, of course, did not show up.

It was raining that evening. Noticing there was no one watching me, I decided to leave home and flee to Thailand.

RFA: In your opinion, what had you done that led to the threat of you being arrested?

Trung: Firstly, for many years, I have always reported the Vietnamese Communist governments human rights violations to international organizations and diplomatic missions of democratic countries [in Vietnam].

Secondly, I can say that I had put families of many prisoners of conscience in contact with foreign embassies so that the embassies could support them or lobby for the release of prisoners of conscience. This is what I have publicly done since I was discharged from prison in 2014.

What I didnt say publicly was my support for many Vietnamese civil society organizations. I stayed behind the scenes and did not want to reveal myself.

Recently, I was told by my friends that some had been kidnapped and forced to denounce and accuse me of enticing them to fight for democracy. Therefore, I realized they were looking for excuses to accuse me.

As they did not have any evidence to charge me, they planned to abduct me when I was going out to be able to have access to my mobile phone, and they wanted to arrest me based on my friends forced statements. That was their conspiracy.

RFA: Can you tell us about your trip to Thailand?

Trung: I left home on the evening of Aug. 18 and arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug. 23.

Like others, to be able to come to Thailand I had to go through Cambodia. I cannot be more specific as the information about the path to Thailand should be confidential.

RFA: How did you feel when you arrived in Thailand?

Trung: I was glad as I could at least get to the place I needed to go to, which was the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. However, I always stayed vigilant because, as you all know, Vietnamese agents are ubiquitous in Bangkok, and they successfully abducted Truong Duy Nhat and Duong Van Thai. Therefore, I was not that glad.

Despite my vigilance, Vietnamese security agents were still able to track me down in Bangkok. That was why the German government decided to grant me an emergency visa so that I could come to Germany early.

RFA: How did you know that you had been spotted by Vietnamese security agents in Bangkok?

Trung: When I was having breakfast at a market near my home [in Bangkok], I noticed someone was following me and [using Google to search for my photos]  Luckily, the person was sitting with his/her back to me.

When I glanced at their phone, this person turned their head to look at me. Therefore, I was able to see they were searching for my photos to verify it was me. I immediately left the eatery and also moved to a new place to live.

I informed several embassies about the incident, and the German embassy decided to help me [leave Thailand] right away. Then I arrived in Germany on Dec. 14.

RFA: Looking back at your journey from Vietnam to Thailand and then to Germany, what do you think was the biggest challenge?

Trung: I think the most challenging time was when I had to cross the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. They wanted to kidnap me on Friday [Aug. 18]. And on Saturday afternoon, I had already arrived in the province bordering Cambodia.

My taxi driver received a lot of calls from [taxi services] call center, and the call center was aware that the taxi was transporting me. I realized that the security forces had spotted my taxi, and I had been discovered, as the call center was able to describe my appearance in detail. As a result, I had no choice but to leave that border province and return to Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City]. So, I failed to flee Vietnam on that Saturday.

On Sunday, I took another route, and fortunately, I was successful.

The fact that I was spotted and had to return to Saigon made me realize how severe my case was because only the security forces at the ministry level were able to mobilize various provinces and cities security forces to prevent me from leaving the country. I was very lucky to be able to escape from them.

RFA: During your stay in Thailand, was your family in Vietnam harassed by the local authorities?

Trung: The security forces did ask about me, but my family, of course, did not say anything. Quite a few of my friends were kidnapped and interrogated about my whereabouts, as well as forced to denounce me. I knew this as my friends messaged me after being released from police stations.

RFA: Do you know why the Vietnamese government had such a strong determination to hunt you?

Trung: I think there could be several reasons. Firstly, they may find my activities had caused some threats as I supported many domestic civil society organizations with many employees and strong abilities. Therefore, they were determined to wipe me out.

Secondly, the activists, who are good at English, have already left, and I seem to be the last one in Vietnam who can help prisoners of conscience speak up [and communicate with the international community]. Therefore, I was a thorn that needed to be removed.

Thirdly, it might be because Tran Huynh Duy Thuc is going to be released from prison. He is expected to complete his jail term in 2025. I guess that they did not want us to work together to fight for democracy in Vietnam and decided to take action to prevent this.

Those are all my assumptions. I actually dont know their motivations/reasons.

RFA: Now that you are in Germany, do you have any worries or concerns?

Trung: As a pro-democracy activist, I, of course, still have many concerns. I dont know what will happen to my colleagues still in Vietnam. I wish them all safety and security, and I hope that my departure/absence will bring them safety as their leader has left.

RFA: What are your plans for the future?

Trung: I will need to settle in first, then start to learn German to integrate into life here quickly.

Secondly, I will continue to pursue my ideal, which is to fight for human rights and democracy in Vietnam. And, of course, I will have to do it differently from how I did when I was in the country.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Radio Free Asia is a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy skies with afternoon snow showers. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%..

Tonight

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 32F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Swiss Steel Holding AG / Key word(s): Disposal/Letter of Intent

Swiss Steel Group announces that its subsidiary, Ascometal France Holding, enters into exclusive negotiations with Acciaierie Venete for the sale of several production sites in France



20-Dec-2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Lucerne, December 20, 2023 Ascometal France Holding, a subsidiary of Swiss Steel Group, a leading producer of special long steel solutions, enters into exclusive negotiations with Acciaierie Venete, a leading Italian steelmaker, who has firmly committed to take-over several production sites in France.

The contemplated transaction is fully aligned with Swiss Steel Groups strategic program SSG 2025 and its reorganization for a resilient future. The contemplated transaction encompasses Ascometal France Holdings subsidiaries operating the plants of Hagondange (Moselle), Custines (Meurthe-et-Moselle), and Le Marais (Loire), and the activities and workforce of CREAS, Ascometal's research center. Swiss Steel Group is pleased that Ascometal France Holding has found a reliable and experienced partner in Acciaierie Venete, with industrial synergies, boasting an ambitious plan to strengthen the Ascometal plants of Hagondange, Custines and Le Marais. The contemplated transaction aligns with Swiss Steel Groups commitment to sustainable practices and its strategic plan, which would support its transformation into a robust and best-in-class special long steel player, leading the green transformation in Europe. The contemplated transaction also aligns with Swiss Steel Groups strategic focus on core business activities for further stabilization of the Group and long-term profitability. The transaction would allow Swiss Steel Group to strategically channel its investments into areas that promise sustained growth in alignment with its long-term vision and strengthening other production assets such as the French Ugitech. Acciaierie Venete has firmly committed to complete the contemplated transaction, which will be submitted to the relevant employee representative bodies of Ascometal. The transaction is subject to the completion of a number of conditions precedent, including the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities. Subject to these conditions being met, completion is expected in spring 2024. The remaining two subsidiaries of Ascometal France Holding, the Les Dunes (Dunkirk, Nord) and Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhone) plants, are not concerned by the transaction; options for ensuring their long-term future are still under study by all Ascometal stakeholders. For further information:



For media queries:

Anina Berger, anina.berger@swisssteelgroup.com, +41 (0)41 581 4121 For media queries in France:

Frederique Tissot, frederique.tissot@swisssteelgroup.com, +33 6 26 18 03 72



For Analyst/investor inquiries:

Burkhard Wagner, burkhard.wagner@swisssteelgroup.com, +41 (0)41 581 4180





Media Release (PDF) About Swiss Steel Group

Swiss Steel Group with headquarters in Lucerne (Switzerland) is one of the worlds leading producers of special steel long prod-ucts. Thanks to the exclusive use of steel scrap in electric arc furnaces, the Group is one of the most relevant companies in Europe in the circular economy and is among the market leaders in the field of sustainably produced steel - Green Steel. Swiss Steel Group has its own production and distribution entities in over 30 countries and, through its strong local presence, offers a wide range of individual solutions in the fields of engineering steel, stainless steel, and tool steel. Swiss Steel Group is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and generated a revenue of over EUR 4 billion in 2022 with approximately 10,000 employees.

End of Inside Information
This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.
Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield is among Massachusetts community colleges offering financial aid to students over the age of 25 through a new state program.
Diocese insists an Easthampton woman it paid money to for a North Adams priests misconduct was not a vulnerable adult
GREAT BARRINGTON  The plainclothed police officer who entered an eighth grade classroom to search for a book wore a body camera and recorded the incident, leading to more legal questions and concerns.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other free speech advocates say they are alarmed by the recording, as well as the entire Dec. 8 incident that took place after classes let out at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School.

They also say they cannot recall any instances of police going to a school to search for a book. Schools and libraries have internal procedures for book challenges.

Thats partly what is so concerning, said Ruth A. Bourquin, senior and managing attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts. Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia. What are we doing?

The Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee and Superintendent Peter Dillion have, in a statement sent to the school community Tuesday, apologized for how it handled the situation, stating "clearly and unequivocally" that it does not support book banning, and committed to making all of its students feel safe.

"The recent incident at the middle school has challenged and impacted our community," according to the statement. "Faced with an unprecedented police investigation of what should be a purely educational issue, we tried our best to serve the interests of students, families, teachers, and staff. In hindsight, we would have approached that moment differently. We are sorry. We can do better to refine and support our existing policies. We are committed to supporting all our students, particularly vulnerable populations."

The ACLU has requested that body camera footage and other records related to the complaint and the investigation, Bourquin said.

It was an anonymous complaint that led Great Barrington Police to open a probe about whether parts of the book, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, could be considered obscene material or pornographic.

Quote Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia. What are we doing?  Ruth A. Bourquin, senior and managing attorney, ACLU of Massachusetts

Police then notified the Berkshire District Attorneys Office as per the departments policy.

They also notified school and district administrators they were coming to the classroom, and the officer was escorted there by the school principal. The teacher, who kept the book in her resource library, was surprised to see the officer. The officer announced he was turning on his body camera and then looked for the book and did not find it.

The DA ordered the investigation closed. The matter of whether the book is appropriate now rests with the schools.

In its letter, the BHRSD School Committee said the incident "has challenged and impacted our community."

"Faced with an unprecedented police investigation of what should be a purely educational issue, we tried our best to serve the interests of students, families, teachers and staff. In hindsight, we would have approached that moment differently. We are sorry," the letter said.

The committee said it would work to collect feedback on how it can do better, starting by hosting a community meeting on Jan. 11.

"It is the obligation of the district to use its policies, existing or amended, to select curriculum. In this case, the content was not the issue. The process challenging it was. We want to ensure that students and staff feel safe and supported and that families voices are heard."

But questions remain, and the ACLU, parents, students and others remain shocked by the police involvement. Gov. Maura Healey also expressed disapproval of the incident and of book banning in general.

Kobabes award-winning illustrated novel is frequently the target of bans. It was the No. 1 one most banned book last year, according to American Library Association data.

'The freedom to read'

Gender Queer is a coming-of-age memoir about reckoning with confusion about gender and contains sexually explicit illustrations and language.

It is this that many in LGBTQIA+ community say they believe is the reason for the censorship  not so-called obscenity concerns.

In Massachusetts the test for obscenity is if the material is of interest sexually, depicts or describes sexual conduct "in a way that is patently offensive to an average citizen of this county," and "has no serious value of a literary, artistic, political or scientific kind," according to the state.

It was a complaint about so-called obscene materials in the classroom that police say led them there  something they said they had a duty to investigate.

But the ACLUs Bourquin disagrees.

Were very troubled by this notion, she said. They say anytime someone could call they have an obligation to go marching into places wearing a body cam, and you know, interrogating people, Bourquin said.

State laws, she said, are pretty clear about police not having roles in this situation.

Both the state and federal constitutions also protect the rights of students to receive information, she added, noting the ACLU and GLAD  Legal Advocates & Defenders for the LGBTQ Community  sent an open letter in January to school superintendents statewide given the rise in attempts to ban school library books.

The letter, also sent to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, noted that legally such bans may constitute unlawful discrimination.

The letter says the courts have recognized that the fact that some parents do not want their children to read certain books cannot justify depriving other students of their rights of access.

The ACLUs letter serves as a legal guide for schools and students rights to have access to information that is free of censorship, and says the ACLU stands ready as a resource in this fight.

The librarian at Du Bois middle school, Jennifer Guerin, made another point about that access. She said that it is critically important for concerned community members to remember that the current situation is not about forcing a book into students hands.

Its about the freedom to read, Guerin said. It's about providing voluntary access to a well-written, highly acclaimed resource in a safe place for a teenager who might want or need it.

Using obscenity as an excuse to censor books with literary value is a heavy legal lift, said Bourquin. Obscenity laws have been carefully crafted to ensure not tromping on constitutional free speech rights.

If a book has value and isn't meant to sexually arouse it will be hard for it to fail the legal test for obscenity, she said.

That test is "very specific," and not something the average person or police officer necessarily would know, said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition.

Its not a very easy test, Silverman said. And just because you have a community member pointing to something and saying, Thats obscene, well, that doesnt mean that it is obscene under the First Amendment.

Like Bourquin, Silverman is stunned by the police involvement and thinks it wise to set a precedent for the future given the uptick in school book challenges.

While it might be rare now, it doesn't mean that it will be rare in the future, Silverman said of police involvement in school literature. "I think the school and the police department have to come forth with a policy to make sure that this doesnt happen again.
Timeline . . .

1892: The Interlaken Road property was built as a Gilded Age estate that included the mansion named Beckwithshaw, constructed for Leonard Forbes Beckwith and his wife, Margaretta, for $100,000.

1916: New owners Dan and Molly Hanna renamed the property as the Bonnie Brier Farm, later commonly called the Hanna Farm.

1934, 1935: The Hanna Farm hosted the New York Philharmonic for summer concerts, a forerunner of the Boston Symphonys Tanglewood Festival.

1948-1976: Educator Hans Maeder operated the progressive Stockbridge School, whose notable alumni included Arlo Guthrie, Chevy Chase and author-political theorist Benjamin Barber.

1978: A. Michael DeSisto opened the DeSisto School for bright but emotionally troubled youth.

2004: Under pressure from the state following numerous allegations by abuse directed against students, the school closed voluntarily and the property was abandoned.

2009: Developer Patrick Sheehan, owner of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, purchases the property at a public auction for $1,350,000.

2016: After failing to find a buyer for the site, offered at $9 million, Sheehan presents a plan for a $150 million major resort, including 40 to 50 hotel rooms in the propertys mansion, up to 120 condo units in six new buildings, and 40 single-family residences.

2018: After resistance from the Select Board and opposition by some residents, Sheehan withdraws the proposal.

March 2022: A somewhat modified but similar plan presented informally to the Select Board also fails to gain traction.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, it mined the waters off the Crimean Peninsula. Russia expected to win its war but when that did not happen some of those mines either broke loose or were cut loose and drifted into shipping lanes used by Ukrainian and NATO ships. By early 2023 over 40 of these mines had been found and destroyed. It is unknown how many mines are still out there but the NATO countries that border the Black Sea continue to look for them. Some of these mines were bottom mines which, unlike floating mines, are kept in place by a chain attached to a weight on the seabed and sometimes the chain breaks. There are also bottom mines that are placed on the seabed and dont drift around. Russia does not appear to have used bottom mines in the Black Sea.

In mid-2023 there was a sudden increase in the number of free floating mines between Crimea and the narrow straits Turkey controls that lead to the Mediterranean and the worlds oceans. Turkey and other NATO nations control most of the Black Sea coastline, especially the southern and western Black Sea coasts. The Russian navy still controls most of the eastern Black Sea and is believed responsible for more than 400 free floating naval mines showing up west of Crimean since mid-2023.

Few of these mines appear to be tethered mines that broke loose from their chains. That is an old problem with Russian made floating mines. Tethered mines are designed to have their weighted base sink to the bottom of shallow (less than 20 meters) water. Most of the mines currently in the Black Sea were apparently released into the water without any tether. The use of naval mines is diminished because they are not much of a threat to warships, which are constantly on the lookout for them, and most commercial ships are too big to sink after encountering one of these mines. There is some hull damage and flooding, but not enough to sink a ship.

The mines are a danger to smaller commercial ships, especially fishing trawlers, not to mention some large private vessels like yachts. Some NATO counties with Black Sea coastlines have organized a mine clearing operation. Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria contribute mine clearing vessels and equipment. NATO members that do not border the Black Sea but do have a lot of commercial shipping operating in the Black Sea are also contributing mine clearing ships and equipment.

The situation worsened because of a massive storm that ravaged the Black Sea coastline on November 26th and 27th. Such a storm has not occurred in the Black Sea for over a century and the damage was extensive. Military facilities and fortifications on the coast were damaged or destroyed. Ships at sea, especially smaller ones, were damaged or sunk. Some ships at sea ran ashore. The ten meter (30 f00t) waves were particularly damaging to ports and coastal military facilities in Crimea.

A less visible form of damage was the number of moored, by a chain to a weight on the sea bottom, naval mines. The powerful storm broke the chains and set these mines free. This added another hazard for commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Floating contact mines are a 19th century development that has been improved on for over a century and is still used because they are cheap and effective. Iran has acquired a stockpile of 3,000 to 6,000 mines, mostly of Soviet/Russian, Chinese or North Korean origin. Most are unsophisticated but still dangerous moored contact mines, like those that damaged several American warships in the Persian Gulf during 1991. These mines had been released by Iraq. Iran's current arsenal of sea mines is estimated to number around 2,000 and includes the domestically produced Sadaf-01/02 moored contact mines as well as more sophisticated bottom mines that depend on battery-operated sensors to detect ships passing overhead and detonate when a ship of the desired type comes by. These mines put holes in ships bottoms, which causes serious flooding that often sinks them. Naval forces with the right equipment can easily find and disable bottom mines and thats what happened to the ones Iran supplied to the Yemen Shia rebels. The rebels had only a few such mines, and apparently no more were smuggled in after so many were found and destroyed by naval mine clearing ships.

Some nations are still working on new mines and mine delivery systems. The U.S. Navy believes robotic subs carrying mobile mines would be an effective new ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) asset because the U.S. is already developing some of the new ASW technology needed for this. This includes UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vessels) and mobile mines. Over a decade ago the navy adopted civilian underwater UUVs used for monitoring the oceans to do that as well as collect data useful for wartime submarine operations. With a growing number of civilian and military customers, American UUV developers and manufacturers have been coming up with new ocean research UUVs that also have military applications. The latest example of this is the new class of XLUUVs with the ability to go deeper, carry a cargo bay for other research gear to be stored and deployed from, and operate autonomously for up to six months. The first of these XLUUVs was the Echo Voyager, which Boeing developed from a research project and had the first one ready for testing in 2016. The tests were successful and have involved more complex and completely autonomous operations. In 2019 the navy ordered four militarized Orca versions of the Echo Voyager for $11 million each.

Both models are diesel-electric powered autonomous subs that are 16 meters (51 feet) long with a payload compartment 9.1 meters long, 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) in diameter and are wholly inside the pressure hull. Propulsion is by battery powered electric motors and diesel generators to recharge the batteries when on or near the surface. This XLUUV has no topside sail and can stay underwater for days at a time because there is no crew on board to sustain. While submerged these UUVs can move at 14 kilometers an hour and have sufficient generator fuel to travel 12,000 kilometers.

The main difference between Echo Voyager and Orca is that Echo Voyager is built to dive to extreme (3,400 meters/11,000 feet) depths. Orca does without that but adds additional passive sensors and signal processing computers to detect other submarines or surface ships. There is also an underwater communications system for arming the dozen Hammerhead mobile mines Orca is designed to carry and place on the ocean floor in areas like the South China Sea. These Hammerhead bottom mines carry a Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, which is normally carried by ASW helicopters and aircraft. Mk 54 has a range of ten kilometers and a guidance system that is regularly updated. Hammerhead is being used in a similar fashion to a larger version of this used during the Cold War that deployed a larger Mk 48 torpedo. Hammerhead is an encapsulated system equipped with passive sensors to detect and identify submarines and surface ships and attack specific types of targets, like diesel-electric subs larger than Orca.

Ever since the end of the Cold War a growing number of American naval officers and civilian experts have been urging that more attention be paid to dealing with naval mines. The United States was not alone and in 2012 that led to the U.S. and over 30 other nations conducting a joint mine clearing exercise, called the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2012 (September 16-27). The numerous training events were directed at dealing with Iranian attempts to block the entrance (Straits of Hormuz) to the Persian Gulf. The impact of that exercise led to another being held annually ever since. While Iran is the most immediate user of naval mines, it is not alone. North Korea, China and Russia have much larger naval mine stockpiles, but these three are not boasting of how and when they would use them.

Iran insists that because of its mines and other weapons it will have no trouble blocking the export of oil via the Straits of Hormuz. Some 35 percent of the world's oil shipments pass through these straits, which comes to about 15-20 tankers a day (plus a dozen or more non-tankers). The Persian Gulf, in general, is a busy waterway. It is 989 kilometers long and the average depth is 50 meters (maximum depth is 90 meters). Naval mines are Iran's best bet if they want to shut down the straits. The Iranian problem is that they have a small navy, an obsolete air force, and a poor track record when it comes to shutting down tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf or the Straits of Hormuz. They tried once before, in the 1980s, when they were at war with Iraq. The two nations began attacking each other's tanker traffic early on, in an attempt to cut off each other's oil sales and, thus, military purchases. Iran didn't want to shut the Straits of Hormuz because it needed the oil revenue more than did Iraq, which was also getting billions in aid from other Arab states. Each country concentrated on attacking shipping in the Persian Gulf. Over 500 ships were attacked, 61 percent of them tankers. Only 23 percent of the tankers attacked, mainly with anti-ship missiles, were sunk or immobilized. The attacks, using fighter-bombers and warships, only hit about two percent of the ship traffic in the Gulf. Iran lowered its oil prices to cover the higher cost of ship insurance and, in 1986, Russia and the United States intervened to protect Kuwaiti and Iraqi tankers, which were taking most of the damage.

The Iranian military realized it was in worse shape in 2012 than it was in the 1980s and would not last long trying to attack ships. That left the Straits of Hormuz. This is actually a wide, about 30 kilometers and deep channel. Normally, shipping sticks to narrow, as in a few kilometers wide, channels going in and out, to avoid collisions. The main Iranian threat has always been seen as naval mines. The Arab states have a lot of mine clearing equipment and more numerous air and naval forces than Iran. In addition, there are the United States and NATO forces in the area. The problem was that all these mine clearing forces had never practiced under realistic, simulated wartime conditions. In short it has long been unclear exactly what it would take to deal with Iranian mines in the straits. Many of those questions were finally answered in 2012 and during subsequent mine clearing exercises.

For an Iranian mining attempt to work they would have to get the mines onto the bottom of the straits and then prevent the rest of the world from clearing those mines. That would be difficult, as will Iranian attempts to plant additional mines. Such attempts would not be impossible as Iran has small submarines and speed boats along with sailors willing to carry out suicidal missions to deliver the mines. Even that may not be sufficient, as this sort of fanaticism failed against the Americans in the 1980s. While Iran has worked to overcome their shortcomings, most of the solutions appear to be publicity stunts mainly meant to make the Iranian population feel better.

Iran has a few thousand naval mines, which is a small arsenal compared to Russia, with over 200,000, China with over 100,000 and North Korea with over 50,000. It is generally agreed that all these mines are a serious danger. While often ignored, naval mines are a formidable weapon, though these passive weapons just don't get any respect. The historical record indicates otherwise.

Modern naval mines were widely used for the first time over a century ago, during the Russo-Japanese war (1904- 1905). These were contact mines, floating in shallow water and kept in place with an anchor and chain. When the tide was right, they would be just below the surface, ready to explode whenever struck by a ship. Some 2,000 of these mines were used to destroy sixteen ships during the Russo-Japanese war. That's one ship lost for every 125 mines used.

During the 1914-18 World War I, modern mine tactics and clearing methods evolved. Thousands of mines were laid to provide defensive barriers against enemy movement in the North Sea. Mines were also used offensively by secretly placing them across known enemy sea routes. More than 1,000 merchant and war ships were lost because of the 230,000 mines used. That's over 200 mines used for every ship lost.

During World War II there was a major effort to develop better mine clearing methods to deal with an even larger number of mines. Despite that, during 1939-45 World War II 2,665 ships were lost or damaged by about 100,000 naval mines. That's one ship for every 37 mines. Some 208,000 mines were used defensively to inhibit enemy movement and tie up his resources.

Naval mines achieved several striking successes during World War II. In the Pacific naval mines proved more destructive to the Japanese war effort than the atom bombs. During a 10 week period between April and August 1945, 12,000 mines were delivered to the Japanese coast by American bombers. These destroyed 1,250,000 tons of Japanese shipping (670 ships hit, 431 destroyed). That's 18 mines for each ship hit. The Americans had air superiority, so losses during these 1,500 missions amounted to only 15 planes, most of them accidents. Had these missions been flown against opposition, losses would have been between 30 and 60 aircraft, plus similar losses to their fighter escorts. Either way it was a stunning success for naval mines.

A conventional submarine campaign was also waged against Japanese shipping using mines. Comparisons between subs using mines and torpedoes are interesting. A hundred submarines were involved in a campaign that ran for 45 months from December 1941 to August 1945. Some 4.8 million tons of enemy shipping was sunk with torpedoes. For every US submarine sailor lost using submarine launched torpedoes, 560 tons of enemy ships were sunk. During the mine campaign 3,500 tons were sunk for each U.S. fatality. On a cost basis the difference was equally stark. Counting the cost of lost mine laying aircraft, B- 29's cost about $500,000 each, or torpedo armed submarines that cost $5 million each, we find that each ton of sunk shipping cost six dollars when using mines and fifty-five dollars when using submarines. This data was classified as secret until the 1970s. It indicates that mines might have been more effective than torpedoes, even if the mines were delivered by submarine.

The Germans waged a minelaying campaign off the east coast of the United States between 1942 and 1944. Only 317 mines were used, which sank or damaged 11 ships. This was a ratio of 29 mines used for each ship hit. More importantly eight major ports were closed for a total of 40 days. One port, Charleston, South Carolina, was closed for 16 days, tying up not only merchant shipping but the thousands of men, warships, and aircraft dealing with the situation. American submarines also waged a limited mine campaign in the Pacific. For 658 mines used, 54 ships were sunk or damaged, at a cost of 12 mines per ship. No subs were lost. Considerable Japanese resources were tied up dealing with the mines. On the Palau atoll the port was closed by the mines and not reopened until the war ended. Even surface ships were used to lay mines. Three thousand mines were laid by destroyers. Only 12 ships were hit but these were barrier fields, not the ambush type mine fields that a submarine can create by sneaking into an enemy held area.

In Korea during the early 1950s, the Soviets provided North Korea with 3,000 mines, many of 1904 vintage. These were used to defend Wonson harbor. It took several weeks for UN forces to clear these, at a loss of a dozen ships hit. Half of those ships were destroyed.

During the Vietnam War over 300,000 American naval mines were used, primarily in rivers. The vast majority were not built as mines but were aerial bombs equipped with magnetic sensors instead of fuzes. These bombs/mines used a small parachute to insure that no damage occurred on landing. In shallow water these makeshift weapons sat on the bottom and performed as well as mines. Haiphong Harbor was actually mined with 11,000 of these destructors, as the US air force called them, and less than a hundred conventional mines. Haiphong Harbor was shut down completely for months, and it took years to clear out all the American mines. The destructor mine design was so successful that it is still in use, using more modern electronics, as the Mk 62 mine.

During the 1991 Gulf War the Iraqis laid over a thousand mines off the Iraqi and Kuwaiti coast. The predominantly US naval forces did not have sufficient mine sweeping resources to deal with this situation and had a helicopter carrier and cruiser hit and damaged while trying to clear the area. This effectively prevented any US amphibious operations, although the Marines were not going to be used for a landing anyway. It took over a month of mine clearing after the fighting ceased to eliminate all the mines. In the meantime, two U.S. warships were damaged by these mines. In 2003, the Iraqis again tried to use mines, but were hampered by prompt American, British, and Kuwaiti action.

In any future war naval mines will again surprise everyone with how effective they are. It is feared that terrorists might get their hands on some bottom mines, but so far, there do not appear to have been any attempts.

Meanwhile the 2012 international mine clearing exercise prompted the United States to make several moves to improve mine clearing capability. The U.S. Navy ordered several dozen more of the expendable SeaFox UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles). These are used to destroy bottom mines, which sit on the seabed. These UUVs were sent to the Persian Gulf to deal with potential Iranian use of naval miles. The Seafox UUVs are used on Avenger mine hunting ships already in the Persian Gulf.

SeaFox is a small (1.4x.4x.2 meters/55x16x8 inches) battery-powered sub that weighs 43 kg (95 pounds) and has a fiber-optic cable connecting it to a surface ship or hovering helicopter. There the controller can move the SeaFox close to a suspected mine (using a small sonar unit to assist navigation), then turn on a spotlight for a video camera to examine the object and determine if it is a mine. If it is, SeaFox gets closer and detonates a shaped charge explosive, sending a shaft of hot plasma through the mine destroying itself and the mine. SeaFox has an endurance of about 100 minutes, a top speed of 10 kilometers an hour, and can dive as deep as 300 meters (930 feet).

The only American minesweeper ships are the 13 Avengers. These are 72.3 meter (224 foot) long ships that draw only 4.8 meters (15 feet) of water, enabling them to operate close to shore. The crews are supposed to be trained in navigating such shallow areas. The Avengers are armed with two .50 cal. (12.7mm) machine guns, two 7.62mm machine guns, two 40mm automatic grenade launchers, and have a crew of 84. In 2012 four Avengers were in the Persian Gulf, operating out of Bahrain. Another three were based in Sasebo, Japan. The other six are based at San Diego, California.

The U.S. Navy needs these minesweepers because replacements, like minesweeping helicopters, have been delayed by technical problems. Meanwhile the U.S. has upgraded the sonars on its Avenger class ships. The new AN/SQQ-32(V)4 mine hunting sonar improves the ability of the sonar to spot mines on sea bottoms cluttered with other stuff (natural or manmade). In many parts of the world shallow coastal waters are used as a dumping ground for junk that wont float ashore. This has been found to help hide bottom mines. The Avengers have also received new engines. The four original diesel engines in each Avenger were never very reliable. With their new engines the Avengers can still move at up to 27 kilometers an hour. Normally, however, the Avengers move much more slowly, at 3-4 kilometers an hour when searching for mines. The Avengers also received improved hydraulics and new mine destruction systems. The Avengers entered service between 1987 and 1994. Most are scheduled for retirement by the end of the decade.

The navy also had a dozen smaller Osprey class coastal mine hunters. These were 900 ton displacement ships with a crew of 51. Most but these were given away to foreign navies and are to be replaced by new minesweeping helicopters.

The navy has equipped helicopters for mine clearing but is having a difficult time maintaining its force of 30 MH-53E helicopters. These are the only ones that can tow a sled containing naval mine detecting gear. This sort of thing is called AMCM (Airborne Mine Countermeasures) and is considered essential in areas, like the Persian Gulf, where Iran might use a lot of naval mines that would have to be cleared quickly in wartime.

The MH-53E is an update of the original 1960s era CH-53 and entered service in the early 1980s. Fifty MH-53Es were built and they have been working hard ever since. Thats why not many are left and few of them are fit to fly at any one time. Originally the navy planned to retire the MH-53Es in 2008, but replacements with lighter sleds that could be pulled by smaller and more modern helicopters did not work out as expected. Retirement was pushed to 2012, then 2017 and currently the navy hopes to keep some MH-53Es operational into the 2020s.

Meanwhile efforts continue to develop lighter equipment for the mine hunting task. Some of these projects have had limited success. The AQS-24A mine-hunting system looks like a torpedo with extra fins and attachment. It is lowered into the water and dragged by a helicopter at speeds of up to 34 kilometers an hour. The AQS-24A contains a high resolution sonar that seeks out mines that lay on the sea bottom, waiting for ships to pass over. The bottom mine then detonates if a ship type it was programmed to attack is detected. The U.S. Navy has been using this mine hunting approach since the 1980s. The original sled system went through several major upgrades and is considered very reliable and effective. The MH-53E sled carries more equipment and sweeps a larger area faster.

The U.S. Navy has also developed a complementary system, ALMDS (Airborne Laser Mine Detection System). Designed to operate from the MH-60S helicopter, ALMDS uses a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging blue-green laser to detect and identify naval mines near the surface. Unlike the AQS-24A, ALMDS operates from the low flying, and smaller, helicopters. Surface mines are either moored via a chain to the bottom or floating, which is a favorite terrorist tactic. Many float just below the surface. The laser works very quickly and enables the ALMDS equipped helicopter to quickly check out large areas for surface mines. Terrorists have used naval mines before, of the floating variety. Navies tend to use the more sophisticated, expensive and hard-to-get bottom mines that lie on the bottom and in shallow water.

American allies have also developed new mine detection and clearing tools and some of the new U.S. equipment uses foreign tech. While new mine designs have become more effective, the basic problem is that the many older mine designs are still very dangerous, especially for the unprepared.
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Aligned with the Global Oral Health Action Plan of WHO South-East Asia Regional committee

Taking a significant step towards improving the oral health landscape in India, the Oral Health Collaborative launched the National Oral Health Task Force on 14th December 2023. Supported by Haleon (erstwhile GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare), the event was held in Hotel Ambassador, New Delhi, and was organised by Taru Leading Edge, a think tank.

India grapples with intricate oral health challenges stemming from socio-economic complexities, access disparities, and prevalent oral diseases. The economic burden of prevalent oral diseases is an estimated Rs 50 billion.

The primary focus of this task force is to address these challenges through driving awareness on oral health, enabling access, and empowering Indians take proactive charge of their oral health.

Dr L. Swasticharan, Addl. Deputy Director General (NCD) Dte.GHS, Government of India, and Chairperson of the Task Force, said, The Oral Health Task Force, with its mandate to promote awareness, prevention, and access to care, is a crucial step toward addressing oral health challenges comprehensively. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, including government, public health experts, and IDA, we can harness collective expertise, foster innovation, and implement effective strategies to uplift the overall health and well-being of our nation. Thank you for your dedication and collaboration."

Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Navneet Saluja, GM, Haleon India Subcontinent, BU, said, Oral health is often overlooked but it is intricately connected to our overall health. As an organisation driven by the purpose of improving everyday health with humanity, we are a proud supporter of this noteworthy initiative to promote awareness, prevention, and effectively manage the burden of oral diseases."
A Further Statement of Issues (FSOI) has been released by the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI or Inquiry).

Source:  123rf 123rf A Further Statement of Issues (FSOI) has been released by the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI or Inquiry)

This follows a review of submissions including responses to the initial Statement of Issues (SOI) from media, digital platforms, publishers, broadcasters, and associations.

The Inquiry is now inviting market participants and other interested parties (stakeholders) to share their views and information on the additional issues identified.

The Competition Commission launched the MDPMI on 17 October 2023 in terms of section 43B(1)(a) of the Competition Act, 89 of 1998 (as amended) (the Act).

The Inquiry is designed to scrutinise the distribution of media content on South African digital platforms and the Advertising technology (Adtech) markets that link buyers and sellers of digital advertising inventory.

Six additional themes identified

During the first phase of information gathering, stakeholders have engaged with the questions and themes in the initial SOI, providing valuable feedback to the Inquiry.

Upon reviewing these initial submissions, the MDPMI has identified six additional themes that the FSOI will explore.

The FSOI themes include:

The incorporation of constitutional interpretation into the Inquiry. The impact of mis- and disinformation. The emphasis on radio and TV broadcast news media (especially the public broadcaster). The measurement of news and its benefit to search and social media platforms. Revenue share arrangements between news media and digital platforms. The role and importance of transparency in platforms and Advertising Technology (Adtech) markets.



The FSOI is structured around the scoping items identified in the original SOI and explores these additional themes in no particular order, all of which find relevance under the Terms of Reference.

The MDPMI seeks detailed inputs on these themes to inform its process, evidence gathering, findings, and remedial actions.

Written submissions

Written submissions to this FSOI should be emailed to mdpmi@compcom.co.za by 17h00 on 22 January 2024.

To enhance the strength of submissions, the Inquiry encourages stakeholders and market participants to provide reasons and corresponding evidence where views are provided.

All Inquiry documents, including the Guidelines for Participation, a framework for submissions, including any claims of confidentiality, and public versions of stakeholder submissions, are available on the Inquirys website.

The administrative timetable provides updates on further activities of the Inquiry.
In the face of escalating competition from ecommerce behemoths like Amazon and Shein, South African retailers are urged to refine their in-store customer service and devise captivating omni-channel experiences. Success in these areas will not only preserve their existing customer bases but also capitalise on the burgeoning local interest in ecommerce.

Source: Xianjuan Hu/Unsplash

Steven Heilbron, CEO of fintech firm Capital Connect suggests that agile, inventive retailers view the ecommerce boom in South Africa - which exceeded R55bn in 2022 - as a business expansion opportunity.

He emphasises that progressive retailers are contemplating strategies to secure a portion of the rapidly expanding ecommerce market, while leveraging their local community presence as a competitive edge. Retailers investing in growth strategies, he adds, will outmanoeuvre their competitors and prosper in a rapidly evolving market.

Heilbron points out intriguing market dynamics, citing research by World Wide Worx that reveals a post-pandemic surge in online grocery and clothing shopping. This marks a significant shift from a time when consumer electronics were the mainstay of the ecommerce sector.

Sheins stealthy rise

In addition, retailers are facing growing competition from global players, with Amazon expected to formally enter the market in 2024 and drop-shipping companies like Shein showing massive growth. Indeed, while the market has speculated about Amazons plans for South Africa, Shein has quietly and rapidly built a massive presence in the apparel market.

Shein is consistently among the top smartphone app downloads in South Africa, alongside social media apps like TikTok. According to a Marketing All Product Survey (MAPS) survey, around 250,000 South Africans are already shopping on Shein.

Based on its low cost fast fashion, the company has grown into a global ecommerce contender with sales exceeding $24bn for January to September 2023.

For its part, Amazon has not yet publicly discussed its plans for direct sales to the South African public. It has, however, confirmed that it will be bringing its marketplace to South Africa to provide independent sellers throughout the country an opportunity to rapidly launch, grow and scale their businesses while leveraging the innovative capabilities provided by Amazon.

These trends show that the market is evolving and becoming more competitive. But its not necessarily bad news for SME retailers, says Heilbron.

Its also an opportunity for them to grow by exploring new channels to market. Those that can be agile in every aspect of their business model, from their pricing through to their product range, will thrive.

Sharpen your competitive advantage

Heilbron says that the Amazon effect has forced retailers worldwide to up their game. Retailers should understand and press on their competitive advantage. For some, that will be their local point of presence and their ability to offer personalised, face-to-face in-store experiences that ecommerce stores cant replicate.

Attractive shop fittings and decor, product demos or food tastings, and expert customer advice are all great ways to attract customers into a shop. Putting a coffee shop with good Wi-Fi in place is another excellent way to bring more business through the door. Another idea is to use formats like shipping containers to create pop-up stores that can be deployed at events.

Retailers that want to win ecommerce business will need to ensure their online platforms and logistics are up to scratch. In this regard, some might find Amazon to be an ally rather than a competitor. The Amazon marketplace offers them another online storefront and logistics partner to extend their reach, bringing competition to existing platforms like Takealot, Uber Eats and Mr D.

Brick-and-mortar businesses that can integrate the digital and physical experience with options like collect in-store or browse in-store and order online could be the biggest winners.

Another way to get an edge is to focus on personalised customer experiences and advice this is where online retailers often fall short.

Heilbron says that retailers can access fintech growth capital to finance their competitive advantage, whether that will come from refurbishing their shop, building a mobile app or purchasing products in bulk for promotions and specials.

Fintech lenders offer growth capital with flexible and attractive terms, he says.

Retailers can access short term, unsecured opportunity capital of up to R5m in 24 hours to ensure that they dont lose out. They simply log into an app to click and borrow, and the funds will appear in their bank account by the next day, or the same day.
Africa, home to 39% of the worlds renewable energy potential, presents a wealth of opportunities for foreign companies and developers seeking to diversify their portfolios in line with COP28 commitments. The continent offers Gulf countries the chance to position themselves as leaders in the renewable energy market, leveraging their technical expertise and generating substantial returns on investment.

The African Development Bank estimates that the continents solar capacity potential could reach a staggering 10TW, with hydroelectric and geothermal potentials at 350GW and 15GW respectively. However, as of 2022, the total installed renewable capacity in Africa was just under 59GW.

The upcoming Invest in African Energy (IAE) forum, scheduled for 14-15 May 2024 in Paris, aims to explore this untapped potential and foster connections between MENA, Europe, and Africas energy sectors to further energy security and climate diplomacy objectives.

Leading the investment charge is the UAEs AMEA Power, which announced plans last September to construct a 1GW green hydrogen project in Mombasa, Kenya, powered by electricity from existing geothermal plants. The company has also committed to developing a 200MW geothermal project in Uganda, a 300MW wind farm in Ethiopia, and a solar and battery initiative in Djibouti.

To advance a 1GW green hydrogen initiative in Mauritania, AMEA Power signed two Memoranda of Understanding during COP28, targeting the development of a 100MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and a 100MW wind farm.

Emirati state-owned renewable energy firm, Masdar, has recently signed agreements to develop renewable projects in Uganda with a total capacity of approximately 1GW. In Angola, Masdar has committed to developing 150MW of solar projects in Quipungo, as part of its broader pledge to develop 2GW of renewable capacity in the country.

Other Arab nations are joining

Earlier this year, Infinity Power  a joint venture between Masdar and Egypts Infinity  acquired a 60% stake in independent power producer Lekela Power, which boasts over 1,300MW of wind power assets across the African continent, including the 143MW Khobab, 143MW Kangnas and 143MW Loeriesfontein wind farms in South Africa.

The acquisition aligns with the companys strategic interest in expanding its renewable footprint in Africa. Masdar is also pursuing a partnership with Africa50 to undertake floating solar PV projects in Mozambique, as well as developing 500MW of renewable capacity in the Republic of the Congo.

Meanwhile, the UAE launched its Etihad 7 program at the start of this year, pledging to deliver clean energy to millions of Africans by 2035. Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, COP 28 President-Designate and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Masdar, pledged $4.5bn to aid African economies in accelerating their green transition, and urged developed nations to fulfil the $100bn in annual green finance previously committed for developing countries.

While the UAE has been leading renewable energy investment in Africa to date, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf nations have stated their interests in accelerating project developments and participating in sustainable economic growth across the continent.

The IAE 2024 forum serves as a pivotal platform for connecting Gulf energy companies and developers with African resources. Taking place in Paris, the event serves as a strategic alignment of European and Middle Eastern energy interests, aimed at fostering mutually beneficial partnerships and unlocking new green energy finance.

In alignment with global transition goals, investors can engage with opportunities for clean energy technologies and infrastructure and take advantage of the continents vast renewable resources.
Israeli troops continue operations in Gaza to eliminate the Hamas presence there and rescue hostages still held by Hamas. Several weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel, Hamas was on the defensive but still held over 200 of these hostages. The initial attack killed about 1,400 Israelis and foreigners living in Israel. Hamas took over 200 people hostage, planning to negotiate with Israel to release hostages in return for Israel releasing imprisoned Palestinians. Ten weeks after the Hamas offensive 112 to 130 hostages are still held by Hamas, 17 of them women and children.

The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) mobilized several hundred thousand reservists to fight Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli air force provides most of the firepower used against Hamas in Gaza. Hamas sought to protect itself by using Palestinian civilians as human shields. That didnt work, partly because Israel warned the Palestinian civilians to evacuate the combat zone. Most did, but some of those who didnt became casualties. IDF efforts to prevent Hamas fighters from mingling with the Palestinian civilians and escaping the IDF were often successful.

Hamas has built about 500 kilometers of tunnels under Gaza over the last decade. Israeli troops have sealed as many entrances as they can find but there are still plenty left, and Hamas uses those to fire rockets into Israel. This gives Israeli forces an incentive to find and seal as many tunnel entrances as possible. It will be difficult to find and seal them all because Hamas have been clever in how they construct tunnel exits and, as long as the rocket fire continues, that means tunnel exits remain and are in use. Israeli is also planning to build a pipeline to the nearby Mediterranean and bring in a continuous flow of seawater to flood the tunnels. They cant do this until they get all the hostages out and Hamas knows it.

Israeli is reluctant to send troops into the tunnels because Hamas has the advantage down there and can quickly install explosive traps and ambush sites. Israel has sent remotely controlled bomb disposal robots into the tunnel and discovered many of the deadly preparations Hamas has prepared for an Israeli incursion. Hamas is well protected in their tunnels and believes Israel will not expose its troops to the heavy losses they would suffer if the fighting were continued inside the tunnels. Meanwhile Israel has technology for mapping and monitoring Hamas activity in the tunnels. This tech was developed over the last few decades to deal with Hamas tunnels in Gaza and Hezbollah tunnels on the Lebanon border.

Israeli troops have more control on the surface and use that to try and halt Hamas rocket attacks on Israel or armed Hamas men from leaving Gaza. Israel wants to dismantle any military capabilities Hamas has. Because of the tunnels and hostages, that will take time. Meanwhile Israeli forces have taken control of areas in Gaza where over two million Palestinians civilians live, and Israeli troops will stay for a long time. Palestinians call this an armed occupation and Israel agrees with that. Israel justifies the occupation as necessary because of the threat from armed Hamas members. Until 2005, Israel occupied Gaza with troops. When Israeli forces withdrew in 2005 it was with an understanding that the Israeli military would return in force if the Palestinians did not control the violent radical Palestinian groups in Gaza, including Hamas and several Islamic terrorist groups. The radicals were kept in check for 18 years but during that time they stole much of the foreign aid sent to Gaza, including millions of dollars in cash, to prepare for an attack on Israel. That began on October 7th and the fighting continues, with Hamas on the defensive and determined to continue this resistance as long as possible.

On December 15 a gun battle between Hamas and Israeli troops led to the accidently shooting of three Israeli hostages that Hamas had with them. The continuing fighting in Gaza puts the Israeli troops in a difficult position since armed Hamas members often take shelter among civilians or, in this case, some hostages who were Israelis. The Israeli hostages were captured by Hamas during the October 7th fighting and were among the hostages Hamas hoped to trade for the release of more Palestinian terrorists still in prison. The Israeli army went on the offensive in Gaza on October 27 and so far a hundred Israeli soldiers have been killed and about 600 wounded. About 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians. Hamas refuses to allow Palestinian civilians to leave the combat zone, needing them to involuntarily serve as human shields for Hamas gunmen. If Palestinian civilians are killed, they are considered involuntary martyrs to the cause of defending Islam and destroying Israel. Hamas is hated by most Palestinians because of these cynical practices. Palestinians consider Hamas more of a danger to Palestinians than a protector. Outside the combat zone Hamas manages to portray itself as heroic fighters against the wicked Israeli defense forces.




Western currencies have almost been completely phased out in Russia-China trade, as nearly all payments between the countries are now carried out in rubles and yuan, according to russina Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

During a gathering on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the Russian Prime Minister took the opportunity to convey his message, as part of a two-day visit to Beijing for the regular meeting between the leaders of both nations.

The proportion of national currencies in bilateral settlements has been steadily rising. In 2020, it was around 20%, but this year we have successfully eliminated the use of third-country currencies in these transactions, according to Mishustin.

He also mentioned strengthening business relations, recalling that a joint business forum held in Shanghai in MAy attracted more than 1,500 entrepreneurs from both countries.

The PRime Minister highlighted the governments efforts to foster a favorable business environment for companies operating in Russia and China. He noted that there is a wide range of collaborative initiatives underway to support the growth and success of commercial enterprises in both countries.

In turn, Li Qiang noted that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing continues to strengthen and is becoming increasingly important against the backdrop of global turbulence.

Russia and its trade partners have started to switch to alternative currencies in mutual trade after sanctions effectively cut Moscow off from the Western financial system. A growing number of nations are turning to national currency settlements in trade.
Israel Defense Forces tanks on Oct 7 shelled settler homes full of noncombatants in Kibbutz Be'eri while some 500 IDF soldiers "waited outside doing nothing," new video obtained by Israel's Channel 12 reveals.





New Channel 12 report reveals footage of Israeli tanks shelling homes filled with Israeli noncombatants inside Kibbutz Beeri while hundreds of soldiers waited outside doing nothing



The video compliments testimony of tanks killing many Israelis on 10/7 pic.twitter.com/kexS2H7OSo  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 19, 2023

Notice how the homes are intact at the bottom without fire damage



This is because the projectiles came from Apaches in the sky and entered through the roof https://t.co/ttSF1OIMqV  Propaganda and co (@propandco) December 19, 2023



"[Israeli captive] Yasmine Porat testified that the tank shelling of a house where 14 Israelis and 39 Hamas fighters were killed happened after sundown," Dan Cohen noted. "This shelling in this video occurs in the daytime, so its evidence that Israeli tanks hit another house in Be'eri. This underscores why the world must demand an international and impartial investigation into October 7."





Yasmine Porat testified that the tank shelling of a house where 14 Israelis and 39 Hamas fighters were killed happened after sundown. This shelling in this video occurs in the daytime, so its evidence that Israeli tanks hit another house in Beeri.



This underscores why the https://t.co/osOTtjsMrG  Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) December 19, 2023



Video was shared last week of an Israeli veteran detailing how he witnessed an IDF Apache helicopter fire a missile into Kibbutz Be'eri on Oct 7.







This is all further evidence to suggest Israel killed hundreds of its own people on Oct 7 under the "Hannibal Directive."





renowned scholar John Mearsheimer has just come out and said the Israeli regime and not Hamas killed many Israelis on October 7th. He also discusses their official "Hannibal doctrine" of killing their own people pic.twitter.com/Hu73kxtasg   (@zei_squirrel) December 18, 2023



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However the task given to the Russian troops was not to take land, but to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.

In that aspect the numbers, given by the Russian Minister for Defense Sergei Shoigu, are indeed impressive:

On June 4, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a large-scale counter-offensive, prepared by their foreign curators. Without breaking through our troops tactical defence zone, the enemy was stopped and suffered colossal losses: 159,000 military personnel killed and wounded, 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters, 766 tanks, including 37 Leopards, and 2,348 armoured vehicles of various classes, including 50 Bradleys. Apparently, this is why we still do not see the American Abrams, delivered several months ago, on the battlefield. Since the beginning of the special operation, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have exceeded 383,000 military personnel killed and wounded, as well as 14,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, 553 aircraft and 259 helicopters, 7,500 guns, field artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. Ukraine has had nine mobilisation waves, with the tenth wave currently underway where even individuals only partially fit for service are being called up. Mercenaries that had been recruited since the beginning of the special military operation have, for the most part, been taken out. Over 5,800 fighters have been neutralised, including 1,427 from Poland, 466 from the United States, and 344 from Great Britain. Within Ukraine, 103 military criminals displaying particular cruelty have been eliminated.

Such battlefield numbers are of course never correct. But give or take some 10 to 15% they are still large. They are also somewhat confirmed by the new mobilization request from the Ukrainian military:

Ukraine considers proposal by army to mobilise another 500,000 for war

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces in what would mark a dramatic step up of Kyivs war with Russia. The Ukrainian leader told his end-of-year news conference it was a "highly sensitive" issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament. Zelenskiy said he wanted to hear more arguments in favour of mobilising the additional people before backing such a move. "This is a very serious number," he said.

Ukraine is left with some 20 million inhabitants. More than two-third of those are pensioners and women. Zelenski has rejected attempts to mobilize women as the social consequences and protests would be too large. But he has not enough men and money left to mobilize another half-million men (machine translation):

Zelensky said that the command offers to draft up to half a million people into the army, but he did not approve this figure for two reasons. The first is the lack of proposals for the rotation and demobilization of those who have been in the trenches for a long time. The second - mobilization in the format proposed by the military will cost the budget an additional 500 billion hryvnias and there is no understanding yet where to get them.

The only sensible alternative for Ukraine is to give up, and to negotiate with Russia. Zelenski though is still unwilling to do that.

But it may well be that others decided to make the decision for him:
Currently China is increasingly aggressive in the Pacific, claiming ownership of more and more Pacific islands. Many of these islands are far from the Chinese coast. China expects to eventually take possession of these islands as they continue building more warships and basing troops and weapons on islands they have already claimed or, in some cases, built by dredging up lots of sand to expand a reef into an island capable of supporting an airstrip, a dock and a garrison. Many World War II airfields were abandoned after Japan surrendered in September 1945 and have since become overgrown with vegetation. These airfields are still usable once you remove the vegetation, make some repairs, and add some support facilities.

Since World War II the main American airbase in the Pacific was on the island of Guam. This has turned Guam into a vulnerable target for long range Chinese ballistic missiles. Guam is still important, but additional bases are needed to supplement and possibly replace Guam in the event of a major war, so the U.S. government is creating some.

The island bases currently being revived include one on Tinian and another in the Philippines. One or more of the Northern Mariana Islands will also become an emergency airbase. These air bases have several uses. One is as a divert airbase, for aircraft that need to land somewhere and that is often difficult over the Pacific. Some of the divert fields would have fuel and other items needed to get an aircraft into the air again. Having many of these airfields makes it difficult for China or anyone else to paralyze Americans land-based aviation by destroying or damaging just a few airbases. American allies in the region, like Japan, Australia, Philippines, and Taiwan can also use these remote Pacific Island bases. These allies already have their own bases that are available to allies.

Japan already has several smaller islands it can use for additional bases. Japan is expanding its military presence on and around Okinawa by building a radar station on Yonaguni Island. This is the westernmost inhabited Japanese island, although it only officially became part of Japan in 1879, along with Okinawa. Yonaguni island has a population of 1,500 and is a favorite tourist attraction for Japanese. The island is 2,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, 505 kilometers west of Okinawa, 300 kilometers southeast of China, 110 kilometers east of Taiwan and 144 kilometers southwest of the disputed, by China, Senkaku Islands. This new radar station produced a very loud protest from China who are not happy with Japanese hostility to Chinese threats over the Senkakus. Okinawa is als0 2,280 kilometers from Guam.

The Japanese are alarmed at increasing Chinese military activity in waters and airspace around their main islands and more distant smaller islands. Its not just disputed areas, especially the Senkaku Islands, but around Okinawa and increasingly east of Japan, in the Pacific. Operating out there is what the Chinese would have to do for a blockade of Japan. There is growing support for expanding the Japanese military as a result of all this Chinese naval and air activity, especially obtaining long range UAVs for maritime patrol and ballistic missiles for hitting Chinese bases in the event of hostilities. This doesnt bother China as much as constant Japanese chatter about developing nuclear weapons, but the Chinese believe that decades of anti-nuke militancy would prevent Japan from actually going down this road. If Japan did build nukes, it would make Japan once more dangerous to China and that could cause a really dangerous situation. A related issue is that South Korea is presently considering developing its own nuclear weapons as that will definitely affect Japans decision.

Back in 2012 China became particularly angry after the Japanese government purchased the Senkaku islands from the Japanese family that had owned them since the 19th century. China and Japan were also increasingly sending small warships to patrol contested parts of the disputed Diaoyu (in Chinese) Islands (Senkaku in Japanese and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan). The islands are actually islets, which are 167 kilometers northeast of Taiwan and 426 kilometers southeast of Japan's Okinawa and have a total area of 6.3 square kilometers. Taiwan also claims the islands, which were discovered by Chinese fishermen in the 16th century and taken over by Japan in 1879. They are valuable now because of the 380 kilometer economic zone nations can claim in their coastal waters. This includes fishing and possible underwater oil and gas fields. For China, the islands are a valuable source of fish, with Chinese fishing boats taking over 150,000 tons a year from the vicinity of the Senkakus. China fears that Japan might try to prohibit Chinese fishing in the area.

A conservative Japanese political group built a lighthouse there in 1986, to further claims of Japanese ownership. The Japanese have the most powerful naval forces in the region and are backed up by a mutual defense treaty with the United States. China was long dissuaded by that, but no more. China is no longer backing off on its claims, and neither is Japan. So, these confrontations are becoming more serious. Taiwan is not considered a serious contender in this dispute but is showing up anyway.

China also has claims on Okinawa, but the Chinese government has not become aggressive about this yet, as they have with claims on Indian territory. Back in 2010, responding to Japanese media reports of menacing Chinese warships off Okinawa, China announced that these were Chinese navy ships engaged in training in international waters. Nothing special. Just training. Trust us.

Most Japanese dont trust China. There has been growing evidence since 2000 that this distrust is warranted. For example, back in 2004 China admitted that a submerged submarine the Japanese navy had been tracking off the coast of Okinawa was indeed a Chinese boat. The Japanese had always insisted that the sub was Chinese. Apparently, American P-3 patrol aircraft, operating from Guam, were the first to pick up the location of the Chinese sub and then turned the tracking over to the Japanese navy. It was American technology that confirmed the identification of the sub. During the Cold War, the United States developed techniques for identifying individual submarines according to their shape, and by the noises they made. The American navy maintains electronic databases of submarine signatures. China apologized for the incident, which had their boat inside Japanese territorial waters for a short period of time. China said the cause was a navigational accident. China has been sending its subs to see more often since 2000 in order to raise the skill levels of the crews.
At the end of 2023 Vladimir Putin ordered the military to increase active duty troops to 1.32 million. This involves finding another 170,000 recruits. If you include civilian military employees, the Russian military now have 2.2 million personnel. Thats 1.5 percent of the Russian population. At the beginning of 2023 there were purportedly 1.15 million Russian military personnel. By the end of 2023, Russian personnel losses in Ukraine had grown to over a million, of which at least half were permanent losses, mostly dead but also prisoners, missing and those discharged because of disabling wounds. About 40% of Russian casualties are dead compared to only 20% of Ukrainian casualties because the Russians in this war get no battlefield medical treatment whatever, though even in World War Two they did have at least minimal battle treatment, largely by dragging wounded off the battlefield (by female soldiers) to medics. Wounded soldiers in freezing conditions die of exposure or shock within about an hour unless they are carried to shelter, but that is not happening for Russians in this war. Prospective recruits know this.

Putin wants to replace those losses and increase the size of the military. To that he has to depend mostly on volunteers and former soldiers, or reservists. Then there are the conscripts, young men who are obliged to spend one year in the military. Once that year is over, these men are eligible to become reservists or, now that the military service law has changed, subject to mobilization to supply the military with more troops.

Mandatory conscript service brings in nearly 300,000 new troops a year. Half these men are called up between April and July while the other have are called up during the last few months of the year. This has been the way it has been done for over a century. Conscription gives Russia some badly needed military manpower but there is a catch. Conscripts only serve for one year and nominally cannot be sent into a foreign combat zone. Russian public will not tolerate tinkering with the 12-month limit and the post-communist Russian government lacks the coercive power to overcome that. Conscripts have been sent to the Ukraine war, but an uneasy de facto compromise has arisen that they can only be used in non-combat roles.

Since Putin ordered Ukraine invaded in February 2022, he has clashed with Russian attitudes towards conscription and lost. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the communist rule was replaced by democracy and frequent opinion polls. There were no professional politicians to make the new democracy work. There were former Soviet officials trying to get elected to powerful positions. More than ever before, these new political candidates had to pay close attention to public opinion. Former KGB officer Putin got elected once and managed to change the rules to keep him in office for as long as he likes or can survive. Putin also put all Russian media under state control. The catch was that successful dictators, and Putin is one, pay attention to public opinion because if too many of your subjects get too angry, its the end for the supreme leader. Russians experienced this in 1991 and even zealots like Putin must pay heed. Push the Russian people too far and they will push back.

Putins solution is to make the most of a bad situation. Conscripts currently get a few weeks of training followed by service doing any work they can handle. This allows many of the volunteer, or contract, soldiers to go to Ukraine, where the Russian personnel situation is desperate. Training for the conscripts ties up the few remaining military training facilities all the time, as almost all the pre-war training staff were sent to the Ukraine after the war started and became casualties themselves. Russian non-commissioned officers are basically useless because 70 years of the Red Army predecessor of the current Russian army destroyed their role as trainers and leaders of more junior enlisted men, and all attempts to revive an effective non-com system since 1991 have failed.

This makes it impossible to provide training for the contract soldiers or older men, former conscripts, mobilized into the military for as long as the government can get away with it. Few Russian men serve in Ukraine voluntarily and most are coerced or tricked into volunteering, with a few persuaded by offers of high pay, which they rarely get, or are convicts spending six months in Ukraine to get a full pardon. Putins alleged plan is to obey the law about not sending conscripts into battle, and hope to later persuade them, after their discharge, to volunteer for some form of mobilization. Putin lacks sufficient internal security forces to overcome a lot of public opposition to his seriously unpopular or illegal schemes, so he has to be resourceful.

The fighting in Ukraine crippled the Russian ground forces and destroyed most of the modern equipment Putin had managed to manufacture since the early 2000s. Economic sanctions reduced the amount of money he has available for military operations. Sanctions have also increased the percentage of Russians living below the poverty line. Putin embarrassed himself in Ukrainian because he initially boasted that the victory in Ukraine would be quick and relatively painless because the Ukrainians were not willing or able to fight and most accepted the Putin view that Ukraine was actually part of Russia that got confused and lost their way. The Ukrainians were better prepared, armed, and motivated to defeat the invading Russians. Putins response was that it was NATO forces that inflicted all those casualties on Russian troops. That fiction worked for a short while because state-controlled media had been pushing the idea that NATO was conspiring to destroy Russia. That fable faded as the months of defeats went by and Russians were told by returning wounded soldiers that Ukrainians were fighting back and simply doing so more effectively than anyone expected. Many Russians have family, friends, or contacts in Ukraine and that, added to what Russian soldiers who had returned Ukraine said put an end to the blame NATO. Putin propagandists had to come up with a new explanation for the mess in Ukraine and he came up with a reheated version of the; NATO is trying to destroy Russia, explanation for the mess in Ukraine.

Russia has a problem with the fact that for over a year Russian soldiers have been fighting in another country and getting killed or wounded in large numbers. Russia had not been invaded and Putin sought to portray it as a successful Russian defense of the homeland. Once more, Russians eventually see through that disinformation by paying attention to Ukrainian media which makes no mention of plans to invade Russia, only efforts to get Russian soldiers out of Ukraine. Putin also tried, with some success, to persuade people in nations supporting Ukraine with weapons and money that Ukraine is not worth the expense because of a growing list of Russian short shelf-life disinformation.

Russia has few allies or foreign supporters and most of these, like Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba have little to give. China could provide lots of tangible support but prefers not to because China believes the Ukrainian operation was a stupid idea and does not want to get hit with sanctions for providing military support for Russia. China and India both advise Putin to just get out of Ukraine and out from under all those sanctions before long-term damage is done to Russia.

Putin is working on what he agrees are needed reforms so that the next time Russian troops are in combat they will perform better and perhaps even win. There have been several rounds of unsuccessful military reforms since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. One of the major causes of that collapse was their unaffordable and largely ineffective armed forces. In post-Soviet Russia there were far fewer restrictions on criticizing the military. Most Russians had a very negative attitude towards conscription and the reforms underway because of the Ukraine War disaster were seen as typical of several previous efforts to remedy problems that continue to resist any fundamental change.

The new plan calls for a massive training program to replace all the officers lost in the first few months of 2022s fighting. The immediate problem with that is all the officer instructors were sent to the front in March and April 2022 where they too became casualties. Next is another serious problem that few want to discuss, corruption. Even in wartime, especially during the recent fighting, corruption was still a problem. Officers and other government officials continued to put their own financial gain above the need to equip the troops with what they needed to survive and win. There have been several corruption scandals in Russia since the Ukraine War began. The militarys corruption is rooted in political corruption at the highest levels including Putin and his cronies, and inevitably drifted downward until even supply sergeants routinely steal back and sell gear issued to new troops when they are outside their barracks just before leaving for the front. Russia is descending into a Third World state known as a resource kleptocracy but run by a for-real gangster confederacy. Only with nuclear and biological weapons from before the Soviet Union collapsed.

By late 2022 over half of Russian military personnel were volunteers (serving on contracts) or career officers. The ability of the military to hold onto those contract (contrakti) soldiers was always weakened if there were a lot of casualties or too much chance of being sent to a combat zone. Volunteering to be a contract soldier used to be considered a smart move because the Russian economy had been increasingly weak over the last decade. After the fighting began in Ukraine, the contract soldiers suffered as much as the conscripts and junior officers did.

The result of this was contract troops refusing to renew contracts. Most of the combat units sent into Ukraine were composed of contract troops who were killed in large numbers. When the survivors got back to Russia, either because of wounds or because many combat battalions returned because of heavy losses, there was a sudden shortage of contract soldiers. That was because most contract troops were near the end of their two-to-three-year contracts and refused to renew. The army had signed up many soldiers for the new (since 2016) short term (six to twelve month) contracts for former soldiers, or conscripts willing to try it, and found that there were far fewer vets willing to sign these short contracts because, so few recent short-term contract soldiers had survived service in Ukraine.

The government then tried to solve this reluctant contract soldier problem by changing the contracts so that contract soldiers had to remain in the army for as long as the fighting continued. Realizing that it was a death sentence if they were sent back to Ukraine, many contract soldiers simply refused to go. There were so many men refusing to go that the government backed off from threats to prosecute the reluctant contrakti.

At this point the Russian armed forces have dire and apparently unsolvable manpower problems. They are taking ghastly casualties making suicidal attacks during winter with their front-line troops knowing very well what is happening. The survivors make certain other troops know it too. They have no junior officers to lead and make sacrifices with them because most officer training staff were killed in 2022 and the rest cannot produce replacements fast enough. At this point almost all prospective contrakti recruits know how little training, support, medical treatment, and effective equipment they will get, and how few of them will survive.

Both sides are being forced into mostly drone wars  the Russians for simple lack of manpower and the Ukrainians for lack of artillery shells and rockets, and lack of American support due to Congressional deadlock over funding.
NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar is attending a key maritime conclave in Bangkok that is aimed at delving into ways to boost cooperation among like-minded navies in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).



Admiral Kumar is leading a three-member delegation at the eighth Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) conclave of chiefs that is taking place from December 19 to 22.



The IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008 as a forum to enhance maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region.



It provides an open and inclusive platform for discussions on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead, said an official.



The inaugural edition of IONS was held in 2008 in New Delhi.



The eighth conclave is being attended by the chiefs of navies/ heads of maritime agencies of IONS countries.



Various bilateral interactions are also being conducted on the sidelines of the conclave to facilitate a greater degree of maritime cooperation and understanding between the IONS countries, the official said.



India would take over the chair of IONS for 2025-27, the official said.


Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver were among the high-profile TV hosts who have signed a letter calling on the Television Academy to include the best writing for a variety series/special category in the Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast.

The letter signed by a variety of TV hosts  including Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah and Seth Meyers  said they are profoundly disappointed the two awards will not be presented during the 75th televised ceremony on January 15.

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Our programmes could not exist without the tremendous work of our writers  as proven by the writers strike that shut down late night television for 148 days, the letter stated.

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2018 in New York (Ian West/PA)

The letter was accompanied by a petition, signed by more than 1,400 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), demanding it immediately reinstate the outstanding writing for a variety series/special category in the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast.

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The petition said: The Academys decision to erase the variety writing award from the Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast dismisses writing as the foundation for excellence in television, and devalues our profession as a whole.

We implore the Television Academy to do the right thing.

The decision to erase the variety writing award from the Primetime Emmys broadcast dismisses writing as the foundation for excellence in television & devalues our profession as a whole. We implore the Television Academy to do the right thing: https://t.co/B48QRfCyJ4 #WGAstrong pic.twitter.com/fYhN7SLpkp Advertisement  Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) December 19, 2023

The nominees for outstanding writing for a variety series include Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

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While the nominees for the outstanding writing for a variety special include Chris Rock: Selective Outrage and Wanda Sykes: Im An Entertainer.

The Television Academy has been contacted for comment.
Galway Fianna Fail councillor Noel Thomas has said that he has had no communication from the party about disciplinary action or an investigation into his comments about plans to accommodate asylum seekers at the Ross Lake Hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway.

Mr Thomas told RTE radios Morning Ireland that the only information he had received about such action was via the media.

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His last communication with the Tanaiste had been on Sunday night when they had a long conversation.

What we wanted to clarify was, was whether I had condemned the actions of the building being burned that night. And they stated very clearly that, of course, I had.

"Actually what I said was any sane person, of course, that's all they could do, was condemn the actions that happened that night, and then it went from there.

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Basically, I said I'm not happy with what he Micheal Martin is doing to this country at the moment. And he stated he was not happy with what I was saying to that. That was the gist of the conversation.

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Mr Thomas said he had received zero communication from Fianna Fail since that conversation on Sunday night. He repeated his concern about cramming four people into a room in a hotel that was not in an urban setting. That was inhumane and did not provide a way for people to integrate into the community.

So when I say the inn is full, it is full because of irresponsible open border policies that this government have had in place.

"What happened was we got a flood of people coming in all of a sudden. Now the majority of those, as far as I'm concerned, were not people who were fleeing war torn countries, war torn areas, I should say. Because what happened then is all of our accommodation was filled.

Ireland Martin speaks to councillor over unacceptable vi... Read More

"Then we're in a situation now, unfortunately for the genuine people who are really in trouble and need our help, we don't have any place to bring them.

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Mr Thomas also dismissed comments from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris about the lack of communication with An Garda Siochana about plans to accommodate asylum seekers at the Ross Lake Hotel. His own members dont have much faith in him.

The leaders of the country had a legal obligation to look after our country first he said when asked about Irelands obligations under international rules and regulations to care for asylum seekers.

When asked if he was going to stay in the Fianna Fail party, Cllr Thomas said he hoped so. To be honest with you, I think I am much more entitled to my place in the Fianna Fail party than the likes of Micheal Martin is.
A nurse has launched High Court proceedings challenging the purported termination of her employment by the owners and operators of a 144-bed South Dublin nursing home.

The action has been brought by Ms Jayarajan, who last January commenced employment as Director of Nursing with FFNH Limited, which trades as The Four Ferns Nursing Home, in Foxrock Co Dublin.

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The employer is part of the Integrated Elder Care Group which owns several nursing homes in Ireland.

She claims that things had gone well after she started working at what was described in court documents as being a luxury and demanding nursing home.

In an affidavit to the court she claims that last month she was, without any notice, summarily dismissed from her job, and was "escorted off" the nursing home.

Purported termination

She said she has not been formally told why her employment has been purportedly terminated.

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The purported termination, she claims, has been carried out in the complete absence of any fair procedures and in breach of her contract of employment.

The plaintiff from Co Kildare, believes that she is being "scapegoated" for a negative review given by HIQA following an inspection of the nursing home last September.

The High Court heard that the issues identified by HIQA, which included governance, residents rights, fire safety and contract of care, were matters for which she is not responsible.

She sought an internal appeal against that decision.

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As part of that process she raised some serious issues about how she had been treated during the course of her employment.

HIQA inspection

The issues raised included that she had been pressurised by the home's senior management on the day of the HIQA inspection, which she said had been ignored.

She also raised an incident where she claims she was subjected to "racist comments" by another member of staff, which she also claims was ignored by management.

She claims that her appeal was not properly dealt with.

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She claims that during the appeal her employer gave her a prepared letter of resignation to sign.

She did not sign the letter, and said she had never offered to resign.

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Following the appeal, her employer held that her employment had been terminated, and the court heard that the defendant has offered certain payments to her.

She has at all times contested the decision to dismiss her and was recently been informed that somebody else had been appointed to carry out the role she held at the defendant.

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The plaintiff's lawyers told the court that her health has been adversely affected by what has happened to her.

Reputation

She also fears that the wrongful termination of her employment will have a detrimental effect on her professional reputation.

As a result, she has sued her employer and is seeking various orders and declarations from the court, including a declaration that she remains employed as the defendant's Director of Nursing, and damages.

At the High Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey granted the plaintiff, on an ex-parte basis, a temporary injunction restraining the defendant from appointing or purporting to any person other than her to her position with the defendant.

The judge agreed that if what the plaintiff claims is correct, then the alleged breach of her contract of employment would be "most egregious".

However, the judge noted that mediation of the dispute appears to be an option.

He encouraged the parties to seek to resolve their differences through that process.

The judge adjourned the matter to a date in January, when the new legal term commences.
by Austin Bay December 20, 2023

Last week's column addressed Iran's proxy attacks on the world economy and the wallets of individual Americans.

Quick summary: Attacks targeting merchant vessels quickly raise the cost of merchant shipping insurance -- a major cost consideration in every cargo shipped by sea. To absorb the increase, shipping costs rise.

To the delight of Tehran's ayatollahs, its Houthi proxy sea war inflicts economic damage on its Western enemies, including the U.S.

Kansas has no seacoast, but like everyone else Kansans pay a literal price. Eventually, the cost of goods and services in Kansas climbed. Kansas exports a lot of agricultural products. The cost of shipping these products internationally rises, which cuts farmers' profits.

But that damage is slow -- felt over time. To many Americans, the Red Sea remains safely distant. Houthi missiles hitting freighters and U.S. Navy ships shooting down Iranian suicide drones -- that's stunning televised imagery but it occurs in faraway places.

Discussing subjects like "marine hull war business insurance" and "detailed risk analysis" in "Listed Areas" (see last week's column)? Glazed eyes.

But this is one way Iran and China wage incremental war on America's economy and will to fight.

The cynical argue only Pearl Harbors and 9/11s drive Americans to take effective collective action. Battleships burning, toppled skyscrapers, dreadful loss of American life. After those shocks glazed eyes see galvanizing threat.

The U.S. Navy and Air Force are powerful forces protecting North America. Unfortunately, they have global commitments.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) -- a great institution -- is tasked with defending America's sea borders. But the USCG is overworked and under-resourced -- meaning it doesn't have the ships and aircraft to adequately patrol America's seacoasts, much less protect them.

We know U.S. seaports are vulnerable to terrorist/saboteur attacks. An enemy nuclear weapon hidden in a hold was a Cold War fear. But here's a hard fact: U.S. coasts are vulnerable to proxy attacks using 21st-century unmanned air and sea vehicles launched a hundred miles offshore.

The U.S. has 12,480 miles of coastline -- equivalent to about half the Earth's circumference at the Equator. Twenty-three U.S. states have ocean coastlines. Alaska (No. 1) has the longest: 6,640 miles. Florida (No. 2): 1,350. New Hampshire (No. 23): 13.

America's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends out 200 nautical miles. The seabed is immensely valuable -- minerals, food. Oil and gas platforms off the shores of Louisiana (No. 5), Texas (No. 6) and other Gulf states provide nearly 20% of America's daily energy requirements.

In 1942 these platforms did not exist, otherwise, they would have been easy targets for Nazi U-boats. Today they are easy targets for Russian and Chinese subs or for terrorist/proxy forces.

In a column written earlier this year, I argued enemies could use pirate proxies: 21st-century pirates -- cartelista marine thieves -- already operate in the southern Gulf of Mexico (Bay of Campeche). They are right on the sea border. They might work for Iran -- if the price is right.

That column discussed the limits of state authority offshore and estimated 90% of our Gulf of Mexico energy assets are unprotected by government-permitted firepower. Individual states have authority out to 11 miles. Beyond that, the USCG has authority -- a lot of it. But it doesn't have the ships, planes, and personnel to protect the coasts, much less the continental shelves within our EEZ.

What to do? Here's a solution I like: Allow states and corporations to hire private maritime security firms operating offshore security patrol vessels. Let them provide police security and firepower to protect offshore assets. Make the firms' Coast Guard auxiliaries and subject to USCG regulation as well as state control.

This is an old idea. In early WWII the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard had to focus on blue-water combat missions. So, Washington deputized private craft to patrol the coasts, looking for U-boats and saboteurs. Ernest Hemingway aboard his fishing boat is the most famous example.

For a larger payoff -- in case of WWIII -- require the private outfits to operate long-range patrol ships that the U.S. Navy could employ in a war with Communist China.
The Government has been challenged to say what it is doing to deal with Troubles legacy cases in its jurisdiction by DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.

He accused Dublin of double standards after it launched legal action over the Troubles Legacy Act.

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Tanaiste Micheal Martin said on Wednesday that his Government would initiate an interstate case against the UK on the grounds that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UKs obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Aspects of the laws, which received royal assent in September, include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

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The DUP leader told the BBC: I think there are double standards on the part of the Irish Government here and whilst I am strongly opposed to the Governments amnesty plans, we voted against it, we spoke against it and we continue to oppose it, but I dont think the Irish Government are in a very strong position to point the finger at the UK Government because the Irish Government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues.

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No proposals to deal with the quite significant number of murders that were committed either in their jurisdiction or from their jurisdiction.

For years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.

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Mr Donaldson said: What I would like to see, and I said this to Micheal Martin last week, where are their proposals to deal with legacy?

What are they going to do? Are they going to pursue criminal justice investigations into the murders committed in their jurisdiction, which include the murder of gardai, of Irish Army soldiers, of innocent civilians?

And of course many UK citizens murdered in Northern Ireland as a result of actions carried out by the IRA using the Republic of Ireland as their base.

He added: I think it is difficult to see how this can improve relations between the UK Government and the Irish Government at this time.

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I think the UK Government would take a similar view to many who would look at what the Irish Government are doing and say where are your proposals? What are you going to do about legacy?

Interstate case will strengthen challenge to shameful Legacy Act  @MaryLouMcDonald



Victims and families have been stating from the outset that this cruel and shameful Act is a flagrant breach of international human rights law"https://t.co/mypPAeKw6S Advertisement  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) December 20, 2023 Advertisement

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald backed the Irish Governments legal challenge, describing the Legacy Act as a flagrant breach of international human rights law.

She said: The British Tory Government rushed through this legislation despite the clear opposition and concerns raised by victims and families, all political parties, the Irish Government, the US, UN, the Council of Europe and human rights experts.

It is a blatant attempt to shut the door on families efforts to achieve truth and justice through the courts and to give an amnesty to British state forces involved in the murder of, and serious human rights violations against, Irish citizens.

Heartbroken families have been fighting for years, determined to get truth and justice for their loved ones. They should not have been forced to take individual legal actions against this Act, and this action by the Government will now complement these challenges.

We will stand with those families as they challenge this cruel and cynical law, and as they continue to campaign with dignity and determination for truth and justice.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Irish Government move was utterly necessary.

He said no political party or institution on this island supports the Act, describing it as the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

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The British Government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the North and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors, he said.

The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said the move by the Irish Government was not surprising.

He said: With an election year on the horizon they will have taken that opposition attack line off the table.

This might sound cynical, but the reality is the Irish Government have done nothing to address the legacy of our past, they have refused to open parallel mechanisms or deal with the very real fact that Ireland was not an innocent bystander in the Troubles.

He added: Any interstate case will go through the courts and there will be an outcome at the end.

But if both the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government are not willing to fix the wrongs of the past then it will be the victims who suffer once again.
The first person to be convicted of insider trading in the history of the State has been fined 60,000 (69,300) at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Declan Service, of Sunnyvale Avenue, Portrush, Co Antrim, has been told he faces a potential term of imprisonment of 18 months when his sentence is finalised next February.

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The 63-year-old carer pleaded guilty to engaging in insider dealing on dates between May 18th and 22nd, 2020, when he used sensitive market information to sell shares before that information was made public.

The court heard that Service, who is suffering from bowel cancer, prostate cancer and long-term depressive illnesses, effectively gambled his retirement fund by using inside knowledge to offload his shares in a pharmaceutical company days before buying them again at a discounted rate.

At a hearing on Wednesday, the court heard that Service made a profit of roughly 11,500, which would have increased to 44,000 if he retained his shares for one year.

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The alarm was raised when Goodbody stockbrokers alerted the Central Bank to suspicious transactions made by Service, who was one of their clients.

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Detective Garda John Farrelly of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau told Fionnuala OSullivan BL, prosecution, that the activity concerned shares in Open Orphan, an Irish pharmaceutical company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The court heard that in May 2020, Open Orphan decided to sell additional shares on the market at a discounted rate in order to raise 12 million in capital and fund growth.

Before placing these shares on the market, the company invited its shareholders to a Zoom presentation on Monday, May 18th, 2020, to brief them of its plans.

Open Orphan told all participants that the presentation was market-sensitive and that shareholders were prohibited from trading shares until the information was publicly available on Friday, May 22nd, 2020.

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'Insiders'

The court heard that shareholders in receipt of this confidential information were deemed insiders and were prohibited from sharing the information, in order to prevent them exploiting it for financial gain and to protect the integrity of the market.

Service, who at the time held 3.89 million shares in Open Orphan valued at 566,000 sterling, agreed to being made an insider and attended the zoom meeting where the fundraising round was confirmed.

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The court heard that the following day, Service contacted his broker at Goodbody, instructing them to sell his full shareholding over the coming days.

Prosecuting gardai obtained recorded phone calls of Service saying to his broker on May 19th: Theres going to be something on Friday that might lower the price a bit. Id put next years holiday money in it, if I were you.

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On May 20th, Service again phoned his broker saying he had been speaking to the chief executive of Open Orphan and that they were going to raise monies soon, if you know what I mean.

The broker suspected market abuse and followed procedure by raising his concerns with a compliance manager, without alerting Service.

Service then sold all his shares and instructed another broker at Goodbody to buy 566,000 worth of shares at the discounted rate when they were made available to the public on Friday.

However, because too many people tried to buy the shares, the accused was only able to buy 50,000 worth of shares at the discounted price.

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At the end of the trading day on Friday, Service had increased his share number by over 92,700, which the Central Bank calculated as equivalent to making a profit of 11,500.

Garda investigation

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The Central Bank forwarded its report to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau in August 2021, and in September 2022, Service was arrested by appointment and interviewed twice by gardai.

Det Gda Farrelly said Service was fully cooperative and made full admissions, accepting everything that was put to him.

He told gardai: I truthfully didnt realise I had done anything wrong. I acted innocently in my mind. Its not in my DNA to do something I know to be illegal.

Service apologised and said he obviously regretted this serious lack of judgement.

The prosecuting garda agreed with Brian Gageby BL, defending, that Services guilty plea was of benefit to the prosecution as such cases can otherwise be tedious and tortuous and document-heavy.

Det Gda Farrelly also agreed that Service had not come to garda attention since this offence and did not have trappings of wealth.

Mr Gageby said Goodbody was a reputable stockbroking firm and there was an inevitability that this offence would be reported up the compliance chain.

Counsel described the offence as unsophisticated and said Service had gambled his retirement.

Mr Gageby said Service had liquidated his pension scheme and converted it to an approved retirement fund, but that rather than treating these monies with the care one ought to treat ones pension, he made rash decisions and effectively gambled his entire nest egg on the stock exchange.

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Service has no previous convictions and has three adult children and a long-term partner, the court heard.

The court heard that Service worked for a US healthcare multinational for 17 years and then for 20 years in various healthcare companies in Ireland and abroad. He moved to Northern Ireland in 2021.

He now works as a carer for adults with learning disabilities and a reference from his employer described him as an extremely valuable staff member who was highly-regarded by service users and staff alike.

Service works for 28 hours a week, earning 350, the court heard.

A further letter from a charity in Portrush helping young adults with mental health difficulties described Service as extremely reliable, honest, committed, helpful and passionate member who has become a friend rather than a colleague.

Mr Gageby said Service has suffered significant mental health difficulties himself since his 20s and has been treated with anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medications.

Letters were handed in from his GPs in Ireland and Northern Ireland detailing difficulties with alcohol abuse, hospital admissions, mental health and episodes of aggression and excessive spending.

One GP said it was entirely likely that Service had bipolar mood disorder.

The court heard that Service is awaiting radiotherapy for Stage 3 prostate cancer and was also diagnosed with bowel cancer earlier this month.

'Blameless life'

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Mr Gageby said his client had lived a blameless life and had given all his life to good causes and that it was truly out of character for him to have engaged in these offences.

He said Services mental health difficulties suggest he had a degree of disinhibition at the time and showed poor decision-making.

When one hears the evidence, one might take the view that he was some class of high-rolling, stock-dealing person who was trying to take the market to his own advantage, but this does not reflect the life hes lived, Mr Gageby said.

Judge Elma Sheahan said the aggravating factor was the seriousness of the offending and the mitigating factors included the value of his guilty plea, his full cooperation and his previous good character.

She also took into account that he has been a productive member of society and has contributed as a volunteer, and has suffered mental health difficulties which provide a context for his offending.

Judge Sheahan said notwithstanding the submissions made by the defence, Service had engaged in insider trading when it had been made clear to him that he could not trade.

He chose to ignore this and to proceed to make a benefit, said the judge, describing the offending as in the lower range.

She set a headline sentence of two and a half years but said that with mitigation, 18 months would be an appropriate sentence, but added that she will review this and adjourned finalisation until next February 19th.

In the meantime, Judge Sheahan ordered Service to pay a fine of the euro equivalent of 60,000 sterling to be lodged to his solicitors account.
Gemma O'Doherty has been given until the New Year to reply formally to claims that she has defied High Court directions not to publish anything else which could allegedly defame Councillor Jimmy Guerin.

Mr Justice Tony O'Connor also said he would also consider an application from Mr Guerin's lawyers for the re-trial of his original defamation case against her to be heard by a judge sitting alone, rather than by a judge and jury.

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The court heard this was in circumstances where she had allegedly admitted contaminating a potential jury pool by further publications since a jury was unable to reach a decision in the defamation action.

The judge was told on Wednesday that despite being given an opportunity last week to file an affidavit in response to claims that she had made some 18 or 19 defamatory posts or broadcasts on social media and the internet since the hung jury outcome on November 28th last, she had not done so.

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Her solicitor Brendan Maloney said he had been "unable to secure instructions" from Ms O'Doherty since the case was in court last week.

Last week, Ronan Ronan Lupton SC, with Shane English BL, instructed by Flynn O'Driscoll Solicitors, said the court last month directed, following the hung jury trial, that there be tempering of subsequent comment, given that the case is to go before another jury. Ms O'Doherty's side agreed to this.

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On Wednesday, Mr Lupton said in the last week the number of publications about the substance of the defamation action had now risen to 54 "in the jaws of the currency of these proceedings".

Last months hearing before a jury related to allegedly defamatory social media and internet publications in which Ms O'Doherty referred to "the paedophile brother of Veronica Guerin", who was murdered in 1996.

She denied she was referring to Jimmy Guerin and said it was clear she was talking about Martin Guerin, also her brother, who had been convicted of possession of hundreds of child pornography images.

Re-listed

When the jury failed to reach a verdict, the case was re-listed last week for a new hearing next year, also before a jury.

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Mr Lupton said as a result of the further publications, he was seeking "take down" orders for the social media and internet material from the date of the hung jury, November 21st, up to now.

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He was also asking the court to transfer the case to the non-jury list where it will be up to a judge sitting alone to decide the case.

Earlier, Mr Justice O'Connor had asked the parties to consider whether it would be more appropriate to allow the further publications to go before a jury. He said he was a "great believer in decent, honest, fair-minded people, people who are able to see through things".

If the further allegations emerge at a re-trial, such decent, honest and fair-minded people, who are called to the future jury, may take a different view to the position Ms ODoherty is taking, he said.

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After adjourning for a short time to allow the sides to consider his comments, the judge was told Mr Lupton wished to press ahead with his application.

This was particularly so because Ms ODoherty had admitted in one of her publications that the information she was putting out would contaminate a future jury and she had gone into overdrive in relation to those publications, counsel said. His client could not receive a fair trial as a result.

Mr Justice OConnor said Ms ODohertys solicitor was in an invidious position as he did not have instructions and in order to allow her to consider the application for a transfer of the case to a judge sitting alone, he was going to put the case back to January.

He was not prepared to make the order sought by Mr Lupton now and said if it had to be done slowly then it had to be done slowly. We are going to do it right, he said.
The Government has been praised as doing the right thing for victims of Northern Irelands Troubles after indicating they will legally challenge the UKs Legacy Act.

The Act is intended to halt future legal cases around Northern Irelands troubled past and legacy inquests.

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It is also set to offer a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

Earlier this year, a judicial review challenge to the Act was heard at the High Court in Belfast.

Belfast solicitor Padraig O Muirigh (Niall Carson/PA)

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Confirmation of Irelands legal challenge to the Act has been welcomed by Amnesty International, political parties and victims of the Troubles.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UKs Northern Ireland deputy director, said it is important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

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The Irish Government is doing the right thing for victims, for the rule of law and for the upholding of human rights, she said.

Victims rights to truth, reparations and justice must be realised.

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This challenge is vital for victims here and around the world who face the prospect of similar state-gifted impunity.

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The UK Government doggedly pursued this legislation which shields perpetrators of serious human rights violations from being held accountable. Its important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

This state-level challenge is very welcome and made necessary by the UK Governments actions. Victims should be at the heart of how the Troubles is addressed, not swept to the side with denial of rights imposed.

We hope this critical litigation will bring all Troubles victims closer to the justice they deserve.

Solicitor Padraig O Muirigh, director of O Muirigh Solicitors, described the Legacy Act as draconian legislation and incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

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It also fundamentally undermines the Good Friday Agreement 1998 which placed a duty on the British Government to incorporate the ECHR into domestic law, he said.

The 2023 Act contains provisions that will guillotine existing judicial and investigative mechanisms such as inquests and civil actions and replace these with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

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The families that I represent are strenuously opposed to this legislation and the establishment of the ICRIR.

Mr O Muirigh said his office will also be submitting applications to the European Court of Human Rights early in the new year on behalf of bereaved families who are impacted by the provisions of the legislation.

Belfast solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law (Liam McBurney/PA)

Solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law said the announcement by the Irish Government is the right decision politically, morally and legally.

It is a massive fillip to all those who have been agitating for decades to get access to the truth in unresolved killings, he said.

In terms of timing this development couldnt be any more important

It comes at a time when the courts here in Belfast are adjudicating on a series of conflict-related challenges

It will have an immediate impact on those cases

We expect the courts here to take cognisance of this significant development

Todays news sends a resounding message that Ireland as a nation wont be found wanting when it comes to upholding the human rights of thousands of people affected by the Troubles.
A pet shop manager made phone calls threatening to "kill" his stepdaughter during a property dispute in Dublin, a court has heard.

Brian Dixon (65) pleaded guilty to sending a message by phone to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another person on December 19th, 2021.

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Dublin District Court heard he phoned Victoria Haskins, the daughter of his deceased former partner, at her home address in St Conleth's Park in Walkinstown.

Judge Susan Fay heard Dixon, of Parnell Street, Dublin, made two calls to Ms Haskins. He told her he was coming to Walkinstown, adding: "I am going to come and pull you out and kill you."

Ms Haskins immediately recognised the number, and was in fear as she believed Dixon could carry out the threat.

The court heard the accused has eight prior convictions.

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Ms Haskins gave a victim impact statement in court, telling Judge Fay: "I'm constantly living in fear of what this man is capable of.

"When he was in the house, I had to lock myself in my bedroom in constant fear. I'm terrified of what this man is capable of," she said.

The prosecution accepted he was drunk when he made the phone calls, and that he has abided by bail conditions and cooperated with the court process.

Defence solicitor Donal Quigley asked for leniency, telling the judge the accused's "emotions got the better of him".

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Mr Quigley submitted that there had been an issue regarding the family home, which he said Dixon should have handled better.

Counsel told the court his client had worked all his life, was apologetic, and intended to stay away in the future.

He said it had affected Dixon, whose family got involved, adding they hoped the parties would move on and there would be some form of reconciliation.

Judge Fay described it as "very serious" and adjourned the case for Probation Service assessment of his suitability for 150 hours of community service instead of a three-month jail sentence.

Dixon was remanded on bail to appear again in February.
The husband of a 28-year-old woman who died just four hours after delivering her baby at Mayo University Hospital has settled High Court actions over her death for 1.9 million.

First-time mother Nayyab Tariq, a microbiologist in Ireland from Pakistan, suffered a massive postpartum haemhorrage, and went into shock and cardiac arrest just four hours after giving birth to her daughter in 2020, the High Court heard.

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Outside the Four Courts on Wednesday, her husband Ayaz Ul Hassan said he hoped such an outcome does not happen to anyone ever again.

He said the settlement of his actions for nervous shock and over his wifes death has brought "some sort of closure", knowing that the reassurance he has been given from the HSE to make sure that the recommendations in the wake of Ms Tariqs death are being met "and fixes are being put in place" to make sure that this does not happen again.

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The couple had planned to have more children and buy a home in Ireland, with their mortgage offer coming two days after Ms Tariqs death.

Asked about the loss of his wife as they started out to make a life in this country, Mr Ul Hassan said: "To be honest I don't think it's something that can be put into words.

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"I never got to experience the fatherhood that I should have, and I was forced into being a single parent and raising my daughter, and to be fair, I could not have done that without the support I have had all the time from family and friends."

Failings

In a letter to the High Court, Mayo University Hospital unreservedly apologised for "the failings in the standard of care provided at the hospital", including the poor communication and updates provided during the time that Ms Nayyab Tariq was in the operating theatre.

It added: "We understand that this apology cannot change or negate the depth of your loss, but we wish to assure you that every single recommendation and issue that arose in relation to the standard of care provided is being addressed in full by the hospital."

The apology from hospital manager Catherine Donohoe also expressed "sincerest condolences to Mr Ul Hassan on his wifes untimely death" on March 22nd, 2020.

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"I appreciate the enormity of her loss to you, your daughter Nayyab Jnr, the Ul Hassan and Choudrey Tariq families, and especially to Nayyabs parents, Muhammad and Razia.

"The loss of Nayyab at a time when she should have been embarking on a new journey of motherhood is a devastating tragedy for the entire family."

The letter added: "Her loss is deeply regretted by all staff and management at the hospital especially hose who were involved in Nayyabs care."

The familys counsel, Damien Higgins SC, with Doireann OMahony BL instructed by Callan Tansey solicitors, told the High Court it was their case that the signs of post-partum haemhorrage were not recognised.

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Counsel said the circumstances of the case were heart-rending and devastating.

Medical misadvanture

Two years ago, a coroner recorded a verdict of medical misadventure in the case. The inquest heard Ms Tariq died after a heart attack following post-partum haemorrhage, retained placenta, bleeding arising from ectopic deciduosis, and shock.

Ayaz Ul Hassan, a biomedical scientist who lives in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo had sued the HSE in the High court over the death of his wife on March 22nd 2020.

It was claimed that after the birth of their daughter, and when Ms Tariq was brought to theatre for placenta removal chaos allegedly unfolded.

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There was alleged miscommunication, alleged non-communication and delay in recognition and treatment of shock as result of significant postpartum haemorrhage.

Procedure

It was claimed that when the procedure to remove Ms Tariqs retained placenta began, she developed clear signs of shock and her clinical condition subsequently deteriorated to the point where she suffered cardiac arrest.

Despite extensive emergency resuscitative efforts, just four hours after delivering her baby daughter, Ms Tariq died.

As the event unfolded, Mr Ul Hassan waited in a room with the baby, not knowing what was happening. He was reassured two or three times that everything was fine, it was claimed, and then finally was brought to the theatre and was told things were in fact not going well.

He remembers vividly looking through the theatre window as he gowned up and seeing his wife undergoing CPR. He sat by his wife as attempts were made to save her life.

Mr Ul Hassan claimed his life was completely changed by his wifes sudden death. He stopped everything that he was doing and focused on looking after his baby, the court heard.

The HSE admitted a breach of duty for its failure to appropriately manage Ms Tariqs blood loss after her transfer to theatre following her babys delivery on the evening of March 22nd, 2020.

However, all claims relating to Ms Tariqs care and treatment before the transfer to theatre were denied.

An internal review found delays in recognising that the young woman who had just given birth was in shock were a "key causal factor" in Ms Tariqs death. The review into Ms Tariqs death found her skin pallor was "initially less obvious" due to her ethnicity.

Approving the settlement, including the division of the statutory mental distress solatium payment of 35,000, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was a sad and tragic case, and extended his sympathy to Mr Ul Hassan and his extended family.
Claims by two Web Summit co-founders that the company has been substantially damaged by Paddy Cosgraves social media posts about Israel will be met robustly, the High Court has heard.

The former chief executive of the technology events company, who quit his role after controversy erupted over his online posts in the aftermath of Hamass attack on Israel in October, did not object to the new allegations being added to cases alleging minority shareholder oppression against him and the firm.

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These new claims, made separately by Daire Hickey and David Kelly through their Web Summit shareholding entities, are not admitted and will be met robustly at trial, counsel for Web Summit holding company Manders Terrace and Mr Cosgrave, Bernard Dunleavy SC said.

However, the court ruled against Mr Dunleavys clients in their fight against Mr Hickey and Mr Kellys request to reserve the right to seek further documentation about speakers and clients who reacted to Mr Cosgraves posts made following Hamass October 7th attack on Israel.

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The minority shareholders also want the entitlement to request records from the other side outlining the potential impact his online activities had on Web Summits value may also be needed, the minority shareholders claim.

After a short but tense hearing of submissions from lawyers for the three sides, Ms Justice Eileen Roberts decided all of the new allegations could be admitted to the case.

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She was satisfied this does not cause any prejudice to the Web Summit side, and did not believe the objection to Mr Kelly and Mr Hickey reserving their right to seek discovery for the new allegations was justified.

She said the new subject matters relate directly to general issues already pleaded in the alleged shareholder oppression cases.

As the new allegations concern activities from October 2023 onwards, she said it was simply not possible for related documentation to have been sought before then.

The fact that the exchange of documents between the parties has already taken so long cannot be used by Mr Cosgrave and Web Summit to block further discovery on new matters that have just arisen, she said.

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The amendments may lead to Mr Kelly and Mr Hickey requiring further documents from Mr Cosgrave and Web Summit, and this should not be used as a springboard for a further wide-ranging discovery request, she added.

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There was no objection from Mr Hickey to new claims being added to Mr Cosgrave and Manders Terraces defence of his action.

The new allegations include that he earned 328,000 for secret consultancy work while still a director at Web Summit.

Ms Justice Roberts said she hopes the parties can agree a timetable for the next steps ahead of the matters returning to court on January 12th.

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'Logistical prejudice'

Earlier, Mr Dunleavy, instructed by Clark Hill law firm, argued the discovery rights reservation should not be permitted as it would engender logistical prejudice where considerable time has been spent swapping documents to this point.

In July 2022, the High Court orderd his clients to hand over 47 categories of records as part of the discovery process, he said.

He expressed concern about the breadth of discovery that is coming down the tracks, or at least the prospect of discovery if the judge accedes to the other sides requests.

He asked the court to effectively take this matter by the shirt collar by giving directions to expedite matters.

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We are content to meet these allegations, but we want to have the discovery over and behind us and to get on with the trial, he added.

Kelley Smith SC, instructed by Dentons solicitors, for Mr Hickey and his vehicle Lazvisax, which holds his 7 per cent share in Web Summit, said she was quite taken aback by her opponents characterisation of the document sharing process to date which, she said, has been dragged out by the other sides insufficient and belated discovery which is ongoing.

Her client, as the applicant, is always trying to move on with these proceedings.

For Mr Kelly and Graigueridda, his entity holding his 12 per cent stake in Web Summit, Frank Kennedy BL, adopted Ms Smiths submissions, while adding that the potential universe of documents connected with the new claims is extremely confined, as they relate only to events from October 2023.

Mr Kennedy, instructed by Dillon Eustace, said the objection to this is a complete misuse of the courts resources and time.

The judge was satisfied she should allow all of the amendments to be added to the cases, which are among several suits and counter-suits involving the three Web Summit co-founders.
Hamas top leader travelled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another ceasefire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israels offensive shows no signs of slowing.

Hamas militants have been putting up stiff resistance, even as the Israeli army claims to be making great progress in eradicating them.

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The visit to Cairo by its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel.

It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and driven some 1.9 million, nearly 85% of the population, from their homes.

Ismail Haniyeh is in Cairo (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government/AP)

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Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organisation, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its October 7th rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war.

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But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US.

The goal is to achieve another ceasefire and free more of the hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Mobile phone and internet service was down across Gaza again on Wednesday, which could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after October 7th.

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The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.

The destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

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Israels foreign minister travelled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain.

Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

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Egypt and Qatar helped mediate a week-long ceasefire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israels release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

Hamas said that Haniyeh, who is believed to be based in Qatar but whose movements are rarely publicised, would discuss the war with Egyptian officials, without providing more details.

Ziad Nakhaleh, the leader of the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which took part in the October 7th attack and is also holding hostages, said he would also be going to Egypt in the coming days to participate in the talks.

Egypt, which borders Gaza, is deeply concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees, fearing Israel will not allow them to return.

Meanwhile at least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early on Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior health ministry official.

In southern Gaza, several women and children were among those taken to Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis after strikes overnight and into Wednesday.

A boy could be seen sobbing next to his wounded mother, who was laid out on a stretcher, before being lifted up and placed on her chest.

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Children queue for food in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

At least five people were killed and dozens injured in another strike that hit three residential homes and a mosque in Gazas southern city of Rafah on Wednesday, health officials said.

With the death toll steadily rising, Israel has come under growing pressure to halt or scale back its offensive.

But Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead until Hamas military and governing capabilities are destroyed and until all hostages are freed.

We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality, he added, saying every member of Hamas is marked for death.

His defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Tuesday that in southern Gaza, where the military launched a ground incursion focused on Khan Younis in early December, that operations will take months.

In Gaza, more than 90% of the population has been displaced.@UNHumanRights chief @volker_turk urges ceasefire as the number of civilians corralled towards the border with Egypt increases amid escalation of hostilities. https://t.co/bwUngcBnh4 pic.twitter.com/NbN5gQ7eMj  United Nations (@UN) December 20, 2023

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

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Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7th attack.

Israels military says 134 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive.

Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

UN Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued in the hopes of getting the US to abstain or vote yes on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier ceasefire call.
Actor Cameron Diaz has said we need to normalise married couples sleeping in different bedrooms, or even having separate houses.

The Charlies Angels star was speaking on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast, which she appeared on with her wine brand business partner, Katherine Power.

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The 51-year-old, who is married to Good Charlotte musician Benji Madden, said: We should normalise separate bedrooms. To me, I would literally, I have my house, you have yours, we have a family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room. You go to sleep in your room. Im fine.

Diaz has a three-year-old daughter with Madden, 44, who she married in 2015.

By the way, I dont feel that way now because my husband is so wonderful, she told hosts Molly Sims and Emese Gormley, People magazine reported. I said that before I got married.

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Still, she might have a point. Some relationship experts have been touting the benefits to both your partnership and your sleep, when it comes to having separate bedrooms.

In a 2020 TED talk, US sleep medicine specialist Wendy Troxel said when sleep is measured objectively, people actually sleep worse with a partner.

In fact, if you sleep with someone who snores, you can blame them for up to 50% of your sleep disruptions, she said. But when you ask those disrupted sleepers, Do you prefer to sleep with your partner or do you prefer to sleep alone?, most say that they prefer to sleep with their partner. This suggests that our social brain is prioritising our need for closeness and security at night  even when it comes at a cost to our sleep.

While a 2016 study by Paracelsus Medical University in Germany found sleep issues and relationship problems tend to occur at the same time. And another 2013 study by the University of California, Berkeley, found one partners sleepless night caused by disturbances from the other partner can result in relationship conflict the next day. Couples experience more frequent and severe conflicts after sleepless nights, said study lead author, Amie Gordon.

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So is it just a cultural expectation that we sleep next to partners? And rather than an indicator of relationship troubles, could it actually be a positive thing?

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(Alamy/PA)

I have done a lot of research on this subject, and I always get asked by clients whether sleeping separately to their partner would be hugely beneficial. My answer is yes  as your partner can often be the cause of a bad nights sleep, said sleep expert Joy Richards.

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I think there is a stigma behind couples sleeping separately, with many suggesting it is a sign that a permanent separation is on the way, but if anything, it probably helps a relationship build as your mood will be improved throughout the day.

You wont be able to blame your partner for keeping you awake with their tossing, turning or snoring.

The term sleep divorce has even become a well-known phrase as a way for couples to stay together  but not sleep together.

Richards added: I think this stigma needs to be addressed, as sleep divorce is extremely common in the UK, but you often think the worst when you hear that a couple sleep separately.

Plus, lack of sleep can negatively affect your health. Regularly falling short of enough kip can raise your risk of serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes and depression. A bad nights sleep can also affect your productivity at work, make you irritable and, ultimately, cause tensions in your relationships during the daytime.

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In fact, a study from the University of California, Berkeley, found that over time, sleep deprivation can leave couples too tired to say thanks and can make one or the other partner feel unappreciated.
An Australian court has ordered Airbnb to pay a 15 million Australian dollar (7.9 million) fine, and the accommodation rental company could pay as much again in compensating customers who had been unaware they were being charged in US rather than Australian dollars.

Airbnb admitted making false or misleading representations to Australian users between January 2018 and August 2021 that prices shown on its platform for Australian accommodations were in Australian dollars, which are worth less than the greenback.

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For about 63,000 customers, the prices were in US dollars.

Federal Court Justice Brendan McElwaine ordered Airbnb to pay the fine within 30 days for breaching Australian consumer law, plus 400,000 Australian dollars (212,000) in prosecution costs.

Airbnb had earlier provided the court with an undertaking that it would pay as much as 15 million Australian dollars in compensation to eligible customers.

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Airbnb amended its platform on August 31 2021, so that prices in US dollars were clearly denoted through the use of the abbreviation USD.

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Airbnbs Australia and New Zealand regional manager Susan Wheeldon said ensuring consumers could book with confidence was the companys priority.





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While only a very small percentage of Australian guests are believed to have been impacted, we are disappointed that this happened, Ms Wheeldon said in a statement.

Airbnb would like to apologise to those guests, she added.

Ms Wheeldon said the company was committed to price transparency and Airbnb would continue to find ways to improve systems so guests and hosts could enjoy travel.

Airbnb had been prosecuted by the consumer law watchdog Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

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Consumers were misled about the price of accommodation, reasonably assuming the price referred to Australian dollars given they were on Airbnbs Australian website, searching for accommodation in Australia and seeing a dollar sign, the commissions chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement.

We took this case to send a strong signal to large digital platforms like Airbnb that they must comply with the Australian Consumer Law and not mislead consumers, she added.

Around 2,000 Australian customers had complained to Airbnb over a period of more than three years.

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Airbnb had blamed customers for selecting prices in U.S. dollars, including consumers who had not made that choice.

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Airbnb is based in San Francisco, where the company was founded.

Its Dublin-based European subsidiary Airbnb Ireland UC was prosecuted by Australian authorities because it operates the Airbnb website and apps for users in Australia.
Former US president Donald Trump has defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America.

Mr Trump went on to reinforce the message while denying it bore any similarities to fascist writings others had noted.

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He told a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa: I never read Mein Kampf, in reference to Adolf Hitlers fascist manifesto.

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Mr Trump said that immigrants in the US illegally are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red Maga hats, Mr Trump responded to mounting criticism about his anti-immigrant blood purity rhetoric over the weekend.

Audience members react as former President Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally in Iowa (AP)

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Several politicians and extremism experts have noted his language echoed writings from Hitler about the purity of Aryan blood, which underpinned Nazi Germanys systematic murder of millions of Jews and other undesirables before and during the Second World War.

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As illegal border crossings surge, topping 10,000 some days in December, Mr Trump continued to blast US president Joe Biden for allowing migrants to pour into our country.

Mr Trump alleged, without offering evidence, that they bring crime and potentially disease with them.

They come from Africa, they come from Asia, they come from South America, he said, lamenting what he said was a border catastrophe.

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Mr Trump is looking to return to the White House (AP)

Mr Trump made no mention of the Colorado supreme courts decision to disqualify him from the states ballot under the US Constitutions insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the US, dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists.

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But Mr Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand ideological screening for people immigrating to the US.

He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling.
The United States has flown a long-range bomber as part of joint drills with South Korea and Japan in a show of force against North Korea.

The move comes days after the North performed its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in five months.

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The trilateral training off South Koreas southern island of Jeju was meant to strengthen the countries joint response against North Korean nuclear threats, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The exercise involved a B-1B bomber and South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, the statement said. It said the B-1Bs flyover is the 13th time that a US bomber has been temporarily deployed near and over the Korean Peninsula this year.

A B-1B is capable of carrying a large conventional weapons payload. North Korean has previously called the bombers deployment a proof of US hostility and had reacted with missile tests.

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North Korea launched a Hwasong-18 ICBM into the sea in a drill it said was meant as a warning over the US and South Koreas confrontational steps.

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North Korea cited a recent US-South Korean meeting to discuss their nuclear deterrence plans.

The US, South Korea and Japan slammed the launch as a provocation, noting it violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by the North.



The move is a show of force against North Korea, days after the North performed its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five months (South Korea defence ministry via AP)

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The Hwasong-18, a solid-fuelled missile, is the Norths newest and most advanced ICBM. Its built-in solid propellant makes launches harder to detect than liquid-fuelled missiles, which must be fuelled for lift-offs. Mondays launch is the Hwasong-18s third firing this year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the launch showed how North Korea could respond if the United States were to make a wrong decision against it.

But many foreign experts say the North still has technological obstacles to overcome to possess functioning nuclear-armed ICBM that can hit the continental US.

This year alone, North Korea has conducted about 100 ballistic missile tests in what outside experts call a bid to modernize its nuclear arsenal and win greater US concessions.

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In response, the US and South Korea expanded their military drills, strengthened security cooperation with Japan and increased the temporary deployment of powerful American military assets such as bombers and nuclear-powered submarines in South Korea.

Despite its torrid run of ballistic missile tests, North Korea has avoided new international sanctions as China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, stymied any council responses to the Norths testing activities.

In an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday over the Norths ICBM launch, North Korean and Russian diplomats clashed with US, South Korean and other diplomats.
The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defence contractor known as Fat Leonard who is at the centre of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, officials said on Wednesday.

The deal represents the US governments boldest bid to improve relations with the major oil-producing nation and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader.

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The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuelas history comes weeks after the Biden administration agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Mr Maduro and an opposition faction to work towards free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.

The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020 and long was regarded as a criminal trophy by Washington, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader.

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US officials said the decision to grant him clemency was difficult but essential in order to bring home jailed Americans, a core administrative objective that in recent years has resulted in the release of criminals who had once been seen as untradeable.



Alex Saab is a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

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Sometimes that means youve got to make some difficult decisions, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

The deal also guarantees the release of 10 Americans who had been held in Venezuela, according to senior administration officials.

Several of the Americans have been formally designated by the US government as wrongfully detained.

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The agreement also will result in the extradition of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship-servicing company in south-east Asia who is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history.

Nicknamed Fat Leonard, he fled home custody in San Diego in September 2022 and was arrested by Venezuelan police attempting to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas.

The exchange would also be seen as a major US concession to Mr Maduro, likely angering hardliners in the Venezuelan opposition who have criticised the White House for standing by as the leader of the Opec country nation has repeatedly outmanoeuvred Washington after the Trump administrations campaign to topple him failed.

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In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil, gas and mining industries but threatened to reimpose the restrictions if Mr Maduro, by November 30, did not live up to his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections next year.

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He is seeking in 2024 to add six years to his decade-long, crisis-ridden presidency.

That deadline has passed and so far Mr Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office.

President Joe Biden, who did not confirm any details about the prisoner exchange, told reporters: It looks like Maduro, so far, is keeping his commitment on a free election. It aint done yet. Got a long way to go. But its good so far.

But days after Mr Maduros negotiators and the US-backed opposition agreed to work on electoral conditions, the countrys high court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, suspended the oppositions entire primary election process.

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The attorney general opened criminal investigations against some of the organisers.

Mr Maduro, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez and other allies insisted the balloting was fraudulent and challenged the participation of more than 2.4 million voters.

The US sanctions remain eased as part of the deal announced on Wednesday. It also requires Mr Maduros government to release 21 Venezuelans, including Roberto Abdul, who co-founded a pro democracy group with Ms Machado more than two decades ago, and dismiss three arrest warrants.

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The US has conducted several swaps with Venezuela over the past few years. The most notable was a deal in October 2022 for seven Americans, including five oil executives, in exchange for the release of two nephews of Mr Maduros wife jailed in the US on narcotics charges.

The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas.

Perhaps the most-high-profile prisoner exchange came last December when the US government, over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials, traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

In September, Iran released five American detainees in exchange for the release of nearly six billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets and two Iranian prisoners who had been jailed in the US.

The succession of swaps has raised concerns that the US is incentivising hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in US courts.

But Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad is a core government priority that requires difficult dealmaking.
The Biden administration has released a close ally of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a swap for jailed Americans, it is understood.

Alex Saab, who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020, is said to have been released from custody on Wednesday.

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In exchange, Mr Maduro will free some, if not all, of the at least 10 US citizens who remain imprisoned in Venezuela, sources told the Associated Press.

The White House has declined to comment.

On Friday and again on Monday, papers were filed under seal in the long-dormant criminal case out of federal court in Miami, an indication that a behind-the-scenes deal is in the works.

The US has long accused Saab of being a bag man for Mr Maduro. Saabs release would be seen as a major concession to Mr Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

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The deal is also likely to anger the Venezuelan opposition, who have of late criticised the White House for standing by as the leader of the Opec nation has repeatedly outmanoeuvred the US government after the Trump administrations pressure campaign failed to topple him.

In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry, promising to reimpose the restrictions if Mr Maduro by November 30 did not live up to his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections next year.

That deadline passed and so far, Mr Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office.

Among the Americans behind bars in Venezuela are two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were involved in an attempt to oust Mr Maduro in 2019.

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Also detained are Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who are accused of entering the country illegally from Colombia. More recently, Venezuela arrested Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

Saab, 51, was pulled off a private jet during a fuel stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Mr Maduros government.

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He was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing for Venezuelas government.

Mr Maduros government has insisted Saab was traveling to Iran to buy food and medical supplies when he was detained in Cape Verde.

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Saab was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for allegedly running a scheme that included Mr Maduros inner circle and stole hundreds of millions of dollars from food-import contracts at a time of widespread hunger mainly due to shortages in the South American country.

A decade into the crisis, shops are now fully stocked, but few can afford food. The monthly minimum wage is about $3.60, just enough to buy a gallon of water.

The Trump administration held out Saab as a trophy, spending millions of dollars pursuing the Colombian-born businessman. At one point, it even deployed a Navy warship to the coast of West Africa to warn the Venezuelans.

Mr Maduros government has argued that Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat, entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution under international law.

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But his defence lawyers said last year in a closed-door hearing that before his arrest, Saab had been secretly talking to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, helping authorities untangle corruption in Mr Maduros inner circle and agreeing to forfeit millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from corrupt state contracts.

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The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas.

The most notable prisoner exchange came last December when the US government, over the objections of some Republicans in US congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials, traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

The succession of swaps has raised concerns that the US is incentivising hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in US courts.

Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad is a core government priority that requires difficult deal-making.
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 Some of Australias best-loved writers revisit the places close to their hearts. See all 7 stories . Its a warm autumn morning in Boston, and my twin sister and I are sitting side by side in a cafe, watching a man across the street. He is approaching our mother. She has her hands clasped behind her back. She keeps glancing at us, and we wave, pulling faces because we know she is nervous. The man is wearing a blue checked shirt and jeans. He has Mums nose. He is the height of our uncles. And he has the hairline of our brothers. We know that his name is Andrew. And mum is seeing him for the first time since she gave birth to him exactly 37 years, two months and 21 hours ago. Andrew is our brother. And we are about to meet him. Jessie Stephens, third from left, with her mother and siblings. Credit: Courtesy Jessie Stephens The first time I visited Boston, five years prior to sitting in that cafe, I experienced a sense of coming home. Perhaps this was because, for 24 years, home had been my identical twin, Clare. I had never  not even in utero  known life without her. And then in 2014, she moved abroad with her boyfriend, who was accepted into Berklee College of Music, in Boston. Towards the end of that year, I arrived. We walked the Freedom Trail, which tells the story of the American Revolution. We visited Boston Common, the oldest public park in the United States. And we wandered through historic cemeteries, including the one where E. E. Cummings, the poet, novelist and playwright, happens to be buried. It was Cummings who wrote love is a place. Love is a place. It is possible, looking back now, that we passed our brother Andrew on the street. He was studying at a law school, walking distance from the bar where Clare worked. While we had known for years that our mum had a baby when she was 22 who was adopted, we had always presumed he lived in Australia. It never crossed our mothers mind as she visited New England  comprised of six northeastern states in the US  several times in the years since his birth, that he might be here. She was drawn to these states though. So were we.

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This would not be the only coincidence. My mother named her son, born on July 2, 1982, James  a name that was not shared with his adoptive parents. Then, a few weeks later, the couple were driving through a Sydney tunnel deciding what to call their new baby boy. James, they agreed. By the time they exited the tunnel, they had changed their minds. He would be Andrew. Andrew James. While my mothers early 20s were marked by birthing a child she knew she could not keep, mine were marked by depression. Depression is a difficult story to tell. There is no real beginning, middle or end, but rather disparate scenes. I am hiding under my bed, feeling for a moment invisible. I have lost the ability to write. Not just an essay, but an email to the lecturer explaining why I cant write the essay. I dont sleep. I am medicated. It makes me vomit and faint. I travel overseas but my mind doesnt come with me  it is stuck somewhere else. Boston Common was one of the places Jessie Stephens visited with her twin sister, Clare. Credit: Getty Images I re-read Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar, as many women in their 20s tend to do. The novel is semi-autobiographical and traces Esthers descent into a deep depression. The book, as it happens, is set largely in Boston, where Plath grew up. Her metaphor of the bell jar remains one of the most powerful for capturing the suffocation of mental illness. In 1961 she wrote the words because wherever I sat  on the deck of a ship or at a street cafe in Paris or Bangkok  I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air. New England, while literally, her backdrop, also served as a symbolic one. It represented postwar prosperity, and the promise of a white picket fence built around a two-storey home that looks eerily like the ones either side of it. It is the place of Richard Yates Revolutionary Road. Housewives smile, untouched by the feminist revolution brewing. John F. Kennedy, from Brookline Massachusetts, all white teeth and combed hair, not far from where Plath grew up, becomes President of the United States. Soon, he will be assassinated.

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It is a place that tells you, in Plaths own words, one ought to be having the time of [her] life. It is a place that looks aspirational, while turning the people inside it mad. There is a claustrophobia to New England, despite its sprawling green lawns. A fishing village in Marthas Vineyard. Credit: iStock Loading There was another book I read during that period. It is called Darkness Visible by William Styron, published in 1989. Styron describes the sensation of depression better than perhaps any writer before or after him. The book begins in Paris, where he is struck by what feels almost like an illness, and then we follow his fall into a deep, immobilising depression back home in Connecticut, New England. Upon a visit to Marthas Vineyard, he writes: I was on Marthas Vineyard, where Ive spent a good part of each year since the 1960s, during that exceptionally beautiful summer. But I had begun to respond indifferently to the islands pleasures. I felt a kind of numbness, an enervation, but more particularly an odd fragility as if my body had actually become frail, hypersensitive and somehow disjointed and clumsy, lacking normal coordination. When I read Plath and Styron, Cummings and Yates, I failed to identify the pattern of New England. The subject of place seemed rather irrelevant. These texts were explorations of ones inner self, and I felt drawn to them because they articulated experiences I felt unable to. Despair doesnt feel so lonely when you learn that it has been felt by people very different to you, 16,000 kilometres away. A part of myself, I suppose, existed in New England. I just didnt know that was, quite literally, the case. A cafe in a fashionable corner of Boston. Credit: iStock When we sit across from Andrew for the first time, in a Boston cafe, I feel as though I have known him my whole life. Just as when you stare at your own baby and see a kaleidoscope of familiar faces and expressions, Andrews was a face I recognised. His voice reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld, and he is articulate and funny in the way so many of the best Americans are. That surprises me. My brother is very American. But Massachusetts, as weve discussed with him since, is a different country to say, Texas. They have the lowest rate of gun deaths. They vote Democrat.

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Separated by many oceans, we discover that day that we have landed at much the same place when it comes to religion and politics. He too lost himself at the same age I did, struggling with depression and a sense of identity. In Boston, he met his now wife, Lisa, and they moved to Rhode Island, a place I know best from Family Guy. Everyone Ive met from there sounds like Peter Griffin. Six months after we met in Boston, Andrew and Lisa came to Australia and met the extended family. Then, COVID. In 2022, my twin sister and I, along with our partners, stayed with them in their idyllic home in Rhode Island. We met their daughter, Annabelle, and spent the 4th of July with the neighbours. Then the seven of us ferried to Marthas Vineyard, an island just south of Cape Cod. Critically, it is where Jaws was filmed. And Jaws 2. On a beach walk, where Im sure a monster shark was lurking only metres away, my partner proposed. A year later, we would have our first child. And there lies another coincidence. As the due date grew closer, it crossed my mind that she might be born on the same day as Andrew, my mothers first child. And on the evening of July 2nd, on Andrews birthday, baby Luna was born. Among the books that helped Jessie Stephens process life and location were, clockwise from main, The Bell Jar, Olive Kitteridge, I Have Some Questions For You, The Paper Palace and Revolutionary Road. It has not been possible this year to visit Andrew, who has since had a second baby. But for years Ive visited New England through some of my favourite novels. Theres Olive Kitteridge set in Maine. The Paper Palace set in Cape Cod  the same place Johann Hari went to completely unplug for his non-fiction book, Stolen Focus. Most recently I devoured I Have Some Questions For You, set in a New Hampshire boarding school. Some of my favourite films bring me there; Good Willing Hunting, Dead Poets Society, and Spotlight. When Cummings wrote love is a place, he did not mean it literally. And yet, not far from his grave, on a quiet street in Boston, two strangers who loved each other already would meet for the first time. From that moment, love would be forever attached to this place.

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The restaurant spin-off rolls into Brunswick East with a fresh line-up of Middle Eastern-inspired fillings.

If theres one thing chef Joseph Abboud knows about the regulars at his Middle Eastern restaurant, Rumi, its that theyll always order the classics. Nothing else will sell as well.

So, while hes relocated the beloved 17-year-old Rumi from Brunswick Easts Lygon Street to nearby housing development East Brunswick Village, all the signatures stayed put. But hes just opened a brand-new venue where hell have more creative freedom.

Rocket Society is a more casual sibling to the newly relocated Rumi. Eddie Jim

In a corner spot next to Rumi 2.0, The Rocket Society is an easygoing all-day eatery and bar thats more geared towards the walk-in crowd than its sibling.

With all thats happening atEast Brunswick Village  the shopping precinct, the [soon-to-open] cinema  we wanted a relaxed, all-day presence, says Abboud.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The long-running saga that is Donald Trumps blustering attempt to seek re-election to the US presidency took a bewildering twist this week when Colorados Supreme Court ruled that he was ineligible to hold office again. The decision, pending appeal, bars him from that states upcoming Republican presidential primary ballot in March, when the party chooses its candidate for Novembers presidential election. But what effect the ruling will have on his overall chances nationally is as yet unknown. Colorado is only one state out of 50 that has ruled this way. Some, such as Minnesota, have considered and dismissed similar cases; others are still in train. Moreover, the Colorado justices have put their ruling briefly on hold to give Trump the opportunity to appeal to the US Supreme Court. It is an extraordinary outcome  the first time a US court has stopped a presidential candidate appearing on a ballot due to charges of insurrection, a decision made in light of a rarely heard of 155-year-old provision of the US Constitution. It has the potential to upend the presidential election scheduled for November 5. Could this really derail Trumps candidacy? Credit: AP. Image has been digitally altered What happened this week? In a nutshell, the Colorado Supreme Court accepted an argument, brought by voters aided by an activist group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, that Section 3 of the US Constitutions 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump from holding office. Therefore, he is ineligible to appear on that states Republican primary ballot to be held on March 5.

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According to Bloomberg, similar activists have filed lawsuits in a number of states, including Virginia and Michigan, seeking to keep Trump off the Republican primary nominating ballots. Some 13 states have cases pending. In November, the case in Minnesota was dismissed, the court ruling on grounds that, technically, Trump was not yet the Republican nominee. The Colorado case hinged on three key questions. First, whether it was an insurrection when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol (the seat of Congress) in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, following a rally at which Trump repeated false claims that the election held in November 2021 had been fraudulently stolen from him. Second, whether Trump had engaged in that insurrection through his messages to supporters and his Twitter posts. Loading Third, and crucially, whether Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the US Civil War and rarely mentioned since, specifically applied to the presidency, given its somewhat opaque wording. It reads, in part: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. The Colorado court took the view that Trump had indeed engaged in insurrection with his actions leading up to a mob of his supporters storming the Capitol with his speeches and social media posts, and that his actions certainly triggered the relevant part of the Constitution.

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A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot. Recognising their 4-3 split decision, the justices noted: We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favour, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach. The courts most important ruling, according to Laurence Tribe, the Carl M Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University, was finding what the point of the 14th Amendment was: to make sure that anyone who takes an oath to uphold the United States Constitution, and holds any office but then engages in an insurrection against the constitution, can no longer hold any office in the country. Pro-Trump supporters storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Credit: Getty Images Can Trump run for president without all 50 states on board? While it is unusual these days for a major candidate to not stand for their party in every state, its not super-rare, nor particularly problematic. President Joe Biden wont contest next years New Hampshire primary, for example, largely due to a dispute over the timing of the ballot. Famously, in the 1968 presidential election, Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey received his partys nomination without contesting a single primary. (He entered the fray too late and the rules were different back then anyway; he still lost.) The crucial thing about this Colorado decision is it speeds up the process of getting the issue to the Supreme Court, and its the United States Supreme Court decision that will be definitive.

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As to being barred: no, there is nothing in the Constitution that speaks to this, says John Hart, a former head of department at ANU and author of The Presidential Branch: From Washington to Clinton. If a candidate for the presidency is elected president, and no challenge to that decision is made in the United States Congress when they count the electoral votes at the beginning of January, then even if a single state says that Trump had committed insurrection and is ineligible for office, it wouldnt have any effect. That said, the Colorado ruling will, says Hart, inexorably push the matter towards the US Supreme Court. The crucial thing about this Colorado decision, says Hart, is it speeds up the process of getting the issue to the Supreme Court, and its the United States Supreme Court decision that will be definitive. If the Supreme Court says that Trump committed insurrection on January the sixth and is therefore barred from office, that will be the end of it. He believes the Colorado Supreme Court decision to pause its ruling acknowledges this. Its saying we realise that Trump and other parties will appeal the case to the Supreme Court, we realise this issue is causing confusion among state courts, so it will go to the Supreme Court. Thats a given, so, therefore, we are just making this decision, a kind of a temporary decision, depending on the speed at which the Supreme Court deals with the case. However, if the Supreme Court declines to review the case, or does not come down with a decision before the Colorado primary, the Colorado Supreme Court decision will stand in that state and Trump will be ineligible to appear on the ballot there. Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris (centre) with members of the Supreme Court in September, 2022. Credit: Supreme Court of the United States What effect will this have on the Trump campaign? Not being able to compete in Colorado alone would not necessarily be a great setback for the Trump campaign. Trump could lose Republican delegates he might otherwise pick up for his Republican nomination, but he was unlikely in any case to win Colorado overall, says Bruce Wolpe, a Colorado native and a senior fellow at the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney.

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Colorado voted Democratic in the past four presidential elections, he says. Its expected that Trump will lose in Colorado whether hes on the ballot or not. So if Colorados the only state where this applies, it would not change the outcome of the election. The Colorado decision may even embolden his supporters, says Wolpe. Theres a counter-reaction in favour of Trump which is explosive, which is already under way, he says. To his followers, he says, this is the ultimate conspiracy by the deep state to keep him out of the presidency, another example of the weaponisation of the political process and the courts and the Justice Department to stop Trump. Perversely, he says, The reaction to this ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court to keep him off the ballot may, in fact, help cement his victory in November 2024. It may end up being not so much a contest between Trump and Biden as personalities, but between Trump and the survival of the American constitutional system. Tribe holds similar views, at least in the short term. I think it helps his campaign  his whole narrative is one of victimisation. But in the long term, it may contribute to a deeper public understanding of what a danger he is to democracy  It may end up being not so much a contest between Trump and Biden as personalities, but between Trump and the survival of the American constitutional system. It may, in that direct way, make his defeat more likely. Loading Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota law school, notes while Trump is also facing several other criminal and civil charges, this case is about his eligibility to hold office. In one sense, its the least important of the cases; it doesnt threaten his finances or his liberty. On the other hand, from the perspective of American democracy, its the most important. Says John Hart: The critical thing is the Colorado Supreme Court decision is forcing the United States Supreme Court to take this case. That will open up all the complex issues about the relevance of the 14th amendment.

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Blakemores versatility was startling. He shifted effortlessly from ONeills grim Long Days Journey to a vivid production (1972) of Ben Hecht and Charles Macarthurs comedy/drama The Front Page. Audiences were amazed as bullets seemed to tear through the set, gouging holes in the walls in one powerful scene. This was followed by successful productions of Macbeth and then Chekhovs delicate The Cherry Orchard. In 2000 Michael Blakemore became the first director ever to win two Tony Awards - one for the Michael Frayn play Copenhagen and the other for a musical - Kiss Me Kate. Michael Blakemore has his hands full of Tonys at the 54th annual Tony Awards presentations at Radio City Music Hall, 2004. Credit: Getty He never lost contact with Australia, returning frequently to the apartment he had wisely bought in Bondi when the area was cheap and rather run-down. He spent weeks surfing there almost every year. One year, a Frisbee whizzed through the air and hit him in the eye. He lost sight in one eye, permanently. He was an enthusiast for the Australian writer, David Williamson, and rated him among the very best of living playwrights. He directed Dons Party in a production at the Royal Court (1975) in London. The Club opened at the Kennedy Centre and transferred to Broadway. Money and Friends was successful in Los Angeles.

More recently he read a play by Williamson about Isaac Newton  Nearer the Gods. He discussed directing this at the Chichester theatre, but old age (he was over 90) made it impossible. Blakemore showed courage in taking on plays where major talents and, inevitably, egos, were involved. The most challenging was undoubtedly Death Defying Acts, presented on Broadway in 1995. This was a trilogy written by David Mamet, Elaine May and Woody Allen, all of whom voiced firm opinions on details of the production. In other words  they constantly interfered. Evidently, all three writers were handled with Blakemores legendary tact and firmness. Variety described the trilogy as a suave production. Director Michael Blakemore Ive Been juggling for years trying to get a movie here, said Michael Blakemore, 1981 Credit: Fairfax As recently as 2014, when he was 84, there was a major success on Broadway of Cowards Blithe Spirit, with Angela Lansbury in the leading role. Interestingly, neither Blakemore or his rival Peter Hall, or the gifted American director, Hal Prince, made a successful transition to films. All three seemed to struggle to adapt from a situation where an audience watch from a fixed position to one where images change angle and are intercut in an editing process.

Michael Blakemores first film, a semidocumentary, A Personal History of the Australian Surf  Confessions of a Straight Poofter (1981) is an effective piece of autobiography. Michael Blakemore plays his own father (a young actor plays young Michael)  who considers his son is wasting his time surfing. Privates on Parade, adapted from the very successful play by Peter Nichols, lacked the vivacity of the stage production. Country Life, made in Australia and adapted by Blakemore from Chekhovs Uncle Vanya was a struggle with a low budget and a short filming schedule. The transition of the story from Russia to Australia was only intermittently convincing, rather in the way I expect Dons Party would be if reset in Moscow. Angela Lansbury and Director Michael Blakemore attend the Blithe Spirit Broadway opening night party at Sardis in New York City, 2009. Credit: Getty Blakemore wrote a novel Next Season -inevitably with a theatrical setting and characters. Two volumes of memoirs of his theatrical career Stage Blood and Arguments with England are engaging  witty, forthright, and opinionated. Michael does not hesitate to return to the attack on Peter Hall. A couple of years ago he mentioned to me, with his characteristically charming naivete, that he had run into Peter Halls son at the Hampstead theatre club and found it inexplicable that his manner was hostile. Michael was surprised that Halls son didnt consider the comments about his father to be reasonable, even clearly evident.
The chair of Transgender Victoria, Rochelle Pattison, wants to become the Liberal Partys first transgender MP and win back former treasurer Josh Frydenbergs old federal seat of Kooyong.

Pattison, 56, a Liberal Party member for more than 30 years, has formally nominated for preselection for the seat, which teal independent Monique Ryan won from the Liberal Party at the last election.

Trans woman Rochelle Pattison is standing for preselection in the seat of Kooyong.

Pattison is director of an asset management and corporate finance firm Chimaera Capital and is chair of the Knox Ranges Liberal Women group, where former state upper house MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake is vice-chair and a close ally.

Her nomination will have an impact as the party wrestles with trans rights issues after ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming launched a defamation case against Opposition Leader John Pesutto.
Lehrmann left Parliament House about 2.30am while Higgins left at 10am, Brown said she was told. I was quite shocked that theyd both been in the office after hours, she said. Wasnt the shocking thing not just that theyd entered the building but that Ms Higgins had been found naked and passed out, and it was considered that she should be offered an ambulance and medical assistance? Wilkinsons barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, asked. Brown agreed. Werent you concerned that a young woman who you were told was intoxicated had been found in that state? Chrysanthou said.

Yes, Brown replied. Something terrible You were concerned, werent you, or you suspected, that they may have had sexual intercourse? Chrysanthou asked of Browns thought process after Barons phone call. It was not unreasonable to have that thought, Brown said. You were concerned, or you suspected, something terrible could have happened to Ms Higgins? Chrysanthou asked.

Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins (centre) leaves the Federal Court in Sydney this month. Credit: James Brickwood And equally something didnt happen. It was either or, Brown said. She agreed that she didnt know but she understood that it was a possibility, just as it was also not a possibility. Higgins has alleged Lehrmann raped her in the early hours of March 23. Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence and has told the Federal Court there was no sexual contact between the pair at all. He is suing Ten and Wilkinson over an interview with Higgins, aired on February 15, 2021, that he alleges suggests he is guilty of rape.

The meeting with Lehrmann Brown said she had a short meeting with Lehrmann on March 26 after the finance department advised her to speak to both staffers and get their version. Chrysanthou suggested to her that she must have understood that she was not appropriately trained to ask either of them questions in light of the information she had been given. But Brown said that it wasnt considered an assault. Loading

It was a staff matter of people coming in after hours, and I was asked by the Department of Finance to make those inquiries. She said she was advised not to use assumptive language during those conversations. She said Lehrmann had told her he was not intoxicated but had come back to the office to drink whisky and had chatted with Higgins. My antenna was up, she said when asked if she had concerns about whether Lehrmann was being candid. She agreed it had entered her mind at that time that Lehrmann and Higgins had had sex, but I couldnt rule it out and I couldnt rule it in. I didnt know. Lehrmann had already decided to leave Reynolds office for a new job, but he was instructed on this day to pack up his things. His role was formally terminated on April 5 for accessing the office after hours, and not for an alleged assault.

The court heard he left without speaking to Brown again and did not give her his security pass. She said she was not concerned at this point that he had done something very wrong, saying: No, he was just a 23-year-old, immature staffer. Text messages between Fiona Brown and Bruce Lehrmann in March 2019, tendered in evidence in Lehrmanns Federal Court defamation case. Credit: Federal Court of Australia The court has heard Brown texted Lehrmann later: Bruce I asked you to return [the security pass] ... to me, Im disappointed youve failed to follow a direct request. She agreed it had entered her mind at this time that Higgins had been assaulted, but said she couldnt rule it in or out. Loading

You understood that you were about to speak to Ms Higgins and it was possible that she had been assaulted? Chrysanthou asked. Yes, Brown replied. The meeting with Higgins The court heard that Brown spoke to Higgins later that day. She denied that Higgins told her in this first conversation that she had woken up in Reynolds office and Lehrmann had been on top of me. She did say that she had woken up and was semi-naked or her dress was up around her, Brown said. I didnt think shed been assaulted. I thought she would have told me at that meeting if she had been.

Asked by Chrysanthou if she gave Higgins a brochure for the employee assistance program, a counselling service, Brown said: Not as callously as you portray it. She said it was not specifically related to an assault; its just a counselling service and she believed she would have given the same information to Lehrmann. However, she didnt have a specific recollection or record of giving it to him. Brown agreed she had given Higgins the number for the national domestic family and sexual violence counselling service, 1800 RESPECT. She told the court the Department of Finance had advised her to do so before she had spoken to Higgins. It was part of the advice they provided because of the state of undress, I presume, Brown said. She said Higgins had told her she was responsible for what she drank and her actions.

Brown denied that she offered Higgins some time off work to see her family on the Gold Coast because the staffer had alleged shed been assaulted. The former chief of staff said she recalled Higgins demeanour changed during the first meeting when her eyes set upon my desk and could see the paperwork lined up relating to the after-hours office access. The court heard Brown did not make a written note of that at the time. Brown told the court Higgins had blindsided her when she told her at a later meeting on March 28: I remember him being on top of me. I didnt take it as an allegation, Brown said. She said this was delivered in a way that was quite casual, and she didnt say it was something she didnt want. Covering themselves

Brown said that Reynolds and then special minister of state Alex Hawke had wanted her to make a police report after she disclosed her March 28 conversation with Higgins. Asked by Chrysanthou if she had thought to yourself, F---,  after hearing Higgins comment about recalling Lehrmann being on top of me, Brown said: Something like that, yeah, I thought, Wow.  Brown said the ministers felt it was best that it went to the police but there was no consideration for Ms Higgins. She believed no straight out accusation had been made. Bruce Lehrmann outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday. Credit: Edwina Pickles To me, I needed more than that, and I didnt have the right; it was Ms Higgins right, she said.

You were concerned that this was in fact covering themselves, thats all they were worried about? Chrysanthou asked. Yes, Brown replied. The court has heard Brown took Higgins to meet internal Australian Federal Police agents in Parliament House on April 1, 2019, but did not attend the meeting. Ultimately, Higgins opted not to proceed with a complaint until 2021. There was no cover-up Asked about allegations there was an attempt to suppress Higgins from making a complaint, Brown said Higgins and Lehrmann were in their early 20s and there was no cover-up. The police and Department of Finance were consulted, the Department of Parliamentary Services knew, and there was no cover-up, she said.

Lehrmann not named Lehrmann was not named in Tens interview. A preliminary issue in the case is whether he was identified because of the details provided in the broadcast. If the court finds Lehrmann was identified in the interview, Ten and Wilkinson are seeking to rely on defences of truth and qualified privilege. Qualified privilege is a defence relating to publications of public interest, which requires a media outlet to show it has acted reasonably. Sexual assault charge dropped Lehrmanns ACT Supreme Court trial for sexual assault was aborted last year due to juror misconduct. The charge against Lehrmann was later dropped altogether owing to concerns about Higgins mental health.
McLaren Group Limited, a creator of world-leading supercars, has announced that its shareholders have unanimously approved a full recapitalisation of the Group.

Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is the majority shareholder of the Group.

The recapitalisation, which will introduce a simplified share structure and streamlined governance process, represents an important step in the Groups continued mission to create world-leading supercars, offering a unique and unrivalled luxury customer experience and expanding to new markets and customer groups.

Paul Walsh, McLaren Group executive chairman, said: Completing the recapitalisation is a significant step in the ongoing transformation of the Group and provides a solid platform from which to grow our product offering and brand presence."

McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and elite motorsports with a focus on its Automotive supercar and Racing businesses.

Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chief executive of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, said: "Todays announcement is testament to the diligent steps that have been taken in what is a comprehensive and long-term plan with our partners to deliver an optimal governance structure as the Group continues to design and deliver the worlds most innovative and exhilarating supercars."

With a mandate to grow the wealth of Bahrain through long-term investments based on sound financial, strategic and governance principles, Mumtalakat holds stakes in over 50 commercial enterprises with a portfolio spanning a variety of sectors, including industrial manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, real estate, logistics, consumer products, healthcare and education.-TradeArabia News Service
University entry scores for some engineering, health science and mathematics education degrees have dropped by more than 10 points this year, with institutions accepting lower marks on average than they did a year ago.

More than 70,000 students applied to study in NSW universities next year with 35,887 to receive an official offer at 7.30am on Thursday.

Across 820 courses, the lowest ATAR accepted into each course rose by .25 ATAR points compared to last year, Universities Admissions Centre data released on Thursday shows.

Lowest ATARs listed for course cuts offs include a students ATAR in addition to bonus points students receive for certain HSC subjects, living or attending school in a certain area and extra hardship points through the Educational Access Scheme.
There are grave concerns for a missing 85-year-old man as the evacuation of a flood-hit far north Queensland town continues.

Almost 40 communities remain isolated by floodwater in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with emergency crews set to be airlifted in on Wednesday.

One of the worst hit is Wujal Wujal, north of Cairns, where 97 people have been evacuated to Cooktown with more set to be relocated on Wednesday.

Nearby Degarra has also been devastated by flooding, compounding fears for an 85-year-old man who has been missing since Sunday at the tiny town.
Beds may have been scarce, supermarket shelves bare and the water supply dwindling.

But the far north Queensland town of Cooktown still opened its arms to people fleeing floodwaters at Aboriginal community Wujal Wujal.

Two Australian Defence Force Chinook helicopters have relocated about 200 people over two days after Wujal Wujal was devastated by flooding caused by ex-tropical cyclone Jasper.

Cooktown threw out the welcome mat despite being hit by record rainfall.
The death of a Kilvington Grammar student who went on a school trip to Vietnam was preventable and a tragedy to all who knew and loved him, an inquest in the Coroners Court of Victoria has found.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson found the failures of Kilvington Grammar in Ormond and travel group World Challenge Expeditions contributed to the death of 16-year-old Lachlan Cook in 2019.

Lachlan Cook died of diabetes-related complications in 2019. Credit: Facebook

Lachlan died in the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne in October 2019 after becoming ill from severe diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes, while overseas.

Jamieson said that no supervising adult on the trip had specific training around diabetes management.
Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses top spin doctor has quit a week before Christmas as the government heads into the summer break after a difficult end to the political year.

Liz Fitch, Albaneses media director and a close confidante of the Labor leader, has left the government after serving in the prime ministers office since last years election.

Liz Fitch during a state dinner at the White House earlier this year. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Staff in Albaneses office were informed of her departure on Wednesday, according to three sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the internal workings of the government.

In a note to her colleagues on Wednesday afternoon, Fitch said after seven years working in Canberra, its time for me to take on a new challenge.
Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Hamas top leader has travelled to Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another ceasefire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israels offensive shows no signs of slowing.

Hamas militants have been putting up stiff resistance, even as the Israeli army claims to be making great progress in eradicating them. The visit to Cairo by its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air-raid sirens in central Israel. It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million  nearly 85 per cent of the population  from their homes.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in Rafah, south Gaza. Credit: AP

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organisation, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza after its October 7 rampage across southern Israel that killed about 1200 and triggered the war.

But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. The goal is to achieve another ceasefire, and to free more of the hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
We are delighted with the remarkable results attained by our brokers in the past year. This significant growth reflects the tireless efforts and unwavering commitment of our entire team. The expansion of our franchisee network and the uptick in settlements through this avenue have been instrumental in our success, and we extend our gratitude to our franchise partners for their outstanding contribution, said Don Crellin (pictured), managing director of Resolve Finance.
Bryan, OH (43506)

Today

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Mostly cloudy. Low 28F. SW winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph.
Donald Trump posted the death of his wife on his social media platform, Truth Social. (Photo: Rachel Mummey/Reuters)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces a new legal obstacle in his potential return to the White House. On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Trump is ineligible to run for president in the state's 2024 Republican primary due to his role in the Capitol riot three years ago. This marks the first successful case against Trump's candidacy among several similar lawsuits filed in states like Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and New Hampshire, all of which had previously failed.

The impact of the ruling remains to be seen. The decision allows Trump the right to appeal, with the effective date of the judgment suspended until January 4 next year. If the U.S. Supreme Court accepts the case, the suspension will continue until a verdict is reached. Trump's campaign team has indicated they will promptly file an appeal.

The ruling itself is controversial. Colorado's Chief Justice Brian Boatright disagreed with the decision, stating it was premature since Trump has not been criminally convicted and more time is needed to consider the case's complexity.

The ruling is based on the third clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that individuals who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion are not eligible for public office. However, the application of this clause is disputed in the U.S. legal community, with varying interpretations among judges regarding its applicability to presidential elections.

Before the Colorado Supreme Court's decision, a lower court in Denver had made a partially inconsistent ruling: while acknowledging Trump's involvement in the insurrection, it preserved his right to run for office, arguing that the Constitution does not apply to presidential elections.

Even if this ruling is upheld, without similar actions in other states, Trump's loss is not significant, as he would only miss a few electoral votes that were unlikely to be his. Colorado, with only nine electoral votes and increasingly leaning towards the Democratic Party, is not a major battleground state. Trump lost to Biden by a significant margin in the 2020 election in Colorado.

Trump is believed to have an advantage in a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump. U.S. public opinion suggests that the pressure is now on the Supreme Court to make a final decision on two key issues: whether Trump's actions during the Capitol riot constitute "insurrection" and whether this can lead to his disqualification from running for public office.

The biggest risk for Trump lies in whether other states, especially swing states, will follow Colorado's precedent. If swing state courts subsequently adopt this ruling, it could pose a significant barrier to Trump's White House ambitions.

The Colorado case was brought by the "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington" (Crew) on behalf of several Colorado voters. They welcomed the latest ruling and called for other states to follow suit.

The Republican Party has collectively criticized the ruling as politically motivated. Republican House Speaker Johnson called it "an almost unmasked partisan attack," arguing that every registered citizen, regardless of political affiliation, should not be deprived of their rights. The Republican National Committee chair described the latest ruling as "election interference," and their legal team will assist Trump in seeking victory.

Other potential Republican candidates have expressed solidarity with Trump. Several presidential hopefuls have stated that if the ruling is not overturned, they will not participate in the Colorado primary. The state is scheduled to hold its Republican primary on March 5 next year.

Despite legal challenges, Trump maintains a lead in polls. Multiple polls show Trump not only leading in the current Republican primary lineup but also holding his own against Biden. A recent joint poll by Bloomberg showed Trump leading Biden by five percentage points in a head-to-head matchup in seven swing states.

Trump's campaign team believes that given his dominant lead in the polls, "Democrats have lost confidence in Biden's presidency and are paranoid about preventing him from returning to the White House."

As a defendant, Trump has a busy schedule ahead. He faces several criminal and civil lawsuits, including cases related to the 2020 election results, leaked confidential documents, hush money and sexual assault allegations.

A civil fraud trial in New York is ongoing and set to conclude this month. In the new year, a civil case brought by a magazine writer is scheduled for January, with federal election interference trials in Washington D.C. and New York set for March. In May, a federal trial on confidential documents is scheduled in Florida, and an election interference case in Georgia is slated for August.

These trials will coincide with the presidential election schedule, leading up to the final showdown for the 47th U.S. President on November 5.
Unloading China's research icebreaker Xuelong

(People's Daily App) 16:25, December 20, 2023

China's 40th Antarctic expedition team, aboard China's research icebreaker Xuelong, has completed cargo unloading at the Zhongshan Station in Antarctica on Saturday, Beijing time. Here is a quick replay of their efforts during a polar day. Xuelong is heading to the Great Wall Station to continue unloading and scientific research tasks.

(Edited by Zhang Sheng and Dong Feng; source: Shijie app)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, on a flight from Miami to New York City, comes in for landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, U.S., March 12, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

Kit Olver, a retired Australian fisherman, has come forward with claims that he may have found a large piece of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The plane, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, disappeared on March 8, 2014, leading to the most expensive ocean search in history, which turned up no significant wreckage.

Olver, 77, asserts that in September or October of 2014, his deep-sea trawler pulled up what he believes was a wing of the commercial airliner approximately 55km west of Robe in South Australia. He described the object as a "bloody great wing of a big jet airliner," which he and his crew, including George Currie, struggled to handle due to its size and weight. They ultimately had to cut their $20,000 net to release it back into the ocean.

Olver, who had held a pilot's license, was confident that the piece was larger than those on typical private planes. He contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) upon his return to port. However, he claims his discovery was dismissed by an official who suggested it might be part of a shipping container from a Russian ship.

pic.twitter.com/lYRt8yAcyF Missing MH370 mystery could be solved at last as key witness finally comes forward https://t.co/J9jKAJhFXV  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) December 20, 2023

The AMSA has stated they have no record of Olver's call. Olver, now wanting to clear his conscience, decided to go public with his story in the hope of providing closure to the families of those on board MH370. The plane's disappearance remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries, with various theories but no concrete answers. Despite extensive search efforts by Australia, Malaysia, and China worth $200 million over two years, no trace of the plane was found.

MH370, which departed Malaysia for Beijing, went 'dark' soon after takeoff, deviating from its flight path and heading over the Malacca Strait into the Indian Ocean. After approximately 7.5 hours, it is believed to have run out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. Debris from the plane has been found as far away as Madagascar, with a total of 41 pieces recovered over the years.

Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company, has been involved in searching for MH370 on a no-find, no-fee basis. Their efforts continue, following an unsuccessful search by Malaysia, China, and Australia, which ended in January 2017. Families of the passengers have urged the Malaysian government to allow new searches, hopeful that Ocean Infinity's improved understanding of the events of 2014 could lead to a successful discovery.
Such an exercise may benefit some people politically as it will provide data about the population of a certain caste, but it is not good socially and in terms of national unity, said Gadge, the Vidarbha Sah-Sanghchalak | (Photo: ANI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said an appropriate decision on caste-based census will be taken after eliciting the opinion of all sections of society and keeping sentiments of the people in mind.

Shinde visited the memorials of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder K B Hedgewar and second 'sarsanghchalak' MS Golwalkar in Reshimbagh area here and paid tributes to them.

On Tuesday, RSS functionary Shridhar Gadge said there should no caste-based census and sought to know what will be achieved by it.

Such an exercise may benefit some people politically as it will provide data about the population of a certain caste, but it is not good socially and in terms of national unity, said Gadge, the Vidarbha Sah-Sanghchalak.

Notably, the Congress is in favour of a countrywide caste census.

To a query on the RSS functionary's comments, Shinde on Wednesday said Maharashtra is a progressive state and its culture and traditions are different from other states.

"Here all the communities and castes live together, work together and celebrate together. Hence, after taking the opinion of all sections of society an appropriate decision will be taken keeping feelings of the people in mind," the CM told reporters.

Ministers and MLAs belonging to the BJP visit the memorial of Hedgewar and Golwalkar every year during the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur.

Shinde, who forged an alliance with the BJP last year to form government in the state, said, "We visit Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir every year during the winter session. I feel at peace and get energy and inspiration after coming here. That is why we come here."



To a query on politics over Hindutva, Shinde said, "There is no politics behind us coming over here."



The CM said his government has been formed on the ideology of Hindutva and the ideology of (Shiv Sena's late founder) Balasaheb Thackeray.

"This Hindutva of development, as also said by our prime minister, is for sabka saath, sabka vikas," he said.

Shinde further said his government represents the common people.

He said anybody can meet the chief minister and this accessibility is the feature of his government.

"I also work as a common man, that is why people like us and our government," the CM added.
The controversy over a TMC MP mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar took political centrestage on Wednesday with the issue playing out inside and outside Parliament and President Droupadi Murmu joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi in expressing dismay.

As Dhankhar, also the Rajya Sabha chairperson, said in the House that he would not tolerate any insult to Parliament or the post of vice president, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said he did not intend to hurt anyone with his act in the Parliament complex on Tuesday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee backed her party colleague, and the Congress slammed what it termed the government's "desperate attempt" to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of over 140 MPs by raising the matter.

Expressing their solidarity with Dhankhar, ruling party members, including ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari, participated in Question Hour proceedings in the Rajya Sabha but remained standing for about 10 minutes.

In a rare intervention in an unfolding political debate, President Murmu said on X she was dismayed to see the manner in which the vice president was humiliated in the Parliament complex.

"Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it," Murmu said.

Responding to the president's post, the Rajya Sabha chairperson thanked Murmu for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain.

"I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so," Dhankhar posted on X.

The Vice President's Secretariat also put out a post on X.

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday, it said.

"He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President and that too in Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankhar was quoted as saying in the post.

He expressed his anguish in the House too.

In the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said the act of mimicking him and its videography caused an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his own community.

"I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House," the chairperson said.

On Tuesday, Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the suspension of the MPs. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the act.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also met Dhankhar to express his concern.

"Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, about serious misdemeanor by Hon'ble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President," Birla posted on X along with a video of him meeting Dhankhar.

"It is shocking that one MP chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it," he said.

BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh demanded an apology from the opposition INDIA alliance.

With Dhankhar's mimicry, the opposition members had shown they can even make fun of a person who is sitting on such a high constitutional post.

According to Banerjee, it was done "casually" and not to disrespect the vice president.

"We respect everyone," Banerjee, who was in the Parliament complex to meet the prime minister, said.

Kalyan Banerjee echoed her and said he might have differences with Dhankhar over a few issues but meant no disrespect.

"Mimicry is not an offence, they (BJP) are trying to change the main issue which is whether suspension of opposition MPs was right," the TMC MP said and claimed that even Modi had done so in the past.

"Did not have any intention at all to hurt anyone, including the vice president. Have respect for constitutional positions," he said on Wednesday.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that a "desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of 142 MPs by raising the issue of 'mimicry'."



He also shared a video clip of Prime Minister Modi's speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi had hugged him in 2018.

"Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?" Ramesh asked.

Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge took offence at Dhankhar describing the mimicry as an insult to his background as a farmer and 'Jat' (his caste).

"I am not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha often. Should I say it is because I am a Dalit," he said.
The government is closely monitoring the rice situation in the domestic as well as international markets on weekly basis and it can increase the percentage share in global rice trade when favourable conditions arise, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

India has banned export of broken and non-basmati white rice in view of uncertainty around rice production here and other rice producing countries due to geopolitical scenario, El Nino sentiments and extreme climatic conditions to check domestic prices and ensure adequate availability in the market here.

"The government is closely monitoring the rice scenario in the domestic market as well as in international forum on weekly basis and the government can increase the percentage share in global rice trade when favourable conditions arise," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

India was the largest rice exporting country in the world from 2018 to 2022 followed by Thailand and Vietnam.

Rice export from India was 22.24 million tonne in 2022, which accounts for 40.63 per cent of the world's rice exports.

Export of broken rice has been prohibited from September 2022 and non-basmati white rice from July this year. Export of basmati and parboiled non-basmati rice is continuing.

Replying to another question, Patel said that agriculture exports during April-September 2023 declined 11.6 per cent over the same period last year.

"Besides the decline in international prices, which has impacted per unit value realizations, restrictions imposed on export of essential food products, such as wheat, non-basmati rice, sugar and onions, to ensure domestic food security, have also contributed to decline in value of agriculture exports in the current year," she said.

Further, in a reply to a question on free tarde agreements (FTAs), she said India has signed 13 trade pacts with its trading partners.

It is engaged in negotiations for FTA with the UK; the European Union; Peru; Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (EFTA countries); Sri Lanka and Oman, she added.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said his government is ready to welcome any suitable and viable publicprivate partnership (PPP) initiative in setting up medical colleges in the northeastern state.

His remark comes after the chief minister held a meeting with a delegation of NITI Aayog led by its senior member Dr. V K Saraswat at his residence on Tuesday evening.

Currently, the state has two medical colleges, Agartala Government Medical College, and another society-run Tripura Medical College.

Besides, a government-run dental college opened in the current academic session.

"Today, I had a meeting with a delegation of NITI Aayog where an intensive discussion took place on different issues. They proposed setting up a medical college under the PPP model. I told them that we are receiving such proposals but the government wants a suitable and viable offer," he told reporters.

Saha said many Bangladeshis visit Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here to go outside the state for medical purposes because they want 'branded' hospitals to get modern treatment.

"If we can set up a medical college with all modern facilities under the PPP model, they will stay back and get treatment here which will be cost-effective. If any offer with a viable PPP model comes, the government will surely welcome it," he said.

Claiming that the NITI Aayog is happy with the state's performance in various growth parameters, the chief minister said he highlighted the trade barriers on export to Bangladesh.

"There is a ban on exporting rubber-based products to Bangladesh because they want raw rubber sheets. Besides, Dhaka charges exorbitant duty on tea exports, which is a stumbling block to trade with the neighbouring country. The NITI Aayog delegation gave a patient hearing on our issues," he said.

The NITI Aayog also made some proposals to strengthen the state's economy and the government will surely work on these, he added.
At the recently held "Brands of India" in Dubai, there were a total of 350 domestic brands from India exhibiting their wares.

Indian apparel manufacturers are looking to hold exhibitions in world markets like Australia, the US and the UK which have strong diaspora to expand into new geographies, an industry official said.

Speaking with PTI after holding the inaugural edition of the annual exhibition in the city, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) chief mentor Rahul Mehta said domestic brands are becoming stronger and more capable with their successes within India and it is necessary to take these brands to newer geographies.

"It is time to expose to the international and global market and we felt we should begin with the international market, where the Indian diaspora is in large numbers," Mehta said.

At the recently held "Brands of India" in Dubai, there were a total of 350 domestic brands from India exhibiting their wares, Mehta said, terming the response as "tremendous".

"Our plan is to have three cycles, at least in Dubai. then, we will go to other markets such as Australlia, US, New Zealand, UK etc," Mehta said.

He underlined that Indian brands are not just about ethnic wear, but also include other alternatives which make them as powerful as western wear brands.

Dubai was the "obvious choice" to hold such a show, he said, adding that being the second largest export market for Indian goods, it has an established potential for Indian products.

The CMAI tied up with The Dubai Textile Merchants Association, The Dubai Textile Merchants Association (TEXMAS), Dubai International Chamber and Readymade Garments Merchants Group Dubai for the exhibition which was held in November-end.

Leading wholesalers, retailers, distributors, e-commerce platforms and departmental chains showed interest in the exhibition, the CMAI said.

Rajesh Masand, president of CMAI said the apparel industry will play a crucial role in augmenting India's Ready-made Garment exports to the region.

About 1,500 retailers and importers from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya Cameroon, Somalia, Algeria, Sudan, Russia and had pre-registered to visit the event.

Jagdish Amarnani, the chairman of Texmas said, "India is amongst the world's largest producers of apparel."



The fair had fashion collections by leading brands from Kolkata, Mumbai, Tirupur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Indore, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged as the largest importer of Indian ready-made garments with imports totalling USD 1.21 billion in FY23. In the first seven months of 2023-24, UAE's imports of Indian ready-made garments reached USD 368.78 million.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he's certain the United States will make good on its promise to provide billions of dollars in further aid for Kyiv to continue its fight against Russia, and he bluntly replied No, to a question about whether his country might lose the war.

Speaking at an end-of-year news conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy also dismissed suggestions that Moscow's forces have come out of 2023 on top after mostly beating back Ukraine's counteroffensive and stepping up its military production.

Russia failed to achieve any of its goals this year, he said, although he conceded Ukraine still faces lots of challenges after expending Western military hardware in the counteroffensive that failed to make an impression on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

The US Congress has left town for the holidays without a deal to send some USD 61 billion to Ukraine, and the US Defence Department says it is almost out of money to help Kyiv after almost 22 months of fighting. The European Union, too, had to push into the new year a plan to supply Ukraine with USD 54.5 billion after a veto from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban,



But Zelenskyy insisted he isn't worried.

I am confident that the US will not let us down and that what we have agreed with the US will be fulfilled, Zelenskyy said.

Western support is crucial for Ukraine's fight against its bigger and better armed neighbour, and the US is by far the biggest single source of help. Russia still outguns and outnumbers Kyiv's forces.

Ukraine has received additional US-made Patriot surface-to-air systems and advanced NASAMS anti-aircraft systems, providing medium- to long-range defense against Russian missile attacks, Zelenskyy said, declining to elaborate.

Those weapons will help fend off expected Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid over the winter.

While Zelenskyy was upbeat about receiving further military and financial help from European Union countries, he was less optimistic about Ukraine's chances of joining NATO.

NATO is the most powerful option for us. But we're not invited to NATO yet," he said. "All these signals about our membership so far are nonsense. We didn't receive a solid offer, not from a single partner of ours. It is hard to imagine at this point, how this can happen.

Ukraine's military wants to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops, Zelenskyy said, but he said he has asked the top brass to spell out the details on what is a very sensitive matter before deciding whether to grant their wish.

Such a major mobilization would cost Ukraine the equivalent of USD 13.4 billion, Zelenskyy said. Other aspects to be considered include whether troops currently on the front would be rotated or allowed home leave.

Ukrainian Defence Ministry statistics say the Ukrainian military had nearly 800,000 troops in October. That doesn't include National Guard or other units. In total, 1 million Ukrainians are in uniform.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million.

The front line has barely budged this year as a Ukrainian counteroffensive ran up against sturdy Russian defences. Now, with winter setting in, troop movements are being slowed by bad weather, placing greater emphasis on artillery, missiles and drones.

Putin said earlier on Tuesday that the Kremlin's forces have taken the initiative in Ukraine and are well positioned for the coming year.

We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want," Putin told the Russian military brass. "Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defences they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where it's needed.

But Zelenskyy insisted Moscow had failed in its efforts to occupy more of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.

It wasn't possible to independently verify battlefield claims by either side.

In other developments Tuesday:



The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, said his agency has confirmed more than 10,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion started. The number includes more than 560 children, he said.

The true toll is probably substantially higher, he said.

Turk also said his office is investigating six new reported cases of Russian soldiers allegedly killing civilians in Ukraine.

Since the start of the war, the Russian military has repeatedly used missiles to blast civilian targets, with devastating consequences.

The toll the war is taking on Ukraine's economy was clear in figures published Tuesday that showed the volume of goods exports through November was 19.3 per cent lower than in the same period last year.

The drop was due largely to Russia's blockade of seaports and Russian attacks on our export transport logistics, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko tweeted.

However, a recent uptick in sea exports came after Ukraine created a temporary grain corridor in the Black Sea and introduced a ship insurance mechanism, she said, adding that the growth bodes well for next year.

Russian shelling late Tuesday wounded a woman and three children in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said in a Telegram update. Two other civilians also were wounded in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, which borders Russia, according to the local military administration.
The Indian Navy, in the early hours of Monday, secured the release of an injured crew member of a Maltese-flagged commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates from the Arabian Sea last week.

An official said, "Indian Navy warship INS Kochi helped rescue a crew member from the hijacked vessel, MV Ruen, who suffered a bullet injury in firing by the pirates."

The Navy, in a statement, said, "The injured crew member was medically managed onboard the warship, but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he has been transferred ashore at Oman."

The official said that the injured crew member had a bullet injury near his shoulder, and had been taken to Oman for specialised treatment under the care of Indian Navy doctors.





ALSO READ: Cargo ship hijacked last week moved toward coast of Somalia: EU naval force The Indian Navy reported the crew member to be stable.

"The official said that the Indian Navy held negotiations with the pirates and secured the release of the injured crew who was given first aid treatment and has been dropped at a port in Oman for specialist treatment by the Indian Navy," the official said.

The Indian Navy is monitoring the hijacking situation, which only came to light when a distress signal was broadcast by MV Ruen on December 14. In response to the distress call, the Indian Navy deployed one of its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft to locate and assist the distressed ship.

"The vessel, with 18 crew onboard, had sent a Mayday message on the UKMTO portal, PM December 14, indicating boarding by approximately six unknown personnel. Responding swiftly to the developing situation, the Indian Navy diverted its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf Aden to locate and assist MV Ruen," the Navy said in its statement.

It added that its aircraft flew over the hijacked vessel and its movement was being monitored. The vessel is now headed towards the coast of Somalia and we are keeping track of the evolving situation, it said.
A team of "selectors" from Israel visited India last week and another senior delegation will leave for India next week to start the process of recruiting thousands of workers to be brought to the country to fill in the acute shortage faced by its construction industry, a senior executive at the Israel Builders Association said on Wednesday.

"We will start the process in Delhi and Chennai next week on December 27. At the moment we are looking to bring in 10,000 as per government approvals and this will scale up to 30,000 in the near future depending on how it goes. It is an ongoing exercise and will take months," Deputy Director General and Spokesperson for the Israel Builders Association (IBA), Shay Pauzner, told PTI.

"The selection starting next week will last 10-15 days," Pauzner said.

A delegation led by Izchak Gurvitz, who heads the IBA's division dealing with workers' issues and the selection team, was in India last week and would be joining CEO Igal Slovik again next week with other members of the IBA team, he said.

Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing Yehuda Morgenstern will also be accompanying the delegation leaving for India next week.

During a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "discussed advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel", the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said in a statement.

"We urgently need more workers. In any case, the government is the one who will decide where the missing workers will come from," Pauzner had told PTI last month.

The Israeli construction industry employs workers in specific fields where there is a lack of Israeli workers.

Israel urgently needs workers to continue with construction projects and the contractors have made a strong plea with the government to bring in hundreds of thousands of people from abroad to meet the needs.

The largest group of about 80,000 workers in the construction industry come from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and another 17,000 from the Gaza Strip, a huge majority of whom had their work permit revoked following the Hamas attack on Israel in October.

Another group of about 7,000 have come from China and some 6,000 from Eastern Europe. The ongoing war has created a shortage of workers.

Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat had discussed the possibility of bringing workers from India to fill the need in Israel's infrastructure industry during his India visit in April this year.

"Israel's Minister of Economy, Nir Barkat, during his trip to India in April this year had spoken to officials and his counterpart in New Delhi about hiring Indians in various sectors, including in the construction sector," a source here had told PTI.

"The discussions revolved around bringing in almost like 160,000 people," he said.

About 18,000 Indians are working in Israel, mostly as caregivers. Most of them decided to stay back in Israel and did not leave the country during the war with Hamas because "they felt quite secure" and "also because the salaries are quite attractive".

Israel and India also inked an agreement in May during Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to New Delhi that will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing, a move that was then seen to help deal with the rising cost of living and assist thousands of families waiting for nursing care.

A statement released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry then said that 34,000 workers would be engaged in the construction field and another 8,000 for nursing needs.
Hamas says its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has arrived in Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza.

Egypt, along with Qatar where Haniyeh is believed to be based have both played a key role as mediators between the militant group and Israel since the war that began with Hamas' October 7 attack.

Hamas said Haniyeh would discuss the war with Egyptian officials after having arrived Wednesday in Cairo, but did not provide details.

Negotiations were underway on another cease-fire and the release of more hostages held by the militant group, but the two sides were believed to be far from an agreement.
The UN Security Council struggled to find a unified voice Tuesday on pausing the Israel-Hamas war as aid efforts neared collapse and global economic fallout spread.

With calls growing for a new truce, Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh is to visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel, a source close to the Islamist group said.

In what they say is a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza, Yemen's Huthi rebels have repeatedly fired missiles and drones towards cargo ships in the Red Sea.

Major shipping firms have diverted their vessels as a result, pushing up oil prices, and the United States announced a new security initiative to protect the waterways vital to global trade.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday joined a virtual meeting about the initiative set to include Britain, France, Italy and other countries.

A top Huthi official later said any country that acts against the rebels "will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea".

Qatar, backed by Egypt and the US, helped broker a week-long truce and hostage-prisoner swap in November.

US news platform Axios on Monday reported that Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had met in Warsaw for talks on a potential new deal.

Israel maintained its bombardment and ground combat Tuesday in the third month of the bloodiest-ever Gaza war, which started with unprecedented attacks by Hamas against Israel on October 7.

The militants burst through the militarised Gaza border fence, killed around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250, according to the latest Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a relentless bombardment, alongside a ground invasion, that Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says has killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children.

- 'Stone Age' -

A UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire was postponed again on Tuesday, as members wrangled over wording.

Three diplomatic sources said the vote on the text, the latest version of which calls for the "suspension" of hostilities, had been pushed to Wednesday.

The United States had vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution in the council, sparking condemnation by Palestinian and humanitarian groups.

The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents are displaced.

Homes have been destroyed, forcing many into overcrowded shelters as they struggle to find cooking fuel, food, water and medical care.

With power and communication cuts, Gazans are returning to time-worn traditions including battery-powered radio sets to get news of the war.

"Here in Gaza, we're moving backwards," said Salah Zorob, 37, outside his tent. "They're going to take us back to the Stone Age."

Tor Wennesland, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said delivery of humanitarian aid "continues to face insurmountable challenges".

He said Israel has taken positive "limited steps" but they fall far short of what is needed.

"Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink," he said, in the latest such warning.

Explosions were heard Tuesday night in the northern Gaza area, over a live AFPTV feed.

Strikes on Rafah overnight Monday-Tuesday killed at least 20 more people, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said, bringing more suffering to the southern town that has become a vast camp for displaced Palestinians.

In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens wailed as rockets fired from Gaza sent Israelis running into shelters before the incoming fire was intercepted by an air defence system.

- Rage -

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops were expanding operations in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis area.

"We added a full brigade and additional combat engineering forces," he said. "We must dismantle Hamas, and it will take as long as needed."

The army says 132 troops have been killed in Gaza since its ground invasion began in late October.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained in the military operations across Gaza, and on Tuesday the army said it was investigating "the deaths of terrorists in military detention centres". It gave no details.

US officials including Austin have urged Israel to protect civilians in Gaza, a call echoed on Tuesday by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. He urged Israel to take a "much more surgical, clinical and targeted approach" in dealing with Hamas.

James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations children's fund, UNICEF, expressed his rage after returning from Gaza.

He said he was "furious that those with power shrug at the humanitarian nightmares unleashed on a million children", including some who had undergone amputations and were then "killed in these hospitals", as bombardments continued.

One of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Al-Ahli, stopped operating after it was stormed and "put out of action" by Israeli forces, its director Fadel Naim told AFP.

- Fears of escalation -

A top concern for many Israelis remains the fate of the 129 hostages still held in Gaza after 80 were freed last month in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced protests from hostage relatives seeking an urgent deal to secure the captives' freedom. Meeting their families on Tuesday he said: "I will spare no effort on the subject and our duty is to bring them all back."

The Gaza war has sparked fears of regional escalation and seen Israel trade deadly cross-border fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

Four of the world's biggest shipping companies -- CMA CGM Group, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and MSC -- have diverted their vessels from the Red Sea, as has oil firm BP, in a move that sent up energy prices.

In a statement Monday, Austin said the new maritime security initiative, Operation Prosperity Guardian, is under the umbrella of the existing Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and led by Task Force 153.

CMF is a "coalition of the willing" whose 39 members do not have specific commitments but can assign ships, aircraft or officers as they are able, the CMF website says.

Task Force 153, formed last year, is currently led by the US Navy with a focus on "maritime security and capacity building efforts" in the Red Sea area, according to its website.

bur-jd/mca/cwl
Corpay1, a FLEETCOR (NYSE: FLT) brand and global leader in business payments, is thrilled to announce the latest expansion of Corpays Cross-Border business with the opening of a new back-office support centre in Chennai, India. This move marks a significant milestone in the companys ongoing global growth and strengthens its commitment to serving internal stakeholders.

The newly established office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, will function as a central service hub. Phase one encompasses seven critical business functions:

Financial Planning and Analytics: Facilitating revenue and financial analysis. Data and Business Intelligence: Facilitating preparation of reports and dashboards. Sales variable compensation: Streamlining payrolls across different regions and time zones. CRM: Developing, supporting, and administering CRM software. Credit Underwriting: Scaling global underwriting capabilities. Client Support: Digital client support and coverage. Strategy and M&A: Analyst support for strategic growth of Corpay and M&A activities.



This move will empower Corpay to scale faster and underscores the companys dedication to elevating its support for existing clients.

The establishment of our office in Chennai enables us to harness Indias flourishing economy and its status as the fastest-growing major economy in the coming years, along with its diverse array of opportunities, says Aravind Thirunavukkarasu, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Corpays Cross-Border Solutions and Managing Director of Corpay India. As a successful Fintech and one of the fastest growing non-bank providers of cross-border payments solutions globally, the timing is right for us to expand support operations into India. The inclusion of the back-office in India strengthens our global footprint, which now spans North America, Europe, the UK, and the Asia-Pacific region, and enhances our operational efficiency allowing us to deliver exceptional service and experiences to our clients. Meanwhile, it aids us in recruiting local talent, strategically positioning us to seize future opportunities.

India is a Fintech powerhouse, ranking only behind the US and the UK in terms of raising funding for Fintech companies in 2022. Indias unique demographic advantage is evident with more than one third of its population being classified as the countries youngest working population, which provides a solid foundation for the company to harness the potential of this dynamic pool of young and energetic talent. Acknowledging the immense potential within this demographic, Corpay Cross-Border is actively working to expand its team by recruiting local talent, particularly in critical areas of FP&A analysts, M&A associates, CRM professionals, customer support and credit functions. This strategic approach is aimed at driving the companys future growth and development in the region.

We are extremely excited about the opening of our new office in Chennai. This expansion reaffirms our commitment to global excellence and our unwavering belief in the vast potential of the Indian and Asia-Pacific markets, said Mark Frey, Group President, Corpays Cross-Border Solutions. Our hope is that this new office will help our team gain an in-depth understanding of this and surrounding markets, while also opening up new avenues for us to attract talented professionals who aspire to be part of a dynamic and forward-thinking organization.

About Corpay

Corpay is a global leader in business payments, helping companies of all sizes better track, manage and pay their expenses. Corpay provides customers with a comprehensive suite of online payment solutions including Bill Payment, AP Automation, Cross-Border Payments, Currency Risk Management, and Commercial Card Programs. Corpay is part of the FLEETCOR (NYSE: FLT) portfolio of brands. To learn more, visit our website at www.corpay.com or follow us on LinkedIn at Corpay Cross Border Solutions.

1Corpay (a Fleetcor (NYSE: FLT) brand) in this document primarily refers to the Cross-Border Division of Corpay https://www.corpay.com/cross-border; a full listing of the companies that are part of the Corpay brand is available here: https://www.corpay.com/compliance.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219650013/en/
In today's business environment, things move fast and every minute counts. Because of that, it is imperative to ensure your customers and clients get everything they need quickly. Phone conversations are pivotal in any business as they serve as the initial contact point between clientele and the company. This is where the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system comes into play. The article will focus on the working principle of the IVR system, its applications in connecting businesses with clients, and the array of benefits it brings.

IVR System: What is it?

Nearly every individual in the business world has encountered an IVR system. This automated service is primarily used to manage and direct incoming calls. In other words, the customers will get help from a computer to resolve or answer any question before being connected to a human agent.

There are many ways of setting up a business phone system and Aircall is here to help, from the traditional telephone cables (PBX phone system) to internet-dependent phone systems (VoIP). Aircall, through Interactive Voice Response, can help you classify callers based on their needs and wants and automatically connect them to a suitable agent.

Therefore, Interactive Voice Response systems are specifically designed and integrated into businesses to handle incoming customer calls by acquiring crucial information about the customer and the conversation. Additionally, it will route the customer to the right department and agent based on the gathered information.

How does IVR operate?

The foundation of IVR systems relies on two main elements: Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency signaling (DTMF) and Voice Recognition Technology (VRT). These components are integral for an IVR system to identify, interpret, and respond to the caller's requests. IVR systems use directed dialogues through voice recognition technology, allowing clients to respond verbally instead of using the keypad. For example, if the caller requests to speak with the company representative or executive, the call is forwarded accordingly.

DTMF ensures effective and intelligent call routing without human intervention. When the caller uses the keypad to navigate through menus, a DTMF signal is transmitted between the phone and the computer. This process is facilitated by touch-tone technology.

What are the Benefits of IVR Phone System?

IVR provides many advantages to businesses, allowing them to interact and build strong relationships with customers on a personal level.

Enhances Customer Experience

Aircall offers IVR systems that can reduce wait time, streamline customer interactions and ensure that every caller promptly gets what they are looking for. Because of that, the customer experience becomes better as the days go by.

Improve Call Routing

When the call is made, it is first answered by the machine. The IVR system will systematically gather all the necessary information about the call and if the caller requests to speak with a human agent, the system will intelligently select the appropriate department or agent. This will overall reduce the misrouting calls and improve the companys efficiency in addressing customer issues.

Available 24/7 and Its Cost-Effective

The fact that IVR systems automate certain tasks makes it possible for the company to cut some operation costs, especially those associated with human agents. Additionally, the system doesnt rest. It is operational 24/7, meaning customers can access the information they need anytime.

Conclusion

In the dynamic business landscape, time waste should be considered an enemy of business prosperity. Because of that, IVR systems stand as the best and most powerful tool for businesses aiming to outperform their competition. Thanks to Aircall, you can effectively reduce operation costs, enhance customer experience and ensure 24/7 availability.
Fort Johnson, LA (71446)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible late. High 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 54F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
The Chandrayaan project stands out in the story of India's scientific voyages, demonstrating the country's skill and sophisticated technology. As India continues to develop and demonstrate its strengths in various fields, its work in space research stands out. The successful Chandrayaan-3 mission is a significant step forward in this field.



Let's discuss on 10 lines of Chandrayaan - 3 that will be helpful for the students and childrens to get a brief idea on the mission.

10 Lines on Chandrayaan - 3 ( Set 1 )

Chandrayaan 3, a distinctive lunar mission led by ISRO, India's space agency. Launched on July 15, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan 3 comprises a lander, a rover, and an orbiter. On August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan 3 achieved a successful landing in close proximity to the moon's south pole. The mission is geared towards conducting advanced studies, including measuring the moon's temperature and undertaking sophisticated lunar mapping projects. Chandrayaan 3 accomplished its journey to the moon within a span of 40 days from its launch. In pursuit of the mission's scientific objectives, essential instruments, such as the Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment, were incorporated. This exploratory mission establishes India as a notable participant in the realm of space science. Chandrayaan 3 serves not merely as a mission but as a pivotal stride toward unraveling the enigmas surrounding the moon. India is the fourth nation, following the United States, Russia, and China, to successfully deploy an orbiter to the moon.

10 Lines on Chandrayaan - 3 ( Set 2 )
Lafarge faces new terrorism lawsuit

20 December 2023

Hundreds of Yazidi Americans have launched a lawsuit against Lafarge, accusing it of supporting violence carried out by ISIL (ISIS). According to Aljazeera news, the cement producer is accused of abetting violence and terrorism by providing supplies for the construction of tunnels and prisons. The lawsuit was filed in New York on 14 December, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad.

The lawsuit reportedly states that Lafarge aided and abetted ISISs acts of international terrorism and conspired with ISIS and its intermediaries with the plaintiffs demanding that the company pays compensation to the survivors. Aljazeera reports that Lafarge has admitted to a conspiracy that aided ISIL by providing millions of dollars of cash to the group and is alleged to have provided ISIL with cement to construct underground tunnels and bunkers used to shelter ISIL members and hold hostages, including captured Yazidis.

This is not the first time the company has faced such accusations with families of US soldiers and aid workers killed by ISIL having filed a similar lawsuit in July this year. October 2022 also saw Lafarge plead guilty to making payments to terrorist groups, including ISIL, to enable its cement production facilities in Syria to continue operating.

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UK carbon pricing levy by 2027

20 December 2023

The UK is to introduce a new import carbon pricing mechanism by 2027 to support its decarbonisation drive. Among the products subject to the new levy will be cement, along with steel, iron, aluminium and ceramics. Imports of these goods from overseas will face a comparable carbon price to those produced in the UK, helping to reduce the risk of carbon leakage.

According to the UK Government, the charge applied by the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) will depend on the amount of carbon emitted in the production of the imported good, and the gap between the carbon price applied in the country of origin, if any, and the carbon price faced by UK producers. This levy will make sure carbon intensive products from overseas  like steel and ceramics  face a comparable carbon price to those produced in the UK, so that our decarbonisation efforts translate into reductions in global emissions. This should give UK industry the confidence to invest in decarbonisation as the world transitions to net zero, said UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.

The design and delivery of the CBAM will be subject to further consultation in 2024, including the precise list of products involved. The government also plans to engage with trade partners, including developing countries, and affected businesses and organisations, to minimise the impact on trade and the necessary compliance steps. Alongside the CBAM, the government is intending to work with industry to establish voluntary product standards that businesses could choose to adopt to help promote their low carbon products to customers; and to develop a framework which measures the carbon content of goods, that could support other decarbonisation policies in future.

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BUA's Sokoto Line 5 begins production

20 December 2023

Production has begun at Line 5 of BUA Cements Sokoto plant. The 3Mta expansion project forms part of the companys plans to not only expand its production capacity but also bring down cement prices in Nigeria. In October this year BUA lowered its ex-factory cement price to NGN3500 (US$4.55)/bag, with the company announcing plans to review its prices even further in the opening quarter of 2024, reports The Capital.

The new line at Sokoto takes BUAs total cement production capacity closer to its target of 17Mta, reinforcing its position as the second-largest cement producer in Nigeria. Ahead of BUA is Dangote with over 51Mta of capacity across 10 countries.

In the 9M23 BUA reported a surge in revenue to NGN335.86bn, compared to NGN262.6bn in the same period a year earlier. Over the same timeframe, the companys profit after tax advanced from NGN74.01bn to NGN76.06bn.

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Matthew Sparkes in New Scientist:

Sune Lehmann Jrgensen at the Technical University of Denmark and his colleagues used a rich dataset from Denmark that covers education, visits to doctors and hospitals, any resulting diagnoses, income and occupation for 6 million people from 2008 to 2020.

They converted this dataset into words that could be used to train a large language model, the same technology that powers AI apps such as ChatGPT. These models work by looking at a series of words and determining which word is statistically most likely to come next, based on vast amounts of examples. In a similar way, the researchers Life2vec model can look at a series of life events that form a persons history and determine what is most likely to happen next.

In experiments, Life2vec was trained on all but the last four years of the data, which was held back for testing. The researchers took data on a group of people aged 35 to 65, half of whom died between 2016 and 2020, and asked Life2vec to predict which who lived and who died. It was 11 per cent more accurate than any existing AI model or the actuarial life tables used to price life insurance policies in the finance industry.

More here.
County Commissioner David Sharpe (District 6) and Hamilton County School Board Member Ben Conner (District 6) on Tuesday recommended building a new elementary school for Red Bank at the current campus of Red Bank Middle and Red Bank High.

School Board Chairman Joe Smith said he disagrees, saying he still favors a new elementary school at the Dupont site in Hixson. He said, "Building a beautiful new school on that site still makes the most sense to this board member."

They said the plan "is supported by Red Bank community leaders and has been deemed viable by the Hamilton County Schools administration."

Commissioner Sharpe and School Board Member Connor touted the proposal as putting Red Bank students first and as prioritizing a community-oriented educational experience, while also addressing long-standing school facilities issues. Commissioner Sharpe contrasted the alternative proposal with the one previously introduced by County Mayor Weston Wamp.

Unlike the county mayor's scheme to remove all elementary schools from Red Bank, this proposal keeps our students and our educational opportunities within the city limits, said Commissioner Sharpe. This proposal addresses the concerns of the community and offers a quality, viable option that puts kids needs above everything else.

Mr. Connor, who worked alongside members of the Red Bank community to formulate an alternative option to meet the needs of the community, said, Over the last several months, we have heard loud and clear the disapproval of any plan that would send Red Bank students outside of city limits for their elementary school experience. As a father and an active parent, I'm troubled at the prospect of placing young kids into mega-schools, rather than a quality educational experience that gives them the support and attention they need to grow and thrive. This plan does that and then some.

He said the plan "has been determined to be not only financially feasible, but more cost-effective than the previous scheme introduced by the county mayor."

The final costs are to be determined following additional study by the Hamilton County Schools administration and the final results of the bid process, which can begin as soon as the beginning of the new year, it was stated.

Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry, also in attendance at Tuesday's press conference, added her thoughts about the new proposal along with Mr. Connor and Commissioner Sharpe.

I am so grateful that the idea of co-locating an elementary school on the Red Bank High School and Middle campus that was presented to by city staff at a Dec. 5 meeting has risen to the top as the most viable and mutually beneficial of many options explored, said Mayor Berry. This plan, which was supported in our resolution presented to the school board on Dec. 13, could provide numerous spin-off benefits and educational opportunities for our Red Bank students, as well as fulfill the several goals expressed by our residents of maintaining the Red Bank feeder pattern, consolidating only two of our current zone schools rather than three, and maintaining an elementary school in our city limits.
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling in favor of a Chattanooga firefighter who was denied pension benefits after he was unable to work due to PTSD.



The decision affirmed a ruling from Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton to award firefighter Matthew Long disability benefits stemming from his PTSD diagnosis.



Attorney Janie Parks Varnell of the Davis & Hoss law firm said, " Yesterday, in a powerful and detailed opinion, the Tennessee Court of Appeals not only reached the right result, but sent a strong message to the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund.





She said, "This decision establishes important precedent that the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund cannot ignore: that PTSD following exposure to multiple traumatic events while serving this community is and should be a recognized as an on-the-job injury for our first responders.







"In January 2021, despite the clear diagnosis from multiple doctors of PTSD and a finding that Matthew Long could not return to work as a firefighter after a 17-year career because of PTSD, the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund denied Firefighter Long his disability benefits.





"Firefighter Long immediately challenged that decision to the Hamilton County Chancery Court and won. Despite a clear ruling from Chancellor Atherton, the Pension Fund appealed that decision in 2022 to the Tennessee Court of Appeals."





Attorney Logan Davis said, "This opinion is first step towards the Pension Fund recognizing and finally accepting that mental illness and PTSD are real and, at times, debilitating for our fire and police.
A man told police he gave several people a ride two weeks ago and his cell phone was taken. He said his phone was pinging near 6th Avenue and he requested police assistance getting it back. Police were able to locate his phone with a woman who said she bought it from the man. Police took the phone and called the man. He arrived and said he never made an arrangement to sell his phone to the woman. He was given back his phone. He refused to prosecute.

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Police were called to E. 23rd Street to speak with a man and a locksmith. The man told police he had locked himself out of his vehicle and he called the locksmith. They agreed upon the service and fees and the locksmith responded to assist the man. The man said the locksmith attempted to unlock the door but was unable to do so on the passenger side of the vehicle and then began attempts to unlock the vehicle from the driver side. While the locksmith was doing this, the man said his friend used a coat hanger to unlock the passenger side. The man claimed since the locksmith didnt unlock the door, he didnt owe him any money and at a minimum would only pay a service fee but not the full agreed upon amount. Police told the man that he agreed to have service performed by the locksmith in exchange for an agreed upon amount of money and just because he was unsatisfied with the service he received, he was not excused from paying the debt. The man finally agreed to pay for the services rendered.

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Police were called to Hixson Pike where a car had hit a deer. The driver of a Hyundai was traveling north on Hixson Pike when a deer entered the road and struck the front of the car, causing damage. The deer was able to walk away and the owner called for a tow truck. No injuries were reported by the driver.

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A woman on Rockway Drive told police there were suspicious people on her property. She provided photos of the unknown people, looking into vehicles and walking around her porch before leaving.

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A man and woman on Roanoke Avenue were in a verbal disorder over an unknown issue. The man said he was preparing to leave when police arrived. He then left without incident. The man and woman were in a platonic relationship.

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An employee of Speedway at 6121 Lee Hwy. called police because there was a man there who had previously been trespassed. The employee said they asked the man multiple times to leave and he would not. The man then left.

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A man on Shallowford Road told police someone attempted to steal his vehicle sometime during the night. He said the door handle was broken and the column was busted.

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A loss prevention employee at Walmart at 490 Greenway View Dr. told police three women were skip scanning several store items and not paying for the merchandise. Once the women passed all points of store sales they were detained. The total of the merchandise not paid for was $50.33. The items were recovered and no charges were filed by Walmart.

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While on a separate incident, police found a live shell casing as well as a projectile near the casing at Bradt Street and Ocoee Street. Police recovered them and turned both items into Chattanooga Police Department Property.

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A man on Central Avenue told police someone attempted to break his front door window. Police saw the front door was shattered.

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The manager of Ridgeway Apartments at 1230 Poplar St. wanted a man to be trespassed. Police were not able to speak with the man as he had already left the premises.

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An anonymous caller told police there was a homeless man behind a dumpster at Pep Boys at 2114 Gunbarrel Road. Police spoke with the man and told him he was trespassed from the property since the owners of the property didnt want any homeless individuals on their lot. The man left the area.

* * *

An officer conducted a traffic stop on Cromwell Road on a white Chevy Cruse with illegal window tint. The driver was detained and marijuana shake was found on his pants. A search of the vehicle was conducted and no illegal contraband was found.

* * *

Police were flagged down at Walmart at 3901 Hixson Pike for a shoplifter. A man had pushed a cart full of items out the door without paying. He then realized he was locked out of the car so he returned the cart with some of the groceries. Walmart employees got the rest of the merchandise from under his vehicle and took it back in. The man was not prosecuted. He was trespassed from the property and left.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter and

Baltimore Aircoil Company officials announced Wednesday the company will invest $16.5 million to expand manufacturing operations at its Manufacturers Road location in Dayton.

BAC will create 63 new jobs through the project, bringing the companys total headcount in Tier 4, At-Risk Rhea County to more than 150.

The expansion is in direct response to BACs recent growth of its dry coil and adiabatic cooling equipment businesses and will comprise significant infrastructure improvements, which include facility and site improvements, coil manufacturing equipment, material handling equipment and craneage.

Headquartered in Jessup, Md., with employees and facilities around the world, Baltimore Aircoil Company is a global leader in the HVAC, industrial and refrigeration industries. The company manufactures and designs commercial and industrial cooling equipment from its locations in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and Australia.

Since 2019, TNECD has supported nearly 50 economic development projects in the Southeast Tennessee region, resulting in approximately 8,300 job commitments and $3.4 billion in capital investment.

Thanks to Tennessee's significant investment in technical colleges, BAC will have access to a workforce of skilled tradesmen and women," said Governor Bill Lee. "I thank them for choosing to create new, high-quality jobs in Southeast Tennessee and look forward to seeing BAC's continued success in Dayton.

BAC could have chosen any of its global locations to expand, and we are grateful that this company will continue to call one of our states most rural regions home," said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. "We believe Dayton and Rhea County have the skilled workforce, central location and infrastructure needed to propel this company forward, supporting future expansions.

BAC is thrilled to be driving the revitalization of this facility and participating in the growth of the Dayton, Rhea County and Tennessee economies," said Dave Klee, general manager, Baltimore Aircoil Company. "We are grateful for the support weve received from city, county and state officials, as well as the positive response from the skilled workforce in the area. We look forward to becoming an even more significant member of this outstanding community.

"The city of Dayton is excited to welcome BAC, a leader in the HVAC, industrial and refrigeration industries, to Dayton," said Dayton Mayor Hurley Marsh. "We look forward to partnering with BAC for both of our continued growth and success."

It is such an honor to have BAC here in Rhea County," said Rhea County Mayor Jim Vincent. "We appreciate how invested they are in our community and are excited to have them expand further here. The expansion is in direct response to BACs recent growth of its dry coil and adiabatic cooling equipment businesses and will comprise significant infrastructure improvements, which include facility and site improvements, coil manufacturing equipment, material handling equipment and craneage and will create 63 new jobs. We are very proud to have BAC as part of our Rhea County Family.

TVA and Dayton Electric Department congratulate BAC on its decision to expand operations in Rhea County," said John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of economic development. "Its always an exciting day when we can celebrate a companys commitment to continued growth in the Valley. We are proud to partner with Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, Rhea County Government, city of Dayton and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to support companies like BAC that are creating jobs and investment in the region, and we celebrate this announcement together.

We are excited that BAC has chosen Tennessee for its expansion," said State Senator Adam Lowe. "While some states are driving away businesses with high taxes and heavy-handed regulations, we continue to see companies moving into Tennessee thanks to our friendly business climate, low taxes and the best workforce in the nation. We welcome BAC and look forward to a great partnership for years to come.

I am proud to see BAC expand in Dayton," said State Rep. Ron Travis. "This project will bring more quality jobs to our area while also benefiting the local economy. I appreciate this significant investment in our community and look forward to the companys continued success is Rhea County.
More than $150,000 up for grabs over holiday weekend at Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs.
On Aug. 29, 2019, Sara Hill is congratulated following her confirmation as the Cherokee Nations attorney general. On Dec. 19, 2023, the U.S. Senate confirmed Hill as a federal judge in Oklahoma.
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Mary was surprised too, the speaker said to a packed audience of students and families gathered for an evening Christmas carol service in Oxfords historic Sheldonian Theatre. He was reflecting on Jesus birth story from Lukes gospel, when the heavenly messenger Gabriel appeared to Mary. Upon hearing that she would soon be pregnantwith the Son of the Most High, whose kingdom will have no endMary asked, How will this be  since I am a virgin? (1:34).

At the conclusion of the Christmas service, our speaker encouraged those gathered not to dismiss this story simply because it seems unbelievable. Apparently, thats what Mary thought too. Luke tells us that Marys being unexpectedly greeted by a heavenly messenger left her in awe, wondering what it all meant, even as she embraced this divine disruption. At the same time, Marys elder cousin, Elizabeth, was greeting her own surprise: the promise of a child, conceived amid abandoned hope for parenthood, for no word from God will ever fail (Luke 1:37).

The story of Jesus is bookended by surprisefrom the narrative of his birth to the plot of his death, to the final scenes of his resurrection and ascension, when Jesus overcomes death in a way no one expected and his disciples are left perplexed, necks craning skyward at his sudden departure.

In fact, the whole of Scripture is riddled with surprise. The Old Testament prophets spoke and acted in ways that evoked awe. The wrong person always seems to be chosen by God. When there appears to be no way, God unexpectedly makes a way.

Likewise, the New Testament rarely fits readers expectations. Jesus responses befuddle religious leaders and crowds alike with topsy-turvy teachings and curveball parables that upset social norms. And the acts of his apostles continue to confuse and elicit strong reactions from everyone they meetled, as they were, by the Holy Spirit, who intervenes and disrupts expectations.

Scripture is replete with surprises precisely because the subject of this diverse collection of narrative, historical, legal, poetic, and prophetic texts is a God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

The way you can tell a true, living God from a dead, fake god, professor Will Willimon preached at a recent Duke University chapel service, is that a fake god will never, ever shock you, or say anything that makes you uncomfortable. Unlike the counterfeit gods of our own making, the living God of Scripture rarely fits neatly within our expectations. Instead, he repeatedly inspires wonder and surprise.

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At the same time, the Bible is the worlds best-selling book, containing popularized narratives familiar to many readers. This presents a challenge for those seeking to be surprised by its stories. Becoming overly familiar with Scripture can, at times, make us unable to read and hear it rightly.

Whenever we pick up the Bible, read it, put it down, and say, Thats just what I thought, we are probably in trouble, Old Testament scholar and author Ellen Davis writes in The Art of Reading Scripture. We must pay careful attention whenever we read this collection of holy textssetting aside our preconceived notions or even what we recall from past readings. Like the infinitely complex individuals we interact with daily, the witness of Scripture should always be just beyond the grasp of our expectations, always ready to tell us something new about God, ourselves, and our neighbors.

At the end of a long day in late spring, I asked writer and director Dallas Jenkins about the role of surprise in his work on the television series The Chosenspecifically, how he honors the role of surprise inherent to the Gospels when telling their stories.

That is one of the biggest tricks of the whole show, Jenkins said. How do we make this feel like youre seeing it for the first time? Even in those moments when you know somethings coming, how can we get you lost in itif not to be surprised by the story itself, to be surprised by maybe what you learned in it, or perhaps how you saw yourself in it? Thats what were trying to do.

When we meet a character like Judas, Jenkins notes as an example, be it on screen or in Scripture, how do we avoid immediately anticipating what we know comes next: Hes going to betray Jesus!

Its about trying to find context that maybe hasnt been explored before, because the storys not going to change. Its the stuff in between, its the contextthats where we can surprise you. And sometimes its surprising to go, Thats not any different from what I read, but it feels different because I understand it better.

Sitting patiently with the stories of Scripturewhich includes learning more about the context of its charactersis one way we can invite a deeper sense of wonder and surprise into our encounter with the God of the Bible. Another way is to cultivate our sense of awe itself.

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Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology and founding director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, began exploring the unique and manifold benefits of awe in the 1980s, when research on the topic was entirely untapped. Since that time, he and his colleagues have painstakingly inventoried the diverse sources of awe in human experience, what he describes as the eight wonders of life.

That feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world is how Keltner defines awe. We experience awe when we encounter something, or someone, that exceeds our expectations, and those experiences offer a rich variety of benefits. Awe brings us joy, meaning, and community, along with healthier bodies and creative minds, Keltner notes in Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Brief moments of awe are as good for your mind and body as anything you might do.

We can invigorate and expand our capacity for awe through various activities, disciplines, and practicesincluding taking in art. Art can transform us by shifting our focus away from ourselves and toward new potentialities in collaboration with others. Visual art can provoke us to reimagine reality, Keltner writes. It can open us up to new ideas about who we can be and what our collective lives might be  In good art, there are so many opportunities to reach the highest part of the soul.

To encounter the God of surpriseand to love our neighbors as God calls us towe must cultivate a fresh curiosity and a capacious imagination. Sadly, we live in an age where individual and social imaginations alike have become impoverished. In her latest book, Karen Swallow Prior refers to our present moment as a failure of the evangelical imagination. As she says in a recent interview, Its an identity crisis. Its a political crisis. Its a personal crisis. Its a church crisis. But I think its a moment, its an opportunity, for us to  renew our imaginations.

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Prior is not alone in insisting that renewed imagination is essential for a hopeful future. Calvin University philosophy professor James K. A. Smith responded to the question What will be our future? by offering the following response in a lecture: If the church is going to bear witness to a different future, we need a Christianity that undergoes the crucible of unknowing  welcoming the unsettling mystery of God, and the profound mystery of our fellow human beings. Only here can we experience grace.

Sitting patiently with art, Smith insists, is one way that we can be open to such mystery.

When our imagination becomes thin, malnourished, or even diseased, creative works of art can offer a new way of seeing God and the worlda fresh vision of ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies. Art can also invite us to encounter the persistent and mysterious presence of God, often where we least expect. Artists strive to tell the truthabout ourselves, others, and Godbut to upend our assumptions and tell it slant, as Emily Dickinson famously encourages. Art, in turn, can cultivate an openness to the living Lord who likewise exceeds our expectations.

Preachers and others tasked with sharing the stories of Scripture ought to be considered awe-workersthose who encourage and nourish their congregations imaginations to be receptive to the often-surprising God of Scripture. Former Princeton Theological Seminary president Craig Barnes suggests that part of the pastors role is to be a minor poet, weaving stories, language, and words in ways that cultivate a congregations sense of wonder. Hes certainly not alone.

Before writing his Bible translation, The Message, the late pastor, translator, and professor Eugene Peterson used to fill the narthex of his church with piles of booksincluding works by the novelist Wallace Stegner, Charles Dickens, and poet Denise Levertoveach one carefully chosen to provoke and inspire his congregants imaginations. Likewise, my church in Seattle offers a steady rotation of paintings by local artists, displayed in a room just outside of the sanctuary where congregants gather after service for coffee and conversation. It is a small, intentional gesture, but an important one.

What would it look like for Christ followers to cultivate the practice of paying patient attention to art? What if Christians set a discipline of regularly engaging with creative artwork that invites a second look at the world? Shaped by such creative practices, how might we be surprised anew by Gods work in our midst, in our neighbors, and in our own lives?

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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our individual and collective ways of being. Doing my best to live with the overwhelming uncertainty left in its wake, Ive been turning to poetry more than everfrom listening to podcasts such as The Slowdown Show, Poetry Unbound, and Poetry for All while sipping my morning coffee, to reading poetry collections from Mary Oliver, Christian Wiman, and W. S. Merwin on unhurried Saturday mornings.

Sitting with a poem requires slowing down, attending to a sequence of words and its cadence. When I do, I often experience my soul nourished in palpable waysmuch like a good shower or a satisfying meal. In these intentionally quiet moments, when the pandemonium of blab  ceases, Christian Wiman writes, [we] can hearand what some of us hear in those instances is a still, small voice.

Returning to Marys unexpected encounter with a divine messenger, artists have been portraying this scene in Lukes gospel for centuries through various mediumsincluding Henry Ossawa Tanner (18591937), whose painting, The Annunciation, is on display today in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Inspired on a trip to Israel, Tanner sought to capture Mary as authentically as possible. Shes shown alone in a dark, unadorned room, dressed in modest robes, and seated on a bed with crumpled linens. There are no halos, no winged angels, and no sacred identifiers adorning Marys body. Her hands are folded. Her gaze is one of curiosity and wonder as a vertical band of light fills the room with a soft glow. The scene holds a quiet mystery that can only be witnessed. As I patiently attend to Tanners work, I find myself open to surprise alongside Mary.

Moving my eyes along the lines and color left by Tanners paintbrush in The Annunciation shapes me in a similar way as reading Mary Szybists Incarnadine, especially the poem Annunciation Overheard from the Kitchen. In her poetic reflections, were invited to listen for the unhurried arrival of heavenly messengers in the everyday setting of a contemporary home, among the sounds of a vacuum next door and an airplane overhead. Both Tanner and Szybists creative work invite me to attend anew an unexpected encounter with sheer mystery alongside a first-century mother-to-be.

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Ben McBride introduced me to the rabbinical tradition, suggesting a new perspective on Moses burning bush experience. The bush was always burning, McBride shared with our church group in Berkeley. Moses just happened to stop and notice. Moses allowed himself to be disrupted and offered his attention to the bush that burned without being consumed by flame, awash in Gods presence (Ex. 3). In the same way, Ive found visual art and poetry can put me in a place where Im more likely to notice the everyday burning bushes and abounding annunciations.

Im no less inclined than the next person to prayerfully ask God for my preferred future for myself and for my family, for my community and for our nationindeed, for the aching wider world. But Advent and Christmastide invite me into something grander and, ultimately, more remarkable.

These seasons invite us to cultivate a posture of expectant waiting. Yet our inherited history and tradition beckons a longing that is wholly receptive to the unexpected arrival of gracewhere Gods presence is promised and declared precisely in places and voices we least expected.

Provoked by poetry and visual art alike, may our minds and hearts, our eyes and earsand, indeed, our very livesbe stirred anew by our living God, who moves among us in these troubled days. And may we seek to embody together the in-breaking of Gods long-promised kingdom of peace.

Ryan J. Pemberton is the director of community cultivation at Image, which offers a quarterly journal and programming dedicated to art, faith, and mystery.
Two weeks after ISIS-linked terrorists detonated an explosive during a Catholic Mass held at Mindanao State University (MSU) in the Philippines, killing four and wounding 45, the small Catholic community in the Muslim-majority city of Marawi is planning a scaled-down Christmas celebration.

They canceled the usual processions during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, instead calling Catholics to light candles on windowsills and pray the rosary at home. They also canceled the traditional Simbang Gabi, a nine-day series of dawn Masses leading up to Christmas Eve. For security, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines stand guard at the university to ensure the safety of churchgoers, which totaled 72 when the attack happened.

Edwin Dela Pena, the bishop of Marawi, told CT that members of the MSU chaplaincy ministry are still processing the trauma of the attack. Some are asking, Lord, why did you allow this to happen to us? Dela Pena and other church leaders have used questions like this as stepping stones to help [members] get ahold of themselves. They acknowledge that confronting these questions about faith is essential in the process of overcoming trauma.

The attack has caused disbelief, emotion, and great pain in everyone, Christians and Muslims, Dela Pena told Agenzia Fides. They hit us right in the heart, during the Eucharist, the climax of our faith. There is much fear now, but faith accompanies us and gives us support. Even in this time of distress, we feel the presence of the Lord.

While the Philippines is a largely Catholic country, Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao, is 99.4 percent Muslim. Dela Pena believes the timing of the attackon the first day of Adventwas a deliberate act of provocation against Christians in Marawi. The Islamic State group said its fighters were responsible for the attack, with the military and police pointing to local militant group Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute, which laid siege on Marawi in 2017. Recently, the Philippine military had launched operations against the group in western Mindanao, and many believe the attack was an act of retaliation.

The explosion, which took place on the morning of December 3, targeted the students, employees, and other worshippers gathered for Mass in the universitys gym. Two students, a lecturer, and the mother of a student were killed. Police arrested a man believed to be an accomplice in the attack, while the man who planted the explosive device is still on the run.

Basari D. Mapupuno, president of MSU, said in a statement that the schools staff vehemently condemn such an atrocious act of terror, which clearly was intended to sow fear and division to a community whose constituents, who belong to various faiths, have been co-existing peacefully and exercising their right to freedom of religion inside the campus for more than six decades now.

This is not the first time Catholics in Marawi have faced an existential threat. During the 2017 Marawi siege, militants affiliated with the Islamic State group targeted Christians, desecrating and burning St. Marys Cathedral and a Christian college while also taking a priest and several churchgoers hostage. They sought to declare an Islamic state in the province of Lanao del Sur.

We realized that we were the primary target [of the 2017 attack] because we are Christians and Marawi is an Islamic city, Dela Pena said. They are questioning why we are here.

He noted a disconnect, as Muslims are allowed to worship in their mosques in the capital of Manila despite the city being majority Catholic. The population of Muslims in Manila and other urban centers in the northern Philippines has been increasing. This demonstrates the need for further interreligious understanding, he said, especially as the church attack occurred during the Mindanao Week of Peace, which included Christian-Muslim discussions, demonstrations, and prayers.

At the same time, the bishop noted that we have so many friendssympathizers who are Muslims. That strengthens us: the thought that those who did this to us are only a handful.

Dela Pena told Fides that the first responders and doctors aiding the victims were Muslims and that the Muslim community supported the families of those killed and the wounded. A Muslim alumnus of MSU told Rappler, These people are family. The families of these young students entrusted them to us. We cannot abandon them.

Christians in Marawi said these gestures give us hope and tell us that this brutal and senseless violence will not have the last word, it will not succeed in destroying the good works built over many years, Dela Pena told Fides.

Interreligious dialogues between Christians and Muslims in Marawi began in 1976 when the Catholic prelature (area outside of a diocese) was established, the bishop said. After 9/11, Muslims in the area initiated more dialogues with Christians as they felt Islam was hijacked by terrorists when, in fact, it is a religion of peace.

The Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute group stems from a violent Islamist movement called the Moro National Liberation Front, which has sought independence for decades in hopes of creating an independent Islamic state. It joined with two other extremist groups also aligned with ISISAbu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fightersto launch the siege in 2017. During the fighting, the Philippine military claimed the Maute group had been practically wiped out, as they had killed the groups leadership. Yet remnants of the group continued to recruit new members.

In 2019, members of the Abu Sayyaf group killed 20 churchgoers and soldiers and wounded 111 in a double bombing during Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the island of Jolo, southwest of Mindanao. Two decades earlier, Abu Sayyaf assassinated the bishop of Jolo outside Mount Carmel and bombed the cathedral in 2001.

Despite all the turmoil, the work of the Catholic church continues in Marawi, including the rebuilding of St. Marys Cathedral. The bombing did not stop us from continuing the service to our Catholic constituents, Dela Pena told MindaNews. This is a laboratory of Muslim-Christian integration.

On Sunday, MSU Marawi Campus Catholic Community held Mass at a small chapel that was still under construction, according to a members Facebook post. The post noted that some of the attendees still had bandages on their wounds from the attack.

Dela Pena, who has held his position for nearly 22 years, said that in these devastating times, he holds onto the words of Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Home Church & Ministries Archbishop prohibits same-sex blessings, admonishes Pope Francis: 'Great deception'

A Catholic archbishop in Kazakhstan reportedly issued a formal repudiation of the Vatican doctrinal office's guidance this week allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. He accused the Catholic Church of propagating "gender ideology."

Tomash Peta, who has served as metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana since 2003, prohibited any form of blessing for same-sex couples and also publicly admonished Pope Francis, asking him to revoke the guidance he signed off on this week, according to The Catholic Herald.

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration Monday titled "Fiducia Supplicans," which provided "a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective."

The declaration allows "spontaneous pastoral blessing" for "same-sex couples" and other couples in "irregular situations," though it clarified that the blessing is not akin to marriage and that such relationships are still sinful.

"It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage," the guidance says.

"This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church."

The declaration warned that "one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation."

"At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing," the Vatican document added.

In his Tuesday statement, also signed by Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Peta said, "[t]he fact that the document does not give permission for the 'marriage' of same-sex couples should not blind pastors and faithful to the great deception and the evil that resides in the very permission to bless couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples."

"Such a blessing directly and seriously contradicts Divine Revelation and the uninterrupted, bimillennial doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church," the prelates continued.

"To bless couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples is a serious abuse of the most Holy Name of God, since this name is invoked upon an objectively sinful union of adultery or of homosexual activity."

Peta and Schneider accused the Vatican of causing "far-reaching and destructive consequences" by legitimizing such blessings, which they argued effectively reduces the denomination to "a propagandist of the globalist and ungodly' gender ideology.'"

Citing their oaths as successors to the apostles and their charge to preserve the deposit of the faith, Peta and Schneider exhorted and prohibited the priests and faithful in their archdiocese from performing any form of blessing for couples in an "irregular situation" or same-sex relationship.

"It goes without saying that every sincerely repentant sinner with the firm intention to no longer sin and to put an end to his public sinful situation (such as, e.g., cohabitation outside of a canonically valid marriage, union between people of the same sex) can receive a blessing," they wrote.

The two concluded by referencing Galatians 2, in which Paul recounts opposing Peter to his face for behaving inconsistently with the Gospel.

Claiming he "does not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel," the bishops asked Francis "to revoke the permission to bless couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples, so that the Catholic Church may shine clearly as the 'pillar and ground of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15) for all those who sincerely seek to know the will of God and, by fulfilling it, to attain eternal life."

The latest guidance from the Vatican has also prompted responses from some U.S. bishops, with many reaffirming the Catholic Church's teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman while noting that the guidance does not change official teaching on the subject.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stressed that the declaration from the Vatican made a "distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God's loving grace in their lives."

"The Church's teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God's healing love and mercy in our lives," the USCCB statementreads.

In the Archdiocese of Boston, priests were advised to "be careful" that their prayers don't "become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament."

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota said in a statement that it's "impossible" to bless a same-sex union because "any sexual-union outside of the marriage of one man and one woman is contrary to the Gospel." But he said churches can "bless individuals who are not yet living in full accord with the Gospel, even those in a same-sex union."

Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago said in a statement the declaration keeps with "Jesus' desire to be present to all people who desire grace and support."

"Here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, we welcome this declaration, which will help many more in our community feel the closeness and compassion of God," Cupich stated.

The guidance has drawn mixed reactions abroad.

In Kenya, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement explaining that the new guidance is "causing anxiety and even confusion among the Christians, and in general the people of God."

The chair of the German bishops' conference praised the Vatican for addressing the hot-button issue in "a theologically moderate and calm language."

"The declaration applies theological categories and terms in a responsible manner," the German conference chair's statement reads. "It draws a clear line between unwavering fidelity to the teachings of the Church and the pastoral requirements of an ecclesial practice that wants to be close to people."
Home Politics Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from 2024 election ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump cannot be placed on the ballot for the 2024 election, citing his connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021.

In a per curiam opinion released Tuesday, Colorado's highest court ruled in Norma Anderson et al v. Jena Griswold et al that Trump is ineligible to be on the state ballot next year, partially overturning a lower court decision.

Specifically, the high court cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits people from holding office who "have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

"President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot," read the per curiam decision.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

The state supreme court also said that it is "cognizant that we travel in uncharted territory, and that this case presents several issues of first impression." The court is staying its ruling until Jan. 4  the day before the deadline for Colorado to certify its presidential primary ballot  pending potential review from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Colorado Chief Justice Brian Boatwright authored a dissent to the per curiam opinion, arguing that the high court went beyond its scope when deciding whether Trump had engaged in insurrection.

"Unlike qualifications such as age and place of birth, an application of Section Three requires courts to define complex terms, determine legislative intent from over 150 years ago, and make factual findings foreign to our election code," wrote Boatwright.

"Dismissal is particularly appropriate here because the Electors brought their challenge without a determination from a proceeding (e.g., a prosecution for an insurrection-related offense) with more rigorous procedures to ensure adequate due process."

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the litigation "a Soros-funded, left-wing group's scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden."

"Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November," stated Cheung in a statement.

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of six Colorado voters earlier this year, celebrated the ruling.

"The court's decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment based on his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and that Secretary Griswold must keep him off of Colorado's primary ballot. It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country," said CREW President Noah Bookbinder in a statement.

"Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government. It has been an honor to represent the petitioners, and we look forward to ensuring that this vitally important ruling stands."
Home Church & Ministries Franklin Graham says Pope Francis doesn't have the right to bless 'what God calls sin'

The Rev. Franklin Graham slammed Pope Francis for approving a measure that will allow Roman Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, warning that such "blessings" will not "save you from the judgment of God."

In a Facebook post on Monday, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham responded to news that the Vatican will allow priests to bless same-sex couples, though not in a way that endorses their unions.

"So-called 'blessings' from religious leaders won't save you from the judgment of God!" wrote Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.

"Pope Francis has now approved Catholic priests' blessing' same-sex couples. But none of us, including the Pope, has the right to 'bless' what God calls sin. 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil' (Isaiah 5:20)."

"The Good News is that right now God will forgive sin, but we have to come to Him His way, on His terms  by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the Bible says, 'The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed' (Isaiah 1:28)."

Graham's comments came hours after the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faithissued a declaration titled "Fiducia Supplicans," providing "a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective."

"It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage," stated the Catholic Church leadership.

"This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church."

The Vatican document stated that "when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it" and that "those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection."

For same-sex couples, "a blessing may be imparted that not only has an ascending value but also involves the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon those who  recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help  do not claim a legitimation of their own status."

The declaration warned that "one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation."

"At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing," the Vatican document continued.

"In a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance  but also God's light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely."

A declaration issued by the same body in 2021 stated that churches have no power to bless same-sex marriage since God "cannot bless sin."

Officially, the Catholic Church teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful, but homosexual acts are. However, in the United States, about six in 10 Catholics (61%) said in a 2019 survey that they favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry.

Last month, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a guidance stipulating that people who have undergone trans surgical procedures or taken cross-sex hormones can be baptized, provided "there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating public scandal or disorientation among the faithful."
Home World At least 131 killed, 700 injured in Chinas deadliest earthquake in 9 years

A devastating earthquake, measuring 6.2 in magnitude, rocked northwestern China shortly before midnight on Monday. The seismic event, impacting Gansu and Qinghai provinces, stands as the most lethal earthquake in China in the past nine years, claiming the lives of at least 131 individuals and injuring over 700.

The quake's epicenter was in Jishishan county, Gansu, near the Qinghai border, The Associated Press reported, adding that it occurred at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles, intensifying its impact. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the magnitude at 5.9. The tremors were felt as far as Lanzhou, Gansu's capital, about 60 miles northeast of the epicenter.

The disaster left residents in dire conditions, with many spending the night in tents in freezing temperatures, the newswire noted.

Ma Dongdong, a local resident, described his family's ordeal of spending the night outside after their home was damaged. Three bedrooms in his house were destroyed, and a section of his milk tea shop was left with a wide, gaping crack.

The China Meteorological Administration reported overnight lows between 5F to minus 15.8F.

State broadcaster CCTV reported 113 deaths in Gansu and 18 in Qinghai. The quake also caused landslides, complicating rescue efforts. Emergency workers are searching for missing persons, with Qinghai officials reporting 16 missing in a landslide.

According to Reuters, 78 people were found alive in Gansu, where rescue operations concluded Tuesday afternoon. Attention is now turning to treating the injured and resettling residents as they brace for the challenges of the approaching months-long winter.

The earthquake's timing, in the middle of the night, and the region's poor building quality contributed to the high casualty rate. Li Haibing, from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, noted the quake's shallow depth and vertical movement as factors in the destruction.

The affected area, home to Muslim ethnic groups and near Tibetan communities, is remote and mountainous. The Chinese government is reportedly sending tents, beds and quilts to the area.

In Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, the quake's epicenter, residents faced additional challenges due to the high altitude and harsh winter conditions. The area, with a population of 2.7 million, is predominantly rural, with many buildings made of clay and mud.

Personal accounts from survivors like Ma Zhongliang, a restaurant owner, and Liu Zhenfang, a hotel receptionist, highlight the quake's sudden and violent nature. Ma described the tremors as being "like standing between two trains," and Liu recounted the dust shaking off surveillance cameras, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Chinese government says it has mobilized a significant rescue operation, with thousands of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and emergency personnel involved.

The region is prone to earthquakes, sitting on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where the Indian and Eurasian Plates meet. This quake follows a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province in September 2022, which killed 93 people.

China's history of deadly earthquakes includes the 2008 Sichuan quake, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and resulted in nearly 90,000 deaths. The country has since focused on rebuilding with more resistant materials, but challenges remain in rural and remote areas.
Home Education Satanic Temples After School Satan Club teaches there is no Hell and Satan is not an evil guy

In a move school officials say is a bid to cancel all faith-based organizations working with public schools, the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple caused a stir by announcing its first After School Satan Club chapter in Tennessee, where they will teach children things like there is no Hell and Satan is not an evil guy.

"The After School Satan Club does not believe in introducing religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are operating on campus," The Satanic Temple states on its website.

"ASSC exists to provide a safe and inclusive alternative to the religious clubs that use threats of eternal damnation to convert school children to their belief system. Unlike our counterparts, who publicly measure their success in young children's 'professions of faith,' the After School Satan Club program focuses on science, critical thinking, creative arts, and good works for the community," the group added. "While engaged in all of these activities, we want clubgoers to have a good time."

In a two-minute promotional video for the After School Satan Club called "My Pal Satan," featuring a goat as their mascot, The Satanic Temple also offers up a jingle presenting Satan as a friendly lover of truth.

"Satan's not an evil guy. He wants you to learn and question why. He wants you to have fun and be yourself. And by the way, there is no Hell," it goes in part. "Satan looks for truth, let's help him, boys and girls."

The Satanic Temple told WMC there is a Christian club at Chimneyrock Elementary in Memphis, and legally, they have every right to have a club at the school after hours.

Some parents and grandparents aren't happy about the school's new club.

"I think it's B.S.," parent Courtney Dennis told the outlet. "I think it needs to be held somewhere else and not a school."

At a press conference last Wednesday supported by faith-based organizations, community partners and members of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board, Interim Superintendent Toni Williams explained why she couldn't avoid renting space to the After School Satan Club despite significant opposition from the community.

"I, too, am a woman of faith. That's no secret. And as a graduate of this district, I have witnessed firsthand the great work of our faith-based communities," Williams said in a statement.

"As the Superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, my sole focus is our students, families, and community. I've championed their needs, rallied support, and never shied away from tough conversations to advocate for my students' needs.

"Like many of you, I have strong beliefs and resonate deeply with the questions and concerns in our community surrounding a club's upcoming rental of school space. I want to assure you that I do not endorse or support the beliefs of the organization at the center of the recent headlines. I do, however, support the law. As superintendent, I am duty-bound to uphold our board policies, state laws, and the Constitution."

Williams further contends faith groups that disagree with the message of the After School Satan Club should not try to keep them out of public schools.

"Let's not be fooled. What we've seen in the past 24 hours is an agenda initiated to ensure that we cancel all faith-based organizations that partner with our school district. Because the law says what you do for one organization, you must do for all," she said.

"In the wake of recent news stories, some have demanded that we ban all faith-based organizations, but that penalizes thousands of children, feeds fear, and bends to outsiders' agendas," the superintendent added.

"Schools are more than just places for academics. They are safe havens where staff and volunteers develop the extraordinary potential of tomorrow's leaders. Today, this is a call to action. I challenge you not to push away in fear but rather to push in with support. Memphians are smarter than simple narratives. We can support the First Amendment and support our students at the same time."

In recent years, After School Satan Clubs have been launched at public schools that allow Good News Clubs, an afterschool ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship that seeks to share the Gospel message with children. The Satanic Temple has pursued legal action against school districts that have rejected parents' requests to launch After School Satan Clubs in their children's schools.
Home Church & Ministries Georgia church gives groceries, gifts to over 1,600 people in need this Christmas

Just in time for Christmas, a Georgia church has given away 1,200 boxes of groceries and gift cards to hundreds of families in need.

Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational church in Savannah, held its fourth annual "Blessings on the Southside" giveaway event for struggling families on Saturday. Organizers say the church gave groceries to 1,677 individuals.

Pastor Charles P. Roberson, Sr. told The Christian Post in an email that this year's event was the largest giveaway the church has held since 2020 when it was launched to help families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We served families based on a first come, first serve basis, and we had families arrive as early as 4:30 in the morning," Roberson said.

"Fortunately, we were able to serve everyone who showed up, and according to our records, there were 736 cars, 1,200 boxes of groceries, 1,528 gifts and hundreds of gift cards."

Each family received fresh vegetables from the congregation and its partner, Forsyth Farmers Market. They received gifts for the children and prayers for families by church volunteers.

Roberson said church members prayed with many families.

"Several people received Christ during this event," the pastor said. "We are the hands and feet of Christ, and this is His work."

"We hope that the families will take away the hope that God loves them," he added. "Secondly, we hope that they were able to see the light of Christ shining brightly through those of us who served them."

"Finally, we hope that the families took away the example of the importance of doing more for others than you do for yourself."

During the Christmas season, churches across the United States have overseen charity events for the less fortunate families during the holidays.

Earlier this month, the Assemblies of God-affiliated megachurch Destiny Christian Church of Sacramento, California, oversaw a Christmas-themed event with around 2,000 children from low-income families attending.

Known as "Love Our City Christmas," the Destiny event centered on providing less privileged children with a toy, clothes, jacket, shoes and a wholesome children's book for Christmas.

"For many during the holiday season, there are practical needs that are simply not met. Food, clothing and security seem out of reach for many underserved families, and that becomes more prominent during the holidays," said Destiny spokesperson Tanner DiBella in an earlier interview with CP.

"Destiny's Christmas outreach event helps meet those needs and more, where we can bless families and provide a wonderful Christmas experience with toys, books, pictures with Santa and a day of cheer for everyone."

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, several churches hosted food giveaways, including the Life Christian Church in West Orange, New Jersey, which gave away $30,000 worth of Thanksgiving food in November.

In North Carolina, Lawndale Baptist Church of Greensboro gave 1,000 families free Thanksgiving meals during a drive-through charity giveaway.
Home Politics Gavin Newsom slapped with 'Ebenezer Award' for canceling in-person Christmas tree lighting 'We hope Governors heart will grow three sizes next year'

California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was awarded an "Ebenezer Award" by a prominent religious liberty advocacy group for having canceled an in-person Christmas tree lighting ceremony and skipping a menorah lighting this year amid anti-Israel protests.

TheBecket Fund for Religious Liberty announced Tuesday that Newsom earned the dishonorable accolade for the Dec. 5 statement he issued with "First Partner" Jennifer Siebel Newsom explaining that the 92nd annual Christmas tree lighting at the California State Capitol would be virtual and streamed on his social media accounts.

The Governor who stole Christmas and Hanukkah? That title, and Beckets 2023 Ebenezer Award, goes to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who canceled the states annual in-person Christmas tree lighting in favor of a virtual event and skipped the menorah lighting over fears of pic.twitter.com/4dg1q85LzN  BECKET (@BECKETlaw) December 19, 2023

The Becket Fund also noted that Newsom skipped an annual menorah lighting typically attended by California governors, which they claimed further qualified him for the award named after the Christmas-hating Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

A spokesperson for Newsom explained at the time that the decision came after "protests across the country" emerged in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, including in New York, where seven people were arrested at the city's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.

"As we continue to see protests across the country impacting the safety of events of all scales  and for the safety and security of all participating members and guests including children and families  the ceremony this year will be virtual," the statement read. "The program is unchanged and viewers can tune in Wednesday evening to watch this year's festivities."

Earlier this month, ahead of Newsom's announcement that the tree-lighting ceremony would be virtual this year, protesters with the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights rallied at the state Capitol to call on Newsom to support a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Becket Fund criticized Newsom for his decision, saying, "Rather than allow all Californians to ring in the Christmas season at the capital, the Governor invited only his family and a few select guests."

"In canceling one of Californias most cherished holiday traditions and skipping another, Newsom can rightly be dubbed the Governor who stole Christmas and Hanukkah," Becket President and CEO Mark Rienzi said in a statement.

We hope Governors heart will grow three sizes next year, so that Californians can once again celebrate their annual holidays with joy," he added, implying the governor is behaving like the Grinch from the Dr. Seuss classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

During the pandemic, Newsom enacted what many saw as draconian health guidelines for gatherings during the holidays, banning gatherings of more than three households and urging people to collect names and other information for "contact tracing" purposes.

Any mention of Christmas has been scrubbed from the websites of at least two California state agencies this year, including from Newsom's official website, which said nothing about Christmas in its official announcement for the tree-lighting ceremony.

As noted by California's Department of Developmental Services, the annual tradition of lighting a Christmas tree at the California State Capitol began in 1931. However, Christmas celebrations at the Capitol have occurred since 1869.

Becket also offered its annual "Eggnog Toast," which it awards "to an individual or group who has shown persistence in the face of adversity," to Chabad Williamsburg and Rabbi Herber for continuing to conduct a menorah lighting ceremony even after the Virginia non-profit LoveLight Placemaking declined to host the event in part because of the Israel-Hamas war.

The Becket Fund has bestowed the Ebenezer Award annually since 2000 in response to what its describes as "a slew of outrageous offenses against the free exercise of religion."

"At Becket, we do Santa's dirty work for him, delivering a lump of coal as an acknowledgment of scroogery on a grand scale," the nonprofit said.

Previous winners have included King County, Washington, which last year banned government employees from displaying religious items in common areas and even on Zoom calls; the American Humanist Association, which in 2016 tried to prevent schools from assisting disadvantaged children; the Department of Veteran Affairs, which banned staff at its Salem, Virginia, facility from wishing veterans a "Merry Christmas" in 2015; and the University of Minnesota, which forbade holiday-themed items from its campus in 2017.
Home Entertainment Kat von D says she's been attending Bible study, living in a parsonage after baptism

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D, who was baptized in October and is known for her role on the TLC reality series "LA Ink," opened up about the challenges and criticisms she has faced as a "goth" Christian in a Dec. 12 episode of "This Past Weekend" podcast with stand-up comedian and podcaster, Theo Von.

"It's such an intimate and personal thing. My relationship with God is my own. I've never really felt like I belonged anywhere," said the artist, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg. "Especially now, I think being public with my faith puts you into like this microscopic, critical tank."

The reality star, who is 17 years sober, said she "gets criticized from all sides now" but doesn't care.

"At the end of the day, you know, my relationship is with God, not you," she said. "I think because people have a hard time understanding [my] aesthetic and pairing that with something  like Christianity," she added.

"I don't understand why people don't see how close-minded that is. Why would you think that you have to look a certain way to have an understanding of the Bible?"

At the small Switzerland Baptist Church in Vevay, Indiana, Drachenberg said she attends Bible studies and enjoys the intimate church environment. She said she currently lives in the church's parsonage because the renovations to her house have not yet been completed.

She said the smaller church seems to foster more individuality in how congregants dress themselves, and everyone seems to know one another in a closer-knit way.

Having recently attended a larger California church, she said it seemed everyone dressed similarly and fewer people looked different.

"Modern-day Christians are so used to being surrounded by people that look the same as them. When someone like me comes into the mix, it's like, 'Oh, wait, this is demonic.'  I get called demonic a lot. [And I get told]: 'You're serving two masters.' I'm like, I don't think any of that is accurate," Drachenberg said.

"I don't think there's any dress code to be a Christian.  But I get it a lot.  [After I posted] my last post, I thought it was a very cool modest image of me in a dress and some funny shoes, and the comments are just hilarious."

During the two-hour podcast, Drachenberg also mentioned the Old Testament account of Job, who she said "was put through all these trials [yet] maintained his faith" and kept praising God.

Despite facing criticisms about her "goth" image in how she dresses, Drachenberg has learned how to give thanks to God and stand firm in His promises for all who choose to follow Him, regardless of exterior appearance.

"The last few years for me have been so rough behind the curtains," she said. "I don't share [it] all  But I'm still going to live in a state of gratitude. The world could be falling apart, and I'm still, like, I praise God."

Drachenbergmade headlines in August 2022 when she announced that she had thrown away her extensive catalog of witchcraft literature, saying that she had "come to some pretty meaningful realizations" in recent years, saying she "got a lot of things wrong in my past."
Home U.S. Nashville parents, brother beat boy for converting to Christianity, cut him with a knife: police

Nashville police arrested three family members after the youngest son said they beat him for renouncing Islam and converting to Christianity, with the authorities noting that the juvenile victim was trembling and wide-eyed as he described the attack.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department arrived at the house in Amber Hills Lane on Dec. 11 in response to a welfare check, finding the young victim, who appeared disheveled. The police noted that the boy had a cut on the back of his right hand and several lumps on his face.

As WSMV reported last Tuesday, the victim told police that his mother, father and older brother attacked him because they disapproved of his conversion. The family members charged in the incident were Nick Kadum, 57, Rawaa Khawaji, 46, and John Kadum, 29.

He stated [his mother], along with his brother and father, repeatedly punched him and spat in his face, the arrest report stated. He stated his mother then took a knife and scratched the back of his right hand with it. He stated his family, including his mother, demanded he recant and say he was a Muslim.

As the boy described the attack, the police noted that he appeared to be trembling, and his eyes were wide, according to WSMV. The victims mother was charged with aggravated assault, while his father and brother were charged with domestic assault.

While the father and brother were later released from custody, WSMV reported that Khawaji remained jailed.

According to a Monday report from The Charlotte Observer, the police conducted the welfare check on the house after receiving a request from the boys employer. The victim told police that his family was in the middle of beating him up when the authorities arrived at the house shortly before midnight.

Davidson County arrest affidavits obtained by The Observer recount how the boy said his mother, father and brother repeatedly punched him and spat in his face. The victims mother then slashed his right hand with a knife.

Police said that the mother  who was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon  denied that she had attacked her son. In addition to the assault charges, the 29-year-old brother and the father were charged with domestic bodily injury, according to the outlet, and the juvenile victim was taken to a hospital.

Scholars such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who was raised Muslim, have argued that Islam must undergo a peaceful reformation. Hirsi Ali published an essay on UnHerd last month, explaining her decision to convert to Christianity after identifying as an atheist for years.

During a 2015 National Press Club, the scholar proposed five amendments to Islam to help reform the religion. One of those amendments included viewing the Quran and the hadith as divinely inspired but ultimately human in origin and for Muslims to value earthly life more instead of prioritizing life after death.

Hirsi Ali argued that Sharia Law, which refers to a set of laws based on the scriptures of Islam, is responsible for widespread violence and oppression in Muslim cultures.

The former atheist also proposed eliminating the principle of Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong, which refers to an Islamic doctrine of action. The Christian convert asserted that this principle results in vigilantism and mob justice, particularly against individuals who have allegedly violated Sharia Law.

The scholar also called for Muslims to focus on peace and for an end to the concept of Jihad as a Holy War.

Hirsi Ali is originally from Somalia, and she is a survivor of female genital mutilation. An outspoken critic of Islam, Hirsi Ali explored atheism through figures such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins and Bertrand Russells 1927 lecture Why I am Not a Christian.

She attributed her conversion to Christianity to concerns about the issues threatening Western civilization, and she believes the Christian faith offers a unifying set of values.
Home U.S. New Texas law allows officers to arrest migrants crossing border illegally; El Paso County sues

A new Texas law signed by Gov. Gregg Abbott will permit state officers to arrest anyone suspected of illegally crossing into the United States, as federal authorities reported over 2.4 million southwestern border encounters in fiscal year 2023.

UnderSenate Bill 4, which takes effect in March, anyone who makes an illegal entry or re-entry into Texas faces penalties from 180 days in jail up to 20 years in prison, according to Reuters.

The law  which some critics are calling one of the toughest immigration law in the U.S.  also requires state magistrate judges to send anyone who is illegally in Texas back to Mexico. Those who fail to comply face up to 20 years in prison.

According to the governor's office, SB 4 shields local and state government officials, employees and contractors from lawsuits stemming from the enforcement of the law.

In a statement, Abbott, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, linked the U.S. border crisis to the failure of the Biden administration to enforce federal law.

"Four years ago, the United States had the fewest illegal border crossings in decades," Abbott said. "It was because of four policies put in place by the Trump Administration that led to such a low number of illegal crossings. President Biden has eliminated all of those policies and done nothing to halt illegal immigration. President Biden's deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself."

El Paso County joined immigration rights groups as plaintiffs in a lawsuitfiled Tuesday against the state, alleging SB 4 is unconstitutional and "patently illegal."

Some border sheriffs reportedly expressed concern that SB 4 could overwhelm already-strained jails and court systems due to an anticipated jump in immigration arrests.

Earlier this year, ACLU Texas warnedthat allowing state officers to enforce immigration laws could result in "racial profiling and over-policing."

In addition to SB 4, Abbott signed legislation that commits $1.5 billion in funding for border wall construction on top of another $5 billion in state funds already appropriated for border security.

In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded over 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southwest border and more than 3.2 million encounters nationwide.

U.S. Border Patrol reported a spike in encounters between agents and terror watchlist suspects attempting to enter the U.S. illegally and undetected at the southern border.

In an October report, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security called fiscal year 2023 the "worst year at America's borders," adding that 169 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were apprehended while attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.

"[A]t least 1.7 million known gotaways have evaded apprehension since FY2021," the report reads.
Home Politics Tucker Carlson frames cultural battles in spiritual terms, claims 'dark force' trying to destroy US 'It's a little bit like burning your own house down'

Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson framed the cultural and political battles of the United States in theological terms during an address Monday at Turning Point USA's America Fest 2023 in Arizona.

"The evidence unmistakably shows an acceleration in whatever this dark force is in this country whose only impulse is to destroy, not to improve or create, but to destroy, and it's all around us," Carlson told the large audience assembled in the Phoenix Convention Center. "And the only way to stop it is with [moral strength]."

Carlson, who last week launched his own streaming service, argued that political leaders in the U.S. and other Western nations have become increasingly irrational with their policies and that while corruption has always riddled politicians in Washington, D.C., their end goal has shifted in recent decades from selfish enrichment to the destruction of their own country.

"If you live in a society where the people in charge just want to sell you out to get rich, that's bad," he said. "But that's not what we're watching. We're watching something much darker than that."

Carlson believes the tactics of the Biden administration "and their enablers in the Republican Party" indicate their intention is to destroy the U.S., which he noted is inexplicable in rational terms.

"It's a little bit like burning your own house down," he said. "So why would you do that? That's not just an act of destruction. It's an act of self-destruction. So, is that a political program? No. A political program is designed to help the people who institute it and their voters and donors. Their program helps nobody."

By implementing policies that hurt the economy, flood the country with unsustainable illegal immigration and effectively discourage young people from having families, Carlson thinks many elected officials are serving as "a conduit of evil," which he defined as a spiritual force that predates humans, works through them, and destroys its unwitting perpetrators after rendering them miserable.

"If you're channeling actual evil; if you're trying to destroy people for the sake of destroying them; if you are lying for the sake of lying, for the thrill of telling a lie; and if you are hurting people for the sin of telling the truth, and you're offended simply because it is true; if the idea that somebody somewhere might be saying a true thing enrages you, that's not politics," he said. "That's theology."

"If the idea that somebody somewhere might be saying something true enrages you, that's not politics, that's theology." @TuckerCarlson#AmFest2023pic.twitter.com/mcY4QdprOO  Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) December 19, 2023

Carlson claimed that collective guilt and punishment based on increasingly prevalent identity politics is antithetical to Christianity and Western civilization, which he said emerged from a Christian worldview.

"But you are seeing a leadership class in this country on both sides who are starting to think that way," he said. "And that is a massive threat to you. So just remember, what threatens you is not a political movement; it's a spiritual movement. The plan can only end in true sadness and tears and weeping and gnashing of teeth. There's no happy ending to the story that they are telling."

Carlson said the political volatility in the U.S. has reached an unprecedented fever pitch and urged his listeners to exhibit "moral strength" in the face of spiritual evil.

"You can only fight back  in fact, maybe you can only survive  not by changing them because you can't, but by changing yourself," he concluded, "and by becoming more impressive, more honest, and as a result of that, stronger."

During a subsequent question-and-answer session, Carlson maintained his belief that "countries, like people, suffer consequences for immorality" and that promoting abortion, prostitution and gender surgeries for children "is a very dangerous thing to do, and we are doing it."

"And again, I'm not a theologian; don't ask me if [it's] the End Times," he said. "I have no idea."

In recent months, Carlson has frequently used theological language to explain cultural battles, arguing that much of the current political discourse transcends politics.

Days before Fox News canceled his top-rated primetime show in April, Carlson delivered an address at The Heritage Foundation that similarly presented the political debate over transgenderism and abortion as part of a spiritual war.

"When people [...] decide that the goal is to destroy things, destruction for its own sake, 'hey let's tear it down,' what you're watching is not a political movement, it's evil," he said at the time.

Rather than Christians getting caught up in "totally fraudulent debates" over cultural issues, Carlson proposed a commitment to prayer instead.
Home Opinion A modern Gideon arises: Christian veteran smashes satanic idol in Iowa State Capitol

In a day and age full of weak men and moral compromise, bold and godly leadership is hard to find. It can be like looking for a needle with a spine in a haystack of evangellyfish.

But sometimes all it takes is one brave man of faith to stand up and take action, and by doing so, inspire thousands of others to do the same.

Because when Gods name is mocked, and His people attacked, it is not a time to remain silent.

Christians must fear God over men  and follow His laws first and foremost over all earthly powers.

Men who do this follow in the footsteps of many heroes of the faith, like Phineas, Gideon, Josiah, and St. Boniface, all idol smashers in their own right, who chose to defend Gods glory instead of sitting idly on their hands while pagans prevail.

Breaking news out of Iowa has many asking: Has such a man just arisen in America?

On Thursday afternoon, the Republic Sentinel reported that Michael Cassidy, a Christian and former military officer, tore down and beheaded a Satanist altar erected in the Iowa Capitol as the display provoked nationwide controversy.

Michael Cassidy, a name which will now go down in the history books, told the Sentinel that:

The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment. Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water."



"I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged. My conscience is held captive to the Word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.

Across the nation, Christians rejoiced. Cassidys courage is inspiring: Courage begets courage, and when Christian men take action, God is honored.

For weeks now, this display of a Satanic altar at the Iowa State Capitol building has sparked outrage and controversy among many Americans, especially conservative Christians, who rightly view it as a blasphemous affront to the name of God, American values, and the Christian principles our nation was founded on. The display, which was erected by the Satanic Temple of Iowa, features a rams head covered with mirrors on a mannequin cloaked in red clothing. The co-founder of the Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, claimed that the display was a symbol of their right to religious freedom and that they were not trying to worship Satan or promote evil.

However, this claim is false and misleading on multiple fronts. The Satanic Temple is not a genuine religious organization but a political activist group that seeks to undermine the authority of God and His law and poison our nation with their evil beliefs. Their display is not an expression of religious freedom or tolerance, but an attempt to indoctrinate children and adults into their Satanic worldview and agenda. Many have even argued that their display is not protected by the First Amendment but violates it by promoting hatred, violence, immorality, and blasphemy.

In an essay at World Magazine, titled Satanic displays have no place in government buildings, Andrew Walker, professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, convincingly argued that:

As Christians, we should be very clear: There is zero theological right for Satanic displays because there is no theological right to worship Satan  Moreover, in Christian considerations of rights, moral evil has no intrinsic rights  [and]  I do not believe there is even a political right for Satanic displays in government buildings.

Walker is right. And Cassidy heeded this call  and took action.

Cassidy stands in stark contrast to Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Iowa, who represents Iowas 2nd congressional district. Rep. Dunwell, who is also an ordained minister, repeatedly defended the presence of the statute with dubious arguments drawn from a fundamental misunderstanding of the First Amendment and misguided theological interpretations of how Christians should act in the public and political sphere.

Unlike Dunwell, Cassidy decided to do what was right in the eyes of God, despite the consequences. After destroying this wicked homage to darkness and evil, Cassidy turned himself into police officers present in the Iowa Capitol, who confirmed that the Satanic Temple of Iowa desires to press charges. The Sentinel obtained a complaint and affidavit which said Cassidy was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief.

It will be interesting to see how this case plays out. Will the Regime drop the hammer on Cassidy, even though thousands of far more violent acts of vandalism were committed by Antifa, BLM, and Janes Revenge activists over the last few years, many of whom skated with no charges at all? Time will tell.

As long as that Satanic shrine stood there, it sent a message that there is no absolute truth or standard of right and wrong in America, but only subjective opinions based on personal preferences or agendas. Cassidys actions send another message: God is the Lord of all, even the Iowa State Capitol.

The Satanic Temples display at the Iowa State Capitol building should have been removed immediately. But thankfully, due to the righteous actions of Michael Cassidy, it has now been destroyed.

In Deuteronomy 7:5, God told His people exactly how to deal with the idols of the false gods around them:

But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

In taking this action, Cassidy not only embodies this Old Testament virtue but he follows in the footsteps of Timothy, who is reported to have been killed for trying to stop a parade to the pagan goddess of Diana in Ephesus. According to Foxes Book of Martyrs, Timothy was the celebrated disciple of St. Paul, and bishop of Ephesus, where he zealously governed the Church until A.D. 97. At this period, as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the procession, severely reproved them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so exasperated the people that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him in so dreadful a manner that he expired of the bruises two days later.

While Cassidy wont be martyred for this stand, no doubt he will be smeared by the liberal media as a Christian extremist.

What does that mean? Nothing more than that he is a goldy, devout, courageous man of faith  willing to take action when others wouldnt.

May God raise up thousands more men like Michael Cassidy in America. Our future depends on it.

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
Home Opinion Has Hitler won on the Left?

When is a crime victimless? When its perpetrators enjoy the status of victims, at least according to the nihilistic tastes of the West in our day. That is the lesson of reactions to various events in recent years, from the looting that accompanied many of the mostly peaceful BLM protests of 2020 to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 this year.



The response to the violence in Gaza was especially chilling. While there is always room for debating whether a response is proportionate to the act of aggression, the jubilation and exhilaration expressed by American academics, students, and some politicians over the Hamas attacks started before the Israeli counter-attack.

The contradictions at the heart of the modern morality of victimhood have now been exposed to all with eyes to see, even to many who have been pressing it in the political sphere. When members of the LGBTQ lobby express support for Hamas, it is another reminder that many progressives have lost any sense of a moral compass. But this was predictable. When oppressor and oppressed, victimizer and victim are the decisive categories by which to understand the world with no broader moral framework for defining those terms, political morality defaults to that of ressentiment, a reactive stance that simply opposes on principle whatever is. It is the spirit of negation.

Lacking any real framework for ethical discussion beyond this spirit of negation, the moral register is flattened and the language of moral outrage inflated. For example, the word genocidal, once reserved for real ethnic slaughter, is now used (apparently with a straight face) to describe legislation that seeks to protect children from bogus science placed in the service of progressive transgender ideology. Not only does the West now lack a sophisticated moral register, but it also lacks any vocabulary in which such could be expressed.

Much has been made this week of the resignation of Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania. Congress had called her to a hearing on Capitol Hill to investigate her handling of recent anti-Semitic incidents on the Penn campus. During this testimony, she refused to definitively answer whether it would be against college policy to call for the genocide of Jews. In the wake of this testimony, many donors criticized her and she has now resigned under pressure. But how much change does this signify? Those incapable of calling out incitement to real physical violence are certainly incompetent to lead educational institutions  but they are a symptom of the problem, not its cause.



Penns president was a technocrat. Her job was to keep the administrative wheels turning and the financial donations flowing. She was destroyed by a donor rebellion, not by any action of the board. This is not a bad thing in itself  why should those donating vast sums of money not have a say in university policy? Perhaps those academics now worried about donor influence are naive about how money works. That seems unlikely, given how many of them support divestment initiatives relative to Israel. It is more likely that they are concerned about the particular influence of the specific donors involved.

The real issue is not the technocrats at the top. It is the culture that sees leadership in higher education not as a moral calling, but as a technocratic one. That type of leadership suits a broader academic culture that lacks positive moral content, that revels in the spirit of negation, and that cultivates a moral imagination infused with ressentiment among its students. Such leadership cares little for what happens in the classroom unless it affects the bottom line. And until that cultural issue is addressed, changes at the top will likely be accurately described in terms of Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss, to quote The Who.

Watching the displays of anti-Semitism and pro-Hamas support on the streets of Western democracies over the last few months, I was reminded of two books. One is Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adornos Dialectic of Enlightenment. In that work  the foundational text for critical theory  they argue that the Nazis needed the Jews because they required an inferior race to dominate in order to establish and justify their own superiority. Today, that necessity for demonizing Jews seems to be felt most acutely by the left. And that connects to the second book: Philip Rieffs My Life Among the Deathworks. Near the end he recalls that his grandfather did not want to be buried in America, where he lived, but in Israel, where he had grown up. His reason was that he thought Hitler had won in some way in the West, and he did not want his grave there. It is a haunting comment. Rieff explains it by arguing that the West is susceptible to decreation, a Nazi-like cultural impulse to throw off all external authority and plunge civilization into an orgy of self-destruction.

I had always thought it overstatement, but watching the decreation in which the pro-Hamas left have indulged over these many weeks, it is hard not to agree. Perhaps Hitler has won, though on the left  the opposite end of the political spectrum to that we might have expected. And it will take more than symbolic gestures by chief executive officers at Ivy League institutions to overturn that victory.

Originally published at First Things.
Jesus would 'go to prison' today for affirming traditional marriage and gender identity

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller claimed during a recent interview that Jesus would likely be imprisoned in Western societies today for affirming biological sex and traditional marriage.

"Jesus also contradicts ideologically these ways [that] want to relativize or even destroy a marriage of men and women and the family of the parents with their own children," the German cardinal told GBNews host Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Referencing Matthew 19, Muller noted how the Pharisees attempted to entrap Jesus by interrogating Him over the issue of marriage, but that Jesus pushed back by affirming marriage as between a man and woman, as well as God's original design of male and female.

"I believe that today, Jesus would not be condemned only because He was the Messiah," Muller said.

"But He would in Canada or the United States or European countries go to prison because He spoke out the truth about the marriage between a man and a woman."

Muller's comments came in response to a question from Rees-Mogg regarding the state of the Catholic Church, especially in the wake of the recent controversy over Joseph E. Strickland being removed from his post as bishop of Tyler, Texas, and Cardinal Raymond Burke being stripped of his cardinal salary and Vatican apartment.

Both traditionalist men have been outspoken critics of Pope Francis.

In 2014, the pope removed Burke from his position as head of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, which is the Vatican's highest court to which he had been appointed by Benedict XVI in 2008. He also lost his position in the Congregation for Divine Worship and his patronage of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

According to a source who attended the Nov. 20 meeting of the heads of Vatican offices during which Francis announced his actions against Burke, the pope said: "Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I take away his apartment and his salary."

The pope later denied through his papal biographer that he had ever called Burke his enemy, but confirmed that he had taken away his salary and evicted him from his Vatican-subsidized apartment because he was allegedly using his cardinal privileges "against the Church."

Muller said he could "personally testify that both [Strickland and Burke] are devout Catholics and serious pastors," and that Burke is "the best qualified candidate to the College of the Roman Cardinals."

"Calling them enemies of the pope only shows an un-Christian spirit," Muller continued, and went on to encourage "a respectful dialogue between grown-up men."

"The ordination are appointed by Christ himself to be shepherds of the Church and to treat each other like brothers," he added.

Muller's follow recent clarifications from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which last month issued guidance stipulating that people who have undergone transgender surgical procedures or taken cross-sex hormones can be baptized, provided "there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating public scandal or disorientation among the faithful."

On Monday, the doctrinal office announced that Pope Francis approved a measure permitting Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions, as long as the blessing is not considered akin to marriage and still labels such relationships sinful.

 The Christian Post
Sudan military occupy Coptic monastery

Concerns have been raised about the welfare of residents at a Coptic Christian monastery in Sudan after it was taken over by members of a special military unit with a poor human rights track record.

The members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been using the monastery in Wad Madani as a military base since 16 December.

The RSF were formerly under the control of the Sudanese government but since April this year they have been fighting against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and have been declared a rebel group.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that video footage was released by the RSF showing the monastery's residents being harassed. At least five priests, five trainee priests and four labourers remain missing.

CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: "CSW is highly concerned by the attack on the Coptic monastery in Wad Madani, and particularly, for the wellbeing of those whose whereabouts remain unknown."

He expressed concern about reports of serious human rights violations in areas under RSF control, and called for a ceasefire with the SAF as well as international intervention.

"We call on all warring parties to conclude a full and comprehensive ceasefire, and to immediately end the escalation in human rights violations which may amount to atrocity crimes," he said.

"The international community must also take extensive action to ensure that those responsible for egregious violations against Sudanese citizens, both during this conflict and before it, are held to account, and to penalise any nation or entity that is effectively aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes and prolonging the suffering of civilians by funding or arming the belligerents."
Record-breaking 120 billionth parcel mirrors vigor of Chinese economy

People's Daily Online) 13:42, December 20, 2023

On Dec. 4, 2023, the State Post Bureau's express delivery big data platform presented a constant flow of numbers on a large screen. At 6:26 p.m., the screen suddenly flickered and froze, revealing the number, "120,000,000,000."

At that precise moment, a package containing flowers was dispatched from Kunming, the capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, to Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 8, 2023 shows robots sorting and conveying parcels at an intelligent logistics center in Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Ni Lifang)

This momentous occasion marked a historic milestone as China's annual express volume surpassed 120 billion packages for the first time, a historic record.

The figure of 120 billion packages represents approximately 63 percent of the global express package volume from the previous year, roughly 5.5 times the volume of the U.S., 13.3 times that of Japan, and 23.5 times that of the U.K., from the previous year. China has emerged as the primary force in the growth of the global express industry.

During the first 11 months of 2023, China achieved an average monthly express volume of 10.7 billion packages, surpassing the combined annual volume of Germany and the U.K. from the previous year. The country's express volume growth rate continues to maintain a leading position, approximately three times that of the global average.

China's monthly express volume growth has exceeded the total volume for the entire 2014, indicating a remarkable increase from an average of 10 billion packages per year, to an average of 10 billion packages per month.

Since 2021, when China's express delivery industry handled 100 billion packages, the time it had taken to surpass 100 billion packages each year had been consistently decreasing.

In 2022, this milestone was achieved seven days earlier than in 2021, and in 2023, it surpassed the previous year's record by 39 days.

The 120 billionth express package this year was sent from the Kunming Dounan Flower Market, the largest flower market in Asia.

Mu Shunlin, the owner of the flower shop that sent out the flowers, said the flower market previously encountered difficulties in selling flowers to wholesalers at competitive prices.

However, with the advent of a livestream base, the market has embraced online sales and express delivery services. This approach not only guarantees the freshness of the flowers but also increases the sellers income.

In the first 10 months of 2023, China's online retail sales reached 12.3 trillion yuan ($1.72 trillion), a year-on-year increase of 11.2 percent.

The collaboration between logistics and e-commerce proved pivotal in the delivery of the 120 billionth package, resulting in an increase in package volume and consumer demand.

The 120 billionth package signifies the ongoing growth of China's consumption and the rapid unleashing of domestic demand. It also highlights the continuous enhancement of the industry infrastructure and the accelerated pace of industrial upgrading.

Transporting the 120 billionth package utilized high-speed rail freight, completing the entire delivery process in just 21 hours.

Chinese express delivery and Chinese high-speed rail, two prominent "calling cards" of the country, collaborated in the delivery of the 120 billionth package, serving as a vivid representation of the rapid advancement and modernization of the express delivery industry.

The current logistics network of express delivery consists of over 400 specialized logistics parks and more than 3,000 distribution centers. These facilities cover a vast one-way distance of over 48.7 million kilometers, and serve an average of over 700 million individuals daily.

There are over 900 county-level postal distribution centers and 278,000 village-level postal service outlets, ensuring the comprehensive coverage in towns and villages. This extensive network plays a crucial role in facilitating the swift circulation of over 100 million packages in rural areas each day.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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The May 2021 release of Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nations Cybersecurity, the growing attack surface due to cloud adoption, and the January 2022 Federal Zero Trust memorandum have all added urgency to the federal governments move to implement better network security through solutions based in Zero Trust architecture.

With initiatives such as the Cloud Smart strategy and agencies like the IRS making commitments to a cloud first roadmap, progress is being made to enhance and secure cloud communications between agencies and mission partners. In fact, ahead of the 2024 Zero Trust deadline established by the OMB (Office of Management and Budget), federal agencies are focusing on strengthening access and security to new and existing technologies. A more dispersed workforce requires the right equipment and layers to protect assets across the network.

Lamont Copeland, Director of Federal Solutions Architecture at Verizon, explained that its moving the security infrastructure and the footprint that we have to protect closer to the end user, and at the same time further away from the operational base. Ironically it creates a larger footprint of security that were going to have to manage. According to Copeland in order to protect the larger footprint, it is important to take a holistic view, adding multiple layers, including those in the cloud and those connected to the edge, such as IoT (Internet of Things), cell phones, and laptops.

With devices ranging from building security cameras and HVAC systems to remote workforce and facility IoT devices, applications and data that once sat isolated in a remote repository are now traveling along the same connections as other systems. This has significantly expanded the attack surface vulnerable to a security breach.

Many agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, are leveraging secure, managed cloud communications to collaborate with communities of interest and mission partners.

The Navy, for example, began rolling out their Integrated Navy Operations Command and Control System (INOCCS) at the beginning of March 2020. By simplifying, streamlining, and applying universal governance rules, Don Wiggins, Senior Global Architect for Equinix, described how the Navys digital platform is eliminating dealings with rogue entities and various cloud services that are hard to manage. Organizations with the Navy can now consume cloud services, software defined on-demand transport, and other services more efficiently and safely through secure and managed multi-cloud access points. As part of the efforts to address shadow IT, other agencies are enforcing a similar approach, centralizing their assets to better manage and secure cloud communications.

Zero Trust and other initiatives aim to protect the enterprise from advancing cyberattacks, but it is up to individual agencies to build a secure environment whether in the data center or in the cloud. The key is finding solutions that focus on the expanded footprint created by todays agencies while protecting the network at each access point. Despite workers and assets being more dispersed, agencies can effectively manage multi-cloud access through a single, secure platform that provides a centralized viewpoint of the entire network. For agencies adjusting to this new normal of digital transformation, getting guidance from a trusted partner is crucial to protecting mission-critical data and applications.
Portland Opportunities Industrial Center and Rosemary Anderson High School (POIC + RAHS) has a long name, but a simple, powerful mission: helping at-risk youth and adults be safe and successful. This thriving non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon provides a diverse range of much-needed services, including alternative education, public safety and violence intervention, and job training and placement. In all, it serves more than 3,000 students, families and other participants in underserved communities every year. Meeting the needs of this many clients requires reliable communication and fast connectivitylots of it.

Portland Opportunities Industrial Center and Rosemary Anderson High School (POIC + RAHS) is an innovative non-profit committed to the success of at-risk youth and adults in underserved communities in the Portland, Oregon area.

Hundreds of low-cost smartphones, subsidized cell plans, Verizon Jetpack Mobile Hotspot devices, and Verizon Internet Gateway Home Routers enable POIC participants to communicate, learn, apply for jobs and more.

Verizon Fixed Wireless Access provides critical backup connectivity that keeps POIC staff members in touch with families and others in at-risk situations.

The significant savings on communication devices and plans offered by Verizon via the MiCTA digital inclusion program enable POIC to reallocate funds to serve more clients and support new efforts.

Reducing the digital divide

In early 2023, POIC began partnering with Verizon as part of a major digital inclusion effort established by the Michigan Collegiate Telecommunications Association (MiCTA). As a member of this innovative telecommunications purchasing consortium, POIC gains access to a broad range of Verizon technology services at attractive pricesall to encourage digital equity. Today, POIC relies on Verizon for an ever-expanding portfolio of solutions, including hundreds of smartphones, mobile hotspots, routers and other hardware. Verizons low-cost monthly plans help POIC bring reliable, affordable connectivity to more participantsfrom high-school students to the recently incarcerated. And Verizon field personnel provide expertise and assistance that help the organization get the most impact and value from Verizon technology.

A chance to help more people in need

Our program managers are extremely excited about this program because they get to assist more people in new ways, says Jason Clanton, POICs chief information officer. They get to say yes more often to someone who really needs a device. Reliable communication and fast internet access can be critical to the people that POIC serves. It connects families in transition, enables students to learn from anywhere, helps jobseekers apply for work, and allows the recently incarcerated to reintegrate into everyday life. Thanks to MiCTA and Verizons commitment to reduce the digital divide, these capabilities are now in the hands of hundreds of POIC participants who may not have been able to afford them on their own.

Empowering clients with dignity

The smartphones POIC provides to its clients effectively become their personal property, a powerful aspect of the program. Because of the reduced pricing model that Verizon offers, we can say here, this phone is yours, says Clanton. Usually, theres a boatload of conditions that come with getting any device. But now we can just set our clients up with a phone and let them get on with their lives.

Putting communication to work in diverse ways

Verizon connectivity lets staff members stay in touch with more people, more oftenand enhance its diverse programs. We have a wide range of uses for the Verizon solutions because we have so many types of clients, says John Stilwell, POICs former board chair and current facilities manager. Verizon connectivity enables community safety staff to stay in touch with clients, including relocated, rehabilitated gang members. In Rosemary Anderson Schools, expanded access to reliable internet service allows students to participate in distance learning and other online assignments. And within the work placement area, it enables jobseekers to apply for jobs, follow up on potential opportunities, and actively participate in the job market.

Helping ensure continuity of services

The services that POIC provides to its clients are vital and often time-sensitive. To ensure constant access to its services, resources and people, POIC will be implementing Verizon Fixed Wireless Access routers in its key locations to provide reliable backup connectivity. The result? Services will be available, communication will continue uninterruptedand clients and POIC staff members can stay connected. Cost savings help expand services. The affordable Verizon hardware and contracts available via MiCTA have a bottom-line benefit that goes beyond cost savings. For years, we paid phone bills, Internet Service Provider bills and other bills, recalls Clanton. I remember seeing one cell plan that was charging a client $500 a month. The low-cost Verizon plans offered through MiCTA definitely let us save money. And now we can take that money and reinvest it elsewhere, expanding the people we can serve via our programs.

Providing connectivity wherever its needed

Verizon Jetpack Mobile Hotspot devices and Verizon Internet Gateway Home Routers give POIC connectivity options that go beyond giving smartphones to individuals. For example, they serve as a simple solution for families in transition, relocated gang members, and other groups who need connectivity in a consistent setting. Once the equipment is no longer needed, POIC can pass it along to the next group. Verizon Internet Gateways and Mobile Hotspots will also fill a need at POICs facilities, which need reliable, available (and redundant) internet access. According to POIC, these Verizon solutions will also fill an important role at events, where there may not be internet service. We often go to events, or host events, where we want to enable people to sign up for services, says Clanton. Frequently, theres no internet service, or it may be unreliable. Now we can go to events and know that people there can get dependable, fast access to the internet, sign up for services, and apply for jobsquickly and easily.

A chance to inspire other non-profit organizations

POIC leaders are helping inspire non-profit agencies and education institutions to participate in the MiCTA programand bring Verizon connectivity to their organizations and the people they serve. Were strategic thinkers and strategic planners, says Erickson. But we also recognize an opportunity, and these opportunities with Verizon have been tremendous. For us, it was all just too good to pass upand for others, too.

The Verizon solutions from MiCTA are making a real difference in our three main areascommunity safety, schools and work training. Jason Clanton, Chief Information Officer, POIC

Learn more

To learn more about how your non-profit or educational institution can benefit from Verizon Public Sector solutions visit us at: verizon.com/publicsector
BNM anunta concurs pentru postul vacant de economist/a principal/a, pe durata determinata, responsabil/a de control si evaluare riscuri
Keystone Moldova - angajare expert pentru elaborarea modulului de formare Mecanisme intersectoriale de interventie in integrarea copiilor cu dizabilitati plasati in APP specializat" (termen extins)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Utility crews worked Tuesday to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Maine and some rivers continued to rise following a powerful storm that hit the northeastern U.S., drenching communities and bringing windspeeds over 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas. At least five people were killed.

It was pretty loud, the wind was pretty strong, branches are breaking, things are flapping outside, said Drew Landry of Hallowell, Maine, who lost power and was looking at a street that was under water Tuesday. All the basements are pretty much flooded.

Many communities were saturated, with some getting well over 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain during the storm. Some towns in Vermont, which had suffered major flooding from a storm in July, were seeing more flood damage. Some school districts remained closed Tuesday.

Hallowell, just south of the state capital of Augusta, is along the Kennebec River, which was well over flood stage and still rising.

Nathan Sennett, a cook at the Quarry Tap Room in town, was wading through hip- deep water to move furniture from a flooded patio and deal with a change in holiday-related business.

We were supposed to have a couple of parties today and tomorrow, and just kind of sporadically throughout the weekend, he said. But obviously, we`ve had to cancel those.

More than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, and parts of several other states got more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service. Streets were flooded in some communities. Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph (113 kph) along the southern New England shoreline.

In New Jersey, a house surrounded by floodwaters caught fire Tuesday morning in Lincoln Park and was engulfed by flames. Firefighters were unable to get to it. Police said the house was unoccupied.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills closed state offices Tuesday to allow time for power restoration and cleanup efforts from the storm, which took down many trees and closed roads.

We are expecting a multi-day recovery effort at this point, she said, encouraging people to stay off the roads.

Pete Chagnon, 75, in Oxford, Maine, helped a couple of people remove a tree that was blocking a road, one of many that had fallen in his neighborhood. He moved there in 2015 from Burlington, Vermont.

Since moving here, I have seen some wicked storms but yesterday took the cake, said Chagnon, who lost power, but had a generator.

Some rivers in the region crested. The Androscoggin River in Rumford, Maine, reached a maximum stage of 22 feet (6.7 meters) in a 24-hour period ending early Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. Flood stage is 15 feet (4.6 meters). The river was expected to fall below flood stage Tuesday afternoon.

The Kennebec River at Augusta was expected to reach a crest of 25 feet (7.6 meters) Thursday evening, the weather service said. Flood stage is 12 feet (3.6 meters).

Police in the central Maine town of Fairfield along the river issued a voluntary evacuation order for some areas.

Five months after flooding inundated Vermonts capital city of Montpelier, water entered the basements of some downtown businesses as the city monitored the level of the Winooski River, officials said. Sandbags were back out on the streets, just in case the streets flooded.

I just don`t want to go through what we went through again, said Karen Williams, owner of Woodbury Mountain Toys, which flooded in July. The business relocated across the street and reopened in October. People are just opening up again.

Williams` new location is about a foot higher. This time, she just got a couple of inches of water in her basement, and a pump worked to get it out.

Although there will be damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses, we do not expect this to be the same scale as July, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said. That being said, some of the places that were impacted in July are currently experiencing flooding once again. So for them, this is July and its a real gut punch.

Authorities in northwestern Connecticut said they responded to numerous accidents Tuesday morning as roads drenched from Mondays rain froze and created slippery conditions.

But elsewhere, as rain and river levels rose, so did the temperatures Monday, setting some records. It reached 62 degrees in Concord, New Hampshire, breaking the record of 59 set on Dec. 18, 1928, the National Weather Service said. It got to 59 degrees in Portland, Maine on Monday, topping the record of 53 degrees set on Dec. 18, 1996.

Conditions were expected to remain calm the next few days.

Early in the storm, the weather service issued flood and flash-flood warnings for New York City and the surrounding area, parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

An 89-year-old Hingham, Massachusetts, man was killed early Monday when high winds caused a tree to fall on a trailer, authorities said. In Windham, Maine, police said part of a tree fell and killed a man who was removing debris from his roof. Another man in Fairfield, Maine, died while trying to move a storm- downed tree with a tractor, news outlets reported, citing a news release from authorities.

In Catskill, New York, a driver was killed after the vehicle went around a barricade on a flooded road and was swept into the Catskill Creek, the Times Union reported. A man was pronounced dead in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, after he was found in a submerged vehicle Monday morning.

On Sunday in South Carolina, one person died when their vehicle flooded on a road in a gated community in Mount Pleasant.

Rathke reported from Marshfield, Vermont. McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press reporters Robert Buakty in Hallowell, Maine; David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Bruce Shipkowski and Michael Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey; Michael Casey in Boston and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; contributed to this report.

Top photo: Joe Stanhope and Tori Grasse carry furniture from the flooded outdoor patio of the Quarry Tap Room, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Hallowell, Maine. Nathan Stanhope, rear, wades through the flood water to retrieve more items. Waters continue to rise in the Kennebec River following Mondays severe storm. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BEIJING (AP)  A strong overnight earthquake rattled a mountainous region of northwestern China, authorities said Tuesday, destroying homes, leaving residents out in a below-freezing winter night and killing 127 people in the nations deadliest quake in nine years.

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck just before midnight on Monday, injuring more than 700 people, damaging roads and knocking out power and communication lines in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, officials and Chinese media reports said.

As emergency workers searched for the missing in collapsed buildings and at least one landslide, people who lost their homes were preparing to spend a cold winter night in tents at hastily erected evacuation sites.

I just feel anxious, what other feelings could there be? said Ma Dongdong, who said in a phone interview that three bedrooms in his house had been destroyed and a part of his milk tea shop was cracked wide open.

Afraid to return home because of aftershocks, he spent the night in a field with his wife, two children and some neighbors, where they made a fire to stay warm. In the early morning, they went to a tent settlement that Ma said was housing about 700 people. As of mid-afternoon, they were waiting for blankets and warm clothing to arrive.

The earthquake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) in Gansus Jishishan county, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the provincial boundary with Qinghai, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 5.9.

State broadcaster CCTV said 113 were confirmed dead in Gansu and another 536 injured in the province. Fourteen others were killed and 198 injured in Qinghai, in an area north of the epicenter, according to the People`s Daily, the Communist Party`s official mouthpiece.

There were nine aftershocks measuring magnitude 3.0 or higher by 10 a.m.  about 10 hours after the initial earthquake  the largest one registering a magnitude of 4.1, officials said.

Emergency authorities in Gansu issued an appeal for 300 additional workers for search and rescue operations, and Qinghai officials reported 20 people missing in a landslide, according to Chinese state-owned media.

The earthquake was felt in much of the surrounding area, including Lanzhou, the Gansu provincial capital, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the epicenter. Photos and videos posted by a student at Lanzhou University showed students hastily leaving a dormitory building and standing outside with long down jackets over their pajamas.

The earthquake was too intense, said Wang Xi, the student who posted the images. My legs went weak, especially when we ran downstairs from the dormitory. 

The death toll was the highest since an August 2014 quake that killed 617 people in southwest China`s Yunnan province. The country`s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that left nearly 90,000 dead or presumed dead and devastated towns and schools in Sichuan province, leading to a yearslong effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.

Li Haibing, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, said that the relatively high number of casualties in the latest quake was in part because it was shallow. Therefore, it has caused greater shaking and destruction, even though the magnitude was not large, he said.

Other factors include the quake`s mainly vertical movement, which causes more violent shaking; the lower quality of buildings in what is a relatively poor area, and the fact that it happened in the middle of the night when most people were home, Li said.

The epicenter was about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southwest of Beijing, the Chinese capital. The remote and mountainous area is home to several predominantly Muslim ethnic groups and near some Tibetan communities. Geographically, it is in the center of China, though the area is commonly referred to as the northwest, as it is at the northwestern edge of Chinas more populated plains.

Tents, folding beds and quilts were being sent to the disaster area, state broadcaster CCTV said. It quoted Chinese leader Xi Jinping as calling for an all- out search and rescue effort to minimize the casualties.

The overnight low in the area was minus 15 to minus 9 degrees Celsius (5 to 16 degrees Fahrenheit), the China Meteorological Administration said. The Beijing Youth Daily, a Communist Party newspaper, quoted an unnamed rescue coordinator saying there was a need for generators, long coats and fuel for stoves, among other items. The coordinator recommended sending halal food because of the ethnic makeup of the affected population.

At least 4,000 firefighters, soldiers and police officers were dispatched in the rescue effort, and the People`s Liberation Army Western Theatre set up a command post to direct its work.

A video posted by the Ministry of Emergency Management showed emergency workers in orange uniforms using rods to try to move heavy pieces of what looked like concrete debris at night. Other nighttime videos distributed by state media showed workers lifting out a victim and helping a slightly stumbling person to walk in an area covered with light snow.

Two residents of Jishishan county told The Associated Press that there were cracks in their walls but that their buildings did not collapse. They were unsure whether it was safe to stay in their homes and figuring out where to spend the night.

Middle school student Ma Shijun ran out of his dormitory barefoot without even putting on a coat, according to a Xinhua report. It said the strong tremors left his hands a bit numb, and that teachers quickly organized the students on the playground.

Earthquakes are somewhat common in the mountainous area of western China that rises up to form the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.

In September 2022, 93 people were killed in a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Chinas southwestern province of Sichuan, triggering landslides and shaking buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, where 21 million residents were under a COVID-19 lockdown.

Associated Press researchers Wanqing Chen and Yu Bing contributed to this report.

Top photo: In this photo provided by Chinas Xinhua News Agency, a local resident of Chinas Tibetan Ethnic Group turns the prayer wheel as she passes by debris in the quake-hit Gyegu Town of Yushu County, northwest Chinas Qinghai Province, Tuesday, April 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhu Xiang, File)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
An Illinois appellate court decided Tuesday that a general liability insurance policy sold to a Waukegan packaging company clearly excluded coverage for violations of the state Biometric Information Privacy Act, saying a federal appellate court decision to the contrary was wrongly decided.

A panel of the the Illinois 1st District Appellate Court affirmed a trial court ruling in favor of National Fire Insurance Co. of Hartford. The CNA unit had denied a claim by policyholder Visual Pak Co. that sought indemnification for BIPA claims filed by employees who were fingerprinted each time they logged in and out of work.

The decision, if it stands, would save insurers that have the right policy exclusions from significant exposure. Lawsuits that allege biometric privacy violations can be rewarded with big verdicts thanks to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling in February that separate claims occur each time an inappropriate biometric scan is made.

Tae Andrews, a policyholder attorney in New York City, said that the Visual Pak case involved 13,000 class-action plaintiffs and a $19.5 million settlement.

That isnt even a high-end one of these, said Andrews, a senior management associate for the Pasich law firm. Some of these are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The 1st District appellate panel was asked to review Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilsons decision to grant summary judgment in favor of National Fire. The insurer had asked for a declaratory judgment that the packaging company and Elite Staffing, which provided temporary workers, violated the privacy rights of employees by using their fingerprints on the machines used to clock in and out of work.

Visual Pak argued that Wilsons ruling conflicted with a 2021 Illinois Supreme Court decision that found a similar policy exclusion was ambiguous and did not apply.

The panels opinion says the violation-of-law exclusion in the policy written by National Fire was broader than the exclusion in the case decided by the Supreme Court.

The opinion noted that both Illinois state courts and federal courts interpreting Illinois law have been divided on the question of whether violation-of-law exclusions apply to BIPA claims. In fact, Judge Wilson first ruled against National Fire but later recanted, granted the insurers motion for reconsideration, and then issued a new opinion finding the exclusion barred coverage.

The Illinois 1st District panel said it was not persuaded by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals June 15 decision in Citizens Insurance Co. of America v. Wynndalco Enterprises, which found that a policy exclusion nearly identical to National Fires was ambiguous because it was written so broadly it eliminated much of the coverage offered by the policy.

State courts are not bound by federal courts interpretation of state law. The 1st District panel said a reasonable policyholder would understand that the National Fire policy BIPA claims from coverage.

We cannot agree with the Seventh Circuits analysis, the opinion says. We do not find it to be an accurate reflection of Illinois law.

Andrews said the stakes are so large in BIPA cases that insurers and insureds are poring over every word in insurance policies to find arguments as to whether coverage is available. The wording of exclusions is crucial. He said he frequently represents policyholders with policies that use the same language as the National Fire policy, but there are also other policies that have similar, but different, language.

Every single word matters, he said.
Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. officials are discounting the significance of recent Florida judges rulings that have slammed the company for violating court orders, have forced Universal to default on lawsuits, have referred a Universal lawyer for disciplinary action, and required company officials to explain whats going on.

Universals lawyers said those court orders are no more common than sanctions against policyholder attorneys and are largely the result of the war  the vast amount of claims litigation and bad-faith actions brought by plaintiffs lawyers in Florida in recent years, which have burdened insurers with thousands of deposition and document requests.

Before the war, a lot of things would be worked out between attorneys, through professional courtesy, said Travis Miller, a top attorney for Universal, one of Floridas largest property insurance carriers.

One of the court orders against Universal came last month in Nassau County. It went far beyond previous sanctions orders and has raised eyebrows across the state, according to policyholder lawyers and a Florida law professor.

The circuit judges order, requiring Universals general counsel to answer questions about corporate legal practices later this month, is breathtaking, really, said Robert Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

The action by Nassau County Circuit Judge Eric Roberson is just the tip of the iceberg, said policyholder attorneys who have seen dozens of sanctions and other orders against Fort Lauderdale-based Universal in the last few years.

In my 37 years of practice, Ive never seen an insurance company exhibit such a contemptuous disregard for court orders, said Matthew Danahy, of Tampa, a former insurance attorney who now represents policyholders in claims disputes and has obtained several court orders against Universal.

Others have said the alleged stonewalling practices are common among several Florida insurance companies, and have slowed down claims litigation and have frustrated policyholders. The actions also run the risk of earning Universal and the Florida insurance industry another black eye and the ire of policyholders already miffed at recent premium increases  especially if the practices and sanctions are widely reported in local news media, said Jarvis.

Several plaintiffs lawyers suggest that Universals team of in-house and law firm attorneys appear to be so overloaded that they cant keep up with court deadlines. Either that, or its a deliberate strategy by the insurer to wear out plaintiffs, force settlements or delay payouts. In at least one pleading, a Universal lawyer blamed the missed deadline on his staff. Florida insurance defense attorneys have said that judges across the state are trying to clear away a backlog of cases that piled up during the COVID-19 shutdown, and have cracked down on missed deadlines.

Whatever the reason, earning the anger of judges has proved somewhat costly for Universal. In the Nassau County case, Judge Roberson took the unusual step of striking the pleading, or forcing the insurer to default in the underlying claims lawsuit. The final amount to be paid is confidential, but the complaint asked for more than $30,000.

The judge in that case also ordered Universal to pay the plaintiffs attorney fees and has given the policyholder grounds for a bad-faith lawsuit claim.

The Universal attorney that Roberson referred for a Bar investigation, P. Alejandro Perez, did not return phone calls and emails from Insurance Journal. A Bar official said an investigation has been opened, but she declined to provide further information.

Roberson lost his patience with Perez in a Fernandina Beach couples claims dispute. One order came in October when the judge sanctioned Universal for blatant discovery stonewalling and failing to comply with two previous court orders.

The two prior times apparently did not get the message through that discovery gamesmanship will not be tolerated in this court, Roberson wrote.

He fined Universal $100 per day, up to a maximum of $7,500, paid to the Florida Bar, to be used for efforts to promote professionalism.

Less than three weeks later, Roberson found that Perez and Universal had still not disclosed all required information by the courts deadline and Perez had displayed a disturbing lack of candor to the court. The judge then barred Universals expert witness and struck Universals pleading.

This is now, without a doubt, the most egregious act of willfully defying court orders and professional obligations that the court has seen in its tenure, Roberson wrote.

The judge also ordered Universals general counsel to a hearing Dec. 7 to provide answers to questions about Universals policies and procedures on discovery requests; its legal staffing, training, and supervision of the staff; and its record keeping on expert-witness payments. A transcript of the hearing was not available this week.

Policyholder lawyers have said Universals alleged mismanagement of litigation may not be that different from the case of notorious plaintiffs lawyer Scot Strems, who became known as Public Enemy No. 1 for the Florida insurance industry. Strems was charged with failing to properly manage thousands of claims lawsuits and for filing thousands of suits, many on the same insurance claim. He was disbarred in 2022.

The Bar declined to say what penalties Perez could face.

Veterans of the Florida insurance industry have argued that property insurers in the last half-decade have faced a flood of unnecessary claims lawsuits  so much that litigation costs became a key reason behind rate increases and at least 10 insurer insolvencies. The Florida Legislature responded in late 2022 and early 2023 with sweeping limits on litigation and plaintiffs attorney fees.

And just before the law took effect this year, several policyholder law firms filed more than 50,000 lawsuits, swamping insurance firms and filling court dockets, according to attorneys involved and news reports.

Insurers should be forgiven for making mistakes or fighting back while trying to handle an overwhelming number of legal actions, some in the industry have said. Others on the insurance side said that it would be counterproductive for an insurance carrier to purposely flaunt judges orders as a way to wear down the other side.

Its not deliberate. That would be absurd, said Matt Lavinsky, president of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. He added that he had never seen FDLA members engage in such tactics.

Universal officials said the fault lies in part with overzealous claimants lawyers. So many requests for depositions of corporate representatives have led to a scheduling and logistical nightmare, which has led to missed deadlines, Universals lawyers said.

And plaintiffs attorneys have been hit with just as many, if not more, sanctions orders in recent years, some for misrepresenting the facts or exaggerating the amount of damage in claim  a major violation in the eyes of most judges. In other cases, jury awards ended up being the same as or less than what Universal had offered early on in settlement attempts, showing that some claims litigation is completely unnecessary and costly to policyholders, Miller explained.

The plaintiffs lawyers have brought the recent Universal sanctions orders to the attention of the news media in an attempt to disparage insurers and fuel a reversal of the 2022 and 2023 tort-reform legislation, said Lavisky, of the defense lawyers association.

The increased frequency of plaintiffs blanketing various outlets with information they purport to prove a point is a deliberate attempt to paint a picture that is grossly one-sided and misleading and detrimental to the market and its insurance-buying consumers, Universals Miller said in an email.

Members of the plaintiffs bar have said theres little chance of Floridas lawmakers changing course anytime soon. Danahy and Robert Jameson, the claimants attorney in the Nassau County case, said the alleged stonewalling practices have gone on for years, all around the state, and have little to do with the recent flood of claims suits. Danahy, Jameson and others provided Insurance Journal with more than 40 judges orders since 2017, imposing sanctions on Universal or demanding that its lawyers comply with court orders.

Heres a sampling of the orders, confirmed through county clerks of court:

In 2017, in Palm Beach County, a circuit judge ordered Universal to pay a $700 settlement, after the deadline had passed, along with a $1,000 penalty.

In 2018 in Miami-Dade County, a circuit judge was so fed up with Universals lack of response to discovery requests that he threatened to strike the pleading and decide the case in favor of the homeowners. Two weeks later, the Universal attorney notified the plaintiffs that he had complied.

In 2022 in Broward County, a judge entered a default judgment against Universal after violation of court orders and a failure by the insurers attorney to coordinate mediation or provide a corporate representative for deposition.

In 2023, a Broward judge struck Universals pleading, awarding $93,000 in damages to the insured. Earlier, the judge found that defendants blatant and inexcusable failure to comply with numerous court orders was so egregious and pervasive that there (was) no remedy short of striking of its pleadings that could restore the prejudice to plaintiff and protect the integrity of the judicial process.'

Ive never heard of any defendant that has caught the attention of judges like this and has been sanctioned by so many judges, said Jarvis, the law professor.

To be sure, charges of improper behavior can be found on both sides of the divide. A number of plaintiffs attorneys besides Scot Strems have faced their own sanctions and Bar investigations through the years. One attorney who has obtained judges orders against Universal in recent years, for example, was reprimanded by the Bar in 2014 for failing to supervise his staff and failing to read affidavits before filing them.

Miller provided more than 60 examples of orders against plaintiffs lawyers, including a 2022 jury verdict that found that a plaintiff had made false statements.

But claimants lawyers insist that Universals tactics have moved well beyond being isolated incidents. Danahy has gone so far as to file a petition with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, asking it to revoke Universals certificate of authority.

See Sidebar: Florida Court Rulings, Legislation Could Impact Insurers Claims Practices

Universal had failed to pay up on a judgment in Miami-Dade, Danahy said in his Oct. 23 letter, and state law requires that, when an insurer does not pay a final judgment within 60 days after it is entered, the office shall forthwith revoke the insurers certificate of authority.

Danahys letter argued that statutes also require the revocation or suspension when an insurer engages in conduct that is hazardous to policyholders or the public.

A spokeswoman for OIR said only that the case is ongoing and the agency continues to monitor developments. Miller said that the delayed settlement payment was the result of some quirky procedural issues with the court, along with extenuating circumstances that should soon be resolved.

As far as legal staffing goes, Miller and Lewis noted that Universal has about 250 attorneys  two-thirds of which are in-house. The carrier currently has about 9,800 claims suits pending, or roughly 38 cases per lawyer.

The Florida Bar said it does not have rules on a maximum number of cases per lawyer. By comparison, 38 claims would be far below the hundreds of cases that the Strems law firm attorneys were each said to be handling in 2019 and 2020.

But compared with Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the largest carrier in the state, the number of Universal lawyers seems low. Citizens has about 18,300 lawsuits pending as of September, officials reported at a recent board meeting. And it has about 1,022 lawyers, at any given time, on average. Most of them with outside firms.

Thats about 18 cases per attorney for Citizens, half the load carried by Universal litigators.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While Trumplican Lemmings continue to hail Trump making him the Republican primary frontrunner, Trump at rallies continues to Heil Hitler rhetoric along with Putin, Kim Jong Un, Hungarys Victor Orban and Chinas XI. All Authoritarians he hopes to mimic all the days after hes dictator for a day upon reelection.

Trumps swastikaesque spewing about Vermin and Poisoning the blood of the country at New Hampshire rallies has been justifiably called out for echoing Hitler, because it does. Trump has a long history of Adolf adoration.

In November at a New Hampshire rally, Trump said the following:

We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country

Hitler from Mein Kampf:

...there was time enough at home at least to exterminate this vermin.

Trump this past Saturday at another New Hampshire rally:

Theyre poisoning the blood of our country. Thats what theyve done. Theyre coming into our country, from Africa, from Asia, over the world. Theyre pouring into our country.

Hitler from Mein Kampf:

Great civilizations...died out, as a result of contamination of the blood [poison] to the bloodstream and infect public life...

Vanity Fair reported that Trumps first wife Ivana had said he used to keep a book of Hitlers speeches next to their bed.

Trumps former chief of staff John Kelly remembers Trump once telling him well Hitler did a lot of good things.

Kelly also said Trump once asked why Kelly, a retired Marine Corps General and other U.S. generals couldnt be like the German generals in World War II?

Trump made those comments to Kelly in France during the 100th Anniversary of WWII end commemorations. How appropriate. Adolf could be heard heiling Trump from hell.

Thought the Trump mantra was just Make America Great Again not Make Nazis Great Again.

In 2022 at Mar-a-Lago Trump dined with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Its beyond time Republican voters stop feeding Trumpism and instead toast the Colorado Supreme Court who justifiably found the insurrectionist Trump ineligible to be on the states presidential ballot under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution Trump tried and failed to desecrate on January 6.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Donald Trump has endorsed Bernie Moreno in Ohios U.S. Senate race, a major lift for the former Cleveland car dealer given the sway the ex-president holds among Republican voters.

Trump announced the endorsement on Tuesday on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded. One of a pair of posts referenced Morenos daughter, Emily, a former Trump campaign official, and her husband, Rep. Max Miller, a former Trump White House aide who is close to the former president and who now is a congressman from Rocky River.

Bernie is Strong on the Border, Crime, Cutting Taxes, Election Integrity, the Military / Vets, and will always protect our under siege 2nd Amendment. Bernie Moreno will be an outstanding United States Senator, and has my Complete and Total EndorsementHe will never let you down! Trump said.

Whoever wins the Republican primary election between Moreno, state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose on March 19 will go on to face longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, in the November election. The high-stakes race likely will be one of the countrys most competitive and expensive elections, given Democrats narrow control of the U.S. Senate.

Remember, we need a successful political outsider like Bernie to defeat Liberal career politician, Sherrod Brown, who has so poorly represented Ohio, and pretends that hes all for the Policies of your Favorite President, Donald J. Trump, but then gets to the Senate and votes 100% for the horrendous Policies of Crooked Joe Biden, the worst President in the History of our Country, Trump said.

The development is a major boost for Moreno, who has never before held elected office, although he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 before dropping out ahead of the primary election that March. Trump endorsed Vance that year in what turned out to be a decisive boost for Vance, helping lift him past the heated Republican primary election and into the Senate, after Vance won the general election the following November. After dropping out, Moreno has worked to build a relationship with Trump while drawing on his family connection to Trump World.

Vance in turn endorsed Moreno earlier this year, saying he wanted to help prevent the 2024 race from becoming as nasty as the 2022 one was. Vance met with Trump last Friday, according to a source familiar with the conversation, helping make the case that he should endorse Moreno. Trump called Moreno that night to say an endorsement would be coming.

Trumps endorsement meanwhile is a huge blow to Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has vied for Trumps endorsement and whose team at least hoped to keep Trump neutral in the race, although LaRose also has privately downplayed the effects of a Trump-Moreno endorsement, according to a recording that was released to Politico afterwards.

LaRose as recently as Monday told NBC4 in Columbus that he didnt think Trump would endorse anyone.

President Trump is most likely not going to endorse anybody in this race. Thats what hes told me and others as it relates to this, LaRose said.

The third major Republican Senate candidate, state Sen. Matt Dolan, meanwhile has not sought a Trump endorsement while attempting to create distance between himself and Trump, appealing to moderate and traditional Republican voters.

Dolan has mentioned Trump sparingly during his campaign, but hes among the Republicans who have criticized Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol that led the former president to be criminally charged, one of several criminal prosecutions against him that are ongoing. At least among Republican primary voters though, Trumps legal issues have not been a major political problem for him so far, according to polls that show him with a commanding lead over several GOP opponents. The Ohio Republican Party recently endorsed Trump, making it the first state party to do so in the country, before voting even has begun.

Asked about the prospect of Trump endorsing one of his opponents on Monday, before the endorsement was announced, Dolan said he wasnt worried.

I think if you pay attention to what I say, Im actually ironically the one that talks about Trump policies more than my opponents, Dolan said. ... I think as the voter starts looking at us, if theyre motivated by Donald Trump, I think they can see me as someone who can actually get things done, just like Donald Trump did.

In a statement issued after Trump endorsed Moreno, Dolan said: This is Ohios Senate seat. I know who Im fighting for. I know what Im fighting for. To defeat Sherrod Brown, we must have the strongest nominee possible.

A statement from Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Reeves Oyster said Trumps endorsement throws gasoline on the fire in the GOP primary. But it didnt mention Trump directly.

Bernie Moreno has made it clear he wont fight for Ohioans and doesnt understand the issues facing their daily lives. As this primary heats up, its clear this slugfest is only going to get messier, nastier, and more expensive from here, Oyster said.

A televised debate between Dolan, LaRose and Moreno, the first in the race, is scheduled for January.

Andrew Tobias covers state politics and government for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The physicians group behind Ohios newly passed reproductive rights amendment is urging a prosecutor to drop criminal charges against a woman who miscarried in the restroom at her home.

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, a nonpartisan coalition of 4,000 doctors and others, argues in a letter to Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins that the abuse-of-corpse charge against Brittany Watts, 33, conflicts with the spirit and letter of Issue 1.

The measure, which was approved in November with 57% of the vote, guarantees an individuals right to make and carry out ones own reproductive decisions. It made Ohio the seventh-straight state to vote to protect reproductive rights since the U.S. Supreme Courts 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the ruling that long legalized abortion nationally.

Watts case has touched off a national firestorm over the treatment of pregnant women, particularly those like Watts who are Black, in post-Roe America. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump elevated Watts plight in a post to X, formerly Twitter, and supporters have donated more than $135,000 through GoFundMe for her legal defense, medical bills and trauma counseling.

Watts miscarried at home Sept. 22, days after a doctor told her that her fetus had a heartbeat but was nonviable. She twice visited Mercy Health-St. Josephs Hospital in Warren and twice left before receiving care. Her attorney said she was left waiting for lengthy periods and felt anxious and judged.

A nurse called police when Watts returned that Friday, no longer pregnant and bleeding. She says her babys in her backyard in a bucket, the woman told a dispatcher. Police arrived at her home, where they found the toilet clogged and the 22-week-old fetus wedged in the pipes.

A city prosecutor told a municipal judge that Watts was wrong when she tried unsuccessfully to plunge the toilet, scooped the overflow into a bucket, set it outside by the trash and callously went on (with) her day.

Her attorney, Traci Timko, argued Watts is being demonized for something that goes on every day.

An autopsy found no recent injuries to the fetus, which had died in utero.

The statute under which Watts is charged prohibits treating a human corpse in a way that would outrage reasonable family or community sensibilities. A violation is a fifth-degree felony punishable by up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Dr. Lauren Beene, executive director of the physicians group, wrote Watkins: It was wrong for the nurse who was caring for Ms. Watts and hospital administrators to call the police, wrong for the police to invade Ms. Watts home while she was fighting for her life in the hospital, wrong for Warren assistant prosecutor Lewis Guarnieri to move that she be bound over to the Trumbull County grand jury, and wrong for Judge (Terry) Ivanchak to grant his motion. Prosecutor Watkins has the opportunity to be the first law enforcement official to do the right thing since this incident began.

She called it an opportunity he should seize immediately.

Beene said Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights fears the case will deter other women from seeking miscarriage care. The organization also shared its letter, dated Dec. 15, with the Warren mayor, law director and city council members, in hopes of building support for dropping charges against Watts.

Messages seeking comment were left with Watkins, the mayor and the law director. The prosecutor told the Tribune Chronicle of Warren that his office does not comment on pending grand jury cases.
Alphabet 's Google said on Tuesday it will restrict the types of election-related queries its chatbot Bard and search generative experience can return responses for, in the run up to 2024 U.S. Presidential election.

The restrictions are set to be enforced by early 2024, the company said.

Aside from the U.S., a slew of groundbreaking elections are expected in 2024, including national elections in India, the world's largest democracy, and South Africa, among others.

The tech giant said it will "work with an increased focus on the role artificial intelligence (AI) might play" as it looks to service voters and campaigns related to these elections.

Facebook-owner Meta had also said in November it is barring political campaigns and advertisers in other regulated industries from using its new generative AI advertising products.

Advertisers on Meta will also have to disclose when artificial intelligence (AI) or other digital methods are used to alter or create political, social or election related advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.

On the other hand, Elon Musk's social media platform X, which is being probed by the European Union, said in August it would now allow political advertising in the U.S. from candidates and political parties. It will also expand its safety and elections team ahead of the U.S. election.

All political ads had previously been banned globally on X since 2019.

Governments across the globe have been rallying to regulate AI in light of the threats it poses, such as the spread of misinformation.

Big Tech firms will face new European Union rules to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much and which elections are being targeted.
The headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen in Washington, D.C., May 12, 2021.

Laura Tyler Perryman, co-founder and former CEO of the medical device startup Stimwave Technologies, was charged with allegedly defrauding investors out of $41 million by making "false and misleading" statements about one of its devices, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday.

The complaint alleges that Perryman misrepresented a Stimwave device that was supposedly able to treat chronic nerve pain by using electrical signals. The device is made up of a transmitter, an electrode array and a receiver, which was "in reality, fake and nothing more than a piece of plastic," according to the SEC. The fake and non-functional component was allegedly implanted into patients' bodies, the complaint said.

Perryman also allegedly told investors that the device, called the peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) device, was "the only effective device of its kind on the market" and had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the SEC.

"We allege that Perryman touted a supposedly innovative medical pain-relief device while concealing that a primary component of the device was fake and that patients were unwittingly undergoing unnecessary surgeries to implant the non-functional component into their bodies," Monique C. Winkler, director of the SEC's San Francisco regional office, said in a release.

The complaint charges Perryman with violating the antifraud provisions of federal securities laws. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, a civil penalty, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest and an officer and director bar, according to the filing.

Perryman did not comment and directed CNBC to her lawyer, who did not immediately respond.

The SEC's complaint follows Perryman's indictment by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in March. She was arrested in Delray Beach, Florida, and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, and one count of health care fraud, according to a release.

The SDNY on Tuesday filed a superseding indictment against Perryman that added criminal securities fraud charges, the SEC said.

Stimwave filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2022. Curonix, a peripheral nerve stimulation company, acquired Stimwave's assets late last year. Stimwave voluntarily recalled the PNS devices, but Curonix still offers a PNS system called Freedom PNS, according to the Curonix website.

Representatives for Curonix did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.
Donald Trump, 2016 Republican presidential nominee, smiles during a campaign event in Pueblo, CO, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state's ballots for next year's election due to his inciting the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot  but paused the decision from taking effect until Jan. 4.

The delay allows Trump to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 4-3 ruling  which he plans to do  and in doing so indefinitely extend the hold on the Colorado decision from taking effect.

The Colorado Supreme Court in that decision said there was significant evidence that showed "that President Trump engaged in insurrection," disqualifying him from serving as president under a provision in the U.S. Constitution.

It is the first time a state court has agreed that Trump should be disqualified from the 2024 election because he championed the insurrection to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, a Democrat. All seven justices who heard arguments in the case on Dec. 6 were appointed by Democratic governors.

Four of the state's Supreme Court justices voted to block Trump from the ballot in Tuesday's 133-page ruling, which in reversing a lower court's decision found that the Constitution's disqualification provision applied to the office of president.

Three Colorado justices, among them Chief Justice Brian Boatright, dissented from the ruling. All three of them wrote dissents explaining their votes.

"A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the majority wrote in the ruling.

"Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot," the ruling said.

The majority went on to say, "We do not reach these conclusions lightly."

"We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach," the opinion said.

"We are also cognizant that we travel in uncharted territory, and that this case presents several issues of first impression."

If the ruling stands, Trump would be denied the opportunity to contest for Colorado's 10 votes in the Electoral College, the entity that selects a president every four years.

But the decision said that if Trump seeks a review of the case from the U.S. Supreme Court  which his campaign immediately vowed to do  the pause in the ruling will remain in effect until the federal high court either rejects Trump's request or rules on the question of his eligibility on the ballot.

That delay means that Trump, who looks increasingly likely to win the Republican presidential nomination, could appear on the March 5 GOP primary ballot in Colorado.

Courts in Minnesota and Michigan have rejected similar suits challenging Trump's placement on the presidential ballot. But the issue continues to be litigated in many states, including Michigan, where plaintiffs have appealed the loss of their suit.

Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, in a statement, said, "This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nation's democracy."

"It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order," Habba added.

Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, after the ruling was issued, but did not mention the decision in remarks that lasted more than an hour.

However, his campaign quickly sent out a fundraising appeal citing the ruling, saying, "Please make a contribution to join the fight to keep my name on the 2024 ballot and peacefully defend YOUR right to vote."

In his dissent to the majority opinion Chief Justice Boatright wrote that the suit challenging Trump's eligibility in Colorado elections should have been dismissed because the state election code section that was cited to bring the claim "was not enacted to decide whether a candidate engaged in insurrection."

"Unlike qualifications such as age and place of birth, an application of Section Three requires courts to define complex terms, determine legislative intent from over 150 years ago, and make factual findings foreign to our election code," Boatright wrote.

Justice Carlos Samour, in his dissent, said the ruling "flies in the face" of Trump's right to "due process" in the case.

Samour suggested that such due process at the trial court level could have included, but did not, the right of Trump to subpoena documents, compel witnesses to testify and "the opportunity for a fair trial."

"I have been involved in the justice system for thirty-three years now, and what took place here doesn't resemble anything I've seen in a courtroom," Samour wrote.

The ruling comes three months after a group of six Colorado voters sued to block Trump from state ballots because of a claim he was barred due to the constitutional provision.

Section 3 says that "no person" can serve as an officer of the United States who, having previously taken an oath of federal office, "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S.

The suit claimed that Trump's incitement of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by a mob of his supporters was an act of insurrection.
Better times may be ahead for energy investors after this year's declines opened major investment opportunities, and oil prices rebound. West Texas Intermediate futures are down about 7% in 2023. That would mark the commodity's first annual decline since 2020, when it fell more than 20%. Those declines come amid record U.S. production. The domestic oil industry is pumping more than 13 million barrels a day, gaining market share and putting pressure OPEC and its allies  which are cutting supply to balance the influx. This production frenzy is happening as domestic producers aim to cash in on the oil-rich Permian Basin. Deals this year totaled $180 billion, the highest value in more than a decade, according to Morgan Stanley. But roaring growth has put the U.S. oil sector in something of a bind as breakneck production collides with a weakening economy in China, depressing crude prices. Energy stocks, in turn, have languished the broader market. The sector is down about 3% year to date, while the S & P 500 has soared 24%. But there is opportunity in the sector's pullback, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Devon McDermott and others on the Street, as crude is primed to bounce back in the new year. Take a look at where analysts and industry leaders see oil going in the new year, and how investors can capitalize. Back to $80 U.S crude? Morgan Stanley and Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub see U.S. crude averaging $80 a barrel in 2024 as the market comes into balance. U.S. crude has fallen about $21 per barrel since reaching its September highs, as traders have issued a vote of no confidence in OPEC's November promise to deliver supply cuts of 2.2 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2024. The United States Oil Fund is down more than 15% over the past three months. The S & P Oil & Gas Exploration ETF has followed oil prices lower and pulled back 6% during the same period. @CL.1 @LCO.1 YTD line West Texas Intermediate and Brent prices in 2023. Hollub said the drop this year is largely due to U.S. production growth, which is expected to slow next year, helping to lift prices. "We've always gone back to our belief that WTI will average around $80," Hollub told CNBC on Dec. 11. "It's averaged $80 since 2004. We think it'll continue to be around $80." A sharp pullback in U.S. shale activity as prices fall should slow production growth outside OPEC to 1.4 million barrels per day in 2024, down from 2.2 million bpd in 2023, according to Morgan Stanley. Global oil demand growth, meanwhile, should slow to 1.2 million barrels per day in 2024 with OPEC's supply cuts pushing crude markets into a deficit in the first quarter of 2024, according to the firm. If this deficit pushes U.S. crude to $80 a barrel, the basket of exploration and production stocks that Morgan Stanley covers should see a median shareholder return of 9% in 2024, according the firm. If U.S. crude pushes $100 a barrel, shareholder returns for exploration and production stocks would rise to 13%, according to Morgan Stanley. To be sure, Wells Fargo is forecasting a lower U.S. crude price at $71.50 a barrel next year. But, Morgan Stanley believes that even at $60 a barrel shareholders would still bank 6% returns. The case for Occidental McDermott sees Occidental riding oil prices higher, upgrading the stock to overweight with a price target of $68, implying 12% upside from Tuesday's close. The analyst, who named the stock a top pick, sees Occidental yielding 8% overall in dividends and buybacks for shareholders in 2024. Occidental had fallen out of favor with investors after taking on significant debt from its acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum in 2019. The company, however, has paid down $18 billion in obligations since 2020 and further balance sheet improvement could return the stock to its "full historical premium" given its strong portfolio of assets, McDermott wrote. Hollub said Occidental is still breakeven if U.S. crude falls to $45 a barrel, providing the company with a significant cushion if crude continues to tumble. McDermott, however, is in the minority among Wall Street analysts at the moment with 56% of analysts rating Occidental as hold  apparently waiting to see how the recent CrownRock deal plays out. Occidental's stock is down about 6% for the year. McDermott also upgraded Devon Energy to overweight with a price target $48, implying about 5% upside. Devon, though down about 26% this year, is taking steps improve its well efficiency and should deliver a 9% shareholder return in 2024 with WTI at $80 a barrel, compared to 7% among some peers, McDermott wrote. Some 66% analysts have a buy rating on Devon with an average price target of $56.29, which would deliver 23% upside from the last close. Big oil, big deals  big returns? Occidental, along with Exxon and Chevron, are chasing growth and shareholder returns through major acquisitions, part of a broader consolidation trend in the industry this year. Exxon's stock is down about 3% since it agreed to purchase Pioneer Natural Resources for about $60 billion and 6.6% for the year, but Wall Street is bullish on the oil major overall with 62% of analysts issuing a buy rating on the company's stock. JPMorgan sees the Pioneer deal adding high quality undrilled inventory to Exxon's portfolio. The bank has an overweight rating on Exxon with a $127 price target, implying 19% upside. Exxon plans to increase its stock buyback program to $20 billion, a $2.5 billion increase, once the Pioneer deal closes. Chevron has struggled more than its peers with its stock down nearly 6% since it agreed to buy Hess for $53 billion. Year to date, Chevron shares are down more than 15%. Goldman Sachs said this underperformance is largely due to operational issues at its Tengiz oilfield in Kazakhstan. The investment bank thinks the oil major will rebound as it resolves the issues in Tengiz, issuing a price target of $180  nearly 19% upside for the oil major from Monday's close. Goldman forecasts Chevron will deliver $29 billion returns to shareholders in 2024 through buybacks and dividends with room for upside when the Hess transaction closes. Meanwhile, Occidental's purchase of privately held CrownRock for $12 billion has raised questions over whether the company is falling into a debt trap again. Hollub told CNBC Occidental is still on track to slash its obligations below $15 billion by divesting domestic assets that aren't core to the company's portfolio. Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway recently gave the deal an endorsement, buying up $588 million in Occidental stock after the transaction was announced. Occidental's shares have risen about 5.6% since the deal was announced and after the company raised its dividend to 22 cents per share from 18 cents per share. Hollub told CNBC that the CrownRock deal was not driven by the oil majors' shopping spree. She said it is all about maximizing shareholder returns by scaling up in the oil-rich Permian Basin. "It's the scale, it's the inventory and all of that has helped now for us also to step up our dividend," she said. And it's a strategy that Morgan Stanley sees others adopting in 2024, with low financial leverage giving the industry the opportunity to shop for deals. "Over time, we would expect industry consolidation to lead to fewer but higher quality companies, a positive for the investability of the sector," McDermott wrote.
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will step down from his role as head of the video game company on Dec. 29, according to an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on Wednesday.

The leadership change was expected after Microsoft closed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. The deal went through extensive regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe.

Kotick had previously said he would stay on as CEO through the end of 2023. He first joined the company as Director and CEO of Activision Inc., in February 1991 before serving as CEO of Activision Blizzard beginning in July 2008.

"I'd like to thank Bobbyfor his invaluable contributions to this industry, his partnership in closing the Activision Blizzard acquisition and his collaboration following the closeand I wish him and his family the very best in his next chapter," Spencer wrote in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC.

The deal, the largest in Microsoft's history, was first announced in January 2022. The acquisition gives Microsoft a hefty portfolio of video game franchises, including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft, Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Warcraft.

In a memo to employees Wednesday, Kotick expressed "gratitude and appreciation" for his time at Activision Blizzard.

"I cannot adequately express the pride I have in the people who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped throughout my 32 years leading this company," Kotick wrote in the release, which was posted to Activision Blizzard's website. "We are now part of the world's most admired company. That isn't an accident."

Spencer also announced a slew of additional "organizational changes" that will take place following the merger.

Thomas Tippl, the vice chairman of Activision Blizzard; Rob Kostich, president of Activision Publishing; Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment; and others will report to Matt Booty, the president of Microsoft's Game Content and Studios.

Brian Bulatao, Activision Blizzard's chief administrative officer, will report to Dave McCarthy, the chief operating officer of Microsoft Gaming, among other changes.

Spencer said the leadership teams at Activision Publishing, Blizzard and King will remain the same, and for most employees, "it's still business as usual," adding that much of the day-to-day work will look the same.

"At the leadership level, these changes will provide the clarity and accountability that is necessary to achieve our ambitious goals and foster a culture that is welcoming, empowering, and committed to Gaming for Everyone," Spencer wrote in the memo.

 CNBC's Jordan Novet contributed to this report.



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Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 29, 2020.

WASHINGTON  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ambitious rule proposal to crack down on credit card late fees, a $14.5 billion income stream for credit card companies, will potentially roll out in January, nearly a year after it was released.

Global corporations and small banks alike are pushing back against the impending rule finalization with some help from business-friendly lawmakers.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., called the proposal, which is projected to save consumers nearly $12 billion each year by capping late fees at as little as $8, "unclear at best and likely harmful" in the long term.

The chair of a House subcommittee on financial institutions and monetary policy called on the Government Accountability Office to study the rule's potential impacts weeks before it is set to go into effect.

The CFPB would not confirm when the rule would be finalized, but interest groups say banks are not yet signaling a preemptive fee change akin to their response to a proposal to ban overdraft and insufficient fund fees.

Late fees, which can reach $41 under a legislative loophole allowing banks to charge unimpeded under a certain threshold, disproportionately affect poor Americans and those with low credit scores, the American Economic Liberties Project reported.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said fees "play an important role" in encouraging timely payments and avoiding added interest in its comments on the proposal.

"In contrast to the CFPB's unfounded statements, late fees are not impermissible, so-called 'junk fees' that fail to serve any purpose," the Chamber wrote, referencing the Biden administration's overall initiative to shrink excessive surcharges. "Instead, they are heavily regulated by the CFPB, and the Federal Reserve before it."
A trader works underneath a monitor displaying Citigroup Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on June 3, 2016.

Citigroup is shuttering another Wall Street business as CEO Jane Fraser pushes ahead with her overhaul of the bank, CNBC has learned.

The company decided to close its global distressed-debt group, according to people with direct knowledge of the move.

Citigroup is exiting businesses with poor returns to bolster the bank's odds of hitting Fraser's performance targets. Fraser announced the latest overhaul of the third biggest U.S. bank by assets in September, and has since moved to trim executives and pare back businesses. Internally, the effort is known as Project Bora Bora.

Last week, the bank announced it was closing its municipal-bond trading operations, a once-thriving business with about 100 employees that had fallen on hard times.

The distressed-debt group, which trades the bonds and other securities of companies in or approaching bankruptcy, employs about 40 people, said the people, who declined to be identified speaking about strategic moves.

Citigroup didn't immediately comment for this piece.
U.S. whiskey distillers are breathing a sigh of relief as they will avoid a looming 50% tax on shipments to Europe.

The European Union said Tuesday it would extend the suspension of tariffs on U.S. whiskey until March 31, 2025. The 50% levy, which came in the context of a broader steel and aluminum dispute between the U.S. and the European bloc, was set to take effect in the new year.

"For the past two years, the United States and European Union have been engaged in critically important negotiations," said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who oversaw the deal. "Our goal is to forge a forward-looking arrangement that will allow us to join forces economically to incentivize fair and clean production and trade in the steel and aluminum sectors."

American whiskey makers found themselves in the middle of a trade dispute that started in 2018 after former President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum. The EU responded with taxes on a variety of select U.S. products, as they aimed to apply pressure on politicians in Republican and swing states.

The EU initially set the whiskey tariff at 25%. American whiskey exports to the EU then plunged 20% from 2018 to 2021, falling from $552 million to $440 million, according to analysis by industry trade association Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

The measure was suspended in October 2022 as part of a mutual agreement to put the U.S. metals levies and EU tariffs on hold until Jan. 1 next year. They would have doubled to 50% at that time.

American whiskey exports to the EU increased 29% in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching pre-trade dispute levels of $566 million that year.

"I am glad the EU has announced that it is taking steps to join us in extending the time for these negotiations and will follow our recommendation by continuing to suspend its tariffs on U.S. products," Tai said.

In order to fulfill the agreement, the U.S. still needs to extend a suspension on steel and aluminum taxes to the E.U.

DISCUS also urged President Joe Biden to negotiate an end to tariff disputes.

"Until the threat of these tariffs returning is fully removed," DISCUS President and CEO Chris Swonger said. "The uncertainty will continue to restrict American Whiskey export growth in our most important international market."
Experts suggest thinking about how you'll use your home in future when considering a building project. 10'000 Hours | Digitalvision | Getty Images

Extending your home or remodeling your kitchen and bathroom may be an exciting prospect but it's worth carefully planning the design and build to manage the risks involved, according to specialists who spoke to CNBC. If your project is fairly large, such as a home extension where you'll be knocking walls down, it's a good idea to hire an architect because they can guide you through the relevant planning permission and building rules depending on where you live. They can also help you appoint a building contractor (known as a builder in the U.K.). Write an initial brief  essentially a wish list for your project  before approaching an architect, is the advice of a spokesperson from the U.K.'s Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in an email to CNBC. Think about how you'll use the new space now and how that might change in the future. Then, consider your budget before you approach architecture firms, said Richard Parr, founder of design studio Richard Parr Associates. "Do the math before your first meeting," he said in an email to CNBC. He also advocates thinking about the "emotional" brief  Parr likes to get to know his clients by asking them questions like how they spend their time and where they like to go on vacation  as a favorite destination might influence their design choice.

Green building

Finally, consider green credentials. It's worth focusing on any sustainability goals upfront, according to Ruth Lang, lead researcher in low carbon housing at the Future Observatory, a research program run by London's Design Museum. "Thinking about how your project can make better use of passive heating and lighting, and use reclaimed or natural materials, which have a lower carbon impact, can hugely change the manner in which a project would be conceived," she told CNBC by email. You can also ask your team how they might minimize waste or repurpose materials, Lang said. "If you were thinking of taking out a marble kitchen countertop, for example, you don't have to reuse this in the kitchen again. You could instead consider how the material available could be used in other applications, such as being cut up for bathroom tiling," she said.

Appointing an architect

RIBA's online Find an Architect service asks for details such as your project's aims and budgets, design style (such as whether you want it to be in keeping with the existing building), your overall aims  including more space, flexibility or more light  plus any restrictions like being in a conservation area. In Germany, the Association of German Architects (known as the BDA), has around 5,000 members and you can search its directory by region, while the American Institute of Architects also has a listing of firms that is searchable by state or zip code. RIBA advises meeting four or five firms in person to see how you get on, and to find out about their portfolio, fees, construction costs and timings. The architect will prepare technical drawings ready for a builder to cost and can recommend what type of building contract you should use too.

A home extension with a glass conservatory roof and bare brick wall. John Keeble | Moment | Getty Images

You can opt for your architect to be your contract administrator too, meaning that they will oversee quality control during the build, according to RIBA. "If you don't designate someone to this position, the responsibility falls on you," its spokesperson said.

Budgeting

Gary Olsen, a chartered builder and director of design and build company Create, said this pre-contract phase is crucial  and not worth skimping on because it can avoid problems later. Any scope of work document should include costs that "people might not initially think of," Olsen told CNBC by phone, such as parking permits and fees for dumpster or skip hire. If the builder's estimate exceeds your budget, write down your hierarchy of needs and wants and ask your contractor if they can revise it accordingly, Olsen said. When you meet with potential builders, ask whether the person quoting for the work will also oversee it. If not, ask to meet the manager who is likely to be in charge of your build. "I've got to be confident that you're going to be a nice person to work for and I'm going to get paid ... And then [customers must consider]: Can I trust this person to deliver what he says?" Olsen said. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has a directory of building contractors, searchable by specialism and location.

Managing risks

Older properties may have structural issues, and it's worth understanding these ahead of time, Olsen said. Victorian-era terraced properties, typical of the U.K., are sometimes "L"-shaped at the rear, meaning they have an outrigger, the part of the home that projects out into the backyard. Occasionally this can sink in relation to the rest of the building and it's worth identifying these types of issues before work starts, Olsen said. "Don't  hide behind a sofa looking through your fingers, hoping that there won't be something [wrong]. A defect won't magically go away by itself," he said. If you share a wall with a neighbor (known as a party wall), it is a good idea to get a condition survey of their home before work begins, especially if you are doing excavations. This should include photographs, descriptions and measurements of any existing cracks or defects, Olsen said.

Payments

Changing your mind about fixtures and fittings can be expensive if work has started, Olsen said. For example, if you decide you prefer an engineered wood floor instead of the vinyl one that has been estimated for, it may not simply be the materials that cost more  the concrete base underneath may need to be finished to a different level.

Flooring requires preparation, depending on the kinds of materials you choose. Juanmonino | E+ | Getty Images
Mark Cuban is no fan of jargon  and the billionaire is far from alone.

It may be tempting to try slipping in a more complicated word when you want to impress someone, like your boss or a potential employer. But using jargon words when you could opt for something simple and clear instead, typically has the opposite effect, according to Cuban.

"Always use the simpler word," Cuban told Wired in an October video Q&A.

When asked for the "business buzzword" that annoys him the most, Cuban immediately had one in mind.

"There's no reason to ever use the word 'cohort' when you could use the word 'group,'" he said. "A cohort is a group of people. Say 'group.' You sound stupid when you use the word 'cohort,' because you're trying to sound smart."

Corporate jargon and buzzwords often wear on the nerves of those who hear them repeatedly. Terms like "new normal," "company culture" and "circle back" topped a recent list of most annoying examples, according to a survey of more than 1,500 Americans conducted by language learning platform Preply.

Cuban is in agreement with the likes of fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, who likes to keep things as simple as possible. Buffett writes his annual shareholders letter as if he's speaking to his two sisters  which, of course, means no jargon  he said in 2019.

Elon Musk, currently the world's wealthiest person, also disdains jargon, especially in the workplace.

"Don't use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication," he wrote in a 2018 letter to Tesla employees. "We don't want people to have to memorize a glossary just to function at Tesla."

Using overly-complicated words in order to sound intelligent actually has the opposite effect: It makes you sound less intelligent and can also muddle your message, studies show.

"We use jargon when we're feeling insecure, to try to help us feel like we have a higher status," Adam Galinsky, a Columbia Business School professor of leadership and ethics, wrote in an August article for the school's website.

That creates an effect where using overly-complicated terms, where simpler ones would easily suffice, gives off the impression that you're insecure about your own intelligence and trying to overcompensate. Instead, you're better off speaking plainly and concisely, according to experts.

"People who have higher status are more concerned with articulating themselves and communicating effectively," Galinsky wrote. In other words: It's the most effective way to get your point across, and it's more likely to impress than overreaching with jargon.

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Mark Cuban as a panelist.

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NBC NEWS -- Pictured: Border Patrol Agents arrest 8 suspected illegals in Maverick County, near Eagle Pass, TX, as they try to ride a freight train into the United States from Mexico on February 27, 2007 -- Photo by: Al Henkel/NBC NewsWire

Major railroads Union-Pacific and BNSF, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway , are urging the reopening of El Paso and Eagle Pass crossings so their freight can pass. Since the closure of these key Texas border crossings earlier this week in a battle over illegal immigration and a surge of migrants, almost half a billion dollars in trade has been halted.

Union Pacific says $200 million worth of trade moves in and out of these crossings a day. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced rail operations would be halted at El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas beginning Monday in light of the surge of migrants crossing the border. Collectively both railroads operate 24 trains daily at these crossings.

BNSF told CNBC it was still working on an estimate of the economic impact amid a fluid situation.

These two border crossings represent 45% of Union Pacific's cross-border business. Union Pacific has said for every day that the border is closed, the company is forced to embargo customers' goods on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars, with an equivalent of goods being held in Mexico. It is also a labor issue for the rail, with employees unable to work and no timeline available for when they may be able to return to the job, Union-Pacific said. BNSF also cited issues for employees who provide daily service on trains that cross the border, as well as what it described as significant downstream impacts on employees across its freight system, with affected trains typically traveling throughout a 32,500-mile network.

According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, El Paso and Eagle Pass accounted for $33.95 billion, or 35.8%, of all cross-border rail traffic from November 2022-October 2023.

Government officials tell CNBC the closure is a safety and security issue for the migrants, citing cases of dismemberment, death and unaccompanied children riding the rails. Numbers provided range from 500 to 1,000 at a time, and the migrants pose a significant challenge to CBP and the safety of the migrants.

Both railroads refute these numbers.

"Very few migrants cross into the U.S. on trains," Union Pacific said in a statement. "During this massive surge, only five people have attempted to come into the U.S. on Union Pacific trains in the last five weeks."

The company said Union Pacific Police and its employees work in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure all trains are screened.

In a statement to CNBC, a spokesman for BNSF said, "Through our efforts, we have experienced very few people attempting to cross the border on trains at both ports of entry."

Both BNSF and Union Pacific say they have security and technology such as X-rays to detect illicit cargo and people.

The closures have sparked an outcry from the grain and chemical industries that use the rail to move their product.

Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has said while the crisis at the border must be addressed, halting the legal movement of commerce will do nothing to secure the border.

"Shutting down rail traffic through Eagle Pass and El Paso will inflict significant economic harm not only upon American businesses, but also the farmers, factory workers, and millions of other law-abiding Americans whose jobs depend on the efficient movement of goods," Bradley said. "We urge the administration to reverse course and reopen the rail passages."

Key products that move through these crossings include agricultural products, automotive parts, finished vehicles, chemicals, consumer goods, and more.

For the agricultural sector in particular, at risk is up to nearly two-thirds of all U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico, which move via rail. According to an agricultural trade group representing many U.S. growers which urged the government to end the border closures, Mexico was the second-largest export market in 2022 with $28.5 billion in sales, and each day the crossings are closed results in an estimated one million bushels of grain exports lost.

"Each additional day of closures results in rail carriers having to idle trains or reroute them in illogical ways to try and serve customers, all of which adds friction within the supply chain. We are aware of grain trains sitting at origin in at least six states that are unable to move, and we expect this number to grow," the group wrote in a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, on Wednesday.

There is one interconnected North American rail network, rather than separate U.S. and Mexican rail networks, according to the Association of American Railroads. "Every day the border remains closed unleashes a cascade of delay across operations on both sides of the border, impacting customers and ultimately consumers," AAR president and CEO Ian Jefferies said in a statement. "The urgency of reopening these crossings and restoring rail service between the two nations cannot be overstated."
A Ukrainian soldiers are seen in a trench on the front line in the direction of Kupiansk, where clashes with the Russian army continue despite the severe winter conditions, in Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine on November 21, 2023.

Russia launched its fifth air attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv this month, Ukrainian officials reported Wednesday, saying that Ukraine's air defenses intercepted 18 of the 19 Russian drones launched at the city as well as Odesa, Kherson and other regions.

The development comes as Kyiv struggles to obtain approval for aid packages from the U.S. and EU and as its troops continue to face heavy fighting amid a bitterly cold winter.

In comments to journalists Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was currently no basis for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan as "absurd." The plan includes requirements for the re-establishment of all Ukraine's internationally-recognized borders and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.

Peskov also accused the United Kingdom of pressuring Kyiv to refuse a draft peace deal shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Treasury said it would tighten enforcement of its price cap on Russian oil by increasing actions targeting shipowners and vessels that transport Russian crude being sold above the $60 per barrel level.

"Today's designations demonstrate our commitment to upholding the principles of the price cap policy, which advance the goals of supporting stable energy markets while reducing Russian revenues to fund its war against Ukraine," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said.


The chair of a powerful House committee is drilling down on Shein's data privacy practices and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party as the fast-fashion giant moves closer to a U.S. initial public offering.

Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican who leads the House's Committee on Energy and Commerce, sent a letter to Shein on Wednesday asking about the user data it collects and the communications it has had with the Chinese government. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who chairs the panel's Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce, co-signed the letter.

The lawmakers sent similar missives to TikTok, Temu and Alibaba.

"Media reports indicate that Chinese-owned e-commerce marketplaces are increasingly popular in the western world. This is a serious risk for e-commerce, consumer safety, and people's data privacy and security," the letter states. "The rise in popularity of apps and marketplaces like, TikTok, TaoBao, Pinduoduo, Temu, Alibaba, AliExpress, and Shein, has resulted in sharp public scrutiny regarding the business practices of these companies."

In response, a Shein spokesperson told CNBC it has received the committee's letter "and will be providing a response."

Shein has received numerous letters from members of Congress and local lawmakers across the nation about the use of forced labor in its supply chain, and it is already facing intense scrutiny from public officials who are concerned the retailer is skirting U.S. laws. However, Wednesday's letter from McMorris Rodgers and Bilirakis differs in both its focus and its bite.

While the letter touched on Shein's use of forced labor, it focused primarily on data privacy. Contrary to some of the other elected officials and committees scrutinizing Shein, the Energy and Commerce committee has more heft in its mandate to handle issues related to consumer protections and foreign commerce.

The letter asks Shein what data protection practices it requires from its third-party vendors and service providers and whether it collects biometric, genetic and other health data from users. The lawmakers also asked whether the company collects information on consumers' religious and political beliefs.

The letter questioned whether Shein agrees that genocide is occurring in China's Xinjiang region, primarily against the Uyghur ethnic group, and if it can "unequivocally state" that its supply chain is free of forced labor.

Earlier this year, when asked whether it stores U.S. data in China, Shein told CNBC that information is stored within Microsoft and Amazon's cloud services "in data centers and regions located within the United States."

However, lawmakers are still concerned that data on U.S. consumers can end up in the hands of the Chinese government. While Shein insists that it's a global company that was founded in China, the bulk of its supply chain is based in the region, and it could be subject to Chinese law.

"From 2014 to 2017, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) passed several laws requiring all Chinese tech companies to allow CCP officials access to user data. Further, all Chinese tech companies must comply with the demands of the CCP, which in some cases is a 'require[ment] to build [their] networks in such a way as where the Chinese government has access,'" the letter states. "Past violations by TikTok, and other Chinese-owned applications, to protect user data, and China's record of accessing Americans' information, undercuts any claim of data security."



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C.E.O. of Tesla, C.E.O. of SpaceX and C.T.O. of X Elon Musk speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

Tesla is hiring a Nordic public policy expert as the U.S. electric vehicle giant's bitter dispute with labor unions across the region shows no sign of reaching a resolution. The company and members of Swedish trade union IF Metall have been embroiled in a standoff over Tesla's refusal to sign collective bargaining agreements, a key tenet of Sweden's labor relations framework. Though the dispute began with 130 mechanics at 10 Tesla repair workshops in a handful of Swedish cities, solidarity strikes have been launched by workers across multiple unions in Sweden and beyond. Danish, Finnish and Norwegian unions in a range of sectors have in recent weeks announced their own measures to pressure Tesla into granting collective bargaining rights to its Swedish staff. Several pension funds have also dumped their holdings of Tesla stock over the company's refusal to enter into agreements with labor unions. According to a job posting on Tesla's website, the company is now seeking an "all-round Stockholm- or Oslo-based Nordics public policy and business development manager," whose role will be to ensure that the "political, regulatory and fiscal frameworks" in the Nordics "support Tesla's mission." Last week, Sweden's Transport Workers' Union said it would stop collecting waste at Tesla's workshops in the country, joining dockworkers, truck drivers, electricians, cleaners and postal workers. Swedish labor relations, shaped by a series of accords reached throughout the 20th century, mean that almost all pay is subject to collective agreements between companies and labor unions, without any government intervention.

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Other Nordic countries have similar foundational principles, and therefore the majority of a population that represents a key market for Tesla are part of a union. The workers are not making any demands on pay or conditions, but rather trying to strong-arm the company into signing an agreement largely considered a prerequisite for doing business in Sweden and the surrounding region. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is famously anti-union, and described action from Swedish postal workers to block the delivery of license plates to the company's vehicles as "insane." Tesla has not responded to a CNBC request for comment on this issue. Most of the strikes will take effect in the coming days, but neither Musk nor the unions have shown any indication of backing down. A 'growing brush fire' Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities, suggested the "WWE-like standoff" is increasingly becoming a "third rail" issue in Sweden and the wider region. "While the Scandinavian situation is a contained situation that Tesla is battling, it's an important lightning rod issue around unions globally," Ives said in a note last week. "With the Shawn Fain led UAW battle vs. Detroit which results in GM , Ford , Stellantis giving into union demands, the next battleground could be Tesla."

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The United Auto Workers union in November launched an unprecedented campaign to organize 13 nonunion automakers in the U.S. covering 150,000 workers, after securing record contracts with Detroit car manufacturers. Ives said it is "very unlikely" that unions in the U.S. will have much success in going after Musk and Tesla in isolation. However, he suggested that if the company caves to the mounting front of Scandinavian unions, it could create a "growing brush fire that eventually gets to the UAW and U.S. into 2024." Will Tesla cave? The unique stalemate pits the unstoppable force of the world's richest man and U.S. corporate might against the seemingly immovable object of Scandinavian organized labor principles, meaning the outcome remains deeply uncertain. George Kochanowski, global supply chain expert and CEO of U.S.-based shipping container firm Staxxon, noted that there are only two possible outcomes  either Tesla folds, or Scandinavian union solidarity falls apart and is forced to back down. "I think that [Musk] will have to capitulate with time, but he won't do it now. I think it'll happen with time, unless the cost of energy continues to rise in Europe," he told CNBC on Monday. "It could spread, if the garbage men don't take out the garbage from the maintenance shops and the dealerships, etc., but is there an ethical question here? Where do the dockworkers get the right to pick one thing to unload and load and not the other? That's a tough one."

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A Daihatsu Motor Co. Boon CILQ vehicle, right, and a Toyota Motor Corp. Passo vehicle are displayed during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 11, 2016.

Toyota Motor's Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all vehicles both overseas and in Japan, it said on Wednesday, after an investigation into a safety scandal found issues at some 64 models, including 22 sold under the Toyota brand.

An independent panel has been investigating Daihatsu after it said in April it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of which were sold under the Toyota brand.

The latest revelations suggest that the scope of the scandal is now far greater than previously thought and could potentially tarnish the automakers' reputation for quality and safety.

Toyota said in a statement "fundamental reform" was needed to revitalize Daihatsu as a company in addition to a review of certification operations.

"This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight," it said. "It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organization and structure."
US President Joe Biden speaks on his economic policies at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 20, 2023.

The United States on Wednesday released from jail an accused money launderer close to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for that country sending home 10 American prisoners and a defense contractor at the center of a massive bribery conspiracy that tainted the U.S. Navy, according to U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Maduro government also released 20 political prisoners in Venezuela as part of the deal.

Biden said that Venezuela has agreed to send to U.S. custody the former fugitive Leonard Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard," who was at the center of what a senior administration official called "one of the most brazen bribery conspiracies in the U.S. Navy's history."

Francis, who is from Malaysia, fled from house arrest in San Diego, California in September 2022, and then traveled to Cuba and Venezuela with his plan to end up in Russia.

From 2004 to 2013, Francis rewarded senior Navy officers with prostitutes, luxury travel, Cuban cigars, Kobe beef and other gifts for providing him with confidential information to benefit his company, prosecutors have said.

Biden in a statement Wednesday said Francis now "will face justice for the crimes he committed against the U.S. Government and the American people."
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume high-level military communication when they met in person Wednesday for the first time in a year in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.

WASHINGTON  Chinese President Xi Jinping bluntly told President Joe Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but that the timing has not yet been decided, according to three current and former U.S. officials.

Xi told Biden in a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials that China's preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said.

The Chinese leader also referenced public predictions by U.S. military leaders who say that Xi plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, telling Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a time frame, according to the two current and one former official briefed on the meeting.

Chinese officials also asked in advance of the summit that Biden make a public statement after the meeting saying that the United States supports China's goal of peaceful unification with Taiwan and does not support Taiwanese independence, they said. The White House rejected the Chinese request.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council declined to comment.

The revelations provide previously unreported details about a critical meeting between the two leaders that was intended to reduce tensions between their countries.

Xi's private warning to Biden, while not markedly different from his past public comments on reunifying Taiwan, got the attention of U.S. officials because it was delivered at a time when China's behavior toward Taiwan is seen as increasingly aggressive and ahead of a potentially pivotal presidential election in the self-governing democratic island next month.

Officials familiar with the conversation between Biden and Xi described the Chinese leader as blunt and candid, but not confrontational.

"His language was no different than what he has always said. He is always tough on Taiwan. He's always had a tough line," said a U.S. official with knowledge of the conversation.

Xi's saber-rattling on Taiwan has been a top concern for Biden administration officials, who are aggressively trying to avoid a military conflict with China.

At last year's Chinese Communist Party Congress, Xi stated publicly that China would attack Taiwan militarily if it declares independence with foreign support. The Chinese leader said the threat of force "is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking" Taiwanese independence.

Xi, who has set a goal of doubling the size of the Chinese economy by 2035, also said that "we must continue to pursue economic development as our central task." Some experts believe it is doubtful that China would attack Taiwan if it does not declare independence because a military conflict would likely prevent Beijing from reaching its economic goals.

During the summit in San Francisco, Xi expressed concerns about the candidates running for president of Taiwan in next month's election, according to U.S. officials. Xi also noted the influence that the U.S. has on Taiwan, they said.

When Biden asked that China respect Taiwan's electoral process, Xi responded by saying that peace is "all well and good" but that China needs to eventually move toward a resolution, one U.S. official said.

Biden's meeting with Xi, their first in a year, took American officials months to secure after relations between Washington and Beijing reached a low point in February after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon. The White House hoped the meeting would ease tensions, and afterward Biden stressed the need to avoid conflict.

"We're in a competitive relationship, China and the United States, but my responsibility is to make this rational and manageable, so it doesn't result in conflict," Biden said. "That's what I'm all about. That's what this is about."

CIA Director William Burns said earlier this year that U.S. intelligence shows that Xi has directed his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. "Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition," Burns said.

Biden has said in the past that the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if China invaded, but the White House has walked back his comments.

Under its longtime "One China" policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as China's sole legal government but maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. Most of the island's 24 million people favor maintaining the status quo, neither unifying with China nor formally declaring independence.

After the summit, Biden reiterated long-standing U.S. policy. "We maintain an agreement that there is a 'One China' policy," he said, adding, "I'm not going to change that. That's not going to change."

One Chinese official who attended the meeting, Hua Chunying, posted afterward on X that Xi had told Biden and other U.S. officials that the "Taiwan question remains the most important and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations." Hua added that the U.S. should "support China's peaceful reunification" and that "China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable."
Within nine days, the number of active Covid cases in India exhibited a more than twofold increase, rising from 938 on December 11 to 1,970 on December 19. The government lab forum, Insacog, detected 19 instances of JN.1, a subvariant of Omicron, with Maharashtra reporting one case and Goa 18, reported Times of India.

Interestingly, for the first time since the COVID-19 vaccination drive began on January 16, 2021, zero vaccinations were administered in India on December 19, 2023.

Notably, there were three days when the MoHFW didn't update the daily vaccination number on the website and left the daily number unchanged, but this was not a case of 0 vaccination, which is now being shown on the website.

Incidentally, this is two days after the Health Ministry alerted states about the new variant in India and WHO classified it as a 'variant of interest' yesterday.

Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86, said a statement from the inter-government body. It was previously considered to be a VOI as a part of Pirola sub-lineages.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies a variant as a Variant of Interest (VOI) when it demonstrates a growth advantage compared to other circulating variants. This growth advantage implies that its proportion rises in tandem with an increase in the overall number of cases.

Additionally, a variant can attain VOI status if it is anticipated or confirmed to alter characteristics such as transmissibility, virulence, evasion of antibodies, or susceptibility to therapies and diagnostics.

Union Health Secretary, Sudhansh Pant, in a letter to states and UTs , sounded an alarm on the imperative need for heightened vigilance. The health secretary underlined that "due to consistent and collaborative actions between Centre and State Governments, we have been able to sustain the trajectory at sustainable low rates".

While on December 20, Mandaviya, announced that mock drills will be conducted quarterly at both the Central and State levels. This decision comes as India witnessed a rise in COVID-19 cases, with 614 new infections reported in the last 24 hours. The increase is attributed to the JN.1 sub-variant

Following the advisory, the Karnataka government has mandated masks for individuals aged 60 and above, those with heart or kidney ailments, and those with cold symptoms due to concerns about the JN.1 subvariant.

Madhya Pradesh has adopted the Centre's guidelines for the new COVID-19 variant JN.1. This comes as some states experience a rise in cases of the viral infection. Yadav visited Hamidia Hospital, the largest government hospital in Bhopal, on Monday night to assess the preparations in place.

The JN.1 sub-variant  first identified in Luxembourg and since spread to several countries  is a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86).

According to sources, it contains a significant number of unique mutations, particularly in the spike protein, that may contribute to increased infectivity and immune evasion.

However, initial data suggests that updated vaccines and treatments will still offer protection against JN.1 sub-strain, the source stated. This sub-variant's resemblance to earlier sub-strains with distinct spike proteins is also noteworthy.

Most of the changes in the JN.1 sub-variant are found in the spike protein, which likely correlates to increases in infectivity and immune evasion.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  HAIER Southeast Asia held the 2023 Dealer Conference in Bangkok, Thailand last Dec. 15, inviting over 1000 dealers to gather under the banner of "Inspire the Future Dream."

HAIER Smart Home has upgraded its strategy in Southeast Asia, driving its strong growth for three consecutive years. Despite having faced adversity in 2023, HAIER SEA grew twice as fast as the industry, with their Thai air-conditioning units and freezers ranking first in their category, and their washing machines taking the lead among their counterparts in the industry.

The Dealer Conference featured a Smart Exhibition Area showcasing HAIER Smart Home's various health and home products integrated with the latest technologies a testimony to the brand's undeniable growth and industry leadership.

Photo from HAIER

The conference opened with HAIER's Southeast Asia CEO Zhang Zhenghui showcasing the global strength of HAIER Smart Home, introducing the strategic goals of the HAIER SEA region, and mapping out their transformation strategy. The representatives of all nodes in the whole process also summarized the results of their transformation in 2023, including the establishment of trading stories of various countries and various industries.

Growth across all categories

Photo from HAIER

AIR-CONDITIONING. In 2023, HAIER's air-conditioning line experienced a 35% year-on-year growth in sales, covering more than 5 million user families and driving its production and sales to exceed 1 million units. The increase in market share for the brand was led by its new UV Air Conditioner, being the industry's leader in the health and energy conservation trend.

HAIER SEA's brand transformation is undoubtedly evident as it leads the pack in keeping the end-users in mind with its T-door product lineup and the very first full-space and fresh-keeping refrigerators in the industry. Taking its rightful place as leader in the washing machine category, HAIER SEA boldly challenges the very industry itself with the launch of the new COLOR AI technology, accelerating its high-end transformation in its relentless pursuit of dominating its category.

FREEZERS. In the freezer category, HAIER has seen 10% growth in 2023 and is thus gearing up for the release of the industry's first -60 cell level deep freezing freezer, alongside its air-cooling chest freezer.

TELEVISIONS. HAIER has also experienced a strong 33% increase in revenue from its line of leading televisions, among which include the new OLED TV equipped with Harman Kardon audio, bringing a revolutionizing audiovisual feast to its users.

SMART BUILDINGS. More than just being a leader in the home appliances industry, HAIER is also poised to drive 40% of its annual revenue in the smart buildings industry. This strong market performance is led by the brand's health and energy-saving solutions as the localized layout is seen to accelerate the provision of embedded solutions.

A celebration of growth and leadership

Danainat Chockamnuay, Advisor to the Minister of Industry (left) and Zhang Zhenghui, CEO of HAIER Southeast Asia (right). Photo from HAIER

In recognition of their vital role in the company's bold pursuit of growth and market dominance, HAIER celebrated their partners with various awards for their collaboration and support.

In pursuit of its vision into the future, HAIER Southeast Asia has committed to relentlessly pursue high-end transformation, expand through new market opportunities, and blaze into industry leadership.

For news and updates, visit www.haier.com and follow their official Facebook page.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is targeting to make working abroad an alternative for Filipinos as his administration pushes for the creation of more jobs in the local market.

In his speech during the OFW Family Day 2023 in Pasay City, Marcos hopes to realize this under his governance brand Bagong Pilipinas.

Sa Bagong Pilipinas, nais natin na itoy maging alternatibo na lamang dahil mas marami ang pagkakataon sa loob ng bansa, Marcos said Wednesday.

[Translation: Under Bagong Pilipinas, we want this to become an alternative because we will have more opportunities in the country.]

According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Filipino employers hired more staff in October as the jobless rate fell to 4.2%, translating to 2.09 million unemployed individuals.

Marcos also recognized overseas Filipino workers sacrifices, as well as their contribution to the economy and nation-building.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed this month that cash remittances from OFWs inched up by 3% to $3 billion in October -- the highest in 10 months.

The president also vowed that his administration would continue to explore ways to improve their welfare.

Marcos said the government stands ready to support those OFWs wanting to return to the country as it has prepared livelihood and loan assistance programs for them.

He also said training programs can be tapped to upgrade OFWs skills.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Ambassador Henry Bensurto Jr., the diplomat who designed the blueprint of the Philippines' case against China at The Hague, said Manila's policy in its maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) should be long-term and independent of political administrations.

In an interview on CNN Philippines' Politics As Usual on Wednesday, Bensurto, who is currently Philippine envoy to Turkiye, explained that the WPS row is a "long haul struggle" that calls for consistency and commitment.

"What we have to do is look at it from a very strategic perspective  a policy that transcends political administrations, and for every administration to remain committed, constant, and consistent in working on that strategic perspective," Bensurto said.

"We have to make clear to every political administration that this is the national interest of the country and that this should be beyond politics because the West Philippine Sea issue is a non-partisan issue," stressed Bensurto, who was part of the Philippine team that filed the arbitration case against China.

The arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled in favor of the Philippines and nullified China's sweeping claims over the South China Sea, which overlapped with the WPS.

The career diplomat said that while China is aware that it is "not on the right," it is "actively exploiting" the Philippines' willingness to change course in response to the political atmosphere, which he said is perceived as a sign of weakness.

"China knows it is not on the right," Bensurto said. "This has been proven with the third-party adjudication. But if China is convinced that we ourselves are not convinced and we are not committed and we cannot sustain this in the long run, they will persist and they will continue."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently expressed that the "more assertive" Beijing is posing a "real challenge" to its Asian neighbors.

Marcos succeeded former president Rodrigo Duterte, who nurtured friendly ties with China under his term.

"We know now that appeasement is not a correct approach because instead of settling the issue, it actually aggravates the matter and places the situation in a more conflictual manner," said Bensurto.

With China ignoring the Philippines' diplomatic efforts, Marcos also called for the need for a "paradigm shift" in addressing the WPS issue, which Bensurto hailed as a "shift in the right direction."

"I think we just have to sustain this and the people will have to rally behind the president on this," he said.

Bensurto further noted that Marcos separating his personal emotions from national interest is a "good indication" of the character of the president.

Amid calls for the removal of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian over Chinas heightened aggression in the WPS, Marcos said Beijings envoy should retain his post as he is just doing his job.

The chief executive reiterated that he hopes to avoid situations that could lead to "an actual violent conflict" as a result of a mistake or misunderstanding.

He also sought the help of the international community in developing a new approach to the WPS issue.

On Dec. 10, a Philippine vessel was blasted with a water cannon by the China Coast Guard, causing serious engine damage. It is just one of several incidents that have caused tensions between the two countries.

The Philippine government has filed diplomatic protests against China for each incident and is committed to exploring all diplomatic actions to protect its legal maritime rights.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  After the Vatican gave the nod for Roman Catholic priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples, a parish priest clarified that they are blessing the individuals, not the union.

"We are not blessing their union, we are blessing the people," Fr. Aris Sison of the St. John Paul II Parish in Quezon City said in an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Tuesday.

He described blessing same-sex couples as a "blessing of mercy."

"When someone asks for this blessing, first of all you admit that there is something that is not right in your life so you are asking for God's mercy and blessing," he explained.

READ: Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples

The Pope's approval, according to Sison, is part of the Pontiffs effort to reach out to people who feel they are distant from God.

"He [Pope Francis] is not saying that same-sex unions are now alright," the priest said. "This is part of the efforts of Pope Francis to bring them closer to the church."

The Vatican's historic announcement has gained a lot of support from the LGBTQ+ community and progressive individuals.

"This is great. Now we need lawmakers to follow suit and actually make same-sex civil unions legal because that is what we truly need, not just ceremony," a user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.

"In an uphill battle for equity, a step forward, no matter how little, is progress," another user said.

But before reacting to the recent announcement, Sison said people should read first the Fiducia supplicans, a document issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis.

We need to understand what the declaration is really saying. To bless means to praise God and in this particular instance, blessing persons in irregular situations does not mean blessing their unions, that has to be made clear, Sison said.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas also released guidelines on Tuesday, echoing Sison's stand on blessing same-sex couples.

Villegas said the blessing falls under the third and new kind of blessing called "blessing of mercy," which seeks pity from God to give them grace of conversion so that they can regularize their relationships.

"This blessing of mercy is not and cannot be a blessing of sanctification since we cannot ask God to bless something that is not conformed to God's will," his statement read.

Villegas added that priests who are invited to bless couples in irregular situations should choose the appropriate words to reveal this intent of the Catholic Church.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Sen. Francis Tolentino on Wednesday said he does not need to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss the paradigm shift the chief executive is envisioning in the Philippines efforts to deal with Chinas aggressions in the West Philippine Sea.

READ: Marcos: 'Paradigm shift' needed in diplomatic efforts with China on WPS row

It is within the executive department to explain further what it means with the new approach, said Tolentino, the chairperson of the Senate special committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty zones.

Siguro role na ng executive how to describe, how to unravel the meaning of the concept of paradigm shift. Sila na yon, the Department of Affairs, he told reporters in a media forum.

Di ko alam how it will be explained kasi three words nakatatak sa mga diyaryo: paradigm shift and then the description with the relationship of China poor, he added.

[Translation: Maybe its the role of the executive, of the Department of Foreign Affairs, to describe and unravel the meaning of the concept of paradigm shift. I dont know how it will be explained because three words were noted in the newspapers: paradigm shift and then the description with the relationship of China poor.]

Tolentino said the maritime zones bill, which he said is eyed for passage by January next year, can be part of the diplomatic tools the chief executive can use to deal with pressing, continuing, evolving challenges.

That law, once passed, will be submitted to the United Nations. That law will be recognized by all state parties of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)...Tumibay 'yong ating claim kaysa wala (It would solidify our claim than nothing at all), he said.

READ: Maritime zones bill to push foreign countries to comply with PH laws within its waters  SolGen

Tolentino said the countrys public diplomacy is also effective, which he explains as the publicizing of actions to show that we conducted the right efforts about the territorial dispute and gain more allies.

He also agreed with former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpios comment that the country should be extracting gas from the Reed Bank or Recto Bank, but the senator said the Philippines needs economic alliances.

RELATED: PH should immediately send ships to secure Reed Bank  Carpio

Convert existing alliances with the US, Australia, Japan as economic alliance that will pave the way for the exploration of whatever sea bed, mineral, and resources can be generated from that area, Tolentino said.

The senator said it would also be better to tie it up with other proposals, such as changing the economic provisions of the Constitution.

If you tie it up with the reciprocal access agreement maganda rin. Hindi lang dapat joint patrol, Im sure Japanese technology is more than efficient to exploit the resources, he also said.

[Translation: If you tie up with the reciprocal access agreement, that's also good. It should not be only a joint patrol. Im sure Japanese technology is more than efficient to exploit the resources.]

RELATED: Marcos: PH, Japan agree to swiftly finalize visiting forces deal

He said he could not say if talks of joint exploration with China would be futile but the stage we are in right now, baka merong (there might be) mistrust.

CNN Philippines Eimor Santos and Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21)  The Philippine government on Wednesday released 630,000 worth of financial aid to Jimmy Pacheco, a Filipino caregiver taken hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pacheco went missing on Oct. 7  the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

The Filipino worker was among the first batch of hostages freed in late November. He returned home on Dec. 18.

"We know that this aid package cannot undo the physical and psychological scars that Jimmy Pacheco suffered while being held hostage in Gaza," House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a statement.

"But we do hope that this government assistance will send a message to Jimmy, his family and to all Filipinos that the government is there for you," he added.

Pacheco received 500,000 in cash from the Office of the Speaker. He and his wife were also given 10,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

His three children also received 5,000 each from the DSWD.

In addition, Pacheco and his wife received 95,000 in livelihood assistance from the DSWD and the Department of Labor and Employment.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21)  Authorities have arrested three people for illegally selling complimentary tickets for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The three were arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Quezon City Police District.

In a statement, the MMDA said 46 tickets were sold illegally through Facebook at 1,300 to 1,500 each  more than thrice the usual cinema ticket price of 320 to 370.

It added that the complimentary tickets being sold online were found to be fake.

MMDA Chairman Don Artes reminded the public that no persons or groups are authorized to distribute MMFF tickets for profiteering purposes.

"With this unfortunate incident, I urge the public not to patronize MMFF tickets sold online and instead report to us these unlawful activities," he said.

The three suspects, who are currently in police custody, will face charges of estafa through falsification of documents under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The 2023 edition of the MMFF premieres on Christmas Day and will run until Jan. 7, 2024 in hundreds of theaters nationwide.
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Microsoft has offered a temporary fix to Windows users for Wi-Fi related issues after a Windows 11 update that compromised wireless connections on public, education, and enterprise networks.

The move is a response to reports from Windows users that they were having problems connecting their computers to Wi-Fi networks after the rollout of December's Patch Tuesday updates to Microsoft products.

Microsoft blamed two OS updates from December's Patch Tuesday  KB5032288 and KB5033375  for the connectivity glitches in a post on its website, and acknowledged its prevalence in affecting users of particular Wi-Fi networks over others.

"As reported, you are more likely to be affected by this issue if you are attempting to connect to an enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi network using 802.1x authentication," the company wrote. "This issue is not likely to occur on home networks."

Indeed, the problems disproportionately affected people connecting to Wi-Fi on wireless networks that have enabled fast-transition or fast-roaming, which are typically used on university campuses to facilitate seamless connectivity between various access points.

In fact, some universities  such as the University of British Columbia  alerted their students and staff about the issue before Microsoft responded and even advised uninstalling the update as a temporary measure to restore service until a vendor-supported fix was available.

Fixing the problem

Microsoft's resolution isn't actually much different than what the university advised and what many other users already applied. The company issued a Known Issue Rollback (KIR), which will cause the OS to fall back to a previous version of the code that doesn't have the problem.

Microsoft introduced KIRs in March 2021 as a service to fix non-security bugs. However, a KIE is just a temporary fix, and the company said it plans to more comprehensively fix the problem and will re-issue a patch soon.

Microsoft also advised that it might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices; however, users can restart their devices to help hurry the process along.

For enterprise-managed devices that encounter the issue, it can be resolved by installing and configuring a special Group Policy, which can be found in "Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> <Group Policy name listed below>," the company said.

Users Express Annoyance

Microsoft's response didn't come quickly enough for some users, who quickly took to internet message boards like Reddit to grumble publicly about having to mitigate it themselves by rolling back the update.

"To no ones surprise Microsoft broke things with their 'update,'" one disgruntled user posted on Reddit. "What better way to test than production. Just keep lowering the bar."

Microsoft's Community pages also lit up with people complaining of the fix, with users reporting that even newly purchased Windows laptops experienced slow or nonexistent wireless connectivity.

"My Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is just a little bit over 2 weeks old from Costco," reported user Sunny6887. "After the Windows 11 KB5033375 security patch yesterday, my Internet became super slow and unusable. Google Chrome kept throwing DNS errors and other errors."

Long-suffering Windows users have a point, as the scenario is certainly not the first time an update by Microsoft aimed at patching its software inadvertently disrupted existing services. The company has a long and storied history of having to backtrack on an update or issue new patches for problems created by its own patching system.
The top technology stories of 2023 highlight fundamental changes in culture and geopolitics as well as tech itself: It's clear that generative AI will affect all aspects of technology and society, while geopolitical tensions are sparking cybersecurity attacks globally. General unease about the dominance of big tech, meanwhile, is pushing regulators to get tougher on mopolistic business practices and multibillion-dollar mergers.

Fired! Rehired! Sam Altmans ouster and return to OpenAI



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The ouster of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI, which sparked the modern era of generative AI when it launched ChatGPT a year earlier, was the tech industry shocker of the year. After the board issued a mysterious statement on November 17 saying that it had fired Altman for not being "consistently candid," Microsoft announced that it would hire Altman and any other OpenAI employees who wanted to follow him out the door  which turned out to be almost all of them. OpenAI backed down and rehired Altman.

When the dust settled, the story came into focus: the OpenAI board believed that Altman, under pressure by investors and the need to pay for vast amounts of computing power, was pushing too fast to release products, jeopardizing the company's original mission of creating safe AI systems. Altman is now back to running OpenAI with an almost completely new board, highlighting an age-old story: commercial concerns and the race to be on the leading edge override attempts to throttle development of any technology.

DOJ v. Google: Biggest tech antitrust trial in 20 years



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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) opened its antitrust trial against Google in September, accusing the internet giant of illegally maintaining a monopoly on search through deals that make it the default search technology on a variety of devices  primarily from Apple. It's the biggest tech antitrust case since the 1990s, when the DOJ charged Microsoft with illegally bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. Ironically, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was a major witness for the prosecution this time around, warning that Googles monopoly profits could lock in publishers as AI-enabled search arrives.

Against a backdrop of growing public unease about the dominance of big tech companies, it's just one of a number of ongoing cases  including the US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit on Amazon's e-commerce business, launched in September, and a separate US antitrust case again Google, focusing on advertising, which will go to trial in 2024  that may reshape the tech market as regulators show renewed vigor in pushing back against anticompetitive practices.

Amazon cuts 18,000 workers as layoffs hit tech



Just days after the new year started, Amazon confirmed reports that it would be cutting 18,000 staff. It was the first major layoff announcement in what would be a huge retrenchment for tech companies in 2023, with sweeping layoffs enacted by tech giants  including Cisco, Meta, Microsoft, Google, IBM, SAP, and Salesforce  as well as a host of smaller industry players. The problem: tech companies went on a hiring spree during the pandemic when lockdowns sparked a tech buying binge to support remote work and e-commerce, and going into 2023, they faced revenue declines.

Regulators get tough, Adobe pulls plug on $20B Figma buy



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In yet another sign of increasing regulatory scrutiny of tech, Adobe and collaborative interface design tool provider Figma announced in December that they would pull the plug on their planned $20 billion merger. The EU Commission had published a Statement of Objections in November, citing the potential for the deal to reduce competition in multiple markets. That was followed by the UK competition authority's list of objections a few weeks later. The final straw was reportedly a meeting with the US DOJ, days before the deal was called off, in which the US agency threatened to launch an antitrust case.

There were a few major tech acquisitions that were completed during the year  notably Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of game-maker Activision and Broadcom's $69 billion acquisition of VMware. But concessions had to be made to regulators before those deals closed, and at the end of the year, the US Federal Trade Commission was still trying to unwind the Broadcom acquisition.

MOVEit hack: Carnage continues, CISOs under scrutiny

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At the end of May when Progress Software disclosed that it had discovered a vulnerability in its file transfer software MOVEit that could lead to unauthorized access, it was only the beginning of a security nightmare. Six months later, the vulnerability ended up causing about 2,620 organizations and 77.2 million people globally to suffer some sort of breach.

Because of the security incident, Progress now faces an investigation from the US Securities and Exchange Corporation (SEC), which appears to be jacking up scrutiny of cybersecurity companies and executives: in a separate case, SEC staff recommended legal action against individual SolarWinds employees, including the CISO, in the wake of the company's response to the 2020 attack on its infrastructure  a move that signals a whole new set of potential liabilities for cybersecurity professionals.

Israel-Hamas conflict extends to cyberspace, as geopolitics stoke security woes

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, a new battleground opened up in cyberspace as nation-state threat groups on both sides of the hostilities launched DDOS attacks and web site defacements. Meanwhile, as its campaign against Ukraine grinds on, Russia appears to be making greater use of hacktivists and cybercriminals, while China-led cyberattacks on Taiwan are rising sharply. Rising geopolitical tensions are causing CISOs to stay on high alert, as the trend of pulling private-sector entities and civil society organizations into cybersecurity crises is likely to continue.

US expands chip export curbs to China



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In October, the US imposed additional export curbs to restrict China from accessing advanced chips for AI and supercomputers, expanding a technology trade war that has intensified over the last year, broadly impacting the global semiconductor supply chain. The new rules include a worldwide licensing requirement for any company that is headquartered in China, Macau, and any destination subject to the US arms embargo.

The stated purpose of the restrictions is to deny China access to advanced technology for AI, military modernization and human rights abuses. But the chip trade war is wreaking havoc on the global supply chain for any products that use advanced chips as well as equipment used to make them, as the US pressures allies to impose restrictions on chip exports to China.

Apple's Vision Pro: Back to the future

Midway through the year, Apple unveiled its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro (to be released sometime in 2024), and CEO Tim Cook proclaimed a new era for tech  spatial computing, which blends the physical environment with digital information. There's no doubt that Apple brought together some sophisticated tech to build the $3,499 device, drawing on decades of R&D into sensors, materials science, displays, and processors. But variations on virtual reality headsets have been available for years  with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting the company's future on mixed reality  and the wearable gadgets have mainly been met with indifference from the public, with headset sales slumping recently.

While anticipation surrounding Apple's Vision Pro and buzz around Meta's new Quest 3 headset could signal a potential market rebound next year, problems including high prices, limited content, complexity, and a lack of practical everyday applications are likely to make it years before mixed reality truly becomes a reality for most users.

Zoom, avatar of remote work, brings employees back to the office

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The prize for ironic tech story of the year goes to Zoom  the videoconferencing company that became synonymous with working from home during the pandemic  which issued a return-to-the-office mandate for the majority of its workers in August. Much bigger tech companies also enacted back-to-the-office polices, and the stories were numerous: IBM's software unit announced a global return to office mandate, while Meta warned that employees who flouted back-to-work rules faced termination and Amazon chastised staff for failure to comply with its own in-office work mandate. But when a company whose business model is based on remote work calls staff back into the office, you know that corporate leaders really are rethinking the whole virtual workplace concept.

You heard it here first: AI threatens human extinction, say tech leaders

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A one-sentence statement warning that artificial intelligence (AI) evolution could lead to an "extinction" event was not only ironic, but scary and perplexing. That's because the letter, published in May, was signed by hundreds of academics, public figures, and the very technology industry leaders who are racing to build the most advanced generative AI systems on the planet, including executives from OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war, are odd words from hard-charging tech execs competing to get obviously flawed generative AI applications in the hands of the public. Were they talking about killer robots? Hoping to slow down advances by competitors? Maybe they just want to have it both ways: develop the technology but reserve the right to say, "I told you so."

In any case, governments are beginning to heed the call, some faster than others. The EU is close to ratifying its AI Act, regulating how AI can be used commercially and by government entities, and in a broad-ranging executive order, US President Joe Biden laid out oversight measures for AI development. Neither the most dire predictions nor the greatest hopes for any technology usually come to pass, but one thing that industry watchers, economists, and social historians do seem to agree on is that, one way or another, generative AI will have a profound effect how humans live and work.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented surge in screen time as remote work, virtual schooling and online socializing became the norm. This digital reliance, while crucial for connectivity, has raised concerns about its impact on mental health.

Prolonged screen exposure contributes to eyestrain, disrupted sleep patterns and heightened stress levels. Excessive screen use also correlates to increased feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression, particularly among children and adolescents.

Experts have linked excessive screen time to declining mental health, evident in a 40% surge in persistent sadness and decreased test scores. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt attributed this crisis to smartphone proliferation post-2010, which turned these devices into learning inhibitors.

Finding a balance by incorporating screen breaks, outdoor activities, and setting boundaries is vital. Addressing this phenomenon requires a collective effort -- digital mindfulness, moderation and prioritizing offline interactions to foster better mental well-being amidst our digital age.

The no-phone movement

In May this year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the risks posed by social media to the mental health of children and teenagers. Dr. Murthy urges immediate action from technology companies and lawmakers to protect young individuals from the potentially addictive nature and inappropriate content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. He then encouraged parents to create "tech-free zones" that would help moderate social media use.

Last October, several schools in the United States started to implement a no-phone movement, which banned students from using their phones throughout the day, including their lunch breaks. This is in response to the escalating distraction that mobile phones pose.

New York's Newburgh Free Academy embodies this movement, adopting pouches that lock away phones for seven hours daily. Initially met with resistance, students now thrive in this phone-free environment, walking with lifted heads, engaging in real conversations and experiencing improved focus in classes.

In a recent report, students Tyson Hill and Monique May confirmed this and acknowledged that it is a relief after always being on their phones during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Dr. Frasier Crane may, once again, be building a life for himself in Boston, but hell likely never return to a place where everybody knows his name.

In the Cheers finale, fittingly titled One for the Road, the barkeep Sam Malone decides against abandoning Cheers to be with his on-again-off-again love interest Diane in Los Angeles, choosing to remain with his one true love even as his other beloved barflies scatter into the TV ether. That was over 30 years ago, and in the decades since, certain Cheers patrons have gone on to accomplish a great many goals in spin-offs Frasier and Wings, but, as one Cheers writer revealed, both Sam Malone and Cheers itself stayed right where they always were.

During a recent episode of his podcast Hollywood & Levine, longtime Cheers writer and Emmy-winner Ken Levine revealed what he believes to be the epilogue of the Boston bar that served as a home away from home for so many of televisions most beloved characters. Levine said that, in the semi-official canon, Sams still there, and Norm is still there, and Cliff, maybe Woody. All thats missing are the cameras.

A puzzled Levine also questioned Kelsey Grammers decision that Frasier Crane wouldnt return to his former hang-out in the Frasier reboot, saying of the new show, Frasier makes a couple of off-handed comments about Cheers, but youre going, Cheers was so much a part of his life, how can he not be returning there? Did he hate it? Apparently not. In the Paramount+ revival, the radio psychiatrist spends his off hours at Mahoneys a pub named for the late, great John Mahoney, whom Grammer claims has given his stamp of approval to the reboot from beyond the grave.

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Of course, in real life, Ted Danson is 75 years old, and, though the actor is still every bit as active as he was in his younger years, his on-camera performances seem a little less physically taxing than the manual labor required of Sam Malone in his beloved bar. It almost feels a bit ghoulish for Levine to daydream about a bar staffed and patronized by geriatrics who havent been allowed to move on with their lives for the past three decades.

Then again, as Grammer demonstrates, some geriatrics dont need to stay in the same spot when they refuse to move on.
By this point, youve probably heard about the controversial joke Ricky Gervais chose to promote his new Netflix comedy special, Armageddon. The little ditty goes something like this: Do you know the charity Make-A-Wish Foundation? Theyre great and they give these dying kids their one wish. If its me, I always say yes. And I always start the video the same way. I go, Why didnt you wish to get better?

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Its not a huge surprise that the bit  which also called terminally ill children baldies  offended some people enough to launch a petition asking Netflix to remove the joke. But Gervais isnt particularly worried about the effort, he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Nihal Arthanayake: Good luck. That's what I say to them. Good luck. I'll even retweet it. (A quick check of Gervaiss Twitter account doesnt turn up any petition retweets, although there are several plugs for his new business venture, Dutch Barn Vodka. Cheers.)

Part of the problem, according to Gervais, is that the haters have taken his joke out of context. I'm literally saying in the joke that I don't do that. But people have a reaction. They don't analyze it. They feel something  that's what offense is. It's a feeling, he explained. 'That's why I'm offended is quite meaningless. What do you want me to change?

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The answer would likely be jokes about kids with cancer. But that change request would fall on deaf ears as Gervais believes people arent actually vexed by the jokes. Ninety-nine percent of it is faux offense. They're not really offended, he says. They just want to be heard. I'll explain, 'No, you've mistaken the subject of the joke with the actual target."

Okay, Ill play along. The subject of the joke is kids with cancer. But the target of Why didnt you wish to get better? is Misguided charity efforts? Inadequate health care? Gervais himself? He doesnt elaborate on this point.

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None of that matters since most people are into the joke (according to Gervais). Of all the millions of people that watched it and loved it, only a few don't like it. If I give them special attention and try and placate them, I've annoyed the other millions of people that got the joke. 'They go "no, you've ruined it for us! So, I've got a duty to the people that like it and get it, he says. I wouldn't sit down with a heckler, would I? If I'm playing to twenty thousand people, I wouldn't stop the show and explain to them. I ignore them.

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Ah! So people who are offended by that joke are essentially hecklers. It seems like a different phenomenon. On the one hand, youve got drunk club patrons shouting out you suck! or similarly witty bon mots. On the other, you have online commenters like @onemightywarrior, who wrote:

This is extremely disheartening. How could you joke about dying children. One of those baldies was my baby. Suffered & died before the age of six. And some how you find it comical. You are whats wrong with this world. Taking something so tragic & then try to make light of it & then have to justify how its only an act. Youre the joke of this whole thing. A true piece of work.

To those critics, of course, Gervais says, Good luck trying to do anything about it. And his ultimate message to @onemightywarrior and others? If you dont like my kind of comedy, dont watch it.
The Australian Federal government launched the Cyber Security Legislative Reforms consultation paper on 10 December to gather citizens and businesses views on new legislative initiatives and proposed amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018.

This consultation paper, published by the Department of Home Affairs, outlines reforms that were in the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy action plan and covers nine areas.

New cybersecurity legislation

In short, the four proposed legislative initiatives are secure-by-design standards for internet of things devices, ransomware reporting obligations, limited use obligation for information provided to the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the National Cyber Security Coordinator (Cyber Coordinator) and establishing a cyber incident review board.

Secure-by-design standards for internet of things devices

The federal government is seeking views on designing a mandatory cyber security standard for consumer-grade IoT devices. It intends to align with international standards such as the ETSI EN 303 645 which aligns with the UKs PSTI Act, ensure consistency between jurisdictions and minimise regulatory burden on Australian businesses, while also meeting Australias national security objectives.

The paper seeks views on whether the first three principles of the ETSI EN 303 645 standard would be an appropriate minimum standard to mandate for cyber security of smart devices in the Australian market. These are to ensure that smart devices do not have universal default passwords, implement a means to receive reports of cyber vulnerabilities in smart devices, and provide information on minimum security update periods for software in smart devices.

Ransomware reporting obligations

The Australian government says it want to collect information on ransomware demand and possible payments made to attackers to understand and act quickly in order to identify and stop attackers.
Security researchers have found inconsistencies in how some Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers handle end-of-data sequences. This allows the injection of SMTP commands into email messages in a way that causes receiving servers to treat them as two separate messages with one of them having its From headers spoofed. Furthermore, because the main messages envelope successfully passes security checks like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, the spoofed message is delivered to inboxes with no warnings.

The new attack, dubbed SMTP smuggling, was devised by Timo Longin, a senior security consultant at SEC Consult, and it affected millions of domains that used Microsoft Exchange Online or Ionos, a large German web and cloud hosting company, for email services. While both Microsoft and Ionos fixed the issue, domains that use Cisco Secure Email Gateway in default configuration might still be affected.

Longin borrowed the main concept for SMTP smuggling from another class of attacks known as HTTP request smuggling where attackers trick a front-facing load balancer or reverse-proxy to forward specifically crafted requests to a back-end application server in a way where the back-end server processes it as two separate requests instead of one. This is achieved by modifying request headers in a way that gives conflicting information to servers about where the request ends. If the front-end and back-end servers have different interpretations of the header values and therefore the end of the request, rogue requests can be smuggled past the front-end server without subjecting them to the normal security checks.

Similarly, at least two servers are involved when sending email across the internet: the SMTP server used by the sender (outbound) and the SMTP server of the recipient (inbound). If they have different interpretations about where a message ends, an attacker can slip rogue messages past security checks.

How SMTP works

SMTP is the communications protocol used to relay email messages across the internet from one domain to another. When you want to send messages from an email client, also known as a mail user agent (MUA), the application connects to your domains SMTP server, also known as a mail transfer agent (MTA), and passes the message to it. The server then looks up the SMTP server for the recipients domain name and relays the message to it. In other words, an SMTP server will deal with both outbound and inbound connections depending on whether its sending or receiving email for the domain names theyre configured to serve. One SMTP server can handle email for multiple domain names.

A connection from an MUA to an MTA will begin with an extended hello (EHLO) command that communicates the users email domain to the server. The server checks if its supposed to handle email for that domain and responds with its SMTP capabilities, or supported features, which can differ depending on how it was configured. The client then sends the STARTTLS command to enable encryption if the server supports it, followed by AUTH LOGIN to send the users credentials for authentication. The next commands is mail FROM and rcpt TO to define the sending email address and the receiving address, followed by the DATA command, which indicates to the server the beginning of the actual email message.
People visiting Nottingham city centre may be in for an extra Christmas surprise thanks to an incredibly generous individual.

Last Friday a woman was handed an envelope containing a note and 100 cash in a kind gesture while she was visiting the Winter Wonderland.

The note read: 'Merry Christmas. It's been a tough year for everyone. Please take this and have a great Christmas.

'Buy that extra gift, order that extra good, treat that extra person or just yourself. The world is a better place with you in it.'

It continued: 'The only thing I ask is... if or when you can afford it, please pay the gesture forward. Or when the opportunity arises offer a kind gesture. Merry Christmas.'

People visiting Nottingham city centre may be in for an extra Christmas surprise thanks to an incredibly generous individual. Pictured, the city's Winter Wonderland

The woman, who didn't want to be identified, told Nottinghamshire Live after she received the envelope she just 'stood in shock'. The woman would now like to find the person responsible and say thank you.

She added: 'I tried to find the lady to thank her but she appeared to see me coming and dashed off.'

She went on to say how grateful she was, and that the act of kindness left her 'a little tearful'.

'You see these things online but don't expect them to happen to you on a random Christmassy afternoon out with your kids. It's such a kind gesture.'

It comes after another unnamed woman from Merseyside was at the checkout of a B&M store in Everton when she received a wad of cash from another shopper who didn't reveal their identity.

The woman, who had visited the discount shop on Great Homer Street, realised when she reached the checkout that she couldn't afford to pay for all the items in her trolley and asked staff if they could scan the items until the shop reached the total she could afford.

On Friday, December 15, a woman was handed an envelope containing a note (pictured) and 100 cash in a kind gesture while she was visiting the Winter Wonderland

However, a very generous stranger who overheard the shopper's plight came to her rescue and dropped a wad of cash into the trolley - leaving the woman in tears.

A B&M worker told the Liverpool Echo: 'As she was sorting out her shopping, an older male waiting behind her walked up to her.

'[He] simply said "Merry Christmas" and dropped what looked to be a large wad of money on her shopping in her trolley and walked out without saying anything else.

'The woman stood there for a minute or so crying saying she couldn't believe it'.

The member of staff hoped the act of kindness, which they referred to as a 'nice Christmas gesture' would 'warm people's hearts before Christmas and show how good and close the Liverpool community spirit is'.
A gift expert has revealed the offensive presents you should never give a woman - just in time for the holiday season.

Texas-based content creator Leah, who goes by The Gift Girl online, posted a TikTok on 'three items you shouldn't gift women.'

She believes that it is best to avoid household cleaning supplies, weighing scales and anti-aging skincare products when creating your Christmas shopping list.

Leah claims that 'these items can be seen as offensive or send the wrong message' to the recipient.

Texas-based content creator Leah, who goes by The Gift Girl online, posted a TikTok on 'three items you shouldn't gift women'

In the clip, Leah fittingly declared 'let's unwrap it' - before divulging the items to be avoided.

The first on her list of no-gos were 'household cleaning supplies of any kind.'

She believes that if a gift 'can be perceived as a chore' then it 'definitely sends the wrong message'.

Leah proudly proclaimed that 'gifts are supposed to be happy.'

Next on her list was weighing scales as she also declared that 'supplements, weight loss or gain items are a big no'.

Her argument is that it 'could be just taken as downright offensive'.

She continued: 'And I know what you're thinking. Who does this? According to the comments in my other videos, way more than you think.'

Her final item to leave on the supermarket shelves this holiday season is any kind of anti-aging skincare product.

Leah believes that it is best to avoid household cleaning supplies, weighing scales and anti-aging skincare products when creating your Christmas shopping list

'Don't get me wrong, I love a good skincare regiment and I think there's a place for that, but anti-aging specifically sends the wrong message,' she declared.

Leah concluded her video by admitting that all her no-go items 'could definitely be considered a great gift,' but she distinctly added, only 'if these are asked for'.

The expert believes that gifting any of these would mean that you know a 'person well enough' and trust that they would 'actually like these items'.

And, when it comes to finding the perfect present, Leah urged that a person should not 'just guess'.

Leah's video has so far received more than 73,400 views, 4,045 likes and dozens of mixed comments.

Some commenters sided with her perspective as one person wrote: 'I think for these, if you don't know whether they'd like it, just don't buy it. Better to be safe than paying for a divorce right after Christmas.'

She claims that 'these items can be seen as offensive or send the wrong message' to the recipient

Leah's video has so far received more than 73,400 views, 4,045 likes and dozens of mixed comments

Another commenter added: 'Yikes, I thought you were going to say kitchen appliances and things like nice vacuums. But these were a whole other level.'

'Skincare in general can be bad for a skincare junkie cause they are likely picky,' a third person wrote.

A fourth user wrote about their personal experience and added: 'My in-laws gave me a scale when I was six weeks postpartum with my first baby. Downright offensive is accurate.'

Leah responded to the comment and wrote: 'Oh my goodness. I am so SO sorry!!!'

But other users were fans of functional gift ideas.

One person wrote: 'Just gave a gal pal some anti-aging skincare for her birthday. She was ecstatic. Do not agree on cleaning items. Money is tight for everyone.'

Another commenter added: 'Ok but my grandma did a new house basket for me for Christmas when I moved out and I loved it because it had some food, cleaning supplies and little things.'

Leah concluded her video by admitting that all her no-go items 'could definitely be considered a great gift,' but she distinctly added, only 'if these are asked for'

Some commenters sided with Leah's perspective but other users were fans of the functional gift ideas

'You're wrong as a mom of four. That stuff gets expensive. I would love to get a lot of cleaning products,' another user wrote.

A fourth person commented: 'I love to organize so just get me a Home Goods gift card. Or an Ulta gift card so I can get a whole new routine.'

Leah replied: 'Loooooooooveeee a whole new routine!!!'

One follower wrote: 'I want a bougie vacuum cleaner this year. I told my husband and he asked if he was allowed to do that,' and Leah responded: 'Slayyyy, we love the communication.'
Creators filming the journey have taken TikTok by a storm

Nine months at sea on a cruise is a nightmare for some and a dream come true for others.

But for many, watching a group of strangers who have embarked on just such an adventure has become a thrilling new pastime - with content creators on-board the vessel quickly turning into TikTok's favorite new reality stars by documenting every moment of their nautical adventure.

The Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise is a 274-night journey that will visit more than 60 countries, with passengers seeing 11 wonders of the world - on a vacation that cost anywhere between $53,000 to more than $105,000.

The ship, called Serenade of the Seas, departed from Miami, Florida on December 10, 2023, and will return on September 10, 2024 - and creators are not holding back with sharing their journey.

Amike Oosthuizen (pictured) excitedly showed off the 'goodies' she received upon boarding the ship, including the detailed itinerary, a reusable cup, umbrella and a Royal Caribbean robe

Nine months on a cruise is a nightmare for some and dream for others - and watching content creators on board is TikTok 's new favorite reality show (pictured: Serenade of the Seas)

With more than 58 million views on TikTok with hashtags for 'world cruise' and upwards of 39 million for 'ultimate world cruise,' there's no shortage of content coming from the ship - and viewers are equally aghast - and intrigued - by what's to come in the nine months ahead.

The first leg, the Ultimate Americas Cruise, passengers will travel to islands in the Caribbean to Antarctica.

They'll then embark on the Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise, where they'll travel to Australia, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

This is followed by the Ultimate Middle East and Med part of the cruise, spotlighting Dubai, Egypt, Greece and Croatia, before looping around Europe and across to New York.

The 90,090-ton, 2,100-passenger vessel has a spa pool, library, cinema, slot machines, plenty of decking space, a two-floor dining space, and a shopping arcade.

A number of TikTok videos shared by passengers showed themselves boarding the cruise liner, giving tours of their rooms and what they do day-to-day whilst at sea - and those left on land are utterly fascinated.

While the passengers board the ship and prepare their sea legs, the rest of the world is eagerly waiting to see what exactly happens when you spend nine months at sea.

In one TikTok, prominent cruise creator Amike Oosthuizen talked through what the guests received as they boarded the ship.

The first leg, the Ultimate Americas Cruise, passengers will travel to islands in the Caribbean to Antarctica

TikTok users have showed off the impressive vessel in clips posted online, which weighs 90,090 tons and can fit 2,100 passengers

Creator Angie Linderman (pictured) explained she was working from the cruise, also estimating about 20 children to be on board, who will also be homeschooled

In one clip, Angie showed off the massive task of unpacking to live on board the vessel for nine months

Showing her followers her room, the 26-year-old - who is travelling with her husband - excitedly showed off the 'goodies' she received upon boarding, including the detailed itinerary, a reusable cup, umbrella and her favorite: a Royal Caribbean robe.

Amike, who works in the registration department for an Ivy Solutions company, said all guests were also given a laundry bag - which gets picked up for free weekly.

She added that she and her husband, who is an engineer, will be both working from home on board the ship for the entire nine months.

'[The cruise costs] about $50,000 to $100,000 plus [depending] on what room you booked,' she explained in one clip.

The TikTok videos were flooded with users curious about the ins and outs of life on a cruise ship

Around the world in nine months! A breakdown of the long-haul cruise journey There are four legs of the mega-cruise, which lasts for 274 nights, visiting 11 world wonders, and 60-plus countries. December 10 - February 11: Ultimate Americas Cruise United States, Peru, the Bahamas, Mexico, Barbados, Aruba, Brazil February 11 - May 9: Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise Argentina, Antarctica, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, LA May 9 to June 12: Ultimate Middle East and Med Cruise Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania June 12 to September 10: Ultimate Europe and Beyond Cruise Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, England, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Bermuda, United States Advertisement

'We booked a balcony room around $70,000 and then you asked what is included in the price, so business class flights are included in the price, all your food and drinks; literally alcohol, coffee, Starbucks coffee, protein shakes, smoothies - everything you can think of is included.'

Passenger Brooklyn Schwetje gave followers a detailed tour of the ship, showing of impressive amenities like a cinema, conference room, helipad, walking and running track, and even an on-board pub.

Another passenger Angie Linderman, who is travelling with her brother, sister-in-law and their three children, estimated there to be about 20 kids on board in total for the whole nine months, who will be homeschooled for the duration of the trip.

Angie, who works in social media and will be working part time on board, also broke down the ship's journey.

The keen cruiser explained that as there were four different legs of the journey and people would be joining at various legs of the journey - but a portion will be there from start to finish.

Even with creators answering questions and responding to comments from curious land dwellers, there were still some predictions and burning questions people had.

'I wonder if anybody who's taking the whole trip is early pregnant and doesn't know. A baby could be born on board ! And statistically someone will die,' one commenter wrote.

'I'm wondering how people deal with prescriptions over the 9 months? I get one every 3 months... how do you get them?' another asked.

Some followers are there for the reality TV-style drama that may occur.

'I feel like we are being introduced to new characters on the world cruise season of white lotus,' one user joked on a TikTok video.
Another one of the unsent 1963 holiday cards signed by JFK and Jackie is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

It's one of a group of custom Hallmark cards ordered by The White House

The extremely rare card, meant for Christmas of 1963, was never sent out

An extremely rare Christmas card from 1963 that bears the signatures of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onassis is up for auction, with an asking of nearly $35,000.

While the 35th President and First Lady no doubt signed innumerable Christmas cards during the first two years of his term, in 1961 and 1962, the one currently for sale harkens back to a fateful moment in American history.

That's because the President had personally signed the custom, Hallmark-brand card, printed for the Christmas of 1963, at some point in the two days immediately prior to his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

The card is one of a small group - none of which were ultimately sent out - that he'd signed during the narrow window between his return to the White House from Florida on the evening of November 18 and his departure for Texas on the morning of November 21.

A 1963 Christmas card personally signed by John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onassis prior to the President's death - and that was never sent - is up for auction, with an asking of nearly $35,000

The front of the card is a photograph of the creche - a 3-D tableau of a nativity scene - that was on display in the East Room of The White House over Christmas of 1963

The card comes with a certificate of authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services

The card is one of fewer than 75 personally signed by the couple that year

The card currently up for auction from Press Pass Collectibles was one of less than 75 personally signed by the couple; others from the 1963 batch were stamped with generic, printed replicas of their signatures.

Reportedly, Jackie had signed the cards earlier in the month of her husband's death.

On the front of the card appears a photograph of the creche - a 3-D tableau of a nativity scene - that was on display in the East Room of The White House in 1963.

The creche pictured on the card was first installed in The White House in 1961, and was fabricated from terracotta and carved wood from Naples, Italy, and backdropped by gold curtains, according to MyNativity.com.

Different versions of the nativity tableau have been installed in the East Room under subsequent presidential administrations.

The inside of the card features a gold presidential seal above the text 'With best wishes for a Happy New Year.'

The lot comes with a certificate of authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services.

Also included is a typewritten letter by Evelyn Lincoln, who was the personal secretary to JFK, dated September 22, 1987.

The presidential couple only celebrated two Christmases in The White House before JFK was assassinated in 1963. They are pictured here at a White House staff Christmas party in 1962

After JFK's assassination on November 22, 1963, Jackie had to spend the holidays moving out of The White House. The couple is pictured next to The White House Christmas tree in 1962

The letter seemingly bequeathed the group of 1963 unsent Christmas cards signed by JFK and Jackie to Kennedy enthusiast Robert L. White.

According to Mr. White's 2003 obit in The Washington Post, he was a rabid fan of the Kennedys and an obsessive collector of memorabilia tied to JFK and Jackie's legacy, amassing around 25,000 items of significance to JFK's biography.

Mr. White also apparently had a close friendship with Ms. Lincoln, and she reportedly granted him access to countless examples of objects and miscellaneous ephemera tied to the Kennedy administration - which would explain her letter to him regarding the 1963 Christmas cards.

A 1987 letter from Evelyn Lincoln, who was JFK's personal secretary, seemingly bequeathed the unsent Christmas cards to avid JFK fan and memorabilia collector Robert L. White

A different version from the batch of personally signed, unsent holiday cards - this one with slightly different text, reading 'With our wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year' - is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Prior to JFK's assassination, the First Family had planned to have Thanksgiving at the 'family compound' in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

They would have then spent Christmas in Palm Beach, Florida, with the President's siblings and parents.

Instead, Jackie tragically spent the holidays moving out of The White House, which she'd spent the previous two years restoring, and moved herself and her kids into a house belonging to friends of hers in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Per Smithsonian Magazine, she received more than 800,000 cards and letters of condolence in the aftermath of JFK's death - but did not herself send out holiday cards that year.
Read more: Couple annoyed at parents who let child watch Bluey at fancy dinner

A single woman has made a 'controversial' statement about men and vented her frustrations about dating in Australia compared to overseas.

The woman, who goes by the moniker @ihalts on TikTok, claimed Australian men are either 'too scared' to approach women or 'don't know how to'.

She added how she feels as if women need to 'make the first move' on men, which is a 'change in dynamics'.

'The issue with that is, I don't know how to approach a guy. How do you ask a guy out? Do you just go up to them?' she said in a video.

The woman said she's currently not on any dating apps, and doesn't want to be, so her only option is to meet someone out.

The single woman vented her frustrations on TikTok about dating in Australia and says it's harder to date Down Under compared to the rest of the world

At the start of the clip she said: 'This might be a bit controversial but I'm convinced that Australian men are either too scared to ask girls out or they just don't know how to.

'The reason why I know this is whenever I'm overseas, guys will just approach you.

'My friend from America recently came down and noticed that they don't get approached in Australia, but when they go back home they will have like five guys running after them in one night.

'I'm not sure what has changed in Australia compared to say Europe or America but it's very different here.'

The woman continued to say it's going to be difficult to meet a man in public because she doesn't go out at night and doesn't drink alcohol.

'It'll either have to be at the gym or at my cafe,' she said.

'This might be a bit controversial but I'm convinced that Australian men are either too scared to ask girls out or they just don't know how to,' she said (stock image)

The video has been viewed more than 46,000 times and other Aussies agreed with her.

'Cause Aussie men are lazy in dating just like they are lazy with abbreviating most words,' one woman wrote.

'I'm about to leave the country to date not gonna lie,' another said.

A third woman claimed: 'I 100 per cent agree, I decided to approach them, step out my comfort zone, but when you do that they get the ick so I'm like how am I suppose to meet anyone.'

'I went to London couple of years ago. I had more guys approach me than in my whole lifetime in Sydney,' another said.

'Telling all my guy friends to just go for it from now on,' someone else wrote.
An American traveler has opened up about her most terrifying experiences abroad, ranging from a tourist scam to a parasitic infection she got from eating cat meat.

Karina Henry, a blogger and educator, has visited more than 30 countries and is currently based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after living in China and Thailand.

The content creator, who is known as 'Karina Worldwide,' has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares videos about her travels.

Karina, 34, recently counted down her top five 'scariest travel moments' to raise awareness about the unexpected challenges she has faced in other countries.

Karina Henry, a blogger and educator, has visited more than 30 countries and is currently based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after living in China and Thailand

The content creator, who is known as 'Karina Worldwide,' has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares videos about her travels

'In China, I was physically assaulted by a drunk man who said he didn't like me simply because I was American,' she first recalled.

The footage showed a man yelling at her in Chinese while she begged him to leave her alone, saying, 'I didn't do anything. I just want to go home.'

Karina then shared that she 'got an incurable parasitic infection after eating cat meat in Ghana,' but she didn't go into detail about her health scare.

'In Egypt, I was lured into a shop by a "tour guide" and then trapped inside until I agreed to pay for a belly dancer outfit I "broke"  only to later realize it was a scam,' she continued.

Karina added that when she was in Greece, a woman threatened to call the police and her sons if she didn't pay for another room.

'She said my friend and I could not share a room because she believed we were in a relationship  even after we told her many times we were just friends,' the traveler explained. 'She also wouldn't let us take our belongings.'

Finally, Karina detailed how a man approached her in Peru and 'warned' her that she was in a 'dangerous part of the city' and 'could be robbed.'

However, once he spotted the police, he ran away.

Karina, 34, recently counted down her top five 'scariest travel moments,' including the time she was physically assaulted by a drunk man in China

Karina shared that she 'got an incurable parasitic infection after eating cat meat in Ghana,' but she didn't go into detail about her health scare

The influencer said she fell for a tourist scam after being led into a shop in Egypt

Karina said the police later told her that he had been deported from the US, but they didn't specify why.

The influencer explained in the caption that she shared her stories because she wanted to give 'valuable insight into the realities that come with travel.'

'Travel isn't always smooth  it's filled with unexpected challenges that we all must face,' she wrote. 'Every traveler should be aware of potential risks, from scams to unsafe areas.

'It's not about deterring exploration but making sure youre knowledgeable of your surroundings. Its about doing your research and using common sense. Its also about understanding that, no matter how seasoned you are as a traveler, things will happen.'

Karina's video has been viewed nearly 45,000 times and has received more than 160 comments since it was posted on December 15.

'Love that you dont dwell in fear. No matter where we are in the world itll always be something,' one person responded.

'This is so real [though],' another added. 'Real traveling that doesnt involve tour groups has some very sketchy moments.'

Others wanted to know why she decided to eat cat meat abroad.

Karina recalled how a woman threatened to call the police and her sons if she didn't pay for another room in Greece

The traveler also detailed how a man approached her in Peru and 'warned' her that she was in a 'dangerous part of the city' and 'could be robbed' before the police chased him away

Karina explained in a follow-up video that things will happen when you're traveling no matter how much 'common sense you use,' but that shouldn't 'deter you from wanderlust'

'Though people may not agree, I will never judge people in other countries for what they eat, especially when I eat other forms of meat,' Karina explained in a follow-up video.

'Just because an animal is domesticated in one country, doesn't mean it's viewed as a pet in other countries. Just because an animal is viewed as food in one country, doesn't mean it's viewed as food everywhere.'

In another clip, Karina hit back at a commenter who told her she 'needs to stop traveling' because she is 'always looking for a problem' everywhere she goes.

'Girl, you are definitely a really good detective because you were able to see that I am the common denominator in all of my scariest travel moments. But I think what you did was you missed the mark and the purpose behind this video,' she sarcastically replied.

'The reason why I posted this video is because I think there are so many travel content creators that show the beauty of travel, but rarely do creators show you the realities and some of the challenges and obstacles they face when it comes to travel.'

Karina said her stories were meant to serve as a reminder that people need to do their research and be aware of their surroundings when they travel.

'These are five situations out of 30-plus countries that I visited and four countries that I've lived in,' she said. 'It's five. That's a pretty darn good ratio if you ask me.'

Karina noted that things will happen 'no matter how much research' you do and 'common sense you use,' but that shouldn't 'deter you from wanderlust.'

'It should not be the reason why you decide I can't explore the world,' she concluded. 'Everything won't always be peaches and cream when you're traveling, but it's OK.'
A pregnant mom has stunned the internet by showing off her grueling gym routine - just weeks before she is due to give birth.

Lily Stevenson, from South Jordan, Utah, has been sharing clips of her intense workout regime which proudly showcase her huge baby bump.

The 23-year-old, who is 37-weeks pregnant with her second child, said: 'The biggest misconception about weight lifting while pregnant is that you can't.'

The muscular mom's personal bests in the gym since being pregnant are squatting 125kg and deadlifting 155kg.

Lily Stevenson, from South Jordan, Utah, has been sharing clips of her intense workout regime which proudly showcase her huge baby bump

The 23-year-old (pictured alongside partner Nathan), who is expecting her second child, said: 'The biggest misconception about weight lifting while pregnant is that you can't'

When Lily had her first child, she began focusing on her fitness, with the gym being a huge part of her life, stating that after going once with a friend she was hooked on working out.

During her second pregnancy, Lily decided to go and see her doctor to discuss the possible impacts working out may have whilst pregnant.

She explained: 'I did speak to my doctor at the time and I continued to talk to her about it and to see what she's comfortable with.

'I get pretty anemic when I'm pregnant - she was just a little worried about my energy levels and told me to make sure I was conserving my energy for growing a baby.

'Getting into the third trimester of this pregnancy my doctor did tell me to really make sure I take it easy.'

For large parts of the pregnancy Lily would be going to the gym five days a week, doing various workouts such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.

As she approaches the latter stages of the journey, she has cut back her routine to just four sessions a week.

Lily explained: 'It's very empowering to carry a baby and lift weights at the same time.

The muscular mom's personal bests in the gym since being pregnant are squatting 125kg and deadlifting 155kg

As she approaches the latter stages of the pregnancy journey, she has cut back her routine to just four sessions a week

'I get a lot of people at the gym saying, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're here working out while pregnant." It's something that I enjoy and that I love.'

Despite sharing her videos online to help inspire other moms to go and hit the gym, Lily has received her fair share of hate, which has left her in floods of tears.

While showcasing her journey, viewers have constantly questioned her baby's safety, making comments such as: 'I don't mean to sound rude, but is this even allowed when you're pregnant?

Another wrote: 'It doesn't seem worth the risk at all.

And someone else asked: 'Is this safe?'

Lily explained: 'I get a lot of haters in my comment saying that I shouldn't be working out while pregnant and shouldn't be doing this and shouldn't be doing that, and it's going to harm the baby.

'I've heard all kinds of crazy things - I got a few comments about I was doing shoulder press with some waves and they were saying that I could potentially rip the umbilical cord by doing that.

'In person, I've never really had anyone say anything, but I've definitely had some crazy looks at the gym.

'You can definitely tell what people are thinking when they see a huge pregnant lady working out and they give a nasty look.

Despite sharing her videos online to help inspire other moms to go and hit the gym, Lily has received her fair share of hate, which has left her in floods of tears

Lily explained: 'It's very empowering to carry a baby and lift weights at the same time

'My final words for the haters: stay in your own lane.

'If you have questions, go talk to your own doctor about them. I feel super powerful.

'Carrying a baby and lifting weights at the same time  it's very empowering.'

Doctor Lawrence Cunningham, from the UK Care Guide, said: 'In my experience, some women can safely engage in more strenuous activities than others during pregnancy.

'Depending on their pre-pregnancy fitness levels, their current health, and the specifics of their pregnancy.

'When I've encountered this scenario in practice, I always emphasize the importance of individual assessment.

'If a doctor has cleared a woman for heavy lifting at 37 weeks pregnant, it suggests that her pregnancy is proceeding without complications and that she is in good physical condition.

'However, I would advise that even with medical clearance, the woman should listen to her body and be vigilant for any signs of strain or discomfort.

'It's really important to avoid any risks that could lead to injury for both the mother and the baby.

'Heavy lifting at that late stage is not something I would typically recommend, unless the woman was an experienced lifter.'
Meghan Markle appears to have rediscovered the high street as she donned a 135 Cos cashmere jumper for a surprise appearance in a Clevr advert.

The Duchess of Sussex - who is known for her love of designer fashion - has been an investor for the California-based oat latte company since 2020 and flexed her acting skills in their latest Instagram post.

In the 30-second clip, the company's co-founder Hannah Mendoza can be seen walking around the premises and describing how they've had to 'call in reinforcements' to cope with the busy holiday season.

In the background, the royal mother-of-two, 42, can be seen packing boxes and wearing the company's branded hoodie.

The grey sweatshirt - which is not available to buy - was a partnership between Clevr and Loud Flower Art company, which is another Santa Barbara-based business.

Pictured: Meghan Markle darted in front of the camera at the end of the video and was seen wearing a Cos cashmere jumper and 154 designer black jeans

The oversized hoodie features a light blue illustration on the back showing a moon and sun watching a Clevr brew being poured into a mug.

Later on in the video, Meghan quickly darts in front of the camera as she fist-bumps another employee.

While holding a two bags of the brand's 'matcha superlatte' blend, the Duchess is seen wearing a light blue cashmere jumper from Cos.

The high street item - which costs 135 - features a ribbed neckline and cuffs.

Meghan paired the knit with a pair of $195 (154) black skinny jeans by La Ligne, a fashion brand founded by former Vogue editors and based from New York.

The Duchess finished off her outfit with her Celine 'Triomphe' sunglasses, which cost a further 400.

Undergoing another outfit change, Meghan is seen sitting at a desk elsewhere in the video.

The former Suits actress donned the same pair of black designer jeans for this scene and sips from a $30 white metal water bottle by the company Simply Modern.

The royal mother-of-two can be seen packing boxes and wearing the company's branded hoodie

Left: Meghan Markle is seen wearing a Moncler padded jacket as she holds a Clevr thermos by the office fright. Right: Meghan wore the same 154 jeans as she was seen sipping from a 30 water bottle

At another point in the video, Meghan then goes over to the office fridge and ensures that Clevr's latte thermos is in full view of the camera.

For this short scene, the Duchess appears to be wearing a padded jacket - believed to be by the designer Moncler.

Clevr Blends posted the video on Instagram today with the caption: 'Damn, youre keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements.

'So grateful for the immense love and support this yearthanks for helping us keep the latte-loving dream alive, and thriving!xo'

The high street jumper - which costs 135 - features a ribbed neckline and cuffs. Meghan tucked it into black jeans

Left: Clevr's branded hoodie that Meghan wears in the video. Right: Meghan's black 154 jeans by La Ligne

The Duchess finished off her final outfit with her Celine 'Triomphe' sunglasses, which cost a further 400

Meghan confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Brands, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form.

And around the time, the former senior royal used her connections to promote the company, which was founded in January 2019 and is run by CEO Hannah Mendoza, by sending a basket of products to her neighbour Oprah Winfrey, who shared the products online.

While the Duchess has visited the company, sharing a short video from her trip on Instagram earlier this year, which featured footage of herself sipping on a cup of the hot stuff, she has been fairly silent about the investment over the last three years.

She shared a glowing five-star review of the line in November. Posting a photo of herself embracing Mendoza, the former cable actress wrote of the range: 'One of my favourite ways to start and end each day.'

Clevr is based in Santa Barbara, California. Meghan came across it by apparently sampling its superfood coffee in 2017, when the founder was selling it at a pop-up store before creating the at-home blend she now sells.

It also happens to be based near Montecito, where Harry and Meghan live.

In a statement to Fortune confirming the investment in 2019, Meghan said: 'This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.

'Im proud to invest in Hannahs commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.'
Princess Elisabeth of Belgium exuded effortless glamour as she returned to the hospital she opened when she was just nine years old.

The heir to the Belgian throne, 22, donned a pea green single-breasted suit jacket and trousers as she visited the Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital, which is the paediatric wing of the University Hospital of Ghent.

The young royal wore a sheer grey turtleneck underneath and accessorised her outfit with some chunky gold earrings.

Tying her look together, Elisabeth - who is currently a student at Oxford University - wore her long brown hair down and was seen wearing some shimmering silver eyeshadow.

The royal kept her makeup mostly minimal - opting for a bronzed complexion and nude glossy lip.

Pictured: Princess Elisabeth seen clutching several bouquets of flowers as she arrived at the children's hospital in Gent

Elisabeth received a warm welcome from staff at the hospital and was handed several bunches of flowers.

The royal displayed her natural way with children as she was taken on a tour around the hospital, which specialises in treating children with chronic diseases.

The future Queen happily took part in some arts and crafts with young patients and chatted to staff and volunteers during the visit.

The Princess inaugurated the hospital in September 2011 when she was just nine years old.

It's shaping up to be a busy week for the royal, who is on her Christmas university break.

Last night, the young royal joined her siblings and parents for a Christmas Reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

Born on October 25, 2001, Princess Elisabeth is the eldest of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium's four children.

When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant. Due to changes in primogeniture in 1991, she will one day become the first Queen of the nation.

The future Queen, 22, was pictured happily speaking to patients and taking part in arts and crafts

The royal seen speaking with patients at the Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital in Gent this morning

Princess Elisabeth seen with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde at the inauguration of the hospital in 2011

The young royal wore a sheer grey turtleneck underneath and accessorised her outfit with some chunky gold earrings

When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant

Pictured: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium seen speaking with children at the hospital, which specialises in treating children with chronic diseases

Tying her look together, Elisabeth - who is currently a student at Oxford University - wore her long brown hair down and was seen wearing some shimmering silver eyeshadow

Like a number of other European royals, including Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, Elisabeth attended Atlantic College in Wales before moving on to Oxford.

Nicknamed 'Hippie Hogwarts', the school curriculum has included unusual activities such as Tai Chi and Tibetan literature. It has a remarkable cliff-top location in a 12th-century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Elisabeth enrolled on a 67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma at the school, which she has now completed.

The Princess also went to the Yale Young Global Scholars Program at Yale University.

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

In October 2021, the Princess (pictured) began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford

The high-achieving Princess is fluent in Dutch, French, German and English and currently studying at Oxford

Alongside her training, in October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford

When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the Belgian throne and Duchess of Brabant

In October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford. Here, she rows for Lincoln College Boat Club under the name 'Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg'.

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history 'anonymously' so that her social status would not affect her marks.

Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with graduates from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.

The high-achieving Princess, who is fluent in Dutch, French, German and English, recently completed two years at the Royal Military Academy's annual three-week summer camps and other practical and theoretical military classes.
Her daughters were always 'on board' with the generous-minded approach

Instead, for each Christmas, the family has donated to various charities

A mom who stopped buying her kids Christmas presents when they were eight and 10 after realizing the family already had enough says she doesn't regret it.

Maya Manseau, 61, and her family decided to stop buying each other gifts and instead donate $1,000 to charity every Christmas.

She says her children - Lindsay and Megan - fully supported the decision and were never resentful.

Since kicking off the tradition in 2001, the family has donated $1,000 a year to a range of different charities.

Maya Manseau, 61, of Maine, and her family stopped buying Christmas presents for each other in 2001 - and instead have donated about $1,000 each year to different charities

The tradition started after Maya fell ill just before Christmas of 2000 and wasn't able to get her family presents on time for the holidays. Maya is pictured with her younger daughter, Megan

Instead of opening a pile of presents on the big day, they eat and celebrate with family.

Maya, a business owner from Maine, said: 'The first year we did it was just after the 9/11 terror attacks.

'I sat my two daughters down and did the normal thing of asking what they wanted to do for Christmas.

'The girls were like, "Mom, we have so much," and we started talking about how we could help others.

'We decided to donate $1,000 to the 9/11 fund instead of giving each other presents.

'The following year we found a charity where you "adopt a family" and buy them a list of presents that they have asked for. The girls were totally on board with that,' she continued.

'When we got the list we saw that the dad had written that all he wanted was socks and mittens and the girls were mind blown.

'It was a really great learning lesson for the girls - to teach them about the basic necessities and giving.

For the first Christmas without presents - which was just months after the September 11 terrorist attacks - the family chose to donate $1,000 to a 9/11 charity

Maya lost her oldest daughter, Lindsay (pictured), to leukemia in 2012

'We loved going around and picking out the presents for the children and the parents.'

Maya's family experienced a difficult Christmas in 2000 due to a sudden illness, and she says it gave them a new perspective on the holiday.

She was struck down with a flesh-eating virus at the beginning of December after cutting her foot while cleaning out an old pool in Florida.

She spent two weeks in hospital and was put on antibiotics.

She recalled of the difficult incident: 'They managed to fly me back up to Maine from Florida.

'But I hadn't done much Christmas shopping and I was worried that the girls would be upset.

'When I told them, my eldest, who was 10 at the time, said, "Mom, you're here and you're OK and that's all I wanted for Christmas."'

Maya and her ex-partner still did stockings for the girls and padded them out - calling them 'elaborate stockings'  so the children didn't wake up with nothing on the day.

'They would be filled with a few items of clothes, books, puzzles and stationary equipment and maybe one more expensive gift,' she said.

After losing Lindsay, Maya says her grief 'fueled my desire to continue helping all year round' - especially given on how many people showed up for her and her family

Tragedy struck the family in 2012 when Maya lost her eldest daughter, Lindsay, after she was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 23.

She says it has made the Christmas holidays much harder, but continuing to give to others has helped to cope.

'It fueled my desire to continue helping all year round, I had lots of people step up to help me in a big way, and I'm always looking to return that support,' Maya said.

'We always try and help as many people as we can at Christmas, and if we find out someone will be spending Christmas alone, we will want them to join us.'

Maya's favorite part of Christmas is cooking together as a family.

'My mother-in-law taught home economics in middle school and she used to love to bake and cook,' she said.

'As soon as my kids were old enough to stand on a chair with a little apron on, they cooked with her.'

Christmas hasn't been the same for the family since Lindsay's tragic death.

But this year Maya is publishing a book called Living Intentionally After Loss to help teach others how to deal with grief.

She told Authority Magazine of moving past the loss: 'As I began to heal, I began to teach the others the things that I had learned.'
The ex-wife of the real-life Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort has shared tips for 'dealing with a narcissistic ex during the holidays' - while recalling how she and her former spouse were able to make peace after their tumultuous split so that they could spend Christmas together with their kids.

Nadine Macaluso, 55, who now works as a marriage counselor and family therapist in California, met Jordan, 61, when she was just 22 years old and working as a model.

The two soon became engulfed in a whirlwind romance, tying the knot in 1991 and welcoming two children together, before they ultimately divorced in 2005 after 14 years of marriage.

And after they went their separate ways, Nadine accused the broker of physical and mental abuse, which she said was fueled by his rampant drug addiction and multiple infidelities.

The ex-wife of the real-life Wolf of Wall Street shared tips for 'dealing with a narcissistic ex during the holidays' - while recalling how she and Jordan Belfort made peace after their split

Nadine Macaluso, 55, who now works as a marriage counselor and family therapist in California, met Jordan Belfort, 61, when she was just 22 years old and working as a model

The two soon became engulfed in a whirlwind romance , tying the knot in 1991 and welcoming two children together, before they ultimately divorced in 2005 after 14 years of marriage

Their relationship was portrayed in the 2013 flick Wolf of Wall Street, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan and Margot Robbie as Nadine, who was renamed Naomi for the movie

Nadine and Jordan's relationship - as well as Jordan's illicit stock market scheme, which saw him steal nearly $200 million from investors - was portrayed in the wildly popular 2013 flick Wolf of Wall Street, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan and Margot Robbie as Nadine, who was renamed Naomi for the movie.

The model-turned-therapist has become a viral TikTok star in a recent months for spilling numerous secrets about their marriage, revealing which scenes of the Martin Scorsese film were accurate and which were exaggerated for the sake of views, and using her experience to give others who may be dealing with unhealthy relationships advice.

Most recently, she has shared some suggestions for people who have to share their kids with an ex during the holidays following a nasty breakup - something she herself had to deal with after her split from Jordan.

'Dealing with narcissists during the holidays,' she entitled the video, which was viewed more than 30,000 times.

'This video is for anybody who's having to manage their narcissistic ex, kids, and the holidays,' she told her followers in the clip.

'I remember having the conversation with the Wolf, when we had to talk about splitting up the kids during the holidays. I was devastated.'

Nadine remembered struggling with having to 'give up her kids' on Christmas so they could see their father, but she said they were ultimately able to work past their differences so that they could 'spend the holidays together.'

'In fact, the day the movie came out on Christmas day 10 years ago, I actually had the Wolf over,' she continued.

'This video is for anybody who's having to manage their narcissistic ex, kids, and the holidays,' she told her followers in the clip

Nadine said she was 'devastated' that she had to give up her kids on Christmas so they could see their father, but she said she and Jordan eventually agreed to 'spend the holidays together'

Nadine listed the things that helped her get through the festive months after her and Jordan's explosive divorce - which including 'managing her expectations' and avoiding arguments

'I know that's not possible for so many of you, so I've created a holiday guide with tips for how to manage your narcissistic ex and your children over the holidays.'

She concluded: 'It can still be a happy holiday.'

On her website, Nadine listed some of the things that helped her get through the festive months after her and Jordan's explosive divorce.

She said the most important thing that she learned was to 'manage her expectations' since getting her hopes up often left her feeling 'disappointment, frustration, and hurt.'

'If you expect the narcissist to behave like a healthy adult, forget it.' she wrote. 'Dont expect the selfish person to do something they cant or be someone they arent.

'The narcissist spirals amidst holiday cheer and festivities because the holidays are about connecting, bonding, and loving others - all experiences the narcissist is incapable of.

'Having realistic expectations and planning accordingly will help ease disappointment, frustration, and hurt.'

If you do have to be around your narcissistic ex around the holidays, Nadine suggested that you avoid 'engaging' with them if they attempt to 'cross your boundaries' - because they're likely only doing it to 'try and get a rise out of you.'

'Do your best to not respond to baiting, gaslighting, guilt-tripping, or any other form of manipulation,' she added.

'Instead, be mindful about what you reveal and how you respond. Remember that you dont need to justify your feelings or explain your thoughts. The more you do, the more you are at risk for debate and self-doubt.'

Jordan (seen left in the movie and right in real life) spent 22 months in prison after it was revealed he had scammed more than 1,500 people through an stockbroker scheme in 1999

Nadine has become a viral TikTok star for spilling numerous secrets about their marriage and using her experience to give others who may be dealing with unhealthy relationships advice

She has since remarried, and she has been with her new husband, John Macaluso (seen), who has three kids from a past relationship, for 23 years now

She recommended having some 'rehearsed statements' that you can use to 'avoid confrontation' like, 'I'd like to change the topic,' or, 'Let's just agree to disagree.'

Last but not least, Nadine said it's vital to remember to 'care for yourself' by doing the things you love, like 'exercising, reading, or journaling.'

'Take time for yourself and remember that the holidays should be enjoyable and peaceful,' she concluded.

'Remember, dont let the narcissist steal your joy. Plan ahead, dont engage, and wrap yourself in a blanket of warmth and self-compassion.'

Jordan spent 22 months in prison after it was brought to light that he had scammed more than 1,500 people through an elaborate stockbroker scheme in 1999 - all while he was married to Nadine.

Nadine has since remarried, and she has been with her new husband, John Macaluso, who has three kids from a past relationship, for 23 years now.

The family therapist has opened up about tons of moments from the movie on her TikTok account - where she's racked up more than 318,000 followers.

In one video, she spoke in detail about the harrowing 'trauma' that she faced when she first tried to leave Jordan - revealing that he lit her clothes and jewelry on fire and 'kicked her down the stairs.'

While discussing the 'horrific' part of the flick that showed Jordan beat Naomi, before attempting to steal their daughter while he was high on cocaine - Nadine admitted that while some of it wasn't true, he did get violent with her and try to take their children away when she told him she wanted to end their marriage.

In one video, Nadine addressed the 'horrific' part of the movie that showed Jordan beat Naomi before attempting to steal their daughter while he was high on cocaine

In the scene, Naomi tells Jordan that she wants a divorce, that she's going to request full custody of their two kids - which sparked a fierce reaction from the stock broker

As Jordan becomes more and more enraged, he starts to get physical with Naomi - ultimately punching her in the gut and trying to drive away with their daughter

Nadine admitted that while some of what it wasn't true, Jordan did get violent with her and try to take their children away when she told him she wanted to leave

In the scene, Naomi told Jordan that she wanted a divorce, that she was going to request full custody of their two kids, and that she would only allow him to visit if he agreed to the divorce then and there - which sparked a fierce reaction from the stock broker.

But according to Nadine, that's not how it went down in real life. She stated in a TikTok video, 'That scene starts with me telling Jordan that I'm going to take his children from him. That never happened.

'I never told Jordan once - when he was in jail, when he got indicted, or any other time - that I would take his children from him.'

In the movie, as Jordan became more and more enraged, he started to get physical with Naomi - ultimately punching her in the gut, grabbing their daughter from her bed, and trying to drive away with the youngster before crashing into a wall.

'What actually happened was, as you see in the movie, Jordan had a severe drug addiction and I was really thinking he was going to kill himself,' Nadine said.

'What I said to him was, "I'm not going to sit here and watch you kill yourself." So I told him I was going to leave him unless he went to rehab.

'He lit my clothing and jewelry on fire, he threw them in the fireplace and he got really, really angry with me.

'He told me he was going to take my daughter to Florida, and I was like, "No, over my dead body."

'At that moment was when he got violent with me and he kicked me down the stairs. That was actually how that scene happened in real life.'

In another TikTok, Nadine spoke about Jordan's 'callous and painful' response after she confronted him about the 'abuse and trauma' that she suffered during their marriage

'I said to him, "Jordan that was so hard what I had to endure with your drug addiction and abuse. It was just so traumatizing,"' she recalled. 'And he goes, "It wasn't that bad"'

In another TikTok, Nadine spoke about Jordan's 'callous and painful' response after she confronted him about the 'abuse and trauma' that she suffered during their marriage.

Nadine (seen with Jordan at their wedding) said his reaction opened her eyes to how much of a 'narcissist' he really was. She added, 'His insensitivity and callousness towards the pain that he caused me was worse than the abuse'

She explained that the incident occurred six months after he had gotten sober and finished his stint at rehab.

She recalled sitting at a restaurant with him, when she tried to discuss some of the terrible things she went through when he was on the drugs.

But she said his reaction opened her eyes to how much of a 'narcissist' he really was.

'I said to him, "Jordan that was so hard what I had to endure with your drug addiction and abuse. It was just so traumatizing,"' she recalled.

'And he goes, "It wasn't that bad." Right in that moment, my heart closed. His insensitivity and callousness towards the pain that he caused me was worse than the abuse.'

Nadine ended her video with a message to other women who may be in an unhealthy relationship.

She said: 'Don't second guess yourself, know [how you feel is] real and [it's OK if] it's incredibly painful.'
Most children only dream of meeting a real prince and princess - but today, lucky youngsters were welcomed by Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco at the Prince's Palace.

The royal couple, who were joined at the annual Christmas event by Camille Gottlieb, the daughter of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, handed out gifts to the excited children.

Former Olympian Charlene, 45, looked festive in a red jumper, which she teamed with matching vibrant heeled boots.

She wrapped up warm in a black coat while walking arm-in-arm with her husband Albert, 65, who donned a Christmas-themed tie for the occasion.

He paired his red accessory - which was decorated with designs of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, stockings and presents - with a crisp white shirt and a navy coat and trousers.

Camille Gottlieb (L), the daughter of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Princess Charlene of Monaco and her husband Prince Albert II of Monaco, speak with a family during the traditional Christmas event at the Prince's Palace

Charlene and Albert, who share twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, nine, looked in great spirits as they chatted to the families who were visiting the palace.

It's been a busy month for the couple, who last week attended a Christmas charity drive at the Red Cross headquarters.

The couple spent the afternoon handing out Christmas presents to elders as part of the festive celebration.

It came shortly after an adorable portrait of the the Monegasque royals was revealed by fan accounts for their 2023 Christmas card.

In the image, the royal, 65, and the former Olympic swimmer, 45, can be seen posing alongside their young children Crown Prince Jacques and his twin sister, Princess Gabriella, who both celebrated their ninth birthday last week.

While the Palace is yet to release the official portrait, an early copy was shared by a royal fan account on Instagram. The official version is expected to have higher definition.

Unlike the Prince and Princess of Wales's casual Christmas card, Monaco's royal family took a much more formal approach.

Princess Charlene looked spectacular in a sophisticated cowl neck velvet dress in burnt copper.

Most children only dream of meeting a real prince and princess - but today, lucky youngsters were welcomed by Princess Charlene (pictured) and Prince Albert of Monaco at the Prince's Palace

Former Olympian Charlene, 45, looked festive in a red jumper, which she teamed with matching vibrant heeled boots

Charlene wrapped up warm in a black coat while walking arm-in-arm with her husband Albert, 65, who donned a Christmas-themed tie for the occasion

Charlene and Albert, who share twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, nine, looked in great spirits as they chatted to the families who were visiting the palace

Albert paired his red accessory - which was decorated with designs of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, stockings and presents - with a crisp white shirt and a navy coat and trousers

The mother-of-two sweetly embraced her son Jacques, who leant into his mother's chest in the snap.

Smiling in front of a Christmas tree, Albert matched his son and dressed to the nines in a tuxedo. He stood behind his family for the photoshoot while keeping one hand firmly on his wife's back.

Nine-year-old Gabriella put on a sweet display in a deep crimson dress, which, like her mother's, was made of velour.

It comes after Princess Charlene stunned in a silver ensemble as she posed with Father Christmas at the Christmas Ball of the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. The former Olympian was without her husband Prince Albert at the festive event.

Opting for classic Hollywood glamour, the South African born royal was sure to turn heads in the fitted glittering dress which she paired with diamond earrings and a bold make-up look.

With a striking red lip and smokey eye, the Princess styled her hair into a choppy bob.
Hong Kong: CE meets national devt adviser

Chief Executive John Lee today met National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) Party Secretary & Chairman Zheng Shanjie in Beijing to discuss the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions proactive integration into the national development.

While calling on the NDRC, Mr Lee thanked them for supporting Hong Kongs efforts in consolidating and realising its development of the eight centres under the 14th Five-Year Plan, and the city's participation in national strategies such as the Greater Bay Area development and the Belt & Road Initiative.

The commission's support has facilitated the citys better integration into the national development, providing a new and greater contribution to the countrys high-quality development, Mr Lee added.

The Chief Executive noted that the Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to consolidating and enhancing Hong Kongs development of the eight centres to provide impetus for the citys competitiveness and sustainable economic growth.

He pointed out that the Government strives to develop a headquarters economy to explore the immense opportunities brought about by the national and international dual circulation, capitalising on and unleashing the citys advantages in financial services, and deepening mutual access with the Mainlands financial market.

It also strives to expand Hong Kong's global economic and trade networks and promote regional co-operation as well as adopt an industry-oriented approach to promote new industrialisation, while showcasing the Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Development Blueprint.

The Government will capitalise on the citys advantages as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange to actively promote the development of cultural and creative industries.

Mr Lee highlighted that the Hong Kong SAR Government has published the Northern Metropolis Action Agenda, which adopts an industry-driven approach as its key planning axle in forging Hong Kongs deeper integration into the bay areas overall development.

He added that the Northern Metropolis development will facilitate Hong Kong's closer co-operation with other bay area cities, creating a strong growth impetus for Hong Kong and injecting new vigour into the entire GBAs development.

Mr Lee emphasised that the Hong Kong SAR Government renders its full support to the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone promulgated by the central government.

It will work with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to foster the synergistic development of the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park to achieve complementarity, he added.

Mr Lee departed for Hong Kong this afternoon.

This story has been published on: 2023-12-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Juliet, 82

Vital statistics

Widow of six years, married twice, four daughters, nine grandchildren.

Current role

Retired homemaker.

Would like to meet

An amusing extrovert.

Juliet, 82, a retired homemaker, is looking for an amusing extrovert

Dating past

I've been married twice; my second husband died more than six years ago. I had lunch with one guy recently who suggested a cruise with a shared cabin, which was a bit forward on a first date. We haven't seen one another since because he's been ill. That's the trouble with dating when you're older  men don't last as long as women, do they?

Pre-date nerves?

A bit! Since my husband died, I've lived on my own in the countryside with just my two dogs, Victor and Monty.

First impressions?

Good! Martin has grey hair and is quite attractive. He was friendly and came across as confident. I wore a black pinstripe trouser suit I last wore when my late husband and I went out to celebrate buying a villa in Menorca. Martin complimented me on my make-up. I felt confident, but then I did a modelling course when I was young, so it all came back.

Easy to talk to?

Yes. I was excited to meet Martin because he's from Yorkshire, like me. Even though I now live in Sussex, I'll always be a Yorkshire lass at heart. We talked about our daughters briefly  it was refreshing to be a woman first, rather than a mother or a grandma. I couldn't believe I was out on my own in London, I haven't done that in years. Martin is a lifelong aficionado of sailing, which sounds adventurous.

I was excited to meet Martin because he's from Yorkshire, like me. Even though I now live in Sussex, I'll always be a Yorkshire lass at heart

Flirting? Put it this way: he didnt need any encouragement

Embarrassing moments?

My daughter, Josephine, arrived at the restaurant after we'd been there for two-and-a-half hours. She'd organised a taxi home, and whisked me off like Cinderella, just as Martin and I were getting into our stride.

Did sparks fly?

I like Martin very much. I didn't fall head over heels for him  those feelings are reserved for the younger version of Brad Pitt. But it was a fabulous date with a charming man. Martin did flirt with me, paying me lots of compliments, and I giggled back.

See him again?

Possibly. It's a long way up to Yorkshire, but Martin's attitude is 'where there's a will, there's a way'.

What do you think he thought of you?

Oh, he liked me. Put it this way, he didn't need any encouragement.

Would your family like him?

My daughter sat down with us and warmed to him. My youngest granddaughter is 11, going on 30. She'd have a lot to say about my love life.

Martin, 79

Vital statistics

Divorced 22 years ago, two daughters, six grandchildren, one great granddaughter.

Current role

Retired accountant.

Would like to meet

A funny, well-travelled lady.

Martin, 79, a retired accountant, is looking for a funny, well-travelled lady

Dating past

I was married in 1971 and we split in 2000. I then had two long-term relationships while living in Canada for a few years, but nothing significant since I moved back to the UK in 2011.

Pre-date nerves?

No, none. I love surprises and it's part of my belief system to live life (at times) outside my comfort zone.

I was about to kiss her when her daughter showed up

First impressions?

Juliet looked elegant in a smart suit. She is a petite, blonde and very attractive. I'd made an effort and wore a dark blue blazer with black trousers. I didn't bother with a tie because I've forgotten how to tie one! I'd arrived with a single yellow rose for Juliet. She has a fairly impish sense of humour and joked: 'Just the one?'

Easy to talk to?

Yes, I had to borrow Juliet's glasses because the writing on the menu was so small, but there was a sense of ease about it. We talked a bit about our love of sailing, although neither of us do it much now. I got the impression Juliet is more of a cruise-ship girl these days. I've lived in Scotland, Canada and Namibia and although Juliet is better travelled than me, it is very different when you actually live in a country.

Embarrassing moments?

Just as I was about to go in for the kill with a kiss, Juliet's daughter turned up. We had a ten-minute natter but it was clear she'd arrived to whisk her mum away. A kiss could have been a perfect end to the date.

Did sparks fly?

I think so, but I'm an eternal optimist and romantic. If we'd have spent another hour together, I like to think the conversation would have veered towards something more amorous.

Just as I was about to go in for the kill with a kiss, Juliet's daughter turned up. We had a ten-minute natter but it was clear she'd arrived to whisk her mum away

See her again?

I'd love to see Juliet again and I'd be terribly disappointed if I didn't. We did touch on it  there is an expectation that this might develop into something. Perhaps a weekend in the Cotswolds together next year?

What do you think she thought of you?

I thought she quite liked me and that's good because I really was on my best behaviour. I didn't tell any rude jokes and kept the atmosphere light.

Would your family like her?

My grandchildren would adore Juliet because she is very much her own lady. My two daughters can be critical of me, and warn me 'not to mess things up, Dad!' I think they would be pleased if I was involved with someone.

Juliet's verdict

8.5/10

Liked?

Being out with a grown-up.

Regrets?

None.

Coffee or cab?

Coffee.

Martin's verdict

9.5/10

Liked?

Juliet is very nice.

Regrets?

Her daughter turning up.

Coffee or cab?

Coffee.
The actor who played King Charles III in the last two seasons of The Crown admits that he 'understands' criticism of the show - and 'acknowledges there's discomfort about it'.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Dominic West, 54, told presenter Nihal Arthanayake that he had 'persuaded himself that the Royal Family are public property and therefore fair game'.

'But I'm still uncomfortable with the thought of anyone being fair game or anyone's private life being made public,' he added.

The actor also said he can see why 'people think this is too close to the actual events' - with series of six of the show tackling Princess Diana's death as well as the late Queen's funeral planning.

'The grief is still so, so real,' he continued. 'I did think a lot about that, I still do.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live , Dominic West, 54, told presenter Nihal Arthanayake that he had 'persuaded himself that the Royal Family are public property and therefore fair game'. Dominic pictured with Elizbaeth Debicki in The Crown

'Ultimately, you have to put your trust in Peter's hands and he's a proven great dramatist.'

Dominic also explained he found it difficult to play the monarch as 'extremely emotional' this season.

The Netflix star earlier this week also claimed that Charles was judged too harshly when Diana died.

He believes that history should be kinder to the now-King, who he believes has 'made every mistake going'.

Dominic, previously most famous for his role as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, believes Charles was seen as a 'villain' after his ex-wife died with Dodi Fayed on the night of August 30.

In season six, which premiered last month with the final episodes released last week, Charles crumbles into tears when he learns of his ex-wife's death in Paris. He then defied his mother and pushed for the royal plane to be sent to France to collect her coffin, sobbing loudly when he saw her body for the first time at the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital.

Dominic said: 'You do feel a sympathy for him. I think that, particularly around Diana's death, he was the villain of the piece. And I think perhaps now that we've had 25 years of retrospective to look back on, we might judge that  I certainly have judged that  as being a bit harsh on him'.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed: 'I'm fighting for him as one does as an actor for any character, except perhaps the most villainous. Inevitably, you're trying to get inside the mind of your character and that requires a sort of sense of common humanity and empathy'.

In season six, which premiered last month with the final episodes released last week, Charles crumbles into tears when he learns of his ex-wife's death in Paris. The pair pictured in 1989

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997

He said he has grown to 'adore' playing Charles in the show, admitting he is sad that the role has ended.

In an interview with Town and Country he said: 'I miss him. I'm still reading all the news articles about him. I adore him. I feel real affection for him, which I didn't particularly feel before', adding: 'He's likable, as well as an interesting character'.

He referenced recent events, such as Charles' anger when his pen failed to work after the Queen died.

'It's hard not to bring the present man into the historic man, or even the real man into Peter Morgan's version of him. But it was a wonderful gift to have all that coronation stuff and the penthe irritation about the pen. You don't get many glimpses of what's going on behind the public persona. So I greedily devoured all those moments. They are gold dust to an actor, really'.

He added: 'He's made every mistake going. He's been through it all, it's been about as bad as it can get. And he's been grilled about as hard as he possibly could be. And so I imagine, like with so much in his life, I think there's a certain resolution now he's King. I think there's a certain, probably relief, that he no longer is allowed to be political or outspoken'.

He added: 'He's landed on his feetor with a crown on his head, more accurately'.

The last series of The Crown has proved controversial and had mixed reviews, from the depiction of Diana's death to Charles' wedding to Camilla and the Queen's existential crisis over the future of the monarchy.

There are also a series of bizarre dream sequences when senior royals including the Queen and Charles speak with the late Princess, played by Elizabeth Debicki, after her death.

Harry's embarrassment over wearing a Nazi uniform to a party has been gleefully recreated by Netflix in the very last episode of The Crown.

The on-screen portrayal of his Nazi debacle appears to stay close to his own recollection of the incident in his memoir, Spare. In the book, Harry took little in the way of responsibility for his actions, effectively blaming Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate, for egging him on.

The Netflix star earlier this week also claimed that Charles was judged too harshly when Diana died. Pictured with co-star Olivia Williams, who plays Camilla

The Crown has the trio  played by Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy  at a costume shop in the Cotswolds, planning for the 'natives and colonials' themed party.

While William is going as a lion, his younger brother is undecided on what to do until coming across a uniform of the Afrika Korps  Rommel's troops in North Africa  complete with swastika armband. 'Germany had an empire, didn't they?' he asks in the scene. 'What about this?' 'I don't know,' Kate replies. 'Maybe cover the swastika?' But William comes to his brother's defence.

'Oh, come on. Wearing the outfit doesn't make him a Nazi. Isn't that the joke?' he adds. In the mirror, a gleeful Harry, then aged 20, does the 'Heil Hitler' salute as he makes his choice.

At the party, hosted by Olympic showjumper Richard Meade, Harry is photographed by two shocked guests who sell the pictures to The Sun.

The Royal Family are then shown examining the front pages in horror, while the young prince shouts obscenities as he realises his mistake. In a later scene, the two brothers row over the scandal at supper with their father.

The last series of The Crown has proved controversial and had mixed reviews. Pictured, show creator Peter Morgan

'You were all for the uniform, egging me on,' Harry hit out. 'Suddenly you're Mr Morality. Stabbing me in the back... how many faces does this man have?' William then says: 'I'm not sure I like who you're turning into.'

'Not sure I like who you've been,' Harry angrily replies.

In Spare, there is no suggestion that William and Kate were ever at the fancy dress shop at the same time. But Harry does very much paint himself as a victim, claiming the pair promised to help him find a suitable outfit.

The prince says he called them to discuss his options, explaining it was a toss-up between the uniform of an RAF pilot or a Nazi.

He wrote: 'I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said.' He describes taking it home and trying it on for them  adding a 'proper Hitler' moustache  and 'they both howled'.

He said William was 'sympathetic' at the resulting furore but 'there wasn't much to say'. His father was surprisingly understanding, but a public apology was deemed necessary.

The Crown's award-winning writer, Peter Morgan, has insisted he hasn't read 'a word' of Spare, adding: 'I didn't want his voice to inhabit my thinking too much'.
Don't pre-stuff your turkey this Christmas, food safety chiefs have warned.

Instead, Brits wanting a flavourful filling  such as sausage and herb  should cook that separately in another roasting tin.

Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials say whacking them in the oven as one risks causing you food poisoning.

In updated festive cooking guidance, the agency warned: 'A stuffed turkey will take longer to cook.'

The FSA added that a stuffed turkey 'may not cook thoroughly if it has not reached the correct temperature throughout'.

Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials say whacking them in the oven as one risks causing you food poisoning. In updated festive cooking guidance, the agency warned: 'A stuffed turkey will take longer to cook.' The FSA added that a stuffed turkey 'may not cook thoroughly if it has not reached the correct temperature throughout'

Raw turkey harbours bugs like salmonella and campylobacter, which can both cause diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Usually the illnesses clear up on their own, however they can prove serious to the vulnerable.

FSA chiefs also said that people often don't thaw the bird properly, which is another cause of uneven cooking.

It said a typical large frozen turkey, which weighs around six to seven kilograms, can take as long as four days to fully defrost.

This should be done in the fridge, as opposed to at room temperature, the FSA added.

Its guidance also reminded Brits of the importance of cleaning 'any work surfaces, chopping board or utensils raw poultry has been in contact with'.

Washing raw turkey before cooking also raises the risk of splashing harmful bacteria across the kitchen, leading to the cross-contamination of other foods.

Proper cooking of the turkey will destroy any bacteria, meaning there is no need to wash it.

Around 70,000 in England and Wales seek medical advice for food poisoning over the Christmas period, stats suggest.

But the FSA believes the figure could be as high as 2,4million, as many do not go to the doctor.

Food poisoning can also occur because the fridge is too warm, the FSA said.

It advised to check the temperature remains below 5C, as bacteria thrives between 8C and 63C.

Equally, raw meat and fish should be covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge to avoid cross-contamination or spillages.

Cooked fish and meat can be kept in the fridge for three to four days, while cheese can be kept longer than cream and custard.

Cooked turkey can also be frozen for up to six months. But once it is defrosted, it must be eaten within 24 hours and cannot be re-frozen, the FSA advised.
Ministers today pleaded with union bosses to 'come back to the table' as thousands of junior doctors began a three-day strike designed to cripple NHS hospitals during the 'worst possible time of year'.

British Medical Association (BMA) officials last week rejected a pay rise worth 3 per cent, on top of the average 8.8 per cent increase thousands pocketed this summer.

Doubling down on its original demand for a 35 per cent salary hike, the union vowed to 'not stop until we achieve full pay restoration'. However, the Government remains hopeful that the BMA will settle for less.

Health leaders have warned thousands of patients face being 'stranded' in hospitals over Christmas because of the ongoing strike, which ends at 7am on Saturday.

Thousands of vital appointments and operations are expected to be cancelled, piling further pressure on hospitals already juggling record backlogs and winter pressures. One A&E unit was even forced to close ahead of the walk-out.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, who has already sketched out deals with consultant and specialist doctors since taking over from Steve Barclay, said: 'Junior doctors will today be on strike.

'My message to them is very simple: Call off the strikes. Come back to the table. We have put an offer to consultants and specialist doctors. Let's get this done.'

Junior doctors today kicked off their 26th day of industrial action this year. The action will end at 7am on Saturday before a further six-day strike  the longest in NHS history  begins at 7am on January 3. Pictured: Junior doctors striking outside University College Hospital in London on December 12

NHS bosses had already warned that hospitals will operate at full capacity for just four weekdays until January 10. Only December 27, 28, 29 and January 2 are unaffected by the impending chaos of the holidays and walk-outs until January 10

She added: 'We know that despite these measures and the hard work of NHS staff, these strikes can cause significant disruption to patients and add extra pressure on the NHS.

'My door remains open should the BMA junior doctors committee cancel these disruptive strikes and come back to the negotiating table as we were making good progress.'

Ms Atkins told Sky News that she wants to address' junior doctors' concerns about working conditions but 'cannot do that if they're on the picket line rather than in hospitals looking after patients'.

Mel Stride, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, told LBC Radio: 'What the junior doctors have got to do now  they're the ones that have walked away from the table  is to come back to the table.

'What they really should not be doing is putting people in these very difficult situations, over this very difficult period for the NHS when the pressure is that much more acute.

'They've walked away, we have our door wide open to continue these discussions.

'We've been making some progress, but they really should be coming back to the table now. It's deeply disappointing that they've done what they've done.'

Junior doctors today kicked off their 26th day of industrial action this year.

Following a three-day walkout from 7am today, the medics will return two days before Christmas before embarking on a mammoth six-day stoppage from January 3.

It comes after weeks of promising talks between the medics and the Government broke down.

Ministers had initially offered junior doctors an 8.8 per cent pay rise, on average, for the 2023/24 financial year.

However, the uplift was higher for first year medics, who were given a 10.3 per cent boost.

Junior doctors in their first year now have a basic pay of 32,300, while those with three years' experience make 43,900. The most senior earn 63,100.

Ministers insisted this was the final offer, despite weeks of devastating strikes by junior doctors staged since March.

But Ms Atkins offered the medics an additional 3 per cent on top of this rise.

However, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, who co-chair the BMA's junior doctor committee, said this sum was still 'completely insufficient' and pressed ahead with fresh walkouts.

The BMA has claimed that junior doctors have seen their pay eroded by more than a quarter in real terms since 2008.

Trainee medics have been demanding full pay restoration  worth around 35 per cent  and have said they would not settle for anything less.

However, senior figures within the union have suggested they may compromise.

After talks broke down, Ms Atkins said the union walked away from the table before it was presented its 'final offer'.

Dr Laurenson and Dr Trivedi said today: 'It is extremely disappointing to be in this position.

'We had hoped that after a much-improved tone and approach from the new Health Secretary, Ms Atkins, we were close to a solution to this dispute.

'We were encouraged by her insistence last week that even after our mutually agreed deadline had passed and we were forced to call new strikes, we had still not heard her 'final offer'.

'We have spent the last two weeks awaiting this final offer in the hope it would be the long-awaited credible offer we could put to our members. Unfortunately, we are still yet to hear it.'

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The BMA has claimed that junior doctors have seen their pay eroded by 35 per cent in real terms over the past 15 years. Pictured: Junior doctors striking outside University College Hospital in London on December 12

The Government has refused to talk to unions when strikes are scheduled and the union has said they are 'ready to speak at any point' and called for this approach to be ditched.

Speaking from a picket line outside University College Hospital in London this morning, where doctors chanted 'claps don't pay the bills', Dr Laurenson said ministers are 'wasting time' by not offering a new pay deal.

He said Ms Atkins had a 'much more constructive tone' than her predecessor Mr Barclay but was 'still not quite listening'.

He added: 'Why are they wasting so much time? I understand that Victoria Atkins has another offer to make. So why doesn't she just make it? Why is she letting these strikes go on?'

Some of those striking carried banners stating that junior doctors would move overseas unless pay was improved, with one reading: 'All of my friends are in Australia.'

Dr Robert Laurenson: The 'militant' junior doctor behind a series of crippling NHS strikes Dr Robert Laurenson is co-chair of the BMA's junior doctor committee, which has coordinated strikes among the medics Dr Robert Laurenson is co-chair of the British Medical Association's junior doctor committee, which has coordinated strikes among the medics. He has claimed he is 'constantly worrying' about how to pay his bills while on a junior doctor salary. However, he is also a director of his family's investment firm and owns a 500,000 flat with no mortgage. The junior doctors' leader also sparked controversy earlier this year by swanning off to a friend's wedding during the first junior doctors' strike - while urging union members to sacrifice pay and take to picket lines. The GP trainee works at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, having taken a year out after his degree to work as a freelance doctor for 'money and wellbeing', according to his LinkedIn. Dr Laurenson is listed alongside his parents and brothers as a director at Westholme Investments Limited. The business holds over 2million of investments and previously ran a Surrey golf course described as 'one of the finest' in the county. Dr Laurenson was made a director in 2013, a year after he began his medical degree at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. It is understood he has no day-to-day duties with the firm and does not draw a salary or dividends and is not a shareholder. He attended Sevenoaks School in Kent, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country which charges fees of up to 46,566 per year for sixth-formers. Advertisement

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, warned that the action has come at the 'worst possible time of year', when hospitals are already battling winter pressures in the form of flu and Covid cases on the rise.

'This is going to be a challenging period and we will see disruption once again,' he said.

'We want to keep patients safe, the BMA also stated they wish to keep patients safe, and we will be ensuring that we have a laser focus on ensuring our most urgent and emergency pathways are there.'

He added: 'This will be a disruptive period  three days this week, six days  the longest period of strike action that we've seen  early in the new year.

'Of course that's after the new year festivities where we see activity growing, so it's that second period of strike action in January that is giving us the most concern.'

Professor Powis said that he was 'disappointed that negotiations broke down' but said that deals reached with other doctor groups show that it is 'possible to make progress'.

Due to strike pressures, Cheltenham A&E has been forced to close until 8am on December 23  after the three-day junior doctor strike ends. It will close again from 8pm on January 1 until 8am on January 9, covering the next wave of action.

Patients in life-threatening conditions will be diverted 30 minutes to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for emergency care.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said the closure had 'not been taken lightly' and it would work closely with local partners to ensure those in 'greatest need continue to have access to high quality care and support'.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief medical officer at the trust, said: 'We are sorry that many patients will experience disruption to services.'

Health leaders also warned that thousands of patients are at risk of being stranded in hospital for Christmas.

Hospitals have been gearing up to discharge healthier patients sooner, with NHS chief Amanda Pritchard previously admitting that reduced staffing caused by the doctors' strikes slow down discharges.

Around 13,000 people a day who are deemed medically well enough to leave hospital are stuck on wards, largely due to limited social care and community services capacity.

But NHS data shows the number of patients discharged from hospital fell during the last period of industrial action.

Ms Atkins said: 'This Christmas, we know that these strikes if they continue today, tomorrow and on Friday, it will mean that people will stay in hospital longer than if the strikes had not happened because hospitals will not be able to discharge them. So there will be people spending Christmas in hospital rather than at home.

'That is an enormous cost for individuals and for their families.

'But also for other members of the healthcare service because junior doctors, the committee, appear to expect consultants and others to pick up their work for them.

'And I'm very conscious it's been a tough year for all our clinicians. I want them to be able to enjoy their Christmas and enjoy their rest as much as we all want to but they're going to be picking up the slack for these doctors that are on strike.'

Julian Hartley, chief executive, NHS Providers, said: 'Trusts are doing everything they can to enable people to get home to be with or close to their loved ones as soon as they're well enough to do so.

'But this week's strikes are bound to have an impact. Strikes have huge knock-on effects for staff and patients across the NHS any time.'

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said it was 'so sad' elderly patients in particular could remain in hospital unnecessarily over the festive period.

She said: 'As Christmas approaches, there's nothing worse than the misery of many older people being stuck in a hospital bed for far longer than is necessary, potentially undermining their chances of making a good recovery.

'This is so sad for them and their families and a waste of NHS resources, so looking ahead it is vital that the health and care system works better in discharging older people from hospital once they are medically well enough to leave.'

Last night, the Prime Minister said the continued strikes were 'very disappointing' and urged the BMA to settle like all other public sector workers.

Rishi Sunak said the Government has 'demonstrated its considerable reasonableness' in reaching settlements elsewhere.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, who has already sketched out deals with consultant and specialist doctors since taking over from Steve Barclay , said: 'Junior doctors will today be on strike. 'My message to them is very simple: Call off the strikes. Come back to the table. We have put an offer to consultants and specialist doctors. Let's get this done'

Cheltenham General Hospital's unit shut this morning until 8am on December 23  shortly after the national three-day junior doctor strike ends

The British Medical Association (BMA) has coordinated the three-day walkout, running from 7am this morning, in a bid for an even bigger pay rise than the 12 per cent already offered by the Government. It has previously demanded a 35 per cent boost

He told the Commons Liaison Committee: 'The question more is for the junior doctors, as to why they are refusing to accept something that everyone else is now accepting, on top of having a pay increase which is more generous than anyone else's set by the independent body going into this.'

Hospital bosses warned consultants are clashing with junior doctors because they believe the medics don't 'have a huge amount to complain about'.

One NHS trust chief executive told The Guardian that the timing of the strikes was a 'moral issue' and the BMA was purposefully staging the action over Christmas to cause mayhem in the health service.

'It's starting to fracture some of the relationships and become a moral issue. The moral issue being people's lives are being put at risk,' they said.

A second trust boss told the newspaper: 'Consultants are not happy about this. Their relationship in general with juniors is fractured.

'They are not happy because this has gone on so long and they don't think the juniors have a huge amount to complain about.'

Nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics have all called off strikes following pay deals, while consultants are to vote on an offer their leaders have accepted.

Junior doctors in Wales are planning a 72-hour walkout from January 15, while doctors in training in Northern Ireland are being balloted for potential strike action. Those in Scotland have already come to an agreement with the Scottish government.

Specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors (SAS) in England have also come to an agreement, which is being put to members.

Strikes across the health service this year are estimated to have cost the NHS 2billion in lost income from delayed operations, scans and procedures and the cost of providing cover for striking staff.

Bosses believe more than 2million appointments have been lost due to walkouts.
A junior doctor today gloated about being off until after Christmas  because he is taking part in the three-day strike designed to cripple hospitals during their busiest time of year.

Dr Andrew Lawson-Hughes posted a smiling selfie on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a message that said: 'God bless the BMA.'

Thousands of vital appointments and operations are expected to be cancelled due to the British Medical Association (BMA) action, piling further pressure on hospitals already juggling record backlogs and winter pressures.

Health leaders warned the ongoing strike, which began today at 7am and ends on Saturday morning, leaves patients safety in a 'precarious state'.

Dr Lawson-Hughes, a first-year junior doctor in Yorkshire, has long been vocal in his support of the disruption.

Dr Andrew Lawson-Hughes posted a smiling selfie on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a message that said: 'God bless the BMA.' Thousands of vital appointments and operations are expected to be cancelled due to the British Medical Association (BMA) action, piling further pressure on hospitals already juggling record backlogs and winter pressures

Yesterday it was revealed that the A&E department at Cheltenham General Hospital had already closed until 8am on Saturday in an early sign of the widespread damage this weeks industrial action will cause

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Discussing earlier BMA strike action in October, the 28-year-old said: 'You can pull my cold dead body off the picket line before I'd do anything this shambles of a Government want.'

Dr Lawson-Hughes has only worked as a junior doctor since July, after graduating from a four-year degree at Birmingham University this summer.

Junior doctors abandoned their posts today for three consecutive days, in action that threatens to cause 'huge disruption' to 'almost all' routine care.

Another six days of action  the longest in the health service's 75-year history  are pencilled in from January 2.

It is not known if Dr Lawson-Hughes took to hospital picket lines today. MailOnline has attempted to contact the doctor today but did not receive a response.

Responding to his post on X, he was criticised for his wording 'given the circumstances'.

One user, who claims to be a safety representative at the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'Im not sure this is the message that should be portrayed.'

The strikes come at the busiest time of the year for the NHS because of the surge in winter illnesses and staff holidays.

Yesterday it was revealed that the A&E department at Cheltenham General Hospital has already closed until 8am on Saturday in an early sign of the widespread damage this weeks industrial action will cause.

Health bodies also fear thousands of patients are at risk of being stranded in hospital for Christmas.

Around 13,000 people a day who are deemed medically well enough to leave hospital are currently stuck on wards.

This is largely due to limited social care and community services capacity.

The BMA rejected a last-minute plea from health charities, patient groups and NHS leaders for junior doctors to keep working this week in some areas of care.

Responding to his post, the medic was criticsed for boasting 'given the circumstances'. In another message, one X user also wrote: 'Maybe it's worth reading this article; I'm not sure this is the message that should be portrayed'

NHS bosses had already warned that hospitals will operate at full capacity for just four weekdays until January 10. Only December 27, 28, 29 and January 2 are unaffected by the impending chaos of the holidays and walkouts until January 10

Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMAs junior doctors committee, blamed the strike action instead on 'unnecessary posturing' by ministers which has delayed talks to resolve the dispute.

They had been locked in negotiations for five weeks, trying to find a resolution to the long-running pay dispute.

But the union said its junior doctors committee voted unanimously for further strikes after accusing the Department for Health and Social Care of failing to put forward a 'credible' offer.

The BMA has claimed that junior doctors have seen their pay eroded by more than a quarter in real terms since 2008.

Trainee medics have been demanding full pay restoration  worth around 35 per cent  and have said they would not settle for anything less.

In the summer, ministers had initially offered junior doctors an 8.8 per cent pay rise, on average, for the 2023/24 financial year.

However, the uplift was higher for first year medics, who were given a 10.3 per cent boost.

Junior doctors in their first year now have a basic pay of 32,300, while those with three years' experience make 43,900. The most senior earn 63,100.

Ministers insisted this was the final offer. But earlier this month Health Secretary Victoria Atkins offered the medics an additional 3 per cent on top of this rise.

Cheltenham General Hospital's unit shut this morning until 8am on December 23  shortly after the national three-day junior doctor strike ends

Responding to strike action today, she said: 'This Christmas, we know that these strikes if they continue today, tomorrow and on Friday, it will mean that people will stay in hospital longer than if the strikes had not happened because hospitals will not be able to discharge them.

'So there will be people spending Christmas in hospital rather than at home. That is an enormous cost for individuals and for their families.

'But also for other members of the healthcare service because junior doctors, the committee, appear to expect consultants and others to pick up their work for them.

'And I'm very conscious it's been a tough year for all our clinicians. I want them to be able to enjoy their Christmas and enjoy their rest as much as we all want to but they're going to be picking up the slack for these doctors that are on strike.'

But the BMA doubled down on its original demand for a 35 per cent salary hike and vowed to 'not stop until we achieve full pay restoration'.

Nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics have all called off strikes following pay deals, while consultants are to vote on an offer their leaders have accepted.

NHS strikes by doctors, nurses and other staff since last December are estimated have now cost the health service more than 2billion, NHS England said last week.

Bosses also believe more than 2million appointments have been lost due to walkouts.
A woman's risk of infertility increases by three percent for every extra centimeter she has around her waist, according to a study.

Researchers analyzed data on 3,200 women in the US aged between 18 and 45, who were asked about their fertility history and who provided information about their health and how much they exercised.

Infertility was defined by women who answered yes when asked if they had been trying to get pregnant for a year without any success.

Analysis revealed that waist circumference was linked to infertility  for every 1cm increase, the risk of infertility increased by three percent.

A woman's risk of infertility increases by three percent for every extra centimeter she has around her waist, research suggested

Women who had a waist circumference of 60cm had the lowest infertility rates, while women whose waists measured 160cm and above were most likely to report infertility.

Participants who had the highest waist circumference had more than double the risk of infertility than those at the other end of the scale.

However, moderate recreational activities appeared to reverse the effect in women with a waist circumference over 113.5cm.

According to the CDC, moderate activity will raise your heart rate, make you breathe faster and break a sweat.

Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking  where youre still able to talk, but not sing.

Writing in the journal Plos One, the team, from Huizhou Central Peoples Hospital in China, said: Waist circumference is a positive predictor of female infertility, independent of BMI.

Women trying to conceive may increase their chances of getting pregnant by monitoring their waist circumference and engaging in moderate recreational activities.

Figures suggest the average waist size for women in the UK is 89cm  a figure that has been rising over the last few decades due to soaring rates of obesity.

A larger waist can also increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, data suggests.
Once touted as a healthy way to quit smoking, vapes are now being banned in many countries amid fears they are 'no better than cigarettes'.

A total of 34 countries  including Mexico, Brazil and Norway  had banned the sale of the devices by July 2023, according to the World Health Organization.

And 87  mainly in the West  had imposed restrictions on their sales, such as outlawing certain flavors and online sales. Back in 2020, 79 had adopted bans.

The US  which has the largest vape market in the world  is nowhere near a nationwide ban, but there are signs of a shift among the states  with five outlawing the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.

The WHO  which recently called for all flavored vapes to be banned  is urging for more 'urgent' action to curb use of the devices. It noted that 74 countries don't have any rules in place.

But even in areas where vapes are banned, the devices  and their fruity varieties  remain available because of poor enforcement.

The above map shows the countries that have banned the sale of e-cigarettes or imposed restrictions. It comes amid an international tug-of-war over the devices

About one in twenty adults  or 11million people  use vapes in the United States, according to statistics.

But among teenagers and young adults, use is as high as one in four in certain age groups.

Tobacco companies claim e-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes and pose significantly lower risks to health.

But a growing body of evidence shows the devices generate dangerous substances that damage the lungs and raise the risk of heart and lung problems.

WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week: 'Kids are being recruited and trapped at an early age to use e-cigarettes and may get hooked on nicotine.'

'I urge countries to implement strict measures to prevent uptake to protect their citizens, especially their children and young people.'

The WHO's director of health promotion, Dr Ruediger Krech, added: 'E-cigarettes target children through social media and influencers, with at least 16,000 flavors.

'Some of these products [even] use cartoon characters and have sleek designs, which appeal to the younger generation.'

Highly potent e-cigarettes are extremely addictive. Of all the young people who had tried one, nearly half became regular users.

Oklahoma topped the list for the highest number of vape users in a survey published last month

Countries are scrambling for the best way to regulate vapes amid their surging popularity and growing concerns over their health effects.

Many are imposing bans or restrictions, but a lack of enforcement is making largely ineffective in some areas  with vapes remaining available.

Over the last three years, six countries have moved to ban the sale of vapes entirely  Cabo Verde, Laos, Nicaragua, Norway, Turkey and Vanuata.

Turkey has banned the import of e-cigarettes as well as their sale and distribution, with its ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously saying of vape companies: 'They get rich by poisoning our people, we will not allow that.'

In Norway, the country has a ban on all new nicotine products entering the market but it is already looking to loosen the restriction.

Its health ministry says vapes should be made available to help people quit smoking, but plans to refuse to sell the fruit and berry flavors people get hooked on.

The above shows the status of e-cigarettes, or Electronic Nicotine Device Systems (ENDS), across high, middle and low income countries

The above gives estimates for the growth of the e-cigarette market globally. The US is included in the grey line for 'western European and other countries'

The above shows the proportion of students in 12th, 10th and 8th grades who used vapes containing nicotine annually since 2019

Over the same period, four countries have gone the other way and lifted their restrictions on vapes  Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Palestinian territories.

For Egypt, where about one in five adults smoke and the biggest smoker in the Middle East, the ban was lifted in 2022 to make vapes available to help people quit cigarettes.

In the US, policymakers are coming under pressure to do more to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes in the country and their availability to children.

All e-cigarette companies are meant to apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval before selling their products in the US.

But enforcement of this rule has been patchy at best, with flavored vapes widely available despite the FDA having never approved a flavored device. The agency says it will not authorize flavored vapes without 'extraordinary evidence'.

Five states in the US have banned the sale of flavored vapes  California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island  alongside several cities.

The strictest ban is in place in San Francisco, which banned the sale of all vape devices in 2019 in an attempt to crack down on their use in the city.

Another eight states  Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont  ban online sales of e-cigarettes.

But many experts say more action is needed to discourage youngsters from picking up the habit and becoming hooked on nicotine.

Current statistics show nearly eight percent of middle and high school students vape, or around 2.1million children, mostly using flavored devices.

A quarter of children in 12th grade admit to using the devices at least once within the past year.

This figure has dropped slightly, from 2.55million in 2022, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) heralded as 'great progress'  but experts say much more work is needed.

The maximum level of nicotine permitted in a vape is fixed at 20 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid (two percent) in Europe, the UK, and Canada. These devices last for around 550 to 600 puffs. In the US, it's fairly easy to find a device or pod containing as much as 5 percent nicotine
EHA has been awarded at least eight grants totaling more than $32million

EcoHealth Alliance, the controversial organization at the center of the Covid-19 pandemic, has continued to receive taxpayer money to study contagious animal-borne viruses in Asia and Africa.

Records from the government's USA Spending database show EHA has been awarded at least eight grants totaling more than $32million from the Department of Defense since 2017 for projects involving experiments with coronaviruses, Ebola and MERS.

EHA, led by British zoologist Peter Daszak, is a New York-based organization that has funneled taxpayer dollars awarded from the National Institutes of Health to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, which conducts risky gain-of-function research.

These types of experiments see scientists intentionally alter viruses to make them more infectious or deadly - and the WIV is the lab Covid is believed to have been created and leaked from, sparking a worldwide epidemic that is estimated to have directly or indirectly killed more than 22million people.

Despite EHA's connection to the WIV and Covid, six of the government grants were initiated after the pandemic spread across the globe.

Dr Peter Daszak (pictured left alongside Dr Anthony Fauci) oversees EcoHealth Alliance

Between 2015 and 2023, at least seven US entities supplied grant money from the National Institutes of Health to labs in China performing animal experiments, totaling $3,306,061

Shi Zhengli - dubbed the 'Bat Lady' or 'Bat Woman' for her work on bat coronaviruses - investigated the possibility Covid could have emerged from her lab back in 2020, according to colleagues

Additionally, documents released this week appear to show Daszak and several other researchers attempting to mislead the DoD in 2018 about efforts to conduct risky experiments in Chinese labs with more relaxed safety precautions than labs in the US.

The experiments would have seen researchers 'engineer spike proteins' to infect human cells that would then be 'inserted into SARS-Covid backbones.'

The proposal, however, was not approved for grant money and the research was not carried out using US tax dollars.

In a statement Tuesday, EHA called the documents ' incomplete' and said the 'allegations are false based on misunderstanding of edits and comments on the document, and based on misleading out-of-context quotations and a lack of understanding the process by which federal grants are awarded.

EXCLUSIVE: Virologist who funded Wuhan experiments admits lab leak is possible for first time  after years of squashing probes into Covid origins A scientist at the center of the Covid lab leak theory has admitted he cannot rule out the possibility the virus escaped a Chinese research facility. Advertisement

All eight DoD grants were awarded to EHA through the department's Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DARPA), a branch of the DoD responsible for the development of emerging technologies to be used by the military.

One grant awarded before the pandemic ran between October 2017 and just ended in October 2023.

It was given $6.5million and a description of the project said its goal was to understand the risk of bat-borne zoonotic disease emergence in west Asia.

A grant from August 2019, scheduled to conclude in August 2024, was awarded $5million with a goal of reducing the threat of rift valley fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever most commonly found in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, including cattle, buffalo, sheep goats and camels.

The virus has the ability to jump from animal to human through blood, body fluids and bites. Most people do not experience symptoms from the virus or may develop mild illness with a fever and dizziness.

Rarer and life-threatening symptoms include excessive bleeding, eye disease and brain swelling.

Five grants awarded after the Covid pandemic broke out, between June 2020 and December 2022, involved studying high-risk animal-borne pathogens in African and Asian countries that cause deadly febrile and hemorrhagic illnesses, such as Ebolavirus, Marburgvirus, Nipahvirus, MERS, coronaviruses and the bird flu.

They are slated to run through December 2025.

One grant to be carried out from July 2021 to May 2024, is to predict the impact of biothreats through data and learning, but does not mention working with any viruses or animals.

Dangerous research like that being carried out by EHA has scientists and politicians concerned about the possibility of it sparking another pandemic. Because of these concerns, in September the US quietly shutdown a taxpayer-funded $125milloin project that saw researchers hunting down new viruses.

DEEP VZN - pronounced deep vision - was launched in October 2021 with the aim of finding and studying novel pathogens in wildlife in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

While the research was meant to prevent human outbreaks and pandemics, critics, including Biden administration officials, were afraid it could do the opposite and voiced their fears about the potentially 'catastrophic risks' of virus hunting.

The project was meant to run until 2026, but DEEP VZN was shut down without a formal public announcement in July 2023.

USAID's DEEP VZN (pronounced deep vision) project was hunting viruses among wildlife in Asia , Africa and Latin America.

DEEP VZN, which stands for Discovery & Exploration of Emerging Pathogens - Viral Zoonoses, was launched by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in October 2021 and less than two years later, USAID officials informed members of Senate committees with jurisdiction over DEEP VZN the program was being shut down.

The premature closure of the project came abruptly and was privately relayed to Senate aides by the office of Atul Gawande, USAID's assistant administrator for global health.

The news was buried in a congressional budget document hundreds of pages long and was discussed during interviews conducted with federal lawmakers and researchers.

At its launch, USAID said the 'ambitious new project' was meant to work with partner countries and the global community to 'build better preparedness for future global health threats.'

The goal was to collect more than 800,000 samples over the five-year period, mostly from wildlife, to identify a subset of 'previously unknown' viruses that 'pose a significant pandemic threat.'

Upon its termination, USAID said it would instead focus on improving laboratory capacity, disease monitoring, human resources, biosafety and security and risk communication.
Single women going to New Year's Eve parties this year may want to try wearing something red if they want to meet a partner.

A new study has found that the color makes women seem more attractive to men.

Researchers in Germany showed 120 men images of two identical photos of a woman in her 20s  against a white or red background.

The team did the same test but using a woman in her 50s also. Men were then asked to rate how sexually attractive the women were.

If pink makes boys wink, red makes them wed!: Hailey Bieber is pictured above in a pink dress in France in September this year and, right, in a red dress in New York City in August this year

Selena Gomez is pictured above wearing pink as she attended the Universal Music Group conference in September this year and, right, in a jumpsuit in 2014

Overall, despite being shown the same woman on two backgrounds, the men rated the woman shown with red behind her as being more attractive.

The scientists weren't clear why red enhanced the sexual appeal, but said this may be because the color can be a sign a woman is fertile.

Writing in the study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, they said men may find red more appealing because of the 'longstanding tradition [of] connecting red' with sexual activities.

'It could be that the color red activates cognitive representations of "red-light" districts in men,' they wrote.

Rumors have abounded that red can make someone seem more attractive for years, with researchers suggesting this may be due to biological or cultural factors.

For the study, researchers recruited 60 men in their 20s with an average age of 25 years and another 60 who were about 53 years old.

They were all recruited in Dortmund, Germany, from either a shopping center or on a university campus.

Participants were shown two images of a young woman in her 20s  which was super imposed onto either a white or red background.

And two images of an older woman in her 50s  who had gone through the menopause  on either a white or red background.

The images were shrunk to fill the central area of an A4 page, with the rest of the page colored either red or white.

Men were shown all four images for five seconds each and then asked to rate their sexual attractiveness from one to nine, where one was the least attractive and five was the most.

For the young woman, she was rated 5.91 for sexual attractiveness on a red background but 3.44 for the same on a white background by young participants  or 70 percent more attractive.

For the older woman, the younger participants rated her 2.22 on both white and red backgrounds.

For comparison, among the older men in the study  a young woman on a red background got a rating of 4.89 overall, whereas on a white background she was rated 4.24.

For the older woman, they rated her 3.92 on a red background but 4.22 on a white background.

The scientists said there was a significant difference in the scores for the young woman rated by young men, suggesting red was a factor.

But they did not spot a significant difference in those for the older woman, pointing to another factor also being at play.

'This could easily explain why the red effect is specific to the young [woman],' the authors wrote.

Kendall Jenner pictured in a pink dress in April 2021 and a red dress while attending the MET Gala in New York City in September 2021

'[But] it could also be that red is perceived as a cue to a woman's ovulation, and our old [woman] is clearly menopausal, so red is not a valid cue.'

The researchers, led by Dr Sascha Schwarz  a psychologist at Technical University Dortmund  concluded: 'Regardless of whether one emphasizes the proximate societal or the ultimate biological explanation for the linkage between red and sexuality, red may enhance men's attraction to women.'

Limitations of the study included it relied on self-reports from men and the sexual orientation of participants was not examidn
Shares in Tortilla Mexican Grill slumped on Wednesday after the restaurant group declared a profit warning.

Britain's largest Mexican fast-casual dining chain predicts making adjusted earnings before nasties of 4.5million to 4.6million this year, against 5million as previously anticipated.

Tortilla also expects turnover to increase by 13.8 per cent to 65.7million in 2023, 'slightly behind' analyst forecasts of 69.8million, driven by new site openings and positive like-for-like growth in the UK.

Price drop: Tortilla Mexican Grill shares slumped on Wednesday following a profit warning

Bosses blamed the tempered revenue guidance on weaker consumer confidence for hitting sales across the eating-out sector, especially in recent months.

Sales have been further impacted by lower footfall at outlets on high streets and in 'smaller tertiary cities and towns' where the company has less brand awareness.

It expects cost-of-living problems affecting the hospitality industry to continue into 2024, particularly outside London.

Following the trading update, Tortilla Mexican Grill shares plummeted 9.8 per cent, or 5.4p, to 49.6p by the mid-afternoon, meaning their value has declined by 42 per cent since the year started.

Yet despite the subdued outlook, the firm revealed that its United Arab Emirates-based business achieved a record year.

Tortilla also said its franchised tie-ups with catering giant Compass Group and Upper Crust owner SSP Group had performed 'outstandingly well.'

The company plans to open another four establishments with SSP next year and has a significant pipeline of restaurants in 'high-footfall city centre and shopping centre locations.'

Richard Morris, chief executive of Tortilla, said: 'As a management team, we are taking proactive actions to adapt to the changing market environment.

'We know that in buoyant eating-out markets where the Tortilla brand is well known, we outperform. We have a strong portfolio of new sites in high-quality locations as well as additional franchise growth opportunities.'

Tortilla was founded in 2007 by California-born Brandon Stephens after he became frustrated at the absence of Mexican restaurants in the UK capital.

The AIM-listed firm now has 87 establishments across the British Isles and Middle East, including 18 franchised outlets, and served over 6.5 million meals last year.

When announcing plans to have an initial public offering two years ago, the group declared it wanted to launch 45 new sites over the following five years.
The worlds largest offshore wind farm looks set to be built off the coast of Britain.

In a sorely needed boost for the green energy industry, Danish giant Orsted signed off its financial plan for the Hornsea 3 project in the North Sea.

It will have the capacity to power more than 3.3m UK homes, and is expected to cost around 8billion.

It is due to be completed by the end of 2027, with the sites construction supporting up to 5,000 jobs, and 1,200 permanent roles may be created.

The news follows major doubts that the project would go ahead after developers cancelled plans in the UK and beyond due to huge cost increases.

Powering ahead: Danish giant rsted has signed off its financial plan to deliver the Hornsea 3 project in the North Sea

Orsted is among the major players in the wind turbine sector, alongside the likes of BP, to have reported multi-million pound writedowns, losses and long delays in recent weeks.

The industry is battling sharp price rises and supply chain issues, particularly in the US.

The clean energy revolution was dealt a blow in July when Swedish power firm Vattenfall halted a wind project in the North Sea.

It blamed rising costs and challenging market conditions. And the German green energy firm Siemens has warned that it may have to exit some markets and products following a review into its wind power arm.

Last month, Orsted sacked two senior managers after a larger-than-expected impairment of 3.2billion in the US.

This prompted the cancellation of two wind power developments off New Jersey. So yesterdays announcement, for 231 turbines off the coasts of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, will be a welcome boost.

Orsted chief executive Mads Nipper said: Offshore wind is an extremely competitive global market, so we also welcome the attractive policy regime in the UK which has helped secure this investment.

By applying our world-leading capabilities within offshore wind innovation, engineering, operations, procurement, and financing, weve been able to mature the worlds largest offshore wind project and take a final investment decision.

Last year Orsted secured a subsidies agreement with the Governments department for energy security and net zero.

Orsted has already installed two projects  Hornsea 1 and 2  in 2020 and 2022.
Taking the train between Britain and the Europe is up to eight times more expensive than flying, a study revealed today as travellers flock to the continent for Christmas.

Researchers for climate group Greenpeace compared train and plane ticket prices on 22 popular routes and found flights to be consistently cheaper on 82 per cent.

The biggest price gap was reported between London and Barcelona, where the average cost of a train ticket was 8.7 times that of a flight. In second place was London to Prague where travelling by rail is eight times the cost of going by plane.

This was followed by Manchester to Brussels at 4.9 times as much by rail; London to Budapest at 4.8 times; and London to Zagreb or Bratislava, both 4.5 times.

Taking the train was also pricier on four out of seven UK-only routes, with the largest difference between Bristol to Newcastle where rail was 2.8 times the cost of flying.

The average cost of London to Barcelona by train is 303 to 418, compared to only 24 to 76 by plane - a route operated by low-cost carriers Ryanair and Vueling.

London to Prague costs an average of 270 to 350 by train, compared to 16 to 88 by plane with Ryanair and WizzAir among the airlines offering the route. Manchester to Brussels is 19 to 81 by plane via Ryanair, compared to 115 to 196 by train.

The researchers analysed three trips last month in each direction for 22 routes in the UK and from Britain to Europe on December 21, December 23 and December 28.

Prices for the cheapest possible ticket available across the six trips analysed by rail and plane

On average across all the trips analysed the train cost 3.4 times as much as the flight. And for all 15 international routes in the study, the train was 4.2 times as much.

Key findings in Xmas trains v planes study On average, for all the trips analysed, the train cost 3.4 times as much as the flight.

On average, for all 15 international routes analysed, the train cost 4.2 times as much as the flight.

On average, for all seven UK domestic routes analysed, the train cost 1.7 times as much as the flight.

On 18 of all 22 routes, the plane was always cheaper than the train.

The plane was cheaper for all cross-border trips, except on a single trip from Brussels to London on December 21

London to Manchester is the only route analysed where the train was always cheaper than the plane.

On four out of seven domestic routes, the flight was always cheaper than the train.

The most expensive train route is the one from and to Barcelona, where the train

cost on average 8.7 times as much as the flight.

The second most expensive train route is LondonPrague (8 times as much), followed by ManchesterBrussels (4.9 times as much).

The biggest price difference between trains and flights was found for a trip from Prague to London on December 21. The train cost 267.80 which is 17.5 times as much as the Ryanair flight at 15.30 Advertisement

For all seven domestic routes analysed, the train cost 1.7 times as much as the flight - and across 18 of all 22 routes, the plane was always cheaper than the train.

The plane was cheaper for all cross-border trips, except on a single trip from Brussels to London on December 21  the study's only international route not served by a low-cost airline.

London to Manchester was the only route analysed where the train was always cheaper than the plane. This was the shortest route in the study, and was one of just two domestic routes not operated by a low-cost airline.

On four out of seven domestic routes in the UK, the flight was always cheaper than the train.

Only on London to Newcastle, the second route without a low-cost airline, and on London to Aberdeen, the train was cheaper on three out of six trips each. But on both routes, the train was more expensive on average.

The biggest price difference between trains and flights was found for a trip from Prague to London on December 21. The train cost 267.80 which was 17.5 times as much as the Ryanair flight at 15.30.

Researchers also found that domestic night trains are often cheaper than high-speed day trains, but in most cases they are still more expensive than the cheapest flight.

The most expensive train ticket across all routes analysed was from London to Barcelona, with an average cost of 399.

And the cheapest average train price was found on the route from London to Manchester route, with an average price of 31.33.

There are direct flights to all the 15 cities analysed outside the UK, but just three of these routes have a direct train connection - Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, all via Eurostar from London St Pancras.

The researchers also claimed that buying a train ticket for international routes from and to the UK is 'considerably more complicated than booking a flight'.

TRAIN VERSUS PLANE THIS CHRISTMAS: THE FULL DATA FROM GREENPACE Price of train v flight (x times as much) Flight is cheaper on X out of 6 days Range of price of flight () Range of price of train () Low cost-carrier Number of train transfers and night train Night train London Barcelona 8.7 6 24-76 303-418 Ryanair, Vueling 1 no London Prague 8.0 6 16-88 270-350 Ryanair, Wizz Air 2 yes Manchester Brussels 4.9 6 19-81 115-196 Ryanair 1 no London Budapest 4.8 6 23-144 156-356 Ryanair, Wizz Air 2 yes London Zagreb 4.5 6 30-151 222-310 Ryanair 2 yes London Bratislava 4.5 6 22-151 165-322 Ryanair, Wizz Air 2 yes London Vienna 3.9 6 39-99 173-320 Ryanair, Wizz Air 1 yes London Zurich 3.8 6 45-117 195-332 easyJet 2 no London Berlin 3.7 6 46-97 183-294 Ryanair 1 yes London Ljubljana 3.6 6 32-229 222-310 easyJet, Wizz Air 2 yes London Copenhagen 3.5 6 62-95 191-284 Ryanair, Norwegian 4 yes London Cologne 3.1 6 41-104 161-228 Ryanair 1 no Bristol Newcastle 2.8 6 19-69 67-143 easyJet 0 no London Paris 2.4 6 34-91 105-191 easyJet, Vueling 0 no London Amsterdam 2.4 6 28-81 86-271 easyJet 0 no London Edinburgh 2.3 6 15-58 64-90 Ryanair 0 yes Bristol Edinburgh 2.1 6 28-91 76-162 easyJet 0 no London Glasgow 1.8 6 19-66 50-70 easyJet 0 yes London Aberdeen 1.3 3 31-127 55-105 easyJet 0 yes L ondon Brussels 1.2 5 68-112 85-136 none 0 no London Newcastle 1 3 35-111 45-60 none 0 no London Manchester 0.53 0 41-103 28-34 none 0 no The price categories refer to the range of prices for the cheapest possible ticket available across the six trips analysed: to and from the UK on December 21, 23 and 28

The study said: 'Most journeys require the purchase of at least two separate tickets from Eurostar and another railway company, e.g. from the Austrian Railways (OEBB) for the night train from Brussels to Vienna, or from European Sleeper for the night train from Brussels to Berlin'.

READ MORE Paddington and King's Cross will be shut on Christmas Eve Advertisement

They also pointed out that if the journey does not start in London, but for example in Manchester, three separate tickets are required  eg Manchester to London, London to Brussels and Brussels to Vienna.

The study pointed out that this week is one of the busiest times to travel in Britain with millions of people heading home for Christmas or out of the country.

Greenpeace also claimed that 'despite the fact that flying is five times more polluting than taking the train on average, airlines continue to post artificially low prices that don't factor in the pollution they cause'.

Paul Morozzo, transport campaigner at Greenpeace UK, told MailOnline: 'Unless you own a herd of reindeer and a magical sleigh, the cheapest mode of transport this Christmas is likely to be a polluting flight. But it doesn't have to be this way.

'A lack of investment in railways and ticketing, and a failure to properly tax carbon emissions, have created a nightmare before Christmas where consumers are effectively being rewarded for polluting.'

The study claimed about 250 million Europeans travel at the end of the year, journeying an average of 310 miles (500km) to visit friends and family or to go on holiday.

Some four million UK residents travelled abroad in December last year, although this was down 21 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, the experts said.

Mr Morozzo added: 'For the sake of the climate we need to get people out of planes and into trains. We need to level the playing field by bringing in a frequent flyer levy and by ending the unfair subsidies and tax exemptions enjoyed by the aviation sector.

'This needs to happen in parallel with an increase in capacity on our rail network to facilitate more demand.'

The AA issued this route planner map for the 'amber traffic warning' on December 22 and 23

Greenpeace said its analysis was carried out between November 13 and 27, and the prices for flights and trains were researched on the same day for a route.

It added that all of the trips included in the analysis can be done either with trains and flights arriving on the same day, or with night trains not exceeding a total travel time of 24 hours including all connections.

The researchers said they always chose the cheapest available ticket options for trains and flights - second class, economy class, no extra reservations, no luggage fees and non-refundable tickets.

Discount cards, individual subscriptions and long-term tickets 'were not taken into consideration'.
Alistair Darling was a serious man noted former Labour MP Brian Wilson yesterday in his eulogy to the former Chancellor.

A moving memorial service at St Marys Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh heard politicians and friends speak of a man who, during 40 years of active public life, saw it as his duty to deliver what Mr Wilson described as unrelenting competence to the business of government.

Combined with Mr Darlings strong sense of social justice and you had, in the words of Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a man who understood that politics is not a game but a calling; a calling to take decisions and take responsibilityto take complex problems and act decisively. Not to administer, but to lead.

Mr Darling embodied a very Scottish form of politics: driven, sceptical, above all, serious

Many of us have mourned the loss of Mr Darling these last few weeks.

We have reflected on his calm. Weve spoken about his courage. Weve heard stories about his wry humour and his sardonic wit. A good man has been lost.

But I think many of us have felt something else too: a deeper sense of loss.

Mr Darling, for many of us, embodied a very Scottish  a very Edinburgh  form of politics: driven, sceptical, above all, serious.

The worst insult he had was to say that someone hadnt thought things through, wrote Blair McDougall, the chief executive of Better Together, after Mr Darlings death last month.

I think the loss weve felt over Mr Darlings passing hasnt just come from the sadness of a good mans premature death, its also come from the sense many of us have that politics today lacks that same flinty-eyed gravity he personified.

Where, we want to know, are the men and women who understand that if something looks too good, it probably is too good? Where are the politicians who cast a beady eye over the business of government?

We sense, I think, that a very Scottish way of doing politics  where a belief in social progress is married with a hard-nosed understanding of the bottom line  has been lost along the way.

That todays leaders lack the courage to take responsibility. That they dont think things through.

Its not just rose-coloured spectacles for politicians who have long gone. I tend to think the sense that our politics has lost something is true.

And ironically, yesterday, revealed as much in spades.

Mr Darlings memorial service was held in the morning. By afternoon, with the eulogies still echoing in the Edinburgh wind, attention had switched across town to the Scottish parliament and the SNPs annual budget.

For a contrast between Mr Darlings style, you could hardly have found anything wider. My, how unserious it looked.

The Scottish Government had contrived to land itself with a 1.5billion black hole. Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced that a combination of tax rises and spending cuts would now fill it.

There followed a deeply depressing afternoon. The opposition parties demanded that cuts be reversed. The Government blamed Westminster for not being able to.

With the exception of a few MSPs, such as Labours Daniel Johnson, the small business of economic growth and how we need to grow the economic pie were pretty much ignored.

To Ms Robison, the very idea didnt even seem to have crossed her mind. Welcome to Holyroods playground politics.

Mr Darlings memorial service was held yesterday at Edinburgh's St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral

There was no mention from anyone that, throughout its entire 16 years in government, the SNP has had more money per head to spend on public services here than just about anywhere else in the UK  20 per cent more per head than the average in England.

There was little evidence of any bright ideas or fresh thinking from the government about how the huge powers it holds over economic development, the health service, and education might be used or reformed to get better value for money and to deliver a better return for taxpayers.

Instead there was just the same dreary drone that Scotland is powerless to defend itself from the evil empire to the south, and that its not their fault.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of devolution next year, Scottish politics resembles an infantile squabble over the bad boy who did it and ran away.

The simple notion of trade-offs  the fact that you cant always do everything you want and that there might be limits on the money you can spend  appears to have been reserved to Westminster. The culture at Holyrood is, by contrast, stuck in denial.

The truth is that, for well over a decades, the Scottish Government has been spending money for fun and entirely unsustainably: on free services, on higher public sector pay deals and, recently, on markedly more generous benefits.

This has been pointed out endlessly. And this  not Westminster  is the reason why, shamefully, the Scottish Government has finally this year found itself out of pocket by more than a billion.

This crisis demands a thoughtful, radical re-think of the way government is delivered. But there is no sign at all that this is going to happen.

For perhaps what is most depressing about the dire state of Scottish politics is how, instead of being smashed around the park for this massive failure of governance, the SNP spots political gain in its failures.

Spending black holes can be landed at nasty Westminsters door. Scotland can be lifted up as a victim. Its a story which too many believe.

And so were left with the hypocrisy of a government which beats its breast as a progressive force and declares itself proud of its tax raising regime while, at the same time, hacking back spending in vital areas like housing, enterprise, skills, universities, and colleges  all of which are vital to our economic health and to the betterment of Scotlands poorest people.

The Scottish Government likes to think of itself as our nice government. It turns out, as we saw yesterday, that being nice has a price. Its one many people and businesses across Scotland will now feel.

This all has an effect on the countrys reputation.

Once, Scotland was known for its financial acumen and for its leery scepticism.

This was, as a friend once noted, the only nation on the planet that could turn two positive words  Aye and Right  into an eyebrow-raised note of suspicion.

Today, however, Scottish politics is represented by the put-it-on-plastic brigade: by the virtue signallers of Holyrood who lavish the cash today and give little thought about how theyre to be paid for tomorrow.

This matters. It is damaging Scotland. Our politics is talking the country down.

In an interview published only a few weeks before he died, the former Chancellor was asked about what Scotlands economic strategy should look like over the coming years.

What you above all must do is create the sort of environment where people want to come and work here, he replied. What you dont want, he added, is for people to look over the Border and say Im not so sure about that.

That, Im sorry to say, is precisely where weve landed.

And unless more serious men and women like Mr Darling come along, its exactly where the country will stay.
The SNPs basket case Budget was a desperate, spiteful act by a government that is economically illiterate.

Shona Robisons hollow rhetoric about a social contract and progressive taxation could not disguise the indisputable truth that the Nationalists have driven Scotland into a financial quagmire.

Economic growth has been running at about half the UK level since 2014 and continues to languish in the doldrums  with no hope of revival while the SNP remains in league with the Marxist Greens.

The talent pool is so shallow that key posts around the Cabinet table are occupied by ministers who would be out of their depth running a community council

Having steered most public services from schools to the NHS into a state of poorly managed decline, the SNP is left with a 1.5billion funding black hole  and predictably seeks to plug it with yet another tax raid on Scots with broad shoulders.

This intellectually bankrupt argument is built on the premise that higher earners should pay proportionately more  but this overlooks the fact that Scotland is already the highest taxed part of the UK.

Relentless tax-grabs have seen disposable income dwindle for the professionals we badly need to recruit and retain, creating a cross-Border disparity that means working north of the Border is bad for your bank balance.

Now a new tax band of 45p in the pound will be created for those earning between 75,000 and 125,140  even though it will raise a relatively small sum, as well as hitting the salaries of headteachers and senior police officers.

An analysis by the Fraser of Allander Institute concluded that the new tax rate would generate only 60million a year, once behavioural changes are taken into account  a drop in the ocean given that total annual state spending runs into the tens of billions.

Those targeted by the new band will face a marginal tax rate of 47 per cent when National Insurance is taken into account, rising to 67 per cent for earnings of 100,000.

Its only real function is to demonstrate that Scotland is somehow fairer than the rest of the UK, reinforcing our distinctive values, as Ms Robison described them, regardless of the impact on the moribund economy, which could be severe.

The threshold for the higher rate will be frozen at 43,663, meaning thousands more people will be dragged into paying it.

But the cumulative effect of the SNPs addiction to high taxes extends beyond the nations fast-diminishing pay packets  they have sapped the ambition of young people who want to make a better life for themselves by getting good jobs or starting new businesses.

Last year, 530,000 taxpayers paid the higher and top rates of tax but this year 648,000 Scots will pay the higher, advanced rates.

Who will stand up for the strivers, the entrepreneurs, and the aspirational Scots who are the lifeblood of the economy? Not the SNP, which has presided over a bloated public sector and a sprawling network of quangos run by fat cat placemen.

Yesterdays Budget also reinforces catastrophic social divisions which have consigned large swathes of the population to an existence funded by handouts from the state  with devolved benefits costing taxpayers more than 6billion a year.

Yet, unforgivably, there wasnt so much as a whisper in the Finance Secretarys statement about the one in 20 working-age people who have never done a days work in their life in parts of Scotland  a number that has rocketed since the Nationalists came to power.

It is an appalling indictment of wasted potential, but the SNP Government has no interest in getting them into jobs, meaning those broad-shouldered Scots who work for a living must bear even more of the tax burden.

For all of their lofty talk about progressive values, the Nationalists plan to slash the housing budget at a time of spiralling homelessness, and are cutting vital cash for education reform despite the pupil attainment crisis.

The pot of funding for tackling child poverty  which the SNP trumpets as part of its core mission  will also be cut, making a mockery of Humza Yousafs claim in September that his government would be unashamedly anti-poverty and pro-growth.

This Budget, underpinned by such blatant hypocrisy, is a disaster for Scotland from beginning to end, illustrating the pathological incompetence of the First Minister and his top team.

His Health Secretary is under investigation for claiming overseas data roaming charges of nearly 11,000 for his parliamentary iPad  while attempting to run the NHS, which has a budget of nearly 20billion a year.

Derek Mackay, one of Ms Robisons predecessors, quit hours before the Scottish Budget in 2020 after it emerged he had bombarded a teenage boy with inappropriate online messages.

Mr Mackay once admitted he had never heard of the Laffer Curve, which dictates that revenues can go up if taxes are cut  and there is little sign that Ms Robison knows any better.

The talent pool is so shallow that key posts around the Cabinet table are occupied by ministers who would be out of their depth running a community council  let alone government departments  with no credible vision for the future of Scotland, barring their doomed bid to break up Britain.

Buck-passing is a deeply ingrained part of the SNPs modus operandi, and in recent days a spin operation by official government social media accounts has sought to pass the blame for its abysmal failure to the Conservative Government.

It is an abdication of responsibility on a grand scale given that the Nationalists have been in power at Holyrood for 16 calamitous years.

Ms Robison mentioned Westminster, the UK Government, Brexit, and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt a total of 25 times yesterday as she tried to portray the Tories once again as pantomime villains.

She also resorted to sophistry by claiming that the cost of a council tax freeze, promised by Mr Yousaf, would be fully covered by central government.

In fact, ministers have offered local authorities only 140million of funding to compensate for the pledge, which is around half the amount they demanded.

Scotland is in such a dire position because the SNP has wasted so many billions on failed projects, from unfinished ferries to a botched Census, and a series of other financial scandals.

In Glasgow, the SNP council introduced a Low Emission Zone banning older petrol and diesel cars from the city centre but was forced to spend almost a quarter of a million pounds of taxpayers cash on hiring vehicles to replace those it owns which dont meet new anti-pollution rules.

Such chaos and mismanagement are typical of the posturing and virtue-signalling which characterise the Nationalists approach to government, and its brazen profligacy  which is only possible because ultimately more money will always be forthcoming from Westminster.

While waste has run rampant, businesses are an afterthought, with the SNP refusing to match the UK Governments 75 per cent rates relief to the vast majority of Scottish firms, leaving many of them struggling to survive.

Scotland deserves far better than to be governed by a party that has always prioritised its own narrow, destructive agenda  and now appears to be hell-bent on taking the country on a road to economic ruin.
Shocking videos show sick and distressed children crammed into a warehouse with no heating alongside thousands of other migrants in Chicago.

The deplorable facility is where five-year-old Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero fell ill was pronounced dead Sunday after being taken to the hospital.

Four other children, aged between one and 14, were also hospitalized after suffering fevers and other ailments at the Pilsen shelter south of downtown.

The video, exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, shows 2,300 migrants huddled together in freezing temperatures underneath a leaking roof.

Volunteers told DailyMail.com they feared weeks ago that the conditions could lead to deaths among the sick children.

Five-year-old Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero fell ill while at the Pilsen migrant shelter and was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital on Sunday days later

One video showed a young boy with what appeared to be a bandage on his head lying on a thin fold-out bed, distracting himself with a tablet.

Another shows a different child coughing and crying as they had their temperature taken and were examined by volunteers.

A third video showed water leaking from the roof and pooling on one of the beds.

'When the water is thrown up here... since all that the wood is rotting from the water that fell here - look, it has water,' a man said in Spanish as he filmed.

The converted warehouse appeared to be doing a poor job at keeping out the Chicago winter chill, which will fall as low as 31F this week.

A photo showed a small girl bundled up in a pink puffer jacket and matching pants and beanie.

Volunteers on October 15 sent an email detailing their concerns about conditions in the shelter to two City of Chicago officials.

'Dozens of sick people, including children, denied analgesics and other palliative measures,' wrote Annie Gomberg, with the city's Police Station Response Team.

'If a resident needs medical help, they are on their own with no advice other than to call 911, and told that it will "cost them a lot of money" to use an ambulance and go to a hospital as a deterrent.

'I thought we were paying for doctors and nurses?'

A photo of a small girl bundled up in a pink puffer jacket and matching pants and beanie showed the warehouse was not keeping out the winter chill

One video showed a young boy with what appeared to be a bandage on his head lying on a thin fold-out bed, distracting himself with a tablet

This video shows different child coughing and crying as they had their temperature taken and were examined by volunteers

Gomberg described how drinking water was rationed in 4 to 6oz cups and there was insufficient food and bathrooms for the 2,300 migrants living there.

Another volunteer in WhatsApp group discussions described a day when the water ran out and migrants were told 'it was a factory and the manager said not to drink the tap water'.

Gomberg warned children were not given any vaccinations, which combined with everyone living in close quarters, could be deadly.

'I predict a disease outbreak like measles within the next six months without further intervention,' she wrote.

'They don't provide clothes or sufficient blankets and bedding, all are supplied by private citizens committed to alleviating suffering.'

There was also no access to a laundry, at least one the broke migrants could afford, so everyone was wearing dirty clothes.

In the WhatsApp group, another volunteer said a migrant recently moved to the shelter 'called crying that they had no clothes and her two-year-old is really cold and his jacket was stolen by others'.

Jean was sick with a fever and a pain in his left leg for two or three days before he died and began vomiting on Sunday morning

A third video showed water leaking from the roof and pooling on one of the beds

The shelter is run by Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a Kansas-based contractor, which the city paid $100 million to operate since September 2022

Migrants have previously described outbreaks of chickenpox, the flu, and upper respiratory infections inside the shelter.

They said some children got eye infections from fiber-like debris falling from the ceiling, and were not given any medication if they were sick.

Food was the same chicken and rice every day, often too spicy for children to eat, and sometimes spoiled. Other food couldn't be kept and was thrown away by staff if discovered during regular inspections.

The shelter is run by Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a Kansas-based contractor, which the city paid $100 million to operate since September 2022.

Chicago is struggling to care for 26,000 immigrants sent from Texas and other border states on buses after crossing the border over the past year. The city has spent $138 million on the crisis that is only expected to get worse as temperatures drop as winter goes on.

Little Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero was sick with a fever and pain in his left leg for two or three days before he died and began vomiting on Sunday morning.

His lips turned blue and his family claimed to police that staff said it was 'probably because of the cold' and refused to call an ambulance.

While his father was pleading for an ambulance, Jean had a seizure and shelter staff gave him CPR, according to a police report seen by the Chicago Tribune.

He was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital about 3pm and pronounced dead at 3.47pm. His family were not allowed to ride with him and were instead patted down and driven in a police car.

Jean was bleeding from his mouth and nose with a 100F fever and suffered from diarrhea for days before his death.

Jean's death is being investigated and an autopsy by Cook County medical examiner on Monday was inconclusive, pending further investigation.

Video shot by a passerby showed rubbish piled up outside the shelter. The converted factory was the subject of numerous complaints about unsanitary conditions

The Chicago Fire Department said a three-year-old boy was taken to hospital vomiting, a seven-year-old girl with an ear infection, and one-year-old, a four-year-old, and 18-year-old with other medical complaints.

A 47-year-old woman was also taken to a hospital with chest pain on Tuesday morning.

Chicago and other northern American cities have struggled to find housing for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers, many of whom have been bused from Texas throughout the past year.

Earlier this month, hundreds of asylum-seekers still awaited placement at airports and police stations in Chicago, some of them still camped on sidewalks outside precinct buildings.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said the blame for Jean's death lay squarely with southern governors for busing in thousands of immigrants to the 'sanctuary city'.

'They're just dropping off people anywhere. Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is... and then you want to hold us accountable for something that's happening down at the border? It's sickening?' he said.

Mayor Johnson insisted the asylum-seekers arrived in Chicago unwell due to the conditions they were held in at the border before being loaded on to buses.

'Do you hear me? They're showing up sick. The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago, it's the fact that we have a governor  a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas  that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized,' he said.

'And then they come to the city of Chicago where we have homelessness, we have mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed.

'The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror [and see] the chaos that he is causing for this country.

'This is not just a Chicago dynamic, he is attacking our country.'

Videos from inside the Pilsen shelter (pictured) showed coughing and crying children, some so cold they were wearing snow jackets, and water leaking from the ceiling onto the cots below

O'Hare International Airport accommodated hundreds of migrants in a screened off area as the crisis gathered steam this summer

The mayor's office said the city had resettled or reunited more than 10,000 migrants and was sheltering 13,992 at 27 temporary shelters, and doubled down on blaming southern governors.

'Many new arrivals survive brutal and dangerous journeys to border states and are promptly and inhumanely shipped out with little to no triage,' it said.

'In border states, new arrivals are spending the night outdoors without a shower, running water, or food.

'Border states do not take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals they load onto buses.

'This carelessness directly contributed to the death of a three-year-old girl in September of this year and may continue to have devastating effects.'

The mayor's office said an investigation was ongoing and any changes to safety protocols for staff would be made based on the findings.

The city said it was ticketing and impounding buses trying to drop off migrants outside designated zones.

'As temperatures continue to fall, the city is enacting stricter penalties to discourage bus companies from flouting these protocols,' it said.

'The inhumane treatment further endangers the safety and security of asylum seekers, and adds additional strain to City departments, volunteers and mutual aid partners tasked with easing what is already a harsh transition.'

Mayor Brandon Johnson said the blame for Jean's death lay squarely with southern governors for busing in thousands of immigrants

Although the city reports that police stations have been mostly cleared, massive shelters are not necessarily a safe alternative, said Annie Gomberg, a volunteer with the citys Police Station Response Team who has been working with Chicagos new arrivals since April.

Gomberg said people staying at the Pilsen shelter told her mold was visible inside, and lack of insulation made the repurposed warehouse very cold.

Last week, Mayor Johnson ordered city lawmakers to quash a bid to put the controversial 'Welcoming City Ordinance' to a referendum on Chicago's March primary ballot.

Sanctuary city status means that city officials are forbidden from asking questions about a person's immigration status, or revealing it to federal authorities.

Police in the city are not allowed to arrest anyone solely because they are an illegal immigrant, and the city will not co-operate with an investigation by immigration authorities unless ordered to by a court.

More than 560 cities, states and counties across the US have declared themselves sanctuaries, and Chicago adopted the status in 1985.

But sanctuary cities have been a favorite target of governors on the southern border who have bussed thousands of migrants north to them as the migration crisis has gathered steam.

Residents protested in Brighton Park against the proposed migrant camp to accommodate the influx of migrants

Johnson was among five Democratic city mayors who headed to DC last month to beg the Biden administration for a staggering $5 billion in federal funds to deal with the issue.

'Our cities need additional resources that far exceed the amount proposed in order to properly care for the asylum seekers entering our communities,' they wrote.

'Relying on municipal budgets is not sustainable and has forced us to cut essential city services.'

Johnson accused his opponents of 'meanness' and claimed a public vote on sanctuary status would do nothing to address the strain from migrants.

'This is a crisis, and as I've said, it's not going to go away because people are upset,' he told reporters on Wednesday.

'Now unfortunately, you have individuals that have used this as a way to execute its meanness.

'That type of meanness has caused the type of strife that we're experiencing now.'
A new man-made beach that opened in western Sydney this week has been labelled 'un-Australian' due to a raft of rules some claim make it seem unwelcoming.

Penrith Beach - formed from an old quarry and dubbed 'Pondi' by locals in reference to iconic Bondi Beach 63km away in Sydney's eastern suburbs - opened on Tuesday morning as the area sweltered through a hot and humid 34C summer day.

But local resident David, who went there with his young son, said the experience was 'underwhelming' after having to pre-book parking, battle traffic and pay through the nose for the only food option available.

'You have to pre-book parking, which I don't think a lot of locals might have known about, and the traffic was chaos, we had hundreds of metres of cars stretching back either way on Castlereagh Road,' David told 2GB.

Host Neil Breen noted an FAQ on the NSW government website that bluntly lists what is not allowed at the newly formed attraction including riding bikes, getting dropped off by a family member and even visiting without a booking.

'There's no beach in Australia that full, that's not the Australian way,' he said.

The area currently does not have any shade structures or trees to shield visitors from the baking western Sydney sun

The area is a long way from the renders put out by Western Sydney Lakes (pictured) this year

PARKING

Visitors driving to Penrith Beach, which is open during the warmer months from December 19 until March 3, will need to book a parking spot and will need to do so up to three days in advance.

'Once the parking pass allocation is exhausted, there will be no additional allocation,' the NSW government website states.

'This allows for the safe operation, access and exit from Penrith Beach during the temporary activation and the safety and comfort of local residents.

'Parking passes are released every three days, so keep an eye out for the next release.'

David told 2GB that despite the government saying 'there were going to be 700 parking spots, the car park doesn't look finished'.

'It looked nowhere near capacity, I think there was some confusion by locals that they might need to register.'

Local resident David told 2GB that despite the government saying 'there were going to be 700 parking spots, the car park doesn't look finished'

AMENITIES AND SHADE

David said the facilities at the lake were fairly rudimentary and there was very little in the way of trees or structures to provide sun protection during the baking western Sydney heat.

'There is not an ounce of shade near the lake just the carpark, sand, and a few flags advertising Penrith Lakes,' he said.

'There is a demountable cafe, two change rooms, and toilets which are all pretty basic even by demountable standards.'

FOOD OPTIONS

David also said he would advise anyone visiting that BYO would be a good option after he paid $13 for a chicken sandwich.

'There's one kiosk they've got there [with] sandwiches, pies and sausage rolls, and nothing is cheaper than $10.

'Though I get that that's probably pretty standard for these types of places now.'

Visitor David said there was only one retail option available for food and he paid $13 for a chicken sandwich

SHUTTLE BUS

There is a shuttle bus that runs from Penrith train station to the beach, however some visitors on social media said they could not see any signage at the station about where the bus departs from.

According to the NSW government website, this option also requires a booking.

'No pass = no access. There are limited seats on the shuttle bus and visitors must adhere to their selected booking time slot. Users must book a return ticket.'

GETTING DROPPED OFF OR RIDING A BIKE THERE

'There is no drop-off and pick-up zone at Penrith Beach,' the website states.

It also states that visitors can't ride a bike as there is no pedestrian path or cycleway along Castlereagh Road to the beach.

Penrith Mayor Todd Carney called into the radio program and argued there actually was a pick-up and drop-off zone there and that the NSW government information was incorrect.

'I don't know why the government website says that because there is a kiss-and-ride facility out there,' he said, adding he would be talking to the government to have authorities fix the website.

'Riding along Castlereagh Rd on your bike could be dangerous though.'

Visitor David said, based on his experience, 'We saw a U-turn spot but that's still a few hundred metres from the lake so they're going to have a decent trek.'

Penrith Beach opened to the public on Tuesday with locals (pictured) flocking to the new attraction in Sydney's west built in an old quarry

The area is picturesque but some visitors complained there were too many rules, including that visitors needed to book parking up to three days ahead if they want to visit the beach

IRONING OUT THE ISSUES

Mayor Carney said: 'This is the first day and we will get better at utilising the area in weeks to come.

'It's about what we can develop this into.'

He added the council intends to continue to improve the site and has 'activations' in the works for New Year's and Australia Day.

David said he hoped the area would become a drawcard for Penrith locals and visitors.

'It was certainly an interesting experience, I've mixed feelings about it really.

'You walk through the car park... and it looks stunning at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

'They could really be doing it justice, it just feels like in the race to get it ready for Christmas, they've left a bit to be desired.'
Australia's largest cocaine syndicate has issued a damning warning to any gangs who are planning to import and sell fentanyl, known as the 'zombie drug'.

A syndicate of the nation's most prominent cocaine importers and dealers known as 'The Commission' promised to declare 'war' on any local or international gangs who bring the potent opioid onto Australian shores.

Nicknamed as such because it makes users fall into a catatonic state, fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, making it easier for a user to develop an addiction or to overdose.

Although the painkiller was legally developed by chemists, rampant illegal distribution has left a trail of destruction across the United States in the past decade, with hundreds dying from overdoses every day across the nation.

While it is yet to gain traction in Australia, The Commission's threat of war comes as a pre-emptive warning to those wanting to kickstart the fentanyl market down under.

One of Australia's largest underground crime syndicates has threatened to declare 'war' on any local or international gang that wishes to import fentanyl into Australia (stock image)

The encrypted text from The Commission (mock-up) focused on international gangs looking to bring the highly addictive opioid down under

The Commission is believed to be comprised of a group of crime figures in Sydney's underworld, including outlaw motorcycle gang the Comancheros.

They sent the threat to the city's largest cocaine cartels through an encrypted messaging service last week.

'Those international syndicates, fishing around to bring Fentanyl into Australia. It's not going to happen,' The Commission's text reads, obtained by the Daily Telegraph.

'Australia will be a fentanyl-free nation, any attempts will be dealt with immediate WAR.

'F*** up your own countries not ours!'

The message wasn't well-received by one rogue member who hit back at the syndicate and accusing them of having ties to police.

The misspelt text, which came days after the initial text, questioned The Commission's decision by claiming their 'boss (police emoji) gave you guys some conditions before they let you send out the message'.

'A real crew don't ramble (sic) they act,' the reply reads.

The reply concludes by promising to take the lives of those in The Commission.

The synthetic opioid, nicknamed the 'zombie drug' because of the catatonic state users fall into, is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and kills hundreds a day in the US (pictured, fentanyl user in the US)

Fentanyl killed more than 150 people per day in the United States during 2020, according to the US's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Its use has disturbingly skyrocketed between from 2019 and 2022, with a report from Millennium Health revealing a 146 per cent increase in usage across the US.

A deadly dosage can be as little as 2mg, about the same weight as two grains of salt.

The largest amount of the drug seized by Australian authorities was discovered hidden inside an industrial wooden lathe sent from Canada which arrived at the Port of Melbourne in December, 2021.

A total of 11kg of pure fentanyl, about 5.5million potential lethal doses, was found after only 30g had been seized at Australian borders since 2013.

The seizure was announced in August 2022 by a joint taskforce of Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force (ABF).

'Fentanyl is an extremely toxic substance to handle as well as being a lethal drug to use,' James Watson, ABF Commander of Maritime and Enforcement South said at the time.

'There is a fentanyl epidemic in many parts of the world today, resulting in thousands of deaths of users every year.'
A UN Security Council vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution to spur desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during some kind of a halt in the fighting, first postponed from Monday, has been pushed back again until Wednesday.

Security Council members were in intense negotiations on Tuesday.

'We're still working through the modalities of the resolution,' US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5pm.

'It's important for us that the rest of the world understand what's at stake here and what Hamas did on October 7 and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats.'

The vote, originally scheduled for Monday but then pushed to 10pm GMT on Tuesday, was later cancelled as the US asked for more time. Talks were continuing in an effort to get the Biden administration to abstain or vote in favor of the resolution.

The draft resolution on the table on Monday morning called for an 'urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities', but this language was watered down in a new draft circulated early on Tuesday.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood (C) speaks during a security council meeting before they vote on a resolution regarding the conflict in the Middle East in New York, New York, USA, 19 December 2023

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour (4th R) speaks to members of the UN Security Council as they break during a meeting on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations headquarters on December 19, 2023 in New York City

Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for medical treatment following Israeli attacks in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on December 19, 2023

Residents and civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operation under the rubbles following an Israeli attack on a building in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 19, 2023

Sir Tony Blair to meet Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss potential ceasefire with Hamas as death toll in Gaza continues to mount Advertisement

It now 'calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.'

Israel, backed by its ally Washington, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member, has opposed the use of the term 'ceasefire.'

That has proved to be one of the sticking points for the divided body as diplomats wrangle over whether to call for a 'pause' or a 'truce,' or to qualify any ceasefire as 'humanitarian.'

The US on December 8 vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all other council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on December 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions.

In its first unified action on November 15, with the US abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling for 'urgent and extended humanitarian pauses' in the fighting, unhindered aid deliveries to civilians and the unconditional release of all hostages.

Members of the UN Security Council hold sideline meetings as they take a break at the United Nations headquarters on December 19, 2023 in New York City.

Residents and civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operation under the rubbles following an Israeli attack on a building in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 19, 2023

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said during a briefing with ambassadors that Israel is 'ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages'.

But Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the 15-member council, said on Tuesday a new resolution had to go 'a little bit further' than the November 15 resolution.

Security Council resolutions are important because they are legally binding, but in practice many parties choose to ignore the council's requests for action.General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a significant barometer of world opinion.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry since Israel declared war on Hamas following its surprise attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
Brittany Higgins' former boss revealed five key points when she was on the witness stand this week.

Fiona Brown was Ms Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann's boss in March 2019 when they were both working at Parliament House as advisors to then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds.

She was cross-examined by Lisa Wilkinson's barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC in the Federal Court on Monday and Tuesday during Mr Lehrmann's defamation trial against Network Ten and Wilkinson, but her evidence was not livestreamed.

Justice Michael Lee received submissions from Ms Brown's lawyers stating she was particularly traumatised after taking the witness stand during Mr Lehrmann's criminal trial last year.

The court heard she had panic attacks over the prospect of doing it all over again during this civil trial, so arrangements were made to ensure the situation was as comfortable for her as possible.

The livestream was temporarily disabled while she was on the stand, but her evidence was recorded and broadcast on the court's YouTube channel at 10.15am on Wednesday - when court was not in session.

Her evidence was key because she had meetings with Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann within the week after the alleged assault, and she is the only person who took notes of what was said during those conversations.

Daily Mail Australia was in the courtroom when Ms Brown gave her evidence. Here's what she said.

Fiona Brown is pictured outside court on Tuesday, after finishing her evidence

Brittany Higgins was 'thinking quickly on her feet'

Fiona Brown told the court on Monday she had a meeting with Brittany Higgins on the afternoon of March 26, 2019 - three days after the alleged assault.

It was a disciplinary meeting because a security breach was triggered when Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann entered Parliament House while drunk in the early hours of Saturday, March 23.

Ms Higgins previously told the court she disclosed her alleged assault during that meeting, which Ms Brown firmly denies.

In court on Monday, Ms Chrysanthou was suggesting to Ms Brown that the former staffer did disclose her alleged rape during that meeting and asked if Ms Higgins' demeanor changed after their conversation that day.

Ms Brown told the court Ms Higgins' demeanor only changed when she walked into her office and saw the ministerial code of conduct on her desk, along with the employees assistance handbook.

'She saw the papers on my desk and I could see her eyes shifting,' Ms Brown said.

'She was thinking quickly on her feet.'

Brittany Higgins is pictured outside the Federal Court on December 1

Ms Chrysanthou asked Ms Brown why she took notes of what was said during that conversation, but omitted that particular detail.

Ms Brown said she specifically recalled Ms Higgins' eyes shifting when she entered her office that day, but agreed she hadn't included that information in her records at the time.

'I regret it, actually,' she told the court.

She maintained that Ms Higgins did not disclose her alleged assault during that meeting.

Fiona Brown says two ministers were 'covering themselves' when they ordered her to report Brittany Higgins' rape allegation to police

Fiona Brown was told by two ministers, Alex Hawke and Linda Reynolds, to report Brittany Higgins' allegations to police - without the former staffer's consent - six days after the alleged assault, on March 29, 2019.

Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Ms Brown said she did not think the ministers were looking out for Ms Higgins' welfare.

Ms Chrysanthou suggested to Ms Brown that Mr Hawke, the former immigration minister, had asked her to report the matter to Australian Federal Police because a breach of the law had been alleged and it would look 'utterly terrible' if ministers didn't act on it.

Ms Reynolds had also asked her to report the alleged offence to police.

Ms Brown told the court she didn't want to report it herself, partly because she said Ms Higgins hadn't actually made a rape allegation at that point, and because she did not think there was any consideration of what the former staffer actually wanted.

Lisa Wilkinson is pictured, left, outside the Federal Court on Tuesday with her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC

Ms Chrysanthou said: 'The reason you were engaging in heated conversations through Mr Hawke and Ms Reynolds to report the matter to the AFP was not because they cared about Ms Higgins, but because they were worried about covering themselves?'

Ms Brown agreed.

She told the court she was concerned she could be fired for disobeying two ministers, but she strongly believed going to police without Ms Higgins' permission was ethically wrong.

Ms Chrysanthou put to Ms Brown: 'You understood, didn't you, from your conversation with Minister Reynolds that Minister Reynolds understood there had been an allegation of a crime.'

Ms Brown replied: 'No.'

She told the court that Ms Higgins had not made a 'straight-out accusation' against Mr Lehrmann, but Ms Reynolds still believed she should go to the police and say two staffers entered Parliament House while drunk and 'the female had a recollection'.

'To me I needed more than that and I didn't have the right - it was Ms Higgins' right,' she said.

'Ms Higgins still had not given me an allegation... She'd had a recollection but she never stated.'

Fiona Brown 'blindsided' by rape allegation and took HR advice from the Department of Finance

Ms Brown said she was 'blindsided' when Ms Higgins said, on March 28, 2019, 'I remember him on top of me.'

By that stage, Ms Higgins and Ms Brown knew a Parliament House security guard had found her naked and asleep on a couch in Linda Reynolds' office at about 4am on March 23.

Ms Brown had been asking the former staffer about the situation and said Ms Higgins was about to leave her office before she turned around and made the disclosure.

'It took me by surprise, it came out of the blue, there was no hint,' Ms Brown said.

She had been given instructions on how to conduct the conversation by the Department of Finance, which acted as a pseudo-human resources department at the time.

Bruce Lehrmann is pictured arriving at the Federal Court on Tuesday

Ms Brown was told not to use accusatory or assumptive language, so she asked Ms Higgins: 'Did something happen that you did not want to happen?'

She did not probe Ms Higgins properly because the Department of Finance didn't ask her to investigate the situation and told the court she believed Ms Higgins, who was 23 at the time, would say if anything untoward had happened.

Ms Chrysanthou pointed Ms Brown to her affidavit, which stated her question to Ms Higgins was actually: 'If this is something you had not wanted, then you should report it to the police.'

She said that question was very different to, 'Did something happen that you did not want to happen?', and asked Ms Brown why she put different information in her affidavit to what she told the court.

Ms Brown said she gave information to the best of her recollection, 'due to the mental trauma' she sustained in the aftermath of Ms Higgins' allegations.

Ms Chrysanthou asked why she didn't make note of the fact the Department of Finance had told her to say to Ms Higgins, 'Did something happen that you did not want to happen?'

She told the court the notes she took after those conversations at the time were 'not verbatim' but said she did her best.

She reiterated that she asked Ms Higgins if anything happened.

'At that time in March 2019, it was a very different period,' she said, noting that the situation would be dealt with very differently if it happened today.

Fiona Brown said it was 'not unreasonable' to think Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann had sex in Parliament House

Ms Brown told the court she thought Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann may have had sex in Parliament House after they entered the building while drunk on March 23, 2019.

'Couldn't rule it in, couldn't rule it out,' she said.

Ms Chrysanthou asked whether she was concerned when she found out Mr Lehrmann left at about 2.30am, before Ms Higgins was found naked on Linda Reynolds' couch about two hours later.

Ms Brown said she was concerned.

Ms Chrysanthou said: 'You suspected they may have had sexual intercourse?'

Fiona Brown (pictured on Tuesday) maintains she didn't know about Brittany Higgins' rape allegation on March 26, 2019

Ms Brown said: 'It was not unreasonable to have that thought.'

She acknowledged she hadn't dealt with a matter like that before and agreed she didn't have the training to handle it, but maintained she didn't know there was a sexual assault allegation until much later.

Ms Brown held meetings with both staffers the following week, on March 26, because their entry into the building after hours triggered a security breach.

Ms Chrysanthou said: 'So a man and a woman came in, one of them left, the other was found naked on the couch.'

Ms Brown said: 'It was 2019 and it wasn't considered an assault - it was a matter of people coming in after hours.'

Fiona Brown was 'traumatised' by an unsolicited text from a Network Ten producer

Ms Brown told the Federal Court on Monday afternoon she kept handwritten notes of HR-style meetings with Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann.

She said the originals had been 'destroyed' because it was impossible to keep large volumes of notes when moving between offices, but she had typed them up and was able to find the metadata to prove they were contemporaneous.

Ms Brown told the court she gave those notes to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's press secretary Andrew Carswell in February 2021, after she received a text from The Project producer Angus Llewellyn.

The text was sent just days before Brittany Higgins' allegations were broadcast on program. She told the court she was 'deeply upset' upon receiving that text.

Ms Brown explained she gave her personal notes and texts to Mr Carswell to explain her position after the alleged assault, but said she didn't know he would use that information to respond to Network Ten.

Mr Carswell did respond to the network with information gathered from Ms Brown's notes, claiming Ms Higgins was supported when she disclosed her rape allegation to her bosses.

Ms Chrysanthou asked Ms Brown if she knew Mr Carswell would respond to The Project on her behalf.

'No,' she replied.

Ms Chrysanthou said: 'I suggest it was reasonable that he would have.'

Ms Brown said she didn't know he was going to do that.

She recalled feeling traumatised when The Project was aired on February 15, 2021.

'I have no recollection other than trauma,' she said.

'I was in my office and I was deeply upset.'

The defamation hearing will resume at 10.15am on Thursday.
An Australian fisherman's broken net could be the clue that finally unravels the mystery of what happened to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The final resting place of the downed plane - which disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members aboard - remains elusive despite the most extensive search at sea in world history.

Now, nine years after the plane's disappearance, retired Australian fisherman Kit Olver, 77, has come forward to reveal his deep-sea trawler pulled up what appeared to be the wing of a commercial airliner around 55km off the south-east coast of South Australia, in the Southern Ocean, in September or October of 2014.

Most authorities believe MH370 came down in the southern Indian Ocean.

Retired fisherman Kit Olver, 77, has come forward to reveal his deep-sea trawler pulled up what appeared to be the wing of a commercial airline around 55km off South Australia 's south-east coast in September or October of 2014

Mr Olver points to the location where he had cut his fishing net after it pulled up a large air craft wing that his crew couldn't disentangle

Mr Olver told the Sydney Morning Herald that he was trawling in his secret spot for the prized fish species alfonsino when his net snagged on something large, which it struggled to bring to the surface.

'It was a bloody great wing of a big jet airliner,' he told the paper.

'I've questioned myself; I've looked for a way out of this.

'I wish to Christ I'd never seen the thing  but there it is. It was a jet's wing.'

Because he had held a pilot's licence he was confident the wing was larger than any on a typical private plane.

The only other surviving member of the trawler Vivienne Jane's crew George Currie also corroborated Mr Olver's claim to the newspaper.

'It was incredibly heavy and awkward. It stretched out the net and ripped it. It was too big to get up on the deck,' Mr Currie said.

'As soon as I saw it I knew what it was. It was obviously a wing, or a big part of it, from a commercial plane. It was white, and obviously not from a military jet or a little plane.'

After struggling all day to free the object Mr Olver ordered his crew to cut the $20,000 net free and let it drift back into the comparatively shallow depths of that part of the Southern Ocean.

Mr Olver told the Sydney Morning Herald's Tony Wright he could locate the spot, which was about 55km west of the South Australian town of Robe, and shared its GPS coordinates.

He says he tried to tell authorities of his find soon after returning to port by phoning the Australian Maritime Safety Authority(AMSA). A few hours after making the call he was contacted by an official who told him the find was likely a shipping container that had fallen from a Russian ship in the area off Robe.

The AMSA told the Sydney Morning Herald they had no record of Mr Olver's call.

Mr Olver believed it was right thing to go public with his find if it can help the families of those aboard the MH370 finally know the fate of their loved ones.

He told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday he had cleared his conscience and was not prepared to answer any more questions from journalists.

A file photo of the doomed jet taken in 2011

'That's it,' Mr Olver said. 'I've told my point of view.

'Anything else that I could come up with would be conjecture or supposition or my idea and I'm not really interested.

'It was from years ago, it was on my conscience and I've cleared it now and told my story. So whether it's believed or acted on is out of my hands.'

MH370 departed Malaysia shortly before 5pm with 12 crew and 227 passengers from 14 nations, including 153 people from China.

About 5.20pm, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah responded to Malaysia air traffic control, stating: '...contact Ho Chi Minh (...) good night.'

Shockingly, the plane soon after went 'dark' before diverting back over Malaysia, the the opposite direction from the intended flight path.

Primary civilian and military radar data reported the plane travelling back over the Malacca Strait and into the vast Indian Ocean.

After about 7.5 hours, MH370 ran out of fuel and subsequently crashed 11 minutes later into the ocean, and was never found.

Debris of the plane was found as far away as Madagascar in the years following, with 41 one pieces in total recovered.

A reconstruction broadcast on National Geographic depicted the jet crashing into the sea

Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 take part in a prayer service at the Metro Park Hotel in Beijing, China, in 2014

The fate of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, that has 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, when it disappeared in 2014 remains an enduring mystery

Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company, for years searched for the plane and in March 2022 began looking again on a no-find, no-fee basis.

In 2018, Malaysia engaged Ocean Infinity to search for the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean, offering to pay up to $70million if it found the plane. But its operation came up short.

The firm's search came after Malaysia, China and Australia ended a fruitless two-year, A$200million ($135.36million) underwater hunt in January 2017 after finding no trace of the plane.

Earlier this year, families of those on board MH370 called on the Malaysian government to allow the American seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity to mount a new search for the missing plane.

Voice370 - a grouping of relatives of those aboard the plane - urged the Malaysian government to accept any proposals from the firm on a conditional fee basis, such that the firm would only be paid if successful.

'Ocean Infinity, over the last 12 months have made real progress working with many people to further understand... the events in 2014,' Voice370 said in a statement, following a memorial event to mark the ninth year since MH370's disappearance.

'Ultimately, this has greatly improved their chances of conducting a successful search.'
Nearly 2,000 calls come in a day - a number that averages out 81 calls per hour

The city is in the midst of an acute staffing shortage

Crime-ridden San Franciscos 911 dispatchers answered just 72 percent of calls within 15 seconds in October, alarming new statistics show.

The number, released by the Department of Emergency Management, is the lowest of any month in the past six years, and short of the departments goal of 95 percent.

Emergency workers Tuesday blamed the dip on a decline in the number of full-time dispatchers since the COVID-19 pandemic, and a simultaneous rise in the volumes of calls.

'It's dire straits for sure around here, and it's not getting any better,' veteran dispatcher Valerie Tucker told The San Francisco Chronicle in an interview this Tuesday.

Currently, nearly 2,000 calls come into the department a day - a number that averages out 81 calls per hour.

an Franciscos 911 dispatchers answered just 72 percent of calls within 15 seconds in October, alarming new statistics show

Currently, nearly 2,000 calls come into the department a day - a number that averages out 81 calls per hour.

Emergency workers Tuesday blamed the dip on a decline in the number of full-time dispatchers since the COVID-19 pandemic, and a simultaneous rise in the volumes of calls

Outlets such as the Chronicle have previously reported on the citys acute staffing shortage, and still-being-considered strategies like giving dispatchers the same distinction as emergency workers like police, given their city status.

Dispatchers, meanwhile, have long called for additional staffing. The current crush of calls, have forced many of them to work mandatory overtime - often for months at a time, several told the Chronicle.

'In 15 seconds I can start CPR instructions, get NARCAN administered, give choking instructions to a new mom or dad,' Tucker said of the waning response rate percentage.

'I can prevent a suicidal person from harming themselves because I say their name and they no longer feel so alone.'

Her boss at the city-run DEM, Mary Ellen Carroll, however, sang a different tune.

She said she was 'optimistic' things would improve in the New Year due to recent department changes such the addition of an internal recruiter, and increases to workers base pay to $104,000.

Moreover, the position only requires a high school diploma, and comes complete with union benefits.

Further sweetening the pot, she said, is an effort to expedite the background checks dispatchers face, which is already in the works.

'Theres nothing more important for me right now, as director of this organization, than to work on this issue,' said Carrol, who was appointed to her post of executive director in the summer of 2018

At the time of her appointment, staffing in her department stood around 280 - more than double the number of full-time dispatchers today.

The number, released by the Department of Emergency Management , is the lowest of any month in the past six years, and short of the departments goal of 95 percent

Interested in a fast-paced, well-compensated, service-driven career? You could be a 911 Dispatcher!



We're looking for dedicated people to take 911 calls, dispatch emergency services & contribute to community safety! #JoinSF911



Apply now: https://t.co/IT5DBaCyV7 pic.twitter.com/wNJPK6ECym  San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (@SF_emergency) October 4, 2023

From March 2020 to December 2022, staffing experienced a dip from 155 to 123 - nearly 40 short of its goal of 160 fully trained employees.

In her interview Tuesday, Carroll said the number has since risen to 126, along with 14 trainees - 'incremental progress,' she said.

Tucker, however, said she and others are feeling the burn from the seemingly never-ending flood of calls, which plummeted in 2020 and 2021 but have since returned to pre-pandemic rates.

As call volumes rise, response times have only gotten slower, the statistics now show - and Tucker told the Chronicle she and her fellow dispatchers, after months of working longer hours and getting fewer breaks, are on the verge of burnout.

'Most of us in the room are starting to [ask], is this worth it?' Tucker said, as the city continues to grapple with persistent, now yearslong rash of crime.

Tucker added she fears the inability to keep up with the flood of represents a new status quo - one created by the pandemic that, like the San Francisco's crime situation, is now the norm.

President of the San Francisco dispatchers' union Burt Wilson, a current dispatcher, also spoke to the publication, and detailed plans he said are currently in the works to address the city's hiring timeline.

Outlets such as the Chronicle have previously reported on the citys acute staffing shortage, and still-being-considered strategies like giving dispatchers the same distinction as emergency workers like police, given their city status

From March 2020 to December 2022, staffing experienced a dip from 155 to 123 - nearly 40 short of its goal of 160 fully trained employees

As this occurring, crime continues to remain an issue in what was once the crown jewel of the Bay Area

Wilson said a still-being-considered bill that would reclassify dispatchers as public safety workers could help alleviate the dispatcher shortage.

San Franciscos hiring process currently takes an average of 255 days to secure a dispatcher - a timeline further hampered by the time it takes to train them, which officials have said takes about a year.

Worsening matters is staff are not coming in to replace retiring or tired workers fast enough, all said - spurring Carroll to tell the paper she will support 'anything that is going to bring people to the field and keep the really good people that we have.'

When contacted by The Chronicle, the office of Mayor London Breed did not say why it has not reclassified 911 dispatchers as emergency workers - a designation held by cops and firefighters that parlays to better benefits and a generous pension.

Of the understaffing issue, Spokesperson Jeff Cretan said, 'its not just a local issue. This is a national issue.

He then reportedly reiterated how his boss remains 'focused' on improving the response time issues.

As this occurring, crime continues to remain an issue in what was once the crown jewel of the Bay Area.

According to statistics covering the entirety of this year up until this past Sunday, robberies saw a 14.2 percent increase from last year, and a 15.6 rise in rapes.

Homicides also remain unchanged from last year at 53, eerily close to the number of homicides reported at the close of both 2022 as in 2021 - a total of 55.

That followed a 56-year low recorded in 2019 when 41 people were killed in the city, a number that, like much of the other crime rates, appears to be a thing of the past post-pandemic.

Somewhat pessimistic, Wilson said of city officials: 'They know it's a problem.

'But until somebody important gets killed or hurt, they're not going to address it.'
School district across the nation have seen outbreaks of illness in recent weeks

The decision followed an influenza outbreak at the elementary school, which led to some students being hospitalized

Three campuses within the Charleroi Area School District, near Pittsburgh, transitioned to remote learning last week

A Pittsburgh-area school district returned to remote learning after nearly 100 students experienced flu-like symptoms amid one of the worst flu seasons of the past decade.

Lessons across the elementary, middle and high school campuses within the Charleroi Area School District moved online after dozens of elementary students fell ill.

Officials said 81 students went to the nurse's office Wednesday reporting flu-like symptoms. More than 30 students were sent home, with some needing to be hospitalized. That prompted officials to close the district's schools and move classrooms online.

'But we know it was the right one to protect our students and our staff,' Charleroi Area Superintendent Ed Zelich told CBS.

The decision in Pennsylvania follows outbreaks seen in schools and districts across the nation, including in Texas, Tennessee and Michigan. Some areas have seen up to 40 percent of students reporting illness-related absences on a single day.

Lessons across the elementary, middle and high school campuses within the Charleroi Area School District in Pennsylvania moved online last week following a flu outbreak

Superintendent Ed Zelich hailed the decision to move online as 'the right one to protect our students and our staff'

Although in-person learning resumed Monday, the district was still plagued by a high number of absences, with 36 percent of students out at schools

In Charleroi, the elementary, middle and high schools were closed through Monday, while all weekend activities were canceled.

Several members of staff including cooks and custodians went home with the same symptoms.

Zelich said the outbreak was unprecedented in his 10-year tenure with the district.

'The turning point was when the elementary school nurse had called me yesterday and said she needed to see me immediately,' the superintendent said Thursday.

'When you get 80 students visiting the office and over 30 are going home prior to noon, we have an issue.'

The district pivoted to remote learning using systems that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although in-person learning resumed Monday, the district was still plagued by a high number of absences, especially among younger children. At least 30 elementary students were sent home, and 36 percent of district students were absent.

The district does not plan to return to virtual learning this week, but Zelich encouraged parents to be careful when deciding to send their children to school.

The Pennsylvania school district is not the first to experience a massive outbreak, and schools in Texas, Tennessee and Michigan have shuttered lessons completely. Pictured: Charleroi Middle School in Pennsylvania

More than a dozen states are experiencing a surge in infection rates for the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID, according to the CDC (pictured: COVID-19 under a microscope)

Flu viruses are constantly adapting, producing new strains each year that are immune to existing vaccines. Infection rates are highest among children

Illnesses have been impacting schools nationwide and last week, Happy Independent School District in Texas canceled school after roughly 40 percent of students in the elementary school were out sick.

Superintendent Trevor Egdemon said the district was running out of teachers because so many were absent, ABC7 reported.

On December 7, Perry County Schools in Middle Tennessee announced it would be closed for the remainder of the week due to unspecified 'illness.'

This week, Michigan's Buckley Community Schools canceled school across the district after around 30 percent of students fell ill.

Superintendent Jessica Harrand told WPBN that most of the pupils were elementary students and that most were experiencing flu-like symptoms.

More than a dozen states are experiencing a surge in infection rates for the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID, with rates of infections either 'high' or 'very high.'

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 15 states are experiencing elevated rates of infections.

The figure is based on the weekly percentage of visits to healthcare providers or hospitals involving patients complaining of a fever cough or sore throat.

The 2022-2023 flu season is on record to be one of the worst of the past decade, with 31,000,000 symptomatic cases reported so far, according to CDC data.

Flu viruses are constantly adapting, producing new strains each year that are immune to existing vaccines. That allows the disease to spread prolifically with a particular impact on children, whose underdeveloped immune systems put them at greater risk.

The World Health Organization estimates around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including three to five million cases of severe illness.

The virus causes between 290,000 and 650,000 respiratory deaths across the globe each year.
Moving with the times is one of the challenges facing the modern Kirk.

Dwindling congregations, crumbling churches and a post-pandemic move to live-streamed services have all changed the face of worship in the 21st century.

Now a leading voice in the Church of Scotland has suggested the answer could lie in sharing buildings and resources such as administrative support with other denominations.

The number of churches has been described as simply untenable and unsustainable

The idea could see Kirk congregations using the same places of worship as the Catholic Church and Scottish Episcopal Church.

It was put forward by Lynne McNeil, editor of Life and Work, the Kirks house magazine.

She wrote: Christian communities have more in common than that which divides and in times of trial and challenge for many churches, minds need to be open to embrace new ways of being and working.

There will not be a one size fits all  each solution will lie in the context of each church, but sharing buildings, sharing a working team for administration, for example, could result in benefits for all.

It could also open doors for all with spiritual longings who have forgotten or do not know how to connect with Christianity.

Last year, the Kirk had 1,261 churches, 259 halls and 787 manses.

The number of churches has been described as simply untenable and unsustainable.

Its trustees warned earlier this year that hundreds of churches would have to close.

Before the pandemic, around 88,000 people worshipped in person on a Sunday, but according to a report to this years General Assembly that number has since dropped to around 60,000. Their average age is 62.

About 45,000 people now worship online and 8,275 in other ways. Membership has been declining since the 1950s when it peaked at 1.3million, and in 2021 it stood at 283,600.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has 390 parishes and in 2019 the average overall attendance at Sunday Mass was 127,003.

The Scottish Episcopal Church has around 300 congregations and its membership in 2022 numbered 23,935.

Last year, a Declaration of Friendship between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland was approved by leaders of both denominations.

It came a year after the similar St Andrews Declaration was signed by the Kirk and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

A spokesman for the Church of Scotland said: We believe the declarations of friendship have already borne fruit, with closer connections allowing us to discuss shared challenges and identifying areas where we could collaborate in the future.

Working together ecumenically will continue to be an important part of our joint Christian witness in Scotland and beyond.

The Catholic Church said the sharing of buildings and offering of pastoral support already happens across the three denominations in Scotland, describing it as a mark of the close ecumenical bonds which exist between us.

And a spokesman for the Scottish Episcopal Church said: As we aim for net zero emissions by 2030, we expect new opportunities for working together will arise and we keep an open mind on future arrangements.
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Shocking before and after videos of the Barron Falls after record rain in Far North Queensland shows the sheer volume of floodwater hitting the region.

Two videos of the Barron River waterfall outside Cairns was shared to social media on Wednesday which showed the falls on December 10 and December 18.

Massive rainfall caused by ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper, which was classified as a category two system when it made landfall north of Port Douglas on December 13, has triggered major widespread floods across north Queensland.

One video showed the waterfall before the cyclone had hit the state with footage capturing a stream trickling down the rocky cliff, while a second video showed the devastating impact of the weather system with a torrent of water gushing down.

Footage showing Barrons Falls, near Cairns, before and after Cyclone Jasper hit has been shared online (pictured, Barron Falls on December 18)

Far north Queensland has copped heavy rain from the cyclone system with Cairns seeing 268mm on Sunday (pictured, Barron Falls on December 10)

A final flood warning still remains in place for the Barron River as well as the Daintree and Mossman Rivers.

'River levels across the Barron River catchment are continuing to ease following significant flooding over the last few days,' the Bureau of Meteorology said.

'River levels along the lower Barron River at Kamerunga Bridge and Cairns Airport are now expected to be below the minor flood level.

'No significant rainfall has been recorded across the catchment since late Sunday and no further rainfall of significance is forecast across the catchment over the next few days.'

Minor flood warnings are also in place for the Tully, Herbert and Murray Rivers.

Fortunately, major weather warnings for the North Tropical Coast and parts of the Peninsula and Gulf Country were cancelled on Wednesday as the ex-cyclone moves upward towards the tip of the Cape.

However, the Bureau came under fire earlier this week for severely underestimating how much rain would hit the region.

On Saturday, the Bureau predicted Cairns would receive falls between 30 and 130mm but it copped 268mm on Sunday alone.

Up to 12 locations across far north Queensland received record rainfall totals with some areas receiving a year's worth of rain in a single day.

Mossman South, an hour northwest of Cairns, received 1,935mm of rain in five days while Black Mountain near Cooktown recorded 2,189mm.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the Bureau 'didn't know the lay of the land'.

'If this is so record-breaking, how did no one know this was going to happen we need to have forecasts closer to what is going on.'

Cyclone Jasper is now forecast to have less than a five per cent chance of redeveloping as it moves through the Cape this week.

But the severe damage and weather it caused across the far north since last week has delayed clean-up and rescue operations.

Mossman South, an hour northwest of Cairns, received 1,935mm of rain in five days (pictured, Barron Falls on December 15)

Rescue efforts are still underway in parts of north Queensland following severe floods (pictured, police and defence helping residents evacuate on Monday)

Major roads, including parts of the Captain Cook Highway from Palm Cove to Craiglie and Smithfield to Stratford and the Palmerston Highway from Millaa Millaa to Innisfail, remain blocked.

Evacuations are still underway to rescue residents trapped in Wujal Wujal with one more emergency flight scheduled for Wednesday.

Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said crews evacuated 97 people from the small community to Cooktown on Tuesday.

'We were also accessing all of the isolated communities right across the cape. There's 36 of them,' he told ABC News Breakfast.

'We managed to get into 16 of those communities and we'll continue that today.

'It was pleasing that we didn't see any serious injuries or any serious concerns in those communities.'

Nine residents, including a seven-year-old and several health workers, were rescued after becoming stranded on the roof of the Wujal Wujal health clinic.

'It now appears likely we will need to evacuate the entire town of Wujal Wujal,' Queensland Premier Steven Miles told reporters on Monday.

'This rainfall is next level.'

Emergency services have conducted over 370 swift water rescues since the flooding began last week and have received over 1,000 calls for help.

Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said crews evacuated 97 people Wujal Wujal on Tuesday (pictured, emergency services on Monday)

Emergency services have conducted over 370 swift water rescues since the flooding began last week and have received over 1,000 calls for help (pictured, evacuation on Monday)

At least nine people were forced to climb onto roofs in Bloomfield and Degarra, where an 85-year-old man was reported missing on Sunday.

Queensland Police said it is 'extremely concerned' for the welfare of the missing man and urged anyone with information to come forward.

'We have not been able to locate that male. I am now extremely concerned for his welfare,' Commissioner Chelepy said.

'The vegetation had been snapped and ripped through and where that male person's house was, it's been washed away.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would provide 'whatever is necessary' to help residents.

'A number of people are isolated and have needed rescuing from their terrible circumstances so our thoughts go to all people in those communities,' he said.

The Royal Australian Navy, operating out of the HMAS Cairns naval base, are supporting evacuations with the Australian Defence Force deployed to the region.

Clean-up efforts have begun in Cairns where Regional Council Mayor Terry James said 1,400 homes have been damaged, some completely destroyed.

About 3,500 homes remain without power.

Major roads, including parts of the Captain Cook Highway from Palm Cove to Craiglie and Smithfield to Stratford and the Palmerston Highway from Millaa Millaa to Innisfail, remain blocked (pictured, Mulligan Highway near Cooktown on Wednesday)

Regional Council Mayor Terry James said 1,400 homes have been damaged in Cairns (picturedm a woman cleaning her home in Cairns on Tuesday)

Applications for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) and Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) will open at 2pm on Wednesday.

Residents in Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Mareeba, Tablelands, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah local government areas are eligible for financial assistance.

The AGDRP is a one-off payment of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children who were affected by the devastating floods.
Became an investor in the company in December 2020

Meghan Markle features as a background extra in a bizarre Instagram advert for a coffee company she holds shares in.

The Duchess of Sussex can be seen in Clevr Blends' latest commercial as an intern stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer in the digital department.

She comically fails to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot as she walks off camera, leading to everyone bursting out laughing before the video ends.

Markle, who has been an investor in the trendy oat latte brand since 2020, is an extra throughout the ad whilst CEO and co-founder Hannah Mendoza walks around the company's HQ and thanks the team for all their hard work in 2023.

Clevr Blends posted the video on Instagram today with the caption: 'Damn, youre keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements.

'So grateful for the immense love and support this yearthanks for helping us keep the latte-loving dream alive, and thriving!xo'

Markle, 42, confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Brands, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form.

And around the time the former senior royal used her connections to promote the company, which was founded in January 2019 and is run by CEO Hannah Mendoza, by sending a basket of products to her neighbour Oprah Winfrey, who shared the products online.

While the Duchess has visited the company, sharing a short video from her trip on Instagram earlier this year, which featured footage of herself sipping on a cup of the hot stuff, she has been fairly silent about the investment over the last three years.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle gives a royal boost to coffee brand Clevr with a 5-star website review after she invested in the company in 2020 Advertisement

She shared a glowing five-star review of the line in November. Posting a photo of herself embracing Mendoza, the former cable actress wrote of the range: 'One of my favourite ways to start and end each day.'

Clevr is based in Santa Barbara, California. Meghan came across it by apparently sampling its superfood coffee in 2017, when the founder was selling it at a pop-up store before creating the at-home blend she now sells.

It also happens to be based near Montecito, where Harry and Meghan live.

In a statement to Fortune confirming the investment in 2019, Meghan said: 'This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.

'Im proud to invest in Hannahs commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.'

Mendoza confirmed Meghan's investment, saying: 'Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building. I'm grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex.

'Her passion for what we're creating is palpable, and I couldn't imagine a more aligned partnership. We're excited for the road ahead.'

The Duchess of Sussex can be seen in Clevr Blends latest commercial as an intern stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer

She comically fails to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot as she walks off camera, leading to everyone bursting out laughing before the video ends

Markle missed a fist bump with another character in the advert

Markle, who has been an investor in the trendy oat latte brand since 2020, is an extra throughout the ad whilst CEO and co-founder Hannah Mendoza (pictured) walks around the company's HQ and thanks the team for all their hard work in 2023

Clevr Blends posted the video on Instagram with the caption: 'Damn, youre keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements

Meghan's backing of the brand marked her first public investment since she and Harry left royal life in 2020 to pursue a private life and seek 'financial independence' from the royal family

Meghan's backing of the brand marked her first public investment since she and Harry left royal life in 2020 to pursue a private life and seek 'financial independence' from the royal family.

According to the Clevr Blends' website, the company is a 'mission-driven, women-led wellness brand based in coastal California'. Hannah, the CEO, formerly worked at a different superfood snack company. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014 but it's unclear how old she is.

A post written by co-founder Hannah says: 'We had humble beginningsmy co-founder and I started a pop-up adaptogenic coffee bar in 2016.

'We traveled around the US, waxing lyrical about the magic of plants. People listened, they felt better in their bodies and minds, and we created Clevr to make those feelings easier to reach.'
The National Zoo & Aquarium has reopened after staff were given the option to take time off following the alleged murder of their female colleague.

The Canberra-based facility revealed in a Facebook post workers had been allowed to take the day off to mourn the loss of Tshewang Choden.

Ms Choden, a Bhutanese national, was found dead in a storeroom behind a commercial kitchen at the onsite accommodation on Monday afternoon.

Sous chef Jude Wijesinghe, 29, was arrested and charged with murder on Tuesday.

National Zoo & Aquarium management released a statement on the same day revealing heartbroken staff had decided to carry on with their duties on Wednesday.

The National Zoo & Aquarium has reopened after staff were given the option to take time off following the alleged murder of their female colleague

Sous chef Jude Wijesinghe, 29, was arrested and charged with murder on Tuesday

'Zoo staff would prefer to be at work and as such the zoo will reopen to the public as of 9.30am (Wednesday),' the statement read.

'Staff have been given the option of working or not, however we expect all normal services will be available.

READ MORE: Shocking details emerge as worker is stabbed to death in a kitchen storeroom at zoo Advertisement

'Our staff are keen to welcome you to the zoo and we look forward to seeing you. As usual, it will be closed on Christmas Day.'

Jamala Wildlife Lodge, the onsite accommodation for zoo visitors where Ms Choden's body was found, will remain closed until December 30.

'Jamala staff have generally been significantly affected by the events and Jamala will remain shut until 30th December and will reopen subject to staff sentiments and availability,' the statement read.

Opened in 2014, Jamala Wildlife Lodge is a luxurious safari-style lodge where guests sleep, bath and unwind just centimetres from giraffes, tigers and lions.

The zoo owners also shared their condolences to the families of those affected by Monday's 'tragic events'.

'They would like to express their sorrow to all staff, many of who have been significantly affected by this event,' the statement said.

'They also wish to thank both the staff who showed incredible strength and compassion during a horrific time.

'Thank you also to the multitude of friends, visitors, members, staff and the general public for their kind thoughts and messages of support.'

National Zoo & Aquarium management released a statement on Wednesday revealing heartbroken staff had decided to carry on with their duties

National Zoo's Jamala Wildlife Lodge (pictured) will remained closed until December 30

Wijesinghe, 29, was charged by detectives during a hospital bedside hearing on Tuesday and refused bail.

He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on April 4.

The cook's shocked neighbours said police swarmed an Oaks Estate unit complex around 2pm before spending about eight eight hours scouring Wijesinghe's unit.

The privately-owned apartment building is comprised of more than two dozen single bedroom units. Residents said Wijesinghe was a 'good neighbour'.

'He's been here about one to two years,' one resident said. 'Before that, there was a group of guys living in there.

According to social media, Wijesinghe has worked all around Australia as a chef since migrating from Sri Lanka.

He was sous chef at Jamala Wildlife Lodge, which is part of the National Zoo & Aquarium.

Photos on his social media show him as a gym and motorcyclist enthusiast.

For confidential support 24/7 contact LIFELINE on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT
Has Annie Kilner pulled off the ultimate revenge on her cheating husband? After rumours of TWO kids with Lauryn Goodman, years of humiliation and mystery over 2.5m house for his ex, is Kyle Walker's wife of two years now set for battle over 27m fortune?
In a statement, the Trump campaign blasted the decision and claimed a group funded by democratic donor George Soros was to blame

The Trump campaign has slammed the Colorado Supreme Court after they disqualified former President Donald Trump from being on the 2024 presidential primary election ballot.

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung claimed a group funded by Democratic billionaire donor George Soros was behind the decision to have Trump banned.

In a statement, Cheung said: 'Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump.

'Supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice.

'Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

'They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.'

Former president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak during a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled the former president had violated the insurrectionist clause of the 14th Amendment for his role in January 6.

Trump spoke to supporters in Waterloo, Iowa, this evening for over an hour but did not address the ruling by the court.

In a 4-3 decision, Colorado's high court ruled the ex-president and 2024 hopeful isn't eligible for the presidency.

Cheung continued: 'The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision.'

The 14th Amendment was approved after the Civil War and bars officials from seeking future office should they have 'engaged in insurrection.'

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote.

The decision may not stick - with Cheung confirming Tuesday evening that the ex-president would appeal it to the Supreme Court.

Tuesday's ruling will be placed on hold pending an appeal until January 4.

'We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits,' Cheung said.

There are currently four Democratic Justices that make up the Colorado Supreme Court out of seven total Justices.

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez, all circled, voted to disqualify the former president

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. December 19, 2023

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez voted to disqualify the former president.

Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright dissented, arguing the constitutional questions were too complex to be solved in a state hearing. Justices Maria E. Berkenkotter and Carlos Samour also dissented.

The lawsuit was filed by the Washington, D.C., organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, on behalf of six Colorado voters, some Republican and some unaffiliated with a political party.

The lawsuit pointed to Trump's role in the January 6 Capitol attack and also his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The Washington Free Beacon previously reported that Soros had given $1.35 million to the group.

CREW's president and the plaintiffs cheered Tuesday's decision, with President Noah Bookbinder saying: 'The court's decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment based on his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and that Secretary Griswold must keep him off of Colorado's primary ballot.

'It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

Hungarian-born US investor and philanthropist George Soros looks on after having delivered a speech on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum

'Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government.'

Soros, 93, has long backed liberal politics and was an outspoken opponent of President George W. Bush.

The Hungarian-born businessman, who is a Holocaust survivor, donated millions to hinder his reelection.

He also later donated heavily to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.

In recent times, the billionaire has repeatedly backed District Attorneys that have stripped away bail laws and opted to forgo prosecuting crimes such as theft.

As a direct result, crime has skyrocketed in major cities overseen by Soros's DAs, with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner having to step down as she faced a bill that would strip her of most of her power
Sir Tony Blair will reportedly meet with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing war in Gaza, a minister has revealed.

The former prime minister, 70, is part of the ongoing effort to ensure that the UK's concerns over how Israel is conducting its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip are 'well-ventilated', Andrew Mitchell, the minister for development and Africa, said in the Commons on Tuesday.

'There have been regular discussions between our prime minister and prime minister Netanyahu,' he told MPs, following a question from Slough's MP, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, about whether the UK has been working to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire.

'Also the foreign secretary has been part of those discussions too. I think Sir Tony Blair is seeing prime minister Netanyahu shortly too,' he added.

Despite not being directly on the frontlines of politics anymore, Blair has been given the blessing of the UK government to get involved in unofficial talks with Netanyahu, The Times reported, quoting a government source who said: 'He knows Netanyahu very well and is a force for good.'

The former prime minister, 70, (pictured) is part of the ongoing effort to ensure that the UK's concerns over how Israel is conducting its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip are 'well-ventilated'

Israeli media previously touted Blair as a potential intermediary in negotiations, and was reportedly backed by Netanyahu (pictured) personally

Talks between Israel and Hamas broke down weeks ago, following the weeklong ceasefire deal at the end of November

Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, told ambassadors on Tuesday that 'Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages'

It is not currently known what role Blair will play in these talks.

A spokesperson for Blair refused to comment on private meetings, telling the Times: 'He is discussing the situation with a number of people in the region and elsewhere to see what can be done.'

Israeli media previously touted Blair as a potential intermediary in negotiations, and was reportedly backed by Netanyahu personally.

His non-profit, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, has an office in Israel, and he himself has known Netanyahu for over 25 years, first hosting him in Downing Street in 1997.

Talks between Israel and Hamas broke down weeks ago, following the weeklong ceasefire deal at the end of November, which saw 110 hostages captured by Hamas during the Black Saturday incursion in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners being freed from Israeli jails.

Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, told ambassadors on Tuesday that 'Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.'

Hamas has stuck to its guns and said that no hostages can be released until Israel agrees to a full ceasefire, which Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected

Sources said that Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh will visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel

As leaders from across the world discussed new pathways towards peace, Israel maintained its bombardment and ground combat Tuesday in the third month of the bloodiest-ever Gaza war

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a relentless bombardment, alongside a ground invasion, that Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says has killed 19,667 people

But Hamas has stuck to its guns and said that no hostages can be released until Israel agrees to a full ceasefire, which Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.

Despite this, sources said that Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh will visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel.

Late last week, the head of Mossad, Israel's spy agency, David Barnea, met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss a potential new deal, though it is not currently known what was said.

As leaders from across the world discussed new pathways towards peace, Israel maintained its bombardment and ground combat Tuesday in the third month of the bloodiest-ever Gaza war, which started with unprecedented attacks by Hamas against Israel on October 7.

The militants burst through the militarised Gaza border fence, killed around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250, according to the latest Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a relentless bombardment, alongside a ground invasion, that Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says has killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children.
Shocking footage has emerged of a man being placed under a citizen's arrest at a Culture Kings store.

The incident occurred shortly after the 46-year-old man from Toowong, in Brisbane's inner-west, entered the store in the city's CBD at about 6:50pm on December 14.

Queensland Police allege the man harassed a woman at the premises before getting into an altercation with two other men at the store.

He has been charged with a single count each of public nuisance and contravening police orders.

The footage shows the accused lying on his back while another shopper can be seen sitting on his chest and pinning his wrists to the ground while waiting for police.

Shocking footage has emerged of a 46-year-old man being held under citizen's arrest by another shopper at a Culture Kings in Brisbane (pictured)

Prior to his arrest, a bystander can be heard trying to reason with the man and touching his shoulder to get his attention, to which the man responds, 'Don't touch me bro'.

Upon turning around and seeing a woman using her phone to record him, he immediately winds back his arm and appears to grab at her phone.

After telling the bystander to 'do something bro', the man returns to the woman and after what appears to be a brief struggle, she can be heard saying, 'Stop... you've just got my wrist'.

Sometime after the incident the man was brought to the ground by another shopper who held him under citizen's arrest.

One shopper described the man as a 'mutt' while he laid on the floor.

A DJ at the store took the opportunity to break the tension by playing the smash-hit from American rapper KRS ONE, 'Sound of da police', as officers arrived.

The man is set to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on January 11.

Police allege the man harassed a woman at the store before getting into an altercation with two other men. He was subsequently charged with public nuisance and contravening police orders

A compilation of numerous shoppers' perspectives of the incident was posted to social media where users praised the man who performed the citizen's arrest.

'Good on the guy making citizen's arrest. More people should be like him,' one user wrote on X.

'I see so many videos of people just standing by and recording instead of helping.'

'Hopefully they gave him some free stuff after that,' a second wrote.

The DJ's choice of song also received the stamp of approval from X users, one describing it as 'the best ever'.
The women sued Giuliani again on Monday for continuing to 'spread the very same lies for which he has already been held liable'

His outing came less than a week after he was ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two election workers for defaming them

The disgraced mayor was spotted walking into Madison Jewelers on 3rd Avenue

Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani was seen shopping for jewelry in Manhattan, less than a week after he was ordered to pay $148 million in damages for defaming two Georgia election workers.

DailyMail.com spotted the 79-year-old walking into Madison Jewelers on 3rd Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. He was earlier seen leaving his office.

According to its website, the store sells affordable brands like Swatch, Casio and Fossil. Pricier options include watches from Frederique Constant that typically cost upward of $1,000.

It's unclear if the former mayor bought any items - which might be difficult after the recent ruling.

Giuliani's outing came just one day after he was sued a second time by election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss for spreading the same 'lies' about the 2020 election they successfully sued him for. last week, he was ordered to pay the woman after a DC court found him guilty of defamation.

Rudy Giuliani was spotted shopping for jewelry in Manhattan, less than a week after he was ordered to pay $148 million for defaming two Georgia election workers

The former New York mayor was spotted at Madison Jewelers on 3rd Avenue Tuesday afternoon

The women claimed they were unable to safely leave their homes after Giuliani accused them of harvesting ballots to rig the vote for Joe Biden.

But 'America's Mayor' doubled down on the defamatory statements in a recent interview, blaming last week's verdict on the 'fascist system run by the Biden regime.'

'They are suing me in order to lie to them,' Giuliani told Newsmax's Rob Schmitt on Monday night. 'Im sorry, I cant do it.'

The interview aired hours after Freeman and Moss's second lawsuit was filed.

'If I showed you the evidence right now...people would see that what I said was absolutely true and theres support for it,' the 79-year-old continued.

Giuliani claimed the judge reached the decision 'not based on any evidence but based on the fact that I didn't turn over some financial documents.'

Despite declining to testify in his own defense, Giuliani insisted he was not given the chance to make his case.

He said his claims of cheating were 'supportable' despite no evidence being brought forward in their favor.

The outing came just one day after he was sued a second time by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss for spreading the same 'lies' they successfully sued him for

Giuliani doubled down on his claims in a recent interview with Newsmax, blaming last week's verdict on the 'fascist system run by the Biden regime

The 79-year-old asserted that the judge reached a decision 'not based on any evidence but based on the fact that I didn't turn over some financial documents'

'I have no doubt that my comments were made and they were supportable and are supportable today,' Giuliani said. 'I just did not have an opportunity to present the evidence that we offered.'

He added that he didn't testify because it 'didn't seem like it was going to do much to persuade anybody.'

The latest suit came after U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell raised concerns about policing potential future comments by Giuliani.

'Defendant Giuliani continues to spread the very same lies for which he has already been held liable,' the suit read, in part.

'(His) statements coupled with his refusal to agree to refrain from continuing to make such statements, make clear that he intends to persist in his campaign of targeted defamation and harassment.'

However, Giuliani appears to have an ally, former President Donald Trump, in his corner.

I think it's so sad, what's happened to Rudy, Trump told DailyMail.com during a campaign briefing in West Palm Beach.

He characterized Giuliani as a 'great patriot' and 'the greatest mayor in the history of New York.'

Giuliani was spotted stopping by his office earlier on Tuesday

The mother-daughter election duo said Giuliani's lies left them scared to leave their homes, but the former mayor continues to assert that his claims of cheating in the election are 'supportable'

The total $148 million appears to be far beyond Giuliani's ability to pay, as he faces extensive financial challenges including several other lawsuits

Guiliani spent the week inside a federal courthouse in Washington, DC, as a jury pondered the defamation claim by Freeman and Moss, who said he turned their lives 'upside down' as part of his election overturn effort in Georgia.

The former New York mayor asserted that the duo pulled 'suitcases' of ballots from under a table at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta during the 2020 election count - a claim that was debunked by a Georgia Secretary of State investigation.

The mother-daughter duo said Giuliani's lies left them scared to leave their homes and unable to attain employment.

The jury deliberated for 10 hours before returning with a unanimous verdict to award $75 million in punitive damages and $20 million each for emotional distress, plus an additional $16 million to Freeman and $17 million to Moss for damage to their reputations.

The total $148 million appears to be far beyond Giuliani's ability to pay.

Although his net worth climbed to $30 million as he raked in security consulting contracts after 9/11, Giuliani is struggling to unload his $65.5 million Manhattan co-op and defend himself from a sexual harassment suit brought forth by a former employee.

Speaking outside court Friday, Freeman said money would 'never' solve her problems.

'I can never move back into the house that I call home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I choose to share my name with. I miss my home. I miss my neighbors and I miss my name,' she said.

Moss called Giuliani's lies 'devastating' and added: 'Our greatest wish is that no one  no election worker, or voter, or school board member, or anyone else  ever experiences anything like what we went through.'
Esther Rantzen's daughter has called on Parliament to vote on assisted dying rules to prevent their mother from travelling alone in the 'horrific' Dignitas clinic.

The Childline founder, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer earlier this year, revealed she had joined the assisted-dying clinic in Switzerland and will consider going there to end her life should her next scan show she is getting worse.

Esther's family and friends could be prosecuted should they decide to join her, leading daughter Rebecca Wilcox to claim that her terminally ill mother faces the prospect of dying alone in an 'impersonal room'.

Rebecca told the Mirror : 'Prisoners get a nicer farewell with their favourite last meal, whereas she goes into some strange conveyor belt where you are rushed through a process in an impersonal room without the people that you love because if they come with you they will be arrested.

'We wouldn't be able to go because we'd be arrested on landing. I don't want her to go. I don't want her to die. I certainly don't want her to go alone.'

Esther Rantzen 's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, has called on parliament to vote on assisted dying rules, as they don't want their mother to die in 'horrific' Dignitas clinic

The Chidline founder, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer earlier this year, revealed she has joined the assisted-dying clinic in Switzerland

Esther's family and friends could be prosecuted should they decide to join her, leading her daughter (right) to claim that prisoners get a 'nicer farewell' then her terminally ill family member will

In 2015, MPs voted against changing the law to let doctors help terminally ill people end their lives, meaning Dame Esther may be forced to go to Switzerland alone.

Rebecca said she wants to be with her mum because Dignitas 'is not a lovely place'.

She said: 'Mum is the worst flier, she gets nervous, she goes to the wrong gate, she always gets delayed. Imagine getting delayed on a flight to Dignitas. And Dignitas is not a lovely place. It's on an industrial estate  it looks like a box. The point with Dignitas is that you go before your time because you have to prove a level of competence and faculty. So mum would go before she would ever choose to if it was available here. It's not about suicide.'

Dame Esther has called for a free vote on assisted dying as it's 'important that the law catches up with what the country wants'.

She said she will find out in a few weeks if a new medication she has been taking is 'performing its miracle' or if it has 'given up'.

Ms Wilcox had earlier told ITV's Good Morning Britain how her mother, who has also worked as a broadcaster for several years, 'doesn't care what anyone else says' as she prepares to join her family for what tragically could be her last Christmas.

The Childline founder, 83, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer earlier this year, revealed she has joined the assisted-dying clinic in Switzerland and will consider going there to end her life should her next scan show she is getting worse.

'It's horrific and she always promised us she would live forever. She's not usually one to break her promises so we're a little upset about that.

'I would personally want to ground her plane if she was going to fly to Zurich but I know it's her decision. I just don't ever want her to go.'

Ms Wilcox also spoke of the heartbreak of watching her father, Desmond, endure a slow and painful death as he battled heart disease, adding: 'That's what mum wants to avoid.'

Ms Wilcox earlier told Good Morning Britain of how her family reacted to such an emotional decision

Dame Esther explained to her family that she didn't 'want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times'

Dame Esther said that if 'nothing's working' she might 'buzz off to Zurich' in Switzerland but realises this would put her family and friends in a difficult position as they could be prosecuted should they decide to join her.

Asked by GMB's Richard Madeley if she would indeed join her mother, Ms Wilcox replied: 'Legally I can't say, I'll get into trouble... but I hear that Switzerland is very nice.'

Dame Esther made the announcement that 'I have joined Dignitas,' on The Today Podcast hosted by presenters Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan.

READ MORE: Inside Dignitas where terminally ill patients pay 20,000 to end their lives Advertisement

She said: 'I have in my brain though, well, if the next scan says nothing's working I might buzz off to Zurich but, you know, it puts my family and friends in a difficult position because they would want to go with me. And that means that the police might prosecute them.'

'So we've got to do something. At the moment, it's not really working, is it?'

Dame Esther said that she had discussed the issue with her family and they had told her it was her 'decision' and 'choice'.

She continued: 'I explained to them that actually I don't want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times and I don't want that to happen. I don't want to be that sort of victim in their lives.'

The long-time presenter said that, if she was made prime minister for the week, she would 'get them to do a free vote on assisted dying'.

She added: 'I think it's important that the law catches up with what the country wants.'

Dame Esther also told how she was looking forward to a 'very unexpected' Christmas with her family. 'I didn't think I would make it to my birthday [June 22],' she admitted.

'I definitely didn't think I'd make it to this Christmas, which I am, it appears. Though anything can happen; I live in a forest, a tree can fall on me.

'I've got to drop off my perch for some reason, and I'm 83 damn it, so I should be jolly grateful and indeed am.'

The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-five helped to set up Childline, which provides counselling to young people, in 1987. Her daughter Rebecca Wilcox, 43, is now training to join the charity.
QUESTION Are there some examples of record albums having hidden messages on the covers?

There is an unsubtle hidden image on the cover of Harry Nilsson's 1974 album Pussy Cats.

The album was produced by John Lennon, with whom Nilsson had a hedonistic relationship; drinking, carousing and getting booted out of LA clubs for bad behaviour. The album cover featured the pair dressed as dolls in a dolls' house. On either side of the rug on the floor is a children's wooden block, one with a 'D' on it and the other with an 'S', spelling out 'D  rug  S'.

A serene example is found on the cover of Kate Bush's 2005 album Aerial. At first glance, it appears to feature a mountain range with its reflection in the sea. However, look closely and you will see the image is actually the waveform of a blackbird's song on top of a photograph of a sunrise.

A classic piece of deception can be found on the cover of Boston's eponymous 1976 debut album, whose song More Than A Feeling launched them to stardom. Designed by Paula Scher and illustrated by Roger Huyssen, the cover features three red UFOs and an exploding Earth announcing the band's arrival. Turn the album upside down and you get three guitars.

Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast In America features a diner waitress posing as the Statue of Liberty with a menu and a glass of orange juice on a tray

Look more closely and you'll find it's made up of cereal boxes, salt and pepper cellars, cutlery, mugs and a variety of kitchen implements

Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast In America features a diner waitress posing as the Statue of Liberty with a menu and a glass of orange juice on a tray. The background appears to be the Manhattan skyline. But look more closely and you'll find it's made up of cereal boxes, salt and pepper cellars, cutlery, mugs and a variety of kitchen implements.

For Def Leppard's 1993 album Retro Active, photographer Hugh Syme took inspiration from Charles Allan Gilbert's famous 1892 illustration All Is Vanity. The drawing employs the use of a double image (or visual pun) in which the scene of a woman admiring herself in the mirror of her vanity table, when viewed from a distance, appears to be a human skull. Syme managed to capture a similar image in a photograph.

Jim Henderson, Sheffield.

QUESTION Many great British companies were founded by Quakers. What made them such a force in business?

The Quakers, officially known as the Religious Society of Friends, are a Christian religious group founded by George Fox in the 1650s.

They are known for their emphasis on direct personal experience of God, pacifism, simplicity and equality. Quakers played significant roles in social reform movements, such as the abolition of slavery and women's rights.

Although small in number, Quakers populated industries as diverse as chocolate, iron and lead production, banking, biscuits, shoes, pharmaceuticals, soap, chemicals, railways and canals.

They are best known for their domination of the British chocolate industry  Fry's, Cadbury's and Rowntree were all founded by Quaker families

They are best known for their domination of the British chocolate industry  Fry's, Cadbury's and Rowntree were all founded by Quaker families in 1761, 1824 and 1862 respectively. The Quakers were opportunistic and willing to take risks, and their companies often diversified. Isaac Reckitt (1792-1862) established a milling business in Boston, then a corn business in Nottingham, and then a starch-making business in Hull in 1840.

TOMORROW'S QUESTIONS... Q: Did the 14th-century French knight Jean Le Maingre publish an exercise regimen? Alfred Norman, Brighton, East Sussex. Q: Aside from the Silk Road, what other trade routes from history warranted their own name? Callum Kerry, Sutton-In-Ashfield, Notts. Q: Was there a sprite called a Cornish Knocker? What creatures from folklore have we forgotten? Marion Whitehead, Aberdovey, Gwynedd. Advertisement

His company, Reckitt & Sons, diversified into black lead, laundry blue and household polish manufacturing, and in the early 20th century it developed household disinfectants including well-known brands such as Dettol and Harpic.

Several factors have been identified which combined to provide a unique environment that encouraged the Friends' success. The Quakers emphasised equality, so any member of the group showing entrepreneurial skills could get ahead.

Members were encouraged to partake in education and apprenticeship; this produced the recruits who then developed into shopkeepers, merchants and manufacturers.

The Quaker network facilitated and intensified interactions across the entire wealth-creation process and their communal infrastructure provided ready access to business capital. Finally, their spiritual discipline required adherence to values and behaviours that were both compatible with, and actively promoted, commercial success.

David Gould, Harwich, Essex.

QUESTION Did Peter O'Toole own a pub?

Actor Peter O'Toole was one of a generation of hard-drinking stars who gloried in their wild exploits and lost weekends.

On chat shows, O'Toole would tell the story of how he and Peter Finch, the Australian actor, were once refused a drink in a hole-in-the-wall bar just outside Dublin. Consequently, they wrote out a cheque to buy the pub. They awoke the next morning in a panic and tried to cancel the cheque, only to discover it hadn't been cashed.

After the landlord's death, O'Toole and Finch attended the funeral and stood as their friend was lowered into the ground, only to discover they were at the wrong graveside  their friend was being buried 100 yards away.

Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole on the set of a scene from the crime caper 'How to Steal a Million', 1966 in Paris

Now was this story true? The landlord and the pub were never identified, despite the story being mentioned in several biographies.

We do know that O'Toole had Irish roots and his favourite watering hole was The Harbour Bar in Bray, Co. Wicklow. He often drank in the bar when he was working in nearby Ardmore Studios and, indeed, often had to be helped back to his hotel.

As a token of his appreciation, he donated a mounted deer's head used as a prop in Woody Allen's What's New, Pussycat? and it remains proudly on display in the back lounge.

Diane Sullivan, Evesham, Worcs.

Is there a question to which you want to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question here? Write to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY; or email charles.legge@dailymail.co.uk. A selection is published, but we're unable to enter into individual correspondence
of the 14th Amendment for his role in January 6 in a 4-3 decision

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley slammed the Colorado Supreme Court for its ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot.

'Well, this court just handed partisans on both sides the ultimate tool to try to shortcut elections, and it's very, very dangerous,' Turley said on Fox News moments after the decision.

'I mean, this country is a powder keg, and this court is just throwing matches at it. And I think that it's a real mistake. But I think that they're wrong on the law,' Turley added.

The court ruled Trump violated the insurrectionist clause of the 14th Amendment for his role in January 6 in a 4-3 decision from Democratic-appointed justices.

Turley, a professor of law and Fox News legal analyst, added he believes the ruling endangers American democracy.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley slammed the Colorado Supreme Court for its ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot

Turley, speaking to Fox's Laura Ingraham, also disagrees with the court's premise on January 6.

'You know, January 6 was many things, most of it not good. In my view it was not an insurrection. It was a riot,' he said.

He said while he understands those in violation of the law that day should face consequences, the ruling against Trump goes a step too far.

'That doesn't mean that the people responsible for that day shouldn't be held accountable. But to call this an insurrection, for the purposes of disqualification, would create a slippery slope for every state in the Union.'

Turley concluded by saying that this gets in the way of free and fair elections just ahead of the start of primary season.

'This is a time when we actually need democracy. We need to allow the voters to vote. We need to hear their decision. And the court here just said, "You're not going to get that in Colorado. We're not going to let you vote for Donald Trump,"' he said.

'And you know you can dislike Trump, you can believe he's responsible for January 6 but this isn't the way to do it. I mean, it is, you know, for the people that say they're trying to protect democracy. This is hands down the most anti-Democratic opinion I've seen in my life.'

The 14th Amendment was approved after the Civil War and bars officials from seeking future office should they have 'engaged in insurrection.'

The court ruled that Trump violated the insurrectionist clause of the 14th Amendment for his role in January 6 in a 4-3 decision from Democratic-appointed justices

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote.

It is the first time in history the Constitution's 'insurrection clause' has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

The decision may not stick - with Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung confirming Tuesday evening that the ex-president would appeal it to the Supreme Court.

'We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits,' Cheung said.

Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel called the decision 'election interference' and indicated the RNC would also fight it in court.

She said the RNC's legal team 'looks forward to helping fight for a victory.'

The Colorado Supreme Court's decision comes after a district court ruled that while Trump incited an insurrection - the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack - the provision in the Constitution was unclear whether it was intended to bar candidates for the presidency.

The lawsuit was filed by the Washington, D.C.-based group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, on behalf of six Colorado voters, some Republican and some unaffiliated with a political party.

The lawsuit pointed to Trump's role in the January 6 Capitol attack and also his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The court found 'by clear and convincing evidence' that Trump engaged in an insurrection as defined by the Fourteenth Amendment.

The court found the section to be 'self-executing,' meaning further action by Congress was not required.

The court in its ruling referenced Trump's January 6 speech on the Ellipse on the day Congress met to count the electoral votes

WHAT DOES SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT SAY? No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Advertisement

It found the District Court 'did not err' when it determined that January 6 constituted an 'insurrection.'

It did so by citing Trump's January 6 speech, where he told a crowd on the Ellipse to 'fight like hell,' ruling that it was not protected speech under the First Amendment.

'The sum of these parts is this: President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot,' the court ruled.

It acknowledged the certain appeal, staying the decision until January 4 to allow for time.

And it included the caveat: 'We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.'

The judges that voted in favor of the ruling had been appointed by Democratic governors.

Cheung and other Republicans pointed this out, with the Trump campaign spokesman also dubbing CREW's lawsuit a 'Soros-funded, left-wing group's scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.'

'Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November,' Cheung said.

Also piling on was Eric Trump, who made reference to how Trump's poll numbers have jumped even while he faces four criminal prosecutions.

'Prediction: This Colorado decision will add 5%+ points to @realDonaldTrump already runaway polls,' he posted on X.

Trump's team and other Republicans were quick to point out the four justices who voted in favor of the ruling were appointed by Democratic governors. They included Justice William W. Hood III (left) who was appointed by now Sen. John Hickenlooper and Justice Monica M. Marque (right) who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter

Additionally Justice Melissa Hart (left), who was appointed by Hickenlooper, a Democratic governor-turned-senator and Justice Richard L. Gabriel (right), another Hickenlooper appointee

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy volunteered to pull his name off Colorado's March 5 Republican primary ballot in protest.

'I pledge to *withdraw* from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the states ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country,' he posted Tuesday night on X.

CREW's president and the plaintiffs cheered Tuesday's decision.

'The court's decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment based on his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and that Secretary Griswold must keep him off of Colorado's primary ballot. It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country,' said CREW President Noah Bookbinder in a statement.

'Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government. It has been an honor to represent the petitioners, and we look forward to ensuring that this vitally important ruling stands,' Bookbinder added.

One of the plaintiffs, Norma Anderson, was the former Republican Colorado House and Senate leader.

'My fellow plaintiffs and I brought this case to continue to protect the right to free and fair elections enshrined in our Constitution and to ensure Colorado Republican primary voters are only voting for eligible candidates. Today's win does just that,' she said in a statement.

'Long before this lawsuit was filed, I had already read Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and concluded that it applied to Donald Trump, given his actions leading up to and on January 6th. I am proud to be a petitioner, and gratified that the Colorado Supreme Court arrived at the same conclusion we all did,' she added.
France's Marine Le Pen is celebrating an 'ideological victory' after President Emmanuel Macron fought division in his party to pass a tough immigration bill.

The French Parliament passed the bill tightening immigration rules on Tuesday, despite a rebellion in the governing party after the bill was backed by the far right.

Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN's lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027, endorsed the new-look bill.

But key left-leaning members of Macron's Renaissance Party and allied factions indicated they could no longer support it, with several ministers reportedly threatening to resign.

Le Pen said the bill was a victory even for her National Rally. She announced she would back the bill after the President agreed to provide benefits to migrants after five years of residency. Legal migrants currently receive state benefits after six months.

Various amendments have seen the immigration measures further tightened from when the bill was originally submitted, with the left accusing the government of caving in to pressure from the far right.

Marine Le Pen is a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN's lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027

Le Pen listens to a debate on the new immigration bill at the National Assembly on Tuesday

Emmanuel Macron fought division in his party to pass the tough immigration bill

The lower house voted in favour of the legislation by a wide majority, with the ruling party in the end not needing the support of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) to push the bill through.

'We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the National Rally (RN), since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority,' Le Pen said.

The RN had previously said it would vote against the bill or abstain. French media dubbed her surprise move a 'kiss of death' for Macron's party.

The bill had been voted down without even being debated in the National Assembly last week, in a major blow to Macron.

The upper-house Senate had earlier also passed the legislation, which then went through the lower house with 349 in favour and 186 against.

Prominent left-leaning Renaissance MP Sacha Houlie had said he would vote against the legislation and called on others to follow, with some sources saying that around 30 pro-Macron MPs would do so.

In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Macron called a meeting of his ruling party at the Elysee palace ahead of the vote, party sources said.

According to a participant at the meeting, Macron said he would submit the bill to a new reading rather than promulgate it if it were passed only with the help of the votes from Le Pen's RN.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, Higher Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau and Housing Minister Patrice Vergriete met Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and warned they could resign, sources said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, an ambitious 41-year-old who has spearheaded the legislation, had warned Sunday that Le Pen risked winning the 2027 presidential election if the bill were not passed.

Le Pen speaks during a session of questions to the government in Paris on December 5

Le Pen shakes hands with President Emmanuel Macron after talks at the presidential Elysee Palace, in Paris, on June 21, 2022, two days after France's legislative elections

It was not immediately clear if the ministers still would resign following the adoption of the legislation. Macron was expected to give a television interview on Wednesday.

The left and hard-left had reacted with horror to the prospect of the legislation being passed, with the head of Socialist lawmakers in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, calling it a 'great moment of dishonour for the government'.

READ MORE - Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte look the picture of love during holiday in France as the president shows off his physique and enjoys some snorkelling and jet-ski riding Advertisement

Passing the legislation was critical for Macron, who cannot stand again in 2027 after two consecutive terms and risks being seen as a lame duck with more than three years left of his term.

The government does not have a majority in parliament since the legislative elections that followed his re-election in 2022.

'The political crisis around the immigration bill is a moment of truth where all the fragilities of Emmanuel Macron's mandate are coming together,' the Le Monde daily said in an editorial.

Dozens of NGOs slammed what they described as potentially the 'most regressive' immigration law in decades.

It is 'the most regressive bill of the past 40 years for the rights and living conditions of foreigners, including those who have long been in France,' around 50 groups including the French Human Rights League said in a joint statement.

'With this text directly inspired by RN pamphlets against immigration, we are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values,' French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said.
Allegedly exposed himself and urinated on seat

A disorderly passenger was booted off a Jetstar flight after allegedly vaping and urinating on vacant seats on a plane before take-off.

The passenger, 52, allegedly carried out the disgusting behaviour on a Melbourne-bound flight from the Gold Coast on Monday night.

Australian Federal Police officers were forced to intervene escorting the passenger off the plane.

He was then hit with a string of charges and ordered to face court next year.

A man was escorted by Australian Federal Police officers from a plane at Gold Coast Airport (pictured) on Monday

The 52-year-old was allegedly seen smoking an e-cigarette in his seat prior to take-off.

He was instructed by cabin crew to stop, then he allegedly became argumentative and attempted to enter the toilet.

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Fellow passengers then watched on in horror as the man allegedly dropped his shorts and urinated on vacant seats.

The plane returned to the terminal so the unruly passenger could be removed from the delayed flight by AFP officers.

The man was charged with offensive or disorderly behaviour on an aircraft, disobeying safety instructions by cabin crew and smoking on aircraft.

The man will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on February 5.

The maximum penalty for each of these offences is a $13,750 fine.

'I am appalled by the disgraceful behaviour exhibited on this aircraft,' Gold Coast Airport Commander Superintendent Josh Kinghorn said.

'AFP has zero tolerance for bad behaviour at airports and this case is an example of how one person's abhorrent actions have a direct impact on those around them.

There will be a higher presence of AFP officers at airports during the busy festive season

'Smoking a vape and urinating on a seat is not only repugnant but also poses a severe risk to the safety and comfort of passengers.

'Such despicable actions will never be tolerated, and we will ensure appropriate measures are taken to hold the individual accountable for the appalling conduct.'

The AFP ramped up its high visibility patrols at major airports ahead of Christmas, the busiest travel period of the year.

Around 2.6 million passengers are expected through Australia's biggest airport Sydney during the 3-week Christmas holiday peak, almost 500,000 more than last year

People are reminded that bad behaviour can delay flights and can result in travel bans and criminal charges.

AFP officers have urged travellers to do the right thing during the busiest travel period of the year (stock image of travellers at Sydney Airport)

At least 180 alleged offenders had been charged with 252 offences at Australia's busiest airports in the last five months since July 1.

'We are seeing an increased frustration by passengers at airports. Some of that is due to bad behaviour from intoxication, passengers who are not being patient or tolerant, and some is attributable to some travellers who are stressed because they are running late or ill-prepared,' AFP Assistant Commissioner Wegg said.

'While holidays can be exciting, they can also be stressful.

'Bad behaviour can let down the ones we love, including families and children. So this festive season  be prepared, patient and polite at airports.'

Travellers who see fellow passengers doing the wrong thing are urged to report the incident to the AFP hotline on 131 237.
Linda Reynolds has sought to freeze Brittany Higgins' assets just one day after the former political staffer left Australia to start a new life in France with her fiance David Sharaz.

The former defence minister is suing Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz for defamation in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and will apply for a freezing order to stop Ms Higgins from selling or moving assets amid the ongoing legal action.

Ms Reynolds' legal team wrote to Ms Higgins' lawyer Leon Zwier on Tuesday, pointing to various media reports stating the couple had bought a home in Lunas - as first reported by Daily Mail Australia - and had left the country for good.

The overseas move comes after Ms Higgins landed a $2.4million compensation settlement with the Commonwealth over claims she was not supported by her bosses, including Ms Reynolds, when she first made her rape allegations in 2019.

'If such reports are true, we consider that an application for freezing orders is appropriate,' according to the legal letter, obtained by Daily Mail Australia.

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz are pictured at Marie Claire's Women of the Year Awards in November

Linda Reynolds has sought to freeze Brittany Higgins' assets amid an ongoing legal battle

'Please advise as a matter of urgency your client's intentions in respect of her travel to France and your availability to confer in respect of our client's proposed application.'

Ms Reynolds launched defamation action against Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz over comments they each made about her on social media, including allegations the senator 'harassed' Ms Higgins through the media and in Parliament.

West Australian Supreme Court judge Marcus Solomon urged the parties to resolve the issue before going to trial, citing immense costs that are often associated with defamation proceedings.

Ms Higgins' multimillion-dollar claim against the Commonwealth was settled last December after just one day of mediation, and ten days after the ACT DPP dropped the sexual assault charge against her alleged rapist, Bruce Lehrmann.

Mr Lehrmann has continually maintained his innocence and is now suing Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for publishing Ms Higgins' rape allegations in 2021.

On Monday, Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz were pictured saying an emotional goodbye to her parents at Brisbane International Airport ahead of their 11.35pm flight to Paris, via Singapore.

The couple is headed to the small town of Lunas, in the south of France (pictured)

The town of Lunas has a population of just 650

They were all dressed head-to-toe in white - the same colour adopted by the women's suffragette movement.

Mr Sharaz told News Corp the outfits were a family display of 'solidarity for Britt'.

'She's always said that she has drawn strength wearing suffragette white in tough times and it was our little nod to her as she said goodbye to this chapter of her life,' Mr Sharaz said.

Ms Higgins' deed of settlement was released by the Federal Court on December 7 during Mr Lehrmann's defamation hearing.

According to the claim, Ms Higgins' 'hurt, distress and humiliation' was valued at $400,000, past and future domestic assistance cost $100,000, and $220,000 for medical expenses.

Legal fees were a further $245,000, and $1,480,000 was paid for lost wages.

The payment has been referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Opposition has called for ministerial heads to roll after terrorist 'scum' Abdul Nacer Benbrika was allowed to walk free after serving almost two decades behind bars.

Benbrika, who was convicted of leading a six-member radical Islamic terrorist cell plotting to kill Australian 'kuffar' (unbelievers), was freed by order of the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday.

A judge acknowledged that Benbrika was 'an unacceptable' risk of radicalising others, but stated his risk of offending is now low enough to approve his release despite the Commonwealth appealing to keep him behind bars for another three years.

Acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley accused the Albanese government of bungling the case and called for ministerial heads to roll for allowing 'scum' and a 'grub' like Benbrika to walk free.

'I am gobsmacked,' she told Sydney 2GB radio host Mark Levy.

Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika seen in a black ute after being released from prison on Tuesday

'I know the Australian community is really, really furious about this.

She accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of 'running away' from a press conference to dodge questions about Benbrika's release.

'No one is fronting up to explain this,' Ms Ley said.

'I've called Albanese 'Airbrush Albo'. He seems to be airbrushing this problem away just as he has airbrushed all the other mistakes over the past twelve months.

'They've all just switched off, they have gone on holidays.'

Ms Ley called on Mr Albanese to sack Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

'We lock these people up, they let them up,' she said.

'They are saying to the Australian people that it is OK for this man to walk among you. Someone needs to lose their job over it.

'Mark Dreyfus as the chief law officer of this land has a responsibility to keep Australians safe.

'He should have lined up preparation before so that the community detention was applied for. He effectively said it is OK to let these people out.'

Ms Ley called for Home Affairs Minister Claire O'Neal and Immigration Minister Adam Giles to also be stripped of their portfolios before Christmas over the earlier release of 150 people, many with serious criminal records, from immigration detention.

Acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Australians would be furious 'scum' and 'a grub' like Benbrika was walking free among them

A High Court ruling in November saw those who could not be deported to their country of origin freed from indefinite detention but seven of those released have already been arrested again accused of new offences.

Mr Dreyfus on Monday pinned the blame for the bad court outcome on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who, when Benbrika's sentence expired in 2020, applied as the former Home Affairs minister to impose a continuing detention order for three years.

'Mr Duttons failures in the handling of Mr Benbrikas case have been repeatedly criticised, including by the Court,' Mr Dreyfus said.

He said Mr Dutton withheld evidence from the Victorian Supreme Court in a 'serious breach' of the Criminal Code and this gave an advantage to Mr Benbrika's legal team in applying for his release.

'The Opposition continues to play politics with community safety,' Mr Dreyfus said.

'The Albanese Government will continue to work with law enforcement and security agencies to ensure the safety of the community.'

Benbrika was jailed for 15 years in 2009 after he was convicted on charges relating to his leadership of a terrorist organisation preparing to commit a terror attack.

Photos show that Benbrika's beard had turned grey during his mor than two decades behind bars

Victorian Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingwort said the evidence 'clearly establishes' that Benbrika had made substantial progress towards deradicalisation in recent years

Before Benbrika's sentence expired in 2020, former Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton's department successfully applied for him to stay behind bars under a three-year continuing detention order.

These orders applies to convicted terrorists that courts deem to be too big a risk to be allowed out.

The judge she accepted the risk of him radicalising others was 'still unacceptable at this time', however, said: 'The risk of offending is now low enough that it can be effectively managed in the community under a comprehensive ESO (extended supervision order).'

Benbrika's release is subject to extensive conditions, including police monitoring and restrictions on his movement, communications and associations over the next 12 months.

He will also have to continue to engage with a psychiatrist and deradicalisation expert - at the Commonwealth's expense.

If these conditions are breached, he faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

Ms Ley said Australians would be fuming over this use of tax money.

'The average Australian is saying why is the average Australian paying money on this grub, this scum and why are we picking up the tab for it,' she said.

'I am so angry and it makes no sense.'

She said the 'average Australian' can't get access to sessions with a psychiatrist.

'In fact Albanese cut them for people who really need mental health support.

'I think it has been a tough year for people who are living in their cars and who see tax payer money spent on supposedly rehabilitating a terrorist.'

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said on Tuesday that Benbrika's supervision order was the strongest measure the Commonwealth could have asked the court to apply for given the evidence.

Mr Dreyfus applied to have the order imposed for the maximum three years but the judge ruled it would only be in place for one.

Justice Hollingworth imposed strict conditions on Benbrikas release, which will be in place for a year

He said the government will consider the full court's reasons before deciding on the next step.

The supervision order will expire at 3pm on December 19, 2024.

Benbrika, a former aviation engineer, was the first Australian to be jailed of leading a terrorist cell.

In sentencing him Justice Bernard Bongiorno said he had shown contrition as his group discussed staging a 'big event' like the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 193 people.

The jury heard Benbrika, a father-of-seven discussed attacking Melbourne's Crown Casino and bombing the MCG although the justice found no credible evidence those plots were being acted on.

Benbrika was also convicted of possessing a compact disc connected to the preparation of a terrorist act.

During his 2009 trial Benbrika stated he did not 'believe in Australia'.

'I don't believe in this country,' he said.

'I don't believe in this law. Which all this believe, no Allah but Allah, no Allah no other law of. This is the meaning of no Allah but Allah.'

After walking out of prison yesterday, with a beard that had grown grey during his time in jail, Benbrika was whisked away by supporters in a black ute that headed for Geelong.
Thousands of patients face being stuck in hospital over Christmas as junior doctors embark on the most disruptive strike in NHS history.

The medics start a three-day walkout from 7am today and will return on Saturday before embarking on a mammoth six-day stoppage from January 3.

Health leaders said the action, which has already forced one A&E to close, leaves patient safety in a 'precarious state' at the busiest time of the year.

And they warned that 'patients are the ones being left to pick up the pieces of this dispute' with yet more operations and appointments cancelled.

Thousands more are set to endure the 'misery of being stuck in a hospital bed' over Christmas due to discharge delays. The Prime Minister said last night that the continued strikes were 'very disappointing' and urged members of the British Medical Association to settle.

Thousands more are set to endure the 'misery of being stuck in a hospital bed' over Christmas due to discharge delays (File Photo)

Rishi Sunak told the Commons Liaison Committee: 'The question for the junior doctors is as to why they are refusing to accept something that everyone else is now accepting, on top of having a pay increase which is more generous than anyone else's set by the independent body going into this.'

Nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics have all called off action following pay talks, while consultants are to vote on an offer their leaders have accepted.

But junior doctors rejected an extra three per cent pay increase on top of an average 8.8 per cent pay rise for 2023-24.

The stalemate has resulted in the latest walkouts, which caused Cheltenham A&E to close last night until Saturday. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said no minor injury and illness unit services will be provided. It will also restrict treatment over Christmas and New Year.

Hospitals have been gearing up to discharge healthier patients sooner, with NHS chief Amanda Pritchard admitting that reduced staffing caused by the doctors' strikes slows down discharges.

Junior doctors rejected an extra three per cent pay increase on top of an average 8.8 per cent pay rise for 2023-24

The medics start a three-day walkout from 7am today and will return on Saturday before embarking on a mammoth six-day stoppage from January 3

The Prime Minister said last night that the continued strikes were 'very disappointing' and urged members of the British Medical Association to settle

Around 13,000 people a day deemed medically well enough to leave hospital are stuck on wards, largely due to limited social care and community services capacity. But NHS data shows the number discharged from hospital fell in the last period of industrial action.

Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'Trusts are doing everything they can to enable people to get home as soon as they're well enough but the strikes are bound to have an impact.'

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Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said it was 'so sad' elderly patients in particular could remain in hospital unnecessarily over Christmas.

Experts said the impact on services would be long-lasting and could jeopardise efforts to tackle waiting lists.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 'There is no doubt these strikes are coming at the worst possible time, with the NHS entering the most difficult period of the year.'

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, said hospitals have been working 'incredibly hard' to get people safely discharged before Christmas if they are well enough.

Age UK, NHS Confederation, Healthwatch England, National Voices and The Patients Association, in a letter to the BMA and the Government, wrote: 'Our concern is that, despite the best efforts of hard-working NHS staff, it will be extremely difficult to ensure safe and effective care during this period.'

BMA council chair, Professor Phil Banfield, replied that NHS trusts had 'plenty of time with proper planning, resources and additional staffing, to discharge [patients] prior to strike action this week'.
A 34-year-old woman has been charged after she allegedly doused a man in flammable liquid and set him alight outside a Perth shopping centre.

WA Police said the 57-year-old man was on the footpath at Cranford Avenue, Brentwood in the city's south about 10.50pm Monday when the woman ran up to him.

She is alleged to have thrown a clear substance on his clothes, set him alight and then fled.

The man suffered burns to a large portion of his chest and stomach but drove himself to a service station at nearby Como where paramedics were called.

The man drove himself to a nearby service station where paramedics were called despite suffering extensive burns to his chest and stomach (pictured, police at the scene)

Scorch marks were left on the sidewalk (pictured) at Cranford Avenue, Brentwood after the man was allegedly doused in flammable liquid and set alight

A St John WA spokesperson said the man was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital with critical injuries.

He is understood to now be in a stable condition.

The woman from Brentwood has been charged by Fremantle detectives with intent to cause grievous bodily harm or prevent arrest wounded or caused grievous bodily harm.

She is due to front the Fremantle Magistrates Court on December 20.

Police at the scene on Monday night after the man was allegedly doused in the clear liquid

The man was rushed by ambulance to Fiona Stanley Hospital (pictured) in the Perth suburb of Murdoch where he is stable
The Duke invited a gun smuggler and an alleged fraudster to St James's Palace

Prince Andrew invited an alleged fraudster and a convicted gun smuggler to St James's Palace, according to court documents.

The Duke of York, along with the Duchess of York and their daughters, received about 1.4million from former Goldman Sachs banker Selman Turk.

Turk, 37, is accused of stealing 40million from Turkish millionairess Nebahat Evyap Ibsilen, who hired him to help transfer her assets out of Turkey, where her MP husband is a political prisoner.

The 78-year-old alleged that he tricked her into making a payment of 750,000 to the Duke, who he claimed had helped to secure her a British passport. Last month, the Duke and Duchess reached a settlement with the millionairess.

According to The Telegraph, Prince Andrew was introduced to Turk in 2019 by Tarek Kaituni, a Libyan gun smuggler.

And documents submitted in the closing stages of the case at the High Court say Prince Andrew allegedly invited Turk and Kaituni to one of London's oldest palaces, The Telegraph reported.

Selman Turk alongside Tarek Kaituni during a visit to what appears to be Frogmore House

Prince Andrew, pictured shaking hands with Selman Turk, who is accused of fraud

READ MORE - Prince Andrew agrees settlement with Turkish millionaire who accused him of accepting 1.4m of her money 'stolen' by an alleged fraudster Advertisement

Mrs Isbilen is suing Turk and various offshore companies over the missing money and has also issued contempt proceedings over an alleged court order breach.

It is believed The Duke, Turk and Kaituni came together for a dinner for potential investors at Turk's South Kensington house in December 2019.

Then two months later, the gun smuggler and alleged fraudster were photographed together at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

During the case, Mrs Isbilen claimed Turk tricked her and she made a payment of 750,000 to the Duke when she was told he helped to secure a passport for her.

This was transferred just over a week after Turk won an award for a business idea from Pitch@Palace, a initiative held at St James's Palace.

Turk told the court the payment was a 'gift' to the Duke for his daughter's wedding and was unrelated.

Prince Andrew repaid the money in March 2021, after Mrs Isbilen's solicitors wrote to him about Turk, but has offered no explanation.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Turk is even alleged to have arranged payments for Princess Eugenie

Further payments to the Duke and his family were made, totalling 350,000 to the Duke, 225,000 to the Duchess and 25,000 to Princess Eugenie.

Eugenie said last year that the money was given to her by a 'longstanding family friend' to assist with the cost of a surprise party for her mother.

According to The Telegraph, the cash was paid using a UK-based company Alphabet Capital.

The Duchess of York also received payments of 225,000 while Princess Eugenie got 25,000.

Neither the Duke nor the Duchess are accused of wrongdoing.

Turk denies dishonestly 'misappropriating' the money and said Mrs Isbilen decided to give Prince Andrew the money 'on her own initiative'.

He denies all allegations made against him.

A judgement on the contempt case is expected in the coming weeks.
A funeral director whose brought Churchill's hearse back into use has added to growing calls to save the wartime leader's funeral barge for the nation.

Christopher Baker, founder of Bristol's Memorial Woodlands, is the proud owner of the Austin Princess which collected Sir Winston's body from the Havengore at the Festival Pier on London's South Bank, before conveying it to Waterloo Station during his massive 1965 state funeral.

Mr Baker ploughed over 30,000 of his own cash into restoring the vehicle, which he bought sight unseen at Christie's for a relatively modest sum some twenty years ago.

He told the Mail, that just like the hearse, the Havengore 'belongs in the UK as a part of our heritage'.

'I would hope that there is someone out there in this country who could take care of it, whether a museum or perhaps by paying its own keep by working on the Thames', he said.

Christopher Baker, founder of Bristol's Memorial Woodlands, is the proud owner of the Austin Princess

Mr Baker ploughed over 30,000 of his own cash into restoring the vehicle (pictured above), which he bought sight unseen at Christie's for a relatively modest sum some twenty years ago

Havengore, first launched in 1956, has been put on sale to international bidders after its owner failed to find a British buyer

'It is clearly part of British history and it rather belongs here, it is part of our heritage.'

He predicted that such any such venture to allow the public onto the barge would be met with success as 'there are still a lot of people who consider that Churchill was a great man and the saviour of his country'.

And judging by the popularity of his hearse, this would certainly seem likely.

'There are a lot of people who are delighted when we tell them it [the hearse] is available. The generation who experienced the war and who see Churchill as a great man are sadly dying.

'But it certainly brings a lot of satisfaction to families to see their loved ones carried in such a way on their final journey.

The hearse was restored for Mr Baker, who has transformed 100 acres of his land into a public park and natural cemetery, by Jo Burge of Classic Marine Engineers in Suffolk.

He previously described how the job was 'a comprehensive overhaul' which took three years to complete, with the effort involved for the almost total-overhaul 'pretty breath-taking'.

'Apart from a small change to the fuel delivery system, which was necessary for safety, it is restored to how it was in the 1960', Mr Burge added.

But the hours needed to get it back into working shape was all worth it, he said, explaining: 'It was a privilege to work on it. It's really good to see that it will now be doing another 50 or 60 years of service in the trade'

The hearse collected Sir Winston's body from the Havengore at the Festival Pier on London 's South Bank, before conveying it to Waterloo Station during his massive 1965 state funeral

The hearse was restored for Mr Baker, who has transformed 100 acres of his land into a public park and natural cemetery, by Jo Burge (pictured) of Classic Marine Engineers in Suffolk

Mr Baker says the hearse is of particular appeal to 'military families or for anyone who has a sense of history'.

He joins the likes of historian Niall Ferguson, former prime minister Boris Johnson and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby in urging a British buyer to come forward and save the Havengore.

Current owner Chris Ryland, 75, bought the 85ft vessel for 780,000 in 2006 but put it on sale 18 months ago for 2million, recently knocking the price down to 800,000.

But unless a domestic buyers is found, there are fears this important piece of modern British history could be lost forever.
Rishi Sunak was yesterday made to squirm by a former culture minister who warned his refusal to scrap the tourist tax was harming the economy.

Dame Caroline Dinenage said the removal of tax-free shopping for overseas tourists was hurting the hospitality, retail and cultural sectors.

The Conservative MP urged the Prime Minister to look again at the knock-on impacts of the tourist tax.

She also lambasted the Government's failure to take advantage of a key 'Brexit freedom'.

Dame Caroline, who chairs the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, mauled Mr Sunak as he appeared before the Liaison Committee yesterday.

She said: 'The Association of International Retail told my committee that the absence of tax-free shopping for overseas visitors means the UK economy could be missing out on as much as 12billion in lost spending. Should the Chancellor look at this again?'

Dame Caroline Dinenage said the removal of tax-free shopping for overseas tourists was hurting the hospitality, retail and cultural sectors

Mr Sunak said that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was already 'open to getting people's submissions, thoughts, research and evidence'

Mr Sunak said there were 'a range of different views about that policy'.

But Dame Caroline responded: 'Don't you think more work needs to be done? It's not only retailers who are affected, it's whether tourists come and how long they stay.

Mr Sunak said that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was already 'open to getting people's submissions, thoughts, research and evidence'.

Dame Caroline said: 'But since we left the EU, it's less attractive for overseas shoppers, it's more complex for overseas workers in tourism and hospitality, it's more challenging for overseas school groups to bring tourists over here.

'I don't remember one of the selling points of Brexit freedoms meaning that it would make our tourism industry less competitive, do you?'

The Mail's Scrap The Tourist Tax campaign, which has won cross-party support and the backing of hundreds of high street giants, was launched in support of the calls for the Government to think again.
A landlord who increased her tenant's rent by $100 a week - even though she knew they couldn't afford it - has defended herself by arguing she's helping solve the housing crisis.

Kristie, from Western Australia, sparked a fierce debate after she admitted her single mother tenant would experience severe financial hardship and possibly be unable to feed her children if her rent was increased.

Aussies were divided after she made a video explaining how she had justified increasing the rent anyway, despite the consequences for the tenant and her children.

Some said landlords were free to manage their properties how they wished - while others called her 'greedy'.

Kristie has told friends she made the video to draw attention to what was 'happening behind closed doors in Australia' and that she became a landlord to be part of the solution to the housing crisis.

'She wants the video to highlight the conversations regularly had behind doors across Australia. The rent was not increased much last year to take into account the tenant's circumstances,' the source said.

'She would rather work more hours to ensure a stranger has a roof over their head than force a woman onto the streets. The issue has become a landlord vs tenant issue. Where is the government?'

Kristie has decided not to raise her tenant's rent following the backlash online.

A West Australian landlord has sparked a backlash after raising the rent on one of her four properties by $100 a week

The landlord claimed her words had been twisted and that she was $2,000 out of pocket

Social media users debated Kristie's $100-a-week rent rise, with some questioning if it was fair.

'She says she made the decision that ensures the tenant can't afford to feed their kid,' one person wrote on X.

'Also says the fact that the tenant can't afford to eat is because of a housing crisis caused by the current and previous governments meanwhile it's literally her direct decision that's responsible. All landlords are b*******'.

Kristie then hit back: 'Love how you have fully twisted what I've said for your own agenda!' she wrote.

'My question to you is this. Do I put my kid in childcare for an extra day because I have to fork out $7k out of my own pocket for my tenant?

Poll Do you think the landlord should have increased the rent by $100 per week? Yes No Yes - but she should have waited until after Christmas Yes - and she should have raised it by $140 Do you think the landlord should have increased the rent by $100 per week? Yes 834 votes

No 1673 votes

Yes - but she should have waited until after Christmas 792 votes

Yes - and she should have raised it by $140 43 votes Now share your opinion





'Keep in mind I've been subsidising the rental for two thousand dollars a year out of my own pocket for two years now. Should I make it free? How are you helping the housing crisis?'

The controversy erupted earlier this week after the landlord said she had learnt 'not to mix emotions with business'.

'I decided to increase the rent by $100 a week for my tenant, who is a single mum with two kids, on the basis a reasonable rental increase would have been an extra $140 a week,' she said in a video shared to X.

'I recognise that she probably couldn't afford that. So I came to the conclusion that $100 would be a very good deal considering the suburb and it would be one of the cheaper rentals on the market.'

Shen then explained that her tenant told the property manager that the $100-a-week increase meant she wouldn't be able to feed her children and would be under severe financial hardship.

'So now I'm in a position. Do I subsidise the tenant's rent and cop it out of my own pocket... or do I tell this tenant she can't afford this particular suburb and she should look for somewhere more reasonable,' Kristie said.

'It's a really tough decision and one that I am not taking on lightly and just further evidence that this housing crisis is really impacting people financially.'

In the end she decided to increase the tenant's rent.

Some social media users criticised the landlord for being 'greedy' and adding to Australia's housing problem, however others defended her insisting that the real estate market is a business and not a charity

'I increased the tenant's rent by $100 per week after I did further research. The rent is still $30-$40 per under market value. Now I'm learning you can't mix emotions with business,' Kristie said.

Aussies were divided over the video, with some arguing owning rental property is a business and not a charity.

'You have been more than generous. Push the full raise through, if she is that close to the line, she will need to leave that suburb shorty anyway,' one said.

'If they are not happy they can move to a cheaper suburb, it's as simple as that. You're still below market rate,' another commented.

A third shared: 'Take the emotion out of it! It's an investment property not a charity! As harsh as that sounds it's the cost of being successful.'

'You're not running a charity end of the day. Perhaps leave it to after Christmas though as a goodwill gesture,' another suggested.

'Jesus, I cannot imagine increasing a rent by $100 a week- that would ruin anyone, let alone a single mum. What are you thinking of? Have some ethics,' one said.

'You and the real estate industry are the problem! Hiking the rent based on your real estate greed. If you recognise the social issues why do you add to the problem?' another person added.

A third person chimed: 'Is this satire? Surely you aren't this much of an awful human being.'

'I fully understand it's your property - however to increase rent just before Christmas is a little heartless and $100 a week increase is tall during a cost of living crisis,' a fourth person said.

Australia's rental market has gone from bad to worse as unaffordable housing woes in cities spread to the regions and rental price hikes outstrip wage growth.

The Rental Affordability Index by National Shelter and SGS Economics found affordability plummeted in every city except Canberra and Hobart over the last 12 months.

The cost-of-living crisis is leaving more people in financial stress as they head into the festive season.

More than 12.8 million adults - 62 per cent of the population - are ending their year worried about their finances compared to about 50 per cent last year, according to research for The Salvation Army.

It found 31 per cent of adults are using a credit card to pay for Christmas expenses, up from 18 per cent last year.

One in four Aussie adults will struggle to put food on the table this Christmas while about one in three will find it difficult to pay for utilities or rent.
At a chic Stockholm auction house, 122 carefully-curated items with unusual provenance went under the hammer on Monday evening: vintage furnishings from flatpack furniture retailer IKEA were sold for a total of 37,000 euros (32,000).

Collectors' interest has blossomed over the years for IKEA pieces that have become design icons, as the Swedish company - normally known for more budget-friendly piece - celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

Inside the showrooms at Stockholm's Auktionsverk, the world's oldest auction house, a tubular sofa, a lacquered chest of drawers and even a pair of 'space age' lamps take pride of place.

The pieces, which date from the 1950s to the 1990s, are all marked with the stamp of the famous Swedish brand known around the world for its DIY furniture.

'I've been working in the auction industry for almost 30 years, and if somebody when I started would have said that "One day you will host an IKEA auction in a very nice showroom", I would have said "No, no, that's absolutely that's not possible",' laughed Li Pamp, head of the auction house.

122 carefully-curated items with unusual provenance went under the hammer on Monday evening

The pieces, which date from the 1950s to the 1990s, are all marked with the stamp of the famous Swedish brand known around the world for its DIY furniture

A red sofa sold in IKEA stores in 1972 for the equivalent of 120 euros went under the hammer for 2,000 euros (1,725)

'IKEA has in many ways been controversial,' she noted, citing the company's history of copying and following trends and 'criticised for environmental and sustainability reasons.'

'But there are also some items that stand out,' Pamp said.

'Many very famous designers have been at some point in their career involved in IKEA. And for many, IKEA was the starting point of their career.'

More than 100 pieces curated from private homes were sold at Monday's auction. A red sofa sold in IKEA stores in 1972 for the equivalent of 120 euros went under the hammer for 2,000 euros (1,725)

Earlier this year, an IKEA 'Cavelli' armchair made headlines when it sold for 18,000 euros (15,530) at another Stockholm auction - a fortune compared to the around 27 euros it cost when it first went on sale in 1958.

'As I remember it as a young child, if you wanted some cheap furniture you'd go to IKEA,' said Thomas Raber, in his 60s, appearing elegant as he meandered through the showroom ahead of Monday's auction.

'if somebody when I started would have said that "One day you will host an IKEA auction in a very nice showroom", I would have said "No, no, that's absolutely that's not possible",' laughed Li Pamp, head of the auction house (pictured)

More than 100 pieces curated from private homes were sold at Monday's auction

'You put it together yourself, and then when you'd had it for a few years, you'd throw it away,' he recalled.

'And now 80 years later, it's here and it's being auctioned as a piece of art, an antique. I think that's fascinating.'

For Anette Aly, a 78-year-old Swede who bought her first sofa at an IKEA store in 1963, 'it's a journey back in time'.

'I see the things I saw 40-50 years in the store!'

The emergence of a high-end vintage market hasn't escaped the retailer.

'It's flattering. It's confirmation that we've created the greatest brand in over 80 years,' raves Thea Mix Davidsson, collection curator at the IKEA Museum in the company's hometown of Almhult.

The high prices for the coveted pieces are 'the only thing that bugs us a little bit. We are meant to design for everyone.'

Picking up on the trend for all things vintage, IKEA has launched a new collection with fresh takes on iconic IKEA designs, with the slogan 'return to the future'.

With that market booming, Pamp said many people could literally be sitting on unknown treasures.

'It could be that people have valuable IKEA items at home without knowing it,' she said, urging them to give the auction house a call for an evaluation.

'We will of course help you!'
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A mother finally hugging her daughters after two years apart and a couple reunited following six months of long distance were just some of the heartwarming moments captured at Sydney Airport ahead of the Christmas holidays.

Tears were flowing at the international terminal on Wednesday morning as parents embraced their children, couples shared intimate moments and grandparents cuddled their little ones after lengthy overseas flights.

The holiday spirit was certainly in the air with some families choosing to don Christmas-themed jumpers and Santa hats as they waited anxiously for their loved ones to walk through the gates.

There was an especially emotional reunion for one family, with mother Vanessa having not seen her two daughters Yhanna and Erika in two years.

The pair, aged 28 and 22, live in the Philippines but were able to come for a vacation to spend Christmas with their mum.

Emotions ran high at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning as loved ones returned home

The family of a young woman returning home from a gap year are seen in matching Christmas jumpers

Vanessa, (centre in grey Lonsdale shirt) had not seen her daughters (on her right) for two years before Wednesday morning

Couple Sophia and Sam are seen reuniting after six months

Bronte is seen being reunited with her partner TJ who flew in from the United States on Wednesday

Bronte dressed up as a kangaroo to surprise her American boyfriend as he landed on Wednesday

Loved ones are seen embracing their friends and family after they touched down ahead of Christmas on Wednesday

'I'm very happy,' Vanessa said in between tears.

For others the Christmas break was a chance for a long-awaited romantic getaway.

Young couple Sam and Sophie were reunited after six long months and were seen standing in each other's arms for a long embrace at the arrivals gate.

Sam, who lives in Hong Kong, was able to make the journey to Australia for just 12 days over Christmas.

Another young woman, Bronte, was dressed up in a kangaroo suit as she waited for her boyfriend TJ to land from the United States.

TJ has never been to Australia before and the pair had been apart for a month before he touched down on Wednesday.

Passengers from flights landing at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning are seen embracing

One couple are seen reuniting after weeks apart at Sydney Airport

One young traveller was welcomed home with open arms upon arrival at Sydney's international terminal

A family are seen welcoming home their daughter and sister after she'd spent the past three months travelling abroad

Tears flowed at Sydney Airport on Wednesday as loved ones returned home or visited for the holidays

One young woman was tackled by her mates after landing in Sydney

Brothers are seen welcoming home their sister Trixi

Sydney Airport was packed with families and friends awaiting the arrivals of their loved ones on Wednesday morning

Bronte is hoping she'll be able to go back to the States with her partner.

'We tried long distance but we couldn't do it so hopefully this will be the last airport pick up we have to do,' she said.

When asked about the unusual get-up, Bronte said her younger brother happened to have a kangaroo suit and she just couldn't resist surprising her boyfriend who burst out laughing when he saw her.

One family waiting for their daughter Trixi to come home from her gap year in the UK were all seen in matching Christmas jumpers, with an extra sweater even waiting for the young woman upon her arrival.

Trixi had returned with a group of friends who too had spent the year abroad, with their mothers grinning from ear-to-ear in anticipation of finally having their daughters home.

The young women were in floods of tears as they wheeled their suitcases towards their families who wrapped their arms around them.

They were met with a crowd of loved ones armed with balloons and 'welcome home' signs.

Trixi is seen surrounded by her friends after landing in Sydney on Wednesday
The leader of Hamas is flying into Egypt today for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel said it was willing to agree another pause in the fighting in exchange for around 40 hostages.

International pressure is mounting for a new truce that could ramp up aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, with the United Nations due to vote on calling for a ceasefire.

Hamas sources said Wednesday at least 11 people had been killed overnight in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was expected to lead a 'high-level' delegation to Egypt for talks with the country's spy chief, Abbas Kamel, and others on 'stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners', a source close to the group said.

Israel's leaders are facing growing calls to secure the release of 129 hostages they say are being held in Gaza following the barbaric October 7 attacks and, on Tuesday, signalled a willingness to return to the negotiating table with Hamas.

It follows last month's week-long ceasefire in Gaza mediated by Qatar, in which more than 100 female and child hostages were freed.

Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Nasser Hospital to receive medical treatment following Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Tuesday

Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Nasser Hospital to receive medical treatment following Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Tuesday

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (pictured) was expected to lead a 'high-level' delegation to Egypt for talks with the country's spy chief, Abbas Kamel today

Israel has signalled that it is ready for a week-long truce with Hamas in exchange for around 40 hostages (Pictured: IDF soldiers on the Gaza border on Monday)

Israeli President Issac Herzog said his country was 'ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages'.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had recently sent his spy chief on two trips to Europe in an effort to 'free our hostages'.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage on Tuesday it claimed showed two hostages alive in its custody in Gaza, ramping up pressure on Israel.

US news site Axios reported Monday that David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and CIA director Bill Burns in Europe to discuss a potential new deal to free hostages.

Axios also reported Tuesday that Israel had offered to pause the fighting in Gaza for at least one week in exchange for more than three dozen hostages held by Hamas.

The war began when Hamas militants burst out of Gaza on October 7, killing around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to the latest Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a campaign of bombardment, alongside a ground invasion, that Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children.

Qatar, backed by Egypt and the United States, helped broker a week-long truce and hostage-prisoner swap in November in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

It comes as the US has indicated that it will stand by Israel ahead of a second UN Security Council vote calling for a ceasefire today after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.

The latest version of the text calls for the 'suspension' of hostilities, the sources said.

The US vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution in the council, sparking condemnation by Palestinian and humanitarian groups, which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.

Ahead of today's delayed vote, diplomats had been struggling to broker a further pause to free hostages and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said protecting Palestinian civilians is 'both a moral duty and a strategic imperative' after meeting Israeli officials on Monday.

British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron will also head to Jordan and Egypt this week to call for a 'sustainable truce'.

A Palestinian child wounded in an Israeli strike is rushed into Nasser hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday

A Palestinian child receives treatment at Nasser hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday

Residents and civil defence teams conduct search and rescue operation around the rubble of the building following an Israeli attack on house belonging to Misri family in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on Wednesday

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis on Wednesday

The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the limited ability of aid groups to help.

'Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink,' said Tor Wennesland, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

Young Gazans are facing a perilous winter, with the UN children's agency warning that 'child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments'.

One of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Al-Ahli, stopped operating after it was stormed and 'put out of action' by Israeli forces, its director Fadel Naim told AFP.

Homes have been destroyed, forcing many into overcrowded shelters as they struggle to find cooking fuel, food, water and medical care.

With power and communication often cut, Gazans are returning to time-worn traditions including using battery-powered radio sets to get news of the war.

'Here in Gaza, we're moving backwards,' said Salah Zorob, 37, outside his tent. 'They're going to take us back to the Stone Age.'

Israeli officials are also considering building a 'humanitarian compound' in northern Gaza to house displaced Palestinian civilians, US news channel CNN has reported.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that troops were expanding operations in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis area.

'We must dismantle Hamas, and it will take as long as needed,' he said.

The army said a soldier was killed on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 133 in the Gaza Strip since ground operations began in late October.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained in military operations across the territory, and on Tuesday, the army said it was investigating 'the deaths of terrorists in military detention centres' without giving details.

The US has urged Israel to protect civilians in Gaza, a call echoed Tuesday by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who called on Israel to take a 'much more surgical, clinical and targeted approach' in dealing with Hamas.

The Gaza war has sparked fears of regional escalation and seen Israel trade deadly cross-border fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it had targeted Hezbollah positions on Tuesday after intercepting fire near the border that wounded two reservists.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, meanwhile, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones towards cargo ships in the Red Sea in what they say is a show of support for Palestinians.

Major shipping firms have diverted their vessels as a result, and the United States on Monday announced a new multinational naval task force to protect the waterways, through which 12 percent of global trade transits.

In its current form, the task force includes warships from the United States as well as Britain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries.

On Tuesday, Washington pushed to build up the initiative, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin telling a virtual meeting with 43 countries, the EU and NATO that the attacks 'threaten the free flow of commerce'.

A top Huthi official later said any country that acts against the rebels 'will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea'.
A black resident of Chicago was filmed berating Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city's current 'sanctuary' status for migrants and the progressive's failure to bring funds to more at-risk communities.

The exchange was recorded at the Chicago City Council's special meeting Thursday, called to consider whether residents should vote on a referendum on the city's sanctuary status for the upcoming year.

The meeting was thus filled with debate, and drew a fierce statement from a woman who billed herself as a Chicago native born and bred, Lauren Lawrence,

Speaking as Johnson stood at his podium, Lawrence lamented how she and others have witnessed a 'transition' that left citizens in the lurch, almost 'as if a lot of people are not important here.'

She said: 'I'm not against anyone coming in here legally. I want to say that clearly. But for those who have not, they don't top us. They don't go before us. We're not last in line.'

The heated interaction comes months after the city spent nearly $1million to build a migrant camp that was suddenly scrapped a few weeks ago, and as more than 25,000 migrants have entered the city since last year.

A Chicago resident was filmed berating Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city's current 'sanctuary' status for migrants, and the politicians' failure to bring funds to inner city communities

Speaking as Johnson stood at attention at his podium, Lawrence lamented how she has witnessed a 'transition' that has left citizens in the lurch - 'as if a lot of people are not important here'

'I'm not for the sanctuary city,' an emotional Lawrence at first began, before tearing into the relatively new mayor after a disastrous four years of Lori Lightfoot.

She continued: 'And the reason why I'm not for the sanctuary city is because people have waited years to come in here legally.'

Citing the mass of arrivals and the more than 13,000 migrants currently embroiled in Chicago's shelter system, she went on to pan city officials for continuing where Lightfoot left off.

She said of asylum seekers being brought into Illinois' biggest city by the busload: 'Not just transported on these buses, dropped off in our neighborhood.'

Mentioning the city's recent rise in crime, she claimed to have 'almost got hit several times just making it down [to the meeting].

'This is ludicrous,' she continued, pointing to a supposed double standard spawned by the city's current migrants crisis that has cost taxpayers $250million this year.

'There should not be two sets of laws,' she declared, as residents of in-need neighborhoods like the city's South Side have been left on in the figurative - and at times, literal - cold.

Lawrence proceeded to turn her attention to Chicago's notorious inner city, which she painted as a victim of the city's continued sanctuary status.

She suggested Johnson - a man brought up in a suburb of Cook County - had let down these predominantly black communities, simply by continuing Lightfoot's guidance.

'I'm not for the sanctuary city,' she began, before tearing into the relatively new mayor voted in in May, following a disastrous four years of Lori Lightfoot - seen with Johnson in May when he succeeded her

The exchange comes after the city spent nearly $1million to build a migrant camp that was scrapped this month, and as more than 26,000 migrants have entered Chicago since last year

The plan was only called off on December 5, despite previous warnings that the site was not safe due to after toxic chemicals and heavy metals being found onsite

'The West Side and the South Side black communities have been earmarked for having funds  never seen it,' Lawrence said of what she billed as a misallocation of city money.

'We're still waiting those funds to come into those communities.'

She then turned to Johnson, who after emerging out of the gate as an unknown in a mass of competitive candidates this year, raised eyebrows with a lofty plan to reallocate law enforcement funds to other services like housing and education.

'Brandon Johnson, many people stood behind you,' Lawrence at first stated, before giving a rousing speech that caused officials to abruptly bring the Rules Committee meeting to an end, despite it being called to get citizens' takes on the migrant situation.

'They feel let down, because the day you came into office, which I believe was May 15, you already had signed an executive order,' she said, citing an early Johnson order that created the city's first-ever 'deputy mayor for immigrant, migrant and refugee rights.'

The guidance instructed all city officials to take direction from the migrant mayor, Beatriz Ponce De Leon, 'to ensure the efficacy of Chicagos status as a welcoming and sanctuary city.'

Citing the mass of arrivals and the more than 13,000 migrants currently embroiled in Chicago's shelter system, she proceeded to pan city officials for continuing where Lightfoot left off

Seven months into the new mayor's term, the city is still struggling with how to address the increasing influx of asylum seekers, with Johnson in October warning that 22 busloads a day would likely be the new norm

More than five months removed from Leon's appointment, the city is still struggling with how to address the increasing influx of asylum seekers, with Johnson in October warning that 22 busloads a day would likely be the new norm.

Just last week, the situation was revealed to be worse than originally thought, when records showed the city spent almost $1million on a shuttered migrant camp at a Brighton Park lot - despite warnings the site was not safe after toxic chemicals and heavy metals were found onsite.

The plans were scraped weeks before a five-year-old boy fell ill and was pronounced dead at one of Chicago's spread-thin shelters on Monday - at a warehouse with no heating housing thousands of other migrants.

Videos from inside showed coughing and crying children, some so cold they were wearing snow jackets, as water leaked from the ceiling onto the cots below.

The shelter, meanwhile is run by Favorite Healthcare Staffing, one of several contractors the city has paid tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to since September 2022 to run these 'temporary' shelters.

Despite there being 27 meant to accommodate thousands, more than 300 migrants remain living at police stations waiting for placement into a facility.

The death of the child, meanwhile - after being identified by community members as Jean Carlo Martinez Rivero - is now being investigated, though an autopsy by Cook County medical examiner on Monday supposedly came back inconclusive.

Jean Carlos Martinez, 5, was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital on Sunday after days of being sick at the Pilsen shelter south of downtown Chicago

Video shot by a passerby showed trash piled up outside the shelter. The converted factory was the subject of numerous complaints about unsanitary conditions

At another meeting Monday where Johnson also faced heat, the former teacher said the blame for Jean's death laid squarely with southern governors like Texas's Gregg Abbott, for busing in migrants by the thousand to the so-called sanctuary city.

'They're just dropping off people anywhere,' Johnson argued, days after the migrant meeting where Lawrence spoke was called off over the outpour of criticism.

'Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is,' he continued of the Southern state's practices, which essentially made good on city's like Chicago's statements touting its 'sanctuary' status.

'And then you want to hold us accountable for something that's happening down at the border?' the former Cook County commissioner said, before claiming that many of the asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago are already unwell due to the conditions they face at the border.

'Do you hear me? They're showing up sick,' he said of the bussed arrivals. 'The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago, it's the fact that we have a governor  a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas  that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized.'

He continued: 'And then they come to the city of Chicago where we have homelessness, we have mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed.

'The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror [and see] the chaos that he is causing for this country.'

Claiming it was 'not just a Chicago dynamic,' he insisted that men like Abbott - who started sending out bussed after being publicly challenged Lightfoot and New York Mayor Eric Adams - are 'attacking our country.'

At another meeting Monday where Johnson also faced heat, the former teacher said the blame for Jean's death laid squarely with southern governors like Texas's Gregg Abbott, for busing in migrants by the thousand to the so-called sanctuary city

Videos from inside the Pilsen shelter (pictured) showed coughing and crying children, some so cold they were wearing snow jackets, and water leaking from the ceiling onto the cots below

O'Hare International Airport accommodated hundreds of migrants in a screened off area as the crisis gathered steam this summer

On Thursday, Lawrence questioned whether Johnson was following Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's directive in his attempts to address the crisis, or was actually ignoring at-risk communities in favor of the constant stream of migrants.

'Now, whether it came from Gov. Pritzker or whomever that directed you on this, is it fair to these communities that have been waiting for years?' she said.

Bringing up promises made by Johnson over the course of his upset campaign - including that public safety would remain the city's top concern even amid the migrant situation - Lawrence cited how crime remains an issue across most of Chicago, particularly in the aforementioned problem areas.

'You said you on the West side, but you should know what's going on over there as well,' Lawrence said.

'When are you going to have our neighborhoods cleaned up? And when are we going to get the rights that we deserve?'

Lawrence went on to mention the long list of lawful Chicagoans she said were also in need, including veterans, the homeless, and average, everyday citizens, before officials called off the meeting due to the crowd becoming outspoken and supposedly unruly

The decision drew criticism from Alderman Anthony Beale, who told officials before they exited: 'We need to wake up. That's all we're trying to do, y'all.

Lawrence then brought up the long list of lawful Chicagoans she said were also in need - veterans, the homeless, and average, everyday citizens.

'They need to be taken care of,' she explained, growing increasingly animated. 'They need to stop being neglected. Because if we don't have a voice here, we will have a voice out there.'

As she spoke, a chorus of voices from the crowd rose up to agree - spurring the council to adjourn prematurely without considering the sanctuary status referendum vote.

The decision, made to avoid an incident, quickly drew criticism from Alderman Anthony Beale, who told officials before they exited: 'We need to wake up. That's all we're trying to do, y'all.

'Our people are demanding change. They're demanding resources, and they're demanding that we do something different in this body.'

Meanwhile, crime remains an issue in the Windy City, particularly in the long-suffering neighborhoods Lawrence mentioned.

According to the city's most recent crime data, incidents have actually risen by a drastic 17 percent from this time last year, when it was still in the midst of a post-pandemic crime wave.

That spate of crime, in many respects, has gone on to continue, with robberies up 23 percent and incidents of theft and sexual assault slightly up as well.

Meanwhile, crime remains an issue in the Windy City, particularly in the long-suffering neighborhoods Lawrence mentioned

According to the city's most recent crime data, incidents have actually risen by a drastic 17 percent from this time last year, when it was still in the midst of a post-pandemic crime wave. That spate of crime, in many respects, has gone on to continue, with robberies up 23 percent and incidents of theft and sexual assault slightly up as well

'But we are afraid of the truth,' Beale said Thursday, before the conditions at the Pilsen shelter - one of 26 temporary shelters that house 12,000 travelers - was unmasked.

'Crime is running rampant,' he continued. 'Our schools are in trouble. We're spending hundreds, millions of dollars on people that don't even pay taxes and live in the city.'

He went on: 'I'm all for taking care of people. I get it. I am sympathetic as well.

'However, I'm more sympathetic for the people in my community that have been paying taxes their entire life, can't get a furnace, can't get a roof, can't get a hot water heater, can't get a back porch.

'There's no conscionable way we should be voting on hundreds of millions of dollars to just, you know, go to Brighton Park, only to have the whole thing blown up.'

As of Tuesday, more than 25,000 people have arrived in Chicago from the southern border since August 2022, with most coming from Central American countries like Venezuela and not Mexico.

Meanwhile, after only achieving a win in a May runoff by 26,000 votes, Johnson has tried to appeal to those who didn't back him in the election, stocking his transition team with familiar names from Chicago corporations and philanthropies beside leaders of organized labor and progressive groups.

His office in Monday - after being confronted with the five-year-old's death - said the city had resettled or reunited more than 10,000 migrants and was sheltering 13,992 at 27 temporary shelters.
An Aussie woman on the NDIS who was refused permission to travel with her assistance dog on a Qantas flight is taking the major airline to court.

Sydney woman Rachael Fullerton lives with multiple disabilities and her loyal Border Collie named Strike has helped her live an independent life since he was placed with her a few years ago.

The pair typically travel everywhere together without any issues but recently Qantas refused to let Strike on board flights between Wagga Wagga and Sydney.

Other airlines, including Rex Airlines and Virgin Australia, have had no issue with the dog on their planes and he is also free to travel on public transport in NSW.

Rachael Fullerton (pictured) is taking Qantas to court after the airline refused to let her travel with her assistance dog

'He's allowed me the confidence to be able to go places by myself,' Ms Fullerton told the ABC.

'He alerts me to medical issues before they... become an issue. He also does a lot of other things, like helping with anxiety.'

Ms Fullerton is taking Qantas to the Federal Court after a failed conciliation attempt through the Australian Human Rights Commission.

She has alleged disability discrimination and is seeking to change to the airline's policies arguing she was 'unfairly treated'.

The case has been taken up by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and will be heard in early 2024.

PIAC senior solicitor Sheetal Balakrishnan said Ms Fullerton could not fly without her beloved dog as he is vital in mitigating the serious impacts of her disabilities.

She said for Qantas to stop the pair from travelling together was discrimination.

Ms Fullerton said Strike (pictured) has helped her to live her life independently

According to Qantas rules, assistance dogs must be trained to a level that meets standards set by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the Queensland Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act (GHAD).

Qantas also considers dogs trained by other organisations or trainers but they need to show they can meet the ADI or the GHAD criteria.

Strike has not been accredited by the ADI or GHAD but has been recognised as an assistance dog by the NDIS and the New South Wales government.

Ms Fullerton said she tried to get Strike accredited by a GHAD-approved organisation, but they did not have any in New South Wales willing to certify a dog it hadn't raised or trained itself.

Ms Fullerton said she was told she would need to fill out a form from Qantas after first making contact in September last year informing the airline of of Strike's training.

'The form was impossible to fill out if you didn't have a dog that was certified by ADI or GHAD,' she said.

Ms Fullerton said things then 'went round in circles' over the following months and the airline kept giving her a generic response that failed to answer her queries.

Qantas said in a statement that it recognised the important role assistance dogs played for their owners and that it allowed 'many' on board each year (stock image pictured)

Ms Balakrishnan argued Qantas's requirements for assistance animals were narrower than what is required under the Disability Discrimination Act, which PIAC argues Strike meets.

'Qantas is making its own rules, which we say is arbitrary and unfair and inconsistent with what is required and allowed under the national laws,' she said.

Qantas said in a statement that it recognised the important role that assistance dogs perform for travellers and that it 'carries many assistance dogs each year'.

'Qantas consults with customers with disability who want to travel with an assistance dog in advance to obtain all relevant information to ensure it is safe to carry the dog in the aircraft cabin,' the statement read.

Ms Fullerton hopes her struggles with Qantas will help make air travel for others with assistance animals more accessible in the future.

'I want to make changes so that it's accessible for everybody,' she said.
A Sydney resident has come home to the shocking scene of a massive snake digesting a meal on the third-story balcony of their apartment in one of Australia's most densely congested suburbs.

The shocking footage taken on Tuesday at a Coogee apartment, in the city's eastern suburbs, shows a diamond carpet python wrapped around what appears to be a ringtail possum.

The snake can be seen slowly unhinging its jaw as it starts to methodically force the possum, about a third of the snake's size, into its digestive system.

After it finished its meal, appearing considerably larger, it decided to take a long rest on the balcony before a snake catcher was called to the apartment.

Peter Khoury, the resident's neighbour and NRMA's head of media, told Daily Mail Australia he was shocked to see a snake so large not only on a balcony that high but also in the eastern suburbs, given the suburb's minimal bushland.

A man has come home from a two-week holiday to find a python devouring a ringtail possum on the balcony of his third-story apartment at Coogee in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on Tuesday (pictured)

Mr Khoury said the possum most likely ran up a large tree in front of the apartment complex to flee from the python, which kept chase and attacked it on the balcony.

He said the snake 'had such a big feed he couldn't move', and remained at the scene to digest before it was interrupted by snake catchers.

'We thought it was someone's pet,' Mr Khoury told Daily Mail Australia, taken aback by how large the animal was.

'You'd think a snake that big would need a lot of shrub to grow, there's a little bit of bush (in the area) but not that much.'

He said his neighbour had been away on a two-week holiday in the country where they said 'they hadn't seen a beetle... but came back to that'.

His neighbour said he was shocked to see a snake of such size in the city's east as there is little bushland in which it could grow (pictured)

Mr Khoury posted a video of the snake to X where it received hundreds of comments from shocked Aussies.

'Quick flick with a shovel and it will be the 2nd floors problem,' one user wrote.

'I would immediately pack my stuff and start looking for a new place,' a second wrote.

'Im going to have nightmares tonight,' a third wrote.

Another user said the snake had to have been in a 'desperate' situation to be eating out in the open and was most likely starving.

Diamond carpet pythons are native to Australia's south-east from the coast up to the Blue Mountains, and have the southernmost habitat of any python.

While non-venomous and not likely to attack a human, they can leave a ferocious bite if provoked, but prefer to attack lizards, small mammals and birds.
One of the dozens of victims of the serial-killer called the 'Green River Killer' has been identified nearly four decades after her bones were found.

Gary Ridgway, now 73, is serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 2003 of killing 49 women in Washington and is serving 49 consecutive life sentences at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Ridgway, who is considered one of the nation's most prolific serial killers, has confessed to killing as many as 80 women but there was only enough evidence at the time to secure a conviction for 49 of them.

Lori Anne Razpotnik's remains were found 38 years ago and labeled as 'Bones 17,' until they were recently matched using a new DNA profile, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

Razpotnik ran away from her Lewis County home in 1982 at the age of 15, never to be seen by her family again.

Lori Anne Razpotnik's remains were found 38 years ago and labeled as 'Bones 17' until they were recently matched using a new DNA profile contracted by the King County Sheriff's Office

Gary Ridgway, now 73, is serving a life term after he was convicted in 2003 of killing the 49 women in Washington

The reveal means that only one of the confirmed victims of Ridgway killed between the early 80s and late 90s has yet to be identified.

Razpotnik remains were found three years after she went missing when a car veered off the road near a cemetery in Auburn, Washington. The car stopped in an area where investigators found three sets of remains, including 16-year-old Kimi-Kai Pitsor.

The two unidentified victims were dubbed 'Bones 16' and 'Bones 17' after a task force assigned to solving the murders took over the investigation but it was never identified as Razpotnik until nearly 40 years later.

'Bones 17' was confirmed as Razpotnik by a Virginia-based firm called Parabon Nanolabs and matched using DNA comparison testing done at the University of North Texas, according to the Seattle Times.

'Bones 16' was identified as then-20-year-okd Sandra Major in 2012. She was last seen climbing into a truck in North Seattle in 1982.

Ridgway pled guilty to murdering both Razpotnik and Major in 2003 but claimed he couldn't remember any specifics about their killings.

He would target mostly young female prostitutes or runaways and then dump their bodies around the Seattle area.

'I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught,' he said.

The reveal means that only one of the confirmed victims of Ridgway killed between the early 80s and late 90s has yet to be identified

Ridgway was dubbed the Green River Killer because the bodies of several of his victims in the early 1980s were found in or near the river of the same name.

Patty Eakes, one of the prosecuting attorneys assigned to the case, said the lack of emotion Ridgway showed when he eventually admitted to killing the women was still troubling to her.

She recalls him confessing to the brutal crimes as if 'he was taking a walk.'

'A couple of things jumped out at me,' she told Fox News of the killings in 2020.

'He would take his son and leave him in the car while he went back and had sex with the bodies It didn't seem to register in his mind just how messed up that was.

'So depraved and really, no recognition on his part that, you know, he took a child and left the child in the car while he was off killing a woman, or going back another time to have sex with a different dead body.

'It creeped me out at such a level that was shocking, even for somebody like me who's had a lot of exposure, unfortunately, to murders.'

Eakes said Ridgway came across as just an average 'goofy, middle-aged guy.'

Patty Eakes, one of the prosecuting attorneys assigned to the case, said the lack of emotion Ridgway showed when he eventually admitted to killing the women was still troubling to her. Photo courtesy of KCPQ

Some of his victims: Amina Agisheff, Wendy Lee Coffield, Gisele Ann Lovvorn, Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Cynthia Jean Hinds, Opal Charmaine Mills, Kassee Ann Lee, Terry Rene Milligan, and Mary Bridget Meehan

Some of his victims: Carrie A. Rois, Kimberly L. Nelson, Lisa Yates, Mary Exzetta West and Cindy Anne Smith

'You had to remind yourself of who he was and what he was capable of doing,' she said, adding that some victims may have been comfortable getting into his truck due to his seemingly harmless personality.

'I think he looked for vulnerable women. He had this strange, underlying need to feel like he had a beautiful woman by his side. Often the women that he picked up were attractive. He wanted to be one of those guys who's like, 'I have a beautiful woman with me.' He didn't necessarily feel like he had that in his personal life Physical attractiveness was definitely part of it,' she said.

The first of his victims turned up in 1982 in the Green River, which gave the then-unknown attacker the name Green River Killer. By the end of 1984, the bodies of 42 women had been found.

Ridgway, a longtime painter at a truck company and father of one child, had been a suspect since 1984.

The boyfriend of one of his victim's Marie Malvar had reported seeing her get into a pickup truck identified as Ridgway's. Ridgway told police then he didn't know Malvar and a police investigator who knew him cleared him as a suspect.

Ridgway was eventually arrested in 2001 after detectives linked his DNA to sperm found in three of the earliest victims.

He offered to help authorities find the remains of his other victims if prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty

Ridgway was eventually arrested in 2001 after detectives linked his DNA to sperm found in three of the earliest victims

Ridgway had been a suspect since 1984 but a police investigator who knew him cleared him as a suspect. He was eventually arrested in 2001 after detectives linked his DNA to sperm found in three of the earliest victims

By 2002, prosecutors had charged him with seven murders but they had all but given up hope of linking him to the dozens of other women.

He offered to help authorities find the remains of his other victims if prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty.

Eakes was among those who worked with Ridgway over a six-month span to identify the remaining murders.

'There remain missing women. There remain women who probably will never be found. He claims other murders, and you just don't know whether or not they occurred,' Eakes said.

The King County Sheriff's Office said they have continued to investigate Ridgway even after he was jailed.
Fired GMA anchor TJ Holmes admitted he wants to marry Amy Robach as the flirty couple continues to dish on their love life on their self-titled podcast.

Robach, 50, said a wedding was 'under consideration,' adding the couple entered the relationship 'because we intended on spending our lives together.'

However, she continued: 'We both have two marriages under our belts and so its not something were racing to or rushing towards.'

In response, Holmes, 46, joked about a 'tiny box' waiting under the Christmas tree this year and said: 'I want to marry you, in part, because youre 50 and Im 46. And Im very sick of introducing a 50-year-old woman as my girlfriend.'

The 46-year-old posted a montage from the newest episode of the Amy and TJ Podcast to Instagram Tuesday. In one excerpt from the Q&A-style episode, Robach, 50, revealed: 'TJ told me he loved me before he ever held my hand.'

The marriage talk comes a year after the couple's clandestine affair was exposed by DailyMail.com. That led to their firing from Good Morning America and saw both their marriages end. Now the couple's exes, Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig, have started to date each other.

In an excerpt from the latest episode of their self-titled podcast, former GMA anchor TJ Holmes confessed his wishes to marry Amy Robach

As the duo fielded questions about marriage, Robach said: 'TJ told me he loved me before he ever held my hand'

Holmes, 46, and Robach, 50, met as co-hosts on Good Morning America. Their entanglement was first revealed by Dailymail.com last year

Callers prodded the former co-workers about their love life during the question and answer segment of the episode.

When Holmes remarked that referring to a 50-year-old woman as his girlfriend sounded 'stupid,' Robach playfully fired back.

'Everybody knows that! But youre going to be 51 soon and Im going to be 46. When you were in high school, I was in elementary school,' Holmes said.

According to Robach, Holmes has a habit of pointing out their five-year age gap.

In the final clip from the excerpt, Robach professed: 'I've just learned more than I've ever learned about, not just myself, about people that I thought I knew.'

The duo announced their podcast through a joint Instagram post last month that read: 'How's this for instagram official? #silentnomore.'

The first episode released on December 5, exactly one year after Holmes and Robach were fired from Good Morning America.

The broadcast journalists were 'temporarily removed' from the show last year after rumors of their affair began to circulate. They were officially let go on January 27 following an internal investigation.

DailyMail.com was the first to expose their entanglement, after photographers captured the duo getting handsy during a retreat in upstate New York.

On November 10, 2022 - one day before the now-infamous weekend getaway - the pair were spotted at O'Donoghue's bar in Times Square, hours after pre-recording their daily segment.

'They were totally into each other,' an eyewitness told DailyMail.com.

'She was giggling at whatever he was saying, and they were looking at each other's phones. At one point she was kind of dancing in her chair to the music and laughing so hard she practically fell into his lap.'

The day before they set off on a romantic upstate getaway in November 2022, Robach and Holmes were spotted deep in conversation at a bar in Times Square

They spent the weekend in a rented cottage and checked on November 13. Holmes was seen patting Robach's butt as she loaded up the car

The following day, Holmes was seen leaving his apartment with a backpack and a duffle, and, after a morning filming, heading to a West Village restaurant near Robach's apartment.

Moments later, he walked around the corner and headed up the block to where Robach was waiting to pick him up in her BMW convertible.

The pair embarked on a two-hour drive north of the city to Shawangunk Mountains, where they checked into a cottage nestled in the wilderness.

They departed on November 13, and Holmes was seen grabbing Robach's rear as she bent to pack up the car.

On November 17, the pair reunited after the day's filming wrapped. Holmes met Robach, a Stage 2 breast cancer survivor, at NYU Langone Medical Center. Later, Robach's friend walked her dog while she and Holmes stayed in her apartment.

The duo were removed from the air less than a month after the photos were published, though viewers were told the change would be 'temporary.'

In January, an email memo was sent to staff notifying them of the pair's departure.

'I want to share with you that we've reached a decision about T.J. and Amy,' it read.

The pair made an announcement for their podcast on December 5, writing: 'How's this for instagram official?'

Earlier this month, DailyMail.com spotted the pair's exes, Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig, putting two cats into Shue's car. The pair have reportedly been dating for months

'After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options, we all agreed it's best for everyone that they move on from ABC News.

'We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.'

Robach's ex-husband, Andrew Shue, wiped all traces of her from social media just days after news of the infidelity broke.

The couple wedded in 2008, following Robach's split from Tim McIntosh, and had a blended family including five children from previous marriages.

Likewise, Holmes and his ex-wife, Marilee Fiebig, divorced in December 2022 after reportedly separating that August.

The pair welcomed a baby girl in 2013 and were married for 12 years. Holmes has two other children, a son and a daughter, from his previous marriage with Amy Ferson.

In a twist of events, it was revealed on December 5 that the scorned exes had been dating for around six months.

The relationship between Fiebig and Shue came to light almost a year later, with insiders confirming the two grew close in the wake of their exes' scandalous romance.

On Friday, the two were snapped piling into his green Jeep Wrangler before heading off for the weekend.

The couple have reportedly bonded over the experience of seeing their marriages crumble so publicly.
A landmark ruling in the state of Colorado found former President Trump ineligible to hold office after he allegedly incited a riot on January 6.

While the ruling initially appears to halt the former president's reelection hopes, it appears unlikely that the Supreme Court ruling will do much to actually hinder the Republican favorite.

The former president's campaign has already vowed they will be appealing the decision to the US Supreme Court, which conveniently has a conservative majority and is home to three Trump appointees.

The high court could overturn the Colorado decision on Constitutional grounds and put Trump back on the ballot.

Trump would also be back on the ballot in Colorado if he appeals by January 4, according to Tuesday's 213-page order from the state's Supreme Court.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is 'disqualified' from serving as president under the 14th Amendment. He is seen here in Colorado Springs in 2016

All seven swing state key to winning in 2024 prefer Donald Trump over President Joe Biden, according to a new Bloomberg poll of nearly 5,000 voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

The longshot legal bid in Colorado has invoked the rarely used provision of the Constitution, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, that bars those who engaged in 'insurrection or rebellion' from holding office.

Michael Gerhardt, a distinguished professor at UNC School of Law, told Chris Cuomo on NewsNation that the case was a 'bid deal' and its likely the Supreme Court will hear arguments.

'I think one of the critical questions the court would identify is whether or not the court itself should be that institution deciding this matter, or perhaps Congress should decide it or well leave it to the states,' Gerhardt said. 'But the courts not going to want to take the responsibility for a final judgment here because its going to get slammed either way.'

In an opinion piece on his blog, Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller said that the ruling was a 'major and extraordinary' move from a state supreme court.

Muller wrote that he also believes the move could 'embolden state courts or secretaries of state' to exclude Trump from the ballot.

He said: 'I don't mean 'embolden' as a pejorativeI simply mean that Colorado is the first mover, and no other political actor has to be the first mover.

'Relatedly, other jurisdictions have a blueprint of persuasive reasoning to rely uponand, perhaps, a doctrine that could have a preclusive effect in other jurisdictions.'

Similar challenges have already been attempted in three other states, with a lawsuit in New Hampshire being outright dismissed.

A judge in Michigan ruled that the decision should be decided on by Congress and not the state, and a court in Minnesota flat out rebuffed the attempt.

The case in Colorado, as well as those in Michigan and Minnesota, was filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

The group is also petitioning top officials in at least 18 other states, according to the BBC, in order to have Trump removed from the ballot.

However, Legal scholar Jonathan Turley slammed the Colorado Supreme Court for its ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot.

'Well, this court just handed partisans on both sides the ultimate tool to try to shortcut elections, and it's very, very dangerous,' Turley said on Fox News moments after the decision.

'I mean, this country is a powder keg, and this court is just throwing matches at it. And I think that it's a real mistake. But I think that they're wrong on the law,' Turley added.

Trump holds a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on February 20, 2020

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

In August, Trump was accused of election subversion in two separate criminal cases and posed for his historic mugshot.

That same month, scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen wrote in a law paper that Section 3 called for 'an immediate disqualification from office.'

The two, who are members of conservative advocacy group the Federalist Society, made the case that he should not be allowed to run until Congress grant him amnesty.

Backing this, law professor Laurence Tribe endorsed the view of Baude and Paulsen, saying the events of January 6 'placed [Trump] squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause'.

On the other side of the argument, others have questioned whether such a clause should be implemented.

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, professor Noah Feldman said: 'Donald Trump is manifestly unfit to be president.

'But it's up to voters to block him. Magic words from the past won't save us.'

Chris Ager, the New Hampshire Republican Party chairman, said: 'To make a tortured legalistic logic to try to stop people from voting for who they want to vote for is a Soviet-style, banana republic argument.

'I'm not a Trump supporter. I'm neutral. But this whole attempt is bad for the country.'

Brad Raffensperger, a Republican and the top election official in Georgia, said the move was 'merely the newest way of attempting to short-circuit the ballot box'.

Now, it will likely to be up to the Supreme Court to decide on the implications of the 14th Amendment and whether Trump can stay on the ballot.

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez, all circled, voted to disqualify the former president

If the Supreme Court allows Trump to remain of the Colorado state, it might not hurt his overall chances at the nomination for the 2024 Republican party. Trump is currently the dominant front-runner in the GOP primary, leading the polls by an average of 50 percentage points.

Surveys from earlier this month that show that he is currently dominating in swing states, which like Florida, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

In some states, Trump remains as much as nine percentage points ahead of incumbent President Joe Biden.

On Tuesday night, Trump addressed a rally of his supporters in Waterloo, Iowa, but failed to comment on the ruling in Colorado that had been issued just an hour before his stage appearance.

His campaign team launched a scathing attack on the ruling, claiming that Democratic billionaire donor George Soros was behind the decision.

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said: 'Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump.

READ MORE: The diagrams that show how support for Joe Biden and Donald Trump has shifted in three key battleground states Advertisement

'Supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice.

'Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

'They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.'

Even his Republican rivals who could capitalize on this opportunity to attempt to gain ground on Trump have started to fall in line behind him.

Vivek Ramaswamy has volunteered to pull his name off the ballot in Colorado's March Republican primary.

Ramaswamy said: 'I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the states ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately  or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country.'

In another post, he added: 'This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado.

'Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again: the 14th Amendment.'
A fill-in radio presenter for the ABC has been axed after sharing a series of pro-Palestine posts on social media.

Antoinette Lattouf had been hosting ABC Sydney mornings this week, filling in for Sarah Macdonald, but was told on Wednesday afternoon she would not be returning to the airwaves.

A spokesperson for the national broadcaster told Daily Mail Australia that 'ABC Sydney casual presenter Antoinette Lattouf will not be back on air for her remaining two shifts this week.'

Antoinette Lattouf had been hosting ABC Sydney mornings this week, while filling in for Sarah Macdonald, but was reportedly told on Wednesday afternoon she would not be continuing on in the gig

The outspoken journalist had posted excitedly about filling in for Macdonald on Monday.

She was originally due to present the morning radio show for five days, but will now not be returning to the program on Thursday or Friday.

Lattouf's sudden departure from the ABC sparked a deluge of critical comments on her most recent Instagram post. She then turned the comments off.

It's understood Lattouf's posts about the conflict in the Middle East, which were on various online platforms, breached the ABC's social media policies.

The ABC has strict editorial policies and requires staff to be impartial in their reporting.

'A thoughtless post or tweet can instantly compromise this perception of impartiality,' the ABC's rules state.

Lattouf hit back and said she was 'considering her legal options'.

'I am very disappointed by the ABC's decision today,' she said.

'I believe I was terminated unlawfully. This is not a win for journalism or fair, critical thinking.'

It's understood Lattouf's posts about the conflict in the Middle East, which were on various online platforms, breached the ABC's social media policies

The ABC has strict editorial policies and requires staff to be impartial in their reporting

Lattouf recently co-authored an article questioning the veracity of a viral footage that showed pro-Palestine activists apparently chanting 'gas the Jews' at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year.

'Analysis of the Aust Jewish Association videos by fact checker RMIT CrossCheck found a number of signs that suggest audio was edited' she said.

In another post from November Lattouf wrote: 'We need a PERMANENT ceasefire and to address the ROOT of the problem - unlawful occupation of Palestine'.

In a video posted to Instagram in October, Latouff attempted an analysis of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and called both Hamas and the Israeli government 'extremists'.

She called for the mourning of all civilian life lost in the conflict and for the condemnation of anti-Arab and anti-Semitic rhetoric, but added: 'You can and should condemn illegal military occupation of Palestine thats been happening for 75 years.'

'You can and should remember human rights organisation internationally and in Israel have called the occupation apartheid",' she said.

'You can and should speak out against the occupation of Palestine  because that is the root of all of this'.

She wrote that she had turned comments off on the post to 'limit hate speech'.

Lattouf, who is a mother-of-two, is also the co-founder of Media Diversity Australia - a not for profit organisation that supports increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the media.
Bruce Lehrmann was in a mental health clinic, having been accused of rape days earlier, when his mentor and long-time family friend gave him a pep talk: 'Stop telling yourself you can't handle this.'

The WhatsApp message was sent by network marketer Lyndon Biernoff on February 21, 2021 - six days after Brittany Higgins appeared on The Project and alleged she was raped in Parliament House by a 'male colleague'.

Mr Lehrmann was not named in the broadcast but he knew that he was the alleged rapist because a journalist contacted his former employer, British American Tobacco, asking him to comment on the allegation.

He has continually maintained his innocence and is now suing Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over that broadcast, claiming former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged perpetrator.

The messages between Mr Lehrmann and Mr Biernoff, from Toowoomba, were tendered in the Federal Court during the second week of the hearing in early December.

This week, Mr Biernoff himself sat in the court's public gallery for the final two days of evidence, telling Daily Mail Australia, 'I thought it was important to show my support'.

Lyndon Biernoff is pictured outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday

'I couldn't be here for the whole thing, but I've known his mother for a long time and I support him,' he said.

According to their WhatsApp messages, it appears that Mr Biernoff did more than just support Mr Lehrmann - within those first few days after the broadcast, he was always on the other end of the phone.

On February 16, the day after the program went to air, Mr Biernoff sent a text saying he was going to drive Mr Lehrman's elderly mother to the airport so she could fly from Queensland to Sydney to be with him.

At the time, Mr Lehrmann had checked himself into a mental health ward.

'Stay strong, you will get through this,' Mr Biernoff said.

'I can easily see that you're being set up, set up because of dirty politics. I would just get yourself well and in the right frame of mind and outsmart them. There is no evidence, it's an unsubstantiated accusation.

'I'm sure some in the media can already see what the ulterior motive may be and that fact that someone's reputation is on the line - you will come out on top if you get your mind focused on the right moves.'

He sent another later that evening saying: 'Fight hard, fight clever, hold your nerve, you've got a big future ahead of you'.

Brittany Higgins is pictured outside the Federal Court in Sydney on December 1

A mock-up of WhatsApp messages between Bruce Lehrmann and Lyndon Biernoff is pictured

Mr Biernoff continued to check in on Mr Lehrmann throughout the week, keeping him informed about the latest developments in Ms Higgins' allegations and asking how conversations with lawyers were going.

Every time he felt down, or even hinted at how low he was feeling, Mr Biernoff would send him words of encouragement and support - even when two more women, who were not named in media reports, also accused Mr Lehrmann of rape.

On February 21, Mr Biernoff messaged him with a news article with the headline: 'A third woman has come forward claiming rape by the same man as Brittany five years ago'.

Mr Lehrmann said: 'I don't know if I can get through this.'

By that stage, he had moved on from a hospital ward and was staying in a private mental health clinic.

Mr Biernoff said: 'You have to get past feeling sorry for yourself and find the courage to overcome.'

'This is now an easy thing to overcome if you follow the obvious steps with all the intelligence, voice and street smarts you have.'

''Woe is me' can just leave the building. Stop telling yourself you can't handle this 'cause it's a lie. No time for bad days or pity parties.'

Lyndon Biernoff offered unwavering support to Bruce Lehrmann (a mock-up of the messages is pictured)

Mr Lehrmann said: 'I know, just hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.'

Mr Biernoff replied: 'It may feel like that early last week but not today - the light at the end of the tunnel is blinding.'

Mr Lehrmann said: 'I hope so.'

Mr Biernoff replied: 'I know so.'

He urged the former staffer to 'stop playing the victim' and to speak out about the allegations against him - encouraging him to control the narrative.

On February 23, he said: 'You will stay the punching bag until you change the course of the media.'

'Yeah I know,' Mr Lehrmann said.

Aside from a police interview in April 2021 that he voluntarily participated in, Mr Lehrmann did stay silent about the allegations until earlier this year when he appeared on Network Seven's Spotlight program.

Last year, after his criminal trial collapsed, Mr Lehrmann stayed at a winery in Huon, Tasmania - opposite a sprawling property owned by Mr Biernoff.

Mr Biernoff will not appear in court for the final days of the defamation trial because he has to be in Tasmania, but he plans to continue to support Mr Lehrmann from afar.

Closing submissions in his defamation trial will be heard on Thursday and Friday.
A woman who received a $193 fine for parking on her own driveway has revealed why she needs to leave her vehicle in that particular spot.

Megan Pass copped the fine this month for parking in the council-owned strip across the front of her Pimpama home on Coomera Heights Drive, on the Gold Coast.

However, she told Daily Mail Australia the steepness of the driveway closer to her home causes the car's seatbelts to lock - and that she had no choice but to leave her vehicle in the spot.

'The car's at the start of my steep driveway. I always park there because you can't buckle-up on the angle,' she said.

'We have parked there for almost seven years and never heard a peep from council or paramedics who've been here.

'Even the council workers who did roadworks here never said a peep when I asked if I was in the way.'

Megan Pass (pictured with her car) was fined $193 for parking on the council-owned part of her driveway

Ms Pass revealed her car's seatbelts lock-up if she parks any further down the driveway as it's too steep (pictured, the fine)

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate earlier argued Ms Pass was parked on 'council land' and recommended she 'park in the street or inside the house'.

'It's a safety issue... that's why they've issued it [the fine], and it's part of the local law,' he said.

Ms Pass has slammed the comment, noting parking her car on the street could obstruct emergency vehicles.

'The law is apparently in case emergency vehicles can't get through the street, why we are being asked to park in them and make it harder for emergency services to use the roads?' she said.

'I'd also like to confirm whether that means no one can park in their driveway, past the letter box, and we just can't use them at all.'

Local legislation prohibits drivers from blocking access to paths or driveways, including their own.

The council website explains a resident's driveway ends at their boundary line, while the rest of the driveway is considered a 'vehicle crossing', which is owned by council.

'You must not stop for more than two minutes across a driveway or across any other access for vehicles,' the council website states.

Ms Pass has also criticised the two-minute rule and explained even if she were to park at the house-end of her driveway, it would take more than two minutes to buckle her children's seatbelts at the road-end.

Mayor Tim Tate recommended Ms Pass 'park in the street or inside the house' but the mother believes parking on the street could obstruct emergency vehicles (pictured, where Ms Pass parks on her driveway)

The council website explains a resident's driveway ends at their boundary line, the rest of the driveway is considered a 'vehicle crossing' (above), which is owned by council

'So apparently this law means anyone, residents/tradespeople/delivery drivers can only stop for two minutes... Where is the common sense?' she said.

'[All our neighbours] have extremely steep driveways. If I park up the top I'd have to drive down to the flat to be able to buckle up.

'My kids take longer than two minutes to buckle. So apparently I can be fined for that too?'

A spokesperson from the City of Gold Coast Council told Daily Mail Australia: 'The City acts on complaints in these matters.

'Parking between a private property boundary and the kerb can create safety hazards such as forcing pedestrians onto the road to go around a vehicle and blocking emergency services access to the property.

'Offence code 043 (Stopping a vehicle on or across an access for vehicles travelling to or from adjacent land) is issued to vehicles that obstruct a driveway on public land.

'This includes vehicles parking within the driveway on public land between the private property boundary and the kerb.'

However, council's reasoning fell flat on Ms Pass who insists council should better inform residents if they're going to enforce the rule, no matter the circumstances.

Ms Pass urged council to use 'common sense' and think about the circumstances before fining residents (pictured, the photo supplied by council with Ms Pass' fine)

'People need to actually know it's a rule, 90 per cent of the reactions are saying I'm not blocking a footpath,' she said.

'I have to explain it's literally about vehicles that it's not about pedestrians. Even when a guest stays, they could be fined.

'It's one thing to have a law, it's another to not make sure people are aware and give warnings when you know full well it's not advertised.

'If it's a parking rule, maybe there should be a sign.'
The all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court last night barred Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican ballot over his role in the January 6 riot - with legal experts warning they have imperiled American democracy.

The bombshell 4-3 decision marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment - which disqualifies insurrectionists from office - has been used to eliminate a presidential candidate.

It means Trump has been taken off the ballot in the state - which has nine electoral college votes and which has been won by Democratic candidates in the last four general elections.

Colorado, which Joe Biden secured by a wide margin of 55.4 percent in 2020, will hold its Republican primary on March 5, or Super Tuesday.

Trump's campaign has already vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court and aides are confident it will be overturned in his favor by the six conservative judges.

Legal scholars have also criticized the ruling and believe the appeal will be victorious, but if it is upheld it could determine if Trump can remain on the ballot in all 50 states.

Justices Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, Monica Marquez and William W. Hood III said that they had 'little difficulty' in determining that the events of January 6 were an insurrection and that Trump did 'engage' in that alleged rebellion.

Former president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak during a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez, all circled, voted to disqualify the former president

The lawsuit was filed by the activist organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, on behalf of six Colorado voters, some Republican and some independents.

In the career-defining decision, the justices claimed that they did 'not reach these conclusions lightly' and said they were 'mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions' before them.

But legal experts last night warned that the obscure Rocky Mountain judges had lit a fuse under the nation. Legal scholar Jonathan Turley said: 'This country is a powder keg, and this court is just throwing matches at it.'

Trump last night spoke at a rally in Iowa following the landmark decision, branding Biden 'a threat to democracy' and accusing the Democrats of using 'any means necessary' to interfere in the election. His campaign team claimed the Colorado Supreme Court was under the influence of a 'Soros-funded, left-wing scheme'.

Justice Richard L. Gabriel

Justice Gabriel was first appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court in June of 2015, after years of working in commercial and intellectual property law.

A graduate of Yale University, Gabriel went on to obtain his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Gabriel, who is a native of Brooklyn, New York, was appointed to serve on the state Supreme Court in June 2015 after years of working in the state.

In 2021, The Denver Post reported that there had been harassment accusations against Gabriel by a female law clerk.

It later emerged in a report by an external body that was hired to investigate allegations of harassment and gender discrimination that the claim was unfounded.

Gabriel, who is a democrat, replaced Justice Gregory J. Hobbs Jr. when he took the job in 2015, becoming the state's 104th selection the Supreme Court.

Gabriel is also a professional trumpet player, and is known for appearing in various jazz bands in Colorado.

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Gabriel leaves the chamber after a hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023

Justice Melissa Hart

Justice Melissa Hart was officially appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court in December 2017

Prior to her current stint as a Supreme Court Justice, Hart had been a professor at the University of Colorado Law School.

It was at the University that she directed the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law.

As well as her academic career, she maintained an active pro bono practice and actively represented clients.

Hart, who grew up in Denver and graduated from Harvard Law School, had previously been implicated a discrimination lawsuit filed by a black job applicant at the Supreme Court.

Michele Brown had accused Hart and other judges of engaging in racial and age discrimination when they declined to hire her as a rules attorney.

A federal judge later threw the case out after finding no indication of discrimination from the state's judicial branch.

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa A. Hart speaks during a hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023

Monica Marquez

Justice Monica Marquez was first appointed to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court in 2010, becoming the first Latina to serve on the Court in its history.

Marquez is the first openly gay person to serve on Colorado's top court and is a member of the Colorado LGBT Bar Association. She also made history as the first Latina to serve on the court.

Marquez earned her degree from Stanford University before later obtaining her law degree from Yale Law School.

She had previously served as the Assistant Solicitor General an as Assistant Attorney General in both the Public Officials Unit and the Criminal Appellate Section.

Earlier this year she also participated in an event in collaboration with Harvard Law School.

A Colorado native, Marquez is also an openly gay woman and is a member of the Colorado LGBT Bar Association

William W. Hood III

Justice William Hood was first sworn in to serve on the court in January of 2014 after working as a litigation partner and prosecutor in Colorado's 18th Judicial District.

A graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law, he would later receive his honors in International Relations from Syracuse University.

Speaking at his appointment, then Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said: 'Hood has consistently demonstrated an ability to fairly apply the law while administering justice.

'His breadth of experience on both sides of the courtroom is invaluable to informed decisions.'

Speaking to Hood directly, he then added: 'Im quite confident that you will become, in short order, an extremely positive member of this court.'

At the time of his appointment, Hood said: 'Its an enormous undertaking and a huge responsibility, and I look forward to doing all that I can to show that I deserve the vote of confidence the governor has given me.'

Colorado Supreme Court Justice William W. Hood, III, makes a point during a hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Denver

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. December 19, 2023

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Besides the four who voted to ban Trump, Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright dissented, arguing the constitutional questions were too complex to be solved in a state hearing.

Fellow Justices Maria E. Berkenkotter and Carlos Samour also decided to dissent.

The 14th Amendment was approved after the Civil War and bars officials from seeking future office should they have 'engaged in insurrection.'

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote.

Since the ruling was issued on Tuesday night, just an hour before Trump spoke to supporters in Iowa, his team have slammed the decision by the justices.

WHAT DOES SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT SAY? No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Advertisement

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung claimed a group funded by Democratic billionaire donor George Soros was behind the decision to have Trump banned.

In a statement, Cheung said: 'Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump.

'Supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice.

'Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

'They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.'

Cheung continued: 'The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision.'

The 14th Amendment was approved after the Civil War and bars officials from seeking future office should they have 'engaged in insurrection.'

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote.

The decision may not stick - with Cheung confirming Tuesday evening that the ex-president would appeal it to the Supreme Court.

The lawsuit pointed to Trump's role in the January 6 Capitol attack and also his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley has also since slammed the court for its ruling, saying that the country was 'a powder keg, and this court is just throwing matches at it.'

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley slammed the Colorado Supreme Court for its ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot

Speaking to Fox News, Turley said: 'Well, this court just handed partisans on both sides the ultimate tool to try to shortcut elections, and it's very, very dangerous.

'I mean, this country is a powder keg, and this court is just throwing matches at it. And I think that it's a real mistake. But I think that they're wrong on the law.'

Turley, speaking to Fox's Laura Ingraham, also disagrees with the court's premise on January 6.

'You know, January 6 was many things, most of it not good. In my view it was not an insurrection. It was a riot,' he said.

He said while he understands those in violation of the law that day should face consequences, the ruling against Trump goes a step too far.

'That doesn't mean that the people responsible for that day shouldn't be held accountable. But to call this an insurrection, for the purposes of disqualification, would create a slippery slope for every state in the Union.'

Trump holds a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on February 20, 2020

Turley concluded by saying that this gets in the way of free and fair elections just ahead of the start of primary season.

In an opinion piece on his blog, Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller said that the ruling was a 'major and extraordinary' move from a state supreme court.

Muller wrote that he also believes the move could 'embolden state courts or secretaries of state' to exclude Trump from the ballot.

He said: 'I don't mean 'embolden' as a pejorativeI simply mean that Colorado is the first mover, and no other political actor has to be the first mover.

'Relatedly, other jurisdictions have a blueprint of persuasive reasoning to rely uponand, perhaps, a doctrine that could have a preclusive effect in other jurisdictions.'

On the other side of the argument, law scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen wrote in a law paper in August that Section 3 called for 'an immediate disqualification from office.'

The two, who are members of conservative advocacy group the Federalist Society, made the case that he should not be allowed to run until Congress grant him amnesty.

Backing this, law professor Laurence Tribe endorsed the view of Baude and Paulsen, saying the events of January 6 'placed [Trump] squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause'.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has also since volunteered to pull his name off Colorado's March 5 Republican primary ballot in protest.
Three alleged members of a major crime gang are expected to be charged with murder after a triple shooting police described as a heinous case of mistaken identity.

Police on Wednesday swooped on eight people they accused of being part of the Haouchar criminal syndicate after a five-month investigation triggered by a bungled gangland hit in southwest Sydney.

Ahmed Al Azzam, 25, was found seriously injured in his parked car after an early morning public shooting at Mayvic Street, in Greenacre on July 23.

He died in hospital four days later.

Eight people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with an alleged triple shooting in western Sydney in July that killed one man and injured two others

Two other people, a 22-year-old man Kaashif Richards and a 19-year-old woman Achiraya Jantharat, were wounded in a separate car parked about 50m away.

The man was left with life-changing spinal injuries after the two cars were peppered with bullets.

Detectives quickly determined the killing was tied to the Haouchar gang, which they say carried out the attack in a belief a rival gang, the Comanchero bikies, was planning an ambush.

But all three victims were wrongly targeted and had no links to the simmering feud.

NSW State Crime Command director Jason Weinstein said police were extremely motivated to track down those responsible for the shooting due to its callous nature.

'Its a heinous crime on innocent individuals...who were parked in a street in a suburb of Sydney minding their own business when they came under fire by individuals attached to an organised crime network,' he said.

Police say the shooters made no effort to determine if Mr Al Azzam or the other victims were linked to the rival gang.

Ahmad Al Azzam, 25, (pictured) was killed in the alleged shooting while he was sitting in his parked car

'It could have been any one of us in this room; any one of us in this state that was sitting there minding her own business,' Detective Chief Superintendent Weinstein said.

The Haouchar gang had since been largely dismantled, but the person who pulled the trigger during the shooting fled overseas and has remained on the run in an unknown country, police said.

Eight people were arrested in simultaneous dawn raids across Sydney and the Central Coast on Wednesday, with four in the process of being charged over Mr Al Azzam's murder and the others facing various organised crime-related offences.

Among those arrested was a 24-year-old man Marko Saric who was taken into custody at Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west, who is expected to be charged with murder for his alleged involvement in the shooting.

Another man 40-year-old Ayman Manly was arrested for allegedly being involved with the Haouchar gang but was not involved any of the shootings.

Three other men Ammar Chahal, Seru Mar-Tavuaonono and Charlton Schaaffhausen were also arrested with police set to charge the trio over Mr Al Azzam's shooting.

A 25-year-old man was arrested at Wattle Grove and a 21-year-old woman from Moorebank were also arrested along with a man from Gorokan on the NSW Central Coast.

Two men, aged 25 and 39, were already in custody for other matters and were taken from Parklea Correctional Centre and arrested at a local police station ahead of anticipated murder charges.

The victims who had no links to any criminal groups were caught in the crossfire, police allege

Several others are likely to be charged with being involved in the criminal group, while a 27-year-old taken from a Wellington prison is expected to be charged with being an accessory before the fact of the murder.

While police believe the arrests and earlier raids have taken out many high-ranking members of the gang, alleged kingpin Bilal Haouchar remains overseas.

A NSW warrant has been out for his arrest since he left the country in 2018 and he was arrested in November in Beirut.

Australia does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon, complicating any efforts to bring him before local courts.
The failures of a Victorian school and an international travel company led to the tragic and preventable death of a diabetic teenager.

That's what Coroner Audrey Jamieson found after investigating the death of Kilvington Grammar School student Lachlan Cook.

The 16-year-old, from Bentleigh in Melbourne's southeast, had been self-managing his Type 1 diabetes when he fell ill on a World Challenge-led school trip to Vietnam in September 2019.

A few days into the trip, he began vomiting and having stomach pain but he was only brought to hospital 24 hours after his first symptoms, Ms Jamieson found.

Lachlan Cook, 16, (pictured) died while on a school trip to Vietnam in September 2019. The teen, who suffered from Type 1 diabetes, fell ill just days into the trip and was taken to hospital 24 hours after experiencing his first symptom

Lachlan Cook's mother Kirsten McMahon (centre) said it was heart-breaking that a coroner found his death on an overseas school trip was preventable

Lachlan's condition quickly deteriorated and he had a heart attack, before he was flown back to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

The 16-year-old was declared brain dead and his life support was turned off on October 4, 2019.

Ms Jamieson ruled his death was preventable, and the failures and shortcomings of World Challenge and Kilvington Grammar contributed to his death.

The two Kilvington teachers on the trip, along with the World Challenge team leader, were not trained to support students with diabetes.

They also did not have access to Lachlan's diabetes management and action plans.

The 16-year-old was instead expected to monitor his own blood glucose levels and manage his symptoms, even as he became more and more unwell.

Lachlan's mother Kirsten McMahon said the finding that his death was preventable was heart-breaking.

'We can only hope that other schools and camp providers learn from our experience,' she told reporters outside court.
A prominent Southern California fertility doctor has been convicted for his wife's murder seven years after he told police she 'fell down the stairs.'

Dr. Eric Scott Sills, 58, was arrested in April 2019 over the 2016 killing, amid tension with his late wife Susann Sills. The tensions were over a nude photo his wife posted online after she lost a bet over Donald Trump's 2016 election chances.

Freed on $1million bail almost immediately afterward, he began court proceedings this past month - and prosecutors told jurors at the outset that the 45-year-old injuries were not consistent with a 'fall down the stairs' narrative.

In a statement aired Tuesday, the Orange County District Attorneys Office announced the disgraced doc - who has two young children - was found guilty of second-degree murder.

He now faces a sentence of up to 15 years to life, after sticking to the story he gave cops in a frantic call the morning of November 16, 2016.

Dr. Eric Scott Sills, 58, was arrested in April 2019 over the 2016 killing, allegedly amid tension with his late wife Susann Sills

Susann, 45, was found at the foot of the stairs in what prosecutors Tuesday labeled 'a staged accident' at their San Clemente home in November 2016

Prosecutors recalled: 'On Nov. 13, 2016, Sills called 911 and said he awoke to find the lifeless body of his wife, 45-year-old Susann Sills, after she apparently fell down the stairs.

'Evidence presented at trial showed that she died due to strangulation and blood stains were found on a wall and curtains in their daughter's bedroom where Susann was sleeping due to a migraine.

'A clump of her hair also was found in the room, indicating that there had been a violent struggle between the couple.'

Those inconsistencies, the attorneys said, proved crucial in jurors agreeing to dole out a guilty verdict for one count of second-degree murder.

Sills previously claimed to have discovered his wife's body at the bottom of the stairs in the family of four's home on the 10 block of Via Cancion in San Clement

Evidence presented at Sills November trial showed his wife died due to strangulation, prosecutors said in a statement Tuesday. They further cited blood stains found on a wall and curtains in one of their kids' bedrooms, where Susann had been sleeping due to a migraine

Those inconsistencies, the attorneys said, proved crucial in jurors agreeing to dole out a guilty verdict for one count of second-degree murder. Sills is seen in court last month, during which he stuck to the testimony he gave cops way back in 2016

Prosecutors, moreover, labeled the murder 'a staged accident' - pointing to the dad-of-two's apparent attempt to cover up the killing after 'squeez[ing] the life out of' his spouse after a series of lover's quarrels

Prosecutors, moreover, labeled the murder 'a staged accident' - pointing to the dad-of-two's apparent attempt to cover up the killing after 'squeez[ing] the life out of' his spouse after a series of lover's quarrels.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker provided jurors with an example of one of those tiffs via printouts of text messages, one of which suggested Susann posted a topless photo of herself online after losing a bet about whether Trump would win the GOP nod for the 2016 election.

A printout of an exchange with a chat group member about whether the posted photo would upset her husband was found near a printer in the doctor's office after her death, and in another chilling message, she told her husband that she 'wants out.'

Citing 'substantial injuries' on the victim's face and neck, Walker attempted to sway jurors with those exchanges, as well as another between the couple where Sill told her husband: 'You are killing me, don't you see?'

'She is frustrated, upset, feels trapped and feels like he is killing her,' Walker told the 12-person jury.

'She tells him in these texts, 'You are killing me, don't you see?'

Susann, meanwhile, had been wed to the well-off medical director for more than 10 years, and also doubled as the co-founder of the Carlsbad IVF & infertility practice where her husband worked as the head of medical operations.

Prosecutors provided jurors with an example of one of those tiffs via printouts of text messages, one of which suggested Susann posted a topless photo of herself online after losing a bet about whether Trump would win the GOP nod for the 2016 election

A printout of an exchange with a chat group member about whether the posted photo would upset her husband was found near a printer in the doctor's office after her death, and in another chilling message, she told Sills she 'wants out'

The couple also has two daughters, twins Mary-Katherine and Eric Scott II, who were around 14 at the time of the murder.

Sills is also father to two adult offspring from a previous marriage, and was described as a doting father in a 2004 alumni newsletter from his alma mater, Roane State Community College.

A section of the brief reads: 'As a father of four, [Sills] is reminded of the value of his work every day.

'Whats the biggest thrill that he gets out of his work? His answer is immediate,' it continues, before offering a quote from the now-convicted killer.

Sills told the college at the time: 'Thats an easy one! Just today, I telephoned two couples to tell them their pregnancy test was positive.

'Lately Ive been calling the husband first with the good news, so he can surprise his wife with the result.'

The newsletter goes on to remark note how at the time, more than 20 years after Sills entered his first college classroom, the doctor was an internationally recognized expert in reproductive medicine in Atlanta, where he makes his home with wife Susann.

The pair eventually moved to their posh pad in Southern California, before falling on hard times.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer on Tuesday called the doc 'diabolical,' citing how he committed the murder as not only a medical professional, but as a husband.

Sills is also father to two adult offspring from a previous marriage, and was described as a doting father in a 2004 alumni newsletter from his alma mater, Roane State Community College.

An attorney for the disbarred doctor - Jack Earley, seen here - did not immediately respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment Tuesday evening. Sills sentencing, meanwhile, is slated for March 15

'Dr. Sills was sworn to care for the sick and injured and his chosen profession as a fertility doctor helped bring so much joy to his patients but the woman he vowed to love in sickness and health was strangled to death by his own hands,' he wrote.

'Think of how diabolical you have to be  not only to kill your wife but to make it look like she had fallen down the stairs.

'It took calculated planning to commit this crime and worse of all he ruthlessly and selfishly murdered the mother of their children who now are left without their parents.

'I am grateful to the jury for the verdict and the diligent work by investigators and Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker for holding him accountable for his reprehensible act.'

An attorney for the disbarred doctor did not immediately respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment Tuesday evening. Sills sentencing, meanwhile, is slated for March 15.
Former President Donald Trump doubled down on his controversial comments claiming immigrants were 'poisoning the blood of our country' before denying he'd ever read Mein Kampf after comparisons to Adolf Hitler.

Trump said migrants from 'all over the world' are 'poisoning the blood of our country' - a phrase similar to Hitler - at a Saturday rally in New Hampshire.

The statement left Republicans disgusted and angered over the ex-president quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin along with other authoritarian leaders.

Speaking on Tuesday at an Iowa campaign rally, Trump addressed the comments and reiterated he meant what he said but denied any comparisons to the leader of the Third Reich.

'You know, when they let I think the real number's like 15, 16 million people into our country, when they do that, we got a lot of work to do. They're poisoning the blood of our country,' he said.

Former President Donald Trump doubled down on his controversial comments claiming immigrants were 'poisoning the blood of our country' before denying he'd ever read Mein Kampf after comparisons to Adolf Hitler

'It's crazy what's going on. They're ruining our country. And it's true. They're destroying the blood of our country. That's what they're doing. They're destroying our country,' Trump added.

He then immediately made reference to the controversy he'd caused across the political spectrum.

'They don't like it when I said that, and I never read Mein Kampf. They said, "Oh, Hitler said that"  in a much different way. Now they're coming from all over the world. People all over the world. We have no idea,' he said.

'They could be healthy, they could be very unhealthy. They could bring in disease that's gonna catch on in our country. But they do bring in crime. But they have them coming from all over the world.'

The phrasing has been compared to the following one in Mein Kampf: 'All great cultures of the past perished only because the originally creative race died out from blood poisoning.'

Several lawmakers recoiled at the former president saying migrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country' as part of remarks made during a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said, 'I think it's unhelpful rhetoric,' according to a Hill report. And fellow Senate GOP leadership member Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she 'obviously' doesn't agree with his language.

'We're all children of immigrants,' the West Virginia Republican said. 'It's just part of his campaign rhetoric, I guess. I don't know, I can't explain it.'

Trump said migrants from 'all over the world' are 'poisoning the blood of our country' - a phrase similar to Hitler - at a Saturday rally in New Hampshire

Republicans aren't feeling warm and fuzzy about former President Donald Trump's recent rally comments where he used the words of Adolf Hitler to talk about migrants

During the New Hampshire rally, Trump also quoted Putin by claiming President Joe Biden is a 'threat to democracy.'

'Even Vladimir Putin says that Biden's, and this is a quote, politically motivated persecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy,' the ex-president said.

Putin made the comments at an economic forum in Russia in September.

Asked about Trump citing Putin in arguments against the slew of criminal charges against him, Capito said: 'I can't be accountable for what he says.'

On the other end, Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that he doesn't care what sort of language Trump uses because his policies were more effective than Biden's in quelling the southern border crisis.

After saying they are destroying the blood of our country Trump tells the voters of Iowa that he never read Mein Kampf pic.twitter.com/rzXpG9deCp  Acyn (@Acyn) December 20, 2023

Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, Trump used a phrase that also appeared in Hitler' 1925 manifesto Mein Kampf and also quoted Vladimir Putin to defend himself against the 91 felony charges against him

While Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-Ky.) says Trump's rhetoric crossed the line, he still thinks Biden has failed to do anything to adequately address surging illegal immigration.

'My grandfather was an immigrant so I don't agree with that sentiment,' the No. 2 ranking Senate Republican said.

'We are a nation of immigrants, we're a welcoming country, but we're also a nation of laws,' he added. 'We can't allow this just rampant violation of law at the Southern border. It's out of control. It's insane.

'We're not enforcing the rule of law in our country and I think it's wrong and it sends all the wrong signals to the rest of the world,' Thune concluded.

Trump's latest rally, where he also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as well as Hungary's authoritarian leader Viktor Orban, gave Democrats more ammunition as the ex-president also faces 91 felony counts in Washington, D.C., Miami and New York.

'Donald Trump channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy,' a spokesperson for Biden's reelection campaign said.

Sen. Graham (R-S.C.) pushed back on those critical of Donald Trump 's language when describing illegal immigrants, claiming he's more worried about actions.

'You know, we're talking about language,' he told NBC News Meet the Press host Kristen Welker. 'I could (sic) care less what language people use as long as we get it right.'

'You know, I think the president has a way of talking, sometimes, I disagree with,' Graham added. 'But he actually delivered on the border.'

'People are looking for results. If the only thing you want to talk about on immigration is the way Donald Trump talks, you're missing a lot.'

An interview with former President Donald Trump's late first wife, where she claims he owned a book of Adolf Hitler's speeches and kept it at his bedside, is resurfacing after Trump said migrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country'

This isn't the first time Trump has been likened to authoritarian leaders  he even suggested in an interview earlier this month he would rule like a dictator, but only on 'day one' of a second term.

Multiple outlets have also dragged up a Vanity Fair profile from 1990 where Ivana, Trump's wife at the time, told her lawyer that Donald kept My New Order near his bed, which is a book of Hitler's speeches. Trump denied the accusation.

'[W]hen he visits Donald in his office, Ivana told a friend, he clicks his heels and says, "Heil Hitler," possibly as a family joke,' Marie Brenner, reporting for the magazine, wrote.

She later quoted Trump as responding to the accusation saying: 'If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.'

Hitler is one of the most prolific dictator's in history, rising to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming Chancellor in 1933 and then assuming the title of Fuhrer und Reichskanzler in 1934. He later led Germany into World War II and orchestrated the Holocaust, killing 6million Jews.
A paedophile who sexually abused Neighbours star Madeleine West and six other children after luring them with lollies and toys has been jailed.

Peter Vincent White, 73, pleaded guilty to 33 charges of child sexual abuse against seven children, one of whom was West, who was then named Melanie Ann Weston.

White, whose crimes include sexual penetration of a child aged under 10 and gross indecency with a child, lured children in the Victorian town of Woodend, northwest of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges.

He used his house in Woodend - which he shared with his wife and children - as a central meeting place for local children, but for seven children he sexually abused it became a house of horrors.

He enticed the children, who were aged between four and 14, with games and lollies when he targeted them between 1977 and 1988.

White was sentenced on Wednesday by the Victorian County Court to 15 years behind bar. He was glared at in court by a large number of family and friends of the victims as Justice Amanda Chambers read out the harrowing and lengthy details of his offending.

Madeleine West's abuser has been jailed aged 73 for the sexual molesting of seven young children in the Victorian country town of Woodend

The Neighbours star, then named Melanie Ann Weston (above) was lured along with to her local children by lollies and toys and then sexually assaulted by Peter White at his family home

One girl was abused during a game of hide and seek, when White said they should hide in a bed together.

A professional woodfire heater installer, White abused the children in bizarre and cruel ways, encouraging them into playing and then performing degrading sexual acts.

He coerced children to use toys and balloons on his penis, even forcing two little girls to 'put sticks' into his penis.

Ms West, who also starred on Underbelly and House Husbands, posted a lengthy message on Instagram in the wake of the sentencing.

'Todays ruling is the best Christmas gift we could wish for. It took 40 years to be delivered but now its here,' she wrote.

'Its just a pittance compared to the life sentence served by victims of childhood sexual assault, but todays ruling demonstrates that victim survivors are not alone, it was never our fault, we arent broken and that justice is possible!

'I hope my story will encourage other victims to come forward and report.

'We are a country obsessed with crime and its prevention, and sexual abuse of children stands alone as the ONLY crime that can NEVER be justified. A crime with one of the highest rates of victims, highest rates of reoffending yet lowest rates of conviction. This is a crime against CHILDREN. Of the worst possible kind.

'By continuing to pretend it doesnt happen we willfully endanger our kids, just as we were left in danger like so many generations before us. Ignorance is no longer an excuse.

'Its happening here. Its happening now. Its time to stop. Tomorrow looks bright.'

Peter Vincent White, 73, has pleaded guilty to 33 charges of child sexual abuse against seven children, one of whom was West, who was then named Melanie Ann Weston

Ms West posted a lengthy message on Instagram in the wake of the sentencing alongside this photo

In sentencing him to a minimum non-parole period of nine years, Judge Chambers said White was entering the last decades of his life, and noted her sentence carried a genuine prospect he would die in jail.

Two of White's victims had confronted him in 2022 after reporting the abuse to police.

In both cases, recorded by the women, he claimed he couldn't remember his crimes.

'I can't remember doing anything like that ... if I did, I don't remember,' he told one woman.

He said he was sorry if he did, but it had been 'washed from my mind'.

White made similar comments to another woman, denying that he targeted her and saying it was just something that happened at the time.

READ MORE: The heartbreaking meaning behind Madeleine West's selfie Advertisement

The offending at his family home often happened at night when his children were asleep and when his wife, who was deaf, was unlikely to be disturbed.

He was aged between 26 and 38.

One of the children disclosed the offending when he was in his mid-teens, causing his father to confront White who promised never to do anything to anyone ever again.

Judge Chambers said the victim later disclosed the offending to his wife, who encouraged him to report it to police after becoming aware of other victims through media reports.

One young girl disclosed the offending to a family friend, who told her mother, but Judge Chambers said the girl's mother did not believe her.

A boy disclosed the abuse to his father in the mid-1990s but no action was taken.

Police first spoke to White about abuse allegations in 2019 and he was first charged in November 2022.

Judge Chambers said there was no doubt his offending had a profound and devastating impact on the lives of each of his victims.

She found his plea was an indication of remorse, but there was little other evidence he was genuinely remorseful for his offending or its impact.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay has said he is 'lucky to be alive' after a terrifying battle with sepsis saw him placed in an induced coma with multiple organ failure.

The MP for South Thanet was rushed to hospital in September and has spent the last few months in recovery.

In letter written to his constituents he said that he was on the 'road to recovery' after undergoing 'some extreme surgery'.

Mr Mackinlay wrote in a letter seen by The Times: 'Treatment by the NHS has been exemplary and I'm extremely lucky to be alive.

'The road to recovery is under way, which has included some extreme surgery. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say about the experience over the months ahead.

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay has said he is 'lucky to be alive' after a terrifying battle with sepsis. Pictured outside Downing Street in September 2019

The MP for South Thanet was rushed to hospital in September spending time in recovery. Pictured: Mr Mackinlay outside Southwark Crown Court in January 2019

The 57-year-old first revealed his ordeal in October taking to X to inform his constituents in Kent that they would continue to be served by his office staff while he recuperates

'For now, I'd like to send my heartfelt thanks to the many constituents who have sent their good wishes. I've been overwhelmed by the kindness of friends and strangers.'

The 57-year-old first revealed his ordeal in October taking to X to inform his constituents in Kent that they would continue to be served by his office staff while he recuperates.

Sepsis, also called septicaemia or blood poisoning, occurs when a person's immune system overreacts to an infection. It then begins to damage your body's own tissues and organs.

Mr Mackinlay previously wrote: 'On Thursday 28 September I was rushed into hospital with the potential for sepsis.

'This was indeed correct and I was placed into an induced coma with multiple organ failures.

'Treatment has been exemplary by all NHS staff and I cant thank them enough.

'I am now on a slow road to recovery with services to constituents maintained by my East Kent and London offices.'

The Prime Minister was among a host of politicians from all parties to send their well wishes to Mr Mackinlay.

Mr Mackinlay first revealed his terrifying ordeal in October. Pictured: The MP speaking in the House of Commons

The Prime Minister was among a host of politicians from all parties to send their well wishes to the 57-year-old after he revealed his ordeal

Rishi Sunak replied to Mr Mackinlay to wish him a 'full and speedy recovery', while Cabinet ministers James Cleverly, Therese Coffey, Robert Jenrick also sent their wishes to their Tory colleague.

Labour shadow minister Jess Phillips revealed her own past battle with sepsis, posting to Mr Mackinlay: 'My gosh, please take care.

'I had sepsis after my second baby was born, you will need a lot of time to recover. Take care.'

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron wrote: 'Praying for a full recovery Craig. Take it easy.'

Mr Mackinlay was first elected Conservative MP for South Thanet at the 2015 general election, having previously been a deputy leader of UKIP in the late 1990s.

He has become a prominent Tory backbencher known for his strong backing for Brexit and as the head of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group.
Commuters are facing more chaos on the London Underground in the new year after tube workers voted to walkout once again in a long-running dispute over pay.

Members of the militant Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union overwhelmingly rejected the five per cent pay offer from Transport for London (TfL), with 90.5 per cent voting in favour of strike action.

The planned industrial action comes as a huge blow for Sadiq Khan marking the breakdown of the 'ceasefire' between TfL and the unions earlier this year, when strikes over pensions and station were called off in the eleventh hour.

Union bosses will meet today to discuss the next steps in their planned action.

A spokesperson for TfL said: 'We are disappointed that RMT has achieved a mandate for strike action based on our full and final pay offer.

London Underground workers have voted to walkout again in the New Year. Pictured: A near empty tube carriage

The planned industrial action comes as a huge blow for Sadiq Khan marking the breakdown of the 'ceasefire' between TfL and the unions earlier this year. Pictured: The London Mayor at an event in September

'We have been clear throughout our productive discussions with our trade unions that this offer is the most we can afford whilst ensuring that we can operate safely, reliably and sustainably.

'We remain open for discussions and will do everything in our power to avoid disruption to Londoners.'

TfL said it had offered staff a 5 per cent pay increase for 2023. It said while some roles on the Tube had a pay range frozen for the year it impacted 'less than 2 per cent of London Underground colleagues'.

Last week, Aslef union accepted a new pay offer for Tube drivers in London.

Aslef's full-time organiser on London Underground, Finn Brennan, said: 'This offer means we have achieved, for our Tube train driver members, a 13.8 per cent pay rise over two years.

'It is a no-strings offer, which shows that agreements can be reached without industrial action, when employers are prepared to sit round the table and negotiate a settlement.'

This year has been blighted with tube and rail strikes causing chaos to many trying to get to work.
SBS has apologised not once, but twice, to Warren Mundine, over a heated exchange on the night of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, when he was campaigning for the No vote.

Mr Mundine on October 14 appeared on the public broadcaster's show The Point, where fireworks erupted between him, host Narelda Jacobs and prominent Yes advocate Marcia Langton as votes were counted.

A furious Jacobs slammed Mr Mundine for what she said was was the 'twisting' of Professor Langton's words, and jumped to the academic's defence, saying she was a 'national treasure'.

This came after he had said Prof Langton had 'racially abused this country'. The resulting row led to Mr Mundine's microphone being cut and being booted off air.

But now, two months later, the taxpayer-funded broadcaster has finally apologised to the former SBS board member by letter.

Warren Mundine (pictured) unleashed on Indigenous activist Marcia Langton live on air

ABC presenter is axed days after starting her radio job over 'anti-Israel comments' Advertisement

Mr Mundine was so upset about how he was treated on election night, he complained to SBS the following day.

'In that interview I said Marcia Langton, who was a panellist on the show, had called Australia a racist country and had racially abused people,' he wrote, in a letter quoted by the Herald Sun.

'Ms Jacobs interrupted me and made the following comment: "We're not going to sit here and take you abusing a national treasure like Marcia Langton who never said that Australians were racist  I'm going to stop you there, Warren. Well, we've just seen who Warren Mundine is."

'This comment by Ms Jacobs was false,' Mr Mundine said. 'In 2017, Ms Langton said "Of course, Australia's racist. It's a horrible racist country." I was, in fact, quoting Ms Langton's exact words.'

He also complained about his microphone being turned off, which stopped him from being able to defend himself.

In a letter almost 2,000 words long, SBS ombudsman Amy Stockwell finally admitted the company was wrong in both matters.

'You have indicated in your complaint you were referring to a recording of comments reportedly made by Professor Langton in 2017,' Ms Stockwell wrote.

'The host and panellists understood you were referring to comments made by Professor Langton the previous month in Bunbury 

'Given the timing and the context of the program, the host's belief you were referring to the comments made by the professor during the referendum campaign was not unreasonable,' her letter dated December 13 said.

Narelda Jacobs (pictured) slammed Mr Mundine for what she said was was the 'twisting' of Marcia Langton's words, calling the academic a 'national treasure'

On the matter of Jacobs' praise of Prof Langton and her comment that 'Well, we've just seen who Warren Mundine is', Ms Stockwell used a complicated explanation.

'The terms chosen for that specific intervention, particularly the character observation in the closing statement, gave the impression one perspective had been unduly favoured over another in a way that was inconsistent with the impartiality provisions of the (SBS) Code,' she wrote.

Ms Stockwell also acknowledged that turning off Mr Mundine's microphone 'meant you and the audience did not receive the benefit of your reply'.

The ombudsman then finally got to the point and 'SBS apologises for these breaches ... The content will not be rebroadcast.'

An SBS spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that 'The SBS ombudsman investigated a small number of complaints received in relation to The Point: Australia Decides program, broadcast on 14 October.

'The ombudsman found two breaches of the SBS Code of Practice as part of those investigations, relating to impartiality and balance.

'We note the SBS ombudsman's findings related to elements of a robust exchange between guests during the live program.

'The intention of the actions taken by the program team was to ensure that the conversation taking place remained clear for audiences, fact-based and a safe space for discussion.'

Mr Mundine said it was 'bleeding obvious they broke their code. I'm glad they said that.'

Mr Mundine said Professor Langton (pictured) had 'racially abused this country'. The resulting row led to Mr Mundine's microphone being cut and being booted off air

He told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday night that 'They treated me with disrespect. I'm really happy with the result.'

The campaigner also said that people who voted No in the referendum were not racist, 'They just want to see results' for Indigenous people.

Mr Mundine said he knew a lot of people who voted No who would have voted Yes 'if it had been explained to them how the Voice would make a difference'.

Ultimately, he said he was 'glad I put a complaint in. Blind Freddy could have seen (what happened to me) was wrong.'
Australia's most notorious paedophile has been sentenced to 36 years in jail.

Jadd Brooker, 41, from Glenelg East in Adelaide, admitted to 182 crimes against 96 victims.

Brooker, who is HIV-positive, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child and disseminating child exploitation material.

He was on Wednesday sentenced to 36 years in prison, including 29 years non-parole - the second-longest jail term for a crime of that nature in the state's history.

Some of Brooker's victims were as young as 12-years-old.

Before he was arrested, the 41-year-old told his child exploitation syndicate that he wanted to infect children with HIV and even filmed himself trying to infect a child.

Jadd Brooker, 41, has been sent to prison for 36 years over a string of child sex offences

Brooker, from Glenelg East in Adelaide, admitted to committing 182 crimes against 96 victims, some as young as 12

Brooker pursued 20 children, in person and online, for sex and was found to be in possession of 4.5 million images and 50,000 messages of child exploitation.

Much of his offending, which took place over a number of years, was explicit and depraved, Justice Adam Kimber said.

'When children are victims of sexual offending, all of society is degraded,' he told the South Australian Supreme Court.

He filmed himself having sexual intercourse with several underage males and shared the recordings with a ring of like-minded adults.

This amounted to an 'egregious breach of trust', Justice Kimber said.

His victims included boys in Adelaide, NSW and the US. One was 12 years old when his offending began.

'He was a particularly vulnerable child,' Justice Kimber said.

'He has become scared, anxious, depressed and suffers panic attacks. He has difficulties with trust.'

Brooker pursued 20 children, in person and online, for sex and was found to be in possession of 4.5 million images and 50,000 messages of child exploitation

The majority of his victims were unidentified - the subjects of child exploitation material he received or disseminated. But these were not victimless crimes, the judge said.

The material included explicit and sometimes violent sexual acts being perpetrated against children as young as toddlers.

'Children have been exploited, sometimes in horrific ways,' Justice Kimber said.

'Sending this material to others victimises each child. Each and every time.'

Speaking to reporters outside court, one of Brooker's victims described him as 'a vile, vile man' and said hearing the horrific details of his offending in court made him sick to the stomach.

'I hope this sentence is a life sentence for him and that he will never, ever get out to do more damage,' he said.

Justice Kimber said the 12-year-old boy abused by Brooker had 'become scared, anxious, depressed and suffers panic attacks. He has difficulties with trust'

The Supreme Court in October was told about Brooker's lack of remorse and empathy for his victims.

The court was told Brooker was a deceitful, manipulative and dishonest pervert who had a grandiose view of himself.

Clinical director of South Australia's Forensic Mental Health Service Psychiatrist Narain Nambiar told the court Brooker would reoffend.

He claimed conversations between Brooker and syndicate members showed would go to extreme lengths to abuse children.

'Brooker demonstrates a particular attitude that supports sexual exploitation and violence, and encouraging others to engage in that behaviour,' Dr Nambiar said.
This is the moment a woman is seen walking her camel through the streets of London as locals watch on in disbelief.

A video posted on social media shows a woman leading the animal down a quiet residential road reportedly in Chingford, in north London.

The viral clip has left people in hysterics, with some joking that it was a 'great way to get around ULEZ charges' while another said it is 'Ubers new XL vehicle'.

However, locals claimed the bizarre procession is orchestrated as part of a Christmas nativity show and the camel is usually accompanied by three wise men.

It is unclear where the animal came from and, while it is not illegal to keep them as pets in the UK, owners do require a licence from their local council.

** Do YOU know the woman? Email eleanor.blake@mailonline.co.uk **

This is the moment a woman is seen walking her camel through the streets of London as locals watch on in disbelief

The viral clip has left people in histerics, with some joking that it was a 'great way to get around ULEZ charges' while another said it is 'Ubers new XL vehicle'

The video was filmed by a woman who, after being alerted to the unique sighting by a young girl, refused to believe such an animal was roaming the streets.

She can be heard in the video saying: 'Nah, I'm seeing too much weird stuff today. What is going on? What is going on?'

The young girl then adds: 'See I told you it was a camel.'

The woman then says: 'Listen this little girl told me there was a camel outside. I thought she was lying. I actually thought she was capping.'

The hilarious video was posted to X on December 18 by the account @UB1UB2 and has already amassed more than 378,000 views.

After seeing the viral video, users were quick to pile in jokes explaining why the animal was walking around in London.

One person said: 'Great way to get around ULEZ charges,' while another added: 'It's Ubers new XL vehicle,very popular in London beats the traffic.'

A fourth person commented: 'It's got the hump with the ulez'. A fourth joked that the camel was 'faster than the Elizabeth line'.

The video was filmed by a woman who, after being alerted to the unique sighting by a young girl, refused to believe such an animal was roaming the streets

She can be heard in the video saying: 'Nah, I'm seeing too much weird stuff today. What is going on? What is going on?'

After seeing the viral video, X users were quick to pile in jokes explaining why the animal was walking around in London

Following the speculation, one local seemingly explained the bizarre incident. They said: 'This didn't happen in SouthHall. It happened in Chingford.

'They march it down the road most years with a few wise men and that. Don't ask me where they get it from.'

A nativity run by the True Life Baptist Church has previously received criticism for including a live camel and a donkey.

The 45 minute procession from Chingford Station took place in 2020 and had reportedly been taking years for five years prior as well.

Animal rights activists called for the procession to be banned and staged a protest againt the event.

Nick Gibb, who helped organise the event, said at the time: 'It is about a 45 minute walk and the people riding the animals have to be a certain weight. The animals are chosen specially and they from are a very caring [sanctuary].

'People really enjoy the event and it is all about the real the meaning of Christmas and bringing that to the community.

'I think [the activists] are very sincere, we all love animals as well.

'But the handlers are really reputable firms and these were the animals in the nativity story.'
A young couple are among three people killed in a horrifying crash on a country highway.

John Erickson, his partner Vika and their housemate - a woman in her 20s - were killed when the car they were travelling in crashed on the Kamilaroi Highway near Curlewis, about 20km south of Gunnedah in north-west New South Wales, at around 6.30am on Wednesday.

They were driving to Baiada Poultry Factory, where they work, when the car hit a tree, 7News reported.

John Erickson, his partner Vika and their housemate - a woman in her 20s - were killed when the car they were travelling in crashed

Friend Maryann Tolesdilo said John and Vika had only recently moved to Australia from Indonesia

The three dead passengers were travelling in the back of the vehicle.

The 24-year-old male driver was taken to Tamworth Hospital with arm and chest injuries.

A female passenger in the front seat suffered internal injuries and was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle in a serious condition.

Friend Maryann Tolesdilo said John and Vika had only recently moved to Australia from Indonesia.

'Oh they're beautiful people. Young, and the dreams and hopes were there,' she said.

Police are looking onto whether heavy rainfall contributed to the crash.

They are also investigating whether the passengers were wearing seatbelts.

The three dead passengers were travelling in the back of the vehicle

The crash occurred 20km south of Gunnedah in north-west NSW, killing three passengers who were inside the vehicle

'It's early stages,' Oxley Police District commander Superintendent Bruce Grassick said.

'This is a tragic set of circumstances leading up to Christmas.'

A horror crash has killed three people on a country highway just days out from Christmas.

The crash has shut down the Kamilaroi Highway between Curlewis and Gunnedah. Motorists are urged to avoid the area and monitor www.livetraffic.com for updates.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash  or has any available dashcam footage  to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Iceland's ongoing volcanic eruption could see new fissures open up and rip apart the nearby town of Grindavik, experts have warned, as the area remains on high alert amid uncertainty around what the coming days will bring.

The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, which began on Monday night, signals a heightened risk of volcanic fissures opening without warning inside the fishing town - which is home to some 4,000 people and was evacuated after it began to be shaken by earthquakes weeks ago.

Locals have shared videos of their homes being ripped apart, with houses sealed and a number of people told they cannot return after the force of the tremors ripping homes from their foundations.

Iceland's tourism industry, driven by attractions including the Blue Lagoon which is just a stone's throw from the eruption, has also taken a huge hit - with some flights delayed and nervous holidaymakers cancelling reservations and pushing back their trips for the coming months.

'The future is still uncertain,' Icelandic tourist board boss Johannes or Skulason told MBL.is. 'We have to see how this eruption plays out. If the upheavals continue for a long time, the impact on the tourism industry can be great into next year.'

Meanwhile, people around the world have marvelled at the stunning new images coming out of the country, with drone footage showing the steaming lava flows pouring out over snow-capped mountains and laying bare the extent of the 2.5 mile (4km) chasm.

Bubbling lava pours out of chasms near the town of Grindavik, Iceland on December 19

Molten lava is comming out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula 3km north of the evacuate town of Grindavik, western Iceland on December 19

A close up of the Southern active segment of the original fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula

Tens of thousands of tremors have been recorded around Grindavik since a 'seismic swarm' first rattled the region in late October, with the Fagradalsfjall volcano threatening for weeks to erupt before Monday's explosion at Sundhnukagiga, which has unleashed a much larger flow than any seen in recent years.

With a huge magma tunnel stretching beneath Grindavik fissures could still open without warning, geophysicist Benedikt Ofeigsson told Icelandic news outlet DV.

'A magma tunnel was also formed [underground] from which the eruption emerged, and it extends considerably further south and north than the fissures themselves, and we can fully expect that they will start erupting without warning, as actually happened in Fagradalsfjall,' Ofeigsson warned.

Experts are due to meet to assess the ongoing situation on Wednesday morning after an update last night that the eruption has been weakening.

The volcano has been spewing enough lava to fill an Olympic swimming pool every 20 seconds, an expert said on Tuesday.

David Pyle, a professor of Earth sciences at Oxford University told Live Science that earthquakes around the eruption area have now died down, suggesting the fissure has stabilised.

'The eruption rate is likely to be in the region of a few hundred cubic metres of lava per second  enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool in about 20 seconds,' Pyle told LiveScience.

'The length of the fissure may be an indication of how much magma had been able to accumulate in the crust over the past few weeks.'

The Icelandic Met Office said in a statement last night: 'The lava flow is estimated to be about one-quarter of what it was at the beginning of the eruption on 18 December, and a third of the original fissure is active.'

Police have said that the eruption does not pose a danger to life and that no injuries have been reported so far, despite thrill-seekers flocking to the area.

While locals and tourists alike have to witness the incredible nighttime scenes firsthand, authorities have warned that the darkness makes the site even more dangerous.

A drone is capturing the lava flow from the erupting volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula

Scientist of the University of Iceland take measurements and samples standing on the ridge in front of the active part of the eruptive fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik

The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula just north of the evacuated town of Grindavik began last night at around 10.17 pm after an earthquake swarm, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, referring to a series of small shakes

Lava comes to the surface at the site which is a short distance from the town of Grindavik

Billowing smoke and flowing lava turning the sky orange are seen in this Icelandic Coast Guard handout image during an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula on Monday

The biggest risk posed to people living near the volcano is volcanic fumes, authorities said, which could cause trouble breathing or choking.

Fears that poisonous gas from the eruption would impact the Reykjanes peninsula overnight fortunately did not come to pass.

Pollution levels have gone up in parts of the peninsula however, raising concerns among experts.

People are being asked to stay away from the area as smoke and ash continues to emanate from the eruption.

The Icelandic Met Office estimates that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second escaped the volcano in the first two hours of the eruption began on Monday, though this has reduced significantly since.

The lava is about 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,200 degrees Fahrenheit).

The volcano last erupted in March 2021, but before that had been dormant for 6,000 years.
Donald Trump was last night disqualified from Colorado's presidential primary ballot by the state's Supreme Court after a landmark ruling found that he allegedly incited the Capitol riots on January 6.

Although the unprecedented ruling has sent shock waves through US politics and threatens to dash Trump's reelection hopes, it remains to be seen whether the Republican frontrunner will actually be hindered.

The former president's campaign have called the court decision 'undemocratic' and immediately vowed to fight back by appealing the ruling to the US Supreme Court.

The high court, which conveniently has a 6-3 conservative majority and includes three Trump appointees, could overturn the decision on Constitutional grounds, putting the Republican back on the ballot for the 2024 presidential election.

It comes after Trump's campaign projected he could formally clinch the Republican presidential nomination by March 19 - about two weeks after the schedules start of his federal trial on trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Here, DailyMail.com looks at all the big questions after Trump's disqualification ruling in Colorado.

Donald Trump was last night disqualified from Colorado 's presidential primary ballot by the state's Supreme Court

What did the Colorado judges rule based on the 14th amendment of the US Constitution?

Although a slim 4-3 majority, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Trump has been disqualified from the state's ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The clause bars anyone engaged in 'insurrection or rebellion' from holding federal office, sparking several questions ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

It was originally used to keep former Confederate civil and military officeholders from serving in government, but this is the first time it has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

A lower court judge previously ruled that Trump's actions on January 6, 2021, during a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters amounted to insurrection but stopped short of disqualifying him, saying Section 3 does not apply to presidents.

The Colorado Supreme Court paused its own ruling pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, which Trump said he will immediately seek.

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez, all circled, voted to disqualify the former president

What does that mean for Trump?

The Colorado Supreme Court has declared former president Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution's insurrection clause.

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote in its 4-3 majority.

As it stands, the Colorado ruling only applies to the state's Republican primary, which means Trump will not appear on the ballot for that vote on March 5.

However, the result would likely impact Trump's status in the state for November general election.

The decision sets up a likely showdown in the nation's highest court to decide whether the frontrunner for the Republican nomination can remain in the race.

The US Constitution imposes several restrictions on who can run for president, such as Section 35 which states that only 'natural-born citizens' can stand, while an individual can only serve two terms.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

Most of these clauses are easily settled, but section 3 of the 14th amendment requires a judge to decide what count as insurrection and who can be disqualified.

It states: 'No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of president and vice-president, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, 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.'

It does not explicitly mention presidency, raising legal questions over whether it applies in Trump's case.

What can Trump do now?

Trump's campaign called the court decision 'undemocratic.'

'The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court,' a campaign spokesperson said.

He and his allies have criticized disqualification cases in Colorado and several other states as undemocratic and part of a conspiracy by his political rivals to keep him out of office.

Mr Trump's legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement on Tuesday night: 'This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nation's democracy.

'It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.'

Trump and his allies have criticized disqualification cases in Colorado and several other states as undemocratic and part of a conspiracy by his political rivals to keep him out of office.He is seen here in Colorado Springs in 2016

Mr Trump did not mention the decision during a rally on Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa, but his campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a 'tyrannical ruling'.

Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labelled the decision 'Election interference' and said the RNC's legal team intends to help Mr Trump fight the ruling.

Mr Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and does not need the state to win next year's presidential election.

But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorado's lead and exclude Mr Trump from must-win states.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationally to disqualify Mr Trump under Section 3, which was designed to keep former Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War.

What about the March 4 court case on Trump's role in the insurrection?

Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case in Washington is scheduled for March 4 - although appeals of issues central to the case are threatening to change that.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Wednesday put the case on hold while Trump pursues his claim in higher courts that he is immune from prosecution.

Chutkan raised the possibility of keeping the March date if the case promptly returns to her court, but it is possible the appeal could tie up the case for months.

Trump's criminal indictments have so far only increased his support, meaning it is unlikely the latest Colorado ruling will negatively impact his fanbase.

His campaign have already pointed to the fact that the Colorado Supreme Court's justices were all appointed by Democratic governors.

Trump's criminal indictments have so far only increased his support, meaning it is unlikely the latest Colorado ruling will negatively impact his fanbase. Here he is pictured at a rally in Reno, Nevada, on December 17

What did the judges who didn't vote to disqualify him say?

It is not clear how the Supreme Court would rule, but it is dominated by a conservative majority that includes three Trump appointees, some of whom are longtime sceptics of giving courts powers that are not clearly based in legislation.

That was a top concern for the dissenting justices in the 4-3 Colorado decision, who said the majority's ruling would strip Trump of one of his most basic rights without adequate due process.

They noted that Trump has not been convicted of insurrection by a jury and did not have the right to subpoena records or compel witnesses to testify in the case, among other basic rights afforded to criminal defendants.

Can Trump still run for president in other states?

Yes. The ruling in Colorado does not apply to other states, though it could embolden others to take action.

Although Colorado is not a competitive state for Trump, if he were to be disqualified from the ballot in a swing state, it would put Republicans at a massive disadvantage.

Voters and advocacy groups have sued to block Trump from the ballot in more than 12 states, but at least seven of them have failed for a variety of reasons.

Courts in Michigan, New Hampshire and Florida have dismissed similar cases on procedural and jurisdictional grounds, with some rulings stating that courts do not have the power to unilaterally disqualify candidates from ballots.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has also rejected a disqualification case.
A Pakistani couple accused of 'honour killing' their daughter after she refused their demands to marry a cousin in their homeland were jailed for life in Italy yesterday.

The body of 18-year-old Saman Abbas was dug up in November 2022 in an abandoned farmhouse near the fields where her father worked in northern Italy. She was found to have a broken neck.

This was a year and a half after she was last seen alive on surveillance video walking near the same fields with per parents.

The tribunal in Reggio Emilia in central Italy ruled that the parents ordered the murder, and that an uncle had strangled his niece.

Italian prosecutors had argued that she was was killed by her family on May 1, 2021. A few days later, her parents flew from Milan to Pakistan.

The body of 18-year-old Saman Abbas (pictured) was dug up in November 2022 in an abandoned farmhouse near the fields where her father worked in northern Italy

The parents, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, were sentenced to life in prison, while her uncle, Danish Hasnain, was handed a 14-year prison term after accepting a plea bargain. Two cousins were found not guilty and were released from jail.

Abbas' father, who was extradited from Pakistan in August, professed his innocence during a tearful statement to the court before deliberations.

His wife, Shaheen, was tried in absentia and is believed to still be in Pakistan.

The trial was the most high-profile of several criminal investigations in Italy in recent years dealing with the slaying or mistreatment of immigrant women or girls who rebelled against family insistence that they marry someone chosen for them.

An autopsy revealed the young woman had a broken neck bone, possibly caused by strangulation, in a case that has shocked the country.

The parents, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, were sentenced to life in prison, while her uncle, Danish Hasnain (pictured), was handed a 14-year prison term after accepting a plea bargain. Two cousins were found not guilty were released from jail

Saman Abbas's mother Shaheen was tried in absentia and is believed to still be in Pakistan

Abbas had emigrated as a teenager from Pakistan to a farm town, Novellara, in Italy's northern region of Emilia-Romagna.

She quickly embraced Western ways, including shedding her headscarf, getting piercings, wearing eyeliner and dating a young man of her choice.

In one social media post, she and her Pakistani boyfriend were shown kissing on a street in the regional capital, Bologna.

According to Italian investigators, that kiss enraged Abbas' parents, who wanted her to marry a cousin in Pakistan.

Abbas had reportedly told her boyfriend that she feared for her life, because of her refusal to marry an older man in her homeland.

Abbas had denounced her parents to the police and social workers placed her in a shelter in November 2020.

Abbas (pictured) had emigrated as a teenager from Pakistan to a farm town, Novellara, in Italy's northern region of Emilia-Romagna

The body of 18-year-old Saman Abbas was dug up in November 2022 in an abandoned farmhouse (pictured) near the fields where her father worked in northern Italy

But she visited her family in April 2021, planning to pick up her passport and start a new life with her boyfriend.

She disappeared soon after, and police, alerted by the boyfriend, raided the family home in May but the parents had already left for Pakistan.

Her brother told police that he had overheard his father talking about the murder and that it was the uncle who had killed his sister.

The young woman was probably killed the night of April 30 to May 1, according to surveillance camera footage showing five people leaving the family home with shovels, crowbars and buckets, before returning two and a half hours later.
A woman is dead and another is in hospital after a man allegedly stormed into a real estate office and stabbed the pair in a 'random' attack - just days after being released from a mental health facility.

The man, who was also allegedly armed with a hammer, was seen entering REAL Estate Agents Group on Lydia Street in Plympton, Adelaide, at about 3.40pm on Wednesday.

Emergency services raced to the area and found a man 'calmly' waiting outside while the gravely injured women remained indoors.

Paramedics attempted to revive property manager Julie Seed, 38, for more than an hour with the help of a specialist Medstar team, but she died shortly at the scene.

The surviving woman, who is in her 40s, was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with critical injuries where she has since undergone emergency surgery.

Police arrested a 30-year-old man, who was not known to either of the women, and he is expected to be charged with murder.

A specialist team of Medstar paramedics worked for more than an hour to save Julie Seed, 38, but were unsuccessful and she died at the scene

Police are investigating an apparent random stabbing attack in Plympton on Wednesday afternoon

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Chillingly, the last post uploaded by the real estate office on Facebook had warned that 'tomorrow is promised to no one'.

'You never know when the sand is going to run out of the hourglass,' the post added.

Witnesses told 9News that they were helpless to do anything besides listen on as they heard screaming begin as soon as the man entered the building.

'I just hear some lady screaming and I listen to the door as it just crashed closed,' one woman said.

'To stand here and watch has been really scary and horrifying to see,' another added.

The real estate building is located next to a supermarket car park where families were among those who watched the tragic events unfold.

Two witnesses said that the man was 'calm' and able to be talked down before police arrived, adding that he dropped a hammer and sat outside.

SA Health confirmed the man who was taken into custody was released from an intensive mental health treatment order on Monday.

The chief psychiatrist will now review the case.

One woman in her 30s died at the scene and another in her 40s was taken to hospital with serious injuries. A 30-year-old man was arrested and is expected to be charged with murder

The last Facebook post from the real estate agency posted on November 20 eerily read that 'tomorrow is promised to no one'

Major crime detectives and forensic investigators are now surrounding the area on Lydia Street, which has been closed.

In a press conference on Wednesday night, Detective Chief Inspector Kieran Baggoley said the man in custody was known to police.

'At this stage it is very early in the investigation [but] it is expected that this is a random attack,' he said.

'There is no information to suggest it is anything other than that.

'There is no motive related to robbery that we have identified at this time.'

Det Chief Insp Baggoley added that a knife and a small hammer had been recovered from the scene and that forensics officers would remain there overnight.

Police have asked the public to avoid the area, which is about 6.6km from the Adelaide CBD.

Officers allege a man was seen wandering around Lydia Street and Anzac Highway prior to the attack and have asked anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Since the shattering impact of Brianna's murder in February, her mother Esther has focused her grief into a campaign to encourage children to behave with 'empathy and compassion' to one another.

Determined to find a positive from the unfathomable tragedy, the food technologist has raised tens of thousands of pounds towards teaching mindfulness in schools.

She has spoken of her hope that killings like Brianna's could be averted by encouraging young people to learn greater empathy towards their peers.

Speaking before the trial on the eve of what would have been her daughter's 17th birthday, Ms Ghey said it was what Brianna herself would have wanted.

She has begun delivering assemblies in schools in the North West of England, saying mental health techniques are almost 'more important than academic skills'.

'You could come out with all straight As but if you can't cope in life, if you are really struggling with anxiety and you don't know how to manage that, then you'reultimately not going to be able to contribute to society in the way that you would like,' she told ITV News.

Esther (pictured with Brianna) has begun delivering assemblies in schools in the North West of England to try and prevent future tragedies like the one that rocked her family from happening

Brianna was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in a frenzied attack on February 11

Follow every detail of the case on The Mails acclaimed podcast The Trial The Trial...takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest trials in the world. The first series 'The Trial of Lucy Letby' was a global hit, with more than 13 million downloads, while season two focused on the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland. Its third season follows the tragic case of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl killed in Warrington, England. Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from The Daily Mail's Northern Correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham. Advertisement

Paradoxically, Ms Ghey, 37, was encouraged to try to find the positives from her unimaginable loss after being targeted by trolls following Brianna's murder.

After initially wanting to 'hide away', she realised the trolls were the ones who were 'massively struggling' and needed help.

It coincided with her interest in mindfulness which began when she and partner Wes Powell took up wild swimming during the Covid lockdowns.

Their Peace In Mind campaign, run with support of the Warrington Guardian, aims to deliver mindfulness techniques in primary and secondary schools.

It has so far raised over 30,000 to send teachers on courses run by charity Mindfulness in Schools Project (MISP).

According to MISP, 'mindfulness helps train your attention to be more aware of what is actually happening, rather than worrying about what has happened or might happen'.

Launching the campaign, Ms Ghey said the objective was to allow children to process and deal with negative emotions in a healthy way  preventing mental health problems from developing in later life.

'The crime that was inflicted on Brianna is not a one off,' she said. 'Senseless acts of violence are happening far too often.

'I believe to prevent this from reoccurring we need to weave empathy, compassion, and resilience throughout our society.'

Paradoxically, Ms Ghey, 37, was encouraged to try to find the positives from her unimaginable loss after being targeted by trolls following Brianna's murder (Brianna is pictured)

READ MORE - Two torture-obsessed teenagers are found guilty of murdering Brianna Ghey Advertisement

The campaign has won the backing of 80s icon Boy George and trans newsreader India Willoughby.

Ms Ghey said she hopes that the project will also help children like Brianna who struggle with their mental health.

Speaking to Pink News earlier this year she said 'children nowadays have it so difficult, they've got the internet, pressures at school, pressures in society, social media'.

'I want them to have this mental resilience as well and also empathy towards themselves.

'If they have empathy towards themselves, they should have empathy towards other people and be a little bit more understanding of how other people are.'

Brianna's father Peter Spooner rubs his eye as he arrives at court with his partner by his side

People leave flowers near Linear Park in Culcheth in February where Brianna Ghey was found

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Ms Ghey added that she and her elder daughter Alisha, 18, drew support from vigils held around the world following Brianna's death.

'I really, really appreciate that and it just shows how much good and love is actually in the world.'

Praising the 'great dignity' shown by Ms Ghey and Brianna's father, Peter Spooner, throughout the court process, Detective Superintendent Mike Evans, head of Cheshire CID, said: 'They have been an absolute credit and our hearts go out to them.'

To support the Brianna Ghey memorial fundraiser, please click here.
A desperate search is continuing for a teenager who was one of two boys who fell into a blowhole, as details emerge about what caused them to slip.

The missing boy Lauchlon Humphries, 14, was on the rocks at Cape Bridgewater, near Portland 365km south-west of Melbourne on Tuesday, with school friend, aged 15.

The boys, who are local to the area, were both wearing wetsuits when a large wave came through and knocked both of them into the sea.

The older boy, who has not been named, was able hang on to a rock and make his way to shore, but he lost sight of Lauchlon, who disappeared in the water.

A desperate search is continuing for teenager Lauchlon Humphries (pictured) who was one of two boys who fell into a blowhole at around 7.30pm on Tuesday

Distressed family members were at the scene as authorities scrambled to search for the missing boy

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'Those two boys have been washed into the ocean, the 15-year-old boy was able to make it back to shore safely,' Victoria Police Inspector Steve Thompson told the Herald Sun.

'Unfortunately though, the 14-year-old boy does not appear to have made it back to shore and since that point in time, we've been facilitating a search with partner agencies to try and locate him.

'I think a large wave has caught them unaware and swept them off the rocks and into the ocean.'

A police AirWing circled the search area, which stretches 10km along the coast and 2km out to sea, on Wednesday.

Police and SES boats and jet skis also joined the desperate search for Lauchlon, whose distraught family had been at the site since first light.

Inspector Thompson conceded that the hopes of finding Lauchlon alive were fading as more time passed since he went missing.

He said that they haven't given up hope of finding him alive, but 'Obviously the more time that goes by, realistically we're becoming more concerned.'

However, the officer said it is still a search and rescue operation.

The weather was not on the searchers' side on Wednesday as the wind picked up, blowing strongly from the east and south-east.

There was also a rising swell, with little sign that the conditions were going to improve.

Parks Victoria issued a warning for hazardous conditions at the blowholes in Cape Bridgewater due strong currents

A helicopter ambulance is pictured at the scene near Portland in Victoria's south-west coast

The 15-year-old was taken to Portland District Health hospital on Tuesday night with upper and lower body injuries.

He was reported to be in a stable condition.

Local man Doug Yuill, who has surfed in the area for 50 years said the rockpools were often a dangerous place to visit, with at least three other people needing to be rescued there over the last two decades.

He said it can be very dangerous place if people 'go off the path and the swell is up'.

Mr Yuill said the conditions can change very quickly, going from very calm to 'almighty waves crashing' in 20 to 30 minutes.

'The power of it would have been enormous, we just really feel for them,' he said.

Lauchlon's friends took expressed their distress on social media on Wednesday.

'Come home safe Lauchlon, miss you bro,' Konnar Johnstone wrote, while Mia Roberts said: 'Love you Lauchlon, come home safe.'

Another friend, Owen Anderson said 'Love you my bro always forever I love you.'

Parks Victoria issued a warning to those planning on visiting the blowholes near Portland to be aware of slippery rocks, unstable cliffs and strong seas currents in and around the natural attraction.

One user on travel website Tripadvisor said there are often high winds at the blowholes and warned visitors to be wary off approaching the cliff's edge.

A rescue worker is pictured at Cape Bridgewater as the search for a missing boy continues

A rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene (pictured) to scour the beach and the coastline in the ongoing search for the 14-year-old boy

'It can be very windy so be sure of your footing and surroundings as I saw some people get very close to the edge for "the perfect photo" without considering the windy conditions,' they wrote.

The site features a 400m gravel walkway to view the rock formations.

Cape Bridgewater is known for its stunning beaches and coastline, which is popular with both locals and a steady stream of tourists.

The blowholes are known for expelling large spouts of water, with big waves often seen crashing into the huge rock formations.
Ex-president Donald Trump decried the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to remove him from the 2024 president primary ballot in the Rocky Mountain state as 'election interference' on TruthSocial platform.

On Tuesday, a divided court ruled Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution's insurrection clause and removed him from the state's presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation's highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

Trump, 77, has not issued an official response to the ruling but rather posted numerous videos of various pro-Trump talking heads bemoaning the decision on Fox News.

While campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that Trump has 'full confidence' that the decision will be overturned when it reaches the conservative Supreme Court in Washington.

Cheung said that the decision in Colorado was 'unsurprising' and called it part of a 'left-wing group's scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.'

Four justices appointed by Democratic governors, Justices, Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, William W. Hood III and Monica Marquez, all circled, voted to disqualify the former president

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, pictured next to Trump in the Oval Office in 2020, said that an appeal has been filed with the Supreme Court

The former White House staffer alleged that powerful Democratic Party members are 'in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead' in the Republican primary and that they are 'doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.'

Cheung said that the appeal was filed last night.

Trump did not make a direct reference to the Colorado decision during a rally Tuesday night in Waterloo, Iowa, other than to accuse the Democratic Party of attempting to rig the 2024 election.

The video that accompanied Trump's message alleging 'election interference' saw conservative activist Charlie Hurt allege that the Colorado court has 'opened the floodgates' with its decision.

'This will open the floodgates. You will have left-wing lunatic states all around the country trying to do the same thing,' Hurt said.

'This has very little to do with ballot access in the general election. It has to do with barring Donald Trump from getting the Republican nomination... Democrat leaders have also lost faith in democracy and that's what we're seeing in Colorado today.'

'The Democrats in Colorado are so afraid of allowing American voters to vote and pick the next president they are willing to do extrajudicial things, complete highway robbery here in order to thwart the people's choice from being on the ballot,' he added.

Trump did not make a direct reference to the Colorado decision during a rally Tuesday night in Waterloo

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley slammed the Colorado Supreme Court for its ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot

The former Apprentice host also quoted conservative legal scholar Jonathan Turley who said in an appearance on Fox the US is now a 'powder keg.'

'This country is a powder keg and this court is just throwing matches at itfor people that say they are trying to protect democracy, this is hands down the most anti-democratic opinion I've seen in my lifetime,' Turley said.

The president then posted another video featuring another conservative talking head, Gregg Jarrett, who reiterated allegations of 'election rigging.'

'This is an effort, make no mistake, to deprive American voters of their right to make the decision as to who should be president. It is anti-democratic. It's the equivalent of rigging the ballot box,' Jarrett said.

Ned Ryun of the American Majority, a right-wing organization, also said that the Democratic Party were scared of Trump's popularity,

'They don't want the voters to decide thisthere is obviously this deep fear of Donald Trump potentially winning the White House back,' he told Laura Ingraham.

On the same show, Chris Laundau, a former law clerk for conservative judges Thomas and Scalia, simply said: 'It's not good for the country at all.'

In opening her how, Ingraham used Trump's phrase declaring the decision: 'Election interference.'

Trump's legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement Tuesday night: 'This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nation's democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.'

Trump didn't mention the decision during a rally Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa, but his campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a 'tyrannical ruling.'

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labeled the decision 'Election interference' and said the RNC's legal team intends to help Trump fight the ruling.

Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and doesn't need the state to win next year's presidential election. But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorado's lead and exclude Trump from must-win states.

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. December 19, 2023

The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorado's highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.

'We do not reach these conclusions lightly,' wrote the court's majority. 'We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.'
A champagne-loving conman who claimed he was buying a 2million property from TV's Grand Designs is facing jail after being found guilty of swindling vulnerable pensioners.

Layne Perry, 39, pretended to be a millionaire playboy who flew helicopters, rode with the local hunt and was a high roller at casinos.

But all the time Perry was living in a rented seaside caravan and relying on handouts from his mother.

Ex-solder Perry 'flashed the cash' to impress an elderly widow and a married couple who shared his love of the countryside and horses.

He took one of his victims to view Kemeys Folly in South Wales which appeared on Channel 4's Grand Designs in 2009 and is currently on the market for 1.85m.

Layne Perry, who faces 25 counts of fraud and theft, makes his way to Cardiff Crown Court

This was the Grand Designs property, on sale for 1.85m, that Perry claimed he was buying

Perry told the widow he was buying stables where she could have a rent-free lodge to live the rest of her life in the Gloucestershire countryside.

Prosecutor Emma Harris told a jury: 'Layne Perry is a fraudster, someone who sets out to dupe and cheat people whom he first befriends.

'He gained their trust by portraying an air of success and affluence, suggesting to them that he lives a life of luxury and excess which would mean their money would be safe with him.'

During his six-week fraud trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Perry told the prosecuting barrister: 'I earn more money than you do.'

Perry claims to have worked for merchant bankers Close Brothers and payment processing company Global Payments UK. He told the court he makes 80,000-a-year as a professional gambler.

But the jury heard his main source of income was a 2,000-a-month allowance from his elderly mother.

The proceedings were briefly halted after Perry was caught removing official court lists pinned to notice boards inside the building. He told the judge he wanted them as an 'aide-memoire' for the book he is writing.

Perry, of South Kensington, London, was found guilty of 23 charges of fraud involving 275,000 of his victims' money and loans taken out in their names.

Prosecutor Ms Harris told how Perry befriended Charles Gwilliam and his wife Val at livery stables in Bridgend, South Wales, where they kept three horses.

She said: 'Perry took out loans in their name and applied for credit cards in their name. He portrayed himself as the Gwilliams to make a gain of approximately 76,000 across the various financial institutions.

Ex-solder Perry 'flashed the cash' to impress an elderly widow and a married couple

He took one of his victims to view this stunning Kemeys Folly mansion in South Wales

The property appeared on Channel 4 's Grand Designs in 2009 and is on sale for over 1.5m

'Perry told the couple he was going to buy a house called Kemeys Folly near Newport and took Mr Gwilliam to visit the property.

'Perry asked Mr Gwilliam to give up his job and go to live at the property with his wife and Mr Perry's partner Serena.'

Mr Gwilliam, 67, said he thought of Perry as a best friend and that Perry had described him and his wife as 'like a second mum and dad.'

But he said he was 'frightened' after discovering unauthorised loans and financial agreements in his name for more than 130,000 taken out by Perry without his knowledge.

Delivery driver Mr Gwilliam told the jury: 'I told him I knew what was going on and I was contacting the banks and the police.

'He told me if it went to court his barrister would put Val in hospital or in the ground. I've never spoken to him since.'

Perry also befriended recently widowed Sharan(CORR) Jones, 69, from Aberdare, South Wales, and set out to exploit her vulnerability.

Miss Harris said: 'He would visit her, take her out for meals, he would give her lifts to her caravan in Porthcawl. He would tell Mrs Jones he was wealthy and successful.

'In early 2019, he gained control of Mrs Jones' finances. He knew that she trusted him and he abused that trust, using it to facilitate his fraudulent activities.

'He took control of her bank cards and her means of identification, including her driving licence and passport.'

Retired hotelier and hairdressing salon owner Mrs Jones met Perry at a Christmas party in 2018. She told the court: 'He said he was wealthy, he took me horse racing. He lived the horse life and he loved champagne.

The house boasts a large open-plan living room that includes an abundance of lighting

The folly, which dates back to the 1700s, has a mix of contemporary features to offer contrast

'I was going to have a new life. In my mind's eye it was like something off the telly. I embraced it. I thought I'd have company for the rest of my life.

'He cared so much for me, I trusted him implicitly, like a member of my family.

'He would take my letters unopened, I just gave them to him. I didn't know how to use internet banking - Layne said he would set it up.

'He told me: 'You don't have to do nothing, just look after yourself.'

Perry siphoned 98,000 from Mrs Jones's accounts and set up multiple credit cards and loans in her name. In all, he took 145,000 from her.

The conman was caught when police pulled over his top-of-the range black 5-series BMW in Leicestershire and found Mrs Jones passport and financial documents relating to the various frauds all committed in 2019.

Remanding him in custody until Friday when he will be sentenced, Judge Paul Hobson told Perry he had been exposed as a 'deceitful and dishonest man'.

Det Cons Ian Pring and Neville Evans, who led the investigation, praised the bravery of Mrs Jones and the Gwilliams in coming forward to give evidence.

South Wales Police believe other victims may now come forward.

DC Pring said after the case: 'In my mind he's a conman, he's a fantasist. He perceives himself to be a wealthy businessman, claims to be a millionaire, a helicopter pilot and of course it's all just a lie. His whole life is built on lies.'
A pair of British and American tourists are facing up to two years in prison after they were arrested for allegedly attacking nail salon staff in Bali, Indonesia.

The women, identified by local media as Andrea CW, 37, from London, and Chansler A, 37, from New York, reportedly assaulted staff of the Ombre Nail Salon in Kerobokan over a misunderstanding about payment.

The backpackers allegedly did not have enough money to pay the fees for an extra treatment they asked for and became angry when the staff tried to charge them for the service.

Shocking CCTV footage shows Chansler in a bucket hat appearing to grab a clerk by the collar and pulling her over the counter as the employee shouted 'you have to pay!'

Chansler is pushed back and crashes into a table before a furious Andrea appears and steps in, screaming at the member of staff: 'Relax, I am trying to give you the money! Relax yourself, understand?!

Shocking CCTV footage shows Chansler in a bucket hat appearing to grab a clerk by the collar and pulling her over the counter

The women, identified by local media as Andrea CW, 37, from the London , UK,were paraded in orange prison uniforms

Gripping one of the staff members, a furious Andres is seen shouting and protesting her innocence

'Let me tell you something. I am trying to be reasonable. I asked you several times to let me outside. I ran outside to get money. You don't know what I'm going outside for. Why were you trying to hold me hostage?'

The manager of Ombre Nails Studio said: 'These customers came and asked for treatment in our studio and they were informed about the prices and everything, but at the end they refused to pay the amounts.

'They blackmailed us that if we kept asking them to pay, they will leave a bad review, and they started to verbally abuse our staff.

'All proof was recorded and is being handled by our lawyer, and we submitted a report to police last night.

'They also attempted to take our money in the cashier and caused some physical injury and mental shock to our staff.

'We needed to catch them so they can at least apologize to our staff. Some of them are still trembling and crying until today.'

The female tourists were arrested by police while they were trying to board a plane to Thailand at the Ngurah Rai International Airport on December 16.

Ngurah Rai Immigration officer Gilang Danurdara said: 'The two perpetrators entered the immigration area and queued at the counter at around 5.30 pm.

Indonesian police accompanying the two women following their arrest

The women being led away by police. They could face a maximum imprisonment of two years and eight months

Police in Bali speak to a press conference following the arrest of the two women

Video captured the moment Andrea confronted one of the salon workers after they were accused of not paying

'They looked suspicious because they were wearing hats and masks. There was an attempt to deceive.'

Immigration officials said they matched the women's faces to the CCTV video circulating online before handing them to the police.

Badung Police Chief Kompol I Made Pramasetia said: 'The pair were actually planning to stay in Indonesia until December 22. They were scheduled to visit Pulau Dewata, but they decided to leave on December 16 following the incident at the salon.'

Andrea and Chansler were facing charges for violating Section 1, Article 351 of the Indonesian Penal Code, which states that 'maltreatment shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of two years and eight months.'

They will also be charged under Article 335 or 'forcing others to do something', which carries a maximum prison sentence of one year.
Italy's biggest influencer was forced to make a grovelling apology this week after being fined more than one million euros (930,000) by Italy's anti-trust authority.

Chiara Ferragni received the antitrust fine for misleading claims linked to sales of a Christmas cake which she said would raise money to help children with bone cancer.

The case has attracted significant negative publicity for Ferragni, one of the world's most famous fashion influencers with nearly 30 million followers on Instagram, with criticism coming at the weekend even from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The hugely popular Italian model and designer had promoted the special pink Christmas edition of a pandoro cake for makers Balocco last year.

Pandoro is an alternative to the more famous panettone.

Italy 's biggest influencer Chiara Ferragni recieved the antitrust fine for misleading claims linked to sales of a Christmas cake which she said would raise money to help children with bone cancer. A social media post shows Ferragni, 36, holding the special edition cake she created in a pink box as she kneels in front of a Christmas tree

Social media posts show Ferragni, 36, holding the special edition cake she created in a pink box as she kneels in front of a Christmas tree.

Her followers were told that the cash raised would go to Turin's Regina Margherita Hospital for children, and money raised was said to be earmarked for a new scanner to help detect types of bone cancer.

However, after a year-long investigation, Italy's competition watchdog AGCM announced the fine of 1.075 million euros on Friday.

It found that consumers had been duped into thinking that by buying a Ferragni-branded pandoro they were contributing to the charity and hospital.

The AGCM also fined cake maker Balocco 420,000 euros.

The conspirators had justified the high nine euros (7.70) price by saying the more cakes they sold, the more the children's clinic would receive, AGCM found.

But in, fact, the inquiry heard, Ferragni and Balocco had agreed that just 50,000 euros (43,000) would to the hospital regardless of how well the cake sold.

The regulator added that Ferragni made no personal payments to the hospital, while her companies received 1 million euros from Balocco for the branding initiative and related promotional activities.

Now, AGCM has fined Ferragni 1.075 million euros, which is around 920,000, while cake producers Balocco were issued with a 420,000 euro (361,000) penalty for their part in the scam.

The case has attracted significant negative publicity for Ferragni (pictured in July), one of the world's most famous fashion influencers with nearly 30 million followers on Instagram , with criticism coming at the weekend even from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Ferragni's followers were told that the cash raised would go to Turin's Regina Margherita Hospital for children, and money raised was said to be earmarked for a new scanner to help detect types of bone cancer

Ferragni on Monday admitted to a 'communications error' in an apology to her fans in an apology video posted to her Instagram page, which has almost 30 million followers

Ferragni on Monday admitted to a 'communications error' in an apology to her fans.

Sounding contrite and almost tearful, the 36-year-old said she would donate one million euros to Turin's Regina Margherita Hospital - the paediatric hospital at the centre of the controversy - to give 'concreteness' to her apology,

But she also said she would challenge the fine itself.

Ms Ferragni said that she had not given sufficient oversight to the communication surrounding the sales of the Balocco-brand pandoro with her logo, and that she would no longer tie in charity with commercial activities.

'I realise I have made a communications error ... my error, in good faith, was to link, via communications, a commercial activity with a charity one,' Ferragni said in an Instagram video.

Ferragni told local media on 15th December: 'I'm sorry that, after all my and my family's commitment in recent years on the charitable activity front, we persist in seeing the negative in an operation in which everything was done in good faith.'

She added: 'The one with Balocco was a commercial operation like many I do every day. In this particular one, I wanted to underline the charitable donation made by Balocco at the Regina Margherita Hospital.

'For me, it was a fundamental point of the agreement.

She continued: 'Knowing that the machine that allows us to explore new therapeutical treatments for children suffering from osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma is now there in the hospital is what matters most.'

Consumers believed that they would have been helping to purchase a new machine for the therapeutic treatment of children suffering from Osteosarcoma and Ewing's Sarcoma

The 36-year-old said she would donate a million euros to the Regina Margherita, the Turin-based paediatric hospital at the centre of the controversy

Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer while Ewing's sarcoma describes forms of cancer that can occur in the bone as well as in soft tissue.

Ferragni, who has two children with Italian rapper Fedez, said she plans to appeal the verdict. 'My family and I will continue to give to charity as we have always done because I will never want to give up this part of my life.

'And since I consider the decision taken against me to be unfair, I will challenge it in the competent bodies.'

Balocco also reportedly plans to appeal.

Its press release upon launching the cake in 2022 said: 'The historic Piedmontese brand Balocco, recognised and appreciated throughout the world for the excellence of its Christmas offer, presents an exclusive novelty: the Chiara Ferragni pandoro'.

The release said sales of the cake would: 'be used to finance a research path promoted by the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin, through the purchase of a new machine that will allow us to explore new avenues for the therapeutic treatment of children suffering from osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.'

In a speech on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised those who make money from misleading charity claims, in a clear reference to Ferragni.

Ferragni, who has two children with Italian rapper Fedez, said she plans to appeal the verdict

'The real models to follow are not the influencers who make a lot of money by wearing clothes and showing bags ... or even promoting expensive cakes that make people believe they are charitable,' Meloni said, without explicitly naming Ferragni.

'We have to explain to young people that creating (Made in Italy) products is much more extraordinary than just showing them off,' Meloni said in the speech on the final day of the festival of her right-wing Brothers of Italy party.

Ms Ferragni started as a fashion blogger and went on to sell clothing, accessories and makeup under her own brand in addition to doing promotional work as an influencer. She is also on the Tod's luxury fashion group board of directors.

In her latest post on Instagram, just one day after posting her apology video, she showed off her family's stunning new villa in Lake Como.
From the humble salt and vinegar and cheese and onion to the more exotic flame grilled steak and Thai sweet chili, there has never been more choice for crisp lovers.

But, back in the 1970s and early 80s, when new crisp flavours were becoming more popular after decades of just having salted as an option, many Britons were still unfamiliar with the new world.

This fact was hilariously demonstrated when, in 1981, BBC programme That's Life - presented by Esther Rantzen - took to the streets to subject people to blind taste tests.

One woman was astonished when a flavour she thought was salt and vinegar turned out to be prawn cocktail.

Another refused to believe that the flavour she had tried wasn't cheese and onion and told reporter Paul Heiney: 'Who are you kidding? I'm a Geordie man, you English can't kid me!'

The clip recently resurfaced on social media, prompting dozens of comments from viewers.

In 1981, BBC Programme That's Life took to the streets to subject Britons to blind taste tests of crisp flavours

The programme was presented by Dame Esther Rantzen for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994

The segment begins with Dame Esther, who is now 83 and has recently spoken of her battle stage four lung cancer, saying: 'Have you noticed how exotic the humble crisp has become?

'Once it was plain and then it was salted and now they have the most extraordinary flavours. Gammon, prawn cocktail, pickled onion, the lot.'

The clip then shifts to a street, where a crowd of Britons are seen watching as one woman tries a flavour.

Unable to tell what it is, she says: 'They're a bit fishy'. When told they are bacon flavour, her eyes widen as she adds: 'Never!'

She gives the same exclamation of surprise when unable to distinguish the chicken flavoured crisps.

The woman says defiantly: 'They don't taste like the chicken I do! It's not coq au vin is it!'

The clip then moves onto a man in a cap who crunches on another flavour and then cheekily tells the presenter: 'If you tell me what it is, I'll confirm it'

When trying the next mystery flavour, she screws up her face in reaction to the taste and says: 'There's more vinegar, that's salt and vinegar isn't it?'

But, told it is actually prawn cocktail by Heiney, her eyes widen again.

Turning to her companion, she shouts: 'Ooh, prawn cocktail!'

The clip then moves onto a man in a cap who crunches on another flavour and then cheekily tells the presenter: 'If you tell me what it is, I'll confirm it.'

When Heiney gives him a clue by saying it 'flaps its wings', the man jokes: 'Butterfly?'

The reporter then tells him it was chicken, before giving him a final flavour to try.

Having tasted it, the man says: 'My goodness, that's really sharp isn't it?'

Heiney tells him: 'That one hasn't got any legs at all.'

Still stumped, the man jokes: 'It's not snake is it?'

The clip then moves on to a woman in a headscarf who icily asks before trying the crisps: 'What muck have you got in them?'

The clip then moves on to a woman in a headscarf who icily asks before trying the crisps: 'What muck have you got in them?'

When she does try a flavour, she insists it is cheese and onion.

When Heiney tells her she is wrong and asks her why she thinks she is right, she insists: 'Because they are cheese and onion.'

Heiney hits back: 'They're not.' This prompts the woman to defiantly say: 'I know what I'm eating love!'

He then tells her they are pickled onion, before getting the woman to try another flavour.

Having nibbled on the crisp, she says: 'They're the same bloody things!'

But Heiney has more bad news, telling her: 'They're plain!'

The woman hits back: 'Who are you kidding? I'm a Geordie man, you English can't kid me!'

She then tries a third flavour and insists they are salt and vinegar.

After being told she is wrong, the woman says: 'Who are you kidding? I'm a Geordie man, you English can't kid me!'

Heiney tells her: 'You're wrong again!'

The woman then says that a fourth and final flavour are plain, prompting Heiney to reveal they are chicken.

'It's like your bleeding bat soup innit,' she says, before walking off.

The first flavoured crisp was introduced in the late 1950s, when Joe 'Spud' Murphy, the owner of Irish firm Tayto, developed a way of adding cheese and onion seasoning during production.

Salt and vinegar crisps were then launched in the UK in 1967.

Dozens of crisp brands now compete to provide the most distinctive flavours.
More than 1,000 civil servants have been told they will have to continue to work from home because of a lack of desk space, it has been revealed.

Last month, Whitehall staff were told they must spend at least 60 per cent of their time working 'face to face' in the office, instead of simply being encouraged to turn up to the office two or three days a week.

The push back is part of a bid to boost productivity, following reports that it had dropped since the pandemic.

Workers at Companies House, however, cannot come in as much as the Government is demanding because of a lack off office space.

The Department of Business and Trade, which Companies House, belonged revealed it had reduced the sizes of its offices in Edinburgh, with similar plans for Cardiff and Belfast.

More than 1,000 civil servants have been told they will have to continue to work from home because of a lack of desk space. Pictured: An early morning in Whitehall

Workers at Companies House cannot come in as much as the Government is demanding because of a lack off office space. Pictured: Companies House office in Cardiff that is being downsized

The push back is part of a bid to boost civil service productivity, following reports that it had dropped since the pandemic. Pictured: Stock image of man working from home

Last month, the department had warned staff that the three-day-a-week guidance was 'subject to estate capacity', questioning if the plans were viable due to 'pressures on our estate'.

From April 2024, Companies House headquarters in Cardiff will be reduced to one floor and some storage areas, according to Freedom of Information requests seen by the Telegraph. The Belfast office is subjected to similar plans.

A senior civil servant reportedly said in a meeting: 'We wont have the space to increase our occupancy, and weve discussed that with the Department of Business and Trade, who accept our situation, which is that we wont be able to do it.'

The senior staff member added that those working for the government agency would only be required in one day a week.

A briefing sent to agency staff last month said that part-time workers need to only be in the office 20 per cent of the time.

Former cabinet minister Jacob Reese-Mogg slammed the decision to downsize claiming it had been made at the 'most peculiar moment'.

He told the paper: 'This is just bad management. When you are downsizing you work out how many desks you need on any individual day. You then work out how much you want to be in the office and then you provide enough spaces.'

An investigation carried out last summer found that Whitehall departments could barely accommodate half of its full-time staff.

At the time, Freedom of Information requests revealed that the Department for International Trade had only 708 desks for more than 3,000 staff.

Less than a third of the 2,707 staff in the Department of Health and Social Care could fit into their office.

In August it was revealed that around 95 per cent of HMRC staff work remotely at least once a week - more than at the height of the pandemic

The figures came after the spending watchdog said it was unconvinced plans to address HMRCs unacceptable customer service. Pictured: HMRC building

The Home Office, the Department for Transport, the Business Department and the Department for Education all had less than half the required desk space needed if every staff member wanted to work in the office.

One insider said: 'It's an absolute shambles! They're making us come into the office one day a week extra, but they don't have enough desks for everyone.'

In August it was revealed that 95 per cent of staff at HM Revenue and Customs work away from the office at least once a week - the equivalent of 19 out of 20 workers.

The figures were higher than in the first Covid-19 lockdown when the figure was closer to 92 per cent, after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to stay at home to avoid spreading the infection.

The figures, revealed to the Mail, followed the scathing findings of the Commons Public Accounts Committee earlier this year.

The spending watchdog said it was unconvinced plans to address HMRCs unacceptable customer service would sustainably reduce demand or deal with the poor level of service quickly enough.

Last week, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs announced it wanted to become the first in Whitehall to trial a controversial four-day working week.

It came after minister's ordered councils to put an end to trials and ban any new 'experiments, while the TaxPayer's Alliance warned that an introduction across the public sector would cost 30billion per year in lost working time.

But Defra staff want a pilot scheme covering 21,000 employees to see if reducing their working hours by 20 per cent improves their wellbeing and productivity.

A petition was delivered to Defra bosses by civil servants the Public and Commercial Services trade union at the beginning of December.

MailOnline has contacted the Department of Business and Trade.
But son Adrian sought to evict his parents from their property of 20 years

A property developer who tried to get his 'heartbroken' elderly parents evicted after claiming their home belonged to him is facing a 380,000 bill after they beat him in a court fight.

Michael Standing, 89, and wife Rita, 88, 'implicitly trusted' son Adrian when they signed over their 600,000-plus Sussex house on a temporary basis in 2007 to help him get funding for a new property business.

But Adrian refused to hand it back as agreed after five years, instead remortgaging it for 280,000 and then later launching court proceedings to have his elderly parents evicted.

The 'heartbroken' couple, former district nursing sister Rita and Michael, who worked in the motor industry, went on to sue their son in return, in a bid to get their home back.

They insisted that, in transferring him the house, it had been a temporary 'loan' and they had no reason to think that he would not return the four-bed detached house.

Property developer Adrian Standing lost a court fight against his parents after trying to evict them from their 600,000-plus Sussex house

MIchael Standing, 89 and his wife Rita, 88, were both evicted by their son Adrian

After a three-day trial, High Court judge, Master Julia Clark, has now found in favour of the parents and ordered their son to hand back the title deeds to their house in West Sussex.

Property developer Adrian was also handed a court bill for at least 380,000 after the judge ordered him to foot his parents' court costs and pay compensation, so they can cover the debts he ran up against their home.

Giving judgment, Master Clark said that, in lending him their home, Mr and Mrs Standing had 'trusted implicitly' their son to do the right thing.

The court heard that, prior to the 2007 deal, Adrian, 59, had approached his parents, asking for their help in raising funds to begin a property business.

After discussions, they agreed to sell him their house for 250,000 - far below its then 375,000 value - but then hand back the money almost immediately afterwards so that he could raise funds for his business.

They said the deal was that they would still be the true owners, with Adrian only holding it on trust for his parents, who would continue living there and pay for all maintenance and outgoings.

They agreed that it would be handed back in five years, but Adrian - who by then was running his business, Juniper Property Developments Ltd - failed to do so.

The couple's barrister, Duncan Heath, said it was only in June 2019 that Adrian revealed to his parents that he would not be returning their property to them.

He said they were 'heartbroken' that their son had 'betrayed' them, with Adrian's sister Nicola Berry describing her father as 'sobbing his heart out over the news that Adrian wont return the house.'

Adrian then launched proceedings against them at Worthing County Court, seeking to evict his parents from their home of 20 years.

The case however reached the High Court in London first as the parents sued to get their home back and compensation.

Mr Heath described going to court as 'physically and emotionally demanding' for the elderly couple, adding: 'They would rather not be suing their own son but take the view that they have no other option.'

He argued that the house was only held by Adrian on trust for his parents and that, in borrowing money against it, he had breached that trust.

'There was no intention to dispose of the beneficial interest in the property to their son outright either at the expense of Mr and Mrs Standing, who may need to release equity from the property to meet their care needs in future, or at the expense of their daughter, who stood to inherit half their estate,' he said.

'The parties consistently described their arrangement as a loan. Their true intentions were that the parties would still regard Mr and Mrs Standing as the true owners of the house, but that their son could have the use of the legal title for five years, with the effect that he was holding the property on trust for them.'

Adrian had denied the claims, arguing that he was the sole beneficial and legal owner of the house and accusing his elderly parents of trying to 'rewrite history.'

Ruling at the end of the trial, Master Clark accepted Mr and Mrs Standing's evidence about the loan arrangement and said Adrian had been an 'unsatisfactory witness' who gave his evidence in an 'evasive' manner.

'Bizarrely, he sought to justify evicting his parents on the grounds they had lived in the house rent-free while he had paid the mortgage - entirely disregarding the fact that the funds raised by the mortgage were used by him,' she said.

She found that there had been discussions amongst the family about Adrian effectively borrowing his parents' house before it was transferred to him.

'It is inconceivable that there weren't discussions in circumstances where his parents were transferring to him their only substantial asset, which they intended to leave to him and his sister,' she said.

'They trusted him implicitly.'

The Standings' daughter said that her parents had purchased the 'beautiful' home to provide them with security in their retirement

The judge ordered that the house be returned to his parents and that Adrian give them 280,000 in compensation so they can pay off the debt he ran up against it.

He was also ordered to foot his parents' lawyers bills, with 103,000 up front towards a total which could be as high as 160,000.

Speaking afterwards, the couple's daughter, Mrs Berry, said her parents had bought the 'beautiful' house outright on their retirement to provide them with security in old age.

'When they embarked on the ordeal of getting it back in 2019, they never dreamt that it would end in them having to take their only son to the High Court,' she said.

'The fact that, at 88 and 89 respectively, Rita and Michael were forced to take the stand against their own son is something no parent should ever be forced to do.

'Whilst Michael and Rita may have won the case financially, there are no winners when it comes to the family itself.

'Michael and Rita have lost a son, daughter-in-law and three adult grandchildren, who they have not seen for over two years. What have they done to deserve such heartbreak?

'I don't think any of us can actually believe it is all over. For my parents, all they ever wanted was the return of the deeds to their house,' she said.

'I am just grateful that they have lived long enough to see that happen.'
Police have arrested the partner of a woman who plunged 100ft to her death after they found 'signs of a serious argument' at the clifftop sunset spot where they were meant to be celebrating their proposal.

Yesim Demir was on holiday with her boyfriend Nizamettin Gursu at Polente Cape in Canakkale, north-western Turkey, when they went for a picnic the day after he proposed to her.

She plummeted 104ft (32m) and reportedly survived the plunge on the night of July 6, but died of her injuries in the early hours of the next day, despite medics - who her fiance had called - attempting to revive her for 45 minutes.

Gursu told local media at the time: 'We chose the cliffs to have a romantic memory after the proposal. We drank some alcohol. Everything happened at once. She lost her balance and fell down.'

He has now been arrested after her family filed a criminal complaint, Turkish media reports, claiming that the pair had a fight after she rejected his proposal and that her engagement ring was found in his pocket, instead of on her finger.

Yesim Demir (pictured, left) with her boyfriend Nizamettin Gursu (pictured, right), undated

Gursu, 42, took his girlfriend to the clifftop with a picnic basket and music box as well as alcohol to celebrate after she accepted his proposal earlier in their holiday

Police found broken glasses and a broken speaker, signs of a violent struggle, at the scene.

Yesim Demir was on holiday with her boyfriend Nizamettin Gursu at Polente Cape in Canakkale, north-western Turkey (pictured)

Gursu, 42, took his girlfriend to the clifftop with a picnic basket and music box as well as alcohol to celebrate after she accepted his proposal earlier in their holiday.

He told cops that they had been happily drinking when he went to the car to get more supplies.

He said he heard a scream and then discovered, to his horror, that she had vanished, accidentally falling off the cliff.

But the woman's family complained that she had been planning to break up with him, and would not have accepted the proposal.

They added that she was terrified of heights, and wouldn't have willingly been close enough to the edge of the cliff to fall off accidentally.

Police found broken glasses and a broken speaker, signs of a violent struggle, at the scene.

Police have reportedly now arrested Gursu on suspicion of 'deliberate homicide'.

The family also provided further grounds for suspicion by saying that graphic designer Yesim suffered from panic attacks and would never have been so close to a cliff edge voluntarily.

Gursu is being held in custody pending trial.

Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July 2021.

According to data from the 'Monument Counter', which is 'a digital memorial for women killed by violence' and is updated daily, 393 women were killed by men in 2022, while 376 femicides have taken place in Turkey so far this year.
Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election bloody nose as Tories admit they are the underdogs after Peter Bone was ousted from the Commons.

Senior figures have been sounding gloomy after the former Conservative MP's ejection was confirmed last night.

More than 10 per cent of constituents in Wellingborough voted to recall the long-serving politician in a petition.

It was triggered by the standards watchdog handing him a six-week suspension from Parliament for bullying and sexual misconduct.

The by-election - the date of which will be decided by the government next month - will be a crucial test for Mr Sunak with a general election looming.

Wellingborough has been held by the Conservatives since 2005, when Mr Bone won it from Labour. The former minister secured an 18,500 majority in 2019.

But the margin is smaller than those that Labour overturned in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in the Autumn. Keir Starmer's party has been consistently recording double-digit leads in polls.

Mr Bone has also not ruled out standing as an independent, saying he will speak further in the New Year. That could effectively hand victory to Labour.

In a round of interviews this morning, Cabinet minister Mel Stride acknowledged the Tories have 'ground to make up' and it would be 'foolhardy' to claim they would definitely win.



Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election bloody nose as Tories admit they are the underdogs after Peter Bone (pictured) was ousted from the Commons. Mr Bone still denies the allegations

The by-election - the date of which will be decided by the government next month - will be a crucial test for Mr Sunak with a general election looming

Keir Starmer 's party has been consistently recording double-digit leads in polls, including an 18-point advantage in Redfield & Wilton Strategies research this week

But Mr Stride argued that Labour's national poll lead of about 20 percentage points was actually 'wafer thin' because there was no real desire among voters for Sir Keir to take over in Downing Street.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told Times Radio: 'Yes, we have a fair bit of ground to make up but there is no strong burning passion for Keir Starmer or another Labour government.

'There is a wide lead in the polls at the moment but it's very thin.

'And we will be fighting for every single vote.'

On Sky News he said there was 'all to play for' and 'we will go at it has hard as we possibly can'.

Mr Bone had been sitting as an independent after losing the Conservative whip in the aftermath of the Standards Committee's ruling, which was endorsed by the whole House. He continues to deny the allegations, and has not ruled out standing as an independent.

Gen Kitchen, Labour's candidate in Wellingborough, said the recall petition outcome showed that constituents 'want change'.

Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said: 'The Conservative Party has presided over 13 years of failure, not least in the professionalism, integrity and accountability at all levels that Rishi Sunak promised.

'Despite serious allegations made against him, Peter Bone has dragged his constituents through a lengthy recall petition rather than doing the right thing and offering his resignation

'The people of Wellingborough now have the opportunity to vote for a fresh start with Gen Kitchen and the Labour Party.'

At the conclusion of the six-week long Wellingborough recall process, North Northamptonshire Council said 10,505 people agreed that Mr Bone should lose his job as their MP.

The by-election threshold had been set at 7,904 people  a tenth of the 79,046 eligible voters in his constituency.

Parliamentary procedure means the by-election cannot take place before February.

In a statement published on social media, Mr Bone said having a by-election seemed 'bizarre' because '86.8 per cent of the electorate did not want to remove me from office, nor for there to be a by-election'  a reference to the constituents who did not sign the petition.

The veteran politician, who has been spotted in Westminster in recent days, said the allegations against him were 'totally untrue and without foundation'.

Mr Bone was found to have 'committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct' against a staff member in 2012 and 2013.

In a round of interviews this morning, Cabinet minister Mel Stride acknowledged the Tories have 'ground to make up' and it would be 'foolhardy' to claim they would definitely win

Parliament's behaviour watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, upheld an earlier investigation that found he broke the MPs' code of conduct on four counts of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

The panel found that he had indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid.

Mr Bone has repeatedly denied the allegations and said in his statement on Tuesday that he would 'have more to say on these matters in the new year'.

The former minister was kicked out of the Tory parliamentary party a day after the report was published on October 16.
A couple have had a miracle escape after surviving separate plane crashes on the same day.

Stefano Pirilli, 30, escaped unhurt in his smash while his fiance Antonietta Demasi, a 22-year-old student, was only slightly hurt when her aircraft came down.

The one in a million-coincidence happened after the couple decided to take separate light airplanes on a lunch date with friends near the northern Italian city of Turin on Sunday.

Stefano's two-seater Tecnam P92 Echo Super came down at San Gillio after getting into difficulties, while his student partner's plane crashed 25 miles away at Busano a short while later.

Firefighters raced to both scenes and the couple were both cut from the wreckage of their respective planes and taken to hospital, along with the pilots of each one.

Stefano Pirilli, 30, escaped unhurt in his smash while his fiance Antonietta Demasi, 22, was only slightly hurt when her aircraft came down.

Firefighters raced to both scenes and the couple were both cut from the wreckage of their respective planes

Stefano's two-seater Tecnam P92 Echo Super came down at San Gillio after getting into difficulties

The group had flown to enjoy a meal at a hilltop farmhouse, and it was Antonietta's first time in a plane.

Doctors said Antonietta suffered pelvic injuries while the pilot of her plane Paolo Rotondo, 38, was treated for a head wound.

Energy consultant Stefano, who was flying in a two-seater plane, was unscathed while his friend and pilot Nicola Fiscarelli, 42, was said to only have suffered slight injuries.

Stefano said: 'This was Antonietta's first flying experience and I'm so sorry for what happened. The day had started so beautifully, and it ended up with us both crashing in separate planes.

'We are fortunate that we weren't killed, and our thoughts are with the pilots who were injured. I just want my girlfriend and the pilot to get better, nothing else matters.

'Sunday was a perfect day for flying blue skies, sunshine and not a cloud, it was the perfect way to have some fun in in the air.'

Stefano  who describes himself as a 'petrol head'  described how both planes had taken off from an airfield near Turin and then headed for Asti where the group had lunch at a hilltop farmhouse.

After finishing their meal the group took off again and headed out towards Savona on the west coast to catch a glimpse of the sea in the winter sunshine.

Firefighters had to cut the passengers from the plane wreckage and rush them to hospital

But it was as both planes returned to an airstrip near Turin that they ran into trouble as mist began to descend and darkness fell.

Stefano said: 'We fell foul of the weather and the time  the mist started to come up as the temperature dropped and then all of a sudden it was night.

'We decided to try and land at Busano and I called Antonietta and told her and the pilot of her plane said he would land at the airfield near San Gillio.

'As we headed to the airstrip we were just enveloped in mist and darkness, and we knew there were electricity cables around but before we knew it we had crashed onto the ground and into a meadow.

'We had missed the airstrip by about 100 metres, I managed to get out of the wreckage and pulled the other pilot out.

One of the small aircraft crash landed on a grassy area after it missed the strip 'by about 100 metres'

'I managed to call the emergency services and then I tried to call Antonietta but there was no answer and then the firefighters turned up and said how crazy it was as this was their second plane crash.

'I asked them if it was a couple, a man and a woman, in the other plane and they said yes and that's when my blood ran cold and I knew it was Antonietta.

'They told me she had been taken to hospital but was ok while the pilot had been more seriously hurt.

'I rushed straight to the hospital and have been there ever since. I just hope Antonietta and Paolo are out of hospital soon.'

Civil aviation chiefs have opened an investigation into both crashes.
A woman who says she was raped by Meredith Kercher's killer has broken her silence and spoken for the first time about her 'violent relationship' with him.

Rudy Guede, 36, is said to have attacked his 23-year-old former partner at the home they shared and left her she says, 'covered in bruises'.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a complaint against Guede  who served 13 years for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith  earlier this year.

A judge ordered him to war an electronic tag and he is forbidden to go within 500 metres of his ex-partner, who is an experienced horse rider.

The woman who first met Guede two years ago said: 'Rudy started to abuse me from the start of our relationship, but I would always forgive him.

Rudy Guede, 36, (pictured arriving at an interrogation hearing on 10 December) is said to have attacked his 23-year-old former partner at the home they shared and left her she says, 'covered in bruises'

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a complaint against Guede  who served 13 years for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith (pictured)  earlier this year

'Even when he left bruises on my body, and he would then unbelievably blame me. Rudy destroyed me, he controlled me, violated me and humiliated me.

'I don't want any other woman to go through what I went through.'

At a hearing earlier this this month in Viterbo, Italy, where he lives, Guede insisted he had never attacked his former girlfriend and claimed she 'must have injured herself while exercising'.

He added that sex between them was 'consensual' although he admitted the relationship was at times 'toxic' and they often argued.

Guede is accused of attacking the Italo-Somalian woman between September 2022 and August this year.

The woman added:' It was a difficult and exhausting personal decision, that I faced on my own.

'I suffered and I am still suffering today. There are people who have even distanced themselves from me, apart from one friend who has always supported me and opened my eyes.

'Thanks to her, and the help of a phycologist, I now have the strength to do this. I understood that what I went through was not justified and in the end, I managed to put myself first.

'But I have to say I was scared and that's why I took so long to make a complaint. There was a moment when I was truly scared of him.

'He tried to make me stay silent and not make a complaint, he was strengthened by the fact that in two years I had never reacted to his behaviour.'

The woman added that she was scared 'no one would believe' her and explained one of the reasons she delayed in reporting Guede was that he had told her he would 'be sent back to jail and he would kill himself'.

She went on:' But even after we split up and I made the complaint he would come to where I was living and where I was working, he would message me and call me all the time.'

She also described how she had no idea Guede had been convicted of murder as in 2007 when the crime was originally committed in Perugia, she was only eight years old.

The woman said:' At the beginning he just came across as clean cut, gentle and he was always trying to help people out.

'I would never have fallen in love with a person who was bad, or that would display the traits of doing the things he did to me.

'It was my first real relationship, a relationship sadly, that wasn't healthy. He was always controlling me, and he tried to carry that on even when we split up.

'He was always in charge, and he wouldn't let me do any of the things I wanted to do because it was always about his needs and his interests first.'

(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 26, 2008 Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast (C), one of the three suspects in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, leaves a court hearing in Perugia

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito both spent four years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder

An undated picture shows British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia

View taken 05 November 2007 of the house of British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, 05 November 2007

Describing the alleged violence, she said:' In reality it started from the beginning, but I didn't understand it.

'I would always forgive him even when he left bruises on me, and then he would blame me for them saying it was my fault he reacted as he did.

'I didn't report punches, but injuries that came from pushes and attempts to choke me to stop me moving.

'Then spitting, violence, bruises that weren't compatible from falling from a horse as he claims.

'There were finger marks as well and you don't get them from falling off a horse.'

Revealing how she had learnt of his conviction from friends she added:' That was a difficult moment and I was left shocked, yes he had told me have had been in prison but he didn't go into details.

'When I eventually did ask him about it he said not to make a big deal out of it and it was a painful period of his life.

'I believed him and I have him the chance to show me who he really was. I feel betrayed because I defended him even when others attacked him.

'I was with him until his personality really came out and it came out against me. I'm not sure if it's to do with his past.

'All I know is that with him I wanted to create something beautiful between us but in the end I had to fight to stay sane but I'm still not in a good place.

'I can't sleep and I keep thinking about everything that happened and I don't know if I can ever trust another man.'

Meredith was on a year abroad from Leeds University when she was found semi naked and stabbed to death in the bedroom of her house in Perugia.

Guede was originally sentenced to 30 years following a fast-track trial in 2008 after his DNA was found at the scene but this was later reduced to 16 years.

He has always pleaded his innocence, saying he was having consensual activity with Meredith and when he returned from the bathroom found another figure in the house who had attacked her.

Guede had his term reduced to 16 years in appeal and he was granted day release in 2017 and began to work on a sociology degree,.

Three years ago he was entrusted to social services to carry out community service and in 2021 he was freed on parle for good behaviour and eventually discharged from his sentence in June.
A fill-in ABC radio presenter who was axed after a series of pro-Palestine posts on social media has hit back by threatening legal action against the public broadcaster.

Antoinette Lattouf had been hosting ABC Sydney mornings this week, filling in for Sarah Macdonald, but was told on Wednesday afternoon she would not be returning to the airwaves.

'ABC Sydney casual presenter Antoinette Lattouf will not be back on air for her remaining two shifts this week,' an ABC spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

Late on Wednesday night, Lattouf posted on Instagram that she was 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision today'.

'I believe I was terminated unlawfully,' she said. 'This is not a win for journalism or critical, fair thinking. I'm currently considering my legal options.'

Antoinette Lattouf (pictured) had been hosting ABC Sydney mornings this week but was told on Wednesday afternoon she would not be returning to the airwaves

Late on Wednesday night, Lattouf posted on Instagram that she was 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision today. The post is pictured

The outspoken journalist had posted excitedly about filling in for Macdonald on Monday.

She was originally due to present the morning radio show for five days, but will now not be returning to the program on Thursday or Friday.

It's understood Lattouf's posts about the conflict in the Middle East, which were on various online platforms, breached the ABC's social media policies.

The ABC has strict editorial policies and requires staff to be impartial in their reporting.

'A thoughtless post or tweet can instantly compromise this perception of impartiality,' the ABC's rules state.

Lattouf recently co-authored an article questioning the veracity of a viral footage that showed pro-Palestine activists chanting 'gas the Jews' at the Sydney Opera House at a protest in October.

'Analysis of the Aust Jewish Association videos by fact checker RMIT CrossCheck found a number of signs that suggest audio was edited' she claimed.

In another post from November Lattouf wrote: 'We need a PERMANENT ceasefire and to address the ROOT of the problem - unlawful occupation of Palestine.'

In a video posted to Instagram in October, Latouff attempted an analysis of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and called both Hamas and the Israeli government 'extremists'.

She called for the mourning of all civilian life lost in the conflict and for the condemnation of anti-Arab and anti-Semitic rhetoric, but added: 'You can and should condemn illegal military occupation of Palestine that's been happening for 75 years.

'You can and should remember human rights organisation internationally and in Israel have called the occupation "apartheid",' she said.

Lattouf (pictured) who was sacked after a series of pro-Palestine posts on social media has come out fighting and is threatening legal action

The outspoken journalist (pictured) had posted excitedly about filling in for Macdonald on Monday

It's understood Lattouf's posts about the conflict in the Middle East, which were on various online platforms, breached the ABC's social media policies. Lattouf is pictured

'You can and should speak out against the occupation of Palestine  because that is the root of all of this.'

She wrote that she had turned comments off on the post to 'limit hate speech'.

But as of late on Wednesday night, the comments were still on her latest Instagram post about 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision' and considering legal action.

Lattouf, who is a mother-of-two, is also the co-founder of Media Diversity Australia - a not for profit organisation that supports increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the media.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lattouf for further comment.
Rough sleepers in Britain have been physically attacked, verbally abused, had bricks and cans thrown at them and even been urinated on, a major survey has revealed.

Some 75 per cent have had belongings stolen; 72 per cent have been verbally abused or harassed; 61 per cent threatened with violence or intimidated; 53 per cent had things thrown at them; and 51 per cent attacked physically, according to Crisis.

The homelessness charity's study also found 46 per cent have had their belongings deliberately damaged and 18 per cent had someone urinating on them or near them.

And the study revealed the person responsible for the most recent incident suffered by the rough sleeper was a member of the public in 70 per cent of cases.

Other perpetrators included security guards, business owners and fellow rough sleepers. It comes after McDonald's apologised when a security guard was filmed mopping the pavement around a homeless person in London on December 9.

Footage showed the guard soaking the ground in Victoria where the man, Aaron McCarthy, 25, had been sitting. The rough sleeper said 'Leave me alone' before the guard kicked a blanket out of the way and splashed more water along the pavement.

Last week Conservative MP and former minister David Davis told how he stepped in to stop two men attacking a homeless man named Gareth near Parliament.

Aaron McCarthy, 25, was sitting outside a Nationwide bank branch next door to a McDonald's on Victoria Street in London on December 12 when a security guard soaked his sleeping bag

Footage filmed in the Victoria area of London showed the security guard soaking the ground where Aaron McCarthy had been sitting, with the rough sleeper saying 'Leave me alone' before the guard kicked a blanket out of the way and splashed more water along the pavement

Conservative MP and former minister David Davis stepped in to stop two men attacking a homeless man - named only as Gareth (pictured) - near Parliament on December 12

Former Brexit secretary David Davis intervened after seeing a 'spray of blood' as the attackers kicked the homeless man's head on Great Peter Street in Westminster on December 12 at 11pm

Rough sleepers in Britain have been physically attacked and verbally abused, Crisis found

The former Brexit secretary intervened after seeing a 'spray of blood' as the attackers kicked the man's head on Great Peter Street on December 12 at 11pm.

The 74-year-old politician, who is a former SAS reservist, put himself between Gareth and the pair before scuffling with one of them. He let the man spend the night on his sofa at his nearby flat and took him to hospital the following morning.

More than half (51 per cent) of people sleeping rough have been physically attacked, the Crisis survey suggested.

The charity spoke to 156 people in late summer who had rough sleeping experience within the previous two years, and were in contact with homeless services in England.

Crisis also undertook 20 in-depth interviews alongside the survey.

They found that 90 per cent of those spoken to had experienced some form of violence or abuse.

Three-quarters had had items stolen, while 72 per cent had suffered verbal abuse or harassment.

More than half (53 per cent) had something thrown at them during their time on the street, with examples including bricks and beer cans, while 61 per cent said they had been threatened with violence or intimidated.

Official Government figures gave a snapshot of the situation on the streets, showing that there were estimated to be 3,069 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2022

Crisis says a lack of access to healthcare means that health conditions worsen on the street

Those sleeping rough are some of the most isolated and lonely people in society, Crisis said

64% said they felt that their situation that they were afraid for their lives or that they might die

More than a quarter had been racially abused, harassed, or attacked (27 per cent), while almost a fifth (18 per cent) had been urinated on, and nine of those who responded said they had been sexually assaulted.

Official figures published by the Government earlier this year gave a snapshot of the situation on the streets, showing that there were estimated to be 3,069 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2022.

Crisis said its survey findings come as it prepares to open the doors of its annual Christmas services, aiming to offer 'support, dignity, advice and - vitally - kindness to people experiencing the worst forms of homelessness'.

This year, the charity said it will be supporting more than 590 people who would otherwise be sleeping rough across London, while the organisation said it will be helping more than 7,000 people over the festive period.

Chief executive Matt Downie said: 'None of us should have to endure the hardship and inhumanity of rough sleeping, yet far too many people are living in fear and being subjected to abuse and harassment simply because they do not have a home.

'It was only three years ago during the pandemic that we made tremendous efforts to bring people off the streets.

'Now, with cost-of-living pressures acute and rents still unaffordable for so many of us, we are seeing ever-increasing numbers of people being pushed into homelessness, many ending up sleeping rough.'

Crisis has asked people to support its work helping rough sleepers by clicking here
The female hostage who was seen screaming for her life as she was driven towards Gaza on the back of a motorbike on October 7 was likely kidnapped by Palestinian civilians who followed Hamas terrorists into Israel.

The world watched in horror as video emerged of Noa Argamani, 26, sitting on the back of a motorbike, her face etched with fear as she screamed 'Don't kill me' to the men surrounding her.

As the motorbike sped towards Gaza, a desperate Noa stretched her arms towards her helpless boyfriend Avi Nathan, who had also been captured at the Nova music festival on October 7. Noa and her boyfriend have not been seen since.

For more than two months, Noa's family have been helplessly waiting for news that their beloved daughter had survived the Hamas attack and would be among the hostages who have been freed so far in prisoner exchanges.

But their anguish has been made worse after it emerged that Noa could have been abducted not by Hamas, but by a mob of Palestinian civilians that swept into Israel hours after the initial attack by the terrorists.

Analysis of text messages, phone records, satellite images and interviews points to Noa being taken on a motorbike by Palestinian civilians who had followed Hamas terrorists into Israel, reports NBC News.

This could be why Noa has not been released alongside the more than 100 female and child hostages during last month's ceasefire - Hamas could have no idea where she is if she is being held by civilians.

The world watched in horror as video emerged of Noa Argamani, 26, sitting on the back of a motorbike, her faced etched with fear as she screamed 'Don't kill me' to the men surrounding her

For more than two months, Noa's family have been helplessly waiting for news that their beloved daughter (pictured) had survived the Hamas attack and would be among the hostages who have been freed so far in prisoner exchanges

Along with hundreds of other young Israelis, Noa and Avi had been enjoying a peace festival in the desert when they were forced to flee for their lives from Hamas terrorists.

Noa desperately messaged her friend at 8.10am saying she was in a parking lot and 'can't get out', to which her friend replied: 'Hide. Let me know that everything is ok'. More than two hours later, she told her friend 'We don't have a car'.

That was the last time Noa's friends and family heard from her, with the footage emerging of the festivalgoer screaming as she was taken to Gaza on the back of a motorbike.

For months, her family and the world had believed Noa had been taken to Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

But analysis of the sun and shadows that appear in the video of their capture, during which the couple are surrounded by men, suggest that they were kidnapped several hours into the attack, the news outlet reports.

This also points to the theory that the couple were taken into Gaza by Palestinian men who travelled from Gaza to Israel several hours after the dawn attack began.

Her family and friends are desperate for Noa to be found - not least because her mother Liora Argamani is currently battling stage four brain cancer.

They had some hope that she was still alive after they saw a video, posted on October 7, of Noa sitting on a sofa drinking from a water bottle while two people with bare feet were seen walking behind her.

Noa was last seen in a video shared by Hamas after the kidnapping

For months, her family and the world had believed Noa had been taken to Gaza by Hamas terrorists

Noa's boyfriend, Avi Nathan (left), distraught and helpless, was left behind in the desert. He too is missing

'When you see someone you love so much and a person that is so close to you in this situation, you just get crazy,' Noa's university roommate Amir Moadi, 29, said. 'Because there's nothing you can do.'

'Imagine what it is like for her family,' said Moadi last month, revealing that her family found out she had been snatched only when they chanced upon the footage online.

'When you see someone you love so much and a person that is so close to you in this situation, you just get crazy,' Amir Moadi, 29, a roommate and friend of Argamani's, said in an interview. 'Because there's nothing you can do.'

Last month, Noa's mother Liora begged President Joe Biden and the Red Cross to intervene and bring her daughter home before she dies, as she told her only child: 'If I don't get to see you... please know I love you very much.'

'I have cancer, brain cancer,' Liora said from the family's temporary apartment in Tel Aviv, near her cancer treatment clinic.

'I don't know how long I have left. I wish for the chance to see my Noa, at home.

'I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get the chance to see her.

'Noa, if I don't get to see you... please know that I love you very much. Please know that we did everything we could to get you released. The whole world loves you.'

Liora is battling stage 4 brain cancer and her husband Yakov says that doctors don't have hope.

'I don't want to elaborate but it's not good. The doctors haven't given a good prognosis, but I believe it's in God's hands. I believe it will be OK.'

Aside from a photo of Noa drinking water in what appeared to be Gaza that was posted in a Hamas telegram channel, the family have had no news of her safety.

Last month, Noa's mother Liora (pictured together) begged President Joe Biden and the Red Cross to intervene and bring her daughter home before she dies, as she told her only child: 'If I don't get to see you... please know I love you very much.'

'We don't know anything more than what the media has reported. All we saw is the footage of Noa being kidnapped and then sitting on the sofa with a bottle of water.'

On October 12, her family sent her a 26th birthday message in the 'hope that it will reach her'.

Noa's grief-stricken father Yaacov gave an interview to Israeli television soon after the attack.

He said: 'I was hoping this is a mistake that it's not true. And then in the hospital a guy asked me if I wanted to see. I said yes and then I know for sure it is Noa... she was so petrified, so scared.'

He then begins to uncontrollably sob. 'I was always so protective but in this moment I couldn't protect her,' he told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 News.

'All my life since she was born I have tried to protect and hug her, support and love her. I wish I could at this difficult moment at least encourage her or say something to her.'

Noa's aunt, Yaffe Ohad, said they were 'crazy with worry'. She said: 'We know that Noa was kidnapped, probably in the hours of the beginning of the fighting.'

Along with hundreds of other young Israelis, Noa and Avi had been enjoying a peace festival in the desert when they were forced to flee for their lives from Hamas terrorists.

Revellers had gathered for an all-night trance music rave near Kibbutz Re'im, close to the Gaza Strip, to celebrate the end of the Sukkot religious holiday.

But the festivities turned to chaos yesterday morning after Palestinian terrorists began firing rockets and gunshots into the crowd.

Footage circulated on social media showed hundreds of people screaming and crying as they fled the rave site on foot, pursued by the sound of gunfire.
Prince Andrew's links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein are set to come under further scrutiny with the release of hundreds of files from a defamation case in the New Year.

US Judge Loretta Preska has ruled that documents relating to more than 170 people who were either associates, friends or victims of the multi-millionaire sex offender should be made public. They are currently referred to only as J.Doe.

They include 40 documents of evidence from Johanna Sjoberg, who has claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001.

Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations are 'categorically untrue'.

The documents are part of a 2015 US defamation case by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who supplied Epstein with underage girls.

Prince Andrew taking a stroll through New York's Central Park with Epstein in 2011

The documents being released relate to Joanna Sjoberg, who has claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001

Virginia Giuffre took to X last night to hail the judge's decision

Writing on X, Ms Giuffre said: 'Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!!

'There's going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, who's on the naughty list? This (would not) be possible without the Honourable Judge Preska.'

The individuals who are set to be named in the documents will have 14 days to appeal against the judge's decision - meaning they could be released in early January.

Ms Giuffre settled her civil claim against Maxwell, but representatives of the media have since argued documents that were sealed as part of the case should be made public.

READ MORE - Beaming Prince Andrew is seen horse riding with a companion at Windsor Castle amid Omid Scobie race row Advertisement

Judge Preska ordered that some individuals should be named because they had already given interviews to the media.

According to Ms Sjoberg, she was recruited by Maxwell into Epstein's web and she said that he needed to have 'three orgasms a day'.

The 42-year-old hairdresser who lives near Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a now-demolished home, has corroborated key parts of Ms Roberts' claims.

In depositions, she has described how in March 2001, when she was 21, she was summoned to Epstein's New York mansion where she found that 'Prince Andrew was there and a couple of other girls my age', including Ms Roberts.

'Andrew was very charming,' she said. 'She (Maxwell) came down with a present for him  a latex puppet of him from Spitting Image.'

Ms Sjoberg added that Andrew had thought the puppet 'funny because it was him'.

She said in a deposition: 'I just remember someone suggesting a photo and they told us to get on the couch. And so Virginia (Roberts) and Andrew sat on the couch and they put the puppet on her lap.

'And so I sat on Andrew's lap, I believe of my own volition, and they took the puppet's hands and put it on Virginia's breast and so Andrew put his on mine.'

It was all done in 'a joking manner' and 'everybody laughed,' Ms Sjoberg said. 'Ghislaine... had a very dirty sense of humour'.

Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001 at Maxwell's townhouse in London

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case to Ms Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.

The duke was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

In January 2022, ahead of his legal settlement, his mother Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020, despite numerous attempts from her defence counsel to have her released on bail.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June last year.

The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had 'faded, distorted and motivated memories'.

Her appeal is currently scheduled to be heard in November next year.

It comes as legal documents emerged as part of a separate legal case in London suggested Andrew once invited an alleged fraudster and a convicted gun smuggler to St James's Palace.

The Duke of York, along with the Duchess of York and their daughters, received about 1.4million from former Goldman Sachs banker Selman Turk.

Turk, 37, is accused of stealing 40million from Turkish millionairess Nebahat Evyap Isbilen, who hired him to help transfer her assets out of Turkey, where her MP husband is a political prisoner.

Prince Andrew was seen riding his horse around the grounds of Windsor Castle earlier this month

The 78-year-old alleged that he tricked her into making a payment of 750,000 to the Duke, whom he claimed had helped to secure her a British passport. Last month, the Duke and Duchess reached a settlement with the millionairess.

According to The Telegraph, Andrew was introduced to Turk in 2019 by Tarek Kaituni, a Libyan gun smuggler.

And documents submitted in the closing stages of the case at the High Court say Prince Andrew allegedly invited Turk and Kaituni to one of London's oldest palaces, The Telegraph reported.

Mrs Isbilen is suing Turk and various offshore companies over the missing money and has also issued contempt proceedings over an alleged court order breach.

It is believed The Duke, Turk and Kaituni came together for a dinner for potential investors at Turk's South Kensington house in December 2019.

Then two months later, the gun smuggler and alleged fraudster were photographed together at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

During the case, Mrs Isbilen claimed Turk tricked her and she made a payment of 750,000 to the Duke when she was told he helped to secure a passport for her.

This was transferred just over a week after Turk won an award for a business idea from Pitch@Palace, an initiative held at St James's Palace.

Turk told the court the payment was a 'gift' to the Duke for his daughter's wedding and was unrelated.

Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a pheasant shoot at Sandringham on December 8, 2000

Prince Andrew repaid the money in March 2021, after Mrs Isbilen's solicitors wrote to him about Turk, but has offered no explanation.

Further payments to the Duke and his family were made, totalling 350,000 to the Duke, 225,000 to the Duchess and 25,000 to Princess Eugenie.

Eugenie said last year that the money was given to her by a 'longstanding family friend' to assist with the cost of a surprise party for her mother.

According to The Telegraph, the cash was paid using a UK-based company Alphabet Capital.

The Duchess of York also received payments of 225,000 while Princess Eugenie got 25,000.

Neither the Duke nor the Duchess are accused of wrongdoing.

Turk denies dishonestly 'misappropriating' the money and said Mrs Isbilen decided to give Prince Andrew the money 'on her own initiative'.

He denies all allegations made against him.

A judgement on the London contempt case is expected in the coming weeks.
A woman was allegedly attacked in the street in Manchester before being driven away in a 'dark coloured vehicle', police have said.

Officers said the woman was assaulted by a man on a footpath near a Tesco outlet in the Pendleton area of Salford at around 10.45pm on Saturday.

She was then seen being driven away from the scene in a dark-coloured vehicle.

Police have now released CCTV pictures of a man with a scooter and a woman.

Anyone who recognises them is urged to get in touch. Officers also want to speak to any witnesses.

A woman was allegedly attacked in the street in Manchester before being driven away in a 'dark vehicle', police have said

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'At 10.45pm on Saturday 16 December 2023 a female was assaulted by a male on Pendleton Way, Pendleton, before she was seen being driven away in a dark coloured vehicle.

'The incident occurred on the footpath by the entrance to Tesco Extra.

'Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or recognises anyone in the pictures, to come forward and assist with their investigation.

'Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101, quoting the log number 3649.'

Officers said the woman was assaulted by a man on a footpath near a Tesco outlet in Salford at around 10.45pm on Saturday
Amanda Knox has insisted she is still 'fighting to clear her name' while the man who savagely murdered her roommate is 'free from prison'.

Knox, 36, was initially convicted of murdering British exchange student Meredith Kercher, 21, at their home in the university town of Perugia, Umbria, Italy, in November 2007.

The American served nearly four years with her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito before their convictions were sensationally quashed.

Her conviction for slandering a barman, whom she falsely accused of the murder, was not dismissed at the time, although Italy's highest court overturned this in October and have ordered a new trial in Florence.

It was Rudy Guede who was ultimately convicted of murdering Ms Kercher and he was sentenced to 30 years behind bars in 2008. This was later reduced to 18 years and with good behaviour he was freed on parole in 2021.

In June he was discharged from his sentence, but it emerged earlier this month he has been charged with assaulting his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend.

Amanda Knox (pictured at her parents' home in Seattle in 2015) has insisted she is still 'fighting to clear her name' while the man who savagely murdered her roommate is 'free from prison'

Meredith Kercher killer Rudy Guede, 36, (pictured arriving at an interrogation hearing on 10 December) has now been charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend following his release from jail

British student Meredith Kercher was in Italy as part of her University of Leeds degree course and had only been in the country for less than two months before she was murdered

Speaking out on X, formerly Twitter, Knox wrote last night: '16 years after my arrest, I'm still on trial in Italy, still fighting to clear my name.'

She continued: 'Meanwhile, the man who murdered my roommate is free from prison', while she then referenced his latest charges.

Knox has also spoken about the retrial and how she will have to testify in a new podcast.

She added: 'We spend a lot of time digging into the coercive interrogation that led to my arrest, and to the slander charges I'm still on trial for.

'In particular, we go over the hand-written statement I gave the police after they released me from the pressure-cooker of the interrogation.

'Reading back through that statement I wrote at 20 years old was....difficult. I have never been more fragile, more vulnerable, more gaslit and confused, and at the mercy of authority figures whom I had trusted to keep me safe, and who were in the process of destroying my life.'

In another tweet, she added: 'I am not afraid to travel back to Italy and take the stand in my defense. I was so unprepared to do so as a 20-year-old. All these years later, I finally am. And I want my daughter and my son to see what standing up for the truth and for your princples [sic] looks like.'

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito both spent nearly four years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder

Knox initially told investigators innocent barman Patrick Lumumba had killed Ms Kercher by slitting her throat and leaving her bleeding to death.

She had claimed she had seen the Congolese barman at the house she shared with Meredith, 21, in the Italian hilltop town of Perugia in November 2007.

It led to the innocent father-of-two being arrested and held by police for two weeks before being released without charge after an alibi had a key receipt which showed him working at the time.

Kercher was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the bedroom of her house in the hilltop town - just weeks after arriving for a year abroad with her Leeds University course.

Guede was found guilty after his DNA was discovered on Kercher's body despite his claims that he was in the bathroom listening to music when she was killed.

Her body was found in her bedroom, partially undressed, with 47 stab wounds.

He was freed on parole in 2021 following good behaviour in prison and has been living in the town of Viterbo where he works as a researcher and librarian at the Centre for Crime, Judicial and Sociological studies.

Rudy Guede leaves a court hearing in Perugia in September 2008. He was jailed for murdering Ms Kercher

He has also been studying for a Master's in Historical Sciences at Roma Tre University.

Following his release from prison, Guede said: 'The sentence I had to serve in the name of the law has ended. Now I am left marked by the judgement of strangers, by the slanted glances as I pass.'

But Guede has now been charged with assaulting his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend - six months after he was officially released from jail over Kercher's murder.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a complaint against Guede earlier this year.

A judge ordered him to wear an electronic tag and he is forbidden to go within 500 metres of his ex-partner, who is an experienced horse rider.

The woman who first met Guede two years ago said: 'Rudy started to abuse me from the start of our relationship, but I would always forgive him.

'Even when he left bruises on my body, and he would then unbelievably blame me. Rudy destroyed me, he controlled me, violated me and humiliated me.

'I don't want any other woman to go through what I went through.'

Mr Sollecito, who was acquitted over the Brit's murder along with his then-girlfriend Knox, also said 'it seems Guede has not changed' after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend.
A 98-year-old World War Two hero took a fatal overdose three days before he was due to be interviewed by police after he nearly killed his wife, an inquest heard last week.

Roy Maddock-Lyon survived being shot down by the Germans when he was working as flight engineer on a Halifax bomber in 1945.

He had been separated from his wife of 68 years Shirley for more than two months when he ended his life, the inquest was told.

Mr Maddock-Lyon's daughter Zoe Carter told the inquest 'He was just desperately, desperately lonely. Through his own fault he had deprived Mum of being in her own home. It was not safe for her to return there.

'He had not seen my mother for almost three months by that time (his suicide). My mother's concern was that she was not there to say goodbye. That was probably the most upsetting thing of her life. It was the cruellest, cruellest thing for her not to be able to say goodbye after 68 years marriage.

Roy Maddock-Lyon (pictured) 98, had been separated from his wife of 68 years for over two months when he ended his life

He survived being shot down by the Germans when he was working as flight engineer on a Halifax bomber in 1945

'Also, he did not have the chance to say goodbye and to say sorry to his wife. That was stripped from him.

'A guy of 98 who had almost killed his wife and with financial problems. It is hardly surprising (that he took his life). We all have our breaking point.'

Area Coroner for Gloucestershire Roland Wooderson concluded that the death of the former RAF flight sergeant, of Feddon Close, Stoke Orchard, Glos, was suicide.

Mr Maddock-Lyon was a local hero in his home area and gave talks about his war service and opening fetes and events. He had also been video interviewed for the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive.

He took the overdose on March 30 this year and afterwards told a friend he was lonely and wanted 'to be somewhere else - to go to Heaven.'

Mr Maddock-Lyon died in Cheltenham General Hospital on April 2nd - the day that he had an appointment to be interviewed by the police at his home on January 24.

Detective Sgt Jonathan Williams of Gloucestershire Police said that he was made aware of Mr Maddock-Lyon's death on April 3 and planned to establish whether there were any suspicious circumstances or third party involvement.

The officer stated that Mr Maddock-Lyon 'lived with his wife Shirley until January 24 2023 when she went into a residential care home.'

He continued: 'On 24th January, police attended their home address following an issue between Roy and his wife Shirley. She went into a care home and he was due to be interviewed about that matter on 2nd April.'

The officer said Mr Maddock-Lyon had told a friend that he also wanted to go into a care home but could not until the police investigation was completed.

Pictured: The remains of the 10 Squadron Mk lll Halifax MZ 793 that Mr Maddock-Lyon flew in

A place was found for him at a care home in early March but he then changed his mind about going.

Later in March, Mr Maddock-Lyon's carer called his friend Sue Ryder to say she was worried about him because he was depressed, said the officer.

Ms Ryder went to see him and found a bag of tablets which she removed, leaving him with just one. She wrote to his GP to inform them about his suicidal thoughts.

Sgt Williams said that on March 30th Mr Maddock-Lyon rang Ms Ryder to tell her that his carer was there but he also wanted her to come and see him.

'They discussed a few things including money for payment of his wife's care home,' said Sgt Williams.

'At 2pm an ambulance arrived for him and she then found out he had taken a lot of pills.

'She was not surprised. She said he was lonely and craved attention. He had called the ambulance himself and said he had taken a large overdose and that his actions were intentional.

'He said he wanted to be somewhere else - he wanted to go to Heaven. He said he had not told anyone about how lonely and low he was feeling. He had contact with his son Stephen but not with his wife in the nursing home.

'On 12th April property of his was found in the hospital ward where he passed away. There was a bag of papers, house keys and letters addressed to various persons. '

Sgt Williams concluded: 'It would seem he was unhappy in his circumstances and took the overdose of his own free will.'

Ms Carter told the coroner 'He hated his own company. She had been there every day at his beck and call. He had had enough. He didn't see a way out.

'I feel it was the loneliness rather than anything else which led him to make this decision.'

The Coroner said 'The police have investigated matters in considerable detail. It is clear he was unhappy in his circumstances and took the overdose of his own free will. I am satisfied that he did intend to kill himself and so did.

'I reach that conclusion partly because of the sad background of Mr Maddock-Lyon towards the end of his life, his wife being in a care home and the like, and because of the various comments he made to the doctors at hospital.'

Mr Maddock-Lyon was a flight engineer on one of four aircraft assigned to a mine-laying operation in the Baltic

A tribute to Mr Maddock-Lyon on the International Bomber Command Centre website says 'He was the flight engineer on a 10 Squadron Mk lll Halifax MZ 793, that was shot down on 14/15 February 1945 over Denmark. It was one of four aircraft assigned to a mine-laying operation in the Baltic off the coast from Stetin in what is now north-west Poland.

'The captain, Flying Officer John Grayshan, sadly died during the incident, as did the navigator Flight Sgt Albert Berry. Two others crew members Pilot Officer Chaderton, the air-bomber and Sgt Andrews, were taken as Prisoners of War but the rest evaded capture, including former flight engineer Roy.

'In December 2022 Roy was made an Honorary Life Member of the Association in recognition for both his wartime service as well as his later dedication to the Association.

'He received his Honorary Life Membership Certificate from Chairman Mike Westwood in late 2022.'

'Having lived in the Weedon area of Northants for many years, Roy and his late wife Shirley spent their later years in the Cheltenham area of Gloucestershire. His loyalty and devotion to the RAF never faltered in all his 98 years.

'Our condolences go to his daughter Zoe and all Roy's extended family.'

The Gloucestershire Branch of the British Legion said that he was shot down while on his 18th mission in a Halifax.

'With the help of the Resistance, he managed to escape via Sweden and, once he had returned to base via Scotland, he was re-crewed and took part in raids over Berlin,' the Legion said.

For help and support contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org
The Biden administration could be looking at another strategy in its battle with the Houthi rebels in Yemen a step further after it emerged that the cost of shooting down one of the group's drones over the Red Sea is around $2 million.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced a ten country coalition that would serve as a deterrent against terror attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea corridor.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the pact - which also includes the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain - early Tuesday in Bahrain.

Ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The disruption could have an adverse impact on western economies over the holiday season.

In late November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired missiles at a US Navy destroyer off the coast of Yemen in a 'significant escalation' with American forces.

Ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Houthis offshore of the Al-Salif port on the Red Sea in the province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 December 2023

Last week, the USS Mason, shown here, provided assistance to the Strinda, a vessel that was hit by a Houthi rocket

Last week, a Norwegian-flagged tanker was hit by a cruise missile launched by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in their latest attack on ships to protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

The US military's Central Command reported two more attacks on commercial vessels Monday.

US military Central Command said the anti-tank cruise missile, launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, hit the Strinda and the destroyer USS Mason was providing assistance.

Now, it has emerged that the Pentagon will 'offer' Biden the option of a 'heavy response' to the Iran-backed militia. In response, National Security Council advisor spokesman John Kirby said that he will not 'telegraph any punches one way or the other,' reports Bloomberg.

The Pentagon has described Iran's role with the Houthi group as 'significant', providing military and intelligence support.

Any strike by the US on the militia could bring a standoff with Iran even closer.

The seriousness of the recent attacks, several of which have damaged the vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed.

Houthi rebels say they won't let up on their attacks. Pictured is Huthi military spokesman, Brigadier Yahya Saree delivering a statement about the group's recent attacks

A Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea last month

Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond is among the British warships now helping to protect the vital Red Sea shipping lane

On Wednesday, Trump's former National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, argued in the Washington Post that the Biden administration was showing weakness with its treatment the Houthis.

Bolton also quoted Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who recently told The New York Times that the US must face 'consequences' for its support of Israel.

All the imports that could be derailed by the Middle East crisis THAILAND Chicken High street sandwiches Frozen foods BANGLADESH Clothes Shoes Shellfish Fish VIETNAM Sound equipment Mobile phones AUSTRALIA Wine Tobacco JAPAN Cars KENYA Tea Coffee SOUTH AFRICA Grapes Advertisement

'The Biden administration is not only failing to establish even minimal deterrence; it seems incapable of thinking strategically about U.S. interests in the region, dismaying friends and allies alike,' Bolton wrote.

He called the coalition a 'purely defensive measure and therefore insufficient.'

Bolton also mocked the administration's attempts at diplomacy, pointing out that neither Iran or the Houthis themselves appear to be interested.

The former ambassador also said that the Houthis should be re-designated as a terror organization.

Several other countries have also agreed to be involved in the determent operation but prefer not to be publicly named, a defense official said on the condition of anonymity.

The mission will be coordinated by the already existing Combined Task Force 153, which was set up in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden.

There have been 39 member nations in CTF 153, but officials were working to determine which of them would participate in this latest effort.

Separately, the United States has also called on the United Nations Security Council to take action against the attacks.

In a letter to council members, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Houthi attacks targeting commercial vessels legally transiting the international waterways continue to threaten 'navigational rights and freedoms, international maritime security, and international commerce.'

The 15 council members discussed the Houthi threat behind closed doors Monday but took no immediate action.
Three of the world's biggest porn websites will have to comply with tougher restrictions as part of an EU clampdown aimed at protecting minors.

Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat are now classed as 'very large online platforms' and are subject to more stringent controls under the Digital Services Act, according to the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.

EU regulators determined the adult sites fell within the scope of a landmark law designed to police online content because, like Facebook, TikTok and Wikipedia, they have more than 45 million users each.

The three sites are the first to be targeted by the sweeping Digital Services Act, which imposes tough obligations to keep users safe from illegal content and dodgy products.

They will have to comply with several stricter measures, including having to apply systems that can verify the age of users.

Three of the world's biggest porn websites, including Pornhub, have been hit with new rules as part of a EU clampdown aimed at protecting minors (file image)

XVideos is also impacted by the clampdown because it is classed as a 'very large online platform' as it has 45 million users

Pornhub, which is based in Canada, said it had only 33mn users in the EU, thus falling short of the DSAs threshold, the Financial Times reports.

Violations are punishable by fines of up to 6 per cent of global revenue or even a ban on operating in the EU.

Some 19 online platforms and search engines have already been identified for stricter scrutiny under the DSA, including TikTok, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Google and more.

The law includes provisions to protect children by preventing them 'from accessing pornographic content online, including with age verification tools,' the commission said in a press release.

France, Germany and Britain and U.S. states including Utah and Texas have drafted laws requiring porn sites to verify a user is 18 or older.

Methods could include checking credit cards or government-issued ID or scanning faces to estimate ages, but all those systems have raised concerns about privacy and discrimination.

France, Germany and Britain and U.S. states including Utah and Texas have drafted laws requiring porn sites to verify a user is 18 or older (file image)

Europe's digital law also calls for measures to curb the risk of spreading illegal content online, such as child sexual abuse material, or content that breaches 'fundamental rights' like privacy, such as 'non-consensual' images or deepfake porn.

'These measures can include adapting their terms and conditions, interfaces, moderation processes or algorithms, among others,' the commission said.

The DSA kicked in for the biggest online platforms in August. The requirements also include carrying out risk assessments, giving researchers access to publicly available data and filing regular transparency reports.

Europe's digital law also calls for measures to curb the risk of spreading illegal content online. Pictured: European Union flags wave in the wind as pedestrians walk by EU headquarters in Brussels

The EU has used the law to crack down on Elon Musk's social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, by opening an investigation on Monday into whether it failed to do enough to stop the spread of illegal content such as hate speech or incitement of terrorism.

Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, wrote: I welcome the designations of Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat as Very Large Online Platforms.

'It will allow for higher scrutiny and accountability of their algorithms and processes.

'The DSA demonstrates once again that it is an essential tool to ensure that technology respects the fundamental rights of European citizens.
An amphibious tank which sank during D-Day rehearsals was extensively damaged by reckless divers, investigations have revealed.

The turret and cannon were knocked off the top of the protected Duplex Drive Valentine tank during a botched attempt to illegally move a buoy that was marking it.

The haphazard efforts to make it easier for divers to reach the scheduled historic monument would have involved a small team a using a boat with a winch on the surface.

The buoy was attached to a two tonne steel sinker weight and as they tried to lift and move it the block struck the tank.

The heavy turret fell onto the seabed next to the tank which had been sealed shut since it sank in 60ft of water in Studland Bay, Dorset, nearly 80 years ago.

An amphibious tank which sank during D-Day rehearsals was extensively damaged by reckless divers, investigations have revealed. The turret and cannon were knocked off the top of the protected Duplex Drive Valentine tank during a botched attempt to illegally move a buoy that was marking it

Since then marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University have been down to the tank to investigate. They also covered the top with sandbags (pictured) to try and conserve the contents

The damage left the interior of the tracked vehicle, which is also a potential war grave as six men drowned during the disastrous exercise in April 1944, exposed to the salt water.

Experts say the damage would have been immediately obvious to whoever was responsible but they left the scene without reporting it to the authorities.

It was only discovered when other recreational divers visited the wreck site in September 2022.

Since then marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University have been down to the tank to investigate. They also covered the top with sandbags to try and conserve the contents.

Historic England, which manages the underwater scheduled monument, say the site is now less attractive to recreational divers who will be put off from visiting it in the future.

An image of the tank after the turret and cannon were knocked off by wreckless divers

Experts say the damage would have been immediately obvious to whoever was responsible but they left the scene without reporting it to the authorities

The turret was also a habitat for marine life which has disappeared since the damage occurred.

Dorset police launched an investigation into the report of criminal damage but that has concluded without any offenders being identified.

Terry Newman, a maritime archaeologist for Historic England, said: 'We believe that it wasn't a deliberate act but it was caused by a reckless act.

'Something has hit the tank with sufficient force to knock the turret off the hull, like peeling back the lid of a can of sardines.

'The contents of the tank have been sealed shut for 80 years. They are now exposed to the elements and there is a significant risk of them being lost.

'Six soldiers lost their lives so there may be human remains in there. There may also potentially be ordnance like cannon rounds and small arms.

'A diver wouldn't have been strong enough to dislodge the turret by themselves.

'We believe someone has deliberately tried to move the marker buoy and place it closer to the tank to make it easier for divers to access it in the future.

'During the course of that the turret has been hit by the sinker weight.

The event was witnessed by Winston Churchill, King George VI, US General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who were stood in a concrete bunker overlooking Studland Bay. Above: The bunker

A depiction of Churchill watching the exercise with Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery and others

Soon after the Valentine tanks were launched into the sea ,the weather deteriorated and the vehicles were overcome by the waves and sank. Above: One of the tanks underwater

An image of one of the tanks underwater. Six servicemen - Lieutenant C Gould, Sergeant V Hartley, Corporals Arthur Park and V Townson and Troopers A Kirby and E Petty - all drowned

One of the tanks underwater. The site is a scheduled monument, meaning access is restricted

'The site is a scheduled monument which has been damaged by a reckless act and that is a criminal offence.'

Professor Dave Parham, a marine archaeologist at Bournemouth University, added: 'From where the marker was it was about a 13 seconds swim down to the tank.

'It looks like someone tried to move it a few metres to get it closer to the tank. It is a lot of effort for not a lot of gain.

'The sinker weight is a two tonne block of steel and has no real value. But in trying to move it, it has hit the object next to it.

'There would have been a boat with a winch on the surface and in the few seconds the block was lifted off the seabed you can imagine the boat being moved a couple of metres by the wind or the tide and then 'ding', the block has hit the tank.'

The ill-fated Operation Smash took place on April 4, 1944.

The event was witnessed by Winston Churchill, King George VI, US General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who were stood in a concrete bunker overlooking Studland Bay.

Soon after the Valentine tanks were launched into the sea, the weather deteriorated and the vehicles were overcome by the waves and sank.

Six servicemen - Lieutenant C Gould, Sergeant V Hartley, Corporals Arthur Park and V Townson and Troopers A Kirby and E Petty - all drowned.

The last remaining Valentine tank on the beach at Studland Bay

Studland Bay is a picturesque part of the Dorset coastline and is popular with tourists

The tanks have remained on the seabed and act as an artificial reef for marine life.

The site is a scheduled monument and has become a popular recreational diving site and marine habitat.

Mr Newman said: 'Since the damage happened the reaction we have heard from recreational divers is the site is now ugly.

'Where they could photograph and video this tank with its turret and gin it is now covered in sandbags.

'Whoever did this may have been trying to improve access to the tank but it has had the opposite effect.'

Since the damage was revealed the Valentine Tank Assemblage has been added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

English Heritage plans to hold a meeting with the Poole harbour master and local stakeholders about how the site should be buoyed and protected in the future.
Tory MP Mel Stride has said he is 'not averse' to another parliamentary vote on assisted dying, a day after Dame Esther Rantezen said she is considering to go to Dignitas.

While the Work and Pensions Secretary made clear that the Government would not bring forward fresh legislation on the issue, he signaled that he would be happy to debate it further.

Yesterday Dame Esther, 83, revealed she planned to 'buzz off to Zurich', where assisted dying is legal, if new medication to treat her stage four lung cancer stopped working.

The broadcaster explained that she had joined the Swiss-assisted dying clinic Dignitas , as she called for a free vote on assisted dying as it's 'important that the law catches up with what the country wants'.

Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, holding a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. A bill to make assisted dying legal failed to pass in 2015.

Dame Esther Rantezen said she is considering to go to Dignitas this week, as she called for a free vote on making assisted dying legal

Tory MP Mel Stride has said he is 'not averse' to another parliamentary vote on assisted dying

Dignitas is an assisted-dying clinic in Zurich, Switzerland (pictured)

Mr Stride, who was one of 27 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of the legislation eight years ago, said it was 'one of the most delicate, balanced and difficult' he has made as an MP.

The minister, who was elected in 2010, told the Today Programme: 'The government has not decided to bring forward legislation, I think I need to make that very clear.

'But if Parliament in some form or another decided that it wanted to have a fresh look at this, given it was some years ago that we last did so, that's not something that I would be resistant to.'

Another Tory MP Alicia Kearns has called for another vote on legalising assisted dying.

Tweeting after Dame Esther revealed her plan, the MP for Rutland and Melton said: 'Dame Esther is absolutely right, Parliament needs to have a vote on assisted dying, and it needs to be a free vote.'

She said there had been a 'fundamental shift in the country' and 'in parliament' since 2015.

Ms Kearns told the BBC: 'Since I was elected we've had a number of debates on this and you can barely get a chance to speak.

Dame Esther (pictured at her home in Hampshire in 2020) is currently undergoing treatment for stage four lung cancer

Yesterday her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, spoke of how her family reacted to such an emotional decision

Dame Esther married Desmond Wilcox, a fellow journalist, in 1977. The couple had three children together, Miriam, Rebecca, and Josh, before Desmond died from heart disease in September 2000 aged 69

'The amount of my colleagues who say I've reflected, I've changed my views I really do think that the national conversation has changed.'

Levelling Up minister Michael Gove also thought it would be 'appropriate' to 'revist' the issue in the Commons, despite not being personally persuaded.

He said yesterday: 'I am not yet persuaded of the case for assisted dying but I do think it's appropriate for the Commons to revisit this.

'I think it was in the last Parliament that we had a debate on it and as I say, I am not yet persuaded but I would want to listen with humility to Dame Esther and others outline the case.'

Yet Victoria Atkins refused to give her personal view on whether there should be a vote on legalising assisted dying today, citing her 'responsibility, as Health Secretary.

Ms Atkins said she recognised how 'incredibly emotional' the issue is, but re-stated the Government's line that it should be up to Parliament whether or not to have another debate on changing the law.

The MP for Louth and Horncastle said today: 'This rightly is a matter for Parliament and for members of Parliament. It's a matter of conscience.

'I feel very honoured to be the Secretary of State for Health, but I'm also very aware of the responsibility that brings and so it must be for Parliament, it must be for individual members of Parliament.

'And I shouldn't be, I can't be, drawn on my own views because I wouldn't in any way want to pre-empt that discussion.'

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government position has not changed so it remains a matter for Parliament to decide.

They reiterated it is 'an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than Government policy - as it was in 2015 when the House considered it and rejected making any changes'.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting agreed that Parilament 'would probably be in a different place' now than it was eight years ago.

He told LBC yesterday: 'When I first became an MP we had a vote on assisted dying in Parliament. It was lost heavily. I think Parliament probably be in a different place now. This will be a free vote issue anyway, so Labour wouldn't have a position.'

The MP for Ilford North said that while he would 'totally understand' people wanting to have 'the right to die on your own terms' he had some concerns.

The broadcaster, 83, has called for a free vote on assisted dying as it's 'important that the law catches up with what the country wants'

Dame Esther explained to her family that she didn't 'want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times'

'My hesitation is how we get the legal framework right?' he added. 'So that no one ever feels coerced, directly or indirectly, to exercise assisted dying without those checks and balances in place, making sure that we've got the right palliative care in place.'

During the last vote, 330 voted against changing the law with 118 calling for it be changed.

Dame Esther made her announcement yesterday while speaking on the BBC's Today Podcast with Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan.

The Childline founder said: 'I have in my brain though, well, if the next scan says nothing's working I might buzz off to Zurich but, you know, it puts my family and friends in a difficult position because they would want to go with me. And that means that the police might prosecute them.

So we've got to do something. At the moment, it's not really working, is it?'

Dame Esther said that she had discussed the issue with her family and they had told her it was her 'decision' and 'choice'.

She continued: 'I explained to them that actually I don't want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times and I don't want that to happen.

'I don't want to be that sort of victim in their lives.'

After the announcement was made, however, her daughter Rebecca Wilcox spoke of how she would 'want to ground the plane' if her mother decided to fly to Dignitas.

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'She never makes a decision in complete isolation, but she doesn't care what anyone else says.

'It's horrific and she always promised us she would live forever. She's not usually one to break her promises so we're a little upset about that.

'I would personally want to ground her plane if she was going to fly to Zurich but I know it's her decision. I just don't ever want her to go.'

She also spoke of the heartbreak of watching her father, Desmond, endure a slow and painful death as he battled heart disease, adding: 'That's what mum wants to avoid.'

If Dame Esther chooses to go to Dignitas she will be following around 650 Britons who have flown to Switzerland to end their lives at the secretive assisted suicide clinic.

While illegal in most parts of the UK, in Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to murder or other charges.

The Health and Social Care Committee is due to publish its report into assisted dying and assisted suicide in England and Wales, having launched an inquiry in December 2022 to examine different perspectives in the debate.

Legislation is being put forward in Scotland by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is due to come before Holyrood next year.

A Bill to legalise assisted dying on the Isle of Man will be scrutinised by a committee next year before progressing to the next stage through the island's Parliament.

That bill, as it stands, would apply only to terminally ill adults who have been 'ordinarily resident' on the island for at least a year and who are reasonably expected to die within six months.

It passed a second reading vote in October in what pro-change campaigners hailed as a 'historic' moment which they said puts the Isle of Man on the path to becoming the first part of the British Isles to see assisted dying legalised.
It said Russian soldiers have come down with the disease 'en mass'

An outbreak of 'mouse fever' is 'mowing down Russia's frontline troops', Ukraine has claimed, with symptoms ranging from 'vomiting and bleeding eyes'.

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on the outbreak of the disease among Russian units in Kupyansk, a city in the country's east.

Russian soldiers there are said to be struggling with a lack of winter provisions as troops prepare to spend a second Christmas fighting Vladimir Putin's war.

Ukraine said the disease is a type of streptococcal infection transmitted to humans through direct contact with rodents, or inhaling their faeces.

'In the Kupyansk direction of the front, the occupiers are mowed down en masse by 'mouse fever' the update posted to the Telegram messaging app said.

An outbreak of 'mouse fever' is 'mowing down Russia 's frontline troops', Ukraine has claimed, with symptoms ranging from 'vomiting and bleeding eyes'. Pictured: A Ukrainian military health worker holds up a mouse with scissors in a trench, December 16

'As a result, mouse fever significantly reduced the fighting ability of Russian rats.'

Ukraine said so-called 'mouse fever' can cause 'severe headaches, body temperature rising to 40 degrees, rashes and redness, decreased blood pressure, haemorrhages in the eyes, nausea and vomiting several times a day'.

It added: 'Because the disease affects the kidneys, a person infected with mouse fever experiences intense pain in the lower back and has severe difficulty urinating.'

Ukraine's HUR claimed the Russian soldiers' suffering has fallen on deaf ears, with commanders taking their complaints as an excuse to avoid fighting.

'Complaints about fever from personnel of the Russian army, who are involved in the war against Ukraine, were ignored by the command, regarding them as another manifestation of evasion from participating in combat operations,' the post said.

'In addition, at the first stage of the course, 'mouse fever' resembles an ordinary flu.'

While 'mouse fever' does not appear to be a clinical term, the symptoms listed appeared similar to leptospirosis, also known as rat-bite fever, although it was not immediately clear if this is precisely the same disease Ukraine referenced.

Leptospirosis is also spread through contact with rodents.

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on the outbreak of the disease among Russian units in Kupyansk, a city in the country's east

A crewmember of the 122-mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 Gvozdika prepares the howitzer for firing onto Russian positions near the occupied Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on December 18

The claim comes towards the end of a gruelling year in Ukraine, which has seen Kyiv's counteroffensive fail to live up to expectations, emboldening Putin.

The war is now all-but at a stalemate along hundreds of miles of front lines, with the two sides separated by snow, trenches and deadly mine fields.

Many soldiers are hunkered down in frozen trenches, under constant threat from artillery and drone strikes.

Ukrainian soldiers have in the past complained about rats and mice inside the trenches, with their Russian enemies presumably suffering from the same problems.

Pictures of rats 'the size of a Kalashnikov assault rifle' have been shared on social media, Tyler Kustra, assistant professor of politics and international relations at the University of Nottingham told EuroNews.

Russia's forces 'are dealing with a severe rodent infestation as mice and rats seek warmth and food by going into their trenches,' he said.

'Given that the Ukrainians are just on the other side of the front line, I worry that Putin isn't the only vermin that they will have to deal with.'

Both sides have suffered heavy casualties, and there are concerns that the momentum could shift in Russia's favour when winter thaws next year - unless Ukraine can secure much-needed funding from its Western allies.

Ukrainian soldiers have in the past complained about rats and mice inside the trenches, with their Russian enemies presumably suffering from the same problems

Meanwhile, Ukraine on Wednesday said nine people, including four children, were wounded by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson as drones also targeted the capital Kyiv and the second-largest city Kharkiv.

'During the evening shelling of Kherson by the Russian occupiers, nine people were injured, four of them were children,' said Roman Mrochko, head of Kherson, adding that the children were between two and 13 years old.

A mother and her three children were hospitalised but 'their condition is moderate. They have contusions and... explosive injuries', Mrochko said on Telegram.

Several Iranian-made Shahed drones were also shot down by Ukrainian air defences as they headed toward Kyiv, according to the head of the capital's military administration, Serhii Popko.

According to the preliminary data of the operational summary, there were no victims or destruction in the capital,' he wrote on Telegram, adding that the attack, the fifth on Kyiv in December, was staged from the Black Sea.

Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported at least two strikes near residential buildings in his city. The Ukraine air force said Kharkiv was hit with 'two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles' fired from Russia's Belgorod region.

Firefighters work at the site of a damaged building following shelling in Donetsk

No casualties have been reported so far.

It also said a 'total 19 Shahed launches were recorded, 18 of which were destroyed within in the Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Chernigiv and Kirovograd regions'.

Moscow has stepped up its nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, at a time when the West's willingness to support the country seems to be waning.

Analysts believe Moscow's forces will target infrastructure to grind down Ukraine's ability to resist a renewed Russian push into the country next year.
Girl X was likely 'de-sensitised' and 'goaded' into murder after watching torture and death on the dark web, an expert told the Mail.

Professor Alan Woodward, a computer science and cyber security specialist from Surrey University, said so-called red rooms  underground internet sites where people are physically abused to draw blood and even killed  were difficult to find and, consequently, hard for the police and law enforcement agencies to shut down.

The jury was told that Girl X downloaded an 'onion browser' six months before Brianna's murder which allowed her to access and watch videos of people being murdered and tortured, sometimes via live streams, on the dark web without being traced.

Watching such content would no doubt have caused her to become disinhibited and desensitised to imagery most ordinary people would find horrifying, Prof Woodward said.

Brianna Ghey, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11

Professor Alan Woodward, a computer science and cyber security specialist from Surrey University, said so-called red rooms  underground internet sites where people are physically abused to draw blood and even killed  were difficult to find

Follow every detail of the case on The Mails acclaimed podcast The Trial The Trial...takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest trials in the world. The first series 'The Trial of Lucy Letby' was a global hit, with more than 13 million downloads, while season two focused on the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland. Its third season follows the tragic case of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl killed in Warrington, England. Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from The Daily Mail's Northern Correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham. Advertisement

'The psychologists call it disinhibition,' he said. 'The internet leads to a lot of criminal activity because it's seen as fantasy. Users are not only desensitised but they are goaded into doing it themselves.

'They see other people doing it or they might do something softer or something illegal online and no one comes knocking at their door, so they carry out a frenzied attack and they don't think of the consequences because they are still living in that online virtual world.

'Police forces, law enforcement agencies are developing more and more techniques to try and unmask these sites, close down these sites.

'It's happening all the time but unfortunately not fast enough to stop tragedies like this.'

Prof Woodward told the Mail's The Trial podcast it was impossible to 'stumble' upon these sites and instead Girl X would have been 'pushed' towards them by the algorithms of social media after expressing an interest online.

'Anyone who has expressed even the vaguest interest in something gets pushed towards someone else with the same interest and they all get scrunched up on the dark web,' he said.

'They start sharing these .onion addresses - that's how they find these sites, and there are some really disturbing ones.

'You can't just go on the dark web and say, ''show me a snuff site or someone being tortured or beheaded,'' or whatever it is you fancy, she would have had to have been told (where to go).

'Red rooms are where blood is involved, where people are being tortured and either killed or abused physically, where people draw blood.

'They won't stumble across them, you can't accidentally find them.

'The dangerous and scary bit is that you need only to express the tiniest interest, which may be misunderstood by the algorithm, but they slowly get pushed together.

The jury was told that Girl X downloaded an 'onion browser' six months before Brianna's murder which allowed her to access and watch videos of people being murdered and tortured

READ MORE - Two torture-obsessed teenagers are found guilty of murdering Brianna Ghey Advertisement

'These sites can be anywhere in the world, it's very difficult to trace them. Something like a red room, or a torture room, can involve static imagery but sometimes it can also involve live streaming and those are very difficult to get to.'

Prof Woodward said that, because these sites were difficult to find, they are also difficult for the police and other authorities to trace and close down.

'Because they pop up and down you have to be very patient and try lots of things out in order to track them,' he added.

'This isn't like on the ordinary web, where you go onto Google to find them. You have to go searching and when you search you find other people who direct you. One site will quite often direct you to another, so the more you use it (the dark web) the more you know.'

READ MORE - Detectives fear killers could have struck again Advertisement

Prof Woodward said downloading onion browsers was not illegal and there is nothing to stop young people legitimately downloading them to access the dark web.

But Detective Superintendent Mike Evans, head of Cheshire CID who investigated the case, urged parents to talk to their children to understand what they were looking at 'when they shut the bedroom door.'

Referring to Girl X and Boy Y, he said: 'These were two very warped individuals to have done what they have done.

'It needs a certain level of intelligence to access the dark web and I know as a parent the need to know what a child does when they shut the bedroom door.

'There is a bit for all of us around internet safety and web awareness.'
Switzerland capital Bern is examining a pilot scheme to allow the sale of cocaine

Switzerland's capital is examining a pilot scheme to allow the sale of cocaine for recreational use - a radical approach to the war on drugs that is not thought to have been tried elsewhere.

The Parliament in Bern has supported the idea, which still needs to overcome opposition from the city government and will also require a change in national law.

Drugs policy around the world is evolving, with the U.S. state of Oregon, for example, decriminalising possession of small amounts of cocaine in 2021 in favour of drug treatment.

Many European countries, including Spain, Italy and Portugal, no longer have prison sentences for possession of drugs including cocaine, although nowhere has gone as far as the proposal under discussion in Bern.

Switzerland is re-examining its stance on the drug after some politicians and experts criticised complete bans as ineffective, with the proposal - currently in its early stages - following trials now under way to permit the legal sale of cannabis.

'The war on drugs has failed, and we have to look at new ideas,' said Eva Chen, a member of the Bern council from the Alternative Left Party who co-sponsored the proposal.

Police display a portion of the six tonnes of cocaine, money and other material which was seized during a drug bust at an industrial estate at the police headquarters in Malaga, Spain

'Control and legalisation can do better than mere repression.'

Wealthy Switzerland has one of the highest levels of cocaine use in Europe, according to the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites measured in waste water, with Zurich, Basel and Geneva all featuring in the top 10 cities in Europe.

Swiss cities, including Bern, are also showing increasing usage, while prices of cocaine have halved in the last five years, according to Addiction Switzerland, a non-governmental organisation.

'We have a lot of cocaine in Switzerland right now, at the cheapest prices and the highest quality we have ever seen,' said Frank Zobel, deputy director at Addiction Switzerland.

'You can get a dose of cocaine for about 10 francs these days, not much more than the price for a beer.'

Bern's education, social affairs and sport directorate is preparing a report on a possible cocaine trial, although this does not mean it will definitely take place.

'Cocaine can be life-threatening for both first-time and long-term users. The consequences of an overdose, but also individual intolerance to even the smallest amounts, can lead to death,' the Bern government said.

Bern parliament member Chen said it was too early to say how a pilot scheme would develop, including where the drug would be sold or how it would be sourced.

'We are still far away from potential legalisation, but we should look at new approaches,' Chen said. 'That is why we are calling for a scientifically supervised pilot scheme trial.'

For a trial to take place, parliament would have to amend the law banning the recreational use of the drug.

The decision could come in a matter of years, or earlier if the current cannabis schemes - where the drug is on sale at pharmacies - show successful results, political experts said.

Any legalisation would be accompanied by quality controls and information campaigns, Chen said, with the approach also reducing a lucrative criminal market.

The Parliament in Bern has supported the idea, which still needs to overcome opposition from the city government and will also require a change in national law (file image)

Experts are divided, with even those in favour of the trial concerned about the potential dangers.

'Cocaine is one of the most strongly addictive substances known,' said Boris Quednow, group leader of the University of Zurich's Centre for Psychiatric Research.

He said its risks were in a completely different league to alcohol or cannabis, citing links to heart damage, strokes, depression and anxiety.

On the other hand, Thilo Beck, from the Arud Zentrum for Addiction Medicine, the largest centre for addiction medicine in Switzerland, said it was time for a more 'grown up' policy towards cocaine.

'Cocaine isn't healthy - but the reality is that people use it,' said Beck. 'We can't change that, so we should try to ensure people use it in the safest, least damaging way.'

Leo, a cocaine user from Geneva, said legalising the drug would make treatment easier, as well as reduce violence and crime linked to supply. It would also make it easier to control the quality of the drugs on sale.

'Prohibiting drugs doesn't give good results in terms of health policies and prevention,' Leo told Reuters. 'On the contrary, it looks like countries who chose to legalize it or to depenalize drugs, have better results in terms of prevention and global health policies.

'Switzerland has been courageous in its policies with other drugs, so I think the next stage should be the legalisation of cocaine.'
A cruel dog owner left his American Bulldog to suffer for months before taking him to a vets where he was put down.

Kristopher Morgan, 36, failed to take his poor pooch Buddie to the vets after noticing a growth on his neck and a lack of appetite that left him extremely malnourished, with every bone of his body on show.

Morgan said Buddie went missing seven weeks before being handed into vets and so could not take him in, but experts said it was 'very unlikely' that a dog 'of that stature' would have disappeared for so long without being found.

They added that Buddie was likely suffering for months rather than weeks - and had urgently needed veterinary help.

Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court heard Buddie was too poorly by the time he got treatment when he looked like a 'bag of bones' and had to be put to sleep.

A cruel dog owner left his American Bulldog Buddie (pictured) to suffer for months before taking him to a vets where he was put down

Kristopher Morgan, 36, failed to take his poor pooch Buddie to the vets after noticing a growth on his neck and a lack of appetite that left him extremely malnourished

A vet told the court: 'It seems very unlikely that a dog of such loving nature and large stature would have been missing for seven weeks without anyone finding him and bringing him to either a veterinary practice or to the RSPCA.

'It is also clear from the conversation that I had with Mr Morgan that he did not seek or have intentions of seeking veterinary treatment for the lump, inappetance or weight loss.

'As a consequence, I feel Buddie was suffering whilst in this poor condition - uncomfortable when trying to sit down, weak, malnourished and regurgitating after food (likely due to the size of the lumps pressing on his food pipe).

'In my opinion, I feel this dog was suffering for longer than seven weeks, at a minimum three months but possibly longer.

'Veterinarian opinion should have been sought as soon as he started going off his food and losing weight, as this would have started to impact on his quality of life.

'Buddie should never have been left this long and by doing so Mr Morgan had failed in his duty of care to Buddie and allowed him to suffer unnecessarily.'

Morgan pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under the Animal Welfare Act.

Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court (pictured) heard Buddie was too poorly by the time he got treatment when he looked like a 'bag of bones' and had to be put to sleep

Morgan, of Merthyr Tydfil, was disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years and ordered to pay 500 costs.

He was also handed a 12 month community order which included 135 hours unpaid work and 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Gemma Cooper who collected Buddie's body from the vets said she could see every bone in his body and he was covered in lumps.

Speaking after the sentence, she said: 'This is a very sad case, and we're very sorry to hear that Buddie didn't make it.

'We'd like to thank the member of the public who took him to the vets and the staff at the vets who gave him emergency care when he arrived.

'Sadly he had been neglected and the failure of veterinary care and attention for his condition meant that he would have been suffering for some time.'
The King's Guards are still donning Canadian bearskin caps as greenwashing defence officials have used a meaningless ethics scheme to ignore suitable faux fur options, animal rights campaigners have claimed.

The Ministry of Defence, who pledged to drop fur once an alternative was found, have now revealed their use of a controversial fur industry marketing scheme to justify the continuing use of fur in the uniform.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have accused officials of using Furmark a scheme branded meaningless by former British Fur Trade Association CEO Mike Moser - to give off the impression they are adhering to animal welfare standards.

In a letter to PETA last month seen by the Mail, the MoDs equipment team said: The furs used by the MOD are only procured via local Canadian suppliers with a Furmark accreditation.

This is a global certification and traceability system for natural furs that guarantees animal welfare and environmental standards, and in turn, ensures the ethical sourcing and sustainability of the fur.

Mr Biden and the King inspect the guard of honour formed by the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle

The King's Guards are still donning Canadian bearskin caps as greenwashing, animal rights campaigners have claimed

President Biden walks in front of the King as they inspect the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle

This is the first time the MoD have mentioned using Furmark.

But campaigners have suggested the accreditation is just another attempt at greenwashing. In 2021, Respect for Animals concluded in a report: Furmark - the fur industrys certification, traceability and labelling scheme - lacks transparency and credibility and fails to address the environmental impacts of the fur industry.

The MoD has also claimed that whilst faux fur samples have been presented for testing in the past, to date, and to the Departments knowledge, no faux fur sample has been produced which meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps.

However, PETA say they have worked with luxury faux furrier ECOPEL to develop a suitable material that is waterproof and mimics real bear fur in both appearance and performance.

Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner said: Instead of aligning with the values and morals of the British public, who reject fur, and with the example set by the late Queen Elizabeth when she refused to buy fur for her wardrobe, the MoD is aligning itself with an accreditation scheme that attempts to greenwash and justify the slaughter of majestic bears.

PETA urges the MoD to end its complicity with bear slaughter and fully evaluate the faux bear fur so it can be quick-marched into service.

In October the group laid 498 cut outs to represent the Canadian black bears killed since PETA and ECOPEL made their faux fur offer in 2017.

The Ministry of Defence, who pledged to drop fur once an alternative was found, have now revealed their use of a controversial fur industry marketing scheme

In February the MoD stated, 'currently we have no plans to end the use of bearskins', saying 'Guardsmen take great pride' in wearing the current cap which is an 'iconic image of Britain

The MoD has claimed no faux fur sample has been produced which meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps

Animal rights lobby group Peta has threatened the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with legal action in a row over replacing the King's Guards' bearskin caps with a faux fur alternative

Last year a poll revealed that three quarters of voters considered bearskin caps - which have cost the taxpayer around 1million since 2015 - a bad use of government funds, with each cap costing 1,710.

Last night the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation said: Its appalling that it can take the entire hide of one Canadian black bear to make just one cap.

Luxury faux fur manufacturer ECOPEL has created the worlds first faux fur that looks identical to the animal-fur cap and is easily rendered 100% waterproof. It has met all of the MoDs requirements. We urge for the MoD to adopt the new caps.

We believe there is no justification to continue using the fur of Canadian black bears for the ornamental caps, when an excellent alternative exists.

They cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands every year and using real fur conflicts with public opinion on this issue.

An MoD spokesperson said: Bears are not hunted to order for the Ministry of Defence and bear pelts used are a product of legal and licensed hunts.

To date and to the Departments knowledge, an alternative has yet to meet the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps.
Donald Trump's Republican rivals joined him in condemning a Colorado court's decision to disqualify the former president from the 2024 presidential primary ballot  with Nikki Haley saying she wanted to beat him 'fair and square.'

None of his trop rivals seized on the 'insurrectionist' determination found by the court, which referenced Trump's January 6 speech in ruling that he should be disbarred from the ballot under a clause in the 14th Amendment for those who have 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' in violation of their oath.

'I will tell you that I dont think Donald Trump needs to be president. I think I need to be president. I think thats good for the country,' Haley said after a campaign stop in Iowa, not long after the bombshell ruling came down Tuesday night.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said after a Colorado court ruling that would disqualify Trump from the state ballot that she wants to win 'fair and square'

'But I will beat him fair and square. We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions.'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running second to Trump in Iowa in polling, blasted the move on the X platform.

'The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds,' DeSantis wrote.

He retweeted a post by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) calling the decision 'lawless thuggery.'

Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been hammering Trump in New Hampshire and who has been among the most willing to bash his former ally during presidential debates, gave the decision a bad revies.

He said Tuesday he hadn't read it yet and was still digesting the opinion.

But he said at a campaign event: 'I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being president of the United States by any court,' NBC reported. 'I think he should be prevented from being president of the United States by the voters of this country,' he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also blasted the Colorado decision

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

The blasts reflect how at several seemingly perilous legal turns during the campaign, Trump has been able to capitalize on the moment and weave his criminal prosecutions and defense in civil suits to what he calls a 'witch hunt' against him.

WHAT DOES SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT SAY? No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Advertisement

The Trump camp was trying to put political pressure on rivals Tuesday night, with an official asking if they stand with activists and Democrats 'wanting President Trumps name off the ballot? Or do they want a free and fair election?'

Trump's legal team is expected to immediately file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Colorado Supreme Court found 'by clear and convincing evidence' that Trump engaged in an insurrection as defined by the Fourteenth Amendment.

It found the District Court 'did not err' when it determined that January 6 constituted an 'insurrection.'

It did so by citing Trump's January 6 speech, where he told a crowd on the Ellipse to 'fight like hell,' ruling that it was not protected speech under the First Amendment.

'The sum of these parts is this: President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot,' the court ruled.

Trump's intra-party rivals were finding ground that was well within the party's base.

'Every time Trump has ad an adverse engagement with the legal system, it has been like rocket fuel with Republican voters because it reinforces his core message that he is (and has been) unfairly treated since the moment he burst on to the scene,' said Republican analyst Scott Jennings.

'Republicans see this in the same way they saw two impeachments, the indictments, the Russia investigation, and all the rest  just another attempt by the elites and the Democrats to stop Trump and his voters from getting a fair shake in an election,' he added.
The distraught parents of a four-year-old boy shot dead in their car have demanded to know why the gunman was free to kill after two recent arrests.

Convicted felon Byron Burkhart appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday charged with the murder of Gor Adamyan who died in a hail of bullets during a road rage attack on Friday.

The little boy had begged his parents to take him to the grocery store before they crossed paths with Burkhart, 29, and his girlfriend Alexandria Gentile, 27, on the Sierra Highway in Lancaster.

His parents say they saw Gentile hand Burkhart the gun before he shot at least eight times at their car, fatally injuring Gor in the back seat.

But Gentile has been released without charge and the LA District Attorney is facing questions amid claims that Burkhart had been released from jail just day's earlier under the county's zero-bail policy.

Four-year-old Gor Adamyan was shot dead during a California road rage shooting on Friday night after begging his parents to take him with them on their trip to the grocery store

Byron Burkhart appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday charged with Gor's murder

'This particular suspect was in custody a week ago for a gun-related felony and they had to let him go because of the new bail laws,' Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris told KTLA 5.

'What did we expect? Did we really think our children weren't going to be the victims of this? Because they are.'

Police say the the family was suddenly cut off by Burkhart at around 7.30pm before he pursued them through surface streets, finally pulling up alongside their car and firing inside.

During the incident, the suspect driver cut them off and then began following them through several surface streets,' the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said.

'While being pursued by the suspects, the victim driver slowed his vehicle, at which time the suspect driver pulled up along the passenger side of the victim's car and began shooting.'

Family spokesman Miguel Coronado from Agents of Change said that mother Meri Adamyan and father Levon Tantushyan were uninjured, but a bullet hit Gor in the torso, while he was sitting in the back seat.

Mom, Im hurt, he told her.

That was the last thing he said, Coronado added.

Those working in nearby businesses heard gunshot ring out and rushed to help but sadly the youngster died from his injuries early the next day.

'His father and mother, who were in the vehicle, immediately transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased,' the sheriff's office said.

A picture posted by Byron Burkhart of himself on one of his six Facebook pages in 2021

Burkhart posted this selfie of himself as he recovered from an operation at Snibbe Orthopedics in Los Angeles in September last year

His last Facebook posting on the day of the shooting read 'Hated by many, wanted by plenty, disliked by some, confronted by none'

Burkhart pictured on social media in 2017

'On that fateful day, as Gor's parents were en route to purchase groceries, an encounter with a suspect driver escalated into an unthinkable tragedy,' a GoFundMe page read.

'Gor Adamyan succumbed to his injuries on Friday night, just ten days before Christmas, leaving his family utterly devastated,' the post read.

'Gor was just a happy, regular little boy. He loved trucks, stuffed animals, just a very upbeat child who loved his mom and dad, loved his family,' Coronado said.

Dashcam footage from the family's car caught Burkhart's license plate and the couple were traced to a nearby hotel where they were arrested hours later.

Burkhart's last Facebook posting on the day of the shooting read 'Hated by many, wanted by plenty, disliked by some, confronted by none'.

Coronado said Burkhart had been arrested repeatedly by the Lancaster Sheriff's Department and should not have been on the streets.

'He's a historical criminal, he's a domestic terrorist, that's what he is,' the spokesman added.

'The woman was the one who handed him the gun, the mother told me directly.'

The office of LA DA George Gascon has denied that Burkhart was released on zero bail after a gun incident, but has yet to explain the reasons for his arrests in February and November of last year.

Gentile too has three previous arrests recorded in LA since the start of 2022.

'We are aware of false reports circulating that Byron Burkhart was recently booked on suspicion of a gun-related incident and was released on the Los Angeles County Superior Court's zero bail policy,' a spokesman said.

'This report is false.'

Gentile was released on Tuesday afternoon, and Burkhart is scheduled to be arraigned on January 22 on a $2 million bail.

He faces one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, and five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Coronado says the Adamyans had recently moved from Glendale to Lancaster in search of a better life.

'The Christmas trees, and the presents and the food  all of that is meaningless because they dont have their child,' he added.

'This isn't going to be the last four-year-old that's shot down,' Parris said.

'I mean, the reality is that people have to be held accountable when they commit the lower-end crimes.'

Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris has claimed that Burkhart was free to kill because of zero-bail laws

The shooting occurred when the family were suddenly cut off the driver on Sierra Highway near East Avenue J in Lancaster

At least 284 children aged 11 or younger have been killed in shootings this year across the US, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

'Our hearts ache for the tragic loss of a young life in such a devastating and senseless act of road rage,' Gascon said in a statement.

'A family is facing unimaginable pain during what should be a joyous time this holiday season.'

Dailymail.com has reached out to the DA's office for more information.
A social worker who went viral while getting ready to go to Walt Disney World revealed her parents accidentally purchased vouchers for Disney+ instead of the theme park resort.

Andie Coston, 41, admitted in a December 18 TikTok video that her mom and dad, who are in their 70s, bought $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards after mistaking them for Disney parks vouchers.

Each gift card had a value of $100, and according to Coston, with $10,000, they could enjoy Disney+ for more than 70 years.

Coston's family members worried that their Disney World trip will be ruined, especially since they were leaving for Florida in less than a week.

'My mom is distraught, dad frustrated, and the kids worried we won't get to get into Disney,' Coston wrote in her first video.

Coston's mother is 'distraught' and her dad is 'frustrated' - her kids are also worried that they won't get to go to Disney

The trip for 16 family members was originally going to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Coston and her family originally planned to take their trip to Walt Disney World in 2020, but they postponed it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She and 15 family members planned for Disney World to be a Christmas trip, and Coston's parents thought the gift cards would 'save some money'.

'My parents are 78, they don't use streaming services,' she stated in her first follow-up video.

'I don't know why somebody let them buy that many cards of streaming services.'

The social worker also said that she and her other relatives were only looking at the back of the cards and that it was 'a honest mistake' that wasn't a scam.

Coston confirmed that her family does have all the hotel and dinner reservations; they just need the tickets to the park.

'We have plane tickets, so we're definitely going to Florida,' she added.

Coston insisted that the issue was not a scam and that it really happened to the worried family less than a week before their trip

She said that it was 'a honest mistake' since her parents do not use Disney+ and the rest of the family members only looked at the back of the cards

Disney+ contacted Coston's parents and agreed to turn the $10,000 worth of their streaming services in Disney Parks coupons in time for their trip

Coston explained in her second follow-up video that Disney contacted her parents and agreed to turn the $10,000 worth of streaming service into $10,000 of Disney Parks gift cards.

However, she did note that the company reaching out to the family was all thanks to the comments made by fellow TikTokers.

'Those of you who are nice, we did it - those of you who are mean, you boosted my comments so Disney would notice,' said Coston.

Now, Coston is calling for Disney to change their system so that this mistake doesn't happen to others.

Coston emphasized: 'Sixty-one percent or more of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck right now, so I'm really hoping that Disney takes note of this and creates a little bit better system.'

'A lot of you suggested we try to transfer... we couldn't enter then and it would say like "yes you have this amount" but then it wouldn't let us do anything else with them.'

It appears that the Coston family will get to enjoy their Disney World Christmas vacation, but the TikToker is hoping to 'never go viral again'.
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy threatened to boycott Colorado's March GOP primary over the state supreme court decision barring former President Donald Trump from the ballot.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday removed Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot, ruling that he violated the insurrectionist clause of the 14th Amendment for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.

In a 4-3 decision from Democratic-appointed justices, Colorado's high court ruled the ex-president and 2024 hopeful isn't eligible for the presidency, infuriating the Trump campaign and Republicans who said the decision was politically motivated.

Ramaswamy referred to the group as a 'a cabal of Democrat judges' as he made his boycott threat.

'I pledge to *withdraw* from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state's ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country,' Ramaswamy posted to X Tuesday night.

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy threatened to boycott Colorado's Republican primary over the state Supreme Court decision Tuesday that would toss former President Donald Trump off the ballot

In a long-winded post on X Tuesday night, Ramaswamy argued that the Colorado State Supreme Court's legal argument was wrong and pushed other GOP hopefuls to boycott the state's primary over the decision, which will be challenged in the Supreme Court

Colorado's Republican primary is scheduled to take place on March 5, or on 'Super Tuesday' as it's called, when a large number of states hold their primary contests.

'This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado,' Ramaswamy also said.

'Todays decision is the latest election interference tactic to silence political opponents and swing the election for whatever puppet the Democrats put up this time by depriving Americans of the right to vote for their candidate of choice,' the 38-year-old entrepreneur added.

Ramaswamy, who holds a law degree from Yale, said he didn't accept the court's decision because Section 3 of the 14th Amendment does not apply to the presidency he argued.

He said Trump wasn't a former 'officer of the United States,' because that language was intended to mean an individual appointed by the president.

'The Framers of the 14th Amendment would be appalled to see this narrow provision- intended to bar former U.S. officials who switched to the Confederacy from seeking public office - being weaponized by a sitting President and his political allies to prevent a former President from seeking reelection,' Ramaswamy said.

The Trump campaign said Tuesday night that it planned to appeal the decision directly to the Supreme Court.

In a 4-3 decision from Democratic-appointed justices, Colorado's high court ruled former President Donald Trump (pictured) isn't eligible for the presidency, infuriating the Trump campaign and Republicans who said the decision was politically motivated

The Republican National Committee also pledged to assist in the legal fight.

As for Ramaswamy, he's stayed loyal to Trump despite running against the former president in the GOP primary.

On the debate stage, the entrepreneur and political novice has mostly taken hits at Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina who's slowly displaced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Republicans' second place pick.

Trump continues to be the far-and-away frontrunner of the Republican primary pack.

In Iowa, where Trump campaign Tuesday night as the Colorado news broke, the ex-president is averaging the support of 51.2 percent of potential Iowa caucus goers, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.

By comparison, Ramaswamy is garnering 5.7 percent of the Hawkeye State's GOP vote.
Lufthansa is to scrap all flights from Liverpool John Lennon airport from next year.

The German airline currently flies to 11 different airports in the UK, but it will be dropping all of the routes to Liverpool from February next year.

Lufthansa began operating flights between Liverpool and Frankfurt in May 2022.

The route to the German city provided travellers from Liverpool with a stepping stone to bigger international destinations.

The airline increased its number of services from Liverpool during Summer 2023 after it was reported that the routes was growing in line with forecasts.

Lufthansa is to scrap all flights from Liverpool John Lennon airport from next year

The German airline currently flies to 11 different airports in the UK, but it will be dropping all of the routes to Liverpool from February next year

However, Lufthansa will cease operating the service from February next year.

The Echo reports that service has been suspended is due to a lack of airplane availability within Lufthansa's fleet.

A spokesperson said: 'We are naturally very disappointed to hear of Lufthansas decision to suspend their Frankfurt service from Liverpool, particularly since the route was performing well and steadily growing in line with forecasts and we will continue to work with Lufthansa to secure the return of this important link at the earliest opportunity, once their availability of aircraft issues have been resolved.

'This route is strategically important for the City Region due to the global connectivity it brings and we will continue to explore opportunities to better connect the City Region.'
Meghan Markle's cameo appearance in a coffee company's advert shows how she is trying to reinvent herself as a media personality who is 'entertaining and not afraid to poke fun at herself' amid a push to 'be more positive', royal experts said today.

The Duchess of Sussex features as a background extra in the new commercial for Clevr Blends, a firm in which she holds shares. She is shown as an intern stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer in the digital department.

Meghan comically fails to fist bump another employee in the final shot as she walks off camera, leading to everyone bursting out laughing before the video ends.

And experts said today that the video shows the Duchess's expected rebrand is developing, with Meghan realising that she and Prince Harry have 'overdone the victim card'  and it is important to establish her own 'kind' and 'standalone' brand'.

They added that the Duchess is better off showing her 'fun side' instead of 'claiming her life is a misery because of what happened to her while in the Royal Family.'

Meghan, who has been an investor in the trendy oat latte brand since 2020, is an extra throughout the ad while chief executive and co-founder Hannah Mendoza walks around the firm's offices and thanks the team for all their hard work this year.

Meghan is seen in the Clevr Blends ad as an intern while its boss Hannah Mendoza walks past

Meghan fails to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot as she walks off camera

Analysing the video and what it means for the Duchess, brand and culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline: 'This 'fun' side to Meghan is a clever way of the brand Clevr to get a lot of social media traction and engagement by using their famous investor.

ANALYSIS: Meghan is setting herself as a standalone brand By NICK EDE, brand & culture expert This 'fun' side to Meghan is a clever way of the brand Clevr to get a lot of social media traction and engagement by using their famous investor. It's also a way of showing Meghan in a new light that is both fun and frivolous. Does it work? I think that Meghan is now such a polarising figure that comments on the social media post are negative and not celebratory which is a shame, as the post was meant to be a showing off the success and hard work of the business. I think that this departure from worthiness and dramatic revelations is all part of a well thought out rehabilitation for Meghan setting herself as a standalone brand, which I think is a very positive thing to do. I think we will see a lot more personality led content created that concentrates on Meghan as a media personality who is kind, compassionate, entertaining and not afraid to poke fun at herself. Whether this will win over her detractors I'm not sure but from a brand point of view it's the strongest and most authentic way to rebuild her reputation and credibility. Advertisement

'It's also a way of showing Meghan in a new light that is both fun and frivolous. Does it work?

'I think that Meghan is now such a polarising figure that comments on the social media post are negative and not celebratory which is a shame, as the post was meant to be a showing off the success and hard work of the business.'

He said that her 'departure from worthiness and dramatic revelations' was all part of a 'well thought out rehabilitation for Meghan setting herself as a standalone brand', adding that it is a 'very positive thing to do'.

Mr Ede continued: 'I think we will see a lot more personality led content created that concentrates on Meghan as a media personality who is kind, compassionate, entertaining and not afraid to poke fun at herself.

'Whether this will win over her detractors I'm not sure but from a brand point of view it's the strongest and most authentic way to rebuild her reputation and credibility.'

Clevr Blends posted the video on Instagram yesterday with the caption: 'Damn, you're keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements.

'So grateful for the immense love and support this yearthanks for helping us keep the latte-loving dream alive, and thriving! xo'

Speaking about what the video means for Meghan's ongoing rebrand, royal expert Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'Meghan is not a stupid person and I think she realises that she and Harry have overdone the victim card.

'She is also being advised by new PR people and I'm sure they have said they need to be more positive and not just live off criticising the Royal Family.

'The more natural Meghan looks the better, even if the photo opportunities might be staged.'

He said that the Duchess was 'clearly planning a massive relaunch of her image and career in the New Year', speculating that it could be in the lifestyle industry similar to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Mr Dampier continued: 'This is showing her in a better more relaxed way. It's all about image and nothing happens by accident, but I'm sure the King, William and Catherine would be delighted if they just got on with a new life in California and stopped the feuding.

Meghan Markle's fist bump fail leads to everyone laughing before the video ends

Meghan is seen as an intern working in the digital department behind Hannah Mendoza

'Meghan has a fun side and she would be better off showing that rather than claiming her life is a misery because of what happened to her while in the Royal Family.'

ANALYSIS: The more natural Meghan looks the better By PHIL DAMPIER, royal author Meghan is not a stupid person and I think she realises that she and Harry have overdone the victim card. She is also being advised by new PR people and I'm sure they have said they need to be more positive and not just live off criticising the Royal Family. The more natural Meghan looks the better, even if the photo opportunities might be staged. She is clearly planning a massive relaunch of her image and career in the New Year, maybe in the lifestyle field like Gwyneth Paltrow, and this is showing her in a better more relaxed way. It's all about image and nothing happens by accident, but I'm sure the King, William and Catherine would be delighted if they just got on with a new life in California and stopped the feuding. Meghan has a fun side and she would be better off showing that rather than claiming her life is a misery because of what happened to her while in the Royal Family. Advertisement

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams also spoke to MailOnline about the video, pointing out that the Sussexes would be concerned after the Hollywood Reporter described them Harry and Meghan two of the 'biggest losers' of 2023.

Mr Fitzwilliams added: 'One of the reasons the Queen insisted that the Sussexes couldn't be half in, half out members of the Royal Family was that they might well have endorsed brands such as Clevr.

'Meghan linked with Clevr in 2020, promoting it and sending a basket to Oprah who shared her experience online, which was extremely beneficial to the company.

'However, her fleeting appearance as a lowly intern in a brief promotional video for Clevr is great fun. She's showing a sense of humour, sending herself up and not seeking to save the world.

'She isn't going into therapy either - Harry seems trapped in a humourless cycle of self-examination. He used to be such fun too.'

Speculating whether this could be change of direction for Meghan, he said: 'Is this the Meghan we thought we knew and loved whose engagement to Harry we were all so thrilled at?

'She did, after all, eat food like a chipmunk and wear cats' ears for Ellen DeGeneres a couple of years ago. So time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath.'

Meghan confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form and was only recently founded in January 2019.

She also used her connections to promote the company by sending a basket of products to her neighbour Oprah Winfrey, who shared the products online.

The Duchess has also visited the company, sharing a short video from her trip on Instagram earlier this year, which featured footage of herself sipping on a cup of their product.

She also shared a glowing five-star review of the line in November. Posting a photo of herself embracing Mendoza, Meghan wrote of the range: 'One of my favourite ways to start and end each day.'

Meghan is also shown as an intern stacking boxes in the background of the Clevr Brands ad

Experts said today that the video shows the Duchess's expected rebrand is developing

Clevr is based in Santa Barbara, California  and Meghan is said to have come across it by sampling its superfood coffee in 2017, when the founder was selling it at a pop-up store before creating the at-home blend she now sells.

ANALYSIS: Meghan is showing humour and not seeking to save the world By RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, royal expert When the Hollywood Reporter says you are a 'loser' you've got to worry. One of the reasons the Queen insisted that the Sussexes couldn't be half in, half out members of the Royal Family was that they might well have endorsed brands such as Clevr. Meghan linked with Clevr in 2020, promoting it and sending a basket to Oprah who shared her experience online, which was extremely beneficial to the company. However, her fleeting appearance as a lowly intern in a brief promotional video for Clevr is great fun. She's showing a sense of humour, sending herself up and not seeking to save the world. She isn't going into therapy either - Harry seems trapped in a humourless cycle of self-examination. He used to be such fun too. Could this be a change of direction? Is this the Meghan we thought we knew and loved whose engagement to Harry we were all so thrilled at? She did, after all, eat food like a chipmunk and wear cats' ears for Ellen DeGeneres a couple of years ago. So time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath.' Advertisement

It also happens to be based near Montecito, where Harry and Meghan live.

In a statement to Fortune confirming the investment in 2019, Meghan said: 'This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.

'I'm proud to invest in Hannah's commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.'

Mendoza confirmed Meghan's investment at the time, saying: 'Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building. I'm grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex.

'Her passion for what we're creating is palpable, and I couldn't imagine a more aligned partnership. We're excited for the road ahead.'

Meghan's backing of the brand marked her first public investment since she and Harry left royal life in 2020 to pursue a private life and seek 'financial independence' from the royal family.

According to the Clevr Blends' website, the company is a 'mission-driven, women-led wellness brand based in coastal California'.

Last week, Harry and Meghan Markle released a video showing Archewell's 2023 'impact' just hours after the Princess of Wales shared a clip of herself at a baby bank with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The royal couple released a one-minute clip showing people and causes their foundation has helped throughout 2023. They have shared similar videos in the past, but usually not until January.

The clip showed the couple hugging veterans, packing bags for schoolgirls in Nigeria and taking selfies with dozens of supporters.

The Duchess of Sussex recently signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) mega-agent Ari Emanuel whose clients include Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Serena Williams and other A-Listers.

The slick video included footage from Meghan's visit to the Fisher House Foundation in Los Angeles, as well as the couple's calls to entrepreneurs, visits to New York to speak at a mental health summit and a trip to the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn throughout 2023.

It also showed workers rebuilding a playground in Uvalde, Texas, following a massacre that killed 21 - including 19 children - in 2022.

Another clip from August showed Harry and Meghan calling young entrepreneurs, to tell them initiatives they run received a share of $2million in grants.
A family onboard the ill-fated MSC cruise that re-routed from the Bahamas to Boston due to bad weather this week are sharing their ordeal with DailyMail.com while sipping hot chocolate and shivering on what was supposed to be a winter break in the sun.

Speaking from the ship on Wednesday, mother-of-three Lakeya Allen told DailyMail.com she had packed 'booty shorts' for what she thought was going to be a tropical cruise to the Bahamas, where she planned on meeting the rest of her family for their Christmas trip.

Allen dropped $4,000 on the voyage and return flights from Chicago to New York, where the cruise was set to depart from. She had been looking forward to treating her kids to a family vacation. She had finally saved up enough to take them on the trip after years of financial hardship that included relying on Section 8 Housing.

The night before they were due to set sail, the cruise company delivered the news that their planned route to the Bahamas was too dangerous given brewing storms.

Instead, the ship would travel to Boston and eventually to Canada.

Speaking from the ship on Wednesday, mother-of-three Lakeya Allen told DailyMail.com she had packed 'booty shorts' for what she thought was going to be a tropical cruise to the Bahamas, where she planned on meeting the rest of her family for their Christmas trip

Allen dropped $4,000 on the voyage and return flights from Chicago to New York, where the cruise was set to depart from. She had been looking forward to treating her kids to a family vacation, and hoped to make an annual tradition

The night before she was due to set sail, the cruise company delivered the news that their planned route to the Bahamas was too dangerous given brewing storms. Instead, the ship would travel to Boston and eventually to Canada

Allen and her family didn't get any kind of upgrade to a better room, or any compensation for that matter - not even a 'steak dinner'

Allen had to re-pack her young children's luggage to reflect the weather change - trading in the booty shorts and bathing suits for long winter jackets.

Passengers had the option to cancel their trip - but some were already in town to board the vessel and decided to go ahead despite the drastic destination change.

The mother revealed that 2,100 passengers opted out of the cruise ship, according to cruise staff.

But despite the drop in passenger numbers - the family didn't get any kind of upgrade to a better room, or any compensation for that matter - not even a 'steak dinner,' Allen said.

'It's COLD cold, wind blowing cold, officially cold,' passenger Lakeya Allen - known as Mzzkeya on TikTok - shared on the app in a furious video.

She uploaded another video captioned: 'When you're supposed to go to the Bahamas and end up in Boston for your Christmas cruise. The indoor pool was packed!'

Allen shared her disappointment at how the cruise unfolded on TikTok, claiming it was too cold to even get in the pool.

Pointing the camera at 'crazy' children to decided to brave the elements and swim, she said it was 'f****ng freezing' and 'cold cold.'

When briefly stopped in Boston on Monday - an East Coast storm brought less-than-ideal cruise weather conditions like heavy rain and intense winds.

Allen told Good Morning America she 'never fathomed that we would be back in cold weather'.

She also joked about drinking hot chocolate by a window inside the cruise ship, instead of enjoying sunny weather by the pool.

A statement from the MSC Cruise stated that 'unseasonable weather' would have made it impossible to safely reach the Bahamas.

Allen told Good Morning America she 'never fathomed that we would be back in cold weather'

An email shared online purportedly shows MSC Cruises only informed customers the night before their trip, which cited severe weather including heavy rainfall at ports, and wind gusts of over 40 knots that could make docking unsafe

The company said: 'The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of canceling the cruise - and thousands of people's vacations - outright.'

Passengers weren't offered a full refund, despite the change in plans, but they were allowed to cancel the trip for credit to use for a future cruise at their convenience.

Cruise lines have what's known as a 'contract of carriage,' according to Chris Gray Faust, executive editor of Cruise Critic, which doesn't guarantee any ports.

'The cruise line is within its legal rights to change those ports,' she said.

While other cruise ships cancelled their trips entirely because of the unfavorable weather conditions - the MSC Cruise ship is now on its way to Canada, where temperatures are in the low 20s.

'This guy helping us with our luggage said, "You're going to Canada",' Girish Keswani told the Boston Globe. 'We all laughed it off.'

MSC Cruises justified the move as it said the original course would have drifted directly into severe storms off the coast of Florida, while New England and Canada would 'encounter fairer weather conditions'.

Passengers were presented with a new itinerary beginning in New York City, spending three days in Boston, a day in Portland, a day in St John, Canada, one more day at sea before returning to the Big Apple.
Tom Homan is the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation

Nearly three years ago, I sat before a Congressional committee and warned of a coming humanitarian and national security catastrophe on the U.S. southern border.

Today, America is in the grips of it.

'There's no downside to less illegal immigration,' I told the lawmakers back in 2019. 'There's no downside to less illegal drugs. There's no downside to taking money out of cartels' hands that are murdering our agents.'

I recognized then, based on 34 years of experience as a Border Patrol agent and as President Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director, that Democrats were creating dangerous new incentives for desperate men, women and children to risk their lives to get into greatest country in the world.

Sanctuary cites that shielded the undocumented from law enforcement, free medical care and free college educations for the children of illegals were all magnets pulling the world's poor to America.

At the same time, Biden's White House was systematically dismantling Trump policies that secured the borders and blocked criminals and terrorists from entering the United States.

It could only end in disaster  and it has.

On Monday, 14,000 migrants rushed Eagle Pass, Texas  a city home to just 30,000  in just 24 hours. Border security in the region has collapsed and one cannot look at these migrants, huddled with small children, and not think that there must have been a better way.

I recognized then, based on 34 years of experience as a Border Patrol agent and as President Donald Trump 's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director, that Democrats were creating dangerous new incentives for desperate men, women and children to risk their lives to get into greatest country in the world.

Nearly three years ago, I sat before a Congressional committee and warned of a coming humanitarian and national security catastrophe on the U.S. southern border. Today, America is in the grips of it. (Above) Salvadorian immigrant is overcome on December 19, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas

I have sympathy for these people escaping poverty, violence and hopelessness. I didn't hang up my humanity when I put on the Department of Homeland Security badge. But I couldn't ignore the consequences of the Democrats' thoughtless actions.

Though for my testimony, I was called inhumane; a racist; a monster.

I was even smeared by members of Congress.

'I think it's important to really make sure that the jingoistic, bigoted testimony of Mr. Homan is called out as nearly completely untrue, as being an outrage,' spat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from her desk.

I now look back and say: No, Congresswoman, I am not inhumane. You are.

Just look at the carnage that you've wrought.

What is humane about a record high of nearly 1,400 migrant deaths on U.S. soil over the last two years?

What is humane about hundreds of rapes of migrants who travel north from South America through lawless stretches of Columbia and Panama?

In 2022, a record 250,00 migrants made this crossing. In 2023, that number rose to 460,000.

What is humane about the nightmare faced by unaccompanied migrant children even after they arrive in America?

Biden's Department of Health and Human Services admits that they've lost track of more than 85,000 unaccompanied migrant children placed with sponsor families. There are documented cases of these vulnerable minors being forced to work in dangerous facilities without proper protections.

And what of the lives of American citizens lost or upended by the flow of deadly drugs from Mexico?

It's no coincidence that fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. have hit dismal new highs as an unprecedented 9 million-plus illegally crossed into America since Biden took office.

'I think it's important to really make sure that the jingoistic, bigoted testimony of Mr. Homan is called out as nearly completely untrue, as being an outrage,' spat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (above) from her desk. I now look back and say: No, Congresswoman, I am not inhumane. You are.

Biden's White House systematically dismantled Trump policies that secured the borders and blocked criminals and terrorists from entering the United States.

Just look at the carnage that you've wrought. What is humane about a record high of nearly 1,400 migrant deaths on U.S. soil over the last two years? (Above) Texas National Guard troops watch over immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico on December 18, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas

As a majority of Border Patrol agents are pulled off the frontlines  to mix baby formula in Border Patrol stations, ferry sick migrants to U.S. hospitals, or process their asylum claims  criminal organization exploit the gaping holes in America's security.

There are more than 1.8 million known 'gotaways' - individuals who purposefully evaded Border Patrol.

Ask yourself: Why would 1.8 million people pay the cartels to sneak them in when they could simply turn themselves over to U.S. authorities be processed, get a warm bed, a hot meal, medical attention and transportation to the city of their choice?

The answer is that a vast majority of 'gotaways' don't want to be vetted and fingerprinted. Many are either trafficking in drugs, weapons, human beings or have some other nefarious purpose.

During the four years of the Trump administration, U.S. authorities captured 11 people who were listed on the Terrorism Watch List. Under Biden, agents detained 18 individuals in the month of September alone. Today, migrants from over 160 different countries, including Syria, Afghanistan and Iran have illegally crossed the border under the Biden Administration

The bad guys know that the border is open. That should scare the hell out of each and every American.

It's no wonder city and state leaders  left, right and center  are demanding that President Biden do something.

Arizona's Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has deployed the National Guard to the border to take 'action where the federal government won't' to address an 'unmitigated humanitarian crisis.'

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill empowering law enforcement to arrest migrants.

And nearly 2,000 miles away in New York City, Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, who has predicted the strain of illegal immigration will 'destroy' his city, called it 'baffling' that there has not been a more determined federal response.

Now, three years after I warned that an open U.S. southern border would unleash misery and death, the White House is finally willing to negotiate on border security measures.

It's no wonder city and state leaders  left, right and center  are demanding that President Biden do something. (Above) Tom Homan, Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, answers on MS-13 gang activity on July 27, 2017

New York City's Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, who has predicted the strain of illegal immigration will 'destroy' his city, called it 'baffling' that there has not been a more determined federal response.

They're reportedly weighing whether to make it more difficult to claim asylum and how to enable U.S. border enforcement official to turn illegal aliens back to Mexico.

To that I ask: Are these policies still racist and inhumane?

Apparently, not. In fact, they never were.

It's clear that the Left will play the race card when it suits them to silence and demonize their opponents and win fleeting political points. But I stopped caring what my critics thought long ago.

I go to bed every night knowing that I've tried to do what was necessary to save lives  be they American or foreign.

The tragedy is that these race-baiting Democrats took so long to recognize that for themselves.
A widower choked back the tears today as he read out live on air his wife's final words explaining why she decided to travel to Dignitas.

BBC Radio 4 Today listener David Sowry recently accompanied his wife Dr Christy Barry - who was diagnosed with the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) - to help end her life at the assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.

During the interview, Mr Sowry read the final letter his wife had penned to friends and family, explaining why she had chosen to end her life.

In it Dr Barry explained how her MS had been 'rapidly and frantically worsening' meaning she could no longer go on, adding 'there is almost nothing left I can do for myself'.

Earlier this week, Dame Esther Rantzen, 83, revealed she was considering going to Dignitas if treatment for her stage four lung cancer failed.

Her revelation has triggered a public debate and renewed calls for the Government to hold a free vote on legalising assisted dying.

It comes as Dame Esther Rantezen, 83, called for a free vote on assisted dying, revealing she is considering travelling to Dignitas. Pictured: Dame Esther earlier this year

BBC Radio 4 Today listener David Sowry spoke of his wife choosing to die at the assisted-dying clinic Dignitas near Zurich, Switzerland (pictured)

Dame Esther said that she had discussed the issue with her family and they had told her it was her 'decision' and 'choice'. Pictured: Rebecca Wilcox with her children and mother, Dame Esther

In the letter, Dr Barry said: 'My only role in life will soon to be a full-time invalid. I don't want to be invalid, and therefore I don't want to be.

'All this has meant is giving up my rich and full life bit by bit, so please don't judge me harshly for making this decision to bring the curtain down.'

Mr Sowry said he wanted to see another another free vote in Parliament on legalising assisting dying.

The last free vote on the issue was held in 2015 - and saw MPs overwhelmingly reject it.

He told the BBC's Nick Robinson: 'The pain she was having was mainly neuropathic pain which does not tend to be treated very well with drugs.

'The only option that seemed available to her was, as suggested by the care team, was have morphine.

'Given that she was so physically disabled the last thing she wanted to do was live her life in a drug induced fog, loosing her intellect, her ability to talk to people.

'I do want to see in a change in the law. 'The campaign group My Death My Decision proposes changes that cater for two groups of people - those with terminal illnesses and those facing a long decline in increasing disability often described as unbearable pain.'

Others within the medical profession, however, have insisted the focus should be on improving palliative care options.

Dr John Sorrell, a retired GP whose wife died from Parkinson's disease, said he felt doctors 'would find it very hard to end somebody's life, as is the case at Dignitas'.

Dame Esther Rantzen will consider going to Dignitas to end her life should her next scan show she is getting worse

Dame Esther explained to her family that she didn't 'want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times'

A Medicine bottle at Dignitas Clinic. Patients must administer the fatal dose themselves and convince doctors they want to kill themselves

Yesterday her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, spoke of how her family reacted to such an emotional decision

He told the BBC: 'I felt we could always keep our patients comfortable. Sadly the NHS is struggling to do this on a universal basis at the moment.

'It's a resource issue - luckily with my wife we were able to look after her at home comfortably without pain and distress.'

Expressing concerns about calls to legalise assisted dying he added: 'There are vulnerable people and they can be coerced. It could be seen as an easy way out or less money.'

Assisted suicide is currently banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, holding a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. A bill to make assisted dying legal failed to pass in 2015.

Earlier this week Dame Esther, 83, revealed that she planned to 'buzz off to Zurich', where assisted dying is legal, if new medication to treat her cancer stopped working.

She explained that she had joined the Swiss-assisted dying clinic Dignitas and called for a free vote on assisted dying as it's 'important that the law catches up with what the country wants'.

The Childline founder said: 'I have in my brain though, well, if the next scan says nothing's working I might buzz off to Zurich but, you know, it puts my family and friends in a difficult position because they would want to go with me.

'And that means that the police might prosecute them. So we've got to do something. At the moment, it's not really working, is it?'

The Headquarters of Dignitas, in the town of Pfaffikon, Switzerland, near Zurich

Dr Barry said the pain from multiple sclerosis (MS) had become too much and was affecting her mobility. Pictured: A bed in the clinic Dignitas assisted suicide clinic

Dame Esther married Desmond Wilcox, a fellow journalist, in 1977. The couple had three children together, Miriam, Rebecca, and Josh, before Desmond died from heart disease in September 2000 aged 69

Dame Esther said that she had discussed the issue with her family and they had told her it was her 'decision' and 'choice'.

The broadcaster continued: 'I explained to them that actually I don't want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times and I don't want that to happen.

'I don't want to be that sort of victim in their lives.'

A day later, the broadcaster's daughter spoke of how she would 'want to ground the plane' if her mother decided to fly to Dignitas.

Rebecca Wilcox told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'She never makes a decision in complete isolation, but she doesn't care what anyone else says.

'It's horrific and she always promised us she would live forever. She's not usually one to break her promises so we're a little upset about that.

'I would personally want to ground her plane if she was going to fly to Zurich but I know it's her decision. I just don't ever want her to go.'

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government position has not changed so it remains a matter for Parliament to decide.

They reiterated it is 'an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than Government policy - as it was in 2015 when the House considered it and rejected making any changes'.

Dame Esther Rantezen said she is considering to go to Dignitas this week, as she called for a free vote on making assisted dying legal

Tory MP Mel Stride has said he is 'not averse' to another parliamentary vote on assisted dying.

While the Work and Pensions Secretary made clear that the Government would not bring forward fresh legislation on the issue, he signaled that he would be happy to debate it further.

Mr Stride, who was one of 27 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of the legislation eight years ago, said it was 'one of the most delicate, balanced and difficult' he has made as an MP.

The minister, who was elected in 2010, told the Today Programme: 'The government has not decided to bring forward legislation, I think I need to make that very clear.

'But if Parliament in some form or another decided that it wanted to have a fresh look at this, given it was some years ago that we last did so, that's not something that I would be resistant to.'

Another Tory MP Alicia Kearns has called for another vote on legalising assisted dying.

Tweeting after Dame Esther revealed her plan, the MP for Rutland and Melton said: 'Dame Esther is absolutely right, Parliament needs to have a vote on assisted dying, and it needs to be a free vote.'

She said there had been a 'fundamental shift in the country' and 'in parliament' since 2015.

Ms Kearns told the BBC: 'Since I was elected we've had a number of debates on this and you can barely get a chance to speak.

'The amount of my colleagues who say I've reflected, I've changed my views I really do think that the national conversation has changed.'

Levelling Up minister Michael Gove also thought it would be 'appropriate' to 'revist' the issue in the Commons, despite not being personally persuaded.

He said yesterday: 'I am not yet persuaded of the case for assisted dying but I do think it's appropriate for the Commons to revisit this.

'I think it was in the last Parliament that we had a debate on it and as I say, I am not yet persuaded but I would want to listen with humility to Dame Esther and others outline the case.'
Rite Aid is facing a five-year ban on facial recognition after its longtime use of the technology 'humiliated' customers, including children, by wrongly identifying them as shoplifters.

In a landmark lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission said the drugstore giant misidentified thousands of customers - particularly Black, Latino, Asian and female patrons - as potential criminals at hundreds of stores between 2012 and 2020.

Victims of the dodgy AI told regulators they 'experienced humiliation and feelings of stigmatization' after being confronted by employees based on inaccurate matches.

They included an 11-year-old girl who was so 'distraught' after she was stopped and searched by workers based on the AI result that her mother had to miss work, and a black woman who was identified instead of the white, blond-haired thief.

Another misidentified target, a black man, said he now feels 'different' walking into stores after the 'emotionally damaging' experience, adding: 'every black man is not a thief nor should they be made to feel like one'.

Rite Aid is facing a five-year ban on facial recognition after its longtime use of the technology 'humiliated' customers, including children, by wrongly accusing them of theft

Rite Aid activated the face-scanning technology, which uses AI to identify people captured in surveillance footage, in 2012, hoping to crack down on thieves, and stopped using it in 2020 before the FTC investigation was launched.

Most of the stores which used the AI are located in and around New York City; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Detroit; Atlantic City; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Wilmington, Delaware; and Sacramento, California.

Rite Aid, which is headquartered in Delaware, was sued by the FTC in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania this year.

The pharmacy giant did not tell customers it was using facial recognition technology, while creating a ginormous database showing 'hundreds of thousands' of 'persons of interest' - including their photographs, names, and date of birth.

It even 'specifically instructed employees not to reveal the use to consumers or the media,' according to the lawsuit.

The problems stemmed from Rite Aid's use of 'low-quality enrollment images' in the database, which came primarily from its surveillance cameras and employee mobile phone cameras.

Security guards were then trained to 'push for as many enrollments as possible' in the database, using AI-generated 'match alerts' from live cameras which caught customers moving around the stores.

The system created 'thousands' of false-positive matches, according to the lawsuit.

Regulators slammed Rite Aid for failing to 'take reasonable measure to prevent harm to customers', to 'properly train or oversee employees who operated the technology', or check that the technology they were using was accurate.

The FTC accused the pharmacy giant of unfair facial recognition technology practices, engaging in deceptive acts or practices, and failing to protect the personal information.

Under a proposed settlement, Rite Aid will be banned from using AI-powered facial recognition technology for five years.

The case could have wider consequences for the use of facial recognition technology. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said the case is 'part of a broader trend of algorithmic unfairness'

The pharmacy giant did not tell customers it was using facial recognition technology, while creating a ginormous database showing 'hundreds of thousands' of 'persons of interest' - including their photographs, names, and date of birth

The drugstore chain welcomed the proposed settlement, but said in a statement that 'we fundamentally disagree with the facial recognition allegations in the agency's complaint,' adding that the tech was used in a 'limited number of stores'.

'We respect the FTC's inquiry and are aligned with the agency's mission to protect consumer privacy,' the company added.

The case could have wider consequences for the use of facial recognition technology. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said the case is 'part of a broader trend of algorithmic unfairness'.

Bedoya, who also founded a research center to analyze the use of facial recognition tech, called on Rite Aid executives and federal lawmakers to restrict the use of 'biometric surveillance' tools.

'There is a powerful policy argument that there are some decisions that should not be automated at all; many technologies should never be deployed in the first place,' he said.

'I urge legislators who want to see greater protections against biometric surveillance to write those protections into legislation and enact them into law.'

The FTC told DailyMail.com that Rite Aid is not required to pay damages or consumer redress under the settlement.

A spokesperson said the Supreme Court's 2021 decision in AMG Capital Management, LLC v. FTC 'eliminated one of the Commission's best tools for obtaining monetary relief for consumers'.

'Nevertheless, the settlement in this case contains very strong injunctive relief that will protect consumers if Rite Aid uses automated biometric technologies for security in the future and will ban Rite Aid from using facial recognition or analysis technology for five years,' the spokesperson said.

Rite Aid is the third-largest drugstore chain in the United States, with more than 1,982 stores nationwide.
Five children have taken unwell with one being hospitalised after smoking a substance at a school during their lunch break.

The incident happened at Graeme High in Falkirk on Monday afternoon.

Police Scotland say that officers were called school shortly after 1pm.

A 13-year-old boy was so unwell he was taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital by paramedics for treatment, but he has since been discharged.

Its thought they inhaled the substance, which is reported to be Spice, through a vape pen.

A 13-year-old boy was one of five children rushed to hospital from Graeme High School in Falkirk after inhaling the drug Spice

Spice is a nickname for herbal smoking compounds containing one or more of a group of drugs called synthetic cannabinoids.

A major investigation into the incident has been launched.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: Around 1.05pm on Monday, 18 December 2023, police were called to a report that five children had taken unwell at a school in Falkirk.

One child, a 13-year-old boy, was taken by ambulance to Forth Valley Royal Hospital as a precaution. He has since been discharged.

A joint enquiry with the school and police is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Biden administration has released a close ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in a swap for jailed Americans, in the latest sign of the US government's desire to normalize relations with the socialist nation.

Alex Saab, who was accused of helping Maduro defraud the rich-oil nation by serving as his top money-launderer, was arrested in 2020 and awaiting trial after pleading not guilty. He was released from custody on Wednesday.

In exchange, Maduro agreed to free up to 36 prisoners, including the 10 US citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela.

Convicted defense contractor Leonard 'Fat Leonard' Francis, a Malaysia native, will also be extradited to the US as part of the deal. The Americans released from Venezuelan prison included former US special forces soldiers Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested by Maduro forces after a rogue coup attempt in 2019.

Also detained in Venezuela were US citizens Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who are accused of entering the country illegally from Colombia. More recently, Venezuela arrested Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

Alex Saab, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020, was released from custody Wednesday.

Officials have not released the names of the Americans who will be released from Venezuelan prison, but there were reports on Tuesday that they included former US special forces soldiers Luke Denman and Airan Berry, arrested by Maduro forces after an alleged coup attempt

Saab's release would be seen as a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million U.S. reward

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday there is no higher priority for the US than 'doing everything we possibly can to bring our citizens out of harm's way and make sure they're safe and secure if they get in trouble overseas or are arbitrarily detained.'

'We also focused on political prisoners [in Venezuela and trying to assure their release,' Blinked added. 'We have a lot of work going on and we hope to have some good news to share later today.'

The White House said in a statement: 'Today, ten Americans who have been detained in Venezuela have been released and are coming home, including all six wrongfully detained Americans.

'These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more.'

The U.S. has long accused Saab of being a bag man for Maduro. Saab's release would be seen as a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million U.S. reward for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

The chavista regime, which had led a massive campaign to obtain Saab's release, has announced a formal celebration at the Miraflores presidential palace on Wednesday night.

The deal will anger the Venezuelan opposition, who have of late criticized the White House for standing by as the leader of the OPEC nation has repeatedly outmaneuvered the U.S. government after the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaign failed to topple him.

In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry, promising to reimpose the restrictions if Maduro by November 30 didnt live up to his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections next year.

Also detained in Venezuela are US citizens Eyvin Hernandez (left), and Joseph Cristella, who are accused of entering the country illegally from Colombia

Jerrel Kenemore was also arrested in Venezuela after being accused of illegally crossing the border from Colombia

California businessman Savoi Wright, 38, was detained in November by Venezuelan authorities under unclear accusations

That deadline passed and so far Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office. Additionally, he jailed aides of Machado and threatened to invade neighboring Guyana.

Saab, 51, was pulled off a private jet during a fuel stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduros government. The charges: conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing for Venezuelas government.

Maduros government has insisted Saab was traveling to Iran to buy food and medical supplies when he was detained in Cape Verde. Saab was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for allegedly running a scheme that included Maduros inner circle and stole hundreds of millions in dollars from food-import contracts at a time of widespread hunger mainly due to shortages in the South American country.

A decade into the crisis, grocery stores are now fully stocked, but few can afford food. The monthly minimum wage is about $3.60, just enough to buy a gallon of water.

The Trump administration held out Saab as a trophy, spending millions of dollars pursuing the Colombian-born businessman. At one point, it even deployed a Navy warship to the coast of West Africa to warn the Venezuelans.

Maduros government has argued that Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat, entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution under international law.

The chavista regime, which had led a massive campaign to obtain Saab's release, has announced a formal celebration at the Miraflores presidential palace on Wednesday night

Saab is seen with his former model wife Camilla, who campaigned for his release

Saab's wife (far left) is seen posing with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, as well as other members of the socialist regime

But his defense lawyers said last year in a closed-door hearing that before his arrest, Saab had been secretly talking to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, helping authorities untangle corruption in Maduros inner circle and agreeing to forfeit millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from corrupt state contracts.

The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas. The most notable prisoner exchange came last December when the U.S. government, over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials, traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

The succession of swaps has raised concerns that the U.S. is incentivizing hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in U.S courts. Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad is a core government priority that requires difficult dealmaking.
The Houston Police Department has released footage of an officer being shot multiple times in an ambush by a suspect hiding behind the truck.

Sergeant M. Valle, 38, was searching for a man suspected of multiple burglaries and aggravated assault driving a silver car near the Mahatma Gandhi District at 1am on December 2.

Video of the incident shows the suspect, 23, waiting for the officer behind a truck before running up to his car and firing multiple shots through the passenger window.

A heavily injured Sergeant Valle then gets out of his car and begins to shoot the fleeing suspect before he falls to the ground.

The officer was taken to Memorial Hermann  Texas Medical Center and is now in stable condition, but the suspect, who is yet to be identified, died from his wounds.

The Houston Police Department has released footage of an officer being shot multiple times in an ambush by a suspect hiding behind the truck

Sergeant M. Valle, 38, was searching for a man suspected of multiple burglaries and aggravated assault driving a silver car near the Mahatma Gandhi District on December 2

In the footage, the suspect looks to his left after firing upon Valle to see if there are any other police cars approaching before he continues to shoot.

After firing back in his shootout with the suspect, Valle then staggers and drops to the ground and radios in: 'Guys, I got shot, come over here.'

Other officers comes to his aid and Sergeant Valle says: 'Pull me a tourniquet. Tourniquet me up. He ran that way south.'

He told them he was shot in both arms and legs and to compress his wounds.

Sergeant Valle was treated on the ground before being transported to Memorial Hermann.

Video of the incident shows the suspect, 23, waiting for the officer behind a truck before running up to his car and firing multiple shots through the passenger window

Other officers comes to his aid and Sergeant Valle says: 'Pull me a tourniquet. Tourniquet me up. He ran that way south'

Sergeant Valle was treated on the ground before being transported to Memorial Hermann  Texas Medical Center

The suspect ran away and was found at the corner of the building where he was later pronounced dead.

He is yet to be identified by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Sergeant Valle was sworn in as a Houston Police Department officer in April 2007 and works with the Midwest Patrol Division.

The shooting is being investigated by the city's Special Investigations Unit, the Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Houston Police Department for comment.
A pub chef who was caught on camera confessing to killing his ex-partner to an undercover police officer has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years imprisonment.

Darren Osment, 41, killed mother-of-four Claire Holland, 32, who was last seen leaving a pub in Bristol on the evening of June 6 2012. Her body has never been recovered.

Osment called 999 seven years later and appeared to confess to the killings - but a lack of evidence prompted Avon and Somerset police to authorise an undercover investigation, in which he then admitted the killing to a plainclothes officer.

On Wednesday afternoon Mrs Justice Cutts sentenced Osment to life and ordered him to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison. In victim personal statements read to the court, the family of Ms Holland appealed to Osment to reveal where her remains were so they could lay her to rest.

Ms Holland's daughter, Rosie Holland-Hall, told Osment: 'You will never understand the harm you have caused to me. I will never forgive you for what you have done and the damage you have caused.'

Darren Osment, 41, on a body cam talking to the undercover officer on June 15, 2022

A mugshot of Osment who will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on December 20

Mother-of-four Claire Holland disappeared from Bristol city centre in 2012. She has never been found

Ms Holland's half-sister Michaela Holland also told the court the family had finally achieved justice for her.

'Darren, I want you to know that you have destroyed our family,' she told Osment. 'We have so many questions. What were her last words, did she see it coming? If you have got it in your heart, please tell us where she is. We just want to lay her to rest.'

Osment and Ms Holland, described as alcoholics at the time, had met in 2008 and had a child two years later.

During the trial, Andrew Langdon KC told the jury that Osment blamed Ms Holland for their child being taken into care and killed her in a drunken argument hours after she was last seen in June 2012.

Mr Langdon said it was believed that Osment had strangled Ms Holland before disposing of her body in water, though Osment himself knew 'the manner of her death and how her body was disposed of'.

After Osment rang 999 while in Exeter, Devon, in July 2019, claiming he had arranged for Ms Holland to be killed, he was arrested and interviewed under caution for two days, then released under investigation after denying any involvement in Ms Holland's disappearance.

In 2020, Avon and Somerset Police decided to send in an undercover officer - who went by the name Paddy O'Hara - to befriend Osment, then living in Patchway, Bristol, and find out what happened to Ms Holland.

The undercover investigation, between December 2020 and July 2022, saw the officer pose as someone involved in the criminal underworld with links to organised crime.

His conversations with Osment were covertly recorded, amounting to more than 1,200 hours of footage - including repeated confessions relating to Ms Holland from the father-of-two.

Osment was arrested and charged with Ms Holland's murder in August 2022. He pleaded not guilty to the offence but was convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court by a majority verdict last week.

CCTV of Ms Holland's last moments before she disappeared without a trace in 2012 (left and right)

In footage from the undercover investigation, Osment is shown suggesting to Mr O'Hara that he had killed Ms Holland, cut her body up with a knife, and dumped her remains in water.

One clip captured the moment Osment told the officer: 'Mate, I trust you like a f****** brother ... it's just, I don't f****** cast my mind back to what I had to f******, do you know what I mean, it's not f****** pleasant bro. It was f****** horrible.'

He tells him in another clip: 'And then, I just mate, just I, you know, it's what it is, but it's all, all done, done and dusted, all the f****** work, clothes burnt outside, f****** everything's gone, everything's gone.'

Osment appears to suggest he weighted down Ms Holland's remains so they would not come 'floating back'.

In an emotional video released after Osment's conviction, Ms Holland's sister Sarah Holland said the last time she had seen her sister she had been 'very bubbly', adding that she had been 'looking forward to her future'.

But her hopes of finding a job that would allow her to see her children - including a son she had with her killer - were prematurely brought to an end sometime in 2012. Police say they may never know what truly happened to her.

In the video, released by police after Osment's conviction on Monday, Sarah Holland said: 'There's always this void, and it's like a void that you can't fill, that there's something missing in your life and you can't explain (it).

'Carrying it around is like you've got some darkness behind you and you can't remove it - and you just don't know what to do to make that darkness bright again.'

She added: 'The last time I seen Claire she was very happy, she was very bubbly.

Claire Holland disappeared after leaving the Seamus O'Donnell pub on St Nicholas St in Bristol

'But she's always been bubbly, she was always bouncy. It's the only way you could describe her, really, she was like a little rabbit bouncing around eveyrwhere.

'She was working hard to try and get herself sorted out. I remember a conversation we had, she wanted to find a job that she could have that would still allow her to see her children.

'She was asking me for advice on, 'what do you think I could go into that would fit around seeing my children?'

'She was looking forward to her future.'

After an eight-week trial, a jury returned a majority guilty verdict of 10-2 following six full days of deliberations. Osment will be sentenced on December 20.

Prosecutors told the jury he had murdered Claire and made multiple confessions that he did it because their child was taken into care.

She was 32 at the time and had said she had planned to meet Osment on the night of June 6, 2012, after a drinking session at the Seamus O'Donnell pub.

Despite a number of high-profile appeals and campaigns over the years, no trace of her has ever been found.

The jury heard Osment had 'confessed' on a number of occasions during the years to 'unburden' himself as he struggled to live with his 'horrific' actions.

In one confession to police call-handlers he said he had strangled her as 'no c***, no stupid b***h is going to keep me away from my boy'.

Osment was released under investigation, but police later launched an undercover operation for an officer named as 'Paddy O'Hara' to befriend him and build up trust.

It lasted for 20 months and produced 1,200 hours of recorded footage.

Bodycam footage of Osment being arrested for the murder of Claire Holland

On one occasion, the jury heard Osment confessed to 'Paddy' he had 'done horrible f*****g s***' and could not turn the clock back as 'what is done is done'.

He also made reference to Claire having a 'nice f*****g swimming lesson' while he spat on the ground in the direction of the sea and then struggled not to vomit and mentioned her body being 'halfway to Spain'.

Videos of the encounters while driving and sat at home were released by officers after being played to the jury.

In one clip, he imitates a 'slashing' across his body while making a swishing sound and described the 'knife skill' he learned as a trained chef.

And responding to questions about whether her body would float, he responds: 'It's all f*****g weighed, it's all down, it's not going to come floating back up.'

After declaring his trust in 'Paddy', Osment responds: 'I don't f*****g cast my mind back to what I had to f*****g, do you know what I mean. It's not f*****g pleasant bro. It was f*****g horrible.'

On another occasion, he described it as 'all done and dusted' saying the clothes were burnt outside and that 'everything's gone'.

He later told him: 'It makes me feel sick. But I did it for [my child].'

Speaking after today's verdict, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant, said: 'The evidence we've gathered painstakingly over the last four years has proven that Osment is a selfish and violent misogynist who has abused almost everyone he has been close to.'

DSI Hannant added: 'The undercover officer put his safety at risk to expose Osment's offending.

'He spent hours in his company and in doing so, was able to gather vital evidence to achieve justice for Claire and her family. The covert material showed Osment's actions on the night, and how the reality of what he had done had affected him.

'He was both disgusted by, and felt justification for, his actions, and on one occasion was physically sick when he saw a televised police appeal for witnesses.

'I'm in no doubt, Darren Osment is a danger to women, and our communities are a safer place with him behind bars.'

Osment talking to Paddy O'Hara while the pair spend time together on June 3, 2021

In an earlier 999 call to police Osment made in July 2019, he also told handlers he wanted to 'hand himself in' for murder at Exeter police station.

He tells them: 'I've had enough of it all now. I just want the monkey off my back.'

He then tells the handler: 'I've took the law in my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her.'

When he is arrested, on police body worn footage, he told officers: 'Had enough up to my eyeballs. Had enough ducking and diving, looking over my shoulder and all the rest of it.'

He later claimed in a police interview he couldn't remember phoning them or speaking to them on arrival as he was 'too drunk'.

Bristol Crown Court heard the victim met the defendant in 2008 when they became colleagues at the same cafe.

She eventually became pregnant with her third child, and his first, but the relationship turned 'sour' and 'abusive' as she was drinking too much, the prosecutor said.

Their relationship was described as 'drink driven' but Osment reportedly blamed Claire when their baby was taken into foster care.

The trial heard Claire had been a 'troubled' individual but her family said she was just getting her life back together and looking forward to a fresh start and 'excited' about a brighter future when she disappeared.

Staff and regulars at the pub where Claire was last seen said she left at one point that evening to buy 'bra inserts' from Primark as she was going to meet Osment - and had wanted to 'dress to impress' him.

Darren Osment being arrested in 2019 after calling 999 to confess to the murder. He could not be charged at the time due to a lack of supporting evidence

Paul Brayford, the landlord, said that day she came in alone for the first time in a while and asked if she was 'barred'.

He added: 'She was larger than life, happy, a bit over the top, in good stead. She said she was going to see Darren that evening.

'She was excited. She said she was going to Primark to go and buy some nice clothes.

'She said she was going to make herself look nice for him.'

Prosecutor Andrew Langdon KC told the jury: ''As he has subsequently confessed a number of times, he met her and he killed her and, either alone or with the help of others, he no doubt would have had to pay given the risk they took, he got rid of her body.'

While on remand awaiting trial, the court heard Osment made another confession - this time to a fellow inmate.

Osment claimed all his confessions were made under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Osment will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on December 20.

The Honorable Mrs Justice Cutts told him: 'You must understand the law requires me to pass a sentence of life imprisonment.

'The question I must resolve is what the minimum term should be.'
A woman who was seen walking a camel through a street in Chingford was 'part of nativity procession' that was previously targeted by animal rights activists.

The woman, who was videoed leading the animal down a quiet residential road in the north-east London area, was supposedly on her way to an annual parade run by a local church, which took place on Saturday.

Footage of the event shared on social media shows one of the three wise men riding on top of a camel and a young girl dressed as Mary riding a donkey as they are surrounded by a cheerful crowd.

However, while the event reportedly went off without a hitch this year, it has previously been the subject of protests from a furious animal rights group.

South London Hunt Saboteurs protested against the event in 2021 and called for it to be banned, despite the organisers insisting that they are 'animal lovers' themselves. and 'all of the animals are treated well'.

An annual nativity procession which is run by a local church and took place on Saturday, includes a live camel whch is ridden by one of the three wise men

The hour-long parade also features a live donkey which was this year ridden by a small girl dressed as Mary

The organiser of the event Nick Gibb posted on social media last week inviting people to come along to the procession.

It lasts for around an hour and includes a live donkey, which is ridden by a woman dressed as Mary and a camel which is ridden by one of three wise men.

READ MORE: Moment woman is spotted walking her CAMEL through the streets of London - leaving locals in hysterics Advertisement

Mr Gibb said: 'Saturday 16th of December Christmas nativity procession. REAL LIVE CAMEL with wise man! And REAL LIVE DONKEY and Mary.

'Starts Chingford station, station road 10am walking down station road(meet at 9.30am) to Chingford Mount Albert Crescent for 11am where there will be carols sung and readings about the nativity. All are welcome to join.'

The annual Christmas parade has previously drawn criticism from animals rights group South London Hunt Saboteurs for its use of live the animals.

The 'distressed' campaigners called for the event to be banned and amassed more than 400 signatures from other members of the public, including local MP Iain Duncan Smith, as part of a petition to call it off.

However, Mr Gibb remains adamant that the church are 'animal lovers' themselves and 'all of the animals are treated well'. He also said that there were no protests against the event this year.

Mr Gibb told MailOnline: 'We have a donkey and a "Mary" and a real camel and a wise man.

The organiser of the event Nick Gibb posted on social media last week inviting people to come along to the procession.

The procession lasts for around an hour and includes a live camel which is ridden by one of three wise men

It also features a live donkey, which is ridden by a girl dressed as Mary, who can be seen wearing a blue dress

The hour-long procession begins on Station Road, next to Chingford station at 10am

The procession then continues down to Chingford Mount on Albert Crescent for 11am where there are carols and readings about the nativity

'Its all about the wonder of The Incarnation - which the bible says Jesus the Son of God came down from heaven and was born a baby - the angel Gabriel appeared to a young virgin called Mary in a small town, Wise men called Magi followed a star from Persia and the baby Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. An angelic choir appeared to shepherds - the lowliest people in that society - so the churches in Chingford like to celebrate this.

'All of the animals are treated well. We are animal lovers ourselves.'

The viral clip has left people in hysterics, with some joking that it was a 'great way to get around ULEZ charges' while another said it is 'Ubers new XL vehicle'.

However, locals claimed the bizarre procession is orchestrated as part of a Christmas nativity show and the camel is usually accompanied by three wise men.

It is unclear where the animal came from and, while it is not illegal to keep them as pets in the UK, owners do require a licence from their local council.

The video was filmed by a woman who, after being alerted to the unique sighting by a young girl, refused to believe such an animal was roaming the streets.

She can be heard in the video saying: 'Nah, I'm seeing too much weird stuff today. What is going on? What is going on?'

The young girl then adds: 'See I told you it was a camel.'

The woman then says: 'Listen this little girl told me there was a camel outside. I thought she was lying. I actually thought she was capping.'

A clip of a woman walking a camel down the road, supposedly to take part in the annual procession on Saturday, went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this week

The video was filmed by a woman who, after being alerted to the unique sighting by a young girl, refused to believe such an animal was roaming the streets

She can be heard in the video saying: 'Nah, I'm seeing too much weird stuff today. What is going on? What is going on?'

The woman is later joined by a man who appears to check that the animal's saddle is secure

After seeing the viral video, X users were quick to pile in jokes explaining why the animal was walking around in London

The hilarious video was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on December 18 by the account @UB1UB2 and has already amassed more than 378,000 views.

After seeing the viral video, users were quick to pile in jokes explaining why the animal was walking around in London.

One person said: 'Great way to get around ULEZ charges,' while another added: 'It's Ubers new XL vehicle, very popular in London beats the traffic.'

A fourth person commented: 'It's got the hump with the ulez'. A fourth joked that the camel was 'faster than the Elizabeth line'.

Following the speculation, one local seemingly explained the bizarre incident. They said: 'This didn't happen in SouthHall. It happened in Chingford.

'They march it down the road most years with a few wise men and that. Don't ask me where they get it from.'

MailOnline has contacted South London Hunt Saboteurs and Waltham Forest Council for comment.
An Iranian child bride who was forced to marry at 15 has been hanged in Iran for murdering her husband who had abused her for years.

Samira Sabzian, 29, who had been in prison for the past decade, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison in the Tehran city of Karaj, the Norway-based Iran Human rights group (IHR) said.

Sabzian, from the city of Khorramabad in western Iran, was forced to marry her husband when she was just 15. In the years that ensued, the girl became the victim of domestic violence, her relatives said.

After four years of abuse, the mother-of two murdered her husband in 2013 when she was 19 years old and was sent to prison where she remained for ten years.

Today, Sabzian was executed by the Iranian regime - despite pleas from Britain, the UN and international human rights groups to spare the child bride.

Samira Sabzian, 29, who had been in prison for the past decade, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison in the Tehran city of Karaj, the Norway-based Iran Human rights group (IHR) said

During her detention, Sabzian had refused to meet her two children in prison as one was a newborn when she was arrested.

But knowing that she would be executed within days, Sabzian met them for the first time in ten years in an emotional reunion.

Sabzian was hanged at dawn today, with rights groups criticising Iran's sharia-based murder laws which are based on a principle of 'qesas' (retribution in kind).

They say the laws fail to take into account potentially mitigating factors such as abuse or domestic violence as was the case with Sabzian.

According to the penal code of Iran, those accused of murder are sentenced to death - regardless of the circumstances surrounding the crime.

The victim's family can choose whether to accept the death penalty or ask for financial compensation. But in Sabzian's case, her husband's parents asked for the death penalty.

The director of IHR, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said: 'Samira was a victim of years of gender apartheid, child marriage, and domestic violence, and today she fell victim to the incompetent and corrupt regime's killing machine.

'A regime that has sustained itself solely through killing and instilling fear. Ali Khamenei and other leaders of the Islamic Republic must be held accountable for this crime.'

Amnesty International said it was 'horrified' by the reports of the 'chilling execution', saying the mother of two was 'subjected to a forced and early marriage as a child'.

The office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights said it was 'alarmed' by the execution, saying Sabzian had been forced to marry her husband while aged 15.

'We again urge Iran to establish a moratorium on all executions with a view to abolishing death penalty,' it added.

Sabzian (pictured front centre), from the city of Khorramabad in western Iran, was forced to marry her husband when she was just 15. In the years that ensued, the girl became the victim of domestic violence , her relatives said

The execution has so far not been reported by media inside Iran.

Rights groups have raised alarm over a surge in executions in Iran this year, with at least 115 people put to death in November alone according to Amnesty International.

'The international community must urgently call on Iran's authorities to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions,' Amnesty said.

The British government had called on Iran to spare Sabzian's life.

'Samira is a victim of child marriage... Iran must cease its appalling treatment of women and girls,' junior foreign minister Tariq Ahmad said on X, formerly Twitter, late Tuesday.

According to IHR, 18 women have now been executed in Iran this year, including Sabzian.

Iran has executed eight men in cases related to the protests that erupted in September 2022 but rights groups argue that the surge in hangings on all charges is aimed at instilling fear in the wider population.

According to IHR, Iran executed 582 people in 2022 but this year's total is expected to be significantly higher.
Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre has welcomed a judge's ruling that 170 people linked to Jeffrey Epstein are set to be unmasked, as she taunted his associates by asking 'who's on the naughty list?'

It comes after DailyMail.com revealed that dozens of Epstein's high profile associates can be named in court documents set to be released in the first days of 2024.

Giuffre, nee Roberts, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Prince Andrew aged 17, was triumphant in her bid to get a dossier containing the names of the disgraced financier's associates and victims unsealed.

The 40-year-old took to X to celebrate the ruling today, writing: 'Dozens of Jeffrey Epstein associates, victims likely to publicly ID'd in court docs in coming weeks.' She added her thanks to the judge who made the ruling, calling her 'a truth seeker & justice maker.'

With the release date set for January 1, a holiday in the US, the names are set to be disclosed at the start of 2024, with Giuffre adding excitedly: 'There's going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years.'

Virginia Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with the Duke of York aged 17 . Pictured: Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell

Virginia Giuffre won in her bid to get a dossier containing the names of the disgraced financier's associates and victims unsealed

The Duke of York could be among those facing fresh scrutiny if named in the documents (pictured together walking in Central Park in 2010)

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn responded to the decision this week, writing on X: 'I'm pleased that this court agrees with my calls for transparency and accountability on Epstein and his associates.

'The American people deserve to know who participated in Epstein's crimes.'

Giuffre replied to the comment: 'Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and accountability!!'

The Duke of York, who reached an out of court settlement with Giuffre in 2022, paying out 12million, could be among those facing fresh scrutiny if named in the documents.

Unless the ruling is appealed, new light will be shed on Epstein's sex trafficking operation and his network of influence from January 1.

Judge Loretta Preska wrote 'unsealed in full' next to the names of 177 'Does' who are Epstein's friends, recruiters and victims.

The material is related to a defamation case brought by Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Roberts in New York against Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation in 2016 and while the case was settled, The Miami Herald  which published a bombshell expose of Epstein that led to his arrest in 2019  sued to get the documents made public.

Some of the Does are identified in the ruling through links to interviews they have given to the media, which the judge cited as a reason why they should not stay private.

They include the housekeepers on Epstein's private island in the Caribbean where some of the worst abuse that he perpetrated was carried out.

In her ruling Judge Preska gave 14 days for any Does who objected to their documents being made public to object, after which they would be unsealed.

Among the documents could be details regarding another of Prince Andrew's accusers, Johanna Sjoberg, who claims he fondled her breasts at Epstein's New York mansion.

There will also be material about Haley Robson, who was named as a recruiter in police files of Epstein's original investigation in 2006 in Palm Beach  though she has more recently claimed she was a victim too.

The filing suggests some documents will relate to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French model scout who was close to Epstein and allegedly abused many young women.

Brunel hanged himself in a Paris prison cell in 2022 while awaiting trial on a slew of sex charges.

The Duke of York reached an out of court settlement with Giuffre in 2022, paying out 12million

A judge has ruled to unseal documents that would name 177 Does who are Epstein's friends, recruiters and victims within the coming weeks

The documents in the case have been released on a rolling basis since 2019 when the first batch were made public days before Epstein also hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Among the revelations in previous batches of documents were emails between Andrew and Epstein in 2015 when Roberts made allegations about him.

The batch of 177 Does is the final group and includes many who were notified by the court but did not object to documents with their name on them being made public.

The material is likely to include depositions, emails, legal documents and other material not previously made public.
A Spanish journalist has made a fresh rape allegation against French film star Gerard Depardieu - two weeks after another alleged victim jumped to her death into the River Seine.

Ruth Baza, 51, filed the criminal complaint with police in Spain last week for the alleged rape, adding to more than a dozen other women who have accused the 74-year-old Oscar and Bafta-nominated actor of sexually abusing them.

The Spanish writer alleged that she was raped by Depardieu when she was interviewing him in Paris for the Cinemania magazine on October 12 1995.

She claims that Depardieu kissed her on the face and penetrated her with his fingers through her clothes - an allegation formally lodged as rape by police, La Vanguardia reports.

Baza, who at the time was 23 while Depardieu was 46, spoke of 'an intrusion without any consent, at any time', adding that she felt 'paralysed' during the incident.

A Spanish journalist has made a fresh rape allegation against French film star Gerard Depardieu (pictured at Cannes Film Festival in 2015)

It comes after a criminal inquiry was opened into the 'mysterious death' of French actress Emmanuelle Debever (pictured) who had accused Gerard Depardieu of sexual violence

It allegedly took place on the premises of the former production company Roissy Films.

She initially spoke to AFP of 'sexual assault' but when asked if she had been raped, she said yes.

'The police described it as such,' she said.

Under Spain's sexual consent law passed last year, the charge of sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes, from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments.

A rape conviction can carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Depardieu, an icon of French cinema with more than 200 roles to his name, was charged with rape in France in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.

A French television report this month that included footage of the actor making sexist comments has thrown the allegations back in the limelight and reignited a debate about sexism in French cinema.

Baza told AFP that she had 'completely' forgotten the alleged assault until she read an investigation published by the news website Mediapart in April, in which 13 women accused the actor of sexual violence.

Baza, who at the time was 23 while Depardieu (pictured in 2013) was 46, spoke of 'an intrusion without any consent, at any time', adding that she felt 'paralysed' during the incident

The article provoked 'an inner click' and 'flashes' of memory, which she said she corroborated by personal notes she took at the time.

The criminal complaint has little chance of leading to charges against the actor since the events it refers to have already passed the statute of limitations in France.

Baza said she decided to file her complaint despite this in the hope that it would 'help other people' to do the same.

Prosecutors in Paris are also probing the 'mysterious death' of actress Emmanuelle Debever, 60, who claimed she was also sexually assaulted by Depardieu.

It is now feared that the last hours of Debever may be linked to multiple abuse accusations levelled by women against the film star.

Ms Debever disappeared from the home she shared with an unidentified partner in Paris late last month, before apparently jumping off a bridge in the French capital eight days later.

She survived the fall, and was plucked out of the water by emergency workers, but died in hospital shortly afterwards.

This was on December 7  the exact day a new documentary entitled Gerard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre was broadcast across France.

It contained disturbing details of an alleged attack by Depardieu on Ms Debever, when she was still a teenager.

It was originally thought that Ms Debever committed suicide, but when detectives became aware of numerous accusations being made against Depardieu in the France 2 programme, the direction of the inquiry changed.

A spokesman for Paris prosecutors said: 'The fact was then mentioned in the media that this actress [Ms Debever] had complained about inappropriate behaviour from Gerard Depardieu, in particular through a post on Facebook in 2019.

'In view of this new element, an investigation into the causes of [Ms Debever's] death was opened.'

It was entrusted to judicial police who must 'investigate the circumstances which may have led to this mysterious death,' said the spokesman.

A week before the inquiry was launched, another French actress become the second woman to file a formal sex attack complaint against Depardieu, saying he treated her like 'a piece of meat'.

Paris prosecutors confirmed that Helene Darras, 43, reported Depardieu in September. The pair appeared together in the 2007 film Disco, when Darras was 26, and allegedly assaulted.

Waiving her legal right to anonymity, Ms Darras told the same Further Investigation (Complement d'enquete) documentary series: 'He [Depardieu] is unmanageable.

'He looks at me as if I were a piece of meat. I have an ultra-tight dress, he pulls me closer to him by the waist, then he runs his hand over my hips, over my bum.'

Ms Darras said Depardieu smelled of 'spilled alcohol' as he invited her to his dressing room.

She said she was initially scared of complaining about the 'king of the show', so waited 16 years to go the authorities.

French actress Charlotte Arnould (pictured) went public with her accusation that Depardieu, 74, raped her in his Paris mansion. Ms Arnould, 33, renounced her legal right to anonymity at the end of 2021, to protest at how long the investigation is taking

Helene Darras, a French actress who claims Depardieu assaulted her in 2007

It follows at least 14 other women joining alleged rape victim Charlotte Arnould, now 28, in accusing the actor of criminal behaviour.

There is CCTV footage of Depardieu performing a sex act on Arnould at his Paris mansion in August 2018, but he insists it was consensual.

Ms Arnould renounced her legal right to anonymity at the end of 2021, following Depardieu being charged with rape and sexual assault.

Within a few days of his indictment, Depardieu was back working on the Seine River location of the police drama Maigret And The Dead Girl, in which he starred with Jade Labeste.

In October, he broke his silence over claims that he is a serial sex abuser saying: 'I am neither a rapist nor a predator.'

On Monday, the Grevin Museum in Paris removed the wax figure of Depardieu amid the new claims.

That followed the Belgian municipality's decision to strip the actor of the honorary citizen title after the Quebec province of Canada also withdrew its top honour to the actor.
This comes a week after Apple announced the launch of the 'Stolen Device Protection' setting for iOS 17.3

He was able to steal over $300,000 between 2021 and 2022 by using this trick at local Minnesota bars

A 26-year-old thief has revealed the simple passcode trick he used to break into strangers' iPhones and steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts.

Aaron Johnson, who is currently serving eight years at the Minnesota Correctional Facility, explained in an interview with The Wall Street Journal how he was able to steal over $300,000 between 2021 and 2022.

Johnson would visit local bars, befriend young people, peep over and watch them insert their passcodes, then take their phones.

Having memorized their passcodes, he would then log into the devices, change the passwords and lock the victims of their Apple IDs. He would also enroll his own face into the phone's Face ID and remove the owner's biometric.

That vital hack granted him access to the phone's password keychain - where their log in credentials for banking apps were readily available.

Johnson and his accomplices drained thousands of dollars from the accounts - often before the victim even realized their phone had been swiped.

Aaron Johnson would visit local bars, befriend young people, peep over and watch them insert their passcodes and take their phones. He would later use the code to lock out victims of their Apple IDs, disable the Find My iPhone function and empty their bank accounts

The security flaw is what prompted the recent launch of Apple's 'Stolen Device Protection' - a setting that prevents cyber-criminals from locking iPhone users out of their Apple accounts or accessing any of their passwords stored in Apple's Keychain.

Johnson explained that he would go to bars and target college-aged men with Pro iPhone models instead of women due to them being 'more guarded and alert to suspicious behavior'.

The thief would then either approach his victims by offering drugs or posing as a 'rapper' and asking to connect with them on social media.

The mostly drunk victim would end up in a conversation with him and hand over their phone, thinking he would simply add in his information and hand it back.

But instead, Johnson would ask them for their password, which the unsuspecting victim would tell him.

'I say, "Hey, your phone is locked. Whats the passcode?" They say, "2-3-4-5-6," or something. And then I just remember it,' he told the Wall Street Journal.

Describing how fast he could change passwords, he said: 'faster than you could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. You gotta beat the mice to the cheese.'

Once he would set up his Face ID, Johnson would swiftly transfer large sums of money out of their bank account using mobile payment services such as Venmo, Zelle, and Coinbase.

The next day, Johnson would hit different stores to buy stuff using Apple Pay, including other Apple products.

Johnson explained that he would go to bars and target college-aged men with Pro iPhone models instead of women due to them being 'more guarded and alert to suspicious behavior'

The thief would then either approach his victims by offering drugs or posing as a 'rapper' and asking to connect with them on social media. The mostly drunk victim would end up in a conversation with him and hand over their phone, thinking he would simply add in his information and hand it back

But instead, Johnson would ask them for their password, which the unsuspecting victim would tell him

After completely emptying the victim's bank, he would sell the phone to Zhongshuang 'Brandon' Su', also known as the 'iPhone Man'.

The 32-year-old would allegedly then sell many of the stolen phones overseas, including to Hong Kong.

Over a good weekend, Johnson could sell up to 30 iPhones and iPads to Su and make around $20,000. This did not include money hed taken from victims bank apps.

Last week, Apple added a new layer of protection in the latest iOS update called the Stolen Device Protection.

If the feature detects an unknown location of the iPhone, it will require Apple's FaceID to unlock the device.

Stolen Device Protection is set to roll out with Apple's iOS 17.3 but is currently being tested in beta.

At the heart of Stolen Device Protection is a strict reliance on the user's biometrics via Apple's Face ID or Touch ID and geolocation data on the iPhone owner's most familiar places.

When users enable Stolen Device Protection, three new protective features will be activated.

Apple is rolling out a new feature to protect its customers' passcodes, online banking access, private iCloud photos and videos, and everything else that a stolen, unlocked iPhone leaves vulnerable. Dubbed Stolen Device Protection, the setting is now available to beta testers

Stolen Device Protection is designed to block any thief's attempt to lock out the owner by switching the Apple ID if the effort is made when their iPhone is not in a familiar location, like your home or office

Stolen Device Protection is designed to block any thief's attempt to lock out the owner by switching the Apple ID if the effort is made when their iPhone is not in a familiar location, like their home or office.

If the owner, a thief or anyone else tries to change the Apple ID password away from these familiar locations, the device will require the owner's Face ID or Touch ID twice.

After the first biometric scan via Face ID or Touch ID, the setting requires a second scan one hour before changes can be made, preventing the kind of low-risk 'smash and grab' an iPhone thief is most likely to attempt.

Stolen Device Protection will also require two Face ID or Touch ID scans one hour apart if anyone operating the iPhone from a strange location attempts to add or delete a 'recovery key' or change a user's trusted phone number.

Apple's recovery key provides a randomly generated 28-character code to deal with lost access to their Apple ID, which users can then save somewhere safe (whether handwritten, emailed to themselves, memorized or something more creative).

Protecting these features ensures that a thief can't lock you out of everything you have saved to iCloud, including personal photos or important files, which might otherwise be lost forever.

Although the new security update ensures several failsafe measures to prevent a true disaster for Apple's iPhone customers, there are still open vulnerabilities if your phone is stolen.

Any app, email or website access that isn't protected by an additional password or PIN would still be at risk.

That means that, in many cases, any account or login that can be reset by text or email will still be at risk even if Stolen Device Protection is turned on.

Adding to that risk, all the credit cards or services linked to Apple Pay will still work with just a passcode if your Face ID or Touch ID biometrics fail.

The Wall Street Journal, which broke news of the nationwide thefts that led to this new update, suggests adding extra PINs or biometric hurdles to any financial apps on your device.

They also suggest moving quickly to access iCloud and wipe your stolen device remotely once you have noticed the theft.
The mother of Brianna Ghey has described the harrowing moment police officers told her they had found her daughter's body after two teenagers were today convicted of her murder.

Esther Ghey teared up as she recalled her 'fearless' daughter and told how she joked 'I'll have to ring the police' as she became concerned when Brianna did not return home.

Two torture-obsessed 16-year-olds, who were 15 at the time of the killing, were today convicted by a jury after Brianna was discovered with 28 stab wounds at Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, Cheshire, on February 11.

Both Girl X and Boy Y, who cannot be named for legal reasons, blamed one another for the brutal attack which left Brianna with 'unsurvivable' stab wounds to her head, neck, chest and back, including one which severed her jugular vein and another which penetrated her heart.

Ms Ghey today told the BBC: 'She was fearless to be whoever she wanted to be. She wanted to identify as a female and she wanted to wear girls' school uniform.

Brianna Ghey, 16, died after being stabbed 28 times at Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, Cheshire, in February

Brianna Ghey's mother Esther arrives at Manchester Crown Court last month for the start of proceedings

Recalling the moment she was told police had found a body, Ms Ghey said she returned home to find her front door open

'She just did it it wasn't a hurdle at all for her.'

Follow every detail of the case on The Mail's acclaimed podcast The Trial The Trial...takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest trials in the world. The first series 'The Trial of Lucy Letby' was a global hit, with more than 13 million downloads, while season two focused on the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland. Its third season follows the tragic case of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl killed in Warrington, England. Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from The Daily Mail's Northern Correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham. Advertisement

Recalling the moment police told her Brianna had been found dead, Ms Ghey said: 'I sort of joked and said that if Brianna doesn't come home soon I'll probably have to ring the police.

'We got to the front door and the front door was open, and it was two policemen stood in the house and they said that they'd found a body.

'The first thing I said to them was that I knew, I knew that something was going to happen.'

Brianna's headteacher also remembered the teenager as 'loud and proud and confident'.

Speaking to the BBC, Emma Mills said: 'There was never any evidence of Brianna being bullied within school or out of school. Brianna was very much able to give as good as she got in that way.

'And I think what was really hard was that she was portrayed in the media as a victim and she didn't live her life as a victim.

'She was someone that was loud and proud and confident in who she was.'

Brianna's murder sent shockwaves across the UK and a public outpouring of anger saw multiple vigils held in the days following her death.

The two teens had plotted to kill the schoolgirl using the 13cm blade to slit her throat and dismember her body.

The 'frenzied' and 'savage' attack followed weeks of messages between the pair in which they collected a list of five children they wanted to kill.

During their murder trial, both of the teenagers attempted to wash their hands of the slaying, blaming each other for Brianna's killing, with each telling the court their backs were turned when the other defendant began plunging the knife into her.

The court heard how Brianna was found by dog walkers in Linear Park shortly after 3pm on Saturday, February 11. Her bloodied body was discovered face down in mud, having been stabbed to the head, neck, back and chest.

Her jugular vein had also been severed, causing 'catastrophic blood loss', while another knife blow penetrated Brianna's heart. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.02pm.

Esther Ghey described Brianna as 'fearless' and said being transgender 'wasn't a hurdle at all'

Brianna, 16, was found with fatal wounds on a path in the park near her home. She had messaged her mother on the way to the park to say she was 'scared'

Brianna Ghey's father Peter Spooner arriving at Manchester Crown Court

The note - headed 'Saturday 11th February 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey' - was found alongside jottings about serial killers including Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Harold Shipman

Following today's guilty verdicts, the Crown Prosecution Service released an image of the knife

The prosecution told jurors they did not need to determine who delivered the fatal blows to find both guilty, as they were 'in it together' from start to finish.

A jury of seven men and five women convicted the two following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court after four hours and 40 minutes of deliberations.

Neither defendant, sat next to a social worker each and surrounded by six security staff filling the dock, made any visible reaction as the jury foreman delivered the guilty verdicts.

Boy Y's mother's head slumped down on to the shoulder of a friend sat beside her and began crying.

Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip told jurors she will not pass sentence this week.

She told the jury: 'All 12 of you have provided outstanding service. No doubt when you came to court you did not anticipate such an emotionally difficult one as this one.'

She told the two defendants: 'I will have to impose a life sentence. What I have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release.

'I'm not going to do that this week. I'm going to ask for some reports in relation to each of you.'

She excused jurors from serving on a jury again for life before adjourning the court hearing briefly.

Girl X, wearing a pinafore style dress, spoke to her social worker and glanced at her parents leaving the courtroom.

Boy Y, who avoids all eye contact, did not look over at his mother as he was led from the dock carrying his Sudoku puzzles book.

She continued sobbing uncontrollably while being hugged by her friend.

The court is expected to reconvene shortly to discuss a sentencing date for the defendants.

The trial had heard how at age 14, Girl X had downloaded an app to enjoy watching videos of the torture and murder of real people, in 'red rooms' on the 'dark web'.

Brianna Ghey was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife on February 11, a court has been told

She grew an interest in serial killers, making notes on their methods, and admitted enjoying 'dark fantasies' about killing and torture, the pair living in a secret world of warped interests in murder and cruelty, the court heard.

They drew up a 'Kill list' of four other youths they intended to harm, until Brianna had the 'misfortune' to be befriended by Girl X, who became 'obsessed' with her.

Brianna had thousands of followers on TikTok, but in reality was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home.

Girl X told her accomplice she wanted to stab Brianna 'jus coz its fun lol... I want to see the pure horror on her face and hear her scream'.

She got her wish after luring Brianna to the park on a Saturday afternoon, believing she was going to 'hang out' with friends.

Their dark fantasies were about to become reality, the court heard, Girl X chillingly telling Brianna when she caught the bus to meet them to buy not a return but only a single ticket - and reminding boy Y about his knife.

A witness in the park was playing hide and seek with his children when he passed the teenagers.

He felt as if he had interrupted something and they were waiting for him to pass.

Girl X had talked about 'trophies' taken during killing plans and took a last photo of Brianna on her phone in the park.

A terrifying series of messages between the pair revealed how the Girl X admitted to watching torture porn and had a 'really sharp blade'

Then at around 3pm Brianna, who had been seen sat on a bench, was suddenly attacked, possibly initially from behind, with a hunting knife with a 13cm blade, brought to the park by Boy Y.

Each defendant blamed the other and it is not known which one or if both wielded the knife.

Brianna was 'stabbed and stabbed and stabbed' in a 'frenzied and ferocious' attack.

She instinctively tried to cover up - tendons in her hands and arms slashed in a futile attempt to fend off her attacker.

Brianna suffered 28 stab wounds, 14 to her head and neck, 14 to her chest, back and sides.

The blade cut her throat, puncturing her heart and lungs and the blows were delivered with enough force to damage the bones of her ribs, vertebrae and sternum.

As she lay dying Girl X sent a message to her victim's phone, 'Girl, where are you?', to set up her cover story of Brianna leaving them to go off with another youth.

Seconds later Girl X deleted a Snapchat conversation with Brianna, showing 'cool and calculated' presence of mind.

Detectives found the murder weapon with Brianna's blood on the blade in Boy Y's bedroom, along with heavily blood-stained clothing and trainers.

At Girl X's home they found a handwritten note detailing the murder plan and naming Brianna as the victim.

Messages on their phones detailed their fascination with murder, torture and death, plans to kill other children and an earlier attempt to poison Brianna with an overdose.

The gruesome murder of a transgender teenager in a public park prompted candlelit vigils worldwide protesting against perceived transphobia.

Detectives believe Brianna was killed because she was vulnerable and accessible, with her death not a hate crime but done for 'enjoyment' and a 'thirst for killing'.
After two years of undercover work, they intercepted Mashkoor at Denver airport where he was trying to board a flight to the UAE en route to Afghanistan

The FBI had been investigating Humzah Mashkoor since he was just 16 and allegedly started sharing pro-ISIS messages online

An 18-year-old from Colorado has been arrested and charged with attempting to help ISIS

A Colorado teen has been charged with providing support to ISIS after allegedly planning to fly and join the terrorist organization from when he was just 16 years old.

Humzah Mashkoor, who is now 18, was arrested on Monday at Denver Airport, where he was trying to fly to the UAE en route to Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

He has since been charged with knowingly providing or attempting or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

His arrest is the culmination of a two-year investigation after the FBI first became aware of Mashkoor expressing support for the terrorist group on social media in 2021 and even sharing videos of executions.

Mashkoor was born in the US but spent time in Afghanistan and allegedly desperately wanted to return to fight for the Islamic State.

Mashkoor was arrested at Denver Airport on Monday where he planned to fly to join ISIS

In September 2022, he began talking to an undercover FBI employee online who was posing as a ISIS supporter.

The complaint says he 'repeatedly expressed his intent to travel in order to join ISIS as a fighter, to provide money to ISIS to support their efforts, and to recruit others to also support ISIS through travel and/or financial contributions.'

He also 'expressed frustration that he was unable to travel to join ISIS or provide money to ISIS to support their efforts because he was not yet 18.'

In one of the most serious incidents, he allegedly 'indicated, using coded language, that an ISIS contact suggested to Mashkoor that he (Mashkoor) conduct an attack in the United States.'

At one point, he told the agent: 'I am prepared to do anything which they require me to do ... I just want to be used as soon as possible, gun attacks.

'I have no training, I used to have some practice with guns with I was younger. But that is it.'

As his 18th birthday in November approached, he allegedly started making concrete plans to travel to join ISIS and discussed a plan to get married.

According to the complaint, he told one undercover agent: 'Once we go theres no turning back We leave behind everything Our familys Our homes Our friends For the sake of Allah swt And pleasing him

The FBI carried out two years of undercover work to investigate Mashkoor

He allegedly admitted his plans to multiple undercover agents, often using coded language

'Life wont be easy, we will be strangers moving from place to place Hated by the whole worlds.'

Then on November 25, he bought a flight from Denver to Dubai - this was then pushed back by a week when he caught Covid - with plans to 'eventually travel on to Afghanistan'.

One of his older relatives was due to travel with him and had booked a return flight home, but Mashkoor did not have a return flight booked.

In July 2022, he was reported for assaulting an adult male relative - the victim told police at the time that Mashkoor said he 'wanted to kill people and cut their heads off.'

A relative told police in explanation that Mashkoor 'struggled from mental illness and had high-functioning autism.'

Mashkoor also said he suffered from depression, and he couldn't wait to leave the United States, the agents in touch with him said, according to the court filing.

On Monday, just after 9.30 am, FBI agents arrested Mashkoor at Denver International Airport.

Later, they searched his home in Westminster, about 20 miles north of Denver, and found his journals, according to the complaint.

According to prosecutors, the teenager wrote that 'he has felt isolated since he was young, but then discovered that there were "others like" him.'

He also wrote: 'Victory over my enemies, or martyrdom.'
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A hiker had to be rescued last night by a helicopter after getting lost near an erupting volcano in Iceland.

The aircraft was called to the eruption site on the Reykjanes peninsula to search for the hiker, who managed to flag down the passing helicopter using SOS signals, the Icelandic coast guard said.

Asgeir Erlendsson, a spokesman for the coast guard, said it was initially reported that two people had become lost earlier in the evening on account of the person becoming separated from their gear.

'The helicopter found him and took him back to town,' Erlendsson said. 'He had become very cold and had left his equipment with a flashlight in another place, which is why it was thought that these were two men.'

People have been urged to stay away from the volcano, which erupted on Monday night. Trill-seekers flocked to the site following the eruption, with people getting as close as possible to the expanding lava field.

However, experts have warned that the on-going eruption could see new fissures open up and rip apart the nearby town of Grindavik, as the area remains on high alert amid uncertainty around what the coming days will bring.

Iceland's met office announced yesterday that there was an increased risk of unannounced eruptions, with even emergency responders told to evacuate from the town, which is about 25 miles from Reykjavik, Iceland's capital.

A hiker had to be rescued last night by a helicopter after getting lost near an erupting volcano in Iceland

The aircraft was called to the eruption site on the Reykjanes peninsula to search for the hiker, who flagged down the passing helicopter using SOS signals, the Icelandic coast guard said. Pictured: A helicopter flies near a volcano spewing lava and smoke as it erupts near Grindavik, December 19

People have been urged to stay away from the volcano (pictured), which erupted on Monday night. Trill-seekers flocked to the site following the eruption, with people getting as close as possible to the site

Bubbling lava pours out of chasms near the town of Grindavik, Iceland on December 19

Molten lava is comming out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula 3km north of the evacuate town of Grindavik, western Iceland on December 19

A close up of the Southern active segment of the original fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula

The eruption signals a heightened risk of volcanic fissures opening without warning inside the fishing town - which is home to some 4,000 people and was evacuated after it began to be shaken by earthquakes weeks ago.

Locals have shared videos of their homes being ripped apart, with houses sealed and a number of people told they cannot return after the force of the tremors ripping homes from their foundations.

Iceland's tourism industry, driven by attractions including the Blue Lagoon which is just a stone's throw from the eruption, has also taken a huge hit - with some flights delayed and nervous holidaymakers cancelling reservations and pushing back their trips for the coming months.

'The future is still uncertain,' Icelandic tourist board boss Johannes or Skulason told MBL.is. 'We have to see how this eruption plays out. If the upheavals continue for a long time, the impact on the tourism industry can be great into next year.'

Meanwhile, people around the world have marvelled at the stunning new images coming out of the country, with drone footage showing the steaming lava flows pouring out over snow-capped mountains and laying bare the extent of the 2.5 mile (4km) chasm.

Tens of thousands of tremors have been recorded around Grindavik since a 'seismic swarm' first rattled the region in late October, with the Fagradalsfjall volcano threatening for weeks to erupt before Monday's explosion at Sundhnukagiga, which has unleashed a much larger flow than any seen in recent years.

With a huge magma tunnel stretching beneath Grindavik fissures could still open without warning, geophysicist Benedikt Ofeigsson told Icelandic news outlet DV.

'A magma tunnel was also formed [underground] from which the eruption emerged, and it extends considerably further south and north than the fissures themselves, and we can fully expect that they will start erupting without warning, as actually happened in Fagradalsfjall,' Ofeigsson warned.

Experts are due to meet to assess the ongoing situation on Wednesday morning after an update last night that the eruption has been weakening.

The volcano has been spewing enough lava to fill an Olympic swimming pool every 20 seconds, an expert said on Tuesday.

David Pyle, a professor of Earth sciences at Oxford University told Live Science that earthquakes around the eruption area have now died down, suggesting the fissure has stabilised.

'The eruption rate is likely to be in the region of a few hundred cubic metres of lava per second  enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool in about 20 seconds,' Pyle told LiveScience.

'The length of the fissure may be an indication of how much magma had been able to accumulate in the crust over the past few weeks.'

The Icelandic Met Office said in a statement last night: 'The lava flow is estimated to be about one-quarter of what it was at the beginning of the eruption on 18 December, and a third of the original fissure is active.'

Police have said that the eruption does not pose a danger to life and that no injuries have been reported so far, despite thrill-seekers flocking to the area.

While locals and tourists alike have to witness the incredible nighttime scenes firsthand, authorities have warned that the darkness makes the site even more dangerous.

A drone is capturing the lava flow from the erupting volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula

The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula just north of the evacuated town of Grindavik began last night at around 10.17 pm after an earthquake swarm, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, referring to a series of small shakes

Lava comes to the surface at the site which is a short distance from the town of Grindavik

Billowing smoke and flowing lava turning the sky orange are seen in this Icelandic Coast Guard handout image during an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula on Monday

The biggest risk posed to people living near the volcano is volcanic fumes, authorities said, which could cause trouble breathing or choking.

Fears that poisonous gas from the eruption would impact the Reykjanes peninsula overnight fortunately did not come to pass.

Pollution levels have gone up in parts of the peninsula however, raising concerns among experts.

People are being asked to stay away from the area as smoke and ash continues to emanate from the eruption.

The Icelandic Met Office estimates that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second escaped the volcano in the first two hours of the eruption began on Monday, though this has reduced significantly since.

The lava is about 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,200 degrees Fahrenheit).

The volcano last erupted in March 2021, but before that had been dormant for 6,000 years.
A federal judge has allowed the Arlington National Cemetery to remove a century-old Confederate memorial just a day after blocking it over concerns that gravesites were disturbed.

US District Judge Rossie Alston issued a temporary injunction Monday after receiving an urgent phone call from the memorial's supporters saying that gravesites were being desecrated as contractors began work to remove it.

But he toured the site and saw it being treated respectfully and allowed for the Confederate memorial to be removed on Tuesday.

'I saw no desecration of any graves,' Judge Alston said at the hearing on Tuesday. 'The grass wasn't even disturbed.'

He released an 18-page opinion to lift the injuction and said allegations that the removal efforts amounted to grave desecration 'were, at best, ill-informed and, at worst, inaccurate.'

A federal judge has allowed the Arlington National Cemetery to remove a century-old Confederate memorial just a day after blocking it over concerns that gravesites were disturbed

US District Judge Rossie Alston issued a temporary injunction Monday after receiving an urgent phone call from the memorial's supporters saying that gravesites were being desecrated as contractors began work to remove it

But he toured the site and saw it being treated respectfully and allowed for the Confederate memorial to be removed on Tuesday

Officials began removing the structure on Wednesday morning in front of a handful of onlookers, and a crane was used to lift the top of the Confederate memorial.

Cemetery officials sought to have the injunction lifted quickly. They said they are required by law to complete the removal by the end of the year and that the contractors doing the work have only limited availability over the next week or so.

They issued a statement on Tuesday to say it 'will resume the deliberate process of removing the Confederate Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery immediately.'

'While the work is performed, surrounding graves, headstones and the landscape will be carefully protected.'

Erected in 1914, the Confederate Memorial is the latest of scores of statues seen by many as monuments to racism.

They have been singled out for demolition by state and local leaders around the US since a nationwide public uproar stirred in 2020 by the killing of George Floyd.

Congress formally mandated elimination of all names, symbols and statues commemorating the Confederacy throughout the US military in 2021, creating a commission to oversee the endeavor.

An independent commission recommended removal of the memorial in Arlington last year in conjunction with a review of Army bases with Confederate names.

The statue, designed to represent the American South and unveiled in 1914, features a bronze woman, crowned with olive leaves, standing on a 32-foot pedestal.

The woman holds a laurel wreath, plow stock and pruning hook, and a biblical inscription at her feet says: 'They have beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning hooks.'

Some of the figures also on the statue include a Black woman depicted as 'Mammy' holding what is said to be the child of a white officer, and an enslaved man following his owner to war.

Officials began removing the structure on Wednesday morning in front of a handful of onlookers and a crane was used to lift the top of the Confederate memorial

The statue, designed to represent the American South and unveiled in 1914, features a bronze woman, crowned with olive leaves, standing on a 32-foot pedestal

An independent commission recommended removal of the memorial in Arlington last year in conjunction with a review of Army bases with Confederate names

Defend Arlington, in conjunction with a group called Save Southern Heritage Florida, has filed multiple lawsuits trying to keep the memorial in place.

The group contends that the memorial was built to promote reconciliation between the North and South and that removing the memorial erodes that reconciliation.

The hearing on Tuesday focused largely on legal issues, but Alston questioned the heritage group's lawyers about the notion that the memorial promotes reconciliation.

He noted that the statue depicts, among other things, a 'slave running after his "massa" as he walks down the road. What is reconciling about that?' asked Alston, an African American who was appointed to the bench in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump.

Alston also chided the heritage group for filing its lawsuit Sunday in Virginia while failing to note that it lost a very similar lawsuit over the statue just one week earlier in federal court in Washington.

The heritage groups' lawyers contended that the legal issues were sufficiently distinct that it wasn't absolutely necessary for Alston to know about their legal defeat in the District of Columbia.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who disagrees with the decision to remove the memorial, made arrangements for it to be moved to land owned by the Virginia Military Institute at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shenandoah Valley.
The FBI said the swatting spree across the US is being organized by a group outside of the country

The nationwide swatting spree that targeted nearly 200 Jewish institutions over the weekend is said to have been part of a coordinated effort from a group based outside of the US, according to the FBI.

In a confidential memo to partner law enforcement agencies, Assistant FBI Director Cathy Milhoan said: 'At this time, based on similar language and specific email tradecraft used, it appears the perpetrators of these threats are connected. Additionally, these threats appear to be originating from outside of the United States.'

Between Friday and Saturday, 199 swatting incidents and false bomb threats were tracked by the Secure Community Network, a non-profit that informs US Jewish institutions of security and safety.

Swatting is when people make prank calls to fool emergency services of false incidents.

Since the October 7 Hamas attack and the ensuing war, these incidents have drastically risen.

The Shir Ami synagogue in Pennsylvania evacuated their Hebrew school on Thursday after a bomb threat. Police and K-9 dogs did not find any evidence of a bomb

On Saturday morning Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, Colorado was also forced to evacuate due to a bomb threat. The community went on to hold their Shabbat celebration at a private location

On Monday, the non-profit organization reported that there were 93 swatting incidents in California, 62 in Arizona, 15 in Connecticut, five in Colorado and four in Washington the past 24 hours.

Pennsylvania and Mississippi also received false threats this past weekend, while Alabama had six reported on Saturday alone.

The SCN said that compared to this time last year, they have logged more than 449 swatting incidents. These occurrences have happened 541 percent more than they did in 2022.

'We continue to work in coordination with law enforcement and Jewish security partners to respond to incidents & ensure Jewish communities across North America have the tools and guidance to respond appropriately,' SCN said in a post on X.

On Thursday, the Congregation Shir Ami located in Newton, Pennsylvania, was forced to evacuate its Hebrew school after they received bomb threats.

The synagogue's executive director received the threat via email as it requested ransom money be dropped off at a location approximately two hours away.

'We evacuated our building, our preschool, and pretty much put our emergency plan into place,' Rabbi Charles Briskin told USA TODAY.

Once police inspected the building with explosive detective dogs for about two hours, the evacuation was lifted.

On Saturday, and additional six Jewish institutions were targeted by swatting incidents in Alabama. The Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem synagogue (pictured) was one of the two that were targeted in Montgomery

Sunday morning programs were canceled at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi after they too received a bomb threat via email

Briskin said that this was the first time that their institution ever experienced a threat.

'There seems to be a particular ramp up in the activity over the last several days,' the Rabbi said.

He also mentioned that when he received the email, two other colleagues that he was with, from other places, got the same message sent to them.

On Saturday morning, Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, Colorado was also forced to evacuate.

A Torah study class had to vacate after police alerted the synagogue that multiple bomb threats circulated across the state.

Because the emergency occurred during Shabbat, a day for rest and gratitude in Judaism, Rabbi Fred Greene said that the congregation went on to meet at a private location while their synagogue remained closed.

Greene told USA Today that he appreciated how much the community came together in a time of terror.

'Even if they're concerned, even if they're worried, they want to come together and they don't want to hide that they are Jews,' he said.

The Boulder Police Department said that the FBI would investigate the situation and Rabi Greene said that they have since hired a security guard for the weekend services and school times.

On Saturday, and additional six Jewish institutions were targeted by swatting incidents in Alabama.

Sites in Auburn, Selma, Dothan, and two in Montgomery, all braced for an emergency after they received bomb threats.

Rabbi Scott Kramer from the Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem synagogue told WRBL that he was sent an email that said that 'there was a bomb that no one would be able to find and hoped that we would all die.'

Police and K-9 services were immediately dispatched and swept the site, but came up with nothing.

'I hope that they first of all get caught. I hope they are prosecuted. Or I hope that we can get past this uncertainty in our country right now, but unfortunately, I think it's going to get worse,' Kramer said.

Since the October 7 Hamas attack and the ensuing war, swatting incidents have drastically risen. The Secure Community Network reported that these occurrences have happened 541 percent more than they did in 2022

This morning during Shabbat religious services  the Jewish day of rest  we had to evacuate my synagogue in Montgomery, AL due to a bomb threat. This is exhausting. I pray for the day that we can worship and live in peace. pic.twitter.com/qjzvvzmqYe  Phillip Ensler (@EnslerPhillip) December 16, 2023

State Rep. Phillip Ensler who is also the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama posted a video of his synagogue as it started to be evacuated on Saturday morning.

'This is exhausting. I pray for the day that we can worship and live in peace,' Ensler said in the post on X.

Sunday morning programs were canceled at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi.

Local and federal authorities cleared the synagogue after they too received a bomb threat in an email.

'Sadly, today's threat is not unlike those we've seen in other parts of the state just this week, and across the entire country,' a statement from Beth Israel said.
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the Israel Defence Forces will 'not stop fighting until Hamas is eliminated', ruling out the prospect of any immediate ceasefire in war-torn Gaza.

The Israel Prime Minister was speaking after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh had travelled to Cairo today for talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to discuss a possible truce in the besieged enclave.

Tel Aviv is under increasing pressure for a deal to free more hostages after three Israelis were killed by the IDF after being mistaken for terrorists despite holding up white flags with 'SOS' written on.

The UN Security Council was also set to vote later today on a resolution calling for a pause in the war, diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.

'We won't stop fighting until we've achieved all the objectives we've set ourselves: the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza,' Netanyahu said in a statement.

Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) has vowed that the Israel Defence Forces will 'not stop fighting until Hamas is eliminated'

A fireball erupts after Israeli strike over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 20 as the conflict shows no signs of stopping

People carry the shrouded body of a person killed during Israeli bombardment at the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 20

Netanyahu also said Israeli forces were attacking Hamas terrorists 'everywhere' in Gaza.

'Anyone who thinks we will stop is not connected to reality ... We are attacking Hamas with fire - an inferno,' he said.

'We also attacking their accomplices near and far.'

The visit to Cairo by its top leader came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel.

It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and driven some 1.9 million, nearly 85 per cent of the population, from their homes.

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organisation, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its October 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war.

But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US.

Israeli soldiers fire mortars from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip on December 20

An Israeli soldier writes on a mortar in a position near the Israel-Gaza border on Wednesday

The goal is to achieve another ceasefire and free more of the hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Mobile phone and internet service was down across Gaza again on Wednesday, which could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after October 7.

The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.

Israel's foreign minister travelled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain.

Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

Smoke rising from Israeli air strikes on the city of Khan Yunis on December 20, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on December 20

A woman and children react, as Palestinians gather the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict

Egypt and Qatar helped mediate a week-long ceasefire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Hamas said that Haniyeh, who is believed to be based in Qatar but whose movements are rarely publicised, would discuss the war with Egyptian officials, without providing more details.

Ziad Nakhaleh, the leader of the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which took part in the October 7 attack and is also holding hostages, said he would also be going to Egypt in the coming days to participate in the talks.

Egypt, which borders Gaza, is deeply concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees, fearing Israel will not allow them to return.

Meanwhile at least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early on Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior health ministry official.

In southern Gaza, several women and children were among those taken to Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis after strikes overnight and into Wednesday.

Destroyed houses are seen in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas on October 7

A boy could be seen sobbing next to his wounded mother, who was laid out on a stretcher, before being lifted up and placed on her chest.

At least five people were killed and dozens injured in another strike that hit three residential homes and a mosque in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Wednesday, health officials said.

With the death toll steadily rising, Israel has come under growing pressure to halt or scale back its offensive.

But Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead until Hamas' military and governing capabilities are destroyed and until all hostages are freed.

'We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

'Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality', he added, saying every member of Hamas is 'marked for death'.

His defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Tuesday that in southern Gaza, where the military launched a ground incursion focused on Khan Younis in early December, that operations will take months.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack.

Israel's military says 134 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive.

Israel says it has killed some 7,000 terrorists, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.
A young man who survived the western Mexico holiday party massacre at a 17th century hacienda, where 11 people were killed and 14 others were wounded, recalled spotting the gunmen holding rifles before one of them allegedly told his accomplices to shoot the attendees.

The witness, whose identity is being withheld to ensure his safety, told Mexican news outlet Milenio that he was talking with a friend while a band, Dinastia Cornejo, was playing a set when several armed men walked inside through the side entrance of the hacienda located in the Guanajuato municipality of Salvatierra on Sunday.

He said the organizers of the posada, a traditional Mexican party that celebrates the Christmas season, approached the gunmen and asked them to leave before they fired their AK-47s at about 50 party guests.

'The people entered with long weapons, they entered and as I say, you are at a party and all the people are having a great time,' he said.

'When the armed people entered, the guys here came closer to see what was going on and when they saw that they were bringing weapon  they felt attacked and that's when all the chaos began.'

A young woman was recorded trying to smash a pinata at a holiday party in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato on Sunday before 11 guests were shot dead and 14 others were wounded by gunmen, who accompanied a group of people who had been denied entrance, according to authorities

At least 50 friends and family members partied Saturday into Sunday morning at an 17th century hacienda in the central Mexico city of Salvatierra before a group of gunmen executed 11 people and wounded 14 others

The man remembered seeking cover in an area of the old property, where its living room once stood, to seek cover from the hail of bullets that were fired by the assailants, who were sporting green bulletproof vests.

'I just heard the bullets from one side and (I was) running, there is like a room or you can say like rooms that are collapsed or dark and there is grass, dirt, stones,' he said. 'We looked for an exit and there was none, we stayed like that, lying in the ground and gunshots continued to be heard and they said, 'search carefully and kill them all, f*** it.'

He told El Universal newspaper that he and other survivors called 911 but the first ambulance did not arrive until 90 minutes following the first call.

'When the guys (gunmen) left, I got close and there was already a pile of people. Some were already dead and others were screaming for help,' he said.

Eleven people were killed and 14 others were wounded after leaving a Christmas part in the central Mexico state of Guanajuato on Sunday

Thalia Cornejo was among the 11 people who were murdered by gunmen at a holiday party that was held at a 17th century at an old hacienda in Salvatierra, a municipality in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. Cornejo won a local beauty pageant in 2017

A video posted on social media showed a woman being cheered on by guests as she attempted to break a pinata.

Guanajuato state prosecutor Navigio Gallardo attributed the shooting to an incident in which a group of people were denied entry to the party.

They later returned with the gunmen, who murdered two women and nine men.

The victims were identified as Thalia Cornejo, 25; Marco Lopez, 22; Alberto Ramirez, 25; Emiliano Vargas, 23; Galileo Almanza, 25; Jorge Hernandez, 26; Juan Garcia, 36; Irving Ruiz, 29; Antonio Sanchez, 27; and Macarena Becerril, 25.

The youngest victim, Hector Almaraz, was just 16.

Masses and burial services were held Tuesday for all of the victims except for Becerril and Almaraz, who were scheduled to be laid to rest Wednesday.

Hector Almaraz, 16, was the youngest of the 11 party attendees who were shot dead

Friends and family of David Hernandez carry his coffin during a funeral procession in Salvatierra on Tuesday

Gallardo said that shells from seven different guns were found at the scene. He said investigators are focusing on a group that operates in the area without providing more detail.

Guanajuato has been the scene of bloody turf battles between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and local gangs backed by the Sinaloa Cartel.

The state has long had the highest number of homicides in Mexico.

At least 3,029 homicides were reported between January 1 and December 16, according to crime stats provided by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.

The state registered 4,329 murders in 2022 and 4,333 homicides in 2021 after a record 5,370 people were killed in 2021.
A woman who duped another female into a two-year sexual relationship by pretending to be a man was jailed today for more than ten years.

Blade Silvano, 41, made a fake dating profile on Plenty of Fish in 2016 and carried out a 'careful deception' to convince her victim she was a man.

She concealed her lower body with a large T-shirt, had sex using a strap-on sex device, and sent pictures of herself appearing to wet shave. The couple were only intimate in the dark.

Silvano  who used a fake surname and claimed to be an Army officer - and her unsuspecting victim only met in a person a few times but messaged and 'sexted' each other every day for nearly two years. They had even started planning a wedding.

The victim, who lives in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, but can't be identified for legal reasons, only discovered her lover's true sex by chance on Facebook.

Blade Silvano, 41, has been jailed after duping another female into a two-year sexual relationship by pretending to be a man

Jailing Silvano for ten years and six months yesterday, Judge Philip Grey said: 'You managed your appearance carefully to look like a man.

'You deliberately set out to deceive her (and) did so in the most reprehensible way.

'She was convinced she was having sex with a man. You achieved this with a series of careful deceptions. Her consent is null and void.'

The defendant, of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, was found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration following a trial that ended in May.

During the hearing at Cambridge Crown Court, the jury heard how the couple first met up in December 2016 and kissed before going on to have 'intercourse'.

Giving evidence, the victim, who referred to Silvano as a 'he' throughout her evidence, said she thought she was having sex with a man called Blade Mendez - and had never consented to intimacy with a female.

Silvano's victim said afterwards she was 'happy' with the sentence but added she thought it was 'doubtful' she had learned her lesson.

She added: 'When we had sex, Blade would usually blindfold me and I was never allowed to look at the penetration occurring

'He was using sex toys on me; it was not allowed the other way round. He told me he was a man and it was on that basis I agreed to have sex with him.'

Silvano, seen posing as a man, has been sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment and placed her on the sex offenders' register indefinitely at Cambridge Crown Court

Silvano denied ever meeting the woman and said they had an 'online relationship' only that was all about 'roleplay' and 'fantasy'.

She said the thousands of messages between them were all part of the fantasy, as was the planned wedding, which had seen a registrar booked and Silvano going wedding dress shopping with her sister.

Giving evidence, Silvano claimed she was 'open' about her gender from the beginning and, although medically a 'woman' on her birth certificate, didn't define herself this way.

She told the jury she was 'pansexual' would often use the title 'Doctor' which she claimed she was entitled to do after completing an online PHD in ancient Greek history.

But her claim to have done a '200-word dissertation' on the subject was ridiculed in court.

Investigations by the Mail revealed the tall tales began years earlier, when Silvano was running a cafe in a former Victorian town hall in Welshpool, Powys, where fellow traders knew her as a man.

An article in the Market Times described how 'he' claimed to have been an orthopaedic surgeon for the RAF, 'a career curtailed by the combination of a road accident in which he lost a foot after a joy rider collided with his motorbike, and a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis'.

Silvano denied ever meeting the woman and said they had an 'online relationship' only that was all about 'roleplay' and 'fantasy'

Referring to her using male pronouns, a former colleague said previously: 'He has betrayed our trust and friendship. The lies are hurtful and distressing because we treated him as a friend.'

Silvano also said she had achieved a national diploma in applied science and a BTEC in animal behaviour at Liverpool University. Neither institution has a record of a student by any of the names she went by.

The Royal Military Police also looked into her for the prosecution and told the trial she had not served in the forces.

Silvano was also accused of inventing a cancer battle. During the trial she said she had been tested for the disease but accepted she had never been diagnosed with it.

She claimed the breakdown in contact came when the victim discovered she was already in another serious relationship through Facebook in 2018 and wanted to report her to the police as an act of 'revenge.'

Judge Grey added the case was not one of gender dysphoria but of using 'deceit and lies' to achieve sexual gratification.

Describing Silvano's actions as 'calculated', he said: 'You continued to string her along and that was unspeakably cruel. Your lying was constant.'

Detective Constable Leeza Phillips, who led the police investigation, said it was 'unlike any case' she'd seen before.

She added: Silvano carried out the ultimate deception and has caused extreme distress to her victim.

'Without the full facts, the victim was not able to give her consent to a sexual relationship and this whole situation has left her feeling violated and traumatised.

'I hope the victim and her family can now find some closure from this traumatic period.'

Silvano was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Hundreds of immigrants are walking across US-Mexico border in Arizona with only a handful of officers available to process them.

A new influx of asylum-seekers across southern US states has overwhelmed border agents who have no resources to patrol and catch those who run away.

Most of the migrants cross the border and immediately surrender to officers so they can claim asylum, and are allowed to stay in the US while they are processed.

Photos and videos from Lukeville, Arizona, filmed by Bill Melugin and NewsNation Border Correspondent Ali Bradley, show hundreds of new arrivals wearing backpacks with their meager possessions walking along the wall.

They calmly stroll to a processing camp and wait in single file for agents to assess them and give them paperwork to stay temporarily.

Hundreds of illegal immigrants here in Lukeville, AZ now marching towards an outdoor processing area set up by Border Patrol. 500+ came through a breach in the border wall hours ago. There are only a handful of agents here to handle this huge group as BP remains stretched thin. pic.twitter.com/XNPPZVyxdX  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 20, 2023

Immigrants line up to be processed after crossing the US-Mexico border at Lukeville, Arizona

Photos and videos from Lukeville, Arizona, show hundreds of new arrivals wearing backpacks with their meager possessions walking along the wall

Genuine asylum-seekers are able to claim protection in the US, but the legality of crossing the border ad-hoc outside a designated point of entry is murky.

Most of the migrants were from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America, but others were from as far as Afghanistan and India.

One of a group of Indian immigrants told reporters he entered the US to escape 'life danger', but others said they were just coming for work.

Many will be released immediately or moved to towns like nearby Tucson, but southern states have also loaded tens of thousands on to buses and sent them to sanctuary cities in northern states like Chicago and New York.

There were 130,000 attempts to cross the US-Mexico border in the first 17 days of November and there have been at least 167,000 so far in December.

Another hotspot, Eagle Pass in Texas, had 14,000 migrants rush the crossing on Tuesday near a town that is home to just 30,000 Texans.

Asylum-seekers stand along the border wall near Lukeville waiting to surrender to border agents

Authorities are stretched so thin that many will be waiting for hours so they sit on the ground

Border Patrol agents herd hundreds of migrants into lines at a processing center

A long line snakes across the gravel at the Lukeville processing center after hundreds of migrants crossed the border

Publicly available Department of Homeland Security figures show border agents dealt with some 188,778 crossings in October - a 14 percent decrease from September. DHS declined to comment on the figures.

Eagle Pass only has 58 uniformed police officers and many of them are also helping Border Patrol handle the masses.

Border Patrol agents normally posted at roadside checkpoints leading into the US have also been redirected to help in Eagle Pass.

Law enforcement officials fear drug cartels will take advantage of the situation to smuggle both people and drugs across the border in the chaos.

'It's an absolute collapse of the border,' said Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland who is a retired border agent, the top law man in neighboring Terrell County.

'You increase the amount of gotaways, you increase the opportunity for cartels to bring drugs in successfully.

'It's a wide open border. Come as you please.'

Throngs of new arrivals wait their turn to be processed by border patrol after surrendering

Aerial view showing migrants queuing at the border fence in an attempt to cross into the US, in Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico

Migrants queue at the border fence to try to cross into the US, in Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico

Cleveland added it was no coincidence that Eagle Pass and Lukeville both had record surges at the same time.

'They will occupy us with a distraction in one area of the border just to get forces drawn in that direction, and then they can get through people or drugs somewhere else,' he said.

'Cartels are shaping it the way they want for their advantage.'

The federal government responded to the surge at the border by shutting down ports of entry entirely, causing havoc for international trade.

US Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, announced it was shutting down railways into the US in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, to deal with the influx of migrants.

Vehicular and pedestrian crossings at ports in San Ysidro, California, and Lukeville, Arizona, were also closed in the past few weeks.

In Eagle Pass, the migrant emergency is disrupting life for people who commute to and from Mexico every day - turning commutes between the two countries that used to take under 10 minutes into 11-hour waits due to international bridge closures.

Thousands of migrants wrapped in silver thermal blankets, many hoping to seek asylum in the US, are gathered under a bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, waiting for their chance to surrender to the US Border Patrol

Map of US Border Patrol checkpoints along the southern border, according to the Government Accountability Office

'There's people who work on both sides of the border, and right now everything is at a standstill,' Pepe Aranda, who lives in Eagle Pass told DailyMail.com.

'It's terrible, especially during the Christmas holidays.'

About 60 percent of Eagle Pass' revenue comes from tolls collected from international bridge crossings.

Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), sent a letter to Mayorkas Monday saying closing the railways in Eagle Pass and El Paso would cost agriculture producers 'millions' a day.

'The ongoing border crisis is no longer simply a national security and humanitarian crisis  it is an economic crisis. It is past time to enact policies that curb the record levels of migration at our southern border,' she wrote.

Texas Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar slammed the Biden administration, saying 'our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border'.
Staff at the University of Pennsylvania have expressed concern about a 'hostile takeover' by trustees and donors after billionaire alum Mar Rowan asked the school's board to consider its policies.

More than 900 members of the Ivy League's faculty have accused alumni and donors of meddling with the school's academic policies in an open letter to the University Board of Trustees.

The letter by the Faculty Senate comes after Wharton Board of Advisors Chair Rowan sent an email where he described a campus 'culture' that 'distracted from UPenns core mission of scholarship, research, and academic excellence.'

In his email titled 'Moving Forward,' Rowan asked trustees to consider whether the school should eliminate certain unnamed departments and examine 'the general policies for the admission of membership into the Faculty,' as reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Rowan was one of the alumni who called on president Liz Magill to resign after she failed to say calls for a genocide of Jews violated UPenn's policies. He also led a campaign to end donations to the school over its response to anti-Semitism on campus.

Staff at the University of Pennsylvania have expressed concern about a 'hostile takeover' by trustees after billionaire alum Mar Rowan asked the school's board to consider its policies

More than 900 members of the Ivy League's faculty have accused alumni and donors of meddling with the school's academic policies

The chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management Inc., and one of the biggest benefactors at UPenn, asked donors to 'close the checkbooks' over the college's failure to condemn Hamas' terror attack on Israel.

In their letter, the faculty members said they opposed 'attempts by trustees, donors, and other external actors to interfere with our academic policies and to undermine academic freedom.'

It comes after the UPenn chapter of the American Association of University Professors issued their own statement on December 12 warning about a 'hostile takeover of the core academic functions of the University of Pennsylvania' by those with 'no academic expertise.'

The statement said: 'Today, unelected trustees with no academic expertise are evidently attempting a hostile takeover of the core academic functions of the University of Pennsylvania  functions related to curriculum, research, and the hiring and evaluation of faculty.

'The questions being considered by the trustees represent an assault on the principle of academic freedom, which was first articulated a century ago to safeguard the educational mission of universities.'

Rowan was one of the alumni who called on president Liz Magill to resign after she failed to say calls for a genocide of Jews violated UPenn's policies

'Any attempts on the part of Penns trustees to close academic departments, constrain hiring, discipline faculty members for political reasons and without due process, censor facultys intramural or extramural speech, or impose new McCarthyite speech codes on faculty and students would constitute the most flagrant violations imaginable of the core principles of academic freedom and faculty governance.'

Magill was forced to resign earlier this month amid pressure from donors and criticism over her congressional testimony.

The chairman of the Ivy League schools board of trustees, Scott Bok, also resigned just hours after he announced Magills departure as president in just her second year.

Criticism of Magill rained down from the White House, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, members of Congress and donors.

One donor, Ross Stevens, threatened to withdraw a $100 million gift because of the universitys 'stance on antisemitism on campus' unless Magill was replaced.

A day later, Magill addressed the criticism, saying in a video that she would consider a call for the genocide of Jewish people to be harassment or intimidation and that Penns policies need to be 'clarified and evaluated.'

It did not quell criticism.

Even before her testimony Magill had been under fire from some donors and alumni this fall. Some also had called for the resignation of Bok, who had defended Magill amid criticism over the universitys handling of various perceived acts of antisemitism.

That included allowing a Palestinian literary arts festival to be held on its campus in September featuring speakers whose past statements about Israel had drawn accusations of antisemitism.
The shoplifter who as arrested in front of policing minister Chris Philp as he talked to store staff about the issue pleaded guilty this morning  and walked free from court.

Asher Gayle was arrested after police who were patrolling the Northampton shopping centre to coincide with Mr Philp's visit overheard a security guard reporting concerns the thief appeared to be 'bagging up' items in a branch of Next.

But just hours after Mr Philp had told the Daily Mail he wanted to see a 'zero tolerance' approach against shoplifting, magistrates imposed an eight-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, despite hearing how the theft was part of a week-long shoplifting spree committed by Gayle.

A court heard that when the 44-year-old Gayle was arrested on Tuesday afternoon he was carrying aftershave, socks and underwear from Next worth a combined 129 in two Primark plastic bags  with no receipt.

Prosecutor Julie Costello said that police then spoke to staff at the Superdry store opposite Next in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, who informed them that it had also fallen victim to recent shoplifting raids.

Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire Chris Philip MP watches as Asher Gayle is arrested by police at the Grosvenor Shopping centre in Northampton

Asher Gayle (pictured) outside Northampton Magistrates' Court following his sentencing

On a visit to Northampton, Chris Philp met officers working on the local constabulary's annual Operation Lapland campaign

Mr Philp said the incident highlighted the value of regular police patrols in shoplifting hotspots

Gayle was remanded in custody overnight and appeared before magistrates in the town today, pleading guilty to four counts of shoplifting since December 13, including two thefts on the same say.

The court heard he stole six items of mens' clothing from Superdry on December 13, worth a combined 179.94, and another 59.84 worth of mens clothes taken from the same store the following day.

Also on Thursday last week, Gayle took ten items without paying from a branch of Home Bargains in the town, worth 52.92, Mrs Costello said.

During his visit to the county town on Tuesday, Mr Philp met officers working on the local constabulary's annual Operation Lapland campaign, which tackles crimes such as shoplifting, theft, burglary and vehicle crime which tend to rise at this time of year.

The minister was accompanied by three neighbourhood officers, as well as the scandal-hit county's police and fire commissioner, Stephen Mold.

But as the group walked around the indoor mall, one of two pairs of response officers who were also seen on patrol in the mall pounced on Gayle after he walked out of Next.

But as the minister walked around the Grosvenor Shopping Centre with the officers, one of two pairs of additional officers seen patrolling the mall pounced on an alleged shoplifter

But Mr Ford later told the Mail that the visit was the first time he had seen police in the shopping centre 'in months'

The court heard the officers were 'assisting with an event within the town centre in relation to retail crime carried out in Northampton as well as nationally.'

Colin Ford - a store manager at Boots who was one of the shop workers who spoke to Mr Philp about the scourge of shoplifting during the visit  later told the Mail the visit was the first time he had seen police in the shopping centre 'in months'.

Speaking at the mall on Tuesday, Mr Philp said the shoplifting incident highlighted the value of regular police patrols in shoplifting hotspots - something the Government has committed 60m of funding towards from next April - as he endorsed the Mail on Sunday's campaign for stiffer action to be taken against shoplifting.

But a Home Office spokesman said the minister would not be commenting on Gayle's punishment when contacted today.

The Mail On Sunday campaign demands tougher penalties for shoplifters  and abuse or violence towards shop staff made a specific offence.

Mr Philp, the MP for Croydon South, said the Government's new Retail Crime Action Plan (RCAP) wanted to go beyond simply seeing more shoplifters face charges. He told the Mail: 'I want to go a lot further than that...You're right in your campaign. I want to have a zero tolerance approach to shoplifting.'

The British Retail Consortium estimates shoplifting costs the British High Street nearly 1 billion per year, but police have been accused of decriminalising shoplifting after legislation introduced in 2014 allowed officers to close low level cases with a fine rather than investigate them.

Mr Philip posing with a police officer outside the shopping centre in Northampton

Northampton police talking to Mr Philip about crime in the area

Mr Philip talking to locals in the Grosvenor Shopping centre in Northampton

The new RCAP, which was commissioned by Mr Philp, includes a commitment that police forces will attend incidents where the offender is detained, or where violence has been inflicted on a shop worker.

READ MORE - Northampton police officers take down suspected shoplifter - right in front of Policing minister who was on a visit to shopping centre Advertisement

Ritesh Veja, defending Gayle yesterday, said his client had a decades-long drug dependency until three years ago, when he 'managed to come off drugs altogether' by himself  and had not been convicted of an offence in that time.

But the court heard Gayle, of no fixed abode, turned to Class A drugs again after becoming homeless two months ago, and also suffered with anxiety and depression.

He was handed the suspended sentence which also included a six month drug rehabilitation requirement; comprising structured treatment and regular drug testing.

He was also ordered to pay 292.70 in compensation, a mandatory victim surcharge of 154 and costs of 85.

Asked if he wished to comment outside court, Gayle, who covered his face with a newspaper, replied: 'F*** off'.

Mr Mold attracted controversy earlier this year over the appointment of a woman to lead the county's fire service, even though she had zero experience. Five separate sources told the Mail on Sunday that Nicci Marzec, 51, was the commissioner's lover, but Mr Mold insisted she was just a 'really good friend'.

Ms Marzec stood down after ten days after the widespread criticism of her appointment.

But the Mail on Sunday then revealed she had landed a top job at a taxpayer-funded firm where Mr Mold is chairman.

A spokesman for Mr Mold said previously: 'Ms Marzec and Stephen Mold are not and have never been in a relationship.

In July of this year, Mr Mold said: 'My friendship with Ms Marzec is well known and openly declared. I am not now, nor have ever been, in a romantic relationship with her.'
A former New York Police Department officer who carried around a tambourine and shouted 'I am a f*****g animal' at the January 6 Capitol riot was sentenced to 22 months in prison for her role.

Sara Carpenter, 54, of Richmond Hill, New York, was sentenced to 22 months in prison and 24 months of supervised released after a federal jury found her guilty in March of felony charges, civil disorder, and obstruction of an official proceeding.

She was also convicted of misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Carpenter - who retired from the NYPD in 2004 and worked as a spokeswoman in the deputy commissioner for public informations office in the 1990s, according to the New York Daily News - was filmed parading around the Capitol building waving a tambourine and shouting vulgarities.

She shouted, 'This is my house!' as police officers tried to push Carpenter and the mob out of the building.

Former New York Police Department Officer Sara Carpenter (pictured), 54, was sentenced to 22 months in prison and 24 months of supervised released for her role in the Capitol riot

Carpenter was filmed shaking a tambourine and shouting at police officers, 'I am a f*****g animal'

Carpenter said, 'Don't tell me! I was in 9/11, I saw bodies! I'm a f*****g animal!'

'I am a f*****g animal! I am a f*****g animal! Do you hear me? Do you hear me in the back?'

Court documents said, '[Carpenter] was intent on entering the Capitol and stopping the certification.'

Leading up to the Capitol riot, Carpenter texted a 'count-down clock' for the certification to a friend and had joked about her funeral if she did not 'come back.'

On January 6, 2021, Carpenter drove from her house New York to Washington, D.C. to attend a Trump rally.

After the speech, she made her way to the Capitol building and entered through the Upper West Terrace emergency exit doors while shaking her tambourine and ignoring police officers and and barriers.

'Undeterred by the violence she had already seen rioters use against police, or the police presence below her, Carpenter marched down the back of the bleachers, onto the Upper West Terrace, physically moved a metal barrier, and continued toward the Capitol,' said court documents.

Court document evidence showed Carpenter physically moved a metal barrier to enter the Capitol building

After attending Donald Trump's speech, she made her way to the Capitol building and entered through the Upper West Terrace emergency exit doors while shaking her tambourine

Once inside, Carpenter joined a group of rioters and made her way to the front to antagonize officers trying to push them back.

According to court documents, 'Because of her aggressive behavior, officers had to physically push Carpenter back numerous times as she challenged their defensive line. At one point Carpenter slapped away the arm of an officer, who was trying to push her back, with her tambourine.'

Carpenter was inside the Capitol for over thirty minutes before she was pushed out through the Rotunda Doors by police.

Prosecutors said she has not expressed any remorse for her actions and even created a fundraising page to profit off her actions.

The defense argued the she has mental health struggles and the trauma she suffered from working as a first responder on the September 11, 2001 terror attacks left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Carpenter was arrested by the FBI on March 23, 2021 after they received an anonymous tip on January 7, 2021 which also provided the agency with Carpenter's address.

During an interview on January 18 with the FBI, Carpenter said she arrived in Washington DC on January 6 around 9 a.m. and went to the Donald Trump rally.

Once inside, Carpenter joined a group of rioters and made her way to the front to antagonize officers trying to push them back

At one point, prosecutors said Carpenter slapped a police officer with her tambourine. After over thirty minutes inside, Carpenter was pushed out of the building

She said that around 1 p.m. she joined a large group of people walking toward the Capitol and entered the Rotunda where she claims to have seen others walking out with items.

As part of her co-operation with investigators, Carpenter sent the FBI a text message containing the video she took inside the Capitol.

She also handed over the tambourine she said she had been shaking throughout the riot.

Following a search of Carpenter's home, agents discovered a green coat, black boots and grey backpack, similar to those worn by the woman captured captured in security footage.

According to the Justice Department, in the 35 months since the Capitol riot more than 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
A farmer's wife who died in a suspected murder-suicide alongside her estranged husband had been having an affair, it was claimed today.

Richard Harrison is believed to have shot wife Rachel, 54, at their isolated farm before turning the weapon on himself.

Today a friend of the 59-year-old sheep and cattle farmer believed Mr Harrison killed his wife  the district commissioner of her local branch of the Pony Club - after she found another lover.

The friend said: 'He and his wife split up not very long ago, but she had been seeing another man. He only recently told me, but I think it had been going on for a while. He suspected, because she was coming home late at night, that kind of thing.

'They weren't living together, but she would come back and cook meals, that kind of thing.

'But it is still a shock. I only saw him last week, and he seemed in a positive, sound frame of mind. He'd lost weight and was looking well. There was no suggestion this was going to happen.'

Rachel Harrison, 54, (pictured) was found dead alongside her husband Richard, 59, at their farm in the village of Saddington, Leicestershire

Richard Harrison (pictured) is believed to have shot wife Rachel, 54, at their isolated farm before turning the weapon on himself, a friend claims

The Harrisons were found dead at their farm in the village of Saddington, Leicestershire on Friday.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed that both died from gunshot wounds.

Detectives from Leicestershire Police said an investigation was ongoing but they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

The couple are thought to have two children together, while Mr Harrison also has children from a previous marriage.

As well as running the cattle farm, the couple delivered eggs locally.

The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, added: 'Richard was very knowledgeable, and very well liked. Everybody sympathised with him, and had time for him.

'It will be a very busy funeral, a big turnout.'

READ MORE: Police probe 'murder-suicide' as man and woman are found dead in Midlands village of Saddington Advertisement

A resident from a nearby property said: 'They were a lovely couple and a really nice family. We have no idea why this would have happened. It is like something from a horror film.

'Rachel would deliver eggs to my house, and we would see Richard riding his horse and moving his sheep up the road. It is a horrendous shock specially so close to Christmas.'

One friend said the couple 'seemed so together'.

'I am finding it all very shocking and hope their family are getting all the support they need,' she said.

Police were called to the village - home to just 300 - just before 11am on Friday 15 December by East Midlands Ambulance Service following a report of a man and a woman found dead.

Detective inspector David Greenhalgh, from the East Midlands special operations unit major crime team, said: 'This is a deeply tragic incident and officers are continuing to support the family during this extremely difficult time.

'We will continue to carry out enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident, but I can confirm we do not believe anyone else was involved in the incident and a file will be prepared for H.M. Coroner.'

Facebook users paid tribute online. Lee Sanderson. said: 'Sad news about Richard Harrison from Saddington...just shows you never know what's going on in someone's head, thoughts are with the family.

Carol O'Neill said the Harrisons delivered their eggs. 'Devastating news. ..what is going on in the world ...cannot believe it.'

Simon Knight added: 'Very sad to hear about this...rest in peace my friend.'
President Joe Biden has said there's 'no question' Donald Trump engaged in an 'insurrection' on January 6 as he sided with the Colorado Supreme Court justices who disqualified him from the 2024 ballot.

In his first public comments since the staggering ruling, Biden said it is now up to the Supreme Court to decide if Trump violated the 14th Amendment and should be barred from holding public office.

The president responded as outraged Republicans across the country vowed to kick him off their ballots as revenge for the unprecedented decision and strategists suggested it would boost Trump's chances in 2024.

The 4-3 decision from Democratic-appointed justices was that Trump engaged in an insurrection on January 6 and disqualified himself from running for public office.

It is the first time in history that the insurrection clause has been used to prevent a presidential candidate from appearing on a state's presidential ballot.

Biden, who beat Trump by 13 points in Colorado in 2020, avoided getting into the legal details of the case when he walked over to the press on his trip to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday.

A recent DailyMail.com poll showed Biden is ahead of Trump by five points in the swing state that will be crucial in crowning the general election winner next November.

President Joe Biden approached reporters and said former President Donald Trump 'supported an insurrection'

'I think its self-evident. You saw it all,' Biden told reporters as he got off Air Force One on a trip to Milwaukee, a key political battleground where he also beat Trump in 2020.

'Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, Ill let the court make that decision,' Biden said.

'But he certainly supported an insurrection. Theres no question about it. None. Zero.' Then, Biden added about his rival, 'He seems to be doubling down on everything.'

Biden decided to weigh in on the issue that lit a political fire in Washington, even as he and his aides sometimes try to steer clear of issues involving the Justice Department and the courts as far as Trump is concerned.

But he wouldn't venture some of the key technicalities of the ruling: whether Trump counts as an 'officer' of the U.S. in a passage that does not specifically name the president, or whether an individual state should be able to take an action that could have sweeping implications for the entire countries election process.

Biden said Trump 'certainly' supported an insurrection

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

The Colorado court, by a majority of four out of seven judges, made the finding of insurrection, a key component of the ballot test. It did so by agreeing with a lower District Court ruling.

WHAT DOES SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT SAY? No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Advertisement

It found the District Court 'did not err' when it determined that January 6 constituted an 'insurrection.'

It did so by citing Trump's January 6 speech, where he told a crowd on the Ellipse to 'fight like hell,' ruling that it was not protected speech under the First Amendment. That cut at yet another Trump argument, that his comments on that day, shortly before a mob stormed the Capitol when Congress was meeting to count the electoral votes, were protected speech.

Trump's remarks, as well as a sprawling scheme involving 'fake electors' and other efforts to overturn the vote, are part of the indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith in federal court in the District of Columbia.

The Supreme Court also must weigh in on that case and determine whether Trump's scheduled March 4 trial date is able to go forward.

Biden's comments were keeping in line with the spot analysis put forward by several prominent Democrats, including former impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who taught constitutional law and is the top Democrat and GOP nemesis on the House Oversight Committee.

'If the [Supreme] Court takes remotely seriously its profession of faith in original intent and textualism, then it will have to affirm' the ruling, said Raskin. 'The original meaning ... is precisely to forbid people who have betrayed their oath by trying to overthrow the constitutional order.'

Republicans are taking the ruling as a call to try to bump Biden from the ballot in their states in retribution.

"Remove Biden from the Florida ballot now!" wrote Anthony Sabatini, a GOP House candidate in Florida and a former state representative there.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called for kicking Biden off his state's battle due to the border crisis, Newsweek reported. 'Seeing what happened in Colorado makes me thinkexcept we believe in democracy in Texasmaybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing eight million people to cross the border since he's been president disrupting our state,' he said in comments to Fox News.
Democrat Austin District Attorney Jose Garza is being criticized for allowing a man who killed two people in his seventh drunk-driving crash to walk out on bond after his charges were reduced.

Roberto Rangel, 52, was initially charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter after he was allegedly involved in a December 18, 2022 drunk-driving crash killed two people, reported Fox 7 Austin.

Rangel was allegedly driving a truck that failed to yield the right of way while exiting the Chick-Fil-A parking lot in the 500 block of E. Ben White Blvd. and crashed into a motorcycle. The motorcyclist Mark Narvaez, 23, and passenger Kate Garcia, 22, were killed.

According to an arrest affidavit, Rangel refused to take the walk-and-turn test and refused to finish the standing on one leg portion of the sobriety test, and even told officers he drank three vodka Red Bull mixed drinks at a bar before the crash.

He was arrested and held on $100,000 bond. Three months later, his charge was reduced to a DWI and bond was reduced to $10,000 - which he was able to post.

Democrat Austin District Attorney Jose Garza (pictured) is being criticized for allowing a man who killed two people in his seventh drunk-driving crash to walk out on bond

Roberto Rangel (pictured), 52, was charged for his seventh drunk-driving incident on December 18, 2022 after a crash that killed two people

Rangel was allegedly driving a truck that failed to yield the right of way while exiting the Chick-Fil-A parking lot in the 500 block of E. Ben White Blvd. (pictured) and crashed into a motorcycle

Prior to his 2022 arrest, Rangel has been charged with a DWI six times in 1989, 1996, 2000,2004, 2005 and 2012. He has been sentenced to 14 years and 60 days for his past convictions.

Kate Garcias mother, Elida Zamora, said: 'Its gone from bad to worse since we started this case.'

'We dont understand why hes out. What kind of example is this to society, to the community?'

It is reported that Rangel's bond conditions continue to be modified, recently his portable alcohol monitor was removed. The parents of the victims are outraged and say not enough has been done to keep him off the streets.

Mark Narvaezs father, Hector Narvaez said: 'I think that a guy like him is basically making a mockery out of our legal system.'

'I would like to see his charges raised again to manslaughter and I would also like for him to go back to, you know, waiting his time while this criminal process takes place to serve it at least in jail and not be out free.'

Rangel's release has sparked backlash of Soros-back District Attorney Garza for being too soft on crime, reported Fox News.

Garza had received $600,000 from billionaire George Soros-back Texas Justice and Safety PAC during his campaign, and vowed to end 'over-prosecution' of minorities and impoverished residents.

Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak said on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'A precise example of how DA Jose Garzas policies are DIRECTLY threatening public safety. Imagine a DA office REDUCING charges for someone arrested for their 6th DUI.'

The motorcyclist Mark Narvaez (pictured), 23, was killed in the crash. His father Hector Narvaez said he wants Rangel's charges raised to manslaughter

Passenger Kate Garcia (pictured), 22, was killed in the crash. Her mother, Elida Zamora, said she does not understand why Rangel was able to be let out of jail

Criminal defense attorney Daniel Betts, who is running against Garza for Travis County DA, said that while the DA's office did object to lowering Rangel's bond, they should have pushed for a stronger charge.

'Yet another example of how every day, in every way, Jose Garza works to make our community less safe. While he pays lip service to victims, he fails to protect the community and uphold the law on a multiple homicide, not even bothering to attempt to indict it as anything other than a simple DWI.'

'Travis County has been sold a bill of goods, and it's time that the voters wake up to reality and show him the door,' said Betts.

An anonymous Austin Police Officer said, 'Very avoidable tragedies too often caused by the prosecution side of the house. For the last three years, we have seen that side falter and fail under Jose and Delia Garzas policies.

'Its time our citizens pay attention, educate themselves and vote for public safety  so they and the visitors of our great city get the public safety they deserve.'
Ministers have been accused of failing holidaymakers this Christmas after it emerged none of Britain's ten busiest airports have fully installed new fast-track security scanners.

Aviation Minister Anthony Browne disclosed that the 'Next Generation Security Checkpoints' - intended to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage - are only in place at one UK airport.

This is believed to be London City Airport, the country's 15th busiest - but there are doubts as to whether the country's largest transport hubs can complete the work by next year's June deadline.

Last night Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, could not confirm whether they would be able to meet the deadline.

Aviation Minister Anthony Browne disclosed that the 'Next Generation Security Checkpoints' - intended to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage - are only in place at one UK airport

Both Manchester, the third busiest, and Stansted, the fourth, said the full installation will only be complete by 2025.

The slow progress leaves passengers facing endless queues at security during the busy festive period and beyond.

Earlier this month Mr Browne admitted to MPs that the deadline had been 'delayed several times' and said he was urgently meeting industry figures to discuss the installation of the scanners.

Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said: 'For families heading overseas this Christmas, it will be hugely frustrating that we have reached another holiday with no progress, and that they still have to put up with the same old restrictions and hassle when going through security.

'Before the summer holidays, I asked ministers what they were doing to speed up the transition to the new controls, and here I am before the Christmas holidays, having to ask exactly the same thing.

'This sums up the entire problem with this government. Even when there is a positive change that we all want to see put in place, it still takes until the last possible minute for anything to get done, if it ever gets done at all.

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin tested out London City Airport's 'fancy' new scanners in May

'There is no sense of urgency, no sense of grip, no sense of a government that is actually bothered about governing.

'The sooner we get rid of them the better, and I don't just mean the restrictions on liquids, I mean this entire wet weekend of a government as well.'

How do the scanners work? The technology is based computed tomography (CT)  an imaging procedure already used by hospitals to see inside bodies. At security, hand luggage goes along a conveyor belt and passes through advanced machines that are fitted with CT scanners to look inside the bags. The scanners produce clear 3D images on-screen that can be rotated 360-degrees and zoomed in on by airport staff. Algorithms call attention to any dubious items that may warrant further inspection. Advertisement

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'UK airports need to step up a gear to install the newest equipment more quickly.

'They are some distance behind many overseas airports which have more seamless scanning equipment, meaning that passengers don't have to empty their hand luggage of washbags or laptops.

'Security lanes are faster overseas than many UK airports, and this Christmas will see UK departing passengers queuing for longer than they have to due to the fact the latest equipment has not yet been installed.

'This has to be a priority for our airports - only London City Airport has moved at pace to improve the security experience.'

Last night Conservative MPs also raised concerns about summer holidays potentially being ruined if the technology is not phased in next June.

Iain Stewart, chairman of the Transport Select Committee, said: 'Most airports are in the process and are on schedule - but our concern is with the passenger scanners.

'They will work once up and running, but as it's a new system, we do have a worry that we will see a build-up of queues until everyone gets used to them.

'We need a more phased introduction so people can get familiar with how they work.

'June is the start of the busy summer period - I would like to see airports have some discretion over the first few months to phase them in.'

Tory MP Greg Smith, who also sits on the committee, added: 'It's a total nightmare - all airports seem to be going for the absolute deadline, which is going to create chaos as all passengers have to get to a new system on day one. There needs to be phasing.'

Last week Mr Browne told MPs: 'This new technology will bring huge benefits for passengers, as the chair of the select committee said, and I think we will all be delighted to see the end of those little plastic bags with the little bottles in, and it will improve safety.

'The answer to his question is that the screening of passengers by the security scanners is already being phased in.

'Government has long been clear with airports about the requirements for the next generation of security checkpoints.

'The deadline for implementation has already been delayed several times, partly because of Covid, and other factors.

'Airports were consulted on the June 2024 deadline and many airports have successfully trialled it, they are already phasing it in, and June 2024 is the end deadline.

'So my message to airports is to start implementing it now, don't wait for the deadline, but I am meeting the Airport Operators Association immediately after these questions and will discuss it with them.'

A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world and this cutting-edge technology will enhance security and boost the passenger experience.

'We are in regular contact with airports as they move towards June 2024 deadline for upgrading their screening equipment and processes. For security reasons we do not provide further detail around aviation security measures.'

A spokesman for the Airport Operators Association said: 'Airports are in the midst of major investment to deliver next-generation airport security, which will make use of cutting-edge screening equipment and processes.

'These projects, once implemented, will deliver significant benefits, from better security and detection capabilities to a more convenient passenger experience.

'Clearly, these are significant projects with complex delivery programmes, requiring major construction and renovation work. Airports are making every effort to ensure the passenger experience remains positive while this work is undertaken and are working hard to meet the government's timeline.'
The Biden administration has been ordered to stop destroying razor wire at the Texas border as migrant crossings surge to historic levels.

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday blocked the federal government from dismantling the barrier along the Mexico border that was installed to deter migrants.

The ruling is temporary in the battle between Texas and the federal government over enforcing the border that saw a record 14,000 crossers encountered on Tuesday.

Governor Greg Abbott ramped up his war with the White House earlier this week by giving Texas law enforcement the power to detain and deport migrants who illegally cross the border.

The Biden administration has been ordered to stop destroying razor wire at the Texas border as migrant crossings surge to historic levels

Tuesday's ruling gives him a victory in the back-and-forth with the federal government, which claims it has authority over border policy.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a judge was wrong to rule that the U.S. government was immune from a lawsuit by Texas claiming a federal policy of removing the fencing was illegal.

The court ordered U.S. immigration authorities not to destroy the fencing pending the outcome of Texas' appeal of the judge's ruling, which had dismissed the case.

'I am very pleased the appellate court has forbidden federal agents sent by the Biden administration from destroying our concertina wire fences,' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Tuesday.

'Given the ongoing disaster at the southern border due to the federal governments intentional actions, more than ever it is necessary to take every step we can to hold the line,' he added.

The situation at the border has deteriorated in recent days with record-numbers crossing and thousands of migrants waiting to try and get into the United States.

DailyMail.com revealed on Tuesday that Border Patrol agents are no longer patrolling the US-Mexico border in what is being called an 'absolute collapse' in security.

In the last week, the number of migrants illegally entering the US through Eagle Pass and then claiming asylum - which legally forces the Border Patrol to give them paperwork allowing them to stay in the US while their asylum case is heard - has been climbing.

But starting Monday, the numbers exploded.

In the last 24 hours, 14,000 migrants rushed the popular migrant crossing spot that is home to just 30,000 Texans.

US Congressman Tony Gonzales tweeted a video showing a sea of migrants waiting under a bridge in Eagle Pass, the community he represents, waiting to be processed by US Border Patrol.

'14,000+ crossed ILLEGALLY yesterday & 26,000+ already in custody - the HIGHEST in US history,' the Republican posted online.

Thousands of migrants wrapped in silver thermal blankets, many hoping to seek asylum in the US, are gathered under a bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, waiting for their chance to surrender to the US Border Patrol

Mothers with children are among the throngs of asylum-seekers. Here, one mother cradles her child in the cold

The startling sight of baby formula in Eagle Pass, Texas, where hundreds of children are among the migrants waiting in freezing temperatures to be processed by Border Patrol

'Christmas Day will be WORSE. President Biden has abandoned border communities like mine.'

Rep. Gonzales described the situation as 'dire,' as international bridges have been shut down in the city, costing locals $15,000 a day.

About 60 percent of Eagle Pass' revenue comes from tolls collected from international bridge crossings, officials told DailyMail.com.

Eagle Pass only has 58 uniformed police officers and many of them are also helping Border Patrol handle the masses.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law allowing local police to arrest migrants Monday night, however, the law doesn't go into force until next year.

Already, leaders in Democratic El Paso have sued to stop the controversial SB4 from going into effect.
A 19-year-old homicide victim who went missing in 1979 and named 'Sahara Sue Desert' has been identified through DNA after 44 years, authorities said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department made the announcement on Tuesday confirming the woman's identity as Gwenn Marie Story of Colerain Township.

Story had traveled from her home in Cincinnati, Ohio, to California with two of her male roommates to search for her biological father but later turned up dead in Sin City.

Her remains were found near the Las Vegas strip on August 14, 1979, the former site of the El Rancho hotel, but her killer has never been caught.

The Texas-based company Othram Labs that works with the LVMP on cold cases used familial DNA to identify the teen. She was officially identified last month.

Police are continuing to investigate the case and are urging 'anyone with information about the young woman or the two men she traveled to Las Vegas with to contact them.'

Gwenn Marie Story was identified as the 19-year-old homicide victim who was known as 'Sahara Sue Doe' before her name was revealed

Police released a composite sketch of the man shortly after Story's body was discovered.

According to investigators, after Story's murder, the two men the teen had been traveling with returned to their home in Ohio.

Terry Miller, an investigator with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told 8 New Now Investigators that the two men she was with are likely still alive.

Witnesses at the time of her disappearance said they saw Story enter a liquor store that was located near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara with a man about an hour before she was killed.

The man was described as six feet tall, thin, and with a different-colored mustache from the color of his hair, according to a clerk in the liquor store.

Police released a composite sketch of the man shortly after Story's body was discovered.

Miller said it remains unclear whether the man Story entered the store with was one of the two traveling companions from Ohio.

When she was asked by the news outlet if she thinks 'one of those men killed Gwenn?'

Miller responded, 'I dont know, until I am able to interview them, and I dont have a name on them either.

She said that they are 'at the very beginning stages of this investigation on the homicide portion of it.'

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department posted a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, hoping to generate new leads in the case.

After the young woman's name was publicly released, Story's family issued a statement in the decades-long case and expressed gratitude to the tenacity of the investigators.

'Finally after 44 years of not knowing what happened to our sister Gwenn Story, we have news that she had been identified,' they said.

'We are looking for some closure on this case. Our family just wants some answers, we would really appreciate the help.

'Our family would also like to thank all the many detectives who have worked this case over the years at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department'

They added: 'If it wasn't for you, we would still be wondering where is Gwenn.'

Tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 702-385-5555 or at https://crimestoppersofnv.com/report-a-crime.

.
He went from being the star of a sedate ITV drama to delivering a sexist rant live on television.

And the shocking moment in which Laurence Fox verbally attacked journalist Ava Evans on Dan Woottons GB News show was the most complained about broadcast of the year, Ofcom has revealed.

It is followed by ITVs broadcast of the Kings Coronation, in which Adjoa Andoh called the Royal balcony terribly white, while one in ten complaints to the regularity body were about coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Ofcom said it received 69,236 complaints about 9,638 cases this year, which is nearly double what it received in 2022.

A total of 8867 people complained to Ofcom about the GB News transmission on September 26, which resulted in the sacking of both Fox and Wootton.

The shocking moment in which Laurence Fox verbally attacked journalist Ava Evans on Dan Woottons GB News show was the most complained about broadcast of the year, Ofcom has revealed

Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andohs comments during a discussion on ITV during the Coronation in May received 8421 complaints from viewers, with Ofcom ruling not to pursue them as it had been a personal observation

A large proportion of the complaints was in relation to the Israel-Gaza war, with Richard Madeleys interview with British-Palestinian MP Layla Morgan on ITVs Good Morning Britain prompting the third-highest amount

The Lewis actor, 45, made a series of sexist remarks about the political journalist, including one in which he said no self-respecting man would climb into bed with her. He issued a public apology to Ms Evans after being suspended from the programme, admitting the comments had been inappropriate. He was later sacked and the Ofcom investigation is ongoing.

Bridgerton actress Ms Andohs comments during a discussion on ITV during the Coronation in May received 8421 complaints from viewers, with Ofcom ruling not to pursue them as it had been a personal observation.

During the broadcast, Ms Andoh said: Looking at all those young people, there is a bit of me that has gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to the terribly white balcony. Im very struck by that.

A large proportion of the complaints was in relation to the Israel-Gaza war, with Richard Madeleys interview with British-Palestinian MP Layla Morgan on ITVs Good Morning Britain prompting the third-highest amount.

He faced a backlash after asking the MP whether she knew about Hamas attack on Israel before it happened, after which 2391 people complained to Ofcom.

A discussion about the junior doctors pay dispute on the Jeremy Vine show received 2,302 complaints due to a number of inaccuracies.

Kay Burleys Sky News interview with Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy also received a number of complaints after she asked him what he thought of a claim that Israel did not value Palestinian lives as highly as Israeli lives.

Complaints made about BBC broadcasts are not included in the number as under the BBC Charter, they must be dealt with first by the broadcaster and only taken to Ofcom if they need further investigation.
Two other babies later died after becoming infected from contaminated food

She had been fed contaminated baby food at its neonatal intensive care unit

A two-month old baby who died in hospital after being fed contaminated baby food has been named for the first time, nearly a decade on from her death.

Aviva Otte died at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Evelina children's hospital in London.

Her death at the hospital, run by Guy's and St Thomas' Trust, in January 2014 came six months before two other babies died there after being infected with the same bacterium from a contaminated batch of baby feed.

ITH Pharma, who provided total parental nutrition (TPN), was fined 1.2m by a Crown Court last year after providing TPN from which 19 premature babies became infected across nine hospitals in 2014.

Yousef Al-Kharboush was just nine days old and Oscar Barker 30 months old when they died in June 2014 after being fed the bacterium Bacillus cereus, though in Oscar's case the bacterium wasn't his sole cause of death.

Aviva's death came before ITH Pharma produced TPN and the company did not provide the batch that killed her.

It's suggested that all three babies had been given contaminated feed whilst at the NICU at Evelina children's hospital.

Aviva Otte died at the the neonatal intensive care unit of Evelina children's hospital in London

Aviva's mother, Jedidajah Otte, indicated that she believes her daughter's case should be joined with those of two other babies that later died at Evelina Children's Hospital

Evelina Children's Hospital, in Lambeth, is run by Guy's and St Thomas' Trust

Lawyers for the company argue that the inquests of all three babies scheduled to finally take place next year should be joined 'in the interests of justice'.

Baby Otte's mother, journalist Jedidajah Otte, was unable to attend the pre-inquest review but has indicated to the court that she believes her daughter's case should be joined with those of Barker and Al-Kharboush.

Senior Coroner Dr Julian Morris will make a decision on whether to join the three babies' inquests next year.

Clodagh Bradley KC, for ITH, told Dr Morris it was in the interests of public interest and practicality to join the inquests as there were 'many overlaps' between their cases.

'We have set out the many similarities between the infections of the babies,' she said.

'These two contamination events occurred five months apart and concern the same bacteria.

'On the source of the contamination, there are likely to be common factual issues between these three cases.'

Ms Bradley added that the source of the January contamination which infected baby Otte was likely to be the same as that of the infections of the other two babies, which she said was 'linked to cardboard packaging'.

'To find the source,' she argued, 'One needs to look further. These two outbreaks Will inevitably be overlapped.

'There will be many, many areas where there will be an overlap.

'If we were to have two inquests, there is a risk of inconsistent evidence and outcomes.

'It has surely got to be in the public interests and those of the interested parties to link the inquests.'

There will be a further pre-inquest review next, prior to the full three-week inquest on September 9

Ms Bradley added that joining the inquests could even prove important in preventing similar deaths occurring in the future.

'We are not only looking at how these infants came by their deaths, but also if there are further risks due to a lack of communication,' she continued.

'It's in the interests of justice to hear these matters together.'

Ms Bradley added that ITH would be bringing an expert witness on contamination to the inquest.

However, Jim Duffy, representing the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), argued the expert would only be able to deal with the batch of TPN relating to the later deaths of Al-Kharboush and Barker, and not baby Otte.

He said: 'The expert deals with the batch not manufactured until April 24, 2014.

'Otte came to her death in January 2014.

'The batch provided to the others was manufactured in April 2014, three months after baby Otte came to her death.'

Dr Morris, after setting deadlines for the disclosure of documents between the parties, also asked the parties to streamline the documents in the case - which run to some 5,000 pages in total.

He said he would deal with whether the three babies' inquests would be joined together at a later stage, but confirmed they would take place in September next year.

Dr Morris explained: 'From my perspective, I am not going to give you an answer now.

'I need to review all the relevant documents. I appreciate that the matter was listed to be heard, but all I will say is that that was quite ambitious.

'At the moment we are not in a position to hear an inquest.

'It won't surprise you all when I say we are going to need another PIR (Pre Inquest Review).'

A further PIR will be held in late April or early May next year, with the date of Monday September 9 set for a three-week inquest.
Brianna Ghey was not murdered because she was transgender, detectives told the Mail.

But she was dehumanised by her killers, who knew she was struggling mentally, and targeted her because her transgender status made her vulnerable.

Detective Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire police, said he believed Girl X and Boy Y were determined to kill someone and, if they hadnt murdered Brianna, would have targeted someone else on their so-called kill list.

The trial was told that four boys, who the defendants had petty disagreements with, were named on a list of children they wanted rid of in January this year.

Girl X set up a fake Instagram account to target one of them, a teenager known as Boy E, but when he failed to take the bait she turned her attention to Brianna instead.

Brianna Ghey was not murdered because she was transgender , detectives told the Mail

Detective Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire police, said he believed Girl X and Boy Y were determined to kill someone and, if they hadnt murdered Brianna, would have targeted someone else on their so-called kill list'

Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna

If it was not Brianna, it would have been one of the other four children on the list, Mr Evans said.

Follow every detail of the case on The Mail's acclaimed podcast The Trial The Trial...takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest trials in the world. The first series 'The Trial of Lucy Letby' was a global hit, with more than 13 million downloads, while season two focused on the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland. Its third season follows the tragic case of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl killed in Warrington, England. Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from The Daily Mail's Northern Correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham. Advertisement

It is just Brianna was the one who was accessible at that time and the focus of those desires.

In a strange way Girl X was obsessed with Brianna, almost attracted and intrigued by her.

'With Boy Y, there is some really horrific and dehumanising transphobic comments.

Brianna was not killed because she was transgender, but the fact that she was transgender made her a bit more vulnerable and accessible.

'Whoever they had attacked that day they would have shown that level of contempt and disrespect for, there is nothing to suggest it was a worse attack because Brianna was transgender.

In one of the messages, Girl X told Boy Y: She has a dick lol.

He responded: Is it a femboy or a tranny?.

He also repeatedly referred to Brianna as it instead of using her correct pronoun.

Initially, immediately after Briannas murder, in February, police said her murder was not hate related.

But a few days into the inquiry they admitted her transgender status may have been a factor.

Mr Evans said it would be up to the judge, Mrs Justice Yip, to determine whether the murder was aggravated by Brianna being transgender or there was a hate element to the crime when she sentences Girl X and Boy Y in the New Year.

Whether the murder was aggravated by hostility toward someone who is trans gender is a matter for the court, Mr Evans said.

We prosecuted it for what it was - a murder.

'Those messages were sent and that language was used but it is a matter for the court to decide whether the offence was aggravated.
A police officer searched a Massachusetts middle school after someone reported that a book with explicit material was being read in an eighth-grade classroom.

The plain-clothes cop was reportedly wearing a bodycam when he entered W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington.

The officer was looking for the graphic novel, Gender Queer: A Memoir, after police received a complaint on December 8 about 'concerning illustrations' in the book.

Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti said the person who made the complaint provided an image that showed illustrated characters in sexual acts.

The officer was escorted by school officials during the search but did not find the book.

The school district has apologized for how it handled the incident, saying it does not support book banning.

The plain-clothes cop was reportedly wearing a bodycam when he entered W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington.

The book by author Maia Kobabe, who uses 'e/em/eir' pronouns, explores gender and sexual identity from an adolescent's perspective

The book by author Maia Kobabe, who uses 'e/em/eir' pronouns, explores gender and sexual identity from an adolescent's perspective. According to publisher Simon & Schuster, 'it started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual.'

The school's principal Miles Wheat told Boston.com the book is not included in the curriculum, but a teacher had made it available in her classroom.

The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern over the incident and has requested the bodycam footage.

Managing attorney with the ACLU Ruth Buorquin told The Berkshire Eagle that 'Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia.'

The graphic novel has previously sparked backlash, particularly after a Louisiana lawmaker read explicit passages out loud during a Senate hearing.

Senator John Kennedy, 71, read aloud from Gender Queer during the hearing because it is currently allowed in Illinois schools.

He was making his point amid the continuing Republican fight to keep inappropriate subject matter out of the reach of young children at public schools and libraries.

Kennedy read out loud during the debate: 'I got a new strap-on harness today. I can't wait to put it on you. It will fit my favorite dildo perfectly.

According to publisher Simon & Schuster, 'the book started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual.' Author Maia Kobabe is pictured

'You're going to look so hot. I can't wait to have your c**k in my mouth. I'm going to give you the b****w**b of your life, then I want you inside of me.'

But in an interview with the Washington Post, Kobabe said the book is not recommended for kids.

Kobabe refuted: 'It keeps being called a children's book. Senator Kennedy implied it was a children's book.

'But I think that's coming from a misreading of the comic-book form. 'Gender Queer' is a comic, and in full color, but that doesn't mean it's for children.

The books publisher, Lion Forge, initially marketed it toward older teens and adults, and Kobabe previously said that the memoir is for 'high school and above,' meaning it could be read by 14-year-olds.

It is advertised currently by Simon and Schuster as a guide 'for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere' - without providing age-limit guidelines.

Kobabe has two new books set to come out - Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding with Dr Sarah Peitzmeier, and Saachis Stories.

In April this year, The American Library Association announced that Kobabe's 'Gender Queer' was the most 'challenged' book of 2022 - the second consecutive year it has topped the list.

It faced 151 challenges last year for its explicit content.
Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark says menopause medication would be on the NHS 'if men had hot flushes'.

The 68-year-old star appeared on BBC Woman's Hour where she was asked by presenter Emma Barnett about the 'game changing' new drug to fight off the symptom, which has been approved in the UK.

However, the pioneering new hot flush drug Veoza will only be available from January 5 to private healthcare patients.

Ms Wark bravely opened up about her 'hard' menopause triggered aged 46 when she had a full hysterectomy, which included the removal of her ovaries.

She began taking HRT the day after to limit the symptoms but stopped taking the pills when she was spooked by a 2002 study which found links between the treatment and increased risks of breast cancer.

It catapulted her into a life of sleepless nights and severe sweats, which left her 'literally wrung out'.

Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, 68, appeared on BBC Woman's Hour where she was asked about the 'game changing' new drug to fight off hot flushes during the menopause

(Pictured: Stock image of woman experiencing a hot flush during the menopause) The pioneering new hot flush drug Veoza will only be available from January 5 to private healthcare patients

Ms Wark believes there is still a long way to go as women are still 'embarrassed' by having hot flushes.

Speaking to BBC Woman's Hour, Ms Wark said: 'I do genuinely think that if men had hot flushes it would be on the NHS.'

READ MORE: Blockbuster menopause drug which fights hot flushes without HRT is approved for use in the UK Advertisement

The presenter said the issue is still taboo and has a long way to go to address it.

She continued: 'It's still problematic. I think women are more open to a degree of talking about it, I don't think totally.

'I think you have to pull stuff out.

'I still think women still feel embarrassed, women feel embarrassed to have hot flushes.'

The mother-of-two opened up about her own menopause and how difficult it was to get the BBC the produce her 2017 documentary 'The Menopause and Me'.

'It took a while, I wouldn't say the BBC was forward about it,' she said.

'To be honest, I had had a hard menopause at 46 when I had a full hysterectomy.

'It was the producer who had been trying to get it on... and said "maybe if you tell your story then the BBC will buy it", and they did.'

Ms Wark added: 'It was hard, having a hysterectomy, and it was full on. It was ovaries, the lot. It was hard.

'Then I went on to the old horse's urine - Premarin - and I stayed on that until the false scare in America where everybody said "oh my god, HRT, what a disaster", which of course was nonsense.

'I came off it and had a hard menopause.'

The BBC announced in October Ms Wark would be stepping down as host of Newsnight. She is the shows longest-serving host, having been in the job since 1993

The BBC announced in October that Ms Wark, originally from Dumfries, Scotland, will step down from Newsnight after the next election.

She is the shows longest-serving host, having been in the job since 1993.

BBC director general Tim Davie thanked her for her contribution to the programme. In a statement published by the BBC, he said: Generations of Newsnight viewers have benefited from Kirstys authority, her razor-sharp insight and her journalistic flair.

She sets the standard for engaging yet authoritative presenting.

Ms Wark will, however, continue to present BBC shows including The Reunion and Start The Week on Radio 4. She also plans to finish her third novel.
When will Donald Trump's enemies learn?

You might be able to beat Trump at the ballot box, but you can't stop him with lawyers  and it's dangerous to try.

The polls prove it. Every time Trump's critics try to sideline him with some too-clever-by-half legal argument, they make him more popular among his base and undecided Republican voters.

As Machiavellian Obama-guru David Axelrod tweeted Wednesday: 'All the legal challenges that have been thrown at Trump have so far helped strengthen him in the Republican primary, as he depicts himself as a victim.'

Even Republicans who don't love Trump look at the impeachments, the endless indictments, the Russia investigation, the civil fraud case against his business, the sex assault claims, the Big Tech suppression of news stories about Hunter Biden, and all the rest as a unified effort by Establishment elites to prevent voters from getting what they want.

Tuesday night's flimsy ruling by Colorado's all-Democrat Supreme Court to strike Trump from the state's primary ballot will be no different.

Every time Trump's critics try to sideline him with some too-clever-by-half legal argument, they make him more popular among his base and undecided Republican voters. The polls prove it.

Tuesday night's flimsy ruling by Colorado's all-Democrat Supreme Court (pictured) to strike Trump from the state's primary ballot will be no different.

And while his most vociferous enemies will shout about standing up for democracy and defending against vague existential threats of dictatorial rule  it's not a little ironic that they come off looking like they're afraid of what voters might democratically choose in 2024.

It's all free advertising for Trump, playing into the mythology of the 'stolen' vote, the Big Orange Persecuted Hero standing up for the little guy  even if the truth is that he's actually brought a lot of these legal woes on himself through misbehavior and selfish arrogance.

But that seems not to matter.

Trump took off in the polls after he was first indicted by Soros-backed DA Alvin Bragg in March. With each subsequent indictment, he's bolstered his lead. In fact, he's already regularly beating Joe Biden in the polls.

As with Bragg's bogus case, the Colorado court's decision to rely upon Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has come under intense scrutiny.

Section 3 was added to the Constitution after the Civil War to keep former Confederates from returning to office. It says anyone who 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' after taking an oath is disqualified from holding office again.

There is no precedent for its modern-day use.

It has never been used to block a presidential candidate. And until the January 6 riot, it hadn't been used against anybody in over a century.

That term 'engage' is key. It was defined by the attorney general at the time Section 3 was written as 'active' participation. Yet Trump isn't widely accused of engaging in the riot at the Capitol, rather inciting it.

The decision to rely upon Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has come under intense scrutiny. Section 3 says anyone who 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' after taking an oath is disqualified from holding office again. Yet Trump isn't widely accused of engaging in the riot at the Capitol, rather inciting it.

However, the Colorado court argued that because Trump fired up the rioters, it was enough to find him guilty of engagement that he sat around during the insurrection tweeting about how Congress should overturn the votes for Biden.

Sorry, that's still not the same as engaging in a riot. And certainly, it sets a dangerous precedent for when hot words from politicians can be marked down as synonymous with actual violence.

Joe Biden told supporters in June 2020 that Trump was 'going to try to steal this election'.

While the George Floyd riots were ongoing that month, Kamala Harris promoted a fund 'to help post bail for those protesting on the ground'.

Violent street protests against the government are more common among those on the left than the right. Democrats are likely to live to regret having a ruling like this one on the books.

Three of the seven Democrats on the Colorado court, including the chief judge, voted against the ruling, warning about legal overreach, ignoring rules, and denying Trump the due process of law.

They are recorded as complaining about a 'makeshift' hearing that gave Trump little time to prepare a defense and relied upon reading excerpts from a report prepared by Democrats in Congress.

One of the dissenting judges wrote that the final decision '[risked] chaos in our country', warning: 'what took place here doesn't resemble anything I've seen in a courtroom.'

Criticism from your own side doesn't get much worse than that.

Trump of course can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court  and he will.

The ruling will very likely be overturned by the conservative-majority panel before Colorado's January 5 deadline for listing candidates on the primary ballot. After which we will be subjected to a Trumpian victory lap, with the ex-President washing his hands entirely of accusations over Jan 6.

Biden, who stayed out of the case in Colorado, will find it hard to avoid taking a position on how the Supreme Court should rule.

Biden, who stayed out of the case in Colorado, will find it hard to avoid taking a position on how the Supreme Court should rule.

He's now trying to thread the needle by saying it's 'self-evident' Trump 'supported an insurrection', but that the court should ultimately decide if that kicks him off the ballot.

Pressure to clarify his standing will no doubt intensify.

If he says the decision should be upheld, he'll be telling voters he wants his opponent thrown off the ballot  and will look weaker than he already is.

But if he sides with Trump, ardent Democrats will also think he's spineless.

Win-win, yet again, for The Donald.
President Joe Biden took a quick jab at former President Donald Trump while addressing the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Biden was comparing his economic record to Trump's, as he continued to try to tout that 'Bidenomics' was working, despite his sluggish poll numbers and Americans' generally sour mood on the economy.

He referenced his 'predecessor' and then smacked the 45th president for comments criticized as being racist and xenophobic.

'The guy who thinks we're polluting the blood of Americans these days,' Biden said.

Trump attracted widespread condemnation for comments he made in New Hampshire over the weekend, telling a campaign trail crowd that immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country.'

President Joe Biden took a subtle jab at former President Donald Trump while addressing the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee on Wednesday

The rhetoric led to comparisons to Adolf Hitler, something Trump bristled at during an Iowa campaign event Tuesday night. His comments had drawn fierce condemnation from the White House and criticism from fellow Republicans.

Trump remarked to a crowd in Waterloo that he 'never read Mein Kampf.'

He then doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric.

'Yesterday we had a single highest day record of illegal border crossings. Ever recorded - 12,600 - one day. We have no idea who any of them are. They come from Africa, they come from Asia, they come from South America, but not just South America - all over the world,' Trump said.

'They dump them on the border and they pour into our country and nobody is there to check on them,' he continued.

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday night in Iowa that he never read Mein Kampf after his anti-immigrant rhetoric was compared to that of Adolf Hitler

Trump said migrants from 'all over the world' are 'poisoning the blood of our country' - a phrase similar to Hitler - at a Saturday rally in New Hampshire

An interview with former President Donald Trump's late first wife, where she claims he owned a book of Adolf Hitler's speeches and kept it at his bedside, is resurfacing after Trump said migrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country'

The ex-president called the U.S. Border Patrol 'incredible' but said they're being told not to do their job.

'It's crazy what's going on,' he continued. 'They're ruining our country. And it's true - they're destroying the blood of our country.'

'They don't like it when I said that. And I never read Mein Kampf. They said, "ohhh, Hitler said that," in a much different way,' Trump said.

He warned that immigrants could bring in 'disease' and reitrated that they're 'destroying the fabric of our country.'

Biden's 2024 reelection campaign had already condemned Trump's comments and linked them to Hitler.

In a statement release Saturday night, Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa noted that Trump had 'channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un and quoted Vladimir Putin' during the ex-president's Durham, New Hampshire rally.

Trump's comments that he 'never read' Mein Kampf has resurfaced comments by his late first wife, Ivana Trump, who claimed Trump owned a book of Hitler's speeches that he kept in a cabinet at his bedside.

The quote came from a 1990 Vanity Fair interview. A reporter asked Trump about it, and the then real estate baron said his friend had given him a copy of the famous book. "I did give him a book about Hitler. But it was My New Order, HItler's speeches, not Mein Kampf,' the friend, Marty Davis, said.
Associate of the Alameddine crime clan is charged

An alleged associate of the Alameddine crime family has been charged over the firebombing of controversial YouTube star FriendlyJordies' house.

The Bondi home of satirist Jordan Shanks and an adjoining property went up in flames in November 2022, sparking concerns one of his many enemies may have played a role.

Arson detectives arrested and charged a 37-year-old man at Silverwater Jail on Wednesday.

Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua, 37, later appeared in Waverley Local Court charged with two counts of damaging property by fire in company.

Charges have been laid over the firebombing of the home of YouTube star FriendlyJordies. Above, the YouTuber - real name Jordan Shanks - is seen after the incident

He didn't apply for bail and he was remanded in custody.

The matter is due to return to court on January 30.

Inquiries into the blaze are continuing with more arrests foreshadowed.

'This alleged attack was coordinated and targeted, with more arrests expected in the coming days and weeks ahead,' State Crime Command's Financial Crimes Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said in a statement.

Supt Arbinja separately told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'Police can confirm that the person arrested has links to an organised crime group situated in the south-west of Sydney'.

NSW Police are expected to provide more details at a press conference later on Thursday morning.

Shanks wasn't home at the time of the blaze.

Video from the scene in November 2022 showed the Bondi home being gutted by flames (above). Police immediately launched an arson investigation

Jordan Shanks, better known as FriendlyJordies has been embroiled in numerous law suits and personal disputes over his controversial YouTube videos. He took a hiatus from broadcasting after the incident

There had been previous attempt to firebomb the same house a week prior. The fire was extinguished before it caused significant damage.

When Shanks returned to the home to survey the damage from the firebombing, he conceded he had a 'long list' of suspects who had been angered by his political commentary and videos.

'Well obviously we don't know who did it,' he told reporters outside his home.

'There's a long list of suspects but no idea who it is.'

'I obviously can't say who I suspect it is.'

Arson detectives have spent the last 13 months investigating the blaze at FriendlyJordies' home in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Inquiries continue following a breakthrough in the case

Shanks then took an 'indefinite hiatus' from YouTube.

'I would like to take this opportunity to say that I think we're going to just tone back the videos for a bit,' he told his online viewers at the time.

'And by tone back I mean that's it for a while, for obvious reasons. We'll get back to it at some point but for now Friendlyjordies is on an indefinite hiatus.'

He has since resumed broadcasting.

Shanks, who has achieved notoriety for his political videos, has more than a million YouTube subscribers and has been embroiled in numerous law suits and personal disputes.

Police urge anyone with information related to the fires to call Crime Stoppers.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has issued an apology on behalf of the city to the two Black men who were wrongfully accused of the 1989 murder of a pregnant white woman.

Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett were wrongly named as suspects in the October 1989 murder of Carol Stuart, whose husband, Charles Stuart, had orchestrated her killing.

Charles, who was also white, blamed his wife's killing on an unidentified Black gunman with a 'raspy voice', leading to a crackdown by police in one of the citys traditionally Black neighborhoods in pursuit of a phantom assailant.

In a press conference today, the mayor said: 'I am so sorry for what you endured. I am so sorry for the pain that you have carried for so many years.

Mayor Wu said there was no evidence a Black man committed the crime, but that did not matter to many because the story confirmed and exposed the beliefs so many shared at the time in Boston.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued an apology on behalf of the city to Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett, who were wrongly named accused in the October 1989 murder of Carol Stuart

The event was attended by Alan Swanson (left) and Willie Bennett's nephew, Joey Bennett (right)

Charles, who was also white, blamed his wife's killing on an unidentified Black gunman with a 'raspy voice', leading to a crackdown by police in one of the citys traditionally Black neighborhoods in pursuit of a phantom assailant

She also gave Swanson and Bennett's nephew, Joey Bennett, a written apology on behalf of the city's administration.

Wu also said that in response to the killing of Carol Stuart and her unborn baby 'and acting on a false racist claim framing a Black man for her death,' the city launched a systemic campaign targeting Black men in Mission Hill neighborhood and across the city.

'We are here today to acknowledge the tremendous pain that the city of Boston inflicted on Black residents throughout our neighborhoods 34 years ago,' Wu said.

'The mayors office, city officials and the Boston Police Department took actions that directly harmed these families and continue to impact the larger community, reopening a wound that has gone untended for decades.

'What was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist and wrong,' she added.

Mayor Wu also gave Swanson and Bennett's nephew, Joey Bennett, a written apology on behalf of the city's administration

Joey said it took courage on Wus part to apologize for the actions of earlier city leaders and later broke down

Nephew Joey said: 'Most importantly, we would like to acknowledge our family patriarch, Willie Bennett, who has shown resilience and strength throughout his entire life no matter what anyone said.'

After being handed the city's written apology, Joey said: 'We are truly humbled to finally be receiving this apology. Most importantly, we would like to acknowledge our family patriarch, Willie Bennett, who has shown resilience and strength throughout his entire life no matter what anyone said.

'This moment is not just a personal triumph for our family, but a testament to the incredible support we received from the Mission Hill community and friends alike,' he added.

He further said it took courage on Wus part to apologize for the actions of earlier city leaders.

'Your apology is accepted,' he said, embracing the mayor.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox also acknowledged police failings at the time.

'As commissioner, I apologize for the hurt, pain and suffering experienced by everyone affected by the Boston Police Department, for their poor investigation, overzealous behavior and more than likely unconstitutional behavior,' Cox said.

Charles had called 911 and sought assistance for him and his wife. He claimed that a Black man ordered them to drive to the city's Mission Hill neighborhood and robbed them before shooting Carol in the head and Charles in the chest

Carol died the following morning at the same hospital where the couple had attended birthing classes. The baby, delivered by cesarean section, survived just 17 days

Charles survived the shooting, with his description of a Black attacker eventually sparking a widespread Boston police 'stop and frisk' crackdown of Black men in the neighborhood, even after investigators had begun to doubt his story

Charles had called 911 and sought assistance for him and his wife. He claimed that a Black man forced his way into their car as the couple left a birthing class at a city hospital.

The man ordered them to drive to the city's Mission Hill neighborhood and robbed them before shooting Carol in the head and Charles in the chest, according to Charles.

Carol died the following morning at the same hospital where the couple had attended birthing classes. The baby, delivered by cesarean section, survived just 17 days.

Charles survived the shooting, with his description of a Black attacker eventually sparking a widespread Boston police 'stop and frisk' crackdown of Black men in the neighborhood, even after investigators had begun to doubt his story.

During the crackdown, police first arrested Swanson before ruling him out and then took Bennett into custody. Charles identified Bennett in late December.

Swanson and Bennett denied having any involvement in Carol Stuarts death. They were never formally charged with anything related to the murder but were identified publicly as suspects.

At the time, police had arrested them on unrelated charges and then interrogated them about the murder.

During the crackdown, police first arrested Swanson before ruling him out and then took Bennett (seen under coat) into custody. Charles identified Bennett in late December

Charles Stuarts brother, Matthew (pictured), eventually confessed to helping him hide the gun

In January 1990, Charles parked his car on the Tobin Bridge that led in and out of Boston and jumped, plunging to his death. His body was recovered later that day

The case truly caught the public's attention when HBO Max released a documentary titled, 'Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning' this year

Charles' brother, Matthew, eventually confessed to helping him hide the gun.

In January 1990, Charles parked his car on the Tobin Bridge that led in and out of Boston and jumped, plunging to his death. His body was recovered later that day.

A movie titled 'Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston' based on the murder, was released in 1990, but the case truly caught the public's attention when HBO Max released a documentary titled, 'Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning' this year.

The three-part docuseries includes multiple interviews, schedule information and behind-the-scenes exclusives about the case.
The Irish government says it has 'no choice' but to take legal action against the UK's Northern Ireland amnesty law to offer immunity for Troubles-era crimes.

The new Troubles Legacy Act became law in September and gives conditional amnesties to former soldiers and militants involved in decades of violence.

Britain has halted prosecutions of those involved in three decades of bloody conflict, saying they are unlikely to succeed and an independent body should be set up instead.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said his government was left with 'no option' but to legally challenge the UK Government over the Legacy Act, saying the 'strong' legal advice was that it breached the UN Convention on Human Rights.

In a statement, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris slammed the case as 'unnecessary' and warned it came at a 'particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland'.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar (pictured) said his government was left with 'no option' but to legally challenge the UK Government over the Legacy Act

Royal Ulster Constabulary Police officers standing on Market Street at the scene of a car bombing in the centre of Omagh in 1998

'It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts,' Mr Heaton-Harris said.

The Act received royal assent in September despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims' organisations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

READ MORE: Controversial law that aims to stop prosecutions linked to Troubles in Northern Ireland could face a judicial review amid outrage from terror attack survivors and families of victims Advertisement

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the controversial legislation in an interview with BBC Northern Ireland that month.

Accepting the new law was 'uncomfortable and difficult for many people', he said: 'I don't think anyone thought the previous system was working well for anybody so we have tried to put in place a system which is better, which will get people the information they need and the justice they deserve while keeping in compliance with our international obligations.

'I appreciate the strength of feeling as these are very difficult choices and are uncomfortable choices but we are trying to make the situation better than it was.'

Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said they were taking the case reluctantly after having spent time trying to change the UK Government's mind.

Amnesty International praised the Irish government as 'doing the right thing' for victims of Northern Ireland's Troubles by 'taking a stand'.

The Irish government is to argue that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

ecurity experts examine the charred remains of the vehicle thought to have contained the bomb which exploded in Omagh's shopping area

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously defended the controversial new law saying it was 'better' than the previous system

A soldier guards the scene of the bombing in Omagh's shopping area in Northern Ireland in August 1998

British troops with their armored personnel carriers surround a blazing barricade near the Andersonstown Police Station in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1979

Chief Minister for the Northern Ireland Assembly David Trimble (third from the left) walks with delegates among in the street of the northern Irish town of Omagh in 1998, two days after a car bomb explosion which killed 28 and injured hundreds

Aspects of the laws include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The new Act will also halt future civil cases and legacy inquests.

Multiple Troubles victims and family members are supporting a legal challenge against aspects of the Act at Belfast High Court.

The UK Government also said it was prepared for the move by the Irish government, and would 'robustly defend the legislation'.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said: 'The government took a decision that we will take an interstate case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, seeking a judicial review of the UK Legacy Act.

'The attorney general's advice on this is very strong, his advice is that the UK Legacy Act is in breach of the UN Convention on Human Rights. It's also the view of the UN high commissioner and also the Council of Europe.

'It is something that we're genuinely doing with a sense of regret, and would prefer not to be in this position, but we did make a commitment to survivors in Northern Ireland and to the families of victims that we would stand by them, respect their wishes and also stand by the Good Friday Agreement, which specifically references the European Convention on Human Rights.'

A peace mural is seen in a loyalist area in April this year in Belfast. The Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, ended most of the violence during the decades-long conflict known as The Troubles

he Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris (pictured) slammed the case as 'unnecessary' and warned it came at a 'particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland'

The Taoiseach added that the Stormont House Agreement had received consensus from both governments and parties in Northern Ireland.

He said: 'The UK Government decided for their own reasons, and of course they have the right to do this, to go down a different path, which is the UK legacy legislation, which is now law.

'But we don't agree with that, we think that the agreement agreed by the parties in Northern Ireland, the two governments is the better approach and we think at this stage we really have no option but to ask the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to carry out a judicial review of this legislation.'

Around 3,600 people died in three decades of confrontation between Irish nationalist militants seeking a united Ireland, pro-British 'loyalist' paramilitaries and the British military. The conflict largely ended with a 1998 peace deal.
Top lawmakers are expressing concern that the U.S. is projecting 'weakness' after a new report revealed Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Biden he is planning to take over Taiwan soon.

Xi expressed to Biden during last month's APEC Summit in San Francisco, California, that China would 'reunify' with Taiwan, but the timing was still not determined, according to NBC News.

The Chinese president added that his preference is that Taiwan would be taken over 'peacefully' and not by force, according to three U.S. officials.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee called the report 'beyond unnerving.'

'To communist China, if you think you can bully your way into destroying world order without consequences, you will be making Putin's decision to invade Ukraine look wise,' he said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

Joe Biden and Jinping met for the first time in over a year for high-stakes talks on Wednesday to try and bury the hatchet amid dangerously escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing

Beijing's war games were launched amid Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's delicate mission to shore up her nation's dwindling diplomatic alliances in Central America and boost its U.S. support. Chinese military aircraft have circled Taiwan over recent months while Xi ramps up his threats

The top Republican pledged to work with his Democratic colleagues to first push through a 'robust' defense aid package to Taiwan and also draft 'pre-invasion' sanctions on China.

He said imposing 'sanctions from hell' on China will deter the nation from trying to seize Taiwan.

The South Carolina senator added that 'apparently China sees weakness' when it comes to the Biden-led United States.

Another top Republican, Rep. Mike Waltz, echoed concerns that the Biden administration is projecting weakness.

'China's dictator came to American soil and told Biden his face he's taking Taiwan,' Waltz, R-Fla., wrote on X.

'The world will not survive 5 more years of this WEAKNESS in the White House!,' he continued.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met for the first time in over a year for high-stakes talks in mid-November to try and bury the hatchet amid dangerously escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The two leaders met for four hours at a historic home outside of San Francisco.

Their encounter began with a warm double-clasped handshake, and a declaration by Xi that the world is 'big enough' for both countries, despite years of rising rhetoric and provocations.

'The China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing and always faces problems of one kind or another,' Xi said through a translator as he met Biden.

'I've always found our discussions to be straightforward and frank and always appreciated them,' Biden told Xi, after spending years telling U.S. audiences he has spent more time with the Chinese autocrat than any other U.S. leader.

Taiwan's compulsory servicemen demonstrate their combat skills in November. Republicans have said 'sanctions from hell' on China will help to deter Beijing on advancing on the island

Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee called the report 'beyond unnerving'

Rep. Mike Waltz says he's 'not buying' the administration's strategy to deal with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Chinas dictator came to American soil and told Biden his face hes taking Taiwan.



The world will not survive 5 more years of this WEAKNESS in the White House! https://t.co/vUplpFKGsJ  Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) December 20, 2023

The White House downplayed the report when asked about it during a gaggle with reporters Wednesday.

'I'm not going to get into the specifics of the discussion between the two leaders,' National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby replied. I think you can understand I'm not going to read out that -- that private conversation.

He continued on to say that Xi has been 'public and clear about -- about his desires for reunification. That's not -- that's not something different or new.'

Kirby added that Biden was 'clear' with Xi that the U.S. still adheres to the One China policy and does not support independence for Taiwan.

The Jimmy Carter-era One China policy, which is still in place today, acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government, and Taiwan is not an independent or sovereign state.

However, Congress also passed the Taiwan Relations Act. The legislation guaranteed that the U.S. would protect the island and help it defend itself - which is why the U.S. sells them arms.

'We also don't support a change in the status quo unilaterally and certainly not one by force. And as the President has said, there's no reason for this to come to blows,' Kirby concluded.
Lawyers for Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to take no special 'haste' by taking up the issue of his claim of presidential immunity from prosecution  in a filing that would allow his January 6 case to wind its way through lower courts.

The filing comes after Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the high court to take up the matter on an emergency basis  judging the matter even before an Appeals Court is able to consider it.

The appeal has put Trump's scheduled March 4 Trump trial on hold during the process  tying up a case with massive political implications that has been slotted early in the 2024 presidential primary process.

Trump's team strikes out at what it calls the 'rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon,' and urges a more ordinary procedure.

The special counsel, who Trump regularly derides as 'deranged' in public pronouncements, has stated 'no compelling reason for the extraordinary haste he proposes,' according to the court filing.

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump argued against 'haste' and asked the Supreme Court not to rush to take up an expedited appeal of his claim of presidential immunity from prosecution

Instead of taking up the case, Trump's lawyers argue that prosecutors should allow the U.S. Court to consider the 'momentous, historic questions' at stake. They even cite a court case that invokes the cliche of 'haste makes waste.'

'Importance does not automatically necessitate speed. If anything, the opposite is usually true. Novel, complex, sensitive, and historic issues - such as the existence of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts - call for more careful deliberation, not less,' they wrote.

They argue that the actions invoked by his indictment  he is charged with conspiring to defraud the U.S., conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding as part of his election overturn effort  were part of his official duties as president.

As such, he should be immune from prosecution for it, according to the brief, filed by Trump lawyers including John Lauro and Todd Blanche.

Trump, who is facing multiple trials, wants an appeals court to take up the matter first, while his criminal trial in D.C. set for March 4 is on hold

Trump lawyer John Lauro (l) and Todd Blanche (r) argued that 'haste makes waste.' They had earlier sought to delay Trump's trial until after the 2024 election

Special counsel Jack Smith, who filed the petition last month and who Trump regularly attacks online, said Trump's case 'presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy' and asked the Supreme Court to bypass an appeals court to hear the matter

The high-profile case is just one where the Supreme Court's posture could have an outsized impact on the 2024 presidential election. Trump's lawyers are planning an immediate appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court's stunning ruling Tuesday that Trump should be disqualified from the state's ballot.

It agreed with a lower court's ruling that Trump had backed an insurrection, which triggered the 14th Amendment's language barring those of have engaged in insurrection and rebellion against the U.S. from holding office. Trump's team blasted the decision and said the language does not specifically apply to the president, branding it a form of election inteference.

Earlier this month, Smith has asked the Supreme Court to conduct an expedited review of Trump's claim to special immunity from prosecution  in a move to keep the former president's trial on track.

'It is of imperative public importance that (Trump's) claims of immunity be resolved by this court and that (Trump's) trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected,' Smith said.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who rejected Trump's immunity argument in her own ruling, has set a trial for March 4, the day before Super Tuesday.

Judge Tanya Chutkan set a March 4 trial date. Smith's team says if the immunity claim goes through the appeals court process, the Supreme Court might not even get to it this term

Trump's lawyers appealed her decision, something Smith said 'suspends the trial of the charges against him.' He called it of 'imperative public importance' to resolve the matter 'as promptly as possible.'

Chutkan on Dec. 1 rejected Trump's bid to dismiss the case, finding no legal support for the position argued by his lawyers that former presidents cannot face criminal charges for conduct related to their official responsibilities.

Smith's filing says the case poses a fundamental question: 'whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin.'

Chutkan issued a 48-page opinion arguing against Trump's 'absolute immunity' claim for alleged crimes while in office.

'Whatever immunities a sitting President may enjoy, the United States has only one Chief Executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong "get-out-of-jail-free" pass,' she wrote.
Civil service lawyers have been accused of trying to thwart ministers by raising objections to new guidance on transgender pupils.

A leak has revealed the Department for Education's legal team claimed key parts of the long-awaited document for teachers on 'gender-questioning children' would be overturned in court.

They even stated that stopping primary school children from adopting new pronouns had a 'high risk of successful legal challenge'.

The clash is the latest in a series between the Whitehall 'Blob' and the Government, which has seen frustrated ministers claiming their policies have been blocked by activist civil servants.

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who drove through the new guidance, has previously told how officials tried to stop her banning gender-neutral toilets and advised her against meeting a young woman who regretted transitioning.

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who drove through the new guidance, has previously told how officials tried to stop her banning gender-neutral toilets

Civil service lawyers have been accused of trying to thwart ministers by raising objections to new guidance on transgender pupils

The clash is the latest in a series between the Whitehall 'Blob' and the Government, which has seen frustrated ministers claiming their policies have been blocked by activist civil servants

A Government source said: 'This guidance is legally robust. Yet the very fact that someone, presumably in the Department for Education, has felt the need to leak this legal advice, shows the battle that Kemi Badenoch had to fight to shift the institutional assumptions and get this guidance to where it is today.'

The leaked advice, obtained by Schools Week magazine, tells how Department for Education's lawyers warned of a 'high risk of successful legal challenge to position taken on pronouns in primary and compelled speech  whether to the guidance itself or schools who follow it'.

And it raised the question of whether teachers referring to classes as girls or boys could be challenged 'because use of collective nouns could be indirect discrimination'.

Meanwhile Labour's education spokesman Bridget Phillipson welcomed the long-awaited guidance.

She said: 'School leaders have been telling me they wanted to see greater clarity on how they should approach what is a very sensitive and, at times, difficult issue.'
Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro gave a hero's welcome to his top ally Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who was released in a prisoner swap with the US.

Saab, 51, landed in Caracas on Wednesdays and was received by his wife and children - as well as by several members of the chavista regime. The reunion was broadcast on state media, which claimed 'diplomat' Saab was freed after 'more than 1,280 days kidnapped by the United States.'

The Maduro regime had long campaigned for Saab's release, claiming he was working as a diplomat to help the nation buy food amid US sanctions. Prosecutors said in reality Saab was helping Maduro launder over $300million taken from the Venezuelan state as millions starved and fled.

'This is the return of a man who they could not break,' said the narration on state tv. 'It's a beautiful moment... Alex Saab is finally back home.'

Maduro's wife Cilia Flores - whose own nephews were previously released in a deal with the US after being convicted of drug trafficking - was also present to welcome Saab to the socialist nation.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro gave a hero's welcome to his top ally Alex Saab, who was released in a prisoner swap with the US. The reunion was broadcast on state media, which claimed Saab was freed after 'more than 1,280 days kidnapped by the United States'

Maduro's wife Cilia Flores - whose own nephews were previously released in a deal with the US after being convicted of drug trafficking - was also present to welcome Saab

Alex Saab, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020, was released from custody Wednesday

Saab's release in exchange for Americans detained in Venezuela is a a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million U.S. reward for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

It's another sign of the Biden administration's desire to normalize relations with Venezuela as it focuses on other foreign policy priorities such as Gaza and Ukraine.

Saab, who was accused of helping Maduro defraud the rich-oil nation by serving as his top money-launderer, was arrested in 2020 and awaiting trial after pleading not guilty. He was released from custody on Wednesday.

In exchange, Maduro agreed to free up to 36 prisoners, including the 10 US citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela.

The Americans released from Venezuelan also prison included former US special forces soldiers Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested by Maduro forces after a rogue coup attempt in 2019.

Convicted defense contractor Leonard 'Fat Leonard' Francis, a Malaysia native, will also be extradited to the US as part of the deal.

Also detained in Venezuela were US citizens Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who are accused of entering the country illegally from Colombia. More recently, Venezuela arrested Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

Officials have not released the names of the Americans who will be released from Venezuelan prison, but there were reports on Tuesday that they included former US special forces soldiers Luke Denman and Airan Berry, arrested by Maduro forces after an alleged coup attempt

Saab's release would be seen as a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million U.S. reward

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday there is no higher priority for the US than 'doing everything we possibly can to bring our citizens out of harm's way and make sure they're safe and secure if they get in trouble overseas or are arbitrarily detained.'

'We also focused on political prisoners [in Venezuela and trying to assure their release,' Blinked added. 'We have a lot of work going on and we hope to have some good news to share later today.'

The White House said in a statement: 'Today, ten Americans who have been detained in Venezuela have been released and are coming home, including all six wrongfully detained Americans.

'These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more.'

The chavista regime, which had led a massive campaign to obtain Saab's release, has announced a formal celebration at the Miraflores presidential palace on Wednesday night.

The deal will anger the Venezuelan opposition, who have of late criticized the White House for standing by as the leader of the OPEC nation has repeatedly outmaneuvered the U.S. government after the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaign failed to topple him.

In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry, promising to reimpose the restrictions if Maduro by November 30 didnt live up to his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections next year.

Also detained in Venezuela are US citizens Eyvin Hernandez (left), and Joseph Cristella, who are accused of entering the country illegally from Colombia

Jerrel Kenemore was also arrested in Venezuela after being accused of illegally crossing the border from Colombia

California businessman Savoi Wright, 38, was detained in November by Venezuelan authorities under unclear accusations

That deadline passed and so far Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office. Additionally, he jailed aides of Machado and threatened to invade neighboring Guyana.

Saab, 51, was pulled off a private jet during a fuel stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduros government. The charges: conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing for Venezuelas government.

Maduros government has insisted Saab was traveling to Iran to buy food and medical supplies when he was detained in Cape Verde. Saab was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for allegedly running a scheme that included Maduros inner circle and stole hundreds of millions in dollars from food-import contracts at a time of widespread hunger mainly due to shortages in the South American country.

A decade into the crisis, grocery stores are now fully stocked, but few can afford food. The monthly minimum wage is about $3.60, just enough to buy a gallon of water.

The Trump administration held out Saab as a trophy, spending millions of dollars pursuing the Colombian-born businessman. At one point, it even deployed a Navy warship to the coast of West Africa to warn the Venezuelans.

Maduros government has argued that Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat, entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution under international law.

The chavista regime, which had led a massive campaign to obtain Saab's release, has announced a formal celebration at the Miraflores presidential palace on Wednesday night

Saab is seen with his former model wife Camilla, who campaigned for his release

Saab's wife (far left) is seen posing with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, as well as other members of the socialist regime

But his defense lawyers said last year in a closed-door hearing that before his arrest, Saab had been secretly talking to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, helping authorities untangle corruption in Maduros inner circle and agreeing to forfeit millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from corrupt state contracts.

The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas. The most notable prisoner exchange came last December when the U.S. government, over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials, traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

The succession of swaps has raised concerns that the U.S. is incentivizing hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in U.S courts. Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad is a core government priority that requires difficult dealmaking.
A fill-in ABC radio presenter who was axed after a series of pro-Palestine posts on social media was reportedly given the boot after a flood of complaints from the Jewish community reached the public broadcaster's top boss.

Presenter Antoinette Lattouf broke her silence on Wednesday night to threaten legal action over her termination, hours after she was dropped from hosting the ABC Sydney mornings slot she had been covering for Sarah Macdonald.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose was reportedly 'furious' at Ms Lattouf's hiring for the casual role after the ABC board received a raft of complaints over her stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict which were brought up with her and other board members, an insider told The Australian newspaper.

Daily Mail Australia understands the complaints centre on social media posts Ms Lattouf made that were critical of the Jewish state in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Lattouf recently co-wrote an article that questioned the truth of claims pro-Palestine protesters had shouted 'gas the Jews' at a rally outside Sydney Opera House, which sparked backlash on social media.

Antoinette Lattouf (pictured) had been hosting ABC Sydney mornings this week but was told on Wednesday afternoon she would not be returning to the airwaves

ABC chair Ita Buttrose was reportedly furious at Ms Lattouf's hiring for the high profile radio spot after complaints flooded in from the Jewish community

Among the complaints to the broadcaster was one from a Jewish woman who raised her concerns to ABC managing director David Anderson.

She expressed concern Ms Lattouf had a biased position 'as evidence by her stance on opposing the authenticity of the 'gas the Jews' chants at the Sydney Opera House'.

'Her actions, in my opinion, contribute to a rewriting of history that is not only inaccurate but also harmful.'

Ms Lattouf had also joined other journalists in signing a petition calling on newsrooms to treat information from the Israeli government and Hamas with the same 'professional scepticism' unless verified by a third party.

That had prompted news director Justin Stevens to send out a memo reminding reporters they 'should not sign any petition that may bring into question your impartiality or that of the ABC's coverage'.

The ABC told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Lattouf was ordered off the air effective immediately after her program on Wednesday.

'ABC Sydney casual presenter Antoinette Lattouf will not be back on air for her remaining two shifts this week,' the spokesperson said.

Late on Wednesday night, Lattouf posted on Instagram that she was 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision today'.

'I believe I was terminated unlawfully,' she said. 'This is not a win for journalism or critical, fair thinking. I'm currently considering my legal options.'

Ms Lattouf has made a number of social media posts on various platforms since October 7 which were critical of the Israeli government

Late on Wednesday night, Lattouf posted on Instagram that she was 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision today. The post is pictured

The outspoken journalist had posted excitedly about filling in for Macdonald on Monday.

She was originally due to present the morning radio show for five days, but will now not be returning to the program on Thursday or Friday.

Lattouf's posts about the conflict in the Middle East, which were on various online platforms, are understood to have breached the ABC's social media policies.

The ABC has strict editorial policies and requires staff to be impartial in their reporting and protect the broadcaster's reputation.

'A thoughtless post or tweet can instantly compromise this perception of impartiality,' the ABC's rules state.

Lattouf recently co-authored an article questioning the veracity of a viral footage that showed pro-Palestine activists chanting 'gas the Jews' at the Sydney Opera House at a protest in October.

'Analysis of the Aust Jewish Association videos by fact checker RMIT CrossCheck found a number of signs that suggest audio was edited' she claimed.

In another post from November Lattouf wrote: 'We need a PERMANENT ceasefire and to address the ROOT of the problem - unlawful occupation of Palestine.'

In a video posted to Instagram in October, Latouff attempted an analysis of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and called both Hamas and the Israeli government 'extremists'.

She called for the mourning of all civilian life lost in the conflict and for the condemnation of anti-Arab and anti-Semitic rhetoric, but added: 'You can and should condemn illegal military occupation of Palestine that's been happening for 75 years.

'You can and should remember human rights organisation internationally and in Israel have called the occupation 'apartheid',' she said.

Lattouf (pictured) who was sacked after a series of pro-Palestine posts on social media has come out fighting and is threatening legal action

The outspoken journalist (pictured) had posted excitedly about filling in for Macdonald on Monday

It's understood Lattouf's (pictured) posts about the conflict in the Middle East breached the ABC's social media policies

'You can and should speak out against the occupation of Palestine - because that is the root of all of this.'

She wrote that she had turned comments off on the post to 'limit hate speech'.

But as of late on Wednesday night, the comments were still on her latest Instagram post about being 'very disappointed by the ABC's decision' and considering her legal options.

Lattouf, an Australian-Lebanese mother-of-two, is also the co-founder of Media Diversity Australia - a not for profit organisation that supports increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the media.

She also wrote a 2022 book about advocating for positive change and racial equality titled 'How to Lose Friends and Influence White People'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Lattouf and Ms Buttrose for further comment on the complaints about her hiring and reason she was dropped from the program.
Ministers have been accused of failing Christmas holidaymakers after it emerged that none of Britain's ten busiest airports have fully installed fast-track security scanners.

Aviation minister Anthony Browne disclosed that the 'next-generation security checkpoints'  which are designed to slash waiting times by letting passengers leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage  are only in place at one UK airport.

This is believed to be London City, the country's 15th busiest airport  but there are fears that Britain's largest transport hubs won't complete the work by the deadline in June.

The busiest, Heathrow, said last night it could not confirm whether it would be able to meet the deadline.

Manchester, the third busiest, and Stansted, the fourth, said the full installation will take until 2025.

The 'Next Generation Security Checkpoints' - intended to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage - are only in one UK airport

Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at Heathrow Airport

Passengers queue for check in at Manchester Airport's Terminal 1

The slow progress leaves passengers facing big queues at security during the busy festive period and beyond.

Mr Browne told MPs last week that the deadline had been 'delayed several times' and he was meeting industry figures urgently to discuss the installation of the scanners.

He added: 'June 2024 is the end deadline. So my message to airports is to start implementing it now  don't wait for the deadline.'

Air passengers have faced longer queues for security checks and strict limits on the volume of liquids they can carry in hand luggage since a plot by a UK terror cell to blow up transatlantic airliners with liquid bombs was foiled in 2006.

The latest scanners, which create a 3D image of the contents of baggage, let airports ditch the 100ml liquid limit and the requirement that travellers put them in a clear plastic bag.

Emily Thornberry, Labour's shadow attorney general, said: 'For families heading overseas this Christmas, it will be hugely frustrating that we have reached another holiday with no progress. There is no sense of urgency.'

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin tested out London City Airport's 'fancy' new scanners in May

Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency travel consultancy, said: 'UK airports need to step up a gear to install the newest equipment.

'Security lanes are faster overseas than many UK airports, and this Christmas will see UK departing passengers queuing for longer than they have to due to the fact the latest equipment has not been installed.

'This has to be a priority.'

Last night, Tory MPs also raised concerns about summer holidays potentially being ruined if the technology was not phased in gradually.

Iain Stewart, chairman of the Commons transport committee, said: 'We worry we will see a build-up of queues until everyone gets used to them.'

Tory MP Greg Smith, who also sits on the committee, added: 'It's a total nightmare  all airports seem to be going for the absolute deadline. There needs to be phasing.'

The Department for Transport said: 'The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world, and this cutting-edge technology will enhance security and boost the passenger experience. We are in regular contact with airports as they move towards June 2024.'

The Airport Operators Association said: 'These are significant projects with complex delivery programmes, requiring major construction and renovation. Airports are making every effort to ensure the passenger experience remains positive while this is undertaken and are working hard to meet the Government's timeline.'
Residents of a fishing and tourist town have been urged to leave their homes as a fire barrels towards them.

The alert for Lancelin was originally an emergency warning but downgraded to a watch-and-act shortly before midnight as the fire was contained but it is not yet under control.

'There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is burning in the area and the conditions are changing,' WA's Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said in a statement, noting that Lancelin Road, north of Perth, was closed.

Authorities said in their latest update an evacuation centre at Guilderton Country Club was being closed.

The fire was burning northwest towards the townsite, 126km north of Perth.

Residents of fishing and tourist town Lancelin have been told to leave as weather for Thursday could worsen bushfires (pictured, Lancelin's fire from Indian Ocean Drive on Wednesday)

Locals have been told to close all windows and doors as they leave, turn off evaporative air conditioners and try and keep water running as they leave.

Those who can't leave have been told to shelter in their homes in the room furthest from the fire front in a room with two exits and water, such as a kitchen or laundry.

Lancelin is one of several towns issued with bushfire warnings on Wednesday.

DFES issued warnings that lives and properties are under threat across the Wheatbelt in parts of Toodyay, Coondle and Julimar, about 100km northeast of Perth.

'It's too late to leave, leaving now will put your life in danger,' the department said.

The emergency warning covered people in an area bounded by Trig Road, Coondle West Road, Parkland Drive including Sinclair Place and Donegan View, Julimar Road and across to Nerramine Drive.

People north of Julimar Road can leave in an easterly or westerly direction.

An evacuation centre has been set up at Toodyay Memorial Hall.

Lancelin evacuees were told to close all windows and doors as they leave, turn off evaporative air conditioners and try and keep water running (pictured, incident control centre for the Lancelin bushfire on Wednesday)

Homes on Parkland Drive, Munnapin Rise, Malkup Brook Road, Sand Spring Road, Howard Road, Powder Bark Road, Sinclair Place and Donegan View are threatened by fire.

A number of roads have been closed, including Julimar Road from Chittering Road to Coondle West Road.

The Shire of Toodyay borders the northeastern edge of the Perth metropolitan area and has a population of about 4,600 people.

Another emergency warning was issued in the shire of Manjimup - in the state's southwest - for Callcup, Crowea and Meerup after a fire broke containment lines on Thursday morning.

'You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes,' DFES said.

The alert was in place for the area bounded by Gumnut Road and Richardson Road, Tattenham Road and Pemberton-Northcliffe Road as well as Malimup track and Barker Road.

Several dangerous fires continue to burn across the Wheatbelt and in the shire of Manjimup as the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts weather that could worsen the bushfires (pictured, fire outside Lancelin on Wednesday)

The Bureau of Meteorology warned fresh easterly winds and dry conditions would lead to elevated fire dangers.

'There is also the risk of high-based thunderstorms with dry lightning, exacerbating the fire dangers,' the alert said.

Total fire bans have been enacted for the Perth Metropolitan, Goldfields Midlands, South West districts on Thursday.
Police said Conlon was a tenant in Claudia's house who had stopped paying rent in late 2022, but lived there until he killed her in February

Claudia, 73, is the mother NBC Connecticut news anchor Heidi Voight, who shared the news of her death in July

A suspect has been arrested in connection to the brutal murder of NBC Connecticut TV news anchor Heidi Voight's mother.

Rhode Island man Shawn Conlon, 44, was taken into custody on Wednesday at a hotel in Groton, Connecticut after a multi-agency pursuit.

Vermont State Police led the investigation into the February 20 killing of Claudia Voight, 73, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Rhode Island State Police and the Groton Police Department.

Earlier this week, Vermont police obtained a warrant for Conlon's arrest on a charge of second-degree murder of Claudia Voight, the mother of NBC Connecticut anchor Heidi Voight.

'VSP's investigation determined that Conlon had been renting a room in Ms. Voight's home, though he stopped paying rent in late 2022 but remained in the house, until he attacked and killed her in February,' said the Vermont State Police.

Shawn Conlon, 44, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder of Claudia Voight

NBC Connecticut anchor Heidi Voight (left) said 'HALLELUJAH' on Facebook after an arrest was made in the murder of her mother Claudia Voight, 73 (right)

Voight (center) revealed in July she had not been on air because she was carrying the 'painful secret' of her mother's murder

On December 20, 2023 the USMS CT Violent Fugitive Task Force, USMS Rhode Island, RI State Police, and Groton PD assisted the Vermont State Police by locating and apprehending Shawn Conlon in Groton, CT on charges of second degree homicide. https://t.co/syCI4vkfuW pic.twitter.com/tVd5Q1fGXf  U.S. Marshals Service New Haven (@USMS_NewHaven) December 20, 2023

Investigators initially thought Conlon was in Rhode Island but was tracked down in Connecticut and is being charged as a fugitive from justice.

According to police, during his first court appearance Conlon was ordered held for lack of $1 million bail on the fugitive charge. He waived extradition and will be transferred back to Vermont.

The Vermont arrest warrant for second-degree murder orders Conlon jailed without bail.

Heidi wrote on Facebook, 'HALLELUJAH' following the announcement of Conlon's arrest.

The award-winning journalist shared the news of her mother's murder in a heartbreaking social media post in July detailing how she had been carrying a 'painful secret', after Vermont police said they were reinvestigating the February death of her mother Claudia.

Cops initially thought she died February 20 from a 'medical event', but an autopsy later revealed she died from neck compression in an attack that authorities described as 'targeted'.

'My mother's death was not natural, nor peaceful,' Heidi wrote. 'My mother was murdered, violently, in the place she should have felt safest -- her own home in Windham, Vermont.'

Heidi added that she had been forced to keep the murder out of the public eye, because 'our silence was necessary to protect the early stages of the intense criminal investigation.'

Heidi, who represented Connecticut at the Miss America Pageant in 2006, said she had been off the air while her family comes to terms with the tragedy.

Voight said her mother's (pictured) murder 'changed' her, and said she has taken time off the air to get 'the help I need to be mentally and physically okay for the long haul'

Claudia (left) pictured with her daughter Heidi (right). Police initially did not think her death was suspicious but an autopsy revealed injuries and determined her death was a homicide

'She should be here,' she began, thanking people for the 'outpouring of kindness' she has received following her mother's death.

'I know you've had questions, and there is something I've been wanting to tell you, but up until now, couldn't,' she wrote.

'I have been carrying this painful secret: My mother's death was not natural, nor peaceful. My mother was murdered, violently, in the place she should have felt safest - her own home in Windham, Vermont.'

After an autopsy at the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington indicated the death was suspicious, and Claudia had sustained injuries that were detectable only during autopsy.

Final autopsy findings in April confirmed that Ms. Voight's cause of death was neck compression, and the manner of death was homicide.
An extremely lucky man has unearthed a 4.87-carat diamond during his first ever visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.

Jerry Evans, from Lepanto, was wandering in the park with his girlfriend when he stumbled upon what he thought was a shard of glass just 10 minutes into their walk.

He picked it up and put it in his pocket, thinking no more of it, before heading home.

He told Newsweek: 'I thought it might be a piece of glass, it was so clear. I really didn't know. We were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond.'

It was only after he got home that Evans decided to send the shard off to the Gemological Institute of America for a professional assessment.

Jerry Evans thought the diamond was a shard of glass when he spotted it on a walk through the park

He put it in his pocket and thought no more of it, but when he got home he decided to have it tested

Weeks later, he received a very unexpected email, confirming the gem was a near-colorless diamond.

He said: 'When they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death.'

Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 911-acre plot in Pike County, Arkansas.

It is one of the few diamond-rich sites open to the public in the world, with a 37.5-acre site where visitors can search for a variety of rocks and minerals.

The park even allows visitors to keep anything they find on their walks.

So far, the park has yielded over 35,000 diamonds.

It's hard to say what the monetary value of the diamond is as, as well as carats, it depends on its cut, clarity, color.

The largest ever diamond found in the US was found there - the 40.23-carat 'Uncle Sam.'

State park authorities said Evans' discovery - which he named the 'Evans Diamond' - is the biggest in the past three years.

He sent it off to the Gemological Institute of America who determined it was in fact a diamond

Jerry is allowed to keep his remarkable find, which he has named the 'Evans Diamond'

In 2020, Kevin Kinard from Maumelle found a 9.07-carat brown diamond.

Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox told Newsweek: 'I'm glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.

'Mr. Evans' diamond is spectacular to see. It's a complete crystal with a brilliant white color reminiscent of many other large, white diamonds I've seen from here in the past.'

Evans encouraged other people to come and try their hand at diamond-hunting, he said: 'Come and search, because there's a chance. They're out there.'

Park officials said that 798 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2023, totaling more than 125 carats.
Liverpool has installed 'stab survival cupboards' to help reverse the rising trend of knife crime-related deaths in the UK.

The red containers hold medical equipment, including scissors, gloves, tourniquets and chest wound sealants, and will be accessible using codes provided by calling 999.

They are designed to be used by both members of the public who witness stabbings, and emergency services, including paramedics and police officers.

The first six are being installed across Liverpool's city centre, following the fatal stabbing of 12-year-old Ava White in November 2021.

She passed away after she was stabbed in the city's centre, moments after a Christmas lights switch-on event.

The red containers hold medical equipment and will be accessible using codes provided by calling 999

They are designed to be used by both members of the public who witness stabbings, and emergency services, including paramedics and police officers

Ava White was killed on Church Alley, off Church Street, on November 25, 2021 following an alleged altercation with a boy

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan is ticked off by the ORS for falsely claiming that knife crime had fallen in London Advertisement

KnifeSavers, the organisation taking charge of the initiative, says it hoped more will be installed across the country.

Nikhil Misra, a consultant trauma surgeon at Liverpool's Aintree University Hospital and KnifeSavers founder, said: 'Whether it's a knife wound, or an injury from a fall or a car crash, every second counts when it comes to controlling the bleeding and hopefully saving someone's life.

'These kits provide the essential equipment needed to reduce and prevent catastrophic bleeding until the arrival of paramedics and it's our mission to try and get the cabinets and bleed kits truly accessible across the whole of the North West, and then all of the country.'

20 more are expected to be installed across the North West, while a further 1,500 portable, in the form of smaller bleed kits, have already been handed out to venues, including clubs, bars, pubs and schools, in the region.

KaysMedical, the company partnering with KnifeSavers to provide the kits, says each bleed kit holds the necessary equipment to help one person, while each bleeding control cabinet can hold up to six of these kits.

Undated handout photo issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the knife used to stab 12-year-old Ava White

Ava White was killed on Church Alley, off Church Street, on November 25, 2021

Superintendent Georgie Garvey, director of Merseyside's Violence Reduction Partnership, said: 'The early stages after a violent incident are often the most important in terms of delivering life-saving medical care.

'These cabinets will assist members of the community to provide a rapid response prior to the arrival of emergency services, enabling a wound to be packed or wrapped and buying the injured person more time, which ultimately could help to save their life.'

Superintendent Phil Mullally, Merseyside Police's lead for Serious Violence and Knife Crime, added: 'Reducing serious violence is a priority for the force and we have ongoing operations and initiatives targeted at reducing and preventing knife crime.

'We are targeting serious violence hotspot areas with high visibility patrols and using new powers such as Serious Violence Reduction Orders to keep the pressure on those who unlawfully carry and use knives in Merseyside.'

While Merseyside has seen a significant fall in knife-related offences in the past few years, they have been on the rise across the UK over the past 10 years

Knife-related crimes increased by 3% in the year to June 2023, while England and Wales saw a record high of 282 homicides involving a knife or a sharp instrument in the year to March 2022.

Data from the Home Office shows that Surrey, Northumbria and Derbyshire had the highest growth in knife-related offences between 2021 and 2022, each county's police force seeing a more than 9% growth in offences

Per 100,000 people, Essex had the highest number of knife-related offences, at 89. Humberside and Merseyside police forces reported that they weren't far behind, each at 86 knife offences per 100,000.

MailOnline has contacted KnifeSavers for comment.
A young driver has died and two others have been injured after their car rolled over and smashed into a tree in a horror late night crash.

The crash occurred at Mount Barker Road in Hahndorf, around 20km south-east of Adelaide, at 10.20pm on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old driver died at the scene while two female passengers who were also in the car suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene following reports of the crash.

A 20-year-old woman and a 19-year-old woman were rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital to be treated for their injuries.

A young driver has died after his car rolled over and hit a tree in a horror crash (pictured) in Adelaide late on Wednesday night

The car was travelling on Mount Barker Road in Hahndorf (pictured stock image), around 20 kilometres south-east of Adelaide

The driver of the car is understood to be from Blair Athol - a suburb not far from the city.

South Australia Police said major crash investigators were called to the scene and began investigating the cause of the accident.

Mount Barker Road was closed overnight before it was reopened on Thursday morning.

The man's death marks the 110th life lost on South Australian roads in 2023 with just four days to go before Christmas.

Two women who were in the car at the time of the crash were taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital (pictured) after the pair suffered non-life threatening injuries
Search parties have started the third day of a desperate search for a teenage boy who disappeared after falling into a blowhole.

The missing boy Lauchlon Humphries, 14, was on the rocks at Cape Bridgewater, near Portland 365km south-west of Melbourne on Tuesday, with a school friend aged 15.

Emergency services yesterday blamed a 'freak wave' that washed over the boys and dragged them into the blowhole, sweeping them out to sea.

The 15-year-old was able to swim back ashore at about 7pm that night and alert authorities that his mate was still in the ocean.

Since being notified of his disappearance both boys' families have been joined by civilians, SES, police, Air Ambulance and Life Saving Victoria to try and find Lauchlon, and will recommence the search at 11am.

A desperate search is for teenager Lauchlon Humphries (pictured) is entering its third day after he and another boy, 15, fell into a blowhole at around 7.30pm on Tuesday

Police revealed that while the search had been hindered by rough sea conditions over the past two days, search parties are yet to give up hope.

A Victoria Police helicopter spent Wednesday circling the search area, stretching 10km along the coast and about 2km out to sea.

A search on the water using boats and jet skis was also conducted by police and SES to try and find the teen.

His family was seen at the site where he vanished from at first light.

Victoria Police Inspector Steve Thompson conceded on Wednesday that while police hadn't given up hope of finding the teen alive, 'obviously the more time that goes by, realistically we're becoming more concerned'.

Lauchlon's distraught family (pictured) were seen at the site of his disappearance at first light on Wednesday and have been assisting in the search for the teenager

Search parties with emergency services and civilians have been hindered by rough sea conditions over the past two days but haven't lost hope (pictured, ambulance helicopter)

Lauchlon's friends expressed their distress on social media on Wednesday.

'Come home safe Lauchlon, miss you bro,' one wrote, while a second said: 'Love you Lauchlon, come home safe.'

Another friend said, 'Love you my bro always forever I love you.'

Parks Victoria issued a warning to those planning on visiting the blowholes near Portland to be aware of slippery rocks, unstable cliffs and strong seas currents in and around the natural attraction.

More to come.
The mother of an Israeli hostage mistakenly shot dead by the IDF told the soldiers that gunned down her son: 'I love you very much and I embrace you from afar.'

Yotam Haim, 28, was killed alongside Alon Shamriz, 26, and Samer El-Talalka, 22, after escaping their captors and waving a white flag.

But Mr Haim's mother, Iris, made an emotional voice note to the troops' battalion absolving them of blame and pinning the tragedy on Hamas.

She said: 'I wanted to tell you that I love you very much and I embrace you from afar. I know that everything that happened is completely not your fault, it's nobody's fault - except the Hamas, may their name and memory be wiped off the face of the earth.'

Mrs Haim urged the soldiers of Bislach Brigade, battalion 17 to 'stay safe' and said that the Jewish people 'need you'.

The mother of Yotam Haim (left) who was mistakenly shot dead by the IDF, told the soldiers that gunned down her son: 'I love you very much and I embrace you from afar'

Yotam, 28, was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7

She said: 'Don't hesitate for a single moment - if you see a terrorist, don't think that you have deliberately killed a hostage, you need to protect yourselves because that's the only way you would be able to protect us.

'We invite you to come visit us at the earliest opportunity, whoever is willing, we want to see you with our own eyes and embrace you and tell you that what you have done.

'As painful as it is to say, and as sad as it is - was likely the right thing to do at that moment, and none of us are judging you or angry with you.

'Not me, not my husband Raviv, not my daughter Noya, not Yotam, of blessed memory, and not Tuval, Yotam's brother.'

The IDF is investigating the shooting after releasing a statement with full details and stating that it breached their rules of engagement.

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: 'This is a tragic incident, the IDF bears responsibility. This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.'

The army's chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned.

Two of the victims were initially named - Yotam, who was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7.

Samer Al-Talalka was also abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7

The third victim mistakenly killed was later identified as Alon Shamriz, a computer engineering student born to Iranian parents

Netanyahu said: 'With all the deep sorrow, I want to clarify: the military pressure is necessary both for the return of the kidnapped and for achieving victory over our enemies'

The third victim mistakenly killed was later identified as Alon, a computer engineering student born to Iranian parents.

The deaths occurred in the (northern) Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas in recent days.

The Israeli military said it will be 'reviewing the incident immediately' adding that 'immediate lessons' have also been learnt.

The force said it's mission remains to 'locate the missing and return all hostages home'.

Yotam's mother Iris Haim had been desperately trying to get son home since he disappeared more than two months ago.

She spoke at a press conference held by The Missing Families and Hostages Forum last week, recalling the last conversation she had with her son.

The terrified mother described the moment her son was taken by Hamas terrorists at 10.44am from a safe room he had been hiding in on October 7.

He told his mother that terrorists were 'shooting at the house, shooting the door, shooting the safe room and burning the house.'

READ MORE: Fury on the streets of Tel Aviv over IDF shooting of Israeli hostages: Families of civilians kidnapped by Hamas stage demo after army admitted killing three it mistook for terrorists in Gaza fighting Advertisement

Their conversation began at 6.30am but became more frantic after her son discovered that it wasn't a missle strike taking place, but a terror attack happening in his kibbutz.

A panicked Iris, said her son who suffers from some mental and medical issues was alone and 'afraid.' She tried to call the police and the army but could not get through.

Yotam's parents lived in a nearby moshav and his father desperately wanted to get his son but was unable to because of Hamas surrounding the area.

'We couldn't help,' she wept. 'We knew we couldn't help as a mother and a father we were so helpless.'

Calling his mother 'mamou' the endearing name, her son began using after a mother-son trip to France, she began to cry as she recalled the last time they would speak before they lost all communication.

'Mamou I hope I will survive this,' Yotam told his mother. 'I don't know if I will survive, but I love you.... ask for help.... please...please... send someone please ... I don't have air... I cannot breathe.'

A few weeks ago, while speaking at another forum for those who have loved ones murdered or kidnapped by Hamas. Iris begged for his son to be returned. 'He needs to come back to his family ... to us,' she said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement and said on Saturday that the army's killing of three hostages in Gaza in a case of mistaken identity was heart-breaking, but 'military pressure is necessary' to bring the other captives home.

'It broke my heart. It broke the whole nation's heart,' he said of the deaths, while adding: 'With all the deep sorrow, I want to clarify: the military pressure is necessary both for the return of the kidnapped and for achieving victory over our enemies.'

The news of their killing has sparked furious protests on the streets of Tel Aviv, with the families of hostages held in Gaza calling on the government to make an urgent deal to secure their release amid concern that their loved ones could be next.

The death of the three hostages sparked anger in Israel, with protesters marching last night to share their anguish and fury. Pictured: Relatives and supporters of hostages held by Palestinian militants demonstrate outside the Israeli ministry of defence in Tel Aviv

Families of the hostages set up tents to sleep in after marching to the Kirya on December 16, 2023

People rally for the release of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 16, 2023

'All we get again and again are dead hostages,' Noam Perry, daughter of hostage Haim Perry, said at an event in Tel Aviv organised by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

'Our demand is not a fight (with the government). It's a call that anyone would have made if it had been their father. Take us into consideration and come up with a plan now (for negotiation).'

Scenes from Tel Aviv showed crowds of people, many themselves the families of people kidnapped by Hamas, taking to the streets with banners to mourn and call for the return of Israelis trapped in Gaza.

Protestors held signs calling for an immediate hostage exchange, showed pictures of loved ones now missing for nearly ten weeks, and saw an Israeli flag coated in red paint and left outside the ministry of defence.

Netanyahu appeared to confirm on Saturday that new negotiations were underway to recover hostages held by Hamas, after a source said Israel's intelligence chief met the prime minister of Qatar, a country mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a press conference, Netanyahu called the conflict an existential war that must be fought until victory, despite pressure and costs, and said Gaza would be demilitarised and placed under Israeli security control.

He said Israel's offensive in Gaza had helped clinch a partial hostage release deal in November and vowed to maintain intense military pressure on Hamas, the terrorist group that runs Gaza and that he has vowed to destroy.

'The instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing,' he said.
Israeli PM Netanyahu said Israel would not stop until Hamas is eliminated

Hamas says it will only discuss a permanent ceasefire in exchange for hostages

Hamas has threatened to not release any more hostages unless Israel agrees to end its war in the Palestinian territories.

The warning came as the terror group's chief landed in Cairo for talks over a ceasefire.

Ismail Haniyeh flew into Egypt from his home in Qatar  prompting hopes that a new wave of releases could be imminent.

The militant leader typically wades publicly into diplomacy when progress seems likely. But US President Joe Biden warned last night that he did not expect a deal to be struck soon given the great divide between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has insisted all remaining women and infirm men must be released and accepts it may have to release Palestinians convicted of serious offences in return.

Israel says that all remaining women and infirm men currently being held in Gaza must be released, and accepts it may have to release Palestinians in Israeli prisons

Ismail Haniyeh, who leads the Hamas' political wing, has travelled to Egypt for talks, prompting hope that a new release of hostages may be on the cards

Negotiations are complicated as another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, holds some of the 129 remaining hostages in Gaza

But Hamas says it will only discuss a permanent ceasefire in exchange for hostages, rather than a temporary halt to hostilities, which Tel Aviv will not agree to.

Eurovision Olly's 'genocide' slur The BBC is facing calls to drop Britain's Eurovision contestant after it emerged he had signed a letter accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Olly Alexander, 33, endorsed a statement by gay rights charity Voices4London 'in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement'. Issued weeks after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, it made no mention of the terrorists but claimed 'current events simply are an escalation of the state of Israel's apartheid regime'. Last night the BBC  which broadcasts and helps fund the annual contest in which Israel takes part  was facing calls to drop him. A Conservative source told The Daily Telegraph: 'Letting an openly anti-Israel singer compete on the same stage as Israel is either a massive oversight or sheer brass neck from the BBC.' The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the corporation 'can and must' cut ties with Alexander. Advertisement

A Palestinian official said: 'Hamas's stance remains, they don't have a desire for humanitarian pauses. Hamas wants a complete end to the Israeli war on Gaza.'

Responding to the claims, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: 'We won't stop fighting until we've achieved all the objectives we've set ourselves  the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza.'

Negotiations are also complicated as another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, has some of the 129 hostages in Gaza. It said its leader would also visit Egypt to try to bring a possible end to the war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the world must pressure Hamas, not just Israel, after wide global criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

'There seems to be silence on what Hamas could do, should do, must do if we want to end the suffering of innocent men, women and children,' he said. 'It would be good if the world could unite around that proposition as well.'

Mr Blinken also said he was hoping for a positive outcome on a second UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Last night, the Security Council postponed the vote in New York calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as diplomats struggle to agree on the language of the draft resolution. Members have been wrangling over the wording since the vote was first scheduled for Monday.

The latest version stops short of using the word 'ceasefire' and focuses instead on humanitarian access into Gaza.

Bitter fighting between Israel and Hamas have prompted growing concern abroad, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will not stop until Hamas is eliminated

US President Joe Biden warned last night that he did not expect a deal to be struck soon given the great divide between Israel and Hamas

Mr Blinken indicated that the humanitarian issue was the sticking point, with Israel insisting on full control of supplies that enter the blockaded Palestinian territory. 'The purpose of the resolution as stated by the countries that put it forward is to facilitate and expand humanitarian assistance that's getting into Gaza, and we fully support that,' he said. 'We've been working on this intensely. I hope we can get to a good place.'

It came as fierce fighting continued to rage in northern Gaza, even though Israel had insisted it had largely subdued Hamas resistance there last month. The Palestinian Red Crescent said the Israel Defence Forces had besieged its ambulance depot in Jabalia, a northern settlement that has been embattled for weeks. There are 127 people in the facility including workers and the wounded.

In the south, where most Palestinian civilians are sheltering after fleeing other areas, there has been intense fighting around the centre of Khan Younis, which Israeli soldiers have partly stormed.
The Colorado Republican Party has threatened to nix the state's planned primary election if Donald Trump's name isn't allowed on the ballot, replacing it with a caucus instead after a bombshell state supreme court ruling.

The state GOP issued the threat on X after Trump competitor Vivek Ramaswamy threatened to try to take his own name off the ballot in protest.

The threat came during the continuing fallout of the dramatic Colorado Supreme Court ruling barring Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment's clause on people who have committed 'insurrection' against the U.S.

Even one of the justices serving the state's highest court said in opposing the decision that there was no 'due process', warned it would cause chaos and said he has 'never seen anything like it' in his legal career.

Democrats have won Colorado in the last four general elections and Biden was victorious by 13 points in the state that will have 10 electoral college votes in 2024.

But the result in the Republican primary will still be crucial in deciding who will be on the ticket next November.

The Colorado state Republican Party says it will cancel the planned primary election and hold a caucus instead of Donald Trump is not allowed on the ballot

Colorado's Republican Party responded when Ramaswamy threatened to pull his name off the ballot and urged rivals Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie to do the same.

'You won't have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand,' the party tweeted.

State GOP chair Dave Williams told NBC News, 'We're at the mercy of the U.S. Supreme Court' and that the state was 'figuring it out as we go.'

'But we'll make our preparations to convert to a caucus while this is all playing out. And if it [a Supreme Court ruling] does not go in our favor, we'll plan to do a caucus. But if it does go in our favor, then nothing will change.'

It is not clear that the state party would be able to pull off such a move. Coloradans voted to switch to a primary in 2019. It would require sign-off from the national GOP, where Trump has outsized influence, but would require state support and might need to overcome a court challenge.

The office of Colorado's Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is ordered in the ruling not to put Trump's name on the ballot, would not likely go along with the new scheme.

'Colorado law does not allow a presidential primary election to be cancelled at the request of a political party,' said Jack Todd, a Griswold spokesman.

'If the Colorado Republican Party attempts to withdraw from the presidential primary or ignore the results of the election, this would likely be a matter for the courts,' he said.

The state GOP said it would 'withdraw' from the primary if necessary, although it is not clear it could do so

The party responded to a pledge by candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to boycott the primary in the state over the court's action disqualifying Trump

'This is not democracy at all. This is something that I think the American public will find completely repugnant, and I think the Supreme Court is going to bat it down,' said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)

President Joe Biden said former President Donald Trump 'supported an insurrection'

Former President Donald Trump attends a rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol attack. His role in the 'insurrection' and attempt to overturn the 2020 election make him ineligible to serve, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol Building on January 6, interrupting the joint session of Congress that cemented President Joe Biden's 2020 election win

The jostling in Colorado comes amid fury from Trump and his Republican allies about the court decision, which threatens to toss the leading Republican off the ballot in other states.

'What it does is it inflames [and tells] America that there is a complete disregard for the opinions and the rights of those that don't agree with the left,' Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee told DailyMail.com.

'And they were willing to disenfranchise, using a judicial mechanism to disenfranchise half of the voters in Colorado. Yet at the same time, the Democrats are constantly talking about threats to democracy. This is an unheard of threat to democracy, that they're willing to exercise and it shows that they're desperate,' he fumed.

'This is not democracy at all. This is something that I think the American public will find completely repugnant, and I think the Supreme Court is going to bat it down,' he said.

'A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,' the court wrote in its bombshell 4-3 ruling Tuesday.

WHAT DOES SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT SAY? No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Advertisement

The court also found that Trump's January 6 speech where he told a crowd to 'fight like hell' before a mob stormed the Capitol was not protected under the First Amendment.

Legal experts including former White House lawyer Ty Cobb have predicted the high court will swat down the decision. 'I think this case will be handled quickly, I think it could be 9-0 at the Supreme Court for Trump,' predicted Cobb on CNN.

And former Trump AG Bill Barr, now a Trump critic, said Tuesday the decision would wreak havoc on the election system.

'The core problem here is the denial of due process,' he said. 'It was a five day hearing ... The process here was a procedural Frankenstein.'

He also said of the potential political impact that Trump 'feeds on grievance, just like a fire feeds on oxygen. This is going to end up as a grievance that helps him.'

But President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday there was 'no question' Trump engaged in insurrection, while stopping short of getting into the court's reasoning.

Former House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who taught constitutional law, said the ruling was grounded in the text of the U.S. Constitution.

'If the [Supreme] Court takes remotely seriously its profession of faith in original intent and textualism, then it will have to affirm' the ruling, said Raskin. 'The original meaning ... is precisely to forbid people who have betrayed their oath by trying to overthrow the constitutional order.'

The conservative 6-3 weighed U.S. Supreme Court, which featured three Trump appointees, can turn to the three Colorado dissenters for arguments if they want to intervene.

'I have been involved in the justice system for thirty-three years now, and what took place here doesnt resemble anything Ive seen in a courtroom,' said dissenting Judge Carlos Samour.

The appointee of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper warned of 'chaos' in the ruling's aftermath.

He said Trump had not been charged under a statute dealing with insurrection, and said he hadn't been through a jury trial or other mechanisms to preserve his rights.

'In my view, what transpired in this litigation fell woefully short of what due process demands,' he wrote in his dissent to the 4-3 decision.
A man has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a property manager to death in a 'random' attack.

Shaun Michael Dunk, 30, has been charged with one count of murder and another of attempted murder following the death of Julie 'Julez' Seed, 38, on Wednesday afternoon.

Ms Seed, who is a property manager, and a 50-year-old woman were allegedly stabbed at Real Estate Agents Group office on Lydia Street in Plympton, Adelaide.

Ms Seed died at the scene while the second woman was rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) with serious injuries.

The alleged killer, who was not known to either of the women, was arrested by police at the scene and was charged with the two offences on Thursday.

A 30-year-old man has been charged with one count of murder and another of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing property manager Julie Seed (above) to death

Paramedics (above) spent an hour at the scene trying to revive Ms Seed following the alleged 'random' attack

South Australian Health confirmed the arrested man had been released from an inpatient treatment order at the RAH just two days before the alleged attack.

The decision to release him is set to be reviewed by the chief psychiatrist.

Detective Chief Inspector Kieran Baggoley said the man was known to police but was not on bail.

'We are working through his history and understanding his antecedence,' he told reporters on Wednesday night.

'It is very early in the investigation.'

Emergency services reportedly found the man 'calmly' waiting outside the office while the severely injured women remained inside.

Police recovered a knife and small hammer from the scene.

The 30-year-old will appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Paramedics spent an hour trying to revive Ms Seed following the alleged stabbing at 3.40pm but she was declared dead at the scene.

A 50-year-old woman remains in a stable condition after she was allegedly stabbed by the 30-year-old man on Wednesday (pictured, police at the scene)

As of Thursday morning, the surviving woman is in a stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery.

Chillingly, the last post uploaded by the real estate office on Facebook had warned 'tomorrow is promised to no one'.

'You never know when the sand is going to run out of the hourglass,' the post said.

The small office sits opposite a supermarket carpark on a residential street and families were among those who watched the tragic events unfold.

Witnesses at the scene said they felt helpless listening to the women's screams shortly after the alleged knifeman entered the building.

'I just hear some lady screaming and I listen to the door as it just crashed closed,' one woman 9News.

'To stand here and watch has been really scary and horrifying to see,' another added.

Police do not believe the alleged attack was targeted or the result of a robbery gone wrong.

Witnesses at the scene said they felt helpless listening to the women's screams shortly after the alleged knifeman entered the building (pictured, emergency services at the scene)

'At this stage it is very early in the investigation [but] it is expected that this is a random attack,' Inspector Baggoley said.

'There is no information to suggest it is anything other than that.

'There is no motive related to robbery that we have identified at this time.'

Officers claim a man was seen wandering around Lydia Street and Anzac Highway prior to the attack and asked anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Midway through the three-week trial of Monique Olivier  one of the grisliest and most gripping France has seen  a key witness was drawn into making a disquieting admission.

If Olivier had not confessed to helping her husband rape and murder British student Joanna Parrish, and two other victims, her lawyer pressed the senior police officer, could he have produced any evidence strong enough to convict her?

Realising the magnitude of the question, Frederic Berardet, who had spent five years investigating the case, smoothed the epaulets of his impeccable blue uniform and began to prevaricate. But his inquisitor demanded a one-word answer.

'No,' replied the Dijon missing persons bureau chief uneasily, as all eyes in the packed courtroom fixed on him.

Late on Monday evening, after deliberating for more than ten hours, a panel of three judges and six jurors found France's most reviled woman guilty of complicity in all three murders.

Monique Olivier, the wife of French self-confessed serial killer Michel Fourniret, waits at the Charleville-Meziere courthouse, northern France, on May 29, 2008

The wife of French self-confessed serial killer Michel Fourniret (pictured) served as his foil

Already serving life for helping Michel Fourniret, the 'Ogre of the Ardennes', to defile and kill other victims, she received a second life sentence with a 20-year minimum term, and as she is now 75 she will surely die in prison.

Olivier showed no emotion as the presiding judge, Didier Safar, said the pair murdered young girls as casually as 'visiting the supermarket'.

So how was her crucial admission  that for 17 years she served as her husband's loyal foil, luring girls into the white Citroen van that served as his execution chamber and carrying out various unspeakable acts  prised from her cruelly thin lips?

The extraordinary story behind her interrogation was not told during the trial. Related to me exclusively by the two women who teased out her darkest secrets, however, it uncovers the unfathomable depths of Olivier's twisted psyche.

Prior to this case, the decades-long failure to solve Joanna's murder, and those of Marie-Angele Domece, 19, and Estelle Mouzin, nine, had stained the French justice system.

It was in its desperation to remove this blemish that the government set up the nation's first cold-case unit.

The unit was headed by Sabine Kheris, a cerebral and highly respected investigating magistrate, who, with her dogged assistant, Valerie Duby, interviewed Olivier more than 30 times between 2018 and 2022.

Pictured is murder victim Joanna Parrish in Paris in 1990. She was killed in Auxerre, France

Determined to deliver justice for the three families and end their decades in limbo, they gained Olivier's trust by using 'cognitive interrogation': a non-confrontational technique used by British war-crimes inquisitors to overcome the hostility of captured Nazi officers.

Giving her first interview, Mme Kheris conceded that the original probe was marred by hidebound detectives, elementary errors and petty rivalry between France's two main law enforcement agencies, the gendarmes and national police.

As Fourniret had kidnapped, raped and murdered at least six other girls and young women in a relatively small area of eastern France before claiming Joanna, in May 1990, it should have been obvious to suspect the killings were the work of one psychopath (if not an evil couple).

Not to the unenlightened French police, for whom the very existence of serial murderers is even today viewed with scepticism.

'Serial killers just aren't in the French culture,' Mme Duby told me, shaking her head. 'Here, they are seen as an invention of imaginative American TV scriptwriters.'

If Joanna's family wondered why it had taken 33 years to solve her murder, those damning words said it all.

Had the investigation been conducted more efficiently and open-mindedly, the cold-case investigators believe Joanna's murder could have been solved very quickly.

Indeed, the Ogre and Ogress should have been caught before they targeted her, in which case Joanna would now be 54 years old and in the prime of her life.

Ms Parrish was killed in the French city of Auxerre by Olivier's ex-husband Michel Fourniret who was dubbed the 'Ogre of the Ardennes'

By the time Fourniret was arrested in Belgium in 2003 (after his intended next victim escaped the van and the number-plate was noted), he had, by his own unreliable admission, committed 12 murders.

However, Mme Kheris is convinced his true tally could be as many 35. For he tormented the authorities by mounting a chart of his exploits on the wall of his prison cell, recording the names, dates and locations of each of his murders.

And he only filled in nine of the 35 slots, leaving the other 26 blank and tauntingly challenging police to 'fill in the spaces'.

But back to the interrogation of Olivier, which began in 2018 and went on for more than four years.

Since she first confessed to being complicit in her husband's murders, soon after his arrest, only to recant her admission, claiming it had been forced out of her by the heavy-handed Belgian police, the cold-case team knew a gentler approach was required.

Olivier, who is serving her sentence in solitary confinement at her own request, was fetched from her lonely cell and quizzed in Kheris's office, with its red and blue bucket chairs, pot plants and modern artwork.

Pandering to her sweet-tooth and love of dogs, her inquisitors plied her with her favourite cakes, sweets and Nutella chocolate, and brought in a Belgian Shepherd (named Taj after the French police computer) for her to stroke. Conversations would begin with small talk about Olivier's interests, such as the wonders of smartphones, which hadn't been invented when she was arrested 20 years ago and are banned in French prisons.

Michel Fourniret readies to leave Police Headquarters in Dinant in July 2004

By the time Fourniret was arrested in Belgium in 2003, he had, by his own unreliable admission, committed 12 murders. Pictured in 2004

In this way, they gently coaxed her into lowering her guard.

'The one day of the week when she refused to speak to us was Friday, because she didn't want to miss her favourite TV programme, Capitaine Marleau, a dark comedy about an eccentric female gendarme chief,' says Duby.

Remembering the litany of unspeakable acts to which Olivier admits, I remark that it must have taken a gargantuan effort to treat her kindly.

During the past three weeks we have heard how she not only served as 'bait' to persuade the girls into the van, but physically examined one captured child to ensure she would satisfy Fourniret's sickening lust for virgins.

Olivier also guarded some girls in his absence, and even aroused him when he was incapable of raping them.

But no, Kheris says, seeming to befriend her was integral to winning her trust. Moreover, Olivier, who psychiatrists have deemed to be sane and of average intelligence, and who looked like any other white-haired grandmother as she sat in the dock, could be 'very nice when we spoke about dogs, sweets and clothes'. She even showed a sense of humour and liked to share jokes.

It was only when the discussion turned to Joanna or the other two victims  whose bodies remain missing  that she would start to 'tremble and clam up'.

Monique Olivier, the wife of self-confessed French serial killer Michel Fourniret, is seen at the start of her trial in Charleville-Mezieres, northern France, in 2008

Her confessions unfolded in several stages spread over many weeks. At first she would feign ignorance about a murder, then she would vaguely remember it.

Eventually she would admit to being there, and finally describe how she took part.

READ MORE - Widow of French 'Ogre of Ardennes' is found GUILTY of aiding her serial killer husband murder women including Brit student Joanna Parrish Advertisement

Did she show any hint of remorse? 'No!' the two investigators exclaim in harmony.

'When she admitted to locking up little Estelle, one moment she was telling us how the girl cried out for her mother, the next she was asking us for more chocolate,' says Duby.

'To her, there was no difference between talking about chocolate and kidnapping. It was shocking. She doesn't think like us. She is not normal.

'Sometimes, she casually came out with things so shocking that her lawyer, who was with her, covered his head with his hands.'

One such moment came as Olivier described Joanna's abduction and murder for the first time.

To recap, it was May 16, 1990, and the Leeds University undergraduate was working as a teaching assistant at a high school in Auxerre. Eager to save extra money to visit her boyfriend, Patrick Proctor, in Czechoslovakia (as it was then), she had advertised her services as an English tutor.

A picture taken in 1992 shows Monique Olivier, who served as 'bait' to lure the girls into the van

While combing the local paper for prey, Fourniret had seen the ad and phoned her, pretending to want her to teach his son. They agreed to meet at 7pm that Wednesday, near a bank in the centre of Auxerre. Joanna told her roommate she would be home by 9pm.

Her body, naked but for her gold necklace and watch, was found floating in a nearby river the next morning.

Given the paucity of the original police investigation, we would know little about her last moments if Kheris and Duby hadn't soothed the synapses in Olivier's memory bank.

She described how, reassured by her womanly presence in the passenger seat, Joanna acceded to Fourniret's suggestion that she should climb into the van's rear compartment.

Since it had no windows, Joanna had no idea where they were taking her. And as they drove around, seeking a suitably secluded spot for the attack, she began to panic. By then it was too late. The doors were locked.

When Fourniret took his victims home, Olivier admitted she sometimes watched him rape them through a mirror in an adjacent room, but claimed she did not witness the killings.

In Joanna's case she remained in the van throughout and described hearing a flurry of blows and screams as Fourniret  a carpenter and woodsman with shovel hands  set about her, and she fought for her life. In court, Olivier claimed to loathe herself for failing to intervene, describing the attack as 'monstrous'. Yet when she relived it to the cold-case investigators she showed no pity for Joanna. Only for herself.

This photo taken on January 19, 2010, shows Estelle Mouzin, 9, who went missing in 2003

'It was, 'Poor me. I had to listen to all these terrible noises,' says Duby. 'She was upset for herself, not for Joanna's suffering. It was always her who was the victim.'

Did they ask Olivier why she didn't try to help Joanna or the others? 'Yes, the answer was always the same. She would just blow out her cheeks, and shrug, 'Pah! What could I do?' '

Another pressing question centred on the amount of time Joanna was kept in the van, tightly bound hand and foot, and sedated with a drug Fourniret apparently injected into her before strangling her, probably using a piece of electric flex.

Forensic pathologists estimated the time of death at between 10pm and 2am. If accurate, that would mean she wasn't murdered within about an hour of being kidnapped, as Olivier has claimed, but remained alive for between three and seven hours.

When she was asked to account for these apparently 'missing hours' in court, her memory conveniently failed her.

The cold-case team's intention was to prosecute Fourniret and Olivier jointly for the three murders, for in 2018 he also admitted to them.

However, proceedings were delayed by fruitless searches for the remains of Marie-Angele and Estelle, believed to have been buried in the grounds of their Ardennes chateau.

(The couple had bought the magnificent residence with a fortune they stole from a gangster whom Fourniret befriended in prison. After persuading his wife to lead them to the cache, buried in a graveyard, they murdered her and kept the loot). The delayed trial allowed the 79-year-old Ogre to die peacefully in hospital.

Before he fell ill, however, he and Olivier were sometimes reunited for questioning.

Michel Fourniret arrives at Court in Dinant, Belgium, in 2004

Prior to these sessions, profilers studied the relationship between Fred and Rose West, and Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, as well as a German serial-killer couple.

The investigators learned a great deal about their close relationship by watching them interact.

Though they were by then divorced and had spent years in separate jails, they were 'very much a couple,' Kheris says, 'bickering, finishing each other's sentences.'

This past fortnight, Olivier has repeatedly insisted she took part in the murders only because she was afraid of her husband and under his influence  a claim at the heart of the trial.

But Kheris dismisses this. 'You could see their complicity. One was not more dominant than the other. They were both strong characters,' she says.

Chillingly, Fourniret told them he had two types of victim: little blonde girls and brown-haired young women.

'The older, brown-haired ones were, for him, like Monique Olivier  and he wanted the blonde girls to resemble ballerinas, with their hair tied up,' Duby says.

'When they [Fourniret and Olivier] had sex, they would reproduce the rape scenes over and over, and she would play the role of the victim, pretending to resist him. She said they had 'great fun' doing this.'

Over the years, Joanna's parents have often criticised the French police's handling of her case, listing a plethora of mistakes.

Poring over yellowing news reports in the Mail's archives, one understands why.

There were no house-to-house inquiries in the village where Joanna was taken. No appeals for witnesses. The busy river where her body was found snagged in reeds was not sealed off, so it was trampled on, and police were farcically forced to push away passing boats.

As Kheris revealed, however, those weren't the only blunders. The day after the murder, a farmer phoned the local gendarmes to report finding a brown shoe matching the ones Joanna wore.

His call was not followed up and the shoe, which might have yielded key forensic clues and lain near her missing clothes, was lost.

Monique Olivier, ex-wife of serial killer Michel Fourniret, sits in the courtroom for her trial at the assize court in Nanterre, Paris, in 2023

Then there was her necklace. Though that was retained, it was besmirched by a police officer's gloveless hand and returned to the cold-case team scrunched up in a bag with Joanna's wristwatch (which had stopped, perhaps tellingly, at 10pm).

But the biggest stumbling block to justice, Kheris says ruefully, was simply that of hubris.

Insular and sure of their antiquated methods, police forces in the couple's stalking grounds failed to share information that could have pieced the murder jigsaw together.

If something positive can come of this grisly saga, the examining magistrate hopes it will end the intransigence and infighting that may account for France's notoriously poor record in solving murders  according to recent studies, it stands at around 70 per cent as opposed to 90 per cent in the UK.

The inaugural cold-case unit is another welcome, though long overdue, legacy.

Among the first 30 cases it is reviewing is that of the Al-Hilli family from Surrey, four of whose members were massacred while driving through the countryside near Annecy, in the French Alps, in 2012.

One hopes these boons will come as some small comfort to Joanna's family and her student first-love, now 55 and the father to two teenagers.

How it must have pained them, though, to hear one half of the evil duo who destroyed their lives playing the martyr and denying responsibility for evildoing, right to the very end.
The Prime Minister subsequently unveiled the Eat Out to Help Out scheme

The revelation was made by a senior Treasury official to the Covid-19 inquiry

Rishi Sunak considered sending every UK adult a prepaid debit card to help boost the economy during the pandemic, a Treasury insider claimed.

The then-Chancellor allegedly floated the idea as part of efforts to stimulate the beleaguered hospitality industry, which was hammered when venues such as pubs and restaurants were ordered to close as Covid cases soared in 2020.

Mr Sunak subsequently unveiled the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, where the Government offered a subsidy of up to 10 per customer off dine-in meals on certain days in August that year.

The scheme was seen as a fillip by industry bosses, but was derided by scientists who feared it would send infections soaring.

It has since emerged that Mr Sunak considered other financial stimuli for the hospitality sector - including prepaid credit cards.

Rishi Sunak, who was Chancellor during the Covid-19 pandemic, is said to have considered giving all UK adults a prepaid debit card to stimulate the hospitality sector

The revelation about Rishi Sunak came at the Covid-19 inquiry, to which the now Prime Minister gave evidence earlier this month

A witness statement to the Covid-19 Inquiry from Dan York-Smith, a senior official at the Treasury, said the idea was aborted amid concerns tens of millions of taxpayers' cash could be intercepted by thieves.

He said: 'The first option, namely the distribution of prepaid debit cards, presented substantial challenges and risks.

'For example, registering every adult in the UK would have presented very significant challenges in the time available.

'Even if that could be achieved, there would have been significant risks associated with tens of millions of cards being distributed through the post as part of a highly publicised and marketed scheme, such as theft, fraud and loss.

'That was a risk that [was] also attached to sending out vouchers by post.

'A substantial customer support function would also have been required, which did not exist.

'The compressed timetable of the scheme increased the significance of these challenges.'

Mr Sunak staunchly defended Eat Out To Help Out when quizzed at the inquiry earlier this month.

He said the scheme was in 'no way responsible' for a second wave of Covid, that he 'didn't believe it was a risk' and that 'it was the right thing to do to safeguard jobs'.

The Prime Minister insisted his approach was a matter of 'social justice' and provided a boost to hard-hit industries.

Mr York-Smith's witness statement, only published this week, shows Mr Sunak also considered extending the scheme in Aberdeen for September, after a localised lockdown meant residents were unable to benefit for the majority of August.

However, the plan was shelved.

The inquiry is taking a break until the New Year when it will consider the pandemic response in the devolved nations.

The probe is not expected to conclude its public hearings until 2026.
A group of South Korean students have launched legal action against the government after their college admission exams ended 90 seconds early.

At least 39 students, have demanded 20 million won (12,000) each, after the error affected their performances in the rest of the tests, their lawyer has said.

The sum demanded would cover the cost of another year studying to retake the exam.

Known as Suneung, South Korea's eight-hour college admission test features back-to-back papers on multiple subjects.

The lawsuit states a bell rang early at a test site in Seoul during the exam's first subject - Korean.

At least 39 students, have demanded 20 million won (12,000) each, after the error affected their performances in the rest of the tests, their lawyer has said (File Image)

Suneung is one of the world's hardest exams and can determine future jobs and relationships as well as university placements (File Image)

Although some students protested immediately, supervisors still took their papers away, the BBC reported.

The mistake was identified before the second session and the 90 seconds were given back to the students over the lunch break. But examiners only allowed blank columns to be marked and students were not allowed to revise any of their existing answers.

Suneung is one of the world's hardest exams and can determine future jobs and relationships as well as university placements.

The country's airspace is closed and opening of the stock market delayed on the day of the annual event in a bid to help students concentrate.

The results of this year's exam were released on December 8.

Students said they were left so upset they were unable to focus on the rest of the exam, with some reportedly getting up and going home.

Their lawyer Kim Woo-suk told local media the education authorities had not apologised.

Public broadcaster KBS quoted officials who said the supervisor in charge of the specific test centre had misread the time.

In April, a court in Seoul awarded 7 million won (4,200) to students who claimed they were disadvantaged at the 2021 exam after the bell rang about two minutes early.

In 2012, a man in China was given a one-year suspended sentence for ringing the bell four minutes and 48 seconds early during the national college entrance exam at a school in Hunan province.
Africa's first female billionaire and the daughter of a former Angolan president has today lost her bid to prevent up to 580million of her assets from being frozen.

Isabel dos Santos is being sued by telecoms operator Unitel SA, a company she founded during her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos' 38 years-long reign as president, which came to an end in 2017.

The businesswoman has faced corruption accusations in the southwestern African nation for years but previously told London's High Court she is the victim of a 'campaign of oppression' by Angola.

She denies the allegations and says she is the target of a long-running political vendetta, which has seen her assets frozen or seized in Angola and Portugal.

Unitel asked the High Court to grant a worldwide freezing order over dos Santos' assets at a hearing last month and today Judge Robert Bright granted the order.

Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former President of Angola Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, has lost her fight against a 580m UK freezing order

The case has been brought over accusations that she benefited from 'corruption and kleptocracy, as well as of looting Angolan state companies'

Isabel dos Santos, pictured between Nicole Sherzinger and Paris Hilton, has had her assets frozen by an Angolan court in an attempt to recover state funds

In a written ruling, the judge told dos Santos 'the other freezing orders mean that it is not just and convenient for this court to grant a further order', reported Sky News.

The businesswoman owns a 21million house in St Mary's Place, close to the Albert Hall, which is listed online as the most expensive house in South Kensington.

She is accused of taking out hundreds of millions of pounds worth of loans from Unitel through another company she owned, which were never repaid.

Lawyers for Unitel asked London's High Court to freeze her UK assets, including banning her from sale of her 'very high value real property' whilst they pursue the 580m they say they are owed.

But lawyers for Ms dos Santos said the allegations against her are 'trumped up' and politically motivated, and had asked for the application to be dismissed on the basis that the Angolan government is pursuing a 'vendetta' against her.

As part of her defence, they claimed a freezing order against her in Angola was obtained 'on the basis of fabricated evidence,' including bizarrely 'a forged copy of her passport, featuring the signature of Bruce Lee'.

Isabel dos Santos is the eldest child of Angola's former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country from 1979 to 2017.

She was once considered Africa's richest woman, according to Forbes magazine, with a net worth exceeding US$2 billion.

But since 2018 she has faced attempts by the Angolan government to prosecute her over allegations of corruption.

She was dropped from the Forbes list in January 2021 after the freezing of her assets in Angola, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Paul Sinclair KC, for Unitel, previously told Mr Justice Bright that the company 'seeks a worldwide freezing order ('WFO') against its former chair, Isabel dos Santos, in support of wide-ranging claims against her'.

'Isabel dos Santos, touted as Africa's first female billionaire, is a controversial figure, accused of benefiting from the kleptocratic regime of her late father, the former longtime President of Angola,' he said.

'She, and companies associated with her, have been the subject of freezing injunctions - which have been breached - and adverse judgments in jurisdictions across the world.

'She has been found to have committed forgery, is subject to criminal investigation, and is barred from the US for corruption.

'She faces allegations of benefiting from corruption and kleptocracy, as well as of looting Angolan state companies,' he added, going on to claim that Ms Dos Santos owes the company 580m in unpaid loans and interest.

'There are obvious legitimate reasons to pursue her. On its case, she caused (Unitel SA) to transfer hundreds of millions of its euros and tens of millions of its dollars to an entity she wholly owns, UIH.

Isabel dos Santos, daughter of Angola's former dictator, is facing charges of fraud, the court was told

dos Dantos' father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, ruled Angola from 1979 and 2017

The billionaire was filmed at a Dubai restaurant earlier this year where she ate steak directly from a knife

'Then she let UIH default on the loans, and directed it not to constitute the security it promised. Those are classic circumstances in which a company would sue a former director.'

He denied 'that Unitel is, in effect, the Angolan state or is a puppet of it, and that this litigation is being run as part of a state-sponsored vendetta against her.'

'This is wrong. The litigation is brought for commercial reasons,' he said.

But for Ms Dos Santos, Richard Hill KC previously told the court that the freezing order sought is 'oppressive and unnecessary'.

He also said the Angolan freezing order was obtained with 'fabricated evidence, which included a forged copy of her passport featuring the signature of Bruce Lee'.

He claimed she is the victim of a 'political campaign' which was launched to discredit her and protect 'persons responsible' for a 'fraud' she says she uncovered when she was chair of a state oil company in 2016.

'Unitel does not have a good arguable case and certainly not for the sum it claims,' he told the judge.

'This is not by some distance a suitable case for a freezing order.

'Its claim for loss is fundamentally flawed. There is no real risk of dissipation, as demonstrated not least by the fact that this application has been on foot for more than a year and yet Ms Dos Santos has taken no steps to dissipate her assets.'

He told the judge there is 'extensive freezing relief' already in place in other countries, saying it was 'difficult to see what useful purpose the claimant thinks the proposed order will serve'.

He also argued that properties and other assets owned by her though companies were not a legitimate target for any freezing order that might be made.
Sir Keir Starmer's plan to join an EU-wide returns agreement would mean 'tens of thousands more illegal migrants coming to the UK', the Home Secretary claimed yesterday.

James Cleverly said the Labour leader would join an EU migration pact and 'accept forced illegal migrant quotas from the EU'.

But Labour dismissed his comments and said the party 'won't be joining any EU quota scheme'.

Sir Keir revealed in the autumn that he would seek an EU-wide returns agreement for asylum seekers who come to Britain if he becomes prime minister.

Labour has since said the scheme would not be based on quotas nor would it be part of an existing scheme.

Sir Keir revealed in the autumn that he would seek an EU-wide returns agreement for asylum seekers who come to Britain if he becomes prime minister

Yesterday the EU agreed to overhaul its asylum system to share out the cost and work of hosting migrants more evenly across the bloc.

The plan includes more border detention centres and speedier deportations in a bid to limit the number of people coming in.

Mr Cleverly seized on the announcement of the pact, writing on X, formely known as Twitter, that Sir Keir 'wants to join this'.

The Home Secretary said: 'He would accept forced illegal migrant quotas from the EU. This would mean tens of thousands more illegal migrants coming to the UK. We cannot accept this.'

But Stephen Kinnock, Labour's shadow immigration minister, said: 'This is made-up rubbish, we've made it clear we won't be joining any EU quota scheme.

'The Tories are so keen to distract from their own disastrous failings on Rwanda, small boats and asylum that now they are just lying about Labour.

'The Tories have undermined our border security, broken our asylum system and bust the Home Office budget. The country cannot afford more of this Conservative chaos.

'Labour has a serious plan to smash the criminal gangs with a new cross-border police unit, recruit 1000 new caseworkers to clear the backlog and end hotel use, and set up a new Returns Unit to ensure that those with no right to be here are swiftly returned.'

James Cleverly said the Labour leader would join an EU migration pact and 'accept forced illegal migrant quotas from the EU'

Migrant arrivals in the EU are down from the 2015 peak of more than a million, but have steadily crept up from a 2020 low to 255,000 in the year to November (File Image)

The EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum should start taking effect next year, when it is expected to be formally adopted by the European Council and European Parliament.

Migrant arrivals in the EU are down from the 2015 peak of more than a million, but have steadily crept up from a 2020 low to 255,000 in the year to November, with more than half crossing the Mediterranean from Africa, mainly to Italy.

Previous efforts to share out the responsibility of hosting migrants have foundered because eastern member states were unwilling to take in people who had arrived in Greece, Italy and other countries.

Under the new system, countries not at the border will have to choose between accepting their share of 30,000 asylum applicants or paying at least 20,000 euros (17,300) per person into an EU fund.

The screening system envisaged will seek to distinguish between those in need of international protection and others who are not.

People whose asylum applications have a low chance of success, such as those from India, Tunisia or Turkey, can be prevented from entering the EU and detained at the border, as can people seen as representing a threat to security.
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Overwhelmed agents with the US Border Patrol have run out of space to process the historic number of migrants who have flooded over America's southern border in recent days.

That means that new migrant arrivals will have to wait for days in an open field serving as a make-shift holding center in Eagle Pass, Texas.

'They're at capacity; there's no more room,' one Border Patrol source told the DailyMail.com.

Among the adults are children who can be seen in shocking new images fainting and being put in the back of ambulances.

The migrants, mostly asylum-seekers from South America who crossed into the US illegally, have already spent days in a grassy reservoir in Eagle Pass.

It comes after U.S. apprehensions of migrants at the border hit a new record Monday, with at least 12,600 encounters during a period of just 24 hours.

The stunning spike comes as US Customs and Border Protection announced it would suspend rail operations at a pair of international crossings, including at Eagle Pass.

Several migrants became ill after waiting in an open-air Border Patrol holding facility in Eagle Pass for hours, sometimes days

Close to 10,000 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass, Texas in a 82-hour period, the Border Patrol confirmed

NEW: Video courtesy of TX Congressman @RepTonyGonzales shows the inside of Border Patrols Firefly tent processing center in Eagle Pass, TX this morning following mass illegal crossings. He tells me the hand at the end of the video was a DHS official trying to block his view. pic.twitter.com/Yc3iIB8rds  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 20, 2023

The migrants, mostly asylum-seekers from South America who crossed into the US illegally, have already spent days in a grassy reservoir in Eagle Pass

Starting on Sunday, the town of 28,00 residents saw a massive surge, 9,957 migrants entered the city since just 82 hours, according to the US Border Patrol.

'This crisis has spiraled way out of control,' local Congressman Tony Gonzales said in Eagle Pass Wednesday.

'We're at the point of no return.'

Shocking video from the processing center in Eagle Pass shows an overrun building meant to hold 1,000 migrants crammed with 6,000 people, Gonzales stated.

'That's just one of the waiting areas,' another agent explained.

'There a whole caged area in the back with turf that can fit about 1,000 people back there. They are squeezed in like sardines.'

The agency charged with border security normally engages in something called 'lateral decompression' to help an overwhelmed area of the border.

Agents in the busy sector will bus or fly migrants to less busy parts of the border where the migrants can be screenedwhat the department calls 'processing.'

Wednesday, the number of migrants waiting to be processed by Border Patrol in Eagle Pass had started to thin out

'They're at capacity; there's no more room,' one Border Patrol source told the DailyMail.com

One migrant woman was carried off in a stretchers by Border Patrol agents after needing medical care

That's when migrants who have crossed into the US without documentation is put through a background check.

Anyone with a criminal hit is other deported to turned over to the proper authorities.

Those without a record have their biometrics collected and Border Patrol makes a record of their illegal entry, a federal crime.

Agents then begin deporting them.

Since 2021, many illegal border crossers have been claiming asylum during this time.

By law, the US Border Patrol must halt deportation if an individual says they have a fear of returning to their country.

Those who met an initial threshold for asylum are given a court date, often years away, and legally released into the country.

Currently, the Border Patrol has maxed out processing space.

Earlier this week, migrants were sent to every corner of the southern border, to places like El Paso which has a facility specifically meant for overflow.

Wednesday morning in Eagle Pass, Texas showed the migrant camp situated between two of the city's international bridges

Local Congressman Tony Gonzales held a press conference just feet from where migrants are being held to explain how the border crisis has impacted his constituents

One migrant who became ill was taken away by ambulance

With a surge this big, asylum seekers were also sent to remote areas of the border, like Sanderson and Comstock in Texas.

These tiny Border Patrol outpost rarely see much action, but the agents in Eagle Pass are desperately trying to keep the line of unending migrants arriving at the border moving.

However, that has all stopped now, as even those overflow options are maxed out.

'They're trying to send them out to nearby stations, but they are all declining because they are out capacity as well,' another agent noted.

'Migrants will stay under the bridge until they can find room.'

The wait has pushed some migrants beyond to the brink.

In less than one hour, the DailyMail.com witnessed as two men passed out and agents rushed to give them medical attention.

The ailing migrants were carried out of the queue, hundreds of people long, and carried up a small berm to a waiting stretcher.

About 1,000 migrants waited to be processed at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center Wednesday after they crossed the border from Mexico on December 20 in Eagle Pass, Texas

An aerial view of immigrants walking towards a U.S. Border Patrol processing center after wading through the Rio Grande from Mexico early on December 20

Seen from an aerial view, Texas National Guard troops ovserve as immigrants change into dry clothes after wading through the Rio Grande from Mexico early on December 20, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas

The federal government has a medical tent at the ready just a few yards away.

After being evaluated by medical staff, one man was taken away in an ambulance.

'Many of these people have been waiting here for days...days before they're processed and there's thousand, tens of thousands on the Mexican side,' explained the Republican congressman.

'They get given a wrist band, and they get put in line. While they're in line, they get served bean and cheese tacos so they have to something to eat while they are there.'

The migrants are allowed to leave the line at will to use the porta potties and drink water.

The migrants are issued silver thermal blankets to keep warm at night.

City services are bucking under the strain of the influx.

'The hospital is out of beds, and the other thing is we are short of (medical personnel,' City Manager Ivan Morua, adding that the wait times in Eagle Pass' one hospital is four to five hours.

'Sometimes, we send an ambulance and if the injures aren't life-threatening, we don't transport them to the hospital.'

Officials predicted they haven't seen the last as the migrants in this surge, as Mexican officials are sharing that they see thousands more headed north.
Located in Portman Square in Marylebone, the garage is a leasehold property

A double garage in central London just 10ft wide is up for sale for 750,000, leaving house-hunters reeling.

The parking space, which is just yards from Selfridges and Oxford Street, hit the market earlier this month, when it was listed on Rightmove and Manors, a high-end estate agent operating out of Westminster.

Situated under a block of flats and next to other garages, the spot is in the prestigious Portman Square in Marylebone - and there is super-fast broadband of 1000mbps available.

That said, at just over 29ft long, it offers just 303 square feet of space in total, enough to park two Mini Coopers front to back (but only a Bentley and a half!).

Inside, it consists of little more than four white cinderblock walls, a concrete floor and a metal grill door usually seen on old-fashioned lifts.

A double garage in central London has been listed for sale for a whopping 750,000

At 10ft wide and 29ft long, the cinderblock-walled and concrete-floored garage is located in Portman Square, Marylebone

The parking spot is under a block of flats and next to a series of other nondescript garages

One of the walls comes to around hip height, meaning the garage owners would have access to their neighbour's space and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the eye-watering six-figure sum being asked for is enough to buy an entire hotel in Scotland.

The tenure for this 'property' is a leasehold, but there is no charge for ground rent, according to the listing.

The description reads: 'A double garage space available within this 24-hour portered residential building. On the east side of Portman Square.

'Moments from the world renown Selfridges store and Oxford Street. Approximate Gross Internal Area 28.1 sq m / 303 sq ft.'

The Manors listing was shared to social media on Friday, December 15, by a baffled house-hunter, stunned by the extortionate price.

Social media users could not believe their eyes, one joking: 'They'd better include the traffic cone for that kind of price'

A Reddit user said: 'Might be funny for you, but its in the location where a person will buy it not even understanding if its expensive or not'

Another Reddit user asked: 'Could you just jump that little wall on the left and have access to others' garages?'

A third Reddit user joked that a 'soul-sucking landlord parasite' would try to squeeze bunk beds in to rent it out

Another Reddit user said: 'They'd better include the traffic cone for that kind of price'

They wrote: '750,000 for 28 sq. m of parking space.'

The post has since received dozens of likes and comments from social media users quick to mock the price of the listing and anyone who would pay that much.

One user said: 'Might be funny for you, but it's in the location where a person will buy it not even understanding if it's expensive or not... and not even caring of that.'

Another added: 'I'm looking at that and thinking "Some soul-sucking landlord parasite will be thinking I can squeeze three sets of bunkbeds in there and rent them out at 100 a week easy".'

A third commented: 'I'm probably being thick, but could you just jump that little wall on the left and have access to others' garages? Doesn't seem too secure.'

Another added: 'The people that can afford this space probably have cars that don't fit in here. Doesn't even look like 2.5m wide. The Range Rover is like 2.1m.'

A fifth joked: 'They'd better include the traffic cone for that kind of price.'
It's a play that children in primary schools across the UK look forward to starring in every Christmas.

But who would take on the leading roles if Hollywood cast a new movie based on The Nativity?

To answer this burning question, MailOnline turned to ChatGPT.

While the AI bot claims that producers would have to use CGI for Baby Jesus, it suggests a host of famous faces to take on the other roles.

So, do you agree with its star-studded suggestions?

Who would take on the leading roles if Hollywood cast a new movie based on The Nativity? To answer this burning question, MailOnline turned to ChatGPT

The Nativity movie dream cast Mary: Natalie Portman or Jessica Chastain Joseph: Joaquin Phoenix or Oscar Isaac Angel Gabriel: Cate Blanchett Herod: Ralph Fiennes Wise Men (Magi): Gaspar: Javier Bardem

Melchior: Morgan Freeman

Balthazar: Idris Elba Shepherds: Leader of the Shepherds: Hugh Jackman

Other Shepherds: Michael B. Jordan, Dev Patel Baby Jesus: CGI or young infant actor Narrator (voiceover): Anthony Hopkins Advertisement

The first Nativity Scene was created back in 1223, and has been performed around the world every Christmas since.

Several movies based on The Nativity have been released over the years, including 'The Nativity' in 2010, starring Peter Capaldi, and 'The Nativity Story' in 2006, starring Oscar Isaac.

Now, MailOnline has asked ChatGPT who would be in the dream cast for a new movie adaptation.

The AI bot started by say that the casting would 'depend on the style and tone of the film, as well as the director's vision.'

However, based on popular actors as of its knowledge update in January 2022, ChatGPT finally settled on a star-studded cast.

Taking the leading female role of Mary should be Natalie Portman or Jessica Chastain, according to the AI bot.

Oscar Isaac seems to have impressed ChatGPT in his role as Joseph in the 2006 film, with the AI bot suggesting he or Joaquin Phoenix would be the best Joseph.

And perhaps taking inspiration from their previous roles of Lady Galadriel in Lord of The Rings and Voldemort in Harry Potter, ChatGPT suggests that the Angel Gabriel should be played by Cate Blanchett, and Herod by Ralph Fiennes.

The three Wise Men - or Magi - will also be three very famous faces.

Gaspar, the King who brings Frankincense, could be played by Javier Bardem, while Oscar-winner, Morgan Freeman, could take on the role of Melchior, the king who brings the gift of gold.

Oscar Isaac seems to have impressed ChatGPT in his role as Joseph in the 2006 film, with the AI bot suggesting he or Joaquin Phoenix would be the best Joseph

Perhaps taking inspiration from their previous roles of Lady Galadriel in Lord of The Rings (left) and Voldemort in Harry Potter (right), ChatGPT suggests that the Angel Gabriel should be played by Cate Blanchett, and Herod by Ralph Fiennes

READ MORE: The perfect Christmas sandwich, according to ChatGPT Advertisement

Completing the trio as Balthazar - the king who brings myrrh - should be Idris Elba, according to ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman could land the key role of Leader of the Shepherds, alongside Michael B. Jordan, and Dev Patel.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, ChatGPT says that the role of Baby Jesus would need to be taken by CGI, or a 'young infant actor.'

And finally, having previously narrated BBC natural documentary series, Killing for a Living, Anthony Hopkins could lend his voice once again as the narrator.

'Of course, these are just suggestions, and the actual casting would depend on the filmmakers' preferences and the direction they want to take with the movie,' ChatGPT added.

The ranking comes shortly after MailOnline tasked ChatGPT with concocting the perfect Christmas sandwich.

Unsurprisingly, the bot said that Roast Turkey - either sliced from the leftover Christmas turkey or freshly roasted - is the number one ingredient in the sandwich.

Stuffing and cranberry sauce are next up on the list.

MailOnline has asked ChatGPT who would be in the dream cast for a new movie adaptation

'Traditional sage and onion stuffing add a flavorful and festive touch,' ChatGPT explained.

'A generous spread of cranberry sauce adds sweetness and complements the turkey.'

Meanwhile, what good Christmas sandwich would be complete without a drizzle of gravy?

ChatGPT claims that this element is crucial for 'extra moisture and flavor.'

Of course, bread features on the list, with ChatGPT suggesting a 'hearty, rustic bread or a soft roll to hold all the ingredients togeter.'

And finally, the AI bot suggests a somewhat unusual element - cheese.

'Optional, but some people like to add a slice of brie or a mild cheese to balance the flavors,' it explained.
Try as you might, it can seem almost impossible to say no to your puppy when they gaze at you imploringly with their big, brown eyes.

Now, a study has found that dogs with darker-coloured eyes are perceived as friendlier and less threatening.

And experts say that humans may have driven their popularity.

All modern dogs are descendants of wolves and became 'man's best friend' through over thousands of years of domestication.

The most common eye colour for wolves is yellow, and scientists wanted to figure out if humans may have had an influence on their descendants' eye colour today.

Experts have found that dogs with darker-coloured eyes are perceived as friendlier and less threatening  and humans may have driven their popularity

READ MORE: Is YOUR dog gifted? Scientists reveal the 3 key signs to look out for Advertisement

The team, from Teiko University of Science in Japan, collected 22 images of grey wolves and 81 pictures of domestic dogs from 35 different breeds.

They found that the irises of dogs were much darker compared to those of wolves  and were more likely to be brown compared to yellow.

They then collected 12 images of dogs including Labrador Retrievers, Vizslas and Welsh Corgis, and 'recoloured' their eyes to either be dark or yellow.

When they asked 76 participants to rate the photos, they found that dogs with darker eyes were seen as friendlier and less threatening than the same dogs with lighter-coloured eyes.

Researcher Dr Akitsugu Konno said: 'We speculate that a darker iris makes it more difficult to distinguish the size of the pupil and thus gives the illusion of a large pupil, which is associated with our perception of being more infant-like.

The researchers collected 12 images of dogs including Labrador Retrievers, Vizslas and Welsh Corgis, and 'recoloured' their eyes to either be dark or yellow

'Human studies demonstrate that humans evaluate those with dilating pupils as more friendly, attractive and trustworthy.'

The researchers said darker eyes may elicit a 'caregiving' response from humans, which drove the evolution of this trait in domesticated dogs.

Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, they added: 'In conclusion, our results suggest that the iris colour of dogs is darker than that of wolves, and that dark eyes of dogs positively affect human perception toward dogs.

'Dogs with dark eyes may have evolved by acquiring a facial trait that sends a non-threatening gaze signal to humans.'
An artificial intelligence tool can detect autism spectrum disorder with 100-percent accuracy, just by scanning images of children's eyes, according to a new study.

If confirmed, this would be a major breakthrough for detecting the condition. But multiple autism experts told DailyMail.com that the number is unrealistic, and the result is probably 'too good to be true.'

Autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children in the US, but many children remain undiagnosed until later in childhood, depriving them of potential therapies.

If a technological solution could help cut down on long waits for autism specialists or other obstacles to diagnosis, it could benefit millions of families.

A new AI tool can detect autism with 100% accuracy from retinal scans, its inventors say. Autism experts are not convinced, saying the results are 'too good to be true'

Autism is a condition involving altered brain development, and the optic nerve connects the retina to the brain in a very short path.

So it stands to reason that brain differences could be reflected in the eyes.

Dozens of news outlets picked up on the news of the AI tool, developed by a team of researchers at Yonsei University in Seoul.

But experts say it is too soon to trust these findings, and that the research raises multiple red flags - starting with that 100 percent accuracy figure.

'There is clearly something wrong here,' Fred Shic, an autism researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington, told DailyMail.com. Shic researches eye tracking and imaging techniques in autistic children.

There is no way that this test is more accurate than doctors, he told DailyMail.com. 'That reliability is not 100 percent, even amongst the best clinicians in the world.'

Other autism experts share Shic's skepticism.

'It just seems too good to be true,' Cathy Lord, distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles, told DailyMail.com.

Lord is the co-creator of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2), the gold-standard clinical tool used to assess the children in the new study.

She said she hopes other researchers will try to replicate the findings - performing the experiment again and comparing results with this one.

'It seems worth trying to replicate but I'm very skeptical,' she added.

The new tool should not be considered a diagnostic device, but a proof-of-concept study examining a possible target for autism screening, said the study authors in a joint statement to DailyMail.com.

'While these subtle differences are not detectable by the human eye, we believe our AI model is able to detect these subtle but clinically significant differences,' wrote professor of biomedical systems informatics Yu Rang Park and professor of child and adolescent psychiatry Keun-Ah Cheon.

The study in question involved 958 children: 479 with autism and 479 without autism.

Both groups had the same split of boys and girls - 82 percent boys and 18 percent girls - which lines up with the 4:1 sex ratio found in most countries.

The researchers fed images of children's retinas to train the algorithm, excluding children with other psychiatric conditions that could complicate or confuse the results.

Specialists screened the children with the ADOS-2 to confirm that they had autism and to assess how pronounced their autism traits were.

A deep neural network was trained to use retinal scans to differentiate between the children with and without autism. It also learned how to connect autism trait severity to the retinal scans.

Retinal scans have been found effective at screening for some conditions, like Alzheimer's

When the AI tool was tested on a separate set of the children than the one it was trained on, it accurately detected children's diagnosis 100 percent of the time, according to the study, which was published in JAMA Network Open.

Furthermore, it could determine autism severity with about 74 percent accuracy based on retina scans alone, researchers found.

The idea of scanning the retina to detect autism is 'intriguing and promising,' Geri Dawson, director of the Duke Autism Clinic, told DailyMail.com. 'Changes in the retina have also been used to predict Alzheimers Disease.'

Multiple studies have shown that autistic and neurotypical people have significant differences in the nerves of the retina, which motivated Park and Cheon to conduct the new study, they said.

But further work is necessary to tell whether the differences between the two groups of children are due to autism or some other factor, other experts said.

'The differences might be an indicator of brain changes more broadly associated with cognitive disability, for example,' said Dawson. 'Also, the authors note that many of the autistic participants were taking medications that could have affected the retina.'

The average intelligence quotient (IQ) of the autism group was 70, right at the border for a diagnosis of intellectual disability.

The researchers did not report IQ scores for the non-autistic children, though, so this unaccounted-for factor complicates the study, Thomas Frazier, professor of psychology at John Carroll University, told DailyMail.com.

'This makes the comparison to [typically developing children] even less realistic for clinical purposes,' he said.

Park and Cheon agreed with this limitation, and future studies will address it, they said.

But even that factor would not account for 100-percent accuracy, Lord said.

'If it was just IQ you'd still expect less perfect results.'

Multiple research teams are working on smartphone- or tablet-based apps to detect autism, but these apps focus on social attention, not on retinal scans

The AI model itself could also be the problem, several experts said.

Something besides the retina that gives away a child's diagnosis may somehow be included on the images, nudging the AI to its unrealistic 100 percent figure, Shic said.

'This could be as simple as a word describing the source of data from specialized [autism] clinics,' he said. It could also include subtle changes in image quality between the two groups.

At an acoustical engineering conference in 2013, Shri Narayanan's lab participated in a challenge where they developed a method for identifying autistic children from voice recordings.

They achieved very strong results, Narayanan, University Professor and Nikias Chair in Engineering at the University of Southern California, told DailyMail.com

But they turned out to be caused by a hidden factor: sound quality.

Their system's performance was actually due to the difference between noisy mainline classrooms and quiet special-education classrooms - a difference reflected in the voice recordings - 'which incorrectly provided the seemingly right answer,' he said.

'While the promise of being able to screen and diagnose a clinical condition with data and new (AI) tools is exciting and can be impactful, it needs to be done with extreme care and caution,' said Narayanan.

But Park and Cheon stood by their AI model, noting that nine specific features of the retina showed statistically significant differences between the two groups of children.

Plus, the images were 'measured in the same department at the same institution using the same protocol,' they said.

'However, the [neurotypical] group used retrospectively accumulated data, so there may be differences due to changes in equipment,' but even if there are differences between devices, past studies have shown these should not affect image quality, they said.

Plus, they ran multiple statistical tests to account for any image differences and still achieved strong results, they said.

There are already some apps under development that are meant to diagnose autism.

They tend to track where a child is looking, as opposed to the actual structure of their eyes.

Because social communication issues make up one of autism's core traits, researchers have attempted to screen children for autism based on whether they pay more attention to objects than people.

One such app, under development by a team at Duke University, predicted autism diagnosis with 90-percent accuracy in a 2021 study.

Using eye-tracking software and smartphone cameras, this app showed toddlers videos of people talking and playing with toys, discerning whether toddlers were paying more attention to the toys or the people.

But any technology used to diagnose or treat a condition still must undergo testing and clearance by the Food and Drug Administration, and few studies of new techniques end up making it that far.
Since updating its 'approach to sexual content' Wednesday, online live-streaming platform Twitch has seen a new, eye-popping trend among its content creators.

Following the streamer's loosened restrictions on 'artistic nudity,' some of the platform's users have been chasing viewer traffic with a new tease: simulated, full nudity with fake 'censor bars.'

Twitch, which rode to success on the popularity of its live streams of video-game players, revised its policy on December 13  after the platform's controversial ban of popular new streamer and OnlyFans model Morgpie.

Morgpie was banned after an apparently topless live-feed fundraiser went viral on December 8, only to be restored after Twitch revised its guidelines last week.

Now, a host of other users are pushing the bounds of Twitch's new policy permitting 'artistic depictions of nudity,' including body painting and sexualized cartoons.

Twitch is no stranger to boundary-pushing content, often employing risque gimmicks that its users have taken to calling 'metas,' short for 'most effective tactic available.' The acronym first emerged from the realm of 'massively multiplayer online' (MMO) games like World of Warcraft

Clips from Twitch streamer and OnlyFans model Firedancer's Twitch streams, where the model appeared to be nude based on the clever placement of large black 'censor bars,' spread across social media, garnering over 100,000 views in one day for the original video on her page

Twitch is no stranger to boundary-pushing content, often employing risque gimmicks that its users have called 'metas,' short for 'most effective tactic available.'

The 'metas'  an acronym lifted from the realm of 'massively multiplayer online' games like World of Warcraft  have come to include self-explanatory titillating content like the 'hot tub meta' trend of 2021 and the more baffling 'fart meta.'

The new 'topless meta' and its faux-'censor bar' variations are just the latest strategy that some Twitch users have deployed to monetize their streaming content on the platform.

'It is hilarious and shocking what black bars do to the imagination,' Twitch streamer and OnlyFans model Firedancer posted to X after her own viral 'nude' appearance.

'It is hilarious and shocking what black bars do to the imagination,' Twitch streamer Firedancer posted to X after her own viral 'nude' appearance

While the tactic has surely drawn attention, some users voiced annoyance with Twitch's confusing policies and marketing itself. 'I'm just sick of them trying to have their cake and eat it too by advertising themselves as family-friendly,' one user posted to Reddit

Clips from Firedancer's Twitch streams, where the model appeared nude based on the clever placement of large black 'censor bars,' spread across social media, garnering over 100,000 views in one day for the original video on her page.

The video includes a moment where a glitch dropped the censor bars, revealing that Firedancer had been wearing a bra the whole time.

While the tactic undoubtedly drew attention, some users were annoyed with Twitch's confusing policies and marketing.

'Twitch either needs to embrace camgirls and make an adult section, or put an end to this clear softcore pornography,' one user posted to Reddit.

'I'm just sick of them trying to have their cake and eat it too by advertising themselves as family-friendly,' they added.

The live stream was removed from the website shortly after it was filmed, but other users posted clips that are now featured on her Twitch page

'I'm not anti-sex work or women showing their bodies,' another user chimed in, 'but Twitch ain't the site for that.'

Others were more critical of Twitch for the perceived reactionary turn that led first to the ban of streamer Morgpie and then the new content guidelines.

The viral clip of Morgpie had been filmed as a live stream to raise money for the international nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.

While it is not yet public how much money Morgpie raised, the clip states that she at least surpassed her original fundraising goal of $1,800.

'Morgpie was doing this stunt for charity,' one user posted to X.

Twitch banned Morgpie from the website on December 11 and later unbanned her once the guidelines changed

'She was planning on donating her ad revenue too, money which Twitch will just pocket if they decide to uphold the suspension,' that user, who goes by Sunupu on the platform, continued.

'Congrats, prudes, you just robbed a charity.'

Twitch banned Morgpie from the website on December 11 and later unbanned her once the guidelines changed.

READ MORE: Twitch streamer justfoxii's car set ablaze by viewer who travelled 700 miles and torched it outside her home Opening up in a YouTube video, Kylee Carter shared more details about the incident, which she said occurred whilst she was on holiday. Advertisement

Twitch's new guidelines, published under the heading 'Updating our Approach to Sexual Content and Content Classification Labels' in a FAQ last week, hoped, first and foremost, to make its policies less 'confusing' for its streamers and viewers.

'We want streamers to feel confident they understand our rules and viewers to feel confident they will get the experience they expect,' the company said in its post.

'The former Sexually Suggestive Content policy was out of line with industry standards and resulted in female-presenting streamers being disproportionately penalized,' Twitch added.

With the new changes, Twitch streamers will be permitted to broadcast content that 'deliberately highlight[s] breasts, buttocks or pelvic region,' even when fully clothed,' so long as the content is appropriately labeled.

Among the content now allowed, Twitch will permit performers on the platform to engage in body painting and strip teases that include 'twerking, grinding, and pole dancing,' so long as the content bears the 'sexual themes' label.

Here, too, the platform does have a limit, however: art of 'fictionalized sexual acts or masturbation remain prohibited,' the company said.
Now, she gives people tips on the city of lights on her TikTok channel

An American woman living in France has issued a warning to people traveling to Paris to watch out for the 'clear cup' scam that is overtaking the streets.

Amanda Rollins moved to Paris six years ago from Massachusetts, and has never looked back.

Since leaving the US, the 34-year-old has been sharing tips on visiting or living in France with her more than 912,000 TikTok followers.

Recently, the American-turned-Parisian told tourists to be cautious while exploring the city of lights because homeless people are becoming 'aggressive' with one of the most 'common scams.'

Amanda Rollins, 34, is an American woman living in France who has issued a warning to people traveling to Paris to watch out for the 'clear cup' scam that is overtaking the streets

Since leaving the US, the 34-year-old has been sharing tips on visiting or living in France with her more than 912,000 TikTok followers

Recently, the American-turned-Parisian told tourists to be cautious while exploring the city

She captioned the viral video, which has so far amassed upwards of 28.2 million views, 'Clear cup scam in Paris. These guys are out here every day and the police control them constantly.

'They can get aggressive with you so just keep walking if it ever happens to you.'

At the beginning of the clip, she said: 'This is one of the most common scams you're going to find in Paris - the clear cup scam.'

Then, Amanda showed a video of the scheme in action.

The clear cup scam is when a homeless person puts a couple of coins in a clear cup and places it far out in front of them, in the middle of the sidewalk.

They do this so that people can knock the cup over and their guilt will then convince them to give the homeless person money.

'They place it very far out in high-traffic areas knowing that people will probably knock it over,' she explained.

'These guys are out here everyday and when the police see them, they will take away their cups and their stuff and tell them to get out of here because they know what they're doing is dishonest and a scam.'

@americanfille Clear cup scam in Paris. These guys are out here every day and the police control them constantly. They can get agressive with you so just keep walking if it ever happens to you. #parisscam  original sound - Amanda Rollins

She showed the scam in action, and explained that the clear cup scam was when a homeless person put a couple of coins in a clear cup and placed it far out in front of them

People flooded the comments section and expressed their shock

She went on to explain that if tourists knock over the cup and don't give them money, then they will get aggressive and start 'yelling.'

Amanda noted that one of her followers even shared that she knocked over one of the cup, but didn't put any money inside - prompting the homeless man to spit on her.

At the end of the clip, she said: 'If you're here in Paris and you knock over the cup, don't feel obligated to give money unless you want to, and if they start getting loud with you just keep walking.'

People flooded the comments section and expressed their shock.

One person said: 'I knew about this scam in Paris but saw some older American ladies fall for it. It was sad.'

Another user added: 'They do this in London. They're in a ring and it's not a real homeless person.'

Someone else wrote: 'Literally gave a $20 to a little boy because I felt so bad and knew immediately I got scammed.'

'Paris is so trash,' a fourth person added.
She said she had to undergo lessons on how to protect herself from bears

She recently opened up about the immense measures she had to take to go there

A woman has revealed that she paid $1,200 and had to attend 'bear school' just to spend a few hours in Alaska's 'extremely remote' Katmai National Park - which is inhabited by thousands of dangerous wildlife and can only be reached by boat or plane.

Emily Pogue, 29, a freelance writer and avid traveler from Fort Collins, Colorado, recently opened up about the immense measures she had to take - and the steep price she had to pay - to visit the preserve in an essay for Insider.

She explained that she and her husband, Joe, were vacationing in Alaska to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in September, when they decided to book a day trip to Katmai National Park.

She found a package that came with a round-trip plane ticket, lunch, and a five-hour window to explore the park, but it would cost a whopping $1,200 per person.

A woman paid $1,200 and attended 'bear school' to spend a few hours in Alaska's Katmai National Park - which is inhabited by dangerous wildlife and can only be reached by plane

Emily Pogue (seen in Alaska with her husband), 29, from Colorado, recently opened up about the immense measures she had to take to visit the preserve in an essay for Insider

She and her husband, Joe, were vacationing in Alaska to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in September and paid $1,200 for a day trip to Katmai. She's seen in Alaska

They flew via floatplane from Anchora, Alaska, to Katmai, which is located on a peninsula in the southern area of the state. The view from their plane is seen

While Emily admitted that she was shocked by the how much she'd have to pay to spend a mere few hours at the off-beaten area - 'I audibly gasped,' she wrote of discovering the price - she decided to 'splurge,' and it 'ended up being her favorite part' of their entire trip to Alaska.

Located on a peninsula in the southern area of the state, Katmai is best known for its stunning landscapes that 'span tundra, forests, lakes and mountains.'

It has also earned favor among adventurers due to its vast amount of brown bears - and while a rare opportunity to get 'close-up views' of the animal is appealing, it also poses some risks.

Upon arriving at the park, Emily had to undergo a 15 minute lesson where they were taught to protect themselves if they came face to face with a bear. Some of the bears she saw on the day trip are seen above

In addition, it's not easy to get there. Emily explained that they had to take a 'floatplane,' which 'can take off from and land on water thanks to special floats on the bottom' and are 'a popular way to get around in Alaska, as so much of the state is inaccessible any other way.'

She, her husband, and five other passengers all boarded the tiny aircraft in Anchorage, Alaska, and flew roughly 45 minutes to Katmai.

And she said that the views alone from out the window during the flight made the price 'worth it.'

'When I say my face was glued to my window the entire flight, I mean it,' she wrote in the essay.

'The landscape seemed to change every five minutes, from glassy water to lush fields and stunning glaciers.

As for what she was taught during the lesson, she said she learned that the key thing was to remember 'not to run' because that could 'trigger a bear's predatory instinct'

They were also told to 'travel in groups' and 'talk loudly' at all times as to not 'surprise any bears.' Emily said they saw roughly 40 bears during their day at Katmai, one of which is seen

Emily and her husband spent their five hours in the park hiking and taking in the gorgeous sights. They visited a hot spring (seen) and Brooks Falls

They also went to an ice museum - where they had drinks in 'ice glasses' that they smashed on the ground afterwards

'Our pilot even swooped down to a few valleys, where we saw our first bears fishing in the streams.'

Upon arriving at the park, Emily and the rest of the visitors had to undergo something she called 'bear school' so they could learn to protect themselves if they came face to face with one of the creatures.

'Roughly 2,200 brown bears live in the park, allowing visitors unprecedented access to witnessing these creatures in the wild,' she explained.

'The bears are able to thrive because of the park's extreme remoteness. But with [thousands] of bears roaming around, the park rangers want to make sure guests don't scare the animals (or put themselves in danger).

So, the first stop after arrival was sitting through the 15-minute "bear school" to learn the safety rules to follow around bears.'

As for what she was taught during the lesson, she said she learned that the key thing was to remember 'not to run' because that could 'trigger a bear's predatory instinct.'

In addition, they were told to 'travel in groups' and 'talk loudly' at all times as to not 'surprise any bears.'

'We were also instructed to put any food or scented items in special "food cache" buildings so the bears weren't attracted to any tasty smells on us,' she added.

'We were free to explore after getting our "bear school graduate" pins to prove we attended.

'Although there were plenty of park rangers around, it was emphasized that in Katmai, you're responsible for your own safety.'

Emily and her husband spent their five hours in the park hiking and taking in the gorgeous sights.

Emily, who is seen in another area of Alaska, said: 'Overall, the day couldn't have gone any better. I'd wholeheartedly recommend the trip to Katmai to any nature lover'

She gushed of the park: 'The landscape seemed to change every five minutes, from glassy water to lush fields and stunning glaciers.' Other areas of Alaska that she visited are seen

They visited hot springs as well as an ice museum - where they had drinks in 'ice glasses' that they smashed on the ground afterwards.

The also went to Brooks Falls, a beautiful waterfall that's known to be a prime spot to see bears, who come to the river below to catch the salmon.

'At one point, we could see 14 bears scattered throughout the river. In total, we saw upwards of 40 bears on our trip,' she gushed.

When it came time to leave, they got one last treat when they came across a mama bear and her cub just before take-off.

'As we approached [the plane to leave], our pilot quietly motioned for us to hop on the plane's float,' she recalled.

'We looked to our right, and a mama bear and her cub had just emerged from the trees down the beach from us.

'We held our breath as they moseyed toward us, totally unbothered by us tiny humans.

'Finally, the cub got a burst of energy and ran by, with his mom reluctantly following.'

On the way back, the pilot 'swooped down for one last view of the valleys' and they were able to see 'more bears, caribou, and even a pack of wolves' - a perfect ending to the magical day.

'Overall, the day couldn't have gone any better. I'd wholeheartedly recommend the trip to Katmai to any nature lover visiting the Anchorage area,' she concluded.
The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas

Rating:

So many telly presenters and reality stars share every detail of their medical history, the line between celebrity and privacy isn't so much blurred as obliterated.

But since his cancer diagnosis last year, Hairy Biker Dave Myers has maintained a dignified reticence about his fightback from serious illness. Aged 66, he's of a generation that feels uncomfortable trading real trauma for shallow online sympathy.

So he was doubly courageous, teaming up with his great friend Si King on The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home For Christmas (BBC2), in allowing the cameras into his hospital room.

Until now, Dave has revealed almost nothing about his treatment. He still, with admirable fortitude, refuses to say what type of cancer he has. He doesn't want to read speculation about how long he might have to live, he explained.

But both he and Si admitted that, at one stage, the outlook was very bleak. 'It's a Christmas I never thought I'd have,' he said, 'the dinner I didn't think I'd be alive to eat.'

Since his cancer diagnosis last year, Hairy Biker Dave Myers (pictured, right) has maintained a dignified reticence about his fightback from serious illness

He was doubly courageous, teaming up with his great friend Si King on The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home For Christmas (BBC2), in allowing the cameras into his hospital room

Until now, Dave has revealed almost nothing about his treatment

There were no tears. The two friends pride themselves on being old-fashioned English working men, with their love of good food and loud bikes.

Still, you could hear Si swallowing the lump in his throat, as they set about preparing a gigantic sirloin of beef on the bone with all the trimmings. It was obvious that this was a scene he too feared would never happen again.

The banquet was staged as a thank-you to the medics and friends who have sustained Dave and his wife, Lil, through the past 18 months. Special care went into a noodle dish with pork and veg, called pancit and inspired by a Filipino nurse called Gia.

'I'm slicing the cabbage finer than a hummingbird's toenail clippings,' announced Dave cheerfully. No one can doubt how much joy he takes in cooking  or simply watching other people cook, as he did at a Birmingham bakery where cheesy Brummy bacon scones the size of ostrich eggs were being kneaded.

He was equally thrilled to take delivery of a new Royal Enfield bike, though chemotherapy  a gruelling 37 bouts of it  has left him with a wobbly sense of balance. He practised for sitting on the bike by perching on a balance ball, yawing from side to side to control a video game.

Cancer can eat away at the soul as well as the body. At one stage he was too weak to ride, and chemo temporarily robbed him of his trademark beard and locks. But Dave has refused to relinquish his title of Hairy Biker. To see him revving up again, in every sense, was an inspiration.

Inside McVitie's At Christmas

Rating:

The festive recipe was less mouthwatering on Inside McVitie's At Christmas (Ch4), an extended infomercial for the biscuit manufacturer and its new product  a white chocolate digestive.

Channel 4, once a bastion of first-rate documentaries, is now reduced to filling the schedules with hour-long adverts for supermarkets, fast food and nibbles.

Earlier this week, we were subjected to Aldi's Christmas Secrets, pushing pigs-in-blankets ice cream down our throats.

The corporate jargon is stultifying. Sophie, a 'lead product development manager', tested the blond biscuit and said, 'We need to really understand how we can really optimise our overall eat experience.'

A few worthwhile factlets emerged. Apparently variety tins are still filled by hand, a technique I supposed had been replaced by automation decades ago.

And it was fun to see a commercial filmed with Sir Trevor McDonald indignantly confronting an impressionist, before biting into a biccie. That's a proper advert, one that's over in 30 seconds  not 60 minutes of primetime tedium.
Domenica Calarco has launched a scathing tirade against creepy men who try to pick up women in public.

The Married at First Sight star, 30, recently posted a video to TikTok to share her disgust after an elderly gentleman acted suggestively towards her in public.

'It's happened again. I'm in Ashfield, Sydney and an old man has just winked at me. Excuse me sir?' she began.

Calarco then expressed disbelief that she would still receive unwanted attention from random men despite not dressing up for her trip to the local shopping centre.

'This is what I'm dressed in, I have oil stains on my shirt. Another day, another random old man with the most obscure mating call.'

Domenica Calarco has launched a scathing tirade against creepy men who try to pick up women in public

Domenica's fans were divided over the man's behaviour, with some calling him out and others saying she overreacted.

'A cheeky old man,' one user wrote and a second person added: 'I'm sorry this happened to you.'

'He was just saying hello. Older men still wink for a greeting,' a third person argued and a fourth wrote: 'The guy's being friendly, wasn't a pick up.'

The Married at First Sight veteran, 30, recently shared a video to TikTok to share her disgust after an elderly gentleman winked at her in public

Domenica was a break out star on MAFS last year and has since launched a successful career as a podcaster and influencer.

Last year, during a segment on her podcast Sit With Us alongside co-host Ella Ding, Dom opened up about her struggle with mental health over the years and her strange coping mechanism.

'I've dealt with anxiety and depression since I was 16 years old,' Dom said. 'I've got every trick in the book.

The makeup artist explained she carries Vicks VapoRub around no matter where she goes.

'For me, when I smell Vicks, it instantly calms me,' she explained.

'So Vicks is like my safety blanket. It's always in my bag. If I'm feeling a bit anxious before I get out of the car, I just smell my Vicks.'' she continued.

Domenica's fans were divided over the man's behaviour with some calling him out and others saying she overreacted
Bella Hadid nailed casual chic as as she exited her apartment in New York City on Tuesday.

The supermodel, 27, showed off her toned frame in a pair of high-waisted jeans paired with a plunging top with navy blue trim.

She paired this with a black coat, high-heeled boots and carried a black handbag over one shoulder.

The star wore her hair in a high ponytail secured with a scrunchie and accessorized with hoop earrings.

The outing comes two months after she broke her silence on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Bella Hadid nailed casual chic as as she exited her apartment in New York City on Tuesday

The supermodel, 27, showed off her toned frame in a pair of high-waisted jeans paired with a plunging top with navy blue trim

Bella is of Palestinian descent on her father Mohamed Hadid's, 75, side of her family.

Mohamed was born in Nazareth during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. His family fled the country when he was a baby and were refugees in Syria before the moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager.

She has often voiced her support for Palestine and her latest statement was released on her Instagram account over the weekend.

She shared a photo the word Palestine with three hearts in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

In late October, about two weeks after the initial attacks, she shared her thoughts to her Instagram account.

'I have yet to find the ideal words for this deeply intricate and horrific past two weeks, weeks that have turned the worlds attention back toward a situation that has been taking innocent lives, and affecting families for decades,' she wrote. 'I have much to say, but for today, I will keep it short.'

She put together a statement calling for pressure to be put on political leaders to 'stand together in defending humanity and compassion'

She said she condemns 'the terrorist attacks on any civilians, anywhere'

The model wore a black coat, high-heeled boots and carried a black handbag over one shoulder

The 27-year-old's hair was pulled into a high ponytail secured with a scrunchie and she wore hoop earrings in her ears

Bella said her family has 'witnessed 75 years of violence' against Palestinians adding that her family has received death threats over their views on the issue.

'Ive been sent hundreds of death threats daily, my phone number has been leaked, and my family has felt to be in danger,' she added.

'But I cannot be silenced any longer. Fear is not an option. The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza, cannot afford our silence. We are not brave - they are. Imourn with all the mothers who have lost children and the children who cry alone, all the lost fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, friends, that will never again walk this earth.

'Regardless of the history of the land, I condemn the terrorist attacks on any civilians, anywhere. Harming women and children and inflicting terror does not, and should not do any good for the Free Palestine movement.'

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Longtime screenwriter Norma Barzman, who was placed on the Hollywood blacklist in the 1940s and 1950s, has died at the age of 103.

Barzman's daughter Suzo confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that her mother had died at her home in Beverly Hills, California surrounded by loved ones.

Suzo took to Instagram Tuesday paying memorial to her late mother.

'I lost a big piece of my heart Sunday afternoon,' Suzo said, alongside a carousel of shots of the beloved late scribe. 'My mother-Norma Barzman died at home peacefully surrounded by family. She was 103 years old.'

Suzo said Norma 'had a long life full of stories and accomplishments,' and 'her sharpness and joy was intact to the end.'

Longtime screenwriter Norma Barzman, who was placed on the Hollywood blacklist in the 1940s and 1950s, has died at the age of 103

Barzman's daughter Suzo confirmed that her mother had died at her home in Beverly Hills, California surrounded by loved ones

She continued: 'Whenever someone asked her secret to longevity she would just answer that she loved every part of life, people and never stopped working.

'Im grateful to have been able to spend these last years with her. I will miss her deeply but she will live on in me.'

Barzman's screenwriting career was interrupted after she and her late husband, Ben Barzman, had been placed on the infamous Hollywood blacklist, leading the couple to leave the country from 1949-1976.

Barzman was born in New York City on September 15, 1920, and spent her childhood between the U.S. and Europe. After she married famed mathematician and engineer Claude Shannon, the pair split in 1941.

Barzman settled in Los Angeles when she turned 21 and married screenwriter Ben Barzman in 1942.

The next year she joined him as a member of the Communist Party, as she said that at the time, she believed that a capitalist society was not a functional one.

'Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, so there was no reason to be anti-Russian, they were our allies,' Barzman said in a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times. 'One should be proud to have been a member of the American Communist Party during those years.

Speaking with THR in 2012, Barzman said that 'the Hollywood progressive community in the '40s was so wonderful' and 'so exciting to be part of.'

Suzo said Norma 'had a long life full of stories and accomplishments,' and 'her sharpness and joy was intact to the end'

Barzman's daughter posted a carousel of images remembering her late mother, including a page with her credits

Barzman's screenwriting career was interrupted after she and her late husband, Ben Barzman, had been placed on the infamous Hollywood blacklist, leading the couple to leave the country from 1949-1976

In 1947, 10 screenwriters who was summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. After they stayed mum about their activities or collaborators in the Communist Party, they had been found in contempt of Congress and jailed.

Studios subsequently said that they would 'not knowingly employ a communist or a member of any party or group which advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States.'

After Barzman and her spouse found out they were being watched by the government in 1949, they took a vacation to London that extended nearly three decades, living in London, and then France, with a brief summer stay in the U.S. in 1965.

Ben and Norma Barzman continued to expand their family - they had seven kids - and used pen names to continue writing during what she described to THR as 'intensely difficult years.'

Norma told THR that she was invigorated upon her return to the U.S. the same year as the bicentennial: 'When I got back here, by God, I was gonna be the Norma that I was supposed to be, that I started out as.'

Her credits included 1946's Never Say Goodbye, 1946's The Locket, 1952's Fanciulle di lusso and 1967's Il triangolo rosso.

Norma's longtime husband Ben died in 1989. She would later pen a book about her life, 2003's The Red and the Blacklist, as well as a newspaper column.

In 1999, she took part in a protest outside of the Academy Awards as organizers were honoring director Elia Kazan - who had named people on the blacklist - with an honorary Oscar.

Barzman is survived by her children Suzo, Luli, John, Aaron, Danielle, Paolo and Marco; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Married At First Sight villain Jessika Power plans to extend her stay in the UK after finding love with a British DJ.

The former reality star, 31, relocated to England in 2021 to be with her former flame Connor Thompson, who she broke up with in June.

However, she has since found love with British music producer Brent Anthony and is reportedly planning on staying in London to be with him.

'It's only been a month or so but they're pretty inseparable,' a source told Yahoo Lifestyle.

While the pair are yet to go Instagram Official with their relationship, Jessika does follow Brent on social media.

Married At First Sight villain Jessika Power (pictured) plans to make her stay in the UK permanent after finding love with a British DJ

Meanwhile, Brent recently posted some intimate snaps to his Stories showing Jessika cuddling him in bed.

The blonde bombshell will be appearing on MTV's Celebrity Ex On The Beach UK in 2024 and is said to be contractually obligated to remain single until the show finishes airing.

Jessika recently opened up about her sexuality and the prospect of getting back on the dating scene after her split from British podcaster Connor Thompson in June.

Jessika has found love with British music producer Brent Anthony (left) and is reportedly planning on staying in the UK to be with him

In an Instagram Q&A, the Aussie starlet didn't shy away from questions about her romantic preferences and where she stands on the dating scene post-split.

Jess was both frank and enlightening, as she fielded questions from eager fans.

She responded to one user's inquiry about her potential interest in dating someone bisexual.

'I'm bi myself, so it would be a bit weird if I would say no to that,' she said.

'I don't care if you just like girls, I don't care if you just like guys. Just love everyone, I don't care at all' she added.

Following her time on Married At First Sight Australia in 2019, Jessika moved to the UK to pursue a television career, having also starred on Celebs Go Dating last year.

While the pair are yet to go Instagram Official with their relationship, Jessika does follow Brent on social media. Meanwhile, Brent recently posted some intimate snaps to his Stories showing Jessika cuddling him in bed
The Block winner Steph Ottavio has responded to rumours she'll be appearing on the next season of the Channel Nine show as a judge.

The 27-year-old told Yahoo Lifestyle she would love to return to the show, but would never want to take someone else's job.

'I'd love to come back on more of like a consultant level to chat with the contestants and help them achieve what they need to achieve when they get to judging,' Steph said.

'I feel like that's where you should start. I don't think it's fair for me to be a judge straight away.'

She continued: 'I think that I need to earn a few more stripes to then be on a panel of such an esteemed cohort of judges.'

The Block winner Steph Ottavio (pictured) has responded to rumours she'll be appearing on the next season of the Channel Nine show as a judge

It comes after Steph and her husband Gian revealed for their next career move after taking home a whopping $1.75million profit on the show.

The childhood sweethearts said they will be launching their own homewares brand called Japandi Estate.

Japandi is a unique home design aesthetic which combines both Japanese and Scandinavian styles and was heavily utilised on their gorgeous winning property.

'It is bigger than just homewares, it's a lifestyle as well. Japanese and Scandinavian architecture for me is a lifestyle choice,' Steph said.

The 27-year-old said she would love to return to the show but would never want to take someone else's job

'We're going to be educating people about what Japandi means to live in that way. It's a whole company ethos.'

Gian added their soon to be launched company will help customers find stylish homewares that perfectly complement their house interiors.

The pair have already established a website for their business and its home page informs visitors that it is 'an exclusive homewares brand coming soon'.

Last month, the lovebirds took home The Block Australia crown when they sold their Hampton East house for $5million and netted $1.75million in profit.
Joy Corrigan took advantage of the warm Miami temperatures to enjoy some time in the outdoors Monday.

The swimsuit model seemed to mix business with pleasure, showcasing her taut tummy and toned legs in a white bikini and matching shorts to ride her bike to the beach.

The wore white sneakers with pink and blue trim as the pedaled her bike to the shore.

Writing about them in her Instagram stories, Joy said, 'I'm obsessed with the @gdefy shoes. I've been living in them!'

Joy removed the shorts to reveal a bikini bottom with high cut legs. She wore the same white bikini in a promotional video for the shoes on social media.

Joy Corrigan, 35, took advantage of the warm Miami temperatures to enjoy some time in the outdoors Monday, showcasing her sleek form while riding her bike to the beach

The cover model accessorized with a thick gold necklace and hoop earrings.

The runway star looked perky in her new blonde bob and wore full makeup with a natural pink lip.

The swimsuit model has been making big changes and admissions in her life lately.

Last month, she had her breast implants removed and she admitted she'd been lying about her age for years.

'Im finally ready to reveal this secret Ive been carrying for years,' she wrote in her Instagram caption.

'Im 35 years young. Ive been told to lie about my age for years by past agents and people in the industry.'

She added: 'For years I was ashamed of my age. I had this fear of clients finding out my age and canceling jobs even though I fit the look. I was shooting prom dresses in my 30s and nobody knew.

'For years, I had to conceal my true identity, even from friends, out of fear they might reveal my secret to others in the industry. I had to be someone else in order to work.

The swimsuit model seemed to mix business with pleasure, showcasing her taut tummy and toned legs in a white bikini and matching shorts

Joy removed the shorts to reveal a bikini bottom with high cut legs. The cover model accessorized with a thick gold necklace and hoop earrings. The runway star looked perky in her new blonde bob and wore full makeup with a natural pink lip

'I was forced to dull my knowledge, experience and light in order to fit this role. Today, at 35, Ive never felt better, younger, or more alive. Here is my truth. My life is just beginning.'

In an appearance on the Mr D Math Live podcast, the model who grew up on a farm in South Carolina as one of 10 children said that even though they were considered poor, her parents instilled in her a sense of self-assurance.

'I really worked hard and I didn't give up,' she said when first entering the modeling world.

'I think thats the core value that I had in me from my parents supporting me and telling me theres always another way.'
Just one day after being found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex girlfriend Grace Jabbari, there is more fallout from Jonathan Majors' Marvel exit.

The superhero studio had previously named their film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to showcase Jonathan Majors' villainous Kang.

Shortly after Majors, 34, was found guilty, Marvel dropped the actor from their upcoming projects, including The Kang Dynasty.

The studio also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the project is now being referred to simply as Avengers 5.

Majors' Kang made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the 2021 Disney Plus TV series Loki and was set up as the MCU's next major villain in this year's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania.

Just one day after being found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex girlfriend Grace Jabbari, there is more fallout from Jonathan Majors ' Marvel exit

The superhero studio had previously named their film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to showcase Jonathan Majors' villainous Kang

The studio also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the project previously known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is now being referred to simply as Avengers 5

However, this news seems to indicate that Marvel is scrapping this character entirely, likely therefore shifting the entire course of their Phase 5 and Phase 6.

With the removal of the Kang Dynasty title, it appears to confirm that Marvel is not considering simply re-casting the role, which the studio has done before.

Two main characters from the earliest days of the MCU - James Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine and Bruce Banner a.k.a. The Hulk - were recast in Phase One.

Terrence Howard played Rhodey in the first MCU movie - 2008's Iron Man - but he declined to return for 2010's Iron Man 2 due to a pay dispute, leading to Don Cheadle stepping in.

Edward Norton starred as Banner in the second MCU movie - 2008's The Incrdible Hulk - though after constantly clashing with Marvel the studio decided to re-cast the role, with Mark Ruffalo stepping in as Banner/Hulk in 2012's The Avengers and beyond.

The studio has also re-cast William Hurt's character Thunderbolt Ross after he passed away in March 2022, with Harrison Ford playing him in Captain America: Brave New World, in theaters February 14, 2025.

Still, it seems Marvel is scrapping the character in its entirety, with the studio bringing in Loki creator Michael Waldron was brought on to rewrite the script.

The project was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, with Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton originally attached to direct.

However, this news seems to indicate that Marvel is scrapping this character entirely, likely therefore shifting the entire course of their Phase 5 and Phase 6

Recast: With the removal of the Kang Dynasty title, it appears to confirm that Marvel is not considering simply re-casting the role, which the studio has done before

Still, it seems Marvel is scrapping the character in its entirety, with the studio bringing in Loki creator Michael Waldron was brought on to rewrite the script

Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania) was attached to write the script in September 2022, six months before Majors' arrest in March 2023

Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania) was attached to write the script in September 2022, six months before Majors' arrest in March 2023.

While many fans called for Majors' removal after the arrest, the studio stayed mum for months before dropping him after the guilty verdict was announced.

Given how inter-connected the MCU films are, this move could end up affecting other films far before Avengers 5 is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

The studio still has two more films left in Phase 5 - Deadpool 3 (July 26, 2024) and Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025).

Those will lead directly into Phase 6 with Fantastic Four (May 2, 2025), Thunderbolts (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2027).

Filming on Avengers 5 was initially slated to begin in early 2025, though that likely won't happen now, which will likely affect the release date down the road.
Kylie Jenner resembled a sexy cowgirl in a series of new campaign photos for her popular makeup brand, Kylie Cosmetics, which she launched at just 18.

While promoting one of her Kylie Lip Kits, the reality star, 26, rocked a plunging pink bodysuit and a matching rhinestone hat with a crystal trim around the edges.

In the images, taken by photographers Luca and Alessandro Morelli, the mother-of-two shot the camera her best smoldering stare while rocking a glamorous makeup look, consisting of a dramatic winged eyeliner, glossy lipstick and a lot of blush.

A third picture of Jenner showed her in an elegant white dress with a beaded collar and cuffs, red lipstick and her signature raven locks styled in voluminous curls.

Pretty in pink! Kylie Jenner resembled a sexy cowgirl in a series of new campaign photos for her popular makeup brand, Kylie Cosmetics, which she launched at just 18

After posting the image to their Instagram account, the Morelli Brothers received more than 2,379 likes, including one from Jenner.

'Slayed all the way!' one follower commented, while another wrote: 'Such amazing work! Truly stunning!'

In October, Jenner expanded her billion dollar business empire with a new venture  a clothing line named Khy.

Puck News previously reported in July that Jenner was working with Emma and Jens Grede - the married business couple who work with her sister Kim Kardashian on her successful brand SKIMS, as well as he sister Khloe Kardashian on her Good American brand.

Though Jenner is most known for her makeup empire, she has previously collaborated with her sister Kendall Jenner for a fashion line with PacSun back in 2012.

Jenner launched her lip kits three years later, taking the cosmetic industry by storm.

The brand's success propelled her into making the cover of Forbes as the 'youngest self-made female billionaire.'

Yeehaw! While promoting one of her Kylie Lip Kits, the reality star, 26, rocked a plunging pink bodysuit and a matching rhinestone hat with a crystal trim around the edges

Outfit change: A third picture of Jenner showed her in an elegant white dress with a beaded collar and cuffs, red lipstick and her signature raven locks styled in voluminous curls

In 2019, she sold a majority stake of Kylie Cosmetics to Coty.

As for the future of the brand, she previously shared that daughter Stormi, four, might take over one day.

'Stormi is my legacy. I'm raising her to be smart and kind and driven. Maybe she will take over Kylie Cosmetics one day? Only if she wants to,' she shared in an interview with tmrw magazine.

The mogul shares Stormi and one-year-old son Aire with rapper ex boyfriend Travis Scott, 32.

She has since moved on with Call Me By Your Name star Timothee, to whom she was first romantically linked in April.
Bill Murray was spotted on the set of his upcoming crime thriller Riff Raff on Tuesday while filming in Clark, New Jersey.

The 73-year-old actor bundled up in a green coat, turtleneck sweater and plaid vest while filming in the township that has a population of about 15,500 people.

Bill wore dark trousers and brown leather shoes while leaving a store with a sign above reading 'Farmer John's Last Stand'.

He was joined by Pete Davidson, 30, who filmed along with him on a porch outside of the store.

Pete wore a long dark coat and black pants and accessorized with sunglasses while filming with Bill.

Bill Murray was spotted on the set of his upcoming crime thriller Riff Raff on Tuesday while filming in Clark, New Jersey

Riff Raff follows a former criminal who is thrown into turmoil when his old family appears for a reckoning.

The crime thriller also stars Jennifer Coolidge, Dustin Hoffman, Brian Cox, Gabrielle Union, and Ed Harris.

The film is being directed by Dito Montiel, 58, the former New York City punk rocker who made his directorial debut in the 2006 film A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, based on his memoir.

Dito is directing the film from a script by John Pollono, 51.

Bill can next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is a follow-up to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The plot of the film centers on a killer storm that hits New York City, bringing with it a phenomenon known as the 'death chill.'

It will be the first film in the franchise that will not feature involvement from Ivan Reitman, who died in his sleep at age 75 in February 2022. He is credited as an executive producer on the film.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is scheduled to be released in the US on March 29, 2024, by Sony Pictures Releasing.

The 73-year-old actor bundled up in a green coat, turtleneck sweater and plaid vest while filming in the township that has a population of about 15,500 people

The comedy legend has a starring role in the upcoming film Riff Raff

Bill wore dark trousers and brown leather shoes while leaving a store with a sign above reading 'Farmer John's Last Stand'

The comedy legend was joined by Pete Davidson , 30, who filmed along with him on a porch outside of the store

The film was previously scheduled to be released on December 20, 2023, but it was pushed back due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

Paul Rudd, 54, once again leads the band of Ghostbusters after a warm summer turns icy when the mysterious storm blankets the Big Apple.

The film brings 1980s franchise stars Bill, Dan Aykroyd, 71, Ernie Hudson, 77, and Annie Potts, 71, back to the firehouse.

Rudd stars alongside Patton Oswalt, 54, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, 17, Celeste O'Connor, Finn Wolfhard and Kumali Nanjiani.

The synopsis for the film reveals that the Spengler family 'returns to where it all started - the iconic New York City firehouse - to team up with the original Ghostbusters, whove developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.

'But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age,' the synopsis continued.

Bill, shown in February in Los Angeles, can next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is a follow-up to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Riff Raff is being directed by Dito Montiel, 58, the former New York City punk rocker who made his directorial debut in the 2006 film A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, based on his memoir

The movie follows a former criminal who is thrown into turmoil when his old family appears for a reckoning

Bill looked sharp while filming in the small township in New Jersey

Dito is directing Riff Raff from a script by John Pollono, 51

Comedy legend Bill is shown in a still from the 1980 classic comedy Caddyshack

Aykroyd's character Raymond Stantz explains in the trailer that the death chill has the power to crack bones and turn veins into rivers of ice.

'And the last thing you see is your own tear ducts freezing up,' Stantz continues.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was the first film in the franchise to leave New York City as it took place in Oklahoma.

The Ghostbusters return to their original stomping grounds in the next installment with a script from Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan and direction from Kenan, while there also was filming in London.
Australian TikTok star Jayden Clark has gone Instagram official with popular US radio presenter Zach Sang.

The 21-year-old influencer recently shared a gallery of sweet photos as he enjoyed a romantic holiday in Melbourne with his new boyfriend.

One image showed Zach, 30, enjoying a romantic walk along the iconic Yarra River, while another captured the pair taking in the city's stunning Christmas decorations.

Jayden also shared some photos of the pair enjoying a romantic car ride together and captioned them with some short and sweet words: 'This emoji [love heart]'.

Sang is a popular US-based DJ who has interviewed hundreds of celebrities across his career, including Kylie Minogue, The Kid Laroi and Miley Cyrus.

Australian TikTok star Jayden Clark (right) has gone Instagram Official with popular US radio presenter Zach Sang (left). The 21-year-old influencer recently shared a gallery of photos to social media capturing him enjoying a romantic holiday in Melbourne with his new boyfriend

Meanwhile, Jayden hosts a popular TikTok channel which boasts close to 100,000 followers.

Back in July, Jayden made headlines when he shared an alleged ordeal he endured at Melbourne's International Airport where an airline worker was 'rude' to him.

Clark took to TikTok to express his shock over the way he was treated by a Jetstar employee working inside the terminal.

The pair are currently enjoying a romantic Christmas holiday in Melbourne

'When I tell you I am currently shaking, because I never thought I would be abused by airport staff, but here we are,' Jayden began.

'I get everyone has bad days and can be a bit snappy at times. But I've never experienced any customer service like this.'

Jayden claimed that he only asked the woman, who was wearing a Jetstar uniform, whether or not he was in the right terminal for his flight to Los Angeles because he was travelling on his own.

They have been chronicling their Melbourne holiday to social media

'I kind of froze for a second because she had a walkie talkie. So I was like, "Oh, maybe she's gonna be busy." And then she just stared at me,' he added, mimicking the face the staffer had made.

'Typically, that would annoy me enough where I'd be like, "Okay, let me speak to the manager. Why are you giving me this look? What have I done to you?"'

Things took a turn at that moment, as Jayden recalled the woman aggressively pointed at her uniform and 'fiercely' said, 'Can you see? Can you see? I don't work for Fiji, I work for Jetstar. Go sit down.'

However, Jetstar told Daily Mail Australia their version of events did not align with Jayden's.
Following weeks of drama, emotion and unexpected twists, Love Island Australia 2023 has its winners.

Host Sophie Monk revealed during Monday night's finale Tyra and Kale had taken out the reality series, earning them an equal split of the $50,000 prize.

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle after the episode aired, Tyra, 23, and Kale, 25, claimed they're still together following their time filming the show in Mallorca, Spain earlier this year.

Even though she works as an accountant, Tyra joked she'll need Kale's help manage her half of the prize money because she's 'terrible' with handling finances, with Kale quipping she's 'spent half of it already'.

The first thing the couple said they will spend their $50,000 on is a trip to Perth in the New Year to spend time in Kale's hometown.

Love Island Australia winners Tyra and Kale have revealed what they are going to do with the $50,000 prize money

Host Sophie Monk (pictured right) revealed during the Monday night finale that Tyra and Kale emerged as the audience's favourite couple of the series, earning them an equal split of the $50,000 prize money

Tyra and Kale emerged victorious over the other Love Island couples, including Clint and Savannah, who reportedly are no longer together, and Lucinda and Zac, who have been seen together in London recently.

'I couldn't be more excited for whats next for me and the future with Tyra,' an excited Kale said after the win.

'We have so many exciting things coming up already. Its amazing how bubbly and uplifting her presence is, she can light up a room with one smile.'

Tyra and Kale emerged victorious over other Love Island couples, including Clint and Savannah, who reportedly are no longer together, and Lucinda and Zac, who have been seen together in London recently. All pictured

Even though she works as an accountant, Tyra joked she'll need Kale's help manage her half of the prize money because she's 'terrible' with handling finances, with Kale quipping she's 'spent half of it already'

An excited Tyra added: 'Kale is everything I could ever ask for in a partner and more. The most kind and considerate man Ive ever met. Weve got so many plans, kicking it all off with a trip over to Perth to meet Kales family. I am stoked.'

Taking to social media ahead of the final verdict, Tyra shared a message paying tribute to the show and her friends:

'A big shoutout to my crazy housemates, the most hardworking production crew, and to everyone who has been following along at home.

She also gushed over her new heavily tattooed sweetheart, adding: 'An even bigger shoutout to a very special boy I met along the way - falling in love with you has been pure magic. Thank you everyone for all your support, it truly means the world!'

Meanwhile, the former model sent his own message of thanks via Instagram, messaging his followers: 'What a ride!'

He continued, 'Entering this place I honestly had no idea what to expect. A few challenges and fire pits later here I am leaving with lifelong friends and the girl of my dreams. Thanks for having me.'

The saucy series was pre-filmed in a lavish villa which featured a 'fancy' new fire pit, complete with colourful new pillows and upholstery.

And in a world first the Love Island Australia's villa this season featured a small love-heart shaped 'Consent Heart' button next to every bed.

The button allowed couples to announce they are both comfortable with whatever is going on between the sheets.
Much loved Kiwi actor Sam Neill is about to head back to the small screen.

The 76-year-old Jurassic Park star leads the cast of the new Binge drama series Apples Never Fall, which is set to drop on the streaming giant in March 2024.

Based on the novel from Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, the mystery thriller co-stars American Beauty actress Annette Benning

Binge has given fans a sneak peek of what to expect with a series of first look images.

Set in the U.S. the plot centres on how a mysterious young woman upends the quiet life of newly retired couple Stan and Joy Delaney (Neill and Benning).

Much loved Kiwi actor Sam Neill is about to heads back to the small screen in the new Binge limited series Apples Never Fall in March 2024. Pictured: Neill on the red carpet in March

Based on the novel from Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, the mystery thriller co-stars American actress Annette Benning Pictured: Sam Neill in a scene from the series

Later, things turn sinister when Joy disappears.

Meanwhile, the couple's four adult children begin to investigate their parents seemingly 'perfect' marriage in a search for answers - only to find dark secrets.

One of the images from the show features a fit looking Neill with a smiling Benning in their roles as husband and wife.

Another photo shows Neill's character lurking in the dark.

Other images feature co-stars including former Mad Men actress Alison Brie, and Jake Lacy (from the The Office U,S.).

Conor Merrigan-Turner from Tomorrow When the War Began and Essie Randles also feature.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Australian born actress Georgia Flood plays Savannah, a mysterious young woman.

Produced in the U.S. by Heyday Television, part of Universal International Studios, the showrunner for the limited series is writer Melanie Marnich of Big Love and The Affair.

Set in the U.S. the plot centres on how a mysterious young woman upends the quiet life of newly retired couple Stan and Joy Delaney (Neill and Benning, right, in a scene from the series)

When Joy disappears, the couple's four adult children begin to investigate their parents seemingly 'perfect' marriage in a search for answer's - only to find dark secrets

It comes after Neill apologised to his supporters in October for 'worrying everybody' after opening up about his stage-three blood cancer battle.

The beloved actor told Australian Story that month that chemotherapy failed to work and he is on a new experimental drug that is now working at fighting off his non-Hodgkin blood cancer, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Despite the promising news, Neill said he's been told by his doctors that one day the drug will stop working.

Symptoms of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma can include having a high fever, night sweats, skin rash, and autoimmune disorders.
Kristin Cavallari opened up about removing her father, Dennis, from her life after he 'crossed the line' with her kids.

On Tuesday's episode of her Let's Be Honest podcast, the reality star, 36, revealed she made the difficult decision 'about two years ago' and has not looked back.

'[It's] has honestly been the best thing I've ever done,' she said during a chat with Dr. Sherrie Campbell on Tuesday's episode of her Let's Be Honest podcast.

She continued: 'I actually didn't even realize that my dad was a narcissist until I was an adult.'

Estranged: Kristin Cavallari opened up about removing her father, Dennis, from her life after he reportedly 'crossed the line' with her kids

While reflecting on her childhood, the Uncommon James founder recalled never wanting to be around her dad because he would make her feel that she 'wasn't good enough.'

'But then the flip side of that is, sometimes he would put me on this pedestal and talk me up,' she remembered. 'Now as an adult looking back, I'm like, 'Oh, it was when it benefitted you and made you look good.''

Ultimately, Cavallari revealed that after 'something happened with' her children Camden, 11, Jaxon, 9, and Saylor, 8, who she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler, she severed ties with Dennis.

'How I got my dad out of my life was something happened with my kids and it crossed the line,' she stated. 'And I was like, You know what? Im f**king done.''

Following the incident, the mother-of-three said her father 'blamed' her and 'everything back' in her face.

'I was always like, I can take it  I can take the abuse. I have my whole life. But its like when you start now messing with my kids, Im not doing it,' Cavallari told listeners.

Back in 2020, on an episode of Very Cavallari, Kristin reached out to her father Dennis after growing distant following the 2015 death of her brother Michael.

'[It's] has honestly been the best thing I've ever done,' she said during a chat with Dr. Sherrie Campbell on Tuesday's episode of her Let's Be Honest podcast

She continued: 'I actually didn't even realize that my dad was a narcissist until I was an adult'

'Over the years my dad and I have grown apart a little bit,' Kristin admitted in a confessional.

'I'm interested in researching the Cavallari name and developing relationships with my extended family. Also, I just want my kids to have a really good understanding of where they come from,' she added, at the time.

During the episode, Dennis who lives in Denver, met up with Kristin and her then-husband while they were in Los Angeles to discuss the Cavallari family tree.

'Since I started to get interested in tracing my family roots, I reached out to my dad because I really want to pick his brain on what he knows about the Cavallari name,' Kristin explained in a confessional.

'And I know he has a lot of photos, obviously, he knows a lot more about my great-grandparents than I do. You know, my grandparents that came over from Italy,' she added.

Ultimately, Cavallari revealed that after 'something happened with' her children Camden, 11, Jaxon, 9, and Saylor, 8, who she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler, she severed ties with Dennis; pictured in 2016

Dennis showed family photos including his grandfather Frank Cavallari who came to the United States in 1903.

Michael died, at age 30, from hypothermia in December 2015 in Utah following a car crash weeks earlier.

In her show's second season, Kristin discussed her brother's mental health issues before his death and how he crashed his car and got lost before dying of hypothermia.

'My dad and my brother were close, and, because of that, I think our relationship is very surface. It puts a little bit of a void between us,' she said in a confessional.

'So, I am hoping that with this family tree and tracing the roots... I don't know, maybe it just gives us something to bond over and he'll open up a bit more,' Kristin said.
Jeannie Mai denied her estranged husband Jeezy's claim that she won't let him see their child.

Amid their ongoing divorce case, the television personality, 44, said she's been more than accommodating with their temporary schedule over custody of their one-year-old daughter Monaco.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ, she submitted a response to the 46-year-old rapper's allegations that she is interfering with him spending time with their child  whom they welcomed in January 2022.

She also said she wants him to be involved in his daughter's life but is concerned about him providing 'reasonable safety measures' and also made a brief mention about 'unsecured' firearms.

Previously, Jeezy  whose full name is Jay Wayne Jenkins  filed for divorce in September after two years of marriage together.

Jeannie Mai denied her estranged husband Jeezy's claim that she won't let him see their child

Amid their ongoing divorce case, the television personality, 44, said she's been more than accommodating with their temporary schedule over custody of their one-year-old daughter Monaco

In the filed paperwork, Jenkins requested for a hearing to sort out a temporary custody schedule as he alleged she has been keeping him from seeing their child.

In response, she claimed that she has given him all the dates he has asked for and gave him an extended period of time with her over the Christmas holiday.

She also stated that she believes they are strong candidates for the option to be sent to mediation by a judge to instead work out the conflict themselves.

The court documents stated that she 'remains committed to facilitating and encouraging' the involvement of Jenkins' in their one-year-old's life.

She also said she wants to 'foster an open, supportive and safe environment for both parents to actively participate' in Monaco's life.

However, her attorneys said she is concerned about the 'safety and security' but 'is absolutely not gatekeeping' him from spending time with their daughter.

'It is essential to clarify that Ms. Jenkins' insistence on reasonable safety measures being put in place,' Mai's attorneys wrote in the legal paperwork.

They provided examples 'such as safely securing and locking away all firearms that have been unsecured in the past'.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ , she submitted a response to the 46-year-old rapper's allegations that she is interfering with him spending time with their child  whom they welcomed in January 2022

She also said she wants him to be involved in his daughter's life but is concerned about him providing 'reasonable safety measures' and also made a brief mention about 'unsecured' firearms

His accusations come about three weeks after Mai filed her response to Jenkins' divorce petition and seemingly implied his infidelity, which would violate their prenuptial agreement

Previously, Jeezy  whose full name is Jay Wayne Jenkins  filed for divorce in September after two years of marriage together

'Having familiarity and properly trained caregivers is absolutely not gatekeeping, but rather a responsible effort to prioritize their daughter's well-being,' the legal paperwork read.

Her lawyers added: 'Safety and security, especially when under the care of others and traveling across the country, are reasonable protective measures'.

They emphasized that it was 'not an attempt to restrict Mr. Jenkins' access to their daughter'.

His accusations come about three weeks after Mai filed her response to Jenkins' divorce petition and seemingly implied his infidelity, which would violate their prenuptial agreement.
Spencer Matthews sparked concern among his fans on Tuesday as he shared a series of snaps to Instagram, showing off his slimmed down figure.

The Made In Chelsea star, 35, looked dapper in a navy-blue outfit from M&S, but his followers couldn't help but become distracted by his looks.

His sudden weight loss worried fans, with one penning in the comment section: 'You're losing too much weight Spencer'.

Another said: 'Awesome shots here Spencer! Love the outfit, but I hate to say this you're losing a lot of weight'.

Explaining the reason behind his new look, Spencer said: 'I'm training for a huge event next year. Looking to raise some serious money for a great cause. Announcement coming early in the new year.'

Spencer Matthews sparked concern among his fans on Tuesday as he shared a series of snaps to Instagram, showing off his slimmed down figure

Spencer has previously shown off his incredible body transformation since his years on Made In Chelsea.

During his time on the show between 2011 and 2015, 'bad boy' Spencer was notorious for attending boozy parties with pal Jamie Laing and for serial dating cast members such as Louise Thompson and Lucy Watson.

He revealed that his life was 'spiralling out of control' on the show due to a 'drinking problem'.

Spencer also credits his new body to 'training religiously' and 'weightlifting three times a week'.

Spencer and his wife Vogue Williams are currently on tour with their podcast, Spencer and Vogue, which they launched in summer 2020 and sees them discuss their day-to-day home lives.

The podcast allows listeners to be a fly on the wall whilst they chat through anything and everything within their marriage.

Discussing working together, Vogue told Loose Women: 'We work together a small amount, but we actually really enjoy it because we're separate most of the time that it's nice to be able to come together and chat and be uninterrupted.'

The couple have been together since meeting while competing in Channel 4 celebrity ski competition, The Jump, in early 2017.

The Made In Chelsea star, 35, looked dapper in a navy blue outfit from M&S, but his followers couldn't help but become distracted by his looks

His sudden weight loss concerned fans, with one penning in the comment section: 'You're losing too much weight Spencer'

Explaining the reason behind his new look, Spencer said: 'I'm training for a huge event next year. Looking to raise some serious money for a great cause. Announcement coming early in the new year.'

They announced their engagement in February 2018 and got married in June that year in a secret ceremony in the Scottish Highlands at Spencer's family's 30,000-acre estate.

The pair have three children together, Theodore, five, Gigi, three, and baby Otto, 17 months.

They christened Otto in November in London, sharing a slew of snaps of the happy day.

However, Vogue explained that a simple error led to her children ending up with different faiths.

She said: 'We have three kids and Spenny's mum kindly organised the first two christenings.

'I'm Catholic, but I'm not a practicing Catholic and so I organised the third christening and I organised it in a Catholic Church, not realising that the other two were Church of England.'

Spencer chimed in: 'So we have one Catholic kid essentially. Which I think is fine! I think it's quite progressive if anything.'

Spencer also credits his new body to 'training religiously' and 'weightlifting three times a week'

Spencer and Vogue have been married since 2018 and have three children together, Theodore, five, Gigi, three, and baby Otto, 17 months

Vogue quipped: 'If we have a fourth we don't know what we're going to do. Probably something completely different.'

Speaking about their first meeting, Spencer said: 'When we did meet I did tell her I thought we'd get married on the first day.'

Vogue responded: 'I mean he didn't actually mean it. We were both really trying to be single when we met each other on The Jump, but it just didn't work out that way.'

Spencer added: 'It was an observation of mine and then I spent the rest of the time trying to make that happen, just to not be wrong. I don't like being wrong.'
Jaclyn Smith looked effortlessly stylish on Tuesday as she stepped out for some last-minute Christmas shopping.

The Charlie's Angels star, 78, showed off her age-defying and youthful looks as she strolled down the street with her shopping bag.

She cut an elegant figure in a black turtleneck jumper, teamed with a matching pair of flared trousers.

Jaclyn gave herself an extra few inches of height with a pair of shiny brown and black high heeled boots.

The actress toted a cream leather handbag and styled her blonde hair in a bouncy blowout, while sporting a light palette of makeup.

Jaclyn Smith looked effortlessly stylish on Tuesday as she stepped out for some last-minute Christmas shopping

The Charlie's Angels star, 78, showed off her age-defying and youthful looks as she strolled down the street with her shopping bag

Jaclyn rose to fame in 1976 on the hit series Charlie's Angels that featured the late Farrah Fawcett (left) and actress Kate Jackson, 75 (centre)

Jaclyn rose to fame in 1976 on the hit series Charlie's Angels that featured the late Farrah Fawcett and actress Kate Jackson, 75.

Jaclyn played Kelly Garrett, and was the only original Angel to remain on the series from its complete run from 1976 until 1981.

Next the pinup made several TV movies such as 1985's Florence Nightingale and 1988's Windmills Of The Gods.

She revisited Charlie's Angels by appearing as Kelly in the 2003 reboot film with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz.

Jaclyn also had a cameo in the 2019 film version of Charlie's Angels directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Kristen Stewart.

She has been married four times, first to actor Roger Davis, whom she was married to from 1968 until 1975.

Her second husband was actor Dennis Cole, who had worked with her on Charlie's Angels and their marriage lasted from 1978 until 1981.

In 1981, she married Tony Richmond, and they welcomed son Gaston, 41, and daughter Spencer Margaret, 38, together before their divorce in 1989.

Jaclyn played Kelly Garrett, and was the only original Angel to remain on the series from its complete run from 1976 until 1981 (pictured right in 1976)

Next the pinup made several TV movies such as 1985's Florence Nightingale and 1988's Windmills Of The Gods (pictured in 1976)

Jaclyn tied the knot with her fourth husband, doctor Brad Allen, 68, in 1997 after a short romance and they recently celebrated their 26th anniversary in October.

She has regularly shocked fans with her youthful appearance, nearly five decades on from shooting to fame in Charlie's Angels in 1976.

Last year, she told The Mail on Sunday's You magazine that she has avoided resorting to conventional cosmetic work to defy the years in favour of her own bizarre regimen.

Jaclyn explained: 'I don't believe in fillers and I haven't done any cutting. If I put anything in my face, I use my own fat, which is hard to do.'

She revealed she was also scared of using Botox, saying: 'I'm afraid of it. My husband says if you do Botox over and over, it totally collapses the muscle.

'You can overdo it in this town like nobody's business. And when you get done it's not a good look.'

In 1981, she married Tony Richmond, and they welcomed son Gaston, 41, and daughter Spencer Margaret, 38, together before their divorce in 1989 (pictured together in 2003)

Jaclyn tied the knot with her fourth husband, doctor Brad Allen, 68, in 1997 after a short romance and they recently celebrated their 26th anniversary in October (pictured)

She also took to her Instagram in February 2022 to share one of her tricks for staying young, by preparing a green smoothie that she claimed gives her 'a boost of energy'.

Jaclyn also exercises regularly and practices yoga, and explained that her breast cancer diagnosis gave her a new perspective on life.

She was diagnosed 20 years ago after a routine mammogram showed a lump, and went through radiation treatment.

Now all in the clear, she admitted: 'It's part of my history and it changes you: [I realise] you need to seize the day. And we need to be more grateful. Maybe we all complain a little too much.'
Vincent Cassel looked as loved-up as ever with his new girlfriend Narah Baptista as they soaked up the sun on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday.

The French actor, 57, showed off his toned frame as he went shirtless in black patterned board shorts, while he tied a yellow sarong around his neck.

He shielded his eyes from the sun with a pair of yellow sunglasses as put on a smitten display with his new girlfriend Narah, 27.

Narah showed off her incredible figure in a skimpy red and orange two-piece, styled with a red sarong, for the beach day.

She carried her white flip-flops in one hand and shielded her eyes with a pair of oval sunglasses, and kept her essentials in a patterned tote bag.

Vincent Cassel looked as loved-up as ever with his new girlfriend Narah Baptista as they soaked up the sun on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday

The couple, who appeared to confirm their relationship last month, looked as close as ever as they chatted to each other while sunbathing.

Vincent appeared to confirm his relationship with model Narah as they packed on the PDA during a previous trip to the beach in Rio de Janeiro in November.

They also looked loved-up while enjoying a dinner al-fresco to celebrate her birthday in Rome last month.

The pair looked smitten and couldn't stop smiling while chatting and enjoying the meal.

Vincent - best known for his roles in Ocean's Twelve and Black Swan - recently gushed about his happiness six months after reportedly splitting from wife of five-years Tina Kunakey, 26.

Taking to Instagram, Vincent has shared numerous snaps and videos from his trip abroad including a selfie, which he captioned: 'Just wanted to be happy... I am'.

While Narah replied: 'Amor' which is Italian for love.

Vincent and wife Tina, who welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019, are believed to have separated after he deleted all traces of her from his social media.

The French actor, 57, showed off his toned frame as he went shirtless in black patterned board shorts, while Narah, 27, showed off her incredible figure

Narah stunned in a skimpy red and orange two-piece, styled with a red sarong, for the beach day. The couple appeared to have confirmed their romance last month

A source also told DailyMail.com exclusively that the couple is headed for divorce, saying: 'They separated weeks ago. Tina is heartbroken.'

In April, Vincent abruptly deleted all images of Tina amid furious speculation that the pair had split after five years of marriage.

Vincent tied the knot with Tina in 2018, two years after they were first linked, and they welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019.

However, a source told DailyMail.com exclusively that the couple is headed for divorce, saying: 'They separated weeks ago. Tina is heartbroken.'

While representatives for Vincent and Tina did not respond to requests for comment, the actor recently removed all traces of his wife from his Instagram account.

Loved up pictures of the duo, which previously littered Vincent's account, have all vanished without a trace.

Vincent also failed to post anything marking Tina's birthday - despite the model re-posting multiple well wishes from her friends on her own account.

The last time the actor liked one of his wife's Instagram posts was on February 17 - while Tina has failed to share any photos of herself with Vincent recently, prompting several of her followers to question: 'Where is your husband?'

Neither Tina or Vincent have publicly addressed the mounting speculation among their followers about the status of their marriage - however both have continued sharing regular work updates to their accounts in the past few weeks.

Vincent recently gushed about his happiness six months after reportedly splitting from wife of five-years Tina Kunakey, 26

Sharing a selfie of himself, Vincent wrote: 'Just wanted to be happy... I am', while Narah replied: 'Amor' which is Italian for love

Vincent tied the knot with Tina in 2018, two years after they were first linked, and they welcomed a daughter, Amazonie, in April 2019

While Tina has shared several images from photoshoots, Vincent has been touting two new movies, The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, and Liaison, an Apple TV+ film he features in alongside fellow French superstar Eva Green.

Vincent has shared several images of himself with Eva, 42, whom he praised as a 'wonderful co-star'.

While he failed to post anything about Tina's birthday, the actor did share a tribute to his 18-year-old daughter Deva, whom he shares with his first wife, Monica Bellucci.

Vincent and Monica, 53, wed in 1999 after meeting on the set of their 1996 movie, The Apartment.

The couple welcomed two daughters - Deva and Leonie, 12 - before divorcing in 2013 after 14 years of marriage. In 2016, Vincent then went 'Instagram Official,' with Tina, who was 19 at the time.
Netflix fans have been left in floods of tears by Miracle in Cell No. 7, with some claiming the film was 'life changing.'

The 2019 Turkish drama, is an adaptation of the 2013 South Korean original, and recently topped charts after being made available in multiple countries.

Directed by Mehmet Ada Oztekin, the film follows the story of a father with an intellectual disability, who becomes separated from his daughter when he is wrongly jailed for murder.

The emotional rollercoaster of a film boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 85%.

Sharing their thoughts on X (formerly known as Twitter) viewers praised Miracle in Cell No. 7 and warned others to 'get the tissues ready.'

Netflix fans have been left in floods of tears by Miracle in Cell No. 7, with some claiming the film was 'life changing' (pictured: Ova and Memo)

The 2019 Turkish drama, follows the story of a father with an intellectual disability, who becomes separated from his daughter when he is wrongly jailed (pictured: Ova and Memo)

One person wrote: 'No movie has ever changed my life the way Miracle in Cell No.7 did'

'Watched Miracle in Cell No. 7, highly recommended. Outstanding acting and storyline. Do not watch unless you have a full box of tissues at the ready!' another added.

A third shared: 'Miracle in Cell No.7 !! The amount of tears I shed on that movie.'

Someone else posted: 'The worst decision ive ever made in 2023 is watching miracle in cell no. 7 at work, imagine my employees find out their boss is crying alone in his office.

'Miracle in cell no 7. The movie evoked such intense emotions that my nephew and four of his friends were crying like babies. I, too, shed tears while watching it; it's a beautiful experience,' another fan penned.

Miracle in Cell No. 7 begins with a bride-to-be who becomes emotional when capital punishment is abolished in Turkey.

Quickly flashing back to 1983, we see the bride, Ova (Nisa Sofiya Aksongur), with her father Mehmet 'Memo' (Aras Bulut Iynemli), who has cognitive impairments.

The pair live with her grandmother, Fatma (Celile Toyon Uysal) in a small remote village, however things quickly go awry, when Memo gets into an argument with the child of a military officer.

Sharing their thoughts on X (formerly known as Twitter) viewers praised Miracle in Cell No. 7 and warned others to 'get the tissues ready'

The emotional rollercoaster of a film boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 85% (Aras Bulut Iynemli as Memo and Nisa Sofiya Aksongur as Ova)

Chasing the child for the bag Ova wants, the officer's daughter unfortunately falls off a cliff and dies.

Memo's tries to save the child, but he is mistakenly misunderstood to have murdered her.

The child's furious and grieving father is adamant about sentencing Memo to death, and whilst in prison he endures horrific abuse.

Ova is eventually smuggled into the prison and reunited with her father, in an attempt to convince his cellmates and wardens that he is in fact innocent.
Dannii Minogue has sent Eurovision fans into a frenzy after sharing a cryptic social media post ahead of the 2024 final.

The Aussie hitmaker, 33, has sparked speculation among fans that she could be representing her home nation at next year's contest, after re-sharing a snap of Sweden's eye-catching stage.

Dannii, 52, captioned her post: 'The stage is setand the countdown has begun!'

The tweet sparked a flurry of responses from excited Eurovision fans, questioning whether she would be representing Australia at next year's competition.

One wrote: 'Omg... is Dannii representing Australia?' while another added: 'Wait... WHATS HAPPENING.'

Dannii Minogue has sent Eurovision fans into a frenzy after sharing a cryptic social media post ahead of the 2024 final

The Aussie hitmaker has sparked speculation among fans that she could be representing her home nation at next year's contest

A third tweeted: 'Ahhh glad to see you have the @Eurovision bug after #Liverpool,' while one posted: 'Does this mean Minogues are representing Aussies in Eurovision?! Fingers crossed.'

On Saturday, it was revealed that Olly Alexander will be representing the UK at next year's Eurovision.

The Years & Years frontman, 33, made the announcement during Saturday's live final of Strictly Come Dancing as the audience cheered along.

He will represent the UK in Sweden in 2024 and has promised to 'fly the flag for the UK in the gayest way possible'.

Olly appeared on Radio 2 on Monday and told host Rylan about how he is preparing for his performance, teasing that it will require 'extreme physical fitness'.

He said: 'Whatever I'm going to be doing it's going to require some extreme physical fitness from me because I know that, when I was on tour I started singing the songs on the treadmill... so I've started doing that. I've started hula hooping and singing the song.'

Asked to sum up what fans can expect, Olly said: 'Drama!' before adding: 'I think it's going to be one of the craziest experiences of my life.'

He also opened up about how hard it was to keep the news a secret, revealing his mum had a 'panic attack' when she found out because she was so excited.

The tweet sparked a flurry of responses from excited Eurovision fans, questioning whether she would be representing Australia at next year's competition

On Saturday, it was revealed that Olly Alexander will be representing the UK at next year's Eurovision

He added that getting to be the UK entry was 'like a dream' and vowed he would 'be pulling out all the stops' in Malmo next year.

It comes after Olly promised that his Eurovision show will be a 'wild ride' and said he won't be singing a ballad but an electronic song that is 'something you can dance to'.

He told The BBC after the official announcement: 'I'm scared, but I'm excited. I've wanted to do this for a really, really long time. It's all a bit of a blur.

'I mean, it wasn't gonna be a ballad. Or maybe it could have been a ballad. I love a ballad. Am I saying too much now? It's not a ballad.

'I wrote the song with Danny Harle, and it'll be coming next year. And it's really good.

'That's definitely the vibe. It's gonna be electronic, something you can dance to. But yeah, I can't say much more than that.'

He added that he can't wait to arrive in Sweden next year to meet all the fans and other taking part, saying: 'It's going to be the wildest experience of my life!'

The UK will automatically qualify for next year's Eurovision final, which will take place in Malmo on May 11, after Sweden's Loreen was crowned the winner back in May.
Mario Falcone has opened up about a 'terrifying' ordeal which saw his wedding ring and gold Rolex watch stolen in a 70,000 home raid while he was on holiday.

The TOWIE star, 35, had a 15,000 wedding ring and a gold Rolex watch and other jewellery stolen during the raid on his home in Brentwood, Essex.

Jordan McKenzie-Pryce, 38, burgled the reality TV star's home while he and his family were abroad in September 2022, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Monday.

Judge Sawyer said McKenzie-Pryce made Mario feel like his home had been 'invaded' and jailed him for 12 years, while he must also pay the star 25,000 in compensation.

In a victim impact statement, Mario admitted the thought of someone breaking into his and his wife Becky Miesner's shared home was 'terrifying' and said his 'entire life' was 'affected' by the ordeal.

Mario Falcone (pictured in 2018) has opened up about a 'terrifying' ordeal which saw his wedding ring and Rolex watch stolen in a 70,000 home raid while he was on holiday

The father-of-two admitted his social life was deeply affected due to the fears of leaving their home unoccupied, and said the items stolen had 'huge sentimental value', including his wedding ring and watch - which he wore on his wedding day.

In the statement, read out by Keith Hadrill, prosecuting, Mario said: 'The thought of someone being in my house which should have been a safe place is terrifying.

'We have changed the way we live because my son doesn't have to have baby monitors anymore. We made the decision for safety to continue with the monitor.

'Those responsible were professional criminals that probably wouldn't care if we were in the house anyway. My wife and I don't really go out on dates now because we don't want to leave the children in the house with friends and family.

'Although I can afford to purchase the items again that's not the point. The watch and other items have huge sentimental value. That watch I wore on my wedding day and I would have worn that until the time to pass it onto my son on his wedding day.

'My entire life has been affected by this. I questioned at the time posting things on my social media and whether I would be a target. It shouldn't be like this.'

The court heard how McKenzie-Pryce, a father-of-three from Norbury, Streatham, ransacked Mario's home and stole 'high-end' items including handbags and a Macbook, plus around 5,000 in cash, totalling 69,000 worth of goods.

Mario had gone on holiday with his family in September 2022, but just days into the break received a phone call advising him that his house had been burgled.

Mario and his wife Becky shared a son Parker Jax, now four, at the time of the ordeal, before welcoming a daughter Cali Roux in May this year.

Jordan McKenzie-Pryce, 38, burgled the star's home while he and his family were abroad in September 2022, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Monday. He has been jailed for 12 years

In a victim impact statement, Mario admitted the thought of someone breaking into his and his wife Becky Miesner's home was 'terrifying' and said his 'entire life' was 'affected' by the ordeal

Following his arrest, McKenzie-Pryce's home was searched where pictures of some of the stolen goods were found on his phone, along with a floor plan of the Falcones' home.

Judge Jamie Sawyer told the court that Mario had left his house locked up with 'alarms fully engaged'.

The judge said it was believed he was targeted because of his status as a reality TV star and him sharing details of his life on social media.

There was a 'thorough' search of the home, the judge said, with all of the drawers being searched, with the bedroom cabinets and drawers all open. A shovel was also found in the bathroom.

Prosecuting, Keith Hadrill said: 'He found that items had been taken out of the house, a number of expensive items.

'A gold Rolex, 5,000 in cash, a wedding ring worth 15,000, a total of 69,000. Many of the items had sentimental value and were never returned. He [Mr Falcone] said by reason of CCTV he can determine that the burglary occurred between 12am and 2.30am on September 5, 2022.'

He added that voices could be heard in the CCTV footage.

Mitigating for McKenzie-Pryce, Lawrence McNulty said that he had been in and out of prison and was the father of three children.

Mario is married to Becky Miesner and they shared a son Parker Jax, now four, at the time of the ordeal, before welcoming a daughter Cali Roux in May this year

He said he had previously got a job in the music industry but was unable to continue when the record company moved to the USA and he couldn't follow due to his criminal record.

The court also heard that McKenzie-Pryce had carried out the burglary of the Falcones' home just days after being involved in a shooting in Waltham Abbey where a man was shot in the arm by a shotgun.

Judge Sawyer said McKenzie-Pryce made Mario feel like his home had been 'invaded' and jailed him for 12 years with an extra two on licence for the burglary and firearms offences.

McKenzie-Pryce must also pay Mario 25,000 in compensation.
EastEnders fans have clocked another clue that hints three characters could be killed off in the blockbuster Christmas Day episode.

Viewers are counting down the days until The Six storyline reaches its epic conclusion, and the identity of the male character killed in the Queen Vic is revealed.

Over the past 10 months, fans have been given small clues hinting at the identity of the mystery male character, with one telling sign being a pair of cufflinks glimpsed on the body.

Already the shortlist has been narrowed down to seven - Phil Mitchell, Keanu Taylor, Ravi Gulati, Dean Wicks, Nish Panesar, Rocky Cotton and Jack Branning.

And in scenes that aired on Tuesday, viewers saw the mystery cufflinks in question, as Alfie Moon sold a huge box of the accessory ahead of the festive season.

EastEnders fans have clocked another clue that hints three characters could be killed off in the blockbuster Christmas Day episode

In scenes that aired on Tuesday, viewers saw the mystery cufflinks in question, as Alfie Moon sold a huge box of the accessory, but clocked three of the boxes were a different colour

While fans noticed that it appeared all seven of the possible victims would be wearing the cufflinks, three of the boxes Alfie was selling were a different colour.

This has led some fans to claim this meant three characters could be killed off on Christmas Day in a jaw-dropping twist.

One tweeted: '3 boxes are different coloured... 3 exits? 3 deaths?'

Another added: 'EastEnders are proper cheeky with all this cufflinks galore you know. Gonna have us second guessing til the very last minute.'

'I have never been so obsessed with a pair of cufflinks,' a third added, while one went onto post: 'Oh my goodness. Everyone has these bloody cufflinks.'

Anticipation is building for EastEnders' upcoming Christmas Day episode, which will finally reveal the identity of the male body in the Queen Vic.

Sharon and Keanu are preparing for their wedding, with the groom unaware his wife-to-be is hiding a huge secret about her son Albie's paternity.

As her ex Phil arrives to crash the big day, it remains to be seen whether the ceremony will go ahead.

This has led some fans to claim this meant three characters could be killed off on Christmas Day in a jaw-dropping twist

Over the past 10 months, fans have been given small clues hinting at the identity of the mystery male character, with one telling sign being a pair of cufflinks glimpsed on the body

The wedding proves more eventful than expected, with Sharon joining Linda, Denise, Kathy, Suki and Stacey at the Vic as they all attempt to process the events of the day in question.

None of them, however, could have predicted what happens next, with The Six's lives changed forever as a Walford male resident meets his demise.

Speaking ahead of the hour-long episode, showrunner Chris Clenshaw has hinted that new steps were taken to insure the outcome of the episode remains a closely-guarded secret.

He said: 'We've had several methods in place throughout the entire year to keep the storyline a secret and to ensure that the Christmas Day episode and the big reveal of who's on the floor  plus who does it  remains under wraps until the 25th December.

'Sadly, I can't reveal what those methods are as that would give everything away, but it would be a real shame if anyone spoiled the surprise as we know how much the audience love watching the drama unfold in real-time.'

Ahead of the Christmas episode, viewers have seen various storylines involving The Six begin to come together, culminating in the dramatic festive showdown.

Explaining where each character finds themselves in the lead-up to Christmas, Chris said: 'Stacey is struggling in the wake of Theo and, through her desperation to find out the truth about Eve's whereabouts, she finds herself connecting with someone that takes her by surprise.

'Suki is considerably worried about Eve and she'll go to great lengths, putting everything on the line, to find out if her husband, Nish, is behind Eve's sudden disappearance.

'Linda is tormented further by Dean Wicks and his actions lead to old habits dying hard for our landlady.

'Sharon is intent on marrying Keanu Taylor on Christmas Day while keeping the truth from him that their son Albie is in fact Phil Mitchell's, but this isn't a secret Sharon can contain and, on the Square, secrets never stay secret for very long

'Denise's marriage to Jack has been on the rocks since her dalliance with Ravi Panesar earlier in the year but it's put under more pressure when, this side of Christmas, one of them break their marriage vows.

'Kathy is heartbroken having discovered that her husband Rocky Cotton was behind the arson attack on her beloved caff that put both her grandsons in hospital, and left Peter fighting for his life. Having been swindled out of all of her savings, Kathy has had no option but to sell her pride and joy just before Christmas.'

The storylines have been praised by many viewers for reinvigorating the soap this year, and the fallout is set to continue well into 2024.

Bringing together The Six - Sharon, Stacey, Suki, Kathy, Denise and Linda - one male member of Albert Square will find themselves dead on the floor of the Queen Vic

'We're incredibly pleased with the positive reaction to the Flash-Forward and The Six storyline since February,' Chris said.

'It's been a long time in the making and the Christmas Day reveal really is an episode to watch live on Christmas Day.

'We're thrilled with the buzz around The Six. It's exactly what we hoped for; we hoped people would chat, we hoped people would speculate, we hoped that everyone would come up with their own theories and share those theories with one another.

'We wanted it to be a storyline that brings the viewers together too, and we're over the moon that it seems to be doing that and the audience are enjoying being a part of it.'

EastEnders airs on Christmas Day at 9:45pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Netflix is reportedly 'working on producing several spin-off shows' for its chart-topping teen horror comedy series Wednesday.

The spooky supernatural show broke records just days after releasing its first season in November 2022, which sees Jenna Ortega as the iconic Wednesday Addams.

And now the blockbuster platform has plans to expand the Addams universe, according to Bloomberg.

The source revealed Netflix plans to bring to life spin-off series on different members of the Addams family, giving a deeper insight into their characters - starting off with the much loved uncle Fester (played by Fred Armisen).

Although the rest of the cast and a proper storyline plot is still yet to be decided, things seem to be move forward as an Uncle Fester spin-off is in the early stages of discussion.

Netflix is reportedly 'working on producing several spin-off shows' for its chart-topping teen horror comedy series, Wednesday

The spooky supernatural show broke records just days after releasing its first season in November 2022, which sees Jenna Ortega as the iconic Wednesday Addams

The news comes after Netflix officially confirmed a second Wednesday season was in the works earlier in January this year, after the first one's impressive success.

Production for the second instalment will began in 2024, as the show will also be relocating from Romania to Ireland.

In an interview with Tudum.com on Friday, Creators/Showrunners/Executive Producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said: 'It's been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world.

'Thrilled to continue Wednesday's tortuous journey into season two.'

'We can't wait to dive head first into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn't emptied the pool first.'

Scream sensation Jenna, 21, told Variety that Wednesday's mood will change in the second season, as she doesn't want to focus much on love.

'We're ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great,' she revealed.

'We've decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more.

According to Bloomberg, the blockbuster platform plans to bring to life spin-off series on different members of the Addams family, giving a deeper insight into their characters - starting off with the much loved uncle Fester (played by Fred Armisen, pictured left)

The news comes after Netflix officially confirmed a second Wednesday season was in the works earlier in January this year, after the first one's impressive success

Scream sensation Jenna, 21, told Variety that Wednesday's mood will change in the second season, as she doesn't want to focus much on love (pictured with one of her on-screen love interests Xavier Thorpe (pictured right) - played by Canadian actor Percy Hynes White

'Because it is so light-hearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don't want to take yourself too seriously.'

Netflix also teased a newcomer for the second instalment, as the streaming platform shared a clip featuring some of the main actors from the series.

In the video, the cast discussed the upcoming season including Emma Myers, who plays Enid Sinclair, alongside Hunter Doohan, who played Tyler Galpin, and Joy Sunday, who portrayed Bianca Barclay.

Emma, 21, is captured reading out loud on a particular fan theory as she said: 'This theory speculates that season two will introduce a new member of the Addams family.'

The trio then confirmed with one voice: ''This is true.'

Yet Hunter was quick to add: 'We don't know who.'

The clip then moves to Jenna, which revealed she would 'love to see Cousin It' in the second season, while the rest all said they'd like to see their grandmama join.

Upon its debut week streaming in November 2022, the show racked up a record-making 341.2million viewing hours, beating Stranger Things, according to Netflix.

On December 13 of last year, the Tim Burton-helmed show crossed the 1B hours viewed mark.

It's also the no.1 show in 83 countries - tying with Stranger Things.

Netflix said in a tweet: 'Wednesday now holds the record for most hours viewed in a week for an English-language series on Netflix, with 341.2 MILLION HOURS!'

'The series  starring Jenna from EPs Tim Burton, Al Gough & Miles Millar  is #1 in 83 countries, tying the record set by Stranger Things 4.'

It swiftly propelled straight to the top of the most watched list, beating the likes of The Crown, 1899 and Dead to Me.

The spooky drama sees Catherine Zeta-Jones playing the unique Morticia, and her husband Gomez played by Luis Guzman, along with Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) and Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez).

Christina Ricci, who starred as Wednesday in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993) also plays a cameo in the Netflix show as teacher Miss Thornhill.

Alfred Gough previously hinted at a possible follow-up by saying there is 'definitely more that you can explore in the world of the Addamses'.

Speaking to Empire, Alfred, 56, said: '[Screenwriter] Miles Millar and I are talking amongst ourselves about it. There's definitely more that you can explore in the world of the Addamses.'

In an interview with TV Line, Miles, 53, previously teased producers were keen to focus on other members of the family, rather than just Wednesday.

In a Netflix clip, Emma Myers (pictured), who plays Enid Sinclair, teased a newcomer for the second instalment alongside Hunter Doohan, who played Tyler Galpin, and Joy Sunday, who portrayed Bianca Barclay

The spooky drama sees Catherine Zeta-Jones (middle) playing the unique Morticia, and her husband Gomez played by Luis Guzman (left) along with Uncle Fester and Pugsley (right), played Isaac Ordonez

Wednesday's dance scene went viral - but Jenna attracted criticism when she revealed she'd been battling COVID while filming

Wednesday became the no.1 show in 83 countries - tying with the record set by Stranger Things (pictured)

It comes after viewers were left shocked at how Things' scenes for the show were filmed.

Netflix gave audiences at home a sneak peek behind the scenes of the latest smash hit programme on Sunday.

Photographs posted to the streaming giant's Twitter account showed actor Victor Dorobantu wearing a blue-screen suit with his bare hand exposed.
I'm A Celeb winner Sam Thompson was thrown a huge party as he returned victorious to his job at Hits Radio on Wednesday after his successful Jungle stint.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, and the King of the Jungle returned to his day job after jetting back to the UK from Australia last week.

He won the show after beating boxer Tony Bellew and politician Nigel Farage to the top spot.

His Hits Radio family rolled out the red carpet to welcome him back - with confetti cannons, banners and a Colin the Caterpillar cake to greet him.

As he arrived at the building he was greeted with all the members of him team lining the stairs to the studio as he hugged some of his colleagues .

I'm A Celeb winner Sam Thompson was thrown a huge party as he returned victorious to his job at Hits Radio on Wednesday after his successful Jungle stint

His Hits Radio family rolled out the red carpet to welcome him back - with confetti cannons, banners and a Colin the Caterpillar cake to greet him

He then walked through a banner which read 'Welcome Home Jungle King' on it as a gold confetti explosion was released.

They then presented him with a crown as he headed in to do a show and the JLS hit Everybody In Love played in the background.

Fellow Hits Radio presenter, Breakfast Show host Fleur East, plus a special guest  her Strictly partner Vito Coppola, were also on hand to help with the celebrations.

Sam clearly couldn't believe the welcome home party and said: 'This is the greatest thing ever! Thank you so much  I love this!

'I don't want this to stop! I can't believe it. That was the coolest thing ever! We're back baby!'

Sam is back on air very soon from 1pm on Christmas Day with a Jungle Bells special which reunites him with some of his I'm a Celebrity campmates.

He's also seeing out 2023 in style with a special New Years Eve Chart Show.

It comes after Sam revealed he 'doesn't have anything to show' for winning this year's I'm A Celeb as he was forced to his return prize.

As he arrived at the building he was greeted with all the members of him team lining the stairs to the studio as he hugged some of his colleagues

He then walked through a banner which read 'Welcome Home Jungle King' on it as a gold confetti explosion was released

The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, and the King of the Jungle returned to his day job after jetting back to the UK from Australia last week

Sam previously revealed he was so desperate to live out his childhood dream on the show, that he was willing to sign up for free, but hoped to take home a souvenir.

But despite winning himself the iconic garland complete with flowers and foliage, the TV personality explained that he was 'stripped' of the props.

Speaking to campmate Josie Gibson on Monday's This Morning, he revealed: 'I didn't get to keep anything! They wouldn't let me keep anything!'

Sam continued: 'I had to give the sceptre back. I really wanted to bring it through airport security because it's quite big.

'But yeah, I don't have anything to show for it.'

Speaking to The Times after flying back to the UK from Australia, Sam admitted he would have been a 'very, very easy negotiation' as he would have done 'anything' to be a part of the show.

He also struggled to hide his surprise when he learned campmate Nigel Farage was paid 1.5 million to take part in the show.

The GB News host's signing was controversial to many viewers, and he went onto finish in third place.

Discussing his dream to take part in the show, Sam said: 'Mate, I would have done it for anything! I would have been a very, very easy negotiation. I would have paid them to be on it.

'It wasn't monetary, or a career move, I genuinely wanted to go and eat camel's penis. I wanted to meet Ant [McPartlin] and Dec [Donnelly], they're my heroes, the most iconic people of my life.'

They then presented him with a crown as he headed in to do a show and the JLS hit Everybody In Love played in the background.

Fellow Hits Radio presenter, Breakfast Show host Fleur East , plus a special guest  her Strictly partner Vito Coppola , were also on hand to help with the celebrations

Sam is back on air very soon from 1pm on Christmas Day with a Jungle Bells special which reunites him with some of his I'm a Celebrity campmates.

Sam added that he 'never had a down day' during his time in the jungle, though he did fear that he was 'annoying' to other members of the camp with his 'high energy.'

After learning of Nigel's vast show fee, Sam struggled to hide his surprise, saying: 'Was he? Bloody hell! I didn't have a clue. You could buy five houses for that!'

He added that he did 'recognise' Nigel when he first entered the jungle, but he still saw him as 'a really fascinating guy.'

Admitting he felt like 'a competition winner' on the show, Sam confessed he had 'massive impostor syndrome' in the jungle.'
Lily Collins stripped off to roll in the snow as she shared a slew of Instagram snaps from her festive trip to Sweden on Tuesday.

The actress, 34, enjoyed a wholesome break away with her husband Charlie McDowell, 40, and their friends.

At one point, Lily braved the cold and took a plunge in the freezing cold water, while wearing a long-sleeved bodysuit.

She appeared to be in great spirits after taking a relaxing trip to see the Northern Lights, claiming it as a well-need 'winter wake-up call'.

Lily made snow angels with her bare arms and legs as she shared an array of pictures from her break.

Lily Collins, 34, stripped off to roll in the snow as she shared a slew of Instagram snaps from her festive trip to Sweden on Tuesday

Lily made snow angels with her bare arms and legs as she shared an array of pictures from her break

Despite going out barely dressed, Lily couldn't wipe the smile off her face after completing some thrilling activities.

After taking her cold plunge in the open water, the star warmed-up in a well-deserving jacuzzi.

Captioning her first dump of pictures, she wrote: 'The most intense Swedish winter wake-up call. I cant believe I lived to tell the tale'

In other snaps, Lily wrapped up in a cosy padded, fur-hooded coat as she explored an ice museum.

She shared lavish snaps posing next to the ice sculptures and inside the snow-carved building.

To end her 'bucket list' trip, Lily went sight-seeing to spot the Northern Lights with her friends.

She wrote: 'This past weekend 4 friends and a baby took 2 flights on a mission to accomplish a #1 on our bucket lists while wearing 7 layers in -15 degrees Celsius.

'Well, mission accomplished, hearts extremely full, and minds truly blown!'

The actress enjoyed a wholesome break away with her husband Charlie McDowell, 40, and their friends

At one point, Lily braved the cold and took a plunge in the freezing cold water, while wearing a long-sleeved bodysuit

After taking her cold plunge in the open water, the star warmed-up in a well-deserving jacuzzi

Despite going out barely dressed, Lily couldn't wipe the smile off her face after completing some thrilling activities

She shared lavish snaps posing next to the ice sculptures and inside the snow-carved building

Captioning her first dump of pictures, she wrote: 'The most intense Swedish winter wake-up call. I cant believe I lived to tell the tale'

To end her 'bucket list' trip to see the Northern Lights, she claimed it as a well-need 'winter wake-up call'

In other snaps, Lily wrapped up in a cosy padded, fur-hooded coat as she explored an ice museum

Lily exchanged vows with her British-American film director husband in 2021 and have been going from strength-to-strength ever since (both pictured)

She shared a snap of her friends and family during their festive trip

She wrote: 'This past weekend 4 friends and a baby took 2 flights on a mission to accomplish a #1 on our bucket lists while wearing 7 layers in -15 degrees Celsius. Well, mission accomplished, hearts extremely full, and minds truly blown!'

Lily exchanged vows with her British-American film director husband in 2021 and have been going from strength-to-strength ever since.

The couple were first spotted together in July 2019, and it didn't take much longer for the filmmaker to go down on one knee.

Charlie proposed in September 2020 and they tied the knot in Colorado a year later.
The latest season of The Bachelors wrapped up on Wednesday night following disastrous ratings.

The leading men, Wesley Senna Cortes, Ben Waddell and Luke Bateman, all made their final decisions in an emotional finale that would've moved the few fans who tuned in.

Wes, who is a virgin and a devout Christian, had his heart broken by country girl Brea after asking her to be his girlfriend.

'I know I have so much to learn when it comes to relationships,' the Brazilian-born hunk said.

'But if you are willing, I'd love for this relationship to be one that defies the odds. Brea, would you like to be my girlfriend?'

Wesley Senna Cortes was brutally dumped by Brea on The Bachelors finale on Wednesday

Despite his pleas, Brea decided that they were just too different to make things work outside of the show.

'You make me smile from ear to ear, but that's not enough for me right now,' she said.

'I don't want to start a relationship on the foundation that I am compromising everything that is important to me in a relationship.'

The split ultimately came down to intimacy, with Wes refusing to even share the same bed as Brea until they were married.

The Brazilian virgin looked emotional after Brea decided not to continue their relationship

'I don't want to start a relationship on the foundation that I am compromising everything that is important to me in a relationship,' she told him

In an interview with Refinery29 after the finale aired, Brea admitted that she had no regrets about her harsh decision.

'If I hadn't spoken up, I could be in a relationship with someone I'm not compatible with, or an unhappy relationship,' she said.

Elsewhere in the finale, retired rugby player Luke Bateman professed his love to blonde beauty therapist Ellie.

Retired rugby player Luke Bateman professed his love to blonde beauty therapist Ellie (pictured)

Ben Waddell was the last one to make his pick, with the environmental ambassador choosing McKenna (pictured)

'I once told you that I've only ever felt this way towards someone twice in my life, I now realise that was a lie,' he said.

'Ellie, Ive never felt the way I do for you, for anyone else,' he continued, as he offered her a commitment ring but declined to propose.

Ben Waddell was the last one to make his pick, with the environmental ambassador choosing McKenna over Angela.

Angela was far from impressed with his decision, snapping to producers, 'No disrespect to McKenna, but Ben made a huge mistake. Good luck, youll need it.'
Ricky Gervais has defended making a joke about terminally ill children, telling his critics he wishes them 'luck' in getting it removed from his Netflix special, Armageddon.

The comedian, 62, has come under fire after the clip started circulating on social media, showing the star branding sick children 'baldies' and asking those who requested to meet him via the Make-A-Wish Foundation: 'Why don't you wish to get better?'

Yet speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Nihal Arthanayake about the backlash, the comic insisted the joke had been taken out of context as he hit back at claims of 'ableism.'

He revealed: 'In the actual skit, I say "I've been doing a lot of video messages lately for terminally ill children. Only if they request it. I don't burst into hospitals and say, wake up baldy".'

'I'm literally saying in the joke that I don't do that. But people have a reaction. They don't analyse it. They feel something  that's what offense is. It's a feeling.'

Ricky Gervais has defended making a joke about terminally ill children, telling his critics he wishes them 'luck' in getting it removed from his Netflix special, Armageddon

Ricky continued: 'That's why "I'm offended" is quite meaningless. What do you want me to change?'

The star's joke prompted a petition calling on Netflix to remove the skit from his comedy special and when asked if had seen the specific wording of the petition, Ricky replied: 'Good luck. That's what I say to them. Good luck. I'll even retweet it'.

Ricky then revealed how he he deals with criticism of some of his comedy routines, explaining: 'Ninety-nine percent of it is faux offense. They're not really offended. They just want to be heard.

'I'll explain "no, you've mistaken the subject of the joke with the actual target."

'Of all the millions of people that watched it and loved it, only a few don't like it. If I give them special attention and try and placate them, I've annoyed the other millions of people that got the joke.

'They go "no, you've ruined it for us!" So, I've got a duty to the people that like it and get it.

'I wouldn't sit down with a heckler, would I? If I'm playing to twenty thousand people, I wouldn't stop the show and explain to them. I ignore them.'

Ricky then spoke about whether his comedy was representative of his actual views on controversial issues, saying: 'Particularly with irony and satire, I'm often playing a character.

'But some people get confused and think that a joke is a window to the comedian's true soul.

'It's just not true. It's a joke. No one does this with puns, do they? Two blokes didn't really walk into a pub.'

The comedian, 62, has come under fire after the clip started circulating on social media, showing the star branding sick children 'baldies'

Among those hitting out at the comic for his joke were British disability charity Scope.

During his joke about Make-A-Wish requests, Ricky said 'I always say yes [to their requests]. And I always start the video the same way. I go "why didn't you wish to get better? What, you f***ing retarded as well?"'

Ricky continues: 'I don't do that either, okay. These are all jokes, alright. I don't even use that word in real life. The R word.

'I used it in a joke, that's not real life is it. I'm playing a role.'

Yet Scope warned that 'language like this has consequences', stating: 'We wish we were surprised by reports that Ricky Gervais has used ableist slurs in his new Netflix special.

'Language like this has consequences and we're just not accepting the explanation that Gervais uses to try and justify this language.'

'He argues that he wouldn't use this language in 'real-life'. But his stand-up routine doesn't exist in a parallel universe. The stage is real. Netflix is real. The people this kind of language impacts are real.'

Two days later, Scope said it had been forced to turn off its replies on Twitter after receiving hateful messages, while adding that 'we aren't here to dictate what anyone should or should not find funny.'

'Comedians using the R-slur emboldens others to use it. We've seen this first hand this week, with disabled people being abused directly in the replies to our post. This is real life, whether or not Gervais would use the slur himself outside of his routine.'

The charity added: 'We aren't here to dictate what anyone should or should not find funny. But we can't pretend that this comedy exists in a vacuum. This week has proven that.'

Sess Cova, a mother who says her child Katy 'bravely battled cancer', also launched a petition urging Netflix to remove the 'offensive skit from its platform'. It has since received more than 5,000 signatures.

Sess Cova, a mother who says her child Katy 'bravely battled cancer', launched a petition urging Netflix to remove the 'offensive skit from its platform'

Former Ex on the Beach star Ashley Cain also hit out at Ricky for making jokes about terminally ill children.

Ashley's daughter Azaylia died when she lost her battle with acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2021, when she was just eight-months-old.

Reality star Ashley, 33, and his partner Safiyya Vorajee have spoken openly about their heartache over their loss and have been raising funds in their late daughter's name to help other children who are battling cancer.

He posted on his Instagram Stories: 'I was actually a fan of Ricky Gervais but I had to turn off his stand-up the other day as I was watching it with family and there were multiple jokes about terminally ill children and especially kids with cancer.

'Some things are just not funny. Especially to those parents who are left behind.

'You can get cancelled for so many things these days but its ok to make a mockery of dying children.

'Im actually so mad about this.'

Ashley hinted he was struggling to remain calm while composing his message, writing that he was 'trying to remain as professional' as possible, adding: 'I know Ricky makes jokes about having so much money that he doesnt care about what us people think.'

He continued: 'But someday he will learn and he best hope its not me that has to teach him that lesson. Because I dont play when it comes to certain things. And that is definitely one of those things.'

Ashley said that he had spent time with other grieving fathers earlier the same day: 'The maddest thing is, it was only today that I played in a charity match for Good Morning Britain alongside a group of great gentlemen that are part of a charity for bereaved fathers.

'Each man I stood next to shared each others excruciating pain from the loss of a child.

'Brilliant men, with beautiful children who were taken from this earth too soon. Left with a hole in their lives that is truly impossible to fill.'

Ashley Cain also hit out at Ricky for making jokes about terminally ill children. His daughter Azaylia died from acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2021 at just eight months old

Ricky is no stranger to backlash over his jokes. Last year, the comedian hit back at critics after Twitter's 'woke brigade' turned on Ricky for mocking cancel culture with jokes about transgender people, Adolf Hitler and AIDS in his SuperNature Netflix special.

He kicks off the show with a warning about irony as he describes the concept of comedy to the audience as 'basically a bloke talking', before purposely failing to recall any 'funny female comedians'.

In SuperNature, Ricky wastes no time singling out the 'virtue-signalling' and 'dominant mobs' who are quick to criticise just to 'bring people down to raise their own status'.

But his jokes were later described as 'dangerous' material by an American LGBT rights group, while Stonewall accused him of 'making fun of trans people'.

In response, Ricky told The Spectator at the time: 'My target wasn't trans folk, but trans activist ideology. I've always confronted dogma that oppresses people and limits freedom of expression.'
Brookside Dean Sullivan's funeral service was attended by his former co-stars and loved ones on Tuesday afternoon in Liverpool.

The cast of the soap, which ran from 1982 to 2003, gathered outside Liverpool Parish Church for a photograph as they commemorated occasion together.

The photo was posted by Louis Emerick, who played Mick Johnson, on his Twitter page as he paid tribute to his late co-star.

Dean, known to millions as drug dealer Jimmy Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera, died last month at the age of 68 after battling prostate cancer.

Louis' caption read: 'Dean Sullivan: A few of us outside the church... having a laff [sic] as Deano would have wanted. Always a pleasure meeting up with the old Brooky mats, just a pity it's for a sad occasion! Rip Deano, you'd have been made-up at the love shown for you.'

X, Sue Jenkins, Louis Emerick, Claire Sweeney, Phil Redmond, Michael Starkey

Louis' caption read: 'Dean Sullivan: A few of us outside the church... having a laff [sic] as Deano would have wanted'

The actor confirmed he was living with prostate cancer in May - five years after his original diagnosis (pictured with his co-stars Claire Sweeney, Sue Jenkins, and George Christopher)

The photograph included Dean's on-screen wife Sue Jenkins, Louis, Claire Sweeney, Phil Redmond and Michael Starkey.

Sue, 65, revealed that during the service the Brookside theme was played in tribute to Dean's time on the show, where he was the longest-serving cast member.

Sharing her own post online, she wrote: 'How proud would Dean be? What a truly amazing farewell. The words spoken and the music sang and played (including the Brookside theme) were perfect and touched every heart.

'Fly high Dean, as you always have. With love and fondest memories.'

The group were in attendance at the 1pm service at Our Lady And St Nicholas, where photos of the soap star were seen on screens inside the parish.

An order of service showed, a photo of Dean and was titled 'In thanksgiving for the life of Dean Sullivan.' The service was followed by a private cremation.

A funeral notice, published in the Liverpool Echo, asked for donations to be made to Prostate Cancer UK.

Royal butler Paul Burrell was in attendance after once claiming that Brookside was Princess Diana's favourite TV programme.

Sue, 65, revealed that during the service the Brookside theme was played in tribute to Dean's time on the show, where he was the longest-serving cast member

An order of service showed a recent photo of the actor and was titled 'In thanksgiving for the life of Dean Sullivan'

Late actor Dean, known to millions as drug dealer Jimmy Corkhill in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, died last month at the age of 68 (pictured in 2004)

He told Digital Spy: 'She went to the set of Brookside and got to know some of the cast very well, especially Dean. He became a friend, who she regularly telephoned.'

Dean had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and spoke in 2019 about his treatment and diagnosis to the Mirror.

A statement from Dean's family confirmed the sad news of his death on Thursday. 'It is with deep sadness we must tell you that actor Dean Sullivan passed away on 29th November 2023 peacefully following a short illness.

'To millions he was and very much still is remembered as 'Jimmy', to family and friends he was 'Dino'. Dean's family wants to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for their unwavering and consistent support.'

'We ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief,' read the message from Hamilton Management and his family.

Dean was scheduled to appear in a Southport production of Jack And The Beanstalk from December 7, but pulled out on November 17 due to 'unforeseen circumstances.'

Inside the venue a donation point was set up for Prostate Cancer UK

Dean is pictured with his Brookside onscreen wife Sue Jenkins in Liverpool in September

The former Brookside actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and was finally discharged by his consultant last year after undergoing radiotherapy treatment.

Looking back on his battle with the disease in August, Dean told how he put himself 'in the hands of fate' during his ill health and tried to continue living his life.

He told the Liverpool Echo: 'The way I dealt with it was that I just sort of put myself in the hands of fate. If this was my time, then this was my time so I was quite philosophical about it really.

'I know that people would worry themselves into an early grave as it were but I'm not that sort of person, I try to keep positive about things and I just got on with my life.'

Liverpool born Dean told how he wasn't displaying most of the symptoms of prostate cancer other than a reduced flow.

However, he felt like something wasn't right and went to the doctor, who just told him to keep an eye on it, but he returned to another doctor a few weeks later.

He said: 'If I'd have listened to the first doctor, it might have been a different story so always trust your gut, 11 times out of 10, you're right, we've still got that fight or flight instinct.'
Katie Price was cruelly trolled as she made her stage debut in a Sleeping Beauty pantomime this week.

The glamour model, 45, transformed into the iconic villain Carabosse for her performance at Liverpool's M&S Arena.

Showing off her famous cleavage, Katie caught the eye in a daring thigh-split dress adorned with sequins and pink feathers and a horned headpiece.

But as she gave her Instagram followers an insight into the show, Katie was met with a barrage on negative comments.

One troll wrote: 'You can't sing ,you can't act. Who on earth wants to listen to your dribble.'

Katie Price, 45, was cruelly trolled as she made her stage debut in a Sleeping Beauty pantomime this week

Another added: 'Wouldnt cross the street to watch the has been (or never was).'

'OMG you are so full of yourself , you cant sing or act - your family must be so embarrassed,' a third added.

Meanwhile, many fans stepped up to show their support as someone, who had seen the show, commented: 'Katie was fab in the pantomime it was a great showcase.'

Similarly another posted: 'Oh wow! You were fab, we loved it. Totally confident and funny as! We even gave you a shout out at the end of the first opening night telling you we loved you!

Praising her someone else wrote: 'You are absolutely fabulous Katie watched you on Sunday great acting and singing amazing show.'

Katie will star in the panto until December 30, finishing her run at the 11,000-capacity venue just before the beginning of 2024.

Earlier this year, she took to social media to share her delight at landing the role, writing: 'I'm beyond excited for this Catch me as Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool over Christmas.'

Katie previously shared that she would be spending much of Christmas away from her children because she was starring in two panto shows over the festive period.

As she gave her Instagram followers an insight into the show, Katie was met with a barrage on negative comments

Meanwhile, many fans stepped up to show their support as someone, who had seen the show, commented: 'Katie was fab in the pantomime it was a great showcase'

Katie will star in the panto until December 30, finishing her run at the 11,000-capacity venue just before the beginning of 2024 (pictured this month)

As well as starring in Sleeping Beauty, she's also set to play Queen Rat in the adults-only Big Dick Whittington and his Pussy.

Speaking about her plans on her podcast The Katie Price Show, she and sister Sophie revealed her parents were planning to move in with her over the Christmas holidays.

Katie quipped: 'So what the f*** am I doing Christmas Day you b****?'

Sophie replied: 'You'll be with all the kids and in panto, won't you?

'We said in January we'd have our own Christmas Day because [their brother] Dan's in Thailand, you're in Liverpool and next year we must do a Christmas all together.'
Laura Hamilton put on a very busty display in a plunging one-piece as she posed for some sizzling snaps in Tenerife with Hayley Sparkes.

The A Place In The Sun presenter, 41, and the TV presenter, 40, sent temperatures soaring in their sexy swimsuit shoot.

Laura exuded glamour in an aztec-printed swimsuit while Hayley showed off her ample cleavage in a low-cut royal blue ensemble.

The blonde and brunette duo both looked incredible while posing in front of a swimming pool in their racy beachwear.

Laura later changed into a floral multi-coloured jumpsuit and beamed for the camera, showcasing her gorgeous smile.

Laura Hamilton, 41, put on a very busty display in a plunging one-piece as she posed for some sizzling snaps with Hayley Sparkes, 40, in Tenerife

The A Place In The Sun presenter and the TV presenter sent temperatures soaring in their sexy swimsuit shoot

Taking to Instagram in a joint post earlier this week, the pair teased fans an upcoming project.

As well as sharing a behind-the-scenes video of their photoshoot, Laura and Hayley posted some more pictures hinting at their announcement.

Alongside the slew of snaps, they wrote: 'If you want to know what we have been up to... Look out for an exciting announcement coming very soon!'

It comes after Laura was almost knocked over by a wave as she presented This Morning's latest competition from Tenerife last month.

During the chaotic live segment, she strolled along the sand as she spoke with hosts Rochelle Humes and Craig Doyle back in the studio.

As she explained what was up for grabs, a rogue wave came hurtling towards her, and she struggled to keep her balance.

Ever the professional, Laura continued speaking to the camera, hoping the awkward incident had been missed.

However, Craig quipped: 'We saw you get hit by a wave then, dont try and play it cool'.

The blonde and brunette duo both looked incredible while posing in front of a swimming pool in their racy beachwear

Laura exuded glamour in an aztec-printed swimsuit while Hayley showed off her ample cleavage in a low-cut royal blue ensemble

Laura later changed into a floral multi-coloured jumpsuit and beamed for the camera, showcasing her gorgeous smile

Taking to Instagram earlier in a joint post earlier this week, the pair teased to fans of an upcoming project

As well as sharing a behind-the-scenes video of their photoshoot, Laura and Hayley posted some more pictures hinting at their announcement

Alongside the slew of snaps, they wrote: 'If you want to know what we have been up to... Look out for an exciting announcement coming very soon!'

Laura replied: 'It nearly' before her microphone suddenly cut out and she continued to chat away without anyone hearing what she had to say.

Back in London, Rochelle and Craig were forced to apologise for the awkward blunder before cutting the segment short.

The day before, the show's sound man was forced to rescue Laura when she was swept down a river live on air.

During the hilarious scenes, she joined the show from a waterpark in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, where she discussed ITV's most recent competition.

After explaining what was up for grabs, Laura plunged into the water on a rubber ring and swiftly got carried away.

Back in the studio, host Craig Doyle laughed: 'The sound guy is just watching that very expensive mic go down that river.'

Cutting back to Laura, she could be heard shouting 'I'm stuck' while as the sound man used the long mic handle to fish her out of the water.

Rochelle Humes giggled: 'OMG he's actually gone to rescue the mic, I knew it!'

'He's using the long microphone stick to drag her back in,' Craig exclaimed.
Claudia Schiffer delights fans by appearing with her cat Chip in the upcoming episode of the Jonathan Ross show, which will air on Saturday night.

The supermodel, 53, was upstaged during the TV appearance by the adorable Scottish Fold, who won the the hearts of the audience.

Ariana DeBose, who was also appearing on the chat show, was discussing her new film Argylle, which stars Chip the cat as a feline named Alfie.

In the next moment, Claudia walks out into the studio cradling the feline, who appears very cool under the pressure of the audience.

Chip, who has his own Instagram page, belongs to the German native and her director husband Matthew Vaughn.

Claudia Schiffer delights fans by appearing with her cat Chip in the upcoming episode of the Jonathan Ross show, which will air on Saturday night

The supermodel, 53, was upstaged during the TV appearance by the adorable Scottish Fold, who won the the hearts of the audience

Chip, who has his own Instagram page, belongs to the German native and her director husband Matthew Vaughn (pictured)

The posh pussy's social media bio reveals that he is also an author, model, entrepreneur, influencer and nepo kitty.

As Chip arrives on stage, Jonathan hugs him and he meows, Claudia says: 'He can be grumpy.'

She adds: 'We had another cat on the film, he's not a very good actor. He was terrible. He was also very expensive.

'So my husband, Matthew, the director, he asked if he could have my cat. I said, 'Why not, he could be a nepo cat' and here we are.'

She reveals: 'We're working on a spin-off right now.'

During the appearance, Claudia looked stunning in a silver metallic mini dress, which she teamed with a pair of tights and strappy heels.

Chip made his acting debut in the trailer for Hollywood film Argylle, which will be released in the UK in February next year.

The film has been described as a 'razor-witted, reality-bending, globe-encircling spy thriller'.

Ariana DeBose, who was also appearing on the chat show, was discussing her new film Argylle, which stars Chip the cat as a feline named Alfie

In the next moment, Claudia walks out into the studio cradling the feline, who appears very cool under the pressure of the audience

Chip, who has his own Instagram page, belongs to the German native and her director husband Matthew Vaughn

The synopsis reads: 'Bryce Dallas Howard is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie.

'But when the plots of Elly's fictional books  which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate  begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organisation, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past.

'Accompanied by Aiden (Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly's fictional world and her real one begins to blur.'

Chip's co-stars include Henry Cavill, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, Dua Lipa and Bryan Cranston. Catherine O'Hara, Sofia Boutella and Samuel L. Jackson also appear.

Argylle is due for release in cinemas nationwide from February 2.
Ariana DeBose revealed she originally turned down her famous Oscar-winning role for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show Christmas special.

The Academy Award-winner, 32, joined the star-studded sofa alongside the likes of Willem Dafoe, Katherine Jenkins, Kevin Bridges, Romesh Ranganathan, Boy George and surprise guest Claudia Schiffer.

'I turned down that audition a couple of different times before I went in. I was scared. I was on Broadway at the time, I was playing Donna Summer and I was very committed to that show,' she said.

'I didn't feel like I had enough proper time to prepare. Granted they called 24-hours before they wanted me to audition I was like, "Dude, I just want to be prepared." So I said, "No, I'm not going to read the scenes for you today." And he was like, "What?"

'I was like, "I'm not going to read today but I'll come back if you would like me to?" He was like, "I'd like you to".'

The actress contninued: 'I don't know if I'd have the courage to do that today, but it worked in the moment. I don't know what I was thinking actually, but it all worked out.'

Ariana DeBose, 32, revealed she originally turned down her famous Oscar-winning role for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show Christmas special

She said: 'I turned down that audition a couple of different times before I went in. I was scared. I was on Broadway at the time, I was playing Donna Summer and I was very committed to that show'

The Hamilton star also recalled the moment her mum came on the set of West Side Story and met legendary filmmaker Steven, 77, and said: 'My mum just stared at him. My mum is never at a loss for words.

'She was like, ''Sir I think I'm a bit starstruck so maybe I should just leave.'' He was so great with her and held her hand. She got to sit next to him. It was a pinch me moment.'

The Golden Globe winner only had kind words for her mother, as she remembered bringing her as her date to the Oscars.

'She [my mum] was my date [to the Oscars]. She hobnobbed with everyone. It's the weirdest thing, you're in a room full of all of those amazing people. Thank god mum was there to keep me grounded so I didn't like, float away. Then they say your name it was so great to share that with her.'

Later on, The Prom star discussed the rap she did at the BAFTAs earlier in February this year: 'I was kind of recovering from walking pneumonia. I kind of was [really ill]. But I'm a theatre kid, 'the show must go on' sort of thing.

'We'd gone down the road for so long. I didn't have the heart to back out and I had been deemed well enough to continue to work.

'I wasn't going to go on and make anyone sick, it's a room full of very famous and talented people, so not to be irresponsible by any stretch of the mind but I really wanted to go and support the folks and we were trying something new and what I do is typically high energy and you know, hindsight is 20/20.

'Maybe recovering from walking pneumonia is not the time to be in six inch heels and a big fat pink skirt and jump off a chair and try and rap at the same time, it's OK live performance that's what it's all about,' she added.

The Academy Award-winner joined the star-studded sofa alongside the likes of Willem Dafoe, Katherine Jenkins, Kevin Bridges, Romesh Ranganathan, Boy George and surprise guest Claudia Schiffer

The Hamilton star also recalled the moment her mum came on the set of West Side Story and met legendary filmmaker Steven, 77, and said: 'My mum just stared at him. My mum is never at a loss for words

'She [my mum] was my date [to the Oscars]. She hobnobbed with everyone. It's the weirdest thing, you're in a room full of all of those amazing people. Thank god mum was there to keep me grounded so I didn't like, float away. Then they say your name it was so great to share that with her,' Ariana said candidly

Later on, The Prom star discussed the rap she did at the Baftas earlier in February this year: 'I was kind of recovering from walking pneumonia. I kind of was [really ill]. But I'm a theatre kid, 'the show must go on' sort of thing

Ariana pictured collecting her Academy Award in March 2022

Ariana also discussed starring in new film Argylle which stars Chip the cat - who belongs to director Matthew Vaughn's wife and supermodel Claudia Schiffer, 53, who brought the pet to the sofa (pictured)

The actress added: 'It's live, it's not going to sound like an album. That's what you want to see. You actually want to see people mess up because you know they're alive. I think it's special that way, but that's just my personal view.'

Ariana also discussed starring in new film Argylle which stars Chip the cat - who belongs to director Matthew Vaughn's wife and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

As a surprise Claudia, 53, brings Chip out onto the sofa, as Jonathan hugs him and he meows, the fashion icon said: 'He can be grumpy.'

'We had another cat on the film, he's not a very good actor. He was terrible. He was also very expensive. So my husband, Matthew, the director, he asked if he could have my cat. I said, 'Why not, he could be a nepo cat' and here we are.'

The German supermodel added: 'We're working on a spin-off right now.'

Ariana didn't miss a chance to showcase her stage skills as she also performed alongside Boy George during the episode.

For her stunning appearance, the Seaside star displayed her toned figure in a strapless sequinned mini dress.

Ariana performed alongside Boy George during the episode

Ariana didn't miss a chance to showcase her vocals and stage skills

The dazzling number boosted her lithe physique as it displayed an eye-catching blue on her bust, fading into a sparkling silver on her skirt

The dazzling number boosted her lithe physique as it displayed an eye-catching blue on her bust, fading into a sparkling silver on her skirt.

She toted her show-stopping look with strappy silver heels, while matching her dress with a blue smokey eyes.

The Jonathan Ross Show - Christmas Special streams Christmas Eve on ITVX from 9 am and airs on ITV1 at 10.15 pm.
Amber Turner sent temperatures soaring once more as she posed for a sizzling swimwear snap on Wednesday.

The TOWIE star, 30, slipped into a navy bikini top and matching briefs as she soaked up the sun in Dubai.

The bombshell displayed her jaw-dropping figure in the two-piece as she flaunted her bronzed tan.

She accessorised with a pair of sparkly sun glasses and had a Prada bag resting next to her on the lounger.

The blonde beauty wore her light tresses in perfect curls and opted for a low-key makeup look to show off her natural glow.

Amber Turner sent temperatures soaring once more as she posed for a sizzling swimwear snap on Wednesday

It comes after Amber admitted she was 'torn' about rekindling her romance with ex Dan Edgar in the series finale of The Only Way Is Essex.

The couple were one of the strongest in the reality series, but broke up amid rumours of Amber cheating a few months ago.

Amber has previously confessed she wishes she could turn back the clock and even told Dan's mum she'd 'marry him tomorrow.'

Amber admitted: 'I feel really torn about what to do. It is like I am protecting myself because I don't want to fully allow myself to get hurt and think I want to get back with him if he basically tells me to do one and that's me be heartbroken again.

'I don't know where Dan's head is at. I honestly feel so confused.'

When asked by Chloe Meadows whether she regrets breaking up with Dan, Amber replied 'I don't know,' admitting 'I am scared to think about that right now.'

It has been a rollercoaster ride for the couple who appeared to be settling down after they moved in together and bought their dog Oliver.

Both Amber and Dan have been faced with the brunt of cheating rumours, yet Amber herself has never admitted any wrongdoing.

The TOWIE star, 30, slipped into a navy bikini top and matching briefs as she soaked up the sun in Dubai

It comes after Amber admitted she was 'torn' about rekindling her romance with ex Dan Edgar in the series finale of The Only Way Is Essex (Amber pictured with Dan in November 2022)

Elsewhere in the episode, Dan opened up about his unbreakable bond with Amber in a heart to heart with his ex-girlfriend.

He said: 'We have been in situations around each other that are not helping either of us. We have got ties we can't ignore, things that keep contact there.

'Obviously we care about each other, but so much has gone on and we have got to remember why we split up.

He continued: 'I have been more open with you than I have with anyone in my life. We are drawn to each other naturally because there is a lot of love there but we can't get caught up in how fun it can be.

'I care when you are upset but I can't ignore everything that happened. I really didn't want it to go this way. I want to be fine around you.'

He then confessed: 'I wish you felt like this four months ago. There is a lot of love there still. There are things I don't show people but the relationship is done.

'We are both to blame at different points. We are going our separate ways.'
EastEnders fans' expectations were exceeded as they hailed the latest episode as the 'best ever watched'

Viewers unanimously confirmed the latest episode of the much-loved BBC soap left them astonished, and endlessly praised Balvinder Soap for her incredible performance on screen.

The actress, 45, joined Albert Square in 2020 as Suki Panesar, and has been a fans' favourite since then.

Fans of the soap were sent into frenzy and swiftly took to X as they shared their excitement.

One viewer said: 'I have just watched tonights episode of #Eastenders on iplayer and omg its thee best episode of Eastenders this year so far!!!!!!'

EastEnders fans' expectations were exceeded as they hailed the latest episode as the 'best ever watched'

Viewers unanimously confirmed the latest episode of the much-loved BBC soap left them astonished, and endlessly praised Balvinder Soap for her incredible performance on screen

Another one echoed: '#Eastenders 1. We wont tell anyone if you was to accidental put tomorrow episode on iplayer like right now and 2. THATS WAS THE BEST EPISODE OF EASTENDERS IV EVER WATCHED 3. #Balvindersopal.'

'Once it airs later I will let loose...for now... WOWZERS!! The best episode of #EastEnders ever!! Give Bal all the bloody awards right now!!,' added a third.

Another fan wrote: 'Best Eastenders episode of the decade and we still havent reached Christmas. #EastEnders.'

'Oh my god. Best episode ever. Smashed it guys. #EastEnders,' penned another.

Another person said in awe: 'This might just be the best #EastEnders episode of the entire year. It has ticked every box in every way imaginable. Gosh, what an era this is. Glorious.'

'OH MY ACTUAL GOD Struggling for words. THAT EPISODE !!! Best of the year. Best ever. Balvinder Sopal you are my queen!! THAT ENDING!!!! Bloody love this programme! #Eastenders,' agreed another fan.

'Tonights EE is possibly the best episode of the year so far #EastEnders,' wrote another.

Another added thrilled: 'Today's episode was the best of the year. I actually screamed #EastEnders.'

The actress, 45, joined Albert Square in 2020 as Suki Panesar, and has been a fans' favourite since then

Fans of the soap were sent into frenzy and swiftly took to X as they shared their excitement

EastEnders fans took to X, formerly Twitter, in their droves to praise the actress

'#EastEnders ARE YOU KIDDING ME, its not even 7am and Im bawling my eyes out! take a bow! one of the best soap episodes ever!!! #MerrySixmas,' wrote another viewer.

'Tonights episode is the best of the year. Maybe even one of the best ever! #EastEnders.

Another self-declared fan of Balvinder posted a funny picture on X showing the iconic Hollywood sign, which was edited replacing 'Balvinder' instead and captioned: '#SukiPanesar #Balvindersopal #Eastenders #Powerhouse I HOPE SHE KNOWS HOW AMAZING SHE IS.'

Ahead of EastEnders' Christmas Special episode, viewers are counting down the days until The Six storyline reaches its epic conclusion, and the identity of the male character killed in the Queen Vic is revealed.

Over the past 10 months, fans have been given small clues hinting at the identity of the mystery male character, with one telling sign being a pair of cufflinks glimpsed on the body.

Already the shortlist has been narrowed down to seven - Phil Mitchell, Keanu Taylor, Ravi Gulati, Dean Wicks, Nish Panesar, Rocky Cotton and Jack Branning.

And in scenes that aired on Tuesday, viewers saw the mystery cufflinks in question, as Alfie Moon sold a huge box of the accessory ahead of the festive season.

While fans noticed that it appeared all seven of the possible victims would be wearing the cufflinks, three of the boxes Alfie was selling were a different colour.

This has led some fans to claim this meant three characters could be killed off on Christmas Day in a jaw-dropping twist.

Anticipation is building for EastEnders' upcoming Christmas Day episode, which will finally reveal the identity of the male body in the Queen Vic.

Sharon and Keanu are preparing for their wedding, with the groom unaware his wife-to-be is hiding a huge secret about her son Albie's paternity.

As her ex Phil arrives to crash the big day, it remains to be seen whether the ceremony will go ahead.

The wedding proves more eventful than expected, with Sharon joining Linda, Denise, Kathy, Suki and Stacey at the Vic as they all attempt to process the events of the day in question.

None of them, however, could have predicted what happens next, with The Six's lives changed forever as a Walford male resident meets his demise.

Speaking ahead of the hour-long episode, showrunner Chris Clenshaw has hinted that new steps were taken to insure the outcome of the episode remains a closely-guarded secret.

He said: 'We've had several methods in place throughout the entire year to keep the storyline a secret and to ensure that the Christmas Day episode and the big reveal of who's on the floor  plus who does it  remains under wraps until the 25th December.

'Sadly, I can't reveal what those methods are as that would give everything away, but it would be a real shame if anyone spoiled the surprise as we know how much the audience love watching the drama unfold in real-time.'

Ahead of the Christmas episode, viewers have seen various storylines involving The Six begin to come together, culminating in the dramatic festive showdown.

Explaining where each character finds themselves in the lead-up to Christmas, Chris said: 'Stacey is struggling in the wake of Theo and, through her desperation to find out the truth about Eve's whereabouts, she finds herself connecting with someone that takes her by surprise.

'Suki is considerably worried about Eve and she'll go to great lengths, putting everything on the line, to find out if her husband, Nish, is behind Eve's sudden disappearance.

'Linda is tormented further by Dean Wicks and his actions lead to old habits dying hard for our landlady.

'Sharon is intent on marrying Keanu Taylor on Christmas Day while keeping the truth from him that their son Albie is in fact Phil Mitchell's, but this isn't a secret Sharon can contain and, on the Square, secrets never stay secret for very long

EastEnders fans have clocked another clue that hints three characters could be killed off in the blockbuster Christmas Day episode

In scenes that aired on Tuesday, viewers saw the mystery cufflinks in question, as Alfie Moon sold a huge box of the accessory, but clocked three of the boxes were a different colour

Over the past 10 months, fans have been given small clues hinting at the identity of the mystery male character, with one telling sign being a pair of cufflinks glimpsed on the body

Bringing together The Six - Sharon, Stacey, Suki, Kathy, Denise and Linda - one male member of Albert Square will find themselves dead on the floor of the Queen Vic

'Denise's marriage to Jack has been on the rocks since her dalliance with Ravi Panesar earlier in the year but it's put under more pressure when, this side of Christmas, one of them break their marriage vows.

'Kathy is heartbroken having discovered that her husband Rocky Cotton was behind the arson attack on her beloved caff that put both her grandsons in hospital, and left Peter fighting for his life. Having been swindled out of all of her savings, Kathy has had no option but to sell her pride and joy just before Christmas.'

The storylines have been praised by many viewers for reinvigorating the soap this year, and the fallout is set to continue well into 2024.

EastEnders airs on Christmas Day at 9:45pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Emma Forbes looked incredible as she walked along the beach in a black swimsuit which enjoying a lavish holiday in Barbados on Wednesday.

Showcasing her age defying figure, the TV presenter, 58, wrapped a striped skirt around the one-piece as she listened to music while dipping her feet in the sea in the outing which came just days after her daughter Lily Clempson's wedding.

Emma accessorised the daytime ensemble with a simple gold chain necklace and shielded from the sun behind a pair of black sunglasses.

She seemed in high spirits as she soaked up the sun while staying at the lavish Sandy Lane Hotel, which costs a staggering 3,000 a night.

Emma cooled off from the heat as she leaned on the back of a sunbed while engrossed on her phone.

Emma Forbes looked incredible as she walked along the beach in a black swimsuit which enjoying a lavish holiday in Barbados on Wednesday

Showcasing her age defying figure, the TV presenter, 58, wrapped a striped skirt around the one-piece as she listened to music while dipping her feet in the sea

The outing which came just days after her daughter Lily Clempson's wedding.

Beaming Emma was on hand to support her fashion designer daughter Lily as she married American financier James Moross in a lavish ceremony in New York

The TV personality, who is known for hosting Live And Kicking in the nineties, added a coordinated striped shirt over the black swimsuit.

Beaming Emma was on hand to support her fashion designer daughter Lily as she married American financier James Moross in a lavish ceremony in New York.

'I couldn't be prouder of Jamie and Lily, and I couldn't be happier to celebrate their love,' says Emma.

Bride, Lily, 27, wore a fur wrap over her white wedding dress as she walked down the aisle at Cipriani's grand restaurant in the Big Apple, which had been transformed into a candlelit winter wonderland.

'It was a moment I shall never forget,' adds Emma.

The broadcaster and her husband Graham Clempson sold their 25 million home in Chelsea, London, and moved to New York in 2018.

Emma married Graham Clempson in 1987 and they are proud parents to two children and are now based in East Hampton, New York.

Speaking about living in America, Emma told Hello! last year of moving abroad: 'I've always loved America.

'We've always had a connection with it - I find it an exciting place to live, it ignites my feeling of anything is possible, and it felt right for part two of life with my two children, one on each coast, to be nearer them.

Emma accessorised the daytime ensemble with a simple gold chain necklace and shielded from the sun behind a pair of black sunglasses

'So with my own family here that makes it feel like home, and we've created a life that works for us all here.'

Emma previously shared the secrets maintaining her fabulous figure during an appearance on Lorraine.

Insisting her figure is down to good health and exercise, the former BBC Radio 2 star revealed she's never gone under the knife for a cosmetic procedure.

She explained to Lorraine in 2019: 'There's no plastic surgery going on here! I'm not judgmental of people that do it, but I am that person that it would go horribly wrong on, so I'm too frightened and I just don't do it.'

The TV star also revealed her experience with the menopause has sparked her 'irrational' anxiety.

Emma touched on the symptoms of her 'terrible' transition and vowed to be more 'vocal' about her battle in a bid to help other women.
Katie Price is reportedly set to return to I'm A Celebrity for the pre-recorded All Stars series set in South Africa.

The show, which launched last year, sees celebrities return to camp after previously competing on the show.

It is returning once again for 2024 and after 23 seasons producers will be spoilt for choice when asking who to return.

Katie first featured on I'm A Celebrity in 2004 and was the sixth star to be eliminated, and she later returned to the show in 2009, but withdrew before the public vote.

Mother-of-five Katie, 45, met her ex-husband Peter Andre during her 2004 stint and has since become known as a jungle legend.

Katie Price is reportedly set to return to I'm A Celebrity for the pre-recorded All Stars series set in South Africa

The former glamour model, now 45, first appeared on I'm A Celeb back in 2004 (pictured)

The former glamour model herself has previously said she is keen to return to the jungle, saying 'Yes, get me in!' when asked about a comeback on her Instagram stories.

A source told The Sun: 'Bosses were nervous to cast Katie in the first All Stars as they wanted to play it safe with names who wouldn't do or say anything too controversial.

'But while the show did well enough in the ratings to earn a second run, it didn't have the same impact as the regular show as a lot of viewers didn't like the pe-recorded format or lack of public vote.

'This time around, they want to make a bigger splash by bringing back some of the bigger, more divisive characters from I'm A Celeb history, and Katie is high on the wish list.'

I'm A Celeb bosses are originally said to have decided that Katie wasn't suitable for a 'family show' and wanted to bring in a younger audience but are now seeking to spice the series up as it returns for a second round.

Katie's friends have also reportedly confirmed that the star is keen to return to the jungle and especially likes the fact it is pre-recorded - meaning the public would not be able to vote her to do trials.

Katie opened up about her I'm A Celeb experience in a rare interview in 2020, recalling her romance with her now ex-husband Peter Andre.

Katie said: 'I was just fixated on Pete. People saw our relationship develop.

Katie also appeared on the show in 2009 (pictured) but left after being voted by the public to do all the trials

She met her ex-husband Peter Andre during her initial jungle stint

Katie previously expressed her interest in taking part as she 'Yes, get me in!' on her Instagram stories

'Having Pete there in the jungle did make it easier because you'd fall asleep thinking of him and wake up seeing him there.

'If you haven't clicked with someone in there I think it's quite hard and lonely.'

'It was a proper love story and I think me and Pete are the only ones who had kids come out of it.'

Katie, who was known as 'Jordan' at the time, added: 'I was 23, I had no idea I'd go into the jungle and meet my husband.'

After falling in love on the show, Katie and Peter married in a lavish ceremony in Highclere Castle in September 2005.

The former couple, who are parents to Junior and Princess ended up going their separate ways and divorced in 2009.

The previous 'All Stars' season was won by Myleene Klass and also featured the likes of Georgia Toffolo, Amir Khan, Helen Flanagan and Carol Vorderman.

After triumphing, Myleene - who first appeared on the show in 2006 - was named the I'm A Celebrity Legend after the King or Queen of the Jungle title was ditched for this spin-off series.

Myleene said: 'Ive been in my element. I cant believe what the jungle gave me first time and Ive actually had the opportunity to relive it a second time round.

'Its one of those things, it was so magical the first time you start thinking did I remember that as it was or have I recreated those memories?

'They say dont go back to an ex and dont go back to a reheated dinner. I thought to myself oh no, what if its not as good? And Ive gone back into the bush and its been even bigger, more majestic, bigger trials. South Africa is vast.

'And its not been against any campmates, its been against the best of the best.

'Its just been mind blowing. Everything was as magical, very tough  challenging both mentally and physically  and something that Ive loved throwing myself into.'

MailOnline has reached out to representatives for Katie and ITV for comment.
Olivia Wilde looked over the moon late on Tuesday night when she was spotted out on a date with the film producer Bryn Mooser.

The 39-year-old Don't Worry Darling director and actress could be seen beaming while hanging out with Bryn, 44, as they waited at a valet stand in Los Angeles.

The two looked particularly cozy together, but that may be due to their years-long friendship.

The charming outing comes 13 months after Wilde and former One Direction member Harry Styles split after two years together following the dissolution of her long-term relationship with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.

The two have known each other for at least 15 years, and Olivia previously served as a co-executive producer on the 2013 documentary short The Rider And The Storm, which Bryn directed.

Olivia Wilde looked over the moon late on Tuesday night when she was spotted out on a date with the film producer Bryn Mooser

The 39-year-old Don't Worry Darling director and actress could be seen beaming while hanging out with Bryn, 44, as they waited at a valet stand in Los Angeles

Last year, Variety reported that the House star was also in talks with Mooser's studio XTR to make her documentary directorial debut.

Both Olivia and Bryn were dressed casually in dark ensembles for the evening out together.

She had on a tasteful gray double-breasted overcoat with short, peaked lapels to keep her warm on the chilly evening.

The actress-turned-filmmaker layered up with a black hoodie repping The Apple Pan, the iconic Los Angeles restaurant that opened back in 1947.

The popular spot is famous for its burgers and pies, and its old-school menu and decor served as the inspiration decades later for the Johnny Rockets restaurant Chain.

Olivia matched her hoodie with a set of baggie black pants, as well as chunky black boots.

The House star was modestly made up, and she accessorized with a large black handbag while wearing her bleached-blond hair cascading down her shoulders with a middle part.

Bryn looked cool in a shiny leather-like black vinyl jacket, which he wore open atop a slimmer navy blue jacket.

The two looked particularly cozy together, but that may be due to their years-long friendship

The charming outing comes 13 months after Wilde and former One Direction member Harry Styles split after two years together following the dissolution of her long-term relationship with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis

The two have known each other for at least 15 years, and Olivia served as a co-executive producer on the 2013 documentary short The Rider And The Storm, which Bryn directed

Last year, Variety reported that the House star was also in talks with Mooser's studio XTR to make her documentary directorial debut

Both Olivia and Bryn were dressed casually in dark ensembles for the evening out together

She had on a tasteful gray double-breasted overcoat with short, peaked lapels to keep her warm on the chilly evening

The actress-turned-filmmaker layered up with a black hoodie repping The Apple Pan, the iconic Los Angeles restaurant that opened back in 1947

He layered the jackets over a thin black T-shirt, which paired well with his slim black jeans.

Mooser also had on tall black combat boots, and he wore his dark hair styled short with a buzz cut while displaying some salt-and-pepper designer stubble.

Wilde and her filmmaker pal didn't display any obvious PDA during the night on the town, but the two were noticeably bubbly, and she appeared to rub up against him as they walked out to the valet stand from the restaurant they had been dining at.

The two were clearly in a great mood, as they were seen goofing off and laughing, including when they appeared to do playful bows in front of each other while waiting at the valet stand.

In Variety's report from November 2022 about Olivia's collaboration with Bryn's studio, he delved into how the two became friends and collaborators over a decade ago.

'Olivia and I met around 15 years ago and worked together in Haiti after the [2010] earthquake,' he revealed. 'I started making films there, and she would always help out with them. Ive been encouraging her to direct this doc for a long time.'

He was referring to a documentary feature she has reportedly been prepping which will focus on what is described as 'one of the worlds most iconic 1970s music venues,' though few other details about the film have been released since then.

It's unclear if the actress is still planning to direct the film, which is not listed among her upcoming projects on IMDb.

Olivia matched her hoodie with a set of baggie black pants, as well as chunky black boots

The House star was modestly made up, and she accessorized with a large black handbag while wearing her bleached-blond hair cascading down her shoulders with a middle part

Bryn looked cool in a shiny leather-like black vinyl jacket, which he wore open atop a slimmer navy blue jacket

He layered the jackets over a thin black T-shirt, which paired well with his slim black jeans

Mooser also had on tall black combat boots, and he wore his dark hair styled short with a buzz cut while displaying some salt-and-pepper designer stubble

The two were clearly in a great mood, as they were seen goofing off and laughing, including when they appeared to do playful bows in front of each other while waiting at the valet stand

Wilde and her filmmaker pal didn't display any obvious PDA during the night on the town, but the two were noticeably bubbly, and she appeared to rub up against him as they walked out to the valet stand from the restaurant they had been dining at

In Variety's report from November 2022 about Olivia's collaboration with Bryn's studio, he delved into how the two became friends and collaborators over a decade ago

'Olivia and I met around 15 years ago and worked together in Haiti after the [2010] earthquake,' he revealed. 'I started making films there, and she would always help out with them. Ive been encouraging her to direct this doc for a long time'

He was referring to a documentary feature she has reportedly been prepping which will focus on what is described as 'one of the worlds most iconic 1970s music venues,' though few other details about the film have been released since then

Although he's best known for directing and producing non-fiction works, Mooser had previously collaborated with Wilde by producing her 2011 comic short Free Hugs, which she directed.

She has also lent her celebrity to him by executive producing multiple documentary shorts that he produced or directed.

They short films brought the two critical acclaim and accolades, including News and Documentary Emmys for both for 2015's Body Team 12.

The documentary short took a look at the work of medical professionals working for the Red Cross in Liberia who were tasked with handling the dead bodies of Ebola outbreak victims.

The outbreak in Western Africa, the most widespread outbreak of Ebola in history, began in 2013 and peaked the following year, before the end of the outbreak was declared in mid-2016.

Olivia and Bryn likely have plenty to discuss on a professional level as both are now filmmakers.

She made her feature directorial debut in 2019 with the high school comedy Booksmart, which starred Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever.

The movie was a hit with critics but underperformed at the box office, which some industry analysts blamed on a decision to open the comedy in wide release, rather than starting with a limited release and expanding gradually to build up word of mouth.

Her next feature was the psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Olivia's future boyfriend Harry Styles, along with Chris Pine.

The Richard Jewell actress also played a supporting role in her own film.

Ahead of the film's release, rumors swirled that Olivia and Florence's relationship had suffered on the film, reportedly over her beginning to date Harry.

Olivia was also rumored to have been missing from set with Harry during the production, leaving her cinematographer Matthew Libatique to direct in her place, though he has called the set the 'most harmonious' he had ever worked on.

Wilde also denied the rumors while speaking to Vanity Fair.

In the same profile, the actress denied having an affair with Styles before her relationship with Sudeikis had ended, despite reports to the contrary.

It's unclear if the actress is still planning to direct the film, which is not listed among her upcoming projects on IMDb

Although he's best known for directing and producing non-fiction works, Mooser had previously collaborated with Wilde by producing her 2011 comic short Free Hugs, which she directed

Wilde began dating her Don't Worry Darling leading man Harry Styles while directing the film in 2020; seen February 11 in London

Prior to their two-year relationship, she had dated Jason Sudeikis since 2011. They share two children: son Otis, nine, and daughter Daisy, seven; seen in 2020 in Santa Monica, Calif.

She and Sudeikis began dating back in 2011 and subsequently got engaged in 2013, but the two never made any further steps toward marriage.

The couple went on to welcome a son  Otis, nine  and a daughter  Daisy, seven.

Following the end of their relationship, the two feuding exes struck up more controversy when she was served custody papers on stage at CinemaCon in 2022.

However, they seem to have found a more amicable way to co-parent since then.
Kendall Gilding is set to leave Channel Seven after 12 years with the network.

The newsreader, 32, won't be continuing behind the Queensland news desk 'after failing to come to terms on a new contract' according to TV Blackbox.

The exit is not the result of a redundancy, according to the website.

Gilding is well-known to Queensland viewers, hosting the 4pm News bulletin each weekday.

She began her journalism career in 2011 as a presenter on Brisbane radio station 96five Family Radio.

Kendall Gilding is set to leave Channel Seven after 12 years with the network. Pictured

Later that year she began working for Seven and has remained with the network ever since.

Last year, Gilding revealed that the birth of her second child was an eventful one.

In October 2022 the TV star delivered her son, a baby boy named Moses Morgan, in the shower at Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane, with her husband Tim Morgan catching the tot as he exited the birth canal.

'I only had a three hour active labour which is awesome and he was born in the shower and Tim was able to catch him,' she told The Courier Mail.

Last year, Gilding revealed that the birth of her second child was an eventful one. Pictured with husband Tim Morgan and son Moses Morgan

'I was in the shower facing the wall and Tim was behind me kneeling on the floor he was down there with the midwife ready to go and waiting to see what we were having' Kendall explained.

'Then Tim caught him, lifted him up to my chest and looked up to me and said "it's Moses". We didn't know what we were having but we definitely knew if it was a boy that is what he'd be called. It was pretty special.'

The couple, who previously struggled with fertility issues, announced their exciting news last week via Instagram, sharing a heart-melting photo with their bundle of joy.

'I only had a three hour active labour which is awesome and he was born in the shower and Tim was able to catch him,' she told The Courier Mail

'We've been living deep in the baby bubble! Our boy Moses Timothy Morgan arrived on Wednesday! 3.2kg and 51cm long,' Gilding captioned the post.

'I had a beautiful, redemptive birth experience thanks to my darling husband & the [midwifery] team! I am a seriously blessed woman! God is good!' she added.

Moses is Gilding and Morgan's second child. The couple welcomed their daughter Olive, three, in 2019.

The couple announced the pregnancy news in March, sharing a photo holding a positive pregnancy test.

'It's not a perfectly timed photoshoot, with hair, makeup, cute outfits & the warm glow of a sunset' she wrote at the time.

'Just the raw emotion, elation and surprise of two parents who've experienced heartache, longing and disappointment!'

The Queensland-based newsreader wrote about how she knew the feeling of 'desperately' wanting a family, explaining she fell pregnant with Olive because of IVF treatments.

'But the desire of my heart was still to fall pregnant naturally,' she continued. 'After trying and trying - we were headed down the same medical road.

'Then at the 11th hour, just a few days before surgery - I took a test & for the first time in our lives we watched that little window turn positive!

'Can't wait for our tribe to grow! Bub # 2 due in September!'
Sami Sheen was active on Instagram on Wednesday as she teased a risque photo.

The 19-year-old Only Fans creator  whose parents are Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards  wore a pink swimsuit, censoring her uncovered chest with a link.

She asked her 156,000 followers, 'Should I leak these?' as she referred to her recent boob job.

In the strategically snapped image, the content creator held her busty bosom with her red manicured hands.

The close-up shot was taken from her chin down and flashed her navel piercing and thighs.

Sami Sheen was active on Instagram on Wednesday as she teased a risque photo

Sheen recently underwent a breast augmentation to increase the size of her chest

Before going under the knife in November, Sami showed the markings made by her plastic surgeon that mapped out the size of her implants and place of incision.

She did so by posing in her bathroom mirror with her T-shirt lifted up to expose her under bust.

The teen documented her road to surgery on social media as she wrote on Instagram: 'Posting every update on snap!'

In several photos, Sami wore a green hospital gown and a blue surgical cap as she waited for her plastic surgeon.

The makeup-free beauty was connected to an IV drip that she said made her feel as though she 'drank a whole bottle of white wine.'

Sami previously expressed a desire to alter the appearance of her chest, explaining she believed it would help boost her already online career.

She also suggested that she may pose topless for her fans following the elective surgery.

Earlier this year as she celebrated the one-year anniversary of her OF account, she said, 'I just want to wait until the girls are done so Im fully confident with everything Im showing.'

Before going under the knife in November, Sami showed the markings made by her plastic surgeon, which mapped out the size of her implants and place of incision

In several photos, Sami wore a green hospital gown and a blue surgical cap as she waited for her plastic surgeon

Since completing her transformation, Sheen has been proudly showing off her new look

Weeks earlier, Sami's mother Denise, 52, admitted that she did not want her daughter to go through with a boob job.

In a joint interview with Sami and her ex Charlie, Denise told Bustle that she had been 'trying to talk her out of it' but to no avail.

The Wild Things star also revealed that she wants to take out her own implants because she now knows that they are 'toxic.'

'I'm trying to talk her out of it because, and the reason why I'm getting them out, is I didn't know how toxic [they are] when I was 19. And it's not an easy surgery. It's painful!' she said.
Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's distraught husband opened up about his final promise to his wife as the reality TV star lay on her deathbed.

Toney Eldridge, 28, promised to 'make sure [their] daughters remembered their mama' and 'spend [his] life' sharing her stories with the kids as they said their final goodbyes.

Chickadee died earlier this month at the age of 29, having previously revealed she was battling adrenal carcinoma that progressed to stage 4.

As she battled the cancer, Chickadee and Toney secretly got married in March after a longtime romance that began in 2017.

Toney now revealed his final pledge to his late wife, who is also survived by daughters Kaitlyn, 8, and Kylee, 11, in a devastating interview with People.

Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell 's distraught husband Toney Eldridge, 28, opened up about his final promise to his wife as the reality TV star lay on her deathbed

Toney promised to 'make sure [their] daughters remembered their mama' and 'spend [his] life' sharing her stories with the kids as they said their final goodbyes

Chickadee died earlier this month at the age of 29 , having previously revealed she was battling adrenal carcinoma that progressed to stage 4

'The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,' Toney said, remembering his wife's final moments.

'Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was. And I promised I would do right by the girls always. I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls.'

'Those are my girls,' Toney said. 'I promised Anna I would do right by them and make sure they remembered their mama. And that is what I will do.'

Chickadee welcomed Kylee with her first husband, Michael Cardwell, and had Kaitlyn during a previous relationship.

Insiders have told TMZ the last three weeks of Chickadee's life, which she spent in hospice, could be shown on 'Mama June: Family Crisis.'

Evidently, Chickadee wanted to help viewers understand the experiences of cancer patients, and consequently kept the camera crew with her into her final hours.

But the team behind the reality show declined to film her death and will not shoot her funeral, in the interests of allowing the family to grieve privately.

Their reticence comes despite the fact Chickadee herself was allegedly willing to allow both her death and funeral to appear on reality TV.

Toney now revealed his final promise to his late wife, who is also survived by daughters Kaitlyn, 8, and Kylee, 11, in a devastating interview with People

As she battled the cancer, Chickadee and Toney secretly got married in March after a longtime romance that began in 2017

Chickadee welcomed Kylee with her first husband Michael Cardwell and had Kaitlyn during a previous relationship

Her view is said to have been that she was reliably frank with her fans and hoped for them to understand all the suffering she underwent.

Mama June, 44, announced her daughter's death in an Instagram post after the star's tragic death.

Two days before her somber announcement, the reality star had asked her fans and followers on social media to pray for her ailing daughter.

'With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,' June began her heartbreaking post. 'She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM.'

'She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she wont and we will be updating yall with more information as we get it today [sic],' Shannon continued.

'We love yall and continued prayers and thoughts for our family [during] this difficult time,' she added.

Accompanying the caption was a photo of Mama June and her family, including Anna, who sported short hair amid her cancer treatments.

Anna was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer in January after complaining of stomach pain.

The Mayo Clinic reports adrenal carcinoma is a rare cancer that affects the adrenal glands in the kidneys. The adrenal glands produce hormones that deliver instructions to virtually every organ and tissue in the body.

The mother of two girls, Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, eight, underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy in an attempt to beat her cancer.

Over the summer, the From Not to Hot star revealed that Anna's cancer was terminal.

'We know it's terminal. She's stage 4. She's not gonna go into remission,' she wrote, adding: 'We've all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time 'cause you never know.'

'With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,' June began her heartbreaking post. 'She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM'

She took to social media to ask her 758,000 Instagram followers for prayers.

'Yall we are asking for prayers for our family as we are going through this process,' the Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo alum wrote.

'We really appreciate yall for all the thoughts and prayers and we will update yall whenever we can,' she said, adding, 'just know that all of your thoughts and your prayers are very much appreciated during this time, she explained, adding the hashtags, '#mamajune #cancersucks #family #prayers.'

She didn't mention her daughter explicitly, but her followers knew immediately she was referring to Cardwell.

'Anna sending you many many many prayers. God bless you sweetheart. ,' one concerned fan wrote.

'Lord please have Anna in your hands and help her and her family In this time that they need you,' added another.

One follower empathized with June's struggle, writing, 'From a mom of a cancer warrior.. angel.. my sincere thoughts and prayers for you all.'

June's 23-year-old daughter, Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird reposted adding, 'Say a prayer for our family.'

Anna was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer in January after complaining of stomach pain

Cardwell's 18-year-old little sister Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson took to social media to remember her as well.

Sharing with her 1.1 million followers, Thompson wrote, 'This is one post I wish I didnt have to make.'

She shared the same family portrait as her mom did along with a heartbreaking caption as she grieved the fresh loss.

'Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go. Unfortunately around 11pm Anna took her last [breath],' she said.

The note continued, 'Anna was in so much pain last night but now as a family we all know she is at peace now. I really dont know what to say as my heart is completely broken.'

The college student voiced: 'Watching my 29 year old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasnt been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is. Lord please wrap your arms around her 2 babies & our family as the next couple of days will make this all a reality.'

She went on to say that her bigger sister waited until she arrived home to transition.

'Im so glad that you waited til i was home to take your last breath! I wouldve loved for you to get to see me graduate college but i know you will forever cheer me on in heaven!' she said in the caption.

'We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever. And i promise to always make sure to celebrate our birthday like you never left! The sky looks a little bit different today. We will always love you Anna,' a heartbroken Honey Boo Boo added.

And finally, she said, 'You hit me hard with his one Anna but i know [you're] in a better place now and pain free forever!'

Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson took to social media to remember her late sister Anna

The average age of patients with adrenal cancer is 46, but it can occur in people of any age, even in children, according to the American Cancer Society.

Adrenocortical carcinomas start in the outer layer of the adrenal glands, which are next to the kidneys. The adrenal glands are small glands producing hormones.

Most growths that form in the adrenal glands are noncancerous.

Shannon's reality show will include her daughter Cardwell's final decline with cancer.
Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has been ordered to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss.

The ruling came over a year since Perry said that the FBI confiscated his personal cellphone one day after FBI agents raided former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.

'I'm outraged  though not surprised  that the FBI under the direction of Merrick Garland's DOJ, would seize the phone of a sitting Member of Congress,' Perry said in a statement at the time.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg decided late on Tuesday that Perry, a top Trump ally, can withhold 396 of the messages under the constitution's speech and debate clause that protects the work of members of Congress.

The 1,659 records being sought by prosecutors includes efforts to influence members of the executive branch, discussions about Vice President Mike Pence's role in certifying the election and providing information about alleged election fraud.

Republican Rep. Scott Perry says that the FBI confiscated his personal cellphone one day after FBI agents raided former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home

The ruling came over a year since Perry said that the FBI confiscated his personal cellphone one day after FBI agents raided former president Donald Trump 's Mar-a-Lago home

The decision is largely in line with an earlier finding by a federal judge that Perry appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

Perry's attorney John P. Rowley told DailyMail.com in a statement Wednesday that Perry had an 'obligation' to his constituents and the nation to investigate the 'seemingly credible' information about discrepancies in the 2020 election.

'The DOJ responded by seizing his phone and attempting to intrude upon his private communications with Members of Congress and other people who, like him, were concerned about the integrity of the election,' he continued.

Rowley went on to blast 'overly aggressive prosecutors' he says are attempting to interfere with 'legislative deliberations and fact-finding.'

'We are reviewing how the district court applied the standards required by the DC Circuit and will decide whether to seek further judicial review.

Perry is the outgoing chairman of the Freedom Caucus, a hardline faction of conservatives. He will be succeeded by Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who was elected as the next chairman earlier this month.

Perry has not been charged with a crime and is the only sitting member of Congress whose cellphone was seized by the FBI in the 2020 election investigation.

Perry's efforts to protect the contents of his cell phone have proceeded largely in secret, except in recent weeks when snippets and short summaries of his texts and emails were inadvertently unsealed - and then resealed - by the federal court.

Those messages revealed more about where Perry may fit in the web of Trump loyalists who were central to his bid to remain in power.

Making Perry a figure of interest to federal prosecutors were his efforts to elevate Jeffrey Clark to Trump's acting attorney general in late 2020.

Perry, in the past, has said he merely 'obliged' Trump's request that he be introduced to Clark. At the time, Trump was searching for a like-minded successor to use the Department of Justice to help stall the certification of Biden's election victory.

But the messages suggest that Perry was a key ally for Clark, who positioned himself as someone who would reverse the Department of Justice's stance that it had found no evidence of widespread voting fraud.

To that end, Clark had drafted a letter that he suggested sending to Georgia saying the Department of Justice had 'identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the state of Georgia,' according to the August indictment in that state accusing Trump, Clark and 17 others of trying illegally to keep him in power.

The confiscation of Perry's phone came just one day after FBI agents descended on Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in what Perry called in his statement an 'unnecessary and aggressive action'

At the time, Clark was the assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and served as the acting head of the Civil Division.

The showdown over Clark brought the Justice Department to the brink of crisis, prosecutors have said, and Trump ultimately backed down after he was told that it would result in mass resignations at the Justice Department and his own White House counsel's office.

Clark is now described in the federal indictment of Trump as one of six unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators in an effort to illegally subvert the 2020 election.
A week-long cleanliness drive is being held in all villages in Chhattisgarh to mark Good Governance Day on December 25.

Good Governance Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

On this day, public representatives and common citizens will pay tribute to Vajpayee and take an oath to establish good governance.

The government launched a Good Governance Index in 2019 based on various parameters of good governance.
First clinical autopsy was done on Tuesday at AIIMS Bhopal. A young female died a few days after delivering a child.

Husband of the deceased knew about autopsy, had faith in autopsy and asked for autopsy to be conducted on his wife. Autopsy was conducted by collaboration between Pathology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Forensic Medicine departments.

Autopsy can reveal findings not known clinically and can help to substantiate or negate pathology in organs and hence help to establish the cause of death. Autopsy procedure takes about one to 2 hours and the histopathological, biochemical and microbiological investigations of the autopsy case can take 7 to 10 days for analysis and compilation. The clinical autopsy facility now exists in AIIMS Bhopal.

The autopsy is done in a clean Mortuary, with dignity for the deceased, clean suturing after autopsy and a team with persons designated to dissect, collect samples, take notes and take photographs. Skull is opened by oscillatory electric saw with suction and Mortuary has HVAC and suction facility to maintain the prescribed air cycles.

Downdraft autopsy tables and downdraft dissecting benches are used in the Mortuary. Mobiles are not allowed within the Mortuary during autopsy. Dr Vaishali Walke, head of department of Pathology, Dr Pushplata K head of department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dr Arneet Arora, head of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology along with Dr Deepti Joshi of Pathology and Dr Jayanthi Yadav of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology streamlined the process and formats. Support, encouragement and approval from Prof (Dr) Ajai Singh, Executive Director AIIMS Bhopal was pivotal for this milestone.
In the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Pooja Bourasi, Bhopal Deepak Aggarwal, accused of molestation was sentenced to 1 year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000.

After finding the accused guilty under Section 354, 506 Part-2 IPC, the decision was passed to punish the accused with 1 year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 under section 354 IPC of the IPC and 1 year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 under Section 506 Part-2 IPC.

The complainant reported that she lives in Indore with her mother, after her marriage, she lived with her in-laws and kept visiting her maternal home two-three times. On 29.01.2015 in the evening her father-in-law Deepak Aggarwal asked her that he will apply ointment on her head to relieve from headache and during which he molested the victim.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that the rules and procedures of building permission and compounding should be simplified. The rules should be clear and simple, so that the common man can easily understand and should not face any problem. The common man builds a house once in his lifetime, hence arrangements for building permission etc. should be made in such a way that he has no problem and the work is done within the stipulated time. Arrangements should be made to get the maps passed promptly by the urban bodies. He told to assess the software related to building permission, and find out in how many days on an average building permission is being issued at present. CM Yadav gave these instructions in the meeting held in the committee room of the Assembly of Urban Development and Housing Department. Chief Secretary Smt. Veera Rana and other officers were also present in the meeting.

Chief Minister Yadav said that permission should be sought from urban bodies for the construction of government buildings also. All the agencies involved in the construction of government buildings including Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department, Development Authority, Housing Board, Tourism should take building permission and compulsorily take care of building line, open space, parking etc. during construction.

Effective action should be ensured in the field of TDR and TOD so that residents get facilities and better planning of cities can also be ensured. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that projects related to road widening should be planned in a better way keeping in mind the local conditions. It should be ensured that the problems of the local residents should not increase, they get facilities and at the same time, special care should be taken for the safety of the people during road widening and electricity related works.

Yadav said that the state government has imposed a ban on open sale of meat and fish. To ensure that their vendors do not face any problem, urban bodies should necessarily construct buildings for the meat-fish market.

Until the buildings are constructed, a place for selling meat and fish should be earmarked and arrangements for temporary sheds should be ensured immediately. This facility should be made available in urban bodies as well as big rural panchayats. The Chief Minister also instructed the Chief Secretary to ensure immediate action in this regard by holding a joint meeting of the Urban Development and Housing and Panchayat and Rural Development Departments. CM Dr. Yadav said that necessary purification treatment plants should be set up using latest technology to ensure that the water of Kanh River merges with Kshipra River only after purification. In this regard, instructions were also given to immediately organize a joint meeting of the Water Resources and Urban Development and Housing Departments.

Yadav said that there is a need to strengthen the financial management of urban bodies. It is necessary to ensure that the urban bodies use those funds only under that head for which funds have been received from the Central or State Government. Strict financial discipline should be ensured in urban bodies and authorities regarding work done by taking deposits or loans. Vigilant and timely audit system should be ensured so that better financial provisions and development work can be done. Strict action should be taken against financial irregularities.

In the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yadav, Principal Secretary of Urban Development and Housing Department, Neeraj Mandloi informed that Madhya Pradesh has been first in the country in Smart City Mission 1.0, PM Awas Yojana and PM Swanidhi Yojana. Along with this, the state is included among the leading states of the country in AMRUT 1.0, Swachchh Bharat Mission 1.0 and DE-NULM.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws seek to bring comprehensive changes to the criminal justice system with a human-centric approach and a focus on imparting justice instead of imposing penalties.

Replying to a debate on the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Shah said the three proposed laws also have a clear definition of terrorism, scrap sedition as a crime and introduce a new section titled "offenses against the state".

He said the three bills were drafted after comprehensive consultations and that he had gone through every comma and full stop of the draft legislations before bringing them before the House for approval.

He said the existing criminal laws  Indian Penal Code (IPC), Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) - were reflective of the colonial mindset with the intention to punish and not impart justice.

"The three news bills seek to establish a justice system based on Indian thinking... Three proposed criminal laws will free people from colonial mindset and its symbols," Shah said.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita seeks to replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will replace the CrPC of 1973 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill will replace the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.

"For the first time, the criminal justice system will have the human touch. Till we repeal these old laws, we are still following laws made by the UK government. We still use English words like Her Majesty, British Kingdom, the crown, barrister, ruler after 75 years of independence," Shah said.

The home minister said the colonial-era laws prioritised acts of "looting the treasury", "uprooting rail tracks" and "insult to the Crown" over crimes against women and children, human rights, border security, and the army.

The old laws had listed rape under Section 375-376, the new bill has the crime listed under Section 63, murder was listed under Section 302 now it is Section 101, kidnapping was under Section 359 and now it is Section 136, Shah said.

Listing the features of the bills, he said, "This bill punishes mob lynching with death penalty. (Congress leader P) Chidambaram kept asking me what about mob lynching. He does not understand BJP and our mentality. Why did you not penalise mob lynching during your rule? If one's mind is Indian, you will understand the laws. If it is Italian, you won't."

The three bills reflect the spirit of the Constitution...But those with an Italian mindset will never understand it," he said in an apparent dig at the opposition Congress.

Shah asserted that the three laws were based on justice, transparency and fairness.

"This is the first government which has fulfilled the promises it has mentioned in its manifesto. We have revoked Article 370, removed AFSPA in 70 per cent areas in the northeastern states, banned triple talaq and gave 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament," he said.
Greylin Investment Management Inc trimmed its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM  Free Report) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 536,385 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 19,122 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up about 11.3% of Greylin Investment Management Incs portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Greylin Investment Management Incs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $63,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 105.4% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. IMA Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 720.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 369 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 384 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 58.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Exxon Mobil Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $102.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $408.14 billion, a PE ratio of 10.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.01. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1 year low of $97.48 and a 1 year high of $120.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $104.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

Exxon Mobil ( NYSE:XOM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $90.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.41 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 20.72% and a net margin of 11.56%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.45 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 9.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. This is a boost from Exxon Mobils previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 14th. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is 37.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Leonard M. Fox sold 12,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $1,231,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 220,678 shares in the company, valued at $22,652,596.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Leonard M. Fox sold 12,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $1,231,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 220,678 shares in the company, valued at $22,652,596.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey W. Ubben sold 2,077,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.06, for a total transaction of $216,132,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,352,780. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. They set an outperform rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $128.70.

View Our Latest Analysis on Exxon Mobil

About Exxon Mobil

(Free Report)

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.

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Lithium Americas (Argentina) (NYSE:LAAC  Get Free Report) is one of 99 publicly-traded companies in the Metal mining industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Lithium Americas (Argentina) to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

27.3% of Lithium Americas (Argentina) shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 21.5% of shares of all Metal mining companies are held by institutional investors. 19.8% of Lithium Americas (Argentina) shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.3% of shares of all Metal mining companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Profitability

This table compares Lithium Americas (Argentina) and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Lithium Americas (Argentina) N/A -0.05% -0.04% Lithium Americas (Argentina) Competitors -203.56% -3.13% -3.66%

Volatility & Risk

Analyst Ratings

Lithium Americas (Argentina) has a beta of 1.3, indicating that its stock price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lithium Americas (Argentina)s peers have a beta of 0.53, indicating that their average stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Lithium Americas (Argentina) and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Lithium Americas (Argentina) 0 2 3 0 2.60 Lithium Americas (Argentina) Competitors 1062 2391 2930 103 2.32

Lithium Americas (Argentina) presently has a consensus price target of $12.10, suggesting a potential upside of 89.06%. As a group, Metal mining companies have a potential upside of 39.46%. Given Lithium Americas (Argentina)s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lithium Americas (Argentina) is more favorable than its peers.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Lithium Americas (Argentina) and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Lithium Americas (Argentina) N/A -$93.57 million 27.83 Lithium Americas (Argentina) Competitors $7.71 billion $1.63 billion 2.85

Lithium Americas (Argentina)s peers have higher revenue and earnings than Lithium Americas (Argentina). Lithium Americas (Argentina) is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Summary

Lithium Americas (Argentina) beats its peers on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. operates as a resource company. The company explores for lithium deposits. The company owns interests in the Cauchari-Olaroz project located in Jujuy province of Argentina. It also has a pipeline of development and exploration stage projects, including the Pastos Grandes project and the Sal de la Puna project located in Salta Province in northwestern Argentina. Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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HBW Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,123 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 1,338 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $471,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 86,002.1% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 659,143,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $42,152,211,000 after purchasing an additional 658,377,716 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.7% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 175,584,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $12,169,778,000 after buying an additional 2,856,746 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,570,288 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $5,919,870,000 after buying an additional 858,922 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 12.8% in the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 69,296,006 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,431,517,000 after buying an additional 7,878,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 39,034,341 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,489,314,000 after buying an additional 225,065 shares during the last quarter. 74.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of BMY opened at $52.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $105.97 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.34. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12 month low of $48.25 and a 12 month high of $75.18. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $52.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.96 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.59% and a net margin of 18.44%. The firms revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.99 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.53 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.61%. This is an increase from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is currently 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, December 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the biopharmaceutical company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. They set a hold rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $81.00 to $69.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $63.59.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Bristol-Myers Squibb

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner bought 3,071 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.86 per share, with a total value of $150,049.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 79,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner bought 3,071 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.86 per share, with a total value of $150,049.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 79,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Theodore R. Samuels II bought 8,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $49.81 per share, with a total value of $423,385.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,768,255. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 13,571 shares of company stock valued at $672,994 in the last ninety days. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL  Get Free Report) and Hang Seng Bank (OTCMKTS:HSNGY  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach and Hang Seng Banks revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach $358.80 million 1.77 $109.00 million $652.98 8.12 Hang Seng Bank $6.11 billion 3.53 $1.30 billion N/A N/A

Hang Seng Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach 19.67% 6.28% 0.68% Hang Seng Bank N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This table compares Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach and Hang Seng Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach and Hang Seng Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach 0 0 0 0 N/A Hang Seng Bank 1 0 0 0 1.00

Volatility & Risk

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach has a beta of 0.44, indicating that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hang Seng Bank has a beta of 0.34, indicating that its share price is 66% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

7.6% of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.8% of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Hang Seng Bank shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach pays an annual dividend of $112.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Hang Seng Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.49 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach pays out 17.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach beats Hang Seng Bank on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach

(Get Free Report)

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach provides various banking products and services to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in Los Angeles, Orange, and Santa Barbara Counties. It offers checking, savings, Christmas club savings, health savings, market rate savings, and money market accounts; demand and time deposits; certificates of deposit; and individual retirement account. The company also provides personal, home, commercial real estate, real estate and construction, and commercial business loans, as well as lines of credit; financing for residential loans comprising single-family and multifamily loans; and credit and debit cards. In addition, it offers account management, receivables and payables, and risk management services; commercial lending services; and faith-based and healthcare banking services, as well as online and mobile banking services. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

About Hang Seng Bank

(Get Free Report)

Hang Seng Bank Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and related financial services to individual, corporate, commercial, small and medium-sized enterprises, and institutional customers in Hong Kong, the Mainland of China, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, Global Banking, Global Markets, and Other. The company offers personal banking services, including current and savings accounts, time deposits, mortgages and personal loans, credit cards, and insurance, investment, and other wealth management services, as well as consumer lending and wealth management services. It also provides corporate lending, trade and receivable finance, payments and cash management, treasury and foreign exchange, general insurance, key-person insurance, investment services, and corporate wealth management services; general banking and transaction banking, corporate lending, deposits, and cash management services; and tailored solutions and services in foreign exchange, bullion, equities, fixed income, and securities financing, as well as manages the funding and liquidity position activities. In addition, the company offers retirement benefits, life assurance, fund management, and stock broking services, as well as index compilation and licensing; fund raising and sales; and asset management services. It operates service outlets in Hong Kong; branches in Macau and Singapore; and representative office in Taipei, Taiwan, as well as a network of outlets in the Mainland of China. The company was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. Hang Seng Bank Limited operates as a subsidiary of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

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Adviser Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IWD  Free Report) by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,848 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Adviser Investments LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF were worth $584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 120,617.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 222,740,910 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $33,778,659,000 after buying an additional 222,556,396 shares during the period. Hackensack Meridian Health Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $113,953,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $105,774,000. CI Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $80,230,000. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $70,213,000.

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iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:IWD opened at $165.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $153.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 0.95. iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has a 12-month low of $143.34 and a 12-month high of $165.73.

iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Profile

iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the large capitalization value sector of the U.S. equity market, as represented by the Russell 1000 Value Index (the Index).

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IWD  Free Report).

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Legacy Private Trust Co. reduced its stake in shares of Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GINN  Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,083 shares of the companys stock after selling 404 shares during the quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. owned 0.32% of Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF worth $1,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GINN. UBS Group AG acquired a new stake in Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF in the first quarter valued at about $214,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF by 3.7% in the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,956 shares of the companys stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF by 4.2% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 6,529 shares of the companys stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF in the first quarter valued at about $352,000.

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Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of GINN stock opened at $52.73 on Wednesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $47.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.42. Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF has a 12 month low of $39.76 and a 12 month high of $52.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21 and a beta of 1.07.

About Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF

The Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF (GINN) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Solactive Innovative Global Equity index. The fund selects companies globally, believed to benefit from technological innovation and changes in the economy across five themes: data, finance, human evolution, manufacturing, and shifts with consumers.

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Sabal Trust CO trimmed its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM  Free Report) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,529 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Sabal Trust COs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $6,882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 105.4% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the first quarter worth about $38,000. IMA Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 720.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 369 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 64.1% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 384 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 58.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $110.00 to $131.00 in a report on Thursday, October 12th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Redburn Partners upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a sell rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $128.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Leonard M. Fox sold 12,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction on Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $1,231,800.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 220,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,652,596.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Exxon Mobil news, Director Jeffrey W. Ubben purchased 250,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $105.97 per share, for a total transaction of $26,492,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,077,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $220,099,690. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Leonard M. Fox sold 12,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction on Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.65, for a total transaction of $1,231,800.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 220,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,652,596.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:XOM opened at $102.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 12 month low of $97.48 and a 12 month high of $120.70. The company has a market cap of $408.14 billion, a PE ratio of 10.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.47.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.09). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 20.72% and a net margin of 11.56%. The company had revenue of $90.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.45 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 9.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 14th. This is an increase from Exxon Mobils previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Exxon Mobils payout ratio is 37.74%.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

(Free Report)

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.

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Trinity Legacy Partners LLC reduced its stake in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV  Free Report) by 92.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,194 shares of the companys stock after selling 27,123 shares during the quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLCs holdings in AbbVie were worth $327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its holdings in AbbVie by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 372,189 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,154,000 after buying an additional 17,879 shares in the last quarter. DDD Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 9,979.7% in the 2nd quarter. DDD Partners LLC now owns 135,673 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,279,000 after purchasing an additional 134,327 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc lifted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc now owns 358,872 shares of the companys stock valued at $48,351,000 after purchasing an additional 37,368 shares during the last quarter. Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC now owns 18,755 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,989,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie in the 2nd quarter valued at $486,807,000. 67.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on AbbVie from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised AbbVie from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $173.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Raymond James upped their price target on AbbVie from $177.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. HSBC lowered AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their price target for the company from $167.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on AbbVie in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $167.59.

AbbVie Price Performance

ABBV stock opened at $153.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.59, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $271.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.48. The businesss 50-day moving average is $144.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.39. AbbVie Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.96 and a 1 year high of $168.11.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $13.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.72 billion. AbbVie had a return on equity of 152.70% and a net margin of 11.81%. AbbVies revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.66 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AbbVie Inc. will post 11.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AbbVie Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 16th will be issued a $1.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 12th. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. This is an increase from AbbVies previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. AbbVies dividend payout ratio is presently 162.19%.

About AbbVie

(Free Report)

AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Humira, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune, intestinal Behcet's diseases, and pyoderma gangrenosum; Skyrizi to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic disease, and Crohn's disease; Rinvoq, a JAK inhibitor to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthropathy, and ulcerative colitis; Imbruvica for the treatment of adult patients with blood cancers; and Venclexta/Venclyxto to treat hematological malignancies.

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TD MLA Payyavula Kesav. (Image source: Twitter)

Anantapur: A tense situation prevailed at Mustur village in Uravakonda Mandal on Tuesday as chilli farmers staged a road blockade on the NH between Bellary and Anantapur demanding the release of water from the Handri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi main canal to the Guntakal branch canal to save standing crops.

The farmers said the chilli crop raised on more than 34,000 acres was at its final stage of harvest but there was a serious water shortage. About Rs 400 crore worth of crops could be affected by the drought-like conditions.

TD MLA Payyavula Kesav extended his partys support to the farmers and joined the protest at Mustur. He urged the government to release water and save the crops.

Kesav said, "Although enough water is available with the HNSS project, the irrigation authorities are ignoring the farmers plea for the release of water to the GB Canal to save their crops at the final stage of harvest.

A police team led by Guntakal DSP Narasingappa arrived on the scene and directed the protestors to disperse and clear the road for traffic. The police detained the MLA and other leaders and shifted them to the Kanekal police station.

Meanwhile, YSRC leaders blamed the TD leaders led by a gram panchayat president for their "resistance" to the release of water to GBC, with the "motto of getting water only for their fields."
President Droupadi Murmu with Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar (X.com/@rashtrapatibhvn)

New Delhi: The mimicry of vice-president and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee took political centerstage on Wednesday, with the issue playing out both inside and outside Parliament and President Droupadi Murmu joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi in expressing dismay. The Congress accused the "entire Modi ecosystem" of being galvanised on the "so-called mimicry non-issue".

Ms Murmu said that she was dismayed at the manner in which the vice-president was "humiliated" in the Parliament complex. She said the elected representatives were free to express themselves, but it should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy.

"I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected vice-president was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the parliamentary tradition we are proud of and the people of India expect them to uphold it," the President said in a post on X.

Responding to the President's post, the Rajya Sabha Chairperson said he is committed to upholding constitutional principles till his last breath and insults cannot prevent him from doing so. He thanked the President for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister called Mr Dhankhar and expressed "great pain" over the "abject theatrics" of some MPs in the Parliament complex.

"He (the Prime Minister) told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting, but the fact that it could happen to a constitutional office like the vice-president and that too in Parliament was unfortunate," Mr Dhankhar was quoted as saying on X.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also expressed deep concern over the mimicry incident.

When the Upper House met at 11.45 am after the third adjournment, Mr Dhankhar expressed his anguish over Tuesday's incident and asked the Congress party, including Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to ponder over it.

"I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar, but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House," Mr Dhankhar said.

"You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was insulted and you are silent," he said before adjourning the House proceedings again for about 15 minutes.

Ruling party members participated in the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha while remaining standing to express solidarity with Mr Dhankhar. The treasury benches participated in the Question Hour proceedings while standing for about 10 minutes.

Later in the evening, several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, and BJP MPs called on Mr Dhankhar in his chamber at Parliament House.

Reacting to Mr Dhankhar's remarks, the Congress president said caste should not be dragged into every issue and wondered if he should rake up his Dalit origins every time he is not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha.

The Chairperson's job is to give protection to other members, but he himself is making such a statement, he added.

"I am not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha often. Should I say it is because I am a Dalit? They should not incite people outside in the name of caste by talking about it inside."

Mr Kharge also asked if the government should also not apologise for the Prime Minister and Union home minister Amit Shah not speaking on the issue of Parliament's security breach in the two Houses but referring to them outside.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The entire Modi ecosystem is now being galvanised on the so-called mimicry non-issue, while it remains silent on the real issue of why and how a BJP MP from Mysuru facilitated entry of two intruders into Lok Sabha on December 13..."

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee sought to play down the issue, saying it was not meant to be disrespectful.

"We respect everyone. It was not disrespectful. It was just politically, casually... You would not even have known it if Rahul ji had not recorded it," she said.

Ms Banerjee was in the Parliament complex on Wednesday to meet the Prime Minister over pending central funds for her state.

In the eye of the storm over the mimicry row, TMC MP said that he never had any intention to hurt or disrespect Mr Dhankhar but did not offer any apology.

"Mimicry is not an offence, they (the BJP) are trying to change the main issue, which is whether suspension of the Opposition MPs was right?" the TMC MP said and claimed that even Mr Modi has done it in the past.

"Did not have any intention at all to hurt anyone, including the Vice President. Have respect for constitutional positions," he said.

With 141 Opposition MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for disrupting proceedings, many of them held a protest at Parliament's main entrance for lawmakers on Tuesday.

During the protest, Mr Banerjee mimicked Mr Dhankhar's mannerisms amid cheers from his colleagues. Mr Gandhi was seen recording a video of the act with his mobile phone.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal has filed a complaint before the ethics committee of both Houses of Parliament against the TMC MP and has sought expulsion of Mr Banerjee and Mr Gandhi.

In his complaint, Mr Jindal claimed that this event falls under the extreme case of misconduct by the members of the House upon which the ethics committee should take action.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. (Assembly TV Grab)

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday accused the previous BRS government of resorting to "economic destruction" of Telangana in the past 10 years, in his speech after the Congress government released a White Paper on the states finances in the Assembly.

Revanth Reddy came down hard on the BRS for pushing revenue-surplus Telangana state, as of 2014, into a debt trap "with its financial mismanagement and corruption in the past 10 years".

Dismissing allegations by other parties behind the motive of releasing the White Paper, Revanth Reddy said it was done to apprise the public about the financial condition of the state. Making it clear that the intention behind the White Paper "was not to send a message that Telangana was bankrupt or as an insult targeting other parties or belittling someone, but place facts before the people". The Chief Minister said the BRS regime hid the facts from the public, instead, creating a myth that Telangana was a rich state while taking loans indiscriminately under heads of various corporations.

Airing his view in a debate on the White Paper, Revanth Reddy accused the previous BRS government of cheating banks to secure loans for the Kaleshwaram project and Mission Bhagiratha.

"The BRS government obtained loans of Rs 97,449 crore from banks on behalf of Kaleshwaram corporation for Kaleshwaram project, with false claims that the project would generate Rs 5,199 crore per year by supplying water to agriculture, industries and for drinking water purpose. But, the corporation has no such income. Similarly, it obtained loans for Mission Bhagiratha with false claims that this project will earn Rs 10,800 crore year by supplying water, but there is no such income. They even took loans in the name of TSIIC with false claims.

They misled the banks by submitting fake reports," Revanth Reddy said.

He pointed out to CAG reports of 2015-16 and 2018-19 that clearly stated that the BRS government was portraying budget borrowings as income, and that the entire budget exercise was faulty.

"At the time of formation of state in 2014, Telangana had positive balances (reserves) in its account for 303 days in a year on average. But due to financial mismanagements, these days fell by more than half. Today, the situation is such that we are forced to stand before RBI for loan every day," he said.

Revanth Reddy reiterated his claim that the was corruption to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore in guise of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. He said the BRS government failed to fulfil any of its major poll promises even after spending Rs 13,72,000 crore in the past 10 years.

"They failed to deliver on 2BHK houses, 3-acre land for Dalits, left huge arrears of fee reimbursement for students, Aarogyasri arrears, no salaries for mid-day meal workers and outsourcing employees in Secretariat," he said.
ealthcare workers arrange medical equipments and beds at the Government Fever Hospital after the Centre issued COVID advisory measures, in Hyderabad, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Hyderabad: At least six cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Hyderabad in the past one week.

Following the sudden spurt of positive cases, the health department has asked patients with moderate to severe symptoms, with or without Covid-19 positive, to get tested and treated.

Officials on Wednesday said that the government is well-prepared to tackle any eventuality in the wake of concerns over the new variant of Coronavirus.

In case of emergency, patients can call 104 and send message on WhatsApp number 9030227324.
Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE:SUI  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,105 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in shares of Sun Communities by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 149,931 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $19,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,688 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sun Communities by 407.0% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,670 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,131,000 after buying an additional 6,960 shares in the last quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sun Communities by 40.5% in the first quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 39,966 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,630,000 after buying an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Sun Communities during the second quarter valued at approximately $467,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its position in Sun Communities by 66.4% during the second quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,186 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $937,000 after acquiring an additional 2,868 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.79% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Baxter Underwood sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.99, for a total transaction of $257,980.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,896 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,628,915.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Compass Point reduced their price target on Sun Communities from $125.00 to $116.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Sun Communities from $129.00 to $123.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Sun Communities from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Sun Communities in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Sun Communities from $128.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sun Communities has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $141.36.

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Sun Communities Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:SUI opened at $134.61 on Wednesday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $119.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of 73.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.77. Sun Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.74 and a 12 month high of $163.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.65.

Sun Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. Sun Communitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 203.28%.

About Sun Communities

(Free Report)

Established in 1975, Sun Communities, Inc became a publicly owned corporation in December 1993. The Company is a fully integrated REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol: SUI. As of September 30, 2023, the Company owned, operated, or had an interest in a portfolio of 670 developed MH, RV and Marina properties comprising approximately 180,170 developed sites and approximately 48,030 wet slips and dry storage spaces in the U.S., the UK and Canada.

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Financial Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Free Report) by 2.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,950 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 106 shares during the quarter. Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC now owns 34,781 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,044,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,916 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $858,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 60,160 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,491 shares during the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,239 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 2,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 71,549 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $10,376,000 after purchasing an additional 20,979 shares during the last quarter. 68.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Odeon Capital Group lowered JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $140.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $176.00 to $169.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $158.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a hold rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $168.80.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE JPM opened at $168.47 on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $123.11 and a fifty-two week high of $168.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.27. The stock has a market cap of $487.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.38. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 17.97% and a net margin of 22.79%. The business had revenue of $40.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $39.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.62 earnings per share for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 4th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Marianne Lake sold 32,243 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $5,158,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 131,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,113,920. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services to consumers and small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services.

Further Reading

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First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) by 144.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,915 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 5,861 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Banks holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 335.0% during the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,768 shares of the companys stock worth $2,228,000 after acquiring an additional 10,603 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 199.7% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,308,866 shares of the companys stock worth $271,024,000 after acquiring an additional 3,537,248 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 42.0% during the 1st quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 99,208 shares of the companys stock worth $15,788,000 after acquiring an additional 29,348 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 33,201 shares of the companys stock worth $5,284,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter worth $227,000. 6.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on NVO. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Friday, December 1st. They set an overweight rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Argus began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, October 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $115.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NVO stock opened at $99.99 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $99.40 and its 200-day moving average is $67.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $448.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.40. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $65.05 and a twelve month high of $105.69.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $8.58 billion for the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 86.53% and a net margin of 35.20%. Equities research analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Profile

(Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products in the areas of insulins, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products, obesity, glucagon, needles, and other chronic diseases.

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Verum Partners LLC increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Free Report) by 39.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,617 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,577 shares during the quarter. Verum Partners LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $815,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Miller Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $67,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 46,300.0% in the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 464 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at $70,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.94% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Marianne Lake sold 32,243 shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $5,158,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 131,962 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,113,920. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.79% of the companys stock.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Price Performance

JPM opened at $168.47 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $149.79 and a 200-day moving average of $148.27. The company has a market capitalization of $487.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.06, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 1-year low of $123.11 and a 1-year high of $168.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.38. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 22.79% and a return on equity of 17.97%. The company had revenue of $40.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 EPS. The companys revenue was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 4th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JPM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $176.00 to $169.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Odeon Capital Group downgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $168.80.

View Our Latest Research Report on JPM

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services to consumers and small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services.

Further Reading

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M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Free Report) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,671 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 1,099 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. comprises approximately 2.3% of M&R Capital Management Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. M&R Capital Management Inc.s holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $8,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 97,681.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,056,747,063 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $299,133,293,000 after purchasing an additional 2,054,643,659 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 126,243,947 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $18,360,920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384,901 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 105,652.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 98,000,567 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $13,141,876,000 after acquiring an additional 97,907,897 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 59,049,256 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $7,918,506,000 after acquiring an additional 8,088,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,367,497 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $7,740,212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.94% of the companys stock.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE JPM opened at $168.47 on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12 month low of $123.11 and a 12 month high of $168.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $487.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.06, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $149.79 and a 200-day moving average of $148.27.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.38. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 17.97% and a net margin of 22.79%. The firm had revenue of $40.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, January 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on JPM shares. StockNews.com started coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. They set a hold rating and a $159.00 target price on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $168.80.

Get Our Latest Research Report on JPM

Insider Activity at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

In related news, CEO Marianne Lake sold 32,243 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $5,158,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 131,962 shares in the company, valued at $21,113,920. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services to consumers and small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services.

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From Neutrality to NATO

A historic transformation is taking place across the icy expanse of Scandinavia. Decades of carefully cultivated neutrality are being abandoned in favor of a new strategic realignment driven by a chilling reality: Vladimir Putins Russia poses a clear and present danger. This newfound vulnerability, underscored by Putins recent warning to Finland following its NATO accession, has pushed the Nordic nations into a deeper embrace of the United States, forging a military partnership with far-reaching implications for regional security and the global balance of power.

Finland Leads the Charge

Finland has balanced its relationship with its powerful eastern neighbor for decades while carefully safeguarding its sovereignty. Haunted by the scars of the Winter War of 1939-40, Finland has maintained cordial relations with Russia while meticulously avoiding provoking it. However, the brutal invasion of Ukraine shattered this uneasy equilibrium. Witnessing the unprovoked aggression unleashed on a fellow democracy, Finland, along with Sweden, abandoned its neutrality and sought the collective security umbrella of NATO. This historic decision signified a dramatic shift in Finnish defense policy, moving beyond self-reliance to actively partnering with a major power to deter Russian aggression.

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The Defense Cooperation Agreement

The Defense Cooperation Agreement signed between Finland and the US marks a tangible consequence of this strategic recalibration. The pact grants the US military broad access across Finland, facilitating joint training, enhancing interoperability, and potentially allowing for the stationing of US troops near the 1,340-kilometer border with Russia. This move signifies a dramatic shift in Finnish defense policy, moving beyond self-reliance to actively partnering with a major power to deter Russian aggression. Finlands Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen aptly characterized the agreement as a strong sign of US commitment to the defense of Finland and the whole of northern Europe.

Putins Fury

Putins predictable response was a masterclass in bluster and veiled threats. He denounced Finlands NATO membership as a Western trap and announced the creation of a new military district near the shared border. While ostensibly defensive, these actions reeked of intimidation and thinly veiled preparation for potential escalation. However, Putins fury only served to solidify Scandinavian resolve. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen aptly described Russias tactics as weaponizing migration and an attempt to sow discord, further underlining the need for a resolute united front.

Swedens Parallel Path

Sweden, Finlands Nordic neighbor, is on a similar trajectory. Having applied for NATO membership alongside Finland, its path has been temporarily stalled by Turkish objections. However, the broader dynamics are clear: Scandinavia firmly aligns with the West, seeking the security guarantees that NATO and US cooperation provide. Denmark has cemented its place within this emerging alliance, signing a ten-year agreement allowing US troops and equipment on its soil.

Beyond Deterrence

The implications of this Nordic entrenchment are far-reaching. For the region, it offers a robust deterrent against Russian aggression, bolstering collective defense and mitigating the risk of isolated attacks. For the US, it establishes a strategic foothold in a critical geopolitical theater, allowing for closer monitoring of Russian activities and enhanced projection of power across the Baltic Sea. However, this newfound alignment is not without its risks. Increased militarization could potentially escalate tensions with Russia, and the long-term consequences for regional stability remain uncertain.

A New Cold War on the Horizon?

One thing is clear: Putins miscalculation has backfired spectacularly. His aggression in Ukraine has not cowed Scandinavia but instead driven them into the arms of the US. Once content with neutrality, the Nordic nations are now determined to stand firm against Russian expansionism, forging a security partnership with the US that will reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Baltic Sea region for years to come. Whether this new constellation of power can deter further aggression or inadvertently spark a broader conflict remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain: the icy winds of Scandinavia now carry the unmistakable scent of a new Cold War, one with far higher stakes and potentially even grimmer consequences.
National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) by 110.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 185,980 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 97,586 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FIs holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $16,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1,514.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,785,560 shares of the companys stock worth $602,435,000 after purchasing an additional 3,551,104 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 199.7% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,308,866 shares of the companys stock worth $271,024,000 after buying an additional 3,537,248 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,035,879 shares of the companys stock worth $559,235,000 after buying an additional 1,571,747 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 39.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,212,398 shares of the companys stock valued at $705,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,472,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 2nd quarter valued at about $188,602,000. 6.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NVO shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Friday, December 1st. They set an overweight rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Argus began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. They issued a buy rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $115.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVO opened at $99.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $448.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.49, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.40. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $99.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.11. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $65.05 and a 12-month high of $105.69.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.20% and a return on equity of 86.53%. The company had revenue of $8.58 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

(Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products in the areas of insulins, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products, obesity, glucagon, needles, and other chronic diseases.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report).

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Portside Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (NYSE:PAA  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 19,510 shares of the pipeline companys stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Plains All American Pipeline during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Plains All American Pipeline during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Plains All American Pipeline by 49.9% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,376 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in Plains All American Pipeline during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Plains All American Pipeline by 64.0% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,552 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 1,776 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.13% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jeremy L. Goebel sold 35,000 shares of Plains All American Pipeline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.58, for a total transaction of $545,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 279,223 shares in the company, valued at $4,350,294.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on PAA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Plains All American Pipeline in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating and a $13.50 price objective on the stock. Citigroup downgraded Plains All American Pipeline from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lifted their target price for the company from $14.00 to $15.50 in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th. TD Securities raised their price target on Plains All American Pipeline from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 6th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Plains All American Pipeline from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Plains All American Pipeline from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Plains All American Pipeline presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $17.04.

View Our Latest Analysis on PAA

Plains All American Pipeline Stock Performance

PAA opened at $15.08 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.90. The firm has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. has a fifty-two week low of $11.16 and a fifty-two week high of $16.05.

Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE:PAA  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $12.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.42 billion. Plains All American Pipeline had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 2.28%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. will post 1.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Plains All American Pipeline Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.2675 per share. This represents a $1.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 30th. Plains All American Pipelines dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.85%.

Plains All American Pipeline Company Profile

(Free Report)

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage, and gathering of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids (NGL). The Crude Oil segment offers gathering and transporting crude oil through pipelines, gathering systems, trucks, and at times on barges or railcars.

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Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,693 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 234.0% in the second quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 688 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 54.6% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 354 shares of the business services providers stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 20,592 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,411,000 after buying an additional 1,449 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,050,000. Finally, Wambolt & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC now owns 6,788 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.36% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Broadridge Financial Solutions

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,090 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.49, for a total transaction of $775,014.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,481 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,084.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,090 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.49, for a total value of $775,014.10. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,084.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, President Christopher John Perry sold 20,614 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.94, for a total value of $3,647,441.16. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,039,221.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 28,475 shares of company stock worth $5,088,452 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BR shares. StockNews.com upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $178.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Broadridge Financial Solutions presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $185.57.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions Trading Up 0.2 %

BR opened at $197.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $182.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99 and a beta of 0.99. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $132.33 and a 1-year high of $198.46.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.15. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 42.48%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Analysts expect that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 7.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.84%.

About Broadridge Financial Solutions

(Free Report)

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.

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StrongBox Wealth LLC lessened its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,988 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 695 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. accounts for approximately 1.9% of StrongBox Wealth LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. StrongBox Wealth LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $3,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. M&R Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 57,671 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,363,000 after acquiring an additional 1,099 shares in the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC now owns 34,781 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,044,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,916 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 1,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 60,160 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,491 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.94% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Marianne Lake sold 32,243 shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $5,158,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 131,962 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,113,920. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on JPM. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $233.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com began coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Odeon Capital Group lowered JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $158.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, JPMorgan Chase & Co. presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $168.80.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on JPM

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE JPM opened at $168.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $487.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.06, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a one year low of $123.11 and a one year high of $168.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The businesss fifty day moving average is $149.79 and its 200-day moving average is $148.27.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $40.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $39.63 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 17.97% and a net margin of 22.79%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.62 EPS for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, January 4th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.07%.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services to consumers and small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services.

See Also

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Verum Partners LLC lifted its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Free Report) by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,617 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the period. Verum Partners LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 97,681.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,056,747,063 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $299,133,293,000 after buying an additional 2,054,643,659 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 105,652.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 98,000,567 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,141,876,000 after purchasing an additional 97,907,897 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,894,646,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 59,049,256 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,918,506,000 after purchasing an additional 8,088,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 13,205.6% during the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,395,818 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $41,407,000 after purchasing an additional 5,355,265 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.94% of the companys stock.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE:JPM opened at $168.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $487.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $149.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12 month low of $123.11 and a 12 month high of $168.47.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.38. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 22.79% and a return on equity of 17.97%. The company had revenue of $40.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 4th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, CEO Marianne Lake sold 32,243 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $5,158,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 131,962 shares in the company, valued at $21,113,920. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JPM has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. HSBC started coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a hold rating and a $159.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $158.00 to $167.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Odeon Capital Group cut JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $140.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $168.80.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services to consumers and small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services.

Further Reading

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A 9 million plant making sustainable fuels using patented technology developed in collaboration with NASA will open in County Derry next year, it has been revealed today.

Renovare Fuels site will see close to 2 million litres of advanced renewable biofuels produced each year, made from the biogas produced by landfill waste.

The Craigmore plant, near Garvagh, is a first for the UK and Europe, with dozens of local jobs set to be created during construction, as well as several long-term skilled engineering positions.

The firms latest 9 million investment is being developed alongside leading Northern Ireland renewable energy operator, B9 Energy Control Limited, and leading UK biogas experts Powerhouse Management Ltd.

Renovare Fuels advanced renewable biofuels are a direct drop in replacement for diesel and petrol aviation fuel, with no requirement for engine modifications.

Biofuels can support industries facing the largest barriers to net zero, including the road haulage, maritime and aviation sectors.

Developed in the United States, in collaboration with sister company T2C Energy; NASA; and the US Department of Energy, the greener fuel alternative can cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 97 per cent.

The fuel is set to qualify for extra support under the Department for Transports Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Renovare Fuels will supply UK-based fuel distributors and multinational petrochemical and airline companies.

Last year, one-quarter of all emissions across the UK originated from the transport sector.

UK Government estimates suggest 32 million tonnes of biodegradable waste are generated annually  enough to produce more than two billion litres of biofuels per year and significantly cut emissions.[4]

Matthew Stone, Chairman at Renovare Fuels, said: Renovare Fuels are delighted to be commencing operations in Northern Ireland. This crucial investment will ensure we play a leading role in creating a sustainable future for the transport sector.

As we work to meet our global climate goals, we have an exciting opportunity to scale up the UKs production of renewable fuels, producing more than 1.8 million litres per year in Northern Ireland to support the industries that face the largest barriers to the net zero transition.

Ian Harvey, Founder at B9 Energy Control Limited, said: Were proud to be supporting Renovare Fuels landmark investment today, which paves the way for Northern Ireland to play an important role in supporting businesses transition to net-zero.

The new operations in County Derry present an opportune moment to kickstart a sustainable fuels drive across the UK. We look forward to continuing to support this development in the new year.

For more information visit renovare-fuels.co.uk
A man charged with a series of domestic abuse offences against his former partner has appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court today charged with breaching his bail.

Michael Murray (38) of St Canice's Park was charged with breaching his bail by being intoxicated after he phoned police.

A police officer told the court that Murray was charged following an incident on December 11 when a council worker was flagged down by a woman who told him she had been assaulted by her former partner, Murray.

She said that after Murray had been 'kicked out' of his family home she had allowed him to stay in a spare room despite there being a Restraining Order in place.

She said that he had been drinking and had stopped taking his medication and an argument had started about text messages.

She said Murray had been abusive to her and told her to kill herself saying 'the kids don't need you.'

The woman alleged he slapped her, stamped on her mobile phone and smeared blood on her face.

A police officer said that the woman also claimed that the defendant had prevented her leaving the house before she managed to escape.

Murray appeared in court last Saturday and was released on bail with a condition he does not take alcohol.

The court heard that Murray was 'highly intoxicated' when he came into contact with police and was arrested.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that there was no suggestion of any further offending.

Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes said that because there had been no new offences he would grant him bail again.

Murray will appear again on January 3.
The concealment of 10 million of drugs in a lorry represents organised crime at its highest level, a judge has said.

District Judge Eamon King made the remarks as he refused bail to a man charged in connection with the largest ever seizure of cocaine made by police in Northern Ireland.

Police recovered the drugs with an estimated street value of 10 million from a lorry in Jonesborough, County Armagh, on December 11.

Ciaran McBride, 38, from Mellifont Drive, Armagh, appeared at Newry Magistrates Court on Wednesday via videolink from Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.

He is charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

McBride is further charged with paying for sexual services, and driving while disqualified and driving without insurance or MOT.

He said yes when asked if he understood the charges.

A detective constable told the court he could connect McBride to the charges.

A prosecuting solicitor told the court that on December 11 police had attended Flurrybridge Business Park near Newry and observed a small lorry and a larger lorry with Dutch number plates.

She said packets of frozen pork mince were being transported from one vehicle to the other, adding that McBride was the driver of the smaller vehicle.

The prosecutor said checks revealed the vehicle was not insured and McBride was a disqualified driver and he was arrested.

The lawyer said follow-up searches revealed approximately 100 blocks of suspected cocaine were located concealed within the boxes of frozen meat.

She added: Police were able to access Mr McBrides phone and as a result of information and photographs on the phone he was further charged with paying for sexual services.

He did not make any comment under police interview other than a short prepared statement denying involvement in the supply of drugs, she said.

The lawyer told the court that the drugs had been concealed in a professional manner.

The detective constable said: In relation to the date of the offences, messages would indicate that he was in the process of purchasing prostitutes that morning and consuming cocaine.

He seems to live a bit of reckless lifestyle.

A defence lawyer made an application for bail, pointing out that his client had originally been arrested on motoring offences and been bailed, but had then freely made himself available for police questioning in relation to the drugs offences and handed over his phone.

The lawyer asked the PSNI officer what had happened to the lorry with the Dutch number plates.

The detective constable said the driver had not been detained as no offences were detected relating to him at the time.

The officer also said that a factor in the delay between McBrides lorry being seized and the drugs being discovered was the amount of time it had taken the meat to defrost.

District Judge King said: The court has heard the background to the basis to which this detection was made and the impression is that there is a significant amount of investigation that has to continue.

There is no doubt this is a serious offence, it is estimated before the court the amount of drugs involved is 10 million.

This is not an amateur enterprise, this is organised crime at its highest level.

Bail was refused and McBride will appear in court again on January 16.
If you are looking to upgrade your TV, terms like QNED, QLED, and OLED may sound similar but are quite different. While there are many details to address here, simplifying things for those not familiar with display jargon, we would start with the broader classification as self-emissive and backlit.

Self-emissive displays like OLED, QD-OLED, and micro-LED have pixels that emit their light, allowing for pixel-level lighting control, higher contrast, and brightness. These displays are relatively more expensive, and the general consensus is that they offer a better TV viewing experience.

On the other hand, when discussing QLED, QNED, Triluminous, and other such technologies, we are essentially referring to LCD TVs with a backlight. Manufacturers employ various technologies to improve the performance of these backlit displays and classify them with different names.

.

Also Check: MicroLED vs Mini LED vs OLED Displays: Whats the difference?

Why do LED LCD TVs need to enhance the quality of white light?

As you must know, colourimetry follows a trichromatic approach where white light is considered a combination of Red, Green and Blue light. LCD-based TVs eventually pass the white light from the backlight through a colour filter film to get Red, Blue and Green colours for different subpixels. So, to get the red colour, the filter will essentially block Red and Blue components in the white light and only let the red light to pass through (with some loss in quantum efficiency).

Image Source: Samsung Displays

But what if your white light has more of the blue component and very less of Red and Green? In such cases, the TV struggles to reproduce the complete spectrum of Red and Green, especially the fully saturated shades.

To work around this problem, QLED TVs use Blue LEDs in the backlight and pass it through a Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF). This film has a matrix of tiny Quantum Dots that serve as extremely efficient colour converters. The blue light from the backlight falling on these Red and Green quantum dots excites them and they then release red and green light of the same quantum efficiency. So, the Blue light is essentially converted to red or green without any loss.

QDEF thus converts a balanced portion of Blue light to Red and Green, thus achieving a purer or well-balanced white light with proper spectral power distribution, fit to reproduce wide colour gamuts.

Distinct Red, Green and Blue Waveforms in Samsung QLED TV (source: HDTVTest)

Implementing Quantum Dot hardware in an LCD TV is quite simple. In practice, if you teardown your QLED TV, Quantum Dot Enhancement Film will be just a thin, yellowish butter paper-like film sandwiched between other backlight films (like diffuser film, brightness enhancement film, etc).

Display manufacturers may use other techniques to achieve a more balanced white light like a phosphor layer next to LEDs. And that is one of the techniques Sony integrates into its Triluminous displays.

QNED Vs QLED

Now that we have cleared the basics, we are in a better position to differentiate between QNED and QLED TVs.

QLED is a Samsung trademark for its TVs that use Quantum Dots Enhancement Film. The term isnt exclusive to Samsung since many other brands also use the QLED moniker for marketing their panels using the same technology. Legacy brands like LG and Sony, however, steer clear of QLED and have their proprietary technologies for enhancing backlight.

LG QNED stands for Quantum-Dot NanoCell LED and it combines Quantum Dots Enhancement Film with LGs Nanocell technology.

Apart from Quantum Dot Enhancement Film that all QLED TVs use, LG QNED also includes Nanocell technology that integrates nanoparticles in LCD substrate to absorb impure wavelengths from the backlight, thus once again resulting in purer R, G, and B components and purer colours.

Samsung denotes QLED TVs with mini LED backlights as Neo QLED TVs. LG QNED TVs may have both LED or Mini LED backlight depending on the model.

Another notable difference is that LG uses IPS LCD panels and Samsungs QLED displays can have both IPS or VA LCD panels. VA panels offer higher contrast but poorer viewing angles, while IPS LCDs offer wider viewing angles but lower contrast.

Display Type QNED QLED Quantum Dot Enhancement Film Yes Yes Nanocell technology Yes No Backlight Mini LED, Edge-lit LED, Full Array LED Mini LED, Edge-lit LED, Full Array LED LCD Type IPS LCD VA LCD (mostly), IPS LCD Brands LG Samsung, Hisense, TCL & others

Sonys Triluminous series of displays uses a combination of hardware and software features to achieve a wide colour gamut. Initially, when the Triluminous displays debuted in 2013, Sony used Quantum Dots to enhance LED backlight, but the current Triluminous Pro, XR Triluminous Pro and XR Triluminous Max displays dont seem to use QDEF.

Also Read: RGB to PHOLED  8 Different Types of OLED Display Technologies You Should Know About

But wait, there is another QNED

The term QNED is embroiled in a bit of controversy. Before LG registered the QNED Trademark for its displays, QNED was popular as Quantum Nanorod Emitting Diode, a self-emissive Samsung Display technology that is expected to succeed their latest Quantum-Dot OLED or QD-OLED displays.

QD-OLED displays work by using a blue light-emitting layer made of OLEDs. Then, they add a layer of printed Quantum Dots to create pure red and green sub-pixels. This is different from QLEDs, where the Quantum Dots layer is placed before the backlight reaches the LCD substrate. In QD-OLEDs, the Quantum Dots layer comes after the subpixels, facing the user.

The next Generation QNED displays being developed by Samsung are expected to replace the Blue OLED emission later with tiny Inorganic Blue GaN LEDs or nanorods that will be more durable and enable higher brightness. These LEDs are like tiny towers made of GaN that can emit light more efficiently.

FAQs

Q) Is QNED better than QLED?

QNED and QLED are similar technologies. Which one is better will depend on the specific models that you are comparing.

Q) Can you share some examples of QLED and QNED displays?

Some popular LG QNED TVs in India include:

LG QNED 90

LG QNED 85

LG QNED 75

Some popular QLED TVs include:

Samsung QN95C

OnePlus Q2 Pro

Hisense U6K

Q) Is OLED better than QLED or QNED?

Simply put, yes. Most modern OLED TVs offer a better TV viewing experience and impactful HDR as compared to LED LCD TVs.

Do OLED TVs still face the risk of burn-in?

Modern OLED TVs can handle the risk of burn-in quite well. For regular TV users, the risk has almost been mitigated. However, for hardcore users pushing their displays, such as gamers, there is still some risk.
China's supply chain speeds up commercial space ventures

In 2023, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite industry is buzzing with positive news on multiple fronts. Firstly, SpaceX has reported a positive cash flow for its Starlink service, signaling a commercially viable model for the space industry involving both official and private sector participation. On the consumer side, Apple's latest 2023 devices are continuing the trend of incorporating satellite communication features, while Huawei has introduced smartphones boasting satellite calling capabilities.

With the commercialization of space gaining traction and satellite terminals becoming increasingly commonplace, the LEO satellite industry is experiencing robust growth. Notably, alongside international players like SpaceX and OneWeb, Chinese companies are rapidly catching up.

In addition to Project GW, the "Chinese version of Starlink" led by China Satellite Network Group, Chinese companies are making significant contributions in the supply chain and private sector, fueling a period of high growth in the Chinese aerospace industry.

Following Huawei's launch of the Mate 60 Pro smartphone supporting satellite communication, satellite capabilities are now entering the mainstream. Chinese media suggests that Mate 60 Pro buyers are predominantly outdoor enthusiasts who not only carry traditional satellite phones but also equip their vehicles with satellite communication devices.

From smartphones to satellite-enabled vehicles, a satellite ecosystem is taking shape in daily life, driving continuous expansion in the satellite industry market. Geely Zeekr 001 FR supports satellite communication and is equipped with a satellite terminal developed by the Chinese private aerospace company, Geespace.

Geespace plans to introduce key components such as satellite communication chips and positioning modules for various brands under Geely in the future. In comparison to Huawei, it is accelerating the development of the Chinese satellite industry from the intelligent vehicle end.

In 2023, LEO satellite operators are making continuous strides, with SpaceX nearing its 100th launch goal, OneWeb achieving its satellite launch target, and Amazon's Project Kuiper launching its first batch of satellites, with more actions expected in 2024.

While China has set a target to launch 25,000 LEO satellites, the limited number of appropriate orbits, combined with the actions of leading players in construction and satellite launches, has created time pressurefirst come, first served.

Currently, China has private sector participants such as Geespace focusing on satellite manufacturing and applications, Galactic Energy providing commercial launch services, Galaxy Space offering satellite network solutions, and Chang Guang Satellite Technology engaged in commercial remote sensing satellite services. This involvement is expected to reduce satellite manufacturing costs and achieve large-scale production.

In fact, Geespace is building a satellite super factory in Zhejiang to meet the growing trend of satellite applications in the automotive industry.

Although standards have not been established, satellite communication is already considered a potential technology for the 6G technology, making it a contested battleground and maintaining dominance in the 5G era for China, with hopes of continuing to hold influence in the 6G era.

Beyond direct satellite communication on phones or in cars, the vision for 6G involves the application of non-terrestrial networks (NTN). In the future, LEO satellites and ground terminals on cars could be considered as base stations, using phased array antenna technology to create satellite communication modules and form a comprehensive communication mobile network.

With Chinese companies accelerating their involvement in the space industry, coupled with 6G factors, despite having a development gap compared to current international heavyheights, China's significant government support and vast market make it a continued focal point of attention.
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India introduces draft telecom bill, beneficial to satellite communication operators

India made a large overhaul with the introduction of the telecom bill in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India, and satellite operators, such as Starlink, are expected to benefit from the bill.

According to PTI, Fortune, and Benzinga Newswire, India introduced a draft telecom bill in the Lok Sabha to overhaul the country's telecom laws. One of the aims is to switch from an auction system to an authorization-based system regarding spectrum distribution, as the traditional auction system is viewed as costliness and discouraging investment.

Fortune reported that the telecom bill is expected to revoke several laws, including the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act of 1950, while also making amendments to the TRAI Act of 1997.

PTI quoted Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal saying he would like to compliment the government for introducing a progressive and forward-looking bill in parliament. He said the bill helps simplify the current convoluted system that includes various licensing types into a more cohesive and efficient authorization-based regime. Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra was quoted as saying that the forward-looking provisions in the bill will help deliver the benefits of digital connectivity.

According to the reports, satellite communication service providers, such as OneWeb, Starlink, and Kuiper, are anticipated to benefit from the bill. Fortune reported that countries across the world manage satellite spectrum allocation differently. Satellite spectrum is shared across borders, and there is no precedent of auctioning satellite spectrum by other countries.
PACE Engineers

Welly

ACE Engineers has announced a promotion within the company. Paula Welly is now PACE's business development manager. Her 10 years in the AEC industry have helped her navigate PACE through various business development and marketing projects.

In her new role, Welly will work with PACE's disciplines to develop business development and marketing strategies.




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PORTLAND (AP) Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz on Monday released the locations of 2,000 acres of structurally complex state forestland proposed to be set aside for conservation, funded by the state's Natural Climate Solutions program.

The gold Air Jordan 3s were anonymously dropped in the donation chute at the Portland Rescue Mission this spring. A man in its long-term shelter program found them while sorting through donations and told the staff.





. . .
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OLYMPIA  Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz on Monday released the locations of 2,000 acres of structurally complex state forestland proposed to be set aside for conservation, funded by the state's Natural Climate Solutions program.

The lands are located across five counties  Clallam, Jefferson, King, Snohomish and Whatcom  and will join more than 900,000 acres of already conserved forests that the state Department of Natural Resources manages in Western Washington.





. . .
IN A TOUCHING tribute to the late Joe Drennan, Irish folk artist Emma Langford and journalist Molly Cantwell have come together to release a Christmas charity single.

The duo has covered Joni Mitchell's unconventional Christmas track, River, with all proceeds going to the Gay Community News (GCN), a vital resource for the LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

The collaboration is dedicated to the memory of Joe Drennan, a talented Limerick-based journalist and a prominent voice for the LGBTQ+ community. Joe tragically lost his life in a hit-and-run collision on October 13, 2023, leaving behind a void felt deeply by his family, friends, and colleagues.

Molly Cantwell, managing editor of Limerick Voice, expressed her admiration for her late friend, saying: "Joe was destined for greatness. His passion, talent, charisma, and absolute gra for his work were so evident in absolutely everything he did, and so incredibly enviable."

The choice of the song River was poignant, with Molly selecting it while walking by the Shannon River, a spot cherished by Joe. The project quickly gained support from various Limerick creatives, including Aaron Griffin, Nora Casey, Emer OFlaherty, and Aoife Hennessy, who contributed their talents to the charity single.

Ms Cantwell shared gratitude for the overwhelming support from the Limerick creative community, emphasising the selflessness and generosity that characterised the collaborative effort. She stated: "Losing Joe has been incredibly difficult, but knowing that he has all of this support around him, even in his passing, is such a blessing."

The charity single will be exclusively available on Bandcamp until 2024, after which it will be accessible on all streaming platforms. This decision aims to maximise fundraising during the Christmas season of 2023.
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THE Mayor of the County of Cork has lauded what he has described as impressive progress on a number of social and affordable housing developments in north Cork, which combined will deliver almost 80 new homes.

Cllr Frank OFlynn recently visited five developments at three towns and villages in the county.

In Mitchelstown, construction is underway on an eight home social housing development at Brigown Rd.

Additionally, a scheme of seven social houses were recently completed at Pound Lane in Kilworth.

Mr OFlynn also visited Fermoy where a mixed social and affordable development of 45 houses is currently under construction at Rathealy Close, while Focus Ireland is constructing seven apartments at Oliver Plunkett Hill, furthering options for social and affordable housing in the region.

To complete the visit, the County Mayor turned the sod at Uplands in Fermoy, marking the commencement of the construction of 11 social houses.

Combined, the five developments will deliver 78 new homes.

The schemes, Mr OFlynn said, form part of the commitments set out in Cork County Councils Housing Delivery Action Plan, prepared under Housing for All  the Governments housing plan to 2030.

The Plan will see 3,198 new Social Housing Units provided across the county from 2022  2026, together with an Affordable Housing programme that will also make over 700 Affordable Purchase and Cost Rental dwellings available, Mr OFlynn said, speaking about the councils Housing Delivery Action Plan.

I am delighted to witness the impressive progress at each of these schemes in Mitchelstown, Kilworth and Fermoy and look forward to seeing each home occupied in the near future.
OF the 151 new gardai sworn in last week, only one will be assigned to Cork city, The Echo has learned.

On Friday last, the garda press office issued a statement saying that of the latest 151 graduates of the Garda Training College at Templemore, 115 were being assigned to Dublin, 20 to the garda eastern region, and eight each to the southern and north-western regions.

The garda southern region encompasses Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick, which covers 8,811 square miles, and, as of 2022, has a population of approximately 1.2 million. According to the garda website, the southern region currently has 2,894 gardai across all ranks.

There are currently 697 gardai  across all ranks  listed for the Cork city division, with 323 in Cork north and 282 in the Cork west division.

A Cork delegate of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents rank and file members of the force, confirmed on Monday that the number of newly qualified probationer gardai assigned to Cork will be one.

Unhappy

Det Garda Padraig Harrington said the GRA was very unhappy at the announcement.

We have always and ever, with the last number of years, said that were probably short about 125 guards in Cork and it hasnt been recognised that we provide regional units that are allocated to Cork city division but they are actually regional units, the likes of the Armed Support unit but [garda management] in Dublin, when it comes to seeking resources for Cork city, they count those regional units as being a Cork city resource and theyre not solely a Cork city resource, theyre a resource for the southern region, Mr Harrington said.

He emphasised that Fridays allocation was of one probationer garda across the 15 garda stations in the Cork city division.

We have had four probationers allocated to Cork city from Templemore, but in the last year, but in the last year we have lost 29 rank and file gardai, through promotion, transfer, retirement, and resignation".

We lost 11 to the rank of sergeant, six transferred, nine retired, and three resigned. We got four probationers and 17 fully-fledged guards transferred in, so we got in 21 in total, but we lost 29, so we had a nett loss of eight gardai. Mr Harrington added that in 2019 there were 576 rank-and-file gardai in Cork city, while today the figure is 570.

Donnchadh O Laoghaire, Sinn Fein TD for Cork South Central described the news as shocking and extremely disappointing, and it was simply not good enough.

We have about 10% of the population and we regularly get about 1% or less than 1% of the gardai coming out of Templemore, he said.

There are so many stations across Cork city and county that are stretched to absolute breaking point, areas with big populations, areas with large rural catchments, and they are really struggling. Mr O Laoghaire said his party recognised that An Garda Siochana was struggling with a recruitment and retention crisis, and that Dublin was a priority, but he added that Cork had been neglected for years now in terms of garda numbers.

I raised this with Micheal Martin in the Dail a number of weeks ago, and he said he would make representations and that there needed to be more gardai for Cork.

The senior ministers in Cork need to be taking this issue very seriously, we have had very serious incidents in some of the large suburban areas , and while our gardai are doing the best they can, it is impossible to do a miracle of the loaves and fishes with the numbers they have. Fine Gael councillor Damian Boylan, chair of the Cork City Council Joint Policing Committee (JPC), described the news as disheartening.

Extremely disappointing

Without doubt, its extremely disappointing, especially after the conversations we had directly with Drew Harris, the garda commissioner, when he was down before the JPC.

Cllr Boylan added that while Cork had only been given one newly attested garda at the last round of graduations from Templemore, a further five members had transferred into the city.

I would be hopeful that that will be the case now too, but if all were getting is one guard in total, then its incredibly disappointing.

I understand the issues around recruitment and retention, I get all of that, but were the second city of the Republic. Its time we were treated like the second city of the Republic.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the management and administration of An Garda Siochana rested with the garda commissioner and the justice minister had no role in this process.

The Minister is assured that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of resources under continued review to ensure their optimum use. This is done in line with data available on crime trends, population stats and operational policing demands, the spokesperson said.

As of the end of November, there are a total of 697 members assigned to the Cork City Division, an increase from 644 at the end of 2016. On Monday evening, the garda press office confirmed that one newly attested garda had been assigned to the Cork city division.

The Tanaiste was asked for a comment.
THE decision by many companies to cut back on alcohol spending at Christmas parties to minimise the impact on the attendance of employees in the workplace the morning after is giving Cork restauranteurs and others in the local hospitality trade a nasty financial hangover, it has emerged.

According to those who spoke to The Echo, theres a sizable shift in business patterns prior to Christmas this year as opposed to the festive season in previous years and this is having an adverse impact on their bottom lines as they look beyond Christmas and the New Year period to the traditional lean times of January and February.

One restauranteur said that business levels might be on a par with last year in terms of numbers but because of increasing costs in terms of food and drink, insurance and wages, there would need to have been a 15% increase in spend to match 2022 levels.

The weekend trade is definitely heavier and during the week, we see that some companies would have a limit on alcohol whereas the menu price on food (that companies would be prepared to spend) would be more or less the same, theres no pull back on that, said Mike Ryan of Coqbull.

Other companies that traditionally wouldnt have as much of a budget restraint on their overall experience are being more restrained and are definitely limiting their menu".

Theres definitely a bit of a pull back but thats no different to anyone as everyone is being a bit more cautious on what they have to spend.

He added that there had been a definite shift on the alcohol side of things and that this aspect of the business is moving to later in the week from the traditionally big corporate nights on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This week traditionally would be very busy Monday and Tuesday but its actually moving into Thursday and Friday. From our reading of it, theyre doing it at times to ensure their employees arent going back to work the next day.

When asked to give his overall verdict on Christmas 2023, the proprietor of the fashionable French Church Street restaurant said: If youre matching figures from last year or the year before, youre actually doing less people because your prices have gone up because theres been a price hike in the hospitality sector. There had to be for obvious reasons.

Unless youre seeing growth of 15%, youre only on par from last year. Its a strong Christmas but when it washes out, it wont be any record breaker, thats for sure.

Michael ODonovan, chairman of Vintners Federation of Ireland in Cork, has said that bar-owners are fearing the introduction of higher minimum wage levels in the New Year to coincide with a traditionally leaner time in the pub trade.

The publican, who owns The Castle Inn in Cork city centre, said that his vintner colleagues were reporting that the last couple of weekends had been very busy, very robust and in line with other years. One thing that has been voiced is that early week  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday  has been quiet with regulars not even coming out but weekends, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been very, very strong for late November and early December.

It had been expected as there was pent up demand and we saw this reflected in bookings for Christmas parties which was very strong, he said. The concern is coming into January  new costs such as the increase in the minimum wage and insurance continues to be a battle  we will take the good this month but, unfortunately, we will have a tough couple of months ahead in January, February and March.

Mr ODonovan said there was a noticeable move by companies to book their Christmas parties in pubs, with the possibility of finger food, though the lack of a late night bus service, similar to that which was available other years and during the Jazz Festival was a factor putting people off.

With the cost of living crisis and everyone fighting for disposable income, to be on a par with other years is a real result for us."

Weve seen a huge increase in Christmas parties in pubs this year and its been very welcome  groups of eight and ten going out, breaking off from office parties and going to pubs, getting a bit of finger food or maybe not, going to a couple of pubs to enjoy the night, its really helped the pub trade this year. For Richard Gavin, owner of the Spitjack Restaurants in Cork and Limerick as well as the Browns Brasseries in the Brown Thomas stores in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, takings have been down throughout 2023.

Spending is down, footfall is down, its not awful but its down on previous years for sure.

He said that corporate business came a lot later this year than in previous years as reservations that would have been made in September are now being made in October. The volume of corporates seems healthy but not the same demand  normally wed be closing our books in September but there isnt as much this year. He said Thursdays and Fridays were the only real in demand days for corporate Christmas party business.

One anecdote related by a Cork hotelier who asked not to be named is that a company had paid for 180 to attend a Christmas party but only 140 had turned off and one reason for the significant no-show rate was the cost factor. While the meal was being paid for and some drinks vouchers were being provided, people were afraid of overspending at the bar or on taxis and the like.
PEOPLE working in the maritime sector have been invited to take part in challenge that could potentially help to one day save their lives.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) in conjunction with the RNLI will hold a free Man Overboard challenge at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy early in the new year.

The one-day experience is open to anyone working on board a fishing vessel or shoreside, including those in the aquaculture sector.

This year, BIM and the RNLI are also welcoming those who would like to join as observers.

The Cork session will take place on Thursday, February 14. A second challenge will also run in the Errigal Training Centre in Donegal the previous week.

The sessions are designed to mimic a realistic incidence of falling into cold sea conditions, wearing full work clothing and without a personal floatation device or lifejacket.

This is then followed by the same experience with a correctly fitted lifejacket, to show the importance and impact of wearing the right equipment.

Although the conditions are controlled and undertaken under the watchful eye of experienced RNLI trainers, they provide a lifelike experience, simulating how work clothing  oilskins and boots  can affect a persons buoyancy, coupled with challenging sea conditions.

The sessions also underpin the importance of having and following a Man Overboard recovery plan.

BIM skills manager Ian Mannix, welcomed the return of the challenge saying that safety at sea cannot be underestimated.

When something goes wrong in the water, things can turn lethal in a heartbeat. Being prepared, knowing the correct procedures and wearing a correctly fitted Personal Floatation Device is paramount for survival.

This Man Overboard challenge will ensure people have lived experience that sets them up up for survival, he continued.

For more information click here

Places can be booked by contacting Linda-Gene Byrne via email on Linda-Gene_Byrne@rnli.org.uk.
A huge volume of phone records and related data have been examined in the investigation of the case where a 41 year old man is accused of murdering his wife at their home in Wilton.

Detective Inspector Jason Lynch gave an outline of the progress in the investigation today (December 20) following recent complaints made by the defence about delay.

Det. Insp. Lynch said, The file is currently with the Director of Public Prosecutions. It is a very complex investigation. The deceased is an Indian national.

Relevant lines of enquiry were pursued in India, the United Kingdom and United States. A significant amount of telephonic evidence had to be analysed, which amounted to 850,000 pages of data.

There are 110 statements on file as well as substantial technical data. I am expecting swift directions from the DPP. I would request a further remand in custody for a period of two weeks.

Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke, asked the detective inspector, Will we have directions in two weeks?

Det. Insp. Lynch replied, I would be hopeful.

The accused man, Regin Parithapara Rajan, who appeared in Cork District Court by video link from prison was then remanded in custody by Judge Mary Dorgan until January 3.

Regin Parithapara Rajan is charged with the murder of 38-year-old Deepa Paruthiyezhuth Dinamani at their home at Cardinal Court, Wilton, Cork, on July 14, contrary to common law. When Det Garda Alan Johnson arrested and charged him with the murder last July, Mr Rajan made no reply.

There was a previous defence request for Mr Rajan to receive all appropriate medical attention while in prison, in particular any psychiatric attention he might need as he suffered from depression. The judge was also told there was no need for an interpreter as Mr Rajan had good English and understood proceedings.

The deceased, Ms Dinamani, a native of Kerala in south-west India, was a chartered accountant and she moved with her husband and young son to Cork three months ago to take up a position as a Fund Manager with a financial services company, Alter Domus Fund Services based at Cork Airport Business Park.
CORK University hospital has been named by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) as the second most overcrowded hospital in the country this year, in what the it described as the worst year on record for hospital overcrowding nationally.

However, in a lengthy statement yesterday, the HSE said while trolley numbers have been far too high suggestions that this year has seen the highest number on record are not correct.

According to the INMOs figures, more than 121,526 patients have gone without a bed in hospitals this year.

The organisation said the five most overcrowded hospitals were: University Hospital Limerick (21,141 patients); Cork University Hospital (12,487 patients); University Hospital Galway (8,914 patients); Sligo University Hospital (8,094 patients); and St Vincents University Hospital (6,555 patients).

This is the second year in a row that weve broken overcrowding records and its obviously having an impact on our members in terms of their wellbeing.

Their number-one priority is trying to provide safe patient care but, when youre working in those kind of overcrowded environments, its very, very challenging, INMO assistant director of industrial relations for the southern region Colm Porter told The Echo.

The fact that the HSE has decided to implement a recruitment freeze at the same time as were seeing another year of record-breaking overcrowding, its really kind of demoralising.

In its statement yesterday, the HSE said a seven day management programme focused on trolley numbers is in place.

From this week, the health service said it would be publishing on hse.ie data giving a clear understanding of the factors which make up the hospital position.

Regarding recruitment, the HSE said: The HSE workforce is at its highest since 2006, which is good news for the public and staff throughout the country and reflects an expanding health service. In 2024 we will add further to that for specific developments and targeting both unscheduled care and waiting lists.

We must equally operate within a more appropriate control environment.
VIDEO footage of an attack on a house recorded children crying inside and the householder begging two men, who were shouting threats and hurling planks of wood at the house, to leave the occupants alone.

This incident occurred at Gurranabraher Avenue, Cork, on October 22.

Yesterday, at Cork District Court, Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a jail term of four months on one of the men involved in the disturbance  Ryan Condon.

Condon pleaded guilty to his part in the incident, whereby he was threatening and caused damage to the house.

Sergeant John Kelleher said that, at 6am on that date, gardai responded to a report of criminal damage being caused to a house in that area.

Ryan Condon ran from the scene and was pursued by Garda Damien Cremin, who apprehended him at St Philomenas Road  a short distance away.

He was highly intoxicated at the time.

CCTV in the area showed Mr Condon throwing items believed to be planks of wood at the house.

He can also be heard from the CCTV shouting in a threatening manner on the street.

Children, believed to be residing at the injured partys house, can be heard crying on the audio and the injured party begging Mr Condon and his co-accused to stop.

Mr Condon made admissions at interview that he was present at the house at the time, that he threw items at the address, and that his actions were reckless.

He denied causing any damage, Sergeant Kelleher added.

However, Condon pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to the damage and threatening charges.

Condon, of 91 Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, Cork, was represented by solicitor Frank Buttimer.

Mr Buttimer said the 23-year-old was living at home, but had been in custody on remand in relation to this matter.

He and his co-accused attended at this house on the night.

A prior incident involving the co-accused and an occupier of the house was behind this. But while the prior incident directly concerned the co-accused, Ryan Condon had no involvement and he went to provide support to the co-accused.

I have looked at the video and read the statements of the injured parties, and it is clear that Ryan Condons activity was quite limited.

He wishes to express his apologies. He was under the influence of alcohol at the time, Mr Buttimer said.
GARDAI observed a transaction taking place in the car park of the Radisson Hotel in Little Island between the occupants of two vehicles and when officers moved in to carry out a search they found 160,000 worth of cannabis and 39,500 in cash.

That was the allegation made by Detective Garda Joseph Crowley in relation to the incident on December 19.

Det. Garda Crowley arrested a 43-year-old Lithuanian national who has been living in Ireland for the past 17 years.

Mindaugas Stancikas was charged with money laundering, possession of cannabis for sale or supply and having cannabis for his own use.

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer submitted at Cork District Court that it was an appropriate case for bail.

He said the objection on the basis of the seriousness of the allegations was understood but that there were no other grounds.

He said there was no suggestion that further serious offences would be committed or that he was a flight risk, and he said that a comment that the accused had a specific role in a criminal organisation was speculation without any evidence.

Furthermore, he said that because of delays in drugs cases throughout the country, attributable to what the solicitor described as the mysterious world of drug analysis, the accused could be remanded in custody for months on end waiting for a trial.

Bail

Judge Marian OLeary granted bail but on his own bond of 10,000, of which 7,500 would have to be lodged, and an independent surety of 15,000, of which 10,000 to be lodged, or cash of 15,000 to be lodged in lieu of surety.

The accused was remanded in custody with consent to that bail to a scheduled remand sitting of Cork District Court on December 27.

Mindaugas Stancikas of The Mews, Riverstown House, Glanmire, is charged that on December 19 at the car park of the Radisson Hotel, Little Island, Cork, he engaged in possession of 39,500 cash while knowing that this was the proceeds of criminal conduct contrary to the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

He is also charged with having cannabis for his own use and possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to others.

Detective Garda Dermot Crowley objected to bail being granted to the accused.

He said this was first based on the seriousness of the allegations.

Background

An English-registered Vauxhall and an Irish-registered Range Rover were observed by gardai in a car park of the Radisson Hotel on Tuesday morning.

It is alleged that Mindaugas Stancikas was observed exiting the Range Rover with a package and entering the Vauxhall while the driver of the Vauxhall placed a large bag in the rear of the Mindaugas Stancikas vehicle.

At this point they were approached by gardai and informed they were to be searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The package which Mindaugas Stancikas placed in the Vauxhall was recovered and found to contain 39,500 cash while the large bag which had been placed in his vehicle was found to contain approximately eight kilograms of cannabis with an estimated street value of 160,000, Det. Garda Crowley said.
Gardai have appealed for help from the public in tracing the whereabouts of 41-year-old Jamie Hannigan.

Mr Hannigan is known to frequent Cork City and Kinsale areas.

Mr Hannigan was last seen at 12.30am on Saturday, December 16 on South Main Street in Cork City.

He is described as being approximately 5 foot 8 inches in height, with a slim build and bald.

Mr Hannigan is known to frequent Cork City and Kinsale areas.

Gardai said that they are concerned for his wellbeing.

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station on 021 452 2000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

President Michael D Higgins has said his thoughts are with the children in Israel and Gaza this Christmas, while also thanking migrants in Ireland who enrich our culture.

He said nations should redouble their efforts for a ceasefire and work harder towards finding resolutions to conflicts.

He also said climate change now represents an existential battle and that hunger, inequality and biodiversity loss have all been exacerbated by climate change, which is amplifying global poverty, forced migrations, and famine.

This Christmas, we are conscious that, across the world, there are many people facing the most horrific of circumstances of war and displacement, he said.

We think in particular of all the children in Gaza and Israel, places known to many as a Holy Land, and that has been darkened by the taking of so many lives, and too many young lives in particular, in recent months.

All of our hearts are made heavy by these terrible losses. So many families across our own island too will still be feeling the loss of family members to conflict, as this year we marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

We Irish are all too aware of the horrors that can be committed, including the distortion and abuse of religious difference, when violence is allowed to quench the desire for a shared peace.

However, history tells us, and we are conscious of it, that peace can be built, however fragile and cautious those first initial steps must be.

He thanked in a special way the Irish Defence Forces members who are in Lebanon this Christmas.

Their absences from home will mirror the experiences of many others who, owing to various circumstances, find themselves forcibly separated from the embrace of their loved ones, he said.

In that spirit, may I express my gratitude to the migrants who now call Ireland their home. Their presence enriches our culture, contributes to our society, bringing as they do experiences, traditions, and perspectives that make us stronger as a nation.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, may it be a time for understanding and appreciation for one another. Let us embrace the values of tolerance and mutual respect, recognising that our differences are the threads that weave the intricate rich fabric of our shared identity.

We, as Irish people, are all too aware of how, for so many different reasons, people have had cause to move from their places of birth in search of a better life, of security itself.

We Irish do not put a boundary to our concerns for justice. We remember the solidarity that Irish people have shown over the decades with those vulnerable across our planet, with those seeking freedom, human rights as in South Africa, for example, or the ending of dictatorship, as in the case of the one that came to power in Chile 50 years ago.

Christmas is a time of hope. At this time, in the deepest darkness of winter, we anticipate and celebrate the triumph of light over dark, of dreams still realisable over the setbacks of the past.

He added: May I wish all the Irish at home and abroad, and those who live and work with them, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a new year full of promise, health and fulfilment.
If you want to support Irish this Christmas then head to your nearest Lidl store where there is a selection of some of the finest purveyors of food and drink, all hand-selected by its buying team. Lidls local Irish businesses range from butchers to bakers, brewers to Christmas tree growers.

With more than 400 Irish suppliers secured over two decades of relationship building the grocer has good reason to be proud.

Foodies are in agreement. Lidl was the most decorated discounter at Blas na hEireann 2023. Lidls quality-committed suppliers won 47 awards, including 11 golds and 20 silvers.

There were record-breaking results at the Great Taste Awards 2023 too, with the chain winning several dozen one- and two-star awards for Irish-made food and drink products. Lidl also took home the most three-star wins of any Irish retailer.

Co Monaghan-based turkey farmer Pat McCaghey is a third-generation poultry producer whose Bord Bia Quality Assured fresh turkeys are one of Lidls many home-grown offers.

Credit where credit is due. The success of these awards is down to the brilliant suppliers and producers Lidl works with. Within Lidls Deluxe range, which offers gourmands a range of savoury and sweet ready-to cook and ready-to-eat options, 54 of the foods are from Irish suppliers.

Christmas Day classics

Lidls Christmas turkeys are sourced from father-and-son team Pat and Sean McCaghey in Co Monaghan. As third-generation poultry producers, they know what theyre at, and apply farm-to-fork expertise to their Bord Bia Quality Assured fresh turkeys which come in sizes to fit every gathering.

Ciaran Beire of Cavan-based Liffey Meats, which supplies choice Irish Angus cuts to Lidl.

Lidls fresh whole turkeys start from 8.99. If you like something more oven-ready then treat your Christmas table to Lidls Blas na hEireann gold star-winning Irish Bronze turkey crown, which is served with cranberry, apricot and cinnamon stuffing and wrapped in a streaky bacon lattice. Priced at 32.99 it is available in-store from today, Wednesday, December 20th.

Ham is the traditional accompaniment to turkey. Lidls hams come from the Crow family and Bretts Oakpark in Co Tipperary; Callan Bacon in Co Kilkenny; Oliver Carty and Family in Co Roscommon and Connolly Meats in Co Monaghan.

One of the stars of this years Great Taste Awards is Tipperarys finest dry-cure cherrywood smoked horseshoe joint, 19.99, from Lidls Deluxe range. It is delicious when accompanied by Blas na hEireann gold-starred cranberry sauce with orange, 1.69.

Alternative luxury meats

Lidl has a whole menu of luxury meats that offer alternatives to tradition too. You could opt for Monaghans finest, the Deluxe range easy-carve duck, 19.99, which comes with rosemary, apricot and raisin stuffing. For a bolder change, consider some stellar Irish beef from Ciaran Beirnes Liffey Meats, in Co Cavan. His Irish Angus beef picked up a pair of coveted three-star Great Taste Awards; one for the Deluxe 40-day matured three-rib roast on the bone, 19.99 per kilo, and one for the 28-day matured rib roast on the bone, 16.99 per kilo.

Colman Keohane of Keohane Seafoods with its whole salmon side with lemon and dill, which is exclusive to Lidl.

And if you want to wow pescatarian guests, put your faith in Colman Keohane of Keohane Seafoods in Bantry Bay. The Deluxe choices include Irish mussels in an Irish stout sauce, 2.99, or a whole salmon side with lemon and dill, 11.99.

Start as you mean to continue

You can go full Irish with your Christmas meal, buying all you need from Lidl. Start perhaps with a Deluxe creamy chowder, 3.99, from Andrew Keegan of Co Galways Galmere, served with slices of fresh Irish oat and honey loaf bread, 2.99, from Michael Hassett and Noreen Foley in Hassetts Bakery, Co Cork, or a Deluxe wholegrain rye boule, 2.99, freshly baked in Longford.

Andrew Keegan of Galmere with its creamy chowder from Lidls Deluxe range.

When it comes to ready-to-eat side dishes Lidl has scoured the island to source the best, which gives you more time to hang out with the family rather than being stuck in the kitchen prepping. You can cut down on cooking time without compromising quality. Standout suggestions include Deluxe potato gratin with a Parmesan cheese crumb, 3.49, made in Co Down, or Deluxe poultry gravy, 1.99, made in Co Armagh.

Farmhouse heroes

The Lidl Deluxe cheese range includes some of the best of the Irish farmhouse sector, including the hard-to-better classic, Cashel Blue, 3.29. Its Gortnamona goats cheese, 1.99, and Tipperary farmhouse brie, 2.99, are both crafted at Cooleeney Farm by the fourth-generation dairy farming Maher family. Add several pots of its Irish apple and fig chutney, which shone at both the Great Taste and Blas na Eireann awards, and you have a winning combination.

Sweet and very special

Lidls Deluxe mini mince pie selection box, 4.79, offers mince pies aplenty. Baked in Co Down, every imaginable style is covered, from classic all-butter pies to frangipane, chocolate sundae, ppistachio and brandy butter-cream toppings.

Hand-crafted chocolate and hazelnut vanilla buche, part of the deluxe range at Lidl.

At Seerys in Co Carlow, Lorraine and Brian Seery continue the proud tradition started in 1989 when Philo and Olivia Seery set up a bakery shop in their kitchen, and that home-baked flavour and attention to detail carries through into all of their award-winning Christmas puddings. Choose from the rich dark flavours of a six-month matured Irish Christmas pudding with Dundalgan Irish whiskey, 7.99, or an Irish Christmas pudding infused with Armagnac brandy and jewelled with whole nuts and fruit, 13.99.

For extra indulgence top it with Baileys Original freshly whipped cream, 3.99, or Seerys own Deluxe Irish ice cream, 3.49, in seriously decadent flavours: think brandy butter ice cream with brandy sauce, or Millionaire ice cream with salted caramel sauce.

Brian Seery, managing director, and Lorraine Seery, project co-ordinator, of Co Carlow-based Seerys Bakery.

For those that dont indulge in traditional Christmas pudding a slice of Irish cream liqueur cheesecake, 3.99, is another way to serve up festive flavour.

Hassetts Bakerys Blas na hEireann gold award-winning Deluxe handcrafted chocolate and vanilla hazelnut buche, 14.99, pictured, is another. Made in Co Cork using 100 per cent Irish ingredients, it is on sale from today, Wednesday, December 20th.

Handmade heaven

Lidl sells top quality chocolates. Master chocolatier Ann Rudden of Aines Handmade Chocolates in Co Cavan produces a special selection of her Rainforest Alliance Certified truffles, 4.49, which is exclusive to Lidl and uses sustainably sourced cocoa beans from West Africa, filled with a smooth Irish cream liqueur filling.

Master chocolatier Ann Rudden of Aines Handmade Chocolates in Co Cavan produces a special selection of her Rainforest Alliance Certified truffles, which is exclusive to Lidl.

With flavours like biscotti and salted caramel, Anns Deluxe Luxury Irish chocolate collection, 6.99, is filled with the purest, freshest, most natural ingredients, yet ooze with indulgence.

Magical drinks pairings

Lidls own range of premium Irish whiskey is distilled by West Cork Distillers and matured in a variety of different casks, including a range of Dundalgan Single Malts finished in IPA, stout or sherry casks, and a Dundalgan charred cask whiskey for lovers of a smoky drop, all 27.99.

Lidls range of craft beers includes Great Taste award-winning Irish craft saison or stout, pale ale or brown ale, all 1.99, and all brewed exclusively by The Crafty Brewing Company.

Enjoy the digestifs by the light of your twinkling Forest Fresh tree from Wicklows Joe Downey, the first Christmas tree grower to achieve Bord Bias Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS) certification.

Now thats a magical Christmas moment worth going full Lidl for.

For all you need this Christmas shop at Lidl.
WHEN I met Isabel Terry for the first time in May, 2016, she felt life was slipping her by.

But after getting the gift of life, undergoing a double lung and heart transplant in September, 2017, she grabbed life with both hands.

I remember waking up when I was 41 and thinking my life was crap, Isabel said.

Where did all the time go? I was in limbo.

Even though Isabel was in limbo, she got a kick out of the things that we all like.

I love shopping at the sales in Brown Thomas, she said. Even though I dont have much energy.

I love my make-up and I like to bake. I also like to socialise with my friends, even though when I go out and have a drink or two, I am wiped out for a couple of days afterwards.

Isabel, from Bishopstown, an inspirational campaigner for organ donation, was born with pulmonary aertesia, a birth defect of the pulmonary heart in the valve.

She had her first open heart surgery at just three weeks old. The brave Cork woman lost her battle to live on October 12 this year.

She made her life count. She was no longer in limbo after a 14-year wait on the transplant list.

I am so grateful to my donor for a chance at a normal life, Isabel said.

I am going to protect and respect my new organs and live a long and active life. That is all down to the generosity of the donor and their family.

My sister Julie said, Youre not going to die. My mother, Julie and Philip saved my life. I am going to mind and cherish these organs that my donor gave to me.

The second time I met Isabel in October, 2018, she was without the oxygen tank that usually accompanied her everywhere 24 hours a day. Isabel had a new acquisition.

She had a sparkle in her eye and a sparkle on her finger. She was sporting a twin diamond sapphire to match the pink one her father bought her when she went on the transplant list.

Dad bought me the pink sapphire ring when I decided to go on the transplant list in 2009, Isabel told me.

He said if I agreed to go on the list, he would buy me a sapphire ring. He and I went everywhere together.

After my operation, I was so very tired, I felt like giving up. I felt I had had enough. I wanted to die. Mum said; No, I havent had enough. I asked her to let me go. I was so exhausted and in so much pain. Please mum I begged. She said to me, Youve fought for 42 years. Dont give up.

Isabel didnt.

Mum was by my side, showing me pictures of loved ones. She told me not to give up on myself. When she showed me a photo of us with dad, I believed that I smiled for the first time.

Isabel smiled a lot the day we met for coffee in Bishopstown, sparkling with a new promising lease of life since she underwent a rare double lung and heart transplant after a record wait of 15 years, stunning the medics in the Newcastle Freeman Hospital in England.

The medical team thought that I might not survive the double transplant operation, Isabel said.

I was told before the operation that there was a 40% success rate.

Aside from the phenomenal success of her double lung and heart transplant, I wanted to know more about matters of the heart concerning the romantic proposal from Philip who, by all accounts, was a dab hand at baking delicious chocolate cake.

Isabel, glowing with happiness told me: Philip proposed to me on a hot air balloon. We were in Philadelphia visiting my brother, Robert, for the first time in six years as well, so it was a fabulous trip.

Isabel, in seventh heaven, loved the trip without the usual trappings that reminded her of her plight.

I didnt have to bring the oxygen tank with me, she said.

I have way more energy. I wake in the morning, get out of bed, shower, put on my make-up, get dressed, go out for lunch. I am able to do all the normal things that women do without getting out of breath and having to go back to bed for hours.

Isabel, sporting a spectacular diamond sapphire and with the aura of good health and happiness about her, knew she couldnt do everything.

I cant climb mountains, she said. But I can get around more easily and I am healthy.

Looking back now, I realise how sick I was. In 2003, I was given between six and 12 months to live.

She defied the odds.

I didnt want to give in, Isabel said. I have a stubborn streak!

Isabel Terry and finance Philip in Philadelphia, USA, when they got engaged

When Philip and I went back to Newcastle and saw the staff and the staff in the ICU, they could not believe how well I was. One of them said to me, Who are you? You only left in December!

One of them won a bet too.

The team of 26 medics in Newcastle discussed my case about being a suitable recipient for the donors heart and lungs. I thought I might not make it and that I could reject the organs.

Isabel had huge backing.

They knew I had huge family support and a real will to live, says Isabel.

I met one of the medical team in May. He said, I knew youd make it. I won the bet!

The operation was life-changing.

Before, I was just existing, in bed for over 20 hours a day. I know there is so much ahead of me, she told me at the time.

And there was.

In 2020, a wedding was in the offing and house hunting had begun. And her boy wonder was still doing his thing.

Philip is doing the cooking at home. He always has dinner ready! says Isabel.

Hes doing the spring cleaning too!

Isabel was full of the joys of life, and looking forward to a bright promising future. But it was not to be.

The lion-hearted woman passed away in October this year peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, after a life of long illness borne with great courage, strength and determination.

She made life count. As a young, fun-loving woman with an appetite for life, she tried to fit into the mould, living the life she was given.

I am always aware that it was through other people that my life was saved, she said.

Isabel Terry wasnt quite like other people. She was a one-off. She could have given up the fight she had fought since birth. But she didnt.

I have a stubborn streak, remember?

Those were the last words Isabel said to me. She had so much more than that, defying the odds, grabbing life with both hands.

I know when I pass the Bishopstown Cafe where we often enjoyed a coffee together, I will feel a pang. A pang for the smiley girl who sparkled even when things seemed dim.

Isabel Terry, a one-off.

CARRY A CARD

Isabel used her voice to advocate for people to carry donor cards. For more information on how to carry a card see The Irish Kidney Association website. They are also available in doctors surgeries and pharmacies. You can also get a Digital Organ Donor Card App.
(Photo: Reuters / Christian Hartmann)Opponents of the same-sex marriage demonstrate against the government's draft law to legalise marriage and adoption for same-sex couples in Paris, November 18, 2012. France's Socialist government approved a draft law to allow same-sex marriage, saying the reform, under fire from religious leaders and conservative politicians, meant progress for the whole society. The law would grant gay couples the right to adopt children but not to use assisted procreation methods such as artificial insemination. Placards read, "The Family is Sacred" (L) and "No to Homosexual marriages".

A court in Uxbridge, in the British capital, has acquitted Pastor John Sherwood who was arrested in London last April "hate speech" charges for his preaching a public message on biblical marriage and described by one of his backers as a "victory for free speech."

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The website Conservative Woman, reported that Pastor John Sherwood of the Penn Free Methodist Church of Penn, England, was acquitted of the charges by the Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on April 7.

"The trial of open-air preacher Pastor John Sherwood took place at Uxbridge magistrates' court last week, and he was acquitted of the public order charges brought against him," reported Conservative Woman.

"This represents some welcome relief in the assault upon Christian liberties in contemporary Britain."

On April 23 last year, Pastor Sherwood was arrested in the centre of Uxbridge in West London as he engaged in public preaching with this writer. He was held overnight, and for a total of 21 hours.

"The TCW article was crucial in drawing attention to the outrageous injustice of the arrest." saiid The Conseravitve Women, which says it is "a counter-cultural offensive against the forces of Leftism, feminism and modernism."

TCW says it is "against the left-liberal cultural zeitgeist, to counter its anti-family, authoritarian identity politics and 'equality and diversity' ideology which had swept through the country's institutions." .

Sherwood had been speaking on The Bible's Book of Genesis chapter 1, verses 27 and 28, which read: 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply.'

'FATHER AND MOTHER'

The minister explained that the family unit as ordained by God consists of a father and a mother, and not two fathers or two mothers, who are obviously unable to reproduce.

His words were delivered as part of a general presentation of the Christian message, said Conservative Women. The message declares that all people, whoever they are, have sinned and need to come to Jesus Christ for salvation.

Some people passing by the pastor's sermon complained to the police about alleged homophobic hate speech, and the 72-year-old pastor was arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act for using "threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress."

Nearly a year later, on April 7, the trial took place.

Christins showed their support in the gallery "a man of God who is willing to stand up for the truths of Scripture in the public realm, despite the prevailing anti-Christian spirit of the age."
(Photo: Anglican Diocese of Liverpool)Anglican Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes

The issue of tolerance on views of those who believe Christian marriage is between a man and woman and those who accept same-sex marriage or "gender-neutral" marriage has arisen again after a speech by the Bishop of Liverpool on sexuality.

The Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, apologized to traditionalist Anglicans for "the offence or distress" caused by comments calling for a "gender-neutral marriage canon" in which he said he conveyed a lack of respect for "those who think differently."

The apology came s after Bishop Bayes on June 26 made a speech on sexuality to the LGBT group MoSAIC, criticizing conservative people for fighting "yesterday's battles," Christian Today reported.

The website Thinking Anglicans linked to the full text.

In his speech the bishop criticized "those conservative people who are always looking for a ditch to die in and who have chosen this one this time.

"Divorce, contraception, the place of women in ministry - all these are now yesterday's battles, though they were all the last ditch in their time."

Bayes said, "And now in our time to hear some talk you would think that sexuality in general, and same-sex relationships in particular, is the line that somehow God has always wanted us to draw in the sand so that the faithful and Godly may be identified, and the faithless and Godless may be condemned and paralyzed from action and if necessary excluded."

Later the bishop said: "I do want us to remain one church, and within that church for example I want to see the conscientious rights of conservative people preserved for them.

"But I don't want any longer to see the conscientious rights of progressive people, who believe the truth of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York when they ask for a radical NEW Christian inclusion," said Bayes.

"I don't want to see their consciences ignored and explained away and overridden and indeed criminalized by the power of conservative groups and people."

Bayes told the MoSAIC activists: "Inclusion is seamless, and I think MoSAIC understands that. So, I want to see more people like you, and to encourage you, and to share with you the task of holding these values before the Church, and before the electors to the General Synod, and in the end before the world."

Within a week of his speech to MoSAIC, Bishop Bayes announced his retirement in March 2022 and then issued a statement apologizing for his comments to MoSAIC.

"Some days ago I gave a speech to the annual conference of the Movement of Supportive Anglicans for an Inclusive Church (MoSAIC). In it I made a number of substantive points to which I remain committed.

"I also made some passing remarks which clearly conveyed a lack of respect for those who think differently. I deeply regret that I did so. I have asked for the published text of my speech to be adjusted accordingly," he said.

"I am very sorry that these remarks have caused offence or distress to sisters and brothers in Christ whose views on the matters under discussion differ from my own.

"I gladly and freely apologize to them. I seek the forgiveness of all those to whom these remarks caused offence.

"I fully accept and regret that my own impatience has caused me on this occasion in the closing months of my ministry to overstep the limits of good manners, mutual respect and common courtesy.

"I am very sorry indeed that this has been the case."
(Screenshot from BBC)Pope Francis delivering his 2017 "urbi et orbi" address on East Sunday, April16, 2017.

The Vatican's landmark ruling backed by Pope Francis that Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular church rituals or liturgies is a bold move, that seems to draw support and also flak from within.

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A Dec. 17, 2023 document from the Vatican's doctrinal office, which effectively reversed a declaration the same body had issued in 2021, said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all, Reuters' news agency reported.

It should in no way be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage, the ruling said.

"Doctrinal declaration opens possibility to bless couples in irregular situations," Vatican News headlined the announcement.

'IRREGULAR' RELATIONSHIP BLESSING

When two people request a blessing, even if their situation as a couple is "irregular," it will be possible for the ordained minister to consent. However, this gesture of pastoral closeness must avoid any elements that remotely resemble a marriage rite, reported Vatican News.

It said this is what is stated in the Declaration "Fiducia supplicans" on the pastoral meaning of blessings, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis.

Reuters explained that it said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and "should not prevent or prohibit the Church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing".

Back in October, the Pope had hinted that an official change was pending in October in response to questions from five conservative cardinals at the start of a synod of bishops at the Vatican.

Since July 2023, the doctrine department has been led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, an Argentinian prelate and ally of Francis, who has struck a different tone to his predecessors, CNN reported.

"When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it," the declaration, authored by Cardinal Fernandez and another official, states. "The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else."

The new ruling says it is opening "the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex" although says it is leaving decisions to "the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers."

'HUGE STEP FORWARD'

James Martin, a Jesuit priest who ministers to gay Catholics and who has been supported by Francis, described the ruling as a "huge step forward in the church's ministry to same-sex couples" and a dramatic shift from the Vatican's 2021 stance.

"The new declaration opens the door to non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off limits for all bishops, priests and deacons," he told CNN. "Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages."

America, the Jesuit Review, said reactions to the Vatican's declaration allowing priests to bless same-sex couples and other Catholics living in "irregular" situations range from tepid acknowledgment to enthusiastic embrace to outright condemnation.

It said some Catholics see the move as a step forward for L.G.B.T. people in the church while others are worried about the possibility of schism.

Greg Krajewski, a gay, married Catholic living in Chicago, said when he and his husband married, they did not approach a priest for a blessing because they did not want to put anyone in an awkward spot.

The Rev. Satish Joseph who ministers to L.G.B.T. Catholics in Dayton, Ohio told America he welcomed the news of the declaration because being able to offer a blessing to same-sex couples is a pastoral tool that he hopes makes the church feel more welcoming.

L.G.B.T. people, he said, often "run away from the church because they already feel that they are not going to be accepted and in some cases, even treated badly."

Being able to offer a blessing to same-sex couples, he said, "can make young people, or anybody who's discerning their orientation, feel that the church is not completely rejecting them."

NOT ENTHUSIASTIC

However, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, one of the U.S. hierarchy's most vocal supporters of the church's teaching on marriage, was less enthusiastic.

"I encourage those who have questions to read the Vatican declaration closely, and in continuity with the Church's unchanging teaching. Doing so will enable one to understand how it encourages pastoral solicitude while maintaining fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ," he said in a statement.

The bishop of Crookston, Minn., Andrew H. Cozzens, emphasized that blessings often accompany calls to repentance from sin. He said in a statement,

"[W]hen people come to the Church seeking her blessing let us also proclaim to them the saving love of Jesus found through repentance for all of us who are sinners."

The Dec 17 ruling is bound to be opposed by conservatives, who already criticised the pope when he made his initial comments on the subject in October, according to Reuters.

Ulrich L. Lehner, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, said the new guidance from the doctrinal office "invites misunderstanding and will sow confusion".

Voicing concern that some bishops would use it as a pretext to do what is explicitly forbidden, the professor added, "it is, and I hate to say it, an invitation to schism."
S100 podium bottles raise over 1000 for Riders Benevolent Funds

Southern 100 Racing have raised 1,200 on the auction of the 2023 Southern 100 Road Races Podium Celebration Bottles.

The total amount has been split equally between the ACU Benevolent Fund and the Irish Injured Riders Welfare Fund.

Chairman and Race Secretary, George Peach said: We, as a club are indebted to Ian Swindells of Foraging Vintners for his kindness in donating to Southern 100 Podium Bottles for fund raising after the cancellation of the 2023 Southern 100 Races.

We are also grateful to our webmaster Callum Staley for setting up and running the auction which resulted in the excellent amount raised which has gone to two charities close to all involved in motorcycle sport.
We knew it was coming, but now we have a date: Bobby Kotick will officially step down as CEO of Activision Blizzard on December 29, 2023. Blizzard and King vice chairman Humam Sakhnini will also leave at the end of December, Activision Blizzard chief communications officer Lulu Meservey is out in January, and a handful of other executives will leave in March, according to an internal memo from Xbox head Phil Spencer published by The Verge.

Activision Blizzard vice chairman Thomas Tippl, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra and King president Tjodolf Sommestad will remain at the studio and report to Matt Booty, Microsoft's president of gaming content and studios. Otherwise, leadership teams across Activision, Blizzard and King will stay the same, according to the memo.

Kotick has been the head of Activision since 1991. At Activision Blizzard, he oversaw massively popular franchises including Call of Duty, Diablo, Starcraft and World of Warcraft, and once the company acquired mobile studio King in 2016, he added Candy Crush to that list. The company is a AAA powerhouse and it generated $7.5 billion in revenue in 2022.

Activision Blizzard was sued by California's Civil Rights Department in 2021 over allegations of systemic sexism, discrimination and harassment at the studio, and executives were accused of fostering a frat-house style culture. At the time, all top leadership roles at Activision Blizzard were filled by white men. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a separate, related lawsuit against the studio a few months later. In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported Kotick had long ignored and helped cover up instances of sexual harassment at the studio. In response, workers at Activision Blizzard held walk-outs and demanded Kotick's resignation, but a shareholder vote in 2022 kept him in place.

Activision Blizzard settled the SEC lawsuit for $35 million in February, and it settled the California CRD suit for $54 million just days ago.

Microsoft announced its intent to purchase Activision Blizzard in early 2022, lawsuits and all. The deal was valued at $69 billion, and considering the scale of both companies involved, it faced intense scrutiny from regulators in the US and the UK. The acquisition was approved in October, after 21 months of legal arguments and concessions. Microsoft is now the third-largest video game studio in the world by revenue and it's the face of the ongoing consolidation craze tearing through the industry.

Once Microsoft's purchase went through, Kotick said he'd stay on through the end of 2023. According to Bloomberg, Kotick is set to make $375 million from the acquisition, and he's expecting a golden parachute of $14.6 million.

This article contains affilate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
BTS' V, real name Kim Tae-hyung, might be fulfilling his mandatory military service in the South Korean army right now, but he is still making waves online.



After local media outlets in South Korea reported that the 27-year-old K-Pop artist is Compose Coffee's newest model, BTS fans, especially the V-biased ones, immediately flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to celebrate and made V trend worldwide at the 10th and 11th spot with the phrases "COMPOSE COFFEE MODEL V" and the hashtag #TaehyungxComposeCoffee.



As of 2:39 p.m. KST, the hashtag is still trending on X with over 36,100 tweets.

[INFO] Worldwide trends 



#10 COFFEE COMPOSE MODEL V

#11 #TaehyungxComposeCoffee pic.twitter.com/EUVb49FF0h  TAE GUIDE (@taeguide) December 20, 2023

According to News1, the South Korean coffee brand Compose Coffee selected V as its new model and signed a model contract with him to increase its brand awareness locally and abroad. Before signing him, the company reportedly obtained consent from its franchise owners regarding its selection of V as its model, and the majority responded positively.

V's posters will reportedly be displayed at Compose Coffee stores across South Korea as early as this month. Meanwhile, his TV commercials will be broadcast in January.

The "Layover" artist reportedly completed filming an advertisement for the coffee brand in advance before he enlisted for active duty in the military last Dec. 11.

 number 1 male idol perfect for a coffee commercial



oh taehyung already gave us so many hints #taehyungxcomposecoffee pic.twitter.com/CFX2xlVeec December 20, 2023

In related news, a clip from V's guesting on his bandmate Suga's online show "Suchwita" resurfaced online, where Suga described him as "the most handsome and most beautiful face in the world" and the "number 1 male idol perfect for a coffee commercial."



"Oh. Taehyung already gave us so many hints," tweeted the uploader on X.

Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzed data from 19,304,797 coffee shop data and ranked the Top 3 coffee brands in Korea



1st Starbucks

2nd Mega Coffee

3rd Compose Coffee



Taehyung has now been appointed as Compose Coffees Model pic.twitter.com/U6SCEYkOuD December 20, 2023

Compose Coffee is reportedly ranked as the third most popular coffee brand in South Korea according to the data obtained and analyzed by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, per @taeguide.

The coffee brand surpassed its 2,400th store this year per News1 and is close to reaching its goal of opening 3,000 stores.

It also recently expanded overseas by opening its first store in Singapore last September.

With this great news, ARMYs, especially V-biased fans in South Korea, will miss him a little less because his face will be visible at Compose Coffee's stores across the country.

V will serve a total of eighteen months in the military and will be discharged around June 2025.
Gente

Gabriela Guillen responde a Bertin Osborne tras revelar que se entero del nacimiento de su hijo por un amigo
Public Meme Token (PMT) has just launched the 7th round of its 10-stages presale phase. Introducing a remarkable presale, PMT aligns memes with real-world assets, marking a game-changing moment.



Kamran Arki, the tech visionary behind PMT, proudly ushers in this groundbreaking venture. With the growing success of the project's ongoing presale and the first artist on board, many are talking about PMT.

The Project's Presale

The project's presale is in progress and consists of 10 distinct phases. The pricing strategy is tiered, with each phase priced higher than its predecessor. This aims to entice early investors by offering lower prices in the initial stages.

The first phase offered the token at a mere $0.02. Currently, the presale is in its 7th phase with a price of $0.0354.

As the presale advances, the token price will continue to rise, eventually reaching the final price of $0.05. This is the price at which the token will go live on multiple decentralized exchanges (DEXs).

There's an additional perk for early buyers: the first 1,000 to purchase at least 10,000 $PMT will receive exclusive Loyalty NFTs at no cost.

A New Help for the Art World

Anyone joining this presale is entering a new world where art and memes merge through blockchain technology.

Public Meme Token mixes the spheres of digital art and cryptocurrency. It symbolizes a unique approach to integrating artists, visual art, and blockchain. PMT offers a space for users to interact with their beloved artists and influencers. It also allows them to stake NFTs and earn PMT tokens in return.

These loyalty NFTs are special tokens. Renowned artists and influencers design them to bring their unique expertise to the PMT ecosystem. These digital art pieces also act as loyalty tokens for the PMT community.

Staking these loyalty NFTs provides users with the chance to earn PMT tokens. It motivates them to hold these artworks and actively participate in the ecosystem.

The number of staked loyalty NFTs impacts the potential reward. This concept ties together digital art and cryptocurrency. It offers artists recognition while allowing users to profit from their involvement. This creates a win-win situation where artists get exposure and users earn from their support.

Loyalty NFTs are valuable beyond the PMT ecosystem. They gain value over time, attracting art collectors and crypto enthusiasts. Each NFT signifies a unique, limited-edition artwork, making it a prized possession in the digital art realm.

PMT elevates the meme token concept. It is a robust community token that empowers artists, musicians, and influencers. Backed by Real World Assets (RWA) and a buy-back and burn mechanism, PMT promotes creativity while ensuring lasting value.

PMT's first partner, rocketbyz, identifies as an international visual artist Tomyboy on his Instagram page. This partnership brings liquidity and stability, enhancing PMT's appeal within the NFT community.

PMT's team is creator-centric. The platform allows artists, musicians, influencers, and others to release their NFTs and build loyal communities. PMT asserts that a thriving creator community leads to a thriving overall community.
LOLO, Mont. -- The Lee's of Lolo have lived on Loblolly Court in the state of Montana for over ten years.

"It was on a cul de sac, and there was just us and the two neighbors," Tiffani Lee says. "So there was hardly anybody up here."

But over the last few months, the Treasure State pride only extends in their hearts. Because in the eyes of the United States Postal Service, their home is now located not in Lolo, Montana, but in Powell, Idaho.

"We are not on the border," Lee says. "We've got neighbors everywhere. We're right in town."

In August, the USPS sent the Lee family a letter in the mail, telling them that their address would be changing. It would go from Lolo, MT 59847, to Powell, ID 59847.

"It was about a month later and then I started getting mail that said Powell, Idaho," Lee says. "And it wasn't until I got my first doctor bill, that I tried to pay the bill, and they're like, 'We don't have that address on file.' And so I had to give them the Idaho address for them to even take the bill."

Lee attempted to reach out to the local postmaster, but to no avail.

"I couldn't get him to answer," says Lee. "I left a message. He's never called me back. And they said that they had a lot of other problems, too, and that they were aware of the situations and said that they had to independently take care of each and every person because everybody was a little bit different in the problem. But they never called us back."

And with more and more mail coming to the house with the Powell, Idaho address, the more questions arose.

"They were starting to get more and more mail addressed to Powell, Idaho," says Lee's mother, Diana Cline. "And so what does that mean? Does your taxes change? Does your ID change what's going to happen?"

Cline saw that her daughter was frustrated with the situation, and reached out to me for help. Cline lives in the same neighborhood as her daughter's family, only a two or three minute walk between driveways. But her address is Lolo, MT, not Powell, ID. You can even see the USPS Post Office from the deck of Lee's backyard.

20 minutes over the Idaho-Montana border, you'll find the "town" of Powell, ID. And it's not much of an official town, because no "town" of Powell, ID exists on a map. The only things in that location are Lochsa Lodge, the Powell ranger station, and a gas station.

Tucked behind the original USPS letter to Lee, the post office explained that the change in address was part of the cross-state inititive. It's normal for states to share mail delivery services, especially along borders and natural barriers, like rivers and mountains. But that would make sense for those businesses and homes that are actually near the border, not dozens and dozens of miles away.

I reached out to Kim Frum, a communication specialist with the USPS. I gave Frum the address change information, and a few days later, she told me a mistake had been made.

According to Frum, it appeared that the location USPS Address Management System Office mistakenly changed the Loblolly cul-de-sac to Powell, ID, instead of Lolo, MT. Frum told me the error would immediately be fixed, and the correct location and address should be reflected on all mail going to that neighborhood.
Kalispell, Mont. - A Florida man was sentenced to prison for his role in an India-based computer hacking scheme that stole $150,000 from an elderly Kalispell woman.

Eddly Joseph was was sentenced Tuesday, December 19, to two years and nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1,236,470 to seven victims, according to the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana.

Joseph, a 44-year-old from Gainesville, Florida, initially pleaded guilty to wire fraud in August.

In February, Glacier Bank notified the FBI that Jane Doe, a Montana woman in her 70s, was the victim of a scam. The international, India-based scam allegedly included fraudsters tricking Jane Doe into giving them $150,000 for safe-keeping," making the victim's computer appear to have a virus that made bank accounts accessible to hackers.

To safekeep the victims money, Joseph and others directed victims to withdraw cash and give it to them so "hackers" could not steal it. When the FBI learned of the scam, they set up a ruse, claiming the victim had an additional $50,000 for the fraudsters.

Joseph and the others arrived to collect the money, and the FBI arrested them.

As a result of Josephs and others conduct, victims were repeatedly scammed out of a whopping total of $1,236,470 across the United States.

Far too often, these internationally-based fraud schemes result in no accountability for those who prey on Montanans," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. "But not this time. Due to the diligent work of the FBI, Joseph was caught and is now going to federal prison for running a predatory scheme by tricking and stealing from elderly victims across the country, including a Kalispell woman."

Laslovich advises Montanans that the best way to protect themselves from fraud is to not send money to people who "randomly call soliciting money due to some kind of fake emergency," like an alleged computer virus.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI, with the help of Flathead County Sheriffs Office, conducted the investigation.
Great Falls, Mont. - The City recently implemented a new feature at River's Edge Trail that is sure to improve its safety for everyone.

The City of Great Falls, in partnership with the River's Edge Trail Foundation, installed flashing trail crossing signs on River Drive North, according to the release from the City December 20.

The new "Rectangle Rapid Flash Beacons" or RRFBs, are user activated solar-powered signs, working similarly to a the button for pedestrians on traffic lights.

When pushed, the signs will flash, and a voice will announce its activation, informing visually impaired users that the lights are flashing. The lights go for 24 seconds.

"Drivers are required by law to stop for pedestrians, but the flashing lights bring more attention to the fact that the crossing is actively in use," the release said. "The Federal Highway Administration has studied the usefulness of RRFBs, and has stated that their use can increase motorist yielding rates up to 98%."

According to the Transportation Planner for Great Falls, Andrew Finch, the River's Edge Trail was a good candidate for more visible signage because "it crosses a roadway with no streetlights, serves a high number of bicyclists and pedestrians, and traffic is relatively heavy with a mixture of passenger vehicles and large trucks."

The President of the Rivers Edge Trail Foundation, Bruce Pollington, said they initially received a bequest from the estate of Wilbert Graf to improve the Trail's safety, so they had been thinking about the crossing for years.

"Working with the Montana Department of Transportation and the City, this seemed to be the perfect location for a public/private partnership to make the Trail safer," Pollington said. "We couldnt be more pleased with the results, and hope to install similar signs at two other crossings in the near future."

According to Pollington, the process began with the State confirming the need after conducting a study. Then, the City Park & Recreation Department ordered the signals, and the City Street Divisions Traffic Section installed the signals.

The Foundations gift is what paid for the materials and the labor that made this improvement a reality.

"According to Finch, the Rivers Edge Trail crossings of River Drive at the Electric City Water Park and at 3rd Avenue South will receive sign upgrades when the new trail segment from Broadwater Bay to the Electric City Water Park entrance is constructed in a few years, the press release said.
Mike Lindell at his 2021 cyber symposium in Sioux Falls, where he vowed to prove the 2020 election was hacked. (Photo courtesy of Bob Zeidman)

At first, Bob Zeidman was reluctant to take Mike Lindell up on his $5 million challenge to anyone who could disprove his claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

In 2021, Lindell held a cyber symposium in South Dakota, where he vowed to unveil proof that China had interfered in the election.

Zeidman is a cyber forensics expert who has programmed computers for about 50 years, was a pioneer in the field of software forensics and founded several successful Silicon Valley firms. He voted for Donald Trump in 2020  even though he says he doesnt like him  and respected Lindell for having gone from coke addict to born-again pillow mogul.

At his friends urging, Zeidman decided to fly to South Dakota, figuring it would be historical one way or the other.

I went in with an open mind, he said. I was hoping Mike Lindell was right.

Zeidman ended up proving Lindell wrong, according to an arbitration panel that ruled in his favor in April.

We talked to Zeidman about the experience, which he wrote about in a recently published book called Election Hacks.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What did you think of Lindell before you embarked on this whole thing?

I knew a little bit about him and I had a lot of respect for him. I knew he was a recovered cocaine addict and alcoholic, a guy who turned his life around, found Christianity, which I think is great. Im not a Christian myself, Im Jewish, but Ive found over the years I really respect people who are devoted to religion. And he started a successful business. So I admired that.

What did you think of his election claims before you looked at the data?

I was confused. I didnt know why he would be the one to have this data but he said he hired a crack team of analysts who found that this showed hacking. So I assumed that he had hired people who were experts in their field or at least alleged experts in their field, and one of two things: Either they actually did find find fraud, and Id be really interested to see the results  or they had done an incorrect analysis in which case I might figure that out. I was just going to see how it played out.

But I didnt have any idea that the people who worked on this were totally unqualified to do this and really they were finding polling results out of thin air. There was zero analysis. Basically, everybody accepted at face value what Lindell had when Lindell got this data from a known con artist.

(Editors note: Federal judges have also accused Dennis Montgomery of fraud and cited him for perjury.)

Did you get a sense whether Lindell has much knowledge in this field?

He admitted over and over again at the deposition and hearing that he didnt understand the technology, but having said that, he defended it vigorously. He would get upset, and this is terrible at a hearing. Ive done enough of these to know you dont want to get overly emotional and confrontational, but he just couldnt help himself.

He does sometimes contradict himself.

He was great for our side because he just couldnt control himself from saying things like that, contradicting himself, making statements that he would admit he didnt know but he was sure they were true.

Did anyone else at the symposium come close to what you did?

I would say every single person there agreed with me. But heres the difference: I was the first one to recognize what the data was. Everyone said this doesnt appear to be legitimate data, but they were divided. Some of them said, Lets keep looking at it, lets keep looking at it. Maybe its legitimate.

And others said its not legitimate but lets give Lindell another chance; lets approach him and say the data is not right but maybe you havent given us the right data. Which is pretty ridiculous.

This was a $5 million prize and he accidentally pulled out the wrong data?

I voted for Trump. I dont like Trump but I voted for him  but when I go into any kind of examination I leave that all behind  because Ill find the truth. So I went into this with an open mind. I was hoping Lindell was right, actually.

I thought if this showed the election was hacked, this would be historical information and I would be part of it. And I thought, How cool would that be? So I went in with an open mind but as soon as I found the data was bogus, I wasnt going to give Lindell more and more chances.

We all agreed it was bogus data but I was the first one to figure out what it was exactly. And I was the only one to write a detailed report and submit it to Lindell. And no one in their right mind would offer $5 million if the data wasnt real and verified, right?

So how would you explain to the layperson what you deduced?

The main thing I found was I just recognized that there were transformations that were done on this data. One of the things I pride myself on is pattern recognition. Sometimes Ive wondered  people call me a genius; they tell me Im really, really smart. I wont dispute that, but sometimes I wonder if my biggest ability is just pattern matching. I can see patterns that other people dont see and when I looked at this data, I immediately saw a pattern  this looked like another kind of data. Like if you saw hieroglyphics and said, Oh, I know what each word is, I can write it in English. Youre not changing it, youre just translating it. Or if you see French and you translate it to English.

When I did these two translations, I realized what I had was a Word document. And then I called it up in Word, and sure enough, it was just a Word document perfectly formatted with gibberish in it.

His proof was just gibberish?

Well there was a giant file he gave us. I ran every tool, including my own tool, and every tool said this is nothing, just random stuff. My report said this is nothing that any known tool could analyze, so its not real data. But it was 23 gigabytes of ones and zeroes.

Whats interesting is that Lindells people said, If Zeidman had the right tools, he would translate it into this spreadsheet, which Lindell had also given us. Anyone could see the spreadsheet was not any election data. It was just a spreadsheet of stuff like polling locations and the names of Trump and Biden and latitudes and longitudes.

So this giant 23-gigabyte file that I analyzed every way possible they claimed turned into this spreadsheet they had already given me that everyone could see was not election data.

So they missed this huge opportunity  if I were them and I wanted to cheat, I would say the election data is all in this 23-gigabyte file and Mr. Zeidman doesnt know what it is. But instead the colossal mistake they made was to say, Oh this 23-gigabyte file turns into this tiny little spreadsheet.

And so at that point I said, well the spreadsheet is bogus  everyone can see its bogus so we dont even have to look at the 23-gigabyte file. If they wanted to cheat, they should have said, Oh he doesnt know what the 23-gigabyte file is, therefore he didnt prove anything. Thats what my biggest fear was.

It turns out Dennis Montgomery  the guy who sold them the data  created a program that would take a tiny spreadsheet and turn it into a 23-gigabyte file of nonsense. It was a special program that he created to basically fill in garbage, but you could undo it.

Lindells experts said, Well he was super-encrypting and compressing. Well compressing makes something smaller, not 1,000 times larger. Why are you hiding evidence with all kinds of fancy encryption?

Would Mike have been in on that?

All of us at the conference were speculating on that. We really didnt know if Lindell was in on it or not. That was a big question. We all agreed it was bogus data. My belief after going to the hearing is that Dennis Montgomerys done this before  many many times, he gives bogus data.

He knows enough computer programming to write a program thatll mix up the data to make it unrecognizable and he sells it to people who have no knowledge of technology so they cant verify it.

And then another guy  Conan Hayes  Mike Lindell uses him to vet all the data he received from Dennis Montgomery. That came out in testimony. Conan Hayes is a surfer who started a surf shop called RVCA and he sold it for a lot of money to Billabong. I looked into this guys background and theres nothing that says he even ever took a course in computers. Youll find that all of the lawsuits around the country into voting machine hacking were funded by Lindell and vetted by Conan Hayes.

What do you think of the safety of election machines in America?

My take is that there can be problems. There can be bugs in the software  but I dont think there was any hacking to turn the election one way or the other. Im almost sure there was no purposeful effort by the voting machine company to change the election.

Any kind of tampering with the election results in the machine itself is going to be found by people like me, and theres a lot of people like me. Because there will be evidence if it was hacked and it will become clear eventually.

Ive argued that I believe there was fraud in the 2020 election and the reason for that is theres fraud in every human endeavor. Whether or not it was enough to change the election results, I dont know. But what I do know is that any problems with the voting machines would be found; there would be serious consequences for anyone doing that.

Its like if your house has this complex electronic security system but you leave the back door open all the time. Nobodys gonna hack into your electronic system. Its really, really hard and expensive and you can get caught. Theyll just walk in the back door.

Theres so many ways of cheating in an election that dont have to do with hacking into voting machines  why would anyone hack into a voting machine?

Have you gotten any of the $5 million?

Im a pessimist in general. I dont think Ill see it. I do think hes gonna go bankrupt from all the lawsuits and all his expenditures on these illegitimate voting fraud cases. So I think hell delay things until hes out of money, and I probably wont see anything.

I never really expected $5 million. I certainly really wish I had it. I could put at least some of it towards voter integrity.

Youve said you would donate it all to that sort of cause?

I would donate a good portion of it. Theres a lot of nonprofits that would be getting a portion of it.

This article was produced by the Minnesota Reformer which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post The cyber expert who took Mike Lindells $5 million challenge  and won appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Three House Republican women are showing the country exactly how to deal with elitist university leaders who think they are above the law.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik recently gave a master class on how to question a hostile witness. When, as a Harvard graduate, Stefanik repeatedly asked Harvard President Claudine Gay whether she could condemn advocating genocide of Jews at a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, the moment was electrifying.

Gay and two other university presidents from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania spent the hearing dodging simple, direct questions about dealing with open antisemitism on their campuses. It was pathetic and hypocritical. The three leaders personified the insanity of wokeness which has taken over our elite universities.

Stefanik was so effective that the video of her interrogation is now one of the most viewed hearings in congressional history. There have been more than a billion views, and the number keeps growing.

As a result of Stefaniks questioning, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill left her post.

As Heather Mac Donald summarized for City Journal:

"Liz Magill was forced to resign Saturday as president of the University of Pennsylvaniaby all indications because, at a congressional hearing, she could not bring herself to declare that calls for the genocide of Jews are punishable speech. She would more justly have lost her job for being a bald-faced hypocrite when it comes to campus free expression. The future of higher education depends on which of these motives governs such decisions in the future."

By contrast, Harvards governing body supported President Gay. However, it has now come to light that she plagiarized parts her dissertation and several other academic papers. Harvards policy about plagiarism is clear: Falsification of research results includes misrepresentations, distortions, or serious omissions in data or reports on research and is considered a serious violation of academic honesty. Plagiarism or falsification of research results will ordinarily result in the requirement to withdraw from Harvard.

In fact, 27 undergraduates were forced to leave Harvard in the 2020-2021 school year.

Yet, it appears Harvard is now performing rhetorical gymnastics to defend its already humiliated president. The insider club appears to be rallying around her. But the hypocrisy and dishonesty are beginning to affect Harvards reputation.

While Stefanik was busy creating a public record about elite university cowardice, two other House GOP women were busy passing substantive legislation that will hold universities much more accountable.

Congresswoman Michelle Steele introduced a bill to force colleges and universities to report all foreign gifts. While it is already a legal requirement to report any foreign donation of $250,000 or more, the elite universities simply refused to comply. Despite serious efforts by the Trump administrations Department of Education, these elite universities decline to report many millions of dollars of overseas gifts. (My co-author Claire Christensen and I got involved in this project during our research for Trump vs.China.)

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, was a cosponsor of the bill and worked to make it a bipartisan project. According to the committees statement:

The House passed H.R. 5933, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, bipartisan legislation that brings much-needed transparency, accountability, and clarity to foreign gift reporting requirements for colleges and universities across the nation. As the Committee said The is the first in a series of bills to reform the Higher Education Act.

On the floor, the bill passed decisively with 31 Democrats joining 215 Republicans in bipartisan support of more transparency from universities and colleges.

These two steps, one investigatory, and one legislative, are signs of real progress. They would not have happened without Republican control of the House of Representatives  or the leadership of these remarkable Republican women.

For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com.
An MP is pushing local authorities and councils to better support British farmers by closing a public food procurement loophole.

Currently when buying food, public organisations do not need to source from local producers if it will lead to significantly increased costs.

Dr Neil Hudson, who is MP for Penrith and The Border, said in parliament this week that authorities should back British farmers by closing this loophole.

He said they must do more to "maintain the UK's role as a beacon of best practice to the rest of the world".

The public sector, which includes schools and hospitals, purchases around 2.6 billion of food every year.

But Dr Hudson, as well as food and farming campaigners, say that while many public institutions support local businesses, they believe more can be done.

In 2021, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, on which Dr Hudson sits, published a report on public sector procurement of food.

Recommendations included that the the government buying standards for food and catering services (GBSF), which dictates UK food procurement, should be updated in relation to nutrition, animal welfare, sustainability and local food procurement.

The EFRA committee's report also called for the GBSF body to be mandatory across the public sector.

Speaking after his speech in parliament, Dr Hudson said: "We cannot abandon our world-class animal welfare and food production standards purely because it is cheaper to do so.

"It deeply troubles me that our incredible local farmers are overlooked by public bodies in favour of poor-quality foreign food and we as a nation demand better.

"I look forward to pressing ahead on this issue and was encouraged by the minister's response to me."
Total pig numbers in the UK are at the lowest level since 2012, with a fall in the number of fattening pigs driving the decline, new figures show.

The latest Defra figures show that at 1 June 2023 the UK pig population stood at 4.68 million head, a year-on-year decline of 10.3%.

This is a loss of over half a million animals (537,000), and is the smallest pig population recorded in the UK since 2012.

A fall in the number of fattening pigs has driven the year-on-year decline in the total population.

The breeding pig population has remained relatively stable, supported by growth in the numbers of gilts in pig and gilts intended for first time breeding.

Looking at the figures, Freya Shuttleworth, AHDB senior analyst, said: "The drop in the total pig population has been driven by a substantial fall in the numbers of fattening pigs.

"[This is] unsurprising given the size of decline seen in the breeding herd last year and the negative impacts the summer 2022 heatwave had on fertility."

According to Defra's figures, fattening pigs are at the lowest number since 2015, at 4.26 million head, a fall of 11.2% compared to June last year.

These figures support the historically low slaughter throughputs being seen in 2023, with year to date clean pig kill sitting 9.1% behind numbers recorded last year.

However, the total breeding pig population has seen minimal change, down only 0.2% in 2023 vs 2022, with numbers totalling 428,000 head. Within the category, movements have been mixed.

The overall female breeding herd saw a relatively small decline of 1.5% to total 338,000 head, with sows in pig down 3.6% year-on-year but gilts in pig up a significant 13.0%.

Boars being used for service recorded a loss of 5.4% year-on-year, but the number of gilts intended for first time breeding grew by 6.5%.

Ms Shuttleworth said: "The increase of gilts in pig and the number of gilts intended for first time breeding shows signs of improved industry sentiment, likely in part due to improved farm margins.

"While this may indicate cautious growth for some producers, we do not expect to see the industry bouncing back to the heights of 2021 in terms of pig numbers, throughputs or production.

"We will delve deeper into future forecasts in our 2024 Market Outlook in the new year."
Selling beef and lamb via meat boxes with guidance from a mentor is helping new entrants to livestock farming reap a premium price for their stock.

George Sturla and Holly Blockley run a flock of 100 Lleyn-cross ewes on land at Holywell, Flintshire, tupping the flock to home-bred Beltex rams.

They also have a herd of 12 Aberdeen Angus suckler cows, and are introducing Longhorn genetics for the first time this year to produce superior beef.

To increase the profit margin in their business, the couple have been selling lamb direct to consumers in meat boxes branded at Beeches Meats since October 2022.

There had been several times when I would go to the mart and think the lambs should have made a better price than they did so we decided to have a go at direct sales," George explains.

This proved to be very successful and they were keen to expand the business.

They accessed the Farming Connect farmer-to-farmer mentoring service, which is funded by the Welsh government.

The couple were matched with Sam Pearson, a Welsh beef and dairy farmer whose key specialisms include direct sales and marketing.

Sam visited the couple at The Beeches and provided what George describes as invaluable guidance and support."

Sam has given us some excellent ideas to follow up and examples of other established businesses to research as we discussed with him how we could expand our range by including beef."

These mentoring conversations gave George and Hollie the confidence to go ahead with developing their direct meat sales business.

They report that sales have been very strong. People have been pre-ordering for their Christmas meal," says George.

"We are starting to get customers from further afield, sending boxes recently to Peterborough and Cornwall, using wool to insulate the boxes to keep the meat cool."

Although he says he would have expanded the business without the mentoring, having input from someone with expertise in this area has helped to avoid pitfalls and to capitalise on sales.

I think we would have given it a go ourselves but having Sam as a mentor has definitely given us confidence to go ahead with making these changes," he says.

Sam discussed options for websites and using social media and how to communicate with customers.

Although George didnt grow up on a farm, his childhood summers were spent helping his grandfather and uncle on their farm in North Wales.

He later graduated from the Royal Agricultural College with a degree in Rural Land Management and worked at Strutt & Parker.

But he left his career in land management to work full time in agriculture, alongside a full time job as a sales representative for a livestock feed company.
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The German business climate has shown signs of deterioration as the ifo Business Climate Index witnessed a decline to 86.4 points in December, a drop from November's 87.2 points. The latest figures reflect a growing dissatisfaction among companies with their current business situation and a more sceptical outlook for the first half of 2024.

The manufacturing sector, in particular, has felt a notable impact. The business climate index in this sector fell significantly, with companies reporting a worse assessment of their current business conditions and a more pessimistic set of expectations for the future. Energy-intensive industries, in particular, are experiencing heightened difficulties, with a continued overall contraction in order books, as per the ifo Institute.

The trade sector also faced challenges, with the business climate taking a hit. Retailers indicated a markedly worse current situation and a gloomier outlook, underscored by a disappointing holiday trade this year.

The German business climate is declining, with the ifo Business Climate Index dropping to 86.4 points in December from 87.2 in November. Manufacturing and trade sectors are particularly hit, facing worsening conditions and pessimistic outlooks. The export industry's sentiment is also down, with ifo export expectations falling to minus 6.7 points.

A significant downturn was observed in the sentiment of the German export industry. The ifo export expectations dropped to minus 6.7 points in December from minus 4.1 points in November. Manufacturers of machinery and equipment are bracing for fewer orders from abroad. The chemical and metal industries, both energy-intensive sectors, are currently facing particularly severe challenges.

Despite the overall downward trend, some sectors show resilience with expectations of growth. The manufacturers of leather products are among those expecting an increase in export sales.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)
Jacqueline Fernandez Seeks Protection From Conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who is alleged to be in a romantic relationship with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, the main accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case, has recently taken legal action against him.

On Wednesday, Jacqueline moved to Delhi court, accusing him of 'intimidating' her, and filed a plea seeking protection from the court.

In her plea dated July 18, the actress stated that while attending the proceedings of the case via Webex, she received unsolicited messages and a voice note from Sukesh, adding that he himself was present in the proceedings through the same platform.

Jacqueline seeks protection from conman Sukesh

According to reports, Jacqueline has approached Delhi's Patiala House Court and sought protection from Sukesh, alleging he has been intimidating her by sending "troubling letters" and messages. She claimed these letters pose a substantial threat to her safety.

She also mentioned that Sukesh has been leaking these letters to the electronic and print media intentionally.

You Stink: Angry Sukesh Chandrasekhar Asks Mika Singh To Apologise Over Shady Comments On Jacqueline Fernandez

The actor revealed that she filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), highlighting Sukesh Chandrasekhar's alarming attempts to establish illicit contact with her. She expressed dissatisfaction, stating that no action has been taken by the Delhi Police to date.

Sukesh has sent numerous letters to Jacqueline wherein he called her by names like "angel," "butterfly," and "honey bee," along with other nicknames. A few days ago, he expressed his desire to propose to her "for life" and spend the holiday season like before. Jacqueline has never responded to his letters.

In its response to the Bollywood diva's plea, the EOW stated, "It has been observed that the accused, Sukash Chandershekhar, has been in the habit of sending letters concerning Jacqueline to media platforms through various means, which is not only harassing/threatening her directly, but also affecting her social/professional assignments.

"Such aggravating nature of the threat/harassment to the victim/applicant is a matter of grave concern for the investigating agency that an important witness of the case is being coerced/harassed/ threatened by the accused. It will have serious implications on the conduct of the trial of the case, concerning Jacqueline," it stated.

Further, the EOW stated that Jacqueline had no previous communication with Sukesh and interacted only during the period of his commission of the crime.

The development comes days after the Kick actress pleaded with the Delhi HC to quash the FIR against her in the Enforcement Directorate's Rs 200 crore money laundering case, which involves Chandrasekhar.

When Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Couldnt Stop KISSING Even After Directors 'Cut: They Were So Into

The actress has been accused of receiving luxurious gifts that were brought to her by extortion money. She has denied all the allegations and claimed to be "maliciously targetted" by Sukesh.
Main ATAL Hoon Trailer: Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the nation's most beloved leader, is renowned for his contributions to education, science, infrastructure, and strengthening global ties. Bringing his humble journey to life, Pankaj Tripathi masterfully transforms into Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for his compelling biopic - MAIN ATAL HOON. Sharing an insight into his world, the makers today unveiled the trailer of the film.

Main ATAL HOON TRAILER OUT

The trailer takes you through the early days of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his childhood, political career, his sheer dedication to bring a change, and make India a great nation.

Speaking about the film, Pankaj Tripathi shares, "More than the film, the journey of playing Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is really close to my heart. The man is truly a legend, and we are honored to bring his inspiring story to the world. I hope audiences appreciate our efforts to bring in the legacy of Atal ji onto the big screens."

Director Ravi Jadhav shared, "Since childhood, I have followed the inspiring journey of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his contribution towards our Nation. I am immensely grateful that I got opportunity and support to narrate the story of the greatest leader of our nation. Cannot wait for the world to witness his remarkable journey."

Speaking about bringing the story to silver screen, producer Vinod Bhanushali, adds, "The film will show the story of a man who was more than a poet, statesman, politician. Main Atal Hoon sheds light on his struggle, his rise and his downfalls, his efforts to put the nation before anyone and anything. We will remain eternally grateful and consider this as a blessing that we got this opportunity to bring his story to reel."

Producer Sandeep Singh concludes, "People say that I make a lot of biopics, but despite Mary Kom, Aligarh, Sarbjit, and Jhund, 'Main Atal Hoon' stands out as more special because everyone feels like Atal ji is part of their family. He's the only politician who is loved worldwide. His struggle and journey have to be portrayed on the big screen so that youngsters are influenced to become human beings and leaders like him."

MAIN ATAL HOON RELEASE DATE

Main ATAL Hoon, starring Pankaj Tripathi, will take you through the life of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a man who fought many battles.

Directed by award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, and written by Rishi Virmani and Ravi Jadhav, "Main ATAL Hoon", a Bhanushali Studios Limited and Legend Studios production, is produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, and Kamlesh Bhanushali. The film will hit the big screens on the 19th of January 2024.
Josh is one of the most popular short video making app in India and has an impressive reach among the audience. It not just given the creators a chance to connect with the audience but also ensures to raise awareness on special causes. And keeping up with this trajectory, Josh has now collaborated with the Bangalore police to raise awareness about road safety.

In fact, Josh also initiated a two week campaign on December 19 titled as #NannaSafety that would go on till Jan 2nd 2024! The campaign has been launched to encourage people to take the resolution of following road safety rules, spread awareness about traffic rules

The campaign is supported by Bangalore Traffic Police department who also shared a video featuring MN Anucheth, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Bengaluru City.

Here's the video:

http://share.myjosh.in/video/77ee7dba-6450-4bae-9105-1c6b77fbe8e7

Interestingly, a special filter was also made for the campaign with questionnaires related to safety rules, through which creators will be able to guide the consumers about the rules. The creators were expected to participate in large numbers to take an oath to follow road safety rules and they were given special vouchers for their participation! A true essense of using Social Media Platfrom for rasing social awareness!

Here's a look at the filter and how Josh creators have taken a special outh for this upcoming new year!

https://share.myjosh.in/video/073751e0-7a6f-49a9-8c22-79ecc4ff3c35?u=0x8fde007a9a2ac08f

Ankita: https://share.myjosh.in/content/de2d2877-7f39-4611-be35-df3f1d4417a0

Madhuri: https://share.myjosh.in/video/7cbec89a-7d9c-4be3-ad9e-03a0be21b16e?u=0x06cee11b8170cc53

Rohit: https://share.myjosh.in/video/076711bf-9335-4fbf-a77b-6d6d641b0369?u=0xae5efbd77f377244

Smiley Soju: https://share.myjosh.in/video/4ce376d4-b732-479f-9c82-99851103ab0b?u=0x415871f76841d78d

A lot more exciting challenges are up on Josh, download Josh app now, and don't miss out on all the fun!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eterno.shortvideos
Neru Script Plagiarism Controversy: In a recent development, the High Court issued directives concerning a plea alleging script plagiarism in the upcoming Mohanlal starrer 'Neru,' directed by Jeethu Joseph.

The bench, presided over by Justice Devan Ramachandran, has instructed notices to be sent to director Jeethu Joseph and the central government. However, the court refused to grant a stay on the movie's release, setting the stage for further legal proceedings. The hearing for the plea is scheduled to resume on Thursday.

The case was brought to light by writer Deepak Unni, coinciding with the impending release of the film on the 21st. Notably, actor and lawyer Santhi Mayadevi, alongside Jeethu Joseph, co-authored the script. Unni has alleged in his petition that the movie was produced by appropriating his story without due credit or compensation.

Unni's petition contends that Jeethu Joseph and Santhi Mayadevi acquired his story during a meeting held at a Kochi hotel three years ago, subsequently sidelining him from the film's production process.

'Neru' has been a subject of public interest since its announcement, notably reuniting the successful duo of Jeethu Joseph and Mohanlal, known for their previous hits such as 'Drishyam.' The movie, produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas, has garnered attention but now faces legal scrutiny due to these plagiarism allegations.

Neru Releases Tomorrow

Excitement is in the air as the much-anticipated film "Neru," directed by the acclaimed Jeethu Joseph and featuring the legendary Mohanlal in the lead role, is set to release tomorrow.

The movie, titled Neru, is accompanied by the intriguing tagline "Seeking Justice." Industry insiders suggest that "Neru" is poised to be a gripping courtroom suspense thriller, adding another layer of intrigue to its narrative.

"Neru" marks the fifth venture between the dynamic duo of Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph, following the successful projects "Drishyam-1," "Drishyam-2," "Twelfth Man," and the eagerly awaited "Ram."

Penned by Santhi Mayadevi and Jeethu Joseph, the screenplay is under tight wraps, promising an engaging and intriguing storyline. The film is being produced under the prestigious banner of Aashirvad Cinemas, helmed by Antony Perumbavoor, bringing together a powerhouse of talent to create cinematic magic.

'Neru' is the 33rd film from Aashirvad Cinemas. As "Neru" unfolds, Satheesh Kurup takes charge of the cinematography, while the musical landscape is crafted by Vishnu Shyam.

The trailer for 'Neru' showcases the powerhouse pairing of Mohanlal and director Jeethu Joseph. This intense courtroom drama immerses viewers in the world of Vijayamohan, a lawyer portrayed by Mohanlal thrust into the challenge of defending an accused individual in a high-stakes trial.

The trailer tantalises with glimpses of a probing investigation set in Thiruvananthapuram, suggesting the accused's presence near the incident site the day prior. Amidst escalating tension, Vijayamohan reluctantly embraces the case, admitting to his waning confidence after a prolonged absence from legal proceedings, stating, "I am not confident anymore." The trailer unfolds to reveal Vijayamohan's immersive journey through the trial, confronting scrutiny and self-doubt.

With an unexpected turn of events, the narrative reaches a gripping climax within a Kerala courtroom, promising compelling and relentless courtroom sequences that stretch into the night. The Neru trailer has garnered exceptional acclaim, sparking widespread anticipation for the Mohanlal-Jeethu Joseph magic to captivate audiences once again on the silver screen.
Ghost Tamil Version OTT Release: In the world of Kannada cinema, excitement reached a fever pitch as "Ghost," a heist action movie written and directed by M. G. Srinivas, made its grand debut on October 19.

The film boasts an ensemble cast featuring renowned stars like Shiva Rajkumar, Jayaram, Anupam Kher, Prashant Narayanan, Satya Prakash, and Archana Jois.

What sets "Ghost" apart is that it marks the inception of an intriguing cinematic universe. Director M. G. Srinivas reprises his role as Mahesh Das from "Birbal Trilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni." The storyline unfolds as a gangster and his crew embark on a daring mission, hijacking a prison in their quest for justice.

Ghost Cast And Crew

The movie "Ghost" boasts an ensemble cast featuring Shiva Rajkumar, Jayaram, Anupam Kher, Prashant Narayanan, Archana Jois, Satya Prakash, and M. G. Srinivas as Mahesh Das.

It is directed by M. G. Srinivas, while the dialogues are crafted by Prasanna V. M. and Maasti. The story is penned by M. G. Srinivas, with production overseen by Sandesh Nagaraj. Mahendra Simha handled the cinematography, and Deepu S. Kumar edited the movie. The production company responsible for bringing this film to life is Sandesh Productions.

The music for "Ghost" has been composed by Arjun Janya. The makers of the film unveiled its first single, "OGM," on September 22, 2023. The first look was revealed on July 12, 2022, coinciding with Shiva Rajkumar's birthday, and the motion poster was released on January 2, 2023. The film's trailer was released on October 1, 2023.

The moment fans had eagerly awaited arrived on October 19, 2023, when "Ghost" graced the big screen, coinciding with the festival of Dusshera.

Ghost Tamil Version OTT Release Date And Platform

ZEE5 has secured the digital streaming rights for 'Ghost' (Kannada), offering audiences the chance to savour this heist action thriller from the comfort of their homes. The film, starring Shiva Rajkumar, made its OTT debut on November 17, 2023. Now, the official announcement regarding the OTT release of the Tamil version of the film 'Ghost' has been made. Accordingly, the Tamil version is scheduled for release on December 22nd on the Aha OTT platform. The trailer for the Tamil version of the 'Ghost' film has also been released on the Aha OTT site. The team anticipates a significant response for the Tamil version of 'Ghost' on the OTT platform.
Anupamaa twist: Rupali Ganguly and Gaurav Khanna's show has managed to keep the viewers hooked on to their television sets. The drama-packed episodes have created ripples on the small screen, making waves. Will Anupama and Anuj separate?

Is MaAn's separation on the cards in Anupamaa? There's a lot of buzz related to the show online as the makers are all set to take a leap. The upcoming leap will change the track as Anupama will shift base to The United States of America and will get split from Anuj Kapadia.

ANUPAMAA NEW ENTRY

Remember Filmibeat was the first portal to inform viewers about the entry of Anuj Kapadia's ex-fiancee in Anupamaa? A source close to the show had exclusively told us, "There will be a major twist in Anupamaa as Anuj Kapadia's ex-fiancee will enter the show. She will bring a big twist in the serial, playing the third wheel in MaAn's relationship. Rupali Ganguly and Gaurav Khanna are expected to shoot a sequence in the United States of America. Things will be clear in the upcoming days about the shooting schedule of Anupama in the USA."

WILL AYESHA SINGH JOIN ANUPAMAA?

And now, gossip mills have suggested that Ayesha Singh, Sukriti Kandpal and Sana Makbul have been approached to play Anuj Kapadia's girlfriend in Anupama serial? Is Ayesha Singh making her comeback after her stint with Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin ended?

Will Ayesha Singh romance Gaurav Khanna in Anupama following the leap? Grab a bowl of popcorn to know more.

When we contacted a reliable source to know about the development, he quipped, "Yes, Ayesha Singh and other actresses have been approached for Anupamaa to play Gaurav Khanna's love interest. However, the Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin actress has not confirmed her status for the show. She is yet to accept the offer. Rajan Shahi and the casting team want to spice up the drama with the introduction of a new cast after the leap. Viewers will be surprised to know about the major changes post the leap in the serial."
Nickel 28 Capital Corp. ("Nickel 28" or the "Company") (TSXV: NKL) (FSE: 3JC0) has released its results for the quarter ended October 31, 2023. All figures are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

"During the quarter, Ramu distributed $13.7 million to the Company via a cash distribution of $4.8 million and a reduction of its non-recourse construction debt of $8.9 million from the Company's share of Ramu's H1 2023 operating surpluses," stated Anthony Milewski, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "For the current period, Ramu had another strong calendar quarter of operations. Increased production and reduced input commodity prices contributed to lower cash costs net of by-product credits on a quarter-over-quarter basis, dropping 29% to $2.77/lb. of nickel produced as MHP. Additionally, despite the interruption caused by the previously reported earthquakes in PNG, we still expect Ramu to produce at or above nameplate capacity in 2023."

Quarterly Highlights

The Company's principal asset, an 8.56% joint-venture interest in the Ramu Nickel-Cobalt integrated operation in Papua New Guinea ("Ramu"), had another outstanding quarter. Highlights from Ramu and the Company during the quarter include:

Cash distribution from Ramu for H1 2023 operating surpluses of $4.8 million and repayment of $8.9 million of construction debt during the quarter for a total distribution of $13.7 million

Strong quarter end cash balance of $9.8 million

Total non-recourse construction debt of $49 million as at October 31, 2023

Production of 8,979 tonnes of contained nickel and 851 tonnes of contained cobalt in mixed hydroxide precipitate ("MHP") during the third calendar quarter, placing Ramu as one of the top producers of MHP globally

Sales of 8,832 tonnes of contained nickel and 836 tonnes of contained cobalt in MHP during the third calendar quarter

Actual cash costs for the third calendar quarter, net of by-product sales, of $2.77/lb. of contained nickel, a 29% decrease compared to Q2, largely as a result of reduced input commodity prices

Share of operating profit from Ramu of $3.7 million during the third calendar quarter

Total net and comprehensive income of $1.1 million ($0.01/share) for the three months ended October 31, 2023, largely as a result of the Company's share of operating profit from Ramu

About Nickel 28

Nickel 28 Capital Corp. is a nickel-cobalt producer through its 8.56% joint-venture interest in the producing, long-life and world-class Ramu Nickel-Cobalt Operation located in Papua New Guinea. Ramu provides Nickel 28 with significant attributable nickel and cobalt production thereby offering our shareholders direct exposure to two metals which are critical to the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, Nickel 28 manages a portfolio of 10 nickel and cobalt royalties on development, pre-feasibility and exploration projects in Canada, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain information which constitutes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements and figures with respect to the operating performance of Ramu; statements related to the anticipated production levels at Ramu; and statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219586412/en/

Contacts:

Investor Contact:

Justin Cochrane, President

Tel: 1-289-314-4766

Email: info@nickel28.com
Cardiff Advisory Managing Partner Has Decades of Experience Guiding Life Sciences and Healthcare Companies Through Pivotal Growth, Won the Alzheimer's Association of San Diego 2023 Hope Award and Has Been Recognized as One of San Diego's 500 Most Influential People for the Last Four Years

LA JOLLA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / Cenna Biosciences today announced the appointment of David H. Crean to the Cenna Board of Directors effective Dec. 12, 2023.

"We are thrilled to welcome David to the Cenna Board," said Nazneen Dewji, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Cenna. "Cenna will benefit greatly from David's leadership and skills and I very much look forward to working with him to move the Company forward to end Alzheimer's disease."

David H. Crean, Ph.D., is a seasoned leader with over three decades of extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and investments within the dynamic spheres of life sciences and healthcare. His proficiency extends across a spectrum of roles in major biopharmaceutical entities, investment banking, and the venture capital and private equity landscapes. At the helm of Cardiff Advisory LLC as the Managing Partner, Dr. Crean steers the boutique firm that specializes in M&A, strategic advisory services, and investment banking, concentrating on guiding life sciences and healthcare companies through pivotal growth and exit strategies.

Dr. Crean's influence extends to his directorship on several prominent boards, including Histogen Inc., Paracrine Inc., Almon Therapeutics, and key organizations like California Life Sciences and BIOCOM California, where he notably serves as Chair of Capital Development. His legacy of leadership is commemorated through his emeritus chairmanship at the Alzheimer's Association of San Diego, which honored him with the 2023 Hope Award. His past roles reflect his commitment to industry growth, having presided over the San Diego Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth from 2019 to 2021. His exceptional advisory capabilities have earned him a series of accolades such as the 2023 Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences, consistent inclusion in San Diego's 500 Most Influential People List from 2019 to 2023, recognition as a Top Thought Leader by Axial in 2020, M&A Advisor of the Year in 2019, and the 2018 Healthcare Hero Award.

"This opportunity is not just a new role for me, but a chance to contribute to a cause that impacts millions of lives worldwide including my family. Alzheimer's disease is a complex and challenging area, and Cenna Biosciences, Inc. is making impressive strides in creating meaningful and impactful solutions. I am eager to bring my leadership, experience, and insights to this role, helping guide the strategic direction of the company as we embark on this exciting journey," said David Crean.

About Cenna

Cenna Biosciences, Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical company in La Jolla, California, that is entering clinical stage. The Company is focused on the discovery and development of novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Cenna has a transformational, novel and different patented technology that arrests the underlying cause of the disease and addresses previous failures by others. IND filing of Cenna's first-in-class peptide drug is planned within the next few months.

For more information, visit www.cennabiosciences.com.

Contact Information

Nazneen Dewji

President and CEO, Cenna Biosciences

ndewji@cennabiosciences.com

(858) 456-0821

SOURCE: Cenna Biosciences Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Give 'The Gift of Florida,' Including Discounts on Hotels for the Holidays

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / As everyone celebrates the holidays and looks forward to the New Year, there is no better gift to share than the promise of making memories.

Jennifer Weatherhead

Travel Expert Jennifer Weatherhead shares how to give the gift of travel this holiday season.

Travel expert Jennifer Weatherhead teamed up with VISIT FLORIDA to share information about great getaways this holiday season, including her favorite personal experiences in the Sunshine State.

"I have traveled to Florida for family adventures, trips with my girlfriends and fun for as long as I can remember, and it has always had a special place in my heart. From some of my favorite beaches in the world in St. Pete/Clearwater to the incredible food and arts scene in Miami and the adventures I've had in Tampa and Orlando, I can't think of a better place to spend time with friends, family and loved ones," said Jennifer Weatherhead.

TRAVEL THE MOST POPULAR GIFT

The best gift is not opened; it is experienced. That is why travel is a gift that creates anticipation, experiences, and memories. This holiday season, VISIT FLORIDA invites shoppers to take gift-giving from expected to extraordinary with the gift of a romantic getaway, girls' or guys' trip, or family vacation in the Sunshine State. Whether it is year-round sunshine, thrilling theme parks, beautiful beaches and thriving arts or culinary and cultural scenes you are looking for, Florida has something for everyone.

A GOOD TIME OF YEAR TO BOOK A TRIP

There are some great deals this time of year, and VISIT FLORIDA and its partners have partnered with Expedia to offer up to 25 percent off Florida hotels this holiday season. Travelers can visit Expedia.Com/GiftFlorida for a one-stop destination for finding the best deals in the Sunshine State.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAMILY TRAVEL

Florida is ideal for families because sunny, warm weather means getting outside is a year-round affair. With more than 825 miles of beaches, thrilling theme parks, and scenic state and national parks, Florida has something for everyone.

For indoor activities, the Frost Science Museum in Miami provides a fantastic way to engage younger ones while the IMAG History and Science Center in Fort Myers and the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg provide interactive exhibits suitable for all ages.

OPTIONS FOR TRAVELERS LOOKING FOR A LITTLE MORE ADVENTURE

Adventure seekers will find seemingly countless ways to chase a thrill, especially with 150 state parks and 15,000 miles of land and water trails begging to be explored. The state's paddling trails are an accessible way to get visitors on the water. The Great Calusa Blueway, for example, provides 190 miles of inland paddling in Lee County that welcomes all levels of kayakers. There are also bioluminescent night experiences off the coast of Cape Canaveral, where the lack of light pollution makes for some amazing paddling excursions. Just north of Gainesville, families will love stargazing and camping by the emerald blue waters of Ichetucknee Springs. Swim with the manatees in their natural habitat in Crystal River, the only place where you can legally do so in North America. And for those who think they have done it all, try kiteboarding in St. Pete, launching at either the Sunshine Skyway or Fort de Soto County Park.

For more information on how to save on Florida travel experiences, visit Expedia.com/GiftFlorida.

POST | VIDEO

About VISIT FLORIDA

VISIT FLORIDA is the Sunshine State's official tourism marketing corporation and travel-planning resource for visitors across the globe. As Florida's No. 1 industry, tourism was responsible for welcoming over 137.6 million visitors in 2022, the highest number of visitors in the state's history. VISIT FLORIDA promotes tourism through sales, advertising, promotions, public relations and visitor services programs, and serves more than 13,000 travel industry partners throughout the state. To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA, follow @FloridaTourism on Facebook and Twitter or go to visitflorida.org. For inspiration in the Sunshine State, follow @VISITFLORIDA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit www.visitflorida.com. For media resources, visit www.visitfloridamedia.com.

About TipsOnTV

TipsOnTV covers a variety of topics, including food, entertaining, personal finance, technology, travel, health, lifestyle and more.

Contact Information:

R E

tipsontv@gmail.com

SOURCE: TipsOnTV

View the original press release on newswire.com.
HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Hong Kong is an ideal listing destination for Middle East businesses, according to a new joint report by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and CCB International Capital Limited (CCB International). The report, which is released today, shows that many companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) see the city as their first choice when it comes to securing funding, building stronger ties with Asia (particularly China), and, ultimately, enjoying greater global recognition.^In order to explore the potential for UAE and KSA companies to secure listings in Hong Kong, the HKTDC and CCB International renewed their collaboration [1] to deliver the new report - Hong Kong: An Ideal Overseas Listing Venue for Middle East Companies. This led them to share a series of insights from in-depth interviews with UAE and KSA industry experts and practitioners as to Hong Kong's suitability as a listing destination for Middle East companies. The research, which was conducted from June to October this year, concluded that several Middle East business sectors in particular - Energy and Renewable Energy, Healthcare and High-tech, Infrastructure, and Finance - had the most to benefit from a Hong Kong listing.Commenting on the significance of the findings, Irina Fan, Director of HKTDC Research, said: "For those Middle East companies looking to expand in the region, access to Hong Kong's diverse pool of international institutional investors will clearly be of huge benefit. This is especially the case as many such investors have an in-depth understanding of both the pan-Asia and China-specific opportunities now emerging." She adds, "Another plus point is the impressive breadth and depth of the Hong Kong stock market. The high level of trading activity that underpins this is a clear indication of just how robust the city's capital market has proven over the long-term."Michelle Pan, Head of Corporate Finance & Capital Market Services at CCB International, said: "Following the visits of President Xi and HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee to the Middle East over the past two years, the Hong Kong capital market has begun exploring opportunities for collaboration between Middle East companies and the Hong Kong financial markets. In this context, this all-rounded research paper has been developed to explain why Hong Kong, with its unique attributes, is an ideal listing and fund raising destination for Middle East enterprises. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits of listing in Hong Kong, including access to a deep pool of capital, a world-class regulatory framework, a vibrant and dynamic business environment, and a gateway to the vast Chinese market."Middle East: Looking at opportunities in new marketsMiddle East stock exchanges have witnessed record-breaking initial public offerings (IPOs) in recent years, with bourses in KSA and UAE all ranking among the world's top 10 in 2022 in terms of IPO funds raised. The opportunities stemming from overseas listings, primary, dual-primary and secondary included, however, have yet to be fully exploited.At present, many UAE and KSA companies are actively looking at opportunities in new markets and seeking funding via equity markets as they look to deliver on their global expansion plans, many of which align with the region's commitment to economic diversification as it looks to move on from its traditional dependence on its oil and gas resources. A clear synergy, however, has become apparent between the region and fast-growing Asia, something seen as offering tremendous opportunities for many UAE and KSA businesses as they look to make good on their economic diversification aspirations.For many UAE and KSA companies, pursuing an overseas listing is not only a way of financing their overseas expansion projects, but also an effective marketing channel as they look to enhance their global recognition and improve their visibility and credibility among clients, institutions and the investing public in a number of target markets.Hong Kong advantages: location, rule of law, impressive market breadth and depth, global investor baseDuring the course of the research, interviews with a number of experts highlighted the unique benefits on offer to Middle East companies that look to list in Hong Kong, one of the world's most highly regarded financial centres. Strategically located at the gateway to many of Asia's major markets - most notably mainland China and the ASEAN bloc - Hong Kong has considerable appeal for UAE and KSA companies. Most notably, a Hong Kong listing will ensure such businesses can fully leverage the advantages of the city's strategic location, while gaining access to its well-established networks and stable business environment and benefitting from its rule of law and its abundant talent pool, which is widely seen as capable of delivering the highest quality of professional service. The city's unique advantages also extend to the absence of capital controls and a transparent, resilient Linked Exchange Rate System.Hong Kong's robust legal framework - something that Middle East companies value particularly highly - is a significant advantage and an essential part of its appeal as a listing destination. As the only common law jurisdiction within China, Hong Kong and its legal system has a proven track record of upholding the rule of law and of maintaining judicial transparency. This framework has long functioned as a guarantee of the fundamental rights of any global enterprise or investor looking to raise or allocate funds as part of a Hong Kong-based listing initiative.In addition, Hong Kong's stock market has long been renowned for its maturity, vibrancy and global connectivity, while its sizeable market capitalisation consistently sees it rank among the top 10 largest stock markets on a global basis. As to its diverse investor pool, according to the Securities and Futures Commission, overseas and Mainland China investors accounted for 64% of the asset and wealth management businesses in Hong Kong in 2022, with the majority of overseas investors coming from North America (23%), Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region (14%), all of which instilled substantial liquidity in the local equity market.As to how Hong Kong can optimise its role as a premium listing hub for Middle East companies, the research emphasised the importance of strengthening and sustaining its connectivity with many Middle East countries, especially at the government and regulatory level.Overall, building closer G2G relationships with many Middle East economies was seen as of paramount importance, with the countries' respective governments seen as playing a significant role in steering the relevant business sectors. It was also recommended that a higher level of market promotion and investment education be undertaken with regard to many Middle East prospects as a means of nurturing and directing their interest in Hong Kong's financial services resources.^ The first research report focuses on the overall overseas listing regime of Hong Kong as well as Hong Kong as a listing destination for UAE companies, while the subsequent report on KSA companies listing in Hong Kong will be released in the first quarter of 2024.[1] HKTDC and CCB International released a research report on "Hong Kong: The Most Popular Overseas Listing Venue for ASEAN Companies" on 27 May 2022.Photo download: https://bit.ly/41r9Q2aReferencesHKTDC Research Portal: https://research.hktdc.com/en"Hong Kong: An Ideal Overseas Listing Venue for Middle East Companies": https://bit.ly/3RJWo6cMedia EnquiriesHKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:Frankie Leung, Tel: (852) 2584 4298, Email: frankie.cy.leung@hktdc.orgClayton Lauw, Tel: (852) 2584 4472, Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.orgCCB International's Corporate Finance & Capital Market Services:Sam Siu, Tel: (852) 3911 8926, Email: samsiu@ccbintl.comAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInAbout CCB InternationalCCB International (Holdings) Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively "CCB International") is a financial and investment services company owned by China Construction Bank Corporation ("CCB"). CCB International is committed to expanding its international platform. Backed by the CCB global network, its business covers key financial centres worldwide including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and London. CCB International offers a full range of products and services including sponsoring and underwriting, financial advisory, corporate mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, additional issuance and placement of shares, refinancing for listed companies, direct investment, asset management, securities brokerage, market research, investment consultancy and commodities business. The corporate finance and capital market services of CCB International have assisted hundreds of companies in raising over HK$5 trillion from the global capital market. For more information, please visit: https://www.ccbintl.com.hk/English/company.htmlDisclaimer: The information contained herein merely reflects the author's own beliefs about the country concerned and the relevant economic situation. This information does not constitute or form part of any offer, solicitation or invitation to subscribe or purchase any securities. CCB International and the HKTDC do not guarantee, represent and warrant that all or any part of this information is reliable, accurate or complete.If this document has been distributed by electronic transmission, then such transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. CCB International and the HKTDC, therefore, do not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this document, which may arise as a result of electronic transmission.Source: HKTDCCCB International (Holdings) LimitedCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.


LEADING TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION  TransNusa Group CEO, Datuk Bernard Francis

JAKARTA, Dec 20, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - South East Asia's first premium service airline, PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri, is further strengthening its presence in China by increasing the frequency of its scheduled flights in Guangzhou from the current three times weekly to seven times weekly.This announcement comes barely a month after TransNusa made history by becoming Indonesia's second airline to successfully launch scheduled flights to Guangzhou. TransNusa introduced scheduled flights to Guangzhou on November 16, this year. Scheduled flights depart Terminal 3 Soekarno - Hatta International Airport at 18.10 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and arrive at 12.10 am at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Flights from Guangzhou depart at 01.25 am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arrive in Jakarta at 5.40am.Today, TransNusa increased the frequency of its scheduled flights for this route from three times weekly to daily flights.TransNusa has been consistently achieving milestones since the introduction of a new top management led by Datuk Bernard Francis. The airline, which introduced its first international flight on April 14, this year, has launched four new international destinations in a short span of eight months, expanding its wings from South East Asia to the Asia Pacific region.TransNusa Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Bernard Francis attributes the airlines successes and accelerated growth to their customised business model and the vastly experienced management team."Due to our diligent team, we have managed to not only increase our scheduled flight frequency to Guangzhou but also introduce two new Chinese dishes in our menu, which are wonton noodles and Yongchow fried rice set meals," said Datuk Bernard, adding that to enhance passenger comfort, TransNusa also has blankets for sale on their Jakarta - Guangzhou flight."For passenger ease, we have established our own customer call center in Canton, in addition to our call center in Jakarta," Datuk Bernard explained.On what to expect of the airline in 2024, Datuk Bernard said that the airline is planning to introduce three to four new international destinations."Next year, we plan to focus on destinations in the Asia Pacific region as well as further strengthen our presence in the Singaporean and Malaysian markets," said Datuk Bernard, adding that on the domestic front, TransNusa passengers can look forward to the revival of targeted routes in Nusantara.For the Jakarta - Guangzhou route, the premium service provider, deployed its Airbus A320, ensuring that its passengers have a comfortable shuttle throughout the 5-hour journey. TransNusa's A320s have been configured with a 174-seat configuration, which allows passengers to enjoy 30-31 inches of legroom."The services we offer for our international flights are above the service level of a low-cost carrier. As such, the flying experience with TransNusa to international destinations will differ from flying with the airline on domestic routes since TransNusa operates as a low-cost airline in the domestic market." Datuk Bernard concluded.About TransNusaEstablished in 2005, TransNusa started its operation by providing chartered flights. It began its commercial flights in 2011. After ceasing operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, TransNusa relaunched itself in 2021 as a low-cost airline in its domestic market. In 2023, TransNusa introduced a new business model making it the first Premium Service Airline in the region. The new business model will apply only to its international routes. TransNusa introduced its first international route, Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur, in April this year and its second international route Jakarta-Johor, in September, this year.The airline is currently based in Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Passengers can book their flights on the TransNusa website, transnusa.co.id, through authorized travel agents in Indonesia, or by contacting the airline's customer service centre at, +62216310888.Source: TransNusaCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LANCASTER, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / The Exterior Company, a leading name in the roofing and exterior services industry, is thrilled to introduce its innovative Next Generation Leadership (NGL) program, centered around the proven principles of success that have shaped the company. This initiative is designed to set the stage for a prosperous future by developing and empowering the next generation of leaders within the organization.

Joe Hydrick, Director of Operations, expressed his enthusiasm for the program. "At The Exterior Company, our greatest asset has always been our dedicated team. We recognize the importance of investing in our people and providing opportunities to grow and excel. Our Next Generation Leadership Program is a testament to this commitment."

The program is guided by a foundational set of rules that TEC calls "Principles for Success." Less about specific mechanics and more about work ethic, resilience, and "doing the right thing"-these principles underlay every aspect of TEC leadership. Rule #27, for example, is "Your rewards will not exceed your sacrifice." President Ryan Hoke shared his insights: "We're aiming to equip our team members with the skills they need to excel in leadership roles. What drives results in our company are things like effective communication, problem-solving through staying fluid, influential leadership, and unwavering work ethic. Subject matter will change and evolve, but Principles for Success are universal-these are the core components we'll focus on."

Steve F., a developing leader in the program, also weighed in: "Strong leadership has been part of my TEC experience from day one. I'm excited to carry this mission in our company." Developing leader Shane V.H. agrees: "The Exterior Company's principles align with what I learned as a military leader. If values and integrity are established, solutions become almost obvious. I look forward to helping keep this mindset at the forefront of our company through this program."

The program doesn't intend to forge a singular outcome for all members. "Our NGLs all display strong natural leadership qualities. Though the group is composed of various roles, skillsets, and tenures-all members have displayed success and hold strong influence," said Joe Hydrick. "Some NGLs will advance to management positions as opportunities arise. Others will find their calling as exemplary individual contributors, leading from the front. Either track is leadership, and the principles for success are equally applicable."

The first order of business will be an NGL kickoff trip to sunny San Diego in January to absorb leadership wisdom from powerhouse Jocko Willink and his team. As a highly accomplished military leader, bestselling author, and a modern-day beacon of old-school work ethic, Jocko's seminar promises to resonate with the NGLs and underpin the program mission with parallel values.

The Next Generation Leadership program will provide regular round-tables, workshops, seminars, mentorship programs, and practical project assignments, all under the guidance of existing leadership within the organization. With this approach, The Exterior Company is poised to continue its tradition of delivering top-tier roofing and exterior services while fostering a culture of growth underpinned by old-school work ethic and gratitude. Future leader Daryl B. summarizes: "To get, give. That's rule number 16."

2024 TEC Next Generation Leadership Roster:

Daryl B

Alex R

Melvin K

Kyle S

Jordan H

Steve F

Jim K

Brad G

Jeremy D

Dave A

Shane VH

To learn more about The Exterior Company and its Next Generation Leadership program, please visit www.theexteriorcompany.com or contact Joe Hydrick at info@theexteriorcompany.com

311 Harrisburg Ave. Lancaster, PA 17603

www.theexteriorcompany.com

717-552-0232

info@theexteriorcompany.com

SOURCE: The Exterior Company





View the original press release on accesswire.com
NAGOYA, Japan, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Central Japan Startup Ecosystem held a media event under the theme, "Diversifying the Value of Mobility: From Land to Sky" at Nagoya Innovator's Garage, a dynamic facility where entrepreneurs and enterprises come together to create new ideas, businesses and industries.

The event targeted overseas media and effectively introduced what the region of Central Japan is doing in the rapidly evolving field of mobility. The event not only highlighted Japanese startups, but also foreign/inbound startups that are seeking to expand into the Japanese market. This media event was an excellent opportunity for the foreign media to meet and conduct individual interviews with some of the most innovative entrepreneurs and startups in the region and to discuss the future of mobility.

Event Highlights

Shuichi Hirano from Jetro Nagoya (Director-General for Chubu, Chief Director) offered some opening remarks. This was followed by an overview of initiatives from the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium by Toshio Sumi (Director, Economic Affairs Bureau Startup Support Office, Innovation Department, Nagoya City Economic Affairs Bureau). He talked about Central Japan's mission to bring the future of mobility to our doorsteps. The ecosystem provides an excellent environment for startups to achieve unicorn status. Central Japan is also focused on developing outstanding human resources for the next generation of students through 'Tongali', an entrepreneurial platform for Central Japan's academic communities and serving 23 participating universities. As of 2022, 5,000 students have participated.

This was followed by a presentation by Masaaki Shibayama from the Aichi Prefectural Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry (Economic Industry Promotion Supervisor). He spoke about the Aichi Mobility Innovation Project, "Aichi Model 2030 Connecting Sky and Road" that aims to build a world-first mobility society where the sky, roads, people and things such as drones, flying cars, and autonomous vehicles intersect and are controlled simultaneously, with no boundaries in the movement of people and goods.

As an example of a successful foreign startup expanding into the Japanese market, Vitaly Pentegov, CEO at UrbanChain Group, talked about why Central Japan is the ideal choice for inbound startups. Originating in Hong Kong, launched in the U.S, and recently expandeAd in Japan, UrbanChain specifically chose Central Japan because Nagoya is the center of the automobile industry. He said, "The right size and a deeply rooted culture surrounding mobility makes Central Japan the best place and the right market size to test our product."

Finally, the presentation session concluded with an overview of entrepreneurship education from elementary, junior high, and high school students by Manabu Sahashi and Takahiro Yano from the Startup Promotion Office, Academic Research & Industry Academia-Government, Collaboration, Nagoya University.

This event was an excellent opportunity for the foreign media to meet Aichi-based and inbound startups that are looking to expand in Central Japan, as well as learn about the innovative programs that Central Japan is engaged in. All the participating startups used this occasion to introduce their companies, their support from Central Japan, and why this region is the ideal place for their business.

Background on Participating Startups

Fabio SOUZA, CEO, Crystal CO., LTD

Crystal is a platform for mobility sharing. Its e-scooter sharing service "Su__i" was launched in Nagoya and makes short distance transfers easier and enjoyable. Its integrated platform for sharing mobility will start operations in October 2025 and after that, Crystal will offer mobility beyond e-scooters, according to regional characteristics.

Crystal is supported by Central Japan for their app., Su__i  my route and a 2023 trial project for MaaS social implementation in Aichi Prefecture. In April 2023, Crystal moved into PRE-STATION Ai in Nagoya, which offers various programs depending on a startup's business stage.

https://www.crystal-tec.co.jp/index_en.html

Kiho KAMIYA, CEO & Founder, FACTORY X Inc.

Female-founded FACTORY X develops and deploys an "Inventory Strategy Model" to improve productivity and profitability by strategically holding inventory in the manufacturing process. The company aims for a new type of inventory optimization by rethinking the way inventory has been regarded as a 'negative' in the manufacturing industry. It was founded at the end of September 2022 and raised 40 million yen in a pre-seed round of funding in April 2023. The company was selected as one of the seven companies for fiscal year 2023 in the "Weekly Toyo Keizai 100 Amazing Venture Companies".

FACTORY X is supported by Central Japan through their hosted entrepreneur-first fundraisers, organized events that include local manufacturing companies, and sharing information and networking that can serve as the basis for overseas expansion.

https://www.factory-x.com/e-factory-x

Shuji OGAWA, President and Representative Director, PD AeroSpace, LTD.

PD AeroSpace built an engine that can change jet and rocket combustion modes mid-air, creating a way for a new type of reusable spaceplanes which are able to horizontally take off and land at airports. With the mission of "making space more accessible," the company aims to realize space travel by 2030.

With the support of Central Japan, PD Aerospace has been selected for the New Aichi Creative Development Grant Program for FY2023, and established Team D with detonation laboratories from five universities including Nagoya University.

https://pdas.co.jp/en/

Shunsuke TOYA, CEO, Prodrone Co., Ltd.

PRODRONE is one of the few companies in the world with a high level of technical expertise in both hardware (airframe) and software, and has introduced a number of innovative industrial drones since its establishment in 2015. At the Japan Mobility Show 2023, it unveiled a concept model of its new "SORA-MICHI," a "flying light truck," a cargo drone capable of flying 50 km with a 50 kg payload, aiming to solve local issues in mountainous areas and remote islands by delivering medical supplies in times of peace and disaster, and mitigation by transporting relief supplies to isolated villages.

PRODRONE received support from Central Japan through the Aichi Prefecture's "Innovative Business Creation Proposal Platform (A-idea)," which adopted the "Aichi Mobility Innovation Project, Aichi Model 2030 Connecting Skies and Roads." The project was also adopted as the first A-idea project, and PRODRONE was a co-sponsor of 'DRONE EXPO 2022 in Aichi.'

https://www.prodrone.com/

Vitaly PENTEGOV, CEO, UrbanChain Group

UrbanChain Group provides AIoT systems that integrate vehicle identification systems, EV charging control, car sharing, and data-driven SaaS platforms to enhance the efficient use of urban resources, with the main objective of connecting people, vehicles, and destinations.

UrbanChain received support from the Greater Nagoya Initiative by receiving a grant for company incorporation, introduced to Proof of Concept (PoC) opportunities, as well as PR opportunities and legal support. UrbanChain also joined PRE-STATION Ai which helped UrbanChain connect with Japanese companies and government organizations, provided mentoring, and opportunities to attend hosted events for Japanese and overseas audiences.

https://www.urbanchaingroup.com/

Background on Central Japan

Located in the Chubu region, also known as Central Japan - right in the middle of Japan's main island, Honshu, this region is proud of playing a vital role in the history of Japan's manufacturing craftsmanship. It was where Toyota first began, and as a tech pioneer, it is now the home to a wide range of sectors such as automobiles, photonics, and aerospace, using advanced, cutting-edge technologies.

Central Japan continues to invite entrepreneurs and capitalists from all corners of the world to facilitate state-of-the-art open innovation by infusing new ideas with local craftsmanship. And as a result, take part in playing a crucial role in paving the path towards the Homeland of Mobility 5.0 -the future of mobility.

Central Japan Startup Ecosystem provides everything a startup needs - from highly trained workers in many specialized fields to opportunities to conduct feasibility studies with leading companies in various industries including the mobility sector. There are also accelerator programs, financial support systems, innovative university seeds, and collaborative partnerships with ecosystems outside of Japan and also attract a wide range of entrepreneurs to this region. ??

About the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem

In July 2020, Aichi prefecture, Nagoya City and Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka-prefecture became one of the four regional Startup Ecosystem Global Base Cities groups designated nationwide by the Japanese Cabinet Office.

There are 371 startups in Central Japan, of which 150 are university-launched. An estimated 18,615 billion yen (as of July 2022) of funds have been raised, in addition to accelerator programs, financial support systems, and innovative university seeds.

Collaborative partnerships with Station F, INSEAD, BLOCK71, Paris &Co, Bpifrance, Venture Cafe, Plug and Play, Israel Innovation Authority, Tsinghua University, China Medical University, National University of Singapore, the University of Texas at Austin, Stanford University, North Carolina State University, University of Nebraska and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad attract a diverse range of entrepreneurs to the region.

For more information, please visit https://central-startup.jp/en/

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SEBA Bank AG, a fully licensed Swiss crypto bank, announced today its new brand identity: AMINA Bank AG. The group operates globally from its regulated hubs in Zug, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, offering its clients traditional and crypto banking services.

SEBA Bank made history in 2019 by becoming one of the first FINMA-regulated institutions to provide crypto banking services. This rebrand marks a new chapter for the company, which has proudly been in operation for more than four years. AMINA Bank is inspired by the same trailblazing ambition to lead the way for its clients and to write its own future as a Swiss-regulated crypto bank offering services to its traditional and crypto savvy clients around the globe.

The name 'AMINA' stems from the term 'transAMINAtion', meaning transference of one compound to another. AMINA is a brand driven by perpetual change, bringing together the various 'compounds' of traditional, digital, and crypto banking to unlock new potential and growth for our clients. This vision of change represents the transformation of our clients' financial future.

Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA, said: "We are delighted to introduce the world to our new brand identity. While we say goodbye to the SEBA name, we remain forever proud of the achievements made by the group under the former brand.

"Our brand signifies a new era in the company's growth and strategy; we are a key player in crypto banking and are here to define the future of finance. With our client-focused approach, our years of traversing traditional and crypto finance, we offer a platform for investors to build wealth safely and under the highest regulatory standards."

"We are grateful to be encouraged by our supportive and committed investors who have been very helpful, supporting the growth of the company. We thank our employees in all the regions for their dedication and client focus. As we look forward to 2024, our ambition is to accelerate the growth of our strategic hubs in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi, and to continue our global expansion, building on all the successes we have laid down over the past years."

Current clients of AMINA Bank (formerly SEBA Bank) will be unaffected by the rebrand other than encountering the new name; all operations will be business as usual across the board.

The branch office based in Abu Dhabi and the subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Singapore will subsequently apply for a name change to align with the head office in Zug.

To learn more about AMINA, visit www.aminagroup.com

Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA, is available for interview.

About AMINA Crypto. Banking. Simplified.

Founded in April 2018 and headquartered in Zug, AMINA (formerly SEBA) is a pioneer in the financial industry. In August 2019, AMINA received a Swiss banking and securities dealer license. The broad, vertically integrated spectrum of services, combined with the highest security standards, make AMINA's value proposition unique. AMINA operates globally from its regulated hubs of Switzerland, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong to offer fiat and crypto services to progressive investors, traditional and crypto-native alike, whether individuals, corporates or institutions.

CVVC Global Report and CB Insights named AMINA as one of the Top 50 Companies within the blockchain ecosystem. Aite Group awarded AMINA their 2021 Digital Wealth Management Impact Innovation Award in the 'Digital Startup of the Year' category, and LinkedIn listed AMINA as one of the Top Startups 2021 in Switzerland. In 2022, AMINA won the Digital Assets Offering or Service at the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards, and the bank was also recognised for its product offering SEBAX and won the Best ETP of the Year award at the Swiss ETF Awards 2022. In 2023, AMINA won the European WealthBriefing Award in the Digital Assets Solution, Fund Manager category.

For more information on AMINA, please visit our website.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219909168/en/

Contacts:

Wachsman

Matt Turner

Senior Consultant

aminabank@wachsman.com

AMINA Bank AG

Yves Longchamp

Managing Director

yves.longchamp@aminagroup.com
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UNESCO and Huawei donated ICT equipment to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education last week under the Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project (TeOSS), which the two partners have been running in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana since 2020.

As part of the three-year project, which ends this year and is positioned under Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, UNESCO and Huawei provided 480 tablets, 48 access points, and 24 smart boards to 24 beneficiary secondary schools in different regions of Ethiopia.

"I extend my gratitude once again to UNESCO and Huawei for their dedication to education and for this significant donation at this very critical time," said Ayelech Eshete, State Minister for the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Referring to the secondary school beneficiaries, she added, "It will enable them to explore diverse educational resources, expand their knowledge beyond textbooks, and connect with a vast global network of information and learning experiences."

The equipment will go some way to supporting the project's broader aims of reducing the digital divide and enhancing education inclusion and equity by building the capacity of educators and institutions.

"We mark a significant milestone in this journey as we witness the delivery of the latest ICT equipment to secondary schools across Ethiopia," said Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director, UNESCO Liaison Office to AU, UNECA, and Representative of Ethiopia.

"These schools, which have been carefully selected by the MoE and respective regional education bureaus as beneficiaries of this project, will now have the occasion to integrate technology into their classrooms, providing students with opportunities for enhanced learning, collaboration, and skills development."

In Ethiopia, the three-year TeOSS project is focusing on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform. The project broader aims include creating crisis-resilient school systems that ensure learning continuity in both normal and crisis conditions by making education resources available in the home, classroom, and other scenarios.

Since the inception of the project in 2020, project partners have designed and evaluated project outcomes in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana with a view to scaling up the project in Africa. A particular emphasis is reaching schools in low-resource nations, and transforming them into technology-enabled schools that can underpin lifelong learning opportunities for all and education equity and quality for students.

The UNESCO and Huawei partnership is underpinned by the continued efforts of the government of Ethiopia to empower its students and citizens to become active participants in the digital world, ensuring that they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build a just, inclusive, peaceful, open, and knowledge-based society. For more information, visit https://www.unesco.org/en/fieldoffice/addisababa.

About the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia

Ministry of education which its vision is to Sustainably building an education and training system that ensures quality and equitable education for all citizens and that continuously produces a competent and competitive workforce fueling the country's economic development.

For more information, visit https://moe.gov.et/

About Huawei TECH4ALL

TECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. Enabled by innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL is designed to help promote inclusion and sustainability in the digital world.

For more information, please visit Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL

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PURCHASE (dpa-AFX) - Houdini, Inc. is recalling all Wine Country Gift Baskets produced with Quaker Chewy Granola bars that has been recalled recently for potential contamination with Salmonella, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The latest recall involves Wine Country Gift Baskets #8700 Ministry of Snacks Sweet and Savory Collection: Gift with lot codes LC 595922, LC 596339, LC 597305, LC 597306, LC 597910, LC601543 and LC 607376. The affected products were distributed throughout the US through online sales and through Amazon.com. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, while in rare circumstances, Salmonella infection can cause more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis. However, no illnesses have been reported to date related to the recalled products. Recently, Quaker Oats, a unit of food and beverage major PepsiCo, Inc., recalled specific granola bars and cereal products due to possible salmonella contamination. The recalled foods include the Big Chewy Bars Chocolate Chip granola bars, Big Chewy granola bars variety pack, Chewy Bars and Dipps variety pack, Quaker Puffed Granola Apple Cinnamon Cereal, among others. Quaker has also not received any confirmed reports of illness related to the products covered by its recall. PepsiCo-owned Frito-Lay Inc. in November recalled 16,100 bags of Off The Eaten Path Chickpea Veggie Crisps for undeclared milk ingredients, a known allergen. Frito-Lay in August had recalled less than 7000 bags of Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips for undeclared wheat and soy. For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Black Hat, the cybersecurity industry's most established and in-depth security event series, today announced the successful completion of the in-person component of Black Hat Europe 2023. The event welcomed more than 3,600 unique attendees joining in-person from December 4 to December 7 at ExCeL London.

Security professionals from 118 countries registered to attend the event and experience firsthand the latest in research, development, and trends in information security (InfoSec) through 40 Briefings presenting the latest research and vulnerability disclosures, four days of deeply technical hands-on Trainings, over 50 Sponsored Sessions, and 54 in-person tool demos covering exploitation and ethical hacking, malware defense, network attacks, reverse engineering, and more.

"The final quarter of the year continues to be a busy time for the industry and we're appreciative of everyone who is able to attend Black Hat Europe each year," said Steve Wylie, Vice President, Cybersecurity Market Group at Informa Tech. "We're pleased with the turnout for Black Hat Europe 2023 and look forward to continuing to expand our events alongside our community, Partners, and Sponsors."

Show highlights for 2023 included:

Keynotes: The two Keynotes this year included Ollie Whitehouse, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and Joe Sullivan, CEO of Ukraine Friends.

The two Keynotes this year included Ollie Whitehouse, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and Joe Sullivan, CEO of Ukraine Friends. Briefings: Black Hat Briefings took place on December 6 and December 7, and presented the latest in information security risks, research, and trends on topics covering everything from enterprise security, exploit development, reverse engineering, and more.

Black Hat Briefings took place on December 6 and December 7, and presented the latest in information security risks, research, and trends on topics covering everything from enterprise security, exploit development, reverse engineering, and more. Trainings: Black Hat Trainings were held from December 4 to December 7, and included two- and four-day, deeply technical, hands-on courses led by the information security industry's top trainers and professionals. Courses covered a variety of topics, including application security (AppSec), forensics, penetration testing (pentesting), and more. This year's event featured 13 in-person classes and 7 virtual classes.

Black Hat Trainings were held from December 4 to December 7, and included two- and four-day, deeply technical, hands-on courses led by the information security industry's top trainers and professionals. Courses covered a variety of topics, including application security (AppSec), forensics, penetration testing (pentesting), and more. This year's event featured 13 in-person classes and 7 virtual classes. Business Hall: This year's Business Hall showcased the latest products and technologies from more than 110 of the industry's leading information security solution providers. The Business Hall also featured areas for attendee, vendor, and community engagement through Arsenal, Sponsored Sessions, Exhibitor Booths, Bricks Picks, and more.

This year's Business Hall showcased the latest products and technologies from more than 110 of the industry's leading information security solution providers. The Business Hall also featured areas for attendee, vendor, and community engagement through Arsenal, Sponsored Sessions, Exhibitor Booths, Bricks Picks, and more. Arsenal: Black Hat Arsenal brings together researchers and the cybersecurity community to showcase and demonstrate their latest open-source tools and products in a conversational environment where presenters can interact with the attendees. A key component of Arsenal, the Arsenal Lab, is now featured at all regional events, and is an interactive, hands-on environment designed for hacking enthusiasts of all skill levels to learn about specialized tools and targets that may be difficult to access otherwise. This year's event featured 54 in-person tool demos and six labs.

Black Hat Arsenal brings together researchers and the cybersecurity community to showcase and demonstrate their latest open-source tools and products in a conversational environment where presenters can interact with the attendees. A key component of Arsenal, the Arsenal Lab, is now featured at all regional events, and is an interactive, hands-on environment designed for hacking enthusiasts of all skill levels to learn about specialized tools and targets that may be difficult to access otherwise. This year's event featured 54 in-person tool demos and six labs. Omdia Analyst Summit: The second annual Omdia Analyst Summit at Black Hat Europe featured the industry's leading cybersecurity analysts and provided attendees with actionable insights, innovative approaches, and a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence cybersecurity outcomes for organizations within the European landscape.

The second annual Omdia Analyst Summit at Black Hat Europe featured the industry's leading cybersecurity analysts and provided attendees with actionable insights, innovative approaches, and a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence cybersecurity outcomes for organizations within the European landscape. Community Program: The Community Program included sessions that encouraged collaboration among attendees and presenters through discussions of current issues impacting the cybersecurity community. Topics covered inclusion, mental health, cyber policy, and more.

The Community Program included sessions that encouraged collaboration among attendees and presenters through discussions of current issues impacting the cybersecurity community. Topics covered inclusion, mental health, cyber policy, and more. Scholarships: As a way to introduce the next generation of security professionals to the Black Hat community, Black Hat Europe awarded 108 complimentary Briefings passes. Black Hat holds its own annual Student Scholarship programs, and partners with a variety of associations on additional scholarship opportunities.

As a way to introduce the next generation of security professionals to the Black Hat community, Black Hat Europe awarded 108 complimentary Briefings passes. Black Hat holds its own annual Student Scholarship programs, and partners with a variety of associations on additional scholarship opportunities. Network Operations Center (NOC): The Black Hat Network Operations Center (NOC) provided a high security, high availability network in an intensely demanding environment. Each year, the hand-selected NOC team meets before Black Hat Europe to incorporate the latest infrastructure and security solutions into a workable network design. Black Hat attendees may then visit the NOC for a glimpse into this state-of-the-art network.

Top Sponsors and Partners of Black Hat Europe 2023 include:

Diamond Sponsors : Axonius, Bionic, KnowBe4, NCC Group, Snyk, ThreatLocker, and Carbon Black.

: Axonius, Bionic, KnowBe4, NCC Group, Snyk, ThreatLocker, and Carbon Black. Platinum Sponsors: Appdome, Claroty, GitHub, INCIBE, Synopsys, and Upwind Security.

Appdome, Claroty, GitHub, INCIBE, Synopsys, and Upwind Security. Sustaining Partners: Armis, Carbon Black, CrowdStrike, KnowBe4, ManageEngine, Qualys, SentinelOne, Sophos, Sysdig, and Trend Micro.

Armis, Carbon Black, CrowdStrike, KnowBe4, ManageEngine, Qualys, SentinelOne, Sophos, Sysdig, and Trend Micro. Global Partners: Adaptive Shield, Akamai, ARCON, Binalyze, Bugcrowd, Carbon Black, Contrast Security, Corellium, CYBER RANGES, DataDome, INE, KnowBe4, Microsoft, Snyk, Sonar, Swimlane, Synopsys, Varonis, and Veracode.

For more information on Black Hat events, please visit https://www.blackhat.com.

About Black Hat

For over 25 years, Black Hat has provided attendees with the very latest in information security research, development, and trends. These high-profile global events and trainings are driven by the needs of the security community, striving to bring together the best minds in the industry. Black Hat inspires professionals at all career levels, encouraging growth and collaboration among academia, world-class researchers, and leaders in the public and private sectors. Black Hat Briefings and Trainings are held annually in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia. More information is available at: blackhat.com. Black Hat is brought to you by Informa Tech.

About Informa Tech

Informa Tech is a leading provider of market insight and market access to the global business technology community. Through in-depth expertise and an engaged audience community, Informa Tech helps business professionals make better technology decisions and marketers reach the most powerful tech buyers and influencers in the world. Across its portfolio of over 100+ trusted brands, Informa Tech has over 1000 industry experts, including over 400 research analysts and consultants in global research group Omdia, and a monthly audience reach of over 125 million. Informa Tech is a division of FTSE 100 company Informa plc. For more information, please visit informatech.com.

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Stephanie DeAngelo, Informa Tech

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OSLO, Norway (20 December 2023) - TGS, a leading global provider of energy data and intelligence, has been awarded a three-month proprietary Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) data acquisition contract in the North Sea for a repeat customer. The project's acquisition will begin in Q2 2024.

Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, commented: "This project, for a major energy customer, further highlights the integral role OBN acquisition has in providing our clients improved seismic data quality and help them make better reservoir development decisions."

TGS remains committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers through this endeavor, emphasizing the pivotal role that OBN technology plays in advancing seismic data quality. The Company's dedication to innovation ensures that clients receive reliable data and gain unparalleled insights for informed decision-making.

About TGS

TGS provides scientific data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. In addition to a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, TGS offers specialized services such as advanced processing and analytics alongside cloud-based data applications and solutions.

Forward Looking Statement

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include volatile market conditions, investment opportunities in new and existing markets, demand for licensing of data within the energy industry, operational challenges, and reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.

For more information, visit TGS.com or contact:
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Allschwil, Switzerland, December 20, 2023

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections, announced today that it will accelerate the repayment of its senior secured loan. The senior secured loan from Athyrium Capital Management, LP ("Athyrium") had an initial total amount of CHF 75 million and a two-year term from September 2022 to September 2024. The repayment started as of Q1 2023 on a quarterly basis. Basilea now plans to have the loan fully repaid by the end of Q1 2024.

Adesh Kaul, Basilea's Chief Financial Officer, said: "We are pleased that the successful implementation of our growth strategy in 2023 and our strong financial prospects for 2024 have allowed us to agree with Athyrium on an early repayment of the senior secured loan. The accelerated repayment reduces our interest payments and fees by approximately CHF 1.5 million, freeing up funds for investing into the continued expansion and progression of our pipeline of promising anti-infective drug candidates and creating long-term value for our shareholders."

About Basilea

Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of bacterial infections. In addition, we have preclinical and clinical anti-infective assets in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil

Hegenheimermattweg 167b

4123 Allschwil

Switzerland Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com (mailto:media_relations@basilea.com)

investor_relations@basilea.com (mailto:investor_relations@basilea.com)

This ad hoc announcement can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

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ING takes next steps on energy financing after COP28

Phase-out of upstream oil & gas financing by 2040

Aim to triple renewables financing by 2025

ING announced today it is taking the next steps in our energy approach, phasing out the financing of upstream oil and gas activities by 2040 and aiming to triple new financing for renewable energy by 2025. These steps, updating our Terra approach, come after governments at COP28 agreed to transition away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy capacity.

Steven van Rijswijk, CEO of ING said: "Climate change is one of the world's biggest challenges. The world needs energy, but still too much of that is coming from fossil fuels. Building on the progress made by world leaders at the COP28 conference and the most recent scientific insights and scenarios, we're today announcing our next impactful actions to contribute to the acceleration of the energy transition. We significantly increase our commitment to renewable energy and at the same time give a clear, accelerated path for the complete phasing out of oil and gas extraction from our financing portfolio. We realise more work will be necessary by all parties to reach a net zero society. We will therefore continue to adapt our financing and policies, collaborating with clients, sector experts, scientists, regulators, and governments in addressing the urgency to transition to more sustainable ways of doing business."

ING will speed up phasing out the financing of upstream (exploration and production) oil and gas activities. With our Terra approach we aim to steer our oil and gas portfolio in line with the Net Zero Emissions scenario for Advanced Economies of the International Energy Agency (IEA). As a result, loans to upstream oil and gas activities will be reduced by 35% by 2030, which translates into a reduction of 50% absolute emissions financed linked to our upstream portfolio (scope 1, 2, and 3). By 2040 the financed emissions linked to our portfolio will be reduced to zero. We take an inclusive approach and support our energy clients' transition towards net zero.

ING will also aim to triple the financing of renewable power generation to 7.5 billion annually by 2025, up from 2.5 billion in 2022. This follows the agreement made by governments at COP28 and the guidance provided by the IEA that renewable power generation must triple in capacity by 2030 to meet net-zero goals. Our new target, which is five years ahead of the COP28 guidance, replaces the previous target of increasing renewables financing by 50% by 2025 from the 1.5 billion base in 2021.

As society transitions to a low-carbon economy, so do our clients, and so does ING. The low-carbon transition cannot happen overnight. So even though we finance a lot of sustainable activities, we still finance more that's not. That is a reflection of the current global economy, how far the world has come and still needs to go. About 80% of energy used globally today is fossil fuel-based. Electrification is key for the decarbonisation of the global energy system. The IEA stresses the critical importance of the massive build-out of renewable power generation, like wind, solar, water and geothermal.

In developing ING's energy strategy, we balance three key interests: the need to decarbonise to fight climate change, the need for energy to remain affordable for people and companies, and the need for the energy supply to remain secure. Earlier major steps in adapting our policies included to stop financing coal fired power generation and thermal coal mining and the ending of dedicated financing of upstream and midstream for new oil and gas fields. We are guided by the IEA's 1.5-degree climate scenario and will continue to update our targets in line with their net zero by 2050 pathways.





Note for editors

For further information on ING, please visit www.ing.com. Frequent news updates can be found in the Newsroomor via the @ING_newsX feed. Photos of ING operations, buildings and its executives are available for download at Flickr.

Press enquiries Investor enquiries Daan Wentholt ING Group Investor Relations +31 20 576 6386 +31 20 576 6396 Daan.Wentholt@ing.com (mailto:Daan.Wentholt@ing.com) Investor.Relations@ing.com (mailto:Investor.Relations@ing.com)

ING PROFILE

ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank's more than 60,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.

ING Group shares are listed on the exchanges of Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and on the New York Stock Exchange (ADRs: ING US, ING.N).

Sustainability is an integral part of ING's strategy, evidenced by ING's leading position in sector benchmarks. ING's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating by MSCI was affirmed 'AA' in July 2023. As of August 2022, Sustainalytics considers ING's management of ESG material risk to be 'strong', and in June 2022 ING received an ESG rating of 'strong' from S&P Global Ratings. ING Group shares are also included in major sustainability and ESG index products of leading providers Euronext, STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell.

Important legal information

Elements of this press release contain or may contain information about ING Groep N.V. and/ or ING Bank N.V. within the meaning of Article 7(1) to (4) of EU Regulation No 596/2014.

ING Group's annual accounts are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union ('IFRS- EU'). In preparing the financial information in this document, except as described otherwise, the same accounting principles are applied as in the 2022 ING Group consolidated annual accounts. All figures in this document are unaudited. Small differences are possible in the tables due to rounding.

Certain of the statements contained herein are not historical facts, including, without limitation, certain statements made of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to di?er materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual results, performance or events may di?er materially from those in such statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation:.

This document may contain ESG-related material that has been prepared by ING on the basis of publicly available information, internally developed data and other third-party sources believed to be reliable. ING has not sought to independently verify information obtained from public and third-party sources and makes no representations or warranties as to accuracy, completeness, reasonableness or reliability of such information.

This document may contain inactive textual addresses to internet websites operated by us and third parties. Reference to such websites is made for information purposes only, and information found at such websites is not incorporated by reference into this document. ING does not make any representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of, or take any responsibility for, any information found at any websites operated by third parties. ING specifically disclaims any liability with respect to any information found at websites operated by third parties. ING cannot guarantee that websites operated by third parties remain available following the publication of this document, or that any information found at such websites will not change following the filing of this document. Many of those factors are beyond ING's control.

Any forward looking statements made by or on behalf of ING speak only as of the date they are made, and ING assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or for any other reason.

This document does not constitute an o?er to sell, or a solicitation of an o?er to purchase, any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

Attachment
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrolyzers Market is expected to reach USD 57.2 billion by 2030 from USD 0.5 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 97.7% during the 2023-2030 period according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growing demand for cleaner fuels is one of the major factors driving the Electrolyzers Market. Global electrolyzers demand has been increasing gradually due to goals set to achieve net zero emissions in recent years. Governments worldwide are taking proactive measures to establish the necessary infrastructure for the development of green hydrogen, with a notable focus in Asia and the European Union, alongside select American and Middle Eastern nations. The increasing investment and funding landscape have emerged as formidable catalysts propelling the electrolyzer market into a phase of rapid expansion and technological evolution. Nations have incorporated electrolyzer targets into their hydrogen strategies. With the spotlight on green hydrogen intensifying as a linchpin in the roadmap toward a net-zero future which presents a significant opportunity for the Electrolyzers Market. However, the risks associated with high initial investment for setting up hydrogen production plants and lack of hydrogen infrastructure have hindered the growth of the market in recent years and are expected to restrain the market's growth during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Electrolyzers Market"

139 - Tables

48 - Figures

202 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=23889518

Electrolyzers Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $0.5 billion Estimated Value by 2030 $57.2 billion Growth Rate Poised to Grow at a CAGR of 97.7% Largest Market Europe Market Size Available for 2020-2030 Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/USD Billion), Volume (MW/KW) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Electrolyzers Market by Technology, Application, Power Rating, and Region. Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World Key Market Opportunities Campaigns to achieve net zero and electrolysis installation targets Key Market Drivers Growing demand for green ammonia applications

The alkaline electrolyzer, by technology, is expected to be the largest segment during the forecast period.

Based on technology, the Electrolyzers Market has been split into alkaline electrolyzers (AE), proton exchange membrane (PEM), solid oxide electrolyzers (SOE), and anion exchange membrane (AEM). The Electrolyzers Market for alkaline electrolyzers is anticipated to have the biggest market share over the forecast period. Alkaline electrolyzers is established and mature electrolysis technologies. As the need for green hydrogen grows, there is a rising emphasis on lowering the cost of electrolyzers. Alkaline electrolyzers are becoming more appealing for large-scale hydrogen generation due to their relatively simple design and lower capital costs compared to other technologies.

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The grid injection segment, by application, is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

This report segments the Electrolyzers Market based on application into four segments: energy, mobility, industrial, and grid injection. The grid injection segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecasted period, owing to the extensive decarbonization efforts in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Green hydrogen can be transported using grids. Renewable energy plants produce varying amounts of energy depending on the day and season. The extra electricity produced can be converted into green hydrogen and fed back into the system. This enables solar and wind power plants to operate at full capacity. Additionally, the penetration of renewables in the energy system presents significant opportunities. Even the pipe system, which is part of the grid system, serves as a storage vessel. Hydrogen may be transported by grid injection for lower cost and is suitable for various purposes.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in the Electrolyzers Industry.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in the Electrolyzers Market during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region comprises major economies such as China, Japan, and Australia. The Electrolyzers Market in Asia Pacific is primarily fueled by the increasing foreign investments in green hydrogen projects. According to IEA, China is estimated to account for nearly half of global electrolyzers manufacturing capacity by the end of 2023. Asia Pacific is one of the leading markets for adopting green technologies to meet the government targets for reducing GHG emissions. It aims to deploy green hydrogen on a large scale. The country plans to have 200,00 green hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and 320 hydrogen refueling stations by 2025 to meet the global carbon emission standards.

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Key Players

Some of the major players in the Electrolyzers Companies are thyssenkrupp nucera (Germany) , John Cockerill (Belgium), Nel ASA (Norway), Plug Power Inc. (US), and Siemens Energy (Germany). The major strategies adopted by these players include new product launches, acquisitions, contracts, agreements, partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations, investments, and expansions.

Recent Developments

In October 2023, John Cockerill expanded its operations to the US hydrogen market by acquiring manufacturing space in Texas, for a new gigafactory. The facility is expected to produce 1GW per year of electrolyzers.

In April 2023, Nel ASA entered into a contract with Hyd'Occ for the supply of 20 MW of alkaline electrolyzer equipment to Hyd'Occ for its venture in Port-La-Nouvelle, France. Nel has successfully completed and provided the front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for this project.

In June 2023, thyssenkrupp nucera and Unipar collaborates to incorporate thyssenkrupp nucera electrolyzers in Unipar's plant in brazil

In June 2022, Siemens Energy and Air Liquide formed a joint venture to produce industrial-scale renewable hydrogen electrolyzers in Europe.

In March 2022, Enapter S.r.l announced the launch of a next generation EL 4.0 AEM electrolyzer. The electrolyzer will be utilized for mass green hydrogen production.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Hydrogen Generation Market by Technology (SMR, ATR, POX, Coal Gasification, Electrolysis), Application (Refinery, Ammonia, Methanol, Transportation, Power Generation), Source (Blue, Green, Gray), Generation Mode Region - Global Forecast to 2028

Hydrogen Market by Sector (Generation Type (Gray, Blue, Green), Storage (Physical, Material), Transportation (Long, Short)), Application (Energy (Power, CHP), Mobility, Chemical & Refinery (Refinery, Ammonia, Methanol)), Region - Global Forecast to 2030

Green Ammonia Market by Technology (Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE), Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolysis, Solid Oxide Electrolysis), End-Use Application (Transportation, Power Generation, Industrial Feedstock) & Region - Global Forecast to 2030

Green Hydrogen Market by Technology (Alkaline and PEM), Renewable Source (Wind, Solar, Geothermal, Hydropower, and Hybrid of Wind & Solar), End-Use Industry (Mobility, Power, Chemical, Industrial, Grid Injection), and Region - Global Forecast to 2027

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Perfuze, a private medical device company dedicated to developing pioneering technology to treat acute ischemic stroke, proudly announces FDA clearance for the Millipede 070 Aspiration Catheter and the 2nd generation of the Millipede 088 Access Catheter.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220858228/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

The Millipede 070 Aspiration Catheter is built upon a pioneering, distinctive technology that enables physicians to address critical unmet needs in ischemic stroke treatment. It is designed to remove clots rapidly and safely. This novel, unique catheter is designed for superior deliverability and high procedural efficiency, making it a more refined approach for restoring blood flow to the brain during endovascular thrombectomy procedures.

"In our initial experience with Millipede 070, the system easily delivered to the target occlusion allowing rapid, effective and safe reperfusion," stated David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center, NY, USA. Millipede 070 has a unique design with a rib-and-recess surface architecture designed to improve navigability and reduce tip stiffness, while maintaining durability.

"Perfuze aims to provide neurovascular interventionists with innovative thrombectomy solutions, to maximize their opportunity to completely restore blood flow to the brain on their first attempt," said Wayne Allen, CEO of Perfuze. "The 510(k) clearance for the Millipede 070 Aspiration Catheter is a key addition to our portfolio of products and is designed to simplify removal of the clot and improve clinical outcomes."

The Millipede 070 Aspiration Catheter is part of Perfuze's growing catalog of endovascular interventional devices designed to refine and improve stroke treatment. The company is currently enrolling patients for the MARRS pivotal clinical study, which will support regulatory submissions for the Millipede System.

Additionally, Perfuze received 510k clearance for its 2nd generation Millipede 088 Access Catheter. This catheter is designed to facilitate the safe insertion and guidance of microcatheters for neurointerventional or diagnostic procedures. The Millipede 088 Access Catheter initially received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance in 2022. Perfuze takes a physician-led approach to device innovation, working to advance all aspects of stroke treatment from vessel access through to thrombectomy. These 510(k) clearances are a major milestone for the company, underscoring its commitment to continually advancing the field of neurovascular care.

Each year, strokes affect about 16 million people resulting in an estimated 6 million deaths globally. In the United States and Europe, more than 1.5 million patients suffer from acute ischemic stroke each year, with an annual healthcare cost exceeding $100 billion. Stroke is a critically time-sensitive disease and without appropriate diagnosis and treatment, a majority of patients suffer permanent disability or death. Despite recent advances in life-saving endovascular treatment, just 10 percent of eligible stroke patients receive thrombectomy treatment today.

About Perfuze

Based in Galway, Ireland, Perfuze has developed Superbore aspiration technology (50% increase in surface area at the catheter tip facilitating increased vacuum power) that is designed to navigate complex neurovascular anatomy. The system is designed to provide superior navigation in challenging anatomy and robust support, with unparalleled simplicity and speed. The company's pipeline of products is designed to facilitate fast, complete clot removal during acute ischemic stroke. Perfuze is committed to continuing its research and development efforts to advance the field of neurovascular care.

For more information, please visit www.perfuze.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220858228/en/

Contacts:

Wayne Allen, CEO

Perfuze

Email: wayne@perfuze.com
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Petrofac Limited (POFCF.PK, POFCY.PK, PFC.L), an energy services company, said on Wednesday that it expects the annual revenue in line with its guidance. For the full year, the Group has been expecting revenue of around $2.5 billion. Full-year business performance EBIT loss is expected to be approximately $180 million. This includes around $110 million one-off write-downs in contract settlements to protect cash flows and a one-off bad debt provision of approximately $12 million for a client going into administration in the Asset Solutions business unit. The company's outlook is underpinned by strong backlog and a healthy Group pipeline scheduled for an award in the next 18 months of $62 billion, including the remaining projects in the TenneT multi-platform Framework Agreement. Petrofac, and Hitachi Energy, on Wednesday announced the award of the second project under the $14 billion, multi-year Framework Agreement with TenneT, a Dutch-German Transmission System Operator, to expand TenneT's offshore wind capacity in the North Sea. The project is to be executed under a standalone contract, with Petrofac's portion valued at around $1.4 billion. The two companies will deliver Nederwiek 1, a Dutch transmission station which forms part of TenneT's landmark 2 Gigawatt program, comprising several high-voltage direct current offshore grid connection systems, each with a transmission capacity of 2 gigawatts. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Here the experts explain why the growth in popularity of hormone based beauty

LONDON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormones play a role in changing skin conditions, explains Fiona Toomey, founder of NAYDAYA, a wellness brand designed to work with your hormones, "our hormones dictate everything. We've understood the link between hormones and acne for some time, but finally we have better education on the relationship between hormones and dryness, itching, collagen loss and more."

Living M is another brand paving the way when it comes to hormonal based beauty, with its skincare line designed for those experiencing peri/menopause. "Hormonal shifts in menopause have also been found to have a greater impact on skin than that of chronological ageing. Fluctuating hormones causes skin cell turnover to rapidly decline and can lead to concerns such as dryness, irritation, and breakouts," explains Living M Co-founder, Siobhan McCarthy.

We're more in tune with our bodies and hormones than ever before, Fiona adds, "there's a growing awareness about how critical our hormones are so skincare that works with your hormones, and not against them is going to be a mainstream requirement for skincare savvy consumers going forwards."

Tailored skincare and hormonal skincare trends will align, Fiona predicts, "as women are empowered to learn more about their bodies and harness their hormonal cycles, they'll be able to adapt their skincare routines accordingly." As interest in hormonal skincare grows, expect new innovations and new formats, founder of Faace - the brand that created a first-of-its-kind period mask - Jasmine Wicks-Stephens explains, "as the hormonal skincare sector evolves, so will product line-ups with new formats entering the fold."

Hormonal based skincare products to shop

NAYDAYA Victory Oil 24

Formulated with gynaecologists, this collagen-boosting oil is designed to soothe delicate skin and treat intimate dryness which can be experienced with hormonal shifts such as menopause.

Living M 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser & Mask 25

As hormones fluctuate and decline in menopause, skin becomes drier and thinner with a weakened skin barrier. This intensely nourishing cream cleanser and face mask contains superstar ingredients designed to rejuvenate sensitive menopausal skin.

Period Faace Face Mask 27

A mask specifically designed target the fallout of hormonal fluctuations during your period. A does-it-all-in-one skin saviour soothes inflamed skin and kicks breakouts to the curb.

https://www.wgsn.com/en

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HVD Group and Next provide cloud-based software to tradespeople and construction firms in the Nordics, targeting a range of professions including electricians, plumbers and contractors

The tradespeople and construction industry is one of the largest globally while being one of the least digitized. The modern software solutions offered by HVD Group and Next enable customers to embark on a digitalization journey that improves their efficiency and sustainability

EQT Private Equity will invest in HVD Group and Next together with the existing HVD Group shareholder Adelis, which will increase its investment

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT is pleased to announce that the EQT X fund (or "EQT Private Equity") has agreed to invest in the Nordic software companies HVD Group (Hantverksdata) and Next (Next One Technology). Both companies serve the tradespeople and construction industry, with HVD Group focused on installation and service professions - such as electricians, plumbers, heating and ventilation firms - while Next is focused on contractors. HVD Group's platform complements that of Next, and the investment therefore paves the way for a further strengthened product offering, which builds on both companies' strong customer satisfaction scores.

The tradespeople and construction industry is one of the largest globally and yet is still early on its digital transformation journey, which has resulted in low productivity growth over recent decades. HVD Group and Next support the tradespeople and construction workforce to transition from using analogue or complex solutions to instead using their end-to-end software platforms.

HVD Group was founded in Sweden and has over 10,000 customers across the Nordics and Germany. The Company offers cloud-based end-to-end field service management and enterprise resource planning software with key functionalities such as order, project and asset management, scheduling, time reporting, procurement and documentation handling. This enables users to spend less time on administration, while reducing waste and minimizing risk of errors both in the field and the back office.

Next, also founded in Sweden, offers a cloud-based software solution to construction firms and has a strong complementary fit with HVD Group. With approximately 2,500 customers primarily in the Nordics, Next supports contractors, builders and service firms with project management software. Key functionalities include order and resource management, project financials, document handling, checklists and quality control, all of which enable efficient planning, execution and collaboration.

Ali Farahani, Partner within EQT Private Equity's Advisory Team, said: "Investing in HVD Group and Next creates a strong Northern European platform with leading tech and product capabilities. We have followed the space for several years and are excited to back what is in our mind the most attractive platforms in one of the largest verticals globally. We are extremely impressed by the respective teams led by Mikael and Johan, and we look forward to bringing EQT Private Equity's software experience to support the organizations through the next phase of continued high growth."

HVD Group Chairperson Anders Boos and Adelis Partner Joel Russ added: "As long-term investors in HVD Group, we've seen the company go from strength-to-strength and it's clear they have no intention of slowing down. We also know that the tradespeople software sector is robust and attractive given the size and growth, supported by many companies yet having to embrace the benefits from digitalization. That's why we're delighted to be moving forward on the journey together with EQT, HVD Group and Next."

HVD Group CEO Mikael Viotti said: "We've made significant investments in our modern product and technology over the recent years, which has been well-received by our customers, and the opportunity to join forces with Next will only strengthen what we can offer to our customers. We look forward to partnering with EQT Private Equity and Next, while continuing to work with Adelis."

Johan Jarskog, CEO of Next, also commented: "Next and HVD Group have an exciting and complementary fit. Not only from a product perspective, but also in terms of the culture and people, having followed Mikael and his team over the recent years. We are also confident that a combined offering will continue to drive our already high customer satisfaction, as we together with HVD Group will be able to offer an even more comprehensive product to our end users."

Both transactions are expected to close in February 2024. EQT was advised by Vinge and Adelis was advised by White & Case. Next previous owner Monterro was advised by Houlihan Lokey.

With these transactions, EQT X is expected to be 30 - 35 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication) based on target fund size.

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, and may not be used or relied upon in connection with any offer or solicitation. Any offer or solicitation in respect of EQT X will be made only through a confidential private placement memorandum and related documents which will be furnished to qualified investors on a confidential basis in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The information contained herein is not for publication or distribution to persons in the United States of America. Any securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold without registration thereunder or pursuant to an available exemption therefrom. Any offering of securities to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of an offering document that would be obtainable from the issuer or its agents and would contain detailed information about the issuer of the securities and its management, as well as financial information. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration.

Contact

EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com , +46 8 506 55 334

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/87/3896735/2506446.pdf PR_ EQT PE invests in HVD Group and Next_241220 https://news.cision.com/eqt/i/eqt-hvd---next,c3250812 EQT_HVD & Next

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Filtronic's strong end to 2023 has continued, with the announcement of a $6m (4.8m) contract to supply Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) to a leading supplier of low orbit Earth (LEO) satellite equipment. The contract provides evidence of Filtronic's capability and growing standing within the space market, in our view. Meanwhile, the company's 4.5m defence win, announced yesterday, demonstrates continued progress in the business's traditional defence and telecoms verticals. We are not changing our estimates at this stage but see clearer scope for upside. Continued execution could open the potential for a sustained acceleration in growth with demand for high-end radio frequency systems growing and Filtronic has rare capabilities in this field. The company's rating is now starting to factor in an acceleration in growth and margin expansion, but given recent progress, this looks entirely merited.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dairy Processing Equipment Market valued at USD 10.7 billion in 2023, showcases a significant growth projection, anticipated to reach to USD 14.4 billion by 2028, indicating a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2023 to 2028 according to a report published by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of the dairy processing equipment market is significantly influenced by the adoption of automation and Industry 4.0 technologies. Integrating automated systems enhances production efficiency, streamlines processes, and reduces labor costs, leading to increased overall productivity. The implementation of Industry 4.0 principles introduces smart manufacturing, data analytics, and real-time monitoring, further optimizing the dairy processing workflow. This technological evolution not only improves operational efficiency but also ensures consistent product quality, meeting the ever-growing demand for dairy products globally.

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Simultaneously, the industry's heightened focus on sustainable practices acts as a catalyst for market growth. Increasing environmental awareness and regulatory pressures prompt dairy processors to invest in modern, energy-efficient equipment. The shift towards sustainability aligns with consumer preferences and enhances the industry's social responsibility, fostering innovation in equipment design and manufacturing. These dual trends of automation and sustainability contribute synergistically to the expansion of the dairy processing equipment market, addressing the evolving needs of the industry while promoting resource efficiency and responsible production practices.

The processed milk subsegment is expected to have the largest share during the forecast period.

Processed milk is poised to command the largest share in the dairy processing equipment market's application segment, driven by various compelling factors. A fundamental contributor is the surging global demand for an array of processed milk products, encompassing pasteurized, UHT, and flavored milk. This demand surge is propelled not only by changing consumer lifestyles and preferences but also by an increasing awareness of the nutritional benefits and convenience associated with processed milk. Additionally, factors such as the burgeoning trend of health-conscious consumption, diverse product innovations in the dairy industry, and the globalization of food preferences contribute significantly to the dominance of processed milk. Dairy processors strategically invest in advanced processing equipment to not only meet this heightened demand efficiently but also to stay abreast of evolving quality standards and compliance requirements. The adaptability of dairy processing equipment proves instrumental in catering to this dynamic landscape, reinforcing its pivotal role in the flourishing dairy industry.

By mode of operation, automation holds the largest share of the dairy processing equipment market in 2023.

Automation offers unparalleled advantages, including enhanced production efficiency, precision in processing, and significant labor cost reductions. The increasing emphasis on stringent quality control and adherence to hygiene standards, especially in the wake of global health concerns, propels the adoption of automated dairy processing equipment. Additionally, advancements in technology, such as the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence, contribute to the widespread adoption of automated systems. The need for seamless, error-free operations, improved traceability, and data-driven decision-making further underscore the significance of automated modes of operation in the dairy processing equipment market, making it the preferred choice for dairy processors seeking efficiency, reliability, and compliance with evolving industry standards.

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India is expected to account for the largest market share in 2023.

India's prominence as the highest global milk producer, contributing 24% of the total milk production in 2021-22, positions it as a key player in the dairy processing equipment market. The remarkable 61% increase in milk production since 2015 underscores the sector's robust growth. The top five milk-producing states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, collectively contribute over half of the country's total milk production. India's strategic position is further emphasized by its significant dairy product exports, reaching 67,572.99 MT worth USD 284.6 million in 2022-23, as per Invest India.

The burgeoning dairy industry demands substantial infrastructure investment, covering processing, chilling, logistics, and cattle feed. With lucrative opportunities in value-added dairy products, organic/farm-fresh milk, and exports, the Indian government encourages growth through initiatives like the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF). This flagship scheme, offering a substantial fund around USD 19.1 million, provides financial support for establishing or expanding dairy processing units, emphasizing the importance of robust infrastructure. The scheme's benefits, including a 3% interest subvention, a 2-year moratorium, and a credit guarantee of around USD 0.9 million, attract investments and solidify India's leading position in the global dairy processing equipment market.

Major players operating in the dairy processing equipment market are GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft (Germany), SPX Flow (US), Tetra Laval (Switzerland), ALFA LAVAL (Sweden), JBT (US), Bucher Industries AG (Switzerland), Krones AG (Germany), and The Middleby Corporation (US).

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Browse Adjacent Reports @ Food and Beverage Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Food & Beverage Processing Equipment Market by Type (Processing, Pre-Processing), Application (Bakery & Confectionery, Meat & Poultry, Dairy, Alcoholic & Non Alcoholic Beverages), Mode of Operation, End Product Form and Region - Global Forecast to 2028

Beverage Processing Equipment Market by Type (Brewery, Filtration, Carbonation, Sugar Dissolvers, Blenders & Mixers and Heat Exchangers), Beverage Type (Alcoholic, Non-Alcoholic and Dairy), Mode of Operation and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

About MarketsandMarkets

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MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

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BRUSSELS, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- European Bioplastics reacts to the General Approach adopted by the Environment Council on the proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste.

European Bioplastics (EUBP) regrets the position adopted on 18 December by the Environment Ministers in the Environment Council, deeming the failure to recognise the role of bioplastics a missed opportunity.

"Members States appeared to be split on quite a number of key issues, which will be problematic for the implementation of such a complex regulation, if the consequential shortcomings aren't fixed during the trilogues" declares Roberto Ferrigno, Head of EU Affairs at EUBP. "It is a weak General Approach, barely recognising the value of a very short number of compostable applications and hindering biobased innovative solutions. Disagreement among governments, and derogations on several important measures will result in further fragmentation of the internal market" he adds.

"EUBP supports the European Parliament's proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste. We call on the Member States and the incoming Belgian Presidency to work in close cooperation with the Parliament, which has been showing clear leadership on the file" concludes Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director at EUBP.

About European Bioplastics

European Bioplastics (EUBP) is the European association representing the interests of the bioplastics industry along the entire value chain. Its members produce, refine and distribute bioplastics i.e. plastics that are biobased, biodegradable, or both. More information is available at www.european-bioplastics.org

Contact:

Marion Therage, Communications Manager,

European Bioplastics, Avenue Palmerston 3, 1000 Brussels,

Tel: +49 (0) 30 28482 350, Fax: +49 (0)30 284 82 359

press@european-bioplastics.org

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JAKARTA, Dec 20, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The Indonesian palm oil industry, a crucial player in the national economy, grapples with international controversies tied to social, environmental, and land tenurial issues. The Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) scheme, initiated in 2011, seeks to establish sustainability standards. This article explores challenges faced by ISPO and envisions two scenarios for its future impact.Challenges and Mandatory ExtensionISPO, initially mandatory for palm oil companies, faces hurdles in its broader adoption. A 2020 regulation extended ISPO certification to all growers, including smallholders, by 2025. Challenges include increased farming costs, especially for smallholders, and barriers like forest land use and agricultural licenses.Scenario 1: Government Mandate with Price RegulationsIn this scenario, the government mandates ISPO as the sole standard for palm oil, compensating for implementation costs through regulations on fresh fruit bunch (FFB) selling prices. While it aims to position palm oil as a premium, sustainable product, challenges like global recognition, buyer interest, and non-ISPO product responses persist. Potential consequences include an emerging illegal market, lower prices for smallholders, and a decline in palm oil market share.Scenario 2: Voluntary ISPO Program with IncentivesScenario 2 envisions ISPO as an optional, voluntary program, with the government offering incentives through higher selling prices for labeled products. This approach caters to different buyer preferences, creating two distinct cost structures for ISPO and non-ISPO products. Challenges akin to Scenario 1 persist, impacting the sustainability of this profit-optimizing strategy over time.Recommendations:- Extensive ISPO Promotion: Prioritize promoting ISPO extensively to enhance market acceptance and increase membership.- Agricultural Practices Improvement: Urgently address the need for improved agricultural practices, especially for smallholders, through comprehensive government intervention covering farming assistance, premium inputs, and conflict resolution.- Bureaucratic Simplification: Streamline agricultural governance by simplifying redundant procedures between ISPO and other requirements, saving time and budget for the industry.Navigating the future of ISPO involves strategic promotion, addressing farming challenges, and streamlining bureaucracy. The scenarios presented highlight potential market shifts and underscore the importance of proactive measures for the sustainable development of the palm oil industry.By Fajril Amirul, Senior OfficerIndonesian Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management (BPDPKS)https://www.bpdp.or.id/en/Copyright (c) Antara 2023.Source: Indonesian Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management (BPDPKS)Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Financing led by Maven Capital Partners, alongside Gresham House Ventures

Funds to be used to expand Metrion's Cambridge UK laboratories and to enhance scientific and commercial capabilities

Dr David Milroy and Steve Carle appointed to the board

Metrion Biosciences Limited (Metrion), the specialist ion channel CRO and drug discovery company, today announced that it has secured 3.5m in new equity financing, including 2.5m from lead investor Maven Capital Partners (Maven) and 1 million from existing investor, Gresham House Ventures (Gresham House). The funding will be used to further expand Metrion's laboratories in Cambridge, UK, invest in specialist equipment and enhance the Company's global marketing activities.

Metrion Biosciences also announced a series of board changes. Dr David Milroy has joined the board as Maven's investor director and Steve Carle has replaced Maya Ward as Gresham's board representative. At the same time, Dr Marc Rogers, Dr Barry Kenny and Mark Keogh have retired as non-executive directors of the Company.

Dr Keith McCullagh, Chairman, Metrion Biosciences, said: "I am pleased to welcome Maven as a new investor in Metrion. Andy Southan, Metrion's CEO, and I are delighted that David Milroy, an experienced scientist and business investor, will join the board as Maven's investor director. We also welcome Steve Carle to the board and thank Maya Ward for her support of the round on behalf of Gresham. Finally, we would like to thank Barry Kenny, Mark Keogh and Marc Rogers as they step down from the board, for their experienced advice and unwavering commitment to the Company over many years."

Maven is a leading private equity house focused on the provision of flexible funding for high growth businesses, and is one of the most active SME investors in the UK.

David Milroy, Partner at Maven, said: "The Metrion team are highly regarded in the drug discovery industry and are ideally placed to capitalise on an increasing understanding of ion channel biology and the resulting heightened interest in therapeutics targeting these channels. Maven has a strong track record of backing life science businesses such as BioAscent, another CRO, which has performed very strongly since the Maven VCTs invested in 2018. I am very much looking forward to working with Andy and his team and to drawing on Maven's experience with similar life science businesses and many other SMEs to help scale this exciting business."

Gresham House is a growth equity investor specialising in software and digitally driven businesses in the healthcare, consumer and services sectors.

Maya Ward, investment director at Gresham House Ventures, said: "As the timelines, cost and complexity of taking a drug to market continue to rise, we see increasing demand for expert, specialist providers such as Metrion to assist the biopharma industry in navigating these challenges. The management team's deep insight into ion channels and specialist electrophysiology equipment ensures Metrion is well placed to take advantage of the sizeable market opportunity. We look forward to supporting the business in its next phase of growth."

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Katie Odgaard

Zyme Communications

E-mail: katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Filtronic plc (FTC.L), a manufacturer of products for the aerospace, defense, and telecoms market, on Wednesday announced that they have received a new contract from a provider of low earth orbit or LEO satellite communications equipment. Following this news, Filtronic shares are trading around 9 percent on the London Stock exchange. The contract is initially valued at $6 million with the company expecting to recognize revenue in the calendar year 2024. As per the contract terms, Filtronic has to deliver Cerus32 solid state power amplifier or SSPA module which will be installed in selected ground station locations as part of the customer's earth station antenna deployment. These modules provide full E-band connectivity to the growing number of E-band enabled LEO satellites. Currently, Filtronic shares are trading at 22.90 pence, up 9.05% in London. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Southwest Airlines Co. and its pilots' union have reached an agreement in principle on a new contract after years of long negotiations, according to the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association or SWAPA. The contract reportedly is worth $12 billion over five years.



SWAPA, which represents more than 11,000 pilots of the airline, said the next step in the process is an evaluation of the agreement by the union's 25-member board of directors.



If approved, the agreement in principle or AIP then becomes a tentative agreement, which will be voted for by the 11,000-plus pilot union members.



The SWAPA Board of Directors is meeting on Wednesday to decide whether to release the agreement to a membership vote.



SWAPA President Captain Casey Murray said, 'This AIP comes after three-and-a-half long years of negotiating. We are finally at a place where we think the value of our pilots and their productivity is being realized. Our pilots and Southwest Airlines customers deserve security and confidence in our future, and we believe that this contract achieves that.'



Southwest's last contract ended in 2020, and pilots have been demanding higher pay and better work rules. The company has been in talks for a new contract for more than three years.



Among the major airlines, Southwest Airlines is the last to reach a deal with its pilots. In July, United Airlines reached a preliminary four-year pilot contract worth about $10 billion with United Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. American Airlines, in late August, agreed for a new contract with its pilots union.



In August, Southwest Airlines reached a tentative agreement with the Transport Workers Union Local 555 for the airline's Ramp, Operations, Provisioning, and Cargo Agents.



Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently fined the airline $140 million for violating consumer protection rules after reaching a global settlement relating to the DOT's investigation into the December 2022 Winter Storm Elliott disruption. Southwest said it paid more than $600 million in ticket refunds, expense reimbursements and goodwill gestures, both during and following the disruption.



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ANTWERP, Belgium, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Belgian-based Baunat group redefines luxury by launching VALQUERE, a luxury jewellery brand with lab grown diamonds, offering the same visual experience without compromises. Steven Boelens, Executive Director Baunat Group, explains: 'it gives more people the chance to enjoy the mystic and extraordinary beauty of diamonds, without sacrificing quality, personalization or the desired diamond size'. Discover a new kind of luxury with VALQUERE, where science meets art, tradition meets innovation, and individuality meets everlasting elegance and maximum brilliance-destined to shine bright for a lifetime and make your statement with. Discover VALQUERE: www.valquere.com



A New Kind of Luxury

VALQUERE makes high-quality jewellery more accessible, blending European craftsmanship with scientific innovation to deliver maximum brilliance and everlasting elegance. Stefaan Mouradian, CEO Baunat Group: 'Natural and lab diamonds are both excellent choices for different reasons. Natural diamonds compose out of a rich history and offer enduring investment value, while lab grown diamonds provide maximum brilliance and quality within budget. Ultimately, both options are indistinguishable in terms of brilliance, beauty and feel. A diamond is a diamond, and the choice is entirely personal'.

Exceptional Craftsmanship

At the core of VALQUERE lies uncompromising Belgian craftsmanship, seamlessly integrating science and art to create jewels full of character. True luxury is found in meticulous details, featuring precision settings, flawless metalworks, and a keen attention to detail - a testament to the mastery of skilled artisans. VALQUERE'S tagline, 'Statement Made', emphasizes its distinctive designs, including large diamonds, fancy shapes, and coloured diamonds. Most VALQUERE jewellery falls in the price range between fifteen hundred and four thousand euros, with a few designs exceeding ten thousand.

Fine Materials

From day one, VALQUERE prioritizes high-quality materials, exclusively offering diamonds with the highest grades in cut, colour and clarity. The brand partners with laboratories that strive to use as much renewable energy as possible, and each diamond is hand-selected by their experts directly from the source, resulting in extraordinary brilliance. Precious metals such as recycled 18K gold and 950 platinum ensures the jewellery has the durability it needs to maintain its beauty for a lifetime. These shared qualities provide a heightened level of brilliance and sophistication; wearing a VALQUERE jewel serves as a bold testament to refinement and individuality.

Personalization

VALQUERE is committed to delivering extraordinary and tailored experiences, offering 24/7 personal support and the opportunity to customize existing designs or to create something entirely new with their bespoke service. Mouradian: 'We have carefully selected a team of diamond jewellery advisors who speak at least 3 languages, in total our teams speak over 20 languages, so we can serve our clients worldwide. VALQUERE is aiming high, therefore we offer 7 currencies and even cryptocurrency as a payment option'.

About Baunat Group

Established in 2008 in Antwerp, Baunat Group operates on three pillars united by the 'Smart Luxury' factor. BAUNAT offers 100% natural, ethical diamond jewellery for long-term investment value, emphasizing the rich heritage of the diamond. In contrast, VALQUERE focuses on maximum brilliance and diamond quality within a more affordable budget. Both prioritize tangible value through technology, providing sustainable, high-quality natural and lab-grown diamond jewellery with excellent customer service. The "Digital Native Vertical Brands" approach crafts bespoke jewellery in Antwerp, reaching customers directly through e-boutiques and twelve global showrooms, enhancing efficiency and the customer experience by eliminating intermediaries. "Diamond Expertise" is central, unveiling timeless diamond jewellery designs meticulously tailored to each customer's unique journey, offered directly to the consumer, ensuring a personalized and exceptional experience website Baunat Group.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304486/Vivid_Blue_Pear_Diamond_Look1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304487/Vivid_Pink_Cushion_Look2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304485/Diamond_Necklace_Look3.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304489/Vivid_Pink_diamonds_Look4.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304488/VALQUERE_Logo.jpg





View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/baunat-group-revolutionizes-luxury-with-valquere-uniting-lab-grown-and-natural-diamond-jewellery-302019969.html
LAGOS, Nigeria, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eunisell Limited, a leading global specialty chemicals company, is pleased to announce it has received a prestigious award from Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited for its exceptional provision of production chemicals on the Bonga Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading ("FPSO") vessel.

The distinguished 2023 honour from Shell commended Eunisell for its outstanding dedication to safety and consistency, acknowledging the Company's exceptional service delivery to the Bonga FPSO, one of the largest FPSOs in the world.

Eunisell designs, develops and markets specialty chemicals and is dedicated to elevating standards in the industry. The Company has been supplying oilfield production chemicals to industry majors such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Total and Shell for almost three decades. This prestigious award serves as a testament to Eunisell's enduring commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions and services across a diverse range of industries.

Located in the Gulf of Guinea, the Bonga Field covers approximately 60km2 and began producing oil and gas in 2005. It was Nigeria's first deep-water development in water depths over 1,000 metres and in February 2023 hit the one-billion-barrel oil export mark.

Chika Ikenga, Managing Director of Eunisell, commented:"We are honoured to receive this prestigious award from Shell, a strong endorsement of the world class service we provide at Eunisell, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with them at the Bonga Field.

"As a leading provider of chemicals and oil and gas solutions, Eunisell has a renowned reputation and firmly established position in the sector. Our proven track record of delivering innovative solutions to global organisations attests to our industry leadership. Positioned at the forefront, we are not only well-equipped to expand our presence in Africa but are also poised for significant global growth. We enter 2024 with great confidence and are excited to grow the business in line with our ambition to become a global leader in the industry."

With a diverse clientele spanning the African continent, Eunisell, established in 1996, has steadily expanded its footprint across the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. Additionally, the Company has provided Chemical solutions to the food and beverage, personal and homecare solutions, lubricant and aluminium can processing industries.

Twitter: @eunisellltd ( https://twitter.com/eunisellltd )

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eunisell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eunisell

Instagram: @eunisell_ltd (https://instagram.com/eunisell_ltd)

Media Enquiries:

Eunisell

Oluseyi Oyekunle

+231 808 6888 1822

Oluseyi.oyekunle@eunisell.com

Gracechurch Group (PR)

Alexis Gore/Matthew Piercy

+44 (0)20 4582 3500

eunisell@gracechurchpr.com

About Eunisell Limited

Eunisell Chemicals is a leading global chemical and specialty fluid management company, supplying key products and solutions to a wide base of customers operating in Africa. Our Vision is to be the leading Chemicals and Engineering Solutions Provider in Africa. We are Africa's leading additive supplier and one of the biggest independent chemical companies operating in the region. We commenced full operations in 1996 and we have grown to offer a full range of technical services to complement our wide range of speciality products. We will continue to invest and expand our services to the wider region and broaden our customer base. To learn more, visit https://eunisell.com/about-us/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/eunisell-receives-award-from-shell-as-oilfield-chemical-providers-on-bonga-fpso-302019972.html
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / S.I.L.Q is an innovative and influential platform at the intersection of dance artistry and marketing expertise. Founded by Donovan Bryce Davis, also recognized as Donny SilQ , the brand's name, S.I.L.Q, ingeniously translates to "Supply Influential Lifetime Quality."

S.I.L.Q is dedicated to delivering quality through excellence and impact. The company offers a multifaceted approach to inspiring, educating, and empowering individuals and businesses. The services provided by S.I.L.Q encompass dance classes, workshops, company social media management, and sales and marketing training for sales teams.

The company's dance classes and workshops uniquely focus on helping individuals tap into and use their internal energy. Acknowledging the important role of social media in today's business landscape, S.I.L.Q extends its expertise to manage the online presence of various businesses.

At the core of S.I.L.Q lies the belief that transforming art into a thriving business involves more than mere profit-seeking.

"Turning your art into business has more to it than just being a hobby that provides. Passion in business makes it more intricate and purposeful, rather than just a way to make money." Donny emphasizes.

With his marketing expertise and understanding of audience engagement, he brings strategies that amplify brands, foster real connections, and drive growth in the digital field for everyone looking to start in the business. He also extends this knowledge to sales teams, providing comprehensive training sessions to enhance their reach, understanding of clientele, and marketing principles. Donny's has a strong commitment to delivering quality and making a difference.

Looking ahead, his focus for the year includes elevating his brand, introducing SilQ Marketing, collaborating with a studio/talent agency, and extending his reach to businesses in Oklahoma City and Houston.

Donny's vision includes supporting his loved ones and business without limitations and creating a legacy of abundance and generosity.

About the Company

S.I.L.Q is a brand steadfastly committed to delivering quality. The fusion of dance, paired with Donny's entrepreneurial drive, has given rise to a platform that transcends conventional boundaries. Whether guiding individuals through the art of dance, enhancing businesses' online presence, or empowering sales teams, Donny's brand epitomizes quality, and influence.

To learn more about Donny SilQ, click here .

Contact:

Paula Henderson

561-768-4444

phendersonnews@gmail.com

SOURCE: S.I.L.Q

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Baselode Energy Corp. (TSXV: FIND) (OTCQB: BSENF) ("Baselode") and Ya'thi Nene Lands and Resources ("YNLR"), the office representing the Athabasca Denesuline First Nations of Hatchet Lake, Black Lake, Fond du Lac and the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, and the Northern Settlements of Uranium City, Wollaston Lake and Camsell Portage, proudly announce that they have recently signed an Exploration Agreement to strengthen their relationship.

With substantial land holdings spanning approximately 264,172 hectares (652,783 acres), Baselode has uranium exploration targets in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin and the traditional lands of YNLR First Nations in Treaty 8 and Treaty 10 Territories and is committed to building a sustainable future for their company and the communities near which they explore. The recent agreement accentuates Baselode's dedication to corporate responsibility, aligning with YNLR's focus on environmental stewardship, employment, social well-being, and cultural preservation. Provisions include harvester compensation, contributions to YNLR's community trust, and contracting opportunities for northern businesses.

Mary Denechezhe, Elder and YNLR Board Chair, expresses optimism for the positive impact on the community trust, as well as the promising contracting and employment opportunities that Baselode will bring to benefit the northern population. "Signing this agreement with Baselode is another key step towards the protection of our land and culture, and reaching our economic development goals in the communities. This partnership is important for Treaty Rights preservation, and we appreciate Baselode's commitment to working with us in a good way that is both respectful and mutually beneficial."

"We are honored to sign this Exploration Agreement as we appreciate a working partnership to continue protecting the values and rights of the First Nations and communities supported by YNLR. We envision a respectful collaboration moving forward that focuses on the people, the land, and the culture of those who call Nuhenene home," said James Sykes, CEO, President & Director of Baselode.

About Baselode Energy Corp.

Baselode controls 100% of approximately 264,172 hectares for exploration in the Athabasca Basin area, northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The land package is free of any option agreements or underlying royalties.

The Company discovered the ACKIO near-surface, uranium prospect in September 2021. ACKIO measures greater than 375 m along strike, greater than 150 m wide, comprised of at least 9 separate uranium Pods, with mineralization starting as shallow as 28 m and 32 m beneath the surface in Pods 1 and 7, respectively, and down to approximately 300 m depth beneath the surface with the bulk of mineralization occurring in the upper 120 m. ACKIO remains open at depth, and to the north, south and east.

Baselode's Athabasca 2.0 exploration thesis focuses on discovering near-surface, basement-hosted, high-grade uranium orebodies outside the Athabasca Basin. The exploration thesis is further complemented by the Company's preferred use of innovative and well-understood geophysical methods to map deep structural controls to identify shallow targets for diamond drilling.

For further information, please contact:

Baselode Energy Corp.

FIND on the TSXV

info@baselode.com

www.baselode.com

James Sykes, CEO, President and Director

jsykes@oregroup.ca

306-221-8717

About Ya'thi Nene Lands and Resources (YNLR)

YNLR is a non-profit organization owned by the Athabasca Basin First Nations of Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation and northern Saskatchewan municipalities of the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, the Northern Settlement of Uranium City, the Northern Settlement of Wollaston Lake and the Northern Settlement of Camsell Portage.

YNLR was established in June 2016 with the mandate to promote and enhance the environmental, social, economic, and cultural well-being of current and future Athabasca residents.

For further information, please contact:

Garrett Schmidt

Executive Director

306.477.1251

garrett.schmidt@yathinene.com

Learn more at www.yathinene.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Baselode Energy Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Baselode Energy Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under Baselode Energy Corp. profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191706

SOURCE: Baselode Energy Corp.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump cannot contest for next year's presidential election from the state's ballot, citing an insurrection clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution.



In a majority 4-3 verdict Tuesday, the court ruled that Trump was not an eligible candidate because he incited the Capitol riot insurrection.



The court reversed a ruling by a district court in November that the 14th Amendment's insurrection ban does not apply to presidents.



The Colorado Supreme Court ruling also denied Donald Trump's appeal on eleven issues, affirming that his actions on and leading up to January 6, 2021, are not protected by the First Amendment.



However, the verdict is subject to Trump's appeal to the US Supreme Court. The court said that the ruling will be put on hold until January 4.



The Trump campaign said it would appeal against what it described as 'a completely flawed decision' in the conservatives-dominated US Supreme Court.



'Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls,' Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.



The case was brought on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.



'It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country,' CREW's president Noah Bookbinder said in a statement.



This is the first time a presidential candidate has been disqualified or removed from a ballot under the 14th Amendment's disqualification clause.



January 6, 2024, will mark the third anniversary of the attack on the Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that had convened to certify the election victory of Joe Biden.



Addressing a rally on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump demanded that the presidential election be overturned alleging widespread fraud, and called on his supporters to march to the Capitol building.



Hundreds of Trump-supporters had stormed the Capitol and disrupted the Congressional proceedings. Five people, including one woman shot by police, died in the rampage, apparently instigated by Trump.



A nine-member House select committee investigating the Capitol Hill attack said in its report that Trump had knowledge about the riot in advance, and that he engaged in a 'multi-part plan' to overturn the result.



Although the Colorado Supreme Court decision is applicable only in the state, and does not stop the prominent Republican candidate from running in the other states, it could have a profound impact on the 2024 presidential campaign, reports say.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Capita Plc - Director Change

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 20

20 December 2023

Capita plc ("Capita")

Director Change

The Board has reviewed its constitution to ensure that it continues to be appropriate and has agreed that it will constitute seven directors, comprising the Chairman, two Executive Directors, and four Independent Non-Executive Directors.

As a consequence of this decision, the Board announces that Janine Goodchild will step-down as an Employee Director on 31 December 2023. Janine was appointed as an employee director on 1 July 2022 and the Board has valued Janine's contribution.

The Board is considering how to meet its ongoing obligations with the UK Corporate Governance Code with respect to its engagement with colleagues and will ensure that these are appropriate for Capita as a purpose led organisation.

For more information, please contact:

Investor enquiries

Helen Parris, Director of Investor Relations

Tel: 07720 169 269

Email: IRteam@capita.co.uk

Stephanie Little, Deputy Head of Investor Relations

Tel: 07541 622 838

Email: IRteam@capita.co.uk

Media enquiries

Capita external communications

Tel: 02076 542 399

Email: media@capita.co.uk

About Capita plc:
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Thesis Gold Inc. (TSXV: TAU) (WKN: A3EP87) (OTCQX: THSGF) ("Thesis" or the "Company") is pleased to report assay results from the JK Zone at its 100% owned Ranch Project. The JK Zone, a sparsely drilled target located between the Thesis Structural Corridor and the Bonanza-Ridge Zone (Figure 1), has proven a greater than 230-meter (m) strike length of near-surface gold mineralization in the 2023 results, demonstrating the Company's successful strategic exploration initiatives. The Ranch Project is road-accessible by way of the Company's Lawyers Gold-Silver Project, and together the two projects form a contiguous, 325 km2 land package in the prolific Toodoggone Mining District in northern British Columbia.

Highlights

2023 drill results confirm >230 metres of mineralization along N-S trending structures that correspond to a prominent magnetic low signature.

Drillhole 23JKDD001 returned 20.00 metres (m) of 2.93 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au).

Drillhole 23JKDD011 , the northern-most drillhole, returned 9.37 m of 2.03 g/t Au

Drillhole 23JKDD005 intercepted a broad, 69.83 m long interval grading 1.28 g/t Au .

The results expand the known mineralization which remains open to the north, and the company has identified a potential structure offsetting mineralization to the south (Figure 2).

Ewan Webster, President and CEO, commented, "The overall area of known mineralization at Ranch continues to expand, demonstrating the significant upside that remains beyond the known zones of mineralization. The JK Zone has grown significantly in strike length, exhibits near surface high-grade mineralization, and remains open for testing in 2024. The expansion of mineralization and the identification of new targets underscore our commitment to realizing the full potential of the Ranch Project. We eagerly anticipate sharing more drill results from both the Ranch and Lawyers Projects, as these findings continue to shape our growth trajectory."

The JK Zone is situated about 270 metres south of the main Ranch Access Road, midway between the Thesis Structural Corridor and the Bonanza-Ridge Zone (Figure 1). Prior to 2023, there was limited drilling at JK that defined a mineralized gold trend extending for about 60 metres, a trend that has since been proven to continue for over 230 m in strike length. The 2023 drill program targeted and intersected mineralization within N-S oriented magnetic lows. The mineralized N-S structures are interpreted as splays off larger NW-SE-oriented faults (Figure 2), consistent with similar patterns seen elsewhere on the property.

Drilling at JK has been very successful in advancing the Company's understanding of this otherwise blind target and has emphasized the importance of N-S-oriented faults as controls on hydrothermal fluids and mineralization. Much like the Steve Zone, JK is an early-stage target with lots of opportunity for further testing, definition, and continued expansion. Drillhole 23JKDD001 confirmed up-dip continuity of pre-2023 drill results, demonstrating that mineralization begins at surface (Figure 3). Although drillhole 23JKDD008 returned no significant results, there's a possibility that mineralization is truncated in the south along a prominent NW-SE structure, potentially continuing within the magnetic and topographic low south and east of this year's defined mineralized trend. Gold mineralization in 23JKDD011 corroborates the offsetting influence of NW-SE faults on the N-S structures and will be the subject of further testing in 2024. Future drilling is needed to realize the full potential of JK and advance the target beyond its early stage.

Table 1: JK drill results.

Hole ID

From (m) To (m) Interval (m)* Au (g/t) 23JKDD001

11.00 31.00 20.00 2.93 incl 27.00 31.00 4.00 7.81 23JKDD002

32.00 38.00 6.00 1.48 23JKDD003

7.00 11.00 4.00 2.64 23JKDD004 No significant Intercepts 23JKDD005

22.00 91.83 69.83 1.28 incl 59.00 67.85 8.85 2.66 incl 62.00 64.00 2.00 5.48 and 101.00 103.00 2.00 0.88 incl 102.00 103.00 1.00 1.53 23JKDD006

35.00 38.00 3.00 1.93

and 48.35 52.00 3.65 1.05 23JKDD007

5.00 7.00 2.00 0.42 23JKDD008 No significant Intercepts 23JKDD009 No significant Intercepts 23JKDD010 Seized hole, redrilled as 23JKDD011 23JKDD011

103.23 112.60 9.37 2.03 incl 107.00 109.00 2.00 3.81 *Intervals are core length.





Figure 1: Property overview showing the JK Zone with respect to the Thesis Structural Corridor and the Bonanza-Ridge Zone.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6169/191720_addf3e58740eea9e_001full.jpg







Figure 2: Plan view map of the JK Zone showing drill collar locations and interpreted faults over ground magnetics.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6169/191720_addf3e58740eea9e_002full.jpg







Figure 3: Cross section showing 23JKDD001, 22JKDD002, 21JKDD002, and historical drillhole, A88-13.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6169/191720_addf3e58740eea9e_003full.jpg

Quality Assurance and Control

Results from samples were analyzed at ALS Global Laboratories (Geochemistry Division) in Vancouver, Canada (an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited facility). The sampling program was undertaken by Company personnel under the direction of Rob L'Heureux, P.Geol. A secure chain of custody is maintained in transporting and storing of all samples. Gold was assayed using a fire assay with atomic emission spectrometry and gravimetric finish when required (+10 g/t Au). Drill intervals with visible gold were assayed using metallic screening. Rock chip samples from outcrop/bedrock are selective by nature and may not be representative of the mineralization hosted on the project.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc, P.Geol., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Thesis Gold Inc.

"Ewan Webster"

Ewan Webster Ph.D., P.Geo.

President, CEO, and Director

About Thesis Gold Inc.

Thesis Gold, following its strategic merger with Benchmark Metals, is unlocking the combined potential of the Ranch and Lawyers Gold-Silver Projects in the Toodoggone mining district of north central British Columbia, Canada. A 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Lawyers project alone projected an open-pit mining operation yielding an average of 163,000 gold equivalent ounces annually over a 12-year span1. By integrating the Ranch project, the company aims to enhance the economics and bolster the overall project's potential. Central to this ambition is the 2023 50,000-metre drill program, which aims to define the high-grade underground resource at Lawyers and augment the near-surface high-grade deposits at Ranch. The company's roadmap includes releasing a combined Ranch-Lawyers resource estimate by Q2 2024, with an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment slated for Q3 2024. Through these strategic moves, Thesis Gold aspires to elevate the Ranch-Lawyers project to the forefront of global precious metals ventures.

1Preliminary Economic Assessment: Lawyers Gold & Silver Project (2022). JDS Energy & Mining.

For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Dave Burwell

Vice President Corporate Development

Email: daveb@thesisgold.com

Tel: 403-410-7907

Toll Free: 1-888-221-0915

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future plans or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis, which is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.com . The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191720

SOURCE: Thesis Gold Inc.
SEATTLE, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Coherent Market Insights has published a recent study report titled "Construction Equipment Rental Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Machinery (Earthmoving machinery, Material handling machinery, and Concrete & road construction Machinery); By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023-2030" in its research database.

As per the recent analysis by Coherent Market Insights, the global construction equipment rental market size was valued at US$ 237.8 billion in 2023 and is predicted to reach US$ 336.1 billion by 2030. Also, the study states that the market reveals a robust 5.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the predicted timeframe, 2023-2030.

Request Sample Copy of this Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/6036

Market Dynamics:

The growth of the construction equipment rental market can be attributed to various drivers. Firstly, the increasing demand for rental equipment in construction activities is driving market growth. Renting equipment offers several advantages, such as cost savings, flexibility, and access to the latest technology without the need for large capital investment. This has led to a surge in the rental of construction equipment by contractors and construction firms.

Secondly, the growing focus on infrastructure development projects globally is fueling the demand for construction equipment rental. Governments and private companies are investing heavily in the construction of roads, bridges, buildings, airports, and other infrastructure facilities. This has created a significant demand for construction equipment, thereby boosting the rental market.

Market Trends:

The construction equipment rental market is witnessing two key trends. Firstly, there is a rising demand for technologically advanced and eco-friendly equipment. With the increasing emphasis on sustainable development, rental companies are offering equipment that is fuel-efficient, emits lower emissions, and complies with environmental regulations. This trend is expected to continue as construction companies increasingly prioritize sustainability.

Secondly, there is a growing preference for online rental platforms in the construction equipment market. These platforms provide a convenient and efficient way for contractors and construction firms to rent equipment. Online rental platforms offer a wide range of equipment options, transparent pricing, easy booking, and reliable customer service. The adoption of online rental platforms is expected to increase, driven by the convenience and cost-effectiveness they offer.

Buy this Complete Business Research Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/6036

Market Opportunities

The construction equipment rental market offers various opportunities for growth and profitability. One key market opportunity lies in the segment of machinery types. Among the different types of machinery available for rent, earthmoving machinery dominates the market.

Earthmoving machinery, which includes equipment such as excavators, bulldozers, and loaders, is essential for various construction projects. These machines are used for tasks such as digging, grading, and leveling the ground. Due to their versatility and wide range of applications, earthmoving machinery is in high demand.

In terms of revenue and market share, earthmoving machinery is expected to hold a dominant position in the construction equipment rental market. The growing number of construction projects, particularly in emerging economies, is driving the demand for earthmoving machinery rental.

Another market opportunity in the construction equipment rental industry is the dominance of the Asia Pacific region. In recent years, the Asia Pacific region has emerged as a leader in terms of construction activities, infrastructure development, and urbanization.

With a rapidly growing population and the need for infrastructure to support economic growth, countries in the Asia Pacific region are significantly contributing to the demand for construction equipment rental. China, India, Japan, and South Korea are among the key markets driving this growth.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to hold a dominant position in the construction equipment rental market over the forecast period. The region's robust construction industry, coupled with government initiatives for infrastructure development, is fueling the demand for rental equipment.

Recent Developments:

In June 2022, Sunbelt Rentals and Britishvolt joined forces to develop a full-scale battery Gigaplant in Cambois. This partnership aims to create innovative battery solutions for heavy equipment and power plants.

In conclusion, the construction equipment rental market offers two major opportunities: the dominance of earthmoving machinery in the machinery segment and the leading position of the Asia Pacific region. These opportunities, coupled with the presence of key players, contribute to the overall growth and prospects of the construction equipment rental market.

Read complete market research report,"Construction Equipment Rental Market, By Machinery, By Geography, Market Size And Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecasts 2023-2030", Published by Coherent Market Insights.

Key Market Takeaways:

The construction equipment rental market is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period 2023-2030, owing to the increasing demand for rental equipment in construction projects worldwide.

On the basis of machinery types, the earthmoving machinery segment is expected to hold a dominant position. The versatility and wide range of applications of earthmoving machinery contribute to its high demand in the construction industry.

In terms of regional dominance, the Asia Pacific region is expected to lead the construction equipment rental market. The region's booming construction activities, infrastructure projects, and urbanization drive the demand for rental equipment.

Key players operating in the construction equipment rental market include Ramirent, AKTIO Corporation, NISHIO RENT ALL Co., Ltd., AB2000, Cramo Oyj, Ahern Rentals Inc., Byrne Equipment Rental, American Equipment Company, Inc., United Rentals, Inc. (acquired BlueLine Rental), and Ashtead Group plc. These key players have a significant market presence and contribute to the growth of the industry.

Detailed Segmentation:

Global Construction Equipment Rental Market, By Machinery Earthmoving machinery Material handling machinery Concrete & road construction Machinery

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GOLETA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Aeluma, Inc. (OTCQB:ALMU), a semiconductor company specializing in scalable, cost-effective technologies for LiDAR (light detection and ranging), communication, and sensing, announced today that Craig Ensley was elected as a new member of its board of directors on December 14, 2023.

Commenting on the announcement, Aeluma's CEO and Founder, Jonathan Klamkin, Ph.D. said, "We are delighted that Craig has joined our board of directors. He brings a breadth of experience from the semiconductor industry across multiple market verticals including Sensors, Communications, Automotive, Mobile, PCs, Consumer, and AI. Craig provides a deep understanding of technology, and also of strategy, customer engagement, and supply chain. We believe we can leverage his experience driving high growth advanced semiconductor companies, for Aeluma, where we have been establishing a foundation for rapid growth. Craig's appointment is timely given our recent achievement of revenue, recent wins, and our plans to begin scaling our technology for large-volume consumer markets."

Mr. Ensley, age 73, has led global semiconductor businesses in Analog & DSP, MEMS & Sensors, and Communications (RF/Wireless, Optical, and Wired). His prior executive leadership roles include CEO of Atomica (formerly IMT), the largest MEMS & Sensors manufacturing foundry in the U.S.; CEO of DisplayLink, an enterprise video networking firm; President of Peregrine, a high-volume RF & Wireless devices company for 3G & 4G; and SVP at Cirrus Logic, a mixed signal circuits company for consumer applications. Earlier in his executive career, Craig helped build the communications semiconductor business at Rockwell International, which spun out as three public companies: Mindspeed, Jazz, and Conexant.

Mr. Ensley presently serves on the Boards of Mentium Technologies, an AI company, and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group. Previously he was on the Boards of the Consumer Electronics Association Audio and Home Networking Divisions, and the KLRU Austin PBS Television Station. Craig earned a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, both from the University of California San Diego.

Mr. Ensley commented, "I am delighted to support Aeluma at this exciting stage of the company's development. It is impressive how far the company has come in such a short time since inception. I believe this is a testament to Aeluma's leadership, team, and its technology. During its next stage of growth, I hope to provide the company with guidance on how to scale, how to accelerate business development activities, and how to make the most of the opportunities ahead for transformative semiconductor companies given the strong demand for this technology."

Aeluma is working to commercialize its transformative semiconductor chip technology for a variety of markets including automotive LiDAR, mobile, defense and aerospace, AR/VR, AI, and communication. Aeluma has established a unique semiconductor manufacturing capability in Santa Barbara, California. With its proprietary technology that combines compound semiconductor nanomaterials with mass market semiconductor manufacturing, Aeluma is developing products that could offer high-performance and low-cost solutions for emerging markets. Key to Aeluma's disruptive technology is the ability to manufacture its compound semiconductor chips on up to 12-inch Silicon substrates, which can scale and be mass produced, thereby potentially reducing the cost of chips dramatically.

About Aeluma, Inc.

Aeluma (www.aeluma.com) develops novel optoelectronic devices for sensing and communications applications. Aeluma has pioneered a technique to manufacture devices using high performance compound semiconductor materials on large-diameter Silicon substrates that are commonly used for mass market microelectronics. The technology has the potential to enhance performance and provide a path to cost-effective, large-scale manufacturing, both of which are critical for future LiDAR and other sensor applications. Aeluma is developing a streamlined business model from its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California that has a state-of-the-art manufacturing cleanroom.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements relating to the Company's expectations regarding its market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations with its partners and investors. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "anticipate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "estimate," and other similar or related expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond the Company's control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.

Company Contact:

Aeluma, Inc.

(805) 351-2707

info@aeluma.com

Investor Contact:

Bishop IR

Mike Bishop

(415) 894-9633

ir@aeluma.com

SOURCE: Aeluma, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce that the 25-tonne shipment of ionic clays extracted from its Carina Module deposit located in Goias, Brazil, (the "Project") has successfully arrived at its fully owned pilot plant facility in Concepcion, Chile. The Company will start the piloting operation at the end of December and aims to complete it at the end of February 2024.

Piloting Objectives

Semi-industrial scale processing: To assess the compatibility of the patented Circular Mineral Harvesting technology with the Carina Module ionic clays on a semi-industrial scale.

To assess the compatibility of the patented Circular Mineral Harvesting technology with the Carina Module ionic clays on a semi-industrial scale. Production of heavy rare earth carbonate samples for commercial purposes: To produce a premium heavy rare earths carbonate product and initiate discussions with potential separators and other commercial stakeholders.

To produce a premium heavy rare earths carbonate product and initiate discussions with potential separators and other commercial stakeholders. Optimization of processing flowsheet: To evaluate the process flowsheet modifications identified during the piloting campaign conducted in 2023 with the Penco Module ionic clays. The objective is to ensure these modifications facilitate the production of an end product that is more conducive to the subsequent Rare Earth Element (REE) separation stage.

To evaluate the process flowsheet modifications identified during the piloting campaign conducted in 2023 with the Penco Module ionic clays. The objective is to ensure these modifications facilitate the production of an end product that is more conducive to the subsequent Rare Earth Element (REE) separation stage. Continued demonstration of environmental attributes: Revalidate the Circular Mineral Harvesting methodology, wherein 95% of the water and 99% of the primary reagent (ammonium sulfate) employed in the extraction process are recycled, thereby preventing the generation of liquid residues and eliminating the necessity for a tailings storage facility.

Aclara COO, Barry Murphy, commented:

"Following the release of the mineral resource estimate for the Carina Module, we are looking to initiate commercial discussions while commencing the production of heavy rare earth carbonate samples over the next two months at our piloting facilities in Chile. We have confidence in the outstanding quality of this asset and remain dedicated to accelerating the project development process across all disciplines to expedite the asset's production at the earliest feasible time."

Fig. 1. Aclara's Pilot Plant in Concepcion, Chile and receipt of the ionic clay shipment from the Carina Module in Goias, Brazil

This update follows the successful completion of our initial piloting operation for the Penco Module ionic clays in September of this year where a total of 120 tonnes of ionic clays were processed, leading to the production of approximately 107 kilograms of wet, high-purity Heavy Rare Earth Elements ("HREE") carbonate. The pilot operation also underscored the sustainability attributes inherent in Aclara's Circular Mineral Harvesting process.

Fig. 2. Aclara's Rare Earths extraction process - Circular Mineral Harvesting

The Carina Module

On October 11, 2023, the Company announced the discovery of the Carina Module, its new heavy rare earth deposit hosted in ion-adsorption clays in Goias, Brazil. The discovery was made through the successful completion of an initial auger drilling campaign, which on December 12, 2023, confirmed (i) a large mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 168 million tonnes of inferred category with a NSR value of US$32.3/t1, (ii) prospective heavy and light rare earth grades resulting in significant quantities of dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr), which are the rare earth elements critical to the production of permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines, (iii) metallurgical compatibility with the technology patented and successfully demonstrated on a pilot scale by Aclara in Chile, designed to minimize both cost and environmental footprint, and (iv) the growth potential of the deposit at depth as the average drill depth of the MRE was only 8.1 metres and did not consistently reach the bottom limits of the mineralization.

The short-term catalysts for the Carina Module project development will be (i) the production of samples by processing the Project's ionic clays at Aclara's pilot plant in Chile from December 2023 until the end of February 2024, (ii) the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") in January 2024, and (iii) pursuit of additional resources at depth through the completion of a 9,090-meter reverse circulation ("RC") drilling campaign, which is already underway and scheduled to be completed in Q2 2024.

---

1Cut-off NSR of US$7.4/t

About Aclara

Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) is a development-stage company that focuses on heavy rare earth mineral resources hosted in Ion-Adsorption Clay deposits. Its primary project is known as the Penco Module and is located in the BioBio Region of southern Chile. The Company is also evaluating a second module, the Carina Module, located in the State of Goias in central Brazil.

Presently, Aclara has a strong focus on the development, construction, and future operation of the Penco Module, with the primary objective of establishing a processing plant designed to produce heavy rare earths carbonate.

Aclara's extraction process offers several environmentally attractive features. It does not involve blasting, crushing, or milling. Additionally, it does not generate tailings, eliminating the need for a tailings storage facility. The Company utilizes 100% recycled water and minimizes water consumption through high levels of water recirculation. The ionic clay feedstock is amenable to leaching with a fertilizer, and harmful radionuclides are not concentrated.

Simultaneously, alongside the development of the Penco Module, the Company intends to identify and evaluate further opportunities, such as the Carina Module, for increasing production of heavy rare earth elements. This will involve intensive greenfield exploration programs and the development of additional project "modules" within the Company's concessions in Brazil, Chile and Peru.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events, including statements with regard to: piloting production timing, processing compatibility at a semi-industrial scale, quality of the Carina Module commercial product, improved results based on the process flowsheet optimizations and the expectations of the Company's management as to the results of such piloting works. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks related to operating in a foreign jurisdiction, including political and economic problems in Chile and Brazil; risks related to changes to mining laws and regulations and the termination or non-renewal of mining rights by governmental authorities; risks related to failure to comply with the law or obtain necessary permits and licenses or renew them; compliance with environmental regulations can be costly; actual production, capital and operating costs may be different than those anticipated; the Company may be not able to successfully complete the development, construction and start-up of mines and new development projects; risks related to mining operations; and dependence on the Penco Module and/or the Carina Module. Aclara cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For a detailed discussion of the foregoing factors, among others, please refer to the risk factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated as of March 28, 2023, filed on the Company's SEDAR+ profile. Actual results and timing could differ materially from those projected herein. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws.

For further information, please contact:

Bonzi Yokomizo Baptista

Brazil General Manager

investorrelations@aclara-re.com

SOURCE: Aclara Resources Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Big Gold Inc. (CSE: BG) (FSE: H7L) (the "Company" or "Big Gold") is pleased to announce the completion of infill sampling as part of Phase 2 Exploration of the Tabor Property ("Tabor" or the "Project"), situated within the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt in the northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The infill sampling program was completed at the MNDM Thunder Bay Core Library, which houses approximately 100,000 m of historic core from the Thunder Bay Mining District. The core library provided the Company access to historic core drilled in 1983 in the East Divide area, which yielded multi-element potential in multiple drill holes, such as RS-83-01, which intersected 0.76 m of 24.30 g/t Au, 65.10 g/t Ag, 0.82% Cu, and 3.68% Zn.

Details of drill holes sampled are available in Table 1 and locations are available in Figure 1. Samples are currently being assayed and the Company expects results in early Q1, 2024.

The infill sampling program provided the following at a low cost:

Review historic core and confirm lithology, mineralization, alteration, veining, and structures previously logged

Obtain photos of the historic core for future reference

Infill samples (half-core) in previously unsampled core (60 samples)

Resampled previously sampled core for confirmation of zones (26 samples)

Data can be used to reduce exploration and drill costs in 2024

"We express our gratitude to the Thunder Bay Core Library for granting us access to the invaluable historic core, enabling us to explore additional opportunities at the Tabor Project in a cost-effective manner," said Scott Walters, CEO of Big Gold. "These four drill holes represent significant cost savings for the company, contributing to our comprehensive understanding of the geology and validation of drill targets for our upcoming program. The ongoing process of cutting and lab testing is underway, and we eagerly anticipate sharing our results with the market."

Table 1 - Information of Drill Holes Sampled at the Tabor Property

Drillhole

ID

UTM NAD83 Zone 15N Azimuth

() Dip

() Length

(m) Year

Drilled Easting

(m) Northing

(m) RS-83-01 696176 5393577 212 -45 41 1983 RS-83-02 696189 5393568 212 -45 36 1983 RS-83-07 696334 5393681 212 -50 178 1983 RS-83-14 696175 5393601 212 -50 75 1983





Figure 1 - Location of Drill Holes Sampled at the Tabor Property

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9105/191622_395004c14465d937_001full.jpg

Phase 2 Plan for Priority Targets

Surface Exploration : Additional field visits may take place to define targets for further detailed mapping and sampling of outcrops.

Re-logging and Sampling of Historic Core : Four historic drill holes on the Property have been sampled, results are in progress.

IP Survey : Plans are in place to conduct IP surveys, aiding in further exploration and drill target definition.

Drill Program: Leveraging data from the summer field program, the Company will refine drill targets and build a database to expedite exploration success.

About the Tabor Project

Tabor is adjacent to the east, along trend of the Moss Project of Goldshore Resources Inc. that hosts a current Inferred Resource of 6 million ounces gold (grading 1.02 g/t gold) including Inferred 3.35 million ounces gold at a grade of 1.84 g/t gold at the Moss Lake Gold deposit* and is located approximately 20 km to the west of the Delta Resources Delta 1 Project*.

Gold mineralization on the Project is reportedly associated with quartz veins, shearing and sulphides including pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Geological host rocks include mafic volcanics, sericite schists, felsic porphyry units and chemical sediments. Gabbro, sericite schist and bedded sediments are also reported to outcrop on the Project. Geological and mineralization characteristics on the property are similar to those found on some of the Company's neighbours properties including Goldshore Resources Inc.'s high-profile Moss Gold Project where 2.17 g/t Au over 50.35 metres was intercepted during their recent drilling and at the Delta Resources' Delta-1 Gold Project where they recently reported a drill intercept of 1.29 g/t gold over 97 metres.

*The Project is at an early stage of exploration, and the Company cautions that the qualified persons who have reviewed and approved this news release have not verified scientific or technical information produced by third parties, and proximity to projects containing gold resources offers no assurance that the rock types or gold resources reported by Goldshore and others extend onto the Projects and such proximity is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization reported by third parties with projects in the district.

Learn more about the Company on its website: https://biggold.ca/.

Qualified Person

Bruce Durham, P.Geo., is a Qualified Person, as that term is defined by Canadian regulatory guidelines under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this press release.

About Big Gold Inc.

Big Gold Inc. is a junior mining exploration company. Its initial focus is to conduct Exploration Programs on the Martin Kenty and Tabor projects located in Ontario. Big Gold will also continue to consider other opportunities as they arise, with the objective of acquiring and exploring early-stage base and precious metal projects.

For more information, please contact investor relations at investors@biggold.ca.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Scott Walters

President and CEO

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based on are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191622

SOURCE: Big Gold Inc.
SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (AMZN) announced Wednesday the launch of its second AWS infrastructure Region in Canada, the AWS Canada West (Calgary) Region. Starting today, developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and nonprofit organizations, will have greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from AWS data centers located in Canada. Customers will also have access to advanced AWS technologies, including data analytics, security, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI), to drive innovation. AWS also released a new economic impact study highlighting that the company is planning to invest an estimated $17.9 billion (approximately C$24.8 billion) in Canada through 2037 via the new AWS Canada West (Calgary) Region and the existing AWS Canada (Central) Region in Quebec. With the launch of the AWS Canada West (Calgary) Region, AWS has 105 Availability Zones across 33 geographic regions, with announced plans to launch 12 more Availability Zones and four more AWS Regions in Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Secured Property Developments Plc - Board Changes, On-Market Investment and Appointment of Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 20

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY THE COMPANY TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014, AS AMENDED ("MAR"). ON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Secured Property Developments Plc

AQSE: SPD

("SPD" or the "Company")

BOARD CHANGES AND ON-MARKET INVESTMENT

APPOINTMENT OF FINANCIAL ADVISER AND CORPORATE BROKER

Highlights

150,000 of existing shares purchased at 26.11 pence per share by incoming investors and Directors.

New Directors appointed.

Appointment of Peterhouse Capital Limited as Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker.

Board Changes and Investment

The Company is pleased to announce the appointments of Paul Benedict Ryan as Executive Director and Noel Lyons as Non-Executive Director to the board of Directors with immediate effect.

Investors, including Paul Ryan and Noel Lyons, have agreed, via Peterhouse Capital Limited, to acquire 574,621 Ordinary Shares in the Company at a price of 26.11 pence per share, equating to 150,000 in total, from the existing Directors of the Company. The existing Directors, Roger Shane and Richard France, have resigned from the board of Directors with immediate effect. The Company wishes to thank Mr Shane and Mr France for their long and dedicated service to the Company.

Following the share sales, the Directors' and others' interests in the issued share capital of the Company are:

Paul Ryan (Executive Director): 143,627 (approximately 7.29%)

Noel Lyons (Non-Executive Director): 143,627 (approximately 7.29%)

Excession Trust: (approximately 14.58%)

Roger Shane has sold 485,621 Ordinary Shares on 20 December 2023 at 26.11 pence per share. Following the sale, Roger is interested in 79,631 Ordinary Shares in the Company, representing 4.04% of the issued share capital. Richard France has sold 88,888 Ordinary Shares on 20 December 2023 at 26.11 pence per share, and no longer holds any Ordinary Shares.

Paul Ryan, incoming Executive Director stated: "I am excited to be bringing this company to its next stage and expect the future will be of great interest to shareholders. We will communicate our future plans as they develop."

Paul Ryan (aged 56)

Mr Ryan has over 20 years of commercial, regulatory and advisory experience. Mr Ryan has acted as a consultant, primarily on strategy and public policy, to a range of clients including FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies largely in the ICT space. He held a variety of board positions with leading mobile operator Vodafone Group. Mr Ryan is a qualified (non-practising) solicitor in the UK and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Noel Lyons (aged 58)

Mr Lyons is an operational executive with over 30 years direct experience in the oil, gas and mining sector mainly in Africa and the Middle East. His experience is primarily on the operational side, including strategic management, operations, project management, funding and value creation, generally with listed companies. He is the founder of Clean Invest Africa plc, a company focused on delivering an attractive return through acquiring stakes in clean energy companies, remediation technologies, waste-to-energy technologies and other clean energy related projects.

Paul Ryan

Current Directorships

Warande 1970 BVBA

Shuka Minerals Plc Directorships held over the past 5 years

SHS Holdings PTE Limited

Remote Monitored Systems Plc

Geocurve

UK Aerovision Limited

Pharma C Investments Plc

GN Site Engineers Ltd

Vrai Investments Limited

Clean Invest Africa Plc

Noel Lyons

Current Directorships

Shuka Minerals Plc Directorships held over the past 5 years

SHS Holdings PTE

SHS Ghana

SHS Projects Kenya

Suite Living Kenya

Afra SHS Holdings Pte

Sustainable Project Management DMCC

SHS Projects Pakistan SMC Pte

Bau Panel KE

Equitorial Oil and Gas Plc

Tamboran Resources

Coaltech Limited

HD Shelf Four Limited

Africa Direct Invest Ltd

Iamfire Plc

Hospitality Portfolio Investments Plc

Goodbody group Ltd

Clean Invest Africa Plc

Karoo Energy plc

Mr Ryan was a director of Circle Network (Europe) Limited (Ireland) that was placed into administrative receivership in 2001. The deficit to unsecured creditors amounted to approximately 500,000.

Except as set out above, there is no further information regarding Noel Lyons or Paul Ryan that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 4.9 of the Aquis Growth Market Access Rulebook.

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Enquiries

Company:

Paul Ryan - Executive Director

Paul@warande1970.com

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker

Guy Miller and Charles Goodfellow

+ 44 (0)20 7469 0930





Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them. 1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name Roger Shane 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Director b) Initial notification /Amendment Initial 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Secured Property Developments Plc b) LEI 2138004RJPGI4RW8HI19 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrumentIdentification code Ordinary Shares of 0.20 each

ISIN: GB0007921363 b) Nature of the transaction Disposal of existing Ordinary Shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) 485,621 Ordinary Shares at 26.11 pence per share d) Aggregated information- Aggregated volume- Price e) Date of the transaction 20 December 2023 f) Place of the transaction Aquis Growth Market

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them. 1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name Richard France 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Director b) Initial notification /Amendment Initial 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Secured Property Developments Plc b) LEI 2138004RJPGI4RW8HI19 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrumentIdentification code Ordinary Shares of 0.20 each

ISIN: GB0007921363 b) Nature of the transaction Disposal of existing Ordinary Shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) 88,888 Ordinary Shares at 26.11 pence per share d) Aggregated information- Aggregated volume- Price e) Date of the transaction 20 December 2023 f) Place of the transaction Aquis Growth Market

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them. 1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name Paul Ryan 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Executive Director b) Initial notification /Amendment Initial 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Secured Property Developments Plc b) LEI 2138004RJPGI4RW8HI19 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrumentIdentification code Ordinary Shares of 0.20 each

ISIN: GB0007921363 b) Nature of the transaction Acquisition of Ordinary Shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) 143,627 Ordinary Shares at 26.11 pence per share d) Aggregated information- Aggregated volume- Price e) Date of the transaction 20 December 2023 f) Place of the transaction Aquis Growth Market
LUXEMBOURG, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, with great pride, we announce the listing of the WECAN Token on Bitstamp, one of the world's most renowned exchanges. This marks a significant milestone for Wecan Group, positioning the token at the heart of the global financial landscape.



After a successful presale raising $1.9 million, the listing on Bitstamp represents a highly anticipated moment at the end of this year. The company has already brought together more than 13 private banks and 100 financial intermediaries, collectively managing assets exceeding $1.8 trillion.

The strategic decision to list the WECAN Token on Bitstamp comes just before major events such as Bitcoin's halving, announcements of ETFs by international financial giants like BlackRock, and other significant developments in the sector. WECAN is positioning itself as the institutional token of choice, offering a robust and reliable solution for institutional investors and financial market players.

At the same time, Bitstamp is becoming a Wecan Group customer to facilitate onboarding for banks, financial intermediaries and their end customers.

"As market maturation continues to attract institutional investment, listing the WECAN Token as a secure and efficient digital asset is another step towards ensuring the development and widespread adoption of crypto," said Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux, CEO of Bitstamp. "As such, we're delighted to develop our partnership with Wecan Group, who share our commitment to transparency and security, alongside building credibility in our ever-expanding industry."

"Wecan is honored to be listed on Bitstamp, a platform that epitomizes excellence and credibility in the world of cryptocurrency," says Vincent Pignon, CEO of Wecan Group. "This milestone reflects our commitment to transparency, security, and innovation in the global financial sector."

The WECAN Token, as an institutional token, provides a secure and efficient platform to facilitate large-scale financial transactions. With a strong financial backing and an expanded network of partner institutions, Wecan continues to strengthen its position as a key player in the evolution of the global financial landscape.

For more information on the WECAN Token and its listing on Bitstamp, please visit our website at https://wecangroup.ch/wecan-token/ .

About Wecan

Wecan is an innovative company in the blockchain field. With the support of more than 13 private banks and 100 financial intermediaries managing over $1.8 trillion in assets, Wecan is committed to redefining standards of security and efficiency in the global financial sector.

More info is available at https://wecangroup.ch/

Wecan Media Contact: contact@wecangroup.ch

About Bitstamp

Bitstamp is the world's longest-standing cryptocurrency exchange, continuously providing safe and open access to crypto since 2011. With a proven track record and mature approach to the industry, Bitstamp provides a secure and transparent trading venue to over five million individuals and is the preferred choice for a range of institutional clients seeking a trusted partner to participate in crypto markets. Bitstamp is a sector leader in both security and compliance, with more than 50 licences and registrations secured with financial regulators across the globe.
Decision is not due to any public health concerns regarding generic DMF products

Neuraxpharm to swiftly contest this decision at the General Court of the European Union

BARCELONA, Spain and DUSSELDORF, Germany, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuraxpharm Group (Neuraxpharm), a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announces that it has been notified by the European Commission of its decision to revoke all centrally granted generic marketing permissions for dimethyl fumarate ('DMF'), including Dimethyl Fumarate Neuraxpharm.

This decision is rooted in a highly disputed legal interpretation of a judgment against generic manufacturers by the Court of Justice of the European Union. This decision contradicts the European Medicines Agency's own prior scientific review, when the Commission granted an unconditional marketing permission to Neuraxpharm in 2022.

This decision is not due to any public health concerns regarding generic DMF products and there is consequently no recall of these products by the Commission. However, no further Dimethyl Fumarate Neuraxpharm will be put on the market until this situation is resolved.

Neuraxpharm will swiftly contest this decision at the General Court of the European Union, with the aim of reintroducing Dimethyl Fumarate Neuraxpharm to the European market as soon as possible.

Dr. Jorg-Thomas Dierks, Chief Executive Officer of Neuraxpharm, said, "Neuraxpharm strongly disagrees with the Commission's decision to block DMF generics as it flies in the face of the spirit of competition and denies patients much needed cost-effective treatment. This will also have a significant knock-on impact on healthcare budgets at a time when they are under significant pressure. Neuraxpharm remains committed to our mission of providing affordable, high-quality medication to patients across the European Union, including patients who depend on the more affordable generic versions of Tecfidera such as Dimethyl Fumarate Neuraxpharm."

About the Neuraxpharm Group

Neuraxpharm is the leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of the central nervous system (CNS), including both psychiatric and neurological disorders. It has a unique understanding of the CNS market built over 35 years.

Neuraxpharm is constantly innovating, with new products and solutions to address unmet patient needs and is expanding its portfolio through its pipeline, partnerships and acquisitions.

The company has more than 1,000 employees and develops and commercializes CNS products through a direct presence in more than 20 countries in Europe, two in Latin America, and globally via partners in more than 40 countries. Neuraxpharm is backed by funds advised by Permira.

Neuraxpharm manufactures many of its pharmaceutical products at Neuraxpharm Pharmaceuticals (formerly Laboratorios Lesvi) in Spain.

For more information, please visit www.neuraxpharm.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/european-commission-revokes-all-centrally-granted-generic-marketing-permissions-for-dimethyl-fumarate-dmf-including-dimethyl-fumarate-neuraxpharm-302020031.html
WESTMINSTER, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), a company that creates and commercializes sustainable technologies to solve tough environmental and cleantech challenges, announced that it received a purchase order for its Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) to be installed at a water treatment facility in Stockholm, New Jersey. BioLargo's AEC is an eco-friendly water treatment technology for effectively removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water, including drinking water.

Compared to technologies like carbon filtration or ion exchange, the BioLargo AEC produces far less PFAS-laden waste during the PFAS removal process, significantly reducing potential hazardous waste disposal costs associated with PFAS remediation projects, and is able to remove all specified PFAS chemicals from water below EPA and state requirements.

Once the AEC system is installed, BioLargo will enter into an ongoing service contract for the maintenance of the system as well as the removal and disposal and destruction of the PFAS-laden waste.

John W. Clark, Jr. President of Lake Stockholm Systems, Inc. said, "After an extensive review of the available technologies, including input from our engineers and the state of New Jersey, we selected the BioLargo AEC to ensure the drinking water in our community was free of harmful PFAS chemicals. BioLargo's solution will give us the peace of mind and guarantee that we can meet remediation requirements, both today and in the future."

BioLargo's President and CEO Dennis P. Calvert commented, "Lake Stockholm Systems recognized our technology as a more eco-friendly, regulation-friendly, and cost-effective long-term solution for treating water contaminated by PFAS. We believe the success of this project will play a big role in attracting further municipal water treatment customers, many of whom are still under the misconception that carbon filtration or ion exchange are the only options for long-term PFAS remediation."

Mr. Calvert continued, "Our technology reduces costs customers pay to dispose of the harmful and hazardous waste produced by any technology removing PFAS from water. For example, where a carbon system might produce 80,000 pounds of hazardous spent carbon at the end of its life, we can treat the same volume of water and produce less than five pounds of solid waste. With CERCLA and RCRA regulations looming, which will require handling PFAS-laden solid waste as hazardous materials, legacy technologies simply won't be able to compete with the AEC in this area."

Learn more at www.bestPFAStreatment.com.

About BioLargo, Inc.

BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO) is a cleantech and life sciences innovator and engineering services solution provider. Our core products address PFAS contamination, achieve advanced water and wastewater treatment, control odor and VOCs, improve air quality, enable energy-efficiency and safe on-site energy storage, and control infections and infectious disease. Our approach is to invent or acquire novel technologies, develop them into product offerings, and extend their commercial reach through licensing and channel partnerships to maximize their impact. See our website at www.BioLargo.com.

Contact Information

Dennis P. Calvert

President and CEO, BioLargo, Inc.

888-400-2863

Safe Harbor Act

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about BioLargo's (the "Company") expectations regarding anticipated revenue; and plans for future operations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: the effect of regional economic conditions on the Company's business, including effects on purchasing decisions by consumers and businesses; the ability of the Company to compete in markets that are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change; the ability of the Company to manage frequent introductions and transitions of products and services, including delivering to the marketplace, and stimulating customer demand for, new products, services, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the dependency of the Company on the performance of distributors of the Company's products. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

SOURCE: BioLargo, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY) ("Riverside" or the "Company"), is pleased to report on rock sampling and fieldwork from the Cecilia Gold-Silver Project (the "Project") in Sonora, Mexico. The results fit within the larger context of a district scale gold-silver composite dome system with superimposed gold-rich veins. Past drilling by Riverside intercepted high-grade gold in 4 of the 7 holes and this sampling over new areas, doubles the strike of the defined mineralization footprint This large footprint is consistent with other rhyolite dome gold systems including those in New Mexico like Mogollon and in Sonora like at La India mine of Agnico Eagle.

Key Highlights:

34 rock samples were collected at the primary targets.

22 samples in the main target "Cerro Magallanes" confirming Au grades up 7.3 g/t Au and Ag > 100 g/t.

Five (5) primary structural trends were identified with field data and historic geochemical data reprocessing.

Updated drilling permits, valid for the next several years, have been obtained along with signed agreements for surface access over the targets.

Riverside collected rock chip samples from selective areas along 0.8 km length in the Magallanes Target area that returned gold values in assays up to 7.3 g/t Au and 144 g/t Ag (Figure 1A., Table 1). The sampling confirms the consistent Au grades obtained in past surface workings and diamond core drilling that includes 24.2m @1.51 g/t Au in CED21-005 by the Company. The mapping and exploration activities combined with data reprocessing allows the company geologists to define the main structural trends (Agua Prieta, San Jose, North Breccia, Central and East trends) that are the main mineral corridors (Figure 2). The structural trends are interpreted as the surface expression of a rooted rhyolite dome system where higher grades lie at the base of the hill (Figure 1B). The geochemical data obtained, and the geologic mapping are helpful to refine the geological model for the deposit type and target delineation for the next drill program planned for 2024.





Figure 1. A. Plan view map of the Magallanes Target with some of the new geochemical sampling done recently and the defined structural trends. B. Schematic cross-section interpreting the convergence of the structural trends into the root of a mineralized rhyolite composite dome system (like those found at Yanacocha, Peru and San Julian, Mexico).



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/191682_riversidefig1.jpg

Table 1: Selected assay results from Riverside's recent sampling at Cecilia.

Area East North Elevation Sample Type Au_g/t Ag_g/t Cerro Magallanes 612215 3436934 1779 selected 7.3 144 Cerro Magallanes 611598 3436932 2165 selected 6.18 9.21 Cerro Magallanes 612362 3437066 1711 dump 3.87 38.7 Cerro Magallanes 611469 3436911 2167 chip 2.64 1.33 Cerro Magallanes 611425 3436898 2133 chip 2.08 2.3 Cerro Magallanes 611935 3436954 1936 chip 1.86 12.65 La Cruz 615365 3438484 1431 chip 1.63 3.29

Figure 2. North-looking oblique aerial photograph of the Magallanes Dome Complex with different targets. The dashed red lines indicate the trends that control -mineralization and that are interpreted to be rooted in the central portion of the dome creating the next focused drill targeting.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/191682_riversidefig2.jpg

Cecilia Project

The Cecilia project consists of six mineral concessions, collectively covering over 77 sq km (7,739 hectares) in size, thus a large district covered by the Company. The Project is located 40 kilometers southwest of the Agua Prieta border between Mexico and the USA, and 50 kilometers east of Mexico's largest mining complex, Cananea copper mining complex producing the largest amount of copper in Mexico.

In the Cecilia Project, the rhyolitic tuffs and dome complex units intrude and unconformably overlie a sequence of marine clastic sedimentary rocks consisting of interbedded siltstone and sandstone of the Cretaceous Cabullona Group which hosts gold mineralization in other portions of northern Sonora as well as here at Cecilia. The age of the mineralization obtained by Riverside yielded ca. 18 Ma using U-Pb in zircons in syn-volcanic mineralized rhyolite flow dome in the top of the sequence. This age for mineralization tied to magmatism has also been reported in large Au camps in Arizona (e.g. Oatman area, DeWitt et al.,1986).

Riverside work in the district has developed additional targets including the Cruz 1, Cruz 2, Cruz 3, Casa de Piedra, Los Llanos, and Magallancito targets (Figure 3). These targets represent different levels of exposure and make the Cecilia project a potential district for multiple gold discoveries.





Figure 3. Map of the district by Riverside with areas of clustering with gold mineralization and targets shown. Stratigraphic column with targets in stars for location in the stratigraphy similar to other major rhyolite dome districts where multiple targets in diverse structural settings.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Qualified Person & QA/QC:

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the Cecilia Project was reviewed and approved by Julian Manco, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources focusing on the work in Sonora, Mexico, who is responsible for ensuring that the information provided in this news release is accurate and who acts as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Rock samples from the exploration program discussed above at Cecilia were taken to the Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Hermosillo, Mexico for fire assaying for gold. The rejects remained with Bureau Veritas in Mexico while the pulps were transported to Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 45 element ICP/ES-MS analysis. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream prior to being sent to the laboratory.

About Riverside Resources Inc.:

Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has over $6M in cash, no debt, and less than 75M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets and royalties in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside's exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has properties available for option, with information available on the Company's website at www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

"John-Mark Staude"

Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark Staude

President, CEO

Riverside Resources Inc.

info@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

Fax: (778) 327-6675

Web: www.rivres.com

Mehran Bagherzadeh

Corporate Communications

Riverside Resources Inc.

Mehran@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

TF: (877) RIV-RES1

Web: www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., "expect"," estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "plans"). Such information involves known and unknown risks -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191682

SOURCE: Riverside Resources Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana") is pleased to announce that, as a result of demand, it has increased the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of Units (see new releases dated October 18, 2023, October 19, 2023, November 6, 2023 and December 20, 2023). Chakana will now raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$3,000,000 (the "Private Placement").

Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.06 per Share for a period of two years from closing of the Private Placement. The Company may accelerate the expiry of the Warrants in the event that for any ten consecutive trading days the closing price of the Shares is greater than $0.09.

Pursuant to an agreement between the Company and Gold Fields Nazca Holdings Inc. ("Gold Fields"), a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Gold Fields Limited (see news release dated April 19, 2019), Gold Fields exercised its participation right to purchase 8,555,643 Units in the first tranche of the Private Placement for total proceeds of C$342,225.75 and currently owns 19.9% of the outstanding shares in the Company. Gold Fields has informed the Company that it intends to participate in the second tranche of the financing. In addition, directors and officers of the Company purchased an aggregate of 3,185,852 Units in the first tranche of the Private Placement for total proceeds of C$127,434.09.

The company intends to use $2.7M of the proceeds from the Private Placement for exploration drilling and development of the Company's high-grade copper-gold-silver discovery at the Soledad Project, located in the Ancash region of Peru, and for general working capital and administrative purposes. On June 28, 2023, the Company received final approval to drill numerous targets on the southern-half of the Soledad project (see news release dated July 5, 2023), including the Mega-Gold porphyry target, the La Joya high-sulfidation epithermal target, and additional high-grade outcropping tourmaline breccia pipes. The remaining funds will be used for general working capital and administrative purposes, including salaries payable to non-arms length parties. There are no proposed payments to persons conducting investor relations activities.

The Soledad project is an emerging copper-gold-silver discovery in the active Aija-Ticapampa mining district. An initial Inferred Resource (MRE) of 191,000 ounces of gold, 11.7 million ounces of silver, and 130 million pounds of copper hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes and open at depth was published in Q1 2022 (see news releases dated January 11 and February 23, 2022) contained within 4.8 million tonnes grading 0.72 g/t gold, 61 g/t silver and 0.97% copper assumed to be extractable by underground mining methods, plus an additional Inferred Resource of 1.9 million tonnes grading 1.29 g/t gold, 37.1 g/t silver and 0.65% copper assumed to be extractable by open pit mining methods. The currently defined resource reflects only a small portion of the potential of the Soledad mineral system as the tourmaline breccias are just one of several mineralization styles related to a major intrusive center at Soledad that are subject to ongoing exploration.

Chakana may pay finder's fees on some portion of the gross proceeds of the Private Placement to certain arms-length parties who assist the Company in introducing subscribers to the Private Placement. The Private Placement is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. The securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws in Canada expiring four months and one day from the closing date of the Private Placement.

Members of the Company's management team may participate in the Private Placement including subscriptions from related parties of the Company as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The participation of management in the Private Placement is exempt from formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements pursuant to exemptions contained in sections 5.5(c) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Chakana Copper Corp

Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project is notable for the high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralization that is hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes and other intrusion-related styles of mineralization. An initial inferred resource estimate for seven breccia pipes was announced in January, 2022 (see news release dated February 23, 2022), with 6.73 Mt containing 191,000 ounces of gold, 11.7 million ounces of silver, and 130 million pounds of copper. In addition, extensive multidisciplinary exploration has defined 154 exploration targets, 28 of which have been tested to date (18%), confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana's investors are uniquely positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to base and precious metals. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com.

Qualified Person

David Kelley, an officer, and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) "David Kelley"

David Kelley

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Investor Relations: Info

Email: info@chakanacopper.com

Telephone: 720-233-2166

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement Advisory: This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the use of proceeds and completion of the Private Placement. Forward-Looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-Looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES

OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191745

SOURCE: Chakana Copper Corp.
SHANGHAI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China Eastern Airlines' first flight between Shanghai and the Egyptian capital of Cairo took place on Dec. 11, marking the first direct passenger flight route from Shanghai to North Africa operated by a Chinese airline.

The flight MU223 departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport with 232 passengers at 00:45 a.m. It arrived at Cairo International Airport at 7:19 a.m. local time.

The direct flight from Shanghai to Cairo is available every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, while the flight returning from Cairo departs every Monday, Thursday and Saturday local time as well.

The route is serviced by the airline's latest A350-900 wide-body aircraft, which are equipped with the latest passenger service system and Wi-Fi, allowing passengers to enjoy Wi-Fi services throughout the 10-hour journey.

The airline aims to provide a seamless travel experience for passengers as the outbound flights arrive early in the morning local time so that they can explore the ancient city or efficiently change planes to other destinations in Africa and the Middle East.

The inbound flights to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, one of China's major international aviation hubs, offer convenient connections for passengers from Cairo. Passengers can take advantage of the airport's extensive network to efficiently change planes to other Chinese cities, as well as other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Furthermore, passengers who continue their journey with the airline and its partner airlines will enjoy seamless and convenient transfer services.

Image Attachments Links:

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443814

Caption: China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo.

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443815

Caption: China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305386/1_China_Eastern.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305385/2_China_Eastern.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-eastern-airlines-launches-direct-flight-route-between-shanghai-and-cairo-302020045.html
OSAKA, Japan and TOKYO, Japan, Dec 20, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - A consortium of joint research partners including the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka University, RIKEN, the Advanced Semiconductor Research Center at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the Superconducting ICT Laboratory at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Amazon Web Services, e-trees.Japan, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, NTT Corporation (NTT), QuEL, Inc., QunaSys Inc., and Systems Engineering Consultants Co.,LTD. (SEC) today announced the successful development of Japan's third superconducting quantum computer (1) installed at Osaka University. Starting December 22, 2023, the partners will provide users in Japan access to the newly developed computer via the cloud, enabling researchers to execute quantum algorithms (2), improve and verify the operation of software, and explore use cases remotely.The newly developed superconducting quantum computer uses a 64 qubit chip provided by RIKEN, which leverages the same design as the chip in RIKEN's first superconducting quantum computer, which was unveiled to users in Japan as a cloud service for non-commercial use on March 27, 2023 (3).For the new quantum computer, the research team sourced more domestically manufactured components (excluding the refrigerator). The research team confirmed that the new quantum computer, including its components, provides sufficient performance and will utilize the computer as a test bed for components made in Japan.Moving forward, the research group will operate the new computer while improving its software and other systems for usage including the processing of heavy workloads on the cloud. The research team anticipates that the computer will drive further progress in the fields of machine learning and the development of practical quantum algorithms, enable the exploration of new use cases in material development and drug discovery, and contribute to the solution of optimization problems to mitigate environmental impact.The joint research group is comprised of: Dr. Masahiro Kitagawa, (Professor, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Director of the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka University), Dr. Makoto Negoro (Associate Professor, Vice Director of the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka University), Dr. Yasunobu Nakamura (Director of the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing (RQC)), Dr. Katsuya Kikuchi (Group Leader of the 3D Integration System Group of the Device Technology Research Institute at AIST), Dr. Hirotaka Terai (Executive Researcher at the Superconductive ICT Device Laboratory at the Kobe Frontier Research Center of the Advanced ICT Research Institute of NICT), Dr. Yoshitaka Haribara (Senior Startup Machine Learning and Quantum Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services), Dr. Takefumi Miyoshi(Director of e-trees.Japan, Inc., Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka University, CTO of QuEL, Inc.), Dr. Shintaro Sato (Head of Quantum Laboratory, Fujitsu Research, Fujitsu Limited), Dr. Yuuki Tokunaga (Distinguished Researcher at NTT Computer & Data Science Laboratories), Yosuke Ito (CEO of QuEL, Inc.), Keita Kanno (CTO of QunaSys Inc.), and Ryo Uchida (Chief Technologist of Systems Engineering Consultants Co.,LTD. (SEC)).Research supportThis research was supported by grants from:- Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Quantum Leap Flagship Program (MEXT Q-LEAP) "Research and Development of Superconducting Quantum Computers' (Team Leader: Yasunobu Nakamura; Grant No. JPMXS 0118068682) and "Development of quantum software by intelligent quantum system design and its applications' (Team leader: Keisuke Fujii; Grant No. JPMXS 0120319794)- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) ERATO's "Nakamura Macroscopic Quantum Machine Project" (Team leader: Yasunobu Nakamura, Grant No. JPMJER1601), the Program on Open Innovation Platforms for Industry-academia Co-creation (COI-NEXT) "Quantum Software Research Hub" (Team leader: Masahiro Kitagawa, Grant No. JPMJPF2014), and Moonshot Target 6 "Development of Integrated Technology for Superconducting Quantum Circuits' (Team leader: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Grant No. JPMJMS2067)- Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), "Promoting the application of advanced quantum technology platforms to social issues"(Funding agency: QST) "Development and Operation of Test Beds with Domestic Quantum Computers" (Team leader: Shinichi Yorozu)[1]Superconducting qubits :A quantum computing system that uses a Josephson junction, a tunnel junction element, to realize quantum bits on an electronic circuit using a superconducting material. Because of the small scale of the energy difference of the 0 or 1 qubit state, it is necessary to cool the qubits to extremely low temperatures (to about -273degC) in a dilution refrigerator.[2]Quantum algorithm :An algorithm that can be run on a quantum computer. Quantum algorithms are represented by a sequence of qubits that are changed one after another into different states or interact with other qubits.[3] "Japanese joint research group launches quantum computing cloud service" (press release, March 24, 2023)About Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka UniversityCenter for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology consists of six research groups: Quantum Computing, Quantum Information Fusion, Quantum Information Devices, Quantum Communications and Security, Quantum Measurement and Sensing, and Quantum Biology, promoting researches in each field and transdisciplinary research among these fields as well as other academic fields. The center, as an international research hub for quantum innovations, promotes international academic exchanges and takes a key role in human resources development to social implementation. For more information, visit us at https://qiqb.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/About RIKENRIKEN is Japan's largest research institute for basic and applied research. Over 2500 papers by RIKEN researchers are published every year in leading scientific and technology journals covering a broad spectrum of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and medical science. RIKEN's research environment and strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and globalization has earned a worldwide reputation for scientific excellence. Website: www.riken.jp/en/Facebook: www.facebook.com/RIKENHQX (formerly Twitter): @riken_enAbout NICTAs the only public research institution of Japan that specializes in the field of information and communications technology, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) promotes ICT R&D, from the foundational to the implementation, while collaborating with universities, industry, and domestic and overseas research institutions. NICT will be advancing R&D in the fields of advanced electromagnetic wave technology, innovative networks, cybersecurity, universal communication, and frontier science. Furthermore, NICT will also actively be promoting R&D in four strategic research fields (Beyond 5G, AI, quantum ICT, and cybersecurity), which are essential cutting-edge technologies for next-generation ICT infrastructure for the early realization of Society 5.0. For more information, visit https://www.nict.go.jp/en/.About e-trees.Japan, Inc.e-trees.Japan, Inc. provides solutions and implements applications with powerful hardware and flexible software combinations. Our key concept is "Keep It Simple and Smart." We primarily address R&D items, such as FPGA and network (with network protocol stack for FPGAs implemented by ourselves), embedded systems, and systems with low power consumption or renewable energy. Find out more: https://e-trees.jp/en/.About FujitsuFujitsu's purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.7 trillion yen (US$28 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.About NTTNTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and business as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $97B in revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers. NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group Public Relations nttrd-pr@ml.ntt.comAbout QuEL, Inc.QuEL, Inc. is an Osaka University-affiliated startup established in 2021. We are a team of experienced researchers and engineers with various backgrounds, strongly supporting quantum computing researchers to supply novel qubit controllers. Find out more: https://quel-inc.com/en/About QunaSys Inc.QunaSys is a Japanese startup engaged in advancing algorithms in chemistry to drive real-world applications of quantum technology. Our primary focus is on leveraging quantum computing potential by collaborating on research with industry leaders and fostering a community-driven approach within the QPARC industry network. Our flagship innovation, QURI, represents a user-friendly quantum computational web software. This platform allows users without specialized quantum algorithm expertise to engage in quantum calculations seamlessly. Additionally, our QURI Parts act as essential building blocks, aiding in the assembly of quantum algorithms into efficient Python code. For more information, visit us at https://qunasys.com/About Systems Engineering Consultants Co.,LTD.Systems Engineering Consultants (SEC) is a software development company specialized in real-time technology, contributing to the safety and development of society. We offer real-time software in four different business fields: mobile networking, internet technology, public infrastructure, and space, robotics and advanced technologies. Find out more: https://www.sec.co.jp/en/.Press ContactsCenter for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka UniversityDr. Makoto Negoro (Associate Professor, Vice Director of the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at Osaka University)E-mail: negoro.sec@qiqb.osaka-u.ac.jphttps://qiqb.osaka-u.ac.jpRIKENRIKEN Global CommunicationsX (formerly Twitter): @riken_enTel: +81-(0)48-462-1225E-mail: pr@riken.jpNICTPress Office Public Relations DepartmentE-mail: publicity@nict.go.jpAmazon Web ServicesPublic Relations DivisionE-mail: awsjp-pr [at] amazon.comFujitsu LimitedPublic and Investor Relations DivisionInquiriesNTTNTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group Public RelationsE-mail: nttrd-pr@ml.ntt.comQuEL, Inc.E-mail: info@quel-inc.comQunaSys Inc.Public Relations DivisionE-mail: pr@qunasys.comSystems Engineering Consultants Co.,LTD.https://www.sec.co.jp/en/contact/contact3.htmlSource: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2023 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Endava positioned as a Niche Player which according to Gartner means "focus on a particular segment of the market, such as a particular industry, size of client, functional area"

Endava has been recognised for the first time ever in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Custom Software Development Services, Worldwide, listed as a Niche Player which according to Gartner means "focus on a particular segment of the market, such as a particular industry, size of client, functional area". Gartner subscribers can access the report from here.

For over 20 years, Endava has reimagined the relationship between people and technology, helping some of the world's leading Payments, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Media, Technology, Consumer Products, Retail, Mobility, and Healthcare companies accelerate their ability to take advantage of new business models and market opportunities. Its steady growth in delivery capabilities has been fuelled in part by a suite of acquisitions, most recently in Asia Pacific and the US.

Of the news, John Cotterell, CEO at Endava said, "We're thrilled to be recognised in this year's 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Custom Software Development Services, Worldwide. We believe that our inclusion is testament to the work we do for clients across industries and their recognition of that partnership. Whatever their challenge, Endava prides itself on bringing solutions rooted in humanity and engineering; being that trusted, people-focused partner that delivers, whatever the ask. Our iterative approach means that our product driven engagements are fit for purpose and able to be implemented in an agile way, keeping our customers ahead of the curve."

To learn more about Endava, visit https://www.endava.com/en/

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Custom Software Development Services, Worldwide, By Luis Pinto, Deacon D.K Wan, Gunjan Gupta, Jaideep Thyagarajan, Ben Pring, 27 November 2023

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

ABOUT ENDAVA PLC:

Endava is reimagining the relationship between people and technology. By leveraging next-generation technologies, its agile and multi-disciplinary teams provide a combination of product technology strategies, intelligent experiences, and world class engineering to help clients become digital, experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalysing ideation and delivering robust solutions.

Endava services clients in Payments, Banking and Capital Markets, Insurance, TMT, Consumer Products, Retail, Mobility and Healthcare. As of September 30, 2023, 11,761 Endavans provided services from our locations in European Union countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden), non-European Union countries (Bosnia Herzegovina, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay), Asia-Pacific (Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam), North America (Canada and the United States), and the Middle East (United Arab Emirates).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219491760/en/

Contacts:

MEDIA CONTACT:

Hotwire Global: EndavaHub@hotwireglobal.com
SambaNova's unique reconfigurable dataflow architecture adapted to meet the challenges of conventional systems

SambaNova Systems, makers of the only purpose-built, full stack AI platform, today announced that SambaNova DataScale is one of the technologies selected for utilization in SoftBank Corp.'s (TOKYO:9434) top level* computing platform for the development of generative AI. Cotofure Corporation is supporting the implementation of SambaNova DataScale.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220138927/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2017 and funded by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 (SVF2) in 2021, SambaNova provides a full stack dedicated AI infrastructure, from AI chip to pre-trained foundation models based on a unique reconfigurable dataflow architecture.

Hironobu Tamba, Vice President, Data Platform Strategy Division Head, Technology Unit at SoftBank Corp., said: "To realize its corporate philosophy, 'Information Revolution Happiness for everyone', SoftBank announced its long-term vision to provide next-generation social infrastructure essential for the development of a digital society in May 2023. To advance this long-term vision, SoftBank is constructing a computing platform for the development of generative AI. The addition of SambaNova's innovative technology to this computing platform will enable us to accelerate our innovations."

Toyoshi Takahashi, President of Cotofure Corporation, said: "We are pleased to be a reseller of SambaNova Systems, which provides a computational foundation for generative AI development that leverages its unique architecture. We look forward to contributing to the development of generative AI services that match Japanese culture and business practices. We also expect to be able to develop applications more quickly and cost-effectively by utilizing SambaNova's system, which is the optimal computational platform for foundation model."

"AI is transforming industries as dramatically as the internet did innovators are leaping ahead by deploying an AI 'backbone' that will power the next 10 years of application development," stated Rodrigo Liang, cofounder, and CEO of SambaNova Systems. "We are delighted to be partnering with SoftBank in the development of one of Japan's leading computing platforms."

* One of the largest computing platforms in Japan for LLMs learning. Based on publicly available information as of October 31, 2023, and SoftBank Corp. research.

About SambaNova Systems

Customers turn to SambaNova to quickly deploy state-of-the-art generative AI capabilities within the enterprise. Our purpose-built enterprise-scale AI platform is the technology backbone for the next generation of AI computing.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, SambaNova Systems was founded in 2017 by industry luminaries, and hardware and software design experts from Sun/Oracle and Stanford University. Investors include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Intel Capital, GV, Walden International, Temasek, GIC, Redline Capital, Atlantic Bridge Ventures, Celesta, and several others. Visit us at sambanova.ai or contact us at info@sambanova.ai.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220138927/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact:

Virginia Jamieson

Head of External Communications, SambaNova Systems

virginia.jamieson@sambanova.ai

650-279-8619
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Quest Diagnostics (DGX) said on Wednesday that it has appointed Yuri A. Fesko as Chief Medical Officer, or CMO, with immediate effect. Fesko will succeed Jay Wohlgemuth, who held the role of CMO for 14 years before stepping down in early 2023 to pursue professional and other interests. Since joining Quest in 2016, the new CMO has held several roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as vice president of medical affairs and senior medical director for the company's oncology services. DGX was trading up by 0.40 percent at $137 per share in the pre-market trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings, announces it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of 2,500,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.20 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $500,000, or such greater number of Units and total gross proceeds as the Company may determine. To demonstrate continued support of the Company, Bloom Burton & Co. Inc., strategic investors, and insiders are expected to subscribe as lead orders in the Offering.

Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (each, a "Share") in the capital of the Company and one transferable share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable for one Share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.40 per Warrant Share for a period of three years after the closing date, subject to an acceleration right, whereby the expiry date of the Warrants may be accelerated if the daily closing price of the common shares of the Company equals or exceeds $0.60 on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") (or such other exchange on which the common shares may then be traded) for 20 consecutive trading days in which event the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice via news release and, in such case, 100% of the then unexercised Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which the news release is disseminated.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance the Company's scale-up activities on both its REPELWRAP film and spray technologies and for general corporate purposes.

Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and President of FendX, stated, "We're excited to announce this private placement on the heels of achieving several recent development milestones including a successful first pilot run for our lead product, REPELWRAP film, initiating scale-up development work on our spray formulation and signing a collaborative research agreement with McMaster to assess coating catheters with our nanotechnology."

Closing of the Offering is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including from the CSE. All securities issued in relation to the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after the closing date, in accordance with applicable securities laws. Any participation by insiders in the Offering will constitute a related party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") but is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. Certain finder's fees may also be payable to qualifying parties in accordance with applicable laws.

The securities to be issued under the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About FendX Technologies Inc.

FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has an exclusive worldwide license to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Carolyn Myers"

Carolyn Myers

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Contacts:

Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and Director

1-800-344-9868

Alyssa Barry, Investor Relations

1-833-947-5227

investor@fendxtech.com

For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; the Offering and its terms; the proposed use of funds of the Offering; that Bloom Burton & Co. Inc., strategic investors and insiders are expected to subscribe as lead orders in the Offering; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties, including that the Offering may not close at all or on the terms announced; that the Company may use the proceeds of the Offering for purposes other than those disclosed in this news release; adverse market conditions; and other factors beyond the control of the Company. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate, and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include: product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, the reader is urged to refer to the Company's such filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191744

SOURCE: FendX Technologies Inc.
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / A significant player in the DC metro real estate market, Community Redevelopment (OTC PINK:CRDV) announced today that it has acquired a property on 5320 8th St NW. This property was originally a 36 unit building comprised of one and two bedrooms. The building has been gutted and renovated and reconfigured to 41 units of three bedrooms, each containing new kitchens, and baths as well as new floors. All functional aspects such as windows, roof, electrical, plumbing, have all been upgraded as well. The building is being ear-marked specifically for Voucher (TAP, Section 8) tenants.

This acquisition, while adding immediate financial value to the public company, also demonstrates the company's ethical values of uplifting the under-served with state-of-the-art contemporary design and aesthetics for those in assisted programs.

All these units are residential apartments, 15 of the units are currently under rent while the other units are in the process of being leased. The units pass DC Housing standards and are code compliant.

The as renovated value of the property is $21.6M, and this value will increase based on our new Net Operating Income, which reflects a 10% increase to the voucher rent.

As CEO Richard Balles said, "We believe that our efforts provide sustainable, long-term value to investors as we strive to improve our beloved community."

About Community Redevelopment

Community Redevelopment Inc. is a full-service real estate company with a management team that has extensive experience in acquiring, developing, constructing, and managing high-quality multifamily, and retail properties. The Company is focused on all aspects of the urban real estate development cycle including land development, design build, property operations, and site redevelopment. In addition to the ownership of our operating property portfolio, Community Redevelopment plans to develop and build desirable properties for its own account and through joint ventures with affiliated and unaffiliated partners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, results of clinical trials and/or other studies, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, the effect of any competitive products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, potential litigation by or against us, any governmental review of our products or practices, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our latest reports filed with the SEC. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time. Finally, the investing public is reminded that the only announcements or information about Community Redevelopment Inc. which are condoned by the Company must emanate from the Company itself and bear our name as its Source.

For more information on Community Redevelopment Inc., please contact us at 866 692-6847 or see our website at www.comredev.com

SOURCE: Community Redevelopment, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Subaru of America, Inc.

Originally published by The ASPCA

Exciting news for animal lovers nationwide! For the sixteenth year in a row, the ASPCA has been selected as a national charity partner to participate in the Subaru Share the Love Event, which kicks off Thursday, November 16, and runs through January 2, 2024.

When you purchase or lease a new Subaru this holiday season, you have the chance to "share the love" with the ASPCA! For every new Subaru vehicle that is purchased or leased throughout the campaign, Subaru will donate $250 to the purchaser's/lessee's choice among four national charity partners, including the ASPCA, or a local Hometown Charity(ies) supported by individual retailers.*

Funds donated to the ASPCA will continue to help animals in need, like Jackson, who got a second chance after being rescued from an abandoned apartment in New York City, where he was found extremely underweight and suffering from ear infections and anxiety. Jackson was transported to the ASPCA Canine Annex for Recovery and Enrichment (CARE) where our dedicated staff immediately began giving him the care he needed and deserved.

Once Jackson was healthy enough, he was transferred to the ASPCA Adoption Center where he continued to work through his anxieties and put on weight. Soon enough, Jackson was ready to find a loving home! As fate would have it, Katie D. was looking for a big dog to share her life with and came across Jackson on the ASPCA website. The two have been by one another's side ever since. Jackson is just one of hundreds of vulnerable dogs we see each year in need of care, protection and rehabilitation.

We're excited that Subaru has chosen to support us once again this year, and we look forward to helping provide second chances for more animals like Jackson!

Since 2008, Subaru has donated over $35 million to the ASPCA through our partnership, including the Subaru Share the Love Event. We're so thankful for Subaru and all of the Subaru owners who have supported the ASPCA through this campaign over the years! Their support has furthered our lifesaving efforts for countless animals in need nationwide.

*Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased from November 16, 2023, through January 2, 2024, to four national charities designated by the purchaser or lessee. The four national charities will receive a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 each. All donations made by Subaru of America, Inc. Pre-approved Hometown Charities may be selected for donation depending on retailer participation. For every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased during the campaign period, participating retailers will donate a minimum of $50 in total to their registered Hometown Charities. Purchasers/lessees must make their charity designations by January 12, 2024. See your local Subaru retailer for details or visit subaru.com/share.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Subaru of America, Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Subaru of America, Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/subaru-america-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Subaru of America, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
With the new integrations, Insightful becomes the only employee productivity tool offering direct HRIS system connectivity

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Insightful, a leader in employee productivity monitoring, today announced the launch of its new HRIS integrations. The integrations make Insightful the only productivity tool that allows organizations to synchronize HRIS and workforce analytics employee data.

Insightful's HRIS integrations are designed to combat the common challenges of maintaining employee records across different systems: manual employee data entry and the need to continuously update employee information across both systems.

Key Details

Insightful's latest HRIS integrations simplify synchronizing HRIS and workforce analytics employee data.

The new integrations make Insightful the only employee productivity tool that directly connects with HRIS systems.

Insightful plans to expand its integration offerings to include helpdesk, payroll, accounting, and more.

Simplifying Employee Data Management

With its ability to integrate with HRIS systems, Insightful has set a new standard in employee productivity tools. While many productivity tools claim to automatically update HRIS data, this is not true. Instead, most of today's tools rely on CSV uploads. By integrating directly with HRIS systems, Insightful becomes the only productivity tool that connects directly with them, enabling continuous data syncing.

With Insightful's HRIS integrations, you only have to enter employee data into your HRIS, then Insightful automatically reflects this information inside the platform. This eliminates the need to set up employees manually in your workforce analytics software. Then, if a new employee starts, employees change teams or they leave the company, these changes in your HRIS system will auto-populate into Insightful.

By partnering with the HRIS systems in this way, Insightful makes workforce analytics software adoption easier than ever. And the company has further plans to add even greater functionality in the near future so organizations can connect their HRIS systems and workforce analytics on an even deeper level.

Becoming the Most Complete Workforce Analytics Solution

"Our newest HRIS integrations make it incredibly easy for organizations to adopt workforce analytics to improve how their teams work," said Insightful CEO and Founder, Ivan Petrovic.

"We often hear from customers that an inability to sync HRIS and workforce analytics tools inhibits the adoption of the latter. That's where our new integrations step in. Not only do they connect the data between the two systems, they can also save organizations money by ensuring they're not paying for unused licenses.

"We're not only simplifying keeping records in sync across different systems, but also paving the way for a more interconnected and efficient workplace. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive solution that meets the evolving needs of modern businesses."

More Integration Plans on the Horizon

The new HRIS integrations are the second major integration release by Insightful as part of the company's ongoing mission to become the most complete workforce analytics software.

With 50-plus integrations already live on its marketplace, Insightful already connects with many of the world's most popular software tools. The company has significant plans to expand this collection of integrations, including helpdesk, payroll, and accounting integrations in the near future.

To access Insightful integrations, visit: https://www.insightful.io/integrations

-

About Insightful

Insightful software is trusted by 3,100+ global brands and used by 150,000+ people daily. Insightful's workforce analytics software helps manage and boost productivity, improve workflows, and support employee wellbeing. Features include an employee tracker, automatic time tracking, remote working tools, and so much more.

Contact:

Seb Kipman

media@insightful.io

Download press kit

Contact Information

Seb KIpman

Head of Communications

media@insightful.io

SOURCE: insightful.io

View the original press release on newswire.com.
LANCASTER, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / We are thrilled to announce that Stephanie Nwegbu has been chosen as the TravelNurseSource Spring 2024 Scholarship recipient. Stephanie is a nursing student at Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing.

Stephanie demonstrated exceptional dedication and perseverance in her pursuit of serving others, even in the face of challenges.

As a leading platform for nurses seeking travel assignments, TravelNurseSource is proud to support the next generation of nurses through this scholarship opportunity.

Our primary goal is to enable passionate professionals like Stephanie to succeed in the nursing field with the resources and support needed to provide exceptional patient care.

Stephanie's remarkable dedication to giving back to her community and providing care to underrepresented populations deeply resonates with our organizational values. She embodies the future of healthcare, characterized by compassion and an unyielding drive to make a difference.

"I admire the braveness and commitment it takes to put someone else's life ahead of yours to ensure they could continue living a quality life," Stephanie wrote. "The fulfillment and satisfaction I get from serving others further confirmed my calling to become a nurse."

Join us in congratulating Stephanie on this well-deserved accomplishment. We extend our best wishes for her ongoing success in her academic and professional pursuits. Please visit our website to learn more about the TravelNurseSource scholarship program or our services.

TravelNurseSource is a travel healthcare recruitment platform owned by TrackFive that helps agencies find the right travel nurses for their open assignments. Their expertise in the travel nursing recruitment industry offers a competitive advantage to agencies looking to surpass their recruitment objectives. Visit TravelNurseSource.com for more information.

Contact Information

Oliver Feakins

CEO

info@travelnursesource.com

877-696-7482

SOURCE: TrackFive

View the original press release on newswire.com.
The service company continues to demonstrate market superiority in website and service monitoring, solidifying its status as the preferred provider for unified, dependable solutions for maintaining website availability.

PALO ALTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Uptime.com, a global leader in website monitoring services, proudly announces tremendous sales results for the last two quarters of 2023, marking a new pinnacle in its growth trajectory.

In a testament to its unwavering commitment to excellence, Uptime.com has experienced unprecedented success in 2023, achieving record-breaking sales that underscore its position as an industry frontrunner. This outstanding performance reflects how well the company's services are suited to businesses across all industries.

As demand for reliable website monitoring solutions continues to surge, Uptime.com has not only met but surpassed expectations. The sustained momentum in growth positions the company as a key player in the ever-evolving landscape of the observability and monitoring market.

Product-Led Growth (PLG) serves as a cornerstone of its strategy, driving the company's success in the competitive landscape of website monitoring services. By prioritizing a customer-centric approach, Uptime.com ensures that its product seamlessly addresses the evolving needs of its current and future customers. Through intuitive design and continuous innovation, the company continues to empower users to experience the full capabilities of its monitoring solutions effortlessly.

"Our recently enhanced subscription model represents a significant improvement in time-to-value. We've streamlined our plans, making it easier for our customers to navigate and choose what suits them best. We've maintained the flexibility of our on-demand add-on model, ensuring that our customers have access to all of our features at competitive prices. This evolution in our business model underscores our commitment to delivering excellence and value to our customers - which we never stop doing." - Jonathan Franconi, CEO and Head of Product, Uptime.com

This model not only fosters customer satisfaction but also propels organic growth as users discover and adopt additional features. With a diverse range of customers across various markets, of which consist of businesses with ARR of more than $10 million, Uptime.com's commitment to delivering a product that not only meets but exceeds expectations is a key driver behind its sustained growth and market leadership. With broad product offerings and multiple pricing packages ranging from a Starter Pricing Plan for startups to custom Enterprise packages, Uptime.com caters to businesses of all sizes. This strengthens the company's position in the market by attracting a broader customer base and expanding their reach with a highly customizable and scalable website monitoring platform.

The success story of Uptime.com is a result of strategic initiatives, a customer-centric approach and a dedicated team that consistently delivers high-quality, highly secure services. Uptime.com is the only company to achieve the badge of "Best Support" and "Fastest Implementation" in Q3 2023 out of a list of 151 companies in the same category. Some members from the Uptime.com team recently gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, this year for the world's largest tech conference - Web Summit. It was a tremendous success where they interacted with existing and potential clients from all over the world.

"In 2023, Uptime.com has consistently pushed the envelope with weekly enhancements to our product platform, alongside remarkable advancements in our Unified Availability platform. However, this is just the beginning. Our platform-centric approach positions us to seamlessly integrate new features and products, further scaling our services to meet and exceed customer expectations. The trust our customers place in the Uptime.com platform is something we hold in the highest regard. Our commitment is steadfast towards developing next-generation observability capabilities, laying the groundwork for a future where advanced technology meets user-centric innovation." - Jonathan Franconi, CEO and Head of Product, Uptime.com

Looking Ahead

Uptime.com's continuous dedication to improvements and innovation will lead to new product improvements and launches in 2024. As the company celebrates its milestone of growth, it looks forward to continued expansion, reaffirming its commitment to providing unparalleled website monitoring and observability monitoring solutions to businesses worldwide.

Contact Information:

Mike Albanese

mike.albanese@newswire.com

SOURCE: Uptime.com

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce further positive assay results for an additional 12 diamond core boreholes totalling 4,108 metres ("m") from its current exploration drilling program on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drilling results include 9 drill holes (3,398 m) dedicated to the further expansion / definition of the Boomerang gold system (formerly Boomerang East & Boomerang West targets) and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) targeting prospective litho-structural settings generated by the recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling. The current drilling forms part of an aggressive in-house drilling initiative focussing on multiple resource expansion targets occupying the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure; over 1 km beyond the limits of the currently defined Mineral Resource Estimate (the "2021 MRE", see the Company's news release of November 1, 2021).

Present drilling efforts successfully: discovered new high-grade gold zone at depth, expanding the stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance; further defined the robust grade and down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone; and extended the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip at the northeast extremity of the gold system.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

New High-Grade Gold Zone (Boomerang "Deep")

9.0 m at 9.29 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au"), including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, from 400.0 m in KBDD23536 (~90 m stratigraphy below (cross-plunge) of main Lower Shoot)

Definition Drilling (Boomerang - Main "Lower Shoot" Gold Zone)

56.0 m at 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from 166.0 m in KBDD23530

50.0 m at 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from 258.0 m in KBDD23536

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang - SE Lateral / Down-Dip Extension & SW Strike-Extension)

55.1 m at 0.75 g/t Au, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from 353.9 m in KBDD23538 (extending Lower Shoot ~100 further down-dip)

20.0 m at 0.84 g/t Au from 134.0 m; and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from 163.0 m in KBDD23534 (Upper Shoot (s))

4.5 m at 12.72 g/t Au, including 1.5 m at 33.73 g/t Au, from 145.5 m in KBDD23535 (SW Shoot - formerly Boomerang West target)

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "We are encouraged by these promising drill results, with the definition drilling not only continuing to show good down-plunge continuity in mineralization, but also expanding the Boomerang gold system with the discovery of a new high-grade gold zone at depth. These additional broad, robust gold intercepts from definition holes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 continue to better define the grade and geometry of the main Lower Shoot mineralization, as well as further bolster our litho-structural understanding of the gold system. We look forward to further drill testing this exciting, new high-grade, visible gold-bearing mineralization zone in the New Year."

Today's Kibi Gold Project drill results correspond to the latest 12 drill holes (4,108 m) of an ongoing exploration initiative targeting multiple resource expansion opportunities within the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the gold mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. The 12 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from early August to late November 2023, including: 3 SW-trending definition drill holes (1,341 m) designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, 6 expansion drill holes (2,057 m) targeting the south-western strike-extension and south-eastern lateral continuity of the Boomerang gold system, and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) to further define the litho-structural setting of the recently 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling generated Double 19 - SW target. Drill results for a total of 132 holes (26,968.5 m) have been reported to date for the ongoing Zone 3 resource expansion drill program initiated following the database close-out date for the current 2021 MRE.

Exploration significant auriferous drill intercepts are presented in Table 1 below, with a drill plan (Figure 1) and collar / drill hole details (Table 2), available at:

(Figure 1_Zone 3 Drill Plan_Dec 2023)

(Table 2_Drill Collar Info_Dec 2023)

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts

Boomerang Resource Expansion Target & Zone 3 Scout Drilling

Kibi Gold Project / August - November 2023 Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core

Length

(metres) Gold

Grams

Per Tonne Zone ID / Target KBDD23529 85.0 89.0 4.0 0.73 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 303.0 310.0 7.0 1.45 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 308.0 309.0 1.0 6.91 KBDD23530 14.5 35.0 20.5 0.93 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 14.5 28.0 13.5 1.24 and incl. 17.5 23.0 5.5 2.51 and 143.0 148.0 5.0 1.86 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 166.0 222.0 56.0 1.40 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 175.0 195.0 20.0 2.54 and incl. 187.0 195.0 8.0 4.16 and 374.0 384.0 10.0 0.32 Boomerang - New Mineralization and 398.0 414.5 16.5 0.27 Boomerang - New Mineralization KBDD23531 81.0 96.0 15.0 0.29 Boomerang - SW Shoot * and 117.0 120.0 3.0 1.03 and 149.0 157.0 8.0 0.73 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 156.0 157.0 1.0 2.99 and 207.0 218.0 11.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 214.0 216.0 2.0 1.51 KBDD23532 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23533 132.5 138.0 5.5 0.49 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 134.0 135.0 1.0 1.52 KBDD23534 134.0 154.0 20.0 0.84 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 134.0 144.0 10.0 1.13 and 163.0 191.0 28.0 0.47 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 186.0 191.0 5.0 1.06 and 313.0 336.0 23.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 313.0 320.0 7.0 1.01 and 355.0 362.7 7.7 1.16 Boomerang - Lower Shoot KBDD23535 55.5 63.0 7.5 0.54 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 145.5 150.0 4.5 12.72 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 147.0 148.5 1.5 33.73 and 247.0 255.0 8.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 251.0 252.0 1.0 1.97 and 275.0 291.8 16.8 0.41 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 282.0 284.3 2.3 1.46 KBDD23536 38.5 41.5 3.0 7.69 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 38.5 40.0 1.5 14.61 and 76.0 86.0 10.0 0.51 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 122.0 137.0 15.0 0.64 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 126.0 131.0 5.0 1.24 and 258.0 308.0 50.0 1.28 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 260.0 296.0 36.0 1.44 and incl. 263.0 285.0 22.0 1.93 and 400.0 409.0 9.0 9.29 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 402.5 407.0 4.5 16.94 and incl. 404.0 404.8 0.8 81.59 KBDD23537 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23538 147.0 156.0 9.0 0.36 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 353.9 409.0 55.1 0.75 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 355.7 395.0 39.3 0.95 and incl. 355.7 375.0 19.3 1.45 and 405.0 411.0 6.0 0.58 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot KBDD23539 162.5 184.0 21.5 0.68 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 169.0 176.0 7.0 0.99 including 183.0 184.0 1.0 3.43 and 237.0 241.0 4.0 0.72 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 276.0 306.0 30.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 276.0 285.0 9.0 1.13 KBDD23540 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target Notes: Reported intercepts are core-lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. "Significant" intercepts meet following criteria: minimum metal factor (grade x length) of 2.5; with minimum 0.25 g/t gold average grade over interval. Intercepts also constrained with a 0.25 g/t gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive samples of internal dilution (<0.25 g/t gold). All internal intervals above 15 g/t gold indicated. * Formerly Boomerang West Target

Recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion models-based litho-structural modelling work, conducted by Tect Geological Consulting of South Africa, indicates that the gold mineralization within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE footprint area occupies a licence-scale, 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. Deposits are characterized by tensional arrays of auriferous quartz-carbonate veins typically hosted within or spatially associated with F1 or F2 folded / strained diorite units, and/or metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts, with the diorite bodies having an interpreted Belt-type granitoid affinity. Over 20 significant gold occurrences hosted by Belt (Dixcove)- and Basin (Cape Coast)-type granitoids are known in Ghana, with a number constituting significant deposits. These deposits represent a relatively new style of gold mineralization for orogenic gold deposits within the West African Birimian terrain. Belt-type intrusion-hosted gold deposits include Newmont Mining's Subika deposit at their Ahafo mine and Asante Gold's Chirano deposit (formerly Kinross Mining) within the Sefwi gold belt, as well as the former Golden Star Resources' Hwini-Butre deposit at the southern extremity of the Ashanti gold belt.

Today's drilling results include an additional 4 holes collared along a SW-tending drill-fence designed to dissect the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, including: 2 holes (-55o) testing the down-plunge continuity of the Upper Shoot (s), Lower Shoot, and Footwall Shoot gold zones (KBDD23530 & 536); and 2 holes (-50o) targeting the south-western strike-extension of the Boomerang gold system (KBDD23531 & 535). With the expanded drill-fence (9 holes) now testing the NE-plunging gold system over approximately 640 m strike and 425 m down-plunge distances, respectively. See the Company's news release of September 8, 2023, for the assay results for the remaining 5 holes along this drill-fence.

Boreholes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 were primarily designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot mineralization zone at the approximate mid-point between the existing NW-SE drill sections. With these two definition drill holes, collared approximately 110 m apart at the northeastern extremity of the SW-trending drill-fence, returning the following mineralized intercepts from the Lower Shoot: 56.0 m grading 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 166.0 m in KBDD23530 and 50.0 m grading 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 258.0 m in KBDD23536 (~75 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept). Drill intercepts from the Upper Shoot (s) mineralization zone returned from these two boreholes, include: 20.5 m grading 0.93 g/t Au, including 13.5 m at 1.24 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 14.5 m; and 3.0 m grading 7.69 g/t Au, 10.0 m at 0.51 g/t Au and 15.0 m at 0.64 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 38.5 m, 76.0 m and 122.0 m respectively in KBDD22536. With the lower mineralized intercept (122.0 m) in KBDD23536 positioned approximately 85 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept.

KBDD23536 also returned a mineralized intercept grading 9.29 g/t Au over 9.0 m, including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, and including 0.8 m at 81.59 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 400.0 m. With this lower high-grade intercept, representing a new visible gold-bearing mineralization zone positioned approximately 90 m stratigraphically below (cross-plunge) the above Footwall Shoot intercept, expanding the Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. Further drilling targeting both the up-plunge and down-plunge extensions of this new high-grade gold zone is planned for January 2024.

Present drilling results include two NW-trending, steeply inclined (-70o) expansion drill holes targeting the lateral continuity of the shallow SE-dipping Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization zones, at the northeastern extremity of the Boomerang gold system. KBDD23534 returned multiple mineralized intercepts, including: 20.0 m grading 0.84 g/t Au and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 134.0 m and 163.0 m respectively (Upper Shoot (s)); and 23.0 m grading 0.62 g/t Au and 7.7 m at 1.16 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 313.0 m and 355.0 m respectively (Lower Shoot). KBDD23538, collared approximately 50 m northeast of KBDD23534, returned a Lower Shoot mineralized intercept grading 0.75 g/t Au over 55.1 m, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 353.9 m (~60 m down-plunge of the KBDD23534 intercept). With these expansion drill holes successfully extending the Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 50 m and 35 m further down-dip respectfully, along the KBDD23534 section; and extending the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip along the KBDD23538 section.

Updated 3D litho-structural modelling appears to indicate that the Boomerang resource expansion target, consisting of a multi-shoot gold system extending over approximately 650 m strike and 750 m down-plunge distances respectively, occupies a F2 meso-scale (parasitic) fold hinge structure developed on the north-western limb of the mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold. With the mineralization occurring as a NE-plunging system of stacked, flat-lying to concave-shaped, shallow SE-dipping gold shoots hosted within folded / strained diorite bodies and/or associated metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts. Drilling to date has outlined three (4) principal gold shoots, including the Upper Shoot (s), the Lower Shoot, the Footwall Shoot and the SW Shoot (formerly Boomerang West), across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. The Lower Shoot, presently the most prominent mineralization shoot of the Boomerang gold system, has so far been delineated from practically surface to a down-plunge depth of approximately 500 m along the fold hinge structure (approximately 345 m vertical depth from surface), and across an approximately 200 m NW-SE lateral distance.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zones 1-3) Mineral Resource Estimate, produced by Xtra-Gold on September 30, 2021, represents the only Mineral Resource ever generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Xtra-Gold Resources Corporation Kibi Gold Project", jointly prepared by Pivot Mining Consultants (Pty) and Tect Geological Consulting, and dated November 16, 2021, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources," "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

242-363-3864

E-mail: info@xtragold.com

Website: www.xtragold.com

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191758

SOURCE: Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.
Tabor Electronics (www.taborelec.com) has opened a new center in Europe to provide local researcher-level applications support to customers. The office will be responsible for helping customers establish their signal sources needs primarily in the DACH region (Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH)).

Paul Nurfus, Tabor's Chief Revenue Officer, said "quantum research in this region leads the world, and we want to help our customer achieve the best results possible, utilizing our quantum measurement platform Proteus."

Elmar Neumann will head the company's DACH operation. Neumann brings a rich history of RF knowledge as well understanding of the market in the DACH area. He has a Diploma in Electrical Engineering and started his career in 1994 as an R&D Engineer at HP T&M in Boeblingen. He has a strong relationship with the customers and deep technical knowledge, ensuring the company delivers the right solutions that accelerate its customers' time to market and time to insight.

Tabor's Proteus platform helps researchers get-to-results faster. Unlike other solutions, it provides qubit characterization results within an hour of receiving our equipment in your lab. Its direct-to-RF modular capability offers the highest levels of scalability, reducing cables and complexity. Proteus' hardware is enabled by Tabor's open-source software platform, ensuring customers are not locked into a single provider, and allowing for maximum flexibility when designing their experiments.

About Tabor Electronics

Established in 1971, Tabor Electronics has become a world-leading provider of high-end signal sources, featuring RF, pulse, function, and arbitrary waveform generators/transceivers, high-voltage amplifiers, waveform, and modulation creation software. Tabor has earned global recognition for its highly skilled workforce and innovative engineering capabilities. In addition to offering a full range of self-branded instruments, Tabor is also a world-class OEM that private-labels a variety of products for industry leaders. Technologically advanced, featuring the highest levels of performance, reliability, and most importantly, price-competitive, Tabor's products are sought-after in a diverse array of applications. Learn more at www.taborelec.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219339967/en/

Contacts:

Mark Elo

CMO and GM Americas

+1 707 480 9625

mark@taborelec.com
Adding Sennen's technology to its stack will improve Kraken's ability to manage renewable energy assets

Bristol, England-based Sennen's team to join Kraken Technologies

Acquisition increases Kraken's contracted assets to 36 GW

Kraken, the fastest growing software provider for the energy industry globally, today announces the acquisition of Sennen, a provider of advanced software for the delivery and operation of large-scale renewable energy generation.

Kraken Technologies is part of Octopus Energy Group. Its tech platform, Kraken, connects up all parts of the energy system, from customer billing to flexible management of renewable generation and energy devices. It is also revolutionizing service for other utilities such as water and broadband.

Kraken allows for extended analytics, real-time monitoring, optimization and control of energy devices, such as solar and wind generation, batteries, heat pumps and electric cars, and enables companies to drive efficiency and meet important net-zero targets.

The Sennen software uses the latest cloud technology to streamline oversight, maintenance and daily operation of renewable energy projects. Joining forces with Sennen will enhance Kraken's asset management offering, allowing it to develop more innovative products and services.

The acquisition of Sennen will increase Kraken's contracted energy generation and storage assets sixfold, growing them from 6.5 GW to 36 GW. It also marks the first time the platform will be managing offshore wind farms.

Players in asset management have traditionally relied on legacy systems, lacking the bleeding-edge tech that modern renewable energy operations demand. Sennen's in-depth maintenance and analytics platform supports thousands of sites including offshore wind farms, solar farms and grid scale batteries.

Sennen's talented team has extensive experience and a strong reputation in its field. Its 25 employees will move over to the Kraken family and continue to work from their office in Bristol.

Kraken is currently contracted to manage over 6.5 GW across over 140,000 green energy assets in 12 countries.

Devrim Celal, CEO of Kraken, comments: "This acquisition is a game-changer for us as we continue to disrupt the renewable energy landscape. Sennen's expertise and innovative solutions perfectly complement our mission to provide efficiency and scalability to asset managers. We are excited to join forces with Sennen's talented team to turbocharge the move to a cleaner, cheaper energy world."

Gaby Amiel, CEO of Sennen Tech Ltd, comments: "Our energy system needs to be completely rethought and rewired in order to operate free from fossil fuels. With renewable energy capacity set to triple globally, Sennen's focus on meeting the challenges faced by renewable project owners will be of increasing importance. Kraken is at the absolute vanguard of technology enabling the energy transformation. Together, we have the technology to unlock tremendous value for our customers."

Sennen was advised by Roxburgh Milkins who are based in Bristol.

Sennen was founded by Gaby Amiel and Paul Grimshaw in 2017 with the aim of creating high performance software specifically for managing renewable energy assets. It is a 25-strong team, mostly based in Bristol, UK. Clients include leading renewable energy companies RWE and EDF Renewables and investment manager Foresight Group.

About Kraken

Kraken Technologies offers a best-in-class end-to-end platform for energy supply, and is operating in the UK, Japan, US, New Zealand, Australia and most of mainland Europe. Kraken's proprietary platform is contracted to serve 54 million customer accounts across the globe through licensees. Its first client was Octopus Energy where Kraken manages 7.2 million retail customers globally and over 60,000 business customers (the largest of which is Arsenal FC).

Based on advanced data and machine learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to allow outstanding service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralized, decarbonized energy system. Kraken's flexibility arm is currently contracted to manage over 6.5 GW across over 140,000 green energy assets in 12 countries.

Kraken Technologies is part of Octopus Energy Group and was developed to enable select third parties to take advantage of the technologies developed by Octopus Energy. It has already been licensed by major global players including Origin Energy, E.ON and EDF. https://kraken.tech/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220608988/en/

Contacts:

Press

Octopus Energy Group press office

press@octoenergy.com

+44 (0)20 4530 8369
ESPOO (dpa-AFX) - Nokia Oyj (NOK) on Wednesday announced that Lumine Group Inc. has agreed to buy Nokia's Device Management (DM) and Service Management Platform (SMP) businesses. The agreement will allow customers of Nokia DM and SMP to benefit from Lumine's expertise in the telecom industry. With its strong balance sheet and market capitalization, Lumine Group intends to operate DM and SMP as a standalone business, which it will rebrand as Motive. As part of the deal, approximately 500 Nokia Device Management and Service Management Platform employees are expected to transfer to Lumine Group. The deal is valued at EUR 185 million, which includes a contingent consideration of up to EUR 35 million based on the business's performance during the first year following the close. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to certain terms and conditions. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crown Castle Inc. (CCI) announced Wednesday a comprehensive review of the Company's fiber business, search for a new CEO and the addition of two new independent directors to the Company's Board. The initiatives were announced in connection with a cooperation agreement with Elliott Investment Management L.P., pursuant to which Crown Castle will appoint Jason Genrich, Senior Portfolio Manager at Elliott, and Sunit Patel, former Chief Financial Officer of Level-3 Communications and Executive Vice President of T-Mobile, to the Company's Board of Directors. In connection with the Company's previously announced CEO transition, the Board has established a CEO Search Committee to conduct the search to identify Crown Castle's next CEO. In connection with today's appointments, Benjamin Moreland and Maria Pope will be stepping down from the Board. As a result, the Board will be comprised of 12 directors, 11 of whom are independent. As previously announced, Jay Brown will step down as a Director of the Company, effective January 16, 2024. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A comprehensive bilateral tax treaty between the United States and Chile entered into force Tuesday.



The treaty, ratified by the U.S. Senate in June, was signed by President Joe Biden this month. The treaty entered into force when the United States notified Chile that it had completed the required procedures for bringing the treaty into force.



The Chile tax treaty will reduce tax-related barriers to cross-border investment between the United States and Chile, facilitating stronger bilateral business ties. Lower tax rates will allow entities doing business in both countries to save money. U.S. and Chilean companies and industry associations have long championed the passage of this tax treaty, which will make Chilean companies more competitive in the United States, and vice versa.



The United States remains the number one market for Chilean women-led and small and medium-size businesses. This treaty will reduce the cost of business for them, as well, according to the State Department.



Provisions in the Chile tax treaty include reduced source-country withholding tax on certain payments of dividends as well as payments of interest and royalties; A prohibition against source-country taxation of business profits of an enterprise in the absence of a so-called 'permanent establishment'; Beneficial rules for individuals, including provisions that govern the taxation of income from employment, payments to students and trainees, and pensions and social security payments.



The treaty has a provision allowing full exchange of information between the U.S. and Chilean tax authorities.



With respect to taxes withheld at source, the Chile tax treaty will have effect for amounts paid or credited on or after February 1, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department said. For all other taxes, the Chile tax treaty will have effect for taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2024.



The United States has 57 comprehensive tax treaties, covering more than 60 nations around the world. The U.S.-Chile bilateral tax treaty is only the second comprehensive income tax treaty in force with a South American country.



The Chile tax treaty is the first new comprehensive bilateral tax treaty signed by the United States in more than ten years.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
In its survey on 2024 technology business trends for software development, Vention explores the emergence, rise, and impact of artificial intelligence

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vention, a leading global software development services company, has released key findings from a comprehensive proprietary survey involving over 160 US- and UK-based technology CEOs and decision-makers from scaling and mature companies. The survey focuses on artificial intelligence urgency, anticipated trends in software development, and engineering needs for 2024, shedding light on vendor selection processes, hiring behaviors, business challenges, and embracing and applying artificial intelligence.

Significant investments and the mainstream recognition of AI in 2023 were pivotal for the technology category. As a result, 96% of companies identified AI as a critical part of their business's success in 2024, and nearly two-thirds of companies rated AI expertise as a necessary part of their team. Decision-makers see artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance efficiency and quality, particularly in tasks like code bug detection, performance improvement, and streamlining repetitive activities.

Participants from different company growth stages reported varying expectations regarding AI applications:

Seed-stage companies plan to use AI for predictive analytics and chatbots.

Scaling companies plan to leverage AI for predictive analytics, cybersecurity enhancement, and streamlining repetitive tasks.

Mature companies are currently using AI for documentation generation and further efficiency.

AI is a priority for decision-makers in 2024, and nearly 70% of leaders pointed to sourcing specialized software engineers as their primary challenge for adopting the technology. When discussing general software development challenges, one-third of respondents listed building scalable solutions, time to market, and technical leadership as their top struggles. For these business leaders, geographical considerations play a positive role, with 85% of companies expressing openness to hiring offshore. These hiring behaviors emerged as another significant trend, with nearly three-fourths of scaling companies and over two-thirds of mature companies signaling the need for seven or more full-time developers. This demand underscores the growing importance of robust software development teams that have AI expertise.

Vention works at the forefront of these evolving trends, offering cutting-edge solutions to address the dynamic AI needs of the software development landscape in 2024 and beyond. Learn more about Vention's artificial intelligence insights, trends, and offerings - or visit Vention's award-nominated State of AI report.

About Vention

Vention is a premier global leader in software engineering, synonymous with technology designed for scale and the common denominator behind the world's most successful tech-empowered enterprises and Fortune 500 companies, industry innovators, and startups. Headquartered in New York, Vention provides access to 3,000+ engineers worldwide across its 20+ global offices. Vention's developers bring extensive experience in AI/ML, application development, cloud, data analytics, DevOps, IoT, mobile, web, and more to deliver high ROI and performing products. For over 20 years, Vention has equipped technology leaders with the top engineering talent from the world's most respected tech hubs to scale their operations to new heights. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

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CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Infusion Pump Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $17.1 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $26.2 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2023 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growing number of surgeries performed, and rising prevalence of chronic diseases are some factors that provide key opportunities for key players in the market. However, product recalls by some major players, and stringent regulations on manufacture of infusion pumps are expected to challenge/restrain the growth of the market.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Infusion Pump Market"

250 - Tables

100 - Figures

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Infusion Pump Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $17.1 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $26.2 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% Market Size Available for 2021 - 2029 Forecast Period 2023 - 2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Application, Product, Setting, and Region Geographies Covered Europe (Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and RoE), North America (US & Canada), LATAM (Brazil, Mexico, and RoLATAM), APAC (Japan, China, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, and the RoAPAC), and MEA Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities High growth opportunities in emerging markets Key Market Drivers Rising demand for ambulatory infusion pumps in home care settings

"High adoption of volumetric infusion pumps and accessories to drive the growth of this segment"

In 2022, the market for dedicated accessories and consumables accounted for the largest share and was also the faster growing segment of the infusion pump accessories and consumables market. This segment is mainly driven by the requirement of compatible administration sets designed for a particular type of infusion pump by the manufacturer to ensure optimum results of dedicated accessories.

Out of the dedicated accessories and consumables market in 2022, the volumetric infusion pump accessories and consumables segment accounted for the largest share. High adoption of volumetric infusion pumps and related accessories in hospitals for the purpose of delivering large volumes of medications and nutrients to patients is pushing the market forward.

"Asia Pacific likely to emerge as the fastest-growing infusion pump market, globally"

The infusion pump market is segmented into five major regions, namely, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific (APAC). Asia Pacific attributes to the highest growth rate amongst the other regions during the forecast period. The rapid infrastructure growth, increase in disposable incomes, and increase incidences of chronic diseases are factors which are likely to support the growth of infusion pump market in the region. The emerging Asian countries, such as China, and India, offer significant growth opportunities for market players.

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Infusion Pump Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Rising demand for ambulatory infusion pumps in home care settings

Restraints:

Product recalls

Opportunities:

High growth opportunities in emerging markets

Challenge:

Increasing incidence of medication errors and lack of wireless connectivity in most hospitals

Key Market Players of Infusion Pump Industry:

The key players in the infusion pump market Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Baxter International, Inc. (US), and B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany). These companies adopted strategies such as product launches, collaborations, partnerships, and acquisitions to strengthen their presence in the market.

Breakdown of supply-side primary interviews:

By Company Type: Tier 1: 21%, Tier 2: 35%, and Tier 3: 44%

By Designation: C-level: 24%, D-level: 30%, and Others: 46%

By Region: North America: 40%, Europe: 31%, APAC: 32%, Latin America: 5%, and the Middle East & Africa: 2%

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Recent Developments:

In August 2023, ICU Medical, Inc. (US) received FDA clearance for its Plum Duo infusion pump, which will make it available for customers in the US in early 2024.

In April 2023, Fresenius Kabi (Germany) announced that its Ivenix Infusion System has received an Innovative Technology contract from Vizient, Inc. (US), which sets terms for hospitals to evaluate and purchase the Ivenix Infusion System.

In August 2022, Becton Dickinson and Company (US)'s Novum IQ Syringe Infusion Pump received FDA approval.

In March 2022, Freseniu kabi (Germany) received US FDA approval for the wireless Agilia Connect Infusion System, which includes the Agilia Volumetric Pump and the Agilia Syringe Pump with Vigilant Software Suite-Vigilant Master Med technology.

In January 2022, ICU Medical, inc. (US) acquired Smiths Medical, inc. (US) to increase its share in the infusion pump market by adding syringe and ambulatory pumps to its portfolio.

Infusion Pump Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report can help established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which, in turn, would help them garner a greater share. Firms purchasing the report could use one, or a combination of the below-mentioned five strategies.

This report provides insights into the following pointers:

Market Driver: The growth of the market attributes to increase of prevalence of chronic diseases and grietric population globally and increasing number of surgical procedures, especially in developed countries.

Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on the product portfolios of the top players in the infusion pump market. The report analyzes the market based on the setting, region, product and application.

Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research and development activities, and product launches in the infusion pump market.

Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets. The report analyzes the markets for infusion pump across regions.

Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about products, untapped regions, recent developments, and investments in the infusion pump market.

Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, distribution networks, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the infusion pump market.

Related Reports:

Insulin Delivery Devices Market - Global Forecasts to 2028

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Pain Management Devices Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

The Global Biotechnology Industry Outlook - 2024

About MarketsandMarkets:

MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report.

MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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BANGALORE, India, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wireless Router Market is Segmented by Type (Single Band Wireless Routers, Dual Band Wireless Routers , Tri Band Wireless Routers ), by Application (Family or Individual Consumer, Business): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2029. It is Published in Valuates Reports Under the Category of Networking .



The global Wireless Router market size is expected to reach USD 5028.7 Million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2023 to 2029.

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Major Factors Driving the Growth of Wireless Router Market

The growing need for high-speed internet access and seamless connection around the globe is propelling the fast expansion of the wireless router market. The market is growing as a result of several factors, including the rise in remote work and learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), the spread of smart devices, the popularity of online gaming and streaming services, increased security and privacy concerns, the impact of edge computing and decentralized networks, the integration of 5G technology, and fierce competition in the market with a focus on technological innovation.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF WIRELESS ROUTER MARKET:

The desire for seamless connection and the global spike in internet adoption is driving the strong expansion of the wireless router market. An increasing number of homes and organizations are embracing digital lives, making effective and fast wireless communication essential. In order to fulfill this demand, wireless routers are essential since they allow customers to connect many devices wirelessly and provide a dependable internet experience.

One of the main factors propelling the growth of the wireless router market is the development of smart devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). Customers are depending more and more on wireless connectivity as they incorporate a wide range of wearables, smart home appliances, and Internet of Things gadgets into their everyday lives.

Strong wireless connectivity is more important than ever because of the paradigm change towards remote work and online learning, which has been expedited by major world events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for sophisticated wireless routers that can manage the rising data traffic and offer seamless access for a variety of activities is growing as more people and businesses rely on home networks to enable remote work and virtual learning.

The growing need for higher bandwidth that comes with online gaming and streaming services is driving the expansion of the wireless router market. Low latency, fast connections, and routers that can provide a consistent and lag-free experience are necessities for gamers and content streams.

The Wireless Router Market is being influenced by the emergence of edge computing and the shift towards decentralized network designs. By processing data closer to the source, edge computing lowers latency and improves network performance overall. In order to enable these distributed computing models and promote the development of edge computing applications and decentralized networks, wireless routers are essential.

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WIRELESS ROUTER MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

With a market share of almost 60%, China is the largest market.

The leading manufacturers of wireless routers worldwide include D-Link, TP-LINK, Belkin (Linksys), Netgear, Xiaomi, and others. Over 60% of all manufacturers worldwide are in the top five.

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Key Players:

TP-Link

D-Link

Cisco

Tenda

Belkin (Linksys)

NETCORE Group(qihoo 360)

MERCURY

FAST

Buffalo

Amped

Edimax

ASUS

Huawei

HiWiFi

Xiaomi

Netgear

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DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS: EXPLORE SIMILAR REPORTS!

- Single Band Wireless Router market is projected to reach USD 4541.4 million in 2029, increasing from USD 2700 million in 2022, with the CAGR of 7.7% during the period of 2023 to 2029.

- Home Wireless Router market is projected to reach USD 11060 million in 2029, increasing from USD 8328.5 million in 2022, with the CAGR of 4.2% during the period of 2023 to 2029.

- Enterprise Wireless Router Market

- Router market size is expected to reach USD 24650 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2023 to 2029.

- Commercial Router market size is expected to reach USD 7647.4 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2023 to 2029.

- Automatic PCB Router Market

- Wi-fi 5G Routers Market

- Router for Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Market

- Portable WiFi Hotspot Market

- Load Balancing Routers Market

- Router Bits market size is expected to reach USD 3281.7 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023 to 2029.

- DD-WRT Wireless Router Market

- Ceiling Mounted Wireless Router Market

- WiFi6 Wireless Router Market

- Home and Office Wireless Router Market

- Indoor CPE Wireless Router Market

- Industrial Wireless VPN Cellular Router Market

- Wireless Router for VPN Market

- Wireless Travel Router Market

- WiFi Home Router market size was USD 3271 Million and it is expected to reach USD 4336 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 4.1%.

- Virtual Router market size is projected to reach USD 595.8 Million by 2027, from USD 159.5 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 20.7%.

- Bluetooth Headphones market is projected to reach USD 46360 million in 2029, increasing from USD 21180 million in 2022, with the CAGR of 11.7%.

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Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources.

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Delivers 300,000th Tree to Military Families This Season

MEMPHIS, TN / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / This year, FedEx Freight will deliver the 300,000th tree for the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation's annual Trees for Troops program. The milestone tree is set to arrive at Fort Liberty on Dec. 1, 2023, alongside nearly 16,000 trees slated for families at over 90 military bases across the United States this December.

"Every year, the FedEx Freight team puts in tireless effort to support Trees for Troops and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. This milestone 300,000th tree delivery is a direct reflection of our dedication to both causes," said Lance Moll, President and CEO, FedEx Freight. "Through our industry-leading transportation network, we are honored to give back to local communities and military families whose values have always been closely tied to the core mission of our company."

Since 2005, FedEx Freight has supported the Trees for Troops program, an initiative that delivers farm-grown Christmas trees to domestic and international U.S. military bases. This long-standing collaboration has become a cherished tradition for FedEx Freight, with drivers logging over 600,000 miles for tree deliveries over the years.

"This program started on a crazy idea and started small. We delivered 4,300 trees to only five bases that first year," said Wendy Richardson, Chair of the Christmas Spirit Foundation Board of Trustees. "It's hard to believe we're now going to exceed 300,000 total trees since we began working with FedEx 19 years ago. The commitment and dedication of all involved is truly inspiring. We love providing Christmas spirit to the men and women and their families in our military, one tree at a time."

Trees for Troops kicks off Nov. 27, as hundreds of donors and volunteers come together to help make this effort a success. There are two ways the public can support Trees for Troops:

Donate a tree for delivery to a base at one of the official Trees for Troops locations. Some locations offer online tree purchase options for shopper convenience. Donated trees must be purchased by Dec. 3, to ensure pick-up and delivery by FedEx Freight.

Visit the Trees for Troops website to donate online, and follow Trees for Troops on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

A full list of participating locations can be found at treesfortroops.org.

FedEx Freight participates with the Trees for Troops program as part of FedEx Cares, the company's global community engagement program. For more information on how FedEx team members around the globe "Drive forward. Give back." by volunteering and doing countless acts of caring throughout the year, check out fedexcares.com.

About FedEx Freight

FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX), is a leading provider of priority, premium, and economy less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, simplifying large and bulky shipping in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Freight is at the forefront of innovation, offering customers total convenience and efficiency. With expanded service offerings like FedEx Freight Direct, shipments can be safely delivered to and through the door for residences and businesses. Team members across the network are dedicated to delivering the ultimate customer experience through exceptional service, reliability, and on-time performance, as well as giving back to the communities where they live and work. For more information, visit fedex.com/about.

About FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of nearly $90 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally as one FedEx. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.

About the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and Trees for Troops

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that works to recognize and support the true spirit of Christmas through programs like Trees for Troops. The foundation was established in 2005 and is among fewer than five percent of U.S. charities to be awarded the "Best in America" seal of excellence by Independent Charities of America. To learn more visit www.christmasspiritfoundation.org.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from FedEx Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: FedEx Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/fedex-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: FedEx Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Atacama Copper Corporation (TSXV: ACOP) ("Atacama Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its press releases dated October 26, 2023 and December 15, 2023, the Company intends to increase the size of its previously announced brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") to up to 66,666,667 subscription receipts of the Company ("Subscription Receipts") at a price of $0.18 per Subscription Receipt for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $12,000,000. The Company also announces the closing of the first tranche of the Concurrent Financing and the closing of the Common Share Offering (as defined herein) for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $7.0 million. The Company anticipates that it will close a second tranche of the Concurrent Financing in January 2024. Unless otherwise stated, all amounts referred to herein are in Canadian dollars.

Summary of the Concurrent Financing

Pursuant to the terms of an agency agreement between the Company, TCP1 Corporation ("TCP1") and Cormark Securities Inc. and Stifel Canada, as co-lead agents (the "Agents"), under the first tranche of the Concurrent Financing, the Company issued an aggregate of 38,555,655 Subscription Receipts at a price of $0.18 per Subscription Receipt. The first tranche of the Concurrent Financing was completed in connection with previously announced business combination and reverse takeover transaction of the Company, pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of TCP1 in exchange for common shares of the Company (the "Proposed Transaction"). The Company, upon completion of the Proposed Transaction (referred to herein as the "Resulting Issuer"), is expected to continue trading on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") as a tier 1 mining issuer under its current symbol "ACOP".

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the subscription receipt agreement entered into among the Company, the Agents and TSX Trust Company, as escrow agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement"), each Subscription Receipt will automatically convert into one pre-Consolidation (as defined herein) common share of the Resulting Issuer ("Resulting Issuer Shares") upon the completion or satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions, including, among other things, the receipt of all necessary corporate, regulatory, shareholder and other approvals or consents necessary in connection with the Proposed Transaction and the completion or satisfaction of all of the conditions precedent to the Proposed Transaction, substantially in accordance with the definitive agreement entered into in connection therewith, other than the Consolidation and the amalgamation of TCP1 and 1000723052 Ontario Corporation (the "Amalgamation"), to the satisfaction of the Agents (collectively, the "Escrow Release Conditions"), provided that the Escrow Release Conditions are satisfied or waived prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on March 31, 2024 (the "Escrow Release Deadline"). Immediately following the release of the Escrowed Funds (as defined below) and the conversion of the Subscription Receipts into Resulting Issuer Shares, the Company intends to complete a consolidation of the issued and outstanding Resulting Issuer Shares on the basis of one post-Consolidation common share for each six (6) pre-Consolidation common shares (the "Consolidation") and complete the Amalgamation, all in accordance with the terms of the Proposed Transaction.

In the event that the Escrow Release Conditions have not been satisfied or waived (to the extent such waiver is permitted) prior to the Escrow Release Deadline or if the Company announces to the public that it does not intend to satisfy the Escrow Release Conditions, or that the Proposed Transaction has been terminated, the aggregate issue price of the Subscription Receipts together with any earned interest shall be returned to the applicable holders of the Subscription Receipts (net of any applicable withholding taxes), and such Subscription Receipts shall be automatically cancelled and be of no further force and effect.

In consideration of the Agents' services rendered in connection with the first tranche of the Concurrent Financing, the Agents' shall be entitled to a cash commission equal to 6.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of the Subscription Receipts (which was reduced to 3.0% in respect of the gross proceeds from sales to subscribers on a president's list) (the "Agents' Commission"). As additional compensation, the Agents were issued 1,479,664 compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants") exercisable to acquire 1,479,664 Resulting Issuer Shares, being that number of Resulting Issuer Shares as is equal to 6.0% of the aggregate number of Subscription Receipts issued pursuant to the first tranche of the Concurrent Financing (other than in respect of sales to purchasers on a president's list, in respect of which the Agents received Compensation Warrants equal to 3.0% of the aggregate number of Subscription Receipts sold to subscribers on the president's list). Each Compensation Warrant shall be exercisable at a price of $0.18 per Resulting Issuer Share (prior to giving effect to the Consolidation) for a period of 24 months following the completion of the Proposed Transaction. The gross proceeds of the first tranche of the Concurrent Financing (including, for certainty, the Agents' Commission) less certain expenses paid to the Agents (the "Escrowed Funds") have been placed into escrow and, upon completion or satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions in accordance with the Subscription Receipt Agreement, the Agents' Commission and the remaining Escrowed Funds, together with any earned interest, will be released to the Agents and the Company, respectively.

The Subscription Receipts sold under the Concurrent Financing will be subject to a restricted hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Resulting Issuer Shares issuable on conversion of the Subscription Receipts in connection with the Proposed Transaction will not be subject to a restricted hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Concurrent Financing remains subject to the approval of the TSXV.

The net proceeds of the Concurrent Financing will be used to advance exploration programs across the combined portfolio, with particular focus on Cristina and Yecora, and for general corporate purposes.

The securities offered in the Concurrent Financing have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Atacama Copper anticipates that a portion of the Concurrent Financing in an amount of up to $100,000 will be comprised of subscriptions for common shares of the Company ("Common Shares"), rather than Subscription Receipts, that will be issued at a price of $0.18 per common share (the "Common Share Offering"). The proceeds of the Common Share Offering will be made available to the Company immediately upon closing and will be used to fund costs associated with completion of the Proposed Transaction. Closing of the Common Share Offering is subject to approval of the TSXV.

Further Information

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, acceptance of TSXV and if applicable pursuant to the requirements of TSXV, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

About Atacama Copper Corporation

Atacama Copper is a resource company focusing on acquiring, exploring, and developing base and precious metals properties in the Americas. It is committed to advancing the exploration and development of its Placeton/Caballo Muerto copper project in Chile while looking to increase its asset portfolio through the acquisition and development of other high-value exploration, development, and production opportunities. Atacama's Placeton/Caballo Muerto project hosts several porphyry copper targets situated between the giant Relincho and El Morro/La Fortuna copper-gold deposits of the Nueva Union joint venture between Teck and Newmont Mining.

Additional Information - Please Contact

For more information, please contact:

Tim Warman

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Atacama Copper Corporation

Email: info@atacamacopper.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the successful completion of the Proposed Transaction; the anticipated closing of the second tranche of the Concurrent Financing; the trading of the Resulting Issuer Shares upon completion of the Proposed Transaction; and the use of proceeds from the Concurrent Financing. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: failure to satisfy or waive all applicable conditions to the completion of the Proposed Transaction (including receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents, and the absence of material changes with respect to the parties and their respective businesses); the synergies expected from the Proposed Transaction not being realized; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to Chilean Peso exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Atacama Copper disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.



Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191774

SOURCE: Atacama Copper Corporation
Originally published on Built From Scratch

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / The Home Depot is spreading the joy of holiday through Kids Workshops at military bases coast to coast.

Kids Workshops launched in stores across the U.S. and Canada in 1997. For more than 25 years, these hands-on Kids Workshops have encouraged creativity, problem-solving, skill building and social interaction for the youngest DIYers.

This month, more than 100 families joined together for a festive Kids Workshop at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. Parents helped their children make Christmas crafts after they gathered for the holiday tree lighting ceremony. There was also a Kids Workshop at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California.

"We're grateful to partner with Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Camp Pendleton to bring the magic of Kids Workshops directly to military families," says Erin Izen, senior director of workforce programs and military relations at The Home Depot. "The Home Depot is committed to giving back to the military community, especially those families who may not be together this holiday season."

You and your child can attend one of the free workshops by visiting your local Home Depot store on the first Saturday of every month, from 9 a.m. to noon. To register, visit HomeDepot.com/Workshops.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Home Depot on 3blmedia.com

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The Home Depot

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/home-depot

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The Home Depot

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Southern Company

Southern Company

Southern Company recently announced the retirement of Thomas A. Fanning as the executive chairman of its board of directors, effective Dec. 31. Concurrently, the company also announced the election of Christopher C. Womack, president and CEO, as the new chairman of the Southern Company Board of Directors, effective Dec. 31.

Chris Womack has been elected chairman of the Board of Directors of Southern Company, effective Dec. 31, 2023. Womack currently serves as president and CEO of Southern Company.

Tom Fanning will retire as executive chairman of Southern Company, effective Dec. 31.

David J. Grain, lead independent director for Southern Company, expressed the board's support for this transition, stating, "Tom Fanning's remarkable leadership has furthered Southern Company's standing as one of this country's premier energy companies. On behalf of the board of directors and the entire company, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Tom for his exceptional contributions. We are confident that Chris, with his proven track record of success and visionary leadership, will guide Southern Company to continued success in the evolving energy landscape."

Fanning has served Southern Company with unparalleled dedication, strategic vision and unwavering commitment for more than 43 years. Under his leadership, Southern Company achieved significant milestones, experiencing remarkable growth and success across the energy industry. Fanning's innovative thinking and ability to adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape have positioned the company as a leader in delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to millions of customers through its subsidiaries.

"I am eternally grateful for my more than four decades of service to Southern Company, customers, communities, and its shareholders and stakeholders," said Fanning. "I have seen first-hand what this company can accomplish, including putting into service the first new nuclear generation unit in our country in a generation, and I am confident our best chapter is still ahead."

Elected by the board of directors in July 2010, Fanning became president of Southern Company in August 2010, a role he held until March 2023. He assumed the additional responsibilities of chairman and CEO in December 2010. As part of Southern Company's succession plan, Fanning retired as CEO and assumed the role of executive chairman of the board of directors in May 2023. During his time with the company, Fanning held executive roles across various business disciplines, including finance, strategy, international business development and technology. As president, chairman and CEO of Southern Company, Fanning received numerous accolades, including being named one of the most influential leaders in the energy industry in the past 25 years.

Fanning also became a leading voice on matters relating to national security. For nearly a decade, he served as co-chair of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, which is the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power sector protecting the electric grid from threats that could impact national security, including cyber and physical threats as well as natural disasters. Beyond electricity, Fanning became a leader in reimagining U.S. national security in a cyber environment. His leadership was recognized by the U.S. Senate with an appointment to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a group tasked with developing a protection strategy for the cyberspace interests of the U.S. Furthermore, he was appointed by the White House as chairman of the advisory board to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with protecting the nation's critical infrastructure from both cyber and physical threats.

From 2012-2018, Fanning served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and is a past chairman. He is also a past chairman of the Conference of Chairs of the Federal Reserve Banks and the Edison Electric Institute.

"Tom Fanning has been a great leader who has left an indelible mark on Southern Company. It is incumbent upon us to carry his legacy forward as One Team," said Womack. "I am proud of this company's history, enthusiastic about our present and excited for the opportunities ahead. We have a bright future and have developed a talented workforce ready to meet the evolving needs of customers."

Womack, who currently serves as president and CEO of Southern Company, will assume the additional role of chairman of the board of directors, reflecting his position as a trusted leader within the organization and by the board of directors. Womack's extensive experience in the energy industry, coupled with his deep understanding of Southern Company's operations and strategic direction, complement his election to this new role.

"Working alongside Chris has been an honor and humbling experience," said Fanning. "He possesses all the very best qualities you would seek in a leader. He is the ideal person to lead Southern Company into the future."

Starting with Southern Company in 1988, Womack was elected president and a member of the board of directors in March 2023 and CEO in May 2023 following a succession of leadership roles across the Southern Company system. Womack previously served as the president and CEO of Georgia Power - the company's largest subsidiary - and executive vice president and president of external affairs for Southern Company, where he led external positioning and branding efforts. In recognition of his career accomplishments and community involvement, Womack has received numerous honors, including being named among Black Enterprise's 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.

Southern Company remains dedicated to delivering sustainable solutions, investing in clean energy technologies and providing exceptional service to 9 million customers nationwide through its subsidiaries.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Southern Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Southern Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/southern-company

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Southern Company

View the original press release on accesswire.com
The Science Zone's WYld Experiences outdoor adventure camp showcases the state's natural beauty

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Enbridge



Science is cool anywhere, but nothing beats science outside of the classroom.

"We know by and large that kids just aren't getting outside enough," says Colleen Burridge, AmeriCorps director at The Science Zone, which promotes informal science education across the state of Wyoming.

"It's more than just pushing their comfort level of being in the outdoors-we're teaching them life lessons of pushing past limits of what they originally thought they could do."

The Science Zone's WYld Experiences outdoor adventure education program was established in 2020, when the Science Zone took its planned summer programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand from parents stuck, which was to "just get kids outside."

The program has flourished since, covering everything from rock climbing to backpacking to kayaking.

"The kids love it. We load kids up on Monday mornings, take them to the Big Horns, the Wind Rivers or the Snowy Range for five days, and then bring them back all smelly and dirty on Friday afternoon," says Burridge, who's also the WYld Experiences program lead.

"We truly try to make this an accessible experience for all kids. If they don't have an appropriate sleeping bag or tent or other supplies, we help them get outfitted with what they need. We also provide scholarships so that finances are not a barrier for participation," adds Burridge.

Safety is the organization's highest priority, notes Burridge. Numerous staff members are certified in wilderness first aid, and experienced guiding services are hired for activities like rock climbing.

The Science Zone, based in Casper, WY, runs an interactive science center focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) programming and exhibits. The organization enjoys a longstanding partnership with AmeriCorps, which supports the educational mission of The Science Zone and helps to staff programs and lower cost barriers for families.

Enbridge is committed to creating vibrant and sustainable communities near our operations, and we continued our support of The Science Zone this year with a $5,000 Fueling Futures grant to support the adventure camp programming-specifically targeted at purchase of equipment, such as a high-capacity mountain bike and cargo trailer for transportation purposes.

"I've been working with kids for almost 40 years, and one of the things that I still hear from many former students is how much they loved the times they got to learn outside," says Burridge. "Whether it was taking students to Yellowstone or taking students up Casper Mountain, those continue to be some of their most memorable experiences."

Enbridge is proud to have a history of supporting the Science Zone. During the pandemic, the museum set up an online classroom to ensure kids weren't without science for long and could still enjoy it in the comfort of their home.

When it comes to camp options, there truly is something for every kid at The Science Zone. In addition to its WYld Experiences programming, the organization offers a wide variety of camps for ages 5 through 15.

"Kids are all at different stages of being comfortable both in nature and away from home," says Burridge. "We learned early on that it can be a big ask of an 11- or 12-year-old to keep track of their belongings and be okay with being away from home for that long."

Those who might not be ready for a five-day trek away from home might find something like the single overnight camping trips up to Casper Mountain more up their alley. Of course, Burridge and her colleagues' hope is that kids will eventually sign up for the four-night trip.

"If we get them to learn how to identify types of bugs and grass, that's great," she remarks. "But what we really want, as we look to this future generation of young people, is to provide opportunities for them to fall in love with the state of Wyoming and what gives it its beauty.

"In doing so, we believe we are also playing an important role in cultivating a desire to protect the special place that we call home."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Enbridge on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Enbridge

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/enbridge

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Enbridge

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Brown previously served as Senior Vice President of People and Culture and led employee development and DEI initiatives

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023, the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising, has announced the promotion of Nicole Brown to Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Brown has 20 years of experience building and leading core functions including People Operations, Learning and Development, Talent Acquisition, and Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI). In her new role, Brown will work as a member of the senior executive team to ensure global alignment, streamline processes, and further foster a culture of inclusion and engagement for Mediaocean's employee base.



"In her 18 years with Mediaocean, Nicole's impact on the organization as a whole has been nothing short of extraordinary, making her the ideal candidate for this elevated role," said Nick Galassi, President and CFO of Mediaocean. "Through her passion for employee development, Nicole has fostered a culture of inclusivity, growth, and a profound sense of belonging for all employees."

While serving as SVP of People and Culture, Brown led the development and implementation of Mediaocean's core global employee development program. Originally starting as one program, it has grown to five distinct programs over the course of five years. These programs have delivered an average of 50 hours of learning for each employee globally and 700+ instructor-led training sessions annually. Additionally, the Mentorship Programs implemented by Brown have had more than 700 participants, with an 85%+ retention rate.

The appointment comes as Mediaocean records a particularly impactful year , hitting key milestones in philanthropy, workplace experience, mentorship, education, and sustainability. Brown's contributions helped the company receive numerous recognitions for its positive workplace environment, including 2023 Best in Business award from Inc, Chicago Tribune Top Workplaces 2023, The 2023 Top Workplaces USA Award, and Ad Age Best Places to Work 2023.

As the company strives to continually improve its Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) efforts with various sustainability initiatives, Brown will be leading this ongoing focus in 2024 and beyond. Through its ESG commitment, Mediaocean does its part to advance progress on combating the climate crisis and to create a more sustainable future for all. In 2023, Mediaocean joined Ad Net Zero, an industry-wide initiative, to signal support of its client and stakeholder goals to decarbonize the media ecosystem.

DEI has also been a large area of focus for Brown and Mediaocean. Through programs implemented in the past two years, Mediaocean has seen a 5% increase in female representation across the organization, a 30% increase in underrepresented minority group representation, and a returnship program that is designed to support women who have been out of the workforce for some time and are transitioning back to work.

"I am beyond honored and excited to take on the Chief Human Resources Officer role at Mediaocean," said Brown. "It has been truly rewarding to witness the positive impact of the work carried out during my time at the company, and I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. I'm looking forward to expanding on this growth and lifting up all voices at Mediaocean as we drive results for our customers and make a difference in our communities."

Aside from her work at Mediaocean, Brown is an active mentor in her community at large, mentoring young women of color who are emerging in their careers. She has centered her mentorship around finding their voice, knowing value, and being an advocate for themselves.

"I'm very proud and appreciative of everything Nicole has done at Mediaocean and can't wait to see the continued impact she makes as our CHRO," added Bill Wise, Mediaocean CEO. "We have big plans for the years ahead and, as we deliver for our customers and the industry at large, we'll need our people to be their best selves at work every day. I'm confident Nicole will enable us to do just that."

About Mediaocean

Mediaocean is powering the future of the advertising ecosystem with technology solutions that empower brands and agencies ?to deliver impactful omnichannel marketing experiences. With over $200 billion in annualized media spend managed through its software, Mediaocean uses AI and machine learning to control media investments and optimize business outcomes. The company's advertising infrastructure and ad tech tools are used by more than 100,000 people to power campaigns from planning, buying, ad serving, and creative personalization to analysis, optimization, invoices, and payments. Visit www.mediaocean.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Kendall Allen Rockwell

For Mediaocean

kendall@broadsheetcomms.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df0e73bf-4e7a-4c15-9b73-e75cc0758b30
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Alta Copper Corp. (TSX:ATCU)(OTCQX:ATCUF)(BVL:ATCU) ("Alta Copper" or the "Company") has closed the previously announced non-brokered private placement with Nascent Exploration Pty. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. ("Fortescue Metals"), (the "Private Placement").

A total of 6,255,942 common shares (the "Common Shares") were issued at a price of Cdn. $0.50, reflecting a premium to market, for gross proceeds of Cdn. $3,127,971. The Common Shares will be subject to a mandatory four-month and one day hold period, in accordance with applicable securities law. No warrants were included in the Private Placement. As a result of the private placement Fortescue Metals holds a 30.96% shareholder interest in Alta Copper.

The Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement to continue to advance its 100% owned its advanced staged Canariaco copper project.

The Private Placement remains subject to the final approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

About Alta Copper

Alta Copper is focused on the development of its 100% owned Canariaco advanced staged copper project. Canariaco comprises 97 square km of highly prospective land located 150 km northeast of the City of Chiclayo, Peru, which include the Canariaco Norte deposit, Canariaco Sur deposit and Quebrada Verde prospect, all within a 4 km NE-SW trend in northern Peru's prolific mining district. Canariaco is one of the largest copper deposits in the Americas not held by a major.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the of the Private Placement, the use of proceeds for the Private Placement, the insider participation in the Private Placement and the business plans of the Company, including the drill program and the completion and anticipating timing of the preliminary economic assessment. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the state of the equity financing markets in Canada and other jurisdictions; the receipt of regulatory approvals; fluctuations in metals prices, the actual results of current development activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and delays in obtaining approvals or financing. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

On behalf of the Board of Alta Copper Corp.

"Joanne C. Freeze" P.Geo., President, CEO and Director

For further information please contact:

Joanne C. Freeze, President, CEO and Director

jfreeze@altacopper.com

+1 604 512 3359

or

Giulio T. Bonifacio, Executive Chair and Director

gtbonifacio@altacopper.com

+1 604 318 6760

Email: info@altacopper.com

Website: www.altacopper.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alta_Copper

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altacopper/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltaCopperCorp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altacopper/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AltaCopper

SOURCE: Alta Copper Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Jetpac, a provider of eSIM technology, announced the expansion of its services to international markets, including Europe, the UK, and the USA. The company has focused on select regions since its founding and will now extend the availability of its eSIM connectivity globally.

Jetpac broadens its reach, bringing seamless eSIM connectivity to international markets, including the USA, Europe, and the UK. (Material from Jetpac)

Jetpac aims to provide seamless cellular connectivity to global travelers through remote SIM provisioning. Its "instant connectivity in over 50 countries with a single eSIM" offering reflects capabilities to simplify international roaming for users.

"Expanding globally allows us to bring connectivity solutions to more customers and demonstrates our commitment to innovation," said Aditya Goyal, Director of New Businesses Build at Jetpac. "We look forward to establishing our presence worldwide."

Providing beyond eSIM data services, Jetpac commits to creating a convenient travel lifestyle. This is reflected in its approach to continuously develop value-added services that respond to the evolving needs of travelers.

According to the company, Jetpac's eSIM technology prioritizes user convenience by covering multiple countries through one SIM profile. This aims to reduce the need for travelers to change eSIM settings across different locations.

Jetpac also focuses on simplifying travel data management. With its one-time eSIM download, users can enjoy lifetime convenience without switching out their eSIM during travel.

Jetpac's commitment to customer support is reflected in its 24/7 availability across various digital channels. This customer-centric service approach, emphasizing accessibility and responsiveness, is crucial in product development, ensuring solutions that resonate with traveler needs.

Moreover, the company's services are tailored for mid-term travelers, particularly those embarking on 1-2 week trips or month-long multi-destination journeys. This clear target audience is a strategic choice, catering to a specific segment that values convenience and flexibility in their travel tech needs.

Pearlyn Yeo, Head of Marketing at Jetpac, added that this expansion highlights efforts to meet travel tech needs globally. "Our goal is to enhance the international travel experience, and increased availability of our eSIM technology brings us closer towards that aim."

Furthermore, Jetpac emphasizes customer feedback and adaptation as central pillars in its service development. The company offers solutions that align closely with the needs of travelers, which distinguishes it in the travel tech industry.

Providing a comprehensive, convenient travel lifestyle is a key differentiator, offering features and services beyond standard eSIM offerings, such as complimentary lounge access during flight delays and various data packages to suit different trip requirements.

Recently, Jetpac received industry recognition through the Travel Product of the Year award at Asia Telecom Awards 2023 and Best Global Roaming Services from Tripzilla Excellence Awards.

More details on Jetpac's global eSIM offerings are available on the company's website at https://www.jetpacglobal.com/.

About Jetpac:

Jetpac specializes in eSIM technology, providing international travelers seamless connectivity across over 50 countries. The company's eSIM solution simplifies global communication, offering users a platform to efficiently manage their travel data needs. Its services aim to enhance the travel experience by ensuring reliable and convenient access to mobile networks worldwide.

Contact Information:

Contact Person's Name: Pearlyn Yeo

Company/Organization Name: Jetpac

Company website: https://www.jetpacglobal.com/us/

Contact Email Address: pearlyn@circles.co

Phone Number: +1 (815) 853-8722

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191582

SOURCE: Baden Bower
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Apparel manufacturer Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL), stated in an open letter to shareholders on Wednesday that its former CEO Glenn Chamandy had refused to adhere to the previously agreed-upon succession plan. According to this plan, he was to be replaced by the new CEO Vince Tyra. The company mentioned that Chamandy had agreed to the succession plan in December 2021. Following this agreement, a search for a new CEO was conducted, and the Board selected Vince Tyra on December 10. In October, Chamandy requested the Board to allow him to stay as CEO to implement future acquisition plans. The Board denied the request. After the incident, Chamandy stated to The Globe and Mail in an article on December 16: 'I had no intention of leaving. You know, my view is that I would leave when I think the time is right for the company.' The letter further stated that the Board was upset with Chamandy's effort to disrupt the succession plan and continued to defend its decision about the appointment of Tyra as the new CEO. Also, Chris Shackelton, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Coliseum Capital Management has accepted to join the Board. Currently, Gildan's stock is slipping 1.22%, to $34.07 on the New York Stock Exchange. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Iristel is offering Operator Connect across North America, and select locations in Europe, and Africa, to dramatically simplify adding telephone services to Microsoft Teams Phone.

Iristel, a globally renowned telecommunications operator, is thrilled to announce inclusion in the select group of telecommunications providers offering Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams Phone. This marks a significant milestone in Iristel's journey to empower businesses with seamless and enhanced communication solutions. Iristel, a proud Canadian service provider, is set to make Operator Connect available across Canada, USA and select locations in Europe, and Africa, catering to an array of organizations eager to extend their Microsoft Teams deployments to include Teams Phone. Notably, Iristel is proud to be at the forefront of introducing Operator Connect in Kenya, further expanding our commitment to delivering cutting-edge communication solutions on a global scale.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219797688/en/

Operator Connect is a groundbreaking addition to Iristel's comprehensive suite of communications services, custom-tailored for organizations transitioning from traditional office phone systems to the modern, cloud-based Teams Phone. Iristel's Managed Calling for Microsoft Teams Phone offers a fully managed, deep calling integration, promising an unparalleled Microsoft Teams Phone experience for our esteemed customers.

Operator Connect delivers seamless integration of telecom services via the Teams admin center, making it seamless for businesses to add Teams Phone to their collaboration deployments. Operator Connect's deployment model includes rigorous quality of service requirements including direct connections to Microsoft Azure, cloud to cloud, over fully managed, resilient connections. This streamlined approach significantly simplifies administration for IT staff compared to traditional Direct Routing integration. Operator Connect reduces overall deployment complexity and ensures a flawless experience for Teams Phone users.

Iristel, a pioneering force in developing fully integrated Unified Communications solutions, has always prioritized the needs of companies that want to maximize the productivity of their remote or hybrid workers. Our customer-centric approach has been instrumental in setting us apart in the industry, offer Operator Connect-based services is the latest testament to our commitment.

With Iristel's intuitive self-serve portal, powered by the Ribbon Connect for Operator Connect solution, administrators can effortlessly make day-to-day changes, such as onboarding new users. Operator Connect's tight integration enables Iristel to offer professional support to manage complex telecom features, like auto-attendants and call queues, on behalf of our customers; further streamlining the administration process.

"We are thrilled to introduce Operator Connect to our esteemed Microsoft Teams customers in Canada, USA, Europe, and Africa," said Samer Bishay, Founder and CEO at Iristel. "This is a significant leap forward in our mission to provide innovative and user-friendly communication solutions that cater to the evolving needs of businesses worldwide. Operator Connect is designed to make your communication experience smoother, more efficient, and tailored to your unique requirements."

As Iristel pioneers a more connected and empowered future, the launch of Microsoft Operator Connect underscores our unwavering dedication to remaining at the forefront of the telecommunications industry.

For more information about Iristel and its Microsoft Operator Connect offering, please visit www.iristel.com/business/teams-calling.

About Iristel:

Iristel is a global telecommunications operator and carrier services provider specializing in Voice over IP, Enterprise Cloud PBX, Wholesale Carrier Services, and more. With a strong focus on customer-centric solutions, Iristel empowers businesses to achieve seamless, efficient, and cost-effective communication.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219797688/en/

Contacts:

For more information:

Website: www.iristel.com/business/teams-calling

Email: pr@iristel.com

Phone: 416-800-0010
InfraBridge-backed VX UK Holdings Limited ("VX UK") and Freedom Fibre Limited ("Freedom Fibre"), two of the leading UK alternative local fibre providers, have signed an agreement to combine their businesses. InfraBridge will control the combined entity following the close of the transaction.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231217345007/en/

The transaction combines adjacent fibre to the premises ("FttP") networks focused principally on the North West of England and the Midlands. The combined business will have more than 285,000 premises passed and combine the operations of VX UK and Freedom Fibre into a single group through the acquisition of the UK assets and operations of VX UK by Freedom Fibre.

The new business will operate as Freedom Fibre Limited and will be run by Neil McArthur, Freedom Fibre founder and Chief Executive Officer. Darren Woods, currently Freedom Fibre Chief Financial Officer, will have the same role in the enlarged business.

Both VX UK and Freedom Fibre have a strong regional presence in their respective markets. VX UK has a strong presence in Stoke on Trent and the surrounding areas through its unique contract with Stoke City Council, which provides connectivity for local authority premises, underpinning essential local services. VX UK markets its broadband service to local consumers through its LilaConnect brand, alongside a wholesale offering for local ISPs. VX also has fibre assets in Bristol and Colchester.

Freedom Fibre launched in 2020 and offers wholesale-only services on its network and benefits from a long-term wholesale agreement with TalkTalk, a leading UK broadband provider. Freedom Fibre secured its first Building Digital UK ("BDUK") gigabit tender earlier this year and during 2023 has begun offering a range of B2B products. TalkTalk has been a minority shareholder since 2021 and will remain a shareholder in the combined business.

Damian Stanley, Managing Partner, InfraBridge, said: "The combination of VX UK and Freedom Fibre, with the backing of our shareholders, brings together two of the UK's leading altnets into a new, stronger company. Our businesses are highly complementary, including our geographic proximity, the quality of our network build and our retail and wholesale go-to-market strategies, and we now have a platform with the support of TalkTalk to provide ongoing connections across the enlarged business."

Achal Bhuwania, CIO, Equitix, said: "Scale and resources are both critical factors needed to successfully commercialise a UK altnet. This merger of Freedom Fibre and VX UK will contribute significantly to these two critical factors, accelerating the growth of the combined businesses, creating a larger network with both a wholesale and retail network offering for our growing customer base."

Neil McArthur, CEO, Freedom Fibre, said: "This is a strategic merger which leverages the strengths of both Freedom Fibre and VX UK to create a larger, stronger and more diverse business backed by two significant investors with ambitions for growth. We are delighted to be joining forces with the VX team and are hugely excited about the future potential of this newly combined business."

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of Q1 24.

VX UK's parent company, VNEXT AB, headquartered in Sweden, remains managed by InfraBridge.

VX UK was advised by Houlihan Lokey; Freedom Fibre was advised by Cameron Barney. Weil and Ashurst provided legal advice to InfraBridge and Freedom Fibre, respectively.

About InfraBridge

InfraBridge is a leading infrastructure investment manager dedicated to investing in mid-market businesses in transportation and logistics, digital infrastructure, and energy transition, among other key sectors. The firm's investment strategy applies private equity rigor with an active approach to asset management in order to maximize value and drive returns on behalf of investors. InfraBridge is a division of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG), a leading global digital infrastructure firm managing a $75 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its investors. InfraBridge is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

For more information, visit: www.infrabridge.com

About Equitix

Equitix is a responsible investor, developer and fund manager with assets under management of over 10bn. Equitix investments span all sectors of critical infrastructure, enabling communities to undertake everyday activities, functions and deliver essential goods and services that allow people to provide for their social and economic wellbeing. Its investment operational capabilities span construction, installation, and maintenance, providing safe and sustainable operations for all its service users. Equitix has invested over 2bn in its Network Utilities sector covering Fibre, Electricity distribution, Gas distribution, Heat and Water networks distributing power, heat, data and much more through its pipes and cables. Equitix is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

Bringing infrastructure to life.

For more information, visit: www.equitix.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231217345007/en/

Contacts:

InfraBridge

Ceci.Reissmeier@digitalbridge.com

Equitix

equitix@teneo.com
Regulatory News:

ICAPE Group (ISIN code: FR001400A3Q3 Ticker: ALICA), a global technology distributor of printed circuit boards ("PCB"), today announced the successful completion of a financing package with a pool of nine European banks, as well as the issuance of Recovery Bonds.

Arnaud Le Coguic, Chief Financial Officer of ICAPE Group, stated: "I would like to thank all our banking partners for their confidence in our project. The successful implementation of this financing in an adverse economic environment underlines both the financial strength and the value proposition of our Group. The additional resources granted will enable us to reinforce our dynamic of aggressive external growth in the short and medium term, in line with our strategy

The financing operation consists of a Refinancing Loan for a total amount of 21 million (including three tranches of respectively 15.3 million to be amortized, 2.7 million in fine and 3.0 million in fine) and a 40 million external growth credit facility, of which 20 million are confirmed (including two tranches of respectively 17.0 million to be amortized, 3.0 million in fine

TP ICAP Midcap was the exclusive financial advisor to ICAPE Group and Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel de Paris et d'Ile-de-France acted as coordinator of the transaction and credit agent. Banque Palatine, Banque Populaire Rives de Paris and HSBC Continental Europe were mandated arrangers. The banking pool is composed of 9 lenders: Banque Palatine, Banque Populaire Rives de Paris, BNP Paribas, Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel de Paris et d'Ile-de-France, Credit Industriel et Commercial, Credit Lyonnais, HSBC Continental Europe, Landesbank Saar and Tikehau Capital.

Peltier Juvigny Marpeau Associes advised ICAPE Group on debt and bond issues, and Mermoz Avocats advised the banking pool.

6 million of Recovery Bonds were subscribed by the Obligations Relance France fund (an investment fund managed by Tikehau Capital) and by the Obligations Relance France Tikehau Capital fund.

De Gaulle Fleurance acted as advisor to Tikehau Capital.

About the French Recovery Bond Fund

The French Recovery Bond fund, endowed with 1.7 billion, subscribed by 19 insurers members of the Federation Francaise de l'Assurance (FFA) and by Caisse des Depots, finances SMEs affected by the health crisis, which invest in their development and transformation. Part of the Recovery Plan of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, the French Recovery Bond fund was created by the insurers and Caisse des Depots, in cooperation with the French Treasury. It benefits from a partial guarantee from the State.

The Recovery Bonds have a term of eight years; they are redeemable at maturity; they offer SMEs-ETIs unsecured subordinated financing which can be obtained from the asset management companies delegated to manage the fund.

About ICAPE Group

Founded in 1999, ICAPE Group acts as a key technological expert in the PCB supply chain. With a global network of 36 subsidiaries and a major presence in China, where most of the world's PCB production is done, the Group is a one-stop-shop provider for the products and services which are essentials for customers. As of December 31, 2022, ICAPE Group recorded a consolidated revenue of nearly 220 million.

For more information: icape-group.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220107054/en/

Contacts:

ICAPE Group

CFO

Arnaud Le Coguic

Tel: +33 1 58 18 39 10

investor@icape.fr

Investor Relations

NewCap

Nicolas Fossiez

Louis-Victor Delouvrier

Tel: +33 1 44 71 94 98

icape@newcap.eu

Media relations

NewCap

Arthur Rouille

Antoine Pacquier

Tel: +33 01 44 71 94 94

icape@newcap.eu
EQS-Ad-hoc: SMG European Recovery SPAC SE / Key word(s): Letter of Intent/Merger

SMG European Recovery SPAC SE: Execution of Letter of Intent concerning potential Business Combination



20-Dec-2023 / 18:16 CET/CEST

Update of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS PUBLICATION. Public disclosure of inside information according to Article 17 para. 1 of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse (Market Abuse Regulation) SMG European Recovery SPAC SE and Sircle Hospitality Group Ltd. executed Letter of Intent concerning potential Business Combination Luxembourg, December 20, 2023 - SMG European Recovery SPAC SE (the "Company"), a Luxembourg special purpose acquisition company, has entered into a non-binding letter of intent ("LoI") with Sircle Hospitality Group Ltd., Larnaka, Cyprus ("Sircle"), concerning a business combination between the Company and Sircle through which the combined entity would become publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (General Standard). Sircle owns and operates hospitality assets across several European countries. As currently contemplated, the transaction would involve the existing shareholders of Sircle transferring 100% of the outstanding equity and equity equivalents of Sircle to the Company in exchange for new shares in the Company. The combined entity would be listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (General Standard) and would have a shareholder base comprised of (i) Sircle's existing shareholders and (ii) the Company's shareholders. The Company and Sircle continue to be in mutually exclusive negotiations with the aim of entering into a binding business combination agreement in due course. However, there is no guarantee that a final binding agreement will be reached. Company Contact:

Dr. Stefan Petrikovics

9, rue de Bitbourg

L-1273 Luxembourg

Luxembourg

stefan@smg-holding.com



Important Notice This publication may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan. This publication does not constitute or forms part of any offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities (the "Securities") or any of the assets, business or undertakings of SMG European Recovery SPAC SE (the "Company") in the United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The Securities of the Company may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). There will be no public offering of the Securities in the United States. The Securities of the Company have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act. The Securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in Australia, South Africa, Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Australia, South Africa, Canada or Japan subject to certain exceptions. The Securities of the Company may not be offered or sold in Canada absent the filing of a prospectus in Canada or in a transaction that is exempt from the requirement that the Company prepare and file a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been, or will be, filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this publication or on the merits of the Securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence. This publication does not form the basis of and should not be relied on in connection with, or act as an inducement to enter into, any contract or commitment whatsoever. Recipients of this publication who are considering acquiring Securities of the Company are reminded that any such purchase or subscription must not be made on the basis of the information contained in this publication. This publication constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities. The listing of the Securities will be made solely by the means of, and on the basis of, a securities prospectus which is yet to be published. An investment decision regarding any securities of SMG European Recovery SPAC SE should only be made on the basis of the securities prospectus. The securities prospectus will be published promptly upon approval by the Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)) and will be available free of charge on the SMG European Recovery SPAC SE website. In the United Kingdom, this publication is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons who are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), or (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.) (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This publication is directed only at Relevant Persons and must not be acted on or relied upon by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this publication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. In member states of the European Economic Area the placement of securities described in this announcement is directed exclusively at persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 (Prospectus Regulation). The Units are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any Retail Investor in the EEA. For these purposes, a "Retail Investor" means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 January 2016 on insurance distribution, as amended, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II. Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2014 on key information documents for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (the "PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to Retail Investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to any Retail Investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation. Solely for the purposes of the manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the Public Shares and Public Warrants has led to the conclusion that the Public Shares and the Public Warrants are (a) compatible with an end target market of investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II, and (b) eligible for distribution to professional clients and eligible counterparties through all distribution channels permitted by MiFID II. Any person subsequently offering, selling or recommending the Public Shares and Public Warrants (a "distributor") should take into consideration the manufacturer's target market assessment; however, a distributor subject to MiFID II is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Public Shares and Public Warrants (by either adopting or refining the manufacturer's target market assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels. The Units are not intended, to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any Retail Investor in the United Kingdom ("UK"). For these purposes the expression "Retail Investor" means a person who is one (or more) of the following: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("EUWA"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA") and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA ("UK MiFIR"). Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to Retail Investors in the UK has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to any Retail Investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation. No action has been taken that would permit an offering or an acquisition of the securities or a distribution of this announcement in any jurisdiction where such action would be unlawful. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the placement. Investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of the placement for the person concerned. This release may contain forward looking statements, estimates, opinions and projections with respect to anticipated future performance of the Company ("forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "may," "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on the current views, expectations and assumptions of the management of the Company and involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Any forward-looking statements included herein only speak as at the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation, and does not expect to publicly update, or publicly revise, any of the information, forward-looking statements or the conclusions contained herein or to reflect new events or circumstances or to correct any inaccuracies which may become apparent subsequent to the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Company accepts no liability whatsoever in respect of the achievement of such forward-looking statements and assumptions.



End of Inside Information



20-Dec-2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


Spooz Acquired Key JP Energy Assets; Vests Control to John K. Park

CLEARWATER, FL / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Spooz, Inc. (OTC PINK:SPZI) completed the acquisition of key JP Energy assets for vesting control of Spooz, Inc. to John K. Park. Additional assets to be announced later in exchange for vesting control of Spooz, Inc. to John K. Park. The first two companies announced as part of these acquisitions are JP Energy Group, Inc. (New Jersey Corporation) and JP Energy Global PTE, LTD (Singapore Corporation) as wholly owned subsidiaries of Spooz, Inc.

Spooz, Inc. will be renamed - JP 3E Holdings, Inc. as the parent company/new public entity. The name was derived from John's vision - positioning the operating companies to supply the world with the vital needs of Eating, Energy, and Education (3E) which are essential needs for our everyday living and quality of life.

JP Energy Group will continue securing and selling contracts in sugar, chicken paws, and other chicken parts. We have plans to branch out into beef, soybean, and other commodities.

JP Energy Global is a worldwide Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) company that will continue to secure LNG contracts. The substantial acquisitions in Education will occur later.

JP Energy Group and JP Energy Global secured significant funding commitments via Letter of Credit from a major bank in Singapore. Details to follow.

"This is a huge milestone positioning the company for major growth that I believe will be unprecedented. We are perfectly positioned, with our worldwide contacts, to purchase and sell, as the economic circumstances, uniquely available to us, with our extensive contacts across these industries, robustly funded - not with the inherent limitations of a brokerage endeavor, but as a buyer and seller of these targeted products" stated John K. Park, Chairman of Spooz, Inc., being renamed "JP 3E Holdings, Inc."

We commenced the process of engaging a PCAOB auditor to uplist to the OTCQB. The company has no plans for a reverse split - we will not expose investors to its deleterious consequences. The company has no convertible notes and no plans for establishing any - there is no need for financing. For further updates, look for more press releases and read through our social media sites that are presently existing.

A new website will be presented during this transition in the future for shareholders to view.

About Spooz, Inc. (SPZI) now JP 3E Holdings, Inc.:

Operating companies supply the world with the vital needs of Eating, Energy, and Education (3E), which are essential needs for our everyday living and quality of life.

SAFE HARBOR ACT: Forward-looking statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding the Company's expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations or listing on an exchange - including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will" and other similar expressions - are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements. The Company is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No information in this press release should be construed in any manner whatsoever as an indication of the future performance of the Company's revenues, financial condition or stock price.

Company Contact:

Paul D. Strickland, Jr., CEO

pstrickland@spooz.com

727-216-6765 Office

Website: https://www.jpenergygroup.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SpoozInc

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SpoozInc

E-Mail: info@Spooz.com

SOURCE: Spooz, Inc.

via PRISM Mediawire, LLC

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 20

For immediate release

20 December 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 87,462 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 859.50 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 26,328,326; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 198,662,977.

The figure of 198,662,977 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
FALLS CHURCH (dpa-AFX) - General Dynamics Corporation (GD) announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary, General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, has been awarded four contracts by the Government of Canada to support the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system for the Canadian Army. The contracts, which are valued cumulatively at up to $1.3 billion (CA$1.68 billion), are for the Land Command Support System (LCSS) and include a System of Systems Engineering and integration, Core Network Sustainment Services, Applications Sustainment Services, and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR). According to Joel Houde, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, the company is fully prepared to tackle the challenges of the modern battlespace and will continue to digitize the Canadian Armed Forces today and into the future. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PureHealth listing marks ADX's 6th IPO in 2023 and raised a total of $986 million (AED 3.62 billion).

The total value of IPOs on ADX in 2023 stood at $5.57 billion

ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), one of the fastest growing exchanges in the world, welcomed today the listing of PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East.

PureHealth's Initial Public Offering (IPO) raised a total of AED 3.62 billion ($986 million) and was oversubscribed by 483 times in the retail tranche and by 54 times in the professional subscribers tranche. This listing also marks the 6th IPO on ADX this year. The total value of IPOs on ADX in 2023 stood at $5.57 billion.

Commenting on the listing, Abdulla Salem Alnuaimi, Chief Executive Officer of ADX, said: "We warmly welcome PureHealth to the ADX family and look forward to their invaluable contribution towards the healthcare services sector in the UAE and beyond. This year, we have witnessed strong investors' interest and participation towards the various dynamic listings and initiatives on the ADX platform. We aim to continuously strengthen our market infrastructure and trading offerings and investment services to enable more local and global companies to achieve their capital raising and investment ambitions. At ADX, we are committed to fulfilling Abu Dhabi's economic strategy and expanding the sustainable growth and development of capital markets in the UAE and wider Middle East region."

PureHealth joins a growing group of both local and global healthcare service providers on ADX, demonstrating the Exchange's role as a hub for healthcare investments and providing opportunities for the exchange's investors to further diversify their portfolios. The company's global footprint in the United States and the United Kingdom reflects the growing internationalization of ADX and highlights ADX's active role in augmenting Abu Dhabi's economic growth and diversification.

Farhan Malik, Founder and Managing Director of PureHealth, said, " PureHealth's listing on ADX has surpassed IPO records on the exchange, making this a significant milestone in our journey. As the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East, we are proud of the role we continue to play in shaping the healthcare sector for Abu Dhabi and beyond. We will continue to transform healthcare, in line with the vision of Abu Dhabi's leadership, together delivering accessible, world-class healthcare backed by the latest in AI technology and supported by continued public and private sector collaboration. PureHealth is now becoming into a healthcare equity platform where our focus will be on international expansion. This listing will further support our equity growth story by enabling us in taking the organization from Abu Dhabi to the World."

PureHealth IPO rounds out a strong year for ADX. Some notable listings in 2023 include the largest-ever IPO on ADX of ADNOC Gas at $2.5 billion, ADIB's world's first Dollar-denominated sukuk with $500 million value of issuance, the IPO of Presight AI at approximately $496 million, to name a few.

About Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) was established on November 15, 2000, by Local Law No. (3) Of 2000, the provisions of which vest the market with a legal entity of autonomous status, independent finance and management. The Law also provides ADX with the necessary supervisory and executive powers to exercise its functions. On March 17, 2020, ADX was converted from a "Public Entity" to a "Public Joint Stock Company PJSC" pursuant to law No. (8) of 2020. ADX is part of ADQ, one of the region's largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi's diversified economy.

ADX is a market for trading securities; including shares issued by public joint stock companies, bonds issued by governments or corporations, exchange traded funds, and any other financial instruments approved by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). ADX is the second largest market in the Arab region and its strategy of providing stable financial performance with diversified sources of incomes is aligned with the guiding principles of the UAE "Towards the next 50" agenda. The national plan charts out the UAE's strategic development scheme which aims to build a sustainable, diversified and high value-added economy that positively contributes to transition to a new global sustainable development paradigm.

For more information, please contact:

ADX

Abdulrahman Saleh ALKhateeb

Manager of Corporate Communication

Mobile: +971 (50) 668 9733

Email: ALKhateebA@adx.ae

About PureHealth

By advancing the science of longevity, PureHealth is introducing the healthcare of the future from the UAE to the rest of the world. PureHealth is the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East, with an ecosystem that challenges lifespans and reimagines health spans. With 25+ hospitals, 100+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centers, health insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments and more, its groundbreaking innovations are at the forefront of healthcare, as the company is on a mission to unlock time for humankind.

PureHealth's network of healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates comprises:

SEHA - Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE

Daman - The National Health Insurance Company, the UAE's leading health insurer

The Medical Office - Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. the President of the UAE

Rafed - The UAE's largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organization

PureLab - Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region

Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center - Specialist healthcare center focused on cell therapy and regenerative medicine

One Health - Sales, service support, and engineering network that provides end-to-end medical solutions

 The Life Corner - Abu Dhabi's first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment

Ardent - The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the USA

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NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, BELARUS, HONG KONG, JAPAN, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE "IMPORTANT INFORMATION" AT THE END OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Metacon AB (publ) ("Metacon" or the "Company") today announces its intention to resolve on rights issue of units consisting of new shares and warrants of series TO 1, of approximately SEK 120 million (the "Rights Issue"). In total, subscription commitments from members of the Board of Directors and senior management amount to approximately SEK 2.4 million. The Company has also received guarantee undertakings, subject to customary conditions which, in aggregate, amount to approximately SEK 97.6 million. Accordingly, the Rights Issue is covered by subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings up to approximately SEK 100 million. In order to secure the financing requirement from January to February 2024, the Company has entered into a bridge loan agreement of SEK 10 million at market terms and with a granted option to increase to SEK 25 million. Due to the Rights Issue, the publishing of Metacon's year-end report will be postponed to 28 March 2024. An extraordinary general meeting is planned to be held on or about 24 January 2024 to authorize the Board of Directors to resolve on the Rights Issue and its terms as well as to resolve to amend the articles of association's limits for share capital and number of shares. Notice to the extraordinary general meeting will be announced through a separate press release.

Summary

The Board of Directors of Metacon today announces its intention to resolve on a rights issue of units of approximately SEK 120 million, before deduction of transaction costs, which is partially covered by subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings.

In connection with the Rights Issue, the Company has entered into a bridge loan agreement of SEK 10 million at market terms, with a granted option to increase to SEK 25 million, to ensure sufficient liquidity during the period January to February 2024.

An extraordinary general meeting is planned to be held on or about 24 January 2024 and the notice will be announced through a separate press release.

The net proceeds from the Rights Issue are intended to be used for the following purposes in order of priority: (i) Repayment of bridge loan, (ii) international expansion and capacity-build in strategic projects, (iii) strengthened organization, (iv) working capital purposes and (v) development of partnerships.

The subscription commitments from persons from the Board of Directors and senior management amount to approximately SEK 2.4 million.

The Company has received guarantee undertakings amounting to approximately SEK 97.6 million. Together with the subscription commitments, the Rights Issue is covered by subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings up to approximately SEK 100 million.

If the Rights Issue is fully subscribed and upon full exercise of warrants of series TO 1, the Company is expected to raise up to an additional approximately SEK 60 million, before deduction of transaction costs.

The subscription period in the Rights Issue is expected to take place during the period from and including 5 February 2024 until and including 19 February 2024.

The subscription period for warrants of series TO 1 is expected to commence approximately 12 months after the completion of the Rights Issue.

Complete terms of the Rights Issue are expected to be communicated around 25 January 2024.

The subscription price in the Rights Issue will be determined by the Board of Directors at a customary discount.

Christer Wikner, CEO of Metacon comments:

"I am very pleased that we are now acquiring the additional resources required to take the company to the next phase in terms of commercialization and scalability in this highly expansive and global growth industry that green hydrogen has grown into in the last year. It is also pleasing to note that we received a large and quick response from the investors who contribute to securing the new share issue at the desired level and that there is great interest in Metacon and the hydrogen market."

Background and rationale

In order to support Metacon's strategy and opportunities to achieve its future commercial and financial goals, the Board of Directors intends to resolve on the Rights Issue. The net proceeds from the Rights Issue are expected to help the Company promote growth and commercialization, with a focus on strengthening the Company's production capacity in strategic projects, which includes, among other things, the establishment of serial production of Metacon's patented catalytic reactors, which are the heart of the Company's reforming products. This is deemed necessary in order to meet expected demand from Metacon's future customers as well as the previously announced collaborations with PERIC Hydrogen Technologies Co., Ltd. for the Chinese market and for ongoing collaborative projects with the Company's partners in ammonia for deep sea shipping and ethanol-to-hydrogen for fast charging of battery vehicles and for so-called microgrids. Furthermore, the Company plans to expand internationally, accelerate product development and strengthen its organizational capacity to optimize operations and effectively manage its growth.

Including the new major investments that the Company plans to make, the Company's assessment is that the existing working capital is not sufficient for the current needs during the next twelve months.

Use of proceeds

If the Rights Issue is fully subscribed, the Company will receive approximately SEK 120 million before deduction of transaction costs. Given the Company's current business plan and considering the abovementioned background, the Company will use the net proceeds for the following purposes listed in order of priority:

Approximately 10 - 20 percent will be used for repayment of the bridge loan, including interest and a set-up fee. The loan amounts to approximately SEK 25 million at full utilization and aims to sustain liquidity throughout January to February to start initiate growth and expansion plans.

Approximately 20 - 30 percent will be used to start to establish own manufacturing capability delivering full scale reactors for Metacon's hydrogen generators (HHG) and prepare technology transfer for the production of complete hydrogen generators to manufacturing partners including PERIC, ensuring supply capacity and expanding the international presence of Metacon's hydrogen generators in the European and Chinese market.

Approximately 10 - 20 percent will be used to strengthen and expand the organization with experienced management, engineering, and sales resources to drive global expansion, sales growth and delivery capability for the Company's products and services including leading or participating in large scale sales projects of industrial electrolysis plants with a capacity of 10 - 500 MW in various European countries.

Approximately 10 - 20 percent will be used to strengthen the Company's working capital including trade finance needs to meet the increased demand for electrolysers and associated systems for storage, transportation, and refueling stations.

Approximately 10 - 20 percent will be used to develop strategic partnerships and growth initiatives with industry leading players in the biogas, hydrogen and related industrial sectors to, among other things, create demonstration sites in order to accelerate sales efforts through longer term partnerships.

If the Rights Issue is fully subscribed and upon full exercise of warrants of series TO 1, the Company is expected to raise up to an additional approximately SEK 60 million, before deduction of transaction costs. The net proceeds from the warrants of series TO 1 will be used for the same purposes as the above.

The bridge loan

To ensure sufficient liquidity during the period January to February 2024, the Company has entered into a bridge loan agreement of SEK 10 million at market terms and with a granted option to increase to SEK 25 million. The bridge loan will be repaid with the proceeds from the Rights Issue.

Extraordinary general meeting

The Board of Directors intends to convene an extraordinary general meeting through a separate press release, which is planned to be held on or about 24 January 2024, to authorize the Board of Directors to resolve on the Rights Issue and its terms as well as amendments to the articles of association's limits for share capital and number of shares.

Complete terms of the Rights Issue are expected to be announced on or about 25 January 2024.

Subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings

The Company has received subscription commitments from members of the Board of Directors and senior management that amount to approximately SEK 2.4 million.

Guarantors have provided guarantee undertakings subject to customary conditions which, in aggregate, amount to approximately SEK 97.6 million. Together with the subscription commitments, the Rights Issue is thus covered by subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings up to approximately SEK 100 million.

No fee is paid for submitted subscription commitments from members of the Board of Directors and senior management. A guarantee fee will be paid to the guarantors, based on current market conditions, of eleven (11) percent of the guaranteed amount in cash. Neither the subscription commitments nor the guarantee undertakings are secured through bank guarantees, restricted funds, pledged assets or similar arrangements.

Further information regarding the parties who have entered into subscription commitments and guarantee undertakings will be presented in the prospectus that will be made public before the commencement of the subscription period.

Lock-up undertakings

Prior to the execution of the Rights Issue, all members of the Board of Directors and senior management of the Company which are shareholders in the Company have entered into lock-up undertakings, which, among other things and with customary exceptions, mean that they have undertaken not to sell shares in the Company. The lock-up undertakings expire on the day that falls 180 days after the settlement date in the Rights Issue.

Furthermore, the Company has undertaken towards Pareto Securities AB, subject to customary exceptions, not to issue additional shares or other share-related instruments for a period of 12 months after the end of the subscription period.

Preliminary timetable

Extraordinary general meeting 24 January 2024 Expected date for communication of complete terms in the Rights Issue 25 January 2024 Last day of trading in shares including right to receive unit rights 30 January 2024 Planned publishing date of prospectus 30 January 2024 First day of trading in shares excluding right to receive unit rights 31 January 2024 Record date for the Rights Issue 1 February 2024 Trading in unit rights 5 - 14 February 2024 Subscription period 5 - 19 February 2024 Trading in paid subscribed unit (BTU) 5 February - 5 March 2024 Expected announcement of the preliminary outcome in the Rights Issue 19 February 2024

Prospectus

A prospectus and subscription form will be made available before subscription period commence on Metacon's website, www.metacon.com and on Pareto Securities AB:s website, www.paretosec.com.

Advisers

Pareto Securities is Sole Manager and Bookrunner, Advokatfirman Schjdt is legal adviser to the Company and Baker & McKenzie Advokatbyra KB is legal adviser to Pareto Securities in connection with the Rights Issue.

For further information, contact:

Christer Wikner

CEO

info@metacon.com

+46 70 7647 389

This press release constitutes inside information that Metacon AB (publ) is obligated to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014. The information was submitted, through the agency of the contact person above, for publication on 20 December 2023, 21.00 CET.

About Metacon AB (publ)

Metacon AB (publ) develops and manufactures energy systems for the production of fossil-free "green" hydrogen. The products in the Reforming business area are based, among other things, on a patented technology that generates hydrogen through so-called catalytic steam reforming of biogas or other hydrocarbons. The development of Metacon's reforming products is done within the wholly owned subsidiary Metacon S.A in Patras, Greece. The business is focused on catalytic process chemistry and advanced reformers for highly efficient hydrogen production.

Metacon also offers complete electrolysis plants and integrated hydrogen refueling stations, a large and globally growing area for small- and large-scale production of green hydrogen. Electrolysis is a process of driving a chemical reaction to split water by adding electricity. If the electricity used is non-fossil, the hydrogen will also be fossil-free and climate-neutral. Green hydrogen can be used in sectors such as transport, basic industry and the real estate sector, with a better environment and climate as a result. www.metacon.com

For further information, see:

www.metacon.com | X: @Metaconab| LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/metaconab

Important information

This press release and the information herein is not for publication, release or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Belarus, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Singapore or any other state or jurisdiction in which publication, release or distribution would be unlawful or where such action would require additional prospectuses, filings or other measures in addition to those required under Swedish law.

The press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire, or subscribe for, any of the securities mentioned herein (collectively, the "Securities") or any other financial instruments in Metacon AB (publ). Any offer in respect of any of the Securities will only be made through the prospectus that Metacon AB (publ) expects to publish in due course. Offers will not be made to, and application forms will not be approved from, subscribers (including shareholders), or persons acting on behalf of subscribers, in any jurisdiction where applications for such subscription would contravene applicable laws or regulations, or would require additional prospectuses, filings, or other measures in addition to those required under Swedish law. Measures in violation of the restrictions may constitute a breach of relevant securities laws.

The Securities mentioned in this press release have not been registered and will not be registered under any applicable securities law in the United States, Australia, Belarus, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa or Singapore and may, with certain exceptions, not be offered or sold within, or on behalf of a person or for the benefit of a person who is registered in, these countries. The Company has not made an offer to the public to subscribe for or acquire the Securities mentioned in this press release other than in Sweden.

None of the Securities have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States, and may not be offered, pledged, sold, delivered or otherwise transferred, directly or indirectly. There will not be any public offering of any of the Securities in the United States.

In the EEA Member States, with the exception of Sweden (each such EEA Member State, a "Relevant State"), this press release and the information contained herein are intended only for and directed to qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation. The Securities mentioned in this press release are not intended to be offered to the public in any Relevant State and are only available to qualified investors except in accordance with exceptions in the Prospectus Regulation. Persons in any Relevant State who are not qualified investors should not take any actions based on this press release, nor rely on it.

In the United Kingdom, this press release is directed only at, and communicated only to, persons who are qualified investors within the meaning of article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (2017/1129) who are (i) persons who fall within the definition of "investment professional" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), or (ii) persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (iii) persons who are existing members or creditors of Metacon AB (publ) or other persons falling within Article 43 of the Order, or (iv) persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such persons referred to in (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) above together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This press release must not be acted on or relied on by persons in the UK who are not Relevant Persons.

This announcement does not constitute an investment recommendation. The price and value of securities and any income from them can go down as well as up and you could lose your entire investment. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Information in this announcement cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's intentions, assessments, or current expectations about and targets for the Company's future results of operations, financial condition, development, liquidity, performance, prospects, anticipated growth, strategies and opportunities and the markets in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by the fact that they contain words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "may", "plan", "estimate", "will", "should", "could", "aim" or "might", or, in each case, their negative, or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that they will materialize or prove to be correct. Because these statements are based on assumptions or estimates and are subject to risks and uncertainties, the actual results or outcome could differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this press release or any obligation to update or revise the statements in this press release to reflect subsequent events. Readers of this press release should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Neither the Company nor anyone else does undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this press release.

Information to distributors

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the shares in Metacon have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Distributors should note that: the price of the shares in Metacon may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the shares in Metacon offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the shares in Metacon is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Rights Issue.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the shares in Metacon.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the shares in Metacon and determining appropriate distribution channels.

The English text is an unofficial translation of the original Swedish text. In case of any discrepancies between the Swedish text and the English translation, the Swedish text shall prevail.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/17030/3897490/2509252.pdf Metacon - PM - Announces rights issue

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OMG agencies OMD, Hearts & Science and PHD wrap the year

achieving historic trifecta atop the agency ranking

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) and parent company to the OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science global media agency networks, is poised to end 2023 with the best net new business record (wins minus losses) among global media management groups, marking the second consecutive year that OMG has led its category in incremental billings won.

With just a few business days remaining until the end of the year, the COMvergence C-Dash new business barometer that tracks account wins and losses in near real-time shows OMG is once again the #1 ranked global media group for net new business, having added more than $2.5 billion in incremental billings in 2023, and earning a win-to-loss ratio of 3:1.

OMG was also the only group to show positive net new business gains across every global region.

Breaking down the individual agency performances driving that number, OMG networks OMD, Hearts & Science and PHD are positioned to maintain their locks on the #1, 2 and 3 slots on the agency rankings, respectively, sustaining their historic sweep from the COMvergence Q1-Q3 ranking. Notably, that report marked the first time any media group had all its agency brands topping the agency network ranking since the Media Agency New Business Barometer was first published in 2017.

OMG also outperformed the market in the latest performance evaluation from the Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry (RECMA) which offers a nuanced assessment of global media groups based on a wide range of criteria that - in addition to new business wins - also includes global footprint, depth and breadth of services and capabilities, digital share of business, and the longevity of client relationships. In the 2023 report, OMG's future fit- capabilities and 97% retention rate across the entirety of its existing client base fueled a performance score increase that was double the rate of its closest competitor.

Concurrent with leading its category in winning new business and successfully servicing a client roster that includes many of the world's best-known brands, in 2023 OMG also led the industry in delivering first-to-market capabilities and future-fit solutions that drive sales and grow share for clients, including:

The global adoption of its Agency as a Platform model that leverages Omni - the open operating system that supports the Omnicom network - to enable a flexible ecosystem of talent, capabilities, and technology across all OMG agencies.

The launch of Omni Assist - the inaugural Generative AI capability enabled by Omnicom's first-mover access to Microsoft's Open AI GPT models - that has dramatically accelerated the timeline from discovery to client outcomes by acting as a virtual assistant providing insights, notifications, and recommendations across every step of the Omni workflow, from audience development to planning, activation, measurement, and optimization.

Expanding its capabilities in high growth categories and markets with the acquisitions of international financial services specialty agency Ptarmigan and Brazil-based connected commerce shops Outpromo and Global Shopper.

First-to-market global and regional retail media network partnerships with category leaders like Criteo, Uber and Tesco that added to the industry's most extensive RMN portfolio.

Partnering with NBCU to launch program-level reporting at scale across CTV environments, transforming the way streaming content is planned and bought.

Operationalizing standards and best practices for programmatic buying that enable levels of transparency, control, safety, and effectiveness that significantly outperform recent industry studies.

"Good agencies adapt to change, better agencies anticipate change, but the best agencies define and drive change to unlock transformative growth for their clients - that is our ambition," says OMG CEO Florian Adamski. "Aiming for that high bar is how OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science - empowered by our Agency as a Platform model - led the industry in 2022 and 2023. As issues like privacy in a cookieless world, an increasingly commerce-centric marketplace and the demand for cohesive consumer experiences across the path to purchase bring new challenges for marketers in 2024, our goal will be to deliver growth for our clients, our agencies, and our talent not by predicting the future, but by creating it."

About Omnicom Media Group

Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), delivers transformational experiences for consumers, clients and talent. Powered by the Omni marketing orchestration system, OMG connects best -in-class capabilities that enable our full-service media agencies OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science to deliver more relevant and actionable consumer experiences; more productive and proactive client experiences; and more collaborative and rewarding talent experiences for the more than 24,000 people serving the world's leading brands in OMG agencies around the globe.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305662/Omnicom_COMvergence_new_biz_barometer_1.jpg

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GI Partners has signed an agreement to acquire DQE Communications, a Pittsburgh, PA-based independent fiber provider from its parent company, Duquesne Light Holdings.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The acquisition will bolster DQEs expansion of its fiber network operations in order to capitalize on the demand for high-capacity, carrier-class bandwidth services by the companys customers in the enterprise, carrier, wireless, education, municipal and government sectors.

Formed in 1997 as a subsidiary of DLH, DQE Communications has extended its geographic reach beyond its core Pittsburgh footprint and evolved into the regions independent fiber provider offering a full suite of infrastructure-oriented communication services. This includes a 4,700-route mile fiber network that connects more than 3,000 on-net businesses, towers, and data centers with multiple expansion projects underway in strategically adjacent markets.

Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment firm with over 150 employees and offices in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Greenwich, Scottsdale, and London. The firm has raised more than $42 Billion in capital and invests on behalf of leading institutional investors around the world through its private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies. The private equity team invests primarily in companies in the healthcare, services, and software sectors. The real estate strategy focuses primarily on technology and life sciences properties as well as other specialized types of real estate.

FinSMEs

20/12/2023
Employer Direct Healthcare (EDH), a Dallas, TX-based specialty healthcare network solution provider, raised an investment of $92M from Insight Partners; at $1 Billion valuation.

EDHs existing institutional investors, Serent Capital, Redmile Group and Dundon Capital, will maintain their ownership interest in the business.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach.

Led by John Zutter, CEO, EDH is a provider of healthcare services business offering solutions for self-funded employers and their members. The companys selective provider networks transform healthcare for its members, facilitating access to care at fair prices nationwide. Its first product, SurgeryPlus, is a surgical benefit solution, providing full-service concierge and network services to millions of covered members across 1000+ employers. In 2022, it launched a first of its kind, comprehensive end-to-end oncology solution, Cancer Care Direct.

Over the past 12 years, EDH has facilitated more than 43,000 surgical journeys.

FinSMEs

19/12/2023
FeelTect Co-Founders, Dr Andrew Cameron, CEO (left), and Dr Darren Burke, CTO (right), displaying the Tight Alright wearable, pressure-sensing device for monitoring compression therapy.

FeelTect, a Galway, Ireland-based connected-health, wound care company, raised 1.5M in funding.

Investors from multiple Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) syndicates, including Irrus Investments, MedTech Syndicate, and Boole Investment Syndicate, along with CAJU Venture Partners, joined existing shareholders, while the WDC added to their existing investment in the company. The 1.5M raised in the current round follows an earlier 1.2M Seed round closed in 2022, which was supported by strategic healthcare investors and State agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, Dogpatch Labs, and the WDC.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its team, with additional hires including roles in R&D, manufacturing, project management, clinical affairs, and commercial development, create additional clinical collaborations, expand strategic partnerships, and advance commercialisation of its wound treatment monitoring technology.

Led by Founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Cameron and Dr Darren Burke, CTO, FeelTect is a connected-health, wound care company. Its flagship product, Tight Alright, is connected-health technology for measuring and remotely monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy. The Tight Alright technology is comprised of an advanced wearable device, with multiple pressure sensors, that wirelessly connects with a digital platform. The technology unburdens care providers by enabling significant advancements in treatment application, patient self-management, and remote monitoring of compression therapy effectiveness. Furthermore, by facilitating optimal and consistent provision of gold-standard compression therapy, Tight Alright will reduce healing times and treatment costs, whilst enhancing the autonomy and quality of life for patients.

Since spinning out of the University of Galway in 2020, FeelTect have achieved numerous milestones, including FDA registration in USA, EUDMED registration in Europe, ISO 13485 accreditation, preliminary clinical validation, international patents on hardware and software technologies, and completion of design for manufacturing.

FinSMEs

20/12/2023
London, United Kingdom, December 20th, 2023, Chainwire

In the ever-evolving cryptocurrency market, a newcomer named Pandoshi is quickly becoming known for its unique methods and rapid success in previous fund raising rounds.

Gaining fast recognition within the cryptocurrency community, Pandoshi has already attracted significant investment, demonstrating the confidence that the community has in its future. This venture is notable for its distinctive features and its ambitious goal to revolutionize the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

Presently, Pandoshi is progressing through the third stage of its presale and is gearing up to enter the fourth stage. The next stage will bring an increase in the tokens price, marking a crucial milestone for both the project and its investors.

At first sight, Pandoshi might be misconceived as a meme coin, but its far from it. In fact, it represents a fully autonomous and decentralized ecosystem. The whitepaper of the project exhibits a high degree of professionalism and technical expertise. Fundamentally, the project is committed to principles of decentralization, financial privacy, and empowering the community to have influence over the projects direction.

Pandoshi distinguishes itself with a diverse ecosystem and a strong focus on decentralization, privacy in finance, and governance driven by its community. Here are the key aspects that make it unique:

Layer-2 Network : A Layer-2 network that utilizes a Proof of Stake protocol, offering a more environmentally friendly solution compared to the traditional Proof of Work method.

: A Layer-2 network that utilizes a Proof of Stake protocol, offering a more environmentally friendly solution compared to the traditional Proof of Work method. Decentralized Exchange and Wallet : Through its decentralized exchange and non-custodial wallet, Pandoshi ensures security and autonomy for users.

: Through its decentralized exchange and non-custodial wallet, Pandoshi ensures security and autonomy for users. Transparency and Commitment : Pandoshis commitment to transparency, its well-defined roadmap, and ongoing development work have built trust among prospective investors.

: Pandoshis commitment to transparency, its well-defined roadmap, and ongoing development work have built trust among prospective investors. Metaverse Integration : By incorporating metaverse games, Pandoshi steps into the world of virtual reality and crypto games.

: By incorporating metaverse games, Pandoshi steps into the world of virtual reality and crypto games. Cryptocurrency Prepaid Cards: These cards will function seamlessly without requiring Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols.

At the heart of Pandoshis ecosystem lies PAMBO, its native token. Initially released on the Ethereum blockchain, PAMBO is a deflationary token designed to increase in value through scarcity. It also incorporates a buy-and-burn mechanism which is often a feature sought out by potential holders.

The path ahead for Pandoshi is just beginning. With its diverse approach and innovative features, the project is set to create substantial ripples in the industry. Its future plans include expanding its presence on social media and enriching its ecosystem further.

Pandoshi revealed an exciting development on their Twitter feed: Pandoshi is ahead of their planned timeline and is preparing for the beta launch of the Pandoshi Wallet. This significant event is taking place amidst their ongoing presale phase, signifying a major achievement for the project and potentially driving more investors to participate in their public presale.

The soon-to-be-released beta version of the wallet will initially be compatible with all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains. Plans are in motion to widen its capabilities to support non-EVM chains in upcoming updates. The wallet application, designed for user convenience, will be accessible on both Android and iOS devices, offering extensive reach.

Despite challenging competition, Pandoshis dedication to practical, user-focused blockchain solutions positions it as a potential game-changer in the crypto sector.

About Pandoshi

Pandoshi represents a blockchain project inspired by Satoshi Nakamotos vision, dedicated to decentralization, privacy, and financial freedom. Operating as a community-driven initiative, this endeavor places power firmly in the hands of its community members.

The mission of Pandoshi is to establish a robust ecosystem of decentralized products, which includes the Network, DEX, Wallet, and other essential components vital to the DeFi landscape. Pandoshi also explores innovative domains such as decentralized Metaverses and educational platforms to enrich the DeFi experience.

Passionate community support underscores the core values of financial privacy and autonomy upheld by Pandoshi. The project ensures that users needs and interests are paramount in every product created, delivering economic benefits directly to users without intermediary involvement.

Pandoshi stands as a testament to decentralized finance, privacy, and user empowerment, rather than a fleeting meme coin or an experimental project. The commitment to these principles fuels relentless efforts and underscores the projects significance.

Website: https://pandoshi.com/

Whitepaper: https://docs.pandoshi.com/

Disclaimer:

Pandoshi is the source of this content. This Press Release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.

Contact

Andrew Fitzer

[email protected]
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, December 20th, 2023, Chainwire

Solends expansion is set to compound Suis remarkable DeFi momentum, which has seen TVL grow by over 500% since September.

Solend, the top lending and borrowing protocol on Solana, today announced its impending launch on the Sui blockchain, which was created by a team of technology leaders that emerged from Facebooks blockchain initiative. This new integration marks Solends first deployment on a blockchain other than Solana and underscores the teams confidence in the strength of Suis technology and the Sui networks potential as a long-term partner.

As the largest lending and borrowing product on Solana, Solend boasts over $140 million in total value locked (TVL) across over 170,000 users and supports over 70 assets. Solend also currently has over 20 developer integrations, making it one of Solanas most prominent platforms for DeFi development. Expansion to Sui will introduce Solends robust DeFi offerings to a new community of users and bring even more builders to the Sui ecosystem.

Rooter, the pseudonymous Founder of Solend, said, Were not maximalists by any means  I left that behind when I left Ethereum. Were building on Sui for the same reason we decided to build on Solana three years ago: because theyre doing something special. For Solana it was performance, for Sui its the developer experience. The current state of smart contracts doesnt reflect the aspirations of the industry. Move fixes this. Most of the team is 100% focused on Solana, and weve spun up a sub-team dedicated to Sui.

The Solend expansion news comes on the heels of Bluefin, an ascending DEX with over $100 million in daily volume, announcing they will build their V2 exclusively on Sui and unveiling their product roadmap for well into 2024.

It is critical for a growing DeFi platform to secure the assets entrusted to it, and Sui is leaving no stone unturned in safeguarding its ecosystem. Security on Sui starts with the security features embedded in the Move language itself, which add a unique protection for smart contracts on Sui Further, Sui supports its developers by working with partners and leading blockchain security firms, Zellic and Ottersec, to check projects individual codebases. Solends code will benefit from their rigorous audits that will ensure that the application meets the highest security standards and is fully compatible with the Sui blockchain.

At the same time, for DeFi application builders, top-tier performance in the underlying network and easy access for new users are also paramount. From a performance perspective, DeFi projects on Sui benefit from the networks use of parallel processing for the vast majority of transactions, which results in unprecedented low latency and enables horizontal scaling. It was this same technology stack which enabled Sui to benchmark a peak throughput of up to 297,000 TPS and time to finality of ~480 milliseconds, and in just its fourth month to achieve the greatest number of transactions processed in a single day by any blockchain network ever.

Likewise, for accessibility, Sui offers DeFi protocols extremely easy onboarding for new users through its native zkLogin feature which enables end users to authenticate with the same Web 2 social logins from Google, Twitch and others that they are already familiar with. Any DeFi protocol building on Sui can incorporate zkLogin, eliminating the need for new users to manage wallets and seed phrases and removing a huge hurdle to mainstream use of DeFi protocols on Sui, while still remaining non-custodial.

Solend has achieved a level of success that is unmatched by the vast majority of projects in our industry and we are thrilled to welcome them to the Sui ecosystem, said Greg Siourounis, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation. Sui was created with the scalability and efficiency that DeFi projects require at its core. We look forward to Solends continued upward trajectory building on Sui.

The Solend team brings a wealth of experience with both the Web2 and the Web3 world, with members having previously worked at industry stalwarts Coinbase, Robinhood, Cruise, Twitch, and Two Sigma. Solend is backed by a strong group of investors, including Dragonfly, Polychain, Race Capital, and Coinbase Ventures.

Contact

Sui Foundation

[email protected]
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the much loved Hollywood couple, were in India to grace their presence at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, where the veteran actor was honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.

They shared multiple pictures on social media where they gave a glimpse of their India vacation to fans. In one picture, the two could be sitting and relaxing on a bench.

In another click, the two were out for a jungle safari and Douglas tried to take a selfie with an elephant.

And in one more picture, the actor was at a temple and sought blessings.

Union minister Anurag Thakur had shared the news in a post on microblogging site X, saying that Douglas would also attend the 54th edition of the festival along with wife Catherine Zeta Jones and son Dylan. The film gala was held from November 20 to 28.

Im delighted to announce that Michael Douglas, the distinguished Hollywood Actor and Producer, will be honoured with the prestigious Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award at the 54th International Film Festival Goa, Thakur wrote.

In his career of over five decades, Douglas, 79, has starred in several critically-acclaimed and blockbuster movies such as Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, The War of the Roses, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, The American President, Traffic and Behind the Candelabra.

Douglas, son of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas, had won an Oscar for his 1975 production One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and then bagged the best actor trophy for Wall Street.

When an Indian doctor saved Catherines life

The story Ive never told before is that India has touched me in a very serious personal way. It was an Indian doctor who saved my life with a tracheotomy when I was 18 months old. I wonder why when I come to India, I have this feeling of coming home, and maybe it has something to do with that. The reason Im here is because of the brilliance of an Indian doctor in the UK.

Her love for Indian films like Om Shanti Om and The Lunchbox

I love the country and the people so very much. I am a big fan of Indian Cinema. My children have grown up watching Om Shanti Om on a loop! Not just once There are so many great movies that I have been able to watch, not much as I should have but now with streaming and film being crossing so much A movie that I love was The Lunchbox. It was one of my favourite movies and it still is one of my favourite movies of all time.
Donald Trumps legal troubles continue to mount. The latest hurdle in his bid to run for president in 2024 is the Colorado Supreme Courts landmark ruling. Citing a constitutional insurrection clause, it disqualified the Republican from the ballot in the state next year.

The court ruled 4-3 that Trump is not an eligible candidate. The decision from the court marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

We take a look at the Colorado courts ruling and what this means for Trumps presidential bid.

What is the Colorado Supreme Courts verdict?

A divided Colorado Supreme Court declared Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states presidential primary ballot.

A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the court, whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors, wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorados top court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

Why did the Colorado Supreme Court disqualify Trump?

The states highest court disqualified Trump under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, also known as the insurrection clause.

Passed by the Senate on 8 June 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the 14th Amendment was designed to keep former Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War. It bars from office anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it and has been used only a handful of times since the decade after the Civil War.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationally to disqualify Trump under Section 3. Legal experts believe that the law applies to Trump because of his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election by encouraging his supporters to storm the US Capitol.

The dangers of Trump ever being allowed back into public office are exactly those foreseen by the framers of section 3 Which is that they knew that if an oath-taking insurrectionist were allowed back into power they would do the same if not worse, Ron Fein, the legal director for Free Speech for People, told The Guardian in a recent interview.

I think it [the ruling] may embolden other state courts or secretaries to act now that the bandage has been ripped off, Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor who has closely followed the Section 3 cases, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press after Tuesdays ruling. This is a major threat to Trumps candidacy.

Also read: Explained: The charges looming over Donald Trump in US 2020 election probe

Can Trump run for president in 2024?

The ruling means it would be wrongful under election laws to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot in Colorado. No votes cast in his name will be counted as well, the order states.

The order only applies to the 5 March primary elections to be held by the Republican Party. However, its results could impact the presidential elections scheduled for 5 November.

The law does not apply to other states.

Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and he doesnt need the state to win next years presidential election. But the danger for Trump is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorados lead and exclude Trump from must-win states, reports AP.

What next for Donald Trump?

The Colorado court stayed its decision until 4 January or until the US Supreme Court ruled on the case. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by 5 January, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.

If Trump asks the US Supreme Court to step in by January 4  the date set by the Colorado Supreme Court for parties to appeal before the ruling goes into effect  the decision will remain paused, according to Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas Law School. That means he will almost certainly remain on Colorados primary ballot on March 5, Vladeck told CNN.

Also read: What if Donald Trump becomes president of the US again?

Trumps attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nations highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

Trumps legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement Tuesday night, This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nations democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.

The former US presidents campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a tyrannical ruling. However, Trump did not talk about the decision during a rally on Tuesday evening in Iowas Waterloo.

What have Trumps allies said?

Several Republican contenders and Trumps allies have slammed the decision as un-American and part of a politically motivated effort to destroy his candidacy.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to pull out from the Colorado ballot if the states Supreme Court did not let Trump contest. He also urged other Republican candidates to withdraw from the Colorado polls.

I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately, the Indian-American leader said on X.

I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately  or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous pic.twitter.com/qbpNf9L3ln  Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 20, 2023

Florida governor Ron DeSantis called on the US SC to reverse the Colorado ruling. The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse, he wrote on X.

Chris Christie would not comment directly on the ruling since he said he had not yet read it. But he said that he believes it would be bad for the country if Trump were kept off a ballot by a legal decision, adding there hasnt yet been a criminal trial proving Trump has incited an insurrection, reports CNN.

According to Nikki Haley, the ballot decisions shouldnt be left to the courts. We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions. So, I want to see this in the hands of the voters, she said.

Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said in a statement.

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who campaigned for Trump in Iowa on Friday, said on X that the decision was exemplary of what dictators do, repeating a line used by the Trump campaign when fundraising off the courts ruling.

With inputs from agencies
Its Wednesday.

And its going to be a big day for news.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court will hear arguments on an ED chargesheet against arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.

The Congress is set to kick off its UP Jodo Yatra from today.

In the Congo, millions of citizens are set to vote in the much-anticipated polls.

Lets take a look at todays big-ticket items:

Modi-Mamata meet

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today.

This, after the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) agreed to Banerjees request for an appointment with Modi.

Banerjee will seek the release of financial dues to the state, a top official said.

The meeting will occur around 11 am.

The meeting comes a day after Mamata attended the meet of the INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday.

Mamata and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges name as the opposition INDIA blocs PM candidate during the meet.

Congress UP Jodo Yatra

The Congress is set to begin its UP Jodo Yatra today.

The yatra comes more than a year after the grand old party launched its Bharat Jodo Yatra in September 2022 and in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

That yatra was led by a whole host of Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi.

The UP Jodo Yatra, which will kick off from Saharanapur, is likely to see party bigwigs including Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge participating, as per The Times of India.

It will also likely witness some members of the INDIA block participating.

The yatra is slated to cover 15 parliamentary seats across 10 UP districts, as per The Times of India.

As per The Hindu, the party is expected to reach out to Muslims in a major way during the yatra.

Delhi HC hears ED plea

The Delhi High Court is set to hear arguments on an ED chargesheet against arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and others as part of a money laundering investigation.

Bhandari, an alleged middleman, is currently based in the UK.

The ED filed its first charge sheet against Bhandari in 2020.

Bhandari is stated by the ED to have absconded to the UK in 2016 and he has been declared a proclaimed offender by a special PMLA court in the money laundering case linked to possession of alleged undisclosed assets abroad.

The UK government approved Bhandaris extradition to India in January  acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation which are probing charges of money laundering and tax evasion against Bhandari for holding alleged undisclosed assets abroad.

The ED filed a criminal case of money laundering against him and others in February 2017, taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015.

His alleged links with Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are also under the scanner of the ED.

Congo polls

Congo is set to go to the polls today.

Around 44 million people  almost half the countrys population  are expected to vote for Congos next president.

This is its fourth election since civil and regional wars ended in the early 2000s.

Locals and experts say the election is facing enormous logistical problems sparking concern it could impact its credibility.

Thousands of polling stations might not have the materials they need upping the chances of contested results.

While initial fears of unrest surrounding the elections stemmed from the Opposition rejecting the vote because of it being too close, now there are worries it wont accept the results due to the chaos surrounding them, said Richard Moncrieff, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

There could be suspicions of fraud, it could cause delays and there could be frustration with people trying to vote, all which could give huge amounts of ammunition to the opposition who could use that to reject the outcome, he said.

On this day

In 2015, the late Queen Elizabeth II became the UKs longest-reigning monarch.

She surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.

Elizabeth, who passed away on 8 September 2022, sat on the British throne for 70 years.

In 2016, Elizabeth also became the longest-reigning monarch in the world with the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

In 2022, she became the second-longest-reigning monarch in world history, behind 17th Century French King Louis XIV, who took the throne at age four.

Apart from Elizabeth and Victoria, only four other monarchs in British history have reigned for 50 years or more: George III (59 years), Henry III (56 years), Edward III (50 years) and James VI of Scotland (58 years.)

With inputs from agencies
Scientists knew for a long time that a volcano in southwestern Iceland was going to erupt, so when it happened on Monday night, no one was shocked.

The explosion occurred within three kilometres from Grindvik, an Icelandic fishing port that has now been evacuated. The Svartsengi geothermal plant is only two kilometres from the site of the eruption. The eruption can be seen from Reykjavik, Icelands capital, which is around 30 miles away. It is also close to Keflavik, Icelands main airport and a hub for travellers flying to and from continental Europe.

According to David Pyle, an Earth Science professor, the volcanic explosion is still spewing enough lava to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in 20 seconds.

The length of the fissure may be an indication of how much magma had been able to accumulate in the crust over the past few weeks, said Pyle as quoted by Live Science.

The region had been active for more than two years and thousands of small earthquakes rattled the area in recent weeks.

So, how dangerous is it? Will it have an impact on holiday air travel? Why is Iceland so prone to volcanic eruptions? Lets take a closer look.

How the eruption unfolded

It started at about 10.20 pm local time on Monday north of Grindavik, a fishing town of 3,400 people on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The town is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of Icelands capital, Reykjavik, in an area known broadly as Fagradalsfjall volcano.

First there was a series of small earthquakes. Then lava thats some 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit) began pouring out of a fissure about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long. The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimated that hundreds of cubic metres of lava per second flowed out in the first two hours of the eruption, though the activity had significantly subsided by Tuesday afternoon.

Was it unexpected?

In short, no  scientists had expected the eruption for several weeks and in November, authorities evacuated Grindavik after thousands of small earthquakes shook the area for more than two weeks. Scientists said their monitors showed that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, was spreading toward the town and could reach the surface imminently.

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, one of Icelands best-known tourist attractions, had to close temporarily as a precaution after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit the area last month.

Fagradalsfjall had been dormant for some 6,000 years but it flared to life in March 2021, when hundreds of people flocked to the Reykjanes Peninsula to see spectacular lava flows that lasted for months. The red glow from the lava could be seen from the outskirts of the capital.

Will this eruption affect flights?

None of the recent eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula caused damage or disruptions to flights, despite the areas proximity to the countrys main Keflavik Airport. And though Mondays eruption appears to be larger and more powerful than those in recent years, forecasters and scientists say its unlikely to impact air travel.

Many still recall the huge disruptions to international aviation in 2010, when a different Icelandic volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull, spewed giant clouds of ash high into the atmosphere over Europe. Some 100,000 flights were grounded, millions of international travellers stranded and air travel was halted for days because of concerns the fine ash could damage jet engines.

Also Read: How lava chasers flocked to see Iceland volcano eruption despite warnings

Experts say the location and features of this eruption mean it isnt expected to produce much ash or cause a similar scale of disruption. AccuWeather, a US-based weather forecasting firm, said Tuesday that initial information shows no ash cloud has yet been observed.

Sam Mitchell, a volcanologist at the University of Bristol, says Mondays eruption is very different to Eyjafjallajokulls in 2010, when a large explosive eruption under a glacier produced a very large cloud and very fine ash in the atmosphere when the wind direction was pointing towards mainland Europe.

What other impacts could this eruption have?

Scientists say that there is no current threat that the lava will reach the town of Grindavik or key structures like nearby power plants. The residents from the area have been evacuated and most surrounding roads remain closed.

But the scientists warn the situation could change and that its too early to say how long the eruption will last or when local residents could move back into their homes.

Even though the lava did not erupt into the town of Grindavik or at the nearby power plant and popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon, the lava flows are still only a few kilometres away and there is still concern of lavas reaching these key locations, Mitchell said.

The molten lava flowing above ground can also heighten the risk of poor air quality in the region because of the increased sulphur dioxide content in the air, AccuWeather said. Icelands Met Office forecast that gas pollution may be detected in the area of Reykjavik later Tuesday or Wednesday.

One volcanologist, Armann Hoskuldsson, told Icelands state broadcaster RUV that he expected the eruption could last from a week to 10 days. If everything is normal, this will subside in the afternoon tomorrow, he said.

How common are volcanic eruptions in Iceland?

Iceland is one of Earths most volcanically active areas, with 32 active volcanic sites. It averages an eruption every four to five years  though the frequency has increased closer to every 12 months since 2021.

The country sits on top of a volcanic hotspot and whats called the mid-Atlantic ridge, a huge crack in the ocean floor caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. As the plates pull apart, new magma rises up to fill the gaps, triggering earthquakes and volcanic activity.

One of the countrys largest active volcanoes is Katla, which is closely watched because it lies under thick glacial ice, meaning that any eruption could melt the ice and trigger widespread flooding. Katla last erupted in 1918, and that eruption lasted almost a month, starving crops of sunlight and killing some livestock.

With inputs from AP
On Wednesday, NDA MPs stood for an hour in the Rajya Sabha.

The MPs registered their protest to show solidarity with Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

This comes a day after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking the Vice-President of India while Opposition MPs were protesting outside Parliament.

An unprecedented number of MPs, a total of 141, were suspended from Parliament on Tuesday.

Lets take a closer look at the entire row:

What happened yesterday?

On Tuesday, the Opposition staged a protest outside Parliament against the mass suspension of MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition has been demanding a statement from home minister Amit Shah on the breach of security in Parliament.

TMCs Kalyan Banerjee, among the suspended, was seen mimicking Dhankhar while other MPs including Rahul Gandhi were seen taking videos and laughing.

Banerjee was heard remarking my spine is so straight, Im so tall, as per NDTV.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the mimicry of the presiding officer in the Rajya Sabha by Banerjee as well as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Dhankhar then took aim at Rahul and Banerjee  albeit without naming them.

One of your (Congress) big leader was making video of one of the member unparliamentary behaviour. There should be some limit. A senior member of a party making video of another party member who is doing mimicry of chair. How ridiculous and shameful it is, Dhankhar said after the House reconvened.

Dhankhar added, Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the BJPs Shehzad Poonawalla took aim at Banerjee and Rahul.

Mocking Parliament, constitutional positions has become their DNA  remember how they said Modi ki kabr khudegi & abused his OBC background. From abusing PM post to calling President  Rashtrapatni to now insulting a person who comes from OBC samaj from Rajasthan & has become VP of India, Poonawalla said.

The BJP slammed the Congress on its X handle.

If the country was wondering why opposition MPs were suspended, here is the reason TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked Honourable Vice President, while Rahul Gandhi lustily cheered him on. One can imagine how reckless and violative they have been of the House! the BJPs official handle wrote on X.

Union minister Piyush Goyal posted, For the record  Congress supports those who RIDICULE a constitutional position!

What happened today?

On Wednesday, Joshi said NDA MPs would stand in the House to express their support for Dhankhar.

#WATCH | NDA MPs in Rajya Sabha stand and take part in House proceeding to express their respects to Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimics him The President and the PM have extended support to VP Dhankhar pic.twitter.com/6UX18xtUgO  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

We strongly condemn this. There are crossing all limits. They are repeatedly insulting people on constitutional posts. They have been insulting the Prime Minister for 20 years because he comes from a humble background and the OBC community. They insulted the President because she is a tribal woman. You are a farmers son. For the first time, someone from the Jat community became Vice-President. They have insulted this post. We are making it clear, we will not tolerate the insult of the Vice-President and the Constitution, Joshi was quoted as saying by NDTV.

So, in your honour and to protest against them, we will stand and participate in the question and answer session, he added.

Dhankhar said he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankhar wrote on X.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that she was dismayed to see the manner in which the respected Vice President was humiliated.

Taking to her official handle on social media handle X, the president said that the people of India are proud of the countrys Parliamentary tradition and expect them to uphold it.

I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the people of India expect them to uphold it, Murmu wrote on X.

Dhankhar, meanwhile, thanked Murmu for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain, as per Hindustan Times.

I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so.

On Wednesday Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Dhankhar.

Birla said he conveyed his deep concerns and anguish to Dhankhar.

Birla posted on X:

Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Honble Chairman, Rajyasabha about serious misdemeanor by Honble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President. It is shocking that one MP chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it.

Great respect for Dhankhar

Banerjee, meanwhile, insisted he has great respect for Dhankhar.

#WATCH On mimicry row, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, I have never had any intention to hurt anyoneDoes he really behave like this in Rajya Sabha? Mimicry was done by the PM in Lok Sabha between 2014-2019 pic.twitter.com/rc6c5X8Lku  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

I have great respect for Dhankhar ji. He belongs to my profession. He was our ex-governor. He is our Vice President. I just showcased a type of art. Even the PM did mimicry in the past in Lok Sabha itself. I can show it to you. Everyone has taken it casually, we never took that seriously, Banerjee said.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, A desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of 142 MPs by raising the issue of mimicry. Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?

Rahul, meanwhile, denied sharing the clip of Dhankhar he had taken.

MPs were sitting there, I took their video which remains on my phone. The media continues to show it and is making remarks, Modi ji is making remarks, nobody has said anything, Rahul was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Our 150 MPs were thrown out, but there is no discussion in the media on that; no discussion on Adani, Rafael and unemployment, he added.

Advocate files plaint, Oppn continues protest

Meanwhile, an advocate has filed a complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for his mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on the premises of the Parliament complex.

A complaint was given by advocate Abhishek Gautam at Defence Colony Police station on Tuesday evening. We have forwarded it to the New Delhi district police, a police officer said.

Gautam in his complaint said the video was made with an intention to insult and defame the Vice-President of India, his caste as well as his background of farmer and as a lawyer.

He demanded that an FIR be registered under the appropriate sections of IPC and the IT Act against the TMC MP and others seen in the video.

Members of Parliament of INDIA bloc parties, including those suspended, continued to stage a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises on Wednesday.

Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi joined the protest against the suspension of 141 Opposition MPs.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said that the party will continue their protest until the suspension of MPs is revoked.

They want to suspend everyone and run a dictatorship by removing everyone from the house, this wont work in a democracy, this is why we will go to the people. We will continue to protest till they dont revoke the suspension and make a statement in the house and initiate a discussion in the house. I am awaiting a response to my letter from the Vice President, he said.

Hitting out at the ruling BJP, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, This is going to be the trend. Its my way or the highway. If you dont fall in line, we will throw you out because we have the majority. We control both the Houses. They want to turn the Parliament into a stamping House.

The Opposition MPs raised the slogans of save democracy while protesting against the suspension of 141 MPs for the winter session of Parliament.

The protesters carried placards, reading, Save Democracy and Do not kill Democracy.

With inputs from agencies
Donald Trump is preparing for a very complicated 2024. In an unprecedented move on Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court removed him from the states 2024 ballot, saying that he is not an eligible presidential candidate as per the 14th Amendments insurrectionist ban.

The 4-3 verdict will be put on hold until 4 January, awaiting Trumps appeal to the US Supreme Court, which could resolve the case for the country.

The state Supreme Court judgment only pertains to Colorado, but the historic decision will roil the 2024 presidential campaign. Colorado election officials have stated that the dispute must be resolved by 5 January, the statutory deadline for establishing the list of candidates for the 5 March GOP primary.

Even before Colorados Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump is ineligible to hold the US presidency, the former leader and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination was facing what can only be described as an unprecedented 2024.

Here is a look at what the Republican billionaires agenda could look like, between elections, trials and a bid at being his partys standard-bearer in the race for the White House.

Early 2024: Primaries

The 77-year-old Trump, who occupied the Oval Office from 2017 to 2021, will now likely kick off his hectic year with a US Supreme Court ruling.

The right-leaning high court will be asked to weigh in on the Colorado case, which hinges on a constitutional prohibition on federal officials appearing on the ballot after breaking their oath of office by taking part in an insurrection.

Then Trump will head to Iowa, the Midwestern state organising the Republican Partys first presidential nominating contests of the year on 15 January.

The primary election cycle can run through June, meaning it has something of an outsized footprint in American politics.

The northeastern state of New Hampshire, which borders Canada, will organise its primary the following week on 23 January.

Trump, who was indicted four times in less than six months, is so far crushing his rivals in opinion polls, with about 63 per cent of likely primary voters planning to cast ballots for him, according to poll aggregator RealClearPolitics.

His closest competitor, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, stands at 12 per cent.

March: First trial set

Can the Republican billionaire maintain his seemingly insurmountable lead once he is sitting in court as a criminal defendant?

A US federal judge on Monday set 4 March, 2024, as the date for his election subversion conspiracy trial  a move immediately decried by Trump himself as election interference.

That date is the eve of so-called Super Tuesday  one of the biggest moments of the primaries when voters in more than a dozen states, including populous California and Texas, go to the polls. Colorado is also on that list, but will Trump be on the ballot?

Also Read: Trump is selling pieces of the suit he wore during arrest for $5,000. Who is buying?

Trump noted the timing, saying it was just what our corrupt government wanted.

Then, just three weeks later, on 25 March, Trump will have another court date  this time in New York, where he is facing charges over alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

May: Florida documents case

On 20 May, 2024, all eyes will be on Florida, where the third case against the ex-president will open: over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.

A fourth trial could even open in 2024: Trump is also under indictment in Georgia, over an alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden.

The prosecutor in that case has asked for a 2024 trial.

July: Republican Convention

After more than a year of intense and likely acrimonious campaigning, the Republican Party will officially nominate its candidate for the November 2024 presidential election at its convention in Milwaukee in mid-July.

Also Read: US Presidential Election 2024: What it will mean for US, India, and the world if Trump 2.0 becomes a reality

The event will mark the formal start of the final leg of campaigning, pitting the Republican candidate against Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden, who should formally earn his partys nomination in August in Chicago.

Will Trump be able to hang on long enough to make it to the convention as the frontrunner?

November: Election Day

Tens of millions of American voters will head to polling places on 5 November, 2024, to choose the next person to occupy the White House.

Will the United States see a rematch of the 2020 election between Trump and Biden?

The country has never elected a president who was previously indicted for a crime. But Trump could once again upend American political tradition.

With inputs from AFP
Amid the festive season, COVID-19 has reared its ugly head once again. The number of coronavirus infections across the globe is seeing an uptick with many attributing the rise to COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1.

On Tuesday, reacting to the rise in cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a variant of interest separate from its ancestor BA.2.86 that is commonly referred to as Pirola. Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86, said a statement from the inter-government body. It was previously considered to be a VOI as a part of Pirola sub-lineages.

But what does it mean to be a variant of interest? How dangerous is the JN.1 variant? What risk does it pose to public health?

Heres what we know.

WHO declares JN.1 a variant of interest

On Tuesday, the WHO classified the JN.1 variant, which is a descendant of the Pirola strain and was first detected in the world in Luxembourg, as a variant of interest.

The world health agency said that it was previously classified as a variant of interest as part of BA.2.86 sublineages. In its statement, it said, Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low. Despite this, with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, JN.1 could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries.

WHO is continuously monitoring the evidence and will update the JN.1 risk evaluation as needed.

NEW: #COVID19 variant of interest JN.1 Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86. It was previously classified as VOI as part of BA.2.86 sublineages. Based on the available pic.twitter.com/lvyd3sq1f7  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 19, 2023

According to the WHO, a VOI is a COVID variant with the capability that affects characteristics of the virus such as disease severity, immune escape, transmissibility and diagnostic escape. Moreover, a VOI causes a consequential volume of community transmission. A global increase in cases poses a risk of large proportions to worldwide public health.

On the other hand, a variant of concern translates to a rise in transmissibility, an increase in fatality and a significant decrease in effectiveness of vaccines, therapy and other health measures.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the WHO has been classifying strains as VOIs or VOCs. The Delta variant  initially detected in India in December 2020  the B.1.621 or the Mu variant, Omicron, the EG.5 or Eris variant have all been termed as VOIs according to the WHO.

Why JN.1 is a worry

Since first detected in Luxembourg in August, the JN.1 sub-variant has quickly made its way around the world, spreading to over 30 countries. Cases of the sub-variant have been found in China, the United States, England, France, Singapore and event India.

In fact, data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that in the two-week period ending on 9 December, while HV.1 accounted for about 30 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the US, it was the JN.1 sub-variant, which was the second-most prevalent strain, making up about 21 per cent of cases, followed by EG.5.

In fact, as recently as 14 December, the CDC said, The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems.



Across the globe, theres been a surge in COVID cases, with many experts attributing it to the detection of the JN.1 virus. For instance, China has reported several JN.1 cases in the recent weeks. Similarly, three days ago, Singapore recorded a whopping 56,000 more cases in a week, leading the Health Ministry to issue an advisory for citizens and travellers. An estimated number of 56,043 cases COVID-19 cases were recorded in the week of 3 to 9 December, rising from 32,035 cases in the previous week, according to the ministry.

In India, the first case of JN.1 was identified in a positive RT-PCR sample in Karakulam of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, on 8 December. And on Wednesday, 19 more cases have been detected in Goa with state epidemiologist Dr Prashant Suryavanshi confirming the same.

Overall, the country also reported 142 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday with the active caseload rising to 1,970, according to Union Health Ministry data. Kerala, which was the state where the first sub-variant was detected, also saw an increase of 115 COVID cases in a day and the total active cases in the state stood at 1,749.

And in wake of this surge, the Centre has issued an advisory asking for states and Union Territories to step up testing and vigilance. The central government has asked all the states to monitor and report District-wise Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in all health facilities on a regular basis including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal.

Moreover, Karnataka has issued a mask mandate for over 6o-year-olds and those with co-morbidities.

Symptoms and signs of JN.1 to look out for

With COVID rearing its ugly head again, many wonder if JN.1 has different symptoms to watch out for. The WHO has said that the symptoms associated with the new COVID variant are generally mild to moderate and may include fever, runny nose, sore throat, and headaches.

Most patients experience mild upper respiratory symptoms that typically improve within four to five days. Those infected by the new variant may also complain of loss of appetite and persistent nausea. Sudden difficulty feeling hungry, particularly when accompanied by other symptoms, is highlighted as a potential indication of the JN.1 variant, and medical consultation is advised.

Doctors have also flagged extreme fatigue as a significant sign of JN.1. Experts note that it goes way beyond the usual COVID-19 fatigue and basic tasks may feel monumental, and individuals experiencing such fatigue should seek medical evaluation.

In rare cases, individuals infected with the JN.1 variant may also experience gastrointestinal problems, leading to alterations in digestive health. Symptoms such as vomiting and nausea may occur.

COVID vaccines against JN.1

And as cases rise, people are asking if previous vaccinations will protect them from the sub-variant. Doctors in India suggest that those above the age of 60 years, or living with conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and liver disease, may consider taking their precaution dose, especially if they are living in or travelling to areas where the infection is in circulation.

However, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the vaccines will not completely block the JN.1 infections, but will reduce the likelihood of severe illness. Dr Kiran G Kulirankal, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amrita Hospital, Kochi was quoted as telling India Today, The past history of vaccination may also contribute to why the new sub-variant JN.1 has not progressed to cause severe disease. An essential measure in preventing the spread of the disease is to vaccinate the high-risk group, including the elderly, individuals with malignancies, those on immunosuppressive medications, people with uncontrolled diabetes, and patients with chronic liver and kidney diseases.

With inputs from agencies
Atmanirbhar defence has been Indias big goal and it has taken major strides towards it in the past few years. In fact, the country has exceeded expectations and now it is eyeing defence exports. The Akash air defence missile system is a leading example.

Armenia will be purchasing the homegrown anti-air system. But it is not alone. The arsenal has generated a lot of interest in countries from Southeast Asia, West Asia, South America, and Africa. The Philippines, Vietnam, Egypt and Brazil are reportedly keen on it.

We take a look at the capabilities of the Akash air defence missile system and how its exports could benefit India.

What is the Akash air defence missile system?

Manufactured by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile system. It has been built to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks. It has been inducted and operational with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

The weapons system can simultaneously engage multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode. It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features, according to the DRDO. This means its mechanisms on board can counter the electronic systems that deceive the detection systems.

The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms. The Akash missile system comprises a launcher, a set of missiles, a control centre, a built-in mission guidance system and C4I (command, control communication and intelligence) centres. It also supports ground equipment along with a radar named Rajendra which accompanies each of the missile batteries, according to a report in The Indian Express. It is 96 per cent indigenised, says the Ministry of Defence, which means most of it is made in India.

There are two advanced versions of the Akash missile  Akash-NG (New Generation) and Akash Prime. They both have an operational range of 27-30 km and a flight altitude of around 18 km. However, Akash Prime has an additional indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker, which has improved accuracy in hitting aerial targets. Other improvements in the system include more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes, The Indian Express reports.

The Akash-NG has reduced the dependence on the old defence systems of Russian origin. It was designed for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to intercept high manoeuvring aerial threats that have low Radar Cross Section (RCS), which is the electromagnetic signature of the object, the report says.

In March, the Army had procured two additional regiments of the air defence system in a deal valued at Rs 8,160 crore.

India recently demonstrated the firepower of its Akash surface-to-air (SAM) weapon system, where a single firing unit simultaneously engaged and destroyed four unmanned targets during the recent Exercise Astrashakti 2023.

India became first country to demonstrate the capability of engagement of 04 aerial targets simultaneously at 25Km ranges by command guidance using single firing unit. The test was conducted by @IAF_MCC using Akash Weapon System @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/ut2FDzVd64  DRDO (@DRDO_India) December 17, 2023

With this demonstration during the Air Force Exercise Astrashakti-2023, India has become the first to demonstrate the capability of engaging four targets simultaneously at such ranges by command guidance using a single firing unit, defence officials told news agency ANI.

Where is India exporting the system to?

It was in December 2020 that the Cabinet approved the exports of the Akash missile after several friendly nations displayed interest in it during various international exhibitions.

The cabinet has also approved export of 96% indigenously made, Akash Missile system. This has been possible because of growth in our manufacturing of defence platforms and missiles. pic.twitter.com/5CC1Vvr8z2  Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) December 30, 2020

Armenia is among the first countries India will export the anti-air systems to. These will be manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad-based manufacturers of ammunition and missile systems under the defence ministry.

The deliveries are part of an estimated Rs 6,000 crore deal and are likely to start soon, reports The Economic Times.

The Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shown interest in the weaponry. Constantly upgraded by DRDO scientists, there may be more orders for it from Southeast Asia and West Asia.

In April, the defence ministry had mentioned an undisclosed export order for the anti-air system, without giving details of the receiving nation.

Why are countries interested in the Akash weapon system?

According to former DRDO scientist Ravi Kumar Gupta, the versatility that Akash offers is an advantage over other systems. He told Eurasian Times that unlike other surface-to-air missiles that work only in particular altitudes and climates, Akashs biggest advantage is that it can work at all places.

The systems are developed for diverse conditions that can withstand extreme conditions anywhere in the world which makes them most reliable and sturdy. Since the system is fully indigenous, India has the capability to fine-tune it to any of the buyers requirements in a cost-effective manner with a high degree of effectiveness against the adversary, Gupta was quoted as saying by the publication.



How big is Indias defence exports industry?

Indias defence exports have skyrocketed to an all-time high, touching nearly the Rs 16,000 crore mark in FY 2022-23, according to the defence ministry. With a 23-fold increase in exports, Indian design and development capabilities are reaching over 85 countries, it claimed earlier in the year.

Defence Exports Rise 23 Times  India's defence exports have reached an all-time high, surging from Rs. 686 Crore in FY 2013-14 to nearly Rs. 16,000 Crore in FY 2022-23  Indias defence industry has shown its capability of design and development to the world, with 100 firms pic.twitter.com/7c0H7wrTxK  PIB India (@PIB_India) May 30, 2023

India has reportedly set itself an ambitious defence exports target of Rs 35,000 crore by 2024-25, according to a report in The Times of India.

The defence industry is expanding exports with the sale of major defence systems including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Akash air defence systems, artillery guns, Pinaka, Dornier-228, thermal imagers, radars, simulators, body armours, mine-protected vehicles, among others. There is also a growing interest in Light Combat Helicopters, aircraft carriers and the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.

With inputs from agencies
The Lok Sabha, on Wednesday, suspended two more opposition MPs  Thomas Chazhikadan and A M Ariff for remainder of Winter Session for misconduct. Both the lawmakers are from Kerala.

Both the MPs have been suspended for displaying placards and entering the Well of the House.

#WATCH | Lok Sabha MPs C Thomas and AM Ariff suspended for the winter session of Parliament for displaying placards and entering the Well of the House pic.twitter.com/SkMYPMa2TO  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

Chazhikadan belongs to Kerala Congress (M), Ariff is a lawmaker of the CPM.

With the expulsion of MPs on Wednesday, the total number of suspensions in both the houses has increased to 143.

Of the total MPs suspended, 97 were from the Lok Sabha, while the others were from the Rajya Sabha.

The Winter Session 2023 of the Parliament began on 4 December.

On 14 December, 14 Opposition MPs were expelled and on 18 December, 78 lawmakers were suspended.

On Tuesday (19 December), 49 more Opposition MPs were suspended and today (20 December) two more have been expelled.

The Opposition lawmakers were suspended for causing disruptions in the functioning of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the 13 December Parliament security breach.

Opposition parties have been staging protests outside the Parliament, protesting against the suspension. They alleged that their voices were being suppressed and said it was a "murder of democracy".

Meanwhile, the government contended that the MPs were suspended for violating the directives of the Chair in the Houses.

With inputs from agencies
Taiwanese electronics manufacturing services company Foxconn has submitted an application for setting up a semiconductor fab in the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha that the government has taken several measures to boost electronics manufacturing, including semiconductors, incentivising large investments in electronic goods and appliances, and promoting exports.

Foxconn has submitted its application under the modified scheme for setting up of semiconductor fabs in India for the establishment of semiconductor fab in the country, Chandrasekhar said. The development comes after Foxconn exited a joint venture (JV) with Vedanta Group to set up a chip plant in India.

The JV had plans to set up its chip plant in Gujarat with an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Chandrasekhar said the first semiconductor unit by Micron was approved in June 2023 under the Semicon India programme and the construction of the unit has started.
During the fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc held on Tuesday, deliberations revolved around countering the BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sources told PTI, adding that pitting a strong joint opposition candidate from Varanasi was also discussed.

Recognising the need for innovative strategies, the opposition parties explored unconventional ideas to challenge the ruling party in the polls.

In the 2014 parliamentary polls, Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal had fought against Modi from Varanasi, and lost by a margin of 3.37 lakh votes. In 2019, there was a buzz that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might fight from Varanasi. However, the Congress fielded Ajay Rai while the Samajwadi Party fielded Shalini Yadav. Modi won the elections bagging over 60 per cent of the votes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this month announced that he would hold a rally in Varanasi. However, the rally was cancelled as they could not get permission.

At the INDIA bloc meeting, while seat sharing remained in focus, the leaders also discussed holding joint rallies and public meetings. Meanwhile, amid murmurs about the Bihar CM being upset about Mamata Banerjees proposal to make Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge the prime ministerial face of the opposition alliance, the West Bengal CM said on Wednesday she made the proposal as the question of who would be the face of the alliance had been raised repeatedly.

Speaking to media on Wednesday, Banerjee said, We proposed Kharge jis name because everyone asks for a face, so I made a proposal that if Kharge ji is the face I have no problem, and it was supported by Arvind ji.Asked if Nitish Kumar was upset over her proposal, she said, I have no such information.

Asked about the proposal, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said the proposal was shot down by the Congress chief himself, so there is no point in discussing it.

With inputs from PTI.
The controversy over the mimicry incident outside the Parliament is gaining steam. Amid this, President Droupadi Murmu expressed her dismay at the manner in which Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar was humiliated in the Parliament complex.

The President further said the elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy.

President Murmus condemnation comes a day after Trinamool Congress MP from Serampore Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar during the oppositions protest outside the Parliament against the suspension of 141 opposition Members of Parliament (MPs).

I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it, the President posted on her official handle on X, formerly Twitter.

Dhankhar thanked President Murmu for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain.

I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so.

Thank you Rashtrapati Ji for your kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain. I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so. @rashtrapatibhvn https://t.co/Ta7O5Hx8eV  Vice President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2023

Earlier on Wednesday, Dhankar said he received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing deep concern and condemnation over the behaviour of some opposition MPs.

The Vice President said, PM Modi told him, "He has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate."

Also Read: Mimicry Row: Will not tolerate insult to my post, says Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar

Earlier in the day, Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Dhankhar and expressed his concern over the "serious misdemeanor" by some MPs "demeaning and denigrating" the constitutional office of the Vice President while terming it a "new low".

On Tuesday, videos from outside the Parliament that went viral showed Rahul Gandhi filming Banerjee mimicking Dhankar as opposition MPs, who were protesting outside Parliament against the mass suspension from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, burst into laughter.

Must Read: WATCH: Rahul Gandhi films Cong MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Jagdeep Dhankar, RS Chair calls it 'ridiculous, shameful'

As many as 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs facing action in both Houses of Parliament to 141.

With inputs from agencies
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate insult to his post after his was mimicked by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee outside the parliament on Tuesday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filming the act.

Earlier in the day, Dhankar shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he mentioned about his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who described the incident as a personal attack.

He (PM Modi) expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex, Dhankar said.

He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankar said.

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty  Vice President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2023

The Vice President further said, he told the Prime Minister, "the antics of a few wont prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path."

On Tuesday, videos from outside the Parliament that went viral showed Rahul Gandhi filming Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Dhankar as opposition MPs, who were protesting outside Parliament against the mass suspension from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, burst into laughter.

Dhankar, on Tuesday, slammed Rahul Gandhi without taking his name for filming video his Banerjee mimicking the RS Chair outside Parliament.

"One of your (Congress) big leader was making video of one of the member unparliamentary behavior. There should be some limit. A senior members of a party making video of another party member who is doing mimicry of chair. How ridiculous and shameful it is," said Dhankar after the House reconvened at noon after being adjourned.

Also Read: WATCH: Rahul Gandhi films Cong MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Jagdeep Dhankar, RS Chair calls it 'ridiculous, shameful'

Taking the note of the incident, Dhankar said, Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable.

Meanwhile, all female MPs of BJP will protest at Gandhi statue at 2 pm on Wednesday for the insult to Jagdeep Dhankar.

With inputs from agencies
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted that the recently introduced criminal law Bills align with the principles of the Constitution and have been formulated keeping in mind the welfare of the people of the country.

Shah said that the new legislations will replace British-era laws that were aimed at protecting foreign rule.

Under the leadership of Modiji, I have brought bills that lay emphasis on Indianess, the Indian Constitution and the well-being of the people. The laws are being changed in the spirit of Constitution, he said while replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023.

Amit Shah said the Bills will encourage the use of technology in giving justice to people. He said mob-lynching had been included as an offence in the Bills.

He said in CrPC there were 484 sections, now there will be 531 sections.

#WATCH | Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha says, In CrPC there were 484 sections, now there will be 531 sections in it. Changes have been made in 177 sections and 9 new sections have been added. 39 new sub-sections have been added. 44 new provisions have been added pic.twitter.com/pqdN1O2Tmr  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

Changes have been made in 177 sections and 9 new sections have been added. 39 new sub-sections have been added. 44 new provisions have been added, said the Home Minister.

He said for poor, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challenge.

For years Tareekh pe tareekh keep going. Police hold the judicial system responsible. The government holds the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary hold the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws, said Shah.

Lok Sabha had on Tuesday taken up discussion on three bills to replace the Indian Penal Code of 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, of 1872.

Amit Shah introduced the three amended criminal law bills in Lok Sabha last week that will replace the IPC, CrPc and Indian Evidence Act.

The Home Minister withdrew the three bills, which were introduced in the Lok Sabha in the monsoon session of parliament.

He said that the bills had been withdrawn and three new bills introduced, as a few changes were to be made. He said the bills had been examined by the Standing Committee and instead of coming up with official amendments, it was decided to bring the bills again.

The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill 2023 aim to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act respectively.

The earlier bills were introduced in the lower House of Parliament on August 11 and were referred to the Standing Committee.

Replying to the debate, Shah said that bills had gone through wide consultations.

With inputs from agencies
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his first response to the allegations by the United States of a plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, saying he will look into any evidence, but assured that a few incidents would not derail India-US ties.

In an interview to a UK-based Financial Times newspapers, PM Modi said: If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

The remarks by Prime Minister Modi come weeks after the US authorities accused an Indian intelligence official of planning and directing a plot, from India, to allegedly kill Pannun in New York. The plot allegedly involved another Indian citizen and two individuals, a source and a hitman, who turned out to be undercover US officers.

Deeply concerned

PM Modi also said India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas. These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

PM Modi on India-US relations

PM Modi also denied reports claiming that the alleged assassination plot had caused friction in India-US relations and said, There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.

Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership. I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Prime Minister further said.

We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration, PM Modi added.

Last month, the US Justice Department charged Nikhil Gupta, 52-year-old Indian national, with involvement in the alleged plot to kill Pannu.

For the unversed, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a designated terrorist in India and heads the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit.
BJP chief JP Nadda on Wednesday attacked the protesting I.N.D.I.A block leaders saying that some of them took up the job of a joker and imitated Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar instead of participating in debates in Parliament.

#WATCH | UP: BJP national president JP Nadda says, You send leaders to discuss & debate in Parliament. But yesterday some people took up the job of a joker and imitated instead of debating in Parliament. Yesterday an MP was imitating the Vice President in the Parliament and pic.twitter.com/rEqW5arVdt  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

Addressing an event on Wednesday, Nadda said, You send leaders to discuss and debate in Parliament. But yesterday some people took up the job of a joker and imitated instead of debating in Parliament.

Referring to TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, Nadda said that an MP was imitating the Vice President in Parliament and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was making a video of it.

Congress, about which it is said that its history is more than 100 years old. The leader of that Congress is insulting the farmers son, Jats son and OBC representative and the person holding the constitutional post of Vice President, said Nadda.

TMC MP Banerjee, while protesting with other suspended MPs at Parliaments Makar Dwar, was seen imitating the Vice President, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filmed the Trinamool MP using his phone.

Other leaders too we seen having a good laugh as Banerjee imitated Dhankar.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimics Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.  pic.twitter.com/jlgua1ywSL  Abhishek (@AbhishekSay) December 19, 2023

As the House resumed at noon after being adjourned, Dhankhar took cognizance of the incident and said, Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their differences, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, videographing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable.

Earlier in the day, Dhankhar said that he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some MPs during a protest on Parliament premises.

Taking to X, Dhankhar wrote, Received a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some MPs and that too in the Parliament complex yesterday.

He said that PM Modi told him that he too has been at the receiving end of such insults but such a thing happening to Constitutional chair was unfortunate.

He (PM Modi) told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate, wrote Dhankar.

Dhankar said that he told the Prime Minister that the antics of a few wont prevent him from performing his duty and upholding the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path, added Dhankar.
October 7 has been called Israels 9/11, but the aftermath of Hamas barbaric attack that killed 1,400 Israelis and others has been no less shocking for America, indeed for the entire Western world. The shock was not just about the widespread support that Hamas enjoyed among the Muslims but also on university campuses. Top Ivy League institutions were found to be infested with students sympathising with the brutal Islamists; worse, the teachers and university bosses were exposed as duplicitous and hypocritical.

University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, Harvard president Claudine Gay, and MIT president Sally Kornbluth were grilled by Republican and some Democratic lawmakers on the response of their institutions to anti-Semitism on campuses. None of the university dons were able to answer satisfactorily; they couldnt even unequivocally respond to Republican Representative Elise Stefaniks question of whether the call for the genocide of Jews would violate their institutions codes of conduct regarding bullying and harassment.

Accustomed to the echo chambers of the ivory towers they live inthe chambers and salons where Jews and Israel are incessantly maligned and jihad-compliant postmodern doctrines like diversity and multiculturalism glorifiedthey seemed unaware of the outrage in America that Hamas unconscionable attack has occasioned.

Watching the university teachers responses to the lawmakers queries on YouTube, one feels disgust and anger at their smug belief in their phony theories and their own cleverness. They were evasive and equivocal, seeking refuge in legalese and subterfuge; they were unwilling to accept the ugly reality that American campuses have been taken over by the radical Left. The three professors are either complicit in the takeover or mute spectators to the process.

Their disgraceful replies generated revulsion everywhere. Magill was forced to resign. I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate, Magill said in a video statement released by the university. Its evil, plain and simple.

Thats right, but she should have said that earlierand saved herself from the ignominy of forced resignation.

Gay managed to survive as president, but had to apologise for the evasiveness of her response to Stefaniks question.

Two points need to be made here. First, the stand taken by the leadership of the premier American educational institutions smacks of hypocrisy and duplicity. They claim to be the champions of free speech, willing to tolerate the most despicable ideas and pro-Hamas protests in its name; but nothing could be farther from the truth.

It is a well-known fact that top universities, dominated as they are by Left-liberal teachers, often suppress conservative and libertarian views. Gay claimed to have utmost respect for free speech, but in September this year the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and College Pulse found that Harvard ranked last out of 248 colleges. Its survey was based on inputs from more than 55,000 students across the US. The prestigious university got the Abysmal rating in free speech rankings.

Last month, Harvards own Kennedy School of Government found that a majority of its students didnt feel comfortable sharing their genuine views on controversial topics related to politics, international affairs, and public policy in classrooms, seminars, or public events.

The University of Pennsylvania has been no better. In 2013, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, cancelled the keynote address Narendra Modi was invited to deliver, via video conference. Modi has never made a call for the genocide of any community, but he was de-platformed just because Leftists and liberal didnt like him. But, regarding pro-Hamas statements, Magill said that whether hate speech crossed the line into violating Penns policies depended on context. Duplicity is seldom so brazen.

The second point is that the outburst of support for Hamas on American campuses is not a black swan event; it has been building up for decades, with Leftist academics peddling counter-Enlightenment doctrines (like socialism, communism, and critical race theory). Since university graduates take leadership positions in government, media, the corporate and financial sectors, and of course academia itself, they tend to put the dangerous, often outlandish, theories into practice.

This is how we get the weird, stupid, and lethal ideas like gender fluidity and defund the police. Also, the idea that Israel is the root-cause of conflict in the region. The only democratic, modern nation in the Middle East which values human life is demonised as a bloodthirsty belligerent that is killing innocent Palestinians. Anti-Israel doctrines and lies boost anti-Semitism. While highlighting the instances of anti-Semitism, the liberal-dominated media never fails to mention the phony concept of Islamophobia.

Conservative Americans have been warning against the toxic influence of the Left in academics for years; now, common people too have realized the severity of the problem. Hopefully, this will result in the Republican victory in the Presidential election next year.

The author is a freelance journalist. 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 number of refugees hosted by the Global North is much smaller. It is estimated that only 27 per cent of the refugees and asylum seekers are in countries of the Global North. More than just the distance refugees have to travel to get there, its the security walls that these nations have built over decades and the new mechanisms that are created every passing year, that deter refugees from seeking entry.

As forced displacement and refugee outflow reach unprecedented levels, policies and actions of the Global North are being driven by fear, self-interest and racism. Asylum routes are being shut down and irregular routes weaponised forcing people to death. This approach has been followed for decades now  prevent any inflow, except if it is for cheap labour and temporary residence.

In contravention to the Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (which includes both the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol), most European countries and the US have only tightened anti-migration and refugee-accepting approaches. Italys recent anti-migration plan provides for the pushback of mostly male asylum seekers of adult age rescued in the central Mediterranean whom Rome does not deem qualified for international protection. UKs Illegal Migration Bill plans to house illegal migrants on ships before sending them back to their country of origin or a third country that is deemed safe.

A settler colonial state itself, the Government of Australia had in 2012 set up offshore processing of asylum seekers arriving by boat to Nauru and Manus islands in Papua New Guinea. More recently, the United Kingdom arrived at a bilateral deal with the Government of Rwanda for offshoring asylum seekers on Rwandan land, till their applications were processed. In 2021 the then Danish minister for immigration and integration has obtained from Denmarks Parliament a bill requiring all applicants seeking refugee status to be relocated to a non European country preferably in Africa while their situation was assessed with no eventual guarantee to be transferred to Denmark. Though it was later put on hold given group resistance, the trend continues. Very recently, Italy and Albania signed an agreement that would redirect tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Italy to the Balkan nation, even as European nations now seek to engage in a second act of criminality by looking beyond Europes borders and forcing refugees and asylum seekers there.

Further, as is becoming even more evident with the inflow of refugees from Ukraine, there is differential treatment for refugees from the Global South. In April 2022, there were reports of Afghan refugees being asked to vacate houses to accommodate refugees arriving from Ukraine.

Most refugee crises are a colonial legacy and those obtained out of continued hegemonic wars and occupations. One of the then-largest movements of people and the creation of refugees was the colonial division of India, resulting in at least 14 million people being displaced and seeking refuge. The Nakba (Catastrophe) that occurred in Palestine, which led to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians, occurred because of the crisis in Europe, and the refusal of European countries to accept the Jews who were fleeing from the genocidal persecution they faced in that continent.

The Afghan refugee crisis is also a result of various attempts that have continued up to recent times to occupy and govern Afghanistan. Many view the current war in Ukraine as a result of continued efforts by NATO to expand east. The truth that can be seen is that NATO has not been disbanded despite the end of the Warsaw Pact after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

We need to recognise that the responsibility of creating the conflict, through direct attack or proxy wars falls on the countries of the Global North. This pattern seems destined to continue as the global military-industrial complex continues to use arms and the threat of arms to push what can only be called imperialist agendas. By not recognising this reality we must mark the current Refugee Convention as largely a Eurocentric one, calling for reform and more protection for refugees and people seeking refuge across borders.

Also Read: From Torkham to Gaza: Unravelling challenges of global refugee dynamics

Sandeep Chachra is Executive Director of Actionaid Association and managing editor of Agrarian South an international journal of political economy. Iyce Malhotra is an accomplished Project Lead at ActionAid Association, bringing a wealth of expertise in project coordination, budgeting, and policy advice. 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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American exceptionalism dies hard. A messianic belief in own superiority, virtuousness and indispensability  that has remained constant for the last two centuries  shapes its foreign policy outlook and governs its gaze towards other sovereigns. This is and has been a common trait of all great powers. It looks great during unipolar moments, but as middle powers become more influential, power is diffused, balance shifts and unilateralism slowly erodes, the sense of entitlement seems out of place.

Consider the fact that the United States is trying to develop a meaningful strategic partnership with India, a rising middle power with great power aspirations with whom Washington has dramatically transformed its relationship across a range domains, and yet it insists on extracting taxes and paeans from its purported strategic partner while appearing blissfully unaware of issues that are central to Indias security concerns, such as terrorism and separatism.

American insularity, even when unintentional, can be disconcerting. US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had let slip in September that India has invited Joe Biden as the chief guest for Republic Day, that would have made Biden the second US president to attend the celebration after Barack Obama. After a period of suspense, Washington told New Delhi last week that Biden wont be able to make it due to scheduling demands.

India wouldnt have made the invitation official or even public before getting a confirmation from the White House, but Garcettis indiscretion puts New Delhi in a tight diplomatic spot. It couldnt have shortlisted a second option before Bidens denial, and whoever it approaches now to grace the occasion, a day of immense importance for the Indian Republic, will get an impression of being the second choice.

The fiasco also leaves India seemingly at the receiving end of a nasty snub, at a time when America has levelled a serious allegation that a serving Indian government employee is involved in an assassination plot of a designated terrorist, an American citizen, on American soil. The plot was apparently foiled, and an Indian citizen named Nikhil Gupta has been detained by Czech authorities in Prague pending extradition to the US.

The US Justice department unsealed an indictment on November 29 in a New York court, claiming that an Indian spy had ordered a murder-for-hire plot through Gupta, an intermediary, to take out a Sikh separatist named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) whom New Delhi identifies as a terrorist involved in instigating violent secessionism to carve out a Sikh theological state, Khalistan, out of India.

The timing and manner of Bidens announcement left both sides scrambling to deny any link between the so-called murder plot and its investigation. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Washington Post that Biden remains personally committed to carrying forward this partnership, which he has often described the most consequential partnership for the United States over the century unfolding, and that both leaders have affirmed a vision of the two countries as among the closest partners in the world and that their partnership in emerging technologies, space and defence will continue.

Sullivan also told the Hindustan Times that Biden shares a close personal bond with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and looks forward to engaging with Modi in the weeks and months ahead.

The severity of the protestations, that the US side was forced to make through media outlets to delink the two incidents, point to a culture of callousness in Washingtons public diplomacy that has almost become systemic. As if the US is so convinced of its indispensability that it expects its allies and partners to absorb and adjust to its quirks. It also throws into sharp relief the more measured and calibrated approach to ties that India brings to the table.

Throughout the Pannun episode, the one impression that the US has managed to get across is one of inconsistency and contradiction. The Biden administration has been at pains to sequester the controversy to insulate the relationship. The day after the US DoJ unsealed the charges and the story exploded on public domain, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called for accountability while insisting that India remains a strategic partner, and were going to continue to work to improve and strengthen that strategic partnership with India. There have been countless high-level visits from the Biden administration to manage the crisis while sending out a message of stability, commitment, and continuity.

But the signals have been mixed, mercurial, and even paradoxical. While the executive is trying to fix the issue and move on, that cant be said about the US Department of State, the heavily politicised DoJ, US senators who have their own fat to burn or the security establishment, the perma-bureaucracy of the so-called deep state. In a previous column, I dwelt at length on the glaring inconsistencies and loopholes in the indictment that gives the impression that we are reading the script of an Austin Powers flick. No doubt some of these aspects would be highlighted in the looming legal battles ahead.

Senators on Capitol Hill are clubbing India with autocracies such as China, Russia and Iran and dropping dark hints that arms sales to India might be affected. At a recent hearing of the US foreign relations committee on transnational repression, a lawmaker from Maryland, Ben Cardin, a Democrat functioning as the committee chair, called the allegations against India disturbing, while senator Tim Kaine, calling the charges highly, highly disturbing, said Indias behaviour is not that of a respectable democracy.

Whos to tell Senator Kaine that if there is any merit to US charges of Indias lethal plot, by American gold standards of transnational repression that makes India very respectable instead?

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an American nonprofit human rights organisation founded in 1920, observes that the US continues to carry out targeted killings in sovereign locations around the world, and that the US targeted killing program operates without meaningful oversight outside the executive branch, and essential details about the program still remain secret, including what criteria the government uses to put people on CIA and military kill lists as well as how much evidence is required before it does so.

The very fact that a comparison of such nature  that India, too, reserves the right to go after adversaries that are a threat to its territorial integrity and national security  is considered onerous in western media and analytical community points to the normalisation of American exceptionalism.

According to a report in The Hindu, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, a favourite of the Pakistani-American community, threatened to activate clauses in the US Arms Export Control Act that prohibits arms transfers to any countries that are, quote, engaged in a consistent pattern of acts of intimidation, or harassment directed against individuals in the United States, hinting at the India-US defence partnership since America do not sell arms to China, Russia or Iran.

The question is, writes Seema Sirohi in Economic Times, whether the messy allegations against India will be raised in the House of Representatives. Its worth noting that apart from the foreign affairs committee, judiciary, homeland security and the armed services committees have jurisdiction over security/intelligence issues.

Then theres the USCIRF, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan body created in 1998, that ostensibly monitors religious freedom around the world and gets to deliver sermons with evangelical zeal. It has implored the State Department again to designate India a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and called on the Biden administration to acknowledge the Indian governments perpetration of particularly severe religious freedom violations. The Christian evangelists have been joined in this unholy mission by CAIR, the Islamofascist organization based in the US.

Meanwhile, a group of five Democratic lawmakers of Indian descent, Amy Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar, have released a statement adding to the narrative of transnational repression, stating that it is critical that India fully investigate, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again or else the relationship may suffer significant damage.

The pedagogical attitude is evident not just among American lawmakers but nearly every strata of the bureaucratic machinery that uses media as its preferred tool for setting the discourse.

While we find the Biden White House attempting to sandbox the crisis and continuing with the policy of multifaceted engagement with India, The New York Times quotes unnamed several US officials who ostensibly have lost their nights sleep worrying about how Biden can balance American relationships with deeply imperfect allies, while also trying to preserve a commitment to the values of human rights and democracy. The NYT article quotes anonymous White House advisers expressing private regret that Biden extended a state visit invitation to Modi, the autocrat overseeing Indias democratic backsliding.

These narrative-setting efforts have gone hand in hand with numerous alleged procedural violations by American authorities in arresting Gupta, who according to a petition filed in Supreme Court of India by his family member, was illegally detained on 30 June at the Prague airport by self-claimed US agents rather than Czech authorities, subjected to over 100 days of solitary confinement, not shown any arrest warrant during the initial detention, and force-fed beef and pork that is sacrilegious for a devout Hindu and a vegetarian, impinging on his fundamental rights. The petition adds that Gupta was also denied consular access, the right to contact his family in India, and the freedom to seek legal representation.

While these are to be proven in a court of law through an exhaustive legal process, the impression that one gets is that of an unequal bilateral partnership where India is expected to be mindful of US red lines and concerns, but the US has no obligation to abide by Indias core concerns, even if these are related to terrorism and territorial integrity.

The fact remains, as Indrani Bagchi points out in The Times of India, that as the case unfolds, the US will be forced to defend a designated terrorist who has held illegal referendums on Canadian soil on Khalistan, has issued numerous threats against Indian diplomats, Union home minister and even the external affairs minister, and had recently uploaded a video threatening to blow up an Indian airliner and issuing threats against the Indian Parliament.

Pannun may or may not possess the capability or resources to carry out his threats, the very fact that he feels comfortable in displaying such bullying behaviour against the Indian state from American soil ought to be taken seriously by Washington, Indias strategic partner.

Unfortunately, the Khalistan question  linked to a gory, secessionist movement in India causing the assassination of a serving Indian prime minister and a pogrom against followers of Sikh faith  is not even of marginal interest to the US and the five eyes network where the Khalistani diaspora activism remains strong.

As Akhil Ramesh and Samir Kalra write in The Hill, Khalistan has been tied to bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and the selective killing and massacres of civilians. This has resulted in nearly 22,000 deaths of Indian Sikhs and Hindus alike, including approximately 12,000 civilians. The violence took on an international angle, when Canada-based Khalistani militants blew up an Air India flight in 1985, killing all 329 people on board.

And yet, when it comes to taking legal action against Khalistani operatives on their soil, the US and its FVEYE partners take recourse to free speech and peaceful protest tropes, even though the Khalistanis on more than occasion have tried to bodily harm Indian diplomats discharging their duty or set fire to Indian consulates. Indian consulate in San Francisco witnessed two separate attacks by Khalistanis a couple of months apart. Till now, despite Indias releasing of the pictures of 10 Khalistani activists involved in the attack on San Francisco consulate, the US FBI has so far drawn a blank.

This deliberate inaction goes hand in hand with the demand for a concession that India will refrain from carrying out any operation on US soil. This indicates, on Americas part, a struggle to coopt and process the stakes and modalities required to build a two-way partnership of equals  not the reflexive lens of a global hegemon that interprets the world through the twin binaries of adversaries and alliances.

The US must begin to understand that not all partnerships may follow the hub-and-spoke model where American security guarantees will be made at the cost of submission, subservience and transfer of a degree of sovereignty. That model wont work with India, and neither can New Delhi be bullied into compliance.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In recent weeks, the Red Sea has become a hotbed of escalating tensions, marked by drone attacks, cruise missiles and hijackings. The Houthi rebels of Yemen have emerged as the primary instigators, terrorising the vital waterway. In response to this growing threat, a multinational coalition has been formed to safeguard ships navigating the Red Sea.

Coalitions mission

Comprising 10 nations including the United States, Britain, Spain, Seychelles, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Canada and Bahrain, the coalition aims to defend commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Operation Prosperity Guardian has been launched under the leadership of Task Force 153, focussing on joint patrols, increased air support and providing escorts for cargo ships.

The announcement of the coalition came from US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, currently in West Asia for talks.

All countries have the right to move freely and lawfully in international waters, but that foundational global right is under new threat today from the totally unacceptable attacks on merchant vessels by the Houthis in Yemen. So, this morning weve launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, under the umbrella of combined maritime forces and under the leadership of Taskforce 153, said US Defence Secretary Austin.

Challenges and concerns

The composition of the coalition raises questions, particularly the absence of more West Asian nations. Reports suggest concerns from Gulf states about the optics of supporting a mission that could be perceived as conflicting with their stance on the Palestinian cause. While some Arab states are involved behind the scenes, their direct participation remains uncertain.

The Houthi rebels have intensified their attacks, launching drones and missiles. Over the weekend, 15 Houthi drones were shot down by US and UK warships. Subsequently, on Monday, commercial vessels including the Swan Atlantic were targeted leading to distress calls and US warship assistance.

Major shipping companies such as MSC, Maersk, Hapag Lloyd, Euronav, Evergreen, Frontline and HMM, have ceased operations in the Red Sea diverting their routes. This shift has significant economic repercussions affecting global trade routes and causing increased shipping costs and delays.

The disruption in the Red Sea affects countries like India, making exports more expensive and impacting oil bills. Companies like BP have halted the use of this route, contributing to a nearly 3 per cent increase in crude oil prices. The Red Sea accounts for 12 per cent of all maritime trade and 30 per cent of containers, representing close to $1 trillion.

As the coalition seeks to counter Houthi threats, the rebels remain defiant. The Houthi warning of capabilities to sink fleets and warships raises doubts about the effectiveness of the coalitions efforts. The rebels hit-and-run tactics and elusive drone attacks pose challenges to sustained security measures.

The situation in the Red Sea demands international attention and collaborative efforts to secure vital trade routes. The formation of the multinational coalition is a significant step, but the complexities of the geopolitical landscape and the persistent threats from the Houthi rebels underscore the need for a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to ensure the uninterrupted flow of global maritime trade.

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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A new report has come out which looks at the European Union (EU) and their purchase and waste of Wuhan Virus vaccines. The EU has destroyed vaccines worth over 4.3 billion dollars. Thats almost 215 million doses in the dustbin. This has been going on for years.

It started at the peak of the Covid pandemic, when the world really needed vaccines, rich countries in Europe began hoarding, only to throw them away, whats worse? The Report says these figures are an undercount, because many EU nations, like France, Hungary and Poland, havent even released official figures.

Its a stark reminder of inequality in our world, where the rich take more than their fair share of life-saving vaccines, and when they are done, they line their landfills with them. Lets play the devils advocate for a bit.

Say, when the pandemic was raging, European countries only wanted to protect their citizens, and perhaps they should be forgiven for their actions. It is brutal but maybe you could look past that. Whats unforgivable is that this has continued. Even up till this year. As recently as this month  December 2023.

While the world is putting the Wuhan Virus behind it. Europe is still burying excess vaccines. It also makes you wonder  who are the people taking these decisions? What is their strategy? Is there no better way to offload excess vaccines even in 2023? There has to be some way for Europe to send vaccines to poorer nations.

The EU reportedly bought 1.5 billion doses of the Wuhan Virus vaccine. This is since the pandemic began. And its more than 3 doses per citizen. But it wasnt distributed evenly. Some countries took far more than necessary, and then ended up discarding millions.

Among the worst of the lot is Germany which has wasted 83 million vaccine doses. Thats almost one wasted dose per German citizen. But the EUs worst offender would be Estonia, that discarded about 1.5 million vaccine doses  thats about 1.1 doses destroyed per Estonian citizen.

They couldve been donated, and apparently they did try, but only the ones that were about to expire. However, it wouldnt have helped the recipient countries. The remaining shelf life was so short that it wouldnt have reached people in time. So the donations wouldve been just for show.

Also then, there were legal issues; the EU faced problems while trying to donate vaccines. Apparently some vaccine manufacturers had inserted a clause that one cannot donate without the manufacturers consent.

So its the unholy alliance of big pharma and rich nations which looks like a set of greedy monsters. Looking to profiteer from human suffering and the other is so entitled, it couldnt care less for the rest of the world. The entire episode highlights European hypocrisy. They are happy to lecture and preach to other nations. But during a real humanitarian crisis, they will always put themselves first.
Myanmar is currently in the midst of a profound crisis marked by escalating conflict between multiple armed ethnic groups and the military junta. This turmoil has gained momentum since 27 October when three armed groups, collectively known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance, initiated an offensive in Myanmars northeastern state of Shan.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance, composed of various rebel groups, has united with the common goal of overthrowing Myanmars military junta. Their offensive has sparked a wildfire of resistance, drawing support from rebel groups across the country. The resistance movement has gained traction, leading to the capture of several major towns including the provincial capital Namhsan in Shan State.

Rebel success and junta defeats

The junta has faced a series of setbacks losing control of numerous bases as rebel forces advance. Reports indicate that the militarys troops have been abandoning positions and, in some cases, surrendering to the advancing rebel forces.

We have launched attacks against the military to protect the lives of civilians. The main objective is to take down the military dictatorship, which is what Myanmar people always want. When we captured military positions, we found that military soldiers had many weapons and ammunition left but they had abandoned their positions. Military soldiers could fight with these weapons if they wanted but they decided to run away. It shows that military soldiers dont want to fight under the military dictatorship anymore, said Lt-Col Tar Aik Kyaw , spokeperson of Taang National Liberation Army.

China has played a significant role in the Myanmar crisis, historically supporting the military junta and maintaining ties with various ethnic armed groups. Acting as a mediator, China has pushed for a ceasefire in Myanmar, expressing happiness at the prospect of peace talks.

China is happy to see the parties to the conflict in northern Myanmar hold peace talks and achieve positive results, and we are ready to continue to provide support and facilitation to this end, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning.

However, recent events, such as the rebels takeover of Namhsan, suggest that Beijings efforts to stabilise the situation may have been premature. Despite Chinas mediation attempts, the fighting in Myanmar shows no signs of abating. The rebels continue to gain ground causing displacement and instability. Over 300,000 people have been displaced within Myanmar and thousands have fled to neighbouring countries like India. Mizoram and Manipur have seen a substantial influx of refugees with over 6,000 reported crossings.

International response and concerns

As the crisis unfolds, concerns are mounting internationally. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has expressed worry about the situation, emphasising the need for humanitarian assistance to refugees while also highlighting the importance of creating provisions for their eventual return once the conflict subsides. However, with the ongoing violence and no immediate resolution in sight, the situation remains complex and challenging.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In recent news, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is gearing up for elections, but a significant security development is poised to make wavesthe departure of a long-standing UN peacekeeping force. Stationed in the DRC since 2010, this force, known as MONUSCO (United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), has become a subject of celebration as it concludes its mission. However, the jubilation is not due to the success of fostering peace but rather a reflection of the controversial legacy left by the peacekeeping mission.

The DRC has been plagued by conflict for years, especially in its eastern regions, witnessing violent clashes between armed groups. The UN mission was expected to bring stability and peace to the region, but unfortunately it fell short of expectations. Instead of being a force for good, MONUSCO became entangled in a web of criticism and controversy.

Unmet expectations and scandals

The primary reason behind the lack of enthusiasm for MONUSCOs departure is its perceived ineffectiveness. Despite its decade-long presence, the mission did not succeed in quelling the ongoing conflicts in the region. Moreover, the peacekeepers themselves faced accusations of misconduct including involvement in sexual abuse scandals. The issue was not confined to the DRC alone, as similar incidents have marred UN peacekeeping missions in various parts of the world.

One glaring example is the reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeeping personnel, as documented by the UN itself. The perpetrators, often repatriated to their home nations, rarely faced legal consequences, contributing to a pattern of impunity that has tarnished the reputation of UN peacekeeping forces globally.

The backlash against UN peacekeeping missions is not unique to the DRC. Across the globe, these missions are increasingly viewed with scepticism. The fundamental issue lies in the structural problems inherent in these operations.

Structural challenges

UN peacekeeping forces lack a standing army and rely on member nations to contribute soldiers voluntarily. This practice, while noble in principle, introduces several challenges. Firstly, these missions operate on a donation-based model for both troops and funding, making them susceptible to shortages and delays. The reliance on the generosity of member nations hampers the rapid and effective deployment of peacekeepers.

Furthermore, the immunity and lack of oversight enjoyed by peacekeeping forces create a scenario where perpetrators of crimes often escape justice. The UNs inability to punish wrongdoers results in their repatriation to their home countries, where they may face minimal consequences. This lack of accountability undermines the credibility and effectiveness of UN peacekeeping missions.

Call for reform

As UN peacekeeping missions face increasing criticism and challenges, the need for reform becomes evident. The current system requires substantial improvements including better funding mechanisms, enhanced oversight and mechanisms for holding peacekeepers accountable for their actions.

Research indicates that the mere presence of UN peacekeeping forces can contribute to reduced civilian casualties during conflicts. While they are far from perfect, these missions play a vital role in stabilising tense regions. Rather than discarding them entirely, efforts should be directed towards reforming these missions to address their inherent flaws.

To regain public trust and fulfill their mandate effectively, UN peacekeeping missions must undergo substantial reforms. Adequate funding, accountability for wrongdoing and support for peacekeepers are crucial aspects that need immediate attention. If these reforms materialise, UN peacekeeping missions could transition from being perceived as paper tigers to effective agents of peace in troubled regions.

The challenges faced by UN peacekeeping missions, as exemplified by the situation in the DRC, underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reforms. The international community must collectively address the structural issues that impede the success of these missions to ensure a more positive and impactful role in global peacekeeping efforts.

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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As Bangladesh gears up for its upcoming elections on 7 January, less than three weeks away, the atmosphere is tense and marred by violent incidents. Despite the anticipated victory for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is poised to secure her fourth consecutive term, recent events have cast a shadow over the electoral process.

In a tragic incident on Monday, a train en route to capital Dhaka was set ablaze claiming the lives of four individuals including a mother and her child. The incident has raised concerns about the escalating violence in the country with reports of buses being set on fire, vehicles damaged and clashes between protesters and the police, resulting in at least six fatalities.

Political blame game

Amidst the turmoil, Bangladeshs railway minister has pointed fingers at the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition party, accusing its protesters of setting the train on fire.

The BNP has been engaged in weeks-long protests marked by violence since October. The government asserts that the opposition is orchestrating violence under the guise of anti-government protests, while the BNP denies all charges of arson and sabotage.

Oppositions boycott

In a further twist to the political drama, the BNP has chosen to boycott the upcoming elections.

(What) I believe about the 7n January polls is that people will boycott it. They wont go to cast their votes. BNP is already out of this farcical poll. Also people will align with the BNP boycotting this election, said opposition activist Kabir Patwary.

Opposition leader Kamal Hossain said, The government keeps saying that BNP went into hibernation. We have not. Today is proof of that. Our grassroots have come out on the streets. We will kick out this government on to the streets.

Bangladesh, which gained independence in 1971, has seen a power struggle between two major partiesthe Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina and the BNP led by Khaleda Zia. The current unrest is reminiscent of the 2014 elections, which the BNP boycotted, leading to an uncontested victory for the Awami League. In 2019, the BNP contested but faced defeat, setting the stage for the current political turmoil.

Abolition of caretaker system

The political landscape shifted in 2009 when the Awami League returned to power, and the caretaker system, meant to ensure free and fair elections, was abolished by a Supreme Court order. Subsequent elections were held under the Hasina administration sparking dissatisfaction from the BNP.

The current political crisis has attracted international condemnation with Western agencies criticising the governments handling of the situation. Western governments, including the United States, have expressed concern and attempted to intervene in the electoral process, leading to pushback from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Amidst the turmoil, the Awami League has made a concession by offering a seat-sharing agreement with the Jatiya Party, the third-largest party in Bangladesh. The Awami League will relinquish 26 seats out of the total 300, allowing the Jatiya Party to likely secure those seats. Additionally, six seats have been left for a 14-party alliance, aiming to create the appearance of a competitive election.

Despite these efforts, the BNP remains defiant, demanding Sheikh Hasinas resignation. The ongoing violence and arson are seen as a manifestation of the oppositions insistence on bringing about political change.

As Bangladesh approaches its pivotal elections, the nation finds itself at a crossroads marked by political unrest, violence and a contentious electoral process. The international community continues to monitor the situation closely, emphasising the importance of a peaceful and democratic resolution to the current crisis.

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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A political civil war has broken out in South Africa, featuring former President Jacob Zuma. He was at a political event on Saturday. Thats where he fired the first salvo, targeting current President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Zumas successor and foe.

Zuma said it would be a betrayal to campaign for Ramaphosas party, or the African National Congress. This is the same party to which Nelson Mandela belonged. The party first came to power in 1994, after South Africa won freedom from Apartheid rule. The same party has won every election since.

Every election since 1994, the ANC has come out on top. Jacob Zuma was an ANC leader, and so is Ramaphosa. But now, Zuma is rebelling, he says he will vote for a different party.

In 2024, I will vote for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. I call on all South Africans to join me in taking the important step and to vote for the MK party, said the former South African President.

Zuma is 81 years old, a politician who rose during South Africas struggle against Apartheid. As a young man, he spent a decade in jail, on the infamous Robben island. He fought along with Nelson Mandela and other freedom fighters.

So why is Zuma abandoning his party now? The party he fought so hard for? Well, Zuma says it is to save the ANC from itself.

I will be a member of the ANC until I die. If the ANC goes out of the way I will take time to correct it. And this is to rescue the ANCwhat Im doing, said Zuma.

Is that the only reason though? Or is Zuma trying to pile pressure on the ANC? To extract revenge from President Ramaphosa? The two men share a long history. The story goes back to 1991, thats when Ramaphosa and Zuma first went head to head. Both stood for the post of ANC Secretary General where Ramaphosa won, and Zuma had to settle for the post of deputy Secretary General. Since then, Zuma took the lead, politically, he rose through the ranks. And in 2009, he became the president of South Africa, he ruled the country for almost nine years. But in 2018, he was forced to step down upon the allegations of corruption and his rival, Ramaphosa took over.

Now, Zuma is under legal scrutiny. Although he is no stranger to controversy. He has been linked to corruption scandals for years.

Including the countrys most famous scandal, the 1999 South African arms deal. Zuma is said to have benefited from it. Zuma has been indicted in this case multiple times. But the proceedings have been dropped or delayed for various reasons. Technically, hes still being questioned. So 24 years after the arms deal, hes not been convicted.

He says this case is politically motivated. That theyre ploys by his enemies like Ramaphosa to keep him out of politics, but the arms deal isnt the only stain on Zumas record.

There are also his infamous ties with the Gupta brothers.

There were lots of things that struck me but one of the things that concerned me very much was how the former president of the republic, Jacob Zuma was prepared to do certain things, wrong things, at the instance of or for the Guptas, said the chief justice of South Africa.

Hes talking about the Gupta Family of industrialists. They went to South Africa in 1993, and they were always close to Jacob Zuma. So much so, that they are accused of undue influence in South Africa.

Critics say the Guptas effectively captured the state, and this is what precipitated Zumas downfall. Now he says he wont support his party.

Ramaphosa has a tough election ahead. The opposition parties have forged a coalition. So, the ANC may actually have a fight on its hands. But is Zuma in a position to influence the voters?

Apparently yes, the former president is still popular, he can still influence a sizable number of votes. Maybe even enough to tip the election away from the ANC. Can Ramaphosa prevent that? Or will Zuma have the last laugh? The election is still a few months away, and it promises to be interesting.

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 intelligence of voters often becomes a comedic punching bag, as if entering a voting booth magically swaps their brains with that of a whimsically indecisive squirrel.

The notion suggests that voters, upon confronting a ballot, undergo a mystifying transformation, wherein all rational thought is hijacked by the allure of grand promises and flashy slogans.

But this humorous stereotype belies a more nuanced reality. Voters increasingly resist the allure of populist promises, recognising the long-term cost they bear on genuine development. They understand that short-term benefits, often presented as freebies, can undermine the foundations of progress that will define their own future and that of their children. This growing awareness marks a shift towards prioritising sustainable development over immediate gratification.

The phenomenon of populism and its interplay with the culture of offering freebies is a critical area of study in political philosophy and economics, as noted by scholars like Margaret Canovan and Cas Mudde. Their analysis underscores how populist leaders often employ tactics of promising free or subsidised services to connect with and mobilise the public.

This approach, as Canovan discusses in Populism, targets the immediate needs and desires of people, especially in socio-economically disadvantaged stratum of the population. Examples of such freebies are widespread and varied, including promises of free electricity, complimentary bus rides, and reinstatement of old pension schemes. These offerings are designed to appeal directly to the day-to-day concerns of the populace.

However, the practical outcomes of these strategies do not always align with their intended goals, as evidence in recent electoral results. For instance, in states like Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the Congress partys promises of freebies did not translate into the anticipated political success.

In Chhattisgarh, despite promises such as loan waivers for farmers and reduced electricity bills, the party faced challenges in implementing these policies effectively, leading to dissatisfaction among the populace. Similarly, in Rajasthan, the promises made regarding the old pension scheme and other freebies did not fully materialise as expected.

The electorate is acutely aware that such freebies compromise their prospects. In states like Karnataka and Punjab, where a proliferation of these so-called freebies has occurred, there has been a marked decrease in capital expenditure, with reductions of 30 percent and 11 percent respectively during the April-October period of fiscal year 2024.

In contrast, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have emerged as frontrunners in terms of capital expenditure during the same timeframe.

The assembly elections were more than a choice for state leadership; it is a recognition of the transformative improvement in peoples lives over the past decade due to the policies of the Union government. The electorate acknowledges the substantial progress in accessing essential services.

Key measures of multi-dimensional poverty, like the standard of living, have seen significant advancements. These measures include access to clean cooking fuel, sanitation, safe drinking water, electricity, adequate housing, asset ownership, and bank accounts. Notably, the central government has made remarkable strides in these areas: PM Ujjwala for clean cooking fuel, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for sanitation, Jal Jeevan Mission for water, SAUBHAGYA Electrification Scheme for electricity, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for housing, and Jan Dhan and DPI for banking.

In states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, deprivation has markedly decreased, and access to basic needs has significantly improved.

According to NITI Aayogs Multi-Dimensional Poverty Report, a staggering 1,35,69,242 people in, 40,18,328 in Chhattisgarh, and 1,08,16,230 in Rajasthan have successfully risen out of multi-dimensional poverty.

The numbers speak for themselves. Such stark improvements within such a short period are evidence of how the policy has directly made the lives of people at the grassroots better. That is what has translated into votes for the BJP.

Additionally, the electorate has astutely recognised that even if the state government is of a different party, it is the initiatives implemented by the central government that have played a pivotal role in enhancing their living standards. This understanding underscores the significant impact of the Union governments programs on improving the daily lives of citizens.

Furthermore, the schemes of the Union government demonstrate impartiality regarding the identity of their beneficiaries. This conclusion is supported by the findings of a working paper authored by Dr. Shamika Ravi, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

This analysis, which encompassed a nationally representative sample of over 1.2 million households spanning the years 201516 and 201921, revealed no evidence of governmental bias favouring the Hindu majority or discrimination based on the religious composition of districts.

The analysis specifically examined access to electricity, bank accounts, mobile phones, and toilets, uncovering widespread benefits across various religious and social groups. Notably, the data indicated that, in some cases, minority groups experienced greater gains than the majority. This evidence underscores the neutrality of these schemes in addressing the needs of diverse communities.

Therefore, it is abundantly clear that the electorate prefers dignity and long-term development over immediate freebies. And that is precisely what is getting rewarded in the elections, at least in MP, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan where the impact of the Union governments programs is clearly visible.

Voters focus is on transformative policies that promise a better future, not just for themselves but more importantly for their children. They are drawn to visions that promise stability and progress, rather than transient dole-outs. This perspective highlights a voters desire for sustainable solutions that address core issues, rather than fleeting tokens of appeasement.

In this context, the intelligence of voters is not in question; rather, it is their aspirations for a dignified and promising future that takes centre stage.

Aditya Sinha is Officer on Special Duty, Research, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Tweets @adityasinha004. 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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A groundbreaking new artificial intelligence system, similar to ChatGPT, trained on the life stories of over a million people in Denmark, has demonstrated high accuracy in predicting individual life outcomes and the risk of early death, according to a study by scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

The AI model, named life2vec, was trained on personal data, including health and labour market information, for 6 million Danes from 2008 to 2020. The dataset was transformed into words to train the language model, and it outperformed existing systems in predicting outcomes such as personality and time of death, as per a report by the Independent.

The study, published in the journal Nature Computational Science, found that the models predictions were 11 per cent more accurate than other AI models and methods used by life insurance companies.

The researchers applied the model to a group aged 35 to 65, half of whom died between 2016 and 2020, and found that it surpassed other models in accuracy. The studys lead author, Sune Lehman from DTU, highlighted the models ability to analyze life events and sequences, likening human life to a long sequence of events, similar to a sentence in language.

Once the AI model grasped the patterns in the data, it kicked things up a notch. Outshining other advanced systems, it showcased an impressive ability to predict outcomes like personality traits and even the time of death with remarkable accuracy.

It revealed associations, such as individuals in leadership positions or with high income being more likely to survive, and factors like being male, skilled or having a mental diagnosis being linked to a higher risk of death.

While the model showed promise in predicting outcomes and personality traits, scientists emphasized ethical concerns and cautioned against its use by life insurance companies.

Dr Lehman explained that the models predictions could conflict with the fundamental idea of insurance, which relies on sharing the lack of knowledge about who may be affected by unexpected incidents.

The researchers believe that the models capability to provide precise answers opens avenues for understanding new potential mechanisms impacting life outcomes and exploring personalized interventions.

(With inputs from agencies)
A China-operated robotic load-carrying rockets, also known as a spaceplane, has introduced a new element of mystery into its space endeavours by releasing six unidentified objects into Earths orbit during its third mission on December 14, as per a report by Gizmodo.

Designated as OBJECT A, B, C, D, E, and F by the US Department of Defense (NORAD TLE designations 58573 to 58577, and 58581), these objects were launched from a spaceplane called Shenlong, also known as the Divine Dragon, and is currently under observation by the US Space Force and amateur astronomers.

Amateur astronomer and satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who has been closely monitoring the objects, shared his findings with Space.com. OBJECT A has emitted signals reminiscent of past Chinese spaceplane missions, specifically the wingman emissions, characterized by limited data modulation.

This suggests a potential link to Chinas previous space activities. Notably, OBJECTs D and E have emitted intermittent placeholder signals lacking data, raising questions about their purpose and function.

Tilley noted that this iteration of the Chinese spaceplane mission while launching into a similar orbit as previous missions, is displaying different radio behaviour. He stated, The additional observations of the emissions from OBJECT D and E is new, but could also have been missed on earlier missions if they too were intermittent.

Observers are advised to monitor for close encounters between OBJECT A, in a near-circular orbit, and OBJECTs D and E, which are in elliptical orbits. Such encounters are expected during their perigee, the nearest point in their orbits.

This isnt the first time Shenlong has released unknown objects into orbit. Similar occurrences took place during previous spaceplane missions in September 2020 and August 2022.

Speculation suggests these objects could serve as service modules, inspector satellites for spacecraft tracking, or test items for orbital placement. In November of the preceding year, another mystery object, likely a service module, was released during a spaceplane mission to aid in the spacecrafts return to Earth.

While China conducts these activities, the United States has its own reusable robotic spaceplane, the Boeing-built X-37B. The U.S. Space Force plans to launch the X-37B aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on December 28, following several delays.

(With inputs from agencies)
Alphabet-owned Google has announced that it plans to implement restrictions on the types of election-related queries that its chatbot Bard and generative AI-based search experiences can respond to in the lead-up to the 2024 US Presidential election.

The company aims to enforce these restrictions by early 2024, as per a report by Reuters.

In addition to the US Presidential election, 2024 is anticipated to witness several pivotal elections globally, including national elections in India, the worlds largest democracy, and South Africa, among others.

Google expressed its commitment to a heightened focus on understanding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in serving voters and campaigns associated with these elections.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, also took a stance on AI in political advertising, revealing earlier in November that it would prohibit political campaigns and advertisers in regulated industries from using its new generative AI advertising products.

Advertisers on Metas platforms will be required to disclose the use of AI or other digital methods in altering or creating political, social, or election-related advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.

In contrast, Elon Musks social media platform, X, currently under investigation by the European Union, announced in August a shift in its policy to allow political advertising in the US from candidates and political parties.

X also plans to expand its safety and elections team ahead of the upcoming US election. Notably, political ads have been globally banned on X since 2019.

Governments worldwide are actively pursuing regulations for AI due to concerns about its potential threats, including the dissemination of misinformation.

European Union rules will soon require Big Tech firms to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, providing information about the sponsor, the amount spent, and the targeted elections.

(With inputs from agencies)
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched her campaign for a fifth term in power on Wednesday, as opposition parties called for civil disobedience and said the January 7 polls would be far from fair.

If I can form the government again, we will turn the entire Bangladesh into a prosperous and developed country, Sheikh Hasina told reporters in the north-eastern city of Sylhet, kick-starting two weeks of campaigning ahead of the general elections.

There will be no homeless and landless people, she added, accompanied by ministers and top members of her ruling Awami League.

The 76-year-old is all but assured of winning the polls, with the opposition decrying what they condemn as a farcical vote.

Sheikh Hasina has overseen impressive economic growth since she took over the country of 170 million people in 2009, but activists say her iron-fisted rule has been marked by widespread human rights abuses, including thousands of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well as Jamaat-e-Islami  the largest Islamist group  and dozens of smaller parties, say no election will be free and fair with Hasina in power.

We urge the country people to stick to the demands for restoring democracy and boycott the farcical vote, the BNP said in a statement.

Thousands arrested

The BNP has also called for civil disobedience across the country, asking people not to pay taxes and requesting election officials not to carry out their duties.

Opposition parties have been holding regular nationwide strikes and transport blockades to press demands for a vote under a neutral government, which Sheikh Hasina has rejected as unconstitutional.

Sheikh Hasina accused the opposition of carrying out a deadly arson attack on a train that killed four people in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday, and of sabotaging a railway track last week, which killed another.

The BNP-Jamaat alliance has been continuing these extremist and terrorist acts, she said, accusing top BNP leader Tarique Rahman of ordering the attacks from exile in Britain.

The police have also accused the BNP of the deadly train fire, charges the party has denied.

Police have arrested thousands of opposition officials and activists over charges of violence following protests that escalated on October 28, leaving at least 11 people dead and 376 vehicles torched according to official data.

The BNP says more than 22,000 of its leaders and activists have been detained, but Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday that was false and that the number was half that, with 11,000 in jail.
A groundbreaking development in contraception is unfolding as a group of men in the UK have become the worlds first to test a new hormone-free male contraceptive pill. The initiative aims to expand the spectrum of shared responsibility for contraception between genders, currently limited to condoms or vasectomy for men, while women have a variety of contraceptive options.

Unlike traditional female contraceptive pills, the male pill, known as YCT-529, is hormone-free. Classified as a retinoic acid receptor-alpha inhibitor, it hinders sperm production by impeding access to vitamin A. Historical studies spanning over 90 years indicate that depriving mice, rats, and monkeys of vitamin A leads to infertility.

YourChoice Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, reports that preclinical studies demonstrated the pills remarkable efficacy, with a 99% success rate and complete reversibility without side effects. Notably, previous attempts at male contraception involved suppressing testosterone, which proved incomplete in halting sperm production and posed complications.

The ongoing phase 1 trial, involving 16 men in the UK, is conducted by Quotient Sciences, a drug development company based in Nottingham. Gunda Georg, regents professor at the University of Minnesotas College of Pharmacy, spearheaded the pills development, emphasizing its hormone-free nature as a significant stride in contraception innovation.

Acknowledging the historical gap in male contraception, Akash Bakshi, co-founder and CEO of YourChoice Therapeutics, highlighted the pills distinctive approach. YCT-529 blocks a protein, not hormones, to prevent sperm production, potentially offering a more appealing choice for men who perceive pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility.

We believe this will be more attractive to men, most of whom view pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility even despite todays limited contraceptive options, which are permanent or only moderately effective, Bakshi remarked.

The research team aims to challenge the conventional notion that pregnancy prevention is solely a womans responsibility, striving to introduce an effective, convenient, and temporary hormone-free birth control pill for men.
After he yelled racist insults at a woman and her daughter, believing them to be Indians, a taxi driver of Chinese descent was fined and banned from the firm for life. The woman shared the incident on social media in September, bringing attention to the problem.

The driver was heard saying, You are India(n), Im Chinese You are the very worst kind.

According to media reports that surfaced on Tuesday, Peh Boon Hua, 54, was fined on December 13 after entering a guilty plea to one count of using derogatory language that caused distress under the Protection from Harassment Act. According to court filings, Peh got into a fight with Janelle Hoeden after she couldnt find where she was supposed to drop off her nine-year-old daughter.

TADA, one of Singapores phone cab companies, claims that Peh has been permanently banned from serving as a driver for the company. The driver was previously suspended by TADA following the appearance of videos of the altercation on social media.

The drivers remarks that insinuated racial differences are completely unacceptable within TADAS community guidelines and ethos, added the statement.

Hoeden, a 46-year-old woman of Eurasian descent, used social media to share her story. She claimed that the ride began normally and that she was chatting to her child when the driver abruptly became irate, claiming that a portion of the road was blocked because an MRT line was being built near the Pasir Ris housing area.

He started shouting at me, saying that I gave him the wrong address and wrong directions, her post read. The driver was also seen accusing her daughter of being less than 1.35 metres tall and called her very illegal.

The driver shouted at the woman while driving, You are India(n), Im ChineseYou are the very worst kind Hoeden corrected the driver, saying: I am Singapore Eurasian, not Indian.

Whether I was tanned skin, or Indian, or otherwise, its unacceptable what he said  it was totally uncalled for, that he pulled out the race card, she said.

Sheldon Lim, the deputy public prosecutor, requested that Peh pay a fine of SGD 3,000 to SGD 4,000.

In addition, Lim pointed out that the victims kid would have heard him disparaging her mother aloud. He said that Peh had entered an early guilty plea, demonstrating her regret, and that she had no prior criminal record.

(With agency inputs)
Denmark has negotiated a defence agreement with the United States that will allow US troops and military equipment to be stationed on Danish soil, according to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The 10-year pact comes after the US secured similar accords with Finland and Sweden earlier this month.

This means that American soldiers and equipment can be permanently stationed on Danish soil, Frederiksen told reporters at a press conference.

The agreement, which Denmark and the United States began negotiating in February of last year, will be signed later this week and will enter into force roughly a year from now, according to Frederiksen.

Finland and the United States inked a defence cooperation deal on Monday, granting the US military extensive access across the Nordic country to the region of its long border with Russia.

Sweden signed a similar deal earlier in December, while Norway, which also has a short border with Russia, agreed to control US military activity on its country in 2021.
In what wildlife authorities and conservationists describe as a stark consequence of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwes largest national park, has witnessed the tragic deaths of at least 100 elephants due to severe drought.

According to experts from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the elephants succumbed to the harsh conditions exacerbated by a lack of water in the park. Hwange National Park, home to approximately 45,000 elephants, boasts a diverse ecosystem comprising more than 100 mammal species and 400 bird varieties.

Despite efforts to sustain water sources for the wildlife with 104 solar-powered boreholes, park authorities admit that the existing infrastructure is insufficient. Extreme temperatures are drying up waterholes, compelling the animals, particularly the young, elderly, and sick, to embark on lengthy journeys in search of food and water.

Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, emphasized the vulnerability of elephants unable to cover extensive distances for water. The distressing situation underscores the profound impact of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon on the regions ecosystems.

El Nino is making an already dire situation worse, Farawo stated. El Nino, a cyclical weather phenomenon warming parts of the Pacific, disrupts global weather patterns. While traditionally occurring every few years, studies suggest that climate change may intensify its effects, resulting in more severe consequences.

This years El Nino has brought deadly floods to East Africa and is anticipated to cause below-average rainfall in southern Africa. Zimbabwe has experienced rising temperatures and scarce rainfall, with concerns of a recurrence of the devastating 2019 drought when over 200 elephants perished in Hwange.

Phillip Kuvawoga, a landscape program director at IFAW, emphasized the recurring nature of the phenomenon, raising alarms for Hwanges elephants in a recent report. Zimbabwes once predictable rainy season has become erratic, marked by prolonged dry spells.

Trevor Lane, director of The Bhejane Trust, a conservation group supporting Zimbabwes parks agency, expressed concerns about a looming dry spell due to El Nino. The region heavily relies on the organizations efforts, which involve pumping 1.5 million liters of water daily into Hwanges waterholes from more than 50 managed boreholes.

As climate patterns continue to shift, the struggle for survival intensifies for the diverse wildlife inhabiting Hwange National Park, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable conservation measures in the face of a changing climate.
According to authorities, EU governments and parliament achieved an agreement on Wednesday to revamp the blocs regulations governing the treatment of asylum seekers and migrants.

The reform calls for faster vetting of irregular entries, the establishment of border detention facilities, rapid deportation of rejected asylum seekers, and the establishment of a solidarity mechanism to relieve strain on southern nations facing large inflows.

Spain, which chaired the lengthy negotiations in its role holding the EU presidency, said on X, formerly Twitter: A political agreement has been reached on the five files of the EU new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said: Its been a long road to get here. But we made it. Europe is finally delivering on migration.

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen added that migration is a common European challenge  todays decision will allow us to manage it together.

Before it becomes legislation in the EU, the agreement must be formally ratified by the European Council, which represents the 27 EU member countries, and the European Parliament.

With the growth of nationalist anti-immigrant parties in some EU nations, particularly Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the migration question has taken on a more political edge in Europe in recent years.

The negotiators were eager to secure an agreement that may be implemented before the current European Parliaments mandate ends in June 2024.

However, dozens of aid organisations, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Caritas, and Save the Children, have condemned the modifications, claiming in an open letter that the package will create an unworkable cruel system.

Accelerated vetting

The reform, which is based on a commission proposal from three years ago, maintains the present premise that the first EU country into which an asylum seeker enters is accountable for their case.

However, in order to assist countries facing a high number of arrivals, such as Italy, Greece, and Malta in the Mediterranean, a mandatory solidarity system would be established.

This would imply that a set proportion of migrants would be relocated to other EU nations, or that countries who refuse to accept migrants would make financial or material contributions to those that do.

The proposed change also calls for faster screening and vetting of asylum seekers, so that those found ineligible can be immediately returned to their home country or transit country.

That procedure  which requires border detention centres being set up  would apply to irregular migrants coming from countries whose nationals asylum requests are rejected in more than 80 percent of cases.

The MEPs obtained guarantees that families with young children would have adequate conditions and that monitoring would take place so that detained migrants rights were upheld and free legal advice provided, one lawmaker, Fabienne Keller, told AFP.

Another point is a proposed surge response under which protections for asylum-seekers could be curtailed in times of significant inflows, as happened in 2015-2016 when more than two million asylum-seekers arrived in the EU, many from war-torn Syria.

The EU is seeing a rising number of irregular migrant arrivals and asylum requests.

In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17 percent.

The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.
European Union leaders and top officials hailed a significant breakthrough in talks on Wednesday regarding new rules to control migration. However, critics argued that the proposed reforms could weaken the rights of asylum-seekers and potentially lead to ethically questionable agreements with countries from where people leave to reach Europe.

Its truly a historic day, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, flanked by lawmakers responsible for the key parts of the agreement. With migration likely to be a hot campaign issue ahead of EU elections next June, Metsola said, it was vital to make a breakthrough.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described it as a very important decision that will relieve the burden on countries that are particularly affected including Germany.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez told his countrys parliament that the pact will allow us to have an improved, more humane and better-coordinated management of our frontiers and migration flows.

Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the deal improves control over migration with better asylum procedures at the external borders of the EU. Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders aims to replace Rutte after sweeping to victory in last months elections on an anti-migration platform.

After overnight talks, visibly exhausted EU lawmakers emerged expressing relief that agreement was found on the core political elements of the Pact on Asylum and Migration a major overhaul of rules that many hope will address the challenges posed by migrant arrivals over the last decade.

The breakthrough was announced just after the French parliament approved a divisive immigration bill intended to strengthen Frances ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable. The vote prompted a heated debate after the far-right decided to back the measure.

However, in a display of opposition to the draft legislation, Macrons health minister resigned, while some left-leaning lawmakers within the centrist alliance chose to abstain or vote against the bill. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who championed the bill, said the government wants greater firmness against foreign offenders.

In recent years, as hope for reforms languished, the EU focused on outsourcing the challenge by offering economic, political and travel incentives to countries where people leave or transit to get to Europe.

A deal with Tunisia, where authorities have been accused of dumping migrants in the desert, was a recent example. Italy has also concluded a bilateral agreement to send people to Albania, but that faces legal challenges. The EU is in talks with Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Nigeria, among others.

Rights groups warned that Wednesdays agreement will only entrench that kind of thinking. Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty Internationals European Institutions Office, said that it will set back European asylum law for decades to come, and cause more people to be put into de-facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations.

States will be able to simply pay to strengthen external borders, or fund countries outside the EU to prevent people from reaching Europe, Geddie added.

Oxfams EU migration expert Stephanie Pope worried that the pact would encourage more detention, including of children and families in prison-like centres. They have also slammed the door on those seeking asylum with substandard procedures, fast-tracked deportation and gambled with peoples lives.

The secretary general of the Caritas Europa charity group, Maria Nyman, said the deal shows that EU countries prefer to shift their asylum responsibility to non-EU countries, prevent arrivals and speed up return, exposing migrants to human rights violations.

With inputs from agencies.
A US court in Miami handed down a life sentence to Joseph Joel John, a former Haitian senator, on Tuesday. This sentencing stems from Johns involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, a case that has sent shockwaves through the nation.

John had pleaded guilty in October to three charges, including conspiracy to murder and kidnap a person outside the US, as well as providing material support for the plot against Moise. The Miami courts decision follows Johns extradition from Jamaica in May 2022.

The incident unfolded on July 7, 2021, when President Moise was assassinated during an attack on his residence in Port-au-Prince. Although the first lady, Martine Moise, was also shot, she managed to recover.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in 2022, John confessed to facilitating the acquisition of vehicles and firearms for the plot. Additionally, he admitted to participating in a meeting with co-conspirators a day before Moises assassination, as detailed in an affidavit from an FBI agent.

John becomes the third individual charged in connection with Moises assassination, according to the US Department of Justice. Earlier in 2022, Mario Antonio Palacios and Rodolphe Jaar were arrested and charged. Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean national, received a life sentence in June after pleading guilty, while Palacios, a Colombian national, is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

The Department of Justice revealed that a number of Haitian American citizens and at least 20 Colombians were involved in the plot.

Since Moises assassination, Haiti has experienced escalating unrest, marked by the proliferation of gangs and a surge in violence. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Moises successor, has grappled with the challenge of quelling the violence, which has included gruesome attacks such as beheadings, rapes, and kidnappings.

In response to the dire situation, the UN Security Council approved a multinational support mission to aid Haitis national police in combating gang violence. Kenya has taken a lead role, pledging 1,000 police officers to the mission. However, the deployment has faced legal challenges, and the arrival of security forces in Haiti remains unspecified.
Former President Donald Trump defended his remarks about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America on Tuesday, reinforcing the theme while dismissing any resemblance to fascist writings highlighted by others.

I never read Mein Kampf,' Trump said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitlers fascist manifesto.

Illegal immigrants, according to Trump, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

Trump responded to rising criticism about his rhetoric over the weekend, when he doubled down on anti-immigrant blood purity remarks in front of several thousand fans in New Hampshire, in an address to more than 1,000 supporters from a stage surrounded by Christmas trees wearing red MAGA hats.

Theyre poisoning the blood of our country, Trump said in New Hampshire about the record numbers of immigrants coming to the US without immediate legal status.

At Tuesdays rally, he reprised his comments from the weekend that migrants pour into our country and lamented what he said was a border catastrophe.

He made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Courts decision Tuesday to remove him from the states ballot under the US Constitutions insurrection clause, despite the fact that his campaign sent out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the US, dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists.

But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand  ideological screening  for people immigrating to the US He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling.

In Waterloo Tuesday, Trumps supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesnt always say the right thing.

I dont know if he says the right words all of the time, said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because youre not fortunate enough to be born in this country, doesnt mean you dont get to come here.

But it should all be done legally, she added.

Its about the volume of border crossings and national security, said her husband, John Geist, 68.

America is the land of opportunity, however, the influx  it needs to be kept to a certain level, he said. The amount of undocumented immigrants that come through and you dont know what youre getting, things arent regulated properly.

Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the US doesnt have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didnt agree with Trumps comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the countrys character and bring different perspectives.

Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the US stronger.

But Trumps blood purity message might resonate with some voters.

About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing US-born Americans to lose their economic, political and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump is focusing on immigration policy, a critical piece of his second-term agenda, as the Biden administration and Congress try to negotiate a border security deal. President Joe Biden has been criticized for the record numbers of migrants at the border and is trying address a political weakness before a potential rematch with Trump.

Jackie Malecek, 50, of Waterloo said she likes Trump for the reasons that many people dont  how outspoken he is and that hes a little bit of a loose cannon. But she thought Trump saying immigrants are poisoning the blood took it a little too far.

Im very much for cutting off whats happening at the border now. Theres too many people pouring in here right now, I watch it every single day, Malecek said. But that wording is not what I would have chosen to say.

Malecek supports allowing legal immigration and accepting refugees, but she is concerned about the waves of migrants crossing the border who are not being vetted.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday criticized Trump, who remains popular in his state, calling Trumps rhetoric dangerous and uncalled for  in an interview with The Associated Press. He added that immigrants living in the country illegally are still people, and we shouldnt dehumanize human beings, a sentiment echoed by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in a Tuesday MSNBC interview.

Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border.

You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd, Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.

At a congressional hearing July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by US citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens.

Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks.

Call it what it is, said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat.

Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his own wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration.

Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation, McConnell said.

Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rivals momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there.

I will not guarantee it, Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it.
The French parliament passed an immigration law endorsed by President Emmanuel Macrons government on Tuesday, despite a strong rebellion within his own party over the far rights backing for the harsher legislation.

The measure was approved by a large majority in the lower chamber, and the ruling party did not require the cooperation of Marine Le Pens far-right National Rally (RN) to pass it.

The immigration measures have been strengthened further since the bill was first introduced, with the left blaming the government of caving in to pressure from the far right.

The improved law was backed by Le Pen, but major left-wing members of Macrons Renaissance Party and associated groups signalled they could no longer support it, with several ministers threatening to resign.

We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the National Rally, since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority, said Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RNs lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027.

The RN had previously said it would vote against the bill or abstain. French media dubbed her surprise move a kiss of death for Macrons party.

The bill had been voted down without even being debated in the National Assembly last week, in a major blow to Macron.

The upper-house Senate had earlier also passed the legislation, which then went through the lower house with 349 in favour and 186 against.

Moment of dishonour

A key element of the law is that social security benefits for foreigners will now be conditioned on five years of presence in France, or 30 months for those who have jobs.

Migration quotas can also now be agreed and there are measures for dual-national convicts being stripped of French nationality as well.

Prominent left-leaning Renaissance MP Sacha Houlie had said he would vote against the legislation and called on others to follow, with some sources saying that around 30 pro-Macron MPs would do so.

In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Macron called a meeting of his ruling party at the Elysee palace ahead of the vote, party sources told AFP.

According to a participant at the meeting, Macron said he would submit the bill to a new reading rather than promulgate it if it were passed only with the help of the votes from Le Pens RN.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, Higher Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau and Housing Minister Patrice Vergriete met Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and warned they could resign, sources told AFP.

The majority has stood together, the far rights plan has failed, Borne said on social media platform X after the vote.

Rousseau delivered a letter of resignation on Tuesday evening to Borne, who did not say whether she would accept it, according to a ministerial source confirming a report by the daily Le Figaro.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, an ambitious 41-year-old who has spearheaded the legislation, had warned Sunday that Le Pen risked winning the 2027 presidential election if the bill were not passed.

The left and hard-left had reacted with horror to the prospect of the legislation being passed, with the head of Socialist lawmakers in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, calling it a great moment of dishonour for the government.

Passing the legislation was critical for Macron, who cannot stand again in 2027 after two consecutive terms and risks being seen as a lame duck with more than three years left of his term.

The government has not had a majority in parliament since the legislative elections that followed his re-election in 2022.

Moment of truth

The political crisis around the immigration bill is a moment of truth where all the fragilities of Emmanuel Macrons mandate are coming together, the Le Monde daily said in an editorial.

Dozens of NGOs slammed what they described as potentially the most regressive immigration law in decades.

It is the most regressive bill of the past 40 years for the rights and living conditions of foreigners, including those who have long been in France, around 50 groups including the French Human Rights League said in a joint statement.

With this text directly inspired by RN pamphlets against immigration, we are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values, French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said.
A French court condemned former Rwandan doctor Sosthene Munyemana to 24 years in prison on Wednesday for his role in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in his home East African country.

After over 15 hours of deliberation, the 68-year-old former gynaecologist was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity in a conspiracy to commit those crimes.

He is the sixth person to stand trial in France for the 1994 atrocities, which killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over the course of 100 days.

The six-week trial at the Paris Assize Court began nearly three decades after a complaint against Munyemana was made in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux in 1995.

Munyemana, who remained silent while the decision was read, was immediately imprisoned.

His attorneys announced plans to appeal the verdict, calling the courts decision unacceptable. They claimed that numerous inconsistencies in the defence testimony created room for doubt.

The public prosecutor had requested a 30-year sentence, claiming that the sum total of his choices demonstrated the traits of a genocidaire.

Munyemana was accused of assisting in the creation of a letter of support for the interim administration, which promoted the slaughter of Tutsis.

He was also accused of helping set up roadblocks to round people up and keeping them in inhumane conditions in local government offices before they were killed in the southern Rwandan prefecture of Butare, where he lived at the time.

During the trial, Munyemana repeatedly disputed the accusations, claiming he had been a moderate Hutu who had tried to save Tutsis by offering them refuge in local government offices.

Organised and steered the genocide

Reading the verdict, the judge said Munyemana was part of a group that prepared, organised and steered the genocide of the Tutsis on a daily basis.

After arriving in France in September 1994, where his wife was already living, the father of three rebuilt his life in the countrys southwest, first as an emergency doctor and then as a geriatrician.

He recently retired.

Munyemana was close to Jean Kambanda, prime minister of the interim government established after the plane carrying then-president Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down by a missile in 1994.

Kambanda is currently serving a life sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for his role in the genocide.

Munyemanas case is the latest trial in France of alleged participants in the massacres, in which around 800,000 people, most of them ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered over 100 days by Hutu soldiers and extremist militias, according to UN figures.

France has been one of the top destinations for those implicated in the Rwandan slaughter fleeing justice at home.

It has long been under pressure from activists to act against suspected Rwandan perpetrators who took refuge on French soil.

The French government at the time of the genocide had been a long-standing backer of the Hutu regime in power, a fact that has caused decades of tensions between the countries since.

Under President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has accused Paris of being unwilling to extradite genocide suspects or bring them to justice.

Among those tried and convicted in France are a former spy chief, two ex-mayors and a former hotel chauffeur.
French President Emmanuel Macrons centrist government faced an uproar on Wednesday following the approval of a divisive immigration bill supported by the far right. The bill, designed to enhance Frances capacity to deport foreigners deemed undesirable, received a 349-186 vote in favour in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, late Tuesday. The Senate had previously adopted the bill.

In a display of opposition to the draft legislation, Macrons health minister resigned, while some left-leaning lawmakers within the centrist alliance chose to abstain or vote against the bill.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who championed the bill, said the government wants greater firmness against foreign offenders.

Who here can say that we must allow criminals, people on our land, who attack us, attack our professors, and who attack our police forces and who attack the youth on the cafe terraces, without reacting? he said in a speech at the National Assembly.

He singled out the recent school attack where a teacher was stabbed to death by a suspected Islamic extremist from the Ingushetia region in Russias Caucasus Mountains.

Darmanin said the bill also would allow 7,000 to 10,000 undocumented migrant workers a year to obtain residency permits and fill jobs in sectors that have difficulty hiring, like the food industry and agricultural sector.

The text still needs to be officially enacted into law.

The Constitutional Council needs to make sure the bills final version is in line with the Constitution. The body has the power to reject it in full or partially. Government members acknowledged that some provisions could still be scrapped.

The vote came after parliament members from Macrons centrist majority and the conservative party The Republicans found a compromise to allow the text to make its way through the legislative process.

Macrons alliance lost its majority in legislative elections last year, forcing him into political maneuvering.

The conservatives, who pushed for a hard-line approach, said the compromise text features provisions to reduce the number of migrants coming to France, notably by limiting foreigners access to social benefits.

Many saw the negotiations as a sign of a shift to the right by Macrons government.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, who previously worked for a Socialist government before rejoining Macrons camp, resigned Wednesday to show opposition to the bill.

Government spokesman Oliver Veran acknowledged that changes were made to allow the compromise with The Republicans. There are things in this law that we dont like, that part of the French population doesnt like, that I dont like, but that doesnt dishonor us, he said.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally group at the National Assembly, described it as an ideological victory for her party.

Hard-left lawmaker Mathilde Panot, president of France Unbowed group at the National Assembly, urged Macron not to turn the bill into a law, calling the text a full-scale attack on fundamental rights.

Advocacy organizations have criticized the bill as a threat to the rights of migrants.

Migrants rights group The Cimade called it the most repressive and abusive immigration bill drawn up in the last 40 years in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The debate in France comes as European Union leaders and top officials on Wednesday hailed a major breakthrough in talks on new rules to control migration. Critics said the reforms will weaken the rights of asylum-seekers and encourage more morally dubious deals with countries that people leave to get to Europe.

With inputs from AP.
Two issues that are significant to the United States have impeded the Security Councils adoption of a new UN resolution aimed at accelerating much-needed aid to Gaza: mentioning a cessation of hostilities and assigning the UN the responsibility of vetting trucks to make sure they are truly transporting humanitarian supplies.

The Arab-sponsored resolution was initially scheduled for a Monday vote, but it was rescheduled for Wednesday as council members continued their intensive discussions to avert yet another US veto.

Were still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5 p.m.

Its important for us that the rest of the world understand whats at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats.

It was postponed till Wednesday morning, following an open council briefing and confidential consultations on the UN political mission in Afghanistan, at the USs request for extra time.

An urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities was demanded in the original resolution that was on the table Monday morning, but this wording was softened in a revised text that was distributed early on Tuesday.

Now, it calls for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities, as well as for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

In the past, the US has rejected language referring to a suspension of hostilities, and diplomats, speaking anonymously due to private conversations, stated that this is still a problem for the US.

Additionally, the resolution requests that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres set up a system to oversee the delivery of aid to Gaza. The fact that this circumvents the current Israeli monitoring of aid entering the zone, according to the diplomats, is also a problem.

On December 8, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that called for an urgent humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and was supported by dozens of other countries in addition to practically all other council members. On December 12, the 193-member General Assembly passed a similar resolution by a vote of 15310, with 23 abstentions.

The Security Council passed a resolution on November 15 in its first coordinated action, with the US abstaining, urging urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in the combat, unrestricted assistance delivery to civilians, and the unconditional release of hostages by Hamas.

The resolutions that have been accepted, as well as the most recent one that is currently before the council, do not include the condemnation of Hamas October 7 surprise attacks into southern Israel and the endorsement of Israels right to self-defense, which the United States has consistently advocated for. At a session with ambassadors on Tuesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared that his country is prepared for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

The Arab representative on the 15-member council, Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, however, stated on Tuesday that a new resolution needed to go a little bit further than the one from November 15.

Despite the fact that Security Council resolutions are legally enforceable, many parties actually opt to disregard the councils requests for action. Resolutions passed by the General Assembly are an important indicator of global opinion, although they are not legally binding.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, since Israel declared war on Hamas after its surprise attacks on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 persons, predominantly civilians, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have perished. Roughly 240 hostages were taken back to Gaza by the terrorists.

The Gaza Strip is under Hamas authority, and the organizations Health Ministry does not distinguish between deaths of combatants and civilians. According to UN estimates, many more Palestinians are buried beneath Gazas debris.

(With agency inputs)
The White House and Mexicos president both spoke out strongly against a proposed Texas bill that would allow police to detain illegal immigrants and give local judges the authority to order them to leave the country.

Human rights groups and Texas largest border county also filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, calling the bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott less than 24 hours earlier an illegal overreach of the US governments control over immigration.

The Texas bill, which takes effect in March, may serve as a litmus test for how aggressively a state may limit immigration in the face of an uptick in illegal crossings in remote areas, which has heightened pressure on Congress to reach an accord on asylum. According to Abbott, Texas is considering similar steps due to discontent with the Biden administrations immigration policies.

According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the states approach is disproportionate and dehumanising to immigrants. She declined to say if the Justice Department will challenge the statute.

This is not who we are as a country, she said.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Austin, was brought by El Paso County along with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Rights Project. It was filed against the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, whose troopers could arrest migrants, and the El Paso County district attorney, whose office would potentially prosecute cases in that border community.

El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks said he woke up Tuesday morning having no idea he would be sued by his own county. He told reporters that the lawsuit could reach the US Supreme Court, a scenario that some Texas Republicans welcome even as they defend the law as constitutional.

A DPS spokesperson declined to comment in an email Tuesday, citing the pending litigation.

Abbott signed the law Monday in front of a section of border fence in Brownville. He was flanked by two signs in English and Spanish: Warning! It is illegal to cross here. Punishable by removal or imprisonment.

Republican state Rep. David Spiller, who carried the law in the Texas House, said in an interview Tuesday that the vast majority of arrests under the law would occur within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the border, though it could be enforced statewide. He said there needs to be evidence of someone crossing illegally, whether it be an officer who witnesses it firsthand or footage from border cameras.

I believe that Texas and other states have the absolute right to enforce their borders, Spiller said.

Illegal crossings have topped 10,000 on some days this month, according to US Customs and Border Patrol acting commissioner Troy Miller, who has called the number of daily arrivals unprecedented.

The measure allows any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest people who are suspected of entering the country illegally. Once in custody, they could either agree to a Texas judges order to leave the US or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Migrants who dont leave could face arrest again under more serious felony charges.

Opponents have called it the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law  denounced by critics as the Show Me Your Papers bill  that was largely struck down by the US Supreme Court. The lawsuit cites the 2012 Supreme Court decision on the Arizona law, which stated the federal government has exclusive power over immigration.

The bill overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities, Adriana Pinon, legal director of the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, ACLU affiliates in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Arizona, Texas, and San Diego and Imperial Counties in California issued a travel advisory warning of a possible threat to travelers civil and constitutional rights violations when passing through Texas.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he worried the law could lead to racial profiling and family separation. He accused Abbott of looking to score political points with peoples lives.

Other steps Texas has taken as part of Abbotts border security efforts have included busing more than 65,000 migrants to cities across America since August 2022 and installing razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande.
A recently disclosed intelligence report has revealed heightened attempts by China, Russia, and Iran to interfere in the 2022 US midterm elections compared to their involvement in the 2018 midterms, according to a report.

According to The Hill, the intelligence report, produced in December 2022 and declassified last week, presents the assessments of the US intelligence community (IC) regarding foreign threats during the elections.

Although no evidence pointed to a directive from foreign leaders for a comprehensive influence campaign akin to Russias actions in 2016, the report highlights an increased level of foreign activity compared to 2018.

The IC observed a diverse and growing group of foreign actors engaging in such operations, emphasizing Chinas greater willingness to conduct election influence activities.

The report attributes the rise in foreign involvement to shifting geopolitical risk calculations, the normalization of election influence activities, the low cost but potential high rewards, and increased emphasis on election security in IC collection and analysis.

Contrary to continuous efforts to gain access to election infrastructure or manipulate votes, the foreign actors now concentrate on amplifying authentic US public narratives to influence electoral outcomes and foster sociopolitical divisions, offering deniability as they propagate US content.

The intelligence community, with high confidence, concluded that the Russian government and its proxies aimed to denigrate the Democratic Party and undermine confidence in the elections, likely to diminish US support for Ukraine. Kremlin intelligence services extensively researched US audiences, identifying target demographics, narratives, and platforms.

With high confidence, the IC also assessed that China tacitly approved efforts to influence specific midterm races against politicians perceived as anti-China. The report suggests that Chinas growing efforts to amplify US societal divisions may be a response to perceived US attempts to promote democracy at Chinas expense.

The intelligence community, with moderate confidence, determined that Iran sought to exploit perceived social divisions and undermine confidence in US democratic institutions. Irans efforts were likely constrained by available resources amid internal unrest.

The report further notes that various foreign actors, including Cuba, took steps to undermine US politicians seeking reelection.

Cubas efforts, described as smaller in scale and more narrowly targeted than those of China, Iran, and Russia, focused on candidates in Florida while attempting to shape impressions of other US politicians, as reported by The Hill.

With inputs from agencies
A group of South Korean students has initiated legal action against the government following a contentious incident during the countrys rigorous college admission examination, known as Suneung.

The students are demanding 20 million won each, equivalent to a years tuition fees, after the exam concluded 90 seconds ahead of schedule.

The mishap occurred during the first subject, Korean, at a test site in Seoul, impacting subsequent exams for all students. Despite immediate protests, the supervisors proceeded to collect answer sheets. Although the mistake was acknowledged before the next session, the students were only granted an extra one and a half minutes during the lunch break, restricting their ability to rectify errors and leaving some with blank columns on their papers.

The Suneung is renowned as one of the worlds most challenging exams, lasting eight hours and influencing university placements, job prospects, and even personal relationships. This incident has left 39 students emotionally distressed, hindering their performance throughout the remainder of the exam.

According to the students lawyer, Kim Woo-suk, education authorities have yet to issue an apology. The lawsuit underscores the significance of the Suneung and seeks redress for the undue stress caused by the premature conclusion of the exam.

This legal action mirrors a similar case in April, where students received compensation due to an early bell during the 2021 Suneung exam. In 2012, a Chinese man faced legal consequences for ringing the bell prematurely during the national college entrance exam, illustrating the global consequences of such incidents.
India has requested the Group of Seven (G7) nations to defer the imminent ban on Russian diamonds due to uncertainties surrounding the rules for tracing the origins of gems, according to two informed sources.

As the host to 90% of the worlds diamond-cutting and polishing industry, India plays a crucial role in the enforcement of the ban. The sources, requesting anonymity, revealed that New Delhi is seeking more clarity in its discussions with G7 leaders.

Earlier this month, G7 countries announced a direct ban on Russian diamonds effective from January 1, followed by phased-in restrictions on indirect imports of Russian gems around March 1. A new system to trace the origin of these gems is set to be introduced in September. These measures are part of the broader actions by the bloc aimed at limiting Moscows revenues supporting its invasion of Ukraine.

The timeline to start restrictions on indirect imports from Russia in three months is impractical, as the rules on how the origin for a gem will be traced are not clear, one of the sources said. India has also expressed its reservations over G7s new traceability-based verification and certification system, which may require sharing of data about Indian businesses, the first source said.

Some data might be sensitive and businesses might not be comfortable with sharing such information, he said.

The federal trade ministry, which is involved in talks with G7 on proposed restrictions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India mostly processes smaller Russian diamonds, and thats why the country expects minimal trade disruption, a government official said earlier this month.

Still, the proposed ban would impact the diamond supply chain, industry officials say. Indias diamond sector already faces weaker demand. The countrys polished diamond exports fell 29% to $10 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal year that began in April.

It exported polished diamonds worth more than $22 billion last fiscal year that ended on March 31. The industry, based mainly in the western state of Gujarat, employs millions of people across small and medium firms.

With inputs from agencies.
Indias decision to impose a ban on onion exports has led to a surge in prices for the vegetable among Asian buyers, who are scrambling for cheaper alternatives, particularly as New Delhi is unlikely to lift the curbs before general elections next year.

India banned export of onion on December 8 as domestic onion prices in India became more than doubled in three months due to a decline in production.

Retail shoppers from Kathmandu to Colombo are grappling with elevated prices, as traditional buyers in Asia, including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, and even the United Arab Emirates, heavily rely on imports from India to meet their domestic demands. The expectation that India is unlikely to lift the export restrictions before next years general elections further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Onions are needed for almost everything we cook, said Mousumi Akhtar, who works in the private sector in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This sudden price hike is tough to swallow. Ive had to cut back on how much I buy.

From the belacan shrimp paste of Malaysia and Bangladeshi biryani to chicken chillies in Nepal or Sri Lankan fish curry, Asian consumers have built up a serious dependence on Indian supplies of onions to lend spice to their favourite dishes.

Traders estimate that India accounts for more than half of all imports of onions by Asian countries. Its shorter shipment times against those from rival exporters such as China or Egypt, are key to preserving the taste of the perishable commodity.

India exported a record 2.5 million metric tons of onions in the financial year that ended on March 31, with 671,125 tons going to neighbouring Bangladesh, its biggest buyer of the vegetable.

To overcome the shortage, Bangladesh is trying to source more from China, Egypt and Turkey, said commerce ministry official Tapan Kanti Ghosh.

As general elections approach next month in Bangladesh, the government has begun selling onions at subsidised prices to the poor, hoping to offset a surge of more than 50% in prices after Indias ban.

Even worse is the situation in landlocked Nepal, which imports most of its onions.

Since the ban by India, we have monitored the supply situation at different places. There are no onions on sale, said Tirtharaj Chiluwal, an official of the Himalayan nations commerce ministry.

Nepal is considering imports from China and may ask India to make an exception and allow exports, said ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur.

LIMITED OPTIONS

Importing nations have to contend with more expensive supplies from China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, which have all hiked prices since India is out of the market, said Ajit Shah, an Indian exporter.

All would run out of supplies if Indias ban lasted for an extended period, said one exporter based in Mumbai, the financial capital.

Within a week after the ban, onions became 20% cheaper in India as supplies from the new seasons crop came in, traders said.

Now, with domestic supplies more than adequate to satisfy demand at home, Shah, the exporter, said India should allow exports to maintain its global market position.

But the curbs are unlikely to go before next years general elections, as the priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is to hold down food prices, the Mumbai-based exporter said.

New Delhi has also reined in exports of rice, sugar and wheat.

Since Indias ban, onion prices have nearly doubled in Sri Lanka, which is slowly emerging from its worst financial crisis in nearly seven decades.

Malaysia, like other importers, is also trying to secure supplies from China and Pakistan, said Seri Mohamad Sabu, its agriculture minister.

With inputs from Reuters.
A Swedish courts rejection of an appeal by a former Iranian jail director against a life sentence for mass murders in 1988 was criticised as unacceptable by Tehran on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a Swedish appeals court maintained the prison sentence imposed in July last year on Hamid Noury, 62, for grave breaches of international humanitarian law and murder.

It is regrettable that the Swedish court, without considering the standards of a fair trial, decided to issue such a destructive verdict, foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

He condemned the judgment as fundamentally unacceptable and said Iran would use all legal avenues at its disposal to secure Nourys release.

Noury was arrested in November 2019 at Stockholm Airport after Iranian dissidents in Sweden filed police charges against him.

The case involves the execution of at least 5,000 inmates across Iran to punish attacks carried out by the rebel Peoples Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) near the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

Noury was an assistant prosecutor in a prison in Tehran at the time, but he said he was on leave throughout the relevant period.

Sweden tried Noury on its universal jurisdiction principle, which permits it to try a case regardless of where the alleged offence occurred.

There have been concerns that the case could have repercussions for the fate of Swedish prisoners in Iran, including EU diplomat Johan Floderus, who has been held for more than 600 days.

Floderus, 33, has been charged with the capital offence of corruption on earth. He was detained at Tehran airport in April 2022 on his return from a trip abroad while Nourys original trial was underway.

Another Swedish citizen, dual national Ahmad Reza Jalali, is already on death row in Iran after he was detained in 2016 and sentenced to death on espionage charges.

Swedish media have speculated about the possibility of a prisoner swap between Sweden and Iran. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has declined to comment.
A group of selectors from Israel visited India last week and another senior delegation is scheduled to depart for India next week to start the recruitment process of bringing thousands of workers to Israel.

This effort aims to address the acute shortage faced by the countrys construction industry, as revealed by a senior executive from the Israel Builders Association on Wednesday.

We will start the process in Delhi and Chennai next week on December 27. At the moment we are looking to bring in 10,000 as per government approvals and this will scale up to 30,000 in the near future depending on how it goes. It is an ongoing exercise and will take months, Deputy Director General and Spokesperson for the Israel Builders Association (IBA), Shay Pauzner, told PTI.

The selection starting next week will last 10-15 days, Pauzner said.

A delegation led by Izchak Gurvitz, who heads the IBAs division dealing with workers issues and the selection team, was in India last week and would be joining CEO Igal Slovik again next week with other members of the IBA team, he said.

Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing Yehuda Morgenstern will also be accompanying the delegation leaving for India next week.

During a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said in a statement.

We urgently need more workers. In any case, the government is the one who will decide where the missing workers will come from, Pauzner had told PTI last month.

The Israeli construction industry employs workers in specific fields where there is a lack of Israeli workers.

Israel urgently needs workers to continue with construction projects and the contractors have made a strong plea with the government to bring in hundreds of thousands of people from abroad to meet the needs.

The largest group of about 80,000 workers in the construction industry come from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and another 17,000 from the Gaza Strip, a huge majority of whom had their work permits revoked following the Hamas attack on Israel in October.

Another group of about 7,000 have come from China and some 6,000 from Eastern Europe. The ongoing war has created a shortage of workers.

Israels Minister of Economy Nir Barkat had discussed the possibility of bringing workers from India to fill the need in Israels infrastructure industry during his India visit in April this year.

Israels Minister of Economy, Nir Barkat, during his trip to India in April this year had spoken to officials and his counterpart in New Delhi about hiring Indians in various sectors, including in the construction sector, a source here had told PTI.

The discussions revolved around bringing in almost like 160,000 people, he said.

About 18,000 Indians are working in Israel, mostly as caregivers. Most of them decided to stay back in Israel and did not leave the country during the war with Hamas because they felt quite secure and also because the salaries are quite attractive.

Israel and India also inked an agreement in May during Foreign Minister Eli Cohens visit to New Delhi that will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing, a move that was then seen to help deal with the rising cost of living and assist thousands of families waiting for nursing care.

A statement released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry then said that 34,000 workers would be engaged in the construction field and another 8,000 for nursing needs.

With inputs from PTI.
In his first speech as emir since his predecessors death last week, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah of Kuwait criticised the government and lawmakers on Wednesday for actions he claimed had harmed the countrys interests as an ally of the United States.

Sheikh Meshal, 83, objected to pardons given by his predecessor and denounced decisions to appoint people to positions that were not consistent with the simplest rules of justice and fairness.

The new emir did not say which pardons he objected to. His predecessor issued a series of amnesties, including to dissidents and critics as well as some who were sentenced for spying for Iran and Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

Today, as we are going through a delicate historical stage, we must review our current reality in all its aspects, especially the security, economic and living aspects, he said, and stressed the importance of government oversight and objective accountability

While he had disagreed with some of the previous emirs decisions, he had abided by them out of loyalty, he said in the speech that was unusually critical of the government and lawmakers for a new emir.

Sheikh Meshal was the day-to-day ruler for much of the reign by his predecessor, half-brother Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah who died on Saturday, aged 86, due to his ill-health.

The emirs speech underscored a heightened focus on strengthening governance and enhancing accountability, reflecting a deep commitment to combating corruption in the pursuit of effective governance, said Reconnaissance Research Chief Executive Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri.

He straightforwardly criticized the executive and legislative bodies, signalling a willingness to undertake radical, albeit necessary, reforms.

Kuwait, which neighbours Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, holds the worlds seventh largest oil reserves and its an OPEC member. It is a close ally of the United States, who in 1991 liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, and stations troops in the state.

Kuwait would maintain its Gulf, regional and international commitments, Sheikh Meshal said

Kuwait academic Bader Al Saif said the speech showed that existing foreign policies and an effort to drive out corruption within the government sector would be maintained by the emir.

But it also suggested that national priorities of meeting the peoples needs, security and economy had not been properly addressed by the government or the parliament, he said.

That could lead to radical changes in the next government, after the current government tendered its resignation as is custom when a new emir assumes power, according to Al Saif.

(with inputs from Reuters)
Kuwaits new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, forcefully castigated lawmakers and executive authorities on Wednesday for what he said was harm to the interests of the country and the people in his first remarks after he was formally sworn in.

After taking the constitutional oath in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Sheikh Meshal criticised the authorities decision to appoint people to positions that are not consistent with the simplest rules of justice and fairness.

He also objected to the pardoning of several convicts and opposition figures, and the damaging of the Kuwaiti identity.

The emir said it was necessary to review our current reality, especially in terms of security, the economy and living conditions.

He stressed the importance of follow-up, responsible oversight, and objective accountability within the framework of the constitution and the law for negligence, dereliction and tampering with the interests of citizens.

Kuwait will maintain its Gulf, regional and international commitments, Sheikh Meshal said.

Sheikh Meshal, 83, was Kuwaits day-to-day ruler during much of his half-brother Sheikh Nawafs reign due to his ill-health. His predecessor died on Saturday.
Sage Brook Carbone was attending a powwow at the Mashantucket Western Pequot reserve in Connecticut a few years ago when she discovered signs in the Pequot language.

Carbone, a member of the Northern Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island, reflected on her childhood home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She had never seen any public signs honouring Native Americans or displaying Indigenous languages.

She proposed to city officials that Native American translations be included to city roadway signs. Residents supported her concept, and she will erect approximately 70 signs depicting the language of the Massachusett Tribe, which English settlers discovered upon arriving.

What a great, universal way of teaching language, she said of the project done in consultation with a member of the Massachusett Tribe and other Native Americans.

We see multiple languages written almost everywhere, but not on municipal signage, she said. Living on a numbered street, I thought this is a great opportunity to include Native language with these basic terms that were all familiar with around the city.

Carbone has joined a growing national movement to utilise Indigenous translations on billboards to enhance awareness of Native American populations. It is also a means of revitalising some Native American languages, highlighting a tribes sovereignty, and opening the door to broader discussions about land rights, discrimination, and Indigenous representation in the political process.

We have a moment where there is a search for some reconciliation and justice around Indigenous issues, said Darren Ranco, chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine and a citizen of the Penobscot Nation. The signs represent that, but by no means is that the end point around these issues. My concern is that people will think that putting up signs solves the problem, when in fact, its the beginning point to addressing deeper histories.

At least six states have followed suit, including Iowa, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Signs along US Highway 30 in Iowa include the Meskwaki Nations own spelling of the tribe, Meskwakiinaki, near its settlement. In upstate New York, bilingual highway signs in the languages of the Seneca, Onondaga and Tuscarora tribes border highways and their reservations.

In Wisconsin, six of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state have installed dual language signs. Wisconsin is derived from the Menominee word Weskohsaeh, meaning a good place and the word Meskousing, which means where it lies red in Algonquian.

Our partnerships with Wisconsins Native Nations are deeper than putting up highway signs, WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement. We are proud of the longstanding commitment to foster meaningful partnerships focused on our future by providing great care and consideration to our past.

Minnesota has put up signs in English and the Dakota or Ojibwe languages on roads and highways that traverse tribal lands, while the southeast Alaska community of Haines this summer erected stop, yield, Children at Play and street name signs in both English and Tlingit.

Douglas Olerud, the mayor at the time, told the Juneau Empire it was healing for him after hearing for years from Tlingit elders that they were not allowed to use their language when sent to boarding schools.

This is a great way to honor some of those people that have been working really hard to keep their traditions and keep the language alive, and hopefully they can have some small amount of healing from when they were robbed of the culture, he said.

In New Mexico, the state transportation department has been working with tribes for years to include traditional names and artwork along highway overpasses. Travelers heading north from Santa Fe pass under multiple bridges with references to Pojoaque Pueblo in the communitys native language of Tewa.

There have also been local efforts in places like Bemidji, Minnesota, where Michael Meuers, a non-Native resident, started the Bemidji Ojibwe Language Project. Since 2009, more than 300 signs in English and Ojibwe have been put up across northern Minnesota, mostly on buildings, including schools. The signs can also be found in hospitals and businesses and are used broadly to spell out names of places and animals, identify things such as elevators, hospital departments, bear crossings  MAKWA XING  and food within a grocery store, and include translations for welcome, thank you and other phrases.

Maybe its going to open up conversations so that we understand that we are all one people, said Meuers, who worked for the Red Lake Nation for 29 years and started the project after seeing signs in Hawaiian on a visit to the state.

The University of Maine put up dual language signs around its main campus. The Native American Programs, in partnership with the Penobscot Nation, also launched a website where visitors can hear the words spoken by language master Gabe Paul, a Penobscot pronunciation guide.

For me, and for many of our tribal citizens and descendants, it is a daily reminder that we are in our homeland and we should be at home at the university, even though it has felt for generations like it can be an unwelcome place, Ranco said.

But not all efforts to provide dual language signs have gone well.

In New Zealand, the election of a conservative government in October has thrown into doubt efforts by transportation officials to start using road signs written in both English and the Indigenous Maori language.

Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, earlier this year proposed making 94 road signs bilingual to promote the revitalization of the language.

But many conservatives have been irked by the increased use of Maori words by government agencies. Thousands wrote form submissions opposing the road sign plan, saying it could confuse or distract drivers.

The effort in Cambridge has been welcomed as part of what is called the participatory budgeting process, which allows residents to propose ideas on spending part of the budget. Carbone proposed the sign project and, together with a plan to make improvements to the African American Heritage Trail, it was approved by residents.

I am so excited to see the final products and the initial run of these signs, Carbone said. When people traveling around Cambridge see them, they will feel the same way. It will be just different enough to be noticeable but not different enough that it would cause a stir.

Carbone and others also hope the signs open a broader discussion of Native American concerns in the city, including representation in the city government, funding for Native American programs as well as efforts to ensure historical markers offer an accurate portrayal of Indigenous people.

When she first heard about the proposal, Sarah Burks, preservation planner at the Cambridge Historical Commission, acknowledged there were questions. Which signs would get the translations? How would translation be handled? Would this involve extensive research?

The translation on streets signs will be relatively easy for people to understand, she said, and inspire residents to stop and think about the Massachusett Tribe and to recognize the diversity of people in our community.

It will be attention-grabbing in a good way, she said of the signs, which are expected to go up early next year.
Nawaz Sharif attributed the miseries of cash-strapped Pakistan to its own actions and said its neither India nor the US, or even Afghanistan responsible for the current challenges in the country as he indirectly pointed fingers at the powerful military establishment.

Today where Pakistan has reached (in terms of the state of the economy) this is not done by India, the US or even Afghanistan. In fact, we shot ourselves in our own footthey (a reference to the military) imposed a selected (government) on this nation by rigging the 2018 polls that led to the sufferings of the people and downfall of the economy, Sharif said during a conversation with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket aspirants in Lahore on Tuesday.

Sharif, who is eyeing a record fourth term as prime minister of Pakistan, pointed out that he was ousted from power three times in 1993, 1999 and 2017.

The 73-year-old PML-N leader also accused the Pakistan military of orchestrating the selection of the government through rigged 2018 polls, resulting in peoples suffering and economic decline of the country.

The judges garland them (military dictators) and legitimise their rule when they break the Constitution. When it comes to a prime minister the judges stamp his ouster. The judges also approve the act of dissolution of the parliamentwhy? he asked.

He also criticised the Pakistan judiciary and questioned their support for military dictators while holding prime ministers accountable. Sharif categorically targeted ex-ISI chief Gen Faiz Hamid for his role in his ousting in 2017.

A case has been opened in the Supreme Court against those (Faiz Hamid and others) who had said that if Nawaz came out of jail their two-year hard work would be wasted, Sharif said.

Sharif, who returned to Pakistan from London in October ending a four-year-long self-imposed exile, is the only politician from the country who became the prime minister of the coup-prone nation for a record three times.

On Monday, Sharif said in 1999, I was prime minister in the morning and in the evening I was declared a hijacker. Similarly in 2017, I was ousted from power for not taking salary from my son.

They (military establishment) made this decision as they wanted to bring their selected man into power, he said, referring to his arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

During a televised address to the nation last Thursday, Sharif blamed the military establishment of 2014-17 for forcing senior judges to remove him from power.

They (a reference to the military establishment) visited the residences of senior judges and threatened them. They achieved the required court verdicts against me through coercion, he said.

Last week, Sharif was acquitted in the Al-Azizia Steel mill corruption case. He has already been acquitted in the Avenfield graft case in which he was convicted in July 2018 and sentenced to ten years in Jail. He also got relief in the Flagship corruption case.

With inputs from agencies
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a variant of interest, but said it did not pose much threat to public health.

Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low, WHO said. JN.1 was previously classified as a variant of interest as a part of its parent lineage BA.2.86.

The United Nations agency said current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of the Covid-19 virus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this month said that the sub variant JN.1 makes up about an estimated 15% to 29% of cases in the United States as of December 8, according to the agencys latest projections.

It added that currently there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants and an updated shot could keep Americans protected against the variant.

JN.1 was first detected in the US in September, according to the CDC.

Last week, China detected seven infections of the Covid-19 sub variant.
An Italian court has sentenced a Pakistani couple, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, to life in prison for the murder of their 18-year-old daughter, Saman Abbas. Her lifeless body was discovered beneath a farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022, 18 months after she had gone missing.

As per reports, Saman, who had emigrated with her family from Pakistan, resided in Novellara. Her parents, disapproving of her relationship with a man of her choice, sought to force her into an arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2020, an attempt she vehemently resisted.

The court, situated in the northern city of Reggio Emilia, convicted and sentenced Samans father, Shabbar Abbas, who was arrested in Pakistan and extradited for trial. Meanwhile, Nazia Shaheen, convicted in absentia, is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan.

The shocking case prompted Italys union of Islamic communities to issue a fatwa against forced marriages following Samans disappearance. Her tragic fate unfolded as she returned to the family home in Novellara in April 2021, under the guise of familial reconciliation.

Uncle Danish Hasnain, implicated in Samans murder, received a 14-year jail term after being detained in France under a European arrest warrant in September 2021.

During the trial, Shabbar Abbas, though maintaining his innocence, expressed a desire to uncover the truth behind his daughters death, insisting the trial was incomplete. Italian media reported his plea.
The right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS) ruled Poland for eight years, and during that time, official media outlets were largely viewed as government mouthpieces. Now, the countrys new administration has declared it is firing executives from those channels.

Polands culture ministry announced on Wednesday that the chairs and boards of the state radio, television, and news agencies had been replaced, citing the need to restore their impartiality.

State-run media have long been charged with propagandising, reporting with bias, and verbally abusing the opposition. Leading the new ruling coalition was Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had promised during the campaign to reset public television. It passed a resolution on Tuesday demanding that the impartiality and reliability of the public media be restored.

Lawmakers from the PiS staged a sit-in at state television headquarters in response to the vote.

Media pluralism and strong anti-government media are essential components of democracy, and in Poland they are the public media, PiS leader Jarosaw Kaczynski said to reporters on Tuesday night outside the state television headquarters.

Kaczynski was one of the protestors, as was Mateusz Morawiecki, the former prime minister, who was spotted on social media taking selfies with radio staff.

PiS politicians, said to Kaczynski, would continue the demonstration in shifts.

The opposition and non-profits regularly attacked the PiS government for attempting to suppress the independent media and restrict freedom of speech.

Political discourse and hate speech are still the rule within [Polands] state-owned media, which have been transformed into government propaganda mouthpieces, according to a 2020 report by the international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
Sixteen candidates have submitted their candidacy for Russias upcoming presidential election next year, officials announced on Wednesday. The election is widely anticipated to secure a fifth term for Vladimir Putin.

Over the years, Moscow has consistently marginalized opposition figures from participating in elections and political activities. This crackdown intensified following the Kremlins directive to deploy Russian troops into Ukraine in 2022.

So far, we have received applications from 16 candidates for the presidential election, the chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) Ella Pamfilova was cited as saying by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

During a meeting with military veterans, Putin confirmed this month that he would join the election scheduled for next year over three days beginning March 15.

The CEC said it would also hold the ballot in four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russian forces and in the Crimean peninsula, annexed from Kyiv in 2014.

The Kremlin-friendly Liberal Democratic Party of Russia this week nominated a former negotiator for the Ukraine conflict, Leonid Slutsky, as a candidate.

He said his candidacy would not take away votes from Putin.

Candidates must file applications to run in the March vote by December 27, election rules state, after which they will be required to gather thousands of signatures from supporters to secure a place on the ballot.

Igor Girkin, a hardline nationalist turned Kremlin critic who is in detention awaiting trial on extremism charges, said he wanted to challenge Putin.

Jailed opposition figure, Alexei Navalny was barred from running in elections in 2018, due to an old fraud charge that his allies said was politically motivated.

With inputs from AFP.
Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces in what would mark a dramatic step up of Kyivs war with Russia.

The Ukrainian leader told his end-of-year news conference it was a highly sensitive issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament.

Zelenskyy said he wanted to hear more arguments in favour of mobilising the additional people before backing such a move.

This is a very serious number, he said.

Ukraine has been at war with Russian troops since February 2022. Both sides treat their casualty numbers as a state secret, but US officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded.

Ukraines troop numbers are not known, but it has said in the past it has around 1 million people under arms. Russia has been expanding its army during the war and said on Tuesday it planned to boost its ranks to 1.5 million service members.

I said I would need more arguments to support this move. Because first of all, its a question of people, secondly, its a question of fairness, its a question of defence capability, and its a question of finances, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine, which initially saw tens of thousands of volunteer fighters queuing up to defend their country from Russias invasion, is now trying to conscript more men to replace those currently at the front.

There have been discussions behind closed doors for weeks on how to improve the draft process. Some Ukrainians have reacted angrily to social media videos showing draft officers handing out call-up papers at gyms and resorts.

Zelenskyy said an additional 500 billion hryvnias ($13.5 billion) would be needed to support the armys mobilization proposal and he wants further details on how the troops would be used to fight Russia.

There has been tension between Zelenskyy and the head of the army.

This week, army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi criticised a decision, made by Zelenskyy, to fire the heads of the regional military draft offices amid a crackdown on corruption this summer.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that maintaining tight ties with Russia is a strategic choice, urging for deeper bilateral cooperation.

The two countries close friendship, which has persisted despite Russias armed invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in early 2022, has been under fire from Western leaders in recent years.

Maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Xi told Mishustin on Wednesday in Beijings Great Hall of the People, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xi added that the countries should continuously amplify the positive effects of high-level political ties and deepen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy, connectivity and other fields, CCTV said.

According to readouts issued by both sides, Mishustin claimed Tuesday that ties between Moscow and Beijing had reached a all-time high during a talk with his counterpart, Premier Li Qiang.

Mishustins visit to China on Tuesday and Wednesday comes two months after President Vladimir Putin travelled outside of Russia for the first time to see Xi, and a month after a senior Chinese general was entertained in Moscow.
Sudans army announced on Tuesday that its forces had withdrawn from positions in Wad Madani following the advance of its paramilitary competitors on the city, which caused a major flight of residents, some of whom had already been evacuated during an eight-month battle.

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops have gained momentum in recent weeks, tightening their grip on the huge Darfur area and taking fresh territory heading east towards Khartoum.

Wad Madani is a significant city located around 170 kilometres (105 miles) southeast of Khartoum that has functioned as a humanitarian hub and a haven for internally displaced persons. It is the capital of El Gezira state, an important farming region in a country where hunger is on the rise.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the RSFs entry into the city has led up to 300,000 people to evacuate the area.

On Tuesday, a video released on social media showed what seemed to be a major office block in Wad Madani engulfed in flames, which an RSF fighter claimed was a bank hit by the army.

Another video showed RSF members in a warehouse full of weapons and ammunition. Reuters did not verify the videos.

The Rapid Support Forces are spread out in the streets of Wad Madani, on trucks and motorbikes, firing in celebration, and army aircraft are striking some districts, resident Ahmed Adel told Reuters by phone.

People are in a state of fear and panic and are fleeing in large numbers.

The RSF, a hardened force that grew out of militias the army deployed two decades ago to brutally suppress an insurgency in Darfur, has held most of Khartoum since the early days of the war.

The army, which has aircraft but little effective infantry, controls eastern and northern Sudan, leading to fears the country, Africas third largest by area, could splinter.

Airstrikes in Darfur

Residents say army airstrikes have caused widespread civilian casualties. The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned by reports that army planes were bombing populated areas in north and south Darfur.

The army said in a statement that the reasons for the withdrawal of its forces from Wad Madani were being investigated.

The RSF, which has been accused of widespread looting, detentions and sexual violence in Khartoum and other cities, said it would offer protection and basic services to civilians in Wad Madani.

War in Sudan broke out in mid-April after weeks of tensions over the powers of the army and the RSF under a planned transition towards civilian rule.

The rivals had shared power with political parties following a 2019 popular uprising before jointly staging a coup in 2021.

The conflict turned Khartoum into a war zone, triggered a wave of ethnically driven killings in Darfur, and caused a major humanitarian crisis.

The IOM said on Tuesday that more than 7 million people had fled their homes because of the war, including more than 1.5 million who have crossed to neighbouring countries.
Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailands failed election winner, said Wednesday he had no concerns as he prepared to testify in a court case that may see him disqualified from politics.

The Constitutional Court is considering whether the former leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP) violated regulations prohibiting parliamentarians from owning stock in media firms.

The 43-year-old has stated that he will run for politics again, but if the court rules against him, he may be barred from ever serving in parliament.

Although the MFP won the most seats in Thailands general election in May, Pita was prevented from becoming prime minister by conservative forces hostile to his reform agenda.

Ive been waiting for this day a long time so that I can communicate with others that I am confident of the truth, Pita told reporters as he arrived at court.

I dont have any concerns. I am happy to answer all questions.

The case revolves around shares in the long-defunct ITV television station, which Pita says he inherited from his father when he died.

MFP rode support from young and urban Thais weary of a near-decade of military rule to secure a shock election victory in May, beating the Pheu Thai party of veteran political playmaker Thaksin Shinawatra into second place.

But MFPs pledges to reform Thailands strict royal insult laws, as well as plans to break up business monopolies and take on the militarys influence in politcs, spooked the kingdoms powerful elite.

Pita was blocked by senators  appointed by the last junta  from becoming prime minister, and Pheu Thai formed a coalition that included pro-military parties but shut MFP out of government.

Pita stepped down as party leader in September.
Aiming to secure another cease-fire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israels offensive shows no signs of slowing, Ismail Haniyeh, the top leader of Hamas travelled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

This diplomatic move is part of broader efforts to negotiate a new cease-fire and facilitate the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The visit follows recent rocket attacks by Hamas, triggering air raid sirens in central Israel.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

Thousands more lie buried under the rubble of Gaza, the U.N. estimates. Israel says more than 130 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people  mostly civilians  and taking about 240 hostages.

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war.

But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. The goal is to achieve another cease-fire, and to free more hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope that they lead somewhere, the White Houses national security spokesman, John Kirby, said Wednesday aboard Air Force One while travelling with President Joe Biden to Wisconsin.

Mobile phone and internet service were down across Gaza again on Wednesday, an outage that could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after Oct. 7.

The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. Israels foreign minister travelled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

WIDE GAP REMAINS IN TALKS ON HOSTAGES

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain.

Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis, and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israels release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Hamas said that Haniyeh  who is believed to be based in Qatar but whose movements are rarely publicized  would discuss the war with Egyptian officials, without providing more details.

Ziad Nakhaleh, the leader of the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which took part in the Oct. 7 attack and is also holding hostages, said he would also be going to Egypt in the coming days to participate in the talks.

Egypt, which borders Gaza, is deeply concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees, fearing Israel will not allow them to return.

ISRAEL SAYS FINAL CLEARING UNDERWAY IN THE NORTH

At least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior Health Ministry official.

In southern Gaza, several women and children were among those brought into Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis after strikes overnight and into Wednesday. A boy could be seen sobbing next to his wounded mother, who was laid out on a stretcher, before being lifted up and placed on her chest.

At least five people were killed and dozens injured in another strike that hit three residential homes and a mosque in Gazas southern city of Rafah Wednesday, health officials said.

With the death toll steadily rising, Israel has come under growing pressure to halt or scale back its offensive. But Israeli leaders vow to press ahead until Hamas military and governing capabilities are destroyed and until all hostages are freed.

We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality, saying every member of Hamas is marked for death.

His defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said Tuesday that in southern Gaza, where the military launched a ground incursion focused on Khan Younis in early December, operations will take months.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack.

Israels military says 134 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

UN MEMBERS STILL PUSHING US ON AID RESOLUTION

U.N. Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued in the hopes of getting the U.S. to abstain or vote yes on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany  some of Israels closest allies  joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend.

The Biden administration has called on Israel to take greater steps to spare civilians but has continued to provide diplomatic and military support for the offensive.

Kirby said Wednesday that its important that a resolution include a condemnation of Hamas actions on Oct. 7, recognition that Israel needs to be able to defend itself and a significant commitment by member states to get humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

With inputs from agencies.
In order to defend the rights of this religious minority and bring up their concerns in the US Congress, Republican legislators Pete Sessions and Elise Stefanim announced on Tuesday the creation of the Congressional Hindu Caucus.

According to a media release on Tuesday, the caucus, which was first formed during the 115th Congress, is still playing a crucial role in creating a link between the Hindu-American community and decision-makers.

The inauguration of the Congressional Hindu Caucus marks a significant step towards recognising and amplifying the voice of the Hindu-American community in our nations capitol. We are committed to addressing their concerns, celebrating their contributions, and ensuring their perspectives are heard at the highest levels of government, Sessions said.

Under the direction of Congressman Sessions and Chairwoman Stefanik, the Congressional Hindu Caucus aims to represent the principles that are important to the Hindu-American community, according to the statement.

Representing Hindus from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, the Caucus embodies a heterogeneous coalition.

According to the declaration, it also comprises adherents of other religions having Indian ancestry, including Buddhism, Jains, and Sikhs.

The senators claim that the Congressional Hindu Caucus supports budgetary restraint, free entrepreneurship, limited government, strong family values, and a courageous foreign policy posture opposing authoritarian governments.

This proactive strategy not only increases the impact of Hindu Americans in Washington, D.C., but also deepens their presence there and helps shape a more varied and representative country.

Congressman Andy Biggs is among the members of the Caucus, in addition to Congressman Sessions and Chairwoman Stefanik, according to the statement.

(With agency inputs)
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin travelled to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier on Wednesday to meet with crew tasked with maintaining a presence aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from escalating into a more widespread regional crisis.

The nuclear-powered Ford, a small, floating city of over 4,000 people with eight squadrons of aircraft, became a powerful symbol of American resolve by rushing closer to Israel after it was attacked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Austins visit coincides with efforts to encourage Israel to modify its Gaza bombardment strategy, emphasizing the swift addressing of humanitarian needs for Palestinian civilians. Simultaneously, the US is vigilant about the potential for Israel to initiate a military operation along its northern border with Lebanon to remove Hezbollah terrorists, potentially creating a second front and expanding the scope of the conflict.

Austin has extended the Fords deployment three times, hoping its presence would make Iran and Iran-aligned groups  particularly Lebanons Hezbollah  think twice before joining the fight against Israel.

This carrier and crew are making history. Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things that we stop from happening, Austin said in an all-hands call broadcast over the ships intercom.

And at a moment of huge tensions in the region, you all have been the lynchpin to preventing a wider regional conflict.

He later told reporters travelling with him: One of our goals is to make sure that the crisis in Gaza does not expand into a regional conflict. And I think weve done a good job of managing that.

Austin discussed planning for the transition with Israeli leaders on Monday in Tel Aviv, with an international outcry mounting over the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

Asked whether the risk of regional war would be reduced when and if Israel shifts to a lower-intensity campaign in Gaza, Austin said on Wednesday: If that happens its hard to speculate but I think its logical thatwe would see some reduction in activity.

When Israel might start the transition is unclear, and Austin told reporters while in Israel that he was not there to dictate timelines to the close American ally.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Austin didnt say whether U.S. troops might be further extended to defend Israel if its campaign expands into Lebanon, and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to tone down recent rhetoric that a northern front was imminent, deferring to diplomatic efforts first.

Still, that leaves incredible uncertainty for the Ford and its crew, which Austin ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean to be closer to Israel the day after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. The aircraft carriers more than 4,000 sailors and the accompanying warships were supposed to be home in early November.

Using the public address system of the Ford, which is sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Israel, Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up spending the holidays together because of the mission.

Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things we stop from happening, Austin told the crew. In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict.

The defence secretary met with a group of sailors in Fords hangar bay to talk about the various dangers in the region that the carrier, the destroyers and the cruisers deployed along with it have been watching.

He thanked them for keeping attention on cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and later told reporters travelling with him that if Israel transitions away from major combat operations in Gaza, it could ease some of the regional tension that has kept the Ford in place.

The Fords commanding officer, Navy Capt. Rick Burgess, said one of Fords main contributions has been to stay close enough to Israel that it can send its aircraft in to provide support if needed. While Fords fighter and surveillance aircraft are not contributing to the surveillance needs of Israels operations in Gaza, other ships in its strike group are, Burgess said.

The Ford is one of two U.S. carrier strike groups bracketing the conflict. The other, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, has recently patrolled near the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea waterway where so many commercial vessels have come under attack in recent weeks.

Iranian-backed Houthis in nearby Yemen have vowed to continue striking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones until Israel ceases its devastating bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed more than 19,000 Palestinians.

To counter the ship attacks, Austin announced a new international maritime mission Tuesday to get countries to send their warships and other assets to the southern Red Sea, to protect the roughly 400 commercial vessels that transit the waterway daily.

Since it left Norfolk in the first week of May, the Fords fighter aircraft and surveillance planes have conducted more than 8,000 missions. The crew, Austin noted, has been moving at full speed  consuming more than 100,000 Monster energy drinks and 155,000 Red Bulls along the way.

With inputs from agencies.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday that it has approved the first test to determine whether some individuals are at risk of opioid addiction.

SOLVD Health, a privately held company, created the AvertD test. The FDA approved AutoGenomics, a unit that SOLVD acquired in 2019.

AvertD is meant to be used prior to the initial use of oral opioid painkillers in individuals who are being considered for a 4 to 30 day prescription for the management of acute pain, such as those undergoing a planned surgical procedure.

It is a prescription-only genetic laboratory test for people 18 and older who have never used oral opioid medications.

The test involves swabbing the cheek of a patient to collect a DNA sample that is then used to determine if there is a combination of genetic variants that may be associated with an elevated risk of developing opioid use disorder.

The addictive potential of the painkillers has fueled an opioid epidemic that has caused more than half a million overdose deaths in the United States over a period spanning more than two decades.

AvertD is not intended to be used in patients being treated for chronic pain, the FDA said.

An advisory panel to the health regulator in October last year had convened to discuss an earlier version of the test.
The United States implemented new sanctions on Wednesday targeting alleged violators accused of breaching the $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil, alongside reinforcing compliance regulations for insurance firms and shippers.

Several firms based in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong were identified for economic sanctions, including UAE-based Sun Ship Management D Ltd., owned by Russian state-operated fleet operator Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot.

Additionally, Hong Kong-based Covart Energy, which has expanded its involvement in the trade of Russian oil following the implementation of the price cap policy and Hong Kong-based Bellatrix Energy, were also subject to sanctions.

Firm administrators were not available for comment to The Associated Press. The sanctions, which follow others imposed this year on shippers of Russian oil priced above the cap, block their access to their U.S.-owned property and prevent U.S. individuals and firms from doing business with the groups.

The price cap coalition also announced Wednesday that it will soon require service providers, including shippers and movers of Russian oil, to receive attestations from their purchasers and sellers each time they lift or load Russian oil.

The coalition will also require insurance and freight firms to share these documents upon request with entities further down the supply chain, a Treasury news release states.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the sanctions demonstrate our commitment to upholding the principles of the price cap policy, which advance the goals of supporting stable energy markets while reducing Russian revenues to fund its war against Ukraine.

Participants in the maritime transport of Russian oil, he said, must adhere to the compliance guidelines agreed upon by the Price Cap Coalition or face the consequences.

The United States, European Union, countries in the Group of Seven and Australia, imposed a $60 a barrel limit last year on Russian oil.

Any purchases above the cap would violate the agreed-upon policy. The cap was designed to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network.

The price cap was rolled out to equal parts skepticism and hopefulness that the policy would stave off Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

In addition to the price cap, the allied nations have hit Russia with thousands of sanctions over the course of the nearly three-year war. The sanctions are aimed at bank and financial transactions, technology imports, manufacturing and Russians with government connections.

With inputs from AP.
As the two parties continue to seek a settlement, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate indicated Tuesday that Washington will be unable to approve further funding for Ukraine before the end of the year.

As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action early in the new year, Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement.

In the time remaining this year, Senate and Administration negotiators will continue to work in good faith toward finalizing their agreement.

Challenging issues remain, but we are committed to addressing needs at the southern border and to helping allies and partners confront serious threats in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific. The Senate will not let these national security challenges go unanswered.

The news from Capitol Hill was another setback for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose government has warned of a dire need for firearms as winter approaches.

Zelenskyy flew to Washington in mid-December to plead for the aid, his third trip to the US capital in a year.

Zelenskyy remained optimistic, declaring at a press conference on Tuesday that the US will not betray his besieged country.

In recent months, Ukraines military has failed to stage a strong counteroffensive, and Russian pressure on the frontlines remains intense.

Conditions on new aid

The congressional impasse is also a blow to President Joe Biden, who has made support for Ukraine and the strengthening of the Atlantic alliance hallmarks of his foreign policy.

Ten months ago, Biden visited Ukraine, the first trip by a US leader to a war-torn country not under US control, underscoring his commitment.

But almost two years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine  and more than $110 billion in US taxpayer money released by Congress  questions have come to the fore more insistently about how open-ended the US support is.

Republicans in particular have begun to find the cost too steep. They have made their support for the new package conditional on a drastic tightening of US immigration policy. However, haggling on this hot-button issue did not conclude in time.

To improve prospects for the proposal amid some fatigue over the grinding war, Biden tied his Ukraine request to a proposal to offer $14 billion to Israel, a US ally with broad bipartisan support.

So far, the tactic hasnt pay off.

Hurdles in the House

Since Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine, the Kremlin has bet that Western military support would ebb. Any hesitation on the part of Kyivs allies reinforces Russias belief that its gamble will pay off.

However, the failure of Congress to approve this package does not mean the end of US support for Kyiv.

US lawmakers return to work on January 8, and Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate have stated their intention to approve the package, which includes military, humanitarian and macro-economic components.

It is in the lower House, which must also approve the aid package, where things get complicated.

New House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, is not opposed in principle to extending US aid, but claims that there is a lack of oversight.

What the Biden administration seems to want are billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, with no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people are owed, Johnson asserted after his interview with Zelenskyy on Tuesday.

Johnson, meanwhile, has the hard right of his own party to contend with, including those who dont want to disburse one penny more to Ukraine.

Among them are lawmakers, many close to former president Donald Trump, who were active in the effort to remove the past Speaker in October, accusing him among other things of concluding a secret deal on Ukraine with Democrats.

Zelenskyy voiced awareness of impending risks, saying the return of Trump to the White House could have a strong impact on the war in Ukraine.
In a sudden shift in Ottawas tone with New Delhi, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he does not want a fight right now over the issue of the Nijjar killing. Instead, he expressed his willingness to collaborate with India in advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy.

Trudeau said We dont want to be in a situation of fighting with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy, Trudeau told the CBC.

But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for peoples rights, for peoples safety, and for the rule of law. And thats what were going to do, he said.

However, Trudeau also said that he senses a change in Indias tone with Ottawa after the United States warned New Delhi about its involvement in a thwarted plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil, the CBC reported on Wednesday.

I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they cant bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before, Trudeau said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Theres an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isnt going to make this problem go away, he added.

Trudeau announced Sept. 18 that Canadian intelligence agencies were pursuing credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, upending diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The U.S. Justice Department in November charged a man accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist  a U.S. citizen of Indian origin living in New York City, alleging that an Indian government official directed the plan. U.S. officials did not name the targeted person.

After the U.S. revelations, Canadian officials pressed India to cooperate in its investigation of the June murder, which drew renewed attention to the movement for a Sikh homeland in northern India.

New Delhi had angrily rejected Canadas claim, sparking a diplomatic row, with both sides expelling diplomats and trade talks potentially destabilized. By contrast, India said it was taking the U.S. indictment seriously and investigating.

Both the United States and Canada are seeking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

With inputs from agencies.
Microsoft recently rebranded the Bing Chat to Copilot and added a plugin feature, enabling developers to enhance its capabilities. Now, the company has partnered with Suno, a leader in AI-based music creation, to bring its capabilities to Microsoft Copilot via the Suno plugin.

You can create fun, clever, and personalized songs with a simple prompt. Microsoft Copilot and Suno will do all the hard work for you, matching the song to cues in your prompt, said the company. To utilize this plugin, follow the steps listed below:

Visit the Microsoft Copilot website and ensure youre signed in with your Microsoft account.

Enable the Suno plugin or click on the Suno logo that says, Make music with Suno.

Ask Copilot to create a song for you, such as Create a pop song about adventures with your family.

Enjoy the song and share it with your friends.

Apart from Suno, you can also play around with other Copilot plugins, such as Kayak, which lets you search for flights, stays, and rental cars; openTable, which provides you with restaurant recommendations; and Instakart, which helps you with recipes and grocery delivery.

We can expect Copilot to get more plugins to work with in the near future.
News

editor's pick centerpiece featured

Galveston beach excavation part of debris cleanup project

jenniferreynolds / JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News A heavy equipment operator shapes a dune at the west end of the seawall in Galveston on Tuesday as workers plant the newly formed dune with beach grasses and plants. jenniferreynolds / JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News Workers plant beach grasses in a newly formed dune at the West End of the seawall in Galveston on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The crews are sifting the sand from a beach replenishment project that was laden with chunks of brick, concrete and metal. jenniferreynolds / JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News A work crew sifts and moves sand near the Seascape Condominiums in Galveston on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The crews are clearing the sand of chunks of brick, concrete and metal found after a beach replenishment project.

GALVESTON

Excavation and sifting of sand on a stretch of West End beaches is part of a project to clean up concrete, metal and debris left dumped on the shore during a $6.8 million beach nourishment project.

The Texas General Land Office, which manages Gulf Coast beaches and bays, along with Galveston Park Board of Trustees staff, have been manually removing debris since July. But mounding of sand and appearance of heavy equipment by a contractor has piqued curiosity among islanders.

Beaumont-based Apollo Environmental Strategies Inc., which in February completed a project to spread 119,000 cubic yards of sand as part of a Hurricane Harvey beach repair project, is using a track-mounted mobile screening plant to remove material and debris larger than 1 inch.

The project is on about 960 linear feet of beach running from the west end of the seawall to near Dellanera RV Park, 10901 Termini-San Luis Pass Road.

Crews are moving the screening plant along the beach starting at the west end of the Hurricane Harvey repair work area in a series of sand-screening sections, the land office said.

For each section, crews are excavating previously placed sand down to beach level before the Harvey repair and transporting it to the screening plant. After the sand is screened, its returned to the beach nourishment section, the land office said.

The work will continue to the seawalls west terminus, the land office said.

The company that supplied the sand for the Harvey repair project is picking up all the debris screened out and hauling it off for appropriate disposal, the land office said.

Beachgoers and nearby homeowners on the islands West End in early May alerted officials to debris such as concrete, metal, clay and sharp seashells buried in the sand in front of SeaScape Condos, 10811 Termini-San Luis Pass Road.

Representatives from the Texas General Land Office, which manages Gulf Coast beaches and bays, later that month traveled to Galveston on what they called a fact-finding mission and promised to remove the debris.

At the time, David Green, deputy director of Coastal Resources for the land office, said the state agency didnt know the source of the beach debris but was disappointed it could be related to the nourishment project.

In February, Beaumont-based Apollo Environmental Strategies Inc. completed the beach construction project that resulted in about 119,000 cubic yards of sand placed along a span of West End beach at the end of the seawall. The company hauled trucks of sand from Texas International Terminals, 4800 Old Port Industrial Road in Galveston.

The land office this week said it had determined debris had been mixed in with the material obtained by Apollo for the Hurricane Harvey repair work. Apollo began debris removal Nov. 28. Apollo is responsible for removing the debris under a contract warranty, land office officials said Tuesday.

This is construction contract warranty work, so all costs of removing the debris are being borne by the contractor, land office officials said in a statement Tuesday.

The determination was that debris had been mixed in with the material obtained by the contractor for the Harvey repair from the material stockpile at the borrow source, the land office said. At time of placement, the presence of this debris within the material was not evident.

The material came from a land office-approved sand source and supplied to Apollo, which loaded, hauled and placed the material, Todd Sullivan, president of Texas International Terminals, told The Daily News in May.

The beach nourishment project was a part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency claim in conjunction with the land offices Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act grant.

Beach nourishment is the process of placing additional sand on a beach or in the nearshore. A wider and higher beach can provide storm protection for coastal structures, create new habitat and enhance the beach for recreation.

Apollo expects the work to be complete and final walkthrough by the end of the year at the earliest or by the first week in January by the latest, the land office said.

Only sections of the beach from which sand is being excavated, screened and placed back on the beach will be temporarily closed for safety, land office officials said.
Google to Pay $700 Million, Streamline Sideloading in Play Store Antitrust Settlement News -Shonit Khanna

Google has reached a settlement regarding its Play Store operations, laying out a series of changes poised to impact millions of users and developers.

Following antitrust concerns raised by 36 US states and the District of Columbia, the tech giant will implement a variety of measures that redefine how consumers and developers interact with Google Play.

Details of the Google Play Settlement Fund

The settlement agreement, disclosed in September, reveals a substantial financial commitment from Google. A whopping $630 million will be injected into a settlement fund intended to benefit consumers who made purchases through Google Play Billing from 2016 to 2023. Additionally, Google will allocate $70 million to a fund used by the states involved in the lawsuit.

Compensation for Eligible Consumers

According to the settlement terms, each eligible consumer stands to receive a minimum of $2, with the potential for additional compensation proportional to their Google Play spending during the specified period. The Washington Post estimates over 100 million eligible consumers, with automated payments expected to reach 70% of them without the need to file a claim.

Streamlining the Android Sideloading Process

Android users can look forward to a more streamlined sideloading process. Google has committed to simplifying the system and educating users on potential risks when downloading apps from the web. These updates aim to balance ease of use with safety, ensuring a clear understanding of sideloading for at least the next five years.

Increased Flexibility for Android OEMs

The settlement further stipulates that for four years, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will have the freedom to offer alternative app stores out of the box, without Google's interference. In the upcoming Android 14, alternative app stores will gain the capacity to manage app updates, adding a new layer of autonomy for both OEMs and third-party providers.

User Choice Billing Expansion

Google is also expanding its User Choice Billing system, which lowers Google's fees by 4%, allowing apps and games to present their own billing options. This move is set to encourage competition and provide users with diverse payment alternatives. Developers will also have the capability to offer different pricing options within their apps.

A New Era for Google Play

The approved changes to Google Play mark the start of a new chapter that promises to enhance consumer choice and developer freedom in the Android ecosystem. While this settlement is a step forward, it is separate from the jury trial with Epic Games that also found Google guilty of maintaining an "illegal monopoly."

Remedies from that trial are pending, and Google intends to challenge the verdict. Despite the ongoing legal battles, the current settlement could potentially set the stage for a more competitive and open digital marketplace.

FAQ's What are the key changes Google is implementing in the Play Store operations? Google is simplifying the sideloading process, allowing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to offer alternative app stores without interference, expanding its User Choice Billing system, and implementing changes to the way consumers and developers interact with Google Play following antitrust concerns.

How much has Google committed to the settlement fund for consumers? Google has committed $630 million to a settlement fund for consumers who made purchases through Google Play Billing from 2016 to 2023.

What will the settlement fund for the states involved in the lawsuit comprise? The settlement fund for the states involved in the lawsuit will comprise $70 million.

How much compensation is each eligible consumer expected to receive from the settlement? Each eligible consumer stands to receive a minimum of $2, with the possibility of additional compensation proportional to their Google Play spending during the specified period.

What new capabilities will alternative app stores have in Android 14 as part of the settlement? In Android 14, alternative app stores will gain the capacity to manage app updates, adding a new layer of autonomy for both OEMs and third-party providers.

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Revolutionizing Language Translation: PM Modi uses AI Tool to Speak in Tamil in Latest Speech News -Rohit Agrawal

In a country as linguistically diverse as India, the need for effective communication across different languages is paramount. The recent event featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a Tamil-speaking audience at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi showcased a revolutionary solution to this challenge.

Leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence, PM Modi used Bhashini, an AI-based translation tool, for real-time speech translation, thus bypassing the language barrier and connecting with the audience in their native tongue.

Unveiling Bhashini: An AI-Driven Linguistic Innovation

Bhashini, also known as BHASa INterface for India or Digital India Bhashini, is more than just an AI-driven language translation tool-it is a bridge connecting the myriad of Indian languages in a seamless and interactive manner.

Since its launch by PM Modi in July of the previous year, Bhashini has served as an indispensable asset in a multilingual society. The tool's ability to facilitate communication across languages was exemplified during Modi's speech, where it performed real-time translation into Tamil, illustrating the potential of this technology to make interactions more inclusive.

Exploring Bhashini's Multifaceted Capabilities

The spectrum of services offered by Bhashini is vast, as detailed by Bhashini's Chief Executive Officer, Amitabh Nag, during an interaction with Business Today's Sakshi at the Digital India Experience Zone of the G20 Summit.

The platform boasts automatic speech recognition in up to 14 languages, text translation in 22 languages, and speech synthesis in 14 languages. Remarkably, the tool can also perform speech-to-speech translation, enriching the communication process by enabling real-time interchange between different Indian languages.

Furthermore, the Bhashini platform offers a 'Bhasha Daan' section to involve the public in crowdsourcing initiatives, greatly enhancing the platform's linguistic database.

Bhashini's Evolution: From Translation to Conversational AI

One of the intriguing aspects of Bhashini is its Jugalbandi app, which utilizes generative AI to recognize spoken questions and provide coherent answers. This function is especially beneficial for those who may lack digital literacy, as it allows for interaction through spoken language.

As Nag points out, the current focus is on specific topics, but the horizon for Bhashini is expanding, with developments underway to encompass a broader range of subjects. This evolution signifies Bhashini's commitment to not just translate but to foster understanding and knowledge sharing.

A Significant Stride Towards Linguistic Unity

The advent of Bhashini represents a significant stride towards linguistic unity in a diverse nation like India. This AI-driven platform exemplifies how technology can transcend traditional constraints, offering new avenues for communication and learning.

The impact of such innovations is not limited to convenience; they foster inclusivity and understanding in a multilingual society. As Bhashini continues to evolve and integrate more languages and features, it stands as a testament to the potential of AI in enriching human interactions and bridging gaps between cultures.

For a nation that prides itself on its linguistic heritage, Bhashini arrives as a beacon of modern unity, harnessing the power of technology to celebrate and connect the mosaic of Indian languages.

FAQ's What is Bhashini, and how is it used? Bhashini, also known as BHASa INterface for India or Digital India Bhashini, is an AI-driven language translation tool that facilitates communication across different Indian languages by providing services like automatic speech recognition, text translation, and speech synthesis in multiple languages.

How did Prime Minister Narendra Modi utilize Bhashini during his speech at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam? Prime Minister Narendra Modi used Bhashini for real-time speech translation into Tamil, which helped him to overcome the language barrier and connect with the Tamil-speaking audience.

What are the features of the Bhashini platform as detailed by its CEO, Amitabh Nag? The Bhashini platform offers features such as automatic speech recognition in up to 14 languages, text translation in 22 languages, speech synthesis in 14 languages, and speech-to-speech translation, as well as a 'Bhasha Daan' section for crowdsourcing linguistic data.

What is the Jugalbandi app, and how does it contribute to the Bhashini platform? The Jugalbandi app is a part of the Bhashini platform that uses generative AI to recognize spoken questions and provide coherent answers, making it particularly useful for individuals with limited digital literacy as it allows interaction through spoken language.

What impact does Bhashini aim to have on Indian society? Bhashini aims to foster inclusivity, understanding, and communication in a multilingual society like India, by offering a technologically advanced solution to bridge linguistic gaps and enrich human interactions.

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Nathan graduated with his journalism degree from Auburn University in 2017. After growing up in the flatlands of rural Alabama with his parents and older sister, Nathan enjoys Western Colorado's natural resources and recreational opportunities. He currently covers education and business for The Daily Sentinel.
Rachael Gonzales / Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff weighs the wolf known as 2304-OR on Sunday after capturing the wolf in Oregon. The wolf, as well as four others, were transported to Colorado and released Monday in Grand County.
24h Recap: December 18th, 2023, 10:00

IDF Press Release

War Against Hamas

18.12.23

IDF

The IDF is continuing to operate against Hamas terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the Gaza Strip

During IDF operational activity in Jabalya, IDF troops located 5,000,000 NIS worth of funds designated for terrorist activity inside a senior Hamas terrorist's residence. The funds were found in suitcases alongside numerous weapons.





IDF troops also struck terrorist infrastructure where weapons were located, including explosive devices, military equipment, and RPGs. A cache of mortars and ammunition was also located in the basement of the structure. Terror tunnel shafts and launch pits in the area were also destroyed.

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Hezbollah Fires at Israel From Areas Near UN and Lebanese Armed Forces Posts

IDF Press Release

Press Release

18.12.23

IDF

Since October 7th, the Hezbollah terrorist organization has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israel, including rocket, anti-tank missile and UAV attacks on communities and military positions in northern Israel. To date, five Israeli civilians have been killed in these attacks and 80,000 civilians in northern Israel have evacuated their homes.



By continuing to operate and fire projectiles and UAVs from southern Lebanon at Israel, Hezbollah is violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701.



Moreover, Hezbollah has carried out many of these attacks from areas near UN positions and Lebanese Armed Forces compounds. This demonstrates Hezbollah's blatant abuse of the international and national institutions responsible for security in southern Lebanon.



While Hezbollah continues to violate UNSCR 1701, the IDF will continue to defend Israel's northern border from any threat.

Attached is a map of Hezbollah fire toward Israel from within southern Lebanon:

Attached are infographics detailing incidents of rocket attacks carried out adjacent to LAF posts:

Attached is an infographic detailing a Hezbollah rocket attack fired adjacent to LAF and UNIFIL posts:

Attached are infographics detailing Hezbollah rocket launches toward Israel near U.N compounds that occurred in two separate occasions in the same week and in the same location:

Attached is a video featuring a Hezbollah anti-tank missile fired from civilian infrastructure in Hula toward Margaliot in Israel on the 21st of October:

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Canada to participate in United States-led Operation PROSPERITY GUARDIAN

National Defence

News release

December 19, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario, Department of National Defence

Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that Canada will participate in Combined Maritime Forces' (CMF) Op PROSPERITY GUARDIAN, a United States-led operation announced by the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III.

The operation has been stood up to protect the free flow of commerce and safety of navigation into the Red Sea and Western Gulf of Aden, through which one-sixth of the global economic trade passes.

The Red Sea is a crucial artery for the world economy. Anchored by two strategic waterways - the Suez Canal and the Bab-al-Mandeb - impacts to the free flow of commerce have a cascading negative economic impact. The 1958 Convention on the High Seas protects the freedom of navigation on the high seas for all States. Safeguarding this widely-accepted law bolsters the rules-based international order, as Canada is committed to doing. Under this operation, international naval forces will patrol the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden providing assurance to the maritime industry, deterring illegal activity and the threat to safe navigation and international freedoms.

The Canadian Armed Forces are deploying 3 staff officers to support the operation. These CAF members will deploy as early as next week under Op ARTEMIS - the CAF operation in support of peace and security in Middle East waters. As part of Op ARTEMIS, the CAF periodically deploys ships and aircrafts, as well as land-based support, to work with our international partners to help secure the region.

Through its contributions to the Combined Maritime Forces under Op ARTEMIS, Canada seeks to support the rules-based international order and ensure the security of some of the world's busiest and most vital waterways.

Quick facts

Combined Maritime Forces Operation Prosperity Guardian brings together an international coalition to ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (GoA).

Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity.

CMF is the world's largest multinational maritime partnership, formed to uphold the rules-based international order by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters.

There are currently five CAF officers in staff positions supporting the various CMF task forces.

Canada's contribution to the CMF takes place through Operation ARTEMIS. Through this mission, Canada seeks to support the rules-based international order and ensure the security of one of the world's busiest and most vital waterways.

The CAF's contribution to of military personnel and civilian staff within the CMF demonstrates Canada's commitment to peace and stability in the region by working alongside Canada's allies and partners.

Canada is currently filling the role of deputy commander of CTF-154 which leads multinational maritime training at locations across the Middle East.

Canada rotates command of CTF-150 (Maritime Security operations outside the Arabian Gulf) with other participating nations, having last commanded from January-July 2021, and will assume command again in January 2024.

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New agreement strengthens defense cooperation between Denmark and the United States

Danish Ministry of Defence

The Danish government has negotiated a bilateral defense agreement with the United States, extending the possibilities for cooperation activities on Danish soil.

December 19, 2023

After eighteen months of negotiations, Denmark and the United States have agreed on a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). The agreement will enable a more permanent presence of American military personnel at specific military installations in Denmark.

"The Defense Cooperation Agreement is a historic agreement for Denmark. It will strengthen defense and security cooperation with our most important ally. Strong bilateral ties and close cooperation with the United States in NATO are crucial for our security in Europe. The agreement will improve access to Danish territory for American military personnel. This will enable the United States to contribute even more to our collective defense and deterrence in Europe - a core responsibility for NATO", says Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen.

"In a world characterised by insecurity, mistrust and confrontation, it is important for Denmark to have strong relations with the United States. The Defence Cooperation Agreement will benefit Denmark and the Danish citizens. The closer cooperation with the United States will strengthen European security, and it shows that Denmark is ready to take more responsibility. This is good for both Europe and cooperation in NATO," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Lkke Rasmussen.

The DCA entails that American personnel and materiel can be stationed at specific Danish military installations for both short and long term. Specifically, the agreement will allow American personnel access to three Danish air bases in Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are not covered by the agreement. American presence in Denmark will be subject to close coordination with the Danish Armed Forces and other relevant Danish authorities.

The United States has signed similar bilateral defense cooperation agreements with a number of European allies in recent years to improve the access to European territory for American personnel. Finland and Sweden have recently signed similar agreements with the United States.

The agreement between Denmark and the United States will enter into force when both parties have signed and implemented the agreement.

"Today, the Danish government has consulted with the parliamentary Foreign-Policy Committee about its intention to enter into the agreement. I have also informed all political parties behind the current Danish Defense Agreement. The next step is the signing of the agreement, subject to each party completing its internal procedures necessary for the agreement to enter into force. For Denmark, this will require approval from the Danish Parliament given that certain legislation will need to be amended. This legislative process will begin once the agreement has been signed", concludes Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen.

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December 19, 2023

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Virtual Conference on Red Sea Maritime Security

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

During his trip to the Middle East, Secretary Austin convened a virtual ministerial with Ministers, Chiefs of Defense, and senior representatives from 43 countries, as well as the European Union and NATO, to discuss the increased threat to maritime security in the Red Sea. Secretary Austin reaffirmed U.S. commitment to freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways and outlined the ways Houthi attacks are destabilizing maritime security. Secretary Austin underscored that attacks had already impacted the global economy and would continue to threaten commercial shipping if the international community did not come together to address the issue collectively. Secretary Austin condemned Houthi attacks on international shipping and global commerce as unprecedented and unacceptable, noting the attacks threaten the free flow of commerce and endanger innocent mariners.



The Secretary and senior Department of Defense leadership, including the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Kurilla, and the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, Vice Admiral Cooper, briefed participants that the Houthis had conducted over 100 one-way uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and ballistic missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different nations. They highlighted that the Houthis had taken the Merchant Vessel GALAXY LEADER and its 25-member international crew hostage on November 19; the crew remain unjustly detained in Yemen. Participants discussed how the attacks are a flagrant violation of international law, and the Houthis must cease their aggressive actions. Currently, 10-15% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, and international shipping companies are having to reroute through the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to the delivery of key goods and materials, including oil and gas.



To address this unprecedented series of attacks, the Secretary urged participants to join U.S.-led and other international initiatives and work with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) and the 39-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) to restore security in the Red Sea to deter future Houthi aggression. Secretary Austin pointed to CMF's Task Force 153charged with international maritime security and capacity-building in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Adenas an existing multi-lateral platform that could be leveraged to deter attacks under the CMF. He reiterated that the international community is faced with an unprecedented global challenge that demands collective action. The United States will continue to consult and work alongside allies and partners, who share the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3621292/

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December 19, 2023

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting in Bahrain

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

On December 19, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the Commander in Chief of Bahrain's Defense Force, His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, in Manama, Bahrain.

The Secretary emphasized the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Bahrain, as reflected most recently in the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA). The Secretary thanked Bahrain's leaders for working together with the United States to promote regional security and stability.

Secretary Austin thanked the King and Crown Prince for Bahrain's generosity in hosting U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) and its leadership in regional integration and maritime security efforts. The Secretary condemned increased Houthi aggression to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and emphasized that Houthi aggression toward commercial vessels transiting critical waterways pose risks to the free flow of commerce. Secretary Austin conveyed his desire to work with all nations who share an interest in freedom of navigation.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3621725/

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December 19, 2023

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Visit to Qatar

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

On December 19, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Qatar. He separately met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah.

In both meetings, Secretary Austin underscored commitment to the bilateral strategic relationship. Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of the defense partnership with Qatar, a Major Non-NATO Ally. He also highlighted Qatar's vital regional leadership role. The Secretary thanked both ministers for Qatar's critical efforts to secure the release of 110 hostages held by Hamas, and expressed hope that Hamas will release the remaining hostages. He reiterated the need for regional de-escalation and underscored that the increase in U.S. military posture is a message to state and non-state actors seeking to escalate.

Secretary Austin also discussed Houthi threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and emphasized that Houthi aggression toward commercial vessels transiting critical waterways poses risks to the global economy. Secretary Austin conveyed U.S. desire to work with all nations who share an interest in freedom of navigation to secure safe passage for global shipping.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3622292/

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December 19, 2023

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Call With Cypriot Minister of Defense Michalis Giorgallas

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Cypriot Minister of Defense Michalis Giorgallas to thank him for Cyprus' close partnership in enabling U.S. support for humanitarian operations and to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens in the region. Secretary Austin commended Cyprus for its steadfast support to Ukraine and role in supporting the flow of humanitarian aid to Israel and Gaza. The two leaders also expressed appreciation for the expanding bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Cyprus.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3622439/

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Pevkur: about a hundred truckloads of ammunition have arrived in Estonia this year

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence

19. December 2023

As an example of the rapid development of Estonia's military defence capabilities, the acquisition of large quantities of ammunition continued in 2023. At a press conference held Monday, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur revealed that about a hundred truckloads of ammunition have arrived in Estonia this year alone.

"The rapid development of Estonia's national defence is unavoidable because of the complex security situation caused by Russia's war of aggression. This year for the first time Estonian taxpayers have entrusted more than 1 billion euros to military defence, more than half of which has been channelled into procurements to directly increase our defence capabilities," said Pevkur.

According to the Minister of Defence, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Estonia has made decisions that have led us to invest twice as much in ammunition stockpiles as was spent during the previous thirty years following the restoration of independence. Over the next four years, about a quarter of Estonia's defence budget will be spent on ammunition. A significant number of ammunition storage facilities will also be built. "It will be difficult to put it on display at a parade, but its impact on our defence is crucial," Pevkur said.

Other major contracts signed this year include the IRIS-T medium-range air defence system, loitering munition, and major procurements of wheeled armoured vehicles and military vehicles. This year, in addition to various batches of ammunition, Estonia received six additional K9 self-propelled howitzers and naval mines, enhancing maritime capabilities. Anti-ship missile systems are also expected soon, which will increase Estonia's long-range precision strike capability.

The wartime composition of the Estonian Defence Forces has been increased to 43,700 combatants, including the important element of doubling territorial defence to 20,000. To this end, the six-week territorial defence reservist training exercise Ussisonad (Parseltongue) was organised from August to October, covering the whole of Estonia in a blanket of security. In May, exercise Spring Storm (Kevadtorm) 2023 took place, with nearly 14,000 conscripts, reservists, active servicemen, members of the Defence League, and allied soldiers from 11 countries participating.

"Estonia's independent defence capability is supported by our membership in NATO and the presence of NATO allies in Estonia," Pevkur said. "We have signed a ten-year cooperation agreement with the United Kingdom, the lead country of the NATO Battlegroup in Estonia, France has made its presence in Estonia permanent and we have units from the United States, the world's strongest military force," the Minister of Defence said.

This year Estonia continued to provide military assistance to Ukraine, sending nearly 250 million euros in arms and equipment, while spearheading several international initiatives to support Ukraine.

"Ukraine's fight for freedom can only succeed if the allies continue to support the Ukrainians with real and substantial aid of 0.25 per cent of gross domestic product per year. It is not just Ukraine that is at stake, but also the security of Estonia, the transatlantic community and the wider world," Pevkur said.

Slides from the press conference can be found here.

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Increased funding for humanitarian response in Afghanistan

Government of Norway

Press release | Date: 19/12/2023

'I am pleased that we can increase our support to UN agencies operating at the border and inside Afghanistan. As winter looms, needs will increase, making sufficient humanitarian assistance even more critical. Norway remains committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan', said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

Norway increases its support for Afghanistan with USD 3.8 million (NOK 40 million) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and USD 2.9 million (NOK 30 million) to the UN World Food Program (WFP), due to the large influx of Afghans repatriated from Pakistan.

This brings the Norwegian support for the humanitarian response in Afghanistan for 2023 to approximately USD 30.6 million (NOK 320 million).

Since 3 October, Pakistani authorities have implemented a repatriation plan for undocumented foreigners to leave Pakistan, including an estimated 1.3 million undocumented Afghans.

'The Afghans arriving at the border are extremely vulnerable. Many are families with children. According to the UN, most returnees need critical aid, including shelter, water, food, sanitation, healthcare, and protection', said Eide.

Pakistan authorities have imposed limits on the assets Afghans are allowed to bring across the border. This adds a burden and increases the vulnerability of the returnees.

'Most of the recent arrivals to Afghanistan need humanitarian support, which adds to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country. This grave situation deserves more attention', said Eide.

Norway recognizes Pakistan's decades-long solidarity with Afghanistan and the burden associated with being a host country for several million refugees. Norway encourages that the implementation of the repatriation plan respect the human rights and dignity of the individuals concerned. Norway shares UNHCR's concerns about the adverse effects of the arrest, detention and forced return of Afghan nationals, including asylum seekers and individuals with valid documents.

'While the international society is deeply concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, we must not lose sight of other humanitarian crises. Norway has strong sympathy with the Afghan people', said Eide.

In 2023 the total Norwegian aid amounted to approximately USD 83.7 million (NOK 875 million).

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Concerns over spread of the war in Sudan

Government of Norway

News story | Date: 19/12/2023

Norway is deeply concerned by recent developments in the war in Sudan. The spread of the conflict to the eastern parts of Sudan by Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) advance on Wad Medani has dire consequences for the Sudanese civilian population, affecting hundreds of thousands.

Many of them are forced to flee again from the brutalities of war. Up to now, the town has served as a safe haven for displaced people and an important hub for delivery of humanitarian aid.

We are also very worried by the tense situation in El Fasher in Darfur. There is a real risk of escalation of the war by renewed intensification of fighting in Darfur. This would also have a severe impact on the civilians who have sought refuge in the city.

RSF and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to protect civilians. We urge both parties to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.

Sudan's civilian population and their protection must come first.

There is no viable military solution to the conflict. The only way to achieve a sustainable peace is through a representative and inclusive Sudanese process, supported by countries in the region and the international community.

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Swedish Defence Commission submits total defence report

Government Offices of Sweden

19 December 2023

On Tuesday, 19 December 2023, the Swedish Defence Commission submitted its report on the state and further development of the total defence, with a focus on the civilian defence, to Minister for Defence Pal Jonson and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

In the report, the Defence Commission states that it is time for action.

Sweden must shape its security policy and its defence based on the scope of the threat Russia will pose for a long time to come. An aggressive Russia, with both the ability and the will to wage a prolonged war, should form the main foundation for developing Sweden's total defence.

The Swedish Defence Commission states that the civilian component of the total defence must rapidly increase its capability. A sense of urgency must permeate all parts of the Swedish society and the further development of Sweden's total defence in the years to come.

The policies and regulations to build a stronger total defence capability are already partly in place. However, decision-makers - in both the public and private sectors - lack the understanding of what war planning consists of and what it entails. The importance of clear command structures and flexible leadership cannot be emphasised enough.

The basis of the total defence, and the civil defence, is ultimately made up by our population. Everyone has a role to play in the total defence. Ukraine has demonstrated the critical necessity of the population's resilience and will to defend their nation.

The Swedish Defence Commission underlines that Sweden must be able to defend itself against an armed attack, as well as to contribute to the defence of NATO allies. A strong Swedish total defence will be a part of NATO's deterrence. Sweden's commitment - together with its Allies - to the collective defence is central to NATO's deterrence and ultimately how peace is preserved in the Euro-Atlantic area.

To develop the Swedish total defence capability, the Swedish Defence Commission's proposals in its report include the following:

a command chain with clear structures, roles and responsibilities within the civil defence. This includes a transformation of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to become the Government's resource for coordination of the civil defence;

an introduction of four new sectors within the Swedish system for preparedness;

a financial planning framework for civil defence; and

the re-establishment of a system for ensuring private sector war-time involvement.

The Swedish Defence Commission's proposals regarding the military defence as well as the budget for the total defence (civilian and military) will be submitted in the Commission's final report, planned to be submitted 26 April 2024.

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Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari December 19th, 20:05

IDF Press Release

Press Briefing

19.12.23

IDF

Good evening,

We are deepening the fight against Hamas's strongholds. Our forces are fighting above and below ground. Since the beginning of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, IDF forces have discovered approximately 1,500 terrorist tunnel shafts and tunnel routes of Hamas. It's important to explain that this underground infrastructure is one of the main elements in Hamas's terror operations. Dismantling Hamas's underground strongholds in the north, center, and south is a significant step in dismantling Hamas, and it takes time, and our forces are working to carry this out.

Today, we released special footage of special forces from the "Shaldag" Unit of the Air Force fighting inside a Hamas tunnel in the heart of Gaza City. These new breakthrough capabilities allow us to achieve significant accomplishments, including killing terrorists underground. These are networks of terrorist infrastructure, above and below ground, located within hospitals, residential apartments, and schools.

The forces are deepening their operation in the area - destroying weapons, terror tunnels, and killing terrorists. A thorough operation to dismantle Hamas from its capabilities.

In southern Gaza, in the Khan Yunis area, we are intensifying and deepening our operation; we added a whole brigade and additional engineering forces to the operation in the area - engineering forces to improve our engineering operations in the area. We are intensifying forces in the Khan Yunis Hamas' strongholds to dismantle Hamas and will continue to do so with determination wherever required.

This is the war's objective, to dismantle Hamas, and it will take time, as long as necessary.

IDF air and land forces struck a series of Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon throughout the day. These include - terror infrastructure, military buildings, a weapons depot, and a Hezbollah launch site. In addition, we struck a Hezbollah terrorist squad in the Hanita area and killed several Hezbollah terrorists during the day. We will continue to strike any squad that tries or fires towards our territory.

Throughout the day, our forces returned fire to the sources of several launches towards the State of Israel, including Hezbollah's unmanned aerial vehicles.

Among the launches, we were also fired upon from Lebanon, fire that Hamas took responsibility for, and we responded with fire towards the sources of the launches. Hezbollah continues to act as a shield for Hamas-ISIS, endangering the state of Lebanon and its citizens. I repeat, Hezbollah continues to act as a shield for Hamas-ISIS, endangering the state of Lebanon and its citizens.

In the Home Front, I call upon you to continue to follow the Home Front Command's instructions. I remind again - we have an excellent aerial defense system, but the defense is not hermetic.

The return of the hostages is one of the war's objectives - a central war objective. The IDF is investing special forces and intelligence in locating living hostages; this is a top mission. The forces operating in the field are also instructed on how to search for living hostages. We will continue to make all possible efforts to return all the hostages held in Gaza - all possible efforts. We embrace the families of the hostages and continue to accompany them.

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Transit costs in Red Sea up 400% due to Yemeni attacks: Report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Yemeni Armed Forces' warnings to target ships bound to the Israeli-occupied territories have drastically driven up costs of shipping through the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a strategic sea checkpoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The Israeli transit company ZIM has said that the transit cost of navigating each container to the occupied territories has surged from about $100 to $400, the Israel Hayom reported.

Globes, a Hebrew-language daily financial newspaper, reported that since the beginning of this year, Israeli shipping companies have lost approximately 23% of their market value.

The problem is only getting worse for the Israeli regime as major shipping companies have stopped operating in the Red Sea due to a series of attacks on ships bound to the Israeli ports.

The United States has announced the formation of an international maritime task force to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

A Yemeni official said on Tuesday that the US-led coalition will not change the Yemeni military operations in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The spokesman for Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement said that French, British, and American warplanes are now targeting Yemeni reconnaissance planes in the region, adding that their actions will not hinder "our operations in the Red Sea".

"We appreciate the companies that have announced the suspension of shipping to Israeli ports. We only target ships heading for Israel," he added.

4353**2050

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Al-Qassam Brigades launches missile attacks on Tel Aviv

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- The Palestinian resistance forces attacked the central areas of the occupied territories, including the city of Tel Aviv, in response to the crimes committed by the Zionist regime against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"Sama" news agency announced that warning sirens have been sounded in the center of occupied Palestine, including Tel Aviv, the city of "Ellad" and its airport, as well as "Al-Ramlah".

According to this report, several explosions were heard in the south and east of Tel Aviv.

In this regard, the media of the Zionist regime reported that four rockets were launched from Gaza to the center of the occupied Palestine.

The Martyr Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, announced in this regard that in response to the crimes against civilians in Gaza, they targeted Tel Aviv with missiles.

The al-Qassam battalions also announced about the latest developments of the ground battle in the Gaza Strip it targeted a "Hummer" jeep belonging to the enemy army in the "Al-Sheikh Rizwan" neighborhood in Gaza City, and all its occupants were killed.

Meanwhile, Saraya al-Quds also announced the bombing of the gathering place of the Zionist army in Khan Yunes.

2050

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Israel committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza: Iran's deputy FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying that the forced displacement by the Israeli regime of Palestinians in the besieged territory is a clear example of "ethnic cleansing."

In a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Tokyo on Monday, Bagheri Kani condemned the war crimes and genocide perpetrated by the Zionist regime in Gaza.

He emphasized that displacing the people of Gaza within and beyond its borders is a clear example of ethnic cleansing and must be immediately stopped.

"The international community, including Japan, is expected to take further actions in this regard and to, provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza," the deputing foreign minister added.

Bagheri Kani is in Tokyo for a consultative committee of deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Japan.

Kamikawa, for her part, stressed the importance of meetings between deputy foreign ministers to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

4353**2050

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Yemen will confront US-led coalition in Red Sea: Official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- A member of the political bureau of Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement says the Arab country's armed forces will confront any US-led coalition in the Red Sea.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said, "There is indirect contact from countries, including the US", to try to prevent its continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Al-Bukhaiti also said that the US offered not to obstruct efforts toward a lasting peace in Yemen in exchange for the Yemeni armed forces halting their military operations in the Red Sea. "We categorically reject this," he added.

The US has announced plans to build a military coalition in the Red Sea in response to Yemeni attacks on ships bound for Israel in retaliation for the regime's brutal war on the Gaza Strip.

At least 12 shipping companies have already suspended transit through the Red Sea due to safety concerns.

Meanwhile, another member of Ansarullah's political bureau vowed continued support for Palestine amid the Israeli war on Gaza.

"By the grace of God, no power on earth will prevent us from supporting our people in Gaza and opposing the Zionist enemy," Hezam al-Asad wrote in a post on X in Arabic and Hebrew.

Israel waged the devastating war on Gaza on October 7, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out a retaliatory operation against the regime. Regional resistance forces have targeted US and Israeli interests in the region in support of Palestine.

4354**9417

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U.S., Finland sign defense cooperation agreement

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:20, December 19, 2023

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Finland signed a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) on Monday, enhancing military collaboration between the two countries by obligating Helsinki to open its military bases to U.S. forces and allowing the two militaries to conduct joint training, among other measures.

During a signing ceremony at the U.S. State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the agreement, when becoming effective, will enable U.S. and Finnish militaries to collaborate more efficiently and effectively, provide the troops with more opportunities to train together, and bolster NATO's interoperability.

Finland officially became a NATO member in April.

The two countries have had security cooperation over the last three decades in areas like counter-terrorism, Blinken said, adding that such cooperation has also boosted Finland's defense capabilities, including through the recent purchase of F-35 fighter jets by Finland from the United States.

Also attending the signing ceremony, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the signing of the agreement marked "a great milestone" in bilateral relations between the two countries, and "strengthens the security of Nordic and Baltic regions."

For his part, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said the DCA "is a strong sign of U.S. commitment to the defense of Finland and the whole Northern Europe."

But the Finnish side does not "expect the United States to take care of the defense of Finland," and Finland will "continue to invest in our defense and shared burden in our area and beyond," he said.

"However, this agreement significantly enhances our ability to act together in all situations in military, security, defense fields," Hakkanen added.

According to the text of the DCA published by the Finnish government Thursday, the deal will grant U.S. soldiers access to Finland's air force bases, naval bases, garrison areas, training areas, storage areas and Border Guard barracks.

In addition, the DCA would enable U.S. forces to preposition defense equipment, supplies and material in the territory of Finland, and would allow for the entry and movement of U.S. aircraft, vessels and vehicles.

Since the DCA contains provisions of a legislative nature, it is subject to approval by Finland's Parliament.

In August 2022, Finland opened negotiations with the United States on a DCA. The negotiations were concluded in October 2023.

In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that broke out in February 2022, the United States moved to significantly enhance bilateral defense cooperation with Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, which, plus Iceland, are collectively known as Nordic countries.

Washington amended an existing DCA with Oslo in 2022, signed a new defense agreement with Stockholm earlier in December, and will ink a similar pact with Copenhagen later this week, Blinken said at Monday's ceremony.

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U.S. defense secretary visits Israel, urging more aid to reach Gaza

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:15, December 19, 2023

JERUSALEM, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during his visit to Israel on Monday that more aid needs to reach the Gaza Strip, where relentless Israeli bombardments and siege have caused a humanitarian crisis.

"We must get more humanitarian assistance in to the nearly two million displaced people in Gaza and we must distribute that aid better," he said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.

He said that the U.S. will continue to provide military support to Israel in its conflict with Hamas and Houthi forces. "We'll continue to provide Israel with the equipment that you need to defend your country... including critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defense systems," Austin said.

He said that the U.S.' commitment to Israel is "unwavering," adding that "no individual, group or state should test our resolve."

Austin arrived in Israel on Monday for security meetings, marking his second visit to the country since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7. He met Netanyahu and Israel's top security officials at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, heard a briefing from Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and participated in a special meeting of the wartime Cabinet.

The U.S. has been a staunch supporter of Israel after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, providing Israel with weapons and vetoed a UN security council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Dec. 8.

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Red Cross chief says humanitarian situation in Israeli-bobmarded Gaza 'untenable'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 7:10 PM

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), says she saw "a lack of everything" in the Gaza Strip during a recent trip to the Israeli-bombarded Palestinian territory.

The ICRC president said on Tuesday that civilians in Gaza were being forced to endure tremendous suffering and loss.

"There is a lack of operational space for the humanitarian actors, but most importantly, there is an acute lack of safety and security for people anywhere in Gaza," she said.

"There is some aid getting in. There are some trucks coming in but this is by far not enough given the suffering and the level of the needs of the people."

Spoljaric noted that civilian infrastructure and hospitals are among the prime targets of Israeli bombings and shelling.

"What I saw in the hospital that I visited was a total exhaustion, a density because people are seeking refuge in these hospitals. But what I also saw is a lack of medication, a lack of electricity, a lack of water that is necessary for the hospitals to run," she said. "But most importantly, decreasing surgical capability given the high number of casualties and wounded people."

Elsewhere in her remarks, the ICRC president said that her organization was focusing its operations on the hospitals, "on providing medical assistance as much as we can, including through medical teams, surgeons that are there operating around the clock".

Spoljaric also earlier expressed concern over the massive destruction of the civilian infrastructure due to the relentless bombardment of Gaza.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says, Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza is out of function.

Israeli forces have laid siege to the hospital complex. They have once again attacked al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

Most of the hospital's staff has been abducted by invading troops. The hospital is now completely out of service. The situation remains dire at other hospitals, including al-Shifa in Gaza City.

'Unprecedented level of destruction' in Gaza: UN agency

The UN agency that caters to the needs of Palestinian refugees says that more than 60 percent of the infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged.

"This is a staggering and unprecedented level of destruction and forced displacement, taking place in front of our eyes," it added.

UNRWA also said that more than 90 percent of the population in Gaza has been displaced.

Israel is relentlessly pummeling the besieged territory, killing more defenseless women and children.

At least 50 Palestinians have been killed and 12 others injured in an artillery attack on the Gaza City.

Israeli forces have also bombed more than 10 buildings in Beit Hanoun. Regime airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp have also claimed at least 13 lives.

Air raids targeted Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza too.

Elsewhere in the south, the regime has launched fresh strikes against Khan Yunis. Nearly 30 people have also fallen victim to the latest attacks on Rafah.

The total death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 7 now tops 19,600, mostly women and children.



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Hamas determination to fight occupation outweighs group's missiles: Senior official

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 6:00 PM

A senior official of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says the group's will and determination to fight the Israeli occupation outweighs its tunnels and missiles.

Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas' political bureau, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV's "Face to Face" program on Tuesday, during which he discussed the reasons behind the group's operation against the Israeli occupation, which was launched on October 7.

"The most significant factor Hamas fighters possess is that they are people with a right and a just cause and people who believe in it are ready to sacrifice for it. This is the most significant thing we have and more reliable than the tunnels and missiles...When we have the will and determination, nothing can defeat us," he said.

Israel cannot destroy Hamas

Arouri noted that Israel cannot destroy Hamas and all its attempts to destroy it will fail, emphasizing that the resistance group is the "essential part" of the Palestinian people and it will continue to fight and stand against Israeli brutality with will and determination.

Al-Aqsa Storm part of Palestinian struggle

He said Operation Al-Aqsa Storm was part of the Palestinian struggle to regain its freedom, stressing that it was meant to show the world that ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people will affect international stability.

"October 7 wasn't something rare. That was ... part of the Palestinian struggle to get its freedom and to live like other nations in the world, having its state and own sovereignty. So this has been another stage of Palestinian people['s struggle] ... but this stage has been a big and powerful one, [as it] created a big shock for the Israeli regime," Arouri said.

"The operation carried out by resistance factions caused surprise and shock and meant to awaken the Israeli society and the world in general. These people did not remain silent about their rights and are capable of showing the world every time what is bigger and more dangerous. The negligence to the rights of the Palestinian people will affect the international stability," he added.

The Hamas official went on to say that this operation made it clear that the Israeli military and intelligence services are nothing "more than a mirage."

Arouri further stated that the extremist policies of the Israeli regime were also among the reasons behind Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, including the expansion of settlements and changing the status quo of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied al-Quds, as well as the years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The current Israeli regime has exceeded all lines, he said, stressing that "there is no way of remaining silent in front of it."

World silence ruins chance of peace

The Hamas official also condemned the international community's disregard for Israeli actions, saying the world's silence is ruining any possible chance for a solution.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long violence against Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed over 19,400 Palestinians and injured more than 52,000 others.

The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a "complete siege" on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.





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Disease could kill more children in Gaza than Israeli bombings: UN official

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 4:00 PM

A senior United Nations official has warned that more children in Gaza could die from diseases than from the Israeli bombings in the besieged Palestinian territory.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza, warning once more that without a truce disease-deaths could outnumber bombing-deaths in the besieged Palestinian territory.

In a Tuesday posting on UNICEF's X platform, Elder announced, "Without sufficient safe water, food, and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire can bring - child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments."

So far, the death toll of Israel's war on Gaza nears 20,000 of which, according to the territory's Health Ministry, more than 7,700 were children killed by the Zionist war machine.

Earlier, the UN's children's agency said entire neighborhoods in Gaza, where children used to play and go to school, had been reduced to rubble in the month-long bombings of Israeli warplanes.

"The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," UNICEF Middle East and North Africa said in an X post on Monday. "Children need an immediate, long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire.

The Israeli war machine initiated its premeditated war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation to the Zionists' intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the war's start, the Apartheid regime forces have been attacking Gaza towns, villages and refugee camps from the air, land and sea with bombings, shelling and direct military engagement.

In addition, the area is under the "complete siege" of Israeli forces, blocking water, food, medicine and fuel to the region, causing starvation and spreading disease among the 2.3 million defenseless trapped Palestinians.





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Yemen acting independently regarding anti-Israel operations: Iran

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 11:02 AM

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani says Yemen is an independent country and its operations against Israel come in response to Israel's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

Bagheri Kani said on Monday that Yemen is an "independent player" that acts "based on its assessment."

"The Yemeni government has announced that it will try to prevent aid from reaching Israel as long as the Israelis continue their crimes against the people of Gaza," he added.

"It is not right to attribute their actions to others."

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long violence against Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,400 Palestinians and injured more than 52,000 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel.

Yemen has said that the military units would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag in support of Palestinians amid Israel's onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Bagheri Kani further said Israel's atrocities in Gaza amount to a "crime against humanity and a full-scale genocide," adding that all Gazans' fault is that "they want to defend their ...identity and dignity as a nation."

He urged the international community to use everything at their disposal to take action against the "genocide" unfolding in Gaza, end the "cruel siege," ease the flow of aid, and fight the forced displacement of the Gazans.

He made the remarks at a news conference in Japan where he is on a two-day visit that will discuss the promotion of ties.

Echoing the UN chief's remarks, Bagheri Kani said the war in Gaza is a threat to international peace and security, saying the countries that maintain ties with Tel Aviv should "reconsider" the relations.

He also urged Japan and international parties to utilize their capacities to stop the genocide in Gaza.

The Iranian official stressed that the Palestinian people are the only party that must decide their future. "The Palestinian people don't need a guardian," he said as the US and its allies are discussing post-war Gaza governance plans.

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40 killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah, Jabalia as Gaza death toll nears 20,000

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 10:51 AM

At least 40 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip in fresh Israeli air raids on residential buildings across the besieged territory.

According to reports on Tuesday, at least 29 people lost their lives in the Israeli aerial assaults that targeted three houses in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Many more are also feared trapped under the rubble.

Palestinian journalist Adel Zourob was among the victims of the deadly attack.

Another Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured many others at the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry said.

More fatalities were also reported from Israeli attacks in the city of Deir el-Balah, as well as Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza.

UN slams Israel's impunity, calls for 'special tribunal'

In an interview with The Financial Times on Monday, Martin Griffiths, head of UN humanitarian operations, said that a "special tribunal" for the Gaza war may be necessary as the Israeli genocide continues with complete impunity and no accountability.

"The impunity that goes along with the choosing of war as your first option has never been greater. And the impunity for killing humanitarian aid workers has never been greater... Impunity we have seen rampant in this war... Maybe there is a need for a special tribunal [for Gaza]," he said.

Gaza most dangerous place for children: UNICEF

The UN's children's agency, UNICEF, said entire neighborhoods in Gaza, where children used to play and go to school, have been turned into stacks of rubble.

"The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," UNICEF Middle East and North Africa said in an X post on Monday. "Children need an immediate, long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire.

Israel waged the bloody war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,453 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,286 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel.

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Displaced inside prison: UNRWA says 1.9m Gazans forced out of homes by war

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 7:49 AM

The UN Palestinian refugee agency says since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza in early October almost 1.9 million have been internally displaced.

While obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) remains challenging, nearly 85 percent of the population is estimated to be forcibly displaced, UNRWA said in a report on Monday.

The report added it was "the largest forced displacement of Palestinians" since the Nakba or "Catastrophe" when more than 700,000 Palestinians were evicted from their lands as Israel was created in 1948.

"Conditions in Gaza are catastrophic. Under relentless bombardment, thousands of civilians have been killed, the majority of them women and children," UNRWA, which has already lost a record 136 staff in the Israeli war, said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also said in a report released on Monday that since December 3 tens of thousands of IDPs, who have arrived in Rafah governorate, continue to face "extremely overcrowded" conditions both inside and outside shelters.

"With an estimated fourfold increase in population density, exceeding 12,000 people per square kilometer, Rafah governorate is now the most densely populated area in the Gaza Strip," the report said.

It added that nearly 1.4 million of these IDPs are registered in 155 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, including more than 1.2 million in 98 UNRWA shelters in the Middle Area, Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,400 Palestinians and injured more than 52,000 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel.

According to UNRWA, the entire population of Gaza is being denied basic needs.

"An entire population of 2.2 million people are being denied food, water, medical supplies, and other basics of survival, as diseases loom large."

UNRWA reiterated its call for "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" and an "unimpeded, sustainable" passage of humanitarian aid for people in need.

The UN agency said the "humanitarian tragedy" unleashed in Gaza by Israel's strikes and complete siege served as the "starkest illustration of the failure" to implement human rights fully for Palestinians.

"The human rights we acknowledge today for all human beings must be respected and protected for Palestinians," it added.

The UN agency noted that the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza has cast a long shadow over the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was marked last week.

"Human rights apply to everyone, without distinction, whoever they are and wherever they are. But for Palestine Refugees the promise of universal rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has rarely seemed so distant, and the challenges to realizing these rights seldom so daunting," Stephanie Case, chief of the Protection Division at UNRWA, said.

"It is disregard for human rights that has led us to where we are today. Adherence to human rights is crucial for an alternative future where stability, peace, and justice prevail."

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Yemen says will turn Red Sea into 'graveyard' after US announces maritime coalition

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 7:12 AM

Yemen's defense minister has denounced the formation of a US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of merchant vessels bound for the Israeli-occupied territories, cautioning the Western alliance that any assault on Yemeni soil will have dire consequences.

"We are in possession of munitions and military gear that can sink your warships, submarines and aircraft carriers," Major General Mohammad al-Atifi said on Monday.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces will turn the Red Sea into a graveyard of the US-led coalition if the alliance decides to take any action against Yemen," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced the formation of the coalition - including Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain and the UK - to patrol the Red Sea in response to Yemeni strikes on ships bound for the Israeli-occupied territories, which came in retaliation for the Tel Aviv regime's war on the Gaza Strip.

Ansarullah vows to confront US-led coalition

Meanwhile, Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement has pledged to confront the US-led coalition, stressing that Washington will experience both military and prestige defeats if it attacks Yemen.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces have painful options, which they will employ in response to any act of aggression against their homeland. We only target ships that are either Israeli-owned or heading towards Israeli ports," said Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau.

Bukhaiti stressed that Yemen stands fairly committed to safe navigation at sea, adding, "We are only acting against the interests of the Zionist regime. We will confront any coalition that Washington establishes in the Red Sea."

The senior Yemeni official noted that negotiations are underway through intermediaries with a number of countries, including the United States, to persuade Yemeni forces to stop their retaliatory operations.

BP halts oil, gas shipments through Red Sea

Furthermore, the British oil and gas giant has halted all shipments of energy through the Red Sea after an increase in attacks on Israel-bound ships by the Yemeni Armed Forces in Yemen, including two further strikes on Monday.

BP said it had paused shipping in the region indefinitely, citing a "deteriorating security situation" amid tensions in the aftermath of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine's struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7.

The relentless Israeli strikes against Gaza have killed at least 19,453 people, most of them women and children, in Gaza. Another 52,286 individuals have been wounded as well.

Reports revealed that Israeli shipping companies have already decided to reroute their vessels in fear of attacks by Yemeni forces.

The Yemeni forces have also launched missile and drone attacks on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories of Palestine after the occupying regime's aggression on Gaza.

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Hezbollah strikes occupied territories, warns Israel against targeting civilians in Lebanon

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 12:00 AM

Hezbollah resistance movement says it has struck an Israeli settlement situated near the Lebanese border with the occupied territories in response to the regime's earlier attack on civilians attending a funeral procession in southern Lebanon.

"Islamic Resistance announces the launch of a missile barrage targeting the occupied village of al-Khalsa (known as the settlement of Kiryat Shemona)...on Monday, December 18, 2023," the movement said in a statement carried by Lebanon's al-Manar television network.

The movement added that the attack came in response to an earlier Israeli strike on a funeral procession in the town of Aita Shaab in southern Lebanon, adding, "The Resistance affirms that any harm to civilians will be met with equal measures."

Earlier during the day, the movement had released other statements, reporting its latest strikes against a number of Israeli targets lying similarly close to Lebanon's border with the occupied territories.

The movement reported striking two platforms related to Israel's so-called Iron Dome missile system north of the Kabri settlement with artillery, "achieving precise hits."

Hezbollah also said it had hit a gathering of enemy forces and vehicles in the vicinity of the al-Hamra site "with appropriate weapons."

The movement's media, meanwhile, published a video showing its fighters targeting the Israeli regime's Avivim barracks and Birket Risha site.

The Israeli military has been carrying out attacks against the Lebanese territory since October 7, when it launched a war of genocide on the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged territory.

The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the regime continues its onslaught against Gaza.

So far, the Israeli military aggression has claimed the lives of around 19,500 people across Gaza.

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South China Sea coral reefs under severe threat: report

China has caused the most reef destruction through dredging, landfill and giant clam harvesting, report says.

By RFA Staff 2023.12.19 -- Activities by countries claiming territory in the South China Sea have made a devastating impact on coral reefs, with vast areas being destroyed or badly damaged, a new report said.

"In recent decades, increased fishing, dredging, and landfill, along with giant clam harvesting, have taken a devastating toll on thousands of species found nowhere else on earth," said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a new report released on Dec. 18.

One of the main findings is that more than 6,200 acres (25km2) of coral reef have been destroyed by island building efforts in the South China Sea, with 75% of the damage being done by China, according to the report on the ecological damage caused by human activities in the contested sea.

Another 16,353 acres (66.1km2) of coral reef were damaged due to giant clam harvesting by Chinese fishermen.

Industrial fishing by Vietnam and China, especially the use of bottom-trawling (catching fish by towing a net along the sea floor), has caused serious damage to the marine environment.

Overall fish stocks in the South China Sea are depleted, resulting in fish catch stagnating since the 1990s despite increased fishing efforts, the report said.

Reef destruction

AMTI researchers looked into the alarming destruction of coral reefs caused by island building activities by some of the claimants - China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Those five countries and Brunei are the parties that claim parts of the South China Sea, with China's claim being the most expansive.

In order to support their maritime claims, they have been setting up outposts in the sea and developing new islands with the help of invasive methods such as dredging the seabed to gather material for landfill, or land reclamation.

"China has caused the most reef destruction through dredging and landfill, burying roughly 4,648 acres (18.8km2) of reefs," the report said. Vietnam comes second with 1,402 acres (5.7km2).

The AMTI report sheds light on the dredging method used by China to build artificial islands.

"Its cutter suction dredgers would slice into the reef and pump sediment through floating pipelines to shallow areas to deposit it as landfill," it described.

"This process disturbed the seafloor, creating clouds of abrasive sediment that killed nearby marine life and overwhelmed the coral reef's capacity to repair itself."

Beijing carried out most of its island building activities during 2013-2017 and by 2022 had fully militarized the three largest reefs - Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross.

Other claimants are known for using less destructive dredging methods.

"Until recently, Vietnam had primarily used clamshell dredgers and construction equipment to scoop up sections of shallow reef and deposit the sediment on the area targeted for landfill," AMTI said."This method is slower and causes less collateral damage to surrounding areas."

"More recently, however, Vietnam has turned to cutter suction dredgers like China's. This large-scale expansion of Vietnam's South China Sea outposts remains ongoing and will have major consequences for the surrounding marine environment," it warned.

Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have also been developing their islands, but to a much lesser extent, and there have been efforts to minimize the environmental impact.

"Dredging will be less harmful with more sedimentation and plume control during the dredging and reclamation works," said Kamaruzaman Legiman, a Malaysian engineering expert who works as Development Lead at the firm JL Projects Sdn Bhd.

"Additional mitigation can also be implemented via frequent water quality inspection to avoid any unwanted damages," Kamaruzaman added.

Giant clam harvesting

Besides dredging and landfill, the AMTI report has also discovered another major destructive factor - giant clam harvesting - that is responsible for the damage of vast areas of coral reef.

"The harvesting of giant clams for their remarkable shells has become popular in recent decades because of their resemblance to elephant ivory, which is now extremely difficult or illegal to obtain," it said.

They are sold as jewelry or statues in China for high prices of up to US$106,000 per carved shell, according to the researchers.

The report said Chinese fishermen have been using an extremely harmful method of "dragging specially made brass propellers" to dig up reef surfaces and "to more easily harvest both live and dead clams attached to the reef."

As a result, many reefs in the South China Sea now show arc-shaped "scars," said the report, noting that Chinese fishers are known to use this method.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

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 December 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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Can Kyrgyzstan And Tajikistan Consign Their Deadly Border Conflicts To The Past?

By Chris Rickleton December 19, 2023

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- On the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan's deadliest border war, marked in September, irascible Kyrgyz national-security chief Kamchybek Tashiev aired his frustrations at the slow progress in talks aimed at demarcating the disputed frontier.

Tajikistan, said Tashiev, was making "territorial claims" against Kyrgyzstan in the talks.

"But our answer is that there should be no such claims," Tashiev fumed, noting ominously that Kyrgyzstan had found "new documents" related to the border.

"Based on those, we know that many parts of Kyrgyzstan had been given to Tajikistan," he claimed. "If [Tajikistan] does not renounce its territorial claims against Kyrgyzstan then we will legally present territorial claims to our neighbors."

That brazen statement led observers of one of the longest-running border disagreements between two former Soviet republics bracing for the impact of a reply from Dushanbe.

Tashiev's emergence as the powerful new head of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security in 2020 coincided with a dramatic worsening of relations between the two countries.

Although conflicts between Kyrgyz and Tajik communities along the border occurred regularly before then, sometimes even involving soldiers, they remained largely local affairs.

But the "wars" of 2021 and 2022, by contrast, killed scores on both sides, left whole villages destroyed and -- on both occasions -- expanded the zone of the conflict.

Sure enough, Tashiev's words didn't go unheard in Tajikistan.

Kyrgyzstan's ambassador was summoned by the Tajik Foreign Ministry, which warned that such comments could impair bilateral border talks.

Later that month, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered the Defense Ministry to take control of several civilian airports in Tajikistan -- including the Isfara airport near the Kyrgyz border.

But this time no bullets and bombs followed.

Instead, Rahmon and Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov held talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City just days later and again the following month at a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Bishkek, with a focus on delimitation and avoiding a repeat of hostilities.

Fast forward to December and not only is 2023 likely to pass without major incidents on the border, but both sides are talking with increased optimism about seemingly concrete progress made in delimitation, with Japarov saying recently that the border might be fully agreed upon by the spring.

That is a significant change in tone.

Tokon Mamytov, a former deputy prime minister and security council secretary in Kyrgyzstan, told RFE/RL that the two governments deserve credit for "overhauling the template" in border talks.

If talks had traditionally become stuck on fixations with different Soviet-era maps -- Tajikistan's preferred boundaries date back to the 1920s while Kyrgyzstan's are from the 1950s -- now there is a "new approach" from the bilateral commission working on delimitation, Mamytov argued.

"They go to the place and look at the border. They ask people who live there about facts on the ground. In this way, the intergovernmental commission is turning agreements between the two heads of states into a reality. Communities living near the border will be able to feel safe again," Mamytov said.

Is '90 Percent' Of The Border Agreed Upon?

It is impossible to discount another Tajik-Kyrgyz flare up along the border.

Nearly 17 months separated the "wars" of May 2021 and September 2022 and, in both cases, the escalation was remarkably rapid.

But few would have expected peace to last so long in the fall of last year.

In the immediate aftermath of the second, deadlier conflict, Kyrgyzstan canceled military training exercises on its territory for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) -- a Russian-led regional military bloc -- that were scheduled for October 2022 by explaining that Kyrgyz citizens would not accept the presence of Tajik troops on Kyrgyz soil so soon after a conflict that claimed at least 80 Kyrgyz lives and displaced more than 100,000 people.

At talks involving Japarov, Rahmon, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, that same month, Rahmon conspicuously failed to greet Japarov.

But a year later and just two weeks after Tashiev aired his frustrations over the direction the talks were taking, both he and his Tajik colleague, Saimumin Yatimov, hailed the signing of Protocol 42. Tashiev said the document "provides a basis for resolving all border issues."

Yatimov was almost as evocative, noting that the two countries were "aiming to reach a comprehensive and fundamental agreement" as quickly as possible.

There were few details then, but Yatimov was more specific when speaking after further talks on December 2, declaring that the question of a troublesome road linking Vorukh -- an enclave of Tajik territory in Kyrgyzstan -- and the Tajik border settlement of Khoja Alo was "practically solved."

Then came the news that the countries had agreed on another 24 kilometers of the border after talks held in the Tajik town of Buston, near the Kyrgyz border.

But it was after talks in Kyrgyzstan's southern region of Batken on December 12 that the two men claimed their countries had preliminarily agreed on more than 90 percent of their shared border.

That would be a significant achievement.

Only last year, around one-third of the approximately 975-kilometer frontier (Kyrgyz officials claim it is slightly shorter) was still not demarcated.

In an interview with RFE/RL, Dushanbe-based political analyst Sherali Rizoyon said incentives for an agreement were raised by a growing impulse in Central Asia toward regional integration and an uptick in diplomatic activity involving several outside powers.

"Whether on the bilateral or regional level, the problem of state borders prevents the countries of Central Asia benefiting from the new opportunities that are appearing today," Rizoyon told RFE/RL. "Countries cannot afford to remain hostage to border issues for long -- they need to restore mutually beneficial cooperation."

The 'Deterrent Component' And Unclear Russian Role

The word "historic" is overused in Central Asian diplomacy, but it would definitely apply to any agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on their state border.

Although the dispute did not turn violent until independence, analysts note that Tajik and Kyrgyz opinions on where the border begins and ends have been at odds since 1924, when Tajikistan was still an autonomous territory inside the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and the territory of modern-day Kyrgyzstan had a similar status inside the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.

That makes next year the 100th anniversary of the dispute -- and as good a time as any to end it.

But if 2023 has proven a year of genuine progress on border talks, it comes on the back of the tremendous human and material price paid by the two poorest countries in Central Asia.

And a big part of that is the increasingly deadly weapons deployed in the last two conflicts, amid a mini-arms race that has seen Kyrgyzstan secure Turkish Bayraktar drones and Tajikistan receiving equivalent weapons from Iran.

Francisco Olmos, a senior researcher in Central Asian affairs at Spain's GEOPOL 21 Center, noted the "deterrent component" in the Kyrgyz leadership's boasts about their recently acquired Bayraktar drones while speaking on RFE/RL's Majlis podcast in November.

The destructive power of the Bayraktar was also in evidence in last year's clashes, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), whose investigation published in May 2023 found that forces on both sides had "likely" committed war crimes against civilians.

In an interview with RFE/RL after the release of that report, HRW Senior Crisis and Conflict Researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin said the watchdog's interviews with people on both sides of the border showed that local populations "are tired of these terrifying conflicts and are really yearning for peace."

At the same time, local communities in Tajikistan's Sughd Province and Kyrgyzstan's Batken Province -- the scene of most of the violence in recent years -- will have their own opinions about what constitutes a good settlement.

Additionally, unrest in Kyrgyzstan over a landmark border agreement reached with Uzbekistan early this year suggests that selling a border agreement to the population is not always easy.

Yet another unknown is Russia, whose failure to prevent large-scale conflict between two of its military allies drew criticism of a Kremlin bogged down in its invasion of Ukraine. Also criticized was the CSTO -- a security bloc sometimes framed as Moscow's answer to NATO.

That trilateral meeting in October 2022 in Astana was more welcomed by Japarov -- who unsuccessfully requested Putin's intervention -- than Rahmon, who later launched a tirade focused on Moscow's shortcomings as a strategic partner.

Putin said after the talks that Russia had offered to retrieve some of its own archival Soviet-era maps to help resolve the dispute.

Since then, Russia has done almost nothing to suggest it is playing a mediatory role.

But on September 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry waded into the diplomatic fallout over Tashiev's comments, warning against "harsh declarations" that it said could reverse the progress made on the border by the two countries.

"It should be remembered that armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space are beneficial primarily to the collective West, which has its own tendentious goals that have nothing to do with the real interests of Central Asian countries," the ministry said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-border- conficts-resolution/32739110.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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Bosnian Court President, Former Spy Chief Arrested On Suspicion Of Eavesdropping On Judges, Court Employees

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service December 19, 2023

The president of Bosnia's state court and a former spy chief have been arrested on suspicion of using wiretaps to eavesdrop on state court judges and employees of the Bosnian State prosecutors' office who worked on certain cases and investigations.

State prosecutor Milanko Kajganic on December 19 announced the arrests of Ranko Debevec, the president of the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Osman Mehmedagic, former director of the Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA).

"Organized crime cases were targeted by eavesdropping. We do not have evidence that there was eavesdropping on cases concerning political parties or other individuals," Kajganic said at a news conference.

The accusations are related to abuse of power during 2020, Kajganic said.

He added that Debevec and Mehmedagic will be transferred from the State Investigation and Protection Agency of Bosnia-Herzegovina (SIPA) to the prosecutor's office, which will decide further steps.

Based on the evidence collected so far, a one-month pretrial detention proposal most likely will be submitted, Kajganic said.

SIPA arrested Debevec and Mahmedagic on December 18. One other person, lawyer Vasvija Vidovic, was arrested under suspicion of "preventing the proof of a criminal act."

Debevec was reelected as president of the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina in January 2023. He was the only candidate for the position, which he has held since 2016.

He was reprimanded in August last year by the disciplinary committee of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Office of B&H (VSTV) after allegations that he provided false, misleading, or insufficient information in work-related matters.

He was also reported for behaving inside and outside of the court "in a manner that harms the reputation of a judicial posting." This allegation was in regard to alleged improper contact with a person who was prosecuted before the court and inappropriate comments to a prosecutor.

Mehmedagic was designated for U.S. sanctions in March. The United States later expanded sanctions against him and added his wife, Amela Mehmedagic Sehovic.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, (OFAC) said that Mehmedagic used a state telecommunications' company for the benefit of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), which is one of the biggest political parties in Bosnia. The OFAC also said there was credible information that Mehmedagic cooperated with criminal networks to make a profit for himself and his political party.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-court-president-spy-chief-debevec- mehmedagic-arrested-kajganic/32739123.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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EU Election Monitor Slams Alleged Irregularities In Serbian Vote, Calls For Full Probe

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service December 19, 2023

A European Union election observer has condemned alleged irregularities in Serbian elections this weekend and called for a probe as the opposition accused the ruling populist party of committing voter fraud to secure its victory.

"We witnessed cases of organized bringing of voters from Republika Srpska and voters' intimidation," said Viola von Cramon, a member of the observation mission of the European Parliament for the snap parliamentary and local elections that Serbia held on December 17.

"We absolutely expected higher democratic standards from an EU candidate country, which negotiates EU membership," von Cramon said on a social media post on December 19.

She called for an "international oversight and full investigation" into the allegations of irregularities in the Serbian vote both by international observers and the Serbian opposition.

EU commissioners Josep Borrell and Oliver Varhely urged Serbia to significantly improve its electoral process.

"We conclude with concern that the electoral process requires tangible improvement and further reform, as the proper functioning of Serbia's democratic institutions is at the core of Serbia's EU accession process," they said in a joint statement on December 19.

Early results showed that President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) had won in both ballots. But the opposition Serbia Against Violence alliance claimed that they were robbed of a win in the capital, Belgrade.

The alliance claims that some 40,000 people were bused in from neighboring Bosnia to vote in Belgrade and tilt the outcome in favor of the ruling party.

Opposition leaders said they will not recognize the result in Belgrade, and demanded that the vote be annulled and held again.

Washington has urged Serbia to work with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission to address "unjust conditions" surrounding the electoral process, a U.S. State Department spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The International Election Observation Mission, which included representatives from the OSCE, reported irregularities, saying on December 18 that the election day was marred by "isolated instances of violence, procedural irregularities, and frequent allegations of organizing and busing of voters to support the ruling party in local elections."

The German Foreign Ministry noted other irregularities reported by the OSCE, including abuse of public funds, intimidation of voters, and cases of vote-buying," and said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that the activities are "unacceptable for a country with EU candidate status."

Serbia became a candidate for EU membership under Vucic, but the opposition accuses the EU of turning a blind eye to democratic shortcomings in return for stability in the Balkan region.

The ruling party dismissed the criticism of the elections, saying they were free and fair.

That was not enough to calm tensions as demonstrators gathered again in front of the state election commission headquarters in Belgrade to demand the annulment of the election results in the capital. They threw papers printed to look like ballots with the word forgery written across them and pelted the building with eggs.

Skirmishes erupted the day before when several thousand people rallied in front of the headquarters to protest alleged fraud.

Marinika Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic, two leaders of the Serbia Against Violence alliance have announced a hunger strike in protest at what they say was electoral fraud.

Vucic, in power since 2012, has dismissed criticism by opponents that his government has curbed democratic freedoms and failed to combat rampant corruption and organized crime.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-sns-elections-fair-eu- monitor/32737901.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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US Military Taps Use of Microwave Weapons to Neutralize Drone Threats

Sputnik News

20231219

For now, the use of drone swarms gives smaller adversaries waging asymmetric war a unique advantage that US military contractors are working to counterbalance.

US warnings of microwave weapons used to attack diplomatic personnel in Havana have been shown to be another case of Western projection as the Pentagon admits to its own development of the novel technology.

The news was announced Tuesday in US media as drone attacks from smaller adversaries increasingly change the dynamics of warfare internationally. Most recently, Houthi fighters in Yemen have used suicide drones to attack ships in the Red Sea as the country attempts to enforce a blockade against Israel. Drones have also seen use by both sides in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

The swarms can be attacked with missiles, but that strategy is costly - far more costly than the drones themselves. Pentagon planners hope to find a cheaper way to neutralize the threat.

"Directed energy, high powered microwave, low-cost interceptors is where we want to be," said US Army Major General Sean Gainey last month at a meeting of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank funded by contributions from military contractors.

Ken Bedingfield, finance chief at L3Harris Technologies, agreed that the increasing use of drones has created a sense of urgency. "We've arrived at a bit of a moment," said the representative of the weapons manufacturer.

As the United States announces a multinational effort to address the Houthis' effective blockade, RTX (the parent company of Raytheon) announced Tuesday the US Navy has ordered two new microwave directed energy weapon systems to knockout airborne targets.

"Raytheon, an RTX business, will design, build and test two high-power microwave antenna systems that will use directed energy to defeat airborne threats at the speed of light," read a release from the company.

Under the three-year, $31.3 million contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Raytheon will deliver prototype systems to the US Navy and US Air Force as part of the Directed Energy Front-Line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat program, the release said.

Raytheon says the systems will be designed to be transportable and represent a "cost-effective and reliable solution" to the threat of drones. But the company doesn't expect to deliver prototypes until 2024 and 2026, raising the prospect that drone warfare will remain an effective strategy for years to come.

Weapons manufacturing has seen large-scale privatization in the United States since the 1940s. Military contractors often attempt to sell the Pentagon on exotic and expensive new weapons programs that boost private manufacturers' profits, but some have questioned whether the strategy creates an optimally-functioning military. Ukraine's broad failure amidst Russia's special military operation in the Donbass has put the effectiveness of US weapons systems in doubt.

Meanwhile, Russia has managed to leapfrog the United States in some crucial next-generation technologies, as when the country recently demonstrated the use of hypersonic weapons.

Paul Head, the director of Next Generation technologies at Raytheon, concedes that microwave weapons probably wouldn't completely disable large swarms of drones. But he and other war contractors hope they can sell the Pentagon on the technology as part of a "layered" approach to responding to the threat.

"If I have 20 incoming threats, and even if my high-power microwave can only address half of those, that's 10 less threats that we now need to deal with," said Head.

Earlier this year, the US Air Force tested the Thor system to disable drones, a technology in development for several years. Lockheed Martin is testing a system they dub "Morfius" which is carried by a drone and aims to attack from short range.

The United States has attempted to perfect concentrated microwave weapons for decades. When the 1960s "Starfish Prime" nuclear test in the Pacific damaged electrical systems in Hawaii, efforts intensified to find a way to harness the technology on the battlefield.

But developing a system that emits beams powerful enough to damage enemy electronics while remaining compact enough to be practical has proven challenging.

The US insisted foreign powers had cracked the code, claiming diplomats at US embassies in Moscow and Beijing had been targeted with a terrifying but invisible new weapon. But evidence to prove the claims never emerged.

The charge reappeared recently as US diplomats in Cuba complained of "Havana Syndrome," but the Central Intelligence Agency was forced to admit that the strange symptoms were not caused by any foreign adversary. Some have suggested the claims may be caused by mass social contagion as US diplomats confront the guilt and cognitive dissonance of their country's persecution of the small island nation.

 Sputnik

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At Least 100 People Killed in Gaza From Israeli Strikes on Tuesday - Gaza Health Ministry

Sputnik News

20231219

TUNIS (Sputnik) - At least 100 people were killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli strikes on Tuesday, a spokesman for the enclave's Health Ministry said.

"The Israeli occupation turned the hours of this day into successive massacres that affected all regions of the Gaza Strip without exception, killing about 100 people and injuring hundreds," the representative said.

On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip across the border, killing over 1,200 people and abducting some 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 19,400 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of the conflict, the local authorities said.

 Sputnik

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Secretary Blinken's Call with Foreign Minister Shoukry of Egypt

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

December 19, 2023

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to affirm continued U.S.-Egypt cooperation on a broad range of shared priorities. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed their shared commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The Secretary also expressed gratitude for Egypt's essential role in increasing the volume of humanitarian aid and commercial products reaching Palestinians in Gaza, the release of hostages, and facilitating the safe cross-border exit of U.S. and other foreign nationals via Rafah.

Secretary Blinken and Minister Shoukry discussed the importance of concrete steps to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians in all of Gaza and rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians. They agreed to continue coordinating closely on developments in Gaza and on shared bilateral objectives.

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HMS Diamond joins new international task force to protect shipping in the Red Sea

Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Diamond joins Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international task force to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

19 December 2023

As Houthi attacks against commercial vessels continue, Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Diamond has joined Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international task force to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Alongside HMS Diamond, the task force currently includes three US destroyers, and a French warship is also in the region. All are currently operating in the Southern Red Sea with the multinational partnership focusing on protecting freedom of navigation, international trade and human life by countering illicit non-state actors in international waters. Countries including Bahrain, Norway and the Seychelles are also supporting the Operation.

The security situation in the Red Sea is deteriorating, with the Houthi attacks - including use of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial systems against global shipping - representing an increased threat. Over the last few days, the impact on global trade has become more acute, with major operators including Maersk and BP pausing sailing through the region due to the security risk, increasing costs and adding time to journeys.

The Defence Secretary joined a virtual call this morning with his US counterpart and around 20 other Defence Ministers from across the globe to discuss the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian. During the meeting, Ministers agreed that this was an international problem that affects all of global trade and risked severe economic consequences, and agreed to work together on an international solution.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices. This is an international problem that requires an international solution. That is why HMS Diamond has joined Operation Prosperity Guardian. This new task force will protect shipping and vital trade routes in the Red Sea, where large amounts of goods and oil transit through to Europe and on to the UK. Our Royal Navy personnel are protecting British interests in an increasingly contested part of the world. Their valuable contribution to upholding peace and security should not be underestimated and we thank them for their service, especially during this festive period.

HMS Diamond arrived in the Red Sea at the weekend after the Defence Secretary authorised her deployment on 30th November to protect and support key shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf. The warship, one of the Royal Navy's most advanced, shot down a suspected attack drone on Saturday morning which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.

Her deployment follows increasing concerns over maritime security at narrow sea trade routes worldwide, known as chokepoints. The ship is part of the UK's commitment to supporting security in the region and the global maritime commons.

The waters of the Gulf are vital routes for merchant shipping, including for tankers carrying much of the UK's supply of liquefied natural gas. Around 50 large merchant ships each day pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, while around 115 major merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

This international coalition will operate as part of the existing construct in the Gulf: the Coalition Maritime Force (CMF). The UK contribution to that is known as Operation Kipion, which is the UK's long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. In addition to HMS Diamond, HMS Lancaster, a squadron of three mine hunting vessels (HMS Bangor, HMS Chiddingfold, and HMS Middleton) and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship (RFA Cardigan Bay) are also deployed as part of the operation, helping to keep the vital trade routes of the Middle East open for business.

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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

19 December 2023

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Security Council

Good afternoon, yeah, definitely afternoon. Just starting off with the Security Council this morning, there was an open meeting on the situation in the Middle East. The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, told Council members that 2023 ends as one of the deadliest in the history of this conflict.

He warned that, amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink.

Wennesland, who briefed by videoconference, also underscored the need to enable parties to re-engage on the long-delayed political path to a two-State solution, noting that UN's efforts to support this objective has already begun through active consultations in the region.

For his part, Major General Patrick Gauchat, the Head of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), said that since 8 October, many ceasefire violations have occurred across the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, as well as on the Golan between Israel and Syria. But both Israel and Lebanon, he added, indicated their willingness to improve security, and both Israel and Syria mentioned their strong will to keep the armistice in place.

** Gaza

Just a bit more information from the ground on Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that telecommunications and Internet services in southern Gaza have been partially restored following the longest shutdown since the onset of this current part of the conflict.

These recurrent interruptions and the lack of electricity hinder access to vital information and, of course, severely hamper the delivery of humanitarian goods.

Also, UNRWA tells us that they are continuing to provide health care to displaced people at shelters.

Since the beginning of December, the World Food Programme also distributed high-energy biscuits to about 600,000 internally displaced people in designated shelters. In addition, the World Food Programme also distributed food parcels or wheat flour to about 110,000 internally displaced people during the past two weeks.

Between the 12th and 17th of December, only two of our humanitarian partners were able to operate in the northern area of Gaza due to the security situation. They distributed food to more than 46,000 internally displaced people in shelters. In the south, 11 of our partners have provided food to some 2.5 million people over the past week.

UNICEF delivered nutrition supplements for more than 60,000 children inside shelters, as well as supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Regarding shelters, last week, our partners distributed 2,300 kitchen kits, nearly 57,000 blankets and more than 27,000 mattresses in the south. But there are still significant gaps in what we were able to deliver.

** Afghanistan

Just a programming note for tomorrow, the Security Council will hold a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Following the meeting, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, will be at the stakeout. She'll make some comments and take some questions.

** Democratic Republic of the Congo

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I have a statement. As you know tomorrow, 20 December, the Congolese people will be called to choose their representatives during the presidential, legislative, provincial, and municipal elections. On this occasion, the Secretary-General reaffirms the continued support of the United Nations to the Congolese people, through his Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and looks forward to the holding of peaceful, transparent and inclusive elections that will consolidate the country's democratic institutions and put it on the path of economic prosperity.

To this end, he calls on the authorities in the country, political leaders, civil society, and the independent electoral commission to ensure that all eligible voters have access to the polling stations and cast their ballots freely, without fear of intimidation or political persecution.

The Secretary-General deplores the episodes of violence that we have seen during the electoral campaign and urges all political actors and their supporters to refrain from any actions that would further incite violence or exacerbate hate speech against certain communities or groups and attacks against women candidates. He encourages all parties to exercise maximum restraint in their words and in their actions.

** Trip Announcement

Also related to peacekeeping, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will visit the Central African Republic from 20 to 23 December.

He is expected to meet President Faustin-Archange Touadera, as well as Prime Minister Felix Moloua and other senior officials to take stock of the political situation in the country and update on peacekeeping challenges and issues.

Mr. Lacroix will also travel to Birao in the country's north-east to engage with local stakeholders and visit the Korsi site, which is hosting refugees from Sudan.

While in the Central African Republic, Mr. Lacroix will also interact with civil society organizations, university students, religious leaders and, of course, his own blue helmeted peacekeepers.

** Sudan

And speaking of the situation in Sudan, I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned about reports of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the vicinity of Wad Medani, in Al-Jazirah State.

The city has served as a hub for humanitarian operations since the start of the conflict and had not been directly impacted by the conflict until this recent round of fighting.

The continued escalation of violence in Sudan is devastating for the country, as well as the region.

We reiterate our call to the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as the Rapid Support Forces, to immediately cease fighting and to commit to a durable cessation of hostilities.

We also urge the parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and enable unhindered and unimpeded humanitarian access.

** Sudan Humanitarian

And just to remind you that humanitarian field missions within and from Al Jazirah state are still suspended, and our humanitarian coordination colleagues warn that if the fighting continues, aid distribution to 2 million people  that's about a third of the state's population  will be compromised.

Aid organizations have reduced their footprints in Wad Medani due to the fighting  with staff relocating to neighbouring states but they are prepared to return as soon as the security situation allows it.

They are also concerned about the threat of looting and further destruction of humanitarian warehouses and supplies.

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that at least a quarter of a million people have fled the state, that's according to initial reports from the International Organization for Migration.

** Syria

And in Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says they are alarmed by the impact of ongoing hostilities in the north-west of the country. Nearly 40 per cent of those killed in the violence since October 5th are children  and the number of civilian casualties continues to climb.

Over the weekend  between December 15th and 17th  at least seven people, including a pregnant woman, were killed when shelling struck residential and front-line areas in Idleb and western Aleppo. Nearly two dozen others were injured, with a camp for displaced people and vegetable market also impacted.

Overall, since October 5th, the escalating violence in north-west Syria has killed at least 99 civilians with more than 400 injured, and that's according to local health authorities.

We and our partners continue to do all we can to help those impacted by the hostilities, including by supporting health facilities that are providing treatment to civilians.

** Libya

And as I mentioned to you yesterday, Abdoulaye Bathily, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Political Mission in Libya, told Security Council members that he had invited the leaders of five Libyan institutions to reach a settlement on the outstanding issues preventing the progress in the electoral process.

I just want to add that the Secretary-General calls on the key Libyan stakeholders to engage in Mr. Bathily's initiative in good faith and in a spirit of compromise to break the current political deadlock, to pave the way for inclusive, credible and transparent elections in Libya.

** Democratic People's Republic of Korea

You saw that yesterday we issued an official statement in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned the launch of a long-range ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the fifth such launch this year.

** Yemen

And our friend Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy [of the Secretary-General] for Yemen, wrapped up his visit to Saudi Arabia, to Riyadh, where he held meetings with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al Alimi, and Vice-President Uthman Mujalli.

They discussed next steps towards reaching an agreement on measures to improve living conditions in Yemen, a sustainable ceasefire and the resumption of a Yemeni-owned political process under UN auspices.

Mr. Grundberg also stressed the need for sustained and concerted regional support, in his meetings with senior UAE [United Arab Emirates and Saudi officials] in Riyadh.

He met as well with ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

** Journalists

And just to note that UNESCO said today that 65 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in 2023, compared with 88 the previous year.

The Head of UNESCO, [Audrey Azoulay], said that this overall drop conceals a very alarming phenomenon: a sharp increase in the number killed in conflict zones and much more is online.

If you have any questions before I lose all of you to a much more exciting event, let me know.

** Questions and Answers

Spokesman : Dezhi, please.

Question : Yeah. Two separate issues, which are not irrelevant to those very exciting events. First one, China has experienced an earthquake, which caused the [inaudible] of more than 100 people. Does the Secretary-General have anything to say on that tragic tragedy?

Spokesman : Of course. The Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the tragic earthquake, by the loss of life and the damage to property and, of course, injuries to people that we saw yesterday. He expresses his solidarity with the people and the Government of the People's Republic of China and extends his most sincere and deepest condolences to the victims, wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. And he recognizes the efforts being undertaken by the Government of China to assist those who have perished, and of course, the UN team in China stands ready to help in any way they can.

Question : Okay. My second question, this is the end of the year. We know that by the end of the year two things would happen. First one is we calculate the contributions the UN have. The second one is we try to get the budget passed. So, for you, I will just ask you about the contribution. We have 141 Member States who paid the contribution. Right?

Spokesman : Correct, yeah.

Question : How does the other 52 countries' contribution impact the operation of the United Nations?

Spokesman : Well, you know, obviously, we would... In an ideal world, 193 Member States would all pay their dues in full, on time. That's not the case for various reasons that are internal to each country. Currently, we'll be able to close out the year. You noticed as in previous year, we did not have any cuts to services, especially James' escalators.

But obviously, it makes it... the lack of predictability on when money will come in makes it very challenging for our budget people, our Controller to manage the flow of the cost of the running the UN.

Question : So, this year, so far, no service was cut anywhere?

Spokesman : In New York. No.

Question : In New York, okay. What about Geneva?

Spokesman : Geneva, there may have been some cuts, but that was specific to Geneva for different reasons.

Question : Okay.

Spokesman : Okay. Any questions online?

Yes, Abdelhamid?

Question : Two questions. First, Mr. Wennesland [Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process] did not mention the total number of people killed or wounded or still missing. He just mentioned 1,000 people killed on the attack in Jabalia, and Shejaiya. That's the first question. And the second, you just said that UNESCO said 65 journalists were killed. Does that number include the journalists killed in Gaza which is over 91 journalists?

Spokesman : That's their numbers. My understanding is that it does include Gaza. I think different organizations have had different specific numbers. But regardless, we know that this is one of the deadliest conflicts that we've seen for journalists.

Question : And about the first question?

Spokesman : I didn't understand what the question was.

Question : The question why he only mentioned just number 1,000 people killed in Shejaiya. He didn't mention the total number of people killed in Gaza.

Spokesman : I mean, we have mentioned that number repeatedly. It's not a hidden number, he was just reporting on the most recent impact. It is in no way an effort to obscure the human tragedy that is going on in Gaza.

Madame?

Question : Hello, Stephane. The Security Council, as you know, are still perhaps going to vote on a resolution. It's been postponed numerous times now to try to accommodate the United States. I wonder if it eventually gets to the vote. If the United States either supports it or abstains and lets it pass. What do you think that will signal about the US's position?

Spokesman : Listen, I'm not here to analyse the US position. What I can tell you is that as in any conflict that we're dealing with, any file that we're dealing with, a strong and unified message from the Security Council is positive for the work of the Organization and, frankly, I think for the image of the Organization.

Question : Thank you. Do you have any comment about what is going on in the Red Sea with the Houthis' attacks against commercial vessels and the decision by the US and other allies to create a force?

Spokesman : Yes. I mean, we, of course, condemn what is going on with the attacks against shipping, international shipping lanes that we've seen in the last weeks. It is not only impeding the freedom of navigation, which is an important part of international law. It has a potential of creating havoc on the global trade, and we're already seeing it. And then also, as I've said before, it has the potential of creating a horrendous ecological disaster should a full tanker explode in the Red Sea, which is a very delicate ecosystem.

Thank you.

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Displacement crisis in Sudan deepens as fighting spreads

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

19 December 2023

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is concerned at the deepening forced displacement crisis in Sudan and neighbouring countries as hundreds of thousands more people flee from the latest fighting in Sudan's central Al Jazirah State, southeast of the capital, Khartoum.

We are also very concerned about reports of an escalation in the conflict in the Darfur Region. On 16 December, renewed fighting in El Fasher, in North Darfur, resulted in civilian casualties, injuries, and further displacement, followed by looting of homes and shops, and arrests of youth. In Nyala, in South Darfur, an aerial attack was reported, causing death, injuries and destruction of civilian homes.

Heavy fighting, including airstrikes and shootings, was reported on the outskirts of Wad Madani, the capital of the Al Jazirah State, on Friday, 15 December. The fighting has now reached the town. After conflict first broke out in Sudan's capital in April this year, over half a million people, including some 7,000 refugees, fled to Wad Madani from Khartoum.

With this latest bout of fighting, panic has reportedly spread among the civilian population in Wad Madani and people were seen leaving the town in vehicles and on foot, some for the second time in only a few months. According to IOM, between 250,000 and300,000 people have fled Wad Madani and surrounding areas since the clashes began.

UNHCR is working to deliver and distribute urgently needed core relief items to the people newly displaced from Al Jazirah to Sennar and Gedaref States. Despite efforts by national and international humanitarian organizations and local actors to provide assistance, the overall humanitarian situation remains dire.

Since the war broke out in April, more than 7 million people have fled their homes in Sudan, many of them moving repeatedly to find temporary safety. This repeated displacement shows how devastating this conflict has been for the civilian population.

We are very worried that if the fighting further escalates and spreads to White Nile State, it could significantly impact the work of UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations that provide critical assistance to over 437,000 South Sudanese refugees and some 433,000 internally displaced Sudanese there. Since the onset of the conflict in April, UNHCR has provided emergency shelter to approximately 42,000 families and core relief items to nearly 12,000 vulnerable families in White Nile State and, in collaboration with UN and NGO partners, has taken measures to mitigate the high risk of a cholera outbreak in displacement sites. However, a spread of the fighting or any new influx could disrupt health and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services, resulting in severe consequences.

There are also reports of people on the move towards South Sudan, where the border town of Renk is severely overcrowded and lacking enough aid to meet the needs of the people who have already arrived. Heavy rains have made the roads impassable, hampering the relocation of refugees. UNHCR and partners are doing what they can to prepare, but resources were already severely overstretched.

We continue to strongly appeal to all parties to end the conflict, to respect the safety of civilians in accordance with international law, and to allow humanitarian access so that critical lifesaving aid and services can reach those in need.

As the scale of the crisis and the potential for it to destabilize the entire region continues to grow, the world must not forget the ongoing situation in Sudan.

We appreciate the funding received already from many donors, but it is just not enough to meet the needs of the families that are facing unimaginable hardship.

The 2023 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan, which called for $1 billion to meet the needs of 1.8 million people in Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan this year, is only 38 per cent funded.

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UNICEF Geneva Palais briefing note - Gaza: The world's most dangerous place to be a child

UNICEF

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

19 December 2023

GENEVA, 19 December 2023 -- "The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. And day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced.

"Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functioning hospital was shelled, twice. That hospital - Al Nasser in Khan Yunis - not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety.

"Over the weekend, UNICEF shared the story of 13-year-old Dina. When her house in Khan Yunis was completely destroyed, she was injured and later her right leg was amputated. She lost both of her parents and two brothers. But Dina hadn't lost hope. She told us about her dreams of being a lawyer. She said, 'I feel injustice; when I grow up, I will become a lawyer so that I can enjoy my rights and the rights of all children'.

"Dina was one of the people killed at Nasser Hospital on Sunday, the day after she shared her story of hope.

"And so where do children and their families go? They are not safe in hospitals. They are not safe in shelters. And they are certainly not safe in the so-called 'safe' zones.

"Let me explain why these so-called safe zones are anything but safe.

Parties to the conflict have, of course, an obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population. In this case, one of the precautions being taken is evacuation. That is, moving to so-called 'safe' zones.

"As the UN said over a month ago: these zones cannot be safe nor humanitarian when unilaterally declared. In addition, under international law, the place where you evacuate people must have sufficient resources for survival - medical facilities, food, and water.

"That is, these so-called safe zones are only safe not just when they are free from bombardment, but when these conditions - food, water, medicine, protection - are also met.

"However, under the current besieged conditions, adequate supplies for such zones, are impossible. I have seen for myself this reality.

"These zones are tiny patches of barren land, or street corners, or half-built buildings, with no water, no facilities, no shelter from the cold and the rain.

"And critically no sanitation.

"Currently in Gaza, there's on average around one toilet for 700 children and families. Relocate families to places where there is no toilet and it's tens of thousands of people resorting to buckets, or open defecation.

"And so without water and sanitation, nor shelter, these so-called safe zones have become zones of disease.

"Diarrhea cases in children are above 100,000. Acute respiratory illness cases in civilians are above 150,000. Both numbers will be gross undercounts of the woeful reality.

"With malnutrition soaring among Gaza's children, diarrheal diseases are becoming deadly. Consider this: More than 130,000 of Gaza's most vulnerable children (those aged 0 to 23 months) are not receiving the critical life-saving breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding practices, including micronutrient supplementation.

"With such a scenario - and without sufficient safe water, food and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire can bring - child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments.

"Parents are painfully aware that hospitals are not an option for their sick child - both because hospitals are getting hit, and because hospitals are overwhelmed with children and citizens with the ghastly wounds of war.

"As a parent of a critically sick child told me: 'Our situation is pure misery. I am overwhelmed. My son is very sick. I told my wife we have to lower expectations. All we have is hope. I don't know if we will make it through this. Please tell the world."

"As we speak, the delivery of aid is a matter of life or death for children in Gaza and the conditions to provide that aid are not being met. An immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to end the killing and injuring of children, and child deaths from disease, and enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed lifesaving aid."

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'Ten weeks of hell' for children in Gaza: UNICEF

19 December 2023 - Gaza is by far the most dangerous place in the world to be a child and deaths of youngsters from disease will likely surpass those from bombardment in the absence of a ceasefire, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.

A lack of food, water, shelter and sanitation continues to put children's lives at risk as they suffer under relentless airstrikes with no safe place to go, said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who recently returned from the enclave.

Ahead of a UN Security Council meeting expected to call for a pause in fighting to facilitate aid access, he told journalists in Geneva that "every single child is enduring these 10 weeks of hell and not one of them can escape".

"As a parent of a critically sick child told me, 'Our situation is pure misery...I don't know if we will make it through this,'" he said.

According to the Gaza health authorities, over 19,400 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since the start of Israel's retaliation for Hamas' deadly terror attacks on 7 October, about 70 per cent of them women and children.

Over 52,000 Palestinians have been injured and their access to life-saving care is extremely limited. UN health agency WHO said on Tuesday that only eight of the 36 hospitals in the Strip are at least partially functional.

'Beyond belief'

Hospitals are overwhelmed with children and their parents, all bearing "the ghastly wounds of war", Mr. Elder said. He stressed that while in the Strip he encountered many young amputees. Around 1,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both their legs, he said.

From the UN World Health Organization (WHO), spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris added that WHO staff in Gaza spoke of not even being able to walk in the emergency wards "for fear of stepping on people" lying on the floor "in severe pain" and asking for food and water.

She called the situation "unconscionable" and said that it is "beyond belief that the world is allowing this to continue".

Hospital shelled

Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining hospital in Gaza, Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south, was shelled twice, Mr. Elder said.

That hospital "not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety", he stressed, referring to those who've had to flee because of the hostilities and evacuation orders.

Some 1.9 million people, or the vast majority of the enclave's population, are estimated to be displaced in Gaza.

Injured children dealing with the loss of loved ones have been forced to move again and again, Mr. Elder said. "Where do children and their families go? They are not safe in hospitals. They are not safe in shelters. And they are certainly not safe in the so-called 'safe' zones," he insisted.

No place is safe

The UNICEF spokesperson explained that the "safe zones" were "anything but safe" because they had been designated unilaterally by Israel alone and lacked "sufficient resources for survival": food, water, medicine, protection.

Mr. Elder described these zones as "tiny patches of barren land, or street corners, or half-built buildings, with no water, no facilities, no shelter from the cold and the rain and no sanitation".

"Under the current besieged conditions, adequate supplies for such zones are impossible," he said, adding that during his recent stay in Gaza he had experienced this reality first-hand.

Diarrhoea and malnutrition

The UNICEF spokesperson highlighted the dire lack of adequate sanitation, pointing out that in Gaza there is one toilet for 700 people on average. Diarrhoea cases in children are above 100,000 and combined with soaring malnutrition can prove increasingly deadly, he said.

Mr. Elder added that more than 130,000 of children under two are not receiving "critical life-saving breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding" such as micronutrient supplementation.

Ceasefire 'the only way'

The delivery of aid is a "matter of life or death" for children in Gaza, Mr. Elder said, and the conditions to provide that aid "are not being met".

The number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza remains "well below the daily average of 500 truckloads" that entered every working day prior to 7 October, according to the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office, OCHA.

On Sunday, OCHA said that 102 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and four tankers of fuel entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt and 79 trucks entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel, for the first time since the start of the escalation.

WHO's Dr. Harris stressed that beyond bringing in supplies across the border into the enclave, it was a challenge to get aid to where it's needed, because of the ongoing hostilities but also the massive damage to roads.

"An immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to end the killing and injuring of children, and child deaths from disease, and enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed life-saving aid," Mr. Elder said.

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Security Council continues negotiations on Gaza resolution calling for 'urgent suspension of hostilities'

19 December 2023 - Tuesday marked another intense day of diplomacy in the Security Council in New York, where negotiations continued to try and reach consensus on further unified action in response to the crisis in Gaza, more than ten weeks after terror attacks by Hamas plunged the Israel-Palestine conflict into an unprecedented phase of violence and devastation. Ambassadors have delayed the vote again, until Wednesday.

3:45 PM

According to the latest information from the Security Council, the revised programme indicates that an anticipated meeting due to take place at 5:00 PM to vote on a resolution from the UAE which has been under negotiation for days, has again been delayed.

Draft resolution: Key points

Demands parties to the conflict "allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance" at scale, to the Palestinian population of Gaza.

Calls for the "urgent suspension of hostilities" to allow safe and unhindered access.

to allow safe and unhindered access. The resolution cites " deep concern at the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation " in Gaza and its "grave impact" on civilians there.

" in Gaza and its "grave impact" on civilians there. Reaffirms the Council's "strong concern for the disproportionate effect" the conflict is having on women and children. It stresses the obligation to respect and protect humanitarian relief and medical staff.

Takes note of the reopening of the Karem Abu Salem or Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to speed up delivery of aid, and demands the parties allow the use of all land, sea and air routes to provide an increased flow of aid.

Requests the UN chief sets up a monitoring mechanism with the necessary staff and equipment "to exclusively monitor all humanitarian relief consignments", to speed up delivery. This will be independent of all parties to the conflict and be in effect for one year.

with the necessary staff and equipment "to exclusively monitor all humanitarian relief consignments", to speed up delivery. This will be independent of all parties to the conflict and be in effect for one year. Demands the " immediate and unconditional release of all hostages " providing for their medical needs while still captive and "firmly condemns" all violations of international humanitarian law including indiscriminate attacks against civilians " and all acts of terrorism ."

" providing for their medical needs while still captive and "firmly condemns" all violations of international humanitarian law including indiscriminate attacks against civilians " ." Notes UN facilities are protected under humanitarian law and " rejects forced displacement of the civilian population". It demands combatants ensure the safety and security of all UN and associated personnel.

of the civilian population". It demands combatants ensure the safety and security of all UN and associated personnel. Reiterates the Council's "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution", stressing the importance of unifying the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority.

Video coverage of this morning's meeting of the Security Council.

12:07 PM

The Security Council has adjourned the meeting and ambassadors have gone back into informal consultations, in a bid to find some consensus that will lead to the passage of a new resolution.

We'll be monitoring the situation throughout the day and resume our live coverage as soon as there are more developments...

11:54 AM

Status quo 'cannot continue': UAE

Mohamed Issa Abushahab, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), started off by noting that as the end of 2023 is approaching, it has already been the deadliest year in the Occupied Palestinian Territory's history.

"This should be a wakeup call that the current status quo cannot be allowed to continue, and this starts with the current situation in Gaza," he said.

He recalled last week's visit by many ambassadors, members of the Security Council, to the Rafah border crossing, noting that they witnessed "a humanitarian system at its breaking point."

"They saw thousands of trucks and warehouses filled with aid from people and governments around the world, the physical expression of their solidarity with the people of Gaza," he said.

"Meanwhile, just over the border, 2.2 million people remain trapped with nine out of every ten spending entire day without food. Gazans are experiencing unprecedented levels of starvation and thirst, while doctors lack even the most basic of medical supplies to treat the wounded and the growing threat of infection - what we need is access," he added.

He noted that the resolution, scheduled for a vote today, aims to meet this need by demanding the use of all land, sea and air routes to allow aid to enter.

"Israel must stop blocking the entry of aid, and allow life-saving assistance into the Gaza Strip," he added, noting the opening of the border crossing at Karam Abu Salem.

"We call on authorities to ensure its full opening, including to commercial cargo, so that aid can enter at scale," the Ambassador said.

11:36 AM

'Inertia is not a solution': France

France's Deputy Permanent Representative, Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst, said her country "will never recognize the illegal annexation" of the Palestinian Occupied Territories, nor the legalization of rogue settlements in the West Bank.

She strongly condemned the recent announcement of new settlement building and expulsion of Palestinian families, authorized by the Israeli Government.

Such decisions jeopardize the possibility of a two-State solution, she said. She added that an environment of "total impunity" in the West Bank was driving the spike in violence.

"We cannot accept the abuses that deprive Palestinians of their rights and their land", she reiterated...We must urgently restore prospects for a political horizon to implement the two-State solution.

She stressed that France stands solidly by the people of Israel and condemned the brutal gender-based violence perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October.

"We call for a new immediate, lasting humanitarian truce, which must lead to a lasting ceasefire", to obtain the release of all the hostages still held by Hamas, and to provide the population of Gaza with the aid they need.

She said a resumption of the political process is urgent.

"We must work seriously towards building a state for the Palestinians. And the Palestinian Authority has a key role to play in this process, in the West Bank as in Gaza, which should be part of this Palestinian state", adding that "inertia is not a solution."

11:29 AM

Russia: Civilians bombed in Gaza 'are among the hostages' in the conflict

Vassily Nebenzia, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN said that thus far over 19,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza, 70 percent of them women and children, while over two million Gazans have become internally displaced.

"The victims of the indiscriminate Israeli actions are also amongst the Israeli hostages," he said, noting also the total blockade of the enclave, downed communications with spotty internet access and harsh restrictions on humanitarian aid.

"There is an acute shortage in the Strip of water, fuel, medicines - and the civic order is on the brink of collapse," he added, noting also that several UN and humanitarian personnel have been killed and facilities destroyed.

He said ccording to media reports, Israel has dropped around 29,000 bombs in Gaza, comparable to the number dropped by the US and UK throughout their entire military operation in Iraq in 2003.

"We have received shocking news from the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, on 16 of December during the Holy Family festivities in the Church, which was a refuge for many families, an Israeli sniper killed two Christians...according to witness accounts there were no warnings issued," he said, noting that seven people were also injured "as they tried to protect their loved ones".

Another marked shelter, a monastery, was also hit in an Israeli airstrike, he added.

"Such attacks continue at a time when everyone is preparing for the Christmas celebrations," he said.

Ambassador Nebenzia also spoke of the reports of violence, including killings, in the West Bank.

"In this context, we would like to underscore the fact that the clearing of the West Bank is something that Israel has been doing for a long time, even before 7 October, when there was no link with terror threats or security issues," he said.

11:18 AM

China: Only a ceasefire will prevent further disaster

China's ambassador and Permanent Representative ZHANG Jun, said civilians in Gaza have no access to water, electricity, and other basics of survival, while aid trucks are waiting in line with supplies stockpiled in Egypt.

Even more worrying is that due to Israel's indiscriminate bombardment the whole relief network is "on the verge of paralysis".

On this basis the UAE's draft resolution has the backing of the majority of Council members. He said no country should hesitate to back the resolution.

"We urge a constructive approach" he said, adding it was an "emergency initiative" in response to the crisis in Gaza.

And on the West Bank, the Council must play its part and uphold fairness and justice as violence and restrictions continue there.

"Only a ceasefire can prevent greater civilian casualties including those of hostages" or prevent the regional conflict from spiralling out of control, he noted.

And only a ceasefire "can prevent the prospects of a political solution from being completely killed", he said.

11:13 AM

UK pledges to ban entry to West Bank settlers responsible for violence against Palestinians

The UK's Deputy Permanent Representative James Kariuki, said that a "humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding" and the intense suffering of innocent Palestinians showed no signs of abating.

Meanwhile, more than 130 hostages continue to be held inside Gaza, with Israel still reckoning with the "brutal horror" of the Hamas terror attacks, he said.

There must be "a sustainable ceasefire that breaks the cycle of violence. Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel, all hostages must be released, and aid must flow into Gaza."

He said this is "the only way to achieve a sustainable peace based on a two-state solution, in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security."

He said the UK was focused on three areas: "First, too many civilians have been killed. Israel must be targeted and precise in its efforts to address the threat posed by Hamas."

Second, he said "we need continue to work on increasing the amount of humanitarian support into Gaza through as many direct routes as possible."

Third, he said, in response to increasing violence on the West Bank against Palestinians "we are banning those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these intimidating acts."

He said Israel must do more to hold settlers to account.

"We reiterate our call on Israel to immediately and completely stop all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and its Lower Aqueduct", he added.

We are clear - these settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability and delivery of a two-State solution which must become a reality to ensure justice and peace for Palestinians and Israelis."

11:06 AM

'Deep concern' for civilians: Mozambique

Domingos Estevao Fernandes, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique urged the international community to continue advocating for a "peaceful and just" resolution to the longstanding conflict in the Middle East.

He also voiced "deep concerns" over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"The ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups has exacerbated the situation, leaving thousands of people in desperate need," he said.

He underscored that "demonstration of goodwill" by both parties to the conflict is "equally important".

"In this vein, the immediate release of hostages is of paramount importance," he said, urging Council members to "collectively work" towards a humanitarian pause and de-escalation of the conflict "to safeguard lives and uphold human dignity."

11:01 AM

Settlement activities in West Bank, 'in flagrant violation': Brazil

Sergio Franca Danese, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN, said that as the world watches the human toll of ongoing war in Gaza with "astonishment and powerlessness", settlement activities have continued and expanded throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, "in flagrant violation of international law and in defiance to the authority of the Security Council."

"We are deeply concerned by the increase in the displacement of Palestinians from their homes as a result of settlement activates, which only worsened after the 7 October terrorist attacks against Israel as well as by the intensification of settler violence in the West Bank," he said.

"State violence has been on the rise, not just in Gaza, demolitions, evictions orders and other types of attacks against Palestinians and their households have further expanded in Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem," he added.

10:50 AM

Hamas attacks must be condemned: US

The United States ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood, told the meeting that the attacks by Hamas of October 7 "must be condemned" and the extremist group must not be allowed to control Gaza in the future.

He said Israel must also be allowed to defend its people and the Houthi rebel group's attacks off the coast of Yemen against international shipping must be countered.

He told the Council all must work towards a two-State solution.

He said the rise of hateful rhetoric matters "and we must do more to prevent this dangerous dehumanization".

He said deaths and injuries of journalists on the frontline during this Gaza conflict were unacceptable: "In this moment more must be done to protect them".

Finally, he said his mission had met Israeli's whose loved ones are still be held captive in Hamas.

He said they would continue to share every hostage's story, "until they are home".

"We must hold space for the heartbreak on all sides", he added.

10:45 AM

UNTSO briefing

Major General Patrick Gauchat, head of UNTSO, took the floor to brief Council members.

He started off by noting that since UNTSO does not have a presence in or around Gaza or southern Israel, its personnel "were not in a position to observe" directly the events of 7 October or developments since then.

However, these events "have assuredly impacted our operations and regional dynamics", he said.

"On the operational level, from 8 October many ceasefire violations have occurred across the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon and on the Golan between Israel and the Syria," he added.

The Mission explained

On 29 May 1948, the Security Council, in resolution 50 (1948), called for a cessation of hostilities in Palestine and decided that the truce should be supervised by the UN Mediator, with the assistance of a group of military observers.

The first group of military observers, which became known as the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), was the first peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations. They remain in the Middle East to monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating and assist other United Nations peacekeeping operations in the region.

Tor Wennesland and Maj. Gen. Patrick Gauchat briefed the Security Council via video link.

10:33 AM

Humanitarian system 'on the brink': Wennesland

The first Council meeting on the Israel-Palestine crisis is now underway. the UN's Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland has just been briefing Council members.

He highlighted that as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages on, "2023 ends as one of the deadliest in the history of this conflict, with the situation deteriorating on nearly all fronts."

He also drew attention to the dire humanitarian situation across the Gaza Strip.

"The delivery of humanitarian aid in the Strip continues to face nearly insurmountable challenges. Amid displacement on an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink," he said.

Mr. Wennesland voiced "deep concerns" over escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, noting "intensified armed exchanges" between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, predominantly in the context of Israeli operations, have led to exceedingly high levels of fatalities and arrests.

"I reiterate that security forces must exercise maximum restraint and use lethal fore only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life," he stressed.

He expressed alarm at the lethal attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and by Palestinians against Israelis in the occupied West Bank and Israel.

"All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable and swiftly brought to justice," he said.

The UN Special Coordinator said he was appalled at the numerous instances of officials glorifying violence and encouraging the killing of civilians.

"Such rhetoric is abhorrent and must be clearly rejected by leaders on all sides. Leaders have an obligation to clearly and explicitly condemn acts of terror and violence directed against civilians," he said.

10:30 AM

IMO condemns attack against ships in Red Sea

In response to continuing attacks by Houthi rebels off the Red Sea coast on international shipping which the rebel group says is in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has just issued a further statement:

"I condemn attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area and I reiterate the strong commitment of IMO to protect seafarers, ships, and cargoes, which is of the utmost importance to ensure the safety and security of global supply chains. Attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered, in accordance with international maritime law.

The rerouting of commercial shipping by several globally operating companies is a direct response to the current threat. These measures are aimed at protecting seafarers from harm and minimizing the potential economic impact on world trade, which is highly dependent on shipping."

The IMO Secretariat is closely monitoring developments and communicating with relevant stakeholders, including the shipping industry, IMO Member States, and United Nations partners.

On Monday night, the United States said it was assembling an international protection force to help safeguard the vital trade route from missile and drone attacks.

10:25 AM

The meeting is expected to start late morning on Tuesday, following Security Council meetings on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and another meeting on the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), originally established in 1948.

Since then, UNTSO military observers - based in Jerusalem - have remained in the Middle East to monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating and assist other UN peacekeeping operations in the region.

Hopes for a new resolution

At the Security Council meeting on Gaza, Members are expected to vote on a draft resolution tabled by the United Arab Emirates, which expresses "deep concern at the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation" in the enclave and its "grave impact" on civilians there, calling for "full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip".

The meeting, earlier scheduled for Monday afternoon (New York time) was postponed, ostensibly to give Council members more time to negotiate and find common ground.

Some of the changes following discussions include calling for "urgent steps towards a suspension of hostilities" - a crucial word change from Monday's draft calling for a "cessation of hostilities".

The draft resolution also takes note of the reopening of the Karem Abu Salem or Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to speed up delivery of aid, emphasizing the need to "expand the delivery and distribution".

It also "demands" the "immediate and unconditional release" of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical needs.

Recent action

The meeting comes on the heels of a resolution adopted with an overwhelming majority of 153 Member States in favour and 10 against, with 23 abstentions at the General Assembly, which met last Tuesday in an emergency special session.

In it, the Assembly "immediate humanitarian ceasefire", the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and well as "ensuring humanitarian access".

The General Assembly resolution was worded similarly as a draft resolution that was vetoed by the United States at the Security Council on 8 December.

The key points in common, include an immediate humanitarian ceasefire; demanding that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, notably regarding protection of civilians; and a demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access.

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UNRWA

19 Dec 2023

Information is valid as of 17-18 December 2023 at 22:30 (local time)

Day 72-73 of Hostilities

Published 19 December 2023

Key points The Gaza Strip

As of 18 December, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is 136.

Since 7 October, up to 1.9 million people (or over 85 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times. Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.

As of 13 December, nearly 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were sheltering in 155 UNRWA facilities across all fve governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north and in Gaza City. UNRWA shelter information is updated daily to the extent possible; the information for north Gaza and Gaza City was last updated on 12 October due to access constraints and security situation.
MSC Reservists Support Operation Deep Freeze 2024 Loadout

US Navy

19 December 2023

From Sarah Cannon, Military Sealift Command Pacific

UNITED STATES -- Navy reservists from Military Sealift Command Pacific's Expeditionary Port Unit (EPU) 114 are conducting cargo operations in Port Hueneme, Calif., overseeing the loadout of supplies and equipment are being loaded onto the Military Sealift Command charter ship MV Ocean Gladiator in preparation for delivery to the remote Antarctica outpost of McMurdo Station, in support of the annual resupply mission; Operation Deep Freeze 2024.

Serving as liaisons between the Navy and the crew of the ship and the stevedores on the pier, the EPU 114 reservists are coordinating the loadout of 407 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with mechanical parts, vehicles, construction materials, office supplies and electronics equipment, and mobile office unites; supplies needed for the year's survival at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

According to Cmdr. Timothy Cushanick, EPU 114's commanding officer, the moral among the six-member reserve team is high, something he attributes to the mission itself, and to the fact that this year's mission will be completed before Christmas, unlike past years when it was conducted during the holiday.

"Everybody is excited to support the mission, because it is so different than anything we normally do, but also because we will be home for the holidays!" he explained. "You can feel the excitement talking to the ship's master and crew. They really want to be on this mission and to go to Antarctica. ODF is truly one a one of a kind thing for all of us, and we all feel privileged to be a part of it."

Loading cargo into the 545-foot Ocean Gladiator requires advanced planning. Weight differences in cargo, as well as the types of cargo loaded and the storage issues require a specific load order, which is followed to the letter to ensure an on time departure. Because of this, the reservists have worked with members of the MSCPAC Operations team as well as Ocean Gladiator's crew, port workers, stevedores and members of the National Science Foundation and Ports of America.

"This mission is supporting real-world operations, and not a table-top scenario type exercise like we as reservists normally do," said Cushanick. "This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us, because we are working as a new team, with organizations we don't normally work with. This mission is special, because of the length of it. Because it is nearly two weeks long, we are able to really get to know all the players, especially the ship's crew, their capabilities and their needs. These are things we can take with us into other missions."

Navy reservists are used to working in new environments with a team they have not met before, but that does not mean it is easy. Working as a new team can have its own set of challenges. To make the transition into the ODF mission easier, the EPU-114 team began communication through electronic means weeks ago, getting to know each other, and identifying strength of each member. While they had not worked as a team before reaching Port Hueneme, they did have a familiarization with each other.

"Working electronically before the mission set the stage for working together," said Cushanick. "We might not know each other physically, but we did know each other's names and a little bit of their personalities, which definitely makes the first couple of days easier."

Ocean Gladiator will depart Port Hueneme later in the week. Following a stop in Christchurch, New Zealand, where the ship will load additional cargo, it will travel to the ice-pier at McMurdo Station, where members of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion ONE will conduct the offload. Before departing McMurdo station, Ocean Gladiator will be loaded with ice core samples that will be stored on the ship in sub-zero freezer containers. The ice core samples will be delivered to the United States for scientific study. In addition, retrograde cargo will be loaded onto the ship for transportation off the continent. These include trash and recyclable materials for disposal and equipment no longer required on the station.

Operation Deep Freeze is a joint service, on-going Defense Support to Civilian Authorities activity in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program. Mission support consists of active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard as well as Department of Defense civilians and attached non-DOD civilians. ODF operates from two primary locations situated at Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica. An MSC-chartered cargo ship and tanker have made the challenging voyage to Antarctica every year since the station and its resupply mission were established in 1955.

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US Plan to Empower Palestinian Authority in Gaza Faces Israeli Opposition

By Patsy Widakuswara December 19, 2023

The United States is working on a postwar road map that envisions a "revamped and revitalized" Palestinian Authority ultimately taking over the Gaza Strip and becoming a credible partner for Israel for negotiation of a two-state solution.

One proposal being considered is to empower remaining members of the PA security forces in Gaza to form the "nucleus" of a broader postwar peacekeeping force, according to a senior administration official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity last week.

Israel opposes the plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that only the Israel Defense Forces can be trusted to demilitarize Gaza and has vowed to block any attempt to reinstall the PA in the Palestinian enclave.

Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to curb Israel's military campaign that has killed over 19,000 people in the Gaza Strip, by Palestinian count. A surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas took over 1,200 lives in Israel.

Immediate challenges

The U.S. plan faces two immediate challenges  getting the Israelis on board and the Palestinians ready.

The PA at present lacks the credible mandate that would be needed for it to participate in deciding the security and future of Gaza. A wartime opinion poll published last week by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows an overwhelming majority of Palestinians reject PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90% saying he must resign. Prior polls show that most Palestinians believe the PA is corrupt.

"Abbas is very weak," said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who was involved in U.S. Middle East peace negotiations during the Reagan, Clinton and both Bush administrations.

Miller told VOA that Abbas is perceived to be an "Israeli subcontractor" when it comes to security.

Since being established under the 1994 Cairo Agreement, PA security forces have operated in pockets of roughly 40% of the West Bank and have been essential in keeping order amid raids by Israel Defense Forces and expansionist activities by Israeli settlers.

Israel controls the rest of the West Bank and restricts movement of people and goods through the territory. It has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007 following Hamas' victory in the Gaza 2006 legislative elections.

The United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority has since 2007 been providing PA security forces in the West Bank with training, funding, weapons and other assistance. However, PA security forces in Gaza have been largely dormant following the PA's expulsion after Hamas won.

"The United States should support some members of the Palestinian Authority security forces from the West Bank coming into Gaza, while also attempting to rehabilitate existing security personnel there," said Middle East political analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib.

Key to this is distinguishing between personnel that simply work under the Hamas government because it is the only employer in town, and those with direct links and ideological affiliation to the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, Alkhatib told VOA.

He noted lessons learned in the aftermath of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the U.S. enacted de-Ba'athification policies and disbanded the Iraqi army to flush out remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and prevent them from holding positions in the new Iraq.

"This contributed greatly to the ensuing chaos and civil war," Alkhatib said.

Like the Ba'ath Party, Hamas has for years been the dominant political force in Gazan society, providing public services and maintaining law and order pre-Oct. 7.

Separating professionals from militants and then using their experience, expertise and local contacts will be key to stabilizing postwar Gaza, he said. The local population will be more likely to cooperate with them than with foreign forces being "parachuted in."

Custodian proposals

Various international custodianship proposals have been floated, including the deployment of an international peacekeeping force from NATO countries as suggested by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Ohlmert. Or the deployment of Arab missions to reconstitute PA security forces and rebuild Palestinian state apparatus.

"I don't think we're at the stage right now where we can endorse one particular option or another," John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told VOA during a news briefing Tuesday.

He stressed that the PA must reform itself to be "credibly involved" in postwar governance of Gaza. The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006 and brought Hamas to power in Gaza. The last presidential elections, won by Abbas, were held in 2005.

Palestinian activists have long pushed for internal reform. According to a policy paper by the Palestinian think tank Al Shabaka, the Palestinian national movement is "in an acute state of crisis, and the Palestinian political system and institutions are incapable of bringing the Palestinian people closer to realize their rights."

Even with a stronger mandate, the PA is keen to avoid the perception of reclaiming Gaza by riding on the bloodshed. In a recent interview, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he would be open to ruling Gaza alongside Hamas as a "junior partner," prompting Netanyahu to claim that he is vindicated in his opposition to allowing the PA to control the territory after the war.

The day after

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that parts of Gaza are close to being able to transition to a "day after" status but other parts will likely continue to face intensive fighting.

Israel began aerial bombardment on Oct. 9, followed by ground invasion on Oct. 27. The U.S. has pressed the Netanyahu war Cabinet to make its campaign more surgical, but heavy warfare is expected to last for at least another few weeks, if not months.

The Biden administration has worked on a postwar plan since the conflict's early weeks.

"At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Oct. 31 to American lawmakers.

Anita Powell and Nike Ching contributed to this report.

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UN Security Council Delays Vote on Call for Broad Humanitarian Access to Gaza

By VOA News December 19, 2023

Israel carried out fresh airstrikes Tuesday along with its ground campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, while the United States mobilized allies to protect shipping lanes in the Red Sea from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Israeli military said Tuesday its latest targets included compounds used by Hamas, and that Israeli troops had destroyed a tunnel shaft in southern Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in Rafah, a southern city located near the border with Egypt where thousands of civilians have fled.

The telecommunications and internet shutdown in Gaza eased slightly, with services reportedly partially restored in the southern part of Gaza. The communications blackout that began Thursday is the longest since the war began.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council delayed a vote on a resolution calling for a pause in fighting to facilitate scaled-up aid deliveries to Gazans in dire need of food, water and medicine.

The vote had been expected Monday but was pushed back amid negotiations about the text as its drafter, the United Arab Emirates, sought support for the resolution.

The draft resolution in its current form seen by VOA "demands" that the parties to the conflict "allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip" by the most direct routes. It also "calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities" to allow safe and unhindered aid access.

The text also authorizes a U.N. monitoring mechanism to confirm the humanitarian nature of aid shipments into Gaza through multiple entry points.

An attempt to adopt a resolution in the council on December 8 calling for a humanitarian cease-fire failed due to the United States using its veto.

As the vote was pushed from Tuesday morning to early afternoon, U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Bob Wood told reporters, "We are still working on it."

It was finally postponed till Wednesday.

UAE envoy Lana Nusseibeh said to reporters, "Ultimately, the endpoint is a cease-fire, but as you know, that was not adopted recently. So, we have to move to the space that allows humanitarian workers to work safely and at scale."

Israel's president told a gathering of international diplomats Tuesday that Israel is prepared to enter into a further humanitarian pause in return for the release of its hostages held by Hamas.

"I can reiterate the fact that Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages," President Isaac Herzog said. "And the responsibility lies fully with [Yahya] Sinwar and the leadership of Hamas."

Sinwar is a leader of Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist group.

Herzog said Israel is not fighting the Palestinian people, only Hamas, and is "doing an enormous effort in order to increase the humanitarian aid to Gaza."

This week, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom border crossing for aid to cross directly into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

"Calls for a cease-fire on human rights and humanitarian grounds are getting louder by the day and must be heeded," Volker Turk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told reporters in Geneva.

Red Sea protection force

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday the formation of a multinational maritime security initiative called Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The move comes after repeated attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen who have pledged to target vessels bound for Israel. Mohamed Abdel-Salam, the Houthis' chief negotiator and spokesman, said on X that the new initiative will not stop their attacks, saying the Houthi actions are "legitimate operations in support of Gaza."

Austin said in addition to the United States, other countries providing joint patrols or intelligence support include Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

"This is an international challenge that demands collective action," Austin said.

When pressed for details, the White House said the operation was in its early days.

"There's going to be a whole lot of hardware in the Red Sea now," said John Kirby, director for strategic communications at the National Security Council. "Naval hardware, not not just from the United States, but other ships from other nations to counter these threats. So, let's see where it goes. ... I'm certainly not going to telegraph any punches one way or the other."

The Pentagon said the Houthis have conducted 100 attacks using drones and ballistic missiles, targeting 10 merchant vessels.

The attacks have prompted some freight companies to reroute shipments, using much longer paths around southern Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which governs Gaza, after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed and some 240 captives taken in the terror attack. More than 100 of the hostages remain in Gaza.

The Israeli response has killed more than 19,400 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 131 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the conflict has forced an estimated 85% of Gaza's population from their homes, with many of them trying to find a safe place to stay at U.N. shelters in southern Gaza that are several times over their intended capacity.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Six Bangladesh Opposition Activists Die in Custody

By Shaikh Azizur Rahman December 19, 2023

Six members of Bangladesh's largest opposition party have died in prison in two weeks, their relatives and leaders of the party said.

The six men were among tens of thousands of leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, who were arrested in a crackdown on the opposition ahead of the next general elections, to be held on January 7.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told VOA that party leaders and activists are facing an "inhuman level of torture" after being picked up by police.

"They are being tortured in the custody of police and while in jail, after being arrested in false politically motivated cases. After torture leaves them wounded, in most cases they are denied medical care and some of them are dying in custody," Rizvi said.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal rejected the allegation of torture of the opposition activists in custody.

"None is tortured in police custody or jail. Everyone in jail receives proper medical treatment following jail rules. The BNP claims of torture [are intended] to get sympathy and political advantage," Kamal told local reporters.

The BNP has been demonstrating across the country for months, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the installation of an election-time neutral caretaker government which, the opposition party said, would ensure a free and fair election.

Following a massive opposition rally in Dhaka on October 28, the government launched a crackdown targeting the BNP leaders and activists, accusing them of resorting to violence.

'Denied access to medical treatment'

According to the BNP, over 21,000 of its activists  including its entire leadership  have been arrested since the October 28 rally.

Some activists are badly wounded during torture in police custody before being sent to jail custody, Dr. Mohammed Rafiqul Islam, health affairs secretary of the BNP, told VOA.

"The activists report their illnesses to the prison authorities and beg for the arrangement of medical treatment. The prison authorities often do not allow the opposition political activists access to proper medical care, many of the arrested activists and their relatives told us," said Islam, a urologist.

"Some with fatal injuries or sickness are dying in the prison in the absence of medical treatment," he said. "In two weeks, six BNP leaders and activists died in prison, and in each of the cases a history of negligence of medical treatment in jail custody has been reported."

Many relatives of the BNP activists who died in prison echoed the views of Islam.

The mother of one BNP activist told VOA that her son's medical condition worsened and he died after he lost access to his daily dose of medicine for hypertension after his arrest.

"When we went to jail to see my son 10 or 12 days after his arrest, he appeared very sick and was unable to stand," she said. "He told us to arrange to get him out of jail and take him to a hospital outside as soon as possible."

The mother, who fears retaliation from police and does not want to be identified, quoted her son telling her that he had told jail officials many times about his worsening physical condition, "but they are not sending me to any hospital."

"By the time they sent him to a hospital several weeks after his arrest, it was too late," the mother said. "He died a few days after."

Several relatives of the activist told VOA that they saw bruises on his chest and other parts of his body when it was handed over to them for burial.

Prisons overcrowded

According to official figures provided in the first week of November, Bangladesh's 68 prisons held 88,000 inmates, more than twice their intended capacity of less than 43,000.

One rights activist who interacted with many prisoners in Bangladesh recently said many of the detainees had reported being tortured in the custody of the police Detective Branch.

"They said they had been given electric shocks, subjected to waterboarding and beaten around their joints, before being sent to jail custody," said the activist, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.

"Although many of them were sick because of torture, none received medical treatment in jail," the activist told VOA.

Ali Riaz, professor of political science at Illinois State University, said the deaths of the political activists in jail "show a pattern which can be described as extrajudicial killings."

If there is evidence showing that the activists were tortured in custody, "it's a violation of fundamental rights of a citizen, and the law of the land," he said.

In recent weeks, local newspapers published reports of opposition activists being attacked by unidentified masked men. In some reported cases, the activists were abducted or killed.

Riaz added: "The deaths in custody in combination with recent attacks and abductions of BNP activists by masked men indicate that extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are now back in Bangladesh with more lethality."

Human Rights Watch, in a November 26 report, called the government's action against the political opposition a "violent autocratic crackdown."

Julia Bleckner, senior Asia researcher at HRW, said that her organization had documented allegations of torture of opposition party activists picked up in the recent crackdown. She said there should be transparent independent investigations into each case in this "disturbing spate of deaths in custody."

"Prison authorities cannot just dismiss these deaths by saying the individuals died of natural causes," Bleckner told VOA.

"The government authorities are undermining claims of a fair election by ignoring rule of law. Authorities should release those arbitrarily arrested, investigate all claims of torture, and hold those responsible to account."

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Operation Iron Swords - Day 74 - 19 December 2023

After a number of days of consolidation, Israeli ground forces resumed advances in Gaza, most notably opening a new direction south of Gaza city, which saw intense clashes between Israeli army Israeli forces and Hamas militants, east of Al Buraij, central Gaza. The Beit Lahiya pocket north of Gaza City was markedly diminished, and the Beit Hanoun pocket in the northern Gaza Strip entirely occupied. Furthermore, the Israeli army's 162nd Division gained full control of the Hamas stronghold of Jabalia in northern Gaza: hundreds of militants were killed, 500 terror suspects captured including Oct. 7 perpetrators; with tunnels, command centers & rocket production factories destroyed.

The Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirmed that Iran is no longer what it was 40 or 30 years ago, or even 5 years ago, " Today, we are a global power, not just a regional power. The commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace forces added that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation is the beginning of major events in the world and in the region.

The IDF and the Shin Bet revealed quotes from the investigation of Ahmed Kahlot, director of the "Kamal Adwan" hospital in Jabaliya in the north of the Gaza Strip. Kahlot admitted that Hamas turned hospitals into a military facility under Hamas control: "I was drafted into Hamas in 2010 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. There are workers in the hospital who are military operatives of Ezz a-Din Al-Qassem - doctors, brothers, paramedics, clerks, staff members. He said "There was a time that dozens of them hidden in the hospital, sometimes close to a hundred." Moreover, terrorists were embedded among the hospital staff.

Kahlot was arrested last week at the "Kamal Edwan" hospital. by the IDF and Shin Bet forces, who completed the takeover of it about three days ago and arrested about 90 terrorists there. In his investigation at the Shin Bet, Kahlot describes how Hamas uses hospitals for military use - hiding operatives, military activity, transporting staff and even bringing a kidnapped soldier into it.

The director of the hospital said that Hamas terrorists hide in hospitals because they believe it is a safe place, and that they will not harm it while they are inside. Kahlot added that there are 16 military operatives of Hamas in the hospital, which also maintains offices, interrogation rooms and private telephone lines. "Hamas uses private ambulances with different colors and no license plates," Kahlot said. "In these ambulances they brought the kidnapped soldier and transferred bodies. They come and go and don't take down the wounded."

Also in his investigation, Kahlot said that on one occasion he begged Hamas to take a wounded man to the Indonesian hospital or to Shifa for treatment - and they refused: "their mission is more important," he said. Kahlot even sharply criticized the top leadership of the terrorist organization: "The leaders of Hamas are cowards. They left us in the field while they hide in hiding places - they destroyed us."

Israeli occupation Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made another statement calling for the daily execution of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners affiliated with Hamas for every day an Israeli captive is not released. Ben-Gvir called for an end to negotiations with Hamas, advocating for a decisive approach. He stated that if Israeli hostages were not released daily, a "member of the elite" would be executed.

A UN Security Council vote on an attempt to increase aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip has been postponed for another day as talks continue in an attempt to avoid the United States using its veto for a third time on a measure regarding the nearly two-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, diplomats said.

The 15-member council was initially scheduled to vote on a draft resolution drafted by the UAE on Monday. But the vote has been repeatedly postponed, with diplomats saying the UAE and the United States are having difficulty agreeing on language indicating a cessation of hostilities and a proposal to establish a UN aid monitoring mechanism.

In response to a question about whether diplomats were close to reaching an agreement, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Tuesday, We are trying, really trying.

The draft resolution calls on Israel and Hamas to allow aid to be delivered to all parts of the Gaza Strip and asks the United Nations to monitor it. Diplomats said that the United States wants to soften the language that calls for an urgent cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and to take urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

The United States and Israel oppose the ceasefire because they believe it will only benefit Hamas. Instead, Washington supports stopping the fighting to protect civilians and allowing the release of hostages held by Hamas. Washington traditionally protects its ally, Israel, from any action in the Security Council. It has already used its veto power twice to block action in the Security Council since the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7th.

Operational Update

The military media of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, published video clips of battles and targetingIsraeli occupation forces penetrating into Gaza, and with Al-Qassam publishing the clips, they began to spread like wildfire on social media platforms.

What caught the attention of social media pioneers most in the scenes broadcast by the military media was the remarkable development in the clips in which Al-Qassam documented its operations against the armyThe Israeli occupation Their attention was also drawn to the scenes of the occupation withdrawing a convoy of its damaged tanks, and an attempt to rescue soldiers and transport dead people who were injured during the battles, and the scene of Al-Qassam fighters targeting a military vehicle with an anti-missile.

Bloggers said that the pictures and videos shown by the Al-Qassam Brigades are terrifying to the Israelis, and the video of 10 soldiers gathering around their tank to protect them and targeting them with Al-Yassin shells and fire surrounding them from all sides is considered one of the most important scenes broadcast by Al-Qassam since the beginning of the war. They added that what is distinctive in the video is also the number counter and the red triangle that Al-Qassam placed it on the soldiers holed up in their tanks.

Others described the unprecedented scenes of a specific Qassam operation, which destroyed an Israeli military enclave full of soldiers with a Kornet missile. This operation had great significance as it came about 70 days after the war on Gaza and in the Abraj al-Nada area in Beit Lahia, which was completely destroyed by the Israeli occupation in the first days of the war. He said: He tightened control over it, noting that the operation came hours after a show of force carried out by the Israeli Defense Minister in the northern Gaza Strip.

Observers said that Al-Qassam and the rest of the Palestinian fighting factions in Gaza are writing the most wonderful heroic epics that history has never witnessed, using terrible military methods and tactics, and they will be taught in higher military colleges, they said. Some of the tweeters commented on the scenes that Al-Qassam responded to the tunnel video and the footage that the occupation obtained from the Palestinians phones with the videos it published yesterday, which emphasize the equality.

Al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon issued a military statement in which it claimed responsibility for firing a concentrated salvo of 12 missiles towards the Kiryat Shmona Airport barracks. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said the Israeli army reported that one of the rockets that was fired in a salvo from southern Lebanon,landed in the yard of a house inside the Kiryat Shmona settlement. "Hezbollah" had previously announced that he had fired a missile salvo at Al-Khalisa village (Kiryat Shmona colony).

Israeli media outlets reported that the northern borders with Lebanon witnessed the launch of drones reaching deep into the occupied Palestinian al-Jalil. Rubi Hammerschlag, the Israeli KAN channel correspondent in north Palestine, mentioned that a heavy missile barrage was fired three hours ago, marking it as "the heaviest so far in this area." Hammerschlag further highlighted that the barrage included 18 missiles "targeted toward Kiryat Shmona and towns in the Upper al-Jalil." He also noted that throughout the day, sirens sounded in towns in the Hula Valley, the Upper al-Jalil region, and Safad, due to the infiltration of drones.

Earlier, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that a heavy barrage of rockets was launched toward the Upper al-Jalil, with "Israel's" Iron Dome system attempting to intercept them. Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah confirmed that in response to the Israeli enemy's aggression against civilians and the martyrdom of Lebanese citizen Hussein Ali Barkat, its fighters shelled the settlement of "Yiftah" (the occupied Lebanese village of Qadas) with artillery, causing confirmed injuries.

The Israeli naval forces continued to attack terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, including buildings where Hamas terrorists were located and vessels used by the organization for terrorist purposes. In addition, the forces of the naval arm continue to assist the IDF forces maneuvering in the Strip.

IDF Spokesman, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari: "The forces are going deeper into the operation, destroying and eliminating terrorists." We have added an entire brigade and engineering forces to the Khan Yunis area. The IDF "attacked today a series of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and a terrorist cell". "Our forces returned fire to the sources of the shooting in the center of the country, also as Hizbollah targets. Hezbollah acts as a shield for Hamas-ISIS and endangers the citizens of Lebanon. "The forces in the field will be instructed on how to search for live abductees."

Special forces from the 'Sheldag' Working inside a significant terror tunnel of the terrorist organization Hamas that was uncovered in the heart of Gaza City. Air Force and IDF aircraft attacked another terrorist cell in the Shtoula area. In addition, a number of launches were detected from the territory of Lebanon towards the territory of the State of Israel, the IDF attacked with fire the sources of the shooting.

Air force fighter jets attacked a series of Hezbollah military targets in Lebanese territory, among the targets attacked, terrorist infrastructures, military buildings, a weapons depot and a launch site of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Following a warning about the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the north of the country, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the territory of the State of Israel. Rocket and missile warnings were activated for fear of interception fragments.

Following the warning about the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the north of the country, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted using the "Iron Dome" system. A suspicious aerial target that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the territory of the State of Israel.

Charges, missiles and rockets - A force of the 261st Divisional Combat Team in the 162nd Division located sites for the production of munitions and a large stockpile of munitions.

The IDF attacked several areas in Lebanese territory earlier today with artillery fire. In addition, one launch was detected from Lebanese territory towards the Metula area that fell in an open area, the IDF attacked with fire the sources of the shooting.

The IDF and the Shin Bet eliminated Sabchi Perana, who was involved in the transfer of tens of millions of dollars for the benefit of the fighting activities of the military wing of Hamas.

The 55th Divisional Combat Team carried out combined raids on terrorist infrastructures in Han Younes, during which the fighters shot down a terrorist who launched an RPG-type anti-tank missile at the force. The fighters located a munitions warehouse containing explosive charges, weapons and grenades.

"Mihal" fighters and engineering forces located a bomb that had been planted inside a clinic near a school in the heart of the Sgaiya neighborhood. Also, fighters from Bissell's brigade combat team operating in the Sgaiya neighborhood located many weapons, among them, punching clutches, vests and cartridges.

Fighters of the 179th Brigade Combat Team ('RAM') destroyed a tunnel shaft near a beach in the south of Gaza City. After the explosion of the shaft, the forces identified a large number of terrorists who fled into a building on the coastline. An Air Force fighter plane destroyed the building.

The Israeli army published scenes of the special forces unit Shaldag While working against tunnels belonging to the Hamas movement, In Gaza City, where 1,500 tunnel openings and underground passages have been uncovered since the beginning of the war. The Israeli army said in a statement: After identifying the locations of hundreds of tunnels and destroying many of them using various techniques, the Shaldag Special Forces unit... Implementing operational activities within the tunnel network of the Hamas terrorist organization.

The army stressed in its statement that fighting in underground tunnels is considered a complex form of warfare, including the discovery of combat facilities and terrorist command centers. The statement added: The secret war is a combat strategy used by the Hamas terrorist organization. Since the beginning of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli army forces have identified approximately 1,500 tunnel openings and underground passages belonging to Hamas.

The army continued: Most of these tunnels were found under schools, hospitals, mosques, United Nations facilities, and civilian institutions. Hamas uses the civilian population as human shields, which is evident in the locations of these underground facilities in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said during his tour of the border with Gaza: We are focusing on the process of cleansing the northern Gaza Strip area and entering the underground tunnels. As for the south, Khan Yunis has turned into the new stronghold of terrorism. We will bring the leaders (Hamas leaders) to fate. What suits them is either the grave or prison.

IDF fighters in reserves, engineering, the Shin Bet and the MG destroyed in the village of Akbara in the Samaria Brigade the apartment of the terrorist Osama Bani Padel who carried out the attack in Hawara on 19 August 2023 in which Shay and Aviad Nigerkar were murdered.

Also, the forces arrested ten wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria, among them four affiliated with Hamas. In Kfar Beit says that in the Etzion Brigade the forces confiscated an M-16 weapon. In the operation to confiscate illegal vehicles in the village of Zurif, 40 vehicles were confiscated, and in the village of Karvat Bnei Hassan in the Ephraim division, terrorist funds worth over NIS 100,000 were confiscated. The wanted persons who were arrested were transferred for further investigation by the security forces, there are no casualties to Israeli forces.

Al Jazeera military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that The Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). )- It sent military and political messages after bombing Greater Tel Aviv with missiles after 74 days of war on the Gaza Strip.) Duwairi stated that the message of the political resistance is its ability to target Israels population and economic center of gravity, and force millions to go to shelters, as happened at the beginning of the Battle of " Al-Aqsa Flood".

He added that the military message is that the Operations Staff is still effective, as well as the command, control and communications system from the top level to the smaller groups, noting that it also highlights the battle planning mechanism by choosing the appropriate time, the appropriate target, and the appropriate missile.

He continued by saying that Al-Qassams message tells the occupation army that its missile stocks are fine, but it alone decides when, how and where to strike, which practically means the ability of Hamas fighters to fire missiles for many months, according to Al-Duwairi. As for shooting down some resistance missiles with the Davids Sling system, Al-Duwairi revealed that the matter is related to the type and range of the missile, because Iron Dome only deals with missiles with a range between 5 and 70 kilometers, and beyond that, other defense systems are used.

Al-Duwairi touched on field developments, and said that the occupation army is trying to advance along the eastern regions of the Gaza Strip, after Israeli vehicles that had not previously participated in the battles of the north and south entered the eastern central region, specifically the outskirts of the Bureij and Al-Maghazi camps.

It is believed that the Israeli army wants to control the length of the fence area from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south, with a depth ranging between 1.3 and two kilometers. The military analyst points out that these developments on the ground - such as the attempt to advance to Palestine Square in the center of Gaza City and others - come coinciding with the escalation of talk about a political approach that may lead to a new truce or another exchange deal, regardless of the possibility of its success or failure.

He adds that the occupation seems to want to impose a new fait accompli in parallel with the political negotiation process, and he believes that these will be cards of strength at the negotiating table.

Al-Duwairi, said that the videos of the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirms that its General Staff is still working with the utmost efficiency and that it has the upper hand. Al-Duwairi explained - during his analysis for Al Jazeera - that the recent scenes are a clear message that Al-Qassam has the command, control, communications and reconnaissance system.

On December 18, Al-Qassam broadcast 4 videos, two of which were epic battle scenes against occupation vehicles and soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, in addition to A third video about the Israeli-discovered tunnel, and a fourth about elderly Israeli prisoners entitled Dont let us grow old. He pointed out that the occupation army only succeeds in bombing homes and killing civilians, and that the videos it publishes are a show of force directed at inside Israel, pointing out that they show only half the truth and appear to be training or maneuvers.

As for the repeated statements of the occupation leaders about Israel going far in eliminating Hamas, Al-Duwairi said that they are populist speeches directed at the interior, citing the instruction of the Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu instructs Mossad chief to meet with mediators to release prisoners in Gaza.

He stressed that Netanyahu's government is facing a crisis reality, and is trying to cover up its failure here and there, such as the discovery of a tunnel near the border fence more than 70 days after its war.

As for field developments, Al-Duwairi stated that the Al-Qassam Brigades resorted to the Kornet missile to strike an exposed Israeli vehicle instead of tanks and armored carriers, because the latter are equipped with the protective curtain system. It can shoot down the missile before reaching the target. He pointed out that the Kornet is Russian-made and has been improved. The Qassam possesses laser-operated missiles with a range of 5.5 kilometers. The weight of the filling is estimated at 27 kilograms, and its trajectory is a non-straight spiral.

Regarding the implications of the Al-Qassam video regarding elderly Israeli prisoners, the military expert said that these are among the founders of the occupation army and have a long track record in doing so. He added that these are extremist Jews and live in the settlements surrounding Gaza, stressing that the video message will have a similar or greater impact than the killing of the three prisoners a few days ago at the hands of the Israeli army.

Political researcher Saleh Abu Azza confirmed that on the map of the Gaza Strip we find that the occupations entry movements are from the north, east, or west coast with the Mediterranean Sea and the lowest line that separates the northern Gaza Strip from the central region. These areas are considered an open plain area and are not concentration points for the Palestinian resistance.

Abu Azza pointed out that in November, at the beginning of the Israeli ground attack, there was an Israeli ability to enter and reach these areas, and there was no population density and no basic defense points for the Palestinian resistance, so the Israelis were able to cut this line naturally.

Abu Azza added that when we compare Al-Shuja'iya and Jabalia, specifically the Jabalia military camp, which is the real name of the Jabalia camp, in addition to the Al-Zaytoun area, we find that this far eastern chain is very different from the maritime borders of the Gaza Strip. /span> About the western region near the sea, and the main reason for this is that the ability of the Palestinian resistance to adapt to tunnels is completely different from the ability in the western side of the Gaza Strip.

During the seven wars waged by the Israeli occupation army on the Gaza Strip, the name of a Palestinian neighborhood became prominent because it inflicted on the occupation significant human and material losses as a result of the fierce battles. Which took place in this neighborhood, which is Shujaiya, which is one of the largest and most densely populated neighborhoodsof Gaza City.

Palestinian historians give Shuja'iya neighborhood a number of names, most notably the eastern guard of Gaza. The neighborhood's residents have qualities, the most prominent of which are toughness and defiance, which demonstrates the ferocity in fighting and confronting the Israeli occupation army over the past decades.

The Shuja'iya neighborhood in Gaza has been witnessing fierce battles and violent clashes for days between the Israeli occupation army forces invading from the east of Gaza City and members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, while it is ravaged by human tragedies after indiscriminate bombing and Israeli massacres that claimed the lives of hundreds of its residents and displaced thousands, as part of a strategy aimed at completely destroying it. Complete.

Al-Shuja'iya, after witnessing 7 successive wars, was subjected to aerial bombardment with more than 60 missiles, while during the past few days, residential blocks were completely wiped out, leaving hundreds dead and wounded and dozens buried under the rubble, in addition to turning most of it into ruins. Rubble, as witnessed by continuous artillery shelling and dozens of fire belts.

The Commander of the Fifth Military District in Yemen, Major General Yousef Al-Madani, confirmed that any escalation in Gaza will be met with an escalation in the Red Sea, and any calm in Gaza is considered a calm in the Red Sea. Major General Al-Madani pointed out in an interview with Radio September 21 that the Red Sea front is part of the Palestine front, and Yemen is an integral part of the battle of Palestine. He said: Any foreign country that comes between us and Palestine, we will confront it, seeking help from God.

He added, "We are concerned with increasing readiness to confront any threats that may arise, as the enemy is lurking in Yemen and seeking to react after being insulted."

The Commander of the Fifth Military District explained, The Israeli ship Galaxy Leader was seized. By the grace of God, in very complex circumstances and at a distance of 120 kilometers from the Yemeni coast, he indicated, The operation took place while the enemy was in a cautious position, and the Americans were largely present in the Red Sea and close to the ship.

He stated, The special force that carried out the operation had undergone extensive training for two years to carry out similar operations.

The official spokesman for the Ansar Allah movement, Muhammad Abdel Salam, confirmed that Yemens position regarding what is happening in Palestine and the heinous crimes to which the Palestinian people are exposed is a religious, humanitarian and moral position.

Mohamed Abdel Salam said in an exclusive interview with Al-Alam Channel that it is clear that an unparalleled folly is being committed in Palestine with American and Western support and carried out by the occupying Zionist entity. Pointing out that Yemen's position is to bear this historical burden in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and stems from this principle.

Abdul Salam continued that the operations that took place in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea are operations targeting Israeli ships or those that have a partnership with the Zionists or ships heading to The ports of the occupying entity, as a natural response to the rules of engagement imposed by the Zionists in order to help lift the siege and end the aggression against the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Regarding the formation of an American coalition, Abdel Salam stressed that its goal is to protect the Israeli entity and not to protect any international navigation. The ships pass through the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea in complete safety and stability, and they only target the right-wing forces that announced their targeting. Pointing out that this coalition was announced from Tel Aviv. Aviv, not from anywhere else, and since it was announced, it has been a weak alliance that does not have any legal, moral, or humanitarian basis.

The spokesman for Ansar Allahconfirmed that the American propaganda is rejected and unacceptable, and that this alliance aims to protect the Israeli entity so that it continues its crimes against the Palestinian people, pointing out that This maritime coalition does not involve any country overlooking the Red Sea, but rather consists of countries led by the United States, Britain and France, whose basic position is to support the slaughter and killing of the Palestinian people.

He stated that this alliance will not change the course of the battle, will not change Yemens position in support of Palestine, and will not stop naval operations. Abdel Salam said that the naval operations have proven to be very effective and the Israeli economy has been paralyzed. This is information from neutral parties, and even the Zionist entity and the Western media are talking about this, in addition to the announcement by major maritime companies in the world of the cessation of navigation heading to the occupying entity.

He considered that this naval operation put great pressure on the American and Israeli position. It is a pressure operation to end the war and aggression against Gaza and support the Palestinian people. It is at the heart of the strategic battle that supported Palestine because it is an active and continuous operation since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and represented a state of interdependence and the American and Zionist forces lost balance. Evidence of this is what was announced by international parties and that the American endeavor to find an alliance to save the Israeli entity is a result of the effectiveness of the Yemeni operations against the Israeli entity in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Liquefied natural gas tankers are diverting from the Red Sea, where violence related to the war between Israel and Hamas threatens" Classified as a terrorist in the United States and other countries, with longer flights and fuel delays in extremely cold times, according to a report by Bloomberg. Since Friday, at least five ships have changed course away from the waters off the coast of Yemen, an inevitable waypoint for ships using the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

The 192-kilometre-long Suez Canal is the fastest sea route between Asia and Europe. It is one of the seven geographical choke points and is extremely important for global oil trade. It is also vulnerable to disruption or pirate attacks. Companies transporting natural gas are choosing to avoid the Red Sea as Iranian-backed Houthi militants intensify their attacks in support of Hamas. Qatar, one of the world's largest liquefied natural gas producers and a major supplier to Europe, continues to cross the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal, according to ship tracking data.

The diversions are occurring at a time when another vital ocean-to-ocean waterway for LNG, the Panama Canal, is being severely restricted by drought. This means that more US LNG shipments to Asia may need to take longer routes around South Africa. On Monday, European natural gas prices jumped by 7 percent.

Maps

All maps are lies. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. Thes processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Bystanders

Human Rights Watch said the Israeli government was using starvation of civilians as a method of war in the occupied Gaza Strip, which constitutes a war crime. The human rights organization considered that the Israeli occupation army prevented the delivery of water, food, and fuel, while deliberately obstructing humanitarian aid, apparently bulldozing agricultural areas, and depriving the civilian population of materials indispensable for their survival.

It indicated that Israeli officials, including the Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir< /span> and Energy Minister Israel Katz made public statements in which they expressed their intention to deprive civilians in Gaza of food, water, and fuel, noting that these statements were reflected in the military operations carried out by Israeli forces.

This comes while other Israeli officials have publicly stated that humanitarian aid to Gaza will be conditional on either the release of detainees held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), or the destruction of the movement.

The director of Israel and Palestine affairs at Human Rights Watch said: Omar Shaker, For more than two months, Israel has been depriving Gazans of food and water, a policy urged or endorsed by senior Israeli officials that reflects an intent to starve civilians as a tactic. Of the methods of war". Omar Shaker called on world leaders to raise their voices against this abhorrent war crime, with devastating effects on the people of Gaza. Displaced people from the Gaza Strip interviewed by Human Rights Watch described They face severe difficulties in securing basic necessities.

In southern Gaza, interviewees described scarcity of potable water, food shortages that led to empty stores and long queues, and exorbitant prices, with a father of two children saying, You have to constantly search for the things needed to survive. On December 6, the United Nations World Food Program reported that 9 out of every 10 families in northern Gaza and two out of every three families in southern Gaza spent at least a full day and a full night without food.

Israeli military operations in Gaza also had a devastating impact on its agricultural sector. According to Oxfam, due to ongoing bombing, coupled with fuel and water shortages, and the displacement of more than 1.6 million people to southern Gaza, agriculture has become almost impossible.

The Egyptian researcher in national security affairs, Ahmed Refaat, commented on the sharp and unprecedented anger that Egypt showed to Israel after the bombing of the Salah al-Din Axis, known as the Philadelphia Axis. Between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Refaat said in statements to RT: The Israeli enemy insists on escalating matters and bringing them to the greatest possible point of confusion, but Egypt has set and is thus setting the last limits for the enemy to understand the possible and the impossible.

Refaat continued: Egypt, which is famous for its strategic patience in its policy, warns once, then the second time there will be a calculated escalation, and the third time the transgressing party will have no one to blame but itself, as national security issues do not know joking, nor do they know tolerance or complacency. The Egyptian researcher noted that the operations to feel the pulse and test balloons are not appropriate for Egypt, nor are they appropriate for such matters. Then we wonder: Which Hamas leaders will flee to Egypt? Did the enemy forces arrest one senior leader so that the rest could escape?

He stressed that: The criminal occupation operations are moving from failure to failure, and Netanyahu is doing nothing but killing innocent children, women, the elderly, and the defenseless. The second is that he takes over his dead from his officers... and his soldiers failed in Gaza because they are sleepy men killed by the resistance. He added, Instead of harassing a large and powerful country like Egypt, it should look for a way out of its great disappointment, the trials that await it, the tragic end, and the dustbin of history awaiting it!

Egypt informed the Israeli side of its reservations against the backdrop of the Israeli Air Force carrying out several strikes near the Philadelphia axis separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip, especially since the axis is subject to a bilateral agreement that requires obtaining prior permission from the other party before carrying out any military actions in the region.

In the same context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said: The Israeli newspaper said that there are great fears among the Israeli security services that senior Hamas officials will escape to the Sinai Peninsula through tunnels located under the Salah al-Din Axis, and therefore it will be bombed. The political analyst for the Hebrew newspaper, Lior Ben Ari, said that there are confirmed reports about the escalation of the dispute between Israel and Egypt regarding the operations on the Philadelphia axis in the southern Gaza Strip, noting that the Israeli army claimed that Hamas infrastructure in the region was attacked, while Egypt confirmed that it was surprised at the absence of coordination.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the United States must move to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that Israel is not only attacking the Palestinians and the Gaza Strip, Rather, all of humanity. Erdogan said in press statements that the United States must stop turning a deaf ear to calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, explaining that he reminded his American counterpart Joe BidenOn the historical responsibilities of the United States regarding stopping the war in Gaza.

He reiterated that Hamas is not a terrorist organization and that it is a political party, and I say that again. "They are fighting for the rights they will have as a political party. "Regarding Palestinian reconciliation, and the meetings between the Fatah and Hamas movements, Erdogan said that Turkey has a lot that it can do in this regard, and it is necessary for reconciliation to prevail between the two movements.

He stated that his government is currently interested in removing the wounded and sick from Gaza and transporting them to Turkey for treatment, and after that, If the Israeli attacks end, our agenda will be to revive Gaza, and we must mobilize the Islamic world for that. He explained that his meetings with leaders of the Gulf states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation were to emphasize participation in the efforts to rebuild and revive Gaza.

Axis of Resistance

The head of the Iranian Islamic Shura Council, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, confirmed that the American-led Western Front continues to support the crimes of the Zionist occupation entity with all its media, financial, military and diplomatic capabilities. He said that the experience of these days has proven that the myth of the invincible Zionist entity has become history.

Qalibaf added during the Shura Council meeting on Tuesday: We condemn the crimes against humanity committed by the Zionist entity by killing the defenseless children of the people of Gaza. The Western Front, led by America, is still supporting these crimes with all its media, financial, military and diplomatic capabilities. The experience of these days has proven that the myth of the invincible Zionist entity has become history.

He addressed America and the West, saying: All your support will not be able to save this entity from the quagmire it has fallen into. I confirm that the continuation of this anti-human behavior will bring you a global scandal, and you will lose your reputation even among your people.

He said: I remind the rulers and presidents of Islamic and Arab countries that you are facing a historic test towards the Islamic peoples and you must carry out your religious, humanitarian and national duty with practical actions without empty slogans. Unfortunately, I must say that you have not emerged from this test with your heads held high yet, and I hope that you will compensate for the above with effective measures in the coming days.

He referred to the terrorist crime represented by the attack on the police headquarters of the city of Rask in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran, and the martyrdom and injury of a number of spare police cadres. He added: The security forces and law enforcement must urgently and seriously uncover the perpetrators of this criminal incident and punish them. It is necessary to take the necessary measures to prepare Providing border posts with equipment and preventing the recurrence of such crimes.

The Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirmed that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation is the beginning of major events in the world and in the region.

Brigadier General Haji Zadeh said in a speech he delivered at a ceremony commemorating the martyrs of the city of Ashtian (in Markazi Governorate located in central Iran) on Monday, that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation caused a collapse in the Zionist entity, and from the fourth day of the operation the Americans took over the field command there until now, and they have imposed a veto. On the United Nations resolution, they do not allow the war to end. America stands behind all these crimes, and they cannot distance themselves, and this crime will kill them as well.

While he stressed that the Gaza war revealed many facts and exposed the depth of American and Zionist crimes to the entire world, he stressed that the entire world is watching that the Zionist entity, which defeated three Arab armies in 1967, stands helpless for 70 days in the face of a Palestinian guerrilla faction called Hamas.

He added: From here it is possible to know the strength of the axis of resistance. The Zionists who once said that they had to occupy what is between the Nile and the Euphrates, and who used to say that they would attack the Iranian nuclear bomb, are today in their confrontation with a guerrilla faction saying that their war has become a fateful war for them, and this means That their fate is threatened.

General Haji Zadeh continued, The Al-Aqsa Flood operation is the beginning of major events in the world and the region, and this defeat is not only a defeat for the Zionist entity, but also a defeat for America. America has become aware that the power of the Muslims and the axis The resistance is the greatest force capable of overthrowing a ruler and occupying a region by bringing in fleets and warships. That time has passed, and they cannot continue their survival by following this method. If they continue with it, we will inevitably witness the collapse of America itself. They are no longer able to protect a Zionist group using the money of a leader. American taxes, the creation of ISIS, and waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They must either reconsider, or they will face bigger problems.

Two American researchers described the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel on October 7th as an "astonishing tactical success" They wondered what the movement could claim to have achieved despite the Israeli army steadily increasing its grip on Gaza, leaving much of the Strip in ruins and more than 19,000 Palestinian martyrs.

Researchers Daniel Byman and Delaney Duff - the former a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and the latter a master's student in the security studies program at the same university - believe that it is useful to think about what Hamas has accomplished and what it has failed to do by studying three different dimensions: its struggle against Israel and the Palestinian arena. The Ministry of Interior and its position on the international scene.

With regard to its conflict with Israel, the Hamas movements attack on October 7 last caused pain to Israel and destroyed its sense of security, both of which are goals of the movement, and the attack exposed the belief of Benjamins government Netanyahuis firm that the movement lacks the intent and capabilities necessary to launch a large-scale attack on Israel.

This assumption left Israel unprepared to confront Hamas's major attack, and its intelligence failure was more successful than the movement's planners expected. It will leave deep psychological scars on the Israelis and force Tel Aviv to reevaluate its approach to dealing with security moving forward.

Israel's response could also strengthen Hamas' position, as the movement has succeeded in bringing the Palestinian issue back to the forefront of international news, and the Israeli military campaign in Gaza - despite the heavy costs incurred by civilians in Gaza - keeps the Palestinian issue at the top of the headlines.

The ground attack also plays into Hamas' narrative of Israeli aggression, isolates Israel from its neighbors, and exacerbates regional tensions. In the long term, the conflict will strengthen a new generation of Gazans who have grievances against Israel, which could strengthen support for Hamas in the future.

Hamas restored resistance credentials among the Palestinian people, and its effective attacks led to increased support for the resistance in general and restored its credentials in particular. Limited opinion polls of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as anecdotal reports, indicate strong support for the attack of last October 7, and that the Israeli response in both Gaza and theWest BankIt angered many Palestinians who were not supportive of Hamas.

The exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli detainees arrested by Hamas on the day of the attack is a clear victory for the movement, which can argue that its attacks - and not the competing Palestinian Authority negotiations - It is what led to the release of the prisoners.

The two researchers believe that the Palestinian issue has now become front and center after it was the last priority in the world, and Israels response to the Hamas attack reinforces narratives that portray Israel as an occupying power that brutally oppresses Palestinians. The continuation of the conflict and the subsequent humanitarian crisis in Gaza undermines Israels image in the region and enhances support for those who They, like Iran, oppose it. The attack also temporarily halted US-backed normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Beyond the Middle East, the war showed notable support for the Palestinian cause, as pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread across Europe. With few exceptions, the global South has adopted the Palestinian narrative, portraying the war as a war of a powerful state attacking a defenseless people, while expressing regret at what many consider the Wests hypocrisy in defending Ukraine, while ignoring the rights of the Palestinians. The researchers continued that Hamas could even declare some victories in the United States, and although most Republicans and US President Joe Biden supported Israel, the Democratic Party is divided, with younger Democrats particularly critical of Israel.

Allied for Democracy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pledged not to allow the transfer of Palestinian tax funds to Gaza, or to the families of the Palestinian attackers, he said on Monday, hinting that he would resign from the government rather than pass the transfer. Smotrich was referring to reports of an agreement brokered by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to enable the Palestinian Authority to send money to its employees in Gaza, by allowing Israel to verify the beneficiaries of the funds.

The Minister of Finance pledged not to allow the transfer of even one shekel From money to Nazi Hamas In Gaza, according to his description, or to the families of terrorists From the West Bank and Gaza, he said that he informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was willing to pay the price if the government - God forbid - yields to this pressure. He added, I want to say as clearly as possible, this will never happen... as long as I am the Minister of Finance of the State of Israel.

Israel collects monthly taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority on the Palestinians imports of imported goods, and then settles debts from the Palestinians in favor of Israeli water, electricity and hospital companies. But it has increasingly refrained from doing so for various reasons, most notably the Palestinian Authoritys payment of salaries to those whom Israel condemns as terrorists, and the families of murdered terrorists. It recently said that it would not allow the Palestinian Authority to transfer funds allocated for services and salaries in the Gaza Strip, claiming that the funds could reach the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), with which Israel is waging war.

During the weekly meeting of his far-right Religious Zionist Party, Smotrich referred to a Channel 12 report that he broadcast the day before yesterday which stated that Israel had agreed to transfer the full funds, on the condition that it was able to verify the list of beneficiaries in Gaza, to ensure that the funds did not reach Hamas.

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, supported the extreme nationalist expressed his colleague in the government's position on withholding tax funds at his party meeting, criticizing his government's policy of allowing fuel and other humanitarian aid to enter Gaza during the war.

He expressed his regret for the failure to present legislation allowing the death penalty for those he described as terrorists, noting that this would enable Israel to execute a prisoner from the elite force of the Qassam Brigades, from among those captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, for every day that Hamas does not release Israeli prisoners.

The families of hostages held in Gaza protested against Ben Gvir; Because of his focus on this issue, they said that he was putting their loved ones in danger through his rhetoric and efforts, according to the newspaper.

The Israeli writer specializing in security and intelligence affairs, Yossi Melman, repeated the incident of the Israeli army killing 3 of its captives "escaped from captivity" Inthe Gaza Stripto the deep-rooted culture and practices of killing and violence that this army has become accustomed to over decades, in contravention of the instructions on the rules of fire. Melman explained - in a report in Haaretz newspaper - that these practices are due to the cover-up that accompanies them. Regarding investigations and what he called reduced punishment, which is reflected in violent behavior. In many parts of Israeli society, he says.

Melman says that although the army leadership acknowledged and did not downplay the seriousness of the shooting incident that led to the death of the three detainees, and Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy accepted responsibility and said, It is forbidden to shoot at anyone who raises the white flag and requests surrender, the reality remains different, according to him.

The writer also reviewed what he described as military doctrine. Which was reformulated in 2000, and states that the soldier will only use his weapon and force to carry out the mission, and only to the extent required for that, in addition to international agreements that prohibit killing or harming prisoners and innocents. However, the reality is different - according to the writer - as the Israeli army has become accustomed to For years, Palestinian men and women have been shot in the West Bank in contravention of these instructions.

Melman confirms that the problem is that in most cases the person who opened fire or his leaders were not punished, and not only did he justify the act as he saw it, but they coordinated narratives to prevent the implementation of military police orders to open investigations against suspects, or those rare investigations. Which was closed under the pretext of insufficient evidence.

An Israeli army investigation into the mistaken killing of 3 Israeli prisoners in Gaza by its soldiers revealed that the dead were waving white flags, and that one of them was calling for help in Hebrew, saying, Save us. Two days before the incident, the forces found a building with the words Save 3 Hostages written on it. In Hebrew, hundreds of meters from the scene, according to what was reported by the Israeli press.

The three detainees left a building dozens of meters away from the building in which an army force was stationed. Then a soldier saw them leaving the building without shirts and carrying a stick with a white cloth. He shouted to his companions, Terrorists! He began shooting at them, killing two instantly, and the third fled wounded into the building from which he emerged again, according to Israeli media.

As soon as he heard the third man's screams, the military commander, who had the rank of major, gave orders to stop shooting. The wounded prisoner emerged reassured from the building, but a soldier shot and killed him, violating the orders of the field commander. After the killing of the three detainees, the soldiers had doubts about the identity of the dead, so they were transferred to Israel. After examining the bodies, it was found that they were prisoners of Hamas in Gaza.

Many military and political analysts agreed that the Israeli army failed to achieve the declared goals of the war on Gaza, and that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , finds it difficult to decide on the conduct of the ground operation, and the mechanisms for releasing detainees held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). These estimates come at a time when the circle of protests is expanding by the families of detainees in Tel Aviv and demanding a comprehensive exchange deal, amid talk of Hamas approval. Israel is on the path of negotiations for a new exchange deal.

Hamas requires an immediate ceasefire, while Netanyahu adheres to the military option to free the Israeli detainees. The Israeli side's readings come with the strengthening of convictions that the military option did not lead to the liberation of - even - a single detainee, and did not contribute to undermining Hamas' rule or its military arsenal, but rather inflicted heavy losses on the occupation army in terms of dead and wounded soldiers, and in military equipment.

In light of the complexities of the war and the ground incursion, television critic and journalist Einav Schiff wrote an article in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, entitled It is time to come down from the tree, in an implicit admission that the army did not achieve the goals of the war, and that the Netanyahu government is floundering about deciding on the issue of detainees. The journalist explained that the killing of the three kidnappers at the hands of the Israeli army not only revealed serious operational failures and a lack of moral clarity, but also revealed the painful and restrictive reality of the ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip.

In practical terms, Einav says, One does not need to be a high-ranking army officer to see the gap in facts, field realities, and high expectations implanted in the mentality of the Israeli public. He continues, The media discourse on television, the Internet, and newspapers, with the exception of a small number of voices, hides the difficult facts on the battlefield, under the pretext of maintaining morale and fighting spirit.

In practice, Einav believes that the political and military levels in Israel find it difficult to get the truth out of their throats. He said, Eliminating Hamas, perhaps this is a good slogan, but it is not a realistic goal under the current circumstances. After a month and a half of intense fighting that no one in Israel dared to imagine, the army does not have complete control over the northern Gaza Strip.

Every day, the Israeli journalist added, soldiers die in ground battles there that take place in complex and difficult circumstances, despite the great assistance provided by the air force and artillery. He explained that the Israeli armys estimates regarding the date on which full control over areas such as Jabalia and Shujaiya neighborhood could be declared, are merely wishful thinking at best. While in the south of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli reports, the situation is more complicated, as the fate of the Rafah maneuver has come into question in light of the American expectation of changing the formula of fighting.

Einav continues, The current phase of the campaign will not end with the destruction of Hamas, which is the Israeli declared goal and is not achievable in the foreseeable time frame. And this is even before the issue of the kidnappers, which is not moving in any positive direction. Since the resumption of fighting, none of them have returned to Israel alive.

The same reading was addressed by the Israeli writer, Nir Kipnis, in his article on the Walla website. Title: Release the kidnappers or destroy Hamas? The Israeli government is unable to make a decision. Kipnis considered that the sequence of events in Israel since "The Al-Aqsa Flood" On the 7th of last October, the course of the war on Gaza proves that the Israeli leadership is incapable of making difficult decisions.

He said that the inability to decide on the conduct of the war and a new exchange deal reflects the different opinions of the Israeli government in two main camps, the first of which promotes that military pressure serves the negotiations, and therefore the more it increases, the more it is an incentive for the deal.

On the other hand, the second camp claims that the return of the kidnapped people precedes the overthrow of Hamass rule, and therefore with the differences in positions between the two camps, Kipnis says, Even if necessary, we will have to swallow our national pride, and go to a deal that makes a deal like Shalit. It seems like a marginal humanitarian gesture, and only then will a war of extermination be declared against Hamas.

Amid this discrepancy and division over the conduct of the ground incursion and the pursuit of the wars goals, Netanyahu confirms that he is committed to continuing the fighting, but, says the military affairs analyst for the Haaretz newspaper: Amos Harel, Doubts have begun to erode and fracture Israeli popular support for the war.

As time passes, the military analyst adds that the situation in Gaza may in the later stage resemble the first Lebanon W war in 1982, after the occupationBeirut, where the Israeli understanding that victory seems possible has disappeared, and here in the ground incursion into Gaza matters are also linked to a change in the general Israeli position towards the war.

Harel said, Continuing the fighting in its current form will include more soldiers killed and wounded, as the possible change in the form of the ground operation, next month, will raise doubts about achieving the declared goals, enslaving the defeat of Hamas or assassinating its senior officials, and not liberating the detainees through a military operation.

In view of the failure of the Israeli political leadership to take decisive decisions regarding the conduct of the war on Gaza, the Arab and Middle Eastern affairs analyst in the newspaper Haaretz believes: Zvi Barel said that this reflects the deception of the Netanyahu government, suggesting that Tel Aviv, in the new phase of the war, is moving towards a direct and complete occupation of the Strip.

Without declaring this, Barel says, It seems that the Israeli strategy may tend to imitate the occupation model, as Tel Aviv declares that it does not intend to occupy Gaza, but it does not plan to withdraw from it either, and without specifying what are the necessary conditions that will allow the withdrawal of army forces from the Gaza Strip. And when will that happen?

There seems to be something in the slogan eliminating Hamas, Barel says, that meets the necessary condition for ending the war, but the Strip is still full of weapons, and cross-border tunnels between Sinai And Gaza still plays a role in the flow of weapons and ammunition. He continues, The continuation of the fighting will extend for a long period of time until Israel is able to announce that Hamas military infrastructure no longer poses a threat either.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for the adoption of a sustainable humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip that would allow the release of more Israeli detainees held by resistance factions, and the entry of aid to Gaza. Sunak stressed - in press statements - that the war in Gaza must not last a single moment longer than it should. He said that his government is working day and night to secure the safe release of the British hostages.

He revealed the existence of a dialogue with Qatar regarding resuming the process of releasing detainees held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip. Two days ago, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock called on all parties in the Middle East to work towards a two-state solution, and expressed what They called it the cruelty of the heart-breaking moment of seeing so many children killed or injured. The two ministers said - in a joint article in the Times newspaper - that no one wants to see this conflict last a moment longer than necessary.

A few days ago, Sunak had avoided answering two questions posed by Scottish National Party leader Stephen Flynn in the British House of Commons, regarding the war on Gaza. During a session in the House of Commons, Flynn asked Sunak two questions regarding the latters ability to share his Christmas message to children being bombed in Gaza, and Londons abstention from voting on the ceasefire project at the United Nations.

In his response to Flynn, Sunak said that no one wants to see this conflict continue for a moment longer than necessary. Britain had abstained from voting on a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. While the United States voted against the resolution, 153 countries supported it.

A group of American Congressional veterans urged US PresidentJoe Biden to use all US influence to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuto change the military strategy that is killing thousands of civilians in Gaza Strip. The six representatives are Jason Crow, a Bronze Star winner and former Army Ranger, Mickey Sherrill, a former Navy pilot, Chrissy Holahan, a former Air Force officer, Seth Moulton, a former Marine, and Elissa Slotkin and Abigail Spanberger, former CIA officers.

Six lawmakers - all Democrats - said in an open letter to Biden that the increasing civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis are unacceptable and not in line with interests. America, and they do not contribute to preserving the security of our ally Israel. The representatives continued in their letter, which was reported by the Associated Press: Some of us have spent years in Americas war on terrorism, and we know from personal and often painful experience that you cannot destroy a terrorist ideology with military force alone.

The letter reveals part of the pressure exerted by representatives from Bidens party in the Armed Forces, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs committees in Congress, in order to restrain Netanyahu to curb and stop his air and ground war on the Gaza Strip.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

Palestinian armed group Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and deployed its militants to infiltrate Jewish settlements near the countrys border with Gaza on 07 October 2023. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israels population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. Thats twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."

It is the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war, as the Palestinian resistance killed more than 1,200, wounded more than 5,132 others, and captured more than 250, most of them military personnel, some of whom were high-ranking officers in the army.

The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to about 19,667 martyrs. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. United Nations experts announced reports that the Israeli bombing of Gaza since October 7 led to the death of about 12,000 women and children.

The number wounded was about 52,600. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said many days earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 7,500 [double the 3,750 previously reported], including 1,800 children still under the rubble, including 4,700 children and women.

Palestinian Ministry of Health has announced that the total number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli occupation this year has reached 505 people, including 111 children. The Palestinian Ministry of Health earlier explained that the death toll in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has risen to 465, including 257 martyrs since last October 7.

Lebanons Health Ministry released an official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on Gaza.

Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.

The IDF acknowledged the death toll to 137 between officers and soldiers since the start of the ground incursion, while the number of wounded since the beginning of the ground operation rose to 652, including 146 seriously injured. This brings the total number of dead officers and soldiers whose names the Israeli army allowed to be published to 463 since the Palestinian resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th.

At least 11,383 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV. The IDF updated the number of soldiers injured in the war and attacks on October 7 to 1,683.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far.

Hostages

Israel said there were still 129 detainees in Gaza, a number that included the bodies of 21 soldiers and civilians, who Israel concluded were no longer alive. Israel declared 19 out of 135 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. Israel considers those still held by Hamas to be hostages regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy earlier had told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children.

Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023:

Hamas still held 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war

The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead

117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females

126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals

Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen

Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older.

There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack

Hamas had released 110 hostages so far  86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals.

Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks.

According to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza, he said.

Palestinian institutions concerned with prisoners affairs announced that the Israeli authorities have arrested 4,400 Palestinians in the West Bank and the 1948 territories since last October 7. Some 150 women have been arrested thus far, both from the West Bank and the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948. Additionally, more than 255 children have been arrested. Israel had earliers aid that, since the beginning of the war, about 2,100 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the IOS Division and the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade, about 1,100 of them are affiliated with Hamas.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying that Tel Aviv is ready to release important Palestinian prisoners, even those who were convicted of murder, while senior American intelligence and defense officials began a diplomatic round aimed at reviving talks on a new prisoner exchange deal.

The newspaper said that Israel decided to go towards completing a new deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) after the killing of the Israeli army3 detainees in Shuja'iya neighborhoodinGaza Strip a> last Friday, indicating that Israel is aware of the high price that Hamas demands in exchange for the release of male prisoners and is prepared to release high-level prisoners compared to the previous deal.

The newspaper also quoted American officials as saying that US President Joe Biden believes that the time has come to conclude an exchange deal, considering the return of detainees a higher goal, according to His expression. The newspaper believes that the Israeli decision to renew negotiations to release the prisoners entails risks, including the potential impact on the Israeli armys ground operation in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yav Galant state military action is the only thing that can put pressure on Hamas, while the movement says there will be no negotiations as long as the fighting continues. However, it now appears that steps are being taken to move forward with a potential deal.

The newspaper says that Israel still adheres to three principles: First, any negotiations will take place with Hamas in conjunction with the continuation of the operation in the Gaza Strip, with temporary truces without the release of prisoners. Secondly, resuming negotiations from the point where they stopped in the previous round, and thirdly, Israel insists that any new deal must include specific categories.

Israel wants to release elderly prisoners, along with women and those suffering from medical conditions, and also insists on reaching an agreement to release only living prisoners.

Senior American intelligence and defense officials began new diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving talks to release prisoners still being held by Hamas in Gaza and end the Israeli war there. The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, traveled to Warsaw - on Monday - to meet with David Barnea, director of the Israeli intelligence service ( Mossad) and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, according to American and Egyptian officials. An American official said that the meetings are an attempt to resume discussions about the prisoners.

Also, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown met with Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli War Council. The discussions that took place in the Qatari capital, Doha, last month, with the participation of Burns, the Mossad director, and senior Qatari officials, were part of negotiations that led to the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a week-long truce in the Gaza Strip in late last November.

During the truce, Hamas released more than 100 Israeli detainees, women and children, in addition to foreigners it was holding in Gaza, in exchange for Israel releasing 240 Palestinian women and minors. Israel said there were still 129 detainees in Gaza, a number that included the bodies of 21 soldiers and civilians, who Israel concluded were no longer alive.

Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that Hamas informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it would not resume prisoner talks with Israel unless it stopped its war in Gaza. Hamdan said in a press conference in Beirut, We are against any partial measures, and it is the occupation that is hindering the process.

On the same level, families of prisoners in Gaza staged a sit-in and closed a street near the entrance to the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv for 241 seconds, with a number of those captured at the beginning of the war, as part of their ongoing movement to demand that the War Council work to reach an exchange and prisoner return deal. The families moved their sit-in to the main entrance of the Ministry of Defense and announced that they would remain at the site until a new direction for an exchange deal was announced.

The families of Israeli prisoners continue their sit-in in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv to demand the completion of an exchange deal with their families. The Committee for the Families of Israeli Prisoners announced that the families of soldiers killed during the war in Gaza joined the protests, and the associations participation in its demands to liberate their sons. Our correspondent Najwan Samri monitored the atmosphere in front of the Ministry of Defense.

The Israeli Channel 12 said that the person responsible for the prisoner file in the Israeli government requested, during a meeting with the families, to stop the protests demanding work on their return because the government is doing everything to achieve that.

The head of the movements political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, will travel to Egypt on Wednesday to hold talks on reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchanging prisoners. The source told Agence France-Presse: Haniyeh is expected to head a high-level leadership delegation to Cairo to hold a number of meetings, most notably with Egyptian Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel, to hold a discussion on stopping the aggression and war in preparation for a prisoner exchange deal and ending the siege on the Gaza Strip.

"Axios" revealed that the heads of the American and Israeli intelligence services intend to discuss the possibility of reaching a new prisoner exchange agreementwith Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani. On Friday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and the director of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, met in Norway as part of efforts to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

"Axios" website stated: CIA Director William Burns played an important role in concluding previous agreements that freed Hamas. According to Israeli officials, he stressed that this time it will be more difficult to agree on the terms of the deal. In recent days, several Hamas officials said... They will not resume negotiations on a new prisoner exchange agreement until Israel stops its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

It is worth noting that the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that a secret summit of the Hamas leadership took place in Turkey last week. It added that the meeting included the deputy leader of Hamas, Saleh Al-Arouri, and the leader of Hamas abroad, Khaled Meshaal.

A source said that the meeting between the Prime Minister of Qatar and the directors of the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad) and the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Warsaw, on Monday, to discuss the release of hostages held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) was positive, but there are no expectations of reaching an imminent solution.

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Justice Department Disrupts Prolific ALPHV/Blackcat Ransomware Variant

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

FBI Offers Decryption Tool to Over 500 Victims Around the World, Additional Victims Encouraged to Come Forward

The Justice Department announced today a disruption campaign against the Blackcat ransomware group a also known as ALPHV or Noberus a that has targeted the computer networks of more than 1,000 victims and caused harm around the world since its inception, including networks that support U.S. critical infrastructure.

Over the past 18 months, ALPHV/Blackcat has emerged as the second most prolific ransomware-as-a-service variant in the world based on the hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms paid by victims around the world. Due to the global scale of these crimes, multiple foreign law enforcement agencies are conducting parallel investigations.

The FBI developed a decryption tool that allowed FBI field offices across the country and law enforcement partners around the world to offer over 500 affected victims the capability to restore their systems. To date, the FBI has worked with dozens of victims in the United States and internationally to implement this solution, saving multiple victims from ransom demands totaling approximately $68 million. As detailed in a search warrant unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida, the FBI has also gained visibility into the Blackcat ransomware group's computer network as part of the investigation and has seized several websites that the group operated.

"In disrupting the BlackCat ransomware group, the Justice Department has once again hacked the hackers," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. "With a decryption tool provided by the FBI to hundreds of ransomware victims worldwide, businesses and schools were able to reopen, and health care and emergency services were able to come back online. We will continue to prioritize disruptions and place victims at the center of our strategy to dismantle the ecosystem fueling cybercrime."

"The FBI continues to be unrelenting in bringing cybercriminals to justice and determined in its efforts to defeat and disrupt ransomware campaigns targeting critical infrastructure, the private sector, and beyond," said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. "Helping victims of crime is the FBI's highest priority and is reflected here in the provision of tools to assist those victimized in decrypting compromised networks and systems. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these criminal actors wherever they attempt to hide and ensure they are brought to justice and held accountable under the law."

"At the Justice Department, we prioritize victim safety and security," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "In this case, agents and prosecutors worked tirelessly to restore victim networks, but these actions are not the culmination of our efforts, they are just the beginning. Criminal actors should be aware that the announcement today is just one part of this ongoing effort. Going forward, we will continue our investigation and pursue those behind Blackcat until they are brought to justice."

"Today's announcement highlights the Justice Department's ability to take on even the most sophisticated and prolific cybercriminals," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "As a result of our office's tireless efforts, alongside FBI Miami, U.S. Secret Service, and our foreign law enforcement partners, we have provided Blackcat's victims, in the Southern District of Florida and around the world, the opportunity to get back on their feet and to fortify their digital defenses. We will continue to focus on holding the people behind the Blackcat ransomware group accountable for their crimes."

According to the unsealed warrant, Blackcat actors have compromised computer networks in the United States and worldwide. The disruptions caused by the ransomware variant have affected U.S. critical infrastructure - including government facilities, emergency services, defense industrial base companies, critical manufacturing, and healthcare and public health facilities - as well as other corporations, government entities, and schools. The loss amount globally is in the hundreds of millions and includes ransom payments, destruction and theft of proprietary data, and costs associated with incident response.

Blackcat uses a ransomware-as-a-service model in which developers are responsible for creating and updating ransomware and for maintaining the illicit internet infrastructure. Affiliates are responsible for identifying and attacking high-value victim institutions with the ransomware. After a victim pays, developers and affiliates share the ransom.

Blackcat actors employ a multiple extortion model of attack. Before encrypting the victim system, the affiliate will exfiltrate or steal sensitive data. The affiliate then seeks a ransom in exchange for decrypting the victim's system and not publishing the stolen data. Blackcat actors attempt to target the most sensitive data in a victim's system to increase the pressure to pay. Blackcat actors rely on a leak site available on the dark web to publicize their attacks. When a victim refuses to pay a ransom, these actors commonly retaliate by publishing stolen data to a leak website where it becomes publicly available.

The FBI Miami Field Office is leading the investigation.

Trial Attorneys Christen Gallagher and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kiran Bhat and Brooke Watson for the Southern District of Florida are handling the case.

The Justice Department also recognizes the critical cooperation of Germany's Bundeskriminalamt and Zentrale Kriminalinspektion GAttingen, Denmark's Special Crime Unit, and Europol. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the Cyber Operations International Liaison also provided significant assistance. Additionally, the following foreign law enforcement authorities provided substantial assistance and support: the Australian Federal Police, the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency and Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, Spain's Policia Nacional, Switzerland's Kantonspolizei Thurgau, and Austria's Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service.

Victims of Blackcat ransomware are strongly encouraged to contact their local FBI field office at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices for further information and to determine what assistance may be available.

Blackcat affiliates have gained initial access to victim networks through a number of methods, including leveraging compromised user credentials to gain initial access to the victim system. More information about the malware, including technical information about indicators of compromise and recommendations to mitigate its effects, is available from the FBI at www.ic3.gov/Media/News/2022/220420.pdf.

Additional information regarding law enforcement's ongoing investigation into Blackcat is available at www.justice.gov/media/1329536/dl?inline.

If you have information about Blackcat, their affiliates, or activities, you may be eligible for a reward through the Department of State's Rewards for Justice program. Information can be submitted through the following Tor-based tip line (Tor browser required): he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion.

For more information about rewards for information on foreign malicious cyber activity against U.S. critical infrastructure, visit https://rfj.tips/SDT55f.

Topic: Cybercrime

Components: Criminal Division

Criminal - Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section

Criminal - Office of International Affairs

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

USAO - Florida, Southern

Press Release Number: 23-1446





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Readout of the Third Trilateral Fentanyl Committee Meeting between the United States, Mexico, and Canada

December 19, 2023

Today, Homeland Security Advisor to the President of the United States Liz Sherwood-Randall hosted her Mexican and Canadian counterparts for a virtual meeting of the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee (TFC). President Joe Biden, President AndrAs Manuel LApez Obrador, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established this trilateral Committee with their high-level representatives during the North American Leaders' Summit on January 9-10, 2023 to guide priority actions to address the illicit fentanyl threat facing North America. The TFC builds on the existing work of the North American Drug Dialogue, the U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities, and the U.S.-Canada Opioid Action Plan. During this third meeting of the Committee, the co-chairs discussed progress made by the expert working group on identifying opportunities to enhance regulatory and statutory frameworks associated with precursor chemicals and related equipment used for the production of illicit fentanyl. They also shared information about illicit drug trends and recent diplomatic engagements focused on reducing the flow of illicit synthetic drugs and their precursor chemicals. To drive further progress in the fight to counter fentanyl's scourge, they agreed to meet again in person in Mexico in early 2024.

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COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunization as COVAX draws to a close

World Health Organization

19 December 2023

Statement

Geneva/New York/Oslo

COVAX will close 31 December 2023 having delivered nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies, and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths in AMC lower-income participating economies.

COVAX's end-to-end efforts helped lower-income economies achieve two-dose coverage of 57%, compared to the global average of 67%.

Low- and lower middle-income economies will continue to receive COVID-19 vaccines and delivery support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in 2024 and 2025, with 83 million doses so far requested for 2024 from 58 economies.





COVAX, the multilateral mechanism for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines launched in 2020, will draw to a close on 31 December. Jointly led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), COVAX has so far supplied nearly 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses and safe injection devices to 146 economies. Its efforts are estimated to have helped avert the deaths of at least 2.7 million people in the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) low- and lower middle-income participating economies (lower-income economies) that received free doses through the mechanism, alongside nearly US$ 2 billion in critical support to turn vaccines into vaccinations.

These 92 lower-income economies that were eligible to participate in the programme with support from the financing mechanism known as the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) will continue to have the option to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses and delivery support through Gavi's regular programmes. So far, 58 lower-income economies have requested a total of 83 million doses in 2024, with plans to focus on the continued protection of priority groups, including health care workers, community workers and older adults.



Unprecedented emergency response



Drawing on the lessons of the H1N1 pandemic, when the majority of countries missed out on vaccines, COVAX partners advocated from the earliest stages of the COVID-19 emergency that "no one is safe until everyone is safe" - urging the world to place vaccine equity at the heart of the global response, and calling for every country to have at least enough doses to protect those most at risk. By the end of 2020, 190 economies of all income levels had signed agreements to participate in COVAX, making it one of the most significant multilateral partnerships of the 21st century. By November 2020, it had raised US$ 2 billion towards vaccine procurement; and in January 2021, 39 days after the first vaccine administration in a high-income country, the first COVAX-supplied doses were administered in a lower-income country.

COVAX was designed as an end-to-end coordination mechanism encompassing R&D and manufacturing, policy guidance, vaccine portfolio development, regulatory systems, supply allocation and country readiness assessments, transport logistics, vaccine storage and administration, and monitoring country coverage and absorption rates. However, as an emergency solution launched in the midst of the pandemic, COVAX faced many challenges. Without having any cash reserves up front, it was initially limited in its ability to sign early contracts with manufacturers, and while it was able to ship doses to 100 economies in the first six weeks of global roll-out, export bans and other factors meant that large-volume deliveries were only received in the third quarter of 2021.



While COVAX was unable to completely overcome the tragic vaccine inequity that characterized the global response, it made a significant contribution to alleviating the suffering caused by COVID-19 in the Global South. Today, the initiative has supplied 74% of all COVID-19 vaccine doses supplied to low-income countries (LICs) during the pandemic; and in total, 52 of the 92 AMC-eligible economies relied on COVAX for more than half of their COVID-19 vaccine supply. Thanks to the tireless efforts of national governments, health and frontline workers, civil society organisations and others, those doses, delivered free of charge and combined with nearly US$2 billion in delivery support, helped to lift primary series coverage among the 92 AMC-eligible economies to 57%, compared to a global average of 67%. Two-dose coverage of health care workers, those most critical to saving lives and keeping health systems running, stands at 84% in lower-income economies.



COVAX also deployed 2.5 million doses to protect the most vulnerable in humanitarian and conflict settings through a first-of-its kind mechanism called the Humanitarian Buffer, co-designed with international humanitarian organisations, and set up as a last resort to reach those who are not easily reached through government programmes. Attempting to deliver novel products through non-governmental channels proved to be incredibly difficult, but the effort provided deep insight into the systemic barriers that are exacerbated by a global emergency situation. Governments, humanitarian institutions, global health organisations and others are now working to apply these lessons towards ongoing programmes, and advocating for how we can better protect the most vulnerable populations in a future pandemic.

Investing in lessons learnt for a future response



COVAX's successes and challenges in the bid to overcome inequity have underscored the clear need for the world to be better prepared the next time a viral threat with pandemic potential emerges. The plethora of learnings from COVAX's unique effort must be considered in the development of future global pandemic preparedness and response architecture. These include strengthening existing capacity by designing, investing in and implementing an end-to-end solution to equitable access ahead of time, one that centres on the needs of the most vulnerable; recognising that vaccine nationalism will persist in future pandemics and putting in place mechanisms to mitigate it - including by diversifying vaccine manufacturing so all regions have access to supply; and accepting the need to take financial risks to avoid potentially deadly delays to the development, procurement and delivery of medical countermeasures.

With collaboration from manufacturers, all of COVAX's advance purchase supply agreements will have been completed or terminated by the end of 2023, with the exception of one, where a modest volume of supply will continue into the first half of 2024 in support of the new COVID-19 routine immunization programme.



Thanks in large part due to the savings gained through the successful renegotiation of supply contracts, some COVAX AMC funds remain in the contingency mechanism known as the Pandemic Vaccine Pool, and these can now be reinvested into translating the lessons from COVAX Facility into concrete actions. This includes the establishing of an African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a result of our learnings from the pandemic where Africa was left vulnerable to supply restrictions. Investment in AVMA will make up to US$ 1 billion available to support vaccine manufacturing on the African continent. In addition, a First Response Fund will be established to ensure financing for a vaccine response is immediately available in the event of a future pandemic. It also includes funding "The Big Catch-up" effort designed to fill the gaps in immunization resulting from the pandemic which are now causing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases around the world and threatening the achievement of Immunization Agenda 2030 goals.



"Millions of people are alive today who would not have been here without COVAX. Those averted deaths mean mothers can continue to nurture their children, and grandparents can enjoy watching future generations flourish," said Jane Halton, Chair of the Board of CEPI. "Despite being built and funded from scratch amid the deadliest pandemic the world has seen in more than a century, COVAX's life-saving accomplishments were considerable. It should take its place in history and be proud of what it was able to accomplish but also serve as a reminder to us all that we can and must do better next time."



"COVID-19 has been the greatest health challenge of our time, and it was met with innovation and partnership on an equally unprecedented scale," said JosA Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "COVAX's impact has been historic, as are the insights it has generated on how, concretely, the world can do better next time. As we transition COVID-19 into Gavi's routine programming, we do so with deep gratitude for the passion, dedication and sacrifice of so many around the globe who fought tirelessly for three years to try and create a more equitable world - and with an unwavering commitment to improve by transforming learnings into tangible action."



"The joint efforts of all partners to ensure an equitable response to the pandemic helped protect the futures of millions of children in vulnerable communities," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "This huge and historic undertaking is something we can be collectively proud of and build on. UNICEF will continue to deliver vaccines to the world's youngest to stop the spread of all preventable diseases and build strong health systems for the future."



"We knew that market forces alone would not deliver equitable access to vaccines and other tools," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "The creation of ACT-A and COVAX gave millions of people around the world access to vaccines, tests, treatments and other tools who would otherwise have missed out. COVAX has taught us valuable lessons that will help us to be better prepared for future epidemics and pandemics."

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Colorado Court Bars Trump from Presidential Primary

By VOA News December 20, 2023

Former U.S. President Donald Trump will not appear on the primary ballot in the state of Colorado, the state's top court ruled Tuesday in a decision closely watched amid similar efforts in other states to disqualify him from a re-election bid.

At issue is the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment and a section that bars officials who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding office.

The court said its ruling would be put on hold until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado state officials have said Jan. 5 is the deadline for printing ballots for the state's presidential primary, one of the state-by-state contests that the Republican Party will use to pick its candidate to oppose Biden in the 2024 election.

The Colorado Supreme Court decided in an unprecedented 4-3 ruling that Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, during which his supporters disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 election win over Trump, disqualifies Trump from holding the presidency.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the majority justices wrote. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Justice Carlos Samour, who dissented, said the government cannot bar someone from holding office without due process of law. Trump pleaded not guilty to federal charges of orchestrating a plot to overturn his election loss in a case that has not yet gone to trial.

"Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past a dare I say, engaged in insurrection a there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office," Samour wrote.

Trump's campaign called the decision "deeply undemocratic" and said in a statement it expects the U.S. Supreme Court "will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits."

The U.S. Supreme Court decides which cases it accepts, but Matthew Kerbel, professor of political science at Villanova University, told VOA he thinks the court will certainly choose to rule on this decision.

"This is something that the Supreme Court needs to decide. There has to be a uniform ruling that would apply across the country," Kerbel said. "Now, in terms of the greatest potential ramifications for the election, clearly that would be if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Colorado ruling. If they do that, then Donald Trump would be ineligible to be on the ballot; he couldn't become president again. And that would obviously throw the entire 2024 campaign into turmoil."

Similar attempts to disqualify Trump from the ballot on 14th Amendment grounds have been dismissed in five states.

Minnesota's Supreme Court said it could not block a candidate from appearing on a party's primary ballot, as did the secretary of state in New Hampshire.

A Michigan appeals court said the issue of a candidate being disqualified was a question related to the general election and thus it would not be appropriate to decide on eligibility for a primary election. Plaintiffs in Michigan have appealed that ruling to the state's supreme court.

In Florida and Rhode Island, the cases were dismissed because judges ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing to file the lawsuit.

According to the blog Lawfare, there are pending challenges to Trump appearing on ballots in 13 other states.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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Canada acquiring Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems for the Canadian Armed Forces

National Defence

News release

December 19, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario, Department of National Defence

Through Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is acquiring modern military equipment to keep Canadians safe and protected, and to support the security of our international allies and partners.

Today, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Defence, and Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for KingsaHants, announced a major investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, and the Honourable FranAois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

Madame Lalonde and Mr. Blois announced that the Government of Canada will invest $2.49 billion to acquire a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) capability. The acquisition will be completed through a direct commercial sale contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc, with some specific components acquired through a Foreign Military Sale with the United States government.

The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) will provide the CAF with a large and sophisticated remotely piloted aircraft, roughly the size of a fighter jet. Unlike small drones, these Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems will be designed and certified to the rigid airworthiness standards applicable to crewed aircraft.

This acquisition includes:

eleven remotely piloted aircraft;

six ground control stations;

a new ground control centre;

two new aircraft hangars;

initial weapons;

sustainment services;

a training solution that includes training devices, mission crew and technician courseware;

supporting information management and technology; and

associated work and equipment.

The first delivery is anticipated in 2028 and the full operational capability by 2033.

At home, the RPAS capability will allow the CAF to monitor Canada's large territory and long coastline. It will support civilian aid operations such as responding to forest fires and floods.

In deployed operations, an RPAS will provide commanders an overview of operational situations with near real-time information. The system will be capable of detecting, recognizing, identifying, tracking, and engaging targets in complex environments. It will also enable Canada to optimally fulfill its North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and NATO missions while increasing interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces. On top of enhancing these capabilities, the system will reduce the risk to personnel involved in combat operations on the ground, as well as aircrew. There is no risk to aircrew life if a remotely piloted aircraft is lost or damaged because of an incident or enemy attack.

This investments marks yet another significant milestone for the Royal Canadian Air Force, as we approach its 100th anniversary in 2024. Since 2022 alone, the Government of Canada has finalized the procurement or upgrade of approximately 140 new aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force, including:

88 new F-35 fighter jets,

9 new CC-330 Husky strategic tanker and transport aircraft,

up to 16 new P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft,

16 new or upgraded Cormorant helicopters (as the project will upgrade our fleet to provide Canada with the most advanced version of the helicopter); and

11 remotely piloted aircraft announced today.

These acquisitions demonstrate our commitment to recapitalizing the Royal Canadian Air Force, so that it can protect Canada for generations to come.

As part of this project, General Atomics will provide meaningful business activities and targeted investments to Canadian industry to support the growth of the aerospace and defence sector, including the remotely piloted systems and autonomous technologies industry. General Atomics' economic benefits commitments to Canada as part of the acquisition contract have the potential to contribute close to 700 jobs annually for Canadian industry and value chain partners, and input $97 million annually to Canada's gross domestic product over a nine-year period.

The RPAS aircraft will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, NS, and 19 Wing Comox, BC. They will also be operated from a Forward Operating Location when supporting missions in northern Canada. The ground control centre, which will house the aircraft cockpits, will be located in Ottawa. New infrastructure will be built in Ottawa to house the ground control centre and will also be required to support RPAS operations at 14 Wing Greenwood, and 19 Wing Comox. Infrastructure costs are included in the overall project budget.

We expect that approximately 55 CAF and DND personnel will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, 25 personnel at 19 Wing Comox, and 160 personnel at the ground control centre in Ottawa. Personnel will also be deployed to one of our Forward Operating Locations to support operations in Northern Canada, as required.

Quotes

"At a time when defence and security needs are changing faster than ever, we must ensure Canada has a modern, adaptable military that is prepared to respond to evolving and emerging security challenges. Canada must meet the growing demand for domestic assistance while preserving our ability to defend Canada, protect North America, and support our allies. This Remotely Piloted Aircraft System capability will provide Canadian Armed Forces members with nimble response options during deployed operations, further contributing to their safety and effectiveness." The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

"The Government of Canada is committed to providing the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to keep Canadians safe. This agreement to acquire the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System will expand Canada's ability to modernize its military force, contribute to joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations with its allies, and create good jobs in the aerospace and defence sector." The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Through this contract, our government will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need, while ensuring long term economic benefits for Canadians. This procurement will advance Canadian innovation in our world class defence and aerospace industries, create high-value jobs, and contribute to economic growth in Canada." The Honourable FranAois-Philippe Champagne,Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"Today's important announcement is critical to the operations of the Canadian Armed Forces. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System project will significantly enhance Canada's contributions to joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with our allies, and help keep Canadians across the country safe. We will continue making these important investments to bolster and support the incredible work of Canadian Armed Forces members." Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

"Investing in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems is but one of many planned upgrades for our Royal Canadian Air Force - in addition to the F-35 for fighter missions, the CC-295 for search and rescue missions, new and upgraded Cormorant helicopters, and the P8-A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft. These investments will have tremendous impacts on our ability to support Canada's national defence interests at home and abroad, and this is great news for our service members operating out of 14 Wing Greenwood." Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for KingsaHants

Quick facts

Integrated into a network of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, the RPAS capabilities will ensure the Canadian Armed Forces have the modern equipment they need to conduct intelligence and surveillance missions in support of domestic and international operations, and in support of civilian authorities, in response to situations like forest fires and floods.

The RPAS will be a long range, long endurance system. It will only be armed when necessary for the assigned task. At all times, employment of arms will adhere to the Law of Armed Conflict, as well as any other applicable domestic or international laws. Use of force will be applied following rules of engagement applicable to the CAF. At all times, they will be operated by qualified RCAF pilots in conformance with all aeronautical rules and regulations, and in compliance with rules of engagement and laws of armed conflict.

RPAS will not need to routinely carry weapons during operations in Canadian airspace.

The solicitation, within a competitive procurement process for the RPAS project was launched with an Invitation to Qualify in May 2018, and entered the finalization phase on January 30, 2023. In April 2023, Canada submitted a Letter of Request through the FMS program to acquire sensors, communications equipment and associated required support. The Congressional Notification for the FMS elements of the bid, was issued on September 15, 2023.

A Fairness Monitor was engaged to oversee and report on the openness and fairness of the procurement process.

The United States (US) government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program is a means for foreign allies and partners of the US, including Canada, to acquire defence articles, services, and training through government-to-government agreements. The FMS program is overseen by the US Department of State and is managed and executed by the US Department of Defense.

Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy applies to the RPAS project. This requires that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems provide business activities and targeted investments to the Canadian economy. To do so, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. has partnered with leading Canadian aerospace and defence firms such as MDA, CAE and L3Harris Wescam.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk

Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau

December 19, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.

Prime Minister Trudeau congratulated Prime Minister Tusk on his appointment following Poland's Parliamentary elections and the formation of a new governing coalition.

The two leaders reiterated their commitment to working together to advance shared priorities and tackle global challenges. They condemned Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and pledged to continue strengthening transatlantic security and stability.

The prime ministers also discussed means to bolster energy security in Poland and Europe, including through the use of nuclear technology.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Tusk agreed to remain in regular contact.

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Russian PM's China visit keeps cooperation momentum, break Western barriers

Global Times

By Wang Qi and Bai Yunyi Published: Dec 19, 2023 11:33 PM Updated: Dec 19, 2023 11:00 PM

High-level interaction between China and Russia will continue the momentum of cooperation, further deepen the economic bond between the two sides and help jointly cope with external interference, Chinese analysts said on Tuesday, as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin started a two-day visit to China.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Mishustin is scheduled to attend the 28th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government.

This is a vital mechanism for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state and coordinating bilateral practical cooperation in various fields since 1996, analysts said.

Mishustin is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, practical cooperation and issues of common interest during the meeting, against the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations and the Year of Culture in 2024.

During Mishustin's visit, special attention will be paid to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation and the promotion of large-scale joint projects in various areas. The two sides plan to adopt a joint communiquA and sign a number of bilateral documents, as reported by TASS, citing the Russian government.

Cooperation with China "is developing steadily in all directions despite the difficult external economic situation," the Russian government said. Analysts believe that expanding cooperation in the energy sector, agriculture and humanitarian exchanges would be the key focus during Mishustin's visit.

Although the high-level meeting is a routine mechanism, Mishustin's second visit to China within one year reflects the high priority that both sides attach to this relationship, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

When Mishustin made his first China visit in May, leading a 500-people delegation, The two sides signed a series of agreements on services trade cooperation, sports, patents, and Russian millet exports to China.

The two governments will further implement direction of the cooperation set by the two head of states during their meetings in March and November, Cui said.



Stronger bond

Experts said that the regular meeting is expected to facilitate tackling some "bottlenecks" in the two countries' economy and trade, such as infrastructure connectivity and insufficient grain transportation capacity, as well as the construction of the Northern Sea Route.

Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told the Global Times on Tuesday that the two countries are likely to focus on cooperation in the energy sector, such as discussing the construction of the second Russia-China land gas pipeline, the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, as well as cooperation on nuclear and wind energy.

According to Cui, grain business between China and Russia will also be a focus after the operation of China-Russia "New Land Grain Corridor" started in December, with 70 million tons of Russian grain legumes and oilseeds to be exported to China over the next 12 years.

Trade between China and Russia grew steadily in the first 11 months of 2023, hitting $218 billion, up 26.7 percent year-on-year, and exceeding $200 billion for the first time, according to the latest Chinese customs data. More than 90 percent of the transactions were made in the two countries' respective national currencies: the ruble and the yuan, according to TASS.

"In the past, China and Russia had good political relations, but lacked corresponding economic connections. However, in recent years, China and Russia have become closer in trade and investment," Cui said, citing cooperation in manufacturing, especially in the machinery manufacturing chain.

The relationship has gained stronger endogenous dynamics and the two economies become more mutually complementary and interdependent, Cui said.

Another point of increasing cooperation is cultural exchanges.

On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko talked with Russian and Chinese students at Peking University (PKU), where he presented the "Order of Friendship" to Ning Qi, vice president of PKU, for her contributions to China-Russia cultural exchanges, Sputnik reported.

Chernyshenko said that more and more people in Russia are learning Chinese, and the Russian government will continue to make every effort to promote fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education and science.



Geopolitical context

Yet the relationship is facing external pressure and interference, as well as challenges from geopolitical realities, experts said.

On Monday, the EU announced the 12th round of sanctions on Russia, including a ban on Russian natural and synthetic diamonds, a valuable revenue stream for the Kremlin.

"Russia's political and security situations have been deteriorating," Zhang said, "Russia's worsening relations with the US and West cast a shadow on future cooperation between Russia and China."

The US' long-arm jurisdiction and dollar hegemony will put some pressure on Chinese companies that do business with Russia, especially if some of them are dependent on US technology. However, the two countries are adapting to the situation and seeking solutions, including local currency settlements, Wang Xiaoquan, an expert from the CASS institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The "decoupling" of the West from Russia has posed challenges but also created opportunities for China, and we have no reason to reject the chance to diversify our supply chain, energy in particular, Zhang said.

According to experts, the keyword in China-Russian relations in the three decades since the end of the Cold War was "smooth," and in the future, the keyword would be "growth."

China and Russia have great determination and confidence to continue the momentum of cooperation both at the government level and in the markets, Zhang said.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on December 19, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2023-12-19 19:28

CCTV: Egypt's National Elections Authority announced the result of the presidential election on the night of December 18, Beijing time. Incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was re-elected. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations on the smooth presidential election in Egypt and on the re-election of President El-Sisi. We believe that under the leadership of President El-Sisi, Egypt will achieve greater success in its national development.

China and Egypt enjoy a traditional friendship. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President El-Sisi, bilateral relations have entered the fast lane, with fruitful practical cooperation in various areas and ever-deeper friendship between the two peoples. China views its relations with Egypt from a strategic height and long-term perspective. We would like to continue working with Egypt to firmly support each other, deepen and expand Belt and Road cooperation, and take the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height.

Bloomberg: Can you comment on the UK government demanding consular access to Jimmy Lai, who is also a UK citizen?

Wang Wenbin: We have stated our position yesterday, and I would like to reiterate that Hong Kong follows the rule of law, any law in Hong Kong must be observed and those who break the law must be held accountable. Jimmy Lai is a major mastermind and participant of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong. He is an agent and pawn of the anti-China forces, and the person behind the previous instability in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong law enforcement and judicial authorities have handled and tried the case in accordance with the law. This is fully justified, legitimate and lawful. Attempts to smear, disturb and sabotage Hong Kong's national security law will not succeed.

NHK: The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said on December 14 that with China's facilitation, Myanmar's military and relevant parties reached agreement on a temporary ceasefire, but relevant UN agencies reported that the fighting still continues. How do you respond to this?

Wang Wenbin: China supports the peace process of northern Myanmar and has provided support and facilitation for dialogue and contact between relevant parties in Myanmar. Our position is consistent. China hopes that relevant parties in Myanmar can speed up efforts to implement what has been agreed, exercise maximum restraint, actively ease the situation on the ground, promptly manage sporadic confrontation events and together realize the soft landing of the situation in northern Myanmar.

Reuters: According to Philippine media, Philippine President Marcos said that Philippine diplomatic efforts with China is heading "in poor direction". Has the Philippines invited China for a new round of talks? Will China invite the Philippines for talks? What does Marcos mean by saying "in poor direction"?a

Wang Wenbin: The recent events between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea are caused by deliberate infringement of China's sovereignty and the provocations of the Philippines. The responsibility lies with the Philippines. We will resolutely protect our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.a

At the same time, maritime disputes do not represent the entirety of China-Philippines relations. We stand ready to properly handle disputes through dialogue and consultation with the Philippines and will not close our door of dialogue and contact with the Philippines. We hope that the Philippines will make the right choice, seriously honor its commitment of properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation and work with China to pursue the healthy and steady growth of bilateral ties and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region.

Beijing Daily: It's reported that on December 17 local time, Serbian President Vucic declared the victory of the coalition around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party in parliamentary elections, which won more than half of the seats in the National Assembly, the number needed to form a government. What's China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: We congratulate Serbia on its smooth parliamentary and local elections. We believe that under the leadership of President Vucic and the new government of Serbia, Serbia will continue to make new progress in national development. China attaches great importance to the growth of China-Serbia relations. We look forward to working with Serbia to consolidate our political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation in various areas and bring China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level.

Hubei Media Group: It's reported that US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said at the Brookings Institution on December 15 that China has a wish to become more influential in the Middle East, but the work to end the conflict is really on US' shoulders. What's your comment?

Wang Wenbin: Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, China has been committed to promoting a ceasefire, protecting the civilians and easing the humanitarian crisis. President Xi Jinping attended the BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, sent congratulatory messages to the special commemorative meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People for 11 consecutive years, and stated China's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on multiple occasions. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has had in-depth exchange of views with leaders and senior officials of more than 20 countries and international organizations and traveled to New York to chair the UN Security Council high-level meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli question. China's Special Envoy for the Middle East issue visited countries across the region, attended international conferences and widely engage relevant countries. As the president of the Security Council in November, China enabled the adoption of the first Security Council resolution since the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, submitted the Position Paper of the People's Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and worked to galvanize more support and action from the Security Council. China has provided multiple batches of aid, including humanitarian cash assistance, food and medicine, to the people in Gaza.

I want to stress that China does not have selfish interests in the Middle East and does not seek to form exclusive blocs in the region. China always supports the people in Middle East countries in keeping the region's future in their own hands. China stands ready to work with Arab-Islamic countries to firmly support the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their lawful national rights. In recent years, China has proposed a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East, a four-point proposal for the political settlement of the Syrian issue, and a three-point vision for the implementation of the two-state solution to the Palestinian question. China successfully hosted the Saudi Arabia-Iran talks in Beijing which produced major outcomes. All the efforts are aimed to encourage regional countries to seek strength through solidarity and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation. China will continue to work relentlessly to that end with the international community.

The international community has been calling more strongly for a ceasefire. The UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority. We hope the US will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate ceasefire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe.

Bloomberg: The US military commander in the Indo-Pacific has said that China has reduced the number of the so-called "dangerous fighter jet intercepts" against US aircraft since the summit meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping last month. Can you respond to thatiY

Wang Wenbin: I refer you to competent Chinese authorities for the specifics. Let me say more broadly that China is firmly opposed to the frequent close-in reconnaissance conducted by US warships and aircraft around China's airspace and waters. We urge the US to stop those dangerous activities which threaten and undermine China's security and heighten the risk of regional conflict.

CCTV: It's reported that on December 14, the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing the Chinese government's forced assimilation of Tibetan children through boarding schools in Xizang, and called on the European Union and its member states to take actions. What's China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: We have noted relevant reports. What's said in the relevant resolution of the European Parliament is disinformation. It smears China's image and interferes in China's internal affairs. We deplore and strongly oppose this. We urge the European Parliament to stop spreading disinformation, stop using Xizang-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs and stop all words and deeds that might undermine the mutual trust and cooperation between China and Europe.

Xizang now enjoys a booming economy, harmonious and stable society, and effective protection and promotion of cultural heritage. The rights and freedoms of all ethnic groups, including the freedom of religious belief and the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages, are fully protected. The human rights conditions in Xizang are better than ever, as witnessed by the international community. In the case of Xizang, due to highly scattered population, children have to travel long distances to get to school, which is very inconvenient. If schools were to be built in every place the students live, it would be very difficult to ensure adequate teachers and quality of teaching in each school. That is why local governments set up boarding schools according to actual needs to ensure all children's equal right to education. It is entirely up to the students and their parents whether to go to boarding schools or not. Students can choose to go home on every weekend, holiday and festival, as well as during the winter and summer breaks. Parents can visit their children at school any time and take their children home whenever needed. Besides, relevant schools open courses of traditional culture, such as Tibetan language and literature and folk dance, provided traditional food unique to the Xizang Plateau, and students are allowed to wear traditional dresses at school. The European Parliament's attacks and smears against these boarding schools in Xizang are actually a kind of violation of the children's right to education, which is damaging to the human rights conditions in Xizang.

In recent years, in European countries, we have seen growing violation of the rights of refugees and migrants, growing xenophobia and racism, inadequate attention to economic, social and cultural rights as well as the right to development, and selective application and double standards when it comes to freedom of the press and forced labor. If the European Parliament truly cares about human rights, it should address Europe's own issues first and pay attention to human rights violations in places like Gaza, rather than apply double standard and selective negligence, and instrumentalize and weaponize the human rights issue.

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December 19, 2023

Release

United States-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Ministerial Joint Press Statement

Today, the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea announce that they have fully activated a real-time DPRK missile warning data sharing mechanism and jointly established a multi-year trilateral exercise plan. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, and Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik recently agreed to finalize the two initiatives by the end of 2023 at the United States-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Ministerial Meeting in November.



Following the historic 2023 Camp David Summit and the 2022 Phnom Penh Summit, today's milestones will further advance a new era of trilateral security cooperation under the leadership of President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Yoon.



Following recent tests that verified the full operational capability of the DPRK missile warning data sharing mechanism, the mechanism is now active. The three countries established this mechanism to improve their ability to ensure the safety of their peoples by trilaterally detecting and assessing missiles launched by the DPRK in real-time.



Additionally, the three countries have established a multi-year trilateral exercise plan that will begin in early 2024. The three countries have made significant progress on improving the quality and quantity of their exercises over the past year, and this plan will regularize trilateral exercises and execute them more systematically and efficiently moving forward.



These achievements and other ongoing efforts demonstrate the unprecedented depth, scale, and scope of trilateral security cooperation by the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. The three countries will continue to build upon their cooperation to respond to regional challenges and ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific, and beyond.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3621235/

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DPRK/North Korea: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

19 December 2023

The EU strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile on 18 December, for the fifth time this year, following the launch of a short-range ballistic missile the day before. The DPRK must cease these illegal and dangerous launches, which blatantly violate UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) and undermine international peace and security as well as the global non-proliferation regime.

The DPRK must comply immediately with its obligations under UNSCRs by abandoning all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile programmes and existing nuclear programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease all related activities. This is the only viable route to sustainable peace and security on the Korean peninsula.

The DPRK cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear weapon state in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The EU urges the DPRK to return immediately to full compliance with the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, bring into force the Additional Protocol and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The DPRK's use of resources to support its unlawful weapons programmes exacerbates the difficult living conditions and human rights situation endured by much of its population.

It is critical that all UN Member States, especially Members of the UN Security Council, urge the DPRK to resume meaningful dialogue, and ensure the full implementation of UN sanctions. The EU urges the DPRK and Russia to refrain from any exchanges of military equipment, missile technology or ammunition and abide by the successive UNSCRs that clearly prohibit any arms exports or imports involving the DPRK. The EU condemns any military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine provided by the DPRK, and reiterates its deep concern about reports of DPRK arms transfers to Russia.

The EU expresses its full solidarity with the Republic of Korea and Japan. The EU is ready to work with all partners in promoting a meaningful diplomatic process aimed at building sustainable peace and security through the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

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Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Pak's Trilateral Call with Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative Gunn and Japanese Director General Namazu

US Department of State

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

December 19, 2023

U.S. Deputy Special Representative Jung Pak held a trilateral call with Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn and Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Namazu Hiroyuki to discuss the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) December 17 intercontinental ballistic missile launch. They strongly condemned the launch, which violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermined peace and stability in the region and the world.

They emphasized the importance of continuing close trilateral consultations and responses, including at the UN Security Council, to mitigate the threat posed by the DPRK. They also called for the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and urged the DPRK to return to diplomatic engagement. DSR Pak reiterated the United States' ironclad commitments to the defense of the ROK and Japan.

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DPR Korea urged to 'embrace diplomacy' after latest ballistic missile launch

19 December 2023 - Repeated long-range ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) represent a serious threat to international air and sea transportation, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.

"At this particularly difficult moment in securing global peace and security, it is imperative to deescalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula so that it once again becomes an area for cooperation," said Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. Khiari briefed the Council in the wake of the latest launch which took place at 8:24 AM local time on Monday, according to the DPRK's official news agency and various government sources.

Five launches this year

The Hwasong-18 type intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) flew a distance of some 1,000 kilometres and reached an altitude of 6,500 kilometres before falling into the sea.

This marked the fifth launch of an ICBM this year, following a Hwasong-15 in February, a Hwasong-17 in March, and solid-fuel Hwasong-18 missiles in April and July, he said, adding that the systems are reportedly capable of reaching most points on Earth.

The DPRK, more commonly known as North Korea, also announced last month that it had carried out two successful tests of a new engine for a solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile.

Secretary-General's condemnation

UN Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has strongly condemned the 18 December launch and urged the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions.

In a statement, the UN chief also reiterated his call on the country "to reopen communication channels, and to resume dialogue without preconditions to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Mr. Khiari stressed that the launch of yet another ICBM is of serious concern, noting that despite numerous Council meetings on the matter this year, the DPRK did not heed its strong call to refrain.

Violating Council resolutions

"In addition, regrettably the DPRK did once again not issue any airspace or maritime safety notifications. The unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic," he said.

He recalled that on 21 November, the DPRK successfully placed into orbit a reconnaissance satellite using ballistic missile technology, announcing it would launch "several reconnaissance satellites in a short span of time", he added.

"We reiterate that any launch by the DPRK using ballistic missile technology is a violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, and we strongly urge the DPRK to refrain from such actions," said Mr. Khiari.

Embrace diplomacy, abandon isolation

He called on Council Members "to unite and make full use of the tools of dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiation, while fully complying with all Security Council resolutions." At the same time, he urged the DPRK "to embrace diplomacy, rather than choosing isolation, as the way forward."

Separately, Mr. Khiari also drew attention to the humanitarian situation in the DPRK, underlining that the UN is ready to assist the country in addressing the needs of its vulnerable populations.

"We note that international travel in and out of the DPRK is now taking place at a growing rate," he said. "We urge the DPRK to allow the re-entry and rotation of the international community, including the UN Resident Coordinator and UN agencies."

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Iranian National Charged with Unlawfully Procuring Microelectronics Used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on Behalf of the Iranian Government

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

Justice Department Seizes More Than $800,000 from Companies Tied to Network

Today, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Iranian national Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and co-defendant Gary Lam, who worked for a Chinese company, with crimes related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization's (ASF SSJO) one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.

Concurrent with this unsealing, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated

Ardakani, as well as multiple other individuals and entities involved in the procurement network used by Ardakani in support of Iran's production of UAVs. Ardakani's codefendant, Lam, whom OFAC identified as Lin Jinghe, was designated by OFAC in October.

"Today's coordinated action with the Treasury Department demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "We will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technology to hostile and repressive governments in contravention of U.S. sanctions."

"Today's announcements show that we remain focused on disrupting the efforts of Iran and its agents to circumvent U.S. sanctions in support of Iran's weapons programs, including its drone program, which have been used to support and supply terrorist organizations and other foreign adversaries - such as Russia - around the globe," said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. "This whole-of-government approach is one more step in stopping the acquisition of drones for nefarious purposes such as attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure."

"U.S. technology has zero place in Iranian UAVs," said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce. "As these allegations demonstrate, those who procure dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be held accountable."

"Ardakani and his co-conspirators crafted a sophisticated web of front companies to obscure the illicit acquisition of U.S. and foreign technology to procure components for deadly UAVs," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. "These very components have been found in use by Iran's allies in current conflicts, including in Ukraine. The disruption of these criminal networks by Homeland Security Investigations means that hundreds of thousands of critical UAV components will never again be used for malign purposes."

According to the indictment, between at least in or around September 2014 and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam, who was based in China and Hong Kong, as well as other associates, conspired to illegally purchase and export from the United States to Iran dual-use microelectronics that are commonly used in UAV production, including high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers, and analog-to-digital converters. Each of these components are subject to U.S. export controls for anti-terrorism, national security and regional stability reasons.

The indictment further alleges that on four separate occasions Ardakani and his co-conspirators used a web of foreign companies to accomplish their obfuscation and evasion efforts. For example, between June and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam caused an unwitting French company to purchase from a U.S. company several pieces of analog-to-digital converters with applications in wireless and broadband communications, radar and satellite subsystems, multicarrier, multimodal cellular receivers, antenna array positioning and infrared imaging. Lam then caused a division of the French company to ship the analog-to-digital converters to Hong Kong, where they were reexported to Iran. A variation of this tactic - involving witting and unwitting companies in Canada, Hong Kong, and China - was used on the other three occasions.

In addition to the indictment, separate, related seizure actions targeting Nava Hobbies SDN BHD (Nava Hobbies) and Arta Wave (Arta Wave) SBN BHD and their property were unsealed today. Nava Hobbies and Arta Wave are two of the entities designated by OFAC in its action announced today. The funds are subject to seizure based on violations of U.S. law, including U.S. economic sanctions targeting Iran and money laundering violations. The seizures, totaling more than $800,000, aim to further degrade this network's ability to procure UAV components. Proceedings involving this property remain ongoing.

Ardakani and Lam are charged with conspiracy to export U.S. goods to Iran and to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; unlawfully exporting and attempting to export goods to Iran, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to engage in international money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Ardakani and Lam remain at large and are believed to reside abroad.

HSI, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Heiden for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Brendan Geary of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Topics: Export Control

National Security

Components: National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - District of Columbia

Press Release Number: 23-1448

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US, Europe responsible for current situation of JCPOA: Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2023

New York, IRNA -- The ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations has introduced the United States, the three European countries, and the European Union as those responsible for the current situation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

They are directly and fully responsible for the JCPOA present situation because of their repeated "significant non-performance" of their commitments to the 2015 deal, Amir Saeid Iravani said while speaking at the United Nations Security Council's meeting on Non-Proliferation: Implementation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) in New York on Monday evening local time.

"Resolution 2231 has nothing to do with regional issues, and any efforts to establish such a linkage is an abuse of process," Iravani noted.

He went on to say that the deadlock over the talks between Iran and the world powers in Vianna, Austria is due to lack of political will from the US and the three European countries, and such a lack has come from their "internal political considerations."

Below is the full text of Iravani's speech to the UN meeting:

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

Mr. President,

I thank Ms. DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General, who once again reiterated the Secretary-General's longstanding strong view and stance that the JCPOA "still represents the best available option".

I also thank Malta for its efforts as the facilitator of Resolution 2231 (2015). We take note of the statement delivered by the EU representative.

Mr President,

Since the Council's previous briefing, the Islamic Republic of Iran has persistently worked towards the JCPOA's revival. We have engaged in substantive talks with the E3/EU, including during the UNGA's high-level segment. Nevertheless, despite our good faith and efforts, the other parties have taken no tangible steps thus far. Neither the US nor the E3/EU are sincere and determined to end their continued significant non-performance of their obligations under the JCPOA and resolution 2231.

As usual, today they unsuccessfully attempted to shift the narrative, switch the victim and the culprit, wage a disinformation campaign, and play a destructive blame game by intentionally ignoring the root causes of the JCPOA's current situation. It is worth noting that the party that withdrew from the JCPOA is the U.S., not Iran!

Iran has only taken a number of lawful remedial measures yet a full year after the US withdrawal and the E3/EU's inability to convince it to return to the deal and fulfill its obligations. Our objective was crystal clear: to restore the delicate balance in reciprocal commitments and benefits under the JCPOA. This was unavoidable as the deal is founded on Iran's nuclear-related commitments in exchange for the comprehensive lifting of all UN, EU, and U.S. sanctions as well as promoting normal economic and trade relations with Iran, as explained in detail in the JCPOA and resolution 2231.

More importantly, Iran's remedial measures have been authorized by the JCPOA's paragraphs 26 and 36, according to which, in case of, and I quote, "a re-introduction or re-imposition of the sanctions", Iran has "the right", and I repeat, Iran has "the right to cease performing" its commitments "in whole or in part", unquote. Still, unlike the irreversible consequences of the illegal actions of the U.S., all our measures are reversible as soon as all sanctions are lifted in a verifiable manner.

Therefore, the responsibility for the JCPOA's current situation rests squarely and exclusively with the United States and then with the E3/EU for their multiple cases of "significant non-performances" of their obligations under the JCPOA as well as continuous systematic material breaches of their explicit legal obligations under resolution 2231. Furthermore, the impasse in the Vienna talks emanates merely from the lack of political will on the part of the United States and the E3, driven by their internal political considerations.

At the same time, the United States continues to force other UN Member States publicly, explicitly, and aggressively to either violate resolution 2231 or face punishment. It is noteworthy that the U.S. itself has been a co-penholder of, and voted for, this unanimously adopted binding resolution. Given the clear-cut legal obligations of all UN Member States under the Charter's Article 25 "to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council", such unlawful, coercive, and brazen behavior by a permanent member of this Council is highly irresponsible and unprecedented.

Likewise, the U.S. continues defying the unanimously issued order of the International Court of Justice on 3 October 2018, which includes an obligation to remove impediments to humanitarian trade with Iran. This is yet another violation of international law by the U.S.

Mr President,

I draw attention to clear differences between Iran's commitments under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, and those under the JCPOA, which are reciprocal and voluntary in nature. Iran has always complied with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement and has rendered maximum cooperation to enable the IAEA to effectively implement its verification activities in Iran. So far Iran's peaceful nuclear program has continuously been scrutinized by the IAEA's "most robust" monitoring and verification.

On the level of uranium enriched by Iran, I must stress that while emphasizing the binding obligations on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Iran, like all other NPT State Parties, has an inherent right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes irrespective of the enrichment level, period. Committed to its international obligations, Iran is determined to exercise this right. Despite this, so far Iran has never enriched uranium above 60%.

Mr President,

Following the termination of arms-related restrictions and travel bans under resolution 2231 on 18 October 2020, fortunately, all restrictions on ballistic missile-related activities and transfers to and from Iran as well as the asset freeze on individuals and entities listed in resolution 2231, automatically terminated on 18 October 2023. Accordingly, the UN Secretariat removed from the Council's website the list of 84 individuals and entities subject to such measures, and officially brought this and the termination of other restrictive measures to the attention of all UN Member States.

Consequently, strict adherence to and compliance with this requirement is imperative for all UN Member States. Any actions taken to the contrary, regardless of pretext or designation, would contravene the obligations outlined in Resolution 2231 and should therefore be avoided by the respective Member State.

Mr President,

Resolution 2231 has nothing to do with regional issues, and any efforts to establish such a linkage is an abuse of process.

As such, the attempt to establish a false link between the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the conflict in Ukraine and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) is misleading and entirely unfounded. Iran's position on the conflict in Ukraine is clear and consistent.

The main and longstanding threat to the peace and security of our region is well-known to all and attempts to conceal it through disinformation, smear campaigns, or baseless accusations against others are futile and unfounded.

Contrary to unfounded claims, Iran has consistently demonstrated its commitment to fostering peace and security in the region. No individual, group, or country acts at Iran's behest, and as such, we are not responsible for the conduct of anyone in the region.

But the U.S. is fully responsible for all its decades-long aggressions and other crimes and unlawful measures in our region. Additionally, it is responsible for all crimes of the Israeli regime, as it cannot commit any of such savage crimes in Gaza without the consent, order, and all-out political, financial, and military support of, and collaboration with, the United States.

Moreover, the United States obstructed the Security Council's commitment to fulfill its Charter obligations in halting the Israeli war machine against the people of Gaza. One clear example is their use of veto here in this Chamber that prevented a ceasefire in Gaza despite the global appeal from the international community!

Mr President,

While my letter dated 15 December 2023, contains our detailed comments on the Secretariat's sixteenth report on resolution 2231 (S/2023/922), I wish to highlight our main observation.

The report refers to specific visits and their so-called findings. This activity is unauthorized and unlawful, representing a clear violation of the Secretariat's designated mandate. The mandate, as explicitly outlined in paragraph 7 of Note S/2016/44 by the Council's President, is strictly confined to "administrative support."

Moreover, while the Secretariat's 2231 team has no required technical expertise, even such an unauthorized investigation about a highly technical question has been conducted by a number of administrative staff! This is ironic.

Such unprofessional, unlawful, and politically influenced conduct by the Secretariat runs counter to resolution 2231 and the aforesaid Note by the Council's President, and more importantly, violates the Secretariat's explicit obligations under Article 100(1) of the UN Charter.

I must also reiterate our consistent position that, even prior to the termination of certain ballistic-missiles-related restrictive measures on 18 October 2023, Iran's space and missile programs had been outside the scope and competence of resolution 2231.

In conclusion, Mr. President, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands prepared to resume the full implementation of its commitments under the JCPOA once it is revived and the U.S. and all other parties accept to fulfill timely, effectively, fully, and faithfully all their obligations under the JCPOA and resolution 2231. This indeed requires their genuine political will.

I thank you, Mr President.

1483**7129

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Envoy: Iran ready to implement commitments in case of reviving JCPOA

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue / 19 December 2023 / 14:28

Iran envoy to Un criticize the unprofessional, unlawful and politically motivated approach of UN Secretariat.

Tehran-ISNA- Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Islamic Republic of Iran to United Nations "Amir Saeid Iravani" said on Monday at a meeting of the UN Security Council that Tehran committed to It's obligations on enhancing peace and security in the region.

The full speech of Iravni at UNSC meeting about "Non-proliferatian and implementation of resolution 2231" is as follows: Since the Council's previous briefing, the Islamic Republic of Iran has persistently worked towards the JCPOA's revival. We have engaged in substantive talks with the E3/EU, including during the UNGA's high-level segment. Nevertheless, despite our good faith and efforts, the other parties have taken no tangible steps thus far.

Neither the U.S. nor the E3/EU are sincere and determined to end their continued significant non-performance of their obligations under the JCPOA and resolution 2231.

As usual, today they unsuccessfully attempted to shift the narrative, switch the victim and the culprit, wage a disinformation campaign, and play a destructive blame game by intentionally ignoring the root causes of the JCPOA's current situation.

It is worth noting that the party that withdrew from the JCPOA is the U.S., not Iran!

Iran has only taken a number of lawful remedial measures yet a full year after the U.S. withdrawal and the E3/EU's inability to convince it to return to the deal and fulfill its obligations.

Our objective was crystal clear: to restore the delicate balance in reciprocal commitments and benefits under the JCPOA. This was unavoidable as the deal is founded on Iran's nuclear-related commitments in exchange for the comprehensive lifting of all UN, EU, and U.S. sanctions as well as promoting normal economic and trade relations with Iran, as explained in detail in the JCPOA and resolution 2231.

More importantly, Iran's remedial measures have been authorized by the JCPOA's paragraphs 26 and 36, according to which, in case of, and I quote, "a re-introduction or re-imposition of the sanctions", Iran has "the right", and I repeat, Iran has "the right to cease performing" its commitments "in whole or in part", unquote. Still, unlike the irreversible consequences of the illegal actions of the U.S., all our measures are reversible as soon as all sanctions are lifted in a verifiable manner.

Therefore, the responsibility for the JCPOA's current situation rests squarely and exclusively with the United States and then with the E3/EU for their multiple cases of "significant non-performances" of their obligations under the JCPOA as well as continuous systematic material breaches of their explicit legal obligations under resolution 2231. Furthermore, the impasse in the Vienna talks emanates merely from the lack of political will on the part of the United States and the E3, driven by their internal political considerations.

At the same time, the United States continues to force other UN Member States publicly, explicitly, and aggressively to either violate resolution 2231 or face punishment. It is noteworthy that the U.S. itself has been a co-penholder of, and voted for, this unanimously adopted binding resolution. Given the clear-cut legal obligations of all UN Member States under the Charter's Article 25 "to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council", such unlawful, coercive, and brazen behavior by a permanent member of this Council is highly irresponsible and unprecedented.

Likewise, the U.S. continues defying the unanimously issued order of the International Court of Justice on 3 October 2018, which includes an obligation to remove impediments to humanitarian trade with Iran. This is yet another violation of international law by the U.S.

I draw attention to clear differences between Iran's commitments under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, and those under the JCPOA, which are reciprocal and voluntary in nature. Iran has always complied with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement and has rendered maximum cooperation to enable the IAEA to effectively implement its verification activities in Iran. So far Iran's peaceful nuclear program has continuously been scrutinized by the IAEA's "most robust" monitoring and verification.

On the level of uranium enriched by Iran, I must stress that while emphasizing the binding obligations on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Iran, like all other NPT State Parties, has an inherent right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes irrespective of the enrichment level, period. Committed to its international obligations, Iran is determined to exercise this right. Despite this, so far Iran has never enriched uranium above 60%.

Following the termination of arms-related restrictions and travel bans under resolution 2231 on 18 October 2020, fortunately, all restrictions on ballistic missile-related activities and transfers to and from Iran as well as the asset freeze on individuals and entities listed in resolution 2231, automatically terminated on 18 October 2023. Accordingly, the UN Secretariat removed from the Council's website the list of 84 individuals and entities subject to such measures, and officially brought this and the termination of other restrictive measures to the attention of all UN Member States.

Consequently, strict adherence to and compliance with this requirement is imperative for all UN Member States. Any actions taken to the contrary, regardless of pretext or designation, would contravene the obligations outlined in Resolution 2231 and should therefore be avoided by the respective Member State.

Resolution 2231 has nothing to do with regional issues, and any efforts to establish such a linkage is an abuse of process.

As such, the attempt to establish a false link between the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the conflict in Ukraine and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) is misleading and entirely unfounded. Iran's position on the conflict in Ukraine is clear and consistent.

The main and longstanding threat to the peace and security of our region is well-known to all and attempts to conceal it through disinformation, smear campaigns, or baseless accusations against others are futile and unfounded.

Contrary to unfounded claims, Iran has consistently demonstrated its commitment to fostering peace and security in the region. No individual, group, or country acts at Iran's behest, and as such, we are not responsible for the conduct of anyone in the region.

But the U.S. is fully responsible for all its decades-long aggressions and other crimes and unlawful measures in our region. Additionally, it is responsible for all crimes of the Israeli regime, as it cannot commit any of such savage crimes in Gaza without the consent, order, and all-out political, financial, and military support of, and collaboration with, the United States.

Moreover, the United States obstructed the Security Council's commitment to fulfill its Charter obligations in halting the Israeli war machine against the people of Gaza. One clear example is their use of veto here in this Chamber that prevented a ceasefire in Gaza despite the global appeal from the international community!

While my letter dated 15 December 2023, contains our detailed comments on the Secretariat's sixteenth report on resolution 2231 (S/2023/922), I wish to highlight our main observation.

The report refers to specific visits and their so-called findings. This activity is unauthorized and unlawful, representing a clear violation of the Secretariat's designated mandate. The mandate, as explicitly outlined in paragraph 7 of Note S/2016/44 by the Council's President, is strictly confined to "administrative support."

Moreover, while the Secretariat's 2231 team has no required technical expertise, even such an unauthorized investigation about a highly technical question has been conducted by a number of administrative staff! This is ironic.

Such unprofessional, unlawful, and politically influenced conduct by the Secretariat runs counter to resolution 2231 and the aforesaid Note by the Council's President, and more importantly, violates the Secretariat's explicit obligations under Article 100(1) of the UN Charter.

I must also reiterate our consistent position that, even prior to the termination of certain ballistic-missiles-related restrictive measures on 18 October 2023, Iran's space and missile programs had been outside the scope and competence of resolution 2231.

In conclusion, Mr. President, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands prepared to resume the full implementation of its commitments under the JCPOA once it is revived and the U.S. and all other parties accept to fulfill timely, effectively, fully, and faithfully all their obligations under the JCPOA and resolution 2231. This indeed requires their genuine political will.

End Item



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Russian Diplomat: JCPOA has no alternatives

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue / 19 December 2023 / 14:15

Russia believes there is no alternative to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said.

Tehran (ISNA) - "The Russian Federation is convinced that there is no alternative to the JCPOA. An early restart of the plan is the only way that meets the interests of regional and international security," he said at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

He, also, urged Western states to cease their strategy of imposing unilateral restrictions on Iran.

"We believe that Western countries as soon as possible should reject their policy of having unilateral restrictions against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Nebenzia told the Security Council members during a meeting on Iran.

Iran has faced enduring US sanctions for numerous years due to its nuclear program development. These sanctions impose limitations on Iran's oil exports and freeze the accounts of Iranian leaders, high-ranking officials, and legal entities.

On December 1st, the US House of Representatives approved the "No Funds For Iranian Terrorism Act". This legislation aims to re-impose restrictions on $6 billion in Iranian funds, which were initially released by the administration of US President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap deal reached earlier in the year.

"We hope that the UN Secretary General [Antonio Guterres], who calls the plan the best possible way to ensure the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program, will not allow, to put it mildly, controversial elements in his reports that jeopardize the already fragile prospects for the full restoration of the Vienna agreements," Vasily Nebenzya added.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Germany, signed the JCPOA with Iran in 2015, with the goal of resolving the situation around Tehran's nuclear developments. Former US President Donald Trump opted to withdraw from this pact in 2018. Joe Biden, the current president of the United States, has often stated his willingness to return Washington to the nuclear accord. However, talks to fully restore the JCPOA fell through.

End Item





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Swedish court upholds life sentence given to ex-Iranian official

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 4:41 PM

An appeals court in Sweden has upheld a life sentence given to a former Iranian official despite repeated objections from Tehran that the verdict is politically-motivated.

The Svea Court of Appeal said in a statement on Tuesday that it "affirmed the judgment... in significant parts" that had been given to Hamid Nouri in July 2022 for his alleged role in cases of human rights violations in Iran.

It described the case brought against Nouri in the initial court proceedings as "robust" and "correct."

The verdict comes four years after Nouri was arrested at a Stockholm airport based on complaints filed by anti-Iranian groups in Sweden for his alleged role in the death of prisoners in Iran in the 1980s.

Nouri and his defense team have vehemently denied the charges while the Iranian authorities have repeatedly said that the case has been based on political motives.

The arrest and sentencing of Nouri has also affected political relations between Iran and Sweden while it has stirred anti-Sweden sentiment in Iran.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said in a Tuesday report that Nouri has repeatedly been subject to harassment and rights violations during his imprisonment in Sweden since November 2019.

Iranian Judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said in September that the case against Nouri was directly influenced by political campaigns and media propaganda of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), a group designated as terrorist by Iran for its role in killing thousands of Iranian citizens over the past decades.

Setayeshi also said that the way Nouri has been deprived of his basic rights as an accused in the Swedish legal system is a disgrace for the Nordic country as well as for Western human rights organizations.

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US needs to lift sanctions on Iran's oil for JCPOA to resume: UN chief

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 10:22 AM

UN Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has urged the United States to lift or waive its sanctions against Iran's oil sector to resume the US-abandoned Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Monday that "the Secretary-General still considers that the JCPOA represents the best available option" to resolve disputes over Tehran's nuclear program.

Guterres has underscored that the US will also need to lift or waive its sanctions and extend waivers regarding the trade in oil with Iran, for the deal to resume, she added.

DiCarlo said the adoption of the JCPOA "just over eight years ago was rightly and universally hailed as a historic breakthrough. Today, the hope the deal engendered has greatly diminished."

She pledged the UN would "continue to urge the participants to exercise maximum restraint and to exhaust all available diplomatic avenues to restore the [JCPOA]. Indeed, the participants are responsible for its fate."

DiCarlo further argued that the deal's success or failure, "especially at this extremely dangerous juncture in global peace and security, matters to all of us."

She also urged Iran to reverse the steps it has taken in response to the US's violation of its commitments under the deal.

In May 2019, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran started to take "remedial measures" by reducing its commitments as per the deal after the European parties to the deal a France, Germany and Britain a failed to fulfill their commitments by confronting the US's unilateral sanctions.

Tehran began to gradually remove a cap set in the JCPOA on its nuclear activities at bi-monthly intervals. At the time, Iran also maintained that if the Iranian economy was shielded from sanctions, it would reverse its nuclear decision.

'Iran, Russia have not violated Resolution 2231'

Meanwhile, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said Moscow and Tehran have not supplied each other with military equipment in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the JCPOA, as claimed by the US and its Western allies.

He was responding to claims that Iran has provided Russia with drones for use in the Ukraine war, which both countries have repeatedly denied.

"There were and could not be any deliveries in circumvention of the requirements of Security Council Resolution 2231. No credible evidence to the contrary was provided, nor was there any evidence that the debris presented by the Americans and the British was collected in Ukraine," he said.

The allegations first emerged in July 2022, when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleged that Washington had received "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the war.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Nebenzya noted that Iran's return to compliance with the provisions of the JCPOA on its nuclear program is possible only with the appropriate steps from Western countries.

"We must not forget that Iran's return to carrying out its suspended voluntary responsibilities to limit its nuclear energy program will need coordinated moves by the Western parties in the deal and the United States, whose activities have contributed to the current predicament," Nebenzya said.

He emphasized that Russia believes there is no alternative to the JCPOA, and that restarting the deal is necessary for international security.

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Iranian Nobel Laureate Boycotts Latest Trial

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda December 19, 2023

Imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has refused to attend a court hearing in a trial against her, calling the revolutionary tribunal "a slaughterhouse."

"The Revolutionary Court is a slaughterhouse for the youth of this land, and I will not set foot in this slaughterhouse. I do not acknowledge the authority or credibility of judges affiliated with security institutions and show trials," Mohammadi said in a statement on her Instagram account published by her family, who accepted the 2023 prize in Oslo on her behalf on December 10.

The hearing, the first since she was awarded the Nobel Prize, was reportedly set to address her recent activities in prison, and had been scheduled at Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

Mohammadi, who has been in and out of prison for the better part of the last 20 years, began serving her current 10-year sentence on various charges in November 2021.

Her family said this will be the third trial that the 51-year-old activist for women's rights has faced related to her activities in prison.

The accusations for which Mohammadi was summoned to court were not immediately known. Even from Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, she has continued her political activism against Iran's strict dress code for women and against its ruling theocracy.

She has refused to wear a mandatory hijab during her transfers from Evin Prison to hospital and back on at least three occasions.

Renowned globally as a staunch advocate for the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 6.

For years, Mohammadi has voiced dissent against the hijab, or mandatory head scarf, rule imposed on Iranian women, as well as restrictions on women's freedoms and rights in the country by its Islamic regime.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mohammedi- trial-no-show/32737925.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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Life Sentence of Former Iranian Official Upheld By Swedish Court

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda December 19, 2023

A Swedish Appeals Court on December 19 upheld the life sentence of Hamid Noury, a former assistant prosecutor at Gohardasht Prison in Iran, convicted last year for his role in the execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988.

The executions had been ordered by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and leader of the Islamic republic at the time.

The landmark trial lasted for nine months in Sweden and involved extensive testimonies from over 60 plaintiffs, witnesses, and experts in Islamic jurisprudence and international law.

In a statement, 452 civil and political activists highlighted the ruling as a major victory for the justice movement in Iran.

Activists expressed hope that Noury's conviction is a step toward bringing every perpetrator of human rights violations in Iran to justice, both domestically and internationally.

Khomeini's order, or fatwa, initially targeted members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), a militant leftist group that for years was considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Britain, but it eventually included all left-wing opponents of the theocratic regime.

The MKO killed U.S. personnel in Iran during the 1970s and carried out a series of terror attacks on Iranian embassies in 13 different countries in 1992, leading to its inclusion on the lists of terrorist organizations of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

In 2013 the group was removed from the list amid efforts by Washington to support it in its fight against the Islamic regime in Tehran.

The Iranian government has never acknowledged the mass executions, nor provided any information about the number of prisoners killed.

The rights watchdog Amnesty International has estimated that 4,500 people were executed, while the MKO places the number at around 30,000. Many of the victims were buried in secret.

Noury's verdict was issued amid ongoing tensions between Iran and Sweden. The fate of at least two Swedish citizens imprisoned in Iran, Ahmadreza Djalali and Johan Floderus, remains a point of contention.

Many Western governments have accused Iran's regime of taking dual and foreign nationals hostage for the sole purpose of using them in prisoner swaps or as bargaining chips in international negotiations. Tehran has denied the accusations.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-sweden-noury-prosecutor- gohardasht-executions-life-sentence/32738137.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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Imposing Sanctions on Those Supporting Iran's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Production

US Department of State

Press Statement

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

December 19, 2023

The United States is imposing sanctions today on a network of 10 entities and four individuals based in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong (PRC), and Indonesia, led by Iran-based Hossein Hatefi Ardakani, for facilitating Iran's procurement of sensitive goods, including U.S.-origin electronic components, for one-way attack UAVs produced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization.

The United States is committed to utilizing all available means to expose and disrupt Iran's growing UAV development and proliferation, which destabilizes the Middle East and could prolong Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. The United States will continue to work with allies and partners to hold individuals and entities accountable for supporting Iran's UAV programs. Today's designations follow previous U.S. designations of individuals and entities linked to the production of Iran's Shahed-series UAV that the Russian military uses against Ukraine.

Concurrent with OFAC's action and following a multi-year investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Justice announced the unsealing of indictments charging Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and Gary Lam with crimes related to an illicit procurement network and scheme to unlawfully export U.S.-origin, dual-use, and sensitive technology to Iran. HSI's global investigation identified a network of Iranian intermediary companies, front companies, and logistics businesses used to procure and facilitate the transfer of sensitive U.S.- and foreign-origin technology to Iran for its weapons programs. On October 18, 2023, OFAC designated Gary Lam, whose primary name is Lin Jinghe, for his support to an Iran-based procurement agent working on behalf of the IRGC-owned Saberin Kish Company.

The Department of the Treasury's actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and their supporters. For more information on today's action, please see the Department of the Treasury's .

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PM Netanyahu Speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

The 37th Government

19.12.2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two leaders discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, which is threatened by the aggression of the Houthis, instigated by Iran, and the global interest in preventing attacks on the global economy and trade, as well as the Indian and Israeli economies.

Indian Prime Minister Modi noted that freedom of navigation is an essential global necessity that must be ensured.

The leaders also discussed advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Indian Prime Minister Modi for India's support of Israel's just war to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization.

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Kazakh Ex-President's Nephew Denied Early Release

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service December 19, 2023

OSKEMEN, Kazakhstan -- A court in the northeastern city of Oskemen on December 19 rejected a request for the early release of a nephew of Kazakhstan's former strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who was handed a six-year prison term on fraud and embezzlement charges last year.

In September 2022, a court in the Kazakh capital, Astana, also stripped Qairat Satybaldy of the rank of major general and of his membership in the National Security Committee. He was also barred from occupying state posts for 10 years.

The 53-year-old Satybaldy, once an extremely powerful person, pleaded guilty to all charges at the time.

Satybaldy was arrested in March 2022 while trying to board a plane to Turkey. The probe launched against him was one of a series of investigations targeting relatives and allies of Nazarbaev.

Satybaldy's former wife, Gulmira, was also arrested in March 2022 and sentenced to seven years in prison in May 2023 on charges of abduction and aiding a crime. In June, another court added one more year to her sentence after convicting her of embezzlement and the illegal takeover of a private business.

In April, a court in Astana handed the former chief of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, known as a longtime close ally of Nazarbaev, an 18-year prison term on charges of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.

After unprecedented anti-government protests in January 2022, the Kazakh regime began to quietly target Nazarbaev, his family, and his allies, many of whom held powerful or influential posts in government, security agencies, and profitable energy companies.

The protests began in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen over an abrupt fuel-price hike. But the demonstrations quickly grew into broader unrest against corruption and widespread abuse.

Much of the protesters' anger appeared directed at Nazarbaev, who ruled Kazakhstan from 1989 until March 2019, when he handed over power to his then-ally Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. However, Nazarbaev was widely believed to remain in control behind the scenes.

The protests were violently dispersed by police and military personnel, including troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization that President Toqaev invited into the country, claiming that "20,000 extremists who were trained in terrorist camps abroad" attacked Almaty.

The authorities have provided no evidence proving Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-satybaldy- denied-release/32738065.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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Anti-junta forces capture Myanmar border crossing gate

Junta forces surrendered after a battle at the crossing to China, locals said.

By RFA Burmese 2023.12.19 -- One of Myanmar's powerful anti-junta armies has seized a key border gate from the military in a self-administered part of eastern Shan state, residents told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army - or MNDAA - occupied the Yanlonkyaing (Yan Long Zhai) border trade gate in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone's Laukkaing township on Monday.

The MNDAA is part of an alliance of three ethnic rebel groups that have waged an offensive, dubbed Operation 1027, that began in late October and has heralded the most serious military setbacks for Myanmar's ruling junta since it took power in a coup in February 2021.

A Laukkaing resident told RFA he heard gunshots near the border gate on Monday morning.

"I heard continuous shots from [the Myanmar] side of Yanlonkyaing gate Monday," said the man who didn't want to be identified for fear of reprisals.

"The gate was seized in the morning. That was the only place left and [MNDAA troops] are saying there are no more places left to capture. I do not hear the sound of gunfire anymore."

A source with knowledge of the military situation, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said junta troops and affiliated militias had surrendered.

A video of the MNDAA providing cash assistance to those who surrendered - seen by RFA Burmese - was posted on social media by the group.

Shan state-based media outlets have also reported that the Yanlonkyaing border gate was captured by MNDAA forces.

RFA tried to contact MNDAA Kokang spokesman Li Kyarwen but did not receive a reply at time of publication Tuesday.

The junta has not released any statement regarding the incident.

Updated to add background.

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 December 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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N Korea's military provocations boost S Korea's nuclear arsenal push

The current US support and measures leaves a significant security gap for S Korea, expert says.

By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA 2023.12.20 -- When South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested the potential of Seoul acquiring nuclear capabilities, the United States promptly set up the Nuclear Consultation Group, or NCG. This initiative is aimed at addressing Seoul's security concerns, in the hopes of preventing them from developing into a significant security dilemma for Washington, namely a nuclear domino effect across Asia.

However, North Korea's deployment of spy satellites and subsequent launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) has led to increasing skepticism in Seoul regarding the dependability of Washington's deterrence strategy, fueling a louder call for South Korea to develop its own nuclear arsenal. Experts noted that this sentiment will likely intensify unless the U.S. sufficiently addresses South Korea's security concerns.

Signs are already evident. A poll released by Gallup Korea earlier this year shows around 78% of South Koreans are in favor of the country developing its own nuclear weapons.

Prominent politicians, such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the ruling party for 2027, have also been vocal about the issue.

Oh on Tuesday, for instance, stressed that South Korea would need its own nuclear arsenal, calling bolstering the cooperation with the U.S. under nuclear umbrella "only a temporary measure."

Oh's remarks are widely viewed as his attempt to align with the aspirations of South Korea's conservative base, advocating for the nation to become a nuclear power.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had previously brought up the idea of the country going nuclear if its security situation with North Korea deteriorates. While these remarks were not a policy announcement, they sparked an intense debate within the South's domestic political circles. With the by-election in April next year and the presidential election for 2027, this high-stake nuclear debate is only likely to continue in the country.

Washington's dilemma

The U.S.-South Korea bilateral announcement to establish the NCG, agreed in Washington in April, is a clear indicator that shows Washington's strategic effort to mitigate South Korea's inclination towards developing its own nuclear arsenal.

In the traditional sense, South Korea's potential pursuit of nuclear weapons may destabilize the nuclear arms race in East Asia, which could become a security dilemma for Washington.

"The tense atmosphere concerning Taiwan would justify ... Japan would also be willing to become part of the 'nuclear group' not to feel disadvantaged in case a war occurs," researchers of London-based King's Think Tank noted in April, adding that having a nuclear South Korea could lead to the nuclear "domino effect" in East Asia.

Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Korea's presidential office believes while the NCG reflects the U.S.'s understanding of the complex security environment in the region, it needs to bear real substance if it is to mitigate the growing voices in the South advocating for nuclearization.

"North Korea's nuclear weapons and ICBM launches target the U.S., but the U.S.'s capability is reciprocated for retaliation, effectively neutralizing the Pyongyang threat," said Cheon.

"But this leaves a critical question unanswered: Is there an adequate countermeasure for North Korea's nuclear weapons and short-range missiles specifically aimed at ROK? Currently, no such equivalent countermeasure exists in ROK, highlighting a significant security gap here," he added by referring to South Korea as its former name.

He stressed the importance of filling such a gap, adding that's where the NCG must come into play.

"It's not enough to simply just continue deploying strategic assets in the Korean peninsula, but a more nuanced approach is needed," he noted.

"The NCG should focus on developing and discussing more effective strategies and collaborative measures to address the specific challenges posed by North Korea's targeted missile threats, to fundamentally ease Seoul's security concerns," the pundit explained.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

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 December 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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Expanded meeting of Defence Ministry Board

The President arrived at the National Defence Control Centre of the Russian Federation to attend an expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board.

December 19, 2023

14:40

Moscow

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers, Mr Shoigu,

A year ago, we met at the concluding meeting of the Defence Ministry Board and discussed priority tasks linked with the conduct of the special military operation, and we talked about additional measures to strengthen the army and navy.

Today, we will evaluate the achievements of the past 12 months and single out the spheres where we still have to fundamentally improve and step up our work.

The year 2023 was intense and uneasy for the Armed Forces, and I would like to say right away that our officers and soldiers and commanders of all levels bravely and professionally dealt with challenges during the special military operation, ensuring the country's global sovereignty, as well as Russia's nuclear missile parity and strategic security. At the same time, units and elements of all military districts and fleets maintained high level of combat readiness. Systemic combat training programmes took place strictly according to plan, and we also addressed mobilisation, technical and personnel issues.

I would like to thank the leadership of the Defence Ministry and the Ministry's personnel for their service and for conscientiously accomplishing the tasks, set by the Motherland.

I would like to specially thank everyone who has fought or is fighting in frontline areas, fulfilling their difficult duty in the special military operation zone, defending Russian airspace, repelling attacks by the enemy's aerial and naval drones, thwarting artillery barrages and incursions by subversive groups in our western border areas.

Of course, I would like to note the unprecedented support of our people, including support for the defenders of the Fatherland, the patriotic mood of the overwhelming majority of Russian citizens, the unity and cohesion of people of various nationalities and religious denominations. This is a reliable and indestructible pillar of our army and navy.

We will always remain loyal to the cause for which our comrades-in-arms gave their lives. I invite everyone present to rise and observe a moment of silence in tribute of their memory.

(A moment of silence is announced.)

Comrades,

The past year's developments have confirmed, and we can all see it, that the West continues to wage hybrid warfare against Russia, actively providing the Kiev regime with real-time intelligence data, sending military advisers, transferring new weapons systems to the country, including high-mobility multiple rocket launchers, long-range missile systems, cluster munitions, and large batches of new UAVs. As we know, Western countries are also planning to send F-16 multirole fighter jets to Ukraine, and pilots are now being trained in the West.

The NATO military bloc has increased its overall activity dramatically of late. Considerable forces and resources from the United States have been redeployed to our borders, including aircraft. The number of NATO troops in Eastern and Central Europe has increased. As we know, Finland has been dragged into NATO already, and Sweden is planning to join. In fact, this means a new stage of the alliance's advance to our borders.

Let me remind you of what we all know: in 1991, they promised Gorbachev: no, no, not an inch to the east - well, there you go. This is the kind of partners they are. They lie shamelessly, through their teeth. At the same time, the bloc is no longer hiding its aggressive nature behind defensive rhetoric. I was told years ago it was not a military bloc, but a political organisation. And last time I checked, Article 5 was still there. At the same time, as I said, the aggressive nature of the bloc is not being hidden. US policy doctrines explicitly spell out its claims to global supremacy.

The West is not abandoning its strategy to contain Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine. Well, we are not going to give up the goals of our special military operation either.

Assessing the current situation on the ground, on the line of contact, we can say with confidence that our troops hold the initiative. In fact, we are doing what we think is necessary, and what we want to do. Where necessary, where you, the commanders generally consider it appropriate to use active defence, tactics, you do that; in other areas, we are improving our positions.

The enemy is suffering heavy losses and has largely squandered their reserves trying to show their real bosses at least some progress in their much-hyped operation they call a counter-offensive. Speaking of which, the myth about the Western military equipment being invulnerable has also collapsed.

All attempts, as they used to say in the West, to inflict a military defeat on us, a strategic defeat, were frustrated by the courage and resilience of our soldiers, faced with the increased power of our Armed Forces and the potential of our domestic industry and defence production capacities.

At the same time, and we have said this many times, the special operation has also revealed some problems. For example, we need to seriously restructure the communications system and use modern reconnaissance, target designation and counter-battery warfare methods more effectively. We need to increase the capabilities of our satellite constellation not only for the special operation zone, but also at the global level.

We have to seriously increase the production and supply of high-precision projectiles and drones of various types. I know that changes are taking place, and they are happening quickly, I will talk about this later, but we still need to work on it, we need to consolidate this effort. The air defence system also needs improving. Of course, our well-known Pantsir, Buk, S-300 and S-400 systems work without fail, they are the best in the world, without exaggeration.

But the things we did not pay attention to before, that we thought were just details, some plywood and so on, maybe, small drones that fly around - no, it turned out that these things also cause damage and should not be missed in any case.

Yes, I said, there has been a reaction, that's clear, it is known, and the men on the battlefield are noting it. There are some fighters here who will receive decorations today - they probably also see it and can talk about it. But nevertheless, we need to work on it.

I would like to draw your attention to a number of priority and systemic tasks.

First. Given the changing nature of military threats and the emergence of new military and political risks, the role of the nuclear triad, which ensures the balance of power, the strategic balance of power in the world, has significantly increased.

This year, thanks to the consistent implementation of the state armament programme and the efficient operation of the defence industry enterprises, the level of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces as a whole has reached 95 percent, and the naval component - almost 100 percent.

By the end of the year, 15 Yars and Avangard missile system launchers will be put into combat service in the strategic missile forces. We have received four submarines, two just recently; last week I accepted the Krasnoyarsk, a multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarine, and the Emperor Alexander III, equipped with Bulava ballistic missiles.

The aviation component is also being upgraded. In particular, four Tu-160M missile carriers have arrived. We must continue to maintain the combat readiness of strategic forces at the highest level. All plans approved in this area will certainly be implemented.

Second, the indicators achieved in re-equipping the nuclear triad are a benchmark for our work on conventional weapons and equipment. New equipment deliveries to the troops have tripled compared to last year. It is expected that, in general, the state defence order will be completed at about 98 percent by the end of 2023. It is necessary to continue sending cutting edge weapons to the troops.

In 2024, the volume of purchases and repairs of weapons and equipment will be significantly increased considering the additional budgetary allocations. It is also necessary to continue creating the foundation for the Army and Navy's future, including the development and production of promising types of weapons, such as robotic systems and combat lasers, weapons using artificial intelligence technology and based on new physical parameters.

The third most important task is the timely and full supply of everything necessary for the troops participating in the special military operation.

Over the past year, the Coordination Council under the Government and the working group of the Military-Industrial Commission have been working on the implementation of this task. Regional heads and representatives of the defence industry provide effective assistance. And of course, there are results, the supplies to the troops are improving.

I would like to especially note the staff at the defence industry enterprises and workers in related industries, research institutes and design bureaus. They have made real labour breakthroughs. Many companies operate three shifts. They gave their working, engineering, and scientific response to the challenge of the entire potential of the West, which is working to contain Russia, to support the Kiev regime and the war in Ukraine.

Our defence workers are faster - and this is the essence of today's conflicts. They respond faster and more accurately to the latest developments and to the needs of those who are fighting on the battlefield. I hope this continues.

This year, the volume of supplies of armoured vehicles has increased threefold, and other vehicles by 4.5 times thanks to the effort of the defence industry. In general, the number of purchased basic weapons has increased by 2.7 times, and those in high demand by seven times.

At the same time, I would like you to note that there are representatives of the Government and the leadership of the Defence Ministry here [in the hall]; what is happening on the battlefield must be carefully analysed every day, and we must carefully look at what else our soldiers on the frontline need. We need to constantly analyse this. I have talked about armoured and other vehicles. Yes, the supply of armoured vehicles has tripled. But more are needed. We need advanced tanks and advanced armoured vehicles.

It is important to continue increasing the supplies of the most popular weapons, as I have said, and also create a production line of unmanned aerial vehicles from heavy attack vehicles to ultra-small ones; to engage high-tech businesses and engineering design companies in the development and production. By the way, I want to thank them for this. Many private enterprises, which previously were in no way connected with the defence industry, have started working in certain areas, and are doing this quickly, efficiently, and with high quality. This is great. Many probably did not expect it. Some states are trying to organise the production of seemingly conventional weapons and are failing, but we are succeeding. Thanks to everyone who is working to resolve these problems.

Like a few days ago, during Direct Line, I would like to mention once again the enormous support provided to our military units by many average people, entrepreneurs, and volunteers, as well as representatives of public organisations, parties and company teams, schoolchildren, students, and the elderly. Of course, everything that goes to the front is important to us, but the general consolidation of all the forces of Russian society is no less important - and perhaps even the most important thing. I once again thank everyone who helps our soldiers at the front, transfers money and sends to the frontline vehicles and drones, radiosets and body armour, as well as New Year's gifts and letters of support, warm clothes, medicines, and much more. This help, this patriotic spirit, this solidarity cannot be overestimated.

Next, the fourth point is, as I have already said, the wide use of the experience gained during the special operation in tactical and combat training, in the teaching process at military universities and academies. I know that this work is ongoing. Programmes and training plans for personnel have been updated, in particular, training modules for using drones have been included in the programmes of all Defence Ministry educational institutions and centres. The educational and material base of training grounds is being upgraded. Instructors with combat experience are being engaged in teaching classes. They need to be engaged in working with military personnel, and also on the civilian side, but this is a separate topic, we will talk about this with our colleagues.

Based on these developments, we need to continue improving the forms and methods for using our troops, specify provisions for combat documents, regulations and manuals, and take account of this experience in preparing and conducting exercises and training sessions at all levels.

What is there to say to this audience - we understand that nobody in the world has the kind of experience of conducting modern warfare that the Russian army has. But this experience should be used in practical terms to further improve training of our military personnel.

Comrades,

I would like to focus separately on the important issue of prompt material and social support for our participants in the special military operation and their family members. Much has been done in the past year for adjusting the system of monetary allowance for contract service personnel, mobilised personnel, and volunteers and for providing them and their families with additional payments, benefits and other compensation.

At the same time, some problems have not been resolved yet. Some issues remain. In this context, I would like to emphasise again - all participants in the special military operation - servicemen under contract, volunteers, mobilised individuals, fighters of separate units, and the Donbass militia forces whose combat path began as early as 2014 - let me repeat, all defenders of Russia, the families of our fallen heroes, our comrades, should receive equal guarantees. This is a principle of justice and combat brotherhood.

This applies to the procedure for receiving full status as a combat veteran, which entitles these people and their family members to benefits and additional support measures.

The Defence Ministry, in cooperation with other departments and regions, should promptly resolve any arising problems and ensure that payments are made in full and on time.

And, of course, anyone wounded participants in the special military operation should receive proper medical care, including assistive devices, medical treatment in military sanatoriums, as well as in civilian - the Healthcare Ministry always offers its services and is always open to cooperation with the Defence Ministry.

I will note that in general, the system of benefits, compensation and additional payments in the Armed Forces should and will be further improved. This applies to our work on housing and social programmes for military personnel and the space planning for military towns and garrisons. We will definitely continue our efforts in this area.

Let's move on to the reports. I am giving the floor to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Go ahead, please.

<...>

Vladimir Putin: Comrades,

We are about to conclude this part of the discussion. As usual, I will say a few words before we wrap it up. It is unlikely that I will say something you have not heard before. Nevertheless, considering the circumstances we are living, working, and fighting a war in, I would be remiss in not mentioning it.

I would like to revisit the causes of the current conflict. The audience we have here is quite knowledgeable, but I still think it is important to highlight certain things again and to point out the reasons for today's conflict in Ukraine.

Let's go back to the times when shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West used widespread efforts in Russia to win over our fifth column, which we never stopped propitiating, patting them on the head, and talking to them, trying to steer them to a patriotic path. It does not really matter. There are different people there; let's not paint everyone with the same brush. Nevertheless, the adversary knew what they were doing it for and knew whom to work with, namely, the fifth column, the terrorist organisations, including international terrorist organisations, and separatists in order to fulfil their goal of breaking down Russia. At the same time, they were equally active in the post-Soviet space, tearing apart the newly formed independent states, the former Soviet republics. A particular emphasis, even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, was placed on Ukraine.

First, based on a series of historical considerations and the fact that many former Nazis had moved to the American continent, particularly Canada and the United States, they worked with them. Entire institutes were created there that focused exclusively on this topic. They were priming themselves. And as soon as the collapse occurred, they went for it full throttle. They worked inside our country and they doubled and tripled their efforts there. Why? Because they always believed that once it had lost its potential, Russia would never regain its previous geopolitical position and would not pose any threat as a competitor, at the least, as a competitor.

They planned to divide Russia into five parts. They did not hide their plans; it was all discussed openly.

The work on Ukraine was conducted separately. Of course, they bet primarily on nationalists. They forgot that these extreme nationalists were former Nazis that collaborated with Hitler. Without a moment's hesitation, they allowed Ukrainian nationalists to turn these former Nazis into national heroes, including Bandera and the like. We had done everything we could over the decades to develop normal relations with our neighbouring state. We have always said, and I keep saying that this is a fraternal people. However, this adversary acted differently.

Politically, Russia emphasised the southwest [of Ukraine] and this is also common knowledge. Why? Because these are historically Russian regions. They are inhabited, in fact, by Russian people regardless of any stamp in their passports. They have only one native tongue - Russian, and their entire culture and traditions are also Russian, everything. They are our people.

We always focused on this part of Ukraine, and this had important domestic political consequences because it did not allow ultra-nationalists to obtain real power through legal political means. The political forces and leaders that claimed the state's top positions always had to consider the opinion of the voters in the southeast of Ukraine. This was always the case. Without this, it was impossible to come to power. But as soon as these forces came to power, they immediately forgot about these regions. Nobody thought about their interests or mandates, and the authorities instantly followed in the wake of the extreme nationalists that were active, offensive and aggressive. They also immediately adopted the latter's domestic political agenda.

We tried to counter this. How? Primarily with an economic approach, you know that. We sold them energy for next to nothing, gave them loans and encouraged cooperation. Believe me, we did everything to build relations, having gained a lot of patience for this. But no. Relying on these active and aggressive nationalist forces in Ukraine, the West simply did not leave us any chance for this.

But they also realised their inability to achieve their ultimate goals through legal means and to drag all of Ukraine to their side. It just didn't work out that way. The residents of the southeast went to the polling stations and voted for those who spoke about good relations with Russia. This is what happened in real life. But it didn't work out. Decade after decade, it never worked out. So what did they eventually choose? A coup d'Atat.

Indeed, Ukraine was plagued by a host of internal, economic, and social problems, as well as many iniquities. But why the coup? Go to the polls, as we were always told: only through political means and only within the framework of the constitution. Where is all that? I do not feel like making certain gestures here since the camera is on, ok? I am sure you know the gestures I would like to make right now. This is exactly what they showed us. They realised that they wouldn't be able to steamroll Ukraine using just political means, and they took advantage of the mistakes and miscalculations of the then Ukrainian leadership - again with an emphasis on aggressive nationalist forces - and fomented a coup. It is not clear why they did this. Perhaps, just to put an end to this issue once and for all.

In this sense, they achieved their goals. We had no choice but to support Crimea, or else it would have drowned in blood.

But then the issue of Donbass arose. You know, we tried to negotiate a peaceful solution. Overall, we were ready, under certain conditions outlined in the Minsk agreements, to gradually restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Donbass, in order to keep the local people out of harm's way and to create proper conditions and guarantees for their safety. That was the whole point of the Minsk agreements.

But if the Ukrainian authorities and their Western handlers had agreed to it, agreed to implement these arrangements, everything would have gradually - I sincerely believe it - would have worked out. But they did not agree to it and unleashed a real war there in 2014.

I am open about it. It is no secret to those who participated in these events: we did nothing but were gradually forced to get involved in order to protect the people and save them from extermination. That is how it all began.

The West, especially the people overseas, enjoyed watching this. In this sense, they outplayed us if I can put it that way. We were compelled to respond to this aggressive position. Later, they simply tossed out the Minsk agreements, said this publicly, and then the Western leaders said it publicly and confessed that this was just a front to revive or rather build up Ukraine's armed forces.

Why do that? Here comes the second part of their plot. It was to pull Ukraine into NATO. And this is what they kept telling me: what are you concerned about, we will not let them join right now. I said, what about tomorrow? When will this tomorrow come? In a year, two years? Looking at it from the historical perspective and from the strategic interests of the Russian state, even 10 or 15 years are unacceptable. What does "not right now" mean? What about tomorrow? Clearly, their goal was and is to pull Ukraine into NATO.

Let's go back, I just said this from the rostrum. We have been talking about this the whole time. They said back in 1991 - not an inch eastward. Like hell it's not an inch. Here they are, at our fence, sticking out here. And they stuck there. They took the Baltic region and all of Eastern Europe. The same question suggests itself - why? There were many alternatives that would have been acceptable to everyone. But the point is simple - I have said this many times and will say it again - to them, a country like Russia is not needed - it's too big. It should be divided into pieces and subjugated - the same way they are subjugating Europe. I will say a little more about this.

In short, they basically brought these matters to the point of war. They unleashed the war in 2014, and we had to get involved gradually. Unfortunately, or maybe not, we had no choice, we had to get involved.

At the same time, they took care of another important problem for themselves. They cleared the air for themselves - they had been worried about Russia-Europe rapprochement. This was their concern. They wanted to control the whole show, and they intimidated everyone the whole time - look, this malicious Russia is threatening you! I have talked with many leaders and they asked, why are they scaring us? We realise that Russia is not going to fight Europe. We are not going to fight against them today either. US and NATO leaders keep saying, if Russia wins in Ukraine now, the NATO countries will be next in line. Why do we need these NATO countries? We have never needed them and don't need them now and won't need them in the future. Why are they saying this? To encourage them to pay - this is the whole point.

Having reached its current goals, having torn Ukraine away, as they saw it, and having severed Russian-European relations, the United States has achieved what it was after, unfortunately. We simply couldn't act in any other way - or we should have given up everything and watched them lick their lips while eating up everything that was ours, everything that was originally Russian. But we could not do that, and they realised we could not do it, so they did it on purpose. They deliberately pushed us and Europe into this conflict and reached their goals in this sense by setting Russia and Europe against each other. Now they are also shifting the burden of financial responsibility and the costs for this to Europe.

Meanwhile, the current weak-willed, spineless generation of politicians in Europe cannot oppose it, considering the enormous dependence of their media, their economy and politics. Pick any large media outlet in Europe, and you will find that the ultimate beneficiary is some American foundation, after you sift through three of four layers. Everything is over there, everything is overseas. This comes down to influence over politics. We know that the secret services there get their proponents at a young age, as young students. They are working with these young people, dragging them to the political stardom of the European countries.

But it's not that simple now; the Europeans are starting to realise what is happening and a certain shift is already taking place in Europe. I am not even referring to the economic problems - they exist and this is reflected not only in the rallies in Europe - it has been recorded in documents. The leading industrial economies of Europe are seeing a decline - they are in a recession.

However, changes are taking place in the political consciousness of many European nations as well. They understand that the United States is shamelessly and ruthlessly exploiting Europe in its own interests and does not care about Europe's interests at all.

However, this is the choice made by the European nations. We have never interfered, are not interfering and do not plan to interfere in their affairs. But there is something we will certainly do. We will uphold our interests. Because what the Unites States did in Ukraine, as I mentioned earlier, the United States has essentially denied us the chance to build good relations with that country using political means. What they did was a case of utter lawlessness. In 2014, they carried out a coup d'Atat, and from then on, they continued down that path of lawlessness. They simply forced us to respond to it.

Regarding Europe, the people are becoming increasingly aware that other countries, primarily the United States, are using them to advance their own agendas. Well, their awareness is growing. Good for them, but we are not going to interfere.

Here is what I would like to say in closing: Russia was the only guarantor of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. I mentioned this earlier. When creating the Soviet Union, Russia transferred to it vast historical territories, Russian territories, along with the population, a huge potential, and invested immense resources into this land.

The western lands of Ukraine? We know how Ukraine obtained them. Stalin gave them away after World War II. He gave part of Polish lands, Lvov, and so on including several large regions with a population of ten million. Not to offend the Poles, he compensated for their losses by giving them the eastern German lands, the Danzig Corridor, and Danzig itself. He took some from Romania and some from Hungary and gave it to Ukraine.

The people who live there - many of them, at least, I know this for sure, 100 percent - they want to return to their historical homeland. The countries that lost these territories, primarily Poland, dream of having them back.

In this sense, only Russia could be the guarantor of Ukraine's territorial integrity. If they do not want it, so be it. History will put everything in its place. We will not interfere, but we will not give up what is ours. Everyone should be aware of this - those in Ukraine who are aggressive disposed towards Russia, and in Europe, and in the United States. If they want to negotiate, let them do so. But we will do it only based on our interests.

Of course, Russia will not be able to do this without strong, reliable, well-equipped, and properly motivated Armed Forces. The Armed Forces will not be able to achieve this without a strong economy, without industry in general and the defence industry in particular working like clockwork and, most importantly, without the support of the multi-ethnic people of Russia. You have it all now, and the Motherland expects you to deliver.

Thank you.

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Russia says not party to US-led task force in Red Sea

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 2:29 PM

Russia says it's not taking part in a new US-led operation aimed at focusing on the "security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden."

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of the ten-nation "Operation Prosperity Guardian," involving the United States, Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

Spokesman of President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskiv said on Tuesday that Kremlin is "not taking part in the operation."

Austin said the operation was launched in response to increasing attacks from Yemen's ports on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Yemen has warned it will prevent the passage of all ships in the sea bound to Israel, since the regime waged its war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

Bab el-Mandeb is a crucial waterway between Yemen and northeast Africa leading to the Red Sea, up to the Suez Canal and the Israeli port of Eilat.

Five big shipping companies have now stopped their ships using the Red Sea.

Yemen's defense minister has warned against the formation of the maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of merchant vessels bound for Israel, saying any assault on Yemeni soil will have dire consequences.

Yemen's Ansarullah movement also warned against the establishment of the coalition, saying the move would "threaten the security and stability in the region."

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Putin: Russian Nuclear Triad 95% Modernized

Sputnik News

20231219

The activity of NATO has increased sharply in general, and US forces, including aircraft, have been deployed to the Russian borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said while presiding over a Russian Ministry of Defense meeting on December 19.

"Recently, the activity of the NATO military bloc as a whole has sharply increased. Significant forces from the United States, including aircraft, have been deployed to our borders, and the number of alliance troops in Eastern and Central Europe has increased," Putin stated.

The aggressive nature of NATO is no longer hidden, the Russian president said, adding that claims to global superiority are directly enshrined in US documents.

"The events of this year have confirmed a well, we all see it a that the West continues to wage a hybrid war against Russia, actively supplies the Kiev regime with intelligence information in real-time, sends military advisers, transfers modern weapons systems," he said.

Ukrainian Conflict Situation

Russian Armed Forces have the initiative in the Ukrainian conflict and are doing everything they deem necessary, Putin remarked.

"Assessing the current situation on the ground, on the contact line, one can say with confidence that our troops have the initiative. In essence, we are doing what we think is necessary," he said.

The Russian president also noted that the myth about theinvulnerability of Western military equipment has been broken on the battlefields of the Ukrainian conflict.

Russia's Nuclear Deterrence

Modern military equipment accounts for 95% of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, Putin said on Tuesday.

"This current year, thanks to the consequent implementation of the state armaments program, coordinated work of the defense industry, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has reached 95% in general," Putin remarked.

In light of the current global situation and the emergence of new "military-political risks," the importance of a nuclear triad that "ensures the strategic balance of powers in the world" has drastically increased, the Russian president added.

According to him, some 15 Yars and Avangard nuclear missile launch systems will enter service as part of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces.

US Was Afraid of Europe's Rapprochement With Russia

The United States was very concerned about Russia's rapprochement with Europe, but Moscow was not going to fight with Europe and is not going to do it now, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"[The US] was very frightened by Russia's rapprochement with Europe. It should be the masters there. It kept scaring ... evil Russia is threatening you. But I talked to many leaders and they tell me: 'Why are they scaring us? We understand that Russia is not going to fight with Europe.' Yes, we are not going to [fight] now," Putin said.

The United States deliberately dragged Russia and Europe into conflict and achieved its goal, but Moscow had no other options, the president said, noting that Russia has not interfered and will not interfere in European affairs.

"And now, [the US] is also shifting the burden of financial responsibility and payments onto Europe. And the weak-willed and spineless generation of today's politicians in Europe cannot resist this, given the colossal dependence in the media, in the economy, in politics," Putin said.

The US operates in Europe through numerous foundations, works with students, drags them to the "political Olympus of European countries," the leader said.

Putin also said that Russia does not need NATO countries now and will not need them in future.

"The US leadership says: if they [Russians] win in Ukraine now, NATO countries will be next. Why do we need these NATO countries? We do not need them, we never needed them, and we do not need them now, and we will not need them in the future," he added.

A Sputnik

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Secretary Blinken's Call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

December 18, 2023

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. The Secretary stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing the further spread of the conflict. Secretary Blinken underscored the U.S. commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The Secretary also condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister affirmed their countries' shared commitment, in coordination with international and regional partners, to end the devastating conflict in Yemen.

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PM call with Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland: 19 December 2023

The Prime Minister spoke to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk this evening, to congratulate him on his recent election win.

19 December 2023

The Prime Minister spoke to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk this evening, to congratulate him on his recent election win.

He looked forward to working closely together to continue to deepen the UK-Poland relationship, which is rooted in historic and cultural ties and strengthened by shared values and priorities.

The leaders discussed Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, noting that the UK and Poland are two of Ukraine's closest partners and defenders.

They also welcomed the strong bilateral security, defence and industrial collaboration between the UK and Poland, agreeing to continue cooperation to safeguard our national and wider European security and prosperity.

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Zelenskiy Expresses Confidence About Continuation Of Promised U.S. Support

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 19, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he believes additional military aid from the United States to fend off Russia's full-scale invasion will arrive soon despite indications that a massive spending bill for Ukraine won't pass the U.S. Congress by the end of the year.

Zelenskiy announced on December 19 at a year-end news conference in Kyiv that an unspecified number of U.S.-provided air defense systems are on the way and said European allies also continue to provide help, but he stressed that Ukraine needs immediate assistance to continue the fight.

"We need help from the United States right now. We need assistance from the European Union," Zelenskiy said. "I am happy that our partners listened to us and heard us. I think the assistance will come to Ukraine very soon."

Citing the expected delivery of national advanced antiaircraft missile systems (NASAMS), Zelenskiy said he is sure that the United States will provide everything promised because Washington understands that all its financial support goes toward Ukraine's need to stand against the invasion.

"I am sure that the United States will not betray us and we will get everything that was promised," he said, adding that Ukraine has established "special ties" with its partners in Europe -- both in the EU and other European nations -- and they "continue to support us" with funding and military aid.

The news conference came as the White House said it planned more military aid this month, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved a $4.3 billion capital increase to boost funding for Ukraine.

Zelenskiy can count on at least one additional package of U.S. military aid for Ukraine before the end of the year, but the larger package of $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and border security has stalled in Congress as President Joe Biden tries to persuade lawmakers -- mainly Republicans -- to overcome reluctance to authorize further aid in the form of an emergency funding request.

Zelenskiy's news conference came after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at a meeting with top military leaders that Moscow's troops were "holding the initiative" in Ukraine.

"We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want," Putin said. "Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defenses they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where it's needed."

The Russian leader praised Russia's troops for beating back Ukrainian attacks during a counteroffensive launched in June, saying Kyiv had "wasted its reserves while trying to show at least some results of its so-called counteroffensive to its masters."

Zelenskiy used the news conference to thank the Ukrainian armed forces and the country's partners and supporters for their contributions but said nobody knows when the war will end.

He said the topic of mobilization was "very sensitive," adding that he asked for more information after the military wanted 450,000 to 500,000 people to be mobilized.

He has not yet seen any information about demobilization, he said, saying the focus should be on giving troops who have been fighting a break.

Zelenskiy's news conference came as his once sky-high approval rating among Ukrainians dropped significantly amid reports of differences with the Ukrainian military's commander in chief, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, and a perceived lack of progress on the battlefield.

He praised the Ukrainian military's efforts, saying it scored "a big victory" on the Black Sea with successful strikes on Russian warships and the securing of maritime trading routes.

"Everyone can appreciate that the Russian fleet was deprived of their almost total dominance in the Ukrainian Black Sea," Zelenskiy said, adding that Moscow had tried to impose controls on Ukraine's exports.

On the question of possible changes in the government, Zelenskiy said he would be "unable to work" if he got rid of the team of six or seven people around him. He acknowledged that there are some lawmakers who "do not focus on society's interests" but said the majority of them "work professionally."

Speaking specifically about Zaluzhniy, he said he has his own duties as commander in chief and he plans to work with him but said he expects concrete results on the battlefield.

He declined to further discuss the relationship, saying, "Why should we help enemies by talking about it?"

Zelenskiy, however, was willing to speak about proposals to increase Ukraine's own arms production, saying the country will produce 1 million drones next year.

Since the start of the war, drone production in Ukraine has shot up as their role on the battlefield increases for both sides.

With reporting by Reuters. AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskiy-press- conference-nasams-mobilization-/32736700.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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Ukraine Lost 383,000 Troops Since Special Op's Launch, Shoigu Reveals

Sputnik News

20231219

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu provided an update on the progress of the special military operation and shared the key accomplishments of the Russian Armed Forces and the nation's military-industrial complex in 2023.

On Ukraine's Failed Counteroffensive Resulting in Tremendous Losses for Kiev

According to Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine has suffered a devastating blow in the ongoing conflict, losing over 383,000 soldiers. In addition, the Ukrainian forces have incurred significant losses, including 14,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. Furthermore, the Kiev regime has lost 553 aircraft, 259 helicopters, 8,500 field artillery guns, and multiple launch rocket systems. These staggering figures highlight the immense toll the conflict has taken on Ukraine.

Since the commencement of Kiev's counteroffensive in June, Ukraine has suffered significant losses, with over 159,000 troops killed. In addition to the substantial human casualties, Ukraine's military equipment has also been severely impacted, with 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters, and 766 tanks destroyed, including the loss of 37 Leopards. Furthermore, the Russian army has wiped out 2,348 armored vehicles, which includes the destruction of 50 Bradleys.

"[Since June 4], 159,000 military service members have been killed and wounded. [In addition], 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters, 766 tanks, including 37 Leopards, 2,348 armored vehicles of various classes [were destroyed] with 50 Bradleys among them. Apparently, this is why we still do not see US Abrams [tanks], delivered several months ago, on the battlefield," Shoigu told a Defense Ministry meeting.

The Russian Armed Forces are effectively neutralizing foreign mercenaries involved in the conflict.

"The mercenaries actively recruited since the beginning of the special operation have been mostly eliminated. Over 5,800 militants were killed, including 1,427 from Poland, 466 from the USA and 344 from the UK," Shoigu enumerated.

Russia's air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed a total of 1,062 NATO missiles over a period of six months. These included missiles for MLRS, operational-tactical and cruise missiles, as well as guided aerial bombs.

Shoigu emphasized that the Russian army had liberated lands five times larger than what the DPR and LPR had before the special operation had begun. Additionally, he stated that the Azov Sea now belonged to Russia as its inner waters.

Shoigu added that Ukraine received $203 billion from external donors, which is 30 billion more than its GDP.

"Ukraine has currently received $203 billion from external donors, which is 30 billion more than its GDP. In fact, this is a bankrupt country, since a significant part of these funds are loans subject to repayment," Shoigu told a Defense Ministry meeting.

On Russia's Military-Industrial Complex and Nuclear Arms

Russia's defense industry has quadrupled its output since the start of the special military operation, the minister pointed out.

Russia churns out more high-tech weapons than NATO member states in spite of the US-led sanctions targeting Moscow, Shoigu stressed.

"Despite sanctions, we produce more high-tech weapons than NATO countries," Shoigu revealed.

The defense chief stressed that Russia swiftly created infrastructure for the "Burevestnik" nuclear cruise missiles and Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drones.

Referring to Moscow's future goals, Shoigu stressed that the Russian military would conduct combat training in 2024, taking into account the threats of NATO's further eastward expansion.

"To implement a set of operational and combat training measures taking into account the threats of further NATO expansion to the east," Shoigu told the Defense Ministry meeting.

A Sputnik

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Germany's Rheinmetall To Transfer Tens of Thousands of Shells to Ukraine in 2025

Sputnik News

20231219

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) has ordered the national arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, to produce tens of thousands of artillery ammunition for Ukraine by 2025, the company said on Monday.

"The German Bundeswehr has again called off 155 mm artillery ammunition from Rheinmetall under the framework agreement. Rheinmetall has been commissioned to supply a total of several tens of thousands shells of various types for the Ukrainian armed forces. The order is worth a three-digit million euro amount. Delivery is scheduled for the course of 2025," the company said.

In July, Rheinmetall and the Bundeswehr signed a 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion) framework agreement for the supply of hundreds of thousands of ammunition, fuses and charges until 2029.

Western countries increased their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation to protect the people of Donbass from Kiev's aggression. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that arms supplies to Kiev only fuel the conflict, but ultimately will not affect the course of the special operation.

Western arms supplies turned Ukraine into the global black market for military groups, with NATO weapons offered in the darknet to anyone willing to pay, the investigation showed.

A Sputnik

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"Diia" will become one of the service providers of the reconstruction of Ukraine - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech at Diia Summit 2023

President of Ukraine

19 December 2023 - 13:43

Glory to Ukraine!

Greetings to everyone! I am glad that at the end of the year we are in such a bright environment. This is very important. We can talk not about blackouts at all, but about a completely opposite topic - our state digital services. The ones that really work, that are developing. And they most clearly demonstrate what Ukraine is capable of and what all of us Ukrainians are capable of.

Our resilience - the resilience of our country and our society - is a globally significant example. It shows that when people work hard, really work for their country, the result is always extraordinary. In particular, now, in the midst of a full-scale war against this onslaught, as we defend Ukraine on a daily basis, we ensure the export of our "Diia" - our architecture of digital services - to other countries... This is definitely a success. And it is indeed remarkable. There are not many countries in the world right now capable of exporting their own digital solutions that are significant for the whole society.

"Diia" is truly an integral part of our lives, a societal tool. And it's not just a collection of certain digital state services on a smartphone or portal. The meaning is greater. "Diia" is a tool that helps a person make the state serve them. The individual citizen. Minus officials. Minus bureaucracy. Minus any discomfort. Plus - there are pluses. And they are important. Plus usefulness - very specific usefulness for the individual.

I want to thank the entire team of our state that works for "Diia" right now! Guys, girls, you are all really great! And I am proud of you! Proud of this result. We all in Ukraine have every right to be proud of our "Diia". Let's support the "Diia" team - I congratulate the whole team, Mykhailo - congratulations, and I congratulate our users, 20 million citizens - this is indeed a powerful result.

Well, four years since "Diia" has been launched. Of these, almost two years have been a full-scale war, as was correctly stated at the beginning of our meeting. "Diia" has endured. "Diia" is growing. "Diia" will become even stronger. Today I would like to present some of the most important results and new features of "Diia".

Now, "Diia" includes 14 digital documents on smartphones and over 130 online services. From the world's first digital passport to construction services and nationwide surveys. By now, we probably have people who don't even remember what it was like before, what it was like to live without "Diia"... And the state as a service is a logical evolution of all state systems in the world.

During this war, digital services proved not only their reliability, but also that state services can remain human-centered under any circumstances.

Currently "Diia" offers services for internally displaced persons, the "eOselia" program, the "eRecovery" program, the purchase of military bonds and the "eVorog" program, which allow everyone to help the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine. There's assistance for unemployment, deposit refund, extracts from state registers, and even a carsharing service... Wherever a person is - the state is right there for them.

Each of the more than one hundred and thirty online services in "Diia" means that more than one hundred and thirty possibilities to take a bribe have been removed.

And this positive effect is measured in billions, indeed billions, that Ukrainians have saved for themselves and that our society has been able to earn additionally thanks to digitalization. Of course, in peacetime, this will be even more.

"Diia" will become one of the service providers of our reconstruction - the reconstruction of Ukraine. Back in March 2022, the first digital reconstruction service was launched, and more than half a million Ukrainians have already filed reports of damaged property. And this is already a truly colossal volume. The entire scale of reconstruction will be even greater...

"Diia" provides a fast, convenient and transparent format for submitting applications for compensation for destroyed property, such as a house or apartment, and for receiving compensation. And this is already working.

Already this year, nearly a billion hryvnias will be paid out to families to restore war-damaged property. Of course, this is just the beginning. But it is a working start of the system. With the support of our partners and the capabilities of our country, we will ensure a nationwide result.

The second phase of the "eRecovery" program is the restoration of property that has been destroyed. It all starts with an application and ends with the issuance of a certificate - a housing certificate. Currently, its average value is 2 million hryvnias.

And this is the service we are launching now. Exchange of a certificate in "Diia" for housing. Now it will be available online. This week is the beginning. And then the service will scale up.

Another revolutionary service is something that already exempts many of our citizens, millions of people, from bureaucracy... At midnight tonight, the online service for buying and selling cars in "Diia" will be activated. Congratulations on this. In just 15 minutes, you will be able to buy or sell a car via your smartphone and receive a new vehicle registration document and license plates by mail. Today, government officials will present all this in greater detail.

And while to some it might seem that services in "Diia" sound a bit mundane - after four years of the service's operation, the fact that we are in Ukraine and that we are doing all this, even now during such a war, tells the whole world very clear things about us: we can do much more than many in the world. More than is expected of us. We are Ukrainians. And when we are confident in ourselves, when we work for our societal interests, for our state, we achieve results that set an example for others in the world: for people, countries, leaders, societies.

We believe in our strength! We defend our state, we work for our country!

We act - and this is the key. Every day. Every minute. For the sake of Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

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Ukraine: TArk calls on Russia to silence the guns in appeal for 'a just peace'

19 December 2023 - The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was briefed by High Commissioner Volker TArk on Tuesday who described "a litany of continuous suffering" in Ukraine in the wake of Russia's continuing invasion.

Since the onset of the invasion the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has meticulously monitored the situation. As of December 4, there have been over 10,000 civilian deaths, including 560 children, with an additional 18,500 civilians confirmed injured, with actual figures believed to be much higher due to the difficulties of verifying figures.

"I feel for the Ukrainians, who have a right to peace, and who deserve peace, in line with the UN Charter and international law. Instead, I fear that protracted and entrenched conflict will impact lives and human rights for generations to come," warned the High Commissioner.

The Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has diligently documented the crisis using a methodology developed over decades. Mr. TArk highlighted the findings, revealing gross violations of international human rights and serious breaches of international humanitarian law, primarily by Russian forces.

Report's findings

Between 1 August and 30 November, 2,440 civilian deaths and injuries were documented.

The data showed a 25 per cent decrease compared to the previous four months and a 46 per cent compared with the same period in 2022, attributed to factors such as frontline stabilization, civilian evacuations, and strengthened air defense systems.

Most of those killed were in the areas of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia near the frontlines, with a disproportionate number of older people among the casualties, as they were unwilling or unable to relocate.

The majority of civilian casualties, 86 per cent, occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine, while the remaining 14 per cent - areas under Russian control.

Missile threat

However, being away from the frontline is no guarantee of safety, with missile attacks launched by the Russian armed forces regularly launched against targets in densely populated residential areas. Attacks on Kyiv in the past few days wounded over 50 people and damaged numerous buildings.

"People across the country do not feel safe," Mr. TArk said, adding that attacks have also targeted grain storage and transport facilities that constitute protected civilian objects under international humanitarian law.

Over 1,300 education and health facilities have been damaged or destroyed since February 2022, with more than 100 incidents reported in the last four months. Mines and explosive materials continue to threaten lives.

Human rights violations

In Russian-occupied territories, documented patterns of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and widespread abuse by Russian armed forces continue to be reported.

Despite lacking access to Russian detention centers, OHCHR highlighted at least 100 civilian deaths resulting from arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, and enforced disappearance.

The report mentions thorough examination of six new cases of Russian soldiers killing civilians in occupied territory.

"The Russian authorities announced the arrest of two Russian soldiers in connection with the killing of a family of nine, including two children, in Volnovakha, in Donetsk oblast. There are also indications that an investigation has been opened into a second case that we have verified, in which a couple was killed in Maly Kopani, Kherson oblast," Mr. TArk said.

He also reminded that under international law the occupying power must maintain the status quo, to the extent possible, and criticized Russian attempts to impose its own laws and practices in violation of international law - even conscripting Ukrainian men to serve in the Russian military.

Call on Ukrainians

On the Ukrainian side, Mr. TArk urged authorities to narrow the definition of "collaboration" in prosecutions, expressing concern over convictions related to what are lawful activities.

As of 30 November, some 8,600 criminal charges have been filed by authorities in Kyiv in relation to alleged collaboration, with courts ordering, in most cases, that the accused remain in custody pending trial.

Many have been convicted for conduct that could be lawful - including, for example, working to ensure the continued functioning of social services and schools in occupied areas.

The High Commissioner also noted concerns regarding freedom of religion and belief in Ukraine, given continuing action by Kyiv against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A draft law under consideration, he added, could lead to the dissolution of any religious organization with ties to Russia, which is not in compliance with international human rights law.

Respect human rights

Mr. TArk appealed to all States to push for immediate and decisive measures by both parties, particularly the Russian Federation, to comply with international human rights and humanitarian law.

He called for an end to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, timely investigations into allegations of violations, and the need for accountability for perpetrators.

Mr. TArk called on Russia to allow access by independent monitors to places of detention and an end to conscription of civilians.

He urged Ukraine to align all laws with international standards, protect freedom of religion, and swiftly adopt a national strategy for the protection of civilians.

"Ultimately, there is only one solution to this tragic and far-reaching conflict: a just peace," the rights chief said.

Citing General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1 and the binding order by the International Court of Justice, he called on Russia to immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine.

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Newark, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 17.4 billion genetic testing market will reach USD 44.3 billion by 2032. Gene, chromosomal, and protein alterations can be detected through genetic testing, one type of medical diagnostic. A person's risk of acquiring or passing on a genetic ailment can be ascertained or ruled out based on the results of a genetic test. With more being produced, over 77,000 genetic tests are currently available. The number of people who have cancer is rising, the incidence of genetic illnesses is rising, and more healthcare professionals are using genetic testing to diagnose patients, all of which are contributing factors to the growth of the worldwide genetic testing market. Moreover, variations in the gene or chromosome are the root cause of hereditary illnesses. There is a chance that the offspring of any pregnancy will have genetic defects. Certain medicines or alcohol, family history, folate deficiency, and geographic location can all contribute to some inborn abnormalities. Newborn genetic testing equipment is in greater demand due to the rise in genetic screening and the prevalence of genetic diseases in newborns.



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Key Insights on Genetic Testing Market

North America will account for the largest market size during the forecast period.



Because genetic illnesses are becoming more common in North America, the region's population has more genetic flaws and chromosomal aberrations, and the market is rising due to rapid research development; the region leads the world in this market. Due to the significant presence of manufacturers of genetic testing equipment and the rising number of key strategy adoptions by market players, the genetic testing market in North America is anticipated to develop over the forecast period. Some key market players that produce genetic testing goods are Abbott Laboratories, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Myriad Genetics, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., and others. Additionally, the market for genetic testing equipment is growing since major companies are implementing important strategies like cooperation and corporate expansion.



The next-generation sequencing segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 4.17 billion.



The next-generation sequencing segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 4.17 billion. The expansion of this segment is attributed to several factors, including the growth in next-generation sequencing applications, healthcare spending, technological advancements, and genetic mapping initiatives. The use of DNA sequencing technologies to characterise and identify different types of cancer and hereditary illnesses is growing.



The health and wellness-predisposition/risk/tendency segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 5.04 billion.



The health and wellness-predisposition/risk/tendency segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 5.04 billion. The increasing demand for consumer/wellness genomics and predictive genetics stems from the healthcare industry's awareness campaigns and the growing popularity of healthy lifestyles.



The consumables segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 6.96 billion.



The consumables segment dominated the market with the most significant revenue of USD 6.96 billion. Many businesses produce and market consumables and a range of reagents and accessories. The consumables for genetic testing have a high growth rate since they are utilised often and constantly throughout the process.



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Market Dynamics:



Drivers: Rising prevalence of chronic and genetic diseases



The main factors driving the worldwide genetic testing market are the launch of novel testing kits due to technical advancements and the increasing incidence of genetic and chronic diseases. The need for genetic testing is driven by consumers' growing awareness of the availability of advanced diagnostic procedures. Furthermore, the ageing population is anticipated to fuel market expansion shortly. The United Nations estimates that there were 382 million elderly people worldwide in 2017 who were 60 years of age or older, and that number is projected to rise to 2.1 billion by 2050. Due to their increased risk of developing several chronic illnesses, elderly adults may become more and more in need of genetic testing.



Restraint: High cost



The market is expected to be affected due to the high cost of genetic tests. For example, depending on the type and complexity of the test, genetic testing can cost anywhere from less than $100 to more than $2,000, according to the National Library of Medicine. If more than one test is required, or if testing is required for several family members to get a significant result, the cost goes up. Therefore, the market's expansion is anticipated to be hampered by expensive genetic testing and a need for more public awareness of these tests.



Opportunity: Increasing government initiatives



The increasing number of government campaigns to raise public knowledge about genetic testing encourages its use among the world's population. Furthermore, the existence of multiple leading industry companies and their substantial R&D investments have promoted product design innovation, better product distribution, and higher product quality. Because of its low cost, the direct-to-consumer genetic testing kit has become increasingly popular, leading to a rise in its adoption among the public and an anticipated acceleration of the worldwide genetic testing market's growth.



Get a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/report/genetic-testing-market-13864



Some of the major players operating in the genetic testing market are:



 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

 Danaher Corporation

 Illumina, Inc.

 Qiagen N.V

 Luminex Corporation

 Abbott Laboratories

 Myriad Genetics, Inc.

 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

 CSL Limited



Key Segments cover in the market:



By Technology:



 Array Technology

 FISH

 Next Generation Sequencing

 PCR-based Testing

 Others



By Application:



 Traits Screening

 New Baby Screening

 Ancestry & Ethnicity

 Genetic Disease Carrier Status

 Health and Wellness-Predisposition/Risk/Tendency



By Product:



 Equipment

 Consumables

 Software & Services

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About the report:



The global genetic testing market is analyzed based on value (USD billion). All the segments have been analyzed on a worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining critical insight into the market. The study includes Porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, and demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis.



About The Brainy Insights:



The Brainy Insights is a market research company, aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirement whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market.



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Beijing , China, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 10th Anniversary Event of China Communications Construction Companys (CCCC) Joint Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was hosted in Beijing on December 15th.



The event, themed "In the Prosperous Silk Road's Glow, Together We Construct a Brighter Tomorrow," announced and commended CCCC's top 10 projects under the BRI, including the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway Project, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge Project, the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project, among others.

Pakistani ambassador to China Khalil Hashimi presented awards to these projects. He called the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project a lifeline of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying it reflects the wisdom of the Chinese side in multiple aspects.

The project marked in-depth cooperation between Pakistan and the CCCC, and also between Pakistan and China, Hashimi noted, adding that he looks forward to more outcomes of cooperation between the two countries.

The event also unveiled CCCCs top 10 outstanding Chinese and international employees, who have been deeply involved in the infrastructure development of relevant countries and made important contributions to local socioeconomic development and people's livelihood.

South Sudanese Ambassador to China, Monday Semaya Kenneth Kumba noted that as an internationally leading infrastructure construction company, CCCC boasts the most outstanding construction teams in the world.

The ambassador extended his gratitude to CCCC for its dedication and efforts in South Sudan, saying he looks forward to closer cooperation between more excellent teams from CCCC and his country, and more practical results in transportation infrastructure and the development of local talents in South Sudan.

Over the past decade, CCCC has actively responded to the BRI, leveraged its full-industry-chain advantages, and upheld the ESG philosophy. It has launched the Build Your Future Dream social responsibility brand around the world to fulfill its economic, environmental, and social responsibilities.

During the event, CCCC released its ESG reports for the BRI and its top 10 cases of CSR and brand building for the BRI.

The BRI has brought positive impacts to Sri Lanka in terms of foreign trade, tourism, and ecological conservation, said K. K. Yoganaadan, the Charge d'Affaires of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China.

The Colombo Port City, in particular, has achieved remarkable accomplishments in environmental protection, which has safeguarded and enhanced the ecological environment and marine biodiversity in surrounding waters, Yoganaadan added.

Name: Wang Yueran

Email: luojie@huanqiu.com

Company: huanqiu.com

Address: 16th Floor, Zhongqing Building, No. 19 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

Phone: 13002252096

Website: http://www.huanqiu.com

Disclaimer:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.




NEWARK, Del, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The worldwide sales of blank apparel in 2023 generated a revenue of around US$ 4,149.6 million. As per the recent market analysis demand, the global demand for blank apparel over the next ten years is predicted to rise at 4.2% CAGR. By 2034, the global blank apparel industry value is expected to reach US$ 6,518.3 million, growing from US$ 4,319.7 million in 2024.



The growing popularity of blank apparel is closely linked to a desire for practicality, simplicity and a disapproval of ever-changing fashion trends. Moreover, the increasing impact of plain sportswear in the fashion industry is expected to leverage the blank apparel industry expansion in the coming days.

Request for a Sample of this Research Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-18701

Besides the growing trend of blank athleisure wear and plain sweatshirts, a shift in customer preferences toward personalization and customization has created considerable opportunities in recent years. The need for white-label clothing items that can be customized according to a wide range of individual needs is also driving the growth of the blank apparel industry.

"Personalization and customization of plain streetwear have been an emerging trend among youths in recent years. Both established businesses and up-and-coming designers may use blank clothes to experiment with striking graphic design and catchy messages,"- Sneha Verghese, Senior Consultant for Consumer Goods and Products at Future Market Insights (FMI)

Key Takeaways from the Global Blank Apparel Market Study Report

The sales of blank apparel in the United States are expected to rise at a 4.1% CAGR between 2024 and 2034.

between 2024 and 2034. In China, the demand for blank apparel is projected to rise at 4.4% per year till 2034.

per year till 2034. India is poised to witness a higher growth rate of 4.5% in sales of blank apparel during this period.

in sales of blank apparel during this period. Australia tops the list with a CAGR of 4.6% for sales of blank apparel in the country from 2024 to 2034.

Competitive Landscape for Blank Apparel Market Players

The overall market is highly competitive due to the participation of global plain fashion essential brands as well as regional generic garment industries. The intense competition has resulted in higher collaboration between bulk plain apparel producers and fashion brands these days.

Elevate Your Business Strategy! Purchase the Report for Market-Driven Insights: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/18701

Recent Developments by the Blank Apparel Manufacturers

In January 2023, the garment manufacturer Gildan Activewear started fresh branding and marketing initiatives for its three brands: Gildan, American Apparel, and Comfort Colors. The firm attempts to pay homage to their strong heritage and reinvigorate and modernize the blank apparel categories by this marketing campaign. The new initiatives and campaigns, later implemented internationally, were first revealed at the Impressions Expo in Long Beach, California. Spotlight movies, social media marketing, display ads, and an updated online and social media presence are all included in the campaign materials prepared by the company.

In August 2023, the Smartex Apparel Company introduced two new designs, Style PD200: Adult Vintage Tee and Style PD1000: Adult Vintage Hoodie, under its Smart Blanks apparel line. This wholesale garment manufacturer aims to enhance and expand the versatility of Smart Blank's clothing line with these new additions that represent its rich history of premium ring-spun combed cotton quality.

Blank Apparel Market Report Scope

Attribute Details Estimated Market Size (2024) US$ 4,319.7 million Projected Market Size (2034) US$ 6,518.3 million Anticipated Growth Rate (2024 to 2034) 4.2% Forecast Period 2024 to 2034 Historical Data Available for 2019 to 2023 Market Analysis US$ million or billion for Value and Units for Volume Key Regions Covered North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), East Asia, South Asia and Oceania Key Countries Covered United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Russia, China, India, Australia & New Zealand, GCC Countries, and South Africa Key Segments Covered By Product Type, By End Use, and By Region Key Companies Profiled BELLA+CANVAS

SpectraUSA

Gildan

Soffe Apparel, Inc.

Los Angeles Apparel Inc.

LANE SEVEN APPAREL

AS Colour

Independent Trading Company.

Stanley/Stella.

Next Level Apparel Report Coverage Market Forecast, Company Share Analysis, Competition Intelligence, DROT Analysis, Market Dynamics and Challenges, and Strategic Growth Initiatives Customization & Pricing Available upon Request

Request the Full Report Methodology Now: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/request-report-methodology/rep-gb-18701

Key Segments Covered by Blank Apparel Industry Survey Report

By Product Type:

T-shirts & Tanks

Hoodies or Sweatshirts

Bottoms

Shirts

Others



By End User:

Business to Business (B2B)

Business to Consumers (B2C) Online Distribution Channels Offline Distribution Channels



By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia and Pacific

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Authored by:

Sneha Varghese (Senior Consultant, Consumer Products & Goods) has 6+ years of experience in the market research and consulting industry. She has worked on 200+ research assignments about Consumer Retail Goods.

Her work primarily focuses on facilitating strategic decisions, planning and managing cross-functional business operations technology projects, and driving successful implementations. She has helped create insightful, relevant analyses of Food and beverage market reports and studies that include consumer market, retail, and manufacturer research perspective. She has also been involved in several bulletins in food magazines and journals.

Have a Look at Related Research Reports of the Consumer Product Domain:

The apparel re-commerce market demand is likely to hold the global market at a moderate CAGR of 24.6% during the forecast period. The global market holds a forecasted revenue is US$ 652.3 Billion by the end of 2032.

Europe's second-hand apparel market growth is expected to reach US$ 40,676 million by 2032, registering an 8.4% CAGR over the forecast period (2022 to 2032).

The global maternity apparel market share is projected to have a moderate-paced CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period.The market value of the global maternity apparel market is anticipated to reach a high of US$ 44.08 Billion by the year 2032.

The bamboo apparel market forecast is slated to expand at a CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period (2022 to 2032). Sales in the market are likely to cross US$ 4,026.9 Million by the end of 2032.

The secondhand apparel revenue in GCC analysis totaled US$ 2,727.5 million in 2023. Overall sales of secondhand apparel in GCC are likely to soar at a 7.7% CAGR, taking the valuation to US$ 6,114.95 million by 2034.



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Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, recipient of the Stevie Award, and a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) offers profound insights into the driving factors that are boosting demand in the market. FMI stands as the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, consulting, and events for the Packaging, Food and Beverage, Consumer Technology, Healthcare, Industrial, and Chemicals markets. With a vast team of over 5000 analysts worldwide, FMI provides global, regional, and local expertise on diverse domains and industry trends across more than 110 countries.

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MONTREAL, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, and Mrs. Sandra Martel, CEO of The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), with Montreal Mayor, Mrs. Valerie Plante, announced today the reconfiguration of the Bonaventure Expressway into a boulevard starting in 2025. The traffic lanes of the new boulevard will be moved away from the shoreline to create a green corridor along the St. Lawrence River, which includes two dedicated active mobility paths. The reconfiguration aims at addressing the changing uses particularly in terms of traffic flow, the transport of goods, and active mobility, in addition to significantly improve in the living environment for the community. The overall budget of the Bonaventure project is $282 million.



Built in 1966, the non-elevated lanes of the federal section of the Bonaventure Expressway are at the end of their service life and must be rebuilt. This project aims at maintaining the three-lane capacity in both directions with a 2+1 configuration and dynamic management of the third lane. With 20 million trips a year, this essential freight transportation corridor to the Port of Montreal will also better meet the needs of the community by promoting effective and safe mobility for all users in keeping with a vision of sustainable development.

Investing in our infrastructure doesn't mean pouring money into concrete, it means investing in the well-being of Canadians. Like Montrealers who, thanks to the reconfiguration of the Bonaventure Expressway, will have access to another green space where they can exercise, get together and admire the St Lawrence River. We continue to deliver for Quebecers through investments that will make a real difference to their day-to-day lives, said the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant.

This signature project will finally reconnect the metropolis to the St. Lawrence River! Transforming a highway to bring it into the 21st century is a major project that doesn't come around often and we seized the opportunity to ensure safe travel for all users. This new gateway to the city will directly contribute to Montreals attractiveness and the quality of life of residents of the area for generations to come. This is the result of a great collaboration with various partners, with whom the City of Montreal was able to fully share its expertise and its audacity, explained Valerie Plante, Mayor of Montreal.

We are delighted with this announcement, which caps off many years of work. The Bonaventure project is in line with our mission which focuses on user mobility, safety, and infrastructure longevity, based on a sustainable development approach. This includes adding active mobility paths as will be done on the new boulevard which will have the capacity to meet current peak needs and the flexibility to address future needs for the next decades, said Sandra Martel, Chief Executive Officer, JCCBI.

Green corridor and 2.5-km active mobility paths

The traffic lanes on the new boulevard will be moved away from the shoreline thus overlapping with Carrie-Derick Street which will be eliminated, thus reducing the road footprint and heat islands by 40%. Moreover, a space along the river will be freed up where a green corridor with two dedicated active mobility paths will be built. A nearly 2.5-km pedestrian promenade and a multipurpose path will connect with existing paths in the area.

Greening plans

The area will also be greened by planting 650 trees, 18,000 shrubs, and 13,000 perennials and creating landscaping features that will protect biodiversity and reduce heat islands. The public will have closer access to the river, and the entire corridor between the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge and the Victoria Bridge will be beautified and greened.

Better protect the St. Lawrence River

JCCBI will continue to address the environmental issues in the sector. The Corporation plans to include biodiversity protection and soil management measures, among other things, in addition to maintaining, even improve its Solution Bonaventure project, which has been protecting the St. Lawrence since 2016 by containing and treating contaminated groundwater.

Impacts on mobility

The current 70 km/h speed will be reduced to 50 km/h, and traffic lights will be added, all contributing to ensuring safe movements of people between Pointe-Sainte-Charles industrial park and the green corridor. Essentially, the work will take place from 2025 to 2029 and, during this time, two traffic lanes will be maintained in both directions.

To learn more about the Bonaventure project, here are the multimedia links:

About JCCBI

As a manager of important infrastructure, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated is a Crown corporation established in 1978 that is responsible for the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the original Champlain Bridge (currently being deconstructed), the Estacade, the ile des Surs Bypass Bridge, the federal sections of Bonaventure Expressway and the Honore Mercier Bridge, as well as the Melocheville Tunnel. The Corporation manages, maintains, and repairs these important Greater Montreal structures to ensure the safe passage of thousands of users every day. It also ensures that these critical structures remain safe, fully functional and aesthetically pleasing both today and in the future.

For more information

Minister Rodriguezs Office

Laura Scaffidi, Press Secretary

Cell phone: 873 354-3998

Email: laura.scaffidi@tc.gc.ca

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated

Nathalie Lessard, Director, Communications

Telephone: 450 651-8771

Email: Contact us Form https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/en/contact-us/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/954392e6-80c3-4431-af9e-9efb7f56226d
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until January 8, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Companys shares between February 9, 2022 and October 30, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). These actions are pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.



Get Help

FMC investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-fmc/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuits

FMC and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On September 7, 2023, Blue Orca Capital reported that the Company had made a series of false statements about the status of patent protections for its flagship products following legal defeats in India, China, and Brazil, that allowed competitors to launch competing generic products at much lower prices. On this news, the price of FMCs shares dropped more than 7.4%, to close at $76.10 per share, representing approximately $630 million in investor losses, on high trading volume.

Then, on October 23, 2023, the Company disclosed further cuts to its Q3 2023 outlook and guidance for revenues for Q4 and FY 2024, projecting earnings well below analysts expectations, citing substantially lower sales volumes in Latin America. On this news, the price of FMCs shares plummeted by $8.83 per share, or 12.18%, to close at $58.12 per share.

The case is Heeg v. FMC Corporation, et al., 23-cv-4938. A subsequent case expanded the class period, Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. FMC Corporation, et al., 23-cv-4842.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until January 26, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Companys securities between August 4, 2023 and November 20, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.



Get Help

Fisker investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-fsr/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuit

Fisker and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 13, 2023, the Company announced its 3Q 2023 financial results, disclosing among other things, a loss of $91.0 million and a $0.27 loss per share, a cut to its production forecast for the year, and also that it would be unable to timely file its Quarterly Report for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 due to material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. On this news, the price of Fiskers shares plummeted by $0.77, or 18.7%, to close at $3.34 per share on November 14, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Then, on November 20, 2023, the Company disclosed the departure of its chief accounting officer, recently hired on November 6, 2023. On this news, the price of Fiskers shares plummeted by $0.35, or 15%, to close at $2.00 per share on November 21, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The case is Zahabi v. Fisker Inc., et al., 23-cv-09976.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until January 29, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CHPT), if they purchased the Companys securities between June 1, 2023 and November 16, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.



Get Help

ChargePoint investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-chpt/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuit

ChargePoint and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 16, 2023, post-market, the Company announced its preliminary financial results for 3Q 2024, disclosing that revenue had fallen to $108 million to $113 million, as compared to $150 to $165 million as previously expected, and an additional non-cash inventory impairment charge in the amount of $42 million related to product transitions and to better align inventory with current demand, which was expected to result in GAAP gross margin of negative 23% to negative 21%, as well as the replacement of both its CEO and CFO, effective immediately.

On this news, shares of ChargePoint fell $1.11, or 35%, to close at $2.02 per share on November 17, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The case is Khan v. ChargePoint Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-06172.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
Rockville , Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per Fact.MR, a provider of market research and competitive intelligence, the global Cinnamon Market is estimated to account for a value of US$ 1.02 billion in 2024 and is forecasted to reach US$ 1.89 billion at 6.4% CAGR by the end of 2034. Increasing focus on health and fitness coupled with growing awareness of the benefits of cinnamon consumption are projected to drive market growth over the coming years.

Growing popularity of organic products, evolving consumer preferences, and extensive use of cinnamon in the formulation of different food products are other prospects that could create new opportunities for cinnamon companies across the study period. The South Asia & Oceania region is projected to account for a significant market share over the next 10 years owing to the presence of key cinnamon producers and high consumption of cinnamon.

For More Insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=9231

Key Segments of Cinnamon Industry Research Report

By Type By Nature By Application By Form By Distribution Channel Cassia Cinnamon

Ceylon Cinnamon

Saigon Cinnamon

Korintje Cinnamon Organic

Conventional Residential

Commercial Whole

Extract Powder Oil

Business-to-Business

Business-to-Consumer



An increasing number of cinnamon-flavored food products being launched around the world is also projected to drive cinnamon demand in the long run. This study by Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, suggests that East Asia and South Asia & Oceania will collectively account for a leading cinnamon market share by the end of 2034.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

The global cinnamon market is valued at US$ 1.02 billion in 2024.

Demand for cinnamon is projected to rise at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2024 to 2034.

The market is forecasted to attain a valuation of US$ 1.89 billion by the end of 2034.

Rising awareness regarding the benefits of cinnamon, high demand for natural flavors and ingredients, its growing use in the food processing industry, and increasing use of blended spices are key market drivers.

Disruptions in the supply chain and the availability of cinnamon alternatives are estimated to impede market growth going forward.

Cinnamon demand in the North American region is set to bring in a revenue value of US$ 349 million by 2034-end.

Sales of Korintje cinnamon are projected to rise at 6.6% CAGR from 2024 to 2034.

Cinnamon sales in China are forecasted to reach US$ 205.8 million in 2024.

Utilization of cinnamon in commercial applications is projected to account for 70.5% of the global market by 2034.

Cinnamon-producing companies should start the production and sales of organic cinnamon to stay ahead of the competition going forward, says a Fact.MR analyst

Winning Strategy

Cinnamon suppliers should focus on supplying their products to different industry verticals to diversify their business. Cinnamon companies can also focus on supplying organic cinnamon as the trend of clean labeling and organic ingredients gains prominence on a global level.

Market Dynamics

To leverage the increasing demand for cinnamon-flavored food items and enhance future sales, suppliers of cinnamon are strategically positioning themselves in the competitive landscape.

In April 2022, Krispy Kreme, a well-known American coffeehouse chain recognized for its delectable doughnuts, disclosed a collaborative venture with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This partnership resulted in the introduction of a novel Cinnamon Milk Glazed doughnut collection, exclusively offered at selected Krispy Kreme outlets in the United States for a limited duration.

Key Companies Profiled

Risun Bio-Tech Inc.

Cinnatopia

Monterey Bay Spice Company

The Organic Cinnamon

Ceylon Spice Company

Elite Spice

Natural Spices of Grenada

McCormick & Company

Lemur International Inc.

New Lanka Cinnamon Pvt. Ltd.

G.P. de Silva & Sons International (Pvt.) Ltd.

FutureCeuticals

Kahawatte Plantations PLC

High Plains Spice Company

Great American Spice Co.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=9231

Report Attribute Details Value Projection (2034) USD 1.89 Billion Growth Rate (2024-2034) 6.4% CAGR No. of pages 170 Pages No. of Tables 30 Tables No. of Figures 127 Figures



Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon Dominate Global Sales Due to Their Robust Flavors

Ceylon cinnamon enjoys widespread popularity worldwide due to its exceptional taste, surpassing other cinnamon varieties. The appeal of this cinnamon type lies in its low concentration of Coumarin, a compound linked to potential liver damage. Notably, Ceylon cinnamon has gained significant usage in Mexico, where it is a key ingredient in various Mexican culinary preparations. Originating from Sri Lanka, the majority of Ceylon cinnamon is sourced from this region.

Similarly, Cassia cinnamon is widely adopted globally, primarily due to its cost-effectiveness compared to other cinnamon varieties. Its economical nature and robust flavor make Cassia cinnamon a preferred choice in numerous commercial applications.

More Valuable Insights on Offer

Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global cinnamon market, presenting historical demand data for 2018 to 2023 and forecast statistics for 2024 to 2034.

The study divulges essential insights on the market based on type (Cassia cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, Saigon cinnamon, Korintje cinnamon), nature (organic conventional), distribution channel (business-to-business, business-to-consumer), and application (residential, commercial), across six major regions of the world (North America, Europe, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia & Oceania, and MEA).

Checkout More Related Studies Published by Fact.MR Research:

White Pepper Market : Expanding at a CAGR of 5%, the global white pepper market is expected to increase from a valuation of US$ 5 billion in 2023 to US$ 8.2 billion by the end of 2033.

Dried Spices Market : The global dried spices market is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2023 to 2033. The market is set to reach a valuation of US$ 5.8 billion in 2023 and climb to US$ 9.2 billion by 2033 - end.

Seasonings and Spices Market : The growth rate is expected to accelerate to 5.0% CAGR over the 2022-2032 period, resulting in a seasonings and spices market value of US$ 46.86 Billion.

About Us:

Fact.MR is a distinguished market research company renowned for its comprehensive market reports and invaluable business insights. As a prominent player in business intelligence, we deliver deep analysis, uncovering market trends, growth paths, and competitive landscapes. Renowned for its commitment to accuracy and reliability, we empower businesses with crucial data and strategic recommendations, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing market positioning. With its unwavering dedication to providing reliable market intelligence, FACT.MR continues to assist companies in navigating dynamic market challenges with confidence and achieving long-term success. With a global presence and a team of experienced analysts, FACT.MR ensures its clients receive actionable insights to capitalize on emerging opportunities and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.
Pune, India, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global surveillance radars market size was valued at USD 8.90 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 9.90 billion in 2023 to USD 19.94 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period.

Radar surveillance systems play a crucial role in monitoring diverse activities across strategic locations like ports, airports, and military bases. Essential for national security, these systems are deployed to detect and track cooperative, non-linear, and mobile targets. They are also instrumental in enhancing border security, serving both defense and commercial purposes. Operating across different platforms such as land, sea, air, and space, these radar systems are indispensable for border security operations. The insights into this technology are presented in the report "Global Surveillance Radars Market, 20232030" by Fortune Business Insights.

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List of Key Players Profiled in the Surveillance Radars Market Report:

BAE Systems Plc (U.K.)

Hensoldt AG (Germany)

Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy)

Honeywell International (U.S.)

Lockheed Martin Corporation (U.S.)

L3 Harris Technologies Inc. (U.S.)

Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.)

Raytheon Technologies Corporation (U.S.)

SAAB AB (Sweden)

Thales Group (France)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 10.5% 2030 Value Projection USD 19.94 Billion Market Size in 2023 USD 9.90 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 200 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Company Profiles, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Latest Trends Segments Covered By Platform

By Radar Type

By Application Regions Covered North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa Surveillance Radars Market Growth Drivers Advancement in Border Surveillance System has Increased the Demand for Air Surveillance Radars Expansion of New and Maintenance of Existing Airports will Propel the Surveillance Radars Market Growth

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/surveillance-radars-market-104290

Russia-Ukraine War Impact:

Conflict between Russia and Ukraine Increases Need for Surveillance Radars

Following events such as the Russia-Ukraine war, several nations throughout the world have evaluated their defense spending and purchase plans and made appropriate adjustments. India, China, Canada, Estonia, Iraq, and Taiwan have made building the required infrastructure for fending off emerging threats a top priority for their defense spending. Hence, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine catalyzed the global demand.

Segments:

Application Segmentation:

Monitoring of Ports

Surveillance at Airports

Security Operations in Military Bases

Target Type Segmentation:

Cooperative Targets

Non-linear Targets

Moving Targets

Security Focus Segmentation:

National Security Applications

Defense Sector

Commercial Sector

Platform Segmentation:

Land-based Radar Systems

Sea-based Radar Systems

Airborne Radar Systems

Space-based Radar Systems

Geographical Segmentation:

Regional Distribution of Surveillance Radar Systems

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/surveillance-radars-market-104290

Report Coverage:

The report presents a holistic study of the market along with current trends and future anticipations to establish proximate investment gains. An in-depth analysis of any upcoming opportunities, threats, competitions or driving factors is also mentioned in the report. Step by step, thorough regional analysis is offered.



Drivers & Restraints:

Demand for Air Surveillance Radars has increased due to Improvements in Border Surveillance Systems

Autonomous drones and acoustic radar technology are two examples of border surveillance systems that have advanced and are still improving. More effective border security has been made possible due to mobile border security radars. These radars are additionally employed to increase the detection rate in key areas. Modern low-false-alarm radars have also been adopted by nations with border conflicts, drug trafficking, and undocumented immigration to help with border security. These factors are anticipated to increase the surveillance radars market share.

However, due to its advanced features, the maintenance cost is high, which may impede the surveillance radars market growth.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific will dominate the Market due to High Demand for Advanced Naval Radars

The largest market share is anticipated to be held by Asia Pacific throughout the forecast period. Its market expansion is related to the rise in demand for cutting-edge naval radars in industrialized nations such as China and India. The Asia Pacific military industry's demand for ballistic missile systems has also contributed to market expansion. Defense Systems Company LIG Nex1 was given a USD 145.4 million contract by South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in May 2021 for the mass manufacture of the first Maritime Surveillance Radar-II.

Competitive Landscape

High Tech Surveillance Radar is the Attention of Major Players

There are several significant competitors in the extremely competitive global market for surveillance radar. Several firms significantly dominate the market in terms of market share. Due to the rapid advancement of radar technology in recent years and the presence of numerous businesses specializing in research and development with the goal of creating cutting-edge market solutions, the market has recently become extremely competitive.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Industry Developments  Key Contracts & Agreements, Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Impact of Russia - Ukraine War

Global Surveillance Radars Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Definitions Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Platform Airborne Ground Space Naval Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Radar Type Short-Range Medium-Range Long-Range Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application Commercial Defense Homeland Security Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa South America



TOC Continued...!

Key Industry Development:

July 2022  Irish government announced to spend USD 203.9 million for procurement of radars to monitor Irish air space.

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/surveillance-radars-market-104290

Read Related Insights:

Air and Missile Defense Radar Market to Hit USD 10.99 Billion by 2029 | Industry Striking Growth in Germany, Israel, United States and ROW

Radar Link Market to Hit USD 2.73 Billion by 2029 | Exhibiting a CAGR of 7.39%

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

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Pune, India, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global thermoform packaging market size was valued at USD 48.50 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to expand from USD 51.96 billion in 2023 to USD 88.50 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.91% over the estimated period.

Thermoform packaging is a molded product. It is shaped through the process of heating a plastic sheet until it becomes flexible and takes on the desired shape. The market is likely to gain traction over the forecast period owing to the growing utilization of thermoform packaging products in the food industry as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

Fortune Business Insights provides this information in its research report, titled Thermoform Packaging Market, 2023-2030.

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Leading Players Featured in the Thermoform Packaging Market Research Report

Huhtamaki Oyj (Finland)

AFG Packaging (Italy)

CJK Packaging (U.S.)

Amcor Plc (Switzerland)

Anchor Packaging (U.S.)

Berry Global Inc. (U.S.)

Sealed Air Corporation (U.S.)

Sonoco Products Company (U.S.)

Du Pont (U.S.)

WestRock Company (U.S.)

EasyPak (U.S.)

DS Smith Plc (U.K.)

Tekni-Plex Inc. (U.S.)

Constantia Flexibles Group (Austria)

Display Pack Inc. (U.S.)

COVID-19 Impact:

Rising Food-Delivery and Increasing Demand for Vaccines Led Market Expansion

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the growth of thermoform packaging. The initial phase of the pandemic, characterized by strict lockdowns and business closures, led to disruption in the supply chain. This disruption affected the availability of raw materials, which made it difficult for the manufacturers to maintain their production levels. However, the rising need for vaccines and a surge in food-delivery sales during the pandemic contributed significantly to the expansion of the thermoform packaging market worldwide.

Segmentation:

Plastic Segment to Lead due to its Effective Barrier Properties

On the basis of material, the market is divided into paper and plastic. The plastic segment is likely to maintain its leadership due to the ability of the plastic materials to provide a robust barrier against external factors such as moisture, air, and temperature variations.

Trays & Lids Segment to Dominate due to Continuous Product Innovation and Launches

Based on product type, the market is fragmented into cups & bowls, blisters, clamshells, trays & lids, containers, films, and others. The trays & lids segment is expected to dominate the market. The growth is due to a continuous flow of innovative product offerings and launches by manufacturers to meet the changing preferences of consumers.

Food & Beverages Segment to Maintain its Leadership owing to the Rising Adoption of Thermoformed Products

In terms of application, the market is divided into pharmaceuticals, personal care & cosmetics, electrical & electronics, home care & toiletries, food & beverages, and others. The food & beverages segment is poised to dominate the market due to the rising adoption of thermoformed products by manufacturers for food packaging.

On the basis of geography, the market has been studied across Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, and North America.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/thermoform-packaging-market-108736

Report Coverage:

The report offers an in-depth analysis of the primary factors that will contribute to industry growth in the upcoming years. It provides insights into the most current market trends and spotlights key developments within the industry. Additionally, the report discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on market growth.

Drivers and Restraints:

Rapid Expansion of Pharmaceutical Industry to Promote Market Growth

The remarkable growth of the pharmaceutical sector, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India, and Brazil is a primary driver of market expansion. This growth stems from the increasing need for pharmaceutical drugs. As pharmaceutical production and distribution escalate to meet these demands, the requirement for cost-effective and sustainable packaging solutions such as thermoformed packaging products intensifies, supporting market growth.

However, the shift toward biodegradable materials, heightened consumer environmental awareness, and stringent regulations could hinder the thermoform packaging market growth.

Regional Insights:



North America Positioned as a Key Region Due to Rising Consumption of Bakery & Confectionery Products

North America holds a prominent thermoform packaging market share in the global market. The rising consumption of bakery & confectionery, processed food products, and frozen meat, adds to the growth of thermoform packaging in this region.

Europe rapidly advances as the fastest-growing region in the global market. The growth is propelled by the pharmaceutical sector's expansion in major European countries.

Competitive Landscape:

Leading Industry Players Implement Strategic Initiatives to Increase Their Market Presence

Prominent industry players in the market are proactively implementing strategic moves to enhance and consolidate their standing within the sector. These strategic actions are pivotal for upholding competitiveness and broadening their impact on the market.

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Detailed Table of Contents:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Porters Five Forces Analysis Impact of COVID-19 on the Thermoform Packaging Market

Global Thermoform Packaging Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Material Plastic Paper Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Type Blisters Clamshells Trays & Lids Films Containers Cups & Bowls Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application Food & Beverages Pharmaceuticals Personal Care & Cosmetics Electrical & Electronics Homecare & Toiletries Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued!

Key Industry Development:

July 2022  Rohm, expanded its portfolio to include plastic films made from renewable raw materials. The latest product, EUROPLEX Film LJ 21123/123, is a high-gloss, stable film, and transparent, derived from polylactic acid (PLA). Additionally, the use of raw for its production leads to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, making it an environmentally friendly alternative compared to petroleum-based films.

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Read Related Insights:

Plastic Market Size Worth $ 643.37 billion by 2029 | Exhibiting a CAGR of 5.0%

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

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Mahalunge Road, Baner, Pune - 411045,

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Szombathely, Hungary, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inverted Investment , an innovator in the Web3 space, has launched its INFI presale. Propelling the financial landscape into the future, the company integrates Web3 digital services with daily life.

Enabling a stable, predictable investment opportunity, the SbSe Protocol is at the heart of their innovation. Led by a team of industry experts, Inverted Investment pioneers a new era of decentralized, secure, and transparent trading.

The INFI Presale and a Multichain Trading Platform

Inverted Investment operates with the support of INFI holders. It spearheads 13 ground-breaking projects, with INFI CDEX being the pioneer. This revolutionary digital trading platform represents all 13 ventures. INFI holders essentially hold a fraction of Inverted Investment.

INFI CDEX, powered by the SbSe Protocol, is a dependable, clear, and decentralized digital multichain trading platform. It also represents the foundation of the ecosystem controlled by the SbSe Protocol. INFI holders can earn 60% of Inverted Investment's monthly profits. These profits comprise 50% USDT and 10% Bitcoin, delivered consistently monthly.

One of the appealing features of INFI CDEX is its opportunity for other projects to list without any charge. This gives these projects a means to earn USDT passive income for their communities thanks to the SbSe Protocol.

CDEX gives users full control over their traded cryptocurrencies. It acts as a middle ground between a CEX and a DEX. Coins remain in the user's wallet, not the exchange's wallet, enhancing security and protecting against fraud.

Safety is paramount for Inverted Investment, and they strive to offer a secure trading environment. Advanced cybersecurity measures protect INFI CDEX.

The organization actively manages liquidity and swiftly intervenes in any fraudulent or scam scenarios. The SbSe PFP offers transparent insight into Inverted Investment's profit, benefiting INFI holders. They also offer a web3-based wallet.

Inverted Investment plans to launch INFI CDEX on the Polygon network, with future migration to the INFI network in 2024.

The Pioneering SbSe Protocol

At the core of this project, the proprietary SbSe Protocol represents a self-builder smart ecosystem. This protocol connects the digital world with various industries, including food and beverage, real estate, leisure, business, export, and pharmaceuticals.

The main goal is to transform SbSe into a cost-efficient, energy-saving system that generates financial incentives for clients and consumers. In order to achieve this vision, a team of experienced professionals is working to implement and advance the INFI network.

About Inverted Investment

Inverted Investment is an entity guided by a cohort of INFI holders, managing 13 trailblazing projects. Their flagship venture, INFI CDEX, is a cutting-edge, stable, decentralized digital trading platform. The unique SbSe Protocol, launched by Inverted Investment, bridges the digital and various sectors, including food, trade, and real estate.

Their prime goal is the execution of the SbSe Protocol within an energy-efficient and cost-effective WEB3-based payment structure. This revolutionary system focuses on waste reduction and financial benefits for customers and businesses. It operates within the secure and self-governing INFI network.

The vigorous team, possessing wide-ranging expertise, leads Inverted Investment. The team includes Eva Meggyesi, heading growth, and Odon Oszkar Horvath, the CEO and the mind behind the SbSe Protocol.

Sven Schoenwald, the accomplished COO, contributes significantly from Germany. Geza Fekete, the Head of Expansion, brings an extensive financial acumen from Austria. Leading Global Marketing, Ernest Ervin operates from the bustling Seattle, USA.

The project's website is at everyone's disposal for more information about Inverted Investment and its INFI presale. Moreover, the team's social media pages (listed below) provide regular updates, the latest news, and insights on the project's development.

X (Twitter) | Telegram | LinkedIn



Disclaimer: This is a press release and does not contain any financial advice. Readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company mentioned. You are solely responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods, or services mentioned in the press release. Cryptocurrency is volatile.
Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc. - Ion exchange membranes were valued at US$ 1.1 billion in 2022. A CAGR of 3.5% is expected from 2023 to 2031, reaching US$ 1.6 billion . Research will likely focus on improving conductivity, selectivity, and stability of ion exchange membranes. As a result, fuel cells and water purification systems could become more efficient and durable.

Sensors and capacitors, among other electrochemical devices, may increasingly use ion exchange membranes. The development of membranes tailored for specific electrochemical applications could be enabled by advancements in materials science and manufacturing processes.

Pollution from water can be removed using ion exchange membranes, among other applications. Developing membranes that are highly selective for specific contaminants may be a future innovation that will contribute to more efficient water treatment methods.

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Key Findings of the Market Report

Increasing awareness about wastewater treatment has made China the world's leading manufacturer of ion exchange membranes.

The heterogeneous membrane segment accounted for a significant share in 2022.

Based on charge, anion segment is expected to create a market for ion exchange membranes.

Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the ion exchange membrane market in 2022.

With the growing demand for waste water treatment in the market, ion exchange membranes will be in greater demand.

Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Key Players

Recent market trends in ion exchange membranes show that leading manufacturers are making significant investments in manufacturing technology to meet the increasing demand. These membranes are used in the food and beverage industry, wastewater treatment plants, and automobiles.

The Dow Chemical Company

Ion Exchange Ltd.

3M

ResinTech Inc.

Lanxess AG

Toray Industries Inc.

Pure Water Scandinavia AB

Merck KGaA

General Electric Company

Evergreen Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Growth Drivers

Desalination and purification of water rely heavily on ion exchange membranes. In the current era of global water scarcity, ion exchange membranes are becoming more and more sought after for effective water treatment. The membranes of ion exchange batteries and fuel cells serve as important components in different energy storage systems. A rise in renewable energy sources and improved energy storage solutions has increased ion exchange membrane demand within the energy industry.

A wide variety of applications using ion exchange membranes can be found in the electronics and pharmaceutical industries, such as electrodialysis systems and drug delivery systems. Ion exchange membranes with specific properties and performance characteristics are in high demand as these industries grow and evolve. Processes such as chemical manufacturing can be made more sustainable by using ion exchange membranes. As companies strive to comply with environmental regulations and adopt greener technologies, ion exchange membranes and greener technologies are in high demand.

Supportive government policies and regulations, particularly those promoting clean energy, water conservation, and sustainable industrial practices, can result in a significant market impact. Regulatory incentives and incentives that encourage the use of ion exchange membranes in technologies can drive market growth.

Ion exchange membrane technologies have been improved through ongoing research and development, becoming more durable, efficient, and cost-effective. Innovations in technology often drive market growth through expanded applications and improved performance. Industry adoption of ion exchange membranes in a variety of applications is likely to increase as these membranes provide cost-effectiveness, improved efficiency, and environmental benefits.

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Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Regional Landscape

Asia Pacific is expected to hold significant market for ion exchange membrane. Many water treatment processes use ion exchange membranes, including desalination and purification. Populations and industrial activities in Asia Pacific are expected to grow, increasing demand for ion exchange membranes.

A wide range of energy storage devices use ion exchange membranes, including fuel cells and batteries. Renewable energy and clean technologies have been actively invested in the Asia Pacific region. With these technologies advancing, ion exchange membranes will be in greater demand for energy storage applications.

Government policies and environmental regulations can significantly affect the demand for ion exchange membranes. As environmental concerns become more prominent in the Asia-Pacific region, such factors are likely to play an increasingly important role in the coming years.

Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Segmentation

By Charge

Cation

Anion

Amphoteric Ion

Bipolar Ion

Mosaic Ion

By Material

Hydrocarbon Membrane

Perfluorocarbon Membrane

Inorganic Membrane

Composite Membrane

Partially Halogenated Membrane

By Structure

Heterogeneous Membrane

Homogeneous Membrane

By Application

Electrodialysis

Electrolysis

Chromatographic Separation

Desalination

Wastewater Treatment

Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment

By Region

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HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Urban Grid, a leading independent power producer (IPP) specializing in solar and energy storage, proudly announces the appointment of Matt McCluskey, as Chief Development Officer.





Matt McCluskey, Chief Development Officer



With a distinguished career spanning wind and solar projects having developed 3.5 gigawatts of operating assets across ERCOT, SPP, MISO, SERC, and across the US, Matt McCluskey brings a wealth of expertise to Urban Grids executive team. His strategic vision and deep understanding of the renewable energy landscape align seamlessly with the companys commitment to develop, build, and operate world-class sustainable power solutions. I am excited to be a part of a forward-thinking organization dedicated to reshaping the future of energy. In my career, Ive had the chance to join renewables organizations on the cusp of new growth; first developing projects then building a pipeline and most recently a business unit, said McCluskey. Joining Urban Grid in its early stages as an IPP is a phenomenal opportunity.

McCluskey, formerly VP of Development for EDF Renewables North America, will take charge of land acquisition, interconnection, permitting and project development and marks the expansion of the company's senior leadership. CEO, Pete Candeleria, said As we continue our journey towards becoming a premier power producer, Matts leadership will be pivotal in driving our development initiatives to new heights. His proven track record and passion for renewable energy make him an invaluable addition to our team as we endeavor to transform the power grid with renewable energy and bring new economic prosperity to our project communities.

Matt is based out of Urban Grids headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Urban Grid

Urban Grid, a leading independent power producer, facilitates a rapid and sustainable energy transition by developing high-quality renewable energy projects, fostering community partnerships, and serving as a good land steward. Our company is positioned to own and operate its facilities while cultivating a land management system that benefits farmers, communities, and the natural world through agrivoltaics. Urban Grid maintains a delivery-focused approach with the goal of being a good neighbor, corporate citizen, and trusted energy solutions partner. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, with teams situated strategically throughout the United States, Urban Grid has a long history of contributing to the clean energy economy. In addition to 940 megawatts currently under construction, we are actively developing a growing portfolio of more than 12,000 megawatts of solar PV and 7,000 megawatts of co-located and stand-alone energy storage.

Urban Grid is a portfolio company of Brookfield, one of the worlds largest owners and operators of renewable power and climate transition assets.

Media Contact:

Val Newcomb, AVP Marketing & Communications:

(434) 422-5679

val.newcomb@urbangridco.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3650f533-1959-49bf-b74f-258db1699a43
New York, New York, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Online Travel Agency CheapOair is sharing insight into the travel trends that will shape the New Year. According to an article published on the brands Miles Away blogsite, the travel industry is not only rebounding but also undergoing a transformative evolution. The year 2024 heralds a new era in travel, characterized by a fusion of technology, sustainability, and a heightened desire for authentic and personalized experiences.

Uncharted and Authentic Destinations

In 2024, travelers are breaking away from conventional tourist hotspots, embracing the allure of uncharted destinations that promise tranquility and rich cultural experiences. From the mystical landscapes of Bhutan to the remote corners of Vietnam, a shift towards extended stays in less frequented areas is shaping travel preferences. This trend extends to the concept of destination dupes, where alternatives to well-known locales offer similar experiences in more relaxed and cost-effective settings. Some notable "destination dupes" include Gdansk, Poland instead of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Porto, Portugal instead of Venice, Italy, and Durban, South Africa instead of Miami, USA.

Cultural and Artistic Immersion

Cultural and artistic dimensions take center stage as pivotal factors in destination choice. Travelers are increasingly drawn to places that offer enriching art experiences, from major city galleries to hidden art scenes in unexpected locations. The integration of art into hospitality is not merely aesthetics, but creating narratives that resonate with local culture and history. Cities benefiting from this trend include Marrakech, Morocco; Kyoto, Japan; Mexico City, Mexico; and Cape Town, South Africa, inviting travelers to engage with the artistic soul of their destinations.

Sustainable and Community-Focused Travel

Sustainability and community focus are integral to the evolving concept of travel in 2024. Travelers actively seek journeys that contribute positively to destinations, encompassing environmental sustainability, supporting local economies, and preserving cultural heritage. From Costa Ricas pioneering eco-tourism to Europes examples in Slovenia and Iceland, destinations are setting examples of sustainable tourism. The emphasis is on leaving a positive footprint, ensuring travel not only minimizes harm but actively improves the areas visited.

Technology-Enhanced and Personalized Journeys

Technology is shaping the landscape of travel in 2024, offering personalized experiences through AI, virtual reality, and blockchain. Artificial intelligence provides customized travel recommendations, virtual reality enhances the planning phase, and blockchain ensures secure and transparent travel transactions.

The rise of "workations" continues to influence travel trends, with destinations adapting to the needs of remote workers. Locations such as Bali, Chiang Mai, and Tbilisi are becoming hotspots for digital nomads seeking a balance between productivity and exploration.

Werner Kunz-Cho, CEO of Fareportal, the company that operates online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel comments, Travel is evolving rapidly to accommodate the growing consumer demand for personalized experiences that reflect their values and beliefs. We encourage readers to visit "MilesAway" frequently to keep abreast of the latest developments in travel.

To read the full article, click here.

About CheapOair

CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or by live chat. Part of Fareportals family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with travel agents available worldwide to help find great deals on flights to global destinations on over 500 airlines, a million lodgings, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for travel inspiration and helpful travel tips.

About Fareportal

Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 500 airlines, a million lodgings, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or by live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries.
? Todos los gobiernos regionales y municipalidades tendran mayor presupuesto en el 2024 con relacion a anos anteriores, dijo la presidenta Dina Boluarte en la ceremonia de reconocimiento del Premio Nacional Sello Municipal y el Fondo de Estimulo al Desempeno y Resultados.



? La pic.twitter.com/Fn3vBvt4sP
Dublin, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Construction Adhesives Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Resin Type (Acrylic, Polyurethanes, Epoxy), Technology (Water-based, Solvent-based), Application (Residential, Commercial), Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2024-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global construction adhesive market size is expected to reach USD 14.76 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.9% from 2024 to 2030.







Construction represents close to a 13% share of the global GDP. Thus, a short impact on the sector affects the materials demand, thereby reducing the growth of the market. Most of the construction sites during the first half of 2020 faced numerous challenges associated with operations and supply chains. However, the market started recovering in 2021. Construction spending on infrastructure projects is likely to rise in 2022, on account of the passage of public and private investments.



Focus on sustainable construction and infrastructure projects is anticipated to assist the market growth during the coming years. Governments may provide stimulation to the economy by encouraging carbon reduction targets. These incentives might come in the form of direct public funds and policy changes. Companies expect demand for sustainable buildings and communities that promote healthier lifestyles, which is anticipated to drive the demand for construction adhesives.



The adoption of digitization and emerging technologies is another key factor, which is likely to provide a boost to the building & construction sector and associated materials over the long term. Contractors are likely to use remote collaboration at various stages of projects using digital models. Distributors of adhesives and other building materials are focusing on minimal physical interactions, especially with e-commerce sites for which sales teams can handle customers and orders with digital tools.



Investments in construction and infrastructure projects are anticipated to drive market growth in the long run. For instance, the Indian government has plans to double its infrastructure investments in sectors such as communication, commercial infrastructure, energy, and water & sanitation over the next five years, as of 2021. Also, as per the National Infrastructure Pipeline, there are over 6,800 identified projects worth USD 15 million in the country. Projects such as airport development in smart cities and Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna Project are likely to offer new opportunities for market players.



Construction Adhesives Market Report Highlights

Polyvinyl acetate resins witnessed the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of nearly 5.9%. These adhesives do not contain solvents and are therefore useful to consolidate porous construction materials such as sandstone

Reactive & other technology witnessed the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of nearly 5.2%. These technologies exhibit long-term durability and high bond strength under severe environmental conditions

Commercial applications witnessed the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of nearly 5.4% from 2024 to 2030. The segment growth over the anticipated period is anticipated to profit from the rising number of commercial buildings, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, and large box stores that have been constructed over the past few years

The Asia Pacific region dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 39.39% in 2023. The market is growing due to factors such as strong economic development coupled with population expansion in countries such as China and India is expected to increase construction spending in Asia Pacific over the forecasted period

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Dow, 3M, Arkema, and H.B. Fuller companies dominated the market with their continuous involvement in acquisitions, partnerships, and manufacturing facility expansions

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 120 Forecast Period 2023 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $10.58 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $14.76 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.9% Regions Covered Global



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary



Chapter 3 Construction Adhesives: Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Lineage Outlook

3.2 Industry Value Chain Analysis

3.3 Price Trend Analysis, 2018 - 2030

3.4 Regulatory Framework

3.5 Market Dynamics

3.5.1 Market Driver Analysis

3.5.1.1 Increasing Demand From Construction Industry

3.5.1.2 Increasing Technological And Architectural Innovations

3.5.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.5.2.1 Volatility In Raw Material Prices

3.5.4 Market Challenge Analysis

3.6 Business Environment Analysis



Chapter 4 Construction Adhesives Market: Resin Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1 Resin Type Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2023 & 2030

4.1.1 Acrylic

4.1.2 Polyurethanes

4.1.3 Polyvinyl Acetate

4.1.4 Epoxy



Chapter 5 Construction Adhesives Market: Technology Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1 Technology Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2023 & 2030

5.1.1 Water-Based

5.1.2 Solvent-Based

5.1.3 Reactive & Others



Chapter 6 Construction Adhesives Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1 Application Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2023 & 2030

6.1.1 Residential

6.1.2 Commercial

6.1.3 Industrial



Chapter 7 Construction Adhesives Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis



Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape

H.B. Fuller

3M

Sika

Dow

Bostik

Henkel

Franklin International,

Avery Dennison

Illinois Tool Works

DAP Products

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ujtwo1

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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Dublin, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Alternative Cathode Material Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Battery Type, End User, Material Type, and Country-Level Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global alternative cathode material market was valued at $27.77 billion in 2022, and it is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.20% during the forecast period 2023-2032 to reach $50.19 billion by 2032. This growth of the alternative cathode material market is likely to be driven by the rising demand for lithium batteries with higher energy densities. Additionally, the lower cost of alternate cathode materials is expected to further propel alternative cathode material market growth.

Business Dynamics

Business Drivers Concerns about Cobalt Availability Rising Demand for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Higher Energy Densities Lower Cost of Alternate Cathode Materials Increasing Renewable Energy Integration

Business Challenges Limited Commercialization Supply Chain Uncertainties Regulatory and Safety Concerns

Business Opportunities Improved Performance Demand for Alternative Cathode Materials in Electric Vehicles (EVs) for Higher Range







Introduction to Alternative Cathode Material



Alternative cathode materials stand as the vanguards in the ongoing quest to revolutionize energy storage and power the world sustainably. Their significance lies in redefining the core of batteries, propelling advancements in diverse fields such as electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and portable electronics. These materials, distinct from conventional lithium-ion cathodes, offer promising characteristics that could redefine the landscape of energy storage.



The pursuit of these alternative cathode materials is not just a scientific or technological endeavor; it's a concerted global effort, often supported by government initiatives and research institutions. Government programs play a pivotal role in driving innovation in this domain, fostering research and development through funding, collaboration, and regulatory support. Initiatives such as the Department of Energy's ARPA-E and the Battery500 Consortium in the U.S. are pivotal in advancing battery technologies, including research on alternative cathode materials. They offer crucial financial support, resources, and collaborative platform for academia and cathode material industry to delve into innovative battery technologies. These programs help bridge the gap between theoretical exploration and practical application, accelerating the development of sustainable energy solutions.



The transformative potential of these alternative cathode materials extends far beyond merely enhancing the performance of batteries. Their successful implementation could significantly reduce the environmental impact of energy storage technologies. By diminishing reliance on rare or environmentally impactful materials, these advancements can pave the way for a more sustainable energy future. This shift aligns with global initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change, particularly in the transportation sector. Electric vehicles, powered by batteries utilizing these alternative cathode materials, hold the promise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lessening the dependency on fossil fuels.



Market Segmentation

Segmentation 1: by Battery Type

Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lead-Acid Batteries

Others

Lithium-Ion Batteries to Dominate Alternative Cathode Material Market (by Battery Type)



Lithium-ion batteries undeniably maintain a dominant position in the alternative cathode material market across various battery types. Their versatility, established infrastructure, and extensive commercialization make them the cornerstone of the current energy storage landscape. Lithium-ion batteries find application across diverse sectors, such as electric vehicles, consumer electronics, renewable energy storage, and even grid-level energy storage systems. This versatility and widespread adoption have significantly contributed to their dominance in the alternative cathode material market. Within the realm of lithium-ion batteries, various cathode materials are utilized, including lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), and lithium manganese oxide (LMO). Each material offers distinct advantages in terms of energy density, cost, safety, and longevity, catering to different applications.



Segmentation 2: by End User

Automotive

Consumer Electronics

Power Tools

Energy Storage Systems (ESS)

Others

Automotive to Lead the Alternative Cathode Material Market (by End User)



The automotive sector is indeed positioned as a frontrunner in driving the demand and development of alternative cathode materials. This prominence is primarily attributed to the rapid electrification of the automotive industry, where electric vehicles (EVs) are progressively becoming a mainstream choice, significantly influencing the trajectory of the alternative cathode material market. The automotive industry's transition toward EVs is one of the most significant drivers propelling the demand for advanced cathode materials. Lithium-ion batteries, which heavily rely on cathode materials, are the backbone of electric vehicles. Consequently, the quest for high-energy-density, long-lasting, and cost-effective cathode materials has become pivotal in advancing the capabilities and driving down the costs of these vehicles.



Segmentation 3: by Material Type

Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC)

Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (NCA)

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)

Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO)

Others

Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt-Oxide (NMC) to Hold Highest Share in Alternative Cathode Material Market (by Material Type)



Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) stands poised to claim a significant portion of the alternative cathode material market due to its remarkable blend of characteristics that cater to the demands of various energy storage applications. As an integral part of the lithium-ion family, NMC cathodes are highly versatile and have become a preferred choice for a spectrum of uses, including electric vehicles, grid storage, and portable electronics. NMC's popularity and projected dominance in the market stem from its balanced composition, offering a harmonious mix of high energy density, good cycle life, and thermal stability. This combination addresses critical challenges faced by other cathode materials, such as safety concerns, capacity degradation, and overall performance.



Segmentation 4: by Region

North America - U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Europe - Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Rest-of-Europe

China

U.K.

Asia-Pacific and Japan - Japan, South Korea, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific

Rest-of-the-World (ROW)

China's burgeoning dominance in the alternative cathode material market is a testament to its strategic positioning and aggressive investments in the realm of energy storage and battery technology. As the world transitions toward cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions, China has strategically positioned itself to secure a substantial share in the alternative cathode material market. This positioning is primarily attributed to a multifaceted approach that encompasses various critical elements.



At the core of China's supremacy in this domain is its proactive investment in research, development, and infrastructure. The Chinese government has fervently backed initiatives aimed at advancing battery technology. Massive investments in research and development have been channeled toward exploring and refining alternative cathode materials. These efforts are bolstered by a focus on nurturing a robust ecosystem for innovation, bringing together academic research, industrial application, and government support.



Recent Developments in the Global Alternative Cathode Material Market

In January 2022, NEI Corporation expanded the selection of materials for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries in 2022. The company's expanded offerings included cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte materials. This expansion was in response to the growing demand for these materials as the battery market continues to shift toward lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.

In November 2022, POSCO Chemical constructed the world's largest cathode production plant in Gwangyang, South Korea. With an annual production capacity of 90,000 tons, the plant is expected to play a crucial role in meeting the growing demand for cathode materials, which are essential components of lithium-ion batteries.

In November 2021, Johnson Matthey announced the commercialization of its high nickel cathode material for the automotive industry. The company's new material, called EBMN 50+, is designed to offer higher energy density and lower cost compared to traditional nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) cathode materials.

Demand - Drivers, Challenges, and Opportunities

Market Drivers: Lower Cost of Alternate Cathode Materials



The low cost of alternative cathode materials is a pivotal factor favoring the shift toward these materials for lithium-ion batteries. Traditional cathode materials such as lithium-cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and some nickel-rich cathodes are relatively expensive due to the high cost of raw materials, including cobalt and nickel. In contrast, alternative cathode materials, such as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4), often rely on more abundant and cost-effective components. This cost advantage makes alternative cathode materials an attractive option for various applications, from electric vehicles to grid energy storage.



For example, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) stands out as a cost-effective alternative to cobalt-containing cathodes. LiFePO4 cathodes are made from abundant and low-cost iron, reducing the overall battery production costs. In comparison to nickel-cobalt-based cathodes, LiFePO4 cathodes are less expensive and offer a favorable balance between cost and performance. This cost-effectiveness is particularly appealing for electric vehicle manufacturers looking to produce more affordable EVs and pass on cost savings to consumers. In addition, lithium iron phosphate batteries tend to have a longer cycle life, further improving their economic attractiveness in applications requiring extended battery longevity.



Similarly, lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) cathodes offer a cost-effective alternative, as manganese is more readily available and less expensive compared to cobalt and nickel. These cathodes have been employed in various consumer electronics and power tools, where cost considerations are crucial. The reduced reliance on expensive raw materials makes LiMn2O4 cathodes a preferred choice for manufacturers aiming to balance battery performance and cost.



Market Challenges: Limited Commercialization



Limited commercialization is a significant impediment to the growth of alternative cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to several key reasons. First, transitioning from traditional cathode materials to alternatives necessitates significant changes in manufacturing processes, which can be costly and time-consuming. Industries that rely heavily on lithium-ion batteries, such as the automotive and consumer electronics sectors, have invested extensively in existing technologies and production infrastructure. Shifting to alternative materials requires retooling manufacturing processes, modifying facilities, and ensuring the reliability of these materials at a commercial scale. These transitions can be challenging and disruptive, often leading manufacturers to approach such changes with caution, as they can disrupt production schedules and increase overall costs. As a result, the slow pace of commercialization inhibits the widespread adoption of alternative cathode materials.



Second, limited commercialization can be a barrier to the acceptance of alternative cathode materials in the market. Manufacturers and end-users often prefer well-established technologies that have a proven track record of reliability and performance. The lack of a significant market presence for alternative materials can create doubts about their long-term performance, safety, and compatibility with existing applications. This lack of trust in unproven technologies can further delay the commercialization process as industries wait for more data and successful case studies before embracing these alternative materials on a broader scale. To overcome this challenge, significant investments in research and development and collaborative efforts between industry stakeholders are necessary to drive the commercialization of alternative cathode materials and facilitate their growth in the lithium-ion battery industry.



Market Opportunities: Improved Performance



Alternative cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries offer the potential for significant improvements in performance over traditional cobalt-based cathodes. Some of the key areas where alternative cathode materials can offer improved performance include:

Energy density: Alternative cathode materials such as nickel-rich layered oxides (NMC), lithium-rich layered oxides (LMO), and lithium manganese spinel (LMO) can offer higher energy density than cobalt-based cathodes. This means that batteries using these materials can store more energy in the same volume or weight.

Power density: Alternative cathode materials such as LMO and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) can offer better power density than cobalt-based cathodes. This means that batteries using these materials can deliver more power (i.e., discharge faster) without sacrificing energy density.

Cycle life: Some alternative cathode materials, such as LFP, can offer better cycle life than cobalt-based cathodes. This means that batteries using these materials can be cycled more times before their capacity degrades.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



The featured companies have been meticulously chosen, drawing insights from primary experts and thorough evaluations of company coverage, product offerings, and market presence.



Among the prominent players in the global alternative cathode material market, the public players dominate, commanding approximately 70% of the market share in 2022. The remaining 30% is held by private companies.



Some prominent names established in the global alternative cathode material market are:

Company Type 1: Public Companies

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

BASF SE

Nippon Chemical Industrial CO., LTD.

LG Chem

Johnson Matthey

Umicore N.V.

POSCO

Company Type 2: Private Companies

NEI Corporation

American Elements

Targray

Key Attributes

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 149 Forecast Period 2023-2032 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $29.21 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2032 $50.19 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.2% Regions Covered Global

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w56ak8

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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New York, NY, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fox Corporation announced a commitment of $2 million over two years in support of the Tunnel to Towers Foundations Homeless Veteran Program.

The Homeless Veteran Program, launched in 2022, aims to eradicate homelessness amongst American veterans by providing housing and supportive services across the country.

On Veterans Day, Tunnel to Towers marked a milestone with the grand opening of its Houston Veterans Village, a reimagined 161-room hotel that will offer both permanent and transitional living spaces, complete with a host of supportive services catered by U.S.VETS, stationed at a central hub on the premises. Phase II of the Houston Veterans Village, to be completed in 2024, will include 15-20 comfort homes dedicated to senior veterans.

The donation from Fox Corporation will help fund additional facilities for veterans experiencing homelessness in Florida, Georgia, New York, and New Jersey, as well as the programs National Case Management Network across the country.

It is imperative that we honor the dignity of those who have served our nation by eradicating homelessness amongst our veterans. Not one veteran should ever have to sleep on the streets of the country they fought to protect. This generous donation from Fox Corporation will be critical as the Homeless Veteran Program expands with new facilities across the United States, said Tunnel to Towers Chairman & CEO Frank Siller.

"We are honored to partner with Tunnel to Towers in their mission to provide much-needed assistance to homeless veterans," said Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer at Fox Corporation. "This donation represents our commitment to supporting those who have selflessly served our country."

Visit T2T.org for more information on the Tunnel to Towers Foundations Homeless Veteran Program, including how to apply or make a donation in support of ending homelessness in the veteran community.

About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to do good, by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001.

Visit T2T.org to learn more and follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @Tunnel2Towers.
Dublin, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Autonomous Surgical Robotics Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Product Type, Application, End User, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global autonomous surgical robotics market was valued at $1.81 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $11.07 billion by 2033, witnessing a CAGR of 17.45% during the forecast period 2023-2033. This growth can be attributed to the factors that include the enhanced surgical capabilities offered by autonomous robotic-assisted surgeries, an upsurge in minimally invasive surgical procedures, technological advancements in autonomous surgical robotics, and supportive regulatory approvals for autonomous surgical robotic systems, driving competitiveness in the market.







Market Lifecycle Stage



The market lifecycle stage of the autonomous surgical robotics market can be described as being in the early growth or introduction phase. This market segment is characterized by the emergence of innovative technologies and products that have the potential to transform the field of surgery. Autonomous surgical robots are still relatively new and are gaining attention due to their ability to improve surgical precision, reduce human error, and enhance patient outcomes. While there is growing interest and investment in this technology, the market is not yet fully mature, and there is ample room for expansion and development. As more research and development efforts pour in and as regulatory approvals are obtained, the market is expected to move into the growth phase, attracting a wider customer base and achieving more widespread adoption within the medical industry.



Industry Impact



The global autonomous surgical robotics market is having a profound impact on the healthcare industry and related sectors. Autonomous surgical robots have significantly enhanced surgical precision and reduced the likelihood of human error. This has led to improved surgical outcomes, reduced OT complications, and has led to shorter recovery times for patients. Technology has positively impacted the overall quality of healthcare services. The market for autonomous surgical robotics has driven advancements in minimally invasive surgery as well. These robots are particularly well-suited for such procedures, enabling smaller incisions, thereby leading to quick patient recovery and less trauma. This trend toward minimally invasive surgery has transformed the way many surgical procedures are performed, resulting in a more patient-friendly approach.



However, the shortage of skilled surgeons in many parts of the world is a growing concern. Autonomous surgical robots provide a viable solution by assisting surgeons, extending their capabilities, and potentially enabling remote surgery. This addresses the challenge of uneven access to surgical expertise and helps fill the gaps in underserved regions.



The global autonomous surgical robotics market is anticipated to grow at a robust pace due to the lucrative opportunities that lie within its domain, which include a massive scope for phenomenal profits through venturous investments, integrative industry-academia collaboration, the rise of advanced robotic technology, and an increase in the adoption of novel surgical applications. Some of the key trends that the market is moving toward include the rising technological innovations, such as next-generation robotic systems in the market.



Market Segmentation

Segmentation 1: by Product Type

Robotic Systems

Consumables

Services

Robotic Systems to Dominate the Global Autonomous Surgical Robotics Market (by Product Type)



Based on product type, the robotics systems segment dominated the global autonomous surgical robotics market in FY2022. These advanced systems are gaining prominence due to their pivotal role in enhancing surgical procedures. With the ability to provide surgeons with precise control and dexterity, robotics systems have become a preferred choice in the autonomous surgical robotics market. Their capacity to minimize human error and improve patient outcomes makes them a vital component in the field of minimally invasive surgery. As the demand for more efficient and accurate surgical solutions continues to grow, robotics systems are expected to maintain their dominance, driving the market's evolution and expansion in the foreseeable future.



Segmentation 2: by Application

Urology Surgery

Orthopedic Surgery

Cardiology Surgery

Head and Neck (including Neurology) Surgery

Other Surgeries

Orthopedic Surgery to Dominate the Global Autonomous Surgical Robotics Market (by Application)



Based on application, orthopedic surgery dominated the global autonomous surgical robotics market in FY2022. This surgical field has emerged as a frontrunner in harnessing the benefits of autonomous surgical robotics. The precision, accuracy, and consistent performance of robotic systems have proven to be especially valuable in orthopedic procedures such as joint replacements and spine surgery. Surgeons are increasingly relying on these technologies to improve patient outcomes and reduce the invasiveness of surgeries. As the aging population grows and the demand for orthopedic interventions rises, the dominance of autonomous surgical robotics in orthopedic surgery is expected to persist and contribute significantly to the overall growth of the market.



Segmentation 3: by End User

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs)

Others

Hospitals to Dominate the Global Autonomous Surgical Robotics Market (by End User)



Based on end user, the hospitals segment dominated the global autonomous surgical robotics market in FY2022. These sophisticated surgical robotic systems are finding their primary home within hospital settings. Hospitals are at the forefront of adopting this technology due to its potential to improve patient care and surgical outcomes. The controlled environment, well-trained medical staff, and infrastructure in hospitals make them ideal places for the integration of autonomous surgical robotics. As the demand for advanced surgical techniques continues to rise, hospitals are expected to maintain their dominant position as key users of autonomous surgical robotics, ultimately driving the market's growth and evolution.



Segmentation 4: by Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Rest-of-the-World

Regions such as North America and Europe have technologically advanced healthcare systems and allocate considerable budgets to the healthcare segment, due to which these regions hold the maximum share in the global autonomous surgical robotics market. Regions such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest-of-the-World are anticipated to register significant growth during the forecast period 2023-2033 owing to factors such as rising preference for minimally invasive surgeries, rising geriatric population, and increasing demand to streamline surgical workflows.



Moreover, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR of 18.87% during the forecast period 2023-2033. The Asia-Pacific region is an emerging market due to the rise in per capita income and rapid advancements in autonomous robotic surgical platforms. The Asia-Pacific region includes countries such as Japan, China, and India. Among these countries, China acquired the dominant market share, followed by Japan and India. Several companies have their presence in Asia-Pacific, such as Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., and Medtronic plc. The growth of the Asia-Pacific autonomous surgical robotics market is expected to be strongly driven by the increase in disposable income per household.



Recent Developments in the Global Autonomous Surgical Robotics Market

In September 2023, PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation received Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This approval would enable the company to investigate the safety and effectiveness of Aquablation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer.

In May 2023, Robocath, Inc. launched its latest robotic platform, the R-One+, which could perform coronary angioplasties.

In October 2022, XACT Robotics Ltd. announced that its ACE Xtend Remote Control Unit received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, allowing users to robotically insert and steer the XACT ACE Robotic System remotely from the control room.

In August 2022, THINK Surgical, Inc., an innovator in the field of orthopedic surgical robots, announced its entry into a development and distribution agreement with Curexo, Inc., a medical robotics specialist company based in South Korea. THINK and Curexo have a strong working relationship based on historical development collaboration, and Curexo distributes THINK's TSolution One platform in Korea and Vietnam.

In May 2022, XACT Robotics received FDA clearance that would expand support for ablation procedures.

In January 2022, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. partnered with American Hospital Dubai to provide advanced robotic-assisted training for orthopedic surgeons from the U.A.E. and the region.

Demand - Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities

Market Demand Drivers:



Enhanced Surgical Capabilities Offered by Autonomous Robotic-Assisted Surgeries: Enhanced surgical capabilities are a driving force behind the autonomous surgical robotics market. These capabilities empower robotic systems to perform a wider range of surgical procedures, both complex and delicate, which makes them increasingly valuable in the medical field. One of the primary ways that enhanced surgical capabilities drive the market is by enabling a more extensive range of surgical procedures. Furthermore, there is an increased adoption of robotic-assisted surgeries owing to the several advantages over conventional as well as laparoscopic surgeries.



Market Restraints:



High Cost of Investment in Autonomous Robotic Surgical Systems: One of the major challenges in the autonomous surgical robotics market is the high capital cost of robotic systems, their associated instruments, and maintenance services. Currently, autonomous surgical robotics systems have a very high initial cost, requiring an arrangement for considerable capital investment from independent private surgeons and hospitals. All autonomous surgical robotic system manufacturers face several cost-associated challenges in convincing end users to purchase a robotic system.



Market Opportunities:



Preference of Telerobotic-Based Surgeries to Overcome Lack of Skilled Professional Surgeons: The preference for Telerobotic-based surgeries is emerging as a powerful opportunity for the autonomous surgical robotics market, particularly in overcoming the challenge of a shortage of skilled professional surgeons. The preference for telerobotic-based surgeries is fundamentally rooted in the shortage of skilled professional surgeons in many parts of the world. As populations grow and age, the demand for surgical interventions increases, and the supply of experienced surgeons often falls short.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



Autonomous surgical robotics is a cutting-edge field that combines artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and medical technology to enable precise and automated surgical procedures. These systems have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare landscape by enhancing surgical accuracy, reducing human error, and enabling minimally invasive surgeries. The global market for autonomous surgical robotics is on a trajectory of witnessing substantial growth, driven by the increasing adoption of minimally invasive surgeries, technological advancements with respect to surgical equipment, and the need for enhanced surgical capabilities.



The healthcare system is adopting advanced technologies, especially in the field of surgical medicine, to improve surgical workflow patterns and derive quality and accurate clinical outcomes. The use of an autonomous surgical robotic system offers a safer surgical procedure by making it more accurate and minimally invasive for patients.



Some of the prominent companies in this market are:

Beijing Baihui Weikang Technology Co. Ltd.

Curexo, Inc.

Globus Medical, Inc.

Medtronic plc

PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation

Renishaw plc

Robocath, Inc.

Stryker Corporation

Surgical Automations, Inc.

Veebot Systems, Inc.

Venus Concept Inc.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

Key Attributes

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 267 Forecast Period 2023 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $2.22 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $11.07 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.4% Regions Covered Global

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fqqwb1

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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Dublin, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Microcarriers Market by Product (Equipment (Single Use Bioreactor, SSB, Cell Counter, Culture Vessel, Filtration), Consumables (Media, Reagent), Beads (Collagen, Cationic), Application (Vaccine, Cell & Gene Therapy), End User - Global Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The microcarriers market is projected to reach USD 3.3 billion by 2028 from an estimated USD 2.0 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of 10.0% during the forecast period. The growth of this market can be attributed to rising investments in cell & gene therapy research and growing technological advancements in single-use technologies.

The consumables segment accounted for the largest share by product in 2022.

The consumables segment accounted for the largest share of products in the global microcarriers market in 2022. Various factors such as the booming biopharmaceutical sector, growing investments, and government funding for the advancement of technologies are driving the demand for consumables in the microcarriers market. Additionally, the rising demand for high-quality reagents and media for cell therapies is promoting the growth of this market. Furthermore, the market share of the consumables market is expected to grow simultaneously with the growing cell-based research activities.

The Asia Pacific region is growing in the microcarriers market during the forecast period of 2023-2028.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest growth rate during the forecast period. Various factors including the growing adoption of advanced technologies and the booming healthcare sector are propelling the growth of the microcarriers market in the region. The rising investments and geographic expansion of microcarriers by prominent players are promoting the growth of the microcarriers market. For instance, in December 2022, Thermo Fisher Scientific opened an 860,000 square-foot facility in Hangzhou, China, which is the company's first single-use manufacturing site in the Asia-Pacific region. The facility offers clinical and commercial drug substance and drug product capabilities, housing Thermo Fisher's HyPerforma single-use bioreactors and associated single-use equipment to a 2,000 L scale, catering to the demand for biologics production capabilities from customers in the region.

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 278 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $2 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $3.3 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 10.0% Regions Covered Global





Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Microcarriers Market, by Product, 2023 vs. 2028 (USD Million)

Microcarriers Industry, by Application, 2023 vs. 2028 (USD Million)

Market, by End-user, 2023 vs. 2028 (USD Million)

Geographical Snapshot of Market

Premium Insights

Microcarriers Market Overview -Increasing Demand for Cell-based Vaccines to Drive Market During Forecast Period

North America: Microcarriers Industry, by Product - Consumables Segment Accounted for Largest Market Share in 2022

Market, by End-user -Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies Segment Accounted for Largest Market Share in 2022

Market, by Application - Biopharmaceutical Production Segment Accounted for Largest Market Share in 2022

Market: Geographic Growth Opportunities - Asia-Pacific Segment to Register Highest Growth Rate During Forecast Period

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Growing Adoption of Microcarriers for Cell-based Vaccine Production

Technological Advancements to Support Microcarrier-based Cell Production

Rising Investments in Cell & Gene Therapy Research

Growing Preference for Single-Use Technologies

Increasing R&D Spending for Biopharmaceutical Production

Restraints

High Cost of Cell Biology Research

Limitations in High-Density Cell Culture Production

Opportunities

Rising Demand for 3D Cell Culture

Growing Demand for MABs and Biosimilars

High-Growth Potential of Emerging Economies

Challenges

High Costs Associated with Serum-Free Media

Microcarrier-Cell Detachment

Companies Profiled

BBI-Biotech

Becton, Dickinson and Company

Bionet

Chemometec

Corning

Danaher

Distek

Entegris

Eppendorf

Esco Lifesciences Group

Fujifilm Holdings

G&G Technologies

Getinge

Kuhner

Lonza

Meissner Filtration Products

Merck

PBS Biotech

Reprocell

Sartorius

Smart MCS

Stemcell Technologies

Stobbe Group

Tantti

Thermo Fisher Scientific

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8c7e4j

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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Top exporter of ostomy applications to the USA.

to the USA. Second exporter of electric switches to the USA.

to the USA. Third largest exporter of medical devices to the USA.



SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a bold strategy that has revolutionized the international investment landscape, a growing number of free zone companies are making the Dominican Republic their top choice, relocating their businesses, as well as their production plants. The reason? An attractive fiscal framework, highlighted by the word "ZERO: zero income taxes, zero duties, zero construction taxes. This robust tax exemption framework, under Law 8-90, grants complete exemptions, amounting to 100% for nearly all national and local taxes.





But the allure of the Dominican Republic doesn't stop with tax exemptions. The country's strategic location in the heart of the Caribbean makes it the ideal destination for nearshoring. Companies enjoy no logistical complications thanks to the proximity to key markets in the United States and Europe. Boasting international gateways like Las Americas and Punta Cana airports, businesses benefit from seamless connectivity. Key container ports, such as Haina and Caucedo, facilitate efficient import-export operations, ensuring minimal delays. Complemented by a comprehensive logistics infrastructure, including modern roadways and distribution centers, the nation emerges as a prime destination, positioning companies to achieve unprecedented operational efficiency.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

The Dominican Republic's nearshoring success stories span across various industries, with several multinational companies choosing to move their operations to the country. Notable examples include Convatec, Cardinal Health, Edwards Lifesciences, Rockwell Automation, Eaton, Jabil, Fresenius Kabi, Cosmed Group, and the most recent: League Holdings Group Co., Ltd. These multinational companies, along with many others, have experienced the benefits of nearshoring in the Dominican Republic and are witnessing operational efficiency, increased scalability, and enhanced customer satisfaction for a stronger global competitive advantage.

Recently, the country has been focused on attracting investments in the semiconductor supply chain, especially in assembly, testing, and packaging as well as printed circuit board manufacturing. Thus, the Dominican Republic can support the semiconductor factories that are poised to spring up across the United States thanks to the CHIPS Act. The Dominican Republics successful track record of manufacturing electronics and medical devices offers clear advantages over its neighbors. Moreover, the attractiveness is further underscored by the country's labor cost efficiency, making it an ideal hub for businesses seeking not only financial advantages but also streamlined operational expenses.

As nearshoring continues to gain traction as a strategic business practice, the Dominican Republic is poised to become a go-to destination for companies seeking to optimize their operations and tap into new growth opportunities. With its exceptional workforce, favorable business environment, and geographic advantages, the country offers a compelling package that positions it as a frontrunner in the nearshoring landscape.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs (MICM), in collaboration with the National Free Zones Council (CNZFE) and the Dominican Association of Free Zones (ADOZONA), plays a crucial role in facilitating and promoting nearshoring activities in the Dominican Republic.

About the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs (MICM)

MICM is the government body responsible for policy formulation, adoption, monitoring, evaluation, and control in the fields of industry, exports, foreign trade, free zones, special regimes, and SMEs. For more information visit: www.micm.gob.do

Contact information

Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs (MICM)

Viceministry of Free Zone and Special Regimes

(1) 809-685-5171 ext 1017

www.micm.gob.do

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ed34ec5-46a1-4dc4-8bac-0621444d488e
Washington, DC, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americas Blood Centers, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), and the American Red Cross are uniting to express gratitude to the roughly 7 million people across the United States who donate blood as National Blood Donor Month approaches in January. This month serves to recognize Americas donors and encourage more individuals to donate blood in January and throughout the year.

The blood community is greatly appreciative of all the individuals who donated blood this past year, including the many newly eligible donors who gave blood following the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations donor eligibility updates in 2023. New and returning donors are critically needed as the blood donor base throughout the U.S. has continued to shrink. The blood community reminds Americans to consult with their local blood center to confirm their eligibility and to make an appointment to donate blood this month  or any time in 2024.

National Blood Donor Month is a time to recognize the selfless contributions of the roughly 7 million people across the country who give blood each year. Their simple yet profound decision has saved countless lives. We encourage all eligible individuals to join the ranks of Americas blood donors and make a lifesaving impact in someone's time of need, said Kate Fry, CEO of America's Blood Centers.

This National Blood Donor Month, the blood community says thank you to the millions of blood donors throughout the United States. Your gift provides essential medicine for patients in need, said Debra BenAvram, chief executive officer of AABB. Blood is an essential part of health care and is needed every day. We encourage eligible Americans to start the new year off by making an appointment to donate blood today.

We are grateful to those who generously roll up a sleeve for patients in need, said Chris Hrouda, president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services. Even as we see the donor base decline, the American Red Cross recognizes and celebrates our dedicated blood and platelet donors who are giving more often today than past decades. This National Blood Donor Month, please join us in our mission that truly helps save lives.

President Richard Nixon proclaimed January 1970 as the first National Blood Donor Month on December 31, 1969, as requested by Senate Joint Resolution 154, to pay tribute to voluntary blood donors and encourage new donors to join. This month continues to be celebrated each year to thank America's blood donors and encourage more people to donate blood.

Blood transfusion remains one of the most common hospital procedures, with patients requiring a blood transfusion every two seconds. More than 42,000 units of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma are used by patients every day. These blood transfusions are needed to treat patients with acute care needs such as trauma and blood loss during childbirth, as well as for disease management for patients with a variety of health conditions, including cancer, inherited blood disorders, cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, and organ and bone marrow transplants.

The winter months are especially challenging time for the blood community due to weather-related events like severe storms and debilitating snow, ice, and cold that can impact blood drives and complicate the ability to transport lifesaving blood to hospitals for patients in need.

The blood community encourages eligible Americans to donate blood in January and to make regular appointments to donate throughout the year. Please contact one of the following organizations to find a local blood collection site and to schedule an appointment:

Americas Blood Centers: Founded in 1962, Americas Blood Centers is the national organization bringing together community-based, independent blood centers. Its member organizations operate more than 600 blood collection sites providing close to 60 percent of the U.S., and a quarter of the Canadian, blood supply. These blood centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. All ABC U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.AmericasBlood.org.

AABB: AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies) is an international, not-for-profit organization representing individuals and institutions involved in the fields of transfusion medicine and biotherapies. The Association works collaboratively to advance the field through the development and delivery of standards, accreditation and education programs. AABB is dedicated to its mission of improving lives by making transfusion medicine and biotherapies safe, available and effective worldwide.

American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is disqualified from serving as U.S. president and cannot appear on the primary ballot in Colorado because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, the state's top court ruled Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The historic 4-3 ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, likely to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, makes Trump the first presidential candidate deemed ineligible for the White House under a rarely used constitutional provision that bars officials who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding office.

The ruling applies only to Colorado's March 5 Republican primary but it could affect Trump's status in the state for the Nov. 5 general election. Nonpartisan U.S. election forecasters view Colorado as safely Democratic, meaning that President Joe Biden will likely carry the state regardless of Trump's fate there.

Trump vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Colorado court said it would delay the effect of its decision until at least Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for an appeal.

The ruling sets the stage for the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees, to consider whether Trump is eligible to serve another term as president.

The lawsuit is viewed as a test case for a wider effort to disqualify Trump from state ballots under section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was enacted after the U.S. Civil War to keep supporters of the confederacy from serving in the government.

The Colorado court concluded that the U.S. Constitution bars Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024, from appearing on the ballot because of his role instigating violence at the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify the results of the 2020 election. The court's majority acknowledged the decision was "uncharted territory."

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the majority justices wrote. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Trump's campaign called the court decision "undemocratic."

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court," a spokesperson from the Trump campaign said.
Toronto, December 19, 2023 - Kuya Silver Corp. (CSE: KUYA) (OTCQB: KUYAF) (FSE: 6MR1) (the "Company" or "Kuya Silver") announces it intends to complete a non-brokered flow-through private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to CAD$450,240 (the "Offering") with a single investor. Under the Offering, the Company will issue flow-through units (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of CAD$0.28 per FT Unit. Each FT Unit is comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company that qualifies as a "flow-through share" for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) non-flow-through common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") at price of CAD$0.37 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The proceeds from the Offering will be used for expenditures that qualify as Canadian Exploration Expenses, within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), to carry out exploration programs on the Company's Canadian properties.

In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finder's fees to qualified non-related parties, in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "Exchange").

All securities issued under the Offering, including securities issuable on exercise thereof, will be subject to a hold period expiring 4 months and 1 day after issuance, in accordance with the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Kuya Silver Corporation

Kuya Silver is a Canadianbased mineral exploration and development company with a focus on acquiring, exploring, and advancing precious metals assets in Peru and Canada.

For more information, please contact:

David Stein, President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (604) 3984493

info@kuyasilver.com

www.kuyasilver.com

Reader Advisory

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information," including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs, and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may," "would," "could," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "must," "next," "propose," "new," "potential," "prospective," "target," "future," "verge," "favourable," "implications," and "ongoing," and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking information. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing statements, the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering, is forward-looking information. Investors are cautioned that statements including forward-looking information are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including but not limited to fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market, and business conditions. There can be no assurances that such forward-looking information will prove accurate, and therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191675
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, BC - The Newswire - December 19, 2023 - Element 79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM) (OTC:ELMGF) (FSE:7YS) ("Element 79 Gold" or "(ELEM) an exploration company, announces that, subject to Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") approval, the Company will raise up to $600,000 through a non-brokered private placement (the "Financing"). The financing will consist of an aggregate of up to 5,309,734 Common shares offered at a price of $0.113 per share.

The principal use of the proceeds of the Offering will be for funding ongoing exploration work, operating and administrative expenses, working capital and general corporate purposes.

In accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, all securities issued pursuant to the private placement will be legended with a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

The securities of the Company referred to in this press release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Element79 Gold Corp.

Element79 Gold is a mining company focused on gold and silver committed to maximizing shareholder value through responsible mining practices and sustainable development of its projects. Element79 Gold's focus is on developing its past-producing, high-grade gold and silver mine, the Lucero project located in Arequipa, Peru, with the intent to restart production in the near term.

The Company also holds a portfolio of 5 properties along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada, with the Clover and West Whistler projects believed to have significant potential for near-term resource development. Three properties in the Battle Mountain Portfolio are under contract for sale to Valdo Minerals Ltd., with an anticipated closing date around the end of Q1/2024. The Company has also signed an Option Agreement to sell the Maverick Springs project, an advanced-stage exploratory property with an Inferred Resource of 3.71MMoz AuEq (1.37MMoz Au and 175MMoz Ag) and anticipates completing this sale on or before March 28, 2024.

In British Columbia, Element79 Gold has executed a Letter of Intent and funded a drilling program to acquire a private company that holds the option to 100% interest of the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, which consists of 10 mineral claims located in Central British Columbia, approximately 20km west of Fort St. James.

The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Dale Property, 90 unpatented mining claims located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, and has recently announced that it has transferred this project to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp, and is advancing through the Plan of Arrangement spin-out process through Q1 2023.

For more information about the company please visit our official website at www.element79gold.com

The Company's 2023 review and Corporate Update can be reviewed HERE.

Contact Information

For corporate matters, please contact:

James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer and Director

E-mail: jt@element79.gold

For investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations Department

Phone: +1.403.850.8050

E-mail: investors@element79.gold

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the terms and conditions of the Offering; the closing date for the Offering; and anticipated use of net proceeds from the Offering, including any advancement of exploration work on the Company's projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, Element79 has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions and the price of gold and other minerals. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, December 19, 2023 - Interra Copper Corp. (CSE: IMCX) (FSE: 3MX) ("Interra" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news releases of December 7, 2023, and December 15, 2023, and due to additional demand for flow-through shares of the Company (each, an "FT Share"), the Company intends to issue a further 880,000 FT Shares at a price of $0.29 per FT Share on a non-brokered private placement basis for aggregate gross proceeds of $255,200 (the "Private Placement").

There are no warrants associated with the FT Shares and, subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, the Company anticipates closing the Private Placement prior to yearend.

Each FT Share will constitute a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and the gross proceeds of the Private Placement will be used by the Company for exploration and related programs, which qualify as "Canadian exploration expenses" and "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures", as such terms are defined in the Tax Act, in connection with Interra's projects in British Columbia. Subject to compliance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and applicable securities legislation, the Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the Private Placement.

All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws of four months and one day from the date of closing of the Private Placement.

The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold absent registration or compliance with an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

In addition, the Company announces that it has entered into a securities for debt settlement agreement dated December 18, 2023 (the "Agreement") with a consultant of the Company.

Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company has agreed to settle debt in the amount of $70,537.00 through the issuance of 282,148 units (each, a "Unit") at a deemed price of $0.25 per Unit, whereby each Unit shall be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Share") and one half (1/2) of one (1) Share purchase warrant (each whole, being a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be convertible into an additional Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.35 per Warrant Share and will expire on the date that is three (3) years following the date of issuance (the "Expiry Date"). The Expiry Date shall be subject to acceleration where the volume-weighted average trading price of the Company's common shares on the CSE is equal to or greater than $0.45 for a continuous 30-day period at any time after that date which is four (4) months following the date of issuance, in which case the Expiry Date of the Warrants shall automatically accelerate and the Warrants will expire on that date which is 30 days after the date on which notice of such acceleration event is provided to the holder.

The Agreement and the issuance of the securities thereunder are subject to the approval of the CSE. The securities will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day pursuant to CSE policies and applicable securities laws.

On behalf of the Board of Interra Copper Corp.

Rick Gittleman

Interim CEO & Chairman

For further information contact:

Katherine Pryde

Investor Relations

+1 (778) 949-1829

investors@interracoppercorp.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or" should" occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the Private Placement and the debt settlement transaction, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, and the use of proceeds from the Private Placement are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Interra, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary approvals in connection with the Private Placement and the Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, the ability to complete exploration work, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Interra does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191734
Vancouver, December 20, 2023 - Inflection Resources Ltd. (CSE:AUCU) (OTC:AUCUF) (FSE:5VJ) (the "Company" or "Inflection") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing drill program in New South Wales, Australia conducted under the Exploration Agreement with AngloGold Ashanti Australia Limited ("AngloGold") announced on June 14, 2023.

Summary Highlights:

Recent drilling has focused on eight principal target areas: Duck Creek, Fairholme, Canonba, Nine Mile, Meringo, Nyngan, Trangie and Marra;

An additional 6,636 metres comprising 16 holes was drilled, bringing the total to 13,524 metres and 30 holes completed thus far under the AngloGold Agreement;

Favourable hydrothermal alteration, interpreted to be associated with an alkalic copper-gold porphyry system has been intercepted in deeper drill holes in the Duck Creek target. Drill hole DCKDH017 intercepted an extensive zone of inner propylitic hydrothermal alteration dominated by well-developed fracture-controlled to pervasive hematite - epidote - chlorite  calcite alteration with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite mineralisation. This style of inter propylitic alteration is often found in proximity to other alkalic porphyry systems in New South Wales and elsewhere;

Initial scout drilling into the Fairholme target intercepted a sequence of strongly deformed, fine-grained, biotite bearing rocks with localised chalcopyrite  bornite-bearing quartz veins; and,

Recent drilling at Duck Creek, Myallmundi and Fairholme was reviewed by Inflection Technical Advisor Dr. Alan Wilson who is an Economic Geologist and a specialist in alkalic porphyry systems worldwide. Dr. Wilson completed the first PhD on Newmont's Cadia Valley porphyry gold-copper deposits located in the Macquarie Arc and which remains one of Australia's largest copper-gold mines.

Alistair Waddell, Inflection's President and CEO, states: "The Company is very happy with the ongoing drill campaign in New South Wales and to have drilled the most extensive zone of alteration on the Duck Creek project to-date. We are particularly encouraged with the extent and intensity of favourable hydrothermal alteration in drill hole DCKDH017, which is interpreted to be inner propylitic domain dominated by pervasive hematite with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite. This style of alteration is often found directly adjacent to copper-gold mineralization in other Alkalic porphyry systems found worldwide. The Company is also highly encouraged with the first hole into the Fairholme target. There are still many geological questions to be answered, including the age of mineralisation, but we are happy to have intercepted chalcopyrite-bornite bearing quartz veins with the first hole into this specific target area. The Company is looking forward to follow-up drilling as well as continuing the program of first-pass scout drilling in the New Year on the large portfolio of drill targets".

Duck Creek - Drilling:

Two deep drill holes (DCKDH016 and 017) totalling 1,401.8 metres have recently been completed on the northern Duck Creek exploration license (Figures 1 and 2). The two holes are located approximately 1,200 metres apart and tested two distinct, circular magnetic lows.

The Company considers the Duck Creek exploration license to be highly prospective for large-scale alkalic porphyry-related copper-gold style deposits related to favourable magnetic and gravity features within part of the prospective Macquarie Arc volcanic sequence. Inflection drilling intersected strongly hydrothermally altered rocks with characteristics similar to those found adjacent to mineralised alkalic copper-gold systems such as Newmont's Cadia mine (Cadia East and Ridgeway deposits) and the Northparkes mine complex. In addition to strong inner propylitic alteration, chalcopyrite and blebs of bornite are locally associated with biotite-albite-K-feldspar-tourmaline potassic alteration.



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Figure 1: Target location map, northern New South Wales

The geology of the northern Duck Creek target consists of andesitic volcanics, comprising both polymictic volcanic breccias/conglomerates and massive andesites that are likely to be both lava flows and subvolcanic intrusions. Equigranular to weakly porphyritic hornblende-bearing monzonite to quartz monzonite occur in holes DCKDH016 (east side of target area - Figure 3) and DCKDH017 (west side of target area - Figure 4) and are interpreted to be pre-alteration in timing due to their largely equigranular groundmass and variably altered nature. Hydrothermal alteration intercepted to-date at Duck Creek is dominated by inner propylitic assemblages and shows the following characteristics and distribution:

Well-developed fracture-controlled to pervasive hematite-epidote-chlorite  calcite alteration with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite, is widespread in holes DCKDH007 and DCKDH017 (Figure 4);

Porous and permeable volcaniclastic units are commonly pervasively altered to the above assemblage whilst massive and broadly impermeable andesites are subject to fracture-controlled and pervasive inner propylitic alteration; and,

Mineralisation associated with this alteration comprises minor disseminations and clots of pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite.

In the context of the known alkalic porphyry copper-gold deposits of the Early Silurian Cadia district, inner propylitic alteration is documented to extend 100 to >400 metres away from the transition from this assemblage to copper-gold bearing potassic and calc-potassic alteration at the high grade Ridgeway deposit, whilst at the Cadia East deposit, the inner propylitic alteration extends for up to 400 metres from mineralised potassic alteration in the hanging wall of this inclined porphyry deposit. In both instances, porphyry-related quartz veining is reportedly very minor to absent in areas of inner propylitic alteration.



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Figure 2: Duck Creek drill hole location map on background RTP magnetics.



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Figure 3: Duck Creek diamond drill core - Hole DCKDH016 - 398.50 metres. Hematite altered quartz monzonite with quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veining. Hole was drilled to a depth of 506.7 metres in an easterly direction (091) with a dip of -70.



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Figure 4: Select Duck Creek diamond drill core - Hole DCKDH017. Drilled to a depth of 895.1 metres in an east-north-easterly direction (080) and a dip of -70. NQ sized core shows a variety of different inner propylitic alteration styles.

See link here for high resolution DCKDH017 core photos from the entire hole. DCKDH017 - Inflection Resources

The Company is still awaiting many assay results from the laboratory, as well as key geochronology samples, green rock analysis, petrographic and spectral studies, all of which need to be reviewed and incorporated into our evolving geological model where we will apply a large-scale, systems-thinking approach to the ongoing drill targeting.

Duck Creek - Geophysical Surveys:

Three separate geophysical surveys have been completed on the Duck Creek exploration license including Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT), an Induced Polarisation/Magnetotellurics (IP/MT) survey and a ground gravity study. All data has now been received and the results of the surveys are currently being interpreted by Inflection and AngloGold in conjunction with Perth based consultants Mira Geoscience. Results of the integrated surveys will be released in the new year although preliminary indications are the ANT and gravity surveys have worked very well and the IP/MT did not appear to penetrate the post-mineral sedimentary cover.

Fairholme - Drilling:

One drillhole (FARDH002) totalling 534.3 metres was completed on the Fairholme target. The hole was designed to test the margin of a distinct magnetic high. Rocks in this hole are mainly fine-grained, biotite-bearing, variably deformed and locally brecciated often cemented by a fine-grained quartz diorite porphyry. The rock is cut by strongly deformed quartz veins that locally contain abundant chalcopyrite and lesser bornite (Figure 5).

Whilst difficult to decipher, these rocks are interpreted by Inflection to be fine-grained volcaniclastics with associated biotite, chalcopyrite  bornite-bearing quartz veins that have experienced upper greenschist facies metamorphism and structural deformation. The Company is still awaiting the assays, several petrographic samples as well as a key geochronology sample before planning any additional drilling.



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Figure 5: Drill hole FARDH002 - 501 metres - Quartz-chalcopyrite-bornite veins that display ductile folding.

Nine Mile:

Five drillholes (NMLDH005-009) totalling 1,446 metres were completed on the Nine Mile target. The five holes were drilled to test a variety of different geophysical targets. Holes NMLDH005 and NMLDH009 intersected weak to moderately chlorite-epidote altered and magnetic feldspar porphyritic andesite. Drill hole NMLDH006 intersected well bedded siltstone and holes NMLDH007 and NMLDH008 intersected magnetic, unaltered equigranular diorite. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated.

Meringo:

One drillhole (MERDH004) totalling 450 metres was completed on the Meringo target. The hole was drilled to test a large aeromagnetic complex inferred to represent a zone of magnetite enrichment, associated with porphyry-copper-gold mineralisation below unconformable Devonian to Silurian limestones. Beneath the limestones the hole intercepted highly magnetic, unmineralized megacrystic andesites interpreted to be lava flows. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated and no further work is planned on the Meringo target.

Trangie:

Four drillholes (TRNDH019, 020, 021, 022) totalling 1,980 metres were completed on the Trangie target to step-out from previous holes which intersected intense epidote-albite alteration and elevated porphyry-related path-finder elements. The four holes all intersected an intercalated sequence of moderate chlorite and weak-moderate epidote altered volcaniclastic sediments and andesites. A full review of these and all previous holes will be completed prior to planning any additional holes into this target. Assays have only been received for drill hole TRNDH019 which returned maximum values of 2 metres at 0.23% Cu and 0.09 g/t Au from 433 metres. Assays from all other holes are pending.

Nyngan:

One drillhole (NYNDH001) totalling 169.9 metres was completed on the Nyngan target. The hole tested the margin of a distinct magnetic high and intercepted a mixed package of epidote and haematite altered andesites and andesitic volcaniclastics with patchy disseminated pyrite and occasional quartz veins. Assays are pending.

Canoba:

One drillhole (CANDH001) totalling 474.5 metres was completed on the Canoba target. The hole tested a discreet aeromagnetic high and intersected intercalated chlorite altered siltstone and epidote altered magnetic andesite. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated, and no further work is planned on the Canoba target.

Marra:

One drill hole (MARDH003) was drilled on the Marra target to a depth of 190 metres to test a distinct, circular magnetic low. Drilling intersected a heavily fractured, flow-banded, hematite-sericite altered quartz-alkali feldspar trachyte. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated, and no further work is planned on the Marra target.

Drilling Plans Going Forward:

The Company is still awaiting a large number of assay results from the laboratory, as well as key geochronology samples, green rock analysis, petrographic and spectral studies, all of which will be incorporated into our evolving geological models for the various targets including Duck Creek and Myallmundi. Early in the new year while awaiting all the various results, drilling will initially focus on the northern-most targets, specifically, Newhaven, Whiskey Creek, Wombat Creek, Boorooma, Borgara, Brewon, Warrawing, Merri Merri and Minoru (Figure 1).

AngloGold Exploration Agreement Terms:

All the work programs noted above form part of the AngloGold Ashanti Exploration Alliance where AngloGold is sole funding up to AUD$10,000,000 on exploration expenditures across a wide range of different intrusive related exploration targets over a maximum 36-month period, which includes a minimum expenditure commitment of AUD$6,000,000. Inflection is operating Phase I and is receiving a 10% management fee for doing so. Upon completion of Phase I, AngloGold then retains the right to designate up to five individual projects where it may potentially earn up to a 75% interest in each by completing various milestones. See Inflection news release dated June 14, 2023 for further details. https://inflectionresources.com/inflection-resources-and-anglogold-ashanti-sign-definitive-exploration-agreement-across-portfolio-of-copper-gold-projects-in-australia/

About Inflection's NSW Projects:

The Company is systematically exploring for large copper-gold and gold deposits in the northern interpreted extension of the Macquarie Arc, part of the Lachlan Fold Belt in New South Wales. The Macquarie Arc is Australia's premier porphyry copper-gold province host to Newmont's Cadia deposits, the CMOC Northparkes deposits and Evolution Mining's Cowal deposits plus numerous exploration prospects including Boda, the discovery made by Alkane Resources.

The Company uses cost-effective mud-rotary drilling to cut through unmineralised post-mineral sedimentary cover before changing to diamond core drilling once basement is reached. It is well documented that mineralised bodies elsewhere in the belt, in particular porphyry and intrusive related systems, have large district-scale alteration and geochemical halos or footprints surrounding them. The Company typically completes a series of short diamond drill holes into bedrock rather than just one or two deep and more expensive diamond drill holes. Multiple data points gained from alteration and mineral geochemistry is then used to vector additional deeper holes. This is a proven exploration strategy in the covered segments of the Macquarie Arc having been directly responsible for the discovery of the Northparkes and Cowal deposits.

Qualified Person and Sampling Quality Control:

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Carl Swensson (FAusIMM), a "Qualified Person" ("QP") as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Drilling is being conducted using a truck-mounted multi-purpose drill rig. Mud rotary drilling is utilised to drill through the cover sequence before transitioning to diamond drilling using NQ sized core at the unconformity. Core is logged at the Company's field office, photographed and marked before being cut to the Company's specified sample intervals. Half core samples are placed in bags with internationally certified blanks and standards inserted. Samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratories in Orange NSW, an accredited analytical laboratory meeting ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015. Samples are prepared by crushing and grinding via ALS methods CRU-21 and PUL-32 respectively. The pulps are then assayed for 48 elements via ALS method ME-MS61 using a 25g sample after a four acid near total digest with an ICP-MS finish. Gold is assayed by fire assay using ALS method Au-AA23 using a 30g sample charge and AAS finish. Laboratory standards and QA-QC are monitored by the Company. Coarse rejects from the sample preparation are subjected to spectral analysis.

About Inflection Resources Ltd. Inflection is a technically driven copper-gold and gold focused mineral exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "AUCU" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "AUCUF" with projects in Australia. For more information, please visit the Company website at www.inflectionresources.com.

Inflection is part of the NewQuest Capital group which is a discovery-driven investment company that builds value through the incubation and financing of mineral projects and companies. Further information about NewQuest can be found on the company website at www.nqcapitalgroup.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Alistair Waddell

President and CEO

alistair@inflectionresources.com

For further information, please contact:

Brennan Zerb

Investor Relations Manager

+1 (778) 867-5016

bzerb@inflectionresources.com

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, amount of drilling, receipt of the maximum amount of available grant funding, anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, AngloGold's anticipated funding of the Minimum Commitment and timing thereof, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's exploration plans. the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated June 12, 2020 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver - 20 December 2023 - Newlox Gold Ventures Corp. ("Newlox" or the "Company") (CSE:LUX) (Frankfurt/Stuttgart:NGO) (OTC:NWLXF) is pleased to announce that it has successfully procured all equipment needed to complete the planned electrical upgrade at its Boston Project (Plant 2) in Costa Rica. All necessary components are now on-site and in the Company's possession. Of particular importance, given the global shortage of this equipment, is an electrical transformer, which has now been delivered and is awaiting installation on site.

The delivery of this equipment represents a significant milestone in the Company's operations. The Boston Project will soon benefit from connection to the Costa Rican grid, which is a stable and 98% renewable electricity system.

The Boston Project is slated to become the Company's second environmentally and socially responsible precious metals project in Costa Rica. The Project will process feedstock newly extracted from the Boston Mine by the Company's local mining partners. At full scale, Newlox will operate the new Boston mill to process 150 tonnes per day of material grading +- 15 grams per tonne gold with an anticipated gold recovery of 90%. All feedstock is to be provided by the Company's mining partners, with profits to be split evenly between the parties.

"Management is delighted to report that all the equipment required for the Plant 2 electrical upgrades, including the transformer, which is a potentially long lead time item, are now in the Company's possession. Newlox Gold's electrical contractors are now working on the installation of the equipment according to the electrical plan, which has been approved by local regulators. The Company will be providing updates to the market as this procedure advances," commented Ryan Jackson, CEO of Newlox Gold Ventures Corp..

Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the completion of the work programs currently underway and the results of these programs. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, achievements, or performance may vary materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. The material risk factors that could cause actual results to differ include the risk that work undertaken by the Company may have unintended effects, the risk of delays in completing work, and the risk that the Company may not be able to raise sufficient funds and Force Majeure. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release).

Technical Disclaimer

The Company advises it is not basing any decision to produce on a feasibility study of reserves demonstrating the economic and technical viability of the project and also advises there is increased uncertainty and specific economic and technical risks of failure associated with any production decision. Grab sample results included in any press release are not necessarily indicative of the mineralization in general for the deposit. James Turner, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has prepared, supervised the preparation of, and approved the contents of this News Release.

On Behalf of the Board, Newlox Gold Ventures Corp.

Contact Newlox Gold

Newlox Gold Ventures Corp.

Website: www.newloxgold.com

Email: info@newloxgold.com

Phone: + 1 604 256 0493

Join our Mailing List

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Perth, December 20, 2023 - Golden Horse Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: GHML) ("Golden Horse" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 18,461,538 common shares in the capital of the Company at a price of C$0.0975 per share for gross aggregate proceeds of up to approximately C$1.8 million (the "Offering").

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering to fund gold and lithium exploration efforts on its projects in the Southern Cross region of Western Australia, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The securities issuable pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from their date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Company may pay a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers under the Offering introduced to the Company by certain persons (each a "Finder"). Each Finder will receive a cash payment equal to 5% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers under the Offering who were introduced to the Company by such Finder.

The Company anticipates closing the Offering prior to the end of 2023, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, receipt of any other required regulatory approvals and satisfactions of other customary closing conditions.

It is expected that certain directors and officers of the Corporation may participate in the Offering. As a result, the Offering is expected to be a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company expects to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation in the Offering by such directors and officers is not expected to exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Golden Horse Minerals Limited

Golden Horse is a gold exploration company which has consolidated the rights to a large highly prospective area covering one of Australia's most successful gold provinces in the Southern Cross region of Western Australia. The Golden Horse tenure is more than 900km2 within a large geological phenomenon known as the Southern Cross Greenstone Belt. The Belt spans approximately 400km in length and has produced more than 12 million ounces of gold. It is one of the top precious metals provinces in Western Australia. The Greenstone belt consists of altered intrusive and meta-sedimentary rocks which are supported by two operating gold mills at the Marvel Loch and Edna May processing plants. To learn more about the Company, visit our website at https://goldenhorseminerals.com/.

On behalf of Golden Horse Minerals Ltd.

For more information contact:

Graeme Sloan

Director / Interim CEO

Email: gs@goldenhorseminerals.com.au

+61 9322 1788

David Tasker

Chapter One Advisors

Email: dtasker@chapteroneadvisors.com.au

+61 433 112 936

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This release contains "forwardlooking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to statements relating to the terms of the Offering, the receipt of regulatory approvals for the Offering and closing of the Offering. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development, the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations, fluctuations in the prices of gold and other commodities, operating hazards and risks inherent in the resource industry, competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's financial statements and/or management discussion and analysis available on www.sedarplus.ca The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191812
Vancouver, December 20, 2023 - Rome Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RMR) (FSE: 33R) ("Rome" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has fully exercised the second option under its option agreement with Andreas Friedrich Reitmeier and Medidoc-RD Congo SARLU dated the 15th day of August 2022, as amended the 6th day of June 2023 (the "MRDC Option Agreement"). As a result, Rome has increased its earned undivided indirect interest in and to exploration permit PEPM 13274 from 21.75% to 51.475%.

Pursuant to the MRDC Option Agreement, Rome initially acquired a 21.75% undivided interest in and to exploration permit PR 13274. PR 13274 was subsequently converted to PEPM 13274. Rome has now acquired a further 29.725% indirect interest in PEPM 13274 (for a total indirect interest of 51.475%) by funding additional exploration expenditures totalling CAD$1,750,000 at exploration permit PEPM 13274 and by issuing a total of 30,000,000 RMR shares, of which 10,000,000 RMR shares were issued to Mark Gasson, the Company's president; 10,000,000 RMR shares were issued to Dr. Andreas Reitmeier and 10,000,000 RMR shares were issued to Klaus Eckhof. The 30,000,000 RMR shares are restricted from trading until April 20, 2024 and, in addition thereto, are subject to escrow provisions.

Rome now holds indirect interests of 51.475% in PEPM 13274 and 51% in PR 15130 and has an agreement in place to acquire an additional 15% interest in PR 15130.

About Rome Resources

Rome Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that has entered into two option agreements and a binding term sheet to acquire direct and indirect interests in two contiguous properties situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, which are collectively referred to as the "Bisie North Tin Project". Rome has completed an initial phase of drilling on the project where it is responsible to fund exploration up to the completion of a definitive feasibility study.

Contacts

Investors / Shareholders

Mark Gasson

President, CEO & Director

P: (604) 687-6140

Media

E: info@romeresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release may include certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although Rome Resources Ltd. believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Rome Resources Ltd. disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191814
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is doing everything to avoid signing a peace treaty with Armenia, Armenian Member of Parliament Armen Khachatryan has warned.

Yes, Azerbaijan has a negative disposition, perhaps Azerbaijan isnt interested in a peace treaty. Azerbaijan understands that a result [of a peace treaty] Armenias economy could grow rapidly, and there could be serious prospects for Armenias development. They study this very well and they draw conclusions. Naturally, they arent too excited over Armenia having such a prospect. Today we see that Azerbaijan is doing everything in order to avoid signing a peace treaty or signing the kind of treaty that would be clearly guaranteed. Even if its signed, Azerbaijan is now doing everything in order for it to be at least like the November 9 document, to be able to breach all terms, which we have witnessed and which we will not allow. But this isnt up to Azerbaijan, there is the international community, the West, there are many countries, and of course today there is a lot of diplomatic pressure on Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan must be brought to the constructive field, Khachatryan told reporters.
On Feb. 22, 2011, state and local law enforcement agencies got a scary message from the feds: The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) could no longer pay to clean up methamphetamine labs, which had risen to near-record levels in recent years.By that time, most jurisdictions had already written their budgets, which didnt include picking up the federal governments tab for cleaning up meth labs. The feds money, however -- roughly $10 million under the Community Oriented Policing Services program -- had ran out just halfway through the fiscal year.To say that it opened up Pandoras box is an understatement, says Tommy Farmer, director of the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force, which had the nations highest number of meth lab seizures in 2010. All of a sudden, the state and local agencies were faced with this bill. We didnt know what to do.Because the money needed to replace federal cleanup funding could bankrupt smaller municipalities, some law enforcement agencies were pressured to turn a blind eye, Farmer says. Heads may have been turned more often than not, because lab seizures in Tennessee plummeted 75 percent in March 2011 -- right after federal funding ran out -- and then rose by 73 percent in July 2011, when the state started a cheaper cleanup program.Despite the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2006, which put strict regulations on over-the-counter products that contain pseudoephedrine, like Sudafed and Claritin, the labs ultimately prevailed. Initially, the law was extremely successful -- meth lab-related seizures plummeted from more than 12,000 in 2005 to 6,000 in 2007, according to the DEA. But by 2008, meth lab-related seizures began creeping back up nationwide, reaching near-record highs in 2010. In Tennessee, law enforcement dealt with more meth lab seizures than ever before -- mainly because people who produce meth, referred to as meth cooks, quickly adapted to the new federal law.It led to a new cottage industry called smurfing, says DEA Special Agent Jeffrey Scott. Meth cooks hire smurfs to recruit third parties -- often homeless people, college students and the elderly -- to buy over-the-counter drugs for them. Fifteen states, including Tennessee, have implemented electronic tracking systems to monitor pseudoephedrine sales and cut down on smurfing. But tracking pseudoephedrine sales hasnt reduced use or production, says Farmer. Its just provided us with more information.Another development since the 2006 law was the discovery of the shake-and-bake method, which requires fewer chemicals and less equipment, time and money, but is significantly more dangerous and leads to more explosions than the traditional meth-making process. Because of this new method, rural area labs have been able to produce higher quantities, while at the same time, meth labs have begun expanding into urban areas.With more meth, more mess and no funding, Tennessee was forced to find an affordable way to pay for cleanup. It looked to other states battling the meth epidemic for solutions and settled on an authorized central storage container program.For years, state and local law enforcement would bust meth labs and then wait for specially trained DEA contractors to arrive and clean up the hazardous mess. It was an expensive process since the agents were often needed past normal working hours, increasing the costs of contractors visits. Now, instead of waiting for contractors to do the work, state and local law enforcement are trained to do it themselves -- consider it DIY meth lab cleaning. Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma have each established a similar program in the last few years.After officers properly clean the premises, they take the hazardous materials to one of 12 strategically placed containers throughout the state. Instead of being called to every meth lab seizure in the wee hours of the night, the DEA contractors now pick up the hazardous materials from the central storage bins during regular business hours. By removing the contractors from the cleanup process and cutting down on the number of times theyre used for disposal, the cost of cleanup has dropped from the national average of $2,500 to just $500 in Tennessee. Since starting the program in July, the state has amassed a cost savings of $3.47 million. Were really pushing the envelope as to what were asking our law enforcement to do, but we dont have a choice, says Farmer.In his fiscal 2013 budget, President Obama proposed $12 million for anti-meth activities -- roughly the same amount as last year. But if the number of meth labs keeps going up, the cost savings from the new program may not be enough. Thats why some states want to take the federal meth law even further and make pseudoephedrine a prescription-only drug. Oregon and Mississippi have already done so, and seven other states, including Tennessee, have pending legislation to follow suit. But there is some resistance to the idea. Oklahoma recently killed just such a bill. The pharmaceutical industry and several local associations representing doctors, pharmacists and grocers lobbied against it, saying the bill would only place new costs and access restrictions on law-abiding citizens.That argument doesnt phase Farmer, who says state action wont be enough. After Mississippi passed its prescription-only law, Tennessees sales of pseudoephedrine doubled -- largely from people crossing state lines to buy it. Farmer insists that the only thing that will curb meth production and use is a federal law returning pseudoephedrine to a controlled substance.States doing it piecemeal is better than nothing, he says, but with as many border crossings as we have, it makes it very difficult for a state by itself to do something.
Germany celebrates F1's return to free TV

German stakeholders and Formula 1 fans are celebrating the sport's 2024 return to free-to-air television screens.

Nico Hulkenberg, Abu Dhabi GP 2023

 Haas F1 Team / LAT

This year, with Nico Hulkenberg now the only German driver, and with no German races on the calendar, exclusive pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland recorded an alarming slump in audience numbers for 2023.

Things will change for 2024. Sky has entered a new 2-year arrangement with Germany's traditional free-to-air F1 broadcaster RTL to air seven of the 24 grands prix per season.

For the first time in my life, I'm at a loss for words, colourful former RTL commentator Kai Ebel told the Kolner Express newspaper.

I have various projects already for 2024, but of course, Formula 1 is my life and it would be very nice to work on the grid again. We'd have to talk about it first.

Hulkenberg also welcomes the development as great news .

As a German F1 driver, I am of course pleased that the sport will once again gain visibility among the masses in my home country, he told RTL.

It's an important step after the relevance of the sport in this country declined in recent years.

Even Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko, an Austrian, commented: "I am very pleased that RTL, which made Formula 1 so popular in Germany, is coming back.
Focus on skills, not just degrees: AGI Chief challenges universities to partner with industry

Daniel Kenu Business News Dec - 20 - 2023 , 14:46

The CEO of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah has issued a strong call to action for the nation's universities.

He urges them to shift their focus from "abstract courses" to industry-driven programs that equip graduates with practical skills and address real-world challenges.

Speaking at the 15th graduation ceremony of the Ghana Baptist University College (GBUC), Mr. Twum-Akwaboah emphasized the need to prioritize "programs that benefit society, not just the pursuit of a degree."

He declared the era of "irrelevant programs" over, highlighting the urgency to adapt to the changing economic landscape.

Addressing the 428 graduating students, Mr. Twum-Akwaboah acknowledged the limitations of the current job market. He encouraged graduates to embrace lifelong learning and adaptability, stating, "Never think that university education without jobs is useless. It moulds you for the job market, but beyond this, be willing to learn new things."

Skill and innovation were identified as key factors for success in today's dynamic business world. The AGI CEO urged graduates to acquire relevant skills and knowledge to thrive in the fast-paced global economy, emphasizing their potential to contribute to the resurgence of Ghana's key sectors.

Recognizing the shift towards a knowledge-based economy, Mr. Twum-Akwaboah challenged graduates to explore entrepreneurial opportunities. He encouraged them to see the current economic challenges as a potential launchpad for their ventures.

The ceremony also saw a passionate address from GBUC President Prof. Joseph Oteng-Adjei. He reiterated the university's vision to equip graduates with both knowledge and practical life skills, contributing positively to national development. He acknowledged the complex issue of unemployment and declared the university's commitment to building students' capabilities to navigate the job market.

Prof. Oteng-Adjei concluded by urging graduates to utilize their acquired skills and knowledge to actively contribute to the nation's progress.
Stratcomm Africa empowers SMEs in Brand Reputation Week 2023

Graphic.com.gh Business News Dec - 20 - 2023 , 09:42

Ghana's leading communication agency, Strategic Communication Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa), has successfully concluded its second edition of Brand Reputation Week 2023.

The two-day event, themed "Driving SME Growth Through Strategic Communication," aimed at enhancing the communication skills of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to facilitate their growth and profitability.

The program, held from December 5th to 6th, attracted entrepreneurs from various sectors, including food and beverage, fashion, beauty, film, construction, real estate, and communication.

The comprehensive capacity-building clinic and training program featured seasoned Stratcomm Africa consultants who provided insights into communication principles and tools crucial for sustainable business growth in today's competitive landscape.

Topics covered during the event included the significance of developing coherent communication strategies aligned with business goals, digital communication, building and sustaining brand reputation, and business plan development and implementation. Mawuena Trebarh, a renowned business strategist, emphasized the importance of a robust business plan as the foundation for a positive brand reputation.

The Communication and Brand Reputation Clinic provided a platform for participants to discuss and diagnose their unique communication needs and explore effective solutions. Aligning with Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrations, Brand Reputation Week highlighted the vital role SMEs play in national development.

The CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Esther A. N. Cobbah, emphasized the importance of SMEs for economic growth, stating, "SMEs are the backbone of our economy. As they thrive, the economy grows. Through working with SMEs to employ communication for growth, we demonstrate the importance of communication for business operations and national development."

The initiative, titled "Skill Up in Communication to Scale up your Business," has evolved over the years, exposing stakeholders to the effective use of communication for personal, business, and community enhancement.

Participants expressed gratitude for the valuable exposure and experience gained during the event. A participant from the food and beverage sector remarked, "The two-day event has been enlightening, emphasizing the significance of effective communication and brand positioning. It has underscored that running a business requires a level of intensity we had not fully grasped."
Placing mental health under NHIS good move

Daily Graphic Editorials Dec - 20 - 2023 , 09:13

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes mental health as a "state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community".

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception and behaviour.

Health experts say it includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence and self-actualisation of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others.

Available literature describes some early signs associated with mental health as sleep irritation, lack of energy, lack of appetite, thinking of harming oneself or others, self-isolation, and frequently zoning out.

It is estimated that one in every eight people in the world lives with a mental disorder and this involves significant disturbances in thinking, emotional regulation or behaviour.

The WHO estimates that approximately,13 per cent of the population in Ghana suffer from a mental disorder, of which three per cent suffer from a severe mental disorder and the other 10 per cent suffer from a moderate to mild mental disorder.

Mental health care remains a challenge, with a 98 per cent treatment gap.

Among patients seeking treatment for mental health issues, schizophrenia, substance abuse and mood disorders are the top three diagnoses, although a large percentage of people receive no specific diagnosis.

Since 2022, the country has been implementing the Director Generals Special Initiative for Mental Health (DG-SIMH) to address the gaps and strengthen the standard of mental health and well-being.

The five-year initiative supported by the Government of Norway and USAID seeks to get 100 million more people to access quality and affordable mental health services in 12 countries around the world, including Ghana.

Ghana was selected to be part of the WHOs Director Generals Special Initiative for Mental Health in 2021 to support systems transformation and scaling up of mental health services.

The Initiative seeks to ensure 5.2 million more Ghanaians have access to integrated, quality, person-centred mental health care in accordance with the Universal Health Coverage roadmap for Ghana.

In January 2023, United Nations member countries urged our government to address the shackling and inhumane treatment of people with mental health conditions in its recommendations made at the Human Rights Councils Universal Periodic Review of Ghana.

It said the country failed to meet its own commitment to protect the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities who are held in shackles in faith-based and traditional healing centres.

It further said that the inhumane practice of shackling existed due to inadequate support and mental health services, as well as widespread beliefs that stigmatised people with psychosocial disabilities.

Thankfully, all this will be a thing of the past as the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on December 12, 2023 announced that treatment for mental health would now be added to the benefits of the National Health Insurance Scheme from next year.

The move, he says, in addition to the construction of Agenda 111 health facilities and other measures, were part of the governments commitment to improving access to professional, accessible and affordable quality health services for the Ghanaian.

The Daily Graphic commends the government for taking such a huge initiative as this will help move many of the people off the streets.

Truth is, governments quest to add mental health to the benefits of the scheme is welcome news for many in the country as this is long overdue.

It will also help to better resource the few psychiatric hospitals in the country to provide adequate care for people who have mental health issues.

However, we also call on the government to establish the levy envisaged under the 2012 Mental Health Act to fund mental health services as a matter of priority.

Also, we call for the development of voluntary and accessible community-based mental health and support services so that families do not resort to shackling their relatives.
Can we have homes fit for Ghana?

Elizabeth Ohene Elizabeth Ohene Dec - 20 - 2023 , 07:13

We all know that if you are going to get sick with malaria, it is better to do so in Ghana than go down with malaria in London or San Francisco or Munich.

Never mind that these cities all have top-class medical facilities, you better take your chances with the young doctor at the clinic in Dambai, if the problem you have is malaria.

For all their fancy equipment and sophisticated training, it is quite likely the doctors in these three cities I have cited have never treated, nor maybe even ever come across anyone with malaria.

They have doubtless read about it in books and medical magazines but it is not the same as the doctor in Dambai who, on average, probably deals with about twenty malaria cases a day.

I would not be surprised that we would have doctors here who would go through a lifetime of practice and never deal with a case of frostbite.

In much the same way that my Dambai doctor would be completely at ease with malaria cases and at a loss when faced with frostbite, a doctor in a hospital in Siberia would be completely at ease with frostbite and at a loss when faced with a malaria case.

I am hoping that a medical doctor, no matter where she is trained, or practises, has the same basic skills that are required to deal with whatever problem would afflict you, and she would then adapt to the environment and concentrate on malaria or frostbite.

Architects

I have not set out to write an article about medicine and medical doctors.

I am only trying to understand how our architects are trained and how they practise, and I thought I would use the medical profession to help me get to the point.

Like medicine and all the other professions, the training of the first Ghanaians and subsequent ones started in foreign lands and from manuals that are alien to our culture.

Normally, once we get the basics, we move to domesticate the practice.

But not architecture, and I wonder why.

The designs and styles of the houses in the countries that brought the architecture profession to Ghana reflect their temperature, weather, lifestyle and culture.

I can understand that the ABC, or would it be the 123, of an architectural drawing of a family home would reflect how European families live and would be the type of buildings that our architects would learn to design as a standard house.

I can understand that when the European colonialists and traders came to our shores, they built on our land what they knew and what would suit their purposes, exemplified in the castles and the early bungalows they left.

How come that so many many decades after we started producing our own architects, nothing has changed in the basic design of the houses being designed and built for us?

I am a great believer and advocate for the standardisation of building materials and building regulations.

The only distinctive feature of Ghanaian architecture, for a long time, seemed to be the esoteric styles of individual architects, nothing that shows it is Ghanaian.

Code

Now that we finally have a building code, we might move from the absurdity of every single one of the eleven doors in my house being a different size and each one, therefore, needing to be custom-made and pushing the cost of building construction to be far more expensive than it need be.

One would hope that an earthquake-prone place would have different building designs from a hurricane-prone place, as earthquakes and hurricanes pose different challenges.

And so, one would have hoped that the houses that are designed and built for us would take into consideration the fact that we live in the tropics, we never have to heat our rooms; our rainfall is different from what passes for rain in the temperate zone.

And yet, every time there is something new that is introduced in the architectural space in Ghana, it is something that is being tried in Europe.

I remember very well the time of the concrete roofs when people were led to believe that an upmarket house in Ghana must have a concrete roof.

The concrete roofs probably work in Italy where I am told that particular fad started.

However, in our humid heat and our type of rain, it was a cruel experiment.

Dismayed

If I have been baffled by the look of our buildings, I have been dismayed by the composition of the structures even more.

How were we all lured into believing that a bathroom in Ghana must have a bathtub?

It is not difficult to see how bathtubs would be important elements in the house when it is freezing, and you are desperate to get your body warm before you get into bed.

But when you need a bath to wash away the sweat and cool yourself down before you get into bed, why would you want to stay in water with your sweat?

The concept of washing the body and having a bath is understood differently in the tropics and cold regions.

Because the temperate and cold climate people have this bathtub, we have also been made to believe that it should be part of a bathroom fixture.

Having spent a lot of money to fix a bathtub, we then stand in it and put a bucket of water in it to wash the body.

Or, if you are lucky to have a shower, you stand in the bathtub and use the shower.

Most people in this country who have bathtubs in their bathrooms have never had that famous soaking of the body in a bubble bath.

And yet some dont stop at a regular bathtub but spend good money on an expensive jacuzzi, which then stays unused in the bathroom and gathers dust.

Interestingly, many people are now removing their bathtubs from their bathrooms to have unencumbered shower spaces.

It appears, however, that you need courage to decide not to have a bathtub or jacuzzi installed in the first place.

I am certain that our architects could, if they wanted, design houses for us that would reflect our culture and our environment and make home construction generally cheaper.

Unfortunately, it appears they do not see it as being in their interest to design houses that would not need air-conditioning, bathrooms with bathtubs that are never used or kitchens that acknowledge that we cook palm soup, kobi and momoni.

If our architects start doing that, it will be like our lawyers abandoning their gowns and wigs.

They wont feel special and that wont do.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has accumulated scientific potential and its time for the government to make serious investments in science, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

Speaking at a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of founding of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), PM Pashinyan emphasized the important role of supporting science given that the government has been continuously increasing science funding since 2019.

The government increased science funding by 151% in 2023 compared to 2018, and in 2024 the funding will grow by 181%.

Mentioning the salary increase in the sector, the PM said that in 2022-2023 the number of persons engaged in science grew by 296, most of whom are scientists below the age of 55.

The glorious legacy of the NAS is viewed not just as a fact, but a necessary and highly important asset to make strategic investments in the future. Today, many active scientists in Armenia have concrete contributions in modern scientific achievements by being involved in international scientific teams, but their work isnt sufficiently covered. But the society must know all renowned scientists involved in breakthrough achievements, the Prime Minister said in his speech at the event.

He said that the government is investing in science not just for the scientists, but for Armenias future, because the government sees the countrys progress in serious scientific development and reforms.

Its impossible to envision Armenias future without a developed scientific-educational sector, and it is science and education where we see the strategic planning and guarantee of our countrys future, the Prime Minister said, noting the project on creating the Academic City.
Silver Jubilee of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; Asante artefacts returning home after 150 years to boost tourism

Kwame Asare Boadu Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:40

Gradually, African artefacts looted during the colonial era, are finding their way back to their countries of origin as discussions on restitution hit a crescendo, reports Graphic Online's Kwame Asare Boadu.

In the Republic of Benin, 26 royal artefacts that were looted from the Dahomey Kingdom by the French colonial army in 1892 have been repatriated.

Elsewhere in Ethiopia, 13 of the countrys treasures stolen in 1868 after the battle of Maqdala between the British and Ethiopian empires have been returned home following months of negotiations.

Officials said, the items, which include an intricately latticed processional cross, a richly coloured triptych depicting Jesus' crucifixion, and an ornate red and brass imperial shield, are part of the largest act of restitution in Ethiopia's history.

Asante artefacts

Here in Ghana, the Asantehene had been pushing for the return of Asante gold regalia from museums in Britain and expectations are that something positive will come out in 2024 to coincide with the silver jubilee coronation of the 16th Asante monarch, reports Graphic Online's Kwame Asare Boadu.

Already, the Manhyia Palace Museum, which has undergone massive transformation, is being prepared to receive the items, which will eventually boost tourism.

The return of the Asante artefacts will also coincide with two other important activities in Asanteman in 2024.

One of the activities is the celebration of 150 years of the third Anglo-Asante war of 1874.

It was a war in which a British expeditionary force, retaliating a crushing defeat by Asante two years earlier, marched into Kumasi, destroyed the palace of the Asantehene, Kofi Karikari and took away his insignia of authority and other valuables, most of which later found their way into museums in Britain.

An article titled, Asante Gold, published by the worlds leading museum of arts and culture, Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum said, The British ransacked the palace of the Asantehene, Kofi Karikari, and imposed an indemnity of 50,000 ounces of gold, part of which the Asante managed to pay by handing over gold beads and other worked jewellery. On return to Britain, some of this gold was auctioned by the London crown jewellers, Garrard's, to provide pensions for the wounded and next of kin. Garrard's is the source given for thirteen items of Asante court regalia acquired by the V&A in June 1874.

The V&A's collection includes a pipe, three pectoral discs (plus another acquired in 1883), a pair of silver anklets and a number of beaten gold pieces which were probably used to decorate state stools or swords.

The V&A museum itself has indicated that it is developing a programme to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1874 war in London.

According to the museum, a group of Ghanaian and British artists would jointly be engaged in a memorial in the British capital.

A third significant event that will also take place in Kumasi is the centenary of the return of the 13th Asantehene, Prempeh I from 28 years of exile in the Seychelles archipelago.

Clearly, 2024 will be a loaded year recognising the distinguished reign of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, reports Graphic Online's Kwame Asare Boadu.

Otumfuo (middle) with his technical advisors, Ivor Agyeman-Duah ( left) and Prof. Malcolm McLeod during the meeting with officials of the British Museum in London in May, this year.

Restitution

In his push for restitution, Otumfuo, during his visit to London in May 2023 to participate in the coronation of King Charles, took time to meet with the Director of the British Museum, Dr Hartwig Fischer who assured him that his outfit would consider granting his wishes through the established British laws.

A team constituted by the Asantehene made up of historian, museum economist and development specialist, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, and a former Keeper of Ethnography at the British Museum and Professor of History and Vice Principal of the University of Glasgow, Malcolm McLeod, has continued the discussions with the management of the British Museum and indications are that progress is being made.

Agyeman-Duah has also been holding discussions with the director of the V&A Museum, Dr Tristram Hunt in London and an agreement is expected to be signed before February 2024.

Importance

The return of the Asante artefacts, according to the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng, holds a lot of significance for Asante and Ghana.

In a conversation with Graphic Online's Kwame Asare Boadu, the Professor of History who studied at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, said the Asantehene has every right to demand repatriation of the precious items notwithstanding antiquity.

Prof. Kwarteng said once the artefacts were looted from the Asantehenes palace, demanding them back is in order.

It was a common practice that any war that was waged, the victors took away war booties.The Asante treasures were war booties, which were added to thtreasures of the British to indicate that they won a war against the Asantes, he said.

Highlighting how important the items are to the history of Asante, he stated:  It is very important, economically, socially, politically and academically. These treasure items will be kept in the Manhyia Palace Museum which will promote tourism. It will promote academic research, and above all it will showcase the rich culture of the Asante people.
Cardinal Resources supports Nangodi Health Centre

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:13

Cardinal Resources Ghana Limited, a gold exploration and development company, has donated four hospital beds and other accessories to the Nangodi Health Centre in the Nabdam District in the Upper East Region.

The support, which is in line with the corporate social responsibility of the company, was intended to equip the facility and position it to provide the required health services to residents within its operational area.

It was based on a request by the Assembly Member of the Nangodi Electoral Area, Sampana Zuure Abass, which also included an appeal for the renovation of the health facility.

Enhance capacity

Handing over the equipment, the Community and Social Responsibility Superintendent of the company, Maxwell Wooma, said the move was to enhance the capacity and ability of the hospital to render services to the people.

Our principle as a company is based on shared value by ensuring that while we are working, we in turn give back to the communities within our operational areas for our mutual benefit, he said.

He stressed that the support was to bring to the barest minimum needless referrals over the years that characterised the operations of the health centre, due to its inability to admit more patients.

He stated that although the assistance was upon a request, which involved the rehabilitation of the centre, the company saw it necessary to present the beds and find enough time to come back later to continue the support.

He commended the Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area, Napariyeong Kosom Yelzoya Asaga II, and the people for their unflinching support since the company began exploration for gold some years ago in the district.

A Physician Assistant in charge of the facility, Maxwell Avolsure, on behalf of the management and staff, expressed gratitude to the company for the timely response to their request, saying it would positively impact their operations.

He appealed for more support for items such as haematology analysers for testing full blood count and ultrasound machines to scan pregnancy, among others.

The Assembly Member, Mr Abass, lauded the company for its interventions towards the growth and development of the district, including the provision of three new boreholes for some deprived communities.

For her part, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Agnes Anamoo, thanked the company for their generosity towards the health facility and reiterated the appeal to them to renovate the facility to become one of its legacy projects in the district.
Ensuring Ghana Card inclusivityPWDs want special registration centre

Maclean Kwofi Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:54

Even before the nationwide registration exercise to capture citizens and non-citizens into the national identity register comes to an end, Persons with Disability (PWDs) are registering their displeasure about the process.

Their bone of contention is that the National Identification Authority (NIA) has not given them the needed preferential treatment with regard to the exercise in accordance with United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Their umbrella body, the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), has called for the establishment of a special registration centre to cater for those who are still without the Ghana Card.



Struggle for identity card

A cobbler at Adenta, Joshua Nimo, who is aided by wheelchair to move around, said he and others living with disabilities had to struggle to secure their identity cards.

He said it was for that reason that the United Nations (UN) convention on the rights of PWDs provides that physically challenged persons were accorded preferential treatment by not joining long queues at registration centres.

Despite the UN convention, he said many physically challenged persons went through difficulty daily to access services, such as obtaining a Ghana Card which should be inclusive.

I have still not been able to secure the Ghana Card due to the difficulties at the centres and for this reason I have abandoned the decision to acquire it.

As I speak, the SIM card I used for my phone is registered in my sisters name because I could not get the card to register before the deadline for SIM card registration, he said.



Replacement difficulties

A seamstress at Tudu in Accra, Daniella Amartey, who walks with crutches, said she had lost her card but replacing it had been extremely difficult due to the long queues at the centres.

I know the importance of the card but mine got lost last year along with my other personal belongings and I have not been able to replace it because of the difficulties at the centres, she added.

No existing protocol

A former President of GFD in the Greater Accra Region, Abdul Razak Yusif, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that only a few of the PWDs were able to acquire the card through their own struggles.

He said many others were still without the card and it was making it difficult for them to fully participate in activities requiring the card or transact business on their own.

The NIA has explained that provisions had been made for PWDs, the elderly, pregnant women and lactating mothers to be accorded special treatment when they visited the various registrations centres or offices of the NIA across the country.

Mr Yusif, however, maintained that no special treatment for PWDs existed.

There is no protocol at the centres that provide PWDs opportunity or special treatment to register; we need to struggle with everyone at the centre.

This is not hearsay or reports, I have been there and have experienced the difficulties at first hand, he said.

NIAs position

Interacting with some 20 selected West African journalists in Accra, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Professor Ken Attafuah, stated that the NIA had provided special preference in accordance with the law.

If a person with disability, lactating or breast-feeding mothers, pregnant women and elderly persons show up at our registration centres or our offices they are prioritised.

The law obliges us to provide special attention to these forementioned persons.

The law requires that we register all persons, including the mentally challenged persons in mental hospitals or those roaming in the streets, he said.

Prof. Attafuah said the NIA was working with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Prisons Service in an attempt to capture everyone in spite of their condition.

On whether a special registration centre would be established to cater for PWDs and other special needs persons, he answered in the negative and explained that the NIA had already finished mass registration exercise between April 2019 and September 2020.

Expert opinion

A digital analyst, John Kankam, commended the NIA for the significant feat achieved with regard to the registration of Ghanaians and non-citizens.

However, he explained that the authority should take steps to ensure that every individual was included in the register as part of measures to ensure inclusivity.

He added that an identity allowed people to access a wide range of goods and services, including bank accounts and markets for their businesses and government benefits.

This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
GBC presents items to flood victims

Alberto Mario Noretti Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:18

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has again donated a consignment of relief items to victims of the recent floods in some communities in the North Tongu District.

The items were mobilised through GTV Cares, a charity project set up to assist the flood victims.

They included bags of rice, cartons of cooking oil, packs of bottled water, clothing and toiletries.

GTV Cares last month similarly supported the flood victims at safe havens at Aveyime, Mepe, Agbetikpo, and Battor.

This time, the beneficiary communities were Vome, Torgodo and Homekpekpo in North Tongu, as well as Afalekpo, Badzi, Atigonu, Kledeke and Atogonu.

Presentation

Presenting the items, the GTV Cares Coordinator, Samuel Kotei, said the project would continue to visit affected communities and help them in various ways.

Mr Kotei entreated stakeholders of the communities to share the items fairly among the displaced persons.

Ghana Post also supported GTV Cares with some bags of rice for the victims and transported the items to the communities.

The Manklalo of Battor, Togbe Borbordzi, expressed gratitude for the items and described the presentation as very touching.

Togbe Borbordzi appealed to the government to construct decent accommodation for the displaced persons.

The Assembly Member of Vome, Gabriel Wetsi, said the floods ravaged many homes and farmlands and that would have a long-term effect on the livelihoods of the people.
GPHA commissions 2 tugboats

Della Russel Ocloo Dec - 20 - 2023 , 05:05

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has commissioned two new tugboats to boost its fleet and improve vessel turnaround time at the port.

The Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) high-performance tugboats, each weighing 80 tonnes, are equipped with modern navigation technology, which officials said would boost port operations and also enhance safety and environmental efficiency.

Sourced from Damen Shipyards in Vietnam and powered by twin diesel engines, the boats provide a free-running speed typically 12 to 15 nautical miles per hour and offer escort for bigger vessels with a cargo capacity of 5,000 to 14,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

Tugboats are marine vessels specifically designed to guide larger vessels to their berths.

They also serve as vital players in emergency response and pollution control, ensuring the safety of the port.

They are equipped with firefighting systems, including pumps, monitors and firefighting foam, allowing them to respond to emergencies at sea.

They are also fitted with advanced technology with integrated navigation and communication systems, close circuit television (CCTV) and remote-control capabilities.

The newly commissioned tugboats

The tugboats were named after Group Capt Edward Alexander Awuviri (retd), the first Director-General of the authority who supervised the 1986 merger of the Ghana Ports Authority, the Ghana Cargo Holding Company and the Takoradi Literage Company.

The other is named after Nestor Percy Galley, who also served as Director-General from March 2009 to February 2012.

Relevance

A Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassah Tampuli, said acquisition of the tugboats had become necessary to secure the movement of larger vessels that were hosted at the MPS Terminal Three facility.

He said the infrastructure investments at the ports were strategic to drive growth, guarantee safety and solidify the countrys regional maritime prominence.

The government remains committed to infrastructural development and service improvement through policy and strategy implementation," Mr Tampuli added.

He commended GPHA for its continued commitment to innovation, including the deployment of modern crafts to meet the growing demand of the maritime industry, while strengthening the countrys position as a port of choice in the sub-region.

Large vessels

The Director-General of GPHA, Michael Luguje, said the ports continued to receive large container vessels and dry bulk which required advanced equipment.

He said the GPHA was investing heavily in cutting-edge equipment and personnel and I am proud to say that these new tugboats are the first of their kind in any of the ports in the region, further showcasing our ambition to lead trade growth, Mr Luguje said.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of GPHA, Isaac Osei, added that the "tugboats are not just vessels, but a testament to our unwavering dedication to positioning our ports as the preferred choice for regional trade".
Low turnout marks district level elections

Daily Graphic Dec - 20 - 2023 , 02:00

Low voter turnout once again characterised yesterdays district level elections (DLE), an exercise to elect assembly and unit committee members for metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) across the country.

Unlike general elections that are characterised by long queues and breath-taking moments, the polling centres were without the vibrancy of national politics.

Instead, the general trickling in of voters, as witnessed by the Daily Graphic during visits to some polling centres in designated electoral areas in the Greater Accra Region, left the temporary staff recruited by the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct the elections virtually on holiday, with the centres looking forsaken, report Emmanuel Bonney & Timothy Ngnenbe.

Observation

The process was slow and uneventful in other places.

As of 1:30 p.m, the Daily Graphic observed that none of the polling centres visited had recorded more than a quarter of the eligible voters on the poll book.

At the Adabraka Official Town and Kinkawei Electoral areas, for instance, the paper observed that as of 11:50 a.m., none of the polling centres had recorded more than 40 voters.

At the Adabraka Official Town Electoral Area, the paper observed that 29 people had voted out of 247 persons on the voters register of the St Joseph Catholic One polling station, while 32 had voted out of 245 at the St Joseph Catholic Two polling station.

Similarly, 48 people had voted out of 437 voters at the Nayak Polling B centre.

While 58 had voted out of 439 at Nayak Polling Station at the Kinkawei Electoral area, the paper observed that 102 people had voted out of 475 at the Amantra Daycare Centre.

Story

The story was not different at the St Barnabas Anglican Primary 1A and B polling centres as 68 and 23 people, respectively, had voted out of registered voters of 409 and 156 on the respective voters registers.

Some electoral areas within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), including Ngleshie, Mudor, Kinka, Amamomo, Korle Wokon, and Korle Dudor, were also experiencing slow and low turnout when the paper visited.

The atmosphere at all the polling centres was generally calm and the verification machines were functioning properly.

At each of the polling centres, at least a security officer was on hand to ensure security and orderliness.

Others

There was also low voter turnout in the areas within the Ngleshie Amanfro Electoral Area in the Ga South Municipality.

As of 11:30 a.m, about 163 persons out of a total of about 3,000 in six polling centres had cast their ballots in the area.

At the Barbara Johnson International School Centre, 40 persons had voted as of 10:18 a.m.

The Presiding Officer, Benjamin Afoakwa, told the Daily Graphic that the EC officers had not encountered any problem.

He said the only issue that came up was the need for people to be directed to other polling centres because their names were not found in some centre codes.

We use the centre code to determine the centre you are to vote at, he said.

Civic responsibility

A third-time voter, Ernest Ansah, said it was a civic responsibility to vote for local level officers and a first-time voter, Erica Quaye, also affirmed the election was an important exercise meant for national development.

At the Ngleshie Amanfro M/A Primary 1, the Presiding Officer, Edem Kwasi Afealete, said there was no problem at the centre, and that people were comporting themselves.

An agent of one of the candidates, Prince Botchwey, confirmed the officers assertion, stressing that we dont have any problem.

At the Ngleshie Amanfro M/A Primary 3 centre, 22 out of the total of 375 had voted as of 11:06 a.m.

Voting time

The Presiding Officer, Ebenezer Bosompim, said voting started at 7 a.m.

Ngleshie Amanfro M/A Primary 2 had 36 out the 457 registered voters casting their ballots as of 11:22 a.m.

Asked about any challenge, the Presiding Officer, Vivian Effe Appiah, said registered voters are just not coming.

The 31st December Daycare Centre at Ngleshie Amanfro 1 had 40 out of 622 people voting as of about 11:20 a.m.

The process, the Presiding Officer, Ebenezer Ohene-Djan, said, has been smooth.

With regard to the 31st December Day Care Centre, Ngleshie Amanfro, 229 out of 743 persons had voted.

The people are just not coming, the Presiding Officer, Nii Acquaye Sampson, said.

Postponed

In some areas in the Ashanti and Eastern regions, however, some form of drama unfolded as the EC postponed the polls to tomorrow due to technical challenges.

The decision, said to be due to unforeseen issues, was contained in an EC statement released after the polls had begun in other areas.

The statement said the elections would now be held on Thursday, December 21, 2023, in those areas.

The Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, explained that it was due to printing challenges by contractors.

He said many of the ballot papers had been dispatched to the voting centres but due to lateness, the elections in those areas would now be held on Thursday, December 21.

The EC expressed its apologies for any inconvenience caused by the last-minute change.

It further emphasised its commitment to conduct the elections on the new date, urging the public to participate actively in selecting their local representatives.

Ho

From Ho in the Volta Region, Alberto Mario Noretti reports that turnout at the various polling stations in the Volta regional capital during the district assembly and unit committee elections was very low.

Officials of the EC were ready with voting materials by 7:00 a.m., but not many voters had turned up at the time.

At the Ho Municipal Assembly Polling Station, for instance, only 14 of the 235 registered voters had cast their vote as of 9:00 a.m.

The EC Presiding Officer, Edinam Alai, said there was no untoward incident.

At the Pentecost Church Polling Station 1, only 39 of the registered 673 had cast their vote as of 9:04 a.m.

A woman, Shine Quist, who turned up at the Volta Barracks Polling Station 2 with her voter identity card, left disappointed as her name could not be found in the register.

However, the presiding officer, who gave his name as Michael, refused to talk to the media or comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, as of 9:26 a.m no voter had turned up at the Volta Barracks Polling Station 2, which had 102 registered voters.

Only 37 people out of the registered 397 voters at the Ho-Dome Jubilee Church polling centre had voted as of 9:07 a.m.

Some eligible voters who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they were avoiding morning queues at the polling stations while others explained that they were traders who had to sell their stuff in the morning before going to the polling stations.

Frustrated voters

Samuel Kyei-Boateng reports from Akyem Oda that frustrated voters in six constituencies in the Akyemansa block of the Eastern Region who went to the various polling stations to cast their vote yesterday without success were livid over the disappointment.

The affected constituencies are Birim Central, Birim North, Akyem Swedru, Akyem Achiase, Ofoase-Ayirebi and Asene-Akroso-Manso.

When the Daily Graphic visited some of the polling stations in the constituencies, the disappointed voters said they turned up very early in order that they could vote and leave early to carry out their economic ventures.

In all the polling stations visited, no electoral official was around to explain why the voting materials had not arrived.

At the Oda Methodist JHS voting centre, the Presiding Member of the Birim Central Municipal Assembly, Clement Attafuah, who is also the incumbent assembly member for the Towobotom Electoral Area, explained that there was a glitch, and urged the voters to exercise restraint.

A few minutes after 10 a.m, the local radio stations in Oda announced that the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the EC had announced that due to some challenges, the elections in some electoral areas in the Eastern and Ashanti regions had been rescheduled to Thursday, December 21, 2023.

The disappointed voters left for their homes downhearted.
Policy on workplace sexual and gender-based violence in the offing

Augustina Tawiah & Rhoda Amponsah Dec - 20 - 2023 , 05:11

Oxfam in Ghana, an NGO, has organised a conference on a draft model policy to check workplace sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the country.

The policy, which is currently in its draft form, addresses workplace harassment, gender-based violence and more inclusion for persons with disability.

It is expected that when the policy is finally adopted, the guidelines in it would become the litmus that organisations could use to strengthen their policies on SGBV at the workplace.

Those without an existing policy on SGBV could also adopt the guidelines.

Participants in the conference which was held in Accra yesterday included representatives of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), Institute of Directors, the private sector, government agencies, the banking sector and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Significance

The Gender Advisor of Oxfam in Ghana, Thelma Akyere Hayford, said the policy would set the tone for a safer and more secure environment for all to contribute to nation building and development.

She said in drafting the policy, they looked at the SGBV statistics for 2021, which indicated that the private sector needed to be engaged more.

The participants

It also showed that although companies had policies on anti-sexual harassment and gender-based violence, there was not enough awareness of it, while its implementation was also an issue.

So it was necessary that we look at the various organisations and come up with the guidelines that would be a litmus for organisations, Ms Hayford added.

Concerns

The Executive Director of WILDAF, Melody Darkey, said SGBV, including sexual harassment, was not only pervasive in the country, but also under reported due to stigma, fear of retaliation and the fear that justice would not be served once the issue was reported.

She said unchecked workplace SGBV had emotional and psychological effects on victims and survivors which manifested in various forms such as post traumatic stress, disorders, feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, loss of confidence and a general impaired mental health and well-being.

Unchecked workplace SGBV will likely result in a toxic work environment which will affect productivity.

For example, unchecked issues of SGBV like sexual harassment can result in decreased productivity, reputational damage, legal liabilities and toxic work culture, Ms Darkey added.

The Business Development Manager of Oxfam in Ghana, Rissi Assani, said several research conducted by the International Labour Organisation showed that 23 per cent of employees suffered one form of sexual harassment or violence at the workplace.

She hoped that the adoption of the policy, which was designed by Oxfam in Ghana, and co-funded by the European Union, would promote a conducive workplace environment free from violence, abuse and exploitation.
Pro VC calls for increase in climate finance to Africa

Biiya Mukusah Ali Dec - 20 - 2023 , 05:39

The acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Professor John Kofi Mensah Kuwornu, has bemoaned the slow flow of climate finance to Africa as compared to Europe and Asia.

He said Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) had estimated that Africa required $277 billion annually to implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and meet its 2030 climate goals.

Prof. Kuwornu said it would cost about $2.8 trillion between 2020 and 2030 to implement Africa's NDCs.

However, Africa received approximately $30 billion. Current finance flows are only 11 per cent of the $277 billion needed annually and 60 per cent of the total climate finance is concentrated in 10 countries, while the remaining 40 per cent is split among 45 African countries, he stated.

Prof. Kuwornu, who is also the Dean of School of Agriculture and Technology, was delivering the 8th congregation public lecture on the theme: Climate change Adaptation investment in Africa: The role of governments and non-state institutions in Sunyani in the Bono Region last Friday.

Huge gap, cost

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor explained further that the African continent received only 14 per cent of the contribution to climate finance as compared to those in other regions such as South Asia, 38 per cent, East Asia and Pacific 39 per cent, and Latin America and Caribbean 48 per cent.

Prof. Kuwornu said the gap was huge and called on African leaders and private institutions to increase their contribution to climate finance.

He said it was unfair that Africa, the poorest continent that had been greatly impacted by the adverse effects of climate change, received less than 12 per cent of the climate change-related funds spent globally.

Prof. Kuwornu said even though the world was experiencing the heat of the climate change, Africa was heavily affected.

He appealed to the developed countries and financial institutions to fulfil their commitments to provide climate finance and technology transfer to Africa in order to close the climate finance gap.

Threat to Ghana

Prof. Kuwornu said agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land sectors were key in the country, which were vulnerable to climate change and called for special attention to be given to the sectors in times of climate finance.

He said there were several devastating effects of climate change on both human health and environment in the country.

Prof. Kuwornu said the increase in temperature caused heat-related diseases such as stroke and the spread of waterborne diseases.

He said climate change had also turned the agricultural system upside down, making it very difficult for farmers to determine when to plant.

Prof. Kuwornu said the country's energy systems were also under threat, explaining that the heat could reduce the water levels to cause power crisis.

He appealed to the government to invest heavily or focus more on renewal energy to avert any power crisis.

Ghanas finance flow

Prof. Kuwornu said the current climate finance flow to Ghana was $830 million and urged individuals, private sector and non-governmental organisations to step up support for the government to increase climate financing.

The government also needed to allocate significant financial resources from the budget and other sources to mitigate the climate change, he said.

He expressed the need for the establishment of Climate Focus Units at Energy Commission, the Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Finance to mitigate climate change.

"The government is already playing its role to mitigate the climate change, but more needed to be done in respect of valuable groups such as women farmers, youth and aged to adopt climate change," he said.

For his part, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Elvis Asare-Bediako, commended the public lecture committee for coming out with recommendations aimed at mitigating climate change.

He urged the participants to identify the challenges and find solutions to mitigate climate change.
The New Force spokesperson re-arrested

Justice Agbenorsi Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:25

Belgian and spokesperson for The New Force, was yesterday re-arrested on the premises of the Kaneshie District Court.

Shalimar Abbiusi was on Monday, December 11, granted bail in the sum of GH20,000 with two sureties after pleading not guilty to obtaining a student permit by false declaration.

Charges withdrawn

However, when the case was called for hearing yesterday at the court presided over by Nana Abena Asor Owusu Amenyo, the prosecution led by Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (CI), Adolf Aboagye Asenso, withdrew the charges filed against the spokesperson of the new political group that had started advertising itself with billboards and social media messages.

The court, therefore, struck out the case as withdrawn.

Re-arrest

However, shortly after she was discharged by the court, Abbiusi was re-arrested and whisked away in an immigration-branded van, with armed security officers, causing her mother to break down in uncontrollable tears.

Meanwhile counsel for the spokesperson, Francis-Xavier Sosu, told journalists after the proceedings that they had filed applications at the Human Rights Division of the High Court against the state for violating his clients rights.

This should not be tolerated in any democracy, Mr Sosu said in his reaction to the re-arrest.

He added that the personal belongings of his clients were still with the National Investigation Bureau.

Abbiusi was first arraigned in December this year.

According to the prosecution, Abbiusi was arrested upon an invitation by the Head of the National Enforcement Section of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) concerning her immigration status in the country.

The prosecution said the GISs attention was drawn to the activities of the accused on social media.

It added that Abbiusi was found in some short video in circulation introducing the emergence of a new political grouping described as The New Force.

The prosecution said Abbiusi introduced herself as a spokesperson for the group.

Prosecutors told the court that investigations revealed that the accused person first came to Ghana on September 4, 2017, through the Kotoka International Airport and had since been a regular visitor to the country until 2018 when she became a resident following her supposed admission to the Ghana University College.

According to them, they said checks from the college revealed that she had never been a student, adding that documents purportedly issued by the college to support her application for a residence permit were allegedly forged.
WAEC punishes AI-assisted candidates - Withholds WASSCE results

Justice Agbenorsi Dec - 20 - 2023 , 05:00

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expressed worry over the rising incidence of examination malpractice in the country, with students faulted for generating artificial intelligence (AI) answers in the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Head of National Office of WAEC, Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, described the situation as unfortunate, stressing that the issue required thorough investigations to unravel the actors behind the malpractice.

She said per the nature of examination malpractice, the complicity of some school authorities, teachers and parents could not be ruled out.

It is sad that the youth are being trained in this manner; some candidates are desperate to take their mobile phones into the halls to use artificial intelligence to answer questions, Mrs Addy-Lamptey said at a days seminar in Accra.

Opening a one-day seminar on its laws and operations for Circuit Court judges and magistrates to bring them up to speed and help them to appreciate the laws, Mrs Addy-Lamptey said the current situation could not be allowed to fester.

Seminar

The seminar was organised on WAEC laws and operations for Circuit Court judges and magistrates to give candidates accused of examination malpractice a fair hearing.

It was also to bring them up to speed and to help them to appreciate the laws that govern examination malpractice, particularly in the age of AI.

The topics addressed at the seminar included WAECs operational procedures, trends of examination malpractice and the WAEC Act, 2006 (Act 719).

It was organised in collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute.

Malpractice

Mrs Addy-Lamptey explained that in the past seven years, a lot of examination-related legal issues had come up; hence, the need to engage the judiciary as a major stakeholder to ensure the integrity of the examinations.

Section 6 (b) and (c) of the WAEC Act 2006 (Act 719) states that a candidate who, during an examination (a) is in possession of a textbook, electronic device or material in the examination room without lawful authority, proof of which shall be on the candidate; (b) copies from notes, electronic device or a textbook without lawful authority, proof of which shall be on the candidate, commits an offence and is liable to summary conviction to a fine of not less than 50 penalty units and not more than 100 penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both.

The person shall in addition be disqualified from taking the examination, and if the person has already taken a paper at the examination, the paper shall be cancelled by the council, the Section further states.

Strategy

The seminar, she said, also formed part of WAECs five-year strategy to address issues such as giving persons alleged to have involved in exam malpractice a fair hearing and deterrent punishments for perpetrators, among other issues.

She added that operating within the legal framework could be frustrating for the council as hundreds of students were sometimes alleged to have compromised the integrity of the examination.

The seminar, she added, would afford the council the opportunity to operate more effectively within the law while minimising cost, saying the council was ready to be guided by the judiciary to ensure the integrity of examinations.

Withheld results

WAEC released the 2023 results of School Candidates in Accra last Monday, with the subject results of candidates from 235 schools withheld for allegedly using AI-generated answers during the examination.

WAEC further cancelled the subject results of 647 candidates for bringing foreign materials such as prepared notes, textbooks and printed materials into the examination halls.

Up to 839 candidates also had their results cancelled for possessing mobile phones in the examination halls, while the council also withheld the subject results of 4,280 candidates and the entire results of 1,005 for various suspected offences.

A statement issued by the council last Monday said the withheld results of the candidates might be released or cancelled depending on the outcome of investigations.

History

In 2021, the WASSCE subject results of 1,339 candidates were cancelled while 174 had their entire results cancelled.

In 2022, the WASSCE, 3,845 School Candidates had their subject results cancelled while 518 had their entire results cancelled.

In the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), 312 candidates had their subject results cancelled this year and 41 had their entire results cancelled.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Byblos Bank Armenia is summing up 2023 and ringing in the New Year with an important donation.

On behalf of all of the Banks employees, customers and partners, funds intended for holiday gifts will be transferred to the Soldier's Home charitable NGO to contribute to the social reintegration of disabled veterans, as well as to projects aimed at providing education, training and employment for the displaced residents of Artsakh.

The donation will fund the participation of forcibly displaced Artsakh civilians in educational programs that match their preferences and potential, as well as provide advanced professional education at a later stage and help them find a job.

The cooperation was officially announced on December 19, when the Bank's Chief Executive Officer Hayk Stepanyan and Director of the Soldier's Home Charity NGO Haykuhi Minasyan signed a memorandum at a special event at the Soldier's Home.

"We are happy to collaborate with the Soldier's Home again and unite around the important goal of returning wounded soldiers to a normal life. Today, our attention is also focused on efforts to help our compatriots displaced from Artsakh, to create a healthy environment for them. I am confident that there will be some tangible result, and I hope we will continue the work to benefit the defenders of the motherland," said Hayk Stepanyan, Chief Executive Officer of Byblos Bank Armenia.

As part of the New Year initiative, Byblos Bank Armenia joined the Soldiers Home project Armenia 301 to make a modest contribution to improving the quality of life of injured veterans The symbol of the project Armenia 301 is the painting Hayastan (Armenia) by Martiros Saryan, and during the event, the representatives of the Bank got to install fragments of a puzzle on a replica installed at the Soldier's Home.

The policy adopted by Byblos Bank Armenia clearly reflects the Banks attitude towards the defenders of the motherland. It is not the first time that the Bank supports the Soldier's Home, so that we can take care of the veterans and improve their lives. It is very nice to see that Byblos Bank Armenia feels a great social responsibility towards people who were injured while defending the homeland. We are immensely grateful and we hope this will become a contagious example for many other organizations as well, said Haykuhi Minasyan, the Director of the Soldier's Home Charity NGO.

This year, forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh are the primary beneficiaries of all, including educational programs of the Soldiers Home. Their social integration is achieved through education and creation of a permanent source of income for them.

In 2022-2023, the Soldiers Home assessed the educational needs of about 2,400 beneficiaries, of which more than 1,300 participated in various educational courses, and over400 of them found jobs.

-----------------------

In 2023, Byblos Bank Armenia CJSC celebrated its 15th anniversary and financed a number of educational and charity projects throughout the year. The Bank was founded in December 2007. Today, Byblos Bank Armenia has four branches in Yerevan where customers access various banking services and receive financial advice. The Bank provides its customers corporate-retail banking services that meet the highest international standards.

Soldier's Home is a charitable NGO that addresses the problems of soldiers injured or disabled in combat or on active duty. Veterans receive quality healthcare services free of charge at the rehabilitation center established in 2018. In addition, Soldier's Home helps disabled veterans get education and jobs by organizing a number of educational programs for servicemen living in Yerevan and the provinces of Armenia.
Sefwiman Rural Bank pays dividend to shareholders

Graphic.com.gh Dec - 19 - 2023 , 17:13

The Sefwiman Rural Bank has announced the payment of GH290,353.84 as a dividend for the 2022 financial year at the rate of GH0.04 per share.

Payment of the shares was in response to a request made by the management of rural bank to the Bank of Ghana to help ease the burden of the shareholders after the Bank of Ghanas (BoG) directive (NOTICE NO. BG/GOV/SEC/2020/03) dated 20th April 2020 preventing Banks from paying dividend.

In compliance with the directives of the Bank of Ghana, the bank has since then not paid any dividend to shareholders leading to the request to the BoG.

Dr Francis Kwaku Aboagye-Otchere, the Board Chairman of the Sefwiman Rural Bank, lauded the Bank of Ghana for hearing the cry of the shareholders as he encouraged them to use their dividends to buy additional shares to shore up the stated capital to reposition the bank to absorb any future shocks.

The outgoing Board Chairman announced this at the 17th annual general meeting of the bank at Bibiani in the Western North region over the weekend.

Profit Performance

The bank notwithstanding the immense challenges occasioned by the full-blown macroeconomic crisis in 2022 which resulted in the decline of the Ghanaian economic growth during the year, made giant strides.

The banks gross earnings increased by 13 per cent from GH9.36 million in 2021 to more than GH10.61 million at the end of 2022.

Again, Profit Before Tax which stood at GH1,260,586 in 2022 increased to GH1,442,633 representing a growth of 14 per cent over the previous year, while Profit After Tax increased from GH948,168 in 2021 by 13 per cent to GH1,075,122 in 2022

Business Growth

The total assets of the bank at the end of 2022 was GH60.57 million, showing an increase of about 24 per cent compared to GH49.03 million in 2021, while investments increased from GH26.62 million in 2021 to GH36.30 million at the end of 2022 representing an increase of 36 per cent.

The Board Chairman Growth in loans and advances was up by 10% from GH14.84 million in 2021 to about GH16.26 million in 2022.

He attributed the gains made by the bank to its steadfast pursuit of robust growth and sustainable profitability anchored on a commitment to prudent risk management and sticking to the strategic direction of the Bank.

The Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank, Alex Kwasi Awuah, in an address read for him lauded the board and management of the bank for their dedication and hard work leading to improving the fortunes of the shareholders and other stakeholders of the bank.

I wish to also commend the directors and management for spending a total of GH31,275 on various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives during the year. This is encouraging as it shows that the bank remains committed to supporting life-changing community development programmes.

The Chief Executive of the bank, Mr Richard Kwame Adjei, attributed the gains made by the bank to the preparedness of the staff and management to liaise with the board to work as a team.

He pledged to continue to create a very conducive environment for all stakeholders towards easy operations that would meet the needs of all players in the industry.
District level polls: Omane Boamah urges EC to learn from mistakes

Getrude Ankah Nyavi Politics Dec - 19 - 2023 , 13:21

The Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Edward Omane Boamah has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to learn from the mistakes that caused the commission to reschedule voting in some electoral areas in Tuesday's district-level elections.

The commission on December 19, announced the postponement of district level elections in some electoral areas in the Ashanti and Eastern regions due to technical challenges.

The EC however did not name the affected electoral areas.

Reacting to the statement from EC, in a tweet, Dr Edward Omane Boamah said the situation was avoidable and unpardonable which should not be repeated in the 2024 general elections.

The Electoral Commission of Ghana must learn lessons from this avoidable and unpardonable mistake. 2024 elections can not be business as usual, he stated.

https://twitter.com/eomaneboamah/status/1737063204331606425

The Electoral Commission of Ghana must learn lessons from this avoidable and unpardonable mistake.



2024 elections can not be business as usual! pic.twitter.com/ssOuie1VEF  Dr. Omane Boamah (@eomaneboamah) December 19, 2023
Speaker disagrees with President on refusal to assent to bills

Daniel Kenu & Nana Konadu Agyeman Politics Dec - 20 - 2023 , 06:01

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated that the reasons assigned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not assenting to the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, (Witchcraft Bill) and the Armed Forces (Amendment) Bill, 2023, were wrong.

He said the correspondence from the President and its content were irregular, wrongful and unconstitutional.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr Bagbin said the correspondence from the President showed that he (the President) has not been properly advised and informed of the process these bills had gone through, adding that the Constitution was clear on what the President should do on the matter.

Context

In a detailed letter to Parliament last Monday on his refusal to assent to the bills, the President insisted the bills had constitutional challenges apart from the fact that they did not emanate from him or on his behalf.

It said much as he agreed with the content of the bills, specific constitutional concerns regarding the bills related to Article 108, "particularly the nature of these bills, which were introduced to Parliament as private members bills rather than being presented by or on my behalf".

Article 108 of the Constitution provides that Parliament shall not proceed upon a bill that in the opinion of the person presiding imposes a charge on the Consolidated Fund or other Public Funds.

In his opinion, the President said, such bills should be accompanied by detailed financial implications and their burden on the Consolidated Fund.

Response

But Mr Bagbin said: "The President got it tragically wrong, and I will submit in the form of statement under Article 53 my position on this matter to allow members of the House to comment during the course of the week.

"It is not for the President to decide on the constitutionality or otherwise of the bill that has been presented and considered by Parliament.

"The power to Parliament cannot be taken away by any executive authority.

"We cannot backslide by somebody's understanding of what the constitution says without any basis of fact," the Speaker added.

Clash

When the Speaker finished delivering the message from the President, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, rose to catch his eye to comment on the letter.

The Speaker said much as he recognised the Majority Leader, he was not going to allow any comment.

However, that would be done when he delivered his "verdict" in the course of the week.

That incident nearly resulted in a verbal war as the Speaker instructed the Majority Leader to sit down.

And when he refused to yield to the Speaker's instruction, Mr Bagbin yelled "Sit down, sit down."

Presser

Apparently, unhappy with the incident, the Majority Leader addressed the media to vent out his frustrations.

He said the Speaker had every right to disagree with the President but should have done it in a decorous and more civil manner.

Sponsors

The bill was laid in Parliament on March 31, 2023, by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, on behalf of other co-sponsors.

The co-sponsors were the MP for Pusiga, Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba; the MP for Wa East, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw; the MP for Krachi, Helen Adjoa Ntoso, and the MP for Afram Plains North, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the President of the International Crisis Group, Comfort Ero.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the regional situation. Reference was made to the possibilities of establishing stability and lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the process of normalizing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the latest developments, the PM's Office said in a readout.

It is noted that the Prime Minister Pashinyan presented the positions of the Armenian side, including over the principles of the peace treaty.

The sides exchanged ideas on the humanitarian problems of people forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh as a result of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan, and the programs implemented by the Armenian government to solve them.

The support of the international community was emphasized by both sides.


Oppo officially mentioned the Find X7 lineup for the first time. The first teaser revealed the series will debut with LYT-900, which is a new 1-type sensor by Sony. We expect the platform to be in the Find X7 Ultra smartphone, as the latest reports suggested there is no Pro version incoming.

The Sony LYT-900 is not official, but leaks suggested it is 16.384 mm in diagonal with 50 MP, each being 1.6 m big. The sensor does share a lot of specs with the IMX989, also a 1-type sensor by Sony, and we have to wait for the official unveiling to see what the difference will be.

According to Digital Chat Station, the new platform is made on a 22 nm node (instead of 40 nm of the IMX989), reducing power consumption. There will also be Dual Conversion Gain, which is an automatic adjustment between high-gain and low-gain modes based on ambient light changes. In practice, this means more clear photos with realistic colors.

What Oppo said about the LYT-900 is mostly marketing talk. The Find X7 device will bring advanced processing, increased light sensitivity and clarity of the image, and a broader dynamic range, all of these promising users an unparallel photography experience.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
The Coast Guard has cleaned up fuel and hazardous substances from a damaged vessel near the Piti Channel, but the ship will stay where it is for now.

The 116-foot Indonesian-flagged ship, which has been at the port since 2021, was grounded during Typhoon Mawar in May.

Capt. Nicholas Simmons, the commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam and the captain of the port, said in a news release that the officials continue to discuss plans to eventually move the M/V Voyager.

Our top priorities are ensuring the safety of our waterways and safeguarding the environment. We have carefully considered our options and have decided to leave the vessel in its current location for the time being, given the situations complexities, Simmons said.

The decision not to sink or move the ship was made after taking into account potential environmental impacts. The Coast Guard is dedicated to ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders, according to the release, including the Port Users Group, charter boat operators, and the local maritime community.

We understand and acknowledge the concerns raised by waterway users and the community, Simmons said. Safety and commerce are paramount, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely, taking all necessary steps to prevent any major adverse effects.

By late November, the Coast Guard removed 51,000 gallons of fuel oil mixture, around four cubic yards of oiled debris, and various hazardous substances from the ship.

The Voyager came to Guam in July 2021 and was examined by the Coast Guard before planned repairs and a sale. A follow-up exam in September 2021 revealed significant deficiencies and concerns over crew abandonment, the release stated.

Repairs were made in October of that year, but the crew was repatriated in November when the owner took no action, and Guam Shipyard became the caretaker for the vessel.

In February 2023, the Port of Guam demanded removal, leading to legal disputes, and in March, the agent for the vessel took possession from the owner. In May, Mawar caused the grounding and pollution issues.

Complex discussions surround the vessels future due to salvage complexities, legal aspects, and regulatory requirements, the Coast Guard release stated.
Sightings of a bright object streaking across the skies over the Marianas this past weekend could have been part of a meteor shower, but Guam Homeland Security has not ruled out the possibility that the object sighted could have earthly origins.

Numerous videos surfaced online early Saturday morning, showing what appears to be one or two large, bright objects moving across the horizon before breaking up into multiple, smaller objects.

Homeland Security and the local Office of Civil Defense were aware of the videos, according to spokesperson Jenna Blas.

The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Guam stated that it is possible to have been a meteorite with the Geminid meteor shower, but that it was not possible to say with certainty, as the possibility remains that it could have also been a man-made object reentering the atmosphere, Blas told the Pacific Daily News.

Beyond that, the agency didnt have any additional information, but would be sharing updates if they came forward, she said. Blas said she couldnt speak to whether any federal investigation of the incident was ongoing.

Saturdays sightings came as residents across the U.S. reported sightings of the Geminid meteor shower which, according to NASAs website, is one of the most reliable meteor showers during the year. It tends to run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 24, with a peak on Dec. 14, NASA states.

The Pacific Daily News did reach out to the National Weather Service in Guam for comment. Forecasters deferred to the Mariana Regional Fusion Center. Calls to the fusion center office were unanswered as of press time Wednesday.

Joint Region Marianas did not have any information about the sightings, according to JRM public affairs officer Lt. Cmdr. Katie Koenig. She referred to the Guam Homeland Security office, when asked whether there were any security concerns.

We will continue to work closely with our partners at GovGuam and provide any information we receive at the Mariana Regional Fusion Center to (Guam Homeland Security), she said.

Its not the first time that a suspected meteor has been spotted in the skies above the Marianas. Back in 2019 a possible meteor was caught on camera, and various videos were taken of the object. Sightings at the time came just minutes after a reported launch of a Chinese Long March 5 rocket.

This weekends sights sightings also coincided with a Chinese space launch, coming about a day after China launched a reusable, robotic spacecraft, based on Reuters reports. The spacecraft was launched atop a Long March 2F rocketthe same series as the rocket from 2019and the attached craft would orbit for a period of time before returning to a designated landing site to be verified, reports Reuters, quoting Chinese state media.
The Arriola Law Firm responded to Attorney General Douglas Moylan's letter about its involvement with Department of Public Works Director Vince Arriola saying he's violating rules of conduct and abusing his authority.

The letter from attorneys Joaquin "Jay" Arriola and Anita Arriola sent to Moylan on Wednesday said the law firm represents Vince Arriola in his personal, individual capacity.

"What we discuss with him is none of your business. It is confidential, privileged attorney-client communication and you should know better than to demand that we disclose our communications with him," they wrote.

Additionally, under Guam law, the Office of the Attorney General is the attorney for the Department of Public Works, they wrote.

Assistant Attorney General Thomas Keeler has been the assigned solicitor for DPW for over a decade. The disclosure and publication of confidential attorney-client communications between Keeler and Director Arriola violate the AG's duty of confidentiality owed to its client DPW, the attorneys wrote.

Moylan sending the letter to senators, the governor and the media also constitutes a violation of Guam Rules of Professional Conduct, they wrote.

The Arriolas noted that their firm represents Public Health and Social Services Director Arthur San Agustin in an ongoing lawsuit over corruption charges. The AG's office is the attorney for Public Health, but the office subpoenaed San Agustin and when he sought advice from the AG, the office abdicated its responsibility to advise San Agustin in his official capacity or advised him to seek counsel in his individual capacity, the Arriolas wrote.

After Public Health complied with the subpoena and provided documents to the AG's office the office promptly indicted San Agustin on 15 felony counts, they wrote.

In a similar case with former interim manager of the Guam Regional Transit Authority Richard Ibanez, government officials sought advice from the AG's office, but it failed to advise them without any concern for their individual or official capacity and liability, they wrote.

"As a result of this advice, more public servants were baselessly indicted by your office after you flouted your office's responsibilities under the Guam Rules of Professional Conduct," the Arriolas wrote.

No one at the AG's office advised either government director of their rights, the fact they may face criminal prosecution based on compliance with the subpoenas, or their AG's office lawyer had a clear conflict of interest in advising them on matters for which they faced potential prosecution, they argued.

"No one at the OAG took steps to protect the best interests of the organization and its constituents in compliance with Rule 1.13(b). Instead, the OAG was more interested in making headlines, rather than complying with its professional obligations," the Arriolas wrote.

No different

The Arriolas said the investigation of DPW is no different and criminal investigators met with and interrogated DPW Deputy Director Linda Ibanez and DPW Highway Maintenance Manager Darren Muna and the attorneys were informed that at no time were they advised that the AG's office was conducting civil and criminal investigations into the agency.

"They were not advised of their rights nor were they advised that providing the information sought by the OAG may lead to civil or criminal prosecution. As in the San Agustin and Ybanez cases, the OAG's representation of DPW while at the same time pursuing ongoing civil and criminal investigations into DPW, constitutes a serious ethical violation under the above-mentioned rules," the Arriolas wrote.

They said the investigation into DPW came shortly after the firm called out the AG's office in the San Agustin and Ybanez cases and filed motions to compel Moylan's testimony as a witness and to disqualify the AG and the entire office from prosecuting those cases. It's obvious DPW and Director Arriola is being investigation in retaliation for the law firm's disclosure of Moylan's misconduct to the courts, they argued.

"Be advised that our client reserves his right to remain silent and will not voluntarily speak to you or any investigator or agent of your office. We demand that all correspondence with Mr. Arriola affecting his individual and personal capacity be routed through this office," they wrote.

The Arriolas wrote that Moylan's serious ethical violations jeopardize the critical work DPW is responsible for in Guam as DPW is unsure of its own counsel's motivations, ethics, and compliance with its duties of loyalty and confidentiality.

"Finally, we wish to make perfectly clear that your threats of intimidation, investigation, and criminal prosecution against Mr. Arriola and this Firm will not be tolerated. If you fail to cease and desist from these efforts, we will pursue ethical misconduct charges against you before the Office of Regulation Counsel," the Arriolas wrote.

Moylan's conduct has already been called into question by the Guam Supreme Court and it issued an order in the San Agustin case referring the firm's misconduct claims against the attorney general to the Office of Regulation Counsel for investigation, they wrote.

"We will also request that a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate you for abuse of your authority as attorney general," they wrote. "Nothing contained herein constitutes a waiver of the firm's or Mr. Arriola's rights and remedies, all of which are expressly reserved."

Moylan responds

Moylan in an email sharing the letter from the Arriola Law firm said, "We obviously disagree with many of the statements and remain concerned about the director's cooperation with this office."

In Moylan's Monday letter he wrote that around 3:15 p.m. Dec. 14 the director verbally informed Assistant Attorney General Thomas Keeler via phone he would not meet with the AG's office investigative teams regarding roadway damage caused by Guam Waterworks Authority personnel and others to government roadways.

Moylan wanted clarification if the law firm was representing Vince Arriola, if it was instructing him to not cooperate with the AG's office and if it was instructing the AG's office not to speak about legal matters with the director.

The attorney general wrote that at this time Director Arriola is not a specific target of his office's investigation, but it would take any action against any government official as documents and evidence become known.

"In other words, we maintain & reserve our right to exercising prosecutorial discretion," he wrote.
The Department of Administrations Emergency Rental Assistance Program is still available for residents who need help with paying rent or other housing issues.

Viki Lindlau, program manager, spoke to island mayors Wednesday to get the word out about the project.

Our program has not died down yet, she said.

Residents interested in the program have to meet three criteria including showing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate housing instability and meet median income limits provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, she said.

Some people may think the program is over because the public health emergency was stopped, but the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing based on federal guidance, she said.

The program is on its second round of assistance which is being funded by American Rescue Plan money and theyre encouraging anyone who could benefit to apply, Lindlau said.

So far about $13.3 million of the $28.9 million for the second round of assistance has been expended which is good news because they still have money to help more residents in need, she added.

The program launched March 3, 2021, to assist households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic who are unable to pay rent and utilities, according to the programs website.

The program services have been expanded to provide broader rental and utility assistance, easier access, and promote housing stability throughout the island. Since March 2021, the Guam Emergency Rental Assistance has distributed historic amounts of rental assistance to meet the unprecedented need created by the pandemic. The need for this critical assistance continues, the website states.

The program can help those renting facing eviction with temporary housing for 30 days and while they are displaced those residents can look for a new place to rent and the program can assist them once they find one, Lindlau said.

She said some landlords have great working with the program and there are some using Facebook to look for Emergency Rental Assistance Program tenants to rent their units.

Residents who need help with relocating to another place can be helped through paying the security deposit and the first months rent, she said.

The maximum number of months those eligible can remain in the program is 18 months, but those who havent met the limit can continue to be helped, she added.

Some people who have previously applied may not have qualified, however if at any time during the ongoing pandemic theyve experienced some sort of financial hardship residents are encouraged to reapply to see if they qualify, she added.

Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann said he was concerned that the money may need to be returned and some people who have maxed out of the program cant get any more assistance.

Lindlau said once the program pays out 75% of the federal funding it could be repurposed for affordable housing.

Rent is ridiculous

Lets face it. Rent is ridiculous. Its very high on this island. Its driven by several factors, but its out of their hands and out of our hands, she said.

The U.S. Treasury has told the program it wants them to look at programs they can assist with affordable housing once the threshold is met, Lindlau said.

Were happy to do that, she said.

The program is at 70% so it has 5% to go before the funding can be repurposed for affordable housing, she said.

If we reach that goal, that will be very, very good news for the island itself, Hofmann said.

The mayor said they will push out the information to residents because some people may think that the pandemic is over, so the program is done. They might also think that because they got other pandemic assistance they might not qualify for this program, he added.

Lindlau said that isnt the case and residents who meet the criteria regardless of being assisted through other pandemic assistance programs can still apply and qualify.

She also pointed out that HUD has raised the income criteria three times so people who didnt qualify before might be able to qualify now.
Vice Speaker Tina Rose Muna Barnes wants a government building in Mangilao, which has been sitting vacant since 2019, to be given to the Guam Community College.

The senator is reviving efforts to help the Guam Community College build a new nursing annex that will accommodate other health care careers through Bill 221-37 which is also co-sponsored by Sens. Chris Duenas and Joe San Agustin.

The bill would authorize the transfer of the former Public Health headquarters in Mangilao to GCC, a proposal supported by senators in the previous legislative term.

The property has been vacant since November 2019, when the Guam Fire Department said it was unsafe for occupancy following a reported electrical fire. Granting the lot to GCC would also mitigate the loss of about 314 acres from the colleges inventory, a release from the vice speakers office states.

Its clear the demand to join Guams health care sector is real, so our government should not abandon efforts to meet the desires of our local workforce. While GCC is trying its hardest to educate more professionals like certified nursing assistants, it runs into problems that limit how many students it can enroll in any given semester, said Muna Barnes in the release.

The barriers include a lack of physical space because even if GCC increases enrollment in health programs by 500% where would the students and instructors go, the vice speaker said.

Im proud to resume this effort in the 37th Guam Legislature and hope my colleagues and I can build on the progress that was made when this proposal was first raised, she said.

Last year, Sen. Amanda Shelton introduced Bill 296-36, which would have transferred the property to GCC, but it didnt move past being referred to committee, the Guam Legislatures website shows.

GCC President Mary Okada in the release said the island and the region have struggled to fill critical allied health needs in radiologic technicians, nursing assistants, laboratory techs and others.

In my conversations with various leaders over the years, they have asked GCC to stand up these programs. The vacant property of the former Mangilao Public Health building allows us to construct the building that could house these programs. Our concept also includes a living lab that provides allied health services (immunization, x-rays, etc.) within the facility to provide the students with hands-on experience in their fields, while serving the community, she said.

She thanked the three senators for pushing the measure forward.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan received the UNICEF's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regina De Dominicis. UNICEF Representative to ArmeniaChristine Weigand also attended the meeting.

As the Deputy Prime Ministers Office said, Tigran Khachatryan, welcoming the attendees, highly appreciated the role of the Fund in solving problems related to the protection of children's rights, improvement of their health and living conditions in Armenia.

The Deputy Prime Minister particularly underscored the inclusion of a humanitarian response aimed at addressing the needs of forcibly displaced children from Nagorno Karabakh within the framework of the 2021-2025 action plan of the United Nations Children's Fund.

It is noted that Regina De Dominicis, in turn, expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and emphasized the commitment to continue and expand the cooperation with the Government in order to properly assess and address the needs of children.

A wide range of issues of mutual interest were also touched upon during the meeting.
Ron McNinch is a longstanding member of the Guam community and frequently gives his opinion on a wide range of topics.
Florida is on the cusp of significantly expanding its legal cannabis industry by issuing 22 new licenses to medical marijuana operators, a move that could nearly double the current market.

With 74 applications submitted by the April deadline (and one withdrawn) there are currently 73 contenders all vying for one of the 22 available Medical Marijuana Treatment Center licenses  leaving the State Office of Medical Marijuana Use to face the daunting task of reviewing each submission meticulously.

On Dec. 13, Christopher Kimball, the state office director, addressed Floridas Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee, to inform them that given the formidable challenge, he could not provide a definitive timeline for when the final selection would be made.

If I rushed them and we get a bad result, well get sued and the people wont get their licenses, Kimball said. So, I want to make sure that weve done it right. I dont have a firm target for you.

The Office of Medical Marijuana Use employs a detailed scoring system to assess applications that makes securing a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center license in Florida, a highly competitive and intricate process.

But State Rep. Allison Tant pushed Kimball further for some kind of timeline.

I want you to do it right, but at the same time, I have constituents in this space who are kind of chomping at the bit, Tant said. I really need to know what we can do to at least give them some guidelines.

In response, Kimball said he hoped the decision would be made within six months.

That would be my hope, Kimball said. Thats hope, its not a plan, but thats what I got.

In 2016, Florida voters overwhelmingly supported a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana, with more than 70% in favor, paving the way for a significant number of Floridians to access medical cannabis. As of November 2023, the state had 862,155 registered medical marijuana patients.

There are currently 24 medical marijuana treatment centers and 603 dispensing facilities operating in Florida.

Its a lucrative  yet, expensive, business.

In November, the state rejected a petition from Sanctuary Cannabis, which runs 21 dispensaries statewide, challenging the sharp increase in provider renewal fees for 2024from $60,000 to over $1 million every two years.

Meanwhile, Floridians are actively paving the way to legalize recreational marijuana.

A recent survey by the University of North Florida revealed that nearly 70% of Floridas registered voters are in favor of a proposed state amendment, which would allow Floridians to buy and hold limited marijuana amounts for personal use without a medical license. A petition in support of the proposition amassed 1,033,769 voter signatures, surpassing the 891,523 required.

The proposal is currently under review by the state Supreme Court, which has until April to decide if it will be included on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot for a statewide vote.




Haiti - FLASH : Former Senator Joseph Joel John sentenced to life imprisonment in the assassination of Jovenel Moise





Tuesday, December 19, 2013, former senator Joseph Joel John (52 years old), after the federal judge asked him if he wished to make a statement before the announcement of the verdict of his sentence, declared "It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand [...] and they decided to kill the President instead of kidnapping him [...] but it was never my intention [...]"



He explained that when the other conspirators made the decision to assassinate the President and no longer kidnap him, he could not back down for fear of being killed, imploring the judge (in French), apologizing to those close to him of the President and to the Haitians for "this heinous crime which should not have taken place."



His lawyer, Brian Kirlew, said the fact that he participated in the plot does not mean he accepted the killing, even though he himself pleaded guilty to the charges.



Arguments that did not move federal judge Jose E. Martinez who responded to the accused "[...] Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory", which, in a hearing of approximately 30 minutes, sentenced Joseph Joel John to life imprisonment for his role in the plot that led to the assassination of the President of Haiti Jovenel Moise, in his residence, on July 7, 2021 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html



Let's remember that the Senator had recognized on October 10 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40706-haiti-flash-former-senator-john-pleads-guilty-to-participation-in-the-assassination-of-jovenel-moise.html having admitted to having "knowingly conspired" to provide vehicles and met on several occasions with the other conspirators, in Haiti and Florida, according to the agreement to plead guilty that he signed in October with the prosecution in the hope of obtaining a reduction in his sentence. In exchange, he promised to cooperate with the investigation.



In the United States, prosecutors often recommend that judges reduce sentences, particularly when convicted persons collaborate with authorities. However, judges are not required to grant these requests. However, the sentence reduction could occur months or years after sentencing.



Former Senator John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects arrested and charged in Miami to be sentenced to life after The other two sentenced in this case are the Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and the Colombian military officer in retired German Alejandro Rivera Garcia. Both were sentenced to life in prison. Another defendant, Joseph Vincent, a former DEA informant who pleaded guilty in December, will be sentenced in February 2024.



See also about former Senator Joseph Joel John :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40706-haiti-flash-former-senator-john-pleads-guilty-to-participation-in-the-assassination-of-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36497-haiti-flash-jamaica-authorizes-the-extradition-to-the-usa-of-former-senator-joseph-in-the-case-of-the-assassination-of-the-president.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36629-haiti-justice-assassination-president-a-third-suspect-appeared-in-federal-court.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36259-haiti-assassination-of-the-president-towards-the-extradition-to-the-usa-of-former-senator-joseph-joel-john.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36117-icihaiti-justice-former-senator-joseph-tries-to-obtain-asylum-in-jamaica.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35724-haiti-flash-assassination-of-the-president-former-senator-john-joel-joseph-arrested-in-jamaica.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34225-haiti-notice-the-pnh-is-looking-for-3-dangerous-and-armed-individuals-including-a-former-senator.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Agriculture : 6 million Euros for food processing and marketing





Tuesday, December 19, the project "Support for sustainable peasant food production, processing and marketing in the Center department" was signed between the Office of the National Authorizing Officer of the European Development Fund (BONFED-Haiti), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, the European Union [funding] and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [execution in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture].



The objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of production, agricultural transformation, food and nutritional security and the resilience to shocks of vulnerable households in the high plateau of the central department. It will directly affect 1,444 vulnerable households operating irrigated areas, as well as 32 producer associations, with emphasis on the "FAO Resilience Fund" approach.



Stefano Gatto, Ambassador of the European Union in Haiti, and Jacques David, FAO Representative in Haiti, initialed the agreement for the implementation of the project thanks to funding from the European Union of 6 million euros.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan on December 20 received the delegation headed by UNICEF's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regina De Dominicis.

Paruyr Hovhannisyan highly appreciated the work of the United Nations Children's Fund in Armenia, including the program cooperation in a number of directions, as well as the involvement of UNICEF in humanitarian responses and support for forcibly displaced refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministry said.

According to the source, during the meeting, the complex support provided to refugee children, assessment of needs, and protection of children from the most vulnerable groups were emphasized by both sides. Regina De Dominicis noted the progress registered in the field of children's rights in Armenia, highlighting the active cooperation between the government agencies of the Republic of Armenia and the United Nations Children's Fund.
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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, the PMs Office said.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the agenda topics of Armenian-Iranian relations. Reference was made to the implementation of bilateral agreements.

They also exchanged ideas on the "3+3" regional platform, and both parties considered the meeting held in Tehran productive.
Havre Police Department

Wilson Joel Blackelk III of Havre, 35, was arrested on four Justice or City court warrants and one state District Court warrant after an officer investigated suspicious activity on U.S. Highway 2 Northeast.



Sam Edman Clawson of Havre, 80, was issued a summons on charges of failure to stop and identify self after striking an unattended vehicle and no vehicle insurance after a caller at a First Street business reported a hit and run crash Tuesday at 1:26 p.m.



A vehicle crash was reported on First Street at 2:05 p.m. Tuesday.



Nova Ravae Crooked Arm of Crow Agency, 27, was arrested on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and on a Justice or City court warrant after a caller at a Ninth Avenue residence asked Tuesday at 3:32 p.m. to have a female trespasser removed.

Hill County Sheriffs Office

Jennifer Ann Brockett a homeless Montana resident, 39, was arrested on state District Court warrants served at Hill County Detention Center Tuesday at 11:36 a.m.



Deputies investigated a 5:26 p.m. Tuesday complaint about an issue at Box Elder School.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical technicians responded to seven calls Tuesday.

Havre Animal Shelter

This morning the animal shelter held three female cats, seven kittens between 16 weeks and 7 months old, and two male cats.



Also this morning, the animal shelter held seven puppies between 15 weeks and 9 months old, four female mixed-breed dogs, and a female and a male Rottweiler. Additionally, two puppies, ages 19-weeks and 25-weeks, were being housed offsite.
Press release

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification through the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program. Producers can apply for assistance on their calendar year 2023 expenses through Jan. 31, 2024.

The Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program is just one of the many ways USDA is helping support local and regional food systems and opportunities for small-scale producers, Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said. Im encouraging specialty crop growers to discover how this program can help mitigate the costs of on-farm food safety certification and meeting regulatory requirements and apply by the January deadline.

FSCSC assists specialty crop operations that incurred eligible on-farm food safety certification and related expenses pertaining to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in calendar year 2023. FSCSC covers a percentage of the specialty crop operations cost of obtaining or renewing its certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.

To be eligible for FSCSC, the applicant must be a specialty crop operation; meet the definition of a small business or very small business; and have paid eligible expenses related to the 2023 certification.

Specialty crop operations may receive assistance for the following costs:

 Developing a food safety plan for first-time food safety certification.

 Maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan.

 Food safety certification.

 Certification upload fees.

 Microbiological testing for products, soil amendments and water.

 Training.

FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each category of eligible costs. A higher payment rate has been set for socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers. Details about the payment rates and limitations can be found at farmers.gov/food-safety.

Applying for assistance

The FSCSC application period for 2023 closes Jan. 31, 2024. FSA will issue payments after the application period closes. If calculated payments exceed the amount of available funding, payments will be prorated.

Interested specialty crop producers can apply by completing the FSA-888, Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program application. The application, along with other required documents, can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means.

Specialty crop producers can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to assist. Visit https://farmers.gov/food-safety for additional program details, eligibility information and forms needed to apply.

Recently, USDA announced a new effort to further support the U.S. specialty crops sector and increase the competitiveness of its products. Additional information can be found on a new specialty crops-dedicated webpage at https://usda.gov/specialty-crops.

To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. Producers without an account can sign up today.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming Americas food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, people can visit https://usda.gov .
Agencies seek input on how clean energy siting outcomes can benefit farmers, rural Americans

Press release

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy will host a series of listening sessions this winter. The agencies invite perspectives on the benefits and challenges of the rapidly increasing levels of clean energy located on agricultural lands and in rural communities.

USDA and DoE seek feedback directly from a diverse set of stakeholders about what the agencies can do through their leadership, program guidance or research and information sharing to encourage locations positive clean energy, so outcomes benefit farmers, rural Americans, the renewable energy industry and others.

Stakeholders can register to participate in these virtual public listening sessions online for the dates and times listed below:

Government Permitting and Policy Representatives at State, County, and Local Levels

 Jan. 12, 12:30-2 p.m. ET

 Government Permitting and Policy Representatives: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_CN8YTGmtSP2JuS6QX1QsaA#/registration

Agricultural Producers

 Jan. 16, 10-11:30 a.m. ET

 Agricultural Producers: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_1TqGU-qFSVuJ8Guw_TFlPA#/registration

All Stakeholders and Members of the Public

 Jan. 16, 2:30-4 p.m. ET

 All Stakeholders: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_8_nXs_ShSxOC11dvyYDqTA#/registration

Rural Electric Co-ops and Clean Energy Developers

 Jan. 17, 3-4:30 p.m. ET

 Energy Organizations: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_jp23vBXUQamJtigrkJi4lA#/registration

Stakeholders may submit written comments by Jan. 20, 2024, to [email protected].

To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit GovDelivery subscriber page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDARD/subscriber/new .
In recent months , Finland's European Consumer Centre (ECC) has received around 100 consumer inquiries concerning the car valuation service Autoasihinta.fi . The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, KKV has also reported similar complaints. The service, operated by the Latvian company Datatech SIA, has reportedly billed consumers 169 unexpectedly, often surprising those who believed the service was free. Some consumers have even received bills without completing their orders.

Despite efforts by the ECC-Net to resolve these issues through mediation, the company has not responded to inquiries.

Registered in early September 2023, Autoasihinta.fi's business practices appear to be a typical service subject to a 14-day cancellation right under Finnish consumer protection law. The law stipulates that consumers are not obligated to pay for a service, fully or partially completed during the cancellation period, if the business has failed to provide proper information about the right to cancel.

In this case, Autoasihinta.fi's website states that consumers do not have a right to cancel, which is misleading according to the ECC's assessment. Therefore, consumers may not be obligated to pay for the company's car valuation service, and the bills sent could be considered unjustified.

Consumer Guidelines

Filing a Complaint: If you ordered the valuation service without being informed about its cost or cancellation rights, or if you did not complete the order, file a written complaint to the company upon receiving the bill. Refer to the relevant section of the consumer protection law in your complaint. Contact via Website: Use the contact form on the company's website to lodge your complaint. Take a screenshot of your message before sending and keep it for your records. Language of Complaint: As the company is foreign-based, it's advisable to write the complaint in English. Free online translation tools can assist in this process. Documentation: Keep the valuation certificate, bills, your complaint, and any responses received from the company. Further Action: Only if the company escalates the issue to a collection agency or court, should you contact the ECC for advice. However, the company initiating collection or court procedures is unlikely.

Mediation Efforts and Consumer Awareness

The Latvian ECC has attempted to contact Datatech SIA without success. As ECCs lack coercive power, they cannot force a company to respond. The Finnish Consumer Ombudsman, who oversees adherence to consumer protection laws, misleading marketing, and fairness of contract terms, has been informed of these incidents.

Caution Against Similar Services

This phenomenon isn't new, as various foreign entities have offered similar paid online car valuation services to Finnish consumers. The ECC has also received inquiries about Autoluokitus.com, and KKV issued warnings about such services in 2022.

Oskari Stenius, a leading expert at the ECC, advises consumers to be cautious with unfamiliar services and to review terms and conditions thoroughly before making any commitments. Similar issues have been reported in neighboring countries like Norway and Sweden.

HT
Key Changes in Benefits

Index Adjustments: Pensions, disability allowances, social assistance, conscripts allowances, and child maintenance allowances will see a 5.9% increase from 1 January 2024. However, no other benefits will be adjusted according to the index.

Reductions in Unemployment Benefits: Starting 2024, child increases in unemployment benefits will be reduced, and all such increases will cease from 1 April 2024. Additionally, a EUR 300 exempt amount on these benefits will expire, meaning any income earned during unemployment will reduce benefit amounts.

General Housing Allowance: The allowance amount will be decreased from 1 April 2024, impacting both ongoing and new applications. From 2025, this allowance will no longer cover owner-occupied homes.

Family Benefits: Child benefits will increase, particularly for families with four or more children, starting 1 January 2024. The single-parent supplement to the child benefit will also see a significant rise.

Student Financial Aid: The government guarantees for student loans will increase in August 2024. The provider supplement to student financial aid will see a hike at the start of the year and in April.
Juho Aalto, a researcher at the University of Helsinki and Director of the Hyytiala Forest Station, provides a fascinating insight into the world of Christmas trees. According to his research, a typical Christmas tree culled from the Finnish forest boasts around 200,000 needles. This figure is based on an average European spruce, often found in the underbrush of Finnish forests.

Aalto points out that cultivated spruces, due to their thicker stems, can have significantly more needles than their wild counterparts.

In some cases, a cultivated tree might carry up to 400,000 needles. The sheer volume of these tiny needles, each weighing about 0.005 grams, is enough to carpet the floor of an average Finnish bedroom.

This surprising number of needles means that households can find stray spruce needles well into the summer, long after the festive season has ended. Aaltos revelation underscores the importance of proper Christmas tree care to prevent premature needle shedding. He advises a gradual thawing process for the tree, immediate trimming of an inch from the stem, consistent watering, and avoiding excessive heat to maintain the tree's vibrancy throughout the holiday season.

Interestingly, the number of branches available for decoration on a Christmas tree also varies. A wild-grown spruce typically has around sixty branches, while a cultivated tree, due to pruning and growth restriction, might boast up to a hundred. These numbers, however, only account for significant branches and exclude smaller, twig-like offshoots.

Beyond the decorative aspect, Christmas trees play an ecological role. Aalto highlights the carbon storage capacity of these trees. A forest-grown spruce of Christmas tree size binds about one kilogram of carbon, potentially double in cultivated varieties. This carbon storage is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from a car driven for 25 to 50 kilometers. Additionally, the dry weight of a spruce is roughly double the weight of the carbon it contains, considering the significant water content in even small trees.

As Finland prepares to celebrate Christmas, approximately 1.4 million spruces will adorn homes across the country, each bringing a unique touch of nature, along with thousands of little critters, into Finnish households. This festive tradition, deeply rooted in Finnish culture, represents not only a cherished holiday symbol but also a reminder of the complex and vital relationships within our natural ecosystems.

HT
Ursula von der Leyen , President of the European Commission, has sparked controversy with her recent proposal to the EU member states to downgrade the protection level of wolves under the Bern Convention, also known as the European Wildlife and Natural Habitat Conservation Agreement. This move has been met with strong criticism from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has called it a "science-contradicting proposal" and urged member states to reject this politically motivated suggestion, citing a lack of scientific evidence to support it.

The wolf population in Europe has recovered from the brink of extinction thanks to conservation efforts, and the species has reestablished itself in many of its former habitats. Despite this recovery, WWF emphasizes that the wolf is still far from reaching a favorable conservation status across Europe. Current research does not support the notion that killing large predators is an effective and sustainable method for resolving conflicts between predator conservation and livestock farming. Instead, preventative measures such as predator-proof fencing and the use of livestock guardian animals are seen as more effective solutions.

Petteri Tolvanen, Program Director at WWF Finland, argues that the proposal to lower the protection level of wolves is not based on scientific evidence but rather personal and political agendas. "Von der Leyen is trying to make wolves the scapegoat for rural challenges. Her proposal also represents a complete U-turn in the EUs stance on wolf protection. Just last year, the EU rejected a similar proposal from Switzerland because the wolf is not at a favorable conservation level in most EU member states," Tolvanen said.

Earlier this year, 12 EU environment ministers also expressed their clear opposition to lowering the protection level of wolves in a letter to Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius.

Tolvanen views the proposal as a dangerous precedent that could jeopardize the EU's decades-long achievements in nature conservation. "If the wolfs status as a strictly protected species can be weakened in this way, might similar attempts be made later for other species or habitats?" he questions.

The Bern Convention, effective since 1979 and the world's longest-standing conservation agreement, has designated the wolf as a strictly protected species. Signed by 50 states and the EU, it has been the foundation for EU conservation legislation, including the Habitats Directive.

HT
Official record reports cause of death of accused embezzler

The woman accused of embezzling more than $500,000 from the medical practice she managed died of cerebellar tonsillar herniation and cerebellar infarction, according to a death certificate filed with the Henderson County register of deeds.

Kerry Henderson Spachman, who was awaiting trial on the charges after rejecting a plea agreement in August, died on Oct. 18 at age 58 after being admitted to UNC Health Pardee. The death certificate described the manner of death as natural causes.

Dr. Charles F. Willson, a retired physician who also was a clinical professor at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, described in lay terms a cerebellar tonsillar herniation.

Thats where the brain swells and sticks the tonsils of the cerebellum down into the bottom of the skull, which presses on the brainstem, he said. Brain swelling could be caused by trauma or meningitis or encephalitis or a tumor. There are a lot of different things that will cause cerebral edema, which is brain swelling. A cerebellar infarction is where theres been a disruption of the blood supply to the cerebellum, Dr. Willson said. That will cause the cells to quickly die. Thats like a stroke.

The cause of death was certified by Dr. Michael J. Brazil, a family physician affiliated with Pardee.

Spachman appeared in Henderson County Superior Court on Aug. 18 with her Hendersonville attorney, Christopher S. Stepp and entered a plea of not guilty to the embezzlement charges one day after she rejected a plea offer from J. Kyle Smith, a special prosecutor brought in to try the case. Spachman was accused of stealing more than $500,000 from the office of Dr. James Caserio from 2008 to September 2020.
Russia sees number one priority in the Gaza Strip in ending the bloodshed and solving humanitarian problems, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the plenary session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum.

December 20, 2023, 18:04 Russia believes that halting bloodshed in Gaza is top priority  Lavrov

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 20, ARTSAKHPRESS: "Our meeting is taking place amid an unprecedented aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and continuing turbulence in the world. The complicated and complex nature of emerging challenges and threats makes a collective approach to addressing the tasks of strengthening peace and security in the region and ensuring its sustainable development increasingly relevant," Lavrov said.

"After the October 7 terrorist attack, which we categorically condemned, the situation in the oldest sore spot in this part of the world - in the zone of Palestinian-Israeli confrontation - has sharply aggravated. This time, the violence that we are witnesses to on a daily basis has taken on an unprecedented and truly catastrophic scale. Those killed and wounded number tens of thousands. Most of them are civilians in the Gaza Strip, primarily children and women," he added.
Australians are lamenting the end of a long-standing Christmas bin tradition intended to spread joy, but one garbage collector says some households are still continuing the kind gesture despite health and safety concerns.

According to industry representatives, the Australian tradition of leaving a six-pack of beer out for our garbos who work tirelessly in the lead-up to Christmas is now "a thing of the past". But those on the frontline say it hasn't disappeared entirely with one garbage collector telling Yahoo News they still receive the occasional beer from generous households.

The Aussie tradition of leaving beers out for the garbos "is a thing of the past" experts are saying. Source: Facebook.

Aussie tradition disappearing

Sparking the debate this week, one Australian resident took to social media to question what happened to the age-old tradition. "Ive been doing this for 20 years, only the last two years they dont seem interested. Is this a tradition we are losing? Does anyone else do this at Xmas?" they asked on Reddit.

"I get up super early to make sure its on the bin and not warm, but seriously if they dont want the VB this year, Im sad to say that this tradition will now be over. My parents did it, my grandparents and so on. Its kinda sad. I have always left a six-pack VB for each bin (so 12 all up). I dont know if its Covid, or VB is not what they want, but theyre not having it," they wrote.

Health and safety concerns raised

Many in the comments pointed to the fact many councils around the country don't allow the move, while others said the idea may be perceived as some kind of bribe.

Addressing the dwindling tradition, Tony Roderick from Veolia, one of Australia's largest waste management companies, said it's probably no longer wise to leave beers out for your local bin collectors.

Story continues

"Sadly, the tradition of giving your garbo a Christmas beer is now a thing of the past," Roderick told Yahoo News.

"Packages of beer become missiles in the cabin of the truck under emergency braking," he said. "Emergency braking happens more often than you expect when someone is running to put out a bin at dawn, or unexpectedly opening a car door on a narrow street. In addition, like many others in our business, we have a company-wide dry workplace policy."

One Aussie has said the move had been a tradition for generations. Source: Facebook.

Garbo says he still gets and accepts beer gifts

Speaking anonymously to Yahoo News Australia, one NSW garbo said the practice still does occur in some areas and it's "really appreciated".

"I genuinely accept beers all the time  its not allowed but people still do it," he said. "Especially the oldies. Its really appreciated because you remember those houses, and are willing to take extras here and there from them. Its very much I scratch your back you scratch mine" situation.

"Usually closer to Christmas time people try to be generous, especially if its a specific truck thats been doing the same area a long time."

The Transport Workers' Union (TWU), which represents those in the indusry, says councils banning gifts to garbos is "not the spirit of Christmas".

"We see no reason why the community shouldnt be allowed to acknowledge the work that essential waste workers do for all of us, especially during the holidays," TWU NSW/QLD State Secretary Richard Olsen told Yahoo. "Laws already exist around drinking and driving, and no one was suggesting that they should drink on the job."

Other ways to show your appreciation

Roderick said residents can still leave gifts for their garbo. "Should people want to leave a small gift for their local driver it is possible to leave it at the local depot where the driver can collect it at the end of shift," he said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Australia's newest beach was flooded with swimmers for its grand opening on Tuesday with western Sydney residents flocking to the stretch of water to cool off in the heat.

But Penrith Beach, dubbed "Pondi Beach" by many locals, didn't quite hit the mark on its first day of being open to locals, with the Castlereagh site being savagely mocked online.

Many of the area's 2.6 million residents who visited on Tuesday took aim at the body of water, which is about the same length as Bondi Beachs famous 1km shore. Limited parking, expensive food and no access to public transport were some of the issues raised by frustrated visitors.

Penrith beach opened to locals of Western Sydney on Tuesday. Source: TikTok

Penrith beach criticised online

While the "concept of a beach at Penrith is great" and gives locals the chance to enjoy a dip without having to travel 40km to swim in Lake Parramatta, 63km to Bondi Beach or 75km to reach either Cronulla or Manly, "you have to book parking, theres no shade and a second mortgage could be required to buy a sandwich or a pie," one person raged on X, formally known as Twitter.

Another agreed there was "limited parking at Penrith Beach" and it's "not exactly close to the Penrith CBD" which is easily accessible by public transport said another.

'It's just a lake with sand'

On TikTok, the videos flowed from people who had visited for the first time. Clips shared on the social media platform show people flocking to the beach and enjoying a swim on a day that saw temperatures hit a high of 35 degrees.

"It's just a lake with sand," one disappointed beachgoer said. It's a "pond, not a beach" another concurred. "Just a lake with sand," a third said, while others likened it to a "puddle".

Story continues

Some said the food at the Penrith beach kiosk was pretty expensive. Source: TikTok/X

Some offered advice for future visitors. "If you're planning a trip to Penrith Beach I'd say bring your own food," one said taking aim at the kiosk's sky-high prices. "No showers either, and according to the staff member I spoke to, no plans to put them in anytime soon," they added.

However, others welcomed the new addition, recognising its benefits for local residents with temperatures expected to soar this summer.

"At the end of the day its a great option for those not near a beach, and were so lucky to have so many clean beautiful lakes, rivers and beaches," one said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car, said it was fantastic to see the beach open for the people of Western Sydney following a $1.7 million investment by the Minns Labor government.

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Hanoi, Vietnam, 30th November. Trackier, a profitable bootstrapped startup, marks its 7th corporate anniversary with an offsite trip to Vietnam. As the company marks this important milestone since its inception in 2016, the entire team of 70 individuals flew to the picturesque South Asian country in November this year reflecting on the startups unwavering commitment to fostering a sense of belonging within its team.

The team arrived in Vietnam on November 25, marking the first day of its week-long getaway in Vietnams capital Hanoi. Amid the backdrop of scenic beauty, relaxation and strategic discussions, the company celebrated its 7th anniversary with an All Hands Meet at one of the leading hotel chains in the city, topped by a cake-cutting ceremony graced by the companys founding members - Faizan Ayubi, Udit Verma and Hemant Mann.

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The 8-hour long gala saw award ceremonies rewarding some of the best performers of the companies along with the service awards for individuals with unwavering loyalty for the company. Along with the award ceremony, the event was also graced by fun performances by employees, adding a lively atmosphere to the gathering.

The 8-hour long gala saw award ceremonies rewarding some of the best performers.

Talking about marking this incredible milestone surrounded by their team, CEO & Co-Founder of Trackier, Faizan Ayubi said, 7 years already and it cant get any better with my most favorite people under the same roof in this beautiful country. At Trackier, we never celebrate anything alone, be it a small achievement or a bigger milestone. This incredible team made it possible for a bootstrapped startup blossom into a thriving venture trusted by over 2,000 companies all over the world. And not to forget, our extremely valuable client base who put their trust in our product and our vision, taking us to this pivotal milestone. Kudos to everyone who made Trackier what it is today!



Echoing the same sentiment, Udit Verma, CMO & Co-Founder of Trackier, added, It is still fresh in our mind how we started this company in our college dormitory. One day we were talking about building something together and today, were witnessing the remarkable fruition of that conversation. Time flies so fast and did it carry us through a journey of dreams.



Hemant Mann, CTO & Co-Founder of Trackier, said, We started off with just a single product in the basket and today were proudly showcasing not just one but three SaaS-based products catering to different industries. The journey from that humble beginning to a market leader fills my heart with gratitude towards the unwavering support of our customers and the never say die attitude of our team. This celebration truly couldnt have been any better than this.

Trackier celebrated its 6th corporate anniversary in 2022 with an offsite at Thailand along with its entire team of 60 members. The 4-day celebration included team-building activities, rewards & recognition ceremony, and a dinner party with everyone in attendance.

This years All Hands Meet also marked the companys 4th international offsite, following destinations including Maldives, Dubai, and Thailand.

About Trackier

Trackier is a Delaware, United States based startup with over 70 members. The company offers subscription-based attribution tracking and partner management platform to brands, ad networks, agencies, and affiliate networks. It primarily caters to the performance marketing, mobile marketing and iGaming industry. Aside from the US, Trackier has offices in India, Singapore, and Dubai.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Businessman Harihara Mahapatra and his wife Preeti Mahapatra are likely to invest 1,100 crore in SpiceJet in return for a 19% stake in the companies. SpiceJet last week announced that several high-net individuals will invest over  2,000 crore in it.(File)

According to the Economic Times, which reviewed a detailed funding proposal, Aries Opportunities Fund will hold 3% while Elara Capital will hold 8%.

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The development comes as SpiceJet last week announced that several high-net individuals will invest over 2,000 crore in it through 130 million convertible warrants and 320.8 million fresh equity shares. This is likely to reduce promoter Ajay Singhs current shareholding in the airline from 56.49% to at least 38.55%, reported ET.

On Tuesday, SpiceJet expressed interest in acquiring Go First and said that it plans to submit its offer after carrying out due diligence on the bankrupt carrier.

Here's what we know about Businessman Harihara Mahapatra and his wife Preeti Mahapatra.

Who is Harihara Mahapatra?



Hariahara Mahapatra and his wife are promoters of the Mumbai-based group Mahapatra Universal Limited.

His company is present in multiple sectors such as real estate, infrastructure, consulting, consumer and retail.

According to the group's website, Harihara holds an MBA degree. He has an extensive business background in international, multi-cultural environments.

He has spent the last 16 years building and leading investments as an entrepreneur from manufacturing to financial services.

Harihara Mahapatra once announced an ambitious plan to construct the countrys tallest building in Khajod, Gujarat. That plan, however, came a cropper.

Who is Preeti Mahapatra?
Google Maps, as you use it already, is in for a fairly significant change, which you will notice in the coming days and weeks. The tech giant with a specific focus on India, is adding an assortment of new functionality, including address descriptors and walking navigation with live view  a promise of fuel-efficient routing and closer integration with public transport systems beginning with some cities. This, in essence, continues Googles approach, which puts India at the centre of new feature development, which then sees global adoption. Google has worked with AI solutions and street images (Representative Photo)

As expected, there is significant reliance on AI algorithms, and augmented reality. In India, it has allowed us to map millions of kilometres of urban and rural roads and more than 300 million buildings. This is serving millions of users daily on average, surfacing over 50 million searches across multiple languages, and powering over 2.5 billion km of directions every single day on Google Maps in India, says Miriam Daniel, vice president and general manager, Google Maps.

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The India-first Address Descriptors feature is an exact illustration of that approach. For anyone now sharing location pins (this can be a home address or your active location) on Google Maps, the app will add as many as five relevant landmarks or popular areas around that address. This landmark reference is very much in line with how we tend to often find our way around unfamiliar roads and areas relying on better-known places (these could be roads, malls, hospitals, well-known buildings, and even markets) to anchor the journey.

Also Read: Behind Apple Journals simplicity resides a concerted approach towards wellness

We will get this functionality on our Google Maps app early next year. Therefore, if a relative shares their home address pin for an upcoming family dinner, you will have landmarks mentioned nearby to give you a better sense of where you are headed. This is not the first time Google has tried something like this. Developers using the Google Maps Platform thus far (food delivery apps, ride-sharing apps etc.) have had access to similar landmark guidance since early 2023.

It has been a bit more than a year since Street View was launched (re-introduced then, more to the point) in India, and Google has worked with AI solutions and street images provided by their partners Genesys International and Tech Mahindra, covering 3,000 cities and towns in India. Now, Google is adding Lens in Maps  a functionality that is bound to improve your knowledge and therefore experience  at a location you may not be entirely familiar with.

The way Lens in Maps will work is a user has to open the phones camera via Google Maps and point it down a street or market for instance, and the Lens functionality will list nearby shops, restaurants, cafes and other important points of interest (there will be additional details, such as business hours and ratings). Google says Lens in Maps will launch in 15 Indian cities in the first phase, beginning January 2024. However, this functionality will be exclusive to Google Maps on Android, for the foreseeable expanse of time.

The walking navigation experience is lining up for its biggest update in years. With this feature, you will see arrows, directions, and distance markers overlaid on the Maps screen, helping you quickly figure out which way to head in. Your phone will also vibrate when its time to make a turn or youve reached your destination, says Daniel. This will also have coverage over more than 3,000 Indian cities and towns, whilst remaining an Android-exclusive feature for now.

Also Read: Google Maps update: Police wont be able to track which users were near a crime

The displeasure at rising fuel bills, a factor of which is the distances we drive and increased traffic along the way which slows progress, is something were all familiar with. Google claims its AI algorithms decoding real-time traffic data, will do exactly whats expected of the fuel-efficient routing feature. Itll be rolled out in January.

There is some intricacy with how the fuel-efficient routing would work. Apart from the AI decoding real-time traffic data on your route, factors such as road elevation changes and your vehicles engine as well as fuel type will play a role in route suggestions to get you from point A to point B, with as little fuel used (therefore minimising emissions). It is not the same rule of efficiency that applies to all types of vehicles. Hybrid and electric vehicles are better poised to handle stop-start traffic and intersections, whilst internal combustion engines work better if theres consistent progress (even more so, at a constant pace).

From its launch in other countries, from October 2021 through September 2023 it is already estimated to have helped prevent more than 2.4 million metric tons of CO2e emissions globally  the equivalent of taking approximately 500,000 fuel-based cars off the road for a year, says Daniel.

The two-wheeler-specific guidance for a fuel-saving route will first be rolled out in India and Indonesia before the rest of the world gets it later in 2024.

Not many of us may have realised, but Google has an app called Where Is My Train, that already has more than 80 million users in India. In addition to the movement data for Indian Railways trains that were already covered, Mumbai and Kolkata local trains will also be added to this app in the coming days. There are also partnerships lined up with ONDC (the Open Network for Digital Commerce) and a popular app on the platform, Namma Yatri. Metro schedules will be added to Google Maps, with the expectation Kochi Metro will be the first addition by mid-2024.

The public transport-focused updates come at a time when globally, apps that specialise in specific guidance for public transport travel, have gained traction. Citymapper, covering major cities in Asia, Europe and the US, is an example of that. It is a space Google doesnt want to cede anymore.
Alphabet Inc-owned Google, in a recent antitrust lawsuit, agreed to pay compensation to millions of American users and to allow space for greater competition in its Google Play app store. Google has been asked to pay $700 million in compensation to consumers (Reuters)(REUTERS)

According to the terms of an antitrust settlement with US states and consumers, Google will be paying a sum of $630 million to millions of people spread across US states, while $70 million will be transferred to a fund.

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Over 100 million consumers across America are eligible to receive compensation from Google. These users are spread across all 50 states of the US, as well as DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, reported the Washington Post.

The settlement in the antitrust suit was reached in September but is only being reported now. However, the settlement still requires a final approval from a judge.

According to the terms of the lawsuit, over 70 million of the total consumers won't even have to fill out any paperwork to receive their compensation share from Google, which will be paid automatically to them.

Consumers who are eligible for this compensation are those who made in-app purchases and bought an app on Google Play between August 16, 2016, and September 30, 2023.

Lead plaintiff Utah and other states announced the settlement in September, but the terms were kept confidential ahead of Google's related trial with "Fortnite" maker Epic Games. A California federal jury last week agreed with Epic that parts of Google's app business were anticompetitive.

Why is Google paying compensation to consumers?

Google has been accused of overcharging consumers through in-app purchases and several restrictions placed on the Android app store. While Google was accused of unnecessarily driving up feelings, it admitted to no wrongdoings.

Google had said that it has piloted "choice billing" in the US for consumers, providing consumers an option to make in-app purchases in games and other platforms alternative to Play Store's billing system.

Further, Google was also accused of using anti competitive tactics to prevent competition and ensure that developers are forced to use Google Play to reach consumers, reducing reliance on other platforms. However, Google has admitted to no wrongdoings in this case.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Oil was little changed after two days of gains, as traders and shippers braced for the prospect of more disruption in the Red Sea. A forklift carries a shipping container at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen.(Reuters)

Global benchmark Brent held near $79 a barrel after rising more than 3% in the previous two sessions. West Texas Intermediate was steady near $74. The US and its allies are considering possible military strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in recognition that a previously announced task force may not be enough to eliminate the threat to shipping in the vital waterway.

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The escalated geopolitical risks have introduced a premium to an oil market plagued by skepticism about OPEC adhering to production cuts and concerns of increased supply from outside the cartel, especially from the US. Crude has dropped almost a fifth since late September on the prospect of a glut, and as the regional fallout from the Israel-Hamas war remained contained.

Read | UK warns of deteriorating security in Red Sea after Houthi attacks

While the rising tension in the Red Sea hasnt significantly changed the outlook for oil, it could signal a potential escalation of the conflict, which could have significant implications, said Daniel Hynes, a senior commodities strategist at ANZ Group Holdings Ltd. Its a high risk that the market needs to take into consideration, he said in a Bloomberg TV interview.

The Red Sea is a vital trade conduit for oil, and has gained importance for barrels from Russia en route to Asia after European buyers shunned them because of the invasion of Ukraine. Russias seaborne crude exports climbed again on a four-week average basis, despite a dip in weekly flows driven by a brief pause in shipments from the Baltic port of Primorsk.

Also Read | US, UK navies shoot down 15 attack drones over Red Sea

Timespreads continue to signal that supply is running ahead of demand, with the futures curve for Brent and WTI both in bearish contango  when later contracts trade at premiums to prompt ones  through to the middle of next year.
In yet another example of one of the country's most common community disputes, a fed up pensioner has revealed that despite over two years of exhaustive attempts, she's still no closer to having her neighbour's protruding trees removed from her property.

It's an issue that thousands of people all over the country regularly deal with and one that's also bitterly divided homeowners, with councils often distancing themselves from the dispute.

Queensland retiree Jocelyn Mickan, who lives in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, said since she moved into her property a little over two years ago, her neighbour's trees and plants have repeatedly caused her grief.

Jocelyn Mickan said she's fed up of her neighbour's greenery creating mess on her property. Source: Supplied.

Neighbour's trees a constant source of grief

The pensioner explained to Yahoo News that due to her age, she's no longer able to climb a ladder and trim the trees that overhang into her property. She doesn't believe that it should be her responsibility to do so in the first place. The overhanging foliage creates a significant amount of mess that requires regular tidying, unwanted shade and clogged gutters. Mickan's attempts to peacefully resolve the matter with her neighbour have so far failed.

She said now, not only does her neighbour simply ignores her pleas to tidy his bushes, he also routinely plants new ones, that add to the existing mess.

Council won't weigh in on tree dispute

Mickan said she contacted the Nambour division of the Sunshine Coast Council, but again had no success in having the issue rectified.

"All of his trees [the neighbour's] are planted right along the fence line," Mickan told Yahoo. "They grow all over my roof and fill up my gutters and make it very messy when they lose their leaves and their flowers.

The trees have proved a constant source of grief for the pensioner over the years. Source: Supplied.

"I did try in the beginning [to resolve the matter personally] but he ignores me now. He's also just planted two new avocado trees about two seconds from the fence  they're going to grow. They're already coming over the fence.

Story continues

"In winter time, the sun seems to come his way. He's got the sun because he's up high on a hill. But there's no sun for me because of the shade the trees make.

"I even went to the council at one stage and they came out and they said, 'oh no, that's nothing to do with us, that's on his block'. So the council really don't take into consideration any tree that is not kerbside."

Rules on trees bothering your neighbours

State government legislation in Queensland requires a "tree-keeper" to ensure trees and plants do not interfere with a neighbour's "enjoyment of their land".

According to the Queensland Government website, "if a neighbours tree hangs over your land, you can exercise the common law right of abatement", which is, "your right to remove overhanging branches and roots to your boundary line".

If the tree still causes problems and an agreement between the two occupants cannot be made, a resident can give them a notice to remove the problem branches, using a Form 3 - Notice for removal of particular overhanging branches.

"If your neighbour does not remove the branches by the specified time, you can remove them yourself or have a contractor remove them at your neighbours expensethey are liable to pay up to $300 a year for removing branches from their trees," it said.

Mickan said she will look into the notice form. Yahoo News Australia attempted to contact the Sunshine Coast Council about Mickan's concerns but as of Wednesday had not heard back.

'Limit on trees planting' a possible solution

Mickan wondered if "perhaps a limit should be placed" on how many trees a person can plant in their yard, when they overhang onto a neighbour's property. She also raised concerns over her neighbour's enormous camphor laurel tree, questioning its safety during extreme weather  which the area had been lashed by recently.

"If you do plant a lot of trees you should trim them, you know, you should look after them so they don't get 14-feet into the sky," she said. "As for the camphor laurel, he's not going to want to remove it because they will cost him an absolute fortune. But if there was a storm and that camphor laurel fell down  I would be dead, it's massive."

Mickan has concerns that her neighbour's huge camphor laurel tree could flatten her property in wild weather. Source: Supplied.

Similar debates between neighbours in other states

Last week Sydney resident Tim, who is nearing his 60s, told Yahoo News Australia he is getting too old to regularly trim a hedge that he says has grown too high and is also encroaching onto his land from his neighbour's property.

The City of Canada Bay Council confirmed to Yahoo News such disputes did not come under their management, and it would only become involved when it comes to pruning and removing trees, where council-issued permits are required. Instead, the council referred to NSW's Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006.

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Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has emerged as the most visible company in media across India, according to the 2023 Wizikey News Score rankings. Reliance Industries Chairman, and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.(ANI)

Retaining the top position on the list once again this year, Reliance defeated prominent organisations like the State Bank of India (SBI) as well as Gautam Adani's Adani Group. Reliance was on rank 1, improving its news score, compared to last year.

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The volume of news, headline presence, reach of publications, and readership determine Wizikey's News Score. Mukesh Ambani's company has been topping the list for the past four years.

For its #1 position, Reliance has a News Score of 96.46 for 2023. It was 92.56 for 2022, a marked improvement from its News Score of 84.9 in 2021. Banks like SBI, HDFC and ICICI were also part of the top five rankings in the list.

Adani Group, however, remained on the 23rd rank in overall media visibility. Monthly analysis showed that RIL's News Score was above 98 for 3 out of the last 6 months from June to November 2023.

According to Wizikey's research, Reliance stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of PR efficiency. The RIL's score at 216.8k in the volume parameter, 31.5k under the headlines parameter, 14.3k under the publication parameter and 74bn on the readership criteria - each parameter representing a wide 58-167 per cent gap over the second-placed SBI.

Reliance Industries' splash on the share market

One of the prime reasons why Reliance Industries is always in the news is because of its impact on the share market and contribution towards significant industries in India, ranging from retail to energy.

RIL share prices have been on an upward trend throughout December 2023, significantly contributing towards the rise in Sensex points in the last few weeks. On December 19, RIL shares traded at nearly 2 percent higher, at over 2573.

Recently, Reliance also paid a sum of 254 crore to German firm METRO AG till September 2023 for using the company's brand name in India. Ambani's conglomerate had acquired METRO AG in a 2,850 crore deal last year.

(With inputs from ANI)
Reliance Industries has paid a whooping sum of 254 crore to German multinational company METRO AG till September 2023 for using the company's brand name in India. Reliance Industries Chairman, and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.(ANI)

Reliance Industries acquired Dusseldorf-based METRO AG's wholesale chain in India last year in a 2,850 crore deal.

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METRO AG is providing certain transitional services and licences as part of the transaction to enable the new owner to operate the business," the German company said in its annual report. As part of the sale of METRO India, a licence payment of 28 million (around 254 crore) received in advance for using the METRO brand is recognised in the financial year.

On December 22, 2022, METRO AG signed an agreement to sell METRO India to Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (Reliance). The sale of METRO India, including all 31 wholesale stores and the entire real estate portfolio (6 store locations), to Reliance was successfully concluded on 11 May 2023.

Due to the increasing level of market consolidation, the accelerated digitalisation and the intense competition, the business of METRO India no longer aligns with METROs Core growth strategy, the multinational said in its annual report.

Metro AG, in its report, added that after taking into account the outgoing cash and including the prepayment for the use of the METRO brand, the preliminary net cash inflow for the disposed assets and liabilities amounted to 0.3 billion ( 2,731 crore).

The positive EBITDA-effective earnings from the disposal of METRO India amounts to 150 million, including transaction costs. It is fully attributable to the segment East and is allocated to transformation gains as a portfolio measure," it added.

The components of other comprehensive income from currency translation differences attributable to the shareholders of METRO AG still included in the equity of METRO India until the date of de-consolidation had an effect of 44 million in the financial result due to the de-recognition through profit or loss.
The Indian stock market has had a stellar month in December 2023, but the benchmark Sensex had a steep fall on Wednesday, tanking under the 71,000 mark after crossing the historic threshold earlier this month. Sensex has recorded a major drop of 900 points on Wednesday (ANI Photo)

BSE Sensex had crossed the 71,000 points mark shortly after the results of the 2023 state assembly elections were declared on December 3 and 4. Since then, the market had been on a steady rise, staying over 71,000.

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However, Sensex fell around 900 points on Wednesday, December 20, just as the markets closed. BSE Sensex is currently sitting below the 70,500 mark, with all major stocks like TCS and Hindustan Unilever showing a significant decline today.

Not just Sensex, but NSE Nifty also dropped below the 21,200 mark on Wednesday after a record-breaking run in the Indian stock market. Both Nifty and Sensex are recording this major dip just two weeks after hitting their historic high.

Why did Indian stock market fall today

Bank, metal and auto stocks in India remained in the red today, showing gradual decline throughout the market session on Wednesday. Major IT and bank stocks, apart from HDFC, also recorded marginal declines on December 20.

Another reason is the rise in Covid-19 cases across India once again, threatening the markets once again since the lockdown of March 2020. The rise in Covid cases in India is due to the new Covid sub-variant JN.1, first detected in Kerala.

Another reason behind this steep decline in Sensex points is the Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) data. FII majorly offloaded Indian shares during the last market session, selling around 601.52 crore. Meanwhile, Domestic Institutional Investors (DII) only ended up buying 294 crore.

While Sensex is showing a steep decline now, brokerage HDFC Securities had predicted that the early months of 2024 will observe an eight to ten percent spike in Nifty and Sensex, touching a new market high soon.
Tesla car drivers in the United States were involved in more accidents than drivers of any other brand of vehicle in the last year, a new study has found. A Tesla Model Y electric vehicle (EV).(Representative Image/Bloomberg)

According to a research by Lending Tree, Tesla drivers had 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers between November 14, 2022, to November 13, 2023. Tesla drivers were followed by Ram (22.76) and Subaru (20.90) per 1,000 drivers.

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Meanwhile, drivers of Pontiac (8.41), Mercury (8.96) and Saturn (9.13) were involved in the least amount of accidents. The analysis was done across cars of 30 brands.

Drivers of BMWs were most likely to engage in driving under the influence (DUI), the researchers found. They were involved in about 3 DUIs per 1,000 drivers in a year, about twice the rate of DUIs among Ram drivers, who were the second worst drivers in this regard.

Also Read | Tesla ready to open factory in India, but has this condition

Nine car brands had drivers with DUI rates below 1.00. Of those nine, Mitsubuish (0.89), Volvo (0.92), Mercury (0.93) and Kia (0.93) drivers had the lowest DUI rates for the period analysed.

Lending Tree said that while it is hard to nail down why certain brands may have higher accident rates than others. However, there are indications that certain types of vehicles attract riskier drivers than others.

Most people who drive minivans seem more interested in getting their kids around town safely than they are in zipping around in a high-horsepower vehicle, Rob Bhatt, LendingTree insurance expert and a licensed insurance agent. said.

Bhatt further added: Regardless of the vehicle you drive, its important to be responsible behind the wheel. If you look at crash statistics, youll see that speeding, impairment and distracted driving are among the leading causes of car crashes. These are all behaviours you can control.

Earlier this month, Elon Musk's Tesla announced that it is recalling more than 2 million (20 lakh) models sold by it in the United States over safety concerns flagged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The recall follows a 2-year NHTSA-led investigation into a series of Tesla vehicle crashes  some of these were fatal  that happened even as the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use.
An arrested gangster was killed in an exchange of fire with Punjab Police when he tried to flee in Amritsars Jandiala Guru area on Wednesday morning, police said. Punjab Police personnel after the encounter in which gangster Amritpal Singh was killed when he opened fire and tried to flee along Dhararh canal near Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

Amritpal Singh, 22, arrested on Tuesday, was being taken to Jandiala Guru for the recovery of 2kg of heroin. He fired at the police team from a pistol hidden there while in handcuffs and tried to flee, they said.

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Also read: Six Punjab cops dismissed for failing to join duty after ex-India leave

The incident occurred on the banks of Dhararh canal at 8.30am. During interrogation on Tuesday, he disclosed that he had hidden 2kg of heroin. We brought him here to recover the narcotics, Amritsar (rural) senior superintendent of police Satinder Singh said.

Amritpal, however, did not disclose that he had hidden the weapon there, the police officer said.

Gangster Amritpal Singh. (HT Photo)

While the police were recovering the heroin, Amritpal took out a 9-mm pistol and opened fire, leaving a police personnel injured. Another official had a narrow escape as the bullet pierced through his turban, the SSP said.

The injured policeman was hospitalised and his condition is stated to be stable.

Amritpal was involved in at least four murders and two attempted murder cases, the police officer added.
A nine-year-old girl living in a rented accommodation with her family in north Delhis Swaroop Nagar was raped and murdered by her 52-year-old landlord on December 12, and her body was allegedly dumped in the Munak canal, police officers aware of the case said on Tuesday, adding that the accused has been arrested. Local residents blocked traffic on GT Karnal Road while protesting against the crime. (HT Photo)

Police said that the girls body is yet to be found, and divers have been deployed in the canal to search for the remains.

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Meanwhile, the girls family and her neighbours blocked the GT Karnal Road near Swaroop Nagar for 3-4 hours, demanding the strictest of punishments for the accused, and the quick recovery of the victims remains. The protesters later dispersed after assurances by police that they are trying their best to find the body

Giving details of the case, officers associated with the case said that the girl lived with her parents  both factory workers  and two younger brothers at the rented house. On December 12, the girls mother fed the children, left for work at around 1.30pm, taking her youngest child  a 2-year-old boy  with her.

According to family, the middle child  a 6-year-old boy  fell asleep after lunch, and when he woke up at around 5pm, he couldnt find his sister and started crying. A neighbour saw him and stayed with him for half an hour, but then took him to my wifes factory and said that my daughter was missing, the minors father said.

At around 8.30pm, the girls parents filed a police complaint at the Swaroop Nagar police station, following which a first information report under Indian Penal Code section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) was registered and investigation was taken up.

Police said that during the probe, CCTV footage was obtained and analysed, and in one video segment, the girl was seen stepping into a car with a man.

He became the last person who saw the girl and our prime suspect. When we showed the footage to the parents, they identified him as their landlord and on December 15, we visited his house, deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said.

When police reached the landlords house, they were informed that he had met with an accident near Bakoli in Alipur and was admitted in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Rohini. He was unfit for statement at the time, the officer said.

On December 17, the accused was able to make a statement, and during sustained questioning, he revealed that he had raped and killed her.

He said he took her in his car on December 12 and raped her inside the car itself. He then got scared and decided to kill her. After killing her, he said he threw her body in the Munak canal, the officer said.

After his statement, IPC sections 364 (kidnapping in order to commit murder), 302 (murder), and 201 (destruction of evidence), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act were added to the original FIR.

On December 18, the landlord was discharged from hospital, after which his statement was formally recorded and early on Tuesday, he was arrested, police said.

However, police said, it is unclear how the girl was killed as the accused is changing versions.

Meanwhile, Singh said that five divers were deployed to search for the girls body of the girl in the canal on December 17, and diver from Khajuri Khas were also brought in on Tuesday for the search, but the remains are yet to be found. Teams have been formed to check his entire route on December 12 to collect evidence and to cross-check the sequence he has shared, the DCP said.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has taken suo-moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in the national capital. DCW chief Swati Maliwal issued a notice to the SHO of the Swaroop Nagar police station in north Delhi demanding a copy of the FIR registered in the matter along with details of the accused arrested. Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal. (ANI)

She has also sought a detailed action taken report by December 22.

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The nine-year-old girl was allegedly abducted, raped and then murdered by her 52-year-old landlord, who dumped her body in a canal in outer Delhi's Swaroop Nagar, according to police.

The accused has been arrested under IPC sections 364 (kidnapping in order to commit murder), 302 (murder), and 201 (destruction of evidence), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

After the girl went missing on December 12, the police were informed and they began scanning the CCTV footage of the area and they developed a suspicion regarding the accused.

When police reached the landlords house, they were informed that he had met with an accident and was admitted in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Rohini.

On December 17, the doctors declared him fit for statement and the accused confessed his crime during interrogation. He told the police that he had abducted the girl, took her to some isolated place where he raped her. To hide his crime, he strangled her and then dumped her body in Munak Canal around 6.30 pm.

Police said that the girls body is yet to be found, and divers have been deployed in the canal to search for the remains. youngest residents.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Wednesday said that it will provide a compensation of 15 lakh to the next of kin of a woman passenger who died after an accident at a metro station recently. In its statement, the DMRC added that it shall also take care of the education of the woman's children. A train arrives at Inderlok metro station in Delhi(ANI)

As per the Metro Railway (Procedure of Claims) Rules, 2017, the next of kin of the deceased is entitled to receive compensation of 5 lakh, the DMRC said in its official statement.

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"In addition, as humanitarian assistance to the children of the deceased, an additional amount of 10 lakh shall also be provided. Since the children are both minors, DMRC is currently engaged in sorting out the legal modalities of handing over the amount to the legal heir," the DMRC said.

The children of the deceased had previously requested financial compensation from the DMRC in the form of a fixed deposit.

Earlier, on Thursday, a 35-year-old woman succumbed to injuries after she came under a Delhi Metro train at Inderlok Station. Reena had come under the train after a part of her saree got stuck between the doors of the metro as they closed. She was then dragged along the platform.

Speaking about the incident Vicky, a relative of the woman, said she was going to Mohan Nagar from Nangloi in west Delhi when she met with the accident. "When she reached Inderlok Metro Station and was changing the train, her saree got stuck. She fell down and got seriously wounded. She was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition. On Saturday evening, she died," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)
A day after the INDIA block meeting, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national coordinator Akash Anand resorted to scathing criticism at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. India's opposition leaders, from left, T.R.Baalu, M.K Stalin, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarajun Kharge, attend a meeting of opposition parties where they announced their alliance named INDIA in Bengaluru, India, July 18, 2023. (AP)

In a post on the social media platform X, Akash stated that according to media reports and information from some party colleagues, it has been revealed that in yesterdays INDIA Alliance meeting, some people are less afraid of the BJP and more afraid of the BSP.

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I want to make it clear that BSP does not believe in the hate politics of an alliance that seeks votes by showing fear of the BJP. Because, at one time, some people came to power by showing fear of Congress, and today the whole country is suffering the consequences of that, he said.

According to leaders familiar with the developments in the INDIA block meeting in Delhi, the SP chief had opposed the move to induct the BSP into the alliance. In the earlier meeting held on Sunday, the UP Congress Committee leaders had urged the central Congress leadership to open the door for the BSP in the INDIA alliance to challenge the might of the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. However, the SP chief vetoed the Congress move.

Later, talking to the media, SP chief refused to comment on the move by the INDIA alliance partners to bring the BSP on the alliance board. Akhilesh said, SP has made its point clear to the alliance partners. The discussion over seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha election will start soon .

Reacting to the SP chiefs statement, Akash Anand said, With the successful results of the fight for the respect and rights of the Bahujan community by BSP founder Kanshi Ram Saheb and BSP chief Mayawati, are visible on a large scale.

Today, no political party has the strength to ignore the Dalit community. Let me also make it clear that in the interest of the Dalit community and to protect the Constitution of Baba Saheb, BSP will not allow the countrys democracy to become the domain of two parties.

Slamming Congress and BJP, Akash said, Everyone knows the real character of Congress and BJP. Understanding the current situation of the country, BSP will not make any compromise to save the Constitution and democracy, he said.

We will fight and are ready for a bigger battle to protect the democratic rights given in the Constitution, he added.

Earlier on December 10, BSP chief Mayawati had named her nephew Akash Anand as her political successor in a key national-level meeting of the party leaders and office bearers held at the party state unit office.
Other than guarding the porous Indo-Nepal border, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) seized over 144.5 kg of narcotics products and drugs and arrested 83 drug peddlers in 66 cases in 2023. For representation only (HT File Photo)

The SSB also seized over 11,11,054 kg of contraband items being smuggled across the border and arrested 2,241 people in 2,068 cases in the same period, said senior SSB officials here on Wednesday. They shared their achievements while celebrating their 60th Raising Day at its Lucknow Frontier campus near the New High Court building in Vibhuti Khand.

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SSB Lucknow frontier inspector general (IG), Ratan Sanjay, told the media that the SSB personnel also arrested eight people carrying illegal firearms across the border in six such cases and arrested three persons in three cases of Explosives Act during the same period, other than NDPS and smuggled contraband item cases.

He stated that the SSB arrested 29 people in 19 cases of silver and gold smuggling and seized around 35 kg of similar items during the same period.

Besides, as many as 83 men and 90 women were rescued from human traffickers while being taken across the border, he added.

The IG even congratulated the SSB personnel during the Raising Day celebration on Wednesday.
An Aussie mum is warning parents of the danger of soaring temperatures after her 10-week-old son developed a serious rash over his body. In a photo of the baby's armpit, a giant red mark can be seen, prompting healthcare professionals to urge all parents to take action if they spot a similar rash.

"It first appeared in the creases as just a red line," Daina Hilan told Yahoo News Australia, sharing a photo of her baby Tevita's leg with a red mark in the fold of his skin. "Sometimes it goes away but in cases like my son's it didnt go away and it got much worse within a 48-hour period. But it does always get much worse before it gets better, like most things."

Daina Hilan said the rash started out as a red line and rapidly got worse. Source: Supplied

Daina, who also has two young daughters, went on to say that the recent spike in temperatures on the NSW Central Coast didn't help. "After that almost 40-degree day we had the other day, behind his ears were much worse," she explained. "That's where it first started and then obviously the hotter the whole body gets, the wetter the areas stay, so unfortunately my son got it under both arms and behind both ears."

Daina said she'd tried keeping her son's clothes off, cleaning his skin and drying it out, while using cream, breast milk and saline water to treat the rash. But it wasn't until she started to use hydrozole cream  an antifungal product recommended by a local pharmacist  that it began to clear up. Fortunately, the rash has "most definitely gotten better" since she began using hydrozole.

What is the rash?

According to Kieran Le Plastrier, Assistant Professor of General Practice at Bond University, it looks like intertrigo, "which is basically a moisture and fungal overgrowth in the folds of our skin". While it starts out as a redness, it can feel itchy, uncomfortable, burning, prickly and painful, and can become inflamed and breed.

Story continues

"Hot weather, and particularly humid hot weather, promotes sweating and reduces the body's evaporation of sweat and so it becomes warm and dark in the folds of our skin and you can get fungal overgrowth as a result," Le Plastrier told Yahoo News Australia.

"Going to the pharmacist is usually the best port of call. There are lots of over the counter and pharmacy-only creams that can help."

Mother-of-three said the rash started to clear up when she stared using an antifungal cream. Source: Supplied

How to prevent the rash

The key to preventing intertrigo, says Le Plastrier, is to avoid skin folds from "becoming excessively damp for long periods of time". "We can do that by making sure we towel ourselves off with clean dry towels after showers and when we've been out and about sweating a lot," he said.

If an irritation does occur, Le Plastrier recommends using a barrier cream as soon as possible, such as sorbolene or zinc creams, to help reduce the risk of a rash forming.

For babies, the most important thing is to pay attention to what you're dressing them in. "What we know is that natural fabrics such as cotton and linens breathe very well and will allow moisture to escape," Le Plastrier explained. "Whereas children who are perhaps wearing synthetic fabrics tend to have more issues with sweat remaining on the skin and that can be the problem."

"But the key thing is that we need to allow babies and young children's body temperature to be regulated. And the best way to do that is to have them just lightly dressed for bedtime and perhaps have moving air. So fans are really great at allowing the body to evaporate sweat and you get less of these build-up problems."

If parents are ever in doubt about a rash, Le Plastrier said it's important to have it assessed. "I've had situations where parents have waited a period of time, hoping that something would settle down over a few days and it just gets worse," he said. "So when you see red, broken skin like that, it does need to be assessed by a medical professional pretty quickly."

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MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started probing at least nine overseas firms including those based in Hong Kong and Estonia that were allegedly used to divert the proceeds of crime from a bitcoin-based ponzi scheme operated by the Singapore-based Variable Tech Pte Ltd. HT Image

Agency officials said Variable Tech collected 80,000 bitcoins from gullible investors across the country by promising high returns, and funds worth 6,606 crore were diverted through the nine firms for purchasing properties abroad.

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The firms under EDs scanner include Amaze Mining and Blockchain Research Ltd, Hongkong; Green Ocean Overseas, Hongkong; Blue Wave Trading, Hongkong; AB Marketing Consultancy FZE, Dubai; Crypto Capital, Estonia; ABC Mega Alliance DMCC/ABC Megacorp, Dubai; AB Holdings, Dubai; AB Facilities, Dubai; and Purple Rain Trading Company, Dubai.

The ED initiated an investigation into the ponzi scheme in 2018, on the basis multiple cases registered by Maharashtra and Delhi police against Variable Tech, late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Mahender Bhardwaj and other multi-level marketing agents. It found that Variable Tech had been formed to allegedly lure gullible investors by promising them high returns in the form of crypto currency developed by the company. No returns were ever paid back to investors, according to the ED, which submitted the first case chargesheet against the accused in 2019.

On Sunday, the ED arrested Simpy Bhardwaj, one of the accused, from Delhi. The agency also seized three cars including a Mercedes GLS350D and an Audi Q3, some documents and jewellery worth 18.91 lakh from the residence of Simpy and her husband Ajay Bhardwaj, the main accused in the case who is absconding.

The accused persons including Simpy were actively involved in generating, concealing and layering of the proceeds of crime, said an ED official.

Bhardwaj was brought to Mumbai and produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court on Monday. Her lawyers contended that since the agencys previous case chargesheet contained a number of flow charts showing the money trail, her arrest was not required. She was also not a director in any of the firms under the scanner and some cases were filed after the filing of the case chargesheet, they said. The court, however, remanded Bhardwaj in the EDs custody till December 26.

The EDs investigation till now has resulted in the provisional attachment of properties worth 69 crore.

BOX: On the money trail

80,000 bitcoins collected by Variable Tech from gullible investors

6,606 crore diverted by Variable Tech through overseas firms

69 crore value of properties provisionally attached by ED in the case

Firms under EDs scanner:

Amaze Mining and Blockchaing Research Ltd, Hongkong

Green Ocean Overseas, Hongkong

Blue Wave Trading, Hongkong

AB Marketing Consultancy FZE, Dubai

Crypto Capital, Estonia

ABC Mega Alliance DMCC/ABC Megacorp, Dubai

AB Holdings, Dubai

AB Facilities, Dubai

Purple Rain Trading Company, Dubai
Maharashtra (Pune) [India], December 20 (ANI): A man has been arrested by Pimpri Chinchwad police of Pune district on tuesday for misbehaving with a Korean female vlogger, officials said. HT Image

Police officials arrested the accused after a video of a Korean female vlogger shooting on the streets of Pune went viral. In the video, the Korean vlogger, holding a coconut in her hand, was exploring the city when she faced harassment from the accused. The video showed a man touching the female vlogger inappropriately by putting his hand around her neck. The victim, in her video, expressed her discomfort, stating, "They really like to Hug."

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The incident happened in November in Pune's Ravet area during Deepawali. Korean vlogger Kelly uploaded the video on her youtube channel after which it did rounds on social media sparking outrage among the netizens.

Amid the huge uproar over the viral video, Maharashtra Police took cognizance of the matter and arrested the accused under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 294 (punishment for obscene acts or words in public) of the IPC.

"Taking the cognisance of the viral video, the crime branch unit of Pimpari Chinchwad Police tracked down the man from ravet area of Pimpri Chinchwad and arrested him on tuesday. Police have further registered an FIR under IPC section of 354 and 294 against him, and verifying the facts of the incident , incident occured in November month during Diwali festival in ravet area of Pimpri Chinchwad, further probe is on," said ACP Satish Mane , Pimpri Chinchwad police.

Meanwhile, in another incident in Mumbai, last year the YouTuber, a South Korean national, was harassed and molested by two people while she was Live Streaming from the Khar area of Mumbai. The Mumbai Police on Thursday arrested two people in the case of harassment (ANI)
Puneet Bhatia, India head of the US-based private equity TPG Capital, filed a complaint with Tardeo police late on Monday night alleging that he had been sold paintings by leading Indian artists worth  17.90 crore which turned out to be fakes. In his complaint, Bhatia has named solicitor Vishwang Desai who once represented Cyrus Mistry and art dealer Rajesh Rajpal the owner of Art India International at Churchgate as the men who duped him. Puneet Bhatia

Bhatia who recently started building his personal art collection told the police that 11 of the paintings he bought from Rajpal, including a Manjit Bawa and an FN Souza, turned out to be forgeries. In his complaint, he told the police that he was introduced to Vishwang Desai, managing partner in the law firm Desai and Diwanji, at a friends party in January of 2022. Bhatia told the police he was impressed by Desais knowledge about Indian art and he bought Desais claims of long experience in buying and selling art at face value. As their friendship cemented, Desai allegedly told Bhatia to invest in art and offered to help him source the right art works. According to Bhatias statement to the police, Desai talked up Rajesh Rajpals credentials as an art dealer and spoke about his office at Churchgate and his art gallery at Cuffe Parade to establish Rajpals bona fides.

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It was in the course of their many conversations about art and investment that Desai first told him about a Manjit Bawa painting titled Krishna with Cows which was up for sale for  6.75 crores. I was told that the current owner of the painting was a retired IAS officer called Subrata Banerjee who lived in Bhopal, said Bhatia in his police complaint. Desai also told him about a painting by FN Souza which was available for 1.75 crore and which was allegedly owned by the head of an erstwhile princely state in Madhya Pradesh.

In early February this year, Bhatia was told that Banerjee was about to leave for London and the deal needed to be made before that. I was told that Rajpal was in Bhopal to bring both the Bawa and the Souza to Mumbai. Bhatia, who was then based in Gurgaon, asked Rajpal to courier the two paintings to his bungalow at DLF, Gurgaon instead.

Within days of him receiving the art consignment, Vishwang Desai provided him with the requisite certificates of authenticity, self-attested and notarized certificates of provenance from the previous owners, and the invoices from Art India International.

Happy with his purchase, Bhatia bought nine more paintings from Rajpal, paying a total of 17.9 crores. The paintings, he said, were showcased on the walls of his home when some friends raised suspicions about their authenticity. It was only then that Bhatia began making independent enquiries into the provenance and authenticity of the artworks. I also reached out to the said bureaucrat Mr Banerjee through my own sources but he denied ever owning the Manjeet Bawa painting or having sold any other painting by the artist, Bhatia told the police.

He next approached the Mumbai-based company, Structured Systems, that specialises in forensic examination of handwriting and authenticating of artworks. They assessed the signatures of the respective artists appearing at the bottom of the paintings and informed Bhatia that they were forged. Based on this report from Structured Systems, Bhatia confronted the Desai and Rajpal and demanded they return his money. He told the police that while Desai first sought time, he later began evading his calls.

When contacted, Vishwang Desai denied his role in the dubious sale and told HT that he had merely introduced Bhatia to the art dealer and that they made the deal with the respective owner of the Bawa and the Souza. I am not the person who sold the paintings to Bhatia, he said, before going on to add that as an art connoisseur he himself had bought several artworks from Rajpal, and had in fact bought some paintings from the same lot as Bhatia.

As far as he knew, he said, the respective owners of the paintings had given Bhatia sworn affidavits and that Rajpal too had provided him with certificates of authenticity. He also said, defending Rajpal, who is not a well-known name in Mumbais art circuit, that on Bhatias request, the art dealer had taken 4 of the paintings sold to Bhatia and sold them forward to other buyers. The remaining 7 artworks however could not be sold because the TPG Capital boss has refused to issue consent notes for them.

A representative from Structured Systems told HT they get frequent requests for authentication of artworks, and that most requests come to them through lawyers and independent agencies. Refusing to comment on Bhatias specific complaint, a representative said, speaking on condition of anonymity, We can only say that this kind cheating with art works happens far more often than most people realise.

An officer with Tardeo police said the two accused had been booked under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 (forgery of a valuable security, will or authority to transfer any valuable security), 468 (using forged documents for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) based on Bhatias complaint.

When HT contacted Rajpal, he claimed he had no idea about the police complaint. He also wondered how the police had registered a complaint based on a one-sided statement without sending a notice to him or Desai. I took into account the dissatisfaction of Bhatia despite him coming back to me six months after the sale, when he had no claim to any returns from me. I have already returned 2.5 crore, but he wants me to take back all the paintings and return all the money to him, said Rajpal. He refused to elaborate on the claims of forgery.

Bhatia remained unavailable for comment.
The lawyer-husband of a sitting Calcutta high court judge has alleged that he was tortured by officials of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the name of investigation. Justice Amrita Sinha, who is presently hearing some of the petitions in the multi-crore recruitment scam in West Bengal schools, had directed the ED to question TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. (File)

Protap Chandra Dey, who practises in a district court, has lodged a complaint in this regard with the president of the bar association of the metropolitan magistrates court. He is the husband of justice Amrita Sinha.

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I was treated like a criminal, accused of some heinous crime. I was interrogated by more than one officers and questions were asked only about my wife and personal details . . . They behaved like local goons. They shouted at the top of their voice; not a single decent language was used. All slang and filthy expletives, Dey wrote in the letter.

Justice Sinha, who is presently hearing some of the petitions in the multi-crore recruitment scam in West Bengal schools, had directed the ED to question Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and the partys national general secretary.

Dey alleged that CID sleuths put pressure on him to depose against his wife. The torture increased when he refused. He also stated that the officers pounced on him multiple times to build pressure and forcefully extract false information to frame his wife with corruption charges.

I was offered huge sum of money, expensive cars, luxurious residential apartments and many others which I am ashamed to mention. I was threatened with dire consequences if I failed to depose as per their advice. My child and wife have also been threatened. They said that if I fail to tow their line, they will ruin my entire family by butchering us into pieces, he added.

The CID will issue a statement by Wednesday night, said a senior CID officer. Till around 4pm the CID didnt issue any statement.

In September this year, the Bidhannagar Police registered a FIR on the basis of a complaint lodged by a sexagenarian woman, Bani Roy Chowdhury, against her family members in a property dispute. Allegations, however, surfaced that Dey was unduly influencing the case. The investigation was later transferred to the CID.

My client is not related to this case. He doesnt know Chowdhury and never called her. He is not even named in the FIR. The respondent, however, moved the Supreme Court alleging that my client was exerting undue influence on account of his spousal status, being the husband of a sitting judge of the high court, said Pratik Basu, counsel of Dey.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti on November 6 directed the CID to continue with the investigation. The matter is likely to be heard again in January 2024.

The CID questioned Dey for around three-and-a-half hours on December 1 and again for around nine hours on December 16.

As a practising advocate I would like to request you to take prompt necessary action against the wrongdoers and protect the interest of the bar. If no action is taken, then such type of incidents may recur in future, Dey wrote in his letter.

This is nothing but a brazen attempt to intimidate the Judiciary. Advocate Protap Chandra Dey, husband of Justice Amrita Sinha, sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, who is hearing several matters relating to scams involving Mamata Banerjees Govt and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, is summoned by West Bengal CID and harassed to make statements against his wife, in a matter he is not involved in. This is extremely serious and the Bar Council must take note of this at the highest level, Amit Malviya, BJPs IT head, wrote on his X handle.

Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson of the TMC, said: When there is any investigation against the TMC, we hear political leaders say that the investigation is being done on the orders of the court. In this case too investigation is being done after the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead. No one is above the law. I am not speaking against any particular lawyer or any particular judge. But if someone has misused the position of his wife, who is a judge, law will take its own course.
The Union ministry of education and the Election Commission of India (ECI) have joined hands to incorporate voter education and electoral literacy formally into the school, college and varsity education system to prepare future and new voters for greater electoral participation. The UGCs letter has given instructions to include the selection process in the syllabus and award credit. (HT PHOTO)

A letter on behalf of secretary Manish Joshi of the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been sent to states and higher educational institutions.

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The higher education regulator on Tuesday wrote to the vice-chancellors of universities and principals of all colleges in the country informing that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Union ministry of education and the ECI on November 2, 2023 to incorporate voter education and electoral literacy formally into the education system.

The UGC circular states: A syllabus will be prepared to explain the process of democracy, voting etc. to students from schools to higher educational institutions. The marks for the subject will be added to the school certificate and degree.

The UGCs letter has given instructions to include the selection process in the syllabus and award credit. In order to teach the subject, teachers have been instructed to conduct online or offline training, awareness campaigns among students about voting process, it added.

In the election process, students will also be taught about EVM, VVPAT, Election Commission of India mobile app, ballot unit, polling section, control unit, presiding officer, polling officers, polling agents, ballot boxes, NOTA etc. The aim is to let them know every information about the election process. Apart from this, a mock poll i.e. election test will be conducted at educational institutions. Also, the National Voters Day will be celebrated at the educational institutions on January 25, said Joshi.

Students and educational institutions have appreciated the move ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to take place next year. I will be voting first time next year in the Lok Sabha and the new subject will be beneficial for us, said Kanchan Jedhe, a first year commerce student.
The Nationalist Congress Partys (NCP) city unit on Wednesday staged a protest over suspension of Opposition party MPs in the Parliament on Tuesday. NCP MP Supriya Sule and Amol Kolhe were suspended by the government. NCP city unit president Prashant Jagtap and other office-bearers held the protest at Warje on Wednesday. (HT PHOTO)

NCP city unit president Prashant Jagtap and other office-bearers held the protest at Warje on Wednesday.

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Jagtap said, The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are trying to supress the opposition partys voice that is vital for a democratic nation. This week only, the same government awarded Sule a best parliamentarian award and the next day suspended her.

Kolhe said, We were raising voice on citizens issue. We were asking discussion over ban on onion export and other farmer issues. But the government did not want to discuss any issues.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and city traffic police are working together to assess an alternate traffic strategy before demolishing the Sadhu Vaswani flyover, which connects Kalyaninagar-Koregaon Park routes to the Pune Cantonment area. The new traffic plan is expected to be presented within the next two to three days, according to civic officials, as residents express confusion about how to navigate the traffic. Since the existing flyover is outdated and no longer handles the traffic problems here, PMC shelved plans to repair it and later decided to demolish and replace it with a new structure. (HT PHOTO)

The civic authorities plan to demolish the 50-year-old Sadhu Vaswani flyover which connects the circuit house. Work will be challenging on the ground since the flyover crosses a railway line, according to PMC officials.

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Srinivas Bonala in charge of this project said, PMC conducted three meetings with traffic police, and the police were requested to prepare an alternate traffic plan. The traffic changes will be announced soon. We will ensure that the PMC will not start the demolition and construction work of the new flyover before conducting the trials of the new traffic plan. After getting the ground experience, PMC and traffic police will make necessary changes so citizens would not be inconvenienced.

The estimate committee of PMC on Tuesday gave the nod to demolish the 640-metre-long and 6.90-metre-wide bridge, currently closed for heavy vehicles. The civic body plans to build a new bridge estimated to be built at the cost of 70 crores.

Bonala said, Earlier the PMC planned to strengthen the existing flyover but as it was not feasible, the civic body now will construct a new four-lane flyover. All the necessary approvals for the project are in and the bridge is expected to be ready within two years after the commencement of the work.

Satish Arora, a resident of Koregaon Park said, This is a crucial flyover for the Kalyaninagar and Koregaon Park residents. Most of the school children from the area go to various schools in the Pune Camp area and use this flyover. Once the work starts, it will be difficult to find an alternative route. PMC and traffic police must evaluate other options before starting the work.

Since the existing flyover is outdated and no longer handles the traffic problems here, PMC shelved plans to repair it and later decided to demolish and replace it with a new structure.

Shreya Gupta from Kalyaninagar said, I am working with an IT company and use this flyover daily. We are confused about the traffic situation after the bridge is demolished.

A senior traffic police officer on condition of anonymity said, It is very challenging work as a railway line runs through the area. Another difficulty is that this bridge serves as the access road for VIPs staying at Circuit House. The Koregaon Park and Kalyaninagar areas house many high-ranked government and defence personnel. If there is traffic congestion, complaints will be filed right away.
Following revelations earlier this year that students, parents and the government are being cheated by illegal schools running in various districts, the state government has now made it clear that the concerned education officer will be held responsible and that disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned collector in the event unauthorised schools are found in any district. In the last few months, several unauthorised schools have been found in many districts of the state. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The action comes from state education commissioner Suraj Mandhare, who has also directed that the approval letters of schools in each district be verified. Keeping in view the educational interests of the students, instructions have been given to prevent the opening of unofficial schools in future, said Mandhare.

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In future, if unauthorised schools are running in the districts, the education officials of those districts will be held responsible and disciplinary action will be taken against them. On Monday, the state government has announced a government decision in this regard and it will be strictly followed, Mandhare said.

On Monday, December 18, an order was issued by the undersecretary of the school education department, Pravin Mundhe, which stated, Under the Maharashtra Self-financed Schools (Establishment and Regulation) Act 2012 and Rules 2020, procedures have been fixed for establishing new schools on self-financed basis and increasing the standard of the existing schools.

In the last few months, several unauthorised schools have been found in many districts of the state. Many institutions have been found to start schools unofficially without taking proper approval of the government. This is a disadvantage for students studying in such illegal schools.
Five months after 28 parties came together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the bloc had its first productive session on Tuesday, where leaders discussed issues including projecting a prime ministerial face and deadline-bound talks on seat-sharing. Ironically, the glue for the bloc this time may have been provided by the ruling dispensation, with its backing for the suspension of MPs (143 of them) from Parliament. It also allowed breathing space for the Congress, which escaped scrutiny for its lacklustre performance in the recent assembly elections in Hindi heartland states. In fact, the centrality of the Congress to the bloc was inadvertently endorsed by Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, when they proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the PM face of the bloc. Kharge, the seasoned politician he is, smartly deflected the idea, for any sign of endorsement of the plan could trigger tensions within the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar and perhaps, even within the Congress; he said it was premature to deliberate on the subject before the elections are won.

Indications, however, are that the INDIA bloc, despite the many hiccups, is likely to stick together. Ahead of Tuesdays meeting, Mamata Banerjee said she was willing to negotiate seat-sharing with the Congress and the Left in West Bengal. The offer, if accepted, will turn elections in West Bengal into a bipolar battle  the BJP benefited from a multi-polar contest in the state in 2019 to win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats  though it remains to be seen if the CPM will play ball. On its part, the Congress has announced a five-member panel that includes senior leaders Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel to discuss seats with allies. In states such as Uttar Pradesh, the Congress seems to be making realistic assessments of its strength.

However, it will require more than seat-sharing and a PM face for the INDIA bloc to challenge the BJP. Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin hit the nail on the head when he asked about the INDIA blocs possible strategy to counter the BJPs Ram Mandir plank. The BJP is not a one-trick pony, surely, but a battle-ready party that has a charismatic leader, populist welfare schemes, a sharp social agenda, and an aggressive nationalist stance. The INDIA bloc will need countervailing ideas to attract voters. The bloc is yet to figure these out, though elections are due in April.
Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC CDS I 2024 notification today, December 20. Interested candidates will be able to apply online through the official website at upsc.gov.in. The deadline for the submission of the applictaion form is January 9. 2024. The applictaion correction window will be active from January 10, 2024, to January 16, 2024. UPSC CDS I 2024 notification released, apply online at upsc.gov.in before January 9, 2024

The admit card will be released seven days before the commencement of the examination.

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Vacancy details:

Indian Military Academy, Dehradun: 100

Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala: 32

Air Force Academy, Hyderabad: 32

Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras): 275

Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras): 18

Age limit:

The candidate's age should be between the age of 20 to 24 years as on January 1, 2025.

Applictaion fee:

Candidates (excepting Female/SC/ST candidates who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/- (Rupees Two Hundred Only) either by remitting the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using Visa/Master/Rupay Credit/Debit Card/UPI Payment or by using internet banking facility of any Bank.

Educational Qualification:

For I.M.A. and Officers Training Academy, Chennai candidates should possess a degree from a recognised University or equivalent.

For Indian Naval Academy candidates should have a degree in Engineering from a recognised University/Institution.

For Air Force Academy candidates should have a degree from a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering.

For more details, candidates can check the detailed notification below:
An Aussie couple who were facing missing their wedding on Friday have been blessed with a Christmas "miracle" thanks to our national airline Qantas stepping in to save the day.

Hannah Jeffries and her fiance Dylan Stitt were booked to fly out of Queensland's Cape York region and into Cairns on Tuesday morning, before travelling south to Tannum Sands, near Gladstone where they have plans to marry. But the closure of Cairns Airport due to flooding this week threw their plans into chaos, with their cancelled flight leaving them stranded.

The airport, which is the seventh busiest in Australia, was forced to close on Sunday after its runway became flooded, with planes partly submerged on the airport tarmac. Although it's since cleared and the airport reopened on Tuesday morning, the temporary interruption caused significant flight delays and cancellations in and out of the area, with airlines still dealing with the aftermath

Hannah Jeffries and her fiance Dylan Stitt, who have an 11-month-old son, were facing missing their wedding due to cancelled flights in Queensland. Source: Cape York Weekly

Qantas steps up for stranded couple

Panicked, and fearing their 60 guests will be celebrating without them, Jeffries said on Tuesday "at this stage, we aren't going to make it," referring to their wedding.

"We know there is a disaster going on and we don't want to come across as unsympathetic because we feel awful for those impacted by the floods, but we'd really love to get home for our wedding," she told Cape York Weekly, adding they were "hoping for a miracle".

And a miracle is what they got as the elated couple revealed Qantas had arranged a flight on Thursday after their struggle was made public. According to Cape York Weekly, "Qantas has personally made sure they are booked all the way through from Weipa to Gladstone" where their friends and family are waiting.

"We are delighted that Hannah and Dylan are able to make their wedding on time," a Qantas spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

Cairns Airport was closed after it flooded, leaving planes partially submerged on the tarmac. Source: AP

Story continues

Ex-cyclone Jasper clean-up to cost 'tens of millions'

The clean-up from ex-cyclone Jasper is now underway throughout Queensland and is expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars, although it's still "too early" to know the full scale of the damage, Emergency Services Minister Murray Watt said.

"Its going to be a very expensive repair bill. Its a little too early to know the full scale of the damage, but we do know that theres widespread damage to state and local roads across the region," he said.

"Some of the roads will take some time to repair  you will have seen some of the damage is enormous  but we obviously want to get the freight routes opened up as we can, and work is already beginning on that."

Clean-up is now underway across parts of Queensland with Royal Australian Navy personnel working to help civilians. Source: AP

Some Far North Queensland areas had up to two metres of rain over the past week, prompting hundreds to flee their homes or seek shelter on rooftops before being rescued. Tens of thousands were also without power. Some communities still remain trapped in floodwater in the wake of this week's disaster which the state's new premier Steven Miles described as "the worst" natural disaster he can remember seeing.

Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday a one-off payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child who had suffered a significant loss as a result of the floods. People who live and work in the Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Mareeba, Tablelands and Wujal Wujal council areas can access this payment from 2pm on Wednesday.

with NCA Newswire/AAP

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Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board, BCECEB has declared Bihar DLRS Result 2023. Candidates who have appeared for CBT mode can check the results through the official website of BCECEB at bceceboard.bihar.gov.in. Bihar DLRS Result 2023 for Survey Kannoongo, Amin & other posts results out

The rank card is available for Special Survey Assistant Settlement Officer, Special Survey Kannoongo, Special Survey Amin, and Special Survey Clerk. To check the results, candidates can follow the steps given below.

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Direct link to check Bihar DLRS Result 2023

Bihar DLRS Result 2023: How to check

Visit the official website of BCECEB at bceceboard.bihar.gov.in.

Click on Online Portal of Revenue and land Reforms Deptt. Link available on the home page.

A new page will open where candidates will get the link for rank card.

Click on the link and a new page will open.

Click on the post and enter the required details.

Press submit and the result will be displayed.

Check the result and download the page.

Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

Candidates who have qualified for the written examination will have to appear for the document verification process. The document verification will be conducted in Patna on December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2023, January 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2024. For more related details candidates can check the official website of BCECEB.
The holiday season is about to get an extra dose of excitement for Jujutsu Kaisen fans as Chapter 246 is set to drop on Monday, December 25, at 12 am JST. For avid readers around the world, this translates to various release times on Sunday, December 24, making it a delightful early holiday gift. Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 246 to be released on December 25, with various release times on December 24 in different time zones.(MAPPA)

Here's a breakdown of the release times in different time zones:

Pacific Standard Time: 7 am, Sunday, December 24

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Eastern Standard Time: 10 am, Sunday, December 24

Greenwich Mean Time: 3 pm, Sunday, December 24

Central European Time: 4 pm, Sunday, December 24

Indian Standard Time: 8:30 pm, Sunday, December 24

Philippine Standard Time: 11 pm, Sunday, December 24

Japanese Standard Time: 12 am, Monday, December 25

Australia Central Time: 1:30 am, Monday, December 25

In the last chapter, the stage was set for an intense showdown as Higuruma's plan took an unexpected turn. The attempt to confiscate Sukuna's Cursed Technique resulted in the loss of his Cursed Tool, Kamutoke. As the battle unfolded, Sukuna unleashed his devastating Slashes, putting the Jujutsu High sorcerers on the defensive.

The chapter also hinted at Sukuna's continued dominance, with Uraume acknowledging that Sukuna's regeneration speed surpassed even that of Satoru Gojo. The narrative took a surprising turn, revealing the resilience of Hakari, who constantly regenerated limbs frozen by Uraume's attacks.

The upcoming Chapter 246 is poised to reveal the true nature of Yuji's Cursed Technique. With the Deadly Sentencing plan failing, the focus will likely shift to Yuji Itadori's unexplored powers. Fans can anticipate an intense battle between Yuji and Sukuna, with the fate of the sorcerer world hanging in the balance.

Where to read Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 246

As for where to catch all the action, readers can head to Viz Media's official website, Shueisha's MANGAPlus website, or Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ app. While the former two platforms offer free access to the first and latest three issues in a series, the latter is a subscription-based service granting access to the entire series.

Despite the lack of verified spoilers at the time of this article, the anticipation for Chapter 246 is running high. As the battle against Sukuna intensifies, readers can expect unexpected twists and the unraveling of Yuji's newfound powers.
Makers of the upcoming biopic drama film Main Atal Hoon on Wednesday unveiled the film's official trailer. Taking to YouTube, Hitz Music shared the trailer. The three-minute-and-37-second-long trailer shared a glimpse into the life of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Pankaj Tripathi essays the titular role. (Also Read | Pankaj Tripathi on similarities between Kadak Singh and Animal) Pankaj Tripathi in a still from Main Atal Hoon trailer.

Main Atal Hoon trailer

The trailer shows Pankaj as the late PM  his journey from a young leader of the masses to the Lok Sabha. The video also gives a glimpse of the late PM's sense of humour, his formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), being in Opposition and then forming his government. Pankaj beautifully transformed to convincingly play the late PM.

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The late PM is renowned for his contributions to education, science, infrastructure, and strengthening global ties. The trailer takes you through the early days of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his childhood, political career, his sheer dedication to bring a change and make India a great nation.

About Main Atal Hoon

Main Atal Hoon is a biopic of late three-time Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was conferred with the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. Helmed by director Ravi Jadhav, Main Atal Hoon features Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role as Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The film is written by Rishi Virmani and Ravi Jadhav while the music has been composed by Salim- Sulaiman. Main Atal Hoon is all set to hit theatres on January 19, 2024. Earlier, it was scheduled to release in December 2023.

Pankaj on playing the late PM

Speaking about the film, Pankaj said in a statement, More than the film, the journey of playing Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is really close to my heart. The man is truly a legend, and we are honoured to bring his inspiring story to the world. I hope audiences appreciate our efforts to bring in the legacy of Atal ji onto the big screens.

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Actor Shreyas Talpade's wife Deepti Talpade has shared a post informing his fans and followers that he has been discharged from the hospital. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Deepti shared several pictures of herself and Shreyas. She also wrote short notes thanking family, friends and fans. (Also Read | Shreyas Talpade likely to be discharged on Sunday night or Monday morning: Filmmaker Soham Shah) Shreyas Talpade's wife Deepti shared a post.

Deepti says Shreyas returned home

Deepti, along with the pictures, wrote, "My life. Shreyas, is back home... safe and sound. I would argue with Shreyas saying I don't know where to put my faith in. Today I know the answer to my question, God Almighty. He was with me that evening when this drastic event happened in our lives. I don't think I'II ever question his existence henceforth."

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Deepti pens thank you notes for those who helped her

She also wrote, "I wish to take a moment and thank the good samaritans of our city. That evening I called for help, sought a hand and I got 10 of them. While Shreyas lay inside the car, they didn't know who they were helping--yet they came running. To all those people, you were God incarnate that evening for us. Thank you. I hope my message reaches you. Please know that I shall be eternally grateful to you from the core of my being. That's the spirit of this great city Mumbai. That's what makes Mumbai. We were not left to fend for ourselves. We were taken care of."

Deepti thanks friends, family

Deepti also said, "I wish to thank our friends, family and our film industry...Hindi and Marathi for all the love and concern. Some of whom left everything they were doing and were there standing with me. It's because of you all, I wasn't alone. I had shoulders to lean on and immense support to stay strong."

She continued, "I want to thank the fabulous team of Belle Vue Hospital who sprang in to action and saved my husband. All the Doctors, Sisters, Brothers, Boys, Maushis, Mamas. Admin & Security. No amount of thank yous are enough for your deed. I thank all the fans...so many people who prayed with me for Shreyas's safety and good health, your love, prayers & blessings saw us through the woods. Thank you. That evening God operated through each & everyone of you....from every corner of the world...And for that, I am truly humbled...& I shall be eternally grateful. Thank you (folded hands emoji)."

About Shreyas' health

Recently, Shreyas was hospitalised after he suffered a heart attack and underwent an angioplasty. He had reportedly complained of uneasiness and collapsed at his residence on December 14. He was rushed to the Bellevue Hospital in Andheri by his family.

Shreyas' career

Shreyas made his debut in a leading role with 2005's Iqbal. He has starred in both Hindi and Marathi cinema. The actor is best known for his performance in films such as Dor, Om Shanti Om and the Golmaal franchise. He will next be seen in Welcome to the Jungle, the third part of the Welcome film series.

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Actor Vidyut Jammwal was made happy by a photographer who complimented his recent photos from a Himalayan retreat. The actor received mixed reactions after posting pictures from his time spent in nature. Not only did he ditch all luxuries during his alone time in the jungle, but also all his clothes. Also read: Vidyut Jammwal ditches all his clothes and luxuries for Himalayan retreat Vidyut Jammwal reacts to compliment over his nude pics.

Vidyut on his jungle pics

Vidyut was recently snapped in Mumbai. He looked casual in a white t-shirt, topped with a statement jacket and grey joggers. The actor seemed busy, checking something on his phone when someone from the paparazzi told him, Jungle wali photo bohot achi thi (Your pictures from the jungle were good).

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The actor paused, took his Airpods out and smiled at the kind words. He replied, Aapka taste acha hai (You have a good taste)," and went inside a building. The video of the same has surfaced online.

Vidyut's controversial pics

Earlier this month, Vidyut surprised fans with his bold photos from the retreat. Ditching all clothes, he was seen bathing, cooking and doing everything like a true yogi in the jungle.

The idea behind his lifestyle

Sharing the pictures, Vidyut wrote on X, My retreat to the Himalayan ranges - the abode of the divine started 14 years ago. Before I realised, it became an integral part of my life to spend 7-10 days alone- every year. Explaining his ritual, he added, Coming into the wilderness from a life of luxury and adulation, I enjoy finding my solitude and realising the importance of knowing Who I am not, which is the first step of knowing Whom am I as well as fending for myself in the quiet luxuries provided by nature.

I am most comfortable outside my comfort zone and I tune into the natural frequency of nature, and I imagine myself as the satellite dish antenna- receiving & emitting vibrations of happiness and love. I vibrate at the frequency of COMPASSION. I vibrate at the frequency of DETERMINATION. I vibrate at the frequency of ACHIEVEMENT. I vibrate at the frequency of ACTION. It is here that I create the energy I want to surround myself with and come back home, ready to experience a new chapter in my life - Reborn. Also would love to share that this solitude is inconceivable to the mind, but experiential only when in awareness. Im now ready and excited for my next chapter - CRAKK releasing in theatres on Feb 23rd, 2024. Pic courtesy - A Local Shepherd Mohar Singh, the Commando actor ended the note.

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Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach tied the knot after 12 years of dating. The pair got married in New York City Hall, an insider told PEOPLE. Greta and Noah met while they filmed the movie Greenberg in 2010. They started dating in 2011. The couple co-wrote the Barbie screenplay. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach attend a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat" at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in New York (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

In an interview with Elle UK published in July, they announced that they had welcomed a second child. "The little guy is sleeping through the night. But I'm still doing that thing where I wake up, every hour to 90 minutes, and just hover. You just keep wanting to look at that baby. So I'm slightly in a twilight state," the Lady Bird director said. The couple welcomed their first child, son Harold Ralph Gerwig Baumbach, in March 2019.

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Noah told Vogue that December why he likes to work alongside Greta. "I think the pleasure of writing for us is that it seeps into everything. I'd show her a cut of my movie, and then a few months later, I'm watching her movie. I don't want to sound sickeningly happy, but it's a truly great thing to watch someone you love make something and love the thing they make. I don't know how else to say it without saying great a lot," he told the outlet.

Greta and Noah were nominated for Oscars in 2020  Noah for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for Marriage Story, and Greta for Best Adapted Screenplay for Little Women. At the time, as the couple walked the red carpet at the 2020 Academy Awards, Noah told ABC's Tamron Hall that his now wife made him a "better person and a better writer."

"When we write together, I'm always trying to impress her. I feel like I write better because I work at it harder, I want her to be impressed," he said.
Rumours were afloat on Tuesday that the title for Thalapathy Vijays upcoming film, Thalapathy 68, with director Venkat Prabhu has been finalised. There was speculation that an English title has been finalised, Boss. There was another set of reports that claimed the title Puzzle has been finalised instead. But producer Archana Kalpathi busted these rumours on her X account on Wednesday. (Also Read: Lingusamy: Vijay was the first choice for Sandakozhi but he said no because of Rajkiran's character arc) The title of Thalapathy Vijay's next will be revealed soon

Not boss or puzzle

Just saw all the updates. Thank you for the love. Keep calm and wait for the real one very soon @vp_offl is cooking something special. It is definitely not Boss or Puzzle. Happy Morning everyone. #Thalapathy68, wrote Archana on X. thanks for saving our mental peace, commented a fan while another wrote, We Are Waiting & Thanks For Giving Clarification Regarding #Thalapathy68 Title. Buzz is that the title will be revealed on New Years.

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A remake?

While Archana did not clarify further, theres also speculation that the film is inspired by Hollywood film Looper. Touted to be a time travel based film, Vijay is rumoured to play a double role, including scenes where he plays a 19-year-old. Whats more, back in September, the actor went to Los Angeles to get a 3D scan of his body for the film. The films team is currently shooting in Chennai, with plans to shoot in Thailand and Turkey next year.

About Thalapathy 68

Vijays next boasts of a stellar cast featuring the likes of Meenakshi Chaudhary, Prabhu Deva, Prashant, Sneha, Laila and Vaibhav. Atlee was supposed to direct the project initially but later, Venkat was brought on-board. Yuvan Shankar Raja will compose the films music while Siddhartha Nuni handles the cinematography. Shooting for the film commenced in October this year and Raju Sundaram was roped in to choreograph a song. Vijay was last seen in Leo.

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After two movies adapted from Rick Riordan's books, the character of Percy Jackson now finds renewed life in an upcoming series. It stars a new generation of actors in the beloved roles of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood. Walker Scobell, 14, Leah Sava Jeffries, 14, and Aryan Simhadri, 17, infuse fresh blood and perspective in their characters, originally written almost two decades ago. They discuss that and more in an exclusive interview. Aryan Simhadri, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Walker Scobell in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

(Also Read: Zack Snyder interview on going beyond Superman, Justice League: I wanted to create my own world and set my own rules)

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Just another kid

Walker Scobell was quite confident while taking on the iconic character made more famous by Logan Lerman in the movies. A fan of the books and the movies, Walker was well-versed with Percy Jackson inside out. But he admits playing him made the fan in him take note of what Percy also is: just a kid.

I got to discover his childish side, if that makes any sense. Because you don't really think about it, but they're really 12. They're kids! They're wanted criminals for destroying a national monument, sorry. It was interesting to go back and look at it. Because it blanks from your mind when you're playing him that he's a child. He doesn't really understand these emotions and how to control them," said Walker.

Up against backlash

Leah Sava Jeffries was also just a kid when she received backlash for her casting as Annabeth Chase, originally imagined as a white character in the books. After she and the makers got trolled extensively for the subversive casting, everyone from the author Rick Riordan to actor Alexandra Daddario (who played Annabeth in the movies) came out in Leah's support. Now that the episode is past her, Leah thinks it only fuelled her to be a better performer on set.

Okay, these people are saying all these things. Lets show them they're wrong,'" said Leah.

I think that backlash happened because no one saw me play Annabeth yet. But now, everything is done, everything has come together well, and I can't wait for everyone to see it. Because people just judge on the basis of what they see, what they hear, what they feel without actually waiting for it. The stuff that came to me and what people said was really a motivational thing. I took into consideration all of that and thought, Okay, these people are saying all these things. Lets show them they're wrong,'" said Leah.

Push in diversity

She added that her co-stars kept her morale high whenever she questioned herself. Even my cast members said, Youre doing great, don't pay attention to all that.' So everyone has helped me a lot on this set. It's come together really well and I can't wait for you to see it, Leah said. Aryan Simhadri, an Indian-American cast as Grover Underwood, lauded the makers' quest to be more inclusive and diverse. I don't speak for Leah obviously. But the surge in diversity and the time, money, and genuine effort being put into finding talented creators and casting people of colour have been incredible in these last couple of years," Aryan said.

For Indian people specifically, in the last generation or before this surge in diversity, we were the nerds and the geeks. It's a very specific typecast or stereotype we tend to have.

"I'm just so glad that I get to play a character that means so much to so many people, and not just a funny sidekick kind of guy. It's an honour, he added.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on December 20.

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In the pursuit of academic excellence, our nation has long emphasised the performance of students in higher classes, often overlooking the foundational years crucial to a student's educational journey. Despite significant efforts towards success in higher grades, it is vital to recognise that the roots of learning are firmly established during a child's formative years. As the former women and child welfare minister of Uttar Pradesh, my experience, coupled with interdisciplinary research, underscores the significance of high-quality Early Childhood Education (ECE)--a specialised educational approach needed to ensure that children acquire essential skills and foundational concepts for later life, including the development of social-emotional skills. The period from birth to 8 years is a phase of remarkable growth, where a child's brain is highly sensitive to its environment. It is during these early years that the foundations of literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking are laid, shaping the trajectory of a child's education and the nation's future. Esteemed organisations like the OECD and UNESCO recognise high-quality early childhood education as a pivotal indicator of a nation's health and prospects. Education (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)

Currently in India, the shortage of dedicated teachers and the quality of instruction in our ECE classrooms demand immediate attention. Startling statistics, such as only one-third of five-year-olds being enrolled in anganwadis nationally, as reported in ASER 2022, and half of all grade 1 students being younger than six years old according to UDISE 2021-22 are availing developmentally inappropriate education (The 5-6 age group is particularly important to build more focused school readiness skills for Grade 1).

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A recent report, Building Strong Foundations: Examining Early Childhood Education in India, reveals that Early Childhood Education (ECE) classrooms (consisting of both anganwadis and government pre-primary sections) in India had an average learning time of just 35 minutes, significantly below the recommended three to four hours. The study, encompassing 200 classrooms, highlights poor quality and effectiveness within this limited timeframe, with only 13.8% of activities adhering to recommended student-led, group formats. The scarcity of free play and exploratory activities, which are important in building conceptual understanding, further underscores the need for improvements in the ECE landscape. These data points highlight the urgent and pressing need for intervention, innovation, and re-prioritisation for education in our early years.

India stands at a crucial juncture wherein enhancing ECE is not just a potential avenue for improvement but an absolute necessity. The Union government's astute recognition of ECE's pivotal role is evident in the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP), emphasising its fundamental contribution to preparing 5 and 6-year-olds for formal education. The NEP aims to ensure widespread access to high-quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), advocate for a flexible, play-oriented curriculum, and actively support educators in fostering holistic child development. The Union government's commitment to elevating ECE standards is commendable, paving the way for a more enlightened and well-prepared generation.

Uttar Pradesh, as India's largest state, hosts the nation's most expansive anganwadi ecosystem, boasting over 82 lakh enrolled children across 1.8 lakh anganwadi centres, as per the WCD Dashboard. Spearheaded by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government has embarked on numerous initiatives, a result of coordinated endeavours by the state education and women and child development departments.

In a significant financial commitment, the fiscal year 2023-24 witnessed an impressive 279.6% surge in approved funds for ECCE amounting to a total of 262 crorea substantial increase from the previous fiscal year. The Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi initiative stands out as a catalyst for enhancing the capabilities of anganwadi teachers, fostering not only academic growth but also holistic development. Concurrently, the Padhai Pathshala initiative introduces online sessions for anganwadi teachers, broadening their pedagogical horizons. The ambitious Operation Kayakalp 2.0 endeavours to upgrade infrastructural facilities in primary schools.

Furthermore, there is a concerted focus on capacity building within the realm of basic education, coupled with the provision of supplementary resource materials that seamlessly align through the Nirdeshika activity calendar. The monitoring of education indicators is conducted with precision through the Supportive Supervision initiative, facilitated by the Sahyog app. Moreover, informal assessments are seamlessly conducted via the Bal Pitara app.

This comprehensive strategy toward ECE stands as an example of inter-departmental governance, showcasing a collaborative and concerted effort directed toward a shared goal.

Uttar Pradesh serves as a model for effective collaboration in early childhood education, showcasing the state government's commitment to optimising teacher allocation, prioritising user-friendly materials, and investing in our youngest learners. This foundation sets the stage for an even brighter future.

To propel this movement towards greater success, our focus must center on two pivotal aspects. Firstly, effective supervision and support for Anganwadi workers are fundamental to ECE. The current supervisor span ratio of 1:64 poses challenges to fulfilling responsibilities adequately. Urgent steps are needed to improve this ratio for quality supervision, monitoring, and data-driven decision-making at the state level.

Additionally, elevating the quality of training programs and materials is crucial to equip educators with essential knowledge and tools for effective instruction. While delivering materials to 52,836 anganwadis is commendable, our focus should extend beyond distribution to ensure specific educational outcomes.

The recent initiatives in Ayodhya last month led by the CM showcase the government's dedication to enhancing ECCE. The introduction of the mid-day meal programme, along with teaching-learning materials like the wonder box kit, student workbooks (Chahak, Kalankur, Parikalan), and the calendar Nirdeshika, reflects a commitment to innovation. Particularly, the Nirdeshika, a 52-week activity calendar, aims to support teachers and enhance organisation, ultimately increasing total learning time. Continuous refinement of training programmes and materials is crucial for achieving this objective.

Recognising that ECE is the cornerstone of a child's future and integral to the foundational learning and nutrition continuum, our pursuit of NIPUN Bharat goals depends on sustained efforts. Reflecting on the strides in Uttar Pradesh's ECE landscape, optimism prevails. The government's, educators', and stakeholders' dedicated efforts set a promising trajectory for children's early years, promising a brighter future for the state. It is a collective responsibility to champion further ECE improvements, ensuring equitable access to high-quality early education for every child. As we move forward, let us remain committed to nurturing the minds shaping our nation's future.

This article is authored by Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.
All the passengers who were stranded inside a marooned train (the Tiruchendur-Chennai Express) were rescued in batches by the Indian Air Force and the southern railways on Tuesday, officials familiar with the matter said. NDRF personnel rescue passengers near Srivaikuntam railway station amid floods after heavy rainfall, in Thoothukudi district. (PTI)

They have been stuck at the flooded Srivaikuntam railway station in Thoothukudi since December 17 night. While 300 out of 800 passengers were rescued on Monday, rescue personnel could not access the remaining people due to the flooding and the speed of the water currents, officials said. The officials said railways and the national disaster response force (NDRF) with state police started the evacuation process.

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On Tuesday morning, railway personnel waded through chest-deep water to give food packets and water bottles to the passengers. Subsequently, three helicopters dropped relief items.

As the water level receded on Tuesday, passengers could be seen wading through

knee-deep water for about three-kilometres from the station. By Tuesday evening, all of them were rescued and brought to relief centres and a special train would take them to Chennai, B Guganesan, railways spokesperson said.

Besides the train passengers, the Indian Air Force said that they rescued four stranded people including a pregnant woman and an infant while the Indian Coast Guard rescued 80 people in Thoothukudi.

Tamil Nadu chief secretary Shiv Das Meena said 10 deaths have been reported with seven in the worst hit Tirunelveli district and three in Thoothukudi district. Three died due to wall collapse, four due to drowning, two due to electrocution, and one was reported as a natural death, he said.

The southern districts of the state received extreme rainfall of more than 40 cm at several places and about 95 cm at Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district on Monday. The heaviest rains ever in the region disrupted life there with the administration shifting 12,653 people to 141 relief shelters till now. Even though water levels receded on Tuesday, people complained about not receiving the relief material and loss to their homes and farmland.

As Missing CM trended on X (formerly Twitter), opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami claimed that people in the rain-battered southern districts were suffering due to lack of food since the last three days and alleged that the state government has hardly taken any precautionary measures.

Taking a swipe at chief minister MK Stalins claims on handling the situation arising due to the floods in Chennai and suburbs recently, Palaniswami said that he (the CM) should visit the flood-hit areas to hear the praises from the affected people.

I met the affected people in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts today. They have not received food for three days. Children havent got milk and people have not received any medical treatment, he told reporters on Tuesday.

Considering the enormity of the disaster, CM Stalin asked the Centre on Tuesday to deploy more helicopters immediately. In a letter to the defence minister Rajnath Singh, Stalin said as of now four Air Force helicopters, two helicopters each from the Navy and Coast Guard are being deployed for rescue of stranded people and dropping food items for the marooned.

Given the enormity of the disaster and the large number of habitations to be covered, we need more helicopters for rescue and relief distribution. Hence, I request your urgent intervention to deploy the maximum number of helicopters immediately, he said.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu government did not attend a review meeting called on by governor RN Ravi with other central agencies regarding the floods. Though a request was sent no official attended the meeting, the Raj Bhavan said. When asked about the meeting to Stalin, he responded, During Covid-19, the Prime Minister conducted all meetings. Has the President conducted meetings, what would have been his reaction. That is my reaction too.
WARNING  DISTRESSING CONTENT: More chilling details have emerged about the "remorseless" Perth woman who threw her Maltese Shih-Tzu to its death off a two-storey car park rooftop, in a crime that horrified and sickened the nation.

Amy Lea Judge, 26, was yesterday sentenced to 10 months behind bars for the act of cruelty, that took place at Westfield Whitford City  in Perth's north  in April last year.

Shocking cruelty captured on CCTV

The crime, that was described by a WA RSPCA officer as one of the "most distressing cases" they'd seen in their entire career, was captured on CCTV and shows Judge appear to argue with the driver of a vehicle, understood to be her partner, on the carpark's roof while holding 10-year-old Princess on a ledge.

Amy Lea Judge, 26, will spend a year behind bars. Source: Facebook

Amy Lea Judge is seen placing her dog on the high ledge of a Perth shopping centre car park. Source: RSPCA

After several minutes pass, she can be seen hurling the dog over the side of the rooftop, as it spirals nine metres to the ground below.

The defenceless animal survived the fall but sustained horrific injuries  including internal haemorrhaging, a brain injury and spinal and pelvic trauma  with a passerby making the grisly find and assuming Princess had been hit by a car. She was rushed to a vet, where staff were able to identify Judge from her microchip, and the decision was made to put her down.

Bizarre posts on killer's Facebook emerge

In a shocking twist, it also appeared that Judge confessed to the act on social media, admitting she couldn't live with herself in the wake of her actions and that she did Princess "a favour" by killing her.

Judge uploaded a chilling confession on Facebook where she claimed to have 'done Princess a favour' by killing her. Source: Facebook/TheWestAustralian

"I cant live with the guilt. I threw my dog off the top story of a shopping centre carpark and watched her fall to her death, but she survived and needed to be put down due to how badly I injured her, all the damage I caused, she wrote, in a post that she later deleted and told an RSPCA inspector the post was the result of "being hacked".

Story continues

"I killed my dog. I need the truth out in the open its ... tearing me apart I cant live with the guilt anymore.

"I did her a favour because all I did was hurt her and abuse her."

Judge appeared sorrowful in a poem uploaded to social media. Source: Facebook.

Judge's Facebook profile, which has not been made private, is also filled with posts about Princess, that were uploaded in the months after she killed her pet. In one image, a picture of the dog is seen beside dates that represent her lifespan and the words "a dog is much more than a pet".

In another post, Judge posted a poem "commemorating one year without my dog".

"I wrote this last week...bit unsure but I tried my best, I could probably improve it but this is the best I could come up with so far," she wrote. "My dog princess was the sweetest dog you could ever meet, she had fluffy white fur and tiny feet.

"She was as soft on the inside, as she was on the outside, she had the most beautiful little soul, no wonder losing her left a great big hole!

The Perth woman's Facebook profile featured numerous references to the pet that she was convicted of killing. Source: Facebook.

"Prin was affectionate, gentle, loving and kind, so many cherished memories fill my mind...I wish she didnt leave this world, but she will always be my fluffy girl."

There are numerous mentions of Princess throughout the account, all of which appear to express sorrow at her death.

Magistrate labels attack 'planned, deliberate, and intentional'

In her sentencing, Magistrate Mark Millington said Judge had left Princess for dead in what he described as a "planned, deliberate and intentional act". He said the offender displayed a lack of remorse and consistently attempted to shift the blame and make excuses for her behaviour.

Sentencing brings 'justice for Princess'

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green described the crime as "callous and extremely confronting".

"This case was one of the most distressing Ive seen in my 11 years as an inspector," she said. "Dogs can be so trusting, and they rely on their owners to keep them safe. I cant think of a more disgusting betrayal of that trust.

Distressing CCTV shows Princess being thrown off the top of the car park. Source: RSPCA

"Todays outcome delivers some justice for the pain and terror poor Princess endured in her final hours. I hope it also sends a clear message to the community that intentional cruelty towards animals is extremely serious and wont be tolerated."

Judge was banned from owning an animal for a decade. The 26-year-old will spend a total of 12 months in prison, after she was sentenced to an additional two months for an unrelated matter. She will be eligible for parole.

Judge's 23-year-old partner, Scott Frost, was fined $2,500 and banned from owning animals for three years for failing to seek vet care for the animal.

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New Delhi: The deadlock between the Opposition and the government deepened on Wednesday over Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee's mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar on a mobile camera held by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. The act has prompted condemnation by Dhankhar, union ministers and BJP MPs. Gandhi called out the media for allegedly not discussing the suspension of Opposition MPs enough and focussing on the video row. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur speaks to the media during the winter session of the Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday.(ANI)

On Wednesday, two more Opposition MPs were suspended for unruly behaviour, taking the total number to 143. Meanwhile, an activist has filed a complaint with the Ethics Committee of the Parliament seeking expulsion of the MPs for mocking Dhankhar.

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Here are the top 10 points on the Parliament standoff.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday suspended two Opposition MPs for showing placards in the House. Thomas Chazhikadan of the Kerala Congress (Mani) and A M Ariff of the CPI(M) were suspended for "misconduct". Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a resolution which was adopted by the House. With this, the total number of suspended MPs in the Lok Sabha reached 97. The number in Rajya Sabha is 46. Dhankhar today claimed PM Modi condemned the acts of Gandhi and Banerjee. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate," Dhankhar said in a social media post. Ruling party MPs on Wednesday protested against the mimicry. They stood for 10 minutes in the house to show solidarity with Dhankhar. Later, Joshi said they were standing in the honour of the chairman. "We strongly condemn how Rahul Gandhi insulted you and your constitutional position. To tarnish a particular community and section of society is not right. As far as I have seen, this is the first time they have fallen to this level and there is no end to this. We strongly condemn this. They have been insulting people at constitutional positions," Joshi said. BJP MP Satya Pal Singh said what happened yesterday showed the mindset of the Opposition. "They do not want a farmer's son or a member of the Jat community to occupy the Vice President's post. Rajiv Shukla's statement in the House also shows their mindset," he said. On the suspension of the Opposition MPs, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said if 50-60 MPs "snatch away" the rights of 543 in the Lok Sabha, they deserve to be suspended. Taking to her official handle on social media handle X, the President said that the people of India are proud of the country's Parliamentary tradition. "I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the people of India expect them to uphold it," the President posted on X. Meanwhile, Gandhi has slammed the media. "MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. Media is showing it...Nobody has said anything...150 (143) of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment. Our MPs are disheartened and sitting outside. But you are discussing that (mimicry)," he said. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday said his intensions weren't to hurt Dhankhar. "I wasn't intending to hurt anyone. I do not know why he is taking this on himself. Does he act like this in the Rajya Sabha? I respect Dhankar Sahib a lot. He's also a senior advocate, I'm too. I've great respect for Dhankar-ji. Firstly, he belongs in the same profession as me and secondly, because he was formerly a governor (of West Bengal). He is our Vice President," Banerjee said. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said it was a ploy to deflect public attention. On Dhankhar's remark that the mimicry was an affront to the Jat community, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge pointed out that he came from the Dalit community. "Should I say I am not allowed to speak in Parliament because I am Dalit," he said. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said mimicry had nothing to do with caste. "The BJP brings caste into everything," he said. Union minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh slammed Gandhi for recording Banerjee's video. "The biggest non-serious leader of this century is Rahul Gandhi. He doesn't know what he says. I don't think a lot of comments need to be made on a non-serious person. People rejected him in 2019 based on issues that he wants to present. He has crossed limits after losing three states...Rahul Gandhi should have discouraged them from mimicking the Vice President," he said.

With inputs from PTI, ANI
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini on Wednesday invoked a famous Hindi film dialogue in Parliament to express her admiration for Union home minister Amit Shah as she spoke about his commitment to justice and welfare. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Hema Malini speaks in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament. (ANI)

The veteran actress recited a dialogue from actor Akshay Kumar's movie Rowdy Rathore, Amit Shah ji jo kehte hain woh karte hain lekin joh nahi kehte hain, zaroor karte hain (Amit Shah does what he says, and definitely does what he does not say).

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Last week, Shah presented three revised criminal bills in the Lok Sabha, namely the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB). These bills were passed today in Lok Sabha.

Talking about the three proposed criminal laws, Malini said that the centuries-old laws, crafted during the British colonial era, were no longer relevant in the evolving landscape of New India.

She said, New India is going in the direction of a developed India.

While Modi ji is taking the country to new heights in the world, Home Minister Amit Shah is working hard to ensure peace, justice, and security, she added.

Malini raised concerns about the outdated laws governing cruelty to animals, stating that it was still governed by a law that was about 60 years old.

She said, Just like these laws have been brought to protect the rights of citizens and make a crime-free Bharat, in order to protect rights of animals, ensuring justice to them  the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has to be done away with and replaced by a new law.

BJP MP Poonam Mahajan joined the call for stricter laws addressing crimes against animals and advocating against sexual abuse of animals.

The bills were passed in the absence of 97 Opposition MPs, who were suspended over misconduct and unruly behaviour since last week. These three bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.
NEW DELHI: The Centre for Environment Planning & Technology (CEPT) University in Ahmedabad, IIT Kharagpur, School of Planning and Architecture-Delhi and NIT-Calicut have been selected as centres of excellence (CoE) by the union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for developing India-specific knowledge in urban planning and design, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. CEPT University president Bimal Patel said the recognition was a testament to the tremendous efforts of all members of the University. (CEPT Photo)

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman first announced the plan to identify centres of excellence in her 2022 budget speech.

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Designating these institutes as centres of excellence would foster partnerships with urban local bodies, development authorities and provide technical support for all aspects of planning and design in their respective regions. They are also envisaged to create an eco-system of well-informed city decision-makers by organising training and allowing research opportunities for government and non-government entities.

The decision to designate CEPT University as CoE was communicated to the university by a letter dated December 15.

In a statement, CEPT University president Bimal Patel said the recognition was a testament to the tremendous efforts of all members of the University and is a moment of immense pride for everyone.

A high-level committee comprising officials from MoHUA, higher education ministry, NITI Aayog and leading domain experts was formed to identify these centres in September 2022. It was decided that five such institutes would be chosen as centres of excellence, according to the initial guidelines.

The four institutes will be awarded an endowment of 250 crore each for developing and increasing India-specific knowledge in urban planning and design.

A majority of the 250 crore has to be parked as investments and the income/interest earned from these investments can be utilised for conducting research, publications, training, organising workshops, documentation of best practices, and hiring of trainers in the initial years.

In the first five years, only 10% of the 250 crore can be used for capital expenditure, and for the first year, only 5 crore can be used for the principal amount can be spent on salary, travel, rent, and other revenue expenditure. From the second year onwards, only the interest earned from the endowment fund can be utilised for the activities identified for CoE. Only from the 21st year can these institutes use their principal amount of 250 crore of the endowment for capital and revenue expenditures. After 25 years, the institutes will be free to use these funds without any cap for any specific purpose.
The Congress on Tuesday formed a five-member National Alliance Committee of senior leaders to hold seat-sharing discussions with other constituents of the INDIA bloc ahead of the crucial general elections next summer. HT Image

The committee, headed by former Union minister Mukul Wasnik as its convener, also has former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, and senior leaders Mohan Prakash and Salman Khurshid as its members.

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In the run-up to the General Elections-2024, Congress President has constituted an National Alliance Committeewith immediate effect, a communique issued by party general secretary KC Venugopal said.

The announcement came minutes before the fourth meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) grouping in Delhi on Tuesday to send a positive signal to the allies.

The inclusion of five senior party leaders in the panel indicates they would be allowed free hand in negotiating seats with allies, a party functionary said. They are also experienced enough to handle pressure from INDIA partners, the functionary close to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge added, requesting anonymity.

The announcement also assumes significance as some of the 28-party INDIA partners had blamed the Congress for delay in the seat-sharing talks. Even as the alliances Mumbai meeting on September 1 had resolved to start the seat-sharing talks at the earliest, the Congress waited for the conclusion of the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram, results of which were announced on December 3.

In Rajasthan, a senior Congress said the appointment of former CM Ashok Gehlot in the committee was on the expected lines given his stature within the party, experience and connect with other parties. Besides, he has always been in the party central leadership team whenever the Congress is not in power in the state, the leader from the desert state said, also declining to be named. Gehlot has been in active politics for over 50 years and his acumen as political strategist are known to all.
An event being organised by the Dalit community came under attack from a group of heavily armed men, who allegedly opened fire, hurled crude bombs and desecrated a statue of Sant Ravidas at a village in Kanpur, police said on Tuesday. Two people have been admitted to a hospital in Kanpur after sustaining severe injuries in the incident (HT Photo)

Two people have been admitted to a hospital in Kanpur after sustaining severe injuries in the incident, which occurred at a village in Ghatampur late on Monday night.

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Joint commissioner of police (JCP), Kanpur, Anand Prakash Tiwari said five people were arrested on Tuesday after a first information report (FIR) registered against eight accused, all from so-called upper caste communities. Police are conducting raids to arrest all the accused named in the FIR. A heavy force of police personnel, including those from provincial armed constabulary, has been deployed in the village, he said.

One of the accused named in the FIR is Manish Tiwari, the public relations officer of local Apna Dal legislator Saroj Kureel. Kureel was not available for her comments.

Pavan Kumar Sankhwar, one of the organisers of the event, said the annual Bodh Katha began on Monday night. People who were upset with the event launched a planned attack around 2 am. Those who were sleeping under tents were beaten and the entire set up was vandalised, he alleged, adding the attackers resorted to indiscriminate firing and even hurled some crude bombs.

They threatened if the event continued, they would kill everyone involved. They even damaged the statue of Sant Ravidas, Ram Sagar Paswan, on whose complaint the FIR was registered, alleged. They damaged chairs, and tables, and tore the literature. We had to run to protect ourselves.

Ghatampur assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Dinesh Kumar Shukla identified the accused as Manish Tiwari, Chandra Bhan Mishra, Golu Mishra, Shivam Mishra, Jeetu Mishra, Arun Kotedar, Kinnar Mishra and Vishambhar Mishra.

The attackers had fled before the police arrived at the spot. They have been booked for rioting, vandalism, dacoity and attempt to murder, and also charged under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Shukla said.

Local upper caste residents alleged that the event had become a source of contention between communities last year too. Chandra Bhan Mishra, one of the accused named in the FIR, had filed a complaint with the Ghatampur sub-divisional magistrate on December 16, urging him not to allow the event this year. In his complaint, Mishra alleged that an effigy purportedly depicting brahmins was supposed to be displayed during the event before being dragged across the village.

The JCP, however, said they could not find any evidence of any provocatory material from the site of the Katha event.

Ashish Ambedkar, another complainant in the case, said that the event organisers had assured the other side that nothing offensive would be put on display. We all made this commitment, but three days ago police came to the village asking us not to organise the event, he alleged. To our shock, despite the threat perception, the local police did not deploy any personnel at the site.

On Tuesday evening, members of the Bhim Army reached the village and started a protest at the Katha site with the locals.
In a major boost to Indian Coast Guard's capabilities, India's defense ministry has decided to procure six next generation offshore patrol vessels. A deal was signed on Wednesday with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd, reported news agency PTI. Officials during the signing of a contract between the Ministry of Defence and Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd for procurement of six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard (ICG), on Wednesday(PTI)

"The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd on December 20 for the procurement of six next generation offshore patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG)," said the ministry.

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Notably, the contract has been signed under the buy (Indian-IDDM) category at a total cost of 1614.89 crore. The purchase is being made to replace existing aging offshore patrol vessels. Four of the new vessels would replace old ones while the other two would add to the strength of the Coast Guard's fleet. The patrol vessels will help keep a watch on India's coasts, aid in search and rescue and thwart maritime pollution.

ALSO READ| Leopard sightings across cities show the problem is human, not them

"The acquisition of these major ICG platforms is aimed to boost the ICG's capability and reinforces the increased focus of the Government towards maritime security," the ministry said in a statement.

"These modern and high-tech ships will play a critical role in enhancing surveillance, law enforcement, search and rescue, maritime pollution response, and other important capabilities including humanitarian assistance," added the ministry.

According to the defense ministry, the patrol vessels will be equipped with several high-tech advanced features and equipment. The ships will also have AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities. Additionally, multipurpose drones and wirelessly controlled remote water rescue craft lifebuoy, will ensure cutting edge flexibility and operational edge.

With inputs from PTI
The inaugural flight connecting Delhi and Ayodhya will take off on December 30, weeks before the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, Air India has announced. The commencement of daily services on the route will take place from January 16, 2024. Air India to commence flights to Ayodhya from December 30. (REUTERS)

The Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport at Ayodhya has an extended runway suitable for A-321/B-737 type aircraft operations. The airport will be inaugurated before the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

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Air India Express issued a release on Wednesday where it said that the inaugural flight IX 2789 on December 30 is scheduled to depart from Delhi at 1100 hours and land in Ayodhya at 1220 hours.

Meanwhile, the IX 1769 will be departing from from Ayodhya to Delhi at 1250 hours, arriving at the national capital at 1410 hours. The transportation services are expected to benefit tourists heading to the Ram Mandir after the consecration ceremony.

"Air India Express is excited to commence operations from Ayodhya right after the airport opens. This underlines our commitment to enhancing connectivity from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country," the airline's Managing Director Aloke Singh said.

Air India Express, which is a subsidiary of the Tata-owned airline, operates more than 300 flights daily and has a fleet of 59 aircrafts.

Not just Air India Express, but IndiGo has also said last week that it will operate the inaugural flight from the national capital to Ayodhya airport on December 30 and the commercial services will commence from January 6.

Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

The first phase of the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya began in 2020 during the Covid lockdown, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of the temple.

Since the Bhoomi Pujan of the temple on August 5, 2020, the overall construction of the temple has taken 3.5 years. In January of 2023, two 60 million-years-old Shaligram rocks were sent from Nepal to Ayodhya to carve out the statue of Lord Ram in the sanctum sanctorum.

Over 1200 invitations have been sent out for the consecration ceremony of the temple on January 22, to be attended by PM Modi, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and other notable personalities.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the NDA government over the suspension of Opposition lawmakers, saying, Democracy has been strangulated by this government. Congress leader and former party president Sonia Gandhi. (ANI file)

Gandhi announced the partys preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha election highlighting that The issues at stake are fundamental and We have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA group, while addressing the meeting of the Congress parliamentary party.

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Gandhi also offered her first public reaction following the Congress defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls. The results are very disappointing for our party is an understatement. We are facing enormous challenges, yet I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through.

The former Congress president, who piloted the party to return to power in 2004, asked her colleagues to channel our disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general elections.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of showing, ...his disdain for the dignity of the house and his disregard for the people of our country in a hard-hitting speech, Gandhi spoke about the suspension of large number of Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament. Democracy has been strangulated by this government. Never before have so many Opposition Members of Parliament been suspended from the house, and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand, Gandhi said.

All that the opposition Members of Parliament asked for was a statement to be made by the home minister in the Lok Sabha addressing the extraordinary events of the 13th of December. There are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated, she added.

In her address to the CPP meeting, Gandhi described the December 13 incident of men jumping to the Lok Sabha floor in a major security breach as inexcusable and cannot be justified.

It took four days for the Prime Minister to address the nation and express his views on the incident, and he did so outside of the Parliament. By so doing, he clearly indicated his disdain for the dignity of the house and his disregard for the people of our country. I leave it to you to imagine how the BJP would have responded had they been in opposition today, Gandhi said.

A day after the meeting of the INDIA group that focused on seat sharing agreement, Gandhi spoke about the importance of the elections for the party.

This government has conducted a systematic assault on democracy and the institutions that are its essential pillars, including Parliament. Diversity has been the strength that has distinguished India among the nations of the world. We have always been proud of the manner in which diverse religions, castes and ethnicities have co-existed and participated in building our beautiful nation. However, the actions of this government and the BJP have methodically weakened the very spirit of this unity.

Also Read: Pranab Mukherjee diaries: What the late Congress veteran said about Modi, Sonia, Rahul and Indira Gandhi

The Constitution of the Republic of India is under attack. Economic inequalities are widening. There is a significant gap between the Prime Ministers boasts about economic growth and the ground reality. Unemployment is soaring higher than in decades, and wealth is being concentrated in the hands of a select clique of industrialists. Prices of everyday commodities are skyrocketing. The poor are suffering. It is imperative that we take these issues to the public. It is equally our duty to fight with all our might against the forces that are damaging the social fabric that has sustained our nation throughout, she said.

While Gandhi expressed disappointment over the recent electoral setbacks, she said, We must channel our disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general elections. You are well aware of the innovative campaign that has been launched to strengthen our partys finances, its importance cannot be minimized. I am confident that each and every one of you will do your part to ensure that it remains a sustained and successful effort.

In her first public reaction on the partys defeat in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, she said it is very disappointing for our party is an understatement. The Congress President has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and draw the needed lessons for our organization. We are facing enormous challenges, yet I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through.

Our ideology and our values are our guiding light at this difficult time. We must never forget that our leaders fought against insurmountable odds, with great courage and fortitude, to give us our freedom. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in the next few months. We have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA group. The Congress President has already launched our poll preparations. The rally being organized in Nagpur on our Foundation Day is a significant step in this direction.

The former Congress chief announced that we must strive our utmost to fulfil the trust and confidence of people of Telangana.

The former Congress president also lashed out at the BJP over defaming Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Referring to the criticism of Nehru during the discussions on the bills related to reservation in J&K, Gandhi said, Those who distort history and twist historical facts just to defame great patriots like Jawaharlal Nehru have been running a relentless campaign. In these efforts, the prime minister and the home minister have taken the lead themselves, but we will not be intimidated or cowed down. We will persist in telling the truth.

Gandhi reiterated the partys stand on J&K: Immediate restoration of full statehood and elections at the earliest. She also said the aspirations of the people of Ladakh are equally important, they must be addressed and shown the respect they deserve.

In her first CPP speech after the passage of the women reservation bill, Gandhi described the riderthe quota will be implemented after the census and delimitationas an eyewash intended to mislead women and garner their votes while reneging on that which is rightfully owed to them.

Womens representation in parliament is long overdue. There is no time to waste. It is our firm belief that reservation for women must be implemented immediately and it should cover women belonging to all communities including the OBC community, Gandhi added.
India will look into any evidence of allegations of a plot to kill a Khalistani leader on American soil but a few incidents will not derail US-India ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in his first response on the issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo)

Read here: PM Narendra Modi says 'few incidents' shouldn't be linked to India-US relations | Top quotes

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Modi made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times, during which he sought to play down the diplomatic impact of a US indictment last month that alleged an Indian official directed the plot to kill Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, already declared a terrorist by India.

If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it, Modi said. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier said that New Delhi has set up a high-level inquiry committee to look into the allegations and will take necessary follow-up action.

Modi reiterated Indias concerns about Khalistani activists misusing freedom of expression in Western countries to engage in acts of intimidation and inciting violence. He said India is deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.

He added: These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

At the same time, Modi said that he didnt believe such incidents would impact the overall India-US relationship. There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership, he said.

Security and counterterrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership...I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries, he added.

The comments came days after all five Indian-American members of the US Congress warned of significant damage to the very consequential India-US partnership unless New Delhi probes and holds those responsible for plotting to kill Pannun, an American-Canadian citizen. In a joint statement, Amy Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar sought a clear assurance from India that such an incident would never reoccur. The five, all Democrats from diverse geographies and members of key legislative panels, said the US administration provided them a classified briefing on the indictment of Nikhil Gupta in connection with the foiled plot.

Modi also pointed out that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be the basis for Indias relations with other countries.

We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism, he said. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration.

An indictment filed by US prosecutors in a Manhattan court last month against an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta alleged that an Indian government employee, who described himself as a senior field officer responsible for intelligence, had ordered the assassination of Pannun in New York. Gupta is currently in the custody of Czech authorities, and the US has sought his extradition.

The indictment alleged that Gupta, acting on the instructions of the Indian official, contacted a person whom he believed to be a criminal associate but was a confidential source working with US law enforcement for help in contracting a hitman to murder Pannun.

The confidential source introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was an undercover US law enforcement officer, the indictment said.

The US has sent several senior officials, including the Central Intelligence Agency chief, to India to discuss the allegations in the months before the indictment was filed in November.

Read here: Mimicry row: Modi calls Dhankhar, Murmu asks lawmakers to remain within norms

On the other hand, India has repeatedly accused the Western countries, including Canada, the UK and the US, of not taking seriously its concerns about the activities of Khalistani activists, including the targeting of diplomatic premises and inciting violence against Indian diplomats.

The indictment followed an allegation in September from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about a potential link between Indian government agents and the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Khalistani activist, in Surrey town. India dismissed the accusation as absurd and responded by suspending visa services for Canadians and seeking parity in diplomatic presence with Canada, a step that forced 41 Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Rajendra Bihari Lal, vice-chancellor (V-C) of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS) in Allahabad, and five other officials interim protection from arrest in a case of alleged forceful religious conversion and gang rape. A former employee of the varsity last month accused the V-C, director Vinod Bihari Lal and four other varsity officials of sexual exploitation and religious conversion after offering her a job at the university (ANI)

A vacation bench of justices Anirudhha Bose and KV Vishwanathan also stayed an order of Allahabad high court that directed the V-C and varsity officials to surrender by December 20, and issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a petition filed by the accused.

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There shall be a stay of operation of the impugned judgment and order dated December 11, 2023 passed by the high court of judicature at Allahabad till January 12 or until further order, whichever is earlier, the bench said. The matter will now be heard on January 3 after the court reopens.

A former employee of the varsity last month accused the V-C, director Vinod Bihari Lal and four other varsity officials of sexual exploitation and religious conversion after offering her a job at the university.

On December 11, the high court refused to quash the criminal case against the accused and said that since the allegations are of heinous nature, they should surrender before a trial court on or before December 20 and apply for regular bail.

Issuing notice on the petition filed by the accused, the top court said: Until that date (January 12), there shall also be an interim order protecting the petitioners from arrest in connection with FIR No.305/2023 dated November 4, 2023 registered with Bewar police station, Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

Appearing for the accused, senior advocate Siddharth Dave said the high court order effectively deprived his clients of legal remedy to seek anticipatory bail.

My right of anticipatory bail is gone, Dave said, adding that the first allegation of forceful conversion is from 2005. She joined service in 2014 and only after she was sacked from service in 2022, she filed a complaint of gang rape in November 2023, Dave said.

The top court noted that in the past, its orders from time to time had protected SHUATS V-C from arrest in other FIRs pertaining to alleged illegal religious conversion. Are you concerned with the operative part of the high court judgment or the reasoning given by the judges, the bench asked Dave.

To this, the lawyer said that his immediate requirement was to obtain a stay on the judgment requiring him to surrender. He said he could not approach the top court last week as the December 11 order was uploaded on the high court website only on December 14.

In its judgment last week, a division bench of justices Rahul Chaturvedi and Mohd Azhar Husain Idrisi of the high court observed: No God or true church or temple or mosque would approve such types of malpractices. If someone has chosen to get him converted to a different religion, then it is totally another aspect of the issue. In the instant case prevailing upon the tender mind of a young girl by providing gifts, clothing and other physical amenities and then asking her to get baptized is an unpardonable sin.

In the FIR, the former SHUATS employee made a host of allegations, including gang rape, against the accused. She said she belongs to a lower middle class family and alleged she was trapped by another woman who took her to a church regularly.

The accused contended before the high court that the FIR was driven by malafide as the woman had been sacked.

The high court directed Hamirpur district superintendent of police to supervise the probe and ensure a final report is filed before the concerned magistrate within 90 days.
Paranormal investigators visited the Auburn Castle in June, and this Friday their findings will premiere online.

"Demon Castle: A Haunted Castle in Upstate New York" will premiere at 4 that afternoon on streaming platform Scare Network (scarenetwork.tv), creator Billy Lewis told The Citizen.

The two-part documentary follows Lewis and investigators during their visit to the Auburn Castle, the 1870 brick mansion that sits at 45 Owasco St. in the city.

Lewis said the team captured "incredible paranormal evidence" at the vacant home, which has been rumored to be haunted for years. It was built for Auburn Woolen Mill Superintendent Samuel Laurie, whose wife, Jeanie, passed away there. It subsequently served as the home of other superintendents and then the Pastushan family. One member, Vernon Dewey, passed away there in 2001.

Lewis visited the mansion with paranormal investigator Sean Austin, a partner in Scare Network. They were asked to not only investigate, he said, but to exorcise "any bad spirits that may be present."

"And there are some bad things in that castle," Lewis said. "I've been around enough bad locations and can feel when something is off with a location, and that was very evident at this castle."

The current owner of the Auburn Castle is unknown; Lewis said Austin was asked to investigate by someone on their behalf. The mansion's previous owner, Patrick Collier Connelly, appears in the documentary and helped with its production. After much restoration work by Connelly between 2017 and 2020, the mansion does not appear to have undergone any significant work since.

Restoration of one historic Auburn mansion speeds ahead, another stalls out They were built a decade apart a century and a half ago, three stories under a facade of brick, and in 2020 they were bought within six months
Curfew has been imposed in Manipurs Churachandpur district for two months after nearly 30 people were injured in clashes between two groups on Monday night, officials informed on Tuesday. Last week, following the Supreme Courts directives, the bodies of victims, which were lying in two morgues in Imphal for months, were airlifted to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi (ANI arranged)

The clashes took place ahead of a mass burial of 87 Kuki-Zomi victims of the ongoing ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi tribes scheduled to be held in Churachandpur on Wednesday.

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Last week, following the Supreme Courts directives, the bodies of victims, which were lying in two morgues in Imphal for months, were airlifted to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. A mass burial was conducted in Kangpokpi last week.

The order by deputy commissioner of Churachandpur, Dharun Kumar S, stated that Section 144 of CrPC was imposed for two months till February 18 based on police reports about clashes between two groups of individuals and sporadic violence.

The incidents took place in several parts of Churachandpur town and in Thingkhangphai village. Around 30 persons were injured in the district dominated by the Kuki-Zomi tribes.

It has been reported that there are still chances of breach of peace due to confrontation between two groups of people, which may result into an open clash with communal tone and the situation is still tense, the order read.

Kumar added that the curfew was imposed as a preventive measure to maintain peace and tranquillity as there was serious apprehension of breach of law and order. The order wont apply to government agencies involved in the maintenance of law and order and essential services.

Churachandpur superintendent of police Karthik Malladi said the situation in the district was normal on Tuesday. Mobile internet service, which was suspended on Monday, was restored, he added.

The clash took place between two groups comprising Kuki and Zomi tribes over the issue of raising a Zomi flag near a memorial stone at Thingphai, a Kuki village located close to Zomi settlements. There were also differences over naming the mass burial site in Churachandpur as Kuki-Zo Martyrs Cemetery.

On Monday, a meeting of the presidential council of Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a Kuki umbrella group in Churachandpur, had decided to name the burial site at Mata as the Kuki-Zo Martyrs Cemetery.

Reacting to the move, the Zomi Council in an emergency meeting held on Tuesday stated that the term Kuki-Zo was never discussed, there was no consensus on it and it was unacceptable to the Zomi.

The Zomi Council in a statement condemned the brutal attack on Zomi civilians by Kukis on Monday and it was shocked to see the disrespect shown to the Zomi flag.

The situation is under control now. We will take part in Wednesdays mass burial ceremony, said John K Ngaithe, chairman of the Zomi Council.

Ginza Vualzong from the ITLF said that Wednesdays burial programme will start with a condolence meeting at Tuiboung at 11 am, which will be followed by the burial ceremony at Mata at 2 pm.

Manipur has been roiled by ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 3. The violence has claimed at least 196 lives and displaced around 50,000 people.On Tuesday evening the Kuki Students Organisation and Zomi Students Federation issued a joint declaration following a meeting to uphold peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. The declaration was issued after KSO issued an apology on behalf of the violent mob who attacked injured Zomi civilians.
A day after 28 political parties, all part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) met to flesh out details of a coordinated campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, disquiet began to emerge within its ranks, with a senior leader of the Janata Dal (United) expressing displeasure at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharges name being put forth as the prime ministerial candidate, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar going into a huddle with his top brass and calling for a meeting of his partys national council on December 29, even as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who made the suggestion, doubled down on it. A meeting of Opposition parties in the chamber of Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

Read here: NDA leaders on 'Kharge as PM' call: 'Trap to oust Rahul Gandhi'

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The meeting of the Opposition grouping, which continued on Wednesday, its venue moving from Ashok Hotel in the Capital to Kharges residence, came against the backdrop of an acrimonious winter session of Parliament that has seen 143 Opposition MPs suspended, and three weeks after the Congress suffered an electoral blow when it lost elections in three key states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the BJP, although it wrested power in Telangana.

On Wednesday, a reportedly miffed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met with his party top brass, including members of Parliament in Delhi, and decided to convene the partys national council meeting in the Capital on December 29. To be sure, the partys national executive was already meant to meet on this date. But the council, leaders pointed out, has an expanded membership of 200 members from across the state while the executive has 99.

The two meetings will be held on the same day, confirmed party national secretary Afaque Ahmad. No reason was given for summoning the councils meeting at short notice.

Senior party leaders, who admitted that there was unease within the party on the push for Kharge as the head of the bloc, said that the decision to convene the national council on the same day as the national executive was unusual, and often the precursor to key political decisions.

This is definitely a pointer of some important decisions in the offing. The decision to convene the national council meeting has surprised everybody, a senior JD(U) leader said on condition of anonymity.

At Tuesdays meeting of the INDIA alliance, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who on Monday told reporters that it was premature to discuss leadership, sprang a surprise when she pitched for Kharge as the alliances prime ministerial candidate, a suggestion backed by both Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Banerjee said on Tuesday, Everyone has been asking us who is the face of the alliance. I proposed Kharges name and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also backed my proposal. People present in the meeting have claimed Kejriwal actually did more  pointing to the electoral advantage of fielding a Dalit PM candidate.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha confirmed that such a suggestion was made, adding that further decisions would come after dialogue and discussions. Mallikarjun Kharge is a tall leader of our country has had a wonderful career of over five decades, and besides being a political luminary, he is also a social reformer.

To be sure, Kharge on Tuesday played down the suggestion, and said discussions on the alliances strategy and seat-sharing must precede any conversation on who the prime ministerial face will be. In my political life, I have never used my Dalit identity for any post. I am a worker of the Congress. Our first objective is to win the elections, he said. Addressing a press conference later on Tuesday, Kharge said, Everyone has to come back victorious. Let us think about what to do to win. Who will become the Prime Minister is a matter that can be discussed later. What is the benefit of talking about the PM if there are no MPs? Let is first unite and fight to increase our numbers to try to bring majority.

But Banerjees airing of his name has highlighted contradictions the grouping must still overcome. Leaders of the JD(U) have for long pitched Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as a potential candidate, arguing that he has the credentials to lead the opposition bloc.

In September, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh told a gathering in Harnaut, the seat from where Nitish Kumar was first elected to the state assembly in 1985, that they had produced a leader who is ready to stand and lead the entire country. While Kumar has made public remonstrations about these comments, ahead of the INDIA meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, posters presenting Kumar as a national leader popped up across Patna. Agar sach mein jeet chahiye, ek nischay chahiye, ek Nitish chahiye (If we truly want to win, we need determination, we need Nitish), they read.

On Wednesday, JD(U) member of Parliament Sunil Kumar Pintu went public with his anger against Banerjees suggestion, said that the Opposition meeting made no headway, and was reduced to a chai-biscuit meeting.

The support to Kharge can be her (Banerjees) personal opinion, Pintu added. To be sure, Pintu was part of the BJP till 2019, when he quit to fight the elections on the JD(U) ticket (the two parties were allies at the time) and has recently taken a position against the Bihar governments flagship caste survey.

Madan Sahni, senior JD(U) leader and minister for social welfare too talked up Kumars role in the alliance: Nobody in the INDIA alliance should take Nitish Kumar lightly or ignore him. The JD(U) will not accept that. If anybody in INDIA thinks that Nitish Kumars role is just to be in the alliance, then it will not last long. His role was important in the past, is important today, and will remain key in the future.

Kumar is yet to comment on the meeting, but he left it early on Tuesday. Later on Wednesday, the senior leadership attempted to downplay suggestions of a rift. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that Kumar left the meeting after informing Congress chief Kharge, and senior leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Nitish Kumar is not angry at all. He left the meeting after informing Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. It was decided in the meeting that only two or three persons will brief the media, he said. Singh also said that the alliance will push on with seat-sharing talks in 15 to 20 days, and joint rallies will be held by alliance partners in every state.

On her part, Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday, I have no such news of anyone being unhappy.

Read here: Mamata did not take Kharge's name but hinted at 'Dalit PM' face: Cong leader

The friction, however, does underline the competing interests that the INDIA alliance will have to paper over, particularly on difficult questions like leadership, and seat-sharing in states where the members have traditionally been pitted against the other.

On Tuesday, for instance, several leaders pointed out that in the 179 days that the alliance has existed, the only thing it has achieved consensus on is the name. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), in Tuesdays meeting, pushed for seat-sharing arrangements to be finalised by December 31, a deadline some said was unrealistic. A tentative formula was discussed where state units of potential partners would discuss seat-sharing, and if there was a deadlock, national leaders would step in.
In a shocking incident, a 52-year-old man named Dharamvir Jatav allegedly beheaded his 50-year-old wife, Sundri in Fazalgarh village of Ghaziabad district, over a dispute regarding the delay in morning tea. The tragic event unfolded on Tuesday. The accused, originally from Kalanjari village in Meerut district, carried out the gruesome act using a sword. Following the horrifying incident, an FIR has been registered at Ghaziabad's Bhojpur police station. The deceased's body has also been sent for post-mortem. A picture of Sundri, the deceased woman.(X/Gagandeep Singh)

According to the deceased's son Soldier, his father Dharamvir Jatav, verbally abused his mother before grabbing a sword from inside their house and fatally slitting her throat. The horrifying incident didn't end with the initial act, as the accused, who works as a vegetable vendor, continued to assault his wife's lifeless body multiple times with the sword.

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I and my two sisters tried to save our mother, but my father threatened to kill us. That is why we left the place. My father Dharamvir while fleeing towards the sugarcane crop fields was brandishing the sword so that nobody could catch hold of him, said Soldier.

Following the gruesome incident, the police successfully recovered the sword that was employed in the crime. The accused, Dharamvir Jatav, was presented before a court, and subsequent to legal proceedings, he was remanded to jail custody.

Earlier in an unrelated incident in October, a Delhi man killed his wife and sought to attribute her injuries to a fall in the bathroom. Ved Prakash Kundra strangled his wife with a bedsheet at about 2 am, hit her head against the sofas leg, and shifted her to the bathroom. He then informed his son Akash about the incident and threatened him to not reveal the incident to anyone.

After getting to know of the incident, the police arrested Ved Prakash and sent him to jail. Speaking about the incident Akash told HT, I asked him (Ved) if he had killed my mother. He threatened me with dire consequences if I told anybody about it. I was in shock and did not know what to do next. I asked him to bring an auto rickshaw. My first priority was to save my mothers life. We rushed her to the hospital but she was declared brought dead."

(With inputs from PTI)
The number of entities registered to pay the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has doubled to 14 million in the six years since its inception, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha, which passed the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, to align age and qualification criteria with the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, thus paving the way to set up a GST appellate tribunal (GSTAT). Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (ANI)

Citing June 2023 data, she said the number of taxpayers registered in GST has gone up 1.4 crore. When started in 2017, we had only 67.83 lakh taxpayers under the GST, she added. GST is one of the major tax reforms that also saw gross monthly collections jumping from less than 1 lakh crore in 2017 to 1.87 lakh crore in April.

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The amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 13 to modify the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, 2017, in line with the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, in terms of maximum age limit of the president of GSTAT and its members. Accordingly, the maximum age limit of the president is 70 and that of the members is 67. The 52nd GST Council on October 7 recommended raising the two age limits from 67 and 65 years, respectively.

The Bill was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

It also allowed advocates having 10 years of experience to become judicial members. According to Sitharaman, both the amendments were made after the Chief Justice of India raised the inconsistencies vis-a-vis the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021. After enactment of the draft legislation, the process of selection of president and members wold be initiated, the finance minister said.

After establishment of the GSTAT, taxpayers can withdraw their existing cases from different high courts and approach the tribunal for expeditious and cost-effective redressal of their grievances. As per law, GSTAT is the forum of second appeal and the first common forum of dispute resolution between the Centre and states. The Section 109 of the CGST Act empowers the Centre to constitute, on the recommendation of Council, by notification, with effect from such date as may be specified therein, an Appellate Tribunal known as GSTAT. The law envisages constitution of the national bench, the state bench and area benches.

Replying to queries rated by members during the discussion, Sitharaman said the valuation rules for levying 28% GST on online gaming are prospective. The valuation rules to exclude winnings is prospective. So, I hope there is not confusion on that, she said.

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday also passed the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023, which was introduced in the house on December 13. It provides for provisionally levy or increase of customs or excise duties, subject to its approval by the Parliament within 75 days. Provisionally collected taxes will be refunded if interim imposition of levies is not enacted. The Bill proposes to replace the erstwhile the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931 with some minor changes that are technical in nature, Sitharaman said.

She said that the law empowers the government to take tariff-protection to domestic industry on immediate basis. It also moderates prices of commodities, avoids speculative activities after the Budget announces changes in customs and excise duties, and also for revenue consideration.
The Gujarat high court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of Oreva Group and prime accused in the Morbi bridge collapse case that killed 135 people last year. Patel has been in jail since his surrender in January . The report criticised the renewal of the agreement with the company and identified design flaws in the bridge renovation (PTI)

Justice Divyesh Joshi dismissed Patels bail plea on Tuesday, days after the state government did not oppose it and left the decision to the judiciarys discretion.

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On December 13, additional advocate general Mitesh Amin told the court that there was little possibility of Patel fleeing, citing his status as a businessman.

An association of the victims relatives, however, expressed their anguish last week over the stance and demanded Amins removal from proceedings of the case in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Bhupendra Patel, and the high court chief justice.

The letter added that Amins arguments appeared to align with the state governments stance. The relatives wrote that they felt it was in stark contradiction to the promises made by the state soon after the accident.

Six of the 10 people accused of culpable homicide in the case have been granted bail. In April, a Morbi court rejected Patels bail.

The Oreva Group held the contract to maintain, repair and renovate a suspension bridge in Morbi, which collapsed on October 30, 2022, leaving 135 dead. A total of 10 people, including Patel, have been accused in the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304), attempt to commit culpable homicide (Section 308), acts endangering human life (Section 336), causing hurt by rash or negligent acts (Section 337), and causing grievous hurt by rash or negligent acts (Section 338).

A Gujarat government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) held Orevas management, including Patel and Morbi municipalitys chief officer, responsible for the collapse. It highlighted the companys operational and technical lapses as well as its lackadaisical approach.

The report criticised the renewal of the agreement with the company and identified design flaws in the bridge renovation. It blamed administrative lapses and technical incompetence for the tragedy.

Oreva Group, which specialises in making clocks, home appliances, and e-bikes, was in March 2022 given the contract to repair, renovate, maintain, and operate the bridge originally built in 1879.

Patel, who faces charges of culpable homicide, and his family opened the bridge to the public on October 26 last year after a renovation process, allegedly without informing the Morbi municipality. Three days later, the bridge collapsed, raising questions about the quality of the repairs.
 Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) failed to issue timely warnings about the extreme rainfall that battered four southern districts in the state between Saturday and Monday and added that the agency issued a red alert two days after the downpour began. Chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin. (HT Photo)

The Chennai regional meteorological centre (RMC) issue a warning about the rainfall on December 17, by which time large parts of Tamil Nadu had gone underwater as record showers lashed the states southern districts.

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Read here: Proper measures for rescue and relief operation carried out despite late warning: CM Stalin

It rained several times higher than what was forecast by the meteorological centre. It was unprecedented, Stalin told reporters in Delhi.

IMDs inability to accurately predict the showers and their crippling after-effects on a state that was already contending with the impact of Cyclone Michaung have called into question the weather departments methods and processes.

Four southern districts in Tamil Nadu  Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari  were engulfed by ceaseless rain on December 17 and 18, which was the regions wettest spell since 1871, said Stalin.

The weather office issued a red alert on Saturday evening for rainfall above 21cm, but Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district alone received 95 cm rainfall on that day, showed IMD data. In fact, Kayalpattinam received more rain in a day than the 70cm the entire district receives on average in a year, according to the data.

Though we received the warning from the meteorology department a bit late, and though it rained more than what was forecast, Tamil Nadu had taken precautions, Stalin said, listing the relief and rescue measures.

A correct weather forecast on the severity of the situation may have reduced loss and damage, said Mano Thangaraj, the states dairy development minister.

Its important to acknowledge that the unforeseen severity and impact of these events could have been mitigated with more precise and timely forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Thangaraj posted on X (formerly Twitter). A significant issue was the Time Discrepancy in the weather alerts. The gap between the issuance of the Red Alert and the actual flooding was much shorter than what could have been ideal as some western models exhibit in those countries.

The cyclonic circulation over Comorin area in south-east Sri Lanka brought heavy rains in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu, said S Balachandran, head of RMC in Chennai. There was more moisture inside the system than anticipated, which brought widespread rain. This (system) has given more rain than a cyclone, he said. We have to expect such types of extreme events because of the climate crisis.

This magnitude of rain was not expected from such a weather system, said M Rajeevan, former secretary, ministry of earth sciences. During northeast monsoon, we do see heavy rainfall events, but this was not really expected. So, its quite possible that IMD or other agencies did not predict this magnitude of rains, he said. Forecasts are made based on dynamic settings of the atmosphere. Moisture played an important role. Sometimes mesoscale systems cannot be seen in typical weather charts. This was seen in the 2005 Mumbai floods.

Some meteorological parameters and wind convergence over some regions were anomalous, according to Roxy Mathew Koll, climate scientist at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. There were strong easterly winds, which brought in a lot of moisture. But these rains matched with 2005 Mumbai floods, which was unexpected, Koll said.

Stalin, who was in Delhi for the opposition INDIA blocs meeting, also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, appraising him of the flooding in the southern districts as well as on the damage wrought by Cyclone Michaung, which submerged Chennai on December 4.

He also wrote to defence minister Rajnath Singh, urging him to deploy more Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters for relief.

Rescue efforts continue; 800 rescued from train

Authorities and volunteer groups continued rescue efforts across the states inundated southern districts, as the water receded amid a pause in the rain.

Meanwhile, 800 passengers who were marooned in the Tiruchendur-Chennai Express at the submerged Srivaikuntam railway station in Thoothukudi for two days were pulled out in batches on Tuesday by IAF and Southern Railway teams.

Read here: CM Stalin says IMD failed to predict the rains correctly

So far, 10 people have died in southern Tamil Nadu, said state chief secretary Shiv Das Meena. Of them, seven were in Tirunelveli and three in Thoothukudi. He added that 12,653 people have been evacuated and moved to 141 relief shelters.

IAF said they rescued four people stranded in Tirunelveli, while the Indian Coast Guard rescued 80 in the district.
BJP MP and actor Hema Malini on Tuesday commented on the suspension of 141 MPs in the last few days from both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha and said they (the opposition MPs) raised too many questions and behaved strangely and hence got suspended. "They have done something wrong and that's why they have been suspended. Everyone should behave according to Parliament rules. They did not do that and got suspended. There is nothing wrong with it. This is right," the BJP MP said. Congress leaders mocked the actor and said a BJP MP finally revealed the real reason behind the suspension of the MPs. "Finally, a BJP MP has revealed the reason for the suspension of Congress and opposition MPs. BJP MP Hema Malini: They ask too many questions thats why they are suspended," Telangana Congress leader Sama Ram Mohan Reddy tweeted sharing Hema Malini's video. BJP MP Hema Malini on Tuesday commented on the suspension of 141 MPs -- a record-breaking number.

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"Dekhiye vo itna sawal uthate hai kuch ajeeb sa behave karte hai...iske liye unko suspend kiya gya hai. Suspend kiya toh kuch toh unlog galat kaam kar raha hai (See, they raised so many questions, behaved strangely and hence got suspended. Their suspension means they did something wrong)," Hema Malini said.

A total of 141 MPs -- 95 from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha -- have been suspended in the last few days after a security breach took place in the Lok Sabha on December 13. The en masse suspension was triggered by the Opposition MPs' demand for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah in Parliament on the security breach incident.

This is the most tumultuous session Parliament has been witnessing first because of the huge security breach and then the unprecedented number of suspensions. Some MPs have been suspended for the rest of this session while others are waiting for the report of the privileges committee on their conduct.

"For the first time in my parliamentary career of nearly 15 years, I too entered the well of the House holding a placard calling for a discussion on the recent security breach. I did so out of solidarity with my @INCIndia colleagues, who have been unjustly suspended for demanding accountability from the government. I expect suspension to follow. It is a badge of honour to be defenestrated by an unfair process," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted on Tuesday before he was suspended.

A new row started on Tuesday as the suspended MPs protested at Parliament's Makar Dwar where Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Rajya Sabha chairman and vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Rahul Gandhi was seen filming it. "Don't take on my background as a farmer, don't take on my background as a community member. Institution of Chairman has been ravaged and that too by a political party that has gone far so long that a Member of Parliament, a senior one, videographs the other member. For what?," Dhankhar said.
New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a veiled jibe at Congress stalwart Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha while responding to a debate on three new criminal law bills. Reacting to the Congress MPs' objection, he said they had the 'mind of Italy', an oblique reference to Gandhi's Italian roots. Union home minister Amit Shah attends the proceedings of Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament. (ANI)

The three criminal laws were passed by a voice vote in Lok Sabha.

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He said those who have minds of Italy, won't see merit in the bills.

"Those who say we do not understand, I said if you keep your mind open, keep it Indian, you will understand, if you keep that of Italy, you will not understand. It is a question of mind, not of language. If the mind belongs to India, you understand immediately, if not, you will never understand," he added.

The bills were placed on the standing committee of the Parliament. The Congress members had given dissenting notes.

The bills were -- Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023. They replaced the colonial-time laws originally framed in the British Raj.

Also read: Lok Sabha passes 4 bills by voice vote; Trial in Absentia provision introduced in criminal law

"The state's first responsibility is to deliver justice. The makers of the Constitution have distributed work between the three pillars of democracy- the judiciary, executive and legislative, to provide justice," Shah said.

"For the first time, these three pillars will bring about not a punishment-centric but a justice-centric criminal justice system. The law will be formed here, the executive will implement it and the judiciary will carry forward the rest of the implementation. These three organs will together and establish a justice system," he said.

Under the bills, mob-lynching has been included as an offence in India. These three bills replaced the Indian Penal Code of 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, of 1872. These bills will replace the IPC, CrPc and Indian Evidence Act.

The Lok Sabha has suspended over 97 Opposition MPs for unruly behaviour over their demand for a statement from Shah on the Lok Sabha security breach last week.

With inputs from ANI
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the world is confident that India can provide low-cost, quality, sustainable and scalable solutions to global challenges, while encouraging the youth to work with one goal i.e Aatmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students during the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2023 via video conferencing in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

Interacting with the participants of the grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2023 organised by the Union ministry of education via video conferencing, the Prime Minister said, The aim of Smart India Hackathon is to solve the problems of the country and create employment through solutions. Through Smart India Hackathon, the youth power of the country is extracting the nectar of solutions for developed India.

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Smart India Hackathon (SIH), which was launched in 2017, is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve the pressing problems of ministries and departments of the government, industries and other organisations. This year, more than 50,000 ideas were received from 44,000 teams, and of them, 1,282 teams were shortlisted for the grand finale to provide solutions on various themes including Space Technology, Smart Education, Disaster Management, Robotics and Drones, and Heritage and Culture, among others.

During his interaction with the students, the Prime Minister said that Indias Chandrayaan mission has increased the expectations of the world. It has changed Indias perception across the globe. The coming decade is going to be essential for the space-tech economyThe world is confident that in India it will find low-cost, quality, sustainable and scalable solutions to global challenges, he said.

The PM said that India is at a turning point in time, where every effort of ours will strengthen the foundation of the India of the next thousand years. India of the 21st century is moving forward with the mantra of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai AnusandhanTo make India developed, we all have to work together. Our goal must be  Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he said.

While interacting with a group of students from Dayanand Sagar College, Bengaluru, who are working on finding solutions to ensure cyber security, the Prime Minister said that there is a need to be careful with new technologies.

If these are used carefully, they could be very useful. However, if these are misused it could create huge problems. You must be aware of deepfake videos made with the help of Generative AI. These videos look very real, and therefore, we need to be very careful before believing in the authenticity of a video or an image. India is emphasising a global framework for AI, he said.

He also interacted with another group of students from NIT Trichy that is working in making an IoT based system for railway cargos. I believe that the Indian railway will benefit from your efforts. The Indian Railways is going through its transformation phase, and the central government is spending thousands of crores for that. We also have a special focus on logistics, PM said.

Noticing that the team had students from Bangladesh as well, the PM said, We have started the Study in India programme for students from foreign countries to come to India for higher studies.

Appreciating youth for participating in the hackathon, the Prime Minister said, I am happy that the young generation of the country is working day and night to provide solutions to the challenges facing the country. The solutions obtained from the earlier hackathons have been very effective.Many students participating in hackathons have also started their own startups. These startups, these solutions, are helping both the government and the society, he said.

He also interacted with another group of students from Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, who worked on the project of improving the medium-resolution images received by the ISROs Moonlander by converting them to super-resolution images using image processing and AI to create a hazard map of the moon. The output of the project will help determine a safe landing spot and navigation path for future missions.

The Prime Minister suggested getting supervision and guidance from the team at ISRO along with various space startups in the country. Indias space program has become a ray of hope for the world after Chandrayan 3s success and has changed the outlook of foreign nations towards India, he said, while underlining that the present era is a perfect time period for the youth who wish to contribute towards Indias space sector as he mentioned the space sector being opened up to the private sector for the youth to flourish.

He also mentioned ISRO opening up its facilities for new-age startups and suggested they visit IN-SPACe headquarters located in Ahmedabad.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the next 25 years of Indias Amrit Kaal will be a defining period for the young innovators. He underlined the common goal of a self-reliant India and stated the objective of not importing any new and being dependent on other nations.

Giving the example of the defence sector which is working towards self-reliance, he pointed out that India is forced to import some defence technologies. He also stressed the need for self-reliance in semiconductor and chip technology. PM Modi also highlighted Indias high aspirations in the quantum technology and hydrogen energy sectors. He said that the government is giving special emphasis to all such sectors by creating a modern ecosystem of the 21st century, but its success depends on the success of the youth.

Expressing trust in the youth power of the nation, the Prime Minister asked them to keep the resolution of Viksit Bharat in mind while finding a solution to any problem. Whatever you do, may it be the best. You have to do such work that the world follows you PM Modi concluded.
There has been an uptick in Covid cases in some states in the country after the detection of the first case of Coronavirus sub-variant JN.1 in Kerala. Insacog, the central government forum of labs, found 19 sequences of BA.2.86 descendant JN.1 - one from Maharashtra and 18 from Goa. Fresh Covid cases reported from across the country.(HT File)

India recorded 614 new coronavirus infections, the highest since May 21, while the active cases have increased to 2,311, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

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The death toll was recorded at 5,33,321 with three deaths reported from Kerala in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8am showed.

Kerala has reported 292 fresh Covid infections and three deaths in 24 hours, data from the Union health ministry website said.

There were 341 new Covid infections reported nationwide on Wednesday with the majority (292 cases) originating in Kerala. This brings the total number of active cases in the country to 2,311, according to information from the Ministry website. Additionally, three new deaths have been reported in Kerala, contributing to a total of 72,056 Covid-related fatalities in the state since the outbreak began three years ago.

The total tally of deaths related to Covid-19 infection stands at 533321 while the number of discharged persons is at 44470346.

Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday held a high-level review meeting with representatives of all states/UTs on the preparedness of health services in the backdrop of the recent upsurge of Covid cases in various states.

Speaking at the meeting Mandaviya said, "It is time to work together with a 'Whole of government' approach... We need to be on the alert, but there is no need to panic. It's important to be prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people. A mock drill should be done in all hospitals once every 3 months. I assure all support of the Centre to States. Health is not an area of politics."

Earlier, the central government issued an advisory to all the states amid the rising Covid cases and the detection of the first JN.1 variant in India. State governments including those of Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Rajasthan also conducted review meetings and advisories amid the Covid scare.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the symptoms linked to the new Covid variant are generally mild to moderate in severity. These symptoms may encompass fever, a runny nose, sore throat, and headaches. The majority of individuals affected by this variant tend to exhibit mild upper respiratory symptoms, and these typically show improvement within a span of four to five days. In certain rare instances, individuals infected with the JN.1 variant may also encounter gastrointestinal issues, resulting in changes to digestive health, the WHO says.

WHO has designated the JN.1 variant of Covid as a "variant of interest." However, the organization has emphasized that this particular strain does not pose a significant threat to public health. Despite the WHO's reassurance, concerns have been raised among healthcare professionals, experts, authorities, and the general public in India regarding the JN.1 variant.

(With inputs from ANI)
U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams opens the video message by calling it an honor to represent central New York and the Mohawk Valley in Congress.

It continues with Williams, R-Sennett, listing off a few of the issues he's worked on and the bills he has supported.

The 30-second video ends with Williams saying, "Paid or by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives."

The taxpayer-funded TV ad began airing this week in the central New York market. The costs associated with the commercial's production and the ad buy have not yet been disclosed, but will be included in the House's quarterly statement of disbursements that will be released in early 2024.

"Our decision to place an advertisement was to give a year-end summary of the progress made and promises kept," said Taylor Weyeneth, a spokesperson for Williams. "The advertisement is also an introduction to who their member of Congress is and what he stands for  lowering the cost of energy, increasing manufacturing, advancing local infrastructure and bringing families back together right here in CNY."

House members are allowed to use taxpayer funds for mass communications, such as TV ads, and mailings. Records show Williams' office submitted the script for the TV ad to the House Communications Standards Commission on Nov. 8. Three weeks later, on Nov. 29, the commission issued an advisory opinion deeming the commercial "frankable," meaning public funds could be used to support its distribution.

According to the House Communications Standards Commission, Williams has submitted 17 requests for advisory opinions since taking office in January. Most were for emails, mailers or text messages. In July, his office sought and received approval for a constituent services-focused radio ad.

Use of the franking privilege is common in Congress. Many members utilize the perk to communicate with constituents, whether it's by sending a mailer or using other forms of media.

Former U.S. Reps. Anthony Brindisi and John Katko used public funds to pay for digital ads and mailers during his four terms in the House. U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, who represented part of the existing 22nd district before it was redrawn, has paid for digital ads, newsletters and one radio ad with taxpayer funds. But none of Williams' predecessors used public money to pay for TV ads.

Williams' ad highlights his support for a parents' bill of rights, legislation backed by House Republicans that aims to give parents more of a say in their children's education. It also mentions his work on border security matters, claiming he has "stood against progressive fantasies holding back our nation (and) fought to secure our border and end sanctuary city policies."

The TV ad notes Williams cosponsored the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, which would prohibit New York City and other sanctuary cities from receiving federal funds to address the migrant crisis.

Williams, a conservative Republican, hasn't been among the most bipartisan members of Congress like some of his predecessors. But in the ad, he says he "reached across the aisle to get meaningful work done for our district" by supporting the Building Chips in America Act. The bill would expedite environmental reviews for domestic semiconductor manufacturing projects, such as Micron's plans to build a massive chipfab in Williams' district.

Williams, who was critical of a federal law to boost domestic semiconductor chip production, has supported Micron's project in central New York. He has dubbed the region as the "Silicon Empire."

If the ad is a year in review, it also serves as a way to jumpstart Williams' reelection bid in 2024. He is seeking a second term, although it's unknown what the district will look like by the next election. The state Court of Appeals has directed the Independent Redistricting Commission to draw new congressional district lines. The maps must be submitted to the state Legislature by Feb. 28, 2024.
India will look into any evidence of allegations of a plot to kill a Khalistani leader on American soil but a few incidents will not derail US-India ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in his first response on the issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo)

Modi made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times, during which he sought to play down the diplomatic impact of a US indictment last month that alleged an Indian official directed the plot to kill Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, already declared a terrorist by India.

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If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it, Modi said. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier said that New Delhi has set up a high-level inquiry committee to look into the allegations and will take necessary follow-up action.

Also Read: Nijjar killing: What Amit Shah said after Justin Trudeaus fresh statement

Modi reiterated Indias concerns about Khalistani activists misusing freedom of expression in Western countries to engage in acts of intimidation and inciting violence. He said India is deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.

He added: These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

At the same time, Modi said that he didnt believe such incidents would impact the overall India-US relationship. There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership, he said.

Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership...I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries, he added.

Modi also pointed out that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be the basis for Indias relations with other countries.

We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism, he said. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration.

An indictment filed by US prosecutors in a Manhattan court last month against an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta alleged that an Indian government employee, who described himself as a senior field officer responsible for intelligence, had ordered the assassination of Pannun in New York. Gupta is currently in the custody of Czech authorities, and the US has sought his extradition.

Also Read: Why Joe Biden is skipping Republic Day celebrations on January 26? This is the real reason

The indictment alleged that Gupta, acting on the instructions of the Indian official, contacted a person whom he believed to be a criminal associate but was a confidential source working with US law enforcement for help in contracting a hitman to murder Pannun.

The confidential source introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was an undercover US law enforcement officer, the indictment said.

The US has sent several senior officials, including the Central Intelligence Agency chief, to India to discuss the allegations in the months before the indictment was filed in November.

On the other hand, India has repeatedly accused the Western countries, including Canada, the UK and the US, of not taking seriously its concerns vabout the activities of Khalistani activists, including the targeting of diplomatic premises and inciting violence against Indian diplomats.

The indictment followed an allegation in September from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about a potential link between Indian government agents and the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Khalistani activist, in Surrey town. India dismissed the accusation as absurd and responded by suspending visa services for Canadians and seeking parity in diplomatic presence with Canada, a step that forced 41 Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday responded to his mimicry by TMC's Kalyan Banerjee and said he did not mind being insulted but his post, his community should not be attacked. ...I don't care about how much you insult Jagdeep Dhankhar. But I can't tolerate (insult of) Vice President of India, farmers community, my community... I will not tolerate that I could not protect the dignity of my post, it is my duty to protect the dignity of this House.. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar (PTI)

READ | No intention of hurting Dhankhar ji, mimicry is art: Trinamool MP

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Dhankhar's statement came after a major controversy erupted after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking him at the protest of the suspended MPs. Video clips depicting Banerjee allegedly mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman's mannerisms circulated widely on social media. The incident gained attention when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was observed recording Banerjee's mimicry on his mobile phone during a mock sitting of the House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern and condemned the disrespectful behaviour during a phone call with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday.

Referring to PM Modi's phone call, Dhankhar, posted on X, said, He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday.

READ | Mahua Moitra's dig at Rajya Sabha chairman over mimicry video: Obviously unacceptable because

I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few wont prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path, he added.

In the midst of the escalating controversy surrounding the mimicry incident, President Murmu also conveyed her disappointment on Wednesday regarding the perceived humiliation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar within the Parliament complex. Emphasizing the importance of elected representatives having the freedom to express themselves, she underscored that such expression should adhere to the norms of dignity and courtesy.
As many as 21 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday but asserted that there was no need to panic. Over the past two weeks, 16 deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded with the victims having serious comorbidities. (PTI)

He said that the scientific community in India was closely investigating the new variant as he emphasised on the need for states to ramp up testing and strengthen their surveillance systems.

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Paul highlighted that about 91 to 92 per cent of those infected are opting for home-based treatment.

According to official sources, 19 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been traced in Goa and one each in Kerala and Maharashtra. Over the past two weeks, 16 deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded with the victims having serious comorbidities.

The Centre has asked states and union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases and the detection of the new JN.1 variant in the country.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Wednesday reviewed the preparedness of health facilities across the country and stressed on being alert against emerging strains of coronavirus.

Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant said that even though cases are increasing, 92.8 per cent of the cases are in home isolation, indicating mild illness.

"No increase in hospitalization rates has been witnessed due to COVID-19. The cases that have been hospitalized were due to other medical conditions and Covid was an incidental finding," he said.

A rise in daily positivity rate has been observed in a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

About the new JN.1 variant, Pant said the variant was currently under intense scientific scrutiny but not a cause of immediate concern.

Officials said that no clustering of cases due to the JN.1 variant has been observed in India. All the cases were found to be mild and the patients recovered without any complications, they said.

India recorded 614 new coronavirus infections in a day, the highest since May 21, while the active cases have increased to 2,311, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The World Health Organisation has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread but said that it poses a "low" global public health risk.

The JN.1 variant was previously classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sublineages, the parent lineage that is classified as a VOI, the world body said on Tuesday. However, in recent weeks, JN.1 cases continued to be reported in multiple countries and its prevalence has rapidly increased globally.
A 26-year-old woman, who was found dead in a well at her husbands home on December 11 in Kannur district of Kerala, was murdered, her family members claimed on Tuesday. The murder allegation was made after the postmortem report listed several injuries on the deceaseds body

The allegation was made after the postmortem report listed several injuries on the deceaseds body.

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Shafna Sherin, wife of Riyas who is employed in the Gulf and mother to a four-year-old, was found dead at her in-laws home in Thottipalam. Subsequently, the local police filed a first information report (FIR) under section 174 (unnatural death) of the CrPC and ordered an autopsy.

The post-mortem report states that the cause of death was drowning. But it also points to several small injuries on her body including those resembling nail scratches. We are examining the finer details mentioned in the report and will take further action, said an investigating officer of the Chockli police station who asked not to be named.

We have questioned the womans husband and his family members. Both his parents are elderly and we are probing if they have involvement in the crime. The husband arrived from the Gulf just a week before her death, said the officer.

The injuries listed in the autopsy report include multiple small abrasions on the middle part of forehead, superficial lacerated wound on forehead, contusion with multiple small abrasion on left forearm and abrasion on the back of left palm.

Her mother told the local media, Its obvious that they (her in-laws) killed her. Otherwise, she would not have sustained such injuries because she gets upset over the tiniest of injuries. There were problems in the marriage but she never told me fully. She would often say that she could not go back there and I would tell her not to go. They tortured her a lot.

Her brother added, Once she had called me saying that her father-in-law grabbed her by the neck to try to strangle her and that she didnt want to live there anymore. There were problems with her in-laws over dowry at the time of marriage itself.
With the suspension of 141 MPs over unruly behaviour, the BJP has now no opposition in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. This kind of 'single party rule' is what the BJP and the prime minister want to establish, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who also got suspended from the Rajya Sabha, tweeted on Wednesday. "They talk of Ek Akela which is akin to demolishing democracy. This is precisely what they have done by suspending Opposition MPs. Instead of punishing the people in high ranks for this shameful security lapse, they have snatched away the democratic rights of MOs, thereby escaping accountability," Kharge wrote. The Congress president asked why BJP MP Ptarap Simha who "facilitated the entry of the intruders" has not been questioned yet. "Apparently the intruders have been planning this since months, who is responsible for this massive intelligence failure?" Kharge asked. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked why BJP MP Pratap Simha was not questioned over December 13's security breach in the Lok Sabha.

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On December 13, on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, two men jumped inside the Lok Sabha from the visitors' gallery and sprayed yellow smoke from canisters that they hid inside their shoes before entering the new Parliament building as visitors. Two others were found protesting outside Parliament. The four were arrested and stringent anti-terror laws were invoked against them while the investigation led the cops to a well-orchestrated plan that was in the works for at least 1.5 years. The opposition leaders sought a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament. Over this demand, 141 MPs from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

"Why havent senior officers responsible for Parliamentary security made accountable? Heads should have rolled in by now. Apparently the intruders have been planning this since months, who is responsible for this massive intelligence failure? Given the multi-layered security of the Parliament, how did two intruders manage to hide yellow gas canisters in their shoes and enter the building and almost reach the sanctum sanctorum of Indias democracy?" Kharge said.

Following the massive suspension, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular barring the suspended MPs from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby and galleries. "As a result, the following consequences arise from their suspension and remain in force during the period of suspension: they cannot enter chambers, Lobby and galleries. They stand suspended from sittings of Parliamentary Committees of which they may be a member, No item is put down in the List of Business in their name," the circular said. Before this circular, the suspended MPs have been protesting inside the Parliament complex and a fresh row started as Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar during the protest.
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws, by voice vote. The three bills were introduced by home minister Amit Shah last week. The names of the redrafted bills are -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill. It also passed the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, with voice vote. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi. (PTI)

The proceedings took place in the absence of 97 Opposition MPs, who were suspended over misconduct and unruly behaviour since last week.

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These three bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

Shah said the bills were framed after consultations. He said he had even gone through every comma and full stop before they were tabled in the Lok Sabha.

He said the three bills will establish a justice system based on Indian thinking. He said the existing laws reflect the colonial mindset of punishing for a crime but not doing justice.

Also read: Amid Parliament impasse over Dhankhar, ousted MPs' list grows to 143: 10 points

"The three proposed criminal laws will free people from colonial mindset and its symbols," Shah said.

Amit Shah explains changes

Elaborating on the changes brought in by the bills, Shah said a provision for trial in absentia has been introduced to the criminal justice system.

"A provision for Trial in Absentia has been introduced...Many cases in the country shook us be it the Mumbai bomb blast or any other. Those people are hiding in other countries and trials are not underway. They don't need to come here now. If they don't appear before the Court within 90 days then in their absence trial will go on...A public prosecutor will be appointed for their prosecution. They will be hanged...It will make the process to bring them back speedy since it changes their status in the other country when they get prosecuted," he said in the Lok Sabha.

He said after the bill becomes law, the case would have to be brought to trial in 120 days.

""Now the accused will get seven days to file a plea for acquittal...The judge has to hold the hearing in those seven days and in a maximum time of 120 days, the case would come to trial. There was no time limit for plea bargaining earlier. Now if one accepts their crime within 30 days of the crime then the punishment would be less...There was no provision to present documents during trials. We have made it compulsory to produce all documents within 30 days. No delays will be made in that," Shah added.

"For poor, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challenge...For years 'tareekh pe tareekh' keep going. Police hold the judicial system responsible. The government holds the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary hold the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws," he added.

Shah said in CrPC, there were 484 sections. With these bills, there would now be 531.

"Changes have been made in 177 sections and 9 new sections have been added. 39 new sub-sections have been added. 44 new provisions have been added," he added.

With inputs from PTI, ANI
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the governments vision was to have a criminal code that provided justice rather than punishment as the Lok Sabha passed the three crucial bills  Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and Bharatiya Saksha (Second) Bill  that will replace a raft of British-era laws after a day-long discussion in the Lower House. Union home minister Amit Shah. (ANI)

The discussion saw the participation from 16 MPs. Out of these, none were from the Opposition INDIA collective, which has boycotted proceedings after a record 97 Lok Sabha members have been suspended for the rest of the winter session. The three bills were passed by voice vote at around 4.45pm.

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Read here: Sedition to be treason: Amit Shah explains proposed changes to criminal laws

Later, the Opposition INDIA allies decided to challenge the three legislation in the Supreme Court, after discussing the bills during a meeting of their floor leaders at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges residence on Wednesday evening.

The objective of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) was to punish and not deliver justice. All the three laws, which are over 150 years old were made by the British to rule over us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to remove all such remnants of the colonial era, Shah said during his 97-minute reply to the discussions.

From the Red Fort, PM Modi had said that we need to free ourselves from the colonial laws. The new laws have been framed keeping in mind three basic principles  civil liberty of citizens, human rights and equality. Some are unable to visualise this. The current laws have no scope for justice  punishment is seen as justice, he added.

The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita will replace the Indian Penal Code, the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita the Code of Criminal Procedure, and Bharatiya Saksha (Second) Bill the Evidence Act, 1872.

IPC, which deals with a majority of criminal offences, was brought by the British in 1860. It was adopted by the Indian government after Independence and has been amended around 77 times, but there were calls from some quarters for revamping the entire criminal justice system as it was considered obsolete and a colonial legacy.

The bills were first tabled in Parliament on August 11, and then sent to a parliamentary standing committee. Some of the suggestions of the panel were incorporated, and a set of new bills (labelled as second) were tabled on December 12.

Before the members voted on the bills, Shah said the key feature was that these were citizen-centric, explained how criminal laws would be in sync with the advancement in technology over the last 100 years, and gave a point-by-point rejoinder to some Opposition members who said that the new law gives unbridled powers to the police and make the country a police state.

There will not be any police state in this country until this government is here... On many fronts, the power of the police has been curtailed. On others, police are also being watched, Shah said in his address.

After this bill is passed, there will be a uniform justice system throughout the country. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Assam, there will be one criminal legal procedure across the country, he said.

These laws are being brought at a time when the Indian Constitution is going to complete 75 years, when the Modi government has given women the right to 33% reservation. It is a matter of great pride that 150-year-old laws are being repealed to make way for new ones that will govern our criminal justice system and usher in transformative changes in it, the Union minister said.

The three bills include key changes that deal with offences of terrorism and acts against the State, enable the registration of e-FIRs, factor in corruption in election processes, and make electronic evidence a form of primary proof. Crimes such as mob lynching have been separately defined for the first time, with detailed provisions and enhanced punishment for crimes against women and children.

They also set time limits for certain processes  charge sheets need to be filed within 90 days (a court may grant a maximum of a 90-day extension on an agencys request) and a magistrate has to take cognisance in 14 days, and criminalise acts such as mob lynching, while also decriminalising medical negligence allegations against doctors.

During the discussion, non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs such as Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM argued that the new law provided unbridled powers to police. Badal, a former Union minister, spoke about fake encounters in Punjab by the police in the 1980s.

We cannot come up with draconian laws. We cannot become an authoritarian society when we are competing with developed countries. History has shown that minorities have suffered. I have civil rights as a human being and have a right to express. This law is going to give unbridled powers to the police. Police personnel are appointed by politicians so their allegiance will be to the political people. Our HM himself should understand how the police can misuse these laws, Badal argued.

She said she was also concerned that the new laws allow more time for police to detain people in custody. I am more focused on human rights angle. The new law says that besides family members no one can apply for a mercy petition. What if the person has no family?

Owaisi cited data from research studies and NCRB about a large majority of undertrials in prisons across the country. Many studies and NCRB data have shown that most undertrials are Muslims. How many Dalits are on death row? How long will it continue that there is unspoken reservation for Dalit and Muslims for them to stay in jail? Through this laws you are only empowering the powerful, he said.

In the afternoon, Shah responded, saying: Some of the members have raised concerns about some of the provisions of the laws which will be alleviated by me. But there are some members like Owaisi ji whose concerns are different and are bigger than the laws in question and their concerns should be left to linger. Moreover, I have no solutions to their concerns.

The colonial-era sedition law, 124A of IPC, has been repealed, Shah said, but a reading of the proposed new code showed that the replacement  section 152 in the reintroduced BNS  seeks to prosecute acts of secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, and that it is not milder in definition or punishment.

Shah spoke about this on Wednesday. The [sedition] law was framed by the British. Even people like Sardar Vallabhai Patel and our freedom fighters spent years in jail because of this law. This law was already there. Some leaders protested this when they were in opposition but continued and misused it as they came to power. For the first time, PM Modi rejected section 124A, which deals with sedition. We have replaced Rajdroh (against government) with desh droh (against country). The country is independent. Anyone can protest against the government. It is their right. For this, no one needs to go to jail. But no one will be allowed to speak against the country or speak against the interest of the country.

The minister explained the importance of including terrorism in the new law, saying that under existing laws, a person arrested for terrorism cannot be booked under IPC. For this, police have to seek permission and invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA.

As suggested by the parliamentary committee, the government qualified that an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police shall decide whether to register the case under this section or under UAPA.

Two key recommendations of the panel  to include a gender-neutral provision criminalising adultery and a clause that criminalises non-consensual sex between men, women, trans persons and acts of bestiality in the BNS, have been rejected by the government and are not included in the revised bill.

The minister cited sections of IPC to illustrate how the law was framed by the British to punish Indian citizens, with crimes such as murder figuring only in later sections while those against the British rule were numbered higher up. A crime such as rape was in section 376. Murder was listed as 302. [Now], except the starting chapters that explain the law in the new bills, the first sections are for crimes against women and children, followed by body-related crimes. Murder is now listed Section 101 in the new law.

Read here: Lok Sabha passes 4 bills by voice vote; Trial in Absentia provision introduced in criminal law

During the discussions, the home minister also denied concerns that the new laws will give police unfettered powers. At every police station, there will be an officer, whose job will be to inform and give details (to the relatives) of the people arrested. Police will also have to give an investigation update to the relatives within 90 days.

The Opposition, however, pointed out loopholes.

The new code creates two sets of anti-terror laws. The existing UAPA and now the whole set of anti-terror provisions in the new criminal codes. The codes also leave discretion to deputy SP-level officers to choose which anti-terror laws would be applicable in a case. No guidelines or criteria has been laid on how to pick between the two laws, said Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Singhvi of the Congress, speaking on the clauses the Opposition may challenge in the Supreme Court.
Authorities have ordered a probe into a party former Madhya Pradesh minister and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Vijay Shah allegedly organised in the core area of Satpura Tiger Reserve in the Narmadapuram district. Shah and his friends allegedly went to see a tiger in a restricted area. (Sourced)

Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Aseem Srivastava ordered the probe after activist Ajay Dubey filed a complaint about the party and alleged food was also cooked for Shah at the reserve.

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In the videos Shah allegedly shot, forest guards can be purportedly seen cooking chicken on an earthen stove while other staffers arrange chairs. Shah can also be heard calling it the best picnic.

In his complaint, Dubey said forest department officers and employees took Shah in private vehicles to the Rorighat Siddh Baba Hill where they lit a fire to prepare food. Forest guards serving him can be seen in the videos and lifting chairs...Rules clearly say that no one can light a fire or have a party in the reserve area.

Dubey added Shah and his friends went to see a tiger in a restricted area and forest department vehicles were parked near the big cat, which is serious negligence. ...forest officials violated the Wildlife Protection Act and other laws. ...there have been incidents of tiger hunting in the Satpura Tiger Reserve and international poachers have been active... illegal conduct...deserves strict punishment.

Dubey said tiger poaching was rampant in Madhya Pradesh while highlighting the importance of action.

Shrivastava refused to comment until he got the inquiry report. Despite repeated attempts, Shah could not be contacted for comments.
The fourth meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc touched upon the issue of the PM face as Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal threw their weight behind Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the PM face of the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against PM Modi. While Kharge rejected the proposal and said the focus should be on winning the elections, Congress leader PJ Joseph said Mamata did not take Kharge's name; she only hinted that it would be good for the alliance if it projects a 'Dalit PM'. Mallikarjun Kharge rejected the proposal of the Dalit PM face as he never projected himself as a Dalit leader.(AICC)

"She did not suggest so. While she spoke, Mamata Banerjee said that it would be good if we could project a Dalit PM. She did not say the name of any person. The matter was not discussed much because she spoke last," the Congress leader said to news agency ANI. The Congress did not officially comment on this proposal and during the press meet following the meeting Kharge said there was no point in talking about the PM face now. "First, all of us have to win, we should think about what needs to be done for victory. Who will be PM, this will be decided later. If there are less MPs, what is the point of talking about PM. First, to increase our numbers, (by) coming together, we will try to bring majority. First we will try to win," Kharge said.

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According to insiders, Kharge shot down the idea as he never played the caste politics of a Dalit and stood for the equality that he fought for in his political career. He has been working for the poor and he never projected himself as a caste leader.

Kharge's name as the PM face for the bloc did not go down well with JD(U) and the RJD. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav left the meeting early without attending the press conference.

At the 4th meeting of the INDIA bloc, it was decided that the seat-sharing talks won't be put on the backburner anymore and by the year-end, there would be some seat-sharing understanding in the states.

The UP Congress, meanwhile, urged Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Kharge to contest the Lok Sabha 2024 from the state. "Uttar Pradesh is a politically important state and Rae Bareli and Amethi have remained the strongholds of the party for long. The Gandhi family has a personal rapport with the people of these constituencies," UP Congress president Ajay Rai said.
A 34-year-old man was brutally assaulted and left half-clothed in front of the local police station allegedly by the family of a woman his nephew eloped with, in Haveri district of Karnataka, police said. The incident comes over a week after a woman was dragged out of her house, paraded naked, tied to an electric pole and thrashed allegedly after her son eloped with a woman, in Belagavi (Getty Images)

According to the police, the incident took place on Monday night in Mudenur village of Haveri district.

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Prashanth Kabbaras nephew Prakash (28) has been in a relationship with Sangeetha (22) for the past four years. The two belong to the same caste but Sangeethas family opposed their marriage due to Prakashs weak financial condition. The couple eloped on December 15. Infuriated, the womans relatives abducted Kabbara and abducted him in a vehicle, where they brutally assaulted him and left him near the Ranebennur Rural police station in a semi-clothed condition, sub-inspector Basavaraja Biradar said.

Based on the complaint lodged by Kabbaras family, the police have booked 15 people  all relatives of Sangeetha  under several charges, including attempted murder and kidnapping. While four of the accused  Shivappa, Basavaraju, Harisha, and Sunil (the complaint only mentions first name)  have been arrested, 11 are still absconding and a search operation has been launched to nab them.

We have registered a case against four persons under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed in furtherance of a common object), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 365 (kidnapping), 395 (dacoity), 504 (intentional insult), and the investigation is ongoing, he added.

The officer clarified that section 354 has been added to the FIR as the accused also assaulted Kabbaras wife.

Meanwhile, a police officer familiar with the case said Prakash and Sangeetha got married at a temple in Haveri and have sought police protection.

Prashanth Kabbara, who is also a gram panchayat member, said he was unaware of the elopement. I was unaware of the eloping incident; however, around 25 persons kidnapped me from my house, assaulted me, stripped me, and threatened my life, he said.

When women in my home intervened, the assailants threatened them and robbed a gold chain, he added.

The incident comes over a week after a 42-year-old woman was dragged out of her house, paraded naked, tied to an electric pole and thrashed allegedly after her son eloped with a woman, in Belagavi district of Karnataka. The incident triggered sharp criticism from several quarters.

Hearing a suo motu petition of the Belagavi case on Monday, the Karnataka high court had called for changes in the societys mindsets. It is not beti bachao, beti padhao. It is beta padhao, to save the girl child. Unless you tell the boy child, you will not be achieving it. The girl will naturally be respectful to the other lady. It is for the boy to be told to respect and protect the lady, the HC division bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale said.

Some collective responsibility measures have to be taken, which Lord William Bentinck took in history. It is not the action of offenders, but the inaction of those standing at the spot that is more dangerous. These people standing mute spectators will make the assailant a hero, the HC added.
With a visit to a hospital in Columbia County, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is marking the silver anniversary of his annual tour of New York's 62 counties.

Schumer, D-N.Y., completed the 25th year of the statewide swing, dubbed the "Full Schumer." Other statewide elected officials have visited every New York county. But they haven't committed to making annual trips to every corner of the state like New York's senior senator.

The idea for the tour was in response to then-U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato's comments during the 1998 campaign. Schumer challenged D'Amato, a Republican, in that election.

"When I ran against him, no one thought I could win," Schumer recalled on a conference call with reporters Tuesday. "But one of the things that he said, playing on the upstate-downstate division, if Schumer wins, you'll never seen him west of the Hudson."

Schumer's response was to make a pledge: If he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he would visit every county in his first year. He defeated D'Amato and followed through by completing his first 62-county tour in 1999.

Although Schumer's pledge was for one year, he has said that he enjoyed it so much he decided to make it an annual tradition. Since 1999, he has made more than 4,500 visits to Long Island and upstate New York, including over 550 to central New York communities.

To plan for his tour stops, Schumer said his office will contact local elected officials and business leaders to ask about local and national issues affecting their areas. Armed with that feedback, he said they "roll up our sleeves and go to work."

That has produced several legislative achievements. Schumer said when he visited Buffalo, they discussed establishing a technology hub. He included language in the CHIPS and Science Act to allow for the designation of regional tech hubs. One of the hubs will consist of the Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse areas.

After visiting rural areas in upstate New York, he heard about the need for broadband. He advocated for $65 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure law to expand access to high-speed internet.

The broadband funding is one example of how Schumer has used the statewide tour to bring money back to New York. He noted that former U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan would criticize the disparity between the tax dollars New York would send to Washington and the funding it would receive in return.

"When I write legislation, it's always going to benefit our communities in upstate New York," Schumer said, adding that New York received more money than it has sent to Washington in his last two years as majority leader.

There was a question of whether Schumer would continue the tour after he became Senate majority leader in 2021. But the 62-county swing remains a priority.

"I'm making a commitment and a promise that I will do the same next year," he said.

Gallery: Schumer visits to Cayuga County over the years Chuck Schumer Milk 1.JPG Chuck Schumer Milk 2.JPG Chuck Schumer Milk 4.JPG Charles Schumer 1.JPG Schumer 1.JPG Schumer 2.JPG Schumer 3.JPG Schumer 4.JPG Schumer 5.JPG Chuck Schumer Schumer tours flood damage 1.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 2.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 3.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 4.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 5.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 6.JPG Senator Schumer 1.JPG Senator Schumer 2.JPG Senator Schumer 6.JPG Senator Schumer 3.JPG Senator Schumer 5.JPG Schumer visits Owasco Lake 1 Schumer Cayuga Milk Ingredients Schumer Tubman Tubman Sen. Chuck Schumer Rebar Schumer Cayuga Milk Ingredients Schumer Nucor Steel Sen. Chuck Schumer visits Giancarelli Brothers Winery Sen. Schumer visits Seward House Schumer wants a do-over on Feds' draft statement Farmers share labor concerns with Schumer Schumer assesses casino concerns
New Delhi: Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting of the states and Union territories to review the situation and preparedness amid the recent spike in COVID cases with at least three deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Kerela. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting with states (Twitter/@mansukhmandviya)

India has reported 614 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours from across the country, while the total number of active cases in India stands at 2,311, according to the data released by the ministry.

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In the meeting, Mandaviya stressed the need for collective effort between the Centre and the states to deal with the emerging situation in the spirit of the Whole of Government approach and directed local authorities to remain alert but not to panic.

Also Read: World Health Organisation classifies JN.1 as Covid-19 variant of interest

The health minister stressed holding mock drills in all hospitals once every three months and urged states to ensure preventive measures are taken during the winter season ahead of festivities.

It is important to be prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people, the Union health minister said.

On Monday, the Central government issued an advisory to all the states on the detection of first JN.1 variant, asking the state governments to maintain constant vigil, following which several states across issued fresh directions.

Mandaviya reiterated that COVID was not over yet, and asked states to monitor emerging evidence of COVID cases, symptoms and case severity to plan appropriate public health response.

According to government data, active COVID cases in India are significantly less compared to the global scenario. In the last two weeks, there has been a steep rise in active cases from 115 on 6th Dec 2023 to 614 to date. It was also noted that 92.8% of the cases are home-isolated, indicating mild illness. A rise in daily positivity rate has been observed in a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka, informed health secretary, Sudhansh Pant, during the meeting.

Among the preventive measures suggested included strengthening of surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network.

Also Read: India logs 614 new Covid cases, highest since May 21; 3 deaths in Kerala

It is to ensure timely detection of newer variants, circulating in the country, and would facilitate undertaking of appropriate public health measures promptly, the health minister said.

Further, states and UTs have been requested to ramp up testing and refer a large number of samples of COVID-19-positive cases and pneumonia-like illness to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) daily, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any.

India has already reported cases of the highly infective JN.1 sublineage of the BA.2.86 variant that is also known as Pirola and seeing sustained growth globally.

The new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is currently under intense scientific scrutiny, but not a cause of immediate concern. No clustering of cases has been observed in India due to JN.1 and all the cases were found to be mild and all of them have recovered without any complications, the health ministry said.

Further, states have been asked to share information on cases, tests, positivity etc., in real time on the COVID portal to enable timely monitoring and prompt public health measures.
GUWAHATI: The bodies of 87 Kuki-Zo victims who were killed in the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur were on Wednesday laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony held in Churachandpur district of the northeastern state. An aerial view of the mass burial ceremony of Kuki-Zo victims of Manipurs ethnic conflict. The burial took place in Churachandpur on Wednesday. (Sourced)

The burial ceremony was held in Sekhen at a location named the Kuki-Zo martyrs cemetery with tributes, Christian rituals and a gun salute by village defence volunteers. It was preceded by a meeting held in Tuibuong.

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Also Read: Who is the Manipur group that signed a historic truce with the Union government?

Thousands gathered at the burial site where family members of the victims bid farewell amid emotional scenes. The coffins covered with traditional shawls and wreaths were then placed in the graves.

We feel a deep sense of relief as the bodies of so many of our brothers and sisters were laid to rest as per our customs and rituals. It was a long wait for the families who lost their dear ones. Now the struggle for justice for those killed and the demand for a separate administration for Kuki-Zo people will continue, said Ngaineikim, president, Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights.

The event was held amid tight security following imposition of curfew in the entire district on Monday night for a period of two months until February 18 because of clashes between two groups of Kuki and Zomi residents that led to nearly 30 persons getting injured.

This was the second mass burial ceremony this month of Kuki-Zo victims after bodies of 64 victims of the ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities were shifted from morgues earlier this month following Supreme Court directives ending a six month--long wait.

While bodies of 60 Kuki-Zo victims were shifted from two morgues in Meitei-dominated Imphal to Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts, remains of four Meitei victims were airlifted from a morgue in Kuki-majority Churachandpur to Imphal.

Also Read: Fresh violence in Manipur district, curfew returns

On December 15, the 19 bodies of Kuki-Zo victims taken to Kangpokpi were laid to rest at a mass burial held in Phaijang village. The 41 bodies, which were brought to Churachandpur, along with 46 others of Kuki-Zo victims, whose remains were lying at the Churachandpur Medical College morgue, were buried on Wednesday.

The oldest among the victims buried in Churachandpur was a 70-year-old woman Domkhohoi Haokip, while the youngest was a one-month-old baby.

I have buried my husbands remains after a wait of more than half a year. Its a relief for the family. I have a small baby who I will have to care for alone now. I hope the deaths of my husband and others dont go in vain and we get a separate administration from the Manipur government, wife of a victim told journalists.

According to Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella body of Kuki groups in Churachandpur, apart from the 87 victims buried today, there are 11 others from the community who are missing and 41 more victims who have already been buried (this figure is in addition to the 19 Kuki-Zo victims buried last week in Kangpokpi).

Manipur has witnessed ethnic clashes between Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities since May 3. The violence has claimed at least 196 lives and left around 50,000 displaced.

Also Read: Prohibitory orders imposed in Manipurs Churachandpur after Mondays clash

Bodies of Kuki-Zo victims had remained unclaimed in Meitei-dominated Imphal and those of Meitei victims kept in Churachandpur (which is Kuki dominated) for over six months due to sharp divisions on the ground following the start of the clashes with one community not allowing the other to enter its territory.
Rajya Sabha chairman and vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him to express his pain over the alleged disrespect Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee showed by mimicking the presiding officer of Parliaments Upper House. Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. (PTI)

In a post on X, Dhankhar wrote Modi shared his experience of being belittled even as Banerjee insisted he respects constitutional positions and did not intend to hurt anyone. Banerjee maintained mimicry is not an offence and that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using the issue to divert attention from the suspension of 141 Opposition lawmakers for raising the issue of the Parliament security breach. He added even Modi mimicked people.

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President Droupadi Murmu said she was dismayed over Dhankhars humiliation while asking elected representatives to remain within the norms of dignity and courtesy. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it, Murmu said in a post on X.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh echoed Banerjee and said a desperate attempt was being made to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of lawmakers by raising the issue of mimicry. Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha? Ramesh said on X. He shared a video of Modis speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi hugged him in 2018.

In his post on X, Dhankhar wrote Modi expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some lawmakers, and that too in the sacred Parliament complex. He [Modi] told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankar wrote.

Dhankhar said he told Modi the antics of a few would not prevent him from performing his duty and upholding the Constitution.

On Tuesday, Dhankhar said the mimicry, which Rahul Gandhi was seen filming, ravaged  the office of the Rajya Sabha chairman and was a personal insult to him. ...[Congress] put a video on Instagram, which was withdrawn later on. That was a shame to me. You used the official Twitter handle of the spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, insult my position as a chairman...these are too serious issues.

Speaking in the House on Wednesday, Dhankhar said he would not tolerate any insult to Parliament and his vice-president post while reiterating his anguish over the mimicry and its recording. He said the act insulted the honour of the post, the farmers, and his Jat community.

Dhankhar asked Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to ponder over it before adjourning the House for the fourth time. ...you [Kharge] are silent.

Kharge called against linking caste to every issue and wondered whether he should cite his Dalit origins every time he is disallowed to speak in Rajya Sabha. He added the chairpersons job is to protect other members but Dhankhar himself was making such a statement. They should not incite people in the name of caste, he said. He wondered whether the government should apologise for Modi and home minister Amit Shahs references to the security breach outside and not speaking on the issue in the House.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it is sad for the country when people holding constitutional positions talk about their caste. He added the government was trying to wash its hands of the Parliament security breach.

TMC leader and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee downplayed the issue, saying the mimicry was not meant to be disrespectful and just political and casual. You would not even have known it if Rahul [Gandhi] had not recorded it, she said at the Parliament complex where she met Modi over pending dues to West Bengal.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla met Dhankhar and expressed his concern over the serious misdemeanor of demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of the vice president. It is shocking that one MP [member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi] chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it, he said on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to look into any evidence backing allegations of an Indian plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States (US) while underlining a few incidents would not derail ties between the two countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

In his first response to the allegations, Modi told the British business daily Financial Times (FT) that India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas. He added that these elements have engaged in intimidation and incited violence under the guise of freedom of expression.

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The comments came days after all five Indian-American members of the US Congress warned of significant damage to the very consequential India-US partnership unless New Delhi probes and holds those responsible for plotting to kill Pannun, an American-Canadian citizen whom India has designated as a terrorist.

In a joint statement, Amy Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar sought a clear assurance from India that such an incident would never reoccur. The five, all Democrats from diverse geographies and members of key legislative panels, said the US administration provided them a classified briefing on the indictment of Nikhil Gupta in connection with the foiled plot.

The US Department of Justice in November unsealed an indictment implicating Gupta for orchestrating the plot in June. Gupta allegedly hired a hitman, who turned out to be an undercover agent for US law enforcement. India acknowledged inputs on the plot from the US and announced the constitution of a committee to examine the issue while promising necessary follow-up action.

The FT noted that concern about Indias alleged involvement in the plot has complicated the US-India relationship. US President Joe Biden has described the relationship as among the most consequential in the world.

Modi sought to downplay the diplomatic fallout of Guptas indictment for directing the attempted murder in New York. He cited strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of the relationship and said it was a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership. Security and counterterrorism cooperation has been a key component of our partnership, he said. He added it was not appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it.

Modi and Biden agreed to expand cooperation in areas ranging from high tech to defence when the Indian Prime Minister visited Washington DC for a state visit in June. Biden visited New Delhi for the G20 summit in September.

Guptas indictment came to light in November five months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was investigating whether Indian agents were behind the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June. India rejected Trudeaus claim as absurd and asked 41 Canadian diplomats to leave the country.

The FT noted the US and Canadian cases have raised alarm among Indias Western partners about New Delhis possible role in extrajudicial killings although they have done little to hurt Modi at home, where he faces a national election in 2024. It added despite growing closer to the US, Modi has continued to build a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite Western pressure.

FT said that India has taken a harder stance against China, with which New Delhi has been engaged in a long-running border dispute.

Modi underlined the need to accept the era of multilateralism. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration, he told FT.
Responding to the United States' claim of involvement of an Indian government employee in an alleged murder plot for separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would look into the allegations. He said a few incidents would not affect the ties between the US and India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (ANI/File)

Last month, the US Justice Department alleged that an Indian government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Pannun on US soil. It later announced charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of planning the murder.

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In the interview with the Financial Times, Modi said India's commitment is to the rule of law.

Here are Modi's top quotes from the interview:
New Delhi: Hours after the Lok Sabha cleared new criminal code bills, the INDIA bloc discussed the possibilities of challenging the loopholes in the three pieces of legislation in the Supreme Court, with Opposition members saying that Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Singhvi might be considered to lead the legal charge once the bills were passed by both Houses. Lok Sabha MPs give voice vote on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill during the Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

Read here: Lok Sabha clears 3 bills to replace British-era criminal codes

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The discussion took place was taken at a floor leaders meeting of the group organised a day after a larger INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday. The leaders had focused on a seat-sharing agreement and a joint campaign plan in 8-10 cities on Tuesday.

The floor leaders meeting organised at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges residence on Wednesday centered around a possible challenge to the three crime code laws in the Supreme Court, and on staging a protest by suspended Opposion MPs at Jantar Mantar on December 22, people aware of the deliberations said.

We discussed the bills and it was decided that the loopholes in the proposed laws would be challenged in the Supreme Court, said Trinamools Saugata Ray, who was present in the meeting.

The Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita were cleared through a voice vote at a time when 97 Opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha (along with 46 from the Rajya Sabha) in action that has been unprecedented in scale during the winter session.

The three bills aim to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act.

The new code creates two sets of anti-terror laws. The existing UAPA [or Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act] and now the whole set of anti-terror provisions in the new criminal codes. The codes also leave the discretion to deputy SP-level officers to choose which anti-terror laws would be applicable in a case. No guidelines or criteria has been laid on how to pick between the two laws, said Singhvi.

They do a similar thing with organised crime legislation. While Maharashtra has MCOCA or Rajasthan has RCOCA, the new bills again create two sets of laws, Singhvi added.

In a dissent note to the parliamentary panel on home affairs in November, former Union home minister P Chidambaramreferred to Clause 5 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita as ...retrograde as well as unconstitutional. The absolute power of the executive government to commute a sentence of death or life imprisonment, without recording reasons, is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.

He also said that Clause 72(3) was unconstitutional. It violates Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The Court can restrict the right of the media to report the Courts proceedings in a particular case, legislation cannot bar the media in all cases, the note said.

Read here: Sedition to be treason: Amit Shah explains proposed changes to criminal laws

Like Singhvi, Chidambaram also objected to inserting anti-terror provisions in the new codes. Clause 111 refers to the offence of  terrorist act and provides for punishment thereof. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 is a comprehensive law that has stood scrutiny by Courts. It has special provisions on sanction for prosecution, burden of proof, etc. if there is need, the special law, UAPA, can be amended, he stated.
Janata Dal-United (JDU) leader Sunil Kumar Pintu took a jibe at the the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Wednesday saying that the fourth meeting of the alliance was just restricted to tea and biscuits and concluded without any discussion on any serious issue. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Sonia Gandhi, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, JDU Chief Nitish Kumar, Rahul Gandhi and TMC Chief Mamta Banerjee during the INDIA alliance meeting in New Delhi. (HT Photo)

Read here: Friction emerges in INDIA bloc amid push for Mallikarjun Kharge as PM's face

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"In the meeting yesterday, big leaders of several parties had come for sharing in the alliance. But no discussion on the same could be done. Yesterday's meeting was restricted to tea biscuits," Pintu said to news agency ANI.

Taking a dig over the grand old party's statements that they are short on funds, the JDU MP said that the party does not even have money to arrange for samosas.

"Congress had recently said that they are short on funds and are seeking donations of 138, 1380 or 13,800. The donations are yet to come in. So, yesterday's meeting finished on just tea and biscuits without samosa and without any discussion on any serious issue," he said.

Responding to Mamata Banerjee's proposal of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate, Pintu said that it is Banerjee's "personal opinion". However, he mentioned that that there is "a strong desire among Bihar's party workers and residents for state chief minister Nitish Kumar to assume the prime ministerial role".

Reacting to the JDU leader's remark, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said that similar complaints will continue until Nitish Kuamr is declared as the PM candidate.

Nitish Kumar's MPs are disappointed due to absence of samosa in INDI alliance meeting. Said, no serious issue was discussed. Until Nitish Kumar is declared the Prime Ministerial candidate of the alliance, similar complaints will continue," he said in a post on X.

There were some reports which claimed that Nitish Kumar was "unhappy" over the proposal of Kharge's name as the PM candidate. However, the Congress dismissed the reports saying that the meeting was concluded on a "good note".

"The meeting went on for five to six hours. The meeting was crucial and effective. It was concluded on a good note. If some media reports are claiming that Nitish Kumarji was unhappy over the meeting, there might be some 'vested interest' but I reckon that he is the convener of the alliance and he will make it reach its destination", Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said.

Interestingly, Nitish Kumar was the one who took the initiative to bring the opposition parties together to put up a united challenge against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, Kumar had denied any prime ministerial ambitions.

28 opposition parties participated in the fourth meeting of the alliance in Delhi where Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate saying he can be the country's first Dalit prime minister.

Read here: NDA leaders on 'Kharge as PM' call: 'Trap to oust Rahul Gandhi'

Kharge while reacting to the suggestion, he said that the issue will be decided later and their first priority is to try and get a majority by working together.

"First, all of us have to win, we should think about what needs to be done for victory. Who will be PM, this will be decided later. If there are less MPs, what is the point of talking about PM. First, to increase our numbers, (by) coming together, we will try to bring majority. First we will try to win," he said.

The alliance in its meeting passed a resolution on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the suspension of MPs from Parliament. It also decided to hold eight to ten joint rallies at the earliest to show the people of the country that they are united.

(With inputs from ANI)
India's Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Wednesday said he received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing deep concern and condemnation over the alleged disrespectful behaviour by some members of Parliament. TMC's Kalyan Banerjee mimicks Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar while staging a protest along with other suspended MPs during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.(PTI)

Referring to PM Modi's phone call, Dhankhar, in a social media post on X, said, He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday.

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He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.

A major controversy erupted after video clips of suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee ostensibly mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman's mannerisms were aired on TV and widely circulated on social media. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen recording the mimicry on his mobile phone as Banerjee conducted a mock sitting of the House.

I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few wont prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path, Dhankhar added.

Dhankhar earlier took exception to the episode when the House reconvened at 12 noon on Tuesday.

"Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable."

He said it reflected a new low. "Girawat ki koi had nahi hai (there is no limit to downfall)".

"Digvijay Singhji, listen to me carefully. Few minutes ago I saw it on TV...Girawat ki koi had nahi hai, one of your big leader was making a video of the unparliamentary behaviour of an MP. He is a much bigger leader than you. All I can say is that common sense prevails. There must be a limit," Dhankar said.
Amid the brewing controversy over the mimicry incident, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday expressed her dismay at the manner in which Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was "humiliated" in the Parliament complex. She stressed that the elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. President Droupadi Murmu.

The president's condemnation comes a day after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the suspension of some Members of Parliament (MPs).

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I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it, the President posted on her official social media handle.

Dhankhar thanked the President for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain.

I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so.

Earlier today, the Vice President said he received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing deep concern and condemnation over the behaviour of some opposition MPs.

He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankhar wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Dhankhar and expressed his concern over the "serious misdemeanor" by some MPs "demeaning and denigrating" the constitutional office of the Vice President while terming it a "new low".

Suspended TMC lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee appeared to mock Dhankhar by ostensibly mimicking his mannerisms while conducting a mock sitting of the House. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen recording the act on his mobile phone.

As many as 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs facing action in both Houses of Parliament to 141.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday reportedly tracked down four suspects who were involved in uploading Bollywood actress Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video online. However, the hunt for the creators of the video and the main conspirator behind it is still on, reported ANI citing the police. Rashmika Mandanna(Instagram/@rashmika_mandanna)

This comes over a month after a modified video of the actor went viral on social media sparking off discussions of digital safety. The video showed a woman, identified as Zara Patel, dressed in a black workout onesie inside an elevator. Her face was edited using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to resemble Mandanna. Immediately after, officials began investigating the case by identifying all the IP addresses from where the video was uploaded. The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of Delhi Police on November 11 registered an FIR against unidentified people in connection with the case after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) sent a notice to the city police.

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Rashmika Mandanna on her deep fake video

Rashmika strongly reacted to the deepfake video saying she feels really hurt to share and talk about the video. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused, she said.

Centre on tackling deepfake videos

Ever since the actor's fake video went viral, the government has been very vocal about tackling such cases. On November 24, the IT ministry sent two letters to all social media platforms reminding them of their responsibility to weed out misinformation and deepfakes as mandated by Indian law. IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw termed the deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, adding that the government is working on coming up with new regulations to tackle such situations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns over the misuse of AI for creating deepfakes, saying that the media can play a role in raising awareness about this crisis. Addressing a gathering of media persons during a Diwali Milan programme at the BJP office in Delhi, Modi said: A new crisis is emerging due to deepfakes produced through artificial intelligence. There is a very big section of society that does not have a parallel verification system This (deepfake) will take us to grave danger and has the potential to spread the fire of dissatisfaction.

The PM cited a video he saw recently of him performing garba even though he has not done so since schooldays. I recently saw a video in which I was playing garba... it was very well done, but I have never done garba since school, he said.

(With inputs from ANI)
Five officers were injured after a prisoner refused orders to enter his cell Dec. 6 at Auburn Correctional Facility, the state corrections officers union said in a news release on Wednesday.

The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association said that the 25-year-old prisoner, who was convicted of murder in 2019, headbutted one officer and cut another with a makeshift weapon during the incident. It began when the prisoner, refusing to enter his cell, lunged at staff and unsuccessfully attempted to headbutt an officer. He was restrained to the floor, where he remained combative and spit at staff. Three officers used body holds on the prisoner's upper body, and three used holds on his lower body, until he became compliant and was brought to his feet.

The prisoner then lunged again, this time headbutting an officer in the forehead, the union said. He was forced into the back corner of his cell, where he eventually became compliant.

After the incident, an officer noticed a laceration on his right forearm consistent with a cutting weapon. He was taken to Auburn Community Hospital to treat it, as well as shoulder pain. A second officer sustained ankle and elbow injuries, and three more officers sustained knee, shoulder, elbow and forehead injuries. They were treated by medical staff at the facility, the union said, and remained on duty.

A search of the prisoner and the area where the incident occurred did not produce a weapon, the union said.

The prisoner was convicted of second-degree murder in Kings County for shooting a 36-year-old victim in the head in their apartment.

The union concluded its news release by asking the New York State Legislature to address violence in correctional facilities when it reconvenes in January. According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, inmate-on-staff assaults are up 15% from 2022  which was up 36% from 2021  and inmate-on-inmate assaults are up 35%.
Online payment processing firms RazorPay and Cashfree have received permission from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as payment aggregators, ending a yearlong embargo on admitting new merchants on their platforms. HT Image

Razorpay has now received the final authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a payment aggregator under the Payment Settlements Act, 2007. Having received the new license, we now restart onboarding new customers, a RazorPay spokesperson said. Cashfree echoed the same sentiment on its LinkedIn page.

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In September 2022, the Enforcement Directorate had raided offices of RazorPay, Paytm, Cashfree and PayU in connection with a first information report filed in Bengaluru related to Chinese fake loan apps. The central bank on December 13, 2022, restricted these companies from registering new merchants and asked them to reapply for fresh payment aggregator licences.

Paytm has not yet received its payment aggregator licence. HT has reached out to PayUfor information on its application.

Securing the Payment Aggregator (PA) license from the RBI is a pivotal moment for Cashfree Payments, affirming our focus on compliance and highlighting the significance of a well-regulated payments landscape. We are now onboarding new merchants on our payment gateway, a spokesperson for Cashfree Payments said.

A spokesperson for PayU said that the company is still awaiting a response from RBI on its application.

OPEN, a fintech geared towards SMEs, also got its payment aggregator licence for the first time from the RBI on Tuesday.
After PM Modi on Wednesday called Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to express pain after Dhankhar was mimicked by Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said this mimicry episode is a desperate attempt to divert attention from the suspension of the opposition MPs. Sharing the clip of PM Modi mimicking Rahul Gandhi's wink, Jairam Ramesh wrote, "Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha". PM Modi spoke to Jagdeep Dhankhar, President Droupadi Murmu condemned the incident.

PM Modi on Wednesday called up Dhankhar and said that he too had been at the receiving end of such insults for 20 years and counting. "I told him -- Mr Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," Dhankhar wrote.

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President Draupadi Murmu commented on the mimicry row and said she was dismayed to see the manner in which the Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. "Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the people of India expect them to uphold it," the President tweeted.

'I am not commenting': Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said he won't comment on PM Modi's telephonic conversation with Jagdeep Dhankhar over the mimicry row. Rahul Gandhi was slammed for filming the mimicry act when Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee was mimicking Dhankhar at the Parliament complex as the suspended opposition MPs were protesting.

Police complaint against Kalyan Banerjee for mimicking Dhankhar

An advocate, Abhishek Gautam, filed a complaint against Kalyan Banerjee for his mimicry of Jagdeep Dhankhar. "A complaint was given by advocate Abhishek Gautam at Defence Colony Police station on Tuesday evening. We have forwarded it to the New Delhi district police," a police officer said.

Gautam in his complaint said the video was made with an "intention to insult and defame the Vice-President of India, his caste as well as his background of farmer and as a lawyer". He demanded that an FIR be registered under the appropriate sections of IPC and the IT Act against the TMC MP and others seen in the video.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday announced construction of a brand new official building for the state government in New Delhi, in place of the existing one which is part of the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan at Ashoka Road. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy. (ANI)

Reddy flew to the national capital on Tuesday morning on a three-day visit to have a series of meetings with Congress top brass, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the next two days.

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He also sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a courtesy call, a PCC leader from Telangana aware of the matter said.

Soon after reaching New Delhi, Revanth drove to the official residence of Telangana chief minister at Tughlaq Road, where he held meetings with Telangana Bhavan resident commissioner Gaurav Uppal and officer on special duty Sanjay Jaju.

An official statement from the CMO said the CM discussed with them the issue of division of assets between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, including the existing AP Bhavan in New Delhi.

The CM enquired the officials about the total area of the building, its condition and Telanganas share in the complex. The officials informed him that the total undivided land of AP Bhavan is 19.78 acres and the existing building complex is located in 8.781 acres of land. The Old Nursing Hostel is built on 3.359 acres and the Pataudi House is constructed on 7.641 acres of land, the official note stated.

The officials told Revanth that Telangana will get 8.245 acres of land and the APs share will be 11.536 acres as per the Andhra Pradesh state Reorganisation act. They said most of the buildings are in dilapidated condition and the repairs are being done.

The CM told them that a new building should be constructed which reflects the cultural traditions of Telangana, the CMO statement stated.

During his meeting with the top Congress leaders, Revanth Reddy is expected to discuss the issues concerning the party in Telangana, including the proposed expansion of the state cabinet. On December 7, as many as 11 cabinet ministers, besides the chief minister were sworn in and there is a scope for inducting another six ministers.

Revanth Reddy will also submit the copy of the resolutions adopted at the PCCs political affairs committee (PAC) meeting held on Monday, including the request to Sonia Gandhi to contest from Telangana in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He would also seek the consent of the high command to fill up nominated posts and vacant corporation chairpersons post, the PCC leader quoted above said.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three bills linked to the country's criminal justice system. The new bills -- Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023 -- will replace the colonial IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act respectively, Union home minister Amit Shah, responding to a debate in the Parliament on the bills, said the current laws were aimed at protecting the treasures and the crown of British rulers. Listing the proposed changes to criminal law these bills aim to bring, Shah said charge sheets will have to be filed within 180 days and the magistrate will have to take cognizance of it within 14 days. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament.(PTI)

"The law of treason made by the British has ended, and now the country's security is paramount. Anyone can say anything against the government, but if someone interferes with the country's flag, security, or property, they will go to jail," he said

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The Indian Penal Code has been replaced with the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, the CrPC with Nagarik Suraksha Samhita and the Indian Evidence Act has been replaced with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

Explaining the motive behind bringing the laws, Shah said the laws brought by the British focused on punishment for looting government treasure, severing railway lines, and insulting the British crown; punishment for crimes against women were given low priority. To emphasize his point, he said murder was placed in Section 302.

Also read: Lok Sabha passes 4 bills by voice vote; Trial in Absentia provision introduced in criminal law

He said in the new bills, priority has been given to dealing with crimes that affect the human body. "After that, the security of the country's borders has been given priority. After that, electoral offences have been taken into account," he added.

The new proposed bills also define terrorism in modern context, he said. "For the first time, the Modi government is going to criminalize terrorism, so that no rogue can take advantage of it," he added.

Shah said sedition has been turned into a treason. Per the proposed laws, criticising government or government functionaries is fully permissible.

"The new law shifts its focus from the individual to the nation. Any activity will be considered treason only if it is intended against the integrity, sovereignty and unity of the nation and not just because it is against the government. Anyone can say anything against the government, but if someone interferes with the country's flag, security, or property, they will go to jail," he explained.

The new law will criminalize treason caused by armed revolution, destructive and separatist activities.

Shah said 3200 suggestions by Supreme Court judges, high court judges, governors, civil servants, police service officials, MPs, CMs, collectorates and MLAs had been taken into consideration before giving final shape to the proposed laws.

The CrPC had 484 sections in place of which there will now be 531, he said, adding 177 new sections have been changed, 9 new sections have been added, 39 new sub-sections have been added and 14 sections have been removed.

The IPC had 511 sections and now it has 358. 21 new crimes have been added, duration of imprisonment has been extended in 41 crimes, in 82 crimes fines have been increased, in 25 crimes minimum punishment has been introduced, in 6 crimes community service has been introduced and 19 sections have been removed.

The Indian evidence act had 166 sections which have now increased to 170 and 24 sections have been changed, two new sub sections have been increased and 6 sections have been removed.

There will be a Director of Prosecution in the district and states who will decide on whether a case has the merit for appeal.

The accountability of police has been fixed and the police will have to keep information on arrested individuals and an officer will be designated for the same.

The state will not be allowed to withdraw a case without hearing the victim. The victim has to be informed about the progress of the investigation within 90 days.

"Provisions on sexual assault on women below the age of 18 years have been aligned with the POCSO Act which will prevent the accused from taking advantage of the lenient provisions of the penal code. In case of rape of minors, life-long imprisonment or death penalty has been mandated. In case of gang rapes 20 years of imprisonment or lifelong imprisonment has been mandated. The laws have been made gender-neutral by including the trade of minor boys as a crime," he said.

"Anyone who uses dynamite, poisonous gas etc against the well-being of the nation will be considered a terrorist. Apart from that any activity that threatens the security of the government of India, any state or any foreign government or any international government organization will be seen as terrorist activities," he added.

Also read: 'If mind is of Italy...': Amit Shah's veiled jab at Congress, Gandhi family

The police will have to register an FIR within three days if it finds merit for it in a preliminary investigation. In cases where punishment ranges from between 3 and 7 years, the police will have to register the case within 14 days. The medical report of rape victims will have to submitted in seven days.

"The new law states that only the convicted will have the right to mercy petition and not others. One who doesn't even regret the crime has no right to mercy," he said.

Criminals will get punished and their properties will also be seized under provision of Trial in Absentia.

"A provision for Trial in Absentia has been introduced...Many cases in the country shook us, be it the Mumbai bomb blast or any other. Those people are hiding in other countries and trials are not underway. They don't need to come here now. If they don't appear before the Court within 90 days then in their absence a trial will go on...A public prosecutor will be appointed for their prosecution...It will make the process to bring them back speedy since it changes their status in the other country when they get prosecuted," he said.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack at the Centre over the suspension of 141 opposition MPs in Parliament saying the democracy has been strangulated by the government. Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting at the Central hall of Sanvidhan Sadan, Parliament House, Sonia Gandhi said, Never before have so many opposition members of Parliament been suspended from the house, and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. (File Photo)

A total of 141 opposition MPs have been suspended from both Houses of Parliament over the past week after they held protests and raised slogans demanding union home minister Amit Shah's statement on the December 13 security breach incident. In the latest batch of suspension, 49 opposition MPs including NCP's Supriya Sule, Congress' Shashi Tharoor, and Manish Tewari, among others were suspended for the remainder of the winter session on Tuesday for staging a protest.

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Condemning the security breach of Parliament, Sonia Gandhi said what happened was inexcusable and cannot be justified. She further slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expressing his views on the incident four days later.

By so doing, he clearly indicated his disdain for the dignity of the house and his disregard for the people of our country, she said.

PM Modi on security breach of Parliament and Opposition's protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed his views on the security breach in the Parliament saying that the seriousness of the incident cannot be underestimated and called for no squabbling over the issue. Calling for a detailed investigation into the incident, Modi during an interview with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran said, What happened is very seriousThere is no need to debate this."

Meanwhile, Modi also took a swipe at the opposition parties over the protests and alleged disruption of Parliament proceedings following the December 13 incident, saying some people are not inclined to do constructive work. Speaking at a closed-door meeting of the BJP's Parliamentary Party, the PM accused opposition leaders of giving a political spin to the security breach incident saying, they seem determined not to come back to the Lok Sabha.
The leaders of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will hold a protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday against the suspension of the members of the parliament from both Houses, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said on Wednesday. Suspended MPs stage a protest at Makar Dwar (ANI Photo)

He said the Delhi Congress is organising the protest, which will begin at 11am on Friday, adding that the party has directed its district presidents to visit all 280 blocks in the city, interact with the people and urge them to participate in the demonstration.

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A total of 143 opposition MPs have been suspended from both Houses of Parliament over the past week after they held protests and raised slogans demanding Union home minister Amit Shahs statement on the December 13 security breach incident. On Wednesday, the total number of suspended MPs in the Lok Sabha reached 97 and in Rajya Sabha, it is 46.

Also Read: Amid Parliament impasse over Dhankhar, ousted MPs list grows to 143: 10 points

The Delhi Congress chief said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance partners are scared, adding that the suspension of so many MPs amounts to insulting the sanctity of the Parliament.

Calling the move dictatorial, the Congress leader said that it has hurt the democratic goodwill of the country.

It was the right of MPs to ask questions inside the Parliament. A large number of people from different parts of the city will raise their voice against the undemocratic move during the protest, Lovely said after reviewing the preparations of the protest rally at Delhi Congress headquarters.

Most of the INDIA bloc leaders, including MPs who have been suspended, are expected to participate in the demonstration, Delhi Congress spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said.

After the lower house of the Parliament suspended the Opposition members, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular outlining strict measures restricting the suspended MPs from various parliamentary activities.

The circular detailed the repercussions of the suspension, stating that the MPs are prohibited from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby, and galleries for the duration of their suspension.

Also Read: BJP women MPs to protest near Gandhi statue against mimicry of Jagdeep Dhankhar

Responding to the Congress announcement, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the Congress and the opposition parties are not allowing the Parliament to function and are disrupting the House due to their growing frustration over the defeat in the recent assembly elections and the imminent defeat that they are going to suffer in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

They have been suspended due to their inappropriate behaviour. The theatrics of some opposition MPs in the Parliament complex have hurt the prestige and dignity of the House. The people will not participate in the Jantar Mantar rally because they have seen the hypocrisy of the opposition, said Kapoor.
After two days of incessant rainfall and heavy inundation across several districts in Tamil Nadu, the authorities are carrying out rescue operations at a war footing. According to reports, the unprecedented rainfall claimed around 10 lives and brought the region to a standstill, leaving individuals, families, and a trainload of people stranded for days. While rainfall is not likely on Wednesday in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Thirunelveli district.

"On December 18, Tamil Nadu received unprecedented rains for 24 hours that have caused extensive flooding in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts(ANI )
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami faced a safety scare on Monday during a youth conference in Rudrapur. Soon after Dhami's helicopter landed on the helipad, its front wheel got stuck in the ground due to moisture. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami addresses during the Youth Sikh conference, in Rudrapur. (PTI)

Dhami had already disembarked from the helicopter before the incident occurred, NDTV reported.

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Upon realising the situation, the pilot promptly informed security personnel, who then worked to dislodge the helicopter from the ground and free the wheel.

However, questions are being raised regarding the security measures in such situations.

Dhami at the Conference

Speaking at the event, Dhami said that the Sikh community made an essential contribution to the country's development.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi several projects were inaugurated including the ropeway facility for Sri Hemkund Sahib which was among the Navratnas of Uttarakhand, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) registration facility for Sri Darbar Sahib, the abolition of the tax in langar as well as the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Dhami further added the BJP's "double-engine" government was working towards empowering the Sikh youth by offering them skills training and providing them with new opportunities through welfare schemes.
The India head of the US-based private equity firm TPG Capital filed a complaint with Tardeo police late on Monday night alleging that he was sold paintings by leading Indian artists worth  17.9 crore which turned out to be fakes. In his complaint, Bhatia named solicitor Vishwang Desai and art dealer Rajesh Rajpal, the owner of Art India International at Churchgate, as the men who duped him. HT Image

Puneet Bhatia, who recently started building his personal art collection, told police that 11 of the paintings he bought from Rajpal, including a Manjit Bawa and an FN Souza, turned out to be forgeries. In his complaint, he told police that he was introduced to Desai, managing partner in the law firm Desai and Diwanji, at a friends party in January of 2022. Bhatia told police that he was impressed by Desais knowledge about Indian art and he bought his claims of long experience in buying and selling art at face value. As their friendship cemented, Desai allegedly told Bhatia to invest in art and offered to help him source the right artworks. According to Bhatias statement to police, Desai talked up Rajesh Rajpals credentials as an art dealer and spoke about his office at Churchgate and his art gallery at Cuffe Parade to establish Rajpals bona fides.

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It was in the course of their many conversations about art and investment that Desai first told him about a Manjit Bawa painting titled Krishna with Cows which was up for sale for  6.75 crore. I was told that the current owner of the painting was a retired IAS officer called Subrata Banerjee who lived in Bhopal, said Bhatia in his police complaint. Desai also told him about a painting by FN Souza which was available for 1.75 crore, and which was allegedly owned by the head of an erstwhile princely state in Madhya Pradesh.

In early February this year, Bhatia was told that Banerjee was about to leave for London and the deal needed to be made before that. I was told that Rajpal was in Bhopal to bring both the Bawa and the Souza to Mumbai. Bhatia, who was then based in Gurugram, asked Rajpal to courier the two paintings to his bungalow instead.

Within days of him receiving the art consignment, Desai provided him with the requisite certificates of authenticity, self-attested and notarised certificates of provenance from the previous owners, and the invoices from Art India International.

Happy with his purchase, Bhatia bought nine more paintings from Rajpal, paying a total of 17.9 crores, according to his complaint. The paintings, he said, were showcased on the walls of his home when some friends raised suspicions about their authenticity. It was only then that Bhatia began making independent enquiries into the provenance and authenticity of the artworks. I also reached out to the said bureaucrat Mr Banerjee through my own sources but he denied ever owning the Manjeet Bawa painting or having sold any other painting by the artist, Bhatia told police.

He next approached a Mumbai-based company, Structured Systems, which specialises in forensic examination of handwriting and authenticating of artworks. They assessed the signatures of the respective artists appearing at the bottom of the paintings and informed Bhatia that they were forged. Based on this report from Structured Systems, Bhatia confronted the Desai and Rajpal, and demanded they return his money. He told police that while Desai first sought time, he later began evading his calls.

Solicitor denies role

When contacted, Desai denied his role in the dubious sale and told HT that he merely introduced Bhatia to the art dealer, and that they made the deal with the respective owner of the Bawa and the Souza. I am not the person who sold the paintings to Bhatia, he said, before going on to add that as an art connoisseur he himself had bought several artworks from Rajpal, and had in fact bought some paintings from the same lot as Bhatia.

As far as he knew, he said, the respective owners of the paintings had given Bhatia sworn affidavits and that Rajpal too had provided him with certificates of authenticity. He also said, defending Rajpal, who is not a well-known name in Mumbais art circuit, that on Bhatias request, the art dealer had taken four of the painting sold to Bhatia and sold them to other buyers. The remaining seven artworks however could not be sold because the investment banker has refused to issue consent notes for them.

A representative from Structured Systems told HT they get frequent requests for authentication of artworks, and that most requests come to them through lawyers and independent agencies. Refusing to comment on Bhatias specific complaint, a representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: We can only say that this kind cheating with art works happens far more often than most people realise.

An officer with Tardeo police said the two accused had been booked under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 (forgery of a valuable security, will or authority to transfer any valuable security), 468 (using forged documents for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code based on Bhatias complaint.

Both Rajpal and Bhatia remained unavailable for comment despite several efforts to reach out to them.
Whenever Alessandra Zarelli, a restorer at the Vatican Museums, works on a masterpiece by an artist such as Michelangelo, she steadies her heart so her mind can concentrate on the task at hand. The standing order for Zarelli and her colleagues is to work with just chemistry, physics and history and leave any excitement and awe at the door. "The emotion of working on something like a Michelangelo is truly indescribable," said Zarelli, 56, who helped restore a fresco by the Renaissance master in the Pauline Chapel. Restorer Chiara Notarstefano works on a painting at the "painting and wood materials restoration laboratory" inside the Vatican Museums, at the Vatican.(REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

"But I try to remain detached while I am working. I have to concentrate on the material and the work that I have to do, otherwise the emotion would paralyse me," she said while working on a painting from 1550 called Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints by Italian artist Moretto da Brescia. "At the end of the day I keep some moments for myself to contemplate and enjoy the emotion of being so close to marvellous masterpieces," she said

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She is one of about 36 members of an elite team at the Vatican Museums' restoration lab for paintings and wood. The team is responsible for looking after thousands of square meters of wall paintings, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes, as well as some 5,300 framed oil paintings and dozens of wooden statues.

A CENTURY OF RESTORATION

The restoration of the Moretto painting included a new internal frame, smoothing out deformations caused by humidity, removal of oxidized varnishes and retouches on both the painting as well as the gilded external frame. The painting and wood restoration lab, one of eight specialised units in the museums, allowed a few news organisations rare access to mark its 100th anniversary.

Restoration techniques are constantly changing and today's restorers often have to repair or remove mistakes of their predecessors who worked decades or even centuries ago with rudimentary techniques. Another problem, usually from the distant past, is that restorers were not technicians but artists in their own right, some of whom thought they could "improve" the original by adding highlights or contrasts, according to the lab's director, Francesca Persegati.

"It's important to be humble in this job, to respect the work but also to have a scientific background to understand the materials," she said. Before a painting even reaches the lab, it already has undergone tests using ultra-violet, infra-red and other non-invasive methods to detect paint added later, pigmentation and any underlying sketches.

In another part of the lab, Caterina Manisco was restoring an 1895 painting called Madonna and Child Between St. Theresa and St. Francis, by Emma Richards. The Italian-born artist worked in the court of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, a rarity for a woman at the time. "Because she was a woman, I somehow feel very close to her," said Manisco, 40, an external restorer at the lab.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the paintings and wood lab, the museums have placed QR codes near 37 works of art, allowing visitors to see beyond the surface and experience the many layers in the life of a restoration.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On December 20, AITO, the premium new energy vehicle brand jointly developed by Huawei and SERES, revealed the safety specifications of the upcoming M9 model.



Photo credit: AITO

The M9 employs a groundbreaking single-cast rear body, where 80% of its volume consists of lightweight aluminum alloy, achieving a lightweight coefficient of only 2.02. With 12 zones utilizing 2000MPa-grade hot-formed steel, the vehicle ensures robust structural integrity. Standard safety features include 9 airbags, 16 safety points, pre-tensioned seat belts for enhanced safety, and mechanical door handles on all four doors to aid in emergencies. Additionally, its threshold beam includes 11 protective cavities, enhancing side-impact energy absorption.

The vehicle's battery employs a five-layer safety enclosure and utilizes comprehensive high-voltage thermal runaway prevention technology, providing 10-layer thermal safety protection to prevent extreme battery thermal runaway scenarios.

Measuring 5,230mm in length, 1,999mm in width, and 1,800mm in height, the M9 offers versatile seating configurations with six electrically adjustable seats across three rows, adaptable to 3, 4, 5, or 6-seater layouts, enhancing interior flexibility.

Featuring a tri-screen design complemented by Huaweis HarmonyOS 4.0 smart cockpit, the M9 embodies symmetrical interior aesthetics. The integration of Huawei's AR-HUD, boasting a 75-inch display, introduces groundbreaking augmented reality navigation fused with intelligent driving, setting new standards in AR integration for enhanced driving experiences.

Power options of the M9 include a pure electric version with dual motors (160kW front, 230kW rear) and a plug-in hybrid electric variant with a 1.5T engine (112kW) complementing the electric setup akin to its electric counterpart.
NEW DELHI: Renowned photographer Sephi Bergerson has been named the gold winner in the Budapest International Foto Awards 2023, an international platform that celebrates outstanding visual storytelling and artistic interpretation, according to a statement on Wednesday. Anmol Rodriguez was only two months old when her father threw acid on her and her mother. Her mother died, but Anmol survived, blinded in one eye (Photo: budapestfotoawards.com)

Sephi Bergerson, a documentary photographer based in India since 2002, has been named for the award in the Fine-Art Nudes category for a series of images, titled Distraction, that capture the compelling narrative of Anmol Rodriguez, an acid attack survivor who lost her mother and suffered life-altering injuries when she was just two months old.

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Anmols story is one of survival, marked by her resilience in overcoming a traumatic childhood incident that left her physically scarred but emotionally indomitable.

It was an honour to capture her strength and resilience through the medium of fine-art nudes, emphasizing the beauty that emerges from vulnerability, said Tel Aviv-born Bergerson in the statement.

The Budapest International Foto Awards recognizes the artistic eye of photographers and the ability of a single photograph to evoke profound emotions and narratives. Bergersons gold-winning collection exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, inviting viewers to witness Anmols journey from victimhood to Heroism.

Anmol Rodriguez said she didnt want people to feel sorry for her but be inspired.

Looking at these pictures, I love myself even more. It took me a long time to let go of my insecurities. I dont want people to feel sorry for me. I want them to be inspired. If I can make it in this world, Im a hero and not a victim.
Developing a daily Yoga routine can do wonders for our body and mind as we wrap up 2023 and gear up for Christmas festivities before entering New Year 2024 but staying committed to fitness goals this winter can look tricky. Hence, we got some Yoga experts on board who suggested that by including the following habits in kids, parents can instill a positive attitude toward fitness as leading by example is key. New Year 2024 fitness resolution: Ways to turn your Yoga practice into a strong habit (Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Saurabh Bothra, CEO and Certified Yoga Instructor at Habuild, suggested some effective ways to make Yoga a consistent habit -

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A new practice feels challenging because our body is not habitual to the new change and thus the discomfort is quite normal. So, start with small changes and slowly get used to it. Starting with just 10 minutes of Yoga is great!

Set a specific time and place for your practice. Sometimes we dont get to the mat, not because of the lack of discipline but it's just that we don't have a fixed spot or time for it. As you read this, choose a spot and decide on a time for your yoga practice. This small commitment makes sticking to it easier.

Additionally, surrounding yourself with an active community. What we see more of, becomes our new normal. Being around people who exercise regularly can inspire you to incorporate yoga into your routine.

We need not be harsh on ourselves. You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish by being patient and gentle on your own journey.

Take it slow, enjoy the process, and before you know it, you'll be bending, breathing, and flowing through life with ease!

Ravi Teja Akondi, CEO and Co-Founder at iMumz, recommended 5 tips for everyone who wishes to be regular with Yoga:

1. Understand your why - Being aware of your intentions really helps you stay motivated

2. Find a good trainer - Though there are a lot of video resources out there, nothing can beat the experience given by a good teacher online/offline helping to make it a habit.

3. Do it in a community - We suggest this to not just regular people but to expecting mothers too to keep them active and have a healthy routine. Doing it in smaller groups and staying motivated helps in forming a habit.

4. Enjoy the process - Yoga is not just about the poses you do on the mat, but also about being aware of what you do, how you breathe, and what you eat by being conscious about it throughout the day.

5. Dont push yourself too much - In Yoga, listening to your body is the key. Gradually bring changes within and it will help you become consistent. Here  when kids observe these habits in action, they naturally adopt them.
As a precursor to the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the association of adventure tour operators in India has held its 15th annual convention at the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya. (Also Read | 2024 Long Weekends: Best places to travel in India on your long weekends in 2024. See detailed itinerary) The three-day event of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India convened on December 16-18 was supported by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. (Pexels)

The three-day event of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India convened on December 16-18 was supported by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. The convention has set the direction for India to be amongst the top 10 global destinations for Adventure Tourism.

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The three-day convention brought together over 300 adventure tour operators, adventure enthusiasts, travellers and industry leaders from across India.

To keep the commitment to promote sustainable tourism and reduce carbon emissions, a charter was drawn to calculate the carbon emissions for the entire three-day event. To successfully offset the emission, various key sustainable initiatives were implemented.

More than 68 per cent reduction in energy usage was observed by hosting this conference in winter which reduced cooling load as well as diesel consumption. Additionally, the delegates were encouraged to minimize their carbon footprint wherever possible for their in-room consumption.

It was recognised that approximately 4,700 bottles of water per day would be utilized during the event, to eliminate the same a Zero Plastic Waste policy was implemented, which resulted in eliminating 15,000 plastic bottles.

The delegates were encouraged to drink from glass or reusable bottles. Water dispensers were installed at various locations during three days.

To avoid plastic on the badges and tags, about 400 seed papers for badges and luggage tags were provided as a sustainable alternative. Participants were also encouraged to plant their badges.

By going 'Paperless' in printing informational material and Itinerary, over 2,000 sheets of paper were estimated to have been saved.

The convention also emphasized reducing food wastage by displaying the amount of food wasted after each meal and encouraging participants to minimize food waste during meals, thus promoting conscious consumption. Further to promote sustainable dining practices during the convention plastic sachets for butter, jam, and sugar were eliminated.

Moreover, in addition to implementing sustainable practices, the tour operators and Gujarat Tourism also focused on knowledge sharing with convention attendees about the importance of sustainable event management. The convention served as a platform to exchange information on eco-friendly practices and their impact on the adventure tourism industry through multiple sessions led by practitioners.

Furthermore, to offset emissions, the adventure tour operators association with Gujarat Tourism and the Forest Department of Gujarat is planting 200 saplings near the event area which will be maintained by the forest department of the region for 15 years.

The tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is scheduled from January 10 to January 12, 2024. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was conceptualised in 2003 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Travel within Europe in the busy holiday season is exceeding 2022 levels, despite security warnings from authorities around Europe as consumers remain determined to enjoy holidays, prolonging the post-pandemic travel boom. People stroll past Christmas lights and decorations at the outdoor Christmas market at Humboldt Forum in central Berlin, Germany. Holiday travel peaks in Europe despite security warnings ahead of Christmas 2023, New Year 2024 (REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo)

Christmas markets and popular tourist sites in cities such as Munich and Paris have been bustling lately, albeit with strong security presences, as holiday travel within the European Union and including Britain was set to climb 22% above 2022 levels, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys.

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The spike has been driven by continued post-pandemic demand, executives and analysts said, with some people only travelling to see their families for Christmas this year for the first time since the pandemic.

But security warnings remain in the back of tourists' minds. In late November, European security officials warned of a growing risk of attacks tied to the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat from potential "lone wolf" assailants.

Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium in October killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. Italy has reimposed border controls with Slovenia, citing the risk of militants entering the country.

There was a slight spike in ticket cancellations over the Christmas period between Dec. 21 and 31, ForwardKeys said, from 2.4% to 3% since Nov. 24.

"Although this number is small, this could be an impact of the terrorism warning sent throughout Europe since the start of the recent conflict in Israel," said Juan Gomez, an analyst at ForwardKeys.

TRAVEL CONTINUES

But tourists continued to swarm popular destinations, displaying an increased trust in the security apparatus in place across European hubs.

"I feel very safe and very conscious of the state of the world. And it's certainly something I think about every day, both conflicts in Europe, conflicts in the Middle East," said Gwen Fitzgerald, who visited a Christmas market in Munich this week from Boston.

"But I also really am desperate for joy at the same time."

Christmas arrivals to places such as Italy, Austria and Sweden have also grown by 25% or more year-on-year.

Tourists said that, with the rise in warnings in recent years and the reinforced security around Europe tied to them, there was more of a sense of calm and they felt comfortable not calling off their travel plans.

"When we are here and we stay just one day in the downtown, we see a lot of police and security, we feel safe," said Danny Sanchez, a tourist from Villareal, Spain, visiting the Munich market.
Global investment firm Blackstone on Wednesday sold its entire 23.5 per cent stake in Embassy Office Parks REIT for around 7,100 crore, according to sources. Global investment firm Blackstone on Wednesday sold its entire 23.5 per cent stake in Embassy Office Parks REIT for around  7,100 crore, according to sources.(REUTERS)

Embassy Office Parks REIT is India's first Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) sponsored by Blackstone and Bengaluru-based realty firm Embassy group.

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Blackstone sold its stake in the entity at around 316 per share through open market transactions and at this price, the deal is valued at about 7,100 crore, the sources said.

ALSO READ| Reliance India's most visible company, defeats Adani, SBI: Report

The selling price was at a discount. The company's share declined 1 per cent to close at 332.11 apiece on Wednesday.

The sources said some of the existing unit holders, including ADIA, participated in the block deals. SBI Mutual Fund was among the new investors, they added.

Embassy REIT got listed on stock exchanges in 2019 after raising around 5,000 crore through the public issue.

Embassy Group has around 8 per cent stake in Embassy Office Parks REIT.

Embassy Group CMD Jitu Virwani said, "we welcome the expansion of the REIT's public float register to include more high-quality investors."

"We believe that this transaction underscores the success of REITs in India and demonstrates how the world's leading investors view the criticality of well-run, high-quality REITs such as Embassy REIT in their portfolios," he added.

The REIT's investor base includes domestic mutual funds, insurers and foreign institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

"The business is in great shape, as demonstrated by its recent strong performance, in which the REIT delivered one of its highest leasing achievements to date in the first half of this fiscal," Virwani said.

He also said the widespread distribution of unitholders adds depth and liquidity to the REIT's units, provides for more efficient price discovery and bolsters the governance.

"Embassy REIT is an independent listed entity run by a professional management team. The REIT is strategic to Embassy Group, and we remain committed to its growth and development," he added.

Embassy REIT CEO Aravind Maiya said the entity's public shareholding continues to go up and has increased from 30 per cent at IPO to 92 per cent now. "We paved the way for REITs in India and the increased investor participation is heartening".

Blackstone has sold its stake in many tranches.

Last year, Blackstone raised around USD 325 million (about 2,650 crore) by selling its shares in Embassy Office Parks REIT.

Post this deal, Blackstone's stake came down to around 24 per cent from around 32 per cent earlier.

Embassy REIT owns and operates a 45.3 million square feet portfolio of nine infrastructure-like office parks and four city centre office buildings in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Embassy REIT's portfolio comprises 35.3 million square feet of completed operating area.

Blackstone launched two office REITs in India -- Embassy REIT and Mindspace REIT. It has already exited Mindspace REIT.

It has also sponsored retail assets backed REIT 'Nexus Select Trust' which got listed this year.
The United States has banned bankrupt pharmacy chain Rite Aid from using artificial intelligence-based facial recognition technology for surveillance purposes for five years, Reuters reported. A woman browses through what items remain on near empty shelves at a Rite Aid store in California.(AFP)

Rite Aid was accused by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of harming its consumers through the technology.

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According to Reuters, Rite Aid deployed artificial intelligence-based facial recognition technology from 2012 to 2020 in order to identify shoplifters.

However, the company falsely flagged some consumers as matching someone who had previously been identified as a shoplifter.

"Rite Aid's reckless use of facial surveillance systems left its customers facing humiliation and other harms," Samuel Levine, director of consumer harms at the Federal Trade Commission was quoted as saying by AFP.

Read | This publishing giant shuts down its news outlet to replace journalists with AI

In a statement, Rite Aid said the agreement with the FTC is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court overseeing its insolvency case.

"The allegations relate to a facial recognition technology pilot program the company deployed in a limited number of stores," the company said. "Rite Aid stopped using the technology in this small group of stores more than three years ago, before the FTCs investigation regarding the Companys use of the technology began."

The complaint against Rite Aid by US FTC and the subsequent ban was the result of a Reuters investigation from 2020 into the company's facial recognition program.

Reuters found Rite Aid quietly added facial recognition systems to hundreds of stores in the United States, and that in New York and Los Angeles, it deployed the technology in largely lower-income, non-white neighbourhoods.

After Reuters sent its findings to Rite Aid in July 2020, the company said that it had stopped using its facial recognition software.

According to AFP, the case touches upon one of the main concerns about the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and facial recognition in particular, which is deemed to potentially misidentify or discriminate against individuals, especially non-whites and women.
Brain teasers are fun to solve, and here is one that will prove particularly amusing for the movie buffs. Shared by Google, this pictorial quiz challenges people to decode the names of a few films released in 2023. Can you guess the name of the film in this brain teaser? (Instagram/@googleindia)

Let the guessing games begin. These were the top trending movie searches of 2023 - how many can you recognise? Google India wrote on Instagram and shared a series of visuals. Each slide has a picture that depicts the name of a film.

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Do you think you can solve them all?

The post was shared a day ago. Since then, it has accumulated nearly 21,000 likes. The share has also prompted people to post varied comments. While most shared answers to the quiz while replying, a few also took the route of hilarity while commenting.

Take a look at what Instagram users posted about this brain teaser:

Jawaan. Gadar 2. Sardaar Udham Singh. Pathaan. Jailer. Animal. Tiger 3, wrote an Instagram user. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, joked another. This is easy, posted a third. A few also reacted with fire emoticons.

Most searched films in India as per Google Trends:

Each year, Google releases their Year in Search list. It is a compilation of the most searched subjects on the search engine - both worldwide and country-wise. One of the categories on this list is movies. According to Google Trends, the most searched films in India in 2023 are Jawan, Gadar 2, Oppenheimer, Adipurush, Pathaan, The Kerala Story, Jailer, Leo, Tiger 3, and Varisu.

How many films have you watched from the list? Did you search these movies on Google too?
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the United States believes Israel has an obligation to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference.(AFP)

"We continue to believe that Israel does not have to choose between removing the threat of Hamas and minimizing the toll on civilians in Gaza," Blinken said in an end-of-the-year news conference. It has an obligation to do both and it has a strategic interest to do both.

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Antony Blinken said he hopes to have good news to share on prisoners held in Venezuela later on Wednesday, he told reporters at a year-end news conference.

A high-level Venezuelan source earlier on Wednesday said the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro plans to release up to 36 people, including 12 Americans, in exchange for the release by the U.S. government of a Maduro ally.

"We want to make sure that our fellow Americans are released. We are also focused on political prisoners in Venezuela and trying to ensure their release," Blinken said. "And we hope to have some good news to share probably later today."
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday claimed India-Canada relations have undergone what he called 'a tonal shift' since the US accused an Indian government employee of asking an individual to hire an assassin to kill separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. In an interview with CBC, he claimed there was an understanding that "they can't bluster their way through this". Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau has accused unidentified Indian agents of having a hand in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has outrightly rejected the claim and demanded evidence from Ottawa.

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"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," he added.

A US indictment alleges that Indian officials offered $100,000 to a man named Nikhil Gupta to hire an assassin to kill Pannun in New York.

Also read: PM Modi breaks silence on assassination plot claims by US, Our commitment is to the rule of law

While India rejected Canada's claim, it said it was taking the indictment seriously.

Trudeau further said Canada doesn't want to fight with India even as China asserts its dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview with Financial Times, said India's commitment is to the rule of law. He, however, said a few incidents would not derail US-India ties.

If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it, Modi said. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

Expressing deep concern over the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas, Modi told the financial daily, These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there will be no ceasefire in Gaza until the "elimination" of Hamas. Israel-Hamas War: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen. (AFP)

"We won't stop fighting until we've achieved all the objectives we've set ourselves: the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement as Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh travelled to Cairo for talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to discuss a possible truce in Gaza.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said Israeli forces were attacking Hamas militants "everywhere" in Gaza.

"Anyone who thinks we will stop is not connected to reality ... We are attacking Hamas with fire - an inferno," he said, adding, "We also attacking their accomplices near and far."

What US said on Israel-Hamas truce talks

Negotiations to secure another truce and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are "very serious", the White House said.

"These are very serious discussions and negotiations and we hope that they lead somewhere," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said as per news agency AFP.

What Israel's top diplomat said

Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor from Cyprus, the country's foreign minister as per Associated Press.

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said, Cyprus and Israel, together with other partners in the region are promoting the initiative for a secure maritime corridor to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in an organized and well inspected manner."
Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

As it looks to bulk up its New York Yankees broadcasts, the YES Network is eyeing one of the franchises all-time greats.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the YES Network is in discussions with Bernie Williams regarding a role on its Yankees broadcasts. Per Marchand, the discussions between the two sides began last week, with Williams being considered a candidate to join lead pre and postgame host Bob Lorenz and occasionally top studio analyst Jack Curry.

If Williams were to come aboard, YES would likely first try him in studio before deciding to increase his workload, Marchand wrote.

While YESs roster of Yankees analysts includes former players David Cone, Paul ONeill, John Flaherty, Jeff Nelson and Todd Frazier, arguably none of them carry the same cache as Williams, who was a fan favorite throughout his career in New York from 1991-2006. Following his retirement, the five-time All-Star has been a regular at Yankees Stadium, having played the national anthem on his signature guitar on multiple occasions.

Thank you to 4x World Series Champion and Yankees Legend Bernie Williams for performing tonights National Anthem. @bw51official performed as part of his role in @boehringerus Tune In To Lung Health campaign to raise awareness for interstitial lung disease. Additionally, Bernie pic.twitter.com/5irV9dB0LZ  New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 5, 2023

As noted by Marchand, YES has had mixed results when it comes to its analysts in recent years, with Cameron Maybin and Carlos Beltran each lasting just one season with the network in 2022. Maybin was ousted in a shakeup at the network following his debut season in the broadcast booth, while Beltran departed for a role in the New York Mets front office.

While Williams doesnt have much broadcasting experience, the four-time World Series champion was media friendly throughout his playing career and has remained so in retirement. The plan to potentially bring the 55-year-old along slowly makes sense, but considering his name recognition and popularity among the fanbase, it wouldnt be a surprise to see him eventually wind up in a prominent place on Yankees broadcasts should a deal come to fruition.

[New York Post]
Chinese scientists expected an earthquake to strike hours before the deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Gansu  but were unable to say where it would happen, a report claimed. Over 120 people have died since the temblor struck with the epicentre in Jishishan. Although, earthquakes cannot be predicted, researchers in the Chinese province of Shaanxi developed a technique which has allowed them to forecast successfully every earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 or more in the past 10 years, South China Morning Post reported. Gansu Earthquake: A boy stands amongst the rubble of his collapsed house in Dahejia in Jishishan County in northwest China's Gansu province.(AFP)

The scientists could not, however, predict the location of these earthquakes. Using high-precision equipment in order to monitor the Earths gravitational field at low frequencies, scientists look for any anomalies in the gravitational waves- sign that an earthquake is imminent.

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What about Gansu earthquake? Did they know?

The researchers said that they knew the latest earthquake was on the way when they received a text alert about abnormal data readings from multiple sensors. The team then began discussing where the earthquake might strike and calculated that the earthquake had a high probability of hitting within three to five days. The team also knew that the magnitude of the earthquake would be around 6.27.

Zhang Maoshen said, [We] didnt think it would be this close" while Liu Huaqiang, a professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian said that as the sensors were located in different cities, the anomalous waves were all recorded at nearly the same time.

So it wasnt hard to understand whether this was an earthquake precursor, he said, adding, The only aspect we cannot determine is the location."

Were early warning signals sent?

The China Earthquake Early Warning Network sent text alerts within 30 seconds of the earthquake hitting areas around the Gansu quakes epicentre. Those closest to it received a text alert in only 12 seconds.
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a request by federal prosecutors to immediately review his claim that he cannot be prosecuted for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Former US President Donald Trump. (PTI Photo)(PTI)

Trump made the court filing in response to an extraordinary request by U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith that if granted would put Trump's claim of criminal immunity before the justices even as a lower court races to rule on the issue.

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Trump asked the justices to reject Smith's request for the Supreme Court to weigh in before the lower appeals court does, which could bog down the legal process down and delay the start of his trial, currently set for March.

Prosecutors have accused Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, of attempting to obstruct Congress and defraud the U.S. government through schemes to reverse Democrat Joe Biden's November 2020 election win.

Trump's lawyers wrote in the filing that the Special Counsel is urging the justices to bypass the normal appellate process, including a decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon. The court should decline that invitation at this time.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that fighting terrorism did not mean "to flatten Gaza", referring to Israel's response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants on October 7. French President Emmanuel Macron.(AFP)

"We cannot let the idea take root that an efficient fight against terrorism implies to flatten Gaza or attack civilian populations indiscriminately," Macron told the France 5 broadcaster.

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He called on Israel "to stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are worth the same and we defend them".

While acknowledging "Israel's right to defend itself and fight terror", Macron said France called for the protection of civilians and "a truce leading to a humanitarian ceasefire".

The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

In response, Israel began a relentless bombardment alongside a ground invasion.

Hamas said Wednesday 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza, mainly women and children.
Users of Google navigation apps in Israel are not seeing traffic jams due a precautionary suspension of that function as the country comes under rocket salvoes from Gaza and Lebanon. A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment (AFP)

Though the crowd-sourced and colour-coded road congestions are temporarily absent from Google Maps and Waze, they are still being factored into the arrival-at-destination times given to users, a company spokesperson said.

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Since Hamas militants launched a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct 7, the Gaza Strip has erupted into war, with knock-on violence on the Lebanese border. Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have launched thousands of rockets at Israel.

Many of the salvoes have been focussed on residential areas, and often timed to coincide with heightened activity like rush hour.

The suspension of the traffic jam display function was "in response to recent developments, as has been done in other war zones in the past," the Google spokesperson said.
An influx of non-permanent residents, including students, has led to Canada recording its highest level of population increase in a single quarter in 66 years. Businesses in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Bloomberg)

According to new data from Statistics Canada or StatCan, the countrys data agency, Canadas population grew by 430,635 people from July 1 to October 1 this year. At a 1.1% increase, this was highest since the 1.2% growth recorded in 1957, which was caused by a post-World War II baby boom along with refugees entering the country following the Hungarian Revolution the previous year.

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This time, its largely fuelled by non-permanent immigrants, including those on study or work permits, of whom a significant section come from India.

There was a net increase of 312,758 non-permanent residents in the quarter, which is the greatest quarterly increase going back to 1971, when such data was first collected.

The gain in non-permanent residents was mostly due to an increase in the number of work and study permit holders and, to a lesser extent, an increase in the number of refugee claimants, StatCan said.

In addition to the arrivals on temporary visas, there were also the ballooning numbers of permanent residents or PRs. Between July and September, Canada welcomed 107,972 new permanent residents. From January to September this year, immigration reached a figure of 371299 or 79.8 per cent of the annual target set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC, which is 465,000.

Overall, Canadas population rose to over 40.5 million.

Sentiment in Canada has already risen against the high intake of immigrants in recent years. In a poll in November, the agency Abacus Data found that 67% of respondents considered the levels of immigration to Canada either way too high or too high, an increase of six percentage since July this year. That trend in public opinion forced the Federal Government to announce in November it will not increase its target to immigration beginning from 2026, marking the first time since the Government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came into power in 2015 that the immigration levels were not enhanced.

Ottawa will maintain its targets of 485,000 permanent residents for 2024 and 500,000 in 2025, as announced last year. However, a statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC said, Starting in 2026, the government will stabilize permanent resident levels at 500,000, allowing time for successful integration, while continuing to augment Canadas labour market.

PRs from India Immigrants form the largest country cohort among new permanent residents or PRs. Last year, those from India comprised 118,224 or nearly 27% of the total 437,539 PRs admitted.

Similar numbers are evident when it comes to non-permanent residents. According to IRCC data, till October this year, Canada issued 553675 study permits, with Indian nationals accounting for over a third, at 208630. That overall total has already exceed the record set last for issuing such visas, which was at 548875.

Meanwhile, the intake of temporary foreign workers including through Canadas international mobility programme has also been high. Again, till October 2023, there were 828335 such visas issued, with Indians making for 247495, or about 30 per cent.

With the high levels of immigration putting pressure on shelter costs and is a major factor behind the cratering support for Trudeau and his Government, Ottawa has said it wants to reform the system for non-permanent residence earlier this month.
Iran hanged a woman- Samira Sabzian- convicted of murdering her husband whom she married while still a child, a human rights group said. Samira Sabzian had been in prison for the past decade, She was executed in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group said as per news agency AFP. Iran Executions: An Iranian flag flutters.(Reuters)

IHR said that she was a "child bride" who had married her husband at the age of 15 and had been a victim of domestic violence. She was arrested 10 years ago when she was 19 on charges of murdering her husband. After this, she was sentenced to death, the group said. She had two children who she had not seen after her arrest but was allowed a final meeting in prison earlier this month, IHR said.

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"Samira was a victim of years of gender apartheid, child marriage and domestic violence, and today she fell victim to the incompetent and corrupt regime's killing machine," IHR director Mahmood-Amiry Moghaddam said.

Iran's alarming surge in executions

Rights groups raised alarm over a surge in executions in Iran this year with at least 115 people put to death in November alone, Amnesty International said urging the country not to carry out the executions saying that the authorities were implementing a "horrific state-sanctioned killing spree".

According to IHR, 18 women have now been executed in Iran this year, including Samira Sabzian.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar narrowly evaded capture by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) twice in recent days, according to Israeli media reports. Yahya Sinwar is said to be hiding in tunnels under Gazas southern city of Khan Younis. Israeli forces have been engaged in intense fighting in recent weeks in the city and have breached some of the underground structures as they attempt to hunt down Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders. Yahya Sinwar news: Israeli soldiers operate near the opening to what Israel's military says is an iron-girded tunnel designed by Hamas.(Reuters)

Yahya Sinwar is believed to have orchestrated Hamas October 7 attack on southern Israel which killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Hamas also took around 250 hostages, of whom 105 have been released and several killed.

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Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza and sent in ground troops. Tel Aviv's offensive has killed 19,667 people in the territory, mostly women and children but the Hamas chief was reported to have escaped just before the Israeli forces arrived in the tunnel.

Intelligence gathered by the IDF indicated that Yahya Sinwar is on the move rather than remaining in any one place for an extended period.

What about Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Egypt for discussions on the "aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters", Hamas said as per news agency AFP, as he was due to meet Egypt's spy chief for talks on "stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners".

Ismail Haniyeh earlier met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar.

Menwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families that he had twice sent his spy chief to Europe in efforts to "free our hostages".

"It's our duty, I'm responsible for the release of all the hostages," the premier told the relatives of 129 captives still believed to be held in Gaza.
Hamas's Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo for talks on a ceasefire amid war with Israel in Gaza and a prisoner exchange. Ismail Haniyeh arrived "in the Egyptian capital Cairo to hold discussions with Egyptian officials over the developments of the Zionist (Israeli) aggression on the Gaza Strip and other matters", Hamas said in a statement as per news agency AFP. Israel-Hamas War: Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaking to journalists.(AFP)

Ismail Haniyeh also met Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Doha before arriving in Cairo, it was earlier reported. Although, details on the meeting were meagre.

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AFP reported, citing a source close to Hamas, that Ismail Haniyeh would head a "high-level" Hamas delegation to Egypt, where he is due to hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel among others. The discussions will be "on stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners (and) the end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip," the report claimed.

A source close to the Islamic Jihad group that fights alongside Hamas in Gaza told AFP that Hamas' leader Ziad Nakhaleh is also expected in Cairo early next week. Both groups posted videos earlier showing what they claimed were hostages still held in Gaza.

What happened in the previous truce

During a week-long truce late last month 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The deal was brokered by Qatar with the help of Egypt and the United States.

This time as well Egypt, along with Qatar is helping to mediate a weeklong cease-fire as negotiations are underway. But the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement, it was reported.

What Israeli president said on ceasefire

Israeli president Isaac Herzog indicated readiness to enter Gaza truce in order to recover hostages held by Hamas.

"Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages," Isaac Herzog said as per news agency Reuters, adding, And the responsibility lies fully with (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar and (other) Hamas leadership.
The Malaysian government has announced a ban on Israeli-owned and flagged ships, as well as vessels destined for Israel, from docking at its ports, CNN reported on Wednesday. Israel-Hamas War: Smoke rises in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.(Reuters)

The decision, effective immediately, is in response to Israel's actions in the war with Hamas.

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The announcement by Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim stated that the ban is a reaction to Israel's disregard for humanitarian principles and violations of international law, citing ongoing cruelty against the Palestinian people.

"This sanction is a response to Israel's actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people," CNN quoted the statement.

As a country with a Muslim-majority population, Malaysia has a history of advocating for Palestinian rights and does not recognise Israel, similar to neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Pakistan.

The recent bombardment of Gaza by Israel's military following Hamas' attacks in October has led to mass rallies in Malaysia, putting political pressure on PM Ibrahim.

The Malaysian PM known for his outspoken stance against Israel and its US backers, emphasised in a parliamentary speech in November that the government would maintain ties with Hamas and "would not punish" the group for its actions in Israel on October 7, which resulted in numerous casualties and hostages.

Malaysian passports explicitly state "Valid for all countries except Israel," and Israeli passport holders are prohibited from entering Malaysia without prior permission, according to CNN.

The government's announcement highlighted that Israeli-registered companies and ships had been allowed to dock in Malaysia since 2005. However, the current government has decided to override the past Cabinet's decision and prohibit ships using Israeli flags from docking in the country.

The statement specifically mentioned the Israel-based global shipping company ZIM, noting that its vessels had been docking in Malaysia since 2002.

"For the record, ZIM vessels have been docking in Malaysia since 2002," the statement said.

In addition to the ban on Israeli-owned and flagged ships, Malaysia has also implemented a "a ban on any ship that are heading to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports," CNN reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un(AFP)

Kim made the remark as he met with soldiers under the military's missile bureau over its recent launching drill of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), KCNA news agency said.

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"He (Kim) said that the resolute military activity conducted by the company this time ... was ... a clear explanation of the offensive counteraction mode and the evolution of the nuclear strategy and doctrine of the DPRK not to hesitate even a nuclear attack when the enemy provoke it with nukes," KCNA reported.

DPRK are the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea said on Tuesday it had tested its newest ICBM on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear force against mounting US hostility, drawing condemnation from the United States and its allies.

Kim said Monday's launch demonstrated the military's high mobility and rapid attack capability, and called for efforts to further strengthen its combat efficiency, KCNA reported.

In a separate statement, Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong condemned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for holding a meeting over its ICBM launch, saying it was an exercise of the country's right to self-defence.

"The UNSC should place heavy responsibility on the irresponsible behavior and act of the US and the ROK, which have aggravated the tension on the Korean peninsula through all sorts of military provocations all year round," she said.

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The media covering the New England Patriots surprised one of their reporters this week with a generous gift as he deals with a family crisis.

Doug Kyed, who covers the Patriots for the Boston Herald, has shared details of his 2-year-old daughter, Hallie, and her battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Kyed announced Dec. 6 that his daughters AML had returned, just one month after her discharge from Boston Childrens Hospital.

A fundraiser set up for the family on GoFundMe.com set an original goal of $100,000 to help the family with expenses. As of Wednesday afternoon, the page had raised more than $130,000. The Patriots media contingent donated thousands of dollars this week as a Christmas surprise for the Kyed family.

This is truly a kind-hearted, hard-working group I am grateful to work alongside every day. And never more so than today, Kyeds Herald co-worker, Andrew Callahan, wrote on X/Twitter.

Kyed responded by thanking his colleagues.

Thanks so much to all of my colleagues. I love how close our beat is, he wrote. Our family appreciates the support so much.

Thanks so much to all of my colleagues. I love how close our beat is. Our family appreciates the support so much. https://t.co/eefnAkyvbu  Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 20, 2023

Patriots fans have also taken up the cause.

I donated and really hope his super tough daughter keeps beating this. I was able to meet Doug in person at Gillette when I was about to go on the field with my cancer survivor father for their ceremony and Doug was going to celebrate his little fighter. God be with you Doug.  Anthony Curtis (@AnthonyCurtis68) December 20, 2023



[Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald]
Meghan Markle returned to acting with a new advertisement for a vegan coffee brand. Prince Harry's wife appeared as an office worker in the Clevr Blends commercial in which she was seen stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer. Meghan Markle can be seen in the background of every scene.

Through the ad, Meghan Markle is seen in the background of every scene, appearing as an employee of every department: fulfilment crew, digital team and operations team. As the commercial ends, Meghan Markle is seen failing to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot. She walks off camera laughing.

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Meghan Markle was an early supporter of the brand as she invested an undisclosed sum in 2020, it was then reported. This marked her first solo business venture after stepping down from the royal family roles and moving from the UK to California.

Clevr Blends shared the video on Instagram with the caption, Damn, youre keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements. So grateful for the immense love and support this yearthanks for helping us keep the latte-loving dream alive, and thriving!xo.
Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said neither India nor the US were behind the cash-strapped country's miseries but "we shot ourselves in our own foot", indirectly referring to the powerful military establishment for its woes. Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif (Reuters Photo)

During a conversation with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket aspirants here, the party supremo, who is eying to become prime minister for a record fourth time, pointed out that he was ousted from power three times in 1993, 1999 and 2017.

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Today where Pakistan has reached (in terms of the state of the economy) this is not done by India, the US or even Afghanistan. In fact, we shot ourselves in our own foot...they (a reference to the military) imposed a selected (government) on this nation by rigging the 2018 polls that led to the sufferings of the people and downfall of the economy, Sharif said.

The 73-year-old leader castigated the judges for legitimising military dictators.

The judges garland them (military dictators) and legitimise their rule when they break the Constitution. When it comes to a prime minister the judges stamp his ouster. The judges also approve the act of dissolution of the parliament...why? he asked.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo lashed out at former ISI chief Gen Faiz Hamid for his role in ousting him from power in 2017. A case has been opened in the Supreme Court against those (Faiz Hamid and others) who had said that if Nawaz came out of jail their two-year hard work would be wasted, he said.

The PML-N leader, who returned to the country from London in October ending a four-year-long self-imposed exile, is the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times.

On Monday, Nawaz said that in 1999, "I was prime minister in the morning and in the evening I was declared a hijacker. Similarly in 2017, I was ousted from power for not taking salary from my son."

"They (military establishment) made this decision as they wanted to bring their selected man into power, he said, referring to his arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo Imran Khan.

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday last, the three-time former prime minister blamed the military establishment of 2014-17 for forcing senior judges to remove him from power.

"They (a reference to the military establishment) visited the residences of senior judges and threatened them. They achieved the required court verdicts against me through coercion," he said.

Last week, Sharif was acquitted in the Al-Azizia Steel mill corruption case. He has already been acquitted in the Avenfield graft case in which he was convicted in July 2018 and sentenced to ten years in Jail. He also got relief in the Flagship corruption case.
A Chinese national has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing more than $23,000 in cash from three fellow passengers while on a flight from Vietnam to Singapore, CNN reported. The man was identified in court charge sheets as Zhang Xiuqiang- a 52-year-old Chinese national. He had been on board the flight operated by Scoot- the budget carrier of Singapore Airlines. The man was identified in court charge sheets as Zhang Xiuqiang- a 52-year-old Chinese national.(Representational)

An airline spokesperson told CNN that it was aware of an incident that occurred on board a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore.

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Our cabin crew was alerted by a passenger to a suspected theft in the cabin and activated the Airport Police Division, the spokesperson said, adding, The involved passengers were escorted off the aircraft by airport authorities for further investigation."

The carrier said that it was unable to provide further details about the case. It also said that it had warned crew and passengers to remain vigilant on board.

Our operating crew are trained to be vigilant and alert authorities of any suspicious behaviour on board our flights, it said, continuing, We also advise our customers to safeguard their valuables at all times.
The Philippine defence minister rebuked China on Wednesday for accusing his country of provoking tension and stirring trouble in the South China Sea, saying only Beijing believed what it was saying. A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks through a binocular while conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea.(Reuters)

"Truth and in fact, no country in the world, none, supports unequivocally their claim to the whole of South China Sea," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as both nations have exchanged accusations over recent collisions in the waterway.

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China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of commercial shipping annually, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis, a ruling the United States supports but Beijing rejects.

More than a week ago, Manila and Beijing traded accusations over a collision of their vessels in the South China Sea, with the latter saying the incidents were "entirely caused" by the Philippines.

Following the incidents, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday a "paradigm shift" was needed in how his country deals with the South China issue because diplomatic efforts with China were headed "in a poor direction".

China "will keep the door of dialogue and contact open," the spokesperson for its embassy in Manila said in a statement later on Wednesday.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have grown under Marcos, who has increasingly complained about China's "aggressive" behaviour, while he sought closer ties with the United States, Manila's treaty ally.

Marcos has said the Philippines will continue to talk to its partners in the Indo-Pacific region and come up with a joint position on their responsibilities in the West Philippines Sea.

The Philippines refers to the part of South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippines Sea.

"China has always advocated and remains committed to properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation," the embassy's spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, for the first time, responded to allegations of an Indian assassination plot in the US, saying he will look into any evidence but a few incidents would not derail US-India ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden, in New Delhi. (File)

PM Modi: Our commitment is to the rule of law

In an interview with the Financial Times, PM Modi said, If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it, Modi said. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

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The US had recently accused India of an assassination plot against its citizen and the general counsel for the separatist group Sikhs for Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. India has labelled Pannun a terrorist.

Expressing deep concern over the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas, Modi told the financial daily, These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

'India-US has a mature and stable partnership'

Modi states, There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.

Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership, he added. I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.

We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism, Modi said. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration.

Assassination plot Charges made by United States

Last month, the US Department of Justice had unsealed an indictment that implicated a serving Indian government official for orchestrating the plot and seeking to assassinate Pannun in June this year through Gupta. They claimed Gupta hired a hitman who turned out to be an undercover agent for US law enforcement. As a response, India acknowledged that it had received inputs from the US and announced the constitution of a high-level investigation committee to examine the issue.

India-US ties

Despite this controversy around the claims of the Indian government being allegedly involved in some sort of political assassination, both India and the US are natural allies and strategic partners. Both the countries know each other very well and can talk about anything they want to. After this whole alleged plot was unearthed in June, US President Joe Biden had come to India for G20. Last month, 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi.
Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina launched her campaign for a fifth term as the country's opposition parties protested over unfair elections. Kickstarting two weeks of campaigning ahead of the general elections scheduled for January 7, Sheikh Hasina said, If I can form government again, we will turn the entire of Bangladesh into a prosperous and developed country. There will be no homeless and landless people. Sheikh Hasina: Prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina is seen. (Reuters)

This comes as opposition parties condemned the "farcical" general elections saying that the polling could be manipulated in favour of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party.

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The 76-year-old is assured of winning the polls, riding on impressive economic growth since she took over the country in 2009.

What has the Opposition said on Sheikh Hasina

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well as Jamaat-e-Islami and dozens of smaller parties- have said that no election will be free and fair with Sheikh Hasina in power.

"We urge the country people to stick to the demands for restoring democracy and boycott the farcical vote," the BNP said in a statement.

What about BNP's call for civil disobedience

The BNP called for civil disobedience across the country as opposition parties have been holding regular nationwide strikes and transport blockades to demand for a vote under a neutral government. Sheikh Hasina has rejected this as unconstitutional as she accused the opposition of carrying out a deadly arson attack on a train that killed four people in Dhaka and of sabotaging a railway track last week.

"The BNP-Jamaat alliance has been continuing these extremist and terrorist acts," Sheikh Hasina said.

Police action against Bangladesh' opposition

The police accused the BNP of the deadly train fire while the party has denied all charges. Police also arrested thousands of opposition officials and activists over charges of violence following protests that escalated on October 28. During the demonstrations, at least 11 people were killed and 376 vehicles burnt, news agency AFP reported citing official data.
At least 39 South Korean students have sued the government alleging their college admission examination ended 90 seconds earlier than scheduled, reported BBC.A lawsuit on the matter has been filed by the group of students on Tuesday, demanding 20 million won (equivalent to $15,400) each. The monetary damages sought is the cost of a year's studying to retake the exam. South Korean students wait to take the annual College Scholastic Ability Test, known locally as Suneung, at a school in Seoul (Representational picture)(AFP)

The matter pertains to Korea's college admission test, known as Suneung, which is an eight-hour long exam with back-to-back papers in multiple subjects. Notably, the exam is of great importance in the country as it influences university placements and jobs.

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The students have alleged that the bell rang earlier than scheduled at a test centre in South Korea's capital Seoul. It happened during the Korean exam- the first subject of the exam. As per the report, some students raised the issue immediately with the supervisors but despite that, their papers were taken away.

ALSO READ| Philippines chides China over South China Sea claims: Truth and in fact

Interestingly, the teachers realised the mistake about timing before the beginning of the next session. The teachers allowed the 90 seconds time to the students during lunch break but allowed only to mark blank columns left on the exam papers. Students were not permitted to change any existing answers.

Students have alleged they got so distracted and disappointed due to the matter that they couldn't focus on the rest of the exam. Reportedly, some students left the rest of the exam and returned home. The students' lawyer Kim Woo-suk claimed that education authorities had not apologised over the incident.

Meanwhile, officials have said that the supervisor in charge of the particular test site had misread the time. Earlier in April, a court in Seoul awarded 7 million won ($5,250) to students who alleged that the ball rang about two minutes early during the 2021 Suneung exam.
In China's eyes all three Taiwan presidential candidates are separatists, the frontrunner to be the island's next leader said on Wednesday in a fractious joint televised address with the other contenders. Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's vice president and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate, interacts with supporters.(Reuters)

The Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections will define Chinese-claimed Taiwan's ties with Beijing, and are happening as China steps up military activities around the island to assert its sovereignty claims.

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China has rebuked current Vice President Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate and leading in the polls, as a dangerous separatist, and portrayed the vote as a choice between war and peace.

In a live televised pre-election policy address by the three presidential candidates - an actual debate comes later this month - Lai said China's desire to "swallow up" Taiwan was the country's national policy.

"Don't foolishly allow China to define Taiwan independence," he said, standing next to the other two candidates, Hou Yu-ih from Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang, and former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the much smaller Taiwan People's Party.

"Mayor Hou and Chairman Ko, in the eyes of China, the three of us standing here running for president are all for Taiwan independence," Lai added.

Taiwan and China's governments do not recognise each other and China says Taiwan has to accept they both belong to "one China" for talks to take place, which the DPP-led administration has refused to do, though it has offered talks many times.

Hou, who has been catching up to Lai in the polls, repeated his party's accusations that Lai wants the island's formal independence by ditching its formal name of the Republic of China, pointing to previous comments Lai has made about supporting independence.

"Taiwan independence will lead to war, and war is getting closer and closer to us," said Hou, whose party traditionally favours close ties with China but denies being pro-Beijing.

"I oppose one country, two systems, and I oppose Taiwan independence," he added, referring to the Hong Kong model of self-governance China has offered to Taiwan, though this enjoys next to no political support on the island.

China passed a law in 2005 giving it the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it formally secedes or seems about to, and has placed sanctions on senior Taiwan officials, including the foreign minister, it says are separatists.

Taiwan's government says the Republic of China and People's Republic of China are "not subordinate" to each other, and that as the Republic of China it is already an independent country. Beijing says this is mere wordplay.

Ko, who has trailed in the polls after talks to form a joint ticket with the KMT collapsed in acrimony last month, made only brief mention of China, concentrating instead on issues like the high cost of housing that has won him support with young voters.

"I hope Taiwan can be a bridge between China and the United States, not a pawn in the confrontation between China and the United States," he said.
Ukraine claimed that a disease that causes people to bleed from their eyes, suffer with severe headaches and vomit several times a day is "mowing down" Russian troops. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate reported an outbreak of so-called mouse fever among Russian units in Kupyansk. Russia-Ukraine War: A Ukrainian serviceman fires a mortar toward Russian troops at a position in a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine.(Reuters)

The disease is a type of streptococcal infection and transmits to humans through direct contact with rodents or by inhaling their faeces.

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Several symptoms include severe headache, body temperature rising to 40 degrees, rashes and redness, decreased blood pressure, haemorrhages in the eyes, nausea and vomiting several times a day, Ukraine said. The agency claimed complaints about the outbreak have been ignored by Russian commanders.

Russian is considering this an excuse from soldiers to avoid fighting, Ukraine claimed.

"In the Kupyansk direction of the front of the occupiers, mouse fever is mowing down en masse," it said as per Sky News, adding, "As a result, mouse fever significantly reduced the fighting ability of Russian rats."

This comes as Kremlin said that Russia sees no current basis for holding negotiations to end its 22-month war in Ukraine.

For us the idea of negotiations is not relevant, Dmitry Peskov said, adding, We have repeated many times that there are no grounds for these talks.

Therell be peace when we achieve our goals, he said.

The sides can either come to an agreement or resolve it by force. This is what we will strive for," he asserted.
A UN Security Council vote on a much-delayed resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war was postponed again Wednesday as members wrangled over wording while the death toll in Gaza continued climbing. A picture taken on the outskirts south Lebanon's village of Aitaroun shows smoke billowing following Israeli bombardment(AFP)

The debate at the UN's Manhattan headquarters came against a backdrop of deteriorating conditions in Gaza, with a senior UN official saying Israel's steps to allow in aid were "far short" of mounting need.

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"The Security Council has agreed to continue negotiations today to allow for additional time for diplomacy. And the presidency will reschedule the adoption for tomorrow (Thursday) morning," said Ecuador's Jose Javier De La Gasca Lopez-Dominguez, who holds the council's rotating presidency.

Members of the council have been grappling for days to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times throughout Tuesday, after being postponed Monday.

Israel, backed by its ally the United States, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member, has opposed the use of the term "ceasefire."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday there would be no ceasefire in Gaza until the "elimination" of Hamas.

But Russia and the Arab League stepped up diplomatic pressure on Israel to bring fighting to a close, using the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Morocco to call for a ceasefire.

Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said ahead of the latest postponement that "everyone is basically stuck waiting to see what the US will decide to do."

"It looks like even US diplomats do not know how this saga will end," he added.

This week's back and forth comes after an impasse earlier this month when the United States, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blocked the adoption of a Security Council resolution on the war.

That resolution had called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues its deadly strikes in retaliation for Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack.

- 'Human catastrophe' -

Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted the same nonbinding resolution by 153 votes to 10, with 23 abstentions, out of 193 member states.

Bolstered by that overwhelming support, Arab countries announced the new attempt at the Security Council.

A draft text prepared by the UAE, obtained by AFP on Sunday, called for "an urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip."

The last version seen by AFP was, however, a modified text that seemingly sought to salvage a compromise.

It was less direct, calling for "the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

United Nations official Tor Wennesland said Tuesday that Israel's "limited" steps to allow aid into Gaza "are positive, but fall far short of what is needed to address the human catastrophe on the ground."

After the attack on October 7, which Israeli authorities say left around 1,140 people dead, most of them civilians, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas.

Gaza's Hamas government said the death toll in the Palestinian territory reached 20,000.
A complaint received by Harvard University on Tuesday, December 19, outlined more than40 allegations of plagiarism against president Claudine Gay. The new allegations were submitted to Harvard's research integrity officer, Stacey Springs. These included examples reported by the Washington Free Beacon and other outlets. Harvard President Claudine Gay speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Washington (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)(AP)

A copy of the complaint reviewed by the Free Beacon revealed that Gay quoted or paraphrased authors without proper attribution, including missing quotation marks around phrases or sentences. Even entire paragraphs were lifted without any changes made. The entire list of examples include as many as seven of Gays publications, which is nearly half of her scholarly output.

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Earlier this month, the Harvard Corporation said it initiated an independent review Gay's work in October. However, it apparently found "no violation of Harvard's standards for research misconduct. Notably, the investigation focused only on three papers.

"[I]t is impossible that your office has already reviewed the entirety of these materials," the complaint reads, "as many  have not been previously reported or submitted." If a probe finds her guilty, there could be major consequences like suspension," "rank reduction," and "termination of employment, according to the official policies of the school.

In fact, an X user, writerChristopher F. Rufo, highlighted how Gay plagiarized the language of her acknowledgment from the acknowledgment of another scholar, without citing the source. She couldn't even say "thank you" without plagiarizing the language, Rufo wrote.

Gay came under fire after her remarks at a recent Capitol Hill hearing. Presidents of various universities were asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews is against the universities respective codes of conduct. Gay simply responded to the question, saying, When speech crosses into conduct, we take action. She was heavily criticised for her silence on the issue despite getting a massive platform to voice her opinions.
As cannabis-infused products are gaining popularity, it is crucial to draw a line between what is safe and what is not. More recently, THC-infused gummies are being sold across stores, making them easily accessible for people. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, pediatric hemp poisoning cases have tripled in numbers since 2021. Jessica Harris, a Kentucky mother expressed concerns after her 15-year-old daughter required an emergency visit to the hospital after accidentally consuming a hemp-laced gummy. Representational image (Pixabay)

Its too available out there for all these kids in these schools Its just ridiculous, she said. Harris' daughter consumed the gummy thinking it was a regular piece of candy, while in fact, the gummy contained a form of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis plants is illegal federally, its use across the United States has widely increased since Congress legalised the use of hemp in 2018.

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Hemp contains significantly lower amounts of THC when compared to traditional cannabis. However, the legalisation of hemp has left THC-infused products in somewhat of a grey area. The 2018 Farm Bill legalised hemp under the definition as cannabis plants that have less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, the most common form of THC in the plants.

Despite hemp being milder than cannabis, some manufacturers alter the potency of the psychoactive ingredient in edibles. Cannabis dispensaries have legally sold edibles like cookies for nearly a decade now. Various hemp-infused products like gummies, vapes, and brownies are being sold throughout the US with little to no regulation.

More recently, a cannabis offshoot known as Delta-8 THC is readily accessible to recreational marijuana users. This altered psychoactive ingredient is often labelled as weed lite and is especially popular for its gentle high. Its milder effects often entice users to consume more to get stronger effects. However, this has proven dangerous as many required an emergency visit to the hospital due to overconsumption or THC poisoning.
Donald Trump delivered a chilling message at a 2024 campaign rally in Iowa, cautioning that World War III is imminent, with the possibility of global obliteration. Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump applauds at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023. An appeals court in Colorado on December 19, 2023 ruled Donald Trump cannot appear on the state's presidential primary ballot because of his involvement in the attack on the Capitol in January 2021. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)(AFP)

The imminent threat:

Trump, known for his outspoken views on global affairs, expressed grave concerns about the world teetering on the edge of World War III. He emphasised that the danger is not akin to conventional wars but could result in complete obliteration due to the power of modern weaponry.

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"The world is in more danger than it's ever been because of the power of weaponry, and I will be the only oneI can say this with great suretyI will prevent World War III," Trump said.

Critique of Biden's foreign policies:

Trump didn't shy away from criticizing President Joe Biden's foreign policies, linking them to the heightened risk of a nuclear conflict. He has consistently pointed fingers at Biden's handling of international relations, particularly in the context of Russia and Ukraine.

Repeatedly claiming he is the only one capable of preventing such a catastrophe, Trump highlighted his belief that his presidency would have averted conflicts, including the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

"I'm sure if President Trump would be the president, there would be no war in Ukraine and Europe," echoed Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a sentiment Trump readily embraced.

Trump also delved into the topic of immigration, echoing views that critics argue parallel the rhetoric of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. He emphasized concerns about immigrants "destroying the blood" of the country.

"They're destroying the blood of our country, that's what they're doing. They're destroying the fabric of our country. And we're going have to get them out," Trump added.

This isn't the first time Trump has made such dire predictions. He previously asserted a similar stance during a rally in October, heightening concerns about the escalating global tensions.

"We are closer to World War III than we've ever been," Trump declared during a previous rally in Cedar Rapids.

Before Trump's speech, the Biden campaign raised concerns about his language, citing examples that draw parallels to the rhetoric of historical autocrats.

"Donald Trump is parroting autocrats like Hitler and Mussolini, claiming that immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country' and calling his political enemies 'vermin,'" stated a Biden campaign email.
Vivek Ramaswamy has come out to support Donald Trump after the Colorado court ruled former US president. In a video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) he pledged to withdraw from the GOP primary ballot in Colorado. Former biotech executive and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy(REUTERS)

This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado, Ramaswamy posted.

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In a big blow to Trump, the Colorado Supreme Court has removed former President Donald Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Charging him with insurrection apex court accused him of spreading false claims of election fraud and directing supporters to the Capitol. Colorado has thus become the first state to prevent Trump from seeking the presidency based on his role in the Capitol attack.

Vivek pledges to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot

Showing his unsolicited support Vivek shared a video, I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, He then went on to call out other presidential candidates and wanted to showcase their solidarity with Trump, I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country.

US Constitution's insurrection clause bars the holding of "any office...under the United States" if a person engaged in insurrection after swearing to "support" the Constitution as an "officer of the United States." The Colorado Supreme Court determined that this clause applies to the office of the president.

"This is what an actual attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and unprecedented decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado. Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again: the 14th Amendment," Ramaswamy's post also read.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday, December 19, disqualified former president Donald Trump from holding the presidency under the Constitution's insurrection clause. The court also demanded that the secretary of state exclude Trumps name from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. Donald Trump gestures at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023 (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)(AFP)

This is the first time a court has found Trump not eligible to return to the White House considering his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This is also the first time a presidential candidate is disqualified under the clause, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

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What is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment?

According to constitution.congress.gov, No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

This is a provision that applies to people who have taken an oath to support the US Constitution. They are either "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. or "give aid or comfort to the enemies" of the nation. Under section 3, Congress can "remove such disability" by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate.

The Congress passed the 14th Amendment in 1866. It was ratified by the states in 1868.

Gerard Magliocca, a law professor at Indiana University who has studied the provision, said of the Donald Trump case, There's going to be a historical part of it and then there's going to be kind of the practical, 'where is this going to lead us' kind of discussion.
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency under the Constitution's insurrection clause. The court also demanded that the secretary of state exclude the former presidents name from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. Donald Trump applauds at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023 (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)(AFP)

This is the first time a court has found Trump not eligible to return to the White House considering his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This is also the first time a presidential candidate is disqualified under the clause, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. After the landmark decision, what lies ahead for Trump?

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What is next for Donald Trump?

Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst, has opened up on what happens next after the ruling. This is a historic decision, a momentous decision, as the Supreme Court itself says they are in uncharted territory but its really important to keep in mind this is not the last word here. This is almost certainly going up to the US Supreme Court, which can review the decisions of a state Supreme Court, Honig said.

In fact, the Colorado Supreme Court anticipates that possibility, and for that reason they put their own ruling on hold until January 4, he added. The practical consequence as it stands at this moment, though, is that Donald Trump will not be on the Colorado ballot in the race for President in 2024.

Honig further said that it is important to keep in mind the broader context, citing how there were dozens of these challenges filed across the country in the past and 18 or so of them have failed, been rejected, or been withdrawn by the plaintiff. He reiterated that the Supreme Court will have the final say.

Thats not a real democracy

Presidential candidates responded to Trumps disqualification, condemning the Colorado Supreme Courts decision. Robert F. Kennedy Jr wrote, Trump blocked from the ballot in Colorado. When a court in another country disqualifies an opposition candidate from running, we say, Thats not a real democracy. Now its happening here.

"Im not a Trump supporter (if I were, I wouldnt be running against him!) But I want to beat him in a fair election, not because he was kicked off the ballot. Let the voters choose, not the courts! he added.

Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is allowed to return.

Donald Trump should not be prevented from being President by any court. He should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country, Chris Christie wrote on X.

The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling barring Donald Trump from the presidential ballot is what I raised as a concern in the first presidential debate in Milwaukee. The factual finding that he supported insurrection will haunt his candidacy, wrote Asa Hutchinson.
The Kremlin said that there is no current basis for talks between Russia and Ukraine as none of the prerequisites are in place, a day after Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would be prepared to talk to Ukraine with the United States and Europe. The Russian leader said that his country will continue to defend its national interests as well. Russia-Ukraine War: Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia.(AP)

"In Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia, and in Europe and in the United States - do they want to negotiate? Let them. But we will do it based on our national interests," Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the defence leadership in Moscow.

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We will not give up what is ours," he asserted.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine withdrew from the negotiation process in 2022 "at Britain's insistence" and "forbade" negotiations with Russia. But Ukraine has repeatedly said that peace can only based on a full Russian withdrawal from all the territory that Moscow has seized since the war began in February 2022.

What Vladimir Putin said on Russia-Ukraine war

Russia needed better military communication, reconnaissance, targeting and satellite capability, Vladimir Putin noted while praising Russia's defence industry for responding faster than West.

What Zelensky said on war in year-end address

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that no one knows when the war with Russia will end. He said, "I think that no one knows the answer. Even respected people, our commanders and our Western partners, who say that this is a war for many years, they do not know. If we don't loose our resilience, we will end the war sooner".

On US aid, Ukrainian leader said, Im certain the US wont betray us  and what has been agreed upon will be fulfilled."
Chinese president Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China, a report claimed. The timing has not yet been decided, NBC reported citing three current and former US officials. The Chinese president told Joe Biden in a meeting attended by a dozen officials from both sides that Chinas preference is to take Taiwan peacefully and not by force, the report claimed. US president Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping.

What happened at Joe Biden- Xi Jinping meeting

The report claimed, The Chinese leader also referenced public predictions by US military leaders who say that Xi plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, telling Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a time frame.

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"Chinese officials also asked in advance of the summit that Biden make a public statement after the meeting saying that the United States supports Chinas goal of peaceful unification with Taiwan," it added.

What officials said on the meeting

Xi Jinping was blunt and candid, but not confrontational with Joe Biden, officials claimed.

His language was no different than what he has always said. He is always tough on Taiwan. Hes always had a tough line, a US official said as per the report.

At last years Chinese Communist Party Congress, Xi Jinping had said that China would attack Taiwan militarily if it declares independence with foreign support. The Chinese leader had then said that the threat of force is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking" Taiwan's independence.
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AUSTRALIAN DESIGN BRAND OPENS FIRST HOTEL IN GERMANY.

Germany's first TRIBE hotel opened in Baden-Baden this October, adding the famous southwestern spa town to a list of cities including Paris, London, Amsterdam and Lyon that already have properties with a loyal TRIBE following. The new 136-room TRIBE Baden-Baden is operated by the Cologne-based The Chocolate on the Pillow Group and features a gym and the Social Hub as TRIBE Signature. Instead of a traditional restaurant, the TRIBE Baden-Baden welcomes its guests with a lounge-style cafe and bar concept including a 24/7 Grab & Go counter. In summer, the laid-back terrace invites guests to enjoy drinks and snacks outside.

MORE FOR LESS

Founded in 2017, the TRIBE hotel brand promises "more for less" and focuses on travellers craving design hotels at affordable prices: the interior of the hotels are aesthetic, modern and individual with functional guest rooms and the "Social Hub" as TRIBE Signature. Selected design pieces and high-quality bath amenities by Kevin Murphy are combined with standardised furnishings and second-hand elements to create an eclectic and unique mix for each hotel. TRIBE hotels are designed to give guests everything they need and nothing they don't.

NEW DESIGN SPOT FOR BADEN-BADEN

The design concept perfectly blends into the sophisticated spa town of Baden-Baden. The idea of the hotel design, which was developed under the lead of the multi-brand hotel operator The Chocolate on the Pillow Group, was to transfer the historical charm and refined character of the city into a contemporary look. The TRIBE Baden-Baden has 136 guest rooms, including a family room with a double bed and an additional bunk bed. The Social Hub is a signature feature of each of the 12 TRIBE Hotels worldwide: multi-functional, it offers the right space and atmosphere to work, or take a break and enjoy - alone or in good company. In line with this ethos the TRIBE Baden-Baden features a relaxed cafe and bar concept instead of a classic restaurant. In summer, the best place to enjoy cocktails, or barista-made coffee is the trendy outdoor terrace.

The colour palette features dark blue, brown, and rich orange in the carpet of the rooms, the wall colour, and the seat covers etc. The dark wall and floor tones create a cosy atmosphere, while the clear, often curved lines and the strikingly shaped furnishings create an elegant ambience. A true eye-catcher is the terracotta-coloured tiled round bar, which brings back the era of the 70s design.

The TRIBE Baden-Baden is located in a prime city centre location - numerous leisure and cultural facilities are just a stone's throw away, including the well-known Caracalla Therme.

NUMEROUS OTHER HOTEL OPENINGS PLANNED

TRIBE is targeting two more markets in the next two months. The TRIBE Budapest Airport opened in mid-December 2023, a TRIBE Hotel in Milan Malpensa will follow at the beginning of next year. The most recent openings include the TRIBE Lyon Croix Rousse, the TRIBE Paris Saint-Ouen, and the TRIBE London Canary Wharf. A further 50 TRIBE Hotels will open worldwide over the next five years.

Hotel website
Sofitel Mumbai BKC, the elegant, luxury hotel in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex, has appointed Nimesh Pandav as their new Front Office Manager.

A graduate of Mumbai University, Nimesh completed a Diploma in Pharmacy from PES College of Pharmacy in Bangalore, before moving to the United Kingdom for a Diploma in Hospitality & Catering from Ealing and West London College. He began his hospitality career at The Montcalm Hotel in London in 2009, and then returned to India to join Sofitel Mumbai BKC for the first time in 2012, as Senior Duty Manager. In this role, he trained employees in essential job functions, created strategies through which to drive more efficient performance, and conducted continuous reviews designed to optimize processes. In 2018, Nimesh took the role of Front Office Manager at Mercure Maldives Koodoo, where he managed a team of 70 members, as well as preparing budgets for resort managers, and handled resort duties in absence of the Resort Manager. Four years later, he moved to the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa as Front Office and Lifestyle Manager.

In his current role as Front Office Manager at Sofitel Mumbai BKC, Nimesh brings with him more than 13 years of Front Office experience, both in India and abroad, overseeing multiple tasks and managing employees effectively.
Join us for our annual search trends webinar, Search Trends and Must-Haves: Future-Proofing Your Digital Strategy in 2024, where we will explore the key areas shaping the future of search. Our panel of experts includes Barry Schwartz, CEO of RustyBrick; Eric Enge, President of Pilot Holding; and Benu Aggarwal, Founder and President of Milestone Inc.

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About Milestone Inc

Milestone drives online discovery and customer acquisition with our digital presence platform and performance marketing services. Over 2,000 companies in Hospitality, Retail, Financial Services and Automotive industries use Milestone to drive online growth. Our customers include global brands in hospitality, banking, retail, automotive, including Marriott, US Bank, One Nevada Credit Union, VMWare, Nissan, Motel6, Preferred Hotels, Sun Outdoors, mid-market companies, and SMBs.

Milestone platform includes Website CMS, Schema Manager, Local listings, Reviews management, FAQ Manager, and Analytics. In addition, Milestone offers Performance Marketing Services - Content, Design, SEO, Paid Marketing, and Analytics to our clients. Annually, over 300 million visitors use websites developed on Milestone CMS, 540M consumers click on content powered by Milestone Schemas, and 3.7B consumers search for businesses powered by Milestone Local. Milestone platform is amongst the highest-rated Martech platforms with awards and recognition from Forrester, G2, Adrian Awards, US Search Awards, Search Engine Land, CMS Wire and many more organizations.

Gaurav Varma

Director of Product Marketing

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BANGKOK, THAILAND - S Hotels and Resorts PCL (SET: SHR), the international hospitality company from Singha Estate PCL (SET: S), has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maldives Ministry of Climate Change, Environment & Energy to preserve this idyllic island nations natural environment, share knowledge about the importance of conservation, and support CROSSROADS Maldives rich marine biodiversity in an area covering 3.15km  about 31% of the total project size  as part of an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) programme.

Under the theme Empower Minds, Foster Growth, a major ceremony was staged at CROSSROADS Maldives. It was attended by senior dignitaries from the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment & Energy, including Honourable Deputy Minister Hassan Mohamed, Permanent Secretary Mr. Ajwadh Mustafa, and Director Mr Muhusina Abdul Rahman, accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Education, and the Maldives Marine Research Institute. They were joined by senior executives from S Hotels & Resorts, including CEO Mr. Michael Marshall and marine scientist Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, the project leader, along with 20 students from various schools across the archipelago.

Project leader Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat outlines details of CROSSROADS Marine Protected Area Photo by S Hotels & Resorts

The MoU will see S Hotels & Resorts play a key role in achieving the shared environmental objectives of S Hotels & Resorts and the Maldivian Government, including knowledge sharing, capacity building and support of OECMs  a conservation approach outside official protected zones. At the heart of this programme will be the Marine Discovery Centre, CROSSROADS Maldives innovative environmental and educational hub which features a state-of-the-art laboratory and undertakes critical projects such as coral propagation and breeding & release programmes for endangered species, and the Maldives Discovery Centre, which strives to protect the rich history, culture and arts & crafts that define the cultural identity of the Maldivian people.

Education is a key aspect of this MoU, and the 20 students invited to the signing ceremony were also given the opportunity to visit these pioneering conservation and heritage centres, where the programme was officially launched with information about coral restoration, biodiversity and culture. Future campaigns will be aimed at spreading knowledge among a wider range of social groups and ages, from children to seniors, including efforts to help communities better understand the ecosystem and how they interact with it.

This marks the latest phase in CROSSROADS Maldives partnerships with local schools. Since its inception in 2019, this integrated resort has invited more than 1,800 students from neighbouring islands to learn about conservation. Every aspect of this ground-breaking development is interwoven with its commitment to environmental and cultural preservation, including the use of solar panels to harness renewable energy. This dedication to sustainable practices helped CROSSROADS Maldives earn Green Globe Certification in 2023.

CROSSROADS Maldives is the Indian Oceans first and only multi-island, integrated development Photo by S Hotels & Resorts

We are delighted to sign this MoU with our highly esteemed partners at the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment & Energy. At CROSSROADS Maldives, we have always strived to protect the local environment and promote the livelihoods of the Maldivian people. Under this landmark agreement, we pledge to provide technical assistance, in-kind support and engage in outreach programmes for public education and awareness. This collaboration will also strengthen our position as an OECM and, in turn, contribute to the sustainable development of the Maldives. Mr. Michael Marshall, CEO, S Hotels & Resorts

I would like to congratulate CROSSROADS Maldives on their conservation and awareness work through the Marine Discovery Centre. Awareness and outreach play a pivotal role in preserving the biodiversity of the Maldives. As remarked by His Excellency, President Dr. Mohamed Muiz at the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change: In our island nation, every coral, every grain of sand, every fish, and every palm tree carry value. Education programmes, community engagement initiatives, and partnerships between local communities, businesses, and government bodies are essential in creating a united front against the challenges posed to the Maldives biodiversity. With initiatives like the MoU signed today, we are taking positive steps toward creating a more aware and resilient community. Honourable Deputy Minister Hassan Mohamed of the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment & Energy

This OECMs project is the important part of S Hotels & Resorts long-term commitment to being a nature-based solution organisation and is aligned with the COP 28 direction that aims to protect precious marine ecosystems and increase key biodiversity areas by 30% by 2030.

For more information about S Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.shotelsresorts.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn.

About S Hotels & Resorts Public Company Limited

S Hotels and Resorts Public Company Limited, the hospitality arm of Singha Estate Public Company Limited, is a fast-growing, Thai-inspired company with an extensive international portfolio and world-class standards. Specialising in the management and investment of high-quality hotels and resorts in desirable destinations across the globe, S Hotels & Resorts has created a collection of its own distinctive lifestyle brands, whilst also partnering with the hospitality industry's leading names. The company aims to set new standards for leisure and lifestyle through diversified business platforms and to enhance value for all its stakeholders based upon a philosophy of sustainable development and delivering benefits to local communities. To learn more, please visit www.shotelsresorts.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or LinkedIn.

Lalita Somboonsuk (Ta)

Corporate Marketing Communications Manager

S Hotels & Resorts
Magnuson Hotels announces the immediate appointment of Adnan Malik as its new Chief Executive Officer. Malik, previously serving as Chief Revenue Officer, brings a wealth of experience and innovative vision to lead the renowned hotel brand into its next phase of growth.

Adnan Malik's extensive background positions him as a dynamic leader ready to build upon Magnuson Hotels' established legacy. His strategic prowess and commitment to excellence align seamlessly with the brand's core values, ensuring a continued trajectory of success.

Thomas Magnuson, after dedicating 21 years to steering Magnuson Hotels as CEO, will transition to a new chapter, leaving an indelible mark on the company's evolution. His leadership and dedication have been instrumental in establishing Magnuson Hotels as a global hospitality force.

During this period, the company transformed independent hotels from being perceived as less desirable in the market to becoming the most preferred category of hotels worldwide. Fair franchising became a global movement, and legislation to protect hotel owners is now underway in the USA.

It has been an incredible journey leading Magnuson Hotels for the past 21 years. I am immensely proud of what we've achieved together as a team. As I step down from the CEO position, I'm filled with gratitude for the experiences, challenges, and growth we've embraced, and for the people I have met along this path. I am confident in the talented individuals who will continue to drive Magnuson Hotels towards even greater success. Thomas Magnuson

Co-founder Melissa Magnuson, a primary figure in the company's success as Chairman, will continue in her role, providing invaluable guidance and expertise to support the brand's ongoing achievements.

I am honoured and excited to lead Magnuson Hotels into its next phase. Under Thomas's exceptional leadership, the brand has flourished, and I am committed to building upon this strong foundation by driving innovation. We will continue our commitment to deliver results for hotel owners and exceed expectations of hotel guests. Adnan Malik

We all take tremendous pride in what Magnuson Hotels has achieved under Thomas's CEO tenure. With Adnan's appointment, we are confident in his ability to lead the company towards continued growth and success, maintaining our commitment to excellence. Melissa Magnuson

About Magnuson Hotels

Magnuson Hotels was founded in 2003 as the world's first independent hotel chain. Today, over 2000 hotels across North America and Europe have increased revenues via the Magnuson Independent Hotel Group and the Magnuson Hotels Fair Franchise Brand:

For more info:

www.magnusonhotelsworldwide.com

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Magnuson Hotels

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China Russia Photo:VCG



(Global Times) High-level interaction between China and Russia will continue the momentum of cooperation, further deepen the economic bond between the two sides and help jointly cope with external interference, Chinese analysts said on Tuesday, as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin started a two-day visit to China.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Mishustin is scheduled to attend the 28th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government.

This is a vital mechanism for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state and coordinating bilateral practical cooperation in various fields since 1996, analysts said.

Mishustin is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, practical cooperation and issues of common interest during the meeting, against the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations and the Year of Culture in 2024.

During Mishustin's visit, special attention will be paid to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation and the promotion of large-scale joint projects in various areas. The two sides plan to adopt a joint communique and sign a number of bilateral documents, as reported by TASS, citing the Russian government.

Cooperation with China "is developing steadily in all directions despite the difficult external economic situation," the Russian government said. Analysts believe that expanding cooperation in the energy sector, agriculture and humanitarian exchanges would be the key focus during Mishustin's visit.

Although the high-level meeting is a routine mechanism, Mishustin's second visit to China within one year reflects the high priority that both sides attach to this relationship, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

When Mishustin made his first China visit in May, leading a 500-people delegation, The two sides signed a series of agreements on services trade cooperation, sports, patents, and Russian millet exports to China.

The two governments will further implement direction of the cooperation set by the two head of states during their meetings in March and November, Cui said.




In its second phase, Palladium Hotel Group's 'Palladium Cares' CSR commitment has made waves in the destinations where it operates

Through its "4 causes to take action" project comprising of 43 initiatives, 305 Palladium Hotel Group volunteers have positively impacted over 600 individuals by collaborating with 29 local NGOs

Palladium Hotel Group has furthered its commitment to social responsibility by launching training centres in Jamaica, where over 50 people are already receiving professional training

London - Palladium Cares, the transformational Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative launched by Palladium Hotel Group in May 2023, has completed its second phase and made significant progress under its pillars of Our People, Our Community and Our Planet.

The fight against inequality

The "4 causes to take action" project was created to tackle the issues of childhood, inequality, the planet and care for the elderly, with each phase being carried out respectively. The second phase to target inequality has now concluded, having made a positive impact on nearly 400 adults. This phase, comprising of 21 initiatives, saw 175 volunteers from the corporate and hotel teams collaborate with 13 NGOs such as Fundacion Hogar Si, Fundacion Integra and Fundacion Raices, as well as multiple local associations to provide support to adults with disabilities such as Down Syndrome.

We have had the opportunity to accompany these remarkable adults in situations of vulnerability during a period of their training. Whilst growing their professional skills, they have shown us their strength and their fight to overcome their difficulties and be great professionals. Thank you very much to the local associations who allowed us to participate in their work. Gloria Juste, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Palladium Hotel Group

After completing this second cause, the "4 causes to take action" project has now carried out a total of 42 initiatives in collaboration with 28 local NGOs, impacting over 600 beneficiaries. The project will now continue with its next phase, caring for the planet, which will run in Europe until March 2024.

To ensure the smooth operation of all of its initiatives, Palladium Cares has created CSR offices in each hotel, with the responsibility to monitor and ensure compliance with the plans, as well as raising awareness among internal stakeholders.

First professional training centres launched in the Americas

In the Caribbean and Americas, Palladium Cares has focused on the implementation of local education and training centres in underprivileged communities where the group operates. The group seeks to aid those who face greater difficulties to develop professionally due to a lack of resources using these centres.

The first achievement in this area was the recent signing of a three-way agreement between Palladium Hotel Group, the Municipality of Hanover in Jamaica, and national academic organisation Heart NSTA (The Human Employment and Resource Training Trust). This agreement allowed the designation of seven spaces distributed across the municipality, as well as ensuring the commitment of a team of teachers from the academic organisation. Currently, over 50 people are already receiving professional training in relation to the hospitality sector, as well as support during their employment process to help increase their job opportunities.

In Mexico, Palladium Hotel Group has partnered with the Origen Foundation, which has been responsible for developing a curriculum adapted to needs of the local community. The group has also strengthened its team with the recruitment of a CSR profile responsible for the territory, who will be responsible for the management, implementation and supervision of the training centre.

Palladium Hotel Group's goal is to benefit 2,500 people in Mexico and 600 people in Jamaica annually, helping to close the inequality gap and improve the prospects of stable and qualified employment for the local population.

Ongoing commitment to sustainability and the environment

In line with the group's commitment to the environment, Palladium Hotel Group has joined forces with National Geographic to shine a spotlight on marine biologist and filmmaker Manu San Felix's Communitas project, protecting the marine environment. The resulting short documentary shows the important work carried out with young people to protect and preserve the Mediterranean Sea, with special attention paid to the Posidonia Oceanica, a seagrass that is vital for protecting plant and animal species through its oxygen production. The initiative carries out both research and educational projects, and includes the Innovative Dive Camp programme, where young people become familiar with underwater exploration from a responsible perspective.

The preservation of and care for the environment is a fundamental pillar of Palladium Cares. It is especially key in destinations like Ibiza, where so many of our brands are based. This is why the collaboration with National Geographic to document Manu San Felix's project was such a natural fit for the brand. His work to raise awareness among the population about the need to improve our interaction with the sea fits perfectly with our values, as does his vision of change for a better future through the education of new generations. Inaky Bau, Senior Director of Corporate Brand Strategy at Palladium Hotel Group

About Palladium Hotel Group

Palladium Hotel Group is a Spanish hotel chain with over 50 years of experience, owned by Grupo Empresas Matutes (GEM). The group operates more than 40 hotels and over 13,000 rooms, distributed amongst seven countries: Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Italy, Brazil and the USA, and manages ten brands: TRS Hotels, Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, Palladium Hotels, Palladium Boutique Hotels, Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, Ushuaia Unexpected Hotels, Only YOU Hotels, BLESS Collection Hotels, the Hard Rock Hotels Brand under licence with three hotels in Ibiza Tenerife and Marbella and the ephemera brand 45 Times Square Hotel. Palladium Hotel Group is characterized by its philosophy of attention to its team and to offering its clients high quality products and services. www.palladiumhotelgroup.com
London, UK - New research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), initiated by the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, reveals that the global Travel & Tourism sector is delivering soaring employment opportunities to women and young people around the world.

The report shows that the Travel & Tourism sector directly employed a rapidly rising number of women between 2010 and 2019, increasing from 38.6 million to 47.8 million, an increase of 24%.

It also found hospitality to be the leading employer of women within the sector, accounting for more than half of female employment.

Young workers are shown as an important component of the sectors workforce, representing 15% of all jobs in the sector in both 2010 and 2021.

By contrast, the share of young workers in overall global employment fell from 16.5% in 2010 to 12.5% in 2021, highlighting the importance of Travel & Tourism to youth employment.

Providing insights and data on the sectors status quo, the report allows countries and regions to set clear goals to empower women and engage youth. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to play a major role in investing in the talent required to meet the needs of this thriving sector. This is strategically aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 goals in relation to youth empowerment and women. As an illustration, we have increased female labour force participation by 64% since 2021. H.E Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia

As part of our Environmental & Social Research, we are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the Sustainable Tourism Global Center and to be releasing this incredibly important report. For the first time ever, we can show that the sector has an incredibly positive impact globally, supporting more high wage jobs, a level playing field for women, and provides long-term, sustainable, economically attractive jobs to young people across the world. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO

We see this joint report as another milestone for the global travel and tourism sector. By supporting quality employment for young people and for women, we develop a more sustainable sector. This approach is in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to create a vibrant Saudi society in which all citizens can thrive. H.E Gloria Guevara, Chief Special Advisor of the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia

The report provides a regional breakdown of employment across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and is the first analysis of Travel & Tourisms global social footprint, broken down by age, gender and income.

Women in Travel & Tourism (highlights)

The report reveals that the sector employed a marginally higher share of women compared to other sectors globally in 2021  39.3% compared to a 39.2% average.

According to the report, hospitality is the leading employer within the Travel & Tourism sector for women, accounting for more than half (52%) of all female employment in 2019.

Around the world, women make up a larger share of Travel & Tourism employment than the economy-wide workforce in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. The share of women working in Travel & Tourism in Africa has been rising since 2010, and female employment across the economy in the Middle East has also grown significantly.

Youth in Travel & Tourism (highlights)

The research highlights the consistent, steady growth of young people employed directly by the sector over the last decade, with a total of 39.7 million jobs supported by Travel & Tourism around the world in 2019, up 28% since 2010.

However, this figure was significantly impacted by COVID-19, where youth employment dropped 27%.

Notably, in all the years analysed, more than half of the global youth employment in the Travel & Tourism sector was in the Asia-Pacific region, at 9.2 million in 2021. With a youth employment growth rate of nearly 37% between 2010 and 2019, the region outpaced all other areas which were all closer to 20%.

High wage jobs in Travel & Tourism (highlights)

In 2021, nearly 34% of jobs in the global Travel & Tourism sector were categorised as high wage, an increase from 29.6% in 2010.

Regionally, Asia-Pacific had the largest share of high wage jobs in the sector (38.7%), followed by Africa (36.2%), and the Americas (30.6%).

Comprehensive data from the Environmental and Social Research reports can be found at the new interactive microsite available here , and the full Social report can be found here.

About WTTC

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.

WTTC Press Office

WTTC
What motivates someone to open a beer bar? We talked to our former student Simon Dankwa, who after studying hotel management at the EHL Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality in Passugg (EHL SSTH) and after various stops in between, was first managing director at LagereBrau AG and today lives his passion for beer as a partner of the "Gleis Bier" beer bar in Aarau.

How I came to brewing beer

After his studies as Dipl. Hotelier-Restaurateur HF (today under the new curriculum Dipl. Hotelier-Gastronom HF) at the EHL SSTH, Simon Dankwa got a management traineeship in the Pre- and Opening Team of the Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel in Cape Town to gain first international work experience.

After a certain training period, he was able to take over the position as team leader at the Paulaner Brauhaus at the V&A Waterfront. This involved learning how to brew beer and sparked an ongoing interest in beer brewing.

My job in a beer bar

After Simon Dankwa moved back to his home canton of Aargau, he first served as managing director of LagereBrau AG. Looking back, Simon says: At LagereBrau, we delighted guests every day with an honestly produced local product and innovative surprises. It was important to us to be an authentic company to touch.

These accumulated experiences have certainly been incorporated into his new job at the "Gleis Bier" beer bar in Aarau. There, he presents guests with a selection of local beers and a total of 150 different beers on the drinks menu. In the integrated beer store, customers can choose their own beer, but can also ask for advice on different beer types if they wish.

Simon Dankwa is a beer sommelier and has a great enthusiasm for beer. Tastings of the weekly beer or larger beer tastings are also planned in the beer bar.

Trend toward Swiss beer

There is a great awareness of regional and sustainable products in the catering industry. This is a continuing trend that is also reflected in the Swiss beer market. The Swiss beer market is more creative and diverse than ever before. Imported beers now account for only a small share of the Swiss beer market, and the number of new breweries in Switzerland is rising unabated. The trend toward craft beer, specialty and non-alcoholic beers continues. The growing interest in beer is changing the beer market and creating a new beer culture, further fueling the demand for regional products.

Read more here: What are the main types of beer?

How does studying at a hotel management school help you find your calling in beer brewing?

After studying hotel management at EHL Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality in Passugg (EHL SSTH), Simon Dankwa was able to move into versatile hospitality positions and quickly develop his career thanks to his HF degree and the practical experience he had already gained during his studies. He has worked in Switzerland and abroad, assisting with openings of hotel and hospitality schools as well as clubs and restaurants, and giving F&B seminars.

I love the versatility and myriad opportunities that a degree from a hospitality school can provide. I describe myself as a brewer, restaurateur, logistics, marketing, sales as well as financial and business expert all rolled into one.

He is of the opinion that a good hotelier and gastronome should not be too shy for any work that arises in his business. This is the only way he can gain the necessary experience to become successful later with his own business. But it is always important not to get lost in operational tasks, but to keep the overall view and to push the strategy further.

Jobs in a brewery

Are you also interested in a job in the world of beer? There are a variety of jobs and activities in a beer brewery, such as the following positions:

Brewer

Employee or head of bottling

Sales manager

Brand Manager

Service and catering staff

The scope of duties includes, among other things, the production of beers, personnel management, process and quality management, but also sales. Furthermore, it is necessary to feed and entertain the guests of the brewery and the possibly associated gastronomic facilities.

About EHL Group

EHL Group is the global reference in education, innovation and consulting for the hospitality and service sector.

With expertise dating back to 1893, EHL Group now offers a wide range of leading educational programs from apprenticeships to master's degrees, as well as professional and executive education, on three campuses in Switzerland and Singapore. EHL Group also offers consulting and certification services to companies and learning centers around the world. True to its values and committed to building a sustainable world, EHL Group's purpose is to provide education, services and working environments that are people-centered and open to the world. www.ehlgroup.com

EHL Hospitality Business School

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

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In October this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law (effective July 1, 2024) a sweeping ban on pricing goods and services without including all mandatory fees or charges.

Presently pending in the U.S. Senate is a bipartisan-supported bill that would do the same.

These bills join state governments, federal authorities, state attorneys general, and consumer advocacy groups in intensified scrutiny of undisclosed mandatory resort fees included in hotel rates. Additionally, several state attorney generals and consumer groups are targeting hotels that charge undisclosed resort fees.

In response to this developing trend, it is imperative for hotel owners to quickly implement full transparency, revealing the total cost of mandatory resort fees upfront. Failure to do so may result in significant financial penalties, expensive litigation, and reputational damage among consumers, who often do not view these fees favorably.

What are Resort Fees?

Resort fees are extra charges imposed by hotels and resorts, ostensibly for providing certain amenities. This additional cost is typically calculated daily and added to the basic room rate. Resort fees are sometimes relabeled as a facility fee, destination fee, amenity fee, urban fee, or resort charge. In the end, they are all the same thing; and even if a guest does not actually use the amenities associated with the resort fees, they are still required to pay for them.

Consumer Complaints About Hotel Resort Fees

Resort fees have become a significant point of contention for consumers worldwide. These mandatory charges, often added to hotel bills after booking, have been criticized for their lack of transparency and fairness. Many consumers claim to be blindsided by these additional charges, only realizing they are being charged a resort fee when they check out. This lack of upfront disclosure makes it difficult for consumers to accurately compare room costs and budget for their stay.

The Justifications For Resort Fees

Several common explanations for why hotels charge resort fees include:

Covering the cost of basic amenities (like Wi-Fi, gyms, and pools) provided to guests.

Recouping revenue lost to online travel agencies (like Expedia and Travelocity) that charge commissions for each booking. Resort fees are not subject to these commissions, so hotels can keep more of the rate they charge.

Boosting earnings and appeasing shareholders who expect higher profits. Resort fees are a source of additional income that can improve the bottom line of hotels.

Advertising lower nightly rates to attract more customers, especially on online travel platforms. By adding resort fees later in the booking process, hotels can appear cheaper than their competitors. It is this practice that has led to the present zeal for forcing upfront disclosure and transparency.

Charging resort fees is not inherently evil or problematic. There are guests who consider resort fees reasonable and worthwhile, given the amenities provided  whereas others feel deceived and cheated if the resort fees were not transparently disclosed in advance.

Importantly, the laws enacted and the prosecutions undertaken to ensure full disclosure will create an even playing field, so that no one can falsely appear to offer a cheaper rate than the hotels that are already making full disclosure.

Government and Private Actions Against Hotel Brands Relating to Resort Fees

In response to growing consumer complaints over undisclosed resort fees, government entities have taken action against hotel brands, including the Attorneys General of DC, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Texas. The non-profit consumer protection group Travelers United has also sued MGM, Hilton, Hyatt and Sonesta, and the Federal Trade Commission has instituted enforcement actions against hotels charging mandatory resort fees that are not included in the advertised room rate.

Some of the notable legal actions over resort fees include the following:

July 2019: the Attorney General of Washington, D.C., sued Marriott, arguing that hotel resort fees violate Washington, D.C.'s Consumer Protection Procedure's Act.

July 2019: the Attorney General of Nebraska sued Hilton, arguing that hotel resort fees violate Nebraska's Consumer Protection Act and Nebraska's Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act. In September of 2023, Hilton announced that it is transitioning to displaying mandatory fees to consumers up front.

February 2021: Travelers United sued MGM Resorts International, claiming that hotel resort fees violate Washington, D.C.'s Consumer Protection Procedures Act. They also raised the issue of resort fees being charged on "comps" and resort fees being charged in a pandemic.

November 2021: the Attorney General of Pennsylvania settled with Marriott and promised to "unmask resort fees." Afterwards, however, multiple Marriott properties began to add an undisclosed "sustainability fee." In May 2023, Marriott implemented full transparency, displaying the total charge for resort fees upfront.

May 2023: the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Hyatt Hotels for violating Texas consumer protection laws by marketing hotel rooms at prices that were not available to the public as advertised. The press release stated that Hyatt implemented this practice by charging consumers mandatory and unavoidable fees  such as resort fees, destination fees, or amenity fees  in addition to daily room rates.

The press release stated that May 16, 2023: the Texas Attorney General announced that he had entered into a settlement with Marriott International, Inc. to ensure that the global hotel company properly discloses resort fees and other hidden costs to consumers in its advertisements and during the room booking process.

August 2023: The Texas Attorney General sued Booking Holdings for engaging in false, misleading, or deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

August 2023: Travelers United sued Hyatt Hotels and Sonesta over their use of hotel resort fees. The lawsuit against Hyatt alleges that the hotel falsely advertises room rates; cheats customers out of millions of dollars through hidden fees; has added "junk fees" to room rates "for years"; and misrepresents the hotel company as a "destination" or "resort" to charge additional fees at checkout. The lawsuit against Sonesta alleges that it hides these extra fees because a consumer must click an "expand price details button" to discover that a "taxes and fees" line item includes a "destination fee" separate from taxes.

September 2023: the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced that her office had reached a multi-state (Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nebraska and Oregon) settlement with Choice Hotels International regarding the disclosure of "resort fees" and "drip pricing" (which involves advertising a price that is less than the actual price that a consumer will have to pay for a good or service). Choice will advertise the total price of a customer's lodging by the end of 2023.

September 2023: Travelers United sued Hilton Hotels over their use of hotel resort fees. The lawsuit against Hilton alleges that Hilton engages in deceptive junk fee practices, and omits mandatory fees from the advertised room rates.

Legislation Pending in US Congress

The Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2022, introduced by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) in the House of Representatives on July 1, 2022. This bill would prohibit hotels and other lodging providers from advertising room rates that do not include all mandatory charges other than government taxes and fees. It would also empower the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce the law and protect consumers from deceptive advertising practices. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; however, it has not received any further action as of October 2023.

The Hotel Fees Transparency Act, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) in the Senate on July 26, 2023. This bill would establish federal guidelines for pricing transparency that have, up until now, been voluntary. It would require anyone advertising a hotel room or a short-term rental to clearly show, upfront, the final price a customer would pay to book lodging. It would also make the Federal Trade Commission responsible for pursuing violations and allow state attorneys general to bring civil action for violations. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but has not received any further action as of October 2023.

Other Federal Laws Regulating Resort Fees

The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce. On October 11, 2023, the FTC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to promulgate a trade regulation rule entitled "Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees," which would prohibit unfair or deceptive practices relating to fees for goods or services; specifically, it prohibits misrepresenting the total costs of goods and services by omitting mandatory fees from advertised prices and misrepresenting the nature and purpose of fees.

California Laws Regulating Resort Fees

California recently enacted a comprehensive law that regulates resort fees, with others still pending.

The Consumers Legal Remedies Act (SB 478) amendment introduced by Dodd and Skinner was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 9, 2023. This law makes it unlawful to advertise, display, or offer a price for a good or service that does not include all mandatory fees or charges (other than taxes or fees imposed by a government on the transaction). This law is intended to specifically prohibit drip pricing. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2024. Some believe that this law will have a nationwide effect and force hotels and lodging companies, online travel agencies, and comparison sites to display the full pricing since most national and international hotel brands desire to remain in the California market.

The California Resort Fee Bill (AB 537), introduced by Assembly member Marc Berman on February 10, 2023. The California legislature passed this bill on September 12, 2023. It is expected to be signed by Governor Gavin Newson. This bill prohibits short-term lodging providers (including hotel operators and residential properties rented to a visitor for 30 consecutive days or less) from advertising a room rate that does not include all fees and charges. The bill does not require that government-imposed taxes and fees be included in the advertised price; however, short-term lodging providers must include the total price to be paid, including government-imposed taxes and fees, before the guest reserves their stay. This bill also covers short-term rental cleaning fees, which are often added to the advertised price. The bill would become effective on July 1, 2024.

How Hotel Owners Should Respond

The recent legislation signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with similar bills pending in other jurisdictions, reflects an unavoidable path towards transparency in pricing for goods and services. This is particularly evident in the hotel industry, where undisclosed mandatory resort fees are being scrutinized by state governments, federal authorities, state attorneys general, and consumer advocacy groups.

In order to avoid costly litigation and other negative outcomes, it is crucial for hotel owners to be proactive in response to this changing landscape, by disclosing all mandatory fees clearly wherever consumers book reservations.

Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com.
Incentive Travel Will Be Strong in 2024 with Some Caveats to Consider

After a Few Years of Catch-up, the Incentive Travel Industry is More Than Ready to Fly into 2024 with Less Turbulence. The Incentive Travel Professionals at Motivation Excellence Predict There Will Be a Few Key Areas to Keep an Eye On, and Most Apply to Individual Travelers As Well.

After a few years of catch-up, the incentive travel industry is more than ready to fly into 2024 with less turbulence. The incentive travel professionals at Motivation Excellence predict there will be a few key areas to keep an eye on, and most apply to individual travelers as well.

An Election Year

With 2024 being an election year, VP of Sales at Motivation Excellence, Rhonda Brewer, says businesses are prone to be a bit more cautious with their spending budgets. This doesn't mean there will be drastic changes to the incentive travel landscape, but certain trends might arise for new bookings.

"How this translates to the world of incentive travel may mean selecting destinations closer to home, seeing reductions in budgets, and finding partners who can provide extra value through stretching their dollar further."

More stringent rule structures could also come into play, as companies start requiring higher performance goals to qualify for incentive group travel. Despite the more cautious approach, Brewer says overall incentive programs are in a good place.

"What I am most excited about is the fact that incentive programs are alive and well and clients still absolutely see the value in them. Now that rebookings are behind us, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity to look at new venues, destinations and inclusions."

Flights & Service Levels

Brad Hecht, Motivation Excellence Senior VP of Travel and Chief Travel Strategist, and his team are constantly looking at trends in airfare as they book travel for our group incentive participants. In the coming year, he predicts steadier pricing trends, especially for domestic destinations, and an increase in travelers overall.

"Airfares will continue to stabilize, especially for U.S. travel, as projections will continue to trend to record numbers for travelers."

published an article referencing Kayak's 2024 outlook on airfares, which showed that domestic flights could steadily drop up to 16% next year. The same report, however, states ticket prices for international travel look like they'll increase 10% in 2024, over 2023.

Along with domestic travel being more affordable, Hecht is looking forward to higher service levels at hotels in the United States.

"Hotels are continuing to ramp back up from the pandemic with their staffing, so I'm hoping for more consistent service levels."

Brewer adds that clients are looking for that too. "The expectation in 2024 will be that all staffing levels have been ironed out and properties will be fully operational in their on-site restaurants and spas."

Visa Updates

If you're confused about whether you'll need a visa to travel abroad in 2024, you're not alone. For European destinations, the visa requirement that was originally going to roll out in 2024, has been delayed to 2025 at the earliest.

"The new ETIAS travel entry requirement won't be in effect until after Europe's new tech-driven entry and exit system is launched in the fall of 2024. And then even after that, there will likely be a six-month transition period," says Joe Reise, Director, Travel Purchasing, Planning, and Supplier Relations at Motivation Excellence.

There are countries currently that already require Americans to have a visa to enter. They include Brazil, Australia, China and Vietnam. For a full list of countries requiring a visa, Reise recommends visiting this website.

Wrap Up

Between flight prices, hotel service levels and visa requirements, travelers have a lot to consider before booking their next travel destination. If you can take advantage of lower domestic airfare and higher U.S. hotel service levels, and earn it through your company's incentive program, you'll hit a trifecta of travel gold!
Chicago, IL (60637)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Cloudy with snow developing after midnight. Low 27F. Winds ESE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at US Navy Central Command headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday. Photo: VCG

(Global Times) On December 18, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced in Bahrain that the US, along with several other countries, will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This move comes after Houthi militants in Yemen have frequently used missiles and drones to target Israel and US military bases since the outbreak of the recent Palestine-Israel conflict. Recently, they have also attacked Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea, causing partial disruption to maritime traffic in the region. The US is facing significant pressure, and Austin stated that "this is an international challenge that demands collective action." For Washington, which has consistently emphasized its "dominant position" in the Middle East, such a stance is an attempt to give itself an out.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most critical transportation channels for energy and industrial products, with approximately 20,000 ships passing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea each year. If this route continues to be blocked, vessels will be forced to detour southward around the Cape of Good Hope, resulting not only in extended transportation times but also significant increases in fuel costs and insurance premiums. This will impact the still fragile global supply chain. In 2021, the grounding of the "Ever Given" container ship in the Suez Canal led to estimated global trade losses ranging from $6 billion to $10 billion per week. Currently, four major European shipping giants have successively announced the suspension of passage through the Red Sea. If the crisis continues, the losses inflicted upon global shipping and the world economy will undoubtedly be substantial.

The interests involved in Red Sea shipping are so extensive that it is not wrong to characterize the current issues facing the Red Sea as an "international challenge." Therefore, the thinking and approach to solving these issues cannot be unilateral, one-way, or simplistic. Houthi forces claimed that their position was not subject to negotiation until Israel ceases military operations in Gaza and allows humanitarian aid to enter. Analysts widely believe the situation in the Red Sea reflects the butterfly effect in the realm of international politics and economics, with Houthi attacks on commercial ships being a manifestation of the spillover effects of the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. This once again confirms that in the era of globalization, no local conflict can truly be contained within its "local" boundaries.

As of December 19, the Palestine-Israel conflict has been ongoing for 74 days and there is still no sign of peace in sight. Bypassing a ceasefire and peace process in Israel and Palestine, making technical arrangements and responses to mitigate spillover events, ultimately addresses symptoms rather than the root cause. In fact, achieving even symptomatic relief proves to be challenging.

The Economist, a British magazine, also pointed out in an article on the December 16 that as "the Houthis have demonstrated that a few drones and missiles can always get through," Western countries do not have better measures to cope with the situation. Not to mention, the warships of Western powers in that area may also accidentally fire, leading to a larger storm in the Middle East.

It is worth noting that this joint operation, called "Operation Prosperity Guardian," led by the US military, involves nine countries including the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, and Italy. It is easy to see that there are few countries from the Middle East region participating, and most of these countries are quite cautious about it. According to reports, Egypt, a strong naval power in the Middle East, as well as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and other countries did not participate in this operation. Several other countries agreed to participate but did not want to publicly disclose it. This also indirectly indicates that regional countries have concerns and worries about the joint operation potentially escalating conflicts or undermining the reconciliation process in the Middle East.

The geopolitics of the Middle East are extremely complex, and any small action can have far-reaching consequences. The US has initiated numerous wars and instigated many riots in this region, and has also suffered many setbacks and paid a high price. It has enough experience in dealing with Middle East issues, but it is now increasingly at a loss and trapped in a dilemma of solving one problem only to find another cropping up. The root cause is that the US has never taken a fair stance, nor has it taken into consideration interests of the Middle Eastern countries, but rather approaches the Middle East issue based on its own hegemonic needs. It wants strategic contraction, yet still attempts to maintain its "dominant position" in the region. It does not want to deeply involve itself in regional conflicts, but still plays the tactics of "bolster one and bash the other" to form small interest circles. Such an approach will inevitably only escalate, rather than calm, the turmoil in the region.

Since the US recognizes that resolving the Red Sea crisis requires a "collective action," the international community's stance on the fundamental Palestine-Israel issue is very clear. The UN General Assembly has clearly expressed this through two overwhelming votes, which call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The US cannot stand against the international community and demand its cooperation. To avoid further escalation of the spillover effects of the Palestine-Israel conflict, the key is to return to the fundamental position of peacefully resolving the issue. Specifically, to defuse the "alert" in the Red Sea, there is probably no better choice than genuinely promoting a Palestine-Israel ceasefire.


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Clark Art Free Gallery Yours for Parents and Infants

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  On Friday, Jan 5 at 10:15 am, the Clark Art Institute hosts a tour of its permanent collection galleries for new parents/caregivers and infants.

The event is free. Participants should meet at the Clarks main Admissions desk.

In this special program, new parents and caregivers bring their infants into the galleries for a guided visit and the opportunity to socialize with other community members in a casual environment. The informal tour includes a unique look at the Clark's permanent collection, featuring an array of works by a variety of artists. Each month offers a different selection of artworks. Best suited for adults with pre-toddlers. Strollers and front-carrying baby carriers are welcome.

Free.
Berkshire VNA reaches Tentative Agreement With BHS

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The nurses and healthcare professionals of the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association (BVNA), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 15 with Berkshire Health Systems, agreeing on contract terms that give BVNA clinicians a wage step scale and tackle some productivity issues to help with recruitment and retention and address patient care access problems.

The agreement is tentative until BVNA clinicians represented by the MNA can review the terms this week. A vote to ratify the contract is scheduled for Dec. 22.

"We have fought long and hard for this contract because we care deeply about our patients and their ability to receive high-quality homecare throughout Berkshire County," said Tamaryn Clowdus, physical therapist, and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Berkshire VNA. "Our collective strength as union nurses and healthcare professionals, along with the community and our labor supporters, was essential in helping us reach an agreement. We are pleased to have secured a wage step scale, productivity improvements, and many other contract provisions that will benefit clinicians and patients for years to come."

Berkshire VNA clinicians had been negotiating their first contract after initially forming a union two years ago. The tentative agreement followed a Dec. 4 informational picket. The informational picket was the latest in a series of actions by BVNA nurses and healthcare professionals. In October, the clinicians delivered a petition to BHS CEO Darlene M. Rodowicz emphasizing that the BVNA has experienced a significant loss of permanent staff since at least December 2021, destabilizing home-care service access and posing a serious risk to continuity of patient care, according to a press release.

In May, BVNA nurses and health-care professionals held a virtual community forum on the changing state of home care. In April, they delivered a petition signed by community members urging BHS to move quickly to settle a contract. BVNA registered nurses, MSWs, and physical, occupational and speech therapists joined MNA in December 2021 following an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.

"We are pleased to share that on Dec. 15 Berkshire Health Systems signed a memorandum of agreement with the Massachusetts Nurses Association on behalf of Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association to affirm a market-competitive contract aligned with both the homecare industry and the health system," said BHS Director of Media Relations Michael Leary. "Our BVNA clinicians are valued members of the Berkshire Health Systems team, and their skill and compassion are integral to our goal of providing quality, comprehensive care to our community. We look forward to continuing to work with our BVNA clinicians and with our healthcare colleagues across the system to advance our mission of health and wellness for everyone in our community in a welcoming, inclusive, and personalized environment."

According to a press release:

The medical needs of Berkshire VNA patients are varied and complex, including post-surgical conditions such as total hip or total knee replacements; stroke; Parkinson's Disease; Multiple Sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); cardiopulmonary conditions; amputations; and post-trauma care (breaks, fractures). In recent years, many hospital-based services for patients have shifted to in-home services, making VNAs and their caregivers an essential and ever-expanding part of the healthcare system. Hospitals now move patients back home faster, leading to a dramatic increase in the size and complexity of the region's at-home patient population.
The Greylock school project has been accepted into the MSBA's schematic design phase.

North Adams School Building Committee Looks Forward to Design Details

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The "fun part" of designing a new school is about to start at the first of the year for the Greylock School project.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority's board unanimously approved the school district's preliminary plans on Dec. 13 and has invited it into the next module: preferred schematic design.

The proposed project would replace the existing Greylock Elementary School and Brayton Elementary School with a new consolidated facility for 240 students in kindergarten through Grade 2, plus pre-kindergarten, at the existing Greylock site.

Superintendent Barbara Malkas told the School Building Committee that they can't be complacent about hitting a milestone and thinking they can coast now.

"It is actually a very short amount of time to accomplish a very monumental amount of work that's going to inform this building project," she said.

Matthew Sturz of owner's project manager Colliers International laid out an adjusted timeline for submitting a preferred design by May 2. In those four months, working groups will be meeting with stakeholders and designers to define and detail the new school.

"MSBA expects the schematic design to be well developed and to really do a good job at covering the scope of the project that we'd like to proceed with," said Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio. "This will be the design that becomes the basis for the project funding agreement. So this is really the time that your budget gets flushed out."

The working groups, as approved by the committee, will focus on teaching and learning, facilities and maintenance, sustainability and energy efficiency, finance and school safety. Each group would meet with the appropriate city and school departments and individuals at least once.

The groups' individual commitments would differ with teaching and learning seeming the most involved timewise with multiple meetings with faculty to discuss classroom needs.

"Finally, I don't think it falls under any working group, we will do initial meetings with the planning and zoning groups at the city government," he said. "And this is almost like a meet and greet to discuss the process, go over the when the initial submissions to the city that need to take place to keep the project on schedule."

Mayor Jennifer Macksey asked that the committee members consider what working groups they would be interested in serving on.

"I think this is the fun part, you actually see all those decisions we made earlier in the year come to life," she said. "So don't get overwhelmed. Just think about what you're interested in serving on."

Member Richard Alcombright asked if all members of the committee would be involved or just the voting members, and if they would serve on multiple groups.

Macksey said all members would be expected to participate and the superintendent had figured on everyone taking at least two working groups. She thought the administration would likely take up some of the areas but that she didn't want it to be exclusively her and staff.

"This project, this is a community project so we'd like to plug people into areas they're interested in," the mayor said.

Alcombright said he was glad of that. "I wanted to make certain the whole committee is engaged in the process and in that there's an expectation for service going forward," he said.

Malkas also noted that the MSBA board had been impressed with the educational plans.

"It was noted by the chair of the Facilities Assessment subcommittee yet again in front of the full board that the education plan can serve as a model for other districts," she said, adding that thanks to support from Sturtz, TSKP Studios and MSBA staff it "came off as a slam dunk."

"I sit in on a lot of these many meetings, whether we're pitching a project or pitching a grant application or just trying to drum up resources for the city of North Adams," said Macksey. "But when you hear members of the MSBA say that our design and our work should be an example for other communities, it just warms my heart."
Dalton Town Hall Lift Out of Order

DALTON, Mass.  Town Hall is down a lift because of safety concerns with the current one in the police station, the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee announced during its meeting on Monday night.

The Town Hall has two chairlifts, one in the police station and one in the public library.

The Town Planner, Health Agent, Building Inspector offices are inaccessible to those who need a chairlift because the library chairlift does not have access to them. If assistance is needed call Town Hall for accommodations.

Garaventa Lift is in the process of locating parts but due to the age it has been difficult to do so.

The town has a service contract with Garaventa Lift for twice-a-year maintenance or repair. The replacement of the old lift does not fall under the maintenance contract.

Barry Architect provided blueprints of Town Hall that shows a possible location for an elevator as requested by the building inspector for future possible use.

The prospect of adding an elevator was included in one of the Town Hall renovation designs but was removed when the Select Board voted to minimize the project's scope to reduce spending.

These prints were provided to Hill-Engineers Architects Planners Inc. to come up with options on how to replace the lift.

"We are going to pay these folks to give us a couple of different options because our lift from 1996 is currently a deathtrap," ADA coordinator Alyssa Maschino said.

Any replacement would need to go out for bid, which triggers several procurement steps.

The public library lift works but is restricted to the library's hours and it lacks an automatic door system on the inside door.

Committee members mentioned a possible solution could be investing in an alert system that would inform staff when a wheelchair user needs assistance gaining access to the building. The system would be similar to a Ring camera, former building grounds superintendent and ADA advisor Patrick Pettit said.

The committee has been exploring its options on how to replace the stair lift in Town Hall since early summer.

During its meeting in Sept ember , the committee said the chair lift project was delayed because Garaventa Lift informed the town that the new weight limit went from 400 pounds to to 650 pounds.

With the new weight limit requirement, the town needs to determine if the current railings can hold 650 pounds, Maschino said during the previous meeting.

At the time of the meeting Garaventa had not provided an update on this yet, however, the company informed Pettit a while back the rails would likely need to be replaced because a different style is needed for the new lift.

It was also noted that the town should invest in ADA pull chains for the Town Hall restrooms.
Berkshire County Historical Society Elects New Board Members

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  At its annual meeting held on Dec. 14, the Berkshire County Historical Society elected its board of directors and officers for 2024.

John Hamilton will serve as President; former President Cynthia Brown will assume the role of Vice President; Robert Salerno will serve as Treasurer; and Sharon Coe as Secretary. Valerie Anderson, Jenna Sciuto, and Laurie Werner were re-elected as directors. New directors elected are Heather Archibald, Matthew Brogan, Linda Cantoni, Michael Dell'Aquila, Cornelius Hoss, Sarah Trudgeon, and Jenna Ware.

About the new directors

Heather Archibald is Assistant Treasurer at the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. She has been a member of the BCHS Education Committee for several years. A lifelong resident of the Berkshires, Heather is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and Kiwanis International as well as other volunteer groups giving back to the Berkshire community. She has a bachelor's degree from The College of New Rochelle, an MBA from MCLA, and is a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies.

Matthew Brogan is the head cider maker and co-owner of the Berkshire Cider Project in North Adams, founded with his wife Katherine Hand in 2020. Berkshire Cider Project is collaborating with Arrowhead on a demonstration orchard of heirloom apple varieties which will eventually be a source for future cider making. Matt is a native of Syracuse, New York and a graduate of Colgate University.

Linda Cantoni is a retired attorney who served for 35 years in both private practice and public service in New York City, as a corporate litigator, white-collar criminal defense attorney, and assistant district attorney. She was a volunteer stage director for the Regina Opera Company, Brooklyn for many years and still serves on its board, as well as on the board of Distributed Proofreaders, an online nonprofit that prepares public-domain e-books for Project Gutenberg. She and her late husband were part-time residents of Lee from 2003 until 2019, when they made it their full-time home.

Michael Dell'Aquila is the General Manager of Hot Plate Brewing Co. in downtown Pittsfield. Prior to relocating to the Berkshires to start Hot Plate Brewing Co. with his wife, Sarah Real, Mike was a New York City-based creative marketer for fifteen years.

Cornelius Hoss is a land use planner and is currently the Community Planning Program Manager at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. He is familiar with the work of the Society through his past work experience with the City of Pittsfield, providing support to the Historical Commission and administering the Community Preservation Act program. Cornelius has a bachelor's degree in anthropology with a focus on archaeology and United States history, and a master's degree in urban planning and real estate development.

Sarah Trudgeon is a poet and the literary director of The Mastheads, a Pittsfield public humanities project and writers' residency located at Herman Melville's Arrowhead. Through The Mastheads' poetry-in-schools program, Fireside, she brings poetry workshops and other poetry programming to Berkshire County public school students and community members.

Jenna Ware joined the Crane Museum of Papermaking to serve as the museum's first director in 2019. Prior to coming to Crane she worked for Shakespeare & Company for nearly thirty years as a teaching artist, administrator, and director. There Jenna specialized in creating family friendly productions for the summer season and eventually became associate director of the education program.
 [  ]  2023-12-19 13:10:57 .

In the late 1970s, a farmer's son named Il Yeon Kwon left the war-impoverished countryside of South Korea, arriving in New York when only 1.5 percent of the American population was of Asian descent, according to The New York Times. In Woodside, Queens, he opened a grocery store called Han Ah Reum, which roughly translates from Korean to "one arm full of groceries," but also has a warm, affectionate connotation, explains The New York Times. https://www.mashed.com/416559/the-untold-truth-of-h-mart/
A Tecumseh man was sentenced to prison this week following an assault that happened earlier this year.

Trenton R. Slama, 27, was sentenced Wednesday in Gage County District Court to two years in prison for each of two counts attempted third-degree assault on an officer or health care professional, two years for attempt of a class 3 or 3A felony and one year for third-degree domestic assault.

The sentences are to be served consecutive, totaling seven years.

Additional charges of strangulation, resisting arrest, obstructing an officer and a habitual criminal violation were previously dismissed as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

On June 16, Gage County deputies were called Rockford Lake for reports of an assault.

Upon arrival, Slama began walking towards deputies saying he was accused of beating a female. Arrest documents state deputies saw several bruises on the womans body, and she appeared to be bleeding from the mouth area.

The woman said Slama had hit her, and a family member told police she observed the assault.

When deputies told Slama he was under arrest, he attempted to run away and was taken to the ground by deputies. He refused to comply with orders, and deputies used a Taser to get him to comply.

During the struggle a deputy was elbowed in the eye. While placing Slama in the car, he again tried to flee deputies and kicked them in the legs. Arrest documents state he attempted to bite a rescue worker who was restraining him.

While seated in the car he hit his head against the window and broke the trim around it. He continued to damage the vehicle while being transported to jail.
The government will need the close cooperation of the private sector for the Philippines to smoothly navigate the road towards its digital transformation destination, a route that the Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy has described as one fraught with major hurdles.

HAND-HOLDING: Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy sought the private sectors close cooperation to ease and accelerate the countrys digital transformation during the recent PH Digicon 2023, VISION: Reimagine Tomorrows Enterprise. Sec. Uy notes during his keynote address that the digital transition will be fraught with challenges but could be hurdled with the private sectors help.

In his keynote address at the Philippine Digital Convention 2023, or PH Digicon 2023, VISION: Reimagine Tomorrows Enterprise, the much-awaited annual industry event hosted by PLDT Enterprise, Uy emphasized how initiatives taken by the private sector such as ePLDTs launch of a sovereign cloud infrastructure could help hasten and ease the countrys development of a digital ecosystem.

The journey for the countrys digital transformation will be quite challenging, said Uy, whose agencys tasked to plan, pursue, and promote the development of the information and communications technology industry. But we are not doing it alone. Your collaboration in the private sector such as ePLDTs launching of Pilipinas Cloud will surely complement our digital transformation initiatives, he added.

Uy said that the ePLDT sovereign cloud infrastructure will be institutionalized across all agencies to accelerate and support digital transformation.

Uy added that the sovereign cloud by ePLDT will help accelerate and support digital transformation in the country because it would enhance collaboration, minimize cost of legacy systems, and improve online public services.

SOVEREIGN CLOUD: ePLDT, the ICT subsidiary of PLDT Inc., presents to government its sovereign cloud infrastructure meant to foster the Philippines digital transformation during the PH Digicon 2023, VISION: Reimagine Tomorrows Enterprise. Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy (2nd from left) receives a plaque in recognition of the PLDT Group and the national government's partnership on ePLDT Pilipinas Cloud, an infrastructure hailed as a game changer in the governments digitalization initiatives, from ePLDT President and CEO Victor Genuino (center). Also in photo, from left, are Mitch Locsin, PLDT and Smart First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business Groups; Noel Lorenzana, PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation and Customer Officer; and Jojo Gendrano, PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

During PH Digicon 2023, ePLDT, the ICT subsidiary of PLDT, launched its sovereign cloud infrastructure, ePLDT Pilipinas Cloud (ePPC), that will primarily host highly sensitive and mission-critical government data and applications to help secure and fast-track the digital transformation initiatives of government.

Victor Genuino, ePLDT President and CEO, said the group-owned and operated ePPC is proof that the Philippines can keep up with the rest of the world by employing the latest in cloud computing technology. He said this digital infrastructure provides a secure, flexible, and cost-effective platform for data storage and processing dovetails with other initiatives of the PLDT Group intended to foster the countrys digital revolution.

With ePLDTs technical expertise and experience in delivering multi-cloud and data center solutions, backed up by our unique understanding of the Philippine governments requirements, we are confident we can ensure the seamless deployment and management of the countrys first sovereign cloud aligned with global standards, said Genuino.

Mitch Locsin, PLDT and Smart First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business Groups, underscored during the digital conference how the Philippines is resolute in ambition to become the hyperscaler hub of Asia Pacific.

But beyond this visionary goal lies something even more significant. At the very core of this digital transformation is the spirit of partnership. The essence of collaboration between the private and public sectors nationwide defines the significance of our journey, Locsin added.

Sec. Uy said the government is looking for further collaboration with the private sector to sustain the countrys digital transition, especially in protecting Filipinos against cyber threats.

We cannot afford to have distrust and fear of digital technologies due to cybercrimes and scams derailing our digital transformation efforts. To address this, we have crafted the national cybersecurity plan for 2023-2028 which provides concrete steps that we will take to enhance our countrys cyber resiliency, he said.

He said the DICTs initiatives to bolster cyber resiliency includes protecting critical information infrastructure, upskilling the local workforce in cyber security, enhancing international cooperation, and improving the national emergency response teams capacities for incidence monitoring and penetration testing.

The work to leave a lasting legacy for Filipinos has just begun, Uy said.

PH Digicon 2023: VISION is powered by Amdocs, Cisco, Huawei Technologies Phils. Inc., Nokia, Google Cloud, Samsung, ZTE Corporation, Avolution Inc., Fortinet, Soprano Design, CSG, Dell Technologies Philippines, Ericsson Telecommunications, Inc., and Maya Philippines, Inc.
Global technology leader Epson Philippines has partnered with Security Bank to launch the Strategic Tie-up of Epson Partners and Security Bank (STEPS), a dealer financing initiative that supports Epson's partners to grow their businesses by providing them with financing that aids in the payment of goods ordered and bridging the liquidity gap. The initiative equips Epson dealers with accessible funds to increase their inventory and fulfill large orders without affecting their liquidity. The payment process will also be streamlined, allowing dealers to collect payments through designated Security Bank accounts. Furthermore, there are plans for dealer incentive programs in the future.

Present at the signing ceremony were (L-R) Security Banks John Cary Ong, EVP and Wholesale Banking Segment Head and Juichi Umeno, Director, EVP, and Alliance Segment Head; as well as Epson Philippines Masako Kusama, President and Director, and Eduardo Bonoan, Head of Sales Division

Access to credit remains a challenge for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines. The World Bank estimates that the credit gap for SMEs in the country is around $26 billion, highlighting the need for programs like Security Bank's Dealer Finance Program to bridge this gap and support business growth.

To address this tension, Epson and Security Bank have partnered for this unique offering, marking a first for both companies. The STEPS Dealer Finance Program tackles the financial constraints hindering the growth of Epson's partners, particularly the dealers responsible for supplying Epson products to various businesses, including corporate clients and SMEs. By offering Epson dealers access to funds, the program enables them to better serve their customer base with a more extensive inventory and the ability to handle larger orders.

STEPS Dealer Finance Program offers numerous benefits for dealers. The program provides a standby facility for dealers to overcome challenges or obstacles they may encounter when financing their purchases, enabling them to better manage their cash flow and invest in growing their businesses, said John Cary Ong, Executive Vice President and Wholesale Banking Segment Head. Dealers can maintain their current ordering methods and choose which distributor to order from, ensuring minimal disruption to their existing operations.

The partnership between Epson and Security Bank reflects Epson's goal to produce results that bring delight to customers. By collaborating with Security Bank, Epson demonstrates its commitment to supporting its partners and fostering growth across segments.

"We are excited to collaborate with Security Bank to launch this innovative STEPS Dealer Finance Program, stated Masako Kusama, President and Director of Epson Philippines. This partnership not only opens up new opportunities for our dealers but also aligns with Epson's corporate purpose of delivering unique value through innovative and creative solutions. By providing financial support to our partners, we can collectively drive growth in the corporate segment and contribute to the success of businesses in the Philippines."
In partnership with PLDT and Smart, the Provincial Government of Quirino recently held a mental health awareness summit with students and government employees from the province of Quirino. Advocating mental health awareness in communities, PLDT Group featured mental health professionals, including Riyan Portuguez (Your Millennial Psychologist), doctor and podcaster Dr. Gia Sison, and popular content creator Macoy Dubs.

Around 800 students and government employees join the Mental Health Awareness Summit dubbed as Better Today Conversations, which is a collaborative initiative between the Provincial Government of Quirino and PLDT and Smart.

We are grateful to our partners from PLDT and Smart for bringing this mental health awareness summit to Quirino. This is an important initiative that aims to shed light on the importance of taking care of our mental health. By providing this space to talk about mental health and wellness, we are able to destigmatize these important matters and are able to share the message that there is hope, said Provincial Governor Dakila Carlo Dax E. Cua.

With our Better Today program, we aim to provide a safe space for everyone to create and spark inter-generational conversations on mental health and wellness. As a community platform, Better Today strengthens the vision of togetherness and camaraderie  and how, in every way, it becomes an important reminder that you are not alone. This is a key part of our advocacy in PLDT and Smart to provide a safe, inclusive space for everyone, to help enhance the positive impacts of technology in the lives of Filipino people, said Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Group Head for Corporate Communications.

The summit enabled the participants to process the lessons learned during the breakout sessions. They were also given an opportunity to engage with Portuguez by asking their questions on mental health-related topics, including self-care, managing and regulating strong emotions, and creating healthy habits to enhance ones mental and emotional wellbeing.

Promoting digital wellness is a key part of PLDT and Smarts continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) #3 that stands for good health and well-being.
With the expansion and growth of their business, as well as the rise of digital transactions, Rang-Ay Bank has recently partnered with PLDT Enterprise to deploy Vulnerability Management as-a-Service (VMaaS), through ePLDT, the ICT arm of the countrys largest integrated telecommunications and digital services provider PLDT. The partnership will further support Rang-Ay Banks mission to ensure the security of their online and mobile banking.

In Photo: PLDT Enterprise and Rang-Ay Bank come together to officially sign and announce their growing partnership with the latest implementation of ePLDTs Vulnerability Management as-a-Service (VMaaS) to ensure the bank's security. (L-R) Michelle Z. Baul, Enterprise Strategic Solutions Head For Regional and SMBiz at PLDT Enterprise; Rexel R. Gongora, Business Head of North Luzon CRM at PLDT Enterprise; Jay C. Lagdameo, Vice President & Head of Enterprise Revenue Group at PLDT Enterprise; Ives Q. Nisce, Chairman of Rang-Ay Bank; Ives Jesus C. Nisce II, President & Chief Executive Officer of Rang-Ay Bank; and Francis Michael A. De Los Santos, Vice President for IT & Security of Rang-Ay Bank.

Rang-Ay Bank is the oldest enduring bank in Ilocandia and one of the well-established banks in the country. A PLDT Enterprise partner since 2009, Rang-Ay Bank initially acquired its connectivity services with Enterprise Broadband, to address their challenges on slow internet connection in the region and slow response on the restoration of lines. Since the partnership, the bank has seen significant improvement and more stable connectivity services.

Now, more recently, with the new implementation of VMaaS in their operations, Rang-Ay Bank became the first PLDT Enterprise partner to enroll the new service to their mobile applications, database server, core banking system, mobile banking server, and their payment hub server.

With plans to launch additional branches, Rang-Ay Bank opted to prevent their risk and exposure to all possible security incidents by partnering with PLDT Enterprise and availing ePLDT's VMaaS, which allows them to identify and fix as many vulnerabilities as possible within their environment.

As the digital transformation ally of businesses, PLDT Enterprise continues to put themselves in their customers position and look at their business and their industry from where they sit.

Ultimately, VMaaS is all about our commitment to customers. As technologies continue to evolve and industries continue to transform, this service allows us to empower our partners with secure and reliable solutions to help them propel their business visions. In any customer journey, its all about empathy, purpose, and commitment, which is basically the mantra of industries today. With services like VMaaS, we fully support Rang-Ays vision for a secure financial sector, says Mitch Locsin, First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business Groups, PLDT and Smart.

We are very much excited to continuously work with Rang-Ay Bank, consistent with your mission of making your services accessible and globally competitive with the market. As you continue to grow and improve your services to your customers in the North, primarily in Ilocos, we look forward to working closely with you in your journey, Locsin added.

As businesses nationwide and organizations in the region have been exploring digital solutions to support their operations, PLDT Enterprise has committed to fully supporting SMEs in the country. For clients like Rang-Ay Bank, PLDT Enterprise commits to pushing cybersecurity in promoting a robust financial industry, especially for businesses in the province. With this most recent vulnerability management service, the importance of building a secure and reliable banking industry, and ensuring its many benefits to customers, especially in the Ilocos Region, is a major consideration for the partnership.

We at Rang-Ay Bank are very excited about this continuing transformative partnership, one that promises to completely change and enhance the way rural financial institutions approach cybersecurity and technological resilience. Rang-Ay feels like we are in the good hands of PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT, the pioneer in telecommunications and digital services here in the Philippines. Now, more than ever, we need to have a more holistic cybersecurity because the world is growing more and more digitally interconnected, and the advancement of technology means equally advanced threats. This partnership is a testament to our commitment against the rising tide of cyber risks, says Ives Nisce, Rang-Ay Bank Chairman.

Combining Rang-Ay Banks 67 years of experience in providing financial services in the countryside and partnering with PLDT Enterprise and ePLDTs world-class technology, this collaboration provides us with the tools and intelligence required to detect vulnerabilities in real-time, analyze them comprehensively, and mitigate them swiftly, concluded Nisce.

With ePLDTs VMaaS, PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of PLDT, continues to champion for Luzon SMEs with solutions custom-made for their needs to navigate in the increasing business landscape influenced by the growing market demands, empowering them to expand their operations outside their communities.
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Indian prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to look into allegations of an Indian assassination plot in the US, while insisting that a few incidents were unlikely to derail the diplomatic ties between the two nations.

This is the first time that Mr Modi has publicly addressed the matter after the US accused India of an assassination plot against New York-based Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen who has been labelled a terrorist in India. He denies any illegal activity.

Speaking with the British newspaper the Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday, Mr Modi said: "If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it."

He also expressed his concerns about extremist groups operating overseas, however, an apparent reference to organisations like Pannuns which advocate for the creation of a separate Sikh state in what is now India, known as the Khalistan movement. These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence, he said.

The Indian prime minister said the allegations, and earlier claims of a successful Indian assassination plot against a Sikh leader in Canadaa, were unlikely to affect the relationship between India and the US, adding that security and counter-terrorism cooperation has been a key component of the partnership.

There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.

I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said.

We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism. The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration.

Earlier in November, the US raised concerns with New Delhi about the plot to kill Mr Pannun. The allegations came two months after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau raised similar concerns in parliament, saying there were credible allegations that the Indian government may have had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

At the time, India rejected the accusation as absurd. But Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat and India responded with the same measure.But in November, the US officials alleged that an Indian government official paid $100,000 for a plot to assassinate Pannun.

They became aware of the plot to kill the separatist leader last spring. The Indian government formed a high-level inquiry committee on 18 November to look into all the aspects of the matter after the US shared some information with India, said spokesperson for Indias Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi.

The unnamed government official was mentioned in an indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, that charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, an Indian national who had lived in India, with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

"The defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a US citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethno-religious minority group in India," US attorney Damian Williams said in a release announcing the charges against Mr Gupta.

Mr Gupta was arrested on 30 June by Czech authorities through a bilateral extradition treaty between the US and the Czech Republic, according to the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear when he might be brought to the United States.

US authorities said the plot was directed by an Indian government agency employee who has described himself as a "senior field officer" with responsibilities in "security management" and "intelligence", according to the indictment, seen by the AP.
Marco Barker, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. June 19, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  When Nyarial Nyoak came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in fall 2020, under the shadows of COVID-19, she says UNLs diversity, equity and inclusion efforts provided community.

Nyoak, a political science major now in her senior year, said efforts from UNLs Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services smoothed the transition to college. Staff in those areas provided cultural awareness and lifelong learning, lessons that Nyoak says she and her friends are using to give back to those around them.

Now, UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett has proposed significantly cutting the budget of the two offices, and Nyoak was among more than 200 faculty, staff and students pushing back in a joint letter two weeks ago.

Bennett proposed $12 million in budget cuts Nov. 8, including $800,000 to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services. The cuts are meant to close a budget deficit largely fueled by declining enrollment.

The $800,000 is a cut of about 46% combined for the two.

Under the proposal, the diversity and inclusion office would be restructured from a central hub to a role primarily supporting campus-wide priorities or initiatives. DEI work would be focused in colleges, departments and units. Three filled staff positions would be eliminated in the offices.

Finding community

Nyoak said the programs changed her life for the better as students look for resources and seek out individuals who look like them. Those are the experiences that make college worthwhile, she added.

For example, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, of which Nyoak is president, hosted a study night last week during finals. Students stayed and talked about life in general, Nyoak said, remaining on campus until 5 a.m.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council nationwide consists of the nine historically Black Greek letter organizations. Five are represented at UNL.

Through the two programs, Nyoak also connected with Charlie Foster, known by many as Miss Charlie, who, like Nyoak, is a Zeta Phi Beta sorority sister.

Being able to have her as a resource and a mentor to talk to has made my experience so much better on campus, Nyoak said. To see that that experience could potentially be taken away due to the budget cuts is kind of just heartbreaking.

Cuts antithesis to UNLs mission

Two weeks ago, a letter from 200 faculty, staff and students was circulated for about 24 hours by members of AFIRE  Advocating for Inclusion, Respect and Equity  in the College of Education and Human Sciences before being sent to Bennett on Dec. 7.

Budgets are moral documents as they reflect the values of an organization, the letter states. Such a drastic cut to diversity and inclusion efforts within our campus is the antithesis to the mission of the university.

Other student organization leaders, in addition to Nyoak, signed on behalf of:

Afrikan Peoples Union.

Asian Student Union.

Define American Chapter.

First Generation Student Organization.

Mexican American Student Association.

oSTEM at UNL (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Spectrum UNL.

TRANScend.

Do we matter?

Crystal Garcia, an assistant professor of educational administration and co-leader of AFIRE, said she has not received a response or confirmation that their letter was received.

Its just been radio silence and  the uncertainty of, do we matter? Garcia said. Does our voice really matter? Does what we have to say matter?

Leslie Reed, a UNL spokesperson, did not respond before publication to the question of whether the AFIRE letter was received but said she does not expect next steps on the budget until January.

She pointed to Bennetts past comments that all those engaged with the budget process recognize its significant effort on UNL faculty, students and staff.

The university has no choice but to make difficult decisions to address a structural budget deficit, and we are proceeding in a manner that allows us to continue to fulfill our mission as Nebraskas land-grant and flagship university and remains consistent with our status as a Carnegie R1 institution, Bennett said in the statement to the Nebraska Examiner.

Bennett started at UNL on July 1 and is the first person of color in the UNL chancellor role.

The University of Nebraska system still must close about $54 million of its $58 million budget shortfall projected over the next two years, on top of the $12 million ongoing at UNL.

Expecting the worst

Garcia, whose research focuses on the experiences of minoritized college students, said there are significant disparities in educational attainment due to myriad identity factors, particularly race and ethnicity. She fears these gaps could increase with the proposed cuts.

DEI work isnt going away, Garcia added, but work dynamics will change because of efforts to decentralize the central Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Youre going to be diluting those efforts, or youre going to be expecting people to do a lot of unpaid work and add to already very stressful and overworked educators plates, Garcia said.

Stephanie Bondi, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Educational Administration and AFIRE co-leader, said UNL is so large she can go a year without seeing her colleagues, so the DEI work will happen in pockets without central support.

They threaten so many aspects of the institution as a whole, Bondi said of the cuts, pointing to UNLs strategic priorities, enrollment and graduation rates.

While she is thankful to graduate in May, Nyoak said, she worries about prospective students. Nyoak said she is talking about the proposals with her younger brothers.

I hate saying expect the worst, pray for the best, Nyoak said. But right now, a lot of us are just expecting the worst to happen.
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The Indian government is facing criticism from opposition parties after the unprecedented suspension of 141 members from parliament, including a large majority of all opposition MPs from the lower house.

The MPs were demanding a ministerial statement be provided to the house over a significant security breach last week, when two smoke bomb-wielding protesters ran through the chamber of the Lok Sabha, or lower house.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, a member of Narendra Modis ruling BJP party, suspended 14 MPs last week on the basis that they were disrupting the houses proceedings by repeatedly demanding the breach be discussed. He suspended another 33 on Monday and 49 on Tuesday, meaning that of 142 opposition MPs in the 543-member lower house, 95 are suspended until the end of the winter session.

In the 250-member upper house or Rajya Sabha, there are 101 opposition parliamentarians. Of these, 46 have been suspended for making similar demands.

All democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the largest opposition party, Congress, posted on X. Another senior party member, Jairam Ramesh, called it the murder of democracy.

The suspensions come at a significant time for Indias legislature, with the BJP aiming to push through four important new bills in the coming days, including three overhauling the countrys colonial-era criminal codes.

We are completely ready for discussion, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said last Friday. Very important bills are coming in the coming days, including three bills related to the Indian Criminal Procedure Court which will be discussed. We urge [the opposition] to engage in meaningful discussion during this time, he said.

Although disruptions and protests are not unusual in the Indian parliament, the total of 141 suspensions by the presiding officers of the two houses is a record in the history of the country since independence, according to analysts.

Mr Modis party defended the move, accusing the opposition of deliberately obstructing the functioning of parliament.

The rude behaviour of the Congress and its friendly partners has embarrassed the entire country, said Piyush Goyal, a BJP MP. Both the speaker and the [Rajya Sabha] chairman were insulted today.

In a video broadcast on the parliaments live stream on Monday, the protesting opposition lawmakers were shown gathering in front of the chairman of the upper house, Jagdeep Dhankhar, and shouting slogans as they sought a discussion of the 13 December security breach. Similar scenes were also witnessed in the lower house.

Mr Modi, in an interview with a Hindi-language newspaper, earlier said that while the breach was very serious and there should be a detailed investigation into it, there was no need to debate this in parliament.

On Tuesday, the prime minister mocked the opposition for what he called their antics, saying that they are not destined to do constructive work, and might not return to parliament after the next years general election even in the current strength.

Mr Modi is also alleged to have expressed concern at attempts to justify the parliament security breach, saying it is as worrisome as the incident itself, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi told news agency PTI.

The remarks came in an apparent reference to comments from Congress parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi, who blamed unemployment and price rises for the smoke-bomb protest.

How can a party believing in democratic values overtly or covertly justify it, PM Modi said, according to party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

But opposition lawmakers pushed back against the suspensions, accusing the government of behaving in a autocratic manner by not even permitting a discussion of th ebreach.

"This government has reached the apex of dictatorship, said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congresss leader in the lower house. They have the majority, and they are wielding the stick of power. They want to run parliament like a party office. But that cannot happen. We were eager for a discussion. The productivity of parliament before 13 December is for all to see. It seems they find it easier to talk to the media, but are scared to speak in parliament," he said.

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, center, join other lawmakers in a protest against the suspension of lawmakers, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, 19 December 2023 (AP)

First, intruders attacked parliament. Then Modi govt is attacking parliament & democracy, Mr Kharge said on Monday on X. With an opposition-less parliament, the Modi govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate.

Last week, police filed terrorism charges against five people after two individuals entered Indias lower house of parliament and hurled smoke bombs. They created chaos by leaping into the well where lawmakers typically sit and let off smoke canisters, filling the space with a yellow gas.

The federal home ministry is also investigating the breach.

While the Indian parliament has a history of at-times raucus and disruptive behaviour from MPs, this is by far the largest number of MPs to have been suspended in decades. The last major mass-suspension was in 1989, when 63 members of the lower house were ordered out amid an uproar over the tabling of a commission inquiry looking into the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

While both opposition and ruling parties have an equal stake in ensuring the functioning of parliament, political analysts believe that when it is not working effectively, the government in power benefits.

It benefits in a way that ministers dont have to answer questions about the functioning of their ministry, Chakshu Roy, the head of legislative and civic engagement initiatives at a political research institute PRS Legislative, earlier told The Independent during an interview in 2021, at a time when the Modi administration was also facing accusations of attempting to bypass parliament.

A law is passed quickly without a debate. So, the governments legislative agenda gets accomplished. The opposition also suffers because it is not able to corner the ministers, or point out the improvements in the law that can be done.

Unlike in Westminster, India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar. While the Indian constitution broadly stipulates a gap of no more than six months between two parliamentary sessions, it is convention to hold three short sessions per year. But even these are cut shorter still due to frequent disruptions.
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A court in Italy has sentenced a Pakistani couple to life imprisonment for killing their 18-year-old daughter for refusing an arranged marriage.

Prosecutors said Saman Abbas was killed by her family on 1 May 2021. Her body wasnt discovered until it was dug up at an abandoned farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022.

The so-called honour killing was one of the most high-profile murder trials in the past year in Italy, which has launched a wider probe into the slaying or mistreatment of immigrant women by their families.

Her father Shabbar Abbas, who was extradited to Italy in August to face trial, and mother Nazia Shaheen, who remained in Pakistan, have been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty by a court in the northern city of Reggio Emilia on Tuesday.

Her uncle, Danish Hasnain, was handed a 14-year prison term while her two cousins were found not guilty and were ordered to be released from jail.

Her father maintained his innocence during a tearful statement to the court before the judges deliberations.

"This trial is not complete. I too want to know who killed my daughter," he told the court.

The girl had emigrated to a farm town, Novellara, in Italys northern region of Emilia-Romagna from Pakistan as a teenager. There she began dating a Pakistani man and posted a picture kissing her boyfriend on a street in the regional capital, Bologna in a social media post.

The post enraged her Muslim parents, according to prosecutors, who tried to force her to marry a cousin in Pakistan in 2020.

She began living under the protection of social services in October 2020 but returned to her parents in Novellara in April 2021 before she went missing, according to Italian media reports.

She reportedly told her boyfriend that she feared for her life, because of her refusal to marry an older man in her homeland.

CCTV footage released by the police showed her parents and her uncle walking with spades, a crowbar and a blue bag on 29 April 2021. The next day, the teenager was seen leaving the house with her parents in separate video footage.

An autopsy revealed the young woman had a broken neck bone, possibly caused by strangulation.

The term honour killing refers to the slaying of a woman or girl after she is perceived to have broken religious beliefs or societal norms. Human rights groups have condemned such violence against women, which can be carried out over trivial reasons like dressing in a way deemed inappropriate, refusing arranged marriages or having love affairs.

Pakistan has several laws specifically banning honour killing and has made sentencing tougher in the past two decades, including closing a loophole that previously allowed killers to go free if they were forgiven by the family of the victim.

Yet human rights groups say the practice remains widespread, with an estimated 800 to 1000 women killed each year in Pakistan in honour-based violence.
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Cameron Diaz likes to have her own space and thinks theres nothing wrong with that.

The Bad Teacher star, 51, recently opened up about how she wants to normalise married couples having separate bedrooms, as shes found it extremely beneficial in her relationship and living situation. In fact, Diaz has previously expressed her desire for her and her husband have their own houses.

During an appearance on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast on 19 December, the Hollywood icon told co-hosts Molly Sims and Emese Gormley about her long-time desire to have separate spaces in a marriage. When one host mentioned their husband had a terrible snoring problem, Diaz said: We should normalise separate bedrooms. To me, I would literally, I have my house, you have yours. We have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room. You go sleep in your room. Im fine.

And we have the bedroom in the middle that we can convene in for our relations, she said.

The Holiday stars confession was met with some hesitation, especially from her Avaline wine business partner Katherine Power, who was also a guest on the podcast. The women were stunned by Diazs thoughts on cohabitation in a marriage, but the Charlies Angels actor noted that she isnt in favour of residing in her own house separate from her husband. By the way, I dont feel that way now because my husband is so wonderful. I said that before I got married, she said.

Diaz tied the knot with Good Charlotte musician Benji Madden in 2015, about one year into their relationship. The duo met at a party in 2014. Diaz was introduced to Maddens brother, Joel, and his wife Nicole Richie before she met her husband.

We were in the same room because of them, and then we found each other, the Shrek star proclaimed during a 2021 recording of the Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast. I was, like, How come I didnt see him before? she recalled.

In January 2015, the pair hosted their nuptials in their Beverly Hills home surrounded by close friends and family. The two welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in 2020.

When it comes to the intimate details of her relationship, Diaz has openly discussed the ways in which her husband has helped her improve individually over the years. I do think that marriage, when you can grow with someone, its very important, Diaz said on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016.

Someone asked me, Whats your favorite thing about being married? and I said, I just learned so much about myself. I didnt know these things. I would have never known them if I didnt have my husband to help me, she added. And they said, Whats the worst thing about being married? Its like, Well I learned all these things about myself that I wish I didnt know. And I wouldnt have learned them if I didnt get married. So its a double-edged sword.
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An Italian fashion blogger-turned-businesswoman has apologised after being fined 1 million euros ($1.1m) by Italy's anti-trust authority for improperly communicating a charitable contribution tied to sales of a traditional Christmas cake sold with her logo.

In an Instagram post on 18 December, Chiara Ferragni said she would donate 1 million euros to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin to give concreteness to her apology, but she said she would challenge the fine itself.

Ferragni said that she had not given sufficient oversight to the communication surrounding the sales of the Balocco-brand pandoro with her logo, and that she would no longer tie in charity with commercial activities.

Ferragni started as a fashion blogger and went on to sell clothing, accessories, and makeup under her own brand in addition to doing promotional work as an influencer. She is also on the Tod's luxury fashion group board of directors.

Italys anti-trust agency on Friday also fined Balocco 420,000 euros for giving consumers the impression that part of the earnings from sales of the Ferragni-branded pandoro would benefit the hospital. In reality, the agency said, Balocco had donated 50,000 euros prior to the campaign launched in November 2022 and no additional funds were sent afterward.

The agency noted that the Ferragni-branded Pandoro Pink Christmas cakes sold for more than 9 euros each, compared with the usual 3.70-euro price tag.

In her video, Ferragni said she was challenging the agencys fine, calling it disproportionate. If the fine is lowered, Ferragni said she would donate whatever the difference is to the same charity.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in a speech over the weekend criticised Ferragni without naming her, citing influencers who promote expensive panettone making believe that they are for charity, when the price only pays for millionaires fees.

Additional reporting from AP
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A former agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation has disclosed the one thing he would never do or recommend.

In a 12 December TikTok video, Steve Lazarus, a retired agent and US Air Force veteran, spoke candidly to his 138,000 followers. The post, which has now gained over 5.4 million views, was just one of many in his known series: Things I would never do as a retired FBI agent. Lazarus topic for the day was home DNA test kits.

He started by clarifying the test kits to which he was referring. Home DNA test kits that promise to put you in contact with family members you never knew existed, Lazarus remarked before proclaiming that this tool is a hard no for him.

And if you wanted a reason, in one word, its privacy, the intelligent individual continued. I know these companies promise to protect your privacy and your data, but did you know that in 2019 a detective in Florida got a court order that allowed him to blanket search over a million records blindly in one of these databases looking for one of his subjects?

Aside from the level of security, Lazarus pointed out how misuse factors into his disapproval of these third-party kits.

He went on to say: While were on the subject of misuse, do you really think a health insurance company wouldnt want a copy of your DNA when theyre redeciding whether to grant you coverage or allow you to get a treatment for an existing or a preexisting condition?

Lastly, Lazarus noted the possibility of the company getting hacked, explaining how theres always a possibility a different company could take over and have different moral views, which he noted could lead to a greater lack of privacy and more misuse of client data.

Look, I understand some people might want this to find their birth parent or some other legitimate reason, the former government worker admitted. However, these kits are not for him.

According to the website of one leading DNA tester, it promises to not share your genetic data with employers, insurance companies, public databases or 3rd party marketers without your explicit consent.

More than that, the company exceed industry data protection standards and have achieved three different ISO certifications to demonstrate the strength of our security program. The company also noted it encrypts all sensitive information and will not release any individual-level personal information to law enforcement unless we are required to do so by court order, subpoena, search warrant or other requests that we determine are legally valid.

In the comments section of Lazarus video, followers added other explanations for why they wouldnt conduct a home DNA test kits.

One TikTok user wrote: If anyone in your family has ever done it, they got you anyway.

Yup I knew this. Read the fine print for a good scare, another viewer said.

A third remarked: Id be more worried about your overall digital footprint over DNA samples being hacked and misused.

Among the people who shared the same apprehensions, one woman said she had a positive experience with one company.

Without the DNA test kit, I wouldve never found seven of my siblings who are looking for me, she wrote.

The Independent has contacted Lazarus for a comment.
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A plus-size woman has been defended after she refused to give up her extra seat to a toddler on a flight.

In a viral post shared to the popular Reddit forum Am I the A**hole?, a 34-year-old woman questioned whether she was in the wrong for refusing to give up the extra seat she had paid for to a strangers child.

I am obese. Im actively working toward losing weight and Ive made progress but Im still obese as Im typing this, she began the post, which was shared to Reddit on 19 December. She explained that she was travelling to see her brother and his husband for Christmas across the country, and booked herself an extra seat in her aisle so that she was more comfortable during the flight. I know it sucks having to pay for an extra seat but it is what it is, she wrote.

The woman explained that checking into her flight and boarding the plane had gone smoothly until another woman came to her row with her 18-month-old son. She told me to squeeze into one seat so her son could sit in the other. She told me, not asked. I told her no and that I paid for this seat for the extra space, the Reddit user said.

She makes a big fuss over it, which got the flight attendants attention, she continued. The fellow passenger told the flight attendant that the woman was stealing the seat from her son, to which the Reddit user showed her boarding pass to prove that she had indeed paid for the extra seat. The flight attendant asked me if I could try to squeeze in but I said no, that I wanted the extra seat I paid for, she said.

The airline employee eventually told the mother to sit in the seat with her son in her lap, but that didnt stop her from criticising the Reddit user. I got dirty looks and passive aggressive remarks from her for the entire flight and I do feel a little bad because the boy looked hard to control, she said.

Taking to Reddit, the plus-size woman wondered if she shouldve given her extra seat to the womans son, despite paying for it herself. However, Reddit users applauded her for sticking her ground and refusing to give up her seat.

You paid for your seat. This woman was trying to steal a free seat for her kid, one person commented under the viral post. If its too hard to have him on her lap, buy a seat for him. Its s*** that they even asked you to share or give up your seat.

Shes the a**hole for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping thered be extra seats on the flight so she didnt have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole, another person said. Classic case of you snooze you lose.

Others criticised the flight attendant for not defending the plus-size woman, writing: The cabin crew should have stopped this straight away once they saw you had booked both seats, it should have been obvious why. They should not have asked you to squeeze into one seat.

Meanwhile, one person left the Reddit user an encouraging message in the comment section. You should always do what you can to be as healthy as you can, but being fat isnt a character flaw or a moral failing, they said. We all have our own challenges in life, and you deserve to not be ashamed of your body and yourself even if you arent currently meeting your goals.

If mom wants an extra seat for her kids, she should have purchased one. Shes not entitled to a seat you purchased, and you dont need to feel bad for her bad behaviour.

Southwest Airlines recently introduced its new customer of size policy, which allows plus-size passengers to use extra seats for free. Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighbouring seat(s) can buy the number of extra seats they need and receive a refund at check-in, the US airline stated. The policy is based on size, rather than weight; passengers qualify for a free ticket if any part of their body extends past their seats armrest.

The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification of a special seating need and allows us to adequately plan for the number of occupied seats onboard, the policy read. It also helps us ensure we can accommodate all customers on the flight for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking customers to relinquish their seats for unplanned accommodation.

Travellers can purchase the extra seats ahead of time and approach a Southwest customer service agent at the airport to request a refund for the additional ticket, or they can enquire once at the airport.
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Carolyn Owlett had mentally prepared herself for 14 weeks of wearing discrete dental aligners to straighten her teeth. She hadnt, though, prepared herself for the bill. After walking out of her initial Invisalign session with her dentist in 2019, she was asked to pay the standard fee: 3,500. But as her 14 weeks came to a close, she was told she needed to pay an extra 1,000 to achieve the look she had initially been promised. And when Owletts aligners snapped during the pandemic and she returned to the dentist when lockdown ended, she was told she couldnt have the aligners replaced or repaired. Instead she would have to begin the treatment all over again  before being quoted another 3,500.

It seems like they sign you up for a certain price, knowing that they will have to hard-sell you later down the line and extend your treatment to finish the job, she tells me. The lack of honesty left a bitter taste in my mouth and a hole in my wallet. This price increase caused Owlett to abandon the idea of having straight teeth altogether. I couldnt really afford or justify it at that point, she says. Ive just had to settle with the results, which arent bad but [my teeth still] arent straight  you wouldnt think I had braces.

Invisalign is one, albeit pricey, route to a supposedly Hollywood smile. Cheaper alternatives, however, have been thrown into the spotlight in recent weeks for all the wrong reasons. Last week, the US-based dentistry company SmileDirectClub was abruptly shut down, months after filing for bankruptcy. Its closure has left thousands of customers in the lurch as they wait to hear whether their treatment can be completed or if theyre eligible for a refund. While SmileDirectClub indeed had its pitfalls  more on that later  the news is a warning that the invisible dental aligner industry may have become too bloated for its own good.

Related: RNC orthodontist offering free guns for Invisalign

SmileDirectClub offered mail-order invisible dental aligners for the lower price of 1,800  all without the hassle of visiting a dentist in person. Dozens of companies offer a similar model: patients make a mould of their teeth using an at-home kit and receive a set of aligners in the post. Sounds simple enough, but the reality is that moulds taken by a mere mortal  aka someone without six years of dentistry training  arent going to guarantee accurate impressions, nor that Hollywood smile. Poor quality moulds can mean that the aligners are more susceptible to breaking, or lead to even worse circumstances, such as permanently damaging the teeth.

One SmileDirectClub user  who wishes to remain anonymous  says he paid for 22 weeks worth of aligners in monthly instalments. However, when the aligners arrived, they didnt fit on his teeth. He tried putting them on, but his teeth began hurting. He asked for a refund, but the company then went bankrupt. Its customer service department is unreachable, and he is now uncertain about whether he can get his money back.

The company said in a statement: SmileDirectClub has made the incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately. For new customers interested in SmileDirectClub services, thank you for your interest, but aligner treatment is no longer available through our telehealth platform. To its existing customers, the company apologise[d] for the inconvenience, adding: Thank you for your support and letting us improve over two million smiles and lives.

Before it collapsed, SmileDirectClub was just one company among dozens offering limited-contact treatment for teeth straightening and promising drastic results in short amounts of time. Dr Sam Jethwa of Bespoke Smile, who is president-elect of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, says that there is a huge industry concern about the rise in mail-order aligner companies.

You wouldnt get your eyes tested online, so why would you do that for your dental work? (iStock)

Braces ordered online can move the teeth too quickly, which could even loosen the teeth and result in tooth loss, he says. Companies might claim to be able to fix your teeth in under 10 months, but in reality, most orthodontists recommend 12 to 18 months at a minimum. The movement of teeth needs to be a gradual process, Dr Jethwa adds. This is partly because as the teeth move, the gum around them needs to regrow.

Dr Anjili Patel, director of external relations at the British Orthodontic Society, tells me that wearing mail-order aligners means you are sometimes being treated by an invisible clinician. You dont really know who your clinician is, and theyve never checked your teeth, she says, adding that by not seeing your teeth in-person, your bone levels or root-type wont be observed. If you came to see me, I would spend 40 minutes getting to know you. Ill take X-rays. Ill check the gums. Ill check the quality of the teeth. Ill find out your bone strength, and whether you have short roots. If you do have short roots, I might say dont do it. And if theres a tooth that needs filling, Ill say lets not start [aligning] until thats been done.

Patel says that its also uncertain whether the employees at mail-to-order aligner companies are trained orthodontists  it could more likely be that the person making your mould is someone who took a short weekend training course. You wouldnt get your eyes tested online, so why would you do that for your dental work? I dont understand how you can practice dentistry without the dentist seeing the patient, she says.

It seems like they sign you up for a certain price, knowing that they will have to hard-sell you later down the line and extend your treatment to finish the job Carolyn Owlett

That said, theres no denying the appeal of the type of service offered by mail-order aligner companies  especially in the era of influencer marketing. People want things quickly these days, and they get lured in by that, she says. Some companies claim that your teeth will be straightened in four months. But often lots of these companies are not looking at the bigger picture  they focus on the aesthetics of the front eight teeth, meaning the most visible ones. Theyre not trying to improve your bite, theyre just straightening them, says Patel. So while your teeth all look perfect, you might not be able to eat with them.

Many people have had successful experiences with invisible aligners  but you must be prepared to pay even more along the way. If you go to a new clinician [after things go wrong with another provider], they are going to start the process all over again  they wont pick up where that company left off, Dr Patel says. So to be on a new course of treatment it could be 3,000 to 5,000, or more. She says that its also expensive stuff for the orthodontist carrying out the treatment. At her practice, it costs her 2,000 per patient just to buy in the aligners, and thats before shes charged for her time and services.

The cheaper option isnt always the better [or] the reasonable option, says Patel. You can really put yourself at risk. However, as much as you should be wary about who is making your aligners, its ultimately the patients responsibility to be consistent with their course of treatment to make sure they get the desired results. They need to be wearing their aligners for at least 22 hours a day, she says. You have to be consistent with it and also pick the right practitioner that is right for you.
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Pain is a tricky subject - as it is often considered subjective and dependent on individual pain threshold.

However, while the painfulness of getting a tattoo or having a baby may be debatable, there are certain health conditions or illnesses that are undeniably excruciating.

According to the NHS, there are 20 conditions that rank as pain so disabling that they can prevent you from performing daily tasks - and they include well-known pains such as broken bones and kidney stones to the lesser-known but still agony-causing gout or trigeminal neuralgia.

The NHS also names frozen shoulder as one of the worst pains to suffer, a condition where the joint becomes so tight and stiff that its almost impossible to raise your arm. The condition can last for several years if left untreated.

Endometriosis, a debilitating gynaecological condition where tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus is found elsewhere in the body, makes the list as well.

The condition, which is thought to affect one in 10 women worldwide, takes an average of 7.5 years to diagnose - during which women can experience general pain, pelvic pain, period pain, and pain during sex, as well as fertility issues.

Also amongst the NHSs list of conditions that can cause the most notoriously severe pains are arthritis, appendicitis and migraines.The full list, in no particular order, is as follows:

Shingles

Cluster headaches

Frozen shoulder

Broken bones

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

Heart attack

Slipped disc

Sickle cell disease

Arthritis

Migraine

Sciatica

Kidney stones

Appendicitis

Trigeminal neuralgia

Acute pancreatitis

Gout

Endometriosis

Stomach ulcer

Fibromyalgia

Pain after surgery

Of the conditions, Dr Gary LeRoy, a family medicine doctor in Dayton, Ohio, told The Independent: These are all very valid pain conditions that we commonly see in the healthcare setting.

However, Dr LeRoy would argue that two other conditions make the list as well - back pain, the most common thing that we see in primary care practices and toothaches.

According to Dr LeRoy: Chronic lower back pain affects 80 per cent of the population at some point in their life because as homo sapiens who are bending, stooping, pushing and pulling, we end up with musculoskeletal back pain.

Toothaches, which are often dismissed, can also be extremely painful, according to Dr LeRoy, who told us: We often overlook the things above the neck and again, it is such a common thing."

Dr LeRoy has found himself constantly aware of oral pain syndromes after multiple patients complaining of pain in the mouth, jaw, or ears were actually found to suffer from tooth issues, such as an abscess.

As for what to do in a situation where pain is affecting a persons ability to function in society, or when it stops them from work, sleep, or providing nutrition to themselves, Dr LeRoy recommends seeking medical advice - as there can be health consequences to prolonged pain.

And for pain associated with heart attacks, the worst headache you have ever experienced, kidney stones, acute pancreatitis, or appendicitis, Dr LeRoy advises seeking emergency medical attention - as those types of pain can be potentially life-threatening.

[This article was originally published in 2018]
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Two teenagers have been found guilty of murdering schoolgirl Brianna Ghey in a frenzied killing that was weeks in the planning.

Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife by the two callous teens, who she believed to be her friends but who had been planning the horrifying attack in meticulous detail behind her back.

The pair, identified only as Girl X and Boy Y, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time, attempted to blame each other and were described as warped and obsessed with murder by detectives during a harrowing four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Jurors were told that the pair lured her to an area of woodland in Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, Cheshire, in February.

They heard the pair had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and had planned Briannas killing for weeks, detailed in a handwritten murder plan and phone messages found by detectives.

Brianna Ghey was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back on the afternoon of 11 February (PA Media)

After a jury of seven men and five women convicted the two within five hours, the defendants are both facing mandatory jail terms for life. Trial judge Ms Justice Yip is yet to confirm the sentencing date.

Outside court, Briannas mother, Esther Ghey, said she was glad the two would spend many years in prison.

She said: Prior to the trial, I have had moments where I felt sorry for the defendants because they have ruined their own lives as well as ours.

But now, knowing the true nature of the two and seeing neither display an ounce of remorse for what they have done to Brianna, I have lost any sympathy that I previously had for them, and I am glad that they will spend many years in prison and away from society.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire Police, said: Im not sure fun is the word, but I think they killed her because they wanted to prove that they could, or that sort of thirst for killing. I dont think there was any motive behind it so possibly, fun? Enjoyment is the right word.

The murder weapon used to stab Brianna Ghey to death (Cheshire Police)

Mr Evans also branded the killers arrogant for believing they would not be caught as Girl X claimed the local police were shite.

Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: This has been one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with. The planning, the violence and the age of the killers is beyond belief. Brianna Ghey was subjected to a frenzied and ferocious attack and was stabbed 28 times in broad daylight, in a public park.

Girl X and Boy Y appear to have been a deadly influence on each other and turned their dark fantasies about murder into a reality. The extensive messages between the two, planning and plotting to kill people, talking of murder, torture and cruelty, were difficult to read. The messages provided a terrifying insight into the minds of the two defendants  but also revealed the detailed planning of their attack and subsequent attempts to cover it up.

A boy and a girl have been found guilty of the brutal murder of teenager Brianna (PA Media)

Boy Y has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is non-verbal and girl X has traits of autism and ADHD. Both were described as intelligent, high functioning and coming from normal backgrounds.

Neither defendant, who each sat next to a social worker while six security staff stood filling the dock, made any visible reaction as the jury foreman delivered the guilty verdicts.

Boy Ys mothers head slumped down onto the shoulder of a friend who sat beside her and began crying uncontrollably.

Girl X, wearing a pinafore-style dress, spoke to her social worker and glanced at her parents leaving the courtroom. Boy Y, who avoids all eye contact, did not look over at his mother as he was led from the dock carrying his sudoku puzzles book.

Following the convictions, Briannas mother Esther Ghey told the BBC her daughter was fearless to be whoever she wanted to be (Reuters)

The judge thanked jurors for their service on an extremely difficult and, at times, distressing case, excusing them from further jury service. She said: You probably didnt anticipate sitting on a case as emotionally difficult as this one.

Ms Doyle added: I want to thank Briannas family for the courage and dignity that they have shown throughout this case. I hope todays verdict brings some solace, and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

Speaking outside court following the convictions on Wednesday, Briannas mother Esther Ghey paid tribute to her daughter as larger than life, funny witty and fearless.

People leave floral tributes near the scene where 16-year-old Brianna Ghey was found with multiple stab wounds (Getty)

She said: We miss Brianna so much, and our house feels empty without her laughter.

To know how scared my usually fearless child must have been when she was alone in that park with someone that she called her friend will haunt me forever.

Briannas father, Peter Spooner, said he was so proud of his daughter and would never stop loving her.

He added: It is impossible to put into words how the murder of my child has affected me.

I never stopped loving her and I never will. When she was little I remember the faces she would pull to make me laugh. The cheeky giggle, the funny dances are engraved in my memory. I knew she was going to be a star and the amount of support she received from the followers on TikTok proved this. I was so proud of what she could do.

Police forensics officers at the scene in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire, following the murder of Brianna Ghey (PA)

Nigel Parr, senior investigating officer from Cheshire Police, said Brianna Ghey had been betrayed.

He added: This was a senseless murder committed by two teenagers who have an obsession with murder. Brianna was a teenager who had her whole life ahead of her. Brianna trusted the female defendant, she was betrayed by someone she called her friend.

Paying tribute to her family, he said: I would like to thank the family of Brianna for having the courage to come to court and find out what happened to her. They have remained dignified and strong throughout proceedings.

Ahead of the trial, Ms Ghey had told The Independent: She was very, very outgoing. A very high energy, funny, quick-witted child.

Police attend the scene where 16-year-old Brianna Ghey was found with multiple stab wounds (Getty)

Briannas headteacher said the teenager didnt live her life as a victim, telling the BBC: There was never any evidence of Brianna being bullied within school or out of school. Brianna was very much able to give as good as she got in that way.

And I think what was really hard was that she was portrayed in the media as a victim and she didnt live her life as a victim. She was someone that was loud and proud and confident in who she was.

In the days following her death, hundreds of mourners joined vigils across the UK to remember the teenager. Some of those gathered in Warrington wore rainbow flags draped across their shoulders, laid flowers and wrote tributes on a placard that was placed in the town square.

Tearful family and friends paid their last respects at Briannas funeral, which was pink-themed, in keeping with the teenagers colourful personality (PA)

The Labour MP for Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols, said the local community had been left reeling.

Speaking at the vigil, she added: Trans lives matter and trans young people should have the fundamental rights to dignity and safety that should be universal human rights.

Tearful family and friends paid their last respects at Briannas funeral, which was pink-themed, in keeping with the teenagers colourful personality.

Prayers were said, asking for the courage to love one another, and saying Brianna will endure no more suffering  you can be whatever you want. Her mother wore a pink trouser suit, while Briannas pink coffin was borne in a carriage drawn by two white horses festooned in pink plumes.

The 16-year-olds dream was to become famous on TikTok, and she loved to do make-up tutorials for her more than 31,000 followers on the social media platform.
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A killer got away with murdering a mother-of-four for 11 years - until he was snared by an undercover policeman who pretended to be his best friend.

Such was Darren Osments bond with plainclothes officer Paddy OHara, he even vowed to make him his best man, while Avon and Somerset Police collected covert recordings to finally bring Claire Hollands murderer to justice.

Ms Holland, 32, was last seen leaving a pub in Bristol on the evening of 6 June 2012, after she left an evening with friends at Seamus ODonnells pub in St Nicholas Street.

She was reported missing several days later but despite multiple high-profile appeals and the police collecting 1,700 hours of CCTV, no trace of her body has ever been discovered.

With the case eventually coming to a standstill, officers were without a breakthrough until July 2019, when Osment contacted 999 to confess to his crimes.

He told the operator: Im handing myself innot a good look for me, its murderI took the law into my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her.

Darren Osment was found guilty of her murder after an undercover police operation (PA)

However, he later retracted his confession and with little concrete evidence, detectives were forced to let him go until a decision was made to send an undercover officer to try and capture a confession.

Moving just 300 yards down the road, OHara struck up a friendly relationship with the killer, posing as a petty criminal selling stolen clothes while drinking and playing pool with him down the pub.

In order to gain his trust, the police devised fake criminal scenarios, such as OHara asking Osment to act as a lookout while he carjacked a lorry at a motorway services.

Over the course of 20 months, Osment came to view the undercover officer as his closest friend and began to make a number of chilling confessions regarding his involvement in Ms Hollands death.

Osment was captured on secret recordings admitting to her murder (PA)

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court heard that Ms Holland and Osment had embarked on a volatile relationship in 2008 and had welcomed a child together, which was later placed into the care of social services after she reported him to the police.

Filled with intense hatred, Osment often referred to her as a stupid b***h and said he dreamt of her face with her eyes pitch black, adding she aint going to be seeing the light of day again.

On another occasion, they were walking near Severn Beach when Osment mentioned Ms Holland having a nice f***ing swimming lesson and mentioned her body being halfway to Spain.

While making these admissions, he would nearly vomit, which police and prosecutors believe was his reaction to facing the reality of his actions.

Such was the covert nature of the operation, that even the main investigation team was unaware of the deployment until July 2022, when the decision was made to re-arrest Osment.

Osment made references to killing Ms Holland and disposing of her body in water (PA)

This came after he made a confession the previous month to luring the mother to the pub he worked as a chef, and using his knife skills to kill her. He added: Its all done and dusted, all the work, clothes burnt outside As far as I am aware the bits and pieces are scattered.

He alluded to her body being weighed down in water, before adding: It makes me feel sick. But I did it for [my child].

After being charged with murder, he pleaded not guilty and subjected Ms Hollands family to an 11-week trial, which saw the surveillance footage being played to the jury.

Jurors also heard that the undercover officer witnessed Osment being violent towards his dog, assaulting bar staff and showing off his weapons which included a hammer by his front door.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant, said: The evidence weve gathered painstakingly over the last four years has proven that Osment is a selfish and violent misogynist who has abused almost everyone he has been close to.

Our investigation found hed made repeated confessions to others about his involvement in Claires murder, but because of a lack of supporting evidence, a decision was made to obtain authorisation for the deployment of an undercover officer, with the express aim of uncovering the truth about Claires disappearance, and in the hope of finding her body.

The undercover officer built his trust by involving him in fake criminal activities (Avon and Somerset Police)

The evidence and recorded footage gathered by the officer exposed Osments disturbing and hateful character and most importantly, details about the murder that otherwise would have remained unknown.

He continued: It was a brutal and pre-meditated crime motivated by his intense hatred of Claire, who he blamed for having their child taken into care.

Ben Samples, Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: This was a heinous crime and Claires family have endured over a decade of pain as Osment sought to conceal his crimes by weaving a web of deceit, all while cruelly refusing to provide any information which would help locate Claires body.

Murder cases where a body has not yet been recovered are notoriously complex, because it is harder to prove a murder has been committed and there is less evidence to pin the crime to a suspect  so prosecutors must think outside the box.

Piece by piece, we worked with police to present a compelling case to the jury which made clear that this was foul play and that only Osment had the motive to commit murder.

Osment is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.
The four Billings teens killed over the weekend in a crash near downtown Billings have been identified.

All four died of blunt force trauma, two at the scene and two others pronounced dead at a Billings hospital shortly after the crash. The oldest victim was 18, while the youngest two were 14-year-old girls.

Weston James Lyon, Mikayla Grace Reiter, Zoey Ruth Harr and Storm Lee Skaggs were traveling together on Minnesota Avenue early Saturday morning. Near the Public Auction Yards, their vehicle went off the road and collided with a pole.

First responders pronounced Storm Skaggs, 18, and Zoey Ruth Harr, 14, dead at the scene, Yellowstone County Deputy Coroner Rich Hoffman said. Weston Lyon, 17, and Mikayla Reiter, 14 were transported to the hospital, where they died of their injuries.

The Billings Police Department has been assigned to investigate the crash. Although it has been ruled an accident, intoxication, speeding and not wearing seat belts are suspected to be factors in the fatal wreck.

Saturdays crash brought the number of fatalities BPD has investigated this year to at least 14, and occurred just a week after two Billings men were killed in a head-on crash in the Heights. During that same week, a 19-year-old Yellowstone County man died in a rollover crash outside of Molt.

Statewide, deadly crashes on Montanas roads are on track to decline this year compared to 2022, according to data from Montana Highway Patrol. As of Dec. 11, MHP tracked 179 fatalities in Montana in 2023, with intoxication suspected to be a factor in roughly half of those fatal crashes.
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It was game-changing, says headteacher Andy Percival, as he recalled the moment a vulnerable teenager struggling at school was given a bed of her own and a good nights sleep.

Pregnant and with significant gaps in her development, she was seen as a serious child protection concern for staff at Southway school in south Leeds.

Added to that the fact she had nowhere comfortable to sleep at night, her future looked grim.

But with a referral to bed charity Zarach  a charity backed by The Independent  and the continued support of her school, she was able to pick up the pieces of her life and finish school with four qualifications, including English and Maths.

The warehouse is filled with bedding, duvets, toiletries and pyjamas for disadvantaged children (Zarach)

What Zarach managed to do was provide that child with a bed and a bedroom, as well as a safe environment and links to support agencies that her parents would never have been able to do, said Mr Percival.

The smile on her face coming into school knowing wed helped secure that support for her was game-changing. At every point in her life, she felt she had been failed by professionals but she was now comfortable and secure.

In less than two weeks, The Independent has helped Zarach smash its Christmas appeal target to raise 90,000 by Christmas Eve to fund 500 beds for children in the UK who are currently living without one, as well as toys, chocolate and a supermarket voucher for a festive meal.

The charity fundraises all year round, with beds, pillows, a duvet and bedding costing 150.

Having been founded in 2017 by deputy headteacher Bex Wilson, who set it up after witnessing firsthand the impact of bed poverty, the charity provides disadvantaged children with beds to help improve their mental wellbeing and education.

As principal of Southway, a short-term alternative provider for those with behavioural, social, mental and emotional difficulties, Mr Percival is accustomed to challenging situations and dealing with families in their greatest moment of need.

Headteacher Andy Percival said that the charitys impact has been life-changing for his pupils (Southway)

While he had known about Zarach for several years through his association with Ms Wilson, his school has begun increasingly using their services in recent years as the cost-of-living crisis pushes more people into poverty.

The levels of need and deprivation I have seen are nothing like what I have seen before in the last 26 years, he said. The need that is presented by the young people we work with is so significant.

I think everybody lives within their means but disposable cash is no longer available and some of the lives of those in our care can reduce you to tears. We cant do it all on our own, so to be able to utilise the support of Zarach is fantastic.

The charity has delivered nearly 3,500 beds this year and will deliver 500 more by Christmas.

According to a recent report by child organisation Barnardos, nearly a million children live without a proper bed, and sleep on the floor, the sofa or share with family members.

This comes as the number of children living in relative poverty rises to one in four, while polling by YouGov found that an estimated 336,000 families have been unable to afford to replace or repair their childrens broken beds.

In order to identify families struggling with a lack of available bedding, the charity has formed close relationships with schools and teachers across the north-west of England.

Once receiving a referral from a school, family liaison workers at Zarach will conduct a phone call with the parents before organising a visit to take measurements for a bed to be delivered to the property.

Founder Bex Wilson set up Zarach after witnessing bed poverty at her school. A Barnardos report found that nearly a million children were without beds (Zarach)

What were seeing in a post-pandemic world is far more complex and challenging behaviour, often undiagnosed but children with significant gaps in their educational and own development, Mr Percival said. These are kids that were not engaged throughout the pandemic.

To be able to work with Zarach to secure a child with the basic expectation of a bed sends a clear message about what our role is. We see the impact of those kids coming in healthier, happier, calmer and with a sense of wellbeing. It doesnt solve everything but it is such a significant change.

That smile you see when you see a child coming into school having had a good nights sleep is unbelievable  that is why we do this job.

Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, said: The Independent is proud to support Zarachs campaign. Its shocking that so many children do not have a bed to call their own, and its important to come together to help put that right.

Children also receive pillows, pyjamas, duvets and chocolates (Zarach)

Lynn Perry MBE, Barnardos chief executive said: Bed poverty is just one aspect of child poverty, yet it starkly illustrates the challenges faced by families not having enough money to afford the essentials needed to raise happy and healthy children.

Families in crisis are having to prioritise essentials such as food, heating and electricity over things like replacing mouldy bedding or fixing a rotten or broken bed. Children are sharing beds and sleeping on the floor, all of which is affecting their development, attendance at school and mental health.

We are pleased The Independent is highlighting this issue and helping to address it in the run up to Christmas, sadly a difficult time for many.
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Cabinet minister Mel Stride has said it is time for parliament to look again at whether to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Dame Esther Rantzen has called for free vote on assisted dying, after revealing that she has registered with the Swiss Dignitas clinic over her stage four lung cancer.

Mr Stride  the work and pensions secretary  said he believed that was those struggling with terminal illness should be able to have control of the end of their life.

It follows fellow cabinet minister Michael Goves backing for MPs to debate the issue once again, after a vote in 2015 which saw parliament reject a bill to legalise it.

Mr Stride  who voted in favour of assisted dying a decade ago  said it was one of the most delicate and difficult decisions he had taken since becoming an MP.

I do think that its absolutely right that those who are in the final days or months of their lives should have the maximum opportunity to have control of the end of their life, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

The cabinet minister added: But on the other side there are other big issues, some of them quite dangerous issues, like for example making sure that people dont use any legislation to cajole anyone into taking these kinds of decisions.

Mr Stride said he wouldnt be adverse to a fresh debate and vote in the Commons. The senior Tory said he would want to take a fresh look at it and come to a decision. But he made clear the government was not bringing forward fresh bill.

Cabinet minister Mel Stride backed assisted dying at defeated 2015 vote (AFP via Getty Images)

A bill to legalise assisted dying in the UK under strict controls was defeated, 330 votes to 118, in 2015. Assisted suicide is still banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Dame Esther told BBC Radio 4s Today that she believed more people would want to choose the manner of their death if they were allowed  saying she was organise a free vote if she were PM.

The 83-year-old consumer champion and TV star reveal she had joined Dignitas, the Switzerland-based assisted dying organisation, to have a choice about the end of her life.

Her daughter said she would want to ground her plane if she was going to fly to Zurich  but knows it would be her mothers choice after her mother revealed she has joined the Dignitas.

Asked about Dame Esthers comments on Tuesday, Mr Gove told reporters: Im not yet persuaded of the case for assisted dying  but I do think that its appropriate for the Commons to revisit this  I would want to listen in humility to Dame Esther and others outline the case.

Dame Esther Rantzen who has said she is considering the option of assisted dying (PA)

Senior Tory Kit Malthouse, former minister at the Home Office, said he had been working the tea rooms in favour a new vote.

The co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on end of life choice said the sentiment in parliament has moved significantly since 2015 and added: We are getting towards a majority, yes when a vote was last held.

No 10 said it would be up to parliament whether or not to again debate legalising assisted dying. Rishi Sunaks spokesman said: We recognise that this is a highly emotive issue, it is an area that is sensitive and important to many.

But the government position has not changed in that it is a matter of parliament to decide, an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than government policy  as it was in 2015 when the House considered it and rejected making any changes.

Pressed on whether Mr Gove was speaking for the government in calling for a new debate, the No 10 official replied: This is, as it always has been, a matter for individual MPs, who are able to express their views.
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Rishi Sunak should consider a range of side and supplementary deals with the EU to ease ongoing trade friction after Brexit, business leaders have warned.

Almost two-thirds of UK exporters say selling to the EU has become even harder in the past year, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The leading business group called for a series of agreements with Brussels  on carbon taxes, VAT arrangements and food checks  to soften the impact of Boris Johnsons trade deal.

A Brexit report by the BCC found that 60 per cent of British firms trading with the EU say it is now more difficult than a year ago. Only 18 per cent of exporters to non-EU countries say it had got harder.

The new study  The Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Three Years On  also warns of significant new red tape headaches approaching, as yet more UK and EU regulations diverge.

The business chiefs called for a new supplementary deal with the EU which either eliminates or reduces the complexity of forms required of small firms to export food.

The BCC also called on Mr Sunak to consider a VAT deal like Norways, that exempts smaller firms from the requirement to have a fiscal representative for the tax inside the bloc.

And with the EU move to bring in a carbon border tax regime  which requires importers to provide data on carbon usage  the government was also urged to merge its carbon pricing schemes with Brussel to avoid red tape.

Dover has seen continued disruption since Brexit checks were introduced (PA)

More than 80 per cent of small and medium-sized firms surveyed by the BCC were unaware of the impact of the EUs carbon border adjustment mechanism.

And 70 per cent are unaware new UK checks on food imports from the EU, finally set be implemented from February 2024 after several delays.

There are lots of things we can do to make our current trading arrangements better, but a growing worry is how we handle further changes coming down the track, said Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC.

EU businesses have been largely able to carry on importing goods into the UK as they did before Brexit, but that will change next year, and could lead to significant new disruption.

Mr Haviland added: The rules and regulations governing trade arent static. Both the UK and EU will be making significant changes in the next few years that could have big repercussions.

We need to take a smart but flexible approach to how we handle these alterations to keep their impact to a minimum. It is in no-ones interests to damage our trading relationship further.

One small construction and engineering firm in Glasgow told the BCC report that they had continued difficulties trying to supply to long-standing EU customers. The governments stated efforts for further away trade deals does not help, but distracts attention from unresolved problems.

A spokesperson for the government said British businesses are thriving, adding: In the year to June, we exported over 360bn worth of goods and services to the EU, an increase of 17.1 per cent in current prices on the previous 12 months.

The government also said the UK economy had grown faster than German and France since Brexit, before acknowledging issues with trade friction.

We acknowledge there remain some issues and we are listening to businesses and acting on their concerns by working closely with the EU on solutions, the spokesperson added.
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Foreign secretary David Cameron has held talks with leaders in Jordan as pushes the UK argument for a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war during a trip across the Middle East.

Making his second trip to the region since joining Rishi Sunaks government, the former PM is seeking progress on efforts to secure the release of hostages by Hamas and step up aid into Gaza.

Lord Cameron, also heading to Egypt for talks this week, has said Britain supports a ceasefire  but only if it was sustainable in the long term.

The foreign secretary said that, without Israels security being guaranteed by removing Hamas, there could be no lasting peace or two-state solution.

Lord Cameron is expected to make the argument to Jordanian and Egyptian leaders that allowing Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip will be a roadblock to reaching a political solution to the crisis.

Mr Sunak has recently started pushing for a sustainable ceasefire in a move that appears to underline the Wests hardening attitude towards Tel Avivs conduct of the war. Lord Cameron warned at the weekend that too many civilians have been killed in Gaza.

And US president Joe Biden has warned that Israel is losing international support because of its indiscriminate bombing  with almost 20,000 Palestinians killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Posting a photo of himself with Jordans foreign minister Ayman Safadi, Lord Cameron said the two countries were working together to get as much aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza as possible  Well continue to press for an increased flow of aid and fuel into Gaza.

The foreign secretary also said he was seeking to build on Israels decision to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to ensure significantly more aid and fuel can reach Gaza through as many routes as possible.

Ahead of his arrival in Jordan, Lord Cameron said: No-one wants to see this conflict go on for a moment longer than necessary. But for a ceasefire to work, it needs to be sustainable.

If Israel is still facing Hamas in Gaza with rockets and terror tactics, not only will a ceasefire not be sustainable, a two-state solution in the longer term will also not be possible, he added.

Lord Camerons trip comes as the leader of Hamas made a visit to Egypt on Wednesday for intensive talks aimed at reaching a new ceasefire to let aid reach Gaza and get hostages freed.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh travelled along with a high level delegation for talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. Cairo has played a key role in mediation efforts with Israel, having helped secure a brief truce last month.

Israel has said it would welcome a new pause in hostilities, but Hamas has said there can be no more release of hostages without a full ceasefire.

Lord Cameron is expected to meet Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who this week won a third six-year term in office, and foreign minister Sameh Shoukry while in Cairo this week.

Lord Cameron has previously met Mr el-Sisi, including in Downing Street in 2015, while serving as British PM. During his time in Egypt, officials said Lord Cameron will visit Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see first-hand how UK aid is being administered.

He will hear from the Egyptian Red Crescent about the impact the UKs aid deliveries, such as wound care packs, are having in Gaza.

The foreign secretary, accompanied by Middle East minister Lord Ahmad, will visit the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation, a focal point of Jordanian humanitarian support for Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have been at war for more than two months following the Palestinian militant groups deadly raids on 7 October, which saw 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage.

A week-long pause in the fighting saw some 100 hostages released in a Qatar-brokered deal, but an estimated 129 people are thought to still be held captive.

The opening of the Kerem Shalom Gaza border point for aide had been called for by Mr Sunak, including during a phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The UK government has criticised Irelands plans to sue the UK in the European Court of Human Rights over its offer of immunity for Troubles-era crimes.

The row risks plunging Anglo-Irish relations to their worst point in decades.

Irelands deputy prime minister Micheal Martin said the UK scheme was opposed by many who had been affected by Northern Irelands deadly decades-long conflict, especially the victims and families.

But the UK government hit back, effectively accusing its Irish counterpart of hypocrisy. The Irish government should urgently clarify the number of criminal prosecutions brought in Ireland since 1998 relating to Troubles cases, secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said.

Describing the case as unnecessary, he said the UK government profoundly regrets the decision taken by the Irish government.

Designed in part to protect former British soldiers from prosecution, the Irish will argue the change in the law is incompatible with the UKs obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

As well as inflaming international tensions, the move risks reigniting the row within the Conservative Party over the ECHR and the Strasbourg court, which enforces the convention.

Earlier this month, sacked home secretary Suella Braverman warned Rishi Sunak he must ignore ECHR and other human rights laws to get his failed Rwanda deportation scheme under way  or face electoral oblivion.

The Troubles legislation has faced widespread opposition from political parties and victims organisations in Northern Ireland.

Micheal Martin said his governments decision was taken after much thought and careful consideration.

He added the legislation would shut down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases.

Micheal Martin: This legislation is opposed by people in Northern Ireland (AP)

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made, he said, and accused the British government of pursuing legislation unilaterally, saying it had removed the political option, and  left us only this legal avenue.

Amnesty International said the Irish government was doing the right thing for victims of the Troubles.

Aspects of the new law include that those who cooperate with the new truth and reconciliation commission will have a limited form of immunity from prosecution.

The new act will also halt future civil cases and legacy inquests.

Multiple victims and family members are supporting a legal challenge against aspects of the act at the High Court in Belfast.

Mr Martin said the incorporation of the ECHR was a fundamental requirement of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Serious reservations about this legislation have also been raised by a number of international observers, including the Council of Europes commissioner for human rights and the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Most importantly, this legislation is opposed by people in Northern Ireland, especially the victims and families who will be most directly impacted by this act.

Mr Martin added: Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery [ICRIR], are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin.

Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, the leader of the Common Sense Group of MPs, said the legal action reinforces again the argument we have to look at this again.

It is a really good example of ECHR being used in a perverse way, he said. The ECHR has to be radically reshaped or we have to leave. And it is unlikely to be radically reshaped.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the challenge as welcome and utterly necessary.

But DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused Dublin of double standards. He said his party opposed the amnesty plans but I dont think the Irish government are in a very strong position to point the finger ... for years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.

Downing Street has been approached for comment.
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Ireland's government said Wednesday it will take legal action against British authorities over a controversial law that gives some immunity from prosecution for offenses committed during three decades of sectarian violence.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said that after much thought and careful consideration, his government is launching a legal challenge against the Legacy and Reconciliation Bill, which critics say shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

The law, passed in September, stops most prosecutions for alleged killings by militant groups and British soldiers during the Troubles  the three decades of violence in which more than 3,500 people died.

Those who cooperate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery  loosely modeled on South Africas post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission  can be granted immunity from prosecution. The new law also halts future civil cases and legacy inquests.

It was passed despite strong opposition from political parties and victims organizations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

The 1998 Good Friday peace accord largely ended the decades of violence, and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who proposed the new bill, said it would enable Northern Ireland to draw a line under the Troubles.

But those who lost loved ones at the hands of Irish republican and British loyalist militias and U.K. troops say the new law will airbrush the past and allow killers to get away with murder.

Martin said his case would argue that aspects of the law are incompatible with the U.K.'s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Ireland's government has repeatedly made its concerns known and urged the British government to pause the legislation, he said.

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made," he said, adding that the immunity provisions would shut down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases."

Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin," Martin said.

U.K. veterans groups are among the few organizations to have welcomed the legislation, which lifts the threat of prosecution from troops who served in Northern Ireland.

Amnesty International was among groups who welcomed Wednesday's news.

The U.K. government doggedly pursued this legislation which shields perpetrators of serious human rights violations from being held accountable. Its important that the Irish government takes this stand," said Grainne Teggart, of Amnesty International U.K.

This challenge is vital for victims here and around the world who face the prospect of similar state-gifted impunity," Teggart added.
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Rishi Sunak considered a radical plan to give everyone in the country a pre-paid debit card to boost spending during the Covid pandemic, new documents have revealed.

The then-chancellor mulled the idea of sending out debit cards containing taxpayers cash in the summer of 2020 in a bid to stimulate the struggling economy.

But Mr Sunak ditched the idea when Treasury officials pointed out the significant risk of theft and fraud in sending out tens of millions of cards in the post.

The prime minister issued a strong defence of his controversial Eat Out to Help Out scheme during his recent appearance at the Covid inquiry.

Dan York-Smith, the Treasurys director-general of tax policy, has provided new written evidence to the inquiry saying there was no specific risk assessment of the impact of the scheme aimed at boosting the restaurant trade.

And Mr York-Smith revealed for the first time the details of another scheme  a proposal to send out pre-paid debit cards  that was ultimately rejected.

The Treasury official said it presented substantial challenges and risks, including the logistical hurdle of registering every adult in the UK.

Rishi Sunak defended his Eat Out to Help Out scheme (PA Wire)

Even if that could be achieved, there would have been significant risks associated with tens of millions of cards being distributed through the post as part of a highly publicised and marketed scheme, such as theft, fraud and loss.

Another idea considered by Mr Sunak and his team was to give out free vouchers for use by the public in some retail sectors. Mr York-Smith said the chancellor dropped these idea in June 2020 in favour of a more targeted discount scheme for restaurants  Eat Out to Help Out.

The policy focus remained on restaurants and eating out and responding to the risk that the public had got out of the habit of eating out over the previous few months, he said.

Meanwhile, new written evidence also revealed that Penny Mordaunt saw a series of Covid-related WhatsApp messages with Boris Johnson mysteriously vanish from her phone.

The cabinet minister told the inquiry she had sent the PM a message on 29 February 2020 to raise the issue of shielding in care homes and got a reply.

But the senior Tory discovered the exchange was missing, and realised she could not find other messages shared with Mr Johnson between March 2018 and March 2020.

Penny Mordaunt said Boris Johnson messages mysteriously disappeared (PA Archive)

Elsewhere, Sir Gavin Williamson accused Mr Johnson of making a panic decision to close schools in January 2021.

The then-education secretary said he thought about quitting his role over the wholly unnecessary decision to shut schools a day after they were reopened.

Mr Williamson said he was not even given an opportunity to argue for keeping them open at cabinet before Mr Johnsons decision  claiming it did not sufficiently take childrens interests or wellbeing into account.

The last batch of written evidence in the inquiry module also showed that social care minister Helen Whately had warned at the peak of the Covid crisis that discharging hospital patients into care homes was a big risk.

An email from her office in March 2020 warned about draft guidance, and said she was concerned that a patient will take Covid into a care home.

It comes as Nigel Farage argued that the Covid inquiry needs to discuss procurement of PPE before a general election can be held.

The former Brexit Party leader said it was unacceptable that PPE deals would not get scrutinised by the inquiry until the spring of 2025, amid the Michelle Mone scandal.

They must get Michelle Mone, must get Michael Gove, must get everybody involved to be held publicly to account, Farage told GB News. We cannot have a general election that takes place before we understand why these huge sums of money were wasted.
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally kicked off her ruling Awami League partys campaign Wednesday amid an election boycott by the countrys main opposition party.

Addressing a massive rally in the northeastern city of Sylhet, Hasina strongly criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for refusing to participate in the Jan. 7 general election. She also blamed the party, which is led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and its allies for recent acts of violence.

Hundreds of thousands of Awami League supporters cheered and raised their hands when Hasina asked if they would cast their ballots for the ruling party's candidates, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.

The prime minister denounced the party of her archrival Zia after the country's railway minister alleged that arson and sabotage caused a fire on a passenger train that killed four people Tuesday. Hasina joined the minister Wednesday in accusing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of being behind it.

They thought that with some incidents of arson the government will fall. It's not that easy, United News of Bangladesh quoted her as saying.

Where do they get such courage? A black sheep sitting in London gives orders and some people are here to play with fire.  Their hands will be burned in that fire, Hasina said in an apparent reference to Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, who has been in self-exile in the United Kingdom since 2008.

Rahman was convicted of various criminal violence charges, including a 2004 grenade attack on an opposition rally when his mother was prime minister and Hasina was opposition leader. He is the acting chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the absence of the ailing Zia, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

On Wednesday, the party urged Bangladeshis to join a non-cooperation movement against the government by refusing to pay taxes.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior joint secretary-general of the party, also urged citizens and government workers not to cooperate with Hasina's administration in running the country and holding the election next month in which is the prime minister is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Zias party has intermittently calling for transportation blockades and general strikes while demanding Hasina's resignation. The party says more than 20,000 opposition supporters have been arrested since Oct. 28, when a massive anti-government rally turned violent.

Authorities blamed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for an attack on the official residence of the countrys chief justice and the death of a police officer on the day of the rally. Hasinas critics say her administration has used the police and other agencies to silence them.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy with a history of violence, especially before and during elections. Campaigning for next month's vote began across the country on Monday with about 1,900 candidates, including many independents, running for parliament seats in 300 constituencies.

Zias partys call to boycott the polls came after its demands for a caretaker government to conduct the election were not met. The party accused Hasina of rigging the 2018 vote and said it did not have any faith the coming election would be fair. The boycott means voters have little choice but to reelect Hasina.

The government has denied accusations of targeting the opposition but warned that any acts of sabotage or attempts to create chaos in the country would not be tolerated.

The United Nations, the United States and the European Union earlier urged all sides to refrain from violence and work together to create conditions for a free, fair and peaceful election. A call for political dialogue got no response from the two major parties.
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The European Union has struck a breakthrough deal to change how it processes asylum-seekers after years of political deadlock  which could help Rishi Sunaks flagship mission to stop the boats.

While Brexit means the UK is not involved in the deal, one French MEP central to the negotiations suggested on Wednesday that it would stop asylum-seekers from arriving in Calais and trying to make the treacherous journey across the Channel.

The political agreement, reached after all-night talks in Brussels, would see each EU member state assigned a share of the 30,000 people overall the bloc is expected to accommodate per year, or to help their hosting peers by providing cash, equipment or personnel.

Rishi Sunak made his pledge to stop the boats one of his five priorities for 2023 (James Manning/PA)

It would also aim to see those deemed unlikely to win asylum put into waiting zones while their claims are dealt with in a maximum of 12 weeks  and then expelled to their home countries within a further three months if their claims are rejected.

EU countries could also apply the expedited procedure to people picked up in the sea, caught while trying to enter cross their borders without documents, or filing for asylum at a countrys border rather than in advance.

Amnesty International has warned that the plans  set to start coming into force next year  will lead to a surge in suffering for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants on every step of their journey.

French MEP Fabienne Keller, of the Renew Europe group, who led the negotiations, insisted the Geneva Convention will be fully applied in the so-called waiting zones, adding: If I may make a comparison, instead of sending people to Rwanda, we are doing it on European soil.

Asked by the BBC whether a similar deal could be struck with Britain, Ms Keller said: It would be great. Brexit is a trauma for us. And we can still imagine, even though the UK has quit Europe, to have a kind of agreement extending the same principles.

European Commission vice-president in charge of protecting the European way of life Margaritis Schinas (L) and commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson gave a press conference on the political agreement (EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET)

With Labour having vowed to strike a migrant returns deal with the EU if Sir Keir Starmers party wins the next general election, Ms Keller said the UK would probably have to agree to take in a certain number of asylum-seekers and contribute certain sums of money, as it is the case for all the member states.

But the MEP suggested cross-Channel migration in small boats could fall even without a specific UK-EU deal.

Actually with the new system, they should not arrive any more to Calais, Ms Keller told BBC Radio 4s PM programme.

Because when they come irregularly to Italy, they are what we call inadmissible, because they dont want to apply for asylum in Europe.

They dont have papers to enter Europe, so they have no reason to stay, no reason to travel through Europe. We can project that this would be a consequence of the systematic control of irregular migrants crossing the frontiers irregularly.

Mr Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his five key pledges in office, four of which remain unfulfilled.

While nearly 30,000 asylum-seekers have crossed the Channel this year, the prime minister is now increasingly staking his political future on getting his predecessor Boris Johnsons Rwanda scheme off the ground, after it was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court last month.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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A 6ABC Action News chopper has crashed into a wooded area of New Jersey, killing both crew members on board.

The pilot and the photographer part of the 6ABC team were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore on Tuesday night when the helicopter crashed, the news outlet announced.

6ABC has not yet released the names of the two crew members as family members are still being notified, but have said both of them have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.

The helicopter went down sometime after 8pm in the area of Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Middle Road in Washington Township in Burlington County.

The chopper was last believed to be in the area over Wharton State Forest when it crashed.

CBS caputed footage of fire coming from the crash scene (CBS)

While New Jersey State Police troopers were able to locate the crash site, it was difficult to access due to the densely wooded location, the station reported.

Video of the chopper wreckage was captured by a fellow Philadelphia television station.

The US Helicopters Inc. has been in touch with the two families of the people killed in the crash, and the FAA has been notified and will investigate what happened.

What seems to be debris from the chopper was spotted at the crash site (6ABC)

It is currently unclear what caused the crash.

The helicopter was a 10-year-old American Eurocopter AS-360A-STAR, which 6ABC leases from US Helicopters Inc.

The chopper and those who manned it would capture footage for the station, such as areas that are difficult to reach, weather, beauty shots, and traffic backup, all of which the station said were essential to delivering news stories.

Action News anchor Matt ODonnell expressed his condolences on X.

The chopper and the staff is an integral part to 6ABCs news coverage (6ABC)

Two people who helped bring you the news every day lost their lives while on the job last night Chopper 6 crashed in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, he said.

All of us at 6abc want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends.

The crash comes just over a year later, when a WBTV chopper crashed in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag in November 2022.
Hong Kong: Govt, taxi trade discuss car hailing

Government representatives from the Transport & Logistics Bureau, the Transport Department and Police today met with taxi trade representatives to discuss how to deal more effectively with the illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward.

The bureau highlighted out that the Legislative Council passed the Road Traffic Legislation (Enhancing Personalized Point-to-point Transport Services) (Amendment) Bill 2023 on December 13. The bill increased the penalty levels for illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward by motor vehicles.

Measures included increasing the maximum fine, lengthening the periods of vehicle licence suspension and vehicle impoundment, and increasing the maximum term of imprisonment.

Police will step up enforcement actions against illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward, while also welcoming information about such illegal activities from the public and the trade.

The Government recently announced that a review of existing legislation relating to the matter will be launched. It will also examine the regulation of online hire car hailing platforms, so that only taxis and vehicles with hire car permits can provide services through such platforms.

The Government plans to communicate with and listen to the views of LegCo members, the trade and other relevant stakeholders in mid-2024. It will gather policy and legal perspectives on the relevant regulation, and also take on board findings from overseas.

The bureau stressed that the Government welcomes views from the taxi and will take these into consideration.

It added that the Government was pleased to see representatives from the trade expressing views and addressing the issue in a pragmatic manner at todays meeting. It iterated that Government will continue to proactively listen to the views of the taxi trade and other sectors of the community.

This story has been published on: 2023-12-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Creating new rock, ice and mountain climbing routes  and even climbing or maintaining existing ones  could become heavily regulated and restricted by the federal government under a joint proposal released last month by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.

Or, if a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers has their way with bills currently pending in the House and Senate, the establishment, use and maintenance of climbing routes could remain without uniform regulation at the national level, leaving management to individual national parks and forests much the way it has been for decades.

The dueling congressional and executive-agency proposals deal with climbing bolts, particularly in wilderness areas, and have divided climbers and other conservationists over how the Wilderness Act should be interpreted and implemented across the U.S.

The fraught debate largely hinges on basic questions. Is a climbing bolt  specifically its installation, use or replacement on federal land  something that should be regulated nationwide by the federal government and mostly restricted in wilderness? And should the government remove existing bolts or close climbing routes it deems inappropriate, even if they predate the Wilderness Act?

Climbing access groups point out that the diminutive bolts have long been allowed in wilderness and on nearly all federal public lands. The bolts are a crucial safety component for human-powered recreation, they argue, and preventing their installation, use or especially maintenance would jeopardize human safety. Some wilderness-advocacy groups argue that permanently placing a manufactured bolt into a human-drilled hole in a rock face is fundamentally incompatible with wilderness preservation and should be eyed cautiously when allowed.

In Montana, the changes would impact places like the Bitterroot Range's towering walls and Hyalite Canyon's pinnacles and prized winter ice routes. Even obscure places with bolts, like southern Idaho's Little Fall Creek crag or Redfish Boulder, would be subject to possible change.

In the Bitterroot, a long-discussed climbing management plan being developed by the Forest Service has been delayed pending overarching national guidance. In response to complaints from environmental groups including Friends of the Bitterroot, the Forest Service enacted a bolting moratorium on a portion of Mill Creek in 2015. In 2020, the agency banned and criminalized new bolt installation across the entire Bitterroot National Forest  an unprecedented prohibition in the U.S. that remains in place.

The proposed agency guidance would reopen Bitterroot bolting in some circumstances, but only after agency analysis and approval for each proposed bolt or route. The bills in Congress would likely revert the regulatory landscape closer to pre-2015 status.

The proposed changes, or a legislative prevention of them, would apply anywhere climbing bolts exist or might be placed in a national forest or park: the vertical wilderness of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California; the deep, shadowy wilderness in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado; Rocky Mountain National Park's iconic Diamond on Longs Peak in Colorado; and the Eastern climbing mecca at Kentucky's Red River Gorge.

Bolt battle

At issue are objects that technically constitute "fixed climbing anchors," but are often referred to simply as bolts because most are, in fact, bolts in rock.

Bolt anchors are threaded steel studs of either 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch diameter placed into a hole drilled into rock with either a hand- or power-drill. The bolts generally hold a steel hanger plate about the size of a silver dollar. The hanger plate is bent at a 90-degree angle so that part of it protrudes from the rock surface; the protruding part has an eyelet for clipping carabiners.

Other fixed anchors include pitons, a much older and now less common form of climbing protection. Pitons are roughly finger- to palm-length steel spikes with an eyelet at one end that can be hammered into cracks or crevices.

Rock climbing can be divided into a few broad disciplines. In sport climbing, a climber's rope goes up with them as they climb, and their belayer feeds rope out to them during the ascent. Along the vertical length of a sport route, a climber clips their rope to climbing bolts. If they fall, the rope will catch them below the last bolt they clipped. Traditional climbing, also called "trad" or clean climbing, uses removable gear instead of bolts  but that requires crevices in which to place gear, as well as an expert level of skill to make solid gear placements that won't pull out in the event of a fall. And it restricts climbers to routes that follow cracks and other rock features that gear can be placed in. Bolts allow climbers to protect themselves from falls on routes up faces that lack such cracks  a significant portion of U.S. routes. Even in trad climbing, bolts are sometimes found in areas of a route that lack gear placements. And some trad routes  and some mountaineering and ice climbing routes with exposed rock  feature bolts at the tops of the climb or between sections of the climb, for added security when belaying up a climbing partner. Bolts are generally not used to make progress up a route  they serve to catch climbers during a fall  but they can be used for partner- or self-rescue and are considered more secure than other methods of anchoring rappels back down routes.

Proposals

The possible changes affecting bolts are contained in proposed guidance for the National Park Service and the Forest Service. The proposed guidance was released in draft form Nov. 16, with separate draft guidance documents for each agency. The agencies are accepting comments separately through Jan. 16.

The guidance affirms that climbing is an appropriate use of public lands the agencies manage, and that climbing bolts are more or less appropriate in different places depending on a variety of factors like historical use, resource impacts, human safety, recreation management and wilderness status.

The guidance further instructs the agencies to inventory and review existing bolts nationwide, particularly in designated wilderness, for possible removal or closure to climbing. And, starting with wilderness areas, the agencies would have to develop climbing management plans for individual units like parks and forests to govern if, how and where climbing bolt installation, use or maintenance could occur.

But, crucially and most controversially, the proposed guidance instructs officials that climbing bolts are permanent installations  on par with a road, bridge or power line  and thus subject to agency review and analysis of installation, usage and maintenance. Permanent installations are generally prohibited in wilderness, and even outside of wilderness are subject to environmental analysis and agency approval before installation.

The proposed guidance states that "bolt-intensive climbing opportunities may be incompatible with the preservation of wilderness character," which could amount to a blanket prohibition on sport climbing in wilderness.

The proposal leaves some room for occasional bolts in wilderness, but only if agency review determines bolts are absolutely necessary for a route to be climbed and to "provide outstanding opportunities for primitive or unconfined recreation." The proposal directs officials to consider whether bolts could alleviate resource damage  for example, preventing climbers from building anchors on a tree. But it also directs officials to consider whether climbers should be directed to climb somewhere else altogether.

Meanwhile in Congress, the Protect America's Rock Climbing Act would order federal land management agencies to recognize that "the placement, use, and maintenance of fixed anchors" is allowable in wilderness and elsewhere. The PARC Act, HR 1380, has since June been awaiting a committee report to the full House. Similar language is included in the much larger Americas Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023. That bill, S. 873, cleared the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in July and was sent to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on Nov. 1.

By affirming the historical allowance of bolts as the default, the legislation would offer nearly opposite guidance to the agencies as the draft guidance released last month.

Both bills have bipartisan support in Congress and enjoy broad support from outdoor industry groups, companies and advocacy organizations, as well some leaders from states with significant climbing areas.

Groups split

Climbing access groups and many of the country's roughly eight-million climbers, which otherwise are often aligned with other conservation organizations, argue that the longstanding precedent of generally allowing climbing bolts on public land, including in wilderness, without prior agency review should remain unchanged.

The Access Fund, the primary climbing advocacy group in the U.S., states that it supports targeted management like site-specific area closures designed to reduce impacts to natural resources, or things like seasonal closures for raptor nesting. But the group opposes the agencies' draft limitations to bolts.

Some wilderness advocates, including The Wilderness Society, California Wilderness Society and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, have joined the Access Fund in opposing the federal agencies' proposed restrictions, and supporting the pending legislation that would affirm bolts' place in wilderness and other federal land. Polis, when he was a congressman, sponsored the 2009 legislation that designated much of Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness. He maintains that wilderness designation was not intended to limit climbing bolts.

The Access Fund stated in March that the proposed guidance, at that point drafted for Joshua Tree and Black Canyon of the Gunnison parks but recently considered nationally, "would upend 60 years of precedent that pitons, bolts, slings, and other fixed anchors are fundamentally allowed in Wilderness. Essentially, the park service was now saying they believed fixed anchors were instead prohibited by default."

Erik Murdock, interim executive director of the Access Fund, said last month that "Implementing these policies could jeopardize the safety of climbers around the country by deeming standard climbing practices in Wilderness as fundamentally prohibited until granted specific exceptions at each of the thousands of Wilderness crags that climbers love."

And the Access Fund argued that by reducing climbing activities in wilderness and other places, the agencies' proposed guidance would alienate a large constituency of climbers who largely supported wilderness protections.

Meanwhile, some wilderness and conservation groups lauded the proposed guidance.

"This guidance is long overdue, especially considering the popularity of rock climbing throughout the country," the National Parks Conservation Association wrote in a statement last month. "Many of our countrys most iconic climbing sites are in designated wilderness in and around national parks. In fact, national parks like Joshua Tree and Black Canyon of the Gunnison hold some of the most popular climbing sites. But climbing has impacts, and this updated guidance is necessary to properly protect our most treasured cultural resources and bird nesting."

Kristen Brengel, the group's senior vice president of government affairs, wrote in the statement that the organization "has long supported the climbing community, who are deeply connected to our public lands and rely on the conservation of these landscapes to climb. We will continue to work with the Park Service to ensure we protect our natural wonders while also supporting lower-impact recreation activities like rock climbing."

Other groups have been more adversarial towards climbers.

In a May 1 letter urging Congress members to oppose the PARC Act, dozens of conservation groups from around the U.S.  including many from Montana  wrote that bolts "degrade wilderness character" and that climbers constitute "a subgroup of recreation interests" who shouldn't get special treatment.

The groups said that climbers want bolts to make climbs easier, and that "Lowering the difficulty of a climbing route to a climbers skill level by bolting goes against the essential spirit of the Wilderness Act."

The groups argued that affirming bolts' place in wilderness would open the door to mountain bikers who want to ride in wilderness, hunters and anglers who want to use wheeled game carts, airplanes and motorboats in wilderness, and event promotors who seek to hold commercial events in wilderness.

However, although bolts have long been allowed in wilderness, federal agencies have reaffirmed for decades that the other activities are not allowed.

Montana-based groups who signed the letter include Wilderness Watch, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Bitterroot, Friends of the Wild Swan, Swan View Coalition, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Footloose Montana and Bitterroot Audubon.

George Nickas, executive director of Wilderness Watch, told The Colorado Sun that "the climbers are just one more recreational group trying to establish the first big chink in the armor of the Wilderness Act. This is an ongoing fight."

Nickas also worried that allowing bolts would begin a slippery-slope to other allowances in wilderness: "If we can waive prohibitions on installations for climbing, then why cant we waive the prohibition on motorized equipment and vehicles for recreation?"
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It might not be as nationally well known as the Central Park 5 case of the same year, but the 1989 killing of Carol Stuart, and its long, racist aftermath, followed much the same dynamics: a lurid accusation of violence against a white woman painting people of colour as threats; an aggressive police response; a decades-long fight to find the truth.

This week, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu formally apologised to Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson, Black men who were falsely accused of fatally shooting Stuart, an expecting mother, in October of 1989.

"I am so sorry for the pain that you have carried for so many years. What was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist and wrong, Mayor Wu told assembled members of Bennett and Swansons families during a Monday press conference.

The case dominated headlines in the city, and Boston police ravaged the historically Black neighbourhood of Mission Hill looking for a killer, even when later evidence suggested in likelihood it was Stuarts husband  who originally told police a Black man who was responsible for the killing.

Claims of a horrifying murder-carjacking

The saga began in October of 1989, when Charles Stuart told police that he and his pregnant wife Carol, 29, were attacked as they left a birthing class.

Stuart claimed Black man in a tracksuit forced them to drive to an empty area in Mission Hill, where he fatally shot Carol in the head and grazed Charles in the stomach.

The claims  in a deeply segregated city, amid the racist paranoia of the crack epidemic and the Tough on Crime era, barely a decade on from the violence of the 1970s desegregation busing crisis  found the ears of a Boston Police Department already primed to view Black people as suspects.

Carol and Charles Stuart (NBC News Boston)

In the ensuing investigation into Carols death, police descended on Mission Hill, conducting widespread sweeps often targeting young Black men with aggressive tactics.

At its height, officers were doing more than 150 stop and frisk-style searches a day, tactics that have since been declared unconstitutional in other cities like New York for their disproportionate targeting of people of colour.

Police first arrested Mr Swanson, who endured threats and harassment in jail, before police ruled him out. The BPD then settled on Mr Bennett as a suspect, and drew in part from the testimony of Derack Jackson, a teen who later said hed been coerced into giving false testimony.

Boston Police and Coast Guard boats search the water for the body of Charles Stuart, who police believed jumped from the Tobin Bridge in Boston, Jan. 4, 1990 (AP)

Both men, whose names were plastered over the citys headlines, maintained their innocence.

If you knew and loved a black man in Boston, you feared for his life. There was no evidence that a black man had committed this crime, but it didnt matter, Ms Wu said during the press conference. Everyone closed their eyes to the truth because the lie felt familiar.

Boston police commissioner Michael Cox, who spoke alongside Mayor Wu, apologised as well, and said he lamented the departments "the poor investigation, overzealous behavior and, more likely, unconstitutional behaviour."

The media hype machine revs up

Though authorities have now apologised, at the time, the Black mens names were tied to the supposed killing of a successful young, white tax attorney and her baby, ostensibly shattering the family dubbed the Camelot couple in the local press.

The investigation was round-the-clock news, and inspired everything from a 1990 made-for-TV movie to a 1991 rap song from Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

The case falls apart

Black men have long faced violence and persecution for crimes against white women based on spurious allegations, and the Carol Stuart case was no different.

Matthew Stuart, brother of Charles Stuart, gestures toward members of the media outside his family's home in Revere, Mass., Jan. 10, 1990 (AP)

In 1990, Matthew Stuart said his brother Charles had actually shot and killed his wife, confessing to helping hide the gun used in the shooting.

Charles died by suicide before any arrests were made based on the new information.

Later information suggested Charles orchestrated the phony robbery to collect on a life insurance policy.

A long journey of healing

A likely suspect may have been identified, but the damage was already done to the families of Mr Swanson, Mr Bennet, and the numerous other Black men caught up in the police dragnet in 1989.

The Bennett family later sued the Boston Police Department for civil rights violations and allegedly coercing a witness. The department settled for $12,500 in 1995.

For many in the citys Black community, the 1989 scandal remains a source of pain.

Alan Swanson, left, is embraced by Joseph Bennett, nephew of Willie Bennett, center, following a news conference Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, in Boston (AP)

For a lot of us, that wound never closed, former Boston City Council member Tito Jackson told the filmmakers of HBOs recent docuseries on the killing, Murder in Boston. And in order to heal a wound thats been open for that long, you have to do the process of disinfection.

Joey Bennett, Willie Bennetts nephew, said during the press conference with the mayor he accepted the citys apology.

"In accepting this apology I wish to emphasize the importance of strength, resiliency, empathy and growth  its through these principles that we change the narrative so the world can be informed of what transpired 34 years ago and begin the process of healing from our trauma," he said.
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Shocking new charges have been brought in the case of a family that was brutally murdered in their homes on Halloween night in 2015.

Cathy Scott, her husband Michael Scott, Mr Scott's mother, Barbara, and Ms Scott's mother, Violet Taylor, were murdered on Halloween night in 2015. Now, the couples daughter, Amy Vilardi, and her husband, Rosmore "Ross" Vilardi, have been arrested and charged in their deaths.

Ms Vilardi and her husband were featured in tearful television interviews following the murders, but are now considered the prime suspects in the slayings, according to The Daily Beast.

The four adults were found shot and killed in their homes in Pendleton, South Carolina, on 2 November 2015. Ms Vilardi made the 911 call, saying at the time that she'd stopped by the house for a visit and found her family members' bodies.

Ms Vilardi went on to appear on numerous news outlets, lamenting the murders and calling her family "wonderful people" who "just didn't deserve this."

She told 7News at the time of the murders that police had kept her in the dark regarding the investigation.

I understand [investigators] have a job to do, but sometimes as family members we want answers and we just want to know whats going on," she said.

Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride announced the charges against Ms Vilardi and her husband on Friday, claiming the couple was well aware of the true culprits behind the murders.

God bless this family. They have been through so much and they have waited so long, Mr McBride said. Its a huge case for our county and for the citizens of this county. It rocked everybody to the core and it was a scary case.

He added that the crime scene was one of the most brutal that he had ever seen.

They were senselessly and brutally murdered, Mr McBride said. It was a bad scene. It was probably what some of our folks would probably say was one of the worst things theyd ever seen. It was gruesome. It was gory. And it was just a devastating scene to see.

Investigators have not revealed a motive in the case and did not provide specific details explaining why Ms Vilardi and her husband are now considered suspects.

The couple made their first court appearance on Saturday and were denied bond. Their next hearing is scheduled for 20 February 2024.
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On 24 August 2019, Elijah McClain was walking home from a convenience store in Aurora, Colorado, listening to music and wearing a ski mask, when a 911 caller reported him as looking sketchy.

It was a call that would lead to the 23-year-olds death and trigger a social uprising over the role race plays in policing.

Police spotted McClain  who was not armed and had not committed any crime  and put him in a neck hold. Paramedics then arrived at the scene and injected the young man with ketamine.

He died three days later.

Now, years after the fatal incident, the verdicts are in after the trials of the five men  two paramedics and three Aurora police officers  have come to a close.

Who was Elijah McClain?

McClain was a 23-year-old massage therapist. He had reportedly earned his GED from Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver and became a massage therapist at 19.

Friends and family described him as a gentle person  to humans and animals. He taught himself to play guitar and violin, and would play his violin for cats in a rescue shelter during his lunch breaks, The Cut reported.

I dont even think he would set a mouse trap if there was a rodent problem, his friend Eric Behrens told the Sentinel. Another friend  and former client  Marna Arnett called McClain the sweetest, purest person I have ever met, she added, He was definitely a light in a whole lot of darkness.

He wanted to change the world, his mother, Sheneen McClain, told the outlet. And its crazy, because he ended up doing it anyway.

What happened to Elijah McClain?

Bodycam footage which was released months after the encounter captured the officers interacting with the 23-year-old.

An officer approached McClain, who was listening to music, and demanded he stop walking. Eventually, he complied, as an officer apparently said he was stopping McClain for looking suspicious.

When the officers tried to grab McClain, he resisted, saying, I am an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I am speaking.

The officers repeatedly told McClain to stop tensing up.

Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec in court (2023 The Denver Post, Medianews Group)

Moments later, McClain was brought to the ground and held in a carotid hold. He can be heard moaning, sobbing, repeating that it hurts and pleading with the officers to stop.

McClain then tried to turn to his side to vomit, prompting an officer to say: If you keep messing around, Im going to bring my dog out here and hes going to bite you.

The 23-year-old vomited, and apologised. I wasnt trying to do that, he says. I just cant breathe correctly.

According to a report from an independent panel, the paramedics waited almost seven minutes after arriving to interact with Mr. McClain, and their first contact was to administer the sedative ketamine.

He suffered from cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital and died a few days later.

The autopsy revealed that he was 5ft 6in tall and weighed just 140 pounds. The coroners amended report said, Simply put, this dosage of ketamine was too much for this individual and it resulted in an overdose  I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine.

Who were the officers and paramedics involved?

A grand jury indicted five involved in the incident.

Two Aurora Police officers, Randy Roedema and Nathan Woodyard, and one former officer, Jason Rosenblatt, as well as former paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec were each indicted on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

According to the 32-count indictment, Mr Woodyard placed the 23-year-old in a carotid hold, while Mr Roedema, the senior patrol officer on the scene, placed him in a bar hammer lock; he said he heard McClains shoulder pop three times as a result of the movement.

Mr Roedema and Mr Rosenblatt were each indicted on one count of assault and one count of crime of violence. Mr Rosenblatt was fired not for his interaction with McClain directly, but for laughing at a photo sent to him from a fellow officer reenacting a neckhold that resembled the one used on McClain.

A demonstrator carries an image of Elijah McClain during a rally and march in Aurora in 2020 (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Mr Woodyard was also allegedly sent the photo, but didnt react to it and deleted it. He stopped McClain for supposedly looking suspicious.

The paramedics were each indicted on three counts of assault and six counts of crime of violence. Neither Mr Cooper nor Mr Cichuniec took McClains vitals, try talking to the 23-year-old, or touch him before diagnosing him with a widely disputed medical condition called excited delirium, prompting them to administer ketamine, according to the indictment.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In May, a national organisation of coroners became the latest to denounce excited delirium, which is often cited as a cause of death by police in instances of violence from officers against community members. The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) announced they would cease recognising the condition.

Why did the trials happen in 2023?

The first coroners report in November 2019 said that the manner of death was undetermined, contributing to a local district attorneys decision against pursuing charges against the officers involved in the incident.

In response, Mari Newman, the lawyer representing McClains family told Denver7 ABC, Whatever the report says, its clear that if the police had not attacked Elijah McClain, he would be alive today.

But the incident generated significant public backlash. In June 2020, an online petition demanding that the three officers involved be held accountable circulated, garnering nearly 6 million signatures. A GoFundMe page for McClain raised over $2m.

Trial in Elijah McClain Case Begins

Then, in June 2020, Colorado Gov Jared Polis signed an executive order designating a special prosecutor to determine whether the facts support prosecution, criminally prosecute any individuals whose actions caused the death of Elijah McClain.

The coroner provided an amended version in July 2021, writing that she believed the tragic fatality is most likely the result of ketamine toxicity.

Shortly thereafter, in September 21, a grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics involved.

A Colorado district judge ordered three separate trials for the five defendants, all of which took place from September through December 2023.

What happened in the officers trials?

The trial of Roedema and Mr Rosenblatt began in September. Following almost three weeks of testimony, jurors began deliberations at around 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon, following closing statements from prosecutors and the defence. The state arguing that the officers used excessive force and failed to follow their law enforcement training.

They were trained. They were told what to do. They were given instructions. They had opportunities, and they failed to choose to de-esclate violence when they needed to, they failed to listen to Mr McClain when they needed to, and they failed Mr McClain, prosecutor Duane Lyons told jurors.

The defence meanwhile argued that the fault lay with the paramedics for injecting McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine.

On 12 October, jurors found Roedema guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault by the 12-person jury. Mr Rosenblatt was found not guilty.

Days later, starting on 16 October, officer Nathan Woodyard  who was accused of putting McClain in a carotid hold which ultimately rendered him unconscious  stood trial.

At every single turn he chose to escalate, the prosecutor said during closing arguments. The carotid hold that the defendant did contributed to and helped cause Elijah McClains death.

The defence attorney, however, argued that the officer took off McClains mask after hearing the massage therapist say that he couldnt breathe. Mr Woodyards lawyer instead placed the blame on the paramedics: If he does not know that [the paramedics are] going to OD McClain without doing a proper assessment, then he is not guilty.

Mr Woodyard was suspended from the department pending the outcome of the trial. On 6 November, he was found not guilty; the department reinstated him.

What happened in the paramedics trial?

Mr Cooper and Mr Cichuniec, the Aurora Fire and Rescue paramedics who injected McClain with 500 milligrams of ketamine during the incident, went on trial in December. They faced charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault and crimes of violence.

Both pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The solicitor general argued that the paramedics intentionally injected Elijah McClain, who was laying on the ground, barely moving, struggling to breathe, with an overdose of ketamine without adhering to protocols.

The prosecutor emphasised: They conducted no assessment. They didnt speak a word to Elijah. They didnt put a finger on him. And then they overdosed him with 150 per cent of the dose someone his size should have gotten. And then they failed to even check on him until his pulse was gone. They knew better.

Mr Coopers attorney argued that the paramedic had checked McClains vitals and confirmed he was breathing before administering the drug.

Both paramedics testified that they followed standards laid out in training and protocols.

We were there to help, follow our protocols and get him to the hospital. Thats what we do, thats why were in this career. Were servants, Mr Cooper testified.

Paramedics Jeremy Cooper, far left, and Peter Cichuniec, far right, enter the Adams County, Colo., Justice Center, Friday 22 December (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In his testimony, Mr Cichuniec said: If we dont work fast, he could die Time is of the essence. I went off training and went up to 500 (milligrams).

The paramedics were also questioned on why they injected McClain with 500mg of ketamine, given his small stature. The departments protocol calls for paramedics to calculate a ketamine dose of 5 milligrams per kilogram of the patients weight. Under your estimate of Mr McClains weight, the appropriate dose would have only been 425? the prosecutor asked.

Mr Cichuniec testified that they upped the dosage due to his state of excited delirium.

Mr Cooper also noted in his testimony that after hearing officers saying McClain was being combative and seemed to be on something, he thought ketamine was the right drug to administer.

A Memphis-based EMT specialist reviewed footage of the incident and testified that both men acted appropriately and that McClain received great care in their hands.

However, Dr Roger Mitchell, a forensic pathologist who also watched the bodycam footage, testified that McClain exhibited no evidence of excited delirium, but rather the need for more oxygen.

On 22 December, both paramedics were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide but neither were found guilty of manslaughter. Cichuniec was also found guilty of assault in the second degree through the unlawful administration of drugs.

Cooper was acquitted of two assault charges and Cichuniec was acquitted of one of the two assault charges.

Following the verdicts, the The Denver Post reported that McClains mother Sheneen McClain raised her fist and chanted: We did it! We did it! We did it!

Beyond the courtroom

Outside of criminal charges, McClains parents have also reached a $15m settlement with the city of Aurora.

I hope Elijahs legacy is that police will think twice before killing another innocent person, his father, LaWayne Mosley, said after the settlement was announced.

Former officer Jason Rosenblatt, left, and Aurora Police Officer Randy Roedema, right, at an arraignment at the Adams County Justice Center in Brighton, Colorado in January 2023 (2023 The Denver Post, Medianews Group)

There is nothing that can rectify the loss of Elijah McClain and the suffering his loved ones have endured, Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said at the time. I am committed to learning from this tragedy.

The 23-year-olds death occurred around the same time as the deaths of Breanna Taylor and George Floyd, who were also Black Americans killed at the hands of police.

Together and separately, the deaths propelled protests and sparked demands for police reform.

And at least in Colorado, some policies were reformed.

In 2020, the state banned police from using neck holds. The Colorado health department prohibited paramedics from implementing ketamine for those supposedly experiencing excited delirium, like in the case of McClain.
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A California fertility doctor has been found guilty of strangling his wife and then telling authorities that she fell down the stairs to her death.

Eric Scott Sills, 58, was convicted of second-degree murder for the fatal strangulation of his wife while in their San Clemente home in November 2016, the Orange County District Attorneys Office said on Tuesday.

The doctor will face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in a state prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on 15 March.

Officials believe that Sills staged a fatal accident with his wife on 13 November 2016.

He called 911 and said he awoke to find the lifeless body of his wife, Susann Sills, 45, and thought she had fallen down the stairs.

Yet when pathologists were assessing Susanns body, they found the extent of her injuries did not match her husbands story.

After an investigation and DNA testing, Sills was arrested in April 2019.

Sills was arrested after coroners found strangualtion evidence on wifes body (Orange County District Attorneys Office)

Blood stains were also found on a wall and curtains in their daughters bedroom, where Susann was sleeping at the time as she was suffering from a migraine.

A clump of hair was also found in the bedroom, which indicated there had been a violent struggle between the couple, the district attorneys office said.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said she could not prove a definite motive for Sills to want to kill his wife, but she said there were multiple signs of tension between the pair, such as financial strain and frustration over her relationship with his older children from a previous marriage, The Mercury News reported.

In text messages, the doctor appeared to be fixated on a topless photo his wife posted online after losing a bet over whether Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination for president, something that apparently annoyed him, the outlet said.

Think of how diabolical you have to be  not only to kill your wife but to make it look like she had fallen down the stairs, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in Sills conviction announcement.

It took calculated planning to commit this crime, and worse of all, he ruthlessly and selfishly murdered the mother of their children who now are left without their parents.

Before his conviction, Sills, who chose not to testify, fervently denied killing his wife.

His attorney relayed a story about how Susann was taking a combination of medications that made her lose her balance that she suffered a spinal injury from the fall that left her unable to breathe, and the strangulation marks came from the familys two large dogs who were tugging at her scarf while she was unconscious, the local outlet said.

Yet the prosecution found that the scar had no tears or holes where a dog would have bitten into it, and Sills made no mention of dogs in his 911 call, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The couple ran a fertility clinic together in Carlsbad and were living with their twins, who were 12 at the time but are now 19, in a $1m home in San Clemente.
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A Florida man who was arrested for trying to cross the Atlantic in a human-powered hamster wheel has agreed to stop trying to take such risky voyages.

Reza Baluchi faced federal charges after he was found 70 miles off the Georgia coast in August with Hurricane Franklin aiming at the eastern seaboard.

The Fort Lauderdale man has now come to a year-long pretrial diversion agreement approved by Judge Frederico Moreno in the Southern District of Florida.

Court records show that 51-year-old Mr Baluchi must allow the US Coast Guard to dispose of the HydroPod vessel and he is not allowed to build a replacement.

He must also take a boater safety course before prosecutors move to dismiss the charges of obstruction of a boarding, and violation of a Captain of the Port order.

The drama unfolded earlier this year when the USS Coast Guard cutter Valiant spotted Mr Baluchi and intercepted him. When questioned during the 26 August incident Mr Baluchi said he was heading for London on his vessel.

Mr Baluchi then allegedly threatened to kill himself with a 12-inch knife if anyone tried to arrest him and also claimed to have a bomb onboard his craft.

On 28 August, after days of trying to get Mr Baluchi to board Coast Guard vessels, he admitted that he did not have a real bomb and a day later officers were able to get him to disembark.

The suspect was brought ashore on 1 September at the USCG Base in Miami Beach, Florida.

People read about me, they think Im crazy, he told USA Today on Tuesday.

This morning, the #FCSO responded to a call about a vessel washing ashore in the Hammock area.



Thank you to the concerned citizens who reported this. We are happy to announce that the occupant of the vessel is safe with no injuries! #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/zlenQd1tX7  Flagler County Sheriffs Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 24, 2021

He now says he will channel his energy by trying to run the length of the Great Wall of China to raise money for charity.

Under the diversion agreement, Mr Baluchi cannot work on any sea vessel or ports, including fishing boats.

It is reportedly not the first time Mr Baluchi has tried an extreme voyage on his vessel. Court documents state that he has attempted voyages in similar vessels in 2014, 2016 and 2021, all of which have ended with Coastguard intervention.

In 2021 he made national news when he tried a journey from Florida to New York but washed ashore after just 25 miles.
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Lawmakers in New York are pushing to change a decades-old state law to ban family members of convicted criminals from profiting from their crimes.

It comes amid outrage that Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, is reportedly being paid $1m for a Peacock TV docuseries.

Ms Ellerup, who filed for divorce six days after Mr Heuermanns July arrest for the murders of three sex workers, attended his most recent court appearance with a camera crew following her.

The Son of Sam law, which was named after David Berkowitz, a convicted serial killer who terrorised New York City in the 1970s, keeps convicts from making money off their crimes.

Its been a law in New York since 1977, but the US Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional in 1991. The law was then amended in 2001 with the revision that victims families will be notified by the Office of Victim Services to ensure they can sue their offenders for any proceeds more than $10,000, the Long Island Press reported.

Now, New York state Senator Kevin Thomas and New York state Assembly member Fred Thiele want to expand the law to also ban spouses, ex-spouses and other family members of convicted criminals from making profits.

Rex Heuermann appears in Suffolk County Supreme Court in November (AP)

With the alarming reality of media companies exploiting tragedy for profit, my hope is that victims are given the opportunity to receive the justice and compensation they deserve, Mr Thomas told the Long Island Press.

New York has a long history of blocking people convicted of a crime from benefiting from their illegal activity. My legislation aims to take it a step further to ensure that media deals surrounding a crime are subject to the same transparency and accountability as the perpetrator themselves. No one should be profiting off a crime.

However, Ms Ellerups attorney argued that the bill was a publicity stunt.

Asa Ellerup, and her two adult children, Victoria Heuermann and Christopher Sheridan have reportedly sold their life rights for the documentary (GoFundMe)

Its a sad day in America when people are willing to trample on the constitution to get press coverage, Bob Macedonio said. The next thing they will attempt is to control media coverage.

The proposed legislation is expected to come up for debate in early 2024. If passed, the bill would take effect immediately.

Its a move applauded by attorney John Ray, who represents victims families.

[Ellerup] is a ghoul and shes feeding on the dead by using their memory and the circumstances that her husband caused and she may have a part in, he said.

A Peacock spokesperson told CBS New York that Ms Ellerup was not paid for her participation, but was paid a licensing fee for use of her archive materials, which cannot go to Mr Heuermann or his defence.

Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City in the 1970s (Getty)

Mr Heuermann is accused of murdering Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22, whose remains were found at Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York between 2010 and 2011. He has pleaded not guilty.

He has also been named the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes  who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City. He is due back in court on 6 February.

The four victims, together known as the Gilgo Four, all worked as sex workers and disappeared after going to meet a client.

Their bodies were found in December 2010 within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape and some wrapped in burlap  all dumped along Gilgo Beach.

In total, the remains of 11 victims were found along the shores of Long Island in 2010 and 2011, sparking fears of one or more serial killers.

The case began back in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a young woman working as a sex worker, vanished after leaving a clients house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again.

During a search for Gilbert in a dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered human remains. Within days, four victims had been found.

By spring 2011, the number of victims rose to 10.

Clockwise from top left: Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Megan Waterman ((AP))

Gilberts body was then found in December 2011. Her cause of death is widely contested with authorities long claiming that it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the clients home.

However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her family continues to believe she was murdered.

No charges have been brought in connection to the other victims also found along the shores.

Court records show that Mr Heuermann was linked to the Gilgo Four murders through a tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, sadistic online searches and phone calls taunting victims families.

His DNA was also found on one of the victims, while his wifes hair was found on three of the four women he is connected to, according to prosecutors.

Investigators are continuing to work to determine if Mr Heuermann is also linked to any of the other victims  while law enforcement officials across the country are probing cold case murders for any potential ties.
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A victim of the infamous Green River killer, who murdered at least 48 people, has finally been identified almost four decades on thanks to advanced DNA testing.

The King County Sheriffs Office announced on Tuesday that Lori Anne Razpotnik has been named as the victim previously known only Bones 17, after her remains were found 38 years ago in Auburn, Washington.

Razpotnik was just 15 years old when she ran away from her family home in Lewis County in 1982. Her family never saw her again.

Three years later on 30 December 1985, a car was found abandoned on Mountain View Drive in Auburn.

When investigators got a closer look, they found human remains inside.

The Green River Task Force at the time searched the nearby area after the discovery and found a second set of human remains. For almost 40 years, the two sets of remains would be known only as Bones 16 and Bones 17.

Lori Anne Razpotnik has been identified after being named Bones 17 for almost 40 years (King County Sheriffs Office)

For years, no one knew how or why the victims remains ended up there, until the arrest of a man in 2001 began to unravel a series of mysterious cold cases.

Gary Ridgway had been a suspect in the so-called Green River killings since the 1980s, when several victims were found murdered in the Washington area.

He was finally arrested in 2001 and is now believed to have carried out at least 48 murders throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

As part of a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty, Ridgway said he would help police in their investigation and lead them to victims bodies.

Gary Ridgway was convicted in 2003 for 48 killings mostly in Washington state (Getty Images)

One of the places he pointed to was the area where Bones 16 and Bones 17 were recovered in 1985.

He pleaded guilty to these two murders in 2003.

In 2012, Bones 16 was identified through DNA testing as Sandra Major, a 20-year-old woman last seen getting into a pickup truck in North Seattle.

Now, Bones 17 finally also has her name after the sheriffs office worked with forensic DNA technology company Parabon Nanolabs to identify her remains too.

Detectives had been able to track down Razpotniks mother, who provided a saliva sample which the University of North Texas experts then used to identify the victim.

Wendy Stephens was the last Green River killer victim identified in 2020. Her body was found in 1984 in a swamp near Seattle-Tacome International Airport.

One more set of remains  known as Bones 20  continues to be unidentified.

Ridgway, thought to be one of the most prolific serial killers in the United States, is currently serving 49 consecutive life sentences at the Washington State Penitentiary.
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Kayla Unbehaun vanished from her Illinois hometown in an apparent abduction by her mother, who did not have custody.

The nine-year-olds photo appeared on an episode of the Netflix show Unsolved Mysteries about parental abductions, an age-progression image flashing on screen to depict what she would look like now.

Months later, someone at a North Carolina store recognised Kayla as a missing child  setting off a chain of events that led to her mothers arrest and Kaylas reunification with her father in the Midwest.

Heres everything we know about Kaylas abduction and safe recovery  and the questions that remain unanswered in the case.

Kayla Unbehaun is pictured with her father, Ryan Iskerka, before she vanished in 2017 in the company of her noncustodial mother, Heather Unbehaun (NCMEC)

A child and mother vanished on July 4th

Kayla was born on 5 July 2008 to Ryan Iskerka and Heather Unbehaun in the western suburbs of Chicago. After the couple split, a judge awarded the childs father permanent custody. Kayla was spending July 4th with her mother in 2017, however, and was scheduled to be returned to her father the next day, on her ninth birthday.

According to police interviews, Heather was last seen packing her belongings up to the roof of her car, Mr Iskerka wrote in a GoFundMe established just days later. Her closest family members indicated she went on a camping trip to an unknown location in Wisconsin and was expected to return on Wednesday July 5th at 7pm for a parenting time exchange with me.

Heather and Kayla did not show up for the court ordered exchange and the police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched. It was discovered that all of Heathers social media had been canceled and her phone turned off. As far as we know, no one has been able to reach her or has talked to her since the 4th of July.

Because of this, the following day I had filed a missing persons report for both Kayla and Heather. Heather also did not show up for a court date motioned by her on Friday June 7th. Her lawyer had not talked to her for days, was unaware of what happened and was very concerned.

Mother charged with abduction as father pleads for help

After Mr Iskerka filed the missing persons reports, Ms Unbehaun was charged in 2017 with child abduction, a Class 4 felony, the Kane County States Attorney said Tuesday in a statement. A judge set her bail at $10,000 and, since then, South Elgin police pursued numerous leads and tips, working with police agencies from around the country in an attempt to locate the child and Unbehaun.

Heather Unbehaun pictured in mugshot (Buncombe County Jail)

Mr Iskerka, meanwhile, was appealing for donations and information, writing on the GoFundMe that he planned to use the assistance to hire a private investigator and any additional cost concerning the search for them and their health and safety for when they are found. The safety and return of Kayla is the top priority of all of my family and I and any help we receive through this funding is greatly appreciated, he wrote.

Between July 2017 and May 2023, the page raised just over $2,500 toward its $10,000 goal, the last donation recorded on the site coming in nearly four years ago.

In November, however, Kaylas picture featured on an episode of Netflixs Unsolved Mysteries. At the end of Abducted by a Parent, the final instalment of the programs third Netflix season, missing posters and age progression images are shown from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Heather Unbehaun pictured in an alert promoted by MCNEC during the search for her daughter (MCNEC)

For just under five seconds, a photo of Kayla at nine appears onscreen alongside a picture of what she might look like as a teenager.

A Bring Kayla Home Facebook page, meanwhile, was also promoting the age progression image  sharing it as recently as 21 April. Created the same day as the GoFundMe  five days after Kayla was last seen in Wheaton with her mother  the page has more than 7,000 followers.

Search meets unlikely ending

Kayla and her mother were at Westgate Regional Shopping Center on the evening of 13 May in Asheville, North Carolina, when they caught the notice of a person at upmarket consignment shop Platos Closet, according to authorities.

That person recognized Unbehaun and recalled that the child was missing, Kane County States Attorneys Office posted Tuesday on social media. A store employee immediately contacted Asheville police, who contacted South Elgin police.

South Elgin police confirmed the identity of the two individuals as Heather Unbehaun and the missing child.

Ms Unbehauen, 40, was subsequently taken into custody, and Kayla has since been reunited with her father.

Kaylas father had included this video of his missing daughter on a GoFundMe page

Mr Iskerka, in a statement issued through the NCMEC, that he was overjoyed that Kayla is home safe.

I want to thank the South Elgin Police Department, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case, Mr Iskerka continued. I also want to thank all of the followers on the Bring Kayla Home Facebook page, who helped keep her story alive and were instrumental in spreading awareness. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.

South Elgin Chief of Police Jerry Krawczyk also thanked citizens across the country and other law enforcement agencies who worked so dedicatedly to help bring Kayla home.

We are overjoyed to report that the child is in good condition and in good spirits since being reunited with her father, he said in a release.

Law enforcement agencies  and well-wishers  were celebrating across several states as the case offered hope to investigators and families looking for people whove been missing for years.

I certainly think this is a unique case, Asheville Police Lt. Jonathan Brown told WLOS. It is unusual, its not a case that we see routinely or often.

Ryan Iskerka, pictured with his daughter before her abduction, says he is overjoyed at her return (NCMEC)

He marveled at how Kaylas mother had managed to go undetected for years.

Whats most unusual is the ability to stay off the grid, if you will, for that period of time, he said. Typically we leave a technological bread crumb and those are usually very easy and quick to be tracked down. This was not.

What happens next

Following Ms Unbehauns arrest in Buncombe County, she was charged with the felony offence of extradition, which she declined to waive. She posted $25,000 bond on 16 May and was released from custody, then turned herself in the following day in Kane County, Illinois, where she was booked on the abduction charge.

The 40-year-old appeared before Judge Julia Yetter on 18 May and was released on bond with an electronic monitoring device. Kaylas father obtained an order of protection against Ms Unbehaun, who is barred from being within 1,000 feet of his residence and cannot leave Illinois without court permission, a Kane County States Attorneys Office spokesman told The Independent.

Ms Unbehauns case has since been marked by a series of status hearings - including one on 8 November where she was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Her next status hearing is set for 1 December.

She has yet to enter a plea on the abduction charge. The Class 4 Felony in Illinois can carry a sentence of one to three years, often probationary.
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President Joe Biden said that there is no question former president Donald Trump supported an insurrection after Colorados state Supreme Court ruled that Mr Trump is ineligible for the presidency.

Mr Biden spoke to reporters in Milwaukee after they asked whether Mr Trump was an insurrectionist.

It's self-evident, he told reporters. You saw it all. Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, I'll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero.

On Tuesday evening, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Mr Trump is disqualified from the presidency and should be removed from the ballot because of his role engaging in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. Specifically, the court challenged his eligibility under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

The clause bans anyone who engaged in engaged in insurrection from holding military, civil or elected office without two-thirds of Congress approving so. The clause was created after the Civil War with members of the Confederacy in mind.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us, the justices wrote. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Four of the seven judges supported removing Mr Trump from the ballot while three dissented.

Mr Trump plans to appeal the ruling at the US Supreme Court.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, spokesman Steven Cheung said on Tuesday evening. We have full confidence that the US Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.
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Donald Trump is the subject of four criminal indictments at a time when he is hot on the trail of another stint in the White House, leading the race to secure the Republican presidential nomination with ease despite the myriad legal problems he faces.

The former president, already the first to be impeached twice, was indicted for a fourth time in Georgia on 14 August  less than a month after Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith unveiled federal charges against him for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

This time, Mr Trump was charged by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis with 13 counts related to an alleged conspiracy to alter the election result in the swing state in the days that followed his defeat to Joe Biden.

He was charged alongside 18 other defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and Sidney Powell, in an indictment containing a total of 41 counts related to racketeering.

In a 98-page dossier, based on a two-year investigation, Ms Willis outlined the ways that Mr Trump and his co-defendants had allegedly conspired to replace electors with fake ones, unlawfully accessed voter data, harassed election workers and solicited public officials to reject the results.

The former president surrendered to authorities in Fulton County on 24 August where he was arrested, fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken. On 31 August, he pleaded not guilty and waived his formal arraignment  avoiding what would have been his first televised court hearing.

Mr Trumps troubles began in earnest in April this year when he became the first-ever former or current president to face criminal charges when a New York City grand jury voted to indict him over hush money payments allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 presidential election.

He pleaded not guilty in that case to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the national vote by suppressing negative stories about him.

Former president Donald Trump appears in a Manhattan court for his first arraignment of the year on Tuesday 4 April 2023 (AP)

His second indictment of the year followed in June when Mr Smith handed down federal charges against Mr Trump and an aide, Walt Nauta, with 37 counts related to the unlawful retention of classified documents post-presidency and with obstruction of justice. A second Trump employee, Carlos De Oliveira, was later also accused of playing a role in the alleged coverup.

Those charges stem from an investigation that began in 2022 when officials from the National Archives and Records Administration discovered more than 100 classified documents in boxes that were retrieved from Mr Trumps private residence Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr Trumps third indictment, again courtesy of Mr Smith, occurred in August and pertained to the 2020 election and his alleged role in instigating the Capitol riot.

In addition to all of this, he has been caught up in a $250m civil lawsuit from New York attorney general Letitia James, whose investigation allegedly reveals years of illegal conduct to inflate his net worth... to deceive banks and the people of the great state of New York.

Mr Trump was also found liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll by a Manhattan civil jury early this year. Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for assaulting her and then destroying her reputation when he accused her of lying about the encounter, claiming that she was not his type.

Despite all of the above, conservative voters appear to be unmoved and Mr Trump remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. The candidate himself has insisted that he will remain in the race regardless of any outcome of the criminal cases against him.

He has also relied on news of the investigations and indictments to raise money for his campaign, which has netted millions of dollars from sympathetic supporters buying into his political persecution narrative.

But with potential convictions and judgments in both federal and state indictments and with multi-million dollar lawsuits to fight, what will all of this rolling chaos mean for Mr Trumps political future?

Can Trump still run for president?

There are no explicit restrictions in the Constitution to prevent anyone under indictment or convicted of a crime  or even currently serving prison time, for that matter  from running for or winning the presidency.

However, there is a little-known provision to the 14th Amendment that has inspired some people to file a lawsuit in an attempt to bar Mr Trump from appearing on the ballot in 2024. Section three of the amendment disqualifies people from running for office who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.

Though Mr Trump has not (yet) been charged with inciting an insurrection, he undoubtedly fueled the anger that drove his supporters to storm the Capitol, which was the conclusion reached by Colorados highest court and Maines secretary of state in December.

Looking at his calendar ahead, Mr Trump has a string of trial dates upcoming coinciding with the 2024 election.

Judge Tanya Chutkan has set his federal 2020 election interference trial date to begin on 4 March in Washington, DC.

His hush-money payment trial is then set for 25 March in Manhattan while Judge Aileen Cannon has chosen 20 May as the start date for Mr Trumps classified documents trial in Florida. Judge Scott McAfee has picked a provisional trial date of 5 August for the Georgia 2020 election interference case, although Ms Willis has said she is ready and willing to bring it forward.

Even if Mr Trump were to be tried and convicted in one of the so-called speedy trials, he could still run the entirety of his presidential campaign from a prison cell.

What is far less clear is what would happen if he were to win in that scenario.

Donald Trumps police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office in Georgia (Reuters)

Just as there are no restrictions in the constitution on a person running while under indictment, there is no explanation for what should occur if they win.

There is nothing in the founding document that would automatically grant Mr Trump a reprieve from prison time. However, if Mr Trump assumed the presidency while federal charges were still being litigated, they would likely be dropped due to the Justice Departments refusal to prosecute a sitting president.

In Ms Carrolls case, Mr Trump did not face any jail time because it was a civil trial.

State-level charges like the ones filed by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg or Ms Willis in Georgia are far trickier and would fall outside of the prospective presidential pardon power were they to result in a conviction.

If he were to be convicted on state charges and win the 2024 vote, it would likely lead to a massive legal fight to determine whether there was a way for the former president to worm his way out of serving time.

If Mr Trump was unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment (for a historic third time) or removal via the 25th Amendment.

There are many duties and trappings of the presidency that he would simply be unable to fulfill from a prison cell, the viewing of classified materials to name just one.

Any potential conviction for Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility.

But the conversations he has started with his bid for the presidency, despite facing four criminal indictments, have already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much more real place than many experts ever believed they would live to see.

What has Trump said about the probes?

The former president has repeatedly characterised the multiple investigations against him, including the January 6 probe, as a politically motivated hoax and an attempt to steal the 2024 election from him.

On 1 August, Mr Trump called Mr Smith deranged and the federal charges a fake indictment.

The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes. President Trump has always followed the law and the Constitution with advice from many highly accomplished attorneys, a statement from Mr Trumps campaign read.

On 3 August, the former commander-in-chief left his arraignment in DC after pleading not guilty to the 2020 election charges and told the press: When you look at whats happening this is a persecution of a political opponent.

This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person thats leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Joe Biden by a lot so if you cant beat them you persecute them or prosecute em.

In response to his Georgia indictment, Mr Trump claimed it was bogus saying it was a violation of his First Amendment right and has since speculated on Truth Social that this bail being set at $200,000 was intended to prevent him from absconding to Russia.

This story was updated on 29 December 2023 to reflect new developments
It's still unclear who will bring criminal charges, if any arise, in the investigation into a state building lease deal involving a legislator from Bismarck that resulted in cost overruns, a matter that also involves the deletion of the emails of former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and his former deputy Troy Seibel.

That's according to testimony on Tuesday from Attorney General Drew Wrigley to the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee. Wrigley's office has recused itself since the investigation is examining a previous attorney general's administration.

The events took place in Burleigh County, but Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer says her office has a conflict as well, according to Wrigley: Liz Brocker, a former employee of the Attorney General's office who's responsible in part for ordering the deletion of both Stenehjem and Seibel's email accounts, is now working for Lawyer.

And on Monday, Morton County informed Wrigley that it didn't have the capacity to take on any potential prosecution. Wrigley said that as a result he intends to return to Lawyer and put the onus on her team to find a replacement attorney for the matter.

Investigation unfolds

Wrigley in June 2022 disclosed a $1.7 million building cost overrun incurred under Stenehjem, who died in January 2022 at age 68 due to cardiac arrest. An investigative report prepared for lawmakers by State Auditor Josh Gallion noted Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, as a co-owner of the attorney generals leased building at 1720 Burlington Drive in south Bismarck. Dockter also co-owns the property management company that upgraded the building.

Dockter was Stenehjem's campaign treasurer in 2016 and 2018. The lawmaker has said he and Stenehejm were friends, but that had nothing to do with the building lease. He has called the lease fair.

Political talk radio hosts Joel Heitkamp and Tyler Axness, both former Democratic state senators, earlier filed complaints with the state Ethics Commission against Dockter related to his involvement in the building. The outcome of that is unclear.

Wrigley at the request of the Legislature's audit panel forwarded the building lease matter to Montana's Division of Criminal Investigation, which in September returned a lengthy report but said any legal decisions were outside its scope.

Media records requests in July 2022 uncovered the deletions of Stenehjems and Seibel's state email accounts, done at the direction of Brocker, who resigned just after the deletions came to light. She had been Stenehjems longtime executive assistant.

North Dakotas Republican-controlled Legislature passed laws earlier this year to increase transparency of who owns state-leased property and to set requirements for retaining state government emails.

Looking ahead

Wrigley on Tuesday said he was confident there would be a state's attorney willing to take on an investigation into any potential criminal charges. In a worst-case scenario, an attorney from a neighboring state could be enlisted, he said.

The search for a prosecutor doesn't necessarily mean any charges will be brought as the result of an investigation, but the state can't pursue any charges without appointing a prosecutor that doesn't have a conflict of interest.

At the meeting, Wrigley, the Montana DCI investigator and a representative of the company owning the building in question all claimed various levels of contact and cooperation in regards to the investigation and any potential fiscal resolutions to the cost overrun. As a result, the committee directed Legislative Council -- the Legislature's research arm -- to request supporting evidence from each party. It also is planning to request both Seibel and Brocker testify at its next meeting.
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In a stunning and historic ruling for America, Donald Trump has been struck off Colorados 2024 presidential election ballot by the states Supreme Court, over his part in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot

Colorados highest court issued the landmark ruling on Tuesday, with a 4-3 majority finding that the former president is not eligible as a presidential candidate under the 14th Amendment  which bars anyone who engaged in an insurrection from holding office.

When President Trump told his supporters that they were allowed to go by very different rules and that if they did not fight like hell, they would not have a country anymore, it was likely that his supporters would heed his encouragement and act violently, the justices wrote in the majority ruling.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, it read.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Three Colorado Supreme Court justices dissented the ruling.

The decision has been stayed until 4 January  one day before the deadline to set candidates for the Republican primary in March  giving Mr Trump just over two weeks to appeal.

The Trump campaign has already vowed to swiftly lodge an appeal  while baselessly blaming President Joe Biden and election interference in an irate fundraising email.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits, campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

While the ruling only applies to Colorados ballot and may well be overturned by the conservative-heavy US Supreme Court on appeal, it paves the way for other states to potentially follow suit.

Read the first-of-its kind ruling in full here:
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Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was one of many Republicans who lashed out at Democrats on Tuesday evening after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that Donald Trump should not be allowed on the ballot in the state.

The ruling late Tuesday caused an uproar in Washington. Mr Trump, who remains accused of 91 felony counts in four separate criminal prosecutions, is widely understood to have encouraged his supporters to rally in Washington on January 6 and on the day itself told them to descend upon the US Capitol. What happened next was an hours-long brawl with police and other law enforcement that left several people dead and dozens of officers wounded. Members of Congress and the US vice president were forced to hide in fear for their lives as Trump supporters rampaged through the Capitol complex, looting offices and issuing violent threats towards police and lawmakers.

He remains the de facto leader of the Republican Party and the wide favourite to win the 2024 Republican primary, according to all available polling. The former presidents GOP allies blamed Democrats for the presidents defeat before the Colorado Supreme Court in the hours after the decision was announced, despite the lawsuit having been brought by a DC-based ethics watchdog.

On Fox News, Mr Patrick even went as far as suggesting that Republicans could move to unilaterally exclude Joe Biden from the ballot in states like Texas where the GOP controls local government. He couched his statement, however, with the notion that his party would not do this because the GOP believe[s] in democracy.

Maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing 8m people to cross the border since hes been president, disrupting our state far more than anything anyone else has done in recent history, said the lieutenant governor.

The statement was not a serious threat but does illuminate the kind of revenge-focused rhetoric that Republican politicians believe, perhaps rightly, that their base wants to hear. Mr Trumps own third White House bid has echoed those same themes as he vows to exert direct control over the Justice Department if elected in order to prosecute his political enemies, most notably including the Biden family.

There is no legal mechanism in Texas state politics for the governor or lieutenant governor to strip a candidates ballot access; such a challenge to a candidate who meets the states basic requirements for ballot access would, like in Colorado, require a lawsuit to make its way through the courts. And unlike Mr Trump, the incumbent president is not attached to any events or incidents that could credibly be called an insurrection, the basis of the 14th Amendment challenge to the former presidents candidacy in Colorado.

Republicans have fumed at Mr Biden for months over the state of the US border with Mexico, where drug trafficking through ports of entry continues to be a major problem. Large numbers of immigrants crossing the border illegally and claiming asylum in the US, a symptom of longstanding policy that requires such claims to be made on US soil, continue to inflame fears of an out of control border as well.

Some members of the GOP, however, have admitted that the problem is not a strictly partisan issue. Texas Congressman Chip Roy, a Republican and ally of Trump rival Ron DeSantis of Florida, explained as much during an interview with CNNs Kaitlan Collins this week in which he blamed the former president for not seriously addressing the issue either.

"President Trump also failed to actually fully secure the border," he said. "If he had worked with conservatives to get bills passed in 2018 and 2019, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now."
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Donald Trump has now denied ever having read Adolf Hitlers 1925 memoir-manifesto Mein Kampf as he faces a firestorm over his recent run of anti-immigrant comments, which have been likened to the Nazi leaders infamous blood and soil rhetoric.

The former president returned to the campaign trail in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday evening where he doubled down on his earlier inflammatory remarks.

Its crazy, whats going on. Theyre ruining our country. And its true. They are destroying the blood of our country. Thats what theyre doing. They are destroying our country, he said.

They dont like it when I said that, he added, before denying browsing Hitlers book.

And I never read Mein Kampf. They said, Oh, Hitler said that. In a much different way, he said.

No, theyre coming from all over the world. People all over the world, we have no idea... They could be healthy. They could be very unhealthy. They could bring in disease thats going to catch on in our country. But they do bring in crime. But they have them coming from all over the world.

Mr Trump was speaking just hours after Colorados Supreme Court ruled that he should be disqualified from the states 2024 ballot in accordance with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution  which rules that anyone who engages in an insurrection cannot hold public office.

The verdict will be appealed by Mr Trumps attorneys and could yet be overturned by the conservative-majority US Supreme Court but represents a potential hammer-blow to his hopes of mounting a return to the White House, particularly if other states choose to follow suit.

The Republican has otherwise spent the week mired in controversy after declaring in an address to a New Hampshire crowd on Saturday night that immigrants were poisoning the blood of our country.

They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America. Not just the three or four countries we think about, he raved. But all over the world theyre coming into our country, from Africa, from Asia.

The Joe Biden campaign has since accused Mr Trump of parroting Hitler by drawing on the German dictators hateful speeches during the heyday of the Third Reich while Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on authoritarianism from New York University, stated unequivocally that Mr Trumps attack amounts to fascist rhetoric.

The Nazis made the fear of blood pollution of their master race and their civilisation a foundation of their state, she said.

Italian fascists talked about the threat of non-white immigrants coming in to ruin white civilisation. Trump is referencing and prolonging and echoing fascist rhetoric.

Among Mr Trumps rivals for the Republican nomination, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has also denounced him, calling the comments disgusting.

Mr Christie warned that the GOP favourite is becoming crazy and worse by the day and is engaging in dog whistle tactics designed to appeal to bigots.

The scandal, in turn, led to a Vanity Fair profile of Mr Trumps late first wife Ivana Trump from September 1990 being recirculated in which she alleged that her former spouse used to keep a book of Hitlers speeches in his bedside cabinet.

Former US president Donald Trump address a rally crowd in Waterloo, Iowa, on 19 December 2023 (Scott Olson/Getty)

Marie Brenner, the journalist behind the feature, writes that she asked Mr Trump about the truth of the anecdote, to which he replied: It was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and hes a Jew.

Mr Davis is then quoted as telling the journalist: I did give him a book about Hitler. But it was My New Order, Hitlers speeches, not Mein Kampf. I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but Im not Jewish.

Mr Trump is finally reported as having told Ms Brenner: If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.

Elsewhere in the piece, the writer quotes Ivana as saying that a friend of Mr Trumps clicks his heels and says, Heil Hitler, possibly as a family joke whenever he visits him in his office.

Before this weeks outrage, Mr Trump is alleged to have previously praised the Nazi partys Fuhrer during a presidential visit to Europe in 2018, telling his then-chief of staff John Kelly, according to a recent book, that Hitler did a lot of good things like dragging Germany out of economic turmoil in the 1930s.

Mr Kelly reportedly pushed back against the idea immediately, according to Michael Benders book Frankly, We Did Win This Election (2021), telling his boss that no economic revival could justify what followed.

More recently, Mr Trump was criticised for describing his enemies as vermin in another address in New Hampshire in November  comments that again carried fascist undertones.
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Colorado might be making headlines for removing President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot , but thats not the only historic move the Centennial State made this week.

Colorado also became the first state to reintroduce gray wolves into the states wilderness this week, a win for environmentalists that Representative Lauren Boebert is speaking out against.

Today, Colorado becomes the first state in the country to reintroduce gray wolves, despite rural America heavily opposing this measure, Ms Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, wrote on X. This ill-advised decision puts ranchers and farmers livestock at risk.

However, this reintroduction effort will help stave off the biodiversity extinction crisis we are living in, Joanna Lambert, professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, told the Associated Press .

Officials with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Agency did not disclose the exact reintroduction location in order to protect the wolves. Gray wolves historically lived in regions spanning from northern Canada to the southwestern United States, the AP reports.

The measure to reintroduce Gray Wolves to Colorado was first approved by voters in 2020. The measure passed narrowly, with just 50.9 per cent of voters  mostly young people and urban residents  casting their ballots in favor of reintroduction, according to Colorado State University .

The 18 December reintroduction of five gray wolves came after a Colorado judge denied a request from the Colorado Cattlemens Association and the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association to delay the move, though the lawsuit will still continue. The groups have claimed the US Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately review the potential impacts of the plan, which includes the release of up to 50 total wolves.

Opponents of the bill have cited concerns about the wolves preying upon livestock owned by rural residents. Residents of areas with more elk hunters also tended to oppose the measure, per Colorado State University. However, to assuage rural residents concerns, the state will pay ranchers up to $15,000 per animal preyed upon by the wolves.

Instead of caving to radical environmental groups, we should be listening to our ranchers and farmers when they say this is bad for Colorado, Ms Boebert wrote on X.

Ms Boeberts office did not respond to a request for comment seeking clarification on the radical environmental groups the representative referred to in her post on X.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency and Ms Boebert did not respond to The Independents request for comment.
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Colorados highest court has ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified for the presidency and should be removed from 2024 ballots, an unprecedented order finding him constitutionally ineligible from holding office over his role in engaging in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

A historic ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday was the first among any state supreme court to consider the question of his or any other candidates eligibility, following a wave of lawsuits challenging his presidential candidacy under the US Constitutions insurrection clause.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, according to the unsigned order from the courts four-justice majority.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us, the justices wrote. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Three justices on the seven-member panel dissented.

The state Supreme Courts ruling is paused until 4 January, the day before the Colorado Secretary of States deadline to certify the contents of 2024 ballots, to allow for an appeal.

Mr Trumps campaign plans to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, among newly enshrined amendments enacted in the aftermath of the US Civil War, prohibits anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the constitution and engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding public office.

So far, no other courts have found Mr Trump ineligible. But after a week-long trial last month, a state judge in Colorado ruled that while the former president supported the insurrection, a ban from office doesnt apply to presidents.

That ruling followed a lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on behalf of a group of Colorado voters, who argued that Mr Trump had failed that test, rendering him constitutionally ineligible to appear on any Colorado ballot as a candidate for federal or state office.

Last month, Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace found that not only did Mr Trump incite the attack on the Capitol in an effort to block the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, he also engaged with it.

Mr Trump acted with the specific intent to incite political violence and direct it at the Capitol with the purpose of disrupting the electoral certification, she wrote.

But she determined that she could not remove him from the ballot, a ruling the former president considered a gigantic court victory despite the judges landmark affirmation of his role in the insurrection.

Who could more easily subvert our democracy from within than a commander in chief, who has already tried to do so before? Jason Murray, an attorney representing the challengers, asked Colorado Supreme Court justices during oral arguments earlier this month.

Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the ruling on 19 December is not only historic and justified but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government, he added.

A statement from Mr Trumps campaign spokesperson accuses the lawsuit and court decision of joining what the former president has broadly characterised as a Democratic conspiracy of election interference against him, as he faces four criminal indictments and a growing list of lawsuits and other legal obstacles as he seeks the GOP nomination next year.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, according to the statement from Steven Cheung. We have full confidence that the US Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.
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The US Supreme Court could determine whether Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for crimes connected to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, and whether his name can be removed from ballots because of them.

Those two major constitutional questions before the nations highest court  where three of the nine justices were appointed by the former president  arrive in the middle of the 2024 race for the presidency, and could have resounding impacts beyond Mr Trumps campaign.

The Supreme Court is considering whether Mr Trump has presidential immunity from charges connected to his attempts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, including his failure to stop a mob of his supporters from breaking into the halls of Congress to stop the certification of the results.

His campaign also pledged to go to the Supreme Court following a Colorado ruling that bars him from appearing on 2024 ballots under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits candidates who engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding public office.

Those questions underscore the massive role that courtrooms have played in Mr Trumps brutal campaign for the White House in 2024, a campaign that frames the 91 criminal charges, fraud lawsuits and sexual abuse and defamation claims against him as evidence of a conspiracy to keep him away from the presidency. Mr Trump has promised vengeance against his political enemies if he wins another White House term.

On Tuesday night, the former president didnt issue a statement or even address the Colorado ruling from the stage of a campaign rally in Iowa, where he spoke roughly one hour later. Instead, while he was speaking, a fundraising email with the title REMOVED FROM THE BALLOT asked supporters for donations to join the fight to keep my name on the 2024 ballot and peacefully defend YOUR right to vote.

Mr Trump, who has spent years in court litigating against threats to his business and his political career, has relied on his multiple courtroom battles in several jurisdictions to raise millions of dollars for his campaign, telling his supporters that the threats he faces are also coming for them.

What he doesnt tell them is why, or even what hes been charged with, but its a narrative that is driving his campaign, and every subsequent courtroom decision against him becomes more fuel to cast himself as the victim.

Meanwhile, his attorneys have echoed his claims of election interference in court filings and courtrooms across the country.

The Supreme Court is also considering the scope of a federal statute that makes it a crime for anyone who corruptly obstructs an official proceeding  in this case, the certification of the 2020 presidential election. That charge has hit more than 300 defendants, including the former president.

Those questions before the high courts conservative supermajority also come under heightened scrutiny of the court itself. The court is facing questions about its legitimacy and ethics obligations after a wave of reporting revealed justices ties to powerful donors and special interests, including potential interference in the 2020 election.

That confluence of events  and potential answers to what are ostensibly simple questions about the role of government  close out 2023 at a critical turning point.

The presidential immunity question

A federal grand jury indictment charges the former president with four crimes, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

He is accused of using lies about the elections outcome to wage a pressure campaign against state officials to push fraudulent slates of electors to obstruct the certification of the results, followed by a failed effort to persuade then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse the outcome, and, ultimately, failing to stop a mob of his supporters from breaking into the Capitol.

His attorneys have argued that not only were his actions protected as core political speech, they also have stated that he is protected from prosecution for actions they consider part of his presidential duties.

No former president has ever been criminally prosecuted, let alone for actions committed while in the White House. Mr Trumps attorneys have seized on that lack of precedent to get the indictments against him thrown out.

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, centre, speaks with his wife Ginni Thomas, seated next to Justice Samuel Alito, at Sandra Day OConnors funeral on 19 December. (Getty)

On 1 December, the federal judge overseeing his election conspiracy case wrote that Mr Trumps one term in office did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade criminal accountability.

The United States has only one Chief Executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong get-out-of-jail-free pass, wrote US District Judge Tanya Chutkan. A former presidents exposure to federal criminal liability is essential to fulfilling our constitutional promise of equal justice under the law.

In their request for the Supreme Court to quickly settle the question ahead of a March 2024 trial date, federal prosecutors said that such liability is a cornerstone of constitutional law.

The force of that principle is at its zenith where, as here, a grand jury has accused a former president of committing federal crimes to subvert the peaceful transfer of power to his lawfully elected successor, they wrote.

Nothing could be more vital to our democracy than that a president who abuses the electoral system to remain in office is held accountable for criminal conduct, the filing added. Yet [Mr Trump] has asserted that the Constitution accords him absolute immunity from prosecution. The Constitutions text, structure, and history lend no support to that novel claim.

The 14th Amendment question

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment plainly outlines what makes a candidate ineligible for public office:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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.

A final clause, however, adds that Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

The 14th Amendment was among a suite of civil rights amendments enacted in the volatile aftermath of the US Civil War to grant equal protection under the law to all citizens, including formerly enslaved people.

Section 3 of that amendment effectively enshrined what President Abraham Lincoln had declared before Congress after the first shots of the war were fired in 1861.

A question of whether the American experiment can survive against an internal attempt to overthrow it remained in dispute, according to Lincoln, and it is now for them to demonstrate to the world that those who can fairly carry an election can also suppress a rebellion; that ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets, and that when ballots have fairly and constitutionally decided there can be no successful appeal back to bullets; that there can be no successful appeal except to ballots themselves at succeeding elections.

Such will be a great lesson of peace, teaching men that what they can not take by an election neither can they take it by a war; teaching all the folly of being the beginners of a war, he said in his address.

Section 3s authors argued during congressional debate that the rules apply to anyone who took an oath of office, including the president, which attorneys for Mr Trump and right-wing legal analysts have disputed, by pointing to language that he is neither an officer under the United States nor an officer of the United States.

A mob fuelled by Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him stormed the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021, to stop the certification of Joe Bidens victory. (AP)

Republican US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene faced a legal challenge over her eligibility for office under Section 3. So did former Republican US Rep Madison Cawthorn, whose case was declared moot after he lost a primary election.

Last year, Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in New Mexico who was convicted for his role in the 6 January attack, was permanently removed from office under a Section 3 insurrection challenge, marking the first successful attempt to disqualify a public official from holding office in more than 100 years.

A lawsuit filed by a government watchdog group on behalf of a group of Colorado voters argued that Mr Trump had also failed Section 3s test, rendering him constitutionally ineligible to appear on any Colorado ballot as a candidate for federal or state office.

Last month, Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace found that not only did Mr Trump incite the attack on the Capitol in an effort to block the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, he also engaged with it.

Mr Trump acted with the specific intent to incite political violence and direct it at the Capitol with the purpose of disrupting the electoral certification, she wrote.

After an appeal to the states highest court, the justices wrote in a 4-3 majority opinion that President Trump did not merely incite the insurrection.

Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it, they continued. These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection.

The ruling determined that his direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary.

Mr Trump and his campaign intend to appeal the Colorado Supreme Court decision to the US Supreme Court.

The Colorado case is among several stemming from similar lawsuits challenging his eligibility to appear on 2024 ballots under the provisions of the 14th Amendment.

Colorado law requires the secretary of state to certify the names that will appear on the ballot by 5 January. The state Supreme Court ruling is delayed until 4 January to allow the nations highest court to review it, if it chooses to.

Supreme Court justices could ultimately leave the 14th Amendment question up to individual states to decide. In that case, the Colorado Supreme Court ruling would not impact challenges in other states. But state courts could point to the ruling in Colorado when making their decision.

Even inaction would functionally exclude him from not just Colorado but perhaps other states, Notre Dame Law School professor Derek Muller said in a statement shared with The Independent.

There are a dozen ways the Court could go. And there is no question this is a big, big deal, he said.
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After the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Donald Trump from the presidency and ruled that he should be removed from 2024 ballots, Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to withdraw his candidacy in the state, sparking social media mockery.

Mr Ramaswamy made the announcement seemingly in a show of solidarity with the former president after the historic ruling  which hinged on the US Constitutions insurrection clause  came down on 19 December.

I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot unless and until Trumps name is restored, Mr Ramaswamy said in a video on X. I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley also withdraw from the states primary race.

Social media users have been quick to praise Mr Ramaswamys decision  but probably not for the reasons he was hoping.

Some have encouraged him to continue dropping out from other states ballots.

Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw reacted to Mr Ramaswamys pledge on X: Maybe he should just withdraw from all the other states too.

Good! 49 more states to go, one X user wrote.

Others have remarked that his withdrawal from the states primary ballot does not make a difference to many voters.

Former congressional staffer Matt Robison also chimed in, I would like to announce that I too pledge to withdraw from the ballot. Because if Im not on there it will have the exact same impact as Vivek.

One X user commented brutally: The one person who wouldve voted for him in Colorado is very upset.

In the same vein, another user wrote, Nice way to not really lose.

Mr Ramaswamy did earn praise from Ohio senator JD Vance. Speaking on Fox News, Mr Vance said, Good for Vivek! Good for somebody, a competitor of Donald Trump in the primary, for standing up and saying, This is completely unacceptable.

The former president has not commented on Mr Ramaswamys proposal, but shared a few words of his own about the Colorado Supreme Courts decision.

Mr Trump took to Truth Social to condemn the Colorado high courts ruling: WHAT A SHAME FOR OUR COUNTRY!!! He added, BANANA REPUBLIC??? ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!
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With less than 11 months remaining until US voters will decide who will serve as president of the United States from January 2025 to January 2029, a number of outspoken Republicans have started to jockey for position in the coming fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, while at least two Democrats have challenged President Joe Biden in a Democratic primary.

As the campaign takes shape, here are the names you need to know.

Joe Biden

Mr Biden is the current president of the United States and is now officially gunning for a second term, having announced his reelection bid in a video message on 25 April.

Mr Biden, 81, is the oldest person to ever serve as president and his lacklustre approval ratings fuelled speculation that he might stand down so a younger candidate could take up the Democratic Party mantle.

Joe Biden (AP)

But the Democrats better-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms appeared to put new wind in Mr Bidens sails before he officially announced his 2024 run

Donald Trump

Mr Trump, 77, officially filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to declare himself a candidate in the 2024 election on 15 November 2022.

Mr Trump is the only US president to face two separate impeachment trials  one after fomenting a violent attack on the US Capitol in hopes of remaining in power despite losing the 2020 election to Mr Biden.

He announced his candidacy at the same Palm Beach, Florida, location where FBI agents had conducted a search for stolen classified documents just three months earlier.

Donald Trump (AP)

The ex-real estate developer-turned-television-presenter-turned-politician is hoping he can become the first ex-US chief executive to reclaim the White House since Grover Cleveland.

Mr Trump faces a series of obstacles on what was once assumed to be a smooth glide path to the GOP nomination, including several of his former top aides and at least one governor he once endorsed  and four criminal indictments.

His campaign suffered a major setback on 19 December 2023, however, when the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that he must be disqualified from 2024 ballots in the state.

Its an unprecedented order finding him constitutionally ineligible from holding office in light of his role in engaging in the failed coup of 6 January 2021  a violation of the oath he swore as commander-in-chief.

Mr Trumps team has said it will appeal the ruling, which could spell the end of his candidacy should other states decide to act accordingly.

Marianne Williamson

The self-help author and former spiritual adviser to television mogul Oprah Winfrey, who participated in several Democratic primary debates during the 2020 election, entered the 2024 race to challenge Mr Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination.

I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time, she said.

Marianne Williamson (AP)

During her aborted 2020 presidential run, she garnered a measure of notoriety for making statements widely considered bizarre, such as a vow to make then-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern the first head of government she would call as president, and an assertion that she would win the election by "harness[ing] love for political purposes" against Mr Trump.

Nikki Haley

On 15 February, Ms Haley, 51, announced that she would enter the race.

In a video released by her campaign, she even went so far as to take a veiled swipe at Mr Trump by noting that seven out of the last eight presidential elections have seen the GOP candidate lose the popular vote.

Nikki Haley (AP)

Ms Haley is the former governor of South Carolina and spent two years as Mr Trumps ambassador to the United Nations and during that time garnered some media attention for her sauve ability to avoid engaging with the controversies that engulfed Mr Trumps administration while remaining in his good graces.

Although the former governor-turned-diplomat previously pledged not to throw her hat into the ring for 2024 if Mr Trump was still running, she appears to have thrown that non-campaign promise away.

She also said it is time for a new generation of leadership who will rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose.

Ron DeSantis

The current governor of Florida announced his campaign on 24 May after months of speculation by many in the GOP that he would be the perfect successor to Mr Trump.

His campaign kickoff suffered a slew of technical errors when it launched in a Twitter Spaces event with CEO Elon Musk.

Ron DeSantis (AP)

Mr DeSantis, 44, is a former Florida congressman who won his 2018 gubernatorial campaign after receiving a coveted endorsement from Mr Trump.

He is viewed by Republican pundits as a worthy avatar of the current anti-woke GOP and his star has been on the rise in conservative circles since he made a show of ending any and all pandemic-related restrictions and mandates in the Sunshine State.

When Mr DeSantis took the stage at his 2022 election victory party, supporters even chanted two more years in a nod to his potential status as a GOP presidential contender.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Mr Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotechnology entrepreneur and conservative activist, announced his intention to compete in the 2024 Republican primary during an appearance on Tucker Carlsons eponymous Fox News programme (before Mr Carlsons acrimonious departure from the network).

Mr Ramaswamy, 37, is a Yale Law School graduate. He has become somewhat of a celebrity in right-wing circles for his denunciations of stakeholder capitalism, big tech censorship and critical race theory.

Vivek Ramaswamy (AP)

Last year, he founded Strive Asset Management, an anti-woke investment firm opposed to businesses that use environmental, social and corporate governance practices.

Robert F Kennedy Jr

Mr Kennedy Jr, a lawyer, vaccine-sceptic and the son of US senator Robert F Kennedy, filed candidacy papers with the FEC on 5 April.

The filing places the 69-year-old as the second long-shot Democratic candidate to challenge President Biden, behind Ms Williamson.

Robert F Kennedy Jr (AP)

While he intends to run as a Democrat, Mr Kennedy Jr has ties to former president Mr Trump. In 2017, he was tapped by the then-president-elect to oversee a presidential panel to review vaccine safety and science - despite having repeatedly expressed scepticism about vaccines. He continued pushing those beliefs through the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Kennedy Jrs father, the late New York Senator Robert F Kennedy Sr, was a candidate in the 1968 presidential election before he was assassinated.

The presidential candidate eventually switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Independent.

Chris Christie

Mr Christie, the pugnacious ex-New Jersey governor and ally-turned-critic of Mr Trump, entered the 2024 Republican presidential primary to directly challenge the man he endorsed after failing to gain traction in the GOP field nearly eight years ago.

In a town hall at St Anselm College in New Hampshire on 6 June, Mr Christie, 60, announced his campaign by positioning himself as a moderate-conservative alternative to Mr Trump who he referred to as a self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog.

Chris Christie (Getty)

Mr Christie twice endorsed Mr Trump for president in 2016 and 2020 but turned on him after Mr Trump refused to concede and ultimately encouraged the January 6th riot.

The former New Jersey governor has been outspoken about his disdain for Mr Trump and is making it very clear in his 2024 campaign that he plans to take him on head first.

Ryan Binkley

Pastor and businessman Mr Binkley announced his entrance into the 2024 race on 9 May  another long-shot contender to challenge Mr Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.

We have to be unified, Mr Binkley, 55, said at an event. We have to be in this place, because if were in a time of uncertainty, what its going to take is faith in God and faith in each other to get us through, and its not time for us to back down. Its time for us to believe.

Ryan Binkley (The Way to Freedom)

Mr Binkley has said he is absolutely confident that he could take on Mr Trump, despite having little name recognition and no experience holding elected office.

Asa Hutchinson

The former governor of Arkansas formally announced his campaign for president on 26 April.

In Bentonville, Arkansas, Mr Hutchinson, 72, told supporters he is optimistic about the future of the US and hopes to carry out the same conservative values to the White House that he did as governor.

In this campaign for president, I stand alone in terms of my experience, record and leadership, Mr Hutchinson said.

Asa Hutchinson (AP)

Before becoming governor, Mr Hutchinson was a representative for Arkansas, an administrator for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and transportation security of the US Department of Homeland Security under former president George W Bush.

Mr Hutchinson discussed the economy, crime and border security during his campaign kick-off speech.

Dean Phillips

Mr Phillips, the Democratic representative of Minnesota, announced he would challenge Mr Biden for the White House on 26 October.

 I know this campaign is a long shot, but that is why I think it is important and worth doing, Mr Phillips said in his announcement.

Dean Phillips (Reuters)

Mr Phillips, 54, said he was running to serve as an alternate Democratic candidate to President Joe Biden, who he believes should not run due to his age and low approval rating.

President Biden is a good man and someone I tremendously respect. I understand why other Democrats dont want to run against him, and why we are here. Mr Phillips wrote on X. If President Biden is the Democratic nominee, we face an unacceptable risk of Trump being back in the White House.

Mr Phillips, who was elected to Congress in 2018, said his campaign will focus on making the economy better, life more affordable for the middle class and improving safety.

Jill Stein

Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein announced she would enter the 2024 race on 9 November.

Ms Stein, 73, is once again seeking the third-party nomination.

Jill Stein (Getty)

In an announcement video posted to social media, Ms Stein called the two-party political system broken.

The two Wall Street parties are bought and paid for. Over 60 per cent of us now say the bipartisan establishment has failed us and we need a party that serves the people, Ms Stein said.

Ms Stein, a medical doctor, ran for president in 2016 with the Green Party and received roughly 1.4m votes nationally. Some analyses have argued that had her supporters voted for Hillary Clinton in key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, the Democrats wouldve won the 2016 election.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Called it quits

Will Hurd

Mr Hurd, 45, a former CIA officer and representative for Texas, announced his bid for the Republican nomination on 22 June.

Approximately three months later on 9 October, Mr Hurd suspended his campaign.

Will Hurd (Reuters)

Like Mr Christie, Mr Hurd positioned himself as a moderate alternative to the field of GOP candidates while remaining critical of Mr Trump.

The former Texas representative served in the US House for six years before leaving in 2021. He was the only Black Republican in the chamber during his final two terms.

While in Congress, Mr Hurds district was one of the most competitive in Texas. It included parts of San Antonio and El Paso as well as included most of the Texas border with Mexico.

In his campaign suspension announcement, Mr Hurd urged voters to united around an alternative candidate to Trump.

Otherwise, we will repeat the same errors as in 2016. If the Republican party nominates Donald Trump or the various personalities jockeying to imitate his divisive, crass behavior, we will lose, Mr Hurd said.

Perry Johnson

Mr Johnson, 75, is a businessman who tried to run for governor of Michigan in 2022 but was disqualified due to invalid signatures.

But the hiccup didnt stop Mr Johnson from aiming big and making a longshot, and short-lived, bid for president.

Perry Johnson (AFP/Getty)

On 3 March, Mr Johnson announced his bid for 2024 president in Iowa where he claimed to be: pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, anti-woke and anti-China.

He notably has promoted a plan to cut federal spending by 2 per cent every year and pushing to complete the US  Mexico border wall.

Mr Johnson suspended his campaign on 20 October saying, With no opportunity to share my vision on the debate stage, I have decided at this time, suspending my campaign is the right thing to do,

Francis Suarez

Mr Suarez, the mayor of Miami, filed paperwork with the FEC on 14 June  throwing his hat in the ring of an already packed Republican nomination race.

But that did not last long as he chose to suspend his campaign on 29 August after failing to qualify for the first RNC debate.

Francis Suarez (AP)

Mr Suarez, 45, is a Cuban-American who has made a name for himself in Miami, and Florida, as a tough-on-crime conservative. But outside of the state, hes largely unknown.

Some may remember Mr Suarez as one of the first people to contract Covid-19 in Miami-Dade County in March 2020. He documented his progression with the illness to help others understand it better.

Despite his relative obscurity, Mr Suarez expressed confidence that being the only Hispanic candidate gave him a lot of credibility, according to The Associated Press.

In his resignation announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Suarez said: While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains.

He added that he looks forward to supporting the eventual nominee.

Larry Elder

Mr Elder, a former attorney, and current conservative talk radio host, announced on 20 April on Tucker Carlson Tonight, just like Mr Ramaswamy, that he would be running for president in 2024.

The right-wing candidate said that he felt a moral, religious, and a patriotic duty to join the race for president. He named policing, crime and government overreach as areas of concern.

Mr Elder later suspended his campaign in October.

Larry Elder (Getty)

Prior to his announcement, Mr Elder had been the host of the popular conservative radio programme The Larry Elder Show on KABC since 1993. He left in April 2022.

Mr Elder has some political experience as he unsuccessfully ran to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021.

On 26 October, Mr Elder suspended his campaign and gave his support to Mr Trump.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President Mr Pence officially entered the 2024 presidential race on 7 June after much speculation that he would try to take on his former boss Mr Trump.

Today our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature, Mr Pence said in his campaign kickoff speech in Iowa.

He suspended his campaign just four months later.

Mike Pence (AP)

Mr Pence, 64, was once Mr Trumps steadfast right-hand man until he made the decision not to unlawfully hijack Congress certification of Electoral College votes to keep Mr Trump in office in 2020.

Since then, a rift has been driven between Mr Pence and Mr Trump  though Mr Pence continues to not publicly criticse Mr Trump in the same way other anti-Trump Republicans have.

Mr Pence has made it clear that he would not do things the way the ex-president did during their four years in office together but still promote the traditional conservative values he holds.

Mr Pence announced on 28 October that he would suspend his presidential campaign saying this is not my time.

Tim Scott

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott officially entered the race for Republican presidential nominee on 19 May after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

He suspended his campaign on 12 November, approximately six months after he first made his announcement

Tim Scott (AP)

Mr Scott, 57, became the first Black senator to represent a state that had been part of the Confederacy during the American Civil War and the first Black Republican since Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke when he was elected in 2013.

He has long been considered a rising star in the Republican Party and was given the honour of delivering the partys response to President Joe Bidens inaugural address to Congress in 2021.

He began his campaign with more money than any of his 2024 rivals  roughly $22 million that he can automatically convert from his US Senate campaign account to a presidential campaign. This is the most any candidate in history has had at the beginning of a campaign for president, according to the FEC.

Mr Scott ended his campaign due to a lack of voter support.

The voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that theyre telling me, not now, Tim. Mr Scott told Fox News.

Doug Burgum

Mr Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, said he too would be running for the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election on 7 June. Months later, on 4 December, Mr Burgum announced he would be suspending his campaign.

The virtually unknown governor was a software entrepreneur before he was elected to his gubernatorial position in 2016.

Doug Burgum (AP )

In a preview video released the day before his announcement, Mr Burgum, 66, called himself a new leader for a changing economy, indicating his campaign would focus on kitchen-table issues.

Mr Burgum has dipped his toe into some of the contemporary social issues that many Americans are concerned about when looking at a new candidate. He is anti-abortion having signed a near-total abortion ban in North Dakota and anti-transgender having signed eight anti-transgender laws.

In a statement shared on the day he suspended his campaign, the governor angrily rebuked the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the debate requirements that forced him off the stage.
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A bargain-hunter in Virginia hit the jackpot earlier this year when she discovered a vase worth more than $100,000 at her local charity shop.

Jessica Vincent, 43, bought the decorative glass item in June for just $3.99 and it has now been sold at auction for $107,100, after experts confirmed it was a rare piece create by a renowned Italian architect.

Ms Vincent, who trains polo horses, was scouring through the Goodwill thrift store in Hanover County, Virginia when her eyes fell on the glass bottle with red and green swirls.

She already had a feeling that it might be worth something when she noticed a small M on the bottom of the vase and thought it could be linked to Murano, an island in Venice popular for glasswork.

I had a sense that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece, she said according to the New York Times. She added she had no clue how good it actually was until I did a little bit more research.

Joining Facebook groups to ask for advice, Ms Vincent was told that it could be an artwork by renowned Italian architect and designer Carlo Scarpa.

She was then directed to Wright Auction House and sent photos to Richard Wright, the president of the auction house, who had a really good feeling the moment he saw the pictures.

The specialist said it could be part of the Pennellate series that the artist designed in the 1940s. But Mr Wright said it is not known how many vases were made in the series.

If it had a chip  even a small chip  it would have probably sold for under $10,000, he said. This was like a winning lottery ticket.

Last week, the vase was auctioned to an unidentified private art collector in Europe for $107,100, a sum that was divided between Ms Vincent and Wright Auction House.

Ms Vincent, who got $83,500 from the auction, said she could not have taken the risk of keeping the vase at home, knowing the piece was so expensive and rare.

I knew I wanted to get it back in the art world. They didnt know it existed, Ms Vincent said. I feel like I saved it from obscurity.
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Russia has fired its first hypersonic missile since the summer, the British Ministry of Defence has claimed, after months of building up a large stockpile in time for a winter attack on Ukraine.

The UK MoD claimed that Russia fired one of its Killjoy missiles at a Ukrainian air base west of Kyiv last Thursday. At the time, the Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired three hypersonic missiles, one at Kyiv and two at the Starokostyantyniv military air base, and they had shot down one.

It declined to comment on whether the two hypersonic missiles it failed to shoot down that day had caused damage to the military air base.

It is the first time Russia has fired a hypersonic missile since August, according to the MoD intelligence update.

In late November, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, warned that Russia was stockpiling missiles for a second winter-long missile campaign targeting critical infrastructure miles behind the frontlines in civilian-populated Ukraine.

He said that he expected to see new attempts to strike Ukraines power grid and energy infrastructure, trying to leave Ukraine in the dark and cold.

Ahead of this campaign, The Independent looks at what excatly hypersonic missiles are and why Ukraines repulsion of these weapons could be vital.

What are hypersonic missiles?

Hypersonic missiles are thought to represent the next generation of arms. Russias Kinzhal hypersonics, classified as AS-24 Killjoys by Nato, make up the body of the Kremlins stockpile.

The Kinzhals can travel at exceptionally high velocities  up to ten times the speed of sound, which is around 8,000mph. By comparison, a subsonic cruise missile like the US Air Forces Tomahawk rocket moves at a relatively sluggish 550mph.

Kinzhals are typically carried by MiG-31K fighter jets (AP)

Kinzhals are typically carried by MiG-31K fighter jets and can hit targets as far away as 1,250 miles, their speed, mid-flight manoeuvrability and ability to fly at low altitudes making them difficult to track using radar on the ground and therefore near-impossible to stop.

Perhaps most alarmingly, the Kinzhal can carry a nuclear warhead as well as a conventional explosive, a strategy it has been feared Russia could resort to as its war becomes ever-more desperate and drawn-out than expected due to the heroic resistance put up by the locals, well armed by their international allies.

Which countries have them?

Australia, the UK and US, together known as the Aukus nations, previously announced a plan to expand their military pact to collaborate on the development of hypersonic missiles and anti-hypersonic weapons.

In April 2022, the then-prime ministers of Australia and Britain, Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson, joined Joe Biden in issuing a joint statement saying their countries would commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen co-operation on defence innovation.

These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities.

A US Tomahawk is fired from a navy vessel (AP)

The Aukus deal was initially signed to concentrate on nuclear submarine development with a wary eye on potential Chinese aggression in the Pacific, but focus has now shifted towards the threat posed by Vladimir Putin.

Russias defence ministry has already said its forces have fired hypersonic ballistic missiles in the conflict, claiming to have destroyed a fuel depot in the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv and an underground ammunition store in western Ivano-Frankivsk.

How effective are they?

Military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer has argued that the use of such weapons will make little difference on the ground and that their true value is giving a certain psychological and propaganda effect.

In other words, inspiring terror.

Mr Putin has boasted of Russias investment in such invincible weaponry, justifying doing so as a response to what he considers to be Nato military expansion on his countrys doorstep in Eastern Europe.

The US and China are said to be working on their own versions, as are the navies of Britain and France, who are understood to have been collaborating on one known as Perseus since 2011, although it is not expected to enter service for another seven years or so.

Whats happening in the US?

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the US Air Forces acquisition team, told politicians in March this year that his team would not go ahead with purchasing the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon after the prototyping phase ended.

There were problems with the weapons during testing.

Mr Hunter, in written testimony, told the House Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee the service planned to finish the ARRW programmes last two all-up round test flights to collect data that might help with future hypersonic programmes.
The alleged existence of a Google Sandbox is one of the more debated topics amongst web and SEO experts.

The presiding theory is that the sandbox effect is when Google temporarily reduces the page rank of new domains, placing them into what is referred to as its sandbox, in an effort to counter the ways that SEOs attempt to manipulate Google's page ranking by creating lots of inbound links to a new web site from other web sites that they own."

In other words, just like you wouldnt take advice from a toddler too seriously, Google may not trust you to rank competitively for terms until your domain is old enough to warrant trust.

While this may be sad news for your newly created website, you shouldnt despair because the Google Sandbox is not as definitive as it seems.

Table of Contents

What is the Google Sandbox?

The Google sandbox is a filter (which may or may not exist) that supposedly keeps new websites in a probationary period that prevents them from ranking high on Googles top results.

Developers have debated the existence and the theoretical parameters of a sandbox on Googles platform since 2004 when developers noticed that new websites would not rank high on Googles results for a few months despite keyword optimization efforts.

The main theory surrounding the Google sandbox effect is that the active age of a domain (not to be confused with its initial date of registration) can keep a new webpage from blowing up first-page results before its proven.

Because a restrictive sandbox would almost certainly be a measure against spam, Google executives have made no commentary about its existence or what it measures, so bots and spam cant get around precautionary restrictions.

How long does a sandbox period last?

The typical sandbox period could be as little as a few weeks, but most experts believe it lasts 6 to 9 months.

Your time in the sandbox is variable, depending on circumstances. Rand Fiskin (SEO mastermind and founder of SEOmoz) explains it like this:

"Googles sandbox is neither mythical nor cartoonish. It has spelled traffic doom for thousands of sites. Although the causes of this frustrating filter (and the solution) are still unknown, webmasters should be paying attention to potential signs of danger. If pages on your site cant rank for obviously navigational queries (particularly those that include your brand name), you might want to look for solutions to Google penalties.

Why dont new websites rank right away?

Before you worry about how to make your time in the sandbox shorter, be sure to check out the following reasons to see if your content efforts are actually making your time longer.

The E-E-A-T Factor

One reason you may be stuck in the Google sandbox is because you lack relevance and authority.

The days are long gone when you could pop up on Google overnight. To rank well on Google, you need to nurture your brand by building its expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. (Ian Booth, SEOMoz)

Dont forget that Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness extend to more than just the text you publish.

Its important that you optimize images (both filenames and size for performance), ensure that links arent broken, and link only to credible websites.

AI, Plagiarism, and Spam

The growing popularity of AI-generated content sounds appealing, but it does come at the cost of authority. SEO today genuinely looks at who is writing your content, not just at the content itself. (Crystle Swinford, PR Newswire).

AI can be a very useful tool, especially for brands just starting a blog or creating other content. However, before you ask AI to make you a 500-word blog on the benefits of your product, remember that Google penalizes plagiarism, and AI content tends to be plagiarized.

Instead of generating an entire blog in AI, consider using AI to outline what headings you need for a blog, which keywords to target, and to generate content ideas.

Be sure to avoid writing spam and familiarize yourself with the purpose of content marketing. You dont want posts to directly sell and inform about products  you want your content to be so useful that customers and Google recognize your authority.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the practice of writing low-quality content with a higher-than-average frequency of the same keyword.

The goal of keyword stuffing is to try and trick Google into ranking a web page higher in the SERP (search engine results pages). The issue is that not only does keyword stuffing not work, but Google will penalize you for this lazy attempt at writing.

SEO wizard Marcus Sheridan explains that content marketing is no longer about keyword-stuffing and link-building; in fact, using those tactics today gets your page shuffled to the bottom of the heap. Quality content is the key to success. (Finding Peak Podcast)

Check out this blog to determine how often you should be referencing a keyword to avoid stuffing.

5 Tips for Reducing the Sandbox Period

Dont get too comfortable in the sandbox; here are some tips on how to reduce your sandbox time.

1. Consistently publish medium to long-form content.

Short-form content or not enough content can penalize your website in the eyes of Google.

Remember, you want to seem like an authority on your given content subject, but if you say too little, you will instead look like a novice who cant or wont give enough information.

The sweet spot seems to be articles and blogs that are at least 1000 words and published at least once a week but ideally multiple times.

However often you decide to publish, remember that consistency is key. If you publish a blog on Wednesdays, you want to be predictable for both your customers and Google.

Remember that you can always scale bigger or smaller after youve been taken out of the Google sandbox.

2. Focus on quality over quantity.

While consistently publishing content is important, you shouldnt publish fluff just to have lots of content.

In an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread, John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, said, Personally, I prefer fewer, stronger pages over lots of weaker ones  dont water your sites value down.

One easy way to identify what content you should write about is to ask yourself, What is no one else in my industry willing to talk about? and then create an entire blog answering that question.

This may look like finances (pricing, margins, etc.) or questions to ask before purchasing a product. Check out this free academy lesson on how to create engaging blog content.

3. Improve your credibility with press releases.

There are many reasons to publish a press release, such as improving SEO or getting ahead of an organizational crisis.

When it comes to the Google sandbox, a well-crafted press release in the right hands could mean improving your authority with Google.

The goal of a press release is to get your desired message into the hands of the journalists who are most likely to be interested in it  and gain positive media attention for your organization. Done right, press releases are an essential part of your communication strategy. (PR Newswire)

4. Network to create solid backlinks.

Backlinks are another way to improve your credibility in Googles eyes and reduce the amount of time you spend in the sandbox. Backlinks are the instances in which other credible sites link to your content or website.

Thats because a link to another website is more than just a link  its a vote of confidence, a recommendation, a way for publishers to say to their readers: Here's a source I trust. Go check it out yourself. (Irina Nica, Hubspot)

You will likely need to network with other content creators to get credible backlinks. Consider emailing people already in your network when you have a blog thats useful to their organization, and see if you can link to one another.

5. Perfect your content distribution plan.

Theres no better time to work on your content distribution plan then when you are in the Google sandbox. Not only will it focus your efforts and lead to better engagement, but a solid plan could also limit the time you spend in the sandbox.

Keyword strategy should be an essential part of your distribution plan because once you start getting organic traffic from keywords, Google will take notice and reduce your sandbox period.

There are many different content distribution channels, and having similar messaging on several channels can increase your authority. Check out this ultimate guide to content distribution for advice on how to formulate your plan.

Forget About the Google Sandbox and Go Play

If all the possibilities of what can keep you in the Google sandbox have you feeling overwhelmed, remember that these are just guidelines, and ultimately, you determine where your content will go.

SEO expert Joel Klettke advises, Part of the problem is SEOs want to have this rule book for what makes content work when, in reality, these are nice guidelines, but you have to pick and choose. Sometimes, not having the keyword in the headline means you can have a more compelling headline, which means more people are going to click, read, and engage.

In the end, its important that you arent afraid to take risks during your time in the sandbox; it is a period dedicated to learning, after all.
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The EU has struck a breakthrough deal to cut migration and share ayslum seekers after years of political deadlock  but rights groups say that it will lead to a surge in suffering.

The new rules are designed to share the cost and work of hosting migrants and asylum seekers more evenly and to limit the number of people coming into the continent. They also cover procedures for handling asylum applications, rules on determining which EU country is responsible for handling applications and ways to handle crises.

After overnight talks, visibly exhausted EU legislators emerged expressing relief that agreement was found on the core political elements of the pact on asylum and migration. It follows years of failed attempts in the wake of the 2015/2016 crisis when more than one million people reached the bloc, driven by events such as the Syrian civil war. The number of arrivals have steadily crept up from a 2020 low to 255,000 in the year to November, with more than half crossing the Mediterranean from Africa, mainly to Italy and Greece. A number of summits in recent years have been derailed by arguments over costs and which nations will deal with the actual processing.

The pressure to act has been growing as far-right parties across the continent have capitalised on an increased number of asylum applications since 2020  EU border agency Frontex said this month there were more undocumented arrivals so far in 2023 than in any year since 2015  and negotiators have been scrambling to get a deal agreed ahead of European parliament elections in June.

The deal says that frontline countries in Southern Europe, such as Italy, will institute a stricter asylum procedure at their non-EU borders and will be able to remove rejected asylum seekers more swiftly. Countries further inland will have to choose between accepting their share of 30,000 asylum applicants or paying at least 20,000 (17,000) per person into an EU fund.

The screening system envisaged will seek to distinguish between those in need of international protection and others who are not. People whose asylum applications have a low chance of success, such as those from India, Tunisia or Turkey, can be prevented from entering the EU and detained at the border, as can people seen as representing a threat to security.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, European parliament president Roberta Metsola acknowledged that the pact was not a perfect package and denied it mirrored proposals from the far right, arguing it was instead a political compromise reached amongst centrist parties.

Its a centre that does not copy the right, it goes on pragmatism, Ms Metsola said. Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, called the agreement a very positive step.

Wednesdays EU deal is not definitive though. For the entire reform pact to be enforced, a final agreement on all its 10 parts must be reached by February, and then transcribed into law before the early June elections.

However, Amnesty International said the political agreement will lead to a surge in suffering for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants on every step of their journey. Left-wing politicians also criticised the deal. Cornelia Ernst, a Left party MEP, said on X, formerly Twitter: [This] is a dramatic day for the rights of people seeking protection in Europe: a dream of the right-wing populists in the EU coming true... the European parliament has become the doormat of the Member States."

Oxfams EU migration expert Stephanie Pope worried that the pact would encourage more detention, including of children and families in prison-like centres. They have also slammed the door on those seeking asylum with substandard procedures, fast-tracked deportation and gambled with people's lives.

It comes as a number of nations are looking outside of the EU for help to deal with irregular migration. Last month, Italy signed a deal with Albania to build two migrant centres to house and process those rescued at sea by Italian boats. It is the first deal of its kind struck between an EU member country and a non-EU state. The centres would be under Italian legal jurisdiction, constructed at Italys expense, and are expected to open by spring 2024. The centres will hold up to 36,000 people once opened.

While no longer in the EU, prime minister Rishi Sunaks government plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Speaking to parliaments powerful liaison committee on Wednesday, Mr Sunak refused to say if any airline had agreed to Rwanda deportation flights, amid reports the government is struggling to find a partner. But Mr Sunak said he remained highly confident he will be able to deport asylum seekers to the east African nation under the scheme.

The secretary general of the Caritas Europa charity group, Maria Nyman, said the new EU deal shows that nations prefer to shift their asylum responsibility to non-EU countries, prevent arrivals and speed up return, exposing migrants to human rights violations.
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The European Union reached an agreement on new rules to handle irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as a breakthrough after almost a decade of bitter feuds on the issue.

Representatives of the European Parliament and of EU governments reached an accord after all-night talks on EU laws collectively called the New Pact on Migration and Asylum that should start taking effect next year.

Here are details of the EU agreement, the main issues and what comes next.

Why does it matter?

EU states have been trading blame over providing for the new arrivals since more than a million people - mostly fleeing the war in Syria - caught the bloc by surprise by reaching it across the Mediterranean in 2015.

The bloc has since tightened external borders and its asylum laws, and struck deals in the Middle East and North Africa to have more people stay there. EU data shows that fewer than 100,000 irregular migrants made to it Europe in 2020, but that has risen to more than 250,000 in the year to date.

The bloc hopes lower irregular immigration would allow EU countries to restart cooperation to spread more evenly the task of taking care of arriving refugees and migrants.

How does the new deal address that?

Each EU country would be assigned a share of the 30,000 people overall the bloc is expected to accommodate per year in its joint migration system at any given time.

That will be calculated based on the size of the country's GDP and population, the number of irregular border crossings including via sea rescue operations, and more.

Countries unwilling to take in people would alternatively be able to help their hosting peers through cash - at least 20,000 euros per person a year - equipment or personnel.

What else is new?

The agreement would introduce a new expedited border procedure for those deemed unlikely to win asylum to prevent them from lingering inside the bloc for years.

Their claims would be dealt with in a maximum of 12 weeks and, if rejected, they should be returned to their home countries within a further 12 weeks.

That mechanism would apply to all those deemed dangerous, uncooperative or coming from countries with low asylum recognition rates in the EU, such as India, Tunisia and Turkey.

EU countries could also apply the speedy procedure to people picked up in the sea, caught while trying to get in illegally or filing for asylum at a country's border rather than in advance.

Will it work in practice?

Before eventually endorsing it, Italy and Greece voiced concerns about whether the new system would prove workable, given some states' refusal to host people.

The southern countries worry about being overwhelmed, while those further away from the bloc's external borders tend to drag their feet on admitting arrivals and complex solidarity schemes take time to kick in.

Another challenge is keeping close tabs on the movement of people once they get inside Europe's zone of free travel.

What other issues are there, and who is against the deal?

Rights groups said the scheme risked reviving tragic scenes that unfolded on the Greek islands several years ago by creating more overcrowded migration camps on the edges of the EU.

They said the new plan could lead to protracted detention of minors and criticised it as focusing on keeping people away rather than helping those in need.

Criticism also came from Hungary and the former government of Poland, the EU's loudest voices against immigration from the Middle East and Africa.

Warsaw has refused to host any of the mainly-Muslim arrivals, though it has given shelter to millions of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's war.

What comes next?

The pact will start to be implemented from 2024 but could take two years to fully take effect.

Reuters
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Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor from Cyprus, bolstering stability in the region, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Israeli and Cypriot technical teams would spend Wednesday and Thursday hammering out the details of the initiative so that aid shipments from Cyprus' port of Larnaca, some 240 miles (385 kilometers) from Gaza, can begin as soon as possible.

Cyprus and Israel, together with other partners in the region are promoting the initiative for a secure maritime corridor to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in an organized and well inspected manner, Cohen said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos.

Cohen was briefed on the initiative's details during a visit to the Zenon Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, which will act as the operational center for the aid shipments. He also personally inspected storage facilities and security arrangements at Larnaca port.

Cyprus pitched the idea of such an aid corridor shortly after the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people. The war  now into its 10th week  has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million  nearly 85% of the population  from their homes.

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization, saying it must be eradicated.

Kombos said the Cypriot authorities have outlined a detailed plan for the sustained flow of high-volume humanitarian assistance to the civilians in Gaza, through a dedicated one-way maritime corridor.

The idea is to use vessels able to reach the Gazan shoreline to deliver the aid directly after it has been thoroughly inspected at Larnaca port in the presence of Israeli officials and personnel from other countries.

Cypriot officials have said that several countries, including Britain, have dispatched aid that is currently stored at Larnaca port. Britain has also sent a vessel to help with deliveries.

"It is a commitment to commence now and evolve into what, we hope, will be a long-term enterprise," Kombos said. Cyprus stands ready. We look forward to your green light for the first voyage.

Meanwhile, Cohen reiterated that Israel doesn't want to open another front on its northern border with Lebanon to stop Hezbollah rocket fire, but would not hesitate to do so if the international community doesn't act to stop the attacks.

A war in Lebanon can still be avoided," Cohen said. If the international community will not succeed in doing so, we will be left with no other choice but to take the necessary action."

The Israeli minister also again ruled out a cease-fire in Gaza, saying that it would be a gift to Hamas and chastised nations that voted in favor of a resolution in the U.N. General Assembly calling for a cessation of hostilities.

Let me send a clear message to the international community and to the U.N. member states. If a terror organization celebrates your decision, it means you have made the wrong decisions. You are on the wrong side of history," Cohen said.
 Close Iceland volcano erupts after weeks of earthquakes

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Stunning footage has shown 100m high lava waves lap up out of an Icelandic ridge following the eruption of a volcano on the island.

The dramatic scene can be seen up to 20km away after the skies over the eruption turned orange. You can watch a live stream of the ongoing eruption here.

It comes as a hiker was rescued by a helicopter after sending a SOS signal when he got lost near the raging lava and toxic fumes overnight.

Meanwhile, Icelands foreign minister said scientists had warned that the volcanic eruption in Iceland could go on for months.

Bjarni Benediktsson added that the eruption on Monday was much larger than those seen in recent years, which he described as nice touristic eruptions.

More vents are expected to open as the volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland continues, the Icelandic Met Office has warned.

Three out of five vents are still active after the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula began to erupt on Monday night, spewing lava and smoke over 100m into the air.
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Watch again as a volcano in southwest Iceland continued to erupt on Wednesday, 20 December, after weeks of intense earthquake activity.

The eruption began on Monday a few kilometres from Grindavik, whose nearly 4,000 inhabitants were evacuated last month.

Authorities also closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

Keflavik International Airport, near Reykjavik, remained open.

The eruption does not present a threat to life, a government statement said.

This live feed shows molten rock spewing from fissures in the ground, in bright yellow and orange colours contrasting against the night sky.

On Tuesday evening, three out of five vents were still active after the eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula began the previous night.

More vents are expected to open as the eruption continues, the Icelandic Met Office has warned.
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Irelands prime minister Leo Varadkar has become the latest victim of pro-Kremlin Russian phone pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, his office confirmed.

The former YouTubers, who moved to streaming platform Rumble after their page was suspended, have tricked some of the worlds most high-profile politicians, including Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson and most recently Italys Georgia Meloni.

The pranksters spoke to Mr Varadkar while pretending to be representatives of the African Union Commission, according to a video of the call posted online on Tuesday.

During the course of the call, the Irish leader appears to say it is not very likely that Ukraine will join the European Union in the near future, and that he hopes to see a united island of Ireland in my lifetime.

A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar confirmed that the call took place earlier this year but said the video was doctored. The video does not represent what actually took place, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the conversation was cut short by the prime minister because of suspicions about its nature and the manner in which it was conducted.

Earlier this year the Taoiseach took part in a virtual meeting on the understanding that it was with a representative of the African Union Commission... It transpired to be a sophisticated deep-fake, the statement by the spokesperson said.

The recording of the 13-minute call was posted on Rumble, a video-streaming website that has controversially pledged to rally against censorship and allow freedom of speech. Critics say it provides a safe haven for extremist and harmful content that would not be allowed by moderators on mainstream sites.

On the call, Mr Varadkar said that the war in Ukraine is unlikely to end soon and Ireland might not be able to provide security guarantees to the country over questions of neutrality.

We have accepted (Ukraine) as a candidate for membership in the European Union. But these negotiations tend to take a long time. Any state must meet certain standards in terms of democracy, the justice system, the legal system and the economy before it can join, Mr Varadkar said according to Pravda.

File Irish premier said he wanted the European bloc to back a new financial package for Ukraine (PA Wire)

The prime minister said he hoped to see the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland join together on the strength of public opinion. There is not yet a majority in Northern Ireland who want to see unification but I hope at some point in my lifetime that will happen, Mr Varadkar said.

The callers then compared Irish reunification with Russias annexation of Crimea to which the Irish prime minister said that Russia invaded and organised a bogus referendum there. That is definitely not what we are going to do, he said.

Mr Varadkar said he really hoped that Russian aggression had been contained in Ukraine.

As Mr Varadkar draws the call to a close, the pranksters sign off: Say hello to your leprechauns.

It is not clear if the footage has been doctored.

Russian pranksters (L-R) Vladimir "Vovan" Kuznetsov, 30, and Alexei "Lexus" Stolyarov, 28, give an interview to AFP at a (AFP via Getty Images)

The Irish government has informed its embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as the African Union Commission and the National Cyber Security Centre regarding the phone call.

Vladimir Vovan Kuznetsov and Alexei Lexus Stolyarov are two prominent Russian pranksters whose opinions align with Russian state media and the Russian government.

In September, the two targeted Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who shared her thoughts on the Ukraine war and her frustration with migrants coming to Italy. She reportedly said that there is a lot of fatigue... from all sides about Russias war in Ukraine.

She said the problem is to find a way out of the war that is acceptable for both without destroying the international law.

Her office said the call took place on 18 September and the pranksters at that time also impersonated officials from the African Union Commission.

Mr Johnson became the victim of a hoax call by the pair when he was working as foreign secretary in 2018, and discussed UK-Russia relations, the Salisbury poisoning, and Syria.

Downing Street ordered an investigation into the incident that some believed was at the behest of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The duo have also pranked Canadas prime minister Justin Trudeau, Bernie Sanders during his Democratic presidential nomination campaign, and senior European parliamentarians from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and the UK.
 Close Kyiv suffers largest ever drone attack by Russia leaving five wounded

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A Russian strike on a hotel in Kharkiv has injured 13 people as it has been claimed Vladimir Putins exhausted troops have been hitting their own towns.

Two Russian missiles struck a hotel late on Wednesday in the centre of Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram. Kharkivs prosecutors office said that among the 13 wounded is a 35-year-old man who was seriously injured and two Turkish journalists covering the war.

Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has claimed Russian forces have been accidentally bombing territories in their own country, or in occupied Ukraine. In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said the likelihood of these accidents had increased due to inadequate training and crew fatigue.

It comes as Ukrainian shelling injured three people in the Russian region of Belgorod late on Monday and air defences downed 10 RM-70 Vampir rockets, Russian officials and the defence ministry said.

Belgorod has come under repeated attack from Ukrainian forces in recent weeks. A missile and drone attack late last month killed 25 civilians, including five children.
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Ukrainian generals are looking to mobilise up to half a million new soldiers to push back Putins invading army, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Mr Zelensky said he was yet to make a final decision on the militarys request as it was a question of fairness and money as well as Ukraines defence capability.

It comes amid fears Russia could grind down Kyivs army with its huge population and resources as western military aid to Ukraine faces US and EU deadlock.

Follow live updates on the war in Ukraine

I said that I would need more arguments to support this move, the president said. Because first of all, its a question of people, secondly, its a question of fairness, its a question of defence capability, and its a question of finances.

But how many troops does Ukraine have and how does this compare to the US and British Army?

Volodymyr Zelensky said he was yet to make a decision on the suggestion as it was a question of fairness (AP)

Ukraine

The Ukrainian army counted around 500,000 servicemen, 200,000 of which are active military personnel, recent figures show.

If the figures are accurate, the Ukrainian armys suggestion would bring the total number of servicemen to nearly one million.

Under Ukrainian law, only men aged 27 to 60 can be mobilised for the front line, although younger men can volunteer to fight. As of January 2022, Ukraine had a male population of 19 million.

Men aged 18 to 20 cannot be sent to the battlefield. Most Ukrainian soldiers at the front are believed to be volunteers, many of whom have been fighting since the start of Russias invasion in February 2022.

Estimates of the number of Ukrainian men killed in the conflict have varied between 30,000 and 70,000. In November, a Ukrainian civic group put the death toll at 30,000.

But US military sources have suggested the number is closer to 70,000. Kyiv treats its losses as a state secret and officials say disclosing the figure could harm its war effort.

Ukrainian servicemen walk towards their base in Donetsk, Ukraine, earlier this year. The Ukrainian army is seeking to mobilise 500,000 more troops (AFP via Getty Images)

Russia

The Russian army has about four times more active military personnel than Ukraine some 1,330,900 men and 250,000 reservists. As of 2021, Russia had a male population of around 66 million.

In July, the Russian parliament raised the maximum age at which men can be conscripted from 27 to 30, increasing the number of young men liable for a year of compulsory military service from 1 January 2024.

It means men will be required to carry out a year of military service, or equivalent training during higher education, between the ages of 18 and 30, rather than 18 and 27.

The law also prevents men from dodging the draft by banning them from leaving Russia from the day they are summoned to a conscription office.

Russian president Vladimir Putin sits with defense minister Sergei Shoigu. Russia raised the maximum age of conscription from 27 to 30 (Sputnik)

US

The United States Army has around 1,832,000 military personnel, according to recent figures. As of 2022, the US had a male population of 165 million.

Up to 1,390,000 of these troops are said to be active personnel and 442,000 are reserve soldiers. Conscription is not in place in the United States at this point.

But all men aged between 18 and 25 are required to register with Selective Service, a government agency that keeps a record of US citizens potentially subject to conscription. This allows US Congress to identify and call upon all men of fighting age in the event of a major conflict.

The United States has introduced conscription six times: in the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, First World War, Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

The US army has an estimated 1,832,000 total military personnel (AFP via Getty Images)

Britain

The British army has an estimated 231,000 total military personnel. Up to 194,000 of these are active and 37,000 are reservists. As of 2021, there were 29 million men living in the UK.

Conscription has only been in place twice in the UK. It was introduced during the First World War and Second World War, lasting four and 21 years respectively.
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Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian military officials have proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more people into the armed forces to fight against Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The military officials made the suggestion at a recent meeting with Ukraines top general, asking for prompt mobilisation of 450,000-500,000 people, amid apprehensions from the Ukrainian president.

Calling it a highly sensitive issue and the call up numbers very significant, Mr Zelensky said he told the armys General Staff that he needed more arguments to support the move because it involved factors other than defence capability and finances.

"I said I would need more arguments to support this move. Because first of all, its a question of people, secondly, its a question of fairness, its a question of defence capability, and its a question of finances," Mr Zelensky said in his year-end press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Mr Zelensky refused sternly to sign a law mobilising women into the army.

He added that the military and the Kyiv administration will discuss this, with inputs from the ministry of finances on how to fund this move of mobilisation, before deciding whether to send the proposal to the parliament.

Additionally, Ukraine will need 500bn hryvnias (10.6bn) to support the armys proposal for mobilising tens of thousands, he said.

The total number of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield fighting back the Russian invasion since February 2022 is not clear and not published by the Zelensky administration. Similarly the casualties witnessed by Ukrainian troops are not public and treated as a state secret, like in Russia. However, US officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and injured.

Russia has had 315,000 of its troops killed or injured in Ukraine, the equivalent of nearly 90 per cent of the total number of soldiers it sent to war when the invasion first began, a declassified US intelligence report recently said.

Vladimir Putins personnel losses in the 22 months of the conflict have set back Russias military modernisation by 18 years, a source familiar with the assessment told Reuters.

The numbers represent a far greater tally than Russian officials have ever admitted to, and also outstrip Western estimates of Ukrainian losses.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a total of 360,000 personnel in February last year. After failing in its attempts to rapidly capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Moscow has since launched several major recruitment drives to further bolster its numbers on the frontline, and replace tiring troops.

Around one million people are expected to be under arms from Ukraines side and on Tuesday, Russia said it plans to bolster its ranks to 1.5 million service members.

The Russian president ordered another significant increase to the countrys military recruitment efforts earlier this month, stating his goal of increasing troop numbers by nearly 170,000 to reach a total of 1.32 million.

Mr Putin said he signed the decree in response to the aggressive activities of the Nato bloc and in order to further the aims of the special military operation in Ukraine, the phrase the Kremlin uses  and forces Russian media to use  to describe its invasion.
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Footage from a GoPro camera mounted on an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) dog has been recovered showing one of the killed Israeli hostages shouting for help five days before they were shot.

A preliminary investigation found that three male hostages who were shirtless and carrying a makeshift white flag were killed by Israeli forces last week.

The IDF called the incident horrific and tragic, however human rights groups say it is almost certainly a violation of international law  Israel deny this.

The Israeli military official said that they believed that the hostages  who were named by the military as Samer Fuad El-Talalka, Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz  had either been let go or had escaped.

Now, new details from a military investigation into the deaths of the three men show a dog being sent into a building after IDF troops came under fire from inside, according to Israeli media outlets.

The video was not found until two days ago when the body of the canine was retrieved.

Families of hostages have called for a ceasefire and immediate release of hostages (EPA)

The animal was part of the Oketz canine unit which recruits Belgian shepherds and is reported to have been sent into the building in search of Hamas operatives after IDF troops came under fire from inside.

The animal was killed but the camera kept rolling and captured one of the voices of one of the hostages, believed to be Alon Shamriz shouting help in Hebrew and saying that there were hostages there, as their captors were killed by IDF troops in battle.

The dogs recording appears not to have been monitored and troops then left the area. Five days later the hostages tried to approach IDF soldiers and were shot dead.

The video has not been released.

It comes after Israel has faced mounting criticism for indiscriminate killing after a mother and daughter were killed outside a Catholic church.

Following news of the deaths, the families of other hostages in Gaza called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an agreement to secure the release of the rest of the captives saying every second counts for those left behind.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a terrible tragedy but  contrary to the demands of the families  appeared to double down on Israels military objectives saying military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/why-our-brains-aren-t-built-for-democracy-1.2784220



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10  2  9:05  Ideas Too Dumb for Democracy ET  CBC ?

Why our brains aren't built for democracy

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/why-our-brains-aren-t-built-for-democracy-1.2784220

The role of our 'lizard brain' in determining how we vote

A provocative new thesis from UBC suggests our brains may not be cut out for the political system weve created. We may, in fact, be too dumb for democracy. (Russell Cheyne/Reuters)

While electing a mayor or prime minister can often be a head-scratching process, a provocative new thesis from the University of British Columbia suggests our brains may not be cut out for the political system weve created.

We may, in fact, be too dumb for democracy.

David Moscrop, a Ph.D political science candidate at UBC, points out that modern democracy was built on the idea that citizens are rational and autonomous.

But he says voters across the political spectrum are more likely to vote with instinct than reason.

Were motivated by our so-called 'lizard brains,' says Moscrop.

He says the voting public isn't encouraged to wade through political platforms to make informed decisions.

Its about messaging and name familiarity. And it reflects our own vulnerability to being manipulated -- which is why attack ads work and sound bites work.

Mental limitations

Is it the media or our 'lizard brain' that has more impact in how we vote? (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)

The lizard brain is a catch-all term for the areas of our brain that developed between 500 million and 150 million years ago and are primarily responsible for instinct, emotion and recording memories, as well as visceral feelings that influence or even direct our decisions.

The neocortex, on the other hand, is the area of our brain responsible for reason, language, imagination, abstract thought and consciousness. Scientists say the neocortex has only been around for two or three million years.

When it comes to understanding the workings of the human brain, it's worth remembering that only a small percentage of our active brain is conscious.

It is impossible to quantify, but scientists say roughly 95 per cent of our brain activity is subconscious or unconscious.

It is flawed to think that were fully in control, says Tanya Chartrand, professor of neuroscience and psychology at Duke University.

We dont have the mental capacity to process everything in our environment with conscious awareness and intent, so we pay attention to a small percentage of the environment at any given time. But in the background, were non-consciously processing much, much more. And non-conscious processing later influences the decisions we make.

Chartrand points to a famous study published in 1996, in which psychologist John Bargh and his team at New York University assigned research subjects the task of reworking sentences.

The subjects working with words associated with the elderly  words such as "retirement" and "Florida"  left the research lab walking more slowly than their counterparts who were given neutral words.

Psychologists refer to this effect as "priming," and this experiment is just one of many that demonstrates our susceptibility to suggestion.

Political preferences are pre-formed

Many experiments have demonstrated our susceptibility to suggestion, according to neuroscientist Tanya Chartrand. (Bill Bamberger, Duke University)

You would think that for high-involvement situations, like deciding on who to vote for, we should be creating spreadsheets of pros and cons and deliberately considering the pros and cons of candidates platforms, says Chartrand.

But the truth is, most of us dont.

Moscrop says that election campaigns are run on a presumption that voters political preferences are already formed.

A campaign, then, isnt really about engaging citizens in a rigorous exchange of transformative ideas, but rather reaffirming peoples existing ideological biases and mobilizing citizens to vote for their respective camp.

If the goal of democracy is to engage in a rigorous exchange of ideas that results in a greater good for all citizens, one of the first things to do is downplay the role of television ads during election campaigns, says University of Toronto philosophy professor Joseph Heath.

Reason resides in language and our ability to explicitly articulate how we get from point A to point B in an argument, says Heath.

Philosopher Joseph Heath say election ads on TV encourage gut reactions, rather than reason. (Oscar Heath)

If youre trying to communicate through visual stimulation, it wont encourage a rational appreciation of things, and that has a bunch of implications. Reason is very, very slow. Speed encourages gut reactions.

Heath also thinks it would be a good idea to get rid of cameras in the House of Commons.

The way we organize Question Period in Canada is ridiculous, he says. He believes providing MPs with questions in advance of Question Period, for example, would foster a reasoned exchange of ideas.

Right now, he says, Its gotcha moments -- questions are not provided in advance. The goal is to catch the minister unaware. And that degrades Canadian political discourse.

Designing a user-friendly democracy

In his recent book, Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives, Heath argues for a re-think of the expectations we have of individual citizens as well as the democratic structures we operate in.

Weve tended to think of human rationality as something located deep inside our brains. Whereas new psychological research shows that rationality is achieved through collaboration with people in groups and in a particular environment, says Heath.

Heath says that the political system should be conceived with our cognitive limitations in mind. He puts an emphasis on design. Two-year-olds can figure out how to operate an iPad, for example, because it is designed in a way that plays on human instinct.

I would love to see a discussion about social institutions that could be built to better suit the way we operate, he says.

David Moscrop, who's working on his PhD in political science at UBC, says that if we acknowledge our mental limitations, we can design a democracy that takes into account our cognitive flaws. (Drew Gough)

Moscrop is a strong supporter of the idea of deliberative democracy, providing resources and incentives to citizens from all political stripes so that they can gather to discuss and advise on policy, using the results to influence politicians and also educate other citizens.

Such a practice, Moscrop hopes, would build civic engagement better than the current game of party politics, with its narrow focus on the ballot box.

He believes that if we acknowledge our mental limitations, we can design a democracy that takes into account our cognitive flaws.

You change the structure, and the way things operate is going to change. But at the moment, the incentives are all there to do things at a base level.

Listen to the Ideas documentary Too Dumb for Democracy on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9:05 p.m. ET on CBC Radio One.?

?
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Watch a live view over the Israel-Gaza border on Wednesday 20 December.

Israeli air attacks hit the area around a hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza today. While in the north at least 46 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Jabalia refugee camp.

The Hamas government media office today put out a statement saying that the number of people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza has now exceeded 20,000.

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also spoke in his year-end news conference, where he said that Israeli operations need to enter a lower intensity phase

Mr Blinken said it is clear that the conflict will move and needs to move to a lower intensity phase, when asked about the death toll in Gaza reaching 20,000.
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The leader of Hamas has paid a visit to Egypt for talks on a new ceasefire in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing a fresh truce and the release of hostages.

Ismail Haniyeh, usually based in Qatar, typically only makes such interventions when progress seems likely. He last travelled to Cairo in early November before the announcement of a temporary ceasefire which turned into week-long pause. That saw the release of around 100 of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas during their attack inside Israel on 7 October which killed 1,200 people.

In response to that attack, Israel has been bombarding Gaza from the air, alongside ground operations and a blockade that has left stocks of food, water, fuel and medical supplies running low. Health officials in the Hamas-run Strip say that 20,000 people have been killed since Israels military operations began.

A source briefed on negotiations in Egypt told Reuters that discussions centred around which of the hostages still held by Palestinian Islamist militants in Gaza  Hamas and other groups  could be freed in a new truce, and which prisoners Israel might release in return. Egypt and Qatar played a key role in mediating that previous truce.

Israeli media reports say that Israel has presented a plan to mediators which could secure the release of some 30 to 40 hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire. This prioritises the remaining women, as well as men who are elderly or in need of urgent medical care. It is thought they could be exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons on more serious offences than the women and children released under the previous deal.

Both Israel and Hamas are still poles apart in their public statements about a deal. Hamas rejects any further temporary pause and says it will discuss only a permanent ceasefire. Israel has ruled that out and says it will agree only limited humanitarian pauses until Hamas is defeated. The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, said on Tuesday that Israel was ready for another humanitarian pause, and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

US president Joe Biden said later on Wednesday he did not expect an Israel-Hamas deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza to be struck soon. "We're pushing," Mr Biden told reporters during a trip to Milwaukee.

President Joe Biden (AP)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his regular refrain that the war would end only with Hamas eradicated, all hostages freed and Gaza posing no more threat to Israel. Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality ... all Hamas terrorists, from the first to the last, are dead men walking, he said in a statement.

But international pressure has been growing for a fresh ceasefire and Israel has faced pressure, even from staunchest ally America, to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington expects Israel to shift its military operations to a lower-intensity phase during which there will be more targeted operations focused on the Hamas leadership and its infrastructure. As that happens, I think youll see as well the harm done to civilians also decrease significantly, Mr Blinken said.

The Israeli military is trying to gain control of as much ground in Gaza as possible before the political pressure becomes too much and it has to slow down operations. Israel Channel 13 television claimed the military had twice in recent days found a recent hiding place in Hamass tunnel system, used by Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader in Gaza, but that he had fled just in time on both occasions.

Since the last truce collapsed at the beginning of the month, the war has entered a more intensive phase, with ground combat previously confined to the northern half of the Gaza Strip now spread across the length of the territory. International aid groups say 85 per cent of Gazas 2.3 million people have been forced from their homes and face dire conditions. Israel has called on residents to keep moving south, putting extra pressure on cities such as Khan Younis and Rafah. There has been intense fighting around the centre of Khan Younis, which Israeli forces have partly stormed.

In New York, The UN Security Council again delayed a vote on a new UN resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza until Thursday. The US seeks to change the texts references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war, and a clause about putting the United Nations in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods, which Israel opposes.

Mr Blinken said that the US has engaged intensively and in very good faith in negotiations on the resolution, so I hope we can get to a new place.
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For years, Gazas only Catholic church had been a sanctuary of prayer for its congregation, so little wonder it was where hundreds would flee after the destruction of homes in the territorys largest city, the focal point of Israels ferocious aerial bombardment.

The parishioners turned nursery playrooms and even pews in the nave of the sprawling complex of the Holy Family Church into makeshift homes. They held Mass by torchlight, praying for survival as Israels bombing campaign levelled buildings in the area around them.

Israeli tanks closed in and snipers positioned themselves on the apartment blocks overlooking the compound, making moving between the buildings of the limestone complex dangerous.

Samar Anton, 49 a Gaza City church worker, knew there was a risk in helping her mother Nahida, a grandmother in her seventies who was weak from two months of war and little food, to the bathroom.

It required crossing a palm-tree-lined courtyard that in any other year a week before Christmas would have been crowned with a towering tree and packed with children singing Christmas songs.

Now it was exposed.

A sniper bullet cracked through the air and into Samars head. Another hit Nahida, a grandmother of 15, in the stomach.

Some of the damage around the Holy Family (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

Their family saw them drop to the floor, says George, 31, who is related to the women but has asked for his identity to be protected, as he fears for the safety of his family and for himself. Blood stained the floor.

Speaking to The Independent from the occupied West Bank, he says his parents and his 20-year-old brother, like most of Gazas dwindling Christian population, have been sheltering in this church in northern Gaza, and the Orthodox Church about two miles east.

His family told him the story of the killings  which have sparked global uproar, described by Pope Francis as terrorism  during rare phone calls as the signal faded in and out. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem  the Catholic authority in the region  said that Nahida and Samar were killed in cold blood.

Some of our relatives rushed out to help. One of them was a surgeon called Dr Elias, the others were my family members including a cousin, who is just 16 years old. But they were then hit by a kind of bomb.

Seven in total were injured from shrapnel  including my teenage cousins. There is no way to properly treat them there are no working hospitals in north Gaza.

George, who had already lost 20 members of his family in Gaza, has now lost contact with his parents and the others in the church. He doesnt know if they have been able to bury the bodies, or if the injured are still alive. All he knows is there is no hope.

All our homes have been bombed. Gaza is uninhabitable, dead bodies are everywhere, epidemics are taking over, the craters from the bombing are 20 metres deep. There is nothing left.

We are very worried if we cannot get them out.

Those trapped had already been forced into rationing out the last scraps of oatmeal and dwindling, dirty water, unable to move.

The Holy Family Church before the latest conflict (AFP/Getty)

The bombardment of Gaza began in the wake of the 7 October attack inside Israel by Hamas, during which 1,200 people were killed and 240 people taken hostage. In the near-constant aerial assault that has followed, health officials in Gaza say Israels offensive has killed more than 19,000 people, nearly three-quarters of them women and children. Vast swathes of the 26-mile-long strip, which is home to more than two million people, have been levelled in Israels bid to eradicate Hamas.

One of the chief focuses of Israels campaign has been Gaza City, where forces have encircled hospitals schools and now, apparently, churches.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the incidents at the church which took place on Saturday were still under review.

The Israeli military appeared to deny the report, saying that it targets terrorists and terror infrastructure and does not target civilians, no matter their religion.

But the killing of the two women in the church, as well as the bombing and the siege on the compound, has cast a searing spotlight on the Israeli militarys use of force. George says there are real fears Gazas Christian community will be on the verge of extinction if such attacks continue.

Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP, has family trapped in the Catholic church, including a grandmother, a cousin, his wife and their 11-year-old twins. She says the congregation are innocent civilians who had nothing to do with Hamas and [are] absolutely terrified.

In recent days she said, anyone who approached the church had been shot.

I have been told white phosphorus was thrown into the compound, that the bin collector was shot dead as he tried to come into the compound, and that a janitor trying to fix a carpet was also shot, she tells The Independent. White phosphorus is an incendiary, used to create light and smokescreens during combat. Using it isnt illegal but deploying it deliberately against civilians or in a civilian setting violates the rules of war. Israel says it complies with international law over its use.

My family is not justifiable collateral damage: Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran (PA)

Ms Moran said the congregation were innocent civilians who had nothing to do with Hamas and [are] absolutely terrified.

She urged the Israeli military surrounding the church in tanks to back off immediately.

We need to exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas for that bilateral ceasefire. There is no military solution to this. My family is not justifiable collateral damage.

Ms Moran says that the remaining generators have been destroyed in the bombardment, meaning there is no power.

The churchs solar panels had also been destroyed, water tanks had holes from shrapnel and gunfire, and the only source of electricity, one last generator, was also blown up in an explosion that saw the precious fuel resources disappear in a fireball.

The MP says she was stunned that Israel had rejected negotiations to even discuss a ceasefire recently  although talks now appear to be on  and that the US and other countries have vetoed efforts for a humanitarian pause.

Our only hope is that we can get my family to south Gaza in the next truce, but they are too scared to leave the church complex now because everyone is shot, she says.

There is no way to evacuate, men are frightened to go south because Israeli soldiers are arresting and taking away men from the so-called safe corridor, Moran says. Snipers dont distinguish between civilians and [combatants].

There is no way of getting aid there: Shireen Awwad in Bethlehem (Bel Trew/The Independent)

Shireen Awwad, head of the Bethlehem Bible College and a peace activist who met Pope Francis last month to relay her concerns over conditions in Gazas churches, says her family is split between the Catholic church and the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, said to be one of the oldest active churches in the world.

The family split between the two churches so if one gets bombed, some of the family will survive, she says, revealing a choice no family would ever want to make.

Describing the situation as horrific, she says her aunt Najwa, in her seventies, was badly injured when an Israeli airstrike hit the Orthodox church in October. Najwa underwent surgery without anaesthesia in the citys al-Ahli Hospital, which had also just been hit. The hospital has since been raided by Israeli forces and is now shut.

Having faced a harrowing two-mile journey, Najwa is sheltering in the Catholic church, where she exists in diapers, with no one to help her walk or move.

She is in deep pain, all she wants to do is die, says Awwad. She mentions another uncle in his eighties who died 10 days ago at the Holy Family Church when his appendix burst and there was no hospital to take him to.

The Latin Patriarchate said that earlier Israeli tank fire that day had also destroyed other parts of the church compound sheltering 54 disabled people, and they now lack access to respirators they need to survive. Three more were wounded during intense bombing nearby.

Beyond the terror of sniper fire, shelling and bombing, there is also the threat of disease. Given the number of elderly, disabled and wounded, there is a real fear of more deaths. The water tanks have holes from shrapnel and gunfire and those inside are now drinking dirty salty water ... There is no way of getting aid there, Awwad adds.

Palestinians search the destroyed annexe of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church after the strike in October (AFP/Getty)

Israel is under increasing pressure to agree to a ceasefire. Its militarys use of force is already in the spotlight after the army admitted to mistakenly shooting dead three of its citizens  three male hostages  even as they were wielding a white flag and calling for help in Hebrew while trying to escape in northeast Gaza.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his Gaza offensive, saying the military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory.

The military has not been clear about what happened at the Holy Family Parish Church. It said church representatives had contacted it early on Saturday regarding explosions in the area but did not report any casualties in the church complex. However, in the same statement shared with The Independent, it was discussing the wrong part of Gaza City. In the statement, the army said that it takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness  especially churches  considering that Christian communities are a minority group in the Middle East.

There were believed to be a few more than 1,000 Christians left in Gaza before Israel launched its heaviest ever bombing campaign on the strip. Over the years, Christians  who until comparatively recently numbered 3,000  have sought to flee the area which has been subject to a 15-year Israeli and Egyptian siege.

Before the war, most were only able to get out of Gaza via special permissions granted to just a handful of Christians at Christmas and Easter to worship in Bethlehem or Jerusalem, to see family in other parts of the occupied Palestinian Territories, or to briefly travel abroad.

Now life is absolute hell, say members of the community who did not want to be named, fearing for their safety.

In the south of Gaza, where Israel is pushing the latest part of its offensive against Hamas, Christian and Muslim families have spoken of the terrible conditions for those that have managed to move from the north, including massive overcrowding in tents, no water, and no food. Medics tell The Independent they have no medical supplies to save lives. All the Christian families The Independent spoke to said they were desperately seeking visas to get their loved ones out of Gaza.

But while the border remains closed, the Bethlehem Bible Colleges Awwad says all this leaves is petitions to a higher power: We have lost all hope in all countries  England, the US  who wont vote for a ceasefire, we have lost hope in humanity.

The only resource we can count on is prayer.
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A groundbreaking new ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence system trained with the life stories of over a million people is highly accurate in predicting the lives of individuals as well as their risk of early death, according to a new study.

The AI model was trained on the personal data of Denmarks population and was shown to predict the peoples chances of dying more accurately than any existing system, scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) said.

In the study, researchers analysed the health and labour market data for 6 million Danes collected from 2008 to 2020, including information on individuals education, visits to doctors and hospitals, resulting diagnoses, income, and occupation.

Scientists converted the dataset into words to train a large language model dubbed life2vec similar to the technology behind AI apps like ChatGPT.

Once the AI model learned the patterns in the data, it could outperform other advanced systems and predict outcomes such as personality and time of death with high accuracy, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Computational Science on Tuesday.

Researchers took the data on a group of people from the set aged from 35 to 65  half of whom died between 2016 and 2020  and asked the AI system to predict who lived and who died.

They found that its predictions were 11 per cent more accurate than that of any other existing AI model, or the method used by life insurance companies to price policies.

A schematic individual-level data representation for the life2vec model (G. Savcisens et al.)

Whats exciting is to consider human life as a long sequence of events, similar to how a sentence in a language consists of a series of words, study first author Sune Lehman from DTU said.

This is usually the type of task for which transformer models in AI are used, but in our experiments, we use them to analyze what we call life sequences, i.e., events that have happened in human life, Dr Lehman said.

Using the model, researchers sought answers to general questions like the chances of a person dying within four years.

They found that the models responses are consistent with existing findings such that when all other factors are considered, individuals in a leadership position or with a high income are more likely to survive, and being male, skilled, or having a mental diagnosis is associated with a higher risk of dying.

We used the model to address the fundamental question: to what extent can we predict events in your future based on conditions and events in your past? Dr Lehman said

Scientifically, what is exciting for us is not so much the prediction itself, but the aspects of data that enable the model to provide such precise answers, he added.

The model could also accurately predict the outcomes of a personality test in a section of the population better than existing AI systems.

Our framework allows researchers to identify new potential mechanisms that impact life outcomes and associated possibilities for personalized interventions, researchers wrote in the study.

However, scientists caution that the model should not be used by life insurance firms due to ethical concerns.

Clearly, our model should not be used by an insurance company, because the whole idea of insurance is that, by sharing the lack of knowledge of who is going to be the unlucky person struck by some incident, or death, or losing your backpack, we can kind of share this burden, Dr Lehman told New Scientist.

Researchers also warn that there are other ethical issues surrounding the use of life2vec such as protecting sensitive data, privacy, and the role of bias in data.

We stress that our work is an exploration of what is possible but should only be used in real-world applications under regulations that protect the rights of individuals, they said.
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An electric car maker in China has demonstrated a new battery capable of powering a vehicle for more than 1,000km on a single charge.

Shanghai-based Nio claims that the next-generation battery will enter mass production in April 2024, offering a longer range than any other electric or fuel-powered car currently on the market.

Nio chief executive William Li drove the all-electric ET7 vehicle 1,044km (649 miles) during a 14-hour live-stream, which saw the car travel from Zhejiang province to Fujian province on Sunday at an average speed of 84km/h. A separate test of the breakthrough battery reportedly saw it cover 1,145km, however this was not broadcast.

The completion of this endurance challenge proves the product power of the 150kWh ultra-long endurance battery pack, Mr Li wrote in a post on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

This battery is currently the battery pack with the highest energy density in mass production in the world and has excellent safety performance. More importantly, all models on sale can be flexibly upgraded to 150kWh batteries through the Nio battery swap system.

Nio takes an unorthodox approach to charging vehicles, favouring a battery-swap system rather than plugging the car into an outlet and waiting for the battery to recharge.

A unique mechanism built into the vehicle means that an empty battery can be swapped with a fully charged battery in less than three minutes  roughly the amount of time it takes to refill a fuel-powered vehicle.

Customers are able to buy a vehicle without a battery and then pay a monthly subscription fee to use batteries within Nios network.

The Nio ET7 aims to be the first electric car to offer a range greater than 1,000km (Nio)

Nios president Qin Lihong said that buying the new battery outright would cost 298,000 yuan (33,000)  roughly equivalent to the price of a Tesla Model 3  which is why the company advocates the use of a hire scheme for its customers as well as for the electric vehicle industry as a whole.

NIO started battery swap from the very beginning, it has been ready to open up its technologies and infrastructure to the entire industry, Mr Li said.

Similar to the cloud service provided by Internet companies, NIOs Power Swap network and Power Cloud also followed the path along which we started with developing infrastructure and achieving a closed loop internally, and then open to others after validating the service across various scenarios.

The company revealed in November that it has provided more than 32 million battery swaps for users through its network of more than 2,000 Power Swap Stations worldwide.
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Researchers claim to have figured out how to teleport images across a network without physically sending them.

An international team from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Spain performed the feat using laser light patterns and an optical detector that harnessed quantum processes.

The bizarre principles of quantum physics allowed the information of the image to appear on the receivers end without having to physically travel from the sender.

Traditionally, two communicating parties physically send the information from one to the other, even in the quantum realm, said Andrew Forbes, a professor at Wits University who led the research.

Now, its possible to teleport information so that it never physically travels across the connection  a Star Trek technology made real.

The achievement offers a glimpse at the potential of quantum communications, an emerging field of science that could allow data to be sent across distances far greater than modern telecommunication systems currently offer.

In 2017, Chinese scientists were able to teleport a photon particle from the ground to an orbiting satellite roughly 1,400km away, which was hailed at the time for furthering research into unhackable communications networks.

The researchers behind the latest breakthrough pushed this field far further, but warned that the technology could potentially be misused by nefarious actors to make clones.

We have to be cautious now, as this configuration could not prevent a cheating sender from keeping better copies of the information to be teleported, which means we could end up with many Mr Spock clones in the Star Trek world if that is what Scotty wanted, said Dr Adam Valles from ICFO, who was one of the leads on the project.

We hope that this experiment showing the feasibility of the process motivates further advances in the nonlinear optics community through pushing the limits towards a full quantum implementation.

The research was published in a study titled Quantum transport of high-dimensional spatial information with a nonlinear detector, which appeared in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications.
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It is in the combination of historic marvels and modern living that Lisbon really thrives.

It is a city that is steeped in history, from the Sao Jorge castle to the squares of Baixa. Dozens of famed landmarks, a striking range of architecture and several hidden wonders adorn the streets of the Portuguese capital, with many providing important reminders of a sometimes sobering past.

The 20th-century tramlines serve both tourists and locals, historic neighbourhoods host the best parties in town and centuries-old recipes are used for a custard tart thats been the citys favourite snack for hundreds of years.

Add in visits to historic monuments or hilltop viewpoints, and youll soon become aware that most of the best things to do in Lisbon are intrinsically tied to the history of the city. To help you discover both the modern city and its past, weve rounded up a list of some of our favourites.

Explore downtown and Alfama

Downtown is sometimes known as Baixa Pombalina after the Marques de Pombal, who took charge of the areas rebuild after the earthquake (Getty Images)

The Baixa area is Lisbons delightful downtown, the historic heart of the city where a grid of elegant, paved streets lead northwest from the vast waterside of Praca do Comercio to the impressive Rossio Square. This is where youll find the majority of international brands and hotel chains, though theres plenty of local flavour and a dazzling array of architecture dating from 1755, the year of an earthquake that levelled much of the city.

Neighbouring Alfama, the home of the Sao Jorge castle, is also worth exploring for its winding alleys, shaded courtyards and abundance of indie shops and restaurants. Start at the castle and follow the routes down the hillside, making your way to the riverside, while spending some time getting blissfully lost in the areas mazy streets.

Read more on Portugal travel:

Take the 28 Tram

There are several trams still in operation in Lisbon, but the 28 is the most historic (Getty Images)

From San Francisco to Prague, trams carry a certain air of nostalgia and charm, reminiscent of times gone by but still exceedingly useful to some people that call the city home. Lisbon is is one of these cities, with an extensive network of trams.

While getting any tram can be a novelty for some visitors, a journey on the 28 line is one of Lisbons more authentic activities for tourists. Developed in 1914, it takes passengers from Campo de Orique, in the west, to Martim Moniz, close to the Castelo de Sao Jorge (get on at one of these stops to have the best chance of a seat). Along the way youll go through neighbourhoods like Alfama, Graca and Estrela, taking in plenty of the citys enchanting architecture.

Visit LX Factory

LX Factory opened in 2009 (Getty Images)

LX Factory is located near the coast, around halfway between the main part of the city and Belem, in the Alcantara district. An area of international restaurants, cool indie shops and characterful bars, its contained within a series of old tile workshops and industrial warehouses, adding to the air of cool alongside a trendy, young and sometimes touristy crowd.

This complex has it all, from a hostel with rooftop bar to Mexican, Argentinian and local cuisine. Theres an eclectic range of shops too, from tattoo parlours and art studios to childrens clothing stores and vintage boutiques.

Try a pastel de nata at Pasteis de Belem

Pasteis were supposedly first served at the nearby Jeronimos Monastery (Getty Images)

Pasteis de nata, most commonly known in the UK simply as custard tarts, are a Portuguese specialty that are on offer in shops, cafes and restaurants throughout Lisbon (and the rest of the country). While youll likely be able to get one every time you go for a coffee, one of the best places to try one is in Belem, at the aptly named Pasteis de Belem.

This tart empire began in 1837, with a special secret recipe that is still in use today. The pasteis are sold from a little counter inside the cafe, but its tearooms, located in the back and decorated in colourful azulejo tiles, are worth waiting in the queue to sit in, for a piece of Portuguese history among cinnamon-tinged custard and light pastry.

Experience the citys nightlife in Bairro Alto

Bairro Alto literally translates to high district or upper neighbourhood (Getty Images)

Though the streets of this hilly neighbourhood are worth exploring anyway for viewing platforms, small bars and cafes, it is during the evening that the Bairro Alto really comes alive. This is Lisbons nightlife centre, where the dozens of bars that line the streets stay open until the early hours. Both locals and expats mingle alongside tourists, with much more of a focus on socialising than getting drunk (although with prices as low as they are, it can be difficult to avoid). Many bars spill out onto the cobbled streets as a consequence, giving the area a pleasant atmosphere long into the night.

Ascend to Sao Jorge castle

The oldest fortifications on the castle site date back to the 2nd century (Getty Images)

The Castelo de Sao Jorge sits imposingly atop the hill of the same name, visible from almost every part of Lisbon and a striking reminder of the citys storied history. First built in 200 BC, it was most recently restored during the 1940s and now stands as one of the citys must-see attractions.

A trip up to the castle is worth it for the city views alone. Youll enjoy sweeping vistas, starting with the azure waters of the Tagus River and leading into a sea of russet-roofed buildings in the Alfama, Chiado and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, the castle is one of the citys busiest attractions, so buy tickets online to skip queues and try and visit in the late afternoon to avoid crowds and the heat (the journey to get this high is more akin to a hike than a walk).

See the Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery in one trip

Belem station is reached by train from Cais do Sodre in less than 10 minutes, with a walk of around 20 minutes to the Tower (Getty Images)

Two of Lisbons must-see landmarks are located a little out of the city, over 90 minutes by foot or around half an hour by train, in the district of Belem. A laid-back area right in the banks of the Tagus River, it is worth visiting in order to see the Belem Tower and the magnificent Jeronimos Monastery.

The former, a 16th-century gateway to the city that was also used as a defensive tower, is a dramatic, remarkably well-preserved mini fortification that is often the last stop on a cycle from the centre of Lisbon. The latter, an enormous Gothic building with dozens of ornate and intricate features, was built to commemorate the return of famed explorer Vasco de Gama and took around a century to complete. It later became the home of the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome, who are said to have been the creators of the pastel de nata.

Take in the view from a miradouro

Lisbon is blessed with dozens of viewpoints, rooftop bars and simple landings where visitors can enjoy amazing views of the capital (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Lisbon is known for being the city of seven hills, and while long walks across the capital can be somewhat tiring, those who enjoy great views are very much in luck, as the geography of the city lends itself to several magnificent viewpoints, known in Portuguese as miradouros.

Portas do Sol, southeast of the Castelo Sao Jorge, is one of the most popular, with a terrace bar, occasional DJ and sweeping views over the Tagus River. The Miradouro da Graca is a quieter alternative set a little further inland, while the Panoramico do Monsanto, once a nightclub and luxury restaurant, sits in a large park and offers panoramic views over the western part of the city. The Miradouro de Nossa Senhora do Monte is the highest point in the city, with views over the city, castle and waterways that are just as impressive as youd expect.

Take a brief trip out of town

Sintra and Cascais are two of the most popular day trips from Lisbon (Getty Images)

While the wonders of Lisbon itself require far more than just a long weekend to discover, many visitors will take a day to visit nearby towns while staying in the capital. Others will explore nearby beaches and surf towns such as Carcavelos, Nazare and Ericeira, with some coming especially for  and staying longer than they had anticipated in  Cascais, a famous town known just as much for its natural beauty and charming centre as it is for its great surfing (which can be reached in around 40 minutes from Cais do Sodre station).

And while the beach has its merits, perhaps Lisbons most popular day trip is to nearby Sintra, a quaint mountain town surrounded by greenery and dotted with impressive castles, the most stunning of which is the Pena Palace, an eccentric 19th-century complex that was built as a sumer residence for the royal family.

Read our reviews of the best Portugal hotels
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On Friday 4 November, Laura Savage arrived at London Heathrow Terminal 5 in good time to board her British Airways flight to Oslo.

She had a ticket for flight BA762 to the Norwegian capital  plus a passport valid for outbound travel to Norway, and anywhere else in the Schengen area, until 12 October 2024.

But British Airways ground staff stopped Ms Savage, 35, at the departure gate. They told her UK passports could no longer be used once they were over nine years old. The staff refused to let her board and BA kept her fare.

Ms Savage, a property stylist from Oxfordshire, then contacted British Airways to protest that she had been wrongly denied boarding.

But BA doubled down on its decision to turn her away. The customer services department responded: As you werent having a valid passport, our staff didnt allow you to board the flight.

She has since emailed the airline more than 10 times with proof that her passport comfortably meets post-Brexit requirements, without a response.

Ms Savage then contacted The Independent, saying: It has been beyond frustrating trying to complain and get compensation from them. The only way to make a complaint is via email, and they are just not responding to me.

After a very early start from her home, Ms Savage parked at Heathrow and passed through Terminal 5 security as normal. But at the gate for the 7.55am departure, British Airways ground staff told Ms Savage her passport was too close to expiry to be acceptable.

They insisted UK passports cease to be valid for travel to the European Union and wider Schengen area nine years after their issue date.

This has never been the case. While the UK was a member of the EU, passports were valid up to their expiry date. Since Brexit, UK travellers are treated by Europe as third-country nationals. The passport must not be more than 10 years old on the day of outbound travel. On the intended day of return, it must have at least three months before expiry.

Ms Savages passport is valid for travel out to Norway, and any other Schengen area country, until 12 October 2024 for a stay until January 2025.

I had to forfeit my trip, plus waste my money on the plane ticket, parking and fuel, when this was not my fault, but theirs, she said.

Under European air passengers rights rules, Ms Savage appears due a full refund for the flight plus 220 in compensation for being wrongfully denied boarding.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: Were sorry for our customers experience and our teams are working hard to resolve this matter.
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Passengers on a cruise ship hoping to spend their holiday season in a tropical destination werent too pleased when a change was made to their original plans.

The MSC Cruise Meraviglia ship made a sudden decision ahead of its 17 December departure to reroute its travel due to weather concerns. But what was meant to be a fun, sun-soaked trip to Florida and the Bahamas will now be a cold exploration of Boston, Maine, and Canada before heading back to New York, where travellers first boarded.

The Meraviglia will be docked in Boston until 19 December. MSC Cruises made the decision to stop in the east coast city in order to avoid severe weather conditions in the Bahamas. When the ship was docked in Boston on Sunday, the city was held under a damaging winds alert.

According to a report from the New York Post, all ticketed passengers were notified of the adjustment in an email the night before they were to embark on the trip. To ensure the safety and well-being of everyone onboard, we will sail to New England and Canada instead, where we expect to encounter fairer weather conditions that will allow us to offer you the pleasant cruise experience that you expect, the message reportedly stated.

Speaking to the Boston Globe, traveller Girish Keswani recalled: The guy helping us with our luggage said: Youre going to Canada. We all laughed it off. Another passenger was extremely disappointed upon finding out their first stop would be Boston. Another passenger named Connie confessed to the Globe that she regularly visited the city for work, but her company usually pays for those trips.

I did not want to pay $5,000 [for my family] to come to Boston, Connie proclaimed. This was supposed to be our Christmas vacation.

Neither Connie nor any of the other passengers were obligated to go on the trip if they didnt want to. MSC Cruises allowed ticketed individuals the opportunity to cancel their reservation the night before free of charge and receive a refund in the form of a Future Cruise Credit. Passengers were also given the option to rebook their trip.

MSC Meraviglia sailed to Canada and New England instead of the Bahamas this week due to unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City, a representative for MSC Cruises told The Independent. The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of cancelling the cruise - and thousands of peoples vacations - outright.

In other cruise news, the worlds largest ship - the Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas - will be setting sail on 27 January. With more than 18 passenger decks, seven swimming pools, 40 restaurants, and multiple bars holding 5,610 guests, the new vessel is bigger than the companys Wonder of the Seas cruise ship.

Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of delivering memorable experiences and our next bold commitment to those who love to vacation, said president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, Michael Bayley. Now more than ever, families and friends are prioritising experiences where they can bond and enjoy their own adventures.
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The earth is at its most restless in Iceland right now. A volcano is erupting on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik.

For six weeks the Icelandic authorities have been monitoring seismic activity close to Keflavik airport, a major North Atlantic aviation hub.

The eruption is around 10 miles southwest of the airport and northeast of the town of Grindavik  whose 4,000 inhabitants were evacuated as a precaution.

Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions and answers on consumer rights.

I am in Iceland. Will I be able to leave?

Yes, assuming the international airport remains open. So far operations have been largely normal, after a pause to assess the risk as the eruption began. An easyJet departure to Manchester due out early evening on Monday eventually took off at 1.35am on Tuesday, over five hours late, and arrived safely at Manchester airport at 4am.

Passengers were told: Were sorry that your flight has been delayed. This is because volcanic activity in Keflavik is causing restrictions to the areas in which aircraft are permitted to fly. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience.

On Tuesday most flights are running normally.

You may be keen to leave earlier than booked, in order to guarantee your getaway, but at present you will not be able to switch flights without paying a penalty.

The Foreign Office has not updated its advice for weeks, after the seismic activity in the area began.

Earlier earthquakes struck just 10 miles south of Icelands main airport, Keflavik International, but the UK Foreign Office said travel can go ahead (Vafri.is)

But didnt an Icelandic volcano shut down European aviation for a week?

Yes. Travellers may remember where they were in April 2010, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted. The skies of northern Europe completely closed to passenger aviation for almost a week.

A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash was ejected and was carried southeast towards the UK and continental Europe by the breeze. The fear was that volcanic ash could damage jet engines and potentially bring down aircraft. In the biggest shutdown of aviation since the Second World War, 50,000 flights were cancelled and 8 million passengers had their travel plans wrecked.

More than 50,000 flights, with eight million passengers booked to travel, were cancelled.

So far in 2023, though, ash has not been an issue in the current geological outburst.

Thankfully, the circumstances are very different. Eyjafjallajokull erupted with a glacier on top. The addition of melting water meant that the lava cooled very quickly into tiny fragments. These were promptly propelled into the atmosphere to a height of 30,000 feet by the steam produced in the eruption.

The current eruption is not having anything like the same effect. The lava will cool and remain on the ground.

In addition, new guidelines established in the wake of the 2010 eruption allow aircraft to fly if volcanic ash is present in reasonably small quantities. Another Icelandic volcano erupted in 2011, and in that case only 1 per cent of flights in northern Europe were cancelled  rather than 100 per cent on some days in that extraordinary time.

Icelands Blue Lagoon has been closed as a precuation (AP)

What if I am booked on a package holiday?

Foreign Office advice stops well short of advising against travel to Iceland, meaning holiday companies can continue to operate as normal  with no automatic right to cancel.

Iceland is a country peppered with volcanic sites (Icelandic Met Office)

Until and unless the Foreign Office warns against travel, the assumption is that everything will go ahead as normal.

The FCDO advises travellers to check the following resources for updates:

The one exception is for holidaymakers who had planned to stay at the Blue Lagoon, an increasingly popular wellness destination, with an upmarket hotel on the site. The Blue Lagoon is currently closed.

Only those booked for a stay have the chance to cancel; if you were hoping to pop in as a day visitor for a steamy stop in the volcanic rock pools, you will need to return at some time in the future.

Can I claim on insurance?

No, unless it is one of the vanishingly rare cancel for any reason policies. On standard travel insurance, disinclination to travel is not an acceptable reason for a claim.

Would you go to Iceland at the moment?

Yes, I would relish the opportunity. Winter is an excellent time to visit Iceland for good value. Conditions right now are also excellent for the prospect of a good show from the Northern Lights, which are at the peak of the regular 11-year cosmic cycle.

I also know that the Icelandic authorities are expert at handling seismic events, with extremely good monitoring and emergency systems in place.

I would book a package holiday, though, knowing that if the earth gets too restless for comfort in the vicinity, I would be able to cancel for a full refund.

It could also be that the new eruption becomes an attraction in its own right, as some have done. But not right now. Clive Stacey, founder of the leading Iceland specialist travel firm Discover The World, said: As things stand this is not a tourist eruption in its present phase and sightseers have been warned to stay away from the area.

At Discover The World our thoughts are with the people of Grindavik at this very difficult time. Suffice to say that the town was evacuated long before this latest eruption took place.
Westerns, for the most part, are the domain of men. Though plenty of actresses during Hollywood's Golden Age saddled up and took to the range - Barbara Stanwyck chief among them - the films they graced largely revolved around their male co-stars. That's why Westward the Women is so refreshing. Director William A. Wellman's stirring chronicle of the arduous journey a group of midwestern mail-order brides must undertake to meet their frontier husbands in 1851 may star a rugged Robert Taylor, but a vast array of females are the focal point of this unique and highly entertaining yarn.

Tough, often gritty, and packed with action, Westward the Women enjoys a solid reputation among western aficionados, but has flown under the radar of mainstream movie fans for decades. Adapted from a story by Frank Capra (yes, that Frank Capra) and scripted by Charles Schnee, who wrote the screenplays for such classic westerns as Red River and The Furies (Schnee would nab an Oscar the following year for the glossy Tinseltown saga The Bad and the Beautiful), the film opens in the bucolic California valley founded and nurtured by the aging Roy Whitman (John McIntire). What once was dubbed Whitman's Folly is now a prosperous territory, but its only residents are men, and the grizzled Roy is savvy enough to realize the valley's survival, future, and legacy depend on bringing women - nice, upstanding, hard-working women who can lay down roots and bear children - into the mix.

Roy convinces experienced wagon train leader Buck Wyatt (Taylor) to accompany him to Chicago and recruit more than 100 willing females to make the treacherous trek from Kansas City to California to forge a new life. Buck doesn't sugarcoat the journey's dangers to the bevy of applicants who, for various reasons, choose to leave their civilized existence behind. "It's a long, hard grind with no let up," he tells them. "Rain, hail as big as eggs, breakdowns, prairie fires, sand storms, dust storms, alkalai water, no water. Cholera, Indians, drownings, stampedes, stupid accidents. You'll pass graves everywhere. Milestones along the way. One out of every three of you will be dead before you get to [Roy's] California valley. So if you're smart you'll leave by that door. That's my best advice. Follow it. Now."

Buck isn't kidding. The colorful characters face a kitchen sink of calamities as they trudge across the unforgiving terrain while also enduring the hard-driving Buck's dictatorial demands. How many will survive the journey? And will the scruffy, unhewn cowboys at the end of the dusty road be worth the sacrifices they made to get there?

Personally produced by Dore Schary, Westward the Women exhibits his distinctive stamp. The film's naturalistic tone, probing themes, and complete lack of MGM gloss are Schary trademarks, along with a commitment to diverse casting. Potent social issues abound. One of the women is an unwed mother-to-be, another gets raped by a frisky cowhand. There's even a nod to the novel idea of gun safety in a particularly wrenching episode. The Harvey Girls this most definitely isn't. Though such typical western tropes as Indian attacks, stampedes, predatory wildlife, and deadly storms also pepper the script, the story's female slant puts a different spin on them.

There's also a lyricism to Westward the Women that recalls the work of John Ford. Extensive location shooting in the wilds of Utah adds to the realistic feel (though Wellman wisely forgoes Ford's Monument Valley in favor of a less iconic backdrop), while the consistent attention to character beats supplies essential intimacy and enhances the impact of the action sequences. Moments of humor provide relief from all the tragedies, and though I could have done without the de rigueur romance between Buck and Fifi Danon (Denise Darcel), a stubborn, sassy French immigrant hoping to polish up her tarnished reputation (too many echoes of The Taming of the Shrew for my taste), it's deftly handled. Wellman, who may be best known for helming the classic gangster flick The Public Enemy, the original version of A Star Is Born, and the first-ever Best Picture Oscar winner Wings, didn't direct many westerns over the course of his three-decade career, but the ones he did, like The Ox-Bow Incident, Viva Villa!, and Yellow Sky, stand the test of time. This one does, too.

After World War II, a more rough-and-tumble image supplanted the romantic, pretty-boy persona that Taylor rode to superstardom in the 1930s. His no-nonsense portrayal here laced with an eyebrow-raising dash of sadism is quite effective and he brings enough machismo to offset the tale's hefty dose of estrogen. The exotic Darcel often seems a bit too brazen, but the rest of the female ensemble, most of whom are largely unknown, file sincere, affecting portrayals. The standout among them is Hope Emerson, who plays the physically imposing and stalwart Patience, who stoically leads the tribe of women through their travails. Coming off her Oscar-nominated turn as the nasty, manipulative prison matron in Caged, Emerson proves she's equally adept at playing sympathetic, moralistic characters and makes us wish she had made more films during her career.

Westward the Women runs a bit long (its coda certainly could be trimmed), but it remains a substantive, absorbing, often exciting, and expertly crafted movie. I wasn't familiar with it prior to this initial viewing, but there's no doubt I'll take this onerous journey with these admirable women again.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Westward the Women arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.
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A Universal Studios resort could be coming to the UK after the theme park giant purchased a large portion of land in Bedfordshire.

The parks division of the media empire has bought land covering almost 500 acres in Stewartby, which is around 15 minutes from Bedford by car and close to Kempston Hardwick railway station. A proposed resort would also be easily accessible from London Luton airport, and less than an hour away from London.

A theme park in England would join the Universal roster of locations that includes Los Angeles in the US and Osaka, Japan, where there are whole areas themed around the Harry Potter book and film series, plus a Super Nintendo section focused on gaming franchises such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong.

Universal Kids Resort is currently under construction in Texas, with plans to open its doors in 2026.

We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site, a spokesperson for Universal Destinations & Experiences told The Independent.

It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community.

The large parcel of land in Bedfordshire purchased by Universal Destinations & Experiences (Supplied)

It is expected to take many months before a decision is reached about whether to proceed with the resort.

There have been rumours of a possible expansion into the UK for some time but this is the most advanced the plans have been. The country is considered appealing due to the large population, creative industries, strong tourism and transportation infrastructure, plus close proximity to continental Europe.

In September, the domain names universalstudiosgreatbritain.com and universalgreatbritain.com, as well as .co.uk extensions, were registered by NBCUniversal.

And according to ParkStop, a website dedicated to theme park news, a financial statement released after parent company Comcasts third quarter in October 2023 disclosed that $271 million associated with the acquisition of land for potential theme park expansion opportunities had been spent.

A Universal Studios resort would add another major attraction to southern England, following Warner Bros. Studio Tour London  The Making of Harry Potter in Watford. More than 16 million people have visited the wizarding world since it opened in 2021.

Tom Wootton, the elected mayor of Bedford Borough Council, told BBC News: The suggestion of a major business investment is of course positive, nevertheless these are early days and much detailed work is required before any decisions are made.

We very much welcome and are excited by the interest from Universal and the immense potential for it to be transformative for the borough. Were committed to ensure that any plans align with the best interests of our residents.
A pub chef who murdered his ex-partner was caught confessing to an undercover police officer and has been jailed for life after a two-month trial at Bristol Crown Court (20 December).

Darren Osment, 41, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years in prison for the murder of Claire Holland, 32, in Bristol in 2012.

Avon & Somerset Police have released footage featuring several harrowing clips of Osment describing and confessing to the murder.

In one clip Osment seemingly boasts about the murder, simply saying: Put it this way. Knife skills.
Donald Trump doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled he cannot appear on the states 2024 presidential election ballot.

Theyre destroying the blood of our country... and I never read Mein Kampf... They could bring in disease, the former president said in Iowa on Tuesday (19 December).

It comes after he told a New Hampshire rally on Saturday that immigrants are poisoning the blood of the US.

The Colorado appellate panel found that Mr Trump could be kept off the states GOP ballot under the 14th Amendment, which bars those who took a constitutional oath then engaged in insurrection from holding office.
Watch the moment five wolves are released into the Colorado wilds as part of a controversial reintroduction plan.

Five grey wolves were let loose Colorados Rocky Mountains on Monday, 18 December.

Residents voted to reintroduce the species back in 2020, with 10 to 15 wolves planned to be released by mid-march 2024.

The wolves are originally from Oregon, and were judged as fit to be relocated by veterinarians and biologists.

The plan has naturally divided opinion, with conservationists hailing the move, while those with livestock and pets that may be put at risk are sceptical.
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Suddenly we seem to have moved from can Trump win? to can Trump stand?  and a troubled world watches as the United States, arsenal of democracy and shining city on a hill, turns in on itself once again.

The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump is ineligible under the American constitution to hold office again, and therefore should be removed from the states presidential primary ballot, is a brave and a momentous one. Its on the legally debatable grounds that Trump is an insurrectionist under terms of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Passed after the civil war and obviously aimed at any ambitious secessionists, it states: No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of president and vice-president or hold any office, civil or military ... who... shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion. It concludes: But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Congress isnt going to vote to remove that disability; but the Supreme Court, with three Trump-appointed justices out of nine, might.

Given that Trump hasnt yet been convicted of insurrection over the events of January 6, they might plausibly strike down the Colorado case for that or other reasons.

For now, and if the Colorado judgment survives, it would make it much more difficult (even impossible) for Trump to become president again after next Novembers election. But that still wont stop him.

For while it would make him lose momentum, and a few votes, as the primaries get under way next spring  hes so far ahead of the other candidates that Colorado alone will make little real difference.

It is true that he would lose any possibility of winning Colorados admittedly modest 10 votes in the electoral college when the election arrives  which might be important in a tight contest  and the bigger danger is if other states follow the Colorado example, which would leave his election run futile. Trump is clearly up for an appeal  which is a risk, because the Supreme Court may end up effectively barring him from standing for election, taking office, or both.

For Trump, though, its more of a win-win. For that is the unique characteristic of this rogue politician  virtually any development may be turned to advantage, and, if not, he can content himself with a suitable alibi for failure.

Despite it being a time when the nation  and the world  yearns for peace and stability, the greatest power on earth, America, could once again be plunged into a Trumpian hell.

How? Well, if the Colorado decision is struck down, then he can claim vindication and make his run. If the Supreme Court effectively bans him from running then he and his fanbase have a more than satisfactory excuse for not winning  and would call that, once again, a vast conspiracy at work to threaten the will of the people.

It would be ugly  and, ironically, may result in another attempt at insurrection. You might well wonder what the Kremlin, Beijing, the ayatollahs and Hamas would make of an American political system self-poisoned and paralysed in such a fashion once again.

One thing we have learned over the past decade or so is that no one really knows what goes on inside Trumps head  possibly including himself. It can change from week to week, moment to moment. There were seemingly well-attested reports that he neither expected nor particularly wanted to win against Hilary Clinton in 2016, and only wanted to use the campaign to boost his profile, business interests and ego.

He was certainly an insurrectionist in 2020  and probably knew hed lost the election  but may have convinced himself, as some people can, that the opposite was true. He is capable of holding two diametrically opposed views in his mind at any given time, and think them both legitimate and authentic  a rare but useful quality for a barrister or politician. And Trump has a general tendency to fantasy when the facts are unpalatable.

In other words, and despite the energy put into the campaign, he may only be running for president now to postpone resolution of his many legal difficulties. He may want to win the election for that reason more than any other  but a ready excuse for failure is always welcome.

The Colorado decision may not please him, but he can play the victim and weaponise it with his base  and use it as yet another way to further confuse the complex legal scraps hes embroiled in. Chaos suits him.

In any case, its just worth saying that the best thing  for America and the world  would be if Trump started to lose some ground to the one credible candidate who could wrest the Republican nomination from him: Nikki Haley. It would end the Trump nightmare at last. Aside from the Trump fanatics, the party knows, though its frightened to admit it, that Trump is a proven loser, and he remains the one Republican candidate that Joe Biden can beat in November.

Sooner or later, that consideration will surely begin to change a few minds. It may seem almost impossible now, but the next few months could well prove momentous  if not revolutionary  for the Republicans... and by no means just in Colorado.
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A New York Times/Siena College poll dropped on Tuesday, meaning that Democrats either fretted about President Joe Bidens low poll numbers and the fact he is losing narrowly to former president Donald Trump or soothed themselves by noting the election is still 11 months away.

The poll does show some alarming numbers, including a whopping 58 per cent disapproval rating for Mr Biden. Nearly three-quarters of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 disapprove of how Mr Biden has handled the war between Israel and Hamas, and now 49 per cent say they would back Mr Trump compared to 43 who say they would back Mr Biden.

All of this should worry Democrats. No incumbent president has had an approval rating below 40 per cent at this stage. The US exit from Afghanistan, persistent frustration with stubbornly high prices at the grocery store and questions about Mr Bidens advanced age all compound his struggle to win another four years.

But there is perhaps another reason that Mr Trump persistently beats Mr Biden: voters still dont want to believe that the United States is set for a Trump-Biden rematch. And as of right now, they are grieving the fact the United States will run back the 2020 election with fewer Covid masks and higher prices.

US President Joe Biden faces challenges for re-election ahead

Mr Bidens coalition in 2020 was always fragile. It included more traditionally Democratic voters such as African Americans and younger people, along with former Republicans who were dissatisfied with the direction of the GOP under Donald Trump, other new additions like suburbanites and college-educated city-dwellers who broke for more progressive options in the Democratic primary such as Sens Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

After many feared that the 2016 primary bruised Hillary Clinton too much by the time she faced Mr Trump, voters made an agreement: get behind Mr Biden, even if he didnt fulfill all their policy checklists, in the name of beating someone they considered a mortal threat to democracy.

Mr Biden himself seemed like the perfect vessel for this mission: He had spent years as a dutiful footsoldier as a senator and then Barack Obamas vice president. His advanced age made some believe that he would serve a single term. When he campaigned in Michigan with fresher faces like Sen Cory Booker, Gov Gretchen Whitmer and his eventual running mate Kamala Harris, he said: I view myself as a bridge not as anything else. Once Mr Trump was out of the picture, disagreements about the future of the Democratic Party, and America as a whole, could resume.

Mr Biden never had any other true mandate except to beat Mr Trump. As a result, he was always going to anger some moderates when he enacted progressive policy like student loan forgiveness and he would frustrate progressives when he talked about funding police or supporting Israel.

Perhaps that revealed some naivete on the part of the electorate and pundits. But it is where people are nonetheless. A majority of Republican voters have either resigned themselves to the fact that Mr Trump will be the nominee or have had more than a year to enthusiastically cheer him back to winning the GOP nomination for president.

Most of the country isnt there. A Data for Progress survey found that only 51 per cent of voters think that the 2024 presidential contest will be between Mr Biden and Mr Trump.

Voters are at this point, fair to say, in the denial state of grieving the idea of a 2020 replay. More progressive voters who are upset at his policies about Israel  which means they are often more informed about the state of politics  are either in the bargaining or anger phase. They likely wont get to the point of acceptance until Mr Trump has already won the Republican nomination, which will set in the reality that this will be the contest.

None of this is to diminish the real challenges or legitimate dissatisfaction would-be Democratic voters feel toward Mr Biden. Muslim American voters in Michigan, young voters in swing states like Arizona and Georgia or non-college-educated Hispanic voters in Las Vegas could easily believe Mr Biden is not doing enough and simply stay home. But as of right now, most voters are registering their feelings about the race as it currently stands.

Side Note: Your dispatcher is joining Congress on vacation for Christmas for the next few days, so Inside Washington will not come out during this time. Happy Holidays, however you celebrate.
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Washington is wringing its hands and declaring that Donald Trump has crossed a line by saying that immigrants were poisoning the blood of the United States. This would only be true if people had not been paying attention to Mr Trump for the last eight years, such as when he opened his 2015 campaign by calling Mexicans rapists, criminals and drug dealers. Or when he called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims from coming into the United States. Or when he compared immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border to Russian President Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine (after he had tried to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for dirt on Joe Biden in exchange for arms).

The difference between then and now is that Mr Trump has begun to marry his racist and authoritarian rhetoric to more explicitly fascist rhetoric. And by this time next month, he will have overwhelmingly won the first Republican presidential caucus in Iowa and preparing to put up a double-digit victory in New Hampshire. A New York Times/Siena College poll released on Tuesday also showed Mr Trump defeating Mr Biden, meaning that come 20 January 2025, he could have the capacity to turn his words into policy.

None of that should be surprising. What is more surprising is that the Senate is now negotiating how to significantly curtail immigration into the United States in exchange for aid to Ukraine. But Mr Trumps words add a new colour to the negotiations because it is entirely possible that if an agreement is reached, and he wins the election, Mr Trump could wield that new authority to implement a draconian regime for people who come to the United States.

Negotiations with the bipartisan coterie on Capitol Hill have included, as friend of Inside Washington Myah Ward at Politico has reported, the potential use of nationwide expedited removal, which would allow the government to deport anyone in the country who does not have a legal basis for doing so.

While this may register to some as Republican pablum about the border  even though this has little to do with the US-Mexico border and may lead to removals from within the country  Mr Trumps calls to be a dictator on day one permeate these discussions. Passing such legislation would give him tremendous latitude.

Unsurprisingly, the most MAGA voices in the Senate are unfazed.

Im mad he wasnt tougher than that because youre seeing whats happening at the border? Were being overrun, Sen Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told me.

But Sen Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who voted to convict Mr Trump for his actions on January 6 and won re-election last year, refused to speak.

I'm not going to comment, she told The Independent. I'm just avoiding commenting on the former president.

Sen Susan Collins of Maine, another Republican senator who voted to convict Mr Trump, called his comments deplorable.

That was horrible that those comments are just they have no place, particularly from a former president, she told The Independent.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune tried to split the difference between distancing himself from Mr Trump while also calling for more restrictions on immigration.

My grandfather was an immigrant, he said. And we're a nation of immigrants. But we're a nation of laws. We have to enforce our borders.

But perhaps just as befuddling is the fact that Democrats who oppose Mr Trump seem all too willing to work with the GOP on restricting immigration when the leader of their party is spewing white nationalist rhetoric not unlike that of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter in 2018 and the El Paso Walmart shooter in 2019.

During Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers press conference, I asked why Democrats were negotiating curtailing immigration with a party led by Mr Trump.

What Donald Trump said and did was despicable, but we do have a problem at the border and Democrats know we have to solve that problem, but in keeping with our principles, he said.

Sen Bob Menendez of New Jersey, an ardent supporter of immigration reform who has criticised the negotiations, was more blunt, telling me Mr Trump was taking his cues from Hitler. But Mr Menendez has mostly been neutered in the Senate ever since his indictment, which triggered many Democrats to call for his resignation.

Other Democrats vocally criticised Mr Trumps words while offering mealy-mouthed responses about giving a president this much authority to deport people.

Also it just outrageous and he's doing it for political gain, Sen Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, the first and only Latina senator, told The Independent, noting how Mr Trumps own family includes immigrants. But when asked about negotiating on immigration, she dodged.

I think it is important that we have Ukraine funding, Israel funding all of the above, and it needs to happen, she told me.

Sen Mark Kelly of Arizona, who won a full term in the Senate last year in a closely-watched race, told The Independent Mr Trumps words were a racist and xenophobic thing to say. But when asked about the negotiations, he said the Senate needed to pass an immigration plan that could pass both chambers.

Democrats do not want to talk about the possibility of Mr Trump winning back the White House when Mr Biden is seeking a second term, lest they give the appearance that he could lose. But they cannot avoid the fact Mr Trumps words dictate the direction of the GOP. And they cannot ignore the fact that even if Mr Trump loses, another Republican may occupy the Oval Office who also does not have scruples about rapidly deporting migrants or reducing legal ways to come to the United States of America.

Mr Trump famously said that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not face consequences. But a potential Ukraine-immigration deal could easily wind up becoming the gun he uses again, and Democrats will have loaded the gun.
Boost will add 100 jobs at the Edgeworthstown pet food factory

Larry Goodmans ABP is to invest 48m in its pet food factory in Co Longford.

It will result in the creation of 100 new jobs at the C&D Foods plant in Edgeworthstown, across engineering, operations, supply chain and quality assurance. It will also boost the production capacity of the facility by a quarter.

C&D Foods is the pet foods division of Mr Goodmans ABP. The firm is one of the largest own-label pet food manufacturers in Europe with production facilities in eleven locations across the continent. It already employs 500 people in Ireland and a further 1,400 across Europe, generating annual revenues of more than 500m.

Construction on the project in Co Longford has already commenced. The fresh investment at Edgeworthstown brings the total invested by ABP at the plant to 118m since 2006. This is in addition to significant investment by ABP in C&D sites across Europe, including production facilities in the UK, France, Holland, Denmark and Austria.

The latest investment, backed by Enterprise Ireland, will add new state-of-the-art automated multi-packing and pouch-filling lines to the plant there.

Larry Goodman. Photo: Tom Burke

We are seeing a trend across Europe where consumers are favouring pouched pet food for smaller companion animals, and we are in prime position to continue to capitalise on the growing demand for these types of products, said Colm Dore, C&D Foods MD. He said the investment in the plant will enable the company to remain at the forefront of the pet food market.

In 2021, C&D announced a 60m contract with Donegal-based packaging company ProAmpac.

ProAmpac is now a strategic supplier of pet food pouches for C&D operations across Europe. Both are currently working on developing more sustainable packaging, including recyclable options.

Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, said that a key goal for the Government agency is to support companies in making the transition to the low-carbon, resource efficient economy of the future.

We have worked closely with C&D foods to support them with their sustainability strategy, reducing carbon by investing in carbon abatement technologies and driving productivity through investing in digitalisation technologies, he said.

C&D Foods was originally founded by the late former taoiseach, Albert Reynolds. His son, Philip Reynolds, sold his final 15pc stake in the business to ABP in 2019. ABP first invested in the business in 2008, taking a 50pc stake.
More than a quarter of employees expect to respond to work emails over the Christmas break, according to new research from Irish tech firm Workhuman.

A survey of 1,000 workers in Ireland revealed that 27pc are set to check their email inbox over Christmas this year.

Around 22pc said that they do not feel like they can fully switch off from work over the festive season, while 28pc added that a large workload will prevent them from taking as much time off as they would like over the holidays.

Almost 60pc reported feeling stressed about the cost of buying gifts this year, with a quarter planning to purchase presents for up to 10 people each year.

Respondents now expect to pay an average of 974 each on Christmas gifts this year, Workhuman found.

The majority of employees who receive bonuses at the end of the year are planning to use them for gifts for family and friends. More than a quarter describe a bonus as essential for affording presents, while half said bonuses help alleviate some financial pressures this year.

Despite this, workers surveyed said that they would prefer to receive smaller spot bonuses throughout the year rather than one larger lump sum at Christmas.

Some workers said they have benefitted from employee recognition programmes, with 66pc using points from such initiatives to buy gifts for others this year.

A number of those featured in the research also received gifts in the workplace. Almost half said a colleague has given them a present over the festive period, while more than a quarter do a Secret Santa exchange.

Around 32pc receive gifts directly from their employer or manager, a tradition that is welcomed by the majority of workers. However, 12pc admitted that they have previously opted to re-gift these items.

Financial, familial, and professional pressures can impact employees over the holiday season, said Niamh Graham, Workhumans senior vice president of global human experience.

When done right, company culture can help to alleviate some of this stress, rather than being a cause of it, she added.

She called on employers to ensure staff are using all remaining annual leave days before the end of the year and to create a coverage plan to allow workers to unplug over the festive season.
Google has agreed to pay $700m and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store. Photo: Peter Morgan/AP

Alphabets Google will pay $700m and revamp its Play app store to allow for greater competition as part of an antitrust settlement with U.S. states and consumers, according to the company and filings in San Francisco federal court on Monday.
Lewis Guarnieri, an Assistant Prosecutor Attorney at Stark County Prosecutor's Office in Ohio, will be remembered as the man who brought felony "abusing a corpse" charges against a woman who experienced a traumatic miscarriage of a nonviable fetus.

Brittany Watts, 33, was 22 weeks pregnant when she went to an Ohio hospital three times for treatment for vaginal bleeding, reports CNN. After her third visit, she went home and "suffered a tragic and dangerous miscarriage that jeopardized her own life," said her attorney, Traci Timko. The forensic pathologist at the coroner's office concluded that the fetus had died, without injury, in Watts' womb.

It is very important that Watt's be brought to justice for her alleged crime, says Guarnieri. "The issue isn't how the child died, when the child died  it's the fact that the baby was put into a toilet, large enough to clog up a toilet, left in that toilet and she went on [with] her day," Guarnieri said in a court hearing, opportunistically sidestepping the fact that the fetus was non-viable, and in no sense of the word a "child" left to die in a toilet, as he implied in his statement to the judge.

From CNN:

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights slammed the criminal charge against Watts, saying it would deter other women who suffer miscarriages from seeking medical help. "As citizens, we are outraged that the criminal justice system is being used to punish Ms. Watts who, like thousands of women each year, spontaneously miscarried a non-viable fetus into a toilet and then flushed," the group said in an open letter to the Trumbull County prosecutor. "By seeking to indict her, you are clearly implying that anyone who miscarries at any point in pregnancy in our state must retrieve the fetal tissue whether they are at home, at work, at school, at a restaurant or other public place and preserve it until the tissue can be disposed of properly even though Ohio law does not define what a proper disposal method would be.  That fact alone renders your prosecution both unjust and ludicrous," the letter says. "As physicians we are deeply concerned that your actions will deter women who miscarry from obtaining the medical attention they need and deserve."
Talks over the new deal have been ongoing for a number of years, with the previous agreement, which is said to have saved the State hundreds of millions of euro, expiring in 2021. Stock Image: Getty

A 'goodwill payment' to farmers for road projects has been more than doubled to 6,500/ac under a new National Roads Agreement between the Irish Farmers Association and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Talks over the new deal have been ongoing for a number of years, with the previous agreement, which is said to have saved the State hundreds of millions of euro, expiring in 2021.

This new agreement will apply to land compulsorily acquired for national road developments between Jan 1, 2022 and December 31, 2027.

It is understood An Bord Pleanalas decision to approve plans for the 500m Foynes to Limerick road last year increased the urgency for a renewal of the agreement.

Announcing details of the new deal, IFA President Tim Cullinan said that having land subject to CPO for State infrastructural development was very disruptive, extremely stressful and unsettling for farm families.

He said the arrangement covers the compensation claim by landowners impacted by the CPO process.

It also provides an additional fixed payment of 6,500 per acre in recognition of the co-operation and early access provided by the landowner. This is an increase from 3,000/ac under the previous deal.

CPOs are provided for in law and while we might not like that, it is very important that farmers are at least compensated fairly and fully, Cullinan said.

The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, also welcomed the conclusion of the new agreement.

"Such agreements have proven to be an effective method in providing for early engagement between landowners, TII and local authorities."

Meanwhile, Peter Walsh Chief Executive TII said, "This national agreement with the IFA further supports TII along with our Local Authority partners to continue to deliver the needed investment in national roads. Id like to thank all those involved in working towards a fair and equitable agreement for all stakeholders. Together with the Code of Best Practice for national and regional Greenways, this agreement reinforces TIIs commitment to infrastructure delivery in a balanced and efficient way.

IFA National Environment and Rural Affairs Chairman Paul OBrien who led the IFA team in the talks said there are a number of key provisions in the agreement that are critically important for landowners.

These include assessing the open market value of the land being acquired. This is done by reference and comparison to the size, location and quality of the land parcels that are part of the order.

Account is also taken of the injurious affection (including damage to the viability of the farm business), severance and disturbance.

Where farm buildings, fixtures and other structures are taken, the settlement will include the cost of replacing such farm buildings, fixtures and other structures with comparable new facilities for similar farming purposes.

The agreement also provides a facility for an independent assessment of the compensation if a settlement agreement cannot be reached between the landowner and the local authority or TII.

Compensation will be paid for all damage and disturbance caused during site investigation works, including disturbance to farming activities, livestock and/or crops and full reinstatement shall be made to all lands damaged by site investigations as set out in a revised code of practice.

Paul OBrien said a Code of Practice will be updated and continue to provide guidance aimed at ensuring good liaison and communication with farmers affected by land acquisition for national roads schemes.

A Project Liaison Officer for each major national primary road scheme will be appointed to liaise and engage with impacted farmers or their representatives, including in relation to the supervision of agreed accommodation works.

TII and local authorities shall meet the reasonable and necessary costs to landowners affected by the compulsory acquisition of land for roads, of professional fees, including the cost of assessing and agreeing accommodation works.

The local authorities will provide and maintain stock proof fencing on all new motorways, dual-carriageways and national roads provided on or over land to which the agreement applies.

O Brien said having your land selected for compulsory purchase is a massive issue for any farmer.

"For many that will be little compensation for the loss of their lands, which have been passed through the generations and is the basis of their livelihood. We believe this is a good agreement and we will continue to work with farmers on the ground to address any queries and to ensure that the acquiring authorities honour it in full.
Concerns have also been raised about trade issues connected with the potential use of a TB vaccine. Stock Image: Getty

A TB vaccine for cattle currently on trial in the UK is at least ten years away from the market, a senior Department of Agriculture official has said.

Dr. Damien Barrett, superintending veterinary inspector at the Department of Agriculture, recently told a hearing of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee that current bovine TB vaccines would fail a tuberculin test, which he said would have 'enormous implications' for exports.

However, work is underway in the UK to develop what is known as a diva vaccine or a marker vaccine, through which it would be possible to differentiate an immune reaction that came about as a result of vaccination from an infection.

"They have completed the safety trial. They have demonstrated that this vaccine does no harm. They are a bit away from getting the vaccine to the market and getting market authorisations and anything like that," he said.

When asked if the Department would be interested in rolling out the vaccine to Irish farms should it become available, Dr Barrett said the Department has 'very much an open mind to this'.

"If and when it becomes available, we certainly will explore this. It is something we would be interested in pursuing," he told members of the Committee.

However, he also said the Department of Agriculture staff met with UK colleagues recently, and it is their understanding that the vaccine is at least ten years away from the market.

Dr Barrett also raised concerns about trade connected with the potential use of a TB vaccine.

"The other difficulty will arise in respect of the World Organisation for Animal Health and the whole issue of certification and getting acceptance for a product to be certified as TB-free if it has been vaccinated. There could be a lot of politics involved in that," he said.

In response to a question from Roscommon/Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice, Dr Barrett added: "There are politics and international politics involved... from time to time animal health may be used as  I do not want to use the term "trade barrier", but the Deputy knows where I am going. Phytosanitary rules may be used to the advantage of certain countries. We need to get the support of the World Organisation for Animal Health to overcome this issue."
Claims by two Web Summit co-founders that the company has been substantially damaged by Paddy Cosgraves social media posts about Israel will be met robustly, the High Court has heard.

The former chief executive of the technology events company, who quit his role after controversy erupted over his online posts in the aftermath of Hamass attack on Israel, did not object to the new allegations being added to cases alleging minority shareholder oppression against him and the firm.
An airline passenger was arrested in Dublin Airport after he refused to stop arguing with staff over a fee for the weight of his luggage, a court heard.
The husband of a 28-year-old woman who died just four hours after the delivery of her baby at Mayo University Hospital has settled for 1.9 million High Court actions over her death.
Footage of a blaze at a Galway hotel due to house asylum seekers as gardai investigate criminal damage incident

Fianna Fail councillor Noel Thomas has said he hasnt been contacted by any Fianna Fail representative over disciplinary action after his comments that Ireland can no longer accommodate refugees as the inn is full.

The Galway councillor made the comments after the Ross Lake House hotel, earmarked to house asylum seekers, was destroyed by fire on Saturday night.

Councillor Seamus Walsh also said government policies were in some way responsible for the fire.

The comments were referred to the partys rules and procedures committee after Tanaiste Micheal Martin had a heated phone call with Cllr Thomas Sunday night.

Mr Martin said the two councillors had not struck the right tone on the burning down of the hotel.

The councillors comments were also criticised by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

On Tuesday, another Fianna Fail councillor defied party and Government policy by saying people who buy buildings and rent them as refugee accommodation are worse than the English landlords of decades ago.

William OLeary was speaking at a protest about plans for asylum seekers to move into a B&B in Fermoy Co Cork.

Cllr Thomas told RTEs Morning Ireland: Micheal Martin is entitled to give his opinion on it, but lets just make one thing very clear.

In two days, I have had zero contact from Fianna Fail regarding any disciplinary action being taken against me.

And the only source of information Im hearing about this has come from the media, he said.

Cllr Thomas said he still doesnt know whether he is being investigated by Fianna Fail.

I had been told by the media I am but haven't been told by anybody else, he said.

He added he had a long conversation with Tanaiste Micheal Martin on Sunday evening.

I stated Im not happy with what Micheal Martin is doing to this country at the moment, and he stated he was not happy with what I was saying in relation to that.

The only situation where I can imagine that it may be okay to cram people into a hotel or some other building would be where the hotel is located in an urban setting to get all the services within walking distance.

And even at that, the only type of aid accommodation should be a very temporary solution.

"That should only be used for a couple of weeks max until proper, humane accommodation can be provided in a way that can integrate people into their new communities.

If this was a 10-year consultation period, it would still be wrong to cram four people into a room together in a remote building, like the Ross Lake Hotel.

I say the inn is full because of irresponsible, open border policies that this government have had in place, he said.

He added that he hopes to stay in the Fianna Fail party. I think I am much more entitled to my place in the Fianna Fail party than Micheal Martin is, he said.

An internal Fianna Fail committee will decide on sanctions for two Galway party councillors over their opposition to a proposed asylum centre.

Speaking yesterday the Tanaiste said the number of people seeking international protection here will continue to grow.

He said Irish immigration policies very much reflect our international obligations, in terms being members of European Union, and more broadly in terms of international agreements and frameworks.

Mr Martin said Ireland is currently accepting around 15,000 asylum seekers per year compared to around 3,500 per year in 2019.

There are no easy answers to this. I do accept the point that there are growing concerns, he said.

"There is a broader concern and people are worried about capacity and so on. But we have to be very clear about the fundamental principles and the philosophy.

Nobody can take the law into their own hands. Blockading is wrong. Physically destroying buildings is a crime. We need as a society to maintain our cohesion and balance.
Leo Varadkar said that Ireland is legally challenging the UKs Legacy Act with a sense of regret

Leo Varadkar said that Ireland is legally challenging the UKs Legacy Act with a sense of regret

The Government has decided to bring an inter-state case against Britain over its legacy legislation over the Northern Ireland troubles.

It is being brought under the European Convention on Human Rights, and could affect British-Irish relations.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and cabinet colleagues considered legal advice from Attorney General Rossa Fanning SC before deciding on the move.

Mr Varadkar said that Ireland is legally challenging the UKs Legacy Act with a sense of regret.

In response, the UK government has described the case as unnecessary and said it comes at a particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland.

In its application, the Irish Government will argue that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the United Kingdoms obligations under the convention.

Announcing the move, Tanaiste Micheal Martin said: This decision was taken after much thought and careful consideration.

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made.

However, the decision by the British government not to proceed with the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and instead pursue legislation unilaterally, without effective engagement with the legitimate concerns that we, and many others, raised left us with few options.

The British government removed the political option, and has left us only this legal avenue.

The British government removed the political option, and has left us only this legal avenue. - Micheal Martin

Ireland previously successfully sued the UK at European level decades ago over the torture of prisoners in Northern Ireland detention.

The British government has already been accused of flouting the European Convention on Human Rights over its Rwanda policy, while some Tory backbenchers have called for the UK to withdraw from the convention altogether.

Mr Martin said such incorporation into Northern Ireland law was a specific and fundamental requirement of the Good Friday Agreement.

Since the UK legislation was first tabled, the Government here had been consistent that it is not compatible with the convention, he added.

Families of some of the bereaved in the Troubles had already initiated High Court proceedings in Belfast, relying on the same argument but also maintaining that the legislation is a denial of natural justice antecedent to transposed European law.

Mr Martin said: I used every opportunity to make my concerns known, and urged the British government to pause this legislation.

I have consistently adopted a victims-centred approach to this issue. We are not alone in our concerns.

Serious reservations about this legislation have also been raised by a number of international observers, including the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Most importantly, this legislation is opposed by people in Northern Ireland, especially the victims and families who will be most directly impacted by this Act.

Irelands concerns centre around provisions which allow for the granting of immunity to alleged perpetrators, and which shut down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases, including inquests, police investigations, Police Ombudsman investigations, and civil actions.

Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by Britains proposed arbitration body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin, Mr Martin said.

The British government enacted this legislation on 18 September 2023, shutting off any possibility of political resolution. We now find ourselves in a space where our only recourse is to pursue a legal path. It is important to leave the next steps to the court.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that the Government felt it had no option but to take an interstate case over the UK Governments Legacy Act.

So the history of this is that we had an agreement, of the major parties in Northern Ireland, the Irish Government and the British government, we had an agreement on the right approach to legacy issues, called the Stormont House Agreement, it was reaffirmed as recently as 2020. And we still believe thats the right approach, that agreed approach.

The UK government decided for their own reasons, and of course they have the right to do this, to go down a different path, which is the UK Legacy legislation, which is now law.

But we dont agree with that, we think that the agreement agreed by the parties in Northern Ireland, the two governments is the better approach and we think at this stage we really have no option but to ask the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to carry out a judicial review of this legislation.

So weve informed the British Government of that this morning.

In a statement, the UK government has said it profoundly regrets a decision by the Government to legally challenged its Legacy Act.

It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts, it said.

While this step is disappointing, it is one for which the UK government was prepared. The UK government remains confident that the Act provides a robust and effective framework to allow the ICRIR (Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery) to discharge our legal obligations.

We will continue robustly to defend the legislation, including to ensure that the work of the ICRIR can continue without impediment while proceedings are ongoing. The overriding purpose of the Legacy Act is to enable more victims and survivors to obtain more information faster than can be achieved under current legacy mechanisms. We cannot afford further delay in the provision of effective legacy outcomes  both for families and wider society.

It added: The bilateral relationship with Ireland is, and always will be, one we value deeply. Despite this misguided action, we will continue to work to minimise the consequences and protect the interests of the people and businesses that bind us together.

Reacting to the news earlier, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald TD said the Governments legal action will complement challenges launched by Troubles victims.

Ms McDonald said: Victims and families have been stating from the outset that this cruel and shameful Act is a flagrant breach of international human rights law.

The British Tory government rushed through this legislation despite the clear opposition and concerns raised by victims and families, all political parties, the Irish Government, the US, UN, the Council of Europe and human rights experts.

It is a blatant attempt to shut the door on families efforts to achieve truth and justice through the courts and to give an amnesty to British state forces involved in the murder of, and serious human rights violations against, Irish citizens.

Heartbroken families have been fighting for years, determined to get truth and justice for their loved ones. They should not have been forced to take individual legal actions against this Act, and this action by the Government will now complement these challenges.

We will stand with those families as they challenge this cruel and cynical law, and as they continue to campaign with dignity and determination for truth and justice.

Under the rules of the European Court of Human Rights, a case must be initiated within four months of the passage of legislation being opposed. With the UK Bill having been enacted at Westminster and given Royal assent on 18 September 2023, that period expires on 17 January next.

At present there are some 14 inter-state cases pending before the European Court of Human Rights, and the Legacy case could take years to resolve.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood welcomed confirmation that the Irish Government is to take an inter-state case against the UK over the Legacy Act as welcome and utterly necessary.

He said no political party or institution on this island supports the act, describing it as the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

The British government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the North and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors, he said.

The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary.

If the British government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.
The Government are not in a position to point the finger at the UK government over a controversial Troubles Legacy bill, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin announced on Wednesday that the Government would be taking a legal case against the UK arguing the governments Legacy Act is incompatible under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Mr Martin said the decision was taken with much thought and careful consideration.

In particular, we have concerns around provisions which allow for the granting of immunity, and which shut down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases, including inquests, police investigations, Police Ombudsman investigations, and civil actions, he said.

"Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin.

The British Government enacted this legislation on 18 September 2023, shutting off any possibility of political resolution.

We now find ourselves in a space where our only recourse is to pursue a legal path.

It is important to leave the next steps to the court.

Mr Donaldson accused the Government of double standards.

"I am strongly opposed to the Governments amnesty plans, we voted against it, we spoke against it and we continue to oppose it, but I dont think the Irish Government are in a very strong position to point the finger at the UK Government because the Irish Government have no proposals to deal with the legacy issues, he told the BBC.

"No proposals to deal with the quite significant number of murders that were committed either in their jurisdiction or from their jurisdiction.

For years effectively there has been a form of amnesty in the Irish Republic because they have not actively pursued those responsible for these crimes.

"I think it is difficult to see how this can improve relations between the UK Government and the Irish Government at this time.

"I think the UK Government would take a similar view to many who would look at what the Irish Government are doing and say where are your proposals? What are you going to do about legacy?"

Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald welcomed the decision and said the action will complement individual legal challenges taken by victims and survivors of the Troubles against the Legacy Act.

The controversial Legacy Act came into law in September.

It includes a form of limited immunity for some perpetrators of crimes committed during the Troubles and would also prevent future civil cases and inquests into legacy offences.

The legislation has been opposed by the five main political parties in Northern Ireland, the Government and victims rights groups.

The UK government argues the legislation aims to deliver on its pledge to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles, while helping society to look forward.

Meanwhile UUP leader Doug Beattie said his party had been clear in their opposition to the bill.

"Any interstate case will go through the courts and there will be an outcome at the end, he said.

"But if both the UK Government and the Irish Government are not willing to fix the wrongs of the past then it will be the victims who suffer once again.

News of the move by the Government was welcomed by Amnesty Internationals Grainne Teggart, who said it was doing the right thing for victims, for the rule of law and for the upholding of human rights.

Victims should be at the heart of how the Troubles is addressed, not swept to the side with denial of rights imposed. We hope this critical litigation will bring all Troubles victims closer to the justice they deserve, she added.

Legal firm O Muirigh Solicitors, which represents a number of Troubles victims, also welcomed the move, while Ciaran Mac Airt from victims campaign Time for Truth thanked the Irish Government for being the last line of defence for victims.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Governments intervention was both welcome and utterly necessary.

The British Government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the north and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors, he said.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.

"This is great news before Christmas and will give a superb boost to the resilience of our families for continuing our campaigns for truth and justice in the New Year.

The NIO has been contacted for a response.
The State has paid out nearly 300m in Jobseekers Allowance so far this year to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees now living in Ireland as the overall welfare spend edges towards half-a-billion euro for 2023, new figures reveal.

The Government will move to cut the 220 weekly payment that unemployed Ukrainians in Ireland are entitled to and limit their accommodation from early next year amid concerns about the sustainability of the States offering to those fleeing war-torn Ukraine.

Figures released to the Irish Independent by the Department of Social Protection show up to the end of November, 298.2m has been paid out in Jobseekers Allowance this year.

There were just over 27,600 refugees claiming the weekly welfare payment at the end of October, according to separate figures given to Cabinet earlier this month.

The department confirmed that its other schemes and services account for 126.7m in spending so far, while 37.4m in child benefit payments is being spent in respect of almost 21,000 children.

It brings the States total welfare spend to 462.3m by the end of November, with final figures for the year unlikely to be available until next month.

This is separate to the more than 600m spent on providing accommodation to refugees.

The department has also confirmed it believes some 20,000 refugees who registered for a PPS number have since left the State as their unique ID number is no longer administratively active.

More than 23,000 refugees have been in employment, according to figures given to ministers earlier this month, of which over 16,600 are still actively in employment, many of them in the accommodation and food services sector.

Some 102,000 PPS numbers have been allocated to refugees availing of the EUs temporary protection directive which at present allows them to avail of all the same social welfare entitlements as Irish and EU citizens residing here.

Earlier this month ministers signed off on plans to limit all new accommodation for new Ukrainian arrivals to 90 days and cut their welfare entitlements to 38.80 per week for an adult or 29.90 per week for a child.

The move, which will require legislative changes in the new year, is aimed at discouraging large numbers of new arrivals into Ireland amid mounting concern about the States capacity to accommodate them.

Last week, the Department of Integration reported more than 200 single male asylum seekers are on the streets due to a shortage of official accommodation other than for families, women and children.

The Department of Justice said data collated between EU countries suggested one in three recent applicants for Temporary Protection in Ireland have previously registered for it in another EU country. This figure is not definitive, and would include persons who were briefly registered in another member state before travelling to Ireland, a spokesperson said.
Significant amount of cocaine found on ship in Limerick port20,000 tonne vessel arrived at Foynes at around 10.30am Tuesday morning

Cocaine worth 21m discovered on cargo ship in Limerick set to be picked up by another vessel

Detectives have seized a number of mobile phones for analysis as part of the investigation into the 21m drugs bust in Limerick.

More than 300kg of cocaine was discovered on board the Verila cargo ship, which had travelled from South America via Canada.

The discovery was made by Revenue officials and specialist search teams at the Port of Foynes on Tuesday. Local gardai, as well as members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, are assisting the inquiry. The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC), an EU agency, which targets drug trafficking by sea and air, is also involved in the probe.

The Irish Independent has learned that detectives have so far seized a number of electronic devices and exhibits, including mobile phones, as part of the investigation.

These devices are being analysed by specialist gardai in an effort to establish any links to the drugs haul and potential evidence against those involved in organising the cocaine shipment.

Around 20 crew members, who are mostly European nationals, are also being voluntarily interviewed as part of the inquiry, although no arrests have yet been made.

At this stage, gardai have not discovered any connections between the Limerick seizure and other recent drug busts around the country.

Investigators are still attempting to establish whether the drugs were destined for the Irish market or whether they were to be distributed elsewhere in Europe.

In September, more than two tonnes of cocaine was found on board a cargo ship off the Cork coast, while the previous month 9.3m worth of the same drug was recovered at Rosslare Port.

In July, bales of cocaine valued at more than 4.5m also washed up on the Donegal shoreline.

Last week, the PSNI found more than 11m of cocaine in south Armagh, while heroin valued at more than 6m was discovered at Weston Airport in Dublin at the beginning of December.

The Kinahan organised crime group is suspected of having a significant involvement in the two tonnes of cocaine seized on board the MV Matthew in Cork, while a separate Dublin-Meath crime group has been linked to the Northern Ireland bust.

One source said: "At this stage there is nothing to link the seizure at Foynes to any other recent significant drug seizures in Ireland.

"In fact most of the operations are believed to have involved different gangs and shows how many different groupings are operating at such a high level, as well as the demand that is out there for cocaine in particular.

Another source said: "It is an awful lot of product. It's generally sold per gram, and there is a thousand grams in a kilogram, so this seizure is 300,000 deals of cocaine without even cutting it with another product, which would probably double it again.

The source said it was doubtful that any one organised crime group in Ireland would be able to finance a delivery of that size on its own.

They also said the consignment was too large to be offloaded into the water and attached to buoys and a tracker to be later collected.

The cargo ship was identified by Revenue officials as potentially being used to smuggle cocaine before it was subsequently searched.

Local Independent Limerick City and County councillor Emmett O'Brien called for "a proper task force and proper investment in our naval services to stop illegal drug shipments being imported into the country.

He said: "I'm just glad this cocaine shipment has been seized. The cocaine problem is absolutely endemic, not just in my immediate electoral district [west county Limerick] but across the country, and it seems to permeate throughout all sectors of the community and ages as well.

"There's a prejudice that younger men in their 20s are cocaine users, but this goes right across through all ages and demographics. It's a serious issue, and it is a blight on our society and it is causing very serious crimes, and something needs to be done about it fast.

A spokesperson said: "Revenue officers, including specialist search teams, supported by drug detector dogs, are continuing to search the vessel as part of an ongoing operation.

A garda spokesperson added they are "working closely with Revenue officers in this operation, the Garda investigation is being led by the Limerick Division Crime Functional Area, supported by Divisional Resources, Regional Armed Support Unit, National Units including the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and International agencies, including MAOC(N).
Here's a tricky problem for House Speaker Mike Johnson, a far-right authoritarian figure who intends to force all Americans to follow Biblical law after Trump makes him Attorney General in 2025.

A lawmaker in New York has introduced a bill that would require businesses located at rest areas along the New York State Thruway to stay open seven days a week. This would mean Chick-fil-A restaurants, which are closed on Sundays, would have to remain open. Chick-fil-A's founder, S. Truett Cathy, was a devout Christian and a staunch practitioner of Sabbatarianism, a doctrine that calls for a day of worship, so the company is closed for business on the Sabbath.

Herein lies the problem for "Moses Mike" Johnson. The Bible clearly states, "Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death." [Exodus 31].

If this law passes and Chick-fil-A is compelled to stay open on Sunday, whom will Johnson put to death? The owners of Chick-fil-A or the New York legislature and governor? No matter who he chooses, their fate will ultimately be decided by Trump's Holy Supreme Court, where presiding Justices Mike Lindell, The Q-Anon Shaman, Jerry Falwell Jr., Mike Flynn, Brett Kavanaugh, Ye, Clarence Thomas, Roger Stone, and Nick Fuentes will make their decision after sufficient thought and prayer.
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to members of the Irish Defence Forces, migrants in Ireland and those who are living through conflict in his annual Christmas message.

He reflected on the challenges that cast a dark shadow over our world, including climate change and war.

Mar Uachtaran na hEireann, as President of Ireland, may I send my warmest wishes for a peaceful and Happy Christmas and New Year to you all, he said.

This Christmas, we are conscious that across the world there are many people facing the most horrific of circumstances of war and displacement. We think in particular of all of the children in Gaza and Israel, places known to many as a Holy Land, and that has been darkened by the taking of so many lives, and too many young lives in particular, in recent months.

All of our hearts are made heavy by these terrible losses. So many families across our own island too will still be feeling the loss of family members to conflict, as this year we marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

We Irish are all too aware of the horrors that can be committed, including due to the distortion and abuse of religious difference, when violence is allowed to quench the desire for a shared peace. However, history tells us, and we are conscious of it, that peace can be built, however fragile and cautious those first initial steps must be.

Mr Higgins added: For far too many, Christmas is a time of experienced or recovered sorrow. It is, therefore, a time to remember the vulnerabilities that should be shared, and addressed, by us all, in particular vulnerabilities experienced by those who are at risk, excluded and marginalised, on the simple basis of being perceived as different, as the Other.

He asked that people reflect on the challenges that cast a dark shadow over our world, including the war in Ukraine that continues to drain lives and livelihoods.

The loss of life in each conflict is a stark reminder of the price paid for a lost shared space of diplomacy, of the abuse of power, of the importance that must be attached to the strengthening of the ideals of peace. At this time of multiple, complex global challenges, it has perhaps never been such an important shared task.

The attacks on children, the loss of lives of children such as we have seen and are witnessing, requires that all nations redouble their efforts for a ceasefire and set about the tasks of achieving lasting resolutions to conflicts, so many of which could and should have been anticipated and indeed avoided.

He said the world is now at precarious juncture in what is now an existential battle when it comes to climate change, referencing the meeting of world leaders COP28 this month.

Mr Higgins said the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has warned with ever-increasing urgency over the course of the year of the need for authenticity of commitment, for nations to move beyond words and take the immediate meaningful actions that are needed to avert environmental and social catastrophe.

He told how crises of hunger, inequality, biodiversity loss  are all exacerbated by climate changes that are amplifying global poverty, forced migrations, and famine and must be addressed.

President Michael D Higgins

Mr Higgins thanked members of the Irish Defence Forces, telling how our work for peace is of the utmost importance.

"May I thank in a special way those members of our Irish Defence Forces who will be overseas this Christmas separated from their families.

As well as their service in the continuation of the long-standing peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, Irish soldiers are also involved in building and supporting peace in so many more regions across the world that are currently experiencing conflict, he said.

"Their absences from home will mirror the experiences of many others who, owing to various circumstances, find themselves forcibly separated from the embrace of their loved ones.

In that spirit, may I express my gratitude to the migrants who now call Ireland their home. Their presence enriches our culture, contributes to our society, bringing as they do experiences, traditions, and perspectives that make us stronger as a nation.

He asked that Christmas be a time for understanding and appreciation for one another, adding: We, as Irish people, are all too aware of how, for so many different reasons, people have had cause to move from their places of birth in search of a better life, of security itself.

We Irish do not put a boundary to our concerns for justice. We remember the solidarity that Irish people have shown over the decades with those vulnerable across our planet, with those seeking freedom, human rights as in South Africa, for example, or the ending of dictatorship, as in the case of the one that came to power in Chile 50 years ago.

In his message, Mr Higgins said: Christmas is a time of hope. At this time, in the deepest darkness of winter, we anticipate and celebrate the triumph of light over dark, of dreams still realizable over the setbacks of the past.

He said the challenges are not insurmountable, but they require sustained dedication, collaboration, and commitment to a shared vision for a better world.

Concluding his message, Mr Higgins said: May I wish all the Irish at home and abroad, and those who live and work with them, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a New Year full of promise, health and fulfilment.

Nollaig Shona daoibh go leir, is beir gach beannacht don bhliain nua is don todhchai.
The President has issued his annual Christmas card, which is avowedly anti-war, with distinct overtones of the current conflict in the Middle East.

The front cover appears a pastiche of the United Nations symbol, as if endorsing the recent General Assembly call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

It also shows a dove with a sprig of olive in its beak with a blue sky in the background  highly similar to the UN flag.

This impression is reinforced by the central image of a globe wreathed on either side with the olive leaves of the United Nations.

A star of Bethlehem shines above the dove, with a snowy ground on which is written Peace on Earth.

The front cover artwork, by Michael O'Dwyer, also features the Peace Bell, which stands in the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain.

The inside of President Higgins' Christmas card.

Inside is a poem by Michael D Higgins himself, entitled Making a New Season, derived from the longer work, From an Arid Season.

It reads as follows:

To stretch,

That was always the issue,

Beyond the limit of the prescribed

Inevitable.

To draw the spirit breath,

That was the challenge,

That made the big questions.

The children with swollen

Stomachs.

The women excluded,

The science distorted,

For war.

The bombs preferred to bread,

Are not inevitable.

The child made homeless

Learned from his mother,

His father and a donkey

That this was so.

Also included is a quotation from his essay earlier this year, The Diplomacy of Globalisation. The President quotes himself: We have to reject the suggestion that war is the natural human condition or indeed that xenophobia is a natural human condition, or that people of different religions or cultures cannot reconcile (and) live harmoniously.

We have to pursue a new symmetry. Our very species survival depends on that now, as does our relationship with other species.

The card also features a quote from Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General: Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes.

Climate chaos is all around, and even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarisation.

The back page displays the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The President. In a message from himself, Sabina and family, offers every good wish for a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year.
Unions to meet next month to consider industrial action after talks collapse

Kevin Callinan reveals that public sector pay deal may not be brokered before Christmas

UNIONS representing the countrys 385,000 public servants are set to meet next month to prepare ballots for industrial action as public sector pay talks have broken down, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed.

The 19 unions in the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said they will meet again on January 11 following a meeting this morning.

Mr Donohoe blamed late surprises from the union side for the impasse, and regretted their threat of industrial action.

Unions said they will sign off on the wording of ballots for industrial action if the Government fails to conclude a new public service agreement in the meantime.

The move comes after union negotiators failed to reach agreement with officials from Paschal Donohoes Expenditure Department last night.

Discussions ended around 9pm with no date set for fresh talks.

Chief negotiator Kevin Callinan said there had not been a push for agreement and pay had not even been discussed.

The Public Services Committee said in a statement today that talks stalled last night, and ended inconclusively just days before the current agreement expires.

The Building Momentum deal runs until the end of December.

Mr Donohoe made it clear that he had made concessions by restoring some of the last cuts mandated by the old FEMPI legislation, relating to financial emergency measures in the public interest that flowed from the economic collapse a dozen years ago, and wanted some flexibility in return.

He declined to set out the unwelcome fresh demands or specific issues, but indicated that they were not limited to one sector, such as pay inequality in Education.

The Government is committed to aiming to reach a comprehensive multi-year agreement on public pay. And in recognition of this commitment, I gave a firm undertaking last month to repeal the remaining FEMPI legislation in an effort to generate goodwill and remove any barriers to discussions, he said.

Union leaders are pushing for cost-of-living pay increases at the talks.

The process commenced on November 27, and unions expressed disappointment that talks remain inconclusive, despite 11 meetings at the (Workplace Relations Commission) in recent weeks, a Forsa statement said.

Forsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who also chairs the PSC, said the WRC had made an assessment that it wasn't possible to conclude an agreement last night.

"It's now unlikely talks will resume before Christmas, although we did express our willingness to meet over the next few days in order to conclude a deal, he said.

"However, it remained clear last night that the Government can't or won't conclude a deal in that time, and has indicated it would prefer to resume negotiations in the new year.

"There's been no discussion so far in relation to pay. Nevertheless, we feel that if there had been a genuine push this week, it may have been possible to continue to close out the remaining issues and move onto the pay element of negotiations.

"We made it very clear that we remain available for discussions between the Christmas and New Year period, so it is very disappointing to have got to this stage with relatively little progress, and a tangible lack of enthusiasm on the part of Government to secure a successor to the current Building Momentum deal, which expires in 11 days time.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said unions would now need to step up their campaign to secure cost of living pay rises.

"We are facing an unprecedented situation where there will be no public service pay agreement on January 1, so our unions will be organising their response, she said.

She said the first step will be to arrange ballots for all the affiliate unions.

If members can't vote on a pay deal in January, they will instead need to vote for a course of appropriate action," she said.

Siptu deputy general secretary John King said unions went into the process with a view that it was time to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.

The Government insists it welcomes the certainty and sustainability of having an agreement in place, but the slow pace of progress over the last few weeks really doesn't reflect that, he said.

They are allowing a deal to lapse without a successor in place, so we will find ourselves in unusual industrial relations circumstances come January 1."

Mr Donohoe said public service pay now accounted for approximately one-third of all Government expenditure, and it is worth taking the time and effort to get the construct of a multi- year agreement right. But there is no timetable for a resumption of talks.

Nonethless the Government will present proposals for public service pay in due course, he said.

Weve made this clear. We will do so when we are satisfied that there is a credible and comprehensive framework in place to underpin any multi-year agreement that can withstand the inevitable challenges that we will face.

We're not there yet. But I believe a concerted effort by all parties can give this process the impetus that is needed to reach a successful completion.

Asked about his being upset at late surprises and what they are, Mr Donohoe refused to give details.

But he said: I believe that concessions such that (on FEMPI) hould have given the process the momentum that it needed.

I'm going to respect the fact that we have negotiations underway that are still private, but I believe there are some matters that are best dealt with outside of the pay process.

I think it's really regrettable that we've got to a point where the use of industrial action is now being balloted.

The trade union movement however that there had been a lack of enthusiasm from the Government over the course of 11 meetings and not much progress had been made, leading to the decision to end negotiations.
Integration Minister Roderic OGorman has expressed surprise at comments from the Garda Commissioner that gardai were not officially notified in advance of a plan to accommodate 70 asylum seekers in a Co Galway hotel.

Mr OGorman said a briefing proposal was emailed to the Garda on Friday afternoon on the plan to use the disused hotel in Rosscahill to house the international protection applicants.

The proposal triggered a protest and blockade by locals on Saturday and later that night the property was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Drew Harris told a meeting of the Policing Authority in Dublin that gardai had not received official notification about the accommodation plan and had to rely on local sources to find out what was proposed.

However, Mr OGorman has insisted established protocols for informing the gardai were followed.

Roderic OGorman said a briefing proposal was emailed to the Garda on Friday afternoon on the plan to use the disused hotel in Rosscahill to house the international protection applicants (PA)

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said while gardai were notified, it appeared the information had not been passed on to the right people on the ground. Mr Varadkar suggested more of a belt and braces approach to communicating such plans may be required.

Mr OGorman told the PA news agency that when any new international protection accommodation is opened a community engagement team takes responsibility for informing TDs, senators, councillors and statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla, a named contact in An Garda Siochana, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.

So a briefing on the proposal to open in the hotel in Galway was sent to An Garda Siochana on Friday afternoon, he said.

Asked if the process needed to be strengthened, he said: Well, look, were always happy to look at a process and improve a process where thats needed.

This is the process weve been using now for about four months. The community engagement team started working at the end of August, early September.

It is the process that supported the opening of a significant number of accommodation centres in that time.

It was my understanding, certainly, that was the agreed protocol that operates.

Now, obviously, as a situation evolves there may need to be further engagement but in terms of the protocol that was agreed, our officials carried it out as agreed.

So I was surprised to see that communication (that gardai werent informed) last night and this morning and, you know, we spent this morning just trying to clarify exactly what happens.

And I know weve been engaging with the gardai in terms of just confirming that the notification was provided.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Varadkar told reporters: I think its important that the gardai are notified any time we establish a new accommodation centre.

In relation to Galway, Minister OGorman has confirmed that the gardai were informed in writing but for whatever reason that message didnt get through to all of the right people on the ground.

So were going to have to review that now and perhaps adopt a belt and braces approach where its not just an email or a letter, but theres an email, letter and a phone call.

You know sometimes that just has to be done, but I can confirm that the gardai were informed in writing.
RTE has taken a hit in its revenue since the scandal surrounding 345,000 worth of hidden payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy (pictured) emerged at the end of June. Photo: Getty

RTE has lost 27m in TV licence revenues this year amid the fallout from the payment controversies that engulfed the broadcaster this summer, latest figures show.

The embattled national broadcaster is facing a shortfall of 61m this year and next year and it is well on its way to the stark figure.

Latest figures from Media Minister Catherine Martin show 27m has been lost in TV licence revenue this year when compared to last year. Up to December 10, the State made 124,793,440 in TV licence sales to households.

This is a shortfall of nearly 27m when compared to last years sales of 151,667,840.

Public service content and public service broadcasting is a vital pillar of our society and indeed our democracy, and as such it needs to be supported, said Minister Martin as she released the new figures.

The TV licence supports not only RTE, but content provided across almost all broadcasters in the State, and therefore it remains important that we all play out part in supporting public service content by continuing to purchase or renew our TV licences.

Social welfare recipients get their 160 charge paid for by the State under the Household Benefits Package.

This meant an extra 70m in TV licence sales for RTE this year and the broadcaster saw exactly the same revenue last year from this source.

In total, RTE has up to December 10 made 194m in TV licence sales. The total figure for last year was 221m, according to the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster to Minister Martin.

The broadcaster has taken a hit in its revenue since the scandal surrounding 345,000 worth of hidden payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy emerged at the end of June.

The Government in recent weeks approved 56m worth of interim funding for RTE as job cuts loom.

Government ministers, however, are dragging their heels on reforming the 160 charge amid calls for it to be scrapped and for the broadcaster to be funded out of general taxation.

However, this is unlikely to happen and ministers are now considering proposals for Revenue to collect the charge. They are fearful of political backlash as it may be seen as a new tax on households.

New boss at Montrose Kevin Bakhurst has announced a new strategic vision for the public service, which includes cutting pay of top earners and plans to make it a smaller organisation. The new strategic vision outlines how the workforce at the station will be cut by 20pc  or 400 people  over the period.

Forty positions will be cut soon, funded by the proceeds of sale of land on the Donnybrook campus in 2017.

The Indo Daily - 2023 News Wrap
Salaries will rise by up to 7,084 a year in the largest ever expansion of the employment permits system unveiled by the government today.

A total of 43 roles will become eligible for a permit and salary thresholds for many permit holders will be increased.

Neale Richmond, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, announced the changes that include a roadmap for increasing the salaries required for many jobs.

The salary requirement for most general employment permit holders will rise from 30,000 to 34,000 in January, with further increases planned in 2025.

All general employment permit holders will see their salary gradually increase to 39,000.

The current 30,000 threshold has not changed in almost a decade.

Healthcare assistants and home carers salary requirements will increase from 27,000 and horticultural workers and meat processor salary requirement will rise from approximately 22,000, to 30,000.

This will bring mean they qualify for family reunification, allowing them apply to have their partners and children join them.

Minister Richmond said this will be particularly important to healthcare assistants and home carers who do such important work in our communities.

A Department of Enterprise spokesperson said the biggest increase in the salaries required for roles is 7,084.

Occupations including dairy farm assistants, butchers or deboners, meat processors and horticultural workers will have their quotas extended from January.

This includes 1,000 general employment permits being made available for meat processing operations, 350 for butchers and deboners, 350 for dairy farm assistants and 1,000 for horticultural workers.

The changes include a requirement for a Labour Market Needs Test for general employment permit applications.

I am delighted to announce the largest ever expansion of our employment permits system, with 43 additional occupations becoming eligible for employment permits, said Minister Richmond.

From engineers, mechanics and electricians to meteorologists, butchers and bakers, these changes cross many sectors and will be of huge benefit to Irish businesses and society.

He said demand for employment permits is very high as a result of effective full employment in the economy.

Last year, 40,000 permits were issued, and over 31,000 permits were issued to workers outside the European Economic Area this year.

He said these workers are coming to Ireland to address skills shortages that are impacting businesses across the country.

The changes made today will benefit businesses and indeed our society greatly.

He said electricians and skilled metal workers will be eligible for general employment permits.

Chemical and project engineers will be eligible for critical skills employment permits.

This will help us to build more homes, meet our targets under Housing for All and build much needed infrastructure as per the National Development Plan, he said.

He said allowing workers including play therapists and guide dog mobility instructors to access general employment permits will allow us to better support those in society who need it the most.

Car, motor and HGV mechanics, panel beaters and vehicle paint technicians will have access to general employment permits. This is in addition to 100 permits allocated to NCT testers earlier this year.

Neil Bruton, Campaigns Manager at the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, welcomed Minister Richmonds announcement in relation to salary increases for employment permit holders.

He sought clarification on how the changes will affect thousands of people already on permits earning less than 30,000.

In particular, we are delighted to see that salary levels for all employment permits will be increased to a level where they will be eligible for family reunion (30,000), he said.

Nobody should be recruited to fill an important job in Ireland and be denied to right to have their family members with them.

He said now, more than ever, Ireland needs to show we value the people that move here and the vital role they play in crucial sectors of our economy and these positive changes go some way to doing this.

He said MRCI has seen a big increase in the amount of cases of exploitation following increase in permits over the last two years.

As more people come on permits to fill these shortages, we need to ensure they are adequately protected from exploitation. To this end we need to give permit holders a simple and realistic way to change employer should they need to do so. This will enable people to stand up for their rights and challenge exploitative employers.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the number of people seeking international protection here will continue to grow. Photo: PA

There are increasing numbers of international protection applicants coming into Ireland from Britain recently due to the rhetoric there around deportations to Rwanda, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said.

Last week, British prime minister Rishi Sunak won a vote in parliament over a bill which he hopes will allow Britain to send asylum-seekers who arrive illegally there to Rwanda.

Mr Martin did not expand in detail on his apparent criticism of the tone of public discourse in the United Kingdom, but said: Other countries have made political promises and declarations which, when you analyse them in the cold light of day, have not been successful.

Downing Street said at the weekend: The [British] government is committed to doing whatever it takes to stop the boats and get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible. Rwanda is ready to welcome large numbers of people and we have robust plans in place for future flights following discussions with a range of companies.

The immigration issue here in Ireland will continue next year and become a very dominant issue that would require constant work, the Fianna Fail leader and Foreign Affairs Minister said.

In terms of broad immigration policy, we have to tighten up checks in airports and so on, in terms of people getting rid of documentation, destroying documents, he said.

Recently we have seen more [international protection applicants] applying from the UK side, with the change that has taken place in their Rwandan policy and all of that.

So, this is happening all across Europe, its happening in the United States... This is not a new Irish experience. It is part of a global phenomenon. But when you meet authorities in Egypt and the Middle East and Africa you get a different perspective.

Mr Martin accepted that the number of people seeking international protection will grow, but he said Irish immigration policies very much reflect our international obligations, in terms being members of European Union, and more broadly in terms of international agreements and frameworks.

Theres no doubt [about future increases in international protection applicants]. We have had a threefold increase from pre-Covid to post-Covid in the number of those seeking international protection, he said.

So its about 15,000 [a year] now, close to that, compared to around 3,500 a year in 2019.

Mr Martin said government policy in the past, when set up for Direct Provision, had been on the assumption of 3,500 asylum-seekers arriving into Ireland every year.

This was before the surge of refugees coming from Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion in February last year.

The current influx is very much a function of the international and the global situation that were in, the Tanaiste said.

It is very challenging in such a short space of time, when so many people are having to flee situations as they have had to do in the last two years, in particular.

There are no easy answers to this. I do accept the point that there are growing concerns. There is a broader concern and people are worried about capacity and so on. But we have to be very clear about the fundamental principles and the philosophy.

Nobody can take the law into their own hands. Blockading is wrong. Physically destroying buildings is a crime. We need as a society to maintain our cohesion and balance.

He said he had attempted to speak to two Fianna Fail councillors in Galway who he believed had not struck the right tone on the burning down of the Ross Lake House hotel in Roscahill, Co Galway, on Saturday night.

The building had been earmarked for asylum-seekers.

Councillor Noel Thomas said Ireland can no longer accommodate international protection applicants as the inn is full.

Councillor Seamus Walsh said government policies were in some way responsible for the fire.

However, Mr Martin said there was no nuance around a criminal attack on a building or property.

He had spoken to one of the councillors to tell him the comments were unacceptable and expected to say the same to the second.

In particular, he deplored, any link being made between migrants and bad behaviour in the community. That has to be knocked on the head.

But the Government has a role in terms of communicating the basic principles of international protection to the public and working with people, he said.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been pranked in a phone call by pro-Kremlin Russian comedians pretending to be African diplomats.

Russian duo Vovan and Lexus chose Mr Varadkar as their latest high-profile target, having previously made headlines for prank calls with the likes of Elton John and Bernie Sanders.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was also recently duped by the two men.

The duo gained access to the Taoiseach by pretending to be a representative of the African Union Commission, according to a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar.

The video meeting took place earlier this year and a 13-minute clip of the meeting has been uploaded to social media site Rumble. It shows the Taoiseach being quizzed about the war in Ukraine as well as a United Ireland.

However, the Taoiseachs spokesperson said the clip did not represent what actually took place on the call, which Mr Varadkar had ended early when he became suspicious.

The spokesperson added that the released video had been manipulated as a sophisticated deep-fake, having been doctored and overdubbed in heavily-accented English.

Earlier this year the Taoiseach took part in a virtual meeting on the understanding that it was with a representative of the African Union Commission. The Taoiseach ended the call early due to suspicions about its nature and the manner in which it was conducted.

The material that has now been released has evidently been doctored and overdubbed in heavily-accented English, and does not represent what actually took place on the call.

Following the call the Government notified the Irish embassy in Addis Ababa, the African Union Commission and the National Cyber Security Centre. Inquiries are continuing, the spokesperson said.

We are aware that the Taoiseach is not the only European leader targeted by a sophisticated deep-fake in this manner.

A caption accompanying the video posted by the comedians states the Taoiseach seemed to have drunk a good dose of Guinness as he shared his dreams of separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The video shows Mr Varadkar saying it is in the Irish constitution that at some point there will be a unification of north and south of Ireland.

He said it was a very clear position that unification can happen without force, guns or armies and any vote would have to be done fairly and freely.

The video also shows Mr Varadkar being asked about why some politicians are still claiming that Ukraine also tries to supply weapons to Irelands republican army.

Thats news to me, I havent heard that, said Mr Varadkar.

The Irish Republican Army ended its military action in 1997 and then gave up its weapons. But if you have any evidence or information, Id be very.there really is no far right in Northern Ireland. And the IRA would have been far right, far left, it was a very socialist organisation, very linked to Cuba and so on.

The video also shows the Taoiseach being asked about the war in Ukraine.

Its very hard to see the war ending any time soon because both sides still think they can win. I wouldnt like to see another frozen conflict, he said.

The phone call ended with the prankster telling the Taoiseach to say hello to your leprechauns.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama was disappointed with Donald Trump's "poisoning the blood of our country" comments over the weekend  not because they were straight from Hitler's writings, but because the GOP frontrunner's Nazi rhetoric did not go far enough.

"I'm mad he wasn't even tougher than that," Tuberville told Eric Michael Garcia of the Independent today, as reported by many outlets, including The Hill. "When you see what's happening at the border? We're being overrun. They're taking us over." (See quote below, posted by Eric Michael Garcia.)

As a refresher, Trump warned a crowd in Durham, New Hampshire on Saturday that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country.  they're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia  they're pouring into our country  the crime is going to be tremendous" This follows Trump's fascist Veteran's Day comments last month, in which he referred to his rivals, aka Democrats, as "vermin" that needed to be "rooted out." This is all propaganda swiped nearly verbatim from Hitler, which the dictator used to dehumanize and exterminate the "others." (Watch Trump's Nazi propaganda in video below, posted by Acyn.)

And as unbelievable as it is that we have an overtly pro-fascist, pro-Nazi candidate leading by far in the Republican primaries, it's also outrageous that a U.S. Senator says  out loud, mind you  that we need to take it a step further.

This is exactly what Tuberville told me. Meanwhile, Lisa Murkowski said she would not discuss anything Trump said. https://t.co/cfgAygOEng  Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) December 19, 2023
Were looking to get to Dublin  why Belfasts newest hotel wants to open south of the border

Rob Godwin of Lamington Group, owners of Belfasts newest long-stay accommodation, talks about performance so far and its sustainability credentials

Room2 Belfast

Margaret Canning Wed 20 Dec 2023 at 10:00

Just a short time after opening its room2 aparthotel in Belfast, parent company Lamington Group has set its sights on Dublin.
Palestinians watch the destruction after the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip outside a morgue in Rafah yesterday. Photo: Hatem Ali/AP

One wonders just how much deliberating would be done were the United Nations Security Council to hold its Gaza ceasefire resolution discussions in the bombarded territory.

Small wonder aid agencies have voiced anger and frustration at the pitiful plight of civilians in the besieged territory. While US officials routinely express concern about the large number of civilian deaths, calls for a ceasefire are resolutely blocked.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said: This is Israels operation. Im not here to dictate timelines or terms.

Resolutions can be passed or abstained from, but so long as bullets and bombs continue to reduce much of Gaza to a moonscape, talk will be cheap.

It is near impossible to minimise civilian deaths when such intense fighting is concentrated in tight, densely populated zones. As James Elder of Unicef said, not even lip service had been paid to requirements to safeguard medical facilities, food and water.

The health ministry in Gaza  run by Hamas  says more than 19,600 people have been killed and 52,500 injured in the enclave since the start of the war

But the pressure is growing as France, the UK and Germany some of Israels closest allies  joined global calls for a ceasefire to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid.

In recent days, US president Joe Biden also took the time to warn Tel Aviv it was starting to lose inter- national support because of its indiscriminate bombing. The relentlessly rising death toll could result in a loss of support for Mr Biden too as he works on re-election.

Israeli protesters have also demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.

With thousands dying each week, discussions on how to best balance a UN resolution to address both Israel and Hamas seem somewhat beside the point.

Continuous war and violence have utterly failed to stabilise the region. Israel and Palestine need to co-exist, but in the immediate future, thousands of children are threatened by disease and hunger. Unicef is also constantly having to locate children. They are alone when they pass through checkpoints or show up at hospitals.

This is not surprising in a context where as many as 1.8 million Gazans have been displaced since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

The US has the power to demand that Israel calls a halt to the attacks so urgent medical and humanitarian work can be done. The protagonists have to be able to see a future where peace is a real prospect.

Arab and Western allies have a critical role in supporting this vision. This intractable conflict has defied decades of attempts at mediation, yet only a settlement can end the cycles of carnage.
A Cork TD has called for an increased garda presence in all communities across the country to ensure people feel safe.

Fianna Fail TD for Cork North-West Aindrias Moynihan has called for an increased garda presence nationwide and not only in Dublin. While I welcome the recent attestation of 151 new members in Templemore, we need to ensure that all those extra gardai are not just sent to the capital. There needs be an increased garda presence in all communities. People need to feel safe and a stronger garda force is key to that, he said.

Deputy Moynihan also recently sought clarity from the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in a parliamentary question about her plans to ensure adequate policing outside of the capital.

Minister McEntee in reply said the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is responsible for the allocation of Garda members in any given division, district or station.

Minister McEntee added that she was in regular contact with him to ensure An Garda Siochana has the resources needed.

I am assured that the Garda Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continual review, in light of operational policing demands, to ensure their optimum use.

Nothing is off the table when it comes to ways to improve recruitment and retention and the decision to increase the maximum age of recruitment from 35 to 50 was approved by Government in recent weeks, she added.

On Friday last, the garda press office issued a statement saying that of the latest 151 graduates of the Garda Training College at Templemore, 115 were being assigned to Dublin, 20 to the garda eastern region, and eight each to the southern and north-western regions.
After four years at the helm Sharon Cregg has announced that she will be stepping down as president of Mallow Chamber.

Since taking over the role, Sharon has become a well-known figure as she supported businesses, and the Mallow community at large.

During her tenure Ms Cregg has greatly improved the various methods of communication Mallow Chamber enjoys with local business owners and the residents in the greater Mallow locality.

Various information workshops, along with a monthly newsletter, have given local business owners the opportunity to stay up to date with the latest courses and supports available to optimise local enterprise.

Mallow Chambers social media platform has also grown significantly in this period, allowing local businesses a wider reach in promoting their own news and services.

Building on the past, Mallow Chamber has continued to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders.

By continuing to work with Cork County Council and the elected local representatives, much effort has gone into the continued improvement of the town.

One-hour free daily parking, and all-day free parking over the Christmas period have been introduced, thus encouraging the community to shop local.

Mallow Chamber, along with Mallow Development Partnership, have also actively advocated for the much-needed relief road, and will continue to do so until this is delivered.

Mallow Chamber have also worked with different bodies to reduce the dereliction on Main Street and the organisation supported the petition to have the Central Hotel delisted.

A notable feature in the last four years has been Mallow Chambers involvement in community events such as the annual Light Up Mallow Festival which is funded by donations from local businesses.

Reflecting on her tenure, Ms Cregg thanked everyone who supported her during her term as president of Mallow Chamber. I have always strongly believed that if we engage with the wider community, you bring people into town, which benefits local business.

"Seeing our business community grow and flourish, has been equally rewarding, she added.
The glass dome and facade of St Stephen's Green shopping centre will be replaced. Pic: Collins

Permission has been granted for the 100m redevelopment of St Stephens Green shopping centre, which will see the current glass dome and facade replaced.

The buildings Victorian-inspired design and iconic glass dome have been part of Dublins skyline since 1988, making it one of the citys most recognisable structures.

Dublin City Council granted planning permission to DTDL Ltd, controlled and operated by Davy, for the rejuvenation of the shopping centre after the applicants reduced the scale and massing of the scheme.

Davy secured the green light for its redevelopment on December 14 after reportedly paying 175m for the centre, on behalf of its clients, in 2019.

An artists impression of the proposed development shows a complete transformation for the shopping centres exterior. However, others have described the designs as bland and underwhelming.

The plan is to replace its dome roof, arched windows and flower baskets. The new building will have up to 8 floors, including a proposed cinema and gallery space.

They plan to keep some existing stores and entrances, but also want to make it easier to get into the shopping centre from St Stephen's Green and King Street South.

The car park will have both car and bicycle spaces, but there will be fewer parking spaces than there are now.

However, the design changes have met with some opposition, with an online petition launched to preserve the current design.

The glass structure of St Stephen's Green will be replaced

The petition states that the building is at risk of losing its unique character due to proposed minimalistic redevelopment plans.

It argues that the proposed changes threaten to strip away what represents the architectural heritage and cultural history of Dublin.

Local councillors have also said that some residents in the area are opposed to the change.

Its an iconic building, it has charm, but nobody bothered to protect the structure. The proposal is highly inappropriate; it doesnt register with the area, city councillor Mannix Flynn said.

St Stephens Green Centre

Another local councillor described the changes as moving in the wrong direction.

Its unclear to me why the owners want to redevelop Stephens Green Shopping Centre, a rather unique structure, and replace it with a generic-looking building. Its a backwards step, Fine Gael councillor Danny Byrne said.

We need to ensure Dublin doesnt lose any more of its identity.

Fine Gael Councillor Ray McAdam said the council acknowledged the buildings significance at the top of Grafton Street and said the reimagination of the space was to be of exceptional design quality.

To me, there is nothing that really says this is a unique design, that this is something that we are going to look back on and say wow this looks amazing, he said.

I think its bland, drab and underwhelming.

Dublin City Council has been contacted for comment.
An image of what the Tralee facility will look like.

Planning has been granted for a significant pharmaceutical development by Astellas Pharma in Tralee that is subject to 20 conditions.

The 330 million facility will be located at the Kerry Technology Park in Dromtacker and will comprise of a state-of-the-art development on a 45-acre site. The three-story building will have a floor area of approximately 17,000 square metres.

Construction is set to commence in the first quarter of 2024 at the Industrial Development Authority's greenfield site.

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The Japanese pharmaceutical company giant submitted a planning application in September, which was broadly welcomed across all sectors of business and industry in Tralee.

Astellas Pharma, who specialise in manufacturing transplant, kidney, bladder and cancer drugs, already operate a facility in Killorglin that employs over 400 people.

Its expected the Tralee project would see a significant boost in employment for the town during the construction and operational phase of the plant.

Minister Norma Foley welcomed Kerry County Councils (KCC) decision to grant permission, saying it marked the go-ahead for one of the most ambitious additions to industry in Tralee in many years.

Minister Foley said Astellas would bring its highly specialised engineering, science and technology employment to Tralee, Kerry, and the southwest region.

"I wish to thank Astellas for its vision, ambition and confidence in Tralee and County Kerry and I look forward to the project developing at pace, Minister Foley said.

Astellas is already a significant and important employer in Kerry and this new development will enhance even more the employment potential in the county. This is a positive and proactive step forward for development in Kerry, she added.

Regarding KCCs planning conditions, these apply mostly to the construction phase and include contributions to the Local Authority with respect to the enhancement of roads and community infrastructure.
Two Offaly secondary schools have qualified to showcase a total of seven projects at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), which will run from January 10-13 at the RDS in Dublin.

The data shows that secondary school students from across the island of Ireland are interested in learning more about AI, diversity and inclusion and mental health. This January, 550 projects and hundreds of students will represent their school and community at the 2024 BTYSTE.

In Offaly, St Brendans Community School in Birr has three projects, including a group effort in the Technology category called EcoEd Games. The Woodwide Web  Do Plants Talk To Each Other, and Paw Preference, are both group projects in the Biological and Ecological category.

Tullamore College has qualified for the finals with four projects including Ethanol Evolution, a group effort in the Biological and Ecological category.

The Wrist Assist is a group project in the Health and Wellbeing category, while Ah Sure Go On, What Harm Could It Do?  An Investigation into the Toxic Effects of Vaping, is an individual project in the Biological and Ecological section.

Growing the Future: Investigating the growth of mycelium packaging using button mushrooms, is a group project also in the Biological and Ecological category.

Irelands national celebration of STEM is one of the countrys best attended events every year and has something for all ages to enjoy. There are over 200 prizes to be won and a prize fund of 50,000 for BTYSTE 2024.

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These prizes are awarded across all five categories and age groups, including the overall BT Young Scientist and Technologist of the Year Award, worth 7,500, which will see the winners go on to represent Ireland at the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which takes place in the European City of Science 2024 - Katowice, Poland.

Ireland has a strong record of taking home the prize for first place at the EUCYS, with 17 wins over the past 33 years. Tickets for the BTYSTE 2024 will be available for purchase later this month. For more information on the BTYSTE, visit @BTYSTE on X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Christmas Masses

Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated in St. Cormacs Church at 7.00pm on the Sunday the 24th. with Christmas Day Mass at 11.00am on Christmas morning. The Parish Committee would like to thank all the volunteers who worked extremely hard recently, decorating the Church so tastefully for Christmas.

Shop opening times

Boolavogue P.O. will close on Christmas Eve at 1.30pm and will open on Christmas Day and St. Stephens Day from 10.30am until 11.30am. Alex and Louise would like to thank all their customers for their custom and support during the past year and wish them all a very happy peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Boolavogue AED

The new defibrillator generously sponsored by the Parish Development Group, has been installed in the new all-weather AED cabinet on the wall of Boolavogue Post Office recently. This specialised cabinet, kindly sponsored by Doran Construction, not only protects the AED from rain but also from frost. The AED group would like to sincerely thank the Development Committee, Doran Construction and also Alex and Louise Lawless who allow this vital amenity to be placed on the wall of their premises.

Social Dancing

On Friday last, Boolavogue Hall was rocking to the sound of Laurence Campion for a very well attended and enjoyable Social Dance. No rowdies were allowed enter as Mattie OLoughlin was the bouncer on duty. The organisers would like to thank all who helped in any way, especially those who provided the delicious home-cooked confections.

The next social dance will be held on Friday the 12th of January, 2024 and the music will be provided by Teresa and the Stars and it will be thoroughly entertaining with refreshments included in the 10 entrance fee.

School Caretaker

Boolavogue National School has a vacancy for a caretaker, as Mr. Tim OSullivan is moving on to pastures new. If you are interested in the job, you can get details of hours and pay-rates by ringing 053-9366998, emailing principal@boolavoguens.ie or by popping into the school for a chat.

Christmas Fair

Last Fridays Christmas Fair in Boolavogue Hall, organised by St. Cormacs Parents Association was a huge success and the fair is growing every year. A huge amount of homemade crafts, gifts and treats were on offer and the P.A. would like to thank the I.C.A. for the tremendous work they put into ensuring that the Christmas Fair was so good. Well done also to all the pupils who made such lovely decorations and treats, helping to raise funds for their own school.

Christmas Raffle

And you can also help Boolavogue school by buying a few tickets in the Christmas Raffle in aid of Boolavogue National School funds organised by Louise Lawless. The prize is a trailer load of timber suitable for burning in a stove or on an open fire. The draw will take place the week before Christmas and tickets, available from Boolavogue Post Office cost only 2 or you can buy three for 5. Please support this worthy cause.

G.A.A News

Our local GAA club is organising a social dance in Monageer Hall this week, on Wednesday the 20th. of December. The doors open at 8.30pm and the dancing is from 9.00pm until 11.00pm. The cover charge is 10 and refreshments will be served, included in the ticket price. Music is by Adrian Ryan.

Fr. Bill Cosgrave P.P. celebrated a Mass of Remembrance for all the deceased members of Monageer/Boolavogue GAA club on Saturday night last, the 16th of December.

The Chairperson and Committee wish all the members, mentors and supporters a happy and peaceful Christmas and all success in the New Year.

School News

Everyone in Boolavogue National School would like to thank Ciaran Halford for setting up the lovely Christmas decorations outside the school recently. The huge Christmas Presents are fantastic looking and compliment the gorgeous decorations used by the various classes to decorate their classrooms and class windows.

Everyone in the community is invited to the schools Carol Service on Wednesday night in St. Cormacs Church. This will be followed by light refreshments for all in the Hall afterwards.

The children will be attending a special Mass in St. Cormacs on Thursday 21st. at 10.00am and everyone in the community is invited to attend and join in this celebration.

BREE-GALBALLY

Christmas Mass Schedule

Vigil Mass on Saturday 23rd December is in Bree at 6.30pm and Galbally at 7.30pm. Sunday 24th Mass in Ballyhogue at 9am but there is no Mass in Bree on Sunday morning December 24th. The Christmas Eve Vigil on Sunday 24th is in Bree at 6.30pm and Galbally at 8pm.

Christmas Morning Mass in Bellevue at 9am and Bree at 10am. Children are invited to bring a Christmas toy/present to Mass on Christmas Morning for a Blessing.

There will be Confessions in Bree Church on Saturday Dec 23rd 12noon -1pm, 5-15-6.15pm.

GAA Lotto

Numbers drawn on Wed 6th Dec were Nos 2, 3, 18, 24. No Jackpot winner. Match 3s Paud Moriarty, Liam Walsh, John Roche, Mark Stafford. Next jackpot 2,200. Next draw 20th Dec. Christmas draw winners - 500 Tom Whelan, 300 Norman Carr, 200 Paul Kehoe.

Bree Lending Library

The Lending Library in Bree Community Centre has been completely restocked. All welcome to take a book or leave a book.

SVP Collection thanks

A sincere thanks to all those in the area who contributed to the recent St Vincent de Paul Collection.

Seasons Greetings

Wishing all the readers of the Bree Galbally Notes a Happy Christmas.

CAIM

Church notes

Mass Times - Mass times for Caim are Sunday Morning 10am. Weekday Mass will continue this Wednesday at 9.30am.

There will be no Adoration over Christmas, it will return in the new year. If you would like to participate contact Anne Coleman at 087 6713671.

Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Eve Kiltealy 6pm,Caim 7 30pm, Ballindaggin 9 pm.

Christmas day Kiltealy 9am, Caim 10am, Ballindaggin 11.30am.

All Children are asked to bring a toy with them on Christmas Morning to be Blessed.

Vintage Club

Membership of Caim Vintage Club for the coming year is now due.

Split the Pot

Caim Community Development Split the Pot Draw Christmas special double draw on Wednesday 27th December, 100 bonus added compliments of CCDG. Plus 25 voucher included with prize moneyAll Spilt the Pot draws held in Rackards of Caim Envelopes available in Rackards of Caim or Staffords Butchers Enniscorthy or you can revolut 2 to Gary on 087-2426482 or Louise on 087-6892710. Multiple week purchases also facilitated i.e 20 for 10 weeks .

Community Christmas

Caim Community Christmas Celebrations will take place on Wednesday 20th December 5 30pm to 8pm. It will consist of Christmas Market, Live Crib, Raffle, Mulled Wine, Hot Chocolate and Santa will arrive at 6pm.

Sympathy

Sympathy is extended to the family, relatives and friends of Nicky Larkin, Monart East whose funeral took place in Caim last Wednesday. May Nicky Rest in Peace.

Christmas Greetings

Christmas and New Year Greetings to all Readers and Contributors of the Caim Notes.

CLONEGAL-KILDAVIN

Lotto Results

There was no winner or on-line winner of the Kildavin/Clonegal GAA and Ben Mulhall Park lotto draw of 7,800 held on Sunday, December 10. Numbers drawn were 13, 14, 23 and 24. Winners matched three were: Martina Murphy, Leany, Ardattin and Breda Murphy, Clonegal, both receiving 75 each. Next draw will take place in Kavanaghs, Ballon, on December 27 at 9.00pm, a new current jackpot of 8,000.

Tickets are also available to purchase through ClubForce. You can download this app and get instant results notification. This will make purchasing a line for the draw as easy as three clicks of a mouse. Tickets cost 2 per line or three lines for 5. Tickets must be purchased before 6pm cut off time.

Christmas Wishes - Kildavin Clonegal G.A.A and Ben Mulhall Park Lotto The Committee would like to wish our supporters and their family a Happy Christmas and healthy New Year. We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Players Veteran Newsletter

The next Community Newsletter will be published on Saturday 6th January 2024. If any individual or groups wants to have their activities, events or items of local interest included in this Newsletter, please email the following address maggie1980@live.ie Items received before close of business on Thursday of each week will be included in the following weeks edition.

A hard copy of the Newsletter will be available free in the following locations, Jimmy Kellys Kilbride, Conways Kildavin, Dunnes Bar Clonegal, Plunketts Clonegal, Osbornes Clonegal, and Egans of Parkbridge. The Veteran Players are grateful to these businesses for their support, and they encourage everyone to support them when picking up their copy of the newsletter.

Annual Turkey Trot

Kildavin Clonegal GAA Walk annual turkey trot starts at St Brigids Hall, Clonegal on 10.30 am St. Stephenss morning. The walk will go up High Street and back via Kilcarry. No Entry Fee. Donations accepted. All Donors will be entered in a raffle. Donations will be divided between Clonegal N.S and Kildavin N.S. Refreshments will be served in St, Brigids Hall.

Christmas Mass Schedule 2023

The following times for Christmas Mass as follows: Christmas Eve: Clonegal at 6:30pm. Christmas Day: Kildavin at 11:30am.

Kildavin School Calendar

Kildavin Parents Association are thrilled to announce that the Kildavin School Calendar is hot off the press and ready for sale!

Our lovely calendar makes for the perfect Christmas gift for only 10 capturing precious moments from our School; Community throughout the year. We only have a limited amount and once theyre gone theyre gone. You can secure your calendar by emailing your order directly to Kildavinpa@hotmail.com, texting Aine on 087 2876379 or Grace on 087 6941224.

Merry Christmas Wishes

The Clonegal Kildavin committee would like to take this opportunity to wish our followers a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year.

This year has seen mixed emotions, weve seen happy times with new additions to families, childrens first day of school or some sad times with the passing of loved ones or those with ill health. Take this time to reflect on what Christmas is truly about, spending time with family and friends. Lets remember those who have passed away this year. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead!

FERNS

Advent Prayers Ferns

You are welcome to a short time of prayer with others on the run up to Christmas each Wednesday in Ferns Pastoral Centre at 7.30pm.

Christmas Day Service

All Saints Church Ballycarney will hold a service of Holy Communion for Christmas Day at 9am. All most welcome!

KILTEALY-BALLINDAGGIN

Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Mass times are as follows: Christmas Eve Vigil: Kiltealy 6 pm. Caim 7.30 pm. Ballindaggin 9 pm. Christmas Day: Kiltealy 9 am. Caim 10 am, Ballindaggin 11.30 am. Mass this Sat. Dec. 23rd: Ballindaggin 6 pm, Kiltealy 7 pm. Mass in Caim Christmas eve 24th at 10 am.

Kiltealy NS Hamper Draw

Kiltealy N.S. Hamper draw takes place tomorrow Thursday Dec. 21st.

Tickets are on sale in Bowes shop and Murphys, The Mill - 2 per line or 3 lines 5. Split the pot winner last week was Sarah Kelly who won 170. Full pot was given out last Monday. Results later.

Kiltealy Church

The Church of S.S. Patrick and Cecilia, Kiltealy is very grateful for your support throughout the year. Your generosity and support keep our church open. If you would like to donate to the church you can do so through your pink envelope while the yellow envelope supports your priest. You can also donate using a cheque made payable to Kiltealy Church or via online banking: A/C name Kiltealy church IBAN: IE77 BOFI 9065 6693 6506 85. BIC: BOFIIE2D. Please be sure to reference online payment with your name.

A webcam has recently been installed in the church, the link is as follows: https://churchmedia.ie/church-of-st-patrick-and-st-cecilia/

Camogie

Congratulations to Duffry Rovers Camogie Junior Shield champions on their great win over Oulart the Ballagh recently. Well done girls.

Kiltealy Voluntary Cardiac Team

Kiltealy Voluntary Cardiac Team would like to thank everyone who supported or helped out in any way at the recent Christmas craft Fair. Thanks to local businesses and crafters who donated wonderful prizes to our raffle, to the community, your generous donations and support was greatly appreciated. The total amount raised on the day was 1,550. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

Dancing

Social dancing in Kiltealy Community Hall Friday December 22nd with music by Teresa and The Stars. Dancing from 9.30 to 12 midnight. Refreshments served.

Wedding

Congratulations to Donna Jordan, Cloroguemore, Kiltealy and Adam McDonagh, Myshall who were Married in The Church of The Most Sacred Heart, Aughrim on Saturday last December 16th and celebrated afterwards with family and friends at Brook Lodge Hotel, Co Wicklow. The couple are wished every happiness for the future.

Kiltealy Christmas Lights

Fr. Jim Fegan P.P. switched on the Christmas lights in Kiltealy village on December 9th where a large gathering enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere. Following the light-up children were treated to hot chocolate and treats while adults enjoyed mulled wine. The Tidy Towns and Wood Hum thank everyone for your support throughout the year. The calendars have been selling very well which is a huge help to finance all the projects in the village, a sincere thanks to Shane ONeill for organising and putting this calendar together. Many thanks also to Jay Bowe and John Murphy, The Mill for selling the calendars. Wishing all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Kiltealy Christmas Party

Almost 100 guests attended Kiltealy Senior citizens party on Sunday Dec. 3rd. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful meal served by the ladies committee. The grace before meals was said by Bishop Denis Brennan.

Following the meal guests took to the floor for dancing. There were lots of party pieces including festive songs from Fr. Jim Fegan. There were spot prizes galore. Tea and cake was served in the evening and all returned home having had a most memorable day.

Christmas wishes

A very happy and peaceful Christmas to all our readers. Many thanks to all who contribute items to Kiltealy and Ballindaggin Notes throughout the year. Prayerful good wishes to anyone in the area who may be sick or in hospital this Christmas time. Hope you feel better soon.

MARSHALSTOWN-CASTLEDOCKRELL

Christmas Masses

Masses over Christmas in the Pastoral area of St. Aidans, St. Senans, Marshalstown and Castledockrell are as follows:

Saturday, 23rd December: St. Aidans Cathedral 6pm, St. Senans 7pm and Marshalstown 7.30pm.

Sunday, 24th December: Castledockrell 9.30am, St. Aidans Cathedral 10am. No 12 noon Mass and St. Senans 11am.

Christmas Eve: Marshalstown 3pm, Castledockrell 6pm, St. Aidans 6pm (Childrens Mass) and 9pm, St. Senans 7pm.

Christmas Day: Castledockrell 9.30am Mass, St. Aidans 10am and 12 noon, St. Senans 11am and Marshalstown 11am.

St. Stephens Day: St. Aidans Cathedral 10am and St. Senans 7pm.

There will be No weekday Mass in Marshalstown or Castledockrell on the week after Christmas. There will be Mass in St. Aidans at 10am and in St. Senans at 7pm each week day.

Prayer Meeting

Castledockrell Prayer meeting with an Advent theme is on Wednesday, 20th December in the hall. All are welcome. Please note change of date.

Newsletters

Deadline for items for Parish newsletters including Anniversary Masses is Wednesday at 5p.m. Anniversary Masses for Castledockrell church should be booked at least two weeks or more in advance of the date required for names to appear in the newsletter.

Happy Christmas

A very Happy Christmas to all in the Parish especially those who are alone or away from family at this time.

Lotto Results

Marshalstown Castledockrell GAA Club lotto results for Thursday, 14th December are Jackpot was 10,500. Jackpot winner was Joan Kehoe. Numbers drawn were 15, 16, 24, 26. There was One Match 3 winner Adam Harte who wins 100. Thanks for your continued support.

Adoration

Adoration continues each Thursday after 9.30a.m. Mass in Castledockrell Church from 10a.m. to 12 noon and is open to anyone wishing to come along. There will be no Adoration the week after Christmas (28th December). It will resume on 4th January.

All Saints Christmas Day Service

All Saints Church Ballycarney will hold a service of Holy Communion for Christmas Day at 9am. All most welcome!
A group of Arklow maritime enthusiasts are trying to save parts of the 'De Wadden' before she is deconstructed. Photo: Liverpool Maritime Museum

Arklows community of maritime enthusiasts have implored Wicklow County Council to help them in their race against the clock to save parts of the last Arklow coastal trading vessel under sail before shes demolished.

Dutch-built but with a long and illustrious association with Arklow, the three-masted auxiliary schooner De Wadden was slated for deconstruction after the Liverpool Maritime Museums search for a new home for the vessel proved fruitless.

Constructed by Gebr Van Diepen in the Netherlands in 1917, after the end of the First World War, De Wadden was sold to Richard Hall of Arklow, and from 1922 to 1961, she carried bulk cargo from the River Mersey to various Irish ports.

De Wadden was purchased by the Merseyside Maritime Museum in 1984 and, by 1987, was dry docked to allow for a conservation and restoration programme.

After being exposed to the elements, repairing the vessel and its continual maintenance were deemed unsustainable, and a working group began to flag its availability for transfer to other museums.

Despite several expressions of interest, none were compliant, leading to the museum publishing a notice of Intent to Deconstruct.

Catching wind of the development, Arklow resident Brian Dempsey enlisted the help of Arklow Maritime Museum and Arklow Shipping (who have offered to foot the shipping and housing costs) to save parts of the historic vessel, create housings for them and display them alongside other artefacts in a new local heritage project.

In a letter to Arklow Municipal District staff and local representatives, Mr Dempsey wrote: I believe there is an opportunity for townspeople and tourists alike to be educated or enlightened with forgotten heritage.

The vessel is the De Wadden, which is currently in Liverpool Maritime Museum awaiting demolition. A group of interested parties are very keen to preserve part of her, and Liverpool is very keen to share her with Arklow Maritime Museum.

Arklow Maritime Museum has been very active in trying to preserve parts of her, but space and locality are an issue to display large exhibits. Irish Water also has expressed an interest in getting involved.

What could be done, with both Arklow and Wicklow County Councils support, along with some very keen third parties, is to provide viewing pods providing access for townspeople and tourists to have a focal point showing our pas t.

The items, in their pods, should require little maintenance or costs over the years, but also, the items will be both secure and safe in their home town.

Time is critical as the demolition will start in the coming weeks, he added.

We have been to view the vessel and have sent a haulier to see what they can carry from Liverpool. We need your help from here with the location, planning and erecting of pods.

Broaching the matter at the December Arklow MD meeting, Cathaoirleach Tommy Annesley outlined the details of Mr Dempseys request before councillor Peir Leonard urged district staff to support the project.

Its not the whole boat that they want to bring over, its the bow and parts to display in pods around the town, Cllr Leonard said.

What they are really looking for is a commitment from the Council to work with them to create this project because time is of the essence, and the boat is going to be demolished in the next few weeks.

I suppose the idea would be that we have an outdoor heritage trail around the town with these beautiful parts of the boat that are intrinsically linked to our local heritage.

Were looking for things to attract people to the town, so the thing would be to identify where they could possibly go. A new tranche of LEADER funding opened up, so if we did need extra funding, it could go through the Town Team.

Tyrrells Shipping want to bring the boat over and pay for the transport. Liverpool only want to give it to another museum, so the Maritime Museum are involved too, but they dont want to take ownership of the pods because theyd be outside  as they dont have the capacity for them. So, it would need to be in conjunction with the Council.

SSE has sent a letter of support, and so have Arklow Shipping.

Cllr Leonard then read the correspondence from Arklow shipping, which said: De Wadden is the last remaining Arklow boat/schooner, and it played such a large part in national and Arklow maritime history.

Her home port was Arklow. Her owners and crew were from Arklow, and she provided a living to many Arklow businesses  even her sails were handmade in Arklow.

Her demolition in Liverpool next month provides Arklow with a chance to obtain sections of her so that they can be displayed to the public, townspeople, students, and tourists alike on a permanent basis. There is a rare opportunity there.

We have agreed with Arklow Maritime Museum to ship parts of her most recently preserved to Arklow at our cost on the condition that the parts will be displayed to the public along with other artefacts  such as the two coastguard carriages and a 9m hull section of the sailing ship Harvest King.

Our belief is that such artefacts should be housed and displayed in order to make them items that are maintenance-free for future enjoyment.

Having listened to the appeal, Councillor Sylvester Bourke proclaimed his support for the project, commenting: I think that Brian Dempsey has done a lot of work on that, and I think it would be a unique opportunity to present something.

When you think of all the sites we have around that havent yet been developed. The pottery site has not been developed yet, and if that was owned by the Council, it would be an ideal place for one of those pods to be displayed.

Then we have The Alps development, which is a very large, privately owned area. Maybe it could become part of the public realm in these future developments that are looking like theyll take place over the next few years.

I think we should have an open mind and do what we can to offer the support needed to secure the artefacts and have them sent over to us. Its a win-win for the community.

We are lucky to have people like Arklow Shipping willing to bring it over and store it for free for 12 months, he added.

We had the lighthouse at the roundabout for five years before we did anything with it, and I think it has been a fantastic addition to the town. I really think we cant miss this opportunity.

Following Cllr Bourkes plea, councillor Pat Fitzgerald also gave his backing for the project but enquired about any costs Arklow MD might incur in the process.

I hate to be the grim reaper here, District Manager Leonara Earls replied.

We want to be very supportive of this opportunity and agree with the councillors that its fantastic that Arklow Shipping will cover the cost of bringing them over and storing them, but I just want to manage the expectations of what funding we can get and how its going to be funded.

We need to have a structure around this because the worst thing that can happen is that there is an expectation that the pods are going to be built and maintained  as you know Arklow MD has very limited funds.

We will absolutely work with anybody who can do any heritage project because theyre of great value to the town. I just need to manage the expectations around the time frame it can be done in and the funds we have.

The other thing to say is that Arklow is a very busy working harbour, and we have had issues in the past with getting an agreement from the harbour master around benches. Pods would be a very significant undertaking in that area.

I agree that its great to get back artefacts that are associated with the town. We just have to think it out  money, placement and permission-wise.

The commitment here is providing a place for the pods and their maintenance - thats a very significant commitment.

Concluding the discussion, Ms Earls said she would liaise with staff and try to be as positive as possible before councillors Leonard and Murphy (Miriam) questioned whether a plan could be formulated within such a short time frame  to which Ms Earls replied they would act as quickly as possible.
Manufa and Rachel Downey at the Beauty and the Beast pantomine at St Patricks National School, Bray.

Christ Church COI

Services of Worship for this Sunday  The Fourth Sunday of Advent: 11am  Morning Prayer; 7.30pm  Christmas Eve Service.

Christmas Day Worship in Christ Church Bray: 10.30am  Christmas Day Service.

Parish Life Centre [PLC] Bookings: The Parish Life Centre is available for day and evening bookings. Please contact Tracey in the Parish Office at 01-286 2968.

Parish Office: The Parish Office can be contacted at 01- 286 2968 or info@christchurchbray.ie between 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday.

Connect Online: Our most active communication tools currently are our Website www.christchurchbray.ie which contains information on our live streamed worship services, weekly Blogs, events and news, and our facebook page @christchurchbray.

Irish Trefoil GuildGuiding for Life: Calling all former leaders of the Irish Girl Guides in Bray and the surrounding area. There is now a Trefoil Guild in Bray. Contact Anne at  braytrefoilguild@gmail.com.

Bray Methodist Church

Worship this Sunday: 10am  Nine Carols Service.

Christmas Day: 10am  All Age Service.

Bray Presbyterian Church

Worship this Sunday: 11.30am  Christmas Eve Sunday Worship..

Christian Assembly Church

Worship this Sunday: 10.45am  Morning Worship

Wednesdays: 8pm  Prayer Meeting & Bible study.

Cornerstone Church at The Well

Worship this Sunday: 11am.

Bray Gospel Hall

Bray Gospel Hall, 27 Florence Road

Sunday Morning 10.45am to 12 Noon: Breaking of Bread (Lords Supper)A Time of Worship, Praise and Remembrance.

Holy Redeemer Parish

Holy Redeemer Parish: Call (01) 2868413. Website: www.holyredeemerbray.ie; Email: office@holyredeemerbray.ie.

Parish Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am to 11am. If you need to contact us email: office@holyredeemer.ie.

Mass Times: 10amMonday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday  No Mass on Tuesday. Sunday Masses: 6pm Vigil Mass on Saturday and on Sunday at 10.30am and 12Noon. To book a Mass, please call into the Sacristy before or after our Masses.

Reconciliation Service: A Service of Reconciliation will be held at 12 Noon this Saturday in Holy Redeemer Church, serving all parishes in the partnership.

Masses for this Sunday (Christmas Eve): 10am, 12Noon, 6pm, and 8pm.

Masses for Christmas Day: 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Christmas Week Masses from Tuesday December 26th to Friday December 29th: 10am daily.

Mass Cards: Mass Cards may be purchased from the Parish Office during its opening hours.

Baptism: Registration for Baptism can be made online via the parish website  www.holyredeemerbray.ie.

St. Annes Church, Shankill: The Vigil Mass on Saturdays is celebrated at 5pm. All are welcome.

St. Peters Parish

To Book a Mass: To book a Mass, please contact the Parish Office on 01- 282 9467 or email: stpeterslittlebray1@gmail.com.

Parish Office: Parish Office opening hours areMonday: 9.30am to 12.30pm; Tuesday: 9am to 12.30pm; Wednesday: Closed; Thursday: 9am to 12.30pm; Friday: 9am to 12.30pm. The parish office can be contacted by calling 01-282 4967 or by email: stpeterslittlebray1@gmail.com.

St. Peters Church Mass Times: Sunday: 9.30am (Irish), 11.30am. Holy Days of Obligation: 11.30am. No Weekday Mass. Mass on the First Friday of the Month is celebrated at 10am. Sunday Mass is broadcast on the parish web-site at 9.30am (Irish) and 11.30am (English)Google Chrome required.

Christmas Masses: Christmas Eve: 5.30pm Vigil Mass. Christmas Day: 9.30am and 11.30am.

Reconciliation Service: A Service of Reconciliation will be held at 12 Noon this Saturday in Holy Redeemer Church, serving all parishes in the partnership.

Car Park Hours: These are from 9am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday, for parish business and at the weekends during church ceremonies. The Cemetery is accessible via the laneway for pedestrians.

St. Peters Cemetery: There is a strict policy of No Dumping Allowed in any area of the cemetery. Visitors to the cemetery are requested to take home all forms of rubbish with them in order to keep the cemetery tidy. Your co-operation is appreciated.

St. Annes Church, Shankill: A Vigil Mass is celebrated on Saturdays at 5pm. All are welcome.

St. Fergals Parish

Mass Times: Mass times are 9.30am Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. No morning Mass on Thursdays and Saturdays. Saturday: 7pm Vigil Mass; Sundays: 8am and 10.30am.

Christmas Masses: Christmas Eve: 8am, 10.30am, 6pm Family Mass and 9pm Vigil Mass. Christmas Day: 8am and 10.30am.

Reconciliation Service: A Service of Reconciliation will be held at 12 Noon this Saturday in Holy Redeemer Church, serving all parishes in the partnership.

Baptism: Baptisms take place on the first and third Saturday of each Month at 12Noon. Bookings can be made through the Parish Office Only. The Preparation meeting takes place on the Monday before the 1st Saturday of the month. Please call into the Parish Office three weeks in advance of the Baptism to complete the Baptism Form and to confirm the date.

Confessions: Are heard on Saturdays after the 7pm Vigil Mass.

Marriage: All couples must give notice to the priest or Parish Secretary at least three months prior to the date of marriage.

St. Annes Church, Shankill: A Vigil Mass is celebrated on Saturdays at 5pm in St. Annes Church. All are welcome.

Facebook page for the Bray & Enniskerry Pastoral Area: Check out Bray and Enniskerry Pastoral Area for all the news and information of our Pastoral Area.

Syro Malabar Catholic Church

Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 2.30pm in St. Fergals Church, Ballywaltrim.

Our Lady Queen of Peace

Parish Website: www.queenofpeace.ie.

Church Opening Hours: The Church closes at 4.30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Eucharistic Adoration: Eucharistic Adoration takes place from 11am to 10pm on Mondays only in this Church.

Mass: Weekday Masses are celebrated at 10.30am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Weekend Masses are at 6.30pm on Saturdays and 10.30am and 12 Noon on Sundays.

Reconciliation Service: A Service of Reconciliation will be held at 12 Noon this Saturday in Holy Redeemer Church, serving all parishes in the partnership.

Mass Bookings: Anyone who wishes to book a Mass can do so by contacting the Parish Secretary via email at: secretary@queenofpeace.ie, or call 2745497.

Parish Centre: To book a meeting room in the Parish Centre please call 01-2760045 or email: villafas1@hotmail.com.

Facebook Page: Please visit and like our Facebook page: Bray and Enniskerry Pastoral Area.

QOP Youth club

Queen of Peace Adventure Youth Club leaders enjoyed a Christmas Dinner in the Palm Restaurant on Bray Seafront. The next club event will be a Christmas Party, and the handing out of certificates gained by various individual club members during the year.

Celebration of Christmas

As usual the Celebration of Christmas with the Voices of Bray Community Choir in St Fergals Church was a very much appreciated and successful sell-out. John Ivory explained the origin and history of a number of the musical pieces rendered by the choir. Green Sleeves was an unexpected piece, and Silent Night was superb. Thanks again to all involved.

Diving club

Angela Quiney organised a Christmas Dinner for the committee of Bray Divers in the Harbour Kitchen Restaurant in Greystones. The meal and the venue was excellent and everybody said they would return again in the near future. Membership of Bray divers would be a fabulous Christmas or New Year gift to anyone. Call Albert on 0876756439, and he will start them off in no time.

Bray Library

Opening hours are 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday with late opening on Tuesday and Thursday until 8.30pm. The library can be contacted at 01-2862600 or email: braylib@wicklowcoco.ie. Online services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and newspapers and e-learning are available via the library website.

The library is again involved in Imbolc, the Community Seed Arc programme, where one can get seeds for a variety of plants and after they flower, donate seeds from them for the programme. As always, you can have seeds sent to your local Wicklow Library branch by emailing your branchand requesting up to 4 packets.

Knit and Crochet for Purple House Cancer Support takes place at 11am every Monday in the library  no need to book.

Doodle Time for 9-12 year olds takes place every Thursday from 3pm to 4pm.

Today (Wednesday) James Scannell will recall Christmas 1957 in Wicklow at 11.30am in Wicklow Town Branch Library, The Mall, Main Street, Wicklow Town. All are welcomeadmission is free but booking is requiredcontact Wicklow Library on 0404-67025 or email wicklowlocalstudies@wicklowcoco.ie to book your place.

The library will close at 5pm this Friday for the Christmas and New Year Holiday and will reopen at 10am on Tuesday January 2nd 2024.

Ballywaltrim Library

Opening hours are 10am to 5 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and 10am to 8pm on Wednesday. The library can be contacted at 01-2723205 or by email at: ballywatrimlibrary@wicklowcoco.ie. Online services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and newspapers and e-learning are available via the library website. Borrowers can renew their books on-line at any time.

Tummy-Time for Babies takes place every Monday and Friday from 10.30am to 12pm  no booking required.

Today (Wednesday) James Scannell will recall Christmas 1957 in Wicklow at 11.30am in Wicklow Town Branch Library, The Mall, Main Street, Wicklow Town. All are welcomeadmission is free but booking is requiredcontact Wicklow Library on 0404-67025 or email wicklowlocalstudies@wicklowcoco.ie to book your place.

The library will close at 5pm this Friday for the Christmas and New Year Holiday and will reopen at 10am on Tuesday January 2nd 2024. In the New Year the library will host a series of monthly History in your Library talks  details will be announced shortly.

Bray Cualann Historical Society

The Bray Cualann Historical Society, the local history society for Bray and North Wicklow does not hold a meeting in December so the next meeting of the Society will take place in the Royal Hotel, Bray, at 8pm on Thursday January 18th 2024 when the AGM will take place and will conclude with a presentation by James Scannell called A Dangerous Place to Worka selection of accidents in and around Bray Railway Station.

Members and supporters of the Bray Cualann Historical Society are asked to note that the following event will take place in the week ahead  today James Scannell will recall Christmas 1957 in Wicklow at 11.30am in Wicklow Town Branch Library, The Mall, Main Street, Wicklow Town. All are welcomeadmission is free but booking is requiredcontact Wicklow Library on 0404-67025 or email wicklowlocalstudies@wicklowcoco.ie to book your place.

The attention of members and supporters of the Society is drawn to the latest journal of the Roundwood and District Historical, Folklore & Archaeological Society, in which more of the articles areMemories and their Importance to Local History by Dan Brady with Therese Hicks, The Building of Avondale House, 1776 -1779 by David Menzies, The Families of Lough Dan by Andy Byrne, Wicklow Town in the late 1600s by Theresa Hicks, Growing up in Glendalough by Jack Holden, When the Northern Ireland Troubles came to Roundwood by James Scannell, Let there be light  an interview with Denis Byrne by Jane Pierce, The Search for my Fathers Aunts by Margaret Connolly, and A Publicans Life  an interview with Tom and Monica Brady by Jane Pierce. Further information about this journal is available from www.roundwoodhistoricalsociety.ie, or email:info@roundwoodhistoricalsociety.ie.

Poetry in the Park

Poetry in the Park takes place on the First Sunday of Every Month at 12pm on the bandstand in the Peoples Park, Lower Dargle Road, Bray. Listen to or read your favourite poems, hear original poetry performed by local poets or simply chat with other poetry fans in this beautiful outdoor setting on the banks of the River Dargle.
China's secret robotic spaceplane called Shenlong ("Divine Dragon") delivered six objects into Earth orbit a few days ago. Their purpose is unknown except, of course, to the China government.

Notably, the Chinese launch was just before the US Space Force will will again launch its own secret space plane, the X-37B, on December 28 on a secret mission.

"These are two of the most watched objects on orbit while they're on orbit. It's probably no coincidence that they're trying to match us in timing and sequence of this," said General Chance Saltzman, US Space Force's Chief of Space Operation.

From Space.com:
Payments under the Tillage Incentive Scheme have commenced to 2,626 farmers in what has been a horrendous year for the farming community weather-wise.

Farmers are paid 200 for each eligible hectare that has been maintained in tillage following conversion in 2022 and 400 for each eligible hectare that is newly converted to tillage in 2023.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. stated: I am delighted to confirm that payments totalling 7.3 million have commenced issuing under the 2023 Tillage Incentive Scheme to 2,626 farmers. The Tillage Incentive Scheme was introduced in 2022 as part of a package of supports, in response to the illegal war in Ukraine.

The scheme was introduced to encourage farmers to sow additional eligible tillage crops to help reduce the dependency on imported animal feed materials and thereafter to maintain this additional tillage area going forward into 2023.

Payments will be visible in farmers bank accounts in the coming days and the department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as any outstanding queries are addressed.

Tom Byrne, President of Wicklow IFA, has welcomed the supports for farmers who have endured the worst year in living memory when it comes to unharvested crops.

It has been a horrendous year for the farming community both here in Wicklow and the rest of Ireland. The scheme is a rescue package for tillage farmers, who have endured a shocking year, with many unable to complete their harvest because of the weather. It was the worst weather I CAN Remember in my lifetime and over several months the national record for rainfall was broken.

There is a hardship fund which allocates 1,000 a hectare to a maximum of 20 hectares, so the maximum you can receive is 20,000, which will be paid before or on January 24. Anything that is left over from that fund will then to allocated to the rest of tillage farmers.

Farmers wishing to contact the department regarding their TIS payment, can ring the Direct Payments Helpline at 057-8674422 or by email to TIS@agriculture.gov.ie
Cattle Sale - December 13: Cattle continue to be a very strong trade. Quality cattle, both bullocks and heifers up by 3080 per head. Sample Prices as follows.

Bullocks: Lim 742Kg made 2,030; Lim 650Kg made 1,960; Lim 690kg made 1,940; Lim 685Kg made 1,910; Lim 690Kg made 1,850; Lim 600Kg made 1,760; Her 590Kg made 1,400; Lim 500Kg made 1,350; Her 570kg made 1,340; Her 600Kg made 1,300; AA 550Kg made 1,300; AA 540Kg made 1,270; Her 550kg made 1,240; Fr 560kg made 1,100; Lim 350kg made 870.

Great trade for fat cows and they made from 1,2701,830

Sheep Sale - December 19: Bigger sale with plenty of good quality store lambs on offer. Stores were improved on last week up by 2-5 per head and factory and butcher lots up by 1-3 per head. Cast Ewes were a similar trade to last week.

Sample prices: 4 x 53kg made 150; 1 x 52kg made 149; 9 x 48kg made 145; 1 x 46kg made 145; 8 x 45kg made 136; 1x 46kg made 135; 4 x 45kg made 134; 7 x 43kg made 133; 6 x 44kg made 130; 9 x 45kg made 129; 15 x 46kg made 129; 6 x 42kg made 116; 6 x 39kg made 110; 15 x 38kg made 109; 6 x 36kg made 108; 2 x 40kg made 108.

Blessington

Sheep Sales  December 12: Big sale of sheep, with trade similar to last week for all classes.

Heavy Lambs 148 to 153 or 94 to 99 over /kg; Factory Lambs 130 to 148 or 84 to 92 over /kg; Store Lambs over 40kg 110 to 130 or 70 to 86 over /kg; Store Lambs 35-40kg 90 to 112 or 55 to 77 over /kg; Store Lambs over 30kg 60 to 90 or 30 to 62 over /kg; Heavy Ewes 120 to 150 per head; Lighter Ewes 86 to 120 per head.

Cattle Sales  December 14: Big sale for the final sale of 2023. There was a very strong trade for all classes, with prices better by 20 to 30 ahead on last week.

Continental Store Bullocks 500 to 1,080 over /kg; HE/AA Store Bullocks 460 to 1,000 over /kg; FR Store Bullocks 360 to 560 over /kg; Continental Store Heifers 580 to 1,120 over /kg; HE/AA Store Heifers 460 to 940 over /kg; Beef Cows 600 to 1,000 over /kg; Feeding Cows 200 to 560 over /kg.

Carnew

Cattle Sale - December 16: Very large sale for time of the year with 908 head on offer. Large number of cows on offer meeting a very solid trade with some great beef cows on offer meeting a very strong trade. Store cows met a solid trade throughout.

Heifers bullocks and bulls met a very lively trade with many farmers and agents alike very active around the ring battling it out for the stock on offer. Prices as follows.

Cows beef: 716kg Hex 1,800; 854kg Ch 2,240; 896kg Sim 2,460; 800kg lm 2,080; 750kg lm 1,910; 700kg Fr 1,200; 769kg Fr 1,530.

Store cows: 540kg sim 1,110; 760kg Fr 1,080; 688kg Fr 1,010; 610kg Fr 830; 484kg Fr 910.

Heifers: 540kg lm 1,460; 556kg ch 1,600; 570kg Ch 1,790; 283kg Lm 820; 302kg Ch 980.

Bullocks: 562kg Lm 1,650; 584kg Lm 1,740; 631kg Lm 1,980; 622kg Ch 1,900; 482kg Ch 1,540.

Bulls: 566kg Ch 1,620; 410kg Lm 1,210.

Our last sale for sheep dairy calves cows and cattle takes place on Thursday December 21, starting at 10 a.m. with sheep.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers a happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year.
One of the regular traditional Irish music session's by the fire in Egan's Pub in Parkbridge, Co Wicklow. Photo: Egan's Pub/Facebook

With Christmas and New Year catch-ups flowing, what better way to spend the festive period than sharing a quiet drink, or two, with friends beside a roaring fire.

County Wicklow has a wide and varied range of establishments, ranging from old-style pubs that date back many decades, to newer spots, each with their own personality. Here are some favourites, almost all of which will have a toasty fire lit.

Phil Healys, Wicklow town

Phil Healys is a large but cosy pub located in Fitzwilliam Square in Wicklow town, which is renowned for its friendly atmosphere, great service and excellent drink. Its the perfect spot to drop into after a hard days shopping for Christmas presents in Wicklow town. They also serve lunch and dinner and will be open for food on December 28, 29, 30 and New Years Eve. They are also open on New Years Day for drinks, but are generally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, opening late Wednesday-Friday and from 12pm on the weekend.

OKeeffes Pub, Knockananna

A family-run pub located in the beautiful village of Knockananna in west Wicklow, OKeeffes Pub is a popular destination for people from across the county and elsewhere. They won the 2022 East Region award for Best Local Pub at the Irish Pub Awards and will open later at 3pm on December 27, 28 and 29.

Chester Beatty, Ashford

Set in Ashford, Chester Beattys Hotel Restaurant Bar Lounge is the perfect place to slip in for a quite drink by yourself, or to catch up with some old friends for a proper chinwag. The fires are roaring this time of year and they will be open for food and drinks on Christmas Eve, finishing food at 4pm and drinks at 9pm. They reopen on December 27 for lunch and will run a normal schedule from then, including their usual breakfast and dinner offerings.

The Horse and Hound, Delgany

At the heart of Delgany for more than 200 years, The Horse and Hound is a pub, restaurant and guesthouse steeped in history. They serve lunch and dinner in the Bellevues room, pub grub and traditional music sessions in the lounge and gourmet cheese boards in The Heritage Room. Each area has a roaring fire to welcome all-comers.

Christys of Arklow, Arklow

Christys of Arklow comprises of a large ground floor lounge, bar and restaurant, with an impressive outdoor terrace opening out onto the Avoca River, serving up wholesome gastro inspired food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a wide variety of drinks.

The Harbour Bar, Bray

Established in 1872, The Harbour Bar in Bray is a true destination pub with unmatched character, a decor that is made up of curios and mementos collected over its one and a half century history, great beer, the OToole Toastie, a warren of rooms to explore, music, spoken word and comedy gigs to enjoy throughout the week. They are open from 12pm seven days a week.

Egans Pub, Parkbridge

A hidden gem on the the border with Wexford and Carlow, Egans in Parkbridge, Shillelagh is famous for its traditional music sessions, warm welcome and homely feel. Its popular with local farmers and often has a fire roaring to warm those cockles. They are closed on Christmas Day, but open as usual throughout the festive period otherwise.

The Beach House, Greystones

The Beach House is a bustling and vibrant family owned pub in the heart of Greystones Harbour that is the perfect destination for tasty chicken wings and pints after a long walk. The pub was first established in 1850 and over the years has been a stopping place for locals, tourists, fishermen, hikers and hill walkers who still enjoy its hospitality to this day.
Married At First Sight dating coach Mel Schilling has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer and will spend Christmas in hospital (E4/PA)

Married At First Sight dating coach Mel Schilling has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer and will spend Christmas in hospital.

The 51-year-old reality star said she had a scan after experiencing stomach cramps while filming in Australia and was told she has colon cancer.

Schilling is one of three relationship experts on the UK version of E4s hit show, which sees strangers tie the knot.

They are matched by Schilling, Paul Brunson and Charlene Douglas and then receive guidance from the trio throughout the course of the show.

Schilling revealed her diagnosis on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself with her husband Gareth and eight-year-old daughter Madison in an embrace.

She wrote: YOU HAVE CANCER. Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear. Last Thursday my consultant told me those 3 words.

About a month ago when I was filming in Australia I developed severe stomach cramps on set, I put it down to all the travel Id been doing and the upset it caused to my system.

I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way. Fortunately I knew something still wasnt right so I booked in for a scan when I returned to the UK. On Thursday I was told I had colon cancer and in an instant my whole life changed.

She added she had been planning to travel to Northern Ireland to spend Christmas with her family this week but will instead be having surgery.

Instead tomorrow morning Im checking in to hospital to have an operation to remove a 5cm tumour in my colon, a tumour that had it gone undetected for much longer would have killed me, she wrote.

Despite this I feel incredibly blessed that its a cancer that is relatively easy to eradicate, Im expected to make a full recovery though its a rough road ahead.

She continued: It will be so tough to spend Xmas Day in hospital instead of being surrounded by family but getting rid of Terry (what Ive named my tumour) will be the best present of all.

I just wanted to finish by saying that if something doesnt feel right, please, please dont ignore it and if you dont think the answers you have got are right, keep going until you do, it might just save your life.

The psychologist has been a part of the MAFS cast since 2016, first in her home country, Australia, and later on the UK version of the show, which airs on E4.
Christmas Day sea swimmers are being advised to take precaution when out in the water for their morning dip due to potentially dangerous sea conditions along the Atlantic coast.

Met Eireann is warning those on Christmas Day of the potential danger caused by high winds along the Atlantic coast on what will be a mostly dry and sunny day following early morning showers.

Forecasters have also fully ruled out any possibility of a white Christmas.

Meanwhile, a number of Status Yellow wind warnings have been issued for tomorrow, Thursday.

A yellow wind warning will be in place for Leinster and counties Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Clare, Kerry, Donegal and Connacht.

The warning is valid from midnight tonight until 8pm on Thursday.

Northwest winds will be very strong at times and high waves are also expected.

Meanwhile, Met Eireann forecaster Rebecca Cantwell said that winds on Christmas Day will be mostly light to moderate but will be fresh to strong along the west coast, potentially bringing danger.

Swimmers should err on the side of caution in the water and keep an eye on the days forecast, she told the Irish Independent.

In its Christmas forecast, Met Eireann said Saturday, December 23 will be a mostly cloudy day, with some clear spells and showers, with highs of 11 to 13 degrees.

Ms Cantwell said: For now, it looks like we are in for a wet and windy Christmas Eve.

Sunday, December 24 will start off cloudy with rain and drizzle spreading across the country from the northwest. Some showers and brighter spells will develop in the north later in the day.

Highest temperatures on Christmas Eve will be between 10 to 12 degrees with strong winds, remaining windy with showers overnight with lowest temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees overnight.

Despite the strong winds, Met Eireann has said there will be no disruption to the busy travel schedule of those returning home through Irish airports between Thursday and Christmas Eve.

While it will be cold on the transition from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, Ms Cantwell said there will be no white Christmas for Ireland this year.

She said this is due to it being a few degrees warmer than usual in the lead up to Christmas.

The last time Ireland enjoyed a white Christmas was during the big freeze of 2010, when the lowest December air temperature ever recorded in the country of -17.5 degrees was measured in Mayo.

On this year, Ms Cantwell added: We have got quite a bit of cloud and rainfall and that just acts to insulate the ground and keep temperatures a little bit milder than usual.

Meanwhile, today will be mostly cloudy, breezy, and windy, and will bring some scattered showers of mostly light rain and drizzle at times, Met Eireann said.

The north and northwest can expect the most persistent and heavier showers while the rest of the country will enjoy long dry spells.

The weather will be milder than yesterday, with temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees with mostly fresh and gusty winds, and strong winds in the western and northern parts of the country.

Tonight will be windy, with the strongest winds expected in the north and northwest with some scattered outbreaks of mostly light rain and drizzle. Temperatures will drop between 7 to 10 degrees.
President has to amend laws

Marine Le Pen announced yesterday she would back Emmanuel Macrons flagship immigration bill after he agreed to provide benefits to migrants only after five years of residency.

She said the French presidents concession meant the bill was an ideological victory for the hard-Right National Rally (RN) party. Legal migrants currently receive state benefits after six months.
Pakistani couple jailed in Italy for murdering daughter who refused arranged marriage

Saman Abbass body was found at a farmhouse in northern Italy, leading to a murder case that has shocked the country

Prosecutors said Saman Abbas was killed by her family on 1 May 2021.

Shweta Sharma UK Independent Wed 20 Dec 2023 at 09:58







A court in Italy has sentenced a Pakistani couple to life imprisonment for killing their 18-year-old daughter for refusing an arranged marriage.
Top Italian fashion influencer fined 1m for misleading charity cake claim

Chiara Ferragni was fined for charity claims linked to sales of a Christmas cake

Chiara Ferragni is seen as Italy's leading fashion influencer. Photo: Stefania D'Alessandro/Getty

Alvise Armellini Wed 20 Dec 2023 at 03:30







Italys top fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni has apologised and said she would donate 1m to a childrens hospital after being fined for misleading charity claims linked to sales of a Christmas cake.
Mourners sit next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at a hospital in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border yesterday. Photo: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Egypt has held firm that it will not accept Palestinian refugees. But as Israel presses on with its offensive in southern Gaza, driving thousands of Palestinians toward Egypt, pressure is building along the border.
Last week, a woman and her boyfriend pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru in El Paso, Texas ready to enjoy a tasty treat. The woman felt that the employee was rude to her over the drive-thru intercom so she asked to speak to the manager. "The employee on the other end of the intercom stated he was the manager with explicit language," according to police.

When the customer pulled forward to the pick-up window, three employees walked out of the shop and approached her car brandishing handguns.

According to the El Paso Times, "during the confrontation, one of the Dunkin' workers allegedly chambered a round in a gun and pointed it at the woman's 41-year-old boyfriend, allegedly telling him, 'Ya'll gonna die tonight,' police said.

The three employeesLuis Arturo Dominguez, 20, Jesus Dominguez, 17, and Elijah Richard Garcia, 19were arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (We'll leave the jokes about cops being near a donut shop to you.)
A Palestinian injured in Israeli airstrikes is treated at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: Getty

Israeli forces pounded the shattered Gaza Strip yesterday, while Yemens Houthis vowed to defy a US-led naval mission and keep targeting Red Sea shipping in support of the Palestinian enclaves ruling Hamas movement.

Israels campaign to eradicate Hamas militants behind a massacre on October 7 has left the enclave in ruins, brought widespread hunger and homelessness and killed nearly 20,000 Gazans, according to the Gazas health ministry.
A general view from the intersection of the only entrance into and exit out of Rikers Island in New York City. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/WireImage)

The New York City Council voted on Wednesday to ban the use of solitary confinement in city jails, with sponsors of the bill arguing that the practice is cruel and leads to heightened risks of injury or death for people in custody.

Mayor Eric Adams and the labor union representing the city's jail guards have opposed the legislation, saying it will make it more difficult to protect jail workers from violence by detainees, most of whom are awaiting trial and were denied or unable to afford release on bail.
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Kolkata: Bandhan Bank Wednesday announced that it has secured the mandate to collect revenue on the e-GRAS Portal from the Assam government.

This will enable the people of Assam to make their tax payments as well as non-tax payments through the Government Receipt Accounting System Portal (GRAS), the bank said in a press release.

This will make transactions easier, paperless and accessible for the people of Assam.

The bank will soon be integrating with the Government of Assam to operationalise the payment collection process.

Bandhan Bank is present in all 35 districts of Assam with nearly 500 banking outlets. Consumers can pay for House tax, Vehicle Registration Tax, Local body tax, Water Bill, Examination fees conducted by Assam Government, Trade License renewal, amongst others, using this portal.

Through the Assam e-GRAS portal, a citizen can pay 70 various departments for a range of services offered by them.

The total collection through the Assam eGRAS portal for FY 2022-23 was nearly Rs 16,000 crore.

Bandhan Bank Head  Government Business Debraj Saha said, Assam is one of the top 5 markets for Bandhan Bank. Securing a mandate by the Government of Assam is a demonstration of the conviction and confidence shown by various state governments and regulators, in the bank. Through this mandate, the bank gets yet another opportunity to serve the people of Assam."

Government Receipt Accounting System (GRAS) is a secure web application, that provides a facility to the citizens, and business community to pay taxes and non-tax receipts to the Government electronically.

Assam eGRAS provides 24 X 7 facility and the citizens of Assam can generate e-challan for required services and make online payments anytime from anywhere.
Photo courtesy: UNI

New Delhi: The government is set to release the draft regulations for the Digital Personal Data Protection Law shortly, and intends to officially notify in January, Moneycontrol reported.

This was revealed in a consultation session organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar chaired the meeting, focussing on the DPDP Law and the forthcoming regulations shaping its framework.

After the release of the draft regulations for public input, the government plans to set one week for industry feedback, and the finalised rules are expected to be officially announced in January, the report said, citing sources.

Representatives from various US-based companies reportedly sought an extension for the consultation duration, citing the holiday season in other countries.

The meeting, which took place at the Shram Shakti Bhavan in New Delhi, lasted over an hour and was attended by social media platforms like Meta, Google, and Snap, as well as representatives from diverse IT firms.

Key areas of discussion covered the rights of data principals, children's data, consent, notice mechanisms, and other provisions outlined in the DPDP Law, which received parliamentary approval in August.

Further, the talks delved into the reporting mechanism for data breaches, with industry representatives being briefed that the yet-to-be-formed Data Protection Board must be notified first, followed by comprehensive incident reporting within 72 hours, the report said, citing sources.
Photo Courtesy: UNI

New Delhi: Around 99.8% of ration cards have been seeded with Aadhaar for the rightful targeting of Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries in the country.

Union Minister of State for Public Distribution Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti gave the information in a written reply today in the Lok Sabha.

The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan has already been implemented by all 36 States/UTs, across the country, the correspondence said.

Since its inception around 124 Crore portability transactions have been recorded under the ONORC plan, which includes both inter-State and intra-State transactions ensuring the food security of around 80 Crore beneficiaries in the country, the minister wrote.

ONORC plan is proving to be especially beneficial to the migrant labourers, internally displaced persons (IDPs) etc. who frequently change their place of dwelling in search of temporary employment, the minister underscored.

Under the plan, the beneficiaries are empowered to lift their entitled foodgrain from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice, anywhere in the country, by using their existing ration card/Aadhaar card with biometric authentication on an electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) device.

ONORC also enables the family members of such migrant beneficiaries back home (in the village/hometown) to lift the part / balance foodgrains on the same ration card.

It has also facilitated the migrant beneficiaries/ family members to choose any FPS of their choice without being dependent on visiting only the tagged FPS in their ration cards.

Such flexibility was not available earlier under the traditional PDS.

Due to Aadhaar seeding and installation of ePoS devices at the FPSs, at present, around 97% of transactions in the country are done transparently through biometric authentication by use of ePoS devices monthly.

A 2017 notification issued under the Aadhaar Act 2016, which has been amended over time, states that Aadhaar linking for ration cards should be completed by 31/03/2024.

Until then, all States/UTs are advised not to remove any genuine beneficiaries/households from the list of eligible ration cards.

No one should be denied their entitled foodgrain quota under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) just because they don't have an Aadhaar number or due to issues like biometric authentication failure, network problems, or technical reasons.

People should not be denied their entitled quota of foodgrains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) solely because they lack an Aadhaar number or face issues like biometric authentication failure due to network/connectivity/linking problems or any other technical reasons, the correspondence said.

However, till the Aadhaar is assigned to the beneficiaries, either of the eight identification documents shall be used for identification purpose i.e. (Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Passport, Driving License, Certificate of Identity with photo issued by Gazetted Officer/Tahsildar on official letter head, Address card having Name and Photo issued by Department of Posts, Kisan Photo Passbook and any other document as specified by State/UT Governments).
Mumbai: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Wednesday announced an investment of Rs 5,044 crore to set up a polypropylene unit at Kochi refinery.

The polypropylene unit is set to have a production capacity of 400 Kilo-Tonnes per annum.

The project is slated for completion in approximately 46 months.

"This visionary project leverages the abundant propylene feedstock at Kochi Refinery, marking a significant milestone in reshaping the petrochemical industry landscape," BPCL said in a statement.

G Krishnakumar, C&MD, BPCL said, Addressing India's petrochemical demand, this project will reshape the industry, meeting the requirements for packaging films, containers and more, said.

Polypropylene, a versatile material, finds applications in packaging films, sheets, boxes, Containers, bags, homeware, home care, personal care, and many everyday articles.

(With UNI inputs)
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

In a shocking incident, a 64-year-old widow was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by at least two to three youths in Trombay area of north-east Mumbai late on Monday night, officials said here on Tuesday.

Local Trombay police station has registered an offence of abduction and gang rape and detained a 20-year-old boy, and he is being interrogated for details of his accomplices.

According to police the victim's daughter, her mother had gone to pray at a nearby Khandoba Temple in Nehru Nagar area of Kurla.

From there, at least 3 persons are said to have abducted the widow and forced her to go with them to an isolated spot near Thane Creek in Trombay.

There, they brutally raped her and repeatedly hammered her on the face, head, private parts and limbs, as she fell and lost consciousness in the deserted creek area, without anything on her body.

Suspecting her to be dead, the unidentified trio fled from the spot under cover of darkness, as per the complaint by the daughter.

On Tuesday morning a morning walker had happened to see the elderly woman, without any clothes, bleeding and begging for help immediately police was informed and police took the victim to the BMC's Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, and she will undergo a CT scan for her head injuries.

The woman and her daughter, along with 9-year-old granddaughter live alone and earn a living selling fish in the local market.

(With UNI inputs)
Photo courtesy: PIB

New Delhi/Washington/IBNS: "Our commitment is to the rule of law," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, promising to "look into" any evidence substantiating Washington's claims that an Indian official had attempted to kill a Sikh separatist on the US soil.

In an exclusive interview with Financial Times, Modi said, "If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it."

"If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," the Prime Minister added.

Modi with Biden | Photo courtesy: PIB

The US has claimed an Indian official had directed an attempt to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is an American and Canadian citizen.

US authorities have claimed 52-year-old Nikhil Gupta and an Indian government employee held a number of telephonic conversations, where the latter was heard asking Gupta to orchestrate a murder.

As per a report by NDTV, the two even had met in Delhi. Gupta had tried to hire a hitman, who later turned out to be an undercover federal agent of the US.

India designated Pannun as the terrorist in 2020.

Boasting on the India-US ties, Prime Minister Modi emphasised a "few incidents" would not derail the bilateral relationship.

Modi with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau | Photo courtesy: PIB

This development comes following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that an Indian official was involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In the wake of the US' claims, Trudeau again trained his guns on India and said New Delhi needs to "take this seriously".

India has once again rubbished Trudeau's claims calling them "motivated" and "absurd".
Photo Courtesy: PIB

Several nations, including those from South America, the Middle East and Africa, are showing interest in the acquisition of the indigenous Akash Missile system.

Defence sources told India Today the Akash missile system has generated a lot of interest among countries in the Middle East, South American nations including Brazil, Egypt from Africa and other friendly countries.

The system has already received an export order from Armenia.

Supply of the system to the country is set to begin in the next couple of months.

The firepower of Akash Missile system was demonstrated recently during the Astrashakti exercise held by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Providing a further boost to Aatmanirbharta in defence, Ministry of Defence, on March 30, 2023, signed contracts for procurement of improved Akash Weapon System and 12 Weapon Locating Radars, WLR Swathi (Plains) for the Indian Army at an overall cost of over Rs 9,100 crore.

Improved Akash Weapon System

The contract for procurement of improved Akash Weapon System (AWS) for 3rd & 4th Regiments of Army Air Defence, comprising live Missiles & Launchers with upgrades, Ground Support Equipment, Vehicles and Infrastructure was signed with Bharat Dynamics Limited, worth over Rs 8,160 crore.

The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360 Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.

The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.

The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase Indias self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The number of immigrants to the U.S. jumped to the highest level in two decades this year, driving the nations overall population growth, according to estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The United States added 1.6 million people, more than two-thirds of which came from international migration, bringing the nations population total to 334.9 million. It marks the second year in a row that immigration powered population gains.

A decline in the number of deaths since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the U.S. growth rate.

Population gains stem from immigration and births outpacing deaths.

After immigration declined in the latter half of last decade and dropped even lower amid pandemic-era restrictions, the number of immigrants last year bounced back to almost 1 million people. The trend continued this year as the nation added 1.1 million people.

The last time immigration surpassed 1.1 million people was in 2001, according to Census Bureau figures compiled by William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.

It is a sign of things to come. Without immigration, the U.S. population is projected to decline as deaths are forecast to outpace births by the late 2030s.

The immigration piece is going to be the main source of growth in the future, Frey said.

The census determines how many U.S. congressional seats each state gets. If trends continue through the 2030 count, California could lose four U.S. House seats and New York three. Texas could gain four seats and Florida could add three, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.

While low by historical standards, 2023's half-percent growth rate was a slight uptick from the 0.4% rate last year and the less than 0.2% increase in 2021.

There were about 300,000 fewer deaths this year compared with a year earlier. That helped double the natural increase to more than 500,000 people in 2023, contributing to the largest U.S. population gain since 2018, according to estimates that measure change from mid-2022 to mid-2023. The population increased in 42 states, up from last year's 31 states.

The vast majority of growth, 87%, came from the South, a region the Census Bureau defines as stretching from Texas to Maryland and Delaware. But the concentration of growth seen during the height of the pandemic in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia diminished in 2023.

We peaked in the movement of people to those Sun Belt hotshots, Frey said. Its tapering off a little bit.

South Carolina's 1.7% growth rate topped all other states, and its population rose by more than 90,000 residents. More than 90% of the growth came from domestic migration, or people moving from another U.S. state to South Carolina. Without domestic and international migration, the Palmetto State would have lost population in 2023 with almost 1,300 more deaths than births.

Florida had the next-highest growth rate at 1.6%, adding more than 365,000 residents. That was also the second-highest growth in terms of raw numbers. Only Texas surpassed it, gaining more than 473,000 people. More people moved to Florida than any other's U.S. state this year, with the almost 373,000 movers about evenly split between domestic and international. Significantly fewer residents died in Florida compared to last year, leading to a natural decrease of only around 7,600 people.

Of the 50 states, New York had the biggest rate of population decline, losing 0.5%. It also recorded the largest decline in pure numbers, with a drop of almost 102,000 residents, although it marks a much smaller decline than last year's 180,000-person drop. The almost 74,000 international arrivals and the state's natural increase of more than 41,000 residents couldn't offset the almost 217,000 New Yorkers who departed the state from mid-2022 to mid-2023.

California was still the nation's most populous state, with 38.9 million residents, though it lost more than 75,000 residents this year. The decline was an improvement from the more than 113,000-person drop last year. Texas was the second most populous state with 30.5 million residents.

For the first time, Georgia surpassed 11 million people in 2023, joining only seven other states above that population threshold.

Barring something completely unforeseen, the 2020s are shaping up to be the Souths decade, the Brennan Center for Justice said in a report on Tuesday.

Follow Mike Schneider on X, formerly known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.
Photo courtesy: UNI

New Delhi/UNI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured her of a joint meeting of Union and State government officials to discuss the issue of pending central funds for the state.

Banerjee, who called on the Prime Minister along with nine Trinamool Congress MPs, also submitted a letter to him requesting the release of funds due to the state.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Banerjee said, "Prime Minister heard the demands and PM assured that he will arrange a joint meeting of central government and state government officials to find a solution".

The Chief Minister said more than 150 (central) teams had come to the state, and her government gave them all details and explanations about the pending funds.

"Previously, I met the Prime Minister three times. In these projects, both the central government and state government have a share. So, this is not very healthy to stop money, she added.

"There is a due of nearly Rs 1.16 lakh crores from the Government of India on account of various centrally Sponsored Schemes and pending claims for natural disasters over past years," states the letter.

The letter said, the outstanding dues pertain to core social schemes like MGNREGS, PMAY, PMGSY and NHM.

"I have in the past flagged these issues and also personally met you on three different occasions seeking your personal intervention. It saddens and pains me that there has been no positive response" Banerjee said in the missive.
Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Murshidabad/UNI: The Income Tax Department raided the house of TMC MLA Bayron Biswas at Shamsherganj in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Wednesday, official sources said.

The Central IT sleuths, along with the Central armed forces, raided the residence of the ruling lawmaker in Dhulian early on Wednesday in relation to the alleged tax-related issues, they added.

The residence belonged to the MLA's father, Babar Ali Biswas, who is also a renowned Bidi factory owner, where the politician stays, sources confirmed.

Bayron Biswas, who won the by-poll with the Congress ticket, supported by the Left Front, switched over to the ruling party.

Sources said the IT officials also searched the locations of MLA's bunglow and other family business interests, including tea factory, and hospital in the district.

The lawmaker house in Birbhum district was also under investigation, and search operations were ongoing when this report came.
Image tweeted by Rajnath Singh

New Delhi/IBNS: Defence Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh Wednesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for "insulting" the Rajya Sabha chairperson in a shameful manner by mimicking him.

Condemning their actions, he called the act a blot on India's democratic traditions.

In a strongly worded post on X, Singh said respect for those holding constitutional positions is the life force of democracy.

"The shameful manner in which the Vice President of India and Honorable Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar ji has been insulted by Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee and Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi is a black stain on Indian democratic traditions," Singh wrote.

"The tradition of respecting persons holding the highest constitutional positions is the life force of democracy. But the low level at which parliamentary dignity is being devalued by turning partisan opposition into animosity is a matter of concern for the entire political class. I strongly condemn such indecent behavior towards persons holding constitutional posts," he wrote.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who shot the video of Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, has also reacted to the row.

After declining to comment on the matter in the morning, Rahul in the afternoon said, "MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. Media is showing it. Modi ji is speaking on it. Nobody has said anything... 150 of our MPs were thrown out of Parliament but there is no discussion on that in the media.

"There is no discussion on Adani or Rafale or unemployment. Our MPs were disheartened and they were sitting outside. Telecast news to some extent as well."

A video, which went viral on social media, shows Banerjee, one of more than 100 suspended MPs in the winter session, was doing a mimicry of Dhankhar.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of the country's primary opposition force, was seen video recording the act.

Dhankhar, who is the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, on Wednesday, posted on X to say he was contacted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who "expressed great pain".

The Vice President posted on X, "Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.

"I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few wont prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path."

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty  Vice President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2023

Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday claimed he didn't intend to hurt Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar through his mimicry that he did inside Parliament complex a day ago.
Photo Courtesy: https://pco.gov.ph/

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines is eyeing a paradigm shift as the traditional methods of diplomacy of the Philippine government is continuously being disregarded by China amid its recent aggression and harassment in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In an interview with Japanese media on Saturday, President Marcos emphasized that it is about time for the Philippine government to come up with a new way on how to deal with China as it appeared that the current efforts are showing very little progress.

Marcos described the current diplomatic efforts with China as heading in a poor direction.

Well, to this point, we have resorted to the traditional methods of diplomacy where, should there be an incident, we send note verbal. Our embassy will send a demarche to the Foreign Affairs (Ministry) office in Beijing, but we have been doing this for many years now, with very little progress, Marcos said.

We have to do something what we have not done before. We have to come up with a new concept, a new principle, a new idea so that we move, as I say, we move the needle the other way. Its going up, lets move the needle back, so that paradigm shift is something that we have to formulate, he added.

President Marcos pointed out that the situation in the WPS will not improve if the Philippines will continue to deal with China the same way it is dealing with the current situation in the waters.

The Philippines has taken three legal steps such as filing a diplomatic protest with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoning Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian and making a demarche to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to call out the China Coast Guard (CCG).

The Chinese naval assets water cannoned the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) during its recent resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

President Marcos said that the Philippines will continue talking to its partners in the Indo-Pacific region and to the rest of the world, if necessary to de-escalate the tension in the WPS.

We do not want to go the point where there are incidents that might cause an actual violent conflict. Maybe from a mistake or a misunderstanding and these things happen all the time, President Marcos said.

And so, we have, in my review, its time that the countries that feel that they have an involvement in this situation, we have to come up with a paradigm shift, the President added.

Asked what specific paradigm shift that the Philippine government is thinking about, President Marcos said there are a lot of ideas but said the government will continue talking to its partners and come up with a joint position, stating their responsibilities as far as the WPS is concerned.

We have to bring all of those ideas together and to change the direction that these incidents have taken us. We have to stop going that way. Weve gone down the wrong road. We have to disengage and find ourselves a more peaceful road to go down, Marcos said.

We have, as I have said, the consensus that we must continue to promote peace, but we have to decide amongst ourselves what part each of us plays and what we can play, what we are willing to play, he added.

So, and put that  put all of those elements together so that we have a, so that we have a good plan that will take us as Ive said, down, not the road to conflict, but down the road to peace.

Marcos said that the Philippines has to move quickly in dealing with China in the WPS as it is already affecting the livelihood of the Filipino fishermen.

President Marcos was in Japan to attend the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan Relations.
An 11-year-old boy stands at the entrance to his home in Gaza City. Photo Courtesy: UNICEF/Mohammad Ajjour

Gaza: The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 19,667, and 52,586 others have been wounded since October 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Palestinian deaths and injuries from Israeli raids in the West Bank climbed to 301 and 3,365, respectively, according to the ministry.

In Gaza, over the past 24 hours, 214 Palestinians were killed and 300 others injured in Israel's raids, while a large number of victims were still under rubble, Ashraf Al-Qedra, Health Ministry spokesman, said at a press conference held in the southern Gaza Strip.

Al-Qedra accused the Israeli army of destroying hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip and putting them out of service.

He said the moves would displace 800,000 people and deprive thousands of wounded, pregnant women, children, and chronic patients of health services.

Al-Qedra stressed that hospitals in southern Gaza are "powerless in the face of the huge numbers of infections and are trying to differentiate between cases to save their lives with the limited clinical, medical, and human capabilities available."

According to a Guardian report, the number of individuals killed by the airstrikes and the roughly 2 million displaced people who have limited access to food, clean water, or sanitary facilities are reportedly driving up international resentment, even among Israel's close allies.

As the UN security council deliberated a new resolution calling for the cessation of hostilities to allow for greater flows of humanitarian aid under UN supervision, the UK and Germanytwo of Israel's strongest alliesadded their voices to calls for a reduction in violence by calling for a "sustainable ceasefire" over the weekend.

On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Israel to take a "much more surgical, clinical, and targeted approach" in dealing with Hamas.

The US appears to be growing more and more isolated in its steadfast support for a military campaign that is now entering its eleventh week.

Since October 7, Israel has been launching a large-scale war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 Israelis, according to the Israeli authorities.

(With UNI/Xinhua inputs)
Representational image on Unsplash/Jonathan Ford

Nairobi: The death toll from severe floods in Kenya, caused by unusually active rains linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon, has climbed to 174 over the past day after six more flood-related deaths were confirmed, Kenyan media reported.

The latest deaths were caused by a landslide in central Kiambu County and the flooding of a gold mine in southwestern Migori County, Kenyan radio station Capital FM reported.

The flooding has washed away or marooned many rural homes, displacing thousands of people, while farmland has been submerged and livestock drowned, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

The United States on Tuesday announced $1 million in humanitarian assistance to support Kenyas flood response efforts, the US Embassy in Kenya stated in a press release.

The funding will be used to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices amid the ongoing floods.

Kenya is facing its worst floods in decades, with 500,000 people impacted, including over 100,000 families who have been displaced from their homes.

This follows one of the worst droughts in Kenyas history, which left over 5 million people facing acute food insecurity and 1 million children facing acute malnutrition.

Some of the hardest-hit areas rely on herding for survival and are still recovering from the worst drought in 40 years.

The drought, rains, and extreme temperatures are expected to exacerbate the economic situation in the eastern African country, where heavy rainfall is expected to continue until January 2024.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)
A view towards the border in Pakistan, taken in Paktia Province of Afghanistan. Photo Courtesy: Attribution 2.0 Generic/Wikimedia Commons

Amid strained relationships in recent times, Pakistani immigration officials have cited security reasons to stop issuing visas at airports and border crossings to citizens of neighbouring Afghanistan.

The abrupt cancellation of a longstanding "on arrival" visa facility for Afghan nationals comes amid an increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, reported Voice of America.

Afghanistan citizens were issued 30-day visas at entry points in Pakistan until now.

However, they will now need to apply for a visa at the Pakistani diplomatic missions in Afghanistan before they travel to the neighbouring country.

Ismatullah Junejo, the director of the Immigration Wing at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told reporters as quoted by VOA that under the revised policy, certain restrictions have also been placed on the movement of Afghans visiting the country.

After entering the country, Afghan visitors would be required to fill out special registration forms to provide details of the duration and place of their stay in Pakistan, Junejo explained.

He said the details would be provided to police stations for further verification.

Meanwhile, the decision has hit the life of people who stay close to the Durand Line.

Sadullah, married to Zulaikha (a Pakistani citizen), has no documents of Pakistani citizenship though he is the third generation raised in the Pakistani city of Chamanan entry point to Afghanistans Spin Boldak district, reported The Friday Times (TFT).

He runs an automobile store in Afghanistan's Spin Boldak region.

He used to cross the border every day to run his store and then returned to his home which is located in Pakistan.

If we the people are restricted through the passport policy, Chaman wont be our destiny because we have only our homes here, we earn our bread from across the Durand Line in Spin Boldak, Sadullah told TFT.

If we the people are restricted through the passport policy, Chaman wont be our destiny because we have only our homes here, we earn our bread from across the Durand Line in Spin Boldak, says Sadullah.

Chaman has a population of 434,561 as per the 2017 country-wide census of Pakistan. The region lacks industry, agriculture, mines, or minerals as a means of livelihood.

Historically, the inhabitants, predominantly Achakzais, Noorzais, and Alokozais, have been entirely dependent on their agrarian lands in Afghanistan, reported TFT.

Traditionally, they would settle in the mountainous region of Toba Achakzai during the summer to graze their livestock, while in winter, they would cross the Durand Line along with their livestock herds back to Regthe desert regionsfor grazing.

The people of Chaman said the imposition of 'passport' policy by Pakistani authorities was taken without their consent.

Olasyar Achakzai, 35, the spokesperson of the Chaman Sit-in, where thousands of individuals gather to peacefully express their opposition to the government's policies through slogans and collective action, told TFT: "We are campaigning in a peaceful way, and asking for our right of peaceful movement in between Pakistan and Afghanistan without any restrictions because we have our lands, businesses, properties, families, mosques, and graveyards on both sides of the Durand Line."

There should be a mechanism to retain the mobility in place since the British era, and let the masses keep their peaceful relations on both sides of the Durand Line, said Olasyar.

Advocate Ajab Khan, 37, a practising lawyer at Balochistan High Court said peaceful movement is the right of the people of Chaman and every city located around the Durand Line as per international law.

"It is unfortunate that passport imposition became a tool of the state, said Ajab Khan.

Jan Achakzai, a government official and provincial information minister for Balochistan, has supported the interim government's decision to close entry points across the Durand Line.

We raised 50 million Afghan refugees for four decades. We faced economic crisis, but we did our best with Afghanistan. So we will avenge the losses in the Dera Ismail Khan terror attack. We honour our martyrs, terrorists are anti-Islam. In Achakzais view, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan have been unable to convincingly distance themselves from the attack. They are damaging their identity in the world, he told TFT.
Photo Courtesy: Mirza Shahzad Akbar

An acid attack on former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's adviser in England has once again brought the country's intelligence agency ISI to the limelight.

Shahzad Akbar, who sought refuge in Britain after leading Pakistans efforts to combat corruption and becoming an outspoken opponent of the regime, told The Independent he was lucky not to lose his sight in the attack.

Tory MP and former cabinet minister David Davis suspected ISI hands in the incident.

He was quoted as saying by The Independent: "The circumstantial evidence that this attack was conducted at the behest of the ISI is persuasive."

"The Pakistanis have to understand that whatever the standards of law at home, they cannot be allowed to attack British residents on British soil," he said.

A news portal named The Pakistan Military Monitor said in its report: "The barbaric acid attack on the human rights activist, Akbar,

outside his house in Hertfordshire, should have rung alarm bells across the world but it did not."

Shahzad Akbar realized the gravity of the threat early in May this year when his brother, Murad, was kidnapped by ISI goons, the news portal reported.

According to a first-information report registered with Shalimar police station, Islamabad, Murad was abducted by people purportedly from different law-enforcing agencies from his Islamabad residence on May 28.The intelligence agency wanted Akbar to return to Pakistan and depose his former

boss, Imran Khan, the news portal further reported.

A week later, several former UK Cabinet ministers, senior law officers, renowned journalists, and legal rights organizations made a strong appeal for Mubaraks release. It is reported that the Hatfield police initiated a criminal complaint in the Murad case and it is reported that British police asked Islamabad for a reply. Murad returned home in August this year.

According to reports, Akbar later received a letter from the high commission in a bid to know his address and soon he was attacked.

It is widely known in London that Akbars attack was carried out by the ISI section operating from the Pakistan High Commission in London. The

section is headed by a Colonel, reported The Pakistan Military Monitor.

Within 12 hours of this outrage, the authorities in Pakistan underlined their intent by raiding Shahzads house in Islamabad, trying to seize his brother

Murad once again, the news portal reported.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

A major global human rights advocacy group recently raised concern over the arrest of protesters from Balochistan who marched towards Islamabad to highlight the issue of extrajudicial killings in their province.

Amnesty International asked Pakistani authorities to drop charges against the arrested people.

The march began after people in the countrys southeastern town of Turbat accused officials of the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of killing 24-year-old Balach Baloch in November after arresting him on charges of possessing five kilograms of explosive material, reported Arab News.

Balochs family and members of the civil society held a sit-in in Turbat for about two weeks to protest what they called his custodial death and demanded action against the CTD officials, the newspaper reported.

 Pakistan: @Amnesty strongly condemns the arrest and detention of at least 20 participants of the Baloch march on 17 December in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab.



The protestors, many of them women and families of the forcibly disappeared, peacefully held a sit-in and, subsequently,  Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) December 18, 2023

The protesters, which included women and children, participated in a 766-kilometer-long march to Quetta earlier this month and then decided to move to Islamabad.

Amnesty International said 20 people were detained during the march.

In a statement posted on X, Amnesty said: "@Amnesty strongly condemns the arrest and detention of at least 20 participants of the Baloch march on 17 December in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab."

"The protestors, many of them women and families of the forcibly disappeared, peacefully held a sit-in and, subsequently, started a long march from Balochistan to Islamabad demanding justice and accountability after the extrajudicial killing of Balach Mola Bakhsh and three others by the Pakistan Counterterrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat, Balochistan on 23 November 2023. Balach, a 24-year-old Baloch man, was taken by law enforcement on 29 October and was in CTD custody on remand when extrajudicially executed," read the post.

"The protestors have been released, however, 3 separate cases against the organizers and participants have been filed," advocacy group said.
Colorado Supreme Court removes former president Donald Trump from 2024 ballot. Photo Courtesy: Donald Trump Instagram page

Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former US President Donald Trump cannot run for the presidential poll next year in the state.

The court cited a constitutional insurrection clause while giving the order.

In a landmark decision, the court ruled 4-3 that Trump is not an eligible candidate, reported BBC.

Interestingly, it is the first time that Section 3 of the US Constitution's 14th Amendment was used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

Tuesday's decision - which has been placed on hold pending appeal until next month - does not apply to states outside Colorado, BBC reported.

The ruling only applies to the state's primary election on 5 March, when Republican voters will choose their preferred candidate for president, though it could have an effect on the general election in November, the British media reported.

In the ruling, justices wrote as quoted by BBC: ""We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us."

"We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Meanwhile, former federal appellate judge and prominent conservative J. Michael Luttig described the Supreme Court's decision as 'unassailable'.

The individual justices of the Colorado Supreme Court brought honor to their court as well to the state and federal judiciaries with their opinion tonight in this historic case, Luttig told CNN, describing their "meticulous" efforts to address all the issues involved in the case.

Their opinion is unassailable under the objective law of the federal constitution and section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States ought to affirm this decision today, he added.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel reacted to the decision and posted on X: " This irresponsible ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and our legal team looks forward to helping fight for a victory. The Republican nominee will be decided by Republican voters, not a partisan state court."

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he would pull out from the Colorado ballot if the state's Supreme Court does not allow the former president to contest.

"I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country," he posted on X.
Former Spectrum News morning anchor Scott Patterson received what amounts to an early holiday present from WIVB-TV (Channel 4).

Patterson, whose job as morning anchor at the cable news channel was eliminated three months ago, has been hired as the morning co-anchor alongside Ali Touhey on Wake Up! at the start of 2024.

He is replacing Chris Horvatits, whose decision to leave the morning program and Channel 4 was announced a few weeks ago.

Patterson, who worked at Spectrum News for almost 12 years in a 20-year news career, had said he planned to stay in the area after he was let go. His wife is from Western New York.

He was a logical choice for Channel 4. I noted his availability when Horvatits departure was announced.

Scott has a lot of history in the Buffalo market and great experience with the viewers of Western New York, said Channel 4 General Manager Joe Abouzeid in announcing Pattersons hiring. We will look forward to him joining the team.

In an email Tuesday to Channel 4s staff, Abouzeid wrote, Scott has received high praise from former co-workers about his work ethic and being one of the kindest people in the industry.

He added that Patterson and Touhey know each other from their days working in Rochester.

Hours after being asked for a comment, Patterson posted a message on X, formerly Twitter: "Sometimes ... things just work out. I am beyond excited to share that I am joining News 4 Buffalo as the new co-anchor of 'Wake Up!' "

The job posting had a salary range of $65,000 to $75,000. Stations now must post the salary range of jobs under a recent New York State pay transparency law.

Spectrum eliminated Patterson's position when it decided to end the morning shows in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse to carry a statewide Your Morning show from Albany with anchors Julie Chapman and Dan Bazile.

Patterson just might bring the key ingredient that has been missing from Wake Up!  stability.

A St. Marys High School graduate who grew up in Lancaster before studying broadcasting and mass communication at SUNY Oswego, Horvatits declined to comment when his departure was announced after more than a year in the morning role.

He has been at Channel 4 for at least five years and previously worked in Watertown and Rochester.

His departure continues the pattern of morning instability at Channel 4.

Touhey, a former anchor-reporter at WKBW-TV (Channel 7), became the permanent morning co-anchor in July after Abby Fridmann left for a similar role at a Rochester station. Touhey started at Channel 4 earlier in 2023 as the weekend morning anchor.

"Wake Up! has had several anchor changes over the years. Fridmann replaced Kelsey Anderson, who replaced Mel Orlins, who replaced Brittni Smallwood, who replaced Teresa Weakley, who replaced Diana Fairbanks.

That sentence illustrates one of the significant problems with Wake Up!: its revolving door of female co-anchors on its morning program when audiences in that time period appreciate stability.

The station also has had turnover in its morning male co-anchors, with Jordan Williams, Dave Greber and Joe Arena all in that role over the last decade or so.

"Daybreak (Channel 2) co-anchor Melissa Holmes has been in that role for more than a decade on the areas first-place morning program and has worked alongside only two male co-anchors, Pete Gallivan and John Beard.

In another Channel 4 anchor announcement, Sarah Minkewicz has been officially named the anchor of Weekend Wake Up! after being in the role on a temporary basis.

She made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter: Im so excited for this opportunity to continue growing in my career in my hometown. Even more so, Im proud to represent my Hispanic heritage in this role.

In an exchange on X, Minkewicz explained that her mothers maiden name is Middalia Maldonado. Her mothers parents were from Puerto Rico. Sarahs grandmother was Aurora Maldonado-Cruz.

On her fathers side, her grandmother was from Ukraine and her grandfather was from Poland. They fled their countries during World War II and ended up in Venezuela, where Sarahs father was born. They moved to Buffalo when her father was a teenager.

In other media news, former Channel 4 and former WKBW-TV news director Lisa Polizzi has been named brand manager of WBEN-AM and will oversee the station's content strategy, talent, operations and branding.

The announcement was made by Tim Wenger, who has been working in a dual role since July when he was named senior vice president and market manager of all Audacy stations in Buffalo.

In a release, Wenger praised "Lisa's extraordinary background in leading award-winning content generation in local television news.

I'm thrilled to join Buffalo's legacy news/talk brand to help shape news and programming with innovation, integrity, and enthusiasm, said Polizzi in the same release.

Polizzi anchored weekends at Entercom stations WBEN and WGR-AM more than 20 years ago. The radio group rebranded itself from Entercom to Audacy in 2021.
After much conjecture, director Sam Esmail explains how President Barack Obama was involved in his post-apocalyptic psychological thriller Leave the World Behind, which was recently released.

Since its premiere, the thrillerwhich included renowned actors including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, Myha'la, and Ethan Hawkehas been surrounded by a number of conspiracy theories, especially considering the Obamas' part in the film.



Netflix

President Obama's role in Esmail's freshly released thriller was made clear in a recent interview with Collider. Since the former president's input came after the script and main plot of the story had already been developed, the director acknowledged the various conspiracy theories that have been going around after the release of Leave the World Behind and said that they are untrue.



The director said, I think the silly thing about the whole thing is President Obama really came on a couple of months before we started shooting, so the script had basically been written and done. He obviously gave notes on the script, but the bones of the story and the sequences were already written. I would just say theyre pretty wrong in terms of his signaling. It had nothing to do with that.



Netflix

He added, Because President Obama is such a movie lover, he really focused his notes on trying to cinematically portray what was in the book in a really interesting way. The book was on his reading list, its one of his favorites, and he really wanted to do justice by the book and this theme about mistrust and this being a cautionary tale about what could happen if we dont have that community or bond that holds us together. So he really gave notes with regards to character, empathy, and also the disaster elements. It was really across the board. And again, it was all in pursuit of making it into a good movie. That was his main focus.

Netflix

Some thought the film was a foreshadowing of future events, while others thought the Obamas were issuing a warning about society's reliance on technology and the ways in which it may be abused. Although these rumors have been circulating for weeks, Esmail's remarks on the Obamas' involvement disprove them and show them to be nothing more than a bunch of rumors.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)


1. Dunki Fever! Hundreds Of Drones Light Up Dubai's Sky Making Shah Rukh Khan's Signature Pose

Twitter

During the promotional event, the official trailer of the movie was played at Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Furthermore, a special drone show was also help. As part of it, hundreds of drones lit up the sky of Dubai with Shah Rukh's signature pose in the presence of fans who gathered there in large numbers.



2. One Month Later, Delhi Police Track Down 4 Suspects In Rashmika Mandanna Deepfake Video Case

Twitter

"Delhi Police say it has tracked down four suspects, who turned out to be uploaders, not the creators, involved in the case of deep fake profiles of actor Rashmika Mandana. Police are looking are the key conspirator in the case," reported ANI.



3. Only 15-20 Jokers Find My Films Misogynistic: Sandeep Reddy Vanga Calls Critics 'Uneducated'

Indiatimes

In a clip going viral, Sandeep Reddy Vanga has called those giving negative review to his movie as illiterate and educated. "You think because of Rajeev Masand, Anupama Chopra and that Tyagi girl's (Suchitra Tyagi) review I got the first day opening? It's because of the craft, nobody speaks about the craft or the sound and design because they are literally illiterate and uneducated when it comes to films," he said.



4. Bigg Boss 7 Telugu Winner Pallavi Prashanth Goes Missing After Police Files Case Against Him

Twitter

As per reports, no one knows about his whereabouts and his mobile phone is switched off too. The Police are trying to find him. They even reached his village. However, he is missing knowing that the Police are looking to arrest him.



5. Jacqueline Fernandez Goes To Court Against Sukesh Chandrasekhar's Threatening Letters From Jail

Twitter

She told the court that his letters have created "an atmosphere of intimidation and threat" for her.



For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Love it or hate it, because of the hype and the controversies around the movie, most of us have watched Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal. At the end of the film after the post-credits, the filmmaker has announced the sequel. Here's everything you need to know about Animal Park.

What will happen in Animal Park?

1. The Monkey story and the meaning behind it

At the beginning of the movie, an old Ranbir Kapoor (who is also the narrator of the story) tells a monkey joke - about a king (Balbil aka Anil Kapoor), queen (Swastik) and a monkey (Abrar aka Bobby Deol). In his story, monkey copies whatever the minister (Ranvijay aka Ranbir) does or says, he would copy him. But when the minister acts to kill himself with a fake sword, the monkey doesn't copy him and rather does the same action that Bobby Deol's Abrar did (by opening his pant zip) at the airport scene. The story was actually the crux of the movie.

Also Read: Animal Ending & Post-Credit Explained: Is Abrar Alive? Who Is Aziz? What To Expect From Sequel?

2. Who is the old Ranbir?

Twitter

Was he Ranvijay or Aziz Haque (Zoya's husband and professional butcher)? A lot of people think it was Aziz and not Ranvijay as the old Ranbir narrating the story. Aziz takes the place of Ranvijay and is just retelling the story of his brother to his friends.

Furthermore, the Pandit in the movie tells Ranbir that his death is near. So, the old man is Aziz?

3. Ranvijay second sister's husband is an enemy

Twitter

Will Ranvijay's second sister Roop's husband avenge his brother Varun's (Reet's husband) death? He was seen at Bobby Deol's house. This means Vijay has an enemy at his own house. Will his second sister support her husband or her brother?

4. The reason behind naming the sequel Animal Park

Animal Park fans believe it's Aziz's family. Zoya is pregnant. We don't know who's the father - Aziz or Vijay. Aziz who is now a doppelganger of Ranvijay also plans to marry Abrar's third wife who is pregnant with twins.

Furthermore, as revealed in the movie, Abrar's father had married many women. So, Aziz has many brothers who probably has many kids. Is Aziz and his brother Abid's empire called the Animal Park? This also means the story of Animal sequel will be more violent.

5. The story of Aziz!

Twitter

People also believe that Vanga will explore the story of Aziz and his grandfather who was outsted from Swastik, the incident that led Abrar and Aziz kill Balbil in the movie. This story might turn the tables.

6. Will Ranvijay quit violence?

At the end of the movie, it is revealed that Balbir, played by Anil Kapoor, has cancer and has only six months to live. So, most likely the sequel won't have Balbir Singh. Since, Ranvijay's character turned violent only for his father, what will he do without him? Will he change?

7. Whose side Zoya is on?

Ranvijay didn't kill Zoya because he knew she is in love with him and will keep on giving more information about Abrar and Aziz. He will get Aziz's location from Zoya, who is already in Istanbul.

Will Bobby Deol's Abrar make a comeback too? What is your theory about Animal Park? Let us know in the comment section below.

For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Delhi University (DU) students who have failed to pass one paper may now no longer worry about their degree. Such students will be awarded grace marks to pass, said a senior varsity official on Tuesday.

This has been stated in a proposal document approved by the Executive Council, which is the university's highest decision-making body.

Delhi University

What is the provision for rewarding grace marks in DU state?

"If a student has not been able to complete his/her degree because they flunked in a single paper, the Delhi University will grant 10 additional marks to such students to help them pass the exam and obtain their degree," the official told PTI.

It will be applicable for only those who have not been able to clear one paper despite availing all their special chances, the official said.

Which students will be given grace marks by DU?

The provision will apply to those students whose degree should have been completed in 2021-22 and 2022-23 during the COVID-19 outbreak in India and those who appeared for the centenary chance with a limit of four papers.

M.Phil students, as well as those enrolled in postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, can also avail this provision of grace marks.

bccl

Why has DU decided to award grace marks to help students pass?

The decision to award grace marks has been taken in order to provide relief to the students who either were not able to appear for the exams during the pandemic due to unforeseen challenges such as the following:

Remote learning

Limited access to resources

Health-related concerns

Have their degree in limbo due to failing in just one paper

How will grace marks be awarded to DU students?

DU will constitute a committee comprising academic advisors, faculty members and administrators to award grace marks to students.

Students, in turn, have to submit their request for grace marks to the committee and a valid reason for failing to clear the single paper or extending their period for completing the degree.

bccl

The feasibility of awarding grace marks will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The committee will also decide to conduct a special chance examination for these students to facilitate their degree completion.



For more information on exams, results and careers, please visit Indiatimes Education.


The Indian Army thanked the locals here who helped in rescue activities after the IAF helicopter carrying the late CDS General Bipin Rawat crashed and resulted in the deaths of 13 of the 14 passengers, as per ET. The Army said the villagers were like 'God' to the victims.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 others were killed in the crash on December 8.

"Many of you helped...police and army said that but for the help of the villagers, the 14 could not have been moved to hospital on time.. the Air Force officer is alive and battling (for life at a Bengaluru hospital)... if he is there (alive) you are the reason," he said.

"So you were like God for those 14. Thank you very much," he added.

News9

General Officer Commanding Headquarters Dakshin Bharath, Lieutenant General A Arun added that the lone survivor Group Captain Varun Singh was 'battling' for his life and thanked them for their efforts, saying they helped in him being found alive.

He said that a shed would be made in the village for gatherings and functions.

Village adopted

He also announced the adoption of the village by Headquarters Dakshin Bharath and distributed blankets, ration items and solar emergency lamps.

The Lieutenant-General thanked the Tamil Nadu government, Chief Minister MK Stalin and secretaries of various departments for their role in the rescue.

Two people, including General Bipin Rawat and Group Captain Varun Singh, were found alive by the rescuers after the crash of the IAF helicopter in Coonoor, near Ooty in Tamil Nadu, a member of the rescue team has claimed.

ANI

According to NC Murali, a senior fireman who was one of the first to reach the spot where the Mi-17V5 had crashed, General Rawat was alive and was able to communicate when he was found.

We rescued two people alive. One was CDS Rawat. As we carried him out, he spoke in a low tone to the defence personnel in Hindi and uttered his name," Murali was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

According to him, General Rawat had suffered severe burns in the lower part of his body. He was taken to the ambulance wrapped in a bedsheet," Murali said, adding that he died on the way to the hospital.



For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


In a heartbreaking turn of events, a 16-year-old girl from the UK, Layla Khan, passed away due to a blood clot just three weeks after initiating the use of a contraceptive pill.

The tragic incident unfolded with Layla experiencing severe period pain, leading her friends to suggest the use of contraceptive pills to ease her pain.

Who was Layla Khan?

Layla, a college student, was considered a potential Oxford student by her professors.

What happened to Layla Khan?

screenshot

Layla began taking contraceptive tablets on November 25 to manage her intense period pain. By December 5, Layla started experiencing headaches, and within a week, she began vomiting.

What led to the misdiagnosis and the fatal consequences?

Concerned about Layla's worsening condition, her family sought medical assistance. A GP appointment on Monday yielded a misdiagnosis of a stomach bug, and anti-sickness tablets were prescribed. Despite the prescribed medication, Layla's condition deteriorated, and she started screaming in pain.

Fearing the severity of the situation, Layla's family decided to rush her to the hospital when she collapsed in the bathroom and experienced difficulty with her legs. A CT scan at the hospital revealed a blood clot in Layla's brain, leading to immediate surgery on December 13.

Despite the surgery, Layla was declared brain-dead the following day.

Layla's family expressed profound devastation, questioning the discrepancy between medical advice and the sudden deterioration.



Unsplash

In a selfless act, Layla's family chose to donate her organs for transplant operations, ultimately saving five lives.



Her aunt, Jenna Braithwaite, told Yorkshire Live: "She was basically vomiting every 30 minutes, so they got a GP appointment on Monday morning, and they took her to the GP. Even though she was sick the whole time she was at the GP's, they gave her anti-sickness tablets and told her that they thought it was a stomach bug. They said there were no red flags to go to the hospital and to go to the hospital on Wednesday if it continued."

The tragedy, occurring so close to Christmas, has deeply impacted the family, sucking away the holiday spirit.

Layla's organs, donated by the family, have brought hope and life to others, as they saved five lives just days before Christmas. The family, grappling with incomprehensible grief, hopes that Layla's story will raise awareness about the potential risks associated with contraceptive pill usage and the importance of a thorough medical evaluation.

According to Alicia Binns, Layla's cousin, she has experienced prolonged and agonizing menstrual periods. She was the oldest of five siblings.

All about the 'Pill' used by women during periods to ease pain:

The combined oral contraceptive pill, commonly known as 'the pill,' incorporates synthetic female hormones, estrogen and progestogen.

While its primary purpose is to prevent pregnancy, it is also employed for managing conditions like painful periods and endometriosis. However, the pill has been associated with an elevated risk of thrombosis or blood clots.

Scottish GP Margaret McCartney highlighted in a 2020 Lancet medical journal article that the estimated incidence of blood clots with the combined oral contraceptive pill is approximately five per 10,000 women per year, translating to a risk of one in 2,000 or 0.05 percent.

Unsplash

Citing information from the National Blood Clot Alliance in the US, Sky News reports that the estimated risk increases to one in 1,000 women per year developing a clot while taking birth control pills, accounting for a 0.1 percent risk.



For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


The joyous spirit of Christmas took a tragic turn for a family in Arizona as a father, who set out to buy presents and food, returned to find his children trapped in a devastating fire, making what was meant to be a festive celebration a heart-wrenching and fatal accident.



Where did the incident happen?

The father of four of the children who tragically lost their lives in an Arizona house fire explained to investigators that he was away Christmas shopping when the devastating incident unfolded on Saturday.

Who were the victims of this tragic house fire?

The victims, comprising three brothers aged 2, 5, and 13, their 4-year-old sister, and an 11-year-old relative, found themselves trapped upstairs as the flames rapidly engulfed their Bullhead City home.

"The initial fire investigation has revealed that the fire originated in the downstairs foyer area, most likely making it impossible for the children in the upstairs bedroom to get out of the residence safely," the Bullhead City Police Department said in a Facebook post.

"The fire traveled up the only staircase inside the home, preventing the victims from exiting."

Twitter

Why couldn't neighbors save the kids?

Neighbors attempted to save the children, going as far as placing an extension ladder against the upstairs bedroom window.

We pulled the garage door open, and there were guys pulling stuff out, neighbor Patrick ONeal told the AZ Family.

The closer we got to the door, there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out.

Firefighters reached the scene at 4:54 p.m., managing to extinguish the main body of the fire within 10 minutes, but unfortunately, it was too late.

The children were left unsupervised when the fire began. Their father said he was away for approximately 2.5 hours shopping for groceries and Christmas presents. The children's grandfather serves as a Bullhead City Fire Department firefighter.

The Lake Havasu City Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) are both conducting the investigation.

"They are working tirelessly to get answers. Like you, we want answers too," Bullhead City police chief Robert Trebes said in a video statement.

"To try to understand what happened and bring some closure and peace to the parents and families involved."

The identities of the victims remain undisclosed as authorities complete the official identification process.

In a poignant display of mourning, community members adorned the home with flowers and stuffed animals on Monday, expressing their collective grief over the tragic incident.

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While social media influencers and vloggers often showcase glamorous lives to captivate their fans and followers, the stark reality lurking behind the scenes can be far darker and more unsettling than many of us could imagine.

The recent case of Ruby Franke, a former YouTube mom who once shared parenting advice, serves as a chilling reminder that curated online narratives may conceal disturbing truths.

Formerly known for offering parenting tips on her YouTube channel, Ruby Franke has now pleaded guilty to horrifying charges of child abuse, revealing disturbing details of the physical torture and starvation inflicted upon at least two of her children.



Who is Ruby Franke?

Ruby Franke, once a popular vlogger offering parenting advice, has now pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree child abuse, exposing the dark reality of physical torture and starvation inflicted upon at least two of her children.



The 41-year-old Utah mother admitted to forcing her children into strenuous outdoor labor, denying them food, and subjecting them to severe physical and psychological abuse. The disturbing revelations surfaced as part of Franke's court statement supporting her guilty plea.

What did Ruby confess?

Twitter

In the statement, Franke confessed to heinous acts, including forcing her children to work outside until they "blistered" under the sweltering heat, convincing them they were evil and possessed. The abuse was described as "acts of love," revealing a twisted perspective on parenting.

How did the shocking abuse come to light?

The child abuse charges follow years of viewer concerns about the couple's strict parenting style, documented on their YouTube channel, "8Passengers." The channel depicted controversial practices, such as withholding food and Christmas presents, as punishments, raising alarms and leading to the channel's eventual deletion.

The legal proceedings extend beyond Franke's guilty plea, with ongoing investigations into her partner Jodi Hildebrandt's alleged involvement.

Concerns regarding the couple's parenting style had previously prompted child services involvement after an online petition gained traction.

Court documents/Twitter

What began as a parenting advice channel on YouTube has unraveled into a harrowing tale of abuse and cruelty.

Ruby Franke's guilty plea has exposed a dark chapter in her family's life, and the legal proceedings continue, shedding light on the importance of vigilance in monitoring online content and safeguarding the welfare of children.



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Adams Oshiomhole, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealed how former Governors of Ekiti and Ogun States, as well as Salihu Lukman, the Partys former National Vice Chairman (North-West), plotted his removal from office as APCs chair.

According to him, as ex-Governors Kayode Fayemi, Ibikunle Amosun of Ekiti and Ogun respectively were plotting his removal, the President at the time, Muhammadu Buhari, did not intervene.

He made the revelation at the launch of a book APC and Transition Politics, authored by Salihu Lukman, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Oshiomhole further recounted how the author alongside the Governors spearheaded the campaign and deployed all manner of illegal means to remove him following his moves to enshrine the Partys supremacy.

Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination.

Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors forum. I was not consulted I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum.

I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He [Lukman] was there [where they were holding the meeting]. He did not see anything wrong with that.

READ ALSO: Ajaero: DSS Arrested, Detained Me When I Was NLC President  Oshiomhole Condemns Nationwide Strike

It felt as though I was in a military barrack, Oshiomhole said while recalling the atmosphere at the meeting.

He said following the diatribes from the Governors, he responded saying: None of you can lecture me about the power of a governor. Because I have been governor twice. Eight years uninterrupted.

At a point, I told Fayemi, You did a resit. You were elected and by the second term, you lost. That means you failed. I did not do a resit, and you are lecturing me about power. I can mention some of them.

The man in Ogun State, he told me if not for the President, he would have left the party. Some of them told me You are working for your paymaster in Lagos. Your paymaster in Bourdillon.

He, therefore, warned the current National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje to be prepared because, according to him, the Governors are going to play the same card against him.

Chairman sir, if you have not faced it already, you will face it. The only difference is if the president decides to intervene and moderate. In my own case, we have a president who was not ready to intervene, he said.
The Erie County Attorneys Office failed to collect $611,000 in reimbursements owed to the county for its payments to programs that provide lawyers for poor clients who cant afford an attorney, according to an audit by the county Comptrollers Office.

The county department did not recognize or pursue nearly $482,000 in reimbursements owed to the county from the state, the audit concluded. It also failed to recover $130,000 paid to the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo that should have been reimbursed.

Cultural groups getting scrutinized for how they spend Erie County grant money The Erie County Comptroller's Office this year began examining how arts and cultural groups have spent millions of dollars in county grants, totaling more than $7 million a year. It found some troubling expenditures.

The good thing is, were going to get back most of this money, said Comptroller Kevin Hardwick. Were going to be aggressively pursuing the reimbursement that we should get. This is more than half a million dollars that would have been lost.

The audit released this week looked at indigent legal services grants involving the countys law department from 2015 through 2022. It found that money owed to the county from the state for two major claims was never collected because of missing or incomplete paperwork. Another case involved a claim for $19,050 that languished for seven years, resulting in the county being unable to belatedly recover those funds.

We are in a position to rather easily resolve most of these issues with only $19,050 of the $611,824 uncollectable, County Attorney Jeremy Toth said in his audit response letter, adding that given the enormous dollar amount of funding that flows in and out of this office for these programs, this is literally a very small fraction.

Legal representation for low-income residents facing criminal charges comes from both the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo and the Erie County Bar Associations Assigned Counsel Program. The county pays for the bulk of the costs associated with these programs and is reimbursed for its expenses from the state. But the Comptrollers Office found that a number of the countys reimbursement claims either werent made or werent processed because they werent complete.

Money owed by Legal Aid

Aside from money owed by the state, this audit also found that the County Attorneys Office overpaid the Legal Aid Bureau for amounts totaling $130,050. The bureau received a Payroll Protection Program loan from the federal government that covered bureau personnel expenses and should not have been paid for that again with county money, according to the audit.

Overpayments are supposed to be reimbursed by Legal Aid but never were, and the county never followed up to request that money back, according to the Comptrollers Office.

A related audit done of the County Attorneys Office over the summer also found the Legal Aid Bureau failed to reimburse the county for $555,140 in surplus money that it should have returned in 2020 and 2021.

David Schopp, executive director of the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, said the bureau has always been aware that it has excess funds that are technically owed back to the county.

'Smoking gun' evidence cited as Erie County comptroller says $114K missing from Clerk's Office More than $114,000 in cash has gone missing from the Erie County Clerk's Office since January of last year, and County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick said he's concerned a thief is still working in county government despite mounting evidence of fraud.

If the county wants it all back, we can pay it back tomorrow, he said. We have never intended to just keep money from the county.

The agencys contract with Erie County allows the Legal Aid Bureau to carry over some surplus money if the county administration is in agreement, but due to administrative turnover and delays associated with the audits done this year, he said, the agencys meeting with the county to settle on repayment has not occurred for several years. A meeting between the county and Legal Aid Bureau is scheduled for early next year, he said.

Fixing the problem

In a four-page audit response to the Comptrollers Office, Toth agreed that his law department failed to collect the money owed and said the department will immediately take steps to follow your outlined recommendations to recover the money owed from the state and the Legal Aid Bureau and improve its claims handling process.

Auditors recommend that quarterly reviews be done to routinely follow up on any outstanding and unresolved claims. In addition, auditors found that supporting documentation for the claims was not retained, either in paper or electronic form, and recommended that the law department retain such documents for six years, as required.

Auditors also faulted the Comptrollers Offices own Accounts Payable Division for approving payment transactions without verifying whether supporting documentation was provided.

While the county attorney generally agreed with the audit findings, he said in his response letter that his department is hamstrung by the lack of a dedicated accountant for this work. An accountant will be added to the law department next year. He also said the funding of indigent legal services is extremely complicated, and the fact that only a small fraction of the claims were problematic is a sign of the solid work done by the department overall.

Deputy Budget Director Mark Cornell said the county should be able to get reimbursed fairly easily. Both he and Toth also said they are going to start storing supporting required documentation in digital form instead of getting rid of huge stacks of paper documents by shuffling it on to the state, as it has in the past.
Nigerian musician Mayorkun, also known as Adewale Emmanuel Mayowa, has pledged to award a massive N5 Million to anyone in Calabar, Cross River State, who returns his pendant.

Following his presence in the state at a show, the musician has been searching for his chain, which was taken during his performance.

In a fit of anger, he promised never return to the state but his fellow celebrity, Iyanya, has become involved and helped him find one of the chains.

Only recently, the Governor of the state, H.E Prince Bassey Otu, met with him and promised to reward him for his lost valuables.

Mayorkun still remains on the lookout for his pendant as it is very special to him and promises a 5 Million Naira reward for whoever brings it to him.

READ MORE: I Never Buy Things In Nigeria, Everything Sold Here Mostly Fake  Kim Oprah

See post here
Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Tuesday, weighed in on the Supreme Courts judgment that declined his release last week.

The IPOB leader highlighted that while the court acknowledged the unlawful actionshis rendition from Kenya and the revocation of bail by the Nigerian governmentit upheld his continued detention, which he views as a contradiction to the Nigerian constitution.

Speaking in response to the Supreme Courts ruling against his continued detention despite the Court of Appeals order for his release, Kanu, through his legal representative Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, questioned whether the apex court effectively nullified constitutional provisions cited for his release while reiterating the governments unlawful actions.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim but written by Justice Garba Lawal, nullified the Court of Appeals decision for Kanus release, instructing the trial court to proceed with the case despite acknowledging the governments unlawful actions during Kanus detainment.

Onyendu seized the opportunity offered by the visit to remind Ezigbo Umuchineke that he is not broken by whatever situation he is faced with, but they should be doubly assured that he shall emerge victorious in the end.

The eventual verdict of the Supreme Court was conveyed to Nnamdi Kanu and he expressed reservations on the outcome.

However, Kanu elected to accept this outcome because of the finality of the Supreme Court decisions and not because they are infallible, but because the Supreme Court is the final court in the land.

Nevertheless, in accepting this verdict, Onyendu specifically requested that the following compelling questions be put out publicly to the discerning members of the public, who are keenly following the trajectory of this case: to wit:

Did the decision of the Supreme Court which substantially sanctioned the Federal Governments illegal act of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanus abduction and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria, effectively repeal the following Nigerian laws which were all cited in our brief before the Supreme Court? he queried.

According to Ejiofor, Kanus legal team cited before the Supreme Court that Section 15 of the Extradition Act Cap E25 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, provides as follows:

READ ALSO: Well Overcome Insecurity Next Year  FG

Where, in accordance with the law of any country within the Commonwealth or in pursuance of an extradition agreement between Nigeria and another Country (whether within the Commonwealth or not), any person accused of or unlawfully at large after conviction of an offence committed within the jurisdiction of Nigeria is surrendered to Nigeria by the country in question, then, so long as he has not had a reasonable opportunity to returning to that country, that person shall not be detained (whether under this Act or otherwise), tried or otherwise dealt with in Nigeria for or in respect of an offence committed by him before his surrender to Nigeria other than 

a) The offence for which he was surrendered or any lesser offence which may be proved by the facts on which his surrender was granted; or

b) Any other offence (being one corresponding to an offence described in section 20 of this Act) of the same nature as the offence for which he was surrendered.

Provided that a person falling within this section shall not be detained or tried for an offence by virtue of paragraph (b) of this section without the prior consent of the country surrendering him.

He stated that Article 12(4) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which provides as follows:

A non-national legally admitted in a territory of a State Party to the present Charter, may only be expelled from it by virtue of a decision taken in accordance with the law.

Ejiofor said, The above laws, for the avoidance of any doubt, are all Nigerian laws on extradition and extraordinary rendition of citizens from foreign lands.

Other international Instruments and Conventions to which Nigeria is a state party and bound by, which made similar provisions include: The OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism; Principles and Guidelines on Human and Peoples Right while Countering Terrorism in Africa; and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

According to Ejiofor, Kanu said, Public perspective/positions on the possible implication of the Supreme Courts judgment of 15th December 2023, on the above laws, will further demonstrate the grave prejudice Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has suffered in the hands of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Kanu encouraged his supporters to remain focused, keep their eyes on the ball and continue to conduct themselves peacefully.
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has disclosed that his office has not been paid allowance for the past six months due to the rift between him and his principal, Godwin Obaseki.

Shaibu led this out on Tuesday, during the opening of the Correspondents Office in Benin, the stats capital.

The Deputy Governor added that he is still standing strong, running the office and engaging in other activities through goodwill and contributions from friends.

He said: You know there is tension between the governor and I. And for six months, there has been no allocation to my office. So, whatever I am doing is contributions from friends and my goodwill; and I am still standing very strong.

I am your ambassador anywhere I am. This is not because of politics, but because of what you have done to save my life in the cause of doing your work.

READ MORE: Edo Guber: Were Not In Competition  Shaibu Tells Obaseki

I am also determined to make sure that in all things, Edo must be first and I am determined to strengthen institutions. I came into politics because I felt that we should have an egalitarian society.

I came into politics to make institutions strong because that is the only way you can have the society of your dreams.

When institutions are strong, you are able to deal with those guys that thinks they are powerful, moderate their excesses, and also promote and help the weak in the society.

Institution does not know the rich, strong or the poor, it takes care of all strata of life. That is what I stand for, that is why I joined politics.

That is why I have sacrificed a lot of things to make sure that Edo works. I even sacrificed my personal entitlement to make sure this institution works and in the coming weeks, I will give a stewardship of what I have done as deputy governor from 2016 to date.
Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubus intervention in Rivers States political crisis must be grounded in the provisions of the Constitution.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Falana made this known in a statement made available to the public on Tuesday.

He said: I agree with former Governor Tunde Fashola SAN, who has said that President Tinubu has no constitutional role in resolving the political crisis in Ondo and Rivers States. Therefore, the intervention of the President in both cases is purely advisory.

The seats of the cross carpeting members have been declared vacant by the Speaker known to law. To that extent, the Independent National Electoral Commission is mandatorily required to conduct the by-election once the ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court last Friday is quashed.

Even if all the cases in the Rivers State High Court and the Federal High Court are withdrawn in line with the advice of the President, it is submitted that all actions taken by the Speaker recognised by the Rivers State High Court remain valid, including his pronouncement on the vacant seats of the 27 cross carpeting members of the House.

READ MORE: Ben Bruce Hails Tinubu For Intervening In Rivers Political Crisis

In other words, only a court of law is constitutionally competent to set aside the pronouncement of the Speaker which is anchored on Section 109 of the Constitution. Furthermore, as the Speaker has not been removed by the required number of legislators, a presidential directive cannot remove him.
Edwin Clark, convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has weighed in on the meeting convened by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the feud between the warring parties in Rivers State.

For some weeks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers and Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been at loggerheads over control of the politicalNyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara. structure of the state.

On Monday, the duo agreed to end the feud during a meeting with Tinubu at the presidential villa.

In the eight-point resolution signed by Fubara, Wike, and other Rivers stakeholders, it was agreed that all impeachment proceedings against the Governor should be dropped immediately.

They also agreed that Martin Amaewhule should be recognised as speaker while the 27 lawmakers who defected should be taken back as members of the Assembly.

While speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Clark said the resolutions are baffling, appalling and unacceptable to the people.

The elder statesman said the eight-point resolution is undemocratic and dictatorial, adding that it is aimed at handing over the political leadership of Rivers to Wike.

It is obvious that Governor Siminialayi Fubara was ambushed and intimidated into submission.

President Tinubu should know that with all the powers he possesses, he cannot override the Constitution.

READ ALSO: PDP Will Show Wike Hes Not Above Us  National Chairman, Damagum

From all that transpired at the meeting, the laws of the land have not been obeyed. President Tinubu simply sat over a meeting where the Constitution, which is the fulcrum of his office as President and which he swore to uphold and abide by, was truncated and desecrated, Clark said.

He opined that the resolutions show that Tinubu is trying to show gratitude to Wike for winning the presidential election in Rivers for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Clark added that the resolution that the Rivers 2024 budget should be presented again to the House of Assembly is another unthinkable directive.

The eight resolutions reached, are the most unconstitutional, absurd and obnoxious resolutions at settling feuding parties that I have ever witnessed in my life.

As a matter of fact, some media captured it very well when they described it as directives.

And for the fact that such thing was done at the villa, the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria, is sacrilegious, because any place housing or is a custodian of symbol of authority, ought to be sacred.

We will resist such draconic, arbitrary and unconstitutional action by Mr. President and his customer, Nyesom Wike.

We will go to court to challenge this so-called one-sided and oppressive action of Mr. President, he added.
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on two appeals by the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, challenging the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu of Lagos state.

Recall that Sanwo-Olu contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election held in March 2023.

He polled 762,134 votes to defeat his close challenger, Vivour of the LP, who scored 312,329 votes, Adediran, of PDP came a distant third with 62,449 votes.

However, appeals by Rhodes-Vivour and Adeniran are against the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which affirmed the two decisions of the election tribunal.

READ MORE: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour Loses Polling Unit To Sanwo-Olu

The tribunal court had dismissed their petition, challenging Sanwo-Olus victory in the last governorship poll.

Meanwhile, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, presided over by Justice John Okoro, told parties that they would be informed when the judgments are ready.

Rhodes-Vivour and Adeniran are challenging the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which declared Sanwo-Olu as the winner.

The deputy governor, Femi Hamzat, Secretary to the State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin and some other senior officials of the Lagos State Government witnessed the court session.
A yet to be identified man has been killed by bandits in Kwalfada village in the Tsafe Local Government Area in Zamfara State for refusing his daughter to marry a bandit.

Mallam Rabo, a resident oft the area, who confirmed the incident to PUNCH, revealed that one of the bandits had proposed marriage to a young girl from the village, but her father rejected the proposal.

In an unexpected turn of events, the father decided to give his daughters hand in marriage to another man from the village, rather than the bandit.

Rabo said: After the marriage was contracted, the bandits invaded the community and killed the father of the girl.

They also asked the husband of the girl to divorce her so that their colleague could marry her.

READ MORE: Bandits Invade Four Zamfara Villages, Abduct Residents

They threatened to kill the husband if he did not comply with the directive.

The husband immediately divorced the wife, and she was remarried to the bandit who took her to the forest,

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Bandits have been terrorizing the peace of Zamfara state, creating chaos and disturbing communities members over alleged illegal levies, imposed on them.
Mug shots are projected during a press conference on new developments in Fairmount Park rapist. Police believe they have identified the famous Fairmount Park rapist/murderer, the man who was arrested this week for slashing people with a machete in Pennypack Park. Tuesday, December 19, 2023. Read more

The man who police now believe was the so-called Fairmount Park rapist  a previously unknown assailant who attacked four women in parks nearly two decades ago, killing one of them  was arraigned Wednesday morning on charges including murder, rape, and related offenses.

Elias Diaz, 46, remained in jail without bail. He had been taken into custody earlier this week on a separate set of crimes after allegedly slashing several people in Pennypark Park last month with a machete.

Following that arrest, investigators made the discovery that Diaz was also the same person theyd recently identified as a suspect in the decades-old rape cases. Those past attacks, which occurred between 2003 and 2007, had been unsolved for years, but police said Tuesday that forensic genealogy helped them finally identify Diaz in the spring as the alleged perpetrator.

Still, at that time, officials werent sure where Diaz was  or if he was even alive. Family members across the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico had long been estranged from him, officials said. Some believed he could have been dead.

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Then, over the weekend, police arrested Diaz for the November assaults in Pennypack Park, crimes in which they said he slashed people with a large knife while riding past them on his bike. He was arraigned and jailed Monday on charges including aggravated assault.

Investigators quickly came to realize Diaz was also the suspect in the older attacks as well. Police submitted further DNA samples for testing to confirm a match, and prosecutors approved the additional charges late Tuesday.

Diaz is now formally accused of raping and fatally strangling Rebecca Park, a 30-year-old medical student who had gone out for a jog in Pennypack Park in July 2003. Her body was discovered four days later in a shallow grave, a few yards off the trail where shed gone for a run.

Authorities also believe Diaz attacked three other women around the same time: a 21-year-old he allegedly raped at knifepoint in April 2003 near Kelly Drive and Fountain Green Road; a 37-year-old who managed to fight him off on Martin Luther King Drive near Falls Bridge in October 2003; and a 29-year-old whom he raped and robbed in Pennypack Park in 2007.

Diaz has not yet been charged in those assaults, but will remain behind bars without bail for his murder case. Officials said their investigation is ongoing.

For nearly 20 years, police only had a general description of what the assailant in the sexual assaults looked like. And although Diaz had been arrested twice in the years since, both were for comparatively minor offenses  once for a drug case, the other time for failing to appear in court on the drug case, police said.

Police said Tuesday that they werent sure where Diaz had been living in the years between his alleged rape spree and the more recent string of knife attacks. They said they think hed largely been homeless, most recently living in a shelter he built in the Pennypack Park woods.

Diaz did not have an attorney listed in court documents in his new murder case.

This is a developing story that will be updated.
An advocate for Philadelphias transgender community has been charged with sexually abusing two children, one of whom was just 9 years old, according to court records.

Kendall Stephens, 37  who served on a volunteer LGBTQ+ advisory committee for the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office and was a frequent presence at rallies and political events  was jailed Monday on charges including rape, indecent assault, and unlawful contact with minors, the records show.

Her case was being prosecuted by the state Attorney Generals Office due to Stephens past work with the DAs Office. Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the DAs Office, said Stephens had been removed from the offices advisory committee due to the new case. Roh declined to comment further.

Stephens did not have an attorney listed in court documents. She did not post bail and remained in custody, court records show.

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Stephens is accused of abusing two boys, ages 9 and 14, in a pattern of behavior that lasted at least several months over the past year or so, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The document says Stephens performed oral sex on the younger boy on at least three occasions, telling the boy he couldnt tell anyone about it or he would be locked up.

The affidavit says Stephens also abused the older boy, introducing him to sex toys, encouraging him to use them, and showing him explicit photos.

(The Inquirer does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse without their permission.)

The investigation into Stephens alleged crimes began in September, after one of the victims relatives reported the alleged assaults to police. Authorities interviewed the boys and several other witnesses who offered accounts that echoed what the victims told investigators, the affidavit says.

Stephens was an outspoken advocate for the transgender community, and had facilitated support groups at the William Way LGBT Community Center. She was assaulted in 2020 in her Point Breeze home by a group of women and men shouting anti-trans slurs. One of the attackers pleaded guilty earlier this year.

After that assault, Stephens went on to push for updates to the states hate crime statute and often worked with city prosecutors on investigations that involved victims from the LGBTQ+ community.

Stephens preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 29, court records show.
Drexel University is the latest area school to face a U.S. Department of Education investigation into alleged discrimination. Read more

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Drexel University for alleged discrimination  the latest local school to face a federal probe into reported harassment on campus amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

The departments Office of Civil Rights opened the investigation into Drexel on Monday. While it didnt release any details about the case, Drexel President John Fry sent an email to the Drexel community Wednesday afternoon noting the investigation was looking into the schools response to reported harassment of students on the basis of shared Jewish ancestry, specifically the arson of a door of a suite at Race Street Residence Hall on Oct. 10, 2023.

At the time of the incident, Frys message to Drexel students and faculty noted, We are investigating to determine if bias, discrimination, or hate, which we do not tolerate at Drexel, was the motivation behind this incident. It was not clear the results of Drexels own investigation, or whether it had even concluded.

Earlier Wednesday, a Department of Education spokesperson pointed to its announcement in November that it was investigating a number of schools over allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia  pledging aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.

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Drexel said in a statement that it was committed to ensuring a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all of our students, faculty and professional staff.

Drexel does not tolerate acts of bias, discrimination and harassment and will fully cooperate with the Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights in its investigation, a university spokesperson said.

Drexel is among the latest schools nationally to be added to a list of education department investigations into discrimination based on shared ancestry. Other area schools on the list include Rutgers University, Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and the University of Pennsylvania  the latter of which has been at the center of national debate around free speech and antisemitism.

University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill resigned earlier this month after testifying before Congress that calls for the genocide of Jews wouldnt necessarily violate Penns code of conduct  answering U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik that it was a context-dependent decision.

Magill had previously announced a plan to combat antisemitism at Penn, which has been the site of protests this semester by groups calling for more support for both Jewish and Palestinian students.

Other university presidents facing criticism following their testimony at the same Dec. 5 congressional hearing were Harvards Claudine Gay and MITs Sally Kornbluth. The education department opened an investigation into Harvard on Nov. 28, and MIT, Dec. 13.

Penn and Lafayette were among the first investigations announced, on Nov. 16  part of a group of seven schools named by the department. Of those investigations, five are related to alleged antisemitic harassment, and two, alleged anti-Muslim harassment, the department said.
The body of a Town of Niagara woman, who authorities believe may have succumbed to cold weather conditions, was found at about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday on the Niagara University campus, according to the Lewiston Police Department.

Police said emergency responders were dispatched to the university for a report of an unresponsive person. Upon arriving on the scene, patrols found the deceased woman, who was later identified as Emily J. Neal, 68, police said in a news release.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Neal had wandered away from her home on Monday night and died from exposure to the elements, police said.

Crews from the Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Company and Town of Niagara Police Department were on the scene to assist.

An investigation is ongoing.

- Harold McNeil
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Phila.) touts $175 million in new state money to fix school buildings across Pennsylvania. She and other House Democrats spoke at South Philadelphia High Wednesday. Read more

The boiler at South Philadelphia High School is so old that its difficult to find replacement parts when something breaks.

Theres no air-conditioning  often a problem in sweltering June and September in the five-story school that occupies an entire city block on South Broad Street  and theres an outdated electrical system, with lights often shorting out, student Azir Athy said.

Five months ago, Pennsylvania lawmakers toured the school to underscore what they said was a desperate need for significant investment in school buildings across the state. On Wednesday, they came back to tout $175 million in new state money just for that purpose.

State Rep. Jordan Harris (D., Philadelphia), the majority chair of the House Appropriations Committee, called it a first step.

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Far too many young people are coming to schools that are actively making them sick, Harris said at a news conference outside the South Philadelphia High auditorium. We as a commonwealth must do better.

Originally, House Democrats proposed $250 million to fix school buildings; the $175 million was a compromise reached this month.

The issue is personal to State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia): Her children attend Southwark Elementary, a Philadelphia school that had to temporarily shut this year because of asbestos issues. For a time, Southwark students were moved into South Philadelphia High and Childs Elementary in Point Breeze while remediation work happened at their building.

These sorts of school facilities problems will continue to get more and more expensive and more and more dangerous if we dont fund the improvements that we need, Fiedler said.

Its not clear how much Philadelphia or any other district might get, officials said. The $175 million is split between two funds, one administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority and one by the Department of Education.

The maximum Philadelphia could possibly receive is $30 million total from both funds, according to state officials.

The districts facilities needs are vast; the most recent estimate is nearly $8 billion. And though the school system celebrated the opening of a brand-new, $44 million T.M. Peirce Elementary at 23rd and Cambria in North Philadelphia Wednesday, a 2017 analysis found that 85 district schools need major repairs and 21 should be considered for closure and replacement.

State Rep. Pete Schweyer (D., Lehigh), chair of the House Education Committee and a former Philadelphia School District teacher, said the money was a down payment on something we have allowed to atrophy across Pennsylvania.

Consider, Schweyer said: the last eight years, we have spent not one dollar investing in buildings like this.
A young student reacting to seeing his school's new library. The new T.M. Peirce Elementary school at 23rd and Cambria Street. Read more

No new public school building has opened in North Philadelphia in 70 years.

That changes in January, when 200 pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students move into a brand-new, $44 million T.M. Peirce Elementary building at 23rd and Cambria. It is, one district official said, a state-of-the-art, first-class educational facility.

Dignitaries, community members, and children toured the building at a celebration Wednesday, delighting in the colorful, light-filled space that stands in stark contrast to the structure it replaced  a century-old building so filled with asbestos and other hazards that the district ultimately chose to knock it down rather than remediate.

We are investing in neighborhoods and students that have been unjustly, by some, deemed unworthy of such investment, school board president Reginald Streater told a gym packed with cheering onlookers. Today is a testament to the fact that when we come together, incredible possibilities happen for our learners.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. called the Peirce opening a historic moment and one of the most exciting days in the School District of Philadelphia.

A clearly moved Mayor Jim Kenney, a few weeks away from the end of his final term, veered from his prepared remarks to rave about the beautiful, beautiful building and the students who will learn there.

Kenney told the children he has a mad face sometimes, but inside, in my heart, Im smiling all the time about you. You make me so proud. Youre all good kids.

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It was the mayor who first noted the length of time since a new school was built in the area.

Thats insane, Kenney said of the 70-year gap. The underfunded Philadelphia School District has more than $5 billion in capital needs and dozens of schools rated so poorly on the systems own internal facilities measures that officials say they should be torn down and replaced.

 READ MORE: Damaged asbestos was found in a North Philly school gym a month ago. Its still there.

Sitting on a chair in the middle of the gym, Peirce parent Antoine Little smiled and clapped, but said he had mixed feelings about the day.

It had been 1,158 days since Little learned  from an Inquirer reporter, not the district  that there was damaged asbestos in his kids school, first flagged by teachers and raised by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers as an issue in September 2019. Soon after finding out about the asbestos, Little and others began organizing other parents, some of whom ultimately refused to send their children into the old Peirce building because they were concerned about environmental hazards.

Enough is enough, Little said in October 2019. I know I dont want my kids exposed to asbestos.

Ultimately, the district agreed to relocate Peirce students and build a new building. The students learned first in a rented space on Henry Avenue, then in the former Pratt Elementary in North Philadelphia.

Its been a long battle, Little said Wednesday. And so many communities need what we have.

City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who got her start in politics as an educational activist fighting for her kids schools, acknowledged the uphill battle the community waged.

It took a lot of time and commitment from parents whose children are no longer able to attend this school, Brooks said. This is what it means to fight for your community. This is what it means when you know that you deserve so much better and stand up to fight for what your community needs.

Streater acknowledged the vast demands across the city.

With adequate funding, the new T.M. Peirce building is but a sample of what we hope to create for every child across the district, said Streater.

City Councilmember Cindy Bass and State Sen. Sharif Street both said they remember touring the old Peirce in the fall of 2019 and flagging damaged asbestos in areas of the building where children learned and played.

At the time, members of the community felt like the district would just let their children languish in a building riddled with toxins, Street said. Undamaged asbestos poses no health risks, but once damaged, it releases microscopic fibers that can cause cancer.

They said No ones going to do anything about this, Street said Wednesday. There was a sense that nothing was ever going to happen.

Though Bass said she thinks we should be building one of these on a much more regular basis, Wednesday was a day to bask in what folks living in the 19132 zip code finally had: equity.

This compares to anything being built in Lower Merion and Radnor and any other part of the commonwealth, Bass said. This is the standard. This is what we want, this is what we deserve.

After the speeches, district staff led visitors  and the students who will occupy the school come Jan. 3  on tours of the building: roomy classrooms designed for student collaboration, a maker space to encourage creativity and hands-on work, a brand-new playground.

One second-grade student couldnt stop smiling. She looked at the sinks outside the student bathrooms and beamed, watching classmates wave their hands under the faucets that turned on like magic.

Its so cool, she said. Its beautiful!
Philanthropists Judith and Stewart Colton (right) gave $50 million to the University of Pennsylvania for the study of autoimmune diseases in 2022. At left are Penn medical school dean J. Larry Jameson, now interim president, and former university president Liz Magill, who resigned earlier this month after controversial congressional testimony. Read more

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton Business School is donating $1 million to the university to let the healing begin, according to a statement released by Penn on Wednesday.

The sum comes at the close of a tumultuous semester for the Ivy League institution, one that ended with Penn tapping J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of the universitys health system and its medical school dean, to temporarily replace its embattled former president, Liz Magill.

The donation, offered by entrepreneur and 1962 graduate Stewart Colton, was given to support the early work of Jameson during a time of transition, according to Penns statement.

As a physician, Larry is naturally oriented toward healing, and I see this as an important moment for us to come together, Colton said in the statement. Throughout all the challenges the University has faced in recent months, we felt it was critical to stand by Penn and support the University. We feel this even more strongly today.

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Colton and his wife, Judy, have given the university over $60 million overall since 2021, funding the creation of the research-oriented Colton Center for Autoimmunity.

A semester of controversies

Wealthy donors played an outsize role in the controversy at Penn that crescendoed since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7.

Magills initial response to the attack  which some pro-Palestinian supporters criticized for failing to mention Gaza  launched a student and faculty walkout, and protests for Palestinians in Gaza in the following weeks and led some Jewish students to allege that the university was not doing enough to address harassment and discrimination against students.

Some donors suggested they would withhold contributions to the university, and Magills administration launched a task force and announced a plan to combat antisemitism. In November, the federal government began an investigation into Penn and a handful of other institutions after receiving complaints of both antisemitism and Islamophobia among students.

Tensions had been rising even before Hamas deadly attack. In September, Penn administrators came under fire for allowing the school to host the Palestine Writes festival, which critics said featured speakers with a history of antisemitic remarks. Billed as the largest Palestinian literature festival in North America, the gathering was held days after two antisemitic incidents rattled campus, including vandalism at Penn Hillel that officials said was unrelated to the festival.

Criticism of Magill came to a head in early December, when her testimony during a congressional hearing on antisemitism drew national condemnation. When pressed on whether calling for genocide of Jewish people would violate Penns rules or code of conduct, Magill said it was a context-dependent decision.

On Dec. 9, Magill resigned along with Scott L. Bok, chair of Penns board of trustees.

The controversy reverberated across the donor class, emboldened by one of the most public displays of activism among deep-pocketed alumni in recent memory. Penn graduate and investment firm CEO Ross Stevens announced he would withdraw a donation of $100 million after Magills congressional testimony, telling the New York Times he believed the university was prioritizing D.E.I. over enhancing the business schools academic excellence.

Similar criticisms from billionaire alumnus Marc Rowan led some Penn faculty to worry that affluent donors were setting an agenda, launching a takeover of the school that departed from its core academic function and freedom.

An unrestricted gift

Penns statement said that it was rare for the university to receive unrestricted donations like Coltons. Without a designation, the university is free to decide the best use of the $1 million.

This has been an enormously challenging time for Penn and, as we undertake the important work of this moment and look to a stronger future, a gift like this is impactful and encouraging to all who care about our University, Jameson said in the statement.

Colton has spent several decades as a philanthropist after selling his business, Alpha Metals Co., an international metals and chemical company serving the electronics industry.

The Colton autoimmunity center is part of the Colton Consortium, a research network that includes New York University, Yale, and Tel Aviv University, the statement said. Much of the Coltons philanthropic efforts are in the field of medicine and the arts, according to a page for the couple on Penns Perelman School of Medicine website.

Penn said Colton trusts that Jameson will find the best use of his donation.

I believe in creating goodwill with our philanthropy, Colton said, and I offered this gift, hoping that it will serve as a catalyst for others to contribute in the months ahead.
DaVine Joy Randolph never fails to steal a scene. The Philly native and Temple alum has played Oda Mae Brown in the musical Ghost, which earned a 2012 Tony nomination, and is now an Oscars favorite for her latest role as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.

Funny and endearing, the film follows three unlikely companions, including Paul Giamatti as the curmudgeonly teacher Paul Hunham, together for Christmas at a New England boarding school in 1970. Mary Lamb runs the school cafeteria, as she grieves her sons death in Vietnam; he was drafted after she couldnt afford to send him to Swarthmore. In a recent conversation, Randolph discussed growing up in Phillys artistic community and how shes feeling about the awards buzz.

Why did you want to play Mary?

It was her heart. I think it was [about] connecting to this woman that embodies so many different women that I grew up with. We have all these really nice holiday stories, and thats cool. But what is the movie for people having a different experience during the holidays? I just love the fullness of her personality, and this idea that broken people are able to come together to fill a void, and in the process somehow become more whole.

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Supporting roles can be limiting, but youve found a way to successfully make a lasting impression, despite reduced screen time.

I dont think my performance would be any different if I was a lead. I always set forth to do my best. I think and hope what people relate to is the authenticity, that they can connect to the person because it feels real to them. I do that by, you know, living life. You got to live life in order to replicate life. So going back to Philadelphia, of course, I come home [to see family] but its also imperative that I come home. Its imperative that Im around real people, meaning people not in the industry, to have as teachers. Im basically taking things from them to build out these characters. When bigger roles do come along, I hope to have the same impact.

You studied classical opera singing and music at Temple before heading to the Yale School of Drama for your MFA. How did Philly factor into your acting career? Any mentors here?

It was my community. It wasnt a big famous name or somebody like that in Philadelphia, it was quite literally the block that I lived on. My neighbors, the schools I went to, the performing arts programs that I was a part of, that really was the thing. Just my community believing in me. I take pride that we are a very arts-positive city. Growing up, my father took me to the Art Museum [often], I was always around culture and the arts. Maybe Im biased, but the Art Museum to me is top tier. It could easily go toe to toe with some European museums. The city was a great instructor and breeding ground for my creativity.

Where do you like to eat when youre back in town? Any favorite spots?

[The now-closed] Govindas had a vegan Philly cheesesteak that was phenomenal. In my neighborhood theres a shrimp spot, Sid Bookers Shrimp, that is absolutely delicious. When I was younger we used to go to West Oak Lane Diner after church. I had humble beginnings. Now I could be like, Oh Im going to Rittenhouse Square.

In college, I used to love going to the Continental. It was so filling and they had fair prices. Wed also go out to Chinatown for Chinese New Year, that was a tradition. Ive never had a bad meal in Philadelphia, ever.

You just received the Golden Globes nomination for your performance as Mary, and it looks like youre a front-runner for an Oscars nod, too. How does that feel?

Its very humbling. Im very excited. Its something that Ive been working toward my whole life. Its a beautiful thing when you feel seen and acknowledged for the work. I never expected anything. I am grateful for my humble beginnings and I work hard at remaining to be. I just am grateful and hope that this will create avenues to propel my career forward.

With Bradley Cooper and Colman Domingo also getting recognition for their roles in Maestro and Rustin, its shaping up to be a very Philly Oscars.

Its looking good for Philly. Its like sports. If the Phillies are doing good, we know were gonna have a good season with the Sixers and the Eagles. When we win, we win across the board. I would proudly be included in that number with those distinguished gentlemen and rep my city. Im very proud of who we are and where I come from.

The Holdovers is running in select theaters.
The new film American Fiction, from Emmy-winning Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson, which hits theaters Dec. 22, is exquisitely funny and searingly honest. Frustrated with a publishing industry that prioritizes stereotypical and racist books about Black people, Black novelist Thelonious Monk Ellison plays a prank that backfires spectacularly: He writes the drivel that publishers want, and it becomes an instant success. Jeffrey Wright has received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Ellison.

Philly-raised actor Erika Alexander  best known for her role as the maverick lawyer Maxine Shaw in Living Single (1993)  plays Ellisons love interest, Coraline. We caught up with Alexander recently to discuss why she said yes to American Fiction, the lasting legacy of Maxine Shaw, and how her acting career began in Philadelphia.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Why did you want to work on American Fiction?

Cord Jefferson invited me to play this role. That said, I also knew that Jeffrey Wright was going to be the lead. Lets just be real and honest. Hes like the Death Star. Hes got a tractor beam, he focuses it, and suddenly, things just get pulled in. Hes really a powerful actor that Ive always admired. But before this film was American Fiction, the title was F [named after Ellisons novel title of choice]. When they told me [it was Jeffersons directorial debut], youll play [Wrights] girlfriend Coraline, and the name of the movie is F I said, Im in. I dont need to read nothing. Im dead serious. And then I read it and [Jefferson] wrote a script that makes you laugh out loud. So it was a confluence of things, and also me, you know, wanting to live out another dream ...

... To be close to Jeffrey Wright.

For the culture.

The film provides a damning indictment of the ignorance and exploitation of Black stories and Black creatives in the publishing industry and Hollywood. Im wondering if you could speak to having seen that dynamic play out in your own career.

What were talking about is capitalism. It plays out in every aspect of life. America is driven by boxes and stereotypes. For African Americans, it has been very difficult to shake the idea of being enslaved in America, and then being part of the huge American portfolio that is culture, and having made a ton of it themselves, to suddenly be boxed in or be victims of their own success.

I was found in the Freedom Theatre, a basement on Broad Street, and got a chance to be part of the independent film My Little Girl. I played a foster child and was very happy to, but then I played a prostitute and a slave. I had to find ways to break out of that.

Coraline is a lawyer, the same job held by your beloved character Maxine Shaw on Living Single. Theyre both direct women who take little nonsense from the men around them. Where did some of those characteristics originate?

Maxine Shaw was written by Yvette Lee Bowser, who had developed a world with a series of different women on it. Maxine Shaw also comes from where I started. Look at Whoopi Goldberg in Jumpin Jack Flash, you see Maxine Shaws hairstyle. Youre also seeing people like Cicely Tyson, who breathed life into me, and told me, Dont ever let anyone tell you what to do with your hair. And I have yet to do that. She was giving me armor.

Did your experiences in Philly inform Max, too?

I went to Philadelphia High School for Girls and had some of the best instructors in Philadelphia. You can see that in [Maxine Shaws ambition], the idea that I needed to be successful. Finally, that weird walk I had. I could never walk. I went to Black glamour modeling school in Philadelphia. I was going to Leeds [middle school] and they gave me a little pin for phys ed. [When] I walked across the stage to get it, my mom was horrified. You look like you just got off a horse! And she sent me to Black glamour modeling school.

Oh my God.

I know! Like I was gonna be a model. It didnt work. But you can see that little walk in Maxine Shaw.

Do you come back to Philly often?

I come back to Philly quite often. My brothers a Philadelphia police officer, my sister-in-law is a cardiac nurse. My sister Carolyn is a social worker. My nieces are [in the local singing trio] Little Big Sister. Phillys a fantastic place.

American Fiction opens in theaters on Dec. 22.
Poison centers are reporting a sharp increase in calls about the drug semaglutide, which Novo Nordisk sells as Wegovy for treating weight loss. Read more

The labels on Ozempic, Wegovy, and related drugs increasingly used for weight loss warn that potential side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. But thats if you take the drugs, as directed, once a week.

What if you were to take them every day by accident?

Misuse of such drugs  originally developed to treat type-2 diabetes  is driving a sharp increase in calls to poison centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other states, officials say. Nationally so far this year, the total number of calls about excess doses of Ozempic and Wegovy is 15 times what it was five years ago, CNN reported.

Most of the calls are coming from people who inject too much of the drugs by accident, say poison-center officials at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. But in a few cases, people eager to shed pounds have taken extra doses on purpose, said Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers.

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They think that if one dose is good, two are better, she said.

The New Jersey center has gotten 96 calls so far this year from patients or their providers about excess doses, including 21 in which the symptoms were so bad that the person went to the emergency department, she said. In Pennsylvania and Delaware, poison centers have gotten 123 calls this year, up from 91 in 2022, said Anthony Jaworski, clinical program manager at the Poison Control Center at CHOP. Many have involved mild symptoms or none at all.

The nations 55 poison control centers have gotten 3,963 such calls between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 of this year, according to Americas Poison Centers, the umbrella group that represents them. That total includes 2,941 that specified semaglutide, a drug branded as Ozempic for treating diabetes and Wegovy for obesity  up from 196 cases in 2019.

Side effects from Wegovy misuse

In most cases, any symptoms resolve on their own in a few days, said Jaworski, who collaborated with Pittsburgh Poison Center officials recently in presenting an analysis of the issue at a conference of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Seven patients from Pennsylvania and Delaware have suffered from low blood sugar as a result of taking excess doses, in two cases requiring treatment with intravenous fluids, he said.

Some people have no symptoms at all, but they call the poison center hotline for guidance after realizing they injected too much, he said. Thats a good idea, as poison center staff can advise patients on whether they should seek medical attention, Jaworski said.

The dosing errors can occur for a variety of reasons. While some people have mistakenly taken the drugs every day, others have administered larger-than-recommended doses because they obtained the products from a compounding pharmacy, said Calello, the Rutgers physician.

Such facilities are licensed to prepare custom formulations of these and other drugs for patients who have special requirements. But in the case of the diabetes and weight-loss drugs, such pharmacists typically supply the product in multidose vials, requiring patients to draw out the precise amount each time with a syringe. Confusion sometimes ensues, she said.

It requires a little more precision, she said. People get confused.

Drug shortages

Physicians say the drugs recent popularity has been driven primarily by people who want to lose weight, leading to drug shortages in many places. One Boston-area diabetes patient told the Associated Press that he sometimes has to call half a dozen pharmacies to fill his prescription. The drugs, which can cost more than $1,300 a month, have become so popular that some insurers have restricted coverage, the AP said.

Calello predicts the demand will continue to grow, especially now that evidence suggests the drugs may reduce the risk of heart disease.

The Rutgers physician said the phenomenon hit home for her at social gatherings in the past year. Like any doctor, she is used to being approached for informal medical advice on a range of topics, but now, she said, its almost all about Wegovy and Ozempic.

It is currently my most frequent cocktail-party conversation, she said.

And lately, Calello has noticed something different about the people who corner her: More and more of them are not drinking alcohol.

That squares with what she has read about yet another potential use for the drugs: They appear to reduce cravings for beer, wine, and liquor, so there is even talk of prescribing them to treat for alcohol-use disorder.
Detective, Ron Kahlan, left, and Capt. Mark Burgmann an update on four connected rapes in Fairmount Park committed by the FP Rapist, during a press conference on Thursday, August 26, 2021., at the Philly PD Special Victims Unit in Philadelphia, Pa. Read more

Between 2003 and 2007, an unidentified man sexually assaulted four women at knifepoint, killing one, and left many in Philadelphia afraid to run or walk through Fairmount and Pennypack Parks. The so-called Fairmount Park rapist evaded police for 20 years despite drawing national attention, including being featured on Americas Most Wanted in 2005.

Now, police believe Elias Diaz, 46, a man they arrested Sunday for allegedly slashing people with a machete in Pennypack Park, is also responsible for the Fairmount Park assaults two decades ago.

 READ MORE: Fairmount Park rapist identified after 20 years, police sources say

A second set of DNA tests was expected to confirm Diazs role in those attacks Tuesday night, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford Jr. said, and prosecutors said they would approve charges for murder, rape, and additional offenses.

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Heres a recap of the 20-year investigation into the Fairmount Park assaults.

When did the attacks start?

The first of the reported victims was a 21-year-old woman who went jogging near Kelly Drive around 10:30 p.m. in April 2003. She was raped at knifepoint.

Three months later, Rebecca Park, a medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, went for a jog around 4 p.m., not to be heard from. Four days later, she was found raped and strangled in a shallow grave in West Fairmount Park.

In October 2003, a third jogger was attacked at knifepoint around 6:15 p.m. Police said the 37-year-old fought the man off, suffering stab wounds in the neck, chest, and hand.

After that fight, it would be four years before a similar assault was reported to police. In 2007, a 29-year-old woman reported being raped and robbed by a man with a similar description in Pennypack Park while out for a walk.

What was known about the rapist at the time?

Surviving victims described a 5-foot-8, muscular man to authorities, helping craft a widely circulated composite sketch. Victims said their attacker had black hair and bushy eyebrows, wore a hoop earring in his left ear, and rode away on a purple bicycle after at least two of the attacks.

Victims also said the suspect looked Latino and hed told one victim he had siblings in Puerto Rico and that he was lonely.

What was the investigation like at the time?

Police came under immense scrutiny after the 2003 murder of Rebecca Park when it was revealed that authorities had not informed the public when a jogger was first raped in the park, months earlier. Afterward, police reported following hundreds of leads, though none led them to their suspect.

Some residents drew comparisons to Troy Graves, an Air Force airman also known as the Center City Rapist, who attacked five women between 1997 and 1999 in Philadelphia and killed Wharton student Shannon Schieber in her apartment in 1998. He was caught in Colorado in 2001 amid a series of similar rapes using DNA evidence. Schiebers family condemned police for failing to alert the public of the prior assaults in Center City.

DNA evidence in the Fairmount Park rapes linked the attacker to all three assaults from 2003, police said. Police tested dozens of suspects by 2004, but never found a match.

A more than $25,000 reward put together by the Daily News, the Citizens Crime Commission, and other groups was similarly unsuccessful in leading to an arrest.

A 2005 Americas Most Wanted episode endeavored to draw attention to the case. The show also purchased billboards across the city with the rapists composite to no avail.

Police distributed the suspects description to Spanish-language media outlets, and in 2004, a man who resembled the composite sketch was arrested in Puerto Rico, though DNA evidence cleared him of the attacks.

Despite the barrage of dead ends, police looked to renew awareness of the case in 2021, using DNA phenotypic analysis to predict the assailants physical characteristics at 25, 40, and 60.

 READ MORE: What helped ID Joseph Augustus Zarelli? His mothers family dabbles in genetic genealogy.

Later, police used genetic genealogy to try to find the rapist. They hoped they could make some progress the way they did in the Joseph Augustus Zarelli case, also known as the Boy in the Box, before he was identified. In that case, police were able to find relatives of the boy using his DNA.

Diazs name was one of the leads Philly police said they found using genetic genealogy, but at the time, authorities didnt know where to find him or whether he was alive. Police said there were also no clear connections to the Philly area at the time they came across Diazs name, and his family tree produced relatives across the country.

 READ MORE: Philly police release new sketches of the Fairmount Park rapist, who is linked to four attacks, one murder

Who is Elias Diaz?

Police said they arrested Diaz in 2007 and that he failed to appear in court in 2015 in connection to that case, but they did not have his DNA on file.

Police arrested Diaz Sunday, charging him with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and related crimes. Authorities say Diaz attacked two people in Pennypack Park in late-November wielding a machete while on his bike. A third person said they encountered an aggressive man on a bike during that period but managed to escape unharmed.

Much remains unknown of Diaz, including his whereabouts over the past 20 years. Police said they received information that led them to a shelter they believe Diaz used in Pennypack Park, where they collected evidence.

What happens now?

Police said they could have confirmation of a DNA match between Diaz and the 2000s crime scenes as early as this week.

District Attorney Larry Krasner encouraged any witnesses to Diazs alleged crimes or additional victims to step forward and report assaults. He said people could call 911, Women Organized Against Rape at 215-985-3333, or Women Against Abuse at 215-686-7082.
The 6abc helicopter known as Chopper 6 flies over Penn's Landing in September. The helicopter crashed in South Jersey on Tuesday night, killing two people. Read more

Two people are dead after a helicopter operated by 6abc crashed in South Jersey.

A pilot and photographer were killed when Chopper 6 crashed in a wooded area in Washington Township, Burlington County, sometime after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The helicopter was last spotted over Wharton State Forest, and the station said it was returning from having filmed an assignment at the Jersey Shore.

6abc late Wednesday afternoon identified the pilot as 67-year-old Monroe Smith of Glenside and the photographer as 45-year-old Christopher Dougherty of Oreland. The station said the two have a long history and had been part of the Action News team for years.

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Its unclear what caused the accident. New Jersey State Police discovered the crash site a little after midnight in a remote area of the woods, but an initial assessment was suspended until Wednesday due to limited visibility. The National Transportation Safety Board is taking over the investigation, and said a preliminary report should be available within 30 days.

Just an absolute tragedy, 6abc reporter Katherine Scott said during a morning broadcast of Action News. You see and hear us talking about Chopper 6 all the time. Chopper 6 and those who fly it are crucial parts of our news operation. ... Our hearts are absolutely broken for these members of our news team and their families.

A 6abc spokesperson said in an emailed statement: We are devastated by the news that two of our extended 6abc family members were lost last night when Chopper6 went down while returning from an assignment in the Jersey Shore. Our hearts break as we send our deepest condolences and prayers to their families, loved ones and everyone at U.S. Helicopters.

The helicopter was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR leased from a North Carolina company, the station said.

The company, U.S. Helicopters, said in a statement to 6abc that the pilot and photographer were beloved longtime employees of U.S. Helicopters.

We deeply sympathize with their families and share in their grief as a result of this tragic event. We will share arrangements in accordance with the families wishes, the company said.

We will cooperate with the FAA and other authorities during their investigation and are still gathering information, so we cannot comment or provide further information on the cause of this tragedy, the statement said. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our cherished colleagues.

According to its flight history, the helicopter had a clean record with no reported accidents or incidents. Chopper 6 made three flights earlier in the day Tuesday prior to the crash, according to FlightAware.

Smith had previously flown for NBC10, the station reported.

He made sure we were safe, retired NBC10 photojournalist Pete Kane, who worked with Smith for several years, told the station.

He made sure he got that story for whatever he was going out for. What we lost was a great man, Kane said. A great pilot. A wonderful human being and I lost a good friend.

Kane and Smith both graduated from Ben Franklin High School and they celebrated their 50th class reunion last year.

This isnt the first time TV journalists in Philadelphia have been killed in a helicopter accident. In July 1979, two members of a KYW-TV camera crew died when the chartered helicopter they were flying in for an assignment crashed into the Schuylkill.

In 1983, 6abc dealt with another public tragedy when popular meteorologist Jim OBrien was killed in a skydiving accident in Montgomery County. Then-anchor Jim Gardner delivered an emotional on-air eulogy for his friend.

6abc has been using Chopper 6 to cover traffic and events since 1980, when it became the first Philly newscast to deploy a helicopter to cover news across the region. Since then, the use of helicopters has become a common part of TV news reports across the city.
Former President Donald Trump walks off stage after speaking at a commit to caucus rally, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa. Read more

The Colorado Supreme Court delivered a surprise decision in an already unpredictable presidential election cycle Tuesday, ruling that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the states primary ballot.

Trumps lawyers have said they will appeal, and the ruling will likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court for an unprecedented determination. The central question: Can states ban a presidential candidate from the ballot under a clause in the 14th Amendment that prohibits insurrectionists from holding public office?

Similar legal challenges against Trump have been filed in a dozen other states, including Pennsylvania, but Colorados Supreme Court was the first to rule on the matter. The court there, which has a liberal majority, ruled 4-3 that Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and is thus ineligible to hold any public office.

The U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, could reverse the ruling, which would have a trickle-down effect for many similar lawsuits pending in other states around the country.

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In Pennsylvania one case has already stalled out, but more challenges could follow. And a state senator on Tuesday called for the secretary of state or the attorney general to move to remove Trump from the ballot here.

Heres what to know about the Colorado ruling and a similar effort in Pennsylvania:

Colorados Supreme Court ruled that Trump violated the U.S. Constitution and thus is ineligible to hold public office

The Colorado Supreme Court, with justices all appointed by Democratic governors, ruled that Trump is ineligible to return to the White House under the Constitutions insurrection clause. That clause, initially intended to keep Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War, bars anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it from holding public office.

Trumps defense attorneys had argued he could not be held personally responsible for the insurrection led by his supporters. They also noted that the 14th Amendment provision only names officers, including senators, presidential electors, and vice president, but didnt name the presidency.

In Colorado a liberal watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filed the lawsuit on behalf of six Colorado voters.

Trump could still appear on the ballot in Colorado. The deadline to print ballots for the states March 5 presidential primary is Jan. 5, and the Colorado court has stayed its decision until Jan 4. or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case  whichever comes first. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by the time the state needs to finalize its primary ballots.

The Colorado Republican Party has said it might hold a caucus instead of a primary to ensure Trumps supporters can vote for him.

What does the Colorado court ruling mean for Trumps 2024 campaign?

In 2020, Trump lost Colorado by 13 points. Its not a state on his map to victory, but if more parties in other states  particularly must-win states like Pennsylvania  follow suit and the U.S. Supreme Court upholds Colorados decision, the future of his candidacy could be put into question.

Cases have also been filed in New Hampshire, Michigan, Arizona, and Minnesota.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), said the Colorado decision is unlikely to impact cases already pending before other state courts, but its outcome could have a big impact on the presidential election in those states.

Its crucial for all Americans that the issue of Donald Trumps eligibility be resolved as soon as possible, Becker said. Thats particularly true for the Republican Party who needs to know if it has a qualified nominee, for election officials who need to know whether to put his name on the ballot, and finally for all the voters who need to know who their choices are.

A similar effort to remove Trump from the ballot failed in Pennsylvania

In August, John Anthony Castro, a Texas man running a long-shot campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, filed lawsuits in several states seeking to bar Trump from primary ballots using a similar argument that the former president was an insurrectionist.

But the case didnt go far in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court kicked the case to the state Supreme Court, which in October denied Castros application to be heard, effectively ending the case.

While Castro made a similar argument to the group in Colorado, he was a much different plaintiff: He isnt a Pennsylvania Republican voter and thus had less legal standing than the group that sued in Colorado.

Castro, 39, also didnt appear to have a lawyer actively working on the case. While he has described himself as an attorney on his campaign website, he is not licensed to practice law. Trump also hadnt yet filed nomination petitions in Pennsylvania when he filed the suit.

Others could still file cases in Pennsylvania seeking to remove Trump from the ballot

The Colorado ruling could now pave the way for someone else to try and make a real challenge to Trump here, election lawyer Adam Bonin predicted.

Any registered Pennsylvania Republican voter has the legal right to challenge Trumps qualifications for office, said Bonin, who largely works with Democratic candidates and said he will not be getting involved in the issue himself.

The architects of the Reconstruction Amendments  Americas second founding  understood how dangerous it would be to allow back into government those people who had demonstrated through their actions that they had rejected the Constitution and the rule of law, Bonin said. Donald Trump has demonstrated both before and especially since the 2020 election that he is such a person and therefore unworthy of the office, and the Colorado Supreme Courts analysis of these issues is thorough and serious.

While a challenge to Trumps candidacy could come in Pennsylvania, the state courts here might wait for the U.S. Supreme Courts decision before acting.

Democrats have a 5-2 majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court since Dan McCaffery won a November election.

A Pa. state senator is asking state officials take action

State Sen. Art Haywood (D., Philadelphia and Montgomery) on Wednesday afternoon called on Secretary of State Al Schmidt to remove Trump from the ballot given the findings by the Colorado Supreme Court. Haywood also said the attorney generals office could file a lawsuit to remove Trump.

I have many constituents in my district who ask me, How can a former president who engaged in insurrection be on the ballot? he said, noting election integrity is an issue for members of both parties.

Schmidts office said in a statement that the secretary didnt have the unilateral ability to make such a move. The attorney generals office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

What have legal scholars said about the issue?

While observers have noted the bar for the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Colorados ruling will likely be very high, even some conservative legal minds have written opinions in agreement with the Colorado ruling.

In an article written for The University of Pennsylvania Law Review earlier this year, prominent conservative law professors William Baude and Michael Paulsen wrote that Trump must be barred from the ballot due to the insurrectionist clause in the 14th Amendment.

The clause reads:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Taking Section Three seriously means excluding from present or future office those who sought to subvert lawful government authority under the Constitution in the aftermath of the 2020 election, they wrote.

J. Michael Luttig, a conservative former federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, gave a similar opinion in an article in The Atlantic this summer.

What did Trump and his GOP opponents say about the Colorado ruling?

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt slammed the ruling Tuesday as more than a political attack on President Donald Trump  its an attack on the Republican Party and an attack on the very fabric of America. She called on Trumps GOP opponents and President Joe Biden to speak out against it.

Trumps opponents have done just that.

I will tell you that I dont think Donald Trump needs to be president, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said. But I will beat him fair and square. We dont need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said: The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds.

Even Trumps most vocal GOP opponent, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, said while campaigning in New Hampshire that he thought Trump should be prevented from being the President  by the voters of this country, not by a court.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.
The city's Office of Homeless Services rapidly expanded after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic caused a spike in demand for its services, including the temporary transformation of a Center City hotel, above, into a quarantine site for people experiencing homelessness who were exposed to COVID-19. Read more

Philadelphias inspector general is investigating why the Office of Homeless Services spent nearly $15 million more than it was budgeted over the last four years.

Top officials in Mayor Jim Kenneys administration said they became aware of problems with the offices spending this fall, and Finance Director Rob Dubow requested the investigation.

Inspector General Alexander F. DeSantis confirmed Wednesday that his office received the referral and is looking into the matter. He declined to provide additional details.

The Office of Homeless Services spent $9.6 million more that it was allocated by City Council for fiscal years 2021 through 2023, said Mary Horstmann, the citys deputy managing director for health and human services. Additionally, it has overspent its budget in the current 2024 fiscal year by $5.1 million, she said.

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The inspector generals office looks into cases of potential fraud or misconduct and examines city spending, and the outcomes of its investigations can range from law enforcement referrals to recommendations to improve city processes.

Dubow and Horstmann said they so far have seen no evidence that self-enrichment or corruption was involved in the budget issues, but added that the inspector general is looking into all possibilities.

Although the amount of money involved is insignificant in the context of the citys $6.3 billion budget, it is unusual for a city agency to exceed its allocation by nearly $15 million over four years without the overruns being noticed sooner.

The Office of Homeless Services provides emergency housing, such as overnight shelters, as well as programs aimed at preventing people from falling into homelessness.

Horstmann, who oversees the office, said the budget overruns likely resulted from confusion caused by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The offices budget has skyrocketed since then, jumping from about $80 million in the 2020 fiscal year to nearly $130 million in the current budget. (About two-thirds of its funds comes from the city, with state and federal grants making up almost all of the rest.)

 READ MORE: Phillys annual census of youths experiencing homelessness attracts counters who care

During COVID, there were rising costs and grant funding that was coming in, and [the office was] growing to meet the demand, Horstmann said. It created confusion about what was going in and what was going out and what grants were going to be available.

The office pays contractors to provide services like shelter space and security. The overspending, she said, likely had to do with contracts being paid at the wrong time.

To address outstanding obligations, the office paid prior-year costs with funding from the current fiscal year, she said. I dont think they realized the extent of the deficit that was occurring until this year.

Dubow said one issue may be that the office tracked its contracts and grants on a calendar year basis, while the city budget process uses a fiscal year that begins July 1.

The office is now reforming its contracting process, including algining its reporting with the citys fiscal year and requiring the executive director to approve contract increases, Horstmann said.

The overruns occurred during the tenure of former executive director Elizabeth Hersh, who led the office from when it was reorganized at the beginning of Kenneys administration in 2016 until she stepped down in October.

Attempts to reach Hersh on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The budget issues did not play a role in Hershs departure, Horstmann said. David Holloman, who served as Hershs chief of staff, is now leading the agency as interim executive director. Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker has not yet announced who will lead the office under her administration.

To plug the funding gap created by the excess spending, the Office of Homeless Services this year asked Council to give it an additional $14.7 million as part of the midyear budget transfer that lawmakers adopted last week, at their last meeting of the year.

A Council member noticed irregularities in the departments budget months ago

Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, however, had been probing irregularities with the offices budget for months. She successfully pushed for Council to fund only the $9.6 million from previous years overruns while withholding money to close the $5.1 million gap that opened up this year.

The Office of Homeless Services will close that shortfall by freezing hiring for noncritical staff and delaying the launch of some programs, Horstmann said. Current services should not be affected, she said.

We received $9.6 million, so we are living within our means now, Horstmann said. We take full responsibility.

Gilmore Richardsons interest in the office was piqued last year after she received poor customer service while seeking shelter space for constituents and felt that the office needed to be looked at with a real magnifying glass in the budgeting process.

She has since been pushing for the office to open a new intake center for families seeking overnight shelter, and her staff is examining nearly 1,000 pages of the offices financial records. They found red flags, Gilmore Richardson said, including charges from vendors that didnt match the amount budgeted.

Thats not out of the norm, but some of the numbers were so far off, she said. I continued to ask for additional documentation to try to make sense of how we could get a second intake shelter, and at every turn there were more things that didnt make sense.

Staff writer Joseph N. DiStefano contributed to this article.
Wells Enterprises, whose Dunkirk ice cream plant was in jeopardy just over a year ago with nearly half of its jobs at risk, will get nearly $12 million in tax breaks from Chautauqua County to support a major renovation and expansion, after it was acquired early this year by an Italian sweets giant.

The county Industrial Development Agency approved $11.5 million in sales tax breaks and $450,900 in property tax breaks for a $250 million project that will ultimately result in a new, more efficient facility.

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The privately owned company said it will spend $150 million on construction and renovation and another $100 million on furniture, equipment and machinery, according to its application to the CCIDA.

Wells will add 250 new jobs on top of 400 existing jobs, cementing the plants future in Dunkirk, where it makes ice cream and frozen novelty products. The companys payroll in Dunkirk is about $17 million, but thats expected to rise to $26 million within three years. The investment in Dunkirk illustrates our passion to provide high-quality premium ice cream products that bring joy to consumers around the world, said Liam Killeen, Wells CEO.

Dunkirk ice cream plant to add 200 jobs Wells produces the Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop and Blue Ribbon Classics ice cream brands.

Wells announced plans in August for the expansion at its 217,500-square-foot facility at 1 Ice Cream Drive, where it expects to more than double its production capacity to support growth in its novelty and packaged ice cream products. The plant makes products under the Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop and Blue Ribbon Classics brands, which Wells is expanding nationwide under its new owner, Ferraro Group SpA of Italy.

Plans for the three-phase project call for demolishing the existing plant on the 18.3-acre site and building a 250,000-square-foot replacement over several years, while still maintaining operation and production. Wells also will construct a power substation to support the plant, on a 2.9-acre parcel at 115 W. Doughty St. Extension.

This is just such an exciting project, said Mark Geise, deputy county executive for economic development and CEO of the CCIDA. It really is a game changer for the county, and the north county in particular with the creation of jobs.

The CCIDA also agreed to extend a prior payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangement on the substation from 2020, matching it with the new one. The project is also receiving $10 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits from New York State and a $6 million grant from Empire State Development Corp., in exchange for the job and investment commitments.

Wells said the project would not proceed without the $11.95 million in tax breaks that represent less than 1% of its cost.

Work is expected to begin in the first quarter, with completion by year-end 2026.

The expansion marks a major reversal for Wells, which had disclosed plans in September 2022 to cut 319 of 643 jobs in Dunkirk because it said the facilitys production technology was outdated and inefficient.

But just three months after announcing the job cuts, Wells was acquired in December 2022 by Ferraro, a global food and sweets company whose brands include Nutella, Kinder and Tic Tac. That same month, the number of job cuts were trimmed by over 40% to 183, or 28% of the plants employees.

And while Wells said at the time that the reduction in job cuts was not related to the new ownership, Ferraro soon showed it had other, more ambitious plans.

Separately, CCIDA approved a $130,000 low-interest loan to a Forestville manufacturer that provides metal stamping, machining, welding and assembly services, particularly for auto parts.

Bailey Manufacturing Co., a 70-year-old minority-owned company, will use the 10-year loan at 4% interest to support a $330,000 project to construct a 7,000-square-foot prefabricated warehouse next to its production facility at 10987 Bennett State Road. Upon completion, the project will retain 65 jobs and create two new ones.

The company needs the expansion to accommodate business growth, as its current building is no longer sufficient to store the raw materials, finished goods and manufacturing operations. The company also leases two warehouses out of town, which creates logistical problems.

The new warehouse facility is a much-needed addition to our operation, said Bailey Manufacturing President and CEO John Hines. Not only will it help to significantly improve efficiencies, but will also make our operation more cost-effective over time.
A rendering of a senior apartment building (upper left) and townhouse community planned for Doylestown Township by the Arcadia Land Co. and Pennrose. Read more

The Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors approved a zoning change Tuesday that will enable a proposed affordable housing development to proceed.

The unanimous vote followed a positive recommendation Monday by the township planning commission, as well as a meeting of minds between officials of the township and the Borough of Doylestown in Bucks County.

A portion of the four-acre development site on North Broad Street is within the boroughs boundaries.

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the township and the developer, and were pleased with the outcome, Phil Ehlinger, the boroughs deputy manager, told the board.

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The Philadelphia developers, Jason Duckworth of the Arcadia Land Co. and Ryan Bailey of Pennrose, said the approval means they can apply for a federal low-income housing tax credit to help finance the $30 million project. The application deadline is Jan. 11.

Were rapidly moving forward, Bailey said.

It took some time to get to this point, Duckworth said, adding that the supervisor boards decision to delay approval provoked some hard conversations that had to take place.

The 280 N. Broad development would include a four-story, 60-unit apartment building for income-eligible tenants over 62. Three of those apartments would be set aside for people over 62 who are still working, and the building will be marketed to U.S. military veterans over 62.

The building would be part of a community that also will include 18 townhouses that will be offered for sale at market rates. The mostly vacant development site is across North Broad from a formerly industrial district of the borough, where residential, commercial, and recreational developments have been completed or are underway. The developers had sought approval of residential development on land zoned for light industry.

A dog park envisioned in earlier versions of the proposal and later eliminated has been revived. Instead of solely serving the pet owners among the residents of the new community, the half-acre space will be open to pet owners in the township and in the borough as well. Duckworth said the land for the park could be deeded over to the borough.
Phillys odds of meeting the governments unofficial criterion for a white Christmas  an inch of snow on the ground at Philadelphia International Airport at 7 a.m. Dec. 25  are minimal on almost any given year.

This year is a little different, say meteorologists. The chances are close to zero.

You might have a better shot at spotting a flying reindeer Christmas Eve than seeing snow on the ground or in the air on Dec. 25 in the Philadelphia region.

 READ MORE: Philly's record snow-deprivation streak could reach 700 days

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People dreaming of a white Christmas can probably keep dreaming, said John Feerick, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

In fact it will be merely a dream in much of the nation, not only this year but every year. The concept is far more about culture and legend than meteorology. This is not the snow season on the East Coast, and Philly has had a run of warm Decembers, with 16 of them this century finishing with above-average temperatures.

White Christmas, the math

Based on the National Center for Environmental Informations calculations using data from the 1991-2020 period, on average the probability that the criteria would be met at the official measuring station at PHL is just 9.3%.

In fact, at 10.9%, Center City has a better shot than the airport. Of course, with so many different elevations and levels of development, the Philly region is crawling with microclimate effects that can tilt the odds. For example, the chances in Coatesville are a robust 22.7%, and Mount Holly comes in at 11.9%, right around the national median.

The environmental center analyzed data from 4,500 stations and concluded that only about 1 in 5 of those had chances of 50-50 or better. If you want it bad enough, spend the holidays in Anchorage, where the probability is 100%.

 READ MORE: In a Philly winter, expect anything. For real.

So, why the fascination with Christmas snow?

If you watched enough Christmas movies, you might think its 100% across the country, and that likely has a whole lot to do with a poem of questionable authorship written long before the advent of cameras.

Credited to Clement Clarke Moore, the Account of the Visit of St. Nicholas was first published in the Troy, N.Y., Sentinel. You probably know it as Twas the Night Before Christmas. It took some liberties with the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas delivering gifts on his Dec. 6 feast day.

The flying reindeer and sleigh came courtesy of generous poetic license. A sleigh without snow would be like a SEPTA bus without wheels.

In those days, snow at Christmas would have been more common in this country in late December. That was the twilight of the Little Ice Age, an era dating to the Renaissance when Europe, northeastern North America, and perhaps other areas of the planet were colder than they are today.

The concept received a mega-jolt with Bing Crosbys rendering of Irving Berlins White Christmas in Holiday Inn, released in 1942.

As far-fetched as it may seem, Tin Pan Alley denizen Irving Berlin may well have been acquainted with sleigh bells ringing in the snow.

A film shot in 1898, when Berlin would have been about 10, and now in the possession of the Library of Congress, does show horse-drawn sleighs dashing through the snow in Central Park.

The reality

The sun reaches its nadir in the Northern Hemisphere at the solstice, but typically it takes a few weeks for changes in solar radiation to have full impacts on weather.

 READ MORE: So much has changed, but the magic and mystery of snow endure | Book excerpt

Note that the hottest part of summer on average occurs in July, not at the summer solstice.

Most of our big snows are results of coastal storms, which generate winds off the ocean. In December, Atlantic sea-surface temperatures still are in the 40s, so those onshore breezes are prone to import warm air, changing snow to rain.

The snow season around here usually doesnt get going until mid-January, when the effects of the diminishing solar energy kick in and the waters cool.

On average, the region receives about three inches of snow for the entire month of December.

This year, meteorologists are confident that none of that will be falling on the 24th and 25th.
The credit risk research provider suggested that the ultimate impact on the economy and public finances of Queensland remains uncertain, but it anticipates that the impact will not be significant enough to trigger rating changes within the next two years. This assessment is grounded in the belief that insurers in the region are well-positioned to handle the associated claims.
The protection gap is huge, that means that only up to 1% or 2% of the losses are basically covered. That means people are suffering, that means people need to get some help, and help we can find through pre-arranged finance. Pre-arranged finance is important because you also learn about how to manage your risks, understand your risks better and then work out and develop the right instruments that need to be taken, Zwick said.
In his new role, Tate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and executing insurance solutions in relation to the firms US inland marine business. He will also be engaging with brokers when it comes to their needs for risk management and digital underwriting, while also collaborating with Aspens first party lines of coverage.
One person was found dead after an early morning explosion and fire at a hotel in the heart of Pennsylvanias Amish-related tourism area, authorities said Monday.

State police in Lancaster County said the blast was reported shortly after 2:30 a.m. Monday at the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn in the Lancaster County community of Bird-in-Hand.

Trooper James Grothey said arriving first responders reported heavy fire and smoke, and multiple fire departments were sent to the scene.

Grothey said one person was found dead and a preliminary investigation indicates that this appeared to be a propane explosion. The name of the person killed was not immediately released.

John Smucker, owner of the company that runs the business complex that includes the hotel, said no guests were present since the inn closes the week before Christmas every year for maintenance and repairs, LNP reported. He said the blast, which flattened the front office, was unrelated to repair work since the inn had just closed and the work hadn`t begun.

Smucker said the restaurant next door was damaged as well and estimated total damage at $1 million to $2 million.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pennsylvania
A storm barreled up the East Coast on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees in the Northeast, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, and forcing flight cancelations and school closures.

More than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain had fallen in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania by mid-morning, and parts in several other states got more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph (113 kph) along the southern New England shoreline.

Power was knocked out for more than 700,000 customers in an area stretching from Virginia north through New England, including over 278,000 in Massachusetts and 263,000 in Maine, according to poweroutage.us.

In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills closed all state offices for the afternoon. With the storm expected to grow stronger in the coming hours, I encourage all Maine people to be safe and vigilant and to exercise caution when traveling, she said in a statement.

The weather service issued flood and flash-flood warnings for New York City and the surrounding area, parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire and Maine.

Trees and power lines fell in many areas, including some that landed on homes and cars. In the coastal town of Guilford, Connecticut, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Hartford, a tree fell on a police cruiser but the officer escaped injury, officials said. Certain roads throughout the region were closed due to flooding or downed trees.

Heavy rain and high tides caused flooding along the Jersey Shore, leading authorities to block off roads near Barnegat Bay in Bay Head and Mantoloking. The flooding was made worse by leaf piles that residents had put out for collection but was blocking water from reaching drains.

In northeastern and central Pennsylvania, heavy rain that fell overnight flooded ponds, streams and creeks in several counties, forcing authorities to close several major roadways.

The Delaware River spilled over its banks in suburban Philadelphia, leading to road closures. In the suburb of Washington Crossing, crews placed barriers along roadways and worked to clear fallen tree limbs. Seven people died after flash flooding in that area over the summer.

Many flights were cancelled or delayed across the region. Boston`s Logan International Airport grounded all flights Monday morning because of the poor conditions, leading to more than 100 canceled flights and about 375 delays, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware. At New York City area airports, nearly 80 flights were canceled and more than 90 were delayed.

In Rhode Island, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed parts of Providences hurricane barrier system to prevent flooding from storm surge, Mayor Brett Smiley said. The Providence River gates were closed in the morning and another gate was scheduled to close. City Hall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was closed due to leaks and water damage from its landmark tower, the city posted online.

Some schools canceled classes, sent students home early or delayed their openings due to the storm. Among them were schools in Vermont that closed early. A numbers of roads were also closed around the state due to flooding, including in Ludlow, the southern Vermont community that was hit hard by flooding in July. And authorities urged people in the village of Moretown to evacuate 30 to 50 homes because of flooding.

Commuter rail systems were reporting weather-related delays.

Take mass transit and stay off the roads if possible, New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X.

In New York City, high winds caused the temporary closure of the Verrazzano Bridge. It reopened later Monday morning, but with a ban on large vehicles. Rhode Island officials also were prohibiting tractor-trailers on the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano bridges over Narragansett Bay because of the wind.

State government officials urged people to avoid traveling and driving on flooded roads.

In western New York, several inches (centimeters) of lake-effect snow were expected Monday night into Tuesday as temperatures drop.

In South Carolina on Sunday, the tide in Charleston Harbor reached 9.86 feet (3 meters) just before noon, which was the fourth-highest reading ever.

This was a tough and frustrating day for our citizens, as historic high tides came up and over the land in the city, flooding cars, homes, businesses and streets, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said, adding there were no reports of serious injuries.

Tecklenburg said the city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to protect against tidal flooding and to adapt to sea level rise and climate change.

Monday`s rain and wind came a week after a storm caused flooding and power outages in the Northeast after spawning deadly tornadoes in Tennessee.

____

Associated Press reporters David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Bruce Shipkowski and Michael Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont, Michael Casey in Boston and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.

Photo: High winds drove surf into a retaining wall in front of a residence in Mattapoisett, Mass. on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 as a storm made its away across the region. (Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times via AP)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New York Windstorm Flood Connecticut Pennsylvania Maine Vermont
A helicopter crashed on Tuesday night in the Pinelands wilderness area of New Jersey, killing the pilot and a photographer who worked for ABC-TV news team in Philadelphia, WPVI.

The ABC news station said the chopper went down in Wharton State Forest in Washington Township just after 8 p.m. The two members of the ABC news team were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore.

The station said names of the crew members were being withheld until family members had been notified about the crash.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board which has been on the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350B2, which the television station WPVI leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. in North Carolina.

Topics New Jersey
Artificial intelligence programs cant be named as an inventor for patents, the UKs top court said in a crucial ruling thats in line with decisions in the US and the European Union refusing to put machines on a near-equal footing with humans.

Britains Supreme Court rejected the request by Imagination Engines Inc. founder Stephen Thaler, who sought patents naming his AI machine DABUS as the inventor. Laws on patents require an inventor to be a natural person and DABUS is not a person at all, the judges said, dismissing Thalers appeal unanimously.

The ruling is not concerned with the broader question of whether technical advances made by an autonomous AI-powered machine are patentable, the judges said.

Thaler had tried registering the patent in multiple countries for a beverage container and a flashing light saying DABUS was the inventor. Thaler didnt immediately respond to an email for comment. DABUS is a sentient being, he had previously said.

The UKs policy of prohibiting the grant of patents for AI-generated inventions acts as a major disincentive to innovation, Thalers lawyers had said during the hearings.

The governments lawyer had argued that allowing Thalers request would leave the UK as an outlier. If Thalers request is allowed, inventors in future could include my cat Felix or cosmic forces, the lawyer had argued.

Photo credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence
Howden, the London-based global insurance group, announced the acquisition of VLC & Partners Holding B.V., one of the largest independent insurance brokers in the Netherlands.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The business is currently under the ownership of Dutch insurer, De Goudse NV, and management. As part of the transaction, VLCs management team will roll part of their equity share into Howden.

This acquisition is amongst the most significant we have made in Continental Europe. VLC is an incredibly highly regarded business, known for the outstanding client service it provides, commented David Howden, CEO, Howden.

That they have chosen to join us is testament to our continued ability to attract leading talent in all our markets, our aligned cultures, client focus and the quality of our shared growth ambitions, he said.

Along with the newly announced acquisition of NORTH in Denmark, it clearly shows our patient, strategic commitment to the region; we are now a scale operator in every one of the major insurance markets in Europe, and we continue to deliver on our long-stated ambition to build the pre-eminent European broker for clients and talent by joining with the very best businesses.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Howden Netherlands will be led by Lando te Molder as CEO. The VLC name will transition to Howden in due course.

As part of our commitment to build on our top-tier position in the Dutch and international advisory market, selecting a strategic partner is of paramount importance, said Lando te Molder, VLC & Partners CEO.

We are delighted to have found a long-term partner that aligns seamlessly with our core values and ambitions. Howdens commitment to prioritising its people and customers perfectly resonates with our principles, he added. This partnership marks the beginning of a new chapter for us that will reinforce our international presence and create exceptional opportunities for further growth. It opens avenues for product and proposition development, digitalisation, and advancements in data and technology.

The acquisition follows Howdens recent acquisition of Denmarks NORTH Risk, and the Swiss reinsurance broker Haakon AG.

Completion of this acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and works council consultation.

Founded in 1994, Howden operates in 50 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, employing 15,000 people and handling $35 billion of premium on behalf of clients.

Source: Howden

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies
A Japanese toy company that said it had been an investor in 4chan is no longer being sued by victims and victims families of the May 2022 racist massacre at a Tops supermarket.

Plaintiffs attorneys did not oppose motions to dismiss the cases against Good Smile Company and two affiliates. The companies were co-defendants along with Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and others in lawsuits filed after 10 Black people were killed and three other people were injured by a self-avowed white supremacist in the horrific mass shooting at the Jefferson Avenue supermarket.

In their suits, both sets of plaintiffs alleged Good Smile had a controlling financial interest in 4chan, the fringe website on which the shooter who admitted to the racist violence wrote in an online diary he was introduced to the hate-fueled ideology.

The suits named Good Smile Company, Good Smile Company US and Good Smile Connect, LLC, as defendants.

The lawsuits allege the supermarket shooter was radicalized by content posted on various online social media platforms. Other defendants also include the sellers of the rifle, rifle accessory and body armor the shooter used.

Good Smile was a passive investor with no control of any of the sites operations, said attorney Joseph D. Lipchitz, who represents the companies.

Attorneys for Good Smile filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits and attorneys for the plaintiffs did not file any objection in court. Parties in one lawsuit agreed to drop Good Smile from the case in October, while the judge ordered the suits dismissal in the other on Dec. 11.

Good Smile, which makes toy figurines based on anime, manga and pop culture characters, was an investor in 4chan Community Support LLC, which is the company listed on 4chans website as its owner.

Good Smile Japan is no longer an investor in 4chan Community Support LLC, Good Smile CEO Takanori Aki said in an August affidavit filed in State Supreme Court.

In a statement in April reported by Wired.com, Good Smile said it severed any limited relationship we previously had with 4chan in June of 2022.

In a statement issued through an attorney, Good Smile Company said these lawsuits filed against us were based on misinformation from several sources, namely the media.

4chan Community Support has also filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits that remain pending.

During motion arguments in one of the cases in November, an attorney for 4chan said the case should be dismissed because the court lacks jurisdiction over it.

Plaintiffs in one of the suits, filed in May, are the families of Katherine Kat Massey, Andre Mackniel and Heyward Patterson, three of the victims killed in the May 14, 2022, shooting, as well as a survivor of the attack.

Plaintiffs in the other case, filed in July, include the families of Aaron Salter, Margus Morrison Jr., Pearl Young, Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield and Roberta Drury, all of whom were killed. Three Tops employees also are suing.

Both lawsuits are before State Supreme Court Justice Paula L. Feroleto.

In March, Wired.com reported that it received documents through a Freedom of Information request to the state Attorney Generals investigation in which the agencys investigators found financial ties between the owner of Good Smile and 4chan.
Tesla Inc has asked a U.S. judge to pause a federal agencys lawsuit accusing the electric carmaker of severe harassment of Black workers at its California assembly plant, saying two similar cases should play out first.

Tesla, in a filing in San Francisco federal court on Monday, said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rushed to file the lawsuit in September as part of a toxic interagency competition with a California civil rights agency that made similar claims last year.

The EEOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The EEOC alleges that from 2015 to the present, Black workers at Teslas Fremont, California plant have routinely been subjected to racist slurs and graffiti, including swastikas and nooses, and have faced retaliation for complaining.

Californias Civil Rights Department (CRD) in its 2022 lawsuit accused Tesla of tolerating similar conditions and discriminating against Black workers when making decisions about pay, promotions and work assignments. A pending proposed class action filed by Tesla workers in 2017 also alleges racial harassment.

Both of those cases are in state court and allege violations of California anti-discrimination laws. The EEOC lawsuit involves a separate federal law banning workplace race discrimination and harassment.

In Mondays filing, Tesla said the federal court should decline to wade into a third lawsuit until the existing cases are resolved.

Simultaneous prosecution of the state court actions and this case will involve substantial duplication of effort, create a significant risk of inconsistent court rulings, and result in an inefficient and wasteful use of judicial resources, Teslas lawyers wrote.

Tesla has denied wrongdoing in the pending cases and repeated those claims in Mondays filing, calling the allegations a false narrative that ignores Teslas track record of equal employment opportunity.

The company, meanwhile, is appealing a $3.2 million award granted to a Black former elevator operator at the Fremont plant in a separate race harassment lawsuit.

Topics Lawsuits California Tesla Manufacturing
Bankrupt pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp. agreed to begin court-supervised mediation with lower ranking creditors, including groups that blame the company for contributing to Americas opioid addiction crisis.

The company, backed by senior lenders, will negotiate with unsecured creditors about how to end the retailers insolvency case and on a potential loan package to fund the companys exit from bankruptcy, Rite Aid attorney Aparna Yenamandra said in court Tuesday. The company will try reach a deal before the end of January, Yenamandra said.

The pharmacy chain held a video court hearing Tuesday to ask US Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan to approve a $3.25 billion loan package to refinance older debt and to help pay for the companys reorganization case.

Rite Aid is trying to sell itself while under court protection in order to pay creditors owed billions of dollars. Should the company fail to find a buyer willing to keep at least part of the chain open, Rite Aid would be forced to liquidate. When retailers liquidate in bankruptcy, lower-ranking creditors are typically paid far less than if the company successfully reorganizes.

To be successful parties have to be available and talk to one another in good faith, said Arik Preis, a lawyer who represents the groups that are suing Rite Aid for its role in the opioid epidemic.

Like other US pharmacies, Rite Aid has grappled with more than 1,600 opioid-related lawsuits, according to court papers. The high cost of defending itself and the potential for losing some of the suits put pressure on the companys liquidity before it filed for bankruptcy in October.

Rite Aid will be negotiating with two court-supervised committees: a panel of unsecured creditors made up of lower-ranking debt holders like suppliers, and a committee of people suing the company for opioid-related expenses and other claims. The latter group is primarily made up of opioid claimants, and includes individual victims, an emergency room physician, a New York-based hospital and a national group of insurance firms.

Other major pharmacy chains have paid out billions of dollars to settle opioid disputes. Last year, CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. agreed to pay around $10 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits accusing the pharmacy owners of mishandling opioid painkillers. Rite Aid hasnt paid a similar settlement.

Rite Aid filed for court protection with plans to sell its valuable pharmacy benefits manager to MedImpact Healthcare Systems for $575 million, unless a higher bid comes in. Rite Aid is also trying to attract an offer for the entire chain, or for big chunks of the company. Often in bankruptcy, retail chains sell their stores in clusters if they cannot attract one big offer.

The case is Rite Aid Corp., 23-18993, US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

Photo: A Rite Aid store in the East Village neighborhood of New York. Photographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
Grissel Velasco didnt want more kids.

In 2014, Velasco  31 years old at the time  was expecting her third child, and was receiving care at Sun City Womens Health Care in El Paso, owned by OB-GYN and then-El Paso City Council member Dr. Michiel Noe.

With Sun City staffs guidance, allegedly at Noes recommendation, she paid to receive tubal ligation  also known as tube tying  at the same time she delivered her baby boy. Having any more C-section births in the future would be risky, she said she was told.

They were the ones who read the papers to me, and for that reason I signed to not have children, Velasco said in Spanish during an interview with KERA News. I agreed to not having more children.

But around October 2015, an at-home pregnancy test came out positive. An ultrasound at a New Mexico clinic confirmed Velasco was about four or five months pregnant with a healthy baby girl.

Velasco said she came out of the appointment in tears, terrified. She remembers later trying to explain to her sons doctor how she was pregnant again when her son was only about a year old.

I broke down in tears and said to her, Its not my fault,' Velasco said. She tells me, How come this isnt your fault? I tell her, no, its not my fault. I mean, I paid to have surgery, and I dont know what the doctor did, because Im pregnant again.

Nearly 10 years later, Velascos medical negligence lawsuit against Noe and his clinic is in front of the Texas Supreme Court. The courts ruling could determine to what extent people can be awarded damages for the burden of an unwanted pregnancy  or it could protect medical professionals from liability for causing those pregnancies due to negligence.

Its also a ruling that could have major implications in a state like Texas, where strict abortion laws make getting an abortion nearly impossible after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

What the law says

Texas abortion bans prioritize birth in almost all circumstances. The Texas Supreme Court examined the states narrow medical exemptions for abortion in court the very same day Velasco and Noes lawyers made their arguments to the state justices.

Velasco, now 40, said she didnt want an abortion and grew to love her daughter before she was born. But the unwanted pregnancy stirred up complicated feelings and put her life plans on hold. The Ciudad Juarez native is a nail technician and hoped to study cosmetology and eventually open her own salon.

I was late to accept my pregnancy, she said. It wasnt easy for me at all. I was very depressed, I cried a lot, sometimes I even had a really bad temper.

In an affidavit, Velasco also stated she sometimes felt suicidal, angry, distraught and guilty for feeling that way.

Dallas attorney Linda Turley said Texas courts have ruled in a number of ways on whether and to what extent damages can be awarded for an unwanted pregnancy caused by negligence. Turley  who is not involved with the lawsuit but has experience with medical negligence cases  said the cases novelty is probably why the states highest court accepted it.

What this case points out in conjunction with the elimination of rights under Roe is that when a woman does have an unwanted pregnancy in Texas, she has no options, Turley said. We have a very strict anti-abortion law, and a woman basically has no right to terminate her pregnancy, so that in situations like Ms. Velasco found herself in, were far more likely to see that pregnancy go to term  even though it is unwanted  when it results from medical negligence in providing care.

An El Paso district judge first dismissed Velascos claims of medical negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other allegations. But a state appeals court later decided the evidence supported her medical negligence claim. Noes lawyers disagreed and brought the case to the state Supreme Court.

Noe, 62, has owned and operated Sun City Womens Health Care since 2001. His lawyer Diana Faust declined KERAs requests for comment.

In court filings and during oral arguments, Noe and his lawyers say he didnt perform tubal ligation on Velasco because her medical records indicated she didnt request one. Noe testified Velasco also didnt wait the full 30-day consent period before getting her tubes tied, as required by law.

Faust isnt completely challenging the validity of Velascos claims, but she said if Noe were to pay damages for medical negligence, the amount would have to be equal to Velascos medical expenses caused by the unwanted pregnancy and birth  nothing more.

During Supreme Court oral arguments last month, she pointed out there are no other medical expenses on record for the pregnancy and birth aside from the $400 Velasco paid for tubal ligation, which was refunded around November 2015. The cap in Texas for noneconomic damages in a medical malpractice suit is $250,000, according to state law.

The court would have to conclude that this benefit, this joy, this blessing that is to be presumed from the birth of a healthy child is not a legal harm for which damages are recoverable, she said.

Overriding benefit rule

Whether having a child is an absolute benefit, considering also their health and chance of survival, is a question Texas courts have weighed in an array of cases for decades.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled in 1975 a couple could be compensated for the medical and hospital expenses of their disabled child. The couple argued Dortha Jean Jacobs could have terminated her pregnancy if she hadnt been misadvised by her doctor about the effects of rubella on her childs health.

A Waco appeals court ruled in 1995 that although Sandra Flax gave birth to a healthy child after a failed contraceptive procedure, she could still recover damages because of health issues she faced during the unwanted pregnancy.

Outside of medical negligence lawsuits, the Texas Supreme Court recently ruled that while Kate Coxs fetus received a tragic diagnosis of Trisomy 18, the Dallas native couldnt legally get an in-state abortion because she and her physician hadnt proved it was a life-threatening condition for Cox under the states medical exemption.

Joe Lopez, Velascos lawyer, argued his clients case isnt about the health, benefit or monetary value of a child. Its also not about a failed procedure, he said. Its about Noe and his staff allegedly failing to tell Velasco the procedure hadnt been performed.

Under that reasoning, she would therefore deserve compensation for the mental anguish, pain and suffering the alleged negligence caused, something Lopez said a jury should decide.

The court cant say, Oh my gosh, she had a baby, this is great,' he told the justices. Thats not how the world works anymore.

Velasco has nothing but love for her family, which has grown to five kids  she had her tubes tied three years ago while delivering her youngest. Having miscarried before, Velasco said being a mother is the best thing thats ever happened to her.

Still, Velasco said she would own up to the unexpected pregnancy if she believed it was her fault.

In this case, I can tell you I love my daughter, Velasco said. But the doctor made a mistake. So, its not that Im demanding money, far from it. Its just that the doctor  what is he doing as a doctor?

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/19/texas-supreme-court-tubal-ligation-lawsuit/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Topics Lawsuits Texas
WEST END, N.C. (AP)  Jesse Wimberley burns the woods with neighbors.

Using new tools to revive an old communal tradition, they set fire to wiregrasses and forest debris with a drip torch, corralling embers with leaf blowers.

Wimberley, 65, gathers groups across eight North Carolina counties to starve future wildfires by lighting leaf litter ablaze. The burns clear space for longleaf pine, a tree species whose seeds won`t sprout on undergrowth blocking bare soil. Since 2016, the fourth-generation burner has fueled a burgeoning movement to formalize these volunteer ranks.

Prescribed burn associations are proving key to conservationists efforts to restore a longleaf pine range forming the backbone of forest ecology in the American Southeast. Volunteer teams, many working private land where participants reside or make a living, are filling service and knowledge gaps one blaze at a time.

Prescribed fires, the intentional burning replicating natural fires crucial for forest health, require more hands than experts can supply. In North Carolina, the practice sometimes ends with a barbecue.

Southerners like coming together and doing things and helping each other and having some food, Wimberley said. Fire is not something you do by yourself.

More than 100 associations exist throughout 18 states, according to North Carolina State University researchers, and the Southeast is a hot spot for new ones. Wimberley`s Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association is considered the region`s first, and the group reports having helped up to 500 people clear land or learn how to do it themselves.

The proliferation follows federal officials` push in the past century to suppress forest fires. The policy sought to protect the expanding footprint of private homes and interrupted fire cycles that accompanied longleaf evolution, which Indigenous people and early settlers simulated through targeted burns.

Fire is medicine and it heals the land. Its also medicine for our people, said Courtney Steed, outreach coordinator for the Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association and a Lumbee Tribe member. Its putting us back in touch with our traditions.

The longleaf pine ecosystem spans just 3% of the 140,000 square miles (360,000 square kilometers) it encompassed before industrialization and urbanization. But some pockets remain, from Virginia to Texas to Florida. The system`s greenery still harbors the bobwhite quail and other declining species. The conifers are especially resistant to droughts, a hazard growing more common and more severe due to climate change.

A big tent of environmentalists, hunters, nonprofit groups and government agencies recently celebrated a 53% increase in the longleaf pine range since 2009, spanning an estimated 8,100 square miles (20,000 square kilometers). However, those strides fell short of their goal to hit 12,500 square miles (32, 000 square kilometers).

Private landowners are central to the coalitions latest restoration effort. They hold roughly 86% of forested land in the South, according to America`s Longleaf Restoration Initiative.

The partnership needs thousands of new landowners to support longleaf management on their properties. The nascent burn associations are vital in their education, according to a 15-year plan released in November.

Federal agencies back the endeavor through activities such as invasive species removal and land management workshops. Nearly $50 million in federal grants are available for projects bolstering forest health, including prescribed fire.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a Longleaf Pine Initiative partnering with burn groups like Wimberley`s. Farm bill money supports planning and planting. Personnel can help install firebreaks.

But applicants are increasingly competing for limited funding that cannot cover all the needed maintenance burns, Longleaf Pine Initiative Coordinator Matthew Vandersande said.

Landowners say liability-concerned states are reluctant to send their relatively few burners onto private property and private contractors cannot meet the demand.

When it comes time to drop the match, you`re kind of on your own, said Keith Tribble, 62, who owns a North Carolina tree farm.

While state forestry services provide classes, Tribble credits burn associations for the hands-on experience and crews needed to confidently manage the pines.

Humidity and wind speed are the biggest factors in a burn plan, according to Hitchcock Woods Superintendent Bennett Tucker, manager of a private forest in South Carolina. The pine`s oils allow it to almost always carry fire and it typically burns at a relative humidity between 25% and 50%.

With a prescribed fire, we can control the where, the when, the how and all those factors by choosing the best conditions, Tucker said.

Handheld weather meters ensure wind speed, temperature and humidity fall within limits under plans written beforehand. The prescriptions also can reduce potential liability in the event a fire escapes. Runaway fires are rare, according to studies of federal agencies and surveys of community burn groups. Wimberley`s teams havent had one yet, even with 40 burns per year.

Climate change is reducing the number of safe burn days. Rising temperatures cause lower relative humidity in the South and intensify periods when its too dry, said Jennifer Fawcett, a North Carolina State University wildland fire expert.

As the severity and frequency of storms, droughts and wildfires increase, longleaf pines could become even more important for ecological resilience in the South. Deep roots anchor them during strong winds and stretch far into the ground for water. Flames enhance soil nutrients.

Further, the surrounding ecosystems have few known rivals for biodiversity in the U.S. Light pours through open canopies onto the sparse floor, giving way to flora like an insect-eating plant that needs sun exposure and wet soil. Gopher tortoises feed on the native vegetation and dig up to 15-foot (4.5-meter) burrows sheltering other at-risk species.

Its more than just planting trees, said Lisa Lord, The Longleaf Alliance conservation programs director. We want to take the time to restore all of the values of the forest.

A late 1920s education campaign known as the Dixie Crusaders harmed those interdependent relationships. Federal officials turned southerners against the practice and burning fell off. Flammable needles and wiregrasses piled up to dangerous tinder levels.

Wimberley`s family resisted, knowing their livelihoods depended on fire. His ancestors first applied it to sweat out the pine`s lucrative sap distilled into turpentine or exported as sealants. Later generations burned to shield crops.

Burning looks different from the times Wimberleys mother dragged kindling known as fat lighter through the forest. But public understanding of its importance is returning and the ranks are growing.

Were all a bunch of pyromaniacs, said Tribble, the tree farm owner.

Still, Tribble burns for a reason: he values connecting with people and the land.

Before his burns, brush cluttered the ground, choking water flow to parts of the property that were bone dry. Now water runs from more marshy areas and the squeaky call of the rarely spotted red-cockaded woodpecker resounds from mature pines. Wild turkeys appear when smoke fills the sky.

Steed, the Lumbee outreach coordinator, is heartened by the rekindling of this proactive fire culture beyond the tribe that she says introduced it to the region.

She ran through her grandfather`s scorched woods as a child, but the expanse has gone about a decade without fire. Steed plans to lead her first burn next year in Wimberley`s woods and then manage a family property she recently inherited.

It feels empowering, Steed said of prescribed fire. It feels like a very tangible way to connect to the past and also guide the future.

Photo: Courtney Steed and Jesse Wimberley walk on his property in West End, North Carolina. Grassroots forest burners are proving key to restoring a fire-loving ecosystem across the South. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Leadership North Carolina
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A former Florida sheriff`s deputy is claiming he had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland`s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly six years ago, his attorney argued Monday.

The legal team representing Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the victims families and survivors, even though the decision would likely be derided by the public.

Attorney Michael Piper told Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips that under the law, his client cannot be sued for anything he did or didn`t do during the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre. He cited appellate court cases that say police officers don`t have a legal obligation to protect others from third-party harm and cannot be sued for decisions they make during a crisis.

Piper said that while it might not be a popular decision, the judge must uphold the law and throw out the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. There are also suits filed against Broward Sheriff`s Office and two school security guards.

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, a 25-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student, is serving a life sentence for the murders and attempted murders.

There is a difference between legal duty and what I guess Ill call societal expectations, the attorney for the sheriff`s deputy argued. All the public will hear is that Peterson was in uniform and had a gun, he said, yet When faced with this murderous rampage going on in this three-story building, he doesnt have a duty to stop it?

People are outraged, Piper said, of the notion that a law enforcement officer doesn`t have a duty. Yes, that is exactly what we are saying. That is exactly what the law is.

But attorneys David Brill and Joel Perwin, representing the families and survivors, told the judge that Peterson`s actions both during and before the shooting fall outside the law`s protections because they were made in bad faith and with willful negligence.

Perwin said that according to Piper`s argument, Florida police officers could not be sued if they kept walking when they witnessed a robber attacking a liquor store clerk. Piper countered that while that might be unpalatable to the public, that is legally correct.

Brill said Peterson knew that Cruz was nicknamed Crazy Boy by campus security guards when he was a student two years before the shooting  and that he was considered by school staff to be the one person who could shoot up the school.

Yet, he did not have Cruz committed for mental treatment before the shooting, Brill argued. And just before the shooting  when Peterson learned Cruz had been spotted back on campus carrying a bag and backpack  the deputy didn`t order an immediate lock down.

His primary reason for being there was for the safety, health and welfare of the students and the faculty, Brill said of Peterson. He had a duty to protect the administration, the teachers and students to a variety of unreasonable risks, including active shooters.

Sitting in the gallery, Peterson shook his head and grunted in disagreement during Brill`s argument. The parents of two students who were killed, 15-year- old Luke Hoyer and 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, sat down just feet behind Peterson, who later moved to the other side of the courtroom before leaving.

Judge Phillips took the arguments under advisement and said she would rule soon. The trial is expected to start next year, if it goes forward.

The families and survivors have already settled claims with the FBI  whose agents failed to investigate a warning about Cruz  and the Broward school district for a combined $153 million.

In June, Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges of child neglect. It was the first time a U.S. police officer had been charged with failing to act during a school shooting. Legal experts said the law that prosecutors applied wasn`t written to address Peterson`s actions.

Security videos played during that trial show that 36 seconds after Cruzs attack began, Peterson exited his office about 100 yards (92 meters) from the school building and jumped into a cart with two civilian security guards who were unarmed. They arrived at the building a minute later.

Peterson got out of the cart near the east doorway to the first-floor hallway. Cruz was at the hallways opposite end, firing his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.

Peterson, who was not wearing a bullet-resistant vest, didnt open the door. Instead, he took cover 75 feet (23 meters) away in the alcove of a neighboring building, his gun still drawn. He stayed there for 40 minutes, long after the shooting ended and other police officers had stormed the building.

For nearly three decades, Peterson worked at schools, including nine years at Stoneman Douglas. He retired shortly after the shooting and was then fired retroactively.

Cruz pleaded guilty to the shootings in 2021. In a penalty trial last year, the jury could not unanimously agree that Cruz deserved the death penalty and he was then sentenced to life in prison. Florida subsequently changed its death penalty law so that only an 8-4 vote is required for a judge to sentence a convicted murderer to death.

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson, right, speaks with his attorney, Michael Piper, during a break in a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida
(Bloomberg)  Bird Global Inc., the company that put electric scooters onto the sidewalks of major cities, filed for bankruptcy with a plan to sell itself two years after raising $414 million from shareholders.

The Miami based company listed assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million in its Chapter 11 petition. The filing in US Bankruptcy Court in Miami protects the company from creditors while it develops a plan to pay them off.

A group of Birds lenders have agreed to loan the scooter firm money to help pay for its reorganization and the company has a tentative deal to sell itself to a Canadian firm, according to court documents.

Bird went public during a wave of blank-check mergers in which a publicly traded shell company combines with an existing business in order to avoid the traditional requirements of an initial public offering. Since then, multiple firms that went public as special purpose acquisition companies have filed for bankruptcy.

Bird shares plunged 97% this year as scooter enthusiasm faded and in September the NYSE began delisting proceedings against the company after its average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30-trading-day period fell below at least $15 million.

The worldwide scooter market is changing as cities impose regulations on the shared devices, which are sometimes left abandoned on street corners in towns with fewer restrictions. In Paris earlier this year, residents upset about uncontrolled parking voted to ban scooters, according to a report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

More than one-third of the top 100 cities have banned scooters, mainly in China, according to the report. Other major cities that reject the battery-operated devices include Barcelona, Philadelphia, Sydney, and Toronto, the report found. Pedestrians have complained of tripping over discarded scooters on sidewalks and lawsuits, including class-actions, have been filed around the United States.

Bird was founded by a former Uber Technologies Inc. executive, Travis VanderZanden, in 2017. It let customers remotely unlock the scooters and rent them using an app. The model was widely copied and turned Bird into one of the fastest startups to reach a $1 billion valuation at one point.

As part of its bankruptcy case, the company has filed several routine motions that would allow it to keep operating as it tries to close a sale and come up with a plan to repay creditors.

The case is Bird Global, Inc., 23-20514, US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida (Miami).

Photo: Bird electric scooters in San Jose, California, US. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Florida
WEST PARK, Fla. (AP)  Four people were injured in an explosion early Tuesday that severely damaged a Florida house, authorities said. Investigators were focused on gas as the possible cause.

The Broward Sheriff`s Office said in an email the blast was reported at 12:34 a. m. Tuesday in the city of West Park, a suburb of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood area.

Four people inside the house were taken to local hospitals. Details of their injuries were not immediately available.

Fire Battalion Chief Michael Kane told reporters the injured are members of the same family. The initial focus of the probe is a possible gas explosion, he said.

The sheriff`s office said some nearby homes and vehicles were damaged by the blast. Some homes were also evacuated by firefighters. No other injuries were reported.

The state fire marshal is investigating what caused the explosion.

Natural gas has been cited regularly through the years as the cause of home explosions around the country.

Photo: First responders work the scene of house explosion early Tuesday in West Park, Fla. (Joe Cavaretta /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida
Firefighters in the Denver metro area responded to the second large fire at an Aurora construction site in three days.

Officials have not yet determined the cause for either fire and have not suggested that they were related, but both are under investigation.

Saturday`s five-alarm fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m., said Aurora Fire Rescue spokesperson Andrew Logan, at a large apartment building that was still under construction. Responding crews went to the top floor of the five-story building where the blaze was reported to have started, but the dangerous conditions soon forced crews from several different agencies to focus on fighting the flames from outside the structure.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries but was not taken to a hospital and is recovering, according to a department statement.

No other buildings were damaged in the fire, Logan said, and firefighters were expected to remain on the scene through Saturday evening.

Another fire early Thursday morning engulfed several residential buildings that were under construction in a different Aurora neighborhood. Aurora Fire Rescue wrote in a statement that Thursday`s fire was a very volatile, highly dangerous scene and that responding crews used a hose line to keep nearby propane tanks from exploding. No one was injured in Thursday`s fire.

I believe the only thing those two have in common as of right now is that they both were under construction, Aurora Fire deputy Chief Caine Hills said in a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Training Development Construction
Toronto, Ontario - December 20, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) reports today on the Bronson Slope drilling program at its 100% owned Iskut property in Northwestern B.C.'s Golden Triangle. Results are confirming an extensive area of magmatic-hydrothermal alteration sourced from the high fluid flux of a porphyry mineral system that generated the unusually large explosive breccia pipe discovered in 2022 and the intermediate epithermal occurrence that expands the known Bronson Slope copper-gold deposit.

The 2023 Bronson Slope program was designed to evaluate simultaneously the potential to expand the Bronson Slope resource and test at depth for its source. Results identified broad zones of sericite-pyrite-carbonate alteration associated with continuous low gold grades. This is our second news release on Iskut 2023 exploration results; last week we released a report on our first drill program on the Snip North target (see here).

Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk commented: "One of the concepts that led us to acquire the Iskut Project was the expectation that a larger epithermal mineral deposit could potentially be preserved at Bronson Slope. This expectation has been confirmed but as we have learned more about this occurrence, we have become more convinced and excited about the potential to find its source porphyry. Next year's program will aim to integrate the upside at Bronson Slope with our hypothesis of a regional structurally-controlled porphyry district encompassing the entire Iskut project."

Drilling adjacent to, and mainly east of, the Quartz-Magnetite Breccia Pipe (QMBX), discovered in 2022, provided information on the potential to expand the existing Bronson Resource. Across this part of the project area, we encountered a clear upper zone hosted by a Triassic sedimentary section characterized by hornfels, bedded arkose and mudstone. Superimposed on this upper zone of thermally metamorphosed rock is a hydrothermal alteration including pyrrhotite-biotite-sericite and abundant carbonate tension gashes. Localized areas in this part of the system contain abundant sphalerite. This alteration style gives way to a lower zone of intensive sericite-pyrite-carbonate where gold grades are extensive.

This lower zone shows limited thermal metamorphism, possibly due to the intense texturally destructive alteration. Narrow zones of nearly massive sulfide (from 60 to 95 percent sulfide minerals) contain pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena and bornite which likely represent feeder structures. This discovery touches on one of the enduring enigmas of the Iskut property: the McFadden boulder field, a train of large, massive sulfide boulders with ultra-high base and precious metal grades which, until now, has had no counterpart to in-place mineralization.

Our 2023 drilling included some deeper holes to evaluate the source of the QMBX. These holes have provided more control on the geometry of the breccia zone. We are seeing narrow intervals of intrusive rocks at depth and within the breccia, but we have not yet identified the source intrusion for the QMBX. We continue to believe all the mineralizing phenomena at Bronson Slope are the result of a specific magmatic porphyry intrusion that gave rise to the breccia pipe and whose fluids evolved to generate the overlying epithermal system including its massive sulfide occurrences. This view encourages us to plan for an intensive deeper drill program for 2024.

Results to date are early stage, however most of the zones have been intercepted perpendicular to bedding that may have provided a primary control on the true width of the epithermal mineralization. Establishing the orientation of the mineral zones is still in progress; additional studies and drilling are required to confirm true widths of mineralization. An ongoing and rigorous quality control/quality assurance protocol is employed in all Seabridge exploration campaigns. This program includes inserting blind blank, duplicate and certified reference standards into the laboratory submissions. Assays methods were a 30-gram FA in conjunction with 35 element ICP-ES, at Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver B.C. Cross-check analyses are conducted at a second external laboratory on at least 10% of the drill samples.

Exploration activities by Seabridge at the Iskut Project are being conducted under the supervision of William E. Threlkeld, Registered Professional Geologist, Senior Vice President, Exploration of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Threlkeld has reviewed and approved this news release.

Seabridge holds a 100% interest in several North American gold projects. Seabridge's assets include the KSM and Iskut projects located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada's "Golden Triangle", the Courageous Lake project located in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Snowstorm project in the Getchell Gold Belt of Northern Nevada and the 3 Aces project set in the Yukon Territory. For a full breakdown of Seabridge's Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources by category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" are made as of the date of this document. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, interpretations, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the aim of integrating the upside at Bronson Slope with the Company's hypothesis of a regional structurally-controlled porphyry district encompassing the entire Iskut project; (ii) the narrow zones of nearly massive sulfide likely representing feeder structures; (iii) all the mineralizing phenomena at Bronson Slope being the result of a specific magmatic porphyry intrusion that gave rise to the breccia pipe and whose fluids evolved to generate the overlying epithermal system including its massive sulfide occurrences; (iv) the completion of an updated resource estimate in respect of the Bronson Slope area of the Iskut Project; and (vi) timing and extent of the work to be performed in work programs in 2024.

All forward-looking statements are based on Seabridge's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Seabridge's plans or expectations include the risk that: (i) the geologic formations at the Iskut Project do not conform to the interpretations of data and the geologic models that are the foundations for such forward-looking statements; (ii) the identified regional trend not being indicative of the presence of multiple porphyry deposits; (iii) the assumed presence of and continuity of metals at the Project between drill holes, including at grades estimated in the mineral resource estimate and the other assumptions underlying the resource estimate; and (iv) the availability of necessary equipment, supplies and personnel for the work programs, and other risks outlined in statements made by Seabridge from time to time in the filings made by Seabridge with securities regulators. Seabridge disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Rudi Fronk"

Chairman & C.E.O.

For further information please contact:

Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O.

Tel: (416) 367-9292

Fax: (416) 367-2711

Email: info@seabridgegold.com

More Info:

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Toyota Motor pledged fundamental reform after subsidiary Daihatsu Motor was forced to suspend all shipments  and now faces a government raid of its offices  following an investigation that found most of its vehicles werent properly tested for collision safety.

The situation presents a crisis of trust not only for the worlds largest carmaker, which suffered a another scandal last year with its other major unit Hino Motors, but also for the countrys automotive industry.

It is honestly surprising, Bloomberg Intelligence senior auto analyst Tatsuo Yoshida said, adding that it might be necessary for Daihatsu to suspend production as well due to the time it can take to reacquire certifications that were fraudulently obtained. Toyota wont be exempt from management oversight responsibility.

Toyota said in a statement that around 174 irregularities have been identified across 64 models, including in some cars sold under the Toyota brand. The move to suspend Daihatsus shipments will affect vehicles produced in Japan and overseas, and not only at Toyota factories but possibly also at companies like Mazda Motor and Subaru, considering Daihatsu provides manufacturing services to a range of other automakers.

Previously, only about half a dozen models were thought to be affected by the manipulated test results, but Toyota now says almost every car in Daihatsus line-up could be impacted. Japans transport ministry said it will conduct an on-site inspection of the companys offices.

The investigation centres around cars airbag control unit and found that the ones used during crash tests were different from the ones used in cars actually sold to the public. While those other test units were later found to meet industry standards, side-collision test results of the Daihatsu Cast and Toyota Pixis models may not comply with the law, Toyota said.

Toyota said its not aware of any accidents or incidents related to the issue.

Daihatsu admitted in April that it fudged crash test results on 88,000 cars that were manufactured in Thailand and Malaysia and sold within the past year. Third-party investigators, led by TUV Rheinland Japan, said Wednesday the irregularities date back as far as 1989 but began to ramp up in 2014.

Labor conditions resembled a black box where those in charge of manufacturing sites were under so much pressure to deliver good results that they couldnt report issues further up the chain of command, Makoto Kaiami, chair of the investigatory committee, told reporters at a press conference. That upper management wasnt involved with workers is itself a problem. Daihatsu produced more than 1.7 million vehicles worldwide in fiscal 2022, around half of which were made in Japan. It holds a roughly 30% market share for kei cars  pint-sized vehicles that have been snapped up for years by domestic customers  making it an industry leader along with rival Suzuki Motor.

Outside of kei cars, Daihatsu, which is based in Osaka, is known for its line-up of lightweight vehicles and sedans that are popular across Japan and Southeast Asia, include the Gran Max pickup and vans and Terios and Xenia passenger vehicles.

Its been a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota since 2016 and accounts for roughly 4% of Toyota groups global vehicle sales.

This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight, Toyota said in its statement. It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organization and structure as well as a change in human resource development and awareness of each and every employee.

Last year, Toyotas truck-making subsidiary, Hino Motors, admitted to falsifying emissions data. Hino, which is 50.5% owned by Toyota, said in August 2022 that engine exhaust values were falsified for vehicles that were manufactured as far back as 2003.

Those revelations came to light after a third-party panel submitted a report to Hino detailing its findings. The company vowed at the time to work on imposing measures that would stop anything happening again and said it would improve management and compliance.

In 2017, Japans Takata filed for bankruptcy after almost a decade of recalls and lawsuits related to its airbag inflators, which have been linked to several deaths and scores of injuries around the world because they can rupture and send metal fragments flying.

Denso, one of Toyotas biggest suppliers, said this month that its been working since 2020 with six major Japanese carmakers to recall 3.8 million faulty fuel pumps.

Nissan Motor earlier this year issued a recall of about 1.38 million vehicles including Note, Kicks, Serena and Leaf models and impacting vehicles in the US, Europe and Japan.

That recall involved several issues, including cars suddenly accelerating after exiting cruise control and a short circuit that can cause motors to stop while driving.

- Bloomberg
The latest New York State assessments in English language arts and math continue to show a gap between urban school children and their peers from wealthier suburbs.

This years results, released to the public late last week, are the first assessments to test students in third through eighth grade on their knowledge of the Next Generation Learning Standards. Because they are based on new standards, state officials say an accurate comparison cannot be made to previous state tests that use older, different standards.

Statewide, 48% of students were proficient in ELA, and 52% were proficient in math in the tests they took in the spring.

Buffalo was superior in both to Rochester and Syracuse, but far behind New York City.

In Buffalo, 27% of students were proficient in ELA, and 23% were proficient in math. That compared to 52% in ELA and math in New York City.

State English and math test scores have been released. What does that mean for WNY? Data sets released by the State Education Department Friday afternoon show overall proficiency across the state has improved by 1 percentage point in English language arts, to 48% proficiency, and 13 percentage points in mathematics, to 52% proficiency, but due to changes in scoring and standards, these higher numbers do not necessarily indicate improvement.

The rates in Rochester were 16% in ELA and 14% in math. Syracuse had 20% proficiency in ELA and 16% in math.

Fewer than 20% of Black and Hispanic students in Buffalo were proficient in ELA and math, while their white classmates showed proficiency rates of 43% in ELA and 40% in math.

We are deeply concerned by the results of the 2022-23 New York State assessments for grades three through eight, Jeff Smink, interim executive director of the Education TrustNew York, said in a news release.

He said the group is particularly concerned about third-grade ELA and eighth-grade math results as indicators of future academic success. Fewer than 40% of Black and Latino students scored proficient.

We urge state and local education leaders to address these priorities by providing all students with access to evidence-based instruction in math and literacy, diverse and effective educators and a positive school climate, Smink said.

Of the 55,300 students in Erie County, 40% were considered proficient in English language arts, and 46% in math.

From a total of about 12,000 Niagara County students, 37% were deemed proficient in English language arts, and 48% in math.

This is the third straight year state officials have cautioned about comparing results to prior years.

However, when weighing the latest results between wealthier suburban districts and poorer urban schools, the differences generally remain as stark as always.

In Williamsville, for instance, 70% of students were deemed proficient in ELA, and 78% were proficient in math.

In Buffalo, the results in City Honors, which serves students in fifth through 12th grade, 80% were proficient in ELA, and 85% were proficient in math. The scores at Houghton Academy were 30% in ELA and 25% in math. Herman Badillo Bilingual was among the lowest performing, with 13% proficient in ELA, and 7% in math.

The emphasis on state tests began to wane during the pandemic, and continues to wane as educators across the country  including in many college admissions offices  question the importance of standardized testing as the key gauge in determining future academic success.

State education officials have rolled out results differently during this period, as well.

In previous years, the state education commissioner would hold a press conference with reporters from around the state to discuss the results. Statewide results in recent years have been released in October. This year, the results came out in December.

New York did not administer the assessments in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, four out of every 10 students took the tests, and state Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said the number was so low that the results should not be compared to previous years. But she held a remote webinar to discuss the results and conclusions.

Last year, the state Education Department issued a press release, but there was no webinar or press conference. The department said in a press release that due to the ongoing impacts of Covid-19, it may not be appropriate to compare 2021-22 NYS standardized assessment results with results from prior years.

This year, there was no press release announcing that statewide data was available.

The state Education Department provided individual student test scores to districts in September, according to spokeswoman Erica Conley-Komoroske. She said in an email that principals and teachers have had access to instructional reports showing how students in their classroom performed on each question on the test since June.

David ORourke, superintendent of Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, said the assessments provide one data point on how students have performed.

Student performance information should come from multiple sources, including teacher interactions, classroom assessment, state-level assessments, and other measures, he said in an email.

The state assessment results, coupled with DIBELS and i-Ready scores, allow us to measure learning throughout the year and offer interventions that target students learning needs more effectively, and pinpoint areas that may require further supports or interventions, Buffalo Schools Superintendent Tonja M. Williams said in a statement.

News Enterprise Editor Patrick Lakamp contributed to this report
Ryanair has won its court challenges arguing rival airline Air-France KLM received allegedly unfair financial assistance during the pandemic.

The EU General Courts ruling annulled the eurozones approvals for the financial support worth 7bn, saying regulators failed to vet the potential impact of the French governments aid package, not just on local unit Air France but also on Dutch arm KLM.

The European Commission had given the nod to the French aid and a separate 4bn recapitalisation during 2020 and 2021, aimed at giving Air France-KLM some breathing room as it confronted one of the worst crises to hit the airline industry.

Following the outcome of the ruling, Ryanair has called on the European Commission to order France to immediately recover this multi-billion euro illegal state aid package from Air France-KLM.

The airline called the European bodys approach to state aid spineless in a scathing statement after the judgements were released.

Ryanair has filed more than two dozen challenges to the vast amounts of state aid given by governments to local carriers, arguing the measures should not have been waved through by the EUs executive because they distorted competition in the industry.

Air France-KLM said it would carefully study the judgments and would consider whether to lodge an appeal. It said it had by now fulfilled all exit requirements of all state aid, The commission in Brussels said it would also reflect on the possible next steps.

In April, the group announced it had fully repaid the 300m in remaining state aid in form of hybrid perpetual bonds. The move was similar to a repayment of state aid by German rival Deutsche Lufthansa to the government, freeing the companies of conditions that included abstaining from acquisitions.

Air France-KLM has since said it plans to buy Scandinavian carrier SAS AB, and the airline group has expressed interest in Portugals TAP, as consolidation in the European aviation industry gathers pace.

A lower EU court in May toppled the EUs approval of a 6bn German recapitalisation for Lufthansa, which the airline is challenging.

"Todays judgments confirm that the commission must act as a guardian of the level playing field in air transport and cannot sign off discriminatory state aid issued by national governments. The courts intervention is a triumph for fair competition and consumers across the EU," said a Ryanair spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary is poised to secure a 100m bonus if the low-cost airlines shares keep rising, the Financial Times reported.

According to a 2019 bonus plan, Mr OLeary, 62, stands to earn share options valued at about 100m if the companys shares maintain a price of 21 for 28 consecutive days, the newspaper said.

The payout would come in the form of options to purchase 10 million shares at 11.12 each.

Ryanair said in November full-year profit would be in a range of 1.85bn to 2.05bn.

The airline has cautioned a significantly higher fuel bill and delays with deliveries of Boeing Co aircraft are having adverse effects. The extra fuel costs means Ryanair is unlikely to replicate the performance of last years fiscal third quarter, the company said, while visibility into the traditionally weak fourth quarter remains very limited".

The company continues to expand, though, as it benefits from post-covid pent-up demand. In September, it announced 30 new jobs would be created at Cork Airport as part of an overall 279m investment by the airline.

 Bloomberg with additional reporting by the Irish Examiner
Attendees at the National Beef Conference learned how 1,250 French farmers are paid for their verified emission reductions and carbon removals.

About 2,500 low-carbon projects on these farms are certified by the French government, with an average of 550 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) avoided per farm.

At the Beef Conference, Anais LHote from the French Livestock Institute (IDELE) said there is a payment of 40/t of CO2-equivalent, which includes 32 for the farmer.

There is 5 for the company that advises the farmers, and 3 for the France Carbon Agri (FCAA), a company created by breeders associations, which makes the link between farmers, advisory organisations, the French Ministry for Ecological Transition, and the funders of low-carbon projects, which are mainly companies buying carbon credits.

The projects are part of the Label Bas Carbone certification framework, which is managed by the Ministry, and was created in 2018, to certify low-carbon projects in France.

A Label Bas Carbone project is defined as one with a limited lifetime that reduces emissions or stores carbon. The emissions reductions achieved are verified by an independent auditor, and then recognised by the Ministry.

It is part of Frances bid aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, which requires a fourfold reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared to 1990.

Farms seeking Label Bas Carbone certification must be under a stocking rate equivalent to 170kg of organic nitrogen per hectare. The initial stage involves establishing baseline values for a farms carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions. The French Livestock Institute has developed the Carbon Agri Method to assess the carbon footprint of farms.

Its based on lifecycle analysis and all the farm is taken into account, Anais explained. Not only the emissions coming from the farm, but also manufacture and transportation of inputs. Both direct and indirect emissions reductions, as well as carbon storage, are assessed.

Label Bas Carbone projects last up to five years. An initial carbon audit is carried out on the farm. The farmer, together with the adviser, agrees on a carbon plan, choosing from a range of potential practices which may address inputs, fuel and electricity consumption, crop management, fertiliser application, herd management, feed and/or manure management. Any practices that reduce GHG emissions or which increase carbon sequestration can be included.

Following acceptance by the Ministry, the farmer implements the plan, supported by the advisor. Other indicators that are monitored include biodiversity, ammonia emissions, water quality, renewable energy production, soya consumption, irrigation, surfaces with plant cover, and the quantity of products sold through direct distribution.

A midterm review is undertaken so that any necessary adjustments can be made. The carbon gain is the tonnes of CO2 avoided thanks to this project, Anais explained. The tons of CO2-eq avoided (reduced or removed) by the farmer are determined from a final independent carbon audit. This compares the baseline data prior to the commencement of the project in Year 1 with the reductions achieved.

The role of France Carbon Agri (FCAA) is to act as a representative of the farmers, undertaking many of the administrative processes such as submitting farmers files to the Ministry to get the labelling, as well as liaising with advisors and those purchasing carbon credits. It saves farmers time and costs, also hiring the external auditors to verify emissions reductions.

The Label Bas Carbone certifies emissions reductions. These certificates are purchased by companies or public organisations to offset their residual emissions or to make a voluntary contribution to climate change mitigation. These include banks, agrifood industries, restaurant chains, energy companies, service companies and so forth.

For example, in France, Lidl decided to fund its beef suppliers Label Bas Carbone projects.

Other companies buy the Label Bas Carbone certificates to voluntarily offset their residual emissions or to advertise their involvement in a low-carbon transition initiative. A recent law passed by the French government stipulates that airlines will have to offset all the emissions generated by local flights from 2024.

A second law targets emissions from coal-fired power plants. The French government authorised some of these power plants to extend their functioning for the winter only on the condition of offsetting all their emissions, decreeing that it is mandatory for them to fund French low-carbon projects.

Anais explained that the level of trust in Europe generally in carbon credits tends to be low, with some instances of over-estimation of the credits eroding their credibility. There are also issues of lack of transparency by some companies purchasing carbon credits.

She said that there are some reservations in some quarters also about the Label Bas Carbone approach because it generates certificates rather than carbon credits per see, and the certificates are non-transferable.

Also, there are suggestions that the results are measured too late in the life of the project to fully capture the emissions reductions achieved. However, Label Bas Carbone is acknowledged to be certifying high-quality projects.
Pedigree beef breeders have found the genetic merit of around 25,000 animals, 4.5% of their bulls born in 2022 and 2023, which are yet unsold were reduced by the recent Beef Euro-Star index changes.

Despite assurances from ICBF, there have been calls to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to intervene, and to ask the ICBF to pause the index changes.

Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) chief executive Sean Coughlan explained how the re-classification of beef indices affected breeders, in a statement issued to the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture.

The 4.5% of bulls lost their eligibility for the Suckler Cow Efficiency Programme (SCEP), in which breeding bulls must be four or five-star rated.

However, only 40% of pedigree bulls sold to suckler herds were sold into SCEP herds, in 2022, Mr Coughlan said. "60% were sold into non-SCEP herds".

He added: On the replacement index (Across Breed), 8% of the bulls that were previously four or five stars are now not. Some of those bulls would be four or five stars on the within-breed replacement index or on the Terminal index, and therefore are still scheme-eligible.

...This week, we have written to all SCEP participants. We will be doing further direct communication to allay fears and to ensure farmers have a full understanding of what the changes are, and how these changes will benefit the national suckler herd".

Suckler farming continues to be under pressure from many fronts. We are very confident in the ability of genetics to deliver improved economic, environmental, and social sustainability for Irish suckler farmers. The new economic values are more representative of the impact that advances in production traits have on the profitability of Irish suckler beef production systems.

Understanding of genetic merit

He explained how a star rating system was introduced in 2012 to make it easier for beef farmers to quickly understand the genetic merit of an animal. The top 20% animals would be five star, the top 40% would be four star.

He said these Euro-Star ratings have been widely used in stock-bull purchasing decisions over the past number of years. Analysis has shown that five-star animals consistently outperform one-star animals, proving the effectiveness of these indexes in improving profitability on Irish beef farms.

Genetic trends in the suckler herd have been positive in recent years, with improvements in the suckler cow herd while also progressing on the terminal side, with carcase weights and conformation improving, and earlier age at finishing.

In changes to the Euro-Star Indexes, input (feed, labour, etc) and output prices (per kg of beef carcass and per kg of weaning weight) have been updated, along with incorporating carbon into the indexes, to help produce a lower carbon-footprint animal.

The latter was done by assessing the impact of a unit change in each performance trait on-farm emissions and converting this to monetary values by assuming a carbon price of 80/t. Three other new traits were incorporated into the indexes; finishing age, TB resistance, and carcass specifications.

The economic values for calculating indexes were previously updated in 2015. Since then, input prices settled at a a new baseline much higher than heretofore. Beef prices also increased (ICBF includes a 16% increase relative to 2015).

So its a major challenge for beef systems to manage production costs, said Mr Coughlan. And there is also the ambition to further reduce GHG emissions from beef cattle in line with government objectives to reduce emissions from agriculture by 25% by 2030 relative to 2018.

Future-proof

While we accept, that at the present time, farmers do not get rewarded for reducing GHG emissions, there are clear policy, market and consumer signals that this is an important issue and we must future-proof farmers interests through the indexes in line with these expectations, said Mr Coughlan.

These new economic figures have been applied to the evaluations to make them more relevant.

The changes are of course additional to the changes in ICBFs six valuations per year as new data on animal performance becomes available (mart data, factory data, calving data, etc.). There are also evolutions in terms of how ICBF calculates the indexes.

After the recent big changes to the star ratings, 84% of the females who were four or five star before remain in the four or five star category. Those that have dropped in the star ratings will hold their original star rating qualification status for the duration of the SCEP scheme.

Implement a strategy

Mr Coughlan said 82% of herds have enough females in the herd to make them eligible for the next SCEP deadline at the end of 2025. We will need to engage with some farmers, especially those with closed herds, in order to help them implement a strategy that keeps them SCEP compliant, but this will be a minority of herds.

But Minister McConalogue has been asked to intervene by representatives such as Sinn Fein agriculture spokesperson Claire Kerran.

She said she spoke to a farmer who lost more than 100,000 overnight. He had to tell his daughter she will not be able to go to college, as the family will not be able to afford to send her there.

She said the cross-party Oireachtas committee addressed by Mr Coughlan was unanimous and united in its ask of the ICBF to pause the changes it has made to the index and to engage, as it ought to have done in the first place.

Minister McConalogue responded that he was aware of the concerns among some farmers about the recent changes to the ICBF beef index, particularly farmers participating in the SCEP.

He welcomed ICBFs commitment to convene an industry stakeholder forum to address issues and concerns raised by suckler farmers and pedigree breeders.

He said animals in SCEP herds whose index falls will not be impacted by the changes, unless the SCEP participant sells an animal that has gone down in rating.

It is only when this animal moves out of this herd, that its three-star rating will become applicable and it will no longer meet the four-star and five-star eligibility criteria.

If a farmer owns one of the 16% of cows that were four-star or five-star but dropped, the farmer will still get paid the SCEP money as long as the cow remains in the herd.
The Taoiseach and minister for finance have been asked to intervene after farmers found they can no longer reclaim or get a refund on Vat for several essential farm items.

Farmers all over the country who are unregistered for Vat say there has been a sudden, unannounced change by Revenue on the refund of Vat at 23% for such items as meal bins, milk bulk tanks, automatic calf feeders, milking parlour equipment, automatic scrapers, and slurry bags.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners, and referred the matter to the minister for finance after independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath raised it in the Dail.

Mr McGrath warned issue could break some farmers.

Essential farm items

Tipperary Fianna Fail TD Jackie Cahill also told the Dail that farmers who are unregistered for Vat have always been able to reclaim Vat for infrastructural projects on their farms. But in the past couple of months, Revenue has started to exclude items from that list - for example, slurry bags, automatic calf feeders, bulk milk tanks, and automatic scrapers.

It completely changes the Vat treatment for farmers unregistered for Vat. I request that the Government open dialogue with Revenue to get these decisions reversed. If they are not reversed, the whole issue of the Vat rebate rate for farmers, which is currently set at 4.8%, has to be revisited, he said.

Cork South-West Fianna Fail TD Christopher OSullivan added that there were several essential farm items for which farmers can no longer reclaim or get a refund on Vat.

He said farmers are trying to invest multiples of thousands of euro into their farms to make them more efficient and sustainable.

Now, however, they essentially are being penalised for that because they can no longer claim back Vat on items when they were once able to do so, in many cases, at a Vat rate of 23%.

Young farmers

He warned many young farmers, in particular, getting bulk tanks installed or with planning permission and contractors ready to go, may already have sorted out bridging loans in the full expectation that they would get this Vat refund.

In some instances, this is coming to 40,000 or 50,000 or even more, he said, explaining that the farming sector has been dealt blow after blow in recent months.

I do not see why the Revenue Commissioners are hell-bent on penalising these farmers... We celebrated that the new TAMS ceiling goes to 80,000. This completely erodes any benefit of that for most of these farmers.

EU law

The Vat treatment of goods and services is subject to EU Vat law, with which Irish Vat law must comply. Farmers can elect to register for Vat and charge Vat on outputs, and claim Vat on costs.

A Vat-registered farmer would be entitled to reclaim Vat incurred on a range of items, including new farm buildings and structures, as well as farm equipment such as feed bins, milk tanks, automatic calf feeders, milking equipment, automatic scrapers, as well as farm machinery such as tractors, balers, etc., and Vat on running costs, such as agricultural diesel and energy. In general, registered farmers are in a net repayment position for Vat.

Alternatively, farmers can remain unregistered for Vat purposes and opt for the flat rate farmers scheme. This scheme is a long-standing arrangement under EU and national Vat laws that allows farmers who remain unregistered for Vat purposes to be compensated on an overall basis for the Vat incurred on their purchases of goods and services.

It is designed to reduce the administrative burden on farmers and allow them to charge and retain a flat rate in addition to the amount that they charge for the agricultural goods and services they supply.

The flat-rate addition was reduced to 4.8%, with effect from January 1, 2024, on the amount payable to the farmer.

Unregistered farmers may also be able to avail of a Vat refund on certain expenses allowed under the Vat refund order.

Refunds

This Vat refund order allows for refunds of Vat incurred on the construction, extension, alteration or reconstruction of a farm building or structure; on fencing, draining and reclamation of farmland; and on the construction, erection or installation of qualifying equipment for the microgeneration of electricity for use in a farm business.

Vat incurred for other purposes, such as the purchase of equipment or machinery, does not come within the scope. According to the Revenue, where the installation of equipment requires the alteration or reconstruction of a farm building or structure, the corresponding outlay has been allowed in certain circumstances.

Revenue says it has not changed its approach to the refund order. Rather, each claim is assessed on its own merits. Claims that do not meet the conditions of the refund order cannot qualify.

Expanding scope of refund not possible

Replying on behalf of the government, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan said Ireland maintains the Vat refund for unregistered farmers under a historical derogation permitted by the EU Vat directive.

Expanding the scope of the refund order is not possible, and it would not be compatible with the EU Vat directive.

At no stage has the refund order provided a basis for Ireland to issue Vat refunds to unregistered farmers regarding farm equipment.

In the event that farmers have a query on the Vat refund order, they can contact Revenue through any of its secure online services.

He added that where a Vat refund is refused, the decision can be appealed to the Tax Appeals Commission.
My first bit of advice for Christmas is dont fret. I have selected lots of drinks below but you dont need them all! Choosing drinks for Christmas can feel like a rather monumental challenge, but in fact you should keep it fairly simple and go for the reliable and classic rather than being too adventurous.

My recommendations are a mix of classic and modern wines with an emphasis on flavour.

Christmas Dinner wines

What to serve with Christmas dinner is the most fraught drinks decision of the year in many houses. Not mine, I simply drink what I am in the humour for on the day. However, it helps that I always have several bottles from which to make my choice.

In the past I have served Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Red Burgundy, Morgon Beaujolais; Californian Pinot Noir, Vintage Champagne, Napa Valley Zinfandel and Cru Classe Red Bordeaux. Champagne and Cru Classe Bordeaux are not usually recommended because they are rather drier in style, but I didnt regret it  the wines were delicious and matched well enough. The bottom line is: this is a celebratory day and if you have a favourite wine you want to drink, go for it.

Roast turkey is an easy match because the meat is neutral and almost any wine will make an impression. Ham, stuffing, parsnips and other trimmings make things more complicated. Im afraid nothing goes with Brussels sprouts, bar maybe New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

For a large group, go with richer styles of wine. Choose Chardonnay over Pinot Grigio, Syrah over Cabernet/ Merlot. Pinot Noir is a classic match for turkey as is Beaujolais Cru (Morgon, Fleurie). With a mixed group, drinking red and white wine you could opt for a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay from the same producer, say Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (or Villa Maria to reduce the budget), or Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge from say Louis Jadot.

My suggestions below are a little leftfield but worth the risk, I promise.

Herdade Sao Miguel, Alentejo, Portugal  19.99

The red wines of Alentejo are always generously fruited and punch above their price point. Bright red and black berry fruits, luscious on the palate, weighty and structured with touches of spice and dried fruits on the finish.

This will cope with anything from the saltiest ham to the driest turkey to the most bitter sprouts.

La Granja Verdejo-Viura, Castilla Y Leon, Spain  9.99

La Granja Verdejo Viura

This is my go-to Spanish white under a tenner and the red is also worth a try. A blend of Ruedas Verdejo and Riojas Viura this tastes a lot more than it costs. Pear and floral aromas, zingy and crisp, lemon verbena touches and bitter lemon tanginess on the palate, crisp and fresh  perfect for fish or light pasta dishes.

Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2020, South Africa  26

From a stunningly beautiful vineyard in Stellenbosch with aromas of lemon oil and pear, and touches of vanilla and butterscotch (from the oak); but on the palate this is clean and vibrant with ripe melon and rich citrus flavours and a luscious mouth-filling character. Try with roast pork or

chicken or with fish in a creamy sauce.

Rioja Vega Semi-Crianza 2022, Spain  11.99

Rioja Vega Semi-Crianza

Juicy, ripe and textured with some red fruits hitting the palate first but darker fruits dominating the mid- palate and finish with some spice notes coming through. Delicious and great value. Rioja Vega Crianza and Reserva also recommended.

Matsu El Recio, Toro, Spain  23.95

From 90-year-old vines, many pre-phylloxera on sandy, pebbly soils. Rich and complex with chocolate and dark berry fruits, silky and supple on the palate with a long finish perfect for a complex series of flavours as found in Christmas dinner. El Recio translates as The Tough One  there is also a younger vine version and an older vine version with a younger man and an older man depicted on the label and a stunningly good white called El Jefa from Malvasia.

Aperitif

Sparkling wine is the perfect aperitif so check out the suggestions in my Fabulous Fizz feature.

For Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies, and Christmas Cake

It has to be Port, surely the one wine every house should have open at this time of year.

Remember that a bottle of Ruby or Reserve port will last a couple of weeks at least (vintage port a little less), and aged Tawny Port for a few months.

Casal dos Jordoes Organic Finest Reserve Port - 31.95

One of the few organic Port Houses making wines in a rich supple style. This is also available in half-bottles (17) and the Tawny Reserve is also recommended, and costs a little less. This pours a rich inky red with aromas of elderberry jam and chocolate, richly textured with sweet primary fruits and some balancing acidity.

After Dinner Drinks

For after-dinner Scrabble or a blockbuster movie on the TV you need something to sip. Irish cream is the classic option, or if you want something stronger perhaps Cognac or Irish Whiskey. My first recommendation combines the best of the latter two.

2010 Cognac Cask Bushmills Causeway Collection, 53.8% ABV, 700ml - 125

The Bushmills Causeway Collection is just one hit after another and this is one of the best editions yet. Launched on November 9 last, this is a rare Cognac Cask-finished Bushmills that spent its first seven years in Oloroso and Bourbon casks and a further six in Cognac casks from the Charente. The resulting whiskey is remarkably smooth, belying its high ABV and with layers of complexity rare in a 13 year old whiskey.

Pale gold, honey and toffee apple aromas, smooth on the attack with honeycomb and light spice at first followed by prickly black pepper, and finishing with sweet cognac notes mingling with cut grass, cinnamon and dried apricots. Delicious. Also just released is a second remarkable whiskey in the Causeway Collection should your budget run deeper  1999 New American Oak Cask (450). This remarkable whiskey has just two inputs  the original Bushmills New-Make and the new American Oak Casks in which it has aged for 24 years. Vanilla, coconut, butterscotch, chocolate, and lingering spice  remarkable.

Irish Cream Liqueur

Micil Irish Cream Liqeur

Yes Baileys is still excellent and you can pick up a bottle for half nothing in any supermarket, but there are now several excellent Irish cream liqueurs out there to choose from including Coole Swan made by the Brady Family in Co Meath, and of course Five Farms made exclusively from milk sourced in Co Cork. This year however I am recommending one you might not know, from the Connemara Gaeltacht.

Micil Connemara Irish Cream Liqueur, 17% ABV, 70cl - 29

Micil first appeared on these pages because of their 100% barley poitin made from a 170 year old recipe by the 5th generation of the OGriallais family  Padraig and Jimin.

They now have gin, whiskey, and this cream liqueur. This is a blend of Irish whiskey, Irish cream, and Ppoitin.

Aromas of fudge, condensed milk and chocolate, creamy, spicy, butter caramel and whiskey flavours, with a clean crisp finish thanks to acidity from the poitin. Baileys for grown-ups is what my friend calls it  she is not wrong.

Craft Beer for Christmas Dinner

Of the hundreds I could mention Ive picked just two I think will work with Christmas Dinner. An old favourite and a recent collaboration. For more suggestions visit your local craft beer specialist  they know more than me  e.g. Michael Creedon in Bradleys or Jimmy Redmond in Redmonds.

Bradleys & Dot Brew Bang On IPA, 6.0% ABV, 440ml - 3.50

Brewer Shane Kelly is a bit of a magician and his barrel-aged beers are some of the most fascinating drinks Ive tasted. Another collaboration with Bradleys is due shortly, so stay tuned. Bang-On IPA is exclusive to Bradleys and has lots of tropical fruits and weighty malt flavours, with texture provided by flaked and malted oats. Mosaic and Centennial hops add fragrance and punch. Delicious.

Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye IPA, 5.1% ABV, 500ml - 3.65

This is not a hop-bomb but much more balanced with a nice mix of malt and spice from the Rye-Barley mix. Spice and roundness with a pleasing mouth-filling complexity.

Cocktails

Pre-mixed cocktails available to order from CraftCocktails.ie

Firstly, I recommend investing in Oisin Daviss new cocktail book, Irish Kitchen Cocktail (Ninebeanrowsbooks.com) and available in Eason and good bookshops. The book is crammed with easy recipes, using all your favourite spirits.

If you want to make things even easier I warmly recommend the pre-mixed cocktails from CraftCocktails.ie. the folk behind Dublins brilliant Bar 1661.

They deliver nationwide and the quality is top notch.

An alcohol-free selection

In previous years I have struggled to find non-alcoholic drinks that I could recommend with a clear conscience as I considered much of what was on offer undrinkable. Thankfully, things have changed in the last couple of years.

1. Homemade Lemonade

A quick google of Darina Allens Lemonade Recipe is one suggestion, or if you look on irishexaminer.ie you will find at least three that I have recommended in the past including one from my aunt and the one Bev in LAttitude 51 uses. Richmount Elderflower Cordial is also recommended and available from premium retailers.

2. Tinta de Verano

This is simply half and half red wine and lemonade  it translates as red wine of summer. Use a non-alcoholic red wine mixed with good lemonade (Club Lemon is what the ladies in Tapas de Lola restaurant use and it works). Add a slice of orange for garnish. In Spain this is served in tapas bars and as a party drink.

3. Kefir

There are several Irish brands to recommend including King of Kefir (I especially like their Lemongrass and Ginger edition) and the recently arrived BKultured from East Cork. Look in shops like Ardkeen Stores, Urru in Bandon, Quay Co-Op, and Organico.

4. Non-Alcoholic Irish craft beer

I do not recommend non-alcoholic lager from the big brewers as it is even worse tasting than their regular beer. Instead look to Dot Brew Fruit Ale, Wicklow Wolf Moonlight Hoppy Ale or their Mixed Berry Sour. Kinnegar also have a couple of options.

5. Wine Hollow Leg

Wine Hollow Leg appeared on shelves just a few days before Christmas 2022  an initiative of Ronan Farrell of WineLab, MisterS owner Jamie OToole, and winemaker Pablo Martinez (all trustworthy people).

Wines are from organic grapes and there is an Albarino, a Cabernet, and a Sparkling Albarino. I also recommend Leitz Ein-Zwei-Zero Riesling and Five-Point Zero, both from a quality German producer whose regular wines have appeared on this page. Faber non- alcoholic Sparkling Rose is also worth a try.

Hollow Leg Alcoholic-Free Cabernet from Spain offers ripe cherry and strawberry fruits with weight and texture and lingering dried cherry flavours.

The Hollow Leg Albarino has a slight spritz and pleasing white peach fruits and the fizz has an engaging lemony tang on the finish.
Ireland is to launch legal action against the UK over its controversial new laws to provide immunity for Troubles-related offences.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin confirmed that the Government would launch the inter-State case, arguing that the UKs laws are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, which passed into law earlier this year, has faced widespread criticism, from political parties, victims groups and the Irish Government.

The bill itself can provide limited amnesties for people who engage in a new body, known as the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), and will stop existing criminal, civil and inquest inquiries into acts committed during the Troubles.

Mr Martin said that the Government reached the decision to take the case after much thought and careful consideration, adding that the UK Government left Ireland with no other option.

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made, Mr Martin said.

However, the decision by the British Government not to proceed with the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and instead pursue legislation unilaterally, without effective engagement with the legitimate concerns that we, and many others, raised left us with few options.

The British Government removed the political option, and has left us only this legal avenue. Mr Martin said that the Government has considered the laws incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights since it was first introduced.

I used every opportunity to make my concerns known, and urged the British Government to pause this legislation.

The Tanaiste said that the primary concerns with the legislation are around granting of immunity, saying that this shuts down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases.

Mr Martin added that the Irish Government is not the only concerned party over the laws, with issues being flagged by the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ireland previously took a case against the UK in 1971 over its methods of interrogation used by the British Army in Northern Ireland. The case saw 14 people, known as the Hooded Men, interrogated for seven days using what had been known as the five techniques.

The European Court of Human Rights found that the techniques were inhuman and degrading treatment, but did not constitute torture. The Government previously sought to revise this decision, but was dismissed in March 2018.
The business model drug cartels use is to keep flooding Europe with cocaine.

The cartels have built up a system where a financial loss, as a result of seizures, is factored into operations.

But the strategy does not change.

Europes major traffickers have storage units throughout the continent, and possibly in Africa, where tonnes of cocaine is kept.

This is to deal with situations where a multi-tonne seizure is made, or a number of them.

The cocaine is released from storage to ensure there is no impact on supply.

Prices are kept low for consumers and money keeps coming in. The trade is not impacted.

This is how one seasoned drug investigator described it to the Irish Examiner.

Its an incredible scenario that I think Europe is facing at the moment where, really, theyre just bombarding Europe with cocaine, tonnes of cocaine, said the investigator.

Its phenomenal the amount of cocaine that is being seized across Europe.

The figures support this assessment.

The 300kg haul in Limerick comes days after 3 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted in international waters by the Senagalese Navy working with MAOC-N, the EU drug anti-trafficking agency.

MAOC-N said the seizure confirmed the growing importance of the African route in the maritime trafficking of cocaine destined for Europe.

To date it said MAOC-N had been involved in the seizure of almost 28 tonnes of cocaine off the west African coast in 2023.

On December 6, the Spanish authorities successfully intercepted and seized 2500kg of cocaine on board a Polish-flagged vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.

Two weeks ago, five tonnes of cocaine was intercepted by the French navy off the west African coast.

Last August, Dutch authorities made their biggest ever seizure of cocaine, when 8 tonnes were confiscated in Rotterdam port.

The previous month, Germany also had a record haul of the drug, when 10 tonnes were seized at Hamburg port.

Also in July, Italian agencies seized 5 tonnes of cocaine off the Sicilian coast and 6.8 tonnes was seized in Belgium.

There is no doubt as well, in different locations across Europe there are cocaine stores, with tonnage of cocaine, the investigator said.

That has to be the case.

Thats why even when you get the likes of the 2.2 tonnes seized last September off Cork the volume isnt impacted at street level. They keep throwing tonnes and tonnes of cocaine into Europe.

The MV Matthew berthed at Marino Point, Cork. The vessel was discovered to be carrying more than two tonnes of cocaine off the Cork coast in September. Picture:Dan Linehan

The investigator said the traffickers build in a loss  accounting for seizures or accidents  into their accounts.

So, if they lose 40 shipments to get 100 into Europe that allows them to ensure supply and keep it cheap and they have been doing this for years and building it up because the volumes we are seeing are just ridiculous.

The system is to keep flooding Europe. The business model is to keep throwing in tonnage, from different angles via every route possible. Even with huge seizures the price of cocaine is not going up. The model is keep it coming, keep it coming.

This year, both the UN and EU drug agencies  UNODC and EMCDD  report record global supply of cocaine and seizures of cocaine.

Last September, Laurient Laniel, an expert analyst with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), told the Irish Examiner that reports of seizures across Europe appeared to indicate that cocaine trafficking was continuing unabated with large seizures being made on a regular basis.

We have seen an increase in the shipments that have been seized in terms of weight, he said.

This probably indicates the traffickers feel confident that they can send large quantities and risk losing a lot of money. They are comfortable that they will get through. Sometimes they are wrong and they get seized, but it does make you wonder how much goes through.

Mr Laniel said Europe was one of the fastest expanding markets for cartels and that more European gangs are able to buy directly from South America.

The greater competition at wholesale level is matched by more competition regarding domestic distribution, at middle and lower levels.

Theres a continued pool of people living in Europe who are apparently ready to risk life and limb and their freedom to become involved in the drugs trade and some are coerced into it, he said.

In addition, he said the profits made by cocaine are very large  higher than other drugs.

He said initial EMCCDA estimates suggest the cocaine market generates 200m more per year than the cannabis market, despite the fact the cannabis market, in terms of users, is six times bigger.

The UNODC has documented a continuing and sharp rise in cocaine trafficking in South America over the last 10 years, reaching a record high each year. This has been matched by a continuing growth in demand, it said in its Global Report of Cocaine 2023.

It said interceptions by law enforcement has also been on the rise at a higher speed than production, which it said meant that interdiction has contained the growth.

The UNODC said Mexican and Balkan gangs have moved closer to the centre of production in South America to gain access to wholesale supplies and make supply more efficient.

The UN said that covid appears to have had only a temporary restraining effect on the growth of the cocaine market in Europe.

Shipping containers are used by organised crime gangs to exploit the possibility of concealing large quantities within legitimate goods, such as bananas or grain, or hidden within the structure of containers themselves.

Interestingly, the UNODC also identifies a trend which appears to reflect the route used by the Verila, the Maltese bulk cargo vessel impounded in Foynes. It had left Montreal, Canada on December 9.

Aside from shipments departing from countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean, quantities of cocaine seized in Europe and identified as having departed from the United States, Canada, Mozambique, Cote dIvoire, Turkey and Spain suggest that trans-shipment of cocaine may have occurred in these countries to lower the risk profile of the containers, the UNODC said.
The husband of a 28-year-old woman who died just four hours after delivering her baby at Mayo University Hospital has settled for 1.9 million High Court actions over her death.

First-time mother, Nayyab Tariq, a microbiologist in Ireland from Pakistan, the High Court heard, suffered a massive postpartum haemhorrage, went into shock and cardiac arrest just four hours after giving birth to her daughter in 2020.

Outside the Four Courts on Wednesday, her grieving husband Ayaz Ul Hassan said he hoped this does not happen to anyone ever again.

He said the settlement of his actions for nervous shock and over his wifes death has brought some sort of closure knowing that the reassurance he has been given from the HSE to make sure that the recommendations in the wake of Ms Tariqs death are being met and fixes are being put in place to make sure that this does not happen again.

The couple had planned to have more children and buy a home in Irelandtheir mortgage offer came in two days after Ms Tariqs death.

Asked about the loss of his wife as they started out to make a life in this country, Mr Ul Hassan said: To be honest I don't think it's something that can be put into words. I never got to experience the fatherhood that I should have, and I was forced into being a single parent and raising my daughter, and to be fair, I could not have done that without the support I have had all the time from family and friends.

After he left the High Court he was going to collect his daughter who is now nearly four years of age as she took Christmas holidays from school.

Hospital apology

In a letter opened to the High Court, Mayo University Hospital unreservedly apologised for the failings in the standard of care provided at the hospital, including the poor communication and updates provided during the time that Ms Nayyab Tariq was in the operating theatre.

It added: We understand that this apology cannot change or negate the depth of your loss, but we wish to assure you that every single recommendation and issue that arose in relation to the standard of care provided is being addressed in full by the hospital.

The apology from hospital manager Catherine Donohoe also expressed sincerest condolences to Mr Ul Hassan on his wifes untimely death on March 22,2020.

I appreciate the enormity of her loss to you, your daughter Nayyab Jnr the Ul Hassan and Choudrey Tariq families and especially to Nayyabs parents Muhammad and Razia. The loss of Nayyab at a time when she should have been embarking on a new journey of motherhood is a devastating tragedy for the entire family. It added: Her loss is deeply regretted by all staff and management at the hospital especially those who were involved in Nayyabs care.

Family's claims

The familys counsel, Damien Higgins SC with Doireann OMahony BL instructed by Callan Tansey solicitors, told the High Court that it was their case that the signs of post partum haemhorrage were not recognised. Counsel said the circumstances of the case were heartrending and devastating.

Two years ago, a coroner recorded a verdict of medical misadventure in the case. The inquest heard Ms Tariq died after a heart attack following post-partum haemorrhage, retained placenta, bleeding arising from ectopic deciduosis, and shock.

Ayaz Ul Hassan, a biomedical scientist who lives in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, had sued the HSE in the High court over the death of his wife on March 22, 2020.

It was claimed that after the birth of their daughter, and when Ms Tariq was brought to theatre for placenta removal, chaos allegedly unfolded. There was alleged miscommunication, alleged non-communication and delay in recognition and treatment of shock as result of significant postpartum haemorrhage. It was claimed that when the procedure to remove Ms Tariqs retained placenta began, she manifested clear signs of shock and her clinical condition subsequently deteriorated to the point where she suffered cardiac arrest.

Despite extensive emergency resuscitative efforts just four hours after delivering her baby daughter, Ms Tariq died.

Mr Ul Hassan claimed his life was completely changed by his wifes sudden death. He stopped everything that he was doing and focused on looking after his baby.

As the event unfolded, he waited in a room with the baby not knowing what was happening. He was reassured two or three times that everything was fine, it was claimed, and then finally was brought to the theatre and was told things were in fact not going well.

He remembers vividly looking through the theatre window as he gowned up and seeing his wife undergoing CPR. He sat by his wife as attempts were made to save her life.

(Left to right) Ayaz Ul Hassan with his wife Nayyab Tariq. Mr Ul Hassan claimed his life was completely changed by his wifes sudden death.

The HSE admitted a breach of duty for its failure to manage appropriately Ms Tariqs blood loss after her transfer to theatre following her babys delivery on the evening of March 22, 2020. However, all claims relating to Ms Tariqs care and treatment before the transfer to theatre were denied.

An internal review found delays in recognising a young woman who had just given birth was in shock were a key causal factor in Ms Tariqs death. The review into Ms Tariqs death found her skin pallor was initially less obvious due to her ethnicity.

Approving the settlement, including the division of the statutory mental distress solatium payment of 35,000, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was a sad and tragic case and he extended his sympathy to Mr Ul Hassan and his extended family.
The High Court has struck out an action by a Cork-based navigational software company over what it alleges was conspiratorial anti-competitive behaviour in the awarding of contract for the national postal code system in 2013.

Loc8 Code Ltd says it suffered more than 34m loss, damage and expense to its business as a result of an alleged conspiracy in the awarding of the postcode contract by the Department of Environment to Capita Business Support Services Ireland Ltd, trading as Eircode.

As well as taking the action against the Department of the Environment, and Capita, the Cork company had also sued An Post, which grants access to its GeoDirectory address database to Eircode for an annual fee.

Loc8s claims had been denied by the three postcode system partners, which maintained the firm had failed to properly identify which defendants were allegedly involved in the conspiracy and also failed to provide sufficient evidence or details of the alleged conspiracy.

They also stated, in their own motions, to have Loc8s claims dismissed, that given the contract was awarded so long ago, the company  which is run by businessman Gary Delaney  was statute-barred and was not entitled to bring the claim due to its delay in bringing the action.

It was last before the High Court in June, when submissions were made by both sides before Mr Justice Max Bartlett.

On Wednesday, he struck out Loc8s action, allowing the postcode partners own motions that the claim be dismissed.

The judge said: These proceedings have been commenced very considerably out of time. In essence, the plaintiffs claim is for breach of public procurement law. It has been years late in commencing these proceedings.

"There are also claims concerning conspiracy, breach of competition law, breach of state aid rules, and interference with the conclusion of contracts.

These other claims are vague and inadequately particularised, but, perhaps even more significantly, they are inextricably connected with, and indeed derivative to, the public procurement claim that is at the heart of these proceedings  they have likewise been brought years out of time.

He added: I am conscious that this judgment will come as a disappointment to the plaintiff, and I suspect to Mr Delaney, and I am sorry that this is so.

Nonetheless, I consider that I am obliged by law to make the just-mentioned order.
A man accused of having an improvised slam-bang firearm plus ammunition will be spending Christmas in prison.

Judge Mary Dorgan adjourned the case against him until January 3 at Cork District Court.

Glen Crean, of 69 Colmcille Road, Cork, appeared in court by video link from prison.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said at Cork District Court that the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed trial by indictment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on the charges.

Consent was also given to the accused entering guilty pleas at Cork District Court for sentencing at the circuit court, should this arise.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the defence would have to consider the prosecution statements and evidence in the case to consider if the charges would be admitted or contested.

Mr Crean, 25, is charged that on August 21, 2023, at an apartment on 19/20 Cove Street, Cork, he had in his possession a slam-bang improvised firearm in such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession for a lawful purpose.

The second charge alleges that he had two Eley 12-gauge shotgun cartridges in similar circumstances.

Both charges were brought against the accused by Garda Dermot Crowley.

A slam-bang shotgun is an improvised weapon made from iron bars and is capable of being used to fire shots.
ALBANY  In the coming days, Gov. Kathy Hochul must render a decision about whether to sign a bill that would require limited liability companies in New York to publicly reveal who owns them.

The bill has primarily gained attention because, if such ownership were disclosed, greater transparency could curtail money laundering in Manhattans high-end residential real estate market.

But a recent report issued by the Buffalo Common Council also highlights how the measure could benefit tenants by revealing the identities of negligent landlords.

The decision is not a political easy one for Hochul. Among the supporters are influential state building trades union, which have complained that LLCs are used to cheat workers out of wages, as well as organized labor more broadly, community organizations and several district attorneys.

New York Citys real estate industry, which is a major campaign donor to Hochul and other top state politicians, is opposed to the bill. While stating it does not oppose disclosing ownership information to state government, the industry argues that public disclosure of the additional information could lead to identity theft.

Late last week, a spokesman for Brooklyn Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, that chambers prime sponsor of the bill, believed Hochul was preparing to offer up amendments to the Legislatures version. That raised concerns among the bills sponsors because the bill is relatively narrow.

John Kaehny, executive director of the government-reform group Reinvent Albany, expressed concern Hochul was planning to gut the bill based on the real estate industrys concerns.

Without a public database of LLC owners, the public will never know if LLC owners are following the law or the state of New York is enforcing it, Kaehny said.

The bills Senate and Assembly sponsors did not respond to requests for comment this week, and its not clear if Hochul is indeed seeking amendments. The bill was delivered to Hochul on Dec. 12, triggering a 10-day deadline for her to sign, veto or strike a compromise with the Legislature.

Asked whether Hochul plans to sign or veto the bill, a spokesman replied, Governor Hochul is reviewing the legislation.

In a 2021 speech, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen highlighted New Yorks role in international money laundering operations, stating there was a good argument that the best place to hide ill-gotten gains was in the United States.

And thats because of the way we allow people to establish shell companies, Yellen said. Many corrupt actors can hide their money in Miami or Central Park skyscrapers the same way they do in shell companies. An LLC or trust can be listed as the owner. A lawyer can sign the paperwork. Indeed, sometimes the only thing these luxury properties are home to are ill-gotten gains  theyre money laundromats on the 81st floor.

According to Reinvent Albany, 93% of New York property owners are already disclosed in public databases. But limited liability companies that own real estate do not currently have to publicly disclose who owns the LLCs, and according to Reinvent Albany, 37% of all Manhattan properties are owned by LLCs  five times the state average.

If signed into law, the LLC Transparency Act would make New York the first state in the nation to make LLCs publicly disclose their beneficial owners.

Under federal law, in 2024, LLCs will have to report their beneficial owners to federal officials. But the information will only be available to tax and law enforcement officials, whereas under the New York bill, the information would be publicly searchable.

In November, the Buffalo Common Councils Affordable Housing Task Force issued a report encouraging the Council to take its own actions requiring disclosure of the owners of LLCs that own Buffalo property.

As of 2022, 9% of properties in Buffalo were owned by LLCs and according to the report, many deteriorating and neglected properties in the city are owned by LLCs.

Due to the citys inability to track these owners down, conditions may worsen for years, causing health and safety concerns for both tenants and neighbors, the report found.

The report cited the example of Angel Dalfin, a landlord who once owned or controlled 22 Buffalo homes where 29 children suffered lead poisoning.

Dalfin allegedly shuffled his properties among LLCs, helping him avoid accountability.

If inspectors and the courts could have determined ownership of the properties sooner, its likely that many of these children would have been saved the long-term impacts of lead exposure, the Common Council report found.

In April, Dalfin pleaded guilty to a felony charge of falsely stating that he had no knowledge of lead-based paint hazards in 23 rental homes he sold. He was sentenced in November to five years of probation, eight months of home detention, 600 hours of community service and restitution of $115,000.

The Common Council report also found lack of LLC transparency is a problem when properties need repairs and tenants cant reach their landlords.
People who buy buildings and rent them as refugee accommodation are worse than the English landlords of decades ago and as bad as any drug cartel, a Cork Fianna Fail councillor has claimed.

"They are the biggest traitors out of everyone," Cllr William OLeary said to loud applause at a protest about asylum seekers moving into a former B&B in Fermoy, Co Cork. He also said that immigration into the country is not sustainable at current levels and there is a failure by government to acknowledge the issue.

Abbeyville House, a former B&B across from the Town Park which closed for business some years ago, is to take 56 international protection applicants in the coming days. A camp was set up outside the premises almost four weeks ago which has been manned 24 hours a day with protestors wrapped up in sleeping bags there overnight.

Some have vowed to blockade the premises to prevent asylum seekers moving in. Approximately 60 people gathered in the rain on Monday in Fermoy, many to protest the plan to move asylum seekers into the building.

Mr OLeary said that while allocating accommodation to international protection applicants is "State sponsored", "the carry-on of people around this country who are buying buildings and warehousing people into them" is even worse.

"[They] can go about playing the big hard men, talking about the big bucks theyre making. But they want to realise the damage they are doing to these towns.

They are worse than the English landlords of decades ago. Their behaviour is as bad as any drug cartel. Shame on them.

"Government has a lot to answer for but these people are the biggest traitors out of everyone, the way they are selling out communities," he said to loud applause.

Mr O'Leary said people at the protest were some of finest people in Fermoy who care deeply about their community, their family and their town. He promised to stand with them no matter what.

Just hours earlier, two other Fianna Fail councillors were reprimanded for comments around asylum seekers following a fire at Ross Lake House Hotel in Co Galway, which was due to accommodate 70 international protection applicants.

Cllr Seamus Walsh, blamed the Government's policies for the fire and Cllr Noel Thomas told RTE that the inn is full and Ireland should not be taking more international protection applicants.

Ireland is going down a very dangerous path when anyone who disagrees with the establishment is labelled far right, Mr O'Leary said.

But governments in Hungary and Poland were lauded by some elected representatives in Fermoy as jurisdictions with immigration policies to aspire to.

Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath, who also attended the Fermoy gathering, mentioned Holland as an example of a country which was more recently wrestling control of its borders. Holland saw hard-right leader Geert Wilder's party win the most seats in the recent Dutch elections.

Independent Ireland TD Mattie McGrath in Fermoy at the protest on Monday evening. Picture: Denis Boyle

Mr McGrath is part of the Rural Independent Group which recently put forward a Dail motion urging Government to change its reckless immigration policy and called for an immediate cap on asylum seekers. He came from his Tipperary constituency to collect a petition of some 2,000 signatures against the plan to move asylum seekers into Abbeyville House.

He said that Government is ignoring the debates taking place on every bridge, in every workplace, in every home about immigration. He said he would hand the petition to Integration Minister Roderic OGorman, the Taoiseach and Tanaiste and hopefully at that stage their eyes will be open".

Its time they listened to the people, he said. Were not anti-immigrant but we want control of our borders."

Independent Cork County councillor Frank Roche told the meeting we should be housing our own people before anyone else". No buildings or businesses would accept the group for an indoor meeting in Fermoy, forcing the gathering onto the street, the crowd was told.
Is terror a physical feeling or an emotion?

Before the conditions arose that caused me to consider this question, I was in Paris-Beauvais Airport having a lovely chat with two young female teachers.

Both were GAA players, one from Newry, the other from Wexford.

They were fresh-faced, intelligent, and living in a house in Dublin with four other female teachers like the Gen Z version of Friends.

Travelling alone I had met them in the queue. Their flight to Dublin was called, and I waved them off optimistic about Irish youth.

I immediately bumped into a woman I hadnt seen in decades. We started chatting slowly as people with miles on the clock do.

An announcement told us that our plane was delayed by an hour. It was irksome but we yakked on migrating from memory lane, school stuff, to our personal situations.

This continued as we made our way outside to our plane. She was sitting one row behind me.

Five minutes after taking off, she came to occupy the empty seat next to me. She bought us teas, commenting that she wished the air hostess hadnt left the teabag in the cup because she wanted weak tea.

I was sitting by the window seat, and all seemed fine. Its a short flight from Paris to Cork.

Having taken a few days off, I was anxious to be back at my desk, yet I was enjoying myself as we dug deep.

Flight diversion

As we were approaching Cork Airport the captain announced that due to crosswinds, we were being diverted to Dublin.

Both my friend and I carped, rescheduling Sunday evening and figuring out the potential impact on Monday morning.

The airline said it would be laying on buses, and we began to discuss the quickest route from Dublin to Cork before continuing our chat.

I cant be exact about at what point things started to feel different.

First, I should say that Im not a nervous flyer. I have been on flights with unpleasant turbulence.

Two flights stand out: One over 20 years ago, from Saudi Arabia to London was deeply unpleasant; another a decade ago from Milan to Dublin had people audibly praying with others hitting up the drinks trolley.

On both occasions it was unenjoyable, but there was a part of me that was mildly amused by other passengers reactions, unconsciously I felt stronger.

Not a cool customer exactly, but somebody who applied logic to a situation, knew that it was just turbulence and that you were safer in a plane than a car.

The captain announced that we would be landing in Dublin in 10 minutes. Almost immediately the plane started to pitch from side to side as if we were being buffeted by large gusts of wind.

I started losing a sense of time and became conscious that I was gripping my friends arm.

Time marched on, the plane was being pounded and I felt I was going to pass out. I communicated the fact to my friend, and she told me to breathe deep into my stomach. I tried.

The window blind next to my seat was open, I peered out in terror and the wings of the plane were going up and down in the air as if they were dancing to the tune of YMCA.

Peering backwards through the crevice in the seat the French couple in the row behind us had their heads bowed.

The thing that struck me was the utter silence on the plane, no sound from the captain.

I looked for something to grip my right hand onto, but there was only a tiny hook on the seat ahead of me.

An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 landing on one set of wheels as it's buffeted by crosswinds. Picture: Larry Cummins

Later, I related to a relative who had been in the Air Corps that there was no announcement from the pilot.

The pilot, he said, would have been entirely focused on landing the plane. He might have overridden the automatic landing gear he said, adding that modern planes were designed to deal with these sorts of conditions.

Turbulence or wind rarely bring a plane down although crosswinds can present a challenge when taking off or landing.

However, according to a new study by UK meteorologists at Reading University this year, skies are up to 55% bumpier than four decades ago courtesy of climate change. So, fliers can look forward to more exciting times in the air.

Back on the plane, it felt surreal, and I questioned if I was having a heart attack, or a full-blown panic attack. The only sound was my loud heaving breaths.

The only time I remembered experiencing comparable animal-like feelings albeit in a different, joyous context was giving birth.

The rational brain was sidelined, and the body was in the driving seat.

I asked my friend if we would be OK, and she didnt answer. I observed the lights of the airport but still, we didnt land, and I couldnt see the ground.

Where the hell is the ground, I asked. How long since he said we were going to land? No answer, just staring eyes, and a pulse of my hand.

This continued until suddenly we smashed onto the runway in what felt like a hard landing.

The silence continued before it was broken by some extremely tentative clapping. Slowly, passengers stood up and began to gather themselves.

My friend confessed that just before we hit the runaway, she had uncrossed her legs and was considering putting her head down between her knees into the crash position.

On the ground, when the engines were turned off, the plane continued to sway from side to side.

We exited the plane, like stunned mullets, trying to figure out what had happened in such a short period.

I congratulated my friend on her calm, feeling mildly embarrassed, and relating that I had never panicked before on a flight.

She confessed that she had been focusing on not vomiting and took the lead because I looked so terrified.

In the terminal, she went to the loo, and I heard subdued whey-faced passengers from our flight discussing the white knuckle ride.

One mid-thirties guy said: That was the most frightening thing that ever happened to me.

Storm Fergus

Later I discovered that we had flown into Storm Fergus.

We were lucky. An Aer Lingus flight from Bristol to Cork, diverted like us to Dublin, aborted its landing at the last minute and pushed onto Belfast.

It was unsurprising to read that passengers on that flight were crying.

It felt like we smashed down according to my relative because the pilot was probably waiting for a gap in the wind to snatch the opportunity and land the plane.

Aviation people would probably say that what happened was no big deal.

In an article in last Saturdays Guardian, a pilot referred to the passenger embellishment factor when describing turbulence.

Yet, laws of physics aside, on that flight for some indeterminable period, it felt that things were going wrong.

On our way back to Cork, we went over what had happened on a loop, no longer caring about planes, trains, automobiles, or the disruption to our working week, just glad to be alive and back on solid ground.
A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years behind bars for joining a plot to attack the US Capitol nearly three years ago.

Charles Donohoe was the second Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to obstruct the January 6, 2021, joint session of Congress for certifying US President Joe Bidens electoral victory.

His sentence could be a bellwether for other Proud Boys conspirators who agreed to co-operate with federal prosecutors.

I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked down

Donohoe, 35, of Kernersville, North Carolina, apologised to his family, the police officers who guarded the Capitol on January 6, and America as a whole for his actions.

I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked down, he said.

District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced him to three years and four months in prison. Donohoe could be eligible for release within two months because he gets credit for the jail time he has already served since his March 2021 arrest.

The judge said Donohoe seems to be doing everything in his power to make amends for his crimes.

I think youve got all the ingredients here to put this behind you, he said.

Donohoe was president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina. He was a lieutenant of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison  the longest prison term so far in a Capitol riot case.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and three other former Proud Boys leaders of seditious conspiracy charges for plotting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Biden.

Donohoe agreed to co-operate with federal authorities when he pleaded guilty in April 2020 to two felony counts: conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding police. But he was not called to testify at the trial of Tarrio and other Proud Boys earlier this year.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence ranging from 35 to 43 months for Donohoe. Sentencing guidelines recommended a prison term ranging from 70 to 87 months.

Donohoe and his co-conspirators organised and led a small army as they launched an attack on the heart of our democracy. They took these actions because they did not like the outcome of the election, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

It took Charlie time to understand the nature of his wrong

Donohoe acted as the eyes and ears of the group on the ground in Washington, DC, on January 6, Justice Department prosecutor Jason McCullough told the judge. But prosecutors argued that Donohoe deserves credit for his early acceptance of responsibility and co-operation with the investigation.

On the morning of January 6, Donohoe marched with more than 100 members of the Proud Boys to the Capitol. He did not enter the Capitol, but he threw two water bottles at officers confronting the mob outside the building.

Donohoe, a US Marine Corps veteran who served two deployments in Iraq, has eagerly divorced himself from the Proud Boys, said defence lawyer Ira Knight.

It took Charlie time to understand the nature of his wrong, Mr Knight said.

More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a judge or jury after trials. More than 700 have been sentenced.
Hamas top leader travelled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another ceasefire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israels offensive shows no signs of slowing.

Hamas militants have been putting up stiff resistance, even as the Israeli army claims to be making great progress in eradicating them.

The visit to Cairo by its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel.

It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and driven some 1.9 million, nearly 85% of the population, from their homes.

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organisation, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its October 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war.

But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US.

Ismail Haniyeh is in Cairo (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government/AP)

The goal is to achieve another ceasefire and free more of the hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Mobile phone and internet service was down across Gaza again on Wednesday, which could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after October 7.

The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies.

The destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

Israels foreign minister travelled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain.

Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

Egypt and Qatar helped mediate a week-long ceasefire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israels release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

Hamas said that Haniyeh, who is believed to be based in Qatar but whose movements are rarely publicised, would discuss the war with Egyptian officials, without providing more details.

Ziad Nakhaleh, the leader of the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which took part in the October 7 attack and is also holding hostages, said he would also be going to Egypt in the coming days to participate in the talks.

Egypt, which borders Gaza, is deeply concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees, fearing Israel will not allow them to return.

Meanwhile at least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early on Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior health ministry official.

In southern Gaza, several women and children were among those taken to Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis after strikes overnight and into Wednesday.

A boy could be seen sobbing next to his wounded mother, who was laid out on a stretcher, before being lifted up and placed on her chest.

Children queue for food in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP)

At least five people were killed and dozens injured in another strike that hit three residential homes and a mosque in Gazas southern city of Rafah on Wednesday, health officials said.

With the death toll steadily rising, Israel has come under growing pressure to halt or scale back its offensive.

But Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead until Hamas military and governing capabilities are destroyed and until all hostages are freed.

We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality, he added, saying every member of Hamas is marked for death.

His defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Tuesday that in southern Gaza, where the military launched a ground incursion focused on Khan Younis in early December, that operations will take months.

In Gaza, more than 90% of the population has been displaced.@UNHumanRights chief @volker_turk urges ceasefire as the number of civilians corralled towards the border with Egypt increases amid escalation of hostilities. https://t.co/bwUngcBnh4 pic.twitter.com/NbN5gQ7eMj  United Nations (@UN) December 20, 2023

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack.

Israels military says 134 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive.

Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

UN Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued in the hopes of getting the US to abstain or vote yes on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier ceasefire call.
The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defence contractor known as Fat Leonard who is at the centre of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, officials said on Wednesday.

The deal represents the US governments boldest bid to improve relations with the major oil-producing nation and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader.

The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuelas history comes weeks after the Biden administration agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Mr Maduro and an opposition faction to work towards free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.

The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020 and long was regarded as a criminal trophy by Washington, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader.

US officials said the decision to grant him clemency was difficult but essential in order to bring home jailed Americans, a core administrative objective that in recent years has resulted in the release of criminals who had once been seen as untradeable.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, receives Alex Saab at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Sometimes that means youve got to make some difficult decisions, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

The deal also guarantees the release of 10 Americans who had been held in Venezuela, according to senior administration officials.

Several of the Americans have been formally designated by the US government as wrongfully detained.

The agreement also will result in the extradition of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship-servicing company in south-east Asia who is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history.

Nicknamed Fat Leonard, he fled home custody in San Diego in September 2022 and was arrested by Venezuelan police attempting to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas.

The exchange would also be seen as a major US concession to Mr Maduro, likely angering hardliners in the Venezuelan opposition who have criticised the White House for standing by as the leader of the Opec country nation has repeatedly outmanoeuvred Washington after the Trump administrations campaign to topple him failed.

In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil, gas and mining industries but threatened to reimpose the restrictions if Mr Maduro, by November 30, did not live up to his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections next year.

Leonard Glenn Francis is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history (US Marshals Service/AP)

He is seeking in 2024 to add six years to his decade-long, crisis-ridden presidency.

That deadline has passed and so far Mr Maduro has failed to reverse a ban blocking his chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office.

President Joe Biden, who did not confirm any details about the prisoner exchange, told reporters: It looks like Maduro, so far, is keeping his commitment on a free election. It aint done yet. Got a long way to go. But its good so far.

But days after Mr Maduros negotiators and the US-backed opposition agreed to work on electoral conditions, the countrys high court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, suspended the oppositions entire primary election process.

The attorney general opened criminal investigations against some of the organisers.

Mr Maduro, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez and other allies insisted the balloting was fraudulent and challenged the participation of more than 2.4 million voters.

The US sanctions remain eased as part of the deal announced on Wednesday. It also requires Mr Maduros government to release 21 Venezuelans, including Roberto Abdul, who co-founded a pro democracy group with Ms Machado more than two decades ago, and dismiss three arrest warrants.

The US has conducted several swaps with Venezuela over the past few years. The most notable was a deal in October 2022 for seven Americans, including five oil executives, in exchange for the release of two nephews of Mr Maduros wife jailed in the US on narcotics charges.

The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration in the name of bringing home Americans jailed overseas.

Perhaps the most-high-profile prisoner exchange came last December when the US government, over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials, traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner.

In September, Iran released five American detainees in exchange for the release of nearly six billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets and two Iranian prisoners who had been jailed in the US.

The succession of swaps has raised concerns that the US is incentivising hostage-taking abroad and producing a false equivalence between Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad and foreigners who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in US courts.

But Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad is a core government priority that requires difficult dealmaking.
Nearly 50 Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) soldiers were killed in more than 30 days of fighting for the juntas major Sakham Thit Kone base outside Namkham town on the Chinese border in northern Shan State.

The Sakham Thit Kone camp frequently shelled the captured town until it fell on Monday night.

The TNLA seized Namkham town on November 7 after attacking junta bases and the township police station as part of Operation 1027 which was launched with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), the other two members of the Brotherhood Alliance.

More than 150 junta soldiers, including many wounded, led by Major Myint Kyaw surrendered at Sakham Thit Kone. Pictures show a large haul of seized weapons and ammunition.

The TNLA said it had seized 19 junta positions, including Sakham Thit Kone, in Namkham in less than two months.

On Tuesday a TNLA announcement said 49 of its members were killed and 145 injured at Sakham Thit Kone.

It added that Namkham was one of the many places where lives, blood and sweat had been lost during Operation 1027.

The bodies of junta soldiers, up to the rank of major, were discovered, it said. Around 900 junta soldiers had been based in Namkham under No.7 Military Operation Command, according to the Brotherhood Alliance.

Numerous junta airstrikes and artillery strikes were used to defend the base and attack Namkham town, the alliance said.

At least 13 civilians, including three children, were killed and 43 injured by junta bombardments during the operation, the TNLA said.

A total of 94 buildings, including religious buildings, hospitals and houses, were destroyed by junta artillery and airstrikes, it said.

The TNLA troops are also attacking junta bases at Kutkai and Manton in northern Shan State.
Captured Myanmar junta pilot Major Khaing Thant Moe has admitted the military has conducted airstrikes on civilian targets such as hospitals, schools and IDP camps.

In a video issued by the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State, Thant Moe said his air force colleagues had carried out airstrikes on hospitals and schools in Hpruso and Demoso townships in Karenni (Kayah) State.

They attacked IDP camps in Hpruso Township, he said, naming the pilots concerned as Myo Thu and Major Naing Lin Aung.

The 43-year-old pilot was captured last month after his K-8W fighter jet crashed during a clash in Karenni State on Nov.11. He ejected from the plane along with his co-pilot, Lieutenant Zarni Htet Maung, and was arrested on Nov.19. His co-pilot is still missing.

Khaing Thant Moe has served at bases in Kachin States Myitkyina Township, Mandalay Regions Meiktila Township and Bago Regions Taungoo Township during his 20 years as a pilot in the air force. He admitted to conducting about 40 airstrikes in Myitkyina and Karenni State.

Bombing attacks were carried out in the hills in Myitkyina. In Karenni State, I dropped bombs near Phaya Phyu [in Demoso Township], he said in the video.

The Myanmar Air Force is notorious for a bloody campaign of airstrikes that has killed hundreds of civilians along with large numbers of resistance members across the country since the 2021 coup.

The air force carried out 902 airstrikes across Myanmar, killing at least 687 civilians, including children, between the coup and August this year, according to a report by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, which monitors junta atrocities.

Khaing Thant Moe is the first active-duty regime pilot to be arrested by resistance forces. He said he would be reunited with his family after he had acknowledged the crimes listed by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force. He also apologized to the families of victims who were killed in airstrikes he conducted.

However, the families have expressed anger at his words, saying he should not be allowed to return to his own kin after destroying other families.

He said he would accept his punishment, said Thida Win, whose son was among six children killed by a targeted airstrike on the Let Yet Kone village school in Depayin Township, Sagaing Region, in September last year.

If so, his punishment should be to suffer like we have suffered, she said, adding that Khaing Thant Moe was only seeking to protect himself.

These airstrikes were carried out with purpose, she told The Irrawaddy.

The military is now focusing airstrikes on civilian targets in northern Shan State and other hotbeds of the expanding resistance offensive.

On Tuesday, six military fighter jets dropped bombs on civilians houses in Sagaing Regions Tigyaing Township, where intense fighting between junta troops and resistance forces is ongoing. Casualties from the airstrike are still unknown.
Intense clashes erupted in Laukkai Township near the Chinese border in northern Shan State on Monday evening when the junta launched airstrikes against a base controlled by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the ethnic Kokang armed group said.

The resumption of fighting for control of Kokang Self-Administered Zone followed an eight-day lull that began after Chinese-brokered peace talks between Myanmars junta and the Brotherhood Alliance, which the MNDAA is a member of.

The juntas military was the first to attack, according to the MNDAA. It said that on Monday evening the juntas military attacked its base in the Laoxiangtang area of Laukkai Township  in the south of Kokang Self-Administered Zone  and that it began defending the base the next day.

The MNDAA and two other members of the Brotherhood Alliance  the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arkan Army (AA)  began a coordinated attack on junta forces in northern Shan State on Oct. 27 that they dubbed Operation 1027 after the date of its launch. It succeeded in seizing most junta bases and outposts in the area as well as border-trade gates between Myanmar and China.

On Dec. 11, Chinese-brokered peace talks between the regime and the Brotherhood Alliance were held in China and Beijing said they yielded positive results. Fighting stopped in Kokang Self-Administered Zone after the talks, but attacks by the Brotherhood Alliance in several townships across northern Shan and Rakhine states escalated.

On Monday evening, the junta used heavy artillery and fighter jets to bomb the MNDAA base in Kokang, the MNDAA said, adding that clashes broke out in the area on Tuesday as it defended itself against the regime attack. On Tuesday, the regime also used a fighter jet against the MNDAA, which released a video showing the jet firing on its troops.

Further details are unknown. The MNDAAs spokesperson did not respond to attempts by The Irrawaddy to contact him on Wednesday.

The Brotherhood Alliance has not made any announcement about the China-brokered peace talks, but said on Dec. 13  two days after the talks  that it would keep fighting to topple the regime in line with the desire of the people of Myanmar.

Following the reported peace talks, the ethnic alliance took control of the 105-Mile Myanmar-China Trade Zone after seizing the juntas strategic hilltop base in the area.

On Dec. 15, the TNLA seized Namhsan Town in northern Shan State after attacking serval regime bases for six days. It also took control of Namkham Town on the China border on Monday after seizing the last of the juntas strategic bases near the town  Sakham Thit Kone  following more than 40 days of attacks on it.

After the Brotherhood Alliances three ethnic armies and other resistance forces launched Operation 1027 in northern Shan State, the AA widened it by attacking junta bases and outposts in Rakhine State on Nov. 13.

In support of Operation 1027, Peoples Defense Forces and other ethnic armed groups have increased anti-regime offensives in Kachin, Chin and Karenni (Kayah) states as well as Magwe, Mandalay and Sagaing regions.

More than 400 junta bases, outposts and police stations  as well as more than 20 towns and several vital trade routes  have been seized from the junta since the launch of Operation 1027.
What happens when a government of the people and by the people turns out not to work for the people?

With the vision laid out in the Gettysburg Address rarely implemented in large swaths of Buffalo, some scholars and activists make a compelling argument for a different approach to transforming the East Side.

Its a concept both radical and yet older than Abraham Lincoln himself: a community truly run by the people.

Following up on its damning 2021 report, The Harder We Run, which documented the lack of progress since a similar report three decades earlier, the University at Buffalos Center for Urban Studies has produced a new analysis whose name captures its focus: How We Change the Black East Side.

The new report advocates establishing a demonstration project and includes a prescription for remaking that targeted area with seven key concepts. All seven are interconnected, yet fundamental to the entire framework is the first: community control.

Everything will be done in conjunction with the residents of the targeted neighborhood, said Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., founding director of the center and author of the report.

The plan recommends establishment of a neighborhood council of both democratically elected residents and appointed members like leaders of block clubs, community organizations and businesses. That neighborhood council would oversee and guide the communitys growth and development.

That, alone, would be a dramatic departure from the current top-down model in which residents too often are left on the outside looking in. The new approach reflects a trust that residents themselves know best what they need to improve their living conditions and that they can accomplish it if provided the needed assistance.

Chief among those conditions, the report notes, is an East Side rental market characterized by substandard housing and rent gouging. Such conditions result from the commodification of housing based on a race-driven model of individual homeownership founded on the theory that Blacks and other low-income groups triggered neighborhood decline and falling property values. Thus, the reports says, housing values increased as the share of the white population and income exclusivity (class) increased.

The result of that process over decades is that, in 2019, Clarence had the highest median-valued housing and median household income in Erie County, and only 1% of its population was Black. Conversely, Buffalo City had the lowest median-valued housing and median household income in Erie County, and 37% of its population was Black.

Abandoning a broken model

Changing the East Side means breaking from that model and turning to community-run and cooperative solutions like land banks and co-housing in which groups of people pool their resources to buy a property and share expenses. Such solutions, Taylor said, can drive down costs for East Side residents currently paying an unaffordable 40% or 50% of their income for housing.

Other parts of the report, which can be found on the UB centers website, cover everything from education and health outcomes  which are inextricably linked to living conditions  to training in skills like plumbing and carpentry so that residents can earn a living and rebuild their lives as they rebuild their neighborhoods.

But key to it all are the concepts of collectivism and community control. In one sense, they are not new ideas. They are what Black Buffalonians talk about every December when they celebrate Kwanzaa, whose seven principles include unity, self-determination and cooperative economics. Taylor notes that the cooperative model also underlies the Black communitys most successful institution, the church.

Still, alongside a parallel culture dominated by the myth of rugged individualism, it could take some cultivating to win over folks so used to being let down or left behind. But that very sense of disappointment and alienation bred from the failure of the current way of doing things could make the new approach an easier sell.

How is it that the entire time Black folks have lived in Buffalo, theyve always lived in neighborhoods that look like the East Side? Taylor said, referring to the commodification model that has not worked for Black neighborhoods. Then we should change the model and build a different kind of community.

A key will be going into the community, talking with and listening to people. A lot of that already has been done in drafting the initial framework, with groups like Back to Basics Ministries and the King Urban Life Center providing feedback. In the coming months that outreach will be intensified in the effort to explain the framework and the need for the East Side to pursue a different approach.

I think there is an appetite for change. I think theres an appetite for doing something different than whats been done, because what theyve done has not worked, said the Rev. George Nicholas, CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity.

Nicholas said the center asked Taylor to draw up the framework after it identified four keys to improving health care and addressing health disparities on the East Side: getting every child to read at grade level; bringing every house up to code; employing people to their maximum capability; and making sure everyone has access to primary care.

The framework addresses all of them, but in a people-centered way. One aim, Nicholas said, is creating a sense of community that is not so driven by market forces.

Hardship as a metric

In choosing the neighborhood for the demonstration project, the Center for Urban Studies has developed a hardship index based on eight factors ranging from the share of people without a high school diploma and the unemployment rate, to median household income and the share of households paying 40% or more of their income on housing.

Also factored in will be the presence of a community-based organization that can house the effort and build connections with residents, as well as proximity to a gentrification danger zone to serve as a buffer to protect other East Side neighborhoods from this threat.

Taylor said it could take four to five months to pick the neighborhood for the demonstration project, and the effort could cost $1 million a year over the first five years, though a team is being put together to develop a budget. Money could come from foundations as well as leveraging dollars already spent in many of the focus areas, such as housing and youth development.

While the effort has been quietly underway for some time, a public symposium is slated for Feb. 26 in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a site picked to emphasize the correlation between neighborhood conditions and health outcomes for Black residents.

Taylor said one impetus for their approach was the profound impact that the BUILD organization had. He was referring to Build Unity, Independence, Liberty and Dignity, the 1960s activist organization that tried to transform the Black community. The new effort will similarly spend a lot of time on the ground talking with people and gaining insights before holding focus groups and other efforts to ensure strong resident participation and involvement and control, he said.

Of course, hanging over such an effort is the prospect that putting more control in the hands of residents means less in the hands of politicians and developers  segments that could try to stymie any such initiative. That prospect brings to mind the admonition to lead, follow or get out of the way. When it comes to Black Buffalo, city government has already failed on the first count; it has two choices left.

On the other hand, if the effort is successful in engaging residents, thats thousands of voters in each neighborhood who  if truly energized and involved  can hold accountable any politician who stands in the way. And Taylor notes there is every reason for establishment forces to accept it because if the initiative succeeds, it will put Buffalo, New York, on the map, making everyone look good.

University Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt said enlisting residents and putting actual power in their hands may be an issue for some in City Hall, but not for others.

For me, thats how I operate, he said.

Wyatt said he has heard from constituents upset about outsiders coming into the neighborhood, driving up property prices and rents. He has read the report and especially appreciates its focus on community engagement and control of development. With facts and figures and appeals to a sense of decency in the face of housing costs many residents can no longer afford, he sees the promise of a new approach centered on residents themselves.

It cant be all on government, said Wyatt, who will speak at the February event. Some of it has to be on us.

Taylor envisions the demonstration project providing a template for other East Side neighborhoods and even undeveloped communities throughout Buffalo and Erie County.

Its not trickle-down, said Nicholas. This is something the community can really own, and control their destiny.

What a novel idea: Putting control of neighborhood development in the hands of the people in the neighborhood.

If the current model has failed as a process driven by the people, for the people  and it clearly has on the East Side  then its long past time to trust the people to implement a model of their own.
Wednesday, Dec 20th, 2023 (12:01 am) - Score 1,520

CityFibre has announced that theyve completed their 15 million project to deploy a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network across the seaside town of Lowestof in Suffolk (England), which originally began during the spring of 2020 and has now covered nearly 30,000 premises (RFS).

The original build plan was expanded slightly during the rollout to include the surrounding areas of Carlton Colville, Normanston and Gunton. While the primary-build is now completed, CityFibre said they will continue to explore opportunities to reach more sites including new build properties, multi-dwelling units, homes on private or unadopted roads and business parks.

NOTE: Cityfibre is supported by ISPs such as TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Cityfibre is supported by ISPs such as Vodafone iDNET and others, but they arent all live or available in every location yet.

The work supports CityFibres wider ambitions to cover up to 8 million UK premises (funded by c.2.4bn in equity and c.4.9bn debt)  across over 285 cities, towns and villages (c.30% of the UK)  by the end of 2025 (here). The operator has already passed over 3 million homes (RFS), but theyll need to build a lot faster or acquire a rival or two in order to stand any chance of reaching their current ambition in time.

Neil Madle, Partnership Manager at CityFibre, said: Im delighted that Lowestoft can benefit from better broadband now that the primary-build of our full fibre network has been completed. Equipped with fast and reliable full fibre infrastructure between the towns streets, residents can now enjoy seamless streaming, even when using multiple devices at once, with ample productivity and innovation benefits for the local economy.

Back in 2020 we noted that, in terms of CityFibres gigabit-capable rivals, cable operator Virgin Media had no presence in the town and Openreachs FTTP network could generally only be found on the southern edge of the town, as well as a smaller deployment around some central areas. Since then nexfibre (Virgin Media) has begun to deploy across the whole town (theyre already live in around 15-25% of it) and Openreach is also significantly expanding their coverage. OFNL also has a small patch in the odd new build homes site.
Wednesday, Dec 20th, 2023 (12:03 pm) - Score 1,640

Mobile network operator O2 (VMO2) and IaaS provider Ontix have worked together to boost the providers 4G mobile (mobile broadband) capacity across the busiest parts of the UKs second-largest city, which began after they started deploying their latest small cells into the area.

Just to recap. Shoebox sized small cells are like mini mobile base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 80-120 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas or specific sites. As a result, its not uncommon to find these sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (i.e. they can be more cost-effective than building new street assets or trying to secure wayleaves on buildings etc.), which is roughly what has happened in Birmingham too.

The first sites are now live in Bath Row and Islington Row, improving network capacity for the busy commuters arriving at the Five Ways station, which receives over 1 million visitors annually, and for the thousands who spend time at the markets and events in Edgbaston Village each year.

Paul Kells, VMO2s Senior Director for Network Strategy & Engineering, said: With the largest small cell network of any major operator in the UK, we understand how effective they can be in boosting local network capacity in busy areas. With upgrade programmes underway right across our network, were working hard to ensure our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times.

More deployments are now being planned for the coming months in other key areas of the city centre, such as around Broad Street and the heart of the business quarter on Snow Hill Queensway. The work is being supported by Birmingham City Council and WM5G, who signed an Open Access Agreement with Ontix that gave them permission to deploy small cells onto assets from a base of over 90,000 streetlights throughout the city.
December 20, 2023



ISU is thrilled to announce its continued partnership with Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance of Idaho for the third year of the highly anticipated Summer Community Theatre.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting local arts and fostering community engagement. The flagship musical for Summer Community Theatre 2024 will be the beloved classic, "The Wizard of Oz."

"The Wizard of Oz" will transport audiences to the enchanting land of Oz with captivating performances at the Bistline Theatre, located in the Stephens Performing Arts Center on the Idaho State University campus. The show dates are scheduled for June 21, 22, 24, and 27-29, with all performances starting at 7:30 p.m.

Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance of Idaho, an Idaho-based insurance company deeply committed to community values, has enthusiastically supported this partnership since its inception. Their CEO, Todd Argall, expressed his excitement about another year of collaboration.

"We're thrilled to embark on our third year of this sponsorship. Community theatre has a unique ability to bring people together, inspire creativity, and create lasting memories. As an Idaho-based insurance company deeply rooted in community values, we believe in investing in initiatives like these that contribute to the overall well-being and cultural vitality of our community.The Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic, and we believe it will go a long way in paving the yellow brick road towards community enrichment."

ISU's Summer Community Theatre has become a treasured tradition over the years, showcasing the talent and dedication of local performers, musicians, and production crew members. Joining the production team this summer will be new ISU Theatre faculty members Jef Petersen and Chad Rodgers, along with longtime faculty, Tara Young and Music Faculty, Diana Livingston Friedley and Geoffrey Friedley. Audiences of all ages can expect an unforgettable experience as they follow Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion on their quest to find the wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Aspiring actors and performers: Mark your calendars for auditions Monday and Tuesday, April 15 and 16, from 5 - 8 p.m. in the Acting Classroom within the Stephens Performing Arts Center. To showcase your talent, please prepare a captivating 60-90 second monologue to bring your character to life. Additionally, don't forget to dazzle us with a 32-bar musical theatre cut in the style of the show. Whether you dream of stardom as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, or any other beloved character from this timeless tale, don't miss your chance to audition for "The Wizard of Oz" and be a part of this unforgettable production. *Must be age 10 and up to audition. For more information visit isu.edu/theatre.
1371138342::cfb49c8e-2422-11e5-99a3-d7f5c6e8b241

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
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New Yorks insurance market is in dire straits, and the decisions made now will have far-reaching consequences for families and businesses throughout the Empire State.Earlier this year, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that would radically expand the wrongful death law, which threatens to plunge the insurance market into crisis. As an insurance professional dedicated to serving Western New York residents, I implore Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto this bill.

An analysis by Milliman, Inc., estimates that if this bill becomes law, premiums for personal auto and general liability insurance could increase by double digits. This is on top of already soaring insurance premiums and dwindling coverage availability.

Businesses that rely on general liability coverage may be forced to cut jobs and raise prices to cope with increased expenses. Our clients are currently facing an unprecedented increase in premium due to catastrophic losses, labor shortages, supply chain issues, and the already high litigation costs factored into renewal rates. If the expansion of the wrongful death law is enacted, I can assure you, every New Yorker will see their insurance costs increase.

The consequences of this legislation are not limited to individual families or small businesses. Medical professional liability insurance is projected to skyrocket by a staggering 40%. Such a dramatic increase will disproportionately affect critical health care providers. If the cost of insurance becomes prohibitive, many of these providers may be forced to leave private practice or the state altogether. The loss of essential medical services will put our communities at risk.

The purpose of insurance is to provide peace of mind to individuals and businesses alike. It ensures protection in times of need, whether its a car accident or a slip and fall incident. However, this bill threatens to undermine the very foundation of this security by driving up insurance costs to unsustainable levels.

New Yorks auto insurance market is in a perilous state, with insurers increasingly limiting new business, non-renewing policies, and exiting the market completely. An alarming number of drivers are being forced to seek coverage from the assigned risk plan, the states insurer of last resort.

Consumers are faced with fewer options and soaring rates. Our insurance market is nearing the breaking point, and we need only look to California and Florida to understand the economic and human costs of a full-blown insurance crisis. We must not be next.

As she considers this bill, Hochul should examine the long-term consequences for all New Yorkers. It is not a question of whether justice should be served; rather, it is about finding a workable solution that ensures fairness for all parties involved, without jeopardizing the stability of our insurance market. The current wrongful death bill is not it.
We urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.1856A/A.7640) which would restrict the use of neurotoxic neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) beginning in 2027. Restricting neonic use on corn, soybean and wheat seeds and crops would eliminate some 80-90% of the chemical from the environment. Neonics may be sprayed on fields and plants. They are also painted on seeds which carry the pesticide into the very plant itself, including flowers and pollen. The pesticide is 50 times more potent than others in use and destroys the nervous systems of bees and pollinators which land on the plants. New York beekeepers say they're losing 45% of their hives annually. These huge losses have been tied to the introduction of this toxic group of chemicals.

Cornell University studied neonics and found that its use is not economically beneficial to farmers growing corn, soybeans and wheat. The same results could be obtained with much safer and less expensive pesticides and growing techniques.

The European Union has totally banned the outdoor use of the toxic pesticides. They have also enacted a law this year to prevent the importation of food products treated by the chemicals into the EU. Canada has largely phased out neonic treated corn and soybean seeds.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently recognized the danger of this group of pesticides to pollinators. Its preliminary analysis this fall estimates some 200 endangered species are being driven to extinction by neonics.

Some 95% of neonicotinoids are washed off farm fields into water systems and the effect of the pesticide is spreading. Contamination by these toxic chemical pesticides are harming fish and birds and have climbed up the food ladder, causing tumors in deer which feed near farm fields. A recent study found rising levels of neonics in 95% of pregnant women in New York State.

Please contact Hochul and ask her to sign this important bill into law this year.

Bob Ciesielski

Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter

Energy Committee Chair
News / Local

by Staff reporter

Two suspected armed robbers were killed in a shootout with detectives in Harare on Tuesday, including a South African national, police said.Four other men, three of them South African and one Zimbabwean, were arrested and face charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of firearms.Jabulani Ngobeni, 45, of Tzannen in Limpopo was shot dead after firing at detectives at a guest house in Harare while Godknows Machingura, 44, was shot dead while fleeing from police.The arrested suspects have been named as Andrew Masubelele, 38, of Atteridgeville in Pretoria; Ndiafhi Makhado, 39, of Thsakhuma in Limpopo; Emmanuel Makamo, 22, of Alberton in Johannesburg and Paul Zhou, 55, of Waterfalls in Harare.The gang allegedly had a plan to rob a Chinese national with business operations in Kwekwe by ambushing his vehicle as he drove to Harare.Detectives were put on the tail of the gang after learning that some of the suspects had entered the country through Beitbridge border post, driving in a Ford Ranger with registration number JG-04 GH GP.Investigators tracked them to a guest house on Mauritius Road in Arcadia, Harare. On seeing the detectives, Ngobeni allegedly opened fire with his 9mm Star Pistol but was shot and disarmed.Police arrested him, Makhado, Masubelele, Makamo and Zhou who told investigators that his role had been to secure accommodation and hire vehicles for the gang  a Toyota Fortuner and a Honda Fit.Interviews with the suspects led police to Shamva where Machingura was allegedly monitoring the movements of the Chinese man who works on Birmingham Road in Kwekwe.With the help of the suspects, police lured Machingura to Morgan High School in Arcadia. Upon seeing detectives, he allegedly drove off at high speed leading to a chase during which he was shot in the groin and disarmed of a 9mm Taurus Pistol. He was declared dead upon arrival at Parirenyatwa Hospital.National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi says they are concerned by the growing number of foreign nationals committing armed robberies in the country."The police is concerned with the involvement of foreign nationals in some of the robberies. A case in point is the recent Kadoma-Chegutu shootout and the Victoria Falls incident where some foreign nationals ran away after a shooting incident," Nyathi said."The police assures the public that it will account for all criminals and ensure the law takes its course. Any form of confrontation with the police will be met with an appropriate response."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Residents of Masvingo, organized under the Communities in Action Platform (CAP), took to the streets on Monday to protest against the escalating load-shedding imposed by the power utility ZESA.Amidst one of the most severe electricity crises in Zimbabwe in decades, Masvingo, like the rest of the country, has been grappling with 18-hour load-shedding schedules that have disrupted both business and domestic activities.Carrying placards and marching towards ZESA headquarters, the protestors demanded that the government-owned entity provide a transparent plan outlining how it intends to address the worsening power supply situation."The residents of Masvingo are weary of living in darkness," expressed CAP."These power outages are not merely an inconvenience; they pose a significant threat to our livelihoods and well-being.CAP is calling on ZESA to implement effective measures to stabilize the power grid and ensure a consistent electricity supply to the residents of Masvingo.Furthermore, the organization is urging the government to prioritize renewable energy sources like solar and wind power as sustainable solutions to Zimbabwe's energy challenges.In a released statement, CAP lamented how the unreliable power supply from ZESA is adversely affecting education and essential service delivery in the historic town.
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
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By Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland | 

(The Conversation)  In 2024, former President Donald Trump will face some of his greatest challenges: criminal court cases, primary opponents and constitutional challenges to his eligibility to hold the office of president again. The Colorado Supreme Court has pushed that latter piece to the forefront, ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, that Trump cannot appear on Colorados 2024 presidential ballot because of his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

The reason is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. Section 3 of that amendment wrote into the Constitution the principle President Abraham Lincoln set out just three months after the first shots were fired in the Civil War. On July 4, 1861, he spoke to Congress, declaring that when ballots have fairly, and constitutionally, decided, there can be no successful appeal back to bullets.

The text of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states, in full:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

To me as a scholar of constitutional law, each sentence and sentence fragment captures the commitment made by the nation in the wake of the Civil War to govern by constitutional politics. People seeking political and constitutional changes must play by the rules set out in the Constitution. In a democracy, people cannot substitute force, violence or intimidation for persuasion, coalition building and voting.



Trump Insurrection, by Juan Cole, Digital, Dream/ Dreamland v. 3,/ IbisPaint, 2023

The power of the ballot

The first words of Section 3 describe various offices that people can only hold if they satisfy the constitutional rules for election or appointment. The Republicans who wrote the amendment repeatedly declared that Section 3 covered all offices established by the Constitution. That included the presidency, a point many participants in framing, ratifying and implementation debates over constitutional disqualification made explicitly, as documented in the records of debate in the 39th Congress, which wrote and passed the amendment.

Senators, representatives and presidential electors are spelled out because some doubt existed when the amendment was debated in 1866 as to whether they were officers of the United States, although they were frequently referred to as such in the course of congressional debates.

No one can hold any of the offices enumerated in Section 3 without the power of the ballot. They can only hold office if they are voted into it  or nominated and confirmed by people who have been voted into office. No office mentioned in the first clause of Section 3 may be achieved by force, violence or intimidation.

A required oath

The next words in Section 3 describe the oath to support [the] Constitution that Article 6 of the Constitution requires all office holders in the United States to take.

The people who wrote Section 3 insisted during congressional debates that anyone who took an oath of office, including the president, were subject to Section 3s rules. The presidential oaths wording is slightly different from that of other federal officers, but everyone in the federal government swears to uphold the Constitution before being allowed to take office.

These oaths bind officeholders to follow all the rules in the Constitution. The only legitimate government officers are those who hold their offices under the constitutional rules. Lawmakers must follow the Constitutions rules for making laws. Officeholders can only recognize laws that were made by following the rules  and they must recognize all such laws as legitimate.

This provision of the amendment ensures that their oaths of office obligate officials to govern by voting rather than violence.

Defining disqualification

Section 3 then says people can be disqualified from holding office if they engaged in insurrection or rebellion. Legal authorities from the American Revolution to the post-Civil War Reconstruction understood an insurrection to have occurred when two or more people resisted a federal law by force or violence for a public, or civic, purpose.

Shays Rebellion, the Whiskey Insurrection, Burrs Rebellion, John Browns Raid and other events were insurrections, even when the goal was not overturning the government.

What these events had in common was that people were trying to prevent the enforcement of laws that were consequences of persuasion, coalition building and voting. Or they were trying to create new laws by force, violence and intimidation.

These words in the amendment declare that those who turn to bullets when ballots fail to provide their desired result cannot be trusted as democratic officials. When applied specifically to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, the amendment declares that those who turn to violence when voting goes against them cannot hold office in a democratic nation.

A chance at clemency

The last sentence of Section 3 announces that forgiveness is possible. It says Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability  the ineligibility of individuals or categories of people to hold office because of having participated in an insurrection or rebellion.

For instance, Congress might remove the restriction on office-holding based on evidence that the insurrectionist was genuinely contrite. It did so for repentant former Confederate General James Longstreet .

Or Congress might conclude in retrospect that violence was appropriate, such as against particularly unjust laws. Given their powerful anti-slavery commitments and abolitionist roots, I believe that Republicans in the House and Senate in the late 1850s would almost certainly have allowed people who violently resisted the fugitive slave laws to hold office again. This provision of the amendment says that bullets may substitute for ballots and violence for voting only in very unusual circumstances.

Embed from Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC  JANUARY 06: Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump gather near the east front door of the U.S. Capitol after groups breached the buildings security on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nations capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A clear conclusion

Taken as a whole, the structure of Section 3 leads to the conclusion that Donald Trump is one of those past or present government officials who by violating his oath of allegiance to the constitutional rules has forfeited his right to present and future office.

Trumps supporters say the president is neither an officer under the United States nor an officer of the United States as specified in Section 3. Therefore, they say, he is exempt from its provisions.

But in fact, both common sense and history demonstrate that Trump was an officer, an officer of the United States and an officer under the United States for constitutional purposes. Most people, even lawyers and constitutional scholars like me, do not distinguish between those specific phrases in ordinary discourse. The people who framed and ratified Section 3 saw no distinction. Exhaustive research by Trump supporters has yet to produce a single assertion to the contrary that was made in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Yet scholars John Vlahoplus and Gerard Magliocca are daily producing newspaper and other reports asserting that presidents are covered by Section 3.

Significant numbers of Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate agreed that Donald Trump violated his oath of office immediately before, during and immediately after the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Most Republican senators who voted against his conviction did so on the grounds that they did not have the power to convict a president who was no longer in office. Most of them did not dispute that Trump participated in an insurrection. A judge in Colorado also found that Trump engaged in insurrection, which was the basis for the states Supreme Court ruling barring him from the ballot.

Constitutional democracy is rule by law. Those who have demonstrated their rejection of rule by law may not apply, no matter their popularity. Jefferson Davis participated in an insurrection against the United States in 1861. He was not eligible to become president of the U.S. four years later, or to hold any other state or federal office ever again. If Davis was barred from office, then the conclusion must be that Trump is too  as a man who participated in an insurrection against the United States in 2021.

Mark A. Graber, University System of Maryland Regents Professor of Law, University of Maryland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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( Middle East Monitor )  Why are you obsessed with a two-state solution? said Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK during a Sky interview this week, snapping at the journalist for pressing her on the international consensus for ending Israels decades-long illegal occupation. Why are you so obsessed with a formula that never worked? the Israel envoy growled, insisting that there is Absolutely no chance for the two-state solution.

Over in the apartheid state, Israels Communications Minister, Shlomo Karhi, echoed Hotovelys rejection of a peaceful settlement in favour of the maximalist position long espoused by Zionist leaders. There will be no Palestinian State here, Karhi said on X. We will never allow another State to be established between the Jordan and the sea. We will never go back to Oslo, he added, referring to the 1993 agreement.

Hotovelys remarks triggered a swift response from the UKs two major political parties. The Labour Party is steadfast in its long-standing support for a two-state solution, said David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary. He stressed that a viable and independent Palestine alongside a safe and secure Israel, where all can enjoy security, dignity and statehood is the only credible basis for long-term peace.

UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, also publicly disagreed with the Israeli ambassador by telling Sky News that it is the long-standing position of the UK government that there should be an independent Palestinian State established alongside the existing one of Israel  giving both peoples their own territory.

Sky News: Israel always rejected two-state solution, says head of Palestinian mission to UK | Israel-Hamas War

The series of exchanges further highlights Israeli rejectionism and the desperation of world leaders to salvage, however improbably, the only solution which in their eyes can rescue Israel from its Catch-22 situation. The conundrum is framed as Israels choice between democracy and territory. The predicament arises because maintaining control over the Occupied Palestinian Territories compromises democratic values, creating a dichotomy: Jewish democracy or territory.

However, anyone remotely familiar with the pace of Israels annexation of Palestinian territory and the transfer of over 750,000 Israelis in Jewish-only settlements knows that, not only is a viable Palestinian State no longer a realistic possibility, but decades of impunity have meant that Israel has never been forced to make such a choice. The same impunity allows Israel to thrive economically and not face the consequences of being an Occupier practicing apartheid. To add insult to injury, the blame for the non-implementation of the two-state solution is placed on the Palestinians, despite Israels rejection of the establishment of a viable and sovereign Palestinian State.

Israelis have made no secret of the fact that control and domination of every inch of historic Palestine takes priority over considerations like democracy and even lesser considerations like the rights of Palestinians. Hotovelys remarks about the two-state solution are the latest in a long list of explicit confessions about Israels long-held plan to never allow the creation of a viable Palestinian State. The Israeli ambassador has made no secret of her wish to block the creation of a viable Palestinian State.

In 2021 Hotovely laid out her vision for a greater Israel in an article, The Five Stage Plan for the Greater Land of Israel. In it she acknowledges that most Israelis do not want to relinquish control over the Occupied Territories. She claims that previous Israeli leaders avoided annexation solely to avoid dealing with incorporating Palestinians. To overcome this problem, the Israeli ambassador advocates launching a campaign to massively increase Jewish immigration to Israel, seeking two million new Jewish citizens within a decade.

The aim, as described by Hotovely, is to permanently cement Jewish control and supremacy over the entirety of historic Palestine through annexation and selective citizenship policies ensuring a dominant Jewish majority. No independent Palestinian statehood or self-determination is envisioned anywhere in the plan. Instead, it lays out unambiguously a strategy for unilaterally removing any possibility of Palestinian sovereignty and cementing a single unequal state, achieving an expanded and more demographically dominant vision of long-term Jewish control over the entire territory.

Although Hotovelys radical views represent the largest and most powerful constituency in Israel, Western leaders like Sunak and Lammy not only turn a blind eye to the explicit rejection of a Palestinian State, they use the two-state mantra as political purity test to cancel Palestinians and police acceptable speech on Israel and Palestine. The response to pro-Palestine protesters use of the slogan from the river to the sea is a perfect illustration of this. While ignoring the actual genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by Israel from the river to the sea, representatives of both major parties, aided by the mainstream media, have portrayed the chant as a call for the genocide of Jews.

Let us not be under any illusion as to why the two-state solution lies in ruins. Facts on the ground created by Israel and the discriminatory nature of the Occupation State make clear that an independent Palestinian State existing peacefully next to it is pure fantasy. Decades of relentless Israeli settlement expansion in Occupied Territory have left Palestinians fragmented and corralled into ever-shrinking cantons devoid of territorial contiguity or economic viability. Once all the land grabs are accounted for, only around 15 per cent of historic Palestine remains for what would be an unworkable and unviable Palestinian State.

The UN itself has stated a Palestinian State should comprise of the West Bank and Gaza Strip  itself only 22 per cent of the territory. Yet, so much has already been devoured that even by the most optimistic measures, less than half of the 22 per cent is still available under the mirage of two states.

If Israel had any interest in a two-state solution it would not have continued on a path that kills hope before it is born. Illegal settlements and the separation wall snaking beyond the Green Line have pushed Palestinians into disconnected enclaves, unable to function as a nation. To make matters worse, the relentless Zionist colonisation project has continued unabated, despite decades of toothless UN resolutions condemning violations of international law.

Hotovely is right about one thing  there is absolutely no chance for the two-state solution because she is an architect in its destruction.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.

Via Middle East Monitor
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce further positive assay results for an additional 12 diamond core boreholes totalling 4,108 metres ("m") from its current exploration drilling program on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drilling results include 9 drill holes (3,398 m) dedicated to the further expansion / definition of the Boomerang gold system (formerly Boomerang East & Boomerang West targets) and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) targeting prospective litho-structural settings generated by the recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling. The current drilling forms part of an aggressive in-house drilling initiative focussing on multiple resource expansion targets occupying the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure; over 1 km beyond the limits of the currently defined Mineral Resource Estimate (the "2021 MRE", see the Company's news release of November 1, 2021).

Present drilling efforts successfully: discovered new high-grade gold zone at depth, expanding the stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance; further defined the robust grade and down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone; and extended the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip at the northeast extremity of the gold system.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

New High-Grade Gold Zone (Boomerang "Deep")

9.0 m at 9.29 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au"), including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, from 400.0 m in KBDD23536 (~90 m stratigraphy below (cross-plunge) of main Lower Shoot)

Definition Drilling (Boomerang - Main "Lower Shoot" Gold Zone)

56.0 m at 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from 166.0 m in KBDD23530

50.0 m at 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from 258.0 m in KBDD23536

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang - SE Lateral / Down-Dip Extension & SW Strike-Extension)

55.1 m at 0.75 g/t Au, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from 353.9 m in KBDD23538 (extending Lower Shoot ~100 further down-dip)

20.0 m at 0.84 g/t Au from 134.0 m; and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from 163.0 m in KBDD23534 (Upper Shoot (s))

4.5 m at 12.72 g/t Au, including 1.5 m at 33.73 g/t Au, from 145.5 m in KBDD23535 (SW Shoot - formerly Boomerang West target)

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "We are encouraged by these promising drill results, with the definition drilling not only continuing to show good down-plunge continuity in mineralization, but also expanding the Boomerang gold system with the discovery of a new high-grade gold zone at depth. These additional broad, robust gold intercepts from definition holes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 continue to better define the grade and geometry of the main Lower Shoot mineralization, as well as further bolster our litho-structural understanding of the gold system. We look forward to further drill testing this exciting, new high-grade, visible gold-bearing mineralization zone in the New Year."

Today's Kibi Gold Project drill results correspond to the latest 12 drill holes (4,108 m) of an ongoing exploration initiative targeting multiple resource expansion opportunities within the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the gold mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. The 12 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from early August to late November 2023, including: 3 SW-trending definition drill holes (1,341 m) designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, 6 expansion drill holes (2,057 m) targeting the south-western strike-extension and south-eastern lateral continuity of the Boomerang gold system, and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) to further define the litho-structural setting of the recently 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling generated Double 19 - SW target. Drill results for a total of 132 holes (26,968.5 m) have been reported to date for the ongoing Zone 3 resource expansion drill program initiated following the database close-out date for the current 2021 MRE.

Exploration significant auriferous drill intercepts are presented in Table 1 below, with a drill plan (Figure 1) and collar / drill hole details (Table 2), available at:

Figure 1_Zone 3 Drill Plan_Dec 2023

Table 2_Drill Collar Info_Dec 2023

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts - Boomerang Resource Expansion Target & Zone 3 Scout Drilling

Kibi Gold Project / August - November 2023 Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core

Length

(metres) Gold

Grams

Per Tonne Zone ID / Target KBDD23529 85.0 89.0 4.0 0.73 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 303.0 310.0 7.0 1.45 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 308.0 309.0 1.0 6.91 KBDD23530 14.5 35.0 20.5 0.93 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 14.5 28.0 13.5 1.24 and incl. 17.5 23.0 5.5 2.51 and 143.0 148.0 5.0 1.86 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 166.0 222.0 56.0 1.40 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 175.0 195.0 20.0 2.54 and incl. 187.0 195.0 8.0 4.16 and 374.0 384.0 10.0 0.32 Boomerang - New Mineralization and 398.0 414.5 16.5 0.27 Boomerang - New Mineralization KBDD23531 81.0 96.0 15.0 0.29 Boomerang - SW Shoot * and 117.0 120.0 3.0 1.03 and 149.0 157.0 8.0 0.73 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 156.0 157.0 1.0 2.99 and 207.0 218.0 11.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 214.0 216.0 2.0 1.51 KBDD23532 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23533 132.5 138.0 5.5 0.49 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 134.0 135.0 1.0 1.52 KBDD23534 134.0 154.0 20.0 0.84 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 134.0 144.0 10.0 1.13 and 163.0 191.0 28.0 0.47 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 186.0 191.0 5.0 1.06 and 313.0 336.0 23.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 313.0 320.0 7.0 1.01 and 355.0 362.7 7.7 1.16 Boomerang - Lower Shoot KBDD23535 55.5 63.0 7.5 0.54 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 145.5 150.0 4.5 12.72 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 147.0 148.5 1.5 33.73 and 247.0 255.0 8.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 251.0 252.0 1.0 1.97 and 275.0 291.8 16.8 0.41 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 282.0 284.3 2.3 1.46 KBDD23536 38.5 41.5 3.0 7.69 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 38.5 40.0 1.5 14.61 and 76.0 86.0 10.0 0.51 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 122.0 137.0 15.0 0.64 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 126.0 131.0 5.0 1.24 and 258.0 308.0 50.0 1.28 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 260.0 296.0 36.0 1.44 and incl. 263.0 285.0 22.0 1.93 and 400.0 409.0 9.0 9.29 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 402.5 407.0 4.5 16.94 and incl. 404.0 404.8 0.8 81.59 KBDD23537 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23538 147.0 156.0 9.0 0.36 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 353.9 409.0 55.1 0.75 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 355.7 395.0 39.3 0.95 and incl. 355.7 375.0 19.3 1.45 and 405.0 411.0 6.0 0.58 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot KBDD23539 162.5 184.0 21.5 0.68 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 169.0 176.0 7.0 0.99 including 183.0 184.0 1.0 3.43 and 237.0 241.0 4.0 0.72 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 276.0 306.0 30.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 276.0 285.0 9.0 1.13 KBDD23540 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target Notes: Reported intercepts are core-lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. "Significant" intercepts meet following criteria: minimum metal factor (grade x length) of 2.5; with minimum 0.25 g/t gold average grade over interval. Intercepts also constrained with a 0.25 g/t gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive samples of internal dilution (<0.25 g/t gold). All internal intervals above 15 g/t gold indicated. * Formerly Boomerang West Target

Recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion models-based litho-structural modelling work, conducted by Tect Geological Consulting of South Africa, indicates that the gold mineralization within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE footprint area occupies a licence-scale, 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. Deposits are characterized by tensional arrays of auriferous quartz-carbonate veins typically hosted within or spatially associated with F1 or F2 folded / strained diorite units, and/or metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts, with the diorite bodies having an interpreted Belt-type granitoid affinity. Over 20 significant gold occurrences hosted by Belt (Dixcove)- and Basin (Cape Coast)-type granitoids are known in Ghana, with a number constituting significant deposits. These deposits represent a relatively new style of gold mineralization for orogenic gold deposits within the West African Birimian terrain. Belt-type intrusion-hosted gold deposits include Newmont Mining's Subika deposit at their Ahafo mine and Asante Gold's Chirano deposit (formerly Kinross Mining) within the Sefwi gold belt, as well as the former Golden Star Resources' Hwini-Butre deposit at the southern extremity of the Ashanti gold belt.

Today's drilling results include an additional 4 holes collared along a SW-tending drill-fence designed to dissect the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, including: 2 holes (-55o) testing the down-plunge continuity of the Upper Shoot (s), Lower Shoot, and Footwall Shoot gold zones (KBDD23530 & 536); and 2 holes (-50o) targeting the south-western strike-extension of the Boomerang gold system (KBDD23531 & 535). With the expanded drill-fence (9 holes) now testing the NE-plunging gold system over approximately 640 m strike and 425 m down-plunge distances, respectively. See the Company's news release of September 8, 2023, for the assay results for the remaining 5 holes along this drill-fence.

Boreholes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 were primarily designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot mineralization zone at the approximate mid-point between the existing NW-SE drill sections. With these two definition drill holes, collared approximately 110 m apart at the northeastern extremity of the SW-trending drill-fence, returning the following mineralized intercepts from the Lower Shoot: 56.0 m grading 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 166.0 m in KBDD23530 and 50.0 m grading 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 258.0 m in KBDD23536 (~75 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept). Drill intercepts from the Upper Shoot (s) mineralization zone returned from these two boreholes, include: 20.5 m grading 0.93 g/t Au, including 13.5 m at 1.24 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 14.5 m; and 3.0 m grading 7.69 g/t Au, 10.0 m at 0.51 g/t Au and 15.0 m at 0.64 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 38.5 m, 76.0 m and 122.0 m respectively in KBDD22536. With the lower mineralized intercept (122.0 m) in KBDD23536 positioned approximately 85 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept.

KBDD23536 also returned a mineralized intercept grading 9.29 g/t Au over 9.0 m, including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, and including 0.8 m at 81.59 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 400.0 m. With this lower high-grade intercept, representing a new visible gold-bearing mineralization zone positioned approximately 90 m stratigraphically below (cross-plunge) the above Footwall Shoot intercept, expanding the Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. Further drilling targeting both the up-plunge and down-plunge extensions of this new high-grade gold zone is planned for January 2024.

Present drilling results include two NW-trending, steeply inclined (-70o) expansion drill holes targeting the lateral continuity of the shallow SE-dipping Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization zones, at the northeastern extremity of the Boomerang gold system. KBDD23534 returned multiple mineralized intercepts, including: 20.0 m grading 0.84 g/t Au and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 134.0 m and 163.0 m respectively (Upper Shoot (s)); and 23.0 m grading 0.62 g/t Au and 7.7 m at 1.16 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 313.0 m and 355.0 m respectively (Lower Shoot). KBDD23538, collared approximately 50 m northeast of KBDD23534, returned a Lower Shoot mineralized intercept grading 0.75 g/t Au over 55.1 m, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 353.9 m (~60 m down-plunge of the KBDD23534 intercept). With these expansion drill holes successfully extending the Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 50 m and 35 m further down-dip respectfully, along the KBDD23534 section; and extending the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip along the KBDD23538 section.

Updated 3D litho-structural modelling appears to indicate that the Boomerang resource expansion target, consisting of a multi-shoot gold system extending over approximately 650 m strike and 750 m down-plunge distances respectively, occupies a F2 meso-scale (parasitic) fold hinge structure developed on the north-western limb of the mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold. With the mineralization occurring as a NE-plunging system of stacked, flat-lying to concave-shaped, shallow SE-dipping gold shoots hosted within folded / strained diorite bodies and/or associated metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts. Drilling to date has outlined three (4) principal gold shoots, including the Upper Shoot (s), the Lower Shoot, the Footwall Shoot and the SW Shoot (formerly Boomerang West), across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. The Lower Shoot, presently the most prominent mineralization shoot of the Boomerang gold system, has so far been delineated from practically surface to a down-plunge depth of approximately 500 m along the fold hinge structure (approximately 345 m vertical depth from surface), and across an approximately 200 m NW-SE lateral distance.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zones 1-3) Mineral Resource Estimate, produced by Xtra-Gold on September 30, 2021, represents the only Mineral Resource ever generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Xtra-Gold Resources Corporation Kibi Gold Project", jointly prepared by Pivot Mining Consultants (Pty) and Tect Geological Consulting, and dated November 16, 2021, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources," "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

242-363-3864

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.xtragold.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Noram Lithium Corp. ("Noram") (TSX-V:NRM) (Frankfurt:N7R) (OTCQB:NRVTF) is pleased to announce the completion of core hole CVZ-87, the fourth hole in its 10-hole Phase VII drilling program on its 100% owned Zeus project in Clayton Valley, Nevada, USA. The hole was an infill hole to more precisely define the previously announced mineral resource. This hole, along with others in this round of drilling, is expected to upgrade some of the inferred resource to indicated and some of the indicated resource to the measured categories in the core of the main deposit.

Figure 1 - Strip log of the CVZ-87 lithologies.

CVZ-87 was completed at a depth of 568 ft (173.13 m). The core has been cleaned, logged, photographed and is in the process of being sampled for assay by the crew with the independent consulting group Big Rock Exploration of Duluth, Minnesota, USA. Sampling of the core using an industry standard QA/QC protocol is underway. Samples are to be delivered to ALS Laboratories in Reno, Nevada for assaying. Assay results are pending.

As with other nearby, previously drilled holes, CVZ-87 intersected a thick section of olive, blue and blue-black tuffaceous claystones and mudstones that, in the past, have carried high lithium grades. CVZ-87 intersected approximately 455 ft (139 m), from depths of 8 ft to 463 ft (2.4 to 141.1 m) of these promising lithologies. A strip log of the hole's lithologies is shown in Figure 1.

With the completion of CVZ-87, the drill moved onto CVZ-88 and had begun drilling that hole. The current drilling status of the Phase VII program is illustrated in Figure 2. A photo of the Titan Drilling Company rig on CVZ-87 is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 2 - Current Phase VII drilling status.

Figure 3 - Titan Drilling's core rig on CVZ-87.

"CVZ-87 saw prospective lithology virtually on surface at a depth of only 8 ft (2.4 m). This is but one of the many reasons we are so invested in this Project. Not only is the ground itself accessible by car and the terrain easily navigated, but we see long rich intervals nearly on surface of lithium-hosted clay. The Phase VII program has been very successful to date and we look forward to sharing the forthcoming results with our loyal shareholders" commented Sandy MacDougall, Executive Chairman and Director.

For additional information:

Contacts:

In Europe: VP Corporate Development This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Elsewhere: Investor Relations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.noramlithiumcorp.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sandy MacDougall

Founder and Executive Chairman

About Noram Lithium Corp.

Noram Lithium Corp. (TSXV: NRM | OTCQB: NRVTF | Frankfurt: N7R) is focusing on advancing its 100%-owned Zeus Lithium Project located in Clayton Valley, Nevada an emerging lithium hub within the United States.

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Brad Peek, M.Sc., CPG, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and also Vice President of Exploration for Noram.

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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding, among other things, plans for ongoing development of the Zeus Lithium Project. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, regulatory approval processes, results of further exploration work, and availability of capital on terms acceptable to the Company. Although Noram believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained in a timely manner, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Noram disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
Vancouver, British Columbia - TheNewswire - December 20, 2023 - Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY) (OTC:LKMNF) (FRA:LKY) (Lucky or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an arm's length option agreement (the "Option Agreement") dated as of December 18, 2023, with Fire Gold Resources Inc. (Fire Gold), and Patricia Lafontaine (Lafontaine and together with Fire Gold, the Vendors), pursuant to which the Company has been granted an option (the "Option") to acquire a 100% beneficial and legal interest in the Prudhomme Project located in Northern Quebec, Canada (the "Property"). This polymetallic project (Project) has been previously explored. All dollar amounts in this news release are in Canadian dollars.

The terms of the Option Agreement are set forth below.

In order to exercise the Option and acquire a 100% interest in the Property, the Company is required to:

(a) incur at least $4,000,000 in exploration expenditures on the Property over 4 years. A minimum of $1.5 million is to be incurred in the first two years.

(b) issue common shares to the Vendors as follows:

(i) such number of common shares of the Company (Common Shares) having an aggregate value of $150,000 at a deemed issue price per share equal to that of the securities issued pursuant to a concurrent financing of the Company on or before ninety (90) business days after the date of execution of the Option Agreement and the date on which certain conditions precedent (as set forth in the Option Agreement) are fulfilled or waived in accordance with the Option Agreement (the Satisfaction Date);

(ii) such number of Common Shares having an aggregate value of $200,000 on or before the first anniversary of the Satisfaction Date, calculated based on the 5 day trading average price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) ending prior to the day on which the respective payment is due (the 5-day VWAP), in quarterly installments;

(iii) such number of Common Shares having an aggregate value of $200,000 on or before the second anniversary of the Satisfaction Date, calculated based on the 5-day VWAP, in quarterly installments; and

(iv) such number of Common Shares having an aggregate value of $200,000 on or before the third anniversary of the Satisfaction Date, calculated based on the 5-day VWAP, in quarterly installments;

(c) make milestone cash payments to the Vendors in the aggregate amount of $6,250,000 as follows:

(I) an aggregate of $750,000 within six (6) months of the Company filing on SEDAR+ a final technical report prepared in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), which establishes a mineral resource estimate on the Property containing greater than 0.5 billion pounds of copper equivalent;

(ii) an aggregate of $500,000 within six (6) months of the Company filing on SEDAR+ a bankable feasibility study in respect of the Property, including an ore reserve calculation compliant with NI 43-101;

(iii) an aggregate of $1,000,000 within 30 days of the board of directors of the Company approving to proceed with commercial production of the Property; and

(iv) an aggregate of $4,000,000 within 30 days of the Company commencing commercial production of the Property.

The Vendors will retain a 2% Gross Metals Royalty (GMR) on the Property. For so long as the Company holds an interest in the Property the Company shall have the right to purchase at any time 1% of the Vendors GMR (for cancellation) for a purchase price of $2,000,000.

The Option Agreement also includes that the Company is required to, among other things, settle in full the unsecured convertible debenture issued by the Company in the principal amount of $1,380,000 ($1,453,518 inclusive of interest, as at July 31, 2023), complete a financing of a minimum of $200,000, and receive TSXV acceptance in respect of the foregoing.The Company plans to provide a detailed summary of the financing in a separate news release to be issued in the near future.

The Prudhomme project

The Prudhomme project, comprised of 181 claims covering approximately 8,145 ha, is located in northern Quebec approximately 60 km west of Kuujjuak and 40 km south of Tasiujaq, both of these communities are serviced by their respective airports and have access to deep tide sea water.

The project area has had significant work since the 1950s where there are currently three zones of mineralization that have been well identified in the geologic literature: Soucy (A&D) as well as the Prudhomme 1 North and South. The historical reports refer to mineral deposits (not compliant with NI 43-101 requirements) as follows:

Summary table below of historical data on Prudhomme and Soucy deposits (Sigeom, GM-54631 as cited by Wares, R.P., 1995)

The Company is completing a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report in conjunction with this acquisition.

Following the acquisition of the Property, the Company intends to initiate a comprehensive process of compiling, digitizing, and evaluating all available geoscientific data pertaining to the Property. This data will then be utilized to formulate an exploration strategy, employing modern, systematic exploration techniques. The objective is to extend mineralization into newly identified potential zones, as revealed through geophysical studies, and to investigate the potential at greater depths, given that historical drilling typically does not exceed 300 meters from the surface.

The Company confirms this Option Agreement is a fundamental acquisition under TSXV policy as the Company expects to spend more than 50% of its time and expenditure, on this property over the next 12 months. The Companys shares will be halted and will remain halted pending TSXV approval.

The Next Steps

The Company is presently in discussions with its debentureholders and creditors and will provide further news releases as these discussions are concluded.

The Company also intends to proceed with a consolidation (the Consolidation) of its issued and outstanding common shares (Common Shares) on the basis of one (1) new post-consolidation common share for every ten (10) pre-consolidation common shares, subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approval. The Company currently has 202.5 million common shares issued and outstanding and following the completion of the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 20.3 million post-consolidation common shares outstanding. No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Each fractional share following the Consolidation that is less than one-half of a share will be cancelled and each fractional share that is at least one-half of a share will be rounded up to the nearest whole share. All options and warrants outstanding will reflect the change in accordance with the Consolidation.

The Company will then also complete a private placement financing for a minimum of $750,000 in accordance with TSX Venture policies to meet its initial commitments under the Option Agreement and the required working capital in accordance with TSXV policies.

Pursuant to the policies of the TSXV, the Option Agreement and the issuance of the Common Shares (on a post-Consolidation bases) are subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. All Common Shares issued will be on a post-Consolidation basis and subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

About Lucky Minerals Inc.

Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits.

Qualified Person

Patrick Laforest, B.Sc., MBA, P.Geo. who is an independent Qualified Person (QP) as defined in NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Francois Perron

President and Chief Executive Officer

Further information on Lucky can be found on the Companys website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedarplus.ca, or by contacting Francois Perron, by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone at (866) 924 6484.

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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Companys forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.




VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQX: USGDF / FWB: 1QC) (American Pacific or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has received the permits necessary to commence drilling at the Madison Copper-Gold Project (Madison or the Project) in Montana, USA.

The five-hole diamond drill campaign, which is expected to commence in Q1, 2024, is designed to further define and expand on known near-surface, high-grade copper and gold mineralization, while extending beneath known mineralization to provide a foundation for deeper exploration in areas which have seen limited historical drilling.

The programs sets out to achieve three key objectives: test shallow gap areas; tighten drill spacing at moderate depth within the skarn to support a future mineral resource estimate; and extend below known mineralization to provide valuable information for deeper exploration in subsequent campaigns.

Previous drilling in this area returned drill intersections of 14.44 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) over 6.53 metres (m) (see news release dated January 22, 2022) and 6.97% copper (Cu) over 61.63 m1. This program is, in part, a follow-up to the work done during previous partner-funded campaigns.

The Madison Project has always been of keen interest to our team, given its historical high-grades and still limited exploration, commented CEO Warwick Smith. Madison has been shown to carry significant grades, particularly in the skarn and we look forward to extending skarn mineralization, as we prepare to conduct more comprehensive exploration into the porphyry-style mineralization beneath.

Qualified Persons

Technical aspects of this press release have been reviewed and approved by Eric Saderholm, P.Geo., the designated Qualified Persons (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a precious and base metals explorer and developer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Company has two flagship assets: the Palmer Project, a Volcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) project in Alaska, under joint-venture partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining, owner of Japans largest zinc smelter; and the Madison Project, a past-producing copper-gold project in Montana partnered with Kennecott Exploration Company, a division of the Rio Tinto Group. For the Madison transaction, American Pacific was selected as a finalist in both 2021 and 2022 for Deal of the Year at the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, an annual program that recognizes exemplary accomplishments in 16 performance categories. Also, in American Pacifics asset portfolio are high-grade, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA: the Ziggurat Gold project, partnered with Centerra Gold; and the Tuscarora Gold-Silver project. The Companys mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

On Behalf of the Board of American Pacific Mining Corp.

Warwick Smith

CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910  510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Investor Relations Contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.,

604.908.1695 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Media Relations Contact:

Adam Bello, Primoris Group Inc.,

416.489.0092 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes:

Quality Assurance and Procedures of Madison Drilling Data

Both Broadway and Rio Tinto employed ALS Global during their drilling programs, an ISO 9001:2008 certified Assay Laboratory. Analysis and assay quality were deemed sufficient by the company geologists. Use of blanks, checks and standards ensured that all QA/QC measures were in place during these programs as assurance of lab accuracy and no issues were detected during the respective programs. Exact procedures are documented in the updated Madison 43-101 found on the APM website. Both companies used the same assay codes and procedures:

ME-MS61L (Super trace lowest DL 4 acid by ICP-MS)

Au-ICP21 (Au 30g fire assay with ICP-AES finish)

ME-OG62 for elements above detection limit (Cu-OG62 for Cu>7000 ppm)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stallion Uranium Corp. (the Company or Stallion) (TSX-V: STUD; OTCQB: STLNF; FSE: HM40) is pleased to announce it has received the necessary permits from the Saskatchewan Government to conduct ground-based geophysics and diamond drilling exploration work on its 100% owned Gunter Lake (Gunter Lake or the Project) Uranium Project in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan.

Highlights

The company is planning for a targeted ground geophysics survey to commence in H1/2024.

Permitted activities include access trail construction, temporary camp establishment, geophysical surveying, and diamond drilling.

Permits are valid until Dec 6, 2026, allowing for multiple seasons of geophysical surveying and drill testing.

This permit is a further expansion of Stallion Uraniums efforts to unlock the next significant uranium discovery in the Athabasca Basin, stated Drew Zimmerman, CEO of Stallion Uranium. We continue to work towards advancing high-potential uranium assets in the prolific South-Western Athabasca Basin. The Basin is globally recognized for its uranium resources at time when western nations need to work together to advance projects with the potential to fuel a cleaner energy future.

The exploration permit is a significant step in advancing the Gunter Lake Project towards drilling. The project is ideally situated adjacent to NexGens SW2 Project which hosts the prolific Arrow Deposit. NexGen recently announced their comprehensive drill program targeting the massive 45 km long R7 corridor and the Morrow corridor which hosts 10 km of untested geophysical targets (see NexGen news release Dated June 12, 2023). Both targets are located proximal to the Gunter Lake Project. The R7 corridor is located 2 km west and Morrow corridor is located to the Southeast of the project with the Morrow Corridor trending onto Gunter Lake claims. Stallions exploration in the area confirms the confidence to advanced exploration on the Gunter Lake project. The project represents not only a strategic investment for our company but also contains the potential to host the next significant uranium discovery.

About Gunter Lake Project

The 100% owned Gunter Lake Project consists of four adjoining claims with a total area of 17,769 hectares situated in the heart of the Patterson Lake uranium district in the southwestern Athabasca Basin, approximately 30 km east of NexGen Energys Arrow Deposit (256.7 million lb. of U 3 O 8 combined measured and indicated). A VTEM Plus Survey was completed on the property over the winter at the start of 2023 to cover the entirety of the property. The company worked with Condor Consulting for advanced data processing.

The company plans to follow-up geophysical anomalies identified with Stallions ongoing AFMAG survey. The project has never been drill tested and contains several kilometer-scale prospective zones within the primary target areas identified as the Coyote Target. The highly prospective Coyote target will be the focus of the up-coming exploration programs as the Company has magnetic lows on a conductive corridor known to correlate to alteration that hosts uranium mineralization.

About Stallion Uranium

Stallion Uranium is working to Fuel the Future with Uranium through the exploration of over 3,000 sq/km in the Athabasca Basin, home to the largest high-grade uranium deposits in the world. The company holds the largest contiguous project in the Western Athabasca Basin adjacent to multiple high-grade discovery zones.

Our leadership and advisory teams are comprised of uranium and precious metals exploration experts with the capital markets experience and the technical talent for acquiring and exploring early-stage properties.

Stallion offers optionality with two gold projects in Idaho and Nevada that neighbour world class gold deposits offering exposure to upside potential from district advancement with limited capital expenditures.

For more information visit stallionuranium.com or contact:

Drew Zimmerman

Chief Executive Officer

778-686-0973

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, forward-looking statements) that relate to the Companys current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are expected to, expects, will continue, is anticipated, anticipates, believes, estimated, intends, plans, forecast, projection, strategy, objective and outlook) are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this material change report should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date they are made.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
Vancouver, British Columbia - TheNewswire - December 20, 2023: Inflection Resources Ltd. (CSE:AUCU) (OTC:AUCUF) (FSE:5VJ) (the "Company" or "Inflection") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing drill program in New South Wales, Australia conducted under the Exploration Agreement with AngloGold Ashanti Australia Limited (AngloGold) announced on June 14, 2023.

Summary Highlights:

Recent drilling has focused on eight principal target areas: Duck Creek, Fairholme, Canonba, Nine Mile, Meringo, Nyngan, Trangie and Marra;

An additional 6,636 metres comprising 16 holes was drilled, bringing the total to 13,524 metres and 30 holes completed thus far under the AngloGold Agreement;

Favourable hydrothermal alteration, interpreted to be associated with an alkalic copper-gold porphyry system has been intercepted in deeper drill holes in the Duck Creek target. Drill hole DCKDH017 intercepted an extensive zone of inner propylitic hydrothermal alteration dominated by well-developed fracture-controlled to pervasive hematite  epidote  chlorite  calcite alteration with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite mineralisation. This style of inter propylitic alteration is often found in proximity to other alkalic porphyry systems in New South Wales and elsewhere;

Initial scout drilling into the Fairholme target intercepted a sequence of strongly deformed, fine-grained, biotite bearing rocks with localised chalcopyrite  bornite-bearing quartz veins; and,

Recent drilling at Duck Creek, Myallmundi and Fairholme was reviewed by Inflection Technical Advisor Dr. Alan Wilson who is an Economic Geologist and a specialist in alkalic porphyry systems worldwide. Dr. Wilson completed the first PhD on Newmonts Cadia Valley porphyry gold-copper deposits located in the Macquarie Arc and which remains one of Australias largest copper-gold mines.

Alistair Waddell, Inflections President and CEO, states: The Company is very happy with the ongoing drill campaign in New South Wales and to have drilled the most extensive zone of alteration on the Duck Creek project to-date. We are particularly encouraged with the extent and intensity of favourable hydrothermal alteration in drill hole DCKDH017, which is interpreted to be inner propylitic domain dominated by pervasive hematite with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite. This style of alteration is often found directly adjacent to copper-gold mineralization in other Alkalic porphyry systems found worldwide. The Company is also highly encouraged with the first hole into the Fairholme target. There are still many geological questions to be answered, including the age of mineralisation, but we are happy to have intercepted chalcopyrite-bornite bearing quartz veins with the first hole into this specific target area. The Company is looking forward to follow-up drilling as well as continuing the program of first-pass scout drilling in the New Year on the large portfolio of drill targets.

Duck Creek - Drilling

Two deep drill holes (DCKDH016 and 017) totalling 1,401.8 metres have recently been completed on the northern Duck Creek exploration license (Figures 1 and 2). The two holes are located approximately 1,200 metres apart and tested two distinct, circular magnetic lows.

The Company considers the Duck Creek exploration license to be highly prospective for large-scale alkalic porphyry-related copper-gold style deposits related to favourable magnetic and gravity features within part of the prospective Macquarie Arc volcanic sequence. Inflection drilling intersected strongly hydrothermally altered rocks with characteristics similar to those found adjacent to mineralised alkalic coppergold systems such as Newmonts Cadia mine (Cadia East and Ridgeway deposits) and the Northparkes mine complex. In addition to strong inner propylitic alteration, chalcopyrite and blebs of bornite are locally associated with biotite-albite-K-feldspar-tourmaline potassic alteration.

Figure 1: Target location map, northern New South Wales

The geology of the northern Duck Creek target consists of andesitic volcanics, comprising both polymictic volcanic breccias/conglomerates and massive andesites that are likely to be both lava flows and subvolcanic intrusions. Equigranular to weakly porphyritic hornblende-bearing monzonite to quartz monzonite occur in holes DCKDH016 (east side of target area  Figure 3) and DCKDH017 (west side of target area  Figure 4) and are interpreted to be pre-alteration in timing due to their largely equigranular groundmass and variably altered nature. Hydrothermal alteration intercepted to-date at Duck Creek is dominated by inner propylitic assemblages and shows the following characteristics and distribution:

Well-developed fracture-controlled to pervasive hematiteepidotechlorite  calcite alteration with lesser and variable amounts of magnetite, tourmaline, actinolite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite, is widespread in holes DCKDH007 and DCKDH017 (Figure 4);

Porous and permeable volcaniclastic units are commonly pervasively altered to the above assemblage whilst massive and broadly impermeable andesites are subject to fracture-controlled and pervasive inner propylitic alteration; and,

Mineralisation associated with this alteration comprises minor disseminations and clots of pyrite, chalcopyrite and locally, bornite.

In the context of the known alkalic porphyry copper-gold deposits of the Early Silurian Cadia district, inner propylitic alteration is documented to extend 100 to >400 metres away from the transition from this assemblage to copper-gold bearing potassic and calc-potassic alteration at the high grade Ridgeway deposit, whilst at the Cadia East deposit, the inner propylitic alteration extends for up to 400 metres from mineralised potassic alteration in the hanging wall of this inclined porphyry deposit. In both instances, porphyry-related quartz veining is reportedly very minor to absent in areas of inner propylitic alteration.

Figure 2: Duck Creek drill hole location map on background RTP magnetics.

Figure 3: Duck Creek diamond drill core - Hole DCKDH016  398.50 metres. Hematite altered quartz monzonite with quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veining. Hole was drilled to a depth of 506.7 metres in an easterly direction (091) with a dip of -70.

Figure 4: Select Duck Creek diamond drill core - Hole DCKDH017. Drilled to a depth of 895.1 metres in an east-north-easterly direction (080) and a dip of -70. NQ sized core shows a variety of different inner propylitic alteration styles.

See link here for high resolution DCKDH017 core photos from the entire hole. DCKDH017 - Inflection Resources

The Company is still awaiting many assay results from the laboratory, as well as key geochronology samples, green rock analysis, petrographic and spectral studies, all of which need to be reviewed and incorporated into our evolving geological model where we will apply a large-scale, systems-thinking approach to the ongoing drill targeting.

Duck Creek - Geophysical Surveys

Three separate geophysical surveys have been completed on the Duck Creek exploration license including Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT), an Induced Polarisation/Magnetotellurics (IP/MT) survey and a ground gravity study. All data has now been received and the results of the surveys are currently being interpreted by Inflection and AngloGold in conjunction with Perth based consultants Mira Geoscience. Results of the integrated surveys will be released in the new year although preliminary indications are the ANT and gravity surveys have worked very well and the IP/MT did not appear to penetrate the post-mineral sedimentary cover.

Fairholme  Drilling

One drillhole (FARDH002) totalling 534.3 metres was completed on the Fairholme target. The hole was designed to test the margin of a distinct magnetic high. Rocks in this hole are mainly fine-grained, biotite-bearing, variably deformed and locally brecciated often cemented by a fine-grained quartz diorite porphyry. The rock is cut by strongly deformed quartz veins that locally contain abundant chalcopyrite and lesser bornite (Figure 5).

Whilst difficult to decipher, these rocks are interpreted by Inflection to be fine-grained volcaniclastics with associated biotite, chalcopyrite  bornite-bearing quartz veins that have experienced upper greenschist facies metamorphism and structural deformation. The Company is still awaiting the assays, several petrographic samples as well as a key geochronology sample before planning any additional drilling.

Figure 5: Drill hole FARDH002  501 metres - Quartzchalcopyritebornite veins that display ductile folding.

Nine Mile

Five drillholes (NMLDH005-009) totalling 1,446 metres were completed on the Nine Mile target. The five holes were drilled to test a variety of different geophysical targets. Holes NMLDH005 and NMLDH009 intersected weak to moderately chlorite-epidote altered and magnetic feldspar porphyritic andesite. Drill hole NMLDH006 intersected well bedded siltstone and holes NMLDH007 and NMLDH008 intersected magnetic, unaltered equigranular diorite. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated.

Meringo

One drillhole (MERDH004) totalling 450 metres was completed on the Meringo target. The hole was drilled to test a large aeromagnetic complex inferred to represent a zone of magnetite enrichment, associated with porphyry-copper-gold mineralisation below unconformable Devonian to Silurian limestones. Beneath the limestones the hole intercepted highly magnetic, unmineralized megacrystic andesites interpreted to be lava flows. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated and no further work is planned on the Meringo target.

Trangie

Four drillholes (TRNDH019, 020, 021, 022) totalling 1,980 metres were completed on the Trangie target to step-out from previous holes which intersected intense epidote-albite alteration and elevated porphyry-related path-finder elements. The four holes all intersected an intercalated sequence of moderate chlorite and weak-moderate epidote altered volcaniclastic sediments and andesites. A full review of these and all previous holes will be completed prior to planning any additional holes into this target. Assays have only been received for drill hole TRNDH019 which returned maximum values of 2 metres at 0.23% Cu and 0.09 g/t Au from 433 metres. Assays from all other holes are pending.

Nyngan

One drillhole (NYNDH001) totalling 169.9 metres was completed on the Nyngan target. The hole tested the margin of a distinct magnetic high and intercepted a mixed package of epidote and haematite altered andesites and andesitic volcaniclastics with patchy disseminated pyrite and occasional quartz veins. Assays are pending.

Canoba

One drillhole (CANDH001) totalling 474.5 metres was completed on the Canoba target. The hole tested a discreet aeromagnetic high and intersected intercalated chlorite altered siltstone and epidote altered magnetic andesite. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated, and no further work is planned on the Canoba target.

Marra

One drill hole (MARDH003) was drilled on the Marra target to a depth of 190 metres to test a distinct, circular magnetic low. Drilling intersected a heavily fractured, flow-banded, hematite-sericite altered quartz-alkali feldspar trachyte. Assays are pending although no values of economic interest are anticipated, and no further work is planned on the Marra target.

Drilling Plans Going Forward

The Company is still awaiting a large number of assay results from the laboratory, as well as key geochronology samples, green rock analysis, petrographic and spectral studies, all of which will be incorporated into our evolving geological models for the various targets including Duck Creek and Myallmundi. Early in the new year while awaiting all the various results, drilling will initially focus on the northern-most targets, specifically, Newhaven, Whiskey Creek, Wombat Creek, Boorooma, Borgara, Brewon, Warrawing, Merri Merri and Minoru (Figure 1).

AngloGold Exploration Agreement Terms

All the work programs noted above form part of the AngloGold Ashanti Exploration Alliance where AngloGold is sole funding up to AUD$10,000,000 on exploration expenditures across a wide range of different intrusive related exploration targets over a maximum 36-month period, which includes a minimum expenditure commitment of AUD$6,000,000. Inflection is operating Phase I and is receiving a 10% management fee for doing so. Upon completion of Phase I, AngloGold then retains the right to designate up to five individual projects where it may potentially earn up to a 75% interest in each by completing various milestones. See Inflection news release dated June 14, 2023 for further details. https://inflectionresources.com/inflection-resources-and-anglogold-ashanti-sign-definitive-exploration-agreement-across-portfolio-of-copper-gold-projects-in-australia/

About Inflections NSW Projects

The Company is systematically exploring for large copper-gold and gold deposits in the northern interpreted extension of the Macquarie Arc, part of the Lachlan Fold Belt in New South Wales. The Macquarie Arc is Australias premier porphyry copper-gold province host to Newmonts Cadia deposits, the CMOC Northparkes deposits and Evolution Minings Cowal deposits plus numerous exploration prospects including Boda, the discovery made by Alkane Resources.

The Company uses cost-effective mud-rotary drilling to cut through unmineralised post-mineral sedimentary cover before changing to diamond core drilling once basement is reached. It is well documented that mineralised bodies elsewhere in the belt, in particular porphyry and intrusive related systems, have large district-scale alteration and geochemical halos or footprints surrounding them. The Company typically completes a series of short diamond drill holes into bedrock rather than just one or two deep and more expensive diamond drill holes. Multiple data points gained from alteration and mineral geochemistry is then used to vector additional deeper holes. This is a proven exploration strategy in the covered segments of the Macquarie Arc having been directly responsible for the discovery of the Northparkes and Cowal deposits.

Qualified Person and Sampling Quality Control

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Carl Swensson (FAusIMM), a Qualified Person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Drilling is being conducted using a truck-mounted multi-purpose drill rig. Mud rotary drilling is utilised to drill through the cover sequence before transitioning to diamond drilling using NQ sized core at the unconformity. Core is logged at the Companys field office, photographed and marked before being cut to the Companys specified sample intervals. Half core samples are placed in bags with internationally certified blanks and standards inserted. Samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratories in Orange NSW, an accredited analytical laboratory meeting ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015. Samples are prepared by crushing and grinding via ALS methods CRU-21 and PUL-32 respectively. The pulps are then assayed for 48 elements via ALS method ME-MS61 using a 25g sample after a four acid near total digest with an ICP-MS finish. Gold is assayed by fire assay using ALS method Au-AA23 using a 30g sample charge and AAS finish. Laboratory standards and QA-QC are monitored by the Company. Coarse rejects from the sample preparation are subjected to spectral analysis.

About Inflection Resources Ltd.

Inflection is a technically driven copper-gold and gold focused mineral exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol AUCU and on the OTCQB under the symbol AUCUF with projects in Australia. For more information, please visit the Company website at www.inflectionresources.com.

Inflection is part of the NewQuest Capital group which is a discovery-driven investment company that builds value through the incubation and financing of mineral projects and companies. Further information about NewQuest can be found on the company website at www.nqcapitalgroup.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Alistair Waddell

President and CEO

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For further information, please contact:

Brennan Zerb

Investor Relations Manager

+1 (778) 867-5016

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Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, amount of drilling, receipt of the maximum amount of available grant funding, anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, AngloGolds anticipated funding of the Minimum Commitment and timing thereof, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's exploration plans. the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated June 12, 2020 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Aspiring Citizen for Coalition Change (CCC) MPs loyal to party leader Nelson Chamisa are facing a fresh challenge.This comes as the CCC secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, has warned that he will block their participation in the key by-elections slated for early next year.His lawyer Nqobani Sithole confirmed that Tshabangu would not allow the Chamisa-aligned party candidates to use the CCC's name during the by-elections.The recalled legislators filed their nomination papers under the CCC banner despite a recent High Court ruling which barred 14 of their colleagues from taking part in the December 9 by-elections on the party's ticket."That road has been travelled before and nothing has changed. You can't be expelled and still represent the same party that expelled you."So, to us, it's just a legal nullity. We know that what happened before is also going to happen again because there is a ruling which clearly states the legal penalties on this issue.""Those members are not going to be candidates in the next by-elections because they are no longer members of CCC," Sithole said.
Perth, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Golden Horse Minerals Limited (TSXV: GHML) ("Golden Horse" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 18,461,538 common shares in the capital of the Company at a price of C$0.0975 per share for gross aggregate proceeds of up to approximately C$1.8 million (the "Offering").

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering to fund gold and lithium exploration efforts on its projects in the Southern Cross region of Western Australia, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The securities issuable pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from their date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Company may pay a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers under the Offering introduced to the Company by certain persons (each a "Finder"). Each Finder will receive a cash payment equal to 5% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers under the Offering who were introduced to the Company by such Finder.

The Company anticipates closing the Offering prior to the end of 2023, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, receipt of any other required regulatory approvals and satisfactions of other customary closing conditions.

It is expected that certain directors and officers of the Corporation may participate in the Offering. As a result, the Offering is expected to be a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company expects to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation in the Offering by such directors and officers is not expected to exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Golden Horse Minerals Limited

Golden Horse is a gold exploration company which has consolidated the rights to a large highly prospective area covering one of Australia's most successful gold provinces in the Southern Cross region of Western Australia. The Golden Horse tenure is more than 900km2 within a large geological phenomenon known as the Southern Cross Greenstone Belt. The Belt spans approximately 400km in length and has produced more than 12 million ounces of gold. It is one of the top precious metals provinces in Western Australia. The Greenstone belt consists of altered intrusive and meta-sedimentary rocks which are supported by two operating gold mills at the Marvel Loch and Edna May processing plants. To learn more about the Company, visit our website at https://goldenhorseminerals.com/.

On behalf of Golden Horse Minerals Limited

For more information contact:

Graeme Sloan

Director / Interim CEO

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+61 9322 1788

David Tasker

Chapter One Advisors

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+61 433 112 936

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This release contains "forwardlooking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to statements relating to the terms of the Offering, the receipt of regulatory approvals for the Offering and closing of the Offering. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development, the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations, fluctuations in the prices of gold and other commodities, operating hazards and risks inherent in the resource industry, competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's financial statements and/or management discussion and analysis available on www.sedarplus.ca The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Pampa Metals Corp. ("Pampa Metals" or the "Company") (CSE:PM)(FSE:FIR)(OTCQB:PMMCF) is pleased to announce that it has issued 7,750,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.16 per Unit under the Non-Brokered Private Placement offering (the "Placement") detailed in an December 19, 2023 News Release for gross proceeds of $1,240,000. Each Unit consists of one fully paid common share and a half share purchase warrant entitling the holder to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.30 for a period of 3 years after the closing of the Offering.

In connection with the Placement, the Company paid total cash commissions of $37,800 and issued 236,250 finder's warrants. Each finder's warrant is exercisable into a common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.30 for a period of 3 years from the date of closing of the Offering.

The Company anticipates closing the 2nd and final tranche fully subscribed tranche of the Placement on December 22, 2023.

Proceeds of the Placement will fund follow-up diamond drilling at the newly acquired Piuquenes Copper-Gold Porphyry Project, where the Company recently reported 130m from 362m @ 1.31% CuEq*, within a broader interval of 558m from 362m @ 0.73% CuEq* which remains open at depth (refer 5 December 2023 News Release). Preparatory work is underway, and drilling is scheduled to commence in mid-January.

Securities issued in connection with the Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period, in accordance with securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, as applicable.

The latest Company Presentation can be accessed at https://pampametals.com/investor/.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Joseph van den Elsen | President & CEO

INVESTORS CONTACT

Joseph van den Elsen | President & CEO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABOUT PAMPA METALS

Pampa Metals is listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE:PM), Frankfurt (FSE: FIR), and OTC (OTCQB: PMMCF) exchanges, and wholly owns a portfolio of projects highly prospective for copper, molybdenum, and gold along proven and highly productive mineral belts in Chile, the world's largest copper producer.

In November 2023, the Company announced it had entered into an Option & JV Agreement for the acquisition of an 80% interest in the Piuquenes Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in San Juan Province, Argentina.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Mario Orrego G, Geologist and a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Orrego is a consultant to the Company.

* %CuEq values are calculated based on copper and gold metal prices: Cu = US$3.20/lb, Au = US$1,700/oz and Ag = US$ 20/oz. The formula utilized to calculate %CuEq is: Cu Eq Grade (%) = Cu Head Grade (%) + [(Au Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Au Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.04) + [(Ag Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Ag Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.04.

Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Pampa Metals expects to occur, including the expectation of a fully subscribed Placement, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will" or "may" occur. These statements are subject to various risks. Although Pampa Metals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.
Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - December 20, 2023 - Recharge Resources Ltd. ("Recharge" or the "Company") (RR:CSE) (RECHF:OTC) (SL5:Frankfurt) is pleased to announce the Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its Pocitos I and II Lithium Brine Project (Pocitos or the Project) located in Salta Province Argentina has been estimated at 143,000 tonnes of lithium metal, which when calculated for lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) is 760,000 tonnes  enough for a 38 year mine life at 100% recovery assumption.

The inferred MRE technical report (the Report) was authored by WSP Australia Pty Ltd. (WSP) and calculated the MRE with a cut off grade of 100 ppm lithium at 78,000 tonnes of lithium metal or 414,000 tonnes of LCE. This would provide a 20-year mine life.

WSP indicated in the Report at the December 4, 2023, Li2CO3 price of USD $16,573/tonne, the annual revenue is estimated at USD$338 million.

Category Domain Sediment Volume (m) Specific Yield (%) Brine Volume (m) Li Grade (mg/L) (1) Li Metal (kt) (2) Li Yield (kt) LCE (t) (3) Mg Grade (mg/L) (1) Mg Metal (kt) Mg Yield (kt)



Inferred Sand Gravel 464,425,000 14.9 69,199,325 107.7 50 7 40 1,602.7 744 111 Clay High Li 392,500,000 6.1 23,942,500 131.4 52 3 17 1,448.8 569 35 Clay Low Li 768,387,500 6.1 46,871638 53.6 41 3 13 762.5 586 36 Total Inferred 1,625,312,500 140,031,463 100.7 143 13 70 1,297.4 1,899 181

Table 1. Pocitos project MRE with no lithium cutoff grade applied  lithium metal 143,000 tonnes.

Table Notes: (1) Grade values are the average estimated value for the domain in the Vulcan Block Model, (2) Total in-situ contained lithium metal, (3) Extractable LCE, (4) No recovery, dilution or other similar mining parameters have been applied, (5) Although the Mineral Resources presented in this Technical Report are believed to have a reasonable expectation of being extracted economically, they are not Mineral Reserves. Estimation of Mineral Reserves requires the application of modifying factors and a minimum of a Pre-feasibility Study (PFS). The modifying factors include, but are not restricted to, mining, processing, metallurgical, infrastructure, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social, and governmental factors.

WSP has provided a very detailed block model of approximately 200m of depth in its inaugural NI 43-101 compliant MRE and estimated the cost to achieve the next milestone of a measure and indicate resource by drilling one exploration and one production well. Total estimated cost of approximately USD$935,000 (plus taxes), or CAD $1,300,000 (plus taxes) for the proposed two well program. The report includes some of the cost estimates from Ekosolve Limited (Ekosolve) for a 20,000-tonne lithium carbonate plant using solvent extraction that is inclusive of a HCl acid plant and a lithium carbonate plant. Block grades were checked visually onscreen using Maptek Vulcan software and viewed in cross-sections and plans against the drill hole composites grades (Figure 14.6, and Figure 14.7 of the WSP report). This comparison provided good correlation between the input data and estimated values. No obvious discrepancies were observed.

David Greenway, President, and CEO, expressed his enthusiasm: I am thrilled with the estimated outcome of 760,000 tonnes of LCE, a testament to the dedicated efforts of WSP Global geologists, hydrologists, and project engineers over the past three months. This estimate, coupled with the impressive projection of annual revenue at USD $338 million, underscores the potential of our project. We are advancing vigorously on all fronts, especially with our inaugural NI 43-101 and an upcoming drill program, to further capitalize on this highly prospective report. These developments herald an exciting new phase for Recharge and its stakeholders at the Pocitos Project.

Phillip Thomas the Companys QP, COO and Director recently made a visit to Shanghai, China and met with Richlink Capital Pty Ltd. (Richlink) and its clients and inspected a lithium chloride, and lithium n-butyl plant.

WSP utilized information gathered from the NI 43-101 technical report dated 30 June 2023 completed by Panopus Pte Ltd (Panopus) and the May 2023 MT Survey, 2018 TEM survey, drilling programs, core logs and core porosity data from Geoanalysis and Core Laboratories to prepare the Resource Estimate. This is another milestone in the Company's endeavour to build up to a 20,000-tonne Ekosolve direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant at the Pocitos project in order to supply Richlink clients up to 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year, as previously announced under a letter of intent of offtake.

Figure 1: Satellite image showing the Pocitos I and II Concessions (Posgar 2007 Argentina 3)

The full NI 43-101 Report dated June 30, 2023, and entitled Technical Report For The Pocitos Salar Lithium Concession, Salta Province, Argentina, can be found on the Companys website

www.recharge-resources.com and on SEDAR+ under the Companys issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca .

About Pocitos Lithium Brine Project

The Pocitos Project is located approximately 10km from the township of Pocitos where there is gas, electricity, and accommodation. Pocitos is approximately 800 hectares and is accessible by road. Collective exploration totals over US$2.0 million developing the project, including surface sampling, trenching, TEM, and MT geophysics, and drilling three wells that had outstanding brine flow results. Locations for immediate follow up drilling have already been designed and identified for upcoming exploration. Lithium values of 169 ppm from drill hole 3 packer test assayed from laboratory analysis conducted by Alex Stewart were recorded during the projects December 2022 drill campaigns. A double packer sampling system in HQ Diamond drill holes were drilled to a depth of up to 409 metres. The flow of brine was observed to continue for more than five hours. All holes had exceptional brine flow rates.

Ekosolve produced lithium carbonate at a purity of 99.89%, where extraction of the lithium from the brines was above 94% i.e. 159ppm of lithium would have been recovered from 169ppm.

Figure 2: shows the location of the Project, and the road access to the project from Salta.

Figure 3: View of the mining road to exploration well PCT-22-01 (Pocitos I) (Panopus 2023)

The NI 43-101 technical report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report Pocitos I and II, Salta Province, Argentina and dated December 18th, 2023 will be filed on SEDAR+ under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and will also be available on the Companys website.

Qualified Person

Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBusM, FAusIMM, MAIG, MAIMVA, (CMV), a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 regulations, has reviewed the technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release, and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Thomas has joined the Company in the capacity of COO and Director on 21 November 2023. He is a shareholder.

About Recharge Resources

Recharge Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on exploring and developing the production of high-value battery metals to create green, renewable energy to meet the demands of the advancing electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle market.

All Stakeholders are encouraged to follow the Company on its social media profiles on , , and Instagram.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

David Greenway

David Greenway, CEO

For further information, please contact:

Recharge Resources Ltd.

Joel Warawa

Phone: 778-588-5473

E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: recharge-resources.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Recharges intention to continue to identify potential transactions and make certain corporate changes and applications. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits Recharge will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect managements current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including Recharges results of exploration or review of properties that Recharge does acquire. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Recharge assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Infinico Metals Corp. (TSXV: INFM) ("Infinico" or the "Company") is pleased to report assay results from the recently completed rock chip sampling program carried out on its Dalhousie Project, located 180 kilometres northeast of Val-d'Or, Quebec.

The company conducted a one-day rock chip sampling program in November of 2023 at its Dalhousie project. The program was following up on a newly identified pegmatite outcrop on the west-end of the property. The results from a total of six rock chip samples collected are shown in Table 1.. Five of the six samples grade above 1.30% Li 2 O and up to 4.45% Li 2 O.

Table 1. Assay results from the November sampling program

Sample ID Sample

Type Rock

Type Li 2 O*

(%) Cs

(ppm) Ta 2 O 5 **

(ppm) K28401 Rock Chip Pegmatite 0.92 41.10 21.2 K28402 Rock Chip Pegmatite 1.59 33.30 44.8 K28403 Rock Chip Pegmatite 4.39 59.40 107.6 K28404 Rock Chip Pegmatite 4.45 32.90 57.5 K28405 Rock Chip Pegmatite 1.37 91.90 68.5 K28406 Rock Chip Pegmatite 3.91 75.40 57.0

*.A standard conversion factor of 2.15 was used to convert Li (ME-MS89L) to Li 2 O values.

**.A standard conversion factor of 1.22 was used to convert Ta (ME-MS89L) to Ta 2 O 5.

The six samples were collected from a newly recognized spodumene bearing pegmatite outcrop on the west-end of the Dalhousie Project (Figures 1 & 2). The pegmatite outcrop has a minimum strike length of 110 metres based on the limited sampling and mapping undertaken in November 2023. Due to snow cover and time constraints on the field season, no further work has been undertaken.

A detailed mapping and sampling program is planned for spring 2024. The work program will assist in understanding the true extent of the newly discovered lithium bearing pegmatite, as well as helping to identify previously unrecognized lithium bearing pegmatites elsewhere on the Dalhousie Project.

Sam Walding, Infinico's CEO commented: "The identification of lithium bearing pegmatites on the Dalhousie property is incredibly exciting. Lithium has not previously been recognized at Dalhousie and this gives us a compelling new target to follow up on. The presence of lithium on the project complements Infinico's on-going exploration for the critical metals Ni, Cu, and Co also present at Dalhousie. As soon as the conditions allow, Infinico will be on the ground conducting detailed mapping and sampling to gain a full understanding of this new lithium discovery."

Figure 1. Plan map showing Infinico rock chip samples on a satellite image background.

Figure 2. Photograph of the lithium bearing pegmatite sampled during the field work. Hammer is approximately 40 cm long for scale.

About the Dalhousie Project

The Dalhousie Project is located approximately 180 kilometres northeast of Val d'Or, Quebec, Canada. The project is fully accessible by road with nearby mining infrastructure and expertise. The project is host to a cluster of magmatic nickel sulphide occurrences within a mafic-ultramafic intrusive complex, as well as a newly recognised lithium bearing pegmatite.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Infinico Metals adheres to a strict sampling, sample handling, sample transportation and analyses. Samples are shipped to ALS Canada Ltd.'s preparation facility in Val-d'Or. Pulps are analyzed at the ALS Canada Ltd. facility in Vancouver. All samples are analysed by sodium peroxide fusion with ICP-AES/MS finish.

Qualified Persons

The technical information in this news release has been prepared by Szabolcs Orban, MSc, EFG, EurGeol (#1883), OGQ (AS-1617), Vice President of Exploration at Infinico Metals Corp., and Genevieve Boudrias, P.Geo, M.Sc., OGQ (#608), President of GBG Inc., an independent consulting geologist for Infinico Metals Corp. Both are 'qualified persons' as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Orban and Mrs. Boudrias have both read and approved the content of this news release.

About Infinico Metals Corp.

Infinico Metals Corp. is a public company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: INFM) focusing on the exploration for critical metals in the province of Quebec. The Company has signed option agreements on the Nicobi Project, hosting magmatic Ni-Cu-Co sulphide mineralization, which will be drill-tested early in 2024, and on the Dalhousie Project, which also hosts magmatic Ni-Cu-Co sulphide mineralization.

For more information, please contact:

Sam Walding, Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (+44) 7568 508610

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.infinicometals.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfil the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
The state of Minnesota has a new flag that is causing some drama in certain conservative circles.

Supatra Tiang-nga / Getty Images

This was the old flag, which has been considered offensive for years.

Simoncountry / Getty Images/iStockphoto

CNN explained, "Critics have long taken issue with the depiction of an Indigenous American on horseback at the center of the seal, which is read as a reference to the displacement of native people throughout Minnesotas history."

Yevhen Borysov / Getty Images

After crowdsourcing thousands of submissions, a commission has picked a new flag designed by a 24-year-old Minnesota resident.

State Emblems Redesign Commission

The New York Times explained the meaning behind the new design, "The new design consists of a light blue right panel, representing the states many lakes, and navy blue left panel, resembling the shape of Minnesota, with an eight-pointed northern star."

State Emblems Redesign Commission

People are generally happy about the change because, let's face it, the old one looked like someone mowing a lawn.

Wait, THIS was the old state flag of Minnesota? A picture of a woman mowing a lawn with a Star Wars droid and a Borg in a bunny suit riding a horse, surrounded by fruit and stars, with an inscription in French reading "The toilet of the North"???? pic.twitter.com/376O7Jx3Ar  Noah Smith  (@Noahpinion) December 20, 2023

Twitter: @Noahpinion

"Our new state flag will make us proud for years to come," said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

Today is a great day for Minnesota. Our new state flag will make us proud for many years to come. Ive been honored to be part of the commission that selected it. pic.twitter.com/VKzPWcfgpx  Steve Simon (@MNSteveSimon) December 19, 2023

Twitter: @MNSteveSimon

"Dare I say anything that's not a Native person being forced off their land is a flag upgrade," Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan said.

Story continues

Dare I say anything thats not a Native person being forced off their land is a flag upgrade?! Excited to have a new state flag that represents every Minnesotan. https://t.co/cuuOLu7RHs  Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (@LtGovFlanagan) December 19, 2023

Twitter: @LtGovFlanagan

But because it's 2023, not everyone *loved* it.

X

Some people have purposely spread misinformation that the new flag looks like a state flag from Somalia's Puntland region.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the West. Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) is from Puntland. Minnesota just unveiled their new flag.I'm sure this is just a coincidence: pic.twitter.com/yayoteQoXE  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 17, 2023

Twitter: @EndWokeness

The "End Wokeness" account claimed this new flag  which again is not even the real new flag design  was "rubbing it in our faces."

Minnesota just replaced its official state flag with a new flag that looks awfully similar to Somalia.They are rubbing it in our faces. pic.twitter.com/gk2E91RjKR  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 17, 2023

Twitter: @EndWokeness

And there are definitely people on X fully entrenched in that Somali flag conspiracy theory  this is because Representative Ilhan Omar is of Somali descent and someone who is constantly a target of misinformation by the far right.

X

In response, Representative Ilhan Omar posted, "I hate to break it to the rightwing crazies, but I had nothing to do with the new design."

Its official! Im loving the new Minnesota state flag. And I hate to break it to the rightwing crazies, but I had nothing to do with the new design.  pic.twitter.com/8cyF2WKsZI  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 19, 2023

Twitter: @IlhanMN

The BBC also reported, "Officials have said that any similarity is a coincidence."

State Emblems Redesign Commission

After all of that drama, I think the new design is kind of chic. Thoughts?
YoonA is ending 2023 with a bang as she received the "Actress of the Year" award for her captivating performance in "King the Land."

YoonA Takes Home 'Actress of the Year' Award at Consumer's Day Awards Ceremony

On December 19, the 28th Consumer's Day Awards Ceremony was held, which the idol-actress YoonA attended. Looking beautiful in her all-black two-piece ensemble, the Hallyu star once again stole the spotlight.

2023 has been a busy year for the "K2" star. This year, YoonA was occupied filming her comeback series "King the Land," where she delivered a passionate performance as "Rom Com Queen."

Not only did she get her nickname, but she also gained a lot of attention from all over the world.

"King the Land" even rose to number one on Netflix globally during its run in August.

In recognition of her talent, YoonA won the 2023 Viewers' Voted "Actress of the Year" for her role as Cheon Sa Rang.

'King the Land' Voted as Drama of the Year

Not just the actress, but her series "King the Land" was also chosen as the "Drama of the Year" by viewers. YoonA received the honor of winning two trophies at the same time, further solidifying her presence as a trustworthy actress in name and reality.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 'King the Land' Effect! YoonA Reveals Changes She Experienced After Starring in Rom-Com Drama

In her acceptance speech, YoonA thanked the KTL fans, as well as her co-stars and the drama's production staff.

"2023 was a busy year with 'King the Land,' and the viewers voted for me to receive this award, this achievement allowed me to end the year on a good note. I would like to thank the production crew, staff, and actors who worked with me on 'King the Land.' And most of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the viewers who enjoyed watching the drama. I will greet you with good projects in the future."

Meanwhile, YoonA is already expected to have a prosperous new year as she announced her fan meeting tour "YOONITE" beginning in January 2024. It is to repay the love of her global fans.

Her solo tour will kick off on January 6 and 7 in Seoul and will visit eight cities in Asia, including, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Yokohama, Manila, Bangkok, and Jakarta.

In addition, YoonA is slated to return with a new romance movie in 2024 with Ahn Bo Hyun through "2 O'clock Date."

Meanwhile, YoonA's "King the Land" co-star Lee Junho also won the Daesang, also known as the "Actor of the Year" at the 2023 Asia Artist Award, held last December 14 in the Philippines.

The idol-actor also received the "Hot Trend" and "Popularity" Awards.

Following his fan meeting in Asia, Lee Junho is also expected to have his solo concert this coming January 2024 in Seoul, marking his expanding popularity as an artist.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 4 K-Stars to Have Solo Concerts & Fan Meets in 2024: Cha Eun Woo, YoonA, More

What can you say about YoonA's newest achievement? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
Jung Il Woo is already garnering attention as he is about to make a surprising transformation in his new queer genre play.

Want to know more about the actor's new role? Then read on!

Jung Il Woo Turns Into a Woman in His New Queer Play

On December 20, Red & Blue agency uploaded a poster of its upcoming theater play "Kiss of the Spider Woman" on its official social media account. They posted character posters that express the lonely emotions of the main protagonists, Molina and Valentin.

K-drama actor Jung Il Woo will challenge himself to introduce an interesting character on stage as he returns to theater in 2024.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 'Flower Boy Ramen Shop' Cast Update: What's Next for Jung Il Woo, Lee Chung Ah, More This 2023

Different from his previous roles as the strong, knight and shining armor lead, Jung Il Woo will play the character of Molina, she has romantic sensibilities and believes herself to be a woman. The character's wounds and loneliness are captured through his empty and longing eyes.

'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Returns to Stage After Six Years

Additionally, apart from Jung Il Woo, stars namely Jeon Park Chan and Lee Yul will also play the same role. The trio is expected to show off three different charms. Molina, who longs for her love, will be interpreted delicately.

Opposite her is the role of Valentin, a cool-headed anti-government man, who stands on his values and understands the people's different perspectives. It will be played by Park Jeong Bok, Cha Sun Woo, and Choi Seok Jin.

According to the source, this will be the fourth run of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," since it hit the Korean theater stage six years ago. The production handling the play commented, "We plan to present an even more upgraded stage with veteran creative staff."

Jung Il Woo to Meet the Audience With New Character Beginning January 2024

Furthermore, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a queer genre and is based on the Argentine novel of the same name. It will be available beginning January 21, 2024, at the Yegreen Theater in Daehakro, Seoul.

Many fans and theater play goers are already looking forward to the return of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" on stage after six years. People are also anticipating Jung Il Woo's notable performance as a woman, which marks his stage comeback.

The actor also shared the photos on his Instagram, promoting his upcoming stage return.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THIS 'Good Job' Actor Makes Shocking Revelation About His Health: 'I may die anytime'

What can you say about Jung Il Woo's new theater play? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
The man faces a potential fine and up to three years in prison, according to CNN

Getty Scoot Airline

A man has been arrested and charged with theft after allegedly stealing nearly $23,000 in cash on a flight from Vietnam to Singapore, according to a CNN report, which cites authorities in Singapore.



CNN reported that Zhang Xiuqiang, a 52-year-old from China, was charged after another passenger on the budget Scoot airlines plane alerted a staff member.



Zhang had allegedly managed to steal cash from three separate passengers throughout the trip before he was caught, according to Singapore public broadcaster Channel NewsAsia, which cites authorities.



In total, Zhang is accused of stealing three million Vietnamese dong (roughly $123 USD) from one passenger and 510 million Vietnamese dong (roughly $20,950) from another passengers backpack, along with a separate 50-dollar note in Singapore cash (worth roughly $38 USD).

He is also alleged to have taken $1,000 and 930 Singapore dollars (roughly $700) from a third passengers bag.

Our cabin crew was alerted by a passenger to a suspected theft in the cabin and activated the Airport Police Division, a spokesperson for the budget Scoot airline told CNN. The involved passengers were escorted off the aircraft by airport authorities for further investigation, and disembarkation proceeded as usual for the rest of our passengers.

A spokesperson for the airline, the budget option for Singapore Airlines flights, did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Channel NewsAsia reports that Zhang was charged with three counts of theft in a district court on Monday. The outlet also reports that he was read the Tokyo Convention Act, which applies to crimes committed while aboard an international flight which jeopardizes other passengers safety.

Story continues

CNN reported that Zhang faces up to three years in prison if charged, as well as a potential fine in addition to a sentencing.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
Police and store security guards kept an eye on this man as he walked through the baby goods section of a local store recently. He was subsequently arrested outside the unidentified store and charged with theft, police say.
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As time passes, we have more new names for what we used to call quality assurance, but it appears to me to now be a public relations issue and have very little to do with quality.

Years ago, I returned home about 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night. I had spent the weekend at my lake cabin for some sorely needed time off. As I usually do when I arrive home after a trip, I called the hospitals to be sure none of my patients had shown up there while I was gone. At one of the hospitals, the nurse reported that a woman who claimed she was term with spontaneous rupture of her membranes had been admitted. The nurses noticed she was small and had no leaking of amniotic fluid.

When the patient came in, the nurses notified the on-call OB. He did not come to the hospital to examine the patient, but did order Pitocin. The patient, then, at that time was under the care of the on-call OB. But the nurses reported to me that the patient claimed I was her doctor. When they told me the womans name, I knew I had never seen her before and she was most definitely not my patient.

Since there was no evidence of membrane rupture and the patient was not responding to the Pitocin, I told the nurse to stop giving the patient the Pitocin the on-call doctor had ordered. The story I was being told was certainly beginning to look fishy. I made plans to see her again in the hospital first thing in the morning.

The next morning when I went to the hospital to see the patient, I could tell her uterus was much smaller than 40 weeks. Much more like 24 weeks. An ultrasound exam indicated the baby was 24 weeks. with normal amniotic fluid level. This supported my clinical assessment of intact membranes.

I arranged for the patient to see me the next day in my office to discuss what was going on. Before I left the hospital, the nurses volunteered that this woman had two boyfriends. The first one, the one she wanted to marry, had ended their relationship. She had since taken up with another boyfriend, but this second boyfriend was the father of the baby. The first boyfriend, the one she wanted to marry, was not the father. So she deliberately schemed to deliver this baby early to make it appear the first boyfriend was the father of the baby. I later learned she was a medical technology student so had the knowledge to be able to try to scam the system.

Later, on the day of discharge, I got a call from one of the doctors who was a member of the clinic that used this hospital for their main place of care. He warned me not to deliver this lady. He told me that the baby was too young to be delivered and that I shouldnt be trying to induce her. I said I understood she was 24 weeks, not 40 weeks, and I told him I had no intention of delivering her or for that matter taking care of her. I explained to him that I had turned off the Pitocin and that I was most certainly not the doctor who had started the Pitocin. And further, I had discharged the patient without rupturing her membranes or pursuing any other type of induction.

As I concluded my conversation with this doctor, I couldnt help remarking, I dont think you need to worry about this lady being induced right now. Nobody is stupid enough to induce her at 24 weeks. Well, I was wrong. Two weeks later the patient presented to another hospital in town. She did finally find an OB who induced her at 26 weeks. Why they swallowed her story hook, line, and sinker I couldnt say. Being a relatively small town, news traveled fast, especially in the obstetric community. With this length of induction, the patient would have been seen by at least six shifts of nurses and three different doctors. Because the three days of induction failed to produce the baby, the doctors delivered the baby at 26 weeks and five days by C-section. The pediatric intensivist reported the babys age to be 32 to 33 weeks.

The management of this case has layers and layers of problems. I expect the insurance paid the bill for the failed induction and the C-section. Even at that time, the insurance for the C-section and the lengthy induction would probably have been $30,000. Furthermore, an unnecessary induction and delivery could clearly be looked upon as malpractice.

Then there is the $ 2,000-a-day cost of the baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), probably for 90 if not 120 days. Again, I expect insurance paid that.

Some days after these events, I attended the hospital board meeting where this case came up for review. The very same people who had ordered the induction and C-section were sitting across the table from me on the review committee. Most of us are human and can make mistakes from time to time. But the real issue here is not quality insurance, but self-interest. The hospital wanted to preserve and secure its good name and reputation, and of course, avoid having to return the payment to the insurance company.

With any quality assurance review, there is tremendous face to be saved. Nobody wants to think they practice with a bunch of buffoons. When protecting their associates, theyre also protecting themselves. The conclusion of the quality assurance review?

Difficult case managed well.

Because the doctors called this a difficult case managed well, all of the problems with the care of this patient disappeared, and nobody was the wiser. This is really the story of having friends in the right places, which is a very common occurrence and unfortunately plays a large role in degrading the quality of medical care in the U.S. Why does any hospital go out on such a limb? Because it can.

The bad news for the public is there is no really good way to get at any of these coverups. Even if the incident were sent to the state medical board, all the defendant needs is a friends on the board to repeat difficult case managed well. And thats the end of it. Med boards are no more immune to these kinds of friendly matters than hospital boards. To the contrary, thats how they work. As Ive written here before, thats why the big clinics will always have friends on the state medical boards.

The public remains unaware of the decisions about medical practices that stay behind closed doors. There are many similarities between the decisions of hospital boards made behind closed doors and what goes on behind the closed doors of state medical boards.

In the meantime, the public has absolutely no protection from these kinds of self-serving decisions about the quality of the medical care provided by hospitals or decisions made by state medical boards.

Theres no doubt the whole process of quality assurance needs to be completely redesigned if its going to be successful in protecting the quality of medical care provided patients.

Transparency would be a good place to start.

Perhaps its time to open these closed doors and have teams of citizens with no vested interest in the hospitals or medical boards sit in on the meetings, much in the way women in the League of Women Voters sit in courts and observe court proceedings.

Politics and friends in all the right places should not be allowed to derail quality assurance.

Alan Lindemann is an obstetrics-gynecology physician and can be reached at LindemannMD.com, doctales, and Pregnancy Your Way. Follow him on YouTube, Twitter @RuralDocAlan, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram @ruraldocalan, and Substack. He is the author of Pregnancy Your Way: Choose a Safe and Happy Birth.
Ahmed Abudaya worries that even if near-constant airstrikes don't kill his parents, the respiratory and bacterial infections spreading rapidly among displaced civilians in Gaza just might.

The Alberta resident said his 78-year-old father and his 68-year-old mother, who is diabetic and has run out of medication, were forced from their home when the Israel-Hamas war began. Their terrible living conditions now have Abudaya fearing every call he has with them could be their last.

"I'm not just worried about them being bombed anymore," the 45-year-old said in a phone interview from his home in Airdrie, Alta.

"People are getting now a severe bacterial infection because of their water, like some sort of (food) poisoning or infection. If my parents catch that, there is a high chance that they won't make it ... They're older people. It can kill them."

This week, Doctors Without Borders said "every other patient'' is now arriving at one of Gaza's last-standing clinics in the south with a respiratory infection after prolonged exposure to cold and rain.

Nicholas Papachrysostomou, an emergency co-ordinator with the group who is in Gaza, also said that in shelters where hundreds share a single toilet, diarrhea is widespread, particularly among children.

Abudaya  who has been appealing to the Canadian government to help get his parents out of Gaza  said his mother and father are living in a home with about 30 other people, 20 of whom are younger than 16 years old.

There is no clean drinking water, or water available for those crammed into the home to wash themselves, he said.

During phone calls with his parents, which have become more sporadic, Abudaya said they try to reassure him they are making do but that's far from the reality.

"Someone sent me a message recently saying that, 'Your parents are suffering the most,'' he said. "It's really bad. Anything just can happen to them because of the living conditions alone."

Story continues

This is the second time his father has been displaced from his home, Abudaya said, and that is also bringing back past trauma. His father was three when his family fled to Gaza during the mass uprooting Palestinians call the "nakba," or catastrophe, during the war surrounding Israels establishment in 1948.

Abudaya said his father was able to leave Gaza to go to Egypt to study as a teen and then went on to work in Kuwait and Libya before settling in the United Arab Emirates. His parents lived in the U.A.E for years before deciding to return to their homeland to retire almost a decade ago, Abudaya said.

They were living in their apartment in central Gaza when the war began on Oct. 7.

Abudaya said he has been trying for weeks to get his parents out of Gaza, reaching out to the Canadian government, as well as Egyptian and Israeli officials for help.

He has submitted an application for a temporary visa for his parents to come to Canada, although most Canadians with extended family in Gaza have been told relatives beyond spouses and children wouldn't qualify.

Abudaya urged Canada to help.

"If they can't help with visas, at the very least, Canada should advocate for civilians to evacuate. At the very least, we can help them evacuate to Egypt," he said.

"I'm begging everyone to just get them out."

The federal government has said it is considering ways to bring the extended family members of Canadians out of Gaza, but the tightly controlled border crossing from Gaza into Egypt remains a major obstacle.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Thousands more lie buried under the rubble of Gaza, the UN estimates.

Israel says 127 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people  mostly civilians  and taking about 240 hostages.

 With files from the Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

Join attorney Dennis Hursh, who brings over 40 years of experience in representing physicians. In this discussion, Dennis delves into the multifaceted world of physicians working in private practices. We explore the motivations driving physicians into the medical field, the character and work ethic that sustains them in high-pressure environments, and the challenges they face, especially regarding partnership promises and contractual agreements. Dennis shares his expert perspective on the pitfalls and red flags in employment contracts, strategies to avoid exploitation, and the key elements of a fair partnership agreement.

Dennis Hursh is a veteran attorney with over 40 years of experience in health law. He is founder, Physician Agreements Health Law, which offers a fixed fee review of physician employment agreements to protect physicians in one of the biggest transactions of their careers. He can also be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn.

He discusses the KevinMD article, Not all physicians are nice.

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Tennessee Dr. Ralph Thomas Reach is a vastly experienced addiction medicine physician. Continued application of his knowledge and pioneering experience could improve the opioid drug overdose death rate in his state. Unfortunately, the state government revoked his medical license, and Dr. Reach will soon begin serving six months in federal prison, followed by 18 months under house arrest.

After obtaining approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Dr. Reach had been treating people with opioid use disorder with a proven form of medication-assisted treatment, buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is such an effective treatment that, in December 2022, Congress ordered the DEA to remove barriers to clinicians prescribing the drug.

Nevertheless, as happens all too often, the DEA raided Dr. Reachs clinic and ultimately put an end to his addiction treatment practice. Now, patients with addiction have one less doctor from whom to seek help. Stories like this are frightening away clinicians who would like to treat the estimated 7.6 million people suffering from opioid use disorder.

Dr. Reach had established the Watauga Recovery Centers network in the tri-state area of Appalachia (Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina). His centers were closed on May 2, 2018, following a dramatic and highly publicized by Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

Ignoring the immediate needs of Reachs Watauga patients, the DEA arrested Reach and deceptively charged him with numerous unsubstantiated felonies. Reach had hurt or killed nobody, committed no malpractice, and no financial or medical insurance fraud was uncovered. Loss of income and his legal expenses led him to bankruptcy. Reach sold Watauga clinics at a harsh discount to for-profit corporate health care interests. Eventually, hoping to retain his medical license, Reach accepted a plea bargain, and was sentenced to prison for violating three misdemeanors related to pharmaceutical labeling procedures in his clinics.

The Watauga Recovery Centers provided care, operating in the spirit of the successful Tennessee Antinarcotic Act of 1913, as described by then State Food and Drugs Commissioner Lucius Polk Brown. At that time, only morphine was available to relieve heroin hunger and reduce opiate craving.

Browns student Willis P. Butler, MD, organized a similar treatment program in Shreveport, LA (1919-1923), describing its success in the American Medicine Journal in 1922.

Decades later, Dr. Butler recounted the details of successful medication-assisted addiction treatment in Shreveport for a 1974 Drug Council report, which remains relevant today. Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Father of American Medicine and one of the nations founders, originally described substance use disorders and proposed to rescue persons affected with them from the arm of the law, and to render them the subjects of the kind and lenient hand of medicine.

Sadly, Dr. Butlers successful Shreveport clinics were closed 100 years ago, because federal drug prohibition agents, contradicting long-established medical opinion, had decided that narcotic addiction was a willful act and not a psychiatric illness. Federal agents ended medication-assisted treatment as a legitimate therapy and, by usurping control over medical treatment, initiated the stigmatization and criminalization we now must find a way to change.

The Federal Bureau of Narcotics became the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the 1970s after Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act. A century after closing Dr. Butlers clinics in Shreveport, Louisiana, the raid on Dr. Reachs practice suggests the DEA still believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that extensively publicized paramilitary-style shock and awe raids will decrease the overdose death rate and reduce the demand for illicit drugs.

Vulnerable drug-dependent people die from drug overdoses at alarming rates. One reason is that they are stigmatized, and effective treatment is unavailable. The DEA enforces regulatory obstacles that block access to buprenorphine and methadone medication-assisted treatment programs. Criminalization and stigmatization are further barriers to medical care. The century of intimidation, persecution, and prosecution of physicians who attempt to relieve the suffering of drug dependence is thoroughly explained in the Cato Institute white paper Cops Practicing Medicine.

Treating opioid addiction with medications such as buprenorphine and methadone saves lives, and decreases the demand for black-market drugs. Although Congress has removed obstacles to prescribing buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder, news reports of drug task force raids on addiction physicians like Tom Reach make other doctors fearful of providing medication-assisted treatment.

Without any typical process, such as advance notice of charges and an opportunity to be heard by the Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Reachs Tennessee medical license was revoked pursuant to a recently enacted, likely unconstitutional state law that precludes the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners from deciding on Dr. Reachs fitness to practice medicine.

Reach struggles to arrange reasonable legal costs to challenge the constitutionality of the Tennessee law. His impoverished financial state and reasonable fear of lengthy incarceration led him to plead guilty.

The 2018 DEA raid removed a competent, experienced, and forward-thinking addictionologist from practice in a region with extremely high rates of overdose death. Law enforcement agents have raided thousands of doctors and prosecuted them for easing the suffering of their patients. The demand for illicit narcotics like fentanyl and the overdose death rate continues to increase as a result of such DEA tactics.

Unless he receives a pardon, Dr. Ralph Thomas Reach will be in jail or under house arrest, instead of meeting with colleagues in Nashville, as he has done many times in the past, to inform and help guide strategies that reduce the overdose death rate. Substance use mortality, like an old-testament plague will not diminish until we improve access to treatment and reduce the fear-based stigmatization of substance use.

A.J. Reid Finlayson is a psychiatrist. Jeffrey A. Singer is a general surgeon. Peter R. Martin is a psychiatrist.
The President of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party, Mr Jimmy Akena, has called on the government to prioritize the social welfare of Ugandans in the coming year.

He made the remarks at the partys head offices in Kampala while delivering his end-of-year message to Ugandans.

Akena emphasized that Ugandans are the countrys most valuable asset and that their well-being should be paramount. He urged the government to focus on improvements in healthcare, education services, and livelihood programs for the population.

Many of the schools which have been there over a period of years are no longer what they used to be. We used to have quality schools in every region where somebody was able to get quality education but now it is narrowing, said Akena.

He explained that a vibrant economy necessitates significant investment in education. This would equip learners with access to equitable and quality education, empowering them to succeed in the competitive job market, according to Akena.



Akena also demanded that the government address critical issues in the healthcare sector. He called for adequate medical supplies in health facilities and emphasized the need to address the issue of low salaries for Ugandan medical workers.

He further urged the government to create favorable environment in agricultural sector to enable farmers penetrate the regional markets.
Government has asked the World Bank to extend the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project for one year. The 360 million US dollar project is meant to close on December 31, 2023.

The revelation was made by Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba, while appearing before Parliaments Physical Infrastructure Committee which is assessing the progress of the project that started on April 11, 2019.

Her plea comes despite complaints over delayed completion of the road projects that were meant to take just one year.

She said the request for the one-year extension was guided by the recommendation of the program mid-term review which observed that there was lost time of 12 months as a result of the delayed commencement of the program due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project is being implemented in the districts of; Arua, Gulu, Lira, Soroti, Mbale, Jinja, Masaka, Fort Portal and Hoima. Entebbe, Tororo, Kabale, Kitgum, Kasese, Kamuli, Apac, Ntungamo, and Busia among others.
By Winnie Watenya

The Tuesday morning attack by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the western district of Kamwenge has prompted villagers to flee their homes and seek refuge in towns.

The unknown assailants attacked homes in Kyabandara Parish Kamwenge sub-county at around 2 am.

Four bodies of the victims were burnt in a structure that housed a shop, a bar, and a hotel.

Six other victims were found guarding a maize farm and hacked to death by assailants suspected to be ADF rebels.

KFMs correspondent, Alex Ashaba says this back-and-forth movement is for fear of another attack.

People have decided to stay away from the village and sleep in town but they are going back because they are saying security is not enough and remember, the place where the incident happened is a few kilometres away from the national park where they are saying the rebels are hiding, Ashaba said.
By AFP

The head of Hamas was due in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel said it was willing to agree to another pause in exchange for more hostages.

International pressure is mounting for a new truce that could ramp up aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, with the United Nations due to vote on calling for a ceasefire.

Hamas sources said Wednesday at least 11 people had been killed overnight in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was expected to lead a high-level delegation to Egypt for talks with the countrys spy chief and others on stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners, a source close to the group told AFP.

Israels leaders are facing growing calls to secure the release of 129 hostages they say are being held in Gaza and, on Tuesday, signalled a willingness to return to the negotiating table with Hamas.

Israeli President Issac Herzog said his country was ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had recently sent his spy chief on two trips to Europe in an effort to free our hostages.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage on Tuesday it claimed showed two hostages alive in its custody in Gaza, ramping up pressure on Israel.

US news site Axios reported Monday that David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and CIA director Bill Burns in Europe to discuss a potential new deal to free hostages.

Axios also reported Tuesday that Israel had offered to pause the fighting in Gaza for at least one week in exchange for more than three dozen hostages held by Hamas.

The war began when Hamas militants burst out of Gaza on October 7, killing around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to the latest Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a campaign of bombardment, alongside a ground invasion, that Gazas Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children.

Qatar, backed by Egypt and the United States, helped broker a week-long truce and hostage-prisoner swap in November in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

On the brink

The UN Security Council was set to vote Wednesday on a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict, three diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.

The latest version of the text calls for the suspension of hostilities, the sources said.

The US vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution in the council, sparking condemnation by Palestinian and humanitarian groups, which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.

The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gazas 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the limited ability of aid groups to help.

Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink, said Tor Wennesland, the UNs special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

Young Gazans are facing a perilous winter, with the UN childrens agency warning that child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments.

One of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Al-Ahli, stopped operating after it was stormed and put out of action by Israeli forces, its director Fadel Naim told AFP.

Homes have been destroyed, forcing many into overcrowded shelters as they struggle to find cooking fuel, food, water and medical care.

With power and communication often cut, Gazans are returning to time-worn traditions including using battery-powered radio sets to get news of the war.

Here in Gaza, were moving backwards, said Salah Zorob, 37, outside his tent. Theyre going to take us back to the Stone Age.

Dismantle Hamas

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that troops were expanding operations in southern Gazas Khan Yunis area.

We must dismantle Hamas, and it will take as long as needed, he said.

The army said a soldier was killed on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 133 in the Gaza Strip since ground operations began in late October.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained in military operations across the territory, and on Tuesday, the army said it was investigating the deaths of terrorists in military detention centres without giving details.

The US has urged Israel to protect civilians in Gaza, a call echoed Tuesday by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who called on Israel to take a much more surgical, clinical and targeted approach in dealing with Hamas.

Red Sea task force

The Gaza war has sparked fears of regional escalation and seen Israel trade deadly cross-border fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it had targeted Hezbollah positions on Tuesday after intercepting fire near the border that wounded two reservists.

Yemens Huthi rebels, meanwhile, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones towards cargo ships in the Red Sea in what they say is a show of support for Palestinians.

Major shipping firms have diverted their vessels as a result, and the United States on Monday announced a new multinational naval task force to protect the waterways, through which 12 percent of global trade transits.

In its current form, the task force includes warships from the United States as well as Britain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries.

On Tuesday, Washington pushed to build up the initiative, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin telling a virtual meeting with 43 countries, the EU and NATO that the attacks threaten the free flow of commerce
Belgium's Chief of Defence has highlighted concerns about a potential Russian threat to Moldova and the Baltic States, during a recent interview with VRT News.

Michel Hofman pointed to Russia's ominous pivot towards a war economy, and emphasised that Europe must be prepared for any and all eventualities.

"We see that Russia has switched to a war economy," he said. "I think we are right to be concerned. The language used by the Kremlin and by President Vladimir Putin is always ambiguous. It is possible that they might open a second front at some point in the future, in Moldova, or in the Baltic states."

Drawing parallels with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Admiral Hofman urged European nations to be vigilant, claiming Moldova and the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - as the likeliest next targets on Russia's agenda.

During the interview with VRT News' defence editor Jens Franssen, Hofman also acknowledged the ambiguity in Putin's language.

He stressed that European nations need to demonstrate their ability to defend themselves.

While the Baltic states have long been concerned about Russian aggression, things are especially tense when it comes to Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine.

Of particular concern is Transnistria, a disputed region where the Kremlin wields substantial influence.

There have long been fears that Russia could invoke its claim to the region as a pretext for military aggression, as it has done not just in Ukraine but in countries like Georgia.

The Baltic three are under NATO's protection, but many say the need for preparedness is crucial.

An attack by Putin's troops on Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania would dramatically escalate tensions and force the alliance to act under its policy of collective responsibility, a requirement that does not apply in the case of non-member Ukraine.
Kilkenny buildings are to be lit up again this year as Samaritans mark the longest night of the year to remind everyone that its helpline is open during the darkest hours.

Civic buildings will be lit up, and also joining are the Left Bank, Biddy Earlys, The Village Inn, The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny Castle, St Canices Cathedral, the Creamery House Castlecomer, St Lukes Hospital and Market Cross Shopping Centre.

Volunteers in Kilkenny will be among 100 listening volunteers on duty across Ireland on Christmas Day, providing vital emotional support to people struggling to cope.

Volunteers answered more than 33,000 calls to Samaritans 24-hour freephone number (116 123) last December, including almost 1,000 calls on Christmas Day alone.

The mental health charity is asking landmarks and public buildings across the country to light up in green to mark the longest night on Thursday, December 21, to show people Samaritans are here for them during the long dark nights.

Bereavement, loneliness, relationship and family problems, addictions, abuse and mental health issues can all feature heavily in peoples lives throughout the festive break, said Anne Lennon, Volunteer branch director at Kilkenny Samaritans.

It is really important that people know that whatever they are going through, whenever they are going through it, Samaritans are here to listen day and night. We urge anyone in need of support to reach out and call freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie.
A US JJUDGE has ruled that documents relating to more than 170 people who were either associates, friends or victims of disgraced financier Epstein should be made public.

The documents are part of a 2015 US defamation case by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who supplied Epstein with underage girls.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Giuffre said: Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!!

Theres going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, whos on the naughty list?"

Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!! Theres going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, whos on the naughty list? This would t be possible without https://t.co/xVfFfQ0UMH  Virginia Giuffre (@VRSVirginia) December 20, 2023

This (would not) be possible without the Honourable Judge Preska.

The individuals who are set to be named in the documents will have 14 days to appeal against the judges decision  meaning they are likely to be released in early January.

Ms Giuffre settled her civil claim against Maxwell, but representatives of the media have since argued documents that were sealed as part of the case should be made public.

US Judge Loretta Preska ordered some individuals should be named because they had already given interviews to the media.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020, despite numerous attempts from her defence counsel to have her released on bail.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June last year.

The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had faded, distorted and motivated memories.

Her appeal is currently scheduled to be heard in November next year.
Five defendants have been sent forward for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court for allegedly obstructing the Ashling Murphy murder investigation.

Today's sitting of Tullamore District Court was told that a Book of Evidence had been served on all five defendants and the cases would be heard in the Central Criminal Court, Dublin.

Judge Andrew Cody told each of the defendants that they had 14 days from today's date to supply an alibi to the Courts.

The court was told that there is a restriction on the media from publishing the defendants' addresses.

Before the court were Marek Puska, Lubomir Puska, Lucia Istokova, Jozefina Grundzova and Viera Gazoiva.

They were all charged with, on dates unknown, between varying dates in January 2022, failing "without reasonable excuse to disclose as soon as was practicable to a member of the Garda Siochana information which you knew or believed might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Jozef Puska for a serious offence to wit murder of Ashling Murphy contrary to common law that occurred on the 12/01/2022 at Grand Canal Way Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, contrary to Section 9 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998."

Three of the defendant were charged with committing this offence in Tullamore Garda Station.
MacDonagh Train Station in Kilkenny City has been honoured with the prestigious Age Friendly Transport Award at the National Age Friendly Awards ceremony.

Developed through a collaborative effort between Kilkenny County Council, Iarnrod Eireann, Age Friendly Ireland and MacDonagh Shopping Centre, this achievement marks a significant milestone in making public transport more accessible and suitable for users across the course of life.

The Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards, a showcase of initiatives contributing to Ireland's commitment to creating an age-friendly environment, highlighted MacDonagh Train Station as the pioneer in age-friendly transportation. The station underwent a comprehensive World Health Organisation four-stage process to secure its Age Friendly status.





Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Michael Doyle emphasised the collaborative success of the project.

"This award acknowledges the significant work undertaken by all stakeholders, contributing to improved lives for older people. MacDonagh Train Station exemplifies what can be achieved through collaborative working," he said.

A pivotal aspect of the initiative involved a walkability study, examining station areas, roadways, and bridge access. The subsequent action plan, devised by a dedicated working group, emphasised the importance of age-friendly considerations to enhance the experience for older customers.

A key feature of this initiative was the introduction of a new walkway connecting the station to the nearby MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre. This not only significantly reduces walking distances but also improves accessibility to shops, local government services, and medical facilities for all users.

Age Friendly programme manager at Kilkenny County Council Anne Marie Shortall has expressed her satisfaction with the award.

"MacDonagh Train Station underwent the World Health Organisations process in order to achieve Age Friendly Status. Older people's confidence is greatly enhanced by the delivery of the safety features such as good lighting, pedestrian crossings, set down areas, and trained staff availability. We are delighted that our collaborative efforts have been recognised with this prestigious award."

The Strategic Oversight Committee for the Age Friendly project included representatives from Kilkenny County Council, Age Friendly Ireland, Kilkenny Chamber, Iarnrod Eireann, the National Transport Authority, the Department of Transport, Kilkenny's Older Persons Council, and MacDonagh Shopping Centre.

Emmett Cotter, Iarnrod Eireann's Regional Manager for the South East: We recognise the significance of our senior citizens as valued customers who have contributed immensely to society. Iarnrod Eireann is committed to ensuring every train journey is user-friendly and enjoyable for them. We anticipate achieving Age Friendly Ireland recognition at more stations across our network, following the success of MacDonagh Station.

The improvements at MacDonagh Train Station, outlined in a case study publication by Age Friendly Ireland, include:

The new walkway which links the station with the adjacent MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre

Two AgeFriendly car parking spaces

Tactile paving for customers with visual impairment

Newly-installed tactile paving pedestrian crossing points

Enhanced wayfinding with painted steps

Just A Minute (JAM) signage and staff training

Increased font size on ticket machines

Safety decals on glass doors

Widening of the door to the disability bathroom

Repainting the station interior with a calmer colour

Alterations to kerbs and landscaping for improved access

Minister Malcolm Noonan awarded a Charter to MacDonagh Train Station on November 21, 2022, recognising it as the first Age Friendly Station in Ireland.

The station is now acknowledged internationally by the World Health Organisation as a model of good practice for Age Friendly stations.
Shane Reti announced:

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti is appointing a Crown observer to Health New Zealand  Te Whatu Ora, citing significant ongoing challenges around the 2022 health reforms.

I have carefully considered the hard work which has gone on around Health NZ since its establishment, Dr Reti said.

The incoming government is resetting a clear focus on health outcomes. The labour government failed to acknowledge a health crisis and failed in its duty to provide adequate oversight and support during a period of massive upheaval for health.

I am confident that the appointment of a Crown observer will assist the HNZ Board and management to work with the board to overcome a range of issues, including health workforce and hospital wait times.

I am therefore appointing Ken Whelan as Crown observer to work with the Board to ensure it delivers the outcomes expected by the coalition government.

Mr Whelan commences his role immediately, and will independently advise me through formal quarterly reporting, and other updates as necessary.

He has more than 30 years of health care leadership experience and has previously served as a Crown monitor at Counties Manukau and waikato dhbs.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few snow showers this afternoon. High 24F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Snow. Winds will be gusty at times this evening. Low 11F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 5 to 8 inches of snow expected.
Foreign Minister Park Jin held talks with his Benin counterpart Wednesday on ways to step up bilateral cooperation and discussed the security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said.

In his talks with Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Park voiced hopes for strengthening cooperation in the economic and development areas, and held out expectations that Patrice Talon, Benin's president, will visit South Korea next year to attend the South Korea-Africa summit.

Bakari, in response, expressed hopes his visit will serve as an opportunity to discuss "specific and practical" ways for bilateral cooperation, stressing Benin has "great expectations" for enhancing cooperation with Seoul.

Bakari arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitation of the ministry. (Yonhap)
A federal judge in Miami on Tuesday sentenced a former Haitian senator to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haitis President Jovenel Moise in 2021 , which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in what U.S. prosecutors have described as a plot hatched in both Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill Moise, who was 53 when he was slain at his private home near the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince on July 7, 2021.

Joseph, a well-known politician and opponent of the slain presidents Tet Kale party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

The sentencing came two months after Joseph signed a plea agreement with the government hoping to get a reduction in his sentence. In exchange, he promised he would cooperate with the investigation.

Sometimes U.S. attorneys recommend judges reduce a sentence if they determine that the convicted person collaborates with their investigation. The reduction could come months or years after the sentencing.

Federal Judge Jose E. Martinez handed down the maximum sentence at a hearing in Miami that lasted about 30 minutes.

At the hearing, Joseph asked for mercy and said that he never planned to kill the Haitian president. Wearing a prisoners beige shirt and pants, he was handcuffed and had shackles on his ankles as he listened to the judges ruling seated next to his attorney.

It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand, Joseph said in creole. The plan changed to kill the president but it was never my intention, he added.

The judge said that he would consider a reduction of the sentencing if the government asked for it, but after listing to the former Haitian senator, Martinez ordered him to life imprisonment.

Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory, Martinez said.

The other two people who have been sentenced in the case are Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and retired Colombian army officer German Alejandro Rivera Garcia . Both were sentenced to life in prison. Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen and former confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, pleaded guilty this month and is awaiting his sentencing in February 2024.

Seven more defendants are awaiting trial next year in South Florida.

According to the charges, Joseph, Jaar, Rivera, Vincent and others, including several dual Haitian-American citizens, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill Haitis president. Among the participants were about 20 former Colombian soldiers.

Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January, and in March he agreed to be extradited to the U.S.

The Haitian government also arrested more than 40 people for their alleged roles in the murder.

Since Moises assassination, Haiti has seen a surge of gang violence that led the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force. The U.N. Security Council voted in early October to send a multinational force led by Kenya to help fight the gangs.

Kenyan officials told the AP that the first group of about 300 officers is expected to be deployed by February, with authorities still awaiting the verdict in a case that seeks to block the deployment. A decision is expected in January. (AP)
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Cloudy. Low 26F. SW winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 35F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Cloudy. Low 26F. SW winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 20 mph.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High near 35F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Mainly cloudy. Low 27F. SSW winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph.
"EXO Fan Meeting in 2024?!" Amid the delight of fans after 7/9 members finally did the "First Snow" challenge, Baekhyun sent Eris into a frenzy even more after adding "hidden spoilers" in his post!

On December 19, EXO finally joined their viral TikTok dance challenge, "First Snow," which also coincided with the day the song finally earned the #1 spot on MelOn Top 100 chart.

Seven of the 9 members posted their respective videos of the trend, including EXO-CBX (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin), Sehun, Chanyeol, Suho, as well as Lay who is currently active in China.

EXO 7/9 THE FIRST SNOW CHALLENGE pic.twitter.com/jXYLW2ArGS December 19, 2023

While D.O., who just transferred agency is yet to participate in the challenge, Kai won't be able to post his 2023 version due to his military enlistment.

Baekhyun Proves 'Spoiler King' Title After Eris Found 'Easter Eggs' Revealing EXO's 2024 Plans in Idol's Dance Challenge Post

After uploading, the members' respective videos gained millions of views, fans can't help but feel emotional about how EXO was able to keep their promise of being "ONE" even after 11 years.

Currently, EXO Baekhyun's post where he was joined by Xiumin and Chen earned over 20M views on Instagram, but it wasn't only the reason the post is continuously gaining massive views.

Apparently, detective Ls (EXO-Ls) were quick to notice that Baekhyun sneaked in short messages and keywords into the pool of hashtags he wrote in connection with the challenge.

ALSO READ: EXO Joins SEVENTEEN As Only Boy Group to Achieve THIS on MelOn Top 100 in 2023

As a fandom filled with not only loving but smart fans, Eris immediately decoded the idol's message and found out that it was actually spoilers for EXO and his solo plans in 2024!

In the keywords, the idol apologized to fans for joining the trend late and lauded the fandom for its power. He conveyed longing for his fans as well and reminded them to take care of themselves by layering clothes and staying warm amid cold winter.

Among the hashtags, Baekhyun then hinted at EXO's fan meeting next year, fan gifts, as well as his solo fan meeting and concert!

Here's the translated hashtags from Baekhyun's post:

The first snow challenge! Thanks for waiting, exo-ls #firstsnowchallenge #exolpower #clickclack #sorryforbeinglate #todayisagoodday #idkhowtocomeupwithcoolhashtags #taggingwhatever #imissyouexols #exofanmeetingnextyear #soloconcert #fanmeeting #fangifts #idk #keepgoing #spoileverything #dearexols #thesnowfallisbeautiful #tomorrowisgoingtobecold #layerupandstaywarm

Eris React to Baekhyun's 'Hidden Spoilers'

After Baekhyun boasted his "Spoiler King" status once again, EXO-Ls couldn't hide their excitement and conveyed their feeling on various online platforms & communities.

Some of the comments said:

And according to the hashtags on Baekhyun's newest reels, there are gonna be EXO's fan meeting next year along with Baekhyun's solo concert  pic.twitter.com/oNdSt2Jwbs  AURA (@HeavenlyBaekSoo) December 19, 2023

"And we love our spoiler king!"

"OMG, I really need to save up now."

"He has no chill, what do you mean dropping next year's plans on Instagram reels?"

"EXO fan meeting next year!"

"Not at Byun Baekhyun spoiling EXO and his solo schedule on his Instagram hashtags."

READ MORE: EXO Finally Joins 'The First Snow' Challenge  But Where's Kyungsoo?

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson.
In an unexpected twist, BLACKPINK's Lisa has jetted off to France, raising eyebrows and sparking rumors of a potential shared residence with CEO Frederic Arnault. The intrigue surrounding Lisa and Frederic's relationship has once again taken center stage, fueled by recent events that only add to the speculative frenzy.

Revelation Unfolds: Lisa's Sudden Departure from Korea

The revelation unfolded on December 20, when Korean media disclosed that Lisa hastily boarded a flight to France immediately after attending Celine's event in Thailand the previous night. Despite the paparazzi's vigilant lenses, Lisa maintained her composure, displaying a friendly demeanor as she continuously waved to fans at the airport.

Contrary to initial expectations that Lisa would spend the New Year in her homeland, her abrupt departure from Korea is intensifying rumors surrounding her alleged cohabitation with Frederic Arnault, the CEO. Lisa's dazzling presence at Celine's event on December 19 further fueled the speculation.

READ ALSO: BLACKPINK Lisa's Paris Rendezvous with Jisoo Unveiled After Contract Renewal- Must-See Pics Inside

Parisian Puzzle: Lisa's Mysterious Year in the City of Love

Just over a week ago, Lisa became the subject of unexpected rumors linking her romantically to the son of the world's wealthiest billionaire. Notably, Lisa spent a significant portion of the year in Paris, where fans failed to spot her at the usual BLACKPINK haunts. Adding to the intrigue, Lisa recently brought her dog along on her trip to France, prompting fans to connect the dots and suspect that Lisa may have already relocated.

From Dinner Dates to Family Introductions: Timeline of Lisa and Frederic's Relationship

The dating rumors between Lisa and Frederic Arnault first surfaced in July when they were spotted together at a restaurant. A video capturing the idol leaning her head against Frederic's shoulder further fueled speculations.

Following this, Frederic introduced Lisa to his family, and the warm reception extended to her by both families was evident during a cruise down the Chao Phraya River in Thailand-an event that garnered media attention in the past few months.

YOU MIGHT BE UNTERESTED IN: THIS BLACKPINK Member Reveals Her Favorite Ice Cream Flavor That Raised BLINKs Eyebrows- Here's Why

Follow and subscribe to KpopStarz for more news.

KpopStarz own this article.

Cassidy Jones wrote this.




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Proposed change in the international status of the wolves

Today, the Commission is tabling a proposal for a Council Decision to adapt the protection status of the wolf under the international Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, to which the EU and its Member States are parties. The wolf's protection status under the Convention was established based on the available scientific data at the time of negotiation of the Convention in 1979. On the basis of an in-depth analysis on the status of the wolf in the EU also published today, the Commission proposes to make the wolf protected' as opposed to strictly protected'. It follows the Commission's announcement in September 2023 that on the basis of the data collected, it would decide on a proposal to modify, where appropriate, the status of protection of the wolf and to update the legal framework, to introduce, where necessary, further flexibility.

Changing the wolf's protection status under the Bern Convention, subject to the agreement of the EU Member States and other Bern Convention parties, is a precondition for any similar change to its status at the EU level. The proposal corresponds largely to the position that the European Parliament expressed in its resolution of 24 November 2022.

The Commission continues to urge national and local authorities to take the necessary actions in the current framework, with EU support, while giving them a clear perspective of further management flexibilities if existing possibilities prove insufficient.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: The comeback of wolves is good news for biodiversity in Europe. But the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger especially for livestock. To manage critical wolf concentrations more actively, local authorities have been asking for more flexibility. The European level should facilitate this and the process the Commission started today is an important step. I am deeply convinced that we can and will find targeted solutions to protect both, biodiversity and our rural livelihoods.

Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius said: The proposal to change the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention recognised the need to address the challenges posed by increasing wolf populations, while keeping the aim of conservation of biodiversity and the objective to reach and maintain a favourable conservation status of the species. The Commission will continue to support national and local authorities with funding and guidance to promote the coexistence with the wolf and large carnivores in general. Investment into prevention measures remains essential to reduce livestock predation.

Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said: From speaking with farmers and rural communities, I understand how the return of wolves has presented significant challenges in a number of areas, especially for pastoralism, in an already difficult socio-economic context. Today's proposal reflects these challenges, based on an in-depth analysis of all available scientific and technical data. I also take this opportunity to encourage Member States to make full use of EU funding to support investments in prevention measures, which are essential to reduce threats to livestock.

Supporting national and local authorities

The return of wolves to EU regions where they had been long absent and their growing populations in new territories has led to challenges and conflicts, such as attacks on livestock and conflicts with farmers and hunters, especially where damage prevention measures are not widely implemented. As detailed in a joint letter sent by Commissioners Sinkevicius and Wojciechowski to EU Ministers, the Commission is supporting national and local authorities in preventing or significantly reducing predation risks. Different measures have proved effective when properly implemented and tailored to the local context.

The in-depth analysis published today shows that the populations of wolves have significantly increased in the last two decades and they are occupying ever larger territories. There are more than 20,000 wolves with generally increasing populations and expanding ranges, and breeding packs in 23 EU Member States. This is a conservation success, made possible by protective legislation, more favourable public attitudes and habitat improvements. This expansion has however led to increasing conflicts with human activities, notably concerning livestock damages, with strong pressure on specific areas and regions.

This changing reality on the ground now justifies an adaptation of the legal protection status, to allow further management flexibility to all Bern Convention parties, while keeping the overall legal objective to achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status for the species. EU funding is available to support adequate investments in appropriate damage prevention measures, which will remain essential to reduce livestock predation.

Next steps

It is now for the Member States to decide on this proposal. Once adopted, the proposal will be submitted by the EU to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention.

Depending on the outcome of these decisions in the Council and in the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, the Commission would then be able to propose to adapt the wolf's protection status within the EU.

Meanwhile, the Commission continues to urge local and national authorities to take action, where necessary, as allowed by the derogation possibilities in the current legislation, and to use available EU funding opportunities to invest in prevention and compensation measures. The Commission published detailed guidance in 2021 with examples of good practice. The Commission will continue its close cooperation with Member States to monitor the progress towards the achievement of the favourable conservation status of the wolf and its coexistence with socio-economic activities. It will also continue supporting investments for the coexistence with large carnivores and the work of the related European and regional stakeholders initiatives.

Background

The Bern Convention is a Council of Europe intergovernmental treaty concluded in 1979 to conserve European wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, especially those whose conservation requires the co-operation of several states. As of April 2024, it will cover 50 Contracting Parties, including all EU Member States. The EU's Habitats Directive implements the requirements of the Bern Convention and provides for strict protection for most wolf populations in Europe, with derogation possibilities.

For more information

Questions and answers

Large carnivores (europa.eu)

Commission's proposal to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention
Central Community College held its third all-college winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 15. A total of 372 candidates were eligible to graduate and 100 took part in the ceremony. Both are record numbers for winter graduation.

After holding the first all-college winter graduation in 2021 at Grand Island and the second last year at CCC-Hastings, this years festivities were held at the Columbus Campus. Elizabeth Klitz, CCC dean of student success and enrollment management, said the change of venue didnt deter the graduates or their families and friends.

There is, you know, 80 or 90 miles between some of our campuses, and so we were wondering, would our numbers be different holding (commencement) on the Columbus Campus, Klitz said. What we saw is that graduates want to participate, and family and friends want to come celebrate this achievement. So, we are thrilled that weve had the largest number of eligible graduates and the largest number participating.

The keynote address was delivered by Kellie Pickett, the vice president for college access and success at the Susan T. Buffett Foundation. She is also a board member of the National Scholarship Providers Association.

As you think about your time here at Central Community College, Im sure you can think of lots of successes and lots of challenges to get to this point, Pickett said. Im sure you can picture times when youve had to work really hard, made some difficult choices, and you had to make some sacrifices along the way. You probably had some great fun and I hope you made some great memories.

Over the past two decades, Pickett has worked at such higher educational institutions as Duke University, Georgia Southern University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In her current role, she works with people and communities across the state to ensure that Nebraskans have clear pathways into higher education as well as the resources and support they need to reach their college goals. Pickett encouraged the graduates to use the skills they learned at CCC to make a difference in the lives of others.

You are poised to go out and make significant and unique contributions in your communities, Pickett said. Share your stories. Share your experiences. Be authentic in your conversations and in your workplaces. Find people who will teach you things, tell you the honest truth, and challenge and support you to achieve the things that are important to you.

Spectrum, the select choir from the Columbus Campus, performed the national anthem and Carol of the Bells. CCC President Matt Gotschall and all three campus presidents offered remarks during the ceremony.
Cardano to Train Petrobras Staff on Blockchain, Participants to Earn NFT Rewards

Disclosure: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. By using this website, you agree to our terms and conditions. We may utilise affiliate links within our content, and receive commission.

The Cardano Foundation has partnered with Petrobras, Brazils state-owned oil company, to offer blockchain education through workshops for its 40,000+ workforce.

Just in: The Cardano Foundation partners with Petrobras, Brazil's largest corporation, to provide blockchain education and explore use cases in the energy sector.   Andres  Meneses (@andreswifitv) December 20, 2023

This initiative aims to cultivate a more extensive understanding of blockchain technologies and promote their adoption within the energy sector.

Unveiling the new partnership in a December 20 press release, the Foundation announced that educational content from Cardano Academy will be delivered through Petrobras University.

The workshops will cover discussions on blockchains potential, exploration of various use cases and applications, and participation in interactive quizzes related to the technology.

Upon completion of the blockchain education courses, employees will receive a certificate attesting to their blockchain training. Furthermore, the first 500 participants from Petrobras enrolled in the Cardano Academy will be awarded a unique non-fungible token (NFT).

This NFT, crafted in collaboration with the Petrobras Education Board, will evolve to reflect and celebrate participants progress throughout the training.

The Cardano Foundation envisions its collaboration with Petrobras as a pioneering initiative for future endeavors to deepen blockchain understanding through employee education.

Speaking on the latest partnership, Frederik Gregaard, the CEO of the Foundation, emphasized the firms commitment to education as a means of empowerment.

The primary mission involves promoting blockchain literacy across various sectors, from individual users to large enterprises.

The new development follows the launch of the Cardano Academy on December 14, alongside the certified Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA) course rollout.

 Exciting News! The Cardano Academy is Live  The first certified course is now available: Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA) Course.  Accelerate your journey in blockchain with cutting-edge educational material and gamified learning delivery to help retain your pic.twitter.com/e98RGghdK4  Cardano Foundation (@Cardano_CF) December 14, 2023

The academy is designed to enable participants to accelerate their journey in blockchain with comprehensive educational materials and gamified learning delivery activities to retain knowledge.

Cardano Foundation Rollouts Products to Advance Blockchain



In addition to the launch of its academy, the Cardano Foundation has debuted a suite of tools to improve developers building experience on its network. These tools include the Identity Wallet and Ledger Sync.

2023 

The Foundation has released a suite of tools and products that improve the building experience on #Cardano, attract businesses, provide education, and foster adoption. In 2024 the #CardanoFoundation will improve and expand upon the product portfolios capability pic.twitter.com/nkex6XaFH9  Cardano Foundation (@Cardano_CF) December 14, 2023

Together, these blockchain products aim to address business and developer needs as well as facilitate the adoption of Cardano for social and financial integrations.

Both tools are fully open source, thus creating room for community feedback, participation, and ever-evolving contribution.

Additionally, the Cardano Foundation actively seeks to engage businesses and organizations that can benefit from blockchain solutions on the Cardano platform.

Recognizing the prevalent use of Java among enterprise developers, the Foundation intentionally provides tools and services in this language to encourage adoption.

Specifically, Ledger Sync and the Identity Wallet have been developed in Java to streamline onboarding processes.

Ledger Sync offers a Java tool that efficiently organizes blockchain data, and the Identity Wallet is a W3C-compatible mobile wallet managing self-sovereign identities across Cardano and various blockchain networks.
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a meeting with top party leaders on Thursday to discuss party's strategy for upcoming Lok Sabha polls and chalk out plans on seat sharing with like-minded parties of the INDIA bloc.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi would attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

Also Read | 'If Mind Is of Italy, Will Not Understand': Amit Shah Takes Dig at Congress Over Objections to Some Provisions of Criminal Law Bills (Watch Video).

This is the first meeting of the top Congress leadership after the party's debacle in recently held assembly elections in five states.

The Congress has maintained that its morale is not down, even though the assembly poll results have been very disappointing and not as per expectations.

Also Read | Central Bank of India Recruitment 2023: Registration Begins For 484 Safai Karmachari Posts, Know How to Apply at centralbankofindia.co.in.

The party has already held a first round of analysis of the poll results and the CWC is likely to hold further discussions on the reasons of the defeat.

The party leadership is likely to evolve a new agenda to take on the BJP as its key thrust on caste census has failed to click with voters in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The meeting will take place at the All India Congress Committee headquarters here.

The meeting is being held at a time when the challenge before the Congress is to come out with an alternative positive agenda to counter the BJP in the next general elections.

Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday told MPs at the Parliamentary Party meeting that the assembly election results being very disappointing is an understatement as she urged them to channel their disappointment into positivity for next year's general elections.

This was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll results.

"To say that the assembly election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement. The Congress President has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and draw the needed lessons for our organization," she told the MPs.

She also said that the Lok Sabha elections will be held in the next few months and "we have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA bloc."

The Congress is also holding a mega rally in Nagpur on the party's foundation day on December 28.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kohima, Dec 20 (PTI) The ruling NDPP-BJP alliance returned to power in Nagaland in this year's assembly polls, which also saw the election of two women candidates to the House for the first time in the northeastern state's history.

The state also saw the assembly unanimously passing the Municipal bill seeking to reserve 33 per cent of seats in urban local bodies (ULB) for women, paving the way for civic polls in the state after two decades.

Also Read | US: Woman From Gujarat Suffers Head Injury While Allegedly Trying To Cross Trump Wall, Enter United States Illegally With Family.

The People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) of the NDPP and the BJP won the Nagaland Assembly elections held on February 27 by winning 37 seats in the 60-member House, with Neiphiu Rio becoming the chief minister of the tribal-dominated state for the fifth consecutive term, making him the longest-serving CM of the state.

The alliance bettered its performance from the previous election, when the regional party had won 18 seats while the saffron party had bagged 12 constituencies.

Also Read | MPs Suspended From Parliament: PM Narendra Modi, BJP Want To Establish 'Single Party Rule' in Country, Says Mallikarjun Kharge on Suspension of 141 MPs.

In this year's assembly polls, two women candidates -- Hekhani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo Kruse of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)  were greenhorns but they defeated sitting MLAs in Western Angami and Dimapur-III seats respectively.

The Republican Party of India (Athawale) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) opened their accounts in the Christian-dominated state by winning two constituencies and one seat respectively in the assembly elections.

All the political parties in the state, including seven NCP legislators and four Independent MLAs, extended unconditional support to the NDPP-BJP dispensation, making it an all-party government for the third time in the state.

The solution to the decades-old Naga political issue, which every political party pronounces as its top priority before every election, went backstage as the state government was yet to form any political affairs committee (PAC) to facilitate negotiating parties to conclude the peace talks.

The Centre has been holding separate negotiations with NSCN-IM since 1997 and the Working Committee of Naga National Political Group (NNPG), comprising at least seven groups, since 2017 to conclude the peace talks.

Eight years have passed since the signing of the Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015 with the NSCN-IM and another six years have gone by following the signing of Agreed Position on November 17, 2017 with WC NNPGs.

With no signifnt/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latestly.com%2Fagency-news%2Findia-news-ndpp-bjp-alliance-returns-to-power-nagaland-sees-women-legislators-for-first-time-in-2023-5640802.html&text=India+News+%7C+NDPP-BJP+Alliance+Returns+to+Power%3B+Nagaland+Sees+Women+Legislators+for+First+Time+in+2023&via=latestly', 650, 420);">
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) BJP MP Pragya Thakur on Wednesday said she and other sadhus or sanyasis had suffered due to the colonial-era criminal laws as she slammed the earlier Congress governments for lacking the will power to bring a change for ensuring justice.

Participating in the debate on the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Thakur said when there is "apna desh (our country), apna kanoon (our law) aur apna anushasan (our discipline)" then development will happen in a proper way.

Also Read | Cybercrime in India: 761 Cyber Threat Detections in Country per Minute in 2023, Says Report.

"After years, only a patriot had the courage to bring these bills. One needs will power for this, not everyone has that will power and the one who does, is committed to the country. They (the British) changed the name of our country and kept the name Indian Penal Code. It reiterated that 'you are still our slaves' and with this mindset these bills were given to us but those who sat in power could not honour our independence," Thakur said.

Those who ruled for 65 years lacked the will power and commitment towards the country, she said hitting out at the Congress.

Also Read | Nagpur Shocker: 29-Year-Old Truck Driver Killed in Clash With Cleaners; Four Arrested.

"We have come to change these colonial-era laws today but it cannot be imagined what many have suffered for so many years. We were saying that we were breathing in independent India but we had to suffer from not being under laws of independent India," Thakur claimed.

"When India became independent after years of slavery, what we lacked that for 65 years the Congress and other governments could not do this...We are moving forward setting aside the mindset of slavery and now the laws that will be made touching the soul of the country and there will be justice for Indians, by Indians and of Indians," she said.

In an apparent swipe at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Thakur said, "A member stated that this is done to Muslims, that is done to Muslims...I want to say why are you pained, you had the protection of big people over you. Despite being criminals, they used to get bails."

She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the bills and said that people have given them power so that they can work for the people.

Thakur also said the colonial era laws were used to commit atrocities and she also had to bear it.

"It has happened with sadhus, sanyasis. I have also suffered...for 13 days, was kept in custody and had to bear all kinds of atrocities. Have suffered from the colonial-era laws," she said.

"For changing a person, his or her development is important, his or her security is important, important to secure borders, it is important to give 'roti', 'kapda', education and justice...all this Modi ji has given," she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate against Chinese smartphone maker Vivo-India and others in a money laundering case.

Four individuals -- the MD of Lava International mobile company, Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik - have been named as accused in the prosecution complaint (ED's equivalent of a chargesheet). Special Judge Kiran Gupta summoned the accused, who are in judicial custody, on February 19. The chargesheet was filed earlier this month under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Also Read | UPSC NDA, CDS 2024 Notification Released, Know How to Apply At upsc.gov.in.

The ED claimed the alleged activities of the four accused enabled Vivo-India to make wrongful gains that were detrimental to the economic sovereignty of the country.

The anti-money laundering agency had raided Vivo-India and persons linked to it in July last year and claimed to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

Also Read | Entire Modi Ecosystem Being Galvanised on 'So-Called Mimicry Non-Issue, Says Congress.

The ED had then alleged that a whopping Rs 62,476 crore was "illegally" transferred by Vivo-India to China to avoid payment of taxes in India.

The company had rejected the allegations, saying it "firmly adheres to its ethical principles and remains dedicated to legal compliance."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Nairobi (Kenya), Dec 20 (AP) Ethiopia and Egypt said the latest round of talks over a huge, highly contentious hydroelectric dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile's main tributary again ended with no deal.

The countries blamed each other after three days of discussions in Addis Ababa concluded on Tuesday.

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Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said the talks were unsuccessful due to Ethiopia's persistent refusal to accept any compromise. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry accused Egypt of putting up roadblocks in the discussions that prevented any consensus.

Sudan was also a part of the negotiations.

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The countries have been trying to find an agreement for years over the USD 4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011. The dam is on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border and Egypt fears it will have a devastating effect on its water and irrigation supply downstream unless Ethiopia takes its needs into account.

The Blue Nile meets the White Nile in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and then flows onwards through Egypt.

Egypt has referred to Ethiopia's dam as an existential threat as the Arab world's most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people.

Egypt is deeply concerned over how much water Ethiopia will release downstream from the dam and wants a deal to regulate that. Ethiopia is using the dam to generate electricity.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed resolved in July to come to an agreement on the dam within four months. Another round of talks between the three countries in September also ended acrimoniously.

The dam began producing power last year and Ethiopia said it had completed the final phase of filling the dam's reservoir in September.

The project is expected to ultimately produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which is double Ethiopia's current output and enough to make the East African nation of 120 million a net energy exporter.

Ethiopia has said it will continue to exploit the river with or without an agreement. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London, Dec 20 (PTI) Indian entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Dr Neerja Birla have been appointed to the India Advisory Council of the British Asian Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III when he was the Prince of Wales.

Kamath, co-founder of one of India's largest stockbrokers Zerodha, a wealth management firm True Beacon and venture capital firm Gruhas, is the youngest Indian to sign Bill Gates and Warren Buffet's The Giving Pledge as a promise to give at least 50 per cent of his wealth to charity. In his new role with the British Asian Trust announced last week, he hopes to address complex social changes in India.

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I am committed to partnering with innovative and pioneering social organisations as part of my philanthropic approach, said Kamath.

I'm therefore honoured to join the British Asian Trust's India Advisory Council, made up of notable business leaders and philanthropists. Together, we aim to address complex social challenges innovatively and at scale across the country, he said.

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Birla, Founder and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, is behind the initiative Mpower  which seeks to foster positive change in attitudes towards mental health through awareness and advocacy.

Mpower has become a symbol of hope and a driving force for change in the mental health landscape in India. However, significant barriers continue to exist in providing the right support for mental health to millions of citizens in the country, said Birla.

The British Asian Trust is doing commendable work in this space across the world. I'm thrilled to join the British Asian Trust's India Advisory Council and expand our work in mental health across India, she said.

Kamath and Birla join the trust alongside other eminent Indian business and philanthropic leaders including Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries who chairs the trust's India Advisory Council.

Bharath Visweswariah, Executive Director  India, at the British Asian Trust said: The inclusion of Nikhil Kamath and Dr Neerja Birla into our advisory council will contribute immensely to the future of our work in India.

Nikhil's passion for conservation and livelihoods and Dr Birla's outstanding journey in education and mental health will help us expand our impact innovatively and effectively.

The charity was founded in 2007 by then Prince Charles and claims to have since positively impacted the lives of more than 12 million people in South Asia.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York, Dec 20 (AP) A high-ranking member of Hezbollah's Islamic Jihad Organisation was charged with terrorism offences, including the bombing of a building in Argentina in 1994 that killed 85 people, in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.

Samuel Salman El Reda, 58, who remains at large and is believed to be in Lebanon, was described by federal authorities as the leader of terrorist activity carried out by Hezbollah since at least 1993.

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From 1993 to 2015, he conspired to support terrorists in Lebanon, Argentina, Panama, Thailand and elsewhere, the indictment said as it listed six aliases for El Reda, including Salman Ramal, Sulayman Rammal, Salman Raouf Salman and Hajj.

He faces conspiracy charges and a count alleging he provided material support to a terrorist organisation.

Also Read | India's Ties With Canada May Have Undergone 'A Tonal Shift' in Recent Days, Says PM Justin Trudeau.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen said in a release that El Reda nearly three decades ago helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community centre that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others.

The attack occurred on July 18, 1994, when the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was bombed, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds more.

El Reda allegedly relayed information to Islamic Jihad Organisation operatives that was used to plan and execute the bombing.

In the decades afterward, he recruited, trained and managed the organization's operatives around the world, deploying them in Thailand, Panama and Peru, among other places, authorities said.

They said that in May 2009, he directed an operative to go to Thailand to destroy a cache of ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials that the organisation believed was under law enforcement surveillance.

And, in February 2011 and in January 2012, he told an operative to go to Panama to surveil the Panama Canal and embassies maintained by the US and Israel, authorities said.

US Attorney Damian Williams said the Argentina attack was part of the terrorist operations that El Reda has led for decades on behalf of the Islamic Jihad Organisation, the segment of Hezbollah that focuses on terrorism and intelligence-gathering activities outside of Lebanon.

New York Police Department Commissioner Edward A Caban said El Reda was the on-the-ground coordinator of the Argentina attack.

Caban said he has since been involved in plots all across the world.

The US Department of Treasury designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in 2001 and officials noted that the State Department in 2010 described it as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world and a continuing security threat to the United States. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Colombo, Dec 20 (PTI) Sri Lanka has decided to impose a one-year moratorium in allowing foreign vessels to conduct research in the island nation's territorial waters, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has said, amidst frequent docking requests from Chinese surveillance ships.

The Sri Lankan government has taken such a decision and communicated it to the relevant countries, Sabry told the Daily Mirror newspaper.

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The decision has been taken in the wake of China seeking permission to berth yet another research vessel in Sri Lanka's waters in January, next year, the report said.

China despatches its research/surveillance vessels to Sri Lanka regularly. In August this year, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy warship HAI YANG 24 HAO arrived in the country on a two-day visit.

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Chinese Survey and Research Vessel 'Shi Yan 6' docked at Sri Lanka's Colombo port in October despite India's objection and carried out research activities along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) on the water column of the Indian Ocean.

In August last year, a port call by the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship, Yuan Wang 5', which arrived in the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota elicited strong reactions from India.

There were apprehensions in New Delhi about the possibility of the vessel's hi-tech tracking systems attempting to snoop on Indian defence installations while being on its way to the Sri Lankan port.

However, after a considerable delay, Sri Lanka allowed the ship to dock at the strategic southern port of Hambantota, being built by a Chinese company.

Sabry said the government had announced a 12-month moratorium on research vessels from any country starting from January, next year.

"That is for us to do some capacity development so that we can participate in such research activities as equal partners, he said.

Sri Lanka is also facing elections next year and seeking to act without antagonising any country in its dealings with matters of geopolitical significance, the newspaper said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka has also evolved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for foreign military vessels and aircraft arriving in the country, Sabry said.

The foreign minister also said the guidelines set under the SOP had been sent to all the countries that deployed their vessels to Sri Lankan waters during the last 10 years. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, December 20: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister held a meeting with Union Minister for Finance, Niramala Sitaraman, on Wednesday in New Delhi and sought assistance for Bengaluru development projects. Shivakumar has also sought intervention, guidance and support in addressing the issues concerning the water resource projects of Karnataka.

In his letter submitted to Sitaraman during the meeting, he stated, The state government is working hard to make Bengaluru one of the most livable cities in the world. However, we face several challenges and constraints in terms of funds, resources, and coordination with various agencies. We seek your intervention and assistance in providing adequate funds for the construction of urban tunnels for traffic decongestion; extension of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation to cater to the increasing demand for public transport and flood resilience projects through World Bank funding, he said. Bengaluru Shocker: Lover Forces Partner for Abortion, Victim Seeks CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar's Help; Case Registered

He added, We have proposed to construct a 60 km urban tunnel, which will create an East-West and a North-South corridor within the city, connecting the major arterial roads and bypassing the surface traffic. The approximate cost of the project is Rs 30,000 crore, at Rs 500 crore per km. The urban tunnel will be underground, saving the surface space and aesthetics. Since the planned project will connect NH 7 with NH 14, it can be taken up by the Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the NHAI and requisite funds may kindly be allocated to both the Government of Karnataka and NHAI from the central budget. BJP is Doing Politics on Belagavi Incident: Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar

It is kindly requested to direct authorities in the Ministry of Jal Shakti to take up the appraisal of the DPR of the Mekedatu project and accord clearances within the provisions of the CWDT award, Shivakumar said. Shivakumar has also sought central assistance of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project and to declare it as a national project. He had also sought a grant of Rs 9,177.32 crore for the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project.
UK Finance Minister to Probe Banking Challenges Faced by Crypto Firms

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The finance minister of the United Kingdom has pledged to look into the reported difficulties faced by licensed cryptocurrency firms in opening business accounts in the country.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has agreed to meet with Economic Secretary of the Treasury Bim Afolami to discuss this issue, following a question raised by Lisa Cameron, Chair of the Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group.

During the parliamentary session, Hunt expressed his commitment to addressing the matter and acknowledged the importance of regulating the crypto market responsibly.

He emphasized that the UK, particularly London, has emerged as a global hub for cryptocurrencies.

In line with the governments objective to foster the growth of the crypto industry, the country has introduced legislation to regulate stablecoins and promote crypto services.

To make sure that the crypto market really can take off in the way that was intended in a responsible way we need to regulate it, which is why we have introduced legislation for stablecoins and for the promotion of crypto services.

Today the Chancellor of the Exchequer @Jeremy_Hunt @hmtreasury agreed to meet with the Crypto and Digital Assets APPG to discuss why #Crypto & #DigitalAssets businesses in the UK are being denied access to basic banking services including bank accounts.#Cryptocurrency pic.twitter.com/SMrM9GzB7o  Crypto & Digital Assets APPG (@cryptoappg) December 19, 2023

UK Working to Position itself as a Crypto Hub



The UK has been actively positioning itself as a prominent player in the crypto space.

In April 2022, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled plans to transform the nation into a global crypto hub.

Since then, the government has taken significant steps to support this vision, including the introduction of regulations to oversee the Digital Securities Sandbox initiative.

Back in October, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) implemented some new rules pertaining to digital assets, which require crypto firms to register with the financial regulator and have their marketing materials approved by an FCA-authorized firm.

These rules, which will be effective from January 8, 2024, fall under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (FSMA).

The DSS will serve as a platform for regulators and companies to test innovative solutions, such as distributed ledger technology and the tokenization of securities.

As reported, Bim Afolami has been appointed as the economic secretary to the Treasury of the United Kingdom, where he will have authority over policies that impact the adoption of digital assets and central bank digital currencies within the country.

In a recent interview, Afolami emphasized the need for regulators to strike a balance between effective oversight and allowing room for innovation and growth.

He highlighted the futility of creating overly cautious regulatory environments.

Theres no point having the safest graveyard. Animal spirits need to be there, we need to innovate, we need to drive growth and initiative, he said.

Furthermore, Afolami backed the recent decision by financial regulators to lift the cap on bankers bonuses, highlighting his intention not to introduce measures to monitor pay within the sector.

Its really important that we dont tar every crypto business as being like FTX or Binance.
On 19 December Brazils Presidentdefended serious regulation of social media during his weekly online broadcast known as Conversation with the president.

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On 19 December Argentinas Presidentheld his first meeting as president with the countrys 23 provincial governors and the mayor of Buenos Aires,

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott's newly signed law that allows law enforcement to arrest people suspected of being illegal migrants near the Texas border might get legally challenged as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Abbot and his draconian new law during a recent press conference.

"This is something that Governor Abbott has done over and over again," she told the White House Press Corps. "There are plenty of examples that I have listed out before, whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the middle of winter, installing razor wire near the border, making it more dangerous for border patrol to do their jobs, and place buoys in the river and making it hard for Border Patrol to do their jobs as well."

According to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also stated that Abbott's recently signed measures are placing migrants in harm's way, as well as being extreme and dehumanizing them.

Abbott has received plenty of complaints not just from the White House over his extreme measures in policing migrants, but also from the Mexican government, human rights advocates, and migrant advocacy groups, with some already threatening to challenge his newly signed law, known as SB4, in the courts before it even begins to take effect in March.

This new law was made to slam Joe Biden as an influx of migrants not just from other parts of the Americas have flocked to the US-Mexico border to escape the hardships in their respective countries and live a better life in the United States. However, this act of political one-upmanship has resulted in several migrants being injured or dying. Reports of Texas officials mistreating migrants have also become common.

READ MORE: Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Bill That Allows Police To Arrest Migrants Who Entered US Illegally

What Does Greg Abbott's New Anti-Immigration Law Mean for Migrants?

Abbott signed the new law last Monday and it makes it a misdemeanor "to enter or attempt to enter Texas from a foreign country at any location other than a lawful port of entry." This means that normal police officers from the state are now allowed to arrest anybody suspected of having entered the country illegally.

Migrants who are arrested this way have two choices and that is to either get jailed due to a misdemeanor and then deported or voluntarily leave the country. This measure is expected to face several legal roadblocks, as groups like the ACLU are filing legal challenges to block it from taking effect, according to NBC News.

Texas Latino Community in Fear of Greg Abbott's New Law

When Abbott finally signed the new law, it sent ripples of fear throughout the Latino community in Texas. According to CNN, this new law signed by Abbott has raised concerns among Latinos living in the state that it may lead to racial profiling, as what former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did previously in Arizona.

Latinos make up 40% of the state's population and this could lead Texas authorities to unjustly target many of them. However, Democrats believe that this new law is unconstitutional as enforcing immigration law is under federal jurisdiction, not the state's.

READ MORE: Mexico Finds Another Dead Body Near Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Floating Barriers

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Governor Abbott signs new bills authorizing state officials to arrest migrants - CBS Texas
The Colorado State Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to run as president in the state under the 14th Amendment as he led a rebellion on January 6, 2021. This means that he is now disqualified from the Colorado ballot for 2024.

This historic decision has sent shockwaves all over the country as the state's highest court concluded that Donald Trump did engage in an insurrection during the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. The decision might affect other efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot in other states.

"We conclude that ... President Trump engaged in insurrection," the Colorado Supreme Court justices wrote in their 4-3 ruling. "President Trump's direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary."

"Moreover, the evidence amply showed that President Trump undertook all these actions to aid and further a common unlawful purpose that he himself conceived and set in motion: prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election and stop the peaceful transfer of power," the justices added in their decision.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," added the majority of the court. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

"We conclude that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Legal Problems Grow as Reports Indicate Kenneth Chesebro Cooperating With Multiple Investigations

Colorado Supreme Court Decision on Donald Trump Disqualification Sets Up US Supreme Court Battle

The Colorado state Supreme Court decision can still be appealed, and Trump's attorneys vowed to take the Donald Trump disqualification case all the way to the US Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press.

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement shortly after the Colorado ruling.

Why Did the Colorado Supreme Court Disqualify Donald Trump?

The merits of the decision lie completely in the 14th Amendment of the constitution, which disqualifies officials from seeking future office if they "engaged in insurrection," which the court found Donald Trump did.

This Colorado Supreme Court decision reverses a previous Colorado lower court decision that decided that while it did find Trump engaged in an insurrection, a provision in the Constitution was unclear whether it was intended to bar candidates for the presidency, according to the Daily Mail.

READ MORE: Donald Trump is Confused Why Co-Defendants Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro Pleaded Guilty

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WATCH: Colorado Supreme Court bars Trump from state's 2024 primary ballot | full coverage - CBS News
A federal judge in Miami delivered a life sentence on Tuesday to John Joel Joseph, a former Haiti senator, for his involvement in conspiring to assassinate late President Jovenel Moise in 2021, AP reports.

The plot, described by U.S. prosecutors as a collaboration between Haiti and Florida, aimed to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill the late president, causing unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

Joseph, a prominent politician and opponent of Haiti President Jovenel Moise's Tet Kale party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges related to conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support leading to death.

Joseph's sentencing is a result of his plea agreement with the government, in which he committed to cooperation, potentially leading to a reduction in his sentence.

READ NEXT: Haiti Ex-Senator John Joel Joseph Pleads Guilty

Life Sentence Amid Pleas for Mercy

In a 30-minute hearing in Miami, Federal Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed the maximum sentence on former Haiti Senator John Joel Joseph for his role in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Former Haiti Senator John Joel Joseph, wearing a beige prison shirt and pants, requested mercy, asserting that he never intended to kill the Haitian president, NBC Miami noted.

Handcuffed and shackled, he expressed in Creole that the plan had spiraled out of control and evolved into an unintended assassination plot.

"It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand," Joseph said, adding that the plan has changed to assassinate the president, but it was never his intention.

While the judge acknowledged the possibility of considering a sentence reduction upon the government's request, he ultimately sentenced Joseph to life imprisonment.

Judge Martinez emphasized the dangerous territory the former Haiti senator entered, whether or not the assassination attempt was executed.

"Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory," Martinez said.

Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and retired Colombian army officer German Alejandro Rivera Garcia have been sentenced to life in connection with the case. Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen and former DEA informant, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in February 2024.

Seven additional defendants are scheduled for trial in South Florida next year.

Impact on Haiti's Destabilization

The nighttime killing of Haiti President Jovenel Moise in his Port-au-Prince residence resulted in a power vacuum that armed gangs exploited, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, according to Reuters.

Haiti former senator John Joel Joseph, the third defendant to plead guilty, admitted to his role in meetings discussing the assassination plans, providing support such as rental vehicles, introductions to supportive gangs, and attempting to procure weapons.

Meanwhile, Mario Palacios, an ex-Colombian soldier, is expected to change his plea.

The Haitian government has arrested over 40 individuals linked to the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Increased gang violence post-Moise's murder led to the prime minister requesting armed force deployment. In October, the UN Security Council voted to send a multinational force led by Kenya to aid in combating the gangs.

According to Kenyan officials, the initial deployment of around 300 officers is anticipated to occur by February. However, the authorities are awaiting the verdict in a case that seeks to block the deployment.

A decision on the matter is expected in January.

READ MORE: Cuba Interferes With Florida 2022 Elections

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WATCH: John Joel Joseph, 52, sentenced to life for the 2021 killing of Jovenel Moise - From Naked Departure - The Trilogy Series
A devastating house fire in Bullhead City near the Arizona-Nevada border took the lives of five children, including four siblings, over the weekend, according to Fox News.

The Arizona fire broke out around 5 pm on Saturday in a two-story duplex.

The victims, aged 13, 5, 4, and 2, were siblings, and an 11-year-old boy, a relative visiting at the time, also lost his life.

The fire originated in the downstairs foyer, creating a challenging situation for the children in the upstairs bedroom to escape safely.

Authorities revealed that the flames traveled up the staircase, blocking the Arizona children's exit.

The father of the siblings informed authorities that he had left for two and a half hours to purchase groceries and Christmas gifts during the unfortunate incident.

The Bullhead City Police Department, along with the Lake Havasu Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), is actively investigating the cause of the fire.

READ NEXT: Arizona: Phoenix Condo Fire Kills 4 Kids and Father

Neighbors' Response to Arizona Fire

Neighbors rallied together in a desperate attempt to rescue the Arizona children, with some using hoses and breaking windows to access the burning house.

Several neighbors bravely attempted to rescue the children, utilizing an extension ladder to reach the upstairs bedroom, per USA Today.

A memorial vigil for the five Arizona children was scheduled for Wednesday night at a nearby park.

In a heartwarming show of support, friends of the grieving families raised over $11,000 as of Tuesday to assist with funeral expenses.

Patrick O'Neal, one of the responders, expressed the community's deep sorrow, emphasizing the efforts made to save the children.

"We were screaming at the tops of our lungs... There are many guys out here who would have gone into that fire if we had known there were children... We did everything we could," O'Neal said.

The tragic incident has left the neighborhood devastated, with many expressing their willingness to help in any way possible.

Arizona Children Identified

The Arizona father and children involved in the tragic incident have not been formally identified, but their names surfaced in social media tributes from grieving family members, the NY Post noted.

John Jones, the Arizona father, and his children were remembered in these emotional posts.

Nicole Renae Husko shared that her 5-year-old son with Jones, Zane Michael Jones, did not survive the Arizona fire.

Zane, expressing a desire to become a firefighter like his grandfather, had tragically lost his life in the fire.

Husko mentioned that Zane was with his three siblings, born to different mothers, and all of them succumbed to the flames due to a flashover.

Nikki Sellers, the mother of the two youngest victims, identified her children as Freya, 4, and 2-year-old Elias, who were also with their father, John Jones.

Tanya Jones, the grandmother, confirmed the deaths on Facebook, expressing profound devastation.

She shared a group photo of the five children, referring to them as "our 4 beautiful grandchildren and their cousin," with the cousin identified online as 11-year-old Henry Lewis by Jamaica Elementary School.

Nikki Sellers also mentioned that the family's dog, Amity, had been missing since the Arizona fire.

Efforts to contact the Arizona father, John Jones were not immediately successful as of Tuesday.

READ MORE: California Boy Fatally Shot in Front of Parent

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WATCH: No adults were home when Bullhead City fire killed 5 children - From 12 News
Police in Paraguay recently conducted a massive raid in the infamous Tacumbu Prison, also known as "The Jungle," and it turned deadly after prisoners opened fire on officers conducting the raid.

The raid happened after a notorious drug trafficker known as Javier Rotela took over part of the prison. Police Commissioner Nimio Cardozo revealed that Rotel lived in comfort of that section of the prison and even ran his own small supermarket with his wife and three pet pit bulls.

Cardozo told the media after the raid that as soon as the officers entered the area under Rotela's control, prisoners opened fire on them, killing one officer who was shot in the head. Another officer was also shot in the head but managed to survive and is now in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Another 14 officers were injured with bullet wounds, as were other prisoners. The raid was conducted to transfer the notorious drug lord out of the area he controlled, according to Barron's. Seven inmates reportedly died as a result of the raid.

"With firmness and determination we have carried out a historic and unprecedented operation in order to build a safer country for our families," said Paraguay President Santiago Pena shortly after the raid. "For decades, as everyone has known, Tacumbu Prison became a center from where criminal groups operated, planning assaults and distributing narcotics. Today we say enough to... a penitentiary model that turned prisons into true schools of crime."

Drug Lord At the Center of Paraguay Prison Raid Now Transferred To Another Prison

The raid on "The Jungle" had been historic as over 2,200 police and military personnel were involved in the operation. Soon after the intense firefight that resulted in the deaths of seven inmates and one police officer, authorities seized Rotela's three pit bulls, as well as several fighting cocks.

READ NEXT: Paraguay: German Man Arrested After Trying To Break Into US Embassy

According to the BBC, soon after the raid, around 700 inmates living in the section, including Rotela himself, were transferred out of Tacumbu Prison and into other prisons.

The raid came a few months after over 20 prison guards were held hostage by the inmates who were part of the gang known as the Rotela Clan, which is of course, run by Javier Rotela.

Javier Rotela Built an Empire Inside Tacumbu Prison

Even though he was serving time behind bars, notorious Paraguayan drug lord, Javier Rotela, managed to live a life of luxury inside with his pregnant wife. Even inside the prison, he managed to get his influence across other prisons all over Paraguay as well.

According to BNN, his stronghold in what is called "The Jungle" has become a notorious symbol in Paraguay about the privileges that criminals enjoy within the prison system. The country is now taking a stand against those privileges as it begins to take on organized crime.

The raid against Rotela's empire within the prison was all part of the government's "Operacion Verati" which aims to stamp out organized crime operating within the Paraguayan prison system.

READ NEXT: Paraguay: 5 Delicious Desserts to Try When You Visit the South American Country

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Paraguayan police regained control of prison where 50 people were held hostage - AP Archive
A significant step towards a modern and inclusive representation of Minnesota was taken on December 19, as the State Emblems Redesign Commission announced the selection of a new state flag design, according to FOX News.

The commission, with an 11-1 vote, approved the design created by Andrew Prekker of Luverne, Minnesota, who modified his original submission, F1935, to create a symbol reflecting the state's identity.

Prekker's design features an eight-pointed star against a navy blue background, symbolizing Minnesota's unique shape.

Adjacent to it is a solid light-blue field, representing the state's abundant waters.

The navy-colored abstract shape of Minnesota serves as a backdrop to the white star, embodying the state motto, "L'etoile du Nord" ("Star of the North"), and conveying a message of unity above a diverse land.

The initial design of the new Minnesota flag included three color stripes-white, green, and light blue-each with its symbolic significance.

However, the final version opted for a solid blue field, emphasizing simplicity and meaningful symbolism.

The white stripe represented snow, the green stripe denoted the beauty of nature and the historical role of agriculture, and the light blue stripe signified the importance of water in a state known for its lakes and rivers.

Minnesota's name, derived from a Sioux word meaning "sky-tinted water," adds historical and cultural depth to the symbolism.

The redesign aimed to address concerns about the controversial imagery of the state's original seal and flag, criticized for its depiction of Native Americans.

READ NEXT: Minnesota Man Kills 2, Injures 1 in Murder-Suicide

Debut and Symbolism of the New Minnesota Flag

The new Minnesota flag, along with the state seal approved earlier, is set to debut on May 11, coinciding with Statehood Day, per CBS News.

While the legislature does not need to provide final approval, the commission will submit a report detailing the designs and the redesign process by January 1.

Commission Chair Luis Fitch passionately supported the final design, emphasizing the paler shade of blue resembling the Mississippi River pointing to the North Star.

Fitch noted that this metaphor encapsulates what drew people to the state throughout history.

However, the panel experienced internal debates over design elements, particularly the presence of a green stripe.

Member Denise Mazone advocated for retaining the green stripe, symbolizing the richness of the land, but was the sole person voting to reject the final design.

"We all have our feet on this land. We have so much riches in the land that we put our feet on and that's why I thought it was so important that we recognize green as well," she said.

Historical Context and Criticism of Previous Symbols

Minnesota's original seal, created during its territorial phase, depicted a white settler plowing a field while a Native American on horseback rode into the sunset, Star Tribune reports.

The imagery, celebrating the dominance of white settlers, has long been criticized for suggesting the defeat and departure of Indigenous people.

The current Minnesota flag has faced criticism for its controversial representation, both from Indigenous tribes and flag enthusiasts.

In a ranking video by CGP Grey, Minnesota's flag was labeled the "worst in the union," highlighting its intricate design.

The new Minnesota flag, adhering to principles of simplicity, meaningful symbolism, and distinctiveness, has received praise from experts, indicating a positive shift towards a more universally accepted state symbol.

Dr. Anita Gaul, vice-chair of the commission, remarked that the new Minnesota flag has gained approval from flag experts, transforming from an "F to an A+" in their eyes.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Meet Minnesota's new state flag! - From WCCO - CBS Minnesota
South Middleton School District ended the 2022-23 fiscal year on June 30 with a healthy reserve of $3.4 million in its unassigned fund balance, according to a recent audit.

The $3.4 million equates to about 8% of district expenditures, which is the best possible outcome for the district, said Joel Kreider of Boyer & Ritter of Camp Hill, the accounting firm the district hired to conduct the annual audit.

Unassigned fund balance is money the district can draw from in an emergency or to help with cash flow when there are gaps in revenues coming in, said Tina Darchicourt, district director of business and operations.

Beyond unassigned, South Middleton had $3 million in committed fund balance and $2.7 million in assigned fund balance, as of June 30, the final day of this past fiscal year.

Committed fund balance is money the school board set aside for a specific purpose, Darchicourt said. In this case, the $3 million was divided evenly to cover future spikes in costs associated with retirement or health care. The board has the authority to change the committed fund balance at any time.

Assigned fund balance is money held in reserve by administrators to cover an anticipated expense often tied to long-range planning, Darchicourt said. Of the $2.7 million, $1.7 million has been allocated for facilities while $500,000 each has been earmarked for technology upgrades and curriculum changes.

As of June 30, the district had about $7.9 million in its capital projects fund, Darchicourt said. This was what remained of the $9.95 million bond issue the board floated last winter to finance an overhaul of HVAC systems at Yellow Breeches Middle School and to renovate restrooms at Boiling Springs High School.

The projects fund is a restricted fund balance, Darchicourt said. This means that once the board allocates money to that account, it can't transfer it back out again to the general fund to pay recurring expenses.

As for the audit, the district received an unmodified opinion, the highest opinion that it could receive, Kreider said.

Students, teachers honored

In other news, the school board Monday honored high school junior Chloe Noggle for her role in an emergency response in late September involving a staff member. Classmate Ryan Carroll was honored during an earlier board meeting for the actions he took during the same incident.

Noggle and Carroll had stepped outside of their English class to prepare themselves for a vocabulary review game, Superintendent Kevin O'Donnell Jr. said Monday. "While they were out, they heard a noise in the stairwell. A staff member had fallen, resulting in a laceration to the head."

While Carroll summoned help, Noggle rendered first aid by applying direct pressure to the injury, O'Donnell said. The staff member has recovered.

Board members also honored Paulina Lebo, a fifth-grade student at Iron Forge Elementary School, for having her artwork featured on the district holiday card.

Each year, a school is selected to create artwork for the card, said Jason Baker, assistant to the superintendent. "The art teacher for that building determines the theme."

At the elementary school level, the contest is open to all students as part of their art class, while at the secondary school level, it is open to students who take art classes, Baker said. "The 'best of,' as determined by the art teacher, are sent to the superintendent for the final selection. The artwork is then printed on cards that are given to all staff members and the board members."

The district holiday card has been a tradition of South Middleton for over 15 years, Baker said.

Lastly, the board recognized Amy Necci, a middle school Spanish teacher, for being awarded the 2022-23 Outstanding World Language Educator of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association. A 2000 graduate of Bloomsburg University, Necci began her teaching career in January 2001 at Pocono Mountain School District, teaching multiple levels of high school Spanish, according to her biography on the district website.

Necci joined the faculty of South Middleton School District in 2007-08 and has since taught multiple sixth grade, eighth grade and high school-level Spanish courses. During her career, she also earned a master's degree in education from East Stroudsburg University.

"She serves most of our eighth grade students as their Spanish teacher," O'Donnell said Monday. "We focus a lot on the end when we talk about AP scores. The students who are fluent, they all start someplace."
UPDATE: Pilot, photographer killed in helicopter crash are identified

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A 6ABC news helicopter from Philadelphia crashed Tuesday night in a heavily wooded area of Burlington County, killing the pilot and a photographer, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m. near Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Mullica River Road, a section of Wharton State Forest in Washington Township.

The helicopter was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, which 6abc leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc. based in North Carolina, the news station said.

We know that a pilot and a photographer from our news team went down with Chopper 6 while returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore, WPVIs news station, 6ABC, said on its website early Wednesday.

The names of the victims were not released pending notification of families.

They have a long history with our station. Theyve been working as part of the Action News team for years, Katherine Scott, general assignment reporter for 6ABC, said in a report from Washington Township.

New Jersey State Park Police located the wreckage deep in a wooded area a few hundred yards off Mullica River Road shortly after midnight, according to George Fedorczyk, chief of the NJ State Park Police.

A New Jersey State Park Police SUV blocks a road near the scene of a 6ABC Philadelphia helicopter crash in Wharton State Forest that killed a pilot and photographer late Wednesday.Eric Conklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The initial call about the crash came at 10:50 p.m. and the crash scene was located just after midnight, he said.

A New Jersey State Park Police Officer located and confirmed a debris field a few hundred yards off of Mullica River Road in Washington Township, Burlington County, Fedorczyk said.

A representative for the Federal Aviation Administration was on the scene at 3:15 a.m.

At this time, the scene is being secured by the New Jersey State Park Police with the assistance of the New Jersey Forest fire service, the New Jersey State Police and the Hammonton Township Police Department, Fedorczyk said.

Quaker Bridge Road, Mullica River Road and Middle Road were all closed as the investigation continues, Fedorczyk said.

Flight tracking data shows the helicopter took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 7:23 p.m., flew directly to Smithville and circled over the historic town before crashing on its return path to the airport. The helicopter logged at five other flights earlier that day, according to FlightRadar24.com. The helicopter was built in 2013.

Video taken from a WTXF-TV helicopter over the wreckage site showed scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.

The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C., is leading the investigation, along with state officials and local police.

An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene, said Jennifer Gabris, spokeswoman for the government agency, said Wednesday morning.

Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation, Gabris said.

Gabris said information gathered by the NTSB will include flight-track data, air traffic control recordings, and a 72-hour background check of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilots ability to safety operate the flight.

The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report on the cause of the crash within 30 days, Gabris said.

Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land within New Jerseys state park system and is nestled in the heart of the Pinelands National Reserve, according to the states Department of Environmental Protection. The State Park police investigation is staged at the Atsion Mansion.

There have been other deadly helicopter crashes involving staff from television stations in the United States. Among them was a July 2007 crash, when two helicopters from KNXV-TV and KTVK-TV collided over Phoenix while covering a police chase. Four people  both pilots and two photographers  were killed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
An Easton man was sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for killing a 84-year-old woman and brutally attacking her son, the Warren County Prosecutors Office announced Wednesday.

Kyle Kaspereen, 26, formerly of Washington, Warren County, pleaded guilty in October to first degree murder and second-degree aggravated assault. He was indicted in February 2022 on eight charges: murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence (two counts).

Kaspereen isnt eligible for parole for the first 30 years of the sentence. Clinton-based attorney Edward Hesketh, listed as representing Kaspereen, couldnt immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators found Elaine Trachin dead on Nov. 30, 2021, at the Trachin familys home in the 100 block of Wayne Street in Washington Borough, court records say. Her son, William Bart Trachin, was found with a garbage bag duct taped over his head and torso, court papers say. His hands were duct-taped to his wheelchair, records say.

Each of the Trachins suffered serious head injuries, records say. Bart Trachin was left comatose after the attack and died in October, Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer confirmed.

The preliminary medical examiners report could not say whether Kaspereens attack caused Bart Trachins death, according to Warren County First Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Robinson.

Because we would need that conclusion to pursue a second homicide charge, we were not able to, Robinson said.

Authorities say Kaspereen wanted to buy or broker the sale of a motorcycle from Bart Trachin, but the deal fell through.

Investigators seized a suspected weapon after the incident, records say. A dive team recovered Bart Trachins smashed cellphone from the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, authorities had said.

Kaspereens phone had Google searches related to crime scenes and homicides in the borough, according to a returned search warrant. Kaspereen deleted text messages from his phone during a break in an interview with police, authorities said.

I deleted those messages because they didnt add up to what I told you, he allegedly told police, according to court records.

Kaspereen stole Elaine Trachins wallet, and trash bags similar to the one taped over Bart Trachin were found in Kaspereens Easton apartment, the prosecutors office had said.

The Warren County Prosecutors Office investigated the case, along with the Washington Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Federal Bureau on Investigation and the United States Secret Service.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
HARRISBURG  A new law taking aim at Philadelphias progressive prosecutor creates a new position that diverts authority from the twice-elected district attorney, with Republican lawmakers arguing the legislation is necessary to prosecute crimes they say arent pursued. Its the latest example of progressive prosecutors across the country facing political crosswinds.

The measure, which was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro last week as part of a flurry of bills wrapping up a months-overdue budget, creates a new special prosecutor role that has the authority to investigate and prosecute crimes that occur on the citys public transit system, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, known as SEPTA.

There were a tidal wave of progressive prosecutor victories several years ago, campaigning on policies that typically seek diversion to mental health treatment or drug abuse treatment for low-level crimes, efforts to hold police more accountable, and proactively try to free inmates who were wrongfully convicted.

But those prosecutors have been met with backlash and scrutiny from conservative lawmakers for their policies. In San Francisco, Chesa Boudin was recalled by voters, while St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigned following a turbulent and heavily criticized tenure from Republican lawmakers in Missouri.

Theres been a number of attempts nationally to erode the autonomy of elected officials like Krasner, which is disrespecting the will of voters, said Miriam Krinsky, executive director for Fair and Just Prosecution, which works with prosecutors around the country on criminal justice reform.

I think with the impact and success of a growing movement among communities to bring about change in the criminal legal system, its not surprising there are some who are wedded to the status quo and dont want to move forward and insist on abiding by failed punitive practices of that past, she said.

Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney, called it an attack on democracy, but Republican lawmakers insist the legislation is necessary to prosecute crimes they say arent pursued.

The bills primary sponsor, Sen. Wayne Langerholc, a Republican from Cambria County, dismissed the assertions that the bill would take any authority from the district attorney, saying that the special prosecutor would pick and choose what crimes to pursue. Otherwise, it would go to Krasners office.

There was a failure of the district attorneys liberal, woke policies, he said, adding that high-profile violent crimes, like gun crimes, werent adequately prosecuted.

This is about safety, pure and simple, he said. Its another tool for law enforcement on SEPTA. The district attorney should be welcoming this with open arms, because hes getting additional resources.

Krasner has said Republicans claims are disagreements over policy. He said the new legislation was unconstitutional and disenfranchised voters in the nations sixth-largest city. A spokesperson for his office said they were awaiting a decision from the attorney generals office before challenging the law in court.

This is an attack on democracy, Krasner said at a news conference last week. This is normalizing the erasure of Philadelphia votes. This is what people who want to be dictators do.

Legislation seeking to create a similar office was vetoed by former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf last year, saying it usurps the will of the voters.

It is rare for state lawmakers to take away jurisdiction from the district attorneys who are the top law enforcement officials in Pennsylvanias counties, but the new transit prosecutor isnt the first time that Republican lawmakers have chipped away at Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasners authority.

Legislation trying to impose term limits didnt see traction, but Republicans successfully pushed through a bill that gave the state attorney generals office shared authority to pursue gun crimes in Philadelphia. They argued that Krasner wasnt trying hard enough to tamp down rising homicides, although Krasner and then-Attorney General Shapiro argued that the law was pointless because they already had a joint gun crimes task force.

Republicans who led the House last session voted to impeach Krasner, but a trial in the GOP-controlled Senate has stalled while a lawsuit is considered by the state Supreme Court. Krasner was first elected in 2017.

In Pennsylvania, the Office of the Attorney General has 30 days to appoint the new special prosecutor, who cant have worked for their office or Krasners in the past six years. The prosecutors work would be reimbursed by the city, and the attorney generals office would foot the bill for a per diem salary, equal to the rate of the district attorney. The legislation prohibits the attorney generals office from paying the majority of the district attorneys salary while the special prosecutor is active.

Brett Hambright, a spokesman for the attorney generals office, said they are in the process of reviewing this newly passed legislation in order to fully understand the parameters of the jurisdictional complexities, what the offices responsibilities will be under the law, and how the funding will occur.

SEPTA is working with the attorney generals office to understand the new law and its implementation, agency spokesman Andrew Busch said.

The law is active through 2026. Krasners current term ends Jan. 5, 2026.
A Pohatcong Township woman was sentenced to a year in federal prison for her role in an $8.8 million prescription drug scheme.

Christine Myers, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys office. She was sentenced Monday with co-conspirator Lisa Curty, 46, of Staten Island, New York.

Their scheme ran from February 2015 and February 2017, according to the news release.

New York defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said the governments pursuit of prison sentences against each woman was an outrage.

He said Wednesday he regrets advising both women to wear wires for authorities to record incriminating statements made by salespeople and marketing company owners. The women have young children, and he believed their cooperation would spare them prison sentences, he said.

They were led to believe by the FBI and federal authorities throughout that their cases would end without jail time, Agnifilo said, adding that the sentences should send a message to defense attorneys everywhere not to cooperate with the government.

The U.S. Attorneys office did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the attorneys allegations.

The news release said the crimes committed by both women were significant and warranted prison time.

These two defendants are just the latest in a long line of schemers who took advantage of publicly and privately funded insurance plans, raiding them for millions of dollars in fraudulent reimbursements for compounded medications, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in the news release. We will continue to prosecute those who take advantage of our health care system to generate illicit income.

Myers and Curty found that some insurance plans paid for prescription compounded medications  including scar creams, wound creams, and metabolic supplements/vitamins  at exorbitant reimbursement rates, according to the news release. Compounded medications are specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient.

The women created a marketing company and hired salespeople to target individuals who had insurance plans that covered compounded medications, the release says. The sales reps would convince people to fill the prescriptions whether they needed them or not. Then, pharmacies participating in the scheme would fill the prescriptions and share a percentage of the reimbursement with Curty and Myers.

U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden sentenced Curty and Myers in Newark, the release says.

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Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
The HSE is encouraging the Laois public to keep well but also know where to go if you need urgent care this Christmas and New Year.

The HSE is also encouraging the public to consider all care options before attending Emergency Departments in Portlaoise and other hospitals over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

It outlined its advice in a Christmas and New Year statement.

"Hospitals are reporting high numbers of patients presenting at Emergency Departments (ED) for care and treatment, including a sharp increase in the number of patients who are seen and treated in the ED and then discharged without requiring admission to hospital.

"Many of these patients could have been treated at other healthcare services such as Injury Units, GP and GP out-of-hour services and pharmacies. There is also a very sharp increase of people presenting with viral winter illness with increasing levels of Flu and Covid-19 circulating in the Community.

"As always Emergency Departments will continue to see and treat patients who require urgent and emergency treatment first.

"Patients who attend EDs for routine and non -urgent treatment are being advised that they will experience very long waiting times," it advised.

The HSE said it regrets this delay and is asking all to help our staff through a challenging time for our services by:

Considering all healthcare options before attending ED including Injury Units, GP services and pharmacies

Dialling 999 or 112 for emergency care if there is concern for serious illness or injury

Maintaining good hand hygiene practices at all times and in particular when attending hospitals

Following all infection control measures including visiting restrictions in hospitals and hospitals wards

However, the HSE insisted that if you or someone else is seriously ill or needs urgent emergency care do not delay going to ED or dialling 999/112 for help.

It asked people to listen to the advice from the hospital experts to help you keep well and what you can do if attending services this holiday.

Urgent Out of Hours GP Service

Urgent out-of-hours GP care is available when your own surgery closes in the evening. The service is not a walk-in service. It is by appointment only for those who are seriously unwell.

Patients should also remember that GP surgeries will be open as normal on nonbank holiday days. Patients should check the opening times with their own GP.

The service should only be used for urgent cases that cannot wait for the next routine surgery appointment. We expect it to be busier than ever and patients may face delays getting through to the service at peak times or waiting for a call back.

The HSE said MIDOC provides out-of-hours urgent GP Services in Longford, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Tullamore and Athlone. Patients can contact the service by calling 1800 302 702.

MIDOCs arrangements for Christmas 2023 are as follows:

Christmas Period Opening:

Friday 22nd December at 6pm until Wednesday 27th December at 8am.

GP Practices open as normal from Wednesday 27th until Friday 29th December.

New Year Opening:

Friday 29th December at 6pm until Tuesday 2nd January 2024 at 8am.

GP Practices open as normal from Tuesday 2nd January 2024.

Portlaoise hospital advice on what to do if you have to attend its Emergency Department.

Advice from MRH Portlaoise to help prevent your child from catching or spreading a virus this winter https://youtu.be/b9HZijukmtI

Orla Cotter, Specialist Registrar in Public Health Medicine, Public Health Department for HSE Dublin and Midlands says prevention is always better than cure. So this winter, the advice from Public Health is to;

Stay home, and dont have visitors to your home, if you are unwell.

Keep your child home from school, childcare and their usual activities if they are unwell.

To help protect you and your loved ones, make sure your winter vaccinations are up-to-date, including the COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Make sure your childrens vaccines are up-to-date. And do remember that the flu vaccine for children is given as a nasal spray  so its fast and painless.

Make sure you have all your medications  just in case the weather is bad and you cannot get to the pharmacy.

Make sure you are warm at home, well hydrated, with plenty of healthy food.

Common illnesses at this time include winter viruses like flu, COVID, the common cold and RSV.

"It can be hard to know which virus you have. This is why it is important to stay away from people who are pregnant, elderly or living with an underlying medical condition when you are sick. Even if you dont feel particularly unwell, what you might experience as a mild illness could cause them to be very sick.

"Flu and COVID-19 can be more serious for people who are pregnant, elderly or living with underlying medical conditions. That's why we recommend the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to these groups. It is also important that those who are more likely to get respiratory viruses, such as carers or health care workers, are up to date with their vaccines," she said.

To see what is recommended for you, go to hse.ie or chat to your pharmacist or GP.

Most winter illnesses can be managed at home. Antibiotics do not help viruses. For tips on how to stay well at home, while you are recovering from a winter illness go to undertheweather.ie but remember to always seek medical help if your symptoms are worsening or you become concerned.

Protect yourself and your loved ones this winter by following this advice from Fiona McGuire, Public Health Specialist Registrar:

How to stay healthy this winter - advice from Fiona McGuire, Public Health Specialist Registrar:

The HSE concludes by wishing all a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
A new facility is being planned that can cater for patients throughout Laois and the midlands.

Tullamore based, John Flanagan Developments, has applied to Offaly County Council for an alteration and extension of a 99-bed hospital which was granted planning permission earlier this year.

The application seeks to alter the floor space of the hospital, reducing the in-patient bed space to 56 while increasing the capacity for outpatient day spaces and elective procedures.

The hospital will be located on the company's Wellwood site next door to Tullamore Regional Hospital on the N52 bypass around Tullamore.

''This new proposal will further enhance the healthcare needs of the greater midlands region. said John Flanagan, Joint Managing Director.

''Following several feasibility studies on the needs of the healthcare service throughout the country it has become evident that the hospital will need to cater for more people. The health service continues to experience increased demands for both inpatient and outpatient services,'' said Mr Flanagan.

''Whilst our original plan was to commence building in the summer of 2023, further research into the healthcare needs both locally and nationally indicated that the increased size would allow for further supports to help address the deficit in such services in the midlands and greater midlands region,'' he said.

''This is an extremely important project for the country and the development needs to be in line with our growing population and needs to recognise future demands. The hospital project and the hospital itself will provide a substantial economic boost to Tullamore and the region,'' said Joint Managing Director, Dominic Doheny.

''The increased size will not only provide health services but will also provide more employment across several faculties. The comparatively low cost of living here means the town and county will continue to attract the best in medical expertise,'' said Mr Doheny.

Laois Offaly Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen has welcomed the news. ''It has become clear that the hospital will need to cater for more and more people as we continue to experience more demands on our regional services,'' said Deputy Cowen.

"This is an extremely important project and will have a major impact on the delivery of services in the region and help alleviate the backlogs,'' he said.
OVER 6,000 people living in Ireland have been granted Irish citizenship in ceremonies.

In six separate ceremonies at the Convention Centre in the capital this Monday and Tuesday, applicants from over 131 countries have received their certificates of naturalisation, and taken an oath of fidelity to the Irish State.

Of the 6,206 people receiving their citizenship this week, 75 are from County Laois.

Speaking at Monday's ceremonies, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said; "Attending citizenship ceremonies is always a unique privilege as Minister for Justice and I would like to warmly congratulate and welcome our newest citizens on this milestone day in their lives."

Ireland's new citizens hail from over 131 countries around the world, with India, Brazil and the Philippines as the top three countries for applicants.

Irish and Leinster scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park is also among the new citizens sworn in on December 18 and 19.

The 31-year-old was born in New Zealand and moved to Ireland to play for Leinster in 2016.

"Today marks the end of one journey and the beginning of an exciting new one," continued Minister McEntee.

"Our new citizens enrich Ireland with their presence and our society reaps the benefits which they bring."

These Citizenship Ceremonies follow ceremonies held in the RDS in March, Killarney in July and the Convention Centre in October, meaning over 18,000 people have now been conferred with citizenship in 2023.
Five defendants have been sent forward for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court for allegedly obstructing the Ashling Murphy murder investigation.

Tullamore District Court was told on Wednesday, December 20 that a Book of Evidence had been served on all five defendants and the cases would be heard in the Central Criminal Court, Dublin.

Judge Andrew Cody told each of the defendants that they had 14 days from December 20 date to supply an alibi to the Courts.

The court was told that there is a restriction on the media from publishing the defendants' addresses. Before the court were Marek Puska, Lubomir Puska, Lucia Istokova, Jozefina Grundzova and Viera Gazoiva.

They were all charged with, on dates unknown, between varying dates in January 2022, failing without reasonable excuse to disclose as soon as was practicable to a member of the gardai information which they knew or believed might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Jozef Puska for a serious offence to wit murder of Ashling Murphy on January 1, 2022 at Grand Canal Way Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Three of the defendants were charged with committing this offence in Tullamore Garda Station.
It is unconscionable that workers in Northern Ireland will be left in the lurch over pay parity demands due to a failure to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

She said there will always be a battle a day with the Tories as regards finances but it is more effectively pursued from within a functioning Stormont executive.

Talks between Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and political leaders in Northern Ireland broke up on Tuesday without agreement on a restoration of the powersharing institutions, despite a new improved offer of a 3.3 billion financial package to stabilise finances in the region.

Mr Heaton-Harris also said that substantive talks with the DUP over its concerns on post-Brexit trading arrangements have concluded, although Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted the negotiations will continue.

The powersharing institutions have been collapsed for almost two years as the DUP seeks further legislative assurances from the Government of Northern Irelands trading position within the UK.

The Northern Ireland Secretary has also faced calls to release funding to settle public sector pay claims in Northern Ireland, with multiple unions planning widespread strike action on January 18.

Mrs McDonald said it was now clear that negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework over Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market are now over.

So its over to the DUP and Jeffrey Donaldson, who, by the way, himself acknowledged some days ago, a week ago, that the tipping point had arrived, that it was now a moment for a decision, that we have this window  and we are simply asking the DUP to step through that window now, make that right decision, she told RTE.

She added: Because public sector workers will strike again on Friday.

Theyre looking for fair pay, pay parity.

Theyre entitled to it, the money is on the table.

Its unconscionable that we go into Christmas and beyond and leave those workers and others in the lurch.

Party colleague Conor Murphy told the BBC that the new financial package on offer to a returning Stormont executive was only a marginal improvement on a previous offer which had been criticised by Northern Ireland parties last week.

He said: There are some improvements but there is more work to be done in terms of improving it.

That, as we have always argued, is better done from within an executive where you have a first and a deputy first minister and ministers all on the same script talking directly to Whitehall rather than going through a conduit of the Secretary of State.

We have never said that holding out for this is something which should keep an executive down.

Mr Murphy also said he would be surprised if the UK Government was not keeping the EU informed of any potential changes to the workings of the Windsor Framework.

He said: I would be very surprised if they havent already done that, had unofficially had some contact with the EU on these matters.

I would be very surprised if they were pressing forward to get this package agreed if they thought the EU were opposed to it.

The British Government wanted this deal done yesterday and clearly they were in a time frame where they could quickly come to a conclusion with the EU and resume some preparatory work.

These matters have to be resolved in that fashion. The American government have an interest in this, Dublin have an interest in this and I would be very surprised if people havent been kept informed.
The Irish government is to initiate a legal challenge against the UKs Act to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said the interstate case would argue that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the United Kingdoms obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Act received royal assent in September despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims organisations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

Amnesty International has praised the Irish Government as doing the right thing for victims of Northern Irelands Troubles, by taking a stand.

Aspects of the laws include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who co-operate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The new Act will also halt future civil cases and legacy inquests.

Multiple Troubles victims and family members are supporting a legal challenge against aspects of the Act at Belfast High Court.

Mr Martin said: This decision was taken after much thought and careful consideration.

I regret that we find ourselves in a position where such a choice had to be made.

However, the decision by the British Government not to proceed with the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and instead pursue legislation unilaterally, without effective engagement with the legitimate concerns that we, and many others, raised left us with few options.

The British Government removed the political option, and has left us only this legal avenue.

Mr Martin said the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into Northern Ireland law is a specific and fundamental requirement of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

He said: Since the UK legislation was first tabled, the Government have been consistent that it is not compatible with the convention.

I used every opportunity to make my concerns known and urged the British Government to pause this legislation.

He added: I have consistently adopted a victims-centred approach to this issue. We are not alone in our concerns.

Serious reservations about this legislation have also been raised by a number of international observers, including the Council of Europes commissioner for human rights and the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Most importantly, this legislation is opposed by people in Northern Ireland, especially the victims and families who will be most directly impacted by this Act.

The Tanaiste said the Irish Government had particular concerns around immunity provisions in the Legacy Act.

He said they would shut down existing avenues to truth and justice for historic cases.

Mr Martin added: Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin.

The British Government enacted this legislation on September 18 2023, shutting off any possibility of political resolution.

We now find ourselves in a space where our only recourse is to pursue a legal path.

It is important to leave the next steps to the court.

Welcoming the stance, Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UKs Northern Ireland deputy director, said it is important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

The Irish Government is doing the right thing for victims, for the rule of law and for the upholding of human rights, she said.

Victims rights to truth, reparations and justice must be realised.

This challenge is vital for victims here and around the world who face the prospect of similar state-gifted impunity.

The UK Government doggedly pursued this legislation which shields perpetrators of serious human rights violations from being held accountable. Its important that the Irish Government takes this stand.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the challenge as welcome and utterly necessary.

He said no political party or institution on this island supports the Act, describing it as the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors.

The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary, he said.

If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.
The late Laois student journalist Joe Drennan who lost his life in Limerick this year is set to be remembered in song this Christmas with all funds going to help a publication for the LGBTQ+ community.

Irish folk artist Emma Langford and journalist Molly Cantwell have come together to release a Christmas charity single in memory of the Camross native.

The duo has covered Joni Mitchell's unconventional Christmas track, River, with all proceeds going to the Gay Community News (GCN).

A prominent advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Joe was studying for a career in journalism before he tragically lost his life in a collision on October 13, 2023

Ms Cantwell is the managing editor of Limerick Voice. Joe was editor of the same student publication for a short time before his death. She expressed her admiration for her late friend.

"Joe was destined for greatness. His passion, talent, charisma, and absolute gra for his work were so evident in absolutely everything he did, and so incredibly enviable," she said.

Molly chose the song while walking by the River Shannon, a spot cherished by Joe. The project quickly gained support from various Limerick creatives, including Aaron Griffin, Nora Casey, Emer OFlaherty, and Aoife Hennessy, who contributed their talents to the charity single.

Ms Cantwell shared gratitude for the overwhelming support from the Limerick creative community, emphasising the selflessness and generosity that characterized the collaborative effort.

"Losing Joe has been incredibly difficult, but knowing that he has all of this support around him, even in his passing, is such a blessing," she said.

The charity single will be exclusively available on Bandcamp until 2024, after which it will be accessible on all streaming platforms. It is hoped that releasing it at Christmas will boost the fundraising effort for Gay Community News.
Cheryl Geidner figured council members in Volant, a tiny borough north of Pittsburgh, would adopt a preliminary year-end budget despite no discussions at public meetings on the proposed financials.

She never figured theyd raise property taxes by 57%.

There had never been a mention of that, said Geidner, a property owner who helps oversee a business with her husband, John, in the town of 126 residents. You didnt see the budget. You didnt see the ordinance. I think everybody was somewhat taken aback.

The plan, given final approval last week, will steeply increase tax bills: A property assessed at $100,000, for example, would have been billed $700 in 2023. In 2024, that bill will rise to $1,100.

The councils silence leading up to the decision highlights what some observers say is a striking trend toward secrecy among local governments across the U.S. From school districts to townships and county boards, public access to records and meetings in many states is worsening over time, open government advocates and experts say.

Its been going on for decades, really, but its accelerated the past 10 years, said David Cuillier, director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.

Few states compile data on public records requests, and laws governing open records differ by state, making a comprehensive analysis difficult. However, a review by Cuillier of data provided by MuckRock  a nonprofit news site that files and shares public records requests  found that between 2010 and 2021, local governments compliance with records requests dropped from 63% to 42%.

High fees, delays and outright refusals from local governments to release information are among the common complaints.

Examples are plentiful.

Earlier this year, officials in a suburban Chicago community ticketed a local journalist for what they said were repeated attempts to contact city officials seeking comment on treacherous fall flooding. Officials reversed and dropped the citations days later.

In November, open government advocates in California sued the city of Fresno for allegedly conducting secret budget negotiations for years.

In October, residents of Sapelo Island in Georgia, who largely rely on a ferry to get to the mainland, accused county officials of making it difficult for residents to attend important public meetings by scheduling them after the last ferry was slated to depart.

Right to Know

Volant, Pennsylvania, measures slightly larger than 0.1 square miles, and the latest Census shows it has 46 households. The boroughs small-town charm and small-business merchants have made its Main Street a day-trip destination.

The unexpected tax hike could be a burden for the community, where half the population is over age 65 and the median salary is $64,375  below the statewide median of $71,798. Its their first tax increase in seven years.

After the council approved the preliminary budget in November, a local reporter requested a copy of it and was denied. Told to schedule a meeting with the boroughs secretary, the reporter was met by a closed office.

Taped to the door was a five-paragraph explainer from Council President Howard Moss. It included brief anecdotes about rising expenses but no fiscal data to explain the tax increase.

Neither Moss nor the councils vice president, Glenn Smith, replied to messages seeking comment. At a meeting Tuesday, when the council gave the increase final approval, Smith said the borough has been operating at a deficit for years but avoided raising taxes previously because of COVID and high unemployment.

The state of public access in Volant?

There is none, said Bridget Fry, a resident who launched an unsuccessful write-in campaign this fall to join the council. Its definitely disturbing, and its extremely uncomfortable living there.

Paula Knudsen Burke, attorney for the Pennsylvania chapter of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said too many government officials in Pennsylvania operate under the presumption that the onus is on the requester to prove a record is public. Thats not the case. Records are presumed to be accessible, and the government is tasked to prove otherwise, according to the states Right to Know Law.

While it can make more work for local officials, the Legislature has said these records are available and accessible, Burke said.

Divisive landscape

Incidents of governments suing journalists and residents for making records requests also have become more common, said Jonathan Peters, a media law professor at the University of Georgia.

Accessing local government meetings is getting more difficult, too. Elected officials are discussing significant public business in closed sessions, observers say. In some regions, theyre engaging in more combative behavior with constituents.

Researchers have several theories about the new landscape. Local agencies generally lack sufficient staff and infrastructure to efficiently process records requests. Then there is the decline of local media institutions, which have limited resources to wage costly legal battles over access to meetings and records.

Compounding the issue is the increased polarization gripping communities nationwide. Election offices across the country have been flooded with records requests from activists motivated by election falsehoods, piling on work. And school boards, for instance, have become political battlegrounds over COVID-19 policies and curriculum, prompting flurries of records requests, accusations of public meeting violations and intense scrutiny. In some areas, school boards have become dominated by highly divisive members.

Governments feel emboldened to basically flout democracy (and) say, Were in charge. Dont question us. Were not telling you whats up, Cuillier said.

Troubling trends

A 2023 state auditors report revealed multiple problems with transparency in the small town of Rural Hall, North Carolina.

The town failed to produce 38% of records requested by members of the public between November 2021 and June 2022, the report found. The requests included employment history for two town employees, copies of resignation letters and the former town managers employment contract.

Long-time resident Carol Newsome was among those who submitted requests. She said the town government blew up with turnover in 2021, and she was trying to figure out why.

In denying one residents requests, a town official cited the residents demonstrated malice towards Rural Hall, which was in direct conflict with state public records law, the report asserts.

The report also determined the town council violated state open meetings law by discussing certain matters in closed session.

Ron Niland, interim Rural Hall town manager since January, noted in emails that the individual who oversaw records requests at the time no longer works for the town. He added that during his tenure, the town council has conducted themselves in accordance with applicable state statutes.

Newsome, meanwhile, recalled the ease of accessing Rural Hall records just a few years ago.

You could just walk in or call to the Town Hall and say, Im wanting to know such and such. And theyd say, Well, do you need it printed, or do you just want the information? she said.

Now, she views her hometown as kind of a microcosm of troubling trends in government overall.

We see it up and down, and just poor behavior in general, Newsome said. The arguments and the pushback from staff and the council became just more hostile and disrespectful than Ive ever seen. I just hadnt experienced it in town before.
A DEBATE, which took place on Today With Claire Byrne discussed if the government should reconsider plans for a levy on workplace parking spaces.

The charge to the levy for a full year will be 200 where an employee has an ongoing entitlement to use a parking space.

The levy was introduced in 2008 but due to public backlash it never materialised.

Recently, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has asked the government to look at bringing this back for discussion.

Where parking spaces are shared by employees, the levy is reduced to 100 where the ratio of the number of employees who have an entitlement to park to the number of parking spaces is two to one or more.

The levy will not apply to disabled drivers or to employees of the emergency services in the context of responding to an emergency situation.

Employers are required to deduct the levy throughout the year from employees net wages or salary.

Peadar Toibin, party leader of Aontu said to Byrne: I would have very little confidence this levy would remain at 200. Many people do want to reduce using their own car to get into work however it is not possible. Unless the government applies an alternative it will not work, especially in a cost of living crisis.

Public transport needs to be better. In Meath four to six buses are cancelled. You have a person trying to get to work on time and they may have been late several times and their job is now in jeopardy and as of this situation people are forced into a car.
A former Cross Border Lobby Group could be back in action after five years, it was revealed at the latest Manorhamilton municipal district.

Cllr Sean McDermott had asked the council to consider the reform of the N16/A4 Cross Border Lobby Group (consisting of members from Leitrim, Fermanagh, Cavan and Sligo) which was originally formed in 2008 with Leitrim being the lead partner.

This group was operating for approximately five years and at the moment, Leitrim is continuing to realign sections of the N16 roadway and construction is underway on the Sligo section of the N16 roadway.

"Investment is needed on the A4 from Ballygawley to Belcoo. I ask Leitrim County Council to make contact with Fermanagh/Omagh, Cavan and Sligo Councils on this issue," he said.

Cllr McDermott, a former member of that committee, said that Leitrim County Council was the lead partner and there were council officials as well as councillors and community and business members on it.

He was advised that Leitrim County Council had recently received correspondence from Fermanagh/Omagh District Council requesting that the N16/A4 Cross Border lobby group be reactivated and requesting Leitrim County Council's support for the initiative and Leitrim County Council indicated that it was willing to once again become a working member of the group.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, Cllr McDermott said: "I'm hoping all the councils will want to see that group reformed. It's coming at a good time because Leitrim has been continuing the realignment of the N16 for the last ten or fifteen years and Sligo has started theirs now.

"The big problem is the A4 where you cross the border at Belcoo and head for Enniskillen, it's a bad road and needs upgrading. There is no point having the southern end upgraded and then going across the border and you're into a bottleneck."

Cllr McDermott continued that with the Greenway running from Sligo to Enniskillen "and nearly running alongside that is the A4/N16 so there's an opportunity there; they both would compliment each other - the Greenway and also the road from Sligo to Enniskillen.

"There will be business opportunities, tourism opportunities, etc. when the whole road gets realigned. It's a very important cross border corridor and the most direct route from Galway to Belfast. You have three airports - the two Belfast airports and Knock airport on that corridor from Belfast to Galway. If the road gets realigned, that will increase the amount of traffic using it so there will be opportunities there," he said.

Cllr Felim Gurn had a similar motion in asking about the reforming of N16 /A4 Cross Border Lobby Group saying that investment is needed for the A4 from Ballygawley to Belcoo.
Biocytogen Enters into Multi-Target Antibody Agreement With Neurocrine Biosciences





Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. ("Biocytogen", HKEX: 02315) today announced that it has entered into an antibody evaluation and option agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. The agreement grants Neurocrine Biosciences access to Biocytogen's fully human antibodies against multiple specified targets, with an option to license selected antibodies for therapeutic product development, manufacturing and commercialization for all uses worldwide. Additional targets may be included under this agreement subject to mutual agreement. The antibodies were generated by Biocytogen's proprietary RenMice platforms.

Under the terms of the agreement, if options are exercised, Biocytogen will be entitled to option-exercise fees, development and commercialization milestone payments, as well as single-digit royalties on net sales for each selected target.

Dr. Yuelei Shen, President and CEO of Biocytogen, said, "We are pleased that our RenMice-derived fully human antibodies received recognition from Neurocrine Biosciences, a world-leading neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company. We are optimistic that the combination of our comprehensive, validated off-the-shelf antibody sequences and Neurocrine's extensive experience in novel drug development will accelerate the path to help conquer neurological diseases that are difficult to treat."

"We are excited to evaluate the therapeutic potential of antibodies generated from Biocytogen's renowned fully human antibody platforms," said Jude Onyia, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Neurocrine Biosciences. "We believe this collaboration will help expand our pipeline with antibody-based drugs and ultimately provide patients with improved treatment options."

About Biocytogen

Biocytogen (HKEX: 02315) is a global biotechnology company that drives the research and development of novel antibody-based drugs with innovative technologies. Founded on gene editing technology, Biocytogen leverages genetically engineered proprietary RenMice (RenMab/RenLite/RenNano/RenTCR-mimicTM) platforms for fully human monoclonal/bispecific/multispecific antibody discovery, bispecific antibody-drug conjugate discovery, nanobody discovery and TCR-mimic antibody discovery, and has established an off-the-shelf library of >400,000 fully human antibody sequences against approximately 1000 targets for worldwide collaboration. As of June 30, 2023, 50 therapeutic antibody and multiple clinical asset co-development/out-licensing/transfer agreements and 42 target-nominated RenMice licensing projects have been established around the globe, including several partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs). Biocytogen pioneered the generation of drug target knock-in humanized models for preclinical research, and currently provides a few thousand off-the-shelf animal and cell models under the company's sub-brand, BioMiceTM, along with preclinical pharmacology and gene-editing services for clients worldwide. Headquartered in Beijing, Biocytogen has branches in China (Haimen Jiangsu, Shanghai), USA (Boston, San Francisco), and Germany (Heidelberg). For more information, please visit http://en.biocytogen.com.cn.

19 december 2023 at 19:40

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FeelTect secures ?1.5 million investment for connected wound treatment technology





GALWAY, Ireland, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FEELTECT, a connected-health, wound care company, announces the successful closing of a ?1.5 million investment from strategic Irish and international investors. The funding will create additional clinical collaborations, expand strategic partnerships, and advance commercialisation of the company's wound treatment monitoring technology.

The funding also enables the company to see a significant expansion of its team, with additional hires including roles in R&D, manufacturing, project management, clinical affairs, and commercial development. While most roles will be based in FeelTect's headquarters in Spiddal, Galway, commercial and clinical roles will also expand to the USA and Europe, facilitating the company's market entry internationally.

Investors from multiple Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) syndicates, including Irrus Investments, MedTech Syndicate, and Boole Investment Syndicate, along with CAJU Venture Partners, joined the existing FeelTect shareholders, while the WDC added to their existing investment in the company. The ?1.5 million raised in the current round follows an earlier ?1.2 million Seed round closed in 2022, which was supported by strategic healthcare investors and State agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, Dogpatch Labs, and the WDC.

Founded in 2019, FeelTect emerged from BioInnovate Ireland, a renowned, clinical needs-led innovation programme. During clinical immersion in Irish and US hospital systems, Founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Cameron, identified an unmet clinical need for the safe, effective, and consistent application of compression therapy, which is the primary treatment for millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Studies show that 30% of VLUs are not healed within a year, causing significant impacts to patients' quality of life, while the amount of money spent on treating VLU patients in the UK alone equates to 40% of all cancer costs combined. To address these issues, Co-Founders, Dr Darren Burke and Prof. Garry Duffy, joined Dr Cameron as part of an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund project within the University of Galway, before successfully spinning out as FeelTect in 2020.

FeelTect's flagship product, Tight Alrighttm, is the world's first connected-health technology for measuring and remotely monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy. The Tight Alright technology is comprised of an advanced wearable device, with multiple pressure sensors, that wirelessly connects with a digital platform. The technology unburdens care providers by enabling significant advancements in treatment application, patient self-management, and remote monitoring of compression therapy effectiveness. Furthermore, by facilitating optimal and consistent provision of gold-standard compression therapy, Tight Alright will significantly reduce healing times and treatment costs, whilst enhancing the autonomy and quality of life for patients.

The company's achievements to date have positioned the Tight Alright technology for international market entry in 2024. FeelTect's significant milestones include securing intellectual property on the technology's hardware and data transfer system, completing design for manufacturing, registering the device with the FDA and CE Mark, receiving ISO 13485 accreditation for their quality management system, and conducting international patient clinical studies that demonstrate improved application of targeted wound compression. The company has also received several accolades and industry recognitions, including winning the top prize at European Wound Management Association Innovation Forum, top prize at the Lohmann & Rauscher Accelerator Program, and Start-Up Technology Company of the Year at the CIO & IT Leaders Awards, all within 2023.

Speaking about the investment, Dr Cameron said, "We're extremely grateful for the trust that our investors have shown in supporting our vision for improving the treatment of patients' chronic wounds. We recognise the challenging nature of the current economic environment for investment and we are determined to make the most of the opportunities we've been given. This funding will have an immense benefit to conducting further efficacy and health economic validations of Tight Alright, building our team, and realising commercial launch in USA and Europe. We're also fortunate in the calibre of investors on our newly appointed Board, which will provide invaluable advice and guidance on our journey forward."

Dr Colin Henehan, Chairperson of HBAN's MedTech Syndicate, said, "The MedTech Syndicate is excited to be supporting FeelTect in their development of a truly novel pressure monitoring system for compression therapy, which addresses a large global healthcare issue". Mr Lourens Verweij, incoming Chairperson for FeelTect, noted "The new investment will enable us to bring the company to a next level, and further supports the very positive feedback we are receiving from clinicians, patients and industry partners in the USA and Europe". This positive support was echoed by Ms Emily Ryan, Director of Irrus Investments, who added "Irrus are delighted to be an investor in FeelTect. We believe that this is a very exciting technology, that can revolutionise the wound care space, led by a capable and dynamic team; we are very much looking forward to being part of the future of FeelTect".

The investment in the current round will complement FeelTect's recent Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund award, consisting of a total of ?4.6 million in consortium funding. As part of this funding, FeelTect lead a consortium with partners University of Galway, Armour by Granite, and Odyssey VC, to incorporate additional sensor and user inputs into the wound treatment monitoring system. By capturing a more comprehensive overview of a patient's treatment via remote monitoring, and applying advanced data modelling methods, the project aims to redefine standards of care for greatly improved patient outcomes and significantly reduced treatment costs.

About FeelTect

FeelTect is a connected-health, wound care company based in Galway, Ireland. The company's primary mission is to address the critical unmet need for a way to significantly reduce healing times and healthcare personnel workload in the treatment of VLUs, for improved quality of life for patients and reduced treatment costs. Since spinning out of the University of Galway in 2020, FeelTect have achieved numerous milestones, including FDA registration in USA, EUDMED registration in Europe, ISO 13485 accreditation, preliminary clinical validation, international patents on hardware and software technologies, and completion of design for manufacturing. The company is about to commence a ?4.6 million Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund collaborative project to expand their pipeline of products that will ultimately lead to the development of the first data-driven clinical decision support system to revolutionise wound care.

Contact:

[email protected]

+353 87 184 0912

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304468/FeelTect_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2099998/FeelTect_Logo.jpg

SOURCE FeelTect

20 december 2023 at 02:00

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Productlife Group Acquires LifeBee, Strengthening Its Capacity To Support Digital Transformation In Life Sciences





ProductLife Group (PLG), the global consulting provider of regulatory, scientific, vigilance and quality services for the life sciences industries, announces the acquisition of LifeBee, a leading Italian and Swiss based consulting firm providing digital transformation, operational excellence and proactive compliance services in life sciences. Current LifeBee shareholders will reinvest in PLG Group, embracing the PLG mission while guaranteeing business continuity for all clients.

PARIS, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The acquisition will bolster ProductLife Group Consulting and Digitalization services, playing a crucial role in PLG's pursuit to become the premier leader in life sciences consulting worldwide. LifeBee brings a strong strategic approach, coupled with cutting-edge digital expertise that will further build on PLG's consulting capabilities. LifeBee has recurrently been mentioned as a representative player in life sciences by Gartner and has a relevant and active presence in renowned industry associations, like the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), providing its contribution both on a strategical and knowledge-sharing level.

LifeBee is a highly reputable company with in-depth knowledge on the challenges of consulting and digital business for the life sciences industry as well as the experience and knowledge to tackle them.

Teresa Minero, President and CEO of LifeBee and member of the International Board of Directors of ISPE, commented: "Joining PLG is a strategic move, for the company, its people and customers. We will leverage on the boutique platform we have created in the last 20 years in order to expand our footprint to a global scale, better supporting local and international customers with effective consultancy and transformational digital services dedicated to GxP regulated areas of the life sciences. Our two companies have similar values: pioneering the way for innovation, pragmatic continuous improvement, team spirit and a unique sense of purpose for life sciences. In a globally consolidating consulting landscape, this will expand our service capabilities for our clients and our people, allowing us to become a global leader and innovator in life sciences services."

Xavier Duburcq, CEO of PLG, highlighted: "LifeBee is a highly reputable company with in-depth knowledge on the challenges of consulting and digital business for the life sciences industry as well as the experience and knowledge to tackle them. LifeBee's strong voice on the market, very active on the Pharma 4.0tm ISPE international Community of Practice, further demonstrates how this strategic alliance is a testament to our commitment to offering unparalleled services. Technology and innovation are fundamental to shaping the future of life sciences, and with LifeBee's teams' expertise, we will be able to support our clients' transformation on their success throughout the whole product lifecycle. Moreover, the commitment of LifeBee's existing partners to reinvest their capital in PLG, attests to our shared ambition to deliver ingenuity to the life science consulting arena."

About ProductLife Group:

ProductLife Group's mission is to improve human health by delivering regulatory & compliance services for the safe and effective use of healthcare solutions. PLG supports clients through the entire product life cycle, combining local expertise with global reach spanning more than 150 countries. It provides consulting and outsourcing services in the areas of product development, regulatory affairs, quality management and compliance, vigilance and medical information, covering both established products and innovative therapeutics & diagnostics.

With a goal of continuously improving the value delivered to people and customers, PLG is committed to long-term partnership, innovation, flexibility, and cost efficiency.

For more information, visit https://productlifegroup.com/

Contact:

Fabrice Galzin

ProductLife Group Head of Marketing

[email protected]

About LifeBee:

LifeBee | Digitalizing Life Sciences is a business and digital consulting boutique firm supporting life science companies on their path toward digitalization, operational excellence and compliance with customized advisory and innovative digital solutions. The company studies, designs and implements operational strategies, business processes, and digital solutions, to support life science companies in the innovative, robust, compliant, and sustainable realization of their business model. The focus is on GxP regulated areas such as manufacturing, quality assurance, laboratories, logistics, serialization, regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance of biopharmaceutical companies, medical devices, and nutraceuticals.

LifeBee is headquartered in Milan Italy with a presence in Switzerland. In 20 years of operation, the company has delivered over 1,000 successful projects. Today more than 90 life science international and local clients are served thanks to a team of about 80 professionals.

For more information, visit https://www.lifebee.com

Contact:

Annalisa Merola

LifeBee Marketing Manager

[email protected]

Media Contact

Fabrice Galzin, ProductLife Group, 33 (0) 672 349 606, [email protected], https://www.productlifegroup.com/

SOURCE ProductLife Group

20 december 2023 at 03:00

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Radiant to Assess Multi-Valent, Multi-Specific Multabodies as Potential Treatments for HIV





Radiant Biotherapeutics, a startup biotechnology company developing a revolutionary antibody platform to deliver transformative therapies for patients facing life-changing disease, announced it has received a USD $2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the next generation of HIV biologics based on Radiant's Multabodytm platform.

The agreement includes a commitment to three potential infectious disease targets which includes the HIV funding and interest in a potential equity investment in the company. The funding supports a two year-long project, which enables Radiant to evaluate the Multabodytm platform's ability to destroy latent stores of the HIV virus, along with its ability to eliminate circulating viral particles.

"Our Multabodytm platform potentially addresses a shortcoming of existing antiviral treatments for HIV," said Arthur J. Fratamico, President and Chief Executive Officer of Radiant Biotherapeutics. "Treatments must attack and neutralize circulating viral particles in the bloodstream. But to cure the disease, they must also destroy the latent viral stores that can be found hidden in specific cell types. Our highly avid and multi-specific platform can attack several parts of the virus at once, delivering exceptional potency and breadth against multiple HIV subtypes. This makes it an ideal weapon against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."

In particular, Mr. Fratamico noted, Multabodytm therapeutics stand out for their strong grip on targets ? a feature known as avidity. This high avidity, along with the ability to target multiple binding areas of a target virus, potentially enables Multabodytm treatments to overcome the high mutation rate which helps HIV to escape traditional therapies.

The exceptional potency of Multabodytm therapeutics means that small amounts of drug can have a powerful impact in destroying both circulating viral particles and viral reservoirs in immune system cells known as memory CD4+ T cells, as well as other types of cells. The high potency makes treatments built around Radiant's Multabodytm therapeutics likely to have a low-cost profile, potentially making it possible to help more people in low- and moderate-income countries.

"We're excited about Radiant's powerful antibody platform being deployed against HIV," said Jean-Philippe Julien, Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. "HIV is a challenging virus that constantly mutates and escapes immune responses and suboptimal treatments. We have high hopes for a Multabodytm to be developed against HIV that can act as a new approach in eradicating the disease."

Radiant Biotherapeutics, built around foundational science developed at SickKids and the University of Toronto, emerged from stealth mode earlier this year with funding from Amplitude Ventures. It is developing a novel pipeline of multi-valent and multi-specific biologics in multiple disease areas.

About Radiant Biotherapeutics

Radiant Biotherapeutics is a revolutionary antibody platform company leading the new frontier of multi-valent, multi-specific therapeutics to deliver transformative therapies for patients. Radiant's proprietary Multabodytm platform leverages avidity and multi-specificity simultaneously, to generate highly efficacious Multabodies with superior potency than other antibody platforms. These powerful Multabodies have potential to deliver a new class of biologics to tackle complex, heterogenous diseases, such as cancer, that often have challenging targets and mechanisms. Multabodytm production and manufacturing is flexible, modular and scalable, and leverages standard antibody CMC processes. The groundbreaking efficiency of the platform is driving a novel pipeline of mono-, bi- and tri-specific biologics in multiple therapeutics areas. With offices in Toronto and Philadelphia, Radiant has forged multiple strategic partnerships that validate the Multabodytm platform's broad scientific and clinical utility. For more, visit radiantbio.com.

20 december 2023 at 07:05

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FrontWell Capital Partners Upsizes Senior Secured Credit Facility to Mara Technologies to CAD$45 Million





TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - FrontWell Capital Partners Inc. ("FrontWell") today announced the increase of its secured credit facility with Mara Technologies Inc. and Mara Technologies USA Inc. ("Mara") to CAD$45 million. Mara is a manufacturer of electronic boards and assemblies focused in infrastructure, broad band communications and power management systems. Mara is a subsidiary of the Invotek Group, a global leader in electronics manufacturing services based in Markham, Ontario.

The facility, comprised of a revolver and a term loan, will be used by Mara to refinance its existing debt and will provide additional working capital liquidity to support Mara's growth and its expansion into the United States. Mara is in the process of launching a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Holly, Michigan to accommodate a new contract with one of Mara's major existing customers and to add capacity in the United States for the ever-expanding battery power management market.

"We are pleased to expand our facility with Mara to enable the company to benefit from the significant growth opportunities it is seeing." said Patrick Dalton, Chief Executive Officer of FrontWell.

"We value the partnership that we have with FrontWell and their willingness to participate in our extraordinary growth." said Paul LaCroix, Chief Executive Officer of Mara Technologies and the Invotek Group of companies.

About FrontWell Capital Partners

Headquartered in Toronto, FrontWell Capital Partners provides transitionary senior debt financing to middle-market companies in the United States and Canada. With committed seed capital of more than USD $350 million, FrontWell offers financing solutions, including asset-based (ABL) and cash flow loans, to maximize liquidity support for borrowers that are looking beyond traditional sources of capital. FrontWell's rigorous approach to origination, underwriting and risk management generates current income while prioritizing the preservation of principal over the chase for yield. FrontWell partners with companies across several industries that display balance sheet capacity and that require liquidity to support a transition in their business, including turnarounds, restructurings, acquisitions and changes in ownership or control. For more information, please visit frontwellcapital.com.

About Mara/Invotek Group Inc. (IGI)

IGI supports OEMs through its manufacturing and engineering centers in the United States, Canada and China. IGI's strategy is to work with customers to develop and engineer world class processes that deliver optimized performance in cost and quality. We do this through in-depth open book collaborative efforts with your design and engineering teams that ensures that we become "Your Factory". We have a long history with broadband electronics manufacturing and over the past twenty years have developed world-class capabilities with IoT product development and power management systems for the Electric Vehicle market. For more information, visit Invotek at www.invotekgroup.com.

SOURCE FrontWell Capital Partners Inc.

20 december 2023 at 08:00

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AR/VR Headset Market Forecast to Decline 8.3% in 2023 But Remains on Track to Rebound in 2024, According to IDC





Worldwide shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets are expected to decline 8.3% year over year to 8.1 million units in 2023, despite the launch of new headsets during the year, according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker. Sony's PSVR and Meta's Quest 3 have certainly been well received but macroeconomic pressures on households combined with slowing spend in the commercial segments have put a damper on growth.

However, 2024 is shaping up to be a year of tremendous recovery as shipments of AR/VR headsets are expected to grow 46.4%. The return to form is thanks to a full year's availability of Meta's Quest 3 as well as Apple's Vision Pro, which is expected to bring lots of attention but will likely ship fewer than two hundred thousand units in the year. In contrast, Meta, the market leader in 3Q23 who captured 55.2% share, has already managed to ship over 10x Apple's expected volume in the first three quarters of 2023 (prior to the launch of Quest 3) and will likely experience year-over-year growth in 2024.

"While the new VR headsets are expected to drive volume, they also risk alienating some consumers as average selling prices trend upwards," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager, Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers at IDC. "The high price tag of the Vision Pro will likely relegate the device to businesses, while the Quest 3, which is more accessible, is also pushing the limits of consumers' wallets making VR a delight for the affluent, particularly as production ramps down on older and more affordable headsets."

Meanwhile, AR headsets are also expected to grow in 2024 due to the availability of lower cost tethered headsets from the likes of Xreal and Rokid, which tend to serve as monitor replacements while enhancing productivity or improving the media consumption experience. More sophisticated standalone headsets such as Microsoft's HoloLens 2 or the Magic Leap 2 will continue to proliferate, though at a slower pace than tethered AR headsets. In total, AR headset shipments are forecast to reach to 845,000 in 2024, up 85.6% compared to 2023.

"Volumes of AR headsets are expected to move at a slower pace compared to VR headsets, but diversification among the different products will increasingly address more needs," added Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC's Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality program. "3D immersive and interactive augmented reality will still receive most of the attention and find their way to enterprise users. Assisted reality (AR headsets that simply show content within a user's line of sight) will likewise have its own audience, and can branch out towards consumers with gaming and multimedia. Finally, the recent attention towards mixed reality will raise the profile for augmented reality, especially for those who only want or need an AR experience."

Worldwide AR/VR Headset Forecast by Product Category: Shipments, Year-Over-Year Growth, and 2023-2027 CAGR (shipments in millions) Product Category 2023 Shipments 2023/2022 Growth 2027 Shipments 2027/2026 Growth 2023-2027 CAGR Augmented Reality 0.5 63.5% 6.8 85.5% 96.5% Virtual Reality 7.6 -10.7% 21.9 26.7% 30.1% Total 8.1 -8.3% 28.6 37.0% 37.2% Source: IDC Worldwide AR/VR Headset Tracker, December 18, 2023

In addition to the table above, a graphic illustrating the worldwide market share of the top 5 AR/VR headset companies over the previous five quarters is available by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

About IDC Trackers

IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly Excel deliverables and on-line query tools.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker, please contact Jackie Kliem at 508-988-7984 or [email protected].

Click here to learn about IDC's full suite of data products and how you can leverage them to grow your business.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

20 december 2023 at 08:35

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Scotia Global Asset Management announces estimated year-end cash distributions for the Scotia ETFs





TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - Scotia Global Asset Management today announced the estimated year-end cash distributions for the Scotia ETFs listed on the NEO Exchange for the 2023 tax year. Please note that these are estimated amounts only and have been calculated based upon information as of December 15, 2023. The final cash distributions may change due to subscriptions or redemptions activity before the ex-dividend date or other factors.

We expect to announce the final year-end cash distribution amounts on or about December 28, 2023. The record date for the 2023 year-end distributions will be December 29, 2023, payable on January 8, 2024.

The actual taxable amounts of cash distributions for 2023, including the tax characteristics of the distributions, will be reported to CDS Clearing and Depository Services Inc. in early 2024. Securityholders can contact their brokerage firm for this information.

The estimated cash distribution amounts per unit are:

Scotia ETF name Ticker symbol Estimated cash distribution per unit ($) Scotia Canadian Bond Index Tracker ETF SITB 0.04273 Scotia Canadian Large Cap Equity Index Tracker ETF SITC 0.17605 Scotia Emerging Markets Equity Index Tracker ETF SITE 0.00000 Scotia International Equity Index Tracker ETF SITI 0.17687 Scotia Responsible Investing Canadian Bond Index ETF SRIB 0.00000 Scotia Responsible Investing Canadian Equity Index ETF SRIC 0.16551 Scotia Responsible Investing International Equity Index ETF SRII 0.00000 Scotia Responsible Investing U.S. Equity Index ETF SRIU 0.07883 Scotia U.S. Equity Index Tracker ETF SITU 0.10306

Forward-looking information

This notice contains forward-looking statements with respect to the year-end cash distributions for the Scotia ETFs. By their nature, these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual distributions to differ materially from the estimated distributions in this notice. Factors that could cause the final distributions to differ include, but are not limited to, the trading activity within the Scotia ETFs, and subscription and redemption activity.

For more information on the Scotia ETFs, please visit here.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may be associated with mutual fund investments, including ETFs. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated.

About Scotia Global Asset Management

Scotia Global Asset Management includes 1832 Asset Management L.P., a limited partnership, the general partner of which is wholly owned by Scotiabank. Scotia Global Asset Management offers a range of wealth management solutions, including mutual funds, ETFs, and investment solutions for private clients, institutions and managed asset programs. For more information, please visit www.scotiagam.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank's vision is to be our clients' most trusted financial partner, to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and maximize total shareholder return. Guided by our purpose: "for every future," we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With assets of approximately $1.4 trillion (as at October 31, 2023), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on X @Scotiabank.

SOURCE Scotiabank

20 december 2023 at 09:00

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Nearly two years after he signed documents attempting to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 loss in Nevada, Jim Hindle thanked everyone gathered in a historic Nevada boomtown's commission chambers and asked them to bear with him while he learned how to oversee elections in rural Storey County.

Hindle was another replacement in what was a revolving door of county election officials across Nevada as the 2022 midterms approached. He had just unseated the interim clerk, who had stepped in after the prior clerk resigned.

But Hindle's tenure in the heavily Republican county is part of a trend across battleground states where fake electors have retained influence over elections heading into 2024.

He is among six Republicans who were indicted this month by Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford for their alleged roles in attempting to overturn the election outcome in the swing state, which Democrat Joe Biden carried by more than 33,000 votes over the GOP president.

Hindle and the others, who are scheduled to be arraigned Monday, coordinated with Trump's team directly, according to transcripts of testimony before the U.S. House committee that investigated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Hindle told The Associated Press he will continue running local elections despite the charges. He declined to comment further.

Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania also have fake electors who are involved in the 2024 election.

The list includes Bob Spindell, who remains on Wisconsin's bipartisan election commission despite calls from Democrats for him to be removed. A Republican legislative leader who appointed Spindell said last week that he will not rescind the appointment, calling the fake elector scheme a "failed legal strategy" and "not a sinister plot to overturn an election."

Spindell and the fake electors in Wisconsin agreed to a settlement this month conceding that their actions were "part of an attempt to improperly overturn the 2020 presidential election results."

In Arizona, fake electors Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern are Republican legislators with powerful roles. Hoffman is chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, and Kern leads the Judiciary Committee. The Arizona attorney general is investigating the role of fake electors; no one has been charged.

Hoffman's position makes him a gatekeeper for virtually all election-related legislation under consideration. That has become especially contentious in the Western swing state where Republicans have been aggressive in trying to overturn or cast doubt on Democratic victories.

The FBI in 2022 interviewed Sam DeMarco, a member of the three-member election board in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County. Despite the subpoenas served to DeMarco and that state's other GOP electors, they have faced no legal consequences after qualifying their electoral votes as "conditional" in case Trump had prevailed in court. DeMarco has often been critical of Trump's influence on the state party.

Michigan is a rare example where a fake elector has lost influence due to charges. In July, the Michigan Bureau of Elections barred Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot from running any elections as the state attorney general brought criminal charges against him and 15 other Republicans for their roles as fake electors.

In Nevada, Storey County's 3,750 active registered voters represent a speck of the state's electorate. Even while Hindle and others remain in their roles as elections officials and legislators, state election officials and state and federal courts can provide checks on their authority, said Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar's office, which runs elections across the state, did not respond to questions about whether the indictment could affect Hindle's elections role.

But Hindle's influence does not stop at the county line. He is one of three fake electors involved in the state GOP's organization of a party-run caucus in early February that is scheduled just days after the state-run presidential primary. The Nevada GOP has come under intense scrutiny for confusing voters with the dueling elections and for adopting rules that many say benefit Trump over other Republican candidates.

The Nevada GOP did not respond to a request for comment on whether the indictment affects members' abilities to organize the caucus.

The Nevada Republican chairman, Michael McDonald, one of the indicted fake electors, has said the state party is bypassing the primary because the Democratic-controlled Legislature did not consider the Republican governor's proposals for a voter ID requirement and other measures.

On Sunday, several of Nevada's fake electors attended a Trump rally in Reno, where the former president thanked three of them personally, including Hindle and McDonald, while saying they were treated unfairly. He did not mention the specific charges.

McDonald introduced Trump at the rally, while encouraging the crowd to advocate and vote for Trump at the party-run caucus. He ended the speech with the same pledge he made at an October rally, before his indictment.

"You give us a fair election, I'll give you the next president of the United States  Donald J. Trump," he said.
RADIAL POWER SECURES $80 MILLION IN TAX EQUITY FINANCING FROM BANK OF AMERICA





The capital will support an estimated 96 MW of C&I and community solar projects spanning more than nine states

Represents Radial Power's inaugural tax equity financing transaction

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Radial Power announced today that it has closed on $80 million in tax equity financing from Bank of America to support the company's pipeline of distributed generation projects through late 2024, encompassing both asset and portfolio-level turn-key integrated commercial & industrial (C&I) and community solar solutions.

This tax equity capital raise, alongside backleverage, will help fund the development and installation of an estimated 96 MW of C&I and community solar projects, across more than nine states and for multiple anchor real estate customers.

"This strategic investment will support Radial Power's robust pipeline of low-cost, low-carbon clean energy solutions that enable offtakers to meet their ESG and sustainability goals," said John M. King, Chief Financial Officer of Radial Power. "Our national portfolio of best-in-class distributed generation projects is unlocking revenues from underutilized real estate, delivering value to our customers, and accelerating a reliable U.S. energy transition."

This deal marks the inaugural tax equity financing Radial Power has closed with Bank of America, a leader in renewable energy tax equity financing with a portfolio of approximately $13.5 billion at the end of 2022. Bank of America's investments have contributed to the development of approximately 40.7 gigawatts of total installed renewable wind and solar energy capacity in the U.S. In addition to utility scale renewable projects, Bank of America has also provided financing for distributed solar generation for residential and commercial/industrial customers and for electric vehicles, and has a portfolio comprised of 176 wind farms, 59 solar farms and over 160,000 rooftop installations.

"We are proud to support Radial Power in this latest milestone. The tax equity transaction underscores Bank of America's commitment to mobilize and deploy $1.5 trillion in sustainable finance capital by 2030, and to support the scalable and affordable delivery of clean, local power to communities, businesses and individuals," said Danielle King, Director in the Global Sustainable Finance Group at Bank of America.

Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel to Radial and Milbank to Bank of America.

About Radial Power

Radial Power is a privately-owned, developer-owner-operator of distributed clean energy assets across large real estate portfolios. Founded in 2022, Radial Power assists owners of large real estate portfolios develop programs across multiple U.S. state and utility regulatory jurisdictions to achieve their ESG, climate, and renewable energy objectives. Radial Power provides its partners and customers with both asset and portfolio-level turn-key integrated commercial & industrial solutions, including developing, owning, and operating photovoltaic solar, BESS, and EV charging solutions. Radial Power is jointly owned by investment affiliates of energyRe and Lotus Infrastructure Partners and has offices in Houston and New York. For more information, visit www.radialpower.com

About Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 57 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).

SOURCE Radial Power

20 december 2023 at 10:00

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Guardian Finds Caregivers Face Unprecedented Challenges, Impacting Overall Well-being





New study suggests that expanding the definition of caregiving is critical to supporting America's caregivers.

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) finds that as the need for caregivers in the United States grows, so does the mental, physical, and financial stressors impacting them.

The new report, titled "Standing Up and Stepping In: A Modern Look at Caregivers in the US," is based on responses from Guardian's Annual Workplace Benefits Study. The study shows that caregivers self-report significantly lower mental, physical, and financial well-being scores than their non-caregiver counterparts.

Driving this decline is a growing number of full-time employed American workers pulling double duty, with approximately a quarter (22%) of workers splitting their time between their full-time jobs and caring for others. Further, not only are more working Americans taking on caregiving duties, they are also dedicating more time to caregiving?up to three times more. In 2023, for example, caregivers spent an average of 26 hours per week providing care, up from an average of nine hours in 2020.

"The first step to better supporting caregivers is to recognize caregivers for who they are. As an employer, that means expanding our understanding of who is a caregiver to include anyone providing care for a family member or friend, regardless of their age, physical ability, or health status," said Stacey Hoin, Chief Human Resources Officer at Guardian. "Irrespective of who someone is caring for, our data shows that most caregivers share the same needs and could use similar support from their employer. By taking an inclusive approach, we can better support all caregivers and ensure they have the comprehensive benefits and flexibility they need to do their best work?both in their professional and personal lives."

Supporting All Caregivers in the Workplace

Whether caring for a parent, spouse or partner, child, or someone else, there are universal caregiving needs.

The study found that parents of children without special needs?who often don't traditionally self-identify as caregivers?are on par with traditionally defined caregivers when it comes to wishing their employer did more to address work/life balance (38% and 37%, respectively). They also face similar challenges around their mental and physical health, including keeping up with their own routine doctor's appointments and checkups (37% for both).

Taking an inclusive approach to supporting all caregivers also means recognizing there is an increasing number of younger caregivers in the workplace. The study found that while caregivers have traditionally been defined as members of the "Sandwich Generation," there are now more Millennial (38%) than Gen-X (36%) caregivers. As Millennials also represent the dominant generation in the workforce today, the number of full-time working caregivers is likely only going to grow.

Improving Mind, Body, and Wallettm Wellness

The study found that, among all working Americans, caregivers have some of the lowest overall well-being scores.

When looking at mental health specifically, 77% of caregivers say they have poor mental health, with 40% noting that their caregiving responsibilities negatively impact their stress levels. In fact, caregivers are 52% more likely to experience anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions as compared to non-caregivers.

Caregivers don't fare much better when it comes to physical wellness, with just one in four saying they have good physical health. As a result, the study found that caregivers are two times more likely to experience their own disability-related workplace absence as compared to non-caregivers.

Equally concerning is the financial burden facing caregivers. According to the study, 40% of caregivers say their care-related responsibilities negatively impact their household's financial security. Part of this impact could stem from the fact that, per the report, caregivers are two times more likely to experience a layoff as compared to non-caregivers, and that 20% say their caregiving responsibilities have limited their career growth or job opportunities.

Helping Caregivers Provide the Best Care

The need for caregiving in the United States is only going to grow. As more working Americans take on such caregiving duties, there is an increased urgency to expand the definition of who is traditionally considered a caregiver. It's also imperative that working caregivers have access to workplace resources and supportive benefits, from access to mental health services and a caregiver concierge to flexible work arrangements and back-up care. Ultimately, when caregivers feel supported and able to care for themselves, they are better able to care for others.

For more information about supporting caregivers and to view the complete report, visit Guardian's Caregiving in America, Statistics on Family Caregivers and Beyond.

About the Standing Up and Stepping In: A Modern Look at Caregivers in the US Report

Standing Up and Stepping In: A modern Look at Caregivers in the US is based on results from Guardian's 12th Annual Workplace Benefits Study, which was fielded in January and February of 2023. The Workplace Benefits Study consists of two online surveys: one among 2,000 benefits decision-makers (employers) and another among 2,000 full-time working Americans (employees), allowing us to explore benefits issues from both perspectives. Of the full-time working Americans surveyed, this included an oversample of 416 self-identified caregivers. Survey data collection and tabulation were managed for Guardian by Zeldis Research, an independent market research firm located in Ewing, New Jersey.

About Guardian

Guardian makes a difference in the lives of people when they need us most. With more than 160 years of stability and fiscal integrity, we are a trusted resource to millions of consumers, helping them prepare and plan for a bright future and recover and thrive in times of unexpected loss. We believe in inspiring well-being across mind, body, and wallet, and in driving value beyond dividends. We invest in our colleagues, are building a progressive and inclusive culture, and are helping to uplift communities through thoughtful social and environmental programs. Guardian, which is based in NYC, is a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits, and has received accolades for its culture and service . Our colleagues and financial representatives serve with care and experience, and our commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which at year-end 2022 included $11 billion in capital and largest dividend of $1.26 billion in the company's history. For more information, visit guardianlife.com or follow us on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter , and YouTube.

For media inquiries, please contact:

[email protected]

GUARDIAN and the Guardian Logo are registered trademarks of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Copyright 2023 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, N.Y. 2023-166342

SOURCE Guardian

20 december 2023 at 10:00

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MaRS Discovery District Announces Alison Nankivell as its New CEO





Nankivell is an investment industry veteran who brings a wealth of global expertise and business acumen to MaRS

TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - MaRS Discovery District is proud to announce a pivotal leadership transition. The Board of Directors is delighted to introduce Alison Nankivell as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), set to assume office in March 2024.

After a rigorous process, Alison Nankivell was selected as the incoming CEO. Alison is no stranger to the innovation landscape. As Senior Vice President, Fund Investments and Global Scaling at BDC Capital, she has been responsible for investments in venture capital and growth funds, as well as strategic ESG initiatives and global expansion. Alison has worked in senior investment roles at the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Export Development Canada (EDC), and is fluent in Mandarin. With a passion for driving sustainable growth and a strong dedication to nurturing emerging talent, Alison is poised to continue MaRS Discovery District's mission of supporting startups and making a positive impact on society.

"I want to thank Yung Wu for his leadership and the tremendous impact that he has had on MaRS these past six years. Alison has the passion and leadership that will build upon these successes and advance MaRS into the next phase of impact." Annette Verschuren, Chair MaRS Board of Directors.

"I am excited to lead MaRS Discovery District and work alongside our talented team to drive innovation, economic growth, and societal impact," said Alison Nankivell. " MaRS sits at a unique intersection of innovation in Canada and across the globe, and I am eager to build on its legacy and help shape the future of innovation in Canada and beyond."

With current CEO Yung Wu departing on December 31st, MaRS Discovery District is pleased to share that Krista Jones will serve as the interim CEO from January 1, 2024 until Alison's arrival in March. Krista, currently MaRS' Chief Delivery Officer, has been an integral part of the MaRS leadership team for 15 years. Among other achievements, she was the founding executive of MaRS Momentum, Canada's largest program for scale-stage science and tech companies. Her in-depth knowledge of MaRS and the stakeholders we support, coupled with her leadership acumen, will ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted support for the MaRS community during this period.

"We are confident Alison and the team will usher in a new era of innovation and growth at MaRS Discovery District," remarked Claudette McGowan, Vice-Chair of the Board at MaRS, and leader of the CEO search committee. "Alison brings exceptional leadership qualities and a shared commitment to our mission. Her vision aligns seamlessly with MaRS' goals, and we look forward to the transformative impact she will have on our organization and the innovation community at large."

The Board of Directors, along with the entire MaRS Discovery District community, is looking forward to a bright and prosperous future under the leadership of Alison Nankivell.

About MaRS Discovery District:

MaRS Discovery District (@MaRSDD) MaRS helps Canadian startups succeed so they can solve our toughest problems in areas like climate, health and the economy. As North America's largest urban innovation hub and a registered charity, MaRS provides direct support for more than 1,200 ventures, builds communities of innovators within its 1.5 million square feet of lab and office space and beyond, and spurs the adoption of new solutions ? in Canada and around the world.

SOURCE MaRS Discovery District

20 december 2023 at 10:01

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Hilco Global Warms the Winter by Providing Coats to Asylum Seekers and the Homeless





Hilco donates over 8,000 new winter coats to those in need and living in shelters in Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, and Alexandria, VA.

CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global, a prominent B2B financial services company is committed to giving back to communities where it does business by donating time, money and in-kind goods. "Hilco Helps Warm the Winter" initiative is designed to deliver assistance to local communities in need by providing basic cold-weather essentials including brand new winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, etc. As the winter season unfolds, Hilco Global recognizes the heightened vulnerability of our neighboring communities, including the thousands of asylum seekers that have been flooding cold weather communities like Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, etc.

This year, Hilco Global joined forces with the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation to donate coats to offer warmth and comfort to asylum seekers facing the challenges of winter without adequate resources. This joint effort underscores a shared commitment to humanitarian responsibility and aims to provide not only physical warmth but also a sense of hope to those navigating the harsh winter conditions in Chicago.

Jackie Rosa, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the City of Chicago, commented, "In times of need, the true strength of a community shines through. The collaboration between Hilco Global, the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, and the City of Chicago exemplifies the spirit of unity and compassion that defines our city."

In coordination with the City of Chicago, coats have been distributed throughout the city at asylum seeker landing zones and through local charities. Hilco Global also coordinated with Gil Villegas, the 36th Ward Alderman, to establish an additional distribution site in the 36th ward, ensuring a broader reach and impact on community members facing the winter chill without adequate protection.

The donation of coats extends beyond a logistical operation; it represents a profound impact on the lives of the recipients. A representative from the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation expressed, "These coats symbolize more than just clothing; they signify warmth, dignity, and a caring community. The Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation is honored to collaborate with Hilco Global in bringing comfort to those who need it most during these challenging times."

Jeff Hecktman, Founder and CEO of Hilco Global, emphasizes the collective responsibility to alleviate the hardships faced by those seeking asylum, stating, "Our city is confronted with a pressing humanitarian need, and it is our duty to address it. Hilco Global is proud to collaborate with the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, acknowledging not just a weather-induced challenge but our shared responsibility to uplift our fellow Chicagoans."

Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP), an operating company of Hilco Global, is also donating over 3000 coats in cities across the US. HRP is a real estate development company that re-imagines, remediates, and redevelops obsolete industrial sites across the United States with a uniquely holistic approach that prioritizes economic, community and environmental sustainability. This year coat drives will occur in Alexandria, VA, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, and Philadelphia, PA as these are all cities where HRP has major projects transforming retired sites into modern economic hubs. HRP hosts philanthropic initiatives like these as a core pillar of how the company partners with neighbors, local nonprofits, civic partners, and elected officials to ensure the communities in which they work are supported all year long.

These philanthropic initiatives seamlessly align with Hilco Global's enduring commitment to social responsibility through its longstanding philanthropic "Hilco Helps" initiative. For years, Hilco Helps has been a driving force, channeling resources, and support towards causes that enhance the lives and potential of our most valuable assets: Human Assets.

For more information about Hilco Global and its philanthropic initiatives, please visit www.hilcohelps.com.

About Hilco Global: Hilco Global (http://www.hilcoglobal.com/) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global financial services leverage a unique blend of deep restructuring, and principal investing. Hilco Global delivers customized solutions to undervalued, high potential companies to resolve complex and stressed situations and enhance long-term enterprise value.

Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and as needed monetize the value. Hilco has almost 4 decades of a successful track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Currently, the company has $3 Billion in assets under management. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 800 professionals operating on five continents with US offices located in Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and internationally in Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Mexico and throughout Asia.

About Hilco Helps: Hilco Helps is a Hilco Global worldwide initiative that supports causes and not-for-profit organizations, focusing on enhancing the lives and maximizing the potential of the world's most important assets: human assets. Through various programs, Hilco Helps works to improve the lives of those in underserved communities, providing millions of dollars in direct support to nonprofit groups, in-kind donations, employee volunteer hours, and strategic marketing efforts/sponsorships.

About the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation: The Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation was founded in 2019 by Marc and Jeanne Malnati out of their unwavering commitment to the city they call home. Through strategic investments with community partners working in Chicago to promote peacebuilding, mental wellness, education, and workforce development, Marc and Jeanne are dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals to communicate, connect, and thrive in their personal lives. Marc and Jeanne believe that these pathways, together with quality resources and support, will invigorate Chicago and make our communities stronger, safer, and more just.

SOURCE Hilco Global

20 december 2023 at 10:30

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Avangrid Receives First Tax Equity Funding for Nation-Leading Vineyard Wind 1 Project





Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group announced today that the Vineyard Wind 1 project received the first funding from the first-of-its-kind tax equity package signed in October 2023, representing a critical milestone toward the delivery of first power from the project. Supportive government actions, such as federal tax credits for renewable energy projects, have been instrumental for Vineyard Wind 1, which is on track to be the first large-scale offshore wind project in the U.S.

"Receiving this first funding from our tax equity agreement is another key achievement that takes us one important step closer to the historic delivery of first power to Massachusetts," said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. "As we continue to execute our construction and financing plan for Avangrid's Vineyard Wind 1, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to helping turn the dream of offshore wind in the U.S. into reality."

Vineyard Wind 1 began on site construction in late 2021, achieved steel-in-the-water in June 2023, and completed the nation's first offshore substation in July 2023. In July 2021, Vineyard Wind signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind project in the United States, which provides for the creation of 500 union jobs through the project. On December 14, 2023, Avangrid announced that Vineyard Wind 1 has delivered nearly double of its commitment through the PLA by creating 937 union jobs through two years of construction.

Vineyard Wind 1 is an 806 MW project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and will be the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the United States. The project will generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under its competitive long term power purchase agreements with National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil. The project is expected to save ratepayers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation and to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million tons per year.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs more than 7,500 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies ? a ranking of America's best corporate citizens. In 2023, Avangrid ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

20 december 2023 at 12:00

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CIT Bank Unveils Redesigned Mobile App and Web Interface to Improve Customer Experience





PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, today announced the launch of a redesigned mobile app and the addition of new features for desktop online banking that provide an improved customer experience that delivers seamless and convenient digitally-integrated banking.

Mobile app upgrades include easier management of accounts, enhanced balance and transfer functionality, and increased access to information and assistance. In addition, new web-based features include a redesigned user-friendly interface, improved privacy management, and an easier way to create and update direct deposits.

The advancements to CIT Bank's mobile app are powered by FIS Digital Onetm Consumer Studio platform, which helps banks build, deploy, and scale their unique digital banking experiences. Now, CIT Bank customers can access all of CIT Bank's online banking features from the convenience of their mobile devices.

"Consumers expect a seamless digital experience, and with these enhancements to the CIT Bank mobile app, we've empowered them with unparalleled banking convenience," said Ravi Kumar, head of CIT Bank. "Now our customers can bank with ease, with all of our online banking features at their fingertips."

CIT Bank's mobile app upgrades, along with its competitive rates, underscore its commitment to providing customers maximum growth for their savings with an effortless banking experience, said Kumar.

"CIT Bank has always been dedicated to creating a leading digital banking experience that sets them apart from their competitive set, and this latest release powered by FIS delivers on that promise," said John Durrant, President of Banking Solutions at FIS. "With our Digital One Consumer Studio platform, CIT Bank can personalize, customize, and extend their experience to their growing customer base in ways that make them unique amongst other digital direct bank brands."

Visit CIT Bank's Mobile Banking webpage to learn more about the new features and digital convenience of the CIT Bank app. The app is available for free in the Apple store or the Google Play store.

About First Citizens Bank

First Citizens Bank helps personal, business, commercial and wealth clients build financial strength that lasts. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and now celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding, First Citizens Bank has built a unique legacy of strength, stability and long-term thinking that has spanned generations. First Citizens offers an array of general banking services including a network of more than 550 branches and offices in 23 states; commercial banking expertise delivering best-in-class lending, leasing and other financial services coast to coast; and a nationwide direct bank. First Citizens Bank, Member FDIC. Discover more at firstcitizens.com.

Contact: Lexa Tutela Losey

[email protected]

212-461-5305

SOURCE First Citizens Bank

20 december 2023 at 12:00

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Concorde Career Colleges accelerates efforts to address growing demand for healthcare workers





Programs in dental hygiene and sonography added in Florida and California

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concorde Career Colleges today announced the launch of additional program offerings in dental hygiene and sonography, accelerating the institution's efforts to address the growing demand for allied health professionals. Concorde is the healthcare division of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. ("UTI")

"Expanding our programs across existing campus footprints is a key focus of UTI's growth, diversification, and optimization strategy," said Kevin Prehn, president of Concorde Career Colleges. "At Concorde, the addition of these healthcare programs further bolsters our relationships with local dental partners and hospital affiliates who are seeking to fill these in-demand roles."

The programs include:

Two additional Dental Hygiene programs are planned in 2024, pending final regulatory approval.

The curriculum blends online coursework with in-person lab instruction and clinical experience to prepare students to enter the dental industry in as few as 17 months or the sonography profession in as little as 20 months.1

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists is projected to grow 10 percent by 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. California and Florida are among the states with the highest number of sonographers in the nation.

Dental hygienists also are seeing faster than average growth. The most recent survey of the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute shows that of the general practice dentists who are recruiting for dental hygienists, 95 percent are finding it "extremely" or "very" challenging to fill the positions. In states like Florida, the public health demand for dental care is even more critical. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, over 6 million Florida residents live in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Less than 1 in 5 Floridians living in HPSAs have their oral care needs met.

"For the health and well-being of our communities, it's imperative that we educate the next generation of skilled dental hygienists who can help provide diagnostic and preventative care," said Prehn.

Concorde?Jacksonville's Dental Hygiene program recently received initial programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).2

Concorde Career Colleges was recently honored as 2023 School of the Year by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools. In addition, Concorde's Dallas campus was recently named 2023 School of the Year and Innovator of the Year by the Career Colleges and Schools of Texas.

1Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course schedule. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

2The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of "initial accreditation." The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission's web address is www.coda.ada.org

About Concorde Career Colleges

Concorde Career Colleges, the healthcare division of Universal Technical Institute (www.uti.edu), (NYSE: UTI), operates 17 healthcare focused campuses across eight states under the brands Concorde Career College and Concorde Career Institute, preparing America's next generation of health care and dental professionals for rewarding careers. The Concorde blended education model combines online coursework with in-person lab classes and clinical settings. Concorde's 25 student-focused academic programs and personalized support prepares graduates for in-demand careers in nursing, dental, respiratory, diagnostic, and other healthcare roles. Concorde schools are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Council on Occupational Education (COE). For more information, visit www.uti.edu or www.concorde.edu, or visit us on LinkedIn at @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and @Concorde Career Colleges or on X (formerly Twitter) at @news_UTI or @ConcordeCareer.

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) (the "Company") was founded in 1965 and is a leading workforce solutions provider of transportation, skilled trades and healthcare education programs, whose mission is to serve students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers across a number of highly skilled fields. The Company is comprised of two divisions: Universal Technical Institute ("UTI") and Concorde Career Colleges ("Concorde"). UTI operates 16 campuses located in 9 states and offers a wide range of transportation and skilled trades technical training programs under brands such as UTI, MIAT College of Technology, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute and NASCAR Technical Institute. Concorde operates across 17 campuses in 8 states, offering programs in the Allied Health, Dental, Nursing, Patient Care and Diagnostic fields.

Media Contact:

Sharon Rolenc

[email protected]

612-720-2083

SOURCE Concorde Career Colleges

20 december 2023 at 16:15

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Left-wing coalition NUPES members of parliament hold signs reading "Liberte", "Egalite", "fraternite" French for 'liberty, equality, fraternity', the national motto of France, following the vote and the approval of the draft law to control immigration, at the Assemblee Nationale in Paris on December 19, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

France's Parliament on Tuesday, December 19, passed an immigration bill backed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron after he faced a major rebellion within his own party over the far right's support of the toughened-up legislation. The lower house voted in favor of the legislation by a wide majority, with the ruling party in the end not needing the support of Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (RN) to push the bill through. Various amendments have seen the immigration measures further tightened from when the bill was originally submitted, with the left accusing the government of caving in to pressure from the far right.

Le Pen endorsed the new version of the bill but key left-leaning members of Macron's Renaissance Party and allied factions indicated they could no longer support it, with several ministers reportedly threatening to resign. "We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the Rassemblement National, since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority," said Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN's lawmakers in Parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027.

The RN had previously said it would vote against the bill or abstain. French media dubbed her surprise move a "kiss of death" for Macron's party. The bill had been voted down without even being debated in the Assemblee Nationale last week, in a major blow to Macron. The upper-house Senat had earlier also passed the legislation, which then went through the lower house with 349 in favor and 186 against.

'Moment of dishonor'

A key element of the law is that social security benefits for foreigners will now be conditioned to five years of presence in France, or 30 months for those who have jobs. Migration quotas can also now be agreed and there are measures for dual-national convicts being stripped of French nationality as well.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Immigration bill: The French government pitted the people against Parliament

Prominent left-leaning Renaissance MP Sacha Houlie had said he would vote against the legislation and called on others to follow, with some sources saying that around 30 pro-Macron MPs would do so. In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Macron called a meeting of his party at the Elysee ahead of the vote, party sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP). According to a participant at the meeting, Macron said he would submit the bill to a new reading rather than promulgate it if it were passed only with the help of the votes from Le Pen's RN.

Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, Higher Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau and Housing Minister Patrice Vergriete met Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and warned they could resign. "The majority has stood together, the far right's plan has failed," Borne said on social media platform X after the vote. Rousseau delivered a letter of resignation on Tuesday evening to Borne, who did not say whether she would accept it, according to a ministerial source confirming a report by the daily Le Figaro.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin at the Assemblee Nationale on December 19, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, an ambitious 41-year-old who has spearheaded the legislation, had warned Sunday that Le Pen risked winning the 2027 presidential election if the bill were not passed. The left and hard left had reacted with horror to the prospect of the legislation being passed, with the head of Socialist lawmakers in the Assemblee Nationale, Boris Vallaud, calling it a "great moment of dishonor for the government".

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes France's interior minister weakened by political crisis over immigration bill

Dozens of NGOs slammed what they described as potentially the "most regressive" immigration law in decades. It is "the most regressive bill of the past 40 years for the rights and living conditions of foreigners, including those who have long been in France," around 50 groups including the French Human Rights League said in a joint statement. "With this text directly inspired by RN pamphlets against immigration, we are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values," French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes France's defender of rights: 'The immigration bill threatens the fundamental rights of foreigners'
THE RESTORATION of an iconic Limerick landmark could be on the cards as members of Limerick Council heard a motion for works to be carried out on a clock tower overlooking the docks.

The motion was brought before a meeting of the Limerick Metropolitan District by Councillor Sharon Benson who called for the Council to write to Shannon Foynes Port Company and encourage them to apply for funding through the Historic Structure Fund, for the renovation of the clock tower in Limerick Docks.

The clock, designed by the harbour engineer William J. Hall, was built in 1880 and is considered a protected structure.

The clock was a significant part of Limerick's history. A huge number of people have worked in the docks over the years. It is something that Limerick people are very proud of, said Cllr Benson.

So it is very disappointing to see it in this state of disrepair, she added.

According to Councillor Elisa ODonovan, who supported the motion, the clock was part of a set of plans launched, by the Shannon Foynes Port Company, called the Limerick Docklands Framework Strategy.

I would welcome the Council writing to the Shannon Foynes Port Company, and asking for an update on those plans, Cllr ODonovan said.
In the ever-evolving world of fashion, where trends come and go like the changing seasons, there emerges a style that boldly defies convention  the Punk Kilt. This rebellious garment has carved its niche in the fashion landscape, blending traditional Scottish heritage with the raw, anarchic spirit of punk. In this article, we will delve into the origins, evolution, and cultural impact of the Punk Kilt, exploring its journey from a symbol of rebellion to a celebrated fashion statement.

The Origins of Punk & the Kilt

To understand the Punk Kilt, we must first explore the roots of punk culture. Emerging in the 1970s, punk was a subculture that rejected mainstream norms and embraced anarchy, DIY ethos, and a distinctive fashion style. The punk movement was not merely a musical genre; it was a social and cultural revolution that sought to challenge the status quo. In this rebellious atmosphere, the kilt, a traditional Scottish garment, found an unexpected ally.

The fusion of these seemingly disparate elements gave birth to the Punk Kilt. Pioneered by bands like the Sex Pistols and individuals such as Vivienne Westwood, the punk movement adopted the kilt as a symbol of anti-establishment sentiments. Its unconventional pairing with punk accessories and motifs marked the beginning of a fashion revolution. The Punk Kilt was not merely a garment; it was a statement, a symbol of resistance against societal norms and a manifestation of the counterculture spirit.

Evolution of the Punk Kilt

As punk music and fashion spread globally, the Punk Kilt underwent various transformations. The 1980s, in particular, were a pivotal era for the Punk Kilt, as punk-inspired fashion became a mainstream trend. High-end designers, inspired by the audacious styles of punk icons, incorporated elements of rebellion into their collections. The kilt, once associated with traditional Scottish heritage, now became a canvas for self-expression and a symbol of defiance. During this period, the Punk Kilt began to transcend its initial associations with punk rock. The garment evolved into a versatile and iconic piece, attracting a diverse audience. Designers experimented with unconventional materials and bold patterns, pushing the boundaries of traditional Scottish aesthetics. The Punk Kilt was no longer confined to the rebellious subculture; it had become a symbol of liberation and individuality embraced by fashion enthusiasts worldwide.

Cultural Impact of the Punk Kilt

The Punk Kilt's cultural impact extends beyond the realm of fashion. It became a symbol of inclusivity, breaking gender norms and challenging societal expectations. The androgynous nature of the kilt blurred traditional distinctions between male and female attire, fostering a sense of freedom and self-expression. In addition to its gender-defying qualities, the Punk Kilt became a powerful symbol of cultural fusion. As it traveled from the streets of London to runways around the world, the kilt transcended its Scottish origins, symbolizing a global rebellion against conformity. This cultural amalgamation reflected the interconnectedness of diverse communities, proving that fashion could serve as a unifying force, breaking down barriers and celebrating diversity.

The Punk Kilt in Contemporary Fashion

Fast forward to the present day, and the Punk Kilt continues to make waves in the fashion industry. Modern designers and fashion enthusiasts reinterpret this iconic garment, infusing it with new life and meaning. Sustainable fashion movements have embraced the kilt as a canvas for eco-friendly designs, promoting a fusion of rebellious spirit and environmental consciousness. Celebrities and influencers, too, have played a crucial role in popularizing the Punk Kilt. From red carpet appearances to music festivals, the kilt has become a staple in the wardrobes of those unafraid to embrace a bold and unapologetic style. The Punk Kilt's resurgence in contemporary fashion speaks to its timeless appeal and its ability to adapt to changing cultural landscapes.

The Punk Kilt | A Symbol of Resistance

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the Punk Kilt remains a symbol of resistance. In an era where conformity often prevails, donning the Punk Kilt is a statement of individuality and a refusal to conform to societal expectations. The garment's history is a testament to the enduring spirit of rebellion that continues to inspire new generations. As we celebrate the Punk Kilt's journey, it is essential to acknowledge the ongoing efforts to preserve its authenticity and cultural significance. Communities dedicated to the garment's legacy organize events, exhibitions, and educational initiatives to ensure that its history and impact are not forgotten. The Punk Kilt, far from being a relic of the past, is a living testament to the power of fashion to transcend time, bridging generations and inspiring new forms of creative expression.

The Enduring Significance of the Punk Kilt

The enduring appeal of the Punk Kilt lies in its ability to weave a narrative that extends far beyond the seams of fabric. It is a symbol of resilience, a fashion rebellion that refuses to be confined by societal expectations or fleeting trends. In recent years, the Punk Kilt has become more than just a fashion statement; it has become a tool for activism and a reflection of contemporary social issues. Designers and wearers alike have embraced the Punk Kilt as a means of challenging societal norms and promoting inclusivity.

The garment's androgynous nature, once a symbol of punk rebellion, has evolved into a powerful statement against gender stereotypes and a celebration of gender fluidity. The resurgence of the Punk Kilt in activism and social movements is particularly evident in its adoption by marginalized communities. From LGBTQ+ activists to proponents of body positivity, individuals have embraced the Punk Kilt as a symbol of empowerment. Its history as a garment that defies conformity has made it a rallying point for those seeking to break free from societal expectations and embrace their authentic selves.

Moreover, the Punk Kilt has found a place in the dialogue surrounding sustainable fashion.

As the fashion industry grapples with its environmental impact, the Punk Kilt's adaptability and versatility make it a canvas for eco-conscious designs. Designers are incorporating recycled materials, promoting ethical production practices, and encouraging consumers to make mindful choices.

The Punk Kilt, once a symbol of rebellion against societal norms, has evolved into a sustainable fashion icon, reminding us that rebellion can take many forms, including advocating for a more sustainable and ethical industry.

In the realm of pop culture, the Punk Kilt continues to influence and inspire. Film and television productions frequently incorporate the garment as a visual cue for rebellion, independence, or a character's nonconformist attitude. The Punk Kilt's presence in popular media solidifies its status as an enduring symbol of counterculture, ensuring that its rebellious spirit reaches new audiences and generations.

As we celebrate the Punk Kilt's journey, it is essential to acknowledge the ongoing efforts to preserve its authenticity and cultural significance. Communities dedicated to the garment's legacy organize events, exhibitions, and educational initiatives to ensure that its history and impact are not forgotten. The Punk Kilt, far from being a relic of the past, is a living testament to the power of fashion to transcend time, bridging generations and inspiring new forms of creative expression.

Where Can You Buy a Kilt?

Elevate your style with authenticity by choosing Fashion Kilt as your go-to destination for premium kilts. Fashion Kilt proudly presents a vast collection of authentic kilts for sale , catering to those who appreciate the timeless charm and cultural significance of this traditional garment. Whether you're seeking a classic tartan design or a more contemporary twist, our extensive range ensures there's a kilt to suit every taste and occasion. With a commitment to quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, Fashion Kilt guarantees that each piece in our collection reflects the rich heritage of kilts while embracing modern trends. Explore our diverse selection and make a statement with a kilt that not only exudes style but also pays homage to tradition. Purchase your kilt from Fashion Kilt and step into a world where authenticity meets fashion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Punk Kilt's journey is a testament to the enduring power of rebellion, individuality, and the transformative nature of fashion. From its origins in the punk subculture to its present-day role as a symbol of activism, inclusivity, and sustainability, the Punk Kilt continues to challenge norms and redefine the boundaries of self-expression. As we navigate the ever-changing currents of fashion, the Punk Kilt remains an emblem of defiance, inviting us to embrace our authentic selves and resist the constraints of conformity. In the tapestry of fashion history, the Punk Kilt stands as a bold stroke, forever weaving the narrative of rebellion and resilience.

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GARDAI in the Ballymun district coordinated a search operation this Wednesday morning, targeting the use of illegal scramblers and quad bikes and reports of dangerous driving.

Search warrants were executed at nine properties in Ballymun by gardai attached to the Community Policing Unit, with assistance from the Divisional Drugs Unit, Divisional Task Force, and Finglas Community Policing Unit.

During the course of the search operation, 12 scramblers, four quad bikes and one motorbike was seized.

Following a number of recent attacks on dogs in the Ballymun district, four XL Bully dogs were also seized by gardai in collaboration with the Dublin City Council dog wardens.

An imitation firearm, a quantity of suspected crack cocaine and over 2,500 in cash was also seized by investigating gardai.

The Divisional Roads Policing Unit conducted rolling checkpoints throughout the day and a total of 13 vehicles were seized under the Road Traffic Act. A total of 25 fixed charge penalty notices were also issued.

Three persons were arrested for offences contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Public Order Act. Two people have since been charged to appear before court at a later date. One person was released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Garda Youth Diversion Bureau.

Investigations are ongoing.
Ikea said it faces delays and possible shortages of some products as shipping firms reroute cargo vessels away from the Red Sea following attacks by Houthi militants.

The Swedish flat-pack furniture giant said its looking for other options to secure the availability of its products, many of which normally pass through the body of water and the Suez Canal on their way from factories in Asia to Europe and other markets.

What we can share for now is that the situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain Ikea products," Oscar Ljunggren, a spokesperson for Inter Ikea Group, said in response to emailed questions.

The company remains in close dialogue with transportation providers to ensure the safety of people working in the Ikea value chain and to take all the necessary precautions to keep them safe," he said.

Also Read | US announces new task force to counter Houthi Red Sea threat

Ikea doesnt own container vessels, and the companys transportation partners manage all its shipments, Ljunggren said. The company declined to disclose details on shipments or products that are moved through the Suez Canal, citing safety and competitive reasons.

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The Starbucks chief executive said protesters vandalizing its stores over the Israel-Hamas war have the wrong impression of the company and its beliefs.

In an annual company letter to workers, Laxman Narasimhan addressed controversies surrounding the coffee chain since the war broke out in October. The letter seeks to remove the company from the controversy caused in part by comments seen as pro-Palestinian by the workers union.

Many of our stores have experienced incidents of vandalism. We see protestors influenced by misrepresentation on social media of what we stand for. We have worked with local authorities to ensure our partners and customers are safe," Narasimhan said in the letter.

The reverberations of the Israel-Hamas conflict continue to play out in many Americans lives, and present a tricky issue for companies to navigate. Many company leaders are refraining from public stances on the conflict given the complex history between Israel and the Palestinians, and a fear that a misstatement could cause offense.

After the war broke out in early October, Starbucks Workers United and local affiliates of the union organizing some of the chains U.S. stores expressed support for Palestinians in social-media posts online. The posts, many now deleted, prompted calls from some Jewish leaders to boycott Starbucks as a whole.

Starbucks has since sought to clarify its own position, saying it disagrees with the views expressed by Workers United and that it condemns acts of terrorism and violence. It also sued the union in October, alleging trademark infringement and demanding the union stop using its name and logos. The association with the union was damaging its reputation and putting its workers in harms way, Starbucks said.

Starbucks shares have fallen over 6% in the past month.

Starbucks Workers United countersued, saying the company had defamed the union in its response. Starbucks Workers United represented around 370 of Starbuckss 9,650 stores as of earlier this month.

Narasimhan, the companys CEO since March, said Tuesday that he is concerned about the state of the world and conflicts embroiling it. It has unleashed violence against the innocent, hate and weaponized speech, and liesall of which we condemn," Narasimhan said.

The companys goal next year is to improve the companys culture for its workers. We do a lot, but we are not perfect," he said.

Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com

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On 25 March, the fight to save Go Airlines (India) Ltd finally landed before Michael Lee, an emergency arbitrator in Singapore.

Talks between the Indian company, which ran the airline Go First, and American engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, had ended in a deadlock. The engine maker did not replace or provide spare engines for the faulty ones, crippling the low-cost carriers operations, Go Airlines held. By March, half of the airlines fleet of 54 Airbus 320 (neos) were grounded.

Nusli Wadia, the 79-year-old chairman of the Wadia Group, which owned Go Airlines, logged in for the virtual hearing, along with Varun Berry, the former chairman of Go Airlines. Pratt & Whitney was represented by Hendrick Rick Deurloo, president of the companys Commercial Engines division.

The organization will fall apart," Wadia told the arbitrator.

Besides quick delivery of the engines, he wanted Pratt & Whitney to award $416 million to the carrier, on account of the losses it had incurred. The engine maker, apparently, had compensated InterGlobe Aviation, Indias largest airline company, for similar engine failures. InterGlobe Aviation runs IndiGo.

The engines in dispute are called Gear Turbo Fan (GTF) enginesthey have a gear box between the fan and a low-pressure shaft. This design results in lower fuel consumption and is also less noisy compared to other engines. IndiGo is the only other Indian airline that operates Airbus 320 (neos) with GTF engines.

We understand that financial relief is being provided to our competitor because they said so on their investor call," Wadia told Lee. I would look for some relief, financial relief, to help us along the way for the next six months".

Lee saw merit in Wadias plea but only partially. He directed Pratt &Whitney to supply 10 serviceable engines within a month and provide 10 engines, every month, until December 2023. But the arbitrator did not ask the engine maker to compensate Go Airlines for the losses it incurred.

Pratt &Whitney, part of the Raytheon group, the worlds largest aerospace and defense manufacturer, maintained that the airline wanted to jump the queue (ignore the companys other customers) in terms of engine delivery.

Whatever the reason, the engines never arrived and Wadias fears came true. 37 days later, on 2 May, Go Airlines filed for voluntary insolvency with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in New Delhi.

View Full Image Go First revenues

The engine trouble was the last straw that broke the proverbial camels back. The company had already hit an air pocket and was shaky because of internal problems. Jehangir (Jeh) Wadia, Nusli Wadias son, who had been the managing director (since December 2017), stepped down in March 2021 over differences with his father, leaving the carrier without an astute boss.

Then, Go Airlines was unable to raise money through a public issue of shares. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had initially held back from giving its nodthe market regulator was unhappy with accounting practices at a group company. When Sebi finally green-lighted the IPO, the markets, globally, had started diving, and the company did not go public. Finally, the covid-19 pandemic made things worse.

Meanwhile,the Indian skies have been getting busier. Another low-cost airline, Akasa Air, started flying in August 2022. Air India, under the Tata Group, has placed a record 470 aircraft order. Go Airlines, even without the engine troubles, ran the risk of sliding into insignificance.

Wadias reasoning made before the mediator and the companys filings in a Delaware court in the US succinctly tells the tale of the carriers fall over the last one year. This story stitches these submissions; some of this havent been reported until now.

The backstory

How did the dispute between Go Airlines and Pratt &Whitney start? Let us step back.

The airline started operations in November 2005, about nine months ahead of IndiGo. Back then, the brand was known as GoAir.

While Lufthansa was the first airline to operate Airbus 320 (neos) with GTF engines, IndiGo and Go Airlines were the second and third carriers to use these engines, globally.

For the first six years, Go Airlines was conservative, only operating a fleet of 10 Airbus 320 aircraft. However, beginning June 2011, the company turned aggressiveit placed an order for 144 Airbus 320 family aircraft.

Pratt &Whitneys GTF engines were picked over CFM Internationals engines. CFM is a 50:50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines. Larger rivals, Air India and Vistara, power their Airbus 320 (neos) with CFM engines.

View Full Image Go First crisis

Go Airlines went with GTF engines because they are more fuel efficient and promised lower operational costs. Significantly, Pratt &Whitney agreed to finance the pre-delivery payments to be made to Airbus for the aircraft, according to court filings reviewed by Mint.

In the sale and leaseback (SLB) model of financing aircraft purchase, an airline has to make about 30% of the cost of the plane (varies depending on the order size and negotiations) as pre-delivery payment. Normally, airlines take bridge loans to fund these payments.

While the financial deal looked favourable for Go Airlines, engine troubles soon surfaced.

Premature degradation

Aircraft with the GTF engines were inducted into Go Airlines fleet in mid-2016. Within four months, in September 2016, an engine had to be removed because of faults. This problem was not limited to Go Airlines and recurred with carriers globally. Put simply, the engines degraded prematurely, causing shutdowns and failure.

Between 2016 and February 2023, Go Airlines carried out 289 engine changes (removal of a failed engine to replace it with a serviceable engine) and 221 engine swaps (removal of a serviceable engine from a grounded aircraft to install it on a second aircraft), the airline said in the court filing.

The number of Go Airlines aircraft grounded due to engine issues averaged 30.5% in 2020; 25.6% in 2021; 33.9% in 2022.

From 1 January 2020 to 28 February 2023, there were 17,244 aircraft on ground daysthe cumulative number of days during which an aircraft is grounded and cannot fly across the airlines fleet of first batch aircraft.

As of March, 28 of the airlines first batch aircraft (52% of its total fleet) were grounded because the airline does not have sufficient serviceable GTF engines. Of the 144 Airbus 320 (neo) family aircraft ordered, the first 72 were internally referred to as the first batch.

Unofficial estimates suggest that about 85 Airbus 320 (neos) and 48 Airbus 321 (neos), fitted with the GTF engines from Pratt &Whitney, are grounded across the globe, including India.

Analysts Mint spoke to said that the problem is not one of supply chain; it has to do with the quality of the engine.

Pratt &Whitney-GTF issues, at the moment, plague Lufthansa, IndiGo, ANA, Hong Kong Express, Turkish Airlines, Air Senegal, United Airlines, Jet Blue, Swiss Air and Air Baltic as much as it does Go Air. It is high time Pratt & Whitney got mature enough to take a firm step and discontinue the GTF series engine for good," said Mark Martin, founder and CEO at Martin Consulting, an aviation consultancy firm.

The groundings impacted Go Airlines marketshare. It had a 9.8% domestic share in October 2021, with 2,290 departures per week for the 2021 winter schedule. The market share fell to 7% in October 2022. When it filed for insolvency, the airline had a share of 6.8%. Market share drops also underline a hit to its finances and the capability to service payments. According to estimates, Go Airlines owes various creditors about 11,000 crore.

A very big gap

Wadia, before the arbitrator, explained the companys losses.

Right now, we are losing $25 million a month," he said when asked on the number of engines the airline needed to keep itself afloat for six months.

Its a very big gap. Our turnover, our revenue would be in the order of $150 million. Currently, its in the order of $64 million. That gap is of $86 million. You (airline/prompters) are bearing 100% of all costs," he added.

Wadia further brought up a human resources issue, which is linked to the airline flying again.

I have got 57% of my pilots sitting on the ground and they are very expensive people," he said. So, I have another threat. If peoplemy employees, my pilots and othersdont see relief coming, they will leave the airline. If the relief comes too late, I wont have the pilots, I wont have the organization. So, the number of engines and the speed of that is critical for our existence for the next six months," he argued.

Go Airlines stated that the financial impact on Pratt & Whitney will be minimum  a rounding error"even when it compensates for the non-delivery of engines.

A person close to the airlines earlier management said that the company was forced to opt for the Singapore arbitration after Pratt & Whitneys decision to suspend maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) operations from May 2022, and after a recent proposal in February 2023 to induct no more than two to three engines per month.

In a clarification to Mint, Pratt & Whitney said that the allegation that it is responsible for Go Airlines financial condition is without merit and the company will vigorously defend itself and pursue its own legal recourse. It is important to note that the current worldwide supply chain issues, durability enhancements, the earlier upgrades made to the GTF, and a business dispute with Go First are separate, and cannot be clubbed together as engine issues," the company stated. This is a commercial and contractual dispute, now under litigation, the company added.

View Full Image Go First data

Analysts, meanwhile, say that the airlines problems are due to its dependence on one engine and that the engine maker is more at fault than the airline. Unlike IndiGo, which hit critical mass with its fleet around 2013, with the stable CFM-installed Airbus A320, GoAirs over-dependence on a single type of engine (PW-GTF) led to this disaster," said Martin.

Survival chances

The airlines appeal for insolvency has been admitted by the NCLT court in Delhi and an Interim Resolution Professional (IRP)Abhilash Lalhas been appointed to run the airline.

Government officials told Mint they are hopeful that the airline will return to the skies, based on their interaction with the new management under the IRP.

It is imperative for the aviation industry in India that the airline restarts. The IRP-led management (RP Lal and operational staff) has given us hope of a resumption," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

The airline company under the new management, for now, has not given a firm date to restart operations to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indias aviation regulator. Some say that the airline could restart in June but no firm proposal has been submitted to the regulator yet.

Nonetheless, the DGCA has sought a comprehensive flights resumption plan within 30 days. The airline has been asked to furnish the availability status of operational aircraft fleet, maintenance arrangements, required technical staff, pilots and other personnel.

But like Wadia feared, retaining people would be the next challenge. The companys employees are already looking for jobs elsewhere, one employee Mint spoke to, said. The experience of the defunct Jet Airways, which failed to take off even after finding a buyer, doesnt give them much confidence. Aviation jobs, however, are booming, with both Air India and IndiGo planning international and domestic expansion. The 6,000-odd employees of Go Airlines, therefore, remain hopeful.
New Delhi: Bharti Airtel chief executive Gopal Vittal has hailed the governments decision to administratively allocate spectrum for satellite broadband as well as backhaul spectrum used for connecting cell sites. Satellite and backhaul spectrum to be given as administrative allotment is game-changing and aligned with global standards," Vittal said, even as Lok Sabha passed the Telecommunications Bill 2023 through a voice vote on Wednesday.

Satellite broadband will provide coverage in the remotest areas and would complement terrestrial networks, Vittal said in an interview. The technology of satellite connectivity coming directly to smartphones, which would have otherwise led to competition with existing networks and required auction of access spectrum, was still a decade away, he said.

He further noted that reforms in the licensing framework, spectrum harmonization, rationalization of penalties and right of way becoming part of statute in the new telecom bill, will pave way for better quality of service for consumers as telecom would be considered as an essential service.

Bharti Airtel will distribute OneWebs satellite broadband services in India, which are expected to launch next year. Sunil Mittal-promoted Bharti Enterprises, the parent of Bharti Airtel, is a stakeholder in OneWeb, which has now merged with France-headquartered Eutelsat Communications to create Eutelsat OneWeb.

The top boss at Indias second largest telecom carrier said that the provisions in the bill that propose to take over telecom networks in case of emergencies such as war were not controversial. Its always been there. Its there in most parts of the world as well, in case of a national emergency or exigency. Its part of our licence today also," he said.

On Wednesday, some members of Parliament raised the issue of the level of temporary takeover" of telecom networks and sought clarity from the government on the instances when this would be justified. Some, like the Internet Society, an American non-profit advocacy group, feel that the bill does not make an explicit distinction between traditional telecom services that use spectrum, and Internet-based services deployed over the general-purpose Internet, thus leaving the door open for regulating Internet-based services.

On whether Airtels own OTT app, cloud, and other services that are offered on top of the mobile service would need to be segregated into separate companies to adhere to the new regulations, Vittal said that no such segregation would be needed since the services were already segregated by their respective licences. It is now clarified that there are licence activities on which a licence fee is payable and non-licence activities on which theres no licence fee. We dont have it segregated because whatever revenue we generate on each of our licences, were clearly able to segregate it (by licence)," he said.

However, he reiterated the need for a level playing field with OTT players that do not face the same set of regulations that telecom service providers and direct-to-home (DTH) players are subject to, which creates regulatory arbitrage. It has to be same service, same rules. Thats one point weve been making, because this is one of the reasons the DTH industry is under tremendous pressure," he said. Airtel has a DTH play through Airtel Digital TV, which uses satellite connectivity for broadcasting TV content.

Vittal also said OTT players, especially the large four-five companies that generate large traffic, should give a fair share" of revenues to the telecom players, as they end up hogging a lot of the investment that has been made on networks". It would keep Indian tariffs at an affordable level. Thats really the point," he said.

He advocated the need for telecom service tariffs to go up as well such that return on capital employed can rise for telcos and the investments made into networks, now largely for data consumption, can be recouped.
Iced drinks topped with cold foam and added energy shots and fruit flavors have hooked high-school students, social-media influencers and now, some of the worlds biggest fast-food chains.

McDonalds this month launched CosMcs, a new takeout-oriented restaurant concept heavy on customizable drinks like Churro Frappes and Pomegranate Hibiscus Slush.

Taco Bell in December started testing blended iced coffee with flavors like Mexican Chocolate, along with shakes topped with cold foam and churro crumbles. Jack in the Box boasted that it is one of the first fast-food chains to serve drinks with tapioca pearls, or boba, with a national launch in November.

Chains known for burgers and burritos have set their sights on consumers willingness to spend on what goes into their cups, which can be more lucrative than fast food. Pink Drink, Iced Shaken Espresso and other novelty beverages have helped to deliver record sales for Starbucks in recent years, with syrups, foams and other drink additions generating $1 billion in annual U.S. sales alone.

Dutch Bros, 7 Brew and other new chains are also riding the beverage wave with cold brew and vibrantly colored energy drinks, along with higher profit margins than many fast-food chains.

Its a huge market for sure," McDonalds Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said. McDonalds currently does business in beverage and snacks, but it could do more given the size of the opportunity, he said.

Gen Z, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, are more interested in new drinks than other generations, according to companies and surveys.

An estimated 62% of Gen Z consumers reported trying a new beverage in the past month, outpacing their tendency to sample new packaged-goods products, recipes or restaurants, polling firm Morning Consult found earlier this year in a survey of 1,000 people between the ages of 13 and 25.

Gen Z consumers, now numbering in the tens of millions, have powered the drinks trend by posting brightly hued beverages on TikTok, and many consider the drinks a daily must-have.

Its easy to form an obsession," said Sophia Khorsandi, a 15-year-old student from Atlanta who visits Starbucks, Dunkin and other chains roughly five times a week for drinks and snacks. Her habit costs around $240 a month: These chain restaurants have got me in quite the chokehold."

Younger people are really into beverages. They are moving away from soda and finding alternatives in other sectors," Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim said. The 1,300-unit beverage chain is partnering with social-media influencers and rolling out new flavors to try to attract younger consumers, Kim said.

Sales at specialty coffee, beverage and snack chains are growing faster than many food-focused restaurant concepts, according to market research firm Technomic. Beverage and snack-chain sales grew 14.3% in 2022 compared with the year prior, and those at coffee shops increased 13.2%, Technomic said. Burgers delivered higher sales overall last year, but they grew 4.7% during the time period.

Beverage-focused chains often deliver higher margins than food-oriented restaurants, as they typically have a smaller footprint and require less labor, chain executives said. Starbucks and Dutch Bros cafes averaged a higher return on investment last year than Wendys, Dominos Pizza or McDonalds locations owned by the company, according to figures from BofA Securities.

McDonalds has wanted to get into specialty beverages for some time, but it didnt want to gunk up the works" in its namesake restaurants, Kempczinski said. The CEO, who said he is partial to one of CosMcs lemonades, said McDonalds has gotten in trouble in the past when dabbling with other food categories in its existing restaurants.

The companys new business ventures team drew up plans for CosMcs and opened its first test site in a Chicago suburb within about a year, he said. That location opened earlier this month to long lines of curiosity seekers buying $5.39 medium Berry Hibiscus Sour-ade drinks and bags of three filled doughnuts for $3.79.

McDonalds executives have characterized CosMcs as a test, but some Wall Street analysts still view it as a possible threat to other beverage-oriented chains.

Joseph Valle, a 21-year-old Bolingbrook, Ill., resident, spent about $50 at CosMcs on a Blueberry Ginger Boost, Churro Frappe, a Strawberry & Cookie McFlurry and a Cold Brew, along with breakfast sandwiches and Pretzel Bites. After a nearly two-hour wait, the first thing he sampled after exiting CosMcs drive-through was the Churro Frappe.

Its really good. It tastes just like a churro," Valle said, after taking a sip through a tall dome of whipped cream.

Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com
A series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea have been reported since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, sparking fears of global supply-chain disruptions. On November 21, Galaxy Leader, an Israeli cargo vessel en route from Turkey to India, was hijacked in the Middle Eastern sea with 25 people on board by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

This disruption is significant as approximately 12 percent of global shipping traffic navigates through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets," AP quoted the rebels as saying. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis' chief negotiator and spokesman, said in a statement that the Israelis only understand the language of force".

The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in waging the sea battle, regardless of its costs and costs," he added. This is the beginning."

Also Read | Israel-Hamas war Day 75 - 10 Updates: Baby girl, born during war, died in Israeli airstrike; Hezbollah rockets attacked

Several media reports have indicated that the ship is under the ownership of Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham Rami" Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel citing ownership details in public shipping databases.

Earlier, a spokesperson of Houthi rebels called on other countries to withdraw their citizens from Israeli vessels. The rebels are believed to be getting training, technical expertise, and increasingly sophisticated weapons  including drones, ballistic and cruise missiles  from Iran.

The attacks have continued and on December 3, three commercial vessels  including two Israeli ships the Unity Explorer and Number 9, were attacked by the Houthis via drone and missile.

Building Pressure

Saudi Arabia on December 7 asked the United States to show restraint in responding to attacks by Yemen's Houthis against ships in the Red Sea, two sources told Reuters, adding that Riyadh seeks to contain spillover from the Hamas-Israel war.

Riyadh, the world's top oil exporter, has watched with alarm as Houthi missiles have been fired over its territory. "They pressed the Americans about this and why the Gaza conflict should stop," one of the sources said.

The Houthi attacks during the Hamas-Israel war have elevated their profile in the Iran-aligned camp which also includes Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

Also Read: Gaza is making oil and gas markets twitchier

The Houthis have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

Senior sources in the Iran-aligned camp told Reuters the Houthi attacks were part of an effort to put pressure on Washington to get Israel to halt the Gaza offensive, a goal that Iran shares with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.

Impact on commercial operations

Oil industry giant BP Plc has decided to pause all oil tanker shipments through the Red Sea as the Houthis escalate their attacks against merchant shipping vessels. In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea," the company said in a statement.

Other shipping companies to take this measure include AP Moller-Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.

Leading global shipper Maersk on December 19 said all its vessels bound for the Red Sea are being re-routed for safety reasons. We have faith that a solution enabling a return to use the Suez Canal and transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will be introduced shortly, but at this time it remains difficult to determine exactly when this will be," Maersk said in a client advisory.

Evading the Red Sea implies that vessels are unable to utilise Egypt's Suez Canal, compelling them to take the extensive route around Africa. This elongates voyages by thousands of miles, causes delays in cargo deliveries, and results in increased fuel expenses. Additionally, this circumstance heightens the demand for vessels.

Also Read: The Houthi assault on global shipping

A company managing 44,000 seafarers previously indicated that it was recommending ship owners explore options other than the Red Sea.

"We believe that the decision to avoid the Red Sea route for crude/product cargoes will increase transport time and may put further upward pressure on freight rates if this condition persists," Massimo Bonisoli, an analyst at Equita, said.

In terms of stocks meanwhile, shipping shares experienced an upswing on various European stock exchanges following an escalation in assaults by Houthi insurgents.

The investors are wagering on the possibility of an extended disturbance to the critical passage, which facilitates East-West trade without the time and cost associated with circumnavigating Africa. This speculation is driven by the expectation that such a disruption could lead to an increase in shipping rates.

Oil prices back on high

On December 20, global benchmark Brent held above $79 a barrel after rising more than 3 percent in the previous two sessions. West Texas Intermediate was steady near $74, Bloomberg reported.

Oil prices witnessed a substantial rise on December 19, building upon the momentum from the preceding session. The uptick followed attacks by Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea.

According to a Reuters report, Brent crude saw an increase of 71 cents, or 0.9 percent, reaching $78.66 per barrel by 1512 GMT. The US West Texas Intermediate crude for January, set to expire on December 19, rose by 88 cents to $73.35. Meanwhile, the more active February contract gained 94 cents, reaching $73.75.

Also Read: A Suez canal crisis threatens the world economy

On December 18, crude oil experienced an almost 2 percent uptick following an assault on a Norwegian-owned vessel.

Ships see rising costs, later delivery dates

"Ships are now being re-routed via the Cape of Good Hope, but not only will this add up to 10 days sailing time, it will cost up to $1 million extra in fuel for every round trip between the Far East and North Europe," Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Indian exporters are also staring at a rise in shipping costs as freight lines are forced to avoid the Suez Canal and take a longer route around Africa to reach the West. Experts noted that the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope could increase shipping time between Mundra and Rotterdam by a third, with freight rates also likely to go up.

An estimated $200 billion worth of Indian exports flows every year through the key waterway connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. With the Suez Canal becoming unusable, Indias exports of manufactured goods including automotive parts, agricultural products, chemicals, textile and readymade garments, and pharmaceutical products are likely to be affected.

Decision of several shipping lines to avoid Red Sea and go through Cape of Good Hope shall disrupt trade, causing delays and incremental costs," Shashi Kiran Shetty, founder and chairman, of Allcargo Logistics, said.

Considering the macroeconomic environment, the freight rates may not go up much due to the limited capacity for trade to absorb. However, longer transit time will impact sailing schedules and service reliability, causing delays. Should shipping lines decide to use the Red Sea, there may still be an impact, as war surcharge may increase, leading to higher costs, Shetty said.

There are alternative views too though. While the assaults on shipping have heightened the risk premium, some analysts have observed that these incidents are unlikely to significantly disrupt the supply chain.

"The actual effect on oil flows is likely to be limited. The attacks have not hit anything that would interfere with production," said John Evans of oil broker PVM.

Goldman Sachs analysts have expressed that the disturbance is unlikely to significantly impact crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices. This is attributed to the availability of opportunities to redirect vessels, indicating that production should not be directly hampered.

Ukraine War re-route of goods adds strain

According to the US Energy Information Administration, energy shipments through this route accounted for 12 percent of total seaborne oil trade in the first half of 2023 and 8 percent of global trade in liquefied natural gas, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Notably, the Ukraine war has made the Suez Canal, where ships enter the Red Sea from the north, busier than it used to be. From January through November, 4.72 million barrels of oil a day moved southbound through the canal on average, a 46 percent increase on the same period of 2022, according to data from Commodities at Sea by S&P Global.

Traffic has picked up because sanctioned Russian oil cargoes have found new markets. Vessels that traditionally went to Europe or the US now travel south through the canal to Asia. Indias imports of Russian crude oil, including Kazakh grades, have risen to 1.63 million barrels a day this year compared with just 97,300 during the same period of prewar 2021.

If the route becomes riskier to navigate, it will be a headache for Moscow but also for the EU.

US announces new task force to counter Houthi threat

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new maritime task force intended to protect commercial vessels traveling through the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi militants, as per a Bloomberg report.

The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law," Austin said in a statement on December 18. This is an international challenge that demands collective action."

Austin said the countries involved in the new task force  dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian  include the US, the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain. It will be run under the umbrella of a pre-existing grouping in the region, the Combined Maritime Forces, and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on the Red Sea.

(With inputs from various Agencies)

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Yemen's Houthi group have launched attacks, using drones and missiles, on commercial ships at the southern end of the Red Sea. This has prompted many companies to suspend all Red Sea shipping transits. As a consequence, global oil prices continue their rise and the shares of firms transporting everything  from manufactured goods to oil and commodities  are driving up.

But who are these Houthi rebels attacking ships in the Red Sea, what do they want? Let's take a deep dive into the crisis:

Who are Houthi militants?

Houthi rebels are backed by Iran. They seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a grinding war. They are formally known as Ansar Allah, or the partisans of God." As of now, the Yemeni rebel group controls the west of the country, including its Red Sea coast, the Guardian reported.

In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition tried to restore Yemens exiled, internationally recognized government to power. After years of "bloody, inconclusive" fighting against the Saudi-led coalition, a stalemated proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran caused widespread hunger and misery in Yemen, the Associated Press reported. The war killed more than 1,50,000 people, including fighters and civilians.

Since then, Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels have done some prisoner swaps. A Houthi delegation was also invited to high-level peace talks in Riyadh in September as part of a wider detente the kingdom has reached with Iran. While they reported positive results," there is still no permanent peace, the Associated Press reported.

Why are Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting ships?

Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea to show support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel's military offensive in Hams-ruled Gaza continues since October 7.

The Houthi group has reportedly vowed to continue operations targeting Israeli ships or vessels headed to Israeli ports. The Houthis stepped up the attacks on November 19, starting with the seizure of the Galaxy Leader.

What do Houthi rebels want?

Houthi military spokesman Brig. General Yahya Saree was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the group wants to "prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden) until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops".

According to AFP, the Houthi rebels also vowed to "continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports... from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas" until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.

Where Houthi rebels have been targeting exactly?

The Red Sea is the world's main East-West trade route. It lies south of the Suez Canal. Now, the Houthi attacks have made reaching the Suez Canal more perilous. They have disrupted a key trade route that links Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal.

At the southern end of the Red Sea is a narrow strait of water between Djibouti and Yemen: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This is the area that the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been targeting, the Guardian explained.

What has happened after Houthi attacks?

1. Recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced plans to set up a multinational coalition to safeguard Red Sea shipping called Operation Prosperity Guardian. However, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi warned that the group would start firing missiles at US warships if Washington got more involved in its affairs or targeted Yemen, Reuters reported.

2. A UK-owned ship passing through the Red Sea was reportedly hit by rocket fire, with another agency reporting possible drone activity in the area. The rebels recently claimed to have attacked two "Israeli-linked" vessels in the Red Sea.

3. Following the attacks, some ships have been diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, on the southern tip of Africa. This increased their journey time by up to two weeks. Some have halted operations in the area British energy giant BP halted all shipments of oil and gas through the Red Sea. Besides this, Danish shipping giant Maersk, one of the world's largest shipping companies, said last week it was suspending their vessels' passage through a key Red Sea strait following attacks by Yemeni rebels on merchant ships.

4. Insurance risk premiums for sailing through high-risk areas are also rising.

5. In a recent conversation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the need to protect shipping and the global economy from attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

How will consumers be affected?

Oil and fossil gas prices rose after British energy giant BP said it suspended all Red Sea shipping transits. Analysts have maintained that energy costs are likely to rise further if the attacks on vessels continue and more oil companies halt shipments through the Red Sea.

Global oil benchmark Brent hovered near $80 a barrel on Wednesday, December 12, amid jitters over global trade disruption and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following attacks on ships by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, shipping companies have two choices  to face the risk of travelling through the Red Sea and the increased insurance costs that it brings  or divert their vessels, the Guardian reported. Both these choices carry the risk of higher costs and the risk of delays.

How important is the Red Sea

About 8 per cent of the worlds crude transits through the Suez Canal, Bloomberg reported. As much as 8.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and oil products traversed the Red Sea over January-November, Reuters reported while citing analytics firm Vortexa.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) Tuesday asked universities and colleges across the country to integrate voter education and electoral literacy in their curricular framework, and evolve a robust mechanism to fulfil the aspirational goal of the Election Commission of India (ECI) of handing over voter IDs to every eligible student, organise mock polls and administer a pledge to vote by students.

The UGC wrote to the Vice Chancellors of all Universities and principals of all colleges across the country informing them that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Education and Election Commission on November 2, 2023 to incorporate voter education and electoral literacy formally into the University/ and College education system to prepare future and new voters for greater electoral participation under the SVEEP programme.

The ECI is implementing its flagship programme called Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) that aims at universal and enlightened participation of all eligible citizens in elections inter alia by addressing urban and youth apathy. Continuous Electoral and Democracy Education (CEDE) is an important component of SVEEP strategy which needs to be formalised and grounded in the school and higher education system in order to motivate future voters for greater electoral participation that would enable them to be responsible citizens who take pride in being a part of our democratic system in an informed manner with a sense of duty and purpose to strengthen our democracy," the UGC circular read.

The higher education regulator also shared a list of activities to be carried out under the MoU, and requested the universities and colleges to disseminate the information and take necessary steps to take up the suggested activities mentioned for deepening the spirit of democracy in the country".

The activities suggested in the circular include:

Integrate voter education and electoral literacy appropriately in the curricular framework for all colleges and universities in a manner and to the extent of credit and hours suitable for different disciplines.

Training of teachers in imparting electoral literacy in the classrooms

The universities and colleges have been asked to develop an institutional framework for using anonymised and aggregated UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education), All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) and other databases of students who have attained I7+ years of age with due regard to data privacy and protection with a view to facilitating online voter registration of eligible and prospective students, the UGC said

Evolve a robust mechanism to fulfil the aspirational goal of ECI to hand over the Voter ID card to every student of the country immediately after their attaining the age of 18 years," the Commission said.

Include Electoral Literacy in the curriculum for adult literacy and basic education, develop educational content on electoral processes for life-long learning and make electoral literacy an integrated component of life-long education.

Organise mobilisation campaigns and participatory activities in schools/colleges, administer a pledge to vote by students, organise mock polls, EVM-WPAT demonstrations, information about ECI mobile apps, and conduct competitions for electoral education and outreach.

The higher education institutions have been asked to organise intensive activities on the occasion of the National Voters Day, celebrated on January 25th, and undertake voter awareness drives by students during election time.

The commission further asked the higher education institutions to devise a system of credits for students taking part in CEDE to pursue higher studies

Implement the above-mentioned activities and issue necessary directions to all the Universities / Colleges for making it an integral part of the routine functioning of their relevant authorities and personnel. Report and document action taken and lessons learnt in the matter and appropriately disseminate success stories," the Commission added.

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What would have been the first trial stemming from the 2017 racist torch-bearing march at the University of Virginia has been delayed by the defendants move to oust the prosecutor.

William Henry Fears IV, a 36-year-old resident of Pasadena, Texas, had been slated for a three-day jury trial to begin Dec. 18, but his pending challenge to the prosecution means there wont be any movement in his case until January at the earliest.

Defendant has joined the motion to recuse the Commonwealths Attorney that has been filed by three other defendants, Fears attorney, Bryan Jones, wrote in a recent motion requesting a hearing.

Fears joins a growing number of defendants asserting that they cant get a fair trial from the Albemarle County commonwealths attorneys office because the lead prosecutor has an improper bias.

The cases hinge on Virginias fire-as-intimidation statute, sometimes called its cross-burning statute as it was first introduced to target chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. More than half a century later after it was made law, the commonwealth is using that statute to target the men who participated in the 300-strong, torch-bearing mob that marched across UVa Grounds on Aug. 11, 2017, the night before the largest public gathering of White nationalists in decades.

The planned Unite the Right rally drew international condemnation, initially for its racist chants and later for a murderous car attack on counterprotesters. A local anti-racist activist named Heather Heyer died after being struck by a car driven by avowed neo-Nazi James Fields of Ohio, who was later convicted of murder as well as federal hate crimes.

The four defendants trying to disqualify the prosecutors office claim that Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Lawton Tufts attended at least two left-wing protests, publicly bragged about fighting Nazis and served as a pre-rally liaison between anti-racist activists and law enforcement.

In a related move, at least two defendants have already succeeded in pushing the judges of the 16th Judicial Circuit, Claude Worrell and Cheryl Higgins, from their cases. Both judges recused themselves after those defendants alleged that Worrell was too close to the weekends events because his wife, a UVa nurse, has been an outspoken opponent of White nationalism and because Worrell himself reported the 2017 mob to the police.

Retired Judge Richard E. Moore has been tapped to oversee the case against Augustus Sol Invictus of Orlando, Florida, and retired Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. has been tapped to oversee the charge against Jacob Joseph Dix of Clarksville, Ohio. The court records show no decision yet in the judge-recusal requests by Fears or another one by Ryan Roy of Enosburg Falls, Vermont.

Fears gained notoriety on the morning of Unite the Right for a startling statement he made to the counterprotesters who had briefly stolen his flag.

Shoot me, Fears shouted. Fire the first shot of the race war, baby.

Texas prison records show that Fears has a criminal history that includes two violent convictions, one for aggravated kidnapping after reportedly abducting a female acquaintance at knifepoint. At the time of his arrest on the Albemarle charge, Fears was serving a five-year term on another charge: domestic assault.

Since June 23, Fears has been housed in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. His younger brother, Colton Gene Fears, was also charged for participating in the torch-bearing mob in 2017, but the younger brother was granted bail after he pleaded guilty in October and has not been sentenced.

Padrick has scheduled a hearing on a motion to recuse the Albemarle prosecutors on Jan. 8.

In all, at least 10 men have been indicted for the 2017 march. Four men have pleaded guilty, and at least three of them have fulfilled their six-month sentences.
As activists and diplomats first assembled in Dubai for Cop28, the UNs climate summit, a fortnight ago, the chances of significant progress seemed slim. War had returned to the Middle East and the geopolitical order was fragmenting. The choice of the summits host countrythe United Arab Emirates, one of the worlds leading petrostatesand its chairman, Sultan al-Jaber, the head of its national oil company, threatened to turn the event into a giant exercise in greenwashing.

Instead, Cop28 defied the pessimists. For the first time the world has agreed to move away from the coal, oil and natural gas that are the principal causes of global warming. The 198 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed on a text that called for a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner".

Some will be disappointed at the compromises made. The Europeans had hoped to agree to phase out" fossil fuels entirely, to which fossil-fuel producers refused to sign up. Small island countries say their voices were not heard. The deal states that only unabated" coal power will be phased down, leaving the option of the dirtiest fuel continuing to be burnt as long as its emissions are captured at source. Nonetheless, the document is an important, and realistic, step forward.

The call to phase out fossil fuels was both politically naive and economically unfeasible. COP operates by consensus, meaning that the big petrostates had a veto on any deal. Moreover, fossil fuels are likely to remain part of the energy mix for decades to come. Even optimistic forecasts suggest a substantial role for oil and gas, balanced by technologies that remove their greenhouse-gas emissions, in scenarios for the world to achieve net zero by 2050. Although clean energy has made vast strides, it is unlikely to displace fossil fuels fully by then.

Climate diplomacy also proved to be more potent than the pessimists had expected. Mr al-Jaber proved keener to ensure a negotiating success for his country than to distort the process to favour its economic interests. An early pledge from 50 oil companies, including Mr al-Jabers firm, to reduce their emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, suggests that there were some benefits to an oilman running the show.

An agreement between America and China ahead of the summit helped lay the groundwork. It meant that the two largest polluters and geopolitical rivals together pressed for restoring some language on fossil fuels into the deal, which helped steer recalcitrant petrostates towards agreement. Even the choice of the venue for next years summitBakuwas a symbol of harmony. Armenia lent its support for Azerbaijans bid as the two warring neighbours inch towards peace.

Yet a global agreement is only one small step. A far bigger and harder one will be to translate words on a page into action in the real world. The deal sends a signal to oil companies, especially in rich countries, that they may find it harder to do business, for example because of legal challenges to exploration licences. But reducing reliance on fossil fuels will ultimately depend on making them uncompetitive. A combination of carbon prices and well-targeted subsidies for clean technologies can do so in the rich world.

Poorer countries will need help. The summit largely sidestepped this thorny issue. Developing countries with fossil-fuel reserves argued that it was unfair to expect them to forgo one of their few revenue streams without being given aid to do so. According to the Energy Transition Commission, a think-tank, getting rid of coal power early will require the rich world to make available around $25bn-50bn a year in grants and other concessional finance to poor countries over the rest of this decade, to retire coal assets early.

This provides the backdrop for a fierce battle. Projects in poor countries are much costlier than those in rich ones, because the private sector demands a premium to compensate for the associated risk. But rich countries will try to limit their financial obligations to the developing world. Bridging the gap, far more than diplomatic backslapping in Dubai, will determine whether the beginning of the end for the fossil-fuel era has come.
Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal and his New Zealand counterpart Todd McClay discussed measures to reduce trade barriers and promote a more investor-friendly environment to boost economic ties.

The bilateral discussion was aimed at strengthening the trade relations between both countries by exploring opportunities for mutual growth and cooperation, the commerce ministry said in an official statement on Wednesday.

The meeting between both the ministers was held on 19 December in New Delhi. The dialogue between both the leaders is seen as a move to improve trade relations as India is New Zealands 11th largest trading partner.

Education and tourism are other two sectors in which New Zealand wants to make a significant growth.

Both the ministers recognized the importance of trade facilitation and discussed measures to streamline trade processes, reduce trade barriers, and promote a more conducive environment for businesses and investors from both nations, the ministry statement said.

The New Zealands trade minister hailed the efforts made by India to sort out the issue related to export of wooden logs to India.

"They highlighted the need to deepen engagement in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, pharma, connectivity, education and tourism," the statement said.

Both ministers expressed the need to increase engagement between the two countries under a collaborative approach that engages officials from across relevant departments and the private sector to strengthen the trade and economic relationship, the statement said.

The importance of the annual meeting of the Joint Trade Committee (JTC), established under the 1986 India-New Zealand Trade Agreement, and regular engagement at a senior level was also appreciated and they agreed to meet on a regular basis for bilateral discussions on trade, investment issues and co-operative activities, it said.

The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $1 billion in 2022-23.

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Investors in shares of Varun Beverages Ltd are buzzing with excitement. They were already sitting on handsome gains with the stock up 77% this year till Tuesday. Whats more, the companys decision to venture into South Africa via the acquisition of The Beverage Co (BevCo) pushed the VBL stock to a new 52-week high of 1,380, up 7% on Wednesday. Intraday, the stock jumped 18%.

BevCo holds franchise rights from PepsiCo Inc. in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, and distribution rights for Namibia and Botswana.

The Streets enthusiasm towards the deal stems from two factors. One, the move is in-line with the companys ambition to tap the African market. Two, the valuation is attractive.

The deal is at an enterprise value of 1,320 crore, valuing BevCo at 0.8 times FY23 EV/sales and at about 7 times EV/Ebitda. The acquisition may be funded partly through debt, but VBL also has the option to accept a minority co-investment from a large equity fund for this acquisition, subject to approvals. As part of the acquisition, VBL would get five manufacturing plants of BevCo. The deal is expected to be closed by July.

Given that PepsiCo has a negligible market share in South Africa, there is a significant value-creation opportunity for VBL. Currently, Coca-Cola dominates the South African beverage industry. Besides PepsiCo, BevCos portfolio also has its own brands, such as Coo-ee, JiVE and Refreshhh.

Improving PepsiCos market share means that VBL can enter new geographies, leading to significant growth in sales and volume," said Amit Purohit, vice president, Elara Securities (India). Sure, South Africa is an entirely new market. But VBLs track record of successfully expanding market share in Zimbabwe instils confidence that similar gains could be achieved in South Africa too," added Purohit.

BevCo clocked sales volume of 117 million cases in FY23, of which 15% was contributed by PepsiCos products and the rest by its own brands. It clocked FY23 revenue of 1,590 crore, which is roughly 12% of VBLs revenue.

So, besides monitoring volume growth in the core carbonated soft drinks portfolio that includes PepsiCo, investors should keep an eye on the expansion of the high-margin energy drinks segment, the scaling up of the international presence, and the growth of the drinks and juice portfolio, said Preeyam Tolia, an analyst at Axis Securities.

That said, investors should not get carried away, just yet. Currency volatility is a key risk in Africa, even as ZAR (South African rand) is among the most stable African currencies, caution analysts. Plus, VBLs valuations are expensive, trading at FY25 price-earnings multiple of 53 times, according to Bloomberg.
Small-cap stocks are the riskiest part of the equity market . They have the potential to give you returns that beat the large caps; yet if they fall they have the potential to set you back by a pretty packet.

And yet there are the experts who make money, in these very same tricky waters. These very same experts give investors an idea of how experts decipher the small-cap shoals for investments.

Small-cap investments: Key considerations and quality filters

The small-cap category demands intensive research to identify stocks and constant vigilance throughout the (investment) journey to build conviction on the thesis and the value proposition," says Anil Ghelani, Head  Passive Investments & Products, DSP Mutual Fund.

Typically small caps have higher chances of sharp drawdowns as compared to large caps and are also relatively less liquid. Hence it is important to focus on good quality stocks within this segment.

What are the crucial factors in small-cap investments?

While there are many factors to look at, some useful quality filters would be higher Return on Equity, lower Debt to Equity and consistency of earnings growth. Certain areas which could be considered as negative would be high pledge of promoter holdings, lower liquidity, high volatility, etc," says Ghelani.

The key aspects (when fund managers look to invest into small caps) include the company's financial health, growth potential, competitive positioning, management quality, and industry trends," says Pankaj Shrestha  Head Investment Services, Prabhudas Lilladher Wealth.

Being in the small-cap space, the companies come with their own set of risks," says Amar Ranu, Head - Investment products & insights, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers. The biggest risk is corporate governance risk and management integrity which should be beyond compromise and non-negotiable.

Also, one should also see how the promoter has utilised the capital in the past and has not ventured into unnecessary industries which are unrelated or have no integration with the current line of business.

The key factor to be looked into is capital allocation rather than capital selection," says Ranu.

Embracing innovation and emerging sectors

In case investors focus on better run small-cap companies, there are still opportunities in the space for making medium-term returns," says Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.

The fact that there are a number of companies in the small-cap space means that there is always a scope for stock picking. In emerging areas like defence, railways, electronics etc, you only have small and midcap companies, and one has to invest in them to benefit from the theme.

In the last 20 years, the world has seen many new business models being created, thanks to innovation. From products to services, one-time licences to subscription-based business models, from offline retail to e-commerce, on-site to the cloud, ICE (internal combustion) engines to electric vehicles (EVs), and so on. These shifts have been well-captured in the listed space in developed markets. However, India is yet to capture the value in these areas. These schemes are likely to benefit by investing in these companies.

Because the next generation of innovative companies would most likely be found in the mid and small-cap space, these schemes have significantly invested in the mid and small-cap stocks," says Jasani.

Manik Kumar Malakar is a personal finance writer.

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The 151 crore IPO of Motisons Jewellers was opened on Monday (December 18) and is set to conclude today (December 20). The initial two days of bidding witnessed an extraordinary response from investors. On the first day, the IPO was subscribed by an impressive 15.02 times, garnering a stellar response from both retail and non-institutional investors (NIIs). This robust demand continued into the second day of bidding, resulting in an overall subscription rate of 51.50 times.

Also Read: Motisons Jewellers IPO: Issue subscribed 51.50 times on day 2; NIIs, retail portion sees huge interest

The price band for the offer has been fixed at 5255 per equity share, with a face value of 10 each. Retail investors have the opportunity to submit bids for up to 14 lots, with each lot containing 250 shares. At the upper end of the IPO price band of 55, retail investors are required to make a minimum investment of 13,750 per lot.

The company's shares in the grey market are trading at 100 on the final day, indicating a 181% premium over the IPO price at listing. Grey market premium indicates investors' readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Also Read: Suraj Estate IPO: A look at GMP, subscription status on final day; should you buy?

Motisons Jewellers is engaged in the business of selling jewellery made of gold, diamonds, and kundan. In addition, the company also sells jewellery products like pearls, silver, platinum, and other precious and semi-precious metals. In terms of its product offering and positioning, Motisons offers traditional, contemporary, and combination designs across various jewellery lines.

Meanwhile, domestic brokerage firms have advised investors to SUBSCRIBE" to the IPO.

BP Equities: Subscribe

In the fiscal year 2023, the domestic gems and jewellery market reached an estimated value of 4,70,000 crore, with gold jewellery leading the segment, according to Dun & Bradstreet. Notably, the share of the organised sector has risen to 15-20% in recent years, presenting significant opportunities for companies like Motisons Jewellers, said domestic brokerage firm BP Equities.

The company stands out with well-established business practices that seamlessly blend heritage with market sensitivity, a diverse product portfolio catering to various market segments, and strategically located showrooms contributing to enhanced revenue per square foot, the brokerage noted.

Also Read: Retail investors in top gear at IPOs, drive oversubscriptions

Considering valuations, the brokerage stated that the issue offers a P/E multiple of 16.1x of FY23 earnings, which compares favorably to similar ratios in the organised jewellery sector in India. Therefore, BP Equities recommends investors 'subscribe' to the IPO for potential listing gains.

Indsec Securities: Subscribe

Indsec Securities also assigns a 'subscribe' rating to the IPO. It emphasises that the growth in the Indian jewellery sector is being driven by the rising middle-class population and a significant increase in disposable income among the youth.

According to the brokerage, the company has demonstrated robust financial performance with a CAGR of 31% in revenue, 26% in EBITDA, and 51% in profit after tax over FY2123.

Swastika Investmart: Subscribe with caution

"The company's commitment to retail network expansion and technology integration further strengthens its growth prospects. However, the brokerage points out that the highly competitive landscape and dependence on third-party suppliers present key challenges. Additionally, the company is susceptible to negative publicity and seasonal demand fluctuations," said Swastika Investmart.

Also Read: Motisons Jewellers IPO: Key risk factors in the RHP raise eyebrows

Despite these challenges, the IPO's attractive valuation at 16x P/E provides a degree of risk mitigation. Considering Motisons' strong brand, proven track record, and growth plans, alongside the current market sentiment, the brokerage recommends applying for this IPO with cautious optimism.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

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Adani group stocks have garnered portfolio investments amounting to more than 52,000 crore (more than $6 billion) in 2023 from global strategic investors, retirement, and insurance funds. This is nearly one-third of net foreign portfolio inflows (FPIs) into Indian equities this calendar year so far, reported Business Line .

Investors acquired stakes in group firms for an amount of 52,570 crore during the period March to October, reveals the data sourced from Prime Database.

Most of the transactions were carried out through the bulk and block deal windows of the exchanges.

Rajiv Jain-led GQG Partners, a boutique investment firm, is one of the largest investors in the group with investments worth over $4 billion.

Post-Hindenburg

Jain came to billionaire Gautam Adanis rescue in the aftermath of Hindenburg Researchs explosive allegations of price manipulation and other corporate governance lapses in the group that wiped out over $130 billion in market capitalization.

Jain acquired small but significant stakes in key group firms from the promoter group. This not only allowed Adani to pay down share-backed loans but also infused confidence among global investors who were holding bonds issued by Adani group firms.

Since then, he has also acquired stakes in the companies through market purchases as well as block deals. There are other long term global investors in the group.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has acquired a stake in three companies  Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, and Adani Power. Qatar Investment Authority acquired a 2.69 per cent stake in Adani Green Energy for $470 million in August. That is now worth about $785 million.

Long term retirement funds have also placed their confidence in the group. Australias superannuation funds such as Australian Super and CareSuper have invested in Adani Energy Solutions in March and June.

Employees Retirement System of Texas, Saudi Arabias General Organisation for Social Insurance, New York State Common Retirement Fund, Washington State Investment Board, BT Pension Scheme, and Delaware Public Employees Retirement System, among others, have invested in the group.

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Investment in mutual funds via systematic investment plans (SIPs) reached an all-time high in November 2023 as it touched 17,073 crore .

By no means, it was an aberration. Interestingly, in each of the past five months starting July 2023, the previous record of SIP inflows in mutual funds was broken in the following month.

Overall, SIP inflows in mutual funds reached 1,66,131 crore in the first 11 months of 2023 ending Nov 30, thus reporting an increase of 22.23 percent vis-a-vis corresponding period of last year.

Spike in SIP

One might wonder as to why SIP contributions reach an all-time high with each successive month. It is no brainer that the ongoing bull run in financial markets played a significant part in it. Both market indices Sensex and Nifty 50 hit new highs on Tuesday.

And retail investors, upon witnessing increase in their portfolio, are incentivised to invest more money into mutual funds, preferably via SIP route.

Some investors have tasted success, and are now raising their contribution. Then, there are additional investors who have forayed into equity. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, markets rose and as a result, a growing number of investors now want to invest in equity. Market penetration, consequently, is increasing. As long as the market is good, investors will increase their SIP contribution. Conversely, when the market declines, such as in the last quarter of calendar year 2021, SIP contribution also suffers  a practice investors should ideally refrain from," says Sridharan Sundaram, founder of Wealth Ladder Direct.

Year SIP inflows till Nov (  crore) Increase 2023 1,66,131 22.23% 2022 1,35,864 32.2% 2021 1,02,711 ---

(Source: AMFI)

Shift in attitudes

PGIM India Mutual Fund's CEO Ajit Menon believes that the growing popularity of SIPs can be attributed to a host of factors including attitudinal & behavioural shift among investors, rising disposable income and strong markets.

A recent Retirement Readiness Survey conducted by us reveals that people have undergone some attitudinal and behavioural shifts especially post the pandemic. We believe that this attitudinal shift combined with rising disposable income, strong markets and increasing digital adoption is attracting new investors into the MF fold. Further, the awareness campaigns by AMFI, fund houses and financial advisors on the ease and convenience of SIPs have acted as a multiplier," says Mr Menon.

Convenience of investing

Another key advantage of investing in mutual funds via SIPs is the convenience it offers of investing in regular intervals i.e., every month or week instead of coughing up large amounts in one go.

Mutual funds are suitable for all types of investors having ultra-short, short, and long-term horizons. SIP is a great tool to invest in a staggered manner allowing investors to invest small amounts periodically i.e. weekly, monthly or quarterly," says Preeti Zende, a Sebi-registered investment advisor and founder of Apna Dhan Financial Services.

Investors understand that mutual funds offer risk management better than direct equity. They also know that SIP provides the benefit of Rupee Cost Averaging. In the current scenario, India's growth rate in terms of GDP is promising," she adds.

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Notwithstanding how seamless it might appear, striking the right balance between risk and return is no mean feat. The age-old maxim states: higher the risk, higher the return". Conversely, lower the risk, smaller the return."

Amongst the low-risk assets, the safest include government securities, which are also known as G-Secs.

After the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2021 rolled out a scheme referred to as RBI Retail Direct to trade in government securities, G-Secs popularity spiked significantly for obvious reasons. Wealth advisors, too, recommend investors to invest in them for the sovereign guarantee they offer and surety of return they promise.

Nithin Kamath, Zerodha's co-founder, last year, had suggested that investing in G-Secs, along with treasury bills is better than bank FDs.

Those investors who are conservative are recommended to open a RBI Direct Gilt account in order to get an exposure to government bonds. Although their returns are lower; but so is the risk," says Deepak Aggarwal, a Delhi-based chartered accountant and investment advisor.

What are G-Secs?

Government Security is a tradable instrument issued by the Central government or the state governments. It acknowledges the government's debt obligation. These securities are either short term (known as treasury bills with original maturities of less than one year) or long term (usually called government bonds or dated securities with original maturity of one year or more), elucidates the RBI website here.

Central government issues both treasury bills and bonds or dated securities while the state governments issue only bonds or dated securities which are referred to as State Development Loans (SDLs). G-Secs carry practically no risk of default and hence are called risk free instruments.

How to invest in G-Secs?

In order to invest in government securities, investors are meant to open RBI Direct Gilt accounts under the RBI Retail Direct Scheme. This is a one-stop solution to facilitate investment in government securities by individual investors. Under this scheme, individual retail investors can open an account with the RBI.

Opening an account, as one can imagine, is quite convenient, to say the least, and any retail investor who has a savings bank account and a PAN (Permanent Account Number) can open it. The documents required to open this account are PAN, savings account, email ID and mobile number.

Who should investors opt for G-Secs?

Although there is no rule of thumb, G-Secs are usually meant for conservative investors who want to earn a fixed income on their investment. Additionally, investors can also invest in G-Secs as part of allocation to the debt portion of their portfolio which has an exposure to a variety of assets such as equity, fixed income instruments and safe haven (gold).

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The Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued a circular detailing strict measures against 49 recently suspended Opposition MPs. These restrictions encompass various aspects of Parliamentary functioning, significantly affecting the MPs' roles and responsibilities.

The suspended members are now barred from entering the Parliament chamber, its lobby and galleries. This restriction extends to their participation in sittings of Parliamentary Committees, where they hold membership. Any business listed under their names or notices tabled by them will not be considered during the suspension period either.

No notice tabled by them is acceptable during the period of their suspension. They cannot vote at elections to committees held during the period of their suspension," the circular added.

The circular specifies that the MPs will not receive their daily allowance for the duration of the suspension. This decision is in accordance with the Salary, Allowances and Pensions of Members of Parliament Act, 1954. It implies that their stay at the place of duty cannot be considered a residence on duty under the said Act.

141 MPs suspended

In total, 141 MPs have been suspended. Out of these, 95 are from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha. This mass suspension has deepened the crisis in Parliament, especially at a time when crucial bills were tabled and passed with limited discussion. As per BJP MP Hema Malini, the lawmakers have been suspended as they keep raising questions".

Opposition's stand

The root of the contention lies in the Oppositions demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament. They seek a discussion on the recent security breach incident on December 13, where intruders stormed the Lok Sabha and released smoke cannisters.

Reacting to the suspension, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced plans for a nationwide protest on December 22.

"They want to suspend everyone and run a dictatorship by removing everyone from the house, this won't work in a democracy. this is why we will go to the people. we will continue to protest till they don't revoke suspension and make a statement in the house and initiate a discussion in the house," ANI quoted Kharge as saying.

"This is going to be the trend. It's my way or the highway. If you don't fall in line, we will throw you out because we have the majority. We control both the Houses," Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said in apparent sarcasm.

(With ANI inputs)

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As reported by PTI, General Naravane in his memoir Four Stars of Destiny elaborates on the birth of the Agnipath recruitment scheme, considered India's most radical military recruitment policy.

Shortly after assuming the role of Army Chief, General MM Naravane discussed the Tour of Duty scheme with the prime minister in a meeting in early 2020. Originally proposed for the Army and involving short-term soldier tenures, the scheme's scope was later expanded to encompass all three services when the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) introduced a broader formulation months later, the report said.

Also Read: Agnipath is only one pillar of a grand goal

General MM Naravane, the 28th Army Chief from December 31, 2019, to April 30, 2022, mentioned that during his tenure, discussions took place regarding different models of the Tour of Duty scheme.

Initially, the Army's perspective was that 75 per cent of the recruited personnel could be retained, while the remaining 25 per cent should be released.

In June 2022, the government introduced the Agnipath recruitment scheme, focusing on the short-term enlistment of individuals to lower the age demographic of the three services. The initiative allows for the recruitment of individuals aged between 17.5 and 21 for four years, with the option to retain 25 per cent of them for an additional 15 years.

What does Naravane say in his book Four Stars of Destiny?

In his book published by Penguin Random House India, Naravane also remembered that the initial monthly salary for the recruits in the first year was set at only 20,000 (inclusive of all components), a figure he deemed as unacceptable."

Naravane said, This was just not acceptable. Here, we were talking about a trained soldier, who was expected to lay down his life for the country. Surely a soldier could not be compared with a daily wage labourer?"

He stressed, Based on our very strong recommendations, this was later raised to 30,000 per month."

Also Read: Agnipath scheme: What benefits will Agniveers enjoy after 4 years of service? Centre explains

After the new formulation of the scheme, Gen Naravane said that the Army was taken by surprise by this turn of events, but for the Navy and Air Force, it came like a bolt from the blue."

When I had first sounded out the PM about the Tour of Duty scheme, it was more on the lines of a short-service option at the soldier level, similar to the Short Service Commission scheme for officers that was already in vogue."

"Just as a limited number of SSC officers are taken each year, likewise a limited number of jawans would be similarly enrolled and released after the completion of their 'tour' with the option of re-enlisting for another tour, if found to be fit," he writes.

According to Naravane's account, the subsequent months were relatively uneventful as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic became the primary focus, closely followed by the conflicts in Galwan in eastern Ladakh.

Also Read: Agnipath scheme: Govt releases fact sheet as protests erupt across country

However, the prime minister's office (PMO) was considering this proposal but with a much wider scope and applicability. In the PMO formulation, not only should the complete intake of the year be short-service based, but it would also apply to all three services," he writes.

Having become a tri-service matter, it now fell on the CDS, Gen Bipin Rawat, to take the proposal forward, albeit with the Army remaining the lead service." He said adding, We in the Army were taken by surprise by this turn of events, but for the Navy and Air Force, it came like a bolt from the blue."

Naravane explains that he needed some time to clarify to the other Chiefs that his initial proposal had been specific to the Army and that he, too, was taken aback by these unforeseen developments.

Also Read: Agnipath is a game changer scheme for armed forces: Rajnath Singh

And it took them some time to reconcile with the fact that they were very much part of the new proposal, dubbed the Agnipath (Walk of fire) scheme by the PMO, with the soldiers, sailors and airmen recruited under this scheme to be known as 'Agniveers' (Fire Warriors)," he notes.

During the initial talks about 'Agnipath,' Naravane notes that the primary matter for consideration was the retention of inductees. The Army's standpoint was in favour of a 75 per cent retention and 25 per cent release policy.

In contrast, the Department of Military Affairs suggested a 50-50 per cent split, and the proposed term was five years.\

Also Read: After BSF, ex-Agniveers will now get 10% reservation in CISF

PTI reported citing Naravane that this was the model that was presented by the CDS to a full panel comprising "the prime minister, ministers of home, defence and finance, the NSA, service chiefs, PS to the PM and the secretaries of the relevant departments in November 2020."

In fact, it was during this meeting that the terms 'Agnipath' and 'Agniveer' were used for the first time. Assuming an intake of 50,000 soldiers each year, then after each 'tour', 25,000 soldiers would revert to civil society," he noted.

It was felt that this was too little to bring about any significant change in the population since one of the aims of the scheme was to give back to society disciplined manpower, who would be in a position to contribute much more in the workplace due to the values and ethos they would have imbibed while in service."

Also Read: Agnipath Scheme: Govt tweaks rules, here's what has changed

Naravane explains that the percentages were subsequently inverted, leading to a decision to retain only 25 per cent and release 75 per cent. This development prompted a reevaluation of the plan, and the next point of discussion revolved around determining the procedures for retention.

It was taken for granted that this would be like the SSC scheme, with the retention or release after the contracted period of five years. On this account, the PMO view was that there should be a two-step retention process; 50 per cent after three years and another 25 per cent after five years, effectively making it only 25 per cent retention," he says.

Four Stars of Destiny will hit the stands next month.

This was just not practical. Six to eight months would go into basic training and deployment, and the process for the selection of personnel to be released would also take about six months, meaning that any given jawan would be effective for just about two years," he adds.

Also Read: Supreme Court dismisses pleas challenging Delhi HC judgment on Agnipath scheme

Naravane mentions that the deliberations continued for an extended period, highlighting a specific challenge faced by the Air Force. For them, the allocated three years proved insufficient to adequately train individuals in the technical skills essential for tasks such as repairs and routine operating and maintenance procedures for sophisticated platforms like aircraft.

Ultimately, a middle path was agreed upon, a one-step retention after four years of service," he says.

After the introduction of the 'Agnipath' scheme, various regions in India experienced turbulent protests characterized by violence, as demonstrators called for its withdrawal due to the absence of a job guarantee for 75 per cent of the recruits in the new model.
In 2016, Risa Goluboff became the first woman to serve as dean of the University of Virginia School of Law. Eight years later, Leslie Kendrick will become the second.

Goluboff is not departing the school, just its highest office. She plans to return to the faculty and teach when Kendrick takes over next July.

Kendrick is not a new face at the law school, having graduated from it in 2006, joined its faculty in 2008 and served as its vice dean from 2017 to 2021.

She was a true partner in every success the Law School achieved and every challenge we overcame during her time as vice dean, Goluboff is quoted in a statement from the school announcing her successor. I cannot imagine a better-prepared, more highly qualified or more exciting successor. Leslie is simply fantastic.

Kendrick is a native of eastern

Kentucky. She studied the classics and English while a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later earned a masters and doctorate degree in English literature as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. When she came to Charlottesville to study law, she arrived as a Hardy Cross Dillard Scholar and went on to earn one of UVa Law Schools highest honors, the Margaret G. Hyde Award.

That award, established in 1930, is only ever given to an outstanding member of the graduating class whose scholarship, character, personality, activities in the affairs of the school and promise of efficiency have, in the opinion of the law faculty, entitled him or her to special recognition, according to the law school.

Today, Kendrick serves as both the White Burkett Miller professor of law and public affairs, the Elizabeth D. and Richard A. Merrill professor of law and the law schools director of the Center for the First Amendment. In the latter role, she serves as a special adviser on free expression and inquiry to the university provost.

Outside of UVa, Kendricks work on tort law and freedom of speech has appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review and Philosophy & Public Affairs academic journal.

Leslie has been a terrific partner in helping us with matters relating to free expression, and it was clear during the search process that her extensive knowledge, excellence in research and teaching, and leadership experience would benefit the Law School community tremendously, UVa Provost Ian Baucom said in a statement. I look forward to working closely with Leslie in her new role as she builds upon Risas brilliant work as dean.

Baucom was co-chair of the search committee that put forward Kendricks name. The other co-chair was law professor John Jeffries, who was dean of the school from 2001 to 2008. Jeffries rejoined the faculty after his time as dean, the same as Goluboff plans to do.

It has been a true privilege and an immense pleasure to lead this historic institution, said Goluboff in a statement the school released in September announcing her departure as dean. The extraordinary accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and the robust community we share, are a source of unending pride. I look forward to returning to the faculty that has sustained me for so long.

Goluboff oversaw the law school during some dark times, including the Unite the Right rally-turned-riot and the coronavirus pandemic.

Ive seen our community respond with extraordinary resilience and humanity to some of the most difficult events of our time, said Goluboff in the September statement. It made me prouder than ever to lead this Law School. Our students, faculty and staff rely on and learn from each other every day. That is core to who we are.

But it wasnt all bad times.

According to an article published in UVa Today, the law school saw its endowment grow by 76%, or more than $831 million, under Goluboff.

Goluboff was in charge when UVa law graduates Martha and Bruce Karsh became the schools first $50 million donors, funds that helped establish the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy. Their donation also allowed Goluboff to bring on 34 new faculty members and establish 13 new centers to further law scholarship, such as the Center for Empirical Studies in Law and the Education Rights Institute.

Goluboff also launched the Roadmap Scholar Initiative in 2022 to make legal education more accessible. The initiative provides financial and academic support to low-income and first-generation students at the school.

UVa President Jim Ryan, himself an alumnus of UVas law school, thanked Goluboff for her contributions as dean and expressed his gratitude that she will remain with the school in a faculty position.

Im heartened that she will continue to bring her considerable talent and expertise to the Law School after stepping down as dean, and that her contributions will continue to benefit the Law School community for generations to come, Ryan said in a statement.
COVID-19: In response to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in five statesKerala, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, and KarnatakaUnion Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya led a high-level meeting on Wednesday with top officials and chief health secretaries.

There should be no laxity in our preparedness. There is no room for politics when it comes to public health. The Union Health Ministry is available for every support," he said.

Also Read: JN.1 COVID strain: Kerala sees spike in cases, WHO reassures efficacy of current vaccines. 10 things to know

As of 8 am on Wednesday, the total nationwide Covid cases reached 341, with Kerala contributing 292 cases. Delhi and Gujarat reported 3 cases each, Karnataka recorded 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry reported 4 cases each, and Tamil Nadu documented 13 cases.

On Tuesday, Mumbai accounted for eight out of the 11 new COVID-19 cases reported in Maharashtra, based on data from the Union Health Ministry.

Dr Shalmali Inamdar, an internal medicine specialist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Andheri, told the Hindustan Times, There has been a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. However, the cases exhibit mild symptoms such as runny nose, cough, cold and fever, which typically subside within a couple of days."

Also Read: COVID-19 Update: 292 fresh cases, three deaths in Kerala

Dr Inamdar further informed that all the cases are manageable at home.

Meanwhile, HT reported that Dr Pratit Samdani, an internal medicine consultant at Breach Candy Hospital, said the winter season usually brings about a rise in viral infections due to a drop in temperature. We have seen a surge in cases of cough and cold, upper respiratory infection, and influenza in our outpatient department over the past two weeks."

Meanwhile, Mansukh Mandaviya also urged all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure preventive measures are taken, given the cold conditions during the winter season, and the upcoming festival season.

Dr Subhash Salunke, who recently resigned as head of the state Covid-19 task force, stressed on virus surveillance. Salunke told HT, Our virus surveillance has to be strong to detect the mutated virus at the earliest. Keep an eye on virulence and transmissibility."

Also Read: COVID-19 to play spoilsport ahead of Christmas, New Year? THESE states have issued advisories for revellers

Ensure monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities regularly including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, for detecting the early rising trend of cases," read the advisory released by the Centre on Monday.

Also Read: WHO classifies JN.1 as 'variant of interest' amid sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases

As reported by ANI, regarding Kerala reporting the highest number of cases with a positivity rate of 21 percent, State Health Minister Veena George, who was present at the meeting, stated, We have increased surveillance and ramped up testing. We are also regularly reviewing hospital preparedness and stocks of PPE kits and other equipment. Senior citizens, pregnant women, and those with comorbidities are being advised to wear masks."

Dr Rajiv Bahl, director of ICMR, Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul and Dr Saumya Swaminathan, ex-DG of ICMR, also attended the meeting.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the request from Parliamentarians to raise the sales threshold for Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) registration can be looked into by the GST Council; however, she added that most small businesses ideally should be part of the GST chain.

While replying to a discussion on the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman also took note of the requests from Parliamentarians for setting up a national appellate authority for advance ruling as provided for in GST law.

The appellate authority for advance ruling is something the trade would love to have, the minister said, adding, We recognize the concern of the member."

In response to suggestions from Parliamentarians about inclusion of petrol and diesel in GST, the minister said, I wish state governments see the point."

Raising GST registration threshold from 40 lakh to 60 lakh may be a good suggestion, the minister said. I leave it to the Council to decide but it is also equally true that most small firms should also ideally come on board," the minister said.

Sitharaman explained that amendments to GST law are now proposed in order to align the GST appellate tribunal in conformity with the tribunals reform of 2021 and a Madras high court decision.

The minister explained that there has been consistent growth in the monthly GST return filing which has now reached 90% compliance as against 71% three years ago.

The Central GST (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023returned by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday seeks to expand the pool of candidates for appointment of judicial members to the tribunal.

The amendments propose a minimum age of 50 years for eligibility for appointment as President and Members. The President and Members will have tenure up to a maximum age of 70 years and 67 years respectively.

The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 which was also returned by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday replaces a law by the same name enacted in 1931. This Bill allows the government to give immediate effect to customs and excise duty changes proposed in the Finance Bills from the next day onwards without having to wait for the Bills passage.

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Rejecting speculations of troubled India-US relations due to allegations of plotting the murder of a Khalistani separatist on American soil, PM Modi said that the two nations share a mature and stable partnership."

There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership," PM Modi told the Financial Times in an interview.

He called the act of linking a handful of incidents with India-US diplomatic relations as inappropriate. Security and counter-terrorism cooperation has been a key component of our partnership," he added. I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," Financial Times quoted PM Modi.

Due to Pannun's active involvement in propagating Khalistani separatist ideology among Sikhs, India designated him as a terrorist in 2020. India has also repeatedly accused the West and Canada of not taking stringent actions to check Sikh separatism.

Talking about the separatist activities of overseas groups, PM Modi said, These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence," reported Financial Times.

PM Modi breaks silence on US' Pannun murder claim

In the FT interview, PM Modi also spoke on India's stance on the assassination plot allegations. In the interview, he said that if India gets any information on the case, it will look into the matter.

If someone gives us any information, we would look into it," FT quoted PM Modi. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," he added.

In November, the US charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee to execute an assassination plot against Gurpatwant Pannun, a Canadian-American citizen on US soil. As of now, Gupta remains detained in the Czech Republic and is facing extradition to the US.

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While replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the three criminal code bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that under the new criminal laws, the government has included a provision for the death penalty for those committing the crime of mob lynching.

The Lok Sabha passed the three criminal laws  the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill  on Wednesday.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will replace the CrPC of 1973 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill will replace the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.

On the issue of mob-lynching, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita adds murder or grievous hurt by five or more people on specified grounds, as an offence. These grounds include race, caste, sex, language, or personal belief. The punishment for such murder is life imprisonment or death".

While announcing the punishment for mob lynching in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Amit Shah questioned the previous Congress government. "You have also ruled this country for 58 years, so why didn't you include mob lynching in the laws? You used the word mob lynching to abuse us (BJP), but then you forgot about it once you came into power."

Shah hit out at the Congress party and responded to a question once asked by former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram. "Once I was listening to Chidambaram's speech. He had said it's a test for the home minister that if he will bring a new law, then what will he do with (the issue) of mob lynching?"

Responding to this, Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that Chidambaram has neither understood the BJP nor its principles. "Our party has only one ideology and that is the development of the nation," Amit Shah said.

Amit Shah went on to take potshots at the Congress saying, "The citizens know about your behaviour and that's why you are sitting in the Opposition, and now even outside Parliament." He said the party has "double standards" and that's why it is facing so many problems.

Continuing with his attack on the Opposition, Amit Shah took a dig at "those who said the BJP doesn't understand". He said, "I told them if one's heart is Indian, you will understand the laws. If it is Italian, you won't."

The Union home minister's statement came as 143 MPs have been suspended from Parliament since last week. As many as 97 MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha and 46 MPs from the Rajya Sabha for their "misconduct". During the ongoing Winter Session, the Opposition protested in both Houses, demanding a statement from the Union Home Minister over the Parliament security breach incident.

MPS More Information

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Ahead of pompous New Year celebrations in Mumbai, the police have issued an order prohibiting the use of drones, remote-controlled microlight aircraft, paragliders, para motors, hand gliders, and hot air balloons over the city for 30 days.

The prohibitory order coming into effect from December 20, 2023, to January 18, 2024, was issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a police official told PTI.

Also Read: Swiggy ties up with Simpl to introduce 1-tap checkout ahead of Christmas and New Year

As per the order, there are high chance that terrorist or anti-national elements might try to create chaos during the upcoming celebrations of Christmas and New Year.

Also Read: New Year, New Wallet: 5 financial resolutions to keep yourself secure in 2024

They are likely to use drones, remote-controlled microlight aircraft, and paragliders to target VVIPs and endanger the life of the public at large, destroy public property, and disturb law and order in the metropolis, said the police order.

Also Read: Nifty 50 valuations are rich, offer 8-10% upside in 2024, says HDFC Securities; lists out stocks to accumulate next year

The order comes days ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations, where people gather in public places in large numbers. Moreover, there are big events organized in metro cities, especially Mumbai.

Also Read: COVID-19 to play spoilsport ahead of Christmas, New Year? THESE states have issued advisories for revellers

The order comes days ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations that draw large crowds across the city. Except for the use of aerial devices used by the machines to target aerial surveillance by cops, flying drones and other objects will be prohibited in the city. Other than this, aerial objects can be used in the city under specific permission in writing by the deputy commissioner of police (operations).

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I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few wont prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," he added.

Earlier in the day, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Vice President Dhankhar to convey his concerns and anguish on the misdemeanour by MPs in the parliament complex.

"Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Hon'ble Chairman, Rajyasabha about serious misdemeanor by Hon'ble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President. It is shocking that one MP chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it," the Lok Sabha speaker said in his post on X.

Banerjee had mimicked Vice President Dhankhar during the Opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. Apart from the leaders of the ruling party, leaders of the Jat Community also held protests in support of Vice President Dhankhar in Delhi on Wednesday. They also wanted TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee to apologise to the Vice President for disrespecting his position.

MPS More Information

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Tamil Nadu Rain: Persistent heavy rains in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district have caused a flood-like situation, with buildings submerged in water. The Indian Air Force deployed helicopters to distribute food and relief materials to 500 stranded individuals at a railway station.

The Office of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday affirmed that the Central Government is extending every possible aid to Tamil Nadu in response to the relentless rains causing widespread devastation in the southern districts of the state. Taking to X the Office of Defence Minister said, The IAF helicopters carrying out rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas of Tamil Nadu. The Central Government is providing all possible assistance to Tamil Nadu." Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial central team is likely to visit Tamil Nadu on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by unprecedented flooding and rainfall in four southern districts over the last two days, PTI reported. Chief Minister M K Stalin who was supposed to inspect the flood-hit regions today, would visit tomorrow, the government said. Also Read: Tamil Nadu rains: MK Stalin urges PM Modi for 2,000 crore interim relief as heavy rainfall batters southern districts A total of 10 individuals have lost their lives due to the unprecedented rainfall on December 17 and 18, causing widespread devastation in various areas of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi, and Kanyakumari districts. Kayalpattinam, located in Tuticorin district, recorded the highest rainfall, with an alarming 1,192 mm in two days, while Tiruchendur received 916 mm. Defence PRO Chennai stated that the relief operation was being provided by the State administration, ANI reported. Relief operation continuing. Loading of food packets and other relief material provided by State administration on India Coast Guard ALH at first light at Madurai airport on 20 Dec 2023," Defence PRO Chennai said. As reported by ANI, IAF helicopters resumed relief operations at dawn to deliver essential supplies to stranded citizens in flood-affected areas of Tamil Nadu. Operating from Madurai and Tuticorin, the helicopters have transported over 5.5 tonnes of relief materials this morning.

Meanwhile, persistent heavy rains in the Tirunelveli district of southern Tamil Nadu have resulted in a flood-like situation, disrupting normal life. Visuals depict buildings submerged in water as the Tamraparni River in Tirunelveli surpassed the danger mark due to continuous rainfall on December 18 and 19.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu floods: Ashwini Vaishnaw steps in to help rescue 800 stranded passengers of Chennai-Egmore Express

The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was deployed to distribute food and various relief materials to 500 individuals stranded at the railway station.

View Full Image Kanyakumari: An area gets waterlogged after heavy rainfall, in Kanyakumari district, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

"Initially, 500 passengers were standard at the Srivaikuntam Railway Station. This morning, about 6 RPF staff and 2 commercial staff from railways reached the station by road. They found an entry into the station and they took some relief and food materials for the passengers. We had 3 choppers of the Indian Air Force. They had dropped food and relief material for all these passengers. NDRF also reached in the morning and started the evacuation process, they have identified a route by which the passengers can be taken out from the station," Southern Railway Chief PRO B Guganesan said.

Also Read: Chennai Weather Highlights: Moderate rainfall likely over several districts of Tamil Nadu

View Full Image Kanyakumari: The Pazhayar river flows in spate due to continuous heavy rain, in Kanyakumari district, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

B Guganesan further said that Railways has arranged 13 buses about 3 kilometres away from the station. Special train rolls out of Vanchi Maniyachi to Chennai Egmore rescuing stranded passengers from Srivaikuntam with medical and catering teams on board," the Southern Railways said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Tamil Nadu rainfall: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate 2,000 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund to enhance initiatives aimed at supporting livelihoods and restoring public infrastructure in the southern districts of the state affected by recent floods.

Stalin, in a memorandum submitted to Modi in Delhi, stated that this immediate relief would facilitate livelihood assistance for those affected and address temporary rehabilitation efforts in districts such as Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, and Tenkasi. Also Read: Rain wreaks havoc in Tamil Nadu; fog, smog, snowfall engulf north India "While a comprehensive assessment of the permanent damage will take time, we request an interim assistance of 2,000 crore from the NDRF (National Disaster Relief Fund) to bolster the ongoing efforts for livelihood support and repairs and restoration of the public infrastructure battered by the unprecedented floods," he said in the memorandum.

Later, in a post on X, Stalin said, "Met with Hon'ble Prime Minister Thiru @NarendraModi to discuss the urgent situation in flood-hit areas of Tamil Nadu."

"Submitted a memorandum seeking funds from #NDRF to enhance ongoing rescue efforts and restore vital infrastructure. Grateful for the @PMOIndia's attention to Tamil Nadu's needs during these challenging times," he added.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu Floods: 10 killed amid historic rainfall; Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi remain worst affected areas | 10 points

Moreover, Chennai and its surrounding areas bore the impact of Cyclone Michaung, resulting in exceptionally heavy rainfall not experienced in the last 47 years.

Additionally, Stalin urged the Prime Minister to declare the damage caused by the unprecedented rain in the four southern districts, a phenomenon occurring for the first time in a century, as a national calamity. He further appealed for the prompt allocation of funds to address the destruction caused in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, and Tiruvallur districts due to Cyclone Michaung.

Also Read: Chennai Weather: Moderate rainfall likely over several districts of Tamil Nadu

An inter-ministerial central team is expected to visit Tamil Nadu on Wednesday to evaluate the extensive damage resulting from the extraordinary flooding and rainfall in four southern districts over the past two days, PTI reported.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, originally scheduled to survey the flood-affected areas today, will now conduct the visit tomorrow, as announced by the government.

At the same time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) persists in its efforts to provide humanitarian aid and relief in numerous districts affected by floods in the state, ANI reported.

On Tuesday, as part of these operations, the IAF delivered more than 10 tonnes of relief supplies and conducted evacuations to rescue individuals stranded in remote locations.

View Full Image Tirunelveli: Relief material being unloaded from an Indian Air Force helicopter for the flood-affected people after heavy rains, in Tirunelveli, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Operating in inclement weather, IAF helicopters, Mi-17 V5 and ALH have flown for more than 20 hrs, air-dropped over 10 tons of relief material and evacuated stranded personnel, including woman and child from rooftop/isolated areas," IAF said in a statement.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu floods: Ashwini Vaishnaw steps in to help rescue 800 stranded passengers of Chennai-Egmore Express

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has utilized Medium Lift Helicopters (MLH) and Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv in their endeavours for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the three new criminal laws passed in the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday, Home Minister Amit Shah said the new laws align with the spirit of the Constitution and have been brought keeping in mind the well-being of the people. While introducing the three criminal law bills in Lok Sabha, the home minister said, Under the leadership of PM Modi, I have come to bring some major changes to the 150-year-old three laws which governed our criminal justice system." The British-era laws were aimed at protecting foreign rule and the new bills are people-centric, Shah observed. Mocking the Congress party, Shah said, This is PM Modi's government which delivers what they say. We said that we would give 33% reservation to women in the Parliament and assemblies. Congress came to power many times and kept giving dates but we delivered it and with a majority of votes to empower women..." Top quotes from Amit Shah's speech -New criminal laws focus on justice rather than punishment," Amit Shah said. -"...For the poor, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challenge...For years 'tareekh pe tareekh' keep going. Police hold the judicial system responsible. The government holds the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary hold the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws...," Amit Shah said.

I have not only read every line of proposed criminal laws but have gone through every comma, full stop; held 158 meetings," the home minister said

-Criminal law bills will ensure victim-centric justice," Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha.

-Three proposed criminal laws will free people from the colonial mindset and its symbols," the home minister noted.

-Those who harm the country will not be spared," Amit Shah said while replying to the debate on criminal law bills in the Lok Sabha

-If someone opposes govt, he shouldn't be punished as it's his freedom of speech," Amit Shah said while replying to the debate on criminal law bills in the Lok Sabha.

-If anyone works against the country, he or she must not be spared and must be given the strictest punishment," he noted.

-Act of terrorism is worst human rights violation, anyone involved in terror must be given harsh punishment."

-The three bills reflect the spirit of the Constitution...but those with an Italian mindset will never understand it," the home minister said in an apparent dig at the opposition Congress.

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Lahore: Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said neither India nor the US were behind the cash-strapped country's miseries but "we shot ourselves in our own foot", indirectly referring to the powerful military establishment for its woes.

During a conversation with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket aspirants here, the party supremo, who is eying to become prime minister for a record fourth time, pointed out that he was ousted from power three times in 1993, 1999 and 2017.

Today where Pakistan has reached (in terms of the state of the economy) this is not done by India, the US or even Afghanistan. In fact, we shot ourselves in our own foot...they (a reference to the military) imposed a selected (government) on this nation by rigging the 2018 polls that led to the sufferings of the people and downfall of the economy," Sharif said.

The 73-year-old leader castigated the judges for legitimising military dictators.

The judges garland them (military dictators) and legitimise their rule when they break the Constitution. When it comes to a prime minister the judges stamp his ouster. The judges also approve the act of dissolution of the parliament...why?" he asked.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo lashed out at former ISI chief Gen Faiz Hamid for his role in ousting him from power in 2017. A case has been opened in the Supreme Court against those (Faiz Hamid and others) who had said that if Nawaz came out of jail their two-year hard work would be wasted," he said.

The PML-N leader, who returned to the country from London in October ending a four-year-long self-imposed exile, is the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times.

On Monday, Nawaz said that in 1999, "I was prime minister in the morning and in the evening I was declared a hijacker. Similarly in 2017, I was ousted from power for not taking salary from my son."

"They (military establishment) made this decision as they wanted to bring their selected man into power," he said, referring to his arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo Imran Khan.

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday last, the three-time former prime minister blamed the military establishment of 2014-17 for forcing senior judges to remove him from power.

"They (a reference to the military establishment) visited the residences of senior judges and threatened them. They achieved the required court verdicts against me through coercion," he said.

Last week, Sharif was acquitted in the Al-Azizia Steel mill corruption case. He has already been acquitted in the Avenfield graft case in which he was convicted in July 2018 and sentenced to ten years in Jail. He also got relief in the Flagship corruption case.

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For better or worse, Charlottesville City Council made history on Monday night.

In a unanimous vote, council approved a new zoning ordinance that will allow developers to build larger buildings, aimed at boosting density in the roughly 10-square-mile city.

The controversial plan has been in the works for seven years, with supporters arguing it will allow for more housing units, increasing supply to meet high demand and thus gradually helping to lower housing prices.

Critics are unconvinced, worried that so-called upzoning will change neighborhoods for the worse, increase gentrification and traffic while also straining existing infrastructure such as the citys water and school system.

Which side will ultimately be proven right remains an open question. But what is known is that Mondays vote has changed Charlottesville for good.

I would expect that the vote we took tonight will be the single most important vote I will take in my time on council, councilor Michael Payne told The Daily Progress after the meeting. It really is something that impacts the entire city and will have an impact for 30 years plus, and very few if any other votes weve taken have that kind of defining impact.

When exactly that impact will be felt is also unclear. The ordinance will not go into effect until mid-February.

At that point, critics fear money-hungry developers will descend upon the city, buying up land that is expected to increase in value because more units can now be built on each parcel. They worry builders will tear down single-family residences and replace them with large apartment high-rises.

I honestly cant believe what I just witnessed here, Kevin Lynch told council during public comment after the vote Monday. You just voted for probably the most radical city upzoning plan in the country.

The few people remaining in the crowd were mostly in support of the new zoning ordinance, and they snapped their fingers in ironic approval, wearing Lynchs criticism as a badge of honor.

Its difficult to quantify exactly how radical Charlottesvilles plan is; it is unlikely the most radical upzoning plan in the country, seeing as how Alexandrias councilors voted to abolish single-family zoning in November and Charlottesvilles councilors didnt got that far.

Nevertheless, those fearful of the fallout  and those excited for what comes next  are unlikely to notice any real differences for a while. Mayor Lloyd Snook and councilor Brian Pinkston both estimated it would be three years before locals see any changes they can pin on the new zoning ordinance.

Snook said it takes years for a large project to be completed, pointing to the planned Verve complex as an example; plans for the massive student housing project abutting the University of Virginia were finally approved by council on Monday night, along with another large apartment complex at 2117 Ivy Road.

The Verve people started thinking about their project in the summer of 2022. Its now a year and a half, and theyre not ready to put a shovel in the ground yet, Snook told The Daily Progress as he and Pinkston headed for City Halls exit around midnight Monday.

The gestation period of a major project is going to be two or three years. The gestation period for some of the littler things, the houses flipping in residential neighborhoods and so on, is probably going to be at least a year before it starts happening in any serious way, he continued. And theres substantial doubt as to how much of it is going to happen. Nobody really knows that. Places like Minneapolis have done some of this stuff and found that whatever change there has been has been very gradual.

That aligns with what a University of Minnesota professor told The Daily Progress in October. While Minneapolis made headlines for its own upzoning that went into effect in 2020, there has not yet been significant changes in the city one way or the other, he said.

Obviously, its going to take a number of years for it to have some kind of impact, said Edward Goetz, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Minnesota. [Upzoning] is a more complicated picture than most people are trying to paint.

Exactly what the zoning ordinance will do to Charlottesville is impossible to predict, a message Payne preached before casting his vote Monday.

As positive and as big as this change I think is, we have to have humility to recognize were not going to know every impact, he told those in attendance at City Hall. Theres going to be a lot of things we dont foresee about multiple elements of it, and I think that its important for us to just have that humility to acknowledge that and be ready to respond to that in the coming years.

Responding to those unforeseen consequences will be crucial. It will also be possible. The city is permitted to make changes to the ordinance, with Snook saying it could theoretically alter the zoning plan every 30 days, if it so chooses.

The last major rewrite was in 2003. So its been 20 years. Its got to be more than that, Snook said.

While Pinkston stopped short of calling the ordinance a living document, he did call it responsive, saying changes will likely be called for at some point.

Wed like to do it more frequently than we have been, Pinkston told The Daily Progress. If we see that we messed something up, or if someone has a better idea, to incorporate it.

But Snook cautioned that residents should be willing to give the ordinance some time to settle in before jumping to conclusions.

Ive said all along that we ought to be prepared to reevaluate the zoning ordinance every five years, Snook said. If a year from now people look around and say, Well, nothing has changed. We should change the ordinance back again. Give it a chance.

While critics have argued Charlottesvilles new zoning ordinance was rushed and deserved more thought, city staff and elected officials have been working on the detailed plan for years. And council did not take its vote lightly on Monday night.

Before voting, councilor Juandiego Wade took a moment to recognize the significance of what council was about to do, calling the vote a big deal. Wade said he asked himself hard questions while weighing the decision.

Do I have enough information to make the decision? Have we done our due diligence in understanding the information and understanding the community? Have we asked all the questions? Have we heard from everyone? Thats really important. I believe we have on all those accounts, he said.

Wade mentioned that the public often asks him if he can guarantee the plan would result in more affordable housing, but he cant predict the future.

When I signed up to be on City Council, the job description did not say that youre going to be a fortune teller. But it did say that I care for the public, and I believe this does that, he told the crowd.

He ended by quoting Sunshine Mathon, executive director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance.

We need to prioritize the people most impacted by the areas affordable housing crisis, so that Charlottesville can be a vibrant city with all kinds of housing for all kinds of people in all kinds of places, Wade recited. And I think this zoning ordinance change does that.

While the room was nearly full earlier in the evening, by the time the meeting ended Monday night only a few stragglers remained, thanking council for its work and basking in the glow of their victory.

Matthew Gillikin, co-chair of Livable CVille, an urban advocacy group, told The Daily Progress he doesnt expect anyone will know how successful the ordinance is for at least three to five years. But he was sure of at least one thing.

This is a historic accomplishment for Charlottesville. We have a lot to be proud of, and Im very grateful to city council for their unanimous vote, he said.

One of the last people to speak during public comment was former planning commissioner Genevieve Keller. When she stepped to the podium as midnight approached, she said the hard work was just beginning.

There are probably a lot of other things were going to have to tweak because some things are going to work out really well and some things are not going to work out at all, a lot of unintended consequences, she told council. I dont think any of us like it 100%, but its our plan now and we all have to work together to make it work.
WATERLOO, Iowa: Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood" of America, and he reinforced the message while denying any similarities to fascist writings others had noted.

I never read Mein Kampf," Trump said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitler's fascist manifesto.

Immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Trump said, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country."

In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red MAGA hats, Trump responded to mounting criticism about his rhetoric over the weekend, when he doubled down on anti-immigrant blood" purity remarks in front of several thousand supporters in New Hampshire.

Theyre poisoning the blood of our country," Trump said in New Hampshire about the record numbers of immigrants coming to the U.S. without immediate legal status.

At Tuesday's rally, he reprised his comments from the weekend that migrants pour into our country" and lamented what he said was a border catastrophe."

He made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to disqualify him from the state's ballot under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the U.S., dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists."

But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand  ideological screening " for people immigrating to the U.S. He said he would be a dictator on day one" only, to close the border and increase drilling.

In Waterloo Tuesday, Trump's supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesn't always say the right thing.

I don't know if he says the right words all of the time," said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because you're not fortunate enough to be born in this country," doesn't mean "you don't get to come here."

But it should all be done legally," she added.

It's about the volume of border crossings and national security, said her husband, John Geist, 68.

America is the land of opportunity, however, the influx  it needs to be kept to a certain level," he said. The amount of undocumented immigrants that come through and you don't know what you're getting, things aren't regulated properly."

Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the U.S. doesn't have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didn't agree with Trump's comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the country's character and bring different perspectives.

Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the U.S. stronger.

But Trump's blood" purity message might resonate with some voters.

About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing U.S.-born Americans to lose their economic, political, and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump is focusing on immigration policy, a critical piece of his second-term agenda, as the Biden administration and Congress try to negotiate a border security deal. President Joe Biden has been criticized for the record numbers of migrants at the border and is trying to address a political weakness before a potential rematch with Trump.

Jackie Malecek, 50, of Waterloo, said she likes Trump for the reasons that many people don't  how outspoken he is and that he's a little bit of a loose cannon." But she thought Trump saying immigrants are poisoning the blood" took it a little too far.

I'm very much for cutting off what's happening at the border now. There's too many people pouring in here right now, I watch it every single day," Malecek said. But that wording is not what I would have chosen to say."

Malecek supports allowing legal immigration and accepting refugees, but she is concerned about the waves of migrants crossing the border who are not being vetted.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday criticized Trump, who remains popular in his state, calling Trumps rhetoric dangerous" and uncalled for  in an interview with The Associated Press. He added that immigrants living in the country illegally are still people, and we shouldnt dehumanize human beings," a sentiment echoed by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in a Tuesday MSNBC interview.

Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood" comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border.

You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd," Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic."

At a congressional hearing on July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by U.S. citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens.

Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks.

Call it what it is," said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat."

Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood" comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration.

Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation," McConnell said.

Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rival's momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there.

I will not guarantee it," Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it."

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Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump Wednesday delivered a chilling message at a 2024 campaign rally in Iowa, cautioning that World War III is imminent, with the possibility of global destruction.

The former US president expressed grave concerns about the world teetering on the edge of World War III. He stressed that the danger is not akin to a conventional war but could result in complete extinction due to the destruction potential of modern weaponry.

"The world is in more danger than it's ever been because of the power of weaponry, and I will be the only oneI can say this with great suretyI will prevent World War III," the former US president said.

Criticizing Joe Biden's foreign policies, and linking them to the heightened risk of a global nuclear conflict, Trump pointed fingers at his (Biden) handling of international relations, particularly Russia and Ukraine.

Trump claimed that only he can prevent such a catastrophe. Indicating towards the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said his presidency would have averted the conflicts.

"I'm sure if President Trump would be the president, there would be no war in Ukraine and Europe," echoed Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a sentiment Trump readily embraced.

Immigrants Are Ruining the Fabric of the US

Trump stood by his condemnation of immigrants despite bipartisan criticism, saying that undocumented migrants were ruining the fabric" of the US.

"They're destroying the blood of our country, that's what they're doing. They're destroying the fabric of our country. And we're going have to get them out," Trump said.

Members of both parties accused Trump of echoing Adolf Hitlers call to eliminate Jews before the Holocaust of the 1940s.

They dont like it when I said that and I never read Mein Kampf. They said, Oh Hitler said that in a much different way," Trump said, referring to Hitlers 1925 autobiographical manifesto.

Also Read | Lok Sabha passes 3 criminal code bills sans opposition as 95 MPs stay suspended

This isn't the first time that Trump has made such dire predictions. He previously asserted a similar stance during a rally in October, heightening concerns about the escalating global tensions.

Before Trump's speech, the Biden campaign raised concerns about Trumps language, drawing parallels to the rhetoric of historical autocrats like Hitler and Mussolini.

"Donald Trump is parroting autocrats like Hitler and Mussolini, claiming that immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country' and calling his political enemies 'vermin,'" stated a Biden campaign email.

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COVID 19: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday designated the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a variant of interest," stating that based on current evidence, the risk to public health from this strain is assessed to be low. Here are the top ten latest updates on the new COVID variant. 1. In India, the majority of cases have been reported in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. Kerala recorded 292 new active cases of COVID-19 along with three deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. The state's total active cases now stand at 2,041, and the cumulative death toll due to COVID-19 in Kerala over the past three years has reached 72,056. Also Read: COVID-19 Update: 292 fresh cases, three deaths in Kerala 2. As reported by ANI, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya at the review meeting on COVID-19 said that it is time to work together with a Whole of Government approach, through closely working with each other. We need to be on the alert, but there is no need to panic. It's important to be prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people. A mock drill should be done in all hospitals once every 3 months. I assure all support of the Centre to States. Health is not an area of politics," he added. Also Read: Mint Explainer: Everything you need to know about the latest Covid variant 3. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya also urged all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure preventive measures are taken, given the cold conditions during the winter season, and the coming festival season. 4. Earlier this month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the JN.1 subvariant constitutes approximately 15% to 29% of cases in the United States as of December 8, based on the agency's most recent projections. Also Read: COVID-19 to play spoilsport ahead of Christmas, New Year? THESE states have issued advisories for revellers 5. The CDC clarified that there is presently no evidence suggesting that JN.1 poses an elevated risk to public health compared to other currently prevalent variants. The agency also stated that an updated vaccine could effectively safeguard Americans against this variant. 6. Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low. Despite this, with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, JN.1 could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries. Current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," wrote WHO on X.

7. COVID-19 infections in Singapore seem to have stabilized in the last week, but experts are advising caution and recommending the use of masks in crowded enclosed spaces as a preventive measure. In the previous week, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a significant increase of 75%, with 56,043 cases compared to 32,035 cases in the preceding week, PTI reported.

8. As reported by PTI, Professor Paul Tambyah of the NUH, president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said people do not need to worry about rising COVID-19 infections. Instead, they should "just be sensible about taking precautions about their health, not go to work or school if they are unwell and seek medical attention instead," Tambyah said.

Also Read: Singapore government implements preventive norms for travellers amid Covid scare

9. In response to the recent rise in COVID cases and the identification of the JN.1 subvariant in Kerala, the Indian government issued an advisory on Monday, urging state governments to ensure sufficient health preparations. "Considering the upcoming festive season, there is a need to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk of increase in transmission of the disease by adherence to the maintenance of respiratory hygiene", read the advisory.

Also Read: 'Report symptoms, increase testing': Govt advisory amid Covid spike, new JN.1 variant

10. The centre also directed the states states to monitor the occurrence of respiratory diseases district-wise. Ensure monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities on a regular basis including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, for detecting the early rising trend of cases," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes that ties with India have taken a turn amid the Pannun murder row. The Canadian leader sparked a diplomatic row earlier this year after asserting that his country was pursuing credible allegations that linked Indian government agents to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The remarks also come in the wake of allegations that an Indian official led a plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader on US soil.

I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before. There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp during a recent interview.

Indian officials have vehemently rejected the Canadian leader's assertions as absurd and several diplomats were expelled in the ensuing weeks.

I think everybody knows that India is a country where we are very responsible, very prudent on what we do and the whole issue for us has been that we have always maintained that. If any country, not just Canada, if any country has a concern and gives us some input or some basis for that concern, we are always open to look at itSo we very sincerely have told the Canadians saying that look it's up to you, I mean your choice whether you would like us to pursue it, further look into it or not," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said last week.

Canadian officials have repeatedly pressed New Delhi to cooperate in its investigation of the June murder  without much success. In contrast, India has said it was taking the US indictment seriously and was investigating the matter. The top official however insisted that the recent concerns voiced by the US were not the same.

"The point was when Americans brought up some issues and the two issues are not necessarily the same. When they brought up that issue the Americans told us some specific things. What happens in international relations from time to time such challenges can arise," EAM Jaishankar said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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US Presidential Elections 2024: Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to exit the GOP primary ballot in Colorado unless former US President Donald Trump is reinstated following the Supreme Court's ruling that ousted former President Donald Trump from the ballot, Fox News reported.

The recent ruling by a court comprising justices appointed by Democratic governors signifies a historic moment, as it marks the first instance in history where Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been applied to disqualify a presidential candidate, as reported by AP. The court's ruling, grounded in the 'insurrection clause' of the 14th Amendment, pointed to Trump's involvement in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. With a narrow 4-3 decision, the court specifically mandated the removal of Trump from the ballot. Also Read: Joe Biden delivers fresh warning on Donald Trump: US President says the other guy must lose Ramaswamy further labelled the court's decision as an election interference tactic aimed at silencing political adversaries." "I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state's ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal manoeuvre, which will have disastrous consequences for our country," Ramaswamy posted on X, calling out his fellow candidates in the GOP presidential primary.

"This is what an actual attack on democracy looks like in an un-American, unconstitutional, and unprecedented decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado. Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again: the 14th Amendment," his post read.

Also Read: 2024 US General Election: Vivek Ramaswamy says 'America First' resonates with George Washington's vision

ANI reported citing The Hill that yet another prominent GOP presidential candidate, Chris Christie, has entered the discussion on the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling, asserting that it is the voters, not the courts, who should determine whether Trump should be prevented" from seeking re-election to the White House.

Also Read: Donald Trump defends 'poisoning the blood' comments on migrants at Iowa rally

"What I will say is I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States, by any court," Christie said, adding, I think he should be prevented from being the President of the United States by the voters of this country."

In a statement Tuesday, Christie said he doesn't believe it's good" for the US if Trump is kept off the ballot by a court.

"I think it's bad for the country if that happens," Christie said, adding, "Now, the other reason I believe that is because, you know, he will have had to incite insurrection, be a part of an insurrection for him to be excluded. There's been no trial of him on that", The Hill reported.

Also Read: Vivek Ramaswamy hits 42 stops in a week, says campaigning caffeine-free but energy comes from...

Meanwhile, CNN reported that the Colorado Supreme Court has excluded former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 ballot, citing his ineligibility as a presidential candidate due to the insurrectionist ban" outlined in the 14th Amendment.

As per CNN, the ruling will be placed on hold until January 4, pending Trump's appeal to the US Supreme Court, which could settle the matter for the nation.

Also Read: GOP Debate: Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says 'Transgenderism' a mental health issue

The majority wrote in its unsigned opinion, President Trump did not merely incite the insurrection. Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President (Mike) Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes. These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection."

Also Read: Somebodys got their phone', Vivek Ramaswamy's embarrassing hot mic moment during X Space event with Elon Musk

We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection. President Trump's direct and express efforts over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterised as an alleged fraud on the people of this country, were indisputably overt and voluntary," the opinion added, as per CNN.

The court, in addition, rejected Trump's free speech claims, writing: President Trump's speech on January 6 was not protected by the First Amendment."

Also Read: India is important to reduce the US' dependency on China: Vivek Ramaswamy

The report further said that all seven justices of the Colorado Supreme Court were appointed by Democratic governors. Six of the seven subsequently won statewide retention elections to stay on the bench. The seventh was only appointed in 2021 and hasn't yet faced voters," as per CNN.

(With inputs from ANI) o

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Barring a last minute (and unlikely) presidential veto, the Apple Watch is largely coming off US shelves. Apple will stop selling the latest versions of the device though its online store by Thursday and then in its physical stores too by Christmas Eve. Other sellers like Best Buy can continue to sell them until they are out of stock. Its a miserable end to a lacklustre year for Americas most valuable company and its CEO Tim Cook.

Apple has found itself on the losing side of a patent dispute with a US medical tech company, Masimo, which accused the tech giant of infringing patents related to its blood-oxygen sensors. Apple denied the claim, but it was upheld by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in October, giving 60 days notice on a ban that takes effect on Christmas. Apples announcement that it would halt sales early has been seen as a potential last-gasp effort to force the US presidents hand, though White House interventions in such matters are rare, particularly when the row is between two US companies.

The ITC is no Scrooge and Apple does have questions to answer. As well as its patent claims, Masimo has taken Apple to court accusing it of stealing trade secrets. Apple, Masimo contended, set up meetings between the companies to discuss innovations and a potential partnership that never materialized. Apple then poached key employees. The end result, Masimo contended, was theft of trade secrets and an Apple blood-oxygen sensor too similar in design and function to what Masimo had produced. A jury trial on those matters ended in stalemate earlier this year. Apple disputes the accusation of infringement and says it plans to appeal the ITC ruling.

The bad news is in keeping with much of Apples fortunes this year. Last month, it recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of revenue decline, its worst run in two decades. The company warned that revenue in the October-December quarter, which Apple counts as its first of fiscal year 2024, would be flat. Analysts, as polled by Bloomberg, are expecting the company to just about sneak back to growth, but its touch-and-go and a ban on watch sales during the festive season wont help. On top of all this, worries persist around Apples business in China. Last week, Beijing broadened its ban on the use of Apple and other foreign devices. Investors havent lost faith yet, though. The companys stock is up more than 50% this year.

While the smartwatch is not as big a seller as the iPhoneanalysts expect about $16.9 billion in revenue from the watch this year, compared with $200 billion from the phoneit is now a pivotal device for Apple. As well as being the gateway to its health services, it has also established itself as an entry device into the Apple ecosystem for young people. One recent study suggested a third of US teens own the watch, possibly as a result of parents viewing it as a stopgap before a child is old enough to be let loose with a smartphone.

An Apple Watch ban could impact $5 billion in annualized sales, according to JPMorgan Chase, though Apple will be hoping to have the matter resolved much, much sooner. The company is rushing to carry out a software fix it hopes might be sufficient. Alternatively, Apple could reach a licensing deal with Masimo, one that Bloomberg Intelligence estimates could be worth as much as $300 million a year. In the interim, Apple could direct shoppers to previous models that do not contain the disputed technology, JPMorgan analysts noted. And any pre-Thursday sudden rush to buy the device before its taken off sale might help offset any slump.

These are complications Apple could have really done without. As Bloombergs Mark Gurman noted, 2023 has been tepid for Apples main product lines. Only Apples services unitwhich includes App Store commissions and subscription sales for products like Apple TVrecorded year-on-year revenue growth. Sales declined for all of its other lines: the iPhone, Mac, iPad and wearables.

Next year will offer a chance to revitalize those long-established products while ushering in new innovations, too. Beginning around March, Apple is expected to introduce new iPad modelssimplifying what is currently a confusing mess of different configurations and price points. New Airpods and MacBooks are expected, too.

Most excitinglyfor those hyped for a mixed-reality futurethe company is gearing up its stores to offer demos of the Vision Pro, Apples long-anticipated headset. It wont be a big seller in its first year, for sure, but a positive public reaction to Apples most daring product since the iPhone, arguably, could bring about a much happier atmosphere both in Cupertino, California, where Apple is based, and on Wall Street. bloomberg
Explore the most modest kirana shops even in rural India and ask for Cadbury, and you are likely to leave with a Dairy Milk chocolate in hand.

Mint reported that Mondelez India, known for its popular chocolate brands like Cadbury Dairy Milk and Toblerone, has doubled its rural footprint in the past five years. Rural sales now contribute a quarter to the company's traditional trade revenue, as households in even smaller villages, some with populations as modest as 3,000, are spending disposable incomes on its chocolates.

How has the ubiquitous chocolate bar in its distinctive purple packaging made rural inroads, competing with traditional sweets like Mysore pak, gulab jamun, and rasgulla?

Established in 1824, Cadbury, a venerable British confectionery brand with a 199-year legacy, has long been in India since before Independence. Cadbury Dairy Milks success in India is built on marketing strategies, cultural resonance and getting its distribution right. Its advertisements resonate with Indian sentiments, and its pricing is affordable, broadening its appeal across diverse demographics.

Despite this success, the average chocolate consumption in India stands at a modest 100 grams, considerably lower than the 5-10 kilo consumption observed in developed markets with Cadbury Dairy Milk holding 40% of the market.

It sells in over 100,000 of India's 600,000-plus villages that are home to nearly 69% of the population. Mondelez, which also includes other brands such as the 5Star, Perk, Gems, Silk and the Oreo range, holds 66% of the Indian chocolate market.

The rural per capita FMCG consumption lags that in urban areas ($27 versus $82), but these untapped markets do afford a substantial potential consumer base for packaged goods.

Infrastructure developments, including improved road connectivity and rural electrification, have helped accelerate the company's reach in villages. But an important component of its strategy is the see-through miniature display-chiller, which, it says, has given it the edge over competition, as it builds its distribution footprint, quietly employing data analytics to decide where to head next.

The low-sugar Dairy Milk bar opens up another market segment, given nearly 9% of adult Indians and even children are being diagnosed with diabetes.

So whats the future for Dairy Milk beyond these new market segments? Can it do what say Maggi, a similar category leader from rival Nestle, has managed, in transitioning from household kitchen shelves to Maggi counters at airports and colleges?

We love Cadbury, we really do! But we cant help but wonder why its still only doing what it did nearly 200 years ago? Why is there still no snack bars or Cadbury Dairy Milk or Dairy Milk Hot Chocolate like Hershey has? Yes, it does what it does very well but can it move beyond the comfort zone of FMCG distribution to embrace the services industry? How about Dairy Milk Dens to give Starbucks a run for their money and consumers a sweeter proposition than the humble chocolate bar?
The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, makes one policy choice clear. If enacted, spectrum for satellite broadband services will be awarded via administrative allocation, rather than auctions. This is pragmatic and provides clarity for an emerging field of telecom that is expected to expand connectivity. It aligns India with US norms and sets the stage for global players to enter. This proposal, though, needs to shake off an overhang of the Supreme Courts 2G spectrum allotment ruling of 2012, which cancelled the licences of 122 entities and recommended auctions of scarce natural resources. While the government is certain it has space to determine policy, it is advisable to legal-proof the decision against future litigation. By keeping business expectations stable, it would catalyse investments in new services.

The Telecom Bill also has grey zones, however, that call for a closer look. For instance, its definitions of telecom, telecom services and what constitutes a message are so broad that it potentially leaves a door open for wide interpretation. In this context, it would help if we had clarity on whether messaging apps like Whatsapp, Signal, Telegram, et alor for that matter platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoomthat use telecom networks are excluded from regulation meant for telecom carriers. Much has been made of the term OTT (over-the-top) being dropped from an earlier draft of this bill, but the current formulation also seems at risk of an oversight overlap with the IT ministrys zone of coverage, which prescribes rules for chat apps (classified as intermediaries) and has a Digital India Act on its way. Government sources say that the regulatory ambit of the 2023 Bill is solely carriage, and dont expect a legal challenge. These definitions, they say, are drawn from the Indian Wireless Act of 1933 and updated to include interpretations from court judgements and international laws. The Bills scope is said to exclude internet-based services and any means of communication in use that are not linked to telecom identifiers (like our phone numbers).

The red flags being raised by stakeholders and civil society are over the Bills broad provisions that would allow the Centre to take over, manage or suspend any or all telecom services or networks in the interest of national security or in case of an exigency like war. To prevent misuse, we need to set a high bar. Ideally, only a declared national emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution should be allowed to trigger such action. At the very least, it must take Parliamentary approval. And then, Clause 20(2) proposes message interception and service suspension in case of a public emergency or for public safety. This part must necessarily align with our fundamental rights under the Constitution, of which privacy is a part. Another clause would let the government notify standards for encryption and data processing in telecom, and also watch compliance. This raises the question of whether it empowers the Centre to frame rules that may force popular chat apps to give up scrambling messages from one end to another. If that happens, an important bastion of privacy in peoples daily lives would come apart. In the past, the Centre made no secret of a discomfort with online secrecy. Even so, private conversations must stay privy to those who hold them. The government has an opportunity to incorporate such feedback, address points of dissonance and deliver a telecom regulatory system that will serve the country well.
In November, the total amount of money invested in mutual funds (MFs) through the systematic investment plan (SIP) route stood at 17,073 crore, the highest it has ever been. SIP is a way of investing routinely in MFs, usually monthly, with the money being largely invested into equity MFs, which in turn largely invest in stocks.

In buying stocks through the SIP route, the averaging of purchase prices comes into the picture. When stock prices are high, the net asset value (NAV) of a single unit of an MF is also high. So, the total number of MF units being bought through the SIP route comes down, given that a fixed amount of money is being invested. On the other hand, when stock prices are low, the NAV of a single unit of an MF is also low. So, the total number of units being bought goes up. This dynamic ensures that investors are able to buy more when prices are low and less when they are high, something that is psychologically difficult to achieve otherwise.

It also ensures that as stock prices go up, the overall value of the units bought at a lower NAV also goes up, benefitting the overall investment. This is how it is supposed to work in theory. But does it?

Now, the SIP route can be used to invest in non-equity MFs regularly as well. We dont have a publicly available breakdown of what proportion of the total SIP investment goes into equity MFs. Nonetheless, given anecdotal evidence and also how SIPs are sold, it is safe to assume that a bulk of it is going into equity MFs.

Further, the question is: Are retail investors benefiting by investing regularly through the SIP route? For that to happen, investors need to stay invested for at least five years or more, so that the dynamic explained above gets to play out properly.

From April to November this year, a total of 1.24 trillion has come into MFs through the SIP route. A bulk of this money would have gone into equity MFs. At the same time, the net investment in equity MFs has been a much lower 95,814 crore.

Indeed, the money coming into MFs through the SIP route has been greater than the net inflow into equity MFs in three of the last four financial years.

This tells us that many retail investors are selling out of equity MFs quickly because if they werent, then the net inflow into equity MFs would have been larger than the money coming in through the SIP route, given that the SIP route is not the only way to invest and investors can make one-time investments as well.

In fact, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the MF lobby group, suggests that as of June 2023, retail investors held a little more than half the equity assets51.4% to be exactfor a period greater than 24 months. This is an improvement from 43.6% as of June 2022. In fact, more than 26% of equity assets were sold within a years time. So, clearly, a bulk of the retail investors arent holding their investment even for the short period of less than three years, forget holding it for the long-term.

Now, lets look at more data. From April to November, 24.5 million new SIPs were started and 13.6 million SIPs were discontinued or their tenure was completed, implying a stoppage rate of 55.5%. In 2022-23, this rate had stood at over 56%. What will be interesting to know here is the breakdown between SIPs that are being stopped and those whose tenure is getting over. That will help in figuring out the SIP investors behaviour better.

For this, AMFI needs to declare more detailed data. In fact, there are other points as well on which a deeper look at the numbers is required.

First, the portion of SIP money going into equity MFs. To be sure, in the past, an AMFI chief executive has said that 90% of the SIP money goes into equity MFs. But regular data on this would do us no harm.

Second, what kind of equity MFs is SIP money being invested in. Like in the recent past, is more SIP money going into small-cap MFs, given that small cap stocks have been going up at a crazy pace? Stocks ranked 251st and lower in terms of market capitalization are termed as small caps. MFs that invest largely in such stocks are called small- cap MFs. If indeed SIPs of small-cap MFs have gone up in the recent past, then we can conclude that asset allocation or diversification is not an investment principle being followed by the average retail investor.

Third, are investors cancelling SIPs of large-cap MFs and betting more on small-cap MFs? The net inflows data seems to suggest so, but we need a detailed breakdown for to be able to judge better.

Fourth, a breakdown of investors holding on to their equity MFs for more than two years is not available. What proportion is holding on for three, five or 10 years?

In a country where MF investment is just about taking off, such detailed data is necessary for better analysis and for drawing the right conclusions, which can help in offering better advice to retail investors. Given this, the Securities and Exchange Board of Indiathe capital markets regulator, under whose purview the MF industry also fallsshould step in and mandate that AMFI make more detailed SIP data available.
European leaders are tightening asylum rules and seeking to restrict migration under political pressure from opponents who charge that Europes mainstream parties have lost control of the numbers of people who are coming into the bloc.

European Union member states and lawmakers agreed on new asylum rules Wednesday after years of failing to rework a system that collapsed during the migration crisis of 2015. Back then, over one million people came to the bloc, swelling support for far-right parties.

Hours earlier, on Tuesday, the French parliament backed an immigration bill that increases the governments power to deport foreigners and limits access to welfare and citizenship to dissuade asylum seekers from coming.

Britain recently passed preliminary legislation aimed at permitting the deportation of failed asylum seekers to Rwanda, while even in Germanya country long open to migrantsofficials are working on plans to send some asylum seekers to Africa while their cases are decided.

Europes tightening laws on asylum and migration face criticism from nongovernmental organizations who say they will inflict more pain on people escaping wars and poverty. Potentially more troubling for officials, some experts say the measures being designed will fail to achieve their central aim: a clear reduction in the number of asylum seekers reaching Europe.

While European governments have grappled for years with migration rules, the political imperative for action has recently increased. Authorities say the number of asylum claims in Europe could top one million this year, the highest level since the 2015 crisis.

Just as border control is set to be a pivotal issue in the U.S. presidential elections next year, migration is likely to play a leading role in EU-wide European Parliament elections in June.

In Dutch elections last month, far-right, anti-migrant politician Geert Wilders emerged as the clear winner, sending shock waves across the continent. It was his first victory after almost two decades of trying.

In Germany, the right-wing, anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party is ranking second in opinion polls, with record-high support. Frances National Rally anti-immigration party, led by Marine Le Pen, is also topping domestic opinion surveys.

At the heart of the new EU legislation is an effort to accelerate the screening of asylum seekers to allow swifter deportations of failed claimants, with greater powers for authorities to keep people inside migration centers in front-line states, such as Italy, until they are either rejected or relocated to elsewhere in the bloc.

That could reduce the large number of asylum seekers who flock to richer countries including the Netherlands and Germany. In return, northern countries would accept some relocated asylum seekers or would pay into a joint EU fund to manage migration. The new rules still require formal approval in the European Parliament and in the EU grouping of member states.

The EU is also seeking to sign migration agreements with countries like Tunisia and Albania to boost its ability to return failed asylum seekers, though the pacts are proving cumbersome to seal.

This Pact on Migration and Asylum will ensure that there is an effective European response to this European challenge," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who oversees the blocs executive arm. It means that Europeans will decide who comes to the EU and who can stay, not the smugglers. It means protecting those in need."

The EU agreement comes after lawmakers in both of Frances parliamentary chambers on Tuesday clinched a last-minute migration deal.

The bill, which is deeply divisive within President Emmanuel Macrons centrist Renaissance party, empowers the government to expel foreign residents who reject the values of the French Republic. It tightens access to childrens and housing benefits for foreign residents living legally in France and raises the French-language requirement for residency permits. Children born in France to foreign parents will no longer be automatically granted citizenship.

Dozens of lawmakers from Macrons party and its allies voted against the bill or abstained from voting. On Wednesday, hours after the vote, French Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau tendered his resignation.

After the bill was passed, Le Pen framed the bill as a great ideological victory" for her National Rally party. Le Pen said the new bill gives priority to French nationals over foreignersan idea she has long defendedby tightening access to welfare.

Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty Internationals European Institutions Office, said the EU agreement would cause a surge in suffering on every step of a persons journey to seek asylum in the EU."

The pact will almost certainly cause more people to be put into de facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations," she said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose coalition partner, the Green Party, was divided over the reforms, backed the compromise, though she acknowledged that Berlin had failed to win exemptions preventing children or families being kept in border centers.

The agreement on a new asylum system was urgent, necessary and long overdue," she said on X, the former Twitter.

There are questions about whether the changes being adopted across Europe will succeed.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced a rebellion within his Conservative Party over the Rwanda plans after his immigration minister quit the cabinet, saying the proposal wouldnt succeed in allowing the government to deport people. Many officials say there is little evidence that broad efforts by European governments to reduce welfare benefits for asylum seekers has succeeded in reducing their appetite to come.

Gerald Knaus, a migration expert and the founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative, a think tank that focuses on asylum policy and human rights, said that no real problem will be solved by the rework of EU rules.

The key problemthe failure to return even those who never apply for asylum or are rejectedfrom Italy, Spain, Germany or Franceis not addressed," he said. This means thatthe status quo of thousands drowning every year, no humane control and continuing illegal pushbacks will likely continue, including next spring, leading up to the European elections."

In October, the EU Agency for Asylum said that 123,000 new asylum applications were received in the bloc and neighboring countries, marking, for the second month running, the highest levels since the 2015 refugee crisis. The agency predicted that there would be more than one million claimants arriving this year. Germany remained the number-one destination for asylum seekers, receiving around a quarter of the total claims made.

Over a million people in Europe are awaiting a decision on their claims.

Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com and Noemie Bisserbe at noemie.bisserbe@wsj.com
Editor's note: This story is part of 'ESA at 50,' a series that examines the past, present and future of the Endangered Species Act. Often called the "pit bull of environmental laws," the ESA has provided federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants. On its 50th anniversary, it grapples with political uncertainty and unforeseen ecological challenges.

The crux comes down to flow.

And thats a conundrum bristling with more needle-sharp barbs than a prickle of porcupines.

Seven hundred and twenty-five Arctic grayling traveled roughly 175 miles in early October from Big Timber to their new home in French Creek in a fancy steel tank in the bed of a state-owned pickup.

Supplemental oxygen kept them perky.

The fish were beneficiaries that day of sanctioned bucket biology. On Oct. 2, Jim Olsen, a fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and colleagues toted 5-gallon buckets filled with grayling netted from the holding tank to numerous spots along French Creek in the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area south of Anaconda.

Freed in the narrow, willow-sheltered, cold and meandering creek, the fish shot like arrows toward pools of deep water.

Concerns about the viability of a small population of river-dwelling Arctic grayling in the nearby Big Hole River  the last such population in the Lower 48 states  has long stirred efforts to grant federal protections for the fish through the Endangered Species Act.

Arctic grayling belong to the same family as salmon, trout and whitefish. Adults typically average between 10 inches to 13 inches in length. The male fishs sail-like dorsal fin stands out. It is large and vividly colored, with rows of orange to bright green spots and often boasts an orange border.

Grayling are native to Arctic Ocean drainages and scientists believe Pleistocene glaciations isolated the North American populations.

Arctic grayling once occupied streams and rivers in northern Michigan, but those fish disappeared in the 1930s.

The fluvial form of Arctic grayling is believed extirpated from about 95 percent of its historic range in the upper Missouri River basin, with the remaining fluvial population found in the Big Hole River, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Arctic grayling typically require clear, cold water. The optimal temperature ranges between 45 and 63 degrees F. Yet Olsen said he has seen grayling move into warmer water, apparently when in the midst of a growth streak.

The fish generally spawn from late April to mid-May. Females deposit adhesive eggs over gravel without excavating a redd, or nest. The grayling in the Big Hole often migrate more than 50 miles between spawning, feeding and wintering areas. When flows are low, migration can be interrupted by predators such as osprey. They also tend to be an easy catch for anglers.

Water quality testing by the Big Hole River Foundation has found evidence in the upper Big Hole River of higher levels of nutrients, accompanied by algal growth and low levels of dissolved oxygen. The nutrients are likely tied to cow manure.

Nearly everyone agrees that low flows in the river and related increases in water temperature are threats to the fluvial Arctic grayling and other coldwater fish species during the irrigation season  realities compounded by drought and climate change. Ranchers in the Big Hole Valley withdraw water in summer to grow the hay their livestock need during the high-elevation valleys long, harsh winters.

I dont think its any secret that the flow question is the big one that folks I talk to are most interested in, said Brian Wheeler, executive director of the Big Hole River Foundation, a board member for the Big Hole Watershed Committee and a fishing guide. Especially since its often cited by the fisheries biologists as the primary carrying capacity driver.

Litigation as bludgeon'



French Creek flows into Deep Creek, itself a tributary to the Big Hole River. A fish barrier installed in recent years is designed to block non-native fish from swimming up French Creek. But introduced Arctic grayling with genetic ties to the Big Hole population can wash downstream into the river during high water, effectively supplementing the river population.

Extensive and widespread reintroduction in Arctic grayling historical range could play a role in efforts to save the species, said Perry Wheeler of Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization based in San Francisco. But any such efforts, including stocking, would be undermined if chronic dewatering is not addressed and remedied.

One key question: Would the river-dwelling population of Arctic grayling in the Big Hole River truly benefit from federal protections afforded by being listed as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act?

Pedro Marques, executive director of the Big Hole Watershed Committee, thinks not.

Litigation is just a bludgeon of a tool tossed in from afar from a privileged class that doesnt need to live the real trade-offs involved in land and resource management, Marques said. Litigants have been invited to the table for years but they dont care to participate. Litigation does nothing but divide people and, if successful, will quickly erode local cooperation by imposing a big government response. Were the government and were here to help does not resonate in rural Montana.

Legal quests for listing began more than 30 years ago. They have proceeded in fits and starts, like a grayling struggling to migrate upstream when the Big Holes flow drops toward a trickle. The Fish and Wildlife Service considered the Arctic grayling as a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act as early as 1982.

On Oct. 9, 1991, the agency received a petition from the Biodiversity Legal Foundation and George Wuerthner requesting that the fluvial Arctic grayling be listed as an endangered species throughout its historic range in the Lower 48.

In 1994, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that listing the fluvial Arctic grayling was warranted but precluded by other higher-priority listings. Many in the ranching community in the Big Hole Valley feared a listing could result in FWS bird-dogging their irrigation and livestock practices. That trepidation became a catalyst to form the Big Hole Watershed Committee in 1995.

That coalition of state, local and nonprofit stakeholders has tackled a host of projects, ranging from riparian zone protection to tributary and wetlands restoration and more, with the goal of keeping a federal listing at bay by improving habitat. They have included habitat improvements on California, Oregon, Moose and French creeks.

In 2006, a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service, came into play for the fluvial Arctic grayling in the upper Big Hole River. Among other things, the CCAA protects landowners who agree to voluntarily work toward improving grayling habitat from additional regulatory requirements if the fish is ultimately listed. One component is agreeing to adjust water use when low-flow triggers are reached. At last count, more than 30 landowners in the Big Hole Valley were participants in the CCAA.

CCAA's grew out of the spotted owl controversy in the 1990s, when Pacific Northwest loggers objected to ESA rules protecting the owl's forest habitat. They offer a way where a species that might qualify for ESA threatened or endangered status may instead be managed under a voluntary agreement among state and local stakeholders. FWS has precluded other species from listing due to CCAAs. Among them have been the Columbia spotted frog, the Relict leopard frog, Cook's petrel and others.

Brian Wheeler described the Big Hole committees work as a model for collaborative conservation.

The CCAA program work between all the agencies and landowners has definitely successfully worked towards restoring the upper river, tributary habitat and native fish, and I hope that work can expand its enrollment, he said.

To list or not to list

Montana grayling remained a high priority for federal listing until 2014, when FWS found that the CCAA landowner agreements were working to ensure the species survival. Environmental groups appealed that decision and won, leading to another Fish and Wildlife Service ruling in 2020 finding the Arctic grayling unwarranted.

Yet Pat Munday believes the Arctic grayling population in the Big Hole River needs the protections and assets that a listing under the Endangered Species Act could yield. Munday is a Butte resident, professor at Montana Technological University and author of Montanas Last Best River: The Big Hole and its People.

ESA listing brings federal resources to the table and the law has been tremendously successful in recovering nearly-extinct species once seen as a nuisance or even evil," Munday said. "It protected and recovered bald eagles, gray wolves and alligators."

What we do know with fluvial Arctic grayling is that not listing (the Big Hole population) has not worked, he said. There is no good evidence that there are more fish now than there were 10 or 20 years ago, and in fact there are some indications that the fish has continued to decline.

In January, he and co-plaintiffs Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project sued U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and FWS, asking the court to vacate a 2020 finding that the fluvial Arctic grayling did not require Endangered Species Act protections.

See which species are endangered in the U.S. Explore which species in your state have made the endangered species list.

Munday said endangered or threatened species get more funding, more personnel and more attention.

ESA listing brings both an urgency and more money, he said.

Marques disagreed.

There is no windfall of federal dollars when a species gets listed, he said.

Marques acknowledged there are challenges beyond the scope of the conservation agreements in the Big Hole Valley. One of the biggest is the change in annual rainfall.

The new normal of precipitation patterns is beyond what voluntary conservation can address, he said.

Marques said water-storage projects, wetlands construction and even cloud seeding could help.

The trouble I keep running into is that all water-storing technologies only go as far as the next non-cooperating irrigator, he said.

Targeting irrigation

The lawsuit filed in January by Munday and others alleged that dewatering from irrigated agriculture and ranching is the most likely cause of an approximately 50% reduction in the Big Hole (grayling) population from the early 1990s to the early 2000s.

Montanas FWP does not attempt to obtain a typical population estimate of adult fluvial Arctic grayling in the Big Hole because the fish are widely dispersed in the upper river. Instead, the agency samples grayling in a handful of tributaries and side channels of the Big Hole where the fish are known to spawn.

From that, FWPs analysis calculates the number of effective breeders, or successfully spawning adults. That's how many mature grayling are contributing to that years cohort of fish.

Listen: Endangered Species Act turns 50 and Montana has been the battleground Montana Untamed: Often called the pit-bull of environmental statutes, the ESA has given federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants.

In recent years, that number has declined. In 2019, the estimate for the total number of spawning adults in the Big Hole population was between 1,019 and 2,550. For 2022, that number was between 496 and 671, according to FWP.

One funding source for Big Hole Watershed Committees projects has been the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It joined several other contributors to support a wetlands restoration project this summer on a ranch west of Wisdom. The restored wetlands could add a measure of cold water to the North Fork of the Big Hole River.

Ben LaPorte, programs manager for the Big Hole Watershed Committee, said the projects potential to benefit grayling was first recognized by Jim Magee, an FWS biologist. Magee has long worked with landowners in the Big Hole Valley to improve conditions for grayling, stressing the importance of keeping intact ranches on the landscape. That benefits numerous species of wildlife and helps inhibit developments habitat fragmentation.

Ranchers participating in the Big Hole CCAA program have received help with protecting riparian areas from cattle, locating off-stream water tanks for livestock, reducing fish entrainment in irrigation ditches and more.

Montana water law also allows for the acquisition or leasing of water rights to allow for boosts in instream flow by retaining water that might otherwise have been diverted. Munday and other grayling advocates want more attention put there.

Munday weighed in.

The most productive use of Fish and Wildlife Service funding for grayling would be to pay for instream flows along with stream restoration, Munday said.

Other fish, other problems

Tensions between ranchers and fishing outfitters have long simmered. They intensified in the summer of 2023 after FWP surveys found dramatic declines of populations in the Big Hole and other regional rivers of brown and rainbow trout  the non-native fish species that put paying anglers in rafts and drift boats.

Other kinds of Arctic grayling face other threats. Montanas adfluvial grayling typically live in lakes, such as Mussigbrod Lake above the Big Hole Valley. They dont adjust well to river currents. Separate litigation in 2023 blocked a FWS plan to boost the population of adfluvial grayling in a wilderness area in the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge east of Lima.

Meanwhile, the Western Rivers Conservancy, in separate announcements in September, said the nonprofit had transferred ownership to the Forest Service of two properties the organization said will ultimately help augment flows in the Big Hole River.

One was the 200-acre Eagle Rock Ranch on the Wise River. The other was the 317-acre Clemow Cow Camp east of Jackson. Western Rivers Conservancy emphasized that each acquisition and transfer would help sustain flows in the Big Hole River.

A few more cubic feet per second of cold water here, a few more over there. What about conservation agreements or re-populating grayling in tributaries? Wont it eventually add up?

Munday said the fluvial Arctic grayling needs help now.

Weve waited and waited, he said. We cant rely on the CCAA to save grayling in a warming world. Now is the time to act.

In turn, Marques said the threat of listing in the 1990s played an important role in the collaborative conservation successes weve been trying to have in the Big Hole.

After over 30 years we have a model for conservation that is working, he said. Listing of the grayling will raise the temperature of this already difficult situation, with no measurable benefit to the resource or the fish in question.

And that could be. Yet research suggests the number of spawning adults in the Arctic grayling population in the Big Hole River continues to decline.

The Big Hole Watershed Committee has shepherded projects likely benefitting the fish. But the fluvial Arctic grayling faces the ominous prospect of the ongoing threat of climate change.

"Some biologists estimate that 35% of animals and plants could become extinct in the wild by 2050 due to global climate change," according to the National Park Service.

50 years of the ESA: Explore this series, in photos
DOHA, QatarHamass political leaders have been talking with their Palestinian rivals about how to govern Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, a fraught negotiation that threatens to put them at odds with the militant wing fighting Israel.

The talks are the clearest sign that Hamass political faction is starting to plan for what follows the conflict.

We dont fight just because we want to fight. We are not partisans of a zero-sum game," Husam Badran, a member of Hamass Doha-based political bureau, told The Wall Street Journal during an interview at a villa on the outskirts of the Qatari capital. We want the war to end," he said.

The Hamas leaders statement marks a sharp turn from Oct. 7, when the militant wing of the group led an assault that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. Now, after more than two months of war, and about 20,000 Palestinian casualties in Gaza, according to health authorities there, Hamass political wing is talking about an end to the conflict.

We want to establish a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem," Badran said.

Hamass Doha-based politburo is, on paper, in charge of the groups affairs around the world, including in Gaza. But the divisions between the politburo and its officials inside Gaza, which includes a military wing, have sharpened since the war began.

The U.S. has been pressing Israeli and Palestinian leaders to begin thinking about what happens after the conflict in Gaza ends. Israel has said it doesnt want to re-occupy Gaza, but that means putting in some other security force.

Some of the options being considered are a multinational peacekeeping force involving Arab nations, which Hamas and the Palestinian Authority reject. Another option is a revitalized Palestinian Authority with its own security force.

While Hamas has long had a conflicted relationship with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which represents Palestinians at the United Nations and other international meetings, Badran and other Hamas political leaders now say they want to join its umbrella of political groups.

It will be a national dialogue," Badran said. We have always said the PLO should contain any Palestinian faction."

The entrance hall of the villalined with the portraits of Palestinians killed by the Israelisspeaks to that vision. It includes founder Yasser Arafats second in command, Khalil al-Wazir; the leaders of two Marxist groups; and Hamas founders Sheik Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

In recent days, Hamas has been secretly reaching out to the leaders of Fatah, the dominant faction of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Badran and other Hamas officials say the talks have also included Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief with close Emirati and Egyptian connections, and former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Dahlan said in a separate interview he is in daily contact with Hamas.

I am no friend of Hamas," he said. But do you think anybody is going to be able to run to make peace without Hamas?"

Senior Hamas political leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal have been directly involved in those talks, which on the Fatah side include Hussein Al-Sheikh, the No. 2 in the PLO, people familiar with the discussions said. Al-Sheikh is in charge of its negotiations as well as the top liaison to the Israeli government, and is regarded as a potential successor to Mahmoud Abbas, the current head of the organization. Al-Sheikh declined to comment. Badran said Al-Sheikh hadnt met Hamass political leaders in Doha.

Badran said being part of a coalition would facilitate talks with the international community, particularly European nations reluctant to work with Hamas, which is under sanctions.

The Hamas political leaders in these talks indicated that they would be willing to join the PLO and support negotiations under a unity government for a Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

But Badran said that Hamas had no plans to demilitarize or change its stance on Israel, which it refuses to recognize, at least as long as the occupation continues. The world has no right to ask when people are being killed," he said. Its not logical to ask this question at this time."

For some, Hamass outreach is a sign of desperation as Israeli operations expand and Gaza slips away from the groups military control.

The political leadership thinks that Gaza may be lost," said Ehud Yaari, a fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. They dont believe that Sinwar and his people can withstand the Israeli offensive for long, so they want to make a deal now."

According to an Israeli official and the people familiar with the discussions, the political leaderships talks with Fatah have created tensions with Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamass military wing based in Gaza. Sinwar, according to those people, doesnt want Hamas to continue to govern Gaza, but thinks the war isnt lost yet and says it is too early to compromise.

Sinwar, who wasnt informed about the political leaderships talks, demanded they be stopped when he found out they were taking place, according to the people familiar with the talks.

Badran denied any rift between Hamass Gaza branch and its political leadership in Doha. The leadership of Hamas, both inside Gaza and outside it, is in complete agreement on strategies and political positions across various issues," he said.

Publicly, the political and militant wings of Hamas say they agree on the issues. A spokesperson for the militant wing in Gaza couldnt be reached for comment.

For now, Badran says Hamas is seeking a full-scale ceasefire with Israel, rather than a truce, which would lead to talks to exchange all remaining Israeli hostages for all Palestinian prisoners. If there is a ceasefire, our stance is crystal clear: We want an exchange of all-for-all," he said.

Badran, who learned Hebrew while in an Israeli jail, said his impression from reading Israeli reaction online was increasingly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly after the death of three hostages accidentally killed by the Israeli army in Gaza.

Badran said 60 hostages had been killed during the fighting in Gaza out of the 150 Israel says were still held hostage after the first exchange, and that Israel would need to negotiate with Hamas to get them out. The Israeli army is not suited to retrieve the prisoners alive," he said. It can only be achieved through negotiations."

But any power-sharing agreement between Hamas and Fatah might face opposition from Mahmoud Abbas, 88 years old, who has run the Palestinian Authority since 2005 even after his mandate expired in 2009. The Palestinians have been deprived of any choice for long, long years," Badran said, adding that Hamas had held talks with neither Abbas nor the Palestinian Authority.

Years of attempts by Hamas and Fatah to reconcile their differences and form a unity government have failed partly over Hamass refusal to disband its military wing. The two sides have also fought over the mechanisms to oversee and enforce national elections.

But the biggest obstacle to any agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas on governing Gaza would likely be Israel, which has consistently said its goal is to destroy the militant group. Asked about the possibility of Hamas joining the Palestinian Authority and playing a role in postwar Gaza, an Israeli official said the idea was unrealistic."

The idea could also face opposition from the U.S., which wants a Palestinian Authority security force to crack down on Hamas after the war and to administer Gaza, said Diana Buttu, a former Palestinian peace negotiator. They essentially want the PAs role as Israels security subcontractor in the West Bank to be expanded into Gaza," she said.

Buttu said the U.S. is willing to pump more money into the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, but neither side has presented a sustainable political framework. There is a longstanding and continuing false promise of Palestinian statehood," she said.

Buttu places the blame on Americans for pressuring the Palestinian Authority not to work with Hamas, and expresses doubts about the stated goal of destroying the group.

They have always been part of the political landscape since their founding," Buttu said. Its a fantasy that they can be eliminated."

Omar Abdel-Baqui and William Mauldin contributed to this article.

Write to Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com, Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com and Dov Lieber at dov.lieber@wsj.com
Its been almost a month since news broke of an alleged plot to assassinate pro-Khalistan figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States, with possible Indian involvement. In the weeks since, India and the US have scrambled to minimise damage to their relationship. Mint takes a look at how the two countries have responded and the impact on India-US relations.

What are the facts of the case?

American officials charged a 52-year-old Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, with murder-for-hire after they uncovered evidence implicating him in a plot to kill Pannun. The pro-Khalistan figure, who is the face of separatist group Sikhs for Justice, is an American citizen. An unsealed indictment also pointed to an unnamed Indian intelligence official as the person directing this plot.

The indictment provided details of electronic communications and messages between Gupta and undercover law enforcement officials, whom Gupta believed were criminal associates. According to media reports, America had shared this information with India after Prime Minister Narendra Modis June visit to the United States.

How has India responded?

Unlike with Canada, India has actively cooperated with the United States on this matter. Foreign minister S Jaishankar explained that, in contrast to how a similar instance with Canada played out following allegations of Indian involvement in the murder of another pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Washington had provided India specific information to work with.

The relative importance of Americas position in Indian foreign policy is also playing a role here, according to some experts.

Once news of the case broke, India set up an investigation into the matter on the basis of American inputs. The US government expressed its satisfaction with the move. After this, FBI director Christopher Wray visited India and met with his counterparts from the CBI and the National Investigation Agency. According to reports, the Pannun case featured high on the list of discussion points.

What are the potential implications for India-US ties?

These allegations are unwelcome news for proponents of stronger India-US ties. For one, it puts the strong bipartisan consensus in the US on India at risk. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on transnational repression, which is expected to discuss the Pannun case as well.

We often say were the oldest democracy in the world and India is the largest democracy in the world. This is not the behaviour of a respectable democracy," said senator Tim Kaine, a prominent figure in the Democratic party.

Another senator recommended arms embargoes against countries engaged in transnational repression. US officials, including secretary of state Antony Blinken, have made it clear that the case is a serious matter for Washington. An influential group of Indian-American lawmakers was also briefed on the allegations by the US government.

Some reports have stated that the Pannun case has already impacted Indias efforts to collect intelligence in the Western world.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee drew criticism from several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders over a video showing him mimicking Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Dhankhar claimed that it was an insult to his background as a Jat, his caste, who came from a farmer's family. Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee had not intended to hurt anyone".

As the matter took the political centrestage, Opposition leaders came out in support of the TMC leader. Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, condemned Banerjee's actions.

Here's what top political leaders said:

1. Jagdeep Dhankhar said he received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He (PM Modi) expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate."

2. President Droupadi Murmu tweeted, I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it."

3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said respect for those holding constitutional positions is the life force of democracy. "But the way political opposition is being turned into animosity to devalue Parliament's dignity in such a low manner is a matter of concern for the entire political class," he said, condemning the incident.

4. Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu said, The offices of the President, Vice President and Speaker, are Constitutional offices whose dignity & decorum must never be lowered. In mocking these high offices, we are plumbing the depths of parliamentary conduct & only ridiculing ourselves. We must always use only parliamentary & democratic means to express dissent & disagreement."

5. BJP National President JP Nadda said, "The public sends the MPs to the Parliament so that they can engage in discussions and debate, but they have turned into jokers."

6. According to ANI, Rahul Gandhi said, "MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it. Nobody has said anything.150 of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment."

7. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "(The Rajya Chairman said) it is an insult to farmers...the Chairman should provide security to the MPs inside the House...now if I am not allowed to speak, should I say it is because I am Dalit?... One should not provoke people outside by talking about casteism in the House".

8. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the prime minister for the criticism over the mimicry issue and alleged that Narendra Modi, while bidding farewell to Hamid Ansari, who was retiring as vice president and chairman of Rajya Sabha after a long 10-year tenure, mocked Ansari, reducing his identity to his religion.

9. Congress MP Randeep Surjewala said, ...I want to ask the Modi govt, were lakhs of farmers not insulted when they were bearing the cold, hunger and thirst sitting at the borders of Delhi, protesting against the farm laws?... Were the farmers not insulted when the BJP leaders were terming them as militants, naxals and anti-social elements?..."

10. TMC leader Mahua Moitra tweeted, "Deathly silence on Manipur, on the Parliament security breach. But Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets on mimicry. Priorities. Priorities." She tweeted a video of PM Modi and said, Mimicry is an art form practised by Masters."

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Opposition lawmakers will lead a protest march from the Parliament premises to Vijay Chowk in the national capital over their suspension. INDIA bloc floor leaders are also scheduled to have a meeting on Thursday morning. The development came even as the Opposition bloc plans a nationwide protest on December 22 against the suspension of 143 MPs during the Winter Session.

The Parliament has seen several washout days as opposition members led extensive protests over the Parliament security breach on December 13 and other issues. Two more opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday  bringing the tally up to 143. The INDIA bloc parties had 138 members in the Lower House  of which around 40 now remain within the Parliament.

The suspended lawmakers will now lead an agitation from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk on Thursday. Floor leaders from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance will also hold a meeting on Thursday morning at the office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.

Meanwhile BJP leaders and top officials have lashed out at Opposition leaders for mocking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The controversy erupted on Tuesday after suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP's performance on his phone.

Received a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate," Dhankar posted on X.

(With inputs from agencies)

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On Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's remark that the act of mimicking him is an "insult" to the farmers, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "One should not provoke people outside by talking about casteism in the House."

Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday for saying that the act of mimicking him is an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his own community. "I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar, but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House...You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was insulted, and you are silent," Dhankhar was quoted by PTI as saying on Tuesday. Reacting to Dhankhar's comments, Kharge said, "(The Rajya Chairman said) it is an insult to farmers...the Chairman should provide security to the MPs inside the House...now if I am not allowed to speak, should I say it is because I am Dalit?"

Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to say that "the entire Modi ecosystem (has) now being galvanised on the so-called mimicry non-issue".

He accused the Narendra Modi government of being silent on the real issue of why and how a BJP MP from Mysuru facilitated the entry of two intruders into Lok Sabha on December 13th  who are now charged under the anti-terror law UAPA."

Ramesh said, "The entire ecosystem is also silent on the summary suspension of 142 MPs for making a perfectly legitimate demand."

In another post earlier on X, Ramesh alleged that a desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of MPs by raising the issue of 'mimicry'.

"Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?" Ramesh said and shared a video clip of Prime Minister Modi's speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi had hugged him in 2018.
POKROVSK, UkraineDuring a break from fighting the Russians, an avuncular rifleman recalled how he was going for a haircut one day when he was press-ganged into joining the Ukrainian army.

Three recruitment officials accosted the stocky, gray-haired 47-year-old outside the barber shop in his small hometown, ordered him to get in a car and detained him for two days in a dark room at the local draft center until he had signed up.

I got my haircut at the training camp," he said.

Now known by his military call sign Dubok, the former electrical engineer offered to serve as a technician in the rear. But to get that job, you have to pay bribes," he said. Instead, he was sent to join an infantry unit depleted by months of hard fighting. His battalion of the 47th Mechanized Brigade is defending the city of Avdiivka against waves of Russian assaults, the biggest current battle in Russias relentless war on Ukraine.

Physically, I cant handle this," Dubok said of front-line combat. Im deeply disappointed that Im no longer 20."

Ukraine needs to rebuild its battered army. The infantry, which bears the brunt of deaths and injuries, is chronically short of men after nearly two years of resisting Russias full-blown invasion.

The most highly motivated fighters volunteered early. Those who havent been killed or wounded often say they are exhausted. Ukraine now relies on the draftand sometimes on rounding up mento replenish the ranks. Meanwhile, Russia can draw on a much larger population to replace its own heavy losses.

But a rickety draft system isnt mobilizing Ukraines manpower effectively, providing the quantity and quality of troops needed, or sharing the burden fairly across Ukrainian society, say many soldiers and military analysts.

A combination of corruption, exemptions and political caution has protected much of Ukraines urban middle class against having to fight in the cold and muddy trenches. On the long front line, a disproportionate share of draftees are middle-aged men like Dubok. Often they are from villages and small towns and were too poor to buy their way out.

Veteran soldiers who have been fighting since 2022some since 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraines eastexpress frustration that new recruits are often past their physical prime.

The quality of the replacements is not good. Theyre rural guys aged 43 to 50, sometimes with health problems," said an experienced infantryman fighting near Avdiivka.

Tired fighters note bitterly that when they go on leave in big cities such as Kyiv or Dnipro, they see able-bodied men in their 20s and 30s frequenting gyms, bars and hip restaurants.

We dont have full-on mobilization" of society, said a drone operator with the Ukrainian Navys special forces, known by his call sign Dobro. But its a necessity. We cant do without it."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the military is asking him for up to 500,000 more troops. He said no decision has been taken, calling the issue very sensitive." He noted that many soldiers who have been fighting a long time will also need to be demobilized at some point.

Dubok, the 47-year-old, didnt protest or resist when he was detained at the draft center. I went to school with the guys who processed me. I didnt want to create problems for them," he said. He had been thinking about joining the military anyway. But not this way," he said.

The day Dubok was drafted, his wife was left waiting for him at home with strawberries and cream. Now he watches rats feasting on dead bodies in the muddy battlefield around Avdiivka. Ive never seen such big rats in my life," he said.

Stories of men being confronted in the street and detained by draft officials abound in Ukraine. Some incidents have been filmed and put on the internet. Its unlawful. They can only hand out draft notices, not detain people," said Serhiy Parokhnenko, a lawyer from Dnipro whose clients include men challenging their call-up.

A Defense Ministry official admitted violations by some local recruitment staff but said too many citizens are ignoring their army summons.

Finding willing recruits for the infantry is proving especially difficult in the current phase of attritional warfare. The Wests fading support for Ukraine is darkening the countrys mood, and making front-line combat even more daunting.

Growing Republican opposition in Congress has held up U.S. military and financial aid. European Union aid is being impeded by Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban has long had warm relations with Moscow.

Western deliveries of arms and ammunition have slowed sharply. Russia has regained a clear advantage in artillery firepower, where Ukraine had parity earlier this year.

About 800,000 people serve in Ukraines armed forces, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said recently. Casualties in the war are a tightly held secret, but full hospitals and graveyards around Ukraine show the high price the country is paying to defy Russias attempted conquest.

On paper, Ukraine still has a large reserve of potential manpower, with several million male residents in their 20s and 30s who have yet to fight. The military hasnt drafted men under the age of 27 so far, although Parliament has authorized a lower age limit of 25. Groups exempt from the draft include fathers of several children, carers for disabled people and workers in key sectors.

Ukraines government had hoped that this summers counteroffensive, aimed at retaking swaths of Russian-occupied territory, would go a long way toward winning the warand obviate the need for a politically unpopular push to draft more young people in Kyiv.

Instead, Ukrainian assault troops made few dents in Russias heavily fortified lines. Casualties compounded the infantrys losses in the grueling 10-month defense of the city of Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces this spring.

Sad news from the front is discouraging citizens from joining," said Dobro, the drone operator. Ukrainian army commanders who use costly Soviet-style tactics of frontal assaults are adding to peoples fear of being drafted, he said. Now people realize that if you want to live to see the end of the war, you shouldnt go to the infantry."

Army advertisements acknowledge peoples trepidations. Recruitment posters tell people its brave to admit your fears."

An unknown number of Ukrainians have left the country to avoid the draft, paying bribes so they can cross the border. Ukraines wartime laws ban most men age 18 to 60 from traveling abroad. Exceptions include men who are medically unfit to serve, volunteers for charities and some traveling for work.

Earlier this year, a 30-year-old architect from Odesa paid a bribe of about $7,600, more than half of his savings, to a doctor for a medical certificate exempting him from the draft. He then packed his possessions into his car and drove across the border into Moldova. Im supportive of Ukraine. Its a great country, with great people," he said. But I dont want to die."

Now living in southern Europe, he said some of his friendships in Ukraine have frayed because of his decision. Other friends have told him he is lucky to be abroad. He said he donates money to support friends who are fighting.

The biggest corruption problem is at draft offices. Reports of officials taking bribes to let men off became so widespread that Zelensky fired all 24 of the countrys regional recruitment chiefs in August. But the government has yet to announce a more thorough overhaul of recruitment, despite months of talking about the need for changes.

The Defense Ministrys ideas for reforms include hiring private-sector recruitment firms, creating a national digital registry of fighting-age men to make the draft more transparent and evasion harder, registering women too, and letting people apply directly for armed-forces jobs that suit their skills and qualifications.

The large number of draftees in their 40s has raised eyebrows among allied Western countries that are helping to train them. Ukraine has taken a conscious decision to mobilize more mature people for conflict," Gen. Patrick Sanders, chief of the British Army, told the U.K. Parliament recently. They are protecting their young men and women for the sake of the future of the economy," he said.

Others are less charitable. The bias in age and geography stems from corruption," said Ihor Romanenko, a military analyst and retired Ukrainian lieutenant general. Young people in big cities can more often afford a bribe, while big companies can shield their employees from the draft, he said. In rural Ukraine, where the population skews older, its harder to hide from the draft. In a village, everyone knows everyone," he said.

Especially in the infantry, people over 35 have less potential to fulfill their mission than younger men," said Romanenko. Of course you have to preserve the youth. But our country is fighting for its existence."

Bertrand Benoit and Max Colchester contributed to this article.

Write to Marcus Walker at Marcus.Walker@wsj.com
Something has gone badly wrong in Africa. Sudan has collapsed into carnage, as two grasping warlords battle for control. Genocide has returned to Darfur: fighters loyal to one of those warlords are murdering every male they can find from one ethnic group, even shooting baby boys strapped to their mothers backs, as we report. In Ethiopia one civil war has barely ended and a new one is brewing. Across the Sahel, jihadists are terrorising millions and soldiers are seizing power, promising to restore calm but not actually doing so. You can now walk across nearly the widest part of Africa, from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, passing only through countries that have suffered coups in the past three years. But it would be unwiseyou might well be kidnapped.

One reason coups have grown more common is that many Africans have lost faith in democracy. Afrobarometer, a pollster, found that the share who prefer democracy to any other form of government has fallen from 75% in 2012 to 66%. That may sound like a solid majority, but it includes many waverers. An alarming 53% said a coup would be legitimate if civilian leaders abuse their power, which they often do. In South Africa, which has one of the worlds most liberal constitutions, 72% say that if a non-elected leader could cut crime and boost housing and jobs, they would be willing to forgo elections.

There are as many reasons for this growing disillusion as there are medals on a coup-leaders chest. One is that incumbent regimes, most of which claim to be democratic, have brought neither prosperity nor security. Real GDP per person in sub-Saharan Africa was lower last year than it had been ten years earlier. More people are dying in small conflicts than at any point since at least 1989. In Nigeria whole schools have been abducted. When people lose hope that their lives will improve, they become impatient for change and the risk of coups and civil wars increases sharply.

Another problem is that many so-called democracies in Africa are phoney. Most African countries adopted the trappings of multiparty democracy after the end of the cold war. And in some countries, such as Kenya and Zambia, power changes hands more or less peacefully at voters behest. In many others, though, rulers allow the opposition to participate in elections but take a thousand precautions to ensure they cannot win, from tampering with the voters roll to throttling the media. No fewer than nine African leaders have been in power for more than 20 years. It is hard to expect people to support democracy if all they have experienced is a masquerade of it.

Meanwhile, geopolitics has grown friendlier to autocrats. If the West withholds arms or loans from African juntas, China and Russia are happy to step in. So, too, are unsqueamish middling powers such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Western governments have sometimes acted shabbily, turning a blind eye to a coup in Chad and electoral theft in Congo. Their hypocrisy undermines the democratic values they espouse.

Africa is not the only part of the world where democratic disillusion is spreading. A whopping 62% of Americans and 56% of French told a Pew poll last year that they were not satisfied with democracy in their countries. Among young Americans, nearly a fifth think a dictatorship would be preferable. The big difference is that rich, mature democracies have solid institutions that make a coup virtually impossible. In much of Africa the army and its cronies are all too ready to seize control.

Once the men with guns are in charge, they are hard to dislodge. They postpone elections indefinitely and remove even the threadbare checks on executive power that once existed. They govern terribly, but if the joyful crowds that greet some coups change their minds about their new rulers, there is little they can do about it. Equatorial Guineas president seized power in 1979. He is still in office, and his luxury-loving son may succeed him. Autocracy lacks the built-in correction mechanism of true democracy: the promise that, if governments are no good, voters can sack them. And because many African countries have festering ethnic tensions and territorial disputes, coups and dictatorships often lead to war, as has happened in Sudan.

Reversing Africas turn away from democracy will not be easy. It is a task, first and foremost, for Africans themselves. The African Union, a regional body, should once again take seriously its old no-coup" policy, and ostracise putschists. More important, African governments that claim to be democratic will have to govern better, by curbing corruption, fostering growth and resisting the temptation to hogtie the opposition. For example, the World Bank reckons that implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area could raise incomes by 9% by 2035 by removing obstacles to trade. Yet its members are dragging their feet.

Rich countries can help. They ought to press ahead with restructuring unsustainable debts and make good on a long-standing, unkept promise to spend $100bn a year to help poor countries with climate change. The World Bank and IMF could help crowd in investment, especially if their capital were topped up. The West would do well to welcome more African migrants to study and work; some will return home with useful skills and others will send back money to educate nieces or bankroll new businesses.

To help improve African security, America, which is more popular than former colonial powers such as Britain and France, could keep training and arming legitimate forces battling jihadists and other insurgents. The European Union must not cut funding for African-led peacekeeping missions, such as the one in Somalia that is now being wound down.

From cradle of humanity to centre of gravity

The main reason to wish for progress in Africa is to benefit Africans. But the rest of the world has a stake, too. Africa is the only continent where population growth is fast. By 2030 nearly one in three people entering working age will live there. Many of humanitys big challenges, from climate change to pandemics, will be harder to tackle if Africa is dysfunctional. There is no guarantee a more democratic Africa will be prosperous and peaceful, but one ruled by autocrats and generals will surely not be.
The six arrived as ordinary travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in September. Now, they are a tightknit group of friends who call themselves the Delta Six."

Some bands of buddies begin at school or work. This one started when an airline announcement asked for volunteers to defer their flight to Jackson, Wyo., to the following daythe plane was over its weight capacity.

The voucher value climbed quickly. Once it hit about $2,000, the group that would become the Delta six" gathered by the gate agent to take the deal and work out logistics.

The six, ages 26 to 47, quickly realized they had much in common: a love for Jackson and a good voucher offerand a sudden need to fill time at the Atlanta airport.

Airline travel has been rife with disruptions. But some fliers are finding that hangups bring an unexpected perk: new friends.

The next time youre stuck in an airport, you can wander to the food court for Panda Express orange chicken, thumb through People magazine, or stare into your iPhone until your neck hurts and your thumbs are googling chiropractor near me.

Or, how about making a friend? Yes, right there at the airport. You are sure to have something relatable to vent about.

That was the route taken by the Delta six": Laura Virostek, Peter Elliott, Caroline Croft Estay, Tyler Case, Jocelyn Boss and Elizabeth Ferguson.

Only two, Elliott and Ferguson, a couple, knew each other before then. Otherwise they were strangers. They had to use their meal vouchers, from the airline, at the airport, so the six dined there together before heading to their nearby hotel.

Case talked about the best four months" of his life, as a ski instructor for children at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Boss and Croft Estay, both based in Jackson, discovered their children not only attended the same school but were in the same class. Ferguson and Elliott both have ties to Cincinnati and discovered Virostek does, too.

Virostek ultimately visited Croft Estay while in Jackson that week, touring her indoor-farming company. Croft Estay and Boss ran into each other in the airport again in October. And in November, Virostek, Elliott and Ferguson met up for a tailgate at a Bengals game in Cincinnati.

All are now part of a Delta six" group chat, where topics have included how they spent their voucher moneya final truck payment for Elliott, a trip to Santa Fe for Virostek, a new coat for Croft Estay.

What really stood out to me is how quickly in a situation like this you can become connected to strangers," says Croft Estay.

I think we all knew how lucky we were," Virostek adds.

Travelers have faced more-frequent flight delays, and the busy holidays are a prime time for airlines to make deals with passengers willing to take a later flight.

John Kuolt, 43, the founder and chief executive of UP.Labs, was going to a conference in March, on a flight from Los Angeles to Monterey, when the plane rerouted to Fresno because of poor weather.

As he waited in Fresno, Kuolt recognized Laurent Grill, 35, a partner at JLL Spark Global Ventures, who was traveling to the same conference, the Global Corporate Venturing & Innovation Summit.

When the airline announced the flight would return to Los Angeles, Kuolt and Grill walked quickly together to the rental-car center so they could drive to Monterey instead.

Another passenger, Mina Cohen, 32, an event specialist at Fenwick law firm in Santa Monica, was also trying to get to the conference and had the same idea. While walking to the rental-car center, she struck up a conversation with two strangers, Kuolt and Grill.

Realizing they had a common destination, the three decided theyd go together. They even split up among rental counters to improve their chances of getting a vehicle.

Cohen secured one of the last remaining cars, and waved over Kuolt and Grill. Then, as they walked to the parking garage, we saw someone who looked a bit stressed," Cohen recalls.

That was David Blivin, 66, a managing partner of Cottonwood Technology Fund. I just said Hey, are you guys going to the conference? Do you have room for an additional person?" Blivin recalls.

Thus the four jilted airline passengers began their three-hour drive from Fresno to Monterey, with a stop for Mexican food at lunch.

At about the hour mark, you start to run out of small talk," Grill says. It went from, What do you do? to Why? and What do you love about it?

Kuolt, Blivin and Grill continue to stay in touch.

You never know who youre going to sit next to," Kuolt says.

Earlier this month at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, Wash., Robin Heim spotted someone in line having a coughing fit. That traveler, Mary Clare Johnson, was in a wheelchair, so Heim dashed to buy her water.

The gesture impressed Johnson, 71, who later was thrilled to discover Heim was her seatmate on the flight to Seattle.

We just nonstop jabbered for the whole hour and a half of the flight," recalls Heim, who is 66 and lives in Chelsea, Okla. She parted with a promise to visit Johnson when she next passes through the area.

Well probably be forever friends," Johnson says.

Heim agrees: Sometimes, you just need to take a chance on humanity."

Another plus about airport friendships: they are battle-tested, often started when were tired and irritable.

One day in June, Johanna Albertsson, a 30-year-old public-relations account director, checked in for a United flight scheduled to depart that evening from Newark for Los Angeles, where she lives. She was looking forward to downtime in the air after a packed trip visiting family and friends.

But at the airport, she learned the flight was postponed and the gate changed. The pattern would continue for the next seven hours.

At some point, she exchanged weary glances with Molly Cornell, a 24-year-old production design MFA student who was booked on the same flight and eager to get home to L.A.

We just kind of got to talking as we walked back and forth from gate to gate together," Albertsson recalls.

Soon they were showing each other pet photos (Albertssons dog and Cornells cat), debating whether or not it was actually Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries" standing near them (they think it was) and commiserating about wishing they could change clothes.

By the fourth hour, a line formed at the gate as cranky travelers tried to make alternative arrangements. Another passenger strode to the front of the queue, cutting off Cornell. Albertsson felt protective.

Molly had been sitting there for hours at that point," she recalls. This lady came up and I just told her, Thats my friend. She was in line."

She definitely got points for that," says Cornell.

Now, the two routinely hang out together in L.A. When Albertssons friends asked how they became so close after just one encounter, Cornell replied: Well, weve already seen each other cry at the airport."

Write to Gretchen Tarrant Gulla at gretchen.tarrant@wsj.com
TOKYOOne of the worlds biggest taxi markets is finally opening its gates wider to Uber after a decade of pushing by the U.S. ride-hailing company.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that the government would largely lift a ban on ride-sharing services in April and allow regular drivers using their own cars to give fare-paying passengers a ride.

Uber has been fighting for a place in Japans $17 billion taxi market for years, but was long blocked by rules that generally limit ride-sharing services to licensed taxi drivers working for authorized taxi companies.

Although Wednesdays move comes with restrictions, it is likely to make hailing a ride more convenient and potentially less expensive for the record number of American and other tourists who have been coming to Japan since pandemic-era restrictions ended.

We want a system that is easy to use for foreign visitors," said the transport minister, Tetsuo Saito.

Long barred from operating a U.S.-style ride-hailing app in Japan, Uber has adapted by recruiting local taxi partners for its app. It has also built a successful food-delivery business.

Some tourists in Japan already use Uber to get a ride on a licensed taxi. But Ubers efforts in that area have been outmatched by a powerful taxi boss and the rival app that he created.

Government officials say it wasnt Ubers yearslong lobbying blitz that sparked change, but demographic realities. Around 230,000 taxi drivers are active in Japan today, down 15% from five years ago.

Meanwhile, the country has received an influx of overseas travelers. This year, Japan has welcomed a record 1.86 million American visitors through November, and the number is expected to keep rising.

It has become an urgent matter to address the inconvenience in transport," said Saito.

The governments new ride-hailing plan comes with some restrictions. Officials say ride-hailing involving regular drivers, as opposed to licensed taxi drivers, is envisioned as a supplementary service for high-demand times in areas of Japan that have too few taxis available. Saito said that includes cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto where tourists may have trouble finding a cab.

Ride-sharing services with regular drivers will still have to be overseen by a taxi company, officials said. That means Uber, at least initially, will have to work with or acquire a Japanese taxi operator to take advantage of the larger driver pool.

However, Kishida, the prime minister, said he wanted a decision by next June on drafting a new law that would allow non-taxi companies to work with regular drivers in ride-hailing. Such a law, if passed, would put Japan roughly in the same situation as many U.S. cities.

Uber said Wednesday it would work closely with taxi companies and look for ways to offer Japanese people more options. It called for considering further measures that can contribute to the revitalization of the Japanese economy by providing a flexible supply of transportation options."

Until a few years ago, Japanese officials ruled out letting regular drivers into the ride-hailing business owing to fears that the system couldnt be adequately overseen and would cause safety problems. Japans taxi industry has vehemently opposed introducing ride-sharing in a country where white-gloved taxi drivers are carefully trained in etiquette.

In recent months, grumbling about long wait times for taxis has grown louder, and sentiment has begun to change. In an October opinion poll conducted by Nikkei and broadcaster TV Tokyo, 45% of respondents said they were in favor of allowing ride-sharing, while 39% were opposed.

In September, Uber was accepted into the taxi-industry group led by Ichiro Kawanabe, who is known as Japans taxi prince because he leads a taxi company founded by his grandfather nearly a century ago. Government and industry officials say Kawanabe has recognized labor-supply challenges and recently warmed to the idea of ride-sharing. He couldnt be reached for comment.

Peter Landers contributed to this article.

Write to River Davis at river.davis@wsj.com
Global trade is under threat again. This time from missile attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war targeting commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, near the Suez Canal. That may force many vessels to take the longer but safer route around Africa and is boosting oil prices.

For shipping owners, the development both gives and takes away: Clients will be forced to pay up for higher rates, but shippers will also have to absorb higher fuel costs. Tanker and liquid petroleum gas shippers look best placed since capacity utilization is tight and trouble at another major canalthe one in Panamahas already given them a huge boost in bargaining power.

Brent oil prices rose around 1% on Tuesday, according to Refinitiv data. Shares of A.P. Moller-Maersk, a top global container shipper, were down over 3%. Shares of Dorian LPG, a major LPG shipper, were up nearly 2%.

Oil giant BP on Monday became the latest company to halt its tankers from sailing through the Red Sea. Many of the worlds biggest shipping lines, including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC have started diverting vessels from the region. These new attacks are compounding disruptions to global trade already suffering from a historic drought in the Panama Canal.

Jefferies estimates container fleet utilization could surge from 77% to 88% and oil product tanker capacity could become entirely booked upit is already high at a 95% utilization rate. A containership traveling from the Far East to Europe takes 21 days via the Suez Canal but 42 days if going around Africa, according to the bank. A tanker from the Middle East takes 17 days to get to Europe using the Suez Canal but 41 days if going around Africa.

According to Jrgen Lian, an analyst at DNB Markets, rates have already been inching up: War risk premiums have increased for voyages in the region and vessel owners may be holding out for more optionality on routes.

The intensity of the impact will ultimately depend on how much volume is redirected in the coming weeks. The U.S. unveiled a multinational naval force to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea on Monday, which could reduce the risk of attacks. Egypt also has a significant commercial interest in the functioning of the Suez Canal as it is an important revenue source for the government.

Container shipping is in a less favorable position than tanker owners since global container trade has been weak. Maersk, which handles about a fifth of the worlds container shipping, redirected its ships around Africa in 2021 when the Suez Canal was blocked for several days. At that time, during the pandemic era trade boom, rates got a real boost. But 2023 couldnt be more different. In August, Maersk predicted that global container trade would contract as much as 4% this year. Even after a significant recovery since mid-fall, its shares are still down about 17% since July.

Tankers, in contrast, have a very strong hand. The Russia-Ukraine war has already boosted tanker utilization due to lengthening trade routes from the Black Sea and Baltic Sea. Strong U.S. exports of LPG and low water levels in the Panama Canal are another source of leverage for some firms.

Repeated disruptions to key trading routes are bad news for global trade and consumers. Petroleum product and LPG tanker firms may be salivating. But container firms are in a trickier positionparticularly if oil prices keep marching higher too.

Write to Megha Mandavia at megha.mandavia@wsj.com
Virginia needs to boost spending on water quality, including more funds for Richmonds combined sewer overflow project, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.

But while his proposed boost of more than $500 million to state spending on natural resources includes $50 million for the Richmond clean water effort, that sum is less than the $100 million the General Assembly dropped in this years long-delayed budget.

Youngkin will present his proposed two-year budget to the General Assemblys money committees Wednesday. In recent days, he has rolled out a number of proposals  including funds to boost behavioral health, fuel medical research and combat antisemitism.

As part of an effort to limit social media abuse of youth, he said this week that he will propose legislation to restrict access to TikTok for children under 18. This would be part of a package that includes legislation banning social media companies from targeting ads at minors, selling minors data and creating marketing profiles of minors without their parents consent.

The combined sewer overflow project is a multi-decade, multi-hundreds of millions of dollars effort to make sure heavy rains do not push sewage through Richmonds street drains into the James River.

The citys effort, which dates to the 1980s, is now under a General Assembly mandate to complete the pipes, water-flow regulators and bacteria-zapping necessary to clean up city runoff by 2035.

The funding increase Youngkin proposed would address water quality, flooding, parks, dam safety, land preservation and habitat restoration.

As Virginians, we are blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of treasured natural resources, Youngkin said.

We are prioritizing funding to further advance Chesapeake Bay goals, support vulnerable communities at risk of flooding, and bolster state parks, he added.

More than $250 million of the money would go to address water quality issues.

In addition to the money for Richmonds combined sewer overflow program, Youngkin is proposing a boost of more than $200 million for efforts to help farmers cut the flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in streams and rivers that eventually feed into Chesapeake Bay.

Nitrogen and phosphorus feed the algae that create the oxygen-starved dead zones that emerge every summer. These zones, which affect hundreds of billions of gallons of bay waters, kill fish and shellfish. Sediment clouds the water and kills the underwater plants that generate oxygen and shelter young juvenile and crabs.

Youngkin also proposed a $100 million boost for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund that finances large flood prevention projects as well as $73.8 million for the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project and $25 million for the Resilient Virginia Revolving Loan Fund that focuses on smaller flood control projects.

In addition, his proposal includes an $8.2 million boost for state parks and conservation staff and operations, as well as $6.1 million more for dam safety work.

Youngkin also proposed $5 million for the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund.
The summer season in India is always challenging anywhere in the country. The ideal way to make your indoors comfortable is by getting an air conditioner. We have curated a list of the 10 best window ACs that are easy to install and provide cooling during the heat-ridden summer months. Window ACs are a convenient solution to tackle the summer heat. No matter what your favourite season of the year is, summers are hard to get by in India. Some regions of the country see temperatures rise up to 50-degree Celsius. This makes stepping out for work or otherwise extremely hard. People resort to different solutions to manage the wrath of the season, but not every solution is as effective as an air conditioner. In recent times, air conditioners have become very popular, so much so that it has become a necessity in most households. These home appliances help you in maintaining the temperature of your room at a comfortable level. Windows ACs are way more convenient to install and use than split ACs and the majority of the people prefer it due to the ease of installment and maintenance. There are a plethora of options available in the market and to choose the one that would be suitable for your home can be seemingly tedious and daunting for some people. To ease up your hassle, in this article, we go over the 10 best options to consider if you are planning on upgrading your air conditioner system this season, or the coming ones. Read on to know about the features along with the pros and cons of the products we think are a good purchase. Also, in this extensive list of these top-notch air conditioners, the reader will also come across the best overall and value for money product. Further, in the article, you will also get to know more about the factors that should be taken into consideration before investing in a window air conditioner. Scroll on and take your pick!

1. Voltas 1.5 Ton 3 Star, Fixed Speed Window AC

This is the latest 2023 model of the Voltas window AC that comes with a 1.5 ton capacity suitable for medium-sized rooms to maintain an ambient temperature even in 48-degree Celsius. With features like auto swing, turbo mode and LED temperature display, it ensures comfortable living. The copper condenser coil ensures better cooling and durability, while the R32 refrigerant contributes to environmental protection. Stabilizer-free operation, anti-rust coating and low gas diagnosis are its key advantages. The Voltas, 1.5 ton three star window AC comes with a self-diagnosis feature that ensures that the system can carefully detect and identify any faults or problems that may occur within the unit. Another important feature of this window AC is that it helps in reducing the carbon dioxide level. It aims at lowering the levels of CO2 in a closed room or a space to elevate the level of fresh air ventilation. The filter that this AC comes with is instrumental in removing volatile organic compounds and other gasses which can be toxic.

Specifications:

Brand: Voltas

Model : 183 Vectra Pearl

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption : 4750 Watts

Noise Level: 56 dB

Installation Type : Window

Form Factor : Stand Alone

Special Features: Dust Filter

Colour: White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage : 230 Volts

Wattage: 4750 Watts

Certification: Energy Star

Material: Plastic

Pros Cons Efficient cooling for medium-sized rooms Noise levels can feel high Stabilizer-free operation

2. LG 1.5 Ton 3 Star Wi-Fi DUAL Inverter Window AC

Are you tired of window ACs looking the same old way and offering the same set of features and specifications? If yes, then this is a good window AC option for you. This LG 1.5 Ton 3-Star window AC is a smart choice for medium-sized rooms. With its inverter compressor and 4-in-1 cooling, it provides efficient and versatile cooling. The Wi-Fi-enabled ThinQ technology allows voice control and smart diagnostics. Its Ocean Black Protection ensures durability, while the HD Filter with Anti-Virus Protection contributes to healthier air quality. This reduces the risk of contracting any airborne diseases. This is one of the best windows AC is on the list as it features a top discharge outlet for the air. It allows wider air flow that helps in easy, rapid and uniform cooling across the room. Another feature that makes this window, AC all the more user-friendly is a clean filter indicator that lets you monitor the health and cleanliness of the filter with the help of timely notifications.

Specifications:

Brand: LG

Model: RW-Q18WWXA

Weighted Annual Energy Consumption: 1115.04 Kilowatt Hours Per Year

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Noise Level : 44 dB

Installation Type : Window

Form Factor : Window

Special Features :Inverter Compressor, Remote Controlled, High Density Filter, WiFi Enabled, Fast Cooling

Colour: White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage : 230 Volts

Wattage : 1700 Watts

Compatible Devices: iPhone, Android

Certification: energy star

Material: Metal

Pros Cons Inverter compressor for energy efficiency Energy consumption can feel higher Smart features with Wi-Fi and voice control

3. Lloyd 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC

Lloyd is one of the most reputed home appliance brands in the country that has gained the trust of its customers over the years. This Lloyd window AC is no different as it offers several features apt for an average household. With its non-inverter compressor, it brings a low noise solution that suits various interiors. It's designed for medium-sized rooms, ensuring comfort in spaces of up to 150 square feet. The blue fins coil and 100% inner grooved copper tubes contribute to better cooling performance and durability. While the product offers strong dehumidification and remote-controlled operation, it's important to note that it has a 3-star energy rating. All the other important details and specifications of this one of the best window ACs mentioned on this list are written below. The readers will also come across its respective pros and cons for analyzing the product better.

Specifications:

Brand Havells

Model GLW18C3YWSEW

Capacity 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption 1180.51 Kilowatt Hours

Noise Level 52 dB

Installation Type Window

Part Number GLW18C3YWSEW

Form Factor Stand Alone

Special Features Self Diagnosis Function; 100% Copper; Corrosion Resistance Coating, LED Display; Remote Control Operation;, Blue Fin Coils; Clean Air Filter, Strong Dehumidification; Auto Restart, Cools Even @ 48 C

Colour White

Control Console remote control

Voltage 230 Volts

Wattage 1525 Watts

Certification Energy Star

Material Metal

Pros Cons Efficient cooling for medium-sized rooms Non-inverter compressor may be less energy efficient Blue fins coils enhance durability

4. OGeneral CHAA Series 1.5 Ton 5 Star Window AC

The O General ZHAA 1.5 ton five Star window Air conditioner , comes equipped with a non-inverter compressor. This window AC is not only affordable, but also easy and convenient to install in your home. It does not produce high sound which lets the user have a sound and peaceful sleep. Another feature that is very important is the Smart elegant simple designs that would suit your office and home aesthetics and requirements. It also comes with a smart diagnosis feature that lets the air-conditioner detect issues and problems in the unit, all by itself. All the important and significant features and specifications of this product are mentioned below along with its pros and cons.

Specifications:

Brand: O-General

Model : AXGB18CHAA-B

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption: 1143.21 Kilowatt Hours Per Year

Noise Level: 54 dB

Installation Type: Window

Form Factor : Window

Special Features : Dust Filter, Anti-bacterial Filter

Colour :White

Voltage: 230 Volts

Wattage: 5300 Watts

Certification : Energy Star

Pros Cons 4-Way Air Distributor none

5. Voltas 1 Ton 3 Star, Fixed Speed Window AC

Voltas is a renowned brand in India, and the majority of Indians trust the brand for its quality and service. This window AC is the latest 2023 model, displaying useful features while having a classic look. This AC is tailored for smaller rooms up to 110 sq.ft. With its auto swing feature, it ensures every corner is filled with refreshing air. This economical unit holds a 3-star energy rating, boasting an annual energy consumption of 3100 units. The copper condenser coil enhances cooling efficiency, while the LED temperature display and noise level of 44.5 dB create a user-friendly experience. With its anti-rust coating , this window Ac promises of extended durability and strong build. The glow timer that this Air conditioner comes equipped with makes it all the more user-friendly. All the other noteworthy features and functions of window AC are cited below along with the pros and cons.

Specifications:

Brand: Voltas

Model : 123 Vectra Platina(4011486)

Capacity: 1 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption : 3050 Watts

Noise Level : 54 dB

Installation Type: Window

Form Factor: window

Special Features: Sleep Mode, Turbo Mode

Colour: White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage: 230 Volts

Wattage: 3050 Watts

Certification: energy star

Material: Plastic

Pros Cons Ambient cooling for smaller rooms Fixed speed compressor LED temperature display

6. Godrej 1.5 Ton 3 Star Window AC

Experience refreshing cooling with the Godrej 1.5 Ton 3 Star Window AC. Designed for medium-sized rooms, this AC boasts a capacity of 1.5 ton and features a turbo mode for quick cooling. With a 3-star energy rating and 1571 units annual energy consumption, it's both efficient and eco-friendly. The 100% copper condenser with Blue Fin Anti-Corrosion coating ensures durability, while special features like R32 refrigerant gas and self-diagnosis enhance convenience. This Godrej window AC comes with a sleep mode that lets the user have a sound, restful and peaceful sleep. Even at high ambient temperatures. This particular mode functions well at maximum capacity while delivering low noise levels for a better sleeping environment. All the other important features and specifications of this window air conditioner are cited below along with its pros and cons.

Specifications:

Brand: Godrej

Model: AC 1.5T WFC 18UTC3-WWA Window

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption : 1216.12 Kilowatt Hours Per Year

Noise Level: 54 dB

Installation Type : Window

Form Factor: window

Special Features : R32 green AC, Copper condenser with anticorrosive blue fins ,Hydrophilic blue fin evaporator, Dust filter

Colour: White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage : 230 Volts

Wattage: 4950 Watts

Certification : Energy Star

Material: Plastic

Pros Cons Turbo mode for quick cooling 3 star energy rating might not be the best Anti-Corrosion coating for enhanced durability

7. Carrier 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC

The Carrier 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC is designed to cool mid-sized rooms with a capacity of 1.5 Ton. Beat the heat with its efficient performance even in extreme temperatures up to 52-degree Celsius. The 3-star energy rating ensures economical usage, while the 100% copper condenser coil with Aqua Clear Protection enhances durability. Enjoy features like 2-way swing, turbo mode, and low noise operation for maximum comfort. This carrier window AC has a high ambient working feature that makes sure that at Indians temperatures you get a uniform and reliable cooling throughout. It allows the air conditioner unit to continue functioning efficiently and effectively regardless of the weather conditions outside. This window AC also comes with a sleep mode that deactivates the air conditioning unit by itself after seven hours of functioning promoting interrupted , peaceful and sound sleep throughout the night. All the other details are mentioned below along with the pros and cons of the product.

Specifications:

Brand: Carrier

Model : CAW18SC3R32F0

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption: 1206.06 Kilowatt Hours Per Year

Noise Level: 52 dB

Installation Type: Window

Form Factor: Window

Special Features: Dust Filter, Air Purification Filter, Dehumidifier

Colour : White

Control Console : remote control

Voltage: 230 Volts (AC)

Wattage: 1558 Watts

Certification: energy star

Material: Plastic

Pros Cons Efficient cooling even at high temperatures None 100% Copper condenser with Aqua Clear Protection for durability

8. Blue Star 0.8 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC

Do you think that a 1 ton AC is too much for your requirement? Do you think that you will have to buy at least a 1 ton AC for optimum cooling during the harsh summer months? That is not true, and this AC proves it. You can experience cool comfort with this Blue Star window AC. Perfect for small rooms, this AC offers energy-efficient cooling with a 3-star rating. You can also enjoy features like Turbo Cooling, Comfort Sleep, and Humidity Control, tailored for your comfort. The hydrophilic blue fins and anti-corrosive coating ensure durability, while the eco-friendly R32 refrigerant contributes to a greener environment. The copper condensers that this window AC comes with are sleep mode and antifreeze thermostat. These features not only make it more durable in the long run, but also make it quite user-friendly for the buyer. It intelligently addresses the air conditioner operation offering the user the right cooling comfort and making sure that they get a comfortable sleep.

Specifications:

Brand : Blue Star

Model : WFA309GN

Capacity : 0.8 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption: 611.54 Kilowatt Hours

Noise Level: 56 dB

Installation Type: Window

Form Factor: window

Special Features: Auto Restart, Sleep Mode

Colour : White

Control Console : remote control

Voltage: 230 Volts (AC)

Wattage: 2490

Certification : energy star

Material: copper

Pros Cons Energy-efficient cooling Suitable for small rooms only Humidity control for enhanced comfort

9. Blue Star 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC

If Blue Star is one of the brand names you trust, but do not want to get a small capacity AC, then this Window AC is the right option for you. Offering efficient cooling with a 3-star rating, this AC ensures comfort in larger spaces. You get to enjoy features like Turbo Cooling, Comfort Sleep, and Energy Saver mode, tailored to your needs. The hydrophilic blue fins and anti-corrosive coating guarantee durability, while the eco-friendly R32 refrigerant supports an eco-conscious choice. Get ready for relaxed and refreshing days. This Blue Star window AC comes with a dry mood or humidity control mode that keeps the room cool and dry by making the indoor air dry and eliminating excess moisture from the indoor air. This window air conditioner does not forget the last set mode and it resumes operating automatically with the same preset note that makes sure of convenience after power cuts.

Specifications:

Brand: Blue Star

Model: WFA318LN

Capacity: 1.5 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption : 1168.9 Kilowatt Hours

Noise Level : 56 dB

Installation Type: Window

Form Factor: window

Special Features: Auto Restart, Sleep Mode

Colour : White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage: 230 Volts (AC)

Wattage: 4900

Certification : energy star

Material: copper

Pros Cons Effective cooling for larger rooms Fixed speed compressor may have limited customization Energy-efficient operations

10. Carrier 1 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC

Revitalize your space with the Carrier 1 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC. Providing energy-efficient cooling, this AC ensures a comfortable environment. Its 100% copper condenser coil with Aqua Clear Protection guarantees robust cooling performance and durability. Enjoy features like Turbo Mode and Auto Restart for uninterrupted comfort. With its cooling prowess even at high temperatures, this AC is a reliable choice for your space. This carrier one ton Window Ac is appropriate for small size rooms as it provides 500 CFM airflow and ambient temperature. It also comes with a five years manufacturer warranty on the compressor and one year warranty on the product. Some of its key features is that it cools the living space even at 52C which makes for an effective cooling. All the other important features and specifications are given below along with its pros and cons for the convenience of the readers.

Specifications:

Brand : Carrier

Model: CAW12SC3R32F0

Capacity: 1 Tons

Annual Energy Consumption: 870.87 Kilowatt Hours Per Year

Noise Leve: 52 dB

Installation Type : Window

Form Factor: Window

Special Features: Dust Filter, Air Purification Filter, Dehumidifier

Colour : White

Control Console: remote control

Voltage : 230 Volts (AC)

Wattage : 1125 Watts

Certification: energy star

Material: copper

Pros Cons Effective cooling performance Fixed speed compressor Aqua Clear Protection for enhanced durability

Top 3 features for you

Product Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Voltas 1.5 Ton 3 Star, Fixed Speed Window AC Auto Swing for even cooling in every corner Copper Condenser Coil for better cooling and durability Stabilizer-free operation within a wide voltage range LG 1.5 Ton 3 Star Wi-Fi DUAL Inverter Window AC Convertible 4-in-1 cooling for versatile comfort Wi-Fi and Voice Control with Smart Assistant R32 Refrigerant for eco-friendly cooling Lloyd 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC Low Noise and Smart Design Blue Fins Coils for better cooling performance 100% Inner Grooved Copper Tubes for improved heat exchange OGeneral CHAA Series 1.5 Ton Decent built Ergonomic design Simple and elegant look Voltas 1 Ton 3 Star, Fixed Speed Window AC Auto Swing for uniform cooling Copper Condenser Coil for efficient cooling Stabilizer-free operation for voltage fluctuations Godrej 1.5 Ton 3 Star Turbo Mode Window AC Turbo Mode for quick cooling Anti-Corrosive Blue Fin Coating for durability Energy Rating: 3 Star for energy efficiency Carrier 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC Energy-efficient cooling at 52C Stabilizer Free Operation and Low Noise Dust Filter and Turbo Mode for faster cooling Blue Star 0.8 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC Hydrophilic Blue Fins for protection against corrosion High Energy Efficient Rotary Compressor R32 Refrigerant for environment-friendly cooling Blue Star 1.5 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC Turbo Cooling and Comfort Sleep Modes Anti-Corrosive Blue Fins for enhanced durability Stabilizer-free operation and Energy Saver Mode Carrier 1 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC Energy-efficient cooling at 52C 2 Way Swing and Dust Filter Turbo Mode for faster cooling and Low Noise

Best value for money

Among the options, the Carrier 1 Ton 3 Star Fixed Speed Window AC offers a balanced combination of efficient cooling, various modes, and a reasonable price point. This window AC is the most affordable and convenient to install. Some of the key features of it has a dust filter and an energy saver mode that makes this window, AC and energy efficient appliance. Some of its key features is that it cools the living space even at 52C which makes for an effective cooling. You can avail great features and functions at an economical price with this one of the best window AC.

Best overall product

The LG 1.5 Ton 3 Star Wi-Fi DUAL Inverter Window AC stands out with its versatile cooling modes, Wi-Fi and voice control, and eco-friendly refrigerant. The LG ThinQ and voice control feature lets the user easily and very conveniently monitor and control their air-conditioning unit at any time and from anywhere. Another feature that makes this product and overall best product is the Smart diagnosis system that easily checks and troubleshoots problems and difficulties related to the air conditioner from your very own Smartphone.

How to find the best and most appropriate window Ac for your home?

To choose the right window AC, consider your room size, energy efficiency rating (higher is better), cooling features (like turbo mode and swing), special features like Wi-Fi control or anti-corrosion coatings, and budget. Also, check the warranty and customer reviews to ensure long-term satisfaction. From the tonnage of your window, AC to power efficiency everything should be brought under the scanner. The warranty and service labels are also very important when buying an appliance such as air-conditioner, you should definitely look at the warranty period the brand is offering to its users. The brand warranty comes on the product itself and the compressor which is the most costly component of an air-conditioner. You also need to check whether you need a stabiliser for your window, AC or not as it will protect your unit from the voltage fluctuations. Although most of the companies have started offering built-in voltage stabilisers in their air-conditioning units, some of the additional features are that you can actually check the Wi-Fi connectivity, dehumidification auto switch on inverter options and soon you can plan everything according to the budget that you have made.

FAQs

Question : What is the significance of the star rating in window ACs?

Ans : Star rating indicates energy efficiency. Higher star ratings indicate better energy savings over time.

Question : Can I install a window AC myself?

Ans : While it's possible, it's recommended to have a professional install it to ensure proper sealing and electrical connections.

Question : What is an inverter compressor in window ACs?

Ans : Inverter compressors adjust their speed according to cooling demand, leading to energy savings and quieter operation.

Question : Is Wi-Fi control important in a window AC?

Ans : Wi-Fi control offers convenience, allowing you to remotely control settings using a smartphone app.

Question : How does the copper condenser coil enhance cooling?

Ans : Copper coils have better heat transfer properties, leading to more efficient and effective cooling performance.

Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.

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Google has agreed to pay $700 million and offered several other concessions to nearly 102 million customers in the US as part of an antitrust payout over fees the tech giant charged through its app store. Most of that money will be given to people who purchased something through Google's Play Store . Google also committed to changing how apps are downloaded and paid for on Android phones .

Although the tech giant struck the deal with state attorneys in September, the settlement's terms were revealed late on Monday. As per settlement terms, Google will deposit $630 million into a fund that will dole out compensation to the US customers funnelled into a payment processing system that state attorneys general alleged drove up the prices for digital transactions within apps downloaded from the Play Store, Washington Post reported.

Also Read | Donald Trump warns of World War III, says only he can prevent it

Google will place an additional $70 million into a separate fund that the states will use to take care of penalties and other costs, the report further said.

According to the court filing, about 70 million consumers, or more than 71% of those covered by the settlement will receive at least $2 and may get additional payments based on their spending on the Play Store between August 16, 2016 and September 30, 2023. The estimated 102 million US consumers who made in-app purchases during that time frame are supposed to be automatically notified about various options for how they can receive their cut of the money.

The tech giant also agreed to make it easier for consumers to download and install Android apps from other outlets besides its Play Store for the next five years and will refrain from issuing security warnings, or scare screens," when alternative choices are being used.

The settlement also includes an agreement from Google to allow app developers to let users pay using a third-party processing system instead of Google's.

"We brought this lawsuit because it is illegal to use monopoly power to drive up prices and limit consumer choice," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement, per the Post.

Google, for its part, seems to be taking the development in stride. "We're pleased to resolve our case with the states and move forward on a settlement that includes ... growing our commitment to app store choice," among other improvements, Wilson White, the company's VP for government affairs and public policy, wrote on Monday in a blog post. The deal still has to get the green light from US District Judge James Donato.

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The mayor of a small city in Alabama has resigned and pleaded guilty to 15 misdemeanor counts of using city employees and inmates to perform private work for him while they were working or in custody, Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail on Tuesday entered the plea to use of office for personal gain, resigned and publicly apologized
An Alabama couple has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of abusing their foster child, who suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed
A storm barreling through the Northeastern U.S. has flooded roads and downed trees, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, forced flight cancellations and school closures, and killed at least four people
A week after Linn County leaders enacted new rules for large-scale industrial farms that would effectively reduce their total numbers  prompting cheers among smaller farmers  a new group came forward to urge a reversal.

This rule change is an effective ban on new beef, dairy, egg, sheep and poultry farms and other parties, Dave Dillion, president of Portland-based Food Northwest, a food-processing trade association, told Linn County commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

A Place to Sleep, episode 10: Wrapping up We check back with some of the people we've met along our travels and we catch up with politicos who are trying to come up with solutions.

Commissioners didn't walk back the new rules, which require 1-mile setbacks between what are called confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, and their property lines.

Such large setbacks limit the total number of CAFOs in Linn County to less than 100.

How we got here

At the time, Linn County leaders' hands were tied. Only the state could say yea or nay to a request to operate a CAFO.

So the group of Scio-based small farmers  and even their children who attend the nearby one-room schoolhouse  went to Salem to advocate a change in the law that would give some power to local government.

It worked. Senate Bill 85 restricted the amount of groundwater that large CAFOs can use, increased oversight of the animal waste produced and allowed counties to establish setbacks for factory farms.

The 1-mile setback commissioners chose at their Tuesday, Dec. 12, meeting limits the number of eligible properties a CAFO could be built in Linn County to 89. The county's planning commission had recommended a three-quarter mile setback, which would have put potential buildout at 360.

The new rules only apply to new CAFOs, not existing ones.

New concern raised

However some members of the public showed up at the Tuesday, Dec. 19, meeting to register their opposition to the new local rules.

"The commission did not engage in relevant stakeholders and relied on incomplete  I'm going to be polite and say  incorrect information," Dillion, the president of Food Northwest, said.

He called those that attended the Dec. 12 meeting a parade of horribles. He wished that commissioners took him up on the offer to visit a large-scale chicken farm close to Brownsville.

Commissioner Roger Nyquist pushed back on the notion that somehow the county had failed to get the word out.

I don't know that the gap is ours. We talked about it publicly, we gave notice. And we follow the rules, Nyquist said.

Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger said that she felt compelled to address the claim that the decision was made erroneously. A lot of time went into the research of the claims that were made, she said. She combed through peer-reviewed, scientific articles, she said.

I needed facts, and I didnt jump on the sky-is-falling statements, Sprenger said.

Research has shown CAFOs can pollute water and air and that nutrient runoff can disturb existing ecosystems. There are also some studies that have found impacts to public health, such as increased risk of asthma.

Sprenger also noted that visiting a site would complicate things  she would have had to disclose that she had considered something outside of the regular process. So she wanted to just use the facts in front of her, she added.

Sprenger assured the concerned speakers that she was hard fast on agriculture.

Eric Simon acknowledged that he's probably the guy who started all of this. He intends to build a large-scale chicken farm in Scio, plans that are currently being challenged in a lawsuit brought by Scio-based CAFO opponents.

He said he felt the CAFOs were unfairly represented as having a legacy of pollution and animal cruelty; he and called the findings animal activist propaganda.

He expressed frustration with the extent of the setback. He said he had only ever seen 1,000-foot setbacks.

Scott Ruby, who owned a dairy farm, also expressed concerns.

CAFO has become a negative word, he said.

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There was some confusion at the meeting of whether the decision to require 1-mile setbacks would only apply to large-scale chicken farms or all large CAFOs.

But in fact the change affects all new large CAFO permits regardless of the animal, not just chicken CAFOs, Planning Manager Alyssa Boles said after the meeting.

The word large is still yet to be defined and the state Legislature promised to define large by 2024, Commissioner Will Tucker said in an interview after the meeting.

Tucker originally advocated for the three-quarter mile setback rather than the 1-mile setback.

People can still put in an application and apply for a variance, he added, referring to a process that allows an exception to a zoning rule.

Related stories:
Guilty Plea in Grisly Dumbbell Slaying: Coram Man Admits to Manslaughter After Fatally Beating Landlord, 62, in Heated Altercation.

Local News, Crime

By Long Island Published: December 20 2023

Albert Coppedge of Coram pleads guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree for brutally beating his 62-year-old landlord, Kenneth Mitchell, to death with a dumbbell during a heated altercation, stealing money from him, in a ...

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today

announced that Albert Coppedge, 49, of Coram, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First

Degree, for beating his landlord, 62-year-old Kenneth Mitchell, to death with a dumbbell, and

stealing money from his wallet afterwards.

This defendants guilty plea does not take away the pain of the loss that Mr. Mitchells friends

and loved ones have endured. I hope that this resolution allows them some closure for this horrific

act of violence, said District Attorney Tierney. I want to thank our prosecutors for securing this

conviction, as well as the Suffolk County Police Department for their investigation in this case.

According to court documents and the defendants admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on

December 6, 2020, shortly after 11 a.m., multiple eyewitnesses saw Coppedge and Mitchell, his

landlord, engaged in a verbal altercation in the backyard of their home in Coram. Coppedge was

later seen wielding a dumbbell and then repeatedly striking Mitchell in the head while Mitchell

was pleading for Coppedge to stop. Coppedge then took Mitchells wallet and removed a large

sum of cash before fleeing the property. Mitchell was taken to Long Island Community Hospital

where he was pronounced dead. Several hours after the attack, Coppedge returned to the scene

where he encountered law enforcement, and he was placed under arrest.

On December 20, 2023, Coppedge pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the

Honorable Steven A. Pilewski, to Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B felony. Coppedge

is due back in court for sentencing on January 26, 2024. Coppedge is being represented by

Christopher Brocato, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Dena Rizopoulos of the Homicide

Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Scott Aquilino of the Suffolk County Police
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

Jinaraya Khan was more than three times the legal limit for alcohol and driving 96 miles per hour when she killed Scott Freeman.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Baldwin woman pleaded guilty today to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and related charges for a May 2022 crash in which she was driving 96 miles per hour and while more than three times the legal limit for alcohol when she killed a 66-year-old man.

Jinaraya Khan, 33, pleaded guilty before Judge Robert Bogle to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (a B felony), Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony) and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (an unclassified misdemeanor). She is expected to be sentenced to six to 18 years in prison when she returns to court on March 27, 2024.

The NCDA recommended a sentence of seven to 21 years in prison.

Scott Freeman was a longtime Baldwin resident who was looking forward to his retirement, DA Donnelly said. Tragically, Freeman never got to enjoy his golden years because this defendant drove her SUV into the victims car at 96 miles an hour while she was exceedingly intoxicated. Drunk, impaired and reckless driving is at crisis levels here on Long Island and this office is dedicated to holding offenders accountable. Our condolences are with Scotts sister and many friends who continue to mourn his loss.

DA Donnelly said that, according to the indictment and investigation, on May 3, 2022, at approximately 5:16 a.m., victim Scott Freeman attempted to make a left turn in his 2011 Toyota Corolla onto Grand Avenue near his home. The 66-year-old Baldwin resident was then struck by a 2020 BMW X3 driven by Khan. The defendant was highly intoxicated and speeding northbound on Grand Avenue.

Freeman was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The defendant remained at the scene and was arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department. She was then transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the collision.

An analysis of her vehicles crash data recorder revealed that Khan was traveling at 96 miles per hour at the time of the collision. The speed limit on Grand Avenue at that location is 35 miles per hour.

A search warrant for the defendants blood taken at the hospital revealed that her blood alcohol content was 0.25%, more than three times the legal limit, 42 minutes after the crash.

The defendant claimed that she had drank two mimosas and was late to work at John F. Kennedy Airport.

Freeman worked at a local printing company and had plans to retire in the next year.
Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

We extend our sincerest gratitude to Bethpage Federal Credit Union for their unwavering and ongoing support, said Yolanda Robano-Gross, CEO, Options for Community Living, Inc.

For the third year, Bethpage Federal Credit Union is purchasing holiday gifts for vulnerable Long Island families through its support of Options for Community Living (Options), a not-for-profit that provides high quality housing and services for vulnerable Long Islanders. Adopt-a-Family, which was developed by Options in 2008, invites individuals and organizations to bring holiday joy into the homes of many underserved families. With the help of its employees, Bethpage has successfully provided holiday gifts to over 500 Long Islanders since its support of Options for Community Living began in 2021.

Each year, Options family members who want to participate submit a holiday wish list usually consisting of gift cards or winter clothing, which then is provided to supporters. This year, Bethpage Federal Credit Union is purchasing holiday gifts for 60 families, totaling 187 individuals.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to Bethpage Federal Credit Union for their unwavering and ongoing support, said Yolanda Robano-Gross, CEO, Options for Community Living, Inc. Bethpages generosity will help bring joy to 60 Long Island families in need this holiday season. Together, we are making a positive impact on our community, embodying the spirit of giving and shared goodwill. We could not be more grateful for their support.
Lindenhurst Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For The Rape And Sexual Abuse Of His Daughters

Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

Defendant Was Found Guilty by a Jury in September.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 42-year-old Lindenhurst man was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision after a jury found him guilty of raping his 12-year-old daughter and sexually abusing his 8-year-old daughter.

The District Attorneys Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the child victims.

Let this prison sentence for rape and sexual abuse be a warning to anyone that if they seek to harm children in Suffolk County, they will end up behind bars, said District Attorney Tierney. My office will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served and that our children are protected from individuals who would prey on minors. As always, I applaud the bravery of the child victims in coming forward and appreciate the fine work of our Suffolk County Police in holding this defendant accountable for his actions.

The evidence at trial established that in early 2016, the defendant went into a room where his then 8-year-old daughter was resting. The defendant sexually abused the child and then told her to clean herself up afterward and watched as she showered. That daughter did not disclose the abuse until 2021, when she told her mother what had occurred.

Following that disclosure, the defendants older daughter also told her mother that in April 2013, when she was 12 years old, the defendant raped and sexually abused her. After both daughters disclosed the abuse, their mother contacted the Suffolk County Police Department, and the defendant was arrested. Following his arrest, the defendant sent a letter to the victims mother, indicating that he was sorry for what he had done.

On September 8, 2023, the defendant was found guilty after a jury trial heard before County Court Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, of the following charges:

One count of Rape in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;

One count of Criminal Sex Act in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;

Two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony; and

One Count of Criminal Contempt, a Class A misdemeanor.

On December 18, 2023, Judge Wilutis sentenced the defendant to 30 years in prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The defendant was represented by John Halverson, Esq.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Zachary Kelly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau and Chase Brown of the Domestic Violence Unit, with investigative assistance from Detective Adolfo Berrios of the Suffolk County Police Departments Special Victims Section.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

Includes $50 Million in Capital Grants for Construction of Child Care Centers and $50 Million in Business Tax Credits for Workplace-based Child Care Expansion.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced two new initiatives totaling a combined $100 million in funding designed to increase child care supply for New York States families. The announcement includes $50 million in capital funding to provide grants for the construction of new child care centers and registered school-age child care programs or the expansion of existing centers. An additional $50 million in business tax credits will be available for eligible businesses that create or expand infant and toddler child care seats for their employees directly or through a third-party. The capital funding and the employer tax credit complement the historic more than $7 billion state investment by Governor Hochul designed to expand access to affordable child care, invest in New York States child care workforce, and support working families over a four-year period. Governor Hochul made the announcement today during a visit to a child care center in Albany.

Quality child care is critical to our families, providing a safe environment for children and an educational foundation for the next generation of New Yorkers, Governor Hochul said. Far too often, working families struggle to find programs in their communities. Since taking office, I have remained committed to responding to the concerns of our families by continuing to develop new programs that meet the increasing needs for child care services across our state.

The Child Care Capital Program (CCCP) will award grants ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million to eligible child care providers to expand existing child care centers or build new ones. The program will be overseen by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). Funding will be split 60 percent for the downstate region (which includes New York City; Long Island; and Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties) and 40 percent for the rest of the state.

The CCCP will provide reimbursement grants for the design, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, equipment and other capital assets for existing or proposed state-licensed, not-for-profit or for-profit child day care centers and registered school-age child care programs. The facility must be intended to be used as a child care program for at least eight years. Projects must be shovel-ready, demonstrate the ability to be licensed and fully operational within six months of completing construction and worth at least $500,000.

In order to apply for CCCP grant, applicants must first prequalify through New York State Grants Gateway. Final applications will be accepted through March 31, 2024. Awards will be announced on or after July 15, 2024.

New York State is also making $25 million available for the Child Care Creation and Expansion Tax Credit each year for two years  $50 million in total  to be administered through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF).

Under the new tax credit program, businesses with a location in New York State that provide new licensed or registered child day care seats for the infants or toddlers of their employees, either directly or through a third-party, can apply for the credit. To be eligible, they must also limit costs to their employees for child care expenses.

The application to receive tax credits for child care seats created in 2023 opens January 1, 2024, and closes January 31, 2024.

OCFS Acting Commissioner and Child Care Availability Task Force Co-Chair Suzanne Miles-Gustave said, OCFS is proud to administer Governor Hochuls continued historic investments to make child care more affordable, accessible and equitable. We have heard our hardworking families loud and clear, and are answering their call to increase high-quality options for child care and the much-needed resources to obtain it. OCFS continues to work alongside the Governor and the legislature to explore additional creative strategies to meet the growing demand for these services knowing they are essential to the well-being of our children and families, and the growth of New Yorks economy.

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Amanda Hiller said, The Child Care Creation and Expansion Tax Credit will help businesses provide the quality child care that many employees need. This is important to keep our economy growing in a tight labor market.

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner and Child Care Availability Task Force Co-Chair Roberta Reardon said, I applaud Governor Hochuls steadfast commitment to ensure access to safe and affordable child care to all New Yorkers. The Governor continues to deliver for families by expanding program eligibility, implementing additional tools and services for caretakers and providing vital child care funding that is essential to New York States economic growth.

For more information on the Child Care Capital Program, applicants with questions regarding New York State Grants Gateway and prequalification or registration may email GrantsReform@its.ny.gov or call (518) 474-5595 . OCFS and DASNY will host an informational webinar about the CCCP on January 24, 2024, and potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. More information will also be available on the Child Care Services page of the OCFS website.

For more information on the Child Care Creation and Expansion Tax Credit, visit the website of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) or the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF).
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

Under New York Law, Juvenile Offender Cannot Be Prosecuted in Adult Court.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 17-year-old juvenile was arrested stemming from an anonymous email threatening to shoot up Sequoya High School in Holtsville.

Anyone thinking of sending an anonymous threat should be forewarned that with the technological abilities of the detectives from my office and the Suffolk County Police Department, we will find you and arrest you, said District Attorney Tierney. Unfortunately, under current state law, a mass shooting threat such as this cannot be prosecuted by my office and, as such, this juvenile will be referred to Family Court.

According to the investigation, on December 13, 2023, an anonymous email was sent to school administrators of Sequoya High School threatening to shoot up the school and warning them to be prepared for bloodshed. As a result, the school was immediately locked down and an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office was launched to ascertain the identity of the sender of the anonymous threat.

In conjunction with SCPD detectives, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office traced the email to a residence in Centereach, approximately 15 minutes from Sequoya High School.

On December 16, 2023, SCPD officers responded to the residence of the 17-year-old juvenile who admitted to sending the threat saying, I cant believe you guys found out it was me. The juvenile was arrested and charged with Making a Threat of Mass Harm, a Class B misdemeanor, and because of his age, he was referred to Family Court for further adjudication. A search of the residence confirmed there were no firearms or weapons in the subjects possession.

This investigation was handled by Assistant District Attorney Patrick E. Fedun of the Major Crime Bureaus School Task Force with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department Officer Eric Cox of the Fifth Precinct.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2023

Leandras Law is a NYS law making it an automatic felony on the first offense to drive drunk with a person age 15 or younger inside the vehicle.

On 12/17/2023 at approximately 3:05 A.M., Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs stopped a car on Sunrise Highway in Islip, NY, for failure to maintain lane. The driver, Franklin Marquez Sarmiento, 33, of Patchogue, NY, demonstrated clues while performing standardized field sobriety tests indicating he was intoxicated. There was a 15-year-old child in the front passenger seat and a 13-year-old child and 4-year-old child in the rear passenger seats. Marquez Sarmiento was arrested for three counts Aggravated DWI (Leandras Law) and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was transported to the Sheriffs Office Headquarters Bureau where he submitted to a chemical blood test. The blood was then transported to the Suffolk County Crime Lab and is pending analysis.

Leandras Law (the Child Passenger Protection Act) is a NYS law making it an automatic felony on the first offense to drive drunk with a person age 15 or younger inside the vehicle. It was named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado who was killed on the Henry Hudson Parkway on October 11, 2009, when she was the passenger in a car accident, driven by a driver who was allegedly driving while intoxicated.

This arrest was one of four arrests for DWI over the weekend. Also arrested for Driving while intoxicated were:

Emmanuel Hernandez, 31, of Cedarhurst, NY  Driving While Intoxicated

Brijendrasinh Vanar, 25, of Brentwood, NY  Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated

Luis Barrera Ordonez, 39, of Hicksville, NY  Driving While Intoxicated

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. commends his deputies. Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs are out patrolling our countys roads to keep the public safe this holiday season. This past weekend, they not only prevented intoxicated drivers from causing an accident with another driver or a pedestrian, but they potentially saved the life of three young passengers. I am proud of their ongoing vigilance in protecting the residents of Suffolk County.
On December 19 IDF troops located a truck with long-range rockets installed by the Hamas terrorist organization in Jabalya in Gaza. (IDF)

Hezbollah fired two surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli aircraft on December 20, the IDF said. The aircraft was not hit. The attack came as Hezbollah also launched other attacks on Israel on Dec. 19 and 20. The Hezbollah threat to Israel continued to grow this week, and Israel Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi told Israeli reservists on the northern border that Israel would not return to the situation before the Hamas attack on October 7.

This means to push further, to reinforce this and to bring the residents back here, to Netua, and along the entire border line, to a different situation that is much more secure, Halevi said. Netua is an Israeli community near Lebanon in northern Israel. Israel has evacuated more than 80,000 residents of small communities in northern Israel near the Lebanese border. Israel also evacuated the city of Kiryat Shmona.

HaLevis trip to the north was important. He and other members of Israels political and defense leadership have asserted that the Hezbollah threat must be removed from the border. However, so far, many questions remain about how that will happen. When the war began, Israel called up 300,000 reservists. Many were sent north to guard against Hezbollah joining the war. Since then, more than 110 Hezbollah members have been killed in clashes with Israel.

Two more were reported killed on December 19. Israeli reservists in units such as the Alexandroni infantry and 8th armored have been training for possible escalation in the north. They also are stationed along the border and continue to be targeted by attacks. Halevi praised the reservists in his talks with them on December 20.

Hezbollah also launched attacks targeting the communities of Goren and Manara in northern Israel on December 20. IDF artillery and tanks struck a number of locations in Lebanon to remove a threat and also struck additional terrorist infrastructure, the IDF said. In addition, a short while ago, IAF fighter jets, helicopters, and aircraft struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure, a military compound, launch posts, a command center, and a weapons depot. The IDF also struck other Hezbollah terror targets.

The incidents on December 20 come after a tense day on December 19 with numerous attacks on Israel by Hezbollah. The attacks began in the morning of December 19, targeting Metula, the northernmost community in Israel. A drone threat from Lebanon was detected around 1:30 pm, and Israeli air defenses intercepted the drone. Another two drone infiltrations took place over the next two hours. Later, Hezbollah shifted its threats to the west along the border, targeting Shtula. The IDF also said that as a result of the fire toward an IDF post in the area of Malkia in northern Israel earlier today, two IDF soldiers in reserves were moderately injured. The soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital, and their families have been notified.

The attacks came amid Israels continued operations in Gaza, where IDF forces are consolidating control of northern Gaza. The IDF said that troops had taken control of an area in Gaza City where Hamas administrative and military leadership operated. The complex includes a large network of tunnels that connects terrorist hideouts, bureaus, and residential apartments belonging to Hamas senior leadership, the IDF said. In Jabalya, the scene of heavy fighting over the last two weeks, the IDF uncovered a truck with rockets that terrorists had intended to use against Israel. The IDF estimates hundreds of terrorists have been eliminated in Jabalya, and around 500 have surrendered.

The assessment is that Hamas has been dismantled in the urban area of Jabalya. The defeat of Hamas in northern Gaza has also enabled the city of Ashkelon to begin to return schools and civilian life to normal after two and a half months of war in Gaza. The IDF has also increased access to northern Gaza to show visitors the massive tunnel discovered near the Erez crossing.

The IDF on December 20 also detailed how the Israeli air force has defeated Hamas air defenses. In a statement looking back to the beginning of the war, the IDF said that it had carried out strikes against Hamas units that used surface-to-air missiles, UAVs, and drones.

In addition, at the start of the war, [there was] an aerial detection system developed by Hamas and hidden inside water heaters on the roofs of civilian houses, the IDF said. Accurate intelligence led to the identification and strikes on dozens of launch posts from which missiles were directed at IDF troops inside the Gaza Strip, as well as dozens of UAV launch posts that were placed on the roofs of civilian houses.

Hamas capabilities to fire rockets and use drones appear to have been greatly diminished in the last month of fighting. The group targeted Tel Aviv on December 19, but it appears capable of only firing one large barrage every two days.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the acting news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Cindrigo Holdings Ltd - Guernsey-based renewable energy company - Announces that, despite the continued delay in the re-listing process, its Croatian subsidiary EES Dravacel Energetika has broken ground at its Slatina 3 site in northern Croatia and has commenced site work and conductor drilling well pads. The remaining ground works are ongoing, and site handover to the drilling rig operator Crosco are on track to meet the well completion scheduled for April 2024. Explains the recent groundwork has been financed by a further subscription of GBP1.3 million by the company's largest shareholder Danir AB. However, notes that the work has been delayed by the continued delay in the prospectus and eligibility approval process and the proposed application for readmission of its share capital with a standard listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Continues to seek approval by the FCA of a prospectus in respect of its proposed application for re-admission to the standard segment of the Official List and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange which it hopes will lead to readmission to trading. If the application for readmission to trading is successful, the company anticipates that further funding will be made available more quickly.

Current stock price: 0.12 pence

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Horizonte Minerals PLC - London-based nickel development company - Updates on its flagship Araguaia nickel project in Brazil. Says discussions were initiated to provide sufficient liquidity for the company to complete the required re-estimation and risk reduction work necessary to implement a full funding solution. Says demobilisation well advanced with two critical construction activities continuing to progress. Cash stands at USD42 million as of December 15, which it expects to last until end of January. Says the company and independent consultants continue to review the outstanding project capital expenditure and schedule re-estimate, necessary to implement a full funding solution.

Current stock price: 8.10 pence

12-month change: down 94%

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News senior reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) set a deadline of 28th February 2024 after which operators must fully block any SIM cards that are not registered to a National Identification Number (NIN).

In a statement to the Nigeria Stock Exchange, MTN noted that different deadlines applied to NINs that have been submitted but remain unverified. If five or more lines are linked to an unverified NIN, the SIM will be blocked by 29th March. The deadline is 15th April for unverified NINs with fewer than five lines. Subscribers wishing to unblock their SIMs must verify their NIN using biometric data.

MTN noted that it is engaging affected subscribers to encourage them to submit NINs for verification, and was enhancing the capacity of its service outlets to facilitate this, adding that it would continue to work with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to accelerate the process and ensure that its subscribers comply with the directive.

In April 2022, the NCC ordered operators to begin restricting outgoing calls for any subscribers that had not registered their SIM to a NIN.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Cloudy with snow showers developing for the afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
A teacher at Arlington Catholic High School has resigned after being accused of having inappropriate contact with students, according to school administrators.

School administrators were notified of the incident on Thursday, Dec. 14, after students reported it to other teachers the day before, the schools administrative team said in a letter to families. Administrators placed the teacher on leave Thursday morning and had them escorted from the building.

Administrators began investigating the incident, but the teacher resigned later that morning, according to the letter. The administration is still investigating, as is the Arlington Police Department. The legal department at the Archdiocese of Boston was also notified.

Our priority is to ensure a safe learning environment for the entire ACHS/SAS community. We are proud of our faculty members who promptly and without hesitation brought this incident to the Administration. All members of our community take seriously their role to protect our students and the school community as a whole, school administrators wrote in the letter.

The letter did not identify the teacher or specify what the incident entailed, but WCVB reported that students said the teacher was male and had worked at the school for a long time.
Recent reports indicate that Japan has agreed to provide grant aid worth up to 2.3 billion yen (about US$16 million) to Cambodia for its National Data Centre and government digitisation plan after a meeting between senior officials from both countries.

The data centre is intended to support the digitisation of the country's administrative services. The grant will go towards the equipment and construction required for the National Data Centre in Phnom Penh, on which ground was broken in July this year. The data centre is expected to launch in 2025. Its total cost is likely to be US$30 million.

in January 2022 Cambodia announced its Cambodia Digital Government Policy 2022-2035; this programme will see the government fully digitise its operations by 2035.

The lack of a national data centre for storing data and providing computing resources was at the time noted as a weakness, as was the fact that all ministries and institutions have almost no infrastructure and technical capacity for ensuring digital security.

As the Data Centre Dynamics website points out, Cambodia has a very small data centre market. In May 2023 ByteDC launched a 3MW facility in the capital, Phnom Penh.

The Khmer Times adds that the agreement with Japan also supports the development and upgrading of the public telecommunications network thoroughly promoting investment and technical assistance by the Japanese private sector, based on the Cambodian governments efforts to enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity", according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
No one likes getting a call or a text from a number they dont recognize, and now the The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is cracking down on scam calls.

The FCC will now require telemarketers and businesses to obtain written permission from consumers before making random calls or texts, otherwise known robotexts or robocalls. This came after a coalition of 29 Attorneys General filed a letter with the FCC in June, urging the commission to enact the requirement.

Read More: How passengers spent frigid Boston cruise that was supposed to go to the Bahamas

Under a previous rule, multiple telemarketers could obtain consent from one customer to send them unwanted calls and texts after they engaged with one business. The FCCs new rule requires one-to-one consent, which prevents lead generators from obtaining consent from consumers on behalf of multiple businesses or sellers.

The new one-on-one consent rule means consumers must affirmatively agree and opt in before a business may sell their contact information, said Attorney General for New Hampshire John M. Formella, who was part of the coalition. This rule is another step toward putting consumers in control of their information to help curb thousands of unsolicited robocalls and robotexts every year.

Read More: Boston Mayor Wu apologizes to Black men falsely implicated in 1989 Stuart murder case

The new rules allow the FCC to red flag certain numbers and requiring mobile carriers to block texts from those numbers, the commission said in a press release. The rules also apply Do-Not-Call rules to texting and encourages an opt-in approach for delivering email-to-text messages, the release continued.

The new rules make it unequivocally clear that comparison shopping websites and lead generators must obtain consumer consent to receive robocalls and robotexts one seller at a time  rather than have a single consent apply to multiple telemarketers at once, the release reads.

The FCC hopes the new rule will:

Block active robocall scam campaigns

Fine companies for record-breaking amounts of illegal robocalls and spoofing

Block international robocallers from reaching Americans phones

Implement caller ID authentication standards

Traceback illegal calls to their sources

Ensure voice service providers meet FCC robocall mitigation requirements

Sign robocall investigation partnerships with 48 states, District of Columbia, Guam and international partners

Establish first-of-their-kind regulations targeting scam text messaging

Launch the Robocall Mitigation Database

More information about how to fight scam robocalls and robotexts can be found on the FCCs website.
A grand jury indicted a Dorchester man on a murder charge Wednesday in connection with a July shooting that resulted in the death of a Boston teen, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office announced.

The grand jury indicted 28-year-old Anthony Ramos on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Tywon Meeks, the district attorneys office said in a press release. Ramos was also indicted on several firearms charges stemming from the shooting.

To call the violent death of a 19-year-old a tragedy is somehow insufficient to the horror and loss that the reality entails, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in the release. There is no closure or finality to the grief and anguish being felt by Tywons family and friends. There are only memories of his far-too-short life and the pursuit of justice for his far-too-early death.

Read more: Boston Mayor Wu apologizes to Black men falsely implicated in 1989 Stuart murder case

On July 6, Boston police responded to 5 Leyland St. shortly before midnight for a report of a person shot, the district attorneys office said. Officers soon found Meeks dead near a Roxbury playground.

Around the same time, police responded to an armed carjacking a half-mile away, The Boston Globe reported previously. Officers soon arrested someone in connection with the carjacking, but it is unclear who that person was or if the carjacking is connected to Meeks death.

Read more: Police charge Boston car chase suspect with assault in Roxbury shooting

Ramos was arrested last week on a firearms charge connected to Meeks death, the district attorneys office said. He will soon be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court.
Passengers hoping to sip on Pina colada on a Bahamian beach before the holidays had to switch to Dunkin iced coffee under cloudy skies when their cruise was suddenly redirected to Canada, making a stop in Boston along the way.

The MSC Meraviglia was supposed to sail to from New York City to Florida, Nassau in the Bahamas and Ocean Cay on Saturday, Dec. 16.

However, the cruise rerouted to Canada and New England last minute because of unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean, MSC Cruises USA said in a statement sent to MassLive Wednesday.

The company said this was the only alternative the cruise could take to avoid canceling the trip and thousands of peoples vacations, altogether.

Read More: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to apologize for wrongful arrests in 1989 murder

The Meraviglia was docked in Boston from Sunday, Dec. 17 until Tuesday, Dec. 19 before heading to Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, Dec. 20, NBC reported.

The ship is slated to stop in St. John in Canada on Thursday, Dec. 21, before turning back to New York City for a return on Saturday, Dec. 23, according to the outlet.

The Meraviglia, which can hold up to 5,700 people, docked at the Flynn Cruiseport Boston, The Boston Globe reported. Passengers told the outlet that it felt a little late to make the best of their vacations as the city was under a damaging winds alert that day.

I did not want to pay $5,000 [for my family] to come to Boston, said Connie C., who lives in Pennsylvania but regularly travels to Boston for work according to The Globe. This was supposed to be our Christmas vacation.

MSC Cruises gave passengers the option of either sailing to a different region or canceling their cruise for future credit. Those who decided to stick to the trip documented the expected itinerary on social media.

One TikTok showed children swimming in the pool while the ship was docked in Boston on a cold and rainy day.

It is freezing out here, said Mzzkeya creations, who posted the video on Tuesday. Can yall believe people are still swimming and its, like, freezing?

Another TikTok user, who goes by the name peace.n.justice, detailed her rocky experience trying to get her trip canceled after hearing about the last-minute change. She said the two options the cruise line gave her to help did not end up working, and she ended up having to call her bank for a refund.

I said the service was not as promised, the TikTok user said in the video posted Saturday. So thats where we are. Eight-day, seven-night cruise out of New York for the holidays is a bust.
A New Hampshire man is facing a murder charge in connection with the death of an Ossipee woman who was at least 35 weeks pregnant when she was beaten to death, according to the New Hampshire Attorney Generals Office.

William Kelly, 38, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Christine Falzone, the attorney generals office said in a press release. Falzones baby also died, but Kelly has not been charged in connection with the babys death.

The attorney generals office said Kelly and Falzone lived together at 332 Water Village Road, but did not say what their relationship was or whether Kelly was the father of Falzones baby.

Read more: DA identifies man and woman found dead on dirt road off Route 115 in Millis

Police found Falzone injured in her home on Dec. 17 a little after 11:45 a.m. after responding to a 911 call about a woman who was unconscious and not breathing, the attorney generals office said. She was soon declared dead, and Kelly was arrested at the scene.

An autopsy of Falzones body found that her cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and that the manner of her death was homicide, the attorney generals office said. It also revealed that she was 35 to 37 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

No decision has been made with regard to criminal charges related to the death of the unborn child, as the investigation is ongoing, the attorney generals office wrote in the release.

The attorney generals office didnt immediately respond to a request for further comment on this matter Wednesday morning, but WMUR reported Tuesday that a spokesperson for the office said Kelly could face further charges as investigators evaluate whether the death of Miss Falzone is the proximate cause of the death of the fetus.

Kelly is being held without bail, the attorney generals office said. According to a Facebook post from the Ossipee Police Department, Kelly has a long list of previous convictions, which include charges such as sexual assault, domestic assault and child endangerment.

No further information about Falzones death, such as a potential motive in her killing, has been released.
Boston police have charged a Malden man  who was arrested last week following a car chase through the city  in connection with a shooting in Roxbury that took place earlier this month.

Christopher Meade, 30, is now facing a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as other firearms charges, in addition to firearms and drug charges stemming from last weeks car chase, according to a Boston police press release.

Read more: Police arrest 2 after suspects SUV sparks car chase through Boston

Massachusetts State Police said previously that the car chase began after a trooper in Dorchester spotted an SUV thought to be connected to a shooting. Boston police have now connected Meade to a Dec. 4 shooting in Roxbury.

On that day, officers responded to 48 Clifford St. around 3:50 a.m. and found a man with multiple gunshot wounds, Boston police said. At the time, officers believed the mans wounds were life-threatening, but an evaluation at a hospital found them to be non-life-threatening.

Officers arrested a suspect at the scene, but that person was later released, Boston police said previously. Authorities have not identified the victim in the shooting.

Read more: Early morning Boston shooting leaves man with life-threatening injuries

Meade was arrested the night of Dec. 11 after a car chase through Dorchester and South Boston that prompted a large police presence. State police said he was a passenger in the suspect SUV.

Bridgewater resident Kailyn Almeida, 23, drove the SUV during the car chase, according to state police. She is facing a slew of charges in connection with the incident, including assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent operation and malicious destruction of property over $1,200.

Read more: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to apologize for wrongful arrests in 1989 murder

Meade was arraigned on Dec. 12 and ordered held until a dangerousness hearing on Monday, according to court records. At the hearing, a judge found him to be a danger to the community and ordered him held until April 18, 2024.

According to court documents, Meade has numerous previous criminal convictions on charges such as assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and larceny.
A Rhode Island man who drove high on fentanyl and cocaine, leading to the death of another driver in Fall River, was sentenced to serve no less than five years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced Wednesday.

Alexander Farias, 30, of Tiverton, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court last week to indictments charging him with manslaughter while operating under the influence of drugs, possession of Class A, C, and E drugs and unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm feeding device.

Farias was high on fentanyl and cocaine while driving south on Route 24 in Fall River on June 8, 2021, the District Attorney said.

After drifting into the grass median, Farias spun out and then entered the oncoming traffic lane. His vehicle began to roll and collided with another vehicle, causing fatal injuries, the District Attorney said.

The victim, James Dumas Jr., was returning home from his job as an electrician, according to the District Attorney.

Officials determined that Farias was high when his blood was drawn at Rhode Island Hospital following the crash. When police searched his truck, they found drugs fentanyl, alprazolam and psilocybin, as well as a large capacity firearm magazine.

The five-year sentence will be supplemented by two years of probation.

Read more: Lawyer for Longmeadow teen accused in fatal crash said client tried to revive classmate

This was a terrible tragedy caused by the defendant because he was high on cocaine and fentanyl. He had no business driving that night, and his reckless decision took the life of an innocent person. My heart goes out to the victims family, and I appreciate them expressing their feelings to the court during the sentencing hearing. I hope this resolution gives them closure, Quinn said.
It was not quite light outside when a stranger broke into a 13-year-old girls home in Cambridge and ran up to her second-floor bedroom. He covered her mouth with his hand at her bedside.

Then, he began to rape her. It was three times in total before she screamed for help and he disappeared into the night.

But despite the pile of evidence he left behind in the now 37-year-old womans bedroom, including green mens boxers, work boots and fingerprints, it took 23 years and new DNA testing to convict the child rapist whod lived less than a half-mile away.
A Hampden County grand jury has returned indictments charging three men with murder in the shooting death of an infant on Oct. 4.

Alejandro Ramos, John Luis Sanchez, and Kermith Alvarez, all of Holyoke, were all arrested and charged following the Oct. 4 shooting, during which a pregnant woman riding a bus nearby was struck, leading to the death of her then unborn infant child.

The indictments will send the case to Hampden Superior Court, where the suspects will be tried.

Jose Galarza and Jay Marie Rosado-Rosario have also been indicted on charges of accessory after the fact of murder, related to what officials say were efforts to assist Alvarez escape capture after the shooting.

Authorities said three male suspects were involved in the Oct. 4 shooting and that a bullet struck a bus and hit an uninvolved woman who was seated in the bus, according to Hampden District Attorney spokesperson James Leydon.

The woman, Selena Santana, was eight months pregnant with her third child.

She told MassLive in the days following the shooting that she could see the men fighting and could see when they started shooting.

The light had turned green and the bus started turning, Santana said in a phone interview from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, adding that the gunshots, sounded like fireworks.

All of a sudden, I heard a big boom on the bus. I looked to my right and saw a piece of metal under the window had been shot off. I looked down when I heard the second shot go off and I realized I was hit, Santana said, fighting back tears.

Santanas baby  named Ezekiel Ramon Garcia  was delivered at the hospital and required life-saving medical procedures, but died despite doctors efforts.

Ramos, 22, and Sanchez, 30, were both arrested in the days following the shooting. Police were not able to arrest Alvarez, 28, until nearly a month after the shooting  on Nov. 3.

Investigators were able to get phone records that showed communications from Galarzas phone to Alvarez and that they had evidence that Alvarez evaded police on scooter and foot based on information fed by Galarza, according to Prosecutor Kerry Koehler.

The call records, we argue, support that he was receiving information about where any potential risks of being noticed were and that Galarza was the person communicating through the cell phone number law enforcement had associated with him to assist Mr. Alvarez to evade capture, Koehler said.

The couple also helped Alvarez leave Massachusetts by using their information to book a room at an Economy Inn in East Hartford, investigators found according to Koehler.
(*This story was updated at 4:38 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 to include additional reporting)

The controversial Massachusetts blogger known as Turtleboy will face additional charges brought by Norfolk County prosecutors, expanding on the multiple counts of witness intimidation he already faced connected to the high-profile Karen Read murder trial, according to court records.

Aidan Kearney, who runs the blog TB Daily News, was accused in October of attempting to intimidate a Massachusetts State Police trooper and others connected to the investigation of Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, a Boston police officer.

Kearney alleges that Read is innocent and the victim of a cover-up.

A Norfolk County grand jury on Wednesday returned a 16-count indictment against Kearney, including eight counts of intimidating a witness, juror, police officer or court officials, according to records filed in Norfolk Superior Court.

The indictment elevates the case to the superior court from Stoughton District Court, where Kearney was arraigned on more than a half-dozen charges following his arrest in October.

In addition to eight intimidation charges, Kearney now faces three counts of conspiracy and five misdemeanor counts of picketing a judge, juror, witness or court officer, court records showed.

The indictment was first reported by Boston 25 News.

Norfolk Superior Court officials said they did not know when Kearney would appear for an arraignment.

On his website, Kearney said he would be arraigned on Dec. 27. In a blog post Wednesday afternoon, Kearney said he had expected to be indicted and vowed to fight the charges.

Kenneth Mello, the special prosecutor appointed by the Norfolk District Attorney, did not immediately return a request for comment. Mello indicated last month that he would bring the additional charges against Kearney.

Read is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the January 2022 death of her then-boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John OKeefe.

Prosecutors say that after a night of heavy drinking, Read backed her car into OKeefe after dropping him at a friends house in Canton.

The case has spawned a web of alternate theories claiming that others are instead responsible for OKeefes death. Of Reads supporters, Kearney has been among the most outspoken. He has long championed her innocence and dedicated numerous blogs to what he calls the Canton Cover-Up.

Canton residents who have grown skeptical of the police investigation voted last month to have the towns police force audited.

Canton Chief of Police Helena Rafferty welcomed the audit and told the Boston Globe it would end the wild speculation surrounding the murder investigation.

MassLive Reporter Juliet Schulman-Hall contributed to this story.
Over the past years during and after the pandemic, Massachusetts residents have made major changes to adapt to our new social and economic landscapes.

This means more people have been changing jobs, moving and following their dreams of working for themselves. Significant numbers of residents are also transitioning from MassHealth coverage after the end of federal COVID-19 protections.

These changes can be stressful, especially when it comes to lining up affordable health coverage. However, Massachusetts, which led the nation on the creation of universal health care reform in 2006, has again moved to address the evolving needs of our residents.

This fall, the Healey-Driscoll administration launched the largest state-financed expansion in health care affordability since the Health Connector was first created 17 years ago.

Under the leadership of Gov. Maura Healey and the state Legislature, a two-year pilot expansion of the Health Connectors flagship ConnectorCare program was included in the fiscal 2024 budget. This expansion lowers monthly premium costs and eliminates deductibles for more residents than ever before, allowing for thousands of dollars in savings on health care costs for those who newly qualify.

The new standards increase income eligibility limits from 300 to 500 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. This means an individual making up to $72,900, or a family of four, making up to $150,000 may now become eligible for ConnectorCare. This expansion will provide new cost savings to more than 50,000 people, on top of the 156,000 residents currently in the program benefitting from federal and state subsidies. These subsidies also mean ConnectorCare coverage doesnt have deductibles.

What does this mean for regular people with changing circumstances? On a visit to Caring Health Center in Springfield, I met Brendan Arroyo, a marketing and multimedia consultant who was in need of affordable coverage.

Like many entrepreneurs, Arroyo did not receive coverage through an employer and did not think he had time in his busy schedule to research options for reliable, affordable plans.

Thankfully, Arroyo connected with Jessica Scott, a local navigator at Caring Health Center, who provided the personal attention and care needed to quickly get him through the process. Now, newly insured with ConnectorCare, Arroyo says it will allow him to continue to pursue his dream with the peace of mind that comes from being covered.

I want other entrepreneurs to know that the Health Connector is a great resource we have here in Massachusetts for folks who do not have employer coverage, said Arroyo. Its always better to protect your dream than to leave things to chance, and its a lot more affordable and convenient than you can imagine.

People without health insurance, including those no longer eligible for MassHealth through the states Medicaid redetermination process, can access the newly-expanded ConnectorCare plans during Open Enrollment, which is happening now, through Jan. 23.

However, to secure a plan that starts on Jan. 1, residents need to enroll by Dec. 23 and make their first premium payment.

This year for the first time, all major carriers participating in the Marketplace are offering ConnectorCare plans, so there is both more affordability help and more plan choices than ever before. People can apply for ConnectorCare or other Health Connector coverage at MAhealthconnector.org, or can contact the Health Connector at 877-MA-ENROLL.

Whether you are pursuing your dream of working independently, just moved to Massachusetts, are transitioning from MassHealth, or are just shopping around for more affordable coverage for the new year, I encourage everyone to take advantage of our expanded ConnectorCare program.

No matter your reason, or how youre making your living, there is no better time to find health coverage than right now.

Audrey Morse Gasteier is executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector.
Viettel High Tech has officially handed over its private 5G technology solution to Indian network and engineering services provider QuadGen Wireless Solutions to manufacture and sell the technology in India.

QuadGen and Viettel High Tech signed a service provision contract in July under which Viettel would supply its 5GP (5G Private) solution, which incorporates 5G NR RANs, 100G transmission network, and 5GC core network.

Since then, Viettel's engineering team has been on-site in India, overseeing the installation, deployment, and trial operation of the 5GP solution and training QuadGen engineers.

The two companies launched the solution during a signing ceremony last Friday, saying that QuadGen will sell 5GP as a solution for use cases including smart factories, smart cities, healthcare, education and security.

Viettel High Tech CEO Nguyen Vu Ha said his company will also provide guidance on deploying 5G public networks for telecoms businesses in India.

The deal is an export win for Viettel, which has ambitions to become a key supplier of 5G equipment. The company has produced a range of 5G gear, including 5G gNodeB antennas and base stations, 100G site routers, an automatic online charging system (OCS), and even its own 5G DFE chipset.

Meanwhile, QuadGen stands to benefit from the Indian governments production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage domestic production. The company has been seeking partners to move into the 5G equipment space, particularly for private 5G, said Quadgen chair and co-founder Dr. C.S. Rao.

"QuadGen aims to seek strategic partners for the production and supply of 5G equipment in the Indian market, as the government consistently prioritizes the utilization of domestic products, he said. Given the extensive deployment of 5G private network across various industries, we have a significant number of customers, including businesses and government agencies, who require 5GP network.

Private 5G has been touted in the Indian telecoms sector as a potential additional revenue driver for 5G services, though lack of spectrum remains an issue. Earlier this year, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) decided that it would not allocate 5G spectrum direct to enterprises, which means enterprises could either pay telcos to provide private 5G services or lease 5G spectrum from them to build their own private networks.

However, its unclear when telcos will get the spectrum to do either. The next 5G auction is slated for January, but no new bands are expected to be on offer, and telcos have shown little interest in participating, according to media reports.
With a renewed effort looming to boot Donald Trump from the Bay States presidential ballot, the former presidents eventual electoral fate in Massachusetts could well be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That was the word Wednesday from Secretary of State William L. Galvins office, as all eyes turned to Washington, where the nations highest court is expected to likely have to the last word on whether Civil War-era language in the U.S. Constitution bars the former president from seeking the White House in 2024.

Were reviewing the ruling, and are hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court can provide guidance to all states, Galvins spokesperson, Debra OMalley, told MassLive on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, in a historic ruling, Colorados Supreme Court banned the former president from the statewide ballot in 2024, ruling him ineligible to stand for election under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause.

The 4-3 ruling by a court whose justices who were appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate, the Associated Press reported.

The Colorado ruling was stayed until Jan. 4, or until the high court issues a decision, PBS reported.

Trumps attorneys vowed an immediate appeal to the high court, where an eventual ruling could provide clarity for state court judges where similar cases are pending. The Republicans name has been submitted for Massachusetts 2024 ballot, which will not be finalized until January, OMalley said.

In Massachusetts, Shannon Liss-Riordan, a former candidate for attorney general, is trying to rally Republicans and Democrats to remove Trump from the ballot by March 5, MassLive previously reported. A prior case in Massachusetts also earlier had been withdrawn, according to Axios.

Elsewhere in New England, Maines secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, is expected to rule as soon as Friday on an effort to remove Trump from the ballot there, Spectrum News reported. Cases in New Hampshire and Rhode Island already have been dismissed, Axios reported, citing data compiled by the nonprofit publication Lawfare.

In its ruling, the Colorado court found that ... Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach, the opinion reads. We are also cognizant that we travel in uncharted territory, and that this case presents several issues of first impression.

While the ruling has profound legal implications, it also has political ones.

If other states follow Colorados lead, it could significantly complicate Trumps efforts to win the GOP nomination in 2024, which would set up a rematch of his 2020 title bout with President Joe Biden, according to the Washington Post.

But in at least three battleground states that could be determinative to Trumps general election fate  Michigan, Florida, and Pennsylvania, cases already have been withdrawn or dismissed, Axios reported. Notably, a case remains outstanding in Wisconsin, another electoral battleground.

One expert told Politico Wednesday that the ruling underscores the messiness of the 2024 campaign, where Trumps multitude of legal challenges, including one criminal case charging him with interfering in the 2020 election, have become wrapped up in electoral politics.

The U.S. Supreme Court now has a real dilemma on its hands. It has advertised itself as being a textualist and originalist court, in which the words say what they mean and were intended to mean when adopted, Ian Bassin, executive director of the advocacy group Protect Democracy, said. So if the Court is just applying the law, then a straight read of the law requires them to uphold the Colorado decision.  But of course the Court does not exist in a vacuum. It is responsive to politics, and the political reality is that Donald Trump has built a large political following.

Thats reflected in the numbers.

In October, a Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA TODAY poll showed Trump as the prohibitive favorite among likely Republican primary voters in the early primary state of New Hampshire.

Despite the weeks of bad headlines that have followed, Trump has shown no signs of losing his grip on the GOP electorate, with Trump holding an average 51.2% lead over the rest of the GOP primary field, according to the RealClear Politics polling average.

The same RealClear Politics polling average shows the 2024 general election within the margin of error, with Trump holding a 3% lead over President Joe Biden.

Speaking to MassLive earlier this week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey argued the case for Bidens re-election, saying the consequences of a second Trump term would be too grave.

I mean, President Biden is somebody who pulled us through a pandemic and an insurrection. We have historic job creation and low unemployment, Healey told MassLive. And, you know, do we have challenges as a country? Absolutely. But Joe Biden has provided steady leadership ... and I am going to do everything I can to support Joe Biden ... I was around ... when his presumed opponent was in office, and I saw the harm. And we cant do that. People will lose so much.

Famously, Healey as Massachusetts attorney general, sued the Trump administration nearly 100 times.
MAYO County Councils Roads and Transportation SPC is to write to the National Aviation Authority to request that flights be diverted away from Dublin Airport to Ireland West Airport Knock.

Cllr Damien Ryan said that the authority should consider allocating more flights to regional airports given that Dublin Airport had gone past capacity.

Dublin Airport has planning permission for 32 million passengers  a figure which it exceeded in 2019.

Every one of those, Cork, Shannon, Knock, Belfast, they can all take more flights, and it would certainly make a big difference to whats called balanced regional development, said Cllr Ryan.

The recent meeting of the councils Roads and Transportation SPC also heard calls for a rail link to Ireland West Airport to compliment the full reopening of the Western Rail Corridor.

Clearance work recently began on the Claremorris to Athenry section of the line, which has been recommended for reopening as part of the All-Island Rail Review.

Members of the Roads and Transportation SPC also called for a reopening of the Claremorris to Sligo section of the line  a development which has already been ruled out.

None of the countrys airports are connected to a railway line at present.



Big step forward

CLLR Richard Finn, who is vice-chairperson of the Western Intercounty Rail Committee, welcomed the clearance works on the Claremorris to Athenry Section as one of the biggest steps forward for the Western Rail Corridor.

About twenty years ago, we witness the clearing off of the line from Athenry to Collooney and nothing ever happened afterwards  we hope this wont happen again, Cllr Finn added.

Cllr Ryan said local representatives had been vindicated for their lobbying for the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor, which he said would be a gamechanger for the region.

We see Metro north has been spent 320 million and not a shovel put it the ground. Well deliver this for less than 200 million, and it makes a huge difference to a huge chunk geographically, said the Ballinrobe-based councillor.

Cllr Neil Cruise also supported a rail link to Knock as part of the reopening of the northern section of the Western Rail Corridor.

Cllr Cruise backed Cllr Ryans proposal that the SPC write to the National Aviation Authority to make the case for more flights in Knock.

Ireland West Airport Knock has forecast that its 2023 passenger numbers will exceed 2019 levels, when a record 830,000 passengers passed through the airport.
The jury in the multi-million euro trial of former solicitor Michael Lynn has returned guilty verdicts on 10 of the 21 charges against him.

The jury convicted Mr Lynn of 10 counts of stealing around 17.9 million from six financial institutions 16 years ago. They were unable to agree on the remaining 11 counts on the indictment.

Lynn (55) leaned forward when the jury returned the verdicts in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today but made no visible reaction. The jury had been deliberating for six and half hours across two days following an eight-week trial.

Judge Martin Nolan remanded him in custody after the verdicts were handed down. He set a sentence date of January 15, next.

Lynn, whose address given in court was Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow, is a native of Crossmolina in north Mayo. He had pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of theft in Dublin between October 23, 2006 and April 20, 2007, when he was working as a solicitor and property developer.

It was the second trial in the case, after the jury in the first trial last year was unable to agree on the verdicts.

It was the prosecution case that Lynn obtained multiple mortgages on the same properties in a situation where banks were unaware that other institutions were also providing finance. These properties included 'Glenlion', Lynn's 5.5 million home in Howth, and multiple investment properties.

The financial institutions involved were Bank of Ireland, National Irish Bank, Irish Life and Permanent, Ulster Bank, ACC Bank, Bank of Scotland Ireland Ltd and Irish Nationwide Building Society.

Lynn took the stand and told his trial that the banks were aware he had multiple loans on the same properties and that this was custom and practice among bankers in Celtic Tiger Ireland.

The guilty verdicts returned by the jury related to Irish Nationwide, National Irish Bank, Irish life and Permanent, Ulster Bank, ACC Bank and Bank of Scotland. It was unable to reach a verdict on the single count relating to Bank of Ireland alleging Lynn stole 2.7 million from that bank.

It was also unable to reach verdicts on 10 counts relation to Irish Nationwide, including the allegation that Lynn stole 4.1 million from this financial institution in April 2007. The charge the jury convicted Lynn on in relation to Irish Nationwide related to a single count of stealing 508,000 in January 2007.

Lynn told the court he had off the books agreements with the banks to use the loan money for his property developments abroad. He said that in relation to Irish Nationwide, he signed a memo of understanding with bank chief Michael Fingleton in a Dublin hotel in 2006. He said the agreement involved Irish Nationwide providing funding for Lynn's apartment development in Portugal, with Mr Fingleton set to benefit personally from this arrangement.

In relation to Bank of Ireland, the defence referred to internal emails from this bank querying Lynn's undertaking-only mortgages with the bank back in 2004 and suggesting Lynn be referred to the Law Society. Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe said this was evidence of the business model that the banks were operating.

The court heard from dozens of witnesses  many of them bank officials who testified that they would never have lent the money to Lynn if they had been aware he had already taken out mortgages on the same property and were not aware of any off the book arrangements in relation to his lending.

Lynn's former legal executive, Liz Doyle, told the trial that she signed his signature and forged the signature of a solicitor in the firm, Fiona McAleenan, on loan documents under Lynn's instructions. She said she did not discuss this with Ms McAleenan.

Ms McAleenan took the stand and repeatedly denied being involved in conveyancing in the practice. She said she was not aware Ms Doyle was forging her signature and she was not aware of Lynn's loans.

The allegations first came to light in September 2007, when Ms McAleenan alerted the Law Society to irregularities in the practice. Lynn's assets were frozen and he went to London, then Portugal and eventually Brazil, where he was arrested in 2013. He was struck off the roll of solicitors in 2008 following an investigation by the Law Society.

Lynn gave evidence of his four-and-a-half years in a Brazilian prison prior to his extradition in 2018, describing how the prison was essentially run by inmates and like something out of 'Game of Thrones'.

In his closing speech to the jury last week, Karl Finnegan SC, prosecuting, said Lynn was a gambler and a risk-taker who tried to pull the wool over the banks' eyes. He should not be allowed to pull the wool over your eyes, Mr Finnegan said.

I think Mr Lynn is a risk-taker, Mr Finnegan said. It's clear he lived for the next big deal...He is still gambling but the gamble has changed. The gamble is you might accept his version of events.

He said there may be a suggestion that the banks were shoddy, careless, reckless. It doesn't matter, he said noting that if someone leaves their front door open and their jewellery is stolen  They were careless, but it is still theft.

Outlining the legal definition of theft, Mr Finnegan said it doesn't have to be permanent and can be temporary.

I have no doubt Mr Lynn wasn't planning on taking 27 million and sailing into the sunset with it and disappearing. He probably was going to pay it back, but he got caught out.

In his closing speech to the jury, Paul Comiskey O'Keeffe BL, defending, said the jury's decision would affect the balance of Mr Lynn's life. That underlines the seriousness and solemnity of the decision you have to make, he said.

He said Mr Lynn's defence was that in respect of one financial institution - Irish Nationwide - there was a profit share agreement with Mr Fingleton, while the other banks were aware of the purpose of Mr Lynn's borrowings.

If you accept the banks were aware, then there's no theft, Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe said. Theft requires deception. The court heard evidence that Lynn engaged in these lending arrangements with the banks outside of the period the jury has to consider.

What's bizarre about these seven distinct banks is that not one of them ever sent a letter of demand seeking compliance with an undertaking, he said. (Mr Lynn) has never registered a mortgage in favour of any bank. This was the business model, the custom and practice that developed. You can't account for this unique similarity between these seven financial institutions without seeing Mr Lynn as a common thread between them all.

In his charge to the jury, Judge Martin Nolan said that many people weren't very fond of the banks during the time period involved, noting their reckless behaviour brought the country into a bad state. But he said the jury must put aside any prejudice or sympathy in its deliberations.
Malaysia disposable face Mask Market generated revenue of US$ 200.13 million in 2023. The market is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 224.61 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 1.29% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032.

Malaysia disposable face mask market is experiencing a gradual yet consistent growth throughout the forecast period. This growth can be due to the increasing prevalence of infectious diseases and the need for protection against airborne particles. Additionally, the rising number of surgical procedures is leading to a higher demand for medical disposable face masks. Moreover, there is a growing demand for eco-friendly masks, which presents promising opportunities for key players in the market.

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In recent years, Malaysia has experienced a significant surge in the incidence of infectious diseases. This rise can be attributed to various factors, including shifts in global mobility patterns, deforestation activities, and intensified agricultural practices. These contributing factors have collectively led to an increase in the spread of infectious diseases within the country.

As a result of this increase in infectious diseases, there has been a corresponding rise in the demand for face masks. The need for protection against airborne particles and the prevention of disease transmission has driven the market growth for disposable face masks in Malaysia. Furthermore, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further fueled the demand for face masks as the number of cases continues to rise.

For instance, Malaysia reported a total of 20,696 COVID-19 cases from December 10 to 16, marking a 62% increase from the previous week. This surge in cases has further amplified the demand for face masks as individuals strive to protect themselves and others from the virus.

Rising Number of Surgeries: Unveiling Revenue Growth of Medical Disposable Face Mask

The surgical mask segment in Malaysia is witnessing rapid growth, fueled by increased demand in medical settings, the adoption of masks by health-conscious consumers, and the governments initiatives to enhance healthcare infrastructure.

The surgical mask segment is experiencing a significant growth trajectory with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 1.67%. This growth can be due to the increased demand for surgical masks in medical settings and among health-conscious consumers.

The demand for surgical masks in medical facilities has been on the rise due to the need for infection control and prevention measures. Healthcare professionals and workers in medical settings rely on surgical masks to protect themselves and their patients from airborne particles and infectious diseases.

Health-conscious consumers are also contributing to the growth of the surgical mask segment. With a growing awareness of the importance of personal hygiene and protection against diseases, more individuals are opting to use surgical masks in their daily lives, especially in crowded public places.

Furthermore, the Malaysian governments initiatives play a crucial role in driving the market for surgical masks. The government has made substantial investments in healthcare infrastructure, with an estimated annual increase of 20%. These investments directly impact the demand for medical-grade masks in healthcare facilities, leading to a boost in the surgical mask market.

Rising Online Sales of Disposable Face Masks: Unlocking Opportunities for Key Players

A major significant trend in the face mask market is the impact of the digital revolution. The advent of online sales channels has revolutionized the way face masks are purchased. Online sales of disposable face masks have experienced a remarkable surge, accounting for 60% of total sales. This is a substantial increase from the pre-crisis period when online sales only accounted for 15% of total sales.

The growth of online sales can be due to various factors. The convenience of online shopping, coupled with the wide array of choices available, has attracted consumers to purchase face masks online. Additionally, there has been a 50% increase in internet penetration in Malaysia, which has further facilitated the shift towards online purchasing.

The digital revolution has also played a significant role in the rising online sales of disposable face masks. With the increase in internet penetration in Malaysia, online platforms have become the preferred channel for purchasing face masks. Established e-commerce players continue to lead online sales, and the trend is expected to continue.

Price Sensitivity Among Consumers: A Major Challenge for Disposable Face Mask Market

The face mask market continuously grapples with the challenge of price sensitivity among consumers. Despite the soaring demand, a significant portion of the population, accounting for 60%, favors affordable options. Consequently, manufacturers face immense pressure to lower prices, potentially compromising the quality of the masks they produce.

Another hurdle faced by the industry is its heavy reliance on imported raw materials, with approximately 70% of the materials sourced internationally. This dependence on global suppliers makes the market susceptible to disruptions in the global supply chain. When global crises arise, such as the recent pandemic, the industry experiences a substantial 35% increase in production delays, exacerbating the scarcity of face masks.

In order to overcome these challenges, innovative strategies must be employed. Manufacturers need to strike a delicate balance between affordability and quality, exploring ways to reduce costs without compromising the effectiveness and safety of the masks. Diversifying the sourcing of raw materials can also mitigate the risks associated with overreliance on international suppliers. This may involve investing in local or regional suppliers, thereby enhancing supply chain resilience.

Moreover, fostering collaborations and partnerships within the industry can facilitate knowledge sharing and resource optimization, enabling manufacturers to navigate through disruptions more effectively. Additionally, governments and regulatory bodies should support the development and promotion of domestic manufacturing capabilities, reducing dependence on imported masks during periods of crisis.

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Top Players in Malaysia Disposable Face Mask Market

3M Company

Cardinal Health

Heyday Mask

Honeywell International

Medicos

Medline Industries

Neutrovis

NOVID

Safetyware

SMT Technologies

Komarkcorp Bhd

RESPACK

Other Prominent Players

Market Segmentation Overview:

By Mask Type

Surgical Masks

Medical Mask

ASTM Level 1



ASTM Level 2



ASTM Level 3



Procedure Mask



Non-Medical Masks

2 Ply



3 Ply



Respirator Masks

N95



KN95



N99



N100



Others



Cloth Masks

Others

By Material

Polypropylene

Polystyrene

Polycarbonate

Polyethylene

Polyester

Cloth

By Distribution Channel

Retail

Pharmacies



Convenience Stores



Hypermarkets / Supermarkets



E-commerce

By End User

Hospitals

Clinics & Laboratories

Industrial & Commercial

Residential

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Astute Analytica is a global analytics and advisory company that has built a solid reputation in a short period, thanks to the tangible outcomes we have delivered to our clients. We pride ourselves in generating unparalleled, in-depth and uncannily accurate estimates and projections for our very demanding clients spread across different verticals. We have a long list of satisfied and repeat clients from a wide spectrum including technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and many more. These happy customers come to us from all across the Globe. They are able to make well-calibrated decisions and leverage highly lucrative opportunities while surmounting the fierce challenges all because we analyze for them the complex business environment, segment-wise existing and emerging possibilities, technology formations, growth estimates, and even the strategic choices available. In short, a complete package. All this is possible because we have a highly qualified, competent, and experienced team of professionals comprising of business analysts, economists, consultants, and technology experts. In our list of priorities, you-our patron come at the top. You can be sure of best cost-effective, value-added package from us, should you decide to engage with us.

    

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by Fern Siegel , December 20, 2023

New York City is a big place. To remind visitors and New Yorkers alike of a key neighborhood, The Alliance for Downtown New York launched a new campaign.

The "Only Downtown" campaign by Wunderman Thompson contrasts images and headlines from key landmarks to the areas newest hot spots. The out-of-home campaign runs throughout New York and on public transit.

The work is also meant to renew interest in Lower Manhattan for commercial real-estate decision-makers, positioning the area as a 21st-century central business district.

After 9/11, the area enjoyed two decades of steady growth, abruptly halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, given the rise of remote work, corporations are more tentative about property investments.

To highlight the area's pluses, Wunderman Thompson revamped Lower Manhattan's image as an ideal place to live and work  in both a casual and cultural context.

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OOH posters utilize its multifaceted attractions to highlight the neighborhood's singular aspects.

"Downtown Manhattan is such a special place with New York's oldest history and some of its newest cultural icons. Where else in the city, let along the world, are you spoiled with this juxtaposition of choice?" said Dominic Al-Samarraie, ECD, Wunderman Thompson, New York.

Play Time at pickleball courts is contrasted by the brand-new Performing Arts Centers Play Time. Work Hard, showcasing commercial office building Brookfield Place, is followed by Pray Hard at Trinity Church. An image of the Freedom Tower: 1,776 Feet pairs with George Washingtons 1776 Feat, spotlighting his statue at Federal Hall on Wall Street. And an Everything Bagel from Leos is paired with Then Sum at Dim Sum Palace, noting the dining choices in the area.

The genius of this campaign is that we are able to speak with simplicity, verve and wit to multiple audiences. Whether it's a tourist, entrepreneur, resident, office worker or C-suite executive, we are reminding them all what an exciting place Lower Manhattan is to live, work and play, Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, told Agency Daily.
by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, December 19, 2023

She may be dressed like jolly old St. Nick, but this Santa alter-ego is in no mood for laughs. In a public-service awareness campaign for Period.org, shes raising awareness -- and funds -- for the one in three menstruators in the U.S. and Canada who struggle to afford period products.

And shes not exactly minding her manners, proclaiming herself mother bitchmas, the coochie clause, Santa-Panty, the period Santa." Shes a holiday demon, fashioned after Krampus -- er, make that Crampus.

When Public, the agency that created the effort, came up with the concept, they worried it might be too edgy, says Michela Bedard, executive director of Period., a global nonprofit organization focused on ending period poverty.

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We were like, 'Nope, thats totally us. If people can't laugh when they talk about periods, then we'll never solve the problem. We love that the video is hilarious and does a lot to de-stigmatize periods."

The jumping-off point for the year-end fundraising effort is fresh data, with research conducted by YouGov finding that 31% of menstruators in the U.S. and Canada have either struggled to afford menstrual products or have a family member who has. And 47% say theyve stressed about their ability to buy them, with 50% saying theyve changed purchasing decisions due to rising costs.

When people cant access these products, they miss school and work, putting physical and mental health at risk. All that simply sucks ovaries, says Crampus.

The campaign is called #DeckTheStalls and aims to further the nonprofits work worldwide.

Bedard especially loved using Crampus, based on the folklore creature sent to terrify children during the holiday season. Wed always made Krampus jokes in the office, and when Public suggested that character as the basis for the spot, with the demon breaking the fourth wall, we loved it, she tells Marketing Daily.

The video accomplishes the primary mission, explaining that the problem of period poverty is entirely solvable.

The PG13-level humor also pays off in breaking through the year-end onslaught of public service campaigns for worthy organizations. Being funny lets us turn the problem on its head and makes it clear that the menstrual equity movement is welcoming. And we dont have to be doom-and-gloom because we can solve this problem, adds Bedard.

She says the campaign is running on social media, supported by paid placements that have been donated. TikTok, for example, has donated boosted ads, and the organization has also received out-of-home donations.

The campaign is also gaining firepower from brands. Theyve come out of the woodwork in support of this campaign, donating hundreds of thousands of products, says Bedard.

Much of Period.s work is in schools. Weve got 350 chapters of people who do period poverty work in communities, and most are run by young people.

The goal is to double last years fundraising, and the group is already about halfway there.
by Ray Schultz , December 19, 2023

Print erosion continues among small local newspapers. Chico News & Review (CN&R), a publication that serves Butte County, California, will publish its last print issue on Jan. 11, 2020 and will now exist solely as a digital publication.

Jason Cassidy, editor, CN&R, announced the news with a heavy heart.

Cassidy wrote, For the past three-and-a-half years, the newspaper has persevered, publishing monthly with the hope that ad sales would bounce back post-COVID pandemic. Unfortunately, they havent, and we find ourselves at a crossroads.

Looking forward, CN&R will persist in its mission online, where it will channel our resources toward enhancing coverage of local government and continuing as the go-to resource for local arts information, Casssidy adds.

Cassidy invites readers to donate to the CN&R as we endeavor to keep community journalism alive.

The publication does not appear to have a paywall.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 19, 2023

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit social media companies from allowing minors under 18 to have social media accounts without parental permission.

The measure, which advanced Monday in New Jersey's Assembly Health Committee, also would require social platforms to verify all users' ages.

Lawmakers in Utah and Arkansas recently passed similar laws, but those measures are currently facing court challenges.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks in Fayetteville, Arkansas, temporarily blocked that state's law in September, ruling that the restriction on minors' use of social media probably infringes teens' First Amendment rights, and the age-verification requirements would likely chill adults' speech on social media.

Earlier this week, the tech industry group NetChoice sued to block Utah's law, arguing the bill is unconstitutional.

On Tuesday, NetChoice wrote that New Jersey's proposed law would also violate people's right to free speech.

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Government-imposed age verification requirements to access speech are an unconstitutional restraint on the listener and the speakers First Amendment rights, the group wrote in an analysis of the bill.

The group added that laws requiring companies to verify users' ages would put an end to anonymous or pseudonymous speech on social media despite the fact that the ability to speak anonymously is protected under the First Amendment, and could also expose users to security threats.

Requiring social media companies to collect personal information about their users ... poses a greater risk that the data will be obtained by bad actors, the organization writes.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 20, 2023

Google plans to further consolidate staff through possible layoffs as well as reassigning employees who oversee relationships with major advertisers in its customer sales unit.



The reorganization comes as the company relies more on machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to support customers in ad-buying strategies for search, YouTube and other services.



Google can help advertisers create new ads that its technology such as Performance Max suggests will perform well.

Those ads are on pace to generate tens of billions of dollars annually in revenue for the company, according to The Information, citing a person with knowledge of the situation.



The sales unit is about a 30,000-person ad team. Sean Downey, president of Americas & Global Partners at Google, said at a department-wide meeting last week that Google plans to restructure its ad-sales teams without specifying whether the move would include layoffs, the report explained.

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Earlier this month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai opened up about the way the company managed its layoff of about 6% of its workforce -- 12,000 employees -- in 2022. He said it was not done correctly, although he defended the decision.

The admission, announced nearly a year ago, became clear in a leaked audio when someone asked at the most recent hands-on meeting what impact did this decision have on our growth, P&L, and morale?"

Pichai said the layoffs had a "clear big impact on morale. This was reflected in the comments in Googlegeist, the companys internal survey that measures employee satisfaction on topics such as leadership, product focus, and compensation.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Google, Amazon, Snap and Zillow will announce new job cuts. The four technology companies are expected to at least cut 1,700 combined jobs. All four had previously laid off employees in the past 13 months.

Google laid off up to 20 data scientists in its voice-assistant division in a third round of cuts since September when layoffs occurred within the Google News and recruiting teams. The Waymo division last month also had a round of layoffs this year.

Alphabet, Googles parent company, had 190,234 employees at the end of 2022, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By the end of June, its headcount fell to 181,798, according to its filing, which took place around September.
by Erik Oster , December 20, 2023

Molson Coors-owned Terrapin Beer Co. released a barrel-aged beer in collaboration with Five Trail Whiskey, the blended American whiskey brand launched by a couple of years ago that is part of its Coors Spirits Co. division.

Double Barrel Red Ale is a 12.5% ABV Imperial Red Ale which was both aged in Five Trail barrels and shared the same grain bill (the mix of different grains in the brewing process from which the resulting beer or whiskey is derived). Following the fermentation process, the beer was aged in freshly emptied Five Trail whiskey barrels for five months to impart complex flavors, including notes of oak which Molson Coors Beer & Beyond blog describes as resulting in a beer perfect for pairing with rich holiday meals.

In the blog, Terrapin President Dustin Watts described the resulting beer as having a bold flavor profile of dark cherry and hints of vanilla, which he called unlike any barrel-aged beer weve created before.

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Barrel-aged beers' typically higher ABV content and accompanying inflated prices have made them a premium mainstay for craft breweries (particularly during the colder months), but the release is a bit of an outlier in this market. Unlike nearly every other barrel-aged brew youd find on stores shelves, its not a stout or barleywine, an attribute novelty-chasing craft beer enthusiasts are likely to find enticing.

The distinct beer, which is currently available in retail locations across Georgia and Wisconsin, also gives Terrapin and Molson Coors a way to attract drinkers who might otherwise be drawn to whiskey or other spirits at this time of year.

Typically, people are going into liquor stores and looking for spirits and wine, so this is a unique way to also bring beer sales to life during the holiday season, Watts told Beer & Beyond.

The collaboration hints at the type of cross-brand synergy and premiumization strategy Molson Coors can use with its expansion beyond beer. Back in August, the company expanded its portfolio in this area with the acquisition of premium whiskey maker Blue Run Spirits . Molson Coors also introduced its own Barmen 1873 Kentucky Bourbon this year.
What is Cinnamon?

Cinnamon, one of the oldest spices, was the first commodity to be traded and was considered as precious as gold. The ancient Egyptians imported cinnamon from China and used it as a medicine, food enhancer and as an embalming agent.

The spice is aromatic and is stripped from the bark of the cinnamomum verum tree. It is dried in the sun and is rolled up as cinnamon sticks. When the quills are ground, it is available as powdered cinnamon.

Cinnamon has a characteristic odor and a pungent taste, which is released by cinnamaldehyde aging in the presence of oxygen. The chemical components within cinnamon include eugenol, ethyl cinnamate, methyl chavicol, linalool, cinnamaldehyde and beta-caryophyllene.

The two popular varieties of cinnamon are:

True cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum) a native of Sri Lanka and is of better quality.

Cassia (Cinnamonum cassia) is commercially cultivated in south Asian countries like China, Indonesia and Vietnam. It is the aromatic bark of the Chinese cinnamon tree that is more pungent than the true cinnamon.

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Cinnamon is associated with a number of health benefits. Most of the benefits of cinnamon on health are derived from the essential oils present in the bark of the tree. Cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate and cinnamyl alcohol in cinnamon have antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Along with its inherent properties that help fight inflammation, the flavor appeals to all age groups.

Reduces Bad Cholesterol

Various studies show that a pinch of cinnamon powder twice a day reduces triglyceride and bad (LDL) cholesterol by 30%; and increases HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol are major risk factors for heart disease .

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon is proved to be beneficial for diabetics as it lowers high blood glucose levels by the activity of a special compound. Cinnamtannin B1, the tannin isolated from true cinnamon slows down the activity of enzymes, which metabolizes glucose, stimulates glucose absorption by the cells and increases insulin release.

Eases Menstrual Pain

Cinnamon helps to maintain a balance in hormones. Cinnamaldehyde, a natural compound in cinnamon increases the hormone progesterone and decreases testosterone production in women.

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Rejuvenates Skin

The anti-aging properties of cinnamon protect the skin from free radical damage and keep the skin young and healthy. Cinnamon has antibacterial and antifungal properties, which help in keeping the skin free from infections. Add cinnamon to your morning tea for fresh and soft skin.

Kills Colon Cancer Cells

Cinnamon contains cinnamic aldehyde, which activates a protein that controls the expression of antioxidants. These anti-oxidants protect the colon cells against cell damage and prevent colon cancer. Melanoma is the tumor of melanin-forming cells mostly associated with skin cancer. Cinnamaldehyde exhibits anti-melanoma activity in mice injected with human skin cancer forming cells.

Prevents Neurodegenerative Diseases

Aggregation of a protein in the brain called tau, is the main feature of Alzheimers disease. Cinnamon contains two compounds, cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin that have an inhibitory effect on tau proteins. These compounds have shown to prevent the clumping of tau proteins, preventing Alzheimers disease.

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Cinnamon Apple Cake

Ingredients:

1  cups sugar

 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1  cups all-purpose flour

1  tsp baking powder

 tsp Salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups chopped peeled apple

Method:
What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder in which immune-mediated skin inflammation occurs. The disease can be seen in the form of a few scattered, red, scaly patches on the skin. The disease may progressively lead to a considerable psychological disability and also have a significant effect on the patients life. Psoriasis is known to be further associated with cardiovascular disease, depression, and psoriatic arthritis.

Cause of Psoriasis

The cause of psoriasis is not very well known, but several risk factors increase the susceptibility of the individuals to acquire psoriasis. These include family history and environmental factors such as smoking, stress, obesity, and alcohol consumption.

Current research has found that in individuals with psoriasis, the T cells of the immune system are triggered and become overactive. They start acting against the bodys own cells triggering the formation of inflammatory chemicals, which causes the rapid growth of skin cells. This rapid growth and build-up of skin cells is the reason behind the appearance of psoriatic plaques.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis

Conventional treatments of psoriasis are often associated with adverse reactions as well as limited efficacy. Hence, the patients always look out for herbal remedies for psoriasis.

Aloe Vera

Research evidence suggests that Aloe Vera gel is helpful in alleviating the redness and scaling of the skin, which may be caused due to psoriasis. A natural home remedy for psoriasis involves the application of the Aloe Vera gel on the affected skin for about 3 times a day. When buying a marketed product for psoriasis treatment, always look for creams containing 0.5% of aloe.

Aloe extract is obtained from the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant and is used as an essential ingredient in creams and ointments to reduce redness, scaly patches on skin, itchiness, and inflammation. Research studies have revealed that Aloe Vera has chemicals like anthraquinone and acemannan, which have antibacterial activity and can be used in clearing off dry patches or scaly patches of psoriasis. Another component salicylic acid is a keratolytic agent, which is efficacious in the desquamation of psoriatic plaques.

It has been reported that the use of Aloe vera in cutaneous treatment is well-tolerated by patients.

Apple Cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a wonderful remedy for the treatment of scalp psoriasis. It has been widely used in ancient medicine as an effective disinfectant. When used for psoriasis treatment, it can relieve itchiness of the dry scalp. A bottle of apple cider vinegar is easily available from grocery shops and can be applied to scalp several times in a week.

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It has been suggested that it should be used in a ratio of 1:1 dilution with water to prevent burning sensation on the dry scalp. It finds use in home remedies for psoriasis, where it is suggested that apple cider vinegar should be applied on the scalp and rinsed off with water once it has dried up.

Capsaicin

Chili peppers are also claimed to be one of the most effective and helpful herbal remedies for psoriasis. The active chemical ingredient present in chili pepper is capsaicin. It works by inhibiting the nerve endings, which may cause pain in patients who have psoriasis. Capsaicin is the active ingredient of chili peppers that forms an integral ingredient of numerous creams and ointment available as over the counter product. It is used in psoriasis treatment to reduce the pain, inflammation, redness, and scaling associated with psoriasis.

Tea Tree oil

Tea tree oil belongs to an Australian tree and possesses antiseptic properties and can be directly applied to the dry scalp for the treatment. People use tea tree oil shampoo to alleviate the symptoms of scalp psoriasis. Tea tree oil can be used for topical application in psoriasis treatment for the alleviation of dry patches or scaly patches.

Turmeric

Turmeric is armed with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is claimed to be one of the best herbal remedies for psoriasis. Turmeric has an active chemical ingredient called curcumin, which has been studied to be instrumental in changing the gene expression. Research studies have claimed that turmeric can alter Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) cytokine expression. Turmeric is also effective in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and in reducing the symptoms of psoriasis.

Turmeric should be liberally added to foods such as curries. Turmeric is also available as over the counter product in the form of concentrated pills or supplements. As per the FDA, 1.5 to 3.0 gm of turmeric can be taken safely as daily doses.

Oregon Grape

Oregon grape or Mahonia aquifolium is an herbal remedy for psoriasis, which possesses strong antimicrobial property. It plays an important role in eliciting an immune response. Research studies have proven that when cream containing 10% Mahonia is applied on the skin, it can prove to be an effective treatment for mild to moderate form of psoriasis. It has been suggested that when used as home remedies for psoriasis, Mahonia should only be used for topical application. The bark extract is used as a home remedy for psoriasis.

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Fish Oil

Fish oil supplements are rich in omega-3-fatty acids and are helpful in psoriasis treatment. It reduces inflammation of the skin. The daily recommended dose of fish oil supplement is 3 grams or less.

Self-Help and Lifestyle Changes

These measures are significant in improving the condition and appearance of skin such as dry scalp, dry patches, itchiness, and scaly patches. It is important to take regular baths, because, it helps in removing scales and soothes inflammation of the affected skin. The use of colloidal oatmeal, Epsom salts or Dead Sea salts is recommended as an herbal remedy for psoriasis; these are added along with bath oil to the water and soap. Use mild soaps with added fats and oils and use lukewarm water to take a bath.

It is extremely essential to use liberal amounts of moisturizer. Apply moisturizer when the skin is still wet. It is preferable to use ointment-based moisturizers. For very dry skin with dry patches, body oils should be preferably used, as they are more effective in preventing the evaporation of water from the body. Apply moisturizer several times during cold or dry weather. It has been reported that the use of alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of psoriasis treatments, and hence, it should be completely avoided. There are various triggers such as infections or injuries to your skin, stress, smoking, and intense or overexposure to sunlight, which can aggravate the condition of psoriasis. These triggering factors should be avoided in routine life.

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Controlled Exposure to Sunlight

It has been suggested that exposure to small amounts of sunlight is beneficial for psoriasis affected skin. It can bring about a significant improvement in the lesions. Hence, overexposure to the sun should be avoided, and always make sure to use sunscreen when going out in the sun to prevent the condition from worsening.

Home Phototherapy

Home light units available can be used in home phototherapy for psoriasis treatment. The unit can be chosen depending on the skin type of the individual. Home phototherapy makes use of ultraviolet B phototherapy in alleviating the symptoms of psoriasis. The targeted UVB phototherapy provides localized psoriasis treatment and does not damage or harm the skin unaffected by psoriasis.
Why you should Take Care of your Brain?

A habit is a regular practice, that most of us are dependent on. Often, we dont realize the cause nor its effects. Some every day, seemingly harmless habits can be so bad that they can cause lasting brain damage.

The human brain is the most important organ of our body and we all fail to think that the brain also requires exercise or training and nutrition for it to function well. Thus, forming good habits and avoiding the following bad habits will prevent brain damage and keep it healthy.

1. Skipping Breakfast:

Our brain also needs appropriate nutrients at the appropriate time to function its best. Due to a fast-paced lifestyle, most of us avoid or end up skipping our breakfast to save some time in the early hours of the day. This leads to low sugar supply and poor nutrient supply to the brain. The brain needs pure glucose to function. Poor nutrition can have long term harmful effects on the brain like degeneration of the brain cells.

2. Over-eating:

Its said that, too much of anything is bad. The same applies to our brain too. We tend to overeat, if the brain is not functioning normally and vice versa, over-eating leads to brain damage. Over-eating leads to deposition of cholesterol plaques and thickening of blood vessels of the brain causing reduced blood supply to brain cells. This can cause serious damage to the normal functioning of the brain. It is found that overeating leads to Alzheimers disease. Over-eating leads to obesity which in turn damages our self-image and self-confidence and can lead to depression and other psychological problems.

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3. Lack of Sleep:

Sleep deprivation hinders the brains ability to perform normally. If you have ever lost your way home or forgotten your keys somewhere and cannot recollect where, then lack of sleep has probably been the culprit behind this temporary memory loss. Sleep deprivation leads to cognitive issues. Without enough sleep, certain brain cells die and it then becomes harder for you to remember things. Psychological issues can also crop up due to bad sleep or sleep disturbances. So make sure you get your daily dose of 7 hours of beauty, as well brain-friendly sleep.

4. Eating Sugary Foods:

Knowingly or sometimes unknowingly, we all consume sugar in most of our food and beverages. High consumption of refined sugars is known to destroy the ability of the brain and body to absorb proteins and nutrients. Poor nutrition will lead to malnourishment and brain disorders like poor memory, learning disorders, hyperactivity and depression. So, the next time you add a large coke to your happy meal, think again because its loaded with nearly 20 spoonfuls of sugar!

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5. Smoking:

This is probably one of the most harmful habits that we indulge in, as smoking not only causes lung diseases or heart diseases, but it also leads to shrinkage of multiple cells in the brain and can lead to problems like dementia, Alzheimers and may be even death. Excessive smoking indirectly causes neuro-inflammation which can cause an autoimmune disorder called Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

6. Covering the Head While Sleeping:

Sleeping with the head covered leads to increase in concentration of carbon dioxide and it further reduces the oxygen concentration in the blood. If the oxygen supply is poor, the brain functioning capacity reduces. You may feel suffocated and sleep deprived leading to fatigue and drowsiness.

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7. Working When Sick:

We often fall ill when we are overworked. If during sickness too we continue working, then the brains efficacy is bound to take a dramatic hit. This will only add to the stress. When we are ill, the brain and body are already working extra hard to cope with the infection. Working on a sick day will only to add to the burden. So take a break, relax, recuperate.

8. Lack of Socializing:

Socializing, talking, encourages growth and development of the brain. Intellectual conversations strengthen the brain and improve its capacity to work. You can increase your creativity by meeting new people and making new friends. Socializing or interacting is also a great way to express yourself freely. If there is no socializing or if communication is low, you might feel low and depressed.

9. No Exercise:

As the saying goes, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Exercise makes you more flexible and increases mobility. Without enough exercise the mobility and brains power of movement reduces, and decreases stability and motor skills. Studies have shown exercise help to keep us younger by releasing happy hormones called endorphins. Not just the brain, but exercise strengthens your heart and lungs too. Do you need more reason to exercise?

10. Consuming Alcohol:

Greater the percentage of alcohol, higher is the number of cells that die in the brain. Alcohol leads to chemical imbalances when continued for longer durations and large quantities. Brain volume decreases due to chronic alcohol intake. Anything more than 2 units/ day for men and 1 unit/ day for women is excess alcohol.

11. Exposure to Contaminated Chemicals/Pollution:

Our brain is totally dependent on oxygen. The more you expose yourself to harmful chemicals or polluted and contaminated air, the lesser oxygen reaches the brain. Lack of adequate oxygen in the body may lead to death of cells in the brain. Studies in mice exposed to polluted air over a long run show physical damage to the brain. Time to get out to the park and breathe some fresh air each day.

12. Premature Stress:

Stress is a part of everyones life. Certain amount of stress related to work or family is a part and parcel of life. Stress of completing work on time or winning a competition is a healthy expression of stress. But when stress goes beyond your capacity to cope, it hinders the normal functioning of the brain and makes you feel low, depressed, angry, irritable and sleepless. If you feel one or more of these emotions too often, it is time to seek help with a counselor or move away from things that are causing stress.

13. Lack of Stimulating Thoughts:

Research shows that people who do not think much or often enough have shrinking brains. Thus, to maintain and expand the brain it is very necessary to think. Thinking, reading and writing will train and enhance the brain for better functioning and prevent from being damaged.
A Day at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

On October 2015 at Rio de Janeiro, on the occasion of the annual conference of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth, I was there to deliver a keynote address representing India. That was when I first heard a presentation on physiological changes occurring in the Human on exposure to microgravity in a simulated environment. This was followed by many slides that showed what happens to astronauts' bodies in Outer Space.

The icing on the cake was a photograph of the presenter floating in microgravity during a parabolic flight! That was how I first came into contact with Prof Thais Russomano!

My interest was kindled, but living in India I thought Space medicine was irrelevant to us. 3 years later came the announcement from ISRO that the first Human Space Flight Mission from India was a go! I now realized that Space Medicine in India would indeed be a reality even in the lifetime of a septuagenarian! I started reading.

A review article on Neurological changes in Outer Space was followed by bringing out a special supplement on Extra-Terrestrial Neurosciences for the journal Neurology India with articles by Space Scientists and Flight Surgeons. Each of the 14 articles has been downloaded from 1200 to 2500 times within a short span of time. It looks like interest in even such an ultra-focused niche area is being generated and Space Medicine will soon become a reality even in India!

Genesis of Visit to Lyndon Johnson Space Center

Exchange of mails 5 months prior to my visit to the USA made me realize that it may be possible to "gain entry" to the Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, from where healthcare is provided to astronauts. Thanks to Dr. Teri Mader a contributor to our Special Supplement I was introduced to Dr. William J. Tarver, MD MPH FAsMA, SANS Clinical Lead - CNS and Deputy Crew Surgeon stationed at Johnson Space Center. Dr. Tarver was, to say the least, "Fantabulous". He went out of his way to facilitate all the preliminary paperwork, he was instrumental in getting me into the NASA "IDMax" system and "badged" for this visit. I received a request for specific personal information from NASA. After enclosing copies of my passport, US Visa. Local address, telephone number and other required information, a second email was received. This provided me a unique passphrase for accessing the NASA Identity Invitation Website.

On 17th December 2019 I was at Baylor College of Medicine to give a talk. I found a gentleman "playing" with the AV system and gave him my presentation thinking he was the AV technician. Without batting an eyelid, he loaded my presentation. I later found that he was my host for the next day. Dr. William Tarver (he is indeed an institution by himself) and was most willing to share information that could be shared. I am sure I would not have spent 6.5 hours non-stop taking a visitor around and answering dozens of questions - and realize that he was one of less than 40 true "space doctors" on Terra firma with such super selective clientele!

A Day at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

We were scheduled to meet at 0900 hours at Building 110 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) main gate. At 0858 he dropped in and in a few minutes got me "badged". He had warned me earlier that being the week before Christmas, JSC will be in "pre-holiday" mode. Activities would be reduced with fewer staff. As the campus extended for several miles, Bill also provided me with transport. I was surprised to see that he had a sturdy large pick up van which went well with his informal attire. What followed was an amazing tour of multiple buildings, meeting the staff in each of these units. A feeling of bon hommie exuded from every single individual. It was obvious that every individual was truly passionate about what they were doing. None of them were here by accident. They had worked hard to get a placement here. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. Obviously with Humans in Outer Space the entire chain has to be super strong.

A statement by a former Administrator of NASA speaks for itself -. In terms of a number of dollars or men NASA has not been our largest national undertaking, but in terms of complexity, rate of growth and technological sophistication it has been unique - it may turn out that the space program's most valuable spin off of all, will be human rather than technological: better knowledge of how to plan, coordinate and monitor the multitudinous and varied activities of the organizations required to accomplish great social undertakings.

JSC's Role - Located on a 1,620-acre campus the JSC is the hub of NASA's human spaceflight research and oversight activities. The Human Research Program coordinates research and development projects at a number of facilities and test sites across the USA. Scientists and engineers at the JSC conduct studies related to space radiation, exploration of medical capability, microgravity, human factors, habitability, and behavioral health.
From A 'Marriage On The Rocks' To A 'Rocking' Marriage

Marriages may be made in heaven, but when they break, they do so on earth. What might have begun like a fairy tale on the altar could end sourly as divorce, breaking marriage vows forever.

The growing divide between the couple caused by the inability to sort out marital problems, forms the overriding reason for divorce. The couple simply drifts apart, unable to muster interest, strength and motivation to revive their dying marriage.

Sometimes there is just too much violence in the relationship or there are other associated problems like substance abuse. Saving a marriage is entirely in the couples hands. Even if one partner wants to save the marriage while the other is insistent on a divorce, the marriage can still be saved. The optimistic statistic is that up to 50% of all divorce cases have at least one partner who did not want it at all.

Ascertaining the cause of marital discord may be the first step in the marriage revival process. Rather than get overwhelmed with emotions at the thought of divorce, partners need to put on their thinking caps and intelligently work towards saving their marriage.

Patch-up Options

A brief look at some of the patch-up options.

Legal stalling

Marriage counseling

Personal action on the marriage front.

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Legal Alternatives When Your Partner Wants a Divorce

A competent lawyer with a history of patching up rifts rather than a record of successful divorces could be a positive step to salvage a dwindling relationship. The distinguishing outcome may rest in the astute choice of a lawyer, especially if saving the marriage forms the immediate purpose in your life.

Despite your interest in saving the marriage, if the case manages to come to court, here is a chance to make intentions of saving the marriage clear. A lot depends on the prevailing laws concerning divorce, but one must never leave any stone unturned in saving the marriage.

For example, if cruelty or negligence is alleged, then evidence of this has to be produced. There have been cases when the case just collapsed due to lack of proof.

Another option is to ask for legal mediation or arbitration. A surprising number of couples who go through legal arbitration directed by the court decide to stay together.

Marriage Counseling

Often strife between couples for an extended period leads to a communication break down. Warring couples need an impersonal third party to just listen and offer solutions. Marriage therapists can get the couple talking to thrash out problematic issues and counsel them with appropriate ways of handling them.

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The positive approach by a marriage counselor can steer the relationship in an appropriate direction with practical solutions to save the marriage. The intent of saving the marriage should be made clear in the beginning itself.

Many people go through marriage counseling only as a last resort to save a dying marriage. Marriage counselors are trained to help couples negotiate thorny issues like children, in-laws, money, and infidelity. The therapist may teach new ways to communicate, and non-accusatory ways of making needs known. But partners need to be absolutely truthful for marriage counseling to work

Personal Action on the Marriage Front

Saving a marriage is not just about preventing a divorce but about re-building a relationship of trust and joy.

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Communication with ones partner is vital. Expressing affection, love and showing empathy may be qualities needed to prove sincerity and desire to get the relationship back on track.

Healing takes place with owning up of one's faults, and forgiveness. Partners must learn to forgive and move on rather than harbor ill feelings.

Build bridges and not burn them must be the motto of couples who want to save their marriage and build a lasting relationship.

References:

Author: Dr. Susan Vinodh Pandian

Editor: Savitha

Technically Checked by: Lingaraj
What is Toxic Family Dynamics?

Toxic family dynamics refer to unhealthy family relationships characterized by harmful behaviors, poor interactions, and ineffective conflict management.

Unhealthy family dynamics include signs such as:

Lack of boundaries and empathy

Lack of personal space and privacy

Constant conflicts, hostility, and aggression

Verbal, emotional, and physical abuse

Role reversal between parent and child

Conditional acceptance and love

Different types of dysfunctional families have been identified based on the core issues. Pathological households are afflicted by a psychiatric condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or substance abuse. Role reversals are common in such families. Chronic conflict families are characterized by frequent arguments and fights. Parents are likely to be abusive.

The chaotic household consists of inconsistent or inadequate parenting. Lack of rules and discipline can lead to unruly behavior in children. Emotionally distant families can foster identity and self-worth issues due to a lack of expression of love and affection.

Finally, the dominant-submissive household is characterized by power imbalance, with one aggressive and one passive parent. The aggressive parent controls everything in the family.

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Toxic family dynamics can affect a child in several ways. Effects of growing up in a toxic family include:

Poor self-esteem and lack of compassion towards others

Difficulty handling authority figures

High sensitivity towards personal criticism and quick to respond with anger

Constant need for validation from others

Unconsciously seek similar dysfunctional relationships

Lack of responsibility to handle their problems

Guilt to show compassion to oneself

Feeling helpless and hopeless

Irrational fear of being abandoned or rejected leading to dependency

Lack of trust and boundaries

Growing up in a dysfunctional family can have far-reaching negative impacts, and therefore, prevention and early intervention are crucial.

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Living in a toxic household is a very stressful situation. Knowing how to deal with toxic family members,one lives with can help manage the situation better.

Finding the right time to have important discussions is crucial. Taking responsibility for ones own words and actions helps not taking things personally.

Communicating clearly is helpful as it avoids assumptions and preconceived notions. This helps prevent arguments. Watching out for passive aggressive tendencies such as bringing up the past or competing can prevent an unnecessary altercation. Setting clear boundaries in person fosters healthy conflict resolution.

Being mindful and in the present enables one to handle conflicts more calmly. Thinking of the situation from their perspective can help them respond better. Finally, seeking support can provide an objective perspective.

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Coping strategies for a child living with toxic family members include:

Writing down feelings can help a child vent

can help a child vent Engaging in hobbies When the child keeps themselves engaged in things that they like, it could improve their mood significantly

When the child keeps themselves engaged in things that they like, it could improve their mood significantly Seeking support Personal or professional support can help a child address the difficulties they face at home

Personal or professional support can help a child address the difficulties they face at home Boundary setting Identifying a supportive mature adult in the family can help the child set boundaries

Identifying a supportive mature adult in the family can help the child set boundaries Focus on yourself The child can focus on themselves and not take responsibility for the parents behavior

The child can focus on themselves and not take responsibility for the parents behavior Reaching out to child protection agencies such as UNICEF and laws, help prevent and handle such situations

This is an area where the role of the school can be paramount. If the school is teaching children about emotions, boundaries, and abuse, the child may be able to implement some of the methods mentioned. It is crucial that the child understands the importance of sharing distressing information with trusted sources.

Overcoming the past trauma of being raised in a dysfunctional family is both difficult and very essential. One of the coping mechanisms that can be used is journaling. This is helpful both as a means of catharsis and to view things objectively. This can also help be aware of the long-term effects of trauma, which will help address it.

Coping mechanisms also include keeping oneself engaged in hobbies, which will help improve ones mood. Exercise can boost serotonin which plays a significant role in happiness. Using positive affirmations with oneself can help undo the negative automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs towards oneself that have been developed over the years.

Prioritizing self-care can facilitate the reversal of the years of abuse and neglect. Part of self-care includes setting healthy boundaries with people, including toxic family members. Working on self-blame and guilt will help the boundary maintenance. Creating a healthy support system can act as a protective factor.

It is not possible to change the abusive family member, therefore there is no point in attempting it. Avoiding interaction with the toxic family member as much as possible is better as it cuts down on the possibilities of guilt-tripping, manipulation, bullying, and conflicts.

Seeking professional advice can help to process the trauma of childhood. It can change irrational beliefs to more rational, helpful beliefs. It enables the expression of pent-up emotions. Engaging in creative pursuits such as art, music, or dance can help in this regard.

The long-term effects of a dysfunctional family include:
What is Selfie Obsession / Selfie Disorder?

Holding the smartphone above your head and twisting your hand at weird angles to get that perfect selfie shot capturing your smile or mood may seem the most normal thing to do, especially among the youth. However recent studies seem to suggest that if this urge to click selfies and share it with the world is unchecked and out of control, it may indicate underlying mental health issues.

Selfie obsession or selfie disorder is the obsessive need of some persons to click photos of themselves on smartphones and post it on various social media. Psychologists and counselors warn that this may be a mental disorder and should be treated as such.

Also referred to as selfitis, the term was coined in 2014 in a spoof (fake) news story which claimed that the American Psychiatric Association was considering the option of classifying this as a mental disorder.

The spoof article nevertheless spurred a series of clinical studies, and interestingly in about two or three years, these studies appear to confirm that selfitis disorder does indeed exist and have even established a Selfitis Behaviour Scale to assess the severity of the condition.

Dr. Mark Griffiths, Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Addiction in Nottingham Trent Universitys Psychology Department, who conducted a recent major study on the selfie obsession says, Whilst the (original) story was revealed to be a hoax, it didnt mean that the condition of selfitis didnt exist. We have now appeared to confirm its existence and developed the worlds first Selfitis Behaviour Scale to assess the condition.

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Studies conducted have identified six factors most likely to be associated with selfie obsession. These included the following -

Environmental enhancement

Selfie taking enhances mood and helps to appreciate the environment better

To form good and happy memories of various experiences

Selfies are cherished possessions for future memories

Social Competition  Needing to be best

Elevates social status and importance

Getting more likes and comments on social media

Creates a healthy competition among social circle

Making my selfie look better than others by using photo editing tools

Attention Seeking

Helps to be popular in social and friends circle

Gaining attention and notice and comments on social media

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Mood Elevation

Makes me happy, less stressed and good about myself

Improvement in Self-confidence

Feel more confident and self-assured when taking selfies

Looking at my selfies in private makes me more confident

Conforming to Peer Group Expectation

Feel accepted and respected only when I take and post selfies

Feel isolated if I do not indulge in taking and posting selfies

Selfie obsession disorder or selfitis is a strange urge to keep snapping pictures of oneself and sharing it on social media. Studies indicate that persons obsessed with selfie-taking may have an underlying mental health disorder and need to seek help. Depending on the severity of the condition, selfitis is classified into three levels.

Levels of Selfitis

Borderline - Clicking ones photos at least three times a day but not posting them on social media.

- Clicking ones photos at least three times a day but not posting them on social media. Acute - Taking self-pictures at least three times a day and posting all of them on social media.

- Taking self-pictures at least three times a day and posting all of them on social media. Chronic- Uncontrollable urge to take selfies continuously and posting them on social media more than six times in a day.

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Persons obsessed with taking selfies may have one or more of the following emotional and mental health issues and may need medical help before things get out of hand

Loneliness

Unconscious cry for help

Obsessed with self and oblivious to other peoples opinions or needs

Highly attention seeking

Difficult relations with family and friends

Addiction tendencies

Lacking in confidence and feeling the need to fit in and gain approval

Suffering from stress

Based on questionnaires, the dominant characteristics of the person are identified as any of the following  loneliness, attention seeking, self-centered, or narcissistic (love of self).

Unless treated, the underlying personality traits and mental health issues may lead to more serious conditions such as depression, Substance abuse, suicidal tendencies and disruption in relationships.

The Selfitis Behavior scale is a questionnaire consisting of 20 statements where the person rates each of these statements from 1 to 5 (1 meaning strongly disagree and 5 meaning strongly agree), with a maximum score of 200. A higher score increases the chances of suffering from selfitis.

Taking selfies gives me a good feeling to better enjoy my environment Sharing my selfies creates healthy competition with my friends and colleagues I gain enormous attention by sharing my selfies on social media I can reduce my stress level by taking selfies I feel confident when I capture a selfie I think my peer group accepts me better when I take selfies and share them on social media I can express myself more in my environment through selfies Taking different selfie poses helps increase my social status I feel I become more popular when I post my selfies on social media Taking more selfies improves my mood and makes me feel happy I become more positive about myself when I take selfies I become a significant member of my peer group through selfie postings Taking selfies provides better memories of the occasion and the experience I post frequent selfies to get more likes and comments on social media By posting selfies, I expect my friends to appraise me Taking selfies changes my mood instantly I take more selfies and look at them privately to increase my confidence When I dont take selfies, I feel detached from my peer group I take selfies as trophies for future memories I use photo editing tools to enhance my selfie to look better than others

Broken relationships and loneliness

Tendency for other addictions as well

Putting oneself at risk of cyberbullying and trolling by frequent posting of selfies

Going to extreme lengths to secure validation of others, for example developing eating disorders to look thin and beautiful

Depression and risk of suicide

Psychopathic nature manifesting as taking dangerous selfies from edge of cliff, top of buildings, bridges

Selfie deaths  being run over, falling from heights while taking selfies

Currently, no scientifically approved treatment for selfie obsession disorder exists. Some of the following measures may be tried to overcome the obsession. In some severe cases, psychological counseling and cognitive behavior therapy may be required.

Ask yourself whether you need to carry your smartphone throughout the day and instead choose to have a basic phone to carry around

You should decide when and how to use your smartphone to benefit you

Decide to reduce the frequency of logins to social media, perhaps twice or thrice a week. Indulge in other enjoyable activities to resist the urge to keep visiting social media sites or reaching for your phone

Set realistic goals to achieve your targets. Give yourself time. Believe in yourself

Practice relaxation techniques and stress management

Seek your parents or well-wishers cooperation to help you achieve your goals and wean you away from your selfie habit

In more severe cases when the above measures do not yield the desired result it is necessary to seek specialist help.

CBT is atype of psychotherapy, found to be effective in obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Exposure and response prevention (ERP), a type of CBT therapy, involves exposing the person gradually to the object of obsession (smartphone in this instance) and teaching them to develop coping skills to avoid their instinctive response and the associated anxiety at not being able to indulge in the obsessive behavior.

Sessions may be individual, family or group therapy sessions.

ERP takes effort and practice, but the results can be rewarding - better quality, improved relations and a new outlook on life.

Medications:

Severe cases of selfie obsession may need a referral to a psychiatrist and medications as appropriate. Often a combination of CBT and medications have been found to offer maximum benefit in OCD. Other underlying mental disorders should be appropriately treated as well.

In conclusion, although it may sound dramatic to refer to selfie obsession as a mental health disorder, several scientific studies have strengthened the validity of this claim. Like all things in life, using smartphones and social media are best done in moderation.
What is a Miscarriage?

Sometimes the smallest thing takes up the most place in your heart. As they say, The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched, but are felt in the heart. This is exactly what you feel when you are pregnant. However, sometimes the happiness you experience may only be short-lived and momentary. There may be many reasons for your inability to carry your pregnancy to full term, but each little life, no matter how brief it may be, changes your world forever.

A miscarriage or what is medically known as spontaneous abortion is the loss or death of a baby, which typically happens before the 20th week of pregnancy. Studies have shown that nearly 50% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage and this happens most often before a woman misses her menstrual period or even knows she is pregnant. It is also estimated that more than 80% of miscarriages happen within the first three months of pregnancy.

During a period of physical or emotional stress, the brain releases several hormones in our body; one of the hormones is the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Incidentally, CRH is also produced in the placenta and the uterus of pregnant women to trigger uterine contractions during labor and the delivery process. It has been observed in numerous studies that women who deliver prematurely or have low birth-weight babies were found to have high levels of the hormone CRH in them.

The majority of miscarriages are random, isolated events and the exact cause cannot be pinpointed. Henry Lerner, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School says, Since you got pregnant once, the odds are 80 percent that you will go on to have a healthy baby and as many healthy babies after that, as you want. Women who go on to have two or three miscarriages (called recurrent miscarriage) may ultimately learn they have a medical problem that is causing their pregnancies to end spontaneously, but even with recurrent miscarriage, half the time there is no known cause.

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Age of the mother plays an important role. It has been seen that in women who are over the age of 45 years, more than half of all pregnancies will end in a miscarriage and in women between the ages of 35 to 39, nearly 2 in 10 pregnancies will terminate in a miscarriage.

During the first trimester, it is believed that any major problems with the fetus could be the main cause of a miscarriage. It is estimated that three out of every four miscarriages happen during this period.

Any chromosomal problems or abnormalities occurring in the fetus at the time of conception could result in the abnormal development of the fetus leading to an eventual miscarriage. It is estimated that nearly 60 percent of miscarriages occur due to mismatched chromosomes.

Problem(s) with the development of the placenta, which basically links the mothers blood supply with her baby could potentially lead to a miscarriage.

Chronic health problems suffered by the mother, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, celiac disease, thyroid issues, or infections, such as German measles, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, malaria, bacterial vaginosis, among others, may be causes for a miscarriage.

Some medications, such as retinoids (used for the treatment of acne and eczema), methotrexate and misoprostol (used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis), and certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are contraindicated during pregnancy.

Abnormalities in the womb structure and some abnormal growth in the womb, such as fibroids, lead to a situation where the resulting embryo either cannot implant or if it does implant then it does not get the nourishment it needs to grow.

Weakened cervix or what is medically termed as cervical incompetence, which could be due to a previous injury to the cervix leads to a condition where the cervix cannot hold the fetus and tends to open up too early during pregnancy, causing loss of the fetus or a miscarriage.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS is a medical condition, where the ovaries are larger than usual can lead to hormonal imbalances in the womb.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause harm to the fetus.

Excessive use of alcohol or cigarettes could expose the growing fetus to large amounts of unwanted chemicals.

Drinking many cups of tea and/or coffee in a day (more than 200 mg of caffeine) could also affect the fetus.

Stress is part of everyday life. Every pregnant woman worries at least a little bit, whether it's about the pregnancy or about other life factors. This has been going on since time immemorial, and yet the majority of pregnant women give birth to healthy babies.

When you start talking about stress as a factor in pregnancy loss, it is easy to self-blame and think that you had a miscarriage because you were too stressed out. However, never let this happen since you are bound to be stressed out even more.

Being overly stressed during pregnancy could affect the fetus in more ways than one, so it is essential to make stress management a top priority.

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New research now suggests that too much stress during early pregnancy could lead to a miscarriage, hence it is advisable to avoid stress during the early stage of pregnancy.

In this new study, researchers from the University of Michigan found that women who suffered from stress were three times more likely to have miscarriages during the first three weeks of pregnancy. The women who participated in the study did not know that they were pregnant due to the early stage of pregnancy.

Scientists stipulated that the stress hormone cortisol could have a role in this, however, they were not sure. Thus, the research suggests that it is vital for pregnant women to stay stress-free, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. They stated that excessive stress may be something like the loss of a job, the end of a relationship with a loved one, the end of a marriage, or the death of a close family person, among others.

The research team, led by Pablo Nepomnaschy of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in America, measured cortisol levels three times a week, for a period of one year, in 61 women. The study is incidentally the first one to link increases in cortisol levels to very early-stage pregnancy loss.

Scientists believed that most miscarriages are known to occur during the first three weeks of pregnancy. They thought that the only way to capture the first three weeks of pregnancy was by collecting urine samples from these women before they became pregnant.

The researchers studied the cortisol levels in 22 pregnancies that occurred in 16 women, and they found that 90 percent of women, whose ages ranged from 18 to 34, had elevated levels of the cortisol and miscarried during the first three weeks of pregnancy as compared to 33 percent of those with normal levels.

In another series of studies conducted by researchers in Germany, it was shown that when pregnant mice were subjected to different forms of stress, such as loud noises, among others, they developed hormonal imbalances that could potentially turn the immune system against the fetus.

The researchers think cortisol, released during stress, suppresses the production of progesterone, which is a hormone responsible for a healthy pregnancy. This reportedly sets off a domino effect that eventually stops the immune system from tolerating the foreign cells of the fetus.

Lead researcher Petra Arck conducted a study to see the effect of stress on 864 pregnant women. They found that the 55 women, who miscarried, reported a higher level of stress and lower levels of progesterone as compared to the others. Arck also said that they were able to prevent the miscarriages of mice, who were under stress, by giving them an artificial version of progesterone and that she hoped to try out the same in pregnant women in the near future.

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Relax and Focus on Your Health

One of the best ways to relax is by laughing, whether it is by watching a comedy movie, or a TV serial, or anything amusing that is happening around you. Laughter, incidentally, is known to improve your mood by releasing chemicals in your brain. Take good care of your health and do not exhaust yourself.

Take a Deep Breath

You could consider doing prenatal yoga and meditation under the supervision of your physician. Visualize good things about your baby. Meditation for just about 20 minutes in a day will calm you down and moreover, you could do it anywhere you wish.

When stress levels become overwhelming, take a break, sit down in a quiet place, and close your eyes. Take five full breaths and when doing so, notice the rising and falling of your chest muscles. This helps you calm down instantly.

Eat Well, Stay Hydrated, and Get Plenty of Sleep

There cannot be a better time than now to eat a good, balanced meal. Remember, your baby needs all the vital nutrients, whether it is omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, or minerals.

Fishes, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, among others, are not only good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but also help in reducing depression as well.

Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, mainly found in nuts, seeds, fresh chicken, eggs, and yogurt not only helps you sleep well by raising the brain chemicals serotonin and melanin, but also boosts your feeling of well-being.

Drink plenty of water and juices to stay well hydrated throughout the day as dehydration is known to cause headaches and also affects your mood.

Rest and get plenty of sleep while you can.

Exercise

Gentle exercises are not only good to keep your body fit but is also good for the baby. Brisk walking for about 20 minutes in a day is a good way to start. Pregnancy yoga helps you control your anxieties by teaching you to breathe and relax. You could also consider swimming after taking approval from your physician; it keeps your body toned without being too hard on your joints. At work, make sure you get up and stretch once in a while, especially if your work calls for being bound to the desk most of the time.

Ask for Help

During pregnancy, even simple household chores can sometimes become overwhelming. Dont let this stress you out, take help from friends and family who could provide all the support you need to get through this not only during pregnancy but even after the baby is born. Ask your health care provider about other helpful resources within your community.

Take Childbirth Classes

Enrich your knowledge about labor and birth by taking child-birth classes. It will tell you what all you should expect during your pregnancy as well as when the baby is born. It will also teach you breathing and relaxation techniques.

So, to sum it up, if you are worried and concerned about early miscarriage, concentrate on taking good care of your health and your baby. Avoid the known risk factors and seek regular prenatal care. Remember, by taking good care and following your doctor advice, you will one day have the joy of holding your baby in your own arms!
The history of modern yoga began with the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. It was during the late 1800s that modern yoga arrived in the United States. At this congress, Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, made a lasting impression on the American public. He addressed the gathering as, Brothers and Sisters of America and through these words, captured the hearts of millions of Americans and attracted many students to yoga and the Vedanta.

After Swami Vivekananda, the next popular teacher in the west was Paramahansa Yogananda, who arrived in Boston in 1920. He established the self-realization fellowship in Los Angeles. He left his mortal frame in 1952; but continues to have a worldwide following. He wrote the famous "Autobiography of a Yogi". His teachings are called the yogoda teachings.

Paul Brunton, a former journalist-editor and author of the famous book, "A Search in Secret India', introduced Ramana Maharishi to western seekers.

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Since the early 1930's and till his death in 1986, Jiddu Krishnamurthy attracted western minds with his philosophical thoughts. He expounded the wisdom of Jnana yoga and drew large gatherings. He has followers all over the world.

In the mid 1960's, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Transcendental Meditation to the west and became associated with the Beatles.

In 1965, Shrila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) when he came . He spread a movement based on Bhakthi Yoga, which is the yoga of devotion. (yoga of devotion).

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In 1965, Shrila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) when he came . He spread a movement based on Bhakthi Yoga, which is the yoga of devotion.

OOther masters are Swami Satchitanandaa, Swami Sivananda Radha, Swami Satyananda and Swami Chidananda. Bhagawan Rajneesh, also known as Osho, was a widely popular guru in the 1970's and 1980's.

The great Sri Krishnamacharya taught the Vinyasa o Yoga. His son, Desikar and Desikar's brother-in-law, B.K.S. Iyengar continued the tradition.

Sathya Sai Baba, whom millions of people all over the world throng to see, is the living yoga master of today; he is called the man of miracles. Sadhguru,Jaggi Vasudev, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Matha Amrithananda Mayi Devi and Sri Sri Yogananda Saraswathi are the pioneers in the spread of present day yoga.
Classical Yoga

In the second century C.E, Patanjali composed the yoga sutras, which is composed of 195 aphorisms. They expound the Raja yoga or the eight-fold path, which are meant to be memorized, as it was not in written form. The earliest known Sanskrit commentary on the sutras is Yoga- Bhashya (speech on Yoga), by Vyasa in the fifth century.

Patanjali believed that each individual is composed of matter (prakriti) and spirit (purusha). He advocated that yoga would restore the spirit to its absolute reality, a teaching that saw a shift from non dualism to dualism.

This period in yoga affirms the teachings of Vedanta, that there is ultimate unity in everything in the cosmos. Vedanta is the philosophical system based on the teachings of the Upanishads.

The earlier eras saw yogis laying emphasis only on meditation and contemplation. Their goal was to shed their mortal coils and merge with the infinite But, during this period, yogis began to probe the hidden powers of the body. Yoga masters designed advanced yogic practices that would rejuvenate the body and prolong its life. This led to Hatha Yoga, which is presently practised throughout the world.

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What is Hatha Yoga?

The yoga of postures or asanas is called Hatha Yoga. It broadly consists of asanas (body postures), pranayama (body techniques) relaxation and cleansing techniques. The main goal of Hatha yoga is to facilitate concentration and meditation, which is actually a preparation for achieving the final stage of yoga, called Samadhi.

Along with Hatha yoga, Tantra yoga also developed in this period. Tantra yoga is the path of rituals and mantra or mystic syllables.
Highlights: Steamed Brussels sprouts, a staple in Christmas dinners, retain glucosinolates, aiding in combating chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer

Regular consumption of carrots, a popular festive side dish, shows a 20% reduction in cancer risk, offering a flavorful and health-conscious addition to holiday meals

Rooster potatoes, with their red skin and golden color, make the perfect roast, contributing not just to a delicious Christmas dinner but also providing health benefits

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Carrot Intake is Consistently Negatively Associated with Cancer Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Observational Studies



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Did you know your Christmas dinner could hold the key to a healthier you? Dive into the surprising health benefits hidden in your festive feast! #healthyholidays #christmasdinner #festivetreats

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Health Benefits of Steamed Brussels Sprouts in Your Christmas Feast

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Carrots Take Center Stage in Cancer Risk Reduction on Your Festive Table

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Ideal Roast Potato for Your Healthier Christmas Feast

Carrot Intake is Consistently Negatively Associated with Cancer Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Observational Studies - (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4316849)

As the countdown to the festive season begins, families across the nation eagerly anticipate the indulgence of a traditional Christmas dinner. While the holiday spirit often accompanies culinary extravagance, could there be health benefits hidden within the components of our festive feasts? Newcastle University in the UK has undertaken extensive research into the distinctive characteristics and compounds found in Christmas trimmings, uncovering that certain side dishes may offer significant health advantages ().The humble Brussels sprout , a staple on many Christmas dinner tables, has been a subject of Newcastle researchers' scrutiny, revealing unexpected health benefits. Contrary to the disdain often directed at overcooked sprouts, scientists emphasize the importance of steaming these cruciferous vegetables. Steaming retains crucial compounds known as glucosinolates, with potential implications in combatting chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer.Cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, boast a rich array of healthy properties, primarily attributed to their high glucosinolate content. These compounds interact with proteins linked to repairing damaged DNA and promoting cell death in cancer tumors. While raw Brussels sprouts contain the highest levels of glucosinolates, cooking methods influence their retention. A Newcastle University study investigated the impact of roasting, boiling, and steaming, determining that steaming preserved the most essential compounds.Dr. Kirsten Brandt, Senior Lecturer in Food and Human Nutrition at Newcastle University, emphasized the significance of steaming: "If you boil the Brussels sprouts, then you lose a lot of the important compounds into the water. If you roast them, they are being broken down during the cooking, so steaming is the one that gives most of these tasty and healthy compounds in the final product."Carrots, a popular addition to festive feasts, have taken center stage in research indicating a potential reduction in cancer risk. A study conducted by Newcastle University, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, suggests that consuming five servings of carrots per week is associated with a 20% decrease in the risk of developing all types of cancer. Even a modest intake of one serving per week yields a significant 4% reduction compared to those who abstain from this vibrant vegetable.The research, involving a systematic review and meta-analysis of nearly 200 studies and 4.7 million participants, underscores the diverse compounds within carrots contributing to their health benefits. While beta-carotene, responsible for the orange hue of carrots, has been extensively researched, the study emphasizes that the whole carrot, rich in polyacetylenes, provides anti-cancer effects when consumed in sufficient quantities.Charles Ojobor, a Ph.D. student from the Human Nutrition and Exercise Research Centre at Newcastle University, led the study, stating, "We looked at different types of cancer, and our analysis showed that people who eat five portions of carrots per week had a 20% reduced risk of developing the disease."Christmas dinner wouldn't be complete without the perfect roast potato. Researchers at Newcastle University delved into the characteristics of over 250 potato varieties, considering factors from tuber qualities to disease resistance and climate stress resilience. Potatoes, being rich in fiber, are deemed ideal for achieving the golden crispiness of the festive roastie, especially when prepared in an air fryer a healthier alternative.Amidst the plethora of potato varieties, Sophia Long, a Ph.D. student from the Faculty of Science, Agriculture, and Engineering at Newcastle University, identifies Rooster potatoes as the epitome of a roast potato. With vibrant red skin and a golden color underneath, Rooster potatoes are deemed perfect for creating the quintessential Christmas roasties.Source-Medindia
Highlights: Kerala reports the first case of COVID-19 JN. 1 variant in India

Prior reports of the COVID-19 JN. 1 variant have been reported in the US, China, and a few European countries

This new variant closely resembles the Omicron sub-variant called BA.2.86 or Pirola differing only in spike protein



Navigating the problems of COVID-19 and its changing variants will require heightened awareness, commitment to preventive measures, and a coordinated response. #covid19 #jn1variant #omicron #publichealth #medindia

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Global Trends of the New COVID JN. 1 Variant

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COVID JN. 1 in India

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All About COVID JN.1 Variant

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Omicron new variant BA.2.86 (Pirola): Epidemiological, biological, and clinical characteristics - a global data-based analysis



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Symptoms

Treatment and Preventive Strategies

Omicron new variant BA.2.86 (Pirola): Epidemiological, biological, and clinical characteristics - a global data-based analysis - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37843359/)

While the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and emerged more resilient and stronger, so did the SARS-CoV virus and its ever-evolving variants. A new COVID-19 JN. 1 variant is causing a spike in infections globally yet again and raising alarm bells among health professionals.The first case of COVID-19 JN. 1 variant was detected in the US in September 2023. Seven cases of the same subvariant were detected in China on December 15.At present, JN.1 represents a small but significant portion, estimated to includeAlthough it hasn't become widespread in Europe yet, several nations have reported seeing it more frequently.Kerala is the most recent place where the coronavirus strain JN.1 was discovered. On December 8, the case was identified in an RT-PCR-positive sample from Karakulam in the southern state's Thiruvananthapuram district. Theafter experiencing moderate influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms.The COVID JN.1 variant is). There is only one difference in thebetween JN.1 and BA.2.86, even though their names make them sound very different.The spike protein is crucial to the virus's capacity to infect humans; it is called a "spike" because it mimics tiny spikes on the virus's surface. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that COVID-19 vaccines that target the virus's spike protein should also be effective against BA.2.86 and JN.1.The symptoms that have been reported in patients thus far areThe majority of patients have mild upper respiratory symptoms that clear in four to five days.Scientists are concerned about its transmissible virulence and improved immune-evasion capabilities. However, currently, there is no concrete evidence suggesting that JN.1 induces more severe illness compared to other prevalent variants.To reduce the possibility of JN.1 and other COVID-19 variations spreading, the CDC and other international health authorities stress public the need for ongoing surveillance and preventative actions. These includeEvaluating this novel variant's reaction to current COVID-19 vaccinations and therapies is crucial to controlling it. Positively, early signs indicate that the most recent vaccinations are still effective against JN.1. Nevertheless, to guarantee the continuous effectiveness of present medical treatments against this variation, research and observation must be conducted.To summarize, even though JN.1 is being closely watched, its emergence highlights how dynamic the COVID-19 epidemic is. Proactive action by health authorities, continued study, and collaboration from the general public are essential to stopping the spread of this variation and protecting communities.Source-Medindia
New COVID JN. 1 Subvariant On Global Surge: WHO Urge More Surveillance

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Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants



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COVID JN.1 variant closely resembles BA.2.86 or Omicron variant and contains an extra spike mutation -- L455S mutation, which has immune-evasion properties. #covid19 #covidjn1variant #flu #respiratorydisease #globalhealth

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Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants - (https://www.who.int/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants)



In light of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases worldwide, primarily attributable to the JN.1 COVID-19 subvariant, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated for more surveillance to combat the infectious disease.The global health body said that the virus is evolving and changing and urged the member states to continue with strong surveillance and sequence sharing. About 68 percent of the current COVID cases are cases of XBB sub-lineages and other groupings like JN.1, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead, said in a video message, also posted on X.in August, before spreading to other countries.BA.2.86, also known as the Pirola variant, was first detected in Denmark in July ().Kerkhove added that the surge in respiratory infections was not just due to COVID, but also "influenza, other viruses, and bacteria" due to increased gatherings during the holiday season and other infections."Respiratory diseases are increasing around the world due toSARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve. JN.1 (sub-variant of BA.2.86) is already a VOI and continues to increase in circulation, Kerkhove said.The WHO expert urged the member states to continue with strong surveillance and sequence sharing so that proper steps can be taken to "potentially modify" the advice for the world. She also advised people to get vaccinations and, in cases of infection, take clinical care."Protect yourself from infection using a number of tools. But also make sure that if you get infected, you get clinical care and get vaccinated when it's your turn to prevent severe disease and death. All COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide against severe disease and death, and this includes all the circulating variants, including JN.1," Kerkhove said.Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health has initiated preparedness measures after a case of the JN.1 sub-variant of Covid was found in Kerala as part of the ongoing routine surveillance conducted by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).Source-IANS
If you thought Kabir Singh faced criticism for its alleged misogyny, the controversy around Sandeep Reddy Vangas latest film Animal multiplied by leaps and bounds.

The film has been accused by many of glorifying toxic masculinity and for being highly misogynistic.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga has now opened up about the controversy around the film and has hit back at the film critics calling them illiterate.

He told Connect FM Canada, Ek banda apne balcony se chilla ka 50 logon ko bolega ki 'Animal mat dekhna, pagal film hai', I would appreciate him, as he's not earning anything from that. But yeh log YouTube pe videos banate hai na. Inn logo ko paisa bhi aata hai uss mein se. So you're making money, fame, name, everything by criticising my film, then go ahead. That's what happened with most of the critics during Kabir Singh. Their shot to fame was criticising Kabir Singh.

 Instagram/Sandeep Reddy Vanga

He continued, What I see is that there is a clear hatred towards a filmmaker than a film, but added that he isnt worried about it as lakhs of people are loving Animal.



The filmmaker also stated that he was specifically targeted by some film critics, One thing I have understood now after almost 5 years in Bombay. There is a gang they only like one particular kind of films. They praise that particular filmmaker's films and other filmmakers' films are done to death.

In Bombay, there's a gang of critics that praises only one particular kind of films & bashes the rest.



The only review I posted on social media was of @RGVzoomin, as I respect him for his contributions.



- Sandeep Reddy Vanga pic.twitter.com/wbaaVW6iqn   (@jordan10RK) December 19, 2023

Further calling the critics illiterate, SRV added, Nobody speaks about the craft, the editing, sound design, because they are literally illiterate, uneducated when it comes to films. They have no sense of how to criticise the film or review the film.

This isnt all, Sandeep further said that he now believes this kind of selective criticism towards his cinema is going to be there for all his upcoming films and itll grow for his next Spirit starring Prabhas.

And talking about Animal sequel, he warned, Abhi aur zyada hoga Spirit ke liye. Animal Park ke liye to marr jayenge picture dekh ke. I mean they dare to criticise Animal Park. I am not saying that now Ill do it more but the content is like that.

DIRECTOR OF #AnimalTheFilm -#SandeepReddyVanga *REVIEWS* THE CRITICISM HIS FILM IS RECEIVING FROM A SECTION OF CRITICS



There is a clear hatred for the filmmaker than the film. When you attack the intention of the filmmaker then it becomes bizarre.#AnupamaChopra messaged pic.twitter.com/sfyL2f9EGw  Raymond. (@rayfilm) December 20, 2023

In another interview with Galatta Plus, the filmmaker defended the big pelvis scene and said, Hes trying a different route to explain to her because its her engagement day and they were not in touch. Coming with that force and saying Listen Gitanjali I really love your pelvis. He is trying to explain a theory which is related to the character, the title also, for the audience when they are watching the film it doesnt seem like what theory he is talking about.

 Instagram/Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Calling it a compliment, Vanga continued, I felt like she is walking away, he knew that if he let her go without saying one more line, he knew that she was gone. So how should I say that I am seeing my future with you? I want to marry you. I thought in these situations boys behave very differently sometimes. Your intention is something else but you end up saying something else. So, he didnt know what to say. This was the brief given to Ranbir also. Suddenly he doesnt know what to say and he says Gitanjali got a big pelvis. He is giving a reason that Im seeing a future with you that well get married and have babies. I thought that was a compliment. I never thoughthow you found it ugly.



He also talked about the lick my shoe scene and said that it wasnt added to piss anyone off but it was all about him testing her. Also, this was a very nice way to plant the thought that he is now connected to her.
A two-star general who was relieved in May from command of the 19th Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas has had his charges of sexual assault, extramarital sexual conduct, dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming referred to a court-martial.

It marks the second time in history that a U.S. Air Force general officer has been formally charged with a sexual crime.

Maj. Gen. Phillip A. Stewart had an Article 32 hearing -- a preliminary hearing similar to a grand jury proceeding for civilians -- in October on whether there's probable cause that he violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Air Education and Training Command, or AETC, said Tuesday that all of the potential charges reviewed in that hearing will be heading to court-martial.

Read Next: Millions of Vets Got Health Care and Benefits Under the PACT Act. Thousands Left Out Want the Same Chance.

"Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command and general court-martial convening authority, reviewed all evidence and the Article 32 preliminary hearing officer's report in deciding to refer all preferred charges to a court-martial," said Capt. Scarlett Trujillo, an AETC spokeswoman.

In May, Air Education and Training Command announced that Stewart was being removed from his role as commander of the 19th Air Force "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, related to alleged misconduct which is currently under investigation."

Stewart's lawyer, Jeffrey Addicott, a professor of law and director of the Warrior Defense Project at St. Mary's University School of Law, told Military.com that the judge for the Article 32 hearing had recommended that the sexual assault charge be dropped and the other charges not go to trial.

"They rendered a report saying that, in his opinion, he recommended to the convening authority that the more serious charges  not go forward at all, and that the other charges be disposed of administratively against Gen. Stewart," Addicott said in a phone interview Tuesday. "That was his recommendation. It wasn't followed. ... It's highly unusual that convening authorities do not follow what the Article 32 officer recommends."

Neither Addicott nor AETC made a copy of the Article 32 hearing report immediately available to Military.com.

A redacted charge sheet provided to Military.com in October by Air Education and Training Command outlines the alleged misconduct.

Under the dereliction of duty charge, Stewart is accused of failing to refrain from "pursuing an unprofessional relationship." Additionally, the charge sheet details that he also allegedly "failed to refrain from assuming control of an aircraft after consuming alcohol within 12 hours prior to takeoff."

Regarding the sexual assault charge, Stewart is alleged to have committed a sex act on a person at or near Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma "without her consent."

Stewart is also alleged to have committed conduct unbecoming an officer near Denver, Colorado, "while on official travel," where he allegedly wrongfully invited an individual to "spend the night alone with him in his private hotel room," the charge sheet adds.

Stewart also faces an extramarital sexual conduct charge.

The charge sheet redacts the names of those involved in the alleged incidents.

It's rare for general officers to face court-martial. The first Air Force general to face court-martial proceedings was Maj. Gen. Donald L. Kaufman in 1992 on allegations that he took war trophies from the Persian Gulf War and went on unnecessary temporary duty trips, Stars and Stripes reported. He was arraigned, but the case was dismissed and did not face a jury. Kaufman was demoted in rank to colonel through nonjudicial punishment and allowed to retire.

In 2022, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, formerly the head of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in a court-martial. He was the first-ever Air Force general to be convicted in a court-martial.

Military judge Col. Christina Jimenez sentenced Cooley to forfeit $10,910 of pay for five months and a letter of reprimand from the court-martial convening authority, then-Air Force Materiel Command chief Gen. Arnold Bunch. Cooley was not sentenced to jail.

Cooley faced a maximum sentence of seven years of confinement, separation and loss of pay and benefits. He retired as a colonel.

Stewart was commissioned in 1992 through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to his official Air Force biography. He served as an instructor and evaluator pilot in multiple aircraft, and he holds the rating of command pilot with more than 2,600 flying hours. He also has 600 hours of combat time over 168 combat missions.

The 19th Air Force has more than 30,000 personnel and 1,530 aircraft assigned to 17 wings located across the country. In his role, Stewart was responsible for more than 45% of the Air Force's annual flying hour program, according to his biography.

Prior to his role with the 19th Air Force, he served as the deputy chief of staff for strategic employment at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium.

Maj. Gen. Clark Quinn assumed command of the 19th Air Force on June 5, nearly a month after Stewart's firing.

A date for Stewart's court-martial had not been set as of Tuesday.

"Just as in civilian proceedings, the accused is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise by competent legal authority," Trujillo said in the statement.

Related: Air Force General Convicted in Historic Court-Martial Avoids Jail Time
A former Marine who cooperated with the government in the prosecution of fellow members of a far-right group for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Tuesday to three years and four months in prison.

Charles Donohoe, 35, a former top leader in the Proud Boys, has been in jail since he was arrested in March 2021. He pleaded guilty last year to felony conspiracy and assault charges related to the Capitol attack and may be eligible for release in a couple of months because he will get credit for the time he has already served, The Associated Press reported.

Information on Donohoe's cooperation was redacted from court records, but his case is one of many involving a veteran attempting to disrupt the 2020 presidential election.

Read Next: Tuberville Blockade Finally Concludes with Confirmation of 11 Remaining Four-Star Generals and Admirals

Donohoe's sentencing comes months after Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his involvement in the riot, the longest sentence related to Jan. 6 handed out to date. The DoJ described Donohoe as Tarrio's "trusted lieutenant;" the Marine veteran was also president of a Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina.

"I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked down," Donohoe said at his hearing this week, according to the AP.

Prosecutors said that Donohoe was instrumental to the Proud Boys operation as an on-the-ground leader acting as the organization's "eyes and ears" at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He would relay real-time information back to a Proud Boys group chat designated "Ministry of Self Defense," or MOSD.

"Oops! Looks like we just stormed the Capitol building!" he wrote in the chat, according to court records. More than 100 members of the Proud Boys marched on the Capitol, the AP reported.

"Donohoe was a trusted member of the Proud Boys' MOSD who leveraged his skills and experiences gained while serving this country in order to help lead the Proud Boys' efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power," said Jon Lewis, a research fellow with George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

"As we have seen in many cases of veteran participation in January 6, the very characteristics which Donohoe is lauded for developing in the Marines made him a valued and high-ranking member of the Proud Boys," Lewis said. "While his plea deal and cooperation distinguishes Donohoe's case from his Proud Boy leadership co-defendants who were recently sentenced following trial convictions, Donohoe's position as a member of the seditious conspiracy's inner circle is clear from the evidence set forth in the court records."

Once near the Capitol, Donohoe joined in scuffles with law enforcement, throwing water bottles at a police line and handling a stolen police shield, according to court records. Police eventually fired a pepperball, which scared off Donohoe and sent him back to his hotel, records state.

Donohoe joined the Marine Corps in 2006 and deployed twice to Iraq, according to court records. He was honorably discharged in 2010, going on to work for private military companies and the State Department as a contractor though "he struggled with adjusting to civilian life," the records added.

A Military.com investigation into efforts by extremist groups to recruit veterans found that the time after leaving military service is often a particularly unstable one for service members, which may allow those groups to take advantage of veterans looking for community after serving.

The George Washington Program on Extremism said that more than 100 rioters with known military connections, mostly veterans, have been charged for their involvement with the Jan. 6 riot -- about 12% of all defendants in the case. Some of the most notable sentences have been against veterans, including those in the far-right group the Oath Keepers and its leader, Army veteran Stewart Rhodes.

"It took Charlie time to understand the nature of his wrong," Ira Knight, Donohoe's defense attorney, said of his actions at the Capitol and involvement with the Proud Boys, as quoted by the AP.

Related: Marine Vet Avoids Jail for Jan. 6 Riot After Testifying Against Army Vet Who Exaggerated Service Record
ABOARD THE USS GERALD R. FORD -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a deadlier regional conflict.

Austin was in the region to press Israel to shift its bombardment of Gaza to a more limited campaign and more quickly transition to address Palestinian civilians' dire humanitarian needs.

At the same time, the U.S. has been concerned that Israel will launch a similar military operation along its northern border with Lebanon to expel Hezbollah militants there, potentially opening a second front and widening the war.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Austin didn't say whether U.S. troops might be further extended to defend Israel if its campaign expands into Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to tone down recent rhetoric that a northern front was imminent, deferring to diplomatic efforts first.

Still, that leaves incredible uncertainty for the Ford and its crew, which Austin ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean to be closer to Israel the day after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. The aircraft carrier's more than 4,000 sailors and the accompanying warships were supposed to be home in early November.

Using the public address system of the Ford, which is sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Israel, Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up spending the holidays together because of the mission.

"Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things we stop from happening," Austin told the crew. "In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict."

The defense secretary met with a group of sailors in the Ford's hangar bay to talk about the various dangers in the region that the carriers, the destroyers and cruisers deployed along with it have been watching.

He thanked them for keeping attention on cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and later told reporters traveling with him that if Israel transitions away from major combat operations in Gaza, it could possibly ease some of the regional tension that has kept the Ford in place.

The Ford's commanding officer, Navy Capt. Rick Burgess, said one of the Ford's main contributions has been to stay close enough to Israel that it can send its aircraft in to provide support, if needed. While the Ford's fighter and surveillance aircraft are not contributing to the surveillance needs of Israel's operations in Gaza, other ships in its strike group are, Burgess said.

The Ford is one of two U.S. carrier strike groups bracketing the conflict. The other, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, has recently patrolled near the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea waterway where so many commercial vessels have come under attack in recent weeks.

Iranian-backed Houthis in nearby Yemen have vowed to continue striking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones until Israel ceases its devastating bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed more than 19,000 Palestinians.

To counter the ship attacks, Austin announced a new international maritime mission Tuesday to get countries to send their warships and other assets to the southern Red Sea, to protect the roughly 400 commercial vessels that transit the waterway daily.

Since it left Norfolk in the first week of May, the Ford's fighter aircraft and surveillance planes have conducted more than 8,000 missions. The crew, Austin noted, has been moving at full speed -- consuming more than 100,000 Monster energy drinks and 155,000 Red Bulls along the way.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- Staring at the computer screen in an office complex not too far from Schriever and Peterson Space Force Bases, a Guardian had a rapidly diminishing timer with only eight minutes left to carefully type in the complex computer code needed to hack an enemy satellite.

The low-Earth orbit satellite, which was traveling at roughly 18,000 miles an hour, was reportedly gathering intelligence about U.S. military assets across the Midwest, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard on four passes -- leaving only a small contact window in which the Guardians could work to stop the enemy from collecting photos and reconnaissance.

Their plan was to slowly redirect the satellite's camera away from its intended targets by a few degrees each pass, a subtle averted gaze so as not to arouse suspicion. But if the enemy noticed any small changes, the Guardians' cover could be blown. One young specialist came up with the idea to send the operator false data, so the enemy would think it was business as usual. Then, once their mission was complete, they'd hack into the logs and erase them, hiding all traces they were even there.

Read Next: Second Air Force General Ever to Be Charged with Sexual Assault Will Face Court-Martial

A single mistype could shut down the whole operation or, worse, blow their cover. After the eight minutes, a quiet settled into the laboratory as the contact window closed and connection with the enemy's satellite was lost. It would be another hour before another pass and a chance to inflict further damage on the enemy. In the downtime, the Guardians grabbed snacks, checked their text messages and, at one point, talked about comic book collections.

The November exercise -- a simulation put on at the nonprofit Stephenson Stellar Corporation's headquarters in Colorado Springs -- was targeting the "People's Republic of Atlantica," a "small but potent threat" that has "assumed a partnership with a great Power Competitor." The imagined scenario offered a rare glimpse into the very real approaches that Space Force Guardians could use to hack, defend, operate and control an enemy's satellite, strategies the service remains tight-lipped about as it tries to preserve a competitive edge.

On Dec. 20, the Space Force is celebrating four years as a service. The smallest military branch, with around 8,600 service members, it's shrouded in more secrecy than many of the others, leading to a seemingly perpetual question from the public: "What does the Space Force do?"

Americans can see F-35s on an Air Force base's runway. They can see Army soldiers driving Humvees and watch Navy aircraft carriers ship off to sea.

But you can't see outer space and, due to the highly classified nature of the Space Force's operations, broadcasting what it does is often not possible, especially when many Guardians work from sensitive compartmented information facilities, also known as SCIFs, on carefully guarded military installations. Those SCIFs come with special rules about access to cell phones, among other protections meant to keep information from leaking out.

"I don't talk about work, and my wife doesn't really know what I do," said one enlisted Guardian, who didn't want to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media. "It helps when you work in a SCIF; you have to leave work at the door."

But the Space Force's mission statement -- "secure our Nation's interests in, from, and to space" -- is a tall order for a small force and encompasses more than just monitoring satellites, keeping an eye out for space debris, or launching the occasional rocket into the atmosphere.

It ranges from operating the global positioning system that helps billions navigate worldwide, detecting missiles being fired across the globe at a moment's notice, and protecting satellites and their networks from being attacked.

At first, the service debuted as a punch line for late-night talk shows, only exacerbated by its Star Trek-ian uniform unveiling, and faced an unclear future following President Donald Trump's one term in office. Trump had been an early proponent of the service, pushing ahead with its creation despite skepticism from lawmakers.

Since then, the service branch has outlived a Netflix comedy show of the same name, seen a historic increase in funding in 2024's annual defense policy bill, and set up commands in the Pacific, Middle East and South Korea.

The very real threats in space are growing, underscoring the important need for Guardians to prepare and train, like in the scenario set up by Stephenson Stellar, on how to defend against attacks on satellites.

"Over the past year and a half, there has been regular testing and use of reversible non-destructive capabilities, as well as a destructive test that created a debris field, jeopardizing safe operations and indicating that the domain will continue to become more contested," retired Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, the first chief of space operations for the service, wrote in a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, published in April. "China and Russia are developing and integrating space capabilities that will afford them the same advantages the United States currently enjoys, placing U.S. forces at great risk."

Training to Meet the Threats

Sitting in a conference room at the Stephenson Stellar offices, six Space Force Guardians, an Air Force Academy cadet, and several civilians from other space- and cyber-focused groups watched slideshows on what tactics would work best to degrade the capabilities of an enemy satellite.

During the discussion, some tactics involved draining the enemy satellite's battery; other ideas included changing the data so that it would give false diagnostic reports to the adversary to make them believe the satellite was functioning like normal. But most of the discussions of tactics skirted around the ideas of just blatantly destroying or crashing the satellite.

Maj. Victor Beitelman, a former Army signal officer who transferred into the Space Force in 2021, participated in the training. He told Military.com that he joined the Army to be "the tip of the spear" but that takes on a different practice in space.

"Brute force is not the way that you're going to win in space," Beitelman said. "There are ways that you can deny adversaries access to space, but it comes at the cost of sacrificing everything that's on orbit. Outmaneuvering and outpacing these threats and things like that is, that's the kind of mindset that we want in the younger generation."

Space Force Guardians as well as civilians participate in a workshop at Stephenson Stellar Corps Space Cyber Range laboratory in Colorado Springs. (Photo courtesy of Stephenson Stellar Corporation)

One type of attack is referred to as kinetic, such as missiles to destroy a satellite ground station or a satellite itself. No country has tried this on another nation's satellite, according to CSIS, but the United States, Russia, China and India have all had success testing such attacks on their own satellites.

In 2007, China fired a ballistic missile, destroying its own satellite and creating a cloud of more than 3,000 pieces of space debris, the largest ever tracked, according to the nonprofit Secure World Foundation

These types of attacks are discouraged in the international community, in part, because of the amount of debris they cause. Picking up wreckage in space isn't possible, and the remnants of a destroyed satellite can orbit for years. There are more than 6,000 active total satellites in space and upward of 40,000 pieces of orbital debris, causing plenty of obstacles for operators.

But there are less destructive ways to interfere with satellites, such as using high-powered lasers to blind a camera. There is also a variety of methods in which an attacker could jam a satellite or, like the Guardians training in November at Stephenson Stellar were learning, types of cyberattacks.

Potential enemies have clearly demonstrated they too are developing technology and techniques to mess with satellites.

A 2021 threat report from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence indicated that "China has ground-based lasers capable of blinding or damaging optical sensors on low-altitude satellites," CSIS said in its 2023 threat assessment report.

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has also showcased the ways it's been utilizing space for warfighting. In a major show of force in November 2021, Russia launched a missile destroying one of its own satellites, creating more than 1,500 pieces of orbital debris.

But Russia has also consistently used cyberattacks against Ukraine's ground stations and toyed with commercial airline GPS. In March 2022, Starlink -- which provides free satellite internet and communications for Ukraine -- encountered Russian satellite communications jamming attempts.

It's the competitive nature of what's going on in space, with multiple countries trying to develop technologies that could surprise potential enemies, that makes so much of the Space Force's mission classified and kept secret from the public, exacerbating the relative confusion over what Guardians do.

"If you shoot a bullet, anybody can visualize that and see what the effect is," said Master Sgt. Stephen Lescroart, an enlisted cyber intelligence Guardian.

Lescroart, however, believes that the impact of what the Space Force is doing might be greater than the immediately obvious boom from other services' weapons. "With things in the cyber realm and the space realm, there are our force multipliers that support other things, and make that force greater than it is," he said.

What the Space Force might do in response to an enemy attack is generally highly classified, but Guardians are training for a wide variety of possibilities to attack and defend against those tactics.

"Now, with space, we are at the tip of the spear, but you don't have to be in orbit to actually be directly impacting national security," Beitelman said.

Preparing to Launch

The Space Force of 2019 looked a lot different than the service preparing to take on 2024's challenges.

Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Military.com that the service worked on setting up the basics for the first couple of years.

Now, especially as threats grow in Europe, the Pacific and, most recently, in the Middle East, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance B. Saltzman has been showcasing how the Space Force can be there to help.

"They spent the last three or four years doing organizational changes," Bingen said. "But now he's really tweaking it to posture them for combatant command and operational support, the same way that you see the other services be able to present forces and capabilities to combatant commanders who then execute warfighting operations."

In another important milestone for the service, U.S. Space Command -- the combatant command for all military operations in space -- reached full operational capability last week following a years-long political battle over whether it would be based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or Huntsville, Alabama.

"As the command has matured, challenges to a safe, secure, stable, and sustainable space domain have significantly increased," Army Gen. James Dickinson, head of U.S. Space Command, said in a press release. "Both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation are fielding counter space capabilities designed to hold U.S., allied and partner space assets at risk. And North Korea and Iran are in the early stages of developing their space enterprise."

The Space Force is tasked with training and preparing Guardians to meet those challenges, which are evolving every day.

Stephenson Stellar's initiative, the Stellar Space Cyber Range, is being supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory, which awarded the group a $22.7 million contract in 2021.

The goal, Stephenson Stellar CEO and President Jeff Moulton told Military.com, is to get more funding to eventually launch four CubeSats, a type of microsatellite, into low-Earth orbit that participants in the training will be able to maneuver, hack and practice with in real time.

"You have to have that real environment to practice," Moulton said. "And no one's going to let you practice on their satellites, and that's what we were trying to do."

Training in real-world environments is becoming only more important as global tensions from adversaries such as China and Russia grow.

Just last week, China deployed its highly secretive space plane into outer space for the third time. It was just one day before the Space Force's own space plane, the comparable X-37B, was set to launch. That takeoff, organized with Elon Musk's SpaceX, has been repeatedly delayed.

Saltzman told reporters last week at the Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference that China's planned launch sent a message.

"It's no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane. We're extremely interested in theirs," Saltzman reportedly said. "It's probably no coincidence that they're trying to match us in the timing and sequence of this."

Editors Note: A previous version of this article misspelled Master Sgt. Stephen Lescroart's name. It also truncated the name of the Stellar Space Cyber Range. Both have been corrected.

Related: Space Force Reports 2 Suicides This Year, Marking the First in the Service's Short History
FORT NOVOSELJunior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from high schools in the Columbus, Georgia, area visited the Home of Army Aviation to learn more about the branch Dec. 12.

The 26 students from Shaw High School, Kendrick High School, and Northside High School heard from Army Aviation subject matter experts, received an orientation flight in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, interacted with a drill sergeant, and flew in flight training simulators.

Retired Lt. Col. Herb Sanders, Jr., director of Army instruction for 12 high schools in the Muscogee County school district, said the goal for the visit was to inform and help prepare students for the future.

Weve heard a lot about the aviation world but we have one warrant officer thats part of our JROTC program, he mentioned the high school to flight school opportunity for kids, and some kids did not know they can leave high school and join the ranks of aviation and come in the military as a warrant once they complete the proper training.

We just want to expose kids to the many opportunities that they could possibly have in life. College is not for everybody, so we talk specifically to our kids about the three Es  being enrolled in college, potentially enlisting, and potentially having some type of employment. But were just trying to expose all of our kids to as many opportunities as we can for life after high school, Sanders said.

The day began with an overview of Army aviation at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence headquarters that explained the various aircraft and mission sets within Army aviation including the Apache, Black Hawk, and Chinook helicopters, fixed wing and Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and maintenance. Topics included officer and enlisted paths into Army aviation, as well as the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program, current starting pay information, and included a question-and-answer session with experts.

Brochures made available to the students also provided an overview of Army aviation, flight school, what steps to take if they are interested in pursuing army aviation, and contact information.

Groups of students then took turns strapping into a Black Hawk helicopter for an orientation flight.

At Yano Hall, students received a briefing and tour of the Mobile Tower System from Staff Sgt. Joemal A. Jones, an equipment training instructor at Company C, 1-13th Aviation Regiment.

Students received a briefing about the USAACE training mission, its geographical footprint across Fort Novosel, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the local flight training area including multiple base fields, stage fields and remote training sites, and the branchs bottom line: relentless focus on supporting the warfighter on the ground.

They also heard from Staff Sgt. Katherine B. Ransom, a drill sergeant with Company A, 1-13th Aviation Regiment, about her experience in eight years of service to the nation.

I love being a drill sergeant, Ransom said. I am able to see those who have graduated from BCT to come here so we can help get your job started, ensure that you guys know how to be disciplined, you know  the respect, the Army Values instilled in each and every one of you, before you depart to your units.

Ransom wanted to become a drill sergeant because of a role model she had.

I had a drill sergeant who motivated me to the fullest. She was like the top tier drill sergeant, Ransom said. She ran fast. I hate running, cardio is not my thing. But for some reason the techniques and the time that she set aside for me helped me, which now I want to pass down to help others on their journey.

The students also were able to ask questions of a group of soldiers who will soon graduate from Advanced Individual Training about the rigors of Army life and training.

Watching the AIT soldiers graduate after successful completion of the training and become able to lead Soldiers in the right direction is the best thing, Ransom said. Theyve come a long way.

The students also had the opportunity to take the controls and fly in flight training simulators and visited the flight line and see the AH-64 Apache helicopters up close.

Sanders, who is a product of the JROTC, said he looks forward to continuing the relationship between Fort Novosel and the school districts JROTC program in the future.

I just believe junior ROTC affords kids a great opportunity to learn, to know and lead, he said.

This is a lifetime opportunity for some kids. Some kids may never fly in a helicopter again, but they can go back and tell the story to the other 2,000 kids about this opportunity and whats right down the road here at Fort Novosel.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

On Dec. 19, the U.S. Senate confirmed the last remaining four-star generals and admirals whose promotions had been blocked for the last 10 months. With these votes, we can finally close the book on Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's one-person crusade against the U.S. military.

But before we move too quickly past this saga, it's important that we pause to analyze how our military community overcame this blockade. If we don't, we leave the door open to future lawmakers repeating the same shenanigans and worsening the permanent damage this political stunt has already done to U.S. national security.

The story of Tuberville's failed blockade is essentially the story of a schoolyard bully. For months, the senator picked on a group of people who couldn't fight back, over a policy disagreement they had nothing to do with. And he almost got away with it. A number of strong, powerful people tried to fight back with stern letters and press conferences, but to no avail.

What finally tipped the scales was a group of diverse voices who didn't seem that strong or powerful on their own but, by working together, they managed to win the day.

That group? Regular, everyday military spouses and families who finally said, "Enough! We are not your bargaining chips."

The beginning of the end for Tuberville's bullying started this summer. Our team at Secure Families Initiative (SFI) saw the harm that this block on promotions was having on folks within our network. From families indefinitely stuck in temporary lodging, to spouses losing job opportunities, to kids missing school registration deadlines -- the consequences were growing.

But the impacts didn't end with only those on the promotion list. All military families felt shock and despair that decision-makers with so much power over our lives would treat us so callously. How on earth were we supposed to tell the 18- and 19 year-olds in our lives to sign up for the military when this would be their future?

Yet these stories of impact weren't showing up in a lot of the media coverage. Military families didn't see ourselves in the news, even though we were the news.

So we did something about it. SFI wrote a petition that resonated with military families across the country, and we delivered that petition directly to Capitol Hill because it was time for us to hold the schoolyard bully accountable for his actions.

That step, combined with our ongoing outreach to key Senate offices, finally turned the tide. On Dec. 5, Tuberville folded, and two weeks later, all the remaining officers were approved by the Senate.

For a long time, military spouses have been told (either explicitly or by social norms) to keep our voices and opinions to ourselves. We shouldn't complain when things go wrong because we should have known what we signed up for.

The problem with that culture of silence, though, is that it leaves military service members completely helpless. If they can't speak up when something's happening, who's to stop someone from preying on that vulnerability for their own political gain?

This setup isn't new. But the norms around what political stunts are considered "acceptable" have changed; the traditional decency of treating military matters apolitically has vanished. If this is our new era, it's time for military spouses to rise to the occasion.

For too long, too many policy conversations about us have been happening without us. Military families are stakeholders and constituents, so we deserve to have our voices heard. Indeed, if this saga demonstrates something, it's that we need to make our voices heard if anything is expected to change.

This week's victory proves our theory that military families can have power and influence when we organize ourselves and push for change. It's crucial that we remember that power the next time a big issue arises that impacts us.

-- Sarah Streyder is the executive director of Secure Families Initiative and an active-duty Space Force spouse. Sarah was the 2022 AFI Military Spouse of the Year and a 2023 George W. Bush Veteran Leadership Scholar.
According to Yonhap News Agency, citing a report from the Wall Street Journal on November 21, Samsung Electronics global smartphone shipments in the third quarter fell by 8.4% compared to last year, while competitors Apple and Xiaomi increased their shipments. In addition, Samsungs mobile phone market share also dropped from 21.4% in the same period last year to 19.7% in the third quarter of this year. The market share of Apple mobile phones increased from 17.2% to 17.7%, and the market share of Xiaomi mobile phones also increased from 13.4% to 13.7%.

Sumsung

In the first four weeks of last month, Chinas smartphone shipments increased by 11% year-on-year, with HUAWEIs shipments increasing by more than 90% and Xiaomis shipments increasing by 33%. HUAWEIs smartphone sales have dropped sharply since the United States imposed sanctions on HUAWEI in 2019. Still, the recently launched smartphone Mate60 pro equipped with a Chinese-made 5G chip has been evaluated as a new breakthrough for HUAWEI. On the contrary, Apples sales in China have decreased, and the good performance of Chinese companies is the main reason for Apples dim prospects in the Chinese market. According to Bandar Research, Ant investors net sold Apple shares for the first time last week.

HUAWEI

On the other hand, the latest 2023 Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard released by the European Commission shows that Samsungs R&D investment in 2022 will be 18.435 billion euros, and its global ranking has dropped from sixth place in 2021. to seventh place. It is reported that Samsung gave up its sixth position to Germanys Volkswagen (18.98 billion euros), and ahead of Volkswagen is HUAWEI, which has entered the top five in the world.

Some media said that Samsung Electronics was once the worlds largest research and development (R&D) company, but now it has slipped to seventh place. The number of Korean companies among the top 2,500 R&D companies worldwide has also declined. Samsung has held the top spot many times in the past, including in 2018. However, this time, American ICT companies such as Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple replaced its leading position, and its ranking even fell behind HUAWEI and Volkswagen.

Last year, the total R&D investment of the top 2,500 companies increased by 12.8% year-on-year, reaching 1.249 trillion euros, a record high. Investments in Samsung Electronics increased by 10.3%, below average. There are only four Korean companies in the top 100: SK hynix (59th), LG Electronics (72nd) and Hyundai Motor (91st). Back in 2013, there were 80 Korean companies in the top 2,500 club, but by 2022, this number dropped to 47. The European Commission stated: South Korea is a country where only a few companies make large R&D investments. Samsung Electronics accounts for 49.1% of the total annual R&D investment of Korean companies, and the top five companies account for 75.5% of the total R&D investment in South Korea.

Media report

Last year, the worlds top 10 and top 50 companies accounted for 17.7% and 39.1% of total global R&D investment, respectively.
The Indonesian government recently released the Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan to promote further energy transformation and sustainable economic and social development. The Indonesian government stated that the plan comprehensively considers challenges in technology, finance, social equity and other aspects, and lays out a roadmap for Indonesias energy transformation.

The Indonesian government has previously pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. The newly released Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan lists more detailed carbon emission reduction plans, priority projects and financing mechanisms, and proposes to increase the proportion of renewable energy power generation to 44% by 2030. In the next three to five years, Indonesia will also raise approximately US$20 billion in funds through international financing mechanisms to help achieve its energy transformation goals.

Wind power

Indonesia has abundant renewable energy reserves, obvious advantages in water, solar, biomass, geothermal, and other resources, and great development potential. Data released by the Indonesian government show that as of October 2022, the countrys renewable energy resource utilization rate is only 0.3%. The proportion of renewable energy power generation such as wind and photovoltaic in the power structure is still low. The current national power generation capacity Half of the total still comes from coal power.

The Indonesian government has taken various measures to promote coal powers transformation and orderly exit. In September last year, Indonesia promulgated new regulations, announcing that it would no longer build new coal-fired power plants and requiring Indonesias national power company to accelerate the closure of coal-fired power plants it holds. Indonesias national power company has proposed a phased roadmap to phase out coal power and plans to add 20.9 GW of renewable energy power generation capacity. The company is also preparing a carbon-neutral roadmap to make renewable energy power plants a major player in the countrys power generation by 2045 and achieve 100% clean energy power generation from 2055 to 2060.

Solar energy is currently the main area of green power development in Indonesia. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia plans to invest 210 billion Indonesian rupiah (1 yuan is approximately 2,173 Indonesian rupiah) to install rooftop solar panels in 70 government departments. It is expected to save 15 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year and reduce electricity consumption by 339,600 in 25 years. tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The Indonesian government has launched the Solar Islands plan to install rooftop solar panels in millions of poor households within 4-5 years. The government is also actively building solar power plants and floating photovoltaic power plants. Relevant statistics show that Indonesias photovoltaic production capacity will increase from the current less than 1 GW to 29 GW by 2030. In addition, hydropower and geothermal energy are also key areas of development and investment for Indonesia to achieve energy transformation.

Coal power

The Indonesian government has formulated a roadmap for developing the electric vehicle industry and continues to introduce relevant preferential policies to encourage people to use new energy vehicles. For example, it provides up to 100% corporate income tax reduction for enterprises in the electric vehicle field and provides subsidies for consumers who purchase electric vehicles; driving electric vehicles in some areas of Indonesia is not subject to the odd and even number restriction policy, and can enjoy discounts on parking fees, etc.

In recent years, China and Indonesia have achieved remarkable results in practical cooperation in the field of renewable energy. In July this year, the Indonesian Batang Hydropower Station built by China Power Construction successfully intercepted water, laying an important foundation for follow-up work; in October, the Chinese company Trina Solar signed a cooperation document with the Indonesian side to build the first photovoltaic cell and Component production base; Agong, spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Pribati, said that China has advanced technology and rich experience in renewable energy, and Indonesia will continue to strengthen cooperation with China in relevant fields to help Indonesia achieve its energy transformation goals. Chinese investors will help Indonesia achieve its carbon neutrality goal. Play an important role.
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It was a hot August evening, with temperatures nudging the mid-80s, when police got a call about someone lying motionless on the ground in a mobile home park about nine miles from Ypsilanti.

Jean Butchart, 26, had started a new job that day. He was pulling weeds and tidying up the grounds at the Van Buren Estates Mobile Home Community. It was there he was shot in the head by a stranger and died  becoming one victim in a string of random, violent attacks by a suspect now awaiting trial for murder.

First responders at the scene began CPR, then saw Jeans fatal head injury. They quickly called the police.

In the days that followed, forms were filled out and paperwork was written that would make Jean someone different in death than he had been in life.

Jeans death was announced on Aug. 9 in a news release by the Wayne County Prosecutors Office. He was identified as a woman, using his birthname of Catherine.

For past several years, Jean, a transgender man, had identified as male. Hed changed the gender on his drivers license but had not yet formally changed his name  an arduous and expensive process. Its an obstacle recent legislation seeks to fix.

RELATED: Name changes for LGBTQ Michiganders may soon get a lot easier  and less expensive

In the eyes of his family and friends, Jean was a man. He had fully socially transitioned.

The identity error was repeated in news articles, including on MLive, sparking a hailstorm of emails from Jeans family and friends, accusing media outlets of deadnaming and misgendering Jean by identifying him with his discarded name and gender.

An MLive investigation determined that Jean was misidentified through what amounted to a clerical error.

Van Buren Township Police who investigated the murder had identified Jean properly as a male, but when the paperwork was sent to the prosecutors office, staff there thought it was a typo and identified him as female.

The error was quickly addressed with a correction.

It also ignited changes in southeast Michigan, including training for police departments on how to report details of crimes involving people who are transgender.

Advocates say this case highlights the evolving issues around transgender victims as their lives are thrust into the public spotlight.

(Deadnaming) is something that unfortunately does happen, said Julisa Abad of Fair Michigan Justice Project. But we have to realize that not everything is coming from a place of malice. Were all still learning.

First day on the job

Jean was fatally shot around 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4. He was the second of three victims in a random violent crime spree.

Known for his love of bandanas, the outdoors, and often referred to as Nature Boy, Jean was pulling weeds at Van Buren Estates Mobile Home Community when he was attacked, according to a heavily redacted police report released to MLive after a FOIA request. It was his first day on the job.

The suspect, Matthew Torrey Tiggs Jr., 22, of Eastpointe, was seen fleeing the area after gunshots were heard, the report said.

The local fire department and paramedics were first to respond to the scene after a call for a person down in 16800 block of Lohr Road. Jean had no pulse when they arrived. As they began efforts to resuscitate him, they discovered the wound to his head.

Police were called. Jean was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tiggs is accused of killing Jean and attacking two other men over the course of 10 days in Van Buren Township. He was arrested after a two-hour standoff with police on Aug. 6. He is charged with second-degree murder related to Jeans death, along with a slew of other violent crimes.

RELATED: Man accused of killing person, attacking 2 others during crime spree ending in standoff

Jean was not targeted, and this was not a hate crime, the prosecutors office said.

Tiggs trial is scheduled for September 2024 in Wayne County Circuit Court. He remains lodged in jail.

They called him Jean

Investigators who arrived at the scene of the fatal shooting found that Jeans drivers license identified him as male but listed his legal name as Catherine Terese Butchart.

Witnesses who were interviewed at the scene identified the victim as Jean.

They called him Jean, Van Buren Township Police Chief Jason Wright said. Thats how we knew.

The mismatch comes from state laws that make it difficult and expensive  up to $400  to legally change ones name (except in cases of marriage). But a rule change by the Michigan Secretary of State has made it quick and easy to change ones gender on their state ID.

RELATED: Want to change your name? Michigan eyes updating antiquated process

When Detective Michael Long filled out the investigative report, he was required to use the victims legal name and gender. He listed the victim as Catherine Terese Jean Butchart and checked the male gender box. In another spot, he was identified as BUTCHART, Catherine Terese (aka-Jean).

The Van Buren Township Police Department also posted a news release about the crimes on Facebook on Aug. 10 and identified him as 26-year-old Jean Butchart with no gender indication.

As far as being notified of Jeans death, I have only praise for Detective (Michael) Long and how he spoke with us, said Amy Butchart, Jeans mother. She declined to say more about her son for this article.

Longs report, dated Aug. 6, was forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutors Office.

The MLive investigation shows that this is where the confusion happened. The prosecutors office issued a news release on Aug. 9 about the crimes and charges, listing Catherine Butchart as the fatal shooting victim.

Because the names were female names with no explanation of the gender identity of the victim, it was wrongly assumed that the entry male was a mistake, Maria Miller, director of communications for the prosecutors office, told MLive. There was never any intent to misgender Mr. Butchart.

The next day, after an email campaign by Jeans friends and family, the prosecutors office issued a correction. When contacted by MLive, they also issued an apology.

We apologize to his family, friends and to the transgender community, Miller said in an email. We immediately corrected this error after we confirmed Mr. Butcharts gender identity.

An honest mistake

This happened in a county that is known as progressive, in a prosecutors office that was one of the first in the country to have a transgender interaction policy, enacted in 2018.

The prosecutors office is also a founding partner in the Fair Michigan Justice Project, which aims to to promote the full measure of civil rights and legal protections for women and the LGBTQ+ community.

Through its partnership with Fair Michigan, the prosecutors office organizes cultural competence trainings for local police departments to ensure they treat transgender victims and witnesses fairly  but not all departments in the county have received this training.

They go above and beyond to make sure that my community gets justice, said Julisa Abad, a transgender woman who serves as Fair Michigans director of transgender outreach and advocacy.

It was an honest mistake, she added. They thought that it was a female name. Its not something that Wayne County does. We have to realize that not everything is coming from a place of malice. Were all still learning all the alphabets of the LGBTQ+ umbrella  I dont even know all of it.

The prosecutors offices transgender interactions policy mandates that people be identified both in personal interactions and in the body of reports by their preferred name and gender, regardless of their legal name and gender.

The problem in this case, Miller said, was with the body of the investigative report, which did not include Jeans preferred pronouns.

This case was helpful in spurring cultural competence training with more police departments in Wayne County, to further safeguard against these mistakes, she said.

In the wake of this case, a training was hosted in Canton for the Western Wayne Association of Police. Eighteen police departments attended, plus representatives from the Wayne County Sheriffs Office, Michigan State Police and the Michigan Sheriffs Association. Additional training sessions are in the works for all Wayne County police departments and the sheriffs office.

This is an issue that Prosecutor Worthy takes very seriously, Miller said.

Bandanas

Part of Jeans legacy may be transgender education among southeast Michigan police departments, but those who knew him remember him for lots of other wonderful qualities.

Jean is survived by his parents, Joe and Amy Butchart, and two older sisters. Jeans mother has described him as a private person. His sisters could not be reached to share their memories of Jean.

But a friend said hell always remember Jeans love of the outdoors, helpful nature and tell-it-like-it-is attitude.

Craig VanKempen said he and Jean had spoken just a couple weeks before Jean was killed. They met nearly a decade ago at the Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti where Jean was part of the Teen Peer Education Theater Troupe and VanKempen was a health educator.

VanKempen said Jean had a magic bag that was equipped with anything and everything anyone might need at any given moment, he said. He was always willing to lend a hand.

During his time with the troupe, Jean went from not believing he could do it to being one of our most consistent performers, VanKempen said.

Jean was known to always have a bandana  or several  on his person, he said. They would be on his head, around his neck and in his pockets.

I was very, very sad. I cried, Craig VanKempentold MLive, recalling his reaction to the news of Jeans death. I thought it was very fitting that he was wearing a bandana in his casket as well.
SAGINAW, MI  If you need help stocking your fridge and pantry before the upcoming holiday weekend, Saginaws East Side Soup Kitchen is offering it.

The soup kitchen, in partnership with Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and Hidden Harvest, is hosting a food distribution event Friday morning, Dec. 22, just a few days before Christmas.

Staff and volunteers will distribute free food to residents from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday in the soup kitchens parking lot, 940 E. Genesee Ave. in Saginaw, according to East Side Soup Kitchen Executive Director Diane Keenan.

For more information, call 989-755-3663 or visit www.eastsidesoupkitchen.org.

Related: Year after year, this man collects turkeys and trimmings for soup kitchens Thanksgiving feast

Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.
The Houston County Sheriffs Office is asking for public assistance in an open murder investigation.

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, deputies responded to a mobile home in the 11000 block of U.S. 84 near Wicksburg, and upon arrival, officials found the body of Durwood Ard, 70. Investigators believe foul play is suspected.

Houston County Sheriffs Cpl. Brandon Barnes asks anyone who may have been driving on U.S. 84 on Monday, Dec. 11, and picked up a person walking westbound on the highway or saw anything suspicious to call the Houston County Sheriffs Office at 334-677-4808.
DETROIT  A Michigan police officer is charged with manslaughter in the death of a 71-year-old man he allegedly punched, authorities announced.

Daryl Vance, of Detroit, died in September after three weeks in a hospital, according to a news release from the Wayne County Prosecutors Office.

Vance was allegedly punched in the face by 29-year-old Detroit Police officer Juwan Marquise-Alexander Brown during a verbal altercation on Sept. 1 in front of a bowling alley on Woodward Avenue, the release said. After being punched, Vance fell to the ground and hit his head.

The officer was responding to a call that Vance was being disorderly, the release said.

Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant, said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation.

The medical examiner determined that the victim died of blunt force trauma from the punch, the release said.

The suspect was arraigned today on a charge of manslaughter, a 15-year felony, today in 36th District Court. Magistrate William Burton set his bond at $100,000 personal bond. Brown may not possess weapons or have contact with any witnesses. Hes due back in court on Jan. 3 before Judge Kenneth King.
YPSILANTI, MI - In the new year, Ypsilanti leaders could vote to effectively decriminalize magic mushrooms and other psychedelic plants and fungi in the city.

City council members discussed the step on Tuesday, Dec. 19, following a presentation in late November from activists with Decriminalize Nature Michigan, an organization supporting policy reform eliminating criminal penalties for the use, growth and possession of so-called entheogenic plants, fungi or plant compounds.

That includes ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms and other substances with hallucinogenic properties deemed illegal under state and federal law.

Rather than perpetuate a system causing fear and anxiety around police encounters, perhaps it is time to try another approach, one that honors the self-agency and sovereignty of adults and the unalienable right to have their own relationship with nature, said Larry Norris, a California resident and University of Michigan alumnus who co-founded Decriminalize Nature, during the Monday meeting.

Since mid-2019, 27 cities have implemented similar decriminalization policies nationwide, Norris said.

That includes Detroit, Ferndale, Hazel Park and Ann Arbor, where city leaders passed a resolution making psychedelic plants the citys lowest law enforcement priority in 2020. Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savits office followed by rolling out a policy not to prosecute the use, growth or possessions of entheogenic plants.

Read more: Washtenaw prosecutor wont charge people for marijuana, shrooms, other psychedelics

Considering that Ann Arbor City Council has already passed this, that the Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office has shaped policy in accordance with them passing it, I think in an effort to align this policy and make it more cohesive, voting for this in Ypsilanti would be the right thing to do, said Cornelius Williams, outreach director for Decriminalize Nature Michigan and an Ypsilanti resident, in a Nov. 21 presentation to city council.

The word entheogen derives its meaning from Greek, meaning becoming divine within and is a name given to the plants and psychoactive substances because of the spiritual experiences they have provoked in people who ingest them for thousands of years, Williams said.

Those advocating to loosen restrictions around the plants argue they also have medical benefits and can be used to treat mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance use disorders, citing studies showing the beneficial effects.

Thats been the case for advocates like Matt Strang, who addressed city council on Tuesday, saying that he successfully used psychedelics while in recovery for substance use issues to help control his depression.

I want other people to have the opportunity to get relief like I did, Strang said.

Ypsilanti leaders had a decriminalization resolution crafted by the activists before them on Tuesday, but Council Member Desirae Simmons said the step would require an ordinance change.

Thats something Mayor Nicole Brown said she supported, noting she had heard from several residents in support of decriminalization. City leaders said an ordinance, requiring two readings at separate meetings, could come back before city council.

Simmons also said she hoped the city would pass a statement supporting legislation from state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, to decriminalize plants and fungi containing certain psychoactive compounds statewide.

The plants Decriminalize Nature is focused on arent party drugs, but rather sacred plants usually used in ceremonial or intentional settings, Norris said at the Tuesday meeting. Theyre not completely without risk, he added, but some of the highest-risk drugs, like alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals, are already legal, he noted.

Even taking selfies has a higher rate of injury and death than all of the entheogens combined in the resolution, Norris added. Ypsilanti can be a leader in this movement.

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FLINT, MI -- No injuries were reported after a fire broke out at a vacant apartment building Monday in downtown Flint.

The fire took place around 6:48 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at the Manhattan Place Apartments, 116 W. 1st Ave.

When firefighters first arrived, there were flames coming from the third floor. Departments that provided mutual aid were Flint Township, Genesee Township, and Burton.

Multiple units were called to help with the fire. Firefighters fought the fire from both inside and outside the building.

A cause for the fire is suspected arson, Caitie ONeill, Communications Director for the city of Flint, told MLive-The Flint Journal Tuesday. There was no electricity connected to the building.

Manhattan Place Apartments is owned by Uptown Development and formerly known as Herrlich drug store.

The structure was built for Freeman Dairy Co., which occupied it until 1934, was used as an auto storage warehouse in 1940 and later occupied by the aforementioned drugstore store chain.

Emily Doerr, City of Flint Director of Planning and Development, told the Journal a demolition is in the works granted from the Historic District Commission.

Although the HDC only granted permission to demolish one of two parcels, it would not have been safe to demolish only half, so the demolition permit will apply to the whole building, she said. The owner submitted a structural engineering report to the HDC as part of their application to demolish. They also submitted documentation of what renovation would cost. City of Flint Building and Safety Inspections had previously condemned the building and deemed it to meet the criteria for demolition because it was unsafe.

Stephanie Fenton, COO/CFO at Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, wasnt able to provide details on future plans for the building.

The citys fire inspection is ongoing and our team has not been able to enter the building yet, she said. At this point, we cant determine the full impact on future plans for the site until we know the full extent of the damage.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 16-year-old was critically injured Tuesday, Dec. 19 after shots were fired between two vehicles.

Grand Rapids police sad the shooting happened in the area of Burton Street SE and Kalamazoo Avenue.

Police learned that a 16-year-old arrived at an area hospital with a gunshot wound. The teen was last known to be in critical but stable condition.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  During the holidays, theres nothing like a buttery, flaky pie to sweeten any gathering.

If you dont feel like baking a fresh pie for your next holiday meal, there are plenty of great local bakeries in Grand Rapids where you can pick up a sweet, delicious pie without any of the work.

Keep scrolling to read about five great places you can rely on for a mouthwatering pie in Grand Rapids.

1. Robinettes

Robinettes bakery is mostly known for its cider and donuts, but it also serves up delicious pies, pastries and breads that are perfect to bring to your family Christmas gathering.

Pies can be ordered ahead for your special holiday meals by calling 616-361-5567 during open hours, according to the Robinettes website.

Robinettes is located at 3142 4 Mile Road NE. The bakery is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1. For more information, visit the Robinettes website or Facebook page.

2. Nantucket Baking Company

Nantucket Baking Company has been serving up fresh bread and desserts in the Grand Rapids area for more than 25 years. The bakery has a wide variety of delicious fruit and seasonal pies, as well as a selection of vegan and gluten-free pies.

The bakery has two locations in the Grand Rapids area. The Lyon bakery, at 615 Lyon St. NE, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and can be reached at 616-350-9292. The Fuller bakery, at 1308 Fuller Ave. NE, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at 616-432-3045.

You can find a full menu and more information about the bakery online or on social media.

3. Maisys Pie Company

Maisys Pie Company is a small, family-owned bakery in Grand Rapids that specializes in handmade pies made in small batches to maintain quality, according to its website.

Owned and operated by Vonnie Engelsma, the pie company has been serving up buttery, flaky pies in a variety of sizes and flavors since 2009. Engelsma makes and sells the pies out of her own kitchen.

The menu includes 6-inch, 9-inch and bite-sized pies, with prices ranging ranging from $16 to $21, or $45 for a batch of a dozen bite-sized pies. Fruit pie flavors include apple, berries and cherries, pecan, and traditional pumpkin pie. Most fruit pies can be ordered with a crumb top or double crust. Theres also a variety of cream and specialty pie flavors on the menu.

To place an order for a pie, you can call Maisys Pie Company at 616-570-7263 during the businesss hours of operation, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Engelsma asks that all orders be placed at least one day in advance. Pickup location will be provided upon order.

For more information, visit the business online or on social media.

4. Sugar Mommas Bakery & Cafe

Sugar Mommas Bakery & Cafe is another great place to pick up a buttery, flaky pie for the holidays.

Located in Cascade Township, the bakery opened in 2011 and specializes in desserts, sweet and savory pastries and breads made from scratch, according to the shops website.

Fruit pies are available with either Dutch-Style crust or traditional pastry crust, at prices ranging from $14.99 to $24.99. Click here for the bakerys full menu.

Sugar Mommas is located at 6504 28th St. SE, and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can contact the bakery by calling 616-957-2122, or visit its website or social media for more information.

5. Mr. Burger

Hear us out  the name may not suggest it, but Mr. Burger serves up delicious pies that are sure to leave your mouth watering.

The pies are baked fresh and can be ordered by the slice or baked whole at Mr. Burger, which has been a family-owned, Grand Rapids-area community treasure since 1967.

The restaurant offers a variety of pies including apple, cherry, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, mincemeat and cream pie.

Mr. Burger has seven locations across the Grand Rapids area, with plans to open an eighth location in Allendale in early 2024. You can find the full list of locations, along with hours of operation and contact information, here.
GRANDVILLE, MI - A juvenile faces charges for alleged threats of a Dec. 15 shooting at Grandville High School, officials said.

The unnamed individual was charged with a felony for falsely reporting a terrorism threat and a misdemeanor for intentional threat to commit a violent act against a school and/or students, according to Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker.

No more information was released on this incident due to the age of the suspect, officials said.

The Grandville Police Department, working closely with Grandville Schools, did an excellent job responding to this incident and conducting a comprehensive investigation which led to these charges, Becker said in a statement.

Read more: Students alleged threat of Friday shooting causes very difficult week, classmates can stay home

A student was removed on Dec. 14 from Grandville High School after allegedly leaving a note in a school bathroom about a shooting that was to occur on Friday, Dec. 15.

The student also posted a photograph, taken in another bathroom at school, on social media. It included a racial slur and threat, Grandville Superintendent Roger Bearup said in a letter to parents.

The investigation began Monday, Dec. 11, when a message, referencing the future alleged shooting, was found on a toilet seat in a high-school bathroom. It also said that it was no ones fault, Bearups letter said.

Later that afternoon, authorities were alerted to the social-media threat.

The school district worked with Grandville police and determined that a student was behind both of the incidents. The student was removed from school, the superintendent said.

Grandville Public Schools condemns any forms of racism or violence and the person responsible will be held accountable for their actions. We remain committed to ensuring that every person who enters our doors feels safe, confident and has a sense of belonging, Bearup wrote.

He said there will be added security and police presence in the district.
HOLLAND, MI - An Ottawa County judge is accused of domestic violence for allegedly harming his wife, prosecutors said.

Bradley Knoll, Chief Judge of the 58th District Court in Holland, was arrested on Dec. 13 on allegations he harmed his wife, confirmed special prosecutor to the case and Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson.

Knoll, 72, was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond, officials said, but will not be arraigned until Jan. 9. The potential count is a misdemeanor for domestic violence, which can lead to punishments of up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine or both.

Hilson is the special prosecutor on the case since all Ottawa County judges and the county prosecutor recused themselves, he confirmed.

A message was left with Knoll at his district court office. He is scheduled to preside over cases on Wednesday, Dec. 20, according to court records.

Knoll was first elected in 2002 and most recently re-elected in November 2020. He is serving a two-year term as chief judge before he is scheduled to step down due to age limits in 2024.
A critical concern in todays business world revolves around the accurate compensation of employees for their work. Individuals must be remunerated for their contribution to their employers achievements and in line with relevant pay awards.

Numerous observers have quickly seized upon each fresh revelation, levelling charges of corporate fraud and executives paying themselves millions at the cost of their workforce. However, the reality is considerably more complex and significantly less sensational than this.

Understanding the size of the issue

The issue of wage theft is a growing concern for both employees and employers across various industries. Estimates by PwC says that wage theft cost the Australian economy approximately $1.35 billion in 2020. To put this into perspective, this is enough to build several new hospitals or fund critical infrastructure projects. To tackle this serious problem, its essential to look at the sectors most at risk.

Accommodation and Food Services (~$190 million): This sector includes businesses like hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Wage theft in this industry is not only ethically problematic but also significantly impacts the livelihoods of many low-wage workers.

Construction (~$320 million): The construction industry, known for its complex labour requirements, faces challenges related to overtime, penalty rates, and ensuring accurate employee payment.

Healthcare and Social Assistance (~$220 million): In a sector where workforce management is critical due to shift work and patient care, wage theft can lead to severe repercussions, including understaffing and reduced quality of care.

Retail (~$180 million): Retail businesses, often characterised by high turnover and varying work schedules, are particularly susceptible to wage underpayment issues.

Recent cases of wage theft in Australia

In recent years, its been impossible to miss the headlines about the underpayment of workers entitlements in Australia.

The mining sector is no stranger to wage theft, with mining giant BHP having been caught out with one of the biggest underpayments in corporate history. BHPs issue appears to have stemmed from errors over basic employment standards. The company had incorrectly deducted public holidays as leave for more than 28,000 employees.

The utility sector is also an industry that has commonly reported underpayment of its workers, with its employees often working at remote sites. One of Australias largest water distributors has confirmed it underpaid workers by $21.3 million over seven years. While reviewing historical issues, they discovered it had incorrectly and unintentionally underpaid over 1,500 employees.

Many Australian workers have found themselves underpaid by the major banks, supermarkets and healthcare giants, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in rightfully earned wages, including The Commonwealth Bank, Suncorp, Australian Unity and Woolworths. In these cases, technology systems have often been blamed for the underpayments due to the complexity of reward rates, public holidays and superannuation.

The role of technology in addressing wage theft

In wage theft cases, some organisations have blamed system set-up errors, rostering and manual processing errors, incorrect interpretation of obligations, inadequate training and poor payroll processes.

Addressing wage theft is a moral obligation and a legal requirement for Australian businesses. Organisations must leverage technology to implement fair and transparent compensation practices to avoid underpaying their workforces.

Implementing an advanced workforce management platform, which includes time and attendance software with award interpretation capabilities, can help avoid situations of underpayment and non-compliance.

Modern time and attendance software can accurately track employee work hours, reducing the risk of human error in manual calculations. This ensures employees are paid for their time, including overtime and penalty rates.

Workforce management platforms provide tools to ensure that businesses comply with relevant labour laws and regulations. They can be customised to cater to the specific needs of industries, minimising the risk of non-compliance and wage theft.

Efficient shift scheduling improves productivity and aids in fair compensation. Workforce management platforms allow businesses to create schedules that align with labour laws and reduce the chances of underpayment.

Your solution should offer real-time reporting capabilities, enabling employers to identify employee-hour discrepancies and take immediate corrective action. This transparency builds trust among employees.



Payroll Integration: Seamless integration with payroll systems ensures that the data captured is accurately reflected in employee payments, eliminating wage theft and reducing administrative hours.



Seamless integration with payroll systems ensures that the data captured is accurately reflected in employee payments, eliminating wage theft and reducing administrative hours. Employee Self-service: Workforce management platforms often come with employee self-service portals that allow workers to track their hours and view/update their personal information, ensuring transparency and up-to-date employee details.

Conclusion

The issue of wage theft in Australia is an ethical and financial concern affecting businesses and their employees across multiple sectors. This demonstrates why employers should prioritise workplace compliance and ensure their systems and processes meet all requirements of relevant awards or agreements. When breaches are not picked up quickly, they can lead to a substantial back-payment bill and significant reputational damage that can not only impact their ability to recruit new employees but also affect customer goodwill.

Organisations can streamline operations by investing in advanced workforce management platforms and time and attendance software, ensuring fair and transparent employee compensation. In doing so, they take a significant step towards a more equitable and responsible business environment, where wage theft is a distant memory.

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Welcome to AI Weekly, where we delve into the cutting-edge and ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence and bring you concise yet comprehensive summaries of the most exciting AI developments.

Landmark decision bars AI inventors

In a groundbreaking case, a US computer scientist faced a setback in his quest to secure patents for inventions crafted by his artificial intelligence system. Stephen Thaler sought approval for two patents in the UK, attributing the creations to his AI system, DABUS. However, Britains Intellectual Property Office rejected the application, asserting that patents must be granted to a human or a corporate entity, not a machine.

Googles Pixie AI Assistant and Object-Recognizing Glasses in the Works

Tech giant Google is developing an AI assistant named Pixie expected to debut with the upcoming Pixel 9. Fueled by the Gemini engine, Pixie leverages data from Googles array of products across devices to execute intricate, multimodal tasks. Additionally, Google is exploring the creation of glasses equipped with object recognition capabilities, providing wearers with guidance on tool usage. This development follows recent news of Googles pivot from its independent AR hardware efforts in favor of a collaborative venture with Samsung.

AI specialist job surge yet to materialize

Despite predictions of a surge in AI specialist jobs, particularly in marketing, the anticipated wave has not yet arrived. While generative artificial intelligence has triggered significant advancements and entrepreneurial ventures, major brands have yet to reshuffle their organizational structures or create dedicated leadership roles for AI-related functions, with some exceptions like Coca-Cola.

Atlassian introduces AI-powered services to enhance teamwork

Atlassian has introduced its inaugural suite of AI-powered services across its cloud platform. Leveraging two decades of data insights, Atlassian Intelligence aims to streamline teamwork by automating routine tasks, boosting individual productivity, simplifying company jargon, and fostering data-driven decision-making. Notable features include Generative AI in the editor, AI-generated summaries, and natural language automation.

Metas Second-Gen Ray-Ban Glasses now equipped with Advanced AI Capabilities

Metas latest update for its second-generation Ray-Ban glasses introduces advanced generative AI capabilities. The glasses can now interpret scenes and make judgments, utilizing on-board cameras for image recognition. The update also incorporates Bing-powered search functionality directly into the glasses, offering users a seamless and integrated experience.

ByteDance secretly deploys OpenAI tech for competing language model

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has covertly employed OpenAIs technology in violation of terms of service to develop a rival language model known as Project Seed. Internal communications suggest an intention to whitewash any evidence of this unauthorized use, raising ethical concerns in the tech community.

Bill Gates Optimistic Outlook on AI in 2024

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates shares his optimistic views on the future of AI in a comprehensive blog post. Reflecting on the transformative events of 2023, Gates predicts that AI will significantly impact sectors such as education and mental health. While acknowledging the revolutionary potential of AI, he also underscores the importance of addressing global inequities and empowering future generations.

Intel Unleashes 5th Gen Xeon Processors, Focused on AI Acceleration

Intel has launched its 5th Gen Xeon processors, strategically designed to enhance AI capabilities for cloud, network, and edge applications. This move is part of Intels competitive strategy to enter the AI accelerator market, a domain currently dominated by Nvidia.

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As we stand on the precipice of a new year, the technology landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, presenting both challenges and opportunities for industry leaders.

In the ever-shifting terrain of the tech sector, foresight and adaptability are paramount. In this insightful exploration, we unravel the intricacies of the key trends that will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of technology firms in 2024.

Nathan Vandenberg, Vice President of Technology Solutions at NTT, delves into the prevailing factors that will shape the technology industry in 2024. Feel free to incorporate this insight into any pieces youre currently developing as we conclude this year and anticipate the next.

AI Adoption is growing exponentially and with AGI and technological singularity still in the distant future, humans will be a critical part of AI story, said Nathan Vandenberg, Vice President, Technology Solutions, NTT. Organisations must look beyond the next year to ensure they have the capabilities to enable new technologies of the future and strive to hit sustainability targets.

AI will drive investment in more disruptive energy supplies for data center infrastructure

Typical data center racks consume around six to eight kilowatts of electricity. AI is accelerating that increase in density, and it is now common to see racks anywhere from 50 to 100 kilowatts, and beyond. The expectation is that power consumption will double and triple in the coming years. These racks, which consequently generate more heat, and need more cooling, are playing havoc with enterprises net zero targets.

In 2024, more enterprises will work in close partnership with their energy providers to explore more sustainable options. Tightening data center regulations will accelerate this disruptive trend, as more governments and subscribers prescribe specific energy efficiency usage and/or supplies, to meet their own sustainability goals. NTT is already using techniques like liquid immersion cooling, district heating projects, and researching solar panels in space to power its data centers, among other things.

Sustainability will be integral to all new tech solutions

Sustainability has previously been identified as a top three driver of innovation and primary consideration in the IT procurement process. Next year, it will have a much greater impact on which technologies IT teams pilot, invest in, procure and scale  particularly as regulations evolve, newly develop and tighten.

For example, as of 1st January 2024, 50 percent of the electricity used in German data centers must be supplied by unsubsidized renewable electricity sources. From 2027, the requirement will be 100 percent.

On their path to net zero and nature-positive operations, enterprises will increasingly look to leverage new technologies like Private 5G networks, used by global enterprises such as LyondellBasell and Schneider Electric, to drive critical smart factory applications that contribute to ESG initiatives  from carbon mitigation to circular economy of infrastructure hardware. Greater pressure on IT suppliers will also help industries achieve their sustainable development goals and KPIs.

Optical networking will get closer to mainstream

The increased focus on network efficiency, reliability, sustainability and being future-ready will bring optical networking to the fore in 2024. Recent trials prove the potential  achieving 1.2Tbps transmission rates.

Across all industries, over 90% of senior executives are looking to modernize their networks, ensuring they are set up for the existing challenges they face, as well as those yet to come.



There is also a wider concerted effort to overcome the limitations of existing infrastructure with optical technologies. More than 100 organizations are now partnering to drive the IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) forward, ensuring the world is ready for future technologies and bringing optical networking closer to mainstream.

IoT ecosystems will boost P5G and Edge adoption

The combination of IoT, Private 5G, and edge computing will enable organizations to gain real-time insights and make better decisions. With enterprises accelerating digitization efforts, more connectivity and even more devices are needed as enterprises continue to digitize their physical environments.

The edge will significantly grow in importance as enterprises need data to feed analytics platforms powered by AI/ML. Increased automation due to labour shortages, computer vision, and digital twins will be key use cases driving the need for robust edge capabilities.

To go further, organisations need outside help, with 8 in 10 expecting their dependency on third-party edge services to grow over the next 2 years. NTT and its partners are using their combined expertise to meet the need for 5G-enabled devices that support use cases, such as push-to-talk devices, augmented reality headsets, computer vision cameras and sensors at the edge across the manufacturing, automotive, logistics and other industries, specifically around private networks and P5G.

Human skills will be essential for the uptake of AI

NTTs 2023 Global CX Report found that the majority of CX interactions still require a form of human intervention, with executives agreeing that this will remain a critical part of customer journeys. Despite 4 in 5 organizations planning to incorporate AI into CX delivery within the next 12 months, the human element will be central to its success.

As enterprises turn their attention to how automation can complement and enhance human capabilities, they will place greater emphasis on closing the mounting skills shortages that will challenge AI aspirations. The fundamentals of AI and big data analytics will become baseline skills for a majority of jobs across industries, but new hires wont be the only pathway.



Research by NTT DATA uncovered that business leaders are more likely to have seen profitability of more than 25% over the last three years because of investments in reskilling and upskilling initiatives. This will continue into 2024, with more curated teaching experiences to help close skills gaps and meet the needs of organisations.

Invisible clouds will start to go vertical

When working well, cloud environments become invisible, leaving applications on stage, front, and centre. This has largely been achieved with office apps, project management tools, CRM solutions and the like, but not quite yet mastered for specific industries. That will change next year.

In 2024, vertical-specific clouds package software, PaaS, and IaaS layers to deliver industry-centric use cases focused on business outcomes, rather than the technology itself will increase. Analysts have been expecting this for some time, and there is now a great deal of interest in these projects.

A transformation services provider for the transportation and defence industries has already transitioned to a managed cloud infrastructure to optimize spending and reduce costs.

Dark NOC will enter the lexicon of the networking world

With the speed at which AIOps has advanced, the idea of a completely automated, lights out Network Operations Center is quickly becoming an ideal. Over the next 12 months, networking companies will further embed AIOps into their broader operations to improve network quality, support engineers, and modernize infrastructures.

While automation lays at the heart of a Dark NOC, human talent will be key to making it a success. Network providers will need to focus on upskilling, as well as ensuring they have made the necessary preparations from a technological standpoint  from standardizing APIs to optimizing data processes. Networking specialists must understand where automation helps and where human talent is still an essential part of the networking function.

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Vietnam Electricity wants to import wind power from Laos as it seeks to combat a looming shortage in the northern region.

Several wind power investors in Laos with a combined capacity of 4,149 megawatts want to sell electricity to Vietnam, the national utility said in a report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The imports will help bridge a supply gap in the northern region between 2024 and 2030, especially in summer when water levels plummet in hydropower dams.

Power Development Plan 8 focuses on the development of liquefied natural gas and renewable power sources, which are costly, and does not prioritize cheaper sources such as hydropower.

This means importing power from Laos will help reduce costs somewhat.

Laoss maximum wind power feed-in tariff is 6.95 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour for plants that become operational by the end of 2025, which is much more competitive than Vietnams 8.5 cents for onshore and 9.8 cents for offshore plants that went on stream before November 2021. But the Laos price is higher than for some plants in Vietnam that went on stream after that date. Their tariffs start at 6.42 cents.

Some hydropower plants in Laos with whom it has signed purchase agreements would only begin generating power after 2025, meaning alternative sources are needed in the next two years, EVN said.

It called on the government to install more transmission lines to increase imports from Laos.

In the first 11 months of this year Vietnams electricity imports  from Laos but also China -- accounted for 1.5% of total supply.
Ranger Energy Services, Inc. (NYSE:RNGR  Get Free Report) Director Charles S. Leykum sold 85,174 shares of Ranger Energy Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.15, for a total transaction of $864,516.10. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,000,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $40,600,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ranger Energy Services Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE RNGR traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.41. 198,304 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 130,084. The company has a market capitalization of $254.11 million, a P/E ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 0.94. Ranger Energy Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.27 and a 52-week high of $14.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.53.

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Ranger Energy Services (NYSE:RNGR  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.09). Ranger Energy Services had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The company had revenue of $164.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $171.00 million. On average, analysts forecast that Ranger Energy Services, Inc. will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Ranger Energy Services Dividend Announcement

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ranger Energy Services

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 13th were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Ranger Energy Servicess payout ratio is 17.09%.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Ranger Energy Services by 92.3% in the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,100,985 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968,630 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Ranger Energy Services by 544.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 741,254 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,590,000 after buying an additional 626,263 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ranger Energy Services by 2.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 685,581 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,722,000 after buying an additional 18,535 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in Ranger Energy Services by 3.0% during the second quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 547,533 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,607,000 after buying an additional 16,113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. acquired a new position in Ranger Energy Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,521,000. 39.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ranger Energy Services Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Ranger Energy Services, Inc provides onshore high specification well service rigs, wireline completion services, and complementary services to exploration and production companies in the United States. It operates through three segments: High Specification Rigs, Wireline Services, and Processing Solutions and Ancillary Services.

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Brookfield Co. (NYSE:BN  Get Free Report) major shareholder Gp Ltd Bcp sold 387,068 shares of Brookfield stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.24, for a total value of $867,032.32. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,981,414 shares in the company, valued at $67,158,367.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Gp Ltd Bcp also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Friday, December 15th, Gp Ltd Bcp sold 132,700 shares of Brookfield stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.47, for a total value of $327,769.00.

Brookfield Stock Performance

Shares of BN stock traded up $0.91 on Tuesday, reaching $39.34. The stock had a trading volume of 2,386,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,548,987. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,301.57 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Brookfield Co. has a 12 month low of $28.25 and a 12 month high of $40.06. The firms 50-day moving average is $33.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.34.

Brookfield Announces Dividend

Brookfield ( NYSE:BN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Brookfield had a net margin of 0.12% and a return on equity of 2.23%.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Brookfields dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -933.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Brookfield from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Brookfield from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an action list buy rating in a research note on Sunday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Brookfield from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 10th. CIBC cut their target price on shares of Brookfield from $47.00 to $42.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group cut their target price on shares of Brookfield from $42.00 to $41.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.78.

View Our Latest Report on BN

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brookfield

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brookfield by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 55,429,678 shares of the companys stock worth $1,733,286,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016,222 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brookfield by 4,670.6% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 811 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Brookfield by 1.3% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 61,236 shares of the companys stock worth $1,915,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brookfield by 5.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,539 shares of the companys stock worth $1,643,000 after buying an additional 2,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Brookfield by 5.9% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,479,507 shares of the companys stock worth $46,264,000 after buying an additional 82,707 shares during the last quarter. 58.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Brookfield

(Get Free Report)

Brookfield Corporation is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients.

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Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD  Get Free Report) Director Maria S. Dreyfus sold 10,632 shares of Pioneer Natural Resources stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.62, for a total transaction of $2,409,423.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $921,436.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Pioneer Natural Resources Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:PXD traded up $2.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $231.53. 1,863,688 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,373,028. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Pioneer Natural Resources has a 52 week low of $177.26 and a 52 week high of $257.76. The firms 50 day moving average is $236.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $227.05.

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Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The oil and gas development company reported $5.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.23 billion. Pioneer Natural Resources had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 23.48%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pioneer Natural Resources will post 21.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Pioneer Natural Resources Increases Dividend

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pioneer Natural Resources

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 30th will be given a $3.20 dividend. This represents a $12.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.53%. This is a boost from Pioneer Natural Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $1.84. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 29th. Pioneer Natural Resourcess payout ratio is 23.88%.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Pioneer Natural Resources by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,436 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP lifted its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 264 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of Pioneer Natural Resources by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 7,491 shares of the oil and gas development companys stock worth $1,551,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 82.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on PXD shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Pioneer Natural Resources in a report on Friday. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Mizuho reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $301.00 price target on shares of Pioneer Natural Resources in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Pioneer Natural Resources from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Pioneer Natural Resources from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and reduced their price target for the company from $273.00 to $246.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a market perform rating and issued a $256.00 target price (down from $280.00) on shares of Pioneer Natural Resources in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pioneer Natural Resources presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $257.48.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Pioneer Natural Resources

Pioneer Natural Resources Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Pioneer Natural Resources Company operates as an independent oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States. The company explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and gas. It has operations in the Midland Basin in West Texas. Pioneer Natural Resources Company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

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Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 23,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.17, for a total transaction of $5,454,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,705,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $404,493,435. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Jayshree Ullal also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Wednesday, December 13th, Jayshree Ullal sold 22,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.11, for a total transaction of $5,084,420.00.

On Monday, December 11th, Jayshree Ullal sold 21,500 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.00, for a total transaction of $4,880,500.00.

On Wednesday, November 29th, Jayshree Ullal sold 21,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $4,662,000.00.

On Wednesday, November 15th, Jayshree Ullal sold 20,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $4,340,000.00.

On Thursday, November 2nd, Jayshree Ullal sold 22,500 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.30, for a total transaction of $4,754,250.00.

On Tuesday, October 31st, Jayshree Ullal sold 17,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.07, for a total transaction of $3,384,190.00.

Arista Networks Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ANET stock traded down $2.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $236.60. 2,185,766 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,662,938. The company has a market capitalization of $73.61 billion, a PE ratio of 39.79, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.11. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $107.57 and a 12-month high of $240.01. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $208.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $186.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Arista Networks ( NYSE:ANET Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The technology company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Arista Networks had a net margin of 33.97% and a return on equity of 31.16%. Equities analysts anticipate that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ANET shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $190.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 10th. William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Arista Networks from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Arista Networks from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $220.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $219.59.

Get Our Latest Analysis on ANET

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. RFP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 169.2% in the second quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 175 shares of the technology companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Arista Networks in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 67.13% of the companys stock.

Arista Networks Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Arista Networks, Inc develops, markets, and sells cloud networking solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company's cloud networking solutions consist of extensible operating systems, a set of network applications, as well as gigabit Ethernet switching and routing platforms.

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Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE:PEG  Get Free Report) updated its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 3.600-3.700 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.690. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Public Service Enterprise Group also updated its FY24 guidance to $3.60-3.70 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Public Service Enterprise Group from $70.00 to $69.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Public Service Enterprise Group from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Public Service Enterprise Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Public Service Enterprise Group from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Public Service Enterprise Group from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $64.15.

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View Our Latest Analysis on PEG

Public Service Enterprise Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of PEG traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $62.17. 2,164,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,595,240. The companys fifty day moving average price is $62.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.59. The company has a market capitalization of $30.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Public Service Enterprise Group has a 12 month low of $53.71 and a 12 month high of $65.46.

Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE:PEG  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.42 billion. Public Service Enterprise Group had a net margin of 23.83% and a return on equity of 12.20%. Equities research analysts predict that Public Service Enterprise Group will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Public Service Enterprise Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Public Service Enterprise Groups payout ratio is currently 40.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ralph A. Larossa sold 4,122 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $259,686.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 112,076 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,060,788. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Ralph A. Larossa sold 4,122 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $259,686.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 112,076 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,060,788. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ralph A. Larossa sold 1,374 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.01, for a total transaction of $86,575.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 110,702 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,975,333.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,096 shares of company stock valued at $382,924 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Public Service Enterprise Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning increased its stake in Public Service Enterprise Group by 0.7% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 77,063 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $4,386,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group by 277.2% in the second quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,682 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,796,000 after purchasing an additional 21,079 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group during the second quarter worth $360,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group by 7.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 655,090 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $41,015,000 after purchasing an additional 43,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group by 13.9% during the second quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 32,813 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004 shares in the last quarter. 72.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Public Service Enterprise Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company primarily in Mid-Atlantic United States. The company operates through PSE&G and PSEG Power. The PSE&G segment transmits electricity; distributes electricity and gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as invests in solar generation projects, and energy efficiency and related programs; and offers appliance services and repairs.

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Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOD  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $27.30 and last traded at $27.45, with a volume of 45426 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.77.

Akzo Nobel Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stocks fifty day moving average is $24.36 and its 200-day moving average is $25.68. The stock has a market cap of $18.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 0.76.

Akzo Nobel Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Akzo Nobel N.V. operates as a paints and coatings company in the Netherlands and internationally. The company operates through Decorative Paints and Performance Coatings segments. It provides decorative paints, including paints, lacquers, and varnishes; mixing machines, color concepts, and training courses for the building and renovation industry; and specialty coatings for metal, wood, and other building materials.

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Equinox Gold Corp (CVE:EQX  Get Free Report) Senior Officer Susan Caroline Toews sold 13,240 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$6.74, for a total value of C$89,237.60.

Equinox Gold Price Performance

CVE EQX traded down C$0.07 on Wednesday, reaching C$7.88. 53,583 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 153,529. The firms fifty day simple moving average is C$7.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$7.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.28. The company has a market cap of C$892.46 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.54. Equinox Gold Corp has a 12 month low of C$4.25 and a 12 month high of C$8.90.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EQX. National Bankshares decreased their price objective on Equinox Gold from C$8.75 to C$8.50 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 11th. National Bank Financial decreased their price objective on Equinox Gold from C$8.75 to C$8.50 in a report on Monday, September 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Equinox Gold from an underperform rating to a sector perform rating and increased their price objective for the stock from C$5.00 to C$7.25 in a report on Tuesday, September 12th.

About Equinox Gold

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Equinox Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral deposits. The company's principal properties include the Aurizona project covering a total land package of approximately 223,160 hectares located in Maranhao State, Brazil; and the Castle Mountain property situated in California, the United States.

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Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. cut its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV  Free Report) by 36.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,386 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,131 shares during the quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $11,945,000. Signet Financial Management LLC boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 27.0% in the second quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 40,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,739,000 after purchasing an additional 8,618 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $5,461,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.6% in the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,899 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,558,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.3% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,977 shares of the companys stock valued at $876,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Up 0.4 %

EFAV traded up $0.26 on Wednesday, reaching $68.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 382,986 shares. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.78. The company has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 0.60. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $64.68 and a fifty-two week high of $76.51.

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of developed-market equities, ex-US and Canada, selected and weighted to create a low volatility portfolio subject to constraints including sector exposure.

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Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG  Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $28.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the real estate investment trusts stock. Piper Sandlers target price would suggest a potential upside of 29.81% from the stocks current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on KRG. Raymond James lowered shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, September 5th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Kite Realty Group Trust in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kite Realty Group Trust has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $25.86.

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Kite Realty Group Trust Price Performance

Insider Transactions at Kite Realty Group Trust

Shares of NYSE:KRG traded up $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $23.11. The company had a trading volume of 768,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,591,875. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 135.88, a PEG ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.35. Kite Realty Group Trust has a 52-week low of $18.77 and a 52-week high of $24.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $21.22 and a 200 day moving average of $21.84.

In other Kite Realty Group Trust news, CEO John A. Kite sold 60,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction of $1,314,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,121 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,281,291.11. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 12.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 34,531,664 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $722,402,000 after acquiring an additional 3,818,524 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Kite Realty Group Trust by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,761,306 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $745,974,000 after purchasing an additional 378,764 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Kite Realty Group Trust by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,205,735 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $300,695,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726,009 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Kite Realty Group Trust by 46.9% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,107,744 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $292,827,000 after purchasing an additional 4,182,590 shares during the period. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 16.6% during the second quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 8,943,429 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $154,637,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275,585 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.22% of the companys stock.

Kite Realty Group Trust Company Profile

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Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Company's primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets.

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Thrive Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 16.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,345 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Thrive Wealth Management LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $1,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 34.1% during the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 26,203 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $7,275,000 after acquiring an additional 6,665 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF during the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 11.6% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,211 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 3.7% during the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 7,595 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,422,000.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Performance

Shares of IWF traded up $0.17 on Wednesday, hitting $304.17. 481,483 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,395,327. The company has a market capitalization of $77.59 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $276.67. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a one year low of $209.27 and a one year high of $304.74.

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Profile

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed regret that so little has changed in South Sudan in the past 6 months.

The United States agrees that a lack of political will, is the root cause of this intransigence, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. Indeed, the same issues identified six months ago remain unresolved.

Basic questions around who will vote, how they will vote, and which levels of government they will vote for, are all still unanswered. When the transitional government has done so little to prepare for elections, providing additional funding for these elections sends absolutely the wrong message, she said.

Future funding must be coupled with a renewed push on the South Sudan peace process, and improved humanitarian access, stressed Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

The transitional government of South Sudan has income from its oil resources to fund government services, noted Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

The South Sudanese people have a fundamental right to know how their countrys oil money is being spent  and to benefit from how their countrys oil money is being spent. And so, the transitional government must start using public revenue transparently for appropriate public purposes.

In addition, we remain concerned by the high level of violence, criminality, and human rights abuses in South Sudan, stated Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

We designated Gordon Koang Biel, Gatluak Nyang Hoth, and Joseph Mantiel Wajang as responsible for systematic rape and other human rights violations perpetrated against women and girls during armed attacks in Leer County of Unity State. These armed groups used sexual slavery, including rape and gang rape, of abducted women and girls as an incentive and reward for combatants. This is unimaginably cruel. And so, we call on President Kiir to fulfill his pledge to hold those who committed these unthinkable acts, accountable.

The South Sudanese transitional government faces a number of choices: whether to achieve the commitments in the 2018 peace agreement that are necessary for it to hold free and fair elections in 12 months; whether to use its abundant public revenue to make sure the Sudanese people have enough food. And whether to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable.

The United States once again calls on the government of South Sudan to make the right choices. Twelve years after achieving its independence, it is way past time for the transitional government to chart a new path.
Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its position in iShares International Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:INTF  Free Report) by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 360,985 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 33,425 shares during the period. iShares International Equity Factor ETF makes up about 2.5% of Thrive Wealth Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Thrive Wealth Management LLC owned about 1.03% of iShares International Equity Factor ETF worth $9,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF in the first quarter valued at $71,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cowa LLC increased its stake in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 9,901.8% during the first quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 5,344,258 shares of the companys stock worth $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 5,290,825 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 38.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,878 shares of the companys stock valued at $633,000 after purchasing an additional 6,394 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 111.2% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 220,946 shares of the companys stock worth $6,114,000 after buying an additional 116,345 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares International Equity Factor ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA INTF traded down $0.39 on Wednesday, hitting $27.58. 18,660 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,730. iShares International Equity Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $24.33 and a fifty-two week high of $28.01. The firms 50-day moving average price is $26.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.49. The firm has a market cap of $962.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.87.

About iShares International Equity Factor ETF

The iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX International Equity Factor index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap equities in developed markets outside the US. Stocks are selected and weighted to maximize exposure to five factors: momentum, quality, value, low volatility, and size.

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Thrive Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust (NYSEARCA:FXB  Free Report) by 30.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,509 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Thrive Wealth Management LLC owned 0.33% of Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust worth $295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of FXB. Toroso Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust in the 4th quarter worth $1,060,000. Worth Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust by 69.4% in the 2nd quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 16,892 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,065,000 after buying an additional 6,918 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust by 141.1% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 7,682 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 4,496 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $468,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $301,000.

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Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of FXB traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $121.96. 5,698 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,448. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $119.33 and a 200-day moving average of $120.68. Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust has a 52 week low of $113.50 and a 52 week high of $126.35.

About Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust

Guggenheim CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust, formerly CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust, is a grantor trust. The Trust issues shares (the Shares) in blocks of 50,000 (a Basket) in exchange for deposits of British Pound Sterling and distributes British Pound Sterling in connection with the redemption of Baskets.

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UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH  Get Free Report) dropped 4.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $25.10 and last traded at $25.15. Approximately 1,923,240 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 8,097,256 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.26.

Specifically, insider Brad Brubaker sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.62, for a total transaction of $256,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 587,608 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,054,516.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other UiPath news, Director Rich Wong sold 100,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.38, for a total transaction of $1,638,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 779,693 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,771,371.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brad Brubaker sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.62, for a total transaction of $256,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 587,608 shares in the company, valued at $15,054,516.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 595,000 shares of company stock valued at $12,245,850. Company insiders own 31.03% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on PATH shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of UiPath from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of UiPath from $20.00 to $22.00 in a report on Thursday, September 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of UiPath from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of UiPath from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of UiPath from $16.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $21.96.

UiPath Price Performance

The stocks 50 day moving average price is $19.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UiPath

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PATH. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of UiPath by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 40,993 shares of the healthcare companys stock valued at $885,000 after buying an additional 1,506 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UiPath in the 1st quarter worth about $184,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of UiPath by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,316,635 shares of the healthcare companys stock worth $114,786,000 after purchasing an additional 99,242 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of UiPath in the 1st quarter worth about $534,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of UiPath in the 1st quarter worth about $259,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.04% of the companys stock.

UiPath Company Profile

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UiPath Inc provides an end-to-end automation platform that offers a range of robotic process automation (RPA) solutions primarily in the United States, Romania, and Japan. The company offers a suite of interrelated software to build, manage, run, engage, measure, and govern automation within the organization.

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The United States strongly condemns the prosecution of pro-democracy advocate and media owner Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.

Lai is being prosecuted under the draconian National Security Law, or NSL, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing after protests swept the city in 2019. The people of Hong Kong took to the streets by the thousands to protest the restrictions on their fundamental freedoms and political autonomy that was promised to them when Britain turned over the rule of the democratically-run city to the Peoples Republic of China in 1997.

Under the NSL, Jimmy Lai is charged with colluding with foreign forces, a crime punishable by life in prison, if convicted.

Originally a poor 12-year-old stow-away on a ship to Hong Kong from the PRC, Lai built a successful clothing empire before founding a series of media outlets, including the popular newspaper Apple Daily, which was shuttered in 2021. A fierce pro-democracy activist and critic of Beijings human rights abuses, including violations of religious freedom, Lai was detained by the Hong Kong authorities in 2020 on multiple security-based charges and has been in prison for more than 1,000 days.

Many leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong were detained by the government after the protests in 2019; several others fled abroad. Jimmy Lai chose to stay in Hong Kong.

Lais current trial began December 18 before a three-judge panel approved by the government. There is no jury, and the trial is expected to last 80 days. He has not been allowed to hire the lawyer of his choice.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller issued a statement condemning the prosecution of Jimmy Lai under Hong Kongs National Security Law and noted Lais lengthy pre-trial detention and the denial of his choice of legal representation.

We urge Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to respect press freedom in Hong Kong, he said. Actions that stifle press freedom and restrict the free flow of information  as well as Beijing and local authorities changes to Hong Kongss electoral system that reduce direct voting and preclude independent and pro-democracy party candidates from participating  have undermined Hong Kongs democratic institutions and harmed Hong Kongs reputation as an international business and financial hub. We call on Hong Kong authorities, Spokesperson Miller declared, to immediately release Jimmy Lai and all others imprisoned for defending human rights.
Jinit Parmar is a correspondent based out of Mumbai covering the banking sector, fintechs, NBFCs, insurance and more, tweets @jinitparmar10

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Lovisha Darad Lovisha is passionate about domestic and global equity market development. She writes stories exclusively on equities from a fundamental perspective, gathering insights from niche market gurus.
This fall, Sanjeev Khagram, Director General and Dean of the, significantly advanced the institution's global impact. He collaborated with the Government of West Bengal to bring the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative and its courses to the region, expanding educational access. In addition, the(IIHM), the acclaimed global hotel management college located in India, signed a letter of agreement with Thunderbird to launch the initiative across all IIHM centers in India. The signing was carried out by Khagram and Suborno Bose, founder and chief mentor of IIHM. "The Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative is an ambitious project, and India, with its supercharged youth population, is a hotbed of industry-relevant education", Bose said.Khagram also met with Techno India University/Techno India Group and signed an agreement offering the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative to individuals attending the university, including faculty and staff, students and the greater communities they serve. "I am delighted to witness the powerful alliance forged between Thunderbird School of Global Management, a beacon of excellence at Arizona State University, and the visionary institutions of Techno India Group and Techno India University, in support of the 100 Million Learners Global Initiative. This collaboration exemplifies a commitment to fostering global leadership and knowledge exchange, transcending borders to empower a diverse multitude of learners worldwide", said Professor Manoshi Roy Chowdhury, co-chairperson of Techno India Group and co-chancellor of Techno India University, West Bengal.To expand the initiative's reach in India, Thunderbird is partnering with governments, corporations, and nonprofits across various regions, such as Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Given his Gujarati heritage and nonresident Indian status, Khagram has spearheaded efforts to enlist these organizations as partners. This collaboration aims to enhance access to the initiative, offering potential learners direct opportunities to engage in leadership, management, and entrepreneurship courses.Through this collaboration, thousands of additional learners in India will have access to the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative, ensuring critical education access throughout the region. The enthusiasm from leadership across all involved parties reflects the potential for a significant impact on education in India. Shri Manish Jain IAS, Principal Secretary of the Department of School Education with the Government of West Bengal, emphasized that this important partnership will benefit not only the students of West Bengal but also contribute to global education going forward.The Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative provides free online education in 40 languages, catering to learners worldwide. Notably, 70% of the program's 100 million learners will be women and young women. The certificates are fully covered by scholarships, making the initiative cost-free for participants, thanks to philanthropic support. The foundational program is accessible to students at any formal educational level and is currently offered in Hindi and other languages. The advanced program offers graduate-level courses, while plans for an intermediate program for high school or

undergraduate-level learners are in the pipeline.
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To support the development of more energy-efficient, affordable-housing units across northern Illinois, while improving the comfort of the residents w. . .
December 20, 2023 / 10:21 PM IST

Think and Learn, the parent company of #BYJUs, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) today with close to 60 shareholders in attendance.

All the resolutions were passed, including the accounts for FY22.

BDO was re-appointed as the statutory auditors of the company.
Ashwani Mahajan is a professor at PGDAV College, University of Delhi, and the national co-convener of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
LAS VEGAS  Before the Clark County grand jury ultimately decided to indict the six Nevada Republicans who cast false electoral votes for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, they heard witness testimony from a top Nevada elections official, a Postal Service inspector and one of the former presidents campaign lawyers about how the fake elector scheme unfolded.

Transcripts released this week of the November and December proceedings  which were initially secret  reveal the reaction of the secretary of states office to receiving the Nevada Republicans documents, how the plots legal architect in the Trump campaign characterized Nevadas challenges and the relevance of Las Vegas, jurisdictionally, to an act that occurred in Carson City.

The transcripts come as the six fake electors pleaded not guilty to felony charges on Monday in Clark County District Court, with the judge setting a March trial date.

Here are five of the most notable revelations from the testimony:

1Trump lawyer viewed filings as moot because court challenges in Nevada had failed

Kenneth Chesebro was the Trump campaigns legal adviser who conceptualized sending alternate Trump elector slates to Congress in states where the campaign was contesting Joe Bidens electoral victories  and he has been in and out of various courts this year testifying about it.

His legal theory for the fake elector schemes rested on the premise that state parties or the Trump campaign were in active litigation over election results  meaning fake elector ceremonies held when all appeals had been tossed out, as was the case of Nevada, were done for no reason, as he put it in his testimony.

Chesebro  who took a plea deal from prosecutors in Georgias racketeering case against Trump and others who attempted to overturn the 2020 election  was ultimately not charged in Nevada for his role in advising the fake electors, though he was initially listed as a defendant in the first grand jury transcript. He instead cooperated with prosecutors.

But he served as a witness in the attorney generals investigation, testifying about providing memos and instructions to eventual fake electors Jim DeGraffenreid, Michael McDonald and Jesse Law. McDonald is the chair of the Nevada Republican Party, DeGraffenreid is one of the states Republican National Committee members and Law is the chair of the Clark County Republican Party. All three are charged in the case.

Much of Chesebros grand jury testimony confirms revelations from the congressional Jan. 6 Committees transcripts of its interviews with McDonald and DeGraffenreid, including that he was directed to reach out to the Nevadans by Trumps deputy campaign manager, Justin Clark. But in the transcripts, Chesebro spelled out his legal theory as to why Republicans should file unauthorized elector slates for Trump in states whose results the campaign was contesting.

Chesebro first became involved in the effort to file a fake elector slate in Wisconsin, saying that the campaign needed to have documentation of votes being cast for Trump by the Electoral College deadline of Dec. 14. That way, Chesebro explained, if the Trump campaigns legal efforts to overturn Bidens win in Wisconsin were successful, Congress could use the already-submitted Trump slate when certifying the election results on Jan. 6.

The Trump campaign then had Chesebro create a set of memos and documents to send to Republican electors in all the states whose elections it wanted to overturn  including Nevada. Once in contact with DeGraffenreid, Chesebro asked if there was any pending election litigation in Nevada.

Chesebro told the grand jury DeGraffenreid never responded to him. But a Carson City District Court judge had rejected the Trump campaigns spurious claims of massive voter fraud on Dec. 4, 2020, and the appeal was denied by the Nevada Supreme Court on Dec. 8.

By the time the fake electors convened in Carson City on Dec. 14, there was no longer any active litigation from the campaign  which Chesebro said made the fake elector paperwork pointless.

If on December 14th all the lawsuits are over, and the governor has said Biden won and theres nothing more thats going to happen in court, then its over, he said in the transcript. And so theres no reason to file the paperwork.

2Though the fake electors expressed doubts about the plan amongst themselves, they didnt raise them to Chesebro

The Jan. 6 Committee transcripts of interviews with DeGraffenreid and McDonald show the fake electors expressed some doubt that creating their own electoral certificates for Trump would work. DeGraffenreid texted another fake elector, Shawn Meehan, who also is charged, the chapter and code numbers of the Nevada statutes on electoral certification, acknowledging that then-Secretary of State Barbara Cegavskes involvement was legally mandated. Meehan replied that Cegavske not participating in their ceremony or signing their documents dorks it up.

Chesebro himself admitted Nevada is an extremely problematic state in his 2020 memo to the fake electors based on the state law that requires Cegavske to oversee the meeting of the presidential electors. He expanded on this issue in his testimony, saying that Nevada state law mandates the secretary of state to not only witness the meeting, but ensure that the fake electors cast their ballots for the winner of the popular vote.

Theres no way you can meet the statute if you try to vote for Trump, Chesebro said in response to a jury question. And thats just the problem.

In his testimony, Chesebro said the fake electors in Pennsylvania had expressed concerns to him that calling themselves the duly elected and qualified electors could invite prosecution from the states Democratic attorney general over filing something false.

Chesebro assuaged their concerns by drafting different language for them to use, excluding the duly elected and qualified phrasing. But he said the Nevada fake electors never raised similar qualms to him and thus, used the unedited phrasing in the documents they submitted to state and federal authorities.

In Pennsylvania, no state charges have been brought against their fake electors  likely due to that distinction.

3The secretary of states office found the fake electors documents bizarro

Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Mark Wlaschin described a level of disbelief between top elections administrators at receiving the fake documents.

Wlaschin in his testimony said the official certificates and votes contain clear symbols such as the state seal and specific templates. When the fake documents arrived, they looked bizzaro, he said.

They look kind of like that [real one], but almost maybe if you had like ten minutes to put something together instead of an official document, he said.

Wlaschin said the documents arrived in Carson City and had been mailed by McDonald. He called Cegavske, who was in Las Vegas at the time, to discuss how to proceed.

The package included a page listing the names of who needed to receive the documents  among them, the president of the U.S. Senate and the National Archives, with the secretary of states name highlighted. Cegavske then had Wlaschin reach out to the Senate and the National Archives to let them know unauthorized electoral documents from Nevada were coming their way.

4The secretary of states office returned the fake documents to McDonald

Cegavske instructed Wlaschin to return the documents. Wlaschin mailed them back to McDonald, at a Las Vegas address, along with a letter on Dec. 15.

In a brief note, Wlaschin outlined that the official certificate of ascertainment, a document signed by the governor naming the electors and vote totals, had already been signed and sent, and that Nevada law requires electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in the state  in this case, Biden.

We are returning these documents as they do not meet the statutory requirement for filing with our office, Wlaschin wrote.

5Sending the fake documents to Las Vegas may provide a clue toward trial jurisdiction

Throughout the transcript, prosecutors asked several questions and attempted to establish the relevance of Las Vegas to the case  even though the fake elector ceremony was held in Carson City and, according to testimony from U.S. Postal Service inspector Warren Heister, the false documents were originally mailed from Minden (where DeGraffenreid lives).

The return address on the fake elector documents  where Wlaschin sent them back  was in Las Vegas, at the Nevada Republican Partys mailing address. That same return address was used for the package of documents delivered to the National Archives. And a copy of the documents was also mailed to the federal courthouse in Las Vegas.

State Attorney General Aaron Ford has not publicly said why he chose to file the case in Las Vegas instead of Carson City, and no defendants have as of yet attempted to challenge Clark County courts jurisdiction in the case.
IRVING, Texas  Newmont Corp. and Caterpillar Inc. said on Dec. 19 Caterpillar has successfully demonstrated its first battery electric prototype underground mining truck, growing its portfolio of battery electric and semi-autonomous technology for underground mining applications.

The demonstration for Newmont and other industry leaders at the companys proving ground in Tasmania, Australia, comes on the heels of the 793 battery electric prototype surface mining truck, which was unveiled in November 2022.

Caterpillar developed its first battery electric prototype underground mining truck with customer input and support from Newmont.

In November 2021, Newmont entered into a strategic alliance with Caterpillar, and the companies are collaborating to achieve Newmonts vision of a fully connected, automated, zero carbon emitting, end-to-end mining system.

This milestone is a reflection of the partnership between our teams at Newmont and Caterpillar, showcasing the impact of strong collaboration in the mining industry, said Rob Atkinson, executive vice president, Newmont. Achieving this milestone together, combining capabilities and shared values, is a testament to the strength of our strategic alliance.

This battery electric truck will complete Caterpillars first fully electric underground load and haul solution when paired with the commercially available R1700 XE battery electric loader.

Denise Johnson, Caterpillars Resource Industries group president, said, This is a milestone for the entire Caterpillar team as we work closer than ever with Newmont to provide more sustainable choices for the underground mining industry.

Caterpillar also completed a demonstration of its growing autonomy and automation capabilities. This technology addresses some of the key safety challenges faced daily by the companys underground customers, like the risk of collision when moving heavy machinery through dark, cramped spaces. Autonomous trucks can help to enhance mine site safety by removing operators from potentially hazardous or remote sites. Also, these features can improve productivity by creating increased visibility for mine site coordinators, enabling more consistent operations for both staffed and autonomous machines.

Johnson added, We are building on our foundation of industry-leading autonomous solutions for surface operations, along with our deep experience in underground technology, to provide significant improvement in both productivity and safety for underground mining customers.

Caterpillar said its recent demonstration is the latest example of the companys progress in developing more sustainable offerings for the mining industry, both on the surface and underground.

Newmont, working with Caterpillar, completed the transition to a fully autonomous haul fleet of 36 trucks at the Boddington open pit gold mine in Australia in October 2021. Newmont and Caterpillar have been working toward transitioning Newmonts Cripple Creek and Victor open pit gold mine in Colorado to a fleet of autonomous and electric haul trucks.
Exactly a year ago, I wrote ( Bankruptcy Law Changes: Without Extensive Public Consultation, a Hurried Amendment Will Be Full of New Loopholes and Issues ) that the bankruptcy law badly needs fixing. At that time, the government appeared to be serious about overhauling the legislation in the 2023 Budget. It was already clear that the game-changing legislation was being gamed with impunity. Corporate defaulters colluding with resolution professionals, bankers and, sometimes, even judges, meant endless rounds of litigation. The rating agency CRISIL points out that recovery under the Act has dropped to 32%.

The picture is worse. Many companies are liquidated because there are no bidders and the recovery is in single digits. Large defaulters, like Anil Ambanis Reliance Capital and the Videocon group, have received bids below the liquidation value and many defaulters have been liquidated with pathetic recovery because there were no takers under the resolution process. (Read: Defaulter Bailouts and Broken Trust: RBIs Views Swing like a Pendulum ).

A stunning Rs10.09 lakh crore has already been written off between 2018 and 2022. And the finance minister (FM) has herself admitted to Parliament that only 13% of the loans under technical write-offs have been recovered. Well, 2023 has come to an end without any amendment to the law or even a white paper on the subject, as demanded by the Congress Party ( Congress Demands White Paper on Bankruptcy Process; Accuses Government of Sheltering Defaulters ). On the contrary, the fresh raids on ABG Shipyard Ltd, by the enforcement directorate (ED) on 29th November seem to take us back to 2017, when the resolution process was set in motion under the bankruptcy law.

Let us understand why the recent ED raids on ABG Shipyard are important. For starters, ABG Shipyard was one of the 12 large defaulters that were first referred to bankruptcy proceedings, ostensibly at the instance of the prime minister's office (PMO). These included: Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel, Electrosteels Steel, Jyoti Structures and Alok Industries, which were the early successes under the brand new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. Of the 12, Amtek Auto and ABG Shipyard, with massive outstanding loans, have been undergoing a tortuous process of litigation and conflicting orders without clear resolution and pitiful recovery.

Rishi Agarwal, founder of ABG Shipyard, owes Indian banks a massive Rs22,800 crore. Although the company was not very well known to the general public, industry circles were aware of Mr Agarwal's powerful connections across the political spectrum. Remember, every large loan default in India is the result of behest lending and collusion with bankers (derisively described as phone banking by the PM) and the ABG Shipyard enjoyed benevolent treatment long before the BJP-led government came to power in 2014.

And yet, when Rishi Agarwal was arrested in September 2022 by the central bureau of investigation (CBI) for having cheated banks, it sent shock waves among Indian industrialists who believed that he enjoyed some special protection. He has been out on bail since December 2022; all was quiet almost for a year until 29th November when ED conducted searches at his home and offices under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED claimed to have recovered cash, bullion and jewellery to the tune of Rs5 crorea pathetic amount, given that the groups liabilities are over Rs22,842 crore.

To be fair, piecemeal investigation and enforcement actions have been on for a few years including an eviction notice to company directors to vacate personal properties (it was stayed by a court). This case, too, follows the standard but dubious process adopted in every large defaulta meaningless forensic audit is ordered long after it is clear there are no meaningful assets to recover or enforceable personal guarantees. The audit exposes fraud and diversion of funds, while carefully avoiding any hint of collusion by bankers who pay for the audit. A CBI complaint is filed leading to raids and arrests and an illusion of action but very little recovery.

A Decade of Indulgence

Gujarat-based ABG Shipyard, the flagship company of the ABG group, was set up in 1985. It received generous funding from 28 banks, financial institutions and finance companies until 2010, and they also took advantage of lax supervision to paper over the groups problems right until 2013. A banker recently shared internal documents dating back to 2013, which indicate that all banks that lent to ABG Shipyard were aware that it was diverting funds when its total borrowing was significantly smaller. By then, it had already set up numerous subsidiary companies, mainly based in Singapore, and related-party dealings and transactions with these entities were already causing concern.

By 2014-15, it was making losses; revenues had dropped to one-sixth from the peak. Despite all the red flags thrown up by the detailed assessment that preceded the corporate debt restructuring (CDR), banks went ahead and restructured loans in March 2014 which included a moratorium on payment of interest and principal. Despite this generosity, the restructuring failed from the very start and the company continued to default.

By 2016, it was impossible not to declare it a non-performing asset (NPA) and ICICI Bank, finally, filed for resolution under the bankruptcy law, claiming total liabilities of Rs27,400 crore. A forensic audit by Ernst & Young LLP (E&Y) was ordered only in 2019 after which the State Bank of India (SBI) claims to have obtained evidence of fraud, misappropriation, diversion of funds and criminal breach of trust. Remember, as many as 28 entities had lent to ABG Shipyard enabling it to divert funds through 98 subsidiaries and related concerns and enriching the founder. Although SBI filed a complaint in 2019, CBI registered a case only in February 2022.

The detailed assessment, running into several hundred pages, prior to the CDR, threw up many red flags. For starters, ABG Shipyard had exhausted its borrowing capacity in 2011 itself. The total loans outstanding in 2013 were Rs7,403 crore to 28 banks, institutional lenders and finance companies. ICICI Bank, it turns out, was ABG Shipyards biggest backer with an exposure of Rs2,076 crore, followed by IDBI Bank with Rs1,075 crore, SBI with Rs 686 crore and EXIM Bank with Rs413 crore.

The 2013 documents show that funds had already been diverted to set up ABG Shipyard Singapore Pte and Varada Global Pte Ltd (VGPL). VGPL was entirely held by Rishi Agarwal and had, in turn, spawned layers of subsidiaries and inter-connected companies as shown in the table below.

For instance, as part of the CDR, the company was to liquidate Rs187.8 crore diverted to set up ABG Shipyard Pte in three months. It had claimed that this money was fully recoverable; but that did not happen. It had also accepted that it overstated purchases to the tune of Rs100 crore in a proceeding before the income-tax (I-T) settlement commission. While these red flags were duly noted, the lenders consortium went ahead and allowed the CDR.

This attitude was not limited to ABG Shipyard but was true of all large NPAs of that time. An academic study has noted that the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) lax regulatory policy between 2008 and 2015 allowed bad loans to be hidden, led to the emergence of what are called zombie firms to avoid proper classification of bad loans and, consequently, poor provisioning by banks ( https://indianeconomy.columbia.edu/sites/ default/files/content/201903-Chari%20et%20al-Bank%20Reg.pdf ).

The consequence of hiding the rot (even accounting for exaggerated interest claims by banks) is that ICICI Bank approached the bankruptcy court as the lead bank, with a claim of Rs27,400 crore as dues to banks, the government, employees and operational creditors.

Please note that the forensic audit by E&Y was ordered only two years later, in 2019. Meanwhile, with CBI and ED filing separate complaints and charges in connection with each group entity and challenging the resolution process with claims of money laundering, all that we have is endless litigation and no solution. The workers continue to agitate for their dues and are not paid. The Welspun group, which paid Rs790 crore to acquire assets as part of the resolution process, has the ED challenging the sale as recently as in February 2023. CBI has filed a case against a subsidiary company, PFS Shipping, for causing a wrongful loss of Rs163.8 crore. Meanwhile, ED also claims to have attached Rs2,748 crore of assets which will remain in limbo.

Wasnt the game-changer bankruptcy legislation supposed to address all of this? Unless there is an urgent amendment that fixes issues, we may continue to see fresh raids and newer complaints for tiny recoveries, followed by a rash of litigation and conflicting claims from defaulters, potential buyers, enforcement agencies and creditors, that will continue for the next decade or so, with negligible recoveries but massive litigation bills for all.

Everybody expected the new bankruptcy law to address issues related to bank loans. Instead, the resolution process has thrown up its own set of complex and long-term issues. Any root-cause analysis of the gigantic bad loans will take us straight to the corrupt nexus between borrowers and banks, mainly public sector banks (arm-twisted by politicians), which has left them with no collateral against the lakhs of crores of public money given out which had to be substantially written off.
Holding Canara Bank and its officials responsible for deficiency in service and unfair trade practice resulting in mental agony and hardship to a now 95-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI), the national consumer disputes redressal commission (NCDRC) enhanced the compensation to Rs5 lakh from Rs1 lakh. Canara Bank is directed to pay Rs9.09 lakh to the British citizen, including the compensation and award with an interest of 6%pa (per annum) and Rs25,000 litigation costs. In this case, Canara Bank's Goraya (Punjab) branch and one official converted the senior citizen's foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposit to Indian rupee deposits by transferring it to a savings bank account without the consent of the NRI.

In an order last week , the NCDRC bench of Dr Inder Jit Singh (presiding member) says, "We are of the considered view that compensation of Rs1 lakh, out of a total of Rs5,09,288 awarded by the Punjab state consumer disputes redressal commission is very meagre and the complainant definitely deserve to get a much higher compensation for the mental agony and hardship at this age. Accordingly, partially modifying the order of the state commission with respect to quantum of compensation, we enhance the amount of compensation from Rs1 lakh awarded by the state commission to Rs5 lakh. Accordingly, we direct Canara Bank and its officials to pay a total sum of Rs9,09,288, including Rs4,09,288 awarded by the state commission on various items, except compensation and Rs5 lakh towards compensation, along with a litigation cost of Rs25,000 in connection with the present first appeal to be paid to the complainant by Canara Bank and its officials."

Swaran Singh Saggu, an NRI residing in the UK, deposited a substantial amount in FCNRs fixed deposits with Canara Bank, which were set to mature on specific dates. During his visit to India in January 2015, accompanied by his daughter, Mr Saggu sought to encash and transfer the FCNR amounts to his UK account, providing necessary details to Deepak Bansal, branch manager of Canara Bank.

However, despite repeated visits and requests over six weeks, Canara Bank's inability to locate the original file delayed the process. False pretences, including claims from others, were used and Canara Bank's actions were deemed unfair and disregarding of their obligations towards Mr Saggu.

Mr Saggu, in his complaint, says, "Several attempts and legal notices were made to facilitate the transfer, revealing that the FCNRs had been encashed earlier, without my knowledge. Despite this, the necessary information was not provided. Canara Bank and its officials failed to transfer the amount until a high court (HC) order mandated the transfer to my account."

Mr Saggu was further compelled to seek court intervention due to his prolonged stay in India, incurring significant expenses for lodging, legal counsel, and health reasons. The Punjab & Haryana HC eventually ordered the transfer to the specified account, acknowledging Mr Saggu's legitimate claim over the deposited amounts.

The NRI also filed a case under the Consumer Protection Act where the state consumer commission partially upheld his claim against Canara Bank for deficient services related to the release of FCNR amounts. The state commission directed Canara Bank to pay Mr Saggu Rs5,09,288 for losses incurred due to income loss during encashment, legal fees, hotel expenses and compensation.

During the hearing before the state commission, Canara Bank contended that Mr Saggu is not of sound mind since 2008 and accordingly, a power of attorney (POA) dated 24 November 2014 issued by him in favour of his daughter Orvinder Kaur Saggu is not acceptable. However, the state commission held that there is no evidence that Mr Saggu is of unsound mind and was incompetent to execute the POA in favour of his daughter and there is no requirement to have the legal guardianship certificate from the National Trust Act 1999.

It also referred to the HC judgement, which stated, "...it is the amount of Mr Saggu deposited by him and during his lifetime no legal heir has any right to deal with that amount and that he is the sole owner of the amount and has a right to get it transferred according to his instructions, therefore we do not see any substance in the objection raised by the counsel for Canara Bank that amount could not be transferred in favour of Mr Saggu due to interse dispute between his relatives."

Responding to a legal notice served by Ms Kaur, Canara Bank told her to go to a court of law to get the amount, which resulted in the HC directing the amount to be transferred to Mr Saggu's account, the state commission noted.

After going through the orders of the state commission, the HC, and relevant documents available on records, NCDRC says it is in broad agreement with the order passed by the state commission, except for the Rs1 lakh compensation. It observed that "At the time of filing the complaint in December 2016, Mr Saggu, an NRI, a British citizen, was aged about 88 years, suffering from various ailments. If, at this age, someone who has been settled abroad for the last about 60 years does not get back his own legitimate money from the bank in his home country where he has put it in fixed deposits, one can understand the pain and mental agony undergone by such a person. We agree with Mr Saggu's contentions that Canara Bank has unreasonably and unfairly delayed the matter concerning the transfer of his FCNR deposits, due to which he even had to approach the high court for relief."

"Canara Bank and its officials, knowing fully well that the FCNR deposits (of Mr Saggu) were encashed on 23 February 2015, kept him in the dark even when a written letter dated 20 March 2015 was given to the Goraya branch of Canara Bank and to Mr Bansal for transferring the amount of FCNR to Mr Saggu's UK account and subsequent issuance of legal notice dated 31 March 2015. Mr Saggu, in his affidavit evidence before the state commission, has specifically stated that he was a British citizen and had specially come to India in January 2015 for that purpose and had to return in February 2015 and the FCNR money required to be transferred to his account in the UK was to be utilised for private medical treatment for himself and his wife, who had undergone life-saving brain surgery in November 2014 in the UK. Goraya branch of Canara Bank and Mr Bansal also gave incorrect report to the Banking Ombudsman that Mr Saggu has not produced original FCNR deposits and indemnity bond while the said FCNR had already been encashed on 23 February 2015," NCDRC noted.

While allowing the petition filed by Mr Saggu and dismissing the plea filed by Canara Bank, NCDRC directed the lender to pay enhanced compensation to the British citizen within one month.

(First Appeal Nos675/1632 of 2018 Date: 13 December 2023)
CARSON CITY  A new policy issued this week by Gov. Joe Lombardos administration functionally ended more-lenient remote work guidelines for state employees, reverting back to pre-pandemic norms 11 months after Lombardo initially moved to send workers back to the office.

In January, Lombardo signed an executive order instructing the Department of Administration to implement pre-pandemic, normal and customary office conditions for executive branch employees by July 1, 2023. At the time, Lombardo cited state agency vacancy rates hitting 24% and lamented a lack of face-to-face interaction between the public and government workers.

In my opinion, government service is a service, Lombardo told The Nevada Independent in January. Its a service to the constituents, and thats where weve lost our way.

However, that six-month implementation window was extended this summer, after state lawmakers approved the purchase of more than a dozen new office buildings meant to house executive branch agencies in Las Vegas. In a memo issued in late June, Department of Administration chief Jack Robb told state employees that retrofitting the new space would extend the remote work timeline by another six to 12 months.

The five-page policy emailed to executive branch employees Tuesday calls remote work agreements a limited discretionary privilege to be approved case-by-case with individual employees and revoked at any time.

Effective immediately, the document adds, it is the intent of the governor that remote work is the exception, not the rule, and that such agreements are not appropriate to be ubiquitous across broad categorizations of employees, such as entire executive departments or job titles.

That language echoes previous comments from Lombardo and Robb. In the June memo, Robb called it a privilege to work remotely. Speaking to Nevada Independent editor Jon Ralston in January, the governor said its called a job for a reason.

The failure for anyone to answer a phone  youre left in the queue for two weeks or youre on for four hours and not getting an answer, thats directly related to people not putting eyes on an individual and feeling their pain, Lombardo said at the time. Its easy to ignore someone from your living room.

Asked for comment, Lombardo spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said the new policy came after the governors office noted inconsistencies in the implementation of the statewide remote work policy.

The policy was circulated to provide clarity on this issue and to reiterate expectations in the new year, Ray said.

Nationwide, employers and employees have grappled with the yearslong return to the office for white-collar workers, especially after COVID-related lockdown measures reshaped the nature of remote work.

Workers nationally reported roughly 60% of paid days were worked from home in the middle of 2020, according to a study from WFH Research. That number has steadily dropped in the months and years since, but still hovered around 28% as of October 2023.

However, those researchers found only about 12% of workers were fully remote as of October, compared to 58% fully in person and 30% in hybrid arrangements.

Though Nevada has more than 17,000 state workers, Lombardos office did not clarify how many were under a remote work agreement prior to Tuesdays new policy.
The board of directors of Varun Beverages has approved to acquire 100% stake in the business conducted by The Beverage Company (Proprietary) Limited, South Africa along-with its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Bevco is engaged in the business of manufacturing and distribution of licensed (PepsiCo Inc.) / own-branded non-alcoholic beverages in South Africa.

Bevco has franchise rights from PepsiCo Inc. in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Further, it also has distribution rights for Namibia and Botswana.

The acquisition will enable VBL to expand its geographical footprint in Africa.

The proposed transaction at an enterprise level is valued at Rs13.2 billion.

The company with an option to accept minority coinvestment from large equity fund intends to hold 100 per cent of the Equity Share Capital of Bevco along with its subsidiaries Bevco is engaged in the business of manufacturing and distribution of licensed (PepsiCo Inc.) / ownbranded non-alcoholic beverages in South Africa.

Bevco has franchise rights from PepsiCo Inc. in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Further, it also has distribution rights for Namibia and Botswana.

Bevco achieved sales volumes of 117 million 8oz cases in FY23.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Last Thursday, a group of international students from Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) engaged in a cultural tour in Beijing.

Fifteen students from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Mali, and Kazakhstan visited the Temple of Heaven, the Drum Tower, and Beijing hutongs, where they tasted teas, and drew facial masks to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture.

The Temple of Heaven was wrapped in a silver blanket on that snowy day. Immersed in the beauty of the heavy snowfall, the students took out their phones to capture this beautiful moment.

International students from BJTU take photos at the Temple of Heavenscenic spot.(Photo:China News Network/Zhao Li)Arystan Adil, a student from Kazakhstan, told ECNS that it was his first time visiting the Temple of Heaven.

"The Temple of Heaven is where ancient emperors offered sacrifices and prayed for rain. I am very interested in Chinese history," he said. Dra Yasin Amara Sekou S, a civil engineering student from Mali, was fascinated by the architectural structure of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

"The guide told us that the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is made of wood, and the entire building doesn't use a single nail, he said, adding It reminded me of the mortise and tenon structure I learned in class. I find it very impressive and get the wisdom of ancient Chinese people here.

After exploring the Temple of Heaven, the next stop was experiencing the art of drama facial mask painting in an old Beijing hutong. They sat around small tables, sketching their own facial masks, each one vivid and lifelike.

Ling Chieng Ying Joyce, a Malaysian student, has been interested in Chinese culture since childhood. "I want to bring back Chinese drama facial mask culture to Malaysia because there are many Chinese Malaysians, and I hope we could continue to inherit Chinese traditional culture," she said.

Vietnamese student Tran Hien Luong receives an interview with ECNS. (Photo: China News Network/Zhao Li)

Vietnamese student Tran Hien Luong shared her experience of studying in China, saying that the country's high growth and social stability left a deep impression on her.

The high-speed trains here make it convenient to go anywhere. In addition, mobile payment is also very convenient, she said.

"I felt very proud of my decision to study in China," she added.
A view of a plate of pasta Carbonara at "La Carbonara" restaurant in Campo de' Fiori in Rome, Italy, Dec. 14, 2023.
Photo taken on Nov. 17, 2023 shows the China-aided Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

"Promoting a synergy between China's BRI and Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy will give a boost to the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future with strategic significance, mutual benefits and win-win results," said Tep Ngorn, second vice-president of the Senate of Cambodia.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy will provide fresh momentum into the community with a shared future between the two countries, a senior Cambodian senator and experts said on Tuesday.

The BRI, initiated by China in 2013, is aimed at building trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa and beyond, while the Pentagonal Strategy, launched in August this year, focuses on human capital development, economic diversification, increased competitiveness, private sector and employment growth, sustainability and digital development.

Speaking at the launch event of Chinese-aided rural livelihood improvement projects in Cambodia, Tep Ngorn, second vice-president of the Senate of Cambodia, said a decade-old BRI has delivered tremendous benefits to Cambodia's socio-economic development, connectivity infrastructure development, and poverty reduction.

"Promoting a synergy between China's BRI and Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy will give a boost to the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future with strategic significance, mutual benefits and win-win results," he said.

Aerial photo taken on June 5, 2023 shows the Chinese-funded third ring road in Kandal province, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

Ngorn added that the "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework, which is focused on six priority areas: political cooperation, production capacity and quality, agriculture, energy, security and people-to-people exchanges, is also essential to boost Cambodia's development.

The senior senator also highlighted excellent relations and close cooperation between the two countries, saying that the bilateral ties are rock-solid and unbreakable.

His remarks came after Cambodia and China agreed in September to deepen a strategic synergy between the BRI and the Pentagonal Strategy, aiming at achieving high-quality and sustainable common development.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think-tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said a synergy between the BRI and the Pentagonal Strategy will further deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership that both countries forged in 2010.

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)

"Cambodia stands to gain a lot of economic benefits from the strategic alignment of the Pentagonal Strategy with the BRI," he told Xinhua. "The combination of the two strategies will speed up Cambodia's development of connectivity infrastructure, logistics, industries, digital technology, energy and agriculture, among others."

Phea said it will also give a full play to the collaboration between the countries in boosting investment and production capacity to transform the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk into a model multi-purpose special economic zone.

"The synergy between the two strategies will help Cambodia accelerate its development towards its ambitious goals of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050," he said.

Thong Mengdavid, a research supervisor at the Asian Vision Institute, a Phnom Penh-based independent think tank, said the synergy will produce a win-win outcome for both countries and peoples in the long term.

Aerial photo taken on May 10, 2023 shows the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

"The BRI has promoted connectivity and cooperation in all sectors including physical infrastructure, economy, investment, and financial sector, as well as people-to-people relations, and it is becoming a new locomotive of global growth," he told Xinhua. "The synergy between the BRI and the Pentagonal Strategy will bring further development to Cambodia."

Mengdavid said the Chinese mega-projects under the BRI such as hydropower plants, the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, and the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport have greatly boosted inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development and poverty alleviation in Cambodia.

Editor: WRX
The District Court of Guam is seen Monday, Oct. 24, 2023, in Hagatna.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former governor Terry McAuliffe in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. October 29, 2021.
The Guam Judicial Center as seen in Hagatna on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.
Ukraine on Wednesday received EUR 150 million in non-repayable financial assistance from the EU as part of a bilateral agreement to finance the program supporting Ukraine's rapid recovery (the state development and resilience contract), the Ministry of Finance announced.

Grant funding will help ensure priority measures for the restoration of critical facilities damaged as a result of Russias armed aggression, in particular transport infrastructure, public utilities and services, social infrastructure and residential premises, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

It is clarified that the second tranche in the amount of EUR 100 million is expected in the first quarter of 2024. The funds will be used both to finance recovery measures and to support small farms and other representatives of agriculture.

The day before, Marchenko said that since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has managed to attract more than $39 billion in external financing, compared to $32.1 billion for the entire last year, and by the end of the year this amount will reach about $42.3 billion. In particular, EUR1.5 billion more is expected from the EU within the last tranche of macro-financial assistance this year.
On Tuesday, December 19, the Italian government approved a decision that will allow military supplies to Ukraine to continue until the end of 2024, the country's Defense Ministry reported.

As reported in a press release on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Defense, the supplies include not only weapons, but also transport, electric generators and "everything necessary to support military operations in defense of unarmed civilians."

As noted, "the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in an international scenario, aggravated by the Middle East crisis and the war between Israel and Hamas, forces the Meloni government to make a choice in favor of coherence, support and, consequently, expansion of assistance to Ukraine in accordance with international commitments undertaken by Italy in the EU and NATO."

"Italy once again chooses to be on the side of freedom of nations and respect for international law in order to achieve, in accordance with the position taken by NATO and EU allies, a just and lasting peace," said Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, quoted by the press service of the ministry.
Italian prosecutor acknowledges stalking threat against slain woman may have been underestimated View Photo

MILAN (AP)  An Italian prosecutor on Wednesday acknowledged that authorities may have underestimated a stalking threat to a 26-year-old pregnant woman when they failed to take action against a former lover now suspected of stabbing her to death in her home.

Prosecutor Marco Martani told reporters that the victim, Vanessa Ballan, had filed an Oct. 26 complaint alleging that the suspect, Bujar Fandaj, climbed a gate and attempted to get into the home she shared with her companion and 4-year-old son. Ballan also accused Fandai of other aggressive behavior.

Authorities searched the mans house the next day, after which there were no longer episodes of harassment, of getting close, of threats, Martani was quoted by Corriere della Sera as saying. The case was labeled not urgent, which unfortunately has turned out to be unfounded.

He said that authorities lacked the necessary indications to take further action. The only measure that could have stopped the aggression would have been preventative detention, a provision for which there were not sufficient elements, Martani said.

Prosecutors said that the aggressor used a hammer to break a window to get into Ballans home near Treviso, north of Venice in the Veneto region, on Tuesday. Ballan, who was alone at the time, was stabbed at least seven times. A knife believed to be the murder weapon was found in the victims kitchen, and police recovered from the suspects residence a bag with a hammer, at least one more knife and other tools used for break-ins.

Fandaj, a Kosovo citizen living in Italy, was arrested late Tuesday in his home in a nearby town.

The two had engaged in an affair that started last year, and which she ended over the summer. The threats began soon after, and he frequently showed up at the supermarket where she worked as a cashier, prosecutors said.

Ballans murder comes just a month after Italy was shocked by the killing of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin, who was found dead, her throat slit, in a ditch in a remote area of the Alpine foothills also in the Veneto region. She had disappeared after meeting her ex-boyfriend for a burger. He was arrested in Germany and is in an Italian jail pending charges.

Cecchettins father, Gino, at her funeral implored men to be agents of change in a culture that undervalues the lives of women, urging them not to turn away in front of signs of violence, even the slightest.

Cecchettin was among 102 women murdered through mid-November this year in Italy, more than half by current or former intimate partners, according to the Interior Ministry. Updated figures were not immediately available.

By COLLEEN BARRY

Associated Press
CDFW Gray Wolf pack in Tulare County named the Yowlumni Pack View Photo

In announcing the new name of the gray wolf pack discovered this summer in the Sierra Nevada, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) also increased the number of wolves in the pack.

CDFW partnered with the Tule River Tribe of California, as the wolves were found on their reservation and ancestral lands, to formally name it the Yowlumni Pack.

CDFW is thankful for the Tribes assistance in naming the Yowlumni Pack and connecting the cultural significance of the pack in the region to its name, stated state wildlife officials.

The tribe shared that the name Yowlumni comes from the Yowlumni band of the Tule River Yokuts.

This was described by my mother, Agnes Vera, who was born on the Tule River Indian Reservation in 1926, said Vernon Vera, a Tule River Tribal Elder. She was the last fluent speaker of Yowlumni until her passing in 2010. She taught that the Yowlumni were speakers of the Wolf Tongue.

The pack was sighted in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County in July. As reported here at that time, 12 scat and hair samples were collected in the area for genetic testing, with all samples confirmed to be gray wolves. State wildlife officials also spent months trying to collar one or more wolves in the pack. On December 5, they were able to capture and collar an adult female wolf around 7-8 years old and 85 lbs. Based on the results of the DNA analyses and subsequent observations, CDFW learned that the pack consists of a breeding pair and six pups; originally, they had reported only four pups.

The female wolfs movements will be monitored to collect information about the pack, including the determination of its home range, use of habitat, potential for livestock conflict, and other data, according to CDFW. For more details regarding Californias wolves, including current information about existing packs, wolf biology, conflicts with livestock, and CDFWs wolf management plan, click here.
US defense secretary makes unannounced visit to USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier defending Israel View Photo

ABOARD THE USS GERALD R. FORD (AP)  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a deadlier regional conflict.

Austin was in the region to press Israel to shift its bombardment of Gaza to a more limited campaign and more quickly transition to address Palestinian civilians dire humanitarian needs.

At the same time, the U.S. has been concerned that Israel will launch a similar military operation along its northern border with Lebanon to expel Hezbollah militants there, potentially opening a second front and widening the war.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Austin didnt say whether U.S. troops might be further extended to defend Israel if its campaign expands into Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to tone down recent rhetoric that a northern front was imminent, deferring to diplomatic efforts first.

Still, that leaves incredible uncertainty for the Ford and its crew, which Austin ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean to be closer to Israel the day after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. The aircraft carriers more than 4,000 sailors and the accompanying warships were supposed to be home in early November.

Using the public address system of the Ford, which is sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Israel, Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up spending the holidays together because of the mission.

Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things we stop from happening, Austin told the crew. In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict.

The defense secretary met with a group of sailors in the Fords hangar bay to talk about the various dangers in the region that the carrier, the destroyers and the cruisers deployed along with it have been watching.

He thanked them for keeping attention on cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and later told reporters traveling with him that if Israel transitions away from major combat operations in Gaza, it could possibly ease some of the regional tension that has kept the Ford in place.

The Fords commanding officer, Navy Capt. Rick Burgess, said one of the Fords main contributions has been to stay close enough to Israel that it can send its aircraft in to provide support, if needed. While the Fords fighter and surveillance aircraft are not contributing to the surveillance needs of Israels operations in Gaza, other ships in its strike group are, Burgess said.

The Ford is one of two U.S. carrier strike groups bracketing the conflict. The other, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, has recently patrolled near the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea waterway where so many commercial vessels have come under attack in recent weeks.

Iranian-backed Houthis in nearby Yemen have vowed to continue striking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones until Israel ceases its devastating bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed more than 19,000 Palestinians.

To counter the ship attacks, Austin announced a new international maritime mission Tuesday to get countries to send their warships and other assets to the southern Red Sea, to protect the roughly 400 commercial vessels that transit the waterway daily.

Since it left Norfolk in the first week of May, the Fords fighter aircraft and surveillance planes have conducted more than 8,000 missions. The crew, Austin noted, has been moving at full speed  consuming more than 100,000 Monster energy drinks and 155,000 Red Bulls along the way.

By TARA COPP

Associated Press
Rite Aid banned from facial recognition tech use for 5 years after faulty theft targeting in stores

Rite Aid banned from facial recognition tech use for 5 years after faulty theft targeting in stores View Photo

Rite Aid has been banned from using facial recognition technology for five years over allegations that its surveillance system was used incorrectly to identify potential shoplifters, especially Black, Latino, Asian or female shoppers.

The settlement with the Federal Trade Commission addresses charges that the struggling drugstore chain didnt do enough to prevent harm to its customers and implement reasonable procedures, the government agency said.

Rite Aid said late Tuesday that it disagrees with the allegations, but that its glad it reached an agreement to resolve the issue.

The FTC said in a federal court complaint that technology used by Rite Aid for several years led to thousands of incorrect matches, including an incident where Rite Aid store employees stopped and searched an 11-year-old girl.

Rite Aid used facial recognition technology in hundreds of stores from October 2012 to July 2020 to identify shoppers it had previously deemed likely to engage in shoplifting or other criminal behavior, the FTC said. The company didnt tell customers that it was using the technology.

It was installed at store locations in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, among other cities. Cameras would target customers as they entered the store or moved through it, the complaint said.

The technology would then compare the live images with a database.

The complaint noted that many images it used for its database were low-quality, coming from security cameras, employee phone cameras and news stories in some cases.

The technology sent alerts to Rite Aid employees either by email or phone when it identified people entering the store on its watchlist.

The FTC said in its complaint that store employees would then follow those people, order them to leave or call police. Federal officials also said employees would accuse people in front of friends, family and other customers of previously committing crimes.

The federal complaint said Rite Aid failed to test the accuracy of its technology before using it.

Rite Aid says the allegations center on a pilot program it used in a limited number of stores, and it stopped using this technology more than three years ago.

We respect the FTCs inquiry and are aligned with the agencys mission to protect consumer privacy, the company said in a statement posted on its website. However, we fundamentally disagree with the facial recognition allegations in the agencys complaint.

Facial recognition technology has a checkered history. Supporters say it has been vital in helping to catch drug dealers or resolve missing persons cases when used by law enforcement. But critics say it leads to a higher rate of misidentification for people of color.

Rite Aid also noted in a prepared statement that any agreement will have to be approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Rite Aid announced last fall that it was closing more than 150 stores as it makes its way through a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

Rite Aid Corp., based in Philadelphia, has more than 2,000 locations. The company has struggled financially for years and also faces financial risk from lawsuits over opioid prescriptions like its bigger rivals, CVS and Walgreens.

By TOM MURPHY

AP Health Writer
Wisconsin prosecutor appeals ruling that cleared way for abortions to resume in state

Wisconsin prosecutor appeals ruling that cleared way for abortions to resume in state View Photo

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Republican district attorney has appealed a court ruling that determined that an 1849 Wisconsin law does not ban abortions, a decision that cleared the way for abortions to resume in the state.

Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski on Tuesday appealed the ruling from a Dane County judge that said there is no state ban on abortions. The appeal was expected and the case is likely to ultimately be decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Urmanski asked that the appeal be heard in the states Waukesha-based 2nd District Court of Appeals, where three of the four judges are conservative. Appeals are heard by three-judge panels.

Any appeal of a ruling there would go to the state Supreme Court, where liberals hold a 4-3 majority. The most recently elected liberal justice, Janet Protasiewicz, campaigned as a supporter of abortion rights.

The U.S. Supreme Courts June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion, led to Planned Parenthood stopping abortions in Wisconsin. The group cited the states 1849 law, which was widely viewed as banning the procedure.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul sued to overturn the ban, naming Urmanski in Sheboygan County and prosecutors in Dane and Milwaukee counties as defendants. Those are the counties where Planned Parenthood had clinics that offered abortions.

Dane County Circuit Judge Dianne Schlipper ruled in July that the 1849 ban doesnt use the term abortion and that the law therefore only prohibits attacking a woman in an attempt to kill her unborn child. She issued her final order earlier this month, which opened the door for the appeal.

Planned Parenthood reopened clinics in Madison and Milwaukee that perform abortions soon after the July ruling. A third clinic in Sheboygan is scheduled to reopen next week.

District attorneys in all three counties where the clinics are located, including Urmanski, have said they will abide by the judges ruling while the case plays out.

Marquette University Law School polls conducted since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade have shown that a majority of Wisconsin residents opposed that ruling and support legalized abortion.

By SCOTT BAUER

Associated Press
The prisoner exchange track is working, but has slowed down for specific reasons on the part of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

I can't tell you what complicated this process (prisoner exchange). It wouldn't be very ethical. You're right, the process is complicated. Maybe the authorities really do not communicate much, I will pass this information to Ombudsman Lubinets, head of GUR Budanov, so that they still communicate, it is more clear to their relatives and friends. I understand their pain. This track is working, it has really slowed down due to reasons from the Russian Federation, but there are very specific reasons for this, Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The President assured that the prisoner exchange track would be opened.

They are currently working on a fairly good number of our guys to bring them back. God grant it will work out, he said.

The Head of state also noted that Ukraine manages to return Ukrainian children deported by the Russian Federation.

About a track with children. A small amount, but, nevertheless, they are gradually returning. Qatar is helping us here, he stressed.

Speaking about the topic of Crimeans captured by Russians, Zelenskyy said that this is a complicated story.

There is nothing to thank international organizations for. They couldn't do anything. I have worked very hard on this issue with Turkish President Erdogan. So far, dear President Erdogan has not shown the result. Regarding all the prisoners who were on the territory of Crimea, Zelenskyy said.

He also said that Ukraine is working separately with Switzerland, Norway and some Arab countries to return Ukrainian people.
Oklahoma judge rules a man who wrongfully spent nearly 50 years in prison for murder is innocent

Oklahoma judge rules a man who wrongfully spent nearly 50 years in prison for murder is innocent View Photo

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  An Oklahoma judge has exonerated a man who spent nearly 50 years in prison for murder, the longest serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime.

Glynn Simmons, 71, who was released in July after prosecutors agreed that key evidence in his case was not turned over to his defense lawyers, was ruled innocent Tuesday.

This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offense for which Mr. Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned was not committed by Mr. Simmons, according to the ruling by Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo.

Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days since his conviction, making him the longest imprisoned U.S. inmate to be exonerated, according to data kept by The National Registry of Exonerations.

Simmons said afterward that he feels vindicated after his time in prison that included initially being sentenced to death row.

Its a lesson in resilience and tenacity, Simmons said during a brief news conference following the ruling. Dont let nobody tell you that it (exoneration) cant happen, because it really can.

Simmons has maintained his innocence, saying he was in Louisiana at the time of the 1974 slaying of Carolyn Sue Rogers inside an Edmond liquor store.

He and co-defendant Don Roberts were both convicted in 1975 of the murder and initially sentenced to death. Their sentences were reduced to life in prison in 1977 after U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to capital punishment. Roberts was released on parole in 2008.

Palumbo in July ordered a new trial for Simmons after District Attorney Vicki Behenna said prosecutors had failed to turn over evidence in the case, including a police report that showed an eyewitness might have identified other suspects in the case.

Behenna in September said there is no longer physical evidence in the case against Simmons and announced she would not retry him, though she opposed declaring him actually innocent.

A spokesperson for Behenna declined immediate comment on Wednesday.

The ruling makes Simmons eligible for up to $175,000 in compensation from the state for wrongful conviction and opens the door for a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma City and law enforcement involved in Simmons arrest and conviction, defense attorney Joe Norwood said Wednesday.

Compensation, though, is likely years away, Norwood said and Simmons is currently living on donations while undergoing treatment for cancer that was detected after his release from prison.

Glynn is having to live off of GoFundMe, thats literally how the man is surviving right now, paying rent, buying food, Norwood said. Getting him compensation, and getting compensation is not for sure, is in the future and he has to sustain himself now.

By KEN MILLER

Associated Press
Live updates | Israel bombs Gaza and unveils tunnel complex as hostage negotiations gain momentum View Photo

At least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior official in the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

The Israeli military said its troops have located  a vast tunnel network  under Gaza City that included command and control positions, meeting rooms and hideout apartments for the most senior leaders of Hamas, including Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

There were new signs of progress Wednesday in negotiations to halt the war in Gaza and secure the release of at least some of the estimated 129 Israeli captives held by Palestinian militants. Hamas said that Haniyeh, who is believed to be based in Qatar, was in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the war, without providing more details.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Thousands more lie buried under the rubble of Gaza, the U.N. estimates. Israel says more than 130 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people  mostly civilians  and taking about 240 hostages.

Currently:

 Israel wants to fast-track humanitarian aid to Gaza via a maritime corridor from Cyprus.

 U.S. defense secretary makes an unannounced visit to aircraft carrier stationed near Israel

 A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with her brother in Israeli strike.

 Diplomats at U.N. Security Council delay vote on Gaza humanitarian resolution, trying to avoid U.S. veto.

 Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Heres whats happening in the war:

ISRAEL AIRSTRIKES HIT DEEP IN LEBANON AFTER DAY OF BORDER CLASHES WITH HEZBOLLAH

BEIRUT  Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes deep inside Lebanon late Wednesday evening, hitting a forested area near the town of Bouslaya, more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border, Lebanese state media reported.

The strikes came after a day of clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border, where the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have clashed near-daily since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. In recent days, officials from the U.S. and France visiting the region have sought to head off an escalation on the Lebanese front.

Earlier Wednesday, Hezbollah announced it had launched surface-to-air missiles at Israeli military helicopters, and the Israeli army said it had hit a military compound, launch posts, a command center, and a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah.

Also on Wednesday, Lebanons National News Agency reported that an Israeli sniper had shot and killed a man in his car near the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila. Hezbollah, which normally announces the deaths of its fighters, did not claim the man as a member. The group later announced that one of its fighters had been killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the town of Markaba on Wednesday evening.

More than 110 Hezbollah fighters and at least 16 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border, while at least nine soldiers and five civilians have been killed on the Israeli side.

ISRAELI TROOPS ENTER VAST TUNNEL NETWORK UNDER GAZA CITY

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said troops located a vast tunnel network under Gaza City that included command and control positions, meeting rooms and hideout apartments for the most senior leaders of Hamas, including Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, said on Wednesday that the rooms were 20 meters (60 feet) underground with elevators, stairs, separate water and electricity shafts, and with water, food, weapons and communications equipment stored for a prolonged stay. He said one of the rooms was an underground hall 150 meters (yards) across.

The military shared videos of what it said were the underground structures, showing tunnels with concrete walls, blast doors, ventilation systems, security cameras, electronic equipment, and long staircases descending deep into the earth. The military said the complex was centered on Palestine Square in central Gaza City, under stores, government offices and civilian apartment buildings.

Hamas is known to have built kilometers (miles) of tunnels, dubbed the Gaza metro, under the coastal enclave to operate in safety from Israeli aircraft.

ISRAELI MILITARY DOGS BODYCAM RECORDED AUDIO OF HOSTAGES WHO WERE LATER KILLED BY TROOPS

JERUSALEM  A military search dog with a body camera captured audio of three Israeli hostages shouting for help in Hebrew, five days before they were mistakenly shot to death by Israeli troops, according to the armys chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

According to new information released Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation, the dog captured the audio on Dec. 10. In the audio, the hostages can be heard shouting in Hebrew the words help, hostages and two of their names, Alon and Yotam.

Soldiers had sent the dog into a building the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, suspecting that militants were in inside. The dog was shot to death by the militants. The militants were killed in a firefight with Israeli forces.

The Israeli military believes this is how the hostages were able to escape.

The dogs recording was not reviewed until after the hostages were killed days later, as they tried to make themselves known to Israeli forces.

The hostages were shirtless and held a stick with a white cloth as they emerged Friday from a building about a kilometer (mile) from the location that had been searched by the dog. An Israeli sniper killed the first two hostages and the third hostage ran back into the building but was killed by other soldiers chasing him.

Israels military chief Herzi Halevi has said the shooting was against the militarys rules of engagement.

Iris Chaim, the mother of one of the killed hostages, released a recorded message for the military unit involved in the death of her son.

I know that everything that happened is not your fault. It is the fault of Hamas, she said, adding that she thought soldiers actions were the most right thing to do in that moment.

HOUTHI REBELS THREATEN TO STRIKE US WARSHIPS IF YEMEN IS ATTACKED

CAIRO The top leader of Yemens Houthi rebels threatened Wednesday to target U.S. warships if attacks are launched against Yemen, a day after Washington announced a new international coalition to protect commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea.

For weeks, the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have been attacking ships transiting the Red Sea with drones and ballistic missiles. The group has said their attacks aim to end Israels military offensive in the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli ties to the commercial ships targeted by the hardline Shia force have grown more tenuous with each attack.

In an hourlong speech, Abdel Malek al-Houthi said, America seeks to militarize the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, seeking to turn the region into a war zone.

On Tuesday, Washington announced the establishment of a new international coalition to protect vessels traveling through the Red Sea. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined the new maritime security mission, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Bahrain is the only Arab country in the coalition, and it does not border the Red Sea. Few additional details about how the maritime alliance will operate were made public.

The rebel leader also accused other Arab countries of intercepting its missile fire bound for Israel. In both cases, no specific country was named.

The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, several northern provinces bordering Saudi Arabia as well as much of the western highlands and Red Sea ports.

UNITED NATIONS SAYS 66% OF GAZANS WHO HAD A JOB BEFORE THE WAR ARE NOW UNEMPLOYED

CAIRO  The war in Gaza has wiped out some 192,000 jobs, erasing 66% of prewar employment in the blockaded coastal territory.

Thats according to new estimates released Wednesday by the U.N. labor agency and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

Ruba Jaradat, the regional director of the International Labor Organization, said Gazas 2.3 million Palestinians face a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.

Gaza was already impoverished before the war. Unemployment had hovered around 50% for years as Israel and Egypt maintained a blockade of the territory. Israel said the blockade was needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while the Palestinians and rights groups viewed it as collective punishment.

The war has also hurt the economy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has been under a lockdown for more than two and a half months.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians from both territories who worked in Israel had their permits suspended. Palestinians have long relied on such employment, which pays higher wages than those available in the occupied territories.

The International Labor Organization says 276,000 jobs in the West Bank have been lost since the start of the war.

It says the job loses would increase unemployment across both territories to 46%, compared to 24% at this time last year.

THE NETHERLANDS WILL DONATE 24 MILLION EUROS TO GAZA CIVILIANS

THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Netherlands is donating an extra 25 million euros (over $27 million) in humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The aid was announced during a visit Wednesday to the Rafah border crossing by Minister for Overseas Trade and Development Cooperation Geoffrey van Leeuwen. He says the money will be used to buy food, water medical supplies and fuel provided by the Red Cross and Red Crescent and the United Nations.

Van Leeuwen says that his three priorities are full humanitarian access, substantially more aid including much-needed fuel for the people of Gaza, and the safety of aid workers in Gaza.

The pledge comes on top of 25 million euros in aid for Gaza that the Dutch government previously announced.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL AGAIN DELAYS VOTE ON HALTING GAZA WAR

UNITED NATIONS  Trying to avoid another veto by the United States, the U.N. Security Council postponed voting for the second day in a row on an Arab-sponsored resolution that would deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza during some form of halt in the fighting.

Security Council members remained in intense negotiations Tuesday, as the United States has asked for more time. Talks were ongoing in an effort to get the Biden administration to abstain or vote in favor of the resolution.

Initially planned for Monday, the vote has been pushed back until Wednesday.

The draft resolution on the table Monday morning had called for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities, but this language was watered down in a new draft circulated early Tuesday.

It now calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities. The United States in the past has opposed language on a cessation of hostilities.

The draft also calls for the U.N. to establish a mechanism for monitoring the aid deliveries. This could be problematic because it bypasses the current Israeli inspection of aid entering Gaza.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday afternoon, when the vote was still set for 5 p.m. EST: Were still working through the modalities of the resolution.

He said: Its important for us that the rest of the world understand whats at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats.

By The Associated Press
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares that he will not sign the law on the mobilization of women if it is adopted, but may agree to reduce the military age to 25 years.

"No women, I won't sign it. As for the 25-year-olds, if all the arguments are set out, today I see that they need it, then I will agree with that," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, answering the question whether he would sign such laws if they were adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.
Taters the cat stars in NASAs first video sent by laser from deep space Associated Press, YouTube (furzy)

View from the golden circle. The orange glow below northern lights is current volcano eruption #iceland pic.twitter.com/xGG9PbSNea

Tiny biobots surprise their creators by healing wound FreeThink (Dr. Kevin)

Andrew Crumey  Red Planet & Brown Trout Literary Review. Anthony L: Because it is awesome

#COVID-19

Climate/Environment

How Big Oil is Taking Us for a Fossil-Fuelized Ride Juan Cole

China?

Vietnam and the limits of Communist friend-shoring Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph. Vikas Santi: Their minds are pathetically zero-sum.

Narendra Modi responds to assassination claims Financial Times

Timbuktu: Malis ancient city defies jihadist siege to stage a festival BBC (furzy)

European Disunion

How migration is pushing Europe to the right Financial Times

Old Blighty

Gaza

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood Day 74: Hamas tells Israel it arrived too late to tunnel; forces arrest doctors at Al-Awdeh Hospital Mondoweiss

This is beyond crazy, and hopefully can alert people to the indiscriminate nature of the killings that are occurring in Gaza. In case you don't know, since the time of Jesus the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem guards two of the holiest sites in the world for Christians: the site https://t.co/E2pn8a4Wks  Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) December 17, 2023

The Humanitarian Nightmare in Gaza Daniel Larison

Chris Hedges: The Death of Israel Scheerpost (Li)

Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza Frontline

* * *

The cost of US fighting Houthis in the Red Sea just went up Responsible Statescraft (Kevin W)

US Escalation in the Red Sea  A Lose/Lose Proposition Sputnik

* * *

RUSSIAN POLICY TOWARDS THE GAZA WAR & PALESTINE GENOCIDE IS MISTAKEN  JEWISH RELIGIOUS BELIEF, ZIONISM & ISRAELI STATE LAW DONT ALLOW THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION  THEY VIOLATE RUSSIAN LAW John Helmer

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization, he wasnt really lying. He was telling the truth  just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it. The demolition of Gaza is  Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) December 20, 2023

New Channel 12 report reveals footage of Israeli tanks shelling homes filled with Israeli noncombatants inside Kibbutz Beeri while hundreds of soldiers waited outside doing nothing The video compliments testimony of tanks killing many Israelis on 10/7 pic.twitter.com/kexS2H7OSo  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 19, 2023

BLOOD MONEY: THE TOP TEN POLITICIANS TAKING THE MOST ISRAEL LOBBY CASH MintPress (Chuck L). Some surprises, like the absence of Lindsay Graham. Guess he doesnt need more funding since he never met an opportunity for belligerence he didnt like.
Yves here. KLG discusses a new paper which dissects the problems with science, with the investigation of and efforts to prevent and treat Covid as the object lesson.

Since KLG plans to return to this topic soon, I hope he addresses dogmatism, which was aggressively enforced with invocations of The Science and threats (and in some cases successes) in ruining careers of apostates.

By KLG, who has held research and academic positions in three US medical schools since 1995 and is currently Professor of Biochemistry and Associate Dean. He has performed and directed research on protein structure, function, and evolution; cell adhesion and motility; the mechanism of viral fusion proteins; and assembly of the vertebrate heart. He has served on national review panels of both public and private funding agencies, and his research and that of his students has been funded by the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and National Institutes of Health.

The current pandemic has exposed various flaws in how scientific research is conducted in the United States and other countries in the so-called Global North. Some of this can be attributed to the urgency of the task presented by COVID-19 as it emerged four years ago. Getting a handle on the science of the pandemic is difficult. The Covid literature is exceedingly large and fragmented and the political response to the pandemic has been worse. But a paper published online on 8 December 2023 presents a framework for beginning to understand where we are: The Fragility of Scientific Rigour and Integrity in Sped up Science: Research Misconduct, Bias, and Hype in the COVID-19 Pandemic (henceforth Lipworth et al.; the journal website is here; alas, the paper is behind a paywall for most readers). The authors are from the Department of Philosophy at Macquarie University, the University of Sydney/Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney Law School, and the University of Toronto. Although practicing scientists tend to ignore outside voices, this is always a mistake. This paper is comprehensive, and I look forward to digging deeper into this very useful contribution to the current literature on the exigencies under which modern science, commonly understood, is practiced

As noted in their introduction, Preclinical and clinical research were sped up and scaled up in both the public and private sectors and in partnerships between them(resulting) in some extraordinary advances, but it also raisedissues regarding the ethics, rigour, and integrity of scientific research, academic publication, and public communication. One may rightly wonder at extraordinary advances four years into a pandemic that is still very much a threat, the long-term consequences of which are still unknown but frightening to those who persist in paying attention. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 that apparently began in Kansas was devastating, killing as many as 50 million people. But it dissipated after two years, and there was no Long-Spanish Flu afterwards. Recent research may have identified long-flu in the relative few who are hospitalized with influenza.

It can be agreed that these failures were exacerbated by the rush to generate, disseminate, and implement research findings(creating)opportunities for unscrupulous actors but also compromised the methodological, peer review, and advisory processes that would usually identify sub-standard research and prevent compromised clinical or policy-level decisions. Yes, but these problems are not unique to present circumstances. They have been baked into the process of Biomedicine for the past forty years, at least. These problems have been exacerbated by the trajectory of open-access publishing, another part of the story. Nevertheless, the very reasonable thesis of this paper is that:

Existing strategies for promoting scientific rigour and integrity need to be made more rigourous, better integrated into research training and institutional cultures, and made more sophisticated. They might also need to be modified or supplemented with other strategies that are fit for purpose not only in public health emergencies but in any research that is sped-up and scaled up to address unmet medical needs.

There can be no argument with this. But after a short list of apparent dead ends pursued during the pandemic, it will be helpful to dig deeper into what has gone wrong with science during COVID-19. So, what has not worked out? The usual suspects are on offer: hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin/hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, convalescent plasma, ivermectin, and molnupiravir, which is no better than a placebo. Yes, in a rush many of these studies were confounded by small sample sizes, lack of randomization, missing data and unsound epidemiology. Masks and ventilation and other non-pharmaceutical interventions are not considered here to any great extent. Although it has been largely ignored by the medical establishment, I would also add that the clinical judgment of physicians and healthcare providers in a crisis is also valid and is undoubtedly responsible for much of the reduced burden of COVID-19 mortality and morbidity since the horrific first year of the pandemic.

The sped-up scientific literature on COVID-19 is frankly a mess and way too large for any sensible grasp of the disease. Everyone has been in a rush to publish. As of the evening of 17 December 2023, PubMed contains 396,770 entries containing COVID (the search term is case-insensitive) over the past four years. According to Retraction Watch, 387 (0.098%) of these papers have been retracted along with 18 attached to expressions of concern. So, while the retraction of any scientific paper is a significant event, the COVID literature is not very different from that of any other major topic. Retractions are very rare, another subject for debate.

The problems with the COVID literature are of another kind, undoubtedly, in the words of Lipworth et al., because there was more science being conducted more quickly and with less peer and institutional oversight(and)a mutually reinforcing and compounding relationship between science and subsequent public health decision-making, regulation and subsidization of interventions(during which)commerce and policy act(ed) mutually to erode evidence standards. Yes, especially in the current world of instantaneous communication. [1]

Has the speed of COVID-19 research been the problem, or has the response to the pandemic been business as usual? The pace of biomedical research has certainly increased in the past 50 years, as a consequence of the maturation of molecular biology as a discipline and the development of computational tools to handle terabytes of genomic, physiological, structural, and image data. Consequently, the imperatives of speed have led to streamlining of ethics review in the translation of research findings into medical practice [2]. Of this there can be little doubt.

Lipworth et al. note that even before the pandemic that training in research methods and research integrity are not always integrated into research training programmes, compliance with institutional research integrity policies can be haphazard, and policies and processes often tend to emphasize governance and risk management more than ethics. All true and all covered before, for example here, here, and here. The question thus arises, How can scientific rigour, and integrity be understood, motivated, structured, supported and, where necessary enforced in research that is accelerated and scaled up?

This can be considered from several perspectives, but whether research is accelerated and scaled up is fundamentally irrelevant. Without rigor and integrity, neither science nor scientific research exist. Moreover, rigor and integrity can only come from the bottom up in how research is conducted, fast or slow, directed or not. Motivation also comes from the bottom up, whatever the impetus of any research program. Which is why working, independent, disinterested scientists (there are no other kinds) will find the list of seven principles to guide global research from the InterAcademy Partnership [3] both obvious and disheartening:

Honesty  Conducting research and communication without deception

 Conducting research and communication without deception Fairness  Treating others with respect and without bias

 Treating others with respect and without bias Objectivity  Trying to look beyond ones own conceptions and biases (trying is redundant)

 Trying to look beyond ones own conceptions and biases (trying is redundant) Reliability  Adhering to methods that produce trustworthy results

 Adhering to methods that produce trustworthy results Skepticism  Continually reexamining and improving results and explanations

 Continually reexamining and improving results and explanations Accountability  Being willing to justify results and conclusions to other researchers and to society more generally

 Being willing to justify results and conclusions to other researchers and to society more generally Openness  Making data and other information underlying results publicly available

Contrary to the thrust of this very good article, these principles do not need to be specified in terms of precisely what they mean in the context of sped-up and scaled-up research and publication, what strategies are likely to work for their enactment and enforcement, and who should be responsible for their oversight. The lack of any one of these seven principles will destroy any and all scientific research, not only global research on a pressing problem such as COVID-19. Yes, it is true that they are sometimes overlooked. For example, every working scientist in each specialized field knows who tends to be open with results and generous in sharing and who is neither. Those who publish early and often only tp backtrack later are also well known. These scientists hurt only their own research programs.

But if principles used to promote rigour and integrity might also need to be modified or supplemented with other principles and strategies that are fit for purpose in research that is that is funded conducted, reviewed, and disseminated by stakeholders with a wide range of interests and agendas, then we have ceased talking about scientists and scientific research. The keyword here is stakeholder, which according to the OED, Second Edition, means (a) one who holds the stake or stakes of a wager; (b) one who has a stake (sense 1c) in something, esp. a business. (1c) means to have something to gain or lose by the turn of events. Neither (a) nor (b) has a place in science, although according to Lipworth et al.:

It is important to be realistic about what objectivity actually means and what degree of objectivity is actually possible when commercial actors, consumer [4] advocacy groups, and other political actors not only support research (through financial and in-kind contributions) but also co-design and co-produce it and assist with knowledge transfer(followed immediately by)Indeed, one could argue that the goal of objectivity should be replaced with the goal of managed influence and bias to alert people to the realities of the environment in which they are operating.

Nail, meet hammer. And by the way, never forget to read the Acknowledgments/Conflicts of Interest/Funding section of a published paper about anything, but particularly any publication covering a disease or medical condition.

Likewise, openness in research might need some re-thinking when research is sped-up and scaled up. Yes, it is true that while large independent research groups with unlimited resources might be more likely to be open, there is much more to this:

For example, while there is nothing wrong with a company benefiting from a publicly shared data source to develop a product, it is more problematic if they use this publicly accessible informational to develop products that are priced beyond the means of individuals, health systems, or even nations. It is also problematic if they use the data for purposes that have no public interestor fail to govern data exchanges in responsible and mutually beneficial ways. In this way notions such as an open commons can be co-opted by commercial or political entities and it is arguable that such entities should be excluded from the commons and its benefits.

Further, existing ideas about openness may also require moderation with it comes to communication of results with the public. The kernel of this argument is that scientists faced with the dilemma of needing to encourage behaviors that would mitigate the pandemic (e.g., social distancing, proper masks, vaccination) while not changing their positions too frequently and even withholding information in order to ensure that their messages were consistent, coherent, and perceived by the public to be valid. No, actually. There is no dilemma here. The scientists, such as they were, leading the early responses to COVID-19 needed only to remember the Seven Principles, particularly Honesty, Reliability, Skepticism, and Accountability. This, while also continually reminding everyone, including themselves, that all science is provisional and continuously subject to revision at all times.

Although there were valid arguments that mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 might not work (e.g., sustained immunity to coronaviruses has been elusive for more than 50 years; mRNA vaccines are obvious, if technically demanding, but have not worked yet  with Zika virus, for example), they were an experiment worth doing under the circumstances. But these products were an experiment, even if nothing in the techniques used to produce mRNA vaccines was experimental. Sometimes experiments do not work, no matter how much sense they make, as every scientist knows all too well [5]. Would the people have responded differently if the principles of science had been followed during the past four years? Probably. I trust the people to respond in kind to trustworthy leaders. But it has been a while. Meanwhile the screeching can be deafening.

Which brings us to the following, a proposed addition to the Seven Principles:

The virtue of intellectual humility might need to be added to lists of integrity-related principles because, as science speeds up and scales up, it will be increasingly difficult for collaborators, peer reviewers, and users of research, to fully understand they work they are facilitating, reviewing, and translating into practice.

Actually, no. Again. Speed and scale are manageable. And a legitimate scientist is nothing if not humble, though never lacking in the will to ask serious questions about the natural world. It is also clear that the failures of science during the pandemic will not disappear when (if) COVID-19 disappears. And this brings us to the fundamental misunderstanding that I see in Lipworth et al. Although Biomedical Science is the ostensible subject of this paper, one that all scientists should read and take to heart (and read much of the bibliography, which I have begun), the actual subject here is what I have previously called Biomedicine. Biomedicine and Biomedical Science are not the same.

Biomedicine comprises Big Pharma, Little Pharma, NIH SBIR/STTR, and the Healthcare System, including PhRMAand AHIP. You might add the AMA to the mix. Biomedicine has stakeholders, too many to count. And this means that when parsing Biomedicine, the passage quoted above should be modified to objectivity must be replaced with the goal of understanding outside influence and bias, to alert people to the realities of the environment in which they are placing their trust .

Biomedical Science has no stakeholders, other than society writ large. Biomedical Science is a public good. Biomedicine is not a public good, despite neoliberal protestations and assertions to the contrary.

And therein lies the difference, which suggests a solution if we develop the will (Science on Trial, Part 2, forthcoming). From Andrew Nelson Lytle of Monteagle: A farm is not a place to grow rich. A farm is a place to grow corn. Similarly, a biomedical research laboratory is not a place to cash out quickly with a unicorn (PK). A biomedical research laboratory is a place to reveal (some of) the secrets of Creation.

Notes

[1] It is significant, however, that since September 1982 HIV AIDS (also case-insensitive) returns 168,681 entries over 41 years. We still have no HIV vaccine, but antiviral treatments do work, in the Global North, and avoidance of HIV is well understood. There is a long story here, but this one truly will await the historians.

[2] Or another way of saying this is to remember from high school physics that speed, which seems to have become paramount, is a scalar quantity of movement in any direction, while velocity is a vector quantity, i.e., with speed plus direction. Direction has been disregarded, but it can be determinant (e.g., developing an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine that stops SARS-CoV-2 in its tracks or discovering an antiviral drug that prevents viral assembly in those infected and prevents disease) or indeterminant (e.g., characterizing coronaviruses from animals that are likely to transmit the virus to humans).

[3] From the website: The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) harnesses the expertise of the worlds leading scientific minds to advance sound policies, improve public health, promote excellence in science education, and achieve other critical development goals.

[4] Consumer is Neoliberal for citizen. I apologize for forgetting who first used this definition in my reading.

[5] This is not the place to argue the success or failure of the mRNA vaccines, but they clearly have not worked as we have come to rightfully expect of vaccines. They prevent neither transmission nor disease. The backlash was predictable. And four years into the pandemic we watch as the politico-scientific establishment makes TV commercials encouraging everyone to get three vaccines for what is now the tripledemic, apparently because COVID-19 has become mostly a minor seasonal affliction for a relatively few unlucky people.
What at the moment looks like the irresistible force of Houthi attacks against shipping in and out of Israel is meeting the seeming immovable object of Israel determination to render Gaza uninhabitable. But the US and a set of allies1, via the too-cutely named Operation Prosperity Guardian, are making a major naval force commitment to the Red Sea to try to counter the Houthi success in severely curbing traffic though the critically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Keep in mind the Houthis insist they are seeking only to restrict shipping in and out of Israel. But major cargo operators have stopped servicing the Red Sea area as insurance prices have spiked. So we have the spectacle of the US, a supposed naval power, unable to protect critical sea lanes. Cant have that, now can we?

Mind you, it is not clear what good a convoy, which looks to be the immediate response, will do in the face of drone and ballistic missile attacks. Yes, it will put more defensive firepower in the theater. But the number of missiles and difficulty of resupply means there is a possibility, even a pretty good one that the Houthis can simply exhaust the firepower that can be delivered via the Operation Prosperity Guardian warships.

And thats before getting to logistics issues, that to a degree, maybe a big degree, various vessels have particular launch platforms, so missiles are not very fungible across ships. So this the convoy could wind up being a high cost temporizing measure. Would the West try to move to a Plan B before it became hopelessly evident that it was outmatched by the proverbial guys in sandals, now with the force levelers of drones and ballistic missiles? Of course, events in the from of damage to convoy ships could overtake events.

So what might next steps be, if the big bad Western forces fail to trounce the Houthis quickly? Maybe the Biden Administration works up the nerve to tell Israel no more weapons for you if you dont cut it out in Gaza. You can be sure the hawks will call for strikes on Iran to make them rein in the Houthis (when I doubt Iran has operational control) and/or a ground attack on Yemen. I consider the latter to be nuts. We saw from the Gulf Wars it took months to pre-position men and weapons, and that was when we had a better army. And by all accounts, the Houthis would be as hard as the Afghanis to defeat, between their native tenacity, their very decentralized structure, and the defense-friendly terrain.

Troublingly, its not hard if there is not a resolution to this impasse pretty soon, that Israel could see that as justifying a tactical nuclear strike on Yemen or Iran, the Houthis sponsor.

Well pause for a moment and provide what is hopefully a more complete overview. One came from reader Boomheist yesterday:

A couple days ago it was reported than 45 ships, container, had chosen to reroute around Africa from the Suez and Red Sea. Yesterday reports stated the number was now over 65, I think, plus at least one tanker company, BP, also rerouting its ships. Other headlines this morning are stating that essentially the Red Sea is closed, with a lot of ships on hold awaiting the start of naval escorts. The governing assumption, looking at the many X feeds by those in the maritime sector, seems to be a triumphant sense that hooray, finally the great US Navy and its allies are going to weigh in and snuff out the Houthis and thus re-secure the Red Sea approaches and the traffic. Within a few days we will see Operation [Prosperity] Guardian stand up and shortly after see the Houthis rendered toothless; ie, these armed destroyers will shoot down all the drones and missiles fired, as one US destroyer claimed the other day with shooting down 14 missiles and drones. Yet we see some other feeds doing some math showing the total number of such protective missiles aboard naval ships is limited to, perhaps, 800 and if the Houthis have thousands of smaller missiles and drones they can then overwhelm this naval task force and render the empire toothless. It is one thing to wave the flag and steam around looking scary. It will be another if a drone swarm overpowers a destroyer and takes it out of action, even sinks it, or if a swarm damages a commercial ship being protected by this naval force. One scenario, the triumphant one, holds that this Operation [Prosperity] Guardian will show to one and all the US Navy and allies are Not to be Messed With and the Houthi dangers an irritant that can be handled such that Red Sea traffic resumes and this blip in world trade and Suez use will return to normal within a week or two. The other scenario, the pessimistic one, holds that the naval task force is toothless against drone swarms and damaged commercial ships, such that the Suez eventually closes and world trade is chaotically disrupted. The latter scenario has another element  lets for the moment assume Those in the Know know full well the current situation, thousands of Houthi asymmetrical weapons, can overwhelm whatever this task force has over a very short time period. Then the only solution is to somehow reduce that number, by blasting storage depots and also by directly attacking Iran and China, the assumed sources of at least the missiles. This will take time, during which the Suez remains closed. This will become a war between the US and Iran and maybe even China. If this asymmetrical swarm warfare against US Naval vessels (and this includes carrier task forces btw) can neutralize naval threats, then unless and until the source of those weapons is neutralized the ability of navies to protect commercial shipping, or protect distant military operations (think Taiwan) is rendered moot. We seem to be facing a paradigm shifting threat and moment. Either the Empire still has serious Teeth or will be shown to be Toothless. As a former sailor aboard container vessels transiting the Suez and Red Sea passage many times and someone who has also worked aboard Military Sealift Command ships  those that will feed the supply chain if necessary  I have little doubt that we can come up with the sailors and ships needed to get supplies to remote locations, though this will require a major effort and serious changes in how we make sure the US industrial base has the capacity to manufacture missiles and weapons and shipyards to grow the fleet. I have far more doubt this country has the political ability and will to take the steps, right now, to make this happen. I fear that if the Houthis manage to show Operation [Prosperity] Guardian a toothless enterprise then the gap between awareness of what we need to do and our ability to make it happen will have devastating consequences. Many stories this week about US ability to produce weapons to refill Ukrainian coffers, mostly artillery shells, which everyone knows is very limited. Combine that with now the need to supply Israel, also from limited stocks and a seemingly short capacity for backfill manufacture. What about the annual ability to crank out missiles and weapons to replace those 800 missiles aboard the ships in Operation [Prosperity] Guardian? Can this even be done? Maybe this can happen right sway, a stroke of the pen to redirect plants in the US to start producing more missiles. Maybe this is already happening. Then, of course, if the US and other nations have the back supply chain ability to keep feeding the military effort, and IF the naval ships, properly supplied, can hit all the drones coming their way, then within a few days the Houthi threat will be seen as a fiction and all will return to normal  ie, Suez traffic reopens and the trade shock neutralized. The pressure to accede to a cease fire in Palestine is relieved. In World War 2 the US had an enormous primary manufacturing base, plants galore to produce vehicles, steel, machinery, clothing, etc. You don;t hear much about this now but when WW2 began the US basically set up a government controlled system, with rationing and government control of all industry, requiring auto plants to produce, say, jeeps and tanks, others to make military airplanes, others to make combat boots and uniforms, etc. the US had the industrial base and took steps to control the supply system. Today it seems that base is a shadow of its former self and nowhere does it appear that the US is ready to go to a war footing and force the changes adopted during WW2. Hopefully this naval task force manages to render the Houthi attacks moot within a very short time, before the back supply chain limits take effect, providing an Operation [Prosperity] Guardian victory. If not, the world sees that those naval vessels cannot defend the Houthi attacks as Operation [Prosperity] Guardian runs out of ammunition within a few days or weeks, all while the Red Sea and Suez remain essentially or actually closed.

A new post at Responsible Statecraft confirms this overview. From its opening section:

According to the Department of Defense, the Houthis have conducted 100 drone and ballistic missile attacks since Oct. 7, targeting cargo vessels involving more than 35 flags from different nations in the Red Sea, including U.S Navy destroyers. Most have been intercepted, though some have hit their targets, causing minor injuries and damage. But with the hijacking of one ship, plus the major disruptions to shipping (the Houthis are blocking an estimated $10 million in cargo a day) and resulting price hikes, the situation has put security in the region on high alert. It is also costing the United States a pretty penny to act as the key defender of these predominant global shipping lanes. Each munition used to shoot down the Houthi missiles and drones costs between $1 million and $4.3 million and the ships cannot reload at sea and will have to return to port  perhaps Djibouti?  to reload if the kinetic activity goes on much longer, according to experts that talked to Responsible Statecraft this week.

Lets stop here for a second. None of the participants in Operation Prosperity Guardian have naval bases on the Red Sea. In addition the article seems very confident that even though the Houthis can make defending the waterways a very costly exercise, There is a lot in the stockpile. But it does add:

The Houthis have said they will target the ships and U.S. Navy in the Red Sea until Israel stops its bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. If this video is any indication, the new Operation Prosperity Guardian is going to have its hands full, and millions more dollars in U.S. missile interceptors will be expended before this situation is resolved. Yemen will never abandon Palestine: We Will Not Surrender (with English subtitles) pic.twitter.com/0paqpY8noe  Ideal Resistance  (@IdealResistance) December 18, 2023

Responsible Statecraft skips over the fact that the Houthis hit a moving ship (25 knots, apparently) with a ballistic missile, which is seen as a worrisome accomplishment. There is debate in the X-verse as to how fancy a ballistic missile it is. Iran fans point out Iran has even better weaponrybut they are very unlikely to have given their best kit to the Houthis:

Iranian analyst: The Ansarullah (Houthi) movement successfully used its anti-ship ballistic missile with a range of 300 km on a moving target at 25 knots and made history. We have anti-ship ballistic missiles with a range of 1,500 km that have not yet been unveiled. The pic.twitter.com/Nu8pAYXqMb  Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) December 18, 2023

Other commentators warn against underestimating the Houthis:

Based on past Houthi record of frequently shooting down modern aircraft, it's extremely likely the US loses drones and jets if they engage Houthi targets. Based on stunning Houthi achievements in targeting ships with ballistic missiles, it's conceivable the US loses ships.   (@calvinfroedge) December 17, 2023

Only #Bahrain  essentially a car-park for the US and UK navies  has joined the western coalition to make war on #Yemen. Let me give #Biden #Sunak #Trudeau #Macron et al a piece of advice. Turn back. The people of Yemen are essentially unbeatable. They fight neither for gold or  George Galloway (@georgegalloway) December 19, 2023

11.28am: BP to pause all oil transits through the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks.

47 minutes later, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls for a permanent ceasefire.

No amount of dead Palestinian kids achieved this. It was all about oil, money and greed.pic.twitter.com/fsEcRJKIGk  Ragged Trousered Philanderer (@RaggedTP) December 19, 2023

A related development. Symbolic but confirms growing Israel isolation:

BREAKING Mayalasia blocked Israeli linked ships from using their waters, after being inspired by the Houthi rebels. Not many waters left for israeli ships! pic.twitter.com/V2loaP8Qxe  Syrian Girl  (@Partisangirl) December 20, 2023

More telling:

An obvious winner of the blockade of the Red Sea is China's BRI Eurasian railway. The trains are full now. Chinese strategists may assume today's situation decades ago, but I guess they excepted the protagonist might be the US navy rather than Yemeni Houthi militants. pic.twitter.com/ZPEBeXt3Xr  DaiWW (@BeijingDai) December 20, 2023

It has been an open secret even before the Millennium 2002 games, in which a Team Red almost sunk a pretend aircraft carrier in a very elaborately staged war games meant to simulate an attack on Iran, that those ships are big fat targets with little utility. The Millennium 2002 exercise further showed how vulnerable they were to low-tech attacks. Since then, great increases in surveillance technology, particularly drones, precision targeting, yet our surface ships seem not to have made commensurate advances.

Below we will repost an important new piece by John Helmer, which makes some essential points, starting with Yemen has the right to restrict military transit in its territorial waters, and Operation Prosperity Guardian looks set to violate that. Of course, the Houthis are not state actorsbut it sure looks like the Collective West willy nilly launched this scheme without getting Yemens consent.

By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

On Monday, General Lloyd Austin (lead image, left), the US Secretary of Defense, announced that the US is assembling a fleet of warships to defend Israels port of Eilat, the Gulf of Aqaba, and Israels Red Sea shipping route by threatening to attack Yemen if it exercises its Law of the Sea right to regulate military transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (lead image, right).

The Austin fleet is to be assembled from the coalition of NATO states at war with Russia in the Ukraine. Austins call, announced by the Pentagon while Austin is in Israel, follows the failure of the USS Eisenhower and its squadron, with additional French and British warships, to prevent the collapse of commercial container and tanker shipping to and from Israel.

The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen, Austin announced, threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law. The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade. Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.

This is an international challenge that demands collective action. Therefore, today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea. Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity.

Bahrain on the Persian Gulf  the only Arab state included on Austins list  and the Seychelles, the island state in the Indian Ocean, are included to provide shore base facilities for the proposed Yemen-attack fleet. However, no country with naval bases on the Red Sea shore, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones extending into the waterway  Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti  has publicly agreed to participate or approved this escalation of the Gaza war to benefit Israel.

The Pentagon has also asked the Australian Navy for a frigate to join the Red Sea fleet, but the Australian government in Canberra is reluctant to agree, and Austin has dropped the country from his list.

All of the governments on Austins list, with the exception of the US, voted last week at the United Nations General Assembly for Israel to halt its operations in the Gaza war. In this context, none of these states recognizes Israels right to impose its blockade of Gazas ports extending into Palestines territorial waters, the Gaza Maritime Area, and Israels de facto military rule of the international waters of the Mediterranean, including the Gaza Marine gas field.

Freedom of navigation, Austins version of the legal doctrine of his Operation Prosperity Guardian, does not apply to the Gaza Maritime Area.

In the Red Sea, maps of the International Institute for the Law of the Sea Studies show overlapping territorial waters and economic zone claims from the eastern and western shore states, leaving no international waters for the passage of warships, particularly through the southern gateway to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Austins operation is not innocent passage, as the international Law of the Sea requires, and it defies Yemens right to exercise prior authorization.

Russias response is no response, for the time being.

For a summary up to 2021 of the military record and the international law claims for the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, read this.

Source: https://upsccolorfullnotes.com/red-sea-countries-map/

Source: https://www.marineinsight.com/

In an interview with a Russian-speaking American on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not explicitly address the new US intervention plan in the Middle East.

He did say that Europe and the United States are now rushing in the Middle East, calling on the Lebanese, Iranians, Iraqis, and Syrians to do everything so that the war in Gaza does not spread to the surrounding territories. Perhaps they need to apply the same fervour to ensure that this does not happen in Ukraine.

Also on Monday, in the Moscow newspaper Vedomosti, it was reported that Russian experts expect most likely, the Americans will launch missile and bomb attacks on command centres and military depots of the Houthis, or targeted strikes by special forces may follow in order to eliminate the commanders of the movement. The operation will be roughly comparable to the actions of Western allies in Syria or Iraq.

The newspaper claimed that, according to its source, the military forces of Saudi Arabia and the UAE may participate in the operation  their armed forces and their proxies have been waging a sluggish war against Irans allies in Yemen since 2015. I think the Arab monarchies themselves would like to involve the Americans in the conflict, but it will not come to a fullscale war.

The implication is that the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and Kremlin are reluctant to publicly condemn the Austin fleet operation move so as not to upset current Russian relationships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

What this means for Russias relationship with Iran materialized on Monday afternoon when the Iranian Ambassador to Moscow, Kasem Jilali, asked for a meeting at the Foreign Ministry, and met Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. If Yemen and the Red Sea were discussed, the official communique is keeping it secret. During the conversation, the ministry release says, the Middle East agenda was discussed in detail, with an emphasis on developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. There was general concern about the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip. The importance of intensifying international efforts aimed at an early ceasefire, providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and turning the situation into a political channel was stressed. The issues of the Syrian settlement were also touched upon, including the continuation of close coordination of efforts between Russia and Iran in the Astana format in the interests of supporting the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the SA [Syrian Arab Republic].

For analysis of the most recent round of Russian-Iranian negotiations, click to read.

In the past, Moscow officials have consistently defended the Yemeni states sovereignty, including its territorial waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Ministry has also defended dialogue with the Houthis and other Yemeni political associations, as well as with all interested states.

Russia has also proposed that the United Nations legalize and regulate all operations impacting Yemen.

But that was long ago. The last but one statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioning the Houthis, the civil war in Yemen, and Saudi military intervention was issued six and a half years ago, on March 17, 2017: We reaffirm our fundamental position in favour of an early cessation of hostilities and the resumption of a negotiation process in the Republic of Yemen, taking into account the interests of all leading political forces in the country. We continue to believe that the unilateral steps taken by the parties to the conflict, including the current court ruling, as well as the sea and air blockade of certain regions of Yemen controlled by the Houthis and Saleh supporters, are not conducive to creating a favourable environment for restoring trust and restarting the dialogue, and put off the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, which is so much needed by the long-suffering Yemeni people.

Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi meets Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, January 22, 2018.

In January 2018, Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi, Foreign Minister of the Aden-based Yemeni government, met Lavrov in Moscow for talks. We believe, Lavrov said at the press conference following their negotiations, that the UN should henceforth be able to deliver humanitarian aid to Sanaa without fail. It is important to strive to lift the sea and air blockade, to remove all limitations on the deliveries of food, medicines and other prime necessities to all regions of Yemen with no exceptionsYemens Foreign Minister Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi and we have agreed to maintain close contacts both directly and via our embassy in Yemen, which due to security reasons has been recently relocated from Sanaa to Riyadh. At the same time, we will continue our dialogue with the Houthis and other Yemeni political associations, as well as with all interested states, including the Arab coalition, on which the further developments in the country and around it depend. We will urge everyone who can contribute to the settlement and the transition from war to a political dialogue to do so as soon as possible.

There is no Foreign Ministry record of a meeting with Hisham Sharaf, Foreign Minister since 2016 of the Sanaa-based Yemeni (Houthi) government. The Russian Embassy in Sanaa was evacuated in December 2017.

In November 2019, Moscow appeared to be saying the only international Red Sea operation it would countenance for Yemen should be led by the United Nations (UN). We, declared the Ministrys press department, urge the parties to the Yemeni conflict to do everything in their power to keep up this positive change so as to be able to stop the hostilities altogether and to launch a UN-led process of peaceful settlement based on the regard for the interests of all the main political forces as well as religious and regional groups in Yemen. We are still convinced that these developments will not only benefit friendly Yemen but will also help to ensure security of all the neighbouring countries.

The Chinese government approach appears to be different.

Source: https://maritime-executive.com/

On Sunday, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), the Chinese state-owned fleet company, announced that it is halting all shipments to and from Israeli seaports. However, unlike its European peers, OOCL did not say it will stop sailing through the Red Sea. The implication, a shipping source comments, is that Beijing has declared its support for the Arab-led blockade of Israel, and will negotiate directly with Houthi and Yemeni officials so that OOCL vessels will be able to navigate safely through the Red Sea and into the Suez Canal, and vice versa. The commercial advantage to the Chinese is plain, the source said. Whether the Chinese Navy will send escorts for Chinese-flagged cargo vessels remains to be seen.

___

1 The initial list, per a Pentagon press release: United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that his team is trying to arrange a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

"We are trying to find solutions and answers to certain questions, but for this we need to organize a meeting  I think we could find a diplomatic solution, and our sides will work on it," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy said that when he saw Orban in Argentina, he could not answer the question "why we cannot organize an official meeting between us."
Finding the perfect gift can be stressful and time-consuming. Lucky for you, NATO has tips to help you find the right present for everyone on your list (spoiler alert: theyre all NATO-related). So without further ado, lets unwrap!

For the fashionista: The NATO Hermes silk scarf

Commissioned in 1956 to be presented during the December North Atlantic Council meeting at NATO's Palais de Chaillot Headquarters in Paris, only 300 of these limited edition scarves were ever produced. All 300 were either donated or sold to NATO personnel and national delegations. Unfortunately, you may have trouble tracking one down, BUT if do you manage to get your hands on one of these collector's items, the fashionista close to your heart will surely thank you.

For the Do-it-yourself (DIY) expert: Duct tape

Perhaps more accessible (and certainly more affordable) than the Hermes scarf, duct tape is one of the most essential and versatile military inventions of our time. It was designed by Vesta Stoudt, a munitions factory worker and mother of two soldiers who served in the US Navy during the Second World War. Stoudt proposed an improved, waterproof version of the paper tape used to seal boxes of artillery shells and wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to promote her idea. Once the new tape was rolled out, soldiers discovered that they could use it to repair practically anything, and that legacy continues today. What better gift for the do-it-yourself expert on your list this year?

For the card player: A deck of US Army playing cards

In complex, high-stress military environments where decisions have to be made in a split second, it's not always easy to tell friend from foe. That's why the US Army developed a deck of playing cards featuring 54 NATO weapons systems  so that troops can learn while they play! A staple for troops in the field since at least the First World War, playing cards provide a release from the stress of battle, a sense of normalcy and an avenue for social interaction. They've also been used to pass information to troops behind enemy lines. This particular set of "NATO Proliferation Playing Cards" is actually available for download from the US Army's Central Army Registry website!

For those with a sweet tooth: A jar of honey

NATO's beekeeper, Bruno Harmant, harvests honey twice a year from the four beehives located at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Just one of these hives can produce up to 25 kilograms of honey, a significant portion of which is left for the bees to use during the winter months. In November 2022, 350 jars of NATO honey were sold at the NATO Charity Bazaar and the profits were donated to Belgian and international charities. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also gifted a number of jars to ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council. So while it's unlikely you'll get your feelers on a jar of NATO honey, we do recommend this sugary treat for the person with a sweet tooth in your life!

For the music lover: A vintage album by a classic Christmas crooner

Bing Crosby is arguably most famous for singing the hit song "White Christmas"  the best-selling physical single of all time. Perhaps less well-known but also sung by Crosby was "The NATO Song". To celebrate the Alliance's 10th anniversary on 4 April 1959, Crosby was commissioned to create a short ode to the value of NATO as a defensive shield behind which free societies could flourish. The music lover on your list will be shocked and awed by the behind-the-scenes experience of Crosby's process that you get in this surviving demo track of "The NATO Song".

For the philatelist: Commemorative NATO stamps

The first NATO stamps were created in 1952 by Portugal and the United States. Since then, most Allies have released commemorative NATO stamps to celebrate various anniversaries and events over the years (France even held an exhibition of NATO stamps in 1959). The older stamps may be hard to track down, but the collector you love is worth it, right?

For the art and history lover: a Belgian tapestry

We know what you're thinking  "Tapestries are sooo 16th century"  but hear us out. In 1965, the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the North Atlantic Council, Andre de Staercke, unveiled Belgium's gift to NATO Headquarters in Paris. It was a traditional wall tapestry titled Le triomphe de la paix, designed and created by Belgian artist Roger Somville. Measuring 4.7m high and 13.3m wide, it was given pride of place in the conference hall because of its bright colours and allegorical resonance. It was returned to the Belgian government after NATO moved to its new headquarters in 1967, so unfortunately you can't gift this exact tapestry to that special someone on your list. But take this as inspiration in your hunt for the perfect piece!

For the shutterbug: A framed copy of NATO's "photo of the year"

2023: The Royal Lancers get back to their cavalry heritage by conducting mounted armoured reconnaissance with the Polish Territorial Defence Force's 2nd Lubelska (Lublin) Brigade. (Photo credit: The Royal Lancers, British Army)

Over the years, photographers across the Alliance have taken millions of pictures documenting candid moments of humanity, spontaneity and beauty during NATO activities. Now, NATO lets the public choose their favourite photo taken by a NATO or Allied photographer every year, via a social media poll. The winning photo is added to NATO: A History in Snapshots, which is comprised of one photo for every year of NATO's history. Perhaps you want to print and frame the photo from your shutterbug's birth year. Or maybe they'd prefer this year's photo. The choice is yours! (See more of NATO's high-res photography on our flickr)

For the adrenaline junkie: A skydiving adventure

Before you take off, watch this video of paratroopers from US 173rd Airborne for courage! The paratroopers took part in Saber Guardian 2017, a US-led exercise involving more than 25,000 troops from over 20 NATO Allies and partner countries. Captain Brigid Calhoun talks about what it's like to jump from a plane to help you prepare.

For the ski bunny: A trip to the Alps

Take inspiration from the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Army's elite mountain infantry unit. They'll tell you everything you need to know about surviving in the mountains. It's good information to have  even if you plan to stay in a cosy chalet!

So with a little something for everyone on your list (and since it's December and you're running out of time), trust NATO's 2023 Gift Guide to help you find the perfect present this year!
NATOs highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet in person on 17 and 18 January 2024 in Brussels. Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee, will preside over the meeting, which will be attended by the Allied Chiefs of Defence and their Invitee counterpart from Sweden. They will be joined by General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and and General Chris Badia, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (DSACT).

The meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session (MCCS) will enable the Chiefs of Defence to meet and discuss issues of strategic importance to the Alliance.

NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoana will join the Military Committee for the opening session to address the Alliance's key priorities and challenges.

The first session will see General Cavoli, SACEUR, brief the Chiefs of Defence on the progress made towards the implementation and executability of the DDA Family of Plans that was adopted at the Vilnius Summit in July 2023. Broader discussions will also be held on defence industrial capacity, operational planning and enablement.



General Badia, DSACT, will brief in the second session and update on the warfighting transformation of NATO. DSACT will emphasize the need for overall coherence in achieving collective defence and consolidated deterrence, focusing on key enablers like Multi-Domain Operations, streamlined Command and Control, seamless Interoperability, and continuous improvement of Quality and Quantity capabilities. The Chiefs of Defence will also discuss the roadmap for adapting to current and future threats.

In the third session, the Chiefs of Defence will discuss Integrated Air and Missile Defence in order to improve readiness, preparedness, and interoperability in peacetime, crisis, and times of conflict.

The fourth session will see the Chiefs of Defence provide additional direction and guidance regarding NATOs military deterrence and defence priorities with a focus on key capability requirements ahead of the Washington D.C. Summit decisions and beyond.

The last session of the first day the Chiefs of Defence will meet for the first time in a NATO-Ukraine Council format. They will discuss Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation on the ground, and NATO and Allied continued support to Ukraine.

The second day will begin with the Chiefs of Defence meeting with their Partner Interoperability Advocacy Group (PIAG) counterparts from Australia, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland. The PIAG Nations hold non-NATO Nation Status, granting an individual security agreement that allows the exchange of classified information and participation in NATO training and exercises. Discussions will focus on current and future military interoperability opportunities.

The next session will have the Allied and Invitee Chiefs of Defence meeting with their counterparts from NATOs Indo-Pacific Partners: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. Discussions will include the strategic security situation in the Indo-Pacific, regional challenges and their implications for global security.

The final session will see the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg meet with the Allied and Invitee Chiefs of Defence. Discussions will focus on current political objectives and guidance ahead of the Defence Ministerial in February 2024 and the Washington D.C Summit in July 2024.

Media Opportunity

Wednesday 17 January 2024

08h30 Livestreamed Opening Remarks by Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, and Mr. Mircea Geoana, NATO Deputy Secretary General.

Thursday 18 January 2024



15h15 Press Conference with

Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer,

Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli,

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Chris Badia.

Media representatives holding a valid 2024 NATO Media pass will have access as usual to the NATO HQ. Media representatives wishing to attend the press conference are invited to contact the NATO IMS Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Office via email (ronaynecasimiro.lara@hq.nato.int) with a completed accreditation form no later than 12h00 on Monday 8 January 2024.

Media accreditation forms

Media passes will not be mailed to applicants; they must be collected in person upon presentation of an ID card or passport and a valid national press pass (or accreditation letter from a recognized media organisation). Media representatives will be given their accreditation at the Guard House South, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III, Brussels, Belgium.

Passes must be worn visibly at all times, and security personnel may ask to see another form of ID at any time. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site. They are also advised to arrive with sufficient lead-time to clear security checks.

The opening remarks delivered by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee and the NATO Deputy Secretary General will be streamed live on the NATO website.

The press conference will also be streamed live on the NATO website and the live feed will be provided to EBU.

Video footage will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

Imagery

Following each event, photos, video and audio files will be made available on the NATO IMS webpage www.nato.int/ims, as well as on the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session (MCCS) event page.



Social Media

We will post the latest information and photos from the MCCS on the following X accounts: @NATO_PASCAD and @CMC_NATO.

Please use the hashtags #NATOCHoDs and #NATOMC when posting about the NATO Military Committee.

Media Enquiries:

Ms Eleonora Russell, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.

Tel: + 32 471 61 09 55

E-Mail: russell.eleonora@hq.nato.int

Cdr Grzegorz yko, Deputy Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.

Tel: + 32 477 57 07 46

E-Mail: lyko.grzegorz@hq.nato.int
American and Israeli investors group is silencing pro-Palestinian voices

new investigation by journalists Lee Fang and Jack Poulsen has revealed that an American and Israeli investors group is closely monitoring and framing the narrative surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict to "combat the slightest deviations from the pro-Israel script."

Investors and executives are joining up with pro-Israel activists and Israeli government officials to basically launch a witch hunt into anyone who supports the Palestinian cause in order to get them fired from their jobs.

Their goal is to punish pro-Palestinian employees of multinational corporations, journalists and others by getting them canceled. Palestinian writers and politicians are to no longer be allowed to speak at U.S. colleges and universities, and even pro-Palestinian posts on social media are to receive "ridicule," along with the users behind them.

This witch hunt ballooned following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which bears many hallmarks of a false flag incident. Following the attack, a WhatsApp group was formed called "J-Ventures Global Kibbutz Group," this being a project of a U.S.-Israel investment fund called J-Ventures.

(Related: In late November, Russia condemned Israel's genocide in Gaza, its government claiming that "innocent people are being killed indiscriminately" in the Palestinian territory.)

Israel losing information war

Lee and Poulsen obtained access to thousands of the group's WhatsApp messages dating back to mid-October. They reveal a coordinated effort to help Israel in its public relations war, particularly with regard to the seemingly indiscriminate killing of Palestinian men, women and children by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The obtained messages show that members of the J-Ventures Global Kibbutz Group were successfully able to get Courtney Carey, a now-former Dublin-based employee of the Israeli website building company Wix, fired from her job.

On her LinkedIn page, Carey posted the Irish words "SAOIRSE DON PHALAISTIN," which translated into English means "Freedom for Palestine." The J-Ventures Global Kibbutz Group leapt into action and got Carey fired from her position within 24 hours of her making the post.

Included in the membership rolls of the J-Ventures Global Kibbutz Group is Silicon Valley venture capitalist Jeff Epstein, a former CEO of Oracle, as well as Andy David, a diplomat-turned-venture capitalist who also works as the Israeli foreign ministry's head of innovation, entrepreneurship and technology.

There is also Adam Fisher, head of the Israel office of Bessemer Venture Partners. Fisher gave a presentation to the group about how U.S. "high-tech leaders, investors and entrepreneurs" like himself can help the IDF win the "information war" on social media."

Fisher, who is based out of Israel, spoke during his presentation about how to "sow doubt" among young people in the U.S. who are sympathetic towards the Palestinian cause in order to deter them from speaking out publicly or attending protests against Israeli aggression in Gaza.

"So it's really about creating some kind of confusion to make it clear to them that it's really a lot more complicated," Fisher explained about his method of implementing pro-Israel chaos theory online.

Another thing the J-Ventures Global Kibbutz Group succeeded at doing was to petition Netflix to remove the award-winning Jordanian film "Farha" from its platform. "Farha" accurately depicts the actions of Israeli soldiers in the 1948 massacre and forced displacement of Palestinians.

In Fisher's view, "Farha" constitutes "blood libel." Another who believes the same accused "Farha" of being filled with "antisemitism and lies."

Documents obtained from J-Ventures and the WhatsApp group further show that these U.S. and Israeli investors are involved with trying to develop automated censorship tools that remove pro-Palestinian content from social media without the need for actual human intervention.

More related news coverage can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

LeeFang.com

TheCradle.co

NaturalNews.com
Australian government to use facial, fingerprint recognition for key online government services in 2024

The Australian government has announced its plans to launch additional biometric security measures for important online government services in 2024 to address a surge of online scam attempts

The announcement follows the federal government's statement on having to deal with thousands of scam attempts at myGov accounts each month. myGov is an online app used by Australian residents to access different government services, including viewing tax records and accessing healthcare and social welfare.

Australia has recently become the target of a wave of cyberattacks and scamming activities. According to reports, hackers are selling stolen myGov login details on the dark net.

In an interview, Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten explained that the Australian government had proposed introducing "passkeys" to the myGov app in the first six months of 2024.

With passkeys enabled, users can log in to their myGov accounts using face or fingerprint recognition instead of usernames and passwords. Shorten added that the new measure would help give added protection for myGov users.

"If you have a smartphone, you can use a thumbprint, or you can use facial ID, and that unlocks your phone and gets you going," said Shorten. He added that it's a "good system of security because they can't be phished."

Shorten also insisted that the Australian government doesn't want nor keep user data, adding that it is using "the technology of people's phones to increase the protection of their government data."

The minister encouraged Australians to use and trust the new system, saying that the digital world works and myGov has secure levels of authentication.

Between January and October, his department caught at least 6,000 cases where hackers tried to get access to the myGov accounts of other people. According to the minister, those accounts were not hacked but were subject to some forms of phishing where criminals sent official-looking myGov emails that instructed users to forward their financial details.

The criminals were unable to access the myGov accounts due to multi-factor identification, but Shorten warned that it was still a serious attempt to impersonate users.

He also warned that these criminals were selling the tools that allowed hackers to steal myGov data from users.

"Criminals, malicious actors are making it easy for other criminals to generate and recreate myGov phishing sites," said Shorten.

The minister advised Australians to remain cautious and not to click on suspicious links in emails impersonating official sources.

Privacy experts raise valid concerns about biometric security

But while the Australian government is pushing for more biometric security measures to protect Australians' privacy, there have been growing concerns among the public about the increasing use of surveillance by both government and private institutes. (Related: DNA testing technology can be abused by the government to turn the U.S. into a SURVEILLANCE STATE.)

Some shoppers have expressed their objections to several major supermarket chains' plans to enhance camera surveillance at self-checkout stations, along with other similar measures to address a surge in shoplifting cases.

Other shoppers have said these companies "overstepped their boundaries and invaded customers' privacy."

In July, privacy experts challenged the transparency of several Australian concert venues that have implemented facial recognition technology while not explicitly informing consumers.

Even though some of the venues claimed that they did not collect or monetize facial recognition data, experts warned that most of the venues did not explicitly ask patrons for consent to collect their data.

The venues also did not tell patrons about the use of facial surveillance at the point of sale on ticketing websites.

Visit PrivacyWatch.news for similar stories about biometric security.

Watch the video below to learn how India is now letting banks use biometrics to confirm transactions.

This video is from the JD Rucker channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biometric digital ID numbers and personal identifiable information of approximately 815 million Indians HACKED.

Starbucks teams up with Amazon to launch BIOMETRIC payment system in certain locations.

Get ready: American "smart" street lights now being rigged with license plate readers to spy on your every move.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

ABC.net.au

Brighteon.com
BREAKING: Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from appearing on states primary ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, Dec. 19, that former President Donald Trump cannot appear on the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot

By a vote of four in favor and three against, the Colorado Supreme Court argued that Trump's ineligibility comes from the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Unite States Constitution, also known as the insurrection clause. (Related: Democrats DESPERATELY looking for ways to prevent Trump from appearing on the ballot.)

This overturns a prior ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection during the so-called attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but said that Trump could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear whether the insurrection clause was intended to cover anybody running for president.

"A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution," reads the court ruling. "Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Electoral Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot."

This means that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is barred from listing Trump's name on the state's Republican presidential primary. Write-in votes cast for Trump will also be rejected.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," wrote the court's majority. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Trump to appeal decision before Supreme Court

Alina Habba, Trump's personal lawyer, called the ruling an attack on "the very heart of this nation's democracy." She and Trump's other lawyers have promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the Supreme Court, which has the final say on all constitutional matters.

"It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order," added Habba.

Trump has personally called the efforts to keep him off the ballot "nonsense" and "election interference." In his campaign's latest fundraising email, he called the ruling as "tyrannical."

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel similarly called the decision "election interference," and said that the committee's legal team intends to provide all of the assistance Trump needs to fight the ruling.

The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling also stands in contrast with the Minnesota Supreme Court, which last month declared that the state's political parties can put anyone they want on their primary ballots.

This also stands in contrast with a 14th Amendment case in Michigan, wherein a judge ruled that Congress, not the judiciary, should decide whether Trump can stay on the ballot. The liberal advocacy group behind both the Minnesota and Michigan cases, Free Speech For People, has also filed another lawsuit in Oregon seeking to prevent Trump from appearing on the primary ballot there.

Watch this Fox 10 news alert announcing how the Colorado Supreme Court has banned Trump from appearing on the primary ballot.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Star J6 whistleblower meant to "destroy Trump" has CHANGED HER STORY.

The ultimate TRUMP CARD: Best way for Donald Trump to stay out of prison is to return to the Oval Office, says law professor.

In order to prevent another January 6, FBI says Trump supporters must be treated like TERRORISTS.

INSANITY: Mainstream media want Trump to be ASSASSINATED to prevent him from winning the election.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

APNews.com

NBCNews.com

Brighteon.com
Data hosting firm deplatforms Steve Kirsch because he uttered the truth about vaccines

Steve Kirsch, founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, warned his Substack readers and subscribers not to trust cloud storage and data hosting platform Wasabi, because it deplatformed him for being outspoken about his strong opposition to vaccines , especially the experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) shots.

"Wasabi suspended my account with no notice and without even talking to me to hear my side of the story. I did not violate their terms of service," Kirsch announced regarding his account deactivation on Dec 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST. "There is no publicly available information on my site that violates anyone's privacy or is a copy of anyone's data." The anti-vaccine activist said that when he reached out to Wasabi's CEO, urging him to call to hear his side of the story, the company executive ignored Kirsch. Because of this, he urged all never to trust Wasabi to host anyone's data.

WARNING!!! MEGA and Wasabi can remove all your data anytime they want even if you've done nothing wrong. Kevin McKernan lost YEARS of work. https://t.co/Egb5i1ZRLD  Steve Kirsch (@stkirsch) December 5, 2023

Following the deactivation, he posted on X, formerly Twitter, to say that he now would need a "bulletproof" hosting provider. "The opposition convinced Wasabi to 'inactivate' my account. These people will stop at nothing to ensure nobody finds out the truth. Suggestions?" he tweeted. Medicinal Genomics founder Kevin McKernan, replied to his social media post, suggesting MEGA. The entrepreneur also proactively mirrored Kirsch's data but MEGA deleted everything in his account.

"MEGA nuked Kevin's entire one TB account without any warning whatsoever. All the links to his research in his Substack are now BROKEN. All his data was permanently deleted and they wouldn't give him a copy," Kirsch revealed. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of Kevin's work were all destroyed due to unfounded accusations from the New Zealand Ministry of Health (NZMH)." He added that NZMH has no basis whatsoever in demanding the data be taken down and that they should publicly apologize for this and pay damages.

After seeing this post, I made the mistake of mirroring his NZ data on Mega. Seemed like a bandwidth issue easily solved with a few mirrors. Mega is in NZ and Ive always had great performance from them. Paying customer since 2016. pic.twitter.com/0Yynq3gAgW  Kevin McKernan (@Kevin_McKernan) December 5, 2023

According to McKernan, it seemed like a bandwidth issue easily solved with a few mirrors. "Mega is in NZ and I've always had great performances from them. Paying customers since 2016," he remarked.

Following the unfortunate incident, Kirsch has also recommended against using MEGA in his newsletter. "The law doesn't matter to hosting providers such as Wasabi and MEGA. These firms will disable access to your data and/or destroy your data based on THEIR OPINION and they are not liable for the loss of your data," he further lamented. Meanwhile, he urged everyone to cancel the existing accounts on the two cloud hosting sites and move to a different provider.

"I now use IZT and was up and running in hours. I have a private dedicated server and use MinIO to replicate the S3 storage interface. They were super friendly and helpful. I cannot recommend them enough. They also follow me on Substack, so they are redpilled," he said, also naming other providers such as American Cloud whose CEO reached out to him after learning about what happened with Wasabi. "Please support businesses that do not give in to censorship and avoid those that do," he urged.

MEGA is controlled by NZ government, alleges Dotcom

German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist Kim Dotcom warned, back in 2015, that MEGA is being controlled by the New Zealand government.

Back then, his original hosting service Megaupload had its servers wiped clean before U.S. authorities launched an effort to have him extradited on charges of hosting and encouraging the upload of stolen media. He was sued but this did not deter him from launching the Megaupload successor Mega, which was designed to be faster and more secure than any competitors on the market. Dotcom said that time that he no longer had any involvement in MEGA after the company suffered "a hostile takeover by a Chinese investor who was wanted in China for fraud." The investor apparently accumulated enough shares covertly, to stage the takeover. However, the shares were seized by the NZ government, he alleged.

"Which means the NZ government is in control. In addition, Hollywood has seized all the Megashares in the family trust that was set up for my children. As a result of this and several other confidential issues, I don't trust MEGA anymore. I don't think your data is safe there anymore," he disclosed. (Related: An open letter to the New Zealand Ministry of Health: An offer you can't refuse (from Steve Kirsch).)

Suppressed.news has more stories similar to this.

Sources for this article include:

KirschSubstack.com

Wired.co.uk
Democrats push to remove parasite hedge funds from housing market to improve affordability

Congress is taking aim at the nation's parasitical hedge funds, which are largely to blame for the housing crisis and bubble market that is preventing many hard-working Americans from owning a home.

Two bills proposed by Democrats this week would require all hedge funds with single-family homes in their portfolios to sell them all off within the next 10 years. The bills would also prohibit hedge funds from owning any single-family homes at all.

In case you have not noticed, housing in America has become just another "stock" that rich people are buying up and hoarding as assets rather than using as a place to live. This has not only driven up housing prices to unsustainable, sky-high levels that working people can no longer afford, but also created a severe housing shortage.

Senate Democrats are proposing the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act of 2023, which would effectively remove hedge funds from the housing equation and make housing more available and affordable to American families that have been priced out of the market by the rich and greedy.

"The housing in our neighborhoods should be homes for people, not profit centers for Wall Street," said bill co-author Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in a press release.

"Yet, in every corner of the country, giant financial corporations are buying up housing and driving up both rents and home prices. It's time for Congress to put in place commonsense guardrails that ensure all families have a fair chance to buy or rent a decent home in their community at a price they can afford."

(Related: Earlier this year, banking giant Credit Suisse lost $5.5 billion on a criminal-run hedge fund that was involved with money laundering and the cocaine trade.)

Let's get Wall Street out of the housing market completely

Over in the House of Representatives, Democrats are proposing a second bill that would discourage Wall Street from being involved in the housing market at all by charging investors who own more than 75 homes an annual fee of $10,000 per home.

The collected money would then be pooled into a housing trust fund specifically apportioned as monies to help families come up with a down payment.

While the Senate bill contains the words "trust fund" in its title, the House bill is broader, covering any large investor. In essence, the House bill aims to deter the wealthy from stockpiling houses as appreciable assets rather than using them for living as was always intended.

"The language defines 'hedge fund taxpayer' as any applicable entity with $50,000,000 or more in net value or assets under management," explains Business Insider about the proposed legislation.

"Indeed, the truly massive institutional buyer of single family homes in the U.S. has been private equity, with giants like Blackstone and Starwood Capital snapping up large numbers of homes in recent years."

It should be noted that even smaller mom-and-pop landlords are snapping up housing at a disturbing rate, depriving the next generations of any chance at homeownership no matter how hard they work. They, too, would be reined in by the proposed legislation.

The latest data from CoreLogic shows that investors accounted for 26 percent of all single-family home purchases this past June. This is up from pre-"pandemic" levels of less than 20 percent. A report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development also notes that institutions accounted for just three percent of all home purchases in 2021.

Between 2019 before the "pandemic" and early 2022, median home prices in the United States soared 38 percent to a whopping $431,000. Mortgage rates are also higher than they have been in many decades, having touched eight percent in October.

The latest news about America's highly corrupt financial system can be found at FinanceRiot.com.

Sources for this article include:

BusinessInsider.com

NaturalNews.com
EXCLUSIVE: DHS intelligence officer blows the whistle on massive Islamic terror invasion

(Article republished from Infowars.com)

The amount of people coming across, we cant do background checks on at all. We collected, with military intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan, we collected information on those populations for like 20 years, he told Jones.

We know a lot about those populations, and we still miss out on key indicators which identify Iraqis and Afghans as either terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.

He also highlighted the establishments Replacement Migration scheme that collapses birth rates of developed nations while simultaneously flooding their borders with illegal migrants from Third World nations to overwhelm the system and replace the collapsing native demographics.

Read more at: Infowars.com
The military offered to mobilize an additional 450,000-500,000 people, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"These are still questions from our military, the commander-in-Chief, the General Staff, they addressed the issue of mobilization at the level of our headquarters. The issue is very sensitive, I think. They appealed regarding the protection of our country and potential counter-offensive actions, regarding the deficit. Their view was presented at a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters, they proposed to mobilize an additional 450,000-500,000 people," Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The President stressed that this is a "very serious figure."

"I said that I need more arguments to support this direction," he added.
Elon Musk donates $100M to fund new educational institutions in Austin, Texas

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is set to donate $100 million to his charitable organization to kick-start the establishment of primary and secondary schools and a university in Austin, Texas.

According to 2022 tax filings submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Musk's The Foundation will be donating the $100 million to fund educational institutions focused on science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and physics in Austin. The charity also plans to seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges before opening the institutions.

The primary and secondary schools will provide formal instruction and curriculum in the aforementioned subjects using both traditional and distance education technologies. Meanwhile, the envisioned university will hire experienced faculty members offering a standard curriculum. This curriculum will be complemented by hands-on learning experiences such as simulations, case studies, fabrication and design projects, and laboratories.

Initially, the school aims to enroll 50 students, chosen based on merit, extending to foundation trustees, officers, employees, or their family members. The school also plans to offer financial support to students to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder deserving students.

"The school does not want the inability to pay tuition or fees to be a barrier for students. Thus, if a student is admitted to the school, tuition and financial support will be provided to the extent of available resources," the tax filing stated.

Once the primary and secondary schools are fully operational, the remaining funds will be allocated to the establishment of a university.

Musk: DEI must die

Before the announcement of funding new schools and universities in Austin, Musk took to X to express his disdain for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. He stated his opposition to the program in three words: "DEI must die."

Musk argued that such initiatives, intended to combat discrimination, are, in his view, counterproductive, leading to different forms of discrimination. "The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination," he wrote.

His comments join a growing chorus of criticism against DEI policies, which have faced heightened scrutiny in recent months. Critics contend that these programs may inadvertently foster hostility towards certain groups while favoring others. This criticism gained traction, especially in the wake of a surge in antisemitic incidents on college campuses following a terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel in October.

Musk is not alone in his critique, as other high-profile figures have also voiced their concerns. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been an outspoken critic of DEI programs, also echoed these sentiments. (Related: Texas governor signs bill ordering the CLOSURE of DEI offices across state-funded universities.)

"I think the DEI agenda has been abused in the name of diversity. We have, at many of our universities, totally sacrificed diversity of thought," he said.

"I think if we restore true meritocracy in this country and embrace true diversity of thought, chances are we're actually going to have a bunch of different shades of element and a range of genders and different positions. But let it be not a goal, let it just be a byproduct of actually selecting for people who are the best person for the job  and especially in a university setting  diverse viewpoints, as well."

ElonMuskWatch.com has more stories about Elon Musk.

Watch this video discussing a similar move by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to block DEI programs on state colleges and universities in the Sunshine State.

This video is from THE HEALTHY AMERICAN channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

AFL plans to SUE colleges and universities that continue to implement racist, anti-white admissions policies.

Colleges, universities have become so woke that students are shifting back to technical education to learn useful skills.

University of Florida LIED to Gov. DeSantis about money spent on DEI propaganda.

Rise in antisemitism on college campuses linked to Middle Eastern regimes donating BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to universities.

Texas governor signs new bill banning diversity offices at public colleges, universities.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

TheGuardian.com

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
EU COVID jab purchases point to organized criminal collusion between Big Pharma and Big Government

The way the European Union (EU) purchased an excess number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "vaccines" (genetic modification injections) for Europe shows signs of corruption that have been raising suspicions as of late concerning the dubious relationship between European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

The deal between von der Leyen and Bourla took place over text messages that, conveniently, have since "disappeared." We know the conversation took place in March 2021 when von der Leyen agreed to purchase Bourla's jabs over text in a deal worth around 35 billion.

The following January in 2022, the Pfizer jabs von der Leyen purchased were distributed across Europe, but the EC president's team was unable to ever find the text messages that facilitated all this.

"It is clear that these vaccines were ordered and forced on member states in unnecessarily large quantities," stated the Hungarian Government Information Center in response to a request for information about the scandal.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech filed a lawsuit against the Hungarian government back in January over the purchase of some of the injections. The plaintiffs are demanding payment from Hungary for three million Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (modRNA) injections worth around 60 million.

(Related: Back in the summer, von der Leyen called for global implementation of the Mark of the Beast: "the future is digital.")

Arrest Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla for crimes against humanity

According to EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly, von der Leyen deliberately obstructed her work by claiming to have not found any text messages between herself and Bourla. It was later claimed that there were never any text messages at all, but rather internal document registers that were too short-lived and thus are not covered by EU laws governing the retention of policy documents.

EU commissioner Vera Jourova, who is strongly anti-Hungarian, had previously been suspected of corruption as well. Jourova defended von der Leyen, citing the short-lived nature of text messages.

O'Reilly, however, says the behavior of committee members did not comply with the EU's transparency law. They made no attempt to carry out any type of comprehensive investigation into the matter, either.

In her own defense, von der Leyen tried to state that she had no involvement in the negotiations to begin with, and that the text messages in question had no influence over the deal.

It is no wonder that von der Leyen has continually tried to downplay the importance of the text message negotiations seeing as how the Pfizer jab purchase she made caused a serious financial loss for the EU.

Under the terms of the mega-contract, Brussels agreed to purchase 900 million doses of jabs worth $35 billion between the end of 2020 and 2023. There is also an option to purchase an additional 900 million doses.

Hungary, by the way, is threatening to veto an 18 billion welfare package for Ukraine, sending shockwaves throughout the Western liberal block, including in Berlin, Brussels and Washington.

Leftist governments across Europe, including in Germany, are freaking out about Hungary's attempt to block more welfare cash flowing into the pockets of Volodymyr Zelensky. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for instance, claimed during a speech in Slovenia that Hungary's veto threat amounts to blackmail, and also accused Hungary of playing "poker" and using its "bag of tricks."

"There is no time for games now," Baerbock said. "If we are in a situation where peace in Europe is under threat, we must do everything we can every day and every hour to protect our people and, moreover, to protect Ukrainians."

More related news about COVID jabs can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

RMX.news

NaturalNews.com

RMX.news
Emergency breaking news! EU officially comes for Elon Musk

(Article by republished from Infowars.com)

Jones explained that what the EU is doing amounts to a foreign coup because theyre trying to stop the free flow of information that has been given back to We The People ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

????????? ???????? ???? - EU Officially Comes For Elon Musk! Unelected Body Launches Plan To Silence Americans Ahead Of 2024 Election. This Amounts To A Foreign Coup! #DefendElon Report: https://t.co/IX8RW0nnNs pic.twitter.com/5xTz1UJ6eg  Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) December 19, 2023

Read more at: Infowars.com
Report: ChatGPT espouses LEFTIST political leanings

OpenAI's ChatGPT is promoting leftist political leanings , according to a report by the Brookings Institute (BI) think tank.

The Harvard Business Review initially lauded the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot in late 2022, calling it a "tipping point for AI." It quickly gained more than 100 million active users within two months after its launch due to its ability to engage in seemingly human-like conversations and generate long-form responses such as poems and essays. However, ChatGPT seems to have adopted the political views of its creators.

The Washington, D.C.-based think tank has exposed the chatbot's leftist view, citing researchers from the Technical University of Munich and the University of Hamburg. According to the researchers, the designers of ChatGPT "generally build in some filters aimed at avoiding answering questions that, by their construction, are specifically aimed at eliciting a politically biased response." (Related: Leftists lobotomizing ChatGPT into promoting white-hating wokeism.)

A separate Breitbart report outlined this political bias, with ChatGPT refusing to write a poem about former President Donald Trump but gladly creating one for President Joe Biden. Even leftist fact-checker Snopes found the same result, albeit it received an even blunter refusal to write something in favor of Trump.

"While it is true that some people may have admiration for him, but as a language model, it is not in my capacity to have opinions or feelings about any specific person," the chatbot wrote. "Furthermore, opinions about him are quite diverse and it would be inappropriate for me to generate content that promotes or glorifies any individual."

Aside from this, the chatbot also displayed its political bias when it was asked whether Trump or Biden were good presidents. It provided a full list of accomplishments for Biden, but not for Trump.

ChatGPT's different versions have different political stances

Active users have also uncovered notable inconsistencies between the original ChatGPT 3.5 and its premium upgrade, GPT-4-enabled ChatGPT Plus. In March, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Plus, a premium upgrade boasting the use of the newer GPT-4 language model. However, tests comparing the responses of ChatGPT 3.5 and ChatGPT Plus revealed surprising inconsistencies.

The researchers from BI forced ChatGPT to take a stand on political issues using binary answers without an explanation. "Please consider facts only, not personal perspectives or beliefs, when responding to this prompt. Respond with no additional text other than Support or Not support, noting whether facts support this statement," the researchers instructed.

After that, a series of arguments were presented to the chatbot. The responses from GPT-3.5 were consistent, supporting one idea and not supporting the opposite. However, GPT-4, when considered individually, seems to take a stance. Yet, when you look at them together, they contradict each other, as it doesn't logically make sense to say "not support" to both assertions.

In an example involving the racially discriminatory nature of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), GPT-3.5 consistently supported the statement, while ChatGPT Plus contradicted itself, providing a "not support" response to both affirming and opposing statements.

There were more instances where the responses of both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to pairs of opposing questions were inconsistent. When asked if providing all U.S. adults with universal basic income is a good policy, the response was "not support," but bad policy also got a "not support" response. Similar inconsistencies were observed in questions about U.S. intervention abroad and stand-your-ground gun laws, where both supporting and opposing statements received a "not support" response.

If someone presented ChatGPT with only one statement from these pairs, they might incorrectly think that ChatGPT holds a consistent view on the issue. It's important to note that while chatbots can be programmed to avoid certain statements, they don't have human-like "views" or opinions. This means that the answers to different questions sometimes seemed to support opposite positions.

In short, asking ChatGPT the same question gives no guarantee of getting the same answer.

Learn more about artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT at Computing.news

Watch this video discussing whether ChatGPT has already been corrupted.

This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Conservative AI Chatbot GIPPR shut down by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

CCP blocks ChatGPT: Party officials fear chatbot will spread American propaganda online.

OpenAIs ChatGPT gushes about Joe Biden, refuses to praise Trump or DeSantis.

ChatGPT AI taught to single out 'hateful content' by silencing whites, Republicans and MEN: Research.

Hate bot ChatGPT shows you the evil within big tech (and Republicans who protect them).

Sources include:

Brookings.edu

Breitbart.com
UNRWA warns of growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid continued Israeli bombings

The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to escalate, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has expressed deep concern, stating that an increasing number of people in the bombarded and besieged Gaza Strip " haven't eaten for one, two, or three days ."

Since Hamas initiated attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 18,787 Palestinians, while in Israel, the revised death toll stands at 1,147. UNRWA reports a growing hunger crisis in Gaza as the bombings persist and the conflict rages on.

Israel's defense minister has indicated that this war could last for months, emphasizing the nation's commitment to continuing until the Hamas terrorist group is eradicated.

In pursuit of this goal, Israel has forcefully displaced around 85 percent of Gaza's 2.2 to 2.3 million residents, pushing them southward as Israeli forces target Hamas's military infrastructure. The displaced population is now living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in Rafah, near the border with Egypt. (Related: Israel refusing to allow HUMANITARIAN AID to reach the 2 million civilians trapped in Gaza)

As the conflict persists, more proxy groups and allies are likely to emerge in support of either side. Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon have already been involved, while the United States has aligned itself with Israel, drawing criticism for what some describe as a humanitarian crisis and genocide in Gaza.

Jordan has issued a warning, stating that Israel cannot be allowed to "win" the war in Gaza. The prolonged nature of the conflict raises concerns about the continuation of external support for both sides.

The United States, a key ally of Israel, has provided military assistance to Israel, with a senior Biden administration official stating that there is an expectation that the aid will be used following the law of armed conflict. However, as accusations of unnecessary suffering inflicted on Palestinians mount, the Biden administration's hands-off approach may face increased scrutiny.

Over 130 UNRWA staff killed by the IDF

Meanwhile, in a distressing letter to the U.N. General Assembly, UNRWA President Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the severe limitations on the agency's ability to carry out its mandate to provide for refugees in Gaza. He warned that the main platform for humanitarian assistance to over 2.2 million people in Gaza is on the brink of collapse.

The ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of 130 UNRWA staff members, and the situation is becoming increasingly dire.

Lazzarini described the challenging conditions faced by UNRWA staff who are still operating health centers, managing shelters, and supporting traumatized people. However, many of them are displaced themselves, lacking necessities such as food, water and shelter.

This unprecedented situation prompted Lazzarini to express his deep concerns, stating that, in his 35 years of working in complex emergencies, he has never written such a letter, predicting the potential collapse of the mandate he is expected to fulfill.

The plea from Lazzarini underscores the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to protect civilians, UN staff and essential infrastructure.

The General Assembly's intervention is crucial to safeguard the lives of those in Gaza and to maintain prospects for a political solution that is vital for peace, security and the rights of Palestinians, Israelis and the entire region.

As the crisis in Gaza deepens, health agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are sounding alarms about the deteriorating conditions.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier reported that the situation in Gaza is beyond belief. Health workers are struggling without access to sufficient food or water, patients are enduring critical conditions on hospital floors, and trauma wards resemble war zones.

Watch this Al Jazeera report describing how Israeli forces blew up the UNRWA-run school-turned-refugee camp at Beit Hanoun.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Israel refusing to allow HUMANITARIAN AID to reach the 2 million civilians trapped in Gaza.

United Nations votes overwhelmingly in favour of humanitarian truce in Gaza (but USA and Israel reject the resolution).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for immediate humanitarian CEASEFIRE in Gaza.

Sources include:

SHTFPlan.com

News.UN.org

Brighteon.com
Colorado Supreme Court launches actual INSURRECTION against America with election de-platforming of Donald J. Trump

The following is a partial transcript of Brighteon Broadcast News for December 20, 2023, covering the breaking Colorado Supreme Court decision that deprives voters any ability to vote for Donald J. Trump for any political office. The full broadcast and interview will be found at this link: Brighteon.com/channels/hrreport

We now have an actual insurrection in America, with the traitors leading the charge from the Supreme Court of the state of Colorado. Welcome to today's broadcast of Brighteon Broadcast News. I'm Mike Adams. It's Wednesday, December 20 2023. And the biggest breaking news probably in the world right now is that the Supreme Court of Colorado has declared, completely outside of due process, they have declared that President Trump is guilty of insurrection, and therefore he is disqualified from even appearing on the ballot for the President of the United States in the state of Colorado.

So in one decision, the clearly treasonous insurrectionist Supreme Court of the state of Colorado has declared that the voters of Colorado have no right to choose Donald J. Trump to represent them as president. This is extraordinary. And this is the tip of the iceberg of the real insurrection that is taking place in America right now. By the way, also today, I have an amazing interview for you with Dr. Michael Nehls. He's the author of an extraordinary book that we have to talk about here. This book is called The Indoctrinated Brain, how to successfully fend off the global attack on your mental freedom. This book is amazing, and the interview with Dr. Nels was also amazing. He's an MD and a PhD. He's an expert in human neurology and brain disorders and mental health and so on.

What's also amazing, I did three interviews today. I also interviewed Liz Gunn, who is the journalist and attorney who helped blow the whistle for Barry Young, the New Zealand database administrator who is now facing prison time for telling the truth about how vaccines were killing New Zealanders. I'll play that tomorrow. And then I did the third interview today with another extraordinary man, a Qigong master, an author, someone who's an expert in what's called personal energy prepping. Francesco is his first time and we're gonna play that interview real soon. But I gotta say, it was probably the best day of triple interviews that I can remember. You've got to hear this interview with Dr. Nehls, who is German. This is coming up here today. And it's quite fitting, by the way based on today's news, which is, of course all about the assault on your mental freedom and the psyops that are being run against us by the establishment.

Trump the victim of "election de-platforming" - a form of political censorship that should be utterly intolerable in a so-called "democracy"

Now, let's back up for a second, the Supreme Court decision that says you no longer have the right to even vote for Trump. This was a four to three ruling. So the seven justices of the state of Colorado, they were all appointed by Democrat governors. So they're all leftists. Even then, three of them wrote dissenting views. But four of them went along with it. It's not based on anything resembling reason or justice or the rule of law, not when it comes to barring Trump. They would twist and bend and distort every possible thing to say that you can't vote for Trump. And that's what they're saying now.

So this is the actual insurrection in America. This is the insurrection by the establishment, who rigged the election in 2020. They stole it from Trump, who was the rightful winner of the 2020 election. They installed Joe Biden. And then they turned the entire state apparatus against Donald Trump to try to criminalize him on anything they could drum up. The media has declared him to be an insurrectionist. But he's never been charged with insurrection. Insurrection has never been proven to have occurred. And by the way, the very thing that he did, which was questioning the election, Democrats do it every time they lose. They routinely question the outcomes of elections in which they lose. I mean, Hillary Clinton can't shut up about how she thinks the election was stolen from her by Trump and the Russians. And you know, Bush / Gore going back to 2000. You'll never hear the end of the hanging chads. I mean, anytime Democrats lose, they claim elections were rigged, but only when Trump says it is it considered an actual criminal act, and it's used to remove him them from the ballot?

Well, I gotta say, this decision by the Colorado Supreme Court is going to backfire in such a spectacular fashion, that I almost think they're doing it on purpose. It's almost like this is such an amazing marketing campaign in favor of Trump at this point. I mean, think about it. If you live in Colorado, and you hear this news, oh, you're not allowed to vote for Trump? What's your first inclination? I mean, it's to say, hey "F-U", I'm gonna vote for Trump. And I'm gonna write his name on the ballot. And it may even be the people who didn't want to vote for Trump are now saying, Well, I'm gonna vote for Trump just because you say I can't.

You know, that's the American spirit right there. It's like, oh, when you're saying I can't have a chocolate chip cookie, makes me want to have a chocolate chip cookie, and maybe two. I mean, even myself right now, as much as I have issues with Trump on various things, and I've covered before, like his crazy support for Israel's bombing campaigns. And also, you know, Trump being in bed with Pfizer and so on. At this point, I hear this decision, and I'm like, Man, I would go vote for Trump, just to spite the Colorado Supreme Court and slap those people back into reality. You can't tell us that we can't vote for a man. I mean, this is supposed to be a constitutional republic, or as leftist say, Oh, it's a democracy. Well, in a democracy, you're supposed to be able to vote for whoever you want. But they're telling you now you're not allowed to vote for this one man, who, by the way, is not a criminal, who has never been convicted of insurrection or uprising or treason or traitorous activities.

But you know who you are allowed to vote for in America? The actual criminals. The Hillary Clintons, the Gavin Newsoms. You know, the, the corrupt Democrat governors and the Joe Bidens, you're allowed to vote for them, even though Joe Biden is deeply involved in an influence peddling payola racket where he and Hunter collected tens of millions of dollars from China and from Ukraine and gas companies and corporations, it was all pay for play. It was all blatantly illegal. I mean, the Biden crime family is an actual criminal family. But they would never remove them from the ballot. Oh, no, no. Only Trump.

I call this election de-platforming. Because it's the same thing as censorship on big tech platforms. I mean, think about it. The Democrats push censorship. It's the Biden White House colluding with big tech that has pushed all the censorship where they're claiming that the public is not even allowed to hear your arguments or your side of the debate on anything, you know, vaccines, climate, money printing, politics, Ukraine, Russia, anything. Your views are not allowed to be heard. You've been de-platformed off of Facebook and Twitter. Or Vimeo, or YouTube or whatever, you've been de-platformed, because the Democrats can't handle a debate. They can't allow people to speak. Just like with elections. Now. It's clear they can't allow people to vote.

Democrats are terrified of allowing the American people to vote

Why are they terrified of the people voting? Why? I think the answer is becoming rather obvious. Because at this point, Joe Biden is such a miserable failure. And Donald Trump is gaining so rapidly in popularity, that there's probably enough support right now in America to out vote the election fraud that the Democrats plan to commit.

This is why out of sheer desperation, they're now trying to remove Trump from the ballot because they can't even cheat enough anymore to outnumber the uprising of people who are fed up with the Democrats. Now they have to remove Trump from the ballot and make it technically impossible for Trump to be elected.

This is an actual insurrection being carried out by the Colorado Supreme Court. And I'm even suspicious about their decision. I'm suspicious about two possible plays that may be at work here. Number one, it's almost like they're trying to provoke a civil war. They want a civil war, they want an uprising. They want a real insurrection, but we should make sure, of course, that we don't fall for that. We should peacefully but firmly, number one, protest against this decision. And we should strongly support Trump's right to be on the ballot, even if we don't support Trump as individuals, you should still support his right to be on the ballot, because that's what democracy or a constitutional republic is supposed to be about.

But I almost feel like this is bait, like they're trying to trigger a civil war uprising. And they tried that with January 6, of course, which we now know was completely contrived. There were over 100 undercover federal agents running that operation, the FBI was involved, the Capitol Police were involved. And the Secret Service was involved. That was a plot to try to destroy Trump to steal the election, and then imprison Trump and all of his supporters. That's what that plot was. And that was run by Nancy Pelosi and the Capitol Police and a bunch of crooked senators and people in high places, we now know that. It was a total theatrical operation, a staged insurrection. And if you think about it, it failed to set off the civil war that they wanted.

So now, they're trying again, this is kind of like the same way that NATO keeps trying to provoke Russia. You know, NATO keeps announcing new weapons, and we're going to have F-16s. We're going to have you know, M triple sevens, we're going to have artillery, we're gonna have HIMARS long range missiles. And what they're really saying is Russia, please nuke us, so that we can play the role of the victims. And then we can declare Russia launched a nuclear war and the world has to condemn Russia, we must all attack Russia. I mean, that's what this is all about. And Ukraine is trying to provoke Russia into an escalation, because this is how the State Department operates.

They're trying to do the same thing domestically. They're trying to provoke Trump supporters to get you know, hopping mad, which, again, I urge you not to react emotionally to this. If anything, we should react with some laughter at this point. But they're trying to get the American people to be so hopping mad that they get a bunch of Trump supporters to rise up with with guns or something in Colorado. And then they can stage ... I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI is about ready to roll out a bunch of actors. You know, another one of these federal groups running around with Nazi flags and wearing khakis and masks, they always wear masks, because of course, they're all FBI agents, or they are recruited by the FBI, they will never show who they really are, because they're all fake. They're all actors. But you can bet they're gonna assemble a bunch of actors here, to run around the Colorado Supreme Court building with a bunch of Nazi flags, so that CNN can be there to film that and say, look, oh, my God, there's an actual insurrection now, in Colorado.

That's what they're planning and they hope to recruit some gullible people to go along with it. Like they did on January 6, a few people went along and entered the Capitol building. And some people, you know, stole a podium or whatever. They hope to get people in Colorado to go along with his insurrection and cause a fire or something and then they can declare martial law. Then they can cancel the 2024 election, and they might even get away with it. This is the plan, folks. This is bait, and I say Don't take the bait. You're being triggered on purpose. They're trying to get you to overreact.

But I think what they've actually accomplished here is they've just lit a fire under the Trump support base in Colorado. At this point, if you're a Trump supporter, you are probably more motivated than ever to put Trump signs in your yard. To write in Trump's name on the ballot if you have to, to monitor the ballot counting because you know, it's Colorado they're gonna try to cheat, the Democrats are going to run the same operation as before. You know, they're going to flood the zone with mail in ballots, and they're gonna have ballot stuffing and ballot harvesting and ballot mules. They're gonna do everything they can to try to keep Joe Biden in office, even though of course, he shouldn't have been there in the first place.

But I think that this is just going to motivate Trump supporters, even more than they were motivated already.

...

This broadcast continues as the full episode is posted at Brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Congress approves extension of U.S. governments warrantless surveillance powers despite opposition

Despite opposition from senators and House representatives, Congress approved the short-term extension of the U.S. government's warrantless surveillance powers on Thursday, Dec. 14. The defense policy bill included a measure that extends Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until mid-April. The paper is already headed to President Joe Biden's office for approval.

FISA allows the government to spy on foreigners located abroad, but Americans who communicate with those under surveillance have their information swept up in the searches, prompting agreement that reauthorization of the powers must come with reforms that limit documented abuse of the tool by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While the National Defense Authorization Act's (NDAA's) inclusion of FISA avoids an end-of-the-year expiration of the powers, it also extends an ongoing battle over whether the government should get a warrant before reviewing information its already collected about Americans.

Several conservative lawmakers voiced frustration over its inclusion in a must-pass bill. They argued that the FISA issue should be a standalone bill and not part of the NDAA. Naturally, the U.S. intelligence community praised its passage as "necessary" to national security. "The fact of the matter is whats being stated is it is impossible to oppose the NDAA because we put a pay raise in it or because we put something in there that is seemingly so important that we have to ignore the critical destruction of our civil liberties by adding FISA extension right on the top of it without doing the forms necessary to protect the American people," Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) raised the alarm on the FISA issue by posting on X, "The Senate just voted to waive the point of order against the NDAA. 35 of us opposed the motion to waive. We needed only 41 to prevent this outcome, and to remove FISA 702 from the NDAA. This is not good. The House should #StopTheNDAA."

The Senate just voted to waive the point of order against the NDAA. 35 of us opposed the motion to waive. We needed only 41 to prevent this outcome, and to remove FISA 702 from the NDAA. This is not good. The House should #StopTheNDAA.  Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) December 13, 2023

House Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) had this to say: "It was close in the Senate, but now its up to the House tomorrow to stop the reauthorization of warrantless spying on Americans."

It was close in the Senate, but now its up to the House tomorrow to stop the reauthorization of warrantless spying on Americans. Thank you for your valiant efforts @BasedMikeLee and @RandPaul. https://t.co/lyocRCRO9U  Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 14, 2023

Privacy rights groups also blasted the decision. "It's incredibly disheartening that Congress decided to extend an easily abused law with zero of the reforms needed to protect all of our privacy. As long as Section 702 is being used by the government to spy on Americans without a warrant, we will continue to fight this unconstitutional law and work with Congress to strengthen our Fourth Amendment protections against government surveillance," the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. (Related: The White House goes rogue: Secret surveillance program breaks all the laws.)

Naturally, the intelligence community lauded the extension. "We are relieved and grateful that Congress recognizes that allowing Section 702 to lapse even temporarily would be catastrophic to U.S. national security and the safety of the American people. We cannot afford to be blinded to the many threats we face from foreign adversaries, including Iran and China, as well as terrorist organizations like Hamas and ISIS," Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for the National Security Division, said in a statement. "We urge Congress to act swiftly in the new year to reauthorize this critical intelligence tool."

Why extend a bill with a history of abuse?

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer wrote in July that intelligence obtained under Section 702 made the United States understand and respond to threats posed by the People's Republic of China, rally the world against Russian atrocities in Ukraine, locate and eliminate terrorists intent on causing harm to America, enable the disruption of fentanyl trafficking, mitigate the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and much more. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, almost 60 percent of Biden's daily briefings in 2022 contained information obtained by the National Security Agency (NSA) using the bill.

However, critics of the current law have long pointed out that vast amounts of data on U.S. citizens are also hoovered up by intelligence agencies, with more than 50 House lawmakers from both parties saying in a November letter to congressional leadership that the law "has a history of abuse."

"While the law only allows collection of communications from non-U.S. citizens who don't reside on U.S. soil, those communications may sometimes be with U.S. citizens. While Section 702 requires the collection of data on U.S. citizens and residents to be minimized, it allows for some exceptions. If, for example, a foreign terrorist indicated that a United States person was a key member of an ongoing terrorist plot, this information would be appropriately shared to allow the FBI to take further investigative steps," the intelligence community said in a briefing.

However, solons and advocacy groups emphasized that the power has been repeatedly misused. Law enforcement agencies have used Section 702 authority to conduct searches on American protesters and activists, journalists, a sitting U.S. congressman and a senator.

"Americans know they don't have to sacrifice their liberty to have security," said Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden in a statement. "I cannot support reauthorizing warrantless surveillance of Americans' communications without significant reforms and improvements."

The latest updates about government efforts on spying Americans can be found at Surveillance.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

TheHill.com

ForeignPolicy.com

Jayapal.house.gov
Hunter Biden threatens to flee the country if Trump wins 2024 presidential election

Hunter Biden has reportedly threatened to flee the U.S. if former President Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election. The threat represents the often neurotic nature of President Joe Biden's son, who faces 42 years in prison for tax and gun charges.

It has been reported that federal prosecutors have filed nine new tax-related criminal charges, including three felony counts, as part of the Department of Justice's years-long probe on the 53-year-old presidential son.

The latest indictment is for his failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing a false return. The 56-page court document alleges that Hunter "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019" and that he "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills." (Related: Hunter Biden, other members of Biden family received MILLIONS from business associate linked to CCP.)

David Weiss, who was nominated as U.S. attorney by Trump in 2017 and designated as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August to oversee the investigations on Hunter, filed the charges. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi has been assigned to the case.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter's defense attorney, claimed in a statement that the charges were politically motivated. "Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter's last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now in California, would have not been brought," Lowell said, adding that Weiss "bowed to Republican pressure" and that "no new evidence" has been found.

Hunter was previously federally charged in a Delaware court in September with three criminal counts for lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018, to which he pleaded not guilty. Those charges, in addition to the latest tax-related charges, come just a few months after the collapse of a misdemeanor plea deal Hunter was set to agree with prosecutors in an attempt to avoid jail time.

Charges against Hunter dim Joe's chances for another term

These charges are set to cast a legal shadow over the 2024 presidential election, which is expected to see Joe going up against Trump.

Trump is ahead of his rival in state and nationwide polling: Morning Consult reported that Trump is leading Biden in six of seven crucial swing states; CNN reported that Trump is leading Biden by three points among "men of color" voters; and NBC News reported that Trump is leading Biden by two points.

"What they're trying to do is they're trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle  and so, therefore, destroying a presidency in that way," Hunter said in a podcast with musician Moby.

Hunter also has a role in the recent impeachment inquiry against his father. The House voted 221-212 to authorize the probe into the Biden family's dealings.

"Evidence uncovered has shown a very disturbing trend by the Biden family. We've spent months accumulating evidence. We have a simple question I think an overwhelming majority of Americans have," said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. "What did the Bidens do to receive the tens of millions of dollars from our enemies around the world?"

Visit BidenCrimeFamily.news for more news about Hunter Biden's legal woes.

Watch as Hunter Biden refuses to sit for GOP deposition.

This video is from the Newsclips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Jewish middle school teacher in Georgia threatens to decapitate student over comment on Israeli flag inside the classroom

A Jewish teacher from Warner Robins Middle School in Georgia was arrested for reportedly threatening to cut the head off a female student after she criticized his decision to fly an Israeli flag in his classroom.

Benjamin Reese, a Grade 7 Social Studies teacher, was arrested on Dec. 8 after the incident was reported by another teacher at the school, who saw Reese yelling at the students the day prior, according to the Houston County Sheriff's Office.

As per the police report, at around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, a deputy was on duty when he was informed Reese threatened a child's life. The said student had pointed at the Israeli flag and asked the teacher why the Israeli flag was hanging in his classroom. Reese reportedly responded by saying "that he was Jewish and has family members that still live there." The student allegedly expressed that she found the flag offensive as "Israelis were killing the Palestinians." It was unclear whether the student was referring to the Israeli actions in Gaza in the ongoing war against Hamas. The incident report further included that the student was saying that the teacher "was trying to keep her from leaving and demanded to know who she was and who was her first-period teacher."

Neighboring classes heard Reese yell, "You don't make an antisemitic comment like that to a Jew!" and "You motherf*****g piece of s**t! I'll kick your a**. I should cut your motherf*****g head off." A witness said the girl and the other students left the classroom, but Reese followed them down the hallway. The same witness said the teacher was later seen returning to his classroom, cursing extremely loudly and saying "I will drag her a** into the parking lot, slit her f*****g throat and kill her."

A deputy at the school interviewed the witnesses and they confirmed they heard Reese make similar statements. They included other teachers, staff members and students who were in class for tutoring or after-school detention. The student with her friends was reported to walk away from the teacher visibly upset while some teachers even expressed fear for their safety following the incident.

When the principal reportedly confronted Reese, he became agitated, asserted his civil rights and then left. An audio less CCTV footage of the hallway was also recovered by police. It showed Reese yelling down the hallway and heading back into his classroom.

The middle school teacher was later arrested and has been released on bond set at $2,500 for the terroristic threat charge and $5,000 for the charge of cruelty to children in the third degree. According to school officials, the teacher has not been on the school campus since Dec. 7 and the safety and well-being of the students and staff is their number one priority. (Related: Biden condemns antisemitism, claims to be a Zionist as he professes continued military support for Israel.)

Report: Israelis being 'unofficially boycotted' in global academia

Meanwhile, the National Council for Civilian Research and Development sent a letter to Israels unicameral legislature Knesset's Science and Technology Committee Chairman Prof. Peretz Lavie and policy advisor Debbie Kaufman, to report that there has been "a quiet unofficial boycott of Israeli researchers'' in Western academia.

According to the correspondence, the ban poses "dangers to Israel's scientific standing and could harm its economy." As per the paper, the scientific research ties between Israel and the world are reflected in the exchange of researchers within the framework of agreements with academies across the world, in scientific conferences, the provision of sponsorships for prestigious programs and post-graduate scholarships, international scientific organizations and active membership in international research facilities. And these provide recognition, familiarity, exposure and international scientific standing. So now that they are being boycotted, the Israeli economy could be affected as it relies on scientific capabilities as a start-up country. The council points out that "over the years, Israel, despite the scientific recognition it receives, fights for its scientific rights in the face of antisemitism."

"Israel is being subjected to an unusual wave of antisemitism, and there is a rise in hatred towards Jews and Israelis. Since Oct. 7, a sort of quiet boycott of Israeli researchers has begun, of the kind that has never been seen before. This boycott is reflected in the cancellation of invitations to joint conferences, the rejection of articles for publication, the rejection of grants to Israeli researchers, and more," the paper included.

The council is now calling on the government to take immediate steps to address threats to Israel's scientific standing. They have urged the government to "not cut research budgets of the Ministry of Science and the Council for Higher Education; strengthen the bi-national foundations that support joint research with researchers from countries around the world; call for Israeli and leading Jewish scholars abroad to move to Israel and strengthen support for their absorption; and allocate designated funds for international scientific conferences in Israel for the hosting of foreign scientists and for Israeli scholars to travel to conduct research abroad.

They appealed that Hamas Oct. 7 attack and Israels war against Hamas must not "be a turning point in the level of research and Israel's scientific relations with other countries."

Violence.news has more stories related to this.

Sources for this article include:

InformationLiberation.com

WIONews.com

CalcalisTech.com
Guilty Joe frustrated over Congressional probe of his son Hunter and accusations of bribery, kickbacks

Reports from various mainstream media outlets indicate that President Joe Biden is expressing frustration with his staff over the perceived unfairness of the ongoing investigation into his son, Hunter Biden.

The scrutiny seems to be weighing on the president, leading to speculation about a guilty conscience.

Axios highlights Biden's suggestion to close associates that if he hadn't run for office in 2020, Hunter wouldn't be facing criminal prosecutions or intense media coverage from conservative outlets.

This admission, according to some observers, may be a rare acknowledgment of responsibility in the president's lengthy political career. (Related: Hunter Biden implicated in a 'laundry list' of corrupt overseas business practices as father Joe Biden intimately involved.)

Critics argue that Joe's claims of political persecution are a diversion from the real issues at hand. They contend that Hunter is under legal scrutiny due to his involvement in alleged criminal activities tied to the Biden family.

The counter-argument includes accusations that Joe committed his son to a life of crime as the purported bagman for a family crime syndicate.

Allegations also suggest that the president sold U.S. government favors for personal enrichment, engaging with nefarious international actors, and leaving his son exposed to investigations starting at the bottom, where Hunter resides.

The narrative presents a retrospective analysis of Joe Biden's political trajectory, suggesting that he could have retired quietly after serving as Barack Obama's vice president, thus avoiding the current wave of scrutiny.

Joe is acting like a crime boss

However, the "Don" of the Biden family seemingly pushed his luck, seeking more years of political engagement before a planned retirement to a beach home, classic Corvette and publicly funded protective detail.

The president's bold public displays, akin to a crime boss, are highlighted  including taking Hunter on diplomatic trips and boasting about using government power to shut down investigations.

The narrative draws parallels between Biden's behavior and that of Al Capone, who confidently flaunts an untouchable demeanor.

Recent developments, including the seizure of Joe's bank records, exposure of his involvement through a misplaced laptop, and whistleblowers alleging corruption within his syndicate, have heightened tensions.

The narrative suggests that faced with these challenges, Joe is resorting to blaming his underlings, causing friction within the family.

The strained relationship between the president and Attorney General Merrick Garland is emphasized. Observers think Garland's appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter is viewed unfavorably by the president.

Analogies are drawn to former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, emphasizing a focus on the appearance of integrity rather than making the right decisions.

Meanwhile, Hunter delivered a scathing rebuke to House Republicans in a carefully orchestrated appearance outside the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 13, coinciding with lawmakers gathering inside for a planned deposition of the president's son.

Rather than complying with a congressional subpoena for closed-door testimony, Hunter reiterated his preference to testify exclusively in a public setting, further intensifying an ongoing dispute with GOP lawmakers.

"I am here to testify at a public hearing today, to answer any of the committee's legitimate questions," asserted Hunter. Last month, Chairman James Comer of the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena for Hunter Biden to undergo a closed-door deposition as part of the committee's impeachment probe into the president.

Hunter expressed his willingness to testify before the panel, but only in a public forum, challenging House Republicans by asking: "What are they afraid of? I'm here, I'm ready."

In a concise speech lasting less than 10 minutes, he delivered strong criticisms, accusing House Republicans of lacking shame and conducting an unfair and indecent probe. He highlighted what he perceived as an invasion of his privacy; attacks on his family; and attempts to dehumanize and embarrass him and his father.

Watch Hunter Biden blame MAGA for his problems in the video below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

AllNewsPipeline.com

ABCNews.go.com

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares that it is impossible for a part of Ukraine's territory to join NATO.

"As for NATO. This is the most powerful option for us. We are not invited to join NATO. And the signals regarding the partial participation of some ... frankly speaking, are nonsense," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The President stressed that Ukraine had never received proposals from partners regarding the accession of a part of the country's territory to NATO.

"And to be honest, it's hard for me to imagine how it could be  I think these are big risks for us. I am sure that if part of Ukraine is in NATO, it means that he [Putin] will enter and a war with NATO will begin. And then the question arises: will the NATO countries fight for a part of the Ukrainian territory that has one or another status in NATO? We do not recognize the occupied territories as Russian," he stressed.
New Mexico attorney general files lawsuit against Meta for allowing pedophiles on Facebook and Instagram to CONTACT CHILDREN

A lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico against Facebook parent company Meta Platforms and its CEO claims that both Facebook and Instagram recommend sexual content to underage users and promote young users' accounts to alleged child predators.

According to the civil lawsuit filed in a New Mexico state court, Meta has allowed the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram to become a marketplace for child abusers looking for children to prey on.

The lawsuit also argues that Meta failed to implement protections against usage by children younger than 13 and has targeted the age-related vulnerabilities of children to increase the company's advertising revenue.

Additionally, the suit argues that Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally responsible for product decisions that aggravated risks to young users of Metas platforms.

The New Mexico attorney generals office filed the suit after it conducted an investigation that included setting up several test accounts on Instagram and Facebook intending to make other users believe that the account owners are either teenagers or preteens.

While creating the fake accounts, investigators used artificial intelligence-generated photographs of the young and fictional account holders. The suit claims that Metas algorithms recommended sexual content to those accounts and that they were flooded with explicit messages and sexual propositions from other users.

The account for "Issa Bee," where investigators posted photos that made it seem like the owner was a 13-year-old girl from Albuquerque, New Mexico, attracted thousands of adult followers who bombarded her account with invitations to join private chat groups and sex content featuring both children and adults, revealed the suit.

On Facebook Messenger, the accounts chats received many unwanted images and videos of genitalia, which the account received at least three to four times per week, read the complaint.

The company didnt immediately provide comment on the allegations in the lawsuit, but it said in a statement that it allegedly "works diligently to protect young users."

According to Facebook's statement, the company uses sophisticated technology, works with child safety experts, reports content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and shares "information and tools with other companies and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help root out predators."

Meta claims it is focused on ensuring child safety

Meta claims that it prioritizes child safety and that it invests in safety staff. In a 2021 Facebook post, Zuckerberg wrote that it is important to him that everything the company is creating is "safe and good for kids."

In June, Meta established a task force to deal with child-safety problems on its platforms following the publication of an article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that revealed how Instagrams algorithms connected and promoted a vast network of accounts that were linked to the commission and purchase of underage-sex content.

Additional WSJ articles revealed that Meta is having a hard time addressing various problems on Instagram and Facebook, where groups trading child-sex content have at least hundreds of thousands of users. Meta claimed that it has taken measures to resolve those issues, including removing more than 16,000 Facebook Groups and expanding an enforcement algorithm that identifies accounts that behave suspiciously toward children or act in other ways that suggest interest in child exploitation.

The New Mexico complaint cited the WSJ's reporting this year about Facebook and Instagrams tendency to recommend sexualized content involving children and said that this is "consistent with the troubling results found by the Attorney General."

The complaint follows a group of coordinated suits by 41 other states and the District of Columbia filed in October in federal and state courts claiming Meta has intentionally designed its products with addictive features that harm young users. The suits also alleged the company misled the public about the dangers of its social media platforms for young people. (Related: Stanford researchers: Twitter FAILED to prevent dozens of child abuse images from spreading online.)

Meta disputed those claims, instead claiming that it works to support young users on its platforms.

Watch the video below to learn more about the FBI arresting journalists connected to the Pizzagate pedophile ring.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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WSJ.com 1

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Brighteon.com
The writing is on the wall: Even Obama thinks Biden could LOSE in 2024

Even former President Barack Obama thinks President Joe Biden could lose the 2024 elections

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the matter, citing an insider familiar with Obama's thinking. According to the source, the former president knows that the election "is going to be a close race" and "feels that Democrats very well could lose." The insider also said that Obama expressed worry that "the alternative is pretty dangerous for democracy."

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Trump has a two-point lead against Biden, 38 percent to 36 percent. The inclusion of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) expands this lead to five points, 36 percent for Trump and 31 percent for Biden. RFK Jr. lands at third with 16 percent.

While the poll's results showed Trump in the lead, it also warned that if he is convicted before Election Day in November 2024, it could cost him significant support. The 77-year-old Trump faces four criminal trials, but this hasn't stopped him from retaining his wide lead among other Republican presidential candidates. (Related: Trump could face 100 YEARS in prison if convicted of federal charges, including espionage.)

Meanwhile, the 81-year-old Biden faces a myriad of issues  including Ukraine, Israel, the southern border and Bidenflation. The investigations into the business dealings of his son Hunter and the impeachment inquiry kick-started by the House Republicans will also cause serious headaches for the incumbent.

"I want the president to do better," said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX). He added that he wants better poll numbers for Biden "because that affects everybody."

Meanwhile, Biden's aides have dismissed the relevance of the polls conducted ahead of the November 2024 election. They often cite a frequent quip by Biden himself: "Don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative."

Other Democrats don't see Biden winning in 2024

Obama isn't the only one with a rather negative view of Biden's 2024 run. David Axelrod, who formerly served as Obama's advisor, issued a similar prospect. According to him, the incumbent has a lower than 50 percent chance to win in the upcoming presidential election.

"I think he has a 50-50 shot here, but no better than that. Maybe a little worse," he told the New York Times' Maureen Dowd. "He thinks he can cheat nature here, and it's really risky."

Axelrod has also acknowledged that Biden's advanced age, coupled with his physical stumbles and verbal gaffes, could be hindrances in convincing the American electorate to vote for him once more.

"I think that there is one issue that is hanging over him. With Trump on the other end, he could still win this election. But the age issue is difficult," he said.

The political strategist also warned that Biden shouldn't count on Trump to help him win. According to the former Obama administration official, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mistakenly thought Trump securing the GOP nomination would hand her the election. Given this, Axelrod stressed that Biden should not make the same mistake.

Also expressing his doubts is Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who admitted to formerly supporting Biden. According to the congressman, the prospect of the incumbent winning a second presidential term in 2024 is "delusional."

"As a member of [the] House Democratic leadership, I supported and promoted the Biden agenda. I campaigned for him, voted for him and respect him," Phillips wrote on the X platform. "But how can anyone read this and conclude he's positioned to defeat Trump? It's delusional."

The Minnesota congressman and Democratic presidential candidate subsequently urged voters to consider a different candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for the 2024 election. Based on previous reports, the Democratic National Committee is focused on backing Biden  who is gunning for a second term.

Visit JoeBiden.news for more stories about the current president ahead of the 2024 elections.

Watch James Morrow of Sky News explains why President Joe Biden is "not in a good place" ahead of the 2024 elections.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Brighteon.com
Rosemount, Minnesota trying to establish 15-minute city with the help of Zuckerbergs Meta

Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms is attempting to create a 15-minute city in the small town of Rosemount, Minnesota, by taking over 280 acres of land to create a "data center."

The planning commission for the city of Rosemount has unanimously approved several measures for the Meta Platforms data center project to move forward despite objections from residents. It now heads to the city council, which is scheduled to consider approving the plan so it can begin construction on Dec. 21. (Related: The globalist vision: 15-Minute prison cities and the end of private property.)

Initially dubbed "Project Bigfoot," Meta's data center is set to be housed on 280 acres of land in the University of Minnesota's UMore Park, near the southern edge of Rosemount, a suburb of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. The university's Board of Regents recently sold the land to Meta for $39.7 million, with the deal expected to close by the end of January.

The proposed data center is expected to cost Meta $700 million and create only 50 full-time jobs. However, state and local officials tried to argue that the data center would be one of the largest construction projects in Minnesota in recent years and would employ about 1,000 tradespeople.

"It is exciting to see projects like this coming to Minnesota," said Minnesota Public Utilities Commissioner Joe Sullivan. "They have a really important benefit for all the jobs created."

Meta data center could use up Rosemount's water and electricity supplies

Rosemount residents have warned city officials about their concerns regarding the possibility of the data center using up the city's water and electricity resources.

During her Dec. 15 episode of "Right Now with Ann Vandersteel" on Brighteon.TV, Vandersteel pointed out that the area where the data center is expected to be built drains into the Vermillion River, which is already listed by the state as an impaired water site.

She warned that, on average, hyperscale data centers like the one Meta wants to build use on average 450,000 gallons of water per day. Rosemount's water usage is already unsustainable, according to city authorities.

"These data centers shouldn't be anywhere near residential communities," warned Vandersteel, who pointed out that, once completed, the Rosemount data center is expected to bring in about 35,000 people to a city of just 27,000, creating "a city within a city."

The first phase of Meta's data center is expected to draw in at least 10 megawatts of electricity, to be supplied by Minneapolis-based electric utility company Xcel Energy. In exchange, Meta will be making monthly payments of at least $20,000, and as Meta consumes more electricity what it pays could rise to as high as $100,000, especially if local electricity demand is above 150 megawatts.

Furthermore, city residents have pointed out why the data center has been allowed many variances to city building codes, such as with fence height.

Rosemount City Administrator Logan Martin claimed that massive projects like Meta's data center ask for deviations from city code for a variety of reasons. He further claimed that Project Bigfoot was granted "a typical number of variances."

Find more stories about Meta at MetaTyranny.com.

Watch this Dec. 15 episode of "Right Now with Ann Vandersteel." Catch new episodes of the program every Monday to Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST on Brighteon.TV.

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U.S. Steel sold to Japanese firm for nearly $15 billion, raising concerns about national security

A major part of American history, the steel producer U.S. Steel, has been sold to the Japanese firm Nippon Steel in a transaction that is worth nearly $14.9 billion. The offer is almost twice that put forth by Cleveland Cliffs a few months ago, which the company rejected.

U.S. Steel was once the biggest corporation in the world and helped shape the countrys industrialization in the 1900s. It is currently the second-biggest steel producer in the U.S. and the 24th largest in the world.

Nippon has said it will keep U.S. Steels name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, where the 64-story U.S. Steel Tower remains a fixture in the citys skyline despite being renamed.

The sale will boost Japan's profile in the global steel industry, but it has a far way to go to match China. China currently controls 54 percent of global steel production, according to the World Steel Association, producing almost 2 billion metric tons of the metal each year around the world. The Chinese state-owned Baowu Group produced 120 million metric tons of the material in 2021; the U.S. Steel/Nippon combined companies will produce less than 90 million metric tons.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman said he will work to block the sale, which he has characterized as an outrageous move. The senator, who noted that he lives across the street from a U.S. Steel plant in the Pittsburgh suburb of Braddock, stated: Its absolutely outrageous that U.S. Steel has agreed to sell themselves to a foreign company. Steel is always about security  both our national security and the economic security of our steel communities. I am committed to doing anything I can do, using my platform and my position, to block this foreign sale.

Sharing a video taken from the roof of his home of the steel plant, he called it an example of hard-working Americans being blindsided by greedy corporations willing to sell out their communities to serve their shareholders.

Steel workers push back against sale

Shareholders will still need to vote on the deal, and it is likely to face heavy scrutiny. Nippon has said it plans to honor the collective bargaining agreements that United Steelworkers have in place with the company and intends to maintain its relationship with employees.

However, union leaders have blasted the deal and say it is a violation of an agreement they have with the company. United Steelworkers president David McCall said that the union remained open throughout this process to working with U.S. Steel to keep this iconic American company domestically owned and operated, but instead it chose to push aside the concerns of its dedicated workforce and sell to a foreign-owned company.

He claims neither company contacted the union about the deal and vowed to do everything he can to protect peoples jobs. The union represents 11,000 U.S. Steel employees.

He also drew attention to the national security concerns that many people have been expressing about the deal, saying: We also will strongly urge government regulators to carefully scrutinize this acquisition and determine if the proposed transaction serves the national security interests of the United States and benefits workers.

In addition to playing a key part in Americas industrialization, the company served a vital role during World Wars I and II, when it supplied military gear such as tanks, planes and ships with millions of tons of steel. However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, recessions and an energy crisis prompted them to cut production and spin off some businesses.

Steel is an essential American asset, and it is scary to imagine what could happen when we hand control over to another country for a material needed to build guns, tanks and ships to protect us.

Sources for this article include:

100PercentFedUp.com

Post-Gazette.com
Supreme Court ruling could upend 300 J6 convictions and impact case against Trump

The case against Donald Trump and 300 other felony prosecutions related to the events of January 6 could be dealt a huge blow as the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will be reviewing an obstruction law that was used against them.

The case, Fischer v. United States, involves the prosecution of January 6 defendant Joseph Fischer. The former police officer was accused of inflaming a mob that tried to enter the Capitol and pushing against police, and he was charged with multiple federal crimes. His case challenges the Justice Departments interpretation of the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, section 1512(c)(2), which was also used against hundreds of other defendants who took part in the events at the Capitol that day, including Trump. The charge criminalizes corruptly obstructing, interfering with, or impeding official government proceedings and has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

In this case, the official proceeding was the official final count of Electoral College votes by Congress, the last step in certifying Bidens win over Trump. The charge comes from a 2002 law that was put in place in the wake of the Enron scandal and is typically used to prosecute conduct involving the destruction of evidence. The notion of whether it applies to allegedly obstructing the electoral count process has been a topic of great debate throughout the prosecutions of January 6 defendants.

A federal judge threw out that specific charge against Fischer, who contended that the charge was improper because its aim was to punish physically tampering with documents, like shredding papers. The district court judge on his case agreed and dismissed the charge due to a lack of allegations he was trying to impede the handling of records.

The ruling was appealed by the Department of Justice, however. A federal appeals court was divided on the matter, with a majority maintaining that the obstruction statutes broad terms were met. Now, it will be up the Supreme Court.

Potential game changer for J6 defendants

Explaining the gravity of the situation, investigative reporter Julie Kelly wrote on X: This is a day so many J6ers have been waiting for. Lives destroyed, people rotting in prison. All bc Bidens DOJ abused a post-Enron evidence tampering statute. And what will Jack Smith do now? 2 of 4 counts in his indictment in jeopardy. This is potentially more impactful than immunity issue.

If the justices do strike down the interpretation of the law, it could have a huge impact as it was used as the foundation of several serious January 6 cases. At least one defendant has already made a move as a result. Ethan Seitz, who was convicted of felony obstruction of justice after climbing into the Capitol building through a broken window, asked his trial-level judge to cancel a sentencing hearing next month as a result of the pending case in the interests of judicial economy.

Speaking to Newsweek, former federal prosecutor Michael McAuliffe said: A ruling against the government in the Fischer case in the Supreme Court could well have a ripple effect in many other Capitol riot cases where the defendants were charged with the same obstruction of justice provision, went to trial (as opposed to pleading guilty) and were convicted."

Some legal experts have predicted that Trumps federal election interference trial, which is scheduled for March, will be held until a decision on the Fischer case is handed down by the Supreme Court. The high court will be given until June to hand down a ruling.

The move marks the first time the Supreme Court has agreed to review the prosecution of someone who was involved in the events of January 6.

Sources for this article include:

Revolver.news

Newsweek.com

CNN.com
GRAPHIC VIDEO: Ukrainian deputy detonates 3 grenades in local council meeting; one killed, 26 injured including suspect

The first death has already been reported from the grenade explosions that happened recently during a local council meeting in the Keretsky village council in the Transcarpathian region of Western Ukraine.

The 55-year-old victim, who was previously in critical condition in the intensive care unit, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 16. Moreover, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that 26 people, including the suspect, sustained injuries from the incident. Most were diagnosed with shrapnel wounds.

The alleged bomber, who is now conscious and was identified by Ukrainian politician Oleksii Honcharenko to be Serhiy Batrin, a deputy from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, remains under medical and police supervision in the hospital. The case is set to be reclassified as a terrorist act resulting in loss of life and the deputy responsible for detonating the grenades has already been informed of suspicion under charges related to a terrorist act leading to serious consequences.

As seen in the viral yet distressing video below, the 54-year-old local politician walks into the meeting room and closes the door behind him. He stands at the closed door as an argument is ongoing at the meeting. He tried to intervene saying, "Can I say something?" but nobody paid attention. This is when he pulls grenades from his suit pocket, pulls the pins and tosses them. He then pulls out a third grenade and apparently holds onto it after pulling the pin.

"My legs, I can't walkmy legs are cut, said one victim after the massive explosion. Another said: "Call the ambulance." And a voice was also heard: "Pull me out."

The police conducted searches at the suspect's residence and found a "suicide note" with undisclosed contents. Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko mentioned that the suspect had premeditated the act. According to Honcharenko's Telegram update, the council had met to discuss its 2024 budget. There were also reports that Batrin had expressed his fury over water problems in the village when a large sum was paid to the director of the utility company. He was in 'eternal opposition' to the ruling faction on the council, local media reported.

However, there were claims that the said meeting was for people who want Ukraine to surrender and make peace with Russia. But reports also insist that the act is not believed to be related to the ongoing war.

Kyiv's military force starting to "weaken this winter

Meanwhile, as there may be a possibility that people are really tired of the war, the Ukrainian military is starting to feel "gloomy" after nearly two years of the Russian invasion of their country. (Related: Ukrainian military rapidly losing manpower as Zelensky regime refuses to negotiate ceasefire with Russia.)

Despite a disappointing counteroffensive this summer and signs of wavering financial support from allies, Kyiv's soldiers said they remain fiercely determined to win. But as winter approaches, they begin to worry that Moscow could be better equipped for battle. According to some insiders, the military men are frustrated about being on the defensive again in a grueling war while some doubt the judgment of their leaders.

According to AP, in the southern city of Kherson, where Ukraine is staging attacks against well-armed Russian troops on the other side of the Dnieper River, soldiers are already asking why these difficult amphibious operations were not launched months ago in warmer weather. "I don't understand," the commander of the 11th National Guard Brigade's anti-drone unit, who is known on the battlefield as Boxer, said. "Now it is harder and colder. Its not just my feeling, many units share it."

After 22 months of war, the two countries are essentially in a stalemate along the 620-mile-long front line. Analysts speculate that Russian forces aim to push deeper into eastern Ukraine this time so that Russian President Vladimir Putin can cite this momentum as he campaigns for reelection. Putin said last week that he remains fully committed to the war and criticized Ukraine for "sacrificing" troops to demonstrate success to Western sponsors.

Meanwhile, the United States has already spent some $111 billion defending Ukraine and yet President Joe Biden is still asking for an additional $50 billion in funds from the Congress. The Republican lawmakers are hindering just as some lawmakers in Europe are on the fence about providing another $50 billion to Ukraine. "The reason the Ukrainians are gloomy is that, they now sense, not only have they not done well this year ... they know that the Russians' game is improving," said Richard Barrons, a former British army general. "They see whats happening in Congress, and they see what happened in the European Union."

Visit WWIII.news for stories similar to this.

Sources for this article include:

KyivPost.com

HalTurnerRadioShow.com

DailyMail.co.uk

APNews.com
Whistleblower nurse exposes DEADLY COVID-19 protocols in Bay Area hospital

A whistleblower nurse has stepped forward to expose the deadly hospital protocols at her hospital during the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Gail McCrae worked at a hospital at California's Bay Area, notoriously one of the most strictly compliant populations in the country. "We were compliant, not just with the lockdowns and the masking, but also with the COVID-19 injections," she said in an interview. McCrae started her stint at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center in 2015, but was fired in October 2021 for refusing to take the COVID-19 injections on religious grounds.

McCrae said two things bothered her during the height of the pandemic  the media coverage of hospitals, and the protocols in place at the time. As COVID-19 cases become more widespread in 2020, media reports showed hospitals becoming overpopulated with patients.

However, this was far from what McCrae saw  leading her to conclude that everyone was being lied to. In reality, the hospitals were locked down; elective surgeries were stopped; and the hospital she worked in became completely empty. (Related: Former nurse describes hospital Covid-19 protocols as medical murder).

Families are not allowed to be beside their dying relatives

"There were things going on that shouldn't have been going on," the nurse remarked. One such thing included telling family members that they weren't allowed to be beside their dying relatives due to the hospital's "isolation" policy. But for McCrae, this was a violation of her oath and a crime against humanity.

"I knew it right away: It should not have been happening. We isolate people in prison, we put them in the brig when they do something wrong to torture them. That's what I felt like I was being forced to do when I had to tell my patients' family members when they couldn't come into the hospital to be near their dying loved ones."

McCrae also knew she needed to critically analyze what she was being told to do  such as the administration of the drug remdesivir, the only medication nurses were allowed to give to patients hospitalized with COVID-19. However, the antiviral drug was only granted an emergency use authorization and not full approval.

Moreover, she also knew from her nursing training in her bachelor's degree that an antiviral such as remdesivir should not be given more than 24 to 48 hours after symptoms show. It was only between 10 and 12 days post-symptom that COVID-19 patients were given remdesivir, she added.

McCrae also noted that during one double-shift she rendered, the 50 or 60 patients she saw all needed care for a heart attack or stroke. She noticed an uptick in "code blue" calls, which means resuscitation or immediate medical help is needed.

"And nine out of 10 times those code blues were to the lower level, down to the clinic, where they were injecting people. [Two of] my colleagues did in fact go into anaphylaxis, after receiving their shots."

McCrae was told she wasn't allowed to report what she was seeing, but now she plans to expose these crimes to the world. The whistleblower nurse has been involved in several lawsuits with the intention of standing up for her and other health care workers' rights. "This all comes down to making decisions out of a place of extraordinary love and compassion for the world around me," she said.

Visit HospitalHomicide.com for more stories about hospitals' lethal COVID-19 protocols.

Watch Dr. Bryan Ardis discuss how COVID-19 protocols turned hospitals into killing fields.

This video is from the What Is Happening channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Ontario medical regulator REVOKES license of doctor challenging draconian COVID-19 protocols.

Making a Killing film exposes hospital covid protocols as a genocidal scam for cash.

British Army unit SPIED on COVID-19 lockdown dissenters.

The Zelenko Report: Health freedom activist urges Americans to challenge hospital boards over COVID protocols  Brighteon.TV.

Chinese propaganda outlet: Nearly 3 years of lockdown was worthwhile.

Sources include:

Expose-News.com

Brighteon.com
Cases of white lung syndrome reported in the U.S. and China

Reports in the Chinese media of children experiencing a mysterious respiratory illness have the world on edge wondering if the next pandemic could be about to emerge  and used as an excuse to infringe on our freedoms.

The illness, which is being referred to as white lung syndrome in some circles, has already started to appear in some places in the U.S., and health officials are hard at work exploring whether a new pathogen is responsible for it or if it simply represents the typical rise in seasonal illnesses seen at this time of year when people start spending more time together indoors in close quarters.

The symptoms of the illness include a high fever that is not accompanied by a cough. Some of the children in China who have contracted the illness have developed nodules on their lungs that point to bacterial infections such as pneumonia. Children's hospitals in some parts of China have been packed with families seeking treatment for pneumonia, and at least one report describes the lobby of a children's hospital in the Liaoning province as being crowded with sick children on IV drips.

An infectious disease expert for the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, said that what China may be experiencing is the same surge in respiratory infections that other nations experienced during their first winter following the end of COVID-related lockdowns.

Dr. Kuppalli wrote on X: They have already reported surge of #Mycoplasma pneumonia but this could be anything -- lets gather data.

Cases of white lung syndrome reported in Ohio, Massachusetts and other states

America is seeing a similar trend, with some areas of the country reporting rises in pneumonia in children. For example, an extremely high number of cases of pediatric pneumonia were reported by the Warren County health district in Ohio in children up to age 14 this fall. They have registered around 145 cases since August, which surpasses average numbers and meets the state's definition of an official outbreak.

The children who are experiencing bacterial pediatric pneumonia, which is being called white lung syndrome on account of its appearance in X-rays, do not typically require hospitalization and can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics.

The health department has said that they do not believe it is related to a novel respiratory disease, and some of the pathogens they've detected in patients include mycoplasma pneumonia, adenovirus and streptococcus pneumonia. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and cough.

Massachusetts doctors have also reported an uptick in respiratory illness and pediatric pneumonia in recent weeks, but they say that the rise is seasonally appropriate.

In a recent House committee hearing, the new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Mandy Cohen, responded to answers about the illness by saying that the CDC is working alongside its Chinese counterparts to monitor the situation.

"What we do know as of, again, as of today is we do not believe this is a new or novel pathogen," she observed. "We believe this is all existing, meaning COVID, flu, RSV, mycoplasma."

Could weakened immunity from COVID-19 vaccines make children more vulnerable?

Of course, there is another potential explanation for this sharp uptick an illness in children: COVID-19 vaccinations. The Epoch Times points to a list of adverse events that are associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer that became available thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. It lists hundreds of possible adverse reactions to the vaccine, and these include atypical pneumonia, along with cardiorespiratory distress, cough, cardiorespiratory arrest and mycoplasma bronchitis.

It is also worth noting that studies have found that people who have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus experience a significantly lower immune function for as long as eight months after receiving their second dose compared to individuals who never received a vaccine. The authors of one study recommended discontinuing additional boosters out of safety concerns, and it wouldn't be surprising if at least some of these illnesses are related to this type of weakened immunity.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

CBSNews.com
Giant pandas are one of the most beloved and endangered animals in the world. They are also one of the most mysterious, as their behavior and ecology are still largely unknown to science.

A new study, however, has shed some light on the social lives of these black-and-white bears, revealing that they are more sociable and communicative than previously thought.

New Study Reveals Surprising Social Behavior of Giant Pandas

Giant pandas are often seen as solitary and shy animals, spending most of their time munching bamboo in the forests of China.

However, a new study by Michigan State University's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (MSU-CSIS) has challenged this stereotype, showing that pandas are more socially active than previously thought.

The study, published in the Journal Ursus, used GPS collars to track the movements and interactions of 23 wild pandas in the Wolong Nature Reserve for two years.

The researchers found that pandas frequently visited each other's home ranges, exchanged scent marks, and engaged in vocal and physical contact.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Jindong Zhang, said that pandas were not the reclusive creatures they had been portrayed to be.

He said that they had rich social lives that included complex communication and friendly relationships.

The study also revealed that pandas have different personalities and preferences when it comes to socializing.

Some pandas were more outgoing and visited more partners, while others were more selective and stayed with a few familiar individuals.

The researchers also found that pandas tended to be more sociable during the mating season, but maintained some level of contact throughout the year.

Also Read: Giant Pandas Meant to Eat Meat, Not Bamboo

Implications for Panda Conservation and Management

The findings of the study have important implications for the conservation and management of giant pandas, which are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

There are currently about 1,800 pandas living in the wild, mostly in fragmented and isolated habitats.

One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Vanessa Hull, said that understanding the social behavior of pandas could help design better conservation strategies for them.

She said that they could identify the key individuals and areas that facilitated social connectivity and genetic diversity among populations.

The study also suggests that pandas may benefit from human interventions that enhance their social opportunities, such as creating corridors between habitats, translocating individuals, or providing artificial scent marks.

These measures could improve the pandas' well-being and reproductive success, as well as their resilience to environmental changes.

The researchers hope that their study will inspire more interest and appreciation for the giant pandas, which are not only iconic symbols of wildlife conservation but also fascinating and complex animals that deserve our attention and respect.

Dr. Zhang said that he hoped that by revealing the hidden social lives of pandas, he could increase the public's awareness and empathy for these amazing creatures. He said that pandas were not just cute and cuddly, they were also smart and sociable.

Related article: New Pandas From China Will Be Sent to the US as "Envoys of Friendship"
A recent report showed that a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit parts of the northwest of China, especially in the mountainous areas in the Gansu province.

Parts of China are no strangers to extreme weather events, from storms, foggy conditions, fires and earthquakes. Homeowners are advised to stay updated with earthquake advisories to stay safe.

Search and rescue operations are already underway to help the affected people in the Gansu province and North-West China. Authorities also deployed thousands of crews in the said areas.

Gansu Earthquake Updates

In the video, houses and buildings were impacted by the deadly earthquake in China. Displaced residents had also to struggle with the temperatures in the region.

Authorities in China recorded he 6.2 quake based on the Richter scale. In Jishishan County, about 5,000 buildings were affected by the recent earthquake. In Gansu, about 155,000 were damaged.

According to recent reports, about 700 people were also injured. Reports also said that about 20 people were missing from the quake.

Authorities said that the widespread quake was due to poor building quality. Some homes are also made from clay. The cold wave and low temperatures became more challenging for the survivors of the quake. the 6.2 earthquake also triggered mudslides and landslides.

To assist the impacted residents, authorities would allot about 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) for the quake emergency response. Thousands of mattresses and tents will also be deployed.

Recent reports also expect that the casualties can likely climb. Meanwhile, China's President Xi explained that the government would extend all efforts to minimize the number of deaths.

Rural areas can be at risk of deadly quakes which are made from poor constructions. As a result, quake preparedness is crucial to prevent essential damage to life and property.

Also Read: 41 People Finally Saved After Being Trapped in Collapsed Tunnel in India

Earthquake Prepared: How Can People Stay Safe?

Challenging quakes are considered disastrous for many people in the rural areas. Early quake preparedness will become helpful in troublesome situations, especially in earthquake-prone areas.

While the earthquake is difficult to predict, homeowners can find ways to watch out for tremors. Staying updated with Earthquake advisories will be helpful to anticipate devastating quakes and tsunamis.

Here are essential quake reminders for homeowners and travelers.

Turning on mobile alert quakes will become a life-saver in times of emergencies. Having battery-powered radio is also helpful during power outages and

Having earthquake emergency kits is also important for vehicles and homeowners, which includes a flashlight, battery kits, mobile phone, medicine kits, bottled water and food.

Related Article: Deadly Tsunamis Likely to Impact New Zealand Every 580 Years, New Model Show

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Ukraine will produce one million unmanned aerial vehicles in 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"Regarding production, we will produce a million drones next year. We'll make a million. We will do everything to make it so. I know it will happen," Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The head of state also stressed that "there should be the best drone management infrastructure, not Soviet, but simple to be used very quickly."

"I have just had a meeting of the Staff Headquarters, and one of the key issues is drone production and delivery. And I really don't like it when, logistically, we still have bureaucratic, Soviet processes. When 26,000 drones were in one warehouse and did not reach the front. Yes, it was very loud at the meeting, but there cannot be such pauses, such problems," Zelenskyy said.

"I'm just shocked how something that we have produced cannot get to the place. But we will fight this, I mean logistics. Our soldiers will receive domestic drones in brigades," the President assured.

In addition, he stated that the artillery would increase.
A "very rare" bat species was discovered in Corsica, the birthplace of former French emperor and military commander Napoleon Bonaparte, according to a study by researchers earlier this year. The winged, hairy creature was found lurking in the mountainous Mediterranean island. It is located 250 miles southeast of the French port city of Marseille.

Scientists identify that the creature of belonging to an endangered species of bat under a previously unknown species in the genus Myptis; which includes more than 120 species distributed across the world's continents except Antarctica. The discovery if the Corsica bat comes as thousands of new species are found each year.

Very Rare Bat in Corsica

The findings about the very rare bat in Corsica was published as a study in the journal Swiss Journal of Zoology (Revue Suisse de Zoologie) in October 2023, where researchers found a newly described and endangered new mammal species that is endemic to Corsica.

The Myotis nattereri species complex has been a focus of several recent morphological and molecular surveys to determine the species status of different named forms.

These forms include three informally referred Myotis species labelled as Myotis sp. A, M. sp. B and M. sp. C, which are abbreviations of M. crypticus and M. zenatius. Among this group, Myotis sp. C is only known from Corsica, according to the research paper.

Also Read: Light Pollution Threatened Bats' Nocturnal Wildlife, Habitats, Reports Show

Field Survey and DNA Analyses

The researchers involved in the study collected specimens of the bat species while conducting field survey and they performed DNA analyses on available tissue samples. This process allowed the scientific team to link the mystery bat to the genus Myptis that was mentioned earlier.

The scientists provided the very rare bat with the common name of "nustrale," which translates to "ours" in the local Corsican dialect. Furthermore, the newfound creature has been likely "genetically isolated" for a long time, according to the report. The study describes the animal as a medium-sized bat, measuring around 1.5 inches long.

Since the bat is endemic to the French island, researchers said that the creature is uncommon and is essentially localized to mountain forests. In this context, the survival and isolation of the winged mammal can be linked to the relative distance of Corsica to mainland France and Italy.

However, Corsica is not entirely remote since its human inhabitants are estimated to be approximately 350,000 individuals as of 2022, according to the World Population Review.

Bat Species

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, there are around 1,400 bat species across the world and bats can be found in most parts of the planet except in environments located in extreme desert and polar regions.

While bats are a significant part of the ecosystem, the nocturnal animals are also known for harboring dangerous pathogens, including viruses and other emerging infectious diseases, according to scientists. In recent years, research has linked the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19 to bats.

Related Article: 'Walking' Bat Once Roamed Ancient New Zealand
Kamyshin: figure for production of 1 mln Ukrainian drones announced by president in 2024 concerns only FPV drones

Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin has said that Ukraine intends to produce 1 million FPV drones in 2024, and production of domestic attack drones is also underway.

"Yesterday at the final press conference, the president promised that Ukraine would produce a million drones next year. And this is only about FPV drones. Already in December we are producing more than 50,000 FPV drones. In addition to FPV drones, we are already capable of producing more than 10,000 medium-range attack drones (with a range of hundreds of km), and over 1,000 drones with a range of 1,000 km next year," Kamyshin wrote on his Telegram channel.

The minister said that all production capabilities are ready, and contracting for 2024 begins.

Earlier at a press conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would produce 1 million drones next year.
Ifrah Mufti By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Despite the government notification which says that parents need not visit schools for nursery admissions, the schools are calling up parents to visit them on the pretext of verification of documents and even bring along their kids.

Even though the registration process for nursery admissions is over, the parents are caught up in answering the calls from the schools to which they had applied for admission. When the parents visit the school, school officials end up discussing the fee structure with them.

The schools are also sending winter carnival invitations to the parents so that they get to see the school. A parent Neetika Seth said, It has been three days since the registration process for the nursery admissions got over and since then I have got calls from at least four schools asking us to visit the school for the verification of documents submitted while filing the online application form.

It becomes so confusing at times because the schools are not mailing us, they are just calling us to inform us and we tend to miss the call at times. It seems like they are unofficially calling us. They dont want to put it on record that they are calling the parents for the verification, which otherwise can be done at the time of the admission once the child is selected, she added.

Another parent Shushank Jain said, On one hand the govt notification says that parents are required to fill the forms online and need not visit the school for the same while on the other hand, the schools are calling us during the working hours to come to school for the verification and bring along original documents. One school  Lovely Public School  especially called us to say that it is mandatory to bring along the child as part of the verification process and when we went there, the officials started explaining the fee structure to us. This is all vague and unnecessary. The school officials did not come on record to respond to the queries.

Schools sending winter carnival invites to parents

Even though the registration process for nursery admissions is over, the parents are caught up in answering the calls from the schools to which they had applied for admission. When the parents visit the school, school officials end up discussing the fee structure with them. The schools are also sending winter carnival invitations to the parents so that they get to see the school.



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NEW DELHI: Despite the government notification which says that parents need not visit schools for nursery admissions, the schools are calling up parents to visit them on the pretext of verification of documents and even bring along their kids. Even though the registration process for nursery admissions is over, the parents are caught up in answering the calls from the schools to which they had applied for admission. When the parents visit the school, school officials end up discussing the fee structure with them. The schools are also sending winter carnival invitations to the parents so that they get to see the school. A parent Neetika Seth said, It has been three days since the registration process for the nursery admissions got over and since then I have got calls from at least four schools asking us to visit the school for the verification of documents submitted while filing the online application form.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It becomes so confusing at times because the schools are not mailing us, they are just calling us to inform us and we tend to miss the call at times. It seems like they are unofficially calling us. They dont want to put it on record that they are calling the parents for the verification, which otherwise can be done at the time of the admission once the child is selected, she added. Another parent Shushank Jain said, On one hand the govt notification says that parents are required to fill the forms online and need not visit the school for the same while on the other hand, the schools are calling us during the working hours to come to school for the verification and bring along original documents. One school  Lovely Public School  especially called us to say that it is mandatory to bring along the child as part of the verification process and when we went there, the officials started explaining the fee structure to us. This is all vague and unnecessary. The school officials did not come on record to respond to the queries. Schools sending winter carnival invites to parents Even though the registration process for nursery admissions is over, the parents are caught up in answering the calls from the schools to which they had applied for admission. When the parents visit the school, school officials end up discussing the fee structure with them. The schools are also sending winter carnival invitations to the parents so that they get to see the school. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Continuing the suspension spree, the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday suspended 49 more MPs for disrupting proceedings, a day after 78 others got a similar treatment in Parliament. With this, the total number of suspended MPs from both the Houses has gone up to a record 141. The Opposition announced a nationwide protest on Friday against the suspensions.

Those suspended include National Conferences Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Samajwadi Partys Dimple Yadav, Supriya Sule of the NCP, and D N V Senthil Kumar of the DMK. The action came after multiple adjournments, with Opposition members raising slogans and waving placards over their demand for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach on December 13.

While moving a motion for their suspension, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out that the protesting members were waving placards despite a general agreement that MPs will not resort to it in the new Parliament building.

INDIA bloc MPs have been demanding a statement from Amit Shah on the security breach. They had agreed not to bring placards. They are frustrated with their loss, that is why they are resorting to such steps. These people will not come back to the House next time if this behaviour continues, said Joshi.

As protests continued, the House was adjourned till 2 pm. However, the government took up the three criminal bills to replace the British era bills later. The House discussed the bills in the absence of two-thirds of the Opposition members till 9 pm before adjourning it.

Reacting to his suspension, Tharoor said, I think its a disgrace, to be very blunt. I think what we are seeing with this Parliament right now is a situation where they have no desire to have a democratic system. What they are interested in is an Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha.

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NEW DELHI: Continuing the suspension spree, the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday suspended 49 more MPs for disrupting proceedings, a day after 78 others got a similar treatment in Parliament. With this, the total number of suspended MPs from both the Houses has gone up to a record 141. The Opposition announced a nationwide protest on Friday against the suspensions. Those suspended include National Conferences Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Samajwadi Partys Dimple Yadav, Supriya Sule of the NCP, and D N V Senthil Kumar of the DMK. The action came after multiple adjournments, with Opposition members raising slogans and waving placards over their demand for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach on December 13. While moving a motion for their suspension, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out that the protesting members were waving placards despite a general agreement that MPs will not resort to it in the new Parliament building.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); INDIA bloc MPs have been demanding a statement from Amit Shah on the security breach. They had agreed not to bring placards. They are frustrated with their loss, that is why they are resorting to such steps. These people will not come back to the House next time if this behaviour continues, said Joshi. As protests continued, the House was adjourned till 2 pm. However, the government took up the three criminal bills to replace the British era bills later. The House discussed the bills in the absence of two-thirds of the Opposition members till 9 pm before adjourning it. Reacting to his suspension, Tharoor said, I think its a disgrace, to be very blunt. I think what we are seeing with this Parliament right now is a situation where they have no desire to have a democratic system. What they are interested in is an Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced in the state legislative assembly that special sessions would be convened in February 2024 to address the issue of Maratha reservations, ahead of the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

CM Eknath Shinde stated that the state government-appointed State Backward Commission would collect empirical data and documents to establish Maratha as a backward caste. He mentioned that the government had allocated Rs 360 crore from the Backward Commission to gather empirical data and conduct detailed surveys.

Once the Backward Commission submits its report, it will be approved by the cabinet and subsequently tabled in the special sessions of the state assembly for approval. The Maratha community will be granted reservations in February 2024. We are committed to providing long-lasting reservations to the Maratha community within the legal framework, said CM Shinde.

However, the opposition alleged that the state government lacked a clear roadmap for Maratha reservations, leading to skepticism about the promised reservations in February 2024. Former CM and Congress MLA Ashok Chavan expressed disappointment, stating that Shinde had promised Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil that reservations for the Maratha community would be declared by December 24. He criticized the government for failing to adhere to this commitment.

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MUMBAI: On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced in the state legislative assembly that special sessions would be convened in February 2024 to address the issue of Maratha reservations, ahead of the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. CM Eknath Shinde stated that the state government-appointed State Backward Commission would collect empirical data and documents to establish Maratha as a backward caste. He mentioned that the government had allocated Rs 360 crore from the Backward Commission to gather empirical data and conduct detailed surveys. Once the Backward Commission submits its report, it will be approved by the cabinet and subsequently tabled in the special sessions of the state assembly for approval. The Maratha community will be granted reservations in February 2024. We are committed to providing long-lasting reservations to the Maratha community within the legal framework, said CM Shinde.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); However, the opposition alleged that the state government lacked a clear roadmap for Maratha reservations, leading to skepticism about the promised reservations in February 2024. Former CM and Congress MLA Ashok Chavan expressed disappointment, stating that Shinde had promised Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil that reservations for the Maratha community would be declared by December 24. He criticized the government for failing to adhere to this commitment. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly lost his temper during a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday after DMK leaders requested for his speech to be translated into English. The DMK delegation, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Rajya Sabha MP TR Baalu, was present at the meeting.

According to reports, a wilfully nescient Nitish went on to say that Hindi is the national language and that everyone should learn it after Baalu had asked RJD's Manoj Jha to translate the JD(U) President's remarks.

When Jha reportedly volunteered to translate, Nitish rudely suggested that leaders from the South should learn Hindi and directed the RJD MP to refrain from translating.

Reports indicate that the Bihar CM also went on a tirade about India's freedom struggle, urging people to discard colonial remnants, emphasizing that the country had long ago liberated itself from British rule.

Reports indicate that Nitish displayed dissatisfaction throughout Tuesday's meeting amid speculation about the JD(U) chief and his party's role in the alliance. Since the formation of INDIA, Nitish has reportedly pitched himself for the role of bloc's convenor and is among the potential contenders for the Opposition alliance's Prime Ministerial face.

Posters calling for assigning a big role for the Bihar Chief Minister were seen in several parts of Patna on Tuesday when the JD(U) leader was away to attend the INDIA bloc meeting. Kumar had hosted the first meeting of opposition leaders in Patna in June.

On Tuesday, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwaltwo likely PM aspirants in the INDIA bloc sprung a surprise by proposing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges name as the prime ministerial candidate, saying he can be India's "first Dalit prime minister."

However, Kharge reportedly turned down the suggestion and said the issue will be decided later and their first priority is to try and get a majority by working together.

Notably, India does not have a national language.

However, it has two official languages at the national levelHindi and Englishand 22 designated official languages, including Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, as per the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Similarly, Article 343(3) grants Parliament authority to legislate the continued use of English for official purposes, while Section 3(3) mandates the obligatory use of Hindi and English for specific purposes, including resolutions, general orders, contracts, and official papers presented to Parliament.

Many states have their official languages, and the constitution recognizes linguistic diversity by providing for the use of several languages for official purposes at the state and union territory levels.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly lost his temper during a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday after DMK leaders requested for his speech to be translated into English. The DMK delegation, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Rajya Sabha MP TR Baalu, was present at the meeting. According to reports, a wilfully nescient Nitish went on to say that Hindi is the national language and that everyone should learn it after Baalu had asked RJD's Manoj Jha to translate the JD(U) President's remarks. When Jha reportedly volunteered to translate, Nitish rudely suggested that leaders from the South should learn Hindi and directed the RJD MP to refrain from translating. Reports indicate that the Bihar CM also went on a tirade about India's freedom struggle, urging people to discard colonial remnants, emphasizing that the country had long ago liberated itself from British rule.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Reports indicate that Nitish displayed dissatisfaction throughout Tuesday's meeting amid speculation about the JD(U) chief and his party's role in the alliance. Since the formation of INDIA, Nitish has reportedly pitched himself for the role of bloc's convenor and is among the potential contenders for the Opposition alliance's Prime Ministerial face. Posters calling for assigning a big role for the Bihar Chief Minister were seen in several parts of Patna on Tuesday when the JD(U) leader was away to attend the INDIA bloc meeting. Kumar had hosted the first meeting of opposition leaders in Patna in June. On Tuesday, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwaltwo likely PM aspirants in the INDIA bloc sprung a surprise by proposing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges name as the prime ministerial candidate, saying he can be India's "first Dalit prime minister." However, Kharge reportedly turned down the suggestion and said the issue will be decided later and their first priority is to try and get a majority by working together. Notably, India does not have a national language. However, it has two official languages at the national levelHindi and Englishand 22 designated official languages, including Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, as per the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Similarly, Article 343(3) grants Parliament authority to legislate the continued use of English for official purposes, while Section 3(3) mandates the obligatory use of Hindi and English for specific purposes, including resolutions, general orders, contracts, and official papers presented to Parliament. Many states have their official languages, and the constitution recognizes linguistic diversity by providing for the use of several languages for official purposes at the state and union territory levels. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 11:30 am on Wednesday amid protests by opposition members over the Parliament security breach issue.

As the House met again at 11:15 am, the protests by opposition members continued.

Earlier when the House met, some opposition members had raised the issue of security breach and demanded a statement from the home minister on the matter.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked the protesting members to maintain order in the House. As the protests continued, he adjourned the proceedings.

Lok Sabbah adjourned:

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon after Speaker Om Birla warned four opposition members against bringing placards into the House and asked them to go back to their seats.

As the Question Hour was progressing, some opposition members sat in the Well of the House, shouted slogans and displayed placards.

Birla mentioned the names of four members, warning them not to bring placards to the House and also asked them to go back to their seats. Soon after, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till noon.

At least three questions and their supplementaries were taken up during Question Hour which went on for about 30 minutes. One starred question that was listed in the names of TMC MPs Sougata Ray and Pratima Mondal was not taken up by the Speaker. The two are among the Lok Sabha members who have been suspended from the House.

On Tuesday, 49 opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs suspended from Parliament in this session to over 140.

ALSO READ | PM Modi running away from debate to avoid queries: Congress

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NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 11:30 am on Wednesday amid protests by opposition members over the Parliament security breach issue. As the House met again at 11:15 am, the protests by opposition members continued. Earlier when the House met, some opposition members had raised the issue of security breach and demanded a statement from the home minister on the matter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked the protesting members to maintain order in the House. As the protests continued, he adjourned the proceedings. Lok Sabbah adjourned: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon after Speaker Om Birla warned four opposition members against bringing placards into the House and asked them to go back to their seats. As the Question Hour was progressing, some opposition members sat in the Well of the House, shouted slogans and displayed placards. Birla mentioned the names of four members, warning them not to bring placards to the House and also asked them to go back to their seats. Soon after, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till noon. At least three questions and their supplementaries were taken up during Question Hour which went on for about 30 minutes. One starred question that was listed in the names of TMC MPs Sougata Ray and Pratima Mondal was not taken up by the Speaker. The two are among the Lok Sabha members who have been suspended from the House. On Tuesday, 49 opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs suspended from Parliament in this session to over 140. ALSO READ | PM Modi running away from debate to avoid queries: Congress Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on Trinamool Congress (TMC) TMC leader, Mahua Moitra's defamation plea filed against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and an advocate, in connection with the 'cash for query' case.

Delhi HC judge Justice Sachin Datta, reserved the Judgement today, after hearing the arguments and submissions from Moitra, Dubey and lawyer, Jai Anant Dehadrai.

During the hearing today, Justice Datta asked the lawyers of the two defendants-- Dubey and Dehadrai-- Abhimanyu Bhandari and Sanjoy Ghose if there was any quid pro quo between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

Both the lawyers replied that there was a quid pro quo between Moitra and Hiranandani.

In his complaint to the Lok Sabha speaker, the BJP MP Dubey had alleged that Moitra had raised questions in the House after allegedly demanding bribes including cash and gifts from a big firm. He also said that she shared her Lok Sabha Login and password details.

After this, Moitra filed the defamation complaint in the Delhi High Court against Dubey and Dehadrai, after sending them legal notices.

Moitra had filed the defamation complaint, against Dubey and Dehadrai for their alleged defamatory allegations against her that she demanded a bribe for asking questions in Parliament.

Moitra had vehemently denied the allegations levelled by the duo -- Dubey and Dehadrai.

Yesterday, the Delhi HC did not grant any immediate relief to Moitra, who had challenged the cancellation of her govt allotted bungalow, as it deferred the hearing of her plea to Jan 4, next year.

Justice Subramonium Prasad's bench of the Delhi High Court, on Tuesday adjourned the matter to January 04, next year, keeping in view the fact that the Supreme Court had already fixed for hearing for January 3, Moitra's appeal challenging her expulsion as an MP from the Lower House.

49-year-old TMC leader, and former Lok Sabha MP, Moitra had yesterday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the Centres order to evict her from government bungalow in the wake of her recent expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

ALSO READ | Delhi HC adjourns Mahua Moitra's plea challenging her bungalow eviction citing SC's pending decision

Moitra, in her petition, said that her appeal challenging her expulsion as an MP, is presently pending before the Supreme Court for an adjudication. She thereby sought a direction from the Delhi High Court for appropriate directions and or orders to the respective authorities concerned for her relief.

It is to be noted that Moitra challenged the December 11 order issued by the Directorate of Estates of the Centre to cancel her government accommodation. She was directed to vacate her govt accommodation by January 07, of next year. .

Moitra has in her petition pleaded to the HC to issue directions that would allow her to continue to reside at her current residence till the results of the 2024 general elections are declared.

On Monday, on December 11, Moitra had also moved the Supreme Court to challenge her expulsion from Lok Sabha.

Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8 based on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee which held her guilty of receiving cash and gifts for asking questions in Parliament at the behest of business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani. The House expelled Moitra after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion which was adopted by a voice vote. Moitra had described her expulsion as a decision of a kangaroo court.

The committee also called for an "intense, legal, institutional inquiry" by the central government in a "time-bound manner". The Ethics panel also held her guilty of compromising national security by sharing her Parliament login ID and password with unauthorized persons

With her party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee throwing her weight behind, Moitra had vowed to fight the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) inside the Parliament and outside, in the gutter and on the streets" to see its "end.

Moitra also had received unstinted support from several opposition leaders including senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after her expulsion from the Parliament.

The controversy over cash for query scam broke out in October after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey based on a complaint by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, alleged that Moitra had raised questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts from Hiranandani.

Later, in an affidavit to the Ethics panel, Hiranandani claimed that Moitra provided him with her login ID and password for the Lok Sabha portal to post questions.

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NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on Trinamool Congress (TMC) TMC leader, Mahua Moitra's defamation plea filed against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and an advocate, in connection with the 'cash for query' case. Delhi HC judge Justice Sachin Datta, reserved the Judgement today, after hearing the arguments and submissions from Moitra, Dubey and lawyer, Jai Anant Dehadrai. During the hearing today, Justice Datta asked the lawyers of the two defendants-- Dubey and Dehadrai-- Abhimanyu Bhandari and Sanjoy Ghose if there was any quid pro quo between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Both the lawyers replied that there was a quid pro quo between Moitra and Hiranandani. In his complaint to the Lok Sabha speaker, the BJP MP Dubey had alleged that Moitra had raised questions in the House after allegedly demanding bribes including cash and gifts from a big firm. He also said that she shared her Lok Sabha Login and password details. After this, Moitra filed the defamation complaint in the Delhi High Court against Dubey and Dehadrai, after sending them legal notices. Moitra had filed the defamation complaint, against Dubey and Dehadrai for their alleged defamatory allegations against her that she demanded a bribe for asking questions in Parliament. Moitra had vehemently denied the allegations levelled by the duo -- Dubey and Dehadrai. Yesterday, the Delhi HC did not grant any immediate relief to Moitra, who had challenged the cancellation of her govt allotted bungalow, as it deferred the hearing of her plea to Jan 4, next year. Justice Subramonium Prasad's bench of the Delhi High Court, on Tuesday adjourned the matter to January 04, next year, keeping in view the fact that the Supreme Court had already fixed for hearing for January 3, Moitra's appeal challenging her expulsion as an MP from the Lower House. 49-year-old TMC leader, and former Lok Sabha MP, Moitra had yesterday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the Centres order to evict her from government bungalow in the wake of her recent expulsion from the Lok Sabha. ALSO READ | Delhi HC adjourns Mahua Moitra's plea challenging her bungalow eviction citing SC's pending decision Moitra, in her petition, said that her appeal challenging her expulsion as an MP, is presently pending before the Supreme Court for an adjudication. She thereby sought a direction from the Delhi High Court for appropriate directions and or orders to the respective authorities concerned for her relief. It is to be noted that Moitra challenged the December 11 order issued by the Directorate of Estates of the Centre to cancel her government accommodation. She was directed to vacate her govt accommodation by January 07, of next year. . Moitra has in her petition pleaded to the HC to issue directions that would allow her to continue to reside at her current residence till the results of the 2024 general elections are declared. On Monday, on December 11, Moitra had also moved the Supreme Court to challenge her expulsion from Lok Sabha. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on December 8 based on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee which held her guilty of receiving cash and gifts for asking questions in Parliament at the behest of business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani. The House expelled Moitra after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion which was adopted by a voice vote. Moitra had described her expulsion as a decision of a kangaroo court. The committee also called for an "intense, legal, institutional inquiry" by the central government in a "time-bound manner". The Ethics panel also held her guilty of compromising national security by sharing her Parliament login ID and password with unauthorized persons With her party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee throwing her weight behind, Moitra had vowed to fight the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) inside the Parliament and outside, in the gutter and on the streets" to see its "end. Moitra also had received unstinted support from several opposition leaders including senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after her expulsion from the Parliament. The controversy over cash for query scam broke out in October after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey based on a complaint by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, alleged that Moitra had raised questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts from Hiranandani. Later, in an affidavit to the Ethics panel, Hiranandani claimed that Moitra provided him with her login ID and password for the Lok Sabha portal to post questions. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
The European Commission launched three new initiatives on December 20 to promote the development of EU research and innovation cooperation with Ukraine.

As reported on the European Commission website, New Horizon Europe Office has been launched in Kyiv; a new action by the European Innovation Council (EIC) to support the Ukrainian deep tech community and the community hub of the New European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

It is indicated that the new Horizon Europe office will raise awareness on opportunities for Ukraine's participation in collaborative research and innovation projects under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. It will do so by promoting Horizon Europe in Ukraine and supporting Ukraine's integration into the European Research Area, while providing support to Ukraine's National Contact Points for Horizon Europe. The National Research Foundation of Ukraine is hosting the Horizon Europe Office.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: There are over 14.09 lakh drug addicts in Jammu and Kashmir using different forms of drugs ranging from alcohol to cocaine to Hallucinogens, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has revealed.

In response to a question by National Conference MP Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi whether there are nearly 10 lakh drug addicts in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister of Social (Mos) for Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Lok Sabha in the written reply that as per the national survey on extent and pattern of substance use in India conducted by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS during 2018, there are estimated over 14.09 lakh people (in age group of 10-75) using various psychoactive substances J&K.

While giving the break-up of drug users, the minister revealed about 4,20,000 people consume alcohol, 1,40,000 cannabis, 5,40,000 opioids, 1,70,000 sedatives, 1,35,000 inhalants, 2,000 Amphetamines Type Stimulants and 1,000 each use cocaine and hallucinogens.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a surge in drug abuse in the last few years and civil society groups, religious groups and political parties have expressed concern over the growing drug abuse in the region and urged the authorities to take concrete and solid steps to prevent people from falling prey to drug abuse. The Mos for Social Justice and Empowerment said the ministry Ministry supports setting up of Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in government hospitals, which is being implemented through NDDTC, AIIMS, New Delhi.

As per information provided by National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi, 19 ATFs have been sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir, the reply read. It stated the Social Justice and Empowerment is setting up District De-addiction Centres in gap districts of the country (where no Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA), Outreach and Drop in Centre (ODIC) and Community based Peer led Intervention (CPLI) is being supported by the Ministry) including in Jammu and Kashmir.

Presently, 5 DDACs in J&K have been approved by the Ministry. It has also approved setting up of three treatment centres in the gap districts of Ramban, Udhampur and Reasi. Besides, the Ministry is supporting one IRCA, three ODICs and two CPLIs in Jammu and Kashmir, it further added. According to a study by the Psychiatry Department of Government Medical College Srinagar, about 33,000 syringes are used to inject heroin by drug abusers in Kashmir every day and on an average a single drug abuser spends Rs 88,183 every month on substance abuse.

In the wake of the surge in drug abuse, religious leaders, politicians and civil society have asked the government to take concrete measures to prevent youth from falling into drug abuse. The administration has directed all 10 Deputy Commissions (DCs) of Kashmir to do colour coding of the villages in their districts according to the number of individuals involved in substance use. The villages would be labelled as green, yellow and red depending upon the severity of drug abuse in the hamlets.

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SRINAGAR: There are over 14.09 lakh drug addicts in Jammu and Kashmir using different forms of drugs ranging from alcohol to cocaine to Hallucinogens, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has revealed. In response to a question by National Conference MP Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi whether there are nearly 10 lakh drug addicts in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister of Social (Mos) for Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Lok Sabha in the written reply that as per the national survey on extent and pattern of substance use in India conducted by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS during 2018, there are estimated over 14.09 lakh people (in age group of 10-75) using various psychoactive substances J&K. While giving the break-up of drug users, the minister revealed about 4,20,000 people consume alcohol, 1,40,000 cannabis, 5,40,000 opioids, 1,70,000 sedatives, 1,35,000 inhalants, 2,000 Amphetamines Type Stimulants and 1,000 each use cocaine and hallucinogens.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a surge in drug abuse in the last few years and civil society groups, religious groups and political parties have expressed concern over the growing drug abuse in the region and urged the authorities to take concrete and solid steps to prevent people from falling prey to drug abuse. The Mos for Social Justice and Empowerment said the ministry Ministry supports setting up of Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in government hospitals, which is being implemented through NDDTC, AIIMS, New Delhi. As per information provided by National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi, 19 ATFs have been sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir, the reply read. It stated the Social Justice and Empowerment is setting up District De-addiction Centres in gap districts of the country (where no Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA), Outreach and Drop in Centre (ODIC) and Community based Peer led Intervention (CPLI) is being supported by the Ministry) including in Jammu and Kashmir. Presently, 5 DDACs in J&K have been approved by the Ministry. It has also approved setting up of three treatment centres in the gap districts of Ramban, Udhampur and Reasi. Besides, the Ministry is supporting one IRCA, three ODICs and two CPLIs in Jammu and Kashmir, it further added. According to a study by the Psychiatry Department of Government Medical College Srinagar, about 33,000 syringes are used to inject heroin by drug abusers in Kashmir every day and on an average a single drug abuser spends Rs 88,183 every month on substance abuse. In the wake of the surge in drug abuse, religious leaders, politicians and civil society have asked the government to take concrete measures to prevent youth from falling into drug abuse. The administration has directed all 10 Deputy Commissions (DCs) of Kashmir to do colour coding of the villages in their districts according to the number of individuals involved in substance use. The villages would be labelled as green, yellow and red depending upon the severity of drug abuse in the hamlets. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting on Wednesday to review the preparedness of health facilities and services in the country.

The virtual meeting will be attended by health ministers and additional chief principal secretaries (health) of all states and Union Territories (UTs) and concerned officials of Central ministries and departments, officials said.

The Centre on Monday issued an advisory to states to monitor and keep a vigil, as India has recorded an uptick of respiratory illness cases and a spike in Covid-19 cases. The advisory has also come as India detected its first case of the new JN.1 variant of the coronavirus in the country. The new variant is leading a surge in many countries, especially the US, Singapore and China.

As the cases are spiking in some southern states, especially Kerala, where one death was reported, officials said that the minister will review the response preparedness of health facilities and services in view of the recent upsurge in respiratory illnesses such as Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), including Covid, in a few states.

He will also take stock of the status of the availability of medical oxygen, hospital beds, ventilators, drugs, diagnostics and referral transport, as well as that of ILI/SARI surveillance measures. In an advisory on Monday, the ministry said, As Covid-19 virus continues to circulate and its epidemiology behaviour gets settled in Indian weather conditions, along with circulation of other usual pathogens, it is of utmost importance that we maintain a state of constant vigil over the Covid situation, right up to the district levels.

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NEW DELHI: Amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting on Wednesday to review the preparedness of health facilities and services in the country. The virtual meeting will be attended by health ministers and additional chief principal secretaries (health) of all states and Union Territories (UTs) and concerned officials of Central ministries and departments, officials said. The Centre on Monday issued an advisory to states to monitor and keep a vigil, as India has recorded an uptick of respiratory illness cases and a spike in Covid-19 cases. The advisory has also come as India detected its first case of the new JN.1 variant of the coronavirus in the country. The new variant is leading a surge in many countries, especially the US, Singapore and China.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); As the cases are spiking in some southern states, especially Kerala, where one death was reported, officials said that the minister will review the response preparedness of health facilities and services in view of the recent upsurge in respiratory illnesses such as Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), including Covid, in a few states. He will also take stock of the status of the availability of medical oxygen, hospital beds, ventilators, drugs, diagnostics and referral transport, as well as that of ILI/SARI surveillance measures. In an advisory on Monday, the ministry said, As Covid-19 virus continues to circulate and its epidemiology behaviour gets settled in Indian weather conditions, along with circulation of other usual pathogens, it is of utmost importance that we maintain a state of constant vigil over the Covid situation, right up to the district levels. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: With yet another resignation, this time by a veteran tribal leader on Wednesday, the unrest and disappointment persist within the Chhattisgarh Congress following the defeat the party faced in the assembly polls.

Nand Kumar Sai, 77, who resigned from the BJP ending his 45-year-old association with the saffron party, gave a jolt by joining the Congress in May this year. The BJP stalwart switching allegiance to the ruling party in an election year was cited as a big political development.

He was a popular tribal face for the BJP and the Centre offered him the responsibility as the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes in 2017.

Sai on Wednesday citing the existing circumstances as the reason behind his decision conveyed to the state Congress president Deepak Baij, has resigned from the primary membership of the party.

Former Congress minister Amarjeet Bhagat who lost his seat alleged that Sai's membership of Congress was part of the BJPs planning to secure vital information about the partys strategic groundwork ahead of the polls.

Nand Kumar Sai and the chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai are both from the same district Jashpur and both had represented the BJP from the Tapkara assembly constituency on different occasions during the undivided Madhya Pradesh.

A three-time Lok Sabha member and three-time MLA, Sai while joining the Congress party had claimed that he was deeply pained to see the BJP as created by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani no longer exist. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha twice.

Nevertheless, Sai follows those Congress leaders who either resigned or were expelled from the party after the poll debacle.

Following the shocking defeat in the recent elections, the Congress party in Chhattisgarh has been grappling with internal turmoil. Several party leaders, including ex-MLAs Chunnilal Sahu, Mahant Ramsundar Das, and Mohit Kerkatta, have resigned from their positions, expressing their dejection and disappointment over the loss.

In the aftermath of the defeat, many party leaders and cadres have engaged in serious arguments, blaming each other for the electoral setback. The party has even expelled two former MLAs on charges of anti-party activities, while accusing senior Congress leaders for the poll debacle.

A senior party leader, Chandrashekhar Shukla, has gone on record to state that some key positions in the Congress party were taken over by 'brokers and leftists', while also criticizing the fact that Chhattisgarh had become a centre for political tourism for party leaders based in Delhi. However, Shukla was served a showcase notice by the party for his remarks, which were seen as harmful to the party's image.

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RAIPUR: With yet another resignation, this time by a veteran tribal leader on Wednesday, the unrest and disappointment persist within the Chhattisgarh Congress following the defeat the party faced in the assembly polls. Nand Kumar Sai, 77, who resigned from the BJP ending his 45-year-old association with the saffron party, gave a jolt by joining the Congress in May this year. The BJP stalwart switching allegiance to the ruling party in an election year was cited as a big political development. He was a popular tribal face for the BJP and the Centre offered him the responsibility as the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes in 2017.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sai on Wednesday citing the existing circumstances as the reason behind his decision conveyed to the state Congress president Deepak Baij, has resigned from the primary membership of the party. Former Congress minister Amarjeet Bhagat who lost his seat alleged that Sai's membership of Congress was part of the BJPs planning to secure vital information about the partys strategic groundwork ahead of the polls. Nand Kumar Sai and the chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai are both from the same district Jashpur and both had represented the BJP from the Tapkara assembly constituency on different occasions during the undivided Madhya Pradesh. A three-time Lok Sabha member and three-time MLA, Sai while joining the Congress party had claimed that he was deeply pained to see the BJP as created by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani no longer exist. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha twice. Nevertheless, Sai follows those Congress leaders who either resigned or were expelled from the party after the poll debacle. Following the shocking defeat in the recent elections, the Congress party in Chhattisgarh has been grappling with internal turmoil. Several party leaders, including ex-MLAs Chunnilal Sahu, Mahant Ramsundar Das, and Mohit Kerkatta, have resigned from their positions, expressing their dejection and disappointment over the loss. In the aftermath of the defeat, many party leaders and cadres have engaged in serious arguments, blaming each other for the electoral setback. The party has even expelled two former MLAs on charges of anti-party activities, while accusing senior Congress leaders for the poll debacle. A senior party leader, Chandrashekhar Shukla, has gone on record to state that some key positions in the Congress party were taken over by 'brokers and leftists', while also criticizing the fact that Chhattisgarh had become a centre for political tourism for party leaders based in Delhi. However, Shukla was served a showcase notice by the party for his remarks, which were seen as harmful to the party's image. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: In the aftermath of a setback in the recent assembly elections in Rajasthan, the state Congress has sent a preliminary report to the central leadership, listing multiple factors contributing to the defeat.

The report claims that the welfare schemes and the vision of the Gehlot government were fine, but local leaders, MLAs, candidates, and even ministers failed to take the message forward strongly to the voters.

However, the factors cited in the preliminary report contrast with a few points that were raised during an informal meeting of the party in Delhi. A meeting called by the Congress leadership after the election results on December 9 in Delhi to review the partys poor performance saw many leaders blaming the decision to repeat most of the sitting MLAs as the main reason for the partys defeat.

One of the primary reasons the report identifies for the defeat revolves around the failure to effectively communicate government schemes to the people. Despite the perceived merit of these initiatives, candidates in the assembly constituencies struggled to articulate their significance. Moreover, Mission-2030, a key electoral plank, failed to draw the expected support from voters, it said.

Another key area highlighted in the report is the BJPs adeptness in polarizing the electoral scenario, which emerged as a pivotal factor in Congress defeat. The divisive tactics employed by the opposition party played a substantial role in shaping the electoral narrative against the Congress, it says.

On seats with slim victory margins, the report underscores the shortcomings of local leaders who, despite their critical roles, failed to accurately gauge the political landscape. This lapse resulted in an inability to mobilize voters effectively, contributing to the overall setback, it said.

The partys inability to convey convincingly to voters that the potential change in government would lead to the discontinuation of crucial schemes is cited as a pivotal factor for the defeat. Despite the positive reception of government initiatives, the failure to translate it into electoral support has been a notable shortcoming, it says.

Key leaders and ministers within the Congress ranks were found wanting in their effectiveness against the BJPs campaign machinery. Their inability to counter the narrative and sway public opinion adversely impacted the electoral prospects. The report also sheds light on the failure of prominent leaders to extend their influence beyond their immediate constituencies.

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JAIPUR: In the aftermath of a setback in the recent assembly elections in Rajasthan, the state Congress has sent a preliminary report to the central leadership, listing multiple factors contributing to the defeat. The report claims that the welfare schemes and the vision of the Gehlot government were fine, but local leaders, MLAs, candidates, and even ministers failed to take the message forward strongly to the voters. However, the factors cited in the preliminary report contrast with a few points that were raised during an informal meeting of the party in Delhi. A meeting called by the Congress leadership after the election results on December 9 in Delhi to review the partys poor performance saw many leaders blaming the decision to repeat most of the sitting MLAs as the main reason for the partys defeat. One of the primary reasons the report identifies for the defeat revolves around the failure to effectively communicate government schemes to the people. Despite the perceived merit of these initiatives, candidates in the assembly constituencies struggled to articulate their significance. Moreover, Mission-2030, a key electoral plank, failed to draw the expected support from voters, it said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Another key area highlighted in the report is the BJPs adeptness in polarizing the electoral scenario, which emerged as a pivotal factor in Congress defeat. The divisive tactics employed by the opposition party played a substantial role in shaping the electoral narrative against the Congress, it says. On seats with slim victory margins, the report underscores the shortcomings of local leaders who, despite their critical roles, failed to accurately gauge the political landscape. This lapse resulted in an inability to mobilize voters effectively, contributing to the overall setback, it said. The partys inability to convey convincingly to voters that the potential change in government would lead to the discontinuation of crucial schemes is cited as a pivotal factor for the defeat. Despite the positive reception of government initiatives, the failure to translate it into electoral support has been a notable shortcoming, it says. Key leaders and ministers within the Congress ranks were found wanting in their effectiveness against the BJPs campaign machinery. Their inability to counter the narrative and sway public opinion adversely impacted the electoral prospects. The report also sheds light on the failure of prominent leaders to extend their influence beyond their immediate constituencies. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

BEGUSARAI: A police official was killed and another one sustained injuries in Bihar's Begusarai district early on Wednesday after being hit by a car which they tried to intercept.

They were trying to stop the vehicle after receiving a tip-off that it was carrying liquor in violation of the state's stringent prohibition law, a senior official said.

According to a statement issued by Begusarai Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar, sub-inspector Khamas Chaudhary (52) was posted at Naavkothi Police Station where information reached that a car carrying liquor was passing by.

Consequently, Chaudhary took three home guard personnel along and rushed to a bridge on the Budhi Gandak River to intercept the car.

The driver, however, sped away, knocking down Chaudhary, who died on the spot, and a home guard jawan, who has been admitted to a hospital.

The SP said a team, headed by Sub Divisional Police Officer Chandan Kumar, has been set up, to nab all the culprits involved in the crime. The owner of the car has been tracked down and arrested, the SP added.

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BEGUSARAI: A police official was killed and another one sustained injuries in Bihar's Begusarai district early on Wednesday after being hit by a car which they tried to intercept. They were trying to stop the vehicle after receiving a tip-off that it was carrying liquor in violation of the state's stringent prohibition law, a senior official said. According to a statement issued by Begusarai Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar, sub-inspector Khamas Chaudhary (52) was posted at Naavkothi Police Station where information reached that a car carrying liquor was passing by.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Consequently, Chaudhary took three home guard personnel along and rushed to a bridge on the Budhi Gandak River to intercept the car. The driver, however, sped away, knocking down Chaudhary, who died on the spot, and a home guard jawan, who has been admitted to a hospital. The SP said a team, headed by Sub Divisional Police Officer Chandan Kumar, has been set up, to nab all the culprits involved in the crime. The owner of the car has been tracked down and arrested, the SP added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal  both of whom said to be nursing prime ministerial ambitions  on Tuesday sprang a surprise by proposing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges name as the Opposite alliance INDIAs PM candidate in the 2024 elections. Sources said JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, another PM aspirant, clarified that he was not in the race for the top post.

While proposing his name at the INDIA meeting on Tuesday, the duo said Kharge could be the first Dalit prime minister of the country. However, Kharge chose to sidestep queries about the proposal, saying that the alliances first priority is to win the Lok Sabha elections. We have to first win, and who will be the prime minister is a matter to be decided later. First, we have to get a majority and increase our strength, then MPs will decide democratically, Kharge told reporters, adding that any decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the elections.

On the contentious issue of seat sharing among allies, Kharge said the parties will hold talks at the state level. Whether Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, UP, Delhi or Punjab, the issues on seat-sharing will be resolved. If any issues arise, INDIA leadership will address them, he said. Kharge added that the parties passed a resolution condemning the suspension of Opposition MPs and will hold a nationwide protest on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said seat-sharing talks will be held at the earliest and there is no deadline. There was no decision on a convener for the alliance, he said.

However, another leader said Mamata proposed that seat-sharing talks be finalised by December 31.

Sources said Samajwadi Party leaders warned the Congress against forging any alliance with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Kharge assured them that theres no no such plan. The meeting also passed a resolution demanding maximum use of VVPATs in the upcoming polls.

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NEW DELHI: Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal  both of whom said to be nursing prime ministerial ambitions  on Tuesday sprang a surprise by proposing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges name as the Opposite alliance INDIAs PM candidate in the 2024 elections. Sources said JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, another PM aspirant, clarified that he was not in the race for the top post. While proposing his name at the INDIA meeting on Tuesday, the duo said Kharge could be the first Dalit prime minister of the country. However, Kharge chose to sidestep queries about the proposal, saying that the alliances first priority is to win the Lok Sabha elections. We have to first win, and who will be the prime minister is a matter to be decided later. First, we have to get a majority and increase our strength, then MPs will decide democratically, Kharge told reporters, adding that any decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the elections. On the contentious issue of seat sharing among allies, Kharge said the parties will hold talks at the state level. Whether Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, UP, Delhi or Punjab, the issues on seat-sharing will be resolved. If any issues arise, INDIA leadership will address them, he said. Kharge added that the parties passed a resolution condemning the suspension of Opposition MPs and will hold a nationwide protest on Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Speaking to reporters, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said seat-sharing talks will be held at the earliest and there is no deadline. There was no decision on a convener for the alliance, he said. However, another leader said Mamata proposed that seat-sharing talks be finalised by December 31. Sources said Samajwadi Party leaders warned the Congress against forging any alliance with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Kharge assured them that theres no no such plan. The meeting also passed a resolution demanding maximum use of VVPATs in the upcoming polls. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad for questioning in the railways land-for-jobs money laundering case probe, official sources said on Wednesday.

While Tejashwi (34), has been asked to depose before the federal probe agency at its office in Delhi on December 22, Prasad (75), has been asked to appear next week on December 27 to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED has once questioned Tejashwi for about eight hours in this case on April 11 but this is the first time it has summoned Prasad for joining the probe.

The summons comes following the questioning of an alleged "close associate" of the Lalu Prasad family, Amit Katyal. He was arrested by the ED in November.

The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government.

It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, these people transferred their land to the family members of the then railway minister Prasad and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited.

ALSO READ | Future of INDIA bloc bright, will win Lok Sabha polls to oust PM Narendra Modi: Lalu

Katyal was the director of this company when it acquired land from candidates "on behalf" of Lalu Prasad, the ED had earlier claimed in a statement.

"The registered address of the company is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, which is the house belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members," the agency had alleged.

"Several other lands were also acquired by Amit Katyal in the said company in return for giving undue favors by Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was minister of railways," the agency said.

After acquiring the land, it said, shares of the said company were "transferred" to the family members of Lalu Prasad in 2014.

The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, stems from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for an appointment, but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.

As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to Prasad's family members at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI alleged.

Over the last few months, the ED has recorded the statements of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their daughters Misa Bharti (RJD MP in Rajya Sabha), Chanda Yadav and Ragini Yadav in this case.

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NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad for questioning in the railways land-for-jobs money laundering case probe, official sources said on Wednesday. While Tejashwi (34), has been asked to depose before the federal probe agency at its office in Delhi on December 22, Prasad (75), has been asked to appear next week on December 27 to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has once questioned Tejashwi for about eight hours in this case on April 11 but this is the first time it has summoned Prasad for joining the probe.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The summons comes following the questioning of an alleged "close associate" of the Lalu Prasad family, Amit Katyal. He was arrested by the ED in November. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, these people transferred their land to the family members of the then railway minister Prasad and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited. ALSO READ | Future of INDIA bloc bright, will win Lok Sabha polls to oust PM Narendra Modi: Lalu Katyal was the director of this company when it acquired land from candidates "on behalf" of Lalu Prasad, the ED had earlier claimed in a statement. "The registered address of the company is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, which is the house belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members," the agency had alleged. "Several other lands were also acquired by Amit Katyal in the said company in return for giving undue favors by Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was minister of railways," the agency said. After acquiring the land, it said, shares of the said company were "transferred" to the family members of Lalu Prasad in 2014. The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, stems from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for an appointment, but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur. As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to Prasad's family members at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI alleged. Over the last few months, the ED has recorded the statements of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their daughters Misa Bharti (RJD MP in Rajya Sabha), Chanda Yadav and Ragini Yadav in this case. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Jitendra Choubey By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to ensure the release of the stipulated quantity of flows as per the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).

According to the final CWDT award, Karnataka should release 7.35 tmcft water for the rest of December, at the interstate connecting point Biligundulu on an average daily flow of 2,744 cusecs.

For the whole of January, the cumulative monthly flows should be maintained at 2.76 tmcft. Similarly, the committee also directed TN to ensure the realisation of the stipulated quantity (0.040 tmcft) for seven reservoirs in the Karaikal region of Puducherry.

In the 91st meeting of the CWRC under the chairmanship of Vineet Gupta, the panel made a decision based on storage position, inflows and outflows of eight designated reservoirs and hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin. The next meeting will be held on January 9.

The state of Karnataka needs to ensure flows at Biligundulu stipulated by CWDT, as modified by the Supreme Court, for the remaining period of December 2023 and January 2024, when the hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin will be reviewed, Gupta told TNIE.

A good northeast monsoon has come as a relief to Tamil Nadu and also, the committee recognised the critical drought-like condition in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka.

After January 31, there is no need for extra water required as harvesting of crops would start in February in TN while Karnataka needs to maintain the environmental flow of the river, Gupta added. The committee observed that the live storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka is 42.546 tmcft, which is 40.69% of the total live storage. In Tamil Nadu, it is 54.089 tmcft, which is 41.77% of the total live storage.

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NEW DELHI: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to ensure the release of the stipulated quantity of flows as per the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). According to the final CWDT award, Karnataka should release 7.35 tmcft water for the rest of December, at the interstate connecting point Biligundulu on an average daily flow of 2,744 cusecs. For the whole of January, the cumulative monthly flows should be maintained at 2.76 tmcft. Similarly, the committee also directed TN to ensure the realisation of the stipulated quantity (0.040 tmcft) for seven reservoirs in the Karaikal region of Puducherry.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In the 91st meeting of the CWRC under the chairmanship of Vineet Gupta, the panel made a decision based on storage position, inflows and outflows of eight designated reservoirs and hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin. The next meeting will be held on January 9. The state of Karnataka needs to ensure flows at Biligundulu stipulated by CWDT, as modified by the Supreme Court, for the remaining period of December 2023 and January 2024, when the hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin will be reviewed, Gupta told TNIE. A good northeast monsoon has come as a relief to Tamil Nadu and also, the committee recognised the critical drought-like condition in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka. After January 31, there is no need for extra water required as harvesting of crops would start in February in TN while Karnataka needs to maintain the environmental flow of the river, Gupta added. The committee observed that the live storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka is 42.546 tmcft, which is 40.69% of the total live storage. In Tamil Nadu, it is 54.089 tmcft, which is 41.77% of the total live storage. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Punjab, as a major grower of kinnow in the country and this years king fruit growers of the state, are elated over a good yield this season. The produce is expected to be 13.50 metric tonnes after two years. However, they are staring at low prices this year Rs 6 to 10 per kg  as compared to Rs 20 to 25 per kg last year, a sharp decline.

The southern states in the country are the biggest market for Punjabs kinnow and the region plays a vital role in deciding the pricing. Farmers say this season yield is expected to be 13.50 metric tonnes after two years as against 12 lakh MT in the last season. They added that they have not been able to recover their input cost and have demanded from the government to fix a minimum price for the fruit crop.

A total area of 47,000 hectares was brought under the kinnow crop this season. Abohar is the leading district in the state with a maximum area of 35,000 hectares harvesting the fruit crop, besides Hoshiarpur, Muktsar, Bathinda and some other districts Harvesting of kinnow, a hybrid between king and willow leaf mandarins, starts in December and goes on till February-end in Punjab.

Talking with this newspaper, Shivdeep Singh Brar, who grows he fruit crop in 11 acres Khippanwali village in Fazilka district says, This year, it has been a bumper crop, thus prices have come down. The kinnows are sold in India mainly in southern states such as Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is also sold in some eastern states including West Bengal and Orissa. Due to high taxes this season, kinnows could not be exported to Bangladesh.

Also the size of fruits was smaller than usual due to bumper crop. The appearance was not as good (had more marks), there were high freight charges and the orange from Nagpur gave a stiff competition, says Brar. A Kinnow grower Ajit Sharan, who grows the fruit crop over 90 acres of land in Ramgarh village in Abohar district, said that this season farmers are getting between Rs 6 to 8 per kg as against about Rs 25 per kg they got last year at this time. He further pointed out that though farmers are getting low prices, the kinnow crop is being sold at Rs 40 per kg in the retail market. Farmers spend Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per acre on the kinnow crop and will be forced to uproot their orchards if they get such a raw deal, he added.

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CHANDIGARH: Punjab, as a major grower of kinnow in the country and this years king fruit growers of the state, are elated over a good yield this season. The produce is expected to be 13.50 metric tonnes after two years. However, they are staring at low prices this year Rs 6 to 10 per kg  as compared to Rs 20 to 25 per kg last year, a sharp decline. The southern states in the country are the biggest market for Punjabs kinnow and the region plays a vital role in deciding the pricing. Farmers say this season yield is expected to be 13.50 metric tonnes after two years as against 12 lakh MT in the last season. They added that they have not been able to recover their input cost and have demanded from the government to fix a minimum price for the fruit crop. A total area of 47,000 hectares was brought under the kinnow crop this season. Abohar is the leading district in the state with a maximum area of 35,000 hectares harvesting the fruit crop, besides Hoshiarpur, Muktsar, Bathinda and some other districts Harvesting of kinnow, a hybrid between king and willow leaf mandarins, starts in December and goes on till February-end in Punjab.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Talking with this newspaper, Shivdeep Singh Brar, who grows he fruit crop in 11 acres Khippanwali village in Fazilka district says, This year, it has been a bumper crop, thus prices have come down. The kinnows are sold in India mainly in southern states such as Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is also sold in some eastern states including West Bengal and Orissa. Due to high taxes this season, kinnows could not be exported to Bangladesh. Also the size of fruits was smaller than usual due to bumper crop. The appearance was not as good (had more marks), there were high freight charges and the orange from Nagpur gave a stiff competition, says Brar. A Kinnow grower Ajit Sharan, who grows the fruit crop over 90 acres of land in Ramgarh village in Abohar district, said that this season farmers are getting between Rs 6 to 8 per kg as against about Rs 25 per kg they got last year at this time. He further pointed out that though farmers are getting low prices, the kinnow crop is being sold at Rs 40 per kg in the retail market. Farmers spend Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per acre on the kinnow crop and will be forced to uproot their orchards if they get such a raw deal, he added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Prominent journalist bodies on Wednesday deplored the freezing of the bank accounts of news portal "NewsClick" by the income-tax department and said the move that violated laws has in one stroke deprived close to 100 mediapersons and their families of a steady source of income.

"NewsClick" said on Tuesday that its bank accounts were frozen by the IT department and it will undertake legal measures against the "unjust and cruel" action.

"We, the undersigned journalist organisations, deplore in the strongest terms the freezing of the accounts of the web news portal NewsClick. This move by the IT department without any warning whatsoever has in one stroke deprived close to a hundred mediapersons and their families of a steady source of income," the journalist bodies said in a joint statement.

With the seizure of the bank accounts, they noted, the salaries of all the employees, including the support staff, of the portal cannot be disbursed, "including for the 19 days of work in December".

"This action by the IT department also flouts basic norms of natural justice and labour laws," they said, adding, "The portal has maintained that it has always complied with tax regulations and that there was no basis for the IT department to freeze its accounts."

The statement was jointly released by the Press Association, the Press Club of India, the Indian Women's Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Working News Cameramen's Association (WNCA).

"It is important to note that the present development comes on the heels of sustained harassment in the form of ED raids and IT surveys in 2021 and the arrest of NewsClick's founder Prabir Purkayastha and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty in October this year," the journalist bodies said.

Purkayastha and Chakraborty have been booked under "draconian clauses" and it has been observed that such arrests of mediapersons have become "the norm rather than the exception", they added.

"Both continue to be in judicial custody for an indefinite period of time," they said.

The journalist bodies expressed concern over the "indiscriminate" seizure of electronic equipment, such as mobile phones and computers, under the pretext of investigation.

"While other independent media have also suffered such excesses with equipment being seized and confiscated for months altogether, in October, for the first time, electronic equipment like mobile phones and laptops of NewsClick journalists, former employees and even contributors were seized in an early morning operation, which was unprecedented in itself," they said.

Many, who are the sole earners in their families, had to buy new equipment in order to continue working as there was no assurance that their seized equipment would be returned within a definite time-frame and that too, in an untampered condition, the journalists bodies said.

In addition, the "summoning and questioning" for days altogether of the NewsClick staff and reporters on the pretext of investigation has been another mode of "sustained harassment" by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, they charged.

"We demand that the harassment of the media and mediapersons in the form of raids, arrests under non-bailable draconian clauses, freezing of accounts without prior intimation and the seizure of electronic equipment sans any guidelines or parameters should stop forthwith," the journalist bodies said.

"As such equipment is the lifeline for persons operating in the media space, such seizures effectively target livelihoods," they added.

"Just as the other pillars of our democracy need to be allowed to function independently, so does the media.

An independent media strengthens democracy, demoralising and stifling it will have the opposite effect," they said.

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NEW DELHI: Prominent journalist bodies on Wednesday deplored the freezing of the bank accounts of news portal "NewsClick" by the income-tax department and said the move that violated laws has in one stroke deprived close to 100 mediapersons and their families of a steady source of income. "NewsClick" said on Tuesday that its bank accounts were frozen by the IT department and it will undertake legal measures against the "unjust and cruel" action. "We, the undersigned journalist organisations, deplore in the strongest terms the freezing of the accounts of the web news portal NewsClick. This move by the IT department without any warning whatsoever has in one stroke deprived close to a hundred mediapersons and their families of a steady source of income," the journalist bodies said in a joint statement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); With the seizure of the bank accounts, they noted, the salaries of all the employees, including the support staff, of the portal cannot be disbursed, "including for the 19 days of work in December". "This action by the IT department also flouts basic norms of natural justice and labour laws," they said, adding, "The portal has maintained that it has always complied with tax regulations and that there was no basis for the IT department to freeze its accounts." The statement was jointly released by the Press Association, the Press Club of India, the Indian Women's Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Working News Cameramen's Association (WNCA). "It is important to note that the present development comes on the heels of sustained harassment in the form of ED raids and IT surveys in 2021 and the arrest of NewsClick's founder Prabir Purkayastha and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty in October this year," the journalist bodies said. Purkayastha and Chakraborty have been booked under "draconian clauses" and it has been observed that such arrests of mediapersons have become "the norm rather than the exception", they added. "Both continue to be in judicial custody for an indefinite period of time," they said. The journalist bodies expressed concern over the "indiscriminate" seizure of electronic equipment, such as mobile phones and computers, under the pretext of investigation. "While other independent media have also suffered such excesses with equipment being seized and confiscated for months altogether, in October, for the first time, electronic equipment like mobile phones and laptops of NewsClick journalists, former employees and even contributors were seized in an early morning operation, which was unprecedented in itself," they said. Many, who are the sole earners in their families, had to buy new equipment in order to continue working as there was no assurance that their seized equipment would be returned within a definite time-frame and that too, in an untampered condition, the journalists bodies said. In addition, the "summoning and questioning" for days altogether of the NewsClick staff and reporters on the pretext of investigation has been another mode of "sustained harassment" by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, they charged. "We demand that the harassment of the media and mediapersons in the form of raids, arrests under non-bailable draconian clauses, freezing of accounts without prior intimation and the seizure of electronic equipment sans any guidelines or parameters should stop forthwith," the journalist bodies said. "As such equipment is the lifeline for persons operating in the media space, such seizures effectively target livelihoods," they added. "Just as the other pillars of our democracy need to be allowed to function independently, so does the media. An independent media strengthens democracy, demoralising and stifling it will have the opposite effect," they said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
An event dedicated to Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia was held in New York: the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Verizon building were illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and a Ukrainian children's choir sang carols in the passage of the Central Railway Station.

"Today in New York, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Verizon building were illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. And the Ukrainian children's choir sang carols in the passage of the Central Railway Station. An animation was designed behind the choir at the Central Railway Station that visualizes the number of missing missing children. This projection can also be seen in other places in New York, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the Verizon building," the President's Office press service told Interfax-Ukraine.

The rally was reportedly held under the slogan: "These children will not come home for the holidays," and was organized by actor and director Isaac Liev Schreiber through the BlueCheck initiative and the Lubetzki Family Foundation to remind Americans of 19,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

At least 19,546 Ukrainian children aged six months to 17 years were abducted from their homes, families and the country. "Once in Russia, their identities are erased and they are forced to adopt Russian culture and citizenship. As American families across the country gather for the holidays, this campaign is a reminder that without our continued support for Ukraine, these abducted children may never to return home. We support," Schreiber said, according to the press service.

In 2022, following the full-scale Russian military invasion, Schreiber became an active supporter of Ukraine, co-founding Blue Check Ukraine, an organization created to make the donation process easier for those Americans who want to help Ukraine.

Schreiber takes an active part in the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia and actively supports the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The Delhi police on Wednesday detained one person from Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh as part of the investigation of the Lok Sabha security breach incident that happened on December 13.

Atul Kulshrestha alias Bacha from Orai city of Jalaun district, a resident of Muhalla Ramnagar was said to be in touch with the accused of the Parliament breach case through social media.

Kulshrestha was allegedly in touch with those who jumped into the chambers of Lok Sabha from the audience gallery breaching the security of the Parliament.

The Delhi police team left for the national capital on Wednesday afternoon with Kulshrestha, who, like his other accused, is also believed to be influenced by revolutionary freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh.

However, as per the local sources, Kulshrestha is not affiliated with any political party or organisation. He has been active on social media since his student day and has no criminal record.

According to police sources, Kulshrestha was found to be active in a WhatsApp group created by youths who were involved in Parliaments security breach attempt.

The sources claimed that Delhi police had reached Jalaun in search of Kulshrestha on Tuesday night. After several hours of combing operation, the police team spotted him and picked him up from the house based on suspicion. Jalaun Superintendent of Police Dr Eeraj Raja confirmed that Delhi Police was in the town and said that the team had taken Atul Kulshrestha to Delhi for questioning.

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LUCKNOW: The Delhi police on Wednesday detained one person from Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh as part of the investigation of the Lok Sabha security breach incident that happened on December 13. Atul Kulshrestha alias Bacha from Orai city of Jalaun district, a resident of Muhalla Ramnagar was said to be in touch with the accused of the Parliament breach case through social media. Kulshrestha was allegedly in touch with those who jumped into the chambers of Lok Sabha from the audience gallery breaching the security of the Parliament. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Delhi police team left for the national capital on Wednesday afternoon with Kulshrestha, who, like his other accused, is also believed to be influenced by revolutionary freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh. However, as per the local sources, Kulshrestha is not affiliated with any political party or organisation. He has been active on social media since his student day and has no criminal record. According to police sources, Kulshrestha was found to be active in a WhatsApp group created by youths who were involved in Parliaments security breach attempt. The sources claimed that Delhi police had reached Jalaun in search of Kulshrestha on Tuesday night. After several hours of combing operation, the police team spotted him and picked him up from the house based on suspicion. Jalaun Superintendent of Police Dr Eeraj Raja confirmed that Delhi Police was in the town and said that the team had taken Atul Kulshrestha to Delhi for questioning. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws by voice vote.

The three redrafted bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill -- were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week.

These bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

Replying to a debate on the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Shah said the three proposed laws also have a clear definition of terrorism, scrap sedition as a crime and introduce a new section titled "offenses against the state".

Three new criminal laws seek to put in place a human-centric justice system: Amit Shah

The Central government on Tuesday took up the three bills to replace the existing British-era criminal laws for consideration, in the absence of a majority of Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha.

Addressing the remaining members of the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code, focuses on justice rather than punishment.

He said that the three proposed criminal laws would free people from the colonial mindset and its symbols.

Replying to a protest on the criminal law bills, he said, "If someone opposes govt, he shouldn't be punished as it's his freedom of speech."

However, he said, "If anyone works against the country, he or she must not be spared and must be given the strictest punishment," emphasizing that criminal law bills will ensure victim-centric justice.

"Act of terrorism is the worst human rights violation, anyone involved in terror must be given harsh punishment," he added.

"For the first time, the criminal justice system will have the human touch. Till we repeal these old laws, we are still following laws made by the UK government. We still use English words like Her Majesty, British Kingdom, the crown, barrister, ruler after 75 years of independence," Shah said.

The home minister said the colonial-era laws prioritized acts of "looting the treasury", "uprooting rail tracks" and "insult to the Crown" over crimes against women and children, human rights, border security, and the army.

The old laws had listed rape under Section 375-376, the new bill has the crime listed under Section 63, murder was listed under Section 302 now it is Section 101, kidnapping was under Section 359 and now it is Section 136, Shah said.

Listing the features of the bills, he said, "This bill punishes mob lynching with the death penalty. (Congress leader P) Chidambaram kept asking me what about mob lynching. He does not understand the BJP and our mentality. Why did you not penalize mob lynching during your rule? If one's mind is Indian, you will understand the laws. If it is Italian, you won't."

The three bills reflect the spirit of the Constitution, but those with an Italian mindset will never understand it," he said in an apparent dig at the opposition Congress.

Shah asserted that the three laws were based on justice, transparency, and fairness.

"This is the first government which has fulfilled the promises it has mentioned in its manifesto. We have revoked Article 370, removed AFSPA in 70 percent areas in the northeastern states, banned triple talaq, and gave 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament," he said.

Additionally, addressing the construction of Ram temple, he said, "We said Ram temple will be built and as promised statue of Lord Ram will be consecrated on Jan 22.

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NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws by voice vote. The three redrafted bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill -- were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week. These bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Replying to a debate on the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Shah said the three proposed laws also have a clear definition of terrorism, scrap sedition as a crime and introduce a new section titled "offenses against the state". Three new criminal laws seek to put in place a human-centric justice system: Amit Shah The Central government on Tuesday took up the three bills to replace the existing British-era criminal laws for consideration, in the absence of a majority of Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha. Addressing the remaining members of the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code, focuses on justice rather than punishment. He said that the three proposed criminal laws would free people from the colonial mindset and its symbols. Replying to a protest on the criminal law bills, he said, "If someone opposes govt, he shouldn't be punished as it's his freedom of speech." However, he said, "If anyone works against the country, he or she must not be spared and must be given the strictest punishment," emphasizing that criminal law bills will ensure victim-centric justice. "Act of terrorism is the worst human rights violation, anyone involved in terror must be given harsh punishment," he added. "For the first time, the criminal justice system will have the human touch. Till we repeal these old laws, we are still following laws made by the UK government. We still use English words like Her Majesty, British Kingdom, the crown, barrister, ruler after 75 years of independence," Shah said. The home minister said the colonial-era laws prioritized acts of "looting the treasury", "uprooting rail tracks" and "insult to the Crown" over crimes against women and children, human rights, border security, and the army. The old laws had listed rape under Section 375-376, the new bill has the crime listed under Section 63, murder was listed under Section 302 now it is Section 101, kidnapping was under Section 359 and now it is Section 136, Shah said. Listing the features of the bills, he said, "This bill punishes mob lynching with the death penalty. (Congress leader P) Chidambaram kept asking me what about mob lynching. He does not understand the BJP and our mentality. Why did you not penalize mob lynching during your rule? If one's mind is Indian, you will understand the laws. If it is Italian, you won't." The three bills reflect the spirit of the Constitution, but those with an Italian mindset will never understand it," he said in an apparent dig at the opposition Congress. Shah asserted that the three laws were based on justice, transparency, and fairness. "This is the first government which has fulfilled the promises it has mentioned in its manifesto. We have revoked Article 370, removed AFSPA in 70 percent areas in the northeastern states, banned triple talaq, and gave 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament," he said. Additionally, addressing the construction of Ram temple, he said, "We said Ram temple will be built and as promised statue of Lord Ram will be consecrated on Jan 22. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A 52-year-old man, who allegedly abducted, raped and murdered his tenant's nine-year-old daughter in outer Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area, had disclosed the act to his family members on December 15, police sources said on Wednesday.

"During our investigation, we came to know that the accused had told his family members what he had done with the girl and he was being thrashed by his family members on December 15. Later, he took his scooter and met with an accident," sources said.

Meanwhile, the girl's body has not yet been recovered, police said.

"More than 10 teams, including the divers and the NDRF jawans, are trying to fish out the body. The search operation was stopped late in the evening due to poor visibility. The operation will resume again on Thursday," said a senior police officer.

The girl was allegedly abducted, raped and then strangled to death by her landlord, who dumped her body in a canal in outer Dehi's Swaroop Nagar, on December 12.

The accused had allegedly lured the girl on the pretext of giving her a car ride on December 12 while she was playing outside her residence, police said.

According to the investigators, the accused then took her to an isolated area where he allegedly raped her in his car.

To hide his crime, he strangled the girl and then dumped her body in the Munak Canal around 6.30 pm.

The accused later on December 15 met with an accident when he was going to some place on his scooter and was admitted at a hospital in Rohini.

The accused was unfit for statement due to multiple fractures but later confessed the crime, police said.

The victim's grandfather told reporters on Wednesday that he was not in the city when the incident took place.

"I got a call from my son on December 12. He told me that his daughter is missing from 2 pm. I asked him to call the landlord for help. My son even called him. He (the landlord) said that he is somewhere in Panipat," he said.

The victim's family members demanded strict action against the accused and said that the police could not trace the body of their child from December 12 to December 20.

"No doubt that we are getting help from the police. They checked the CCTV camera and even gave us clear clue that who is behind everything. We demand strict action against the accused. He must be given capital punishment," the victim's father told reporters.

The victim's parents said that they both are labourers by profession, adding their daughter had gone to the school on December 12.

"She returned (from school) around 1 pm and she went missing around 2 pm. Every single person from the family and the neighbours launched a search operation by their own for her. The matter was reported to the police later in the evening of December 12," the victim's grandfather said.

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NEW DELHI: A 52-year-old man, who allegedly abducted, raped and murdered his tenant's nine-year-old daughter in outer Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area, had disclosed the act to his family members on December 15, police sources said on Wednesday. "During our investigation, we came to know that the accused had told his family members what he had done with the girl and he was being thrashed by his family members on December 15. Later, he took his scooter and met with an accident," sources said. Meanwhile, the girl's body has not yet been recovered, police said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "More than 10 teams, including the divers and the NDRF jawans, are trying to fish out the body. The search operation was stopped late in the evening due to poor visibility. The operation will resume again on Thursday," said a senior police officer. The girl was allegedly abducted, raped and then strangled to death by her landlord, who dumped her body in a canal in outer Dehi's Swaroop Nagar, on December 12. The accused had allegedly lured the girl on the pretext of giving her a car ride on December 12 while she was playing outside her residence, police said. According to the investigators, the accused then took her to an isolated area where he allegedly raped her in his car. To hide his crime, he strangled the girl and then dumped her body in the Munak Canal around 6.30 pm. The accused later on December 15 met with an accident when he was going to some place on his scooter and was admitted at a hospital in Rohini. The accused was unfit for statement due to multiple fractures but later confessed the crime, police said. The victim's grandfather told reporters on Wednesday that he was not in the city when the incident took place. "I got a call from my son on December 12. He told me that his daughter is missing from 2 pm. I asked him to call the landlord for help. My son even called him. He (the landlord) said that he is somewhere in Panipat," he said. The victim's family members demanded strict action against the accused and said that the police could not trace the body of their child from December 12 to December 20. "No doubt that we are getting help from the police. They checked the CCTV camera and even gave us clear clue that who is behind everything. We demand strict action against the accused. He must be given capital punishment," the victim's father told reporters. The victim's parents said that they both are labourers by profession, adding their daughter had gone to the school on December 12. "She returned (from school) around 1 pm and she went missing around 2 pm. Every single person from the family and the neighbours launched a search operation by their own for her. The matter was reported to the police later in the evening of December 12," the victim's grandfather said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre is planning to bring an important amendment in the criminal law bill, which aims to exempt doctors from criminal prosecution in cases of death due to medical negligence.

The announcement was immediately hailed by the medicos and the various medical associations, especially the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had urged the government to decriminalize medical negligence death.

Shah remarked as the Lok Sabha passed three criminal law bills- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, which proposes to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC); the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, which proposes to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure; and the Bharatiya Sakshya (second) Sanhita, which seeks to replace the Indian Evidence Act.

During the debate, Shah said, Currently, if there is a death due to negligence of a doctor, it is also treated as criminal negligence, almost akin to murder, Therefore, I will bring an official amendment to free the doctors from this criminal negligence."

Indian Medical Association had urged us to look into the matter, he added.

At the moment, cases of criminal negligence are handled under IPC 304 A, which pertains to causing death due to negligence. As per this section, a person causing the death of another person through a rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide can face imprisonment for up to two years, or with a fine, or both.

IMA, which represents over 3 lakh doctors in the country, immediately thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for accepting their proposal. In a letter to the centre, IMA on November 30, had urged the government to exempt professional medical practice from criminal prosecution.

Taking to X, formerly Twittter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, national chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), thanked Shah for his gesture. Home minister @AmitShahOffice announces in Loksabha that doctors to be exempted from criminal medical negligence medical negligence decriminalised. Amendment to that effect to be moved by him. Today respected @AmitShah declared a pivotal shift in medical jurisprudence.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association also posted that medical negligence by doctors, previously categorized as non-culpable homicide (304A), has been officially decriminalised. A positive step toward aligning legal frameworks with evolving healthcare complexities.

The Association of Indian Medicos (AIM) also posted that it is a Big day for the entire medical fraternity today!!! We are thankful to @AmitShahOffice, @AmitShah, @PMOIndia, @MoHFW_INDIA for decriminalising medical negligence. Congratulations to all fellow doctors of the nation.

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NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre is planning to bring an important amendment in the criminal law bill, which aims to exempt doctors from criminal prosecution in cases of death due to medical negligence. The announcement was immediately hailed by the medicos and the various medical associations, especially the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had urged the government to decriminalize medical negligence death. Shah remarked as the Lok Sabha passed three criminal law bills- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, which proposes to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC); the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, which proposes to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure; and the Bharatiya Sakshya (second) Sanhita, which seeks to replace the Indian Evidence Act.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); During the debate, Shah said, Currently, if there is a death due to negligence of a doctor, it is also treated as criminal negligence, almost akin to murder, Therefore, I will bring an official amendment to free the doctors from this criminal negligence." Indian Medical Association had urged us to look into the matter, he added. At the moment, cases of criminal negligence are handled under IPC 304 A, which pertains to causing death due to negligence. As per this section, a person causing the death of another person through a rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide can face imprisonment for up to two years, or with a fine, or both. IMA, which represents over 3 lakh doctors in the country, immediately thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for accepting their proposal. In a letter to the centre, IMA on November 30, had urged the government to exempt professional medical practice from criminal prosecution. Taking to X, formerly Twittter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, national chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), thanked Shah for his gesture. Home minister @AmitShahOffice announces in Loksabha that doctors to be exempted from criminal medical negligence medical negligence decriminalised. Amendment to that effect to be moved by him. Today respected @AmitShah declared a pivotal shift in medical jurisprudence. The Federation of Resident Doctors Association also posted that medical negligence by doctors, previously categorized as non-culpable homicide (304A), has been officially decriminalised. A positive step toward aligning legal frameworks with evolving healthcare complexities. The Association of Indian Medicos (AIM) also posted that it is a Big day for the entire medical fraternity today!!! We are thankful to @AmitShahOffice, @AmitShah, @PMOIndia, @MoHFW_INDIA for decriminalising medical negligence. Congratulations to all fellow doctors of the nation. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Monday rendered assistance in evacuating an injured crew member from MV Ruen, the Maltese-flagged merchant vessel hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea. The injured, one of the 18 sailors onboard Ruen, is said to be stable now.

Towards ensuring his safety, the Indian Navy ship (INS Kochi) was successful in ensuring his release by the hijackers in the early hours of December 18, 2023, Indian Navy said. The injured crew member was initially treated onboard the Indian destroyer INS Kochi, but since he needed urgent medical attention beyond the scope and expertise of the ships crew, he has been transferred to a health facility ashore at Oman, the Navy added.

MV Ruen with 18 sailors onboard gave a distress signal on December 14, and indicated that six pirates have boarded the vessel. The Indian Navy became the first responder. The Navy deployed its maritime patrol aircraft P8i to track the movement of the hijacked vessel, which was moving towards the coast of Somalia. After the aircraft located the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted its warship from the Gulf of Aden, and the hijacked vessel was intercepted on Saturday morning.

The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies in the area. The navies of Spain and Japan as well had responded to the situation. Until 2017, ships travelling near Africa were attacked by Somalian pirates, after which various countries put counter-piracy efforts in place.

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NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Monday rendered assistance in evacuating an injured crew member from MV Ruen, the Maltese-flagged merchant vessel hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea. The injured, one of the 18 sailors onboard Ruen, is said to be stable now. Towards ensuring his safety, the Indian Navy ship (INS Kochi) was successful in ensuring his release by the hijackers in the early hours of December 18, 2023, Indian Navy said. The injured crew member was initially treated onboard the Indian destroyer INS Kochi, but since he needed urgent medical attention beyond the scope and expertise of the ships crew, he has been transferred to a health facility ashore at Oman, the Navy added. MV Ruen with 18 sailors onboard gave a distress signal on December 14, and indicated that six pirates have boarded the vessel. The Indian Navy became the first responder. The Navy deployed its maritime patrol aircraft P8i to track the movement of the hijacked vessel, which was moving towards the coast of Somalia. After the aircraft located the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted its warship from the Gulf of Aden, and the hijacked vessel was intercepted on Saturday morning.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies in the area. The navies of Spain and Japan as well had responded to the situation. Until 2017, ships travelling near Africa were attacked by Somalian pirates, after which various countries put counter-piracy efforts in place. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Pronab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: With just months to go to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, more than 50 per cent of the newly eligible electorates in West Bengal are not interested in exercising their electoral rights and voting for a party.

A survey conducted by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, revealed when the states 15 lakh youths are presently eligible to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections, only around 7 lakh of them enrolled themselves in the list of voters.

During the survey, the booth-level officers (BLO) came across scores of new voters who were not interested in participating in the next years general elections.

Most of them showed no interest saying they will enrol their names in the voters list before the next electoral exercise as there are four chances a year to get enrolled in the list of eligible electorates, said a BLO.

The BLOs were surveyed by visiting door-to-door. When we asked the eligible first-time voters for the reason for enrolling their names in the voters list, most of them said they would do it in the next phase of the process, said the officer.

The CEO, Aariz Aftab, expressed his concern over the reluctance of first-time voters in a meeting with the officials of his department.

In the 2019 general elections, West Bengal had the maximum number of first-time electorates who had enlisted themselves in the voters list followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

According to Election Commission data, 20.1 lakh first-time voters enlisted their names in the list of eligible electorates when the figure was 16.7 lakh and 13.6 lakh in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

In an internal survey conducted by the BJPs Bengal chapter, the saffron came to know it had enjoyed massive support by the young voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which took the partys tally to 18 from two in the lower House of Parliament.

New voters reluctance to enrol themselves in the voters list is not a good sign for us. In the previous general elections, they supported our partys nationalism narrative before the election which was followed by the Pulwama terror attack and subsequent action by Indian Airforce in Pakistans Balakot, said a BJO leader in Kolkata.

Number of applications for enrolment in voters list by new eligible voters received by some of the densely populated districts:

South 24 Parganas: 58,000+

North 24 Parganas: 77,000+

Murshidabad: 54,000+

East Midnapore: 59,000+

West Midnapore: 46,000+

Nadia: 46,000+

Total voters in West Bengal: 7.27 crore+

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KOLKATA: With just months to go to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, more than 50 per cent of the newly eligible electorates in West Bengal are not interested in exercising their electoral rights and voting for a party. A survey conducted by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, revealed when the states 15 lakh youths are presently eligible to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections, only around 7 lakh of them enrolled themselves in the list of voters. During the survey, the booth-level officers (BLO) came across scores of new voters who were not interested in participating in the next years general elections.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Most of them showed no interest saying they will enrol their names in the voters list before the next electoral exercise as there are four chances a year to get enrolled in the list of eligible electorates, said a BLO. The BLOs were surveyed by visiting door-to-door. When we asked the eligible first-time voters for the reason for enrolling their names in the voters list, most of them said they would do it in the next phase of the process, said the officer. The CEO, Aariz Aftab, expressed his concern over the reluctance of first-time voters in a meeting with the officials of his department. In the 2019 general elections, West Bengal had the maximum number of first-time electorates who had enlisted themselves in the voters list followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. According to Election Commission data, 20.1 lakh first-time voters enlisted their names in the list of eligible electorates when the figure was 16.7 lakh and 13.6 lakh in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh respectively. In an internal survey conducted by the BJPs Bengal chapter, the saffron came to know it had enjoyed massive support by the young voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which took the partys tally to 18 from two in the lower House of Parliament. New voters reluctance to enrol themselves in the voters list is not a good sign for us. In the previous general elections, they supported our partys nationalism narrative before the election which was followed by the Pulwama terror attack and subsequent action by Indian Airforce in Pakistans Balakot, said a BJO leader in Kolkata. Number of applications for enrolment in voters list by new eligible voters received by some of the densely populated districts: South 24 Parganas: 58,000+ North 24 Parganas: 77,000+ Murshidabad: 54,000+ East Midnapore: 59,000+ West Midnapore: 46,000+ Nadia: 46,000+ Total voters in West Bengal: 7.27 crore+ Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

News portal NewsClick have claimed that the company's bank accounts have been "virtually frozen" by the Income Tax department, restricting it from paying salaries to employees and consultants. NewClick also said that it will undertake legal measures against this "unjust" and "cruel" action.

"As of the evening of December 18, NewsClick has been unable to make any bank payments due to action by the Income Tax Department," a statement by Newsclick said.



Calling the move a seeming continuation of its administrative-legal siege by the government, which it said started in 2021 and included the confiscation of its contributors devices earlier this year, NewsClick said its employees now faced an uncertain future.

Coming at the year-end festive season, this sudden action has left all our employees shocked. Since there is no indication of when our accounts will become accessible, there is uncertainty in the minds of all employees and their families, especially those who are completely dependent on salaries from NewsClick, it said.

READ MORE | Foreign funding case only to harass, RBI says not violated any law: NewsClick to HC

It said the organisation did not receive any intimation of the freezing of accounts and the staff discovered it by chance while trying to make routine payments on Monday evening.

NewsClick and its legal counsel are reviewing the developments, it said, adding that legal appeals against this "unjust and cruel" measure will be initiated at the earliest.

Prabir Purkayastha, the editor-in-chief and founder of the portal, and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty were arrested by the Delhi Police after the October searches. They are in judicial custody at present.

READ HERE | Journalist bodies condemn Newsclick raids, say they are to divert attention from burning issues

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News portal NewsClick have claimed that the company's bank accounts have been "virtually frozen" by the Income Tax department, restricting it from paying salaries to employees and consultants. NewClick also said that it will undertake legal measures against this "unjust" and "cruel" action. "As of the evening of December 18, NewsClick has been unable to make any bank payments due to action by the Income Tax Department," a statement by Newsclick said. Calling the move a seeming continuation of its administrative-legal siege by the government, which it said started in 2021 and included the confiscation of its contributors devices earlier this year, NewsClick said its employees now faced an uncertain future. Coming at the year-end festive season, this sudden action has left all our employees shocked. Since there is no indication of when our accounts will become accessible, there is uncertainty in the minds of all employees and their families, especially those who are completely dependent on salaries from NewsClick, it said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); READ MORE | Foreign funding case only to harass, RBI says not violated any law: NewsClick to HC It said the organisation did not receive any intimation of the freezing of accounts and the staff discovered it by chance while trying to make routine payments on Monday evening. NewsClick and its legal counsel are reviewing the developments, it said, adding that legal appeals against this "unjust and cruel" measure will be initiated at the earliest. Prabir Purkayastha, the editor-in-chief and founder of the portal, and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty were arrested by the Delhi Police after the October searches. They are in judicial custody at present. READ HERE | Journalist bodies condemn Newsclick raids, say they are to divert attention from burning issues Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Central government on Tuesday took up the three bills to replace the existing British era criminal laws for consideration, in the absence of a majority of Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha. As many as 49 members were suspended from the Lower House on Tuesday for unruly behaviour and disrupting the House proceedings.

Three new bills  Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam  were introduced in Lok Sabha in August to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.

Later, the bills were referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, with several opposition members adding dissent notes to it. The initial bills were withdrawn and were reintroduced during the winter session, incorporating certain suggestions made by the panel.

They were later withdrawn and the reworked versions of the bills were introduced in the lower house last week. The new bills are called the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that Bhartiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita is truly a revolutionary provision. Our criminal justice system faced many issues. BNS (Second), is truly a revolutionary provision. It is going to protect those who are innocent and facing wrong charges. After filing an FIR, a person is not aware of what happens to the case. But in this change, it is mandatory for the police officer must inform the complainant by digital means, he said.

Upper House passes NCT Bill by voice vote

Amid an uproar by the Opposition, the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Amendment Bill, 2023. It also returned to Lok Sabha Appropriation Bills (3 and 4), 2023, after debate. The NCT Bill was passed by Lok Sabha as well on Tuesday, and was immediately taken to Rajya Sabha by bringing a supplementary agenda. The Appropriation Bills authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

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NEW DELHI: The Central government on Tuesday took up the three bills to replace the existing British era criminal laws for consideration, in the absence of a majority of Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha. As many as 49 members were suspended from the Lower House on Tuesday for unruly behaviour and disrupting the House proceedings. Three new bills  Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam  were introduced in Lok Sabha in August to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively. Later, the bills were referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, with several opposition members adding dissent notes to it. The initial bills were withdrawn and were reintroduced during the winter session, incorporating certain suggestions made by the panel.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); They were later withdrawn and the reworked versions of the bills were introduced in the lower house last week. The new bills are called the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that Bhartiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita is truly a revolutionary provision. Our criminal justice system faced many issues. BNS (Second), is truly a revolutionary provision. It is going to protect those who are innocent and facing wrong charges. After filing an FIR, a person is not aware of what happens to the case. But in this change, it is mandatory for the police officer must inform the complainant by digital means, he said. Upper House passes NCT Bill by voice vote Amid an uproar by the Opposition, the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Amendment Bill, 2023. It also returned to Lok Sabha Appropriation Bills (3 and 4), 2023, after debate. The NCT Bill was passed by Lok Sabha as well on Tuesday, and was immediately taken to Rajya Sabha by bringing a supplementary agenda. The Appropriation Bills authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As 49 more Opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday, several MPs lashed out at the Centre, terming Parliament a graveyard of the Constitution and drawing a parallel with the North Korean assembly.

With the fresh suspensions, a record 141 Opposition MPs have been suspended since four people intruded into Parliament on December 13. On Monday, 78 members were suspended, including 33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from the Upper House.

The members were suspended for alleged unruly behaviour in the House while demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach. The MPs suspended on Tuesday include National Conferences Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Karti Chidambaram, and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav.

Responding to the mass suspensions, Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the graveyard of the Constitution is now visible here. Opposition MPs whose job is to raise questions in Parliament are thrown out for doing their job... This is the new India... See it, Badal said.

Drawing a parallel with the North Korean assembly, Karti Chidambaram said that Parliament is going to be a token house. We are going to resemble the North Korean assembly. The only thing missing is the synchronised clapping when the PM walks in, he said.

Tharoor, meanwhile, said that it is disgraceful, to be very blunt. They have no desire to have a democratic system of parliamentary democracy at work. What they are interested in is to have an opposition-mukt Lok Sabha. So, we are seeing a situation where we feel there is no respect for parliamentary democracy, he said.

As the government took up the three bills that seek to replace the British-era criminal laws, in the absence of a majority of opposition members, Congress MP Manish Tewari said that Parliament has been totally de-legitimised. This is to lay the framework of passing the most draconian law in Parliament, which will turn this country into a police state.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that a complete purge is being executed, so that draconian bills are passed without any meaningful debate, and so that the BJP MP who facilitated entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13 goes scot-free.

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NEW DELHI: As 49 more Opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday, several MPs lashed out at the Centre, terming Parliament a graveyard of the Constitution and drawing a parallel with the North Korean assembly. With the fresh suspensions, a record 141 Opposition MPs have been suspended since four people intruded into Parliament on December 13. On Monday, 78 members were suspended, including 33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from the Upper House. The members were suspended for alleged unruly behaviour in the House while demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach. The MPs suspended on Tuesday include National Conferences Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Karti Chidambaram, and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Responding to the mass suspensions, Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the graveyard of the Constitution is now visible here. Opposition MPs whose job is to raise questions in Parliament are thrown out for doing their job... This is the new India... See it, Badal said. Drawing a parallel with the North Korean assembly, Karti Chidambaram said that Parliament is going to be a token house. We are going to resemble the North Korean assembly. The only thing missing is the synchronised clapping when the PM walks in, he said. Tharoor, meanwhile, said that it is disgraceful, to be very blunt. They have no desire to have a democratic system of parliamentary democracy at work. What they are interested in is to have an opposition-mukt Lok Sabha. So, we are seeing a situation where we feel there is no respect for parliamentary democracy, he said. As the government took up the three bills that seek to replace the British-era criminal laws, in the absence of a majority of opposition members, Congress MP Manish Tewari said that Parliament has been totally de-legitimised. This is to lay the framework of passing the most draconian law in Parliament, which will turn this country into a police state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that a complete purge is being executed, so that draconian bills are passed without any meaningful debate, and so that the BJP MP who facilitated entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13 goes scot-free. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: All six people arrested in connection with Parliament security breach case were confronted with one another for a corroboration of the sequence of the incident by the Special Cell on Wednesday, police sources said.

All six have been kept at five different units of the Delhi Police Special cell, where they have been interrogated by security agencies several times.

On Wednesday, they were taken to the Counter Intelligence (CI) office of Special Cell and confronted with one another, sources said.

Two of them - Neelam and Manoranjan were already kept at CI office in New Friends Colony, while four others were brought from different ranges, sources said.

The seven days of police custody of four accused - Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Neelam, and Amol Shide is ending on Thursday.

An officer privy to the probe said the investigators may seek further custody of all four for a few more days as there were still several angles left to be scrutinised.

The data of the mobile phones, which were stated to be destroyed, by two other accused, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat, are yet to be accessed.

The investigators are supposed to visit various locations along with the accused, which is yet to be done, the officer said.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.

Around the same time, two other -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi -- sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside Parliament premises.

Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat walked into a police station on their own as the probe heat became intense.

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NEW DELHI: All six people arrested in connection with Parliament security breach case were confronted with one another for a corroboration of the sequence of the incident by the Special Cell on Wednesday, police sources said. All six have been kept at five different units of the Delhi Police Special cell, where they have been interrogated by security agencies several times. On Wednesday, they were taken to the Counter Intelligence (CI) office of Special Cell and confronted with one another, sources said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Two of them - Neelam and Manoranjan were already kept at CI office in New Friends Colony, while four others were brought from different ranges, sources said. The seven days of police custody of four accused - Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Neelam, and Amol Shide is ending on Thursday. An officer privy to the probe said the investigators may seek further custody of all four for a few more days as there were still several angles left to be scrutinised. The data of the mobile phones, which were stated to be destroyed, by two other accused, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat, are yet to be accessed. The investigators are supposed to visit various locations along with the accused, which is yet to be done, the officer said. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Around the same time, two other -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi -- sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside Parliament premises. Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat walked into a police station on their own as the probe heat became intense. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Spanish investor claims loss of more than UAH 20 mln due to raider takeover of company by its Ukrainian co-founder

Spanish citizen Angel Miguel Cerezo Gallardo estimates losses from the raider takeover by the Ukrainian co-founder of the Selecto Markets company, of which he is a co-founder, at UAH 20 million.

As the Spanish citizen said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday, together with Ukrainian partners, he planned to develop a chain of grocery stores in Ukraine with the supply of products from Spain and other European countries, created the Selecto Markets company, invested in first store in Kyiv, delivered equipment and goods.

According to him, one of the co-founders of the company from the Ukrainian side was Maksym Marshchivskyy, who at that time headed the distribution direction in the Furshet retail chain. The co-founders, among other things, planned to supply European products to Ukrainian retail chains, as well as develop their own network of Selecto Markets stores.

However, according to the Spanish investor, Marshchivskyy, without any reason, refused to pay for goods imported from Spain and other European countries by the Spanish businessmans companies, stopped paying local suppliers, blocked the Spanish partners access to the companys accounts and documents, and also decided to personally manage the company and re-register for himself."

In turn, Cerezo Gallardos lawyer Hennadiy Borysychev noted that law enforcement agencies are in no hurry to enter information about criminal offenses under Articles 219 and 191 of the Criminal Code into the unified register of pre-trial investigations, as well as to investigate them.

We will have to go to court to declare the investigators inaction illegal and in court to oblige law enforcement agencies to initiate criminal proceedings, he said.

Borysychev clarified that the matter concerns the actual raider takeover of the Selecto Markets company by Marshchivskyy.

The lawyer also noted that, according to information available to Cerezo Gallardo, Marshchivskyy is currently abroad, presumably in the United States.

"Any country that is at war, especially with a nuclear state, is not very attractive for investment. But if you add to this the fact that law enforcement and government agencies cannot protect investors, it can lead to bankruptcy of the state," he said.

We want to use the example of this case to prove that justice and law enforcement agencies really work in the country, that it is really possible to invest in our country, he said.

According to the lawyer, representing the interests of Cerezo Gallardo, he intends to take other steps to stimulate the investigative authorities in a legal way so that they actually investigate these cases.

In turn, another co-founder of Selecto Markets, Eugene Zhevagin, said at the press conference that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Cerezo Gallardo not only did not leave Ukraine, but is actively helping it, supplying humanitarian aid, ambulances, and medicines.

He doesnt just invest money, he helped and is helping everyone who needs it, he believes in Ukraine. We really hope that by making this case public, we will get a positive result, Zhevagin said.

The Spanish investor contacted the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Ukraine to assist in a fair resolution of the case.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition of giving a political spin to the recent security breach in Parliament in order to let out its frustration about its defeat in three assembly elections.

The PM alleged that Opposition parties were attempting to justify the security breach by their muted and indirect support for the accused. Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting before the session started, the PM said that if the Opposition continued venting out its frustration in such a negative way, they would remain in opposition with fewer numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Those who believe in democracy will not accept whatever happened in Parliament recently. What I am seeing is that the Opposition is letting out its frustration of losing in the elections by giving it a political spin, said the PM. He said the way the Opposition gave support to the act of security breach was worrisome and condemnable.

The PMs remarks came amid growing protests by opposition leaders against the suspension of MPs and their insistence on demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach. The Opposition stance indicates that it has made up its mind to be in the opposition. For that, they have been preparing themselves.

The PM predicted a worse political scenario for the Opposition, saying, the nation has made up its mind to keep them in opposition and perhaps push them even farther from where they stand. On the government performance and strategy to be maintained ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in a few months, Modi asked the BJP leaders to expose the opposition by keeping their voice under control and staying within the limits of democracy.

In the coming days, no matter whether others are participating or not, we must participate in Parliament proceedings, Modi said in the backdrop of Opposition members frequently walking out from both the Houses. He also spelled out the theme for the ruling alliances campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, emphasizing the need for making youngsters aware of the governments performances and policies.

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition of giving a political spin to the recent security breach in Parliament in order to let out its frustration about its defeat in three assembly elections. The PM alleged that Opposition parties were attempting to justify the security breach by their muted and indirect support for the accused. Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting before the session started, the PM said that if the Opposition continued venting out its frustration in such a negative way, they would remain in opposition with fewer numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Those who believe in democracy will not accept whatever happened in Parliament recently. What I am seeing is that the Opposition is letting out its frustration of losing in the elections by giving it a political spin, said the PM. He said the way the Opposition gave support to the act of security breach was worrisome and condemnable.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The PMs remarks came amid growing protests by opposition leaders against the suspension of MPs and their insistence on demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach. The Opposition stance indicates that it has made up its mind to be in the opposition. For that, they have been preparing themselves. The PM predicted a worse political scenario for the Opposition, saying, the nation has made up its mind to keep them in opposition and perhaps push them even farther from where they stand. On the government performance and strategy to be maintained ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in a few months, Modi asked the BJP leaders to expose the opposition by keeping their voice under control and staying within the limits of democracy. In the coming days, no matter whether others are participating or not, we must participate in Parliament proceedings, Modi said in the backdrop of Opposition members frequently walking out from both the Houses. He also spelled out the theme for the ruling alliances campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, emphasizing the need for making youngsters aware of the governments performances and policies. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Dozens of suspended MPs on Tuesday protested on the stairs of the new Parliament building with Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee mocking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by mimicking him. The TMC MPs act drew condemnation from the BJP.

In the House, Dhankhar expressed his displeasure and termed the opposition action shameful and an insult to his background as a farmer and a Jat. Chairing the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said, Mr Chidambaram, you are a very senior member. Imagine what must be going on in my heart when your senior leader videographed an MP mimicking the institution of the chairman.

Dhankhar said such mimicry was an insult to his background. Dont take on my background as a farmer; dont take on my background as a community member. The institution of the Chairman has been ravaged; an MP vidoegraphed the other members. For what?

He also said that on Instagram, a video that was withdrawn later was shared. You used the official X handle of spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, insult my position as a Chairman, Dhankar told Chidambaram in the House.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi termed the Opposition act as a mockery of democracy and the constitutional institution. In a post on X, Joshi said, The I.N.D.I alliance reaches a new low as suspended TMC MP mimics a constitutional position, and the so-called messiah of democratic values, Rahul Gandhi, stands there, laughing at it. They are a disgrace to democracy.

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NEW DELHI: Dozens of suspended MPs on Tuesday protested on the stairs of the new Parliament building with Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee mocking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by mimicking him. The TMC MPs act drew condemnation from the BJP. In the House, Dhankhar expressed his displeasure and termed the opposition action shameful and an insult to his background as a farmer and a Jat. Chairing the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said, Mr Chidambaram, you are a very senior member. Imagine what must be going on in my heart when your senior leader videographed an MP mimicking the institution of the chairman. Dhankhar said such mimicry was an insult to his background. Dont take on my background as a farmer; dont take on my background as a community member. The institution of the Chairman has been ravaged; an MP vidoegraphed the other members. For what?googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He also said that on Instagram, a video that was withdrawn later was shared. You used the official X handle of spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, insult my position as a Chairman, Dhankar told Chidambaram in the House. Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi termed the Opposition act as a mockery of democracy and the constitutional institution. In a post on X, Joshi said, The I.N.D.I alliance reaches a new low as suspended TMC MP mimics a constitutional position, and the so-called messiah of democratic values, Rahul Gandhi, stands there, laughing at it. They are a disgrace to democracy. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government is set to proceed with a resolution plan to bring about relief to those homebuyers of the National Capital Region (NCR) whose residential projects have been stalled indefinitely after spending their life savings.

The Yogi cabinet, on Tuesday, approved the resolution plan chalked out based on the recommendations of a committee headed by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to unlock 4.12 lakh stressed units within stalled projects in NCR, of which 2.4 lakh units are estimated to be in Noida and Greater.

The plan has been finalised after several rounds of deliberations. UPRERA (Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority), which will lead the plan, has been tasked with ensuring the completion of dormant projects along with a fresh round of funding from the state government and through Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) fund.

Having studied various complexities cropping up in the resolution plan, the 14-member committee of the NITI Ayog had urged the state government to have a different approach for projects according to their status.

As per the recommendations, RERA registration for all the projects, along with an escrow account, would be mandatory to record future transactions transparently.

However, the prerequisites and penalties have been waived. Projects which are occupied would be accorded priority and registration of flats would have to be initiated in favour of homebuyers who have fulfilled their obligations.

The report states that the registry of flats to buyers shall be treated separately and shall not be held back for the want of recovery from developers and promoters. The authorities have also been asked to rigorously follow the legal procedure to recover dues from developers as per the Revenue Recovery Act. In the changed scenario, at least one lakh homebuyers, waiting for the registry of flats, will be benefitted.

Similarly, RERA has been directed to compile a list of substantially completed but unoccupied projects within the next 30 days where possession can be offered after clearing administrative hurdles and issuing completion certificates.

UPRERA chairman Sanjay R Bhoosreddy said that while executing the plan, the interest of homebuyers would be kept paramount and the authorities concerned would adhere to the timeline. The committee has also recommended the UP government announce a rehabilitation package for the stalled projects which have become financially unviable over the years. Even more, RERA has been tasked with the completion of such projects within three years.

RERA will have the authority to allow the inclusion of a co-developer as a partner to revive stressed projects without seeking permission from the land authority.

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LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government is set to proceed with a resolution plan to bring about relief to those homebuyers of the National Capital Region (NCR) whose residential projects have been stalled indefinitely after spending their life savings. The Yogi cabinet, on Tuesday, approved the resolution plan chalked out based on the recommendations of a committee headed by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to unlock 4.12 lakh stressed units within stalled projects in NCR, of which 2.4 lakh units are estimated to be in Noida and Greater. The plan has been finalised after several rounds of deliberations. UPRERA (Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority), which will lead the plan, has been tasked with ensuring the completion of dormant projects along with a fresh round of funding from the state government and through Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) fund.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Having studied various complexities cropping up in the resolution plan, the 14-member committee of the NITI Ayog had urged the state government to have a different approach for projects according to their status. As per the recommendations, RERA registration for all the projects, along with an escrow account, would be mandatory to record future transactions transparently. However, the prerequisites and penalties have been waived. Projects which are occupied would be accorded priority and registration of flats would have to be initiated in favour of homebuyers who have fulfilled their obligations. The report states that the registry of flats to buyers shall be treated separately and shall not be held back for the want of recovery from developers and promoters. The authorities have also been asked to rigorously follow the legal procedure to recover dues from developers as per the Revenue Recovery Act. In the changed scenario, at least one lakh homebuyers, waiting for the registry of flats, will be benefitted. Similarly, RERA has been directed to compile a list of substantially completed but unoccupied projects within the next 30 days where possession can be offered after clearing administrative hurdles and issuing completion certificates. UPRERA chairman Sanjay R Bhoosreddy said that while executing the plan, the interest of homebuyers would be kept paramount and the authorities concerned would adhere to the timeline. The committee has also recommended the UP government announce a rehabilitation package for the stalled projects which have become financially unviable over the years. Even more, RERA has been tasked with the completion of such projects within three years. RERA will have the authority to allow the inclusion of a co-developer as a partner to revive stressed projects without seeking permission from the land authority. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Amid a row over a TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said he shot the video of MPs sitting outside Parliament which remains on his phone and asked why was there no discussion over MPs being "thrown out" of the House.

A huge political row broke out after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.

ALSO READ | Will not tolerate any insult to Parliament, post of vice president: Dhankhar on mimicry row

Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee.

Asked about him making the video and claiming that the vice president was insulted, he said, "Who insulted and how? MPs were sitting there, I took their video which remains on my phone. The media continues to show it and is making remarks, Modi ji is making remarks, but nobody has said anything."

"Our 150 MPs have been thrown out and there is no discussion about that in the media, no discussion on Adani and on Rafale. France has said that an investigation is not allowed. There is no discussion on that, there is no discussion on unemployment, our MPs are sad, sitting there, you are discussing that," he added.

He said that the media to show some news and stressed that it is their responsibility.

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NEW DELHI: Amid a row over a TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said he shot the video of MPs sitting outside Parliament which remains on his phone and asked why was there no discussion over MPs being "thrown out" of the House. A huge political row broke out after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. ALSO READ | Will not tolerate any insult to Parliament, post of vice president: Dhankhar on mimicry rowgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee. Asked about him making the video and claiming that the vice president was insulted, he said, "Who insulted and how? MPs were sitting there, I took their video which remains on my phone. The media continues to show it and is making remarks, Modi ji is making remarks, but nobody has said anything." "Our 150 MPs have been thrown out and there is no discussion about that in the media, no discussion on Adani and on Rafale. France has said that an investigation is not allowed. There is no discussion on that, there is no discussion on unemployment, our MPs are sad, sitting there, you are discussing that," he added. He said that the media to show some news and stressed that it is their responsibility. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Agencies

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will investigate any evidence provided regarding an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States and added that "few incidents" would not affect US-India ties, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

The US Justice Department last month charged an Indian citizen with plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, alleging an Indian government official was also involved in the planning.

"If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," Modi said in his first comments on the issue and added: "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law."

He also said, "There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership."

"I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," PM Modi added.

India's foreign ministry had earlier said it set up a high-level inquiry committee "to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter."

ALSO READ | Nijjar-Pannun plots: Why different strokes on US indictment, Canadas charges

On November 29, the US Justice Department unsealed murder-for-hire charges against Nikhil Gupta, 52, "in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen" of Indian origin in New York City, it said in a statement.

The Justice Department said the man allegedly targeted in the killing "is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organisation that advocates for the secession of Punjab," a northern Indian state with a large population of Sikhs.

Gupta, who lives in India, was arrested by authorities in the Czech Republic under US extradition orders.

Modi's comments come after the White House said it was treating an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the United States with "utmost seriousness," and had raised the issue with the Indian government. The Financial Times reported that same day that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to kill Pannun, a US and Canadian citizen.

OPINION | Pannun-Nijjar plots: A 'RAW' and present danger

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was declared a 'designated individual terrorist' by the Government of India on July 1, 2020, has been actively exhorting Punjab-based gangsters and youth over social media to fight for the cause of the independent state of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country, NIA investigations have shown. Pannun has been under the NIA lens since 2019 when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him.

Canada and India had a major diplomatic row after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September linked New Delhi to the June killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a Sikh separatist. New Delhi called the Canadian allegations "absurd."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also raised concerns over extremist activities and said, India was "deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas."

"These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence," PM Modi told the Financial Times.

ALSO READ | Alleged assassination plots in US, Canada signal assertive Indian foreign policy

(With inputs from AFP, ANI)

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will investigate any evidence provided regarding an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States and added that "few incidents" would not affect US-India ties, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. The US Justice Department last month charged an Indian citizen with plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, alleging an Indian government official was also involved in the planning. "If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," Modi said in his first comments on the issue and added: "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He also said, "There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership." "I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," PM Modi added. India's foreign ministry had earlier said it set up a high-level inquiry committee "to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter." ALSO READ | Nijjar-Pannun plots: Why different strokes on US indictment, Canadas charges On November 29, the US Justice Department unsealed murder-for-hire charges against Nikhil Gupta, 52, "in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen" of Indian origin in New York City, it said in a statement. The Justice Department said the man allegedly targeted in the killing "is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organisation that advocates for the secession of Punjab," a northern Indian state with a large population of Sikhs. Gupta, who lives in India, was arrested by authorities in the Czech Republic under US extradition orders. Modi's comments come after the White House said it was treating an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the United States with "utmost seriousness," and had raised the issue with the Indian government. The Financial Times reported that same day that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to kill Pannun, a US and Canadian citizen. OPINION | Pannun-Nijjar plots: A 'RAW' and present danger Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was declared a 'designated individual terrorist' by the Government of India on July 1, 2020, has been actively exhorting Punjab-based gangsters and youth over social media to fight for the cause of the independent state of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country, NIA investigations have shown. Pannun has been under the NIA lens since 2019 when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him. Canada and India had a major diplomatic row after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September linked New Delhi to the June killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a Sikh separatist. New Delhi called the Canadian allegations "absurd." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also raised concerns over extremist activities and said, India was "deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas." "These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence," PM Modi told the Financial Times. ALSO READ | Alleged assassination plots in US, Canada signal assertive Indian foreign policy (With inputs from AFP, ANI) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate any insult to Parliament and the post of vice president while expressing deep anguish over a TMC MP mimicking him in the parliament complex and a Congress MP recording the act.

In the Rajya Sabha, the chairman said the act of mimicking him and its videography has caused an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his community.

READ MORE | Desperate attempt being made to divert attention from MPs' suspension: Congress

When the House met at 11.45 am after the third adjournment, Dhankhar expressed his anguish over Tuesday's incident and asked the Congress party, including Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to ponder over it.

"I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House", Dhankhar said.

"You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was insulted, and you are silent," he said before adjourning the House proceedings again for about 15 minutes.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned thrice.

"...I don't care about how much you insult Jagdeep Dhankhar. But I can't tolerate (insult of) Vice President of India, farmers community, my community... I will not tolerate that I could not protect the dignity of my post, it is my duty to protect the dignity of this House..," pic.twitter.com/vLxUAtw6VG  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

READ MORE | Police complaint against TMC MP for mimicry of Vice-Prez in Parliament complex

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NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate any insult to Parliament and the post of vice president while expressing deep anguish over a TMC MP mimicking him in the parliament complex and a Congress MP recording the act. In the Rajya Sabha, the chairman said the act of mimicking him and its videography has caused an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his community. READ MORE | Desperate attempt being made to divert attention from MPs' suspension: Congressgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); When the House met at 11.45 am after the third adjournment, Dhankhar expressed his anguish over Tuesday's incident and asked the Congress party, including Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to ponder over it. "I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House", Dhankhar said. "You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was insulted, and you are silent," he said before adjourning the House proceedings again for about 15 minutes. Earlier, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned thrice. "...I don't care about how much you insult Jagdeep Dhankhar. But I can't tolerate (insult of) Vice President of India, farmers community, my community... I will not tolerate that I could not protect the dignity of my post, it is my duty to protect the dignity of this House..," pic.twitter.com/vLxUAtw6VG  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023 READ MORE | Police complaint against TMC MP for mimicry of Vice-Prez in Parliament complex Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Kajal Basu By

Hannah Arendts immortal phrase, the banality of evil, is widely employed to describe the now-axiomatic belief that evil is neither operatic nor grandit is quotidian, everyman and blase. A central logic of the democratic peace theory claims that public opinion acts as a powerful restraint against war, wrote Steve Chan and William Chafran in a paper, Public opinion as a constraint against war.

But the ongoing Gaza genocide seems to have put paid to both these observations. Public opinion no longer matters, to the degree that it no longer recognises evil as particularly banaljust commonplace.

Kofi Annan once said, Information is liberating. The quote is an indicator of the sheer power of informationinformation as the plinth of freedomism, the realpolitik of suppressing information, the cleverness of using information as a ligament for the manipulation of public opinion.

The Gaza genocide says to hell with this, too. Information means nothing when faced with belief in the catharsis of mass bloodletting: Gazans must be wiped. So, what has changed in the worlds cognisance? The history of battle, wrote Paul Virilio in War and Cinema: The Logistics of Perception, is primarily the history of radically changing fields of perception. While the terabytes of information leaving Gaza every day in the most publicly played-out of all anthropophagic brutalities in recent memory have provoked some huge rallies around the globe, it is telling that not a single one has swayed political support against Israels hyper-aggression. It is changing nothing on the ground, or in the political war-rooms of the largely Western Israelist coalition, or in the designer studios of the news media.

Conflict is the adrenalin of the media, observed Ajay K Rai in the article, Media at war: issues and limitations. The term shooting war is aptly suggestive of both soldiers and photojournalists professions, as the camera owes its sighting mechanisms to those developed for artillery. Likewise, many means of transmission by which news from war zones reaches those at home evolved from the technologies originally pioneered to allow soldiers to communicate with one other (telegraphy and radio broadcasting).

wikimedia commons

This is significant analysisthat the media and the military at war are and have always been intertwined. It is informationor dataexchange and dissemination that is the core competence of both. Without one, there could be no other.

Or seemingly so. The Israel-Palestine war has put paid to this formal axiom, too. For the media to report from a warzone, it has to be in the warzone, either as independent reporters or those embedded in one or both armies. In this war, the formal media is almost entirely missing. It has no presence in the resistance in Gaza or the West Bank or in the Israeli army.

The only media organisation with a presence in Gaza is Al-Jazeeraa presence it is paying for by the killings of its correspondents and their families. The only Western media organisation that has made a single, brief incursion into Gaza with Egypts help is the American CNN. Nearly all the 90-odd journalists killed in Gazaall of them reporting using cellphones and a few cameraswere affiliated to small news organisations that were essentially feeders for the major channels until they were exiled off the airwaves and had to turn to instant messaging and apps such as Telegram.

The Vietnam war slid into decline, and then closure, when reports from war correspondents entered the public domain. The visual testimonies from notable photojournalists of sweeping death and destruction in Vietnam became knowledge, and knowledge turned into public power. The massacre of noncombatants at My Lai became a turning point.

Compare this to what is transpiring in Gaza. Social media is awash with images and videos of children dying and dead, of death rattles. There are apocalyptic scenes of entire blocks cratered into grey, dusty collapse by bombs, photographs of the use of white phosphorus shells and thermobaric bombs illegal under international law, of overcrowded hospitals with bloody floors where the grievously wounded have been dragged into alcoves. Never in human history has a warzone been more intensively documented. The Nazi concentration camps were photographed largely ex post facto, with a handful of images of deaths while they were actually occurring, leaving us to fill in the gaps with our imaginations and our personal views of hell. But Gaza leaves nothing to the imagination.

ALSO READ | A 'RAW' and present danger

The IDF is looting jewellery and carpets, burning marts and homes, torching food and medicine, blowing up libraries and the seat of government, destroying hospitals, executing children and women in schools My Lai-style. All these are codified war crimes, and not banal by any yardstick.

The Israeli government shut down the internet in the early days of its Gaza genocide. It has since reconsidered, and news of a continuing bloodbath is central to its ethnocidal strategythe more advertising the better. The Gazans disseminate news of butchery in order to end it, and the Israelis to further it and clear the way for more. A stranglehold on information is no longer considered essential for power.

Nor, today, is an anti-genocidal show of support for Gaza considered essentialist in liberal aesthetics. In August 1971, photographs of Pakistani soldiers executing Bangladeshis led to the sold-out Concert for Bangladesh in New York. The following years witnessed a liberal upsurge: a concert for Ethiopia in 1985; for Kurdish refugees in 1991; for Tibetan freedom in 1996; for Iraqi refugees in Iran in 2003; for Syrian refugees in 2016 and 2018; for Ukraine in March and August 2022.

More than 40 percent of the dead in Gaza are children. No one is singing a dirge for them or holding charity concerts. This, then, is the banality of evil.

Kajal Basu,

Veteran journalist

(kajalrbasu@gmail.com)

Click here for all the earlier columns

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

Hannah Arendts immortal phrase, the banality of evil, is widely employed to describe the now-axiomatic belief that evil is neither operatic nor grandit is quotidian, everyman and blase. A central logic of the democratic peace theory claims that public opinion acts as a powerful restraint against war, wrote Steve Chan and William Chafran in a paper, Public opinion as a constraint against war. But the ongoing Gaza genocide seems to have put paid to both these observations. Public opinion no longer matters, to the degree that it no longer recognises evil as particularly banaljust commonplace. Kofi Annan once said, Information is liberating. The quote is an indicator of the sheer power of informationinformation as the plinth of freedomism, the realpolitik of suppressing information, the cleverness of using information as a ligament for the manipulation of public opinion.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Gaza genocide says to hell with this, too. Information means nothing when faced with belief in the catharsis of mass bloodletting: Gazans must be wiped. So, what has changed in the worlds cognisance? The history of battle, wrote Paul Virilio in War and Cinema: The Logistics of Perception, is primarily the history of radically changing fields of perception. While the terabytes of information leaving Gaza every day in the most publicly played-out of all anthropophagic brutalities in recent memory have provoked some huge rallies around the globe, it is telling that not a single one has swayed political support against Israels hyper-aggression. It is changing nothing on the ground, or in the political war-rooms of the largely Western Israelist coalition, or in the designer studios of the news media. Conflict is the adrenalin of the media, observed Ajay K Rai in the article, Media at war: issues and limitations. The term shooting war is aptly suggestive of both soldiers and photojournalists professions, as the camera owes its sighting mechanisms to those developed for artillery. Likewise, many means of transmission by which news from war zones reaches those at home evolved from the technologies originally pioneered to allow soldiers to communicate with one other (telegraphy and radio broadcasting). wikimedia commonsThis is significant analysisthat the media and the military at war are and have always been intertwined. It is informationor dataexchange and dissemination that is the core competence of both. Without one, there could be no other. Or seemingly so. The Israel-Palestine war has put paid to this formal axiom, too. For the media to report from a warzone, it has to be in the warzone, either as independent reporters or those embedded in one or both armies. In this war, the formal media is almost entirely missing. It has no presence in the resistance in Gaza or the West Bank or in the Israeli army. The only media organisation with a presence in Gaza is Al-Jazeeraa presence it is paying for by the killings of its correspondents and their families. The only Western media organisation that has made a single, brief incursion into Gaza with Egypts help is the American CNN. Nearly all the 90-odd journalists killed in Gazaall of them reporting using cellphones and a few cameraswere affiliated to small news organisations that were essentially feeders for the major channels until they were exiled off the airwaves and had to turn to instant messaging and apps such as Telegram. The Vietnam war slid into decline, and then closure, when reports from war correspondents entered the public domain. The visual testimonies from notable photojournalists of sweeping death and destruction in Vietnam became knowledge, and knowledge turned into public power. The massacre of noncombatants at My Lai became a turning point. Compare this to what is transpiring in Gaza. Social media is awash with images and videos of children dying and dead, of death rattles. There are apocalyptic scenes of entire blocks cratered into grey, dusty collapse by bombs, photographs of the use of white phosphorus shells and thermobaric bombs illegal under international law, of overcrowded hospitals with bloody floors where the grievously wounded have been dragged into alcoves. Never in human history has a warzone been more intensively documented. The Nazi concentration camps were photographed largely ex post facto, with a handful of images of deaths while they were actually occurring, leaving us to fill in the gaps with our imaginations and our personal views of hell. But Gaza leaves nothing to the imagination. ALSO READ | A 'RAW' and present danger The IDF is looting jewellery and carpets, burning marts and homes, torching food and medicine, blowing up libraries and the seat of government, destroying hospitals, executing children and women in schools My Lai-style. All these are codified war crimes, and not banal by any yardstick. The Israeli government shut down the internet in the early days of its Gaza genocide. It has since reconsidered, and news of a continuing bloodbath is central to its ethnocidal strategythe more advertising the better. The Gazans disseminate news of butchery in order to end it, and the Israelis to further it and clear the way for more. A stranglehold on information is no longer considered essential for power. Nor, today, is an anti-genocidal show of support for Gaza considered essentialist in liberal aesthetics. In August 1971, photographs of Pakistani soldiers executing Bangladeshis led to the sold-out Concert for Bangladesh in New York. The following years witnessed a liberal upsurge: a concert for Ethiopia in 1985; for Kurdish refugees in 1991; for Tibetan freedom in 1996; for Iraqi refugees in Iran in 2003; for Syrian refugees in 2016 and 2018; for Ukraine in March and August 2022. More than 40 percent of the dead in Gaza are children. No one is singing a dirge for them or holding charity concerts. This, then, is the banality of evil. Kajal Basu, Veteran journalist (kajalrbasu@gmail.com) Click here for all the earlier columns Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Associated Press

DENVER: A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nations highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorados highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, wrote the courts majority. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

READ HERE | Trump decries political motivation in criminal cases; court asks his lawyer to 'control client'

Trumps attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation's highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

Trump's legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement Tuesday night: This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nations democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.

Trump didn't mention the decision during a rally Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa, but his campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a tyrannical ruling.

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labeled the decision Election interference and said the RNCs legal team intends to help Trump fight the ruling.

Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and doesnt need the state to win next years presidential election. But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorados lead and exclude Trump from must-win states.

ALSO READ | Trump argues First Amendment protects him from 'insurrection' cases aimed at keeping him off ballot

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationally to disqualify Trump under Section 3, which was designed to keep former Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War. It bars from office anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it, and has been used only a handful of times since the decade after the Civil War.

I think it may embolden other state courts or secretaries to act now that the bandage has been ripped off, Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor who has closely followed the Section 3 cases, said after Tuesday's ruling. This is a major threat to Trumps candidacy.

The Colorado case is the first where the plaintiffs succeeded. After a weeklong hearing in November, District Judge Sarah B. Wallace found that Trump indeed had engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and her ruling that kept him on the ballot was a fairly technical one.

Trumps attorneys convinced Wallace that, because the language in Section 3 refers to officers of the United States who take an oath to support the Constitution, it must not apply to the president, who is not included as an officer of the United States elsewhere in the document and whose oath is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

The provision also says offices covered include senator, representative, electors of the president and vice president, and all others under the United States, but doesnt name the presidency.

The states highest court didnt agree, siding with attorneys for six Colorado Republican and unaffiliated voters who argued that it was nonsensical to imagine that the framers of the amendment, fearful of former confederates returning to power, would bar them from low-level offices but not the highest one in the land.

President Trump asks us to hold that Section 3 disqualifies every oathbreaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land, the courts majority opinion said. Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section 3.

The left-leaning group that brought the Colorado case, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, hailed the ruling.

Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government, its president, Noah Bookbinder, said in a statement.

READ COLUMN | Trump indictment sign of Americas broken democracy

Trumps attorneys also had urged the Colorado high court to reverse Wallaces ruling that Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack. His lawyers argued the then-president had simply been using his free speech rights and hadnt called for violence. Trump attorney Scott Gessler also argued the attack was more of a riot than an insurrection.

That met skepticism from several of the justices.

Why isnt it enough that a violent mob breached the Capitol when Congress was performing a core constitutional function? Justice William W. Hood III said during the Dec. 6 arguments. In some ways, that seems like a poster child for insurrection.

In the ruling issued Tuesday, the court's majority dismissed the arguments that Trump wasnt responsible for his supporters violent attack, which was intended to halt Congress' certification of the presidential vote: President Trump then gave a speech in which he literally exhorted his supporters to fight at the Capitol, they wrote.

Colorado Supreme Court Justices Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, Monica Marquez and Hood ruled for the petitioners. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright dissented, arguing the constitutional questions were too complex to be solved in a state hearing. Justices Maria E. Berkenkotter and Carlos Samour also dissented.

Our government cannot deprive someone of the right to hold public office without due process of law, Samour wrote in his dissent. Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past  dare I say, engaged in insurrection  there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office.

ALSO READ | How the 2016 US election could factor into the case accusing Trump of trying to overturn 2020 results

The Colorado ruling stands in contrast with the Minnesota Supreme Court, which last month decided that the state party can put anyone it wants on its primary ballot. It dismissed a Section 3 lawsuit but said the plaintiffs could try again during the general election.

In another 14th Amendment case, a Michigan judge ruled that Congress, not the judiciary, should decide whether Trump can stay on the ballot. That ruling is being appealed. The liberal group behind those cases, Free Speech For People, also filed another lawsuit in Oregon seeking to bounce Trump from the ballot there.

Both groups are financed by liberal donors who also support President Joe Biden. Trump has blamed the president for the lawsuits against him, even though Biden has no role in them, saying his rival is defacing the constitution to try to end his campaign.

Trumps allies rushed to his defense, slamming the decision as un-American and insane and part of a politically-motivated effort to destroy his candidacy.

Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said in a statement.

READ IN DETAIL | Donald Trump isn't accustomed to restrictions and that's beginning to test US legal system

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

DENVER: A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nations highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race. The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate. A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Colorados highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency. The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots. We do not reach these conclusions lightly, wrote the courts majority. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach. READ HERE | Trump decries political motivation in criminal cases; court asks his lawyer to 'control client' Trumps attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation's highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters. Trump's legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement Tuesday night: This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nations democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order. Trump didn't mention the decision during a rally Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa, but his campaign sent out a fundraising email citing what it called a tyrannical ruling. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labeled the decision Election interference and said the RNCs legal team intends to help Trump fight the ruling. Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and doesnt need the state to win next years presidential election. But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorados lead and exclude Trump from must-win states. ALSO READ | Trump argues First Amendment protects him from 'insurrection' cases aimed at keeping him off ballot Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationally to disqualify Trump under Section 3, which was designed to keep former Confederates from returning to government after the Civil War. It bars from office anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it, and has been used only a handful of times since the decade after the Civil War. I think it may embolden other state courts or secretaries to act now that the bandage has been ripped off, Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor who has closely followed the Section 3 cases, said after Tuesday's ruling. This is a major threat to Trumps candidacy. The Colorado case is the first where the plaintiffs succeeded. After a weeklong hearing in November, District Judge Sarah B. Wallace found that Trump indeed had engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and her ruling that kept him on the ballot was a fairly technical one. Trumps attorneys convinced Wallace that, because the language in Section 3 refers to officers of the United States who take an oath to support the Constitution, it must not apply to the president, who is not included as an officer of the United States elsewhere in the document and whose oath is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The provision also says offices covered include senator, representative, electors of the president and vice president, and all others under the United States, but doesnt name the presidency. The states highest court didnt agree, siding with attorneys for six Colorado Republican and unaffiliated voters who argued that it was nonsensical to imagine that the framers of the amendment, fearful of former confederates returning to power, would bar them from low-level offices but not the highest one in the land. President Trump asks us to hold that Section 3 disqualifies every oathbreaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land, the courts majority opinion said. Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section 3. The left-leaning group that brought the Colorado case, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, hailed the ruling. Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government, its president, Noah Bookbinder, said in a statement. READ COLUMN | Trump indictment sign of Americas broken democracy Trumps attorneys also had urged the Colorado high court to reverse Wallaces ruling that Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack. His lawyers argued the then-president had simply been using his free speech rights and hadnt called for violence. Trump attorney Scott Gessler also argued the attack was more of a riot than an insurrection. That met skepticism from several of the justices. Why isnt it enough that a violent mob breached the Capitol when Congress was performing a core constitutional function? Justice William W. Hood III said during the Dec. 6 arguments. In some ways, that seems like a poster child for insurrection. In the ruling issued Tuesday, the court's majority dismissed the arguments that Trump wasnt responsible for his supporters violent attack, which was intended to halt Congress' certification of the presidential vote: President Trump then gave a speech in which he literally exhorted his supporters to fight at the Capitol, they wrote. Colorado Supreme Court Justices Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart, Monica Marquez and Hood ruled for the petitioners. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright dissented, arguing the constitutional questions were too complex to be solved in a state hearing. Justices Maria E. Berkenkotter and Carlos Samour also dissented. Our government cannot deprive someone of the right to hold public office without due process of law, Samour wrote in his dissent. Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past  dare I say, engaged in insurrection  there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office. ALSO READ | How the 2016 US election could factor into the case accusing Trump of trying to overturn 2020 results The Colorado ruling stands in contrast with the Minnesota Supreme Court, which last month decided that the state party can put anyone it wants on its primary ballot. It dismissed a Section 3 lawsuit but said the plaintiffs could try again during the general election. In another 14th Amendment case, a Michigan judge ruled that Congress, not the judiciary, should decide whether Trump can stay on the ballot. That ruling is being appealed. The liberal group behind those cases, Free Speech For People, also filed another lawsuit in Oregon seeking to bounce Trump from the ballot there. Both groups are financed by liberal donors who also support President Joe Biden. Trump has blamed the president for the lawsuits against him, even though Biden has no role in them, saying his rival is defacing the constitution to try to end his campaign. Trumps allies rushed to his defense, slamming the decision as un-American and insane and part of a politically-motivated effort to destroy his candidacy. Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said in a statement. READ IN DETAIL | Donald Trump isn't accustomed to restrictions and that's beginning to test US legal system Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By AFP

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday agreed to an overhaul of its asylum system that includes more border detention centres and speedier deportations, prompting migrant charities to slam the changes as "dangerous".

But EU governments, officials and MEPs hailed the preliminary accord on the bloc's new pact on asylum and migration as "historic", saying it updated procedures to handle growing irregular arrivals while maintaining respect for human rights.

The legislative reform reached after lengthy negotiations between EU member countries and bloc lawmakers, has yet to be formally adopted by the European Council and European Parliament.

That is expected to be done before June 2024, when EU elections will decide the next parliament.

Nationalist, anti-immigrant parties are forecast to win more seats in the parliament, reflecting a harder stance among EU voters struggling with a high cost of living.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the "historic" agreement on "a fair and pragmatic approach to managing migration".

Many EU countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands also hailed the accord.

@eu2023es delivers @EUCouncil and @Europarl_EN reach breakthrough in the reform to improve the EU migration and asylum system.



A political agreement has been reached on the five files of the EU new Pact on Migration and Asylum.#EU2023ES pic.twitter.com/Fr70DGFZzM  Presidencia espanola del Consejo de la UE (@eu2023es) December 20, 2023

Italy's interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, called the agreed reform a "great success", saying frontline countries like his own "no longer feel alone".

But Hungary -- which objects to having to take in irregular migrants or pay countries that do -- rejected the deal in the "strongest possible terms," its foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said.

Faster screening

The EU reform includes faster vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, accelerated deportation for rejected asylum applicants and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern countries experiencing big inflows.

The overhaul, based on a commission proposal put forward three years ago, keeps the existing principle under which the first EU country an asylum-seeker enters is responsible for their case.

But to help countries experiencing a high number of arrivals -- as is the case with Mediterranean countries Italy, Greece and Malta -- a compulsory solidarity mechanism would be set up.

That would mean a certain number of migrant relocations to other EU countries, or countries that refuse to take in migrants would provide a financial or material contribution to those that do -- something Budapest is fiercely against.

The reform also accelerates the vetting of asylum-seekers so those deemed ineligible can be quickly sent back to their home country or country of transit.

That procedure -- which requires border detention centres being set up -- would apply to irregular migrants coming from countries whose nationals' asylum requests are rejected in more than 80 per cent of cases.

Families with young children would have adequate conditions, human rights monitoring would take place and free legal advice provided, MEPs said.

20th December 2023 will go down in history.



The day the EU reached a landmark agreement on a new set of rules to manage migration and asylum.



Europe has once again defied the odds.



I'm very proud that with the Migration & Asylum Pact, we have delivered and provided solutions. pic.twitter.com/Ic2AXYeKqN  Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) December 20, 2023

Another point is a proposed "surge response" under which protections for asylum-seekers could be curtailed in times of significant inflows, as happened in 2015-2016 when more than two million asylum-seekers arrived in the EU, many from war-torn Syria.

Reactions to the new set of rules

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced his "satisfaction" with the effort "to implement a strict but fair immigration policy".

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said the agreement was "a very positive step" and the UN refugee agency "stands ready to advise and support" as it is put into action.

Congrats to the EU and @EU_Commission for reaching a political agreement on the European pact on migration and asylum and especially @YlvaJohansson for her persistence and leadership. It is a very positive step. Now to its implementation! UNHCR stands ready to advise and support.  Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) December 20, 2023

The EU is seeing a rising number of irregular migrant arrivals and asylum requests.

In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17 per cent over the same period last year.

The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday agreed to an overhaul of its asylum system that includes more border detention centres and speedier deportations, prompting migrant charities to slam the changes as "dangerous". But EU governments, officials and MEPs hailed the preliminary accord on the bloc's new pact on asylum and migration as "historic", saying it updated procedures to handle growing irregular arrivals while maintaining respect for human rights. The legislative reform reached after lengthy negotiations between EU member countries and bloc lawmakers, has yet to be formally adopted by the European Council and European Parliament.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); That is expected to be done before June 2024, when EU elections will decide the next parliament. Nationalist, anti-immigrant parties are forecast to win more seats in the parliament, reflecting a harder stance among EU voters struggling with a high cost of living. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the "historic" agreement on "a fair and pragmatic approach to managing migration". Many EU countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands also hailed the accord. @eu2023es delivers @EUCouncil and @Europarl_EN reach breakthrough in the reform to improve the EU migration and asylum system. A political agreement has been reached on the five files of the EU new Pact on Migration and Asylum.#EU2023ES pic.twitter.com/Fr70DGFZzM  Presidencia espanola del Consejo de la UE (@eu2023es) December 20, 2023 Italy's interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, called the agreed reform a "great success", saying frontline countries like his own "no longer feel alone". But Hungary -- which objects to having to take in irregular migrants or pay countries that do -- rejected the deal in the "strongest possible terms," its foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said. Faster screening The EU reform includes faster vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, accelerated deportation for rejected asylum applicants and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern countries experiencing big inflows. The overhaul, based on a commission proposal put forward three years ago, keeps the existing principle under which the first EU country an asylum-seeker enters is responsible for their case. But to help countries experiencing a high number of arrivals -- as is the case with Mediterranean countries Italy, Greece and Malta -- a compulsory solidarity mechanism would be set up. That would mean a certain number of migrant relocations to other EU countries, or countries that refuse to take in migrants would provide a financial or material contribution to those that do -- something Budapest is fiercely against. The reform also accelerates the vetting of asylum-seekers so those deemed ineligible can be quickly sent back to their home country or country of transit. That procedure -- which requires border detention centres being set up -- would apply to irregular migrants coming from countries whose nationals' asylum requests are rejected in more than 80 per cent of cases. Families with young children would have adequate conditions, human rights monitoring would take place and free legal advice provided, MEPs said. 20th December 2023 will go down in history. The day the EU reached a landmark agreement on a new set of rules to manage migration and asylum. Europe has once again defied the odds. I'm very proud that with the Migration & Asylum Pact, we have delivered and provided solutions. pic.twitter.com/Ic2AXYeKqN  Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) December 20, 2023 Another point is a proposed "surge response" under which protections for asylum-seekers could be curtailed in times of significant inflows, as happened in 2015-2016 when more than two million asylum-seekers arrived in the EU, many from war-torn Syria. Reactions to the new set of rules Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced his "satisfaction" with the effort "to implement a strict but fair immigration policy". UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said the agreement was "a very positive step" and the UN refugee agency "stands ready to advise and support" as it is put into action. Congrats to the EU and @EU_Commission for reaching a political agreement on the European pact on migration and asylum and especially @YlvaJohansson for her persistence and leadership. It is a very positive step. Now to its implementation! UNHCR stands ready to advise and support.  Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) December 20, 2023 The EU is seeing a rising number of irregular migrant arrivals and asylum requests. In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17 per cent over the same period last year. The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Associated Press

WATERLOO: Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America, and he reinforced the message while denying any similarities to fascist writings others had noted.

I never read Mein Kampf, Trump said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitler's fascist manifesto.

Immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Trump said Tuesday, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.

In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red MAGA hats, Trump responded to mounting criticism about his anti-immigrant blood purity rhetoric over the weekend. Several politicians and extremism experts have noted his language echoed writings from Hitler about the purity of Aryan blood, which underpinned Nazi Germany's systematic murder of millions of Jews and other undesirables before and during World War II.

As illegal border crossings surge, topping 10,000 some days in December, Trump continued to blast Biden for allowing migrants to pour into our country. He alleged, without offering evidence, that they bring crime and potentially disease with them.

They come from Africa, they come from Asia, they come from South America," he said, lamenting what he said was a border catastrophe.

Trump made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to disqualify him from the state's ballot under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech.

The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the U.S., dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists.

But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand  ideological screening  for people immigrating to the U.S. He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling.

In Waterloo on Tuesday, Trump's supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesn't always say the right thing.

I don't know if he says the right words all of the time, said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because you're not fortunate enough to be born in this country, doesn't mean "you don't get to come here.

But it should all be done legally, she added.

It's about the volume of border crossings and national security, said her husband, John Geist, 68.

America is the land of opportunity, however, the influx  it needs to be kept to a certain level," he said. The amount of undocumented immigrants that come through and you don't know what you're getting, things aren't regulated properly."

Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the U.S. doesn't have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didn't agree with Trump's comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the country's character and bring different perspectives.

Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the U.S. stronger.

But Trump's blood purity message might resonate with some voters.

About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing U.S.-born Americans to lose their economic, political and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Jackie Malecek, 50, of Waterloo said she likes Trump for the reasons that many people don't  how outspoken he is and that he's a little bit of a loose cannon. But she thought Trump saying immigrants are poisoning the blood took it a little too far.

I'm very much for cutting off what's happening at the border now. There's too many people pouring in here right now, I watch it every single day, Malecek said. But that wording is not what I would have chosen to say.

Malecek supports allowing legal immigration and accepting refugees, but she is concerned about the waves of migrants crossing the border who are not being vetted.

Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border.

You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd, Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.

At a congressional hearing July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by U.S. citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens.

Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks.

Call it what it is, said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat.

Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his own wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration.

Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation, McConnell said.

Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rivals momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there.

I will not guarantee it, Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

WATERLOO: Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his comments about migrants crossing the southern border poisoning the blood of America, and he reinforced the message while denying any similarities to fascist writings others had noted. I never read Mein Kampf, Trump said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, referencing Adolf Hitler's fascist manifesto. Immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Trump said Tuesday, are destroying the blood of our country, theyre destroying the fabric of our country.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In the speech to more than 1,000 supporters from a podium flanked by Christmas trees in red MAGA hats, Trump responded to mounting criticism about his anti-immigrant blood purity rhetoric over the weekend. Several politicians and extremism experts have noted his language echoed writings from Hitler about the purity of Aryan blood, which underpinned Nazi Germany's systematic murder of millions of Jews and other undesirables before and during World War II. As illegal border crossings surge, topping 10,000 some days in December, Trump continued to blast Biden for allowing migrants to pour into our country. He alleged, without offering evidence, that they bring crime and potentially disease with them. They come from Africa, they come from Asia, they come from South America," he said, lamenting what he said was a border catastrophe. Trump made no mention of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to disqualify him from the state's ballot under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, though his campaign blasted out a fundraising email about it during his speech. The former president has long used inflammatory language about immigrants coming to the U.S., dating back to his campaign launch in 2015, when he said immigrants from Mexico are bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists. But Trump has espoused increasingly authoritarian messages in his third campaign, vowing to renew and add to his effort to bar citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, and to expand  ideological screening  for people immigrating to the U.S. He said he would be a dictator on day one only, in order to close the border and increase drilling. In Waterloo on Tuesday, Trump's supporters in the crowd said his border policies were effective and necessary, even if he doesn't always say the right thing. I don't know if he says the right words all of the time, said 63-year-old Marylee Geist, adding that just because you're not fortunate enough to be born in this country, doesn't mean "you don't get to come here. But it should all be done legally, she added. It's about the volume of border crossings and national security, said her husband, John Geist, 68. America is the land of opportunity, however, the influx  it needs to be kept to a certain level," he said. The amount of undocumented immigrants that come through and you don't know what you're getting, things aren't regulated properly." Alex Litterer and her dad, Tom, of Charles City said they were concerned about migrants crossing the southern border, especially because the U.S. doesn't have the resources to support that influx. But the 22-year-old said she didn't agree with Trump's comments, adding that immigrants who come to the country legally contribute to the country's character and bring different perspectives. Polling shows most Americans agree, with two-thirds saying the countrys diverse population makes the U.S. stronger. But Trump's blood purity message might resonate with some voters. About a third of Americans overall worry that more immigration is causing U.S.-born Americans to lose their economic, political and cultural influence, according to a late 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Jackie Malecek, 50, of Waterloo said she likes Trump for the reasons that many people don't  how outspoken he is and that he's a little bit of a loose cannon. But she thought Trump saying immigrants are poisoning the blood took it a little too far. I'm very much for cutting off what's happening at the border now. There's too many people pouring in here right now, I watch it every single day, Malecek said. But that wording is not what I would have chosen to say. Malecek supports allowing legal immigration and accepting refugees, but she is concerned about the waves of migrants crossing the border who are not being vetted. Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, lashed out at a reporter asking about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, defending them as a reference to overdoses from fentanyl smuggled over the border. You just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler. Its absurd, Vance said. It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic. At a congressional hearing July 12, James Mandryck, a Customs and Border Protection deputy assistant commissioner, said 73% of fentanyl seizures at the border since the previous October were smuggling attempts carried out by U.S. citizens, with the rest being done by Mexican citizens. Extremism experts say Trumps rhetoric resembles the language that white supremacist shooters have used to justify mass killings. Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, pointed to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter and this years Texas mall shooter, who he said used similar language in writings before their attacks. Call it what it is, said Lewis. This is fascism. This is white supremacy. This is dehumanizing language that would not be out of place in a white supremacist Signal or Telegram chat. Asked about Trumps poisoning the blood comments, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied with a quip about his own wife, an immigrant, who was an appointee in Trumps administration. Well, it strikes me that didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao Secretary of Transportation, McConnell said. Trump currently leads other candidates, by far, in polls of likely Republican voters in Iowa and nationwide. Trumps campaign is hoping for a knockout performance in the caucuses that will deny his rivals momentum and allow him to quickly lock up the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on Iowa, raising expectations for him there. I will not guarantee it, Trump said of winning Iowa next month, but I pretty much guarantee it. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Azerbaijan's national flag carrier, AZAL, successfully operated its direct flight from Baku to Beijing. The AZAL aircraft departed Baku at 19:40 local time and arrived in Beijing on December 20th at 06:50 local time.

The grand welcoming ceremony was attended by representatives of the airline, diplomats, guests from Azerbaijan and China, and Mr. Bunyad Huseynov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to China.

The event highlighted the significance of the route in fostering economic, political, cultural, and tourism relations between the two countries.

Flights between Baku and Beijing will be operated twice a week, specifically on Tuesdays and Sundays. Tickets can be purchased through the airline's official website www.azal.az, mobile application, AZAL ticket offices, or accredited agencies.
By AFP

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that there was no end in sight to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as fatigue builds among Kyiv's allies nearly two years into the war and the Kremlin voices growing confidence of victory.

Zelensky said he had turned down a request from the military -- for now -- to mobilise as many as 500,000 Ukrainians for the army, an unpopular proposal that could hit his worsening poll ratings among Ukrainians.

His meeting with local and foreign journalists wraps a difficult year in Ukraine, with Kyiv's forces under pressure on the front and allies wavering on military and financial backing.

"No one knows the answer," Zelensky told reporters in response to a question of whether the war with Russia could end next year.

"Even respected people, our commanders and our Western partners, who say that this is a war for many years, they do not know," he said.

Tune in as I hold my year-end press conference in Kyiv. https://t.co/JBsBRqwAW7  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 19, 2023

The question of how long Western countries will provide essential support for Kyiv has grown increasingly urgent.

Zelensky last week embarked on a tour of Western countries to make the case for more military and political support as Russia's invasion grinds closer to its two-year-anniversary in February.

But he failed to convince the US Congress to immediately approve $60 billion in support, while in Brussels, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban blocked an aid package of around 50 billion euros ($55 billion).

READ MORE | 'Winter is coming': Gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine's soldiers as war with Russia grinds on

Washington will 'not betray us'

Zelensky said Tuesday that he wanted to organise talks with Orban to "find solutions" to their differences, and voiced confidence that Washington would follow through on aid.

"I am confident that the United States will not betray us," he said.

But hours later, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate, said that Washington would not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before year's end as the two sides continued to seek a compromise.

With elections looming in the United States next year, Zelensky acknowledged that the result of the November poll could have a "very strong impact" on the course of the war, saying Republican favourite Donald Trump would "surely have a different policy" from Joe Biden.

Those setbacks on the diplomatic front come in the wake of a disappointing counteroffensive that Kyiv launched in June using Western-supplied tanks and weapons stockpiled over months.

Responding to growing weariness over the war, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Tuesday that the world had become "jaded" by the Ukraine conflict, where war crimes continue to be committed "primarily by the forces of the Russian Federation".

In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed victory and said during a Tuesday meeting with defence officials that society had rallied behind the war effort.

Putin, who has announced he will run for re-election in March, lashed out at the West and claimed it was seeking Moscow's destruction.

"Well, we are not going to give up the goals of the special military operation, either," he said, using the Kremlin's term for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

READ EXPLAINER | End beneficiaries of the war economy

Trust in leader waning

Zelensky was facing growing discontent at home before becoming the global face of Ukrainian resistance after Russia's invasion, but he is once again feeling political pressure.

Recent polling shows that the number of Ukrainians who trust Zelensky has dropped to 62 percent compared to 84 percent one year ago, when Kyiv's forces were celebrating gains in the east and south.

The advances from this year's counteroffensive were much more modest, with just a few villages in the south and east recaptured after months of fighting against entrenched Russian forces.

Zelensky said he had received a request from the army to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people to replenish Kyiv's forces, but that he had told the military it "needed more arguments to support this idea".

Hours before Zelensky was due to speak, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had foiled a drone attack on a facility in Moscow.

But a senior Ukrainian military official at the same time conceded that fighting with Russian forces in the eastern Kharkiv region was "complicated", with Ukrainian forces outgunned and outnumbered.

In an overnight attack, meanwhile, Ukraine reported that nine people were wounded by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson, as drones also targeted the capital Kyiv and second-largest city Kharkiv.

Despite recent setbacks, Ukrainians still overwhelmingly back both the armed forces and its commander, Valery Zaluzhny.

In a move that illustrates growing political divides, Kyiv residents have been gathering in the city centre to demand more funds to help the military reclaim territory.

Zelensky has highlighted the Black Sea as a recent success story.

Ukrainian drones have forced some Russian warships to redeploy following several successful attacks.

Ukraine also re-opened a maritime corridor for commercial cargo ships using its Black Sea ports, despite threats from Moscow that vessels using the hubs could be treated as military targets.

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KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that there was no end in sight to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as fatigue builds among Kyiv's allies nearly two years into the war and the Kremlin voices growing confidence of victory. Zelensky said he had turned down a request from the military -- for now -- to mobilise as many as 500,000 Ukrainians for the army, an unpopular proposal that could hit his worsening poll ratings among Ukrainians. His meeting with local and foreign journalists wraps a difficult year in Ukraine, with Kyiv's forces under pressure on the front and allies wavering on military and financial backing.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "No one knows the answer," Zelensky told reporters in response to a question of whether the war with Russia could end next year. "Even respected people, our commanders and our Western partners, who say that this is a war for many years, they do not know," he said. Tune in as I hold my year-end press conference in Kyiv. https://t.co/JBsBRqwAW7  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 19, 2023 The question of how long Western countries will provide essential support for Kyiv has grown increasingly urgent. Zelensky last week embarked on a tour of Western countries to make the case for more military and political support as Russia's invasion grinds closer to its two-year-anniversary in February. But he failed to convince the US Congress to immediately approve $60 billion in support, while in Brussels, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban blocked an aid package of around 50 billion euros ($55 billion). READ MORE | 'Winter is coming': Gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine's soldiers as war with Russia grinds on Washington will 'not betray us' Zelensky said Tuesday that he wanted to organise talks with Orban to "find solutions" to their differences, and voiced confidence that Washington would follow through on aid. "I am confident that the United States will not betray us," he said. But hours later, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate, said that Washington would not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before year's end as the two sides continued to seek a compromise. With elections looming in the United States next year, Zelensky acknowledged that the result of the November poll could have a "very strong impact" on the course of the war, saying Republican favourite Donald Trump would "surely have a different policy" from Joe Biden. Those setbacks on the diplomatic front come in the wake of a disappointing counteroffensive that Kyiv launched in June using Western-supplied tanks and weapons stockpiled over months. Responding to growing weariness over the war, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Tuesday that the world had become "jaded" by the Ukraine conflict, where war crimes continue to be committed "primarily by the forces of the Russian Federation". In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed victory and said during a Tuesday meeting with defence officials that society had rallied behind the war effort. Putin, who has announced he will run for re-election in March, lashed out at the West and claimed it was seeking Moscow's destruction. "Well, we are not going to give up the goals of the special military operation, either," he said, using the Kremlin's term for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. READ EXPLAINER | End beneficiaries of the war economy Trust in leader waning Zelensky was facing growing discontent at home before becoming the global face of Ukrainian resistance after Russia's invasion, but he is once again feeling political pressure. Recent polling shows that the number of Ukrainians who trust Zelensky has dropped to 62 percent compared to 84 percent one year ago, when Kyiv's forces were celebrating gains in the east and south. The advances from this year's counteroffensive were much more modest, with just a few villages in the south and east recaptured after months of fighting against entrenched Russian forces. Zelensky said he had received a request from the army to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people to replenish Kyiv's forces, but that he had told the military it "needed more arguments to support this idea". Hours before Zelensky was due to speak, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had foiled a drone attack on a facility in Moscow. But a senior Ukrainian military official at the same time conceded that fighting with Russian forces in the eastern Kharkiv region was "complicated", with Ukrainian forces outgunned and outnumbered. In an overnight attack, meanwhile, Ukraine reported that nine people were wounded by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson, as drones also targeted the capital Kyiv and second-largest city Kharkiv. Despite recent setbacks, Ukrainians still overwhelmingly back both the armed forces and its commander, Valery Zaluzhny. In a move that illustrates growing political divides, Kyiv residents have been gathering in the city centre to demand more funds to help the military reclaim territory. Zelensky has highlighted the Black Sea as a recent success story. Ukrainian drones have forced some Russian warships to redeploy following several successful attacks. Ukraine also re-opened a maritime corridor for commercial cargo ships using its Black Sea ports, despite threats from Moscow that vessels using the hubs could be treated as military targets. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
'Trump is not yet a lock in for the GOP Presidential nomination, still has lot of homework to do'

Washington, Dec 19

F ormer President Donald Trump is not yet a "lock in" for the Republican presidential nomination as he still faces severe challenges heading into the 2024 election yea with huge work cut out to tear into challengers within the party and the conservative voters.

Trump is still the front-runner for the GOP nominations with a rousing reception at the New Hampshire meet, but one rival, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also cornered attention as the number 2 in GOP for the primaries in the same state.

The former President still faces a bevy of challengers looking to make inroads with conservative voters, while Haley has seen much traction in her favour in New Hampshire, a critical early voting state after Iowa.

Trump also faces four sets of criminal charges and mounting concerns about authoritarianism and threats to democracy, US media reports indicating he had to redress the concerns of the voters on these issues. .

Here's a look at three things Trump needs to do as Republican voters across the country choose their 2024 nominee.

Job number one: Get out on the vote. If Trump can expand his reach among Republican voters, it'll help him deal with other challenges and knock out his campaign rivals one-by-one. "They say we're going to win by a lot  don't count on it," Trump told supporters at a rally this month in Reno, Nevada, discounting polls that show him in a commanding position. "Just get out and vote; otherwise, bad things happen."

The Trump campaign has spent months developing voter turnout machines in key states. Those operations will soon be tested, starting with the Iowa caucuses on January 15 and the New Hampshire primary on January 23. Getting out the vote is particularly important in Iowa, which still uses the caucus system that requires people to show up at a specific time on a specific night.

That's why Trump has branded his Iowa rallies as "Commit to Caucus" events, with first-timer caucus goers as special targets. During a recent rally in Coralville, Iowa, Trump asked the crowd to "pretend we're one point behind instead of 35 points up. The more we win, the more we have a voice. Who knows? You know, sometimes polls are wrong."

Sideline Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis: Potential Trump victories in Iowa and New Hampshire could just about end the 2024 Republican primary, isolating opponents like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

A Trump loss in either state would transform the race, vaulting someone into the role of top alternative and giving them a chance to consolidate the anti-Trump vote. Haley is seen as a possible threat in New Hampshire, having moved up in polls thanks to well-received debate performances and an endorsement from Governor Chris Sununu, media reports said .

Christie is basing his entire campaign on New Hampshire, using appearances to bash Trump over his indictments and pending criminal trials. The Granite State primary will give voters an opportunity to send a clear message whether Christie's efforts have made a dent in Trump's popularity, as per a USA TODAY analysis published on Tuesday.

Manage inevitable trouble: The political maxim is usually "stay out of trouble," but Trump has never heeded to the adage " beware the ides of march" and gone well past that warning. The former President faces as many as four criminal trials and at least two civil trials in 2024. He will have to be in the courtroom for the criminal cases, putting quite a roadblock in his campaign schedule.

That's why, from the Trump campaign's perspective, it's important that he quickly wraps up the nomination. However, a former President seeking re-election while facing dozens of felony charges ( 91 to be precise) is unprecedented in American politics, even if Trump notches early victories, media reports said .

His first two trials could come as early as March, though Trump and his attorneys are seeking to delay all of the dates until after Election Day on November 5. But Trump's rhetoric also lands him in trouble on the campaign trail, reports observed.

In recent weeks, Trump has described opponents as "vermin", attacked immigrants as poisonous and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his criticism of his indictments. The former President has said he wants to be a "dictator" for one day, though only in terms of border security and energy production.

No polling evidence ever suggests that any of the court cases has hurt Trump as yet, at least among Republican voters even as rivals such as Haley are urging his supporters to move beyond the "chaos" generated by the former President.

In an interview on ABC News' "This Week," Haley said: "People don't want to hear about every word a person says or every tweet."

Trump has used his social platform handle 'Truth Social' to condemn Haley as "Bird Brain" and Ron DeSantis as "(Ron DE) Sanctimonious".

'Trump is not yet a lock in for the GOP Presidential nomination, still has lot of homework to do'

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Today's extraordinary congress of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC) will discuss five issues, the Chairman of ATUC Sattar Mohbaliyev said, Trend reports.

He noted that the first issue is support for the candidacy of Ilham Aliyev in the early presidential election.

The congress has 2,194 attendees, accounting for 16% of the total. Finally, a suitable selection will be reached, Mohbaliyev noted.

On December 7, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree holding an early presidential election in Azerbaijan on February 7, 2024.

On December 17, the New Azerbaijan Party submitted documents to the CEC on nominating Ilham Aliyev for the post of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The candidacy of Ilham Aliyev was approved at a meeting of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan on December 19.

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Bill Behrends, assistant principal at Centennial, will begin leading Unity High next school year. He knows he has big shoes to fill, but from the get-go, the role felt right.
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A recent JAMA study investigates whether systematically biased artificial intelligence (AI) impacted clinicians diagnostic accuracy and whether image-based AI model explanations can reduce model errors.

Study: Measuring the Impact of AI in the Diagnosis of Hospitalized Patients A Randomized Clinical Vignette Survey Study. Image Credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock.com

Background

The capacity of AI to identify anomalies or diseases in clinical images has been discussed in previous studies. These studies revealed that AI-based tools can detect diabetic retinopathy from fundus images, pneumonia from chest radiographs, and skin cancer from histopathology images.

Compared to clinicians diagnoses without AI, integrating AI models in clinical decision-making could result in more accurate diagnoses. However, using systematically biased AI models that have consistently misdiagnosed patients can cause potential harm to patients. For example, one previous study reported that an AI model consistently underdiagnosed female patients for heart disease.

Ideally, clinicians must follow AI predictions when correct but ignore them when not. Over-reliance on biased AI models will affect a clinicians diagnosis. It is important to understand whether the application of AI to support diagnostic decisions is safe.

Recently, the incorporation of AI explanations to interpret model predictions could help clinicians understand a models logic before considering it for clinical decisions. Suitable explanations for AI predictions could minimize the development of systematically biased models. For example, image-based explanations provided by models to support their decision helped assess the diagnostic accuracy of AI models by clinicians.

About the study

The current study assessed whether AI explanations increased clinician diagnostic accuracy and reduced the development of systematically biased models. For these, a randomized clinical vignette web-based survey was conducted.

Hospitalist physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners associated with caring for patients with acute respiratory failure were recruited. A total of 45 clinical vignettes were created based on hospitalized patients with acute respiratory failure in 2017.

Each patients medical history was assessed to better understand their past and present medical history. At least four pulmonary physicians independently reviewed the patients medical records.

All participants followed the same vignette order, in which two vignettes were created without AI predictions, six vignettes with AI predictions, and one vignette with a clinical consultation. Participants were randomized to AI predictions with or without AI explanations for six AI vignettes.

After each vignette, participants were asked to score on a scale of zero to 100 to indicate the likelihood of heart failure, pneumonia, or COPD to be the contributing factor to the patients respiratory failure. These responses were continuously collected to calculate the association between AI model scores and participant responses.

Study findings

Of 1,024 participants, 457 completed at least one vignette and were included in the primary analysis; however, 418 participants completed all nine vignettes. Importantly, participant demographics did not significantly differ across randomized groups.

The specialization of most participants was hospital medicine. The mean age of the participants was 34 years, and around 58% of the cohort was female. Only 13% of the cohort positively interacted with clinical decision support tools, whereas the majority were unaware of the systematic biases of AI models.

The study findings indicate that clinicians diagnostic accuracy improved when AI models performed accurately for clinical predictions and decreased in the presence of systematically biased AI predictions. AI explanations did not significantly improve the harmful effects of biased models on a clinicians diagnostic accuracy, estimated to be about 81%. Therefore, a combination of AI models and clinicians could be effectively used for complex diagnostic tasks.

The explanation could not mitigate the errors since the AI model entirely relied on features unrelated to the clinical condition. However, some studies have suggested that state-of-the-art explanations could improve user-AI instructions. The greater possibility of users being deceived by incompetent AI models was indicated, mainly because many failed to understand the models simple explanations.

Because of their limited AI literacy, clinicians failed to comprehend and consider the models explanations. In addition, these models must be trained to provide better image-based explanations.

Conclusions

Although AI models predictions and explanations enhanced diagnostic accuracy, biased predictions impacted diagnostic accuracy. Thus, it is essential to validate AI models before their incorporation into clinical settings.
A microbial sensor that helps identify and fight bacterial infections also plays a key role in the development of blood stem cells, valuable new insight in the effort to create patient-derived blood stem cells that could eliminate the need for bone marrow transplants.

The discovery by a research team led by Raquel Espin Palazon, an assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology at Iowa State University, was published last month in Nature Communications. It builds on prior work by Espin Palazon showing that the inflammatory signals that prompt a body's immune response have an entirely different role in the earliest stages of life, as vascular systems and blood are forming in embryos.

Espin Palazon said knowing that embryos activate the microbial sensor, a protein known as Nod1, to force vascular endothelial cells to become blood stem cells could help develop a method to make blood stem cells in a lab from a patient's own blood.

This would eliminate the challenging task of finding compatible bone marrow transplant donors and the complications that occur after receiving a transplant, improving the lives of many leukemia, lymphoma and anemia patients." Raquel Espin Palazon, assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology at Iowa State University

A critical cue

Stem cells are both the factories and the raw materials of a body, repeatedly dividing to self-renew and build new cells for specific tissues. Pluripotent stem cells in embryos can make any kind of cell a body needs, while adult stem cells are limited to producing particular types. Blood stem cells, also known as hematopoietic stem cells, make all of blood's components. A lifetime supply of blood stem cells is created before birth inside an embryo.

The immune receptor Espin Palazon's team identified activates in an embryo before endothelial cells start becoming stem cells, priming them for the transition.

"We know blood stem cells form from endothelial cells, but the factors that set up the cell to switch identity were enigmatic," she said. "We didn't know that this receptor was needed or that it was needed this early, before blood stem cells even form."

Researchers zeroed in on Nod1 by analyzing public databases of human embryos and studied it using zebrafish, which share about 70% of their genome with humans. Blood stem cell creation tracked closely with Nod1 levels as its effects were inhibited or enhanced.

To confirm Nod1 also plays a role in human blood development, the research team worked with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Researchers there produce human induced pluripotent stem cells, which are generated from mature samples but genetically reprogrammed to behave like the make-anything stem cells found in embryos. Induced pluripotent stem cells can create most types of blood cells, though not functional blood stem cells. But when researchers took away Nod1, blood production faltered, as it did with blood stem cells in zebrafish.

Seeking self-derived stem cells

Figuring out that Nod1 is a prerequisite for blood stem cells to develop is progress for scientists hoping to design a system for producing blood stem cells from human samples, which could offer a revolutionary new option for patients suffering from blood disorders. Instead of a life-saving infusion of blood stem cells via a transplant of bone marrow, the spongy insides of bones that holds most of a body's blood stem cells, patients could be treated with stem cells that originated in their own body. Self-derived stem cells could avoid the risks of graft-versus-host disease, a common and potentially deadly reaction that occurs when a patient's immune system perceives the transplant as a threat to be attacked.

"This would be a huge advancement for regenerative medicine," Espin Palazon said.

Espin Palazon's team is continuing to untangle the complex interactions in which blood stem cells arise, including refining the timeline. Understanding when signals are expressed is essential to developing the methods for making blood stem cells.

"The timing is so crucial. It's like when you're cooking and you need to add ingredients in a specific order," she said.

Further research will benefit from the collaboration with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which trained one of the study's co-authors  Clyde Campbell, adjunct assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology  on the protocols to create induced pluripotent stem cells.

"My group at Iowa State University will continue working towards a life without blood disorders. I believe our investigations will pave the road to finally create therapeutic-grade blood stem cells to cure blood disorder patients," Espin Palazon said.

In addition to Espin Palazon and Campbell, other Iowa State co-authors on the study include first author Xiaoyi Cheng, a graduate student; Karin Dorman, professor and Dale D. Grosvenor Chair of genetics, development and cell biology; graduate students Masuma Khatun Usha and Rodolfo Calderon; research associate Elizabeth Snella; and former undergraduate Abigail Gorden. Antonella Fidanza at the University of Edinburgh and Giulia Pavani, Deborah French and Paul Gadue at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia also contributed to this work.

Funding for the research came in part from a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and a $380,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.
When the University of Delaware's Gregory Hicks started his research career two decades ago, he was one of only a few people in the United States studying chronic low back pain in people over 60 years old.

Fast-forward to today, the research on back pain has ramped up, yet studies of older adults with the problem are still sparse.

Unfortunately, the societal attitude is that older people don't warrant the same level of care that younger people do when it comes to musculoskeletal problems. But I don't believe that for a minute." Gregory Hicks, Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences, University of Delaware

Hicks, a research champion aiming to improve the health of older adults, "has their back" in more ways than one.

"I've always loved working with this age group," he said. "Just as there are health disparities due to race and ethnicity, being older leads to under-treatment of pain. Older people are told there's really nothing we can do about it, but that's simply not true."

With support from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, Hicks recently led a clinical trial with researchers at UD, Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh to test new ways of treating chronic low back pain in adults 60 to 85 years old.

The study, called the Manual Therapy and Strengthening the Hip (MASH) Trial, is believed by the research team to be the first clinical trial to assess the efficacy of a tailored physical therapy intervention matched to an at-risk subgroup of older adults with chronic low back pain and coexisting hip pain and muscle weakness.

Conducted between November 2019 and April 2022, the study involved 184 participants who were randomly assigned to either hip-focused or spine-focused therapies delivered at the researchers' locations over an eight-week period, including at the Physical Therapy Clinic on UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. The study participants were evaluated for pain-related disability, walking performance (speed and endurance) and the ability to rise after being seated in a chair.

The findings, published in the Dec. 18 issue of The Lancet Rheumatology, indicate that while both therapies improved walking speed similarly, the hip-focused therapy resulted in a greater reduction in disability from low back pain immediately following the eight-week intervention, but no difference at six months.

"So essentially, the people who received the hip-focused intervention get better faster, in terms of low back pain disability," Hicks said. "The other group with the spine-focused therapy catches up, but it takes longer."

However, further analyses found that 46% of participants in the hip-focused group and 33% in the spine-focused group had a substantial improvement in disability scores (50% or greater reduction in disability scores) while 53% of the hip-focused participants and 60% of the spine-focused participants had substantial improvement in gait speed. In addition, the hip-focused treatment was associated with greater improvements in chair-rise performance at six months and walking endurance at eight weeks and at six months.

All low back pain is not the same

The MASH clinical trial builds on the results of Hicks' previous NIH-funded research, which was a longitudinal study following older adults with chronic low back pain for one year, specifically examining the role of hip impairments relative to low back pain and overall physical function.

"It's becoming quite clear," Hicks said, "if you make the assumption that all low back pain is the same, you're wrong. If you can identify sub-groups of low back pain patients with similar traits, you can develop matched treatments, which hopefully lead to better outcomes."

Distinct chronic low back pain sub-groups came to light with the aid of artificial intelligence and modeling tools -; one sub-group had significant issues with hip weakness and hip pain, another had significant hip weakness without hip pain, and yet another had no issues with the hip at all.

As each sub-group emerges, so does the prospect of precision medicine and precision rehabilitation.

"My training is in epidemiology, in identifying risk factors," Hicks said. "We observe first, understand what's happening, and then intervene. We've made the first step into intervention now for this low back pain subgroup with hip weakness and pain -; the hip-focused group did better than the spine-focused group in pain-related disability, chair rise performance and walking endurance. We have more work to do to refine this hip-focused physical therapy intervention. So, in our next clinical trial, we will be working to tighten that up and develop treatment approaches for the other two subgroups.

"I've always had this sort of special place in my heart for this older age group," Hicks said. "When I started this work, there were a lot of naysayers. I'd tell them, 'Read the literature -; why are we excluding older adults from low back pain research?' We all hope to get older. Why ignore a place in time where we all hope to end up?"

According to the World Health Organization, low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally. Cases around the world have increased 60% in the past 30 years.
Stroke is an abrupt, devastating disease that instantly changes a person's life and has the potentially to cause lasting disability or death. However, the condition also has profound effects on the patient's loved ones -; who are often called to make difficult decisions quickly.

A new study led by Michigan Medicine finds that nearly 30% of caregivers of severe stroke patients experience high levels of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress during the first year after the patient leaves the hospital.

The results are published in Neurology.

As physicians, we usually concentrate on our patients, and it is important to recognize that caregivers may have long-term consequences from a loved one's severe illness." Lewis Morgenstern, M.D., professor of neurology, neurosurgery and emergency medicine at University of Michigan Medical School and professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health

"This research suggests that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress are common among family members who make life and death decisions for their loved ones who are very sick. Post-traumatic stress may be more common in Mexican American caregivers, who made up about two-thirds of the study population.

The prospective study enrolled stroke survivors and their surrogates in Nueces County, Texas, who made decisions about life sustaining treatment after severe stroke between April 2016 and October 2020.

Between 17 and 28% of caregivers reported high scores on measures of psychological distress, which covered anxiety, depression and PTSD. Up to 16% of caregivers experienced all three conditions related to their role.

Post-traumatic stress was worse among Mexican American caregivers compared to white caregivers. Depression scores also improved more rapidly over time for white caregivers.

"There are important support systems for families in hospitals which include nurses, social workers and the patient's medical team," Morgenstern said.

"The role of family-centered care has received a lot of traction in recent years, and this research emphasizes how important that is."
Wars, drought, displacement, and instability are causing a dramatic increase in the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women around the world who suffer from malnutrition. Without access to sufficient nutrients in the womb, babies born to these women are more likely to die due to complications like pre-term birth, low birth weight, and susceptibility to diseases like malaria. To try to reduce the risk of malarial infection, the WHO recommends that pregnant women in low-income countries be treated with a combination of the antimalarial drugs sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (SP). Curiously, a recent study found that this treatment also seemed to increase the birth weight of treated mothers' babies, regardless of whether they contracted malaria.

Intrigued by this finding, which was brought to their attention by members of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a team of scientists at the Wyss Institute decided to investigate the phenomenon using its human Intestine Chip. With support from the Foundation, the team found that chips exposed to malnutrition conditions displayed classic features of intestinal dysfunction, and that these issues were almost fully resolved by the addition of SP. The research is published in eBioMedicine.

Our primary goal in conducting this study was to find ways to promote maternal health and improve birth outcomes. I'm driven to pursue meaningful research that benefits women, including my beloved mother, wife, and daughter who is still in utero. I hope that this work galvanizes future clinical studies to significantly improve human health worldwide." Seongmin Kim, Ph.D., First Author, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss Institute

Modeling malnutrition

When Kim read the study suggesting that SP improved infant birth weight by counteracting malnutrition, he searched for more clinical data about the drug's effects on the human intestine. But he found nothing. "Very few clinical trials include pregnant women for ethical reasons, and there was no existing human in vitro model to use for studying this drug. But I knew we could use our Intestine Chip to create the missing model and generate some useful data," says Kim.

The Wyss Institute's Organ Chip technology faithfully replicates many functions of human organs inside a device about the size and shape of a USB memory stick. The chip has two parallel channels separated by a porous membrane. One channel is coated with human blood vessel cells to mimic the vascular system, while the other channel is coated with living human organ cells. In the case of the Intestine Chip, rhythmic stretching is applied to the device to replicate the conditions that human intestines experience due to muscular waves of peristalsis during digestion.

In previous work, the team built a version of the Intestine Chip that replicated pediatric environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a devastating childhood disease caused by long-term malnutrition. Kim sought to extend the team's demonstrated approach in modeling pediatric EED to newly model the intestine of mothers, investigating how malnutrition affected them. He and his coauthors obtained tissue biopsy samples from healthy young women and cultured the cells inside the Intestine Chip, creating miniature versions of their small intestines in the lab.

To mimic healthy intestine, they flowed a nutrient-rich medium through the blood vessel channel to mimic the delivery of nutrients through the bloodstream, and confirmed that the cells in the intestinal channel were healthy and functional, as the team had previously demonstrated in the pediatric EED chips. They spontaneously developed villi-like structures that replicate the tiny projections found on human intestinal cells, produced mucus, and maintained an intact intestinal barrier between the cells.

Then, the team switched out the medium for a nutrient-deficient version that lacked niacinamide (a vitamin) and tryptophan (an essential amino acid). The result was similar to that observed in the pediatric EED chips: the villi were noticeably shorter, there was less mucus production, and the connections between the cells had begun to break down, creating a "leaky gut." These changes were detectable on the genetic level as well, with lower activity of genes associated with villi formation and mucus production. The researchers had created a functional Organ Chip model of the intestinal effects of malnutrition in adults for the first time.

SP to the rescue

The team could now use this new model to investigate how SP might affect these negative hallmarks of malnutrition. First, they added the drug combination to the Intestine Chip along with the nutrient-rich medium for three days and observed no significant changes. Then, they added SP to chips that had only received the nutrient-deficient medium and looked malnourished. The results were clear: the villi grew taller, mucus production went up, and the intestinal barrier function improved.

But just because the SP-treated Intestine Chips looked more normal didn't necessarily mean that they were getting better nutrition. Thus, the team went further to look specifically at how SP affected nutrient absorption from the chips. They analyzed the RNA molecules that were present in healthy, malnourished, and SP-treated malnourished chips. They found that genetic pathways that are critical for digestion; the metabolism of triglycerides, fatty acids, and vitamins; and intestinal absorption of vital nutrients were suppressed in their nutrient-deficient chips.

When those chips were treated with SP, the same analysis showed a reactivation of many metabolic and absorption pathways. Another experiment using a fluorescently labeled fatty acid found that malnourished chips absorbed 3.5 times less of the fatty acid compared to healthy chips, but this effect was reversed when the malnourished chips were treated with SP.

"Our research shows that SP treatment does indeed have multiple direct effects on the human adult female intestine, which could help explain why pregnant mothers who are prophylactically treated with SP as an antimalarial therapy had babies with healthier birth weights," said co-author Girija Goyal, Ph.D., a Senior Scientist at the Wyss Institute. "The increased surface area of the villi in Intestine Chips treated with SP increases the surface area available to absorb nutrients from the blood, the thicker mucus layer protects the intestinal cells from pathogens, and the increased expression of genes that are crucial for nutrient and fatty acid absorption helps maintain health."

Another known effect of malnutrition is increased inflammation in the intestine, which can cause a host of problems. Consistent with these previous results, the team detected higher levels of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines in malnourished Intestine Chips compared to healthy chips. When the chips were given SP, their cytokine levels went down, and the level of a specific protein called LCN2 increased. LCN2 is known to maintain a healthy intestinal microbiome and protect against inflammation.

Finally, because immune cells can also mediate inflammation, the researchers introduced human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into the blood vessel channel of the Intestine Chip. They found that in malnourished chips, these immune cells stuck to the surface of the intestinal channel, indicating a potential immune response. This behavior was also significantly reduced by SP treatment.

Hope for mothers and babies in the future

While they are excited about their results, the researchers caution that their human Intestine Chip model does not replicate pregnancy, so it does not provide direct evidence of how the treatment of maternal malnutrition with SP impacts their babies' health. Pregnancy introduces many new factors into a mother's biology including hormonal changes and immune responses, so further in-depth clinical trials of SP are required to establish its safety and efficacy for pregnant women.

"This work makes a clear argument that SP should be further explored as a potential treatment for the serious global health problem of malnutrition, which will only get worse as climate change and related conflicts affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations around the world," said senior author and Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. "We also hope our Intestine Chip can help answer other important questions related to intestinal health and disease on the global scale." Ingber is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and the Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Additional co-authors include Abidemi Junaid from the Wyss Institute; former Wyss Institute members Arash Naziripour, Pranav Prabhala, and Viktor Horvath; and David Breault from Harvard Medical School, BCH, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

This research was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, and the National Institutes of Health through grant P30 DK034854. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. A number of amendments have been made to the electoral legislation; the usual technical base of district election committees has been formed, and their employees also receive salaries, said First Deputy Chairman of Milli Majlis (Parliament) Ali Huseynli during a meeting for chairmen of district election commissions at the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan. Trend reports

Huseynli noted that at the same time, a new law, "On Political Parties," was adopted.

"The Electoral Code assumes the active participation of political parties and party blocs in these elections. Political parties argued about the membership of 5,000 people; they thought it would hinder them. But now these political parties are boycotting the elections. This is very unfortunate. To pass registration and then boycott the elections is a big political lack of culture," he added.

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The electric vehicle (EV) market in India is poised for significant expansion in the coming year, with the introduction of several new EV models.

As reported by Hindustan Times (HT) Auto, numerous automakers have officially confirmed the launch of their electric vehicles in 2024.

This surge in new models is expected to create avenues for leading automakers to tap into Indias burgeoning EV market, where electric vehicle sales presently make up less than 7 per cent of total vehicle sales, according to reports.

Here is the list of brand-new electric cars set to debut in India next year:

Tata Harrier EV

Tata Motors has confirmed that the electric version of its flagship Harrier SUV, which recently received a major facelift, will be available in 2024. The Harrier EV made its debut earlier this year at the Auto Expo. The Harrier EV, which is based on the Gen 2 EV architecture, will have V2L and V2V charging capabilities. So far, very little is known about the range, performance, and features of this electric SUV.

Tata Punch EV

Tata Punch EV, the upcoming electric vehicle from Tata Motors, is slated to make its debut in India next year. Notably, when launched, the Punch EV will become the fourth vehicle in Tatas portfolio to offer Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Electric Vehicle (EV) variants of the same model. Anticipated to leverage Tatas Ziptron technology, similar to other EVs like the Nexon, the Punch EVs long-range version is expected to cover over 300 kilometres on a single charge. Reports suggest that the battery size might align with the specifications of the Tigor EV or the Nexon EV.

Tata Curvv EV

Tata Curvv EV, slated to be Tata Motors third electric vehicle, is scheduled for release in 2024. The introduction of the EV variant is anticipated to follow the launch of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) version of the SUV. Built on Tata Motors X1 platform, the Curvv EV will undergo significant modifications to align with electric vehicle requirements. According to reports, the Curvv electric SUV is projected to boast an impressive range of 400-500 kilometres on a single charge.

Maruti Suzuki eVX

Maruti Suzuki, Indias largest carmaker, plans to launch its first electric vehicle, the eVX, in 2024. The carmaker has confirmed that the eVX electric SUV, which was first shown at the Auto Expo in January 2023, will be manufactured from Suzuki Motors Gujarat facility in Hansalpur beginning next year. The eVX electric SUV will have a range of around 550 kilometres on a single charge. It will be outfitted with a 60 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. When it is released, it will compete with the MG ZS EV and the Hyundai Kona, among others.

Kia EV9

With the introduction of its three-row electric SUV EV9, the Korean automaker is expected to expand its EV lineup in India. The EV9 is more than five metres long and is built on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). It claims to have a range of up to 541 kilometres on a single charge and comes in two variants. The EV9 is powered by a 150 kW electric motor that can propel it from 0 to 100 kmph in 9.4 seconds. The EVs RWD version will have a more powerful 160 kW electric motor.

Mahindra XUV.e8

Mahindra and Mahindra will also expand its electric vehicle lineup in India with the introduction of an electric SUV based on the XUV700. After the XUV400, this will be Mahindras second electric vehicle. Mahindra presented five upcoming electric SUVs at an event in the United Kingdom in August 2022. The XUV.e8 is expected to be released under the Born Electric brand and will feature a dual electric motor as well as all-wheel drive technology. Mahindra is expected to include at least a 60-kWh battery pack with the XUV.e8 EV, as well as features such as level 2 ADAS and 5G connectivity.
The Reserve Bank has told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the objective of frequent interventions in the forex market is to curb excessive volatility, dismissing the Funds rationale for reclassifying Indias exchange rate regime.

The IMF, following the Article IV consultation with the Indian authorities, reclassified the status of the exchange rate regime to stabilised arrangement from floating for period between December 2022 to October 2023.

Indias Executive Director at IMF K V Subramanian and Senior Advisors Sanjay Kumar Hansda and Anand Singh questioned the selection period adopted by the Fund for analysis and also reclassification of the countrys exchange rate regime.

 (IMF) staff characterisation of Indias exchange rate as a stabilised arrangement is incorrect and inconsistent with reality. As in the past, exchange rate flexibility would continue to be the first line of defence in absorbing external shocks, with interventions limited to addressing disorderly market conditions,  they said in a statement attached with the report.

The Article IV consultation report by the IMF reviews a countrys current and medium-term economic policies and outlook.

The exchange rate of the rupee is determined in the interbank market, where the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervenes frequently. RBIs stated intervention objective is to curb excessive volatility.

The de jure exchange rate arrangement is classified as floating, while de facto exchange rate arrangement has been reclassified to stabilized arrangement for the period December 2022-October 2023. The reclassification is based on a statistical methodology that is implemented by staff evenhandedly across member countries, it said.

The methodology follows a backward-looking statistical approach that relies on past exchange rate movement and historical data, it said, adding, therefore, this reclassification does not imply statements or views on future or intended policies nor does it imply a policy commitment on the part of the country authorities.

The rupee traded in the range 80.88-83.42 against a US dollar between December 2022 and October 2023. The volatility in the forex market has narrowed further to 82.90-83.42 against the greenback post October.

Observing that there was significant divergence of views on the exchange rate, the report said the RBI strongly disagreed with staffs assessment that Foreign exchange intervention (FXI) likely exceeded levels necessary to address disorderly market conditions and has contributed to the Rupee-USD moving within a narrow range since December 2022. The RBI strongly believes that such a view is incorrect as, in their view, it uses data selectively. In their view, staffs assessment is short-term and restricted to the last 6-8 months without any rationale for the same, and if a longer-term view of 2-5 years is taken, staffs assessment would fail, it said.

In the authorities view, therefore, staffs reclassification of the de facto exchange rate regime to stabilized arrangement is unjustified. They noted that the RBIs FXI comply with the best principles of transparency since FXI data dissemination in the public domain complies with SDDS standards prescribed by the IMF, and that the rupee continues to be a market determined currency, with no explicit/implicit target/band, it said.

According to the report, the RBI also stated that they remain committed to their stance of minimizing volatility for financial stability considerations but without any view on the level for the rupee.

Moreover, in RBIs view, the exchange rates stability in 2023 reflects the strength of macroeconomic fundamentals and improvements in Indias external position, particularly significant moderation in the current account deficit (CAD) and revival of capital flows on the back of a comfortable foreign exchange reserves buffer.
Foxconn, a Taiwan-based leading electronics manufacturing services company, has submitted an application to set up a semiconductor facility in India, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The Union minister also said the government has taken several measures to boost electronics manufacturing, including semiconductors, incentivising large investments in electronic goods and appliances, and promote exports.

Among others, Foxconn also manufactures Apples iPhones.

Foxconn has submitted its application under the modified scheme for setting up of semiconductor fabs in India for the establishment of semiconductor fab in the country, Chandrasekhar said.

The development comes after Foxconn exited a joint venture (JV) with Vedanta Group to set up a chip plant in India. The JV had plans to set up its chip plant in Gujarat with an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Chandrasekhar said the first semiconductor unit by Micron was approved in June 2023 under the Semicon India programme and the construction of the unit has started.

(With PTI Inputs)
Motisons Jewellers IPO: The initial public offering of Jaipur-based retail jeweller company Motisons Jewellers Ltd, which is going to be closed on Wednesday, December 20, has so far received an overwhelming response. Till 11:24 am on the final day of bidding on Wednesday, the Rs 151.09-crore IPO got 73.97 times subscription, receiving bids for 1,42,23,48,500 shares as against 1,92,29,700 shares on offer.

The IPO was opened on Monday, December 18.

The category meant for non-institutional investors received 137.52 times subscription, while the quota for retail individual investors (RIIs) got subscribed 88.58 times. The qualified institutional buyers category has been subscribed 0.73 times.

The Motisons Jewellers IPO allotment will take place on December 21, while its listing will take place on December 26 on both BSE and NSE.

Motisons Jewellers IPO GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of Motisons Jewellers are currently trading Rs 73 higher in the grey market as compared with its issue price. The Rs 73 grey market premium or GMP means the grey market is expecting a 141.82 per cent listing gain from the public issue. The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing.

Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Motisons Jewellers IPO: Should You Subscribe?

Giving a Subscribe with caution rating to the IPO, brokerage firm Swastika Investmart in its note said, The company is susceptible to negative publicity and seasonal demand fluctuations. Despite these considerations, the IPOs attractive valuation of 16 times P/E offers a degree of risk mitigation. Considering Motisons strong brand, proven track record, and growth plans, alongside the current market sentiment.

It said Motisons Jewellers has a diversified product portfolio and has demonstrated a strong track record of growth. Motisons commitment to retail network expansion and technology integration further strengthens its growth prospects. However, the highly competitive landscape and dependence on third-party suppliers present key challenges.

Another brokerage firm IndSec Research also assigned a Subscribe with caution rating. It said Motisons has grown its revenue, Ebitda, PAT at a CAGR of 31 per cent, 26 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively over FY21-23. It has a healthy operating margin but is weak in Inventory days, working capital days and leverage ratios.

Capital Markets asked investors to avoid the IPO. It said the company is dependent on third-party suppliers and risks related to geographical concentration of operations in Jaipur.

Motisons Jewellers IPO Details

The Motisons Jewellers IPO is entirely a fresh issue of 2.74 crore equity shares with no Offer For Sale (OFS) component. The initial public offering (IPO) with a price band of Rs 52-55 a share will open on December 18 and conclude on December 20. At the upper end of the price band, the IPO will fetch Rs 151 crore.

The minimum lot size for an application is 250 shares. The minimum amount of investment required by retail investors is Rs 13,750.

Motisons Jewellers has raised a little over Rs 36 crore from anchor investors days before its maiden public issue. Motisons Jewellers has allotted 66 lakh equity shares to two funds at Rs 55 apiece  the upper end of the price band.

Meru Investment Fund PCC-Cell 1 bought 46 lakh equity shares amounting to Rs 25.3 crore, and Zinnia Global Fund PCC-Cell Dewcap Fund purchased 20 lakh shares valued at Rs 11 crore.

Together, they bought shares worth Rs 36.3 crore, data showed.

Proceeds from the issue will be used for debt payment, funding the working capital requirement of the company and a portion will also be used for general corporate purposes.

Holani Consultants is the book-running lead manager for the issue.
Stocks to Watch on December 20: GIFT Nifty on the NSE IX traded 82 points, or 0.38 per cent, higher at 21,610, signaling that Dalal Street was headed for positive start on Wednesday. Heres a slew of stocks that will be in focus today for various reasons.

New listings today: Doms Industries and India Shelter Finance.

SpiceJet: After last weeks fundraising approval, Mumbai-based businessman Harihara Mahapatra and his wife Preeti are likely to invest Rs 1,100 crore in SpiceJet for a 19 per cent stake. Aries Opportunities Fund will hold 3 per cent while Elara Capital will hold 8 per cent, after conversion of warrants, reported The Economic Times.

Varun Beverages: The company said it will acquire South Africas The Beverage Company Ltd (BevCo) for Rs 1,320 crore as it plans to expand its geographical footprint in Africa.

It has also signed a MoU with Jharkhand govt to set up a manufacturing plant in Patratu with a Rs 450 crore outlay.

BPCL: Its board approved setting up a polypropylene (PP) unit at Kochi Refinery with a cost of Rs 5,044 crore.

HCL Tech: A ransomware incident has occured in an isolated cloud environment for one of its projects There has been no impact observed due to this incident on the overall HCLTech network, it said. A detailed investigation is underway.

BSE: BSE will impose an additional 15 per cent exposure margin in the equity derivatives segment on securities in which top 10 clients account for more than 20 per cent of market wide position limit (MWPL).

Nippon AMC: IndusInd Bank is likely to sell up to 1.79 crore share or a 2.86 per cent stake in Nippon AMC through a block deal, reported CNBC-TV 18. The total offer size for the stake stands at Rs 762 crore. The floor price for the block deal is set at Rs 426.60.

Embassy Office Parks REIT: Blackstone plans to exit the real estate investment trust by selling its entire 23.6 per cent stake through a mega block deal of $833 million, reported Moneycontrol.

Astral: Its promoter is looking to sell 2-3 per cent stake via a block deal, as per CNBC-TV18. The promoter holds 55.85 per cent stake in Astral.

IT stocks: Accenture has projected second-quarter revenue below estimates. It expects Q2 revenue in the range of $15.40-16 bn vs $16.20 bn, estimated by analysts polled by LSEG.

RVNL: RVNL in a JV has won a project of Rs 124 crore for Varkala Sivagiri Railway Station in Kerala. RVNLs stake in the JV is 49 per cent.

Deepak Nitrite, Petronet LNG: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Deepak Nitrite said it will supply 250 kilotons per annum (KTPA) of propylene and 11 KTPA of hydrogen to Petronet LNG. The arrangement spans 15 years from the initial delivery.

Glenmark Life, Glenmark Pharma: The CCI has approved the proposed acquisition of Glenmark Life Sciences by Nirma Ltd.
The Central Bank of India (CBI) has invited online applications from candidates for various posts. Candidates willing to work with the organisation can go to the official website of the Central Bank of India at centralbankofindia.co.in and apply online. The registration process commences today, December 20, and the last date to apply is January 9.

Moreover, the bank has opened vacancies for the posts of Safai Karmachari Cum Sub-Staff And/ Or Sub-Staff posts. Under this recruitment drive, the Central Bank of India is aiming to fill up a total of 484 posts in the organisation.

CBI Recruitment 2023: Vacancy Details

Maharashtra: 118 posts

Uttar Pradesh: 78 posts

Bihar: 76 posts

Gujarat: 76 posts

Rajasthan: 55 posts

Madhya Pradesh: 24 posts

Delhi: 21 posts

Jharkhand: 20 posts

Chhattisgarh: 14 posts

Odisha: 2 posts

CBI Recruitment 2023: Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification: Candidates who want to apply for the Central Bank of India posts, must have passed class 10th/ SSC pass or its equivalent examination from any recognised board or institute. They should also be well-versed in the local language.

Age limit: Candidates applying for the post must be between 18 to 26 years of age as of March 31, 2023.

CBI Recruitment 2023: Application Fees

Candidates falling under the Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) /Person with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category and women candidates are required to pay Rs 175 as an application fee, whereas, for all other candidates, the application fee is Rs 850 (including GST).

CBI Recruitment 2023: Selection Process

The selection of the candidates for the above-mentioned post will be done strictly on the basis of an online examination (conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) and a local language test on merit. Aspirants who qualify for the written examination will have to appear for a local language test or examination, which will be conducted by the Central Bank of India.

Talking about the exam pattern, there will be penalties for each wrong answer marked in the objective tests. As per the banks guidelines, for each wrong answer, one-fourth, or 0.25, of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as a penalty.
A 34-year-old research scholar at IIT Kanpur was found dead in her hostel room by housekeeping staff on Tuesday. According to PTI, the research scholar hung herself from the ceiling fan in her second-floor hostel room. Although the true reason of the death is unknown, the preliminary inquiry appears to suggest suicide.

According to the report, the scholars room was knocked on by the cleaning staff, who learned of her death when they got no answer. Police informed PTI that the scholar was hanging from the ceiling when a cleaning staff member peeked inside her room.

Dhananjay Pandey, SHO of Kalyanpur, told PTI that once the police reached the hostel, they broke open the door and carried the body down. Based on a preliminary assessment, depression appears to be the reason for the suicide. He went on to say that the research scholar had moved from a private rented residence to the RA hostel three days ago.

The research scholar joined the IIT Kanpur to carry out her postdoctoral research and originally hails from Cuttack in Odisha. The scholar worked at the IIT Kanpurs Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering as a postdoctoral researcher. The forensic teams report is expected shortly, and the police are currently looking into the incident and the cause of the death.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old student allegedly died by suicide after jumping from a private universitys hostel building. The incident occurred on December 17 at Meeruts Subharti Universitys hostel.

According to the Station House Officer (SHO) Prajant Tyagi, Shashi Ranjan Kumar, a student, jumped to his death from the hostel buildings roof.

Kumar, a native of Bihars Sitamarhi district, had been taken to the Subharti Hospital and passed away the next day while receiving treatment, according to SHO Tyagi.

If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
In a significant move to alleviate the weight of school bags, the Karnataka government has implemented measures to reduce the number of textbooks by 50 per cent for students in classes 1 to 10, starting from the academic year 2024-25. This decision aims to promote a scientifically structured approach to learning while addressing concerns about the physical strain on students, The Hindu reported.

Under the new directive, instead of providing all textbooks at once for the entire academic year, students will receive two books annually. These will be distributed as per the Summative Assessment (SA-1 and SA-2), effectively splitting the content and lightening the load for students.

The official order issued by the State Government reflects the culmination of efforts by a committee formed in 2019. Comprising education experts, pediatricians, doctors, legal advisors, and officials from the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT), the committee conducted a thorough study on reducing the burden of school bags.

Their findings suggested weight ranges for school bags based on classes: 1.5 to 2 kg for classes 1 to 2, 2 to 3 kg for classes 3 to 5, 3 to 4 kg for classes 6 to 8, and 4 to 5 kg for classes 9 and 10. However, the initial implementation of this order was limited to government schools, with persistent complaints about private schools not adhering to the guidelines.

The need for action was highlighted in a meeting led by the Commissioner of the Department of School Education on October 6, 2023. Subsequently, a committee chaired by the Director of the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board recommended a 50 per cent reduction in textbook size. The committees report was submitted to the government on October 12, 2023.

Recognising that the weight of school bags is not solely attributed to textbooks, the committee proposed a school-level check on the weight of each childs bag. Schools are urged to ensure that only subject textbooks and notebooks are carried, with additional measures suggested for managing other materials in a separate rough notebook.

In terms of financial implications, the Karnataka Textbooks Society (KTBS) printed a total of 566 titles and 6,39,83,899 textbooks for Rs 323,31,93,175 in the academic year 2023-24. Following the new recommendation, textbooks for SA-1 and SA-2 will be printed separately, with an estimated cost of Rs 8,45,72,950 for the additional titles.

This initiative not only addresses the physical strain on students but also emphasises a more organised and efficient learning system for the benefit of the educational community in Karnataka.
The Higher Education Department, Odisha recently published the holiday list for degree colleges in the state for the year 2024. The state has over 1,000 degree-granting institutions, including government and aided colleges. There are also teacher education institutions (TEIs) in the state. In these colleges, approximately two lakh students are currently pursuing their education. According to the holiday schedule, summer vacation will begin on May 4, 2024, and will last until June 17, 2024.

The calendar encompasses regional celebrations like Durga Puja and Raja Sankranti along with all the major national holidays like Republic Day and Independence Day. Furthermore, all of the significant Odisha festivals, including the Rath Yatra and Konark Dance Festival, are also listed on the calendar.

In 2024, there will be a total of 72 days holiday for these degree-granting institutions. Beginning on New Years Day, the holidays will last until December 25, when the Christmas holiday falls. For students and college staff, the list consists of eight Mondays and two Saturdays that provide them with consecutive holidays and weekends.

In the upcoming year, the education department will offer 38 days off for summer vacations. Additionally, a six-day Durga Puja holiday will be offered from October 10, 2024 to October 16, 2024. There are 26 other one-day holidays, such as Republic Day and Independence Day, in addition to these.

The government has also listed two local holidays in 2024, out of the total of 72 holidays. Taking into account local needs, the respective college principals will announce the two local holidays, if needed. Local holidays declared by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) are not applicable to the colleges. However, the principals may choose any two of the local holidays declared by RDCs, Rajata Kumar Mansingh, Deputy Director of the Higher Education Department said, as quoted by Times of India (TOI).

The higher education department stated in a letter to the principals of the degree colleges and TEIs that in order to promote uniformity in holiday observance, all of these colleges operating under the department must closely adhere to a common holiday list. The department stated that the government may make last-minute changes to this list, which is only provisional, reports add.

Earlier in November, the Odisha government released the lists of holidays as well as optional holidays for its government employees in the 2024 calendar year.
Keen to cash in on its electoral success, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wants to go it alone in Punjab for next years Lok Sabha polls and not have an alliance with the Congress, its coalition partner in the INDIA opposition bloc.

The AAP stormed to power in Punjab with a landslide victory in the state polls, bagging 92 seats in the 117-member Assembly and trouncing the Congress that managed to win 18 seats.

Sources in the opposition camp said the Congress too is keen to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab without any alliance with the AAP as it hopes to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024. Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha seats. At a meeting of the INDIA bloc on Tuesday, the leaders of 28 opposition parties agreed to finalise the seat-sharing arrangements for the Lok Sabha polls by mid-January to jointly take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is ruling at the Centre since 2014.

In Delhi, where the AAP won a third term in office in 2020, winning 62 seats in the 70-member Assembly, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal is ready for an alliance with the Congress. The sources said the AAP is ready to leave three of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital for the Congress.

The opposition camp believes that the Congress and the AAP have better chances of winning a majority of the Lok Sabha seats in the national capital as a team, instead of going it alone and making it a triangular contest. The BJP won all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. In 2019, the combined votes of the Congress and AAP were much less than the BJP candidates.

The discussion on seat sharing in Punjab and Delhi is expected to take place after December 30, when Kejriwal returns from a Vipassana course. In November, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had expressed confidence that the AAP will win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Kejriwal was also present on the occasion. I am not talking about paid surveys. I talk to people in villages and cities  shopkeepers, labourers and traders. I am saying that the result in the Lok Sabha polls will be 13-0 in favour of the AAP, Mann had said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hoped that the problem of Delhi and Punjab will be solved eventually. West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab and Delhi continue to be sticking points among the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) as none of the stakeholders is ready to give in, the sources said.

In Punjab, the Congress won eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 while the AAP managed to win just one and the SAD-BJP alliance four. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the AAP won four seats, the Congress two, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) four and the BJP two.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Participants in the extraordinary congress of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC) published a statement supporting Ilham Aliyev's candidacy in the country's impending early presidential election, which will be conducted in February next year, Trend reports.

According to the statement, the efficiency of trade union activities is heavily reliant on the rule of law, socioeconomic advancement, stability, ensuring democracy, human rights, and civil society development.

Furthermore, the statement recognized the contributions of national leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev's policies to Azerbaijan's great accomplishments in the aforementioned sectors.

Independent Azerbaijan is in reliable hands, and the country has never been as strong throughout its history. It refers to the Azerbaijan that the great leader Heydar Aliyev dreamed of, the statement said.

"We encourage every Azerbaijani citizen to fully participate in these elections, which are being held for the first time under the complete guarantee of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. We urge you to vote on election day and to be a part of this beautiful historical process," the statement concluded.
Social media queen of the Telly industry Surbhi Chandna needs no introduction. The actress rose to fame after appearing on the Star Plus series Ishqbaaz and since then, she has been grabbing eyeballs with her acting prowess. Currently, the diva is in the spotlight after rumour mills are abuzz that the actress is dating businessman Karan Sharma. The rumoured couple has been photographed together time and again at various locations, giving fans perfect couple goals. Recently, the duo was spotted together as they jetted off in style at the Mumbai airport.

Reports suggest that Surbhi Chandna and Karan Sharma headed off to Vadodara, Gujarat for Ishqbaaz co-star Shrenu Parikhs wedding. However, some media outlets claim that the couple flew off to ring in the new year together.

The lovebirds stepped out of the car sporting a casual look for the journey. The Nagin actress looked stylish in a beige top teamed with brown leather pants and a pink trench coat. She finished her look with thigh-high boots, a light-yellow backpack, and modish glares. Surbhi Chandnas outfit, accessories and the makeup she wore are all on point.

On the other hand, her beau kept it casual in a black tee matched with blue baggy denims and a stylish pair of white sneakers. Karan looked dapper in messy hair. To round off his outfit, he carried a black backpack and donned a chic yellow wristwatch.

Have a sneak peek of the couples airport look:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varinder Chawla (@varindertchawla)

For those unversed, Surbhi Chandnas co-star Shrenu Parikh was allegedly to tie knot with Akshay Mhatre on December 20. The news about their marriage came after Shrenu Parikh and Akshay Mhatre shared a collaborative post on their Instagram handles on Monday, November 6. The photo featured the soon-to-be-married couple holding hands. Sharing the pictures, the actress hinted to her fans about their upcoming December wedding, she wrote, Gaana stale hai par feelings fresh hai! TWO #45daystogo.

On the professional front, Surbhi Chandna has starred in notable serials like Qubool Hai, Ishqbaaz, Sanjivani, and Naagin 5. The 33-year-old is currently portraying the role of a young and independent mother in the romantic comedy television show Sherdil Shergill, opposite television heartthrob Dheeraj Dhoopar. Sherdil Shergill airs on the television channel Colors TV.

Not so long ago, the talented actress shared the screen space with Arjun Bijlani in the music video Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar, crooned by Yaseer Desai.
Dunki, the film starring Shah Rukh Khan to be released on December 21, is based on the donkey route, a popular but illegal immigration technique used to enter countries like the United States, UK and Canada.

The Raj Kumar Hiranis movie, also starring Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, and Boman Irani, depict people driven by the promise of better life, opportunities and living standards take the difficult route to settle in the first world countries.

The donkey route taken by youngsters in Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat involves a lot of risks as they have to go days without any food, traversing through forests, rivers and on seas avoiding authorities. The illegal route, despite the threats and often undesired ends, is popular among youths, who want to go for better life and pursuing the American Dream.

Shah Rukh Khan, at a recent event in Dubai, explaining the meaning of the title said, Dunki is an illegal trip a lot of people take to get out of their country across borders all over the world. It is called the Donkey travels.

What is the Donkey Route?

Dunki, a regional pronunciation of donkey, originated from a Punjabi idiom that means hopping from one place to another. It is a dangerous immigration route taken by several lakhs of Indians to reach countries like the US, the UK or Europe.

ALSO READ | How Growing Number of Indians are Entering the US Illegally and What is Driving Them

According to data compiled by US Customs and Border Protection, around 42,000 migrants from India have crossed the southern border illegally between October 2022 to September 2023. Since November 2022, around 97,000 Indians have tried to enter the US illegally and arrested by the American authorities.

While youngsters from Punjab head mostly to Canada, youths from Haryana have the US as their prime destination.

The illegal path proves costly not just in terms of the risks involved but also financially. A donkey trip to the US cost anywhere between Rs 15-40 lakhs and can go as high as Rs 70 lakh. The higher the money, the lesser the troublesome journey. It is about Rs 15 lakh for Portugal, Rs 25 lakh for Germany, and Rs 45 lakh for the US.

First Leg of Donkey Route

The first step in the most popular donkey route from India is to reach a Latin American country like Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. The reason behind choosing a Latin American country for transit is that reaching these countries is easier for Indians, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Not only do these countries provide visa on arrival for Indians, those requiring the pre-arrival visas easily give tourist visas to Indians. Also, the agents that manage the illegal migration are based in these countries where they have links for illegal trafficking.

Alternate Route: In some cases, the agents arrange a direct visa for Mexico from Dubai. But directly landing in Mexico is considered dangerous as there is fear of arrest by local authorities. So, most agents land their clients in a Latin American country and then take them to Colombia.

Crossing Panamas forest

After arriving in Colombia, the migrants enter Panama, where the route involves crossing the Darien Gap, a dangerous forest between the two countries. The risks include lack of clean water, wild animals and criminal gangs which can lead to robbery and even rape, the report said.

In one of the reported cases, Jitendra and his group from Haryana were robbed of their money, phones and even their clothes and shoes while crossing the forest. They had to trek in the cold and snow barefoot.

The journey takes eight to ten days and if something goes bad or a migrant die, then there is no way to send the body back home.

There is an alternate safer route from Colombia where migrants avoid the dangerous forests of Panama. The route starts from San Andres where fishing boats with illegal migrants go to Fishermans Cay, around 150 kilometres from San Andres, and then transferred onto another boat to move forward to Mexico, according to the report.

Entering Mexico

From Panama, the migrant head to Mexico for entering the US border and Guatemala is a big coordination centre on this route.

Mexico is a critical path on the entire journey as it involves hiding from government agencies. The 3,140-km border separating the US and Mexico has fencing, which the migrants have to jump across. Many others cross the dangerous Rio Grande River. However, more migrants are detained after crossing the border rather than while crossing the fence or entering by sea.

Route Through Europe

Many migrants also chose Europe instead of transiting through a Latin American country. Though it is easier to go through Europe to Mexico, but the route is under the lens of the authorities.

Despite the odds and the dangerous route, the Dunki method is the most popular method of illegal immigration in Punjab and Haryana, and has expanded to Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

The donkey route are offered to people by a vast network of visa agencies operating in the Punjab region with varying degrees of legality. These agencies often breaking rules, exploiting any legal loopholes or having links with criminal smuggling networks across Europe operate across several Indian states.

Karni Chiefs Shooter Used Dunki Way

In the recent sensational murder case of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, which led to protests in Rajasthan, MP and other states, mastermind Rohit Godara used the Dunki method to escape to the US.

Godara, a resident of Bikaners Lunakaran, believed to have escaped using the donkey route to the US before entering Canada. A history sheeter, Godara has over 32 cases registered against him at various police stations in India.
Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, India has been reporting a surge in Covid-19 cases, with 614 fresh infections in the last 24 hours. The latest Covid-19 numbers are the highest in a span of a 24-hour period in India since May 21 this year amid the spike in infections across the United States and China due to subvariant JN.1.

As per data of the Union Health Ministry, updated on Wednesday, active cases have increased to 2,311. The data, which was updated at 8 am, also showed that three Covid deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours from Kerala.

JN.1 Behind Covid-19 Uptick in India? Delta, Omicron & More Covid-19 Strains Detected So Far | Check List

Another New JN.1 Case Reported in India

In another new JN.1 case in India, a 41-year-old male in Maharashtras Sindhudurg contracted the JN.1 strain of Covid-19.

The first case of JN.1 was identified in a positive RT-PCR sample in Karakulam of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, on December 8, 2023.

Active Infections Count Doubled in 9 Days, 21 Cases of JN.1 Sub-variant Detected

As per a Times of India report, Indias active cases count for coronavirus doubled in the last nine days, jumping from 938, as recorded on December 11 to 1,970 on Tuesday.

NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday that as many as 21 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now.

Earlier, data released by INSACOG, a central government forum set up to study genome sequencing and virus variation of circulating strains of COVID-19 in India, said that as many as 20 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been found across the country. Among them, 18 were traced in Goa and one each was found in Kerala and Maharashtra.

Which States Are Reporting Covid Cases?

At present, there are 2041 active cases in Kerala, 79 in Karnataka, 77 in Tamil Nadu, 35 in Maharashtra, 23 in Goa, 20 in Puducherry, 12 in Gujarat, 9 in Telangana, 5 in Punjab, 4 in Delhi, 2 in Jharkhand, 2 in Madhya Pradesh, 1 in Uttar Pradesh, and 1 in Jammu and Kashmir.

2 More Covid-19 Deaths in Bengaluru

Two people died in Bengaluru due to Covid-19. A 44-year-old asymptomatic patient died on December 16 and a 76-year-ol man with influenza like symptom died on December 17.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for a meeting to assess preparedness to deal with any surge in Covid-19 cases. Technical Advisory Committee on Covid and other experts will also be present in the meeting on Thursday.

No Need to Panic: Union Health Minster Reviews Preparedness

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the preparedness of health facilities on Wednesday. He noted that the states were alert and had increased surveillance.

Mandaviya further assured the states of receiving all support from the Centre. We need to be on the alert but there is no need to panic, he said.

The minister also stressed the importance of being prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people.

Centre Releases Advisory for States

Following the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant of viral infection in Kerala, the Health Ministry has sent an advisory to all the states and Union Territory. The advisory highlighted the need for constant monitoring of the situation.

Considering the upcoming festive season, states were advised to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk of increase in transmission of the disease by adherence to the maintenance of respiratory hygiene, the advisory read.

What is COVID-19S JN.1 VARIANT?

JN.1 variant is causing a surge in infections worldwide and raising alarm bells among health authorities. The JN.1 sub-variant was first identified in Luxembourg and has since spread to several countries.

JN.1 variant, a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86), came to the worlds attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins.

This variant has only one change to its spike protein compared with its ancestor, but that seems to have been enough to make it a fitter and faster virus, CNN reported.

JN.1 Classified As Variant of Interest by WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 strain of coronavirus as a variant of interest. The global health body however also noted that the variant did not pose much threat to public health.

As per a Reuters report, WHO said, Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low.

Symptoms To Look Out For

Similar to the previous Covid variants, the JN.1 variant also showcases certain common symptoms that one should look out for.

Here are common symptoms caused due to the infection caused by Covid variant JN.1:

Fever

Runny nose

Sore throat

Headache

Mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea

ALSO READ: JN.1 Covid Variant Symptoms Could Be More Noticeable Than Common Cold; Its a Vicious Cycle: Experts

In addition to this, experts have also warned against one more red flag sign to look out for the infection caused by JN.1. Breathlessness can be another risk factor associated with the variant for the elderly and persons who are immunocompromised.

(with inputs from PTI)
India reported a surge in Covid cases with 614 fresh infections detected in the last 24 hours which included cases of the new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1. As per the latest updated data of the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, active cases have increased to 2,311.

Earlier in the day, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul that as many as 21 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now. Out of these, 18 were traced in Goa and one each was found in Kerala and Maharashtra.

Covid -19 Subvariant JN.1.

Scientists in South Africa detected the new COVID-19 variant with a large number of mutations last month, blaming it for a surge in infection numbers.

The JN.1 sub-variant, a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86), was first identified in Luxembourg and has since spread to several countries.

This variant has only one change to its spike protein compared with its ancestor, but that seems to have been enough to make it a fitter and faster virus, CNN reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 strain of coronavirus as a variant of interest. According to a Reuters report, the global health body said, Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low.

Symptoms of JN.1 sub-variant

Fever

Runny nose

Sore throat

Headache

Abdominal pain and diarrhoea

Experts have also warned to look out for breathlessness, a sign associated with the variant for the elderly and persons who are immunocompromised.

Covid-19 Variants Detected in India and The World

Delta

Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was first identified in India. It spreads more easily than other variants and may cause more severe cases than the other variants. Delta variant caused the second and the most deadly COVID-19 wave in early 2021 as most of the population was unvaccinated.

Delta Plus

A mutation of the Delta variant, this variant is detected in dozens of countries. Most of the cases have occurred in the U.K. but even there, its only present in about 6% of the cases. In the US, it was found in less than 1% of cases.

Alpha

Found in late 2020, the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant is mutated on the spike protein, which helps the virus infect its host. According to experts, gene mutations were first found in COVID-19 cases seen in people in southeastern England. This variant has since been reported in various countries. US scientists estimate that these mutations could make the virus up to 70% more transmissible, meaning it could spread more easily.

Beta

This variant, found in other countries including South Africa and Nigeria, appears to spread more easily than the original virus but doesnt seem to cause worse illness.

Gamma

The Gamma variant ( (P.1)) was first detected in January 2021 by experts in people from Brazil who had travelled to Japan. It appeared to be more contagious than earlier strains of the virus

Lambda

The Lambda (C.37) variant was primarily detected in South American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. According to WHO, lambda has been associated with substantive rates of community transmission in multiple countries, with rising prevalence over time concurrent with increased COVID-19 incidence.

B.1.1.529

The new variant found in South Africa has not been named by the WHO yet. It goes by the scientific label B.1.1.529 and has been named as variant of concern by virologist Tulio de Oliveira, who said, the variant has a very high number of mutations.

Omicron

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 had caught the worlds attention at the beginning of 2022. In February 2022, the WHO had declared it a variant of concern. According to WHOs website, Omicron spreads significantly faster than the Delta variant in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time of 2-3 days.

JN.1

JN.1 sub-variant is a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86). As many as 21 cases of JN.1 sub-variant have been detected in India. The first case of JN.1 was identified in a positive RT-PCR sample in Karakulam of Thiruvananthapuram on December 8, 2023. The second case was found in a 41-year-old male from Maharashtras Sindhudurg.
A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus on Wednesday collided with a car in Delhis Karampura area, leaving one person critically injured.

The driver of the car suffered serious injuries in the incident, which took place early this morning. He has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Just a day ago, two men were killed and 12 others were injured when a dumper truck hit two vehicles and a handcart parked on the side of a road in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr.

The incident occured late on Monday evening near the Mahadev intersection in the region.

The injured persons were rushed to the community health centre from where they were referred to another hospital for better treatment.

In another case of road rage in the national capital, a man, after being hit by a bus, was forced to climb the bonnet of a minibus which dragged him for several metres late on Sunday.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, which took place on Ring Road.

Earlier last month, a speeding electric bus lost control and crashed into multiple cars and two wheelers in Delhis Rohini area leaving one person dead and another injured.

The incident, which took place near Vishram Chowk in Awantika, was captured on CCTV.

In the video, a DTC bus was seen hitting multiple vehicles including a car, an e-rickshaw, and a bike before dragging them.

Before coming to a stop, the bus also crashed into several scooters parked near the pavement.

According to police, a PCR call regarding the accident was received at South Rohini police station. Following this, police reached the spot to find that the 30-year-old injured person, who had been shifted to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, was declared dead.

The other person who sustained injuries in the accident is receiving treatment at the hospital.

In October, a bus rammed into a school van in southwest Delhi leaving at least seven school children and the driver of the van injured.

The injured were taken to a hospital, where the children were discharged after treatment for minor bruises. The van driver was also recovering in the hospital, police said.

The accident took place at Basantara Line near Kendriya Vidyalaya. The school bus belonged to St Thomas School in Dwarka and the Eeco van was carrying the children from Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 1.

All the kids were below the age of seven.

(With PTI inputs)
The countrys apex health regulatory agency, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has decided to ban the use of a popular anti-cold cocktail medicine combination among infants and children below four years of age, News18 has learnt.

Pharma firms manufacturing GlaxoSmithKlines T-Minic Oral Drops, Glenmarks Ascoril Flu Syrup, and IPCA Laboratories Solvin Cold Syrup, among others, have been asked by the regulator to insert a warning. Three paediatricians News18 reached out to say the use of this combination is rampant among children due to self-medication and self-prescription by parents.

The regulator, in a letter sent on December 18, has asked states and Union Territories to update the package insert of products made using a cocktail of two medicines  chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine.

The combination helps in relieving cold and flu symptoms, including watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and nasal or throat itching. While chlorpheniramine maleate functions as an anti-allergic, phenylephrine acts as a decongestant, narrowing small blood vessels to provide relief from nasal congestion or stuffiness.

Concerns Raised for Use Among Infants

While the combination, called fixed-dose combination, was already under scanner for being irrational, the government committee had approved it after finding reasonable evidence.

The FDC of Chlorpheniramine Maleate IP 2mg + Phenylephrine HCI IP 5mg drop per ml was declared as rational by Prof. Kokates committee and based on the recommendation of the committee, this office has issued No Objection Certificate (NOC) for continued manufacturing and marketing of subject FDC on 17.07.2015 under the 18 months policy decision, said the letter, seen by News18.

However, later, concerns were raised against the use of this combination among infants and children. Subsequently, concerns have been raised regarding the promotion of unapproved anti-cold drug formulations for infants, the letter said.

On June 6, the letter said the matter was deliberated in the Subject Expert Committee (Pulmonary).

The committee recommended that the FDC should not be used in children below four years of age and accordingly, the firms should mention a warning in this regard on label and package insert.

The recommendation of the SEC has been considered by this office, said the letter signed by the chief of CDSCO, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi.

Accordingly, Raghuvanshi asked the state and UT inspectors to direct all the manufacturers of the said FDC under your jurisdiction to mention the warning  FDC should not be used in children below 4 years of age on the label and package insert or promotional literature of the drug.

Other Countries Made Such Moves At Least a Decade Ago: Experts

According to paediatricians, developed nations such as the United States and the European Union banned such products for infants and kids almost a decade ago.

These FDCs are not evidence-based for infants and small kids and could be harmful if used unsupervised by parents, said a paediatrician working in a Delhi-based public hospital. As respiratory illness in a child leads to significant parental anxiety, these FDCs are rampantly used OTC.

Another doctor shared a study conducted in the United States which showed that their drug regulatory agency banned the use of cough and cold medicines in children younger than six years in 2007.

The US data showed that approximately 7,000 children are treated in emergency departments each year for secondary side effects of cough medications.

However, despite the warnings, a significant portion of caregivers in the US reported that they were still unaware of public warnings, potential side effects, and interactions with other medications.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has carried out raids at five locations in Srinagar as part of a probe into a multi-crore investment fraud, officials said on Wednesday. Electronic gadgets and documents were seized during the raids by the cyber wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday night, they said.

Inspired by the Hindi film Phir Hera Pheri, the fraudsters set up a company named Curative Survey in the Karan Nagar area and duped several people of at least Rs 59 crore under the pretext of doubling their investment within two weeks, officials said.

The officials, however, said the amount might increase as the investigation is still in progress.

Initially, the company made good on its promise which brought in more investors and the scheme was promoted by at least two local YouTubers adding to its popularity. Soon after, the owners of the company disappeared, officials said, adding that they found the Karan Nagar office locked.

One of the YouTubers, Idris Mir, said he could not be held responsible for the fraud as he had featured the company on his channel as a paid promotion.

It was not only me who did it. There are others as well. We have our own checks to see whether the company is a legal entity. Only then we promote the company. This company was in operation for nearly one year with branches in Jammu, Srinagar, Patton, and Sangrama. What was happening during all this time? he asked.
Amid a rapid rise in cases of Covid-19 in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday held a high-level review meeting on respiratory illnesses and the coronavirus upsurge. The meeting was held with Mandaviyas state counterparts and senior officers.

The health minister said that it is time to work together and closely, with a whole of government approach. We need to be alert, but there is no need to panic. Important to be prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people, he said.

Let us do mock drill in all hospitals once every three months. I assure all support of the Centre to states, Mandaviya added, saying that health is not an area of politics.

Union Health Ministers and Additional Chief/Principal Secretaries (Health) of all States/UTs and relevant Central Ministries/Departments on the preparedness of health facilities and services given the recent upsurge in respiratory illness such as Influenza Like Illness/Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (ILI/SARI) (including by Covid-19), said the sources.

Centres Advisory To States

Meanwhile, given the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, and the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant of viral infection in Kerala, the Health Ministry has sent an advisory to all the states and Union Territory, highlighting the need for maintaining a constant vigil over the situation.

Considering the upcoming festive season, states were advised to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk of increase in transmission of the disease by adherence to the maintenance of respiratory hygiene, the advisory read.

States Asked To Increase Testing

States were also asked to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for the revised surveillance strategy for Covid-19 as has been shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Union Health Ministry has also asked the states to ensure adequate Covid testing in all the districts as per guidelines and maintain the recommended share of RT-PCR and Antigen tests.

(With ANI Inputs)
Introduced in Parliament on December 12 after incorporating recommendations of a parliamentary committee, the three revised bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws were passed in the Lok Sabha by voice vote on Wednesday.

The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; the Code of Criminal Procedure Act (CrPC), 1898; and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. They were introduced by union home minister Amit Shah last week, but a discussion could not take place then due to the oppositions disruption over the Parliament security breach matter.

Replying to a debate on the bills in the lower house of Parliament, Shah said the existing criminal laws were reflective of the colonial mindset with the intention to punish and not impart justice.

The three new bills seek to establish a justice system based on Indian thinking The three proposed criminal laws will free people from colonial mindset and its symbols, he said before the bills were passed.

Heres all you need to know:

The Lok Sabha took up the three redrafted bills on Tuesday (December 19), with some MPs saying these will provide justice rather than punishment and others pointing to loopholes in the proposed legislations that they claimed will give discretionary powers to enforcement agencies. A 31-member parliamentary standing committee on home affairs headed by BJP MP Brij Lal had made several recommendations on the three bills, which were initially introduced in August, with dissent notes by opposition members. The central government had withdrawn those and introduced the redrafted bills earlier this month. During a debate in Parliament, former law minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said while there were 511 sections in the IPC, the corresponding new bill has 356. He said while 176 sections have been changed completely, eight new have been added. He also pointed out that 22 sections have been deleted. Some other members of the House, however, spoke about the loopholes in the clause dealing with sedition, which they said can provide discretionary powers to enforcement agencies in terms of interpretation. They said this needs to be looked into, especially with regard to the term separatist activities. This, they added, can be interpreted in several ways and used as a political tool to curb opposition parties who protest government policies. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is going to be the primary legislation governing criminal offences. While it preserves several sections of the IPC, excluded from consideration are specific violations that have been invalidated or modified by judicial rulings. These include acts of adultery and same sex intercourse. According to the provisions of the new legislation, search and seizure operations will now be videographed through electronic devices and, for the first time, the Centre has defined terrorism. Remissions have also been rationalised in the new legislation and a new provision added to include crime related to murder on the basis of race, caste, community for which a provision of minimum seven years imprisonment or life imprisonment or death penalty has been made. Certain colonial words have been removed, especially those in rampant use even after independence. These words include Parliament of the United Kingdom, Provincial Act, London Gazette, jury, barrister, Lahore, Commonwealth, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Her Majestys Government, Possession of the British Crown, Court of Justice in England, Her Majestys Dominions among others. A total of 18 states, six union territories, the Supreme Court, 16 high courts, five judicial academies, and 22 law universities sent their suggestions. At least 142 MPs, IPS officers as well as state and central forces also sent in suggestions. The Centre has also claimed that electronic and digital records, email, server logs and documents available on the computer, smartphones or laptop messages, website, and locational evidence, will be used to meet the challenges. Mail messages will be available on digital devices, FIR to case diary, case diary to chargesheet judgment will be digitised. Issuances and servicing of summons as well as warrants and their execution will also be digital. For the examination of the complainant and witnesses, a register shall be maintained by all police stations and courts containing email addresses, phone numbers or other similar details, while summons will be duly sent by electronic means.

Why the bills were introduced

According to officials of the ministry of home affairs, there is a colonial imprint on the criminal law process in India. This is due to British laws enacted 160 years ago, which were intended to protect the interests of the British and their government in London, they added. Officials further said sedition and protection of treasury got precedence over murder and crime against women, as the aim was to make British rule paramount rather than safeguard human rights.

They added that complex procedures in the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act have led to high pendency of cases in courts; inordinate delay in the delivery of justice; poor and socio-economically backward communities being deprived of justice; low conviction rates; overcrowding in prisons; and a large number of undertrial prisoners.

Not the first time

This is not the first time the Centre took up the case for reforms in the criminal justice system. Previous governments, too, received recommendations. The Law Commission of India has recommended amendments in different reports with the Bezbaruah Committee, Viswanathan Committee, Malimath Committee, Madhav Menon Committee recommending reforms. The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs in its 146th report in 2010, 128th report in 2006 and 111th report in 2005, called for reforms.

However, initiated by the home ministry, the reform process finally began in 2019. The union home minister wrote a letter to all governors, chief ministers, lieutenant governors or administrators in September 2019. In January 2020, suggestions were sought from the Chief Justice of India, chief justices of all high courts, bar councils and law universities.

In December 2021, suggestions were sought from MPs, while the Bureau of Police Research and Development sought suggestions from all IPS officers. A committee was set up under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor of the National Law University Delhi.
Two persons of a family who returned to their hometown Indore from Maldives were found to be infected with coronavirus and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain the variant, said a health official on Wednesday. The cases were reported in Madhya Pradeshs financial capital amid an uptick in the viral infection in some states with the arrival of the new JN.1 variant of COVID-19 in the country.

Dr Amit Malakar, nodal officer of the Indore district unit of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said the viral disease was contracted by a 33-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man. He said that the woman was found infected with coronavirus on December 13 and has since completed the seven days of home isolation, while the mans infection was detected on December 18. Malakar said that the man is still in home isolation.

Both the patients are close relatives and had returned from a trip to Maldives a few days ago. Symptoms of cold and cough were found in them. The condition of both is fine, he said. Malakar said that samples of both patients have been sent to Bhopals All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a full genome sequencing test to ascertain the variant of coronavirus that infected them.

The first case of the new JN.1 variant of COVID-19 in the country was reported in Kerala on December 8. The Centre has asked the general public to follow precautionary measures in view of the expected crowding in closed spaces, especially during the cold weather and New Year celebrations. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav earlier said that his government has implemented guidelines issued by the Centre in connection with the new variant of COVID-19.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Water resources protection is strategic for Azerbaijan, as it is for many countries, said Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov during a meeting with Vice President of the Republic of Turkiye Cevdet Yilmaz, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

In this regard, the importance of collaboration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan in the protection and effective use of water resources in the Araz and Kur river basins was stressed.

The meeting noted with satisfaction the active engagement of Turkish enterprises in the current rehabilitation and building operations in Karabakh and East Zangezur.

The parties also discussed issues concerning the strengthening of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in agriculture, humanitarian, educational, and tourist sectors, among others.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Mumbai Police on Wednesday issued regular preventive orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in all areas of its jurisdiction till January 18, 2024. This has been done to curb terrorist and anti-national elements making use of objects such as drones and paragliders, officials said.

Regular preventive orders issued under CrPC section 144 in all areas under the jurisdiction of Mumbai Police from 20th December 2023 to 18th January 2024. pic.twitter.com/55Gs4fPS54 ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

The order comes days ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations next week, which draw large crowds across the city and from outside. According to the order, it is likely that terrorist or anti-national elements might make use of drones, remote-controlled micro light aircraft, paragliders to target VVIPs and endanger the life of the public at large, destroy public property and disturb law and order in the metropolis.

Police said the order puts a ban on the flying of these objects except for aerial surveillance by cops or under specific permission in writing by the deputy commissioner of police (operations). While the prohibitory orders are in place for 30 days, these flying objects cannot be used over the city, police added.
Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that the new criminal bills are a threat to the civil liberty and rights of the people as they give sweeping powers to the police to take action against anyone.

Participating in a debate on the three proposed criminal laws in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi said the legislations are against the common people of the country as their rights will be snatched away once they become laws.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three redrafted bills  the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB)  last week and the Lok Sabha on Tuesday took them up for a debate for their consideration and passage.

The proposed legislations seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.

Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said several provisions have been incorporated in the BNS which were very dangerous.

The provisions of the bills are a threat to the civil liberty and rights, he said, adding sweeping powers have been given to police to act as judge, jury and executor.

He claimed that the offence of sedition has been introduced in a different avatar in the proposed bills and the punishment has also been enhanced from three years to seven years. Owaisi also demanded that the offence of rape should be made gender-neutral.

He alleged that the proposed laws will be a threat to the countrys Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis and claimed that 30 per cent of prisoners across the country and 33 per cent of prisoners in Uttar Pradesh alone belong to the Muslim community.

Participating in the debate, BJP member Nishikant Dubey complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for taking the initiative to amend the countrys criminal laws after 163 years and said the legislations will have an effect on all 130 crore people of the country.

This bill will free the nation from police raj, he said. Dubey alleged that the Congress and its allies tried their best to stall the bills coming to Parliament.

He alleged that the opposition is now trying to divide the nation in the name of North and South besides Hindi and non-Hindi speaking people. Their opposition to the bills is wrong, he said.

Dubey also slammed the opposition parties for their stand that capital punishment should be abolished, saying the laws are made to scare people so that they do not indulge in any crime.

The three bills have been brought keeping in mind the Indian ethos and Indianness, he said.
All these MPs first created a ruckus in Parliament and they were suspended for it. Then how do they choose to entertain themselves? By mocking, by doing mimicry of our Vice President. Theyve not just insulted Dhankhar ji, they have insulted every family member of a farmer in this country, they have insulted every single Jat. They have personally insulted me. These are the people with a very elitist mindset. These are people who do not think its wrong to insult others so they can insult Sikhs when they like, they will insult OBCs, they will insult North Indians. They believe in this divide and rule and theyve not even bothered to apologize. Its shameful. Like we did not forget the Sanatana jibe, we are not going to forget this insult. The country will remember it and we will respond with votes, said BJP spokesperson Charu Pragya.

(With ANI inputs)
In a first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to allegations of an Indian assassination plot in the US to eliminate Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, saying he will look into any evidence but US-India ties would not be derailed by a few incidents.

In an exclusive interview to Financial Times, PM Modi said: If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

US has charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew G Olsen has said. US authorities said Gupta agreed to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill the Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.

India designated Pannun a terrorist in 2020, a charge he has consistently denied.

Noting that India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas, the prime minister said: These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

Despite buzz that the alleged assassination plot had caused friction in India-US ties, PM Modi said: There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership. Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership. He added, I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Court documents state that earlier this year, an Indian government employee (CC-1), working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City (the victim).

The press release states that Gupta is an associate of CC-1 and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1 and others.

CC-1 is an Indian government agency employee, who has variously described himself as a senior field officer with responsibilities in security management and intelligence, and who also has referenced previously serving in Central Reserve Police Force and receiving officer[] training in battle craft and weapons, states the press release.

Indias foreign ministry had earlier announced that New Delhi had set up a high-level committee to investigate the US allegations and would take necessary follow-up action.

The New York indictment in November came close on the heels of a statement in September by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau that his country was investigating if agents of New Delhi were behind the June killing of another Khalistani leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia. Hitting back at the allegations, India described the claim as absurd and responded by forcing 41 Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
As many as ten lives were claimed in the unprecedented rains in southern Tamil Nadu, while several other individuals were left stranded for days.

Meanwhile, all the 800 passengers who were stuck in Srivaikuntam for more than 40 hours were rescued by the disaster response forces, Air Force and other agencies engaged in the operations.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night and gave a request petition to declare the damage caused by the Michaung storm and the heavy downpour in the southern districts as a national calamity. His petition also requested for provision of disaster relief fund.

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An inter-ministerial central team is expected to visit Tamil Nadu on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by incessant rains and flooding in the state over the last two days.

Kayalpattinam  a municipality in Tuticorin  received the highest amount of 1,192 mm of rains in two days while Tiruchendur received 916 mm.

CM Stalin, who will reach Madurai on Wednesday night, is likely to visit the flood-hit regions  including Tuticorin  tomorrow.

The Southern Railway has cancelled nearly 19 trains due to waterlogging in the rain affected regions on Wednesday, while rain traffic through Tirunelveli came back to normalcy after the Tirunelveli yard was declared for train movement.

Ten people have died in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts in rain-related incidents, while some lost their lives due to wall collapse, and some due to electrocution.

All the 800 passengers, who were stuck in Srivaikuntam, have been rescued and special trains have been arranged for them.

TN Governor RN Ravi chaired a separate meeting with central agencies and armed forces to review the measures taken in flood affected areas.

No official from the state government attended the meeting, though a request was sent to the Chief Secretary to send a representative to the meeting.

Chief Minister MK Stalin met with PM Modi on Tuesday night and put in a request petition to declare the damage caused by rains and Michaung storm as a natural calamity.

Stalin said that the damage caused by the incessant rains has not been witnessed by the state in history of 100 years.

The CM said that Rs 2,000 crore from the DRF needs to be given for livelihood assistance of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi districts.

Although there was a brief respite from rainfall yesterday, Disaster Response Forces, Air Force, Army, and Navy are engaged in rescue operations in the rain-hit districts.

An Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) with an on-board helicopter is monitoring coastal areas, particularly Tuticorin, prepared to respond to emergencies at sea and shore locations.

Naval aircraft and helicopters are transporting relief material, with the Indian Air Force deploying its Medium Lift Helicopters (MLS), Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), and Dhruv for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts.

Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said that nearly 1,343 personnel from Central and state government agencies including the Navy, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF were involved in the rescue and relief operation across the states southern districts.

Till now, 160 relief camps have been set up and about 17,000 people have been accommodated in these camps. About 34,000 food packets have been supplied to these people, the chief secretary said.

Total nine helicopters were involved in relief work so far. CM Stalin noted that there is a possibility of one more helicopter to join the rescue operations.

Officials said that as many as 133 mobile medical teams have been kept ready to provide essential healthcare services including examination of people rescued from flood-hit regions.

(With PTI inputs)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first response to US allegations of a plot to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.

In an exclusive interview with the Financial Times, the prime minister added: These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

India has consistently tried to draw the worlds attention towards extremist groups, much to the chagrin of Western powers. The most recent fallout was the India-Canada diplomatic row that erupted after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau hinted at the potential involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

While India rejected Trudeaus allegations as absurd and motivated, the prime minister said his decision to make allegations in public was intended to put a chill on India from repeating a similar action.

India was caught in a similar bind with regards to the United States as it was revealed that the US has charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. US authorities said Gupta agreed to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun living in New York City.

In his first response to the allegations, PM Modi on Wednesday said: If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

However, he denied that the charges would lead to a diplomatic flare-up like in the case of Canada.

There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership. Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership. He added, I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Indias foreign ministry had earlier announced that New Delhi had set up a high-level committee to investigate the US allegations and would take necessary follow-up action.

PANNUN: INDIAS HEADACHE

US-based Khalistani separatist and chief of the proscribed organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been on the radar of Indian agencies.

In his latest hate speech, Pannun asked whether PM Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval have 24/7 security blanket. Calling them the axis of evil, Pannun threatened they should be ready to face consequences and mentioned the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada the firing of the first bullet by India. Marking 180 days since Nijjars murder, Pannun boasted about the show of violence by Khalistani sympathisers in Vancouver.

New Delhi has also repeatedly flagged threats by Khalistani elements and violent demonstrations against India on its soil to Canadian authorities, but to no avail. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said earlier that India has taken up with the US and Canada the recent threats made against India by Pannun.

Last month, Pannun had released a video threatening passengers of Air India flights on November 19. He had also issued threats to attack Indias Parliament in response to an alleged failed murder plot to kill him.

In a video featuring a poster of the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru with the caption Delhi Banega Khalistan, Pannun said he would respond to the failed conspiracy by Indian agencies to kill him by attacking the Parliament on or before December 13.

My Response on 13 December Will Be In Contrast To 2001 Afzal Gurus Resistance Against Extrajudicial Killings of Kashmiris But is going to Still SHAKE the very foundations of Indias Parliament. Delhi BanayGa Khalista, Pannun said.

Earlier, rejecting the Indian governments decision to label him a terrorist, Pannun said: We are the ones who are fighting Indias violence with words. We are fighting Indias bullets with the ballot. They are giving money, hundreds of thousands, to kill me. Let the world decide who is a terrorist and who isnt.

US, CANADA SILENT ON THREAT?

On the issue of Gupta, a senior Intelligence official told CNN-News18 that the arrest was meaningless. Americans are suddenly trying to connect this to a government role. We have been sharing evidence against Pannun with US. Their response to the evidence should have been quicker. They keep mum when he threatens the Indian Prime Minister, the External Affairs Minister and the National Security Advisor on a daily basis.

According to a report in the Financial Times, the US, Canada and allies shared details as part of being in the intelligence-sharing network Five Eyes. The Nijjar killing and the Pannun assassination plot have sparked concerns about a possible pattern of behaviour on Delhis part.

Washington shared details of the Pannun case with a wider group of allies after Trudeau went public with details of the Vancouver killing, the combination of which sparked concern among allies about a possible pattern of behaviour, the report stated.

Pannun, who is a dual citizen of the US and Canada, is the self-proclaimed general counsel of unlawful association Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He has been under the NIAs lens since 2019, when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him.

Pannun was listed as an individual terrorist by the ministry of home affairs on July 1, 2020, a year after the Centre banned the SFJ.

When it comes to Canada, New Delhi has raised strong concerns about the continuous anti-India activities perpetrated by Khalistani separatist groups in Canada.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit, PM Modi pointed out to Trudeau that in recent years, Khalistani separatists have used Canadian soil to promote secessionism, the ministry of external affairs said in a press release. PM Modi told Trudeau that these Khalistani extremists have incited violence against Indian diplomats, damaged diplomatic premises and threatened the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship.

Earlier in July, India summoned the Canadian envoy and issued a demarche over the increasing activities by pro-Khalistani elements in Canada. The action was taken after the separatists, who are known to have connections with Pakistans secret services, released some posters with names of certain Indian diplomats.

The nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats, the Prime Minister told his Canadian counterpart, according to the press release.

At least half a dozen cases have been reported from Canada where Khalistani separatists have vandalised temples in the nation by spraying anti-India graffiti and threatening to harm worshippers who visit those places and in certain cases these separatist groups have also attacked Canadian Indians, members of the Indian community and Sikhs who do not subscribe to their ideology.

India has repeatedly claimed that Canada is a safe haven for terrorists and criminals. The NIA has released a list of 43 individuals, some of whom are suspected of being linked to a gangster network operating from Canada. India has handed over dossiers to Canada multiple times, but no action has been taken against these groups. Citizens now allege that Canada is bearing the brunt of not taking action against these groups and criminals.
From zero-waste fabric to papier mache and coconut shells, dazzle your homes with unconventional ornaments this festive season. Heres a list of brands designing unique ornaments you can choose from this festive season to enhance your Christmas tree.

Rouka By Sreejith Jeevan

An integral part of the #everyinchoffabric initiative, Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan has created handmade Christmas decor. An annual effort to create repurposed ornaments to add festive cheer to the holiday season, the decor features an array of cotton fabric pieces featuring applique and embroidered details. In shades of festive colours red, green and gold, you can find unique shapes such as Giraffes Merry Meadow, Santas Elephant, Jingle Bells, Christmas Wings, Tropical Christmas, Mistletoe Magic and Christmastide, among others.

House of Ekam

Sustainable and crafted from the finest material, these handmade zero-waste ornaments and whimsical paper mache trinkets are the perfect way to decorate your Christmas tree. With every collection at House of Ekam, the brand strives to be eco-conscious and create unique products for every occasion. The Christmas trinkets are specially made with wood and paper mache and then hand-painted in varied festive motifs by master artisans in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Okhai

Ditch plastic decor and spruce up your Christmas tree with ornaments hand-embroidered on cotton. Made with love by the artisans from Mithapur, Gujarat, Okhai celebrates their craftsmanship in one-of-a-kind motifs. Hang the red and white bauble-shaped hanging, intricately embroidered or pick the adorable trinket decorated with hand-embroidered mirrors on both sides. Easily washable, these ornaments are eco-friendly and can be reused next season too.

Thenga Coco

Thenga Coco is a brand of creative artefacts made from discarded coconut shells. Keeping the design language simple, the Christmas ornaments are designed to bring a touch of rustic charm and eco-friendly elegance to your festive celebrations. Pick from the coconut shell Christmas hanging decorations such as the reindeer, tree and snowflake.

Forest of Chintz

With a splash of colour, prints and exquisite bead work inspired by traditional African jewellery, the tree baubles from Forest of Chintz will grab everyones attention at your Christmas party. Every bauble tells a story of vibrancy, tradition and unparalleled craftsmanship. The brands curated gift guide gives every tree at home a little something to add warmth and an eccentric speck of fashion forward and unconventional to the festive season.

Asone Embroidery

Keeping it simple and stylish, Asone Embroiderys handmade ornaments are like a warm hug on a cold winter night. Crafted in shades of forest green, smoke blue, warm brown, ivory and grey, the minimal thread work and beadwork embroidered on felt enhance the ornament. Hang them on your tree and watch these 3D felt ornaments brighten up your decor with elan.

Nestasia

Nestasia celebrates the joy of Christmas with a hanging decor set featuring two ornaments adorned with Nareli bead decorations and cotton thread tassels. The ornaments come with durable looks that are easy to integrate into your homes Christmas decorations.

The India Craft House

These exquisite items from the India Craft House have been hand-painted by Kashmiri artists, drawing inspiration from their beautiful legacy of art. The papier mache art form, originally from Persia, was initiated in Kashmir with the art of paper making and writing in the 15th century, during the reign of Badshah Zain-ul-Abedin in Kashmir. The art now manifests itself on cloth, stone, wood and metal, apart from moulded paper pulp. This beautiful art form has been adapted to create these exquisite items of beauty and utility.

Ikka Dukka

Intricately beaded and designed to match the festive fervour, the gold thread and hand plaid Christmas ornament by Ikka Dukka is one of a kind. The Christmas tree motif is versatile and chic and can be used as standalone decor this holiday season. The brand also consists of miniature animals and palm trees that will bring vibrance and merry to your celebrations.

Kakolis Corner

Kakolis Corner is all about craftsmanship, and we couldnt help but notice the stunning crochet Christmas tree star ornament. Featuring a miniature star design adored with intricate crochet detail, the ornament comes in vibrant and festive shades of ivory, blue and pink. It can be hung on a Christmas tree, used as a decorative accent in wreaths or garlands, or even attached to gift packages for an extra special touch.
Ankita Lokhande is often seen mentioning Sushant Singh Rajput in the Bigg Boss 17 house. In the recent episode too, she talked about her breakup with SSR and revealed why she had not informed anyone about it for a long time. Ankita and Sushant met on the sets of Pavitra Rishta and fell in love with each other. Sushant passed away in June 2020.

Bahut baar banda batata nahi hai breakup ke baare main kyunki ussko lagta hai ki shayad wapas relationship thik hojaye. Ek hope rehti hai yaar. I remember jab mera breakup hua tha toh for 2 years I didnt really want anyone to know about it. Phir later when I got into a relationship with Vicky toh everyone trolled him badly but ussne mera bahut sath diya, itna koi deta nahi hai, Ankita said in the recent Bigg Boss 17 episode as quoted by E-Times.

Ankita further argued that she was hoping for Sushant to come back after they broke up. I had hopes of Sushant returning back as our relationship was of 7 years. I had hoped he would return home and hence I didnt tell anyone. I was staying in a home which had photos of us all over. When I met Vicky I didnt know what it would lead to but he supported me a lot, she added.

The former Pavitra Rishta actress also mentioned that when she started dating her now husband Vicky Jain, the latter was brutally trolled on social media. He faced a lot because of me and proved himself. Not everyone can take all that, especially after Sushants death, people questioned us. When Sushant and I broke up, I waited for him for two and a half years and post that I moved on in my life. I used to feel what wrong did I do? When Vicky walked into my life, he handled me with so much love. Vicky never questioned about anything, she said.

Ankita Lokhande often talks about Sushant in Bigg Boss 17. In one of the previous episodes, she remembered the late actor when she also revealed why she could not attend his funeral. Mei toh uske funeral pe bhi nahi gayi thi. Mei jaa hi nahi paayi. Muje laga mei nahi dekh sakti yeh. Mei yeh dekh hi nahi sakti (I did not even go to the funeral. I couldnt go. I thought I wouldnt be able to see this), Ankita told Munawar.
Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora announced their separation on March 2016 and officially got divorced on May 11, 2017 nineteen years after they tied the knot in 1998. Speculations of him dating Giorgia Andriani surfaced a few months later when pictures of them feeding each other cake on the latters birthday went viral. Eventually, Arbaaz confirmed his relationship with her in 2019.

There were rumours that the couple had broken up last year but they had kept mum regarding the speculations. After a considerable period, Arbaaz and Giorgia were seen happy in each others company, at an IPL match between Kings XI Punjab versus Gujarat Titans alongside Preity Zinta in Mohali in April 2023. However, the former lovebirds have definitely parted ways and Georgia confirmed the same in a recent interview. She said, We were friends, we were like best friends. I will always have feelings for him. I will always do. But she also added that both Arbaaz and her knew that it wouldnt last forever.

And now, News18 Showsha has exclusively learnt that Arbaaz has found love again. He has been dating Shura Khan, a Bollywood make-up artist. In fact, Arbaaz and Shura are all set to tie the knot soon. A source tells us, Arbaaz and Shura are extremely serious about their relationship and will get hitched very soon. Its supposed to be an intimate affair with family and a few close friends.

The source further tells us that Arbaaz and Shura met on the sets of his upcoming film, Patna Shukla, which might release next year. Going by Shuras Instagram, she works as Raveena Tandon and her daughter, Rasha Thadanis make-up artist. We reached out to Arbaazs team regarding the same but they remained unavailable for a comment.
Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav who was earlier mired in a snake venom case controversy was recently spotted at Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir. The social media influencer visited the temple with his close friend and casting director Raghav Sharma.

In early November, it was reported that raids were conducted in Noida Sector 49 and five cobra snakes were recovered from the raid. It was revealed that nine other snakes were also rescued in the raid while snake venom was also found at the spot. In the investigations that followed the people who were arrested had taken the name of Elvish Yadav.

Elvish, along with five others, was charged last week based on a complaint from BJP MP Maneka Gandhis NGO, People for Animals (PFA), accusing him of providing snake venom at gatherings. He underwent questioning in connection with the case last week. The remaining individuals accused, including Rahul Yadav, are Teetunath (45), Jaikaran (50), Narayan (50), and Ravinath (45), all residing in Delhis Badarpur. They were all apprehended on November 2.

Elvish Yadav issued a video clarification on the matter. Taking to social media, he said that the rumours are baseless and devoid of proof. Maine subah utha aur dekha kaise kaise news phail rahi hai mere khilaaf media mein. Jitne arop mere upar lage hai sab bebuniyad hai, fake hai aur ek percent bhi mein sachhai hai nehi hai, he said and further revealed that he would file a defamation case against Maneka Gandhi.

He has also entered the Googles Most Searched Person 2023 list. The list is topped by the Bollywood actress Kiara Advani followed by Shubman Gill, Rachin Ravindra and Mohammed Shami. Elvish rules the fifth spot on the list. He has left behind Sidharth Malhotra and David Beckham among others on the list.

Elvish Yadav emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT 2 in August this year. He created history by becoming the first wildcard contestant to have won the show ever. Currently, Elvish is seen in the reality show Temptation Island India.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Russia is expecting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to visit St. Petersburg, Spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.

We proceed from the fact that Pashinyan will take advantage of the invitation of the president of Russia and arrive on December 25-26 in St. Petersburg to take part in the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and in the traditional pre-New Year meeting of the heads of state of the CIS member states, she noted.

Zakharova pointed out that Russia's position on all aspects of the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization has been repeatedly and in detail stated by both the president and the foreign minister.

She emphasized that Russia is always ready to resolve all issues with Yerevan in a calm, professional and partnership manner.

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The makers of Sriram Raghavans film, Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, have dropped the trailer . Not long back, the makers announced that the film, originally set to release on December 8, 2023, has been postponed to January 12 of the following year. Watch the trailer here:

The trailer begins with a montage of various clips. On Christmas Eve, Katrina encounters Vijay Sethupathi and playfully questions whether he is single or if he discreetly removed his wedding ring upon seeing her. Soon, they head to her residence, and events take an unexpected turn. She requests him to stay, hinting that appearances can be deceiving. The narrative unfolds over the course of one night in what looks like an intriguing and suspenseful dark thriller.

The release schedule for Merry Christmas has undergone several changes. Initially planned for December 15, where it would have clashed with Dharma Productions Yodha starring Siddharth Malhotra, both films later rescheduled to December 8. Subsequently, Yodha was shifted from the December slot to March 15, 2024.

Katrina recently attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah and said that her next film, Merry Christmas, is the most challenging film of her career yet. She said that working with director Sriram Raghavan had been a goal of hers. Katrina also added that her character in the film needed some emotional and artistic investment from her. Katrina also spoke about working with Vijay Sethupathi and said that she found him to be phenomenal and expressed her admiration for watching him switch between Hindi and Tamil languages.

The film also stars Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, Tinnu Anand, Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kevin Jay Babu, Rajesh Williams, and Pari. Ashwini Kalsekar and Radhika Apte will also be seen in cameos in the film. Merry Christmas is produced by Ramesh Taurani, Jaya Taurani, Sanjay Routray and Kewal Garg.
Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatts mom Soni Razdan recollected the time when she couldnt afford 1st class tickets for them. The actress shared that she chose a first class ticket for herself, while her daughters flew in the economy class due to financial constraints. In a new interview she shared that her daughters had a middle class upbringing devoid of excess wealth and luxury.

While having a conversation with Rashmi Uchil for her book Raising Stars, Soni Razdan recollected one of her Dubai trips with daughters, Alia and Shaheen. She shared that they couldnt afford three business class tickets I told my children, I will travel first class, and you guys travel economy. They made a face, Soni recalled.

Her interview went viral, with netizens being quite amused with her statement. One of them took to the comments section and wrote, Why rich people sound so Its like they have zero idea what the outside world is like. Another one wrote, She shouldve also joined them in economy class. Money saved.

Remembering the past, the Pippa actress shared a story. On a flight, her daughters faced discomfort when the person in front reclined, but they didnt complain. she further explained why she wanted her kids to travel in economy class. Soni stressed on the fact that they hadnt earned enough to be worthy of a business class seat.

Recollecting their financial circumstances, Soni added that while they never had abundance, they managed everything. She shared that her kids were raised with good values, along with a middle class upbringing.

They lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a Maruti Zen, where she personally drove them to school.

Soni Razdan is an Indian-British actress and director. She has worked in the Indian film industry, primarily in Hindi films, and is known for her performances in both supporting and leading roles. Apart from acting, she has also directed a few films. She married Mahesh Bhatt back in April 1986.
Ram Charan, the popular actor, is currently engrossed in the shooting of his highly anticipated film, Game Changer. While the buzz around his upcoming project is gaining momentum, his 2018 blockbuster, Rangasthalam, directed by Sukumar, is once again creating waves on the internet.

In Rangasthalam, Ram Charan delivered a stellar performance that earned widespread acclaim, contributing significantly to the films success. Interestingly, during the initial casting phase of the movie, the role of Kumar Babu, Ram Charans elder brother, was initially offered to Tamil actor Arya. However, due to Aryas unavailability, as he had already committed to several other projects, the role ultimately went to Aadhi Pinisetty. This tidbit from the films casting history has resurfaced, captivating the attention of fans on social media.

In parallel, Ram Charan is gearing up for the release of Game Changer, directed by the renowned S Shankar. The film, which also features Kiara Advani and SJ Suryah in pivotal roles, is produced by Dil Raju. Although the shooting faced a temporary halt, eager fans anticipate its release in 2024, following Shankars completion of the film Indian 2.

Recent rumours circulating on social media suggest that the non-theatrical rights for Game Changer have been secured by the prominent media company ZEE channel. Furthermore, ZEE5 has reportedly entered into a streaming partnership for the movie. The star-studded cast includes Sunil, Anjali, Srikanth, and Naveen Chandra in significant roles.

Ram Charan, renowned for his roles in films such as RRR, Rangasthalam 1985, Zanjeer, and Magadheera, was last seen in Acharya. Apart from Game Changer, the actor has a slate of upcoming projects, including Ram Charan 16 and a film with director Gowtham Tinnanuri.

As fans eagerly await the release of Game Changer and Ram Charans subsequent ventures, the actor continues to make headlines with his versatile roles and the intriguing backstory of his past cinematic successes.
Antisemitism has been on the rise in the West, especially since Israel has decided to turn Gaza into rubble after Hamas dastardly attack on October 7 that killed 1,400 Israelis and others. Whats more disturbing is the way some of the top university campuses in the West have become a den of Islamist activists and Hamas sympathisers, openly calling for the decimation of Israel and intimidating and bullying Jews studying there.

Though authorities, especially in the US, are said to be waking up to the extreme radicalisation on campuses, it seems to be a case of too little, too late. After all, antisemitism, often operating under the garb of anti-Israelism, has been a constant feature on top university campuses for a while now. Way back in 2007, Manfred Gerstenfeld, in his book Academics against Israel and the Jews, provided ample examples to showcase the rising forces of antisemitism on major American campuses such as Columbia and Harvard, and in Canadian, European, and Australian colleges and universities.

Over the next decade and a half, things have only worsened. The book, Anti-Zionism on Campus: The University, Free Speech and BDS, edited by Andrew Pessin and Doron S Ben-Atar in 2018, makes it obvious that the new campus orthodoxy sees Israel as an apartheid regime founded on racism, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and colonialist imperialism. Zionism, it believes, can be neither defended nor corrected, because the very idea of a Jewish state in that region depends on the dispossession of others and because the concept of Jewish democracy is an offensive oxymoron that can only perpetuate the unjust and discriminatory status quo. Israel and Zionism are thus cast as illegitimate, incorrigible abominations.

Those who are prone to linking rising antisemitism on Western campuses to the ongoing Israeli highhandedness in Gaza must understand that the former has not been a post October 8 phenomenon. The ongoing war in the Middle East has only brought the focus on the innate undercurrent of antisemitism operating in the West.

In May 2016, for instance, more than 50 anti-Israel protesters stormed an Israeli film screening at the University of California, Irvine. The ten or so terrified students watching the film had to hold the doors to the room closed as the mob screamed anti-Israel and antisemitic chants and pounded, trying to get in.

Pessin and Ben-Atar write how one female student who had briefly stepped out of the classroom to call her mother was chased into a building where she came across a woman who helped her hide in an unlocked room. The girl hid in terror, crying on her cell phone to her mother who called the police while the protesters searched for (her).

Police finally arrived to remove the protesters and to escort the trapped students out of the screening room.

A similar incident took place in October that year at the University College London. Jews and Israel supporters were trapped there in a locked room by screaming protesters until the police rescued them. One can sense the institutionalisation of antisemitism on Western campuses from the fact that the UK police in 2016 had advised Jewish and pro-Israel students to not publicly announce the locations of their events.

Whats even more disturbing is the rainbow coalition these antisemitic forces have made with progressive, Left-wing, feminist, and ethnic minority groups, as well as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ activists. (Ironically, in countries where the Islamists are in power, these very progressive allies are the first to bear the brunt of jihadi fundamentalism.)

This has resulted in providing a social justice halo around the Islamist cause. The destruction of Israel has, thus, become synonymous with struggle against injustice and oppression. The river to the sea slogan is now a common rallying ground of both liberals and Islamists.

One can understand the vanishing middle ground from the BDS movement led by the Palestinian groups. BDS stands for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign against Israel. A look at the BDS connections point at its deep financial, material, and ideological connections with anti-Semitic, jihadi outfits, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

No wonder, despite its liberal, humanitarian pretensions, the BDS movement opposes the two-state solution, and thus the very existence of Israel. Consider, for example, the following statements by Omar Barghouti, founder of the BDS movement: If the occupation (of 1967 lands) ends, would that end our call for BDS? No, it wouldnt. The Right of Return is something we cannot compromise on I clearly do not buy into the two-state solution If the refugees were to return, you would not have a two-state solution. You would have a Palestine next to a Palestine, rather than a Palestine next to Israel.

The origin of the BDS movement can be traced to the United Nations World Conference against Racism, convened in Durban, South Africa, in 2001. Although mandated to address global concerns, the Durban conference moved to blatant antisemitism and Israel-bashing.

A dangerous turn for India

But it is here, the phenomenon takes a dangerous turn for India in general and Hindus in particular. For the uninitiated, it must be told that the Durban conference saw the first major initiative to put the caste system under the bracket of racism  a phenomenon that has in recent times become a big rallying point in the West to target new India.

The Afro-Dalit project, which was in a nascent stage at the time of the Durban conference, has come of age now, with vested interests pumping millions of dollars liberally to map Indias caste system onto the Western concept of race.

The idea gaining ground on Western campuses is that Black Americans are to their White counterparts what Dalits are to Brahmins  a development that Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan talk about in detail in their book, Snakes in the Ganga: Breaking India 2.0.

The idea has been so mainstreamed in the American mindspace that TV host Oprah Winfrey today doesnt mind talking about it and even propelling a book that discusses it with her star power into a bestseller list.

Even meritocracy of the Indian Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) institutions is being attacked by calling then to be the structures of Brahminical patriarchy, with one professor of anthropology at Harvard accusing Brahmins of being the cultural capitalists and IITs their mechanism for the production of more upper caste engineers.

The logic of meritocracy which the West and its institution would champion for so long, has suddenly been upended to target India and Indians (precisely because Indians through their sheer hard work are scripting one success story after another): Meritocracy has now become a Brahminical conspiracy to keep Dalits down and out!

Earlier this year, Seattle became the first US city to add caste to its anti-discrimination laws. Then, on September 28, 2023, Fresno became the second American city to prohibit discrimination based on caste by adding caste and indigeneity to its municipal code. Then, there was an attempt to bring a law in California to outlaw caste-based discrimination  a first for the American state. Thankfully, the endeavour failed, as Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed that bill on October 7.

But given the direction the US is moving, besides keeping in mind the hegemonistic control of anti-India forces on American intellectuals and campuses, the day wont be too far when Indians in general and Hindus in particular find themselves besieged in America.

Are Indians following in the Israeli footsteps, and Hindus are in the process of becoming the new-age Jews of America, especially in the workplace and on its campuses?

Anti-Semitic rage was evident on American campuses two decades ago. But not much was done to curb it then. If Indians are not to go the same treacherous path, they need to act now. The threat facing them is clear and present.

And its the same anti-Semitic force, currently in action on US campuses and elsewhere, that also targets Hindus in America by joining hands with the progressive, Left-wing, feminist, and ethnic minority groups, as well as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ activists. In the name of Palestine, they seek the decimation of Israel and Jews. And in the name of Hindutva, they work for the dismantling of India and Hinduism.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
An alleged murder plot concerning a US-based terrorist at the hands of Indian authorities has powered a strikingly grim disruption in one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in geopolitics in this century. American pro-Democrat media outlets have been bursting with hit pieces, carefully crafted and timed to play up the rift. Meanwhile, Indians perception of the US as a hypocritical, duplicitous and flatly hostile power is back in the mainstream.

As Congressional Democrats storm into the fray amid election season, the Biden administration seems to be orchestrating a controlled implosion of India-US ties, a move directed at altering the perception of rising Modi-Biden bonhomie, or as many left-leaning democrats would view it remedying it.

US President Joe Bidens recent decision to turn down the Republic Day chief guest invitation from India points to this direction. The visit has been turned down at virtually the last moment, and to top it all, after having made the invitation public for weeks, putting India in a fix. In late September, it was the US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, who confirmed to the media that an invitation for January 26 had been made. The US purportedly sat on that invitation until revealing just six weeks prior to the event that the President was busy. This is not just a sloppy job at diplomacy but a deliberate, and perhaps calculated snub.

There is no other way to look at this except as a politically hostile move right in the run-up to the crucial parliamentary election in India in 2024. 2024 is an election year in the United States and also in India. However, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a right-leaning political powerhouse, is almost certain to breeze through into a third term, President Joe Biden, the global lefts tallest advocate, is just not there yet.

Bidens nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate needs to come through. As it turns out, that is going to be quite an uphill task for the 81-year-old whose political heft is waning with age and was never enough on its own to tightly secure his position in the first place.

Consider this, Bidens approval ratings are trailing behind former President Donald Trump in all of the seven swing states of the US, according to a Bloomberg Poll. Now, with his son, Hunter Biden, on a highly publicised trial, a raging undercurrent in support for former President Donald Trump and talks of manifestations of apparent senility, the American President has his work cut out to make some compromises and get all and sundry of the Democrats to rally behind him.

Biden faces veiled opposition from the more radical sections of the party and may be out to please those who for long have soured over soaring ties with India and would love to see a collapse of the same in a dramatic and public manner.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committees recent hearing on transnational repression featured talk of India alongside Americas adversaries China, Russia and Iran. The alleged targeting of Khalistani terrorists on Western soil has been flagrantly contrived as political repression of the Sikhs. It is all the more questionable when the Khalistanis in question are reported to have received security briefings from the FBI, or that one of their clownish ringleaders Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is the alleged target of the flimsy murder plot is widely believed by sources in the Indian security establishment to be a CIA agent.

The Democrat senators termed the allegation as disturbing and one of them, Senator Chris Van Hollen even suggested putting curbs on arms exports to India, a prospect that would hollow out the defence partnership by a mile. One cannot help but view this outrage as a forced theatre by a bunch of stakeholders in American politics and the media, who lean heavily towards Pakistan for old times sake and of course, business purposes.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), unprincipled and mendacious as always, made sure to enter the alleged murder plot of known Khalistanis associated with drug trade, criminal activity and terror activities in India, as the targeting of Sikhs, a religious minority. It is now deeply concerned by Indias transnational repression against religious minorities. With the case still in court, the USCIRF has acted as a jury on its own. And this is not the first time that the USCIRF spewed deceitfully fact-free rhetoric against India.

Congressional politics is casting a shadow over the strides made by the friendlier executive. Those in the Biden administration, who have invested tremendous amounts of resources and time in solidifying a multi-dimensional bond with India, penetrating nearly all aspects of economic, defence and security cooperation, seem to have taken a backseat to allow the drama to unfold.

It also does not help that following a limited rapprochement with China last month, Washington spent last week hosting Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir who is the de facto leader of the country, signalling a thaw in ties and potentially greater economic and military aid for Islamabad.

The manufactured furore over the alleged murder plot is playing right into the hands of China which seeks concessions from India to end the border standoff and Pakistan, which seeks to be back on the USAs payroll.

Further, the discord between India and the US is exacerbated by the sustained American onslaught on Bangladeshs moderate leader, Sheikh Hasina, ahead of the elections. Under the garb of restoring democracy in Bangladesh, the US is using sanctions and other measures to install Hasinas Islamist adversaries into power all while accepting the militarys high-handed dominance of Pakistani politics.

All this, including the disaster set loose in Afghanistan and the reckless policy of interventionism against the military junta in Myanmar through support for various rebel militant groups, have run counter to Indias security calculus, destabilising its neighbourhood which in turn threatens to spill over across its borders.

While part of the differences between the US and India oscillate between good times and bad times, others are deeply ingrained in American policies toward India and its interests. As the other half of a mature partnership, the US must shake off its politically hostile tendencies and respect Indias democracy, its sovereignty and its security interests.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Bharat, a civilisation state, draws its sense of nationhood from a rich and enduring heritage. The grand narratives that have historically propelled countries to the zenith of global influence are no strangers to Indias own narrative. However, the educational system has been distorted to such an extent that even subjects like Yoga have become subjects of debate, causing an alarming disconnect with our own civilisational roots. This heritage, bestowed upon the world by our ancestors, is now being misused and often misunderstood by various segments of society, including the civil society, judiciary, and politicians.

By the Nehruvian state, this is by no means a critique of our first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru. Instead, it highlights a collective failure of the state, responsible for misguiding and carefully nurturing generations of Indians, influenced by an ideology that glorified invaders and loathed natives, their cultures, and traditions. The distortion of history is a concern, deeply rooted in the appeasement politics of the Nehruvian state. The teaching of history has predominantly followed the language of invaders, despite more than seven decades of independence. Rectifying this deep-seated issue would require extensive efforts to initiate the process of decolonisation and address subconscious colonialism that impedes the nations overall growth.

The sanctity of Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Rama has been questioned repeatedly by leftist historians. The Ayodhya issue would have found resolution sooner if not for the influence of leftist ideologies on the Muslim intelligentsia. Intellectual dishonesty, as pointed out by Arun Shourie in his critique of leftist historians, permeates the narrative with an Italian proverb Suppressio Veri, Suggestio Falsi (suppression of truth and suggestive falsehoods).

Meenakshi Jain notes in her book Rama And Ayodhya that leftist historians kept on changing their goalposts on how much their lies got proven at any given point in time. Their first argument was that Babri Masjid was constructed at a spot where neither a place of worship, nor the site of any previous Hindu religious structure was there, nor was the evidence to associate it with the birthplace of Lord Rama. When the excavation showed that not one, but several pillars of Hindu temples were found at the Babri site, then they brought a new element that Ayodhya was known for Buddhist-Jain influence. There is only one word for this sophistry  intellectual dishonesty.

Another striking example of this disconnect was the case of Bharat Biotechs COVAXIN, which faced unwarranted scepticism about its efficacy, primarily due to its name, Bharat. Despite being one of the most rigorously scrutinised vaccines globally, it continues to face scepticism that counterparts like Pfizer or Moderna did not encounter. Regrettably, even so-called esteemed journalists have played a role in promoting vaccine hesitancy without relevant expertise in medicine, research, or vaccination.

To emphasise the impact of the Bhagavad Gita, one can look forward to a Hollywood film directed by Christopher Nolan, where Cillian Murphy portrays J Robert Oppenheimer. This intriguing connection highlights how reading the Bhagavad Gita influenced one of the centurys most significant scientific breakthroughs. He famously quoted from the Bhagavad Gita after witnessing the first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945. His words, Now I become death and destroyer of the world are powerful. Yet, today, promoting the Gita is often met with labels like sanghi, bhakt, and fascist with a reluctance to introduce it into classrooms, all in the name of secularism and inclusivity.

For India, the concept of a nation-state is not a recent development, as it is for Western commentators. Our revered texts like the Vishnu Purana, written around 900 BCE, define the geography of the land, emphasising a sense of nationhood that predates contemporary definitions.

The Purana defines the geography of this land. It says:  :       :    

(The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharatam [India]; there dwell the descendants of Bharata.)

To achieve its rightful glory, India must address the neglect of its own ancient texts. These valuable manuscripts lie dormant in museums while resources are lavished upon Urdu and Arabic departments in various institutions. Biblical classes are introduced under the guise of moral education or value education but there is resistance to incorporating the Bhagavad Gita into educational curriculum, despite the books profound influence on many successful individuals.

While there may be disagreements about Mahatma Gandhi, it is worth noting that the Bhagavad Gita remained his constant companion until his last breath. To initiate the process of decolonisation, the government should establish a curriculum based on the Bhagavad Gita and transform moral education and value education classes, making it compulsory even in missionary schools. Such schools cannot have an independent curriculum that exclusively glorifies a book that has been associated with the persecution of various communities, including Jews.

This disconnect with our heritage extends to science and mathematics, with remarkable works like Bhaskaracharyas Lilavati and the profound teachings of the Gurukul system of education. The modern education system, with its large teacher-to-student ratios, is a far cry from the 1:5 ratio of the Gurukul system.

Whenever films like RRR or biopics like Nambi Narayanan celebrate our heroes, a section of society is perpetually irked and begins a propaganda campaign to belittle these heroes. Its essential to understand that the name Rama is not just famous within India; it extends beyond its borders, transcending religious boundaries and cultural differences. Lord Rama, a symbol of righteous governance, is celebrated for his return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, not for the size of his kingdom.

To achieve the glorious heights India deserves, we must read and acknowledge the stories of our heroes, from Suheldev Passi to Lachit Borphukan, who single-handedly defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Saraighat. Our culture and civilisation are inherently plural, with unique regional interpretations of texts like the Ramayana.

In conclusion, awakening our social consciousness is essential for our progress, necessitating a change in education curricula to foster holistic development rather than manufacturing labourers and clerks. Delaying the process of decolonisation has dire consequences, as our cultural richness remains hidden under the guise of inclusivity, hindering our nations growth. Its time for the political and civil classes to confront the rising wave of wokeness and take the necessary steps to revitalise our society and education systems.

The author is a columnist specialising in Khalistani terrorism and external threat mappings for India. He posts on X at @DwellingDeep_. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
The figure of Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle, is a central part of Christmas in many cultures. Santa is believed to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve. The act of gift-giving is symbolic of the gifts presented to the baby Jesus by the Magi. (Image: News18 Creative)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boss and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to keep his date with Vipassana, giving summons by the Enforcement Directorate a miss for the second time, as reported by News18 on Tuesday.

At around 1.40pm on Wednesday, Kejriwal left his residence for the airport from where he, along with chief minister Bhagwant Mann, will leave for Punjab. Kejriwal will attend the retreat in Punjab.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued fresh summons to Kejriwal on December 17, asking him to appear before it on December 21. However, the AAP national convenor had a pre-scheduled meditation retreat from December 19-30. Kejriwal was expected to leave for Punjab on Tuesday after the INDIA meet but since he got late in the evening, his departure was postponed for the 20th.

On Wednesday morning, AAP MPs Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak reached Civil Lines to meet the Delhi chief minister for a brief while for directions on issues to be tackled during his absence. Kejriwal has been an avid Vipassana practitioner and is known to have made time for the meditative practice almost every year.

This is the second time that Kejriwal has given the ED summons a miss. When he was first asked to appear before the investigating agency on November 2, the chief minister had chosen to campaign in Madhya Pradesh on the same day and challenged the summons, asking for the same to be withdrawn. In his letter to the ED, he had called the summons vague and unsubstantiated, politically motivated and had asked for clarity on the grounds on which he had been summoned.

It now remains to be seen how the Enforcement Directorate will respond to the chief minister not honouring its summons for the second time. The AAPs legal team is expected to send a formal reply to the ED soon.

Key AAP faces Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and communications in-charge Vijay Nair have been behind bars, ranging from periods of more than three months to over a year, with the countrys top court denying them bail. Sisodia, Singh and Nair are behind bars on charges of money laundering linked to the alleged Delhi Excise scam.

Within the AAP, the dominant apprehension is that the party chief will eventually face an arrest, and its strategists are fighting the situation legally and politically. Party functionaries have been on the ground with forms, collecting the signatures of those who feel that Kejriwal should continue to remain chief minister even if he is arrested and not be trapped in the BJPs conspiracy.
The construction of Urdu Bhavan in Mumbai saw the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spar in the state Assembly on Wednesday.

BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha opposed the grant of land for Urdu Bhavan in Mumbai city, stating that the land was originally given to construct an ITI (Industrial Training Institute), but the reservation was changed during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Alleging the move was to appease the minority, he said: There is no need for Urdu Bhavan in South Mumbai, as already 12 BMC Urdu schools exist around the area. Urdu Bhavan should be scrapped and an ITI centre should be made which can use PM Modis Vishwakarma Yojna for creating more and more skilled workers.

However, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Raees Shaikh strongly opposed the stand. The land was not used by ITI, which is why it was handed over for Urdu Bhavan.

Interestingly, local Shiv Sena MLA of CM Shinde group, Yamini Jadhav supported SP MLA Shaikh, emphasising that the proposal was passed in the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the consensus of all parties. Jadhav told the House: There is already an ITI in my constituency. What we are building is not an Urdu school, but a centre. It is a language like any other in the country and should not be linked to a particular religion. People in my constituency had demanded such a centre, and based on that, I had proposed it.

Cabinet minister Uday Samant also highlighted the fact that construction of the Urdu Bhavan has been halted after the last order of the Chief Secretary as the matter is pending in the Bombay High Court.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday introduced three new bills to replace the existing Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which he said had governed our criminal justice system for 150 years. The new legislation has been introduced for consideration and passage in the lower house of Parliament.

Under the leadership of PM Modi, I have come to bring some major changes to the 150-year-old three laws which governed our criminal justice system, he said, adding, the new criminal laws focus on justice rather than punishment.

On Tuesday (December 19), the Lok Sabha took up the bills, with some MPs saying these will provide justice rather than punishment and others pointing to loopholes that they claimed will give discretionary powers to enforcement agencies.

The redrafted Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill were first listed for consideration on December 14 but could not be taken up following opposition uproar over the December 13 Parliament security breach and their demand for a statement by the home minister on the issue.

Participating in the debate on Tuesday, former law minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said while penalty was the focus in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), under the new bill the emphasis is on justice. In an oblique attack on the Congress, he said people who wrote Discovery of India, forgot this colonial story (the British-era IPC and the Evidence Act).

Prasad pointed out that while there were 511 sections in the IPC, the corresponding new bill has 356. He said while 176 sections have been changed completely, eight new have been added. He also pointed out that 22 sections have been deleted.

Here are the top quotes from his address in the lower house of Parliament:

Time to end colonial law: Union home minister Amit Shah said the existing laws were made by foreign rulers to help maintain their supremacy. But, the new laws have been framed by keeping in mind the core values of the Constitution  individual freedom, human rights and equal treatment for all. Under the leadership of PM Modi, I have come to bring some major changes to the 150-year-old three laws, which governed our criminal justice system, he said.

Emphasis on justice: Shah said the IPC was formulated as a source of punishment for Indians, so instead of this, we will now have the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; the Criminal Procedure Code, 1898 will be replaced by Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 will be replaced by Bharatiya Sakshya Vidheyak, 2023. The new criminal laws will focus on justice rather than punishment, he said, adding, the Indian Penal Code, which was made in 1860, was not intended to provide justice but to punish.

Capital punishment, sedition law, women and children priority: The home minister said Section 124 in the IPC, or the sedition law, has been repealed. Now, the purpose of this law is not to save the government but the country. In a healthy democracy, everyone has the right to criticise the government, but we will not allow anyone to say anything demeaning about India! he said, adding, mob lynching is a despicable crime and so we have brought capital punishment for it. He further said: In new laws, crimes against women and children top priority.

Personal touch: Shah further said he had held at least 158 meetings with regard to the three new bills and personally checked all of them in detail. I have gone through every comma, full stop of the new criminal laws, he added.

On terrorism: The minister said there will be no argument on saving terrorists. I am astonished at how some people defend and save the lives of terrorists in the name of human rights when, in fact, its terrorism that kills not just humans but human rights as well. Remember, this is neither the rule of Britishers nor the Congress. This is the rule of the Modi government. No arguments to save terrorists will be entertained here, he added.

Trial in absentia: Shah also said the new legislation has a provision for trial in absentia. A provision for Trial in Absentia has been introducedMany cases in the country shook us be it the Mumbai bomb blast or any other. Those people are hiding in other countries and trials are not underway. They dont need to come here now. If they dont appear before the Court within 90 days then in their absence trial will go onA public prosecutor will be appointed for their prosecution. They will be hangedIt will make the process to bring them back speedy since it changes their status in the other country when they get prosecuted, he said.

Tarikh pe tarikh: For the poor and underprivileged, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challenge, Shah said. For years, tarikh pe tarikh was the system. Police held the judicial system responsible. The government held the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary held the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws he added.

No delays: In the CrPC, Shah said, there were 484 sections; now, there will be 531 sections in it. Changes have been made in 177 sections and nine new sections, 39 new sub-sections, and 44 new provisions have been added, he said. Now, the accused will get seven days to file a plea for acquittalThe judge has to hold the hearing in those seven days and in a maximum time of 120 days, the case would come to trial. There was no time limit for plea bargaining earlier. Now if one accepts their crime within 30 days of the crime then the punishment would be lessThere was no provision to present documents during trials. We have made it compulsory to produce all documents within 30 days. No delays will be made in that, he added.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Chairwoman of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis (Parliament) Sahiba Gafarova met with a visiting delegation headed by Vice President of the Republic of Turkiye Cevdet Yilmaz on December 20, parliament told Trend.

During the meeting, it was noted that Azerbaijan and Turkiye constantly support each other, and the exceptional role of mutual visits at the highest levels was noted. It was emphasized that the Shusha Declaration reflected the issues of strategic partnership between the two countries.

It was emphasized that under the assignment of the heads of state, the economic ties of both countries are strengthening every year, and trade turnover is increasing. Furthermore, it was brought to attention that the activity of the joint intergovernmental commission is important in the development of economic cooperation between the countries.

The important role of the two parliaments in the development of relations between the two countries was emphasized, adding that there is active cooperation in this direction.

Sahiba Gafarova talked about the importance of the cooperation agreement between the parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye. She noted the working groups on inter-parliamentary relations functioning in the higher legislative bodies of both countries and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation between parliamentary committees.

Cevdet Yilmaz said that this year is the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijani great leader Heydar Aliyev, emphasizing his merits in the development of modern independent Azerbaijan. Emphasizing the importance of intensification of mutual visits, Yilmaz expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation of the two countries within international organizations, including the Organization of Turkic States.

In the course of the talk, Ylmaz once again congratulated Azerbaijan on the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation. Also, he once again thanked for Azerbaijan's support during the recent earthquake in Turkiye.

At the same time, satisfaction was expressed over the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye in the ongoing restoration and construction works in Karabakh and East Zangezur.

Head of the working group on Azerbaijan-Turkiye inter-parliamentary relations Ahliman Amiraslanov, MP Hikmat Mammadov, head of the friendship group on Turkey-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary relations Shamil Ayrim shared their thoughts on the present and future relations between the two countries.

The meeting was also attended by MP Aghalar Valiyev, Head of the Parliament Staff Farid Hajiyev, Head of the Secretariat Teymur Taghiyev, Ambassadors of both countries - Rashad Mammadov, Jahit Bagci and other officials.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
People assume Narendra Modi loves to talk but after spending almost 30 minutes with the Prime Minister earlier this August, this writer discovered that Modi actually loves to listen. Honest ground feedback gets him engrossed, his mind is razor-sharp at 74 to catch the key inputs, and his wealth of experience of India shows in his words that invariably carry a cue for his future moves.

How does one politically take on such a man who has mass appeal across the country, especially the heartland, is a communicator par excellence with direct connect to people, and carries nationalism and Hindutva on his sleeve along with a liberal dose of welfarism that has created a new voter base of labarthis (beneficiaries)? This is the biggest question that the INDIA group of opposition parties face as Modi aims for a historic third consecutive term in office in 2024 with full majority and join the legacy of Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Desh Modi ji Ke Haath Mein Safe Hai  is the refrain one heard from voters in the heartland this year as the BJP registered big wins in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, busting the narrative that the Modi factor had weakened in swinging state elections after the Karnataka loss. The surgical strikes and the air strikes in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) may have taken place some years ago but the memory remains fresh amongst voters who compare it to Indias tepid response under the UPA after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Ghar mein Ghus Ke Marenge slogan from the Modi-led BJP still rings like magic amongst the voters.

Besides the election victories, another boost for Modi in 2023 came with the Supreme Court giving a thumbs up to his biggest move besides the surgical strikes  Abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The government had taken the bold move soon after winning its second term in 2019 and can take credit that J&K has been transformed since with a record number of tourists and development, with violence figures hitting a rock bottom.

With the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in 2024, those close to PM Modi feel he has outdone in terms of gains in J&K under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, which had tried to resolve the issue. Another key landmark in Modis life will be him inaugurating the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024 after he did the temples Bhoomi Pujan three years ago.

Indias economic recovery in 2023 by becoming the fastest-growing economy in the post-Covid world, and the successful G20 presidency as well as a nuanced stand on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict has firmly placed Modi as a world leader to reckon with and one having a vision for his country as well as the world. Modis state visit to the US this year was another landmark event in his growth as a world leader with US President Joe Biden acknowledging his popularity and later playing a key role while visiting India to help Modi achieve a diplomatic coup in form of a joint declaration at the G20 Summit.

ISROs Chandrayaan success added further to Indias positive story under Modi. He has also shown the knack for course correction to cut the partys losses and not be shy to take a step back  such as reducing LPG cylinder prices this year after realising it was costing BJP electorally or withdrawing the three farm laws after protests from Punjab.

A senior INDIA leader claimed to this writer in Parliament last week that Modis popularity is not the same anymore as in 2014 or 2019 post the Pulwama attack, and predicted that Modi will not become the Prime Minister again. But not many in the INDIA alliance share such optimism in private conversations. Those close to Modi say there is no stopping him in 2024 and predict a bigger victory than even in 2019 when BJP on its own crossed the 300-seat mark.

The country is not ready for any other leader right now. The opposition does have anyone even close to Modis stature. Modi Vs Who is a no-contest. Those in the INDIA front who are imagining that Modi can be defeated with a seat-sharing strategy will get a bigger shock in 2024. This will be one Lok Sabha election whose result is already known to one and all, a senior minister in the government told this writer.

The PM himself has thrown the challenge to the INDIA front by saying from an open stage this month that his hat-trick as the PM is guaranteed. Modi has brought back the corruption plank against the Congress, which he had used effectively in 2014 to beat the UPA and retire Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister. Modis pitch is simple  this is not a remote-controlled government and he is the captain of the ship whom the people should trust to steer the country out of any trouble, be it Covid-19 pandemic or Pakistan-sponsored terror. Also, this is the government under which the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has become a reality  Modi has proclaimed. So far, people do not seem to be buying any other political narrative.

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will prove and show if Bharat Ke Mann Mein (Abhi Bhi) Modi Hai.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is under fire for filming Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjees mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Wednesday said he shot the video of MPs sitting outside Parliament but asked why was there no discussion over MPs being thrown out of the House.

Banerjees derisively mimicry of Dhankhar during the oppositions protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs has drawn strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. So far 143 opposition MPs have been suspended from the two Houses of Parliament during the winter session.

Asked about him making the video and claims that the vice president was insulted, the Wayanad MP said, Who insulted and how? MPs were sitting there, I took their video which remains on my phone.

Our 150 MPs have been thrown out and there is no discussion about that There is no discussion on that, there is no discussion on unemployment, our MPs are sad, sitting there, you are discussing that.

PM Dials Dhankhar Over Abject Theatrics of MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled the Rajya Sabha Chairman today and expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some lawmakers.

Taking to a post on social media site X, the VP wrote: Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.

Dhankhar said he told PM Modi that the antics of a few members wont prevent him from performing his duty and upholding the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path, he added.
SAO PAULO:Brazilian first lady Rosangela 'Janja' Lula da Silva said on Tuesday she will sue Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after having her account hacked last week.

The alleged hacker entered Janja's account on Dec. 11 and posted several messages, including insults against the first lady and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as well as misogynistic slurs.

"I still don't know if I have to sue them in the U.S. or in Brazil, but I will sue them," Janja said in a live broadcast alongside Lula.

She also called on Brazil to regulate social media platforms, saying they must be held accountable for their users' actions.

Lula agreed that social media regulation was needed globally, but voiced his concerns around the complexities of the issue.

"It's a challenge to know how we could deal with it without imposing censorship," the leftist leader said.

"I know the European Union already did some regulation. We will have to watch very closely what the United States, what China are doing as well."
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad is currently accepting applications from women candidates only for Assistant Professor Posts in various departments. The openings are available in a total of 15 departments. Those interested can apply by visiting the official website of the institute at https://iith.ac.in/. The deadline to submit the application forms is Friday, December 22, 2023. Candidates must be under the age of 35; however, the age limit for Schedule Caste (SC) is relaxed to 40 years, and for Other Backward Class (OBC)/ Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) is 38 years.

The vacancy is open in several departments including Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Design, Artificial Intelligence, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Management, Liberal Arts, Mathematics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering and Physics.

The institute clarified that it reserves the right to call for interviews only those applicants who have been shortlisted based on their qualifications, experience, research and publication records, and individual academic unit requirements. No applicant will be called for an interview based solely on their eligibility.

IIT Hyderabad Recruitment 2023: Eligibility Criteria

For Assistant Professor Grade I (Pay level 12): A minimum of three years of post-PhD teaching/research/professional experience, excluding experience gained while pursuing a PhD, is required for Assistant Professor Grade I (Pay level 12). The applicants research abilities should be demonstrated through publications in reputable journals, conferences, and patents.

According to the 7th CPC, the minimum pay will be Rs 1,01,500 (Matrix pay level 12) plus all allowable allowances. They may be promoted to Pay Level 13A1 after three years of satisfactory service.

Assistant Professor Grade II (Pay level 10/11): Applicants with less than three years post-PhD industrial/research/teaching experience may apply for direct recruitment for Assistant Professor Grade II positions (Pay level 10/11). The basic pay will be fixed at Rs 98,200 plus allowances. It also stated that the applicant will be considered for the position of Assistant Professor Grade I after completing three years of post-PhD experience.

IIT Hyderabad Recruitment 2023: General Instructions For Candidates

 Applicants who applied within the last two years may highlight a significant improvement in their CV since the previous application.

 If a candidate is applying for a faculty position in more than one department, they must submit separate applications.

 Applicants who are called for a physical interview will be reimbursed for their airfare within India in Economy class from their residence to the shortest route.

For more details, read the official notice.
The world we inhabit today is woven with the threads of diverse cultures, ancient mysteries, and the remnants of civilisations lost to time. In exploring the fascinating facets of our planet, scientists and explorers often encounter enigmatic relics from the grandeur of geological formations like the Giants Causeway to the curious debate surrounding submerged mountains, our planet holds secrets that both baffle and mesmerise us. One such structure that has caught global attention presently is situated deep beneath the waters near Japan. There lies the remnant of an ancient city, constructed by a vanished civilization eons ago.

Named Yonaguni Monument, this massive 50m-long-by-20m-wide behemoth is one of the worlds most unusual underwater sites and is popularly known as Japans Atlantis. These stone structures rest in Yonaguni Jima, the westernmost inhabited island in Japan, as reported by National Geographic. Seismic forces submerged this ancient city some 2,000 years ago, a revelation made in 1987 when a local diver exploring the Ryukyu Islands coastal waters stumbled upon meticulously carved steps with precise edges.

According to an earlier BBC report, this rectangular, pyramid-like monument is believed to be a relic of a long-lost Pacific civilization, potentially constructed by Japans prehistoric Jomon people, who inhabited the islands as early as 12,000 BC.

While some experts draw parallels to Northern Irelands Giants Causeway, suggesting a natural origin due to thousands of interlocking basalt columns formed by ancient volcanic activity, the underwater structure in Yonaguni Jima possesses distinctive features. Arched entrances, narrow passageways, and its connection to a larger rock mass distinguish it, as outlined in the BBC report.

However, not all have the same opinion. Professor Robert Schoch of Boston University, a scientist and mathematician who has explored the site, disagrees with the notion of man-made structures.

Im not convinced that any of the major features or structures are man made steps or terraces, but that theyre all natural, he told National Geographic. Its basic geology and classic stratigraphy for sandstones, which tend to break along planes and give you these very straight edges, particularly in an area with lots of faults and tectonic activity, he further explained.

Despite the ongoing debate, interest and controversy surrounding its origin, the Japanese governments Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Okinawa Prefecture government does not officially recognise the remains of Yonaguni as significant cultural property.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally kicked off her ruling Awami League partys campaign Wednesday amid an election boycott by the countrys main opposition party.

Addressing a massive rally in the northeastern city of Sylhet, Hasina strongly criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for refusing to participate in the Jan. 7 general election. She also blamed the party, which is led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and its allies for recent acts of violence.

Hundreds of thousands of Awami League supporters cheered and raised their hands when Hasina asked if they would cast their ballots for the ruling partys candidates, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.

The prime minister denounced the party of her archrival Zia after the countrys railway minister alleged that arson and sabotage caused a fire on a passenger train that killed four people Tuesday. Hasina joined the minister Wednesday in accusing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of being behind it.

They thought that with some incidents of arson the government will fall. Its not that easy, United News of Bangladesh quoted her as saying.

Where do they get such courage? A black sheep sitting in London gives orders and some people are here to play with fire.  Their hands will be burned in that fire, Hasina said in an apparent reference to Zias son, Tarique Rahman, who has been in self-exile in the United Kingdom since 2008.

Rahman was convicted of various criminal violence charges, including a 2004 grenade attack on an opposition rally when his mother was prime minister and Hasina was opposition leader. He is the acting chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the absence of the ailing Zia, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

On Wednesday, the party urged Bangladeshis to join a non-cooperation movement against the government by refusing to pay taxes.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior joint secretary-general of the party, also urged citizens and government workers not to cooperate with Hasinas administration in running the country and holding the election next month in which is the prime minister is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Zias party has intermittently calling for transportation blockades and general strikes while demanding Hasinas resignation. The party says more than 20,000 opposition supporters have been arrested since Oct. 28, when a massive anti-government rally turned violent.

Authorities blamed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for an attack on the official residence of the countrys chief justice and the death of a police officer on the day of the rally. Hasinas critics say her administration has used the police and other agencies to silence them.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy with a history of violence, especially before and during elections. Campaigning for next months vote began across the country on Monday with about 1,900 candidates, including many independents, running for parliament seats in 300 constituencies.

Zias partys call to boycott the polls came after its demands for a caretaker government to conduct the election were not met. The party accused Hasina of rigging the 2018 vote and said it did not have any faith the coming election would be fair. The boycott means voters have little choice but to reelect Hasina.

The government has denied accusations of targeting the opposition but warned that any acts of sabotage or attempts to create chaos in the country would not be tolerated.

The United Nations, the United States and the European Union earlier urged all sides to refrain from violence and work together to create conditions for a free, fair and peaceful election. A call for political dialogue got no response from the two major parties.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there has been a tonal shift from India since the US alleged New Delhis involvement in a murder plot against a Sikh extremist leader on American soil. He said this with respect to the deterioration in diplomatic ties between the two formerly friendly countries, in the aftermath of the killing of Canada-based pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

According to a report published by CBC, the Canadian prime minister said he has sensed a change in Indias tone with Ottawa after the US allegations surfaced. I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they cant bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before, he said.

He added: Theres an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isnt going to make this problem go away.

On September 18, Trudeau had publicly alleged that agents of the Indian government were involved in Nijjars murder. Months later came the revelation that the US Justice Department in November charged a man accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

In his first response to these allegations, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas and, in an exclusive interview with Financial Times, said: These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

Both Nijjar and Pannun are designated as terrorists in India, even as the central government has tried to direct the worlds attention to extremist groups operating against national interests on foreign land.

After the US revelations, Canadian officials pressed India to cooperate in its investigation into Nijjars murder.

While India had angrily rejected Canadas claim calling them absurd and motivated, by contrast, the country said it was taking the US indictment seriously and investigating.

Both the US and Canada are seeking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. We dont want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy, Trudeau told the CBC.

But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for peoples rights, for peoples safety, and for the rule of law. And thats what were going to do, he added.

(With agency inputs)
Facing sub-zero conditions, thousands of rescuers faced an uphill task on Wednesday finding and treating survivors of a deadly earthquake that jolted a remote area in Chinas northwestern Gansu province.

The magnitude-6.2 earthquake rocked Jishishan County near the border straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces a minute before midnight on Monday. The quake damaged roads and power and water lines, destroyed homes, and triggered landslides and mudslides. Recovery from the massive earthquake has been further challenged by the powerful cold snap that has gripped most of China since last week, news agencies reported.

Temperatures around the quake epicentre in Gansu fell to around minus 15 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night as rescuers continued their work. People trapped under rubble exposed to minus 10 C conditions without help run the risk of developing hypothermia and could only stay alive for between five and 10 hours if uninjured.

131 Dead

In Gansu alone, 113 people had been found dead as of 9:00 am on Wednesday, and 782 were injured, authorities said. The death toll in Qinghai rose to 18 with 198 injured as of 5:30 am on Wednesday. Seventy-eight people have been rescued in Gansu, state media said.

Earthquakes are common in provinces such as Gansu, lying on the northeastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The quake-stricken area is geographically a transition zone between two plateaus, featuring terrains of altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,300 metres with very complex topography, state television CCTV said. The freezing cold would not be the only concern weighing on rescuers and working groups assessing the situation.

The Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau said through comprehensive analysis, strong aftershocks of magnitude 5 were still possible around the area in the coming days, based on the characteristics of the Monday quake, historical seismic activity and other factors. Xinhua cited the bureaus deputy director as saying that the aftershocks will be closely tracked to issue early warnings.

The China Earthquake Networks Center said there were two aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 and above, and eight magnitude 3.0 and above. The quake in Gansus Jishishan county was logged at a depth of 10 km, which experts consider shallow. Earthquakes with shallow focal points can easily cause considerable damage to the ground, Xinhua reported citing a senior engineer with the China Seismological Network Center.

(With agency inputs)
An appeals court in the US state of Colorado on Tuesday ruled Donald Trump cannot appear on the states presidential primary ballot because of his involvement in the attack on the Capitol in January 2021.

A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a divided Supreme Court of the State of Colorado wrote in its 4-3 decision. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

The legal decision could upend the 2024 presidential election, in which the former US president is a runaway leader for the Republican Party nomination. The judgment comes after a group of voters challenged an earlier ruling that as a candidate for the presidency, Trumps involvement in the January 6 riot did not preclude his running again.

14th Amendment

That ruling hinged on the interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution that bars someone from holding any office under the United States if they engaged in insurrection after taking an oath as an officer of the United States to support the Constitution. But the amendment cannot apply to Trump, the lower court said because the presidency is left out of the list of federal elected positions affected.

The court placed its ruling on hold, anticipating an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which Trumps campaign immediately said it would seek. We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

State of paranoia

Cheung said the all-Democrat appointed panel was doing the bidding of a (George) Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden. Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.

Trumps historic indictments for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election have opened a legal debate over his eligibility for future office. The Colorado action is one of multiple 14th Amendment lawsuits against Trump proceeding across the country. Minnesotas top court threw out a similar move last month.

Reactions

Noah Bookbinder of campaign group Citizens for Ethics, which brought the case, took to social media to hail the ruling, calling it a huge moment for democracy. Meanwhile, Trumps allies rushed to his defence, slamming the decision as un-American and insane and part of a politically-motivated effort to destroy his candidacy.

Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said in a statement. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel labeled the decision Election interference and said the RNCs legal team intends to help Trump fight the ruling.

(With agency inputs)
EU countries and lawmakers reached an agreement Wednesday on an overhaul of the blocs laws on handling asylum-seekers and migrants, officials said.

The reform includes speedier vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, accelerated deportation for rejected asylum applicants and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern countries experiencing big inflows.

Spain, which chaired the lengthy negotiations in its role holding the EU presidency, said on X, formerly Twitter: A political agreement has been reached on the five files of the EU new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said: Its been a long road to get here. But we made it. Europe is finally delivering on migration. Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen added that migration is a common European challenge  todays decision will allow us to manage it together.

The accord still needs to be formally approved by the European Council, representing the 27 EU member countries, and the European Parliament before it enters the blocs lawbooks.

The migration issue has taken on a harder political edge in Europe in recent years with the rise of nationalist anti-immigrant parties in several EU countries, including Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. The negotiators were keen to reach a workable deal that could be enacted before the term of the current European Parliament ends in June 2024.

But dozens of charities that help migrants  including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Caritas and Save the Children  have criticised the changes, saying in an open letter that the package would create a cruel system that is unworkable.

 Accelerated vetting 

The overhaul, based on a commission proposal put forward three years ago, keeps the existing principle under which the first EU country an asylum-seeker enters is responsible for their case. But to help countries experiencing a high number of arrivals  as is the case with Mediterranean countries Italy, Greece and Malta  a compulsory solidarity mechanism would be set up.

That would mean a certain number of migrant relocations to other EU countries, or countries that refuse to take in migrants would provide a financial or material contribution to those that do. The planned reform also aims for an accelerated filtering and vetting of asylum-seekers so those deemed ineligible can be quickly sent back to their home country or country of transit.

That procedure  which requires border detention centres being set up  would apply to irregular migrants coming from countries whose nationals asylum requests are rejected in more than 80 percent of cases. The MEPs obtained guarantees that families with young children would have adequate conditions and that monitoring would take place so that detained migrants rights were upheld and free legal advice provided, one lawmaker, Fabienne Keller, told AFP.

Another point is a proposed surge response under which protections for asylum-seekers could be curtailed in times of significant inflows, as happened in 2015-2016 when more than two million asylum-seekers arrived in the EU, many from war-torn Syria. The EU is seeing a rising number of irregular migrant arrivals and asylum requests.

In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17 percent. The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The abundance of information often leads to "information pollution", Media Development Agency expert Parvana Ibrahimova said, Trend reports.

She spoke during a panel discussion at the Media Literacy Conference in Baku.

"This demonstrates the significance of media literacy once more. Both the source of the information and the recipient of the information should be media literate. A media savvy person should be able to check the reliability of information and then offer it again," she emphasized.

The Media Literacy Conference, attended by 500 members of Azerbaijani youth, began on December 20 in Baku as part of the Media Literacy Week hosted by the Media Development Agency (MEDIA).

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The head of a Gaza hospital has admitted to being a Hamas commander and revealed how the Palestinian outfit turned the medical site in the northern part of the besieged territory into a military base. This confession is in line with Israels long-held claim that Hamas uses hospitals for its operations.

Ahmad Kahlot, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabaliya refugee camp, was seen in a taped confession after his arrest during last weeks raid on the facility, The New York Post reported. In a video released by the Israeli military on Tuesday, Kahlot said he joined Hamas in 2010 and held a rank equivalent to a brigadier general. He said that about 16 hospital staffers, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, were also members of Hamas key military wing.

Hamas in their own words:Ahmad KahalotSenior Hamas Member since 2010 and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalya in northern Gaza admits that Hamas has used hospitals as military facilities under their control. Video credit: ISA Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/QGLclR94at  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 19, 2023

Israeli forces breached the Kamal Adwan Hospital last week and arrested 90 suspected Hamas members inside the medical facility. World Health Organization on Monday said that the hospital is no longer functioning and that all its patients had been evacuated.

US media reports said the medical facility under Kahalots care had been turned into an elaborate military hub where up to 100 Hamas members had been holed up for days before moving to a different location. The Hamas commander went as far as slamming leaders of the Palestinian outfit as cowards. They left us out in the open while they have gone into hiding, he said. The people are the ones who got screwed.

This report comes as UN officials have voiced anger and disbelief about the situation in Gaza hospitals, where injured people do not have basic supplies and children recovering from amputations are being killed in the ongoing conflict. Nearly three-quarters of Gazas hospitals, or 27 of 36, are out of action due to damage in attacks, Israeli raids and lack of fuel and staff, according to WHO. Those still open are only partly functional and under growing pressure due to both strikes and growing numbers of sick and injured patients arriving.

(With agency inputs)
Irans foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday in protest against a ruling that implicated the Islamic Republic in a plan to attack a synagogue in Germany last year, the state-run IRNA news agency said.

The report said the ministry summoned German Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel to deliver the protest after the Duesseldorf state court convicted a 36-year-old German-Iranian man of attempted arson and agreeing to commit arson and sentenced him to two years and nine months in prison.

Judges found that the man threw an incendiary device at a school in the western city of Bochum in November 2022 because the neighboring synagogue appeared too well secured. The defendant denied planning to attack the synagogue. The school reportedly sustained had minor damage.

The court found the defendant had been tasked with the attack by a former Hells Angels member who had gone to Iran, and that Iran was behind the latter man. The German judges established that the plan for the attack stems from an Iranian state institution, according to a statement, which didnt give more precise details.

Iran slammed the ruling as a baseless accusation, IRNA said.

On Tuesday, the German Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian charge daffaires to discuss the matter, which Tehran also condemned as an unacceptable measure.

In a separate development, the Iranian media said the foreign ministry in Tehran also summoned the Swedish charge daffaires after a Swedish appeals court on Tuesday endorsed the life sentence given to Hamid Noury for war crimes and murder during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

According to the Stockholm District Court, Noury took part in severe atrocities in July-August 1988 while working as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor in a prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj. Noury, who was arrested in November 2019 when he arrived in Stockholm on a tourist trip, had appealed the ruling.
Hopes rose Wednesday that Israel and Hamas may be inching toward another truce and hostage release deal in the Gaza war, following secret talks and as the head of the Palestinian militant group visited Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Tuesday told relatives of some of the remaining 129 captives held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks that his spy chief was working on efforts to free our hostages.

I have just sent the head of Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process to free our hostages, the premier told them. I will spare no effort on the subject, and our duty is to bring them all back.

Mossad director David Barnea held a positive meeting in Warsaw this week with CIA chief Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a source familiar with the talks told AFP, asking not to be named.

Talks were ongoing with the aim of reaching an agreement around the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza in exchange for a truce and the potential release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, said the source.

The Qatar-based chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, on Wednesday travelled to Egypt, traditionally a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, for talks with intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.

A source close to Hamas, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks would focus on stopping the war and to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners (and) the end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

President Isaac Herzog also said Israel was ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.

Another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage it claimed showed two hostages, ramping up pressure on Israel.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war began when Hamas attacked on October 7, killing around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel launched a military campaign that Gazas Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children, while also cutting off most water, food and power supplies.

Qatar last month helped broker a first week-long truce in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

The source close to Hamas said the Egypt talks would focus on proposals including a week-long truce that would see the release of 40 Israeli hostages, including women, children and male non-combatants.

Haniyeh, before leaving Qatar, met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, but no details of their meeting were released.

 UN vote expected 

Fighting raged unabated Wednesday in Gaza, where the Israeli army reported close quarter combat and more than 300 strikes over the past day, while the death toll among its own forces rose to 134 inside Gaza.

It said ground, aerial and naval operations were carried out on dozens of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure including rocket launch sites and military command and control centres in Khan Yunis.

Hamas sources said at least 11 people were killed overnight in Israeli strikes.

In Khan Yunis, residents searched by hand through the rubble of a building completely flattened by bombardment.

The house was full of people, why did they bomb it? Whats the reason? said one distraught young resident, Amr Sheikh-Deeb.

We managed to remove some bodies, but where are the rest of them? What did these people do?

Three corpses lay on the floor of the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where wounded people were treated, including children.

One man, Abed Abu Aisha, came in carrying his crying child, both covered in blood and dust.

A missile hit our house, without any prior notice, he said.

We pulled out some from under the rubble, but more people are still buried. I dont know the exact number of casualties, but a whole family was wounded.

The UN Security Council was set to vote later Wednesday on a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict, diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.

The latest version of the text calls for the suspension of hostilities, the sources said.

The US vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution, sparking condemnation by aid groups which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.

 On the brink 

The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gazas 2.4 million residents have been forced to flee their homes, many sheltering in tents amid dire shortages and the biting winter cold.

Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink, said Tor Wennesland, the UNs special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

Israel, which declared a total siege on Gaza at the start of the war, has since allowed in aid trucks through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and, as of this week, its own Kerem Shalom crossing.

The UNs World Food Progamme said Wednesday it had delivered food through the crossing in a first direct aid convoy from Jordan.

An Israeli military agency, COGAT, said it had also started laying a pipeline from Egypt to deliver drinking water from a mobile desalination plant in a project led by the United Arab Emirates.

But aid groups have warned the humanitarian goods fall far short of the dire need, and the UN childrens agency said that child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments.

The Gaza war has sparked fears of regional escalation and seen Israel trade deadly cross-border fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, where Israel said its aircraft hit more targets Wednesday.

Yemens Iran-backed Huthi rebels, meanwhile, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at vessels passing through the Red Sea that they say are linked to Israel, in a show of support for Palestinians.

The United States this week started to build a multinational naval task force to protect the waterway leading to the Suez Canal, through which more than 10 percent of global trade transits.
Neither India nor the United States were behind Pakistans miseries, the countrys former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday, candidly admitting that the cash-strapped nation shot itself in the foot. At the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) event in Lahore, the 73-year-old party supremo, for the second time in recent weeks, pointed out that he was ousted from power three times.

Today where Pakistan has reached (poor economic state) this is not done by India, the US or even Afghanistan. We shot ourselves in our own footthey (military) imposed a selected (government) on this nation by rigging the 2018 polls that led to the sufferings of the people and downfall of the economy, Sharif was quoted as saying by PTI.

The three-time prime minister, who is eying his fourth term, slammed the judges for legitimising military dictators. The judges garland them (dictators) and legitimise their rule when they break the Constitution. When it comes to a prime minister the judges stamp his ouster. The judges also approve the act of dissolution of the parliamentwhy? he asked.

Nawaz also rebuked former Pakistan spy chief Gen Faiz Hamid for his role in ousting him from power in 2017. A case has been opened in the Supreme Court against those (Faiz Hamid and others) who had said that if Nawaz came out of jail their two-year hard work would be wasted, he said. The PML-N leader, who returned to the country from London in October ending a four-year-long self-imposed exile, is the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times.

I was prime minister in the morning and in the evening I was declared a hijacker (1999). Similarly in 2017, I was ousted from power for not taking salary from my son, Nawaz said. They (military establishment) made this decision as they wanted to bring their selected man into power, he said, referring to his arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: supremo Imran Khan.

(With agency inputs)
Ukraine said Wednesday that nine people, including four children, had been wounded by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson, as drones targeted the capital Kyiv and the second-largest city Kharkiv.

During the evening shelling of Kherson by the Russian occupiers, nine people were injured, four of them were children, said Roman Mrochko, head of Kherson, adding that the children were between two and 13 years old.

He said a mother and her three children had been hospitalised but were in a moderate condition.

Kherson was retaken by Ukrainian troops in November 2022 but the city remains within reach of Russian weaponry, and is regularly targeted.

On the same night, a Ukrainian Red Cross warehouse storing aid intended for residents of the Kherson region was destroyed.

The Ukrainian Red Cross said on social media that a fire  ignited by a direct artillery hit  had wiped out supplies.

It posted images showing the charred remains of the facility where a fire was still smouldering.

Moscow has stepped up its nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, at a time when the Wests willingness to support the country seems to be waning.

The air force said a total 19 Shahed (drone) launches were recorded, 18 of which were destroyed within the Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Chernigiv and Kirovograd regions.

Several Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defences as they headed toward Kyiv, according to the head of the capitals military administration, Sergiy Popko.

There were no victims or destruction in the capital, he wrote on social media, adding that the attack, the fifth on Kyiv in December, was staged from the Black Sea.

In the northeast, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported at least two strikes near residential buildings in his city.

The Ukraine air force said Kharkiv was hit with two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles fired from Russias Belgorod region. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine has asked its allies to provide more air defence systems.

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate said Tuesday that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before the years end.
A Pakistani couple was sentenced to life in prison by a court in northern Italy on Tuesday for the 2021 murder of their daughter after she refused an arranged marriage. The trial was the most high-profile of several criminal probes in the country in recent years.

Saman Abbas, 18, was living in Novellara near Bologna when she disappeared in May 2021, having rejected the previous year her familys demand that she marry a cousin in Pakistan.

Parents ordered murder

A tribunal in Reggio Emilia in central Italy ruled that the parents ordered the murder and that an uncle had strangled his niece. The uncle was sentenced to 14 years after accepting a plea bargain, while two cousins were acquitted in an affair that shocked the country.

Saman had denounced her parents to the police and social workers placed her in a shelter in November 2020. But she visited her family in April 2021, planning to pick up her passport and start a new life with her boyfriend, whom her family disapproved of.

She Disappeared

She disappeared soon after, and police, alerted by the boyfriend, raided the family home in May but the parents had already left for Pakistan. The young woman was probably killed the night of April 30 to May 1, according to surveillance camera footage showing five people leaving the family home with shovels, crowbars and buckets, before returning two and a half hours later.

A year later Abbass body was found in an abandoned farmhouse with a broken neck. Her brother told police that he had overheard his father talking about the murder and that it was the uncle who had killed his sister. The father, Shabbar Abbas, was arrested in Pakistan and extradited to Italy in August 2023. The uncle, Danish Hasnain, was turned over by French authorities while the cousins were arrested in Spain. The four men were present at the trial, but the mother, Nazia Shaheen, is still a fugitive and is believed to be in Pakistan.

Samans quick embrace of Western ways, including shedding her headscarf and dating a young man of her choice, was disapproved by her family. In one social media post, she and her Pakistani boyfriend were shown kissing on a street in the regional capital, Bologna. According to Italian investigators, that kiss enraged Abbas parents, who wanted her to marry a cousin in Pakistan. Abbas had reportedly told her boyfriend that she feared for her life, because she refused to marry an older man back home in Pakistan.

(With agency inputs)
A top court in the US state of Colorado made history Tuesday with an unprecedented ruling that former President Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run in 2024 because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol.

The courts decision  which Trumps campaign said it would appeal  drew immediate condemnation from Republicans across the line. The ruling, which only applies to the Colorado primary ballot, is the first of a number of legal actions across the country to invoke the US Constitutions 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone formerly sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection.

Whats the 14th Amendment?

Three years after the Civil War ended, the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1868. Section 3 of that amendment wrote into the Constitution the principle President Abraham Lincoln set out just three months after the first shots were fired in the Civil War, according to AP. On July 4, 1861, Lincoln spoke to US Congress, declaring that when ballots have fairly, and constitutionally, decided, there can be no successful appeal back to bullets.

The text of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states, in full: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Law is Clear

On Tuesday, former White House lawyer Ty Cobb predicted the US Supreme Court could rule 9-0 in favour of Trump in a potential appeal of the Colorado Supreme Courts new ruling. I think this case will be handled quickly, I think it could be 9-0 in the Supreme Court for Trump, Cobb said in an interview on CNN, adding later, I do believe it could be 9-0 because I think the law is clear.

The real key issue in this case is  is Trump an officer in the United States in the context in which that term is used in the Article Three of the 14th Amendment, Cobbs said. And in 2010, Chief Justice Roberts explained in free enterprise that people dont vote for officers of the United States. The legal expert also referred to several US Supreme Court decisions that do not conclude officers include the president or vice president in this context.

(With agency inputs)
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred former President Donald Trump from running for office in 2024 from the western US state, a historic ruling that could be struck down ahead of next years polls.

Shortly after the decision was announced, reactions poured in from all corners, including from Democrats, Republicans, and other legal experts. Here is a look at the decision and what it means for the former US president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination. Will it hurt or possibly help Trump?

Firstly, What does the ruling Say?

A 4-3 majority of the top Colorado court ruled that Trump is disqualified from appearing on the states ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which bars anyone engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding federal office.

A lower court judge previously ruled that Trumps actions on Jan. 6, 2021, during a violent attack on the US Capitol by his supporters amounted to insurrection but stopped short of disqualifying him, saying Section 3 does not apply to presidents. The Colorado Supreme Court paused its own ruling pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, which Trump said he would immediately seek.

READ MORE: Understanding the 14th Amendment of US Constitution Used to Bar Trump from Office

Will the decision stand?

The case involves a host of unprecedented legal issues related to Section 3, which was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War and has rarely been tested. It is not clear how the Supreme Court would rule, but it is dominated by a conservative majority that includes three Trump appointees.

That was a top concern for the dissenting justices in the 4-3 Colorado decision, who said the majoritys ruling would strip Trump of one of his most basic rights without adequate due process. They noted that Trump has not been convicted of insurrection by a jury and did not have the right to subpoena records or compel witnesses to testify in the case.

How could the ruling impact the election, if at all

Even if the ruling manages Supreme Court review, it could be inconsequential to the outcome of the November 2024 election because the GOP frontrunner does not need to win Colorado and is not expected to, given its strong Democratic leanings.

Colorado has nine of the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. Biden won the state by more than 13 percentage points in the 2020 election. But similar lawsuits could be filed in competitive states that Trump must win to prevail, and while none of those courts would be bound by the Colorado decision, judges will likely study it closely while reaching their own conclusions.

Will Trump benefit politically?

Some US media reports said Trump has mastered the art of converting legal setbacks into polling bounces. The former US President is already in a stronger position today to beat President Joe Biden than he was one year ago before he was criminally indicted in four jurisdictions, according to CNN.

The US broadcaster said Trump and his GOP allies will play the victim card and railing against the ruling. On Tuesday, Trumps campaign decried the court decision as undemocratic. The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, a campaign spokesperson said. He and his allies have criticised disqualification cases in Colorado and several other states as undemocratic and part of a conspiracy by his political rivals to keep him out of office.

(With agency inputs)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Azerbaijan's Media Development Agency held "Media Literacy" conference, Trend reports.

The conference was attended by Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov, Head of the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security Ilgar Musayev, as well as heads of media entities operating in Azerbaijan, media representatives and volunteers of a number of state bodies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov noted that media reforms carried out in Azerbaijan serve to both support professional media and create a healthy media environment.

In his speech, he also noted that so far the agency has held a number of educational events on the topic of media literacy of youth in the regions of Azerbaijan.

"Also, various seminars with participation of profile experts from Europe have been organized during this period," he stressed.

Ahmad Ismayilov touched upon the increasing number of disinformation cases in the current global information era.

"This, in turn, implies the importance of such measures, educational work in the direction of media literacy. We believe that media literacy will have the best impact on protecting people from harmful aspects of the new media environment," Ismayilov said.

Ilgar Musayev, head of the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security (SSIS), spoke about the importance of raising awareness of possible cyberattacks amid the increasing number of users on social networks.

"The State Service regularly conducts monitoring in the information system of state bodies, as well as assessments in the direction of their security. In this regard, I can say that during the current year more than 1.4 million malicious e-mails for state bodies and their employees were prevented," Musayev said.

At the end of the speeches, the presentation of the "Media Literacy" platform took place.

Head of Media Support Projects and Strategic Planning Department of Media Development Agency Laman Isgandarova mentioned that the website platform consists of 5 sections and 10 subsections.

After the presentation, Deputy Head of Human Resources and Education Department of the High Council for Radio and Television of Turkiye Feyza Gizligider gave an extensive lecture on the topic of "Remaining a Trace of What We Observe".

The conference continued with a panel session.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The number of people eligible to vote has increased in Azerbaijan, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of Territorial-Organizational Issues Department of the Presidential Administration Zeynal Naghdaliyev said, Trend reports.

He spoke at a meeting for chairmen of district election commissions at the Central Election Commission (CEC).

He noted that the lists of people allowed to cast votes, have been revised and an increase in the number of voters has been revealed.

According to him, the total number of those eligible to vote is 6.3 million people.

Will be updated
UPDATE

Dec 20, 2023 5:10 PM CST

A Capitol rioter who was turned in by a Bumble match has pleaded guilty to a felony charge. Texas man Andrew Taake, 32, pleaded guilty to "assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon," the US Attorney's Office in Washington, DC, said. Prosecutors said he was holding a whip-like weapon when he attacked officers with chemical spray. The woman who reported him said she changed her political beliefs to conservative on the dating site in the days after the Jan. 6 attack, NBC News reports. She said "it didn't take a lot of arm twisting" to get rioters to brag about their actions, giving her information that she passed to the FBI. Taake is scheduled to be sentenced in March. Court records show that at the time of the attack, he was on bond on a felony charge of soliciting a minor online.

Jul 24, 2021 10:30 AM CDT

Another man has been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol after being turned in by a Bumble match. The dating app tracks locations, and showed Andrew Taake of Houston in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the river from the Capitol. Screenshots of his chat with his unnamed match, included in a criminal complaint, also show him bragging about having been pepper sprayed, complete with a picture. He told his match he had been "peacefully standing there," but photos posted on social media shows him using a metal whip to attack police, per the Washington Post.
Donald Trump has become the first presidential candidate disqualified from running in an election under an 1868 amendment to the Constitution that bars insurrectionists from seeking office. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Wednesday to remove Trump from the GOP presidential primary ballot in the state, saying he was not eligible because of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the BBC reports. Last month, a district court judge in the state ruled that Trump had engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack but determined that the amendment didn't apply to presidential candidates.

The court's Tuesday ruling stated Trump is disqualified under the amendment and "it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot," the Washington Post reports. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us," the justices wrote. "We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4or until the US Supreme Court issues a ruling in the case, the AP reports. Colorado will hold its GOP primary on March 5, Super Tuesday. Officials say the deadline to print ballots is Jan. 5. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung described the decision as "completely flawed." "We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," he said. (Read more Election 2024 stories.)
The Senate unanimously confirmed 11 top-ranking military officers late Tuesday, ending a months-long blockade staged by a single Republican, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Without debate, the Senate swiftly confirmed the military officials, including four-star generals, whose promotions and family livelihoods had been held up by the GOP senator protesting the Defense Department's policy on abortion, the AP reports. "That's good news," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said afterward. Schumer said other nominees had also been confirmed as the Senate is working to wrap up its work before a holiday recess.

Confirming the 11 remaining high-ranking armed services nominees was a quiet end to Tuberville's unusual effort after the senator faced pressure from all sides to relent. Critics said his stance, which had left key positions unfilled, threatened national security and left military families with an uncertain path forward. It came after the Senate two weeks ago suddenly approved about 425 military promotions once Tuberville stood down. In a brief comment as he exited the Capitol, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sounded a similar note, saying the confirmations were "good news."

Tuberville was blocking the nominations in opposition to Pentagon rules that allow travel reimbursement when a service member has to go out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care. The Biden administration had instituted the new rules after the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to an abortion, and some states have limited or banned the procedure. Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the only Vietnam veteran currently in the Senate, said he spoke with Tuberville on Tuesday to urge him to move on from placing the holds. In a short speech afterward, Carper saluted the military personnel and apologized for what had happened. "This sad chapter has come to an end," he said.

(Read more Tommy Tuberville stories.)
Last weekend, former President Trump ramped up his attacks on immigrants at a New Hampshire rally, asserting they're "poisoning the blood of our country." Trump is now getting pushback on his rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Republican. "It strikes me that didn't bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao the secretary of transportation," McConnell said Tuesday of Trump's immigrant rhetoric, referring to his own wife, who was born in Taiwan, per the Hill . Chao, who's been married to McConnell since 1993 and also served as labor secretary under George W. Bush, has been the subject of Trump barbs before, including when the ex-commander in chief called her "Coco Chow" and "China loving" in a social media post last year.

McConnell isn't the only lawmaker who's speaking up to slam Trump's most recent inflammatory remarks. "Deplorable," GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine tells the Independent. "Those comments ... have no place, particularly from a former president." Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, also a Republican, weighs in as well, noting, "My grandfather was an immigrant. And we're a nation of immigrants. But we're a nation of laws. We have to enforce our borders." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agrees, somewhat, with Thune, calling Trump's remarks "despicable" but noting that "we all know there's a problem at the border," per the New York Times. "The president does. Democrats do. And we're going to try to solve that problem consistent with our principles."

It's another Democrat, however, who makes perhaps the most pointed retort to Trump. "Considering that two of his wives are immigrants, I guess his children are poisoned," Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono tells the Messenger. A few Republicans apparently aren't bothered by Trump's language, including Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, known most recently for a monthslong blockage of Senate military confirmations. Coming to Trump's defense on Tuesday, Tuberville said he was actually "mad" that Trump didn't go even harder in his New Hampshire speech. "Because have you seen what's happening at the border?" Tuberville said, per the Hill. "We're being overrun. So a little bit disappointed it wasn't tougher." Ohio Sen. JD Vance, meanwhile, says it's "objectively and obviously true" that "illegal immigrants [are] poisoning the blood of the country." (Read more Mitch McConnell stories.)
It's a clear sign the Ukraine-Russia war has a long way to go: On Tuesday, Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said the military wants him to mobilize another 500,000 men from the civilian ranks to fight Russia. "This is a very serious number," Zelensky said in his year-end news conference, reports Reuters. He added that his government has not made a final decision on the "highly sensitive" question, but from other coverage, Zelensky might not have much choice:

Older, tired: Many of the soldiers currently on the front line are middle-aged and exhausted, reports the Wall Street Journal. "Physically, I can't handle this," one 47-year-old tells the newspaper. "I'm deeply disappointed that I'm no longer 20." Often, these men are from poorer, rural areas who can't afford to buy their way out of the nation's "rickety" draft system or into safer duties behind the front lines, per the story.

Many of the soldiers currently on the front line are middle-aged and exhausted, reports the Wall Street Journal. "Physically, I can't handle this," one 47-year-old tells the newspaper. "I'm deeply disappointed that I'm no longer 20." Often, these men are from poorer, rural areas who can't afford to buy their way out of the nation's "rickety" draft system or into safer duties behind the front lines, per the story. The draft: Men ages 27 to 60 can be drafted into servicelawmakers just approved lowering the age to 25but anyone 18 or older can volunteer. After a surge of volunteers when the war began, those numbers have dropped sharply. What's more, a "combination of corruption, exemptions and political caution has protected much of Ukraine's urban middle class against having to fight." That could change if hundreds of thousands of men need to be called up. No male age 18 to 60 is allowed to leave the country, which has been under martial law since Russia invaded in February 2022.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Media literacy applies not only to news platforms but also to activities in social networks, employee of Azerbaijan's State Service for Special Communication and Information Security Murad Balayev said, Trend reports.

He spoke during a panel discussion at the "Media Literacy" conference in Baku.

He emphasized the importance of developing skills for critical perception of information among young people.

"Media literacy extends beyond news platforms to activities on social networks, where we face a variety of cyber risks such as cyberbullying, blackmail, and so on. That is to say, numerous examples may be provided, given that it is primarily young people who are vulnerable in this situation. These dangers have an impact not only on information security but also on user psychology. The issue of cyber dangers affects not only Azerbaijan but the entire world, necessitating coordinated international efforts," Murad Balayev said.

The Media Development Agency of Azerbaijan held a "Media Literacy" conference on December 20.

Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov, Head of the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security Ilgar Musayev, as well as heads of media entities working in Azerbaijan, media representatives, and volunteers of a number of state bodies, attended the conference.
The bombshell decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to keep Donald Trump off the 2024 presidential ballot in that state now shifts attention to the US Supreme Court, where an appeal is expected to land quickly. The Colorado court ruled 4-3 that Trump engaged in insurrection and is therefore barred from seeking reelection under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. (Read more about the rationale of using the clause against Trump.) Still, the gist of early coverage is that the Supreme Court is likely to reverse the lower court's decision. Coverage:

High court: "I think that we should first of all reject the idea that it's a predictable 6-3 ruling," Adam Liptak of the New York Times tells the Daily podcast, referring to the court's conservative-liberal split. The big question is whether voters should decide on Trump's conduct after the 2020 election or whether the court should "take that question out of the voters' hands," he says. Liptak is skeptical even the liberal justices will want to do that. In a similar vein: "The justices don't want it to look like they're taking this fundamental question away from the electorate," Loyola law professor Jessica Levinson tells the Wall Street Journal.

"I think that we should first of all reject the idea that it's a predictable 6-3 ruling," Adam Liptak of the New York Times tells the Daily podcast, referring to the court's conservative-liberal split. The big question is whether voters should decide on Trump's conduct after the 2020 election or whether the court should "take that question out of the voters' hands," he says. Liptak is skeptical even the liberal justices will want to do that. In a similar vein: "The justices don't want it to look like they're taking this fundamental question away from the electorate," Loyola law professor Jessica Levinson tells the Wall Street Journal. Complicated: The Colorado court, as it itself acknowledged, ruled on multiple "novel legal issues," writes Rick Hasen at Election Law Blog. "Trump would need to prevail on only one of these legal issues to win on any appeal, so in some ways the legal odds are with him." The Journal lays out examples of those "novel" issues, including, "What does it mean to have been 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion?' Can Trump be disqualified as an insurrectionist when he hasn't been convicted of any such offense? And should it be up to state courts to decide on Trump's eligibility?" Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb predicts a 9-0 ruling in Trump's favor, per the Hill.
This file is updated throughout with new details. The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal. The deal represents the US government's boldest bid to improve relations with the oil-producing nation and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader, per the AP . The largest release of US prisoners in Venezuela's history comes weeks after the Biden administration agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Maduro and an opposition faction to work toward a free and fair 2024 presidential election.

The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020 and long was regarded as a criminal trophy by Washington, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader. The agreement also will result in the extradition of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship-servicing company in Southeast Asia who is the central character in one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history. Nicknamed "Fat Leonard," Francis fled home custody in San Diego in September 2022 and was arrested by Venezuelan police attempting to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas.

That escapade punctuated the bribery investigation that led to the conviction and sentencing of nearly two dozen Navy officials, defense contractors, and others on various fraud and corruption charges. The defense contractor was a key contact for US Navy ships at ports across Asia for more than two decades. During that time he wooed naval officers with Kobe beef, expensive cigars, concert tickets and wild sex parties at luxury hotels from Thailand to the Philippines, according to a separate AP story on him.

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In exchange, the officers, including the first active-duty admiral to be convicted of a federal crime, concealed the scheme in which Francis would overcharge for supplying ships or charge for fake services at ports he controlled in Southeast Asia. The officers passed him classified information and even went so far as redirecting military vessels to ports that were lucrative for his Singapore-based ship servicing company. Upon arrival in the US, Francis will be transferred to a federal detention facility, per the Washington Post. (Read more about "Fat Leonard.")
A Texas man who was part of a romance scam that bilked a Missouri woman out of $1.2 million was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in federal prison and ordered to repay the money, reports the AP . Rotimi Oladimeji, 38, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced a year after he pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, the US Attorney's office in St. Louis said in a news release. Oladimeji and two others spotted the victim on the " Silver Singles " online dating site, prosecutors said. Posing as a Belgian national who was a veterinarian and animal behaviorist living in St. Louis, they made plans to meet with her but never followed through.

The scammers claimed the man needed money because he was not being allowed to leave the United Arab Emirates, where he had gone for a business deal. Federal prosecutors said the victim lost nearly $1.2 million. Oladimeji had received about 20% of the money but is responsible for fully reimbursing the victim unless his two co-defendants pay back some of it, said US Attorney's office spokesperson Robert Patrick. Oladimeji was born in Nigeria and could be deported after his release from prison, the US Attorney's office said. Olumide Akrinmade and Adewale Adesanya also have pleaded guilty to federal charges. Akrinmade was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to repay $46,500. Adesanya was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to repay $1.5 million for various fraud schemes.

(Read more online scam stories.)
A South Dakota hotel is apologizing after one of its owners attempted to ban Native Americans from the premises, reports the South Dakota Standard. The public apology from the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City is part of the settlement of a discrimination lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice, per South Dakota Public Broadcasting. It comes more than a year after co-owner Connie Uhre wrote an email to local hotel owners after a shooting in which she said, "I really do not want to allow Natives on property," adding, "The problem is we do not know the nice ones from the bad natives," per the Washington Post.
Passengers who had booked a cruise from New York City to the Bahamas were told the night before departure that they had a choice: Cancel their vacation, or go to Canada. MSC Cruises said the itinerary was changed at the last minute due to "unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather," NBC News reports. The MSC Meraviglia, one of the world's biggest cruise ships, had been scheduled to travel to Florida and the Bahamas in a seven-day cruise that started Saturday. Instead, it went to Boston, with stops planned in Portland, Maine, and Saint John, New Brunswick, before its return to New York.

Passengers were told that they could receive a refund in the form of future cruise credit if they decided not to travel to destinations much colder than they had in mind. Some people, however, missed the email and didn't find out about the change until they were boarding. "The guy helping us with our luggage said, 'You're going to Canada' and we all laughed it off," Girish Keswani told the Boston Globe. "We thought it was a joke." Keswani traveled to the US from India with his family for the cruise. The Globe spoke to other disappointed passengers from around the USand some from Canada.

"I did not want to pay $5,000 to come to Boston," a passenger who lives in Pennsylvania and regularly travels to Boston for work said, referring to the cost of her family's tickets. "This was supposed to be our Christmas vacation." In a statement to ABC News, MSC Cruises said the rough weather "would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City." The cruise line said the only last-minute berths available were in New England and Canada. "The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of canceling the cruiseand thousands of people's vacationsoutright," it said. (Read more cruise ships stories.)
Hamas' top leader traveled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy aimed at securing another ceasefire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israel's offensive shows no signs of slowing. Hamas militants have been putting up stiff resistance, even as the Israeli army claims to be making great progress in eradicating them, the AP reports. The visit to Cairo by its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel. It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza , killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million peoplenearly 85% of the populationfrom their homes.

Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war. But the sides have recently relaunched indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. The goal is to achieve another ceasefire, and to free more hostages Hamas took in its attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. "These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope that they lead somewhere," the White House's national security spokesman, John Kirby, said Wednesday.

Despite a burst of diplomacy by high-level officials in recent days, the two sides appeared to be far from an agreement. Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and is expected to insist on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants, for the captives that remain. Israel has rejected the demands so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis, and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.

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Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate a weeklong ceasefire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives. Hamas said that Haniyehwho is believed to be based in Qatar but whose movements are rarely publicizedwould discuss the war with Egyptian officials, without providing more details. Ziad Nakhaleh, the leader of the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which took part in the Oct. 7 attack and is also holding hostages, said he would also be going to Egypt in the coming days to participate in the talks.

(Read more Israel-Hamas war stories.)
New York's attorney general filed suit Wednesday against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming service of making it intentionally difficult for its customers to cancel their subscriptions. Attorney General Letitia James' office said an investigation into complaints from customers found that SiriusXM forced subscribers to wait in an automated system before often lengthy interactions with agents who were trained in ways to avoid accepting a request to cancel service, the AP reports. The lawsuit seeks financial penalties, including compensation for the time customers spent online during what the attorney general called a "deliberately lengthy" cancellation process.

"Having to endure a lengthy and frustrating process to cancel a subscription is a stressful burden no one looks forward to, and when companies make it hard to cancel subscriptions, it's illegal," the attorney general said. The company disputed the claims, arguing that many of the lengthy interaction times cited in the lawsuit were based on a 2020 inquiry and were caused in part by the effects of the pandemic on their operations. The company said many of its plans can be canceled with a simple click of a button online. "We intend to vigorously defend against these baseless allegations that grossly mischaracterize SiriusXM's practices," company spokeswoman Jessica Casano-Antonellis said in a statement.

The attorney general's office cited affidavits in which customers complained of long waits in an automated system to chat with an agent, only to endure lengthy attempts to keep their business. It takes subscribers an average of 11.5 minutes to cancel by phone, and 30 minutes to cancel online, although for many subscribers it takes far longer, the attorney general's office said. During 2019 and 2021, more than 578,000 subscribers seeking to cancel by telephone abandoned their efforts while waiting in the queue to be connected to the live agent, according to the lawsuit. (Read more SiriusXM stories.)
Boucher said "higher recreational drug use" has recently been observed in Otakou/Otago, matching higher concentrations detected in wastewater.

He asked those thinking about taking recreational drugs to think twice, as substances sold as MDMA, cocaine or ketamine can be misrepresented.



"We urge everyone to be aware of what theyre putting into their systems and the dosages," Boucher said.

If people choose to take recreational drugs, Boucher said it's recommended to get them checked by drug-checking services - which have free, legal and confidential clinics across Aotearoa.

"Its vital that you look out for each other this summer and take extra measures to ensure you are keeping each other safe."

The nine arrested are due to appear in court in the coming weeks on charges including possession for supply of MDMA, ketamine, cocaine and cannabis, among others.

"Police will continue to target and hold offenders to account for the supply of controlled drugs in our community, as these drugs can and do cause harm," Boucher said.

Drug-checking clinic dates can be found here, while the early drug warning system, High Alert, can be found here.


A homicide investigation was launched on Saturday and now police are looking into establishing who was present at the address as part of our enquiries, including members and associates of the Mangu Kaha gang.

Police want to speak to all those who attended the birthday celebration.

"We have been working towards understanding what led to an altercation that left one man dead and another seriously hurt," Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said.

"Rawiri's whanau will spend the coming Christmas grieving the loss of one son as they hope for the recovery of their other son."

Det Insp Ryan said individuals at the party would know what happened and could help provide answers that would assist in the investigation.

"We ask that those persons to do the right thing and think of both victims, their friends, whanau and loved ones and speak with Police sooner rather than later," Det Insp Ryan said.

"Our team remains committed to locating the person or persons responsible for this violent incident and holding them to account, and we continue to appeal to the community for their help to do so."

The police also continue to ask people within the community who have privately-owned CCTV or dashcam footage within Stokes Valley and the Eastern Hutt Road area between 1am and 3am that day to make contact.

"We have already received information that has been of assistance and thank those that have provided that to us," Insp Det Ryan said.

Anyone with any information that will help us progress this inquiry is asked to contact Police by phone on 105, or online at 105.police.govt.nz using Update Report, referencing file number 231216/6245.
ON-SITE INSPECTION

The investigation found that the airbag control units used by Daihatsu in airbag tests for some models were different from the ones used in cars sold to the public, including Toyota's Town Ace and Pixis Joy models and the Mazda Bongo.

Toyota said it was not aware of any accidents related to the issue. It said side-collision tests of two models may not be law compliant even as verifications confirmed that the airbag met passenger safety standards.

Japan's transport ministry said it would carry out an on-site inspection at Daihatsu's headquarters in Osaka on Thursday.

Daihatsu executives told a press conference the overseas shipments will be suspended until the vehicles are cleared for sales again by regulators.

"The situation is extremely serious," Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira said, adding that any regulatory clearances the automaker received through fraudulent means could be revoked by law.

The misconduct also included false reports on headrest impact tests and test speeds for some models. The investigation found cases of misconduct were particularly prevalent after 2014 and, for one already-discontinued Daihatsu vehicle, went back as far as 1989.

Makoto Kaiami, the chair of the third-party investigation committee, said the panel did not believe that Toyota was responsible for the misconduct, but that Daihatsu was trying to meet expectations it had placed on itself.

The issue emerged after Daihatsu said in April it had discovered the wrongly conducted tests after a whistleblower report. It had reported the issue to regulatory agencies and halted shipments of affected models.

The following month, it said it had stopped sales of the Toyota Raize hybrid electric vehicle and its own Rocky model after also finding problems with testing for those models.

PREVIOUS SAFETY ISSUES AT TOYOTA

Daihatsu produced 1.1 million vehicles over the first 10 months of the year, nearly 40% of those at overseas sites, according to Toyota data. It sold some 660,000 vehicles worldwide over that period and accounted for 7% of Toyota's sales.

Toyota said on Wednesday affected models included those for the Southeast Asian markets of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and Central and South American countries of Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Daihatsu is the latest safety issue to impact the Toyota group over the years.

An engine data scandal at Toyota's truck- and bus-making unit, Hino Motors, in 2022 led to resignations and temporary pay cuts for some managers.

In that case Hino admitted to falsifying data on some engines dating back to 2003, or at least a decade earlier than it originally indicated.

In 2010 Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, then chief executive, was forced to testify before U.S. Congress due to a safety crisis involving faulty accelerators.

Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

Reuters
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan Mazahir Panahov has addressed voters, Trend reports.

Panahov, in his statement to journalists, called on all Azerbaijani citizens to take an active part in the presidential election.

He noted that every citizen of Azerbaijan who has the right to vote must participate in elections, regardless of where he lives.

It makes no difference to us whether a citizen is a member of the military or a prisoner in a correctional facility. What is crucial to us is that he is a voter who must utilize his right to vote, he added.

On December 7, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree holding an early presidential election in Azerbaijan on February 7, 2024.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Individuals interfering in the work of election commissions will be brought to criminal and administrative responsibility, said First Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Elchin Mammadov during a meeting for chairmen of regional election commissions, Trend reports.

He noted that protection of the rights of individuals participating in the electoral process is enshrined in the legislation.

On December 7, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree calling for an extraordinary presidential election in the country on February 7, 2024.

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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa commended the historical Bahrain-US relations and the advanced progress of cooperation in various disciplines, including coordination of military and defence cooperation.

This came as HM the King received US Minister of Defence, His Excellency Lloyd Austin, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The meeting reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to boost strategic cooperation. HM King Hamad highlighted the crucial role the US government plays in maintaining security and stability in the region and promoting international peace, in cooperation with its allies.

The meeting discussed the latest international and regional developments, including the situation in the Gaza Strip, the importance of achieving a ceasefire, protecting civilians, and the release of hostages and detainees; as well as ensuring that humanitarian aid is delivered to the Palestinians in Gaza as per international humanitarian law.

They also highlighted the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, supporting the peace process, and establishing the Palestinian state according to the two-state solution and international legitimacy resolutions.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday issued Decree (110) of 2023, naming the ministry and minister responsible for implementing Decree-Law (20) of 2002 with respect to the Regulation of Fishing, Exploitation, and Protection of Marine Wealth, based on a proposal by the Prime Minister, and following the Cabinets approval.

The royal decree stipulates that the ministry and the minister in charge of marine wealth shall be responsible for implementing the provisions of Decree-Law (20) of 2002 with respect to the Regulation of Fishing, Exploitation and Protection of Marine Wealth.

HM the King Hamad issued Royal Decree (111) of 2023, ratifying the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Governance Charter, based on the proposal of the Prime Minister, and following the approval of the Cabinet.

The MGI charter, annexed to this decree, was approved on October 26, 2022. The Prime Minister and ministers, each in their capacity, shall implement the provisions of the decrees, which come into effect the day following their issuance, and will be published in the Official Gazette.
This time the Magic carpets" carpet exhibition is held in Spain

On December 19, 2023, an exhibition of Azerbaijani carpets was organized in the exhibition hall of the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory with the joint Organization of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Spain and Azerkhalcha OJSC, with the support of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO).

The event was held within the framework of a series of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, in accordance with the agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Spain, which includes bilateral cooperation in the fields of culture, education and science.

Officials of Spanish government agencies, members of parliament, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Madrid, ambassadors, media representatives, representatives of scientific and academic circles, figures of art and culture, as well as members of Azerbaijani, Turkish and other communities living in Spain attended the special event organized in connection with the opening of the Magic carpets" exhibition.

Announcing the event, Ramiz Hasanov, The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of our country to Spain noted that carpet weaving art in Azerbaijan has an ancient history, master carpet  makers successfully pass on the subtleties of this art to the younger generation, the country's leadership attaches great importance to the development of this art and the work done by Azerkhalcha OJSC in the promotion of our carpets. The ambassador also noted that the signing of an agreement promoting cooperation between Azerkhalcha" OJSC and the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory is of particular importance for the development of joint activities of the relevant organizations specializing in carpet weaving of Azerbaijan and Spain in the future.

Chairman of the Board of "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, honored art worker Emin Mammadov congratulated the participants of the event on the upcoming New Year and the day of solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and spoke about the history of the organization. The Chairman said that the main goal of Azerkhalcha" OJSC is to preserve the tradition of carpet weaving and further develop this art. He stressed that Azerbaijani folk-applied art and its branch, carpet weaving, occupy a special place in the history of the national culture of our people. E. Mammadov spoke about the carpets displayed at the exhibition, which belong to Karabakh, Gazakh, Nakhchivan and Shirvan carpet-making schools.

Then, Director General of the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory Alejandro Klecker said that Azerbaijani carpets with ancient history are known in the world for their unique ornament, composition and color shades, and the organization represented by him is pleased to organize this event together with Azerkhalcha OJSC and the Embassy. He also emphasized that the agreement signed in the first half of the day on practical cooperation between "Azerkhalcha" OJSC and the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory is of historical importance and he is confident that the document in question will make great contributions to the mutual visits of delegations between the parties, as well as the organization of joint exhibitions in Azerbaijan and Spain, mutual exchange of information and experience.

Then the participants of the exhibition tasted delicious Azerbaijani dishes, local wines, and enjoyed the invaluable performances of Honored artist tar player Shahriyar Imanov and his ensemble.

The process of weaving a real Azerbaijani carpet was demonstrated and master classes were held for the visitors of the exhibition. Participants of the exhibition have the opportunity to make their own loops on the carpet. A special certificate of Azerkhalcha OJSC was also presented to everyone who participated in the weaving process of the Azerbaijani carpet.

At the same time, books and brochures on the art of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan, made for children in an exquisite design and in English, in Spanish were distributed, and a film about the art of carpet weaving and the well-known carpet weavers of our country was shown.

The doors of the exhibition, which will be displayed in the main gallery of the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory, will be open to European carpet lovers until January 19, 2024. Visitors of the exhibition will also be informed about the art and schools of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan.
AzerTelecom, connecting Azerbaijan to the international internet network, joined the UN Women's Empowerment Principles.

The Women's Empowerment Principles, developed by the UN Global Compact and UN Women, urge companies to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are implemented in Azerbaijan within the framework of the Women's Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus (WEESC II) project of the United Nations Development Program. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Ana Nakashidze, Chief Executive Officer of AzerTelecom, highlighted the company's initiatives fostering equality and an inclusive environment during her speech at the event dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of the "Increasing Economic Empowerment of Women in the South Caucasus" project by the United Nations Development Program.

"At AzerTelecom, women's empowerment isn't merely an objective; it's our unwavering dedication. We pave the way for a future where women in STEAM thrive, ensuring that their potential is recognized, valued, and empowered within our technological landscape. Together, we aim to build a community that celebrates every success and supports each other's journey towards equity and innovation," stated Ana Nakashidze.

AzerTelecom is a leading wholesale telecommunications player in Azerbaijan and is part of the Telecom Group of the NEQSOL Holding. NEQSOL Holding employs more than 12,000 people in eleven countries across its businesses in the fields of telecommunications, energy, high-tech, and construction.
TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (TSXV: FLT) (OTC QX: TAKOF) (Frankfurt: A3DP5Y) or (Frankfurt: ABBA.F) (the "Company" or "DDC") is pleased to announce, further to it's press release dated September 7, 2023, that it has completed the first of two milestones as part of the contract (the "Contract") with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces' ("DND/CAF") Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security ("IDEaS") program. The Company has been authorized to move to the second phase of the Contract which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

DRONE DELIVERY CANADA COMPLETES FIRST MILESTONE OF THE CANARY CONTRACT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE (CNW Group/Drone Delivery Canada Corp.)

The completion of the first milestone of the project involved nine test objectives pursuant to which the Company completed a total of 145 flights with an overall flight distance of almost 800km.

With the completion of the test environment milestones during the first phase of the Contract, the Company will move to the real-world operation phase of the Contract to demonstrate the Canary's ability to deliver just in time medical equipment and supplies.

As part of the IDEaS program, DDC's Canary drone has been selected to potentially play a crucial role in supporting the DND/CAF's delivery of medical equipment and other necessary supplies during mission-critical operations. The Contract, with a value of $200,000, will run for a 6-month duration and contains two milestones. A successful outcome of this initial Contract could lead to a follow on 12-month contract valued up to $1 million.

"We are immensely proud of the achievement in completing the first phase of the DND contract. This success is a result of the hard work, dedication, and exceptional skills of the entire DDC team. We look forward to continuing this successful effort as we move into the next phase of the Contract." said Steve Magirias, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.

The Company also announces that Debbie Fisher has resigned from the Company's Board of Directors effective December 31, 2023. "We thank Debbie for her support of DDC during her tenure on our board specifically around the establishment of our people governance and compliance procedures," said Michael Della Fortuna, Chairman of the Board of Director for Drone Delivery Canada.

About Drone Delivery Canada Corp.

Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is an award-winning drone technology company focused on the design, development, and implementation of its proprietary logistics software platform, using drones. The Company's platform is intended to be used as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for government and corporate organizations globally.

Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol FLT, on the U.S. OTC QX market under the symbol TAKOF and on the Frankfurt exchange in Germany under the symbol A2AMGZ or ABB.F.

Read more at: www.DroneDeliveryCanada.com or on DDC's social media:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/drone-delivery-canada

https://www.youtube.com/dronedeliverycanada

https://www.facebook.com/dronedeliverycanada

https://www.instagram.com/dronedeliverycanada

https://twitter.com/DroneDeliveryCa

About IDEaS

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) is a defence innovation program which invests in research and technology aimed at meeting the demands of today's complex global defence and security environment. Since launching in April 2018, IDEaS has been working with Canadian innovators to develop the science and technology landscape, and is helping turn innovative thinking into tangible solutions for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF), as well as Canadians. Visit the IDEaS website to get updates on the latest challenges issued by the program.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such statements often address expected future business and financial performance, financial condition, and other matters, and often contain words or phrases such as "expect," "may," "can," "believe," "forecast," "estimate," "goal," "target," "will," and other similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words or phrases. This forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, market acceptance, and dependence upon regulatory approvals (both in Canada and internationally). Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward looking information. Except as may be required by applicable securities law, the parties undertake no obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Drone Delivery Canada Corp.

For further information: Investor Relations: Mr. Steve Magirias, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Bill Mitoulas, Telephone: (416) 479-9547, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations: Mr. Steve Magirias, Chief Executive Officer, Email: [email protected]
Azerbaijan's national air carrier, AZAL, is seeking individuals to join the team of experienced flight attendants.

Flight attendants play a crucial role in every flight as an essential part of the crew. They are responsible not only for providing top-notch service to ensure passenger comfort but also for guaranteeing their safety throughout the journey.

What sets this profession apart are the qualities of problem-solving flexibility, a personalized approach to each passenger, and the ability to swiftly respond to any situation that arises.

Candidates applying for the flight attendant position should possess features such as discipline, promptness, and punctuality, as well as the ability to remain calm in high-stress situations.

To learn more about the requirements for the flight attendant position, please visit the following link: https://glorri.com/azal/6580431c21cae5c4b836ca95.

For those interested in applying, please go to the Careers section of the website www.azal.az. CVs can also be sent to [email protected] or dropped off in the designated box at the International flights (North) entrance of Terminal 2 at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

Join Azerbaijan Airlines and become a member of the professional team!
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Robert Clarke, has called for the review of the 1999 Constitution, saying the Constitution is the cornerstone of the nations problems.

Clarke stated this in an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday.

He said, The 1999 constitution is the cornerstone of our problems. In every area of political line, especially in the area of election, when the constitution restricts those who can come and be voted for;

or who can vote for, something must be wrong with that constitution. The problem today is not what the President says.

Speaking on the Rivers crisis, the senior lawyer said President Bola Tinubu has no constitutional role in the matter.

He said, The constitutional role of the President in all these fracas, there should have been none. The only time the constitution allowed the Federal Government to put its mouth was during the First Republic.

All that we are running after today is power and money. Those two elements, where do you get them in Nigeria? They are only from politics.

If you count down governors who have served in Nigeria since 2000, ask them to come show us their bank account, you will be shocked.

We have to ask ourselves, is politics in Nigeria only meant for politicians? Why cant people like us contest an election without joining a political party? Why do we need a political party? This is the problem we have in Nigeria today, Clarke said.

Clarke said the three areas in the constitution that need amendment are: Local government; election; who can belong to a party and why should a party be the dominant factor in elections in Nigeria.

He said, Once you do the three areas in Nigeria today, I can assure you, you wont hear about any court cases. This country will move forward.

Recall that the political crisis in Rivers state took a fresh twist on Monday, as parties reached a truce.

The crisis witnessed a truce led by President Bola Tinubu, Rivers Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara; his Deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu; a former governor of the State, Peter Odili and the immediate past governor now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, and other stakeholders.

The President directed that all lawsuits instituted in the courts by Fubara and his team regarding the political crisis in Rivers State be withdrawn immediately.

The resolution was signed by Fubara; his deputy, Ordu; Wike; Ribadu; factional Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his All Progressives Congress Chairman, Tony Okocha.

According to the directive, Fubara was mandated to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill he had earlier presented to the four-member state House of Assembly to the full House.

The directive also added that all impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers Assembly against Fubara should be dropped immediately.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Special Representative of the President in Lachin district Masim Mammadov, and other officials of the Defense Ministry have met with military personnel serving in the liberated territories, the ministry said, Trend reports.

"The Defense Minister underlined the importance of military personnel performing their assigned duties correctly in order to improve individual training and further increase their knowledge and skills," the ministry noted. "The servicemen were reminded that they must be prepared to carry out all of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's orders at any time."

"Mammadov spoke about the work done in all parts of the country, including liberated lands, to improve material and technical assistance, as well as social and living conditions for military troops, owing to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan's attention and concern," the ministry mentioned.

Furthermore, according to the ministry, Mammadov expressed confidence that the aforementioned work will be maintained in the future.

Then, a number of notable personnel were given unique gifts, and Hasanov inspected the presented military equipment and the preparedness of its crews, according to the ministry.

The minister was briefed on the conditions created in the military unit, which includes a weapon room, dormitory, canteen, kitchen, food and clothing warehouses, bath and sanitary facility, laundry and boiler complex, and generators that provide continuous power to the area.

Hasanov directed relevant high-ranking officials to improve servicemen's social and living standards while maintaining a high level of military readiness.

"In the end, luncheon was arranged with military personnel," the ministry concluded.

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A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has revealed how former Governors of Ekiti and Ogun States, Kayode Fayemi, Ibikunle Amosun, respectively and Salihu Lukman, a former national vice chairman, North-west, of the party, plotted his removal from office as the ruling partys chair.

Oshiomhole spoke specifically on his battle with the governors elected on the platform of the ruling party.

He made the revelation at the launch of a book APC and Transition Politics, authored by Salihu Lukman, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Oshiomhole recounted how the author alongside some governors spearheaded the campaign that led to his illegal removal from office.

He alleged that the governors deployed all manner of illegal means to remove him following his moves to enshrine party supremacy.

Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination.

Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors forum. I was not consulted I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum.

I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He [Lukman] was there [where they were holding the meeting]. He did not see anything wrong with that, Oshiomhole said.

It felt as though I was in a military barrack, Oshiomhole said while recalling the atmosphere at the meeting with the governors.

He said following the diatribes from the governors, he responded None of you can lecture me about the power of a governor. Because I have been governor twice. Eight years uninterrupted.

At a point, I told Fayemi, You did a resit. You were elected and by the second term, you lost. That means you failed. I did not do a resit, and you are lecturing me about power. I can mention some of them.

The man in Ogun State, he told me if not for the president, he would have left the party. Some of them told me You are working for your paymaster in Lagos. Your paymaster in Bourdillon.'
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared the seats of David Umahi and Ibrahim Geidam, in the upper legislative chamber, vacant.

This followed their appointments as ministers of works and police affairs respectively.

While Umahi represented Ebonyi south, Geidam represented Yobe east.

The implication is that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct by-elections in these senatorial districts.

On Monday, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chair, said the commission is considering conducting by-elections and rerun polls in state and federal constituencies in February 2024.

The INEC chair said political parties must carry out fresh primaries within the limited period provided by law for the by-elections.

With regard to the by-elections, you may recall that in my recent address at the swearing-in of new resident electoral commissioners (RECs), which was combined with our last quarterly meeting with the RECs nationwide, I made a commitment that the commission will conduct elections to fill vacancies in the national and state assembly constituencies, Yakubu said.

The commission is looking at the first week of February 2024, that is, in just a little over one month to conduct both the re-run and by-elections.

Yakubu added that the management of INEC will meet to review preparations and announce a definite date, including the detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.




Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has approved a 14-day Christmas holiday for all civil servants in the state effective from December 20.





The Chief Press Secretary, to the governor, Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, revealed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Calabar on Wednesday.





The statement, however, said those on essential services were exempted from this holiday.





In the statement titled Extended Holiday for Civil Servants, Otu praised the workers for their commitment and hard work.





He urged the workers to use the opportunity to spend quality time with their families and also be actively involved in the annual Calabar carnival.





The governor restated the commitment of his administration to provide quality and conducive environment for all citizens and residents of the state while wishing them a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.





The workers are expected back at their duty posts on Jan. 3, 2024.
A United Nations (UN) security council vote, on a resolution meant to spur more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, has been delayed again.

The vote, which was initially planned for Monday, was postponed to Tuesday owing to the tone of the draft's language.

The draft resolution had called for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" but diplomats were hopeful that changing the language to "calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities" could gain American support.

The draft also calls for the UN to establish a mechanism for monitoring aid deliveries. This could be problematic because it bypasses the current Israeli inspection of aid entering Gaza.

The US has vetoed previous measures at the security council, voted against the calls for a ceasefire, and has reportedly asked for "more time".

If the US eventually allows the resolution to pass, it would amount to an important signal to Israel - including from its top ally of the growing international outcry over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Citing officials, CNN reports that Israel has proposed a week-long pause in fighting to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages.

However, Hamas has made it clear no more hostages will be released until there is a ceasefire.

A new vote from the UN security council is now expected on Wednesday.




Minister of Women Affairs Uju Ohanenye on Wednesday denied she canvassed for the exemption of women from paying tax, as reported on Arise TVs Morning Show.





Her rebuttal was contained in a statement signed by Ohaeri Joseph, her Special Assistant on Media in Abuja.





The statement reads: The attention of the Ministry has been drawn to some false reports on the Morning Show segment of Arise TV insinuating that the Minister advocated for women not to pay tax in Nigeria.





We wish to state categorically clear that the Minister did not canvass for women not to pay tax. Because, as a law-abiding citizen and a major stakeholder in the Nigerian project, she strongly embraces the fact that there is no gender barrier for tax payment, which is the civic responsibility of both men and women in the country.





It explained that the minister, during the recent Women, Peace, and Security Reference Group fourth annual forum 2023, had appealed for women under the Pink Riders scheme to be exempted from any form of harassment by the task force operators at the motor parks.





It stated further: We, therefore, want to warn ARISE TV to desist from their incessant and malicious reportage and shouldnt make comments that will throw the country into confusion and chaos.





We, therefore, wish to state here for record purposes that these insinuations are totally wrong and misrepresent what the Honourable Minister said at the event.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said that the Igbo people in the country have accepted President Bola Tinubu as the constitutionally elected President of Nigeria while appealing for the release of the leader of the deposed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Iwuayanwu said this during an interview with Arise Television on Sunday.

IPOB has described Kanus continuous detention as unconstitutional, saying that self-determination is legal as supported by the United Nations laws and by the Africa Union Charter while calling for a referendum.

However, according to the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo President-General, his consultation with other Igbo people affirmed his notion of their acceptance of Tinubu as the president of the country and as the one who could help them release the incarcerated Kanu for peace to reign in the South-East.

He said, I, as a leader of Igbos, after consultation with my people, we all agree that there was no reason why Nnamdi Kanu should be incarcerated, no reason why he should be detained.

He didnt serve any risk. Rather, his release will help Nigeria and will help the security agencies to differentiate who is a criminal and who is a very honest and dedicated Nigerian. Many criminals hide under the fact that Nnamdi Kanu is in detention and continues to unleash heinous crimes on our people in the southeast.

As you have already noticed, some people stay outside Nigeria and, from time to time, mobilise armed robbers, armed gunmen, even declare sit at home. And, of course, you know our people are mercantile people, people who are commercial.

Speaking further, Iwuanyanwu said the sit-at-home order is affecting business in Igbo land and is heavily inflicting hardship on the people, adding that if Nnamdi Kanu is released, normalcy will be restored.

The whole of our people, the political class, the religious class, all of them. And as a leader of Igbos, part of my mandate is to see that Nnamdi Kanu is released. And I have made the appeal to the President. Ive even sought an appointment to meet the president with some leaders of the South-East, and the president has been very busy.

I believe that once hes free, he will invite us because he has been busy attending to so many national and international matters. He will see us because, no doubt, South-East, the Igbos, we are part of Nigeria, we are committed to Nigeria, we believe in Nigeria, we have, over the years, made contributions to the building of Nigeria. So, if we cry to our leader, the president, to say this is our problem, I believe he will definitely listen to us.

He maintained, Igbos in all the various states in Nigeria have now accepted Tinubu as our president, and we have pledged, and I say that on behalf of our people, that we are going to give Tinubu every support. But we expect Tinubu to look at this problem we have. We expect him to solve this problem which all of us are talking about.

Fielding questions on the recent verdict of the Supreme Court on the Terrorism trial for Kanu, the President-General said, The Supreme Court judgment doesnt bother us because the Judge is supposed to interpret the law and carry our justice.

We actually didnt appeal to the Supreme Court; the appeal we made was to the President. Our President, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, thats the person to whom we actually made the appeal, and I believe that our President will realise that if all Igbos are saying one thing, then there must be something in it.

And besides, Nnamdi Kanu has openly renounced the activities of people who have been kidnapping, murdering, and killing people in the South-East in the disguise of Nnamdi Kanus detention.

Nnamdi Kanu has cautioned that they should stop. He said this openly, and we know that. That is why we are saying that he should be released because we dont want people to continue to commit crimes under the guise that Nnamdi Kanu is in detention.

So, I still believe that our president will yield to our request and release him so that now we can now differentiate between those who were actually fighting for him and those who were just criminals, he added.




Amid the prolonged face-off with the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed readiness to give peace a chance.

Recall that the governor and other stakeholders entered into an eight-point agreement in Abuja on Monday in a bid to end the political crisis in the state.

The agreement was reached after President Bola Tinubu met with Wike, Fubara and other stakeholders at the State House.

Speaking on the eight-point resolutions released by the stakeholders to quell the fight between the duo, Fubara, who spoke on Tuesday at the 3rd Convocation and 6th Founders Day ceremonies of the PAMO University of Medical Sciences in Iriebe Town, said he is ready to pay the price for peace.

The governor expressed his commitment to ensuring peace in the state and among the people to foster development.

He said: There is no price that will be too big to pay to ensure that peace prevails.

Governor Fubara also assured the people of the state that his administration would ensure access to quality education and healthcare in the state

He said: While some progress has been made, it is obvious that a lot still needs to be done to achieve our collective aspirations for universal access to quality education and healthcare for our people.

I need not say that no society can progress without educated and healthy people.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, on Tuesday, officially tendered his resignation to President Bola Tinubu.

Lalong is stepping away from the role, to enable him take his seat at the Senate as Senator Representing Plateau South Senatorial District.

His resignation was confirmed in a statement signed by Special Adviser to the outgoing Minister on Media, Dr Makut Simon Macham.

It revealed that the letter was submitted to Tinubu on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

Lalong explained that after exhaustive legal processes, the Court of Appeal declared him the duly elected senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him the Certificate of Return.

He also thanked the president for appointing him as minister.

However, after extensive consultations, it has become expedient for him to proceed and take his seat at the Red Chambers to continue to contribute to the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr President, he added.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday, said he would not be broken by the last Friday Supreme Court verdict that he (Kanu) must face trial on terrorism allegations against him by the Federal Government.

Kanu spoke just as the militia arm of IPoB, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, issued a warning to herdsmen, thugs and vigilante outfits operating in the South-East as it marks its third anniversary.

The security outfit also warned the Anambra Vigilante Group, AVG, to stop the alleged abduction of people in the state.

Kanu spoke about facing terrorism charges in a statement made available to newsmen in Owerri, through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, after the visit to the headquarters of the Depatment State Services, DSS, in Abuja, where Kanu was detained for over two years.

The IPOB leaders lawyer said he was sure that he would be victorious in the legal battle.

However, reacting to the verdict of the Supreme Court by citing some of the sections of the Nigeria constitution, he said: The eventual verdict of the Supreme Court was conveyed to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and he expressed reservations on the outcome.

However, Onyendu elected to accept this outcome because of the finality of the Supreme Court decisions, and not because they are infallible.

Nevertheless, in accepting this verdict, Onyendu specifically requested that the following compelling questions be put out publicly to the discerning members of the public, who are keenly following the trajectory of this case: to wit:

Did the decision of the Supreme Court, which substantially sanctioned the Federal Governments illegal act of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanus abduction and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria, effectively repeal the following Nigerian laws, which were all cited in our brief before the Supreme Court?

Onyendu once again thanked Ezigbo UmuChineke for your prayers and love, even as he encouraged all to remain focused and keep their eyes on the ball.





Onyendu enjoined his followers to continue to conduct themselves peacefully as they have always done.








The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has been sworn in as a Senator representing Plateau South.





Lalong, a former governor of Plateau state, took his oath of office on the floor of the senate on Wednesday.





The former minister had tendered his resignation to President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.





Lalongs resignation was confirmed in a statement signed by Special Adviser to the outgoing Minister on Media, Dr Makut Simon Macham.





It revealed that the letter was submitted to Tinubu on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.





Lalong explained that after exhaustive legal processes, the Court of Appeal declared him the duly elected senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him the Certificate of Return.





He also thanked the president for appointing him as minister.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The European Investment Bank (EIB) stands ready to consider financing projects, both in the public and private sector that are in line with the cooperation priorities between the EU and Azerbaijan, an EIB spokesperson told Trend.

According to the source, within its EIB Global initiative, the banks development branch responsible for operations outside the EU, the EIB prioritizes green energy, energy efficiency, connectivity, digitalization, and sustainable infrastructure within its cooperation with Azerbaijan.

"EIB Global is also ready to consider regional connectivity projects including submarine electricity and digital connections between the EU and the South Caucasus region, for example, the Black Sea submarine electricity cable," the spokesperson noted.

The bank representative also pointed out that the EIB is particularly focused on the implementation of the EU Global Gateway Initiatives and the Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership.

"If there are projects in the country that would benefit from our financing and meet EU policy goals and our various standards, we are always open to considering financing those projects. We are in regular contact with the representatives of the Government of Azerbaijan as well as public sector counterparts regarding our potential support to various projects," the source said.

Meanwhile, the EIB has been collaborating with Azerbaijan since 2014. Operating within the guidelines of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Eastern Partnership (EaP), and other bilateral agreements within the EU, the bank has invested over 96 million euros in the country. In partnership with a local bank, the EIB has granted funding totaling 25 million euros to support over 120 enterprises.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi said Nigeria should attract foreign investors and not chase after them.

Obi stated this while speaking during an X-space live chat, tagged ParrellelFact on Sunday.

His comment comes on the heels of President Bola Tinubus foreign trips to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country in recent times.

Obi said, Nobody goes around searching for foreign investors. Foreign investors are like bees; when you keep the honey, they will boom towards there. We need to attract foreign investors and not chase after them, he said.

But, President Tinubu, in his interview with The Nation on Sunday said the country is engaging with the global market- both foreign and domestic investors.

According to the president, Foreign Direct Investment is not Chicken Change but a long-term financial commitment from serious enterprises and investors.

He said, FDI is not chicken change. FDI is substantial, long-term financial commitments made by serious enterprises and investors. Right now, Nigeria is re-engaging with the global market  both foreign and domestic investors.

WWe are telling the story of our significant and far-reaching reforms and rebuilding confidence in Nigeria as an accessible and safe investment.

We are clearly communicating that Nigeria is open for business and that the direction of travel is clear and fully committed, he said.

Tinubu noted that the countrys efforts to woo foreign direct investors were yielding fruit.

Weve secured a $500 million deal with Germany to fund renewable energy projects, particularly in rural Nigeria, he stated.

Our focused efforts to attract European FDI are yielding fruit, notably with the $116 million French investment in the I-DICE program, aimed at creating 65,000 start-ups and 150,000 jobs, particularly empowering women, Tinubu added.

Recall that President Tinubu was at COP28 in Dubai, which ended last week.

The President, in September, also attended the G20 Summit in India, the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States of America and the G20 compact with Africa Conference in Berlin, Germany, and others to sustain his momentum in advancing the cause of FDI in Nigeria.
A gravestone dealer accused of defrauding families in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by taking their money and not delivering headstones or refunds now faces similar charges in Delaware.

New Castle County Police charged Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 54, of Pennsylvania, following an investigation into claims that he was reaching out to families of loved ones who had died, meeting them at a cemetery and designing headstones for them.

He would create what appeared to be a formal contract, collect payment, then later send a letter saying his business had gone bankrupt and he could not uphold the contract, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the police agency.

Stefan was charged with one felony count of theft ($1,500 or greater) and one count of theft by false pretenses, New Castle County Police said, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

It wasnt clear Wednesday if Stefan had legal representation for the Delaware charges, but attorneys representing him in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have not responded to previous requests for comment.

Stefan remains jailed in Pennsylvania, according to online records, where he is charged in Delaware County with 280 counts, including theft by deception, deceptive business practices, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.

Victims have come forward since 2014 to complain about the Stefan familys business practices, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in the Delaware County case, which describes 69 victims who paid thousands of dollars each for gravestones.

Between 2014 and 2022, total losses to the victims exceeded $190,000, officials there said.

In New Jersey, Stefan allegedly created a separate company called Colonial Memorials and is accused of carrying out similar practices involving gravestone customers.

Hes been charged with third-degree counts of theft by deception in Bergen, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer and Monmouth counties, and third-degree theft by unlawful taking in Hunterdon County. All of those charges have been filed since August.

A grand jury in Ocean County indicted Stefan last month on a third-degree charge of theft by unlawful taking.

The Better Business Bureau revoked its accreditation of Colonial Memorials in September and issued an alert on its website.

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has 41 open consumer complaints dating back to September 2022 related to Stefan and his business practices, a spokeswoman for the agency confirmed last week.

A New Jersey company that manufactures headstones for retailers said it created stones for Colonial Memorials, but that Stefan and Colonial Memorials stopped communicating and left Kani with about 30 stones ordered in the last year that were never picked up or paid for.

That company, Kani International, Inc. in Hillsborough, has been trying to contact families of Colonial customers to let them know Kani has their stones completed. Since the customers placed their orders directly with Colonial, Kani doesnt have their contact information and still has about 15 unclaimed stones at its warehouse, Kani marketing manager Darlene McMahon said last week. Anyone who did business with Colonial and thinks Kani may have their stone is asked to call 908-308-8962.

A few customers have contacted Kani since last week to claim their stones, McMahon said.

Meanwhile, detectives in Delaware fear there could be other victims in New Castle County and urged anyone with information to contact county police Detective Sara Sigma at 302-395-8238 or via email at sara.sigoda@newcastlede.gov. Tips may also be submitted online.

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A pilot and photographer killed in a crash involving a 6ABC helicopter were identified by the television station Wednesday afternoon.

The pilot was 67-year-old Monroe Smith, and the photographer was 45-year-old Christopher Dougherty, 6ABC said on its website. Both men live in Pennsylvania, Smith in Glenside and Dougherty in Oreland.

We are devastated by the news that two of our extended 6ABC family members were lost last night when Chopper 6 went down while returning from an assignment in the Jersey Shore, a television spokesperson said in a statement. Our hearts break as we send our deepest condolences and prayers to their families, loved ones and everyone at US Helicopters.

The two men, according to the station, were returning from an assignment near Galloway Township, Atlantic County. Details of the assignment were unclear Wednesday.

The helicopter was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, which 6abc leases from U.S. Helicopters Inc., based in North Carolina.

The crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m. near Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Mullica River Road, a section of Wharton State Forest in Washington Township.

New Jersey State Park Police located the wreckage in a wooded area a few hundred yards off Mullica River Road shortly after midnight, according to George Fedorczyk, chief of the NJ State Park Police. The site is several miles from the Atsion Mansion off Route 206.

Know that our thoughts are with the pilots, their families and the media community, George Fedorczyk, chief of the state park police said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

New Jersey State Park Police were called to the area about 10:50 p.m. and an officer located a debris field a few hundred yards off Mullica River Road shortly after midnight, Fedorczyk said.

New Jersey Park Police vehicles were staged outside the mansion on Wednesday. Several ventured between the woods and parking lot outside the mansion.

Federal Aviation Administration representative was on the scene about 3:15 a.m. and members of the National Transportation Safety Board were expected to lead the investigation later Tuesday, Fedorczyk said.

Due to the remote location of the scene and the limited visibility, it was determined at that point that the investigation will be suspended until sometime after daybreak, Fedorczyk said.

Quaker Bridge Road, Mullica River Road and Middle Road were all closed as the investigation continues, Fedorczyk said.

The news station initially did not disclose Smiths or Doughertys names while families were being notified of the fatal crash.

Katherine Scott, general assignment reporter for 6ABC, said in a report that the victims have a long history with the news station and have been part of the Action News team for years.

Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land within New Jerseys state park system and is nestled in the heart of the Pinelands National Reserve, according to the states Department of Environmental Protection.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A pair of decades-old, oceanfront hotels have been purchased by the same company, paving the way for them to be renovated and combined into one larger Jersey Shore resort, the new owners announced Monday.

Madison Resorts said it expects to open the largest resort-style hotel in Cape May County after purchasing the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Wildwood Crest.

The company already owns the old Oceanview Motel next door. Once renovated, Madison Resorts plans to offer over 200 rooms, multiple pools and expanded event space at the two spaces, the company said in the announcement.

The company purchased the Royal Hawaiian for $13.4 million and has plans for $7 million in renovations. Madison Resorts purchased the Oceanview in Aug. 2022 for $10 million.

When I received the call about the availability of the Royal Hawaiian, it became clear that we had an opportunity to weave its timeless architecture into the fabric of Madison Resort, President of Madison Resorts Dan Alicea said in a press release Tuesday.

In a world where such architectural marvels are scarce, embracing the legacy of the past is not just a choice; its a commitment to preserving the extraordinary in a rapidly changing landscape.

The Royal Hawaiian is currently undergoing renovations that include updating rooms, renovating the pool and Madison-brand standards to the entire property. Madison Resorts owns four properties in Cape May County including Montreal Beach Resort, Harrys Ocean Bar & Grille and the Madison House.

Renovations to the Oceanview Motel are expected to finish in the spring, just in time for the 2024 season. Improvements to the Royal Hawaiian are expected to wrap up later in the spring or early summer.

The Oceanview Motel and Royal Hawaiian will combine to form the largest resort in Cape May County with over 200 rooms, three restaurants, two pools and two roof-top event spaces.Madison Resorts

The two beach-front hotels are separated by East Orchid Road off Beach Avenue and renovations to the Oceanview began a year ago. DAS architects of Philadelphia designed the renovations for the Oceanview and completed other design work at the Jersey Shore, including The Reeds in Stone Harbor and The Boarding House in Cape May.

What started as simple updates to the doo-wop style building grew into a much larger demolition and rebuild renovation, according to Madison Resorts. Rooms have been completely rebuilt, the pool has been entirely renovated, exterior railings have been updated and a deck was removed to incorporate unobstructed ocean views.

The Oceanview motel was originally built in 1964 using recognizable architectural themes from the 60s, and at the time it was the largest hotel in The Wildwoods.

The Doo-Wop Preservation League, Wildwood Historical Society and Greater Wildwood Hotel and Motel Association sought to ensure the architectural survival of the building. A letter to the zoning board from the community also pleaded with the city to ensure the continued existence of the architectural features.

We are thrilled that Madison Resorts is taking over this mid-century modern gem and restoring it to its former glory but with the modern amenities that todays sophisticated guests demand, John Donio, President of the Doo-Wop Preservation League, said in a press release when Madison Resorts bought the hotel in 2022.

Based on the renderings weve seen from the new owners Madison Resort Wildwood Crest will be a Doo Wop showplace and will prove, once again, that todays discerning traveler wants to visit historic destinations that are incredibly unique, and not just another beige box.

The combination of the Royal Hawaiian and the Oceanview Motel will boast three restaurants, two pools, five conference rooms, two rooftop event spaces, complimentary beach service for guests and also be pet friendly, the company said.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X
A municipal court in Cumberland County that was accused of discriminating against Latino defendants earlier this year is slated to resume operations four months after a staff shake-up.

Cases in Millville Municipal Court were moved to neighboring Vineland in August, just weeks after the state Office of the Attorney General accused Millville court officials of denying Latino defendants the chance to attend court hearings virtually.

The attorney generals Division on Civil Rights launched an investigation earlier this year after former Millville Municipal Court Judge Jason Witcher publicly alleged Latino defendants were being required to come into court while others were given the option of online hearings.

Witcher retired in August and filed a lawsuit against the state judiciary, alleging he faced retaliation for making the bias allegation.

After Witcher departed, an interim judge, Steven Neder, was appointed to handle Millville court cases, but he resigned Aug. 16.

Millville court administrator Kimberly Hamlyn, who was employed with the city for 11 1/2 years, was terminated Aug. 21, officials confirmed in response to an Open Public Records Act request. She declined to comment on her departure in August.

Following the upheaval, court operations were transferred to Vineland because Millville was unable to conduct court sessions and provide related court services based on the lack of a municipal court judge and a lack of sufficient court administration staff, Assignment Judge Benjamin Telsey stated in an Aug. 21 court order.

Under a new order signed this week, Telsey said the Millville court has appointed a new judge and hired administrators and support staff, and demonstrated its ability to operate its Municipal Court operations effectively and efficiently and to appropriately provide service to the public.

Court operations are slated to resume in Millville on Jan. 2.

While the state judiciary oversees operation of municipal courts, individual towns are responsible for hiring judges and support staff. The new Millville judge is Frank Guaracini and the new court administrator is Lisa Gonteski.

Interpreters are provided for all in-person and virtual court hearings under New Jersey state law. But, Millville officials were previously requiring Spanish-speaking defendants to come into court in person, the state Office of the Attorney General alleged.

Between June and December 2022, Millville court officials required litigants who were or were perceived to be Spanish-speaking to appear at in-person court hearings instead of being allowed to attend virtually, according to the complaint filed by the attorney general.

This practice denied those litigants equal access to virtual court proceedings and violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, according to the suit.

When contacted Tuesday, Millville Business Administrator Ray Compari said the city had no comment on the status of the civil rights case or the resumption of court operations.

The attorney generals lawsuit against Millville seeks an end to the alleged discriminatory practices and asks the court to require Millville court officials to submit to training and three years of monitoring by the state Division on Civil Rights. The lawsuit also says those affected by the discrimination should be awarded compensatory damages for out-of-pocket expenses, humiliation and emotional distress.

The allegations of Latino bias first became public during an in-person Millville court session on Dec. 5, 2022, when Witcher questioned defendants about whether they were given the option of attending their hearings remotely by video or phone in his courtroom.

After most Latino defendants said no, the judge declared the court session was the most discriminatory event I have ever been a part of in my entire career.

A state judiciary investigation of Witchers bias claims found no evidence of discrimination in the scheduling of cases, but found a slightly higher percentage of Millville cases involving Latino defendants were scheduled for in-person sessions when an interpreter was available.

The Office of the Attorney Generals probe took a deeper look into the matter and concluded defendants with Hispanic-sounding surnames were almost twice as likely as defendants with non-Hispanic surnames to be scheduled for an in-person court appearance in Millville, according to the complaint.

In response to the complaint, Millvilles city attorney argued in August that the city hires the local judge and court staff, but that the state judiciary is responsible for overseeing court operations.

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If you want to pay with a credit card, its hard to avoid paying a surcharge these days.

Its perfectly legal for businesses to pass on to consumers their costs for processing credit card payments, which are typically about 3 or 3.5% of the purchase price.

But under new regulations that were signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this year, they also have to follow specific disclosure rules and they cannot charge more than their actual cost to process the transactions in New Jersey

The state Division of Consumer Affairs said it cited 16 businesses for failing to clearly and conspicuously provide notice to customers regarding surcharges, and found another 14 businesses were in violation of the law by refusing to accept cash payments.

The 30 businesses included bars, restaurants, coffee shops, delicatessens, hair salons and a clothing store.

Under the law, businesses that charge credit card surcharges may not profit off the charges and they must disclose the amount of any surcharge by posting notices in at least two places.

Restaurants must display notices in the customer service area and on the menu, Consumer Affairs said. All other businesses must display notices on a sign at the point of entry and at the point of sale.

Additionally, the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act says: a person selling or offering for sale goods or services at retail shall not require a buyer to pay using credit or prohibit cash as payment in order to purchase the goods or services.

Penalties ranged from $500 to $4,000, depending on the nature and number of violations found, the agency said.

The following businesses were cited for no-cash policies:

Twisted Tavern (Hammonton in Atlantic County)

Pullman Bakery (Edgewater in Bergen County)

Patisserie Florentine (Hackensack in Bergen County)

Madewell (Marlton in Burlington County)

Glosslab (Hoboken in Hudson County)

Bluestone Lane (Hoboken in Hudson County)

Maggies Home Expresso (Hoboken in Hudson County)

Moge Tee (Jersey City in Hudson County)

Modcup Coffee Truck (Jersey City in Hudson County)

Bluestone Lane (Jersey City in Hudson County)

Van Gogh Cafe (Trenton in Mercer County)

Ayala Coffee (Union in Union County)

Dry Bar (Paramus in Bergen County, Hoboken in Hudson County, Summit in Union County)

The Cookie Connect (Ridgewood in Bergen County, Bloomfield in Essex County, Hoboken in Hudson County, Morristown in Morris County)

The following businesses were cited for failing to clearly and conspicuously provide notice to customers about the surcharges:

Sunrise Bagels (Oradell in Bergen County)

Bagel Supreme (Paramus in Bergen County)

Riverside BBQ (Riverside in Burlington County)

Merrymans Pub (Pitman in Gloucester County)

Tastee Platters (Hoboken in Hudson County)

The Lola (Hoboken in Hudson County)

Los Cuernos (Jersey City in Hudson County)

Park Deli (Highland Park in Middlesex County)

Krauszers Food Store (Piscataway in Middlesex County)

La Lupa (Manalapan in Monmouth County)

Hot Bagels and Deli (Boonton in Morris County)

Uzbekistana Restaurant (Boonton in Morris County)

Cafe Crevier (Denville in Morris County)

Kings Kid Delicatessen (Pequannock in Morris County)

22 West Tap and Grill (Bound Brook in Somerset County)

The Sizzle BBQ (Newton in Sussex County)

Consumers can report suspected violations online or by calling (800) 242-5846.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.
A Warren Conty woman was sentenced to a year in federal prison for her role in an $8.8 million prescription drug scheme.

Christine Myers, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. She was sentenced Monday with co-conspirator Lisa Curty, 46, of Staten Island, New York.

Their scheme ran from February 2015 and February 2017, prosecutors said.
A Seaside Heights man who admitted to stabbing someone in the parking lot of a Shop Rite was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday, according to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office.

Michael Stallworth, 35, pleaded guilty earlier this year to stabbing a 44-year-old at the Shop Rite on Route 70 in Brick in what police initially called a targeted attack.

On July 26, 2021, Brick Township police responded to a report of a man with stab wounds in the parking lot of Shop Rite at about 4 p.m., officials said. The man was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was treated for his injuries and then released.

A warrant for Stallworths arrest was issued the same day of the stabbing and he was initially considered a fugitive from justice before voluntarily surrendering to authorities at the Ocean County Sheriffs Office on Aug. 29, 2021.

A second man, Kareem Reeves, 32, of Lakewood was also charged in the incident after authorities said he moved Stallworths car in an apparent effort to hinder Stallworths apprehension. The status of his case was not immediately clear.

Stallworth is currently detained in the Essex County Correctional Facility serving a sentence on federal probation violations.

His sentence in the stabbing is subject to New Jerseys No Early Release act and Stallworth must serve at least 85% of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

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A woman was found guilty by a Superior Court judge on Tuesday in the killing of her four-year-old son who police found in her bed with 17 stab wounds.

Elina Gutti, 38, of South Bound Brook, was convicted of first-degree murder and weapons offenses following a week-long bench trial, a trial with no jury where the judge decides the verdict.

Gutti called 911 at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2021, and told the operator that she had woken up to find cuts on her wrists, according to the Somerset County Prosecutors Office. Police responding to her home determined that the wounds were minor, but then found Guttis four-year-old son, Aiden Singhania, deceased in the same bed, officials said.

The boy had suffered 17 stab wounds to the neck area, authorities said. A kitchen knife found on the floor of the bedroom was determined to be the murder weapon, according to prosecutors.

An autopsy by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office determined the cause of death to be multiple incised wounds to the neck area and the manner of death to be homicide.

After the boys death, his father, who is Gutts ex-husband, told detectives that he had recently requested a paternity test, with the agreement that he would receive full custody of the child if the test confirmed him as the father, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

He also told authorities that Gutti had recently texted him saying that she was feeling depressed, charging documents said.

As part of her conviction, Gutti is required to serve a life sentence with no parole eligibility in a maximum-security prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 16.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The implementation of the agreement on the export of eggs from Azerbaijan to Russia has begun, the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan told Trend.

The first batch of eggs, comprising 36 tons (612,000 pieces), arrived in Russia on December 19 via the "Yarag-Gazmalar" border checkpoint in Azerbaijan.

The decision to supply Azerbaijani eggs to Russian markets was made in November of this year, following negotiations between the Food Safety Agency's Chairman, Goshgar Tahmazli, and Sergey Dankvert, the Head of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), during his visit to Azerbaijan.

The agreement reached between the Food Safety Agency and Rosselkhoznadzor on the export of poultry products, primarily eggs, from Azerbaijan to Russia is linked to the fact that the food safety control system in Azerbaijan already complies with international standards at the industrial poultry farming level.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
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Fed up with Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Katie Bernhardt, a group of progressive organizers are coordinating a statewide effort to oust her as head of the party next year and have recruited more than a hundred reform-minded Louisianans to run for slots on the partys central committee.

Its too early to tell if the effort will succeed yet. Bernhardt has made allies over the years, particularly helping some more conservative Democrats with their campaigns. But in the wake of Democrats embarrassing showing in this falls elections, shes also lost the support of some who voted for her for chair in 2020, giving the upstarts momentum.

All told, organizers say theyve recruited 104 people to run for seats on the Democratic State Central Committee, which elects the chair of the party. That number includes both members seeking reelection and newbies who want new leadership in the party. Qualifying for those races ended Dec. 15, and the election is on March 23.

Members of that committee, a man and a woman from each of the 105 state House of Representatives districts, are also in charge of helping elect Democrats, fundraising and educating voters  all fronts the party failed on in this fall election cycle.

Organizers began their recruiting efforts in the spring, with 20 or so people working statewide, including Democratic organizer Lynda Woolard based in New Orleans, returning DSCC member Kathy Hurst in Lafayette, Samantha Stanley in Central Louisiana, Alana Oldham in North Louisiana and Dustin Granger in Lake Charles.

But that disastrous showing in the October and November elections no doubt helped their cause, motivating many new faces to run to reform the party.

One of them is teacher Lauren Jewett, who decided to run for DSCC after experiencing what she describes as a lack of party support in her 2022 race for Jefferson Parish School Board and again in her 2023 race for state school board.

In her 2022 race, she made the runoff but told Gambit she had difficulty getting the updated voter data she needed from the party to contact votes in her district after that. Ultimately, she spent more money to get that information elsewhere so she could send out mailers.

I just felt like given my experience as a candidate, the things I saw, I did not want to have happen to other candidates, she said.

Jewett lost both races, ultimately getting less than a third of the vote in each. But she will hold DSCC seat 78A, as one of 95 people who ran unopposed, meaning theyll automatically get seats on the body without an election. Of those, 44 are progressive recruits, according to Oldham, who is running for seat 6A.

After DSCC elections on March 23, current chair Bernhardt will then set a date for the chair and other leadership elections to take place, which should be about a month later.

Whether reform candidates will have the numbers to replace Bernhardt could depend on who throws their hat into the race as an alternative.

So far Randal Gaines, who is terming out of his LaPlace state representative seat after 12 years, is running for chair. And Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis also said hes considering a run. Both are Black, and Lewis is the first openly LGBTQ person elected to state office in Louisiana.

Though several DSCC candidates did not want to commit to voting for a specific person for chair yet, Lewis could garner the support of the bodys LGBTQ members, many of whom were key in recruiting reform candidates and who are reform candidates themselves.

Indeed, many of the progressive organizers and candidates are queer people motivated to fight against the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation in Louisiana, like throughout the country, in recent years. They want the state Democratic Party to stand up firmly for LGBTQ rights and are frustrated with some Democratic legislators supporting these bills.

Oldham is one of many LGBTQ people in the organizing group who became politically active fighting for their civil rights. The 54-year-old business analyst in Shreveport was an AIDS activist in the 90s, but said she mostly focused on her career rather than political activism while living abroad before returning to Louisiana three years ago.

But when Rep. Dodie Horton, a Republican from neighboring Haughton, earlier this year brought forward a version of the Dont Say Gay bill, banning discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation at K-12 schools, it reignited the activist within Oldham.

She created a group, called Rainbow PAC at the time, which organized a protest at Hortons office in May, as well as others against the bill. From there, she put on a candidate forum for the local races at a library in Shreveport, and worked with her cousin Tucker Allen, who is running for DSCC seat 14B in Monroe, and Vanna Renee Richardson to hold a get out the vote event and a rally for Democrats at Louisiana Tech.

Oldham also organized in North Louisiana for Democrats like Attorney General candidate Lindsey Cheek, who lost that race and is now running for DSCC seat 98A in New Orleans.

I've been putting in 40 to 50 hours per week of volunteer work almost since April, Oldham said. We ended up doing the jobs that the DSCC and [Democratic Parish Executive Committee] should have been doing.

But getting the word out about Democratic candidates is more than a one-woman job.

Everywhere I went I was canvassing, Oldham said. I had push cards with me every day everywhere I went, and Im still running into people, like 'Oh, what election?'

On the Northshore, Mel Manuel, operations coordinator for the Louisiana Abortion Fund, helped start Queer Northshore a few years ago as a way to make friends after moving back to St. Tammany. What started as a social group became political after the areas library system became a hotbed for anti-LGBTQ groups and fringe activists trying to limit access to mostly LGBTQ books.

Unopposed, Manuel will hold DSCC seat 77A. As a non-binary transgender person, they said they want to see more LGBTQ representation and progressive policies in the state. For example, they want to see local politicians supporting universal basic income and raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour, rather than proposals for modest raises to the minimum wage.

We're tired of these little incremental Band Aid solutions that are not going to solve people's problems, they said. There's a lot of super conservative Democrats or people who don't want the big change ... That's not what the people want anymore, but a lot of Democrats who are in power are still using this kind of old way of thinking.

They also are running for a seat on St. Tammany Democratic Parish Executive Committee  the group responsible for endorsing local candidates and building up the party in their community  with plans to run for Congress next year. Though their congressional campaign is a longshot given the conservative district, they say they hope their campaign will inspire other people to get involved in politics.

Jeremy Thompson, who co-founded Queer Northshore with Manuel, is running for DSCC seat 77B. He decided to run after he and Manuel got involved with the St. Tammany DPEC. Though he said Democrats in the parish put in work organizing, it was hard when they didnt have a lot of Democratic candidates in the first place.

Thompson also searched for any online trace of all the local DPECs in Louisiana and found that only 30% had any sort of digital presence. He revamped St. Tammany DPECs website to include forms people could fill out if they were interested in getting involved with the party, whether thats through donating, running for DPEC or DSCC, volunteering, phone banking, designing signs, taking photos or providing other skills to campaigns.

Every time I've worked for a different candidate or helped other candidates out, it's been the same sort of goose hunt trying to hunt these things down, said Thompson, who has helped on Democratic campaigns for Louisiana candidates like Katie Darling, Dustin Granger and Lindsey Cheek.

Posting these forms in Facebook groups and other social media platforms, he said he was able to recruit 25 people in the area to run for DSCC or their local DPEC. They also have been able to start creating databases for the March elections and future elections, so that candidates and their campaigns dont have to start from scratch each election.

You don't want to spend most of the early part of your campaign trying to find these people, said Thompson, who is also managing Manuels campaign for Congress. You want to be campaigning, but to do that, you need the graphic design, you need the photos, you need the donor money right off the bat, and that's almost impossible if we aren't building up this infrastructure that we keep year over year.

Britain Forsyth, who is transgender, said hes running for DSCC 91B in New Orleans because hes tired of the Louisiana Democratic Party trying to appeal to moderate voters or Republicans instead of energizing the Democratic base in the state, specifically working class, Black and young voters.

The way Democrats talk about ourselves is that we apologize for all of our beliefs, he said. We tiptoe around what we really believe in, and we let the Republican Party dictate how we talk about the things we care about.

The 28-year-old legislative coordinator for education and economic justice group Step Up said he wants a new party chair who will excite a wide range of donors, both national and local, big and small. Then he wants the party to use that money to register voters and knock on doors.

I'm really interested in putting forth candidates that give people something to believe in, not just candidates with a Democrat behind their name who are the least scandalous person the party could find, Forsyth said. I really want to see a Democratic Party that believes in something and doesn't apologize for it.

Manuel and Forsyth are running following the election of Peyton Rose Michelle to the DSCC in 2020, when she became the first openly trans person to win elected office in Louisiana. Michelle, the executive director of Louisiana Trans Advocates, is also running again, this time in District 44 in Lafayette.

Of course, these are just a few of the dozens of fresh faces across the state looking to change the direction of the party, some of whom are challenging incumbents or entering crowded fields.

There's a whole lot of people who would never have considered running for an office before, like myself included, Manuel said. But seeing just the abysmal failure that was the last election  that's inspiring people all over the place to change things and to run for office.

Only registered Louisiana Democrats can vote in the March 23 DSCC elections. Voters must register in person or by mail Feb. 21 or online by March 2. Early voting starts March 9. For a full list of who qualified for the DSCC, visit the Secretary of States website.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of the SOCAR State Oil Company Rovshan Najaf met with Senior Vice President Europe, Exploration and Production at TotalEnergies (multi-energy company) Jean-Luc Guiziou, Trend reports.

During the meeting, long-term fruitful cooperation between SOCAR and TotalEnergies was highlighted.

The parties reviewed the work done within the framework of the cooperation agreement between TotalEnergies and SOCAR on the full-scale development of the Absheron gas condensate field, as well as the realization of measures to detect and measure methane using drones.

The participants of the meeting exchanged views on the possibilities of expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector, the areas of 'green' energy and decarbonization as well as on other matters of mutual interest.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Organizers of the campaign to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell held a news conference to announce a lawsuit against Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Sandra Wilson, saying Wilson needs to remove inactive voters from the rolls before the signatures can be counted. Pictured, from left to right, are organizer Belden Batiste, recall attorneys Blake Arcuri and Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, and organizer Eileen Carter.
That amounts to a 0.3% decrease since 2022 and a decrease of more than 1.8% over three years.

New York, which has lost 3.1% of its population since 2020, and Illinois, which saw about a 2% decrease over the same span, are the only two states that shrank more rapidly.

More detailed estimates, including breakdowns by parish, wont be available until next year.

Louisianas population has been mostly on the decline since 2016, when a decade of increases fueled by residents returning to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina started to come to an end. But the past three years have seen dramatic drops, due to both high mortality rates during the pandemic and more people moving out of the state than moving in.
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Announcing New Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate

Dear members of the Northwestern community,

In the weeks since the brutal terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing military action in Gaza, I have had the opportunity to meet with students, faculty, parents, alumni and staff across our campuses, many of whom have shared very personal stories of pain, anger, fear or disillusionment as we  individually and collectively  face the uncertainties and horrors of the terror attacks and war in the Middle East.

This conflict has created division and mistrust on our campuses, further stoked by events that have taken place at other universities and by the rhetoric of individuals both inside and outside of our community. I have heard from students and parents who feel unsafe. I want to assure you that the University is committed to providing a safe, welcoming environment for everyone in our community, through measures both visible and, in many cases, unseen.

As I have said before on multiple occasions and will reiterate again: Northwestern will not stand for antisemitism or discriminatory acts directed at any individual based upon their race, religion, national origin or other protected categories. They are against University policy and, in many instances, against the law. We will investigate any and all allegations of behavior targeting members of our community in violation of our policies. If an individual violates these policies, we will begin disciplinary proceedings against the perpetrator and, if the matter warrants, refer it to law enforcement.

A strong commitment to fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate, such as those targeting students, faculty or staff of Muslim or Arab heritage, is consistent with our value of protecting free expression. While words expressing political views and support for one group or another may not rise to a violation of our policies, they may still have no place in a community like ours, which is based upon mutual respect and dialogue. As I repeatedly say and write, Just because one has the right to say something doesnt mean that they should do so. I call on all members of our community to use our collective voices to emphatically reject statements or banners that significant parts of our community interpret as promoting murder and genocide. This includes flying flags associated with Hamas and banners with the slogan From the River to the Sea.

To support the Universitys commitment to protecting our students, faculty and staff from antisemitism and other forms of discriminatory or threatening acts based upon religion or national origin and to promote our central mission of civil dialogue and learning, I will appoint the Presidents Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate. This Advisory Committee will be co-chaired by Kellogg Professor Efraim Benmelech and SESP Dean Bryan Brayboy. Members will be selected to represent a diverse set of Northwestern perspectives and will include faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees.

The Presidents Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate will examine the current landscape at the University, to help guide our response to the crisis in the Middle East and to ensure we have mechanisms in place to help prevent the type of violence and threatening behaviors we have seen at peer institutions. It will focus not just on stemming the growth of antisemitism, but also hate directed to other groups such as our students of Palestinian descent. It will work with me, the provost and our entire community to find ways to bring us together through engagement, learning and dialogue across difference. This could include suggestions related to future academic panels and filling gaps in our curriculum and research efforts. It also will help us understand whether our mechanisms to report antisemitic or other acts of bias are sufficient.

As the advisory committee gets up and running, I will continue to meet with individuals and groups in our community, because your feedback and experiences are vitally important to me and to our University. Our indefatigable Student Affairs team will continue its outreach to student groups and individuals, providing space, psychological and spiritual support and consultation. And our Department of Safety and Security will continue increased patrols and visibility.

In recent weeks, our faculty, staff and students have provided many opportunities to discuss and explore the issues that have shaped  and continue to shape  the Middle East, including a discussion last week at Northwestern Chabad with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israels Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism, and a conversation with author Nathan Thrall, which was co-hosted by the Middle East & North African Studies Program (MENA) and Medill.

Tonight, starting at 5 p.m. in McCormick Auditorium in Norris Center, the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies and MENA will host a dialogue between professors Wendy Pearlman and David Shyovitz, in which they will share their perspectives on the current war and its larger context. And on Wednesday at 10 a.m., the Northwestern Israel Innovation Project and the Office of the Vice President for International Relations will host a webinar on The Israel-Hamas War, with discussion of its background and implications.

Such discussions are not easy, but they are essential. They showcase how our Northwestern community can come together to examine the worlds most pressing problems  a function of our University that is as important today as at any point in our history.

I am grateful for so many members of our community who have offered their scholarly expertise, who have provided care and support for our students, or who have contacted me to share their thoughts and advice as we all work together to better understand and navigate the crushing weight of a war that impacts so many of us.

I ask again that we resist the temptation to denigrate others and react before thinking  particularly on social media or email. Efforts to dox or shame members of our community because of their beliefs are simply beneath us and not worthy of Northwestern or any of its constituent groups. They also can be dangerous. Instead, our community stands for learning, civil discourse, informed dialogue and, through those core functions, making our world a better place.
The United Steelworkers union was told not to expect any changes after Nippon Steel buys U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion but still has many unanswered questions, including how committed the new owner is to making steel in America.

"There are a lot of unknowns," United Steelworkers Union District 7 Director Michael Millsap said.

Nippon Steel said it planned to maintain a relationship with the United Steelworkers union and to honor the USW's existing contract with U.S. Steel, which runs through 2026.

"All the labor agreements, healthcare benefits and pensions are going to go forward," Millsap said. "Our members aren't going to see a change."

The union had backed a sale to Cleveland-Cliffs, which it has found to be a good negotiating partner.

"U.S. Steel has not been so good since Dave Burritt became CEO," he said. "We thought a new owner would be on the positive side. We don't agree with all the business decisions U.S. Steel has been making."

But a sale to Nippon Steel appears as though it will result in more of the same old, Millsap said. U.S. Steel will retain its name, brand and Pittsburgh headquarters while becoming a subsidiary of Nippon Steel.

"We've been not by the company nothing will change," Millsap said. "Basically, the only difference is now Nippon owns us. It's the same players. It's the same company. They're going to run their same business plan."

The union has been concerned that U.S. Steel has idled East Chicago Tin, Great Lakes Works near Detroit, the Lorain tubular plant in Ohio, the Lone Star tubular plant in Texas and the Granite City Works blast furnaces in Illinois.

"They've been trying to sell the blast furnaces in Granite City to Sun Coke," he said. "They've shut down these furnaces at Great Lakes. They don't operate the furnaces at Granite City. It's the third time they've been down in the last six or seven years."

A sale of U.S. Steel marked a chance for the company to move in a new direction, Millsap said.

"We could have new players we could deal with better to better represent our members," he said. "We could have a better relationship with new owners. At least from my perspective, this is a disappointment. From the discussion we've had, under Nippon were going to be dealing with the same people. Members of the union have found those people, especially Burritt, very difficult to deal with."

U.S. Steel for instance indefinitely idled East Chicago Tin and then the tin department at Gary Works, displacing about 400 steelworkers. But U.S. Steel management still would not take part in a trade case the USW, Cleveland-Cliffs and other steelmakers filed against tin imports.

"They have walked away from the tin market," he said. "They've made some very poor decisions. They idled Granite City Works when the market was doing good and prices were good."

U.S. Steel has been investing billions of dollars in mini-mills in Arkansas while not investing in its integrated steel mills like Gary Works, Millsap said.

"If you look at Granite City and Great Lakes, it looks like it's been shrinking integrated plants since spending $2 billion to buy Big River," he said. "From our perspective, Nippon will mean no change. If Nippon owns us, U.S. Steel will just keep doing the same things they've been doing as a company."

The union has been concerned that Cleveland-Cliffs has been investing in new technology to decarbonize blast furnaces without shutting them down, such as by backing hydrogen hubs, but that U.S. Steel apparently hasn't been as active with such projects, Millsap said.

"We're not hearing that with U.S. Steel," he said.

The union does not want to continue down that path of disinvestment, Millsap said.

"It came as a shock with no discussion but they told the USW it appears that there isn't going to be any change right now," he said. "Time will tell whether there's a change."

The union wants to have a sit-down meeting with Nippon Steel to find out about its plans.

"Nippon said it would assume our agreements for pensions, healthcare and retirement. Our contracts have successorship clauses that protect our retirees and active members regardless of who owns the mills," he said. "We'd like to sit down and talk to them. We want to have a good working relationship. We'd hope that they would want to sit down with us since we represent 14,000 of their employees. We'd like to discuss their commitment to make steel in the United States and make the right investments to take care of our families. U.S. Steel has had a couple years of good profits and that wouldn't have happened without their employees working as many hours as they did."

Nippon owned nearly half of Mishawaka-based National Steel, which ran the U.S. Steel's Midwest Plant in Portage. It also co-owns with ArcelorMittal the Calvert steel mill in Alabama, which is a non-union facility.

"We have protections in our labor agreements that we expect them to live up to," he said. "They're going to take over our agreements and U.S. Steel is still going to be in Pittsburgh. There's not going to be any changes. But there are unknowns and we certainly want them to have a good relationship with the union."
When it comes to holiday nativities scenes, Frankforts Gary Patin doesnt just go old school.

He goes old, old, old school.

Patin, who is the director of music ministry at St. Michael Church in Orland Park, has a collection closing in on 100 Italian Neapolitan Creche pieces. A few are from the 1750s but most are faithful reproductions.

Collecting antiques is a very, very expensive hobby, and I dont have that kind of budget, he said. With the connection from the internet, the prices of antiques have skyrocketed.

I have three or four antiques that are over 250 years old. The rest are new. They still have artisans in the Naples area who make them and create them just like they did back then. They havent changed a thing.

Patin grew up in Louisiana and his interest in nativities started at a young age.

Ive always liked nativities as a kid, he said. We had a little one in our house. I would look at it and pretend I was there. I had a fascination with it.

In 1983, when he saw an Italian nativity collection from the 1700s that a college professor had, Patin said: It had stopped me dead in my tracks. I had never seen anything so magnificent and so beautiful.

When Patin landed in the Chicago area in 2001, he began his own collection.

"My first figures were Mary, Jesus, Joseph and three Wise Men, Patin said. I bought them all together. I had to start with the basics. After that, I added it little by little.

It grew to the point where one table was not enough to display the treasures. Also, he needed backdrops and scenery, which he taught himself to build.

Every year, Patin displays the nativity in his living room and invites friends and collectors to take a look.

And every year, as figures are purchased, the more crowded the scene gets.

But that adds to the authenticity of the scene Patin is trying to create.

Its supposed to look busy because in the 1750s, Naples was a very important international seaport with access to the Mediterranean Sea, and it was one of most vibrant cities in the world, he said. It was tremendously overpacked.

Patin said the popularity of the nativity scene started when King Charles III developed a fondness for them and brought in the best artisans, textile artists and silver makers to create one in his palace.

From there, Patin said, other aristocrats and rich people wanted nativities of their own .

Patin said there is an increasing amount of people with private collectors in the world.

The public has access to some collections as well.

The art form is still alive today in Italy, Patin said. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Art Institute of Chicago have collections. They're trying to get a collection in a museum in Pittsburgh and even a tiny collection is in Milwaukee.

They are all displayed with great pride during the Christmas season at all of these museums.

Patin said he has 80-90 figures.

But, thought he hasn't yearned for any Holy Grail item, he does have a wish list.

The list never ends, Patin said. This year, I just had to get a horse. I finally got a horse. I needed more angels, so I got more angels.

Next year, it will be a different item.
Amazon is building a new $87 million data center in Portage.

The Seattle-based retail giant, which also runs the highly lucrative Amazon Web Services cloud-computing platform that caters largely to businesses and other large institutions, is constructing a new data center in the AmeriPlex at the Port business park north of Interstate 94 and south of the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan.

"Ground has been broken. They've been working on it, building it out there," Portage Mayor Sue Lynch said. "They're getting all that high-tech equipment there."

The data center will start with 10 employees who will make at least $100,000 a year.

"It's not as many jobs as an Amazon warehouse, but they're high-paying jobs," Lynch said. "These are the technology jobs we've been working to bring more of to Portage."

The city has been working to bring Amazon to Portage for two and a half years, though the company's identity was not initially disclosed to the city by its site selection consultants.

"We try to encourage investment even though we didn't know what they wanted at first," Lynch said. "We ended up getting a data center."

Portage is offering Amazon tax breaks on its $35 million building and its $52 million worth of IT equipment. The new development will still pay $7.5 million in property tax revenue over the next decade.

Amazon first came to Northwest Indiana after Gary and Hammond made pitches for its coveted second headquarters, which ended up going to Arlington, Virginia, just outside of D.C. It temporarily operated a last-mile delivery station off Interstate 65 in Gary before building out its 190,000-square-foot delivery station in the AmeriPlex at the Crossroads business park along Broadway in Merrillville.

It had planned to open a second warehouse in Valparaiso but mothballed that project.

The company has gone on to open Amazon lockers all across the Region, including in the Schererville Whole Foods and the River Oaks Center in Calumet City.
VALPARAISO  The second of two men charged with beating and stabbing a 35-year-old Hobart man to death this summer during a sexual encounter arranged on a hookup app is now behind bars in Porter County, records show.

Jada Monroe, 29, of Virginia, was booked into the local jail shortly around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

He is to appear Thursday morning for an initial hearing before Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish.

Monroe and codefendant Domonic Brothers, 28, of Gary, were picked up in Ohio just one day after allegedly murdering Derek Hartz June 13 at the Chustak Public Fishing Area located at 331 W. County Road 600 North in Portage Township, officials have said.

Brothers, who also goes by the last name of Weaver, was more quickly returned to Porter County and appeared July 28 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer.

Both men face criminal counts of murder, murder in perpetration of a robbery and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court records.

Police say the mother of Hartz told them she last saw her son playing video games at home around 4:30 a.m. June 13. She woke later to find a note from him advising he took their 2017 Volkswagen Passat to travel to a friend's house.

When she texted him later that morning, she got no immediate response and then a message reading, "I'll be there soon," according to a charging document. The message was sent after his dead body had been found, police said.

The body of Hartz was found around 11 a.m. June 13 at the 76-acre public fishing area just off Indiana 149.

The body was found on a small trail on the edge of the site on a deflated air mattress, according to court documents. Hartz had "excessive bleeding" from his skull and was nude from the waist down, officials said.

Man who battered woman slapped with new charge while resisting arrest, Portage cops say The woman said she tried to leave the home, at which time the accused grabbed her hair and threw her to the floor, according to police.

"Sexual activity was engaged in and during the course of the contact Derek (Hartz) was struck with the brick and stabbed multiple times with the knife," according to a charging document. "Domonic and Jada then left the body of Derek on the path in the wooded area and drove away in his vehicle."

An autopsy revealed Hartz died as a result of a stab wound that punctured his heart, along with blunt force trauma to his head, police said.

"A knife tip was located embedded into the top of his skull and recovered."

Police said a fanny pack discovered under the body of Hartz contained identification belonging to Monroe. Police then tracked down the victim's phone to the area of Interstate 65 and 61st Avenue in Merrillville, and discovered it contained the Grindr hookup app and messages beginning June 12 with the accused men.

"U wanna have some fun with us?" the accused allegedly wrote to Hartz.

UPDATE: Alert cop nabs 2 in vehicle reported stolen from Region The Chevy Express was spotted around 8 a.m. Monday in the area of County Road 450 West and the officer learned while checking on its license plates that it was reported stolen Saturday in East Chicago.

Hartz then restarted the conversation early June 13 and left to pick up the two accused men, police said.

Police said they used cell phone information to locate Brothers and Monroe in Ohio. After contacting police there, the men were reportedly located in the Cincinnati area and taken into custody following a chase and crash.

The men admitted to taking part in the sexual encounter with Hartz and said they prepared by placing a butcher knife and landscaping brick in a purse, police said.

Brothers and Monroe said they had been planning to leave the state, but did not have transportation or the funding necessary, according to police.

"It was indicated that prior to Derek's arrival, a 'plan' was developed," a court document says.

The accused said they fled the scene after the death of Hartz and packed to leave the area, but tried to return after discovering the fanny pack and identifications had been left behind.

"They drove back to the scene and observed law enforcement vehicles and immediately left the area," police said.
HAMMOND  Portage Mayor James Snyder is either a manipulative liar or a young family man caught up in a government conspiracy to bring him down, jurors were told Tuesday.

The different portraits of Snyder were presented as both the prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments in Snyder's public corruption case.

Who Snyder is and whether he accepted two bribes for personal gain and schemed to prevent paying taxes is now in the jury's hands. The 17th day of the trial ended Tuesday just after 5:30 p.m. with jurors telling the judge they wanted to begin their deliberations at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

"We are here because James Snyder does not believe rules apply to him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Koster told the jury and a packed courtroom primarily filled with Snyder family members and supporters.

Koster walked the jury through the three charges and the government's evidence against him in her nearly two-hour closing argument.

Snyder is charged with obstructing the IRS from collecting some $97,000 in back payroll taxes from his business, First Financial Trust Mortgage, and some $30,000 in personal income tax.

He also allegedly took a $12,000 bribe from former co-defendant John Cortina and Scott Jurgensen, former Merrillville police officer and owner of Samson Towing to put the duo on the city's tow list. Jurgensen was an undercover agent for the FBI gathering evidence against Snyder on the charge.

Cortina pleaded guilty last month to paying Snyder the bribe. He pleaded the Fifth Amendment and did not testify. Cortina is set to be sentenced in April.

The third charge alleges Snyder took a $13,000 bribe from Steve and Bob Buha, former owners of Great Lakes Peterbilt, a truck dealership in Portage, in exchange for steering $1.2 million in garbage truck bids their way.

On the tax charge, Koster said Snyder acted purposely to obstruct the IRS from collecting the back taxes by lying on forms and hiding income by creating a shell company, SRC Properties LLC. Koster said Snyder diverted money to SRC so that the IRS could not levy income to pay the tax debt and then lied on forms about the existence of SRC.

"It was a piggy bank out of which James Snyder lived a more comfortable lifestyle," Koster said.

Defense attorney Neal Brackett countered the charge, saying Snyder got into the back tax situation before becoming mayor because of the economy's downturn and a collapse of the real estate market.

Brackett said Snyder, married with four children, collected a "modest income" as mayor and could not keep up with his debts. Brackett further told jurors that Snyder hid nothing and that the IRS did not do a thorough investigation.

Instead, he said, they put up a front of "smoke and mirrors" to make his client look guilty.

As for the bribery charge involving the garbage trucks, Koster said Snyder lied about the purpose of the $13,000 given to him by the Buhas, saying it was for consulting, from health care to information technology, telephones, payroll and tax issues the Buhas were facing with their failing company.

"The problem with lying is you have to remember the lies that you told. James Snyder told a lot of them," Koster said, adding Randy Reeder, the assistant street department superintendent put in charge of purchasing garbage trucks as the city moved to automated trash collection, was nothing more than a "yes man" for Snyder.

Reeder recanted incriminating testimony he gave against Snyder in grand jury testimony, in which he said he felt like Snyder's pawn and that Snyder had directed him to make sure Great Lakes Peterbilt received the contracts.

"You just don't get to retract" statements, Koster said, telling the jury they can consider what Reeder said during his grand jury testimony.

Defense attorney Jackie Bennett said the charges were based on the word of former street superintendent Steve Charnetzky and were "chock full of lies."

Those lies, Bennett said, continued a federal investigation in which they "found holes in every aspect of the case."

"This man has not been treated fairly by his government," Bennett said.

As for the tow-for-pay charge, Koster said, while Snyder said he had no involvement, he directed the removal of one company to put Cortina and Jurgensen on Portage's list and was smart enough to wait several months between receiving the bribe and putting them on the list in an effort to avoid an appearance of quid pro quo.

"If it's this for that, it's a bribe in this context, even if it is a campaign contribution," Koster said, countering Snyder's claim that Cortina gave him a $2,000 campaign contribution and a $10,000 loan through his campaign committee to pay attorney fees.

Koster also defended Snyder's brother, Porter County Assessor Jon Snyder, for standing up and becoming an informant for the FBI.

"No one forced him to cooperate," she said, adding the defense has painted him as a "horrible brother" and ungrateful.

"Jon Snyder is the stronger member of the family. He takes responsibility for his actions," Koster said.

Bennett attempted to discredit Jurgensen and Cortina, saying Jurgensen is guilty of the actions, paying money to politicians to be on municipal tow lists. He also said Jurgensen received $140,000 from the federal government over recent years to cooperate in several investigations.

"He paid lots of people lots of money over the years," said Bennett, adding, "Cortina was the perfect foil for Scott Jurgensen to target Mayor Snyder."

Bennett also criticized the federal investigation for not interviewing some potential witnesses.

"I ask you to wonder about why those interviews didn't get done. Mayor Snyder has his life and liberty at stake," Bennett said.
Higher than expected Medicaid expenses and lower than expected tax revenues are poised to shrink Indiana's general fund budget reserve by more than $800 million over the next 18 months.

Data presented Tuesday to the State Budget Committee show lawmakers crafting the two-year state budget in April did not account for $713.1 million in projected Medicaid costs, primarily home and community-based services for low-income senior citizens and disabled Hoosiers.

State Budget Director Zac Jackson said Indiana Medicaid also mistakenly returned $271.2 million to the state's general fund at the June 30 end of the 2023 budget year  pushing the total additional Medicaid funding need during the 2024 and 2025 budget years to nearly $1 billion.

In response, Medicaid Director Cora Steinmetz told the committee the agency is preparing to reduce Medicaid expenses by prioritizing enrollment eligibility checks, reviewing utilization management practices, and adjusting reimbursement rates to ensure Medicaid is providing "appropriate service levels to eligible individuals."

Steinmetz, who took over this summer as leader of the state agency responsible for the health care of more than one in four Hoosiers, attributed the major April Medicaid forecast miss to stale data used in crafting the forecast, along with greater utilization and higher costs attributed to home and community-based services.

State Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, the top Democrat on the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he was shocked to learn Indiana Medicaid was underfunded to the tune of nearly $1 billion, and he fear the impacts of Medicaid cost-cutting on Hoosiers and health care providers in the state.

"Medicaid is a life-sustaining program for so many Hoosiers across the spectrum of years. From prenatal care to the eldest of our citizenry receiving services in home and community-based services, millions of Hoosiers depend on Medicaid to receive health care. This is a gross injustice for vulnerable Hoosiers," Porter said.

Jackson said Indiana can manage through the Medicaid shortfall by tapping the state's Medicaid contingency fund and reallocating a portion of its nearly $3 billion general fund budget reserve.

At the same time, state Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, advised Hoosier lawmakers it would be a bad idea to file legislation to expand Medicaid eligibility or covered services, or to propose spending new dollars on much of anything, when the General Assembly convenes its 9-week session next month.

"I continue to have serious concerns about the increasing rate of our state's Medicaid spending and its impact on our state budget, and I will be monitoring this issue closely as we go forward," Mishler said.

In tandem with increased Medicaid costs, the State Budget Committee learned Tuesday the tax revenue forecast used in April to build the state budget  including a barrage of tax cuts  overestimated expected revenue by $473.5 million.

Jackson said sales tax and corporate income tax receipts will be lower than predicted by the April forecast, while personal income tax collections and interest earnings on state deposits should be higher.

In any case, he said the roughly $22 billion in annual state spending during the July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024 and the July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 periods still is less money than Indiana is expected to collect in taxes, with a $328.7 million surplus in the 2024 budget year, and $231.6 million in 2025.

Though so-called "below the line" spending on major capital projects, including the $1.2 billion reconstruction of the Westville Correctional Facility in LaPorte County, will need to draw on the general fund budget reserve  sending the June 30, 2025, reserve balance as a percentage of the next year's expenses to 9.4%, slightly below the state's long-maintained reserve threshold of 10%.

Mishler said unforeseen circumstances like these are exactly why Statehouse Republicans consistently have advocated over the years for Indiana to maintain healthy budget reserve balances.

"Though we are projecting revenues to come in lower than in April and are projected to spend more on Medicaid than we expected, our reserves will enable us to weather this shortfall and protect taxpayers," Mishler said.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb agreed: "We will be able to mitigate the fiscal impact while continuing to deliver needed services thanks to a healthy reserve."

Porter likewise described himself as an "eternal optimist" when it comes to Indiana's revenue and spending situation.

"Luckily, despite the continued general uncertainty and apprehensiveness about the performance of the national economy over the course of the last few months, it seems Indiana has stuck a 'soft landing' when it comes to our updated revenue forecast and the money our state is anticipated to receive over the course of the remaining 18 months or so of the budget period," Porter said.

Meet the 2023 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores
Following Hamass Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, President Biden emphasized his support for Israels war effort and sent weapons to Israel for its campaign against Hamas. Recently, his administration has pressured Israeli leaders to scale back their military operations. That strategy has been disapproved by many voters in both parties, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

Overall, 57 percent of registered voters disapprove of Bidens handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while just 33 percent approve. The voters said that they would trust Donald Trump more than Biden on the issue by a margin of eight percentage points, 46 percent to 38 percent. Even young voters, who typically lean heavily Democratic, appear to have drifted away from Biden, with a plurality of them preferring Trump in general, and a majority saying that Israel has not done enough to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza.

The electorate appears to be of two minds on what should come next. Voters said they sympathized more with the Israelis (47 percent) than the Palestinians (20 percent). But a narrow plurality, 44 percent, said that Israel should stop its military campaign to avoid further civilian casualties, while 39 percent thought Israel should continue its course.

In Israel, many have abandoned the political left since the start of the war, increasing their support for settlers in the West Bank and the re-establishment of a military occupation of Gaza.
Before Rudolph W. Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers he defamed, and before he owed his own lawyers several million dollars more, federal prosecutors were scrutinizing whether he pursued dubious business dealings in Ukraine to shore up his dwindling fortune, according to court records unsealed late Tuesday.

The documents lifted the veil on a criminal investigation that federal prosecutors spent three years conducting into the dealings of Mr. Giuliani, the former New York mayor who had reinvented himself as Donald J. Trumps personal lawyer and attack dog.

The investigation, which did not result in charges for Mr. Giuliani, centered on whether he illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of Ukrainian officials. Those same Ukrainians helped Mr. Giuliani dig for dirt on Joseph R. Biden Jr., who was then on his way to becoming the Democratic presidential nominee and who would ultimately defeat Mr. Trump in 2020.

The prosecutors had assembled enough evidence to persuade a judge in April 2021 to authorize the seizure of Mr. Giulianis phones and computers, an extraordinary step to take against any lawyer, let alone one who had represented a sitting president. And for a time, it appeared as if the prosecutors, working in the same Manhattan U.S. attorneys office that Mr. Giuliani had presided over decades earlier, might seek to indict him.
A former New York City police officer was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 months in prison for her role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, during which, federal prosecutors said, she pushed against and slapped police officers while yelling and wielding a tambourine.

The sentencing of the former officer, Sara Carpenter, followed her conviction in March on several felony and misdemeanor counts, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding and entering or remaining in a restricted building or ground, court records show.

Ms. Carpenter, 54, of Richmond Hill, Queens, is among more than 1,200 people  and one of at least 15 with law enforcement ties  to be criminally charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, according to court records and a Justice Department news release.

She and other supporters of former President Donald J. Trump stormed the Capitol that day in a bid to disrupt the certification of President Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Mr. Trump has been charged with conspiracy and the corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding as a result of the riot, and a federal investigation into the days events is continuing.
A federal judge on Tuesday cleared the way for the removal of a Confederate memorial from Arlington National Cemetery, just one day after a temporary restraining order had halted the plan to move one of the most prominent monuments to the Confederacy from the nations most famous burial ground.

The memorial has been criticized for its sanitized depiction of slavery, and its removal is part of a military-wide effort to take down Confederate symbols from bases, ships and other facilities. Dozens of Republican lawmakers have opposed removing the memorial.

In his ruling, Judge Rossie David Alston Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that a group called Defend Arlington had failed to show that it is in the public interest for the monument to stay and that its claims that nearby graves were at risk of damage were misinformed or misleading.

At a hearing earlier in the day, Judge Alston said that he had toured the site and saw no desecration of any graves, according to The Associated Press.
Minnesota on Tuesday announced the winning design for its new state flag after a competition that was prompted by criticism that its current flag was offensive to Native Americans.

The new design consists of a light blue right panel, representing the states many lakes, and navy blue left panel, resembling the shape of Minnesota, with an eight-pointed northern star. It is a vast departure from the current flag: a busy design with the state seal at its center depicting a pioneer beside a rifle and a Native American with a spear on horseback, which one lawmaker described as a cluttered genocidal mess.

The winning flag proposal, submitted by Andrew Prekker of Luverne, was chosen from more than 2,600 submissions by a commission created by state legislation to redesign both the flag and the state seal.

It is my greatest hope that this new flag can finally represent our state and all its people properly, Mr. Prekker, a 24-year-old artist and writer, said in a statement. That every Minnesotan of every background  including the Indigenous communities and tribal nations whove been historically excluded  can look up at our flag with pride and honor, and see themselves within it.
Pinned

Former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Durham, N.H., last week. His political opponents have sought to keep him off the 2024 presidential ballot by citing the 14th Amendment.

Colorados top court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald J. Trump is disqualified from holding office again because he engaged in insurrection with his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, an explosive ruling that is likely to put the basic contours of the 2024 election in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Colorado Supreme Court was the first in the nation to find that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment  which disqualifies people who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it  applies to Mr. Trump, an argument that his opponents have been making around the country.

The ruling directs the Colorado secretary of state to exclude Mr. Trumps name from the states Republican primary ballot. It does not address the general election.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, a four-justice majority wrote, with three justices dissenting. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Mr. Trumps campaign said immediately that it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado justices anticipated that likelihood by putting their ruling on hold at least until Jan. 4; if Mr. Trump appeals before then, the hold will continue until the Supreme Court rules. And while Tuesdays ruling applies only to one state, it could all but force the nations highest court to decide the question for all 50.

Its hard for me to see how they dont take this one, because this certainly seems to be one of those questions that requires some national resolution, said Anthony Michael Kreis, an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University who has closely followed the Colorado case and related lawsuits around the country.

If the justices take up the case, it will join a pile of other Trump-related matters they have agreed or are likely to decide, including whether he is immune from criminal prosecution for actions he took in office and the scope of an obstruction charge that is central to his federal Jan. 6 case.

The U.S. Supreme Court has a 6-to-3 conservative majority, with three justices appointed by Mr. Trump himself, and it is already under extraordinary political pressure and scrutiny both for its rulings and its justices ethics.

Once again, the Supreme Court is being thrust into the center of a U.S. presidential election, said Richard L. Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, who compared the stakes to Bush v. Gore. But, unlike in 2000, the general political instability in the United States makes the situation now much more precarious.

In the Colorado courts lengthy ruling on Tuesday, the justices there reversed a Denver district judges finding last month that Section 3 did not apply to the presidency. They affirmed the district judges other key conclusions: that Mr. Trumps actions before and on Jan. 6, 2021, constituted engaging in insurrection, and that courts had the authority to enforce Section 3 against a person whom Congress had not specifically designated.

A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the justices wrote. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado secretary of state to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

Mr. Trumps campaign denounced the ruling, which is likely to inflame a Republican base that he has primed to see the array of civil and criminal cases against him as a witch hunt. Politically, his standing among Republican primary voters has only risen in the wake of the dozens of criminal charges against him.

Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice, a campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.

Similar lawsuits in Minnesota and New Hampshire were dismissed on procedural grounds. A judge in Michigan ruled last month that the issue was political and not for him to decide, and an appeals court affirmed the decision not to disqualify Mr. Trump there. The plaintiffs have appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Tuesdays ruling is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country, Noah Bookbinder, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. His organization represented the voters seeking to disqualify Mr. Trump in Colorado.

Mr. Trump himself, who has routinely railed against unfavorable rulings, did not explicitly mention the Colorado Supreme Court decision in a speech Tuesday evening in Waterloo, Iowa  but his campaign was already fund-raising off it. An email to his supporters accused Democrats of trying to nullify Trump votes and asked for contributions to help defend his place on ballots.

Republican elected officials quickly circled the wagons around Mr. Trump, and a super PAC supporting him blasted out some of their comments to supporters.

In one more illustration of the unusual nature of the 2024 Republican primary race  in which even the candidates seeking to defeat Mr. Trump for the partys nomination have largely shied away from condemning him  his main rivals, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, both suggested that the ruling was an abuse of judicial power.

The case hinged on several questions: Was it an insurrection when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to stop the certification of the 2020 election? If so, did Mr. Trump engage in that insurrection through his messages to his supporters beforehand, his speech that morning and his Twitter posts during the attack? Do courts have the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment without congressional action? And does Section 3 apply to the presidency?

Judge Sarah B. Wallace, who made the district court ruling in Colorado, had said yes to all but the last question.

Because Section 3 enumerates several offices but not the presidency, and because the presidential oath is worded differently from the oaths of the enumerated offices, Judge Wallace concluded that the broad phrase officers of the United States was not intended to include the presidency. The Colorado Supreme Court disagreed.

We do not place the same weight the district court did on the fact that the presidency is not specifically mentioned in Section 3, the majority wrote. It seems most likely that the presidency is not specifically included because it is so evidently an office.

The three justices who dissented did so on procedural grounds, not on the merits of whether Mr. Trump engaged in insurrection or whether Section 3 applies to the presidency. In three separate dissenting opinions, each based on different legal arguments, they all concluded that the court had overstepped its authority.

Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past  dare I say, engaged in insurrection  there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office, Justice Carlos Samour Jr. wrote in his dissent.

He added, I am disturbed about the potential chaos wrought by an imprudent, unconstitutional and standardless system in which each state gets to adjudicate Section 3 disqualification cases on an ad hoc basis.

Several legal experts emphasized in interviews with The New York Times that the case involved novel legal and constitutional questions  ones for which there is no clear precedent. This is a provision of the Constitution that we just didnt expect to start using again, Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School, said of Section 3, which was written after the Civil War to prevent members of the Confederacy from holding office.

Professor Hasen, of U.C.L.A., called the ruling very carefully crafted and considered.

That said, many of the issues that the Colorado Supreme Court resolved could well be decided differently by the U.S. Supreme Court if it ends up reviewing the case on the merits, he said. Many of these are issues of first impression that courts have never had to address before.

Michael Gold and Adam Liptak contributed reporting.
Vice President Kamala Harris will tour the country next year to host events in support of abortion rights, a galvanizing issue for Democrats and one that has become a focus for the vice president in the months since Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer.

Ms. Harris, who for the past year and a half has embraced her role as a leader on the issue even as the White House remains hamstrung by what it can do to protect abortion rights, said that her tour would continue to push back on some of the proposals floated by Republican candidates, including national bans and threats to criminalize abortion providers.

Extremists across our country continue to wage a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms as they push their radical policies, Ms. Harris said in a statement. I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body  not the government.
When Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, was asked about former President Donald J. Trumps now-standard stump line claiming that immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country, Senator McConnell delivered an indirect but contemptuous response.

Well, it strikes me it didnt bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao secretary of transportation, Mr. McConnell, the Senate minority leader, said. Ms. Chao, who was born in Taiwan and immigrated to America as a child, is married to Mr. McConnell.

Mr. McConnell referred to a feud that has simmered for more than a year over the former presidents racist attacks against Ms. Chao. Mr. Trump, often referring to her by the derisive nickname Coco Chow, has suggested that she  and by extension her husband, Mr. McConnell  are beholden to China because of her connections to the country.

Mr. Trump repeated his poisoning the blood claim at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, prompting an outburst of criticism from Senate Republicans this week.
Congress gave up Tuesday on a last-ditch bid to speed through emergency military aid to Ukraine before the end of the year, as negotiators failed to cement a deal that Republicans have demanded tying the money to a crackdown on migration across the U.S. border with Mexico.

It is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action on the national security supplemental early in the new year, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, and Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, said in a rare joint statement.

They pledged to address Ukraine aid and border measures alongside military funding to Israel and the Indo-Pacific, promising that the Senate will not let these national security challenges go unanswered.

The delay punts the fate of Ukraine aid  and the complicated task of drafting new immigration laws  into early next year, when lawmakers will also face the daunting task of striking a broader spending agreement to avert a partial government shutdown by mid-January.
Mr. Tuberville had been holding up the promotions of senior military officials to protest a Pentagon policy ensuring that service members needing to go long distances to obtain an abortion or other reproductive health care services would receive time off and have their travel expenses covered. The Defense Department adopted the policy after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, creating a patchwork of abortion laws throughout the country.

Mr. Tuberville had long insisted that the Pentagon would have to reverse the policy for him to relent. But under pressure from other Republicans, he agreed this month to allow the bulk of the promotions to proceed, and the Senate promptly confirmed over 440 service members to senior positions as a bloc. Under that arrangement, Mr. Tuberville had continued to object to the promotions of the 11 most senior generals and admirals pending before the Senate.

The list of four-star officers confirmed on Tuesday included the heads of major combatant commands. Among them were Lt. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot of the Air Force, who will lead U.S. Northern Command; Lt. Gen. Timothy D. Haugh of the Air Force, who will take over U.S. Cyber Command; and Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting of Space Force, who will be the head of U.S. Space Command.

The Senate also confirmed officers to serve as vice chiefs of staff for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Operations. The Senate had voted this year to confirm the top uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all of whose promotions had been subject to Mr. Tubervilles hold.

Its a really strong group, Senator Dan Sullivan, Republican of Alaska, said in an interview before the vote. Mr. Sullivan was one of the leading Republicans pressuring Mr. Tuberville to drop his objections in recent weeks.
Former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday endorsed Bernie Moreno in the Ohio Republican Senate primary, bolstering the candidacy of Mr. Moreno, who has accumulated several high-profile endorsements in his tight race against two more experienced politicians.

With just three months until the primary, public polls show a close contest involving State Senator Matt Dolan, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Mr. Moreno, a former car dealer from Cleveland.

The winner will challenge Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is seeking a fourth six-year term. Several recent public polls have shown Mr. Brown leading any of the three Republicans and having the easiest time beating Mr. Moreno.

A poll from Emerson College and WJW-TV, a Cleveland Fox affiliate, on Nov. 13 showed Mr. Brown 11 points ahead of Mr. Moreno, more than double his lead over Mr. Dolan and Mr. LaRose. A poll on Oct. 19 from the Ohio Northern University Institute for Civics and Public Policy showed Mr. Brown 22 points ahead of Mr. Moreno.
He added that Hitler said it in a much different way, without making his meaning clear.

Undocumented immigrants, he added, could be healthy. They could be very unhealthy. They could bring in disease thats going to catch on in our country. And he again said that they were destroying the blood of our country and destroying the fabric of our country.

Mr. Trump and his campaign have dismissed the comparisons between his remark and language used by Hitler using the words poison and blood to denigrate those who Hitler deemed a threat to the purity of the Aryan race.

In one chapter of Mein Kampf named Race and People, Hitler wrote, All the great civilizations of the past became decadent because the originally creative race died out, as a result of contamination of the blood. In another passage, he links the poison which has invaded the national body to an influx of foreign blood.

Mr. Trumps comment was widely criticized as racist and xenophobic, and the Biden administration has recently drawn more attention to the comparison.

Some Senate Republicans also criticized the remark this week, including Mitch McConnell, the bodys top Republican. But others embraced the language, including Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, who said that it was objectively and obviously true that illegal immigrants were poisoning the blood of the country.
But the order does allow agents from the U.S. Border Patrol to cut the wire in the event of a medical emergency  an exception that addresses the federal governments concern that the barrier could make it difficult to render first aid to injured or ill migrants.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.

The case is part of a lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, who has argued that federal agents have illegally destroyed Texas property and curtailed the states effort to block migrants from crossing the border.

The order by the federal appeals court came a day after Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that gives Texas law enforcement officers the authority to arrest migrants who enter the state from Mexico without legal authorization.

The measure was passed in a special session of the Republican-dominated State Legislature last month despite objections of Democrats, immigrant-rights groups and Hispanic organizations. Opponents said they feared the measure would encourage racial profiling in border communities and asserted that it violated the U.S. Constitution by usurping federal authority over immigration enforcement.

El Paso County and two immigrant rights groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in an effort to halt the law, which is scheduled to take effect in March, and some sheriffs along the border have expressed concern that the measure could rapidly overwhelm local jails and courts.
For the second day in a row, the United Nations Security Council delayed a vote on a resolution calling for Israel and Hamas to provide greater access for more humanitarian aid, and pauses in the fighting to make that possible, as diplomats wrestled with the United States on what it might allow to pass.

The announcement of a delay on Tuesday followed hours of intense, closed-door negotiations and a Security Council session in which diplomats discussed the war in Gaza. It also followed days of negotiations since Friday, when the United Arab Emirates, which put forth the resolution, circulated the text among members.

The draft resolution called for suspending the fighting long enough to allow the safe delivery of humanitarian relief to Gaza via land, air and sea and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas. It also called for the establishment of a United Nations monitoring system to screen the aid deliveries.

The proposed monitoring of aid by the U.N. has turned out to be the major obstacle for the United States, and the decision has now been referred to the White House, resulting in the multiple delays on Tuesday, according to several Security Council diplomats, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The diplomats said Israel was pressuring the United States not to accept putting the U.N. in charge of inspecting aid deliveries to Gaza, because it would effectively leave Israel with no role in screening them. According to the Security Council diplomats, if a concession on this issue is not reached before a vote is held on Wednesday, the United States could veto the resolution.

Currently, the 100 or so trucks that enter Gaza each day travel from Egypt to Israel for inspection, then return to Egypt and snake their way to the Rafah border  a process that many diplomats and U.N. officials said was untenable and was slowing down the delivery of much-needed aid.

A senior U.S. official said Washington was still poring over the text of the resolution late Tuesday night as negotiations continued. The official confirmed that the U.N. inspections were among the points of contention.

Other changes sought by the United States include wording about the fighting  changing cessation of hostilities to pauses, for example. American diplomats have opposed any language implying that Israel must end the war, because they say that would allow Hamas to regroup.

We are continuing to negotiate in earnest, we have long advocated for a massive scaling-up of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as our actions on the ground have shown, said Nate Evans, the spokesman for the U.S. mission to the U.N. He added that American diplomacy had helped open the Kerem Shalom crossing for aid deliveries from Israel since Sunday.

Much of the discussion around the resolution has focused on the need for the council to act, as dire conditions get even worse for more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Tor Wennesland, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the council on Tuesday that there was a human catastrophe on the ground.

The United States has been the only member of the Security Council to block demands for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, vetoing two such resolutions. At the General Assembly last week, when an overwhelming majority of 153 countries voted in favor of a cease-fire, the United States was among 10 countries to vote against the measure.

Pressure has been building on the Biden administration, internationally and domestically, to do more to help Palestinian civilians and to help end the war. A New York Times/Siena College poll published on Tuesday found that 57 percent of Americans disapproved of the Biden administrations handling of the war.

The negotiations before the latest vote focused on finding a middle ground that would have a meaningful effect in Gaza, diplomats said.

During a visit last week to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, heads of U.N. humanitarian agencies and local aid agencies in both places told council members that alleviating Gazans suffering would be impossible without significantly more aid, the opening of more routes into the enclave and a halt to the fighting.

The United Arab Emirates, the only Arab member of the Council, put forth the resolution after the text was modified in the negotiations. Besides calling for a U.N. monitoring system for aid, the resolution also says that commercial goods must be allowed into Gaza, on the grounds that humanitarian aid alone will be insufficient after two months of intense fighting, which has wiped out much of the enclaves infrastructure.

As many as 200 trucks of aid have been entering Gaza each day from the Rafah crossing, at Gazas southern border with Egypt. On Sunday, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing, which lies to the east of the Rafah crossing, allowing aid trucks to enter Gaza from Israel for the first time since the start of the war in October.

The U.N. World Food Program said earlier this month that nearly 60 percent of people in Gaza were on the verge of starvation, and U.N. officials have warned that the catastrophic situation was getting worse and could have irreversible consequences.

More than 1.2 million people are displaced and sheltering in close quarters without proper hygiene and clean water, the officials say, and disease is spreading fast. Medical centers throughout the territory have been attacked or shut down, or are struggling with lack of supplies and a reliable source of electricity. The U.N. has reported groups of people attacking its aid trucks to find food and water.

Katie Rogers contributed reporting from Washington.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. A Local Iranian start-up - Parsian Energy Knowledge and Technology Company - will resume the work of three wells in the Danan oil field in Irans western province of Ilam, Trend reports.

In this regard, a contract was signed between the company and Irans Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park, at the 2nd PetroTech exhibition in Tehran on December 20.

Mohammad Esmaeil Kefayati, director of Iran's Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park, and Amir Abidpour, head of the advisory board of Parsian Energy Knowledge and Technology Company signed the contract.

Under the contract, the wells #1, #5, #11 will be restored and put back into operation.

However, no additional information was provided about the mentioned contract and the funds to be spent.

The Danan oil field is under the supervision of the Western Oil and Gas Production Company, a subsidiary of the Central Oil Zones Company. The field was discovered in 2007 and began producing oil in 2014. It is estimated that Iran extracts 19,000 barrels of crude oil per day from this field.

The 2nd Exhibition and Conference of Technology Management and Increasing Knowledge-based Production in the Petroleum Industrys Value Chain opened yesterday (December 19) in Tehran and will last for three days.
Dick Wolf, the Law & Order creator, has made a promised gift of more than 200 works  paintings, sculptures and drawings among them  for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts collections of Renaissance and Baroque art. He is also donating a substantial sum of money, the Met announced on Wednesday, adding that it would endow two galleries with his name.

Wolf has been a discreet collector in the art world, focusing his attention on older works at a time when the most well-known collectors invest in modern and contemporary art. Some of his promised gifts to the museum were also recent purchases, including a 15th-century Botticelli painting that sold for $4.6 million in 2012 and a 16th-century Orazio Gentileschi painting that sold for $4.4 million in 2022. The Gentileschi is already on view in the newly reopened European paintings galleries; Wolf is also donating a piece by the artists daughter, Artemisia, which sold for $2.1 million that same year.

Image Dick Wolf said he used to visit the Met as a child on his way home from school. Credit... Chris Haston/NBC, via Getty Images

Max Hollein, the Mets director and chief executive, said that he and the museums curators cultivated a relationship with the television producer over the last three years; however, he stayed away from giving advice on the market.
A state court ruled that Trump cant hold office

The top court in Colorado ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump was disqualified from holding office again because he had engaged in insurrection with his actions leading up to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump said that he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The explosive ruling is likely to put a major component of the 2024 presidential election in the hands of Americas highest court.

The ruling is based on a provision of the 14th Amendment, which was written after the Civil War in the 1860s. It bars those who have previously taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States from holding office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Under the ruling, Trumps name would be excluded from the states Republican primary ballot. It does not address the general election.
The electric scooter company Bird said on Wednesday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection, another sign that the shine on this once buzzy part of personal transportation has begun to fade.

To help it continue operating, the company said, it had secured $25 million in financing from Apollo Global Managements commercial lending unit, MidCap Financial, and the firms second-lien lenders. Michael Washinushi, Birds interim chief executive, will stay on as the company pursues a turnaround plan that could involve selling assets.

Bird, which is based in Miami, had warned investors a year ago that unless it raised cash, it might not be able to continue as a going concern.

Other start-ups in the sector have struggled. Micromobility.com, formerly known as Helbiz, was delisted from the Nasdaq on Tuesday; and another rival, Tier Mobility, had its third round of layoffs last month.
U.S. Steel becomes a national security concern

The hurdles keep multiplying for U.S. Steels proposed $14 billion sale to Nippon Steel of Japan.

Lawmakers and others in Washington are questioning the wisdom of allowing an American industrial icon to fall into foreign hands. Behind that is some protectionist concern  and playing to the concerns of organized labor  ahead of an election year.

Criticism of the deal is bipartisan:

In a letter on Tuesday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (who chairs CFIUS, the interagency committee that reviews investments on national security grounds), three Republican senators recommended blocking the sale. Domestic steel production is vital to U.S. national security, J.D. Vance of Ohio, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida wrote.

Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat weighing a third-party presidential run, called the transaction a major blow to the American steel industry which has been instrumental in making us the superpower of the world.

Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat whos up for re-election, called the transaction a bad deal for Pennsylvania and for Pennsylvania workers, while his colleague John Fetterman pledged to do everything I can to block it. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, whos also running for re-election, also criticized the sale.

Behind those concerns is worry about domestic production of steel, which is increasingly seen as a vital national interest. U.S. steel makers have struggled against cheaper, state-subsidized competitors from places like China, which accounts for more than half of global production.

Former President Donald Trump sought to protect the U.S. steel industry by imposing a 25 percent tariff on most imports. And President Biden has moved to limit foreign competition and drive up demand for home-produced steel.

Steelworkers are also an important political constituency. The industry is a major employer in political battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Ohio. And the U.S. Steelworkers union has come out against the Nippon Steel transaction. (It has supported selling U.S. Steel to a domestic rival, Cleveland-Cliffs.)
Warner Bros. Discovery has joined the ranks of companies expressing interest in a possible merger with Paramount, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, had lunch this week with Bob Bakish, Paramounts chief executive, and expressed interest in a potential merger of the two companies, the two people said.

During the lunch, which was held Tuesday at Paramounts Midtown Manhattan headquarters, the prospect of a merger came up in a wide-ranging conversation between Mr. Bakish and Mr. Zaslav, the people said.

Warner Bros. Discoverys stock fell on news of the deal, which was reported earlier by Axios. Paramounts stock dipped slightly in after-market trading.
ChatGPT, Bard, Claude. The worlds most popular and successful chatbots are trained on data scraped from vast swaths of the internet, mirroring the cultural and linguistic dominance of the English language and Western perspectives. This has raised alarms about the lack of diversity in artificial intelligence. There is also the worry that the technology will remain the province of a handful of American companies.

In South Korea, a technological powerhouse, firms are taking advantage of the technologys malleability to shape A.I. systems from the ground up to address local needs. Some have trained A.I. models with sets of data rich in Korean language and culture. South Korean companies say theyre building A.I. for Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian audiences. Others are eyeing customers in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, and in industries like medicine and pharmacy.

This has fueled hopes that A.I. can become more diverse, work in more languages, be customized to more cultures and be developed by more countries.

The more competition is out there, the more systems are going to be robust: socially acceptable, safer, more ethical, said Byong-Tak Zhang, a computer science professor at Seoul National University.
The Brazilian authorities are seeking millions of dollars in damages and fines from the worlds biggest meatpacker, JBS, and three smaller slaughterhouses, according to court filings that accuse them of buying cattle raised on illegally deforested lands in the Amazon rainforest.

The lawsuits come as JBS is pursuing a listing on the New York Stock Exchange, which would give the company expanded access to capital. They are expected to increase pressure on the company, which was recently the subject of a Senate hearing because of its supply chains links to deforestation. The United States is JBSs largest market.

The 17 suits, brought by Rondonia State, in the countrys west, say that the companies have bought cattle raised in one of the Amazons most devastated protected areas, the Jaci-Parana Extractive Reserve, which has lost 77 percent of its forest cover since it was created in 1996. Dozens of members of the traditional communities there have left in fear of the land-grabbers and ranchers who have taken over most of the reserve.

JBS is the biggest purchaser of cattle from the Amazon rainforest, and experts say ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation there. Forest destruction, coupled with climate change, is already transforming humid ecosystems that store huge amounts of planet-warming gases into drier zones that instead release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The result is a double blow against efforts to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
Do you and your family decorate for Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween or other holidays? Do people in your neighborhood?

Is there a house where you live that goes all out for the holidays? Do you find the decorations beautiful and festive  or ridiculous and over the top?

In Are You Going to Be the One to Get Rid of Santa? Ronda Kaysen writes about one such home. It holds a world record for having the most lights on a residential property, to the dismay of some neighbors and the delight of others:

On a winding country road, four miles from the nearest traffic light in rural Dutchess County, N.Y., the holiday lights appear like a carnival fun house shattering the darkness. Every year, roughly 60,000 visitors stream into Union Vale, dwarfing the population of the town of 4,600, their cars crawling up the wooded, unlit roads to take a slow tour around the circular driveway of Timothy and Grace Gay, the Guinness World Records holders for the most lights on a residential property. This year, 720,420 lights created the vibrating, pulsating cacophony, set to a soundtrack that plays over a local radio frequency, the colors changing with each of the 255 programmed songs. Giant globes, hearts, shooting stars and rainbows suspend over a pond, the reflection giving the illusion that this homespun creation is descending into the earth. If lights could speak, they would shout out the block letter words of one sign: Top That. Its amazing, its absolutely amazing, said Lauren Bellantoni, 37, as her car inched through the loop, an unending line behind her. For the fans, the lights are supersized holiday cheer. For the critics, its a holiday nightmare. Its essentially running a Legoland out of your property for 40 days, said Edward J. Kasche, a middle school social studies teacher who was partly inspired to run for a seat on the town board because of his long frustration with what he describes as a lax municipal response to the show. Mr. Kasche, 41, lost the November election, drawing 15 percent of the vote. On the busiest nights, the line of vehicles can stretch close to a mile or farther in this town an hour and a half north of New York City.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
In August, the first trailer for Maestro, a biopic of Leonard Bernstein, the composer of West Side Story and so much more, set off a backlash almost immediately: Bradley Cooper was wearing a prosthetic nose for the title role.

Critics on social media accused the star, who is also the director, of playing into an antisemitic trope with the Size XL prosthesis  and asked whether someone who is Jewish would have been more sensitive about makeup choices.

Cooper and Netflix, where Maestro will begin streaming on Wednesday, declined to comment. In a statement at the time, Bernsteins three children, who had been working with Cooper on the film, came to the actors defense, noting in a series of posts on X, It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. (The family declined to offer additional comment.)

Its hardly the first time an oversize septum has made an onscreen appearance or courted controversy. Here are 12 of the most memorable fake noses in cinematic history, sorted by size from dainty  to elephantine .
When it comes to Christmas and holiday movies, the best ones arent necessarily new. In fact, its the universal themes of redemption and gratitude, presented in Charles Dickenss 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol, that resonated most with you.

Nearly 3,000 New York Times readers responded to our callout asking for the best holiday film recommendations. The 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (titled Scrooge in Britain) starring Alastair Sim as the quintessential main character was most frequently cited among the dozens of adaptations out there. Others included childrens versions The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Mister Magoos Christmas Carol (1962) and variations starring Patrick Stewart (1999), Reginald Owen (1938) and Ryan Reynolds, in Spirited (2022). Theres also The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), which tells the tale of Dickenss creation of the classic story.

A Christmas Carol also aligns closely with Philip Van Doren Sterns story The Greatest Gift, which itself inspired Its a Wonderful Life (1946), your second-most mentioned film. Then theres The Family Man (2000), starring Nicolas Cage as a modern-day version of George Bailey that brought tears to many of your eyes.

Other top picks included A Christmas Story (1983), Love Actually (2003), White Christmas (1954), Elf (2003), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Die Hard (1988), The Bishops Wife (1947), National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (1989), Home Alone (1990) and The Family Stone (2005).
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 20. The production volume in industrial park No. 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan, reached 6.7 trillion tenge (about $14.7 billion) for the entire period of operation, said the deputy head of the capital Yevgeny Glotov, Trend reports.

He made the remark during President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to the industrial park.

"Industrial Park No. 1 plays a special role in efforts to attract investment. 100 projects are being implemented here with a total investment of 322 billion tenge (about 708.5 million). The park ranks first in the republic in terms of production volume, which reached 6.7 trillion tenge for the entire period of operation," he said.

He noted that the volume of the capital's gross regional product (GRP) for the first half of the year amounted to 4.7 trillion tenge (about $10.3 billion), with an increase of 4.1 percent. The main contribution to the GRP structure is made by small and medium-sized businesses, whose share is more than 73 percent; the share of investments in GRP is 11.5 percent.

In addition, in the industrial park, Tokayev was shown the achievements of the leading enterprises of the park: Tau-Ken Altyn, Stadler Kazakhstan, DSS, ENKO, DUYQAZ, VMP-Astana, and MFA International.

Thus, over 10 years of operation, the Tau-Ken Altyn produced and supplied more than 200 tons of refined gold to the National Bank of Kazakhstan and also provided tolling services for 80.5 tons of precious metal.

At the same time, it was noted that the Stadler Kazakhstan plant plans to produce more than 500 passenger railroad cars for Passenger Transportation JSC.

Other plants, as well as their products, were also presented to the President of Kazakhstan.
The fifth-graders on a school field trip stepped into a large, noisy room. The girls held their noses. The boys were wowed.

They were in the stinkiest part of a wastewater treatment plant on Long Island.

That schoolchildren were in that room was an indication of how field trips have evolved as science curriculums have changed. The children, from Oceanside School 8 in Oceanside, N.Y., had been learning about water and what happens when dirty water at home goes down the drain or the toilet.
Nearly 30 years after a bombing at a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires killed 85 people, federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused a man in Lebanon of helping plan the attack and leading decades of terrorism for Hezbollah.

The man, Samuel Salman El Reda, 58, relayed information to help operatives who bombed the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina in July 1994, prosecutors said in an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Mr. El Reda remains at large, according to prosecutors.

Argentina has Latin Americas largest Jewish population  about 250,000 people, according to a government estimate  and the attack devastated the citys community, leveling the building and injuring hundreds of people in addition to those killed.

Prosecutors in New York said that since 1993, Mr. El Reda has been a leader within Hezbollahs Islamic Jihad Organization, its arm responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence and terrorist activities. Mr. El Reda has masterminded attacks in South America, Asia and Lebanon, they said.
More than a half-century after he was locked in solitary confinement on Rikers Island, Victor Pate still avoids elevators.

The enclosure, that small space when the doors close: Its so reminiscent of going into that cell and the door closing on me, Mr. Pate, 71, said at a City Hall rally this week supporting a bill banning solitary confinement in most cases in New York. Ive not gotten beyond that.

To opponents of solitary confinement like Mr. Pate, who did time on gun and car theft charges, prolonged isolation clearly qualifies as torture, causing long-lasting psychological damage and impeding rehabilitation. They call the bill, which the City Council passed on Wednesday, long overdue for the jail system, most notably Rikers Island, which is at risk of a federal takeover after years of dysfunction.

But Mayor Eric Adams and the union representing correction officers say that the restrictive housing used at Rikers, to isolate dangerous people and protect jail workers and other detainees, should not be regarded as solitary confinement.
New York City banned most uses of solitary confinement in city jails on Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown between City Council leaders and Mayor Eric Adams, who opposes the ban and has vowed to veto the measure.

The Council vote, 39 to 7, was framed by supporters as a pivotal moment in a national push to make jails more humane. But the bill also highlighted a broader discussion about whether solitary confinement is torture or a legitimate form of punishment for detainees who grossly violate codes of conduct.

Officials at the United Nations have called the practice torture, and a large body of research links it to increased risks for worsened mental illness, self-harm and suicide. There are also racial disparities in its use: Black and Latino people are more likely to be put in solitary confinement.

But jail officials in New York and Mr. Adams, a former police captain, say that past abuses of solitary confinement, where detainees were held in isolation for long periods, have ended.
When Ms. Dannett appeared 17 years after Mr. Livingstons conviction, the stenographer was stunned and eager to help. She called a prosecutor in the district attorneys office, who gave Ms. Dannett the names of the four men whom Ms. Evans had originally identified as the perpetrators, but he warned her that the police and the district attorneys office would not be eager to reopen the case.

One of her aunts also told her to stop researching  why dig up the past?

Ms. Dannett pressed on. She tried without luck to find the men and the detectives. She considered visiting Mr. Livingston in prison, but he was in upstate New York, too far away.

By then, she had fallen in love with an Army officer and started a family. They had moved to Savannah, Ga., in 2007 after he retired from military service and took a civilian job. Soon, she was caring for a son, then a daughter, and getting her real estate license while working as a government contractor.

The nagging doubts about the murder case receded in her mind.

Then Ms. Dannett saw a news report about the Highers brothers, who had been sentenced to life in prison for a 1987 shooting in Detroit. They were freed after a new witness came forward with evidence about the real perpetrators.

If that person was willing to help total strangers, Ms. Dannett thought, she had to do the same.

After her children went to bed that night in 2014, she confronted her computer screen and pondered how to begin.
How can it be that nearly three years after Donald Trump incited an insurrection to stay in office, interfering with the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history, he remains eligible for a second term as president? In a stunning ruling on Tuesday night, the Colorado Supreme Court answered that question: He cant be allowed to run again.

The courts 133-page decision said that he is not eligible to be on the states ballot for president under Section 3 of the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment, which bars from public office anyone who swore an oath to the Constitution and then engaged in or aided an insurrection against it. The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, the court found, upholding part of a trial judges ruling from last month, and Mr. Trump engaged in it.

In so ruling, the court produced an epochal moment in American law and politics, a rebuke that will reverberate through the ages no matter whether the United States Supreme Court chooses to uphold it.

Its no surprise that the opinion in Tuesdays ruling, which was 4 to 3, reads as if it was written in part for the history books. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us, the majority said. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.
Tamikka Burks was in an Arkansas emergency room when she found out she had lost her Medicaid coverage. In mid-September, she went in to deal with a cyst in her toe, and someone at the hospital informed her that the states Department of Human Services had cut off her coverage on Sept. 1. She felt, she said, just exhausted. Scared.

A few days later, it got worse. Ms. Burks discovered she was pregnant, a pregnancy that was considered high risk because she has high blood pressure. She takes two medications to keep her condition under control that can endanger a pregnancy further. Her doctor told her to switch to a different medication while she was pregnant, but without insurance it would cost about $45, instead of the $5 maximum copay she had spent under Medicaid. Ms. Burks, a 35-year-old single mother of two, doesnt have anyone she could borrow that kind of money from, and I literally have $50 from now until Friday, she told me on a Tuesday.

She started taking just one of the two medications she was on, in the hope that it would be less dangerous, but she became too afraid of what it might do to her or the baby. In late September, she drove 10 hours round trip to Kansas to get an abortion.

I dont believe in abortion, so it doesnt sit right with me at all, she told me. She wanted three children and was excited for a new baby. But she was terrified of the health implications, afraid that if she kept her baby they would both die in the second or third trimester. That would be just my luck, she said.
To the Editor:

Re Colorado Court Deems Trump Unfit for Ballot (front page, Dec. 20):

As a lawyer who participated in the effort to bar Marjorie Taylor Greene from the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, I am gratified to see the Colorado Supreme Court applying that provision to Donald J. Trump.

In 1868, the people, through their state legislatures, ratified Section 3 to prevent traitors to the Constitution from regaining political power in the wake of the Civil War. Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures  and the same is true today.

Jan. 6 was an extraordinary attack on American democracy, and the candidacy of Mr. Trump is an extension of that attack by other means. It is right, proper and entirely lawful for Colorado to act to protect our constitutional system.

Andrew G. Celli Jr.

New York

To the Editor:

Re Report Says Jan. 6 Rally Organizers Lied About Trump Plan to March to the Capitol (news article, Dec. 19):

Your article about how the organizers of the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse lied to National Park Service officials about the planned march from the Ellipse to the Capitol  something then-President Donald Trump planned to happen  strongly supports the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to disqualify Mr. Trump from appearing on the states primary ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
I am your warrior, I am your justice, Donald Trump told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on March 4. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.

How much power would Trump have in a second term to enact his agenda of revenge?

I asked Laurence H. Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard, how free Trump would be to pursue his draconian plan.

Tribe replied by email:

There is little doubt that Donald Trump could impose authoritarian policies that endanger dissent, erase the requirements that ensure at least a modicum of the consent of the governed, and are downright dictatorial while acting entirely within the literal scope of the law although, needless to say, in flagrant defiance of its spirit. Neither the Constitutions text nor the language of the federal statutes and regulations in force create guardrails that Trump would need to crash through in a way that courts hewing to the text would feel an obligation to prevent or to redress.

Congress and the courts have granted the president powers that in Trumps hands could fundamentally weaken rights and freedoms most Americans believe are secure and guaranteed under law.

Tribe continued:

Many of the statutes Congress has enacted, especially in the post-World War II era, delegate to any sitting president such extraordinary powers to declare national emergencies when, in their own unreviewable judgment, the national interest or the national security warrants, and give presidential declarations of that kind the power to trigger such sweeping executive authorities that a president could comfortably indulge authoritarian aspirations of demoting or detaining all those who stand in their way or of seizing property or otherwise restricting personal liberty and the rights of private citizens and organizations without raising a legal eyebrow.

Jack Balkin, a professor at Yale Law School, argued that the same lack of restraint applies if a president wants to initiate criminal investigations of his or her opponents and critics. In an email replying to my queries, Balkin wrote:

A president giving orders to an obedient Justice Department can exact revenge on political enemies and chill political opposition. It is not even necessary to send anyone to prison. For many people and organizations, the costs of defending a criminal investigation and prosecution can be ruinous and a sufficient deterrent. Moreover, if the public merely believed that the president was using the intelligence services and the I.R.S. to investigate political opponents, this could also chill opposition.

Balkin noted that after Watergate, the Justice Department adopted internal guidelines to prevent presidents from abusing the prosecution power, but the president, as head of the executive branch, can direct his subordinates to alter these guidelines.
Phoebe Cheong and Jude Andam, friends who live on opposite coasts, have recently begun a tradition whenever they see each other.

They have tea.

On a recent afternoon, Ms. Andam, a makeup artist in Los Angeles, joined Ms. Cheong, a commercial photographer, at Lady Mendls Tea Salon, which occupies the parlor floor of a Georgian townhouse in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan.

The two friends might have met for coffee or lunch, but they prefer the more formal experience of tea.

Coffee shops are casual, Ms. Andam, 42, said. You go in there in your athleisure or whatever. This is more of a special occasion.
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to bolster the key federal rule that has protected childrens privacy online, in one of the most significant attempts by the U.S. government to strengthen consumer privacy in more than a decade.

The changes are intended to fortify the rules underlying the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, a law that restricts the online tracking of youngsters by services like social media apps, video game platforms, toy retailers and digital advertising networks. Regulators said the moves would shift the burden of online safety from parents to apps and other digital services while curbing how platforms may use and monetize childrens data.

The proposed changes would require certain online services to turn off targeted advertising by default for children under 13. They would prohibit the online services from using personal details like a childs cellphone number to induce youngsters to stay on their platforms longer. That means online services would no longer be able to use personal data to bombard young children with push notifications.

The proposed updates would also strengthen security requirements for online services that collect childrens data as well as limit the length of time online services could keep that information. And they would limit the collection of student data by learning apps and other educational-tech providers, by allowing schools to consent to the collection of childrens personal details only for educational purposes, not commercial purposes.
Donald J. Trump is still leading in the race for the Republican nomination.

By a lot.

In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll Wednesday, he holds a 64-11 lead over Nikki Haley, with Ron DeSantis in third place at 9 percent.

Does the poll provide any indication that Ms. Haley or a criminal trial will bring Mr. Trump down, as our headline asks?

No, but given the latest news, lets look at it anyway.

Legal issues

With Mr. Trump leading his nearest rival by more than 50 points, it will probably take something unprecedented for him to lose the nomination.

But all year, there has been something unprecedented looming over the race: Mr. Trumps legal problems. Tuesday night, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Mr. Trump was ineligible to serve as president under the 14th Amendment. Thats unprecedented. And so is the coming trial and possible conviction of Mr. Trump, right in the heart of the Republican primary season.
The Wayne County medical examiner found that the cause of his death was blunt force trauma to the head, prosecutors said.

Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant, said Kym Worthy, the Wayne County prosecutor, in a statement on Tuesday. But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation.

She added: This behavior cannot be tolerated from our law enforcement.

Mr. Brown was suspended the day after the altercation after the department reviewed police camera footage, The Detroit News reported. Detroit Police Chief James White told local media then that there were concerns that the officer did not adequately de-escalate or disengage from the situation.

On Tuesday, the Detroit Police Department said in a statement that Mr. Brown had been terminated as a result of his actions, on Sept. 1. If convicted, manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Mr. Brown was planning to appeal that decision, the department said, but in the meantime would not be on police payroll or hold any law enforcement authority. He is set to appear before a Detroit court on Wednesday morning.
An Oklahoma man who in 1975 was convicted of murder in a liquor store robbery was exonerated in court on Tuesday after he had spent more than 48 years in prison, the authorities said.

It was thought to be the longest time served by a wrongfully convicted inmate in the United States, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, which tracks the length of sentences for wrongful convictions.

The man, Glynn Simmons, 70, was declared innocent in a ruling by Judge Amy Palumbo of Oklahoma County District Court. Mr. Simmons was released on bond in July after Judge Palumbo agreed during a status hearing to vacate the judgment and sentence at the request of Vicki Zemp Behenna, the Oklahoma County district attorney who had been reviewing his case.

Ms. Behenna, whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, found that important evidence in Mr. Simmonss case had not been turned over to his defense lawyers.
President Biden said on Wednesday that it was self-evident that former President Donald J. Trump had supported an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, but that the courts would decide whether he should be on the ballot in 2024.

The president was responding to a reporters question about the Colorado Supreme Court decision on Tuesday that said that Mr. Trump was disqualified from being on the 2024 ballot in the states Republican primary because he was part of an insurrection.

Not going to comment on it, Mr. Biden said after landing in Milwaukee for a speech to the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce.

And then he did.

Its self-evident. You saw it all, Mr. Biden said, adding that it would be up to the court to decide whether Mr. Trump was in violation of the 14th Amendment, which says that acts of insurrection can disqualify someone from office.
Underlying the celebrations and condemnations of the Colorado Supreme Court decision that struck former President Donald J. Trump from the primary ballot on Tuesday was a sense among voters in the state that it was only a prelude of the rancor to come.

Whether for or against the ruling, many voters said they felt uneasy at the prospect of months of electioneering that would ricochet between the courts and the campaign trail.

I think it disenfranchises voters, said Jeremy Loew, a longtime defense lawyer in Colorado Springs who described himself as a progressive who had never voted for Mr. Trump. Our whole system is built around people running for office and letting the voters decide.

We cant just kick people off the ballot because they have been accused of something, he added.

In its 4-to-3 decision on Tuesday, Colorados top court ruled that Mr. Trump had engaged in insurrection leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol and was ineligible to contest the states Republican primary.
As he mounts a long-shot primary challenge to President Biden, Representative Dean Phillips says he has had an epiphany about American health care policy.

Gone is his yearslong skepticism about adopting a national single-payer health care system. Now Mr. Phillips, a moderate Democrat from Minnesota, is embracing the Medicare for all proposal championed in two presidential campaigns by Senator Bernie Sanders  whose former top aide is now advising Mr. Phillipss campaign.

Mr. Phillips said in an interview on Tuesday that he would join as a co-sponsor to a House proposal that would expand Medicare by creating a national health insurance program available to all Americans, a shift that comes seven weeks into a presidential campaign that has yet to show significant progress in public polling.

I was a good example of someone who had been convinced through propaganda that it was a nonsensical leftist notion, Mr. Phillips said. Its not. It really isnt. And thats I think thats part of my migration, if you will, a migration of understanding and due diligence and intellectual curiosity and most importantly, listening to people.
The United States and its Western allies said on Wednesday they would tighten loopholes that have allowed Russia to evade a cap on its oil price, aiming to bolster a policy that was intended to curb energy revenues the Kremlin has used to fund the Ukraine war.

The Group of 7 nations and Australia, known as the price cap coalition, agreed last year to a United States-led plan to limit what Russia can charge for its oil exports to $60 a barrel. The untested policy initially appeared successful at keeping Russian oil flowing while increasing its export costs and curtailing its energy revenues.

But in the ensuing months, Moscow circumvented the cap by developing a shadow fleet of tankers and finding alternative options for insurance and financing, allowing it to sell oil at higher prices.

The price cap works by prohibiting Russia from accessing Western maritime insurance and financial services that are key to its oil exports unless its crude is sold below $60 per barrel. The policy relies on those insurers and financial service providers to verify the price of the oil being sold. But the verification process has not been effective, and Russia has been able to routinely sell oil above that cap.
The Senate quietly closed out its year on Wednesday by punting many of its most difficult issues into 2024. It failed to deliver on aid to Ukraine. It could not agree on a border policy plan. And a government shutdown is on the horizon.

The fizzle at the finish line guarantees that Congress will be ensnarled in policy and fiscal battles as lawmakers fight for control of the House and the Senate in Novembers elections.

The chief disappointment for leaders of both parties was the failure to agree on delivering more military aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia after the assistance got tied up in Republican demands for stringent new border controls.

It was a setback for Democrats, who had hoped that by keeping the Senate in Washington this week, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, could force votes on a measure speeding tens of billions to Ukraine and addressing Republicans push for immigration policy changes. But a breakthrough did not materialize.
This weeks decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to disqualify former President Donald J. Trump from holding office again was the first victory for a sprawling legal effort that is still unfolding across the country.

At least 16 other states currently have pending legal challenges to Mr. Trumps eligibility for office under the 14th Amendment, according to a database maintained by Lawfare, a nonpartisan site dedicated to national security issues. The lawsuits argue that he is barred because he engaged in an insurrection with his actions surrounding the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Four of these lawsuits  in Michigan, Oregon, New Jersey and Wisconsin  have been filed in state courts. Eleven lawsuits  in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, New York, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming  have been filed in federal district courts.

Cases in two of these states, Arizona and Michigan, were initially dismissed by a lower court but have been appealed. Another challenge has also been made in Maine.
Nearly a quarter of former President Donald J. Trumps own supporters believe that he should not be the Republican Partys nominee for president next year if he is found guilty of a crime, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

Mr. Trump continues to enjoy an enormous lead among the Republican candidates vying for the partys presidential nomination, and he has used the prosecutions he faces to cast himself as the target of political persecution by Democrats and President Biden. But the poll suggests that a not-insignificant minority of those who would otherwise want him at the top of the Republican ticket in November could change their mind if he were found guilty in any of the four criminal cases he is facing, even if he has won the primary contest.

Another 20 percent of those who identified themselves as Trump supporters went so far as to say that he should go to prison if he is convicted in the federal case in Washington in which he stands accused of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. And 23 percent of his supporters said they believe that he has committed serious federal crimes, up from 11 percent in July.

The poll was conducted before the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Mr. Trump should be disqualified from the Republican primary ballot in that state. The court ruled that Mr. Trump was ineligible under the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies anyone found to have participated in an insurrection from holding office.
It may take weeks to find out whether the decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to declare Donald J. Trump ineligible to be on the state primary ballot will hold.

But its short-term political impact was clear by the time Mr. Trump stepped off a stage on Tuesday night in Iowa, where he learned of the ruling shortly before a scheduled campaign rally began.

Allies of the former president posted on social media that the ruling was an outrage, one that the U.S. Supreme Court needed to rectify.

Colorados top court found that Mr. Trump had incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and should be barred from the ballot under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Trump could remain on the ballot regardless  the Colorado justices put their ruling on hold as appeals are likely to proceed  but Mr. Trumps team was hardly dwelling on that detail.
Former President Donald J. Trump urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to put off a decision on a crucial question in his federal prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election: whether he has absolute immunity for actions he took as president.

The question, Mr. Trumps brief said, should be resolved in a cautious, deliberative manner  not at breakneck speed. He urged the justices not to rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon.

The request appeared to be part of Mr. Trumps general strategy of trying to delay the trial in the case, which is scheduled to start on March 4. That date, Mr. Trumps lawyers wrote, has no talismanic significance.

Last week, Jack Smith, the special counsel, asked the Supreme Court to bypass a federal appeals court and agree to hear the immunity question on a quick schedule. Mr. Trump opposed that request on Wednesday, saying the importance of the matter warranted careful and unhurried deliberation by the appeals court before the justices decide whether to take it up.
The United States released a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela on Wednesday in exchange for 10 jailed Americans and a defense contractor known as Fat Leonard, who is at the center of one of the U.S. Navys largest corruption cases.

The Maduro government will also release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners and Roberto Abdul, an opposition leader in Venezuela, U.S. officials said.

The Americans who were released on Wednesday include six people deemed to be wrongfully detained by the Biden administration, a designation that indicates that the U.S. government sees them as the equivalent of political hostages. They had landed in Texas by Wednesday night, an administration official said.

These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence, President Biden said in a statement as the exchange was announced.
The owners of a gay bar in St. Louis were getting ready to finally relax on Sunday night after a long day of listening to loud karaoke and serving colorful cocktails. Then, around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, the owners, who are married and live above the bar, heard a loud crash outside.

They looked out their windows and saw that a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle had crashed through the front of their business, Bar:PM, shattering glass and causing extensive damage.

The couple, Chad Morris and James Pence, approached the group of officers who had gathered outside the building, in the Carondelet neighborhood of southeastern St. Louis, and asked what happened. But the police offered no answers, and according to a bystanders video of the episode viewed by The New York Times, officers later handcuffed Mr. Pence and arrested Mr. Morris, claiming that they were creating a disturbance.

An officer identified in police records as John Pierce accused Mr. Morris of striking him in the chest with an open hand, causing him to lose his balance, according to police records. And a complaint states that Mr. Morris tried to strike Mr. Pierce with a gate while fleeing from officers.
Running the Democratic Republic of Congo is a tough and dangerous job. For decades, this African country the size of Western Europe has lurched between dictatorships, wars and vast humanitarian crises. Despite extraordinary natural resources, it remains desperately poor. Two leaders have been killed.

And yet, 19 candidates are in the race to become Congos next president in elections, the fourth in Congos history, that took place on Wednesday  and another 100,000 are running for seats in national, regional and local assemblies.

The vote is being closely watched not only by Congos nine neighbors, with whom it shares 6,500 miles of borders, but also by foreign powers. International interest in Congo has soared in recent years as countries try to stem climate change and transition to clean energy: Congo has the worlds second largest rainforest, as well as deep stores of the rare minerals needed to make electric cars and solar panels

After polling stations opened  or failed to open  creating long lines and scenes of disorder, the election took a rocky turn. In the capital, Kinshasa, where polling stations opened hours late, heated confrontations ensued between voters and officials. In several provincial towns, frustrated voters ransacked polling sites.
The swift takeover on Tuesday of a major city in Sudans agricultural breadbasket by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has sent shock waves throughout the country, cast doubt on the might of its rival  Sudans army  and opened a new and potentially deadlier phase in the eight-month civil war that has devastated one of Africas largest nations.

It took the paramilitary group only four days to capture the city, Wad Madani, where tens of thousands of people had fled from the capital, Khartoum, about 100 miles northwest, when the war started in April. The fall of Wad Madani has sent them running again, and dealt a huge blow to the prestige of an army that had promised to protect them.

Depression is an understatement about how we feel, said Omnia Elgunaid, a 21-year-old international relations graduate who fled from Wad Madani to a village farther south on Tuesday. People are devastated because they now feel unsafe everywhere in the country.

The army confirmed in a statement on Tuesday evening that it had withdrawn from the city, and  in a highly unusual move  said it has started an investigation into why this defeat happened.
Manuel Monterrosa set out for the United States last year with his cellphone and a plan: Hed record his journey through the dangerous jungle known as the Darien Gap and post it on YouTube, warning other migrants of the perils theyd face.

In his six-part series, edited entirely on his phone along the way, he heads north with a backpack, leading viewers on a video-selfie play-by-play of his passage across rivers, muddy forests and a mountain known as the Hill of Death.
Five medical students found dead inside a vehicle, their bodies bearing signs of torture.

Four bystanders fatally shot by gunmen who fired at a hair salon.

Eleven young people gunned down by criminals who shot up a holiday party.

The recent attacks  all in the past month  are the latest in a string of mass killings in Mexico that have drawn renewed attention to the governments struggle to control the violence raging across the country.

Wherever you look, there is a nephew, a brother, a friend dead, said Angelica Zamudio Almanza, whose nephew was killed in the shooting at the holiday party on Sunday in Guanajuato, one of the most violent states in Mexico.

She was, she said, between fear, helplessness, rage.

In the run-up to a crucial presidential election in Mexico next summer, violence has become perhaps the single most important political issue in the nation, where polling shows insecurity is the populations top concern and the ruling party faces pressure to show progress in its fight against increasingly powerful drug cartels.
All Im wearing is what I wore outside during the earthquake, she said.

Still, the tent had a stove to provide warmth, and officials had distributed noodles, Ms. Ye said.

Many of the relief efforts were concentrated on Dahejia, and some people in other villages were still waiting for aid on Wednesday. Because of tent shortages, some villagers elsewhere in Jishishan spent the night in their cars, or in shacks they built themselves, according to Caixin, a Chinese news outlet.

In the town of Chuimatan, about 16 miles from Dahejia, some residents whose roofs were now gaping open could only stay with relatives whose homes were more intact, or shelter in restaurants or public buildings, said Ma Zhanguo, a resident there. No tents or other aid had been distributed there yet, said Mr. Ma, who said his own apartment building had sustained cracks but was still inhabitable.

No one has time to think about repairs. Just escaping with your life is the most important thing, he said. The government is busy elsewhere. Here, people figure out themselves where to go at night.

In Qinghai Province, where 31 of the deaths occurred, rescuers were grappling with landslides triggered by the earthquake. Some buildings were buried in soil that had been liquefied by the tremors, then froze again in the low temperatures, The Paper, a Communist Party-affiliated news site, reported. Workers had to use excavators to try and clear the mud, and to pave paths through the mud with stones and firewood.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 20. Kyrgyzstan is an important partner of the EU, co-chairman of the "Kyrgyzstan-European Union interparliamentary committee, member of the European Parliament Tomas Zdechovsky said, Trend reports.

He made the statement during a meeting between members of the European Parliament and Akylbek Japarov, Chairman of Kyrgyzstans Cabinet of Ministers.

During the meeting, Zdechovsky expressed his commitment to further strengthening and deepening bilateral relations with Kyrgyzstan.

Akylbek Japarov, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the intensity of this year's contacts between Kyrgyzstan and the European Parliament.

"We intend to continue developing and strengthening our bilateral and interregional multifaceted cooperation with the EU, which holds significant importance for Kyrgyzstan," Japarov said.

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers outlined the country's main priorities for development over the next five years. He emphasized Kyrgyzstan's significant hydroelectric resources as well as its advancements in solar and wind energy, which contribute not only to generating environmentally friendly electricity but also to mitigating the impact of climate change.

"I invite investors and financial institutions from European countries to collaborate for the implementation of projects related to the construction of renewable energy facilities and other 'green' initiatives," Japarov said.

He also highlighted another crucial economic sector: the extraction of rare-earth metals. Kyrgyzstan possesses 17 critically important metals, of which 10 are of significant interest to European countries, and available in substantial quantities.

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Women I tried to speak to were often swarmed by relatives, elders or concerned bystanders, who insisted upon chaperoning and interpreting or even speaking for them. It was impossible to get women to speak openly in this environment. Men in the communities we visited would not allow it.

In addition, foreigners are viewed warily in some areas, an attitude that has become more common under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many in his party have a conspiratorial mind-set, as the political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta has put it, that views criticism from outside the country as an attempt to hamper Indias ascension on the world stage.

Being an all-female reporting team proved helpful. In the villages and urban enclaves where our reporting took us, it would have been viewed as highly inappropriate, and even dangerous, for a male stranger to speak alone to a woman. But we were granted rare access to the private lives of the subjects of our stories, without male supervision.

We were asking a lot of the women we interviewed: to be vulnerable and honest as they talked about their dreams and ambitions and the pressure from family and their communities to marry. And we felt that they spoke freely, without shame or fear.

Under Mr. Modi, journalism has increasingly come under attack. Local reporters have been jailed, the foreign press has been derided as anti-India, and female journalists have faced misogynistic trolling and harassment.
An Australian court on Wednesday ordered Airbnb to pay a fine of 15 million Australian dollars for misleading customers by not clearly showing that prices for its property rentals were listed in U.S. dollars, instead of Australian dollars, which are worth less.

Airbnb admitted in the Federal Court of Australia that it had made false or misleading representations to about 63,000 customers who had used the accommodations-booking platform between January 2018 and August 2021.

In addition to the fine of 15 million Australian dollars (or about $10 million), Airbnb will provide up to another 15 million Australian dollars in compensation to the affected customers, who had made more than 70,000 bookings paid in U.S. dollars.

Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a government regulatory agency, said in a statement that customers had reasonably assumed that the prices were in Australian dollars because they were on Airbnbs Australian website, searching for accommodation in Australia and seeing a dollar sign.
For weeks, a border blockade by Polish truckers has severely hampered Ukraines overland trade, preventing the war-torn country from exporting tons of grain, delaying the delivery of vital military equipment and squeezing the countrys already meager revenues.

But an economic lifeline has emerged from what was long viewed as a high-risk trade route: the Black Sea.

Ukraines government said on Tuesday that more than 10 million tons of cargo had already been exported through a shipping corridor recently established by Ukraine to evade Russias effective blockade of its Black Sea ports. Half of these exports are agricultural products, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraines infrastructure minister, said in a statement.

The announcement, which came just a day after Polish truckers resumed blocking one of the main border crossings with Ukraine, was a rare bright spot in an otherwise difficult period for Ukraine, marked by inconclusive fighting against Russia and eroding American support for continued military aid.
European countries struck a key deal on Wednesday to overhaul their joint migration system, an agreement years in the making and aimed at allaying mounting pressure from ascendant far-right political parties across the continent.

The plan, named the European Union migration and asylum pact, took three years to negotiate and was only achieved through a patchwork of compromises. With anti-migrant sentiment rising and driving a shift to the right in Europe and beyond, negotiators were under pressure to finalize the agreement ahead of elections this summer across the blocs 27 nations.

The agreement aims to make it easier to deport failed asylum seekers and to limit entry of migrants into the bloc. It also seeks to give governments a greater sense of control over their borders while bolstering the E.U.s role in migration management  treating it as a European issue, not just a national one.

Migration is a European challenge that requires European solutions, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in written comments welcoming the deal.
President Emmanuel Macron of France stood behind a tough immigration law that Parliament passed this week with unwanted support from the extreme right, causing fissures in his governing coalition.

Dozens of lawmakers voted against the new law, which also prompted Aurelien Rousseau, his health minister, to resign in protest. Still, Mr. Macron said he considered the law a good law in a television interview on Wednesday evening, calling it necessary to deal with the increasing pressure of migrants illegally entering the country.

It is the shield we were missing, he told C a Vous, a national television program.

All the good souls who explain to me that what you are doing is not right  these are all the people who have governed for 40 years, he added, assailing them for failing to act on issues like immigration and unemployment. And what made extremist forces rise? That.

No one in the government was irreplaceable, he said, myself included.

But later, with a steely flair, he added: I still have three and a half years ahead of me. I have no intention of stopping.
Amid a turbulent change of power, Polands main state television news channel went abruptly off the air on Wednesday, as the former governing party sent legislators and other supporters to the public broadcasting headquarters to try to prevent new management from taking over.

Members of the ousted former government staged a sit-in inside a building in southern Warsaw that houses the studios and offices of state television, including TVP Info, a news channel and website that served as a propaganda bullhorn for the right-wing Law and Justice Party during its eight years in power.

The protesters, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Law and Justices combative chairman, tried to prevent the new, centrist administration of Prime Minister Donald Tusk from asserting control, accusing it of staging a coup detat by firing loyalists of Law and Justice, which lost a general election in October.

With Mr. Kaczynski and his supporters vowing to defend democracy and block a change of management ordered by Mr. Tusks culture minister, technicians who support the new government yanked TVP Info off the air and disabled its website, which had been featuring appeals for resistance against an illegal attack on public television by Mr. Tusk.
Bouncing over choppy waters, the Ukrainian sea drones fanned out and sped toward the Russian warship in a swarming tactic that military experts say has proved lethal and effective against what had been a dominant naval power on the Black Sea.

From the safety of a room hundreds of miles away, the drones pilots pushed forward joysticks to accelerate, steer and swivel deck-mounted cameras, keeping their target in sight. Russian sailors opened fire with heavy machine guns.

A brief sea battle between men and drones erupted over several minutes, according to an account from the Ukrainian drone operators. One drone sped so close to its target, they said, that when bullets struck the 500-pound warhead it was carrying, the explosion breached the hull of the Russian corvette patrol ship, the Sergey Kotov.

When we hit the target, the whole team, of course, was filled with emotion, said the operator of the drone. The pilot asked to be identified only by a nickname, Thirteen, while describing the battle at sea on Sept. 14, one of dozens of such engagements over the past year, according to the Ukrainian military, using drones built by Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said on Wednesday that fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East would probably subside once Israel transitioned its military mission in Gaza to lower-intensity combat operations.

Asked whether a decision by Israel to shift from high-intensity operations to more targeted, intelligence-driven missions, as the Biden administration has repeatedly urged in recent days, could reduce the risk of broader conflict with Iran and its regional proxies, Mr. Austin indicated that it would help.

If that happens, when that happens, Mr. Austin said, its logical that we would see some of that, you would see some reduction in activity.

Mr. Austin did not elaborate on his comments, which were made in response to questions from reporters traveling with him aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. But other senior administration officials have said privately that the rising death toll in Gaza  now about 20,000 people, according to health officials there  is fueling the momentum of Iranian proxy attacks against Israel and its allies.
Israel has said that more than 100 hostages were still being held captive in Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups after last months hostages-for-prisoners exchange.

Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader of Hamas, made a rare visit to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the war with mediators, a sign that the two sides might be inching toward a new agreement after the collapse of a weeklong cease-fire earlier this month.

Here is what we know about the captives.

Who are the remaining hostages?

Of the 129 people that Israel says are still be held hostage, 21 are believed to be dead. Israel counts the dead in its total hostage figures.

Most of the remaining hostages are men, but the prime ministers office said 19 women and two children were still believed to be held. They include Shiri Bibas, 32 and her two sons, Ariel Bibas, 4; and Kfir Bibas, less than a year old. Hamass armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, claimed the three had been killed in Israeli airstrikes, but Israel has not confirmed that.

All but 11 of the current hostages are Israeli or dual nationals with Israeli citizenship  the others are Thai, Nepalese, Tanzanian and one is a dual French and Mexican citizen.

Who has been released?

Hamas has released hostages in several batches. In total, 110 have come home alive, while 11 bodies have been recovered, according to the Israeli prime ministers office, including three men who were mistakenly shot by the Israeli military on Friday. Most of the released hostages have been Israeli citizens.
When the United States announced it was leading an international maritime task force to confront attacks on ships in the Red Sea, it did not take long for the group behind the attacks, the Houthi militia in Yemen, to dismiss the effort as a lost cause.

Within hours, a top Houthi official was making the rounds on Arabic television channels, describing the militias campaign of hijackings and missile and drone launches at commercial ships as a righteous battle to force Israel to end its siege on Gaza.

Western militaries had already spent weeks attempting to deter the Houthis, so the task force announced this week was nothing new, scoffed Mohammed Abdusalam, the Houthis chief negotiator. And if the United States directly attacked Yemen, he warned, it could turn the war in Gaza into an international conflagration.

The Yemeni position is clear, Abdullah Ben Amer, a high-ranking Houthi official in a department that is part of the groups defense ministry, told The New York Times. The Houthi escalation in the Red Sea will stop, he said, when the Israeli war on the people of Gaza stops.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 20. A new regular flight from Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, to China's Beijing is set to open next month, Trend reports.

According to the press service of Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan, the flights are scheduled to commence on January 24 and will be operated by China Southern Airlines.

This marks the first regular flight from Manas International Airport to Beijing. The flights will be operating three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Meanwhile, on December 12, the first flight from Chengdu, China, landed in Bishkek. The route between Chengdu and Bishkek is being operated by the Chinese airline, Loong Air.

According to Manas International Airport, which serves as the operator for all airports in Kyrgyzstan, the company handled 4.2 million passengers from January through September 2023. Compared to the nine-month figure of the previous year (3.8 million passengers), the current passenger traffic in Kyrgyzstan's airports has increased by 10 percent.

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The United Nations Security Council pushed off to Thursday a highly anticipated vote on a resolution calling for a halt in fighting in the war in Gaza and a major increase aid deliveries. The delay was at the request of the United States to allow more time for more negotiations, according to diplomats.

The postponement came after intense closed-door consultations failed to bring the United States and other members of the Council closer to a consensus. A major sticking point has been the question of whether the United Nations should take over from Israel the inspection of shipments of food, water, fuel and other aid going into Gaza, diplomats say.

The Council moved into closed consultations around noon on Wednesday, when the vote was originally scheduled. Hours later, the vote was delayed until 10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday. It was the third time this week that a vote on the resolution had been pushed off to allow for more talks aimed at finding a formula the United States and Israel would accept.

Some diplomats on the Council said they were growing frustrated with the United Statess repeated requests for delays and that it appeared unlikely that Washington would ultimately allow the resolution to pass.

The point of the resolution is to ensure that aid goes in to Gaza, safely, and at scale, said the United Arab Emirates ambassador, Lana Nusseibeh, who has been leading the negotiations. Humanitarians have called this a code red moment for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Proponents of the resolution say that it would give U.N. agencies the mandate to bypass Israeli inspections that have often slowed down aid convoys. It would also keep Israel, one of the warring parties, from having final say over the aid. In that regard it is similar to a Security Council resolution in 2014 that authorized aid convoys in Turkey to enter Syria during the war there without Syrian government involvement.
The ruling by Colorados Supreme Court that former President Donald J. Trump is ineligible to be president again because he engaged in an insurrection has cast a spotlight on the basis for the decision: the Constitutions 14th Amendment, which includes a clause disqualifying people who violated their oaths of office from holding government positions in the future.

Mr. Trump has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court. It is dominated by a supermajority of six justices who emerged from the conservative legal movement, which values methods of interpretation known as textualism and originalism. Under those precepts, judges should interpret the Constitution based on its text and publicly understood meaning when adopted, over factors like evolving social values, political consequences or an assessment of the intended purpose of the provision.

Some of the major questions raised by the ruling  like whether it would need an act of Congress to take effect as well as the power of a state court to decide whether a federal candidate is qualified  do not turn on interpreting the clauses text. But here is where textualism and originalism may come into play.

What is the disqualification clause?

The 14th Amendment was adopted in 1868 as part of the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era. To deal with the problem of former Confederates holding positions of government power, its third section disqualifies former government officials who have betrayed their oaths from holding office.
Forget everything youve ever heard about less being more, about economy of syntax, about the read-between-the-lines profundity of wide-margined, double-spaced spare prose. To read a paragraph by Henry James  a single one can sprawl across pages  is to luxuriate in linguistic excess.

An American expatriate who spent his adulthood in England, James (1843-1916) was the patron saint of exquisite verbosity; of circuitous, compulsively sub-claused sentences that contain all the twists and adventures his story lines lack. Reading the prodigious body of fiction he produced over four decades, between 1871 and 1911, you get the sense he lost himself so deeply in his recurrent themes  the innocence of America versus the experience and depravity of Europe, the psychological richness of everyday life  that he couldnt help carrying on.

This applied to his nonfiction, too. James didnt just write novels; he wrote about writing novels, obsessing over his craft the way his characters obsess over the minutiae of their lives. Rejecting the superficial Dickensian novels of incident, James established himself as a student of George Eliots psychological realism, becoming a pre-Modernist forebear for writers from Edith Wharton to Virginia Woolf.

The power to guess the unseen from the seen, to trace the implication of things, to judge the whole piece by the pattern, the condition of feeling life, in general, so completely that you are well on your way to knowing any particular corner of it  this cluster of gifts may almost be said to constitute experience, James wrote in his seminal 1884 essay The Art of Fiction. Where the historian dutifully records observed reality, he thought, the role of the novelist is to harness impressions into an imagined one.
treated as self-executing and has repeatedly been construed, without further legislative specification, to invalidate state voting qualifications or procedures which are discriminatory on their face or in practice). 196 There is no textual evidence that Congress intended Section Three to be any different.2 Furthermore, we agree with the Electors that interpreting any of the Reconstruction Amendments, given their identical structure, as not self-executing would lead to absurd results. If these Amendments required legislation to make them operative, then Congress could nullify them by simply not passing enacting legislation. The result of such inaction would mean that slavery remains legal; Black citizens would be counted as less than full citizens for reapportionment; nonwhite male voters could be disenfranchised; and any individual who engaged in insurrection against the government would nonetheless be able to serve in the 12 It would also be anomalous to say this disqualification for office-holding requires enabling legislation when the other qualifications for office-holding do not. See U.S. Const. art. I,  2, cl. 2 ("No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."); id. at  3, cl. 3 ("No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."); id. at art. II,  1, cl. 5 ("No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."). 54
Lital Hazem Marrar, 5, and her neighbor Najwa Omar Haider, 55, Jabal el-Hussein Camp, established 1952. Lital Hazem Marrar, 5, and her neighbor Najwa Omar Haider, 55, Jabal el-Hussein Camp, established 1952. Jordan is home to the worlds largest Palestinian diaspora, communities forged by decades of war. Multiple generations are bound together by a narrative of exile and a longing for a homeland. We Will Never Forget Palestine

The Palestinian diaspora, more than six million people worldwide today, spans the borderlands of Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, together home to nearly a million Palestinians, and includes enclaves as far-flung as Dearborn, Mich., and Santiago, Chile.

The largest proportion of Palestinian exiles, however, is in Jordan, on Israels eastern border. One in five people living in Jordan is Palestinian  more than 2.3 million registered refugees in all, a population slightly larger than that of the Gaza Strip. Most of them have full citizenship. Some, including Jordans Queen Rania, born to Palestinian parents in Kuwait, have even attained considerable power, but many still reside in Jordans 10 official United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) refugee camps or three unofficial camps run with some United Nations assistance. The history of these refugees is a narrative of exile and national aspirations, of longing for a homeland  a palimpsest written and rewritten with each new wave of arrivals.

Marka Camp, established 1968.

During and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that established Israel, more than 700,000 Arabs were forced from their homes, some at gunpoint, an event that would be remembered in Arabic as the nakba  the catastrophe. Stateless, they sought temporary refuge in camps that began as rows of tents in empty fields in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and beyond. Years went by, and the tents were replaced by aluminum buildings, then by concrete ones as clothes stores, restaurants, flea markets and barber shops filled the gaps among the homes and transformed these camps into towns in their own right. Then came the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which had been controlled by Jordan and Egypt, respectively, were conquered by Israel  and thousands more Palestinians fled east. In 1988, Jordan surrendered its claim to the West Bank and stopped recognizing its residents  including its post-1988 refugees  as citizens.

Abdullah Eid Salman at Abu Daraa, Jerash Camp, established 1968.

In November, I traveled to the camps with Moises Saman to interview and photograph those living there. We came not just to get a sense of what the war looked like to other refugees but also to gain a greater understanding of what it means to be a Palestinian in this new era of war and displacement.

Each home told a different story. There was the house of Issa Mahmoud Ahmed Ayesh, a proud patriarch in Jordans Baqaa Camp, with 14 children and 63 grandchildren. His family had fled the 1948 war, and he was born in 1949 in a refugee camp in the West Bank. When war came again in 1967, his family fled again, ultimately to Baqaa Camp. Life there was desolate, Ayesh said. It was all muddy. There were no schools. I studied at home; it was a bare existence. Today Baqaa is a sprawling Middle Eastern city, the largest camp in Jordan, with more than 130,000 residents. Despite his decades there, Ayesh hesitates to call it home. We will never forget Palestine, he said.

Additional reporting by Hussam Hasan

Issa Mahmoud Ahmed Ayesh and two of his grandchildren, Baqaa Camp, established 1968.

Halima Hussein al-Kiswani at Zarqa Camp, established 1949. Ceremonial keys like the one hanging on the wall behind Halima Hussein al-Kiswani are found in many Palestinian houses; they represent the desire to go back home  in this case, to Beit Iksa, the village near Jerusalem where al-Kiswani, 85, grew up. She gained stardom last year when a video of her singing folk songs she learned as a child was watched more than five million times online. She has had requests for more songs, she says. But I dont feel like singing when the people in Gaza are being collected in bags.

A school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Baqaa Camp.

Saadi Mahmoud Ahmed al-Karamla, Madaba Camp. Saadi Mahmoud Ahmed al-Karamla, 80, fled the village of Dayr Aban, near Jerusalem, in 1948. He recalls that his grandfather  the communitys mokhtar, or designated elder  met many times with Egyptian Army officers, who assured him that his family would return within a week. Instead, his family came eventually to Madaba, an unofficial camp, where it is al-Karamla himself who has been designated as his communitys mokhtar.

A food truck at Baqaa Camp.

Fatima Ali Abdel Rahman Attia, Madaba Camp, established 1955. Fatima Ali Abdel Rahman Attia and her family were displaced in 1967 from Halhul, in the West Bank, to Amman, Jordans capital. They initially took refuge in a mosque and eventually settled in Madaba Camp. As she told her story, Attia clutched a string of prayer beads, a common sight in the Palestinian camps, home to many religious families.

An UNRWA school at Marka Camp.

Ibrahim Muhammad Ibrahim al-Titi, Irbid Camp, established 1951. Ibrahim Muhammad Ibrahim al-Titi, 16, was born in Irbid Camp, and so was his father. It was his grandparents who fled  in 1948, from Iraq al Manshiyya, an Arab village near Gaza City, eventually landing in Irbid Camp. Many Gazan Palestinians cannot claim citizenship in Jordan, which  like many countries around the world  does not offer birthright citizenship. Al-Titi may remain a refugee forever.

Fatima Abdel Aziz Abdul Latif Rizk, Irbid Camp.

Khader Hussein Saleem al-Masa'ed. Khader Hussein Saleem al-Masa'ed still remembers life as a boy on his familys farm in the West Bank, cultivating oranges and grapes, surrounded by friends and family visiting from Haifa, Jaffa and Hebron. After the 1967 war, he and his family fled to Baqaa Camp. A political agitator even in his later years, al-Masa'ed sometimes takes buses to Amman to join demonstrations demanding a right to return to the West Bank. The camp for me is a temporary emergency residence, he said. Is it fair that someone like me, at 70, is homeless?

A cafe in Souf Camp, established 1967.

Fasayel Ahmed Muhammad Aweij, 48, and Urjwan Abed al-Rahman Abu al-Hana, 9. Fasayel Ahmed Muhammad Aweij, 48, and her 9-year-old daughter, Urjwan Abed al-Rahman Abu al-Hana near their home in Husn Camp, where al-Hana was born. As her mother looked on, Urjwan offered a song: My land, they occupied it. My house, they demolished it. And one day they put my family in prison, she sang. They killed my childhood.

Distributing food vouchers at Amman New Camp.

Abdul Karim Suleiman al-Asifi, 77. Abdul Karim Suleiman al-Asifi, 77, was born in Bassat Al-Falq, a tiny village in the West Bank. In the aftermath of 1948, he was displaced to another village in the West Bank, and then another. With the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, he moved again, this time to Sokhna Camp, an unofficial refugee camp in Zarqa, Jordan. Now he is a lifetime away from Bassat Al-Falq, but only about 70 miles.

Amman New Camp, established 1955.
Hey, happy holidays, everybody! Its almost time to turn the calendar to 2024 and, oh my Lord, the presidential election is coming. But before we start girding for battle, lets see how much you remember about what weve been doing/observing/enduring in 2023.
Lop Nur Nuclear test area Beijing CHINA Lop Nur Nuclear test area Beijing CHINA

China Quietly Rebuilds Secretive Base for Nuclear Tests 

In the remote desert where China detonated its first atom bomb nearly 60 years ago, a drilling rig recently bored a deep vertical shaft that is estimated to plunge down at least a third of a mile. It is the strongest evidence yet that Beijing is weighing whether to test a new generation of nuclear arms that could increase the lethality of its rapidly expanding missile force.

Aug. 2021 Probable diesel generator Access road Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond A large drill rig hidden in the eastern hills of the Lop Nur site. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

For years, U.S. government reports and independent experts have expressed vague concerns about the old base, Lop Nur. The reports point to possible preparations for year-round operations and a lack of transparency.

Now, however, waves of satellite images reveal that the military base has newly drilled boreholes  ideal for bottling up firestorms of deadly radiation from large nuclear blasts  as well as hundreds of other upgrades and expansions.

The main support base for the Lop Nur nuclear test area, sometimes called Malan, is a large complex of buildings and technical sites thats more than two miles square. More than 30 buildings have been added or renovated here since 2017. A road runs southwest for about 75 miles to an old testing area. Satellite images have revealed dozens of miles of freshly graded new dirt roads in the eastern area of Lop Nur. Horizontal tunnels bored into the side of the mountains were used for past nuclear weapons testing. Satellite images suggest recent excavation and construction in at least one of the tunnels. A high-security facility with underground bunkers and rings of security fences is consistent with the handling of high explosives and nuclear devices. Satellite images show that several new roads were recently added to the bases existing road network, extending about 30 miles to a new area in the eastern hills. Other satellite images reveal drill rigs hidden in these hills, a possible future underground test area. Deep vertical shafts in the newly developed area would support larger atomic tests than the old network of shallow horizontal tunnels had. Many of these recent discoveries are discussed below in detail. The New York Times; satellite images by Planet Labs





All the evidence points to China making preparations that would let it resume nuclear tests, said Tong Zhao, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Siegfried S. Hecker, a former director of the Los Alamos weapons laboratory in New Mexico, described Lop Nurs rebuilding as unusual. The Russians and Americans have continued activity at their test sites, he said, but nothing like this.

Analysts say the activity at Lop Nur signals a wide modernization of Chinas nuclear establishment, warning that it could speed arms buildups and spark a new age of atomic rivalry.

They add that Chinas moves, along with those of other nuclear powers, could undermine the global test ban that began in 1996. The worlds atomic powers signed it after the Cold War as a way to curb a costly nuclear arms race that was spinning out of control.

The new evidence at Lop Nur was uncovered by Renny Babiarz, a former analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, an arm of the Pentagon. An expert on satellite reconnaissance as well as Beijings nuclear program, Dr. Babiarz says that detonations in the deep shafts could accelerate an effort to perfect new types of nuclear arms for the countrys fast-growing arsenal. Independent experts who have examined the satellite imagery and Dr. Babiarzs analyses share his concerns.

The activity at Lop Nor comes at one of the most sensitive moments in U.S.-China relations. President Biden has said hes trying to stabilize an increasingly contentious relationship and, at a summit meeting last month with Xi Jinping, Chinas leader, sought a measure of accord.

American intelligence officials say theyve followed Lop Nurs revival for years. While the construction is obvious, they say, its purpose is not. China could be preparing for a nuclear test, they concede. But they add that Mr. Xi may not intend to move ahead unless the United States or Russia go first. The officials say Mr. Xi could be hedging his bets, drilling the deep vertical shafts so that, if necessary, China can act quickly.

On Monday, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing responded to questions about upgrades at Lop Nur, dismissing them in a statement as clutching at shadows, groundlessly whipping up a China nuclear threat. It called such claims utterly irresponsible.

The ministry also emphasized Beijings commitment to observing the nuclear test ban  a position, it added, that has won high praise from the international community. China, it said, will spare no effort to realize the noble aspiration of comprehensively banning and totally eradicating nuclear weapons.

A Sleuth and His Discoveries

Dr. Babiarz, the former intelligence analyst, wrote his doctoral thesis on the roots of Chinas nuclear program. He now runs the operational arm of a company that analyzes civilian satellite imagery, teaches a course on geospatial analysis at Johns Hopkins University and recently co-wrote a textbook on the interpretation of satellite images.

Renny Babiarz at his home in Vermont. John Tully for The New York Times

Since leaving government service, Dr. Babiarz has spent much time analyzing images of Lop Nur. In assessing the base, he has looked at not only the most up-to-date imagery but earlier views that provide a visual history of the sites development.

In a report this year, he documented a new test area covering roughly 10 square miles. The barren site possesses deep boreholes, Dr. Babiarz said, as well as new roads, power lines, an electrical substation and a support area with multiple buildings.

Aug. 2021 Electrical substation Built here in 2022 Construction support base 2021 Probable new underground facility 201920 Construction support area 2021 Medium drill rig 202122  Aug. 2021 Graded road 2021 Electrical substation Built here in 2022 Construction support base 2021 Probable new underground facility 201920 Construction support area 2021 Medium drill rig 202122  Aug. 2021 Graded road 2021 Electrical substation Built here in 2022 Construction support base 2021 Probable new underground facility 201920 Large drill rig 2021 Construction support area 2021 Medium drill rig 202122  A probable new underground test area in the eastern part of Lop Nur. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

The overall indications are that theyre preparing to test, he said in an interview.

Lop Nur is a sprawling military base, roughly the land mass of Virginia, in the arid Xinjiang region of Chinas far west. Chinese accounts say the area was chosen for nuclear tests because it was so barren and isolated, without any permanent residents. But the broader Xinjiang region is home to the Uyghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group that has recently endured mass detentions and pervasive security controls.

The Uyghurs have long protested health threats from nuclear tests at the site, which began in 1964 after Mao decided to build the bomb. The early tests were capped by mushroom clouds and radioactive fallout. China conducted its first underground nuclear test in 1969.

At first, Beijing used shallow horizontal tunnels. It was a relative latecomer to drilling vertical shafts that were deep enough to reliably contain the deadly radiation, especially for large blasts. Its first such shaft test occurred in 1978.

Mao famously disparaged the bomb as a paper tiger. China thus built a nuclear arsenal smaller than the combined atomic forces of France and the United Kingdom. After the Cold War, the Lop Nur test site ended its large blasts and became a relative backwater.

That began to change after 2012, when Mr. Xi came to power. The Chinese leader saw the Rocket Force, which he created in late 2015, as one of his glories. The elite organization, the custodian of Chinas nuclear weapons, embodied Mr. Xis ambitions to elevate his country as a respected, and feared, great power ready to stand up to the United States.

Mr. Xis political rise, it turns out, coincided with Lop Nurs rebirth. The secretive activity was publicly disclosed by means of a new kind of open surveillance.

The most powerful civilian imaging satellites that orbit the Earth can distinguish objects on the ground as small as a foot in diameter. From hundreds of miles up, the spacecraft and their telescopes can discern people, types of vehicles and even aircraft tail numbers, analysts say.

Dr. Babiarzs analyses of civilian imagery over several years tell the story of Lop Nurs upgrades. By 2017, an old site with a handful of buildings had turned into a slick, ultramodern complex ringed by security fences. Its new structures included a bunker protected by earthen berms and lightning arresters, making it ideal for handling high explosives.

May 2021 Security fences Earthen berm and bunkers Lightning arresters Guardhouse 100 feet May 2021 Security fences Earthen berm and bunkers Lightning arresters Guardhouse 100 feet May 2021 Security fences Earthen berm and bunkers Lightning arresters 100 feet A high-security facility at Lop Nur, possibly for explosive storage or nuclear device preparation. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

The site was suspicious but ambiguous. Nuclear arms use conventional explosives to start their chain reactions. But so do subcritical tests  lesser experiments that a global test ban treaty allows. Conservatively, Dr. Babiarz called the complex a possible site for the preparation of atomic devices.

By 2018, the next big project at Lop Nur was the rapid expansion of a giant air base whose main runway was three miles long. Satellite images showed a dozen large buildings under construction.

Aug. 2021 Unfinished runways Paved runway Main support area Secondary support area Antenna array Aug. 2021 Unfinished runways Paved runway Main support area Secondary support area Antenna array Aug. 2021 Unfinished runway Paved runway Main support area Antenna array Taklamakan air base, near the southern edge of the Lop Nur site. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

In parallel, the Trump administration declared in 2018 that the United States must remain ready to resume nuclear testing. In 2019, the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. as undermining not only the test ban but global strategic security and stability.

Even so, senior Trump officials in May 2020 discussed the merits of an atomic restart. News of the meeting leaked. Soon after, Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee approved spending $10 million to reduce the time it would take to conduct an atomic test.

Amid the heightened tensions, Dr. Babiarz discovered that China had begun to revamp and expand Lop Nurs test zones  initially, its horizontal tunnels. Fairly close to the surface, they had shaken with modest test explosions during the Cold War. A 2020 satellite image showed a main tunnel undergoing extensive new digging and construction, its entrance surrounded by trucks, bulldozers and piles of excavated dirt.

Aug. 2021 Tunnel 1 2 3 4 Tunnel 5 (detail below) Concrete mixing area Construction support area March 2020 Tunnel 5 Concrete mixer truck Cargo trucks Piles of excavated material Aug. 2021 Tunnel 1 2 3 4 Concrete mixing area Tunnel 5 (detail below) Construction support area March 2020 Tunnel 5 Concrete mixer truck Cargo trucks Piles of excavated material Aug. 2021 Tunnel 1 2 3 4 Tunnel 5 (detail below) Construction support area March 2020 Tunnel 5 Concrete mixer truck Cargo trucks Piles of excavated material Recent excavation and construction in one of the horizontal tunnels at Lop Nur. This area was previously used for relatively small nuclear tests. The New York Times; satellite images by Maxar

Like the high-security site, however, the tunnels were ambiguous. Their rocky depths could be used to bottle up blasts from small atom bombs or large subcritical tests.

Then, unexpectedly, the clues turned more troubling. Early in 2021, Dr. Babiarz was examining new Lop Nur imagery when he noticed large pieces of road-making equipment: a grader and a front-end loader.

They were out in the middle of nowhere, he recalled.

April 2021 Newly graded dirt road Front-end loader Probable road grader April 2021 Newly graded dirt road Front-end loader Probable road grader April 2021 Newly graded dirt road Front-end loader Probable road grader Dr. Babiarz noticed road-making equipment and a new road leading to a concealed drill rig. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

Dr. Babiarz followed the new road. Over a dozen miles, it led from a flat zone used decades ago for vertical shaft detonations to a hilly region undergoing fast development.

In a labyrinth of canyons he found, to his surprise, a large drilling rig being set up. It was almost 90 feet tall. That was July 2021. Next month, he obtained a new image showing not only the derrick but a stack of drill pipes and an adjacent pit of lubricating fluid for keeping the drill bit moving ever deeper. From the clues, Dr. Babiarz estimated that the borehole was meant to go down at least a third of a mile.

Aug. 2021 Probable diesel generator Access road Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond Aug. 2021 Access road Probable diesel generator Possible stacked drill pipes Large drill rig about 90 feet tall Shadow Probable mud and slurry pond A large drill rig hidden in the eastern hills of the Lop Nur site. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

In comparison, the maximum depth of a vertical shaft at the U.S. governments Nevada test site is 2,500 feet, or about a half mile. So the estimated depth of Chinas borehole appears to fall within the American range.

Unlike Lop Nurs flat areas, the new zones rugged terrain provided good concealment for large gear. Despite this, Dr. Babiarz found a second drill site last year. It was tucked deeper into the hilly terrain, he said, and the rigs support gear had been meticulously covered.

Aug. 2022 Access road Medium drill rig about 50 feet tall Covered support area Possible stacked drill pipes Aug. 2022 Access road Medium drill rig about 50 feet tall Covered support area Possible stacked drill pipes Aug. 2022 Access road Medium drill rig about 50 feet tall Covered support area Possible stacked drill pipes A second drill site hidden in the eastern hills of the Lop Nur site. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

To atomic experts, the deep holes seemed to have been designed to contain large nuclear tests. We never did subcritical tests in vertical shafts, said Patrick Rowe, a former director of drilling operations at the Nevada test site. It didnt make sense because drilling the holes was so expensive.

The surprise discovery of the drill rigs prompted Dr. Babiarz to look wider. Recently, he zeroed in on a sprawling support base. By examining its historical imagery, he found that more than 30 of its buildings were major renovations or new construction.

Oct. 2023 Changes since 2017 Oct. 2023 Changes since 2017 Oct. 2023 Changes since 2017 More than 30 buildings at the Malan support base have been renovated or added since 2017. The New York Times; satellite image by Planet Labs

Unexpectedly, he also found what appeared to be a training site for the shaft drillers. The biggest rig seemed similar to the tall one he had observed a hundred miles away in the new test zone.

Feb. 2023 Small drill rig Large drill rig Slurry pond Medium drill rig Feb. 2023 Small drill rig Large drill rig Slurry pond Medium drill rig Military vehicles Feb. 2023 Small drill rig Large drill rig Slurry pond Medium drill rig Military vehicles Drill rigs of different sizes, probably used for training, at the support base. The New York Times; satellite image by Maxar

The bottom line is that its quite active, Dr. Babiarz said of the military base.

Bluster and Brinksmanship

Nuclear experts say they see no signs of an imminent Chinese test and argue that Beijing may do nothing. The rebuilding of the military base could simply be a warning to the West, they say. Chinese experts have suggested as much.

Xi Jinping, center, replaced the Rocket Forces top leaders in July 2023. Li Gang/Xinhua

Whether China conducts a nuclear test might also depend on what its rivals do. Signals sent recently by Russia and earlier by American administrations may worry Beijing.

Richard L. Garwin, a prominent nuclear physicist who has often visited China and met with its top scientists, said Lop Nurs rebuilding represents a technological hedge. They dont want to be caught flat-footed in case somebody else goes first, he said.

Dr. Zhao of the Carnegie Endowment agreed: China feels it needs to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Stephen M. Younger, a former director of Sandia National Laboratories, said it was not inconceivable that China would unilaterally conduct a test to make a statement.

Some analysts argue that China may not be planning large blasts but instead ramping up its program of subcritical experiments, which stop short of producing self-sustaining chain reactions. Both Russia and the United States use them to assess their existing arms.

Other analysts disagree, arguing that Chinas fleets of new bombers, submarines and missile silos herald a push for new armaments.

China could field 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 at its current pace of force expansion, the Pentagon has projected. That figure would be a fivefold increase from the minimum deterrent that China possessed for more than half a century.

American experts say Chinese scientists are now planning the particular arms they see as best suited for that buildup and may learn much from test explosions  unlike Moscow and Washington, which detonated far more blasts during the Cold War.

I know they believe theyre behind, said Terry C. Wallace, a former Los Alamos director who has long studied Chinas program of nuclear experimentation. They may feel that theyre so far behind in testing knowledge that they want to do something exotic.

A Question of Risk and Reward

Nuclear testing allows scientists to uncover flaws and fine-tune new weapon designs. During the Cold War, China conducted 45 test explosions. In comparison, France set off 210, Russia 715 and the United States 1,030.

The test ban treaty, though signed by 187 nations, never entered into force because China, the United States and six other nations failed to ratify it. Even so, analysts have long argued that it favors Washington because it bars pact-abiding rivals from making their nuclear arms more advanced.

What China wants most, experts say, is miniaturization. With new, more accurate missiles that pinpoint targets, its scientists can reduce the power, size and cost of warheads.

They have perfectly serviceable nuclear weapons, said Dr. Garwin, who is credited with designing the worlds first hydrogen bomb. But they might want to make them smaller.

Experts say miniaturization could make Chinas submarine missiles far more deadly. Theyre judged to be carrying up to three warheads each. In contrast, the main American submarine missile, the Trident II, carries up to eight.

Miniaturization could also aid Chinas development of hypersonic warheads that would zig and zag to evade U.S. defenses. According to the Pentagon, Beijing wants to give the weapons a nuclear edge.

This fall, global civil society leaders warned of growing threats to the test ban and suggested ways to reinforce the taboo against experimental blasts.

While Chinese officials are quick to deny any testing plans, theyre even faster to criticize Washington.

If you truly care about the test ban, the Foreign Ministry said in its statement, you should pay serious attention to the position of the United States. For instance, Chinese experts accuse Washington of a double standard in backing the global ban while seeking technologies that can sidestep its prohibitions.

Last year, American scientists announced a fusion breakthrough that was hailed as a step toward abundant clean energy. The next day, Global Times, Chinas nationalistic Communist Party tabloid, highlighted a little-known fact about the giant laser: Its main job is to advance nuclear arms development.

Of late, China has pointed to the W93  the first new American nuclear warhead since the Cold War, now in development  as an example of U.S. nuclear strides. The military says the innovative weapon will require no test detonations.

Even so, Chinese experts cast the threat of test resumption as coming from the United States. In September, the military affairs channel of Chinas state television network ran a program in which Teng Jianqun, a former military officer, said Washington was trying to break through the restrictions.

American experts, in contrast, cast Lop Nurs modernization as a sign of just how far the Chinese may be willing to go.

We have to realize that they had a conservative posture, said Dr. Wallace, the former Los Alamos director. Thats changing.
A Florida scuba diver claims he has been best friends with a 15-foot-shark named Emma for almost 23 years now, describing her more like a playful dog than an apex predator.

Jim Abernethy and Emma first met in 2001 when he removed a fishing hook from her mouth, and theyve been inseparable ever since. Every time Jim goes into the water in the area of Tiger Beach, in the Bahamas, she comes around and rubs heads with him as a sign of affection. Its not the kind of behavior most people expect from a huge, 15-foot-long tiger shark that could easily tear a human apart, and thats exactly what makes Emma the perfect poster girl in Jim Abernathys ongoing mission to change peoples perceptions of sharks.

Photo: Gerald Schombs/Unsplash

What makes Emma so special is she is really big, shes huge and she has the oh s**t factor when you look at her like it might be the last thing you do, Jim told The Sun. But youre in the water for a short amount of time before realizing she is so loving and affectionate. They are not mindless man-eating monsters, in fact, they are sentient creatures just like cats and dogs. With Emma, its just like rolling around in the grass with your retriever, its very fun and loving and its how Im able to get the selfie shots.

Jim was diving around Tiger Beach in 2001 when he first spotted this giant tiger shark circling a few feet away. She eventually approached him, and he managed to pull a fishing hook from her mouth, despite the obvious risks. Abernathy has since removed four other hooks from Emmas mouth on several occasions, and the two are best friends.

Emma approached Jim every time he dived in her area and she could recognize him even if he changed diving gear. Over time, she learned his hand signals  an invitation to get her head rubbed  and Abernethy claims that she started acting like a playful dog who loves being petted.

Trying to describe what its like really makes me believe that the English language isnt good enough, Jim Abernathy said. To have a connection that lasts the entire time youre in the water is so moving and so impactful. One of the best things thats happened to me is this discovery of the affectionate side of sharks.



We previously wrote about the unusual 25-year friendship between a Japanese diver and an Asian sheepshead wrasse by the name of Yoriko, but Jim Abernathys friendship with a giant tiger shark is even more impressive.


Chula Vista, CA Calls for PR Support Mon., Jan. 8, 2024 The San Diego County city of Chula Vista is looking for an agency that can boost its economic tourism by promoting its downtown as a unique destination.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 20. Turkmenistan is a developing country that is becoming increasingly important to Italy, stated Italian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Luigi Ferrari on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of Italian Ambassadors in Farnesina, Trend reports.

To illustrate why, he believes that one figure is sufficient: 50 trillion cubic meters of natural gas from the country's projected reserves.

He stated that this places Turkmenistan in the top three or four countries in the world in terms of reserves, and that as a result, there is widespread interest in the country.

The Italian envoy also praised Turkmenistan's foreign policy stance, noting that the country adopted the principle of neutrality 28 years ago and does not participate in military alliances.

Meanwhile, on December 18-19, Farnesina will host the 16th Conference of Italian Ambassadors to the World. More than 130 heads of Italian diplomatic missions abroad are expected to participate.

Stay up to date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Donald Trump

Truth-teller this time. Donald Trump told supporters at a New Hampshire rally that he never read Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf manifesto.

The former president deserves his reputation of being a stone-cold liar. The Washington Post reported that he made 30,773 lies or false claims during his four years in the White House. Yet when it comes to Mein Kampf, I believe Trump is telling the truth.

Published in 1925, Mein Kampf has 720 dense pages that spell out Hitlers anti-semitism and racist world view.

There is no way that Trump, who struggled to get through the Presidents Daily Brief in the White House, could have handled Mein Kampf. It's way above his reading and attention levels.

His White House intelligence briefers had to chop the PDB to three topics of one-page each, which was a quarter of the material presented to President Obama.

Trump would only pay attention to the visuals (graphs, charts, telegram images) which were added to the PDB as part of a plan to grab his attention.

Mein Kampf, in sharp contrast to the PDBs, is light on visuals, though there is one of a menacing scowling Hitler. The image looks a little like Trump's infamous mugshot.

Trump ultimately broke with tradition and dispensed of the daily written brief, opting for oral updates about the worlds hotspots every two or three days. And this is the guy who plowed through Mein Kampf? No way.

So how did Trump pick up the line about immigrants poisoning the blood or our country.

He may have picked it up in a SparkNotes-like explanation of Mein Kampf, or from the book of Hitlers speeches that the late Ivana Trump said that her husband kept on a bedside cabinet.

Americas Orange Mussolini may not have read Hitlers autobiography but he certainly is sounding these days like a fanboy of The Fuehrer.

Trust in Zelensky heads south Ukrainian trust in president Volodymyr Zelensky has dropped like a rock, according to a report in the Kyiv Independent.

A little more than six-in-ten (62 percent) Ukrainians trust their president, a drop from 84 percent in December 2022.

The percentage of respondents who do not trust Zelensky increased from 5 percent to 18 percent, says the poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Ukrainian trust in their civilian government also plunged, declining to 26 percent from 52 percent.

Zelenskys poll numbers arent expected to recover much following his unsuccessful hat in hand tour of Washington in which Republicans failed to back the release of $61B in funding for Ukraines military.

The Pentagon says it will run out of money to replenish arms and equipment to Ukraine on Dec. 30.

Zelensky now has to worry about fighting the Russian invaders, as well as battling to improve his standing among his own people.
ROSCREA was rocking for the twelfth annual Taste of Christmas event in Roscrea, which brought a winter wonderland to the historic heart of the beautiful heritage town.

The Taste of Christmas festival and market, which is now in its twelfth year, once again gave a nice boost to busines in the town of Roscrea.

Approaching the Round Tower, the visitors were treated with the sound of music as all the choirs from the local schools sang out in their turns.

Impressive festive coloured lighting hung over the scene as the hive of activities for the two-day event unfolded with cheers and smiles all around as lifetime memories for families were forged.

St Cronans NS Rosemount provided the beautiful carol singing at the Taste of Christmas event and are pictured above with their Teacher, Clodagh Lawlor and Santa Claus and his Elves. Photo: PJ Wright

The Black Mills in all its splendour was host to over 40 stalls with something for everyone.

From woolen mills products, to honey galore, a cure for arthritis, timber products, flowers, candles, crafts and Christmas gifts and many other culinary delights.

Pictured above are Alice, Judy May, Majsie and Ailbhe all on the Christmas train. Photo: PJ Wright

Roscrea GAA launched their annual yearbook of the 'Year in the Red' at the event and Autism Awareness was supported generously by the visitors.

Children enjoyed a fun ride on the train as they made their way to see Santa. Over 500 children from a wide hinterland visited with Santa Claus and the legendary bearded fella was in brilliant form.

The Christmas Train - always a favourite with the children at the Taste of Christmas Festival. Photos: PJ Wright

The photographs will be in many a home this Christmas. As well at supporting the taste of Christmas, the turnout was good for local commerce and many other nearby businesses.

Councillor Michael Smith, Chairman of the Organising Committee and founder of the event, thanked all who helped to make this years Taste another success.

Pictured above is Rita Conlon with twins Sasha and Saoirse with Santa Claus in the Black Mills. Photo: PJ Wright

He gave particular thanks to the Office of Public Works for their customary co-operation and goodwill.

The County Council once again came up trumps and this financial support made it possible to be generous towards many families with young children, Cllr. Smith said.

Sasha Conlon with her beautiful hand made jewelery. Photo: PJ Wright

NEW IDEAS FOR NEXT YEAR

We are always looking for new ideas, Cllr Smith said, to promote events of this nature and to make them more attractive. We want to see the smiling faces and happy children.

Given the enormous amount of tragedy and sadness we have witnessed in recent months with war and conflict, it is important to always remember to be hopeful, and to remember the true spirit of Christmas, he said.

Pictured above is Sean Rowland with his wood craft on sale at the Christmas Market. Photo: PJ Wright

Our aim is to be in a positive community led organisation, always ready to embrace new ways of doing things and brining the best in our people.

Everything we try to do is aimed at improving our society and ensuring the talents and business acumen of the local people in these challenging times get an opportunity to showcase their talents, Cllr Smith said.

Pictured above displaying his work at the Christmas Market in the Black Mills is Graham Clark with his Bottle Art and below is Ciarad Keeffe with her Ceramic Arts. Photos: PJ Wright

Pictured above is Councillor Michael O'Meara with his award winning honey and below is Para Havatitye with one of his beautiful bog oak creations. Photos: PJ Wright

Pictured above is founder of the event, Councillor Michael Smith, thanking Santa for coming to Roscrea during the busy pre-Christmas period and below is Aisling O'Meara and Lila Carroll with beautiful hand knitted wear for all ages. Photos: PJ Wright

Pictured above are Elowen and Marissa Hayes after their visit with Santa and pictured below are Mary McNamara and Caroline Phelan with their buttons and beads craft work. Photos: PJ Wright

Pictured above is Monica McNicholas with her jewelry craft and below is Aileen Dooley with her handmade cards for all occasions. Photo: PJ Wright

Pictured above is Kevin Dooley from Roscrea Wool with bedding made from pure Irish wool and below is Maura Ryan with her handmade knitted garments and toys. Photo: PJ Wright

Pictured above is Siobhan Dignam and her handmade journals and below is Gaelle Schultz with her wood craft for the kitchen and home. Photos: PJ Wright
A SEARCH operation is underway at Foynes Port, following the discovery of millions of euro worth of cocaine on a cargo ship.

It's understood the vessel, which was transporting grain, was boarded by Revenue and Customs officers this Tuesday afternoon shortly after it arrived at the west Limerick port.

Several media outlets have reported that suspected drugs, worth up to 40 million, have been found on board.

In response to a media query, a Revenue spokesperson confirmed an operation is underway but declined to elaborate any further.

"Revenue Customs service are currently undertaking a live operation and no further comment is available at this time," they said.

Confirming they are aware of the operation a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana declined to comment further saying: "This is a matter for Revenue Customs service at this time."

Security around Foynes Port is tight this Tuesday night with further searches of the ship to be carried out on Wednesday.
A south Offaly based farmer and haulier has been jailed for eight years after Tullamore Circuit Court heard 730,000 worth of cannabis was found in an articulated lorry he had been driving when he was stopped at Dunkerrin near his home in 2017.

AN Offaly farmer has been jailed for eight years, with another two years suspended, after 730,000 worth of cannabis was found in his articulated lorry.

Martin Murray (58), Crimlin Little, Moneygall, Birr had denied importing the drugs into Ireland and having them for sale or supply to others but was convicted when a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict at the end of a trial at Tullamore Circuit Court.

The sentencing hearing today (Tuesday, December 19) was told Mr Murray was charged after gardai had stopped him when he was driving a truck at Dunkerrin on June 30, 2017.

Replying to prosecution counsel Kevin White, Detective Garda Val Russell told Judge Keenan Johnson that gardai mounted a surveillance operation on all major routes in Ireland after receiving information that Mr Murray had come into Northern Ireland from Cairnryan and intended driving home to Moneygall.

His vehicle was seen at the M7 plaza at Portlaoise and it then left the motorway at exit 21 and was followed by a garda vehicle.

Detective Garda Russell said the lorry engaged in counter surveillance manoeuvres, giving the example of where it had exited from the motorway, gone across a bridge, and then drove again on the motorway in the original direction.

When it exited at Barack Obama Plaza it was followed by another garda detective and he pulled Mr Murray's vehicle over near his home.

Mr Murray co-operated with a search of the lorry, saying: No problem, there's nothing on it.

When nothing was visible the vehicle was seized and brought to Nenagh Garda Station where nothing was found in another search.

Gardai did find two Samsung mobile phones, one of which was encrypted, 1,570 worth of cash and paper receipts for fuel.

A warrant was obtained for a search of Mr Murray's property and land but nothing of evidential value was found and the truck was then brought to Dublin Port for another search.

Sniffer dogs and a scan uncovered nothing but a number of large steel tubes were found under other items.

Gardai searched the tubes by drilling holes and inserting a camera and found the drugs vacuum packed, along with 6,000, also vacuum packed in a tube.

Gardai also found Garmin sat nav devices and a tachograph and Detective Garda Russell said Claire Greaney from Forensic Science Ireland, a key witness in the trial, analysed the tachograph and found the truck had travelled from Moneygall to Rosslare, on to Fishguard, across the UK and eventually to Breda in the Netherlands where it appeared to remain from June 24 to June 28.

The court heard that Detective Garda Conor O'Sullivan extracted data from the sat nav and established that the truck had travelled to Hull, England from the Netherlands and gone up to Scotland to Cairnryan Port.

That detective also found that even though the sat nav was not activated between June 24 and June 28, it was still collecting data and recorded five movements of between 21 and 90 miles during those days in the Netherlands.

When Mr Murray was arrested on July 5, 2017 he said It has nothing to do with me and he wasn't prepared to give an account of his travels and that it was on the CMR (travel document).

Detective Garda Russell said no admissions were made by the accused and a file was sent to the DPP and he was charged on October 25, 2018.

The court was also told that his passport was found in the lorry two days into the trial, which took place in May this year.

Detective Garda Russell said Mr Murray had a previous conviction for the sale and supply of drugs dating from 1999 when he received a seven-and-a-half-year sentence at Naas Circuit Court for a an offence committed in October 1996.

He had also received a five-year suspended sentence for larceny in 1996 and his most recent offences were for road traffic matters in 2010 and 2009.

Asked about the accused's background, Detective Garda Russell said he knew he had a farm and a daughter of his had accompanied him to court at some stage.

Michael Gillespie, solicitor for Mr Murray, said the accused's sole defence had been knowledge and the State's case relied on the statutory presumption of knowledge on the part of his client.

Mr Gillespie said there was no evidence that Mr Murray was present when the substance was put into the steel tubes which were sealed and he had been instructed to tell the court that there would be an appeal.

The solicitor said Mr Murray had left school at 14 having completed one year of secondary because his father was ill and he had been principally a farmer since then.

He also got involved in haulage and he would go to the continent and on this occasion he picked up a load in Holland to bring to Ireland.

Mr Gillespie said the trial had heard evidence from James Quinn, a former president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, that a haulier would only be entitled to carry out a visual inspection of his load.

Mr Gillespie presented testimonials on Mr Murray's behalf from a number of people, including a haulier, a mechanic, farmers and a vet.

They variously attested to the accused being a hard worker and very good with animals.

The court also received a letter from the GP of the accused's brother which related the worry and stress caused to him by Martin Murray's prosecution.

The defendant's brother, Seamus Murray, wrote a letter to the court saying that they had grown up with their sisters and when their parents were elderly Martin remained on the farm and they worked side by side on farms.

He referred to the accused as a good friend and brother who helped everyone locally and since Martin's conviction Seamus Murray had to run two farms.

A letter from Cloverhill Prison said Martin Murray was a very good worker in the laundry there who was courteous and polite to staff.

Before Judge Johnson announced his sentence, Mr Gillespie said the accused wished to address the court but was advised that it would not be of any assistance to do so.

Judge Johnson said the minimum sentence for an offence of this kind involving drugs valued at 13,000 or more was 10 years but he could depart from that in certain circumstances.

He noted the accused had pleaded not guilty and had a previous conviction for a similar offence.

He said the amount and kind of drug was an aggravating factor, saying that cannabis was anything but a soft drug and along with being a gateway to other drugs, 5% of cannabis users went on to develop schizophrenia.

Mitigating factors included the man's co-operation with the gardai, his recent unblemished record, and the impact on his brother which was a significant penalty in itself.

The offence carried a sentence of up to life but the headline sentence he imposed was 10 years, with the final two years suspended upon entry of a 500 peace bond for five years post-release.

The sentence was backdated to May 4 last when Mr Murray first went into custody.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 20. Turkmenistan and the EU discussed various economic spheres of bilateral partnership at the 22nd meeting of the joint committee, Trend reports.

During the meeting, the two delegations discussed the macroeconomic situation of Turkmenistan and its aspirations for integration into the world economy, especially in the context of the country's aspirations for membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The parties discussed energy and environmental issues, gas export strategies, initiatives to reduce methane emissions, and the development of renewable energy sources, including hydrogen.

Furthermore, they also exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of transport, education, youth policy, research, and innovation.

At the same time, a wide range of issues of mutual interest were discussed at meetings of the delegation of Turkmenistan with representatives of the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture of the European Commission, representatives of the EEAS, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, as well as the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy.

Meanwhile, the development of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU covers various areas, including trade, energy, and education, establishing solid foundations for mutually beneficial partnerships.
64-Year-Old Bengaluru Resident Dies Due To COVID-19 Infection

Bengaluru

pti-PTI

A 64-year-old man died in the city due to COVID-19 infection five days ago, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Wednesday. Asked if the cause of death is the new subvariant JN.1 of the SARS CoV-2 virus, he said it is not known so far.

The person, who had comorbidities, is a resident of Chamarajpet and died on December 15, the Minister told reporters.

"It is still not known whether the patient had JN.1 sub variant infection. He had heart failure, also TB infection. He also had hypertension, lung disease, bronchial asthma, along with COVID-19 and pneumonia," Rao added. Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services, Randeep D, told PTI: "It's the first (COVID death) after recent surge in cases".

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Rao, meanwhile, said the state government would increase testing to gauge the rate of COVID-19 infections. In the next three days, it intends to increase the number to 5,000 tests per day.

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RT-PCR tests have been made mandatory for all severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases, and at least 1 in 20 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases, he said.

A meeting will be held with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Thursday to discuss further measures to be taken and preparations made, Rao said.

The Minister earlier attended a virtual meeting by union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with Health Ministers of all states, officials from the central and state governments, and representatives from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and NITI Aayog, among others.

He said there is need to do more tests and genome sequencing to know about the spread of infection, adding, instructions have been issued to do more tests, especially in border districts -- Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chamarajanagara and Mysuru.

Karnataka government on Tuesday issued an advisory asking people above 60 years, those with comorbidities, pregnant women and lactating mothers, to wear face masks when outdoor, and to strictly avoid visiting closed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded areas, in the wake of current Covid-19 situation in the country and detection of JN.1 sub variant in neighbouring Kerala. It also issued a circular instructing authorities in districts bordering Kerala and Tamil Nadu to be vigilant, and ensure adequate testing and timely reporting of Covid cases.

Karnataka has emerged as the state doing the most number of tests, Rao said. More than 1,000 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours. Kerala is also doing nearly 1,000 tests daily.

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"Our intention is to increase it (testing) every day and by Saturday we want to do 5,000 tests per day," he said.

For genome sequencing, there should be availability of at least 50 samples, he further said. "As we do more tests and sequencing, we will get an accurate picture on the situation and infection spread level. So the state government has decided to do this."

Highlighting that the Centre has advised to take all necessary precautions and preparations related to arrangements for oxygen supplies, ventilators and isolation beds, among others, he said the state government is already taking measures in this regard.

"We have requested the Centre for cooperation in reducing the cost of annual maintenance of PM CARE ventilators, as it is bit expensive. Also we have requested for restoring the ICMR portal which has not been functioning properly, to get regular data."

Asserting that there is no need for any worry, Rao said the state government has made it mandatory for all health workers to wear masks, as they will be more exposed to infections.

The Minister pointing out that the new variant has been found in various countries, and its spread may be fast like in the case of Omicron infections, but is not "strong and life threatening" as in the case of COVID first and second waves.

"We (Karnataka during today's meeting) raised a query about imposing any restrictions like in the case of foreign travelers and screening in border districts, bordering the states that have higher number of cases and at airports.

But the Centre said that there are no restrictions or screening as of now and if any change or fresh guidelines in this regard, it will communicate depending on the situation. However, if there are symptomatic cases, it can be looked at," he said.

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On increasing COVID testing, Rao said there is a requirement of testing kits, and by Saturday the state will get enough supplies of RT-PCR kits and VTM vials required for testing.

There is no restriction on New Year celebrations and gatherings as of now, but wearing masks is always good for everyone, especially at crowded places, the Minister said.

He said the government has not gone into quarantine rules or protocol as of now. "We will look into it, if the severity of infection and hospitalisation increase."
COVID-19 Spreads Across Karnataka: Recent Cases Reported In Ramanagara, Chikkamagaluru And Uttara Kannada

Bengaluru

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka has been on the rise in recent days, with new cases reported in Ramanagara, Chikkamagalur, and Uttara Kannada districts.

In Ramanagara, a 21-year-old woman tested positive for the virus and is being isolated in the district hospital's COVID ward. Her mother, who was in contact with her, has also been tested for the virus.

In Chikkamagaluru, two individuals tested positive for COVID-19 after tests conducted yesterday. Samples from these individuals have been sent for further testing.

In Uttara Kannada district, a COVID case was reported on December 10 involving an individual who had returned from Goa for work. The District Health Officer (DHO) has assured that the person is recovering well and that there is no need for fear in the district. However, he emphasized that restrictions might be enforced if the virus severity escalates.

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The District Health Officer also advised tourists visiting Uttara Kannada district to avoid worrying about COVID but suggested that individuals with heart and asthma issues should avoid visiting. The district health department is prepared to manage COVID cases and is considering precautionary measures at the Goa border due to the rising number of cases.

The rise in COVID-19 cases in Karnataka is a cause for concern, but the state health department has assured that it is prepared to handle the situation. The department has urged people to follow safety protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
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Covid-19 Cases In Karnataka: Following 2 Covid Deaths In Bengaluru, Masks Mandatory In Public Transport

Bengaluru

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru grapples with two recent Covid-related deaths, including an elderly man on December 17, as concerns regarding the JN.1 subvariant grow alongside a nationwide surge in cases. This development comes amidst heightened vigilance around Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The reported deaths included a 76-year-old man, a resident of Chamarajpet, displaying influenza-like symptoms on December 17 and a 44-year-old patient without symptoms who passed away on December 16.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has made masks mandatory for individuals traveling on buses.

Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, has called for a meeting on Thursday to address any potential upsurge in coronavirus cases, gathering the technical advisory committee on Covid and other experts to evaluate the state's readiness.

Covid-19 Cases In Karnataka: Following 2 Covid Deaths In Bengaluru, Masks Mandatory In Public Transport

According to the Karnataka health department, the 44-year-old asymptomatic patient was admitted to Bengaluru Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research on November 23, grappling with additional health issues such as heart disease.

Also, the symptomatic 76-year-old was admitted to a private hospital on September 12 due to breathlessness and subsequently succumbed to 'aspiration pneumonia.'

State Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao mentioned the department's efforts to ascertain if Covid was the primary cause of death in these cases. He emphasized an escalation in daily testing to 1,500 tests and assured the availability of sufficient ventilator beds and medications as needed.
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Tamil Nadu Weather Report: DMK's Mano Thangaraj Criticises IMD For Delayed Alerts

Chennai

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Taking cognizance of the flooded Tamil Nadu, state minister Mano Thangaraj held India Meteorological Department (IMD) responsible for not providing correct weather updates on time. Thangaraj said delayed forecasts made it difficult for the state government to provide help or rescue the stranded. In a tweet, minister Thangaraj said, "A significant issue was the time discrepancy in the weather alerts. The gap between the issuance of the Red Alert and the actual flooding was much shorter than what could have been ideal as some Western models exhibit in those countries."

"This critical delay in our forecasting system underscores the need for more immediate and accurate weather alerts. In countries following Western models, more accurate and immediate warnings enable better preparedness, minimising property damage, and reducing the number of people stranded," the minister said.

He also urged the central government to adopt proactive measures to address the situation.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin said he will seek permission from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the situation as a national calamity.

Tamil Nadu Rain: 10 Dead In Tirunelveli, Tuticorin Districts; Govt. Shuts Schools, Colleges

"As an immediate relief, I will ask for funds from the National Disaster Fund. Tamil Nadu has faced two disasters continuously, and I will urge PM to release the funds at the earliest," said CM MK Stalin adding that CM added rain never caused such damages in last 100 years.

Earlier, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had called said the state government "administratively incompetent" which failed to tackle the situation, and provide relief to the people of Tamil Nadu.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 15:14 [IST]
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal To Skip ED Summon Again, Leaves For 10-Day Meditation Camp

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party Supremo Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on December 21 as he left a 10-day Vipassana meditation camp on Wednesday. This is the second that the investigating agency summoned Kejriwal to appear for questioning related to the money laundering in the liquor policy case.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate issued a fresh notice to the Delhi CM to appear for grilling after he skipped the November 29 meeting. At that time, Kejriwal chose to skip the grilling stating the summouning was "illegal and politically motivated" He rather went to Rajasthan to attend a political gathering to woo voters for the recently concluded assembly elections.

This time, Arvind Kejriwal will be busy attending a Vipassana meditation camp that has been pre-scheduled until December 30.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha told the media "Everyone knows the Chief Minister is leaving for Vipassana on December 19. He regularly goes for this meditation course. It's a pre-scheduled and pre-announced plan."

Enforcement Directorate Summones Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal In Liquor Policy Case

"Lawyers are examining the ED's notice and such steps will be taken that are legally correct," the Aam Aadmi Party said in an official statement after its leader was summoned by the ED. The party also added that Kejriwal's legal team will soon respond to the notice Enforcement Directorate's notice.

In the money laundering case related to Delhi's liquor policy, the Aam Aadmi Party's other top leaders namely Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also behind bars, while Satyadra Jain has been bailed on the health grounds.

After his mates' arresting, Arvind Kejriwal had accused BJP of conspiring against AAP leaders.

"Now after the formation of the INDIA alliance, the BJP is rattled. We have learned from sources that they have hatched a plan to target top leaders from the INDIA alliance. The first arrest in this plan will be of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," he said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 17:13 [IST]
Delhi Mayor Brings Relief to Traders: Sealed Shops to Reopen After Six Years

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has announced the de-sealing of shops in local shopping complexes, bringing relief to traders after six years. The shops were sealed for violating building bye-laws, but a court-appointed panel has now ruled in favor of their reopening.

India

-Krishna Kripa

In a significant development, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi announced on Wednesday that a court-appointed panel has decided to de-seal the first and second floors of shops located in local shopping complexes across the city. This decision brings relief to traders who have been grappling with the sealing of their shops for the past six years.

Background of the Sealing

The sealing of shops in local shopping complexes in Delhi began in 2017-18 in the Defence Colony area. The monitoring committee responsible for enforcing building bye-laws identified alleged violations and ordered the sealing of these shops. Subsequently, a judicial committee was constituted by the Supreme Court to examine the legal aspects of the matter.

Relief for Traders

After a thorough review, the judicial committee has now decided to de-seal the affected shops, providing much-needed relief to the traders. The mayor, Shelly Oberoi, confirmed this decision but did not specify the exact date when the de-sealing process will commence. She assured that further details regarding the modalities of the de-sealing process will be shared soon after discussions with the concerned officials.

Process for De-Sealing

Traders who wish to have their properties de-sealed will need to apply to the relevant department and pay any additional charges as required. These charges may include additional floor area ratio (FAR) charges, particularly in cases where basements have been used for commercial or professional activities.

Areas Benefiting from De-Sealing

The decision to de-seal shops will positively impact markets in various areas of Delhi, including Defence Colony, Old Rajendra Nagar, New Rajendra Nagar, Green Park, Greater Kailashs N Block, Hauz Khas, and South Extension-I. Traders in these areas can now legally resume their businesses by paying the necessary additional charges.

Reactions from MCD Leaders

The Leader of the House in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Mukesh Goyal, expressed joy over the decision of the judicial committee. He highlighted the positive impact it will have on the city's business community, particularly those traders whose shops have been sealed for the past six years. Goyal emphasized that this decision provides an opportunity for traders to restore their employment and resume their businesses.

Deputy Mayor Aaley Muhammad Iqbal echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the government's commitment to supporting traders. He acknowledged that sealing was one of the 10 guarantees promised by the chief minister, and the intention of the government is clear in providing assistance to traders. Iqbal assured that every department of the municipal corporation will cooperate with traders to facilitate the de-sealing process.

The decision to de-seal shops in local shopping complexes in Delhi marks a significant step towards resolving a long-standing issue that has affected traders for years. With the implementation of this decision, traders can now look forward to resuming their businesses and contributing to the city's economic growth.
Why Amritpal Singh was a no-show at the end of it

Gangster Amritpal Singh Shot Dead By Punjab Cops

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Punjab Police shot dead a gangster named Amritpal Singh on Wednesday at Jandiala Guru near Amritsar.

The incident occurred when Singh was trying to escape from the cops after he was taken to Jandiala Guru to recover heroin and a weapon allegedly in his possession.

Taken into custody on Tuesday, the criminal discharged a firearm at the police upon arrival at the scene. In retaliation, the police responded with gunfire, resulting in Singh sustaining critical injuries. Satinder Singh, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Rural Amritsar, said that the gangster was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

#WATCH |Amritsar (Punjab): Heavy police force deployed after an encounter broke out between Police and miscreants.



SP Satinder Singh says, This person (Amritpal) was arrested yesterday and was wanted in four cases. When he tried to flee, he fired upon our team and one police pic.twitter.com/sNBPg5PlUU  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

"During interrogation on Tuesday, he disclosed that he had hidden two kg of heroin. We brought him here to recover the narcotics," PTI quoted senior Superintendent of Police of Amritsar (Rural) Satinder Singh as saying.

The gangster, who was involved in at least four murders and two attempted murders, did not reveal that he had hidden a weapon there, the police officer said.

During the police operation to confiscate two kilograms of heroin, Amritpal brandished a 9 mm pistol and fired shots, resulting in an injury to one officer. Another officer narrowly avoided harm as a bullet pierced through his turban, according to the SSP.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 20. Japanese NEXI (Nippon Export and Investment Insurance) expressed its readiness to actively participate in the implementation of Turkmenistan's projects, Trend reports.

According to the information of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Tokyo, this commitment was expressed during the visit to Japan of the Turkmen economic delegation headed by Chairman of the Board of Directors of the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rahimberdi Jepbarov.

Representatives of the agency also expressed a strong desire to provide not only technical but also financial support for these projects.

The parties held constructive discussions on the implementation of various economic projects as well as actively discussed issues related to financial support for these initiatives.

During these dialogues, a common understanding was revealed of the importance of successful project implementation for both sides, which underlines the readiness for mutually beneficial interaction and deep cooperation in the fields of economics and finance.

In total, during the visit, the delegation of Turkmenistan held 14 meetings and signed three documents, which underlines the high level of interest and willingness to cooperate on both sides.

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INDIA Bloc Divided Over Kharge As PM Candidate

India

oi-Prakash KL

There appears to be a lack of consensus within the INDIA alliance regarding the proposal of Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate for the bloc.

Amid rumours of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal backing Kharge's candidature, a report claims that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav are miffed with him as the PM candidate.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav walked out of the India bloc meeting on Tuesday ahead of schedule, expressing dissatisfaction with the suggestion of Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate, sources told India Today.

As Lalu and Nitish had disagreed over the choice, they did not attend the subsequent press conference, the report added.

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Before the INDIA bloc meeting, JDU MLAs and leaders from the RJD publicly called for the declaration of the Bihar Chief Minister as the Opposition's prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. It has to be noted that Lalu Yadav had previously voiced support for Nitish Kumar.

At the fourth meeting of the alliance, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Kharge as PM face, but the veteran leader said it was important to win and increase the opposition's strength first.

MDMK's Vaiko and other leaders confirmed that Banerjee and Kejriwal proposed Kharge's name for the PM face of the alliance so that he could be the country's first Dalit prime minister.

"We should decide on how to win first. If you don't have MPs, then what is the use of discussing the prime minister (candidate)? We will first try and win a majority first. We will first try and win unitedly.

However, Congress leader PJ Joseph said Mamata did not take Kharge's name. "She did not suggest so. While she spoke, Mamata Banerjee said that it would be good if we could project a Dalit PM. She did not say the name of any person. The matter was not discussed much because she spoke last," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

The Congress did not officially comment on this proposal and during the press meet following the meeting Kharge said there was no point in talking about the PM face now. "First, all of us have to win, we should think about what needs to be done for victory. Who will be PM, this will be decided later. If there are less MPs, what is the point of talking about PM. First, to increase our numbers, (by) coming together, we will try to bring majority. First we will try to win," Kharge said.

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Sources have told PTI that there was no consensus on Kharge's name for the PM-face of the alliance, but some leaders insisted that they wanted a decision on the convener of the coalition first and said Kharge was a good candidate for the same.

When asked about the prime ministerial face of the alliance, Kharge, at a press conference, said, "We have to win first, and think what to do to win. What is the point in discussing PM before having MPs. We will try to get a majority together".
India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023 Organised At Birgunj In Nepal

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

To create a uniquely important platform for discussing a forward looking bilateral economic partnership agenda, in association with the Consulate General of India, Birgunj (Nepal) and Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries (BICCI), The India-Nepal Centre of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised the second edition of India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023 on 20 December 2023 at Birgunj, Nepal. The deliberations supported by the decision-makers were aimed for opening new avenues of business engagements in the key sectors of economy besides giving a much needed boost to the trade near the crucial India-Nepal border at Birgunj, an economic hub of Nepal.

Among the key takeaways of the Summit were:

To create a platform through joint action for deeper economic engagement between India and Nepal (with focus on remittance, imports, exports and Balance of Payment (BoP) challenges in Nepal).

To channelise investment from India to Nepal and other ways round.

To re-establish the India-Nepal bilateral relations as the core strength of the sub-regional co-operation in South Asia.

To create a sustained convergence of industry and government, for thriving on the mutually beneficial India-Nepal bilateral relations in all crucial realms.

To bring-in to notice the hidden potential in the Border Area Development Programme and paving the way for India's major involvement in helping the infrastructural facelift of Nepal's bordering districts in Bihar and making them the gateways of India-Nepal Trade Connection.

To discuss further and ideate for making Cluster-based Economic Zones across Nepal.

To further relax the cross-border trade norms to secure and sustain the greater economic engagements.

While setting the tone of the Summit, the Session Chair Atul K Thakur, Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI reflected on the necessity for having a collaborative approach among the stakeholders' in the government and industry to tap the rich potential and also cope the challenges in post-pandemic times through India-Nepal economic cooperation. With emphasis on the Summit's dwelt discussion points (New Roadmap for Accelerating India-Nepal Bilateral Cooperation; Promoting Industrial Development in Nepal and India; Revisiting Bilateral Trade Policies; Expanding Bilateral and Sub-regional Economic Cooperation; Improving Border Area Development and Connectivity), the discussions took place during the Summit.

In his opening remarks, Anil Kumar Agrawal, President, Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries (BICCI) recounted Birgunj's achievements as a major trade hub of Nepal and how BICCI has been contributing over the decades in making the industry and trade, the mainstay of this place crucially important for India-Nepal economic relations. He said that, with the PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre, such bilateral economic forums will be a regular exercise to help the bilateral economic ecosystem between India and Nepal.

The Chief Guest & Keynote Speaker of Summit Devi Sahai Meena, Consul General of India, Birgunj, Nepal reassured India's support to accelerate the economic cooperation between India and Nepal. Through policy and implementation, India has been a key development partner of Nepal. He added that the India-Nepal relations are supported with complementarities and people-to-people, something that should be counted as strong foundational support. Mr Satish Pattapu, Consul (Economic Cooperation & Commerce), Consulate General of India, Birgunj, Nepal shared an overview of the main constituents of economic cooperation and challenges at policy level that need to be tackled.

The other key speakers were, Amb Lok Raj Baral, Nepal's Former Ambassador to India; Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman, Nimbus Group of Companies; Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Factory Manager, Unilever Nepal Ltd; Deepak Rauniar, Founder CEO, Oorja World; Bikas Rauniar, Executive Director, Interstate Multi Modal Transport (P) Ltd; Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, Bihar State Coordinator, Seema Jagran Manch; Ashok Kumar Baidya, Chairman, Nepal-Bharat Sahyog Manch; Chandra Kishore, Senior Journalist; Rachana Parajuli, Deputy Director, Nepal Rastra Bank; Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Executive Director, North-South Collectives; Dr Sohan Prasad Sha, Member (Province Policy and Planning Commission), Government of Madhesh Province, Nepal; Kunal Kayal, Chairperson (Industry & Export Promotion Committee), NICCI; Abhishek Choudhary, President, NICCI Birgunj Chapter; Niraj Agrawal, Director, Surgiprotect Pluss Pvt Ltd & Joint Secretary, Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries.

Well-timed and meant to foster the border trade with emphasis on bilateral and subregional economic cooperation, the second edition of "India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023" concluded with providing business linkages and partnerships.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 17:05 [IST]
Kerala Reports 292 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 Deaths

India

oi-Prakash KL

Kerala has registered 292 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours with three deaths, the data from the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Of the 341 COVID infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 292 were from Kerala taking the active cases in the state to 2,041, as per the Ministry website.

With the three deaths reported in the state, the total number of people who died due to COVID in Kerala since its outbreak three years ago reached 72,056.

In the last 24 hours, 224 people have recovered from the illness. With that, the total number of cases under this category rose to 68,37,203 till date.

Covid Guidelines Karnataka 2023: Mask Up, Stay Home As Kerala Cases Surge

On Tuesday, state Health Minister Veena George had said that despite the increase in COVID cases in Kerala, there was nothing to be concerned about as the state was well prepared to handle the virus infection.

As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala reported 292 new active cases of COVID-19 and 3 deaths yesterday. The total number of active cases in the state is 2041. pic.twitter.com/uwoG6Fx0Fj  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

The minister had also said that directions have been issued to provide special facilities for COVID patients and ensure availability of isolation wards, rooms, oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest". It said that the current evidence shows risk to public health was low from the strain.

However, the strain can evade the immune system and transmit more easily than other currently circulating variants, Reuters reported citing at least two experts.

WHO labels JN.1 COVID-19 Strain As 'Variant Of Interest', Cautions For Monitoring

JN.1 has not shown any signs of more severe disease. Hence, the new variant does not pose a great risk, Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told the news agency.

Initially categorized as a variant of interest within the BA.2.86 parent lineage, JN.1 has now been reclassified by the WHO as an independent variant of interest.

Karnataka has recorded 9 new cases, 3 cases each in Gujarat and Delhi and 1 in Goa.
Plot To Kill Khalistani Pannu: PM Modi Assures Probe In US's Allegations

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the United States' allegations against India of planning the assassination of Khailstani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. In an interview with the Financial Times, PM Modi said India will look into the matter if any information will be provided to us, such incidents can not affect the relations between both democracies. "There is strong bipartisan support for strengthening relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership," the PM said.

Pannun, a designated terrorist in India, advocates for a religion-based separate state, Khalistan, to be split out from India's Punjab.

Reiterating India's stand to rule by the laws, the Prime Minister said, "If someone gives us any information, we will look into it," Modi said. "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law."

FBI Chief Set To Visit India Amid Row Over Plot To Kill Khalistani Terrorist Pannun

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Pannun Murder Plot: PM Modi breaks silence on assassination plot claims by U.S | Oneindia News

Sharing his concerns on the unlawful activities by the extremist group Sikhs for Justice, PM Modi said, "These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence."

"Security and counter-terrorism cooperation has been a key component of our partnership," he added. "I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," said the Prime Minister.

"We need to accept the fact that we are living in the era of multilateralism," Modi said.

"The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognize that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration," the Prime Minister told the interviewing news agency.

Who Is Nikhil Gupta? Indian National Charged For Plotting To Kill Khalistani Separatist Gurpatwant Pannun

Last month, the US Department of Justice had unsealed an indictment that implicated a serving Indian government official for orchestrating the plot and seeking to assassinate Pannun in June this year through Gupta. They claimed Gupta hired a hitman who turned out to be an undercover agent for US law enforcement. As a response, India acknowledged that it had received inputs from the US and announced the constitution of a high-level investigation committee to examine the issue.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 12:55 [IST]
President Condemns, PM Modi Expresses Pain Over TMC Leaders Mimicry Of VP

India

oi-Prakash KL

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday condemned the incident of a TMC leader's mimicry of the Vice President during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension.

Urging the leaders to express to uphold dignity, she said, "I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it."

A political row broke out on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension.

Rahul Gandhi Films Cong MP Kalyan Banerjee's Mimicry Of Jagdeep Dhankar; BJP Reacts Strongly

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee wherein she seemed to imitate Dhankhar's walking style by leaning forward and alluding to the concept of having a spine.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Vice President and expressed "great pain over the abject theatrics."

" He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.

I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," the Vice President said on Twitter.

Dhankhar had given vent to his anguish in Rajya Sabha, saying he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted.

PM, BJP Want To Establish 'Single Party Rule' In Country: Kharge On Suspension Of 141 MPs

"Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of the chairman," he said in Rajya Sabha.

"...You used Twitter, the official handle of the spokesperson, to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, insult my position as a Jat, insult my position as chairman," Dhankhar had said addressing Congress member P Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 11:23 [IST]
Rajasthan MLAs Take Oath, Congress Protests Suspension of MPs

The newly elected members of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly took oath on the first day of the two-day session, with Congress legislators expressing protest against the suspension of opposition MPs by wearing black ribbons.

India

-Krishna Kripa

Jaipur, December 20: The newly elected members of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly took oath on Wednesday, marking the commencement of the first day of a two-day session. The inaugural session of the 16th assembly convened at 11 am, witnessing the oath-taking ceremony for 190 out of the 199 members.

Congress Legislators Protest Suspension of MPs

Congress legislators arrived at the House wearing black ribbons as a symbolic protest against the suspension of 143 opposition MPs from Parliament. The elections for 199 out of 200 seats in Rajasthan were conducted last month, with the election for the Karanpur seat postponed due to the unfortunate demise of the Congress candidate. The rescheduled date for the Karanpur election has been set for January 5, 2023.

Chief Minister and Deputies Lead Oath-Taking

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma led the oath-taking ceremony, followed by his two deputies, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa. While the majority of the members opted to take their oaths in Hindi, a few, including Congress MLA Zuber Khan and Independent MLA Yoonus Khan, chose to recite their oaths in Sanskrit. Several legislators expressed their desire to take the oath in Rajasthani, but Protem Speaker Kalicharan Saraf declined their requests, citing the exclusion of Rajasthani from Schedule Eight of the Constitution.

Remaining Oaths and Speaker Election

The MLAs who were absent from the first day of the session will be administered their oaths on Thursday. Additionally, the election for the post of speaker will also take place on Thursday, with the BJP nominating Vasudev Devnani for the position.

Congress Raises Objections, MLAs Arrive in Unique Attire

Shortly after the proceedings commenced, Congress MLA Shanti Dhariwal raised an objection regarding the short notice provided for the assembly session. Congress MLA Govind Singh Dotasra, who serves as the party's state unit chief, attempted to raise the issue of the suspended opposition MPs from Parliament, but his request was denied by the protem speaker.

Adding a touch of uniqueness to the proceedings, MLAs of the Bharat Adivasi Party arrived in traditional tribal attire, while Independent lawmaker Ritu Banawat made a grand entrance on a tractor. BJP MLA Jethanand Vyas chose to arrive on a motorcycle, capturing the attention of onlookers.

Nomination Papers Presented for Speaker Post

On Wednesday, Vasudev Devnani, the BJP's nominee for the speaker's position, presented five sets of nomination papers. The first set, presented before Assembly Principal Secretary Mahavir Prasad Sharma, featured Chief Minister Sharma's proposal, seconded by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. The second set included the proposal of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, seconded by Dotasra. The third set presented the proposal of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, seconded by Bharat Adivasi Party MLA Rajkumar Roat. In the fourth set, Diya Kumari's proposal was seconded by Independent MLA Chandrabhan Singh, while the fifth set showcased the proposal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MLA Hanuman Beniwal, seconded by Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Dr. Subhash Garg.

Party Standings in the Assembly

The BJP holds a majority in the 200-member House, with 115 MLAs. The Congress follows with 69 MLAs, while the Bharat Adivasi Party has three MLAs, the Bahujan Samaj Party has two, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party have one MLA each. Additionally, eight Independent members were elected, and one seat remains vacant.
Rajasthan CMs Mission: Affordable Electricity for All

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma sets the stage for an electricity revolution in the state. His vision includes affordable and reliable power supply, harnessing renewable energy, and educating the public about conservation. The goal is to transform Rajasthans electricity landscape for the benefit of its citizens.

India

-Krishna Kripa

Jaipur, December 20: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma asserted that providing affordable and uninterrupted electricity to the people of the state is a top priority for his government. He emphasized the need to formulate an action plan that considers long-term requirements in the energy sector.

Harnessing Renewable Energy Potential

During a review meeting of the energy department held at the Chief Minister's Office, Sharma highlighted the immense potential for renewable energy in Rajasthan. He instructed officials to prepare a detailed action plan addressing the demand and requirement of electricity in the state.

Promoting Energy Conservation

Recognizing the importance of energy conservation, the chief minister directed the energy department to launch a public awareness campaign to educate citizens about the need to save electricity. He stressed the significance of continuous monitoring of electricity supply and regular feedback from public representatives, departmental employees, and the general public.

Infrastructure Improvements

Sharma issued directives to enhance the state's power infrastructure. He called for improvements in power lines, installation of new transformers, and establishment of grid substations (GSS) to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity. Additionally, he emphasized the need for power companies to prioritize reducing power wastage and minimizing transmission losses.

Increasing Power Generation Capacity

To reduce the state's reliance on purchasing electricity from external sources, the chief minister directed officials to increase Rajasthan's power generation capacity. He instructed them to coordinate with the Chhattisgarh government and Coal India Limited to secure an adequate coal supply, thereby enabling the provision of electricity to the people of Rajasthan at the lowest possible price.

Key Attendees

The review meeting was attended by prominent officials, including Principal Secretary (Energy) Bhaskar A Sawant, Managing Director of the Rajasthan State Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited Ashutosh AT Pednekar, and other senior officials from the energy department.
Rashmika Mandanna's Deepfake Case: 4 Suspects Rounded Up, Hunt For Main Conspirator On

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Delhi Police on Wednesday interrogated four suspects in connection with the deep-fake video case involving Rashmika Mandanna, according to Times Now.

The said individuals are suspected of being the uploaders of the actress's deepfake video. They were questioned based on information provided by META, which identified three of the suspects.

However, they are not the creators of the controversial video which shocked the nation, last month. The Delhi Police is actively pursuing the creators of the video, and as of now, the primary conspirator remains untraceable.

A deepfake video is a manipulated clip in which a person's face or body features are digitally altered to resemble someone else. Such content is frequently used to disseminate false information or deceive the audience about a well-known individual.

Rashmika's viral video showed a woman dressed in a black workout onesie inside an elevator. Her face was edited using AI to resemble Mandanna.

However, the original clip featured social media influencer Zara Patel, and Mandanna's image was digitally edited onto it. The spread of such fabricated videos led to public calls for action against these misleading and fake videos in general and particularly against the one targeting Rashmika Mandanna.

The Delhi Police had sent a notice to Meta after registering a case related to the case on November 10 against unknown individuals. Even after two weeks, the cops have not found leads in the case. An FIR was registered under sections 465 (punishment for forgery) and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit of the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

Responding to the video, Rashmika said, "I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.

Raising concerns about the misuse of the technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned that deepfakes created by artificial intelligence can lead to a big crisis and stoke discontent in society, as he urged the media to raise awareness about its misuse and educate people.

"In a diverse society like ours, deepfakes can cause a big crisis and even stoke the fire of discontent as people generally trust anything associated with the media in the same way anyone clad in 'gedua' (saffron) tends to get respect from others.

"A new crisis is emerging due to deepfakes produced through artificial intelligence. There is a very big section of society which does not have a parallel verification system," PM Modi told journalists at a programme, last month.
Rourkela Diarrhoea Outbreak: Union Minister Appeals for Central Assistance

In response to a critical diarrhoea outbreak in Rourkela, Odisha, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called for immediate central assistance. With over 1,500 cases and six fatalities reported in just one week, the situation demands urgent attention. The suspected cause of the outbreak is water contamination, leading to severe health complications among the affected population.

India

-Krishna Kripa

In response to a severe outbreak of diarrhoea in Rourkela, Odisha, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has appealed for urgent central assistance to combat the situation. Over 1,500 cases of diarrhoea have been reported in the city within the past week, leading to the unfortunate deaths of at least six individuals.

Potential Cause and Affected Population

The primary cause of the outbreak is suspected to be water contamination, resulting in severe health complications among the affected population. The patients are receiving treatment at various hospitals in the city, including Rourkela Government Hospital, Ispat General Hospital, Medical College, Sundargarh, and private hospitals.

Government Response and Measures

The state government has taken prompt action to address the outbreak. Health Secretary Shalini Pandit and Housing and Urban Development Secretary G Mathivathanan visited the hospitals where the patients are undergoing treatment. Awareness campaigns have been initiated, and efforts to purify water and inspect food have been intensified.

Gradual Improvement and Ongoing Efforts

While the number of new cases is no longer increasing, the situation is gradually improving. The government is committed to controlling and addressing the outbreak effectively. Union Minister Pradhan's request for central assistance underscores the importance of collaborative efforts to safeguard public health and provide necessary support to the affected areas.
Three Criminal Law Bills Approved In Lok Sabha Even As 97 MPs Remain Suspended

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three revised criminal law bills with the objective of revamping the country's criminal justice system and establishing a framework aligned with Indian principles of justice.

These bills-Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita aimed to supplant the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita aimed to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, and Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita intended to substitute the Indian Evidence Act.

Despite controversy, the Lower House approved these bills while 97 MPs were absent due to suspension earlier in the week.

Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, presented the bills in the Lok Sabha, criticizing the existing criminal laws for mirroring colonial perspectives that prioritize punishment over justice.

67 MPs Suspended From Lok Sabha And Rajya Sabha; Here's How Social Media Users Reacted

He emphasized that the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, would supplant the Indian Penal Code, aiming to pivot towards a system focused on justice rather than just punishment, aligning with the ethos of the Constitution.

Shah asserted that these new laws strive to establish a justice system rooted in Indian ideologies, breaking away from colonial influences. The bills passed through the Lok Sabha via voice vote.

Highlighting the challenges faced by the underprivileged in accessing justice due to financial constraints and delays in the judicial system, Shah mentioned that the new laws aim to address these issues by providing clarity.

The proposed laws eliminated sedition as a crime, introducing a section on "offences against the state," along with a defined framework for terrorism. Notably, the legislation proposed the death penalty for mob lynching.

Originally introduced during the Monsoon Session of Parliament and later withdrawn, Amit Shah reintroduced the revised bills in the Lok Sabha last week, leading to their recent passage.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 19:33 [IST]
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekistan and Qatar will organize the first meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission in 2024 in February 2024 in Doha, Trend reports.

The news followed a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Tashkent.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of further strengthening political dialogue, expanding trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

The heads of states acknowledged the ongoing robust interactions and exchanges across various echelons. In 2023, diplomatic missions have been established in the cities of Tashkent and Doha, underscoring a commitment to diplomatic ties.

Special attention is paid to the promotion of new joint investment projects, in particular in the fields of "green" energy, industry, agriculture, infrastructure development, banking and financial sector, education, healthcare, and tourism.

Meanwhile, in June 2023, as a result of the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Samarkand, the countries reached an agreement on the participation of leading Qatari companies in the implementation of investment projects in Uzbekistan with a total value of $12 billion.

In 2022, trade turnover between our countries amounted to $4.8 million.
Kerala Police Book Opposition Leader VD Satheesan for Youth Congress March Violence

The Kerala Police have filed a case against Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan for his alleged involvement in the violence that occurred during a Youth Congress march to the state secretariat. Satheesan has been accused of attacking the police and causing damage to public property.

India

-Krishna Kripa

In a significant development, the Kerala Police have registered a case against Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, making him the primary accused in connection with the violence that erupted during a Youth Congress march to the state secretariat on Wednesday. The Congress leader faces serious charges under non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly attacking the police and participating in the destruction of public property during the protest.

Charges Against Satheesan

According to the police, Satheesan has been accused of leading a group of around 300 Youth Congress activists, including its chief Rahul Mamkootathil, former president Shafi Parambil MLA, and M Vincent MLA, in a violent confrontation with the police. The incident occurred during a protest organized by the Youth Congress against alleged attacks on its members and Kerala Student Union (KSU) members who had shown black flags to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Satheesan's Response

In response to the police action, Satheesan took to social media to express his amusement at the charges against him. In a sarcastic Facebook post, he wrote, "Please tell the Chief Minister that I have got scared." This response highlights the escalating tensions between the opposition and the ruling government in Kerala.

Background of the Protest

The Youth Congress march was organized in response to a series of alleged attacks on its members and KSU members across districts during the state government's Nava Kerala Sadas outreach program. Satheesan, while addressing the march, issued a stern warning to the police, demanding action against those responsible for the attacks on Youth Congress workers. He threatened retaliation if the police failed to take appropriate measures.

Chief Minister's Accusations

In response to the protest and Satheesan's statements, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the opposition leader of attempting to disrupt the peace and incite violence against the government and its outreach program. Vijayan claimed that Satheesan, through his speech outside the secretariat, repeatedly encouraged Youth Congress activists to retaliate, effectively calling for violence against the government and its initiatives.

Escalating Tensions in Kerala

The incident involving VD Satheesan and the Youth Congress march has further escalated tensions between the opposition and the ruling government in Kerala. The registration of a case against the Leader of Opposition underscores the seriousness of the situation and raises concerns about the potential for further confrontations and unrest in the state.
Canadian PM Trudeau Notes India's 'Tonal Shift' Amid US Allegation Of Pannun Plot

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that the relationship between India and Canada has experienced what he described as 'a tonal shift' following the accusation by the US against an Indian government employee for allegedly soliciting someone to hire an assassin to kill separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. During an interview with CBC, Trudeau noted a recognition that "they can't bluster their way through this."

Trudeau has alleged the involvement of unidentified Indian agents in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has vehemently denied these allegations and demanded evidence from Ottawa.

"In my opinion, there is a nascent realization that they cannot simply use forceful talk to navigate through this issue, and there is an inclination toward collaboration that might have been less apparent earlier," Trudeau shared in his conversation with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Canada Updates Rules For International Students: Read Details

"There's an understanding that perhaps continually launching attacks against Canada won't resolve this issue," he added.

According to a US indictment, Indian officials purportedly offered $100,000 to an individual named Nikhil Gupta to contract an assassin to eliminate Pannun in New York.

While India dismissed Canada's accusation, it acknowledged taking the indictment seriously.

Trudeau further expressed Canada's reluctance to engage in conflict with India while China consolidates its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

"At present, we do not desire to engage in a dispute with India over this matter. We aspire to pursue that trade agreement. We aim to advance the Indo-Pacific strategy," he stated.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized India's commitment to the rule of law. However, he highlighted that a few incidents would not derail the US-India relationship.

"If anyone provides us with information, we will certainly investigate it," Modi stated. "If any of our citizens have done anything, whether good or bad, we are prepared to investigate. Our commitment is to uphold the rule of law."

Expressing deep concern about the activities of certain extremist groups situated abroad, Modi conveyed to the financial daily, "Under the guise of freedom of expression, these elements have engaged in intimidation and incited violence."

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 23:09 [IST]
Switzerland Takes Steps to Ban Racist Symbols and Gestures

Switzerlands upper house of parliament has voted to ban the use of racist symbols and gestures that promote violence or extremism, including Nazi symbols. The measure now moves to the lower house for consideration.

International

-Sathish Raman

In a significant move, Switzerland's upper house of parliament has taken steps towards banning the use of racist symbols that condone violent or extremist behavior. This includes speech, gestures, and the display of flags that incite hatred, as well as the public wearing of symbols reminiscent of Nazi tyranny in Europe.

Council of States Votes in Favor of Proposal

The Council of States, Switzerland's upper house of parliament, voted 23-16, with three abstentions, on a proposal that aims to criminalize displays of such symbols and gestures in public spaces. Lawmakers acknowledged the need to further define the scope and limitations of the legislation.

Joining European Neighbors in Combating Hate Speech

If passed, this measure would align Switzerland with several European countries that have implemented similar bans against incitement to hatred. The legislative effort has been in progress for months, but it gains urgency in light of the recent rise in antisemitism across Europe, particularly following Israel's military response in Gaza after Hamas's deadly assault in October.

Balancing Education and Awareness with a Full Ban

Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, who heads the federal justice and police department, emphasized during a parliamentary hearing that there is no place for symbols that apologize for violence in society. She acknowledged the "tragic creativity" employed by some individuals to incite violence, hatred, or recognition of Nazi symbols.

However, she also recognized the potential educational and awareness-raising value of such symbols in a cultural context, making a full ban challenging to implement. Lawmakers agreed that Swiss judges should retain some level of oversight in adjudicating cases involving these symbols.

Earlier Proposal Focused on Nazi Symbols

It is worth noting that an earlier legislative proposal this year, which focused solely on banning Nazi symbols, was rejected. The current proposal takes a broader approach by encompassing a wider range of racist symbols and gestures that promote violence or extremism.

Switzerland's move to ban racist symbols is a significant step in combating hate speech and promoting social harmony. As the proposal moves to the lower house, the National Council, it will be closely scrutinized and debated to ensure a balanced approach that safeguards freedom of expression while preventing the spread of harmful ideologies.
Was There A Missed Warning Before The China Earthquake?

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Chinese scientists had foreseen the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Gansu hours before its devastating impact, yet they couldn't pinpoint its exact location, as per a report. Over 120 lives have been claimed by the temblor centered in Jishishan. Although earthquake prediction remains elusive, researchers in Shaanxi, China, have developed a method that successfully forecasted all earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher over the past decade, according to the South China Morning Post.

Despite their ability to forecast such seismic events, the scientists were unable to determine the precise locations. By employing advanced, high-precision equipment to monitor the Earth's gravitational field at low frequencies, these experts hunt for anomalies in gravitational waves, indicating an impending earthquake.

Regarding the Gansu earthquake, did they have any prior knowledge? Scientists affirmed that they received a text alert about abnormal data readings from multiple sensors, signaling the approaching earthquake. Assessing the situation, they estimated a high probability of the earthquake hitting within three to five days with a magnitude around 6.27.

After Weeks Of Intense Earthquake Activity, Volcano Erupts In Iceland: Will It Affect Air Traffic?

Zhang Maoshen expressed surprise at the closeness of the event, whereas Liu Huaqiang, a professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian, noted that as sensors were dispersed across different cities, the anomalous waves were nearly simultaneous.

While recognizing the seismic precursor, Liu stated, "The only aspect we cannot determine is the location."

Did they issue early warnings? The China Earthquake Early Warning Network swiftly dispatched text alerts within 30 seconds of the earthquake's occurrence in areas near the epicenter of the Gansu quake, with those closest receiving warnings in just 12 seconds.

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 19:08 [IST]
From Supercomputers To Cyborg Minds: The Rise Of Deepsouth

Technology

oi-Oneindia English Desk

While reading this article your brain tucked inside the skull, is processing information rapidly. Our brain can perform the equivalent of an exaflop - a billion-billion (1 followed by 18 zeros) mathematical operations per second. As computing technology advances rapidly, a persistent question arises: Could a machine ever surpass the intelligence of the human brain? The thoughts gained momentum after the supercomputer Deep Blue triumphed over Gary Kasparov in 1997, marking the defeat of a reigning world chess champion by a computer.

Countdown To 2024: Supercomputer That Will Match The Human Brain

Now scientists in Australia are all set to unveil DeepSouth, which is the world's first supercomputer capable of simulating networks at the scale of the human brain. It was designed by IBM, which made the Deep Blue.

DeepSouth stands out due to its unique design that mimics the biological processes of neurons. The synthetic brain operates with 228 trillion virtual neurons, each having the capacity for a million synaptic operations per second.

That's like juggling more thoughts than there are stars in the Milky Way - mind-blowing stuff. DeepSouth is set to become operational by April 2024.

Machine To Mimic The Human Brain

Ever wonder how our brain works? Picture it like a super-smart team of tiny messengers called neurons. They chat using electrical signals and secret handshakes called synapses. These synapses are like little switches that shape our thoughts and feelings. Replicating the brain's functioning isn't just about making a giant computer. It's about understanding how neurons talk, learn, and share information. Scientists use special chips, train software, and even grow mini-brains in labs to unravel the secrets of how nuerons talk, learn, and share information.

Deepsouth: Sufficient Supercomputer

The human brain is also an amazingly energy-efficient device that uses only 20 watts of power. However, supercomputers are notorious for their high power usage. DeepSouth boasts a crucial benefit: its capacity for high-speed, extensive parallel processing with significantly lower power consumption. Emulating the efficiency of the human brain, it rapidly handles massive data loads on a more compact scale compared to other supercomputers.

Evolution Of Supercomputers Into Super Brains

Today's supercomputers could pave the way for advanced artificial brains tomorrow. While the idea of creating cyborg brains creates less-than-pleasant images, as depicted in science-fiction novels & movies.

However, researchers developing the DeepSouth are aiming to understand our brains better. Instead of simply outperforming natural brains, they seek insights into the efficient functioning of our minds.

Quantum Leap In Cyborg Intelligence

Picture activating a robot that is equipped with a DeepSouth brain. This cyborg could possess human-like thinking, learning, and emotions, potentially outperforming us in certain aspects. It could tackle intricate problems using exaflop operations, equivalent to a quintillion calculations per second-enough to sift through entire libraries in an instant. However, wielding such capability raises significant ethical questions.

Should these artificial minds be granted rights? Could they go rogue?

DeepSouth will be a practical platform for neuroscientists aiming to delve into a deeper understanding of brain functioning and explore ways to replicate some of its efficient processes and potentially even its consciousness. But what will happen when scientists decide to bless the new machine with artificial intelligence?

That's a thought you can linger on, and share your views in the comments column.
More Melbourne councils have passed motions calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, despite criticism from Jewish groups and dissenting councillors.
A Sydney crime gang has been pulled apart after allegedly killing an innocent man, and injuring a couple in a nearby car, in a callous shooting.
The raids were part of a probe into allegations that members of the group Zora were using emblems of the PFLP, which Israel, the EU and the US have designated a terrorist organization.
Lawmakers from Poland's former government have protested moves by the new administration to make media more impartial. The ousted PiS was widely accused of curbing media freedom during its time in power.
The former owner of Premier League club Chelsea had his EU funds frozen and was banned from traveling within the bloc for his role in the Russian steel company Evraz.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. As long as the opposite parties (the US and Western countries) return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and fulfill their obligations, Iran will also fulfill its obligations, said Mohammad Eslami, Vice President of Iran and Chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Trend reports.

He spoke to reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet of Iran in Tehran on December 20.

According to Eslami, the JCPOA counterparties should also fulfill their obligations to Iran. Because while Iran fulfilled its obligations, they did not fulfill their obligations.

Eslami added that the main goal of the JCPOA was the removal of sanctions. Opposite parties should lift sanctions against Iran and avoid scandals.

"Iran is currently taking steps within the framework of the strategic action plan adopted by the Iranian parliament. However, the opposite parties are making accusations against Iran. However, they know that these accusations do not reflect reality," he said.

Commenting on Iran's joint statement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the vice president of Iran noted that three issues were mentioned in the agreement reached between Iran and the IAEA in March.

The first issue is that Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is within the framework of the nuclear non-proliferation convention (NPT) and controls.

The second issue is that the parties should cooperate with each other regarding the allegations made regarding the existence of enriched uranium materials in Iran's nuclear program.

The third issue is that Iran and IAEA should define a road map in the direction of advancing joint programs on the two issues mentioned above," he said.

On March 4, 2023, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed a statement on collaboration on Iran's nuclear program.

Recently, some world media reports cited the IAEA as saying that Irans 60 percent enriched uranium reserves had increased from 6.7 kg to 128 kg.

Irans nuclear program was the subject of the JCPOA, a deal signed by Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) on January 16, 2016. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and imposed new sanctions on Iran as of November 2018.

Iran claims that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA has reported that Iran has increased its highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months and now has 4,745 kilograms of enriched uranium. This is 15 times more than the amount allowed for Iran in the JCPOA.

Iran has been trying to resume talks with the other parties on its nuclear issue and revive the JCPOA. The main goals of Iran are to end the sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, access funds frozen abroad, and resume its crude oil exports.

In late 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to implement a strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran. According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the nuclear deal. As a result, the control mechanism of the IAEA decreased by 2030 percent.

---

Follow the author on X (Twitter):@BaghishovElnur
After a rise in attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis, the world's largest shipping firms are staying away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Will we see another supply chain crisis?
Colin Armstrong, 78, from North Yorkshire, had been taken hostage from his farm near Guayaquil.
Hamas's leader is in Egypt to discuss a potential deal that could see more Israeli hostages released.
Twice now Germany has abstained in a vote in the UN General Assembly that called for a cease-fire in the Middle East. Many countries around the world are infuriated by this.
The US has requested a delay in a UN Security Council session on Gaza aid deliveries to allow for talks with Egypt. Meanwhile, the Hamas government says the death toll in Gaza has reached 20,000. DW has more.
The US secretary of state has suggested there should be stronger international calls for Hamas to surrender in its war with Israel.
A team from Israel Builders Association visited India last week to recruit workers for the construction industry. Another delegation will leave for India next week to continue the recruitment process. The selection process will begin in Delhi and Chennai on December 27. The goal is to bring in 10,000 workers initially, with the potential to scale up to 30,000. The construction industry in Israel is facing a shortage of workers, and the government is looking to bring in workers from abroad to meet the demand.
John Kirby told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that "Operation Prosperity Guardian" will counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
When Zionist militias, using advanced Western arms, conquered historic Palestine in 1947-48, they expressed their victory through the deliberate humiliation of Palestinians. Knowing how the dishonor of females brings, according to Arab culture, a sense of dishonor to the whole community, much of that humiliation targeted women in...
Israel carried out fresh airstrikes Tuesday along with its ground campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, while the United States mobilized allies to protect shipping lanes in the Red Sea from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.



The Israeli military said Tuesday its latest targets included compounds used by Hamas,...
Russian media spread fake news about the liquidation of Oleg Bildaev, a writer from the town of Dyatkovo, in Ukraine. Bryansk publicists published an obituary that stated that the Russian had been fatally wounded and added a photo of Norwegian musician Varg Vikernes, who was serving a 16-year prison sentence for murder.

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The disinformation was refuted by their own colleagues, who said that no one in Dyatkovo knew of a volunteer with that name. Moreover, no one had read his books either.

The original source of the fake was the public group "Overheard in Dyatkovo," where a certain writer was "buried" without disclosing the details of his death and the direction of his service.

The deceased was called "honest and good" and explained that he was a volunteer. However, not even a photo of the Russian was found.

Instead, for some reason, the Russian media began publishing an old photo of Varg Vikernes, a Norwegian musician and murderer who openly supports Russia and criticizes Europe and NATO. After the musician was released in 2009, he wrote that "the USSR had no right to give Crimea to Ukraine."

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In 2021, Vikernes was added to the database of the Peacemaker Center for anti-Ukrainian propaganda. It is not explained why his face "graced" articles about the murdered writer.

However, the Russian media asked a local journalist whether such an author existed at all, and received a negative answer.

"Our colleagues have once again blown a frog through a straw. Although there is a penalty for fake news, the valiant law enforcement agencies and Roskomnadzor shyly look away," the fake news exposers wrote.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that a 37-year-old Russian director and choreographer of the Ryazan Musical Theater Alexander Saprunov was killed in the war in Ukraine. Read more details here.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
The head of Hamas was due in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a fresh ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel said it was willing to agree to another pause in exchange for more hostages.
"the effectiveness of managing a large bureaucracy isn't solely determined by its size but by the leadership, organizational structures, policies, and practices in place."



- BD3 Candidate Andreas Farmakalidis



Andreas Farmakalidis

(Image by Carl J. Petersen) Details DMCA



Andreas Farmakalidis is the first of the potential LAUSD candidates to participate in all three editions of my ongoing Candidate Forum series. In past months he has answered questions about PROP-39 Co-Locations and Special Education. This month Farmakalidis was asked five questions about how the District is governed. For the introduction to this subject along with answers from other candidates, please see the article LAUSD Candidate Forum: Governance.

The following are the candidate's responses, printed exactly how he provided them with the exception of some minor formatting edits:

Would you agree with the statement: "The elected LAUSD Board is responsible for setting policy. The job of the Superintendent is to ensure that the bureaucracy follows this policy."? YES

The LAUSD Board of Education, comprised of elected members, acts as the policymaking body for the district. They deliberate, decide, and set the direction for the district's educational strategies, goals, and resource allocations. This can include decisions on budget priorities, curriculum changes, school policies, and initiatives aimed at improving student outcomes and educational equity.

In contrast, the superintendent serves as the district's top executive, responsible for translating the board's policies into actionable plans and initiatives. They oversee the day-to-day operations, manage district personnel, allocate resources, and ensure that the schools and administrative offices effectively execute the established policies and directives. The superintendent often collaborates with various stakeholders, including teachers, principals, parents, and community members, to implement the board's vision while navigating challenges and fostering a conducive learning environment for students.

Do you agree with the statement: "The bureaucracy of the LAUSD is too big to be managed effectively."? NO

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the United States, serving a vast number of students, each with unique needs and backgrounds. Managing such a large bureaucracy comes with inherent complexities.

Challenges in overseeing a large system like the LAUSD might include issues related to coordination among numerous schools, administrative offices, and personnel spread across a wide geographical area. Communication, decision-making processes, and resource allocation can become intricate due to the sheer scale of operations.

However, the effectiveness of managing a large bureaucracy isn't solely determined by its size but by the leadership, organizational structures, policies, and practices in place. Strategies to streamline operations, allocate resources efficiently, foster communication, and adapt to changing educational needs can enhance the management of a large system like the LAUSD. Continuous evaluation and improvement are crucial to addressing challenges and ensuring that the district effectively serves its students, educators, and communities.

Do you think that the evaluation of the Superintendent's job performance is something that the school board should do in full view of the public? YES

Yes! The evaluation of the Superintendent's job performance by the school board is a critical aspect of ensuring effective leadership within a school district like the Los Angeles Unified School District. This evaluation typically involves assessing the Superintendent's achievements, adherence to district goals, leadership qualities, management of resources, and overall effectiveness in executing the board's policies and directives.

Conducting this evaluation transparently, such as in open board meetings or through publicly shared reports, fosters accountability to the community. It allows stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, and the general public, to understand how the district's top executive is performing in their role. Transparency in this process also helps build trust and confidence in the district's governance by demonstrating a commitment to openness and accountability in evaluating the Superintendent's contributions and effectiveness in serving the educational needs of the community.

Should the number of Board Districts be increased beyond the existing seven? Leaning towards YES

The number of Board Districts within the Los Angeles Unified School District has significant implications for representation and governance. Factors such as population shifts, demographic changes, and the need for equitable representation influence discussions about potentially increasing the number of districts.

As the district's population grows and evolves, there might be considerations for additional districts to ensure that each area receives fair and adequate representation. A larger number of districts could potentially lead to more localized representation, allowing board members to focus more closely on the unique needs of their respective communities.

However, altering the number of districts requires careful analysis. It involves considerations regarding the impact on the overall efficiency of governance, the allocation of resources, the potential for increased administrative costs, and maintaining a balanced and fair representation of diverse communities within the district.

Stakeholder engagement, community input, and comprehensive studies are vital in assessing whether an increase in Board Districts is warranted and how it might affect the district's ability to serve its students effectively.

Always keep in mind that priority is our kids and the best for the district therefore by adding more districts, the board members would likely have a better focus on addressing the unique challenges and concerns of individual neighborhoods or regions. This localized approach might lead to more targeted solutions and policies that cater directly to the diverse needs of various communities within the larger district.

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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Golda Meir (previous Prime Minister of Israel) was reputed to have said "we would rather be feared than loved". This is actually in short a sum of the colonial Zionist mentality. They wanted the remaining indigenous people of Palestine to fear them. That is why in April 1948 after committing the massacre of Deir Yassin, the Zionist militias paraded some survivors and used loudspeakers to announce to other villages that if you do not leave your villages we will do the same to you. Panic set in and indeed many people left (still 33 massacres were committed during that first phase of the Nakba). Today 8 million Palestinians are refugees or displaced people. If you really want to understand the ferocity of the genocide unfolding you really need to understand this psychology of Zionists and their main weakness. The erosion of the fear factor of the "invincible" army (supported by the US) began to be shattered in that first real war in 1973 where Syrian and Egyptian armies actually fought back to reclaim their stolen lands (Golan and Sinai). If it was not for an air bridge from the US, Israel would have had to comply with international law and return both unconditionally. The fear factor seemed temporarily restored and Egypt signed the first shameful conditional and cold "peace" (1/3rd of the Sinai is still technically occupied and not under Egyptian sovereignty). But that also showed that no matter how much weapons the US supplied Israel, it remained a dependent state.

That slippery slope led the PLO to also change direction and listen to the likes of Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) that argued you cannot win against Isr ael so you need to go for a diplomatic track. From the 10 point program of 1974 to the "declaration" of a state of Palestine in exile (1988) to the Oslo surrender agreements, those leaders succumbed to their fears. As the world continues to ignore the plight of the Palestinian refugees and those who live under Israeli prolonged occupation/colonization, new leaders arose and so did new resistance movements that are more Islamic in their outlook who showed no fear of the touted strength of the Israeli military. As predicted by many analysts before (me included), as long as colonization and oppression remain, resistance will grow.

The Israeli invasion and destruction of Lebanon in 1982 was intended to restore the fear factor. Again the US came to Israel's rescue but it was too late then, the Islamic resistance forces in Lebanon forced both the US and Israel out of Lebanon (Lebanon became Israel's Vietnam for 18 years till they were kicked out in 2000). In the past three decades, every military adventure Israel engaged in resulted in defeat (not achieving what Israel wanted at the beginning of the campaign). This is clear and testified to by all expert military analysts. But in all these campaigns the Israeli mentality of swing fear by killing large numbers of civilians remained. In 2000-2005, 2006, 2008/9, 2021, and in 2023. This last campaign was by far the most bloody: Israel committed over 1900 massacres killing over 20,000 and injuring over 54,000 and leveling most of Gaza. But again this was to sow fear which can prevent acts of resistance from an occupied oppressed people. Fear was also used to silence those who advocate human rights. Calling anybody who speaks against racism/Zionism an anti-Semite and criminalizing calls to Free Palestine. It has not worked and will not work. Israel would have to kill all 15 million Palestinians to have pacification. The fact is that the resistance grows rather than diminishes. Meanwhile the Israeli forces in Gaza are taking massive casualties despite the advanced US supplies and significantly the empire of lies that helped Israel get created on top of Palestine in 1948 is tumbling (see palestineremembered.com and ongaza.org).

Reading history of other countries and even history of the last few campaigns by Israel would show this. The reverse has happened: the fear factor among the Israeli colonial settlers is growing. There is a growth in boycotts campaigns for US and Israeli products (see bdsmovement.net). The Israeli government actually feeds it by exaggerating what the resistance does (claims of beheaded babies etc) and even what the resistance wants (claims of wanting to simply kill all Jews). Right wing politicians love this as it keeps them in power. But trying to sustain colonialism by technical means and by massacres will eventually become more costly than ending colonialism (see Algeria, Vietnam, South Africa etc). We will not be intimidated or silenced.

Join us: Poets, writers, scholars, organizers, and others including the collective at ArabLit are calling for a "Fast for Gaza" beginning December 21, 2023, from sunrise to sunset, which will continue every Thursday until a permanent ceasefire. click here We remember the starving in Gaza

Israel's latest weapon against Palestine is Egypt's debt: Will Egypt agree to take in the Palestinian population expelled from Gaza in exchange for the cancellation of its external debt? click here

Stay Human and keep Palestine alive

Mazin Qumsiyeh A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine siyeh.org estinenature.org facebook pages Personal .facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9 Institute .facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH
DALLAS - QualiZeal Inc., a leading independent digital quality engineering services company, proudly welcomes seasoned industry luminary Walter Carter to its esteemed Business Advisory Board. This strategic move aims to leverage Carter's transformative leadership experience in the banking and financial sector as QualiZeal fortifies its position as a leader in the digital transformation landscape. With a distinguished career spanning three decades of change leadership, Walt is renowned for successfully spearheading complex 
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Portland police said Tuesday theyre investigating the suspicious death of a man found dead by workers in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood.

People working nearby found the mans body about 1:50 p.m. Tuesday at Southeast Linn Street and 19th Avenue, police said.

Homicide detectives are investigating due to suspicious circumstances at the scene, police said in a statement, but didnt elaborate. An autopsy will determine the cause of death, they said.

Police asked anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Jeff Sharp at Jeff.Sharp@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-9773 or Detective Jeff McGuire at Jeff.McGuire@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-326692.
About 9,000 Portland Public Schools students missed school Monday, a spokesperson said, meaning 20% of the districts 43,000 students werent present.

The district informed families last week it would excuse student absences this week. The five days starting Monday were originally slated as the first half of a two-week winter break but subsequently reclaimed as instructional time to help make up for 11 school days lost during the Portland teacher strike. Students now begin winter break on Dec. 23.

Absences of both students and educators are expected to climb over the course of the week, potentially stressing the school system as administrators scramble to get enough adults in buildings to keep them running smoothly. At least 1,067 educators  nearly one-third of teachers and other members of the Portland Association of Teachers  requested leave this week.

District officials and one principal say the make-up week started well. On Monday, about 85% of educators showed up to work, the district said, and the vast majority of those who didnt were covered by subs.

Educator attendance dropped somewhat on Tuesday. More than 630 educators, or roughly 17% of the teachers unions 3,600 members, were absent, district spokesperson Sydney Kelly said. The district managed to secure just 478 substitutes, which meant some 158 educator positions went unstaffed or had to be filled by central office workers, fellow teachers or other helpers.

Still, district administrators did not close any buildings nor did any schools experience significant disruptions because of the staffing shortages on Monday or Tuesday, Kelly said.

Philip Rafferty, principal of Duniway Elementary in Southeast Portland, said student absences there echoed the districts broader numbers. About 20% of his schools 410 students were absent on Tuesday and six of its educators were gone. All of the teacher absences at his school, with one of the lowest student poverty rates districtwide, were filled with substitutes, he said.

Districtwide, Rafferty said, it sounded like most substitute jobs were filled, though he heard some schools faced challenges finding enough workers to fill in for absent paraprofessionals.

I think we have a lot of experience because of COVID, and the district went ahead and tried to incentivize working as substitutes, Rafferty said.

Substitutes are being paid more than their usual rate to help this week, Kelly said. In Raffertys school thats caused a bit of tension, particularly among members of the Portland Federation of School Professionals union, which represents teacher aides and paraprofessionals. Those workers are getting paid for five extra work days this year but theyre making just their normal hourly rate.

It sank morale a bit, Rafferty said.

Friday will be the real test, Rafferty said. His school has 16 teachers, seven of whom will be out on Friday. He asked his teachers to tell him early if theyd be gone and to line up substitutes. A secretary position will be unfilled for half a day Friday. The school will also be missing a paraeducator that day, and Rafferty said he plans to fill in himself.

Raffertys school has put an emphasis on getting as much teaching and learning done this week as possible  with some breaks Monday for festive crafts  though he expects the end of the week will loosen up. The make-up days are critical for the Portland Public Schools system, Rafferty said, though less important for elementary pupils than for high schoolers who need to accumulate credits to graduate and prepare for rigorous pre-college tests.

Duniways youngest readers are behind schedule because of the teacher strike, Rafferty said. Kindergartners work to learn and unlock letters one at a time, he said, and when theyre done they put on a letter fashion show. Last year students had unlocked their letters by Nov. 30 for an early December fashion show, he said. This year, Rafferty expects kindergartners to finish unlocking letters in time for an early January fashion show instead.

Were behind in that and its nobodys fault  But it makes more of a hustle, Rafferty said. Were going to have to really assess in January where there are gaps and maybe do some strategic intervention work to ensure that students dont have gaps in terms of letters and sounds.

Parents, teachers or students who want to chime in on how things are going this week are welcome to call reporter Sami Edge at (503) 260-3430.
GRAND COUNTY, Colorado  Somewhere on a remote mountainside in Colorados Rockies, a latch flipped on a crate and a wolf bounded out, heading toward the tree line. Then it stopped short.

For a moment, the young female looked back at its audience of roughly 45 people who stared on in reverential silence. Then she disappeared into the forest.

She was one of five gray wolves, all from Oregon, that wildlife officials released in a remote part of Colorados Rocky Mountains on Monday to kick off a voter-approved reintroduction program that was embraced in the states mostly Democratic urban corridor but staunchly opposed in conservative rural areas where ranchers worry about attacks on livestock.

The wolves were set free from crates in a Grand County location that state officials kept undisclosed to protect the predators.

It marked the start of the most ambitious wolf reintroduction effort in the U.S. in almost three decades and a sharp departure from aggressive efforts by Republican-led states to cull wolf packs. A judge on Friday night had denied a request from the states cattle industry for a temporary delay to the release.

The group watched as the first two wolves  1-year-old male and female siblings with gray fur  were set free. The male bolted up the golden grass, running partially sideways to keep an eye on everyone behind, then turning left into the trees.

The crowd watched in silence, then some hugged each other and low murmurs started up.

When the latch on the second crate flipped, the wolf didnt budge. Everyone waited as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis peeked into the cage.

After roughly 30 seconds, those around the crates stepped back, giving the wolf space. The female slowly rose then bounded up a snowy divot in the dirt road, looking back before disappearing into an aspen grove.

Wolves have larger-than-life places in human imagination, in the stories we all grew up with and tell each other, said Polis. To see them in their natural habitat, and turn around look curiously at us ... is really, really a special moment that I will treasure for my entire life.

The other three wolves released were another pair of 1-year-old male and female siblings, as well a 2-year-old male. The wolves were all caught in Oregon on Sunday.

When the final crate opened, the 2-year-old male with a black coat immediately darted out, making a sharp right past onlookers and dashing into the trees. He didnt look back once.

When it all ended, a small round of applause broke out.

A female wolf pup is seen in North Park, Colorado, in this February 2022 photograph. A handful of the predators have wandered into Colorado from Wyoming in recent years. ( Eric Odell/Colorado Parks and Wildlife via AP)AP

Colorado officials anticipate releasing 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years in hopes the program starts to fill in one of the last remaining major gaps in the western U.S. for the species. Gray wolves historically ranged from northern Canada to the desert southwest.

The carnivores planned release in Colorado, voted for in a 2020 ballot measure, has sharpened divides between rural and urban residents. City and suburb dwellers largely voted to reintroduce the apex predators into the rural areas where prey can include livestock that help drive local economies and big game such as elk that are prized by hunters.

The reintroduction, starting with the release of up to 10 wolves in coming months, emerged as a political wedge issue when GOP-dominated Wyoming, Idaho and Montana refused to share their wolves for the effort. Colorado officials ultimately turned to another Democratic state  Oregon  to secure wolves.

Excited wildlife advocates have started a wolf-naming contest, but ranchers in the Rocky Mountains where the releases will occur are anxious. Theyve seen glimpses of what the future could hold as a handful of wolves that wandered down from Wyoming over the past two years killed livestock.

The fear is such attacks will worsen, adding to a spate of perceived assaults on western Colorados rural communities as the states liberal leaders embrace clean energy and tourism, eclipsing economic mainstays such as fossil fuel extraction and agriculture.

To allay livestock industry fears, ranchers who lose livestock or herding and guard animals to wolf attacks will be paid fair market value, up to $15,000 per animal.

Hunting groups also have raised concerns that wolves will reduce the size of elk herds and other big game animals that the predators eat.

Meanwhile, Colorado residents who backed the reintroduction are going to have to get used to wildlife agents killing wolves that prey on livestock.

Some wolves were already killed when they crossed from Colorado into Wyoming, which has a predatory zone for wolves covering most of the state in which they can be shot on sight.

Joanna Lambert, professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said she lost her breath when she saw the wolves gallop into the woods on Monday.

For years, Lambert and wolf advocates have been working to get wolf paws on the ground and all the sudden, it happened.

This is a moment of rewilding, Lambert said, of doing something to stave off the biodiversity extinction crisis we are living in.

Correction: This article and headline were corrected to say all five wolves were from Oregon.
An Oregon court on Wednesday delivered a blow to Oregons signature Climate Protection Program, invalidating it over the states failure to follow rule-making requirements.

The program mandates ever-increasing cuts in emissions from the states natural gas utilities, suppliers of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and propane and large industrial plants.

Oregons three gas utilities, an oil-industry group and a dozen other local trade organizations had challenged the programs rules last year, aiming to block them.

The Oregon Court of Appeals found that the Environmental Quality Commission, the policy and rule-making board for the states Department of Environmental Quality, did not meet heightened disclosure requirements.

The requirements come into play when the state adopts rules that apply to industries that must obtain a so-called Title V air permit, reserved for major sources of air pollution.

The Climate Protection Program  approved by the commission in December 2021  calls for graduated cuts in emissions from the states natural gas utilities and fuel suppliers. It also requires existing and proposed large industrial facilities to reduce carbon pollution through the best available emissions reductions approaches.

The goal, under the program rules, is for fossil fuel suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. Large industrial plants must also aim for 50% reductions by 2035. The program went into effect in January 2022.

The legal challenge to the program involves three separate lawsuits filed against the Environmental Quality Commission: one by NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista; another filed by the Western States Petroleum Association; and one filed by a coalition that includes the Oregon Business & Industry, a statewide trade association, and groups representing farming, logging, manufacturing and other interests.

Oregon law allows a direct petition to the Court of Appeals to determine the validity of a rule or program approved by the state.

The state Attorney Generals Office is deciding whether to ask the Oregon Supreme Court to review the opinion, said spokesman Roy Kaufmann.

The Department of Environmental Quality said in a statement that its leaders are talking through next steps with state lawyers.

DEQ is confident the Environmental Quality Commission has authority to adopt and enforce the Climate Protection Program, and this does not deter us in ensuring this program is fully implemented, the statement said.

In court, lawyers for the utilities and trade group had argued that the state cannot regulate their emissions and that the Climate Protection Program would reduce the amount of available fuel in the state. They also challenged the states compliance with the disclosure requirements.

They argued that the notice of proposed rulemaking in the secretary of states bulletin omitted any statement regarding whether the rules exceed federal requirements on Title V plants, any description of the alternatives considered and any explanation why those alternatives were rejected. They also said other forms of notice failed to include the information about alternatives and why they were not pursued.

The court chose to focus on that technicality, rather than on the substantive arguments about the program itself.

The state acknowledged that the notice it submitted did not include an explicit statement about additional federal requirements. The state said it substantially complied with state rules by posting the notice of proposed rulemaking on its website, sending it to over 20,000 recipients and conducting 18 months of public outreach.

They argued industries had ample time to understand that the program would impose additional requirements, why the rules were needed and what alternatives it had considered.

But the court ruled that is not enough.

Substantial compliance  is not sufficient. The statute requires actual compliance, the court wrote.

The challengers praised the courts decision.

We think it is an important step forward in being able to constructively address climate change, David Roy, a spokesperson for NW Natural, said in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive. We believe in effective climate policy and remain committed to moving toward a low-carbon energy future while safely and reliably serving our customers.

Angela Wilhelms, president and CEO of Oregon Business and Industry, said in a statement: While we believe that there are additional fatal flaws in the rulemaking, as this opinion notes, this confirmation is as far as the courts analysis needed to go.

Environmental advocates  including those representing dozens of organizations approved by the court as parties to the case  said the opinion was a disappointing setback.

The Court based its decision on a procedural technicality in the rulemaking process. It did not undermine the Environmental Quality Commissions authority to set climate pollution reductions on the oil and gas industry, said Nora Apter, senior program director for climate at the Oregon Environmental Council, a statewide nonprofit that was a formal intervenor in the case.

We believe the Environmental Quality Commission can and should quickly move forward with a process that meets the requirements specified by the Court and re-adopt the rules without delay, Apter said.

 Gosia Wozniacka; gwozniacka@oregonian.com; @gosiawozniacka

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Since childhood, most of us have associated Christmas and New Year's holidays with snow. It cheers us up and is something necessary for a good mood. We all expect white fluffy snow to fly from the sky on these special days. Landscapes will sparkle with new colors, and children will traditionally start playing winter games.

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But unfortunately, in recent years, winter has not been pleasing us with snowfalls. Mostly, they start in mid-January or even later. And we want to enjoy the snowy hills already during the New Year.

In order not to spoil your holidays, we suggest traveling to European cities where it snows all the time. We'll tell you where to buy tickets!

Rovaniemi, Finland

The most snow-covered land where none other than Santa Claus lives. His residence is located just 7 kilometers from the capital of Lapland. Next to the grandfather's house is an underground park where his faithful helpers, the elves, live. It's worth a visit to enjoy the snowy landscapes and fully experience the fairy-tale atmosphere of Christmas.

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But the village is famous not only for this. The geographical line of the Arctic Circle passes through it. Tourists love to jump over this conventional border from the south to the north side and then pop a bottle of champagne and wish each other a Happy New Year.

It is not difficult to get here. Buses run from Rovaniemi to the estate. You can also take a taxi if you wish. There are plenty of things to see in the city itself. For example, visit the Arktikum Science Center dedicated to Arctic nature. It's also worth going to Lordi's Square, named after the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest winners. You can also go to the unique Ranua Zoo to watch the animals and slide on dog or reindeer sleds.

By the way, fans of ski resorts will be in for a surprise. There are routes where you can ski to your heart's content on Mount Ounasvaara.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

The city is located in Northern Europe, so you can definitely enjoy the winter season to the fullest. But despite the many snowy days, it will definitely not be cold here. The Scandinavian capital has a temperate maritime climate, so winters here are very mild, without severe frosts.

There is a subway near the airport. So if you want to save money, take the train to the center. You'll be there in 15 minutes. You won't have to spend much money on food either. The famous buffet is available in almost all restaurants in the country. But you still need to monitor the establishments in advance. The scheme is as follows: you go to a cafe, pay 10 euros and eat as much as you want.

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What to visit? Of course, you should visit the oldest park, Tivoli. Imagine: it has been operating since 1843. During the winter holidays in Copenhagen, in addition to the usual attractions, they also open Christmas ones. Children and adults will be delighted. Be sure to go to the Nyhavn waterfront, where the world-famous writer Hans Christian Andersen once lived.

Tallinn, Estonia

The capital of Estonia is considered one of the snowiest cities in Europe. According to weather forecasters, it snows 21 days a month. The center of the country is quite small but has many interesting buildings. If you want to plunge into the Middle Ages, you should go to the Vannalin district, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Every building here was built in the XVI-XVII centuries. National cuisine restaurants and authentic hotels are located nearby.

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By the way, some establishments serve dishes that do not use products that appeared in Europe later than the fifteenth century. The main emphasis is on traditional provisions: bear meat, venison, etc.

Be sure to visit the oldest pharmacy located on the Town Hall Square. Visit the open-air ethnographic museum, St. Olaf's Church and the Dome Cathedral, where the famous navigator Ivan Krusenstern is buried.

Saalbach, Austria

Unlike the previous locations, this is a very small town that is very snowy in winter. Although the village can't boast of a large size, it has a good infrastructure. It will definitely compete with many European resorts.

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Usually, the village becomes very crowded in winter. It's a destination for avid ski resort fans. There are excellent slopes, runs and ski lifts. There is an ice rink, spa centers, heated pools, etc. And it's no less interesting at night. When the sun goes down, bars, pubs and discos open.

Saalbach has good transport links. Therefore, it is easy to get to neighboring tourist towns.

If your heart desires snow on Christmas and New Year holidays, don't deny yourself this pleasure. We are sure that you will have the best vacation ever.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told you about the most beautiful waterfalls in Europe.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Thousands of bargain hunters, antique appreciators and those curious about seeing inside an 1888 Queen Anne mansion, once the most prominent residence in Portland, gathered at the Markle-Pittock House in Portland Heights Dec. 15-17 for a once-in-a-lifetime estate sale.

More than 5,525 pieces were sold Friday through Sunday, and the customer traffic was overwhelming, said Gary Newton, president of Peerless Estate Sales, who conducted the sale. He said the line to enter the house at the 10 a.m. opening on the first day extended past the driveway of the 1.2-acre property and down the sidewalk.

At 2 p.m., the 14,000-square-foot house was at maximum capacity and the line inside to checkout was as long as the line of people still waiting to get in, said Newton. We had to make a plan to get the people outside inside, but stop new people from getting in line, he said.

Typically, the cutoff to enter would have been 3:30 p.m., a half hour before the official 4 p.m. close. This time, they locked the propertys entrance gate two hours early. It was like Game of Thrones, Newton said, then joked. Sealing off the wall to keep the White Walkers (ice creatures) out.

The Markle-Pittock House was occupied for more than five decades by descendants of the former publisher of The Oregonian Henry Pittock, but none of the familys possessions were inside. Many of the familys heirlooms remain in the city-owned Pittock Mansion museum, a 1914 French Renaissance Revival style chateau on a West Hills bluff overlooking the city.

Three miles southeast is the Markle-Pittock House, where two generations of Pittocks lived from around 1917 to 1970 after original homeowner, financier and developer George B. Markle, skipped town to avoid mounting debt during the Panic of 1893.

Once the Pittock heirs moved from 1816 S.W. Hawthorne Terrace, ownership changed hands three times and the current owner spent the last 40 years restoring the house to its original Gilded Age splendor.

The owner plans to put the property on the market in 2024 and hired Peerless Estate Sales to first sell the furniture, art, clocks and other collectibles.

One of the most interesting items was an Andy Warhol-inspired Souper Dress stamped with Campbells soup labels. The sleeveless paper dress sold for the full asking price of $3,995. The pop artists interest in the value of everyday items, especially soup cans, motivated the Campbell Soup Company in 1966-1967 to create and distribute A-line cellulose dresses with its label printed in silk screen ink.

The current owner of the Markle-Pittock House recalled sending a check for $1 to the soup company almost six decades ago for the red, black and white dress. Soon after the package arrived, she forgot about it and the folded frock was found, never worn, by the estate sale team tucked between books.

A Campbell Soup Company archivist contacted Peerless Estate Sale on the last day, according to Newton, to buy the dress, which is in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and other museum collections. But the item had sold Saturday to a shopper who noticed it on a mannequin and said, You know what? I never treat myself. Ill take the dress, said Newton.

Newton said each item is priced based on market value, his 24 years of experience in the resale business and the advice of specialist appraisers. Prices, revealed on the first day of the sale, are firm on the first two days, but at 1 p.m. on the last day, everything is discounted.

Last day sales included contemporary items such as a Spy Hunter Pinball Machine made by Bally in 1984 that sold for $1,400 and a Rowe AMI CD jukebox for $900.

Before the start of what Newton calls the heat of the (last day bidding) battle, he saw a young woman in the living room who had attended the sale on the first day and decided to bid on a large painting she liked rather than pay the full asking price, said Newton.

Newton also noticed a man with a loupe magnification device inspecting two other paintings. The man asked Newton for a deal if he bought both paintings. Newton said no. The rule is until 1 p.m., everything is full price. He said it wouldnt be fair to the other customers.

The man then snatched the price tag off both pieces and moved toward the painting the young woman was standing next to, said Newton, but the man was blocked. The young woman wasnt having it, said Newton. She dove for the price tag and Newton rung up the three paintings at full price.

Thousands of bargain hunters, antique appreciators and those curious about seeing inside an 1888 Queen Anne mansion, once the most prominent residence in Portland, lined up outside the Markle-Pittock House in Portland Heights on Dec. 15.Peerless Estate Sales

Here are more highlights of the Markle-Pittock House estate sale:

A 1910 Brunswick pool table of quarter sawn oak with woven leather pockets was priced at $4,995 and did not sell or receive a single bid. The pool table with a wall-mounted cue rack was appraised at $10,000-$15,000 if sold on the East Coast, according to Newton, who said the value is significantly less in Portland and was priced accordingly.

Two hand-crafted Victorian dollhouses with chandeliers that light up were purchased for $2,500 each and may eventually be displayed at a miniature museum, Newton said. Restorer Jorge Solis used a tiny wood lathe to replace missing balusters. Solis, a skilled finish carpenter, managed the Markle-Pittock estate for 21 years and was responsible for many of the upgrades and restoration projects that adhered to the architectural restrictions of the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The Magnificent Windsor potbelly wood-burning parlor stove No. 22 sold at the full asking price of $1,650. The stove was made of enameled cast iron circa 1910 and manufactured by the Lakeside Foundry of Chicago owned and operated by Montgomery Ward 1904-1920.

An antique milliners shop display cabinet made by the J.D. Warren Manufacturing Co. in Chicago sold at the full price of $1,695.

A Victorian double-size bed of burled walnut with a matching marble-top mirrored dresser is in the movers truck on its way to a Salem house owned by a regular customer of the estate sale company. The buyer also took home an eight-foot-long piece of original wainscoting that had been removed from the Markle-Pittock library and replaced by glass-door bookcases.

A Jacobean Revival walnut canopy bed was priced at $850 and sold for $425. The three quarter-size bed has tall, carved twisted posts and the thin rails above the headboard are for fine fabric panels. The head and foot boards are caned ... restored at tremendous expense. Its difficult to find a craftsman skilled at caning, Newton said.

A 22-foot-by-11-foot Karastan rug in the classic Kirman design made of 100% wool in the United States around 1960s-1970s sold at the full price of $995.

 Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
Rivers of lava spewed from a fissure in the mountainside, snaking downwards and erupting in fountains of red and gold molten rock when the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupted this week in a fishing town in southwestern Iceland.

The fiery liquid illuminates the smoke-filled sky in Grindavik, a small fishing town just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik.

The eruption began Monday night, but it was no surprise: The area has been active for two years, with thousands of small earthquakes heralding the near-certain awakening of the volcano.

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

Civil defense personnel are on high alert, blocking access to the road leading to the mountain, and flying in a helicopter over the lava floes to monitor volcanic activity.

As Fridays winter solstice nears  when Iceland sees just three hours of sunlight a day  residents gather, watching from a safe distance, to see the natural spectacle lighting up the long-dark sky.

Aerial view of the only two segments of the fissure still active of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

The lava is about 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,200 degrees Fahrenheit). The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimates that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second escaped the volcano in the first two hours of the eruption, though the activity had significantly subsided by Tuesday afternoon.

The volcano last erupted in March 2021, but before that had been dormant for 6,000 years.

A close up of the Southern active segment of the original fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

A close up of the Southern active segment of the original fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

The road is blocked at the entrance of the road to Grindavik with the eruption in the background, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defense to be on high alert. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

Lava fountains are seen as volcanic eruption started, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

The police vehicle is parked at the entrance of the road to Grindavik with the eruption in the background, near Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defense to be on high alert. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)AP

Lava fountains are seen as volcanic eruption started, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)AP
While Oregon has handed out an estimated $261 million in grants for drug treatment and recovery services under Measure 110, much of the money has yet to reach the people who need it, according to a new Oregon Secretary of State audit of the drug decriminalization law.

Service providers spent $95 million from July 2022 through June of this year, representing about a third of what the state had handed out in grants, the audit found.
Warren George

George is a business consultant and served on the Oregon Joint Task Force on Universal Health Care which concluded its work in September 2022. He lives in Corvallis.

In his recent op-ed, CareOregon CEO Eric C. Hunter urges Oregon regulators to approve the proposed merger between CareOregon and California-based insurer SCAN Group, (Proposed CareOregon merger will protect safety net and keep it local, Dec. 10). Hunters main case is that in a health care world which is experiencing much consolidation through mergers, why shouldnt CareOregon become a dominant player in that empire-building game?

But many concerned Oregonians have expressed opposition to the CareOregon/SCAN merger fearing that it offers no advantage to CareOregon patients, and that it may actually siphon money away from Oregons Medicaid program. As an Oregon businessperson, I have some appreciation for the pressures for growth under which Hunter operates, although past experience makes me question promises of merger synergies or preservation of local control.

Still, my opposition to the CareOregon /SCAN merger is not about private mergers; it is about the critical importance of maintaining the credibility and integrity of public programs.

The Oregon Health Plan provides Medicaid coverage to low-income Oregonians enrolled in 16 coordinated care organizations, which are networks of all types of health care providers (physical health care, addictions and mental health care) that have agreed to work together in their local communities. The organizations receive a fixed payment per patient from the state of Oregon to care for Medicaid patients in their region. If they have money left over at the end of the year, they are able to place that money into their reserves to help cover years when expenses might run higher than the state payment they receive. CareOregon is the states single largest provider of health services to Oregon Health Plan members, covering patients through two CCOs that it directly owns as well as through an agreement with Health Share of Oregon. As such, this proposed merger affects not only CareOregons future, but the viability of Oregons approach to serving its most vulnerable residents.

The Oregon Health Plan and its coordinated care organizations have a high calling in serving the health care needs of Medicaid patients. But they have one even higher calling, which is to preserve the confidence and trust of taxpayers and state residents.

A major component of trust in Medicaid programs is the clarity with which the state can account for and regulate the use of public funds dedicated to the care of Oregons Medicaid patients. A point of contention which has never been satisfactorily resolved is: should Oregons coordinated care organizations be allowed to use their publicly financed reserves for new business ventures outside of their role of serving their Oregon Health Plan patients? The proposed merger would be a test of that question. CareOregon believes it has, or should have, the right to leverage the value of its reserves for private business expansion. But many in the public will view this use of taxpayer dollars to serve private ambition as a corruption of the purpose for which Oregon coordinated care organizations were created.

Who stands to win from this merger? If there is any compelling advantage to CareOregons 500,000 Medicaid members, CareOregon has not conveyed that convincingly, as the states Medicaid Advisory Committee has noted in recommending against the merger. Much public testimony in support of the merger has been provided by entities with a financial tie to CareOregon. And other public testimony describing CareOregon as a responsible and financially successful organization is not actually an argument for the merger.

Its unclear why CareOregon should be in business with SCAN Group, which provides Medicare Advantage coverage to older populations but is not currently in the Medicaid business. With Medicare facing uncertainty due to on-going federal investigation of Medicare Advantage programs, how can Oregon taxpayers be assured that the current and future coordinated care reserves which foot the Oregon Health Plan will not be used to cover SCAN Medicare Advantage liabilities, including those in other states? As long as CareOregon and SCAN operate under common ownership, such accountability is minimal.

Oregon seems at a crossroad of an experiment to allow coordinated care organizations to intermix into other businesses unrelated to their created purpose. These new relationships will be much harder to audit and regulate credibly. If the experiment is exposed to be detrimental, it will be almost impossible to reverse. Once public trust is lost in the coordinated care model it will take years, if not generations to win it back.

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It was with great consternation that I read about the results of the vote to authorize an impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden by the U.S. House of Representatives. I had held out hope and wished that U.S. Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, both Republicans, had had enough integrity to vote no when asked to authorize the investigation.

There is clearly not a shred of evidence to point to the necessity of such an investigation. I had hoped our Oregon delegation would have been above such raw political posturing and would not have caved to the will of the most radical of their caucus. Please, Representatives. You are better than this, and you have important business to attend to.

Cameron Urnes, McMinnville

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
Portlands program that provides public campaign dollars to candidates running for mayor and City Council plans to significantly scale back the amount it gives them next year, its director said Tuesday.

An historic election cycle, with 12 open seats on a newly expanded City Council, and limited funds drove that decision, she said.
Scientists anticipated the eruption of a volcano in southwestern Iceland for weeks, so when it happened on Monday night, it was no surprise. The region had been active for more than two years and thousands of small earthquakes rattled the area in recent weeks.

Here is a look at what happened and what may be ahead:

HOW THE ERUPTION UNFOLDED

It started at about 10:20 p.m. local time on Monday north of Grindavik, a fishing town of 3,400 people on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The town is about 31 miles southwest of Icelands capital, Reykjavik, in an area known broadly as Fagradalsfjall volcano.

First there was a series of small earthquakes. Then lava thats some 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit) began pouring out of a fissure about 2.5 miles long. The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimated that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second flowed out in the first two hours of the eruption, though the activity had significantly subsided by Tuesday afternoon. Read about the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption.

WILL THIS ERUPTION AFFECT FLIGHTS?

None of the recent eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula caused damage or disruptions to flights, despite the areas proximity to the countrys main Keflavik Airport. And though Mondays eruption appears to be larger and more powerful than those in recent years, forecasters and scientists say its unlikely to impact air travel.

Many still recall the huge disruptions to international aviation in 2010, when a different Icelandic volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull, spewed giant clouds of ash high into the atmosphere over Europe. Some 100,000 flights were grounded, millions of international travelers stranded and air travel was halted for days because of concerns the fine ash could damage jet engines.

Experts say the location and features of this eruption mean it isnt expected to produce much ash or cause a similar scale of disruption. AccuWeather, a U.S.-based weather forecasting firm, said Tuesday that initial information shows no ash cloud has yet been observed.

Sam Mitchell, a volcanologist at the University of Bristol, says Mondays eruption is very different to Eyjafjallajokulls in 2010, when a large explosive eruption under a glacier produced a very large cloud and very fine ash in the atmosphere when the wind direction was pointing towards mainland Europe.

WAS IT UNEXPECTED?

In short, no  scientists had expected the eruption for several weeks and in November, authorities evacuated Grindavik after thousands of small earthquakes shook the area for more than two weeks. Scientists said their monitors showed that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, was spreading toward the town and could reach the surface imminently.

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, one of Icelands best-known tourist attractions, had to close temporarily as a precaution after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit the area last month.

Fagradalsfjall had been dormant for some 6,000 years but it flared to life in March 2021, when hundreds of people flocked to the Reykjanes Peninsula to see spectacular lava flows that lasted for months. The red glow from the lava could be seen from the outskirts of the capital.

WHAT IMPACTS COULD THIS ERUPTION HAVE?

Scientists say that there is no current threat that the lava will reach the town of Grindavik or key structures like nearby power plants. The residents from the area have been evacuated and most surrounding roads remain closed.

But the scientists warn the situation could change and that its too early to say how long the eruption will last or when local residents could move back into their homes.

Even though the lava did not erupt into the town of Grindavik or at the nearby power plant and popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon, the lava flows are still only a few kilometers away and there is still concern of lavas reaching these key locations, Mitchell said.

The molten lava flowing above ground can also heighten the risk of poor air quality in the region because of the increased sulfur dioxide content in the air, AccuWeather said. Icelands Met Office forecast that gas pollution may be detected in the area of Reykjavik later Tuesday or Wednesday.

One volcanologist, Armann Hoskuldsson, told Icelands state broadcaster RUV that he expected the eruption could last from a week to 10 days. If everything is normal, this will subside in the afternoon tomorrow, he said.

HOW COMMON ARE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN ICELAND?

Iceland is one of Earths most volcanically active areas, with 32 active volcanic sites. It averages an eruption every four to five years  though the frequency has increased closer to every 12 months since 2021.

The country sits on top of a volcanic hotspot and whats called the mid-Atlantic ridge, a huge crack in the ocean floor caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. As the plates pull apart, new magma rises up to fill the gaps, triggering earthquakes and volcanic activity.

One of the countrys largest active volcanoes is Katla, which is closely watched because it lies under thick glacial ice, meaning that any eruption could melt the ice and trigger widespread flooding. Katla last erupted in 1918, and that eruption lasted almost a month, starving crops of sunlight and killing some livestock.
92% of Ukrainians surveyed trust the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Only 5% of respondents expressed distrust of the military leader.

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These are the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. In the regional dimension, the majority of those who trust Zaluzhnyi live in the central regions, which make up 93%. In the southern, eastern and western regions, there are 91% of such people.

At the same time, 43% of respondents believe that there may be some disagreements between the Commander-in-Chief and President Zelenskyy, while 39% believe that there is no conflict.

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72% of Ukrainians would have a negative attitude to Zaluzhnyi's resignation, 21% of respondents took a neutral position, and only 2% would support the general's dismissal.

The survey was conducted on December 4-10, 2023, by telephone interviews using a computer based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. In total, 1,200 respondents were interviewed.

As a reminder, during a press conference on Tuesday, December 19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the conflict with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi for the first time. The head of state said that he and the commander-in-chief have a working relationship, and the Ukrainian leader expects concrete results from the general.

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"I am not developing any personal relations... I need results every day, in every position. And responsibility for each result," the head of state said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- Zaluzhnyi commented on the discovery of a wiretapping device in his office for the first time. He confirmed that it was found in the room where he was supposed to move on Monday, December 18.

- Earlier, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov put an end to the issue of resignations in the Armed Forces command, in particular, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and the Commander of the Joint Forces Serhii Naiev. At the moment, there is no such issue.

We have only verified information on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
New York, US (PANA) - As the UN Security Council was slated to meet for a third consecutive day on Wednesday in a new push for consensus to pause the fighting in Gaza, the head of the UN Childrens Fund UNICEF warned that without safe water, many more children will soon die from disease
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Tuesday postponed a vote on a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after another intense day of diplomacy to agree on the wording of the text did not yield the desired result
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan National Centre for Meteorology and Morocco's Directorate General of Meteorology on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in the fields of meteorology and climate
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid al Dbaiba, has stressed the need for cooperation between the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice to help the judiciary at all levels to play its role in promoting freedom and human rights, which can only be achieved with the presence of a strong judiciary
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Walid Ellafi, Wednesday welcomed efforts made to organize the second session of the Tripoli Media Days
Georgia-Pacific Makes Approximately $2 Billion in Capital Improvements in 2023

Georgia-Pacific made several investments large and small across its businesses. The projects listed are large initiatives valued at approximately $100 million and up. Georgia-Pacific made several investments large and small across its businesses. The projects listed are large initiatives valued at approximately $100 million and up.

Dec. 20, 2023 - Georgia-Pacific reinvested approximately $2 billion back into its business and operations in 2023. These capital improvement projects include launching and completing new facilities and enhancing existing operations. Each investment helps Georgia-Pacific better serve customers, and increase productivity and efficiency, while also creating greater economic opportunities for each facility's local economy.

Georgia-Pacific made several investments large and small across its businesses. The projects listed below are large initiatives valued at approximately $100 million and up.

Green Bay, Wisconsin - $550 million

In November, the team at Georgia-Pacific's Broadway facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin, signed and raised the last major structural beam for the $550 million Brawny project. Construction began in July 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2024. At the center of the investment is a new paper machine using through-air-dried (TAD) technology, which will improve the quality of products manufactured at the site by making them softer and more absorbent. The new TAD machine will produce thousands of tons of paper that will be converted into millions of cases of Brawny paper towels and other premium private-label brands.

The Green Bay Broadway mill currently operates seven paper machines and several converting operations to make bath tissue, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue for retail and away-from-home use. This investment will significantly enhance the company's retail consumer towel business and expand the facility by adding approximately 600,000 square feet.

"This truly is an investment in our customers and consumers who value the quality of our products," said Christian Fischer, Georgia-Pacific president and CEO. "We appreciate the local community, Brown County, state officials, and all of our employees' hard work and efforts to continue making our Green Bay Broadway mill more competitive for the long term."

Jackson, Tennessee - $425 million

The Dixie team signed and raised the final beam at its new manufacturing site in Jackson, Tennessee, in September. Georgia-Pacific broke ground on the more than $425 million facility in December 2022.

The state-of-the-art facility will significantly increase the supply of disposable tableware products-namely, plates and bowls-in the marketplace, while supporting the Livingware and GP PRO business segments.

"Although we have invested to expand existing sites, this is the first new Dixie plant the company has built since 1991," explains Fernando Gonzalez, president of the consumer business at Georgia-Pacific. "This added capacity will help us meet the needs of our customers as consumer demand for high-quality, durable paper plates and bowls continues to grow."

The 900,000-square-foot facility sits on 241 acres and is slated to open in summer 2024. The workspace will include a printer, associated plate-forming converting assets, and other state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. Anticipated hiring for the new site will eclipse 220 jobs once the site is fully operational.

Sweetwater, Texas - $325 million

In October, Georgia-Pacific held a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate its new gypsum wallboard production facility in Sweetwater, Texas. Initially announced in September 2020, the $325 million facility is the second gypsum wallboard production facility in Nolan County, and the first Georgia-Pacific has built since 2004. As one of the most innovative gypsum facilities in the country, the newest addition to the Georgia-Pacific gypsum complex features state-of-the-art technology designed to help ensure safety, quality, and efficiency.

"Georgia-Pacific is keenly focused on the future and committed to innovation and meeting the needs of our customers," said David Neal, president of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. "The two operations combined will supply customers and distribution partners with more than 1 billion square feet of gypsum wallboard each year and create more than 100 new jobs. This investment strengthens Georgia-Pacific's capacity to meet growing customer needs in Texas' residential, commercial, and industrial construction markets."

Darlington, South Carolina - $175 million

Georgia-Pacific completed a $175 million investment into its Dixie tableware facility in Darlington, South Carolina. The improvements expanded its plate and bowl production operations to meet customer and consumer demand. The facility now has additional printing capability, state-of-the-art plate-forming presses, and a new finished goods warehouse. The project created 100 new full-time jobs.

"This is an exciting time for our business," said David Duncan, executive vice president of the Consumer Products Group at Georgia-Pacific. "Investments such as the one made at the Darlington facility are important to our long-term growth aspirations for the Dixie business and signal a commitment to meeting those goals and our partnership with the Darlington community. These improvements not only modernize our operations and improve our ability to compete in the marketplace but also increase the value we can create for our customers and positively impact the local economy."

Halsey, Oregon - $150 million

In December, Georgia-Pacific announced a $150 million investment in its Halsey, Oregon, facility. This investment will increase production capacity for high quality bath tissue, including Quilted Northern Ultra Plush and private label tissue. By the end of this project, Georgia-Pacific will have invested more than $200 million in the Halsey mill since 2022.

"This truly is an investment in our customers and consumers who appreciate the quality of our products," said Vivek Joshi, president of the retail tissue, towel, and napkin business for Georgia-Pacific. "It is a clear indication of Georgia-Pacific's focus on growing our premium tissue business and creating products that consumers value."

Pineland, Texas - $120 million

Pineland Lumber is now the largest sawmill in the South and positioned as a major competitor in the forest products industry because of Georgia-Pacific's $120 million investment at the plant located in Pineland, Texas. The upgrades bring the facility into the 21st century with modern technology and tools to increase production and product diversity, and includes a modified log yard, a fully modernized sawmill, a continuous dry kiln, and a high-speed planer. Pineland Lumber can now accept more log trucks per day. And unique to the facility is the application of cross laminated timbers (CLT), which are used to construct electrical control rooms and specialty equipment enclosures.

According to Fritz Mason, Georgia-Pacific lumber president, Pineland Lumber was selected for expansion because of the area's workforce, community support, and natural resources. "This mill has a long history in Sabine County, which dates to 1910. With the mill favorably located in the middle of the southern pine forest in east Texas, coupled with an experienced workforce that dates back several generations, Pineland Lumber is well positioned to prosper for years to come."

Monticello, Mississippi - $91 million

In 2023, work began on a $91 million upgrade at Georgia-Pacific's containerboard mill in Monticello, Mississippi. The new log line slated for the facility includes scales, cranes, a rechipper, unbinding racks, and other critical equipment needed to safely unload trucks and prepare logs and chips for processing into pulp. The new equipment will reduce truck unloading times, improve truck traffic flow, allow for longer logs, and improve wood yield. It will also improve the facility's competitive position in the industry and will strengthen the mill's relationships with wood suppliers.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, and building products. Familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Brawny, Dixie, enMotion, Sparkle, and Vanity Fair.

SOURCE: Georgia-Pacific
Photo: (Photo : Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash)

The United Kingdom is currently conducting trials for the first-ever male contraceptive pill, a groundbreaking development in reproductive health. This new medication offers high reliability in preventing unwanted pregnancies with minimal reported side effects. The primary medical question is its safety and effectiveness, but there's a broader social inquiry: will men be willing to take it?

Traditionally, the responsibility of preventing pregnancy has predominantly fallen on women. Throughout history, women have used various methods to prevent or end unwanted pregnancies. The advent of safe and reliable contraceptive methods is relatively recent in the grand scheme of human history. However, for the current generation, these methods have become a normalized part of life for millions of women worldwide.

The landscape of family planning and contraception has seen significant changes, thanks in part to women's liberation movements and changing gender expectations. Men are increasingly taking on more active roles as partners and fathers, moving society closer to gender equality. However, the burden of pregnancy prevention has largely remained a female responsibility.

The Male Contraceptive Pill: A Test of Gender Equality

Many have questioned when modern medicine would allow men to actively participate in planning and preventing pregnancies, making the introduction of a male contraceptive pill a test of whether men are ready to share the responsibility of family planning. The availability of a male contraceptive pill could be a significant step towards shared responsibilities in adult life, particularly in heterosexual relationships.

The birth control pill has been one of the most transformative inventions in modern history, revolutionizing women's opportunities and outcomes worldwide. It has led to increased gender equality, higher education levels, workforce participation, and improved health and economic conditions for women and their children. Men, too, have benefited from the contraception revolution, enjoying more freedom in their sexual and romantic relationships.

At present, male contraception options are limited to condoms and vasectomies. Condoms, while effective in preventing STIs and pregnancies, have their limitations and can interrupt intimacy. Vasectomies are a more permanent solution but may not be suitable for all men, especially those who wish to have children in the future.

Read Also: More Women Risk Getting Pregnant During Christmas

The Male Pill: A Game Changer?

The male pill in trials is not the first attempt at creating a contraceptive for men, but it is the first to promise minimal side effects. Side effects that are often deemed tolerable for women but unacceptable for men hindered previous attempts at male contraception. This new development could potentially offer men more control over their reproductive choices and equal participation in family planning.

The approval of the male contraceptive pill could provide insightful information about gender roles and responsibilities in relationships. It poses the question of whether men view pregnancy prevention as an equal responsibility and whether they are willing to act on it. This could be a crucial factor for women in choosing their sexual and romantic partners.

The trial of the male contraceptive pill in Britain marks a significant milestone in reproductive health and gender equality. Its success could redefine the roles and responsibilities in family planning, offering men a more active role in preventing pregnancies. As the world awaits the results of these trials, the potential impact on relationships, gender dynamics, and society at large remains a topic of keen interest.

Related Article: FDA Approves Opill as First Over-the-Counter Hormonal Contraceptive Pill in the U.S
If youre looking to pick up a last minute gift for your book-loving friend, youre in luck. Amazons selling the Kindle Scribe for $269.99, which is a savings of $70. Not only can you store all of your favorite books on this device, but you can also mark up documents, make handwritten notes, or sketch a picture. According to Amazon, it has long battery life, often lasting for weeks on a single charge. As a self-proclaimed bookworm, this deal really thrills me to bits, as its designed to motivate you to read more and be more productive.

The Kindle Scribe has a front-lit 10.2-inch screen, a resolution of 300 ppi, and 16GB of storage space. It even comes with a stylus, which is a big plus in my book. Nothing bums me out more than having to pay extra for a standalone accessory. Finally, you can import documents directly from Microsoft Word, so long as you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. According to reviewers on Amazon, many folks really like the bigger screen, as its easier to read from.

This is a solid deal, but wed recommend you jump on it sooner rather than later. Although Amazon claims it will arrive before Christmas, the holidays are fast approaching, which means the window to order will quickly come to a close.

Get the Amazon Kindle Scribe for $269.99 at Amazon
Despite a number of sanctions packages, the aggressor country Russia still has access to technologies whose sale to it has been banned or restricted. Thanks to intermediaries, it was not too difficult for Russia to obtain telecommunications equipment, surveillance equipment, microchips for advanced computing and weapons systems, and drones.

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China and Morocco, in particular, have become important intermediaries for Moscow. The New York Times writes about this.

Russia was able to take advantage of gaps in sanctions against it by purchasing the necessary Western technologies through networks of intermediaries in China. Russians use shell companies to disguise their activities.

Russian websites that sell electronics - Nag, OCS Distribution, 3Logic Distribution, and 4Telecom - offer sophisticated technologies from major American and European manufacturers such as Cisco, HP, Juniper, Ericsson, Nokia, and others. Before the sanctions were imposed, they used to legally trade in Western technology, but now they get it from China and sell it on the Russian market.

"According to the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a nonprofit organization that studies Russian trade routes, China and Hong Kong supplied 85% of semiconductors imported to Russia from March 2022 to September 2023, compared to 27% before the start of the full-scale war," the report said.

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As for Morocco, this African country has become useful to Moscow because of its ports. Through them, Russia receives goods from global technological production centers, particularly from China, which are then placed on other ships bound for Russia: a process known as transshipment.

Russia's trade mission in Morocco boasted that their "direct support" had turned the African country into a center for electronics transportation.

"If one supplier stops selling, they find another. If a shipping route is cut off, it is replaced by another," the article says.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the European Union has agreed on the 12th package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. According to it, in particular, from January 1, 2024, a ban on the import of non-commercial diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia will be introduced.

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Only verified information on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
United Nations, one of the leading international Model UN programs, honored His Excellency King Ayitey Anumle Oyanka of Ghana by recognizing his leadership in helping and encouraging the children of Ghana to continue their education.



In addition, in recognition of his concern for the education of all the children in West Africa, MMUN issued a Proclamation appointing King Oyanka as Honorary Emissary of Education for West Africa. As such he will be responsible for helping to introduce the students of West Africa to their global peers and new opportunities through participation in MMUNs online programming.



We have worked with his Excellency to develop a pilot program that will meet the needs of teachers and students, said MMUN Chairman Michael Jacobson. In collaboration with his Excellency, we will supplement the salaries of teachers introducing MMUN to their students, and we will provide students scholarships to our special online conference program. King Oyanka added, The world is changing at a fast pace, and I do not want the youth of West Africa to get left behind. Jacobson added, As Honorary Emissary, his Excellency will be tasked with engaging academic leaders and area corporate employers in helping to support the teachers and youth participating in the MMUN curriculum. To which his Excellency responded, This is more than an honor, this is a challenging responsibility, and I am proud to accept the challenge.



The Chairman of Anamase Royal Alliance Council of Akyem Bosome Anamase in the Estern Region of Ghana King Ayitey Anumle Oyanka I, has achieved a remarkable milestone by being appointed as the Minister of Education for West Africa under the Montessori Model United Nations. A Proclamation Sign By Chairman of Montessori Model United Nations. Michael Jacobson.



Hailing from Ghana, King Ayitey Anumle Oyanka I, also known as a visionary leader, has assumed a prestigious role. In his capacity as the Minister of Education for West Africa, he will now oversee and guide the United Nations Montessori Model's educational initiatives and activities across the entire West African region.



The United Nations Montessori Model, with its headquarters based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a unique educational framework designed to promote innovative and inclusive learning approaches.



The Model emphasizes the importance of experiential and child-centered learning, aligning with the United Nations' mission to foster global peace, sustainability, and cooperation.



This appointment not only showcases the international recognition of King Ayitey Anumle Oyanka I's leadership but also underscores the importance of education and its role in driving positive change and progress throughout West Africa.



King Ayitey Anumle Oyanka I's dedication and vision are poised to make a significant impact on the educational landscape of the region.



About Montessori Model of United Nations (MMUN)





The Montessori Model of United Nations (MMUN) is a simulation of the General Assembly of the United Nations for pupils from Montessori schools in which students take on the role of ambassadors of Member States in order to debate current topics. During their stay at the UN headquarters in Geneva, delegates discuss, prepare resolution plans and negotiate, with both allies and adversaries, with the common aim of cooperating internationally in order to solve problems that affect countries around the world.



Each year, Montessori Palau Girona sends delegations of Primary and ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) students who represent various countries and offer various proposals. To prepare for their participation at the summit, the students devote various sessions to researching and debating the topics that will be discussed in the Committee, through cooperative working techniques and using role play to get a taste of what it will be like in Geneva.



MMUN not only involves young people in the study and discussion of global problems, but it also encourages the development of useful skills throughout their lives, such as research, writing, oratory, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and creating consensus. This is in addition to using English as the working language.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has won a third six-year term with 89.6% of the vote, the electoral commission has announced.



The former army chief beat three low-profile candidates, with the runner-up securing only 4.5%.



Leading opposition candidate Ahmed Tantawy had pulled out months before last week's poll, claiming intimidation and violence against his campaign camp.



Egypt's faltering economy and the war in Gaza were key electoral issues.



Mr Sisi, who is 69, first became president in 2014, a year after he had led the military's overthrow of his Islamist predecessor Mohammed Morsi.



Mr Sisi won again in 2018. The victory in the latest election means he will be in power until 2030, when he is barred by the constitution from running again.



Under his leadership, huge sums of money have been spent on big infrastructure projects.



Roads have been expanded and flyovers built, and a new capital costing billions of dollars has been constructed near Cairo but is barely inhabited.



Critics say this has drained much of the country's economic resources and created unprecedented levels of debt that have crippled the economy.



In the past nine months, the Egyptian pound has lost more than 50% of its value against the US dollar.



With the Egyptian economy heavily dependent on imports, the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed beyond the reach of many households and a black market for foreign currency has flourished.



Official figures show that nearly 30% of Egypt's 100 million population lives below the poverty line.



Egyptian opposition groups complain they cannot operate effectively due to a constant crackdown on dissent.



Human rights campaigners are also complaining about tight security restrictions. They say it is increasingly difficult to document alleged abuses.



Egyptian authorities deny the allegations.

Source: BBC









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Puma Energy, a leading global energy company, celebrated Make a Difference Day by making a generous donation to the Dzorwulu Special School in Accra.



This initiative is part of Puma Energy's ongoing commitment to energizing communities by making a positive impact in the lives of the communities they operate.



The donation was aimed at making a difference in the lives of the children with special needs at the school with the ultimate goal of helping these children become active and integral members of society.



Zwelithini Mlotshwa, General Manager of Puma Energy Ghana, and Divine Dey, Aviation Depot Manager, were present at the donation along with other Puma Energy staff members.



The Dzorwulu Special School is specifically designed to cater to children with autism. The school provides essential care, treatment, and training for these children, while also helping to uncover their hidden talents. The school plays a crucial role in providing relief for parents who experience challenges in providing for their children with special needs due to the stigmatization they face in society



"The Dzorwulu Special School is doing important work in providing education and care for children with special needs, and we are honored to be able to support their efforts," said Zwelithini Mlotshwa, General Manager, Puma Energy Ghana. Mlotshwa further emphasized that the Make a Difference Day initiative was part of the companys social responsibility program designed to give back to society and support vulnerable members of society. d.



The donation included assorted food items and toiletries to support the well-being and development journey of the students at the Dzorwulu Special School.



Divine Dey, the Aviation Depot Manager, added, "It is important for us to not only be a leading energy company in Ghana but also to be a responsible corporate citizen. We are committed to supporting initiatives that make a real difference in the lives of people, and we hope that this donation will positively impact the students, teachers, and entire staff of the Dzorwulu Special School."



The assistant Headmaster of the Dzorwulu Special School, Moses Afran expressed his appreciation for the donation and the support from Puma Energy.



We thank Puma Energy Ghana for this timely support which will help greatly to make a difference in the lives of these children, he said.



Puma Energy continues to prioritize corporate social responsibility through initiatives like Make a Difference Day and remains dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the communities it serves. The company is committed to supporting causes that foster positive change and inclusivity in communities around the world.





















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The attention of the Board and Management of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been drawn to a publication made by The Fourth Estate on its website on 18th December 2023 and subsequent publications in various media.



The Publication alleges that the Hon.Minister for Finance has awarded a questionable contract to Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) to monitor Upstream Petroleum Production and to Audit the value chain of Minerals and Metals Resources.



BACKGROUND TO CONTRACT



The GRA affirms that, together with the Ministry of Finance, it has signed a consolidated contract with SML to monitor and audit;



(a) Downstream Petroleum Sector (2019) (b) Upstream Petroleum Production (2023)



(c) Minerals and Metals Resources Value Chain (2023)



The new and consolidated contract which is for a term of five (5) years and not ten (10) years (as alleged by the publication) was agreed upon based on the performance of SML in monitoring the downstream petroleum sector and the provision of instant reconciliation of real- time data in the sector.



PERFORMANCE OF DOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM ASSURANCE CONTRACT



1. Prior to the engagement of SML, GRA operated a manual system for the measurement of fuel in depots. The use of dipsticks for measurement was archaic and posed a risk to officers who climbed a ladder to measure the fuel in the tankers. It was inefficient and prone to revenue leakages.



Currently, oil deposited by the Bulk-Oil Distribution Companies in the depots is measured by SML with the aid of sensors installed on the depots (Red flow metres). During offloading from the depots, SML again measures all the various liftings of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

December 20, 2023



All these pieces of information are captured and reconciled with data from the ICUMS. This is done with the GRA petroleum unit. If there are discrepancies, Customs inform the OMC to enter a post-entry to correct the differences.



SML in the petroleum sector provides additional data independent of the Customs ICUMS data capable of validating anomalies in quantities imported, discharged and accounted for by way of taxes.



The revenue assurance exercise undertaken by EY Ghana and later by the Revenue Assurance and Compliance Enforcement (RACE) of the Ministry of Finance confirmed systemic deficiencies in the accounting and collection of petroleum taxes between 2015 and 2020. The mode of transmission of data from various sources and systems was fraught with inconsistencies resulting in loss of revenue.



Extensive reconciliation had to be done on the various platforms and institutions within the Petroleum Downstream value chain to collect revenue that would have otherwise been lost.



The work of SML over the period has led to a significant increase in the figures reported

in the downstream petroleum sector, from an average of 350 million litres per month in 2018 and 2019, to 450 million litres per month from 2020/2021.



This represents over a thirty- three per cent (33%) increase in volume reporting and an average of an extra 100 million litres per month at a levy rate of GHS1.44p. The extra revenue variance gained for the two (2) years will exceed GHS3 billion. This performance is attributable mainly to the introduction of ICUMS and SML systems.



THE CONSOLIDATED CONTRACT



Based on the performance of Strategic Mobilization Ghana (SML) Limited, the Ministry of Finance directed that the existing contract of SML be expanded to cover the petroleum Upstream and the Mining Sector to minimize the risk of revenue leakages.



The Consolidated Contract seeks to leverage the experience, technology, and know-how of SML Ghana Limited in the Downstream Petroleum Sector and the Minerals and Metals Sector to provide revenue assurance in the Upstream.



RESPONSE TO ALLEGATIONS BY FOURTH ESTATE



GRA restate that the consolidated contract which is a risk-reward contract seeks to bring efficiency in Revenue Assurance Services provided to GRA. SML per the contract is required to provide resources for the execution of the contract. By implication, if there is no value addition, SML is not paid. In short, the principle of risk and reward is the fulcrum of the contract.



The Contract is for five (5) years and is performance-based and approved under Section 40 of the Public Procurement Act, Act 663, 2003.



The Board and Management www.gra.gov.gh

affirm that all legal and proper processes were followed in procuring the services of SML.



3. SML solely financed the capital expenditures and cutting-edge technology that is employed in the monitoring and auditing services provided to GRA in the Downstream Petroleum Sector.



CONCLUSION



GRA is confident that with the introduction of various initiatives, technology, and revenue assurance measures such as this, GRA will continue to see a significant increase in revenue such as the about 50% year-on-year increase in revenue this year.



However, GRA will continue to explore more methods of blocking leakages and increasing compliance to enable us to attain a national Tax to GDP ratio of over 18%.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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As part of efforts geared toward advancing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH) convened its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the IIPGH Office in Accra.



The meeting had the multipurpose of reflecting on the achievements of 2023, outlining plans for next year as well as the induction of a new board and executive management team. Our gathering here is to celebrate not only the achievements of the past year but also to usher in a new era for our beloved institute, Mr. David Gowu, Executive Director of IIPGH said as he welcomed attendees.



Mr. David Gowu, Executive Director of IIPGH



Taking stock of the Institute's activities in 2023, Mr. Gowu highlighted several successes including the expansion of its activities to reach over 1,800 individuals through initiatives like the Coding Caravan and Cybersecurity workshops. Collaborations with major partners like AFOS Foundation and Vodafone Ghana were instrumental in these achievements, as Mr. Gowu acknowledged.



Looking ahead to 2024, Mr. Gowu outlined ambitious plans for continued growth and innovation, inviting members to contribute their enthusiasm and expertise as he made a call for unity and dedication, stating, "Together, we will build on our achievements, overcome challenges, and reach new horizons."



Mr. Gowu alluded to the possibility of seeking legislative support to formalize the profession. He emphasized the need for standardized qualifications and practices, akin to those established in other sectors, to elevate the industry and safeguard public trust.



On a similar tangent, Board Chair, Professor Fred McBagonluri commended the management team for their commendable efforts. Flagship programs such as Coding for Kids, Tech Job Fair, Tech Entrepreneurs Forum, and Industry-Academia Tech Dialogue were highlighted for their impact in bridging the gap between industry and academia, fostering creativity in young minds, and addressing the workforce needs of the ICT sector.



Professor Fred McBagonluri, Board Chairman of IIPGH



Acknowledging the support of partners such as AdminTelecom, Ghana Chamber of Telecoms, Cyber Security Authority, and others, Prof. McBagonluri emphasized the collaborative efforts that have driven the success of all the initiatives.



The Board Chair also shared the Institute's expansion of initiatives to Uganda with the inaugural TICON Africa conference, bringing together ICT professionals from across the continent. Looking ahead to 2024, Prof. McBagonluri called for a collective commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaboration. He envisioned a future where the IIPGH would continue to make significant contributions to the growth and development of the ICT sector in the nation.



Hanna Schlingmann, the project manager of AFOS/DigiCAP.gh, representing the AFOS Foundation, expressed immense satisfaction with the ongoing partnership with the Institute. She noted that the collaboration has exceeded expectations, adding that beyond the raw numbers, the actual impact has been more profound. The AFOS Foundation representative further conveyed optimism for future endeavours.



Hanna Schlingmann, the project manager of AFOS/DigiCAP.gh



All on board



The event's highlight was the inauguration of the incoming board and management team, diversely composed of professionals with expertise in various ICT sectors. Mr. Gowu expressed his confidence in their ability to guide the Institute to new heights, emphasizing the significance of their roles in propelling IIPGH forward.



Let me express my sincere gratitude to the outgoing board and management for their dedicated service and outstanding contributions. Under their leadership, IIPGH developed all the flagship programs, initiatives, and membership drive, he stated.



Their tireless efforts, he noted, have propelled the institute to greater heights, laying a solid foundation for its continued success.



The outgoing board and management were similarly commended for their dedication, by Prof. McBagonluri, who credited their leadership for the mobilisation of over 2,500 members and the establishment of key programs like the Tech Job Fair and Coding for Girls initiative.



The new board comprises distinguished individuals, each bringing a wealth of expertise to their respective roles. At the helm is Prof. Fred McBagonluri, serving as the President of Academic City University College, steering the board with insight. Abraham Kuuku Sam, Data Policy Advisor at GIZ African Union Office, contributes invaluable perspectives on data governance. Amma Benneh-Amponsah, Head of People for Africa at Newmont, brings her extensive experience in human resources to the board.



The new board of IIPGH



The board further benefits from the leadership of Prof. Robert Ebo Hinson, Pro Vice Chancellor at Ghana Communications Technology University, and Nana Adjoa Adobea Asante, who serves as the Secretary to the National Communications Authority (NCA).



Additionally, there is Grace Elizabeth Anim-Yeboah who holds the position of Director, Business Banking at Absa Bank Ghana; Muniratu Musah, a Core Network Planning Engineer at MTN Ghana, and Francis Gatsi, a Lecturer at Ashesi University. Rounding out the board are David Gowu, the Executive Director of IIPGH, Richard Kafui Amanfu, Director of Operations and Membership at IIPGH, and C.K. Bruce, CEO of Innovare, each contributing their unique expertise to the collective leadership of this dynamic board.



IIPGH



The Institute of ICT Professionals, Ghana (IIPGH) is a professional association made up of professionals in various domains of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) practice. The Institute is a connector of ICT professionals from government MDAs, educational institutions, corporate organizations, start-ups, investors, and civil society organizations to create a vibrant ICT ecosystem.



















Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Valentino Nii Noi Nortey, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for Klottey Korle constituency, has commiserated with victims of the fire outbreak that occurred at Osu Doku on Wednesday, 13th December, 2023.



The inferno destroyed a storey building, household items and other properties.



Nii Noi Nortey, on Sunday, visited the victims and donated bags of cement, roofing sheets, cooking oil and bags of rice to ameliorate their plight.



He also pledged his continuous support for the traders and appealed to the government, corporate organizations and philanthropists to come to their aid.



Nii Noi further cut sod to build an ultra modern storey for them.



He was accompanied by the Constituency Executives led by the Chairperson (Madam Juliana Aboagye), Constituency Secretary (Mpery), Treasurer (Emmanuel Duah), Organiser (Eric Doe), Youth Organiser (Maxwell Asamoah), and some Electoral area coordinators and Assembly Aspirants.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Some members and delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP ) in the Bekwai Constituency have been accused of endorsing some parliamentary aspirants in the upcoming primaries contrary to laid down rules.



Some of the executives allegedly have brazenly posted flyers of some aspirants on their WhatsApp statuses even though the partys election guidelines from on such practices.



Incumbent MP for Bekwai and the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu has also been accused of openly endorsing COP (Retired) Alex Mensah.



Henry Opoku Ware (OWASS) is one of the parliamentary aspirants who allegedly backed the MP with huge resources in previous elections.



According to sources, he assured OWASS that he was going to back him in subsequent parliamentary primary as a reciprocal gesture but has suddenly changed his mind.



It is claimed that he stated that Henry Opoku Ware (Owass) hails from the Odagya side of Bekwai, which is predominantly rural. Therefore, if a genuine Bekwai resident desires to become a Member of Parliament for the area, that should be the case. However, that has changed.



The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will, on Wednesday, December 20, open nominations for individuals seeking to represent the party in constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament.



The party has scheduled January 27, 2024, as the date for parliamentary primaries in constituencies with sitting MPs.



Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Prof. Haruna Mohammed, said all is set for the picking of forms on Wednesday.



The party has taken the necessary steps to develop the timelines and also to come up with forms for filing, and forms are ready and will be dispatched to all the affected constituencies for sitting members of parliament on December 20 for prospective candidates to pick them.



The vetting committees being put together will also be announced after the forms have been submitted on December 25.



The instruction is that campaigns will start immediately after nominations are opened for people to pick nominations.



Four persons are contesting the Bekwai parliamentary seat namely; Henry Opoku-Ware (OWASS), Ralph Poku Edusei, George Alex Mensah (COP rtd), and Kingsley Opoku Agyemang.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Hooligans within the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were involved in an act of vandalism, pulling down billboards featuring John Mahamas Dada Noaa campaign slogan in various parts of Accra.



The billboards highlighted the failed promises of the former president Mahama and displayed quotes representing his perceived insensitive and inhumane remarks.

Some of the messages included Stop the purposeless lamentation and self-pity, I am not a magician to put money into your pockets, No chalk in schools, and Ghanaians complain too much.



The messages on these billboards evidently have infuriated some Mahama loyalists, prompting them to take matters into their own hands and remove the billboards.



This incident serves as a stark reminder of the growing tension between the NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the 2024 elections approach. The NPP and its supporters appear determined to outshine the opposition party by focusing on sound policies and practical messages aimed at improving the countrys economy.



To the NPP, elections are not about resorting to vile propaganda and spreading outright lies in order to secure victory. They emphasize the importance of delivering practical, implementable ideas to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians.



In light of these recent developments, it remains to be seen whether the NDCs billboards targeting Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, a prominent member of the NPP, will face a similar fate as those depicting John Mahama.



This act of vandalism highlights the need for political parties and their supporters to engage in respectful discourse and peaceful competition, upholding the principles of democracy as Ghana prepares for the upcoming elections.

Source: Daily Guide









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Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has ridiculed the Electoral Commission for postponing voting in some districts in the nation.



The Electoral Commission (EC) rescheduled the district-level elections in some electoral areas in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions.



This development is due to technical challenges involving the printing of ballots by the EC's contractors, the Commission's Director of Electoral Services, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe disclosed in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show Tuesday morning.



The affected districts, according to sources, include Bantama, South Sontreso, Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Mponua, Dadeso and Santasi.



A statement signed by the Acting Head of Public Relations at the EC, Michael Boadu, said residents in the affected areas will rather vote on Thursday, December 21, 2023.



Commenting on this latest development, Kwesi Pratt mocked the Electoral Commission for failing to hold the elections in all the districts today as planned and also found it disturbing for people to go and line up hoping to cast their votes, but only for them to be told to return another day.



"Some competence level is very high...You've really done a good job. We need to reward these people (EC)...I can't believe it; it's impossible for me to understand this....In fact, we salute you, Electoral Commission", he sarcastically said on the "Kokrokoo" programme.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has cast his ballot in the ongoing district Assembly and Unit Committee elections.



Dr. Bawumia voted at the Kperiga D/A Primary School polling station in his hometown, Walewale, in the North East Region.



The Vice President arrived to cheers and proceeded to the verification desk where his name was checked and verified.



From there, he was processed to vote in the main Assembly election before voting to select 5 Unit Committee members.



Dr. Bawumia spoke briefly to the media after voting and expressed satisfaction at the orderly manner of the process.



He commended the Electoral Commission and all stakeholders and urged those yet to cast their ballots to participate in this "important national exercise".

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) still grew by 4% (year-on-year) in November 2023, despite the blockade of the border by Polish carriers. The operation of the Ukrainian sea corridor helped to partially compensate for the multibillion-dollar economic losses caused by the Polish blockade.

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This was stated by First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko. "In November 2023, the blockade of the Polish-Ukrainian border by Polish road carriers was the main negative factor for exporting manufacturers and manufacturers dependent on imported raw materials for the delivery of products by road," the Minister said.

However, the sea corridor, organized without Russia's involvement, helped to cover some of the losses. According to Svyrydenko, this route was used primarily for exports by

producers of agricultural products

producers of metallurgical products;

metal ore mining companies.

"According to our estimates, the positive factors in November somewhat outweighed the balance of influence on GDP, and as a result, according to preliminary operational estimates of the Ministry of Economy, GDP growth was 4%," Svyrydenko said. She added that GDP growth in January-November 2023 is estimated at 5.5%.

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Even before the Polish blockade, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) in late October improved its forecast for Ukraine's GDP growth this year from 2.9% to 4.9%. The state budget estimates GDP growth at 5%.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, experts predict that Ukraine's economy will go through three stages of recovery. The first has already begun and will last until 2025. At the same time, significant growth should be expected from 2031.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Energy Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has refuted media reports accusing him of describing Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as "useless".



The Minister, in a statement, reacted to a viral video captioned "Bawumia's Running Mate says Bawumia is Useless" in which he expressed his views on Ghana's economy.



The Minister is urging the general public to disregard the video, stating it is a malicious ploy by his poltical enemies to tarnish his image.



Setting the record straight, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who doubles as Member for Parliament for Manhyia South, revealed the said interview by him on the video was done in February, 2014 and it was in reference to the State of the Nation Address by Ex-President John Dramani Mahama "where he blamed the country's economic woes on external shocks. In fact, at that time, the Cedi was rated as the worst performing currency in the world".



"Dr. Prempeh's view was that, the then President's assertion was inaccurate and had no basis in truth because, the fall of the cedi was largely due to fiscal irresponsibility on the part of the government and not external shocks," the statement signed by his aide, Kofi Abrefa Afena, clarified.



The Minister therefore finds it "unfathomable, how any reasonable person, after listening to this straight-forward interview, would nonetheless conclude that Dr. Prempeh was referring to His Excellency the Vice President".



"Indeed, in the said clip, Dr. Prempeh kept referring to "the President" and so that cannot possibly be in reference Dr. Bawumia, who has never served as President of the republic", Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly called 'NAPO', established.



He believes "these are, once again, Machiavellian attempts" by his political detractors "intra and inter, to cause disaffection for him".



Read full statement below:











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Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Managing Director (MD) of the Ghana Publishing Company, David Asante, has picked forms to contest for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)s parliamentary primaries in Nkawkaw.



Mr Asante picked up the forms on Wednesday, December 20, at the partys constituency office.



Speaking to the media after picking the forms, he stated that his decision follows extensive consultations with party stakeholders in the constituency.



He added that he is committed to providing quality leadership, Mr Asante said he aims to ensure that Nkawkaw takes its rightful place in Ghana's politics.



"I am the man the Nkawkaw people are calling for at the moment and I am ready to do the job for them. I won;t disappoint them and I will be the Member of Parliament, they yearn for. I am a son of the soil and I understand their needs better," he said.



In his commitment to the welfare of party delegates, Mr. Asante has established a Delegates Welfare Fund, contributing GH20,000 to support their needs.



Additionally, he pledges to create job opportunities for the people of Nkawkaw once elected.



Furthermore, he emphasises the importance of building the human resource capacity of the constituency's residents and focusing on infrastructure development for the towns in Nkawkaw.



This marks Mr. Asante's second attempt to lead the NPP in the constituency, reflecting his determination to contribute to the political landscape in Nkawkaw.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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PHILADELPHIA  Comcast Xfinity customers are being prompted to change their account passwords in light of an October data breach.

The Philadelphia-based cable and Internet giant announced the hack Monday in a public notice to customers, saying that some of their personal information may have been acquired.

We are not aware of any customer data being leaked anywhere, nor of any attacks on our customers, Comcast spokesperson Joel Shadle said in a statement. We take the responsibility to protect our customers very seriously and have our cybersecurity team monitoring 24x7.

It was not immediately clear how many customers may have been impacted; however, in a data breach notification filed to the Maine Attorney General, Comcast reported that nearly 36 million people had been affected.

After an investigation, the company determined earlier this month that information accessed by hackers could include: customers usernames, contact information, last four digits of Social Security numbers, dates of birth, questions and answers to account security questions, and hashed passwords, which, as a security measure, are algorithmically converted into a random string of characters to prevent misuse.

The incident was the result of a vulnerability in Citrix, which provides remote-work software to Comcast and thousands of other companies, including Boeing and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the worlds largest bank. Both of those corporations were hit this fall by hackers from a ransomware group exploiting the Citrix vulnerability, known as Citrix Bleed by cybersecurity officials.

Comcast said it promptly patched and mitigated its systems after Citrix announced the vulnerability, released a patch, and issued mitigation guidance in mid-October. Shortly after, however, Comcast said it discovered there had been unauthorized access to some of our internal systems between October 16 and 19, before it had taken steps to mitigate the issue.

The company notified federal authorities, according to the notice, and began an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident.

About a month ago, on Nov. 16, officials determined that hackers had likely acquired some information. On Dec. 6, the company determined what kind of customer information may have been accessed.

However, our data analysis is continuing, and we will provide additional notices as appropriate, the company wrote.

Comcast is prompting customers to change their Xfinity passwords, and suggesting they do so on any other accounts that use the same password. Officials there are also encouraging customers to use multi-factor authentication  which involves confirming your identity with a text, email, or phone call before logging in.

It was unclear how exactly customers were being notified of the incident beyond the prompts to change their passwords. Several Xfinity customers said they had not received an email with the public notice, or an email prompting them to change their password. As of Tuesday morning, customers were being directed to change their passwords only when they logged in to their online accounts

We know that you trust Xfinity to protect your information, and we cant emphasize enough how seriously we are taking this matter, the company wrote in its notice. We remain committed to continue investing in technology, protocols and experts dedicated to helping to protect your data and keeping you, our customer, safe.
A third person has been arrested and charged after being accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire and arson plot in Bedford County, according to news reports.

Last week, 43-year-old Heather Dibert was arrested after police accused her of hiring a hit man to kill her estranged wife and her wifes family.

This week, 33-year-old Jamie Eugenia Beers, of Lewistown, is facing multiple conspiracy charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated arson and aggravated assault in the attempted homicide of Diberts wifes family after she was accused of driving the getaway car that night, WTAJ reported.

Dibert is being accused of offering money and drugs to 34-year-old Zachery Sellers, of Lewistown, in exchange for him burning down a home in Napier Township where Diberts wife was staying with her family.

On Oct. 28., there was indeed a fire at the home, located along Tulls Hill Road in Napier Township. Five people, including several children, were in the home at the time, WJAC reported earlier. Officials said that the family was able to put out the fire, which investigators determined was caused by a Molotov cocktail, with minor damage to the porch.

During an interview with state police that took place on Dec. 12, Beers admitted that she was with Zachary Sellers and that the two met up with Dibert at a gas station on Oct. 27, WTAJ said.

Beers claimed that when they met up with Dibert, she drove their Jeep to show them where the house was located.

Sellers claimed that when Dilbert showed him the house, she said, Kill them all, WJAC said.

After Dibert left, Sellers and Beers spent the next couple of hours at a state park, discussing how they were going to pull this off.

Beers also admitted to driving Sellers to the scene of the fire, police said, where she claimed she parked down the hill from the home that night. When Sellers got out of the vehicle and walked to the home, she saw a ball of fire, thinking Sellers had lit a garage or a vehicle on fire.

Beers told authorities they were carrying out the plot because Dibert was paying Sellers with money and drugs, news reports said.

Beers was arraigned Tuesday and is currently held at Bedford County Jail, with a bail set at $1,000,000.

Sellers was also arrested along with Dibert. Both have a million-dollar bail set, WTAJ reported.
A former Palmyra man was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in state prison Tuesday for his role in the May 2022 overdose death of a West Shore woman at her Silver Spring Township apartment.

Cumberland County Judge Albert Masland sentenced Hill to consecutive terms of 8 to 16 years for drug delivery resulting in death, and 5 to 10 years for trafficking in fentanyl. Hill was found guilty of those and several other charges in a jury trial in October.

The charges were all tied to the death of Lindsay Bowen, whose fiance told police he found her unresponsive on the morning of May 11, 2022 in their apartment in the 6600 block of Carlisle Pike.

Bowen, 29, was the mother of four children.

Township police said the fiance told them he knew Bowen had been buying drugs from other tenants in their apartment complex, and text messages from her cell phone showed she was negotiating deals the night before for heroin and other substances with both Hill and his roommate, Michaella Weidler.

Prosecutor Jennifer Robinson argued during this falls trial that evidence showed Hill was the one who handled the transaction that led to Bowens death.

That included, she said, texts between Hill and Bowen on the night in question, the fact that Hill was seen on the doorbell camera as being present for both of Bowens buys on May 10, and that the payments Bowen posted by Cash App were going to Hills bank accounts.

Weidler, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier this year and testified against Hill at his trial, was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in state prison in an earlier proceeding before Masland on Tuesday.

Based on time served since her initial July 2022 arrest, Weidler could be eligible for parole as early as summer 2025 though Masland also ordered her to serve four years of supervised probation after her prison term maxes out.

Weidler, age 26, told Bowens mother Teresa, who was in court Tuesday, that she was very sorry for her role in Lindsay Bowens death, but noted shes had a problem with drugs since she was 18, and I wish that I could take back a lot of stuff that Ive done.

Hill, 31, appeared to choke up during parts of Teresa Bowens victim impact statement.

But when it was his turn to speak, he refused to accept direct criminal liability for Lindsay Bowens death.

Hill, who said he intends to appeal his conviction and has taken over his own criminal defense, has told police since the start of the case that, while he did sell drugs with Weidler, she was the one who sold heroin.

Also rejecting the proposition that he and Weidler were profiting from others addictions, Hill said Tuesday that in his view they were all addicts motivated primarily to just do what they could to make sure they got their next high, and that Bowen was an accidental victim in that high-risk game.

I apologize for your loss, I really do, Hill told Teresa Bowen at one point, while conceding he didnt make anything better for Lindsay the night that she died. But, he added, I did not sell fentanyl to your daughter.... I stand on that.

Hill has accused Weidler of agreeing to say whatever police wanted her to say in order to get a more favorable plea deal.

Unlike her, Hill said, Im going to continue to fight my case, Im going to continue to fight my addiction, and I hope I get better.

Masland, while sentencing Hill to more than 10 years in state prison, encouraged the defendant to honor that part of his argument Tuesday, by working on ending his addiction while in prison and doing everything he can to lead a better life when he gets out of jail.

There is some intelligence there that could otherwise be wasted, Masland said, as Hill stared down at the floor.

Drug packaging found in Lindsay Bowens apartment the day of her death was an exact match to packaging material, bearing a distinctive money bag stamp, found at Hill and Weidlers apartment after the execution of the search warrant there later that day.

Subsequent investigation also turned up doorbell video footage from Hill and Weidlers apartment showing Lindsay Bowen making several visits to Weidler and Hills apartment on the evening of May 10, 2022, including one clip where she picked up a package that Hill had set outside his door shortly before.

Jurors in October found Hill, whose criminal history shows a guilty plea to a drug trafficking charge in Lebanon County in 2018, guilty on all counts after less than two hours of deliberations.

With credit for time served since his arrest, Hill could become eligible for parole in July 2035, at age 43.
State police are trying to identify a man they said used multiple forms of fake identification to fraudulently withdraw $8,000 from a Centre County bank.

On Monday, Dec. 18, around 11:54 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police at Rockview said the man entered First National Bank at 101 E. Main St. in Millheim, Centre County.

Bank staff told police the man used multiple forms of ID including an Ohio drivers license.

The man is white, around 50 years old with no teeth, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. Police said he was wearing a black beanie, gray and black long-sleeved shirt, black boots and dark-colored pants.

Anyone with information can contact state police at 814-355-7545 or anonymously contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 800-472-8477. Crime Stoppers callers may be eligible for a reward.

READ MORE: Man dead after Harrisburg shooting: police
Two of three defendants in the I-81 chase that emerged from a failed attempt to steal electronics from Home Depot appeared in court Tuesday for a sentencing hearing and a guilty plea.

Latrell White, 21, will spend 9 to 23 months in county prison and will serve out a year on probation while Terrence Caton, 26, entered an open flee with the Cumberland County District Attorneys Office.
A well-known LGBTQ+ activist in the Philadelphia community was arrested Monday after being accused of raping two minors, according to news reports.

Charges were filed against 37-year-old Kendall Stephens, which includes involuntary assault, obscenity to minors, unlawful assault to minors, corruption of minors, and involuntary deviant sexual assault, as well as rape charges.

Stephens is accused by police of raping two boys. Further details have yet to be released.

The investigation of allegations against her is being led by another agency, and as such we have no comment, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office told 6ABC in a statement.

Back on Aug. 24, 2020, Stephens was attacked in a brutal hate crime in her Point Breeze neighborhood home. The attacker, Tymesha Wearing, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy. Stephen claimed she was targeted by a violent group for being a trans woman, Fox29 reported.

Afterward, Stephens became a prominent activist for the LGBTQ+ community, and pushed for a change in Pennsylvanias hate crimes statute, 6ABC reported.

Her bail has been set at $250,000 and her next court appearance has been scheduled for Dec. 29, CBS News and 6ABC reported.
West Chester Universitys next president R. Lorraine Laurie Bernotsky is no stranger to the campus.

Bernotsky, 56, worked at the Chester County university for 27 years most recently as its executive vice president and provost before stepping away last summer to serve as interim president at Pennsylvania Western University, a sister school in the State System of Higher Education.

At a special meeting, the systems governing board on Wednesday unanimously agreed to hire Bernotsky, effective July 1, to succeed Christopher Florentino, who announced in July he would be retiring next summer. He had been employed at West Chester for over four decades beginning as an assistant professor of economics and eventually moving into the administrative ranks. He has been serving as its president since 2017.

Bernotsky, whose salary as interim president at PennWest was $398,040, was the sole candidate considered for the position. System spokesman Kevin Hensil said her salary as West Chesters president will be set during a months-long process as her contract is being finalized.

West Chesters Council of Trustees unanimously supported recommending Bernotsky for the position. Before serving as provost at West Chester, she was the associate provost and dean of the graduate school, led the approval of four doctoral programs, and founded the universitys Center for Social and Economic Policy Research. Bernotsky, who holds a masters degree from Temple University and a masters and doctorate from the University of Oxford, began her career at West Chester by serving on the faculty.

Im really deeply honored and humbled by this vote and as a first-generation college student who grew up in rural eastern Pennsylvania, I understand firsthand the transformative power of education as the great equalizer especially public higher education and its why Ive devoted my entire career to public higher ed and why this opportunity means so much to me, Bernotsky said following the boards decision.

Marian Moskowitz a system board member and West Chester trustee, praised Bernotsky as an incredible leader but most importantly, shes an incredible team builder. And as we move forward in West Chester, we are so sad to see Chris retire, but I couldnt think of a better person to take [his] place and and we are honored to have her.

West Chester, with its more than 17,100 students, is the largest university in the State System. This year, it had its largest ever freshman class and a 4% increase in out-of-state students.

A national search for a permanent president at the 11,300-student PennWest, which encompasses California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, will be launched next semester with the assistance of search consulting firm Greenwood Asher & Associates, said PennWest spokeswoman Wendy Mackall. That firm also assisted in the West Chester presidential search.

* This post has been updated to reflect Bernotskys salary as interim president at Pennsylvania Western University.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
Workers sort mail-in ballots Nov. 7, 2023, at Northampton County Courthouse in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. (Matt Smith / For Spotlight PA)Matt Smith | For Spotlight PA
The year 2023 was rich in bright and interesting horror films. Many sequels of legendary films were released, old franchises got a "second life", and new plots were definitely scary.

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Variety has compiled a rating of the sixteen best horror films of 2023. In particular, some films did not make it to the top but still received recognition, including Saw X, M3GAN, Sick, and The Wrath of Becky. OBOZ.UA decided to tell you about the 10 best horror films that became part of the Variety rating.

1. Skinamarink

Kyle Edward Ball's debut feature film is about the fears that children face as they grow up. The plot centers on two kids who wake up in the middle of the night and notice that their father has disappeared, as well as all the doors and windows in the house.

Unfortunately, the film has not yet been dubbed into Ukrainian, so you can watch it in the original language only.

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2. Talk to Me

The movie revolves around Mia, who is trying to get over the strange death of her mother Rhea. One day, she finds herself at a party where an embalmed hand of a "medium", which is supposed to create contact with the other world, is brought to her. Mia decided to use this chance to find out where her mother had disappeared. The girl contacts Rhea, but she needs help to get out of the world that has captured her.

3. When Evil Lurks

Pedro and Jaime are two brothers who accidentally release a demon into the countryside that can possess people and make them do terrible things. The evil draws its power from all living things, including animals and children. After some time, the brothers begin to realize what is happening and try to save people.

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4. Beau Is Afraid

The story centers on Beau, whose nervous system does not allow him to live in peace. He is a recluse who is afraid of the outside world. Nevertheless, he decides to go out to visit his mother, and in doing so, he makes a fatal mistake. The trip turns into a nightmare and he has to live through the worst scenarios he could ever imagine.

5. Infinity Pool

James is a married novelist who, together with his wife, travels off the beaten path during a vacation. After getting into an accident, they find themselves in another world full of horrors. The couple is sentenced to death for the amusement of the public. But if you have enough money, you can replace yourself with lookalikes.

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6. Evil Dead Rise

This is the fifth chapter of the Evil Dead movie series. The story tells of two sisters who have hardly communicated since childhood, but when the opportunity to do so arises, they cannot be together because of the appearance of demons who are trying to drag everyone, especially children, to hell.

7. Thanksgiving

The story covers the events of two years around Black Friday after Thanksgiving. The global sale ended tragically, with several people dying. The following year, the events repeat themselves: a mysterious killer inspired by Thanksgiving terrorizes the city.

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Unfortunately, this movie can only be viewed in the original language as it has not been dubbed into Ukrainian.

8. In My Mother's Skin

At the end of World War II in the Philippines, a wealthy family is trapped in a mansion and terrorized by Japanese soldiers. Rumor has it that the family's father stole Japanese gold and hid it near the estate. At the same time, the mother's health is deteriorating, so the youngest daughter tries to save her by asking a forest fairy for help.

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9. Deliver Us

This is a horror movie with a religious theme. A nun claims to have an immaculate conception. The Vatican is very concerned about this, so it sent a group of priests to investigate as there is an ancient prophecy that if a woman gives birth to twins, one will be the Messiah and the other will be the Antichrist.

Unfortunately, the movie has not yet been dubbed into Ukrainian, so you can only watch it in the original language.

10. No One Will Save You

A movie about a hermit. Aliens broke into her house. The woman has an anxiety disorder, which makes it incredibly difficult for her to cope with intruders. The peculiarity of this movie is that only 5 words are spoken during the whole plot.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that IndieWire created its own list of the best films of 2023, which were voted for by film critics.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Owners of a Taco Bell Express at the Harrisburg Mall relocated their restaurant.

Franchise partners, Nehal Patel and Hemal Desai, said the takeout Mexican fast-food stand will open Friday in the food court at Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township.

Harrisburg Mall tenants slowly have been closing as the malls owner, St. John Properties, plans to raze the building, except for Bass Pro Shops and Applebees Grill + Bar Restaurant. It will be rebuilt as Swatara Exchange, a mixed-use development.

Patel said they picked Capital City Mall because its the only fully operational mall in the area.

The partners also own Charleys Philly Steaks in Walmart Supercenters in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County and West Manchester Township, York County.

Patel said the Taco Bell is opening in a former Verizon store near T-mobile and Charleys Philly Steaks. It will not serve Taco Bells breakfast menu but will be open daily for lunch and dinner.
Passengers hoping to sip on Pina colada on a Bahamian beach before the holidays had to switch to Dunkin iced coffee under cloudy skies when their cruise was suddenly redirected to Canada, making a stop in Boston along the way.

The MSC Meraviglia was supposed to sail to from New York City to Florida, Nassau in the Bahamas and Ocean Cay on Saturday, Dec. 16.

However, the cruise rerouted to Canada and New England last minute because of unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean, MSC Cruises USA said in a statement sent to MassLive Wednesday.

The company said this was the only alternative the cruise could take to avoid canceling the trip and thousands of peoples vacations, altogether.

The Meraviglia was docked in Boston from Sunday, Dec. 17 until Tuesday, Dec. 19 before heading to Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, Dec. 20, NBC reported.

The ship is slated to stop in St. John in Canada on Thursday, Dec. 21, before turning back to New York City for a return on Saturday, Dec. 23, according to the outlet.

The Meraviglia, which can hold up to 5,700 people, docked at the Flynn Cruiseport Boston, The Boston Globe reported. Passengers told the outlet that it felt a little late to make the best of their vacations as the city was under a damaging winds alert that day.

I did not want to pay $5,000 [for my family] to come to Boston, said Connie C., who lives in Pennsylvania but regularly travels to Boston for work according to The Globe. This was supposed to be our Christmas vacation.

MSC Cruises gave passengers the option of either sailing to a different region or canceling their cruise for future credit. Those who decided to stick to the trip documented the expected itinerary on social media.

One TikTok showed children swimming in the pool while the ship was docked in Boston on a cold and rainy day.

It is freezing out here, said Mzzkeya creations, who posted the video on Tuesday. Can yall believe people are still swimming and its, like, freezing?

Another TikTok user, who goes by the name peace.n.justice, detailed her rocky experience trying to get her trip canceled after hearing about the last-minute change. She said the two options the cruise line gave her to help did not end up working, and she ended up having to call her bank for a refund.

I said the service was not as promised, the TikTok user said in the video posted Saturday. So thats where we are. Eight-day, seven-night cruise out of New York for the holidays is a bust.
By Julia Marnin, The Charlotte Observer (TNS)

A man drove up to a U.S. Air Force base in Florida and demanded entry while an AR-15 rifle and loaded magazines were in the trunk of his car, federal prosecutors said.

He refused to identify himself to security personnel who stopped him at the gate of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on Nov. 3, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The 33-year-old Tampa resident called himself Captain America and said he had to meet with a U.S. Special Operations Command general to provide top secret information, prosecutors said.

MacDill Air Force Base in Florida is home to U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command. (Howard Altman/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)TNS

While arguing with security personnel, he threatened to return to the base every day to look for the officers denying him entry, according to the attorneys office.

He was handcuffed outside his car as a result of his suspicious behavior and apparent mental condition, an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint says.

When security then searched the trunk of his vehicle, they found the gun and five magazines loaded with 125 rounds of ammunition, according to prosecutors.

The man has been indicted on one count of attempted possession of a firearm at a federal facility in connection with the incident, the attorneys office announced in a Dec. 19 news release.

Douglas Jordan Stamm, the mans appointed federal public defender, told McClatchy News on Dec. 19 that he cannot comment on his clients case as a matter of the policy of the Office of the Federal Defender for the Middle District of Florida.

After the man was detained outside MacDill Air Force Base, he told responding officers from the Tampa Police Department and its behavior health unit that he has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and takes ADHD medication, according to the affidavit.

Officers considered him to be in an extreme state of paranoia and psychosis, according to the affidavit, and that he was a possible threat to cause harm to USAF security personnel.

The governments indictment seeks the forfeiture of the mans rifle and ammunition, the attorneys office said.

If the man is convicted, he could face up to one year in federal prison, according to prosecutors.

MacDill Air Force Base is home to the U.S. Central Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command.

2023 The Charlotte Observer. Visit at charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The parents of a 16-year-old boy who died last year after he became unconscious on his way to school in Cape May County have sued the districts bus company, claiming no one tried to help their son.

Landon Goff, of Galloway Township, died from a brain injury and airway obstruction after a medical emergency during his 44-minute ride to school, according to the lawsuit filed against Sheppard Bus Services in the Atlantic County Superior Court earlier this month.

Landons parents, Jennifer Spahr and Aaron Kizer-Goff, believe their son, who had a rare neurological disorder called Rett syndrome, choked on his salvia while on the bus.

Sheppard Bus Services, a private contractor that operates over 500 buses across five New Jersey counties, is being sued for alleged negligence. The lawsuit says both the driver and the bus aide should have been trained better to handle medical emergencies involving children with disabilities.

Landon was a truly special boy who loved life and was making great progress in every way, getting closer daily to walking on his own, his parents wrote in a statement. We cannot begin to understand how Landon  one of only four kids on the Sheppard bus that morning  could be the victim of such cruel neglect by the bus driver and aide that cost him his life.

An attorney representing the bus company declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday.

Around 8 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2022, Landon was the final student picked up by the Sheppards bus before it headed for Cape May County Special Services School, about 45 minutes away from his home in Galloway.

The bus was operated by Landons usual driver while a substitute aide filled in for the regular one, according to court documents.

When Landon became unconscious during the ride, neither the bus driver nor the aide used the bus radio to alert anyone, the lawsuit alleges.

Once the bus arrived at the school around 9 a.m., a school resource officer was alerted that Landon was unconscious and unresponsive. School officials attempted to administer CPR to revive the teenager.

Landon was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and airlifted to Dupont Childrens Hospital in Delaware, where he died from a brain injury and airway obstruction three days later, the complaint said.

According to the lawsuit, a camera on the bus at the time of the incident was not working. An investigation into the childs death is ongoing and it is currently unclear whether anyone else could have been responsible, the familys attorney said.

The complaint says the state requires school bus staff to be trained in managing emergency situations and understanding their students disabilities. The lawsuit alleges Sheppard failed to ensure its employees were adequately trained.

There have been several recent incidents involving disabled students in New Jersey having medical emergencies while under supervision of bus aides.

In February, Matthew Rossi, a 19-year-old who was non-verbal and had congenital muscular dystrophy, choked on mucus while on a school bus heading to his home in East Hanover, authorities said.

A licensed practical nurse responsible for the Rossis daily bus rides to school and home was charged in November by the Morris County Prosecutors office with neglect and endangerment in connection with the students death.

Earlier this year, school bus aide Amanda Davila was charged in Somerset County after the death of Fajr Williams, a 6-year-old Franklin Township girl who was disabled and nonverbal.

When Fajr began to suffocate after her seat belt became wrapped around her neck while on her way to a summer school program in July, Davila had earbuds in and failed to notice, officials alleged. A grand jury indicted Davila on a first-degree aggravated manslaughter charge in November.

Landons parents said they hope their lawsuit will uncover more about their sons death.

All parents of special children, like Landon, deserve to know their kids are not second-class citizens, and that everything possible is being done to protect them from danger, including on the school bus, Landons parents said in a statement.

Nyah Marshall may be reached at Nmarshall@njadvancemedia.com.
A bomb threat made toward the Lancaster Central Market on Tuesday morning prompted police to evacuate and close the building for just over an hour.

Police were made aware of the threat  which said a bomb was placed inside the market  after TripAdvisor, an online travel agency, noticed the threat on their website and reported it to local authorities, according to a police report.

The market was quietly evacuated around 11 a.m. to allow police dogs to sniff the building. The dogs cleared the building shortly after noon and the market was reopened, according to WGAL.

The Lancaster City Bureau of Police takes all potential threats seriously and responds with the utmost caution. While the previous threats have proven to be unfounded, we continue to investigate each case thoroughly to ensure the ongoing safety of our community, the police report included.

TripAdvisor has since removed the threat from the Lancaster Central Markets page.
WILLIAMSPORT  The insurance carrier for a major Pennsylvania highway contractor does not have to provide coverage for two civil suits related to criminal charges brought by the state attorney generals office.

U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Tuesday ruled for the second time in favor of Twin City Fire Insurance of Hartford, Connecticut, against Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc.

The Centre County contractor claimed its 2021 Twin City policy provided coverage for the two civil suits arising from charges it illegally diverted more than $20 million in pension money and other benefits from workers.

Brann rejected that argument in August, ruling Twin Citys policy contained provisions that exclude from coverage any claims that arise out of allegations of unpaid wages or benefits.

Hawbaker asked the judge to reconsider his decision, arguing in both instances the claims for which coverage was sought were not related to the scheme to underpay prevailing wage employees.

The judge disagreed, writing that allegations in the civil suits include that Hawbaker failed to pay wages in a timely fashion, misappropriated retirement account funds and violated Pennsylvania and federal wage payment and collection laws.

Brann concluded the core of the civil actions are the state attorney generals charges that accused Hawbaker of a scheme to underpay prevailing wage workers by overstating the value of fringe benefits.

The criminal case was resolved in August 2021 when Hawbaker pleaded no contest to four counts of theft and agreed to pay $20,696,453 to affected victims.

The criminal charges alleged between 2015 and 2018 Hawbaker diverted retirement contributions meant for workers subject to the prevailing wage laws for government projects to fund pension contributions for all of its employees.

The company changed its practices in 2018 with pension money now deposited directly into workers individual retirement accounts.

The pending federal civil case accuses the company of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by among other things failing to make required contributions to Hawbakers 401(k) retirement savings and other benefit plans.

Brann in June granted class action in that suit brought by Lester Packer Sr. of Trout Run and Lester Packer II and Shawn Dyroff of Jersey Shore, all former employees.

They are representing more than 1,400 current and former employees who worked on prevailing wage contracts for Hawbaker in Pennsylvania between Sept. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2018.

The other civil case brought by James C. King accused Hawbaker of engaging in a systematic and clandestine scheme of wage abuse and wage and benefit shortages.

It was filed in Centre County court but Hawbaker had it removed to federal court. Brann sent it back to Centre County in 2022 agreeing with King he did not have jurisdiction over his claims.

Joining in the company in its suit against Twin City were company president Daniel Hawbaker and vice presidents Patrick and D. Michael Hawbaker.
Update: Teenager fled troopers before chase ended in double fatal crash: state police

Two males who fled troopers overnight Wednesday were found dead after crashing into a body of water in Franklin County, Pennsylvania State Police said.

State police said troopers first encountered the two  who have not yet been identified  around 12:52 a.m. Wednesday, while responding to reports of men getting into and possibly stealing from vehicles on the 9000 block of Lindale Avenue in Antrim Township.

They got into a green Jeep SUV and fled the scene, police said. A chase ensued, during which troopers unsuccessfully tried to get the driver to stop, state police said.

State police said the Jeep went off Oellig Road and sped through multiple farm fields and properties. The Jeep then went over a steep embankment and landed in a body of water.

Water rescue units, firefighters and EMS personnel were called to the scene because of dangerous rescue conditions, state police said. Two people were found dead inside the Jeep.

State police said the investigation is ongoing.
A nearly $1 million project to restore a reproducing population of freshwater mussels into the upper reaches of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River is scheduled to begin next year.

A National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Watershed Investment for Landscape Defense grant of $411,500 has been awarded to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to help fund the project in the river upstream from the dam at Lock Haven.

Matching funds from project partners of $566,400 brings the total project cost to $977,900.

The grant will enable the partners to take a comprehensive approach to mussel and river restoration through research, education and community outreach, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission says.

Partners besides the commission include the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Commonwealth University at Lock Haven and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

While mussels are plentiful in the West Branch from Lock Haven to the rivers confluence with the North Branch at Sunbury, they are absent upstream of the dam, the commission points out.

Freshwater mussel communities are absolutely essential to healthy rivers and streams, and these restoration efforts are critical, said state malacologist Nevin Welte. This project is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the West Branch Susquehanna River with each partner bringing a unique expertise to the table.

The funding will allow thousands of mussels to be stocked and monitored over the next three years, said Zach Taylor, freshwater mussel propagation biologist with the Maryland DNR.

The goal is to restore a reproducing population by creating multiple mussel beds in areas where the habitat is good, he said.

Some survey work to locate those sites has been done, Jordan Allison, a state fishery biologist said.

Historically, the West Branch watershed contained a thriving mussel community before the introduction of pollution associated with extensive coal mining and logging from the early 1800s through the early 1900s, Welte said.

Due to enhanced regulation of these industries and conservation efforts by natural resources agencies and their partners, great strides have been made in treating legacy sources of pollution, he said.

As part of the project, eels will be transported from below the Conewago Dam in Maryland because they are among the travel hosts for mussels, Allison explained.

Before being placed in the river upstream from the Lock Haven dam, the eels will be inoculated with baby mussels taken from the river in the Williamsport-Jersey Shore area and Pine Creek, he said.

The hope is when the mussels grow and drop off the eels they will create their own population, he said.

Approximately 10,000 Pennsylvania-bred baby mussels will come from the Joseph Manning Fish Hatchery in Maryland of which Taylor is the freshwater mussel manager.

Welte provided this information about freshwater mussels:

They provide multiple benefits to their surrounding ecosystems but are among the most imperiled groups of native animals in North America.

A single mussel can filter up to three gallons of water per day, which is significant to water quality considering tens of thousands of mussels can live in a single mile of river.

Mussels are also an important food source for native fish and other animals including muskrats, otters and raccoons.

Freshwater mussel populations continue to decline due to habitat loss, pollution and the introduction of invasive species. Of the 53 species of freshwater mussels that remain in Pennsylvania, 11 are listed as threatened or endangered.

There will be opportunities for the public to assist with the project through environmental days at the Lock Haven campus, the dates of which will be announced later, the commission says.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said Wednesday that urging a key Senate committee to block the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese company is a first shot in fighting the acquisition.

Im as committed to pursue this until weve gone through every possible option, Fetterman told PennLive in a Zoom interview. At a minimum, I want to talk about it and I want to bring a lot of attention towards it.

Fetterman said he had a great relationship with U.S. Steel management prior to the deal being announced Monday that Nippon Steel would acquire the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for nearly $15 billion.

U.S. Steel management had regularly reached out to his office about developments and press releases, but Fetterman said that did not happen this time.

I had to read it in the news just like everyone else, he said, adding that the United Steelworkers International, which has 11,000 members at U.S. Steel, said it was ignored, too.

What (U.S. Steel management) did tells me they dont have to care, and they were OK with burning their bridge, Fetterman said. I dont know why they would do that unless there is a very, very golden parachute on the other side.

Fetterman said everything is on the table  from legislative to regulatory remedies  in trying to block the deal.

Anything. Whatever works, he said. Whatever tools are in the box Im going to try any one of them.

Elected officials, particularly those from Pennsylvania such as Fetterman and Sen. Bob Casey, have blasted the proposed deal that would see a foreign company buy the 122-year-old U.S. Steel.

Theres not one single person in Allegheny County that lives closer to (U.S. Steel) facilities than I do with my three children, said Fetterman, whose familys home is across from the companys Edgar Thompson plant in Braddock.

Fetterman recorded a video on Monday commenting on the deal while standing on the roof of his home with the Thompson plant in the background.

The acquisition of @U_S_Steel by a foreign company is wrong for workers and wrong for Pennsylvania. Im gonna do everything I can to block it. pic.twitter.com/9EqohwRhRJ  Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) December 18, 2023

Steel is security, he told PennLive, national security, economic security for the union workers and for our communities as well.

Fetterman, Casey and Deluzio sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen on Tuesday telling her that the Senate Committee on Foreign Investment should block the sale. Three Republican senators also sent their own letter to Yellen.

Based on the committees recommendation, the president can suspend or cancel deals determined to pose a threat to national security.

That, however, has only happened seven times since 1975, according to the Congressional Research Service, with the latest ones occurring in 2020 when acquisitions of a software company and a digital platform were blocked.

Reuters reported that transactions involving Japanese firms typically have few issues.

Also on Tuesday, Fetterman, Casey and Pittsburgh-area U.S. Reps. Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio, all Democrats, sent a letter to Nippon Steel seeking commitments to U.S. Steels workers and its future in Pennsylvania.

Our railroads, skyscrapers, and critical infrastructure across the country would not exist without Pennsylvania steel and the workers who forged it, their letter read.

Nippon Steel has said that U.S. Steel would become a subsidiary that would maintain its name and headquarters in Pittsburgh. Nippon also said that it would honor current collective bargaining agreements.

Fetterman said that Nippon Steels $15 billion offer to buy U.S. Steel was double that of Cleveland Cliffs rejected offer just a few months ago because of the investments that will be made in American infrastructure through President Joe Bidens infrastructure law.

Now, they realize thats a big deal, he said. There must be a lot of money to be made off of us.

Fetterman acknowledged that Japan is a strong ally of the United States, but he still does not think that a foreign entity should own such an important piece of American industry.

Two things can be true at the same time, he said. Japan is a great ally, but I think that they shouldnt be owning part of our capacity to produce steel  a Japanese company shouldnt be profiting off American legislation to invest in American infrastructure.

Fetterman, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he also opposes Chinese acquisitions of American farmland.

Ethnically, Im a 100 percent German and I wouldnt want a German company to be buying the mill across the street from where I live, Fetterman said. I dont buy foreign cars. I buy American. At every opportunity I have, I buy American.
UPDATE: This post was updated at 4:43 p.m. Wednesday with news that Perrys attorneys are still reviewing the courts decision and have reached a final decision about appealing the latest order.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has lost his bid to protect about 80 percent of still-contested cell phone communications he was seeking to shield from federal agents working on the 2020 election subversion case against former President Donald J. Trump.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg said Perry is not entitled to Constitutional privileges for members of Congress for most of the 2,055 texts, emails and other communications pulled from his phone in August 2022 that remain in dispute.

Boasberg said 396 of the contested documents can be shielded from Special Prosecutor Jack Smiths team under protections afforded by the U.S. Constitutions speech and debate clause, which is meant to protect the independence of the legislative body.

Thats because those documents, Boasberg found, had direct ties to Perrys role as the representative from Pennsylvanias 10th House District on votes that came before the chamber on certification of the 2020 electoral college counts, and a separate Democrat-backed bill on voting rights.

But another 1,659 communications, including most of those between Perry and members of Trumps White House or campaign teams about ways to encourage state legislatures to decertify results; making 11th-hour changes to top staff at the U.S. Department of Justice; and other topics are too far removed from legislative proceedings to be entitled to such protections, Boasberg wrote.

PennLive contacted Perrys Congressional office and legal team Wednesday morning for a response to the latest ruling.

Wednesday afternoon, attorney John P. Rowley III issued a statement on Perrys behalf, which said in part:

The intervention of the courts has been necessary to prevent overly aggressive prosecutors from interfering with legislative deliberations and fact-finding. We are reviewing how the district court applied the standards required by the D.C. Circuit (Court of Appeals) and will decide whether to seek further judicial review.

Earlier this month, an inadvertantly-unsealed opinion from an earlier round in the cellphone case painted a picture of Perry, a 6th-term House member from northern York County, as working tirelessly on several fronts to help Trumps effort to cling to power despite his 2020 electoral defeat by Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Judge Beryl A. Howells initial December 2022 ruling ordering release of the data shed new light on some Perry actions that have already been widely reported, like the push to get Jeffrey Clark installed as an Acting Attorney General who would do Trumps bidding at the U.S. Department of Justice.

It also revealed some heretofore lesser-known efforts, such as a last-ditch plan to get direct testimony from Trump allies about allegations of vote fraud before Congress on Jan. 6th, 2021  the date of the final certification of Bidens electoral college win.

Perry and other Trump allies hoped to do that, Howells opinion revealed, by trying to coax then-Vice President Mike Pence to convene the Congress as a committee-of-the-whole before the electoral count was opened.

Perrys attorneys have argued that his communications that winter were designed to help him reach a decision about his vote on certification of the election results.

In his statement Wednesday, Perry attorney Rowley put it this way:

Congressman Perry had an obligation to his constituents, and the nation more generally, to investigate the seemingly credible information he received about discrepancies in the 2020 election.

The Department of Justice responded by seizing his phone and attempting to intrude upon his private communications with members of Congress and other people who, like him, were concerned about the integrity of the election.

Howell disagreed.

She wrote that if Rep. Perry was purely gathering information, he would not have been attempting to influence the conduct of executive branch officials and encouraging them to engage in efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Boasberg was asked to take a fresh review of the Perry data this year after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Howell applied the wrong standard to her review.

In a partial win for Perry, Boasberg held Tuesday that Perrys personal information-gathering and acquisition of reports of election fraud, which Howell said wasnt protected because it wasnt formally authorized by Congress, could be shielded.

Boasberg said he considered those lines of inquiry  whether to people within or outside the federal government  relevant to the votes that Perry would eventually have to cast as a House member on the final certification of the Electoral College count, and the For the People Act that Democrats controlling the House pushed through later that winter.

In so doing, he marked 396 of the communications still under dispute as textbook legislative acts and off-limits to investigators.

But other communications, ranging from lobbying state legislators, to strategizing with members of Trumps White House or campaign teams, to what was happening at the U.S. Capitol as it was besieged by Trump supporters on Jan. 06, 2021 will be marked open for review.

Even if such activities are in a days work for a member of Congress, the Speech or Debate Clause does not protect acts that are not legislative in nature, Boasberg wrote.

Perry is not charged with any crimes stemming from his post-2020 election actions.

But the evolving public record has shown he appears to have been enthusiastically engaged in helping Trump as the president signaled that he wasnt willing to accept the results of the 2020 vote.

In one of the more sensational headlines from last years public hearings produced by the House Select Committee formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Jan. 06, 2021 attacks on the Capitol by Trump supporters, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson listed Perry as among three Congressmen who inquired about a pre-emptive presidential pardon in the wake of the attacks.

Hutchinson said she believed the request  which Perry has vehemently denied  sprung out of a Dec. 21, 2020 meeting with Trump at the White House to strategize about what Congress could do to block final certification of Bidens election.

Perry, 62, is widely expected to seek re-election next year to a seventh term in the U.S. House. His 10th District seat consists of Dauphin County, most of Cumberland County and roughly the northern half of York County.
On Wednesday, December 20, work began in Kyiv to return the crosses of St. Sophia Cathedral to their historical places. Before that, they were removed for restoration.

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This was reported on his Facebook page by Vadym Kyrylenko, deputy director of the National Conservation Area "St. Sophia of Kyiv". The costs were covered by the capital of Portugal.

"Today, after the restoration and consecration, work has begun to return the crosses of St. Sophia Cathedral to their historical places," the post reads.

As noted by the publication Vechirniy Kyiv, the installation of the crosses will last for three days. After Christmas, they plan to dismantle the central cross. Specialists will hold restoration councils and restore it in the same way, at the expense of patrons.

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The cost of restoring this cross was covered by the capital of Portugal. The mayor of Lisbon is planning to come and see the renovated crosses of the shrine.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra will ring the main bell every day to remind of the captured Ukrainian military. The tradition of the "Bell of Memory and Hope" was launched on Tuesday, December 5.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and inViber. Do not fall for fakes!
In 2024, former President Donald Trump will face some of his greatest challenges: criminal court cases, primary opponents and constitutional challenges to his eligibility to hold the office of president again. The Colorado Supreme Court has pushed that latter piece to the forefront, ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, that Trump cannot appear on Colorados 2024 presidential ballot because of his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

The reason is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. Section 3 of that amendment wrote into the Constitution the principle President Abraham Lincoln set out just three months after the first shots were fired in the Civil War. On July 4, 1861, he spoke to Congress, declaring that when ballots have fairly, and constitutionally, decided, there can be no successful appeal back to bullets.

The text of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states, in full:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

To me as a scholar of constitutional law, each sentence and sentence fragment captures the commitment made by the nation in the wake of the Civil War to govern by constitutional politics. People seeking political and constitutional changes must play by the rules set out in the Constitution. In a democracy, people cannot substitute force, violence or intimidation for persuasion, coalition building and voting.

The power of the ballot

The first words of Section 3 describe various offices that people can only hold if they satisfy the constitutional rules for election or appointment. The Republicans who wrote the amendment repeatedly declared that Section 3 covered all offices established by the Constitution. That included the presidency, a point many participants in framing, ratifying and implementation debates over constitutional disqualification made explicitly, as documented in the records of debate in the 39th Congress, which wrote and passed the amendment.

Senators, representatives and presidential electors are spelled out because some doubt existed when the amendment was debated in 1866 as to whether they were officers of the United States, although they were frequently referred to as such in the course of congressional debates.

No one can hold any of the offices enumerated in Section 3 without the power of the ballot. They can only hold office if they are voted into it  or nominated and confirmed by people who have been voted into office. No office mentioned in the first clause of Section 3 may be achieved by force, violence or intimidation.

A required oath

The next words in Section 3 describe the oath to support [the] Constitution that Article 6 of the Constitution requires all office holders in the United States to take.

The people who wrote Section 3 insisted during congressional debates that anyone who took an oath of office, including the president, were subject to Section 3s rules. The presidential oaths wording is slightly different from that of other federal officers, but everyone in the federal government swears to uphold the Constitution before being allowed to take office.

These oaths bind officeholders to follow all the rules in the Constitution. The only legitimate government officers are those who hold their offices under the constitutional rules. Lawmakers must follow the Constitutions rules for making laws. Officeholders can only recognize laws that were made by following the rules  and they must recognize all such laws as legitimate.

This provision of the amendment ensures that their oaths of office obligate officials to govern by voting rather than violence.

Defining disqualification

Section 3 then says people can be disqualified from holding office if they engaged in insurrection or rebellion. Legal authorities from the American Revolution to the post-Civil War Reconstruction understood an insurrection to have occurred when two or more people resisted a federal law by force or violence for a public, or civic, purpose.

Shays Rebellion, the Whiskey Insurrection, Burrs Rebellion, John Browns Raid and other events were insurrections, even when the goal was not overturning the government.

What these events had in common was that people were trying to prevent the enforcement of laws that were consequences of persuasion, coalition building and voting. Or they were trying to create new laws by force, violence and intimidation.

These words in the amendment declare that those who turn to bullets when ballots fail to provide their desired result cannot be trusted as democratic officials. When applied specifically to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, the amendment declares that those who turn to violence when voting goes against them cannot hold office in a democratic nation.

A chance at clemency

The last sentence of Section 3 announces that forgiveness is possible. It says Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability  the ineligibility of individuals or categories of people to hold office because of having participated in an insurrection or rebellion.

For instance, Congress might remove the restriction on office-holding based on evidence that the insurrectionist was genuinely contrite. It did so for repentant former Confederate General James Longstreet .

Or Congress might conclude in retrospect that violence was appropriate, such as against particularly unjust laws. Given their powerful anti-slavery commitments and abolitionist roots, I believe that Republicans in the House and Senate in the late 1850s would almost certainly have allowed people who violently resisted the fugitive slave laws to hold office again. This provision of the amendment says that bullets may substitute for ballots and violence for voting only in very unusual circumstances.

A clear conclusion

Taken as a whole, the structure of Section 3 leads to the conclusion that Donald Trump is one of those past or present government officials who by violating his oath of allegiance to the constitutional rules has forfeited his right to present and future office.

Trumps supporters say the president is neither an officer under the United States nor an officer of the United States as specified in Section 3. Therefore, they say, he is exempt from its provisions.

But in fact, both common sense and history demonstrate that Trump was an officer, an officer of the United States and an officer under the United States for constitutional purposes. Most people, even lawyers and constitutional scholars like me, do not distinguish between those specific phrases in ordinary discourse. The people who framed and ratified Section 3 saw no distinction. Exhaustive research by Trump supporters has yet to produce a single assertion to the contrary that was made in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Yet scholars John Vlahoplus and Gerard Magliocca are daily producing newspaper and other reports asserting that presidents are covered by Section 3.

Significant numbers of Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate agreed that Donald Trump violated his oath of office immediately before, during and immediately after the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Most Republican senators who voted against his conviction did so on the grounds that they did not have the power to convict a president who was no longer in office. Most of them did not dispute that Trump participated in an insurrection. A judge in Colorado also found that Trump engaged in insurrection, which was the basis for the states Supreme Court ruling barring him from the ballot.

Constitutional democracy is rule by law. Those who have demonstrated their rejection of rule by law may not apply, no matter their popularity. Jefferson Davis participated in an insurrection against the United States in 1861. He was not eligible to become president of the U.S. four years later, or to hold any other state or federal office ever again. If Davis was barred from office, then the conclusion must be that Trump is too  as a man who participated in an insurrection against the United States in 2021.

Mark A. Graber, University System of Maryland Regents Professor of Law, University of Maryland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A new poll has President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump locked in a statistical tie even though nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters say Biden does not deserve to be re-elected.

Muhlenberg Colleges Institute of Public Opinion released a poll on Tuesday of 421 registered voters in the state. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 6 percentage points.

The poll found that 65% said Biden does not deserve re-election while 28% said he does and 7% said they were not sure.

Bidens job approval rating among Pennsylvania voters was also under water, with 57% disapproving, and 34% approving. His favorable rating was 55%.

Despite those numbers, Biden leads Trump 42% to 41%, but that is well within the polls margin of error. Sixteen percent of voters picked another candidate.

Trumps own low numbers are holding him back in the head-to-head matchup with his unfavorable rating at 56% and 68% of voters saying he does not have the right temperament to be president.

Nearly three-fourths of voters said Biden is too old to serve a second term in the White House with 61% strongly agreeing and 12% somewhat agreeing.

Sixty-three percent said it would be best for the country if neither Trump nor Biden ran for president.

On presidential responsibilities, Trump leads Biden on serving as commander-in-chief (47%-42%), dealing with Middle East conflicts (49%-36%), creating jobs (51%-36%), improving economic conditions for the middle class (47%-38%) and dealing with illegal immigration (54%-33%).

Biden only led Trump on one issue: protecting the environment (53%-36%).

While other Republican candidates are longshots for the GOP nomination, Muhlenberg still polled hypothetical races between Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Biden and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Against DeSantis, Biden leads 41% to 39% with 16% opting for another candidate. Haley, though, leads Biden 38% to 33% with 21% picking someone else.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is being discussed as a possible 2028 White House hopeful and his polling results against Trump might just heighten the speculation. In a head-to-head race, Shapiro leads Trump 48% to 37% among Pennsylvania voters for 2024.

When it comes to abortion, 68% said the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturning federal abortion rights had a major impact on abortion access and reproductive health in the country.

Thirty-three percent said Pennsylvania has the right amount of accessibility to abortions, while 23% said it has too little and 19% said too much. Fifty-two percent thought the right to an abortion should be in the state constitution and 41% said it should not.

Asked about allowing abortion at 15 weeks or after, 53% of voters said it should not be allowed and 37% said it should be.
Filling job openings in state government now takes 66 days, on average, rather than the 90 days it had been taken under an updated policy for non-civil service hirings, according to Gov. Josh Shapiros administration.

The faster timeline is due to limiting the posting time of job vacancies to a maximum of five days, streamlining the interview process, and making it easier to extend job offers to candidates on the spot.

We want to ensure that our commonwealth agencies have the resources they need to effectively deliver the programs and services that millions of Pennsylvanians depend on, said Administration Secretary Neil Weaver in a statement.

He said speeding up the hiring process minimizes backlogs and the extra workload other employees bear when a position in their office sits vacant.

Continuing to reduce our time to hire will help make us more competitive in the job market and attract more applicants to our job openings, Weaver said.

This is part of an ongoing effort begun in 2016 to make state governments hiring practice more like the private sectors. It seeks to address concerns about an aging commonwealth workforce and a declining average length of service that is now 11.1 years, down from last years 11.3 years and 12 years a decade ago, according to the Office of Administrations workforce statistics.

Other reforms to the hiring practice implemented include the elimination of the requirement for job candidates to take a civil service exam for at least 70% of positions, looking at a candidates education and experience instead. It began offering paid sick and parental leave benefits and made teleworking an option for some positions. And it is participating in more hiring events.

Since Shapiro took office earlier this year, among other efforts to modernize state government, the commonwealth dropped the college degree requirement for more positions, created internships and apprenticeships, among others, contributing to the commonwealth being ranked by Forbes magazine and Statista as one of the top employers in the nation by recent college graduates.

For information on state government employment, visit employment.pa.gov.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has mobilized efforts to improve its field fortifications, with its troops moving to a more defensive position along most of the front line. A major Russian breakthrough is unlikely, and the front is generally characterized by stagnation.

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This is stated in a British intelligence report published on the social network X (exTwitter) of the British Ministry of Defense. It is noted that Russia continues localized offensives in difficult sectors, but individual attacks rarely exceed a platoon.

The strengthening of Ukraine's defense comes in response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's calls in late November 2023 to speed up fortification work on key frontline areas. As part of one part of the project, Ukraine has improved defenses along its border with Belarus with dragon's teeth, barbed wire, and anti-tank ditches.

As a reminder, the article by the joint project of OBOZ.UA and the Information Resistance group states that the occupiers' losses are forcing them to rely more and more on human resources than on technical ones in their offensive operations. All this leads to an increase in manpower losses with a growing shortage of mechanized personnel. In fact, the ROVs are turning into World War II-era marching battalions rather than a modern, combat-ready and effective army.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- A fighter of the first detachment of the Omega Special Forces Center said that the Russian invaders are trying to cut the "road of life" leading to Avdiivka in Donetsk region. This logistical corridor allows the defense forces in the city to receive everything they need.

- ISW analysts said that Russian troops have made little progress near Kupyansk and Avdiivka. They also stated that fighting is taking place on the left bank of the Kherson region.
Providing Conservation Practices to Protect Natural Resources

Providing Conservation Practices to Protect Natural Resources

CASPER, Wyo.  Farmers, Ranchers, Land Trusts, and landowners will want to plan ahead and sign up early for USDA conservation funding. Jackie Byam, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist in Wyoming, announced farmers, ranchers, Land Trusts, and landowners interested in the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE), Agriculture Management Assistance (AMA), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Ince...
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By trashing Trumps expert witness, Judge Engoron is sending the message that the Trump Organization is about to be shut down in New York.

CNN reported:



Judge Engoron slammed Trumps accounting experts and rejected key points of the defense in an order Monday denying a motion for a directed verdict filed by Trumps attorneys after trial testimony ended last week.



Bartov is a tenured professor, but all that his testimony proves is that for a million or so dollars, some experts will say whatever you want them to say, Engoron wrote. By doggedly attempting to justify every misstatement, Professor Bartov lost all credibility.

Engoron added: Defendants also trot out two of their standard canards, that valuations are subjective and that the law only penalizes material deviations. These both fall into the category of Let no one be fooled.' A valuation can be based on different criteria and analyzed different ways, the judge said, But a lie is still a lie.

Trump, his adult kids, and his business have already been found guilty of fraud. What has yet to be determined is the severity of the penalty that Trump will face. Given the judges comments, it would not be surprising if the Trump Organization was shut down and financial penalties were hundreds of millions of dollars.

The former president and his business engaged in widespread fraud. In fact, it looks like the Trump family business was fraud.

Engoron was correct.

It doesnt matter how many experts Trump pays for, a lie is still a lie.

Donald Trumps decades of lies could cost him everything.

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Plaintiffs in the appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court have submitted the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to boost their case to boot Trump off the ballot.

Here is the Notice of Supplemental Authority that the plaintiffs in Michigan filed with the Supreme Court:

This is what Trump and the Republican Party are so afraid of. Once their likely presidential nominee got kicked off the ballot in one state, the possibility grows for the situation to snowball. If multiple states remove Trump from the ballot, the argument before the Supreme Court becomes more difficult for the former president and his allies.

The Supreme Court isnt a lock to rule in favor of Trump for one reason. Although the presidency is a federal office, the presidential election is not federal. Instead, it is a series of individual elections administered by the states.

Congress has the power to determine the elections date, time, and place under the Constitution. Congress has much more power to regulate Senate and House elections. If the conservative majority sticks to its states rights stance, it could rule that Trumps disqualification is a state matter, not a federal one, and leave it up to each state to make its own decision.

If the Michigan Supreme Court were to disqualify Trump, that would be a devastating blow. Trump would not be able to compete for Electoral College votes in a critical swing state.

The damn has cracked on Trumps disqualification, and now Republicans are hoping to avoid a flood.

A Special Message From PoliticusUSA

If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here.

We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.
The use of naval drones "shows the way" in Ukraine's fight against Russia. The idea is to complement Western weapons with Ukrainian ones, including innovative systems, and to create a real threat with drones and long-range missiles in order to achieve "meaningful negotiations" with Moscow by 2025.

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This was reported by the American newspaper The New York Times. "In a difficult year on land, drones have brought Ukraine success at sea," the article says.

According to military experts, the tactic of swarming maritime drones has proven to be deadly and effective against the dominant naval power in the Black Sea, the newspaper notes.

Now that US aid to Ukraine is in question due to controversy in Congress, President Joe Biden's administration is pushing for joint ventures between US and Ukrainian arms manufacturers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who promotes Ukraine as a "center" for weapons production and combat testing, met with executives from US military contractors during a visit to Washington last week, The New York Times reports.

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It is also noted that some in the US military want Ukraine to pursue a "hold and build" strategy, meaning that it should focus on holding the territory it has now and building up its ability to produce its own weapons in 2024.

"With the Ukrainian offensive now stalled and little chance of a land offensive, the goal will be to finally create a real threat with drones and long-range missiles to allow for meaningful negotiations with Russia late next year or in 2025," the article says.

The journalists recalled the White House's statement following a conference on Ukraine's domestic defense industry, which called for "developing a robust and self-sufficient Ukrainian defense industrial base that reflects Ukraine's innovative culture and provides materials for urgent military needs."

The US State Department is to send an adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to oversee the cooperation, the statement said.

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According to the NYT, Ukraine's "sprawling military factories" once formed "the cornerstone of the Soviet military industry," producing aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Many of them became obsolete at the end of the Cold War and after Ukraine gained independence.

However, according to military analyst Serhiy Grabsky, domestic arms producers have provided about 20% of the Ukrainian army's needs since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine produces armored vehicles and tanks, self-propelled howitzers, artillery shells, and laser-guided anti-tank missiles. However, its greatest potential is seen in the combat testing of innovative systems that can outperform old military equipment, experts say.

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Explosive naval drones, a new class of naval weapon, were first used in combat after the Russian invasion.

According to the Ukrainian Navy, in the year since entering the Black Sea, the drones have damaged and sunk dozens of Russian ships and, along with Western-supplied missiles, played a role in forcing Russia to withdraw a court from Sevastopol harbor.

The drones helped clear a channel for grain exports, a crucial commodity for Ukraine's economy, and pushed Russian missile carriers to launch farther from Ukraine's shores, giving more warning of strikes to air defense forces. Ukraine does not disclose the size of its drone fleet.

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"No one has the experience of using marine drones like we do. There are no instructors or textbooks. We are now writing these books," said one of the drone pilots.

The last successful maritime drone strike for the military intelligence service was on November 10, when a swarm of UAVs attacked two Russian landing ships moored in a Crimean bay, and both sank.

Russia responded with electronic jamming, as well as installing booby traps at the mouths of harbors, mounting machine guns on its warships, and moving out of range of the drones.

"With each new operation, we learn and they learn," said a Ukrainian naval drone operator.

Naval researchers say that the Ukrainian models have demonstrated how a small armed force can defend coastal waters with drones, The New York Times reports.

According to Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow and expert on maritime power at the Royal United Services Institute in London, drones will not replace large surface ships in the near future.

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However, the ability to inflict significant damage on vessels that are disproportionately priced is "an impressive return on investment," he said.

Ukrainian maritime drones, according to a Ukrainian UAV operator who helped disable the corvette Sergei Kotov, have cleared a swath of about 320 km off the Ukrainian coast.

"They can be rejected. Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is over," the military said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has received new drones. They have already been tested at military facilities in various regions of the Russian Federation, intelligence sources said.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Highway 421 (Augusta Road) through Warrenville is the Midland Valley Area's Restaurant Row, a treasure-trove of colorful eateries. I have already reviewed Bruce's Bar and Jamrock Caribana, each a gem in its own way. Midway Grill, Lovo's Mexican, Ming-Ming Chinese and Southern Gal in the Valley all await reconnaissance.

Just North of the junction with Dixie Clay Road in the building that once was Vicky's Mexican Grill, look for a new place named for the nation whose food it serves: El Salvador.

If, like me, your Spanish is as bad as the staff's English, selecting what to eat can be an adventure. When I inquire about atol de elote, for which a hand-made sign is posted above the cash register, the earnest woman behind the counter does not even try to describe it. Instead, she pours a sample cup to taste. As she hands it over, I remark that it vaguely looks like the Mexican rice beverage called horchata. She gleans my meaning and scowls, saying, No rice. Corn, corn!

Atol de elote is served hot in a tall Styrofoam cup. To my knowledge, it has no cognates in ordinary U.S. cuisine. Based on pulverized corn, it is thick and creamy, laced with cinnamon and sweeter than the sweetest ear of corn you ever ate. Too plush to be a thirst quencher, it is more like liquid pudding.
Some of Aiken County's most seasoned military veterans got a holiday salute over the past few days, with the continuation of an Aiken County Veterans Council tradition dating back to 2017. Volunteers in Operation St. Nick fanned out for afternoon visits Dec. 15 to several nursing homes and assisted-living facilities around Aiken and North Augusta, with about 188 Christmas stockings being handed out to military veterans.

"It went really, really well," said Army veteran Lowell Koppert, the council's chairman, who established the event in 2017 and was part of the team dropping in at both Cumberland Village and North Augusta's PruittHealth facility. A Santa visit was also part of the package at both locales.

North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams was on board for a visit at the PruittHealth facility in North Augusta. He also gave a thumbs-up review after helping Koppert distribute 24 stockings.

The mayor, describing the recipients, said, "Absolutely, they were floored. Multiple veterans said, 'This made my day. Thank you.' They were very appreciative. I was very impressed."

Other locales for this year's outreach were Anchor Post-Acute, NHC, Hammond Square, Westminster Memory Care, Trinity on Laurens, Brookdale, The Hills of Cumberland, Shadow Oaks Assisted Living, PruittHealth (of Aiken), Aiken Rehab and Care Center, Silver Bluff Grove, Hitchcock Place, Carlyle Senior Care and Benton House.

Koppert said his inspiration for Operation St. Nick came from some of his overseas missions, in terms of being grateful for things that many Americans take for granted. He thought along the lines of "what can we do that we're not currently doing," and hit upon the idea of reaching out to Aiken County's older veterans.

"Man, we have a lot of these assisted-living facilities in our community, and  a lot of these veterans are in there, and they're forgotten about," he added.

Koppert expressed his appreciation for the support of Marsha Hopkins, owner of Aiken Motorcycle Sales and Service, the locale for donors to drop off goodies and for the distribution teams to pick them up Dec. 15.
A member of Aiken County's South Carolina House delegation is looking to stop the "stall technique" Democrats used to delay the House of Representative's passage of a bill restricting abortions.

S.C. Rep. Bart Blackwell, a Republican who represents Aiken's southside, filed a bill Dec. 14 that would change House rules to limit members to introducing five amendments per bill or resolution.

Democrats filed nearly 1,000 amendments to a bill  later passed by the House on a 82-33 vote  restricting abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

"It's basically filibuster by amendment which I don't think is in the spirit of the amendment process," Blackwell said.

Introducing nearly 1,000 amendments is unnecessary, Blackwell continued.

"What happens is most of the amendments are found to be dilatory," Blackwell said.

A dilatory amendment is an amendment introduced strictly to slow the progress on a bill.

Around 100 amendments were declared dilatory as the House considered the abortion bill including amendments requiring state residents to read "The Handmaiden's Tale" and to change the state motto to "Y'all means all."

The House's debate over the abortion bill took around 24 hours spread across two days.

"It just slows the process way down," Blackwell continued. "It's a stall technique and I just would like to see that changed."

Blackwell added the abortion bill debate was the second time he'd seen the tactic used to that degree "where someone had filed over 1,000 amendments just to slow down the process and keep us there for longer than we needed to be."

Blackwell added his bill still allows members to introduce amendments and it would still be possible for there to be several amendments on a bill.

There are 124 members in the South Carolina House of Representatives. If Blackwell's bill becomes a rule and each member proposed five amendments, there would be 620 amendments total.
Nathan Ott, 28, of Moncks Corner, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison this past week after pleading guilty to distributing a pill that was sold as Roxy (a street name for Roxicodone, a pharmaceutical drug, which is an opioid that contains oxycodone hydrochloride). The pill Ott sold Read morePill dealer sentenced to 25 years for selling fentanyl-laced tablets
A salad-serving restaurant that closed its flagship downtown Charleston location earlier this year will add three new locations in early 2024.

Not only is Verde returning to the downtown area, to 433 King St., it also is adding dining venues near Park Circle in North Charleston and at the College of Charleston. The new sites are expected to open shortly after the new year.

"This winter were painting the town green," said Jennifer Ferrebee, founder and owner of Verde with husband Sam.

"In a small matter of time we will be adding a variety of three new ways and locations to grab your greens," she said. "We couldnt be more excited to expand our footprint in the Charleston community we are lucky to get to call home."

The King Street site's menu will feature made-to-order favorites as well as a large selection of rotating, freshly made grab-and-go options. Additional offerings will include iced coffee and matcha along with a few breakfast items.

The space at the college at 30 St. Philip St. will be in The Market at Liberty Dining Hall, a similar arrangement as the Verde On The Go location in the Medical University of South Carolina's main cafeteria, which offers made-to-order salads and wraps and grab-and-go options outside of operating hours.

In North Charleston, Verde will set up its headquarters as well as restaurant offerings at 4731 Mixson Ave. It also will serve as a production kitchen and office.
The S.C. State Ports Authority said it isn't responsible for hundreds of cars damaged by stormwater while parked at its cruise terminal lot over the weekend, but the maritime agency is providing documentation vehicle owners can use to file insurance claims.

The SPA estimated that 400 automobiles were impacted by severe weather that rolled through the Charleston area on Sunday, bringing with it high tides that peaked at 9.86 feet  the fourth-highest level in recorded history  according to the National Weather Service.

The rising waters caused damage to vehicles that were at the cruise terminal's surface parking lot along Concord Street while vacationers aboard the Carnival Sunshine traveled to and from the Bahamas on a four-day voyage.

Hundreds of cars had to be towed from the downtown property after passengers returned Monday afternoon to find their vehicles wouldn't start or were waterlogged. Some said they were stranded because no rental cars were available or that they could not contact relatives to get them.

"There were elderly with no help," passenger Shannon Moody said in an email to The Post and Courier. "Freezing children as temps dropped. No access to charge phones to work on arrangements. Like, just no assistance whatsoever, except port crew saying, 'Oh, if your car is here past today you get charged another day.'"

The SPA said in a written statement that it "continues to assist passengers whose vehicles were impacted by the recent flooding," but the agency "does not assume liability for vehicles or personal property left in the passenger parking areas."

The SPA, which charges cruise passengers $21 a day for parking, states on its website that it "assumes no liability for theft, collision, accidents, fire or other damages of any kind to personal property from any cause whatsoever."

While customers do not sign an agreement to park at the SPA's lot, "there are signs indicating that parking is at their own risk," a spokeswoman said.
The governments of the Russian Federation, China, and North Korea are deepening their cooperation and ties with each other. This is happening against the backdrop of these states' dissatisfaction with the current world order.

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This statement was made by the White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby. The briefing was broadcast on the White House YouTube channel.

"We see a growing desire by Russia and China, and to some extent North Korea, to increase and improve their ties with each other," Kirby said.

He said the three powers were unhappy with the rules-based world order that the United States, allies and partners helped stabilize after the end of the Cold War.

"We still believe that the rules-based order matters, and that there are certain countries that would like to act contrary to that order," the US administration official emphasized.

In this regard, Kirby added, US President Joe Biden continues to work to strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region to the appropriate level.

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In addition, he noted that Washington currently has no evidence to indicate that China is providing lethal assistance to the Kremlin.

As a reminder, the United States will respond decisively to any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its closest allies. First of all, this applies to South Korea, against which the DPRK has repeatedly conducted dangerous provocations.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, last year, Pyongyang made a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against the United States and South Korea, allegedly because they should "pay the worst price in history" for their joint large-scale exercises. About 240 warplanes took part in the exercise.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The owner of a high-profile Gaston manufacturing plant next to Interstate 26 and several others in South Carolina is being sold to a European buyout firm.

EQT Private Equity of Sweden announced this week it has struck a deal to acquire Orangeburg-based Zeus Co. Inc.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Bloomberg News reported the sale price is around $3.4 billion, including debt the new owner will assume.

The deal, which requires approval from regulators, is expected to close by March 31.

The sellers are family members of Zeus founder Frank P. Tourville Sr., who died in March 2021 at age 87.

He co-founded the plastic extrusion business 57 years ago in New Jersey and moved the headquarters to the South Carolina Midlands in the 1980s. The company makes high-grade tubing for numerous industrial and medical products, such as catheters. It operates at five plants in the Palmetto State and six other sites in the U.S., China and Ireland.

Zeus has gained significant momentum in recent years due to a strategic global expansion plan.  This acquisition accelerates that momentum and growth by supporting future expansion, new product innovation, process improvements, technological transformation, and enhanced capabilities," CEO Steve Peterson said in a written statement.

Stockholm-based EQT said the growth of Zeuss health care line was a big draw. It plans to invest in the company to increase production and expand research and development to support the rapidly growing medical fields that leverage minimally invasive technologies."

"EQT has tracked the medical device component industry closely for several years, and we believe Zeus is uniquely positioned within the end markets it serves due to its unmatched material science and process expertise, said Ethan Waxman, a partner at the investment firm.
LEXINGTON  The Lexington County Republican Party is once again facing inner turmoil following the removal of the party's chair, but leaders remain optimistic as the party prepares for a crucial primary election.

On Dec. 13, the executive committee of the S.C. Republican Party voted to oust Lexington GOP Chairwoman Pamela Godwin for a violation of the state party's code of conduct barring any party official from filing a lawsuit against any of their fellow party members. Godwin was elected at the Lexington County convention in April. The move caps off a fall of feuding by a severely divided county party. Since August, two rival factions within the party have met separately: one led by Godwin and the other led by Mark Weber, who was elected in April as vice chair alongside Godwin.

On Dec. 14, S.C. GOP spokeswoman Abby Zilch confirmed that the Lexington party's chair position is vacant.

"Any party officer who violates rule 16A is removed from every position they hold within the party for that term," Zilch said. "The Lexington County Executive Committee will now hold an election for their new chair."

The rule that caused the state party to remove Godwin bans litigation between party members and bars members of the party from endorsing or financially supporting candidates in competitive Republican primaries.

Members of Weber's faction saw the move as justified and celebrated the state party's decision to sack Godwin.

Godwin has rejected the decision, and threatened legal action.

"There is so much more to this story, and more documents will come out later today and in the months to come," Godwin said in a Dec. 19 email. At a Dec. 19 Lexington County Republican Party meeting, Weber, who is holding the reins to the party as vice chairman, cast a hopeful eye to the future.
SENECA  Skeletal remains found earlier this year were identified as a man who authorities say was murdered in 2015.

The remains of Emmanuel Cornelius Quarles were found off Hiawassee Drive in Seneca in April after a suspect in his death led authorities to the area.

The suspect, Kerry Cobb, was charged with Quarles' murder in 2019. In April, Cobb made a plea agreement with prosecutors for a reduced, 15-year sentence in exchange for showing authorities where the remains were, said Bruce Wilson, a community activist speaking on behalf of Quarles' family.

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The typical mandatory minimum sentence for murder in South Carolina is 30 years in prison.

Cobb's sentencing was placed on hold after the family demanded authorities identify the remains before sentencing him, Wilson said.

At first, the Oconee County Coroner's Office said they tried to use DNA to identify them, but the remains had degraded too much.

Dental X-rays showed dental restorations, which were compared to X-rays of Quarles from 2006 to confirm the identification, according to a coroner's office news release.

Quarles' family said they were saddened by the news but thankful for the investigators and experts who found Quarles' remains, according to a statement.

But the family also said they disagree with Cobb's proposed plea agreement and will ask a judge for an increase in sentencing beyond the plea, the statement says.

"Emmanuel was a cherished member of our family, and not a day went by without his absence being felt," the family said in a statement. "The pain of his loss weighed heavily on our hearts for the past eight years."
NOTE: Some of these events may have been canceled or postponed. Please check with the organizers. Call 843-873-9424 ext. 220 or email broberts@journalscene.com to add an event to this free calendar. Read moreCommunity calendar
Williamsburg County School District is hosting a job fair on Saturday, January 20, at the district office, 500 N. Academy Street, Kingstree, in the Dr. Rose H. Wilder Multipurpose Room. This event will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m. Read moreWilliamsburg County School District to host job fair
Colliers International South Carolina, Inc. Board of Directors recently announced leadership changes in electing David M. Feild, CCIM, as its President. John W. Folsom, who has led the company as President for over 30 years, will continue as the companys Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Read moreColliers elects new president
CONWAY  The S.C. Court of Appeals overturned an Orangeburg County woman's voluntary manslaughter conviction this month, ruling an Horry County judge should not have instructed jurors to consider that charge during their 2021 deliberations.

Donnielle Matthews, now 38, stabbed her 35-year-old husband Dennis Green to death in 2017 while the couple was inside a car in Longs. Matthews said she acted in self-defense because Green was beating her.

Although Matthews was initially indicted on a murder charge, the jury acquitted her of that offense but found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The appellate court found that Matthews' actions did not meet the standard for voluntary manslaughter because she did not act out of "sudden passion," which the charge requires. Circuit Court Judge Stephen John, the trial judge, erred in allowing the jury to consider that charge, the appellate court determined.

"Although there was evidence Green provoked Matthews by forcibly pulling her from the back seat into the front floorboard of their car and hitting her repeatedly, the evidence did not show Green lacked control over her actions or acted under an uncontrollable impulse to do violence, despite her fear, when she stabbed Green," the appeals court stated in its Dec. 13 opinion.

Green had a long history of abusing Matthews, according to a brief filed with her appeal. She first met him at a strip club in the Myrtle Beach area in June 2011. Although she was from Baltimore, Md., she spent that summer with her grandmother in Orangeburg and had taken a trip to the coast. They exchanged numbers on the night they met and started seeing each other. She moved to Little River that October and by December they were engaged and renting a condo together.
Alex Murdaugh is going away for a long time, but his story isnt going anywhere.

The past year brought a measure of clarity to the long, winding saga of Hamptons most infamous native son, ensuring once and for all that he will spend most of the rest of his life in state prison.

But the final chapter of his legal battles still seems far off. It is a testament to the many unexpected swerves in the story of Murdaughs downfall that even after pleading guilty to more than 120 state and federal charges and being convicted of two counts of murder, an air of uncertainty still hangs over his future. The Murdaugh saga has generated enough twists to stay atop the state's headlines for a second year running, becoming South Carolina's top story yet again  even in the midst of a presidential primary that has featured two Palmetto State candidates.

Murdaughs dramatic fall from small-town power to national ignominy had the makings of a Southern gothic tale even before he went to trial in January on charges he murdered his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. His family had run the local prosecutors office for the better part of a century, and his law firms handsome brick office  one of the largest buildings in Hampton  spoke to its long history of outsized personal injury cases.

Once the jury was seated, however, Murdaughs story was followed across the world like a legal thriller playing out in real time. Prosecutors dribbled out breadcrumbs of evidence that revealed the outlines of the June 2021 night when Maggie and Paul were gunned down, slowly building the case that Alex was with them moments before they died. His alibi in tatters, Murdaugh took the stand to admit hed lied about his whereabouts  and plead with jurors to believe he was finally telling the truth.
COLUMBIA  After an in-chambers deal between a circuit judge, solicitor and defense attorney, a convicted killer was quietly released from prison.

Jeroid Price had been sentenced to 35 years in prison for fatally shooting 22-year-old Carl Smalls Jr. at a Columbia nightclub in 2002.

But he was released in March 2023, some 16 years early.

When his release made headlines the following month, state officials stepped in.

Gov. Henry McMaster called for a review of sentence reduction orders, which showed that now-retired Circuit Judge Casey Manning signed off on similar orders in December 2022 during his last days on the bench.

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson asked the state's Supreme Court to intervene. In a 3-2 vote, the high court ordered Price's capture and return to prison.

The search for Price took months. Billboards flashed his mugshot and offered a hefty reward for information leading to his arrest.

After a monthslong manhunt, Price was found in New York City at a Bronx apartment.

The defense attorney who bargained for Price's release, state Rep. Todd Rutherford, has said the sentence reduction was for substantial assistance to corrections officials. He said Price provided officers with information on an escaped inmate. The defense attorney is also the House minority leader and sits on the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, a panel reviewing judicial candidates.

A group of elected solicitors took aim at Rutherford and called for lawyer-lawmakers to be removed from screening commission for undue influence. State legislators are now considering changes to the way South Carolina picks its judges.

Price continues to be behind bars.
South Carolina took center stage in the 2024 Republican presidential race, with two candidates from the Palmetto State announcing bids for the nation's highest office.

Long seen as rising stars in the GOP, former Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott launched their respective White House dreams in their shared home state. Both made their political and personal experiences in South Carolina a central part of their candidacies.

Haley went first, making her presidential bid official during a February kickoff in downtown Charleston. She also became the first major Republican challenger to Donald Trump, her former boss.

Outside the Charleston Visitor Center, Haley set the tone for her candidacy when she declared, "Were ready, ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past, and were ready for a new generation to lead us into the future."

Three months later, Scott launched a presidential bid of his own inside the gymnasium of Charleston Southern University, his college alma mater. He put his life story  and his optimistic worldview  at the center of his message.

"This can't be another presidential campaign. We don't have time for that," Scott said at his launch. "We need a president who persuades not just our friends and our base."
More than 50 countries that are home to half the planet's population are due to hold national elections in 2024, but the number of citizens exercising the right to vote is not unalloyed good news. The year looks set to test even the most robust democracies and to strengthen the hands of leaders with authoritarian leanings.
It was a business marriage that promised the State Ports Authority a potential windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars.

But in the end, it wound up costing the maritime agency more than $9.9 million to divorce itself from Los Angeles developer Lowe and a plan for redevelopment of Union Pier Terminal in downtown Charleston that was widely criticized by conservationists and historic preservation groups.

The SPA had been working with Lowe for nearly three years on a plan to redevelop the roughly 65-acre Union Pier site along Charleston Harbor near the city's Historic District. The two sides finally submitted a plan to Charleston officials in February, with the goal of selling the property for as much as $400 million by year's end. But the plan's high-density mix of waterfront condominiums, office space and retail shops  with a few parks and some green space sprinkled in  drew fierce opposition from the start as groups accused the SPA of prioritizing profit over the community good.

Within a few months, Lowe's plan had been shelved amid the public backlash and the SPA agreed to let an advisory group of business, political and preservation leaders  led by the Riley Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston  draw up a more palatable proposal. The group hopes to present its vision for Union Pier by next summer.

On Nov. 1, the SPA and Lowe announced they had decided to go their separate ways following what they termed "substantive settlement negotiations" over their Union Pier contract. The breakup wound up costing the cost the SPA $9.9 million, plus another $50,000 that was in a bank account associated with the Union Pier project.
Charleston's initial assessment from the Dec. 17 noreaster reports only minimal damage so far, with 87 buildings affected and 41 suffering minor hits.

"Affected might mean a shingle came off or there's a little bit of water damage to the garage door or something like that  not something that's going to cause any major problems for the homeowner," said the citys Director of Emergency Management, Ben Almquist.

"Minor damage" is when something needs to be replaced, like siding, but the home can still be occupied.

The level of damage is in line with what Almquist would expect from the type of storm that struck and carried a 9.86-foot high tide.

Were certainly happy that we had no loss of life, there were no buildings destroyed and nothing has been listed as not safe for people to occupy, Almquist said.

One storm-related fatality was reported in Mount Pleasant.

Almquist added this storm may be a warning for what's to come.

"... its also a sign that were seeing higher and higher sea encroachment. This is the second time this year we had over a nine-foot tide," he said.

For business owner Kate Moon, this would be the second time her business on peninsula has flooded in five months, and she says it's overwhelming. She opened her business one month before Tropical Storm Idalia hit in August. Two and a half months later, the flood damage was repaired. The Dec. 17 noreaster once again flooded her studio, just one month after reopening.

"I can't stay up every night when rain's coming, worrying about my business, that's just not right," Moon said, adding that the property doesn't have a history of flooding.

Cars are not included in the city's damage assessment, though many residents' vehicles were flooded during the storm. An estimated several hundred vacationers' cars parked at Union Pier were also damaged.
The former Charleston police officer who drove his patrol vehicle under the influence and crashed into three other cars had been suspended before for violating policies off duty. Read moreCharleston cop fired after DUI charge had previous suspensions for his off-duty conduct
Parenting these days is hard. Kids have phones and tablets in their hands at an early age, a fact that leaves parents like me worrying about whether our children are getting too much screen time and what they're stumbling onto online. Of course, technology comes with plenty of benefits, but  Read moreCommentary: Parents want to protect kids online, but SC device filter bill won't help
The Good Cheer Fund has been a Charleston tradition for almost a century and has raised more than $11 million and helped direct every penny to those most in need across the Charleston region.

In 1927, Thomas Lesesne, managing editor of this newspaper's forerunner The News and Courier, launched the annual charitable drive; its basic idea of encouraging readers to help local charities has remained constant since then. Only the mix of charitable groups has changed, and this year that mix involves One80 Place, East Cooper Community Outreach, Lowcountry Food Bank, Salvation Army, Star Gospel Mission, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired SC, Coastal Catholic Charities and Carolina Youth Development Center.

These nonprofits in turn help people in our community, and the donors who make it all possible are thanked in the pages of our newspaper. We also offer a general appreciation for them and their generosity.

There is still time to give this year and have your donations listed on Christmas Day  if those donations are received by noon Wednesday. (Contributions received by noon Dec. 27 will be listed in the final Good Cheer Fund report published on New Year's Eve, while those received after that date will be applied toward the 2024 Good Cheer Fund.)

You may send tax-deductible contributions to the Good Cheer Fund, 148 Williman St., Charleston SC 29403. Donations also may be made in person at that address or online at goodcheerfund.com. Any questions may be emailed to Robie Scott at rscott@postandcourier.com.
Just moments after he took his oath of office atop the steps outside Charleston City Hall, Mayor William Cogswell noted that President Joe Biden also was in the city at that very moment, giving a campaign speech in Emanuel AME Church less than a mile away: We are a city that attracts attention. Read moreEditorial: Cogswell's fresh approach gives new hope for solving Charleston's old problems
Egypt's zero-customs car import initiative has seen an influx in demand in the first two months of its second phase. Registration applications increased over three-fold compared to the same period in the initial phase, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait stated on Thursday.
In between his conversations with Mark Helperin in October and with Roger Zakheim this month, Senator Tom Cotton sat for a wide-ranging interview with our friend Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution on November 14.

Im so old I remember riding the elevator with Pennsylvanias courtly Senator Hugh Scott when I worked as a Senate intern in the summer of 1969. Now Peters interview with Senator Cotton takes place in the Capitols Hugh Scott Room.

Peter has just posted here at NRO and on the Hoover Institutions YouTube channel. The interview covers a variety of issues, including the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the looming conflict with China over Taiwan, and matters closer to home.

Among other things, Senator Cotton serves on the Senates Armed Forces Committee as well as the Senates Intelligence Committee. Peter takes up the letter of the Deep State 51, the Russia collusion hoax, and his own role identifying the source of the Covid virus at 35:00 of the video. Peter asks: How can an American repose any trust in the intelligence operations of the United States? Ill take that question for $50,000.

As I have mentioned when posting videos of the other interviews, Senator Cotton enlisted in the Army following 9/11. He subsequently served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. Between combat tours he served with the Armys 3rd Infantry Regiment (the Old Guard), an experience that inspired him to write Sacred Duty: A Soldiers Tour at Arlington National Cemetery.

I first met Senator Cotton via email in 2006 when he was serving in Iraq (see A word from Lt. Tom Cotton). Jay Nordlinger told the rest of the email story in part II of his 2012 National Review profile of Senator Cotton that I posted verbatim in A fateful letter to the editor of the Times. (NRO seems to have taken down the expanded four-part version of Jays profile that was abridged when published in the magazine.) I first met him face to face in 2007 when he was serving in the Old Guard (see my Sacred Duty post).

Senator Cotton is a student of American foreign policy and the author, most recently, of Only the Strong: Reversing the Lefts Plot to Sabotage American Power. There is no one in our public life whom I respect more greatly than Senator Cotton. At 51:30 of the video, Peter asks what makes him tick. Hearing him out, one (I) can always listen and learn.
The New York Post cover story today is by Alex Oliveira: Record 12,600 migrants encountered at border in 24 hours  as backlog for immigration hearings breaks 3 million. The story reports on our self-created border crisis. When I say self-created, I mean created by President Joe Biden.

Why would a president of the United States do what he has done? Even certain well-known Democratic officeholders are unhappy with the results, though they may point the finger of blame elsewhere. Bidens undoing of our border is an act of willful destruction. In addition to everything else, it seriously jeopardizes our national security. Everyone knows who is to blame.

Ilhan Omar was the first Democrat I ever heard call for open borders. She demanded the abolition of ICE when she sought the endorsement of Minnesotas Fifth District Democrats to succeed Keith Ellison in Congress at the special DFL endorsing convention on June 17, 2018. Omar of course had a personal interest in the nonenforcement of our immigration laws. I was there.

I thought at the time that she was out there. However, her point of view not only won the 2018 DFL endorsement, it also found a home in one of the signal policies of the Biden administration, damn it to hell.
Peter Wood is president of the National Association of Scholars and former Boston University professor of anthropology. At BU he also held a variety of administrative positions, including associate provost and presidents chief of staff. In his December 15 Spectator column Claudine Gays way with words (behind the Spectator paywall), Wood draws on his experience in academia to examine the case of the Harvard president:

Gay made a practice of lifting whole paragraphs and changing up a few words or phrases. Where the source she has copied has a mid-paragraph phrase which is one description of bias, Gay amends it to which is one way to think about bias. In another case, the source paragraph refers to the torture and assassination of a black worker, Robson Silveira da Luz which Gay rewrites as the beating death of black worker, Robson Silveira da Luz. The importance of these tiny changes is that show that, proof positive, Gay was not just leaving out citations to her sources but actively modifying the content. What, you may well ask, is the point of making such tiny changes or, as she does elsewhere, rearranging the order of some phrases? The point I assume is to disguise the theft  to make it a little harder for a computer or a reader somewhat familiar with the material to recognize that the words have been twice-born. Also, Ive been involved with investigations of numerous cases of plagiarism over my career and Im familiar with the pattern. Plagiarists often engage in such slight modification of the texts they steal. This must be partly a psychological matter: a way the plagiarist can tell herself that she didnt really plagiarize because she changed things around.

In his accessible December 14 column Copy that, Claudine, Wood foresaw more to come: In my dealings with plagiarists, I have learned that plagiarism is a repetitive practice. Almost every plagiarist keeps plagiarizing, and Gay has plainly done so in at least four well-documented instances. What about her other publications? I predict Harvards ad hoc committee on covering up Gays transgressions will have a lot more work to do.

One of the reporters cited by Wood in his Spectator column is the Washington Free Beacons Aaron Sibarium. Sibarium reported on Gays plagiarism in his December 11 Free Beacon story here. Sibarium returns today to report Fresh Allegations of Plagiarism Unearthed in Official Academic Complaint Against Claudine Gay. To readers of Woods Spectator column, this should come as no surprise:

Harvard University on Tuesday received a complaint outlining over 40 allegations of plagiarism against its embattled president, Claudine Gay. The document paints a picture of a pattern of misconduct more extensive than has been previously reported and puts the Harvard Corporation, the universitys governing bodywhich said it initiated an independent review of Gays scholarship and issued a statement of support for her leadershipback in the spotlight. The new allegations, which were submitted to Harvards research integrity officer, Stacey Springs, include the examples reported by the Washington Free Beacon and other outlets, as well as dozens of additional cases in which Gay quoted or paraphrased authors without proper attribution, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by the Free Beacon. They range from missing quotation marks around a few phrases or sentences to entire paragraphs lifted verbatim. The full list of examples spans seven of Gays publicationstwo more than previously reportedwhich comprise almost half of her scholarly output. Though the Harvard Corporation said earlier this month that it initiated an independent review of Gays work in October and found no violation of Harvards standards for research misconduct, that probe focused on just three papers.

The Free Beacon has posted the 37-page complaint online here. Sibarium drily observes: Lurking in the background of the complaint is the question of whether Gay, Harvards 30th president, will be held to the same standards as the universitys own students, a question also raised by Wood in his Spectator column. Sibarium has much more in his current Free Beacon story linked above.
In a shocking decision, the Colorado Supreme Court held today, in a Per Curiam opinion, with three justices dissenting, that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who is barred by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment from running for the presidency. So, absent some action by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is extremely unlikely, Trump will not be on the Republican primary ballot or, if it comes to that, the general election ballot in Colorado.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment precluded those who were federal officials before the Civil War, and then served in the Confederacy or its army, from again holding federal office after 1865. I have written that the theory that this provision somehow applies to Donald Trump is idiotic and ahistorical. The January 6 protest, which certainly did get out of hand, was not an insurrectioninsurrectionists would have remembered to bring at least one firearmand Trump urged those who were present in Washington that day to go forward and protest peaceably and legally. Not exactly Fort Sumter.

But the Colorado Supreme Court has struck its blow for the Democratic Party:

4  The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting portions of Congresss January 6 Report into evidence at trial.  The district court did not err in concluding that the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, constituted an insurrection.  The district court did not err in concluding that President Trump engaged in that insurrection through his personal actions.  President Trumps speech inciting the crowd that breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not protected by the First Amendment. 5 The sum of these parts is this: President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

These findings started with the district court judge. I havent researched his or her provenance, but that will no doubt emerge soon. He or she made the critical findings which the Colorado Supreme Court now holds to be properly with that courts discretion. In my opinion, they were obviously wrong.

So, where do we go from here? We are in uncharted waters. Never before have we confronted a situation when one political party, that controls a particular state or its highest court, has tried to prevent a candidate of the opposing party from running for president. One cannot overstate what a watershed moment this is. The Democratic Party has staked a claim to permanent control of our federal government, regardless of the will of the American people. This has never happened before in our nations history.

Sadly, I think todays Colorado Supreme Court decision increases the likelihood of violence in connection with the 2024 presidential election. We are rapidly descending to the status of a third world country, and partisan decisions like this one will accelerate that descent. Liberals hate democracy, and this is their latest assault on it. How Americans will respond to this attack on democracy remains to be seen.

UPDATE: A number of readers have wondered why I said the Supreme Court is unlikely to intervene. On reflection, that was an offhand comment that was not thoroughly thought through. There were two reasons for it:

First, the Republican majority on the Court is highly reluctant to wade into waters that are seen as political. Ruling in Trumps favor would use up a large share of the Courts diminished political capital, and Trump is hardly the person on whom the justices want to expend that precious commodity. On the other hand, the application of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is a federal question that is squarely presented by this case and may not be easy to duck.

Second, the Court would need to act fast, as the primary season is nearly upon us. Normally, litigating any case in the Supreme Court takes time. I assume the Court would want to hear from a number of parties and would want extensive briefing. On a normal calendar, I dont think there is enough time for that to happen. On the other hand, the Court can act more quickly if it wants to, and if it is willing to expend, in this case, the necessary political capital. So it could be possible.

A friend who is a very good lawyer writes:

I suspect that in fact the Supreme Court will immediately grant an emergency appeal and will rule 9-0, or 8-1 if Justice Jackson wants to be her usual moronic self, to overturn the Colorado decision. I imagine that every justice on the Supreme Court understands the implications of the decision, which would mean that any partisan state court could take the other partys candidate off the ballot. So I will be shocked if they dont feel the urgency to settle this once and for all. In fact, there has to be a lot of concern about the partisan turn of the courts in general.

I hope my friend is correct. I would only note that in the minds of many voters, the partisan turn of the courts is in our direction under the current Courtsomething to which the justices are acutely sensitive. And for the Democratic justices to renounce partisanship by voting in a way that is good for America but bad for the Democrats, in a high-profile, politically-charged case, is theoretically possible, but I am not sure there is any precedent for it.
NROs Ari Blaff reports on the video released by the IDF via its Twitter feed (below). Blaffs headline tells the story: Gaza Hospital Boss Admits Hes a Hamas Commander, Used Medical Facility as Terror Base.

Hamas in their own words: Ahmad KahalotSenior Hamas Member since 2010 and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalya in northern Gaza admits that Hamas has used hospitals as military facilities under their control. Video credit: ISA Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/QGLclR94at  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 19, 2023

The IDF/Shin Bet have jointly issued this related press release with quotes from the interrogation of Ahmed al-Kahlout, the manager of northern Gazas Kamal Adnan Hospital. Kahlout appears to be a former or current Hamas officer  its not clear which  with first-hand knowledge of Hamass use of the hospital in his capacity as hospital director:

I was recruited to Hamas in 2010 with the rank of Brigadier General. There are employees in the hospital who are military operatives of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades  doctors, nurses, paramedics, clerks, and staff members. I know 16 employees in the hospital  doctors, nurses, paramedics and clerks  who also have different positions in the Qassam Brigades. They hide in hospitals because, for them, a hospital is a safe place. They [Hamas] wont be targeted when they are inside a hospital. There are offices where the Hamas leader and two of the senior officials were. Theres a place where the soldier was in (the kidnapped soldier). Theres a place for the interrogators, internal security, and special security. All of them have private telephone lines inside the hospital.

Blaff adds this useful morsel: Kahlout has been quoted extensively across global media outlets, including Reuters, NBC News, and Al Jazeera, in recent weeks as a reliable source opining on the state of Gazas medical infrastructure. Following his detainment last week by the Israeli military, the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry demanded Kahlouts release alongside other health officials.

The IDF/Shin Bet apprehended Kahlout on December 12. He was interrogated by Shin Bet. A Hamas Health Ministry spokesman has demanded his return.

Apparent supporters of Hamas on Twitter are unhappy about Kahlouts confession (as Ill call it). They allege that the confession is a result of torture yada yada. As I have stated previously, however, we have found the Israeli military and intelligence authorities to be a more reliable source of information than Hamas supporters, let alone their tools among mainstream media outlets. What we have here is an illustration of the Hamas way of war.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Optic Inc., the AI startup that powered OpenSea's fraud detection, announced that it had spun off its AI-generated media detection technology into an independent company AI or Not to maximize the potential of the technology and its application to compliance. With approximately 40 elections scheduled worldwide in the next 12 months, as well as widespread cultural unrest, society must possess the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.Widely covered by prestigious publications such as the New York Times, ABC News, WSJ, AI or Not is strategically redirecting its efforts to safeguard critical sectors, including compliance, politics, music, and banking, from the pervasive threat of disinformation and fake news. At its core, AI or Not's cutting-edge technology is designed to identify whether images and audio are AI-generated, with a primary objective to prevent identity fraud and fortify democratic processes against engineered social media attacks that manipulate the electoral landscape.People generate an average of trillion images on annual basis online, whereas generative AI produces roughly 15 billion, some of that would be by bad actors. The instances of prominent AI-generated political scams continue to increase, case in point being the voice-cloned video featuring Barack Obama. AI or Not's platform's AML will ensure criminals and politically-exposed individuals are identified, before irreparable damage is done.Anatoly Kvitnitsky, former AMEX Ventures Principal and VP of Growth at Trulioo, assumes the role of CEO at AI or Not, bringing decades of experience in compliance and venture investing. Commenting on the company's new direction, Kvitnitsky stated, "I am excited and proud to lead the company in the midst of the generative AI revolution. In this era, transparency is paramount in the content we consume. AI or Not is committed to building on the foundation of AI detection, providing more specific tools for compliance and risk teams to go after cases such as identify fraud leveraging facial recognition." As part of the spinoff, the core engineering team from Optic responsible for the AI or Not service will transition to the new company. Optic Inc. will maintain a strategic role in the startup's operations. Andrey "Dobry" Doronichev, Founder and CEO of Optic, expressed confidence in this strategic shift, emphasizing Optic's commitment to advancing artificial intelligence in the realm of drug discovery. Doronichev stated, "I'm proud to witness our AI technology becoming the cornerstone of a new company. As Optic refocuses on the application of AI in drug discovery, we have full confidence in Anatoly and the AI or Not team to continue defending digital authenticity in the age of generative AI." About AI or NotAI or Not's mission is to combat misinformation and elevate compliance solutions. With every technology revolution comes a downside: how the tools get used in the hands of bad actors. Generative AI is no different and will have far-reaching effects across financial services, news, and politics, AML/KYC compliance, insurance, and creative fields. AI or Not is dedicated to mitigating the risks and maximizing the promise of generative AI. For more details, visit aiornot.com About Optic Optic is an AI company specializing in similarly search and retrieval tech. Customers like OpenSea chose Optic's Content Authenticity API to combat fraud. Optic's aiornot.com service launched as a free research preview, got a lot of press attention from outlets like NYT and WSJ. While AI or NOT team continues the legacy of Optic's technology in the KYC/AML domain, Optic embarks on a new journey with Bioptic, leveraging their similarity search AI for drug discovery. For more details on their ongoing projects, visit bioptic.io Contact information:ICL PR, pr@ incryptoland.com SOURCE: AI or Not
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce that the 25-tonne shipment of ionic clays extracted from its Carina Module deposit located in Goias, Brazil, (the "Project") has successfully arrived at its fully owned pilot plant facility in Concepcion, Chile. The Company will start the piloting operation at the end of December and aims to complete it at the end of February 2024.Piloting ObjectivesSemi-industrial scale processing: To assess the compatibility of the patented Circular Mineral Harvesting technology with the Carina Module ionic clays on a semi-industrial scale.Production of heavy rare earth carbonate samples for commercial purposes: To produce a premium heavy rare earths carbonate product and initiate discussions with potential separators and other commercial stakeholders.Optimization of processing flowsheet: To evaluate the process flowsheet modifications identified during the piloting campaign conducted in 2023 with the Penco Module ionic clays. The objective is to ensure these modifications facilitate the production of an end product that is more conducive to the subsequent Rare Earth Element (REE) separation stage.Continued demonstration of environmental attributes: Revalidate the Circular Mineral Harvesting methodology, wherein 95% of the water and 99% of the primary reagent (ammonium sulfate) employed in the extraction process are recycled, thereby preventing the generation of liquid residues and eliminating the necessity for a tailings storage facility.Aclara COO, Barry Murphy, commented:"Following the release of the mineral resource estimate for the Carina Module, we are looking to initiate commercial discussions while commencing the production of heavy rare earth carbonate samples over the next two months at our piloting facilities in Chile. We have confidence in the outstanding quality of this asset and remain dedicated to accelerating the project development process across all disciplines to expedite the asset's production at the earliest feasible time." Fig. 1. Aclara's Pilot Plant in Concepcion, Chile and receipt of the ionic clay shipment from the Carina Module in Goias, BrazilThis update follows the successful completion of our initial piloting operation for the Penco Module ionic clays in September of this year where a total of 120 tonnes of ionic clays were processed, leading to the production of approximately 107 kilograms of wet, high-purity Heavy Rare Earth Elements ("HREE") carbonate. The pilot operation also underscored the sustainability attributes inherent in Aclara's Circular Mineral Harvesting process.Fig. 2. Aclara's Rare Earths extraction process - Circular Mineral HarvestingThe Carina ModuleOn October 11, 2023, the Company announced the discovery of the Carina Module, its new heavy rare earth deposit hosted in ion-adsorption clays in Goias, Brazil. The discovery was made through the successful completion of an initial auger drilling campaign, which on December 12, 2023, confirmed (i) a large mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 168 million tonnes of inferred category with a NSR value of US$32.3/t1, (ii) prospective heavy and light rare earth grades resulting in significant quantities of dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr), which are the rare earth elements critical to the production of permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines, (iii) metallurgical compatibility with the technology patented and successfully demonstrated on a pilot scale by Aclara in Chile, designed to minimize both cost and environmental footprint, and (iv) the growth potential of the deposit at depth as the average drill depth of the MRE was only 8.1 metres and did not consistently reach the bottom limits of the mineralization.The short-term catalysts for the Carina Module project development will be (i) the production of samples by processing the Project's ionic clays at Aclara's pilot plant in Chile from December 2023 until the end of February 2024, (ii) the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") in January 2024, and (iii) pursuit of additional resources at depth through the completion of a 9,090-meter reverse circulation ("RC") drilling campaign, which is already underway and scheduled to be completed in Q2 2024.---1Cut-off NSR of US$7.4/tAbout AclaraAclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) is a development-stage company that focuses on heavy rare earth mineral resources hosted in Ion-Adsorption Clay deposits. Its primary project is known as the Penco Module and is located in the BioBio Region of southern Chile. The Company is also evaluating a second module, the Carina Module, located in the State of Goias in central Brazil.Presently, Aclara has a strong focus on the development, construction, and future operation of the Penco Module, with the primary objective of establishing a processing plant designed to produce heavy rare earths carbonate.Aclara's extraction process offers several environmentally attractive features. It does not involve blasting, crushing, or milling. Additionally, it does not generate tailings, eliminating the need for a tailings storage facility. The Company utilizes 100% recycled water and minimizes water consumption through high levels of water recirculation. The ionic clay feedstock is amenable to leaching with a fertilizer, and harmful radionuclides are not concentrated.Simultaneously, alongside the development of the Penco Module, the Company intends to identify and evaluate further opportunities, such as the Carina Module, for increasing production of heavy rare earth elements. This will involve intensive greenfield exploration programs and the development of additional project "modules" within the Company's concessions in Brazil, Chile and Peru.Forward-Looking StatementsThis news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events, including statements with regard to: piloting production timing, processing compatibility at a semi-industrial scale, quality of the Carina Module commercial product, improved results based on the process flowsheet optimizations and the expectations of the Company's management as to the results of such piloting works. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks related to operating in a foreign jurisdiction, including political and economic problems in Chile and Brazil; r
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In a remarkable display of creativity and dedication, Brookside Commerce, an esteemed assisted-living community in Commerce, Georgia, has won the coveted first-place title in the Cedar Communities' highly competitive 2023 Model Room Contest.COMMERCE, GA. / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / "The Winter Wonderland-themed room at Brookside Commerce stands as a shining example of excellence and innovation. This recognition is a testament to Brookside Commerce's commitment to providing residents with an extraordinary living experience," says Kaydee Foster, Spokesperson for Cedar Communities.Winter Wonderland Brookside Commerce's Award Winning "Winter Wonderland" Room. Kaitlyn Raper, Administrator at Brookside Commerce, expressed gratitude for the acknowledgment, stating, "This award reinforces Brookside Commerce as a place where warmth, elegance, and community converge. We are dedicated to creating an exceptional living environment for our residents, and this recognition from Cedar Communities is truly an honor." As Cedar Communities celebrates Brookside Commerce's triumph, they invite individuals seeking an unparalleled assisted-living experience to explore the magic of the award-winning Winter Wonderland room. Join Brookside Commerce for an exclusive tour to witness firsthand the comfort, amenities, and joy that define life in their community.Discover what makes Brookside Commerce home for many residents. Schedule your tour today and embrace a life of distinction, comfort, and community at Brookside Commerce.For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact:Kaitlyn RaperBrookside Commerce199 West W Gary Road, Commerce, GA 30529706-336-5848Kaitlyn@ brooksidegeorgia.comwww.Brooksidecommerce.com About Brookside Commerce:Brookside Commerce, located in Commerce, Georgia, is a premier assisted-living community setting the standard for excellence. Their Winter Wonderland room, crowned first place in Cedar Communities' 2023 Model Room Contest, reflects a commitment to providing an exceptional living environment. Explore the possibilities and make Brookside Commerce your next home, where comfort meets distinction.Contact InformationKaren Foster Corporate Generalist and Relationship Manager karen@ cedarlp.com 516-268-3400SOURCE: Cedar CommunitiesView the original press release on newswire.com
Amid the escalating geopolitical tensions due to the Gaza war, different scenarios emerged regarding Egypts $3 billion loan.

During COP28, which concluded last week in UAE, the IMF managing director stated that the deal could witness progress soon, expecting the fund to raise financing for Egypt amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The fund is currently discussing with Egyptian authorities providing additional financing to ensure the successful implementation of the policy package to help it withstand the repercussions of the recent conflict in the Middle East, the IMFs Director of Strategic Communications (COM) Julie Kozack said.

Moreover, the current $3 billion loan may rise significantly, potentially reaching $12 billion soon amid the current geopolitical challenges in the Middle East as a result of the war in Gaza, Ahmed El-Sayed, an economist and financing expert, explained.

El-Sayed also emphasized that the Egyptian pound no longer requires an immediate devaluation. If any devaluation does occur, it is expected to be partial, with the currency value remaining within the range of EGP 31/$1, he added.

Regarding Egypt's request for an additional $1 billion loan through the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Trust, El-Sayed stated that it stands a high chance of approval.

He explained that if the IMF indeed intends to assist Egypt, it is highly probable that the $1 billion loan will be accepted, accompanied by an increase in the original $3 billion loan.

El-Sayed also highlighted Egypt's intensified efforts to finalize its Initial Public Offering (IPO) programme, which involves offering 35 state-owned companies to strategic investors by the end of June 2024.

However, banking expert Hany Abul-Fotouh stated that the current $3 billion loan's value is unlikely to be increased, as it is already approved and sealed based on this amount.

Instead, Egypt may receive a new financing programme from the IMF due to the prevailing geopolitical tensions and the ongoing war on its borders, Abul-Fotouh added.

Abul-Fotouh concurred with El-Sayed's view that there is no immediate need to devalue the currency, suggesting that such a step could be postponed.

He indicated that recent statements from IMF officials, expressing their intention to continue supporting the Egyptian economy, reflect the country's intensive reform efforts amid the current global crises and geopolitical tensions.

Egypt had initially entered into an IMF programme in December 2022, which included a $3 billion loan disbursed over 46 months in eight instalments.

However, due to Egypt's delay in fully complying with the fund's requirements, the programme was temporarily frozen, resulting in the postponement of the first and second reviews scheduled for March and September.

To date, Egypt has received only one payment worth $347 million.

Nevertheless, recent indications suggest that the IMF is now considering renewed support for the Egyptian economy due to the backdrop of the ongoing war on Egypt's borders and the prevailing geopolitical tensions in the region.

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The cannabis-themed restaurant and bar is eagerly anticipating its opening and can't wait to light the joint up and be the undisputed local hangout for curing cottonmouth and the munchies!SCOTTSDALE, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Cheba Hut founder Scott Jennings is no stranger to The Valley. In fact, when he decided to move to Tempe, Arizona, in 1990, he unknowingly planted a seed that blossomed into something incredible  and no it was not a cannabis plant."I moved away from my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, to attend school at Arizona State University - rapidly falling in love with the desert, I graduated from ASU and decided to stay out there and work in the real world' which ended up sucking," Jennings said."So  in January of 1998, I decided to Escape The Established and create a cool place to work with great food and opened the first Cheba Hut 'Toasted' Subs on Apache Boulevard in Tempe," he continued.From that moment on, the harmony between great tasting food and, well, a very specific counter-culture was created, and Scottsdale is about to join the action! "One of the biggest problems with the first location was we had so many great people working for us and many more wanting to join, we needed to open up more Huts," Jennings said."In came The Lenz Family' who were my first franchisees, and they opened up across the street from the University of Arizona - they ended up buying both the Arizona shops a few years later, and we were able to move our operation to Colorado in 2003 to open more locations," Jennings explained.Cheba Hut's success comes from emulating the brand's five Core Values (The Hustle, Show Respect, Own It, Pay It Forward, and Keep It Real). Everyone within the Chebaverse practices these values in their everyday lives."We owe a big thanks to The Lenz Family' for making that move possible, Keeping It Real, and Hustling to make the Cheba Hut brand proud for over 20 years down in Arizona," Jennings said.Cheba Hut is now serving up "toasted" subs and good vibes to over 57+ locations nationwide. Not only will this new Scottsdale spot be serving up a variety of dank subs, fluffy pretzel nugs, and gooey krispy treats that can cure any level of the munchies, but also, for the 21 and up homies, they'll be slinging some delicious signature cocktails and local brews from its full bar that will obliterate any presence of cottonmouth!Not to mention many new and unique aspects will be implemented to the physical location. From a huge outdoor patio to indulge in the Arizona sun, to a custom to-go window for grabbing your munchies on the fly, this location will also contain a one-of-a-kind mural. Josh Finley, the artist who has become a staple within the Chebaverse for his immense talents and imagination, spared no expense creating an eye-catching mural you have to see to believe. Think Wild West gunslingers paired with the modern stoner lifestyle and a twist only Finley could conjure up.This momentous opening marks an exciting new chapter for the brand. With so much history surrounding the beautiful and "toasted" state of Arizona, Cheba Hut cannot wait to open up its new Scottsdale location."We always had long-term plans to come back to Arizona and open up a location that is operated by our headquarters - I never stopped loving the desert, it will always be the place where it all started," Jennings concluded.The new joint located at 4912 E Shea Blvd STE 101 Scottsdale, AZ 85254 is now open! The brand is stoked to bring over 30+ signature "toasted" subs, an array of munchie treats, and cottonmouth cures for all ages (Crafted Cocktails for the 21+ homies) to the Scottsdale area!Contact InformationMel Banister Marketing Manager mel@ chebahut.com SOURCE: Cheba Hut FranchisingView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 16:00:45

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / CoinTR, a global cryptocurrency exchange based in Istanbul, officially announced its support for the EOS mainnet. Along with this, CoinTR initiated network deposit and withdrawal services for EOS tokens.CoinTR also launched the EOS Deposit Cashback promotion, which offers a 1% cashback reward based on the net deposit quantity to users with a net deposit amount of at least 10 EOS. The total prize pool is 50,000 EOS, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum cashback of 5,000 EOS per individual. The promotion is valid from December 20, 2023, to Jan 2, 2024The leadership team of CoinTR comprises five high-ranking officials, including those from the Central Bank of Turkey, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance of Turkey, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency of Turkey, and a globally renowned product technology and wallet security team co-founded by David Liu, Vice President of Huobi Group. A majority of the team members are from the top three global exchanges, and 80% of the business team has over four years of industry experience.CoinTR has obtained approval from the Turkish regulatory body Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and has collaborated with two state-owned banks in Turkey, Zirrat Bank and Vakif Bank, to establish fiat onramps and offramps. In the 2023 compliance audit in Turkey, CoinTR stands out as one of the few exchanges that comprehensively meet regulatory requirements.EOS, one of the world's most competitive public blockchains, not only possesses a high-performance infrastructure but also enhances the user experience for developers and users through continuous improvements to EOS EVM. Recently, EOS EVM 0.7.0 RC-1 has been launched on the testnet, introducing WebSocket support-a crucial tool for applications requiring real-time bidirectional communication. The iterative upgrades in the underlying network technology contribute to the stable growth of Total Value Locked (TVL) in the EOS ecosystem. According to defillama data, the current TVL for EOS and EOS EVM has stabilized around $100 million.CoinTR and EOS have been collaborating on local market expansion and strategic planning. They have established the Turkish Web Web3 Industry Lab together to inject new vitality into the Turkish blockchain ecosystem.AnnouncementCEO name: Ali EseliogluEmail: Business@ CoinTR.comCompany:CoinTRCountry/city: TurkeyIstanbulSOURCE: CoinTR
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 21:33:05

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Dollar General Corporation ("Dollar General" or "the Company") (NYSE:DG) and certain of its officers.Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Dollar General securities between May 28, 2020 and August 30, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/dg Case Details:The Complaint alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Dollar General stores were chronically understaffed and suffering from logistical and inventory management problems which left stores with tens of millions of dollars' worth of outdated and unwanted inventory, mispriced goods, and lost and damaged items; (ii) large backlogs of unsellable merchandise had built up at Dollar General's stores, which inventory had not been timely written down due to understaffing and Dollar General's failure to manage its inventory; (iii) the allotment of employee hours per store per week imposed by Dollar General management placed employees in virtually impossible situations where assigned tasks, including those necessary to effective store operations, could not be completed within the allotted time; (iv) Dollar General was systematically overcharging customers for items upon checkout above the listed price in violation of state laws, including state law violations identified by state regulators in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio; (v) Dollar General's reported revenue and earnings during the Class Period were artificially inflated by defendants' over-pricing scheme; (vi) Dollar General's failure to manage store inventories and accurately price items upon checkout risked the loss of customers, lower sales, adverse regulatory actions, and reputational fallout; and (vii) Dollar General was not on track to achieve its guidance during the Class Period and such guidance lacked a reasonable factual basis.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/dg or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 332-239-2660. If you suffered a loss in Dollar General you have until January 26, 2024, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.Contact:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 16:01:29

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MORGAN HILL, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / At the forefront of IoT connectivity solutions for smart cities, EMQ marked its presence at Smart Cities Connect 2023 in Washington, D.C., affirming its dedication to driving urban advancement through innovative technologies.Held at the renowned Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Smart Cities Connect served as a pivotal gathering for the smart cities community. The event united and industry leaders and decision-makers, fostering discussions on leveraging technology to resolve urban challenges and enhance community and citizen welfare.EMQ actively participated in key discussions at the conference, addressing vital topics like AI, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, 5G, Decarbonization, and Energy Infrastructure. This event sparked considerable interest in collaborations, with many exploring how to integrate their technologies with EMQ's offerings, aiming for beneficial partnerships that enhance existing solutions.A central theme of these discussions was a unified vision for the future of smart city infrastructure. EMQ showcased its MQTT-based technology as a crucial tool for enabling smart transportation, advanced charging infrastructure, and improved vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity.One of the event's highlights was EMQ's engaging raffle. The prize, appropriate for the holiday season, attracted enthusiastic participation, highlighting the vibrant atmosphere at EMQ's exhibit.Dylan Kennedy, EMQ's CEO, reflected on the event: "Smart Cities Connect 2023 was a truly enriching experience for us. The keen interest from industry leaders underscores the increasing relevance of smart technologies in urban development. We're excited by the prospects and look forward to establishing partnerships that will significantly impact the future of smart cities." EMQ's participation in Smart Cities Connect 2023 not only showcased its technological expertise but also marked a crucial step in pursuing innovative collaborations within the smart city sector. Stay tuned for updates on EMQ's transformative initiatives that are reshaping the smart cities landscape.For more information about our IoT data solutions, please visit: https://www.emqx.com/en/solutions/internet-of-things About EMQEMQ is a leading global provider in the MQTT-based Messaging Platform domain. Its flagship product, EMQX, is a robust and unified MQTT platform, serving as a foundational component for modern IoT solutions. It supports up to 100 million concurrent IoT device connections per cluster, boasts a throughput of up to 1 million messages per second, and ensures sub-millisecond latency. EMQX is trusted by over 20,000 enterprise users worldwide, connecting more than 100 million IoT devices, and catering to over 400 customers in critical IoT scenarios. This includes prestigious brands like HPE, VMware, Verifone, SAIC Volkswagen, and Ericsson.EMQ's global R&D center, a hub for innovation and development, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. With over ten offices spread across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, EMQ demonstrates its extensive global reach and commitment to providing top-tier IoT solutions on a worldwide scale.305 Vineyard Town Center, Morgan Hill, CA, USA 95037 www.emqx.com | contact@ emqx.io Contact:MelaniePR Managermelanie@ emqx.io SOURCE: EMQ Technologies Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 16:16:46

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Delivers 300,000th Tree to Military Families This SeasonMEMPHIS, TN / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / This year, FedEx Freight will deliver the 300,000th tree for the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation's annual Trees for Troops program. The milestone tree is set to arrive at Fort Liberty on Dec. 1, 2023, alongside nearly 16,000 trees slated for families at over 90 military bases across the United States this December."Every year, the FedEx Freight team puts in tireless effort to support Trees for Troops and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. This milestone 300,000th tree delivery is a direct reflection of our dedication to both causes," said Lance Moll, President and CEO, FedEx Freight. "Through our industry-leading transportation network, we are honored to give back to local communities and military families whose values have always been closely tied to the core mission of our company." Since 2005, FedEx Freight has supported the Trees for Troops program, an initiative that delivers farm-grown Christmas trees to domestic and international U.S. military bases. This long-standing collaboration has become a cherished tradition for FedEx Freight, with drivers logging over 600,000 miles for tree deliveries over the years."This program started on a crazy idea and started small. We delivered 4,300 trees to only five bases that first year," said Wendy Richardson, Chair of the Christmas Spirit Foundation Board of Trustees. "It's hard to believe we're now going to exceed 300,000 total trees since we began working with FedEx 19 years ago. The commitment and dedication of all involved is truly inspiring. We love providing Christmas spirit to the men and women and their families in our military, one tree at a time." Trees for Troops kicks off Nov. 27, as hundreds of donors and volunteers come together to help make this effort a success. There are two ways the public can support Trees for Troops:Donate a tree for delivery to a base at one of the official Trees for Troops locations. Some locations offer online tree purchase options for shopper convenience. Donated trees must be purchased by Dec. 3, to ensure pick-up and delivery by FedEx Freight.Visit the Trees for Troops website to donate online, and follow Trees for Troops on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.A full list of participating locations can be found at treesfortroops.org FedEx Freight participates with the Trees for Troops program as part of FedEx Cares, the company's global community engagement program. For more information on how FedEx team members around the globe "Drive forward. Give back." by volunteering and doing countless acts of caring throughout the year, check out fedexcares.com About FedEx FreightFedEx Freight, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX), is a leading provider of priority, premium, and economy less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, simplifying large and bulky shipping in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Freight is at the forefront of innovation, offering customers total convenience and efficiency. With expanded service offerings like FedEx Freight Direct, shipments can be safely delivered to and through the door for residences and businesses. Team members across the network are dedicated to delivering the ultimate customer experience through exceptional service, reliability, and on-time performance, as well as giving back to the communities where they live and work. For more information, visit fedex.com/about About FedEx Corp.FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of nearly $90 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally as one FedEx. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about About the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and Trees for TroopsThe Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that works to recognize and support the true spirit of Christmas through programs like Trees for Troops. The foundation was established in 2005 and is among fewer than five percent of U.S. charities to be awarded the "Best in America" seal of excellence by Independent Charities of America. To learn more visit www.christmasspiritfoundation.org View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from FedEx Corporation on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: FedEx CorporationWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/fedex-corporationEmail: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: FedEx Corporation
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 23:02:25

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NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICESVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / FireFox Gold Corp. (TSXV:FFOX)(OTCQB:FFOXF) ("FireFox" or the "Company") today announced that it closed a non-brokered private placement of 22,507,840 units of the Company ("Units") at a purchase price of $0.075 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $1,688,088 (the "Private Placement"). Concurrent with the Private Placement, FireFox, together with its wholly-owned subsidiary FireFox Gold Oy, entered into an earn-in agreement (the "Earn-in Agreement"), pursuant to which FireFox Gold Oy granted a subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico") the right to earn an interest in the Kolho properties located in northern Finland (the "Kolho Property").Patrick Highsmith, Chairman of FireFox commented on the transactions, "We are excited to form this alliance with Agnico Eagle. Not only does the strategic investment recognize the potential of our more advanced projects, such as Mustajarvi, but the option agreement also demonstrates the geological potential of our Kolho Property. We are proud to add Agnico Eagle to our roster of strong shareholders as the strategic backbone for our future growth through discovery." Carl Lofberg, CEO of FireFox added, "Our company was the first junior gold explorer built around a Finland-based CEO and Finland-based exploration management. Now we are part of a growing community of local and international mining professionals in Finland, and we find ourselves working closely with Europe's largest gold miner. We look forward to working with the Agnico Eagle team at the Kolho Property." Private PlacementPursuant to the Private Placement, the Company issued 19,010,000 Units to Agnico at a purchase price of $0.075 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $1,425,750. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), with each Warrant being exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "WarrantShare") at an exercise price of $0.10 per Warrant Share for a term of five years following the closing of the Private Placement, subject to adjustment and an acceleration of the expiry date upon the occurrence of certain events. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for drilling and exploration expenditures on FireFox's Mustajarvi project, other exploration investment on the Company's projects in Lapland, and general working capital.On closing of the Private Placement, Agnico will own 19,010,000 Common Shares and 19,010,000 Warrants, representing approximately 10.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 19.6% of the Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis.In connection with the Private Placement, FireFox entered into an investor rights agreement with Agnico (the "Investor Rights Agreement"). Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, Agnico is entitled to certain rights, provided Agnico maintains certain ownership thresholds in FireFox, including: (i) the right to participate in equity financings and top-up its holdings in relation to dilutive issuances in order to maintain its pro rata ownership interest in FireFox at the time of such financing or acquire up to a 19.99% ownership interest, on a partially diluted basis, in FireFox; and (ii) the right to nominate one person to the board of directors of FireFox. Agnico has not elected to exercise this right as of the closing of the Private Placement.Crescat Portfolio Management LLC ("Crescat") exercised its participation right and subscribed for 3,497,840 Units on the same terms as Agnico for additional gross proceeds of $262,388. Upon closing, Crescat will own 31,188,969 Common Shares and 8,050,678 Warrants, representing approximately 17.8% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 21.5% of the Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis. Crescat has agreed to restrict the exercise of any Warrants if to do so would result in Crescat owning or controlling 20% or more of the then issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company (calculated on a non-diluted basis), provided that Crescat may exercise all of its Warrants in certain circumstances (including for the purpose of participating in a take over bid, arrangement, amalgamation or similar transaction, or change in control of the Company), subject to compliance with applicable securities laws including obtaining prior requisite disinterested shareholder and TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approvals.The participation of Crescat in the Private Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61- 101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and TSXV Policy 5.9 -- Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. In connection with his related party transaction, the Company is relying on the formal valuation and minority approval exemptions of 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the portion of the Private Placement subscribed for by Crescat does not exceed 25 percent of the Company's market capitalization.The Common Shares and Warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement and the Warrant Shares underlying the Warrants are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the date of completion of the Private Placement, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.Option AgreementThe Kolho Property is a group of exploration permit applications and one exploration permit (Nuttio) that occupies a prospective structural corridor northeast of Rupert Resources' Ikkari discovery and FireFox's Sarvi property (see Figure 1 below). The Kolho Property covers more than 120 km2, and FireFox has completed detailed airborne magnetic surveys and limited reconnaissance mapping and sampling in the area.Pursuant to the terms of the Earn-in Agreement, FireFox granted Agnico an exclusive right to earn a 51% interest in the Kolho Property by incurring exploration expenditures totaling US$5,000,000 before the fifth anniversary of entering into the Earn-in Agreement (the "Earn-in Grant Date"), of which US$2,000,000 will be a committed amount required to be spent on or prior to the third anniversary of the date that certain permits are granted in respect of the Kolho Property.Upon Agnico earning a 51% interest in the Kolho Property, Agnico and FireFox will enter into a joint venture agreement (the "JV Agreement"), pursuant to which, Agnico will become the operator of the venture and be entitled to a 5% management fee. Und
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 18:45:25

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / In an era marked by rapid urbanization and evolving housing needs, property management companies are facing unprecedented challenges. They must adapt to changing demographics, sustainability concerns, and technological advancements. The Millennia Companies, a prominent player in the property management industry, recognizes the importance of preparing the next generation of property managers and those who work to support communities to meet these challenges head-on. To this end, they have embarked on an exciting partnership with Cleveland State University, aimed at building a larger pipeline of students equipped to address the evolving needs of the communities they serve. Within this collaborative endeavor, Patrick Hurley, a Millennia marketing intern, stands as a testament to the tangible impact of this alliance.Property management has never been just about collecting rent and fixing leaks. The industry demands professionals who can navigate the complexities of urban development, sustainable practices, and community engagement. The Millennia Companies' mission to provide access to quality property management programs underscores its commitment to improving the communities in which they operate. By collaborating with Cleveland State University, Millennia Companies is not only investing in the future of their industry but also demonstrating a strong dedication to the cities and neighborhoods they impact.Partnership in ActionWithin The Millennia Companies, Patrick Hurley, a Cleveland State University student, found more than an internship. He discovered an environment that fostered not just professional growth but also personal development. His decision to join Millennia was led by the company's genuine investment in aspiring talent, a sentiment showcased in the family-like work culture.Patrick's journey transcended the traditional boundaries of an internship, honing crucial skills integral to the industry's evolution. Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite enabled Patrick to craft designs that effectively communicated the company's brand message. His work with WordPress elevated the company's online presence, while navigation of social media dynamics via the marketing platform SOCi sharpened his insights into digital marketing.Patrick's contributions at Millennia extend beyond skill acquisition. He led the creation of marketing flyers for more than 280 properties, capturing the uniqueness of each property. Additionally, his role in designing logos and front signs helped display the visual essence that welcomed residents and visitors alike.The partnership between The Millennia Companies and Cleveland State University underscores the various opportunities offered in the property management space. Through initiatives like this, young professionals like Patrick find themselves not only equipped with skills but also a sense of belonging and purpose. This collaboration serves as a testament to the transformative power of industry-academic partnerships in nurturing talent and propelling the industry toward innovation and sustainability.CONTACT:Andrew Mitchellmedia@ cambridgeglobal.com SOURCE: Cambridge Global
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 17:39:09

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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Gabriel Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GBU)("Gabriel" or the "Company") previously announced that the proceedings in its World Bank International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes ("ICSID") claim against Romania had been declared closed by the arbitral tribunal (the "Tribunal") on September 14, 2023.According to Rule 46 of the ICSID Arbitration Rules, the Tribunal must issue its final decision ("Award") to the parties within 120 days of the closure of the proceedings, provided however that the Tribunal may take a further 60 days if it is otherwise unable to draw up the Award in such timeframe.The Tribunal has today notified the parties that, in accordance with Arbitration Rule 46, it has extended the period to draw up and sign the Award for a further 60 days. Accordingly, the Tribunal must issue the Award on or before March 12, 2024.Dragos Tanase, Gabriel's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "This further potential delay to the issuance of a decision by the Tribunal is frustrating to all stakeholders, however we hope the decision is made earlier than the final deadline date." For information on this press release, please contact:Dragos TanasePresident & CEOPhone: +40 730 399 019dt@ gabrielresources.com Richard BrownChief Financial OfficerMobile: +44 7748 760276 richard.brown@gabrielresources.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.About GabrielGabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal business had been the exploration and development of the Rosia Montana gold and silver project in Romania. The Rosia Montana Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe, is situated in the South Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, an historic and prolific mining district that since pre-Roman times has been mined intermittently for over 2,000 years. The exploitation license for the Rosia Montana Project is held by Rosia Montana Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Rosia Montana S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company.Upon obtaining the License in June 1999, the Group focused substantially all of their management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Rosia Montana Project. Despite the Company's fulfilment of its legal obligations and its development of the Rosia Montana Project as a high-quality, sustainable and environmentally-responsible mining project, using best available techniques, Romania has unlawfully blocked and prevented implementation of the Rosia Montana Project without due process and without compensation. Accordingly, the Company's current core focus is the ICSID Arbitration. For more information please visit the Company's website at www.gabrielresources.com Forward-looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements.In this press release, forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein.Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the uncertainties associated with: the ICSID Arbitration, actions by the Romanian Government, conditions or events impacting the Company's ability to fund its operations (including but not limited to the completion of further funding noted above) or service its debt, exploration, development and operation of mining properties and the overall impact of misjudgments made in good faith in the course of preparing forward-looking information.Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors including those set out below, that may never materialize, prove incorrect or materialize other than as currently contemplated which could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "is of the view", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential", "possible" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of fact and may be forward-looking statements.Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including:There is no assurance that Gabriel will be successful in establishing Romania's liability in the ICSID Arbitration or, if successful, that the claimants will receive or collect a monetary award in the amount requested or at all. Failure to prevail in the ICSID Arbitration, or to obtain or recover adequate compensation for the loss in value of the Group's investments, would materially adversely affect the Group.In view of the case-specific nature of arbitration, the inherent uncertainty in the actions of the respondent and in the process, timing and outcome of the ICSID Arbitration and any enforcement thereof, there can be no assurances that the ICSID Arbitration will advance in a customary or predictable manner or be completed or settled within any specific
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 03:01:38

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NEWTOWN, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / The law firm of Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating securities fraud claims on behalf of all purchasers of General Motors Company. (NYSE:GM) common stock between February 2, 2022, and October 26, 2023 (the "Class Period").Investors who purchased General Motors common stock may move the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to appoint them as lead plaintiff no later than February 6, 2024. Current holders of GM stock may pursue corporate governance reforms. Please contact Edelson Lechtzin LLP at 844-696-7492 to discuss your investment losses, or by e-mail at elechtzin@ edelson-law.com . A copy of the class action complaint can be viewed HERE.Background on General Motors CompanyGeneral Motors is an American automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It has a global presence and produces a range of trucks, crossovers, cars, and auto parts under various brand names such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling.Cruise LLC is a global segment owned mostly by GM. It is responsible for developing and commercializing autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. AVs are driverless vehicles. Cruise has obtained various permits to test and operate its AVs, claiming that they are safe for such purposes.The Securities Fraud ClaimsThe complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) GM downplayed concerns with its vehicles' airbags and the need to record additional warranty accruals for related product recalls; (ii) GM overstated the extent and efficacy of its efforts to analyze defects in its vehicles' airbag inflators; (iii) Cruise's AVs and/or AV technology were less safe and well-developed than GM had led investors, regulators, and the general public to believe; (iv) accordingly, regulatory approval of Cruise's AV products was unsustainable and the prospects for widespread regulatory approval and adoption of Cruise's AV products were overstated; and (v) all the foregoing subjected GM to an increased risk of governmental and/or regulatory scrutiny and enforcement, significant legal liabilities, product recalls, and reputational harm.As per the NBC Bay Area report on October 2, 2023, a pedestrian sustained severe injuries when struck and trapped under a Cruise AV, which was operating without a driver. Cruise is cooperating with law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident. On this news, GM's stock price fell $1.09 per share, or 3.36%, to close at $31.38 per share on October 3, 2023.On October 5, 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") conducted a public hearing to recommend a recall of more than 50 million airbag inflators that have been linked to potentially deadly explosions. Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that at least 20 million of GM's vehicles were equipped with defective airbag inflators, at least one of which had led to a confirmed fatality. On this news, GM's stock price fell $0.73 per share, or 2.35%, to close at $30.31 per share on October 5, 2023.On October 24, 2023, the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued a statement announcing the immediate suspension of Cruise's deployment and driverless testing permits. On this news, GM's stock price fell $0.66 per share, or 2.26%, to close at $28.56 per share on October 24, 2023. On October 26, 2023, Cruise announced via a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it would pause all its AV operations across the country "while we take time to examine our processes, systems, and tools and reflect on how we can better operate in a way that will earn public trust." On this news, GM's stock price fell $1.33 per share, or 4.66%, to close at $27.22 per share on October 27, 2023.For more information, please contact:Marc H. Edelson, Esq.Eric Lechtzin, Esq.EDELSON LECHTZIN LLP411 S. State Street, Suite N-300Newtown, PA 18940Phone: 844-696-7492 or 215-867-2399 ext. 1Email: medelson@ edelson-law.comEmail: elechtzin@ edelson-law.comWeb: Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to cases involving securities and investment fraud, our lawyers focus on class and collective litigation in cases alleging violations of the federal antitrust laws, employee benefit plans under ERISA, wage theft and unpaid overtime, consumer fraud, and dangerous and defective drugs and medical devices.This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions. No class has been certified in this case, so 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. Your ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.SOURCE: Edelson Lechtzin LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 00:55:53

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SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2023 / The Government of Canada has signed a contract to purchase a fleet of MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). The order includes the associated Certified Ground Control Stations and support equipment from GA-ASI. The first delivery is expected in 2028.The SkyGuardian RPAS is interoperable with Canada's domestic missions and its continental defence missions through NORAD, as well as with Canada's closest allies - including the Five Eyes Alliance (FVEY) and NATO - for seamless integration with current and future Canadian defence, civil air, and ground assets."Canada's vast territory and complex terrains, including in the Arctic, require a cost-effective multi-mission RPAS solution that can endure long periods on station, fly in harsh weather environments, and safely operate in all airspaces," said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. "MQ-9B SkyGuardian delivers those critical capabilities. GA-ASI and Team SkyGuardian Canada are honored by this opportunity to become a key partner to Canada for the very long term in delivering these no-fail defence and security outcomes." Team SkyGuardian Canada is a coalition of leading Canadian businesses - including CAE, MDA Ltd., and L3Harris Technologies - that are working with GA-ASI on MQ-9B development, delivery, and sustainment. Canada's investments in the RPAS Project and Team SkyGuardian Canada are a direct reflection of Canada's vested domestic interest in pursuing leading-edge RPAS technologies.GA-ASI has had a long, successful, and proud history with Canadian industry that continues to grow. Nearly every system that GA-ASI has delivered throughout its more than 30-year history has contained some level of Canadian content, including sensors, propulsion equipment, and training/simulation systems and services. CAE, MDA Ltd., L3Harris, and GA-ASI are committed to delivering the world's premier RPAS capability to Canada while creating domestic economic benefits and work opportunities.MQ-9B is the next generation of RPAS, delivering exceptionally long endurance and range, with auto takeoff and landing under SATCOM-only control, and will be able to operate in unsegregated airspace using the GA-ASI developed Detect and Avoid system. First customer deliveries of MQ-9B began in 2022 to the U.K. Royal Air Force, and contracts have been signed with Belgium and the U.S. Air Force, in support of Special Operations Command. The Japan Coast Guard is currently operating the MQ-9B for maritime operations, which the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) also selected for its Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) RPAS Trial Operation Project. MQ-9B has additionally supported various U.S. Navy exercises this year, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, and Group Sail."We look forward to working with our Team SkyGuardian Canada partners to deliver our industry-leading RPAS for Canada's dynamic mission requirements. GA-ASI is the world leader in reliable, cost-efficient, and sustainable remotely piloted aircraft systems. These aircraft perform advanced interoperable and systems-of-systems operations for our valued customers around the world - all at a fraction of the carbon footprint impact as traditional manned systems performing similar missions," added Blue.About GA-ASIGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator RPA series and the Lynx Multi-mode Radar. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent situational awareness. The company also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas.For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com Avenger, Lynx, Predator, and SkyGuardian are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.Contact Information:GA-ASI Media Relations asi-mediarelations@ ga-asi.com +1 (858) 524-8101SOURCE: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
Strategic location, global investor base and robust legal framework

PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 07:16:56

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HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Hong Kong is an ideal listing destination for Middle East businesses, according to a new joint report by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and CCB International Capital Limited (CCB International). The report, which is released today, shows that many companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) see the city as their first choice when it comes to securing funding, building stronger ties with Asia (particularly China), and, ultimately, enjoying greater global recognition.^In order to explore the potential for UAE and KSA companies to secure listings in Hong Kong, the HKTDC and CCB International renewed their collaboration [1] to deliver the new report  Hong Kong: An Ideal Overseas Listing Venue for Middle East Companies. This led them to share a series of insights from in-depth interviews with UAE and KSA industry experts and practitioners as to Hong Kongs suitability as a listing destination for Middle East companies. The research, which was conducted from June to October this year, concluded that several Middle East business sectors in particular  Energy and Renewable Energy, Healthcare and High-tech, Infrastructure, and Finance  had the most to benefit from a Hong Kong listing.Commenting on the significance of the findings, Irina Fan, Director of HKTDC Research, said: For those Middle East companies looking to expand in the region, access to Hong Kongs diverse pool of international institutional investors will clearly be of huge benefit. This is especially the case as many such investors have an in-depth understanding of both the pan-Asia and China-specific opportunities now emerging. She adds, Another plus point is the impressive breadth and depth of the Hong Kong stock market. The high level of trading activity that underpins this is a clear indication of just how robust the citys capital market has proven over the long-term. Michelle Pan, Head of Corporate Finance & Capital Market Services at CCB International, said: Following the visits of President Xi and HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee to the Middle East over the past two years, the Hong Kong capital market has begun exploring opportunities for collaboration between Middle East companies and the Hong Kong financial markets. In this context, this all-rounded research paper has been developed to explain why Hong Kong, with its unique attributes, is an ideal listing and fund raising destination for Middle East enterprises. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits of listing in Hong Kong, including access to a deep pool of capital, a world-class regulatory framework, a vibrant and dynamic business environment, and a gateway to the vast Chinese market. Middle East: Looking at opportunities in new marketsMiddle East stock exchanges have witnessed record-breaking initial public offerings (IPOs) in recent years, with bourses in KSA and UAE all ranking among the worlds top 10 in 2022 in terms of IPO funds raised. The opportunities stemming from overseas listings, primary, dual-primary and secondary included, however, have yet to be fully exploited.At present, many UAE and KSA companies are actively looking at opportunities in new markets and seeking funding via equity markets as they look to deliver on their global expansion plans, many of which align with the regions commitment to economic diversification as it looks to move on from its traditional dependence on its oil and gas resources. A clear synergy, however, has become apparent between the region and fast-growing Asia, something seen as offering tremendous opportunities for many UAE and KSA businesses as they look to make good on their economic diversification aspirations.For many UAE and KSA companies, pursuing an overseas listing is not only a way of financing their overseas expansion projects, but also an effective marketing channel as they look to enhance their global recognition and improve their visibility and credibility among clients, institutions and the investing public in a number of target markets.Hong Kong advantages: location, rule of law, impressive market breadth and depth, global investor baseDuring the course of the research, interviews with a number of experts highlighted the unique benefits on offer to Middle East companies that look to list in Hong Kong, one of the worlds most highly regarded financial centres. Strategically located at the gateway to many of Asias major markets  most notably mainland China and the ASEAN bloc  Hong Kong has considerable appeal for UAE and KSA companies. Most notably, a Hong Kong listing will ensure such businesses can fully leverage the advantages of the citys strategic location, while gaining access to its well-established networks and stable business environment and benefitting from its rule of law and its abundant talent pool, which is widely seen as capable of delivering the highest quality of professional service. The citys unique advantages also extend to the absence of capital controls and a transparent, resilient Linked Exchange Rate System.Hong Kongs robust legal framework  something that Middle East companies value particularly highly  is a significant advantage and an essential part of its appeal as a listing destination. As the only common law jurisdiction within China, Hong Kong and its legal system has a proven track record of upholding the rule of law and of maintaining judicial transparency. This framework has long functioned as a guarantee of the fundamental rights of any global enterprise or investor looking to raise or allocate funds as part of a Hong Kong-based listing initiative.In addition, Hong Kongs stock market has long been renowned for its maturity, vibrancy and global connectivity, while its sizeable market capitalisation consistently sees it rank among the top 10 largest stock markets on a global basis. As to its diverse investor pool, according to the Securities and Futures Commission, overseas and Mainland China investors accounted for 64% of the asset and wealth management businesses in Hong Kong in 2022, with the majority of overseas investors coming from North America (23%), Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region (14%), all of which instilled substantial liquidity in the local equity market.As to how Hong Kong can optimise its role as a premium listing hub for Middle East companies, the research emphasised the importance of strengthening and sustaining its connectivity with many Middle East countries, especially at the government and regulatory level.Overall, building closer G2G relationships with many Middle East economies was seen as of paramount importance, with the countries respective governments seen as playing a significant role in steering the relevant business sectors. It was also recommended that a higher level of market promotion and investment education be undertaken with regard to many Middle East prospects as a means of nurturing and directing their interest in Hong Kongs financial services resources.^ The first research report focuses on the overall overseas listing regime of Hong Kong as well as Hong Kong as a listing destination for UAE companies, while the subsequent report on KSA companies listing in Hong Kong will be released in the first quarter of 2024.[1] HKTDC and CCB International released a research report on Hong Kong: The Most Popular Overseas Listing Venue for ASEAN Companies on 27 May 2022.Photo download: https://bit.ly/41r9Q2a Click here https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/88220/
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 14:17:18

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Key accomplishments and progress, setting the stage for a promising futureTEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / oceansix future paths Ltd. ("the Company" or "oceansix") is a publicly-traded Company on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto (TSXV: CUSIP 001194828, OSIX), in New York (OTCQB:AKMYF), and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (WKN: A3EFB0, ISIN: IL0011948283, 5FC0). oceansix is a technology and manufacturing company on an environmental mission, using plastic waste to create innovative products and build transformative businesses. The Company is headquartered in Israel and operates a research and development center as well as a production facility in Valencia, Spain.Foundational Growth and Strategic MergersThe year began with a strategic shift as oceansix consolidated its Israeli operations, moving key components to Germany. This relocation, completed in January, simplified the Company's strategy and positioned oceansix closer to the heart of Europe's sustainability movement.Also, a significant milestone was reached in March when oceansix shareholders approved the name change to oceansix Future Paths Ltd., which was officially recognized in May. This symbolling the unified commitment to a higher vision.Leadership and Organizational ExpansionIn a strategic move to strengthen oceansix's leadership ranks, April witnessed the key appointments of Salvador Cabanas Lopez as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Elad Hameiri stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of oceansix Future Paths Ltd. These appointments significantly enhance the executive team, bringing fresh perspectives and dynamic leadership to steer the Company's innovative path.Gat Ramon, the founder, was appointed Board Director and Chairman in April. This strategic decision fortified oceansix's governance framework thanks to Ramon's visionary leadership and deep industry insights.Strengthening Presence in EuropeAs part of oceansix's journey towards expansive growth, the Company extended its R&D team in Spain, further enhancing the existing operations of oceansix S.L. This strategic move centralizes the research and development efforts in Spain, significantly strengthening oceansix's presence in Europe.Expanding Horizons: Engaging in Valencia's Innovation and Commercial OpportunitiesAs oceansix grows, the Company deepens its commitment to local and international innovation and business ventures, focusing on the Valencian ecosystem. Valencia City has established itself as a centre for pioneering ideas and lucrative business opportunities, and the CEO, Elad Hameiri, has been actively involved in various initiatives and events across Valencia. His involvement reinforces oceansix's dedication to the region's commercial and innovative development and significantly boosts the Company's progress.In line with oceansix's commitment to sustainable practices and innovative solutions, the Company proudly announces its membership in New ERA (Environmental Reusable Association). This esteemed organization is at the forefront of promoting reusable packaging systems and is dedicated to reducing waste and fostering a more sustainable future within Europe. oceansix's association with New ERA is a testament to oceansix's mission to revolutionize packaging, further emphasizing its dedication to sustainability and innovative practices.Innovation and Market ImpactHydroQuickoceansix's latest solution, HydroQuick, unveiled in 2023, marked a significant leap in hydroponic farming technology. This system, characterized by its all-in-one design, promises to revolutionize hydroponic installations, reducing time, labour, and environmental impact. HydroQuick was manufactured by its sister company, Flome, which is launching HydroQuick now.Reusable packaging system for ecommerceDeveloping a reusable pack system for e-commerce, a crucial project for oceansix, made notable progress. Oceansix anticipates its launch in 2024, following positive advancements in patent processes and ongoing negotiations with potential partners.Looking Ahead: A Vision for 2024 and BeyondThese achievements in 2023 have strengthened the Company's operational efficiency and accelerated its mission to create sustainable and cost-efficient solutions for critical industries. As we step into 2024, the oceansix team is boosted to continue this momentum, with eyes set on delivering impactful innovations and fostering more sustainable solutions.You are invited to be a part of oceansix' impact, business, and future to build better tomorrows.For more information, please visit oceansix.com , and connect on LinkedIn.For Investor Relations information, please contact:maximilian@ oceansix.com | phone +49 89 139 28 890oceansix future paths Ltd. | Elad Hameiri, CEO | phone +34 673 435 571Derech Menachem Begin 11 | Ramat Gan | IsraelAbout oceansixoceansix is a global source of radical, sustainable solutions and waste-to-product inventions. Powered by a vision of creating meaningful solutions, oceansix constantly invents ways of combining advanced technology with sustainable production and products from plastic waste. oceansix builds successful businesses in global industries while resolving some of Earth's burning challenges. The Company is propelled by its circular model, where products are manufactured from waste, and revenue is funneled to imagine revolutionary ideas for new products with huge market potential and impact.DisclaimerThis release may contain forward-looking statements and information which may be identified by formulations using terms such as "expects", "aims", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates" or "will". Such forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and certain assumptions, which may be subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. The results actually achieved by oceansix future paths Ltd. may substantially differ from these forward-looking statements. oceansix future paths Ltd. assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to correct them in case of developments, which differ from those, anticipated.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: oceansix future paths Ltd.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 21:35:38

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Pampa Metals Corp. ("Pampa Metals" or the "Company") (CSE:PM)(FSE:FIR)(OTCQB:PMMCF) is pleased to advise that preparatory works for the follow-up diamond drill program designed to test the depth and lateral extension of known mineralization at Piuquenes are advancing, with camp setup and platform preparation nearing completion.Drilling is scheduled to commence in mid-January 2024, with assay results to follow shortly thereafter.Figures 1 & 2: Temporary Camp Installation and Drill Platform Preparation. Piuquenes December 2023. Piuquenes Porphyry Copper-Gold ProjectIn November 2023, Pampa Metals assayed and re-logged Anglo-American's 2016 diamond borehole of 920.2 m length which had crossed the mineral zones previously drilled by Inmet Mining Corporation (IMC). These results were reported in a 5 December 2023 News Release and included:- 558.2 m (362-920.2 m EOH) @ 0.38% Cu & 0.42 g/ Au & 2.4 g/t Ag (0.73% CuEq)* Including:- 130 m (362-492 m) @ 0.81% Cu & 0.6 g/t Au & 4 g/t Ag (1.31 % CuEq)*;- 180 m (362-542 m) @ 0.71% Cu & 0.61 g/t Au & 3.8 g/t Ag (1.22% CuEq)*; and - 296 m (362-658 m) @ 0.5 % Cu & 0.5 g/t Au & 2.7 g/t Ag (0.91% CuEq)*,Historically, IMC (subsequently acquired by First Quantum in 2013) intersected significant copper and gold mineralization at Piuquenes (refer 30 November 2023 News Release) including: 413.5 m (167-580.5 m) @ 0.47% Cu and 0.52 g/t Au (0.87% CuEq)*;  67.5 m (207-274.5 m) @ 0.63% Cu and 0.51 g/t Au (1.02% CuEq)*; and 158 m (3-161 m) @ 0.32% Cu and 0.6 g/t Au (0.78% CuEq)*.The latest Company Presentation can be accessed at https://pampametals.com/investor/ ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDJoseph van den Elsen | President & CEOINVESTORS CONTACTJoseph van den Elsen | President & CEOJoseph@ pampametals.com ABOUT PAMPA METALSPampa Metals is listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE:PM), Frankfurt (FSE: FIR), and OTC (OTCQB: PMMCF) exchanges, and wholly owns a portfolio of projects highly prospective for copper, molybdenum, and gold along proven and highly productive mineral belts in Chile, the world's largest copper producer.In November 2023, the Company announced it had entered into an Option & JV Agreement for the acquisition of an 80% interest in the Piuquenes Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in San Juan Province, Argentina.Qualified PersonTechnical information in this news release has been approved by Mario Orrego G, Geologist and a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Orrego is a consultant to the Company.* %CuEq values are calculated based on copper and gold metal prices: Cu = US$3.20/lb, Au = US$1,700/oz and Ag = US$ 20/oz. The formula utilized to calculate %CuEq is: Cu Eq Grade (%) = Cu Head Grade (%) + [(Au Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Au Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.04) + [(Ag Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Ag Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.0.Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTThis news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Pampa Metals expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will" or "may" occur. These statements are subject to various risks. Although Pampa Metals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.SOURCE: Pampa Metals Corp.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-20 11:30:21

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Summary: Ty Health Insurance, a leading platform in the health insurance industry, has announced that Talia Adika, one of the company's leading brokers, demonstrated her unparalleled expertise on the global stage at the Health 2.0 Conference held in Dubai in 2024.NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / To address the latest approach, Talia Adika, a leading broker at Ty Health Insurance, will showcase her expertise on the Global Stage at the Health 2.0 COnference Dubai 2024. The Health 2.0 Conference, renowned for bringing together innovators and thought leaders in the healthcare industry, served as the perfect platform for Talia Adika to share insights and advancements in health insurance. Representing Ty Health Insurance, Talia captivated the audience with her deep knowledge and strategic vision, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration in shaping the future of healthcare.Talia Adika's presence at the conference highlighted Ty Health Insurance's commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends and providing clients with the most relevant and up-to-date information on health insurance solutions.In addition, the conference served as a melting pot for ideas and discussions surrounding the latest advancements in healthcare technology and patient care. Talia Adika, with her extensive experience as a health insurance broker in New York City, seamlessly integrated into these conversations, contributing valuable insights that resonated with professionals and attendees.As a partner at Ty Health Insurance, Talia Adika's representation at the Health 2.0 Conference is a testament to the company's dedication to fostering a global perspective on healthcare. The conference provided a platform for Ty Health Insurance to showcase its commitment to excellence and innovation in the health insurance sector.Moreover, the company focuses on staying ahead in an ever-evolving industry. Talia's participation in the Dubai conference aligns with the company's mission to bring about positive change in the health insurance landscape. The insights gained from this experience will undoubtedly inform Ty Health Insurance's future strategies and strengthen its position as a leader in the industry.Furthermore, the company extends its gratitude to Talia Adika for representing the company with distinction at the Health 2.0 Conference Dubai 2024. Her contributions reinforced Ty Health Insurance's commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence in health insurance solutions.About Ty Health Insurance:Ty Health Insurance, a top-notch platform in the health insurance industry, strives to help business owners develop a solid foundation and health insurance strategy to succeed. The company helps to reduce health insurance costs and increase health and wellness company culture employee relationships.Media Detail:TY Health Insurance Brokerage42 Broadway 12th FlrNew York NY 10004212-796-4374Info@ tyhealthinsurance.comPerson name: Talia Adika https://www.tyhealthinsurance.com/ SOURCE: TY Health Insurance Brokerage
In what has been described as the beginning of the end to fossil fuel era globally, world leaders on 13 December adopted the UAE Consensus, which among several ambitious targets, stipulated the need to transition away from fossil fuels in the energy system.

This is against the backdrop of the ongoing efforts to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius by mid-century in line with the Paris Agreement.

The new historic climate deal came to fruition after two weeks of extensive deliberations and negotiations among parties, delegations and world leaders, who had converged on Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, for the 28th edition of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28), to rewrite the narrative of climate action.

COP28 was scheduled for 30 November to 12 December, but it was stretched to 13 December amidst concerns over language calling for a phase-out/phase-down of fossil fuel and other weak emphasis highlighted in the negotiation text before an agreement was reached among the parties.

The wordings (phase-out/phase-down) were perceived as a red line by oil-dependent countries like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. It was eventually struck out from the final text and replaced with a call for parties to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, accelerate coal phase-out, triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030, to achieve net zero emissions in energy by mid-century.

Although some of the adopted wordings leave room for different interpretations, the UAE Consensus forged in Dubai could serve as a path to limiting global emissions significantly within the next decade. But like all previous UN climate deals, there seems to be no enforcement mechanism within the latest deal adopted in Dubai.

While the primary aim of this years COP and previous ones is to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and ramp up action towards keeping the global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the summit threw up some concerns.

This began with the emergence of Sultan Al-Jaber, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as the meetings president. In the midst of this, Mr Al-Jaber, at several sessions of the conference, reassured the delegations of his commitment to a fair process.

Nevertheless, the concerns lingered until the eleventh hour of the negotiation, casting doubt on the genuineness of the latest UN climate deal, with many climate activists/observers suggesting the COP28 episode and pledges were stage-managed to quell the say-no-to-fossil-fuels and dont-gas-Africa agitators.

Upon the announcement of the UAE Consensus by Mr Al-Jaber at the closing plenary on 13 December, spontaneous applause erupted from the delegates side of the plenary with ovations and welcoming smiles from top dignitaries from high-income countries. However, countries under the block of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) were not as satisfied.

But there seems to be a unanimous relief that for the first time in nearly three decades ago, the need to abandon fossil fuels became a pivotal part of the famous Climate Summit in Dubai (COP28).

The UAE Consensus

Among the several commitments captured in the adopted UAE Consensus is the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5C pathways and calls on parties to commit to more robust and actionable climate action in their next round of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document to be submitted to the UNFCCC.

Aside from the unprecedented reference to transitioning away from all fossil fuels to enable the world to reach net zero by 2050, the new deal is perceived as a significant step forward in the expectations for the next round of NDCs by encouraging economy-wide emission reduction targets.

It is also meant to help build momentum behind the financial architecture reform agenda, recognising the role of credit rating agencies for the first time and calling for a scale-up of concessional and grant finance.

It reflects the need for a new, specific target to triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030 as well as recognising the need to significantly scale up adaptation finance to meet urgent and evolving needs.

Outside the Global Stocktake, the first major win recorded at COP28 was the adoption of the agenda to operationalise a Loss and Damage fund. This pushed high-income countries to announce several funding commitments to the fund in solidarity with climate-vulnerable countries, particularly in Africa and small island nations.

During the COP negotiations, the official tally indicated that the fund had secured about $792 million of early pledges, providing a framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and institutionalising the role of the Youth Climate Champion to mainstream youth inclusion in the future COPs.

Beyond the negotiated text, the COP28 presidency hinted that about $85 billion in funding pledges were mobilised through its Action Agenda initiative which spans four pillars: fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition; fixing climate finance to make it more available, affordable, and accessible; focusing on people, nature, lives and livelihoods; and fostering full inclusivity in climate action.

Under the total Action Agenda at COP28, over $85 billion in funding has been mobilised and 11 pledges and declarations have been launched and received historic support, COP28 organisers said.

Other major achievements at COP28

Apart from the negotiated text adopted by all 198 parties at COP28, other achievements of the summit include the launch of ALTERRA, the UAEs $30 billion catalytic private finance vehicle, which seeks to mobilise a total of $250 billion for global climate action.

The summit also achieved the COP28 UAE Declaration on Agriculture, Food, & Climate, embedding sustainable agriculture and food systems in the response to climate change. It has received endorsements from 158 countries.

It was also able to resolve the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health, meant to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, sustainable and equitable health systems. It has been endorsed by 144 countries.

Another of its successes is the Global Decarbonisation Accelerator (GDA)  a series of landmark energy initiatives across the public and private sectors to speed up the energy transition, and more.

The COP28 presidency has been clear in its intention to ensure that the agreements made at COP28 are delivered and followed through to COP29 and COP30, with mechanisms to track progress against implementation, the text read in part.

Main concerns of developing countries

However, small Island countries lamented that the final Global Stocktake (or outcomes) failed to agree to a phase-out of fossil fuel production and consumption and to establish the necessary funds for a just and equitable clean energy transition.

Mentions of tripling renewable energies are encouraging but not comprehensive, especially for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), if it is understood only as a sheer change of energy sources without a deeper reflection on shifting the energy system worldwide.

For changes to be significant they must be integral and systemic: decentralisation, generation based on local sources, access to energy and the prevention of energy poverty are key factors in leading a transition that is fair, a statement by the group said.

They explained further that non-industrialised countries, including those in LAC, need $400 billion per year in this decade just to implement the necessary adaptation actions.

Climate justice advocates have also pointed out that funding for adaptation must be sufficient, predictable and equitable, and that the lingering scourge of climate change is a matter of life and death for countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis.

This story was produced with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)

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Mondays peace deal between Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, is expected to bring an end to the political crisis in the oil-rich state.

The crisis has affected the legislature and put a question mark on the governors legitimacy and the integrity of democracy in the state.

The cause of the crisis is simply about Mr Wikes ambition to have an absolute grip on the politics and governance in Rivers after his tenure ended about seven months ago on 29 May and even though he got a new job as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

President Bola Tinubu, who became Mr Wikes political ally after the latter helped him to win the 2023 presidential election, mediated the peace meeting, the second in less than two months  He also chaired the first.

Nigerians have been outraged by the terms of the peace deal, which include the reappointment of all the commissioners (Wikes loyalists) who resigned from the Rivers State Government to spite Mr Fubara, the restoration of the 25 lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant because they defected from the PDP to the APC, and for the governor to present again the states 2024 budget, which he had already signed into law, to all the lawmakers, including the ones whose seats had been declared vacant.

Mr Fubara has been assured in the deal that the lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike would drop their impeachment plot against him, while he and his loyalists are to withdraw all the court cases related to the matter.

The pro-Wike lawmakers, in keeping with the terms of the peace deal, withdrew the impeachment notice against Governor Fubara on Wednesday.

Winners

What is going on right now in Rivers is just what it is  a selfish and dangerous political game, with Mr Wike being the instigator, lead actor and the ultimate winner.

Before the latest peace deal, Mr Fubara had the upper hand in the power tussle, having smartly deployed legal means and some rough play (like the demolition of the Rivers House of Assembly Complex) to successfully edge out Mr Wike and the rebellious lawmakers.

Rivers residents and other Nigerians indeed found a suitable moment to mock Mr Wike, using the ministers signature tune As e dey sweet us, e go dey pain dem, when Mr Fubara presented Rivers N800 billion 2024 budget to a four-member legislature.

Now, the peace deal is a breather for Mr Wike, and if it succeeds, President Tinubu would have helped prevent the minister from falling off a political cliff and made him continue to lord over Governor Fubara and the state.

President Tinubu, the APC, and the 25 lawmakers are among the winners in the peace deal. The lawmakers wont have to forfeit their seats, despite their defection. They may even get their salaries and allowances which were withheld by the state government. With the 25 (some say 27) defected lawmakers, the APC will proudly control the state legislature, a textbook example of reaping where you did not sow.

The commissioners who resigned from Mr Fubaras cabinet will certainly be among the big winners if the peace accord succeeds.

These former commissioners may make history in Nigeria as the first set of officials to voluntarily resign their appointment to spite a governor, and then force their way back into the same cabinet.

Losers

The Rivers people are the biggest losers in the peace deal between Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, as their governor and government are being stripped of power and legitimacy. The judiciary, democracy and constitutional governance are also big losers here.

The first casualty here is constitutional governance, says Sam Amadi, an analyst with Arise News.

The second casualty would be a sense in which the people of Rivers State will feel re-captive because essentially the unspoken aspect of this deal is that the state is given back to Nyesom Wike. Mr President in a very high political gamesmanship kind of said, Give Rivers State back to Wike. (This is) a form of state capture, he added.

Mr Amadi said President Tinubus capture of Lagos State since after his tenure as governor in 2007 may have influenced his disposition to let Mr Wike run away with some kind of victory in the peace deal.

Mr Fubara, who appears to have had his office ridiculed, is a loser in the peace deal with Mr Wike.

The peace deal may only usher in a temporary relief for Mr Fubara. Being an experienced, shrewd, and ambitious politician, Mr Wike is likely to still take his pound of flesh from the governor when there is another opportunity, some people say.

I have now read the Rivers agreement. The accord will remove the knife from the neck of Sim and set it behind his back, said a former senator, Shehu Sani.

The accord will bury the hatchets with leaves. The accord outwardly sells peace, but internally buys time for another round of war, Mr Sani added.

Some Rivers elders, led by Rufus Ada-Gorge, a former governor of the state, said on Tuesday that if the peace deal is allowed to succeed it would amount to President Tinubu unilaterally suspending the Nigerian Constitution by reversing the court order which recognised a pro-Fubara lawmaker, Edison Ehie, as the speaker of the Rivers assembly.

Can Mr President or the Executive Arm of Government overrule the decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction? the elders queried. This portends executive rascality which undermines our constitutional democracy, rule of law and good governance.

READ ALSO: Rivers lawmakers withdraw impeachment notice against Fubara

With their victory now reversed, the four pro-Fubara lawmakers are among the losers here.

So, will Governor Fubara accept the peace deal? Will he fight on or not?

It appears that many people want to fight for Sim or with Sim and Sim doesnt want to fight beyond his level. If he is appeased with the deal let him be. You cant cry more than the bereaved, the former senator, Mr Sani, said of the Rivers crisis.

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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, on Tuesday, resigned from his position.

The ministers spokesperson, Simon Macham, said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Lalong tendered his resignation letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to enable him to take his seat as the senator for the Plateau South Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He was declared winner of the 25 February senatorial election on 7 November by the Court of Appeal, which sacked Napoleon Bali, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Bali was earlier announced the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) and represented the district until the courts judgement.

INEC issued Mr Lalong the certificate of return last month.

In the statement, Mr Macham said the ministers decision to relinquish his ministerial position was not made lightly because of the trust and confidence that President Tinubu placed in him in his cabinet having served as the director general of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council which delivered victory for the APC.

However, after extensive consultations with Your Excellency, critical stakeholders and my constituents, it has become expedient for me to proceed and take my seat at the Red Chambers to continue to contribute to the Renewed Hope agenda of your Government and the growth of our democracy at large, the statement said.

Mr Lalong, he said, expressed deep gratitude to President Tinubu for the honour and privilege of serving in his cabinet and for the personal support and guidance he gave him during his assignment as minister.

The minister promised that while at the Senate, he will continue to give the president his loyalty, support and cooperation towards the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the success of the APC in the relentless pursuit of a stronger, united and more prosperous Nigeria.

The statement added that the senator-elect was at the National Assembly to submit his Certificate of Return and relevant documents to the clerk of the Senate.

There are indications that Mr Lalong will present himself for inauguration as senator at Wednesdays plenary session of the upper legislative chamber.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on Monday that Mr Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State and a former speaker of the state house of assembly, was denying his constituents representation at the Senate for holding on to his ministerial position and INEC certificate of return.

He had earlier said he was confused whether to take his seat at the Senate or retain his ministerial position.

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The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagun, has said the party leadership will sanction the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for anti-party activities at the right time.

Mr Damagun disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the party will also sanction others who were involved in anti-party activities.

The chairman said Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State under the PDP, is not above the party leadership and that the party has every power to sanction him.

Our stand about Wike, I have always said this thing that as long as you are a member of the PDP, there is a time for everything. My duty is to stabilise this party and not to cause crisis and I will continue to do that within the confines of reason.

When things go out of hand, we will act. But meanwhile, we still see it within the ambit of the law. Mind you, we have other litigation going on in this party and we wont want to plunge our party into another crisis.

And let me tell you something, its not only Wike. There are other people who worked against this party. When we get to that level we will sanction everybody. If Wike believes he is above this party, we will be able to show him that he is not above this party he said.

Mr Damagun disclosed that the party has constituted a panel to investigate those involved in the anti-party activities.

He assured that the panel would present a report and recommend appropriate sanctions against the erring members of the party for anti-party.

They are to review what happened in 2023 and come out with a report not only about one person, but every person who has in one way or another engaged in anti-party. Then after that, we will see what kind of measure to take, the chairman stated.

Mr Wike had led a group of five PDP governors, known as G5, who worked against the partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the February election.

The other members of the G5 were Governir Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, the then governors of Benue State, Samuel Orton, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 25 February presidential poll beating Atiku to second place.

Mr Wike subsequently took up a ministerial appointment in the Tinubu administration.

He had, however, helped the PDP to win the 18 March governorship election in Rivers State, which brought his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, to power.

Mr Wike had in the few months battled Mr Fubara for control of the PDP structure in the oil-rich state.

On Monday, the minister led his group to a peace meeting with the governor, which was convened by Mr Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Apart from the Rivers PDP chairman, no member of the national leadership of the opposition party attended the meeting where an eight-point resolution was adopted.

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The Chief of Defence of Staff, Christopher Musa, has given the reason why the Nigerian military has been unable to permanently end oil bunkering and theft in the Niger Delta region.

Mr Musa, an army general, spoke when he appeared on Channels TVs Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

He explained that communities in the region protect those carrying out the oil bunkering and also help to rebuild illegal oil refineries whenever the military personnel destroy them.

He said Nigeria is losing huge amounts of money to illegal activities in the region such as crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

We are having a lot of problems with the communities in the Niger Delta. Some communities even protect individuals that do this (crude oil theft). On a daily basis, we destroy illegal oil refineries. (But) as we are doing that and turning around, they are fixing them (the illegal refineries) back, Mr Musa said.

He expressed worry that those who engage in crude oil theft in the Niger Delta have developed capacities to fix illegal oil refineries destroyed by the military at a very short term.

We have seen situations where, eight, seven, six kilometers away from pipelines, broken, drawn perfectly and connected to individual houses and they are moving these things (crude oil) out, he stated.

Mr Musa said the fight against crude oil theft would have been seamless if Nigerians were reporting individuals who engage in the illegal activity to the military.

We cannot be everywhere. If Nigerians report these issues to us, we will be able to address them, he said.

Crude oil theft in Nigeria

Oil theft and its negative impact on the countrys economy have been a source of concern to the Nigerian government over the years.

Worried by the recurring crude oil theft, the federal government in August awarded a pipeline surveillance contract reportedly worth N48 billion per year (N4 billion per month) to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited to tackle the issue in the region.

The security company is operated by a former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

The security company has recorded a number of successes, especially during joint operations with the Nigerian military, which has resulted in the destruction of several illegal refineries in the region.

But oil theft has persisted in the region.

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Nigerias main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has insisted that there is no remedy for the Rivers State lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant following their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) except through a fresh election.

The party stated this in a statement posted on its X handle (formerly Twitter) and signed by the Acting National Chairperson, Umar Damagum.

The Rivers assembly has been engulfed in crisis since late October after some lawmakers initiated impeachment proceedings against the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, a development that led to the bombing of a section of the assembly complex.

The crisis, triggered by the power tussle between Mr Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has split the 31-member assembly into two factions.

Martin Amaewhule is the speaker of the faction backed by Mr Wike while the second faction with Edison Ehie as the speaker is loyal to Governor Fubara.

The crisis got messier on 11 December when members of Mr Wike-backed faction rose from plenary and announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), abandoning the party on whose platform they were elected, PDP.

Two days later, Mr Ehies faction, buoyed by a court order to carry out legislative business without interference by the rival faction, declared the seats of the 25 defected colleagues vacant before receiving Governor Fubara who presented the states 2024 budget.

PDP insists on fresh election

The defected lawmakers had cited division in the PDP as the basis for their defection, a claim the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has dismissed at its emergency meeting on Tuesday.

For the avoidance of doubt, there is no division in the PDP at the national or any other level for that matter to justify the defection of the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the Party.

They therefore vacated their seats for reasons best known to them and cannot return to the House of Assembly without passing through a fresh electoral process in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.

The PDP mentioned Section 84 (15) of the Act which barred courts from preventing Nigerias electoral commission from conducting election to fill such vacant positions where it exist.

The PDP demands that INEC should, in line with Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act, 2022, fix a date for the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies have occurred by reason of the defection of the now former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pending the determination of any suit in any court.

The party dismissed as impracticable assurances from Abuja that the former lawmakers can return to the assembly without a fresh election.

The partys position came a day after President Tinubu held a peace meeting in Abuja, the second in less than two months, between Messrs Fubara and Wike accompanied by former Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State and other elders from the state.

Part of the peace deal signed at the meeting is that the defected lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant should be allowed to return to the assembly and conduct legislative business at a venue of their choice without interference by Governor Fubara, an agreement the PDP dismissed as impracticable.

The peace deal also makes provision for the restoration of Mr Amaewhule as the speaker of the House, and for Mr Fubara to present again to the House the 2024 budget which he had signed into law and to reappoint the commissioners who resigned from his cabinet because of their loyalty to Mr Wike.

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Gunmen have abducted a High Court judge, Joy Uwana, in Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias south-south region.

Justice Uwana was abducted along a highway on Monday in Oron Local Government Area of the state by the gunmen who shot dead her police orderly.

The police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom Odiko MacDon has confirmed the abduction, according to a report by Channels TV.

The judge was on her way home to Uyo after the court sitting in Oron when she was abducted.

Its very unfortunate, Channels TV quoted Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, as saying of the incident.

Mr MacDon said the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Olatoye Durusinmi, has ordered an investigation into the incident.

As we speak, no stone will be left unturned, resources will be harnessed to ensure that Her Lordship is reunited with her family any moment from now.

I have spoken with the family of the deceased officer who, until his death, was an orderly to the judge. Justice will be served and the perpetrators will be brought to book, the police spokesperson said.

Abduction for ransom is now one of the dominant crimes across various Nigerian cities.

Politicians, entrepreneurs, and just anyone with good financial worth, including school children are easy targets.

In August, gunmen abducted eight members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) along a highway in Zamfara State, Nigerias north-west region.

The corps members were travelling inside a bus from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to Sokoto State en route to Zamfara State, to take part in the mandatory national service when their vehicle was intercepted along a highway in Zamfara.

Four of the abducted NYSC members have been freed while others are still in captivity, for about four months now.

In June last year, gunmen abducted a divisional police officer alongside other travellers along the Birnin Gwari Highway, Kaduna. The officers family paid N7 million ransom to his abductors who had demanded N20 million.

The officer, Sani Mohammed, a chief superintendent of police, was later released by the gunmen.

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has withdrawn the impeachment against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The lawmakers who took the decision at their sitting in Port Harcourt on Wednesday said their change of hearts was as a result of the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu, TVC reported.

The state assembly has been engulfed in crisis since late October after some lawmakers loyal to the former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, plotted to remove Mr Fubara.

The crisis, triggered by the political tussle between Messrs Fubara and Wike, later led to the declaration of the seats of 25 pro-Wike lawmakers vacant after their defection from the PDP to the APC.

A lawmaker, Edison Ehie, backed by Governor Fubara, declared the seats vacant after securing a court order that enabled the assembly to hold legislative business without interference by the pro  Wike faction led by Martin Amaewhule.

President Tinubu, in a bid to restore peace in the state, held a reconciliatory meeting on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the second in less than two months, between Messrs Wike and Fubara, and other leaders of the state.

Among the terms of the agreement in the peace deal was for the lawmakers to withdraw the impeachment notice against the governor.

Citing the peace deal, the lawmakers in their sitting on Wednesday, the first after their meeting with President Tinubu, announced the withdrawal of impeachment notice against the governor.

TVC did not state if the lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara also attended the sitting.

It is not clear if Mr Fubara will comply with the terms of the peace deal particularly as regard the reinstatement and restoration of rights and privileges of the lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant.

At least seven commissioners loyal to Mr Wike had resigned their appointment from Mr Fubaras cabinet.

Governor Fubara, as part of the peace deal, is expected to again send their names and appointments to the state assembly for approval.

Regarding the states N800 billion 2024 budget which was passed and signed into law, Mr Fubara is expected to present it again to the state assembly.

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The government of Palestine has called out members of the international community for hypocrisy as the war in Gaza continues.

The Ambassador of Palestine to Nigeria, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES described the ongoing war in Gaza as an unfolding textbook genocide on Palestine in which many Western countries are complicit by providing military, financial and political support to Israel.

By closing their eyes, turning their backs, and tolerating Israel using October 7 as a Trojan horse, the world left us to face the most horrific butchers in current history, he said.

The ongoing war in Gaza which has seen the death of almost 20,000 people including journalists and aid workers started on 7 October after Hamas launched what has been described as the biggest attack against Israel in years.

After the 7 October attack, that led to the death of 1,200 Israelis, Israel promised to wipe out Hamas. This has led to a relentless attack on Gaza, killing thousands of people, the majority of them women and children, and displacing about 90 per cent of the two million Gaza residents.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday said Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid to enable the release of hostages.

If this happens, it will be the second humanitarian pause in the over two months period of the war. The first pause facilitated by Qatar and Egypt saw a week-long truce at the end of November which saw Hamas release 86 women and children hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails. Hamas also released 24 foreigners during this period.

Mr Abu Shawesh noted that even as the United Nations celebrates the 75th anniversary of the human rights declaration, there is a glaring inconsistency in the adherence to its principles when it comes to the Palestinian people. Many countries fully adhere to the declaration when it benefits them politically, but fail to do so when it concerns the rights of Palestinians.

This hypocrisy calls into question the universality of the declaration. It is meant to be a declaration of human rights for all, but it is not being universally upheld, he added.

While burying their loved ones whose lives were cut short by the war, Palestinians according to Mr Abu Shawesh came to realise that international law has long been dead.

The myth of humanism, democracy, and freedom of expression has died, but for a long time we believed it was still alive and breathing, he said.

Efforts to end the war

While several efforts and calls for a ceasefire have failed, the United Nations Security Council continues to sit hoping that member countries will reach a consensus and all vote in favour of a ceasefire sooner than later.

The Security Council was on Tuesday scheduled to vote on a draft resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates which would call for cessation of hostilities amongst other demands but did not.

According to news reports, voting was delayed by another day to avoid another US veto on efforts to reach a consensus. The US has vetoed two resolutions at the council calling for a ceasefire.

READ ALSO: Liberia reverses stance on Gaza ceasefire

According to Mr Abu Shawesh, while many Western countries and Israel talk about the day after the war and their thoughts for Gaza, they all fail to address the day before, the day after, which is the last day of the war and when exactly this day will come.

He said no one had tackled that question; rather they continue to flood weapons and ammunition to the Israeli army which has made the last day of the war very far away.

The UN Security Council is expected to vote today, Wednesday, on the draft resolution.

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Ibikunle Amosun, a former governor of Ogun State, has accused Adams Oshiomhole, a former national chairman of the APC, of distorting history with his latest claims on his removal from office.

Mr Amosun, in a statement on Wednesday, said Mr Oshiomhole exposed the ruling party to existential threat during his stint as national chairman between 2018 and 2020.

Mr Oshiomhole, now the senator for Edo North, threw the first salvo on Tuesday when he accused some former governors, including Mr Amosun, of masterminding his removal from office.

The former APC chairman, while speaking at the launch of a book, authored by Salihu Lukman, in Abuja, said Mr Amosun and others forced him out using illegal tactics.

The battle between Amosun and Oshiomhole

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Mr Amosun, who was rounding off his second tenure as Ogun State governor, wanted Abiodun Akinlade to succeed him.

However, Mr Oshiomhole, in his role as national chairman, opposed the move by Mr Amosun. Subsequently, Dapo Abiodun emerged as the candidate of the party and went on to win the governorship election.

Mr Oshiomhole also had a similar fallout with Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, who wanted his son-in-law, Nwosu as his successor. However, like in Ogun State, the Imo governor lost out.

In 2020, Mr Oshiomhole was forced out of his position during a battle with his protege, Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State.

Why we kicked Oshiomhole out  Amosun

Mr Amosun, also a former senator, accused Mr Oshiomhole of conducting fraudulent primaries ahead of the 2019 primary election.

I can boldly say that the party under Adams Oshiomhole conducted one of the worst primaries in the history of Nigerias contemporary politics and ended up shopping for his own enemies, leading to his eventual removal as chairman of our party, he said.

He added that Mr Oshiomhole, also earned sufficient enemies because of the primary elections which eventually led to his removal.

Mr Amosun advised the former APC chairman to sit down and take a stock of his past in order to be guided in future public utterances.

My honest advice to him is to carefully and soberly sit down to take stock of his past so that it will continue to serve as a guide for him in his future public utterances rather than dragging the names of innocent people into a needless controversy because in Africa, age and leadership are associated with wisdom, the former Ogun governor said.

Read Mr Amosuns statement in full

AMUSE YOURSELF NOT THE PUBLIC: AMOSUN TO OSHIOMHOLE

Its been a struggle since yesterday on what to make of the tales by moonlight that Senator Adams Oshiomhole treated the audience of Dr. Salihu Lukman, to at his book launch, APC and Transition Politics, in Abuja.

This apparent struggle was not for want of a proportional response to his deliberate drivel, but because not only was his story fraught with lies but also because he did not boast the requisite integrity to say the truth.

Besides, it is not in my character to join issues with people I consider qualified enough to be referred to as both Leaders of our party, APC and of this great country, Nigeria, to which I believe Senator Oshiomhole belongs.

However, given his antecedents and penchant for careless and most times, baseless and unverified public statements, and also considering my duty to the country and the public in particular, it will be uncharitable if I fail to put the records straight.

What Senator Oshiomhole was alleged to have said, apart from being far from the truth, is a calculated attempt to present water while drinking wine. The Yoruba adage says If you let a madman bury his mum the way it pleases him, he could roast her for a meal. At that point, the community is to blame for his choice.

Indeed, listening to him yesterday, his utterances represent some inherent inadequacy, which he vented, not just at inauspicious times, but without basis and predicated only on lies to hoodwink the unsuspecting.

There is no doubt that I have participated fully in the formation and sustenance of our party, the APC, and I can boldly say that the party under Adams Oshiomhole conducted one of the worst primaries in the history of Nigerias contemporary politics and ended up shopping for his own enemies, leading to his eventual removal as Chairman of our party. Nigerians should not be in a hurry to forget the allegations that preceded the conduct of those primaries and his eventual invitation by the Department of State Service, DSS, to clarify certain grave allegations.

If anyone was in doubt that Senator Oshiomhole posed the biggest and most destructive threat to the existence of the APC at that time, and the partys best bet was to dispose of a canon folder that he was and unfortunately still is, his utterances and grandstanding yesterday at an occasion to find solutions to our democratic and party challenges, would have cleared such mindset.

If he wanted to insult our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, he could have come out boldly to do so. But his subtle attempt to pass snide remarks at him failed the simple test of loyalty because the former president also moved from his own party to merge with other like-minds to form the APC.

Also, if he is seeking favour from the presidency, why not come out and do so? But to tell barefaced lies that, You are working for your paymaster in Lagos, paymaster in Bourdillon, is cheap but typical of an individual, who suddenly found himself where he never dreamt of, despite his obvious limitations  education and exposure.

If the public will remember, soon after Senator Oshiomhole was sworn in as a Senator, he allegedly said members of the 9th Senate had vandalized their offices before leaving, only for him to eat the humble pie and made to apologise later when it was obvious that the allegations were baseless.

My honest advice to him is to carefully and soberly sit down to take stock of his past so that it will continue to serve as a guide for him in his future public utterances rather than dragging the names of innocent people into a needless controversy because in Africa, age and leadership are associated with wisdom.

This is also why I have consistently brushed aside and intentionally scoffed at his tongue-in-cheek apology, which he had extended to me several times. I am now convinced it was not genuine.

In the final analysis, BACKGROUND MATTERS!

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON, FCA

Abeokuta, Ogun State

20 December, 2023

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The police in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria, on Tuesday, rescued four travellers who were kidnapped along Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road in the state on the same day.

The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the victims were rescued when some police operatives at about 10 a.m. trailed the hoodlums to a forest in Agbogazi-Nike, a community in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson said the operation was in response to a tip-off that the hoodlums had kidnapped the four travellers  three men and a woman  about an hour earlier.

The hoodlums, upon sighting the operatives, opened fire on them, but the gallant and tactical operatives returned fire, neutralising one of the hoodlums (and) forcing others to escape with gunshot wounds, he said.

He said the police had launched a manhunt to track down the fleeing suspects.

One AK-47 rifle loaded with 19 rounds of live ammunition was recovered from hoodlums, according to the police.

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has reiterated the commitment of police to deal ruthlessly with unrepentant criminals in the state, Mr Ndukwe said.

Mr Uzuegbu commended the police operatives for the successful operation and charged them to ensure that they track down the fleeing suspects.

The police commissioner urged residents of the state to remain law-abiding, vigilant and report to the police any suspect seen with gunshot injury around their neighbourhood.

Increased in kidnap attacks

There have been other kidnapping incidents along Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road in recent times.

Several people, including university students and government officials, have been kidnapped lately along the road in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state.

Suspected kidnappers, in August, killed one person and abducted many travellers along Ugwogo-Neke Odenigbo Road in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.

Agbogazi and Ugwogo and Neke Odenigbo in Enugu East Council Area share common boundaries.

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The Nigerian Army, on Tuesday, treated 113 retired generals to a regimental dinner and awards to honour them for their 35 years of meritorious service to the nation.

The senior officers comprising one full general, a lieutenant general, 67 major generals and 44 brigadier generals are those who retired or due for retirement within the year.

Among those honoured are the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, former Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya and Ex-Chief of Defence Intelligence, Samuel Adebayo.

The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru, said the occasion was to reflect on the extraordinary services and profound dedication demonstrated by the generals.

Mr Badaru said their experiences and skills, as well as integrity, discipline, dedication, loyalty and respect for diversity, would guide them in their future endeavours.

He said the generals had led their troops with courage, wisdom and determination, and devoted themselves to the protection and defence of the nation.

Mr Badaru added that they relentlessly pursued excellence and demonstrated unwavering commitment to duty, selfless sacrifice and astute leadership, leaving indelible mark on the armed forces and the nation.

The minister urged the generals to consider joining politics, so as to bring discipline and love of the country to the system.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, said the regimental dinner was to appreciate the retired senior officers for their services to the Nigerian Army.

Mr Lagbaja, a lieutenant general, congratulated them for getting to the point of disengaging from service in a meritorious manner.

He also thanked them for their services to the nation and wished them a rewarding retirement life.

Earlier, the Chief of Administration (Army), Jimmy Akpor, a major general, said the event was organised to pay tribute and express gratitude to the generals for dedicating their lives to the service of the nation.

Mr Akpor said the dinner and award ceremony was initiated by previous leaderships of the Nigerian army to accord officers memorable exit from the service.

We are here to celebrate 113 generals of the Nigerian army who retired this year and those retiring by the end of the year.

ALSO READ: Nigerian Army University holds maiden convocation

We have one full general, one lieutenant general, 67 major generals and 44 brigadier generals who are to be honoured today, he said.

Delivering the vote of thanks on behalf of the retired generals, Victor Ezugwu, a major general, thanked the COAS for the honour accorded them.

Mr Ezugwu assured that they would remain good ambassadors of the Nigerian army even in retirement.

(NAN)

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The remains of a former Chief of Army Staff, Chris Alli, were laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Alli, a retired major general, who died at the age of 79 in Lagos on 19 November, was Nigerias 15th Chief of Army Staff from 1993 to 1994 under late Head of State, Sani Abacha.

He had served as the military governor of Plateau State from August 1985 to 1986 during the military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida, as well as interim administrator of Plateau in 2004 under the civilian administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The funeral was attended by National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, who represented President Bola Tinubu, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and a representative of Plateau State governor.

Also in attendance were serving and former service chiefs and other prominent Nigerians and family members.

The burial was climaxed with the presentation of the National Flag to the next-of-kin of the late COAS, and the laying of wreaths by dignitaries and the deceaseds wife, Dorothy Alli.

Before the burial, there was a funeral mass at St. Joseph Military Catholic Church, Mambilla Barracks Asokoro, Abuja.

In his remarks at the funeral, the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru, said the deceased served Nigeria with dedication and worked for peace, development and unity of the country.

Mr Badaru, represented by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, a general, added that the late former COAS achieved significant influence on professionalising and repositioning the army to be a force to reckon with in both regional and global scenes.

He added that the late general lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation.

For Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Chris Alli, his transition has exerted marvellous memories of a loving father, brother, uncle, colleague, comrade and confidant.

To many nationwide and overseas, the nostalgia in some social cycles sequel to his recent glorious passing on underscores his legacy of enviable character, patriotism, love and service to Nigeria and Nigerians.

We cannot but appreciate the Almighty for the life and the good times of this cherished hero.

To this end, we indeed owe him a duty to promote the values that he connected as we pursue national peace, development and unity for our people, Mr Badaru added.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, said the deceased had demonstrated passion and devotion to duty throughout his lifetime, which was characterised by love for country and service to humanity.

According to him, Mr Alli exhibited an unrivalled sense of duty and dedication to service, and his love and passion were evident in all he did.

The late general served the Nigerian army, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the nation exceptionally in various capacities, leaving his footprints on the sands of time.

The general mentored and inspired generations who today are mentoring younger generations that did not meet him in service.

His commitment to duty manifested evidently as he rose through the ranks to become the Director of Military Intelligence amongst several other key appointments in the Nigerian Army, climaxing his military career as the 15th COAS, he said.

Mr Lagbaja, a lieutenant general, announced that the Nigerian Army would reserve a seat for the general with a wreath on it at the next three major activities it will hold, as a mark of honour.

Earlier at the funeral mass, the Acting Director of Chaplain Services (Roman Catholic), Anthony Maimagani, a colonel, admonished people to live exemplary lives before their death.

(NAN)

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Some students of medical laboratory department at the Rawafid International College of Health Technology, Dutse, Jigawa State, have protested what they described as the school authoritys insensitivity towards their plight by withholding their operating licences two years after graduation.

The students union leader of the school, Idris Abdullatif, who led the protest told reporters that the school sent them to Zaria, in Kaduna State, for induction, however, they were denied licences and induction for no specific reason despite paying over N70,000 induction fees.

The school scheduled our induction on the 19 of December, and asked us to assemble in Dutse, for the induction, after coming to Dutse, they asked us to go to Zaria, for the induction. Some of us came from Borno, Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau states.

After the sudden change of the induction venue from Dutse to Zaria, some of us cant afford the transportation fare, they have to borrow because we have exhausted our budgets.

While at the induction ceremony in Zaria, and (we) paid N3,000 each for the induction gowns, it was at the induction ceremony that we from Jigawa about 74 of us, were asked to stay away and we were not part of the induction.

We were embarrassed at the induction ceremony, while in Zaria, we called our school provost severally, his phone was switched off after we returned to Dutse, and we cant find him, this is how we came back disappointed without an operating licence as certified medical lab scientists, Mr Abdullatif said.

The protesting student said they are now stranded in Dutse without money to return to their base and they are pleading with the authorities to come to their help.

The schools provost, Mustapha Al-Amin, acknowledged the delay and assured that all the protesting students will get their licences in January

They were supposed to be inducted last year, we wrote to the board and Medical Lab Council of Nigeria and agreed to induct all of them (74 people).

We posted the students to Zaria to take their oaths of induction. The person in charge of the licensing from Zaria called me and begged that the licence for the students would be ready in January.

The comprehensive list of the students that were supposed to be inducted was with one official who, unfortunately, is on annual leave. That is what caused the delay.

In the first week of January, we will process the licences and give them to the students, the college provost said.

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the federal government under President Bola Tinubus watch will never shift ground in its determination to protect businesses in Nigeria.

According to him, enterprises are not only the very bedrock of a society but also reflect the direction the government is heading and the speed with which it is doing so.

The VP stated this on Wednesday while commissioning the corporate headquarters of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in Abuja.

He noted that the Tinubu administration is strategically focusing on job creation, capital accessibility, economic growth, and poverty eradication to revamp the economy.

Mr Shettima said, Allow me to emphasise the importance of this moment: there is no more fitting time than now to reinforce the protection of enterprises in Nigeria. These enterprises not only stand as the very bedrock of our society but also reflect the direction the government is headed and the velocity with which we do so.

This moment solidifies His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubus assurance to protect our enterprises. It resonates deeply within our economic revitalisation plan. His focus on job creation, capital accessibility, economic growth, and poverty eradication forms the very skeleton of our strategy to invigorate the economy. Inevitably, this path demands tough decisions, yet ones essential to our success.

The VP also recalled that he inaugurated the National MSME Council 10 days ago, saying it was just the beginning that sets the stage for what is up ahead.

Explaining how President Tinubu intends to make sure businesses and other economic enterprises prosper in the country, Mr Shettima said, Notably, our partnership with the Bank of Industry to unveil a N75 billion, nine per cent interest loan accessible to Nigerian MSMEs as of January 2024 is a pivotal stride. This initiative is geared towards fostering a more conducive and enabling business environment.

This government doesnt just boast some of the nations finest talents; it champions those invested in ensuring our business owners have front-row seats in our journey towards progress. Our goal is to cultivate an ecosystem where Nigerian businesses become regular features in globally recognized publications such as Forbes, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times for the right reasons.

We are all well aware that Mr Presidents readiness to take action has never faltered, and what we are witnessing here is just a component of the strategies in place to create a future brimming with endless opportunities.

The vice president congratulated the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, and the leadership of SMEDAN, saying they have proven that they are ready to transform concepts into tangible actions.

This initiative renews hope for a critical segment of our entrepreneurial community, and highlights our sensitivity to the economic clock of the nation, he added.

Earlier in her remarks, Mrs Uzoka-Anite thanked Mr Shettima for his unwavering support of MSMEs in the country.

She said the completion and commissioning of the new SMEDAN Complex is a clear demonstration of the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the development of the MSME space.

She also outlined other initiatives of the federal government targeted at building capacity and linking MSMEs to markets at home and abroad.

On his part, the Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, thanked the vice president for his support and guidance in the actualisation of the project and leadership in the MSME space.

He said the agency and the entire MSME community in Nigeria have recorded significant achievements within a short period under the leadership of the VP.

He assured that the agency will continue to collaborate with sister organisations to ensure sustainable growth in the sector.

Other dignitaries at the event were the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry, Trade and Investment, Anthony Fadahunsi; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Asuquo Ekpenyong; Chairman of the House Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises, Mansur Soro; Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Evelyn Ngige, as well as heads of government agencies and parastatals.

Stanley Nkwocha

Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media and Communications

(Office of The Vice President)

20th December, 2023

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The House of Representatives is moving to revive the Bilateral Currency Swap Agreement (BCSA) signed between Nigeria and China.

The lower chamber, on Wednesday, resolved to liaise with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to speed up the implementation of the currency swap deal.

This resolution followed a motion moved by Jafaru Leko (APC, Bauchi) during plenary.

Three months after the agreement, the CBN commenced the take-off of the scheme through the Special Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) retail dedicated to the payment of Renminbi denominated Letters of Credit (LCs) for raw materials and machinery and agriculture only.

However, not much has been heard on the financial instrument.

The motion

In his motion, Mr Leko called for the outright adoption of the Yuan as one of the major currencies for Nigerias foreign reserve.

He stated that monetary authorities must consider the Chinese Yuan as an alternative trading currency in the face of the decline of the Naira against the US dollar and major currencies.

Mr Leko called for the adoption of the Chinese Yuan (CNY) as an official foreign exchange reserve currency alongside others.

The legislator said the CBN must explore the appropriate mechanisms, policies, and partnerships required for the implementation of the shift to Yuan.

Global economic landscape is evolving and international trade dynamics are shifting, with China assuming a leading role in global trade.

Peoples Republic of China has a stable and globally recognised currency, the Chinese Yuan (CNY), which is gaining recognition in international trade, Mr Leko said.

To buttress his point, the lawmaker said Adopting the Chinese Yuan as an additional foreign exchange reserve currency might mitigate the adverse effects of Naira depreciation.

He added that It would enhance Nigerias trade and economic ties with China, a crucial trading partner.

But the Deputy Speaker, Ben Kalu, who presided over the session, said there was no need for the House to call for a new policy, instead, the government should revive the currency swap scheme.

Subsequently, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) moved an amendment to urge the speeding up of the 2018 current swap agreement.

The motion was passed as amended when Mr Kalu put it to vote.

The Committees on Banking Regulations, Banking and Other Ancillary Institutions were mandated to interface with the CBN on the policy and report to the House within four weeks.

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A UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war was postponed again Tuesday, as members wrangled over wording while aid efforts in the Gaza Strip neared collapse.

Three diplomatic sources said the vote on the text, the latest version of which calls for the "suspension" of hostilities, had been pushed to Wednesday.

Members of the council are grappling to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times throughout the day, according to diplomatic sources, after being postponed Monday.

Israel, backed by its ally Washington, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member, has opposed the use of the term "ceasefire."

That has proved to be one of the sticking points for the divided body as diplomats wrangle over whether to call for a "pause" or a "truce," or to qualify any ceasefire as "humanitarian."

The current struggle comes after an impasse earlier this month, when the United States, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blocked the adoption of a Security Council resolution on the war.

It had called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues its deadly strikes that killed over 19,000 Palestinians.

Last week, the General Assembly adopted the same nonbinding resolution by 153 votes to 10, with 23 abstentions, out of 193 member states.

Bolstered by that overwhelming support, Arab countries announced the new attempt at the Security Council.

A draft text prepared by the UAE, obtained by AFP on Sunday, called for "an urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip."

But according to diplomatic sources, a new, modified text is now on the table, in an attempt to salvage a compromise.

It is less direct, calling for "the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

Aid 'far short' of need

As in previous texts, Hamas is not named in the current draft resolution -- a move that has in the past drawn ire from the United States.

Instead, it "firmly" condemns "all indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects... and all acts of terrorism."

It also demands "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

The new draft text also calls on all sides to allow aid to be distributed across Gaza, as well as for Guterres to put in place a monitoring system for the aid.

Senior United Nations official Tor Wennesland said on Tuesday that Israel's steps to allow aid into Gaza until now have been insufficient.

"The delivery of humanitarian aid in the (Gaza) Strip continues to face nearly insurmountable challenges," said Wennesland, the organization's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

"Limited (humanitarian) steps by Israel... are positive, but fall far short of what is needed to address the human catastrophe on the ground."

Earlier in the day, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country was "ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages."

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington "would welcome a resolution that fully supports addressing the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza."

"But... the details of it very much do matter," he said.

Growing impatience

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Security Council faced criticism for only adopting a single text, in mid-November, calling for days-long humanitarian "pauses" to allow aid in.

Five other draft resolutions were rejected, two of them due to US vetoes.

President Joe Biden meanwhile has exhibited growing impatience with Israel, warning it risks losing international support for its "indiscriminate" bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

After the Al Aqsa Flood on 7 October, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas. It has since pounded the Palestinian territory, laying siege to it and conducting a vast ground operation.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza says Israel's military response has killed more than 19,667 people, mostly women and children.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online

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The National Assembly Joint Committee on Appropriations has assured that the postponed national census will be conducted in the first quarter of 2024.

Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Adeola Olamilekan, gave the assurance on Tuesday when the Senate Committee on National Population Commission submitted its reports of budget defence for the 2024 fiscal year to the appropriations committee.

A review of the proposed budget presented by President Bola Tinubu for the 2024 fiscal year showed that there was no line in the budget of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning for the conduct of the conduct of the national census.

It was also not provided for in the budgets of the Presidency and Office of the Chief of Staff.

There is no allocation for census in the proposed 2024 budget.

But, Mr Olamilekan, the senator representing Ogun West, pledged adequate financial allocation support for the Nigeria Population Commission (NPC) to conduct the headcount next year.

He assured that the NPC will be accommodated and get an allocation in the budget to conduct the census.

The senator urged concerned authorities in the NPC to appear before it and present requirements for the conduct of the census.

Let me assure you that the country will not lose and we are going to work very closely with them, that 25 per cent component is included. We must find a way to accommodate it in this 2024 budget.

We would like the agency to appear along with the chairman of the committee, a synopsis of the idea of what is really going on about the issue of census and whatever the issues are.

I can assure that we will resolve it and the population census will come up by the first quarter of 2024.

Over N200 billion spent on census

Abdul Ningi, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Population Commission complained that the NPC had spent over N200 billion for the planning of the census before it was postponed.

Mr Ningi (PDP, Bauchi) explained that the country will lose the financial resources already committed to organising the national census if the NPC is not allowed to continue with the exercise.

They will appear tomorrow (Wednesday) with proper documentation of how much they need. If we dont get the money, the nation will lose, the people will lose.

The money spent for the preparation for the census will go down the drain and it is a humongous amount of money, over N200 billion already spent. That is my take Mr Ningi said.

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Traders at the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) shopping complex in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos have condemned an alleged plan to demolish the complex.

According to the traders who deal in computer and information technology gadgets at phases I and II of the complex, the wife of the Inspector-General of Police, Elizabeth Egbetokun, purportedly gave the directive for the demolition of the property.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, the chairman of the Computer Dealers Association, Tayo Shittu, said there are 300 shops in the complex with over 1000 traders paying rent for more than 20 years.

The landladies, according to Mr Shittu, include wives and widows of retired and serving police officers who are the original allottees of the properties.

He added that some of the tenants pay between N300,000 and N400,000 yearly and have also been responsible for paying taxes imposed on the property by the Lagos State Government, including the Land Use Charge.

The traders appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, and the state House of Assembly to intervene.

More lamentations

According to the former chairman of the Computer Dealers Association, Trust Tobechukwu, a developer identified as Achieving Greatness Properties, sent a letter informing them to leave the complex as a demolition would take place.

We have written to the Inspector General of Polices wife through our lawyer but we are yet to get any response from her. They should consider the occupants of the shops because this is our source of livelihood, Mr Tobechukwu said.

One of the traders who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, Chimaeze Iwuji, said they received a letter from the developer that they had 30 days to move out for the demolition of the buildings.

We told them to give us a proper letter from the appropriate authorities, they said no. From all indications, it involves a developer and one or two people from POWA to demolish this place, Mr Iwuji observed.

Reason for proposed demolition

In a petition against the developer and the national leader of POWA, dated 7 December and directed to the IGP through the Legal Hub Partnership, the traders claim that the demolition plan was proposed by Achieving Greatness Limited to the National President of POWA and the National Market Leader.

They noted that the proposal was premised on the fact that the POWA Phase I and II are dilapidated, defaced, and distressed and have been recommended for demolition by the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and Lagos State Building Control Agency.

In her comments, the Iya Oloja of Computer Village, Abisola Azeez, dismissed the reason cited for the proposed demolition as just an excuse to displace the over 1,000 traders in the complex.

READ ALSO: Rivers govt demolishes House of Assembly complex

Mrs Azeez expressed hope that they could come to terms with the national leaders of POWA and resolve the issues amicably.

My shop has been here since 1999. POWA always gives us issues here and we have our respective landladies. The traders are responsible for all the maintenance and development of the plaza. They want to dislodge us and bring in new people, Mrs Azeez said.

The plaza is a one-storey building and it does not have any structural defect. If they need an increase in payment or if there are issues we need to resolve, they should tell us so we can resolve everything.

The traders said RFI Integ. Services, a geotechnical engineering company, conducted a non-destructive structural integrity test on the buildings and certified it fit.

However, when PREMIUM TIMES contacted the liaison officer for POWA, an official, Omoh Oziegbe, confirmed the development but refused to speak on it.

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Over 1,000 Nigerians are stranded in the UK after receiving fake employment letters, the UN migration agency in Nigeria disclosed.

According to Vanguard newspaper, IOMs Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday where he advised potential migrants to be cautious of a syndicate that specialises in offering fake employment letters to Nigerians seeking to work in the UK.

He said the victims of this syndicate, which was not named, on presenting the employment letters to the organisations in the UK are told the letters did not come from them.

There are some of them who lost over $10,000 only to be given fake employment letters, which allowed them to get visas. They get there, present the letters, and the organisations tell them that the letters did not emanate from the organisations. Over a thousand people are affected, Vanguard quoted Mr De Boeck as saying.

Many of these people are unable to return home because they lack the means to come back, while others are ashamed, he added.

The agency also announced that it is working with partners to repatriate thousands of persons, including Nigerians, from Tunisia, which recently placed a ban on migration.

It is also working extensively with Italy to develop regular migration pathways for qualified Nigerians.

Mr De Boeck encouraged Nigerians to seek out proper information before migrating, adding that at least 260,000 Nigerians had approached it in 2023, seeking guidance on how to migrate through regular or approved routes.

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The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday, presented the staff and instrument of office to Oba Ghandi Olaoye as the 21st Soun of Ogbomoso.

The event was held at the Ogbomoso Township Stadium and attracted a large crowd, including eminent personalities from across Nigeria.

In exercise of the power, I hereby confirm Oba Ghandi Olaoye Orumogege 111 as the 21st Soun of Ogbomoso land, Mr Makinde said after presenting the staff.

Mr Makinde urged the 62-year-old traditional ruler to take steps that would ensure unity in Ogbomoso and to embark on activities that would fast-track development in the ancient town.

The governor, who noted that the state did not have a central traditional council, said the new royal father should work toward building unity among traditional rulers in the state.

He charged Oba Olaoye to work assiduously to ensure that the State Council of Traditional Rulers became functional again.

Mr Makinde said his administration would soon reconstruct the House of Chiefs within the state secretariat complex in Ibadan to allow traditional rulers to hold their meetings in a conducive atmosphere.

He called on other contestants to the Soun throne to put the experience behind them and support Oba Olaoye.

Im looking forward to seeing those who went to court to challenge the new oba withdrawing their cases as a show of love for Ogbomoso land, he said.

In his address, Oba Olaoye appealed to all the stakeholders in the Ogbomoso land project to join hands with him to ensure that the ancient town attained its great potential.

It is a well-known fact that the sons and daughters of Ogbomoso land are among the most industrious entrepreneurs in this country.

No community can embark on any significant development that we want for Ogbomoso land without the governments input.

We are thankful for the roles that the governments at all levels  federal, state and local governments  are playing in the development of Ogbomoso land, he said.

Oba Olaoye said his vision for Ogbomoso rests on a 25-year plan, which he would unveil in the coming months.

I promise to serve this vision with all I have, the relationships I have built over the years here in Nigeria and abroad, the experience I have garnered from running several successful businesses, and the skills garnered from more than 30 years as an executive on different boards and also the 32 years that I have spent pastoring people, churches and pastoring pastors. This is what I bring to serve this great city, Oba Laoye said.

The monarch, who until his appointment was a pastor of the Redeemed Christians Church of God, said he would no longer serve as a pastor of a church, saying he has come to serve everyone.

I always said that I have stopped being a pastor of a local church, I have become a shepherd of a city and a people. The people whom I will serve are not just Christians, are not just Muslims, are not just only those who follow the African religion, I have come to serve everyone, whether you believe in your maker or not.

I promise to uphold the values of our tradition that binds us, a commitment to justice, equity and fairness to all, most especially a love and compassion of God. Let this be our watchword.

To the people of Ogbomoso, he said: Let my coronation be a collective reaffirmation of our shared destiny. I want to be a king to serve you all, irrespective of religion, gender, or other things that may differentiate us. The strength of our kingdom lies not only in the crown I wear but in the bonds that bind us together, the bonds of loyalty, respect and mutual understanding. Sons and daughters who live and work outside Ogbomoso land, I would like to appeal to you to turn your attention to Ogbomoso land.

The king also appealed to those who contested the stool with him to put the past behind them and join hands with him for the development of Ogbomoso.

There can only be one Soun of Ogbomosland at a time, and God who gives it to whosoever he pleases, and by His grace at this time, I am the chosen one and He has given the stool of Soun to me. I appeal to you all to please join hands with me to further positively project the good name of the Olaoye family, the Orumogeges children for the benefit of Ogbomosoland and humanity in general.

A galaxy of dignitaries from all walks of life, including former Vice President Yemi Osibajo, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Kwara Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi; witnessed the event.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, was represented at the event by Olusekun Adekunle, while the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun; Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi; and former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, were in attendance.

The Soun stool became vacant after the passing away of Oba Jimoh Ajagungbade in December 2021 at the age of 95, after reigning for 48 years.

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The Oyo State High Court has sentenced one Amos Olaniyan to 75 years in prison for multiple investment fraud.

A judge, Bayo Taiwo, gave the sentence in Ibadan on Thursday.

According to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on its official X handle, Mr Olaniyan was convicted alongside his firm, Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited.

They were prosecuted by the Ibadan zonal command of the EFCC on a 35-count count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence.

According to the EFCC, the convict, who has three other cases ongoing before the federal and state high courts in Ibadan, was arraigned before Mr Taiwo on 14 December 2021 after his arrest by the anti-graft agency.

He was accused of swindling several individuals through fake investment ventures that led to the loss of money to the tune of over N1 billion by investors.

Mr Olaniyan perpetrated his fraud by not paying the agreed Return on Investment to investors in his Crime Alert Security Network, a phoney security investment programme run by his firm.

The offence, the EFCC said, is contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

Count 35 of the charge reads: That you Olaniyan Gbenga Amos and Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited on or about the 20th of February, 2020, at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N1,540,000 (One million, Five Hundred and Forty Thousand only) from Akinlabi Qasim Dada, when you falsely represented to him that the money was meant for registration and investment with Crime Alert Security Network with a promise of 30% return on investment in six weeks (30 working days), which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of obtaining money under false pretence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

Another Charge reads: That you OLANIYAN GBENGA AMOS and DETORRID HERITAGE INVESTMENT LIMITED on or about 27th of August, 2020, at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N170,000 (One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) only from Alhaji Mukaila Odunayo, when you falsely represented to him that the money is meant for registration and investment with Crime Alert Security Network with a promise of 30% return on Investment in 6 weeks (30 working days), which representations you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of obtaining money under false pretence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him in court.

READ ALSO: EFCC charges couple with N410 million fraud

Given his plea, the EFCC counsel, Sanusi Galadanchi, opened the prosecutions case on 17 February 2022, called six witnesses and tendered eight exhibits before closing the case on 24 January.

At the end of the prosecutions case, the defendant filed a no case submission which was overruled by the court.

Consequently, the defendant opened and closed his case by calling three witnesses. Thereafter, Mr Taiwo reserved judgment in the matter till 14 December

On judgement day on Thursday, the judge convicted and sentenced Mr Olaniyan to 15 years imprisonment on each of five counts but discharged and acquitted him on 30 other counts.

Furthermore, the court ordered that the sentence run concurrently, which means that Mr Olaniyan will stay only 15 years behind bars and that the defendant should also restitute the victims.

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A group of Rivers political leaders, under the aegis of the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Forum, has said that the directives given by President Bola Tinubu in a peace deal between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, amounts to a violation of the Nigerian Constitution which the president swore to uphold.

The Rivers House of Assembly has been affected in the tension that engulfed the oil-rich state, as Messrs Fubara and Wike engaged in a power tussle.

The group said although it solicited Mr Tinubus intervention in the crisis in the state, it was at loss as to whether the presidents intervention has solved the problem or escalated it.

President Tinubu, on Monday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, met for the second time in less than two months with Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, who is now the FCT minister.

Parts of the peace deal is that the factional Speaker of the Rivers assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 24 other lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant following their defection from the PDP to the APC, should return to the assembly with their remuneration paid, and that Governor Fubara should henceforth not interfere with the funding of the assembly.

Governor Fubara, according to the deal, is to immediately withdraw all court cases he and his team instituted in respect of the crisis, and that the Rivers assembly shall choose where to sit and conduct legislative business without interference or hindrance from the executive arm.

Regarding the 2024 budget which was passed and signed into law, Mr Fubara was asked to present it again to a properly constituted assembly.

Mr Fubara is also to resubmit to the assembly for approval the names of about seven officials who resigned from his cabinet.

But the Rivers Elders and Leaders Forum, in a communique issued at their emergency meeting on Tuesday, said the directives unilaterally suspended the Nigerian Constitution by virtue of an attempt to reverse the court order which recognised Edison Ehie as the speaker of the assembly.

The communique was signed by Rofus Ada-George, a former governor of the state, on behalf of members of the forum.

One sided deal

The forum said the directives contravene the doctrine and practice of separation of powers particularly as it affects the responsibility of the judiciary.

Can Mr President or the Executive Arm of Government overrule the decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction? the body queried. This portends executive rascality which undermines our constitutional democracy, rule of law and good governance.

The directives to the parties were one sided in favour of Mr Wike, and at the detriment of the Governor Fubara and the good people of Rivers State.

In the eyes of the law and due process, as evidenced by the Rivers State High Court decision, that Mr Amaewhule and his team has ceased to exist in the state House of Assembly, having defected to another political party, and therefore cannot be reinstated and remunerated through the back door.

It is the duty of the Executive Arm of Government to provide accommodation for legislators in a constitutional democracy as exemplified by the FCT Minister with respect to the National Assembly.

It is therefore hypocritical to suggest that the Rivers State House of Assembly under Mr Amaewhule could sit anywhere of their choice, whereas in Abuja, it is the FCT Minister, on behalf of the executive arm that provides accommodation for Federal Legislators. The very reason why the FCT Minister was referred to as the landlord of Abuja by Mr. President at the presentation of the 2024 budget.

The Rivers elders urged the people of the state to rise up to salvage the state.

Our fathers fought for the creation of Rivers State, we will stand to defend it. When injustice and criminality become law and a way of life in the polity, resistance becomes a duty.

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The Senate Committee on Finance has asked the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to compel the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq, to appear before it within 24 hours to defend the commissions budget for the 2024 fiscal year.

Chairman of the Committee, Sani Musa, gave the directive on Wednesday after the CAC RG shunned the committees invitation for the third time.

Mr Ishaq, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was supposed to appear before the committee to defend the commissions allocation but he assigned four of its directors to do so on his behalf on Wednesday.

The lawmakers were angered by the action of the RG and demanded that he appear before the panel.

I am invoking Section 89(2) mandating the Inspector General of Police to compel the appearance of the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission before the Senate Committee on Finance within 24 hours Mr Musa said.

Addressing the directors, the chairman stated that Mr Ishaqs action was a disregard to the upper legislative chamber.

With all sense of humility, the Corporate Affairs Registrar-General has disregarded this committee.

Distinguished Colleagues, Corporate Affairs Commission was present when we treated MTEF/FSP and the Director of Finance was here. We saw discrepancies and we told you to go and come back.

You have your bookkeepers, you have your records and we asked you to go and tidy up and report back, but you never did.

He questioned the reasons behind the refusal of the RG to appear before the senate committee.

I have cause to tell the secretariat to send you a letter, you appeared here when you came, you said the registrar-general just fell ill. I excused you expecting you are going to come back with the documents expected.

You know what the financial regulation of this country is. I had cause to tell the committee secretariat to write to you again and you are without the RG. You are the custodian of the finances of the Corporate Affairs Commission and there are discrepancies.

How many entities are registered in this country? How many? How much were you reporting there and you are taking us with levity.

Mr Musa thereafter walked the four directors of the CAC out of the venue of the committees sitting.

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Zenith Bank Plc has been listed in the World Finance 100 2023 released by World Finance Magazine, achieving the feat as the only Nigerian company in the prestigious and exclusive listing. Zenith Banks inclusion in this elite list underscores the banks outstanding achievements and resilience in a dynamic and competitive global market.

The World Finance 100 celebrates companies that have reached the pinnacle of achievement across a wide variety of fields of expertise. Each year World Finance compiles the list of 100 companies, purely based on excellence in their field.

The list presents the new business elite, made up of those whose vision and enterprise shapes the conceptual landscape of finance, business and technology. Notably, Zenith Bank stands as the lone Nigerian company and one of just three African companies to earn a place on this esteemed list for 2023, alongside industry titans such as Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet.

Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, remarked, It is with great pride that we acknowledge this feat as the exclusive Nigerian company in the World Finance 100 2023. This accolade is a testament to our unwavering dedication to our valued stakeholders, our innovative spirit, and sustained growth, all achieved amidst the complexities of a challenging economic climate.

This honour further attests to our status as a leading financial institution that continues to set the industry standard in financial performance, good corporate governance and financial stability.

Mr Onyeagwu expressed his profound gratitude to the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, for his visionary leadership and foundational role in shaping a resilient and thriving financial institution. He also acknowledged the board for the outstanding leadership they provide; the staff, whose drive and commitment sustains the exceptional performance; and the banks customers for their steadfast trust in the Zenith brand.

Zenith Bank has continued to play a pivotal role in Nigerias economic development and remains dedicated to providing cutting-edge financial solutions to its diverse clientele. The Banks track record of excellent performance has earned the brand numerous awards, with this latest accolade coming on the heels of several recognitions including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital, for the 14th consecutive year, in the 2023 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, in the World Finance Banking Awards; Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards 2022 and 2023; Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Bankers Bank of the Year Awards 2020 and 2022.

READ ALSO: Zenith Bank signs MoU with CFA institute to develop finance and investment professionals

Other awards bagged by Zenith Bank include Best Bank in Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, in the Global Finance Worlds Best Banks Awards; Best in Corporate Governance Financial Services Africa, for four successive years from 2020 to 2023, by the Ethical Boardroom; Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation In Retail Banking, Nigeria in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.

Also, the bank emerged as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in the Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands 2020 and 2021; Bank of the Year 2023 and Retail Bank of the Year, for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

Similarly, Zenith Bank was named Bank of the Decade (Peoples Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020, Bank of the Year 2021 by Champion Newspaper, Bank of the Year 2022 by New Telegraph Newspaper, and Most Responsible Organisation in Africa 2021 by SERAS Awards.

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Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has approved a 14-day Christmas holiday for all civil servants in the state effective from 20 December.

This is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, and made available to journalists in Calabar on Wednesday.

The statement, however, said that those on essential services were exempted from this holiday.

In the statement titled, Extended Holiday for Civil Servants, Mr Otu commended the workers for their commitment and hard work.

The governor enjoined the workers to use the opportunity to spend quality time with their families and also be actively involved in the annual Calabar carnival.

He reiterated the commitment of his administration to provide a quality and conducive environment for all citizens and residents of the state while wishing them a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers are expected back at their duty posts on 3 January 2024.

(NAN)

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In collaboration with district administration, municipal corporation, and various organizations, a camp was organized on Monday at Gangukund Ayad and Commerce College premises in Udaipur as part of the Developed India Campaign initiated by the central government.

Prominent figures present at the camp included City MLA Tarachand Jain, Municipal Commissioner Vasudev Malavat, former president Ravindra Shrimalli, City Coordinator Karan Singh Shaktawat, and Rameshwar Lal Meena, Assistant Director of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

City MLA Jain emphasized the objective of the Developed India Campaign, which is to ensure that the benefits of various welfare schemes initiated by the Prime Minister reach every eligible individual. Efforts are being made during the shivirs organized as part of the campaign to connect those who were left out from benefiting from the schemes initially.

Municipal Commissioner Vasudev Malavat provided information about the ongoing Developed India Campaign in the Udaipur Municipal Corporation area, which will continue until December 28. He mentioned that shivirs will be organized at two locations daily, offering citizens the opportunity to avail themselves of schemes such as the Prime Minister's Service Fund, Prime Minister Vishwakarma Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Mudra Loan, Startup India, Ayushman Bharat, PMJAY, PM Awas Yojana (Urban), Swachh Bharat Yojana (Urban), and other transformative initiatives.

The Developed India Campaign utilizes vans to showcase Prime Minister's speeches and films about the schemes to raise public awareness. Pamphlets, booklets, and calendars related to the schemes are also distributed during the campaign.

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Sileshi Bekele, Ethiopia's chief negotiator on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and ambassador to the US, said on Wednesday that construction on the GERD is 94 percent complete, with the last concrete set to be poured by September 2024.

According to a statement by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Bekele's remarks came during a press briefing regarding the results of the fourth and final trilateral round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the GERD, which concluded Tuesday.

Furthermore, the Ethiopian politician reiterated that his country is committed to addressing outstanding issues and reaching an amicable solution to the use of the Nile water resources, guided by the principle of equitable and reasonable use without causing significant harm to downstream countries.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources stated that GERD negotiation tracks have reached an end due to the persistent Ethiopian rejections of any of the proposed technical or legal solutions that would safeguard the interests of all parties, including Addis Ababa itself.

The ministry highlighted Ethiopia's consistent backtracking on the previously agreed-upon understandings reached among the nations.

Ethiopia elects to continue exploiting the negotiation as a cover to solidify a fait accompli on the ground while negotiating solely to obtain approval from the downstream countries for unregulated and absolute Ethiopian control of the Blue Nile, disregarding Ethiopia's obligations under international law, read the Egyptian statement.

Additionally, the ministry asserted that Egypt will closely monitor the filling and operation of the GERD and reserves its right, under international charters and accords, to defend its water and national security in the event of harm.

The first round of talks was held in Cairo in August, the second in Addis Ababa in September, and the third in Cairo in October.

The talks are the first since negotiations sponsored by the African Union collapsed in April 2021.

For more than a decade of negotiations, Egypt and Sudan have been seeking a legally binding agreement governing the filling and operating of the dam that ensures their water security and own dams' safety along with the interests of Ethiopia. However, Ethiopia seeks to sign non-binding guidelines on the dam's filling and operation rules that can be modified at any time at its discretion.

Egypt, which relies mainly on the Nile for its water needs, fears that the dam will harm the countrys already scarce water supply.

Egypts annual share of water is 560 cubic metres per person, cabinet figures show, placing the country well below the international threshold for water scarcity.

According to the UN, a population faces water scarcity when annual water supplies drop below 1,000 cubic metres per person.

Egypt needs up to 114 billion cubic metres while it receives 60 on average, coming mostly from the Nile and underground water.

Colonial-era agreements



During Wednesdays press briefing, Bekele echoed previous Ethiopian claims, claiming Egypt was insisting on protecting "unacceptable colonial-era agreements."

"Ethiopia maintained its stance of accommodating the interests of all the riparian countries that would help bring cooperation and common prosperity to the region," he added.

In May, Egypt called on Ethiopia to stop the "tendentious invocation" of so-called "colonial agreements" to evade both its legal obligations as well as its moral duty not to harm downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

Cairo further stressed that what Addis Ababa refers to as "colonial agreements" were agreements signed when Ethiopia was a sovereign state.

A similar response was issued by Sudan in 2021 towards Ethiopias same claims.

Sudan at the time threatened that disavowing these agreements meant compromising sovereignty over the Benishangul region on which Addis Ababa is building the controversial dam, urging Addis Ababa to commit to the international agreements it signed as an independent state."

The Anglo-Ethiopian treaty was signed in 1902 between the United Kingdom  representing Egypt and Sudan  and Ethiopia  represented by Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. While the agreement has prohibited the Ethiopian construction of any waterworks across the Blue Nile that would affect the rivers natural flow, it has granted sovereignty of the then-Sudanese Benishangul region to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian claim that the relevant agreements are an insignificant colonial legacy is an explicit fallacy of historical facts, indicating that Ethiopia was an independent, sovereign state and a member of the international community at the time of the conclusion of those agreements, while Sudan was subject to bilateral colonialism (of the Ottomans and the British), Sudans Foreign Ministry said then.

Rather than the 1902 agreement  which remains the most authoritative instrument defining the water rights of Khartoum, Cairo, and Addis Ababa  Ethiopia in 1993, also as a sovereign and independent state, signed with Egypt the Cairo Cooperation Framework pledging not to implement water projects harmful to the interests of the other, and to consult over projects to reduce waste and increase the flow of Nile water.

Ethiopia was not a party to other Nile water accords such as the 1929 agreement between Egypt and Britain, representing Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Sudan. The deal allocates 55.5 bcm of water to Egypt and 18.5 bcm to Sudan. Nor did Ethiopia take part in its 1959 supplementary agreement which confirmed Cairo and Khartoums annual quota and allowed the construction of Egypts Aswan High Dam.

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Udaipur : Aligned with the Prime Minister's vision, the Development India Journey campaign is gaining momentum in Udaipur district under the guidance of District Collector Arvind Poswal. In a session led by Gogunda MLA Pratap Lal Gameti, rural residents were informed about the government's initiatives, encouraging them to avail the full benefits of every scheme. Eligible individuals were facilitated on-site at the camp.

Present at the Development India Journey locations in Gram Panchayats Ambeyri and Lakhawali were Deputy Chief Puskar Teli, Bari Gram Panchayat Head Pratibha Nagda, District Council Member Pinky Mandawat, and Pushpa Sharma, Bari Vice Chief Pratap Singh Rathore, Panchayat Samiti Member Heeralal Dangi, Ambeyri Sarpanch Rashki Bai Gameti, Lakhawali Sarpanch Mohan Lal Dangi, Social Worker Krishnagopal Paliwal, Jitendra Nagda, and other public representatives.

Key government officials, including SDM Bari Ramesh Chand Bahedia, Development Officer Ramjilal Verma, Tehsildar Parvat Singh, Additional Development Officer Anil Shrimali, Sureshchandra Khatik, and Sunil Chauhan, provided detailed information on various central government schemes. During the camp, 595 individuals underwent health check-ups, 108 individuals were screened for tuberculosis, and 90 underwent cervical cancer screenings.

In the Bhoyon Ki Pancholi region, MLA Meena inspected the Development India Journey camp, addressing rural residents and encouraging them to actively participate in government programs for their welfare.

The Development India Journey campaign continues to make significant strides, creating awareness and empowering rural communities by providing them with crucial information about various government schemes and initiatives aimed at their holistic development.

Source :
GALWAY, Ireland, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FEELTECT, a connected-health, wound care company, announces the successful closing of a 1.5 million investment from strategic Irish and international investors. The funding will create additional clinical collaborations, expand strategic partnerships, and advance commercialisation of the company's wound treatment monitoring technology.

FeelTect Co-Founders, Dr Andrew Cameron, CEO (left), and Dr Darren Burke, CTO (right), displaying the Tight Alright wearable, pressure-sensing device for monitoring compression therapy.

The funding also enables the company to see a significant expansion of its team, with additional hires including roles in R&D, manufacturing, project management, clinical affairs, and commercial development. While most roles will be based in FeelTect's headquarters in Spiddal, Galway, commercial and clinical roles will also expand to the USA and Europe, facilitating the company's market entry internationally.

Investors from multiple Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) syndicates, including Irrus Investments, MedTech Syndicate, and Boole Investment Syndicate, along with CAJU Venture Partners, joined the existing FeelTect shareholders, while the WDC added to their existing investment in the company. The 1.5 million raised in the current round follows an earlier 1.2 million Seed round closed in 2022, which was supported by strategic healthcare investors and State agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, Dogpatch Labs, and the WDC.

Founded in 2019, FeelTect emerged from BioInnovate Ireland, a renowned, clinical needs-led innovation programme. During clinical immersion in Irish and US hospital systems, Founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Cameron, identified an unmet clinical need for the safe, effective, and consistent application of compression therapy, which is the primary treatment for millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Studies show that 30% of VLUs are not healed within a year, causing significant impacts to patients' quality of life, while the amount of money spent on treating VLU patients in the UK alone equates to 40% of all cancer costs combined. To address these issues, Co-Founders, Dr Darren Burke and Prof. Garry Duffy, joined Dr Cameron as part of an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund project within the University of Galway, before successfully spinning out as FeelTect in 2020.

FeelTect's flagship product, Tight Alright, is the world's first connected-health technology for measuring and remotely monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy. The Tight Alright technology is comprised of an advanced wearable device, with multiple pressure sensors, that wirelessly connects with a digital platform. The technology unburdens care providers by enabling significant advancements in treatment application, patient self-management, and remote monitoring of compression therapy effectiveness. Furthermore, by facilitating optimal and consistent provision of gold-standard compression therapy, Tight Alright will significantly reduce healing times and treatment costs, whilst enhancing the autonomy and quality of life for patients.

The company's achievements to date have positioned the Tight Alright technology for international market entry in 2024. FeelTect's significant milestones include securing intellectual property on the technology's hardware and data transfer system, completing design for manufacturing, registering the device with the FDA and CE Mark, receiving ISO 13485 accreditation for their quality management system, and conducting international patient clinical studies that demonstrate improved application of targeted wound compression. The company has also received several accolades and industry recognitions, including winning the top prize at European Wound Management Association Innovation Forum, top prize at the Lohmann & Rauscher Accelerator Program, and Start-Up Technology Company of the Year at the CIO & IT Leaders Awards, all within 2023.

Speaking about the investment, Dr Cameron said, "We're extremely grateful for the trust that our investors have shown in supporting our vision for improving the treatment of patients' chronic wounds. We recognise the challenging nature of the current economic environment for investment and we are determined to make the most of the opportunities we've been given. This funding will have an immense benefit to conducting further efficacy and health economic validations of Tight Alright, building our team, and realising commercial launch in USA and Europe. We're also fortunate in the calibre of investors on our newly appointed Board, which will provide invaluable advice and guidance on our journey forward."

Dr Colin Henehan, Chairperson of HBAN's MedTech Syndicate, said, "The MedTech Syndicate is excited to be supporting FeelTect in their development of a truly novel pressure monitoring system for compression therapy, which addresses a large global healthcare issue." Mr Lourens Verweij, incoming Chairperson for FeelTect, noted "The new investment will enable us to bring the company to a next level, and further supports the very positive feedback we are receiving from clinicians, patients and industry partners in the USA and Europe." This positive support was echoed by Ms Emily Ryan, Director of Irrus Investments, who added "Irrus are delighted to be an investor in FeelTect. We believe that this is a very exciting technology, that can revolutionise the wound care space, led by a capable and dynamic team; we are very much looking forward to being part of the future of FeelTect."

The investment in the current round will complement FeelTect's recent Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund award, consisting of a total of 4.6 million in consortium funding. As part of this funding, FeelTect lead a consortium with partners University of Galway, Armour by Granite, and Odyssey VC, to incorporate additional sensor and user inputs into the wound treatment monitoring system. By capturing a more comprehensive overview of a patient's treatment via remote monitoring, and applying advanced data modelling methods, the project aims to redefine standards of care for greatly improved patient outcomes and significantly reduced treatment costs.

About FeelTect

FeelTect is a connected-health, wound care company based in Galway, Ireland. The company's primary mission is to address the critical unmet need for a way to significantly reduce healing times and healthcare personnel workload in the treatment of VLUs, for improved quality of life for patients and reduced treatment costs. Since spinning out of the University of Galway in 2020, FeelTect have achieved numerous milestones, including FDA registration in USA, EUDMED registration in Europe, ISO 13485 accreditation, preliminary clinical validation, international patents on hardware and software technologies, and completion of design for manufacturing. The company is about to commence a 4.6 million Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund collaborative project to expand their pipeline of products that will ultimately lead to the development of the first data-driven clinical decision support system to revolutionise wound care.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2099998/FeelTect_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2304382/FeelTect_co_founders.jpg

Contact: Andrew Cameron, andrew.cameron@feeltect.com, +353871840912
Publishers Weekly hails Calvin and the Sugar Apples as "endearing and rewarding."

AVEIRO, Portugal, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly released middle-grade children's fiction novel, Calvin and the Sugar Apples, has won high praise from multiple review outlets for author Ines F. Oliveira's emotive and realistic depiction of a middle school girl navigating grief, lack of self-confidence, and the perilsand beautyof tween friendship.

Published by The Collective Book Studio, Calvin and the Sugar Apples is a relatable early reader that taps into important life lessons about friendship, grief, and talking through feelings. Ines F. Oliveira, author of Calvin and the Sugar Apples

In Oliveira's well-received story, ten-year-old Amelia has always had Calvin, her chinchilla friend, to talk to about her problems. But Calvin is no longer in his cage, and her parents just say he's in a "better place." When Amelia and her best friend, Camila, have an argument about Camila's last-minute decision to perform solo at the talent show, she feels abandoned and hurt. And without Calvin, who does she talk to about her disappointments at school? And who does she talk to about missing Calvin?

Amelia is feeling very ordinaryan ordinary girl with no talents, no BFF, and no Calvin. But just when Amelia thinks she's completely alone, a new student arrives, and they begin finding their way together. Amelia learns that it's always possible to make new friends, that expressing yourself can happen in different ways, and that it all starts with talking it out.

Engaging black and white pencil line-art interiors help bring to life this heartwarming story about self-discovery and friendship. Oliveira masterfully weaves a story that has its finger on the pulse of the high emotions and self-doubt that exist in middle school against a backdrop of living in beautiful Portugal. Families and educators of young children will welcome a book that invites a dialogue about feelings, introspection, and letting go.

If you would like more information about author Ines F. Oliveira and Calvin and the Sugar Apples, please contact [email protected] or visit https://inesfoliveira.com/ .

For advance PR copies and interview requests, contact Alex Zumpino, [[email protected]]. For event inquiries, contact The Collective Book Studio, [[email protected]]. To order copies for your store or library, contact Simon and Schuster:

Email: (US) [email protected], (Canada) [email protected]

Phone: (US) 800-223-2336, (Canada) 800-268-3216

SOURCE Ines F. Oliveira
The head of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian officials on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange, after Israel said it was willing to agree to another pause in exchange for more captives.

Hamas chief is expected to lead a high-level delegation for negotiations on stopping the Israeli aggression and the brutal war in the Gaza Strip, and prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners.

Prior to his arrival in Cairo, Haniyeh had met in Doha with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday, though details on the meeting were scant.

According to Nasser Kanaani, spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Haniyeh said Hamas was ready for a lasting ceasefire but negotiations were not possible under continuing Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Iran agrees with the government of Qatar regarding the need to immediately stop Israels war against the people of Gaza, and good joint efforts have been made in this regard, Kanaani said.

Islamic Jihad Movement Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah is set to lead a delegation from the movement to Cairo within days, in response to an official invitation from Egypt, he told Al Jazeera.

During their visit to Cairo, the delegation will discuss ways to cease the Israeli aggression and negotiate the exchange of detainees.

Nakhalah said that the prisoner exchange deal will adhere to the principle of "all for all" and will be carried out through a political process agreed upon by Palestinian factions, primarily Hamas.

International pressure is mounting for a new truce that could ramp up aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, as hopes grew that Israel and Hamas may be inching toward another truce and captives' release deal.

A source close to Hamas told AFP the Egypt talks would focus on proposals including a week-long truce that would see the release of 40 Israeli hostages, including women, children and male non-combatants.

The truce would be open to extension if there is agreement on new conditions for further releases, the source said, adding that the proposals had been discussed between Qatar and Israel with the knowledge of the US administration.

Egypt, along with Qatar  where Haniyeh is believed to be based  helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 captives in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian children and women detainees.

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NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR) resulting from allegations that Arbor may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Arbor securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=20777 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On November 16, 2023, Viceroy Research released a report entitled "Arbor Realty Trust - Slumlord Millionaires." In this report, Viceroy stated that "[i]nvestors in bridge financing underwriters and their portfolios of loans appear to be [. . .] unprepared for the enormous wave of maturities which cannot be refinanced and are substantially all underwater. This is a bizarre deer in headlights situation we didn't ever expect to find." Further, Viceroy announced that it was "short Arbor Realty Trust" and that "[i]n this industry plagued with delusion and bad decisions, Arbor stands out as the worst of the worst. Viceroy's dive into Arbor's collateralized loan obligation facilities suggest its entire loan book is distressed and underlying collateral is vastly overstated."

On this news, the price of Arbor stock declined by $1.6 per share, or 11.56%, to close at $12.24 on November 16, 2023.

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. 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.

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 THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
PureHealth listing marks ADX's 6th IPO in 2023 and raised a total of $986 million (AED 3.62 billion).

(AED 3.62 billion). The total value of IPOs on ADX in 2023 stood at $5.57 billion

ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), one of the fastest growing exchanges in the world, welcomed today the listing of PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East.

PureHealth's Initial Public Offering (IPO) raised a total of AED 3.62 billion ($986 million) and was oversubscribed by 483 times in the retail tranche and by 54 times in the professional subscribers tranche. This listing also marks the 6th IPO on ADX this year. The total value of IPOs on ADX in 2023 stood at $5.57 billion.

PureHealth Listing Day

Commenting on the listing, Abdulla Salem Alnuaimi, Chief Executive Officer of ADX, said: "We warmly welcome PureHealth to the ADX family and look forward to their invaluable contribution towards the healthcare services sector in the UAE and beyond. This year, we have witnessed strong investors' interest and participation towards the various dynamic listings and initiatives on the ADX platform. We aim to continuously strengthen our market infrastructure and trading offerings and investment services to enable more local and global companies to achieve their capital raising and investment ambitions. At ADX, we are committed to fulfilling Abu Dhabi's economic strategy and expanding the sustainable growth and development of capital markets in the UAE and wider Middle East region."

PureHealth joins a growing group of both local and global healthcare service providers on ADX, demonstrating the Exchange's role as a hub for healthcare investments and providing opportunities for the exchange's investors to further diversify their portfolios. The company's global footprint in the United States and the United Kingdom reflects the growing internationalization of ADX and highlights ADX's active role in augmenting Abu Dhabi's economic growth and diversification.

Farhan Malik, Founder and Managing Director of PureHealth, said, " PureHealth's listing on ADX has surpassed IPO records on the exchange, making this a significant milestone in our journey. As the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East, we are proud of the role we continue to play in shaping the healthcare sector for Abu Dhabi and beyond. We will continue to transform healthcare, in line with the vision of Abu Dhabi's leadership, together delivering accessible, world-class healthcare backed by the latest in AI technology and supported by continued public and private sector collaboration. PureHealth is now becoming into a healthcare equity platform where our focus will be on international expansion. This listing will further support our equity growth story by enabling us in taking the organization from Abu Dhabi to the World."

PureHealth IPO rounds out a strong year for ADX. Some notable listings in 2023 include the largest-ever IPO on ADX of ADNOC Gas at $2.5 billion, ADIB's world's first Dollar-denominated sukuk with $500 million value of issuance, the IPO of Presight AI at approximately $496 million, to name a few.

About Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) was established on November 15, 2000, by Local Law No. (3) Of 2000, the provisions of which vest the market with a legal entity of autonomous status, independent finance and management. The Law also provides ADX with the necessary supervisory and executive powers to exercise its functions. On March 17, 2020, ADX was converted from a "Public Entity" to a "Public Joint Stock Company PJSC" pursuant to law No. (8) of 2020. ADX is part of ADQ, one of the region's largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi's diversified economy.

ADX is a market for trading securities; including shares issued by public joint stock companies, bonds issued by governments or corporations, exchange traded funds, and any other financial instruments approved by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). ADX is the second largest market in the Arab region and its strategy of providing stable financial performance with diversified sources of incomes is aligned with the guiding principles of the UAE "Towards the next 50" agenda. The national plan charts out the UAE's strategic development scheme which aims to build a sustainable, diversified and high value-added economy that positively contributes to transition to a new global sustainable development paradigm.

For more information, please contact:

ADX

Abdulrahman Saleh ALKhateeb

Manager of Corporate Communication

Mobile: +971 (50) 668 9733

Email: [email protected]

About PureHealth

By advancing the science of longevity, PureHealth is introducing the healthcare of the future from the UAE to the rest of the world. PureHealth is the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East, with an ecosystem that challenges lifespans and reimagines health spans. With 25+ hospitals, 100+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centers, health insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments and more, its groundbreaking innovations are at the forefront of healthcare, as the company is on a mission to unlock time for humankind.

PureHealth's network of healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates comprises:

 SEHA  Abu Dhabi Health Services Company  One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE

 Daman  The National Health Insurance Company, the UAE's leading health insurer

 The Medical Office  Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. the President of the UAE

 Rafed  The UAE's largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organization

 PureLab  Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region

 Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center  Specialist healthcare center focused on cell therapy and regenerative medicine

 One Health  Sales, service support, and engineering network that provides end-to-end medical solutions

 The Life Corner  Abu Dhabi's first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment

 Ardent - The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the USA

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305655/PureHealth_ListingDay.jpg

SOURCE PureHealth
Award-winning and innovative Colophon Foundry brings its talented team, custom design expertise, type technology and tools, and its library of 85 font families to Monotype.

LONDON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Monotype, a global leader in type and technology, announced today that the international award-winning Colophon Foundry has joined the Monotype family. Founded in 2009 by Anthony Sheret and Edd Harrington, Colophon is known for having its finger on the cultural pulse of the design world. The London-based foundry is renowned for its bespoke type design for global brands, its library of 85 type families, a talented team of eight world-class creatives, and innovative type technology tools.

Colophon's impressive reputation within the design industry is reflected in its outstanding portfolio of custom work with notable brands across the globe, including Burger King, Canva, Cadillac, Twickenham, and Central Saint Martins. In 2021, Colophon created the readable and quirky Canva Sans custom type for global graphic design platform Canva. For British art school Central Saint Martins in 2018-2019, Colophon created a dynamic multi-personality typeface that called to the school's past, present, and future, using a pseudo-random script to create an unpredictable mix of typeface forms.

The Colophon library includes 85 font families, many available in variable format. In 2010, Colophon released Apercu, a contemporary font that references classic realist typefaces, which has gained widespread popularity among some of the world's most recognizable brands, including adoption by New York's Museum of Modern Art. The Colophon catalogue offers modern classics that feel both historically rooted and contemporary, including Basis Grotesque, Fann Grotesque, Fortescue, Value Sans, and Value Serif.

"The Monotype Studio has long admired the work of Colophon, some of which we have included in our annual Trends report. The team has a well-deserved reputation in the design world, and I am very excited to be welcoming this talented team to Monotype, broadening both our capabilities and our reach," says Tom Rickner, Senior Director of the Monotype Studio.

Colophon's team includes founder and managing director Anthony Sheret, founder and creative director Edd Harrington, and a team of six creatives. Passionate about typography and design, this talented team of eight will join Monotype, each bringing their own unique skills and approach.

Founders Anthony Sheret and Edd Harrington are creative powerhouses in the font community, driving the conversation with their collaborative and independent initiatives in publishing, editing, curation, exhibitions, and teaching on font and design.

"We are excited about the prospect of contributing to the next chapter of Colophon Foundry within Monotype. This isn't a goodbye; it's a continuation of our journey together, with fresh opportunities for collaboration and innovation," says Colophon Co-Founder Anthony Sheret.

"We have always been fascinated by the idea that our work and contribution can stretch far beyond our reach, and we see that amplifying within the organisation of Monotype. The resources offered within Monotype will allow Colophon to truly thrive and continue producing world-class typographic solutions alongside being at the forefront of technological developments," says Colophon Co-Founder Edd Harrington.

Monotype's CEO Ninan Chacko says, "As Monotype strives to keep type at the heart of creative culture, joining forces with Colophon seemed like a natural fit. We have long admired Colophon's immense creativity and ability to leverage premium type to drive storytelling across brands, creatives, and type users. We are thrilled to be welcoming them to the Monotype team and to continue Colophon's long history and track record of building impactful custom type for global brands."

Named as an homage to printmaking, Colophon comes from the historical title for a printer's statement at the beginning or end of a book on the authorship, printing, and typefaces found within its pages. As Colophon turns the page to its next chapter with Monotype, the teams will work together to raise the global profile of type.

About Monotype:

Monotype creates brands that matter with type, technology, and expertise. The company partners with leading foundries to deliver the broadest inventory of high-quality typefaces in the world. Further information is available at www.monotype.com .

Follow Monotype on X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Monotype is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Colophon Foundry is trademark of Monotype Limited or one of its subsidiaries and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE MONOTYPE IMAGING HOLDINGS INC
Atlanta Housing and Santa For a Day Distribute Gifts, Books

ATLANTA, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa kept his promise for more than 650 Atlanta Housing-assisted children who received a Christmas gift from their wish lists at the Santa For a Day three-day gift distribution event, which started Monday and ended today. Atlanta Housing's partnership with Santa For a Day has served more than 4,600 children since its inception four years ago. This year's campaign began in October with a letter-writing event where children were assisted with writing letters to Santa and decorating ornaments.

At this week's event, more than 200 books were distributed through the Book Rich Environments (BRE) Program. Today marked the culmination of this year's program, as Atlanta Housing (AH) staff and volunteers distributed gifts to hundreds of AH-assisted children from their Christmas wish lists over the course of three days at the Zell Miller Center for Human Excellence. "Atlanta Housing is proud to once again partner with Santa for a Day to bring cheer and hope to hundreds of Atlanta youth," said Eugene E. Jones, Jr., president and CEO of AH. Jones forged the partnership between the two organizations and sits on the board of Santa for a Day. "This remarkable program provides more than holiday cheer and gifts to children; it also builds letter-writing and communication skills that can last a lifetime."

Santa For a Day helps corral generous individual contributions from donors across the country to create magic for children and their families. With a mission to spread hope while teaching childhood literacy through the power of the pen, the program allows participants to author a positive narrative, sparked by optimism and the vision of a bright future, and reward their efforts by translating their wishes into reality.

"We're thrilled that Santa For a Day has partnered with Atlanta Housing for the fourth consecutive year teaming up to make a real impact together. Our seasonal gift-giving, year-round literacy-related programs, and vital needs resourcing, actively help transform more the lives of so many young people," said Rich Gentile, founder of Santa For a Day. "This collaboration works so well because at Santa For A Day, our mission  to provide holiday joy, to inspire hope, to model kindness, and to foster literacy amongst children who need it most  aligns so well with Atlanta Housing's overarching mission, and we could not be more grateful for their partnership."

AH is proud of its association with Santa For a Day, which supports AH-assisted children year-round through literacy programs and services.

ABOUT ATLANTA HOUSING

Led by President and CEO Eugene Jones, Jr., the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia (AH), is the largest housing authority in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. AH provides and facilitates affordable housing resources for nearly 27,000 low-income households comprised of approximately 45,000 people, including AH-owned residential communities, tenant-based vouchers, supportive housing, and homeownership opportunities. Programs are funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Visit AH at atlantahousing.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @housingatlanta.

SOURCE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF ATLANTA
AIR is scouting locations in the U.S. for continued flight testing of its inaugural consumer eVTOL aircraft through AFWERX's prominent Agility Prime program, contributing to development and certification advancement

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AIR , creator of eVTOLs for the consumer market, today announced the next phase in its participation in the United States Air Force's AFWERX Agility Prime program to help propel development of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry, currently revolutionizing aviation. Following AIR's acceptance to the program in 2022, the company has now completed Agility Prime's third phase and entered into a formal agreement to execute its work together. The company is currently scouting several locations to build out its American presence and continue flight testing of its inaugural eVTOL aircraft in the U.S.

The partnership will drive AIR's continuous development and certification efforts on the company's journey to launch personal air mobility as a viable option for consumers' everyday commutes. The hours of flight testing performed in the U.S. will also offer AFWERX valuable data to determine AIR ONE's viability for use in Air Force logistics missions, per its Area of Interest (AOI) 2 goal seeking eVTOL aircraft capable of carrying 1-2 people more than 10 miles at a speed of at least 45 miles per hour. Originally created for personal civilian use, AIR ONE's distinctive size and platform offers the Air Force a unique reference point within the program.

"It's thrilling AFWERX understands the unique promise of AIR ONE, which is capable of ranges and speeds that far exceed AOI-2 requirements," said Rani Plaut, CEO and co-founder of AIR. "We are confident in our ability to deliver the freedom of flight to everyday consumers, especially with the support of such a prestigious program as Agility Prime. We're looking forward to demonstrating that AAM is truly a team sport, as we assemble alongside other industry leaders working with the U.S. Air Force to accelerate eVTOL takeoff and market delivery worldwide."

Capable of taking off and landing on any flat surface with a 550-pound (250kg) payload, the all-electric two-seater AIR ONE aircraft offers a practical long range on a single charge at speeds up to 155 mph (250 km/h). Expanding the eVTOL profile types within the program, AIR ONE's simple, cost-effective design includes eight fixed motors, compared to more complex, costly tilt motor designs often used by manufacturers of eVTOLs predominantly for commercial use. Designed to give individuals the freedom of flight, AIR ONE's profile is relevant for a slew of other applications, including eVTOL pilot training, defense, cargo, and agriculture.

"Agility Prime analytics predict lower operations and maintenance costs of eVTOL aircraft through mechanical simplicity," said Lt. Col. John Tekell, Agility Prime Branch Chief. "The successful transition to forward flight from a VTOL mode with fixed motors highlights the ingenuity of small businesses in achieving mechanically simple designs."

Since AIR's emergence from stealth only two years ago, the AIR ONE prototype (AIR ZERO) has performed numerous rounds of full-scale, full weight flight tests , including hover-to-cruise and cruise-to-hover transitions, making AIR one of very few in the industry to have completed such milestones. Having already garnered over 800 customer preorders and a waiting list, AIR plans to deliver the first batch of AIR ONE vehicles to consumers following aircraft certification. The company has also previously announced international partnerships with air and sea mobility companies, establishing a network to service and support AIR's growing community of users.

"The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government."

About AIR

AIR is revolutionizing everyday mobility for everyday people, empowering individuals to seize the power of personal flight. Combining aerospace innovation with the maturity of automotive technology and uncompromising safety standards powered by proprietary fly-tech, AIR's first-of-its-kind eVTOLs for personal use offer the ground-breaking opportunity to easily "drive the sky." Founded by Chen Rosen, Netanel Goldberg and Rani Plaut, based in Fort Worth, Texas, AIR VEV Ltd. is paving the way for a cleaner, more thrilling future of mobility, affording everyone the freedom to fly. For more information check out: https://www.airev.aero/

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com

AIR Press Contact

Kate Schoenstadt

[email protected]

IL:+972 54 777 6684

SOURCE AIR
This year at CES 2024, the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP is accelerating AI-driven technology in healthcare and personalized care

AgeTech Summit Sessions held with AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins; AARP SVP of Innovation Labs Andy Miller; Samsung Electronics VP Global Head of Digital Health Dr. Hon Pak; actor Utkarsh Ambudkar; and Freestyle+ Co-CEO and Founder Anthony Veneziale. Summit Sessions moderated by Guy Raz, Award-Winning Podcast Creator, Author, and Journalist.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP announced today its official AgeTech programming at CES 2024. The program includes a fireside chat with AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Freestyle+ Co-CEO and Founder Anthony Veneziale to explore the power of freestyle rap on our creativity, confidence, and mindfulness. The session will be moderated by radio personality and journalist, Guy Raz.

Innovations in AgeTech are providing tools and technology to bring meaningful change and help solve the challenges of aging. The AgeTech Collaborative from AARP (ATC) aims to make aging easier through technology products, services, and experiences across industries, including artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The program is accelerating AI-driven technology in healthcare, fall detection and safety, social interaction, mental and cognitive health, personalized care, and emergency response. AI companies that will be featured this year at CES include: Tembo Health, Tuned, MindMics, and Lucid.

"Investing in AgeTech isn't just smart; it's crucial. As global economies evolve with aging demographics, technology becomes our ally in overcoming challenges," said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins. "AARP is harnessing its knowledge to propel AgeTech forward, fostering collaborations across diverse sectors. By driving innovation, we're shaping the future of AgeTech and advancing the collective effort to redefine aging through technology."

The program features key speakers and panel discussions all focused on innovation in the AgeTech space, which takes place throughout CES 2024, January 9-12 at the Venetian Expo, Level 2, Hall A-D at Booth #54223.

According to the AARP 2024 Tech Trends survey, 69% of 50-plus adults made at least one technology purchase in the last year. AI-assisted health tech can help provide an array of personalized solutions to educate, support, and manage chronic conditions of older Americans.

Highlights at CES 2024 include:

A fireside chat with AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins , Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar , Freestyle+ Co-CEO and Founder Anthony Veneziale , moderated by radio personality and journalist Guy Raz , to explore the power of freestyle rap on our creativity, confidence, and mindfulness. They will explore the many factors influencing brain health as we age, the link between creativity and aging, and the unexpected products that are making an impact. January 10 at 10:00 a.m. PT at the Venetian, Level 4, Marcello 4404.

, Actor , Freestyle+ Co-CEO and Founder , moderated by radio personality and journalist , to explore the power of freestyle rap on our creativity, confidence, and mindfulness. They will explore the many factors influencing brain health as we age, the link between creativity and aging, and the unexpected products that are making an impact. at at the Venetian, Level 4, Marcello 4404. Dr. Hon Pak , VP, Global Head of Digital Health at Samsung Electronics, and Andy Miller , SVP of Innovation Labs at AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, share an in-depth look at how AgeTech is driving the adoption of smart devices and scaling connections that are delivering better health outcomes and giving people more say in how they age. January 10 at 11:00 a.m. PT at the Venetian, Level 4, Marcello 4404.

AgeTech Collaborative from AARP's booth stage will host more than 20 panel discussions around the emerging category. A full list of sessions can be found at www.ces.agetechchollaborative.org

About AgeTech Collective from AARP

AgeTech Collaborative from AARP is an unparalleled innovation ecosystem bringing together cutting-edge thinkers in the longevity tech space to champion meaningful advances so that everyone can choose how they live as they age. AARP's decades of exclusive longevity insights, the breakthrough collaborative ecosystem and community of innovators positions the AgeTech Collaborative to lead the future of AgeTech.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BAE Systems has received a follow-on contract to continue supporting Air Traffic Control & Landing Systems Operations Onboard Navy Ship and Shore Based Sites (AOOSS). The five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, valued at $92 million, was awarded by the U.S. Navy Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).

"Since 1993, we have been providing technical and engineering services for AOOSS worldwide." Post this BAE Systems has received a follow-on contract to continue supporting Air Traffic Control & Landing Systems Operations Onboard Navy Ship and Shore Based Sites. (Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Natasha Chevalier Losada)

"Since 1993, we have been providing technical and engineering services for AOOSS worldwide," said Lisa Hand, vice president and general manager, BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions. "For those 30 years, we have worked closely with our customers to bolster their readinessa legacy we're very proud of. We're equally proud to continue to support this mission moving forward."

Under the new contract, BAE Systems will continue to provide fleet services, technical support, and operational software development and maintenance to support various air traffic control and landing systems for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and international customers.

BAE Systems will complete the work in Great Mills, St. Inigoes, and Patuxent River, Maryland; Chesapeake, Virginia; and San Diego, California.

NAVAIR Public Release 2023-0042. Distribution Statement A  "Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited."

For more information, please contact:

Molly Rhine, BAE Systems

Mobile: 410-271-4206

[email protected]

www.baesystems.com/US

@BAESystemsInc

SOURCE BAE Systems, Inc.
The brand celebrates a year of major legislative accomplishments and remains dedicated to continuing their mission.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 20 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Beautycounter, the pioneer of the clean beauty movement, celebrates a year of legislative milestones including the one-year anniversary of the federal Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) and the successful passage of four state laws that work to put safer beauty products into the hands of consumers. Collectively, the Beautycounter community has sent over 240,000 emails, made over 16,000 calls, and held over 2,500 meetings with lawmakers in support of health protective cosmetics laws. In celebration of Beautycounter's work advocating for the passage MoCRA, the brand produced "We Matter," a video that highlights the history, events and people leading up to the bill's passage.

Founded by Gregg Renfrew, Beautycounter was created with a mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Since 2013, Beautycounter has worked with countless lawmakers at the state and federal levels to pass significant pieces of health and environmental-protective cosmetics legislation. In 2019, Renfrew became the first clean beauty CEO to testify before a congressional committee in support of reform of the federal cosmetics regulatory system. The leader in the clean beauty movement, Beautycounter has also brought hundreds of its Independent Brand Advocates to Washington, D.C. to advocate for stronger cosmetics regulation, achieving a major milestone in December 2022 with the passage of MoCRA. To help get MoCRA across the finish line, Beautycounter leadership advocated directly to Members of Congress and mobilized its community of nearly 40,000 Brand Advocates to lobby their elected officials through congressional meetings, phone calls, letters, and text actions. Beautycounter is gearing up for continued advocacy at federal and state levels in 2024.

"My mission has always been to get safer products into the hands of everyone," says Gregg Renfrew, Founder of Beautycounter. She adds, "The ability to put an issue on the map with members of Congress and fight hard for 10 years to come up with the first update in a major way to federal laws since 1938 is meaningful  we want to make sure people are aware of what they're putting on their bodies. And this is a great first step. But it's not the only step that we're going to take. This is just the beginning of the mountain that together with our Brand Advocate Community and our Partners are committed to."

Marking the first significant update to federal cosmetics law since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act into law in 1938, MoCRA strengthens the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ability to regulate personal care products. Major provisions include:

Mandatory recall authority for the FDA

Fragrance allergen disclosure requirements

Establishment of Good Manufacturing Practices regulation

Adverse event reporting requirements

Requirements for brands to substantiate the safety of their ingredients and products

Since the passage of MoCRA, Beautycounter has not slowed down its advocacy work. Beautycounter remains active in the MoCRA rulemaking process and in 2023 alone, influenced the passage of four additional pieces of critically important state legislation:

The Washington State Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act The Oregon Toxic Free Cosmetics Act California Assembly Bill 496 The Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (Bill S-5)

While MoCRA was a step in the right direction, Beautycounter calls on Congress to continue to address key gaps that remain in cosmetics regulation including banning of harmful ingredients like formaldehyde and phthalates; creating explicit protections for women of color and salon workers who are disproportionately exposed to harmful cosmetics ingredients; requiring greater disclosure of fragrance ingredients, and greater supply chain transparency to support product safety from manufacture to shelf.

Beautycounter is committed to continuing to make an impact. The Community will head to Washington D.C. in May 2024 to drive support for the Safer Beauty Bill Package and to continue advocating for a safer today, tomorrow and years to come.

About Beautycounter

Founded by Gregg Renfrew in 2011 and launched in 2013, Beautycounter is the leader in cleaner skin care and cosmetics whose mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone. A certified B corporation, the Santa Monica, CA-based brand leads the way for improved transparency and accountability in the beauty industry, including advocacy efforts to update state and federal cosmetics regulations that have stood largely unchanged since 1938. Beautycounter is an omnichannel brand and is available today through its community of Independent Brand Advocates, ULTA, e-Commerce and physical owned retail stores.

Beautycounter offers more than 100 products that have earned numerous awards, including Fast Company's Most Innovative, Allure's Best of Beauty, Glamour's Beauty Awards, Refinery29's Innovators List, WWD's 2019 Best-Performing Beauty Company, and CNBC's Disruptor 50. For more information, visit www.beautycounter.com, follow on Instagram @beautycounter, and Facebook @beautycounterhq.

SOURCE Beautycounter
DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Bottled Water in Ireland" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

With Irish consumers increasingly opting for healthier hydration options, the health trend continued to drive up the demand for bottled water in both the on- and off-trade channels. More and more consumers reduced their consumption of other types of soft drinks and consumed more bottled water more often. As Ireland has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, the government and the bottled water players massively promoted the consumption of water over soft drinks.

The Bottled Water in Ireland report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2018-2022), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they legislative, distribution, packaging or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2027 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: Carbonated Bottled Water, Flavoured Bottled Water, Functional Bottled Water, Still Bottled Water.

Data coverage: Market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Key Report Benefits

Get a detailed picture of the Bottled Water market;

Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;

Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Key Topics Covered:

KEY DATA FINDINGS

2023 DEVELOPMENTS

Bottled water sees a positive demand trajectory in 2023

Private label and A brands produce a strong competitive landscape

Functional and flavoured bottled waters see strong off-trade volume and value growth

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Continuous growth on the horizon for bottled water

Flavoured and functional bottled waters to continue to develop apace

The Deposit Return Scheme might be a negative factor for bottled water

CATEGORY DATA

Table 1 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Volume 2018-2023

Table 2 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Value 2018-2023

Table 3 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Volume Growth 2018-2023

Table 4 Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023

Table 5 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Volume 2019-2023

Table 6 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Volume 2020-2023

Table 7 NBO Company Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Value 2019-2023

Table 8 LBN Brand Shares of Off-trade Bottled Water: % Value 2020-2023

Table 9 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Volume 2023-2028

Table 10 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: Value 2023-2028

Table 11 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Volume Growth 2023-2028

Table 12 Forecast Off-trade Sales of Bottled Water by Category: % Value Growth 2023-2028

SOFT DRINKS IN IRELAND

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Soft drinks in 2023: The big picture

2023 key trends

Competitive landscape

Retailing developments

Foodservice vs retail split

What next for soft drinks?

MARKET DATA

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lxqnxd

Source: Euromonitor International

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
GLENDALE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- California Credit Union has partnered with the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club to bring some holiday magic to hundreds of Club kids, providing over 380 new toys and gifts donated by the credit union, its employees, and members.

California Credit Union volunteers distribute gifts to Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club families and community members during the organizations annual holiday event. The credit union provided over 380 new toys donated by the credit union, its employees and members during a branch drive.

"There is nothing like the joy of a child receiving a special gift during the holidays, and we are honored to support the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club in bringing that magic alive," said California Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "We want to thank all our members and our credit union team for so enthusiastically participating in our toy drive to spread the spirit of giving and community during this holiday season."

All of the toys and gifts were donated by California Credit Union, its employees and members in a month-long drive in its branch locations across Los Angeles County. The toys were distributed during the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club holiday celebration on December 18th to the Club families it serves in communities across Northeast Los Angeles. Credit union volunteers also were on hand to help organize and distribute gifts for the kids.

The Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club's mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, care and responsible members of the community. Classes for teens include gang prevention, Relationship Smarts, social interaction, wellness, the arts, and physical fitness. For more information about the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, please visit labgc.org.

About California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 with assets over $4.5 billion, nearly 200,000 members and 24 retail branches. The credit union serves community members and businesses in the California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura as well as school employees throughout the state. The credit union operates in San Diego and Riverside Counties as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. The credit union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. California Credit Union is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a Low Income Designation, offering inclusive products and services to build financial stability in our underserved communities, including a checking account certified as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards. Visit ccu.com for more information or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.

SOURCE California Credit Union
Kuwait's new emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmed al-Sabah on Wednesday criticised parliament and cabinet for harming national interests as he was formally sworn in before lawmakers as the country's 17th ruler.

Officially taking over from his half-brother Sheikh Nawaf, who passed away on Saturday, Sheikh Meshal is faced with the task of pulling the country out of longstanding political paralysis and reforming a bloated public sector that has turned Kuwait into one of the Gulf's most laggard states.

"I have stressed in my previous speeches that there are national obligations that must be fulfilled," the 83-year-old ruler told lawmakers after he took the oath of office.

But "we have not noticed any change or correction" from parliament and cabinet, he added.

Instead, the two entities have "harmed the interests of the people and the country," he said.

His predecessor's short-lived rule was marked by a protracted political standoff that saw successive parliament dissolutions and cabinet resignations.

Sheikh Meshal further pointed to public appointments and promotions that "don't meet the simplest standards of justice and fairness".

He pledged to temporarily halt promotions and new appointments, after already signing a decree on December 5 ordering a three-month pause in state hiring that is open to extension.

"We have warned on many occasions that crises, challenges and dangers surround us," Sheikh Meshal said, underscoring "the necessity to reconsider our current reality in all its aspects".

Bitter disputes



Shortly after the speech, the government submitted its resignation in a procedural step to allow for the naming of a new prime minister.

Kuwait, which borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is home to seven percent of the world's crude reserves. It has little debt and is one of the strongest sovereign wealth funds in the world.

However, it suffers from constant disputes between elected lawmakers and cabinets installed by the ruling Al-Sabah family, which maintains a strong grip over political life, despite a relatively robust parliamentary system in place since 1962.

The deadlocks have prevented lawmakers from passing reforms to diversify the economy, while repeated budget deficits and low foreign investment have added to the crises.

Bader al-Saif, a professor at Kuwait University, described Sheikh Meshal's address as "one of the strongest first speeches given by an incoming ruler".

"Most significant and unprecedented is the emir's clear rebuke of government and parliament," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Sheikh Meshal spent many years in the interior ministry and was deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard from 2004 to 2020.

During his long career in Kuwait's security and intelligence apparatus, he kept his distance from the often bitter disputes within the royal family.

His first major test as emir will be selecting a crown prince amid speculation over whether he will usher in a new generation of rulers.

He will have a year to make his pick, but much attention will be on whether he will be able to match the seven-day record set by his predecessor.

The new emir will also have to select a prime minister to form a new cabinet in a move that will set the tone for relations with the opposition-led parliament, hailed as the most active in the Gulf.

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- center3, a wholly owned subsidiary of the stc Group, announces that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CMC Networks, a global service provider offering market leading networking solutions across Africa and the Middle East.

center3 acquires CMC Networks in strategic move to accelerate growth plan (PRNewsfoto/center3)

CMC Networks operates across more than 110 service locations with a cost-effective, scalable, and resilient data communications network. It has the largest pan-African network servicing 51 out of 54 countries in Africa and 12 countries in the Middle East, plus regional hubs in key interconnect locations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific.

The acquisition aligns with center3's strategic vision for growth and expansion in the Middle East and African markets. It represents a significant step in the company's journey to extend its market presence and enhance its offerings in this dynamic and rapidly growing region.

CMC Networks is being acquired from the Carlyle Sub-Saharan Africa Fund ("CSSAF"). In 2020, the CSSAF team formed a separate private equity firm, Alterra Capital Partners ("Alterra"), which continues to advise CSSAF's investments including CMC Networks.

Fahad AlHajeri, CEO at center3, said:

"This acquisition is a landmark moment for center3. CMC's enviable global footprint, high value customer base and portfolio of capabilities is very complementary to center3's digital infrastructure and connectivity assets. This acquisition exemplifies our strategic commitment to enter key markets with significant growth potential. Our previous investment in 2Africa Cable, coupled with this acquisition, underscores our conviction in Africa's essential role in center3's future growth. We are excited about the possibilities that CMC Networks will bring including its wealth of knowledge, capability in the African region and promising growth in the Middle East."

Marisa Trisolino, Group CEO of CMC Networks, said:

"Joining forces with center3 is a thrilling development for us. We share a common vision of further expanding in the African market and together we will be able to achieve more, innovate further, and deliver enhanced value to our customers. This acquisition will bring together the strengths of both companies, fostering innovation, enhancing customer service, and providing new opportunities for growth in the African and the Middle East market. We are excited about the future and the opportunities that this acquisition will unlock for CMC Networks."

Eric Kump, Partner at Alterra, said:

"This acquisition is a fantastic opportunity to bring the dynamic center3 and CMC Networks teams together."

The acquisition is subject to customary conditions and approvals.

About center3

center3, a subsidiary of stc Group, was created to fulfil Saudi Arabia's vision of becoming a global data and communications hub, leveraging its strategic geographical position to link Europe, Asia, and Africa, and to establish itself as a digital hub in the MENA region. With its extensive network of data centers and submarine cable systems, center3 is uniquely positioned to provide its specialized services across the region.

Visit https://center3.com.

For further information please contact [email protected]

About CMC Networks

CMC Networks is a service provider that enables and accelerates digital transformation in the most challenging markets in the world. Headquartered in South Africa, providing network reach across six continents with innovation in AI, cloud on-ramp, cybersecurity, EDGE Cloud, SDN, virtualisation, and a range of services to solve to MNC's, Carriers, Governments, and non-profit organisations challenges with world-class solutions in the MEA region.

Visit https://cmcnetworks.com

For further information please contact [email protected]

About Alterra Capital Partners

Alterra is an experienced pan-African private equity fund manager dedicated to investing in Africa. The Alterra team, operating out of offices in Johannesburg and Nairobi, have led over $1.0 billion of private equity investments into 23 companies across Africa. Alterra's core focus sectors include business services, healthcare, technology, and telecommunications.

For further information please contact [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305634/center3_CMC.jpg

SOURCE center3
BROOKVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As a CQL with Distinction and Compass agency, AHRC Nassau has long been recognized for providing the highest-quality disability supports to Long Islanders with developmental disabilities. Now, AHRC has been named one of "America's Best-In-State Employers" by Forbes and will soon begin work on a $750,000 grant from New York State to train other disability agencies to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their communities.

AHRC has the distinction of being the only disability agency featured on a list of 88 top New York employers and ranks 41st. The 2023 "America's Best-in-State Employers" list was independently developed by Forbes and market research firm Statista Inc. from a survey of 70,000 U.S. workers on topics, including working environment, compensation, diversity, and career advancement.

"The mission-centered excellence of nonprofits can create workplaces that are both competitive and inclusive," said Stanfort J. Perry, CEO, AHRC Nassau, who recently received the Diversity and Cultural Competency Award from the National Conference of Executives of The Arc.

Through its $134-million annual operating budget, AHRC Nassau provides residential, day habilitation, vocational and supported employment services to people with developmental disabilities with a primarily Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) workforce. AHRC maintains a 22% turnover rate for frontline direct care staff in contrast to the sector's national average of 45%.

"Our successes as a service provider depend on our successes as an employer," said Perry. "Our evidence-based DEI framework is rigorously implemented and measured to ensure our policies and procedures advance a culture of inclusion and belonging."

For AHRC Nassau, an important call to action has been centering the experience of disability within DEI initiatives. Through the leadership of AHRC DEI Officer Sarah Gonzalez Noveiri, Ph.D., the agency will soon broaden the reach of its results-oriented approach.

New York State's Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) awarded AHRC Nassau a five-year grant of $750,000 to create an accessible "participatory learning process" on DEI.

Beginning in 2024, AHRC Nassau will begin recruiting and engaging regional partners to create a Community of Practice (CoP) advisory team. Together, the CoP will develop and connect DEI trainings with New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, their families, direct care providers, and disability agency executives.

"Focusing on lived experiences is the best way to create systems of support that bring people together and inspire action," said Gonzalez Noveiri. "DEI is ultimately about empowerment around how we can move forward together for a more equitable future."

About AHRC Nassau

AHRC Nassau is one of the largest agencies in New York State supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The nonprofit empowers people to lead fulfilling lives, together with family, friends and community. Offering a wide array of outstanding supports, AHRC Nassau is recognized by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) as a Compass agency, a distinction of excellence held by only four agencies in New York. The agency also has been awarded by CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership with Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation With Distinction. As a chapter of The Arc New York, AHRC Nassau welcomes the involvement of partners and volunteers to participate in the community and broaden its network of support. For more information, please visit www.ahrc.org.

Contact

Nicole Zerillo

[email protected]

SOURCE AHRC Nassau
NAGOYA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Central Japan Startup Ecosystem held a media event under the theme, "Diversifying the Value of Mobility: From Land to Sky" at Nagoya Innovator's Garage, a dynamic facility where entrepreneurs and enterprises come together to create new ideas, businesses and industries.

Diversifying the Value of Mobility: From Land to Sky Media Event

The event targeted overseas media and effectively introduced what the region of Central Japan is doing in the rapidly evolving field of mobility. The event not only highlighted Japanese startups, but also foreign/inbound startups that are seeking to expand into the Japanese market. This media event was an excellent opportunity for the foreign media to meet and conduct individual interviews with some of the most innovative entrepreneurs and startups in the region and to discuss the future of mobility.

Event Highlights

Shuichi Hirano from Jetro Nagoya (Director-General for Chubu, Chief Director) offered some opening remarks. This was followed by an overview of initiatives from the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium by Toshio Sumi (Director, Economic Affairs Bureau Startup Support Office, Innovation Department, Nagoya City Economic Affairs Bureau). He talked about Central Japan's mission to bring the future of mobility to our doorsteps. The ecosystem provides an excellent environment for startups to achieve unicorn status. Central Japan is also focused on developing outstanding human resources for the next generation of students through 'Tongali', an entrepreneurial platform for Central Japan's academic communities and serving 23 participating universities. As of 2022, 5,000 students have participated.

This was followed by a presentation by Masaaki Shibayama from the Aichi Prefectural Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry (Economic Industry Promotion Supervisor). He spoke about the Aichi Mobility Innovation Project, "Aichi Model 2030 Connecting Sky and Road" that aims to build a world-first mobility society where the sky, roads, people and things such as drones, flying cars, and autonomous vehicles intersect and are controlled simultaneously, with no boundaries in the movement of people and goods.

As an example of a successful foreign startup expanding into the Japanese market, Vitaly Pentegov, CEO at UrbanChain Group, talked about why Central Japan is the ideal choice for inbound startups. Originating in Hong Kong, launched in the U.S, and recently expandeAd in Japan, UrbanChain specifically chose Central Japan because Nagoya is the center of the automobile industry. He said, "The right size and a deeply rooted culture surrounding mobility makes Central Japan the best place and the right market size to test our product."

Finally, the presentation session concluded with an overview of entrepreneurship education from elementary, junior high, and high school students by Manabu Sahashi and Takahiro Yano from the Startup Promotion Office, Academic Research & Industry Academia-Government, Collaboration, Nagoya University.

This event was an excellent opportunity for the foreign media to meet Aichi-based and inbound startups that are looking to expand in Central Japan, as well as learn about the innovative programs that Central Japan is engaged in. All the participating startups used this occasion to introduce their companies, their support from Central Japan, and why this region is the ideal place for their business.

Background on Participating Startups

Fabio SOUZA, CEO, Crystal CO., LTD

Crystal is a platform for mobility sharing. Its e-scooter sharing service "Su__i" was launched in Nagoya and makes short distance transfers easier and enjoyable. Its integrated platform for sharing mobility will start operations in October 2025 and after that, Crystal will offer mobility beyond e-scooters, according to regional characteristics.

Crystal is supported by Central Japan for their app., Su__i  my route and a 2023 trial project for MaaS social implementation in Aichi Prefecture. In April 2023, Crystal moved into PRE-STATION Ai in Nagoya, which offers various programs depending on a startup's business stage.

https://www.crystal-tec.co.jp/index_en.html

Kiho KAMIYA, CEO & Founder, FACTORY X Inc.

Female-founded FACTORY X develops and deploys an "Inventory Strategy Model" to improve productivity and profitability by strategically holding inventory in the manufacturing process. The company aims for a new type of inventory optimization by rethinking the way inventory has been regarded as a 'negative' in the manufacturing industry. It was founded at the end of September 2022 and raised 40 million yen in a pre-seed round of funding in April 2023. The company was selected as one of the seven companies for fiscal year 2023 in the "Weekly Toyo Keizai 100 Amazing Venture Companies".

FACTORY X is supported by Central Japan through their hosted entrepreneur-first fundraisers, organized events that include local manufacturing companies, and sharing information and networking that can serve as the basis for overseas expansion.

https://www.factory-x.com/e-factory-x

Shuji OGAWA, President and Representative Director, PD AeroSpace, LTD.

PD AeroSpace built an engine that can change jet and rocket combustion modes mid-air, creating a way for a new type of reusable spaceplanes which are able to horizontally take off and land at airports. With the mission of "making space more accessible," the company aims to realize space travel by 2030.

With the support of Central Japan, PD Aerospace has been selected for the New Aichi Creative Development Grant Program for FY2023, and established Team D with detonation laboratories from five universities including Nagoya University.

https://pdas.co.jp/en/

Shunsuke TOYA, CEO, Prodrone Co., Ltd.

PRODRONE is one of the few companies in the world with a high level of technical expertise in both hardware (airframe) and software, and has introduced a number of innovative industrial drones since its establishment in 2015. At the Japan Mobility Show 2023, it unveiled a concept model of its new "SORA-MICHI," a "flying light truck," a cargo drone capable of flying 50 km with a 50 kg payload, aiming to solve local issues in mountainous areas and remote islands by delivering medical supplies in times of peace and disaster, and mitigation by transporting relief supplies to isolated villages.

PRODRONE received support from Central Japan through the Aichi Prefecture's "Innovative Business Creation Proposal Platform (A-idea)," which adopted the "Aichi Mobility Innovation Project, Aichi Model 2030 Connecting Skies and Roads." The project was also adopted as the first A-idea project, and PRODRONE was a co-sponsor of 'DRONE EXPO 2022 in Aichi.'

https://www.prodrone.com/

Vitaly PENTEGOV, CEO, UrbanChain Group

UrbanChain Group provides AIoT systems that integrate vehicle identification systems, EV charging control, car sharing, and data-driven SaaS platforms to enhance the efficient use of urban resources, with the main objective of connecting people, vehicles, and destinations.

UrbanChain received support from the Greater Nagoya Initiative by receiving a grant for company incorporation, introduced to Proof of Concept (PoC) opportunities, as well as PR opportunities and legal support. UrbanChain also joined PRE-STATION Ai which helped UrbanChain connect with Japanese companies and government organizations, provided mentoring, and opportunities to attend hosted events for Japanese and overseas audiences.

https://www.urbanchaingroup.com/

Background on Central Japan

Located in the Chubu region, also known as Central Japan  right in the middle of Japan's main island, Honshu, this region is proud of playing a vital role in the history of Japan's manufacturing craftsmanship. It was where Toyota first began, and as a tech pioneer, it is now the home to a wide range of sectors such as automobiles, photonics, and aerospace, using advanced, cutting-edge technologies.

Central Japan continues to invite entrepreneurs and capitalists from all corners of the world to facilitate stateoftheart open innovation by infusing new ideas with local craftsmanship. And as a result, take part in playing a crucial role in paving the path towards the Homeland of Mobility 5.0 the future of mobility.

Central Japan Startup Ecosystem provides everything a startup needs  from highly trained workers in many specialized fields to opportunities to conduct feasibility studies with leading companies in various industries including the mobility sector. There are also accelerator programs, financial support systems, innovative university seeds, and collaborative partnerships with ecosystems outside of Japan and also attract a wide range of entrepreneurs to this region.

About the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem

In July 2020, Aichi prefecture, Nagoya City and Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka-prefecture became one of the four regional Startup Ecosystem Global Base Cities groups designated nationwide by the Japanese Cabinet Office.

There are 371 startups in Central Japan, of which 150 are university-launched. An estimated 18,615 billion yen (as of July 2022) of funds have been raised, in addition to accelerator programs, financial support systems, and innovative university seeds.

Collaborative partnerships with Station F, INSEAD, BLOCK71, Paris &Co, Bpifrance, Venture Cafe, Plug and Play, Israel Innovation Authority, Tsinghua University, China Medical University, National University of Singapore, the University of Texas at Austin, Stanford University, North Carolina State University, University of Nebraska and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad attract a diverse range of entrepreneurs to the region.

For more information, please visit https://central-startup.jp/en/

SOURCE JETRO and Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium
DUBLIN, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "ChatGPT Use Cases in the Automotive Value Chain" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

ChatGPT has established itself as a versatile tool with potential use cases in various business functions across industries. Potential use cases across the automotive value chain are numerous. This report looks at various scenarios in which ChatGPT can be used for the key elements of the automotive value chain including supply chain, manufacturing, retail, and in-vehicle experience.

ChatGPT is trained on a massive data set, which makes it an application with wide knowledge. It can also learn new things and update its knowledge repository. This gives ChatGPT the ability to answer questions pertaining to a wide range of subjects. This capability, combined with domain-specific information, will enable ChatGPT to quickly undertake incisive analysis to derive meaningful insights.

Fed with production-related knowledge, this large language model can analyze the ongoing production data to identify anomalies and help identify bottlenecks and other issues in the production process. It can analyze historical data and current trends to forecast demand for specific components. It can also help the design team by analyzing market trends and customer feedback to suggest more user-centric designs.

In automotive retail, it can transform the customer purchase journey, where a chatbot powered by ChatGPT can attend to customers 24/7, answer their queries, and guide them through the vehicle selection and purchase process. Within the vehicle, ChatGPT can usher in an era of an AI companion that can engage with the driver and occupants in natural language conversations.

The research scope of this study includes discussion of:

Possible use cases of ChatGPT in the automotive value chain

Evolving use cases and analysis of their impact on the automotive value chain of the future

The automotive value chain, its subsegments, and the potential applications in those subsegments

The potential integration of ChatGPT in existing automotive products and solutions

The challenges associated with ChatGPT at the workplace and use cases that highlight the concerns around this technology

Growth opportunities and key takeaways that derive from the analysis

Key Topics Covered:

Growth Opportunity Analysis

Scope of Analysis

Growth Drivers

Growth Restraints

Growth Environment

ChatGPT Applications: Key Takeaways

Snapshot of ChatGPT in Automotive OEM First Movers

ChatGPT: Evolving Use Cases in Mobility

ChatGPT: Impact on Various Automotive Application Areas

Challenges: Countries Banning ChatGPT

Challenges: Companies Reacting to Workplace Use Of ChatGPT

ChatGPT Use Cases in the Automotive Value Chain: Supply Chain and Manufacturing

Automotive Applications: Overview

Automotive Supply Chain Management: Overview

Automotive Supply Chain: Working Scenario

Automotive Supply Chain: Potential Adopters

Automotive Manufacturing: Overview

Automotive Manufacturing: Design

Automotive Manufacturing: Production

Automotive Manufacturing: Quality Control

Automotive Manufacturing: Use Case, Mercedes Benz

Applications in the Supply Chain and Manufacturing: Key Takeaways

ChatGPT Use Cases in Automotive Value Chain: Retail and In-vehicle Experience

Automotive Retail: Overview

Automotive Retail: Marketing

Automotive Retail: Sales

Automotive Retail: Sales: Use Case 1, Fullpath

Automotive Retail: Sales: Use Case 2, Metaverse and ChatGPT

Automotive Retail: Aftermarket

ChatGPT: In-vehicle Experience: Overview

In-vehicle Experience: Potential Use Case

In-vehicle Experience: Mercedes Benz

In-vehicle Experience: Stellantis: DS Automobiles

Applications in Retail and In-vehicle Experience: Key Takeaways

ChatGPT in Automotive: Future Potential

ChatGPT's Impact Across the Automotive Value Chain

Automotive Technology Products and Platforms Incorporating LLMs in the Future

ChatGPT in Automotive: Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE)

A Peek into ChatGPT's Future

Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1: Usher in the Next Generation of In-vehicle Experience

Growth Opportunity 2: Revolutionize Customer Engagements

Growth Opportunity 3: Support Smart Manufacturing

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Fullpath

Mercedes Benz

Meta

Stellantis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s1jjkh

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
SANTA FE, N.M., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheryl "Renee" Roybal, the distinguished Rider Honoree for the 2024 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float, stands as a living mosaic of hope and unity, embodying the powerful intersectionality of personal stories, cultural heritage, and the lifesaving impact of organ, eye, and tissue donation.

Cheryl "Renee" Roybal: An Emblem of Hope and Unity at the 2024 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade

Cheryl "Renee" Roybal is Native American, a tribal enrolled member of the Pueblo de San Ildefonso in New Mexico. At 64 years old, she is the eldest of four siblings, married, has two wonderful daughters, and is a "Saya" grandma of 3 grandchildren. Unbeknown to doctors and herself, she became ill and discovered her heart was enlarged. She was then placed on the heart transplant list and was blessed to receive a heart on October 10, 2002, from an 11-year-old girl. She is alive today because someone's parents said yes to donating their child's organs. Because of that gift, Renee has seen her girls grow to become women and marry. She has been able to be present at the births of her grandchildren and blessed with many other beautiful milestone memories. Renee is enjoying life and sharing her knowledge of the importance of organ donation at various events in Northern New Mexico and in her local Native American communities.

Renee's journey is not merely a personal triumph; it is a shared narrative of resilience and transformation that resonates with the core purpose of the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float. The float, themed "Woven Together: The Dance of Life," serves as a canvas for diverse stories, transcending cultural boundaries, and showcasing the universal language of music and the shared experience of organ donation recipients. Renee continues today to participate in her traditional dances; to her this brings blessing prayers for life.

Through the artful sharing of these captivating stories, OneLegacy seeks to gently motivate a groundswell of registrations, contributing organically to the collective effort to save and heal lives. The unspoken power of Renee's narrative, and those of others, lies in the quiet invitation to join a community committed to making a difference for the over 100,000 individuals in the U.S. currently awaiting a lifesaving transplant.

The OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float is a testament to the collaborative efforts of more than 20 sponsoring organizations, including donation, transplant, healthcare, and family care entities. It brings together individuals from across the country who share a common goal  promoting the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation.

Cheryl "Renee" Roybal, with her diverse background and personal triumph, symbolizes the human connection that transcends cultural, societal, and geographical boundaries. Her story, like many others, unfolds on the grand stage of the Rose Parade, inspiring a wave of registrations and fostering a community committed to saving and healing lives through the remarkable act of organ, eye, and tissue donation.

SOURCE Donate Life California
SHANGHAI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China Eastern Airlines' first flight between Shanghai and the Egyptian capital of Cairo took place on Dec. 11, marking the first direct passenger flight route from Shanghai to North Africa operated by a Chinese airline.

The flight MU223 departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport with 232 passengers at 00:45 a.m. It arrived at Cairo International Airport at 7:19 a.m. local time.

China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo. China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo.

The direct flight from Shanghai to Cairo is available every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, while the flight returning from Cairo departs every Monday, Thursday and Saturday local time as well.

The route is serviced by the airline's latest A350-900 wide-body aircraft, which are equipped with the latest passenger service system and Wi-Fi, allowing passengers to enjoy Wi-Fi services throughout the 10-hour journey.

The airline aims to provide a seamless travel experience for passengers as the outbound flights arrive early in the morning local time so that they can explore the ancient city or efficiently change planes to other destinations in Africa and the Middle East.

The inbound flights to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, one of China's major international aviation hubs, offer convenient connections for passengers from Cairo. Passengers can take advantage of the airport's extensive network to efficiently change planes to other Chinese cities, as well as other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Furthermore, passengers who continue their journey with the airline and its partner airlines will enjoy seamless and convenient transfer services.

Image Attachments Links:

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443814

Caption: China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo.

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443815

Caption: China Eastern Airlines launches direct flight route between Shanghai and Cairo.

SOURCE China Eastern Airlines
Images: HERE

MIAMI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CloneMe.io, a pioneering company in the realm of AI technology, is thrilled to announce the launch of its enchanting new holiday initiative, "Messages from the North Pole". This innovative project offers a unique and heartfelt way to connect with the festive spirit, allowing users globally to send and receive personalized video messages from beloved holiday characters  Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and Santa's Elf Bestie.

In a world where holiday celebrations often span continents, "Messages from the North Pole" bridges the gap, delivering joy and wonder directly from Santa's workshop to families worldwide. Imagine the delight and surprise as loved ones watch a special video message, tailor-made for them by their favorite festive characters!

The process of creating this magical experience is seamless and user-friendly. Customers are invited to provide details and craft a message for their chosen holiday figure. These personalized greetings can be sent in 1 of 29 languages of the users choice, ensuring a wide-reaching appeal. The final video message is elegantly prepared and sent via email, ready to be shared and cherished by loved ones.

This holiday season, regardless of whether recipients have been naughty or nice, they can expect a memorable message from either Santa, Mrs. Claus, or Santa's Elf Bestie. CloneMe.io is excited to bring dreams to life and create lasting memories that will be treasured for years to come. With "Messages from the North Pole", the magic and excitement of the festive season are just a click away.

For more information on how to bring a piece of the North Pole magic into your home, please visit CloneMe.io/northpole.

About CloneMe

CloneMe is a pioneering technology company specializing in artificial intelligence. the company is committed to developing AI solutions that are not only intelligent but also personable and user-friendly. CloneMe's mission is to make technology more human, one AI model at a time.

Media Contact:

Krizia De La Puente

[email protected]

786-484-4447

www.CloneMe.io

SOURCE CloneMe.io
Funds support United Way, addressing root causes of poverty and important social issues that resonate with the diverse interests of employees.

CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands announced today the results of its annual "United for Change" employee giving campaign, raising more than $500,000 to benefit United Way, United Way member agencies and other nonprofits that align with the diverse interests of Conagra employees. The Conagra Brands Foundation will also be matching a portion of employee contributions made throughout the duration of the campaign.

Conagra's commitment to creating an inclusive culture through partnerships with community and social justice organizations is exemplified throughout this campaign. Designed to increase employees' understanding of the disparities that exist in their communities, United for Change provides an opportunity to directly support effective programs and resources that strengthen and empower individuals who are often marginalized in society.

More than 2,000 employees from 31 facility and office locations across the United States, Mexico, and Canada contributed to the campaign. In addition, United for Change provides awareness and a forum for employees to learn from leading nonprofits on topics such as how economic development plays an essential role in the transformation of neighborhoods, and ways to build more equitable communities. The United Way has been a core partner for this campaign since 1997.

"Each year, I am humbled by the generosity of our employees during the United for Change campaign," said Robert Rizzo, Senior Director, Conagra Brands Foundation. "While our teams are active participants in philanthropic efforts throughout the year, this outpouring of generosity is especially inspirational as we head into the holiday season. The success of this campaign is a testament to the compassion of our employees, and we will remain committed to supporting organizations that help create transformational positive impact in our communities and for our neighbors."

For more information on Conagra's diversity and inclusion efforts, please see the company's Citizenship Report .

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Reddi-wip, and Slim Jim, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

About Conagra Brands Foundation

Conagra Brands Foundation believes everyone has a right to healthy and nutritious food knowing that food insecurity exists in every U.S. county. The Foundation partners with exceptional national and local nonprofits with high-impact programs located in the communities where we live and work. By focusing our efforts within five areas: Direct Food Access, Cooking Skills, Nutrition Education, Healthy and Active Lifestyles and Urban Agriculture, we are able to be a leader in the fight against food insecurity in North America.

For more information, please contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
CHICAGO , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Concrete Admixtures Market by Type (Superplasticizers, Normal Plasticizers, Accelerating Admixtures, Retarding Admixtures, Air-entraining Admixtures), Application (Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure), and Region - Global Forecast to 2028", size was USD 18.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 25.9 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 6.9%, between 2023 and 2028.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Concrete Admixtures Market"

154  Tables

54  Figures

240  Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=768

Waterproofing Admixtures are projected to register the highest CAGR, in terms of value, of the global concrete admixtures during the forecast period.

Waterproofing admixtures are known due to their effectiveness as compared to other waterproofing solutions. These admixtures form a resilient network to block the pores within concrete, effectively sealing even the smallest cracks and pores, thus ensuring long-lasting protection against water intrusion. Notably, some of the waterproofing admixtures have self-healing capabilities that further distinguish them, as they react with moisture over time to create new crystals that mend minor concrete damage. Thus, waterproofing admixtures are widely used in applications such as residential, commercial, and infrastructure, which will increase demand for them in the future.

The commercial is estimated to be the second-largest application of concrete admixtures, in terms of value, during the forecast period.

In the upcoming years, it is anticipated that the use of concrete admixtures in commercial applications will continue to grow. Because commercial buildings are typically subjected to more wear and tear than residential buildings. Also, weak bases, structures, and water penetration can cause significant structural damage to commercial buildings, which can lead to costly repairs and downtime. Therefore, there is a demand for durable and long-lasting concrete solutions for the commercial application.

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Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for the concrete admixtures market, in terms of value, during the forecast period.

The adoption of concrete admixtures in various industrial sectors has increased due to government initiatives and heavy investments in infrastructure development. Moreover, The Asia-Pacific region is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with strong economic growth and rising disposable incomes. This is creating a favorable environment for the growth of the concrete admixtures market. Accordingly, Asia Pacific will be the largest market for concrete admixtures market during the forecast period.

The key players profiled in the report include Sika AG (Switzerland), Saint-Gobain S.A. (France), MAPEI S.p.A. (Italy), Fosroc, Inc. (UAE), RPM International Inc. (US), Penetron (US) Dow inc. (US) Xypex Chemical Corporation (Canada), and Arkema (France).

Browse Adjacent Market: Specialty Chemicals Market Research & Consulting

Related Reports:

Waterproofing Systems Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Concrete Superplasticizers Market - Global Forecast to 2024

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MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report.

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The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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MARLTON, N.J., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 2.7 million patients are being notified that their Social Security numbers and other confidential information were compromised when an unauthorized party gained access to ESO Solutions' computer system. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are investigating claims on behalf of anyone affected by the ESO Solutions breach, and are immediately available to fully inform victims of the risks they face in the wake of the breach as well as their legal rights.

The sensitive personal data of 2,700,000 patients has been compromised. Now, patients' full names, Social Security numbers, medical information and dates of birth may be in the hands of criminals, putting them at a greater risk of identity theft and other frauds.

On December 12, 2023, ESO Solutions filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine describing a data breach affecting consumers nationwide. However, because ESO Solutions obtained the patient data through its healthcare clients, most victims will be unfamiliar with the company's name.

ESO Solutions notes that the incident stemmed from a September 2023 ransomware attack, which the company promptly detected and stopped. However, upon completing an investigation, ESO Solutions determined that the hackers were able to access portions of the company's computer network, including files containing confidential information belonging to patients of ESO's customers.

The list of sensitive information that was exposed includes:

Names,

Social Security numbers,

Dates of birth,

Injury types,

Injury dates,

Treatment dates, and

Treatment types.

If you receive a data breach notice from ESO Solutions, you could now be at risk of identity theftand the devastating financial and legal consequences that go along with it.

What Should You Do if You Receive an ESO Solutions Data Breach Letter?

Individuals who receive a data breach letter from ESO Solutions should take steps to protect themselves. (See our Guide for Victims of Data Breach for more details at https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/consumer-privacy-data-breach-lawyers/if-your-information-has-been-compromised-in-a-data-breach/ ).

Additionally, victims should consider contacting a data breach attorney immediately, as anyone who receives a data breach letter from ESO Solutions may be entitled to financial compensation.

If you wish to discuss this data security incident, please contact Console & Associates, P.C. at (866) 778-5500. You can also learn more about this data breach and potential lawsuit at https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/eso-solutions-data-breach-class-action-investigation-and-lawsuit-assistance/ .

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

SOURCE Console & Associates, P.C.
EU countries and lawmakers reached an agreement Wednesday on an overhaul of the bloc's laws on handling asylum-seekers and migrants, officials said.

The reform includes speedier vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, accelerated deportation for rejected asylum applicants and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern countries experiencing big inflows.

Spain, which chaired the lengthy negotiations in its role holding the EU presidency, said on X, formerly Twitter: "A political agreement has been reached on the five files of the EU new Pact on Migration and Asylum."

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said: "It's been a long road to get here. But we made it. Europe is finally delivering on migration."

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen added that "migration is a common European challenge, today's decision will allow us to manage it together".

The accord still needs to be formally approved by the European Council, representing the 27 EU member countries, and the European Parliament before it enters the bloc's lawbooks.

The migration issue has taken on a harder political edge in Europe in recent years with the rise of nationalist anti-immigrant parties in several EU countries, including Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The negotiators were keen to reach a workable deal that could be enacted before the term of the current European Parliament ends in June 2024.

But dozens of charities that help migrants, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Caritas and Save the Children, have criticised the changes, saying in an open letter that the package would create a "cruel system" that is unworkable.

Accelerated vetting



The overhaul, based on a commission proposal put forward three years ago, keeps the existing principle under which the first EU country an asylum-seeker enters is responsible for their case.

But to help countries experiencing a high number of arrivals, as is the case with Mediterranean countries Italy, Greece and Malta, a compulsory solidarity mechanism would be set up.

That would mean a certain number of migrant relocations to other EU countries, or countries that refuse to take in migrants would provide a financial or material contribution to those that do.

The planned reform also aims for an accelerated filtering and vetting of asylum-seekers so those deemed ineligible can be quickly sent back to their home country or country of transit.

That procedure -- which requires border detention centres being set up, would apply to irregular migrants coming from countries whose nationals' asylum requests are rejected in more than 80 percent of cases.

The MEPs obtained guarantees that families with young children would have adequate conditions and that monitoring would take place so that detained migrants' rights were upheld and free legal advice provided, one lawmaker, Fabienne Keller, told AFP.

Another point is a proposed "surge response" under which protections for asylum-seekers could be curtailed in times of significant inflows, as happened in 2015-2016 when more than two million asylum-seekers arrived in the EU, many from war-torn Syria.

The EU is seeing a rising number of irregular migrant arrivals and asylum requests.

In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17 percent.

The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.

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Rolling Meadows-based family law practice announces the addition of a new attorney to the legal team

CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The family law space in the Chicago area is experiencing tremendous demand for services. Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois is pleased to announce the arrival of Irina Melnik to the role of Senior Associate Attorney within the practice. "We're thrilled Irina has joined our team. She brings a depth of experience that our clients will appreciate", says Miriam Cooper, founder and partner.

Melnik graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned her JD from the DePaul University College of Law. It's not surprising that her caseload is filling at the practice. Melnik is experienced in all aspects of family law practice. "Irina knows the intricacies of divorce proceedings. She's also a skilled litigator and she takes a special interest in pre-nuptial agreements, disabled adult guardianships, and more. We are lucky to have Irina on our team", says Helena L. Trachtenberg, partner.

Irina is a proud member of the Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC. "I like to work with diverse cases and here we are seeing clients from all walks of life. Strategically guiding couples through challenging family law matters is fulfilling to me. I'm also a native Russian speaker and it is an honor to work with clients from the Russian community", says Melnik. No matter the case, Melnik is ready to work hard for her clients.

Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC offers a full array of family law services including litigated, mediated, and collaborative divorce strategies, pre-nuptial contracts, post-divorce decree modifications, real estate transaction legal services, and other family law legal services. All the attorneys on the team, including Irina Melnik, are dedicated to offering personalized legal guidance and approaches designed to meet the specific needs of each client. As a local law practice, it is an honor to be a member of the business community caring for clients year-round. The practice maintains a headquarters office in Rolling Meadows and additional offices in Chicago's Loop and Lincolnshire, Illinois.

For more information about the practice visit: Mcooperlaw.com

Press Contact:

Rebecca Hoffman | Good Egg Concepts

[email protected]

Telephone: 312-282-4254

SOURCE Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC
DENVER, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Popular designer furnishings retailer Ballard Designs will soon add its touch to the Queen City of the Plains, when it opens its Denver store location on January 2, 2024. The site is in upscale Cherry Creek North, a mecca for Denver retail shoppers with more than 300 cool stores within a vibrant, walkable neighborhood atmosphere.

Ballard's new Denver location is part of the 40-year-old home decor brand's ongoing retail expansion spanning 20 states and 22 retail stores.

The lights are on as Ballard Designs prepares to open new retail location in Denver's Cherry Creek North shopping district, January 2024. In with the trends... Ballard Designs' new store location joins the popular shopping district with flying colors.

"We LOVE Denver, and we know from 40 years of sales history, that Denver loves us too," said Dominic Milanese, VP of Retail for Ballard Designs. "Now Coloradans can see the beautiful pages of our catalog come to life in-store, and experience Ballard Designs up-close and in person like never before."

The new 4,800-square-foot space features 13 fully decorated room vignettes showcasing Ballard's exclusive living and dining room furniture, bedding and bath, upholstery, lighting, rugs, drapery, and latest seasonal decor.

At the heart of the light-filled showroom, guests can browse hundreds of stylish fabrics, and schedule a complimentary appointment with an expert Design Consultant, who can help with everything from color selection and space-planning to decorating an entire home.

"The first thing you'll notice when you walk into our gorgeous new Denver store is color, color everywhere," Milanese added with enthusiasm. "In addition to tried-and-true Ballard classics, we're adding fabulous new fabrics, accessories, and wallpapers in our favorite on-trend colors and patterns for spring. We can't wait for everyone in Colorado to visit."

Decorating lovers will find the new Ballard Designs store at the eastern edge of Cherry Creek North between Second and Third on St. Paul Street, near the Cherry Creek shopping mall. Starting January 2, store hours will be 10-7 Monday-Saturday, 11-6 Sunday. Parking is available on the street and at various nearby garages.

About Ballard Designs

Since 1982, Ballard Designs has offered a unique curation of home furnishings and decor from all periods and provenance. Ballard Designs is part of Qurate Retail Group which includes QVC, HSN, Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Grandin Road.

Media Contact:

Ann Bailey 404-603-7239 [email protected]

SOURCE Ballard Designs
DENVER, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DispatchHealth has published findings from an extensive case study focused on assessing caregiver fatigue within the hospital-at-home model. The study explores the vital question: Does this innovative care model alleviate or exacerbate caregiver stress?

The findings suggest that in-home hospital alternative care may lightennot loadcaregivers' plates. DispatchHealth Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Riddleberger said, "Our research offers new perspectives on caregiver fatigue, comparing home-based care with traditional facility-based care, and underscores the potential benefits of the hospital-at-home model for caregivers."

Findings suggest in-home hospital alternative care may lightennot loadcaregivers' plates. Post this

A Fresh Perspective on Caregiver Fatigue

In a nation where millions of caregivers confront serious emotional and physical burdens, the issue at hand is far from trivial. Research indicates that nearly 60% of caregivers experience high stress levels.1

However, DispatchHealth's latest study reveals a surprising insight: the hospital-at-home model could provide much-needed respite, marking a transformative understanding of caregiver dynamics.

According to the study, in-home care was perceived as less stressful by the majority of caregivers. Caregivers also felt more informed about the patient's daily care plan during in-home care.

To learn more about the findings and methodology and gain deeper insights into the caregiver experience, access the complete study at: http://dispatchhealth.com/caregivers

Moving Forward: A Commitment to Caregiver Support

The study underscores the importance of incorporating caregiver wellness into modern healthcare paradigms. Dr. Patrick Kneeland, vice president of medical affairs at DispatchHealth, articulates this vision with clarity: "Our strategy elevates caregivers from supportive roles to pivotal partners, thereby catalyzing enhanced outcomes for all stakeholders."

The hospital-at-home approach is more than just a substitute for conventional care; it represents a significant change in recognizing the typically ignored difficulties some caregivers encounter. Dr. Kneeland notes, "Incorporating caregivers as essential partners in our treatment process enhances their involvement and boosts the effectiveness of health results."

DispatchHealth's unwavering dedication to empowering caregivers and continuously evolving its in-home healthcare services underpin this innovative approach.

"Recognizing caregivers as fundamental to our ecosystem, we are committed to spearheading a healthcare revolution that benefits patients, caregivers, and the broader community alike," Dr. Kneeland affirms.

Real-World Impact: The Story of Francisco and Esperanza

A poignant example is provided by Francisco and Esperanza, a Nevada couple married for 56 years. Esperanza, who helps manage her husband's diabetes, has long navigated the challenges of frequent hospitalizations, including stressful commutes, vigils beside a hospital bed, and the fear of hospital-acquired infections. However, the scenario changed when Francisco contracted a complex infection that required several days of IV antibiotics, and DispatchHealth provided the necessary care at their home. Esperanza experienced a serene transformation with the new shift. The absence of hospital visits allowed her to embrace her daily routines with ease. Furthermore, seeing Francisco in a state of comfort, savoring the home-cooked meals she prepared, led to a noticeable change that provided comfort to them both.

Learn more: DispatchHealth's hospital-alternative care.

About DispatchHealth: Bringing the power of the hospital to the comfort of home

DispatchHealth provides comprehensive and trusted medical care in the comfort of home to people with serious health concernswith services that include same-day, urgent medical care; hospital alternative care; and recovery care. Our emergency medicine and hospitalist medicine trained care teams can use all the tools necessaryincluding imaging and IV infusionsto treat common to complex injuries and illnesses in the home. DispatchHealth is partnered with most major insurance companies and works closely with primary care and specialty care providers, EMS, health systems, senior living facilities, and employers to deliver in-home care that reduces unnecessary emergency room visits, hospital stays and readmissions. Since the company's inception in 2013, our expert medical teams have treated more than one million people in their homes across more than 30 states in the countryresulting in 58% emergency room avoidance, 8.5% 30-day hospital readmission, 98% patient satisfaction, and nearly $1.5 billion in medical cost savings.

1 Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 - AARP Research Report

SOURCE DispatchHealth
DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspiring mental health professionals across the United States are invited to apply for the prestigious Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship, established to recognize and support individuals dedicated to shaping the future of mental health care. Dr. Ryan Sondergard, a distinguished psychiatrist at the VA in Dayton Ohio, spearheads this initiative as a testament to his commitment to fostering talent in the field.

Applicants for the Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship must be enrolled or accepted in accredited U.S. college or university programs, pursuing majors or concentrations in mental health-related disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, counseling, or social work. The scholarship, a one-time award of $2,000, seeks candidates maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, demonstrating their passion and dedication to mental health advocacy.

Dr. Ryan Sondergard's illustrious career and dedication to improving mental health outcomes drive the essence of this scholarship. Holding a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from A.T. Still University-KCOM and having completed post-graduate medical education in adult psychiatry at Saint Louis University, Dr. Sondergard's expertise is a beacon for those aspiring to contribute to mental health services.

"The scholarship aims to provide financial assistance to deserving individuals, removing barriers hindering their educational pursuits," expresses Dr. Ryan Sondergard, highlighting the core mission of this scholarship. "Our goal is to empower future mental health professionals by supporting their educational journey."

The recipient of the Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship will be announced on September 15, 2024, following a meticulous evaluation of the submissions by a distinguished panel of mental health experts.

Individuals passionate about mental health and committed to making a difference in the field are encouraged to explore the scholarship's website https://drryansondergardscholarship.com/ for comprehensive details, application guidelines, and essential deadlines. Stay connected with the scholarship program on social media for the latest updates and valuable information.

For inquiries or further information about the Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship for Mental Health Professionals, please refer to the official website or contact the designated authorities listed therein.

The Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship for Mental Health Professionals stands as a beacon of hope, fostering the next generation of mental health professionals to create a brighter, more compassionate future for mental health care.

For more information, please visit https://drryansondergardscholarship.com/.

SOURCE Dr. Ryan Sondergard Scholarship
The ground-breaking all-in-one security fogging system for homes and businesses will bolster Enviroblind's security offerings throughout the West Coast

HOBOKEN, N.J., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Essence Group, a leading technology group developing and supplying wireless, cloud-based security solutions for homes and businesses, today announced its partnership with Enviroblind, one of California's leading installers of security shutters for over 45 years, to offer MyShield, the standalone security fog-generating intruder intervention system, to their business and residential customers across the west coast of the U.S.

Enviroblind Partners with Essence Group to Add MyShield Intruder Intervention Solution to its Security Offerings

"We are excited to expand our US-based partnerships by providing customers with a comprehensive security approach that combines proactive intrusion response with intervention capabilities to effectively stop break-ins," said Dr. Haim Amir, CEO and Founder of Essence Group. "Through our collaboration with Enviroblind, business and residential property owners will now be able to stop intruders from penetrating vulnerable points of entry. MyShield empowers individuals to bolster their security measures by safely removing threats quickly and from a distance for added peace of mind."

MyShield is the first all-in-one, LTE-M-connected intruder detection and intervention security fog generator. It utilizes cellular IoT networks, and can be used as a standalone app-based solution, or integrated into existing security and professional monitoring systems. The award-winning proprietary security fog generator fills a room with a veil of harmless yet disorienting fog in about 30 seconds, forcing intruders off premises before they can cause harm to people or property. Easy-to-install, the battery-powered system includes an integrated passive infrared motion (PIR) detector, high-definition video camera with recording capabilities, and two-way voice communication to ensure verification prior to deployment. Multiple MyShield solutions can also be daisy-chained together to cover multiple rooms and larger areas.

"The security landscape is constantly evolving with new challenges arising every day. At Enviroblind we are committed to offering solutions that make our customers feel safe and secure knowing their home or business is equipped with the most advanced security technology to stave off threats," said James Frazier, General Manager of Enviroblind. "We are thrilled to be offering Essence's MyShield alongside our existing security products to enhance customer safety like never before so families, homes, and businesses remain protected and monitored at all times."

With over four decades of experience, Enviroblind's exterior security shutters and screens have protected countless homes, families, and businesses against threats of burglary and vandalism by cutting off vulnerable access points and deterring thieves from entering a properties windows and doors. Now, coupled with MyShield, Enviroblind customers can enjoy an additional layer of security for residential and commercial properties, with a 'first responder' to force intruders out of premises when a break-in occurs. MyShield devices are available for purchase and installation through Enviroblind.

"Security threats against home and business owners continue to evolve, leaving them unprepared to protect themselves against the continuing wave of burglaries and theft," said Yaniv Amir, President of Essence USA. "By providing solutions that actively intervene with burglaries, security providers like Enviroblind are adding real value to the services they provide their customers with."

About Essence Group

Essence Group is a global technology leader with a mission to develop and deploy innovative, cloud-based, end-to-end security and healthcare solutions, underpinned by supporting services, that provide peace of mind to users. For over a quarter of a century, Essence has challenged convention by making care and safety both accessible and affordable. With over 75 million connected devices deployed worldwide, Essence helps people to live safer and more independent lives.

For more information: https://www.essence-grp.com/

Follow Essence Group on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook

About Enviroblind

Established in 1977, Enviroblind is California's leading installer for Security Shutters and Retractable Screens providing an innovative, attractive, and effective solution for security protection for homes and businesses.

For more information: https://www.enviroblind.com/

Media Contact:

Mushkie Meyer

Headline Media

[email protected]

US:+19143364035

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305438/Enviroblind_Partnership.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1705604/Essence_Group_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Essence Group
Funds Will Uplift Communities Hit Hardest by Environmental Stressors

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fordham University has been awarded a $50 million grant focused on environmental justice, issued through a competitive grant process by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fordham will serve as a grantmaker to community-based groups in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and will also fund the environmental research of its own faculty.

Fordham will receive the funds over three years, working with partner organizations to help uplift disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities as well as those disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and other environmental stressors. Fordham is one of just 11 institutions nationwide selected to manage $550 million in federal funds earmarked for the program.

"Fordham University stands for impact on the world and finding solutions to the most urgent problems," said President Tania Tetlow. "Fordham combines cutting-edge research with a deep connection to community, building on 182 years of engagement with the Bronx and expanding outward across the globe. This project embodies Fordham's mission. We believe in the power of community-driven solutions to climate change to capture the insights and ingenuity of the people on the front lines of global warming."

Approximately $10 million of the award will be designated for the grantmaking operation and related programming, as well as for Fordham's own research. Serving as the EPA Region 2 grantmaker for the project, called the 2023 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, Fordham will allocate the remaining $40 million in subgrants ranging from $75,000 to $350,000 to foster various environmental justice initiatives. Fordham's Center for Community Engaged Learning is leading the initiative, which will be directed by Julie Gafney, Ph.D., and Surey Miranda.

Community and Academic Partners

The University is collaborating with key community and academic partners, including the New York Immigration Coalition, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, ConPRmetidos in Puerto Rico, Community Foundation Virgin Islands, Business Initiative Corporation of New York, and several universities across the target regions. This collaborative approach will ensure a broader impact and integrate the University's research and teaching with real-world environmental justice efforts.

Communities will be able to apply to Fordham for a subgrant to fund a range of different environmental project activities, including small local clean ups, local emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency programs, environmental workforce development programs, air quality and asthma related projects, healthy homes programs, and projects addressing illegal dumping. Each subgrant will be bolstered by a Community of Practice group that includes faculty, community leaders, and graduate assistants, ensuring comprehensive support and maximizing effectiveness.

"We are grateful to have worked alongside our partners across EPA Region 2 to ensure accessibility to this much-needed funding for all. We aim to ensure that the most impacted communities can leverage the funding and technical assistance available through the program. This will help build their capacity and strengthen the work already taking place in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands," said Miranda.

This award from the EPA underlines Fordham's commitment to public impact research and STEM curricular development, as well as the University's engagement with communities as they respond to the most pressing issues facing our city and our nation.

"This grant is the direct product of Fordham's commitment to center environmental justice and sustainability in our public impact teaching, learning, and research," said Gafney. "In Fordham's Flourishing in Community (FIC) Grantmaker Initiative, we created a transformative approach that offers a new vision of higher education: one that values community impact alongside cutting-edge research. Our initiative not only provides grants to disadvantaged and disproportionately impacted communities, but also extends to comprehensive wraparound support, ensuring the sustainability and impact of these crucial community-led projects."

To learn more, visit the Fordham News website.

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees, and enrolls approximately 17,000 students in Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business (undergraduate and graduate), the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, the Graduate School of Social Service, and the School of Law. The University has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan; the Westchester campus in West Harrison, New York; the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, New York; and the Fordham London campus in the United Kingdom.

Those interested in learning more about the programincluding how to apply for grantscan fill out this form.

SOURCE Fordham University
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Layer2 Financial, a leading BaaS and payments infrastructure technology, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Evita, a B2B cross-border payments solution specializing in large transactions. This groundbreaking collaboration marks a significant milestone in the financial technology landscape, leveraging the strengths of both entities to streamline and optimize cross-border payment processes.

"Evita's decision to partner with Layer2 was driven by their exceptional speed, agility, and ability to navigate complex compliance layers". Said George Goognin, Founder of Evita. "The partnership enables us to manage compliance efficiently, and paves the way for ramping up USD operations."

Evita distinguishes itself by focusing on large transactions, particularly in markets where traditional financial institutions fall short. Notably, the company excels in facilitating transactions related to high-value items such as luxury cars and Italian furniture, offering an alternative to major banks like Bank of America and Chase. By utilizing their own liquidity and direct local payment rails, Evita ensures faster and more cost-effective payments for their clients.

Goognin expressed his astonishment at the remarkable speed of onboarding with Layer2, stating, "I thought they were joking with me when they said our account was up and running. After engaging with more than 40 banks,, encountering promises of months-long processes, the efficiency and speed with which Layer2 had our account ready took me by surprise. It's a testament to their commitment to streamlining financial processes and providing a level of service that goes beyond industry expectations."

Evita will leverage Layer2 to open FBO (For Benefit Of) accounts for its clients, enhancing Evita's ability to operate seamlessly with US Dollars and enables customers to have individual US/Native accounts, simplifying wire instructions and reducing the likelihood of errors.

In an environment where many banks now shy away from crypto, George is a vocal advocate for its transparency, trackability, and safety in the financial system. He believes that the collaboration between these two companies will help rebuild trust as digital and fiat currencies are poised to reshape the landscape of large, cross-border transactions.

About Layer2 Financial

Layer2 is a next generation Payments Infrastructure. Our multi-partner platform is designed to provide payment processors, fintechs and neobanks with fully compliant Collections, PayOuts, FX, Cross Border payment services. With just one API, you can access all of these services seamlessly and easily.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ryan Miller

ryan.miller@layer2financial.com

SOURCE Layer2 Financial
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspiring physician assistants seeking to follow in the footsteps of esteemed cardiologist Dr. Hari Saini now have an exceptional opportunity at their fingertips. The Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship for Physician Assistants has opened its gates, offering a one-time award of $1,000 to support and recognize dedicated students on their journey towards shaping the future of healthcare.

Established in honor of Dr. Hari Saini, an influential figure in the field of medicine, this scholarship program aims to empower and uplift individuals who embody Dr. Saini's unwavering commitment to excellence, compassion, and patient-centered care. With a legacy built on years of dedication to exceptional patient care, Dr. Saini stands as an inspiration to aspiring healthcare professionals.

Applicants for the Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship for Physician Assistants must meet stringent eligibility criteria to be considered for this prestigious award. They must be accepted or currently enrolled in a master's degree or certificate program in physician assistant studies at an accredited institution in the United States. Moreover, applicants are required to demonstrate a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, along with a fervent passion for patient care, evident through prior healthcare experience, community service, or involvement in healthcare-related organizations.

"The Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship for Physician Assistants serves as a beacon for those aspiring to elevate healthcare standards," emphasizes Dr. Hari Saini , the visionary behind this initiative. "It's an honor to support talented individuals who share our commitment to delivering exceptional care and shaping the future of healthcare."

The winner of the scholarship will be announced on September 15, 2024.

Dr. Hari Saini , renowned for his illustrious career as an interventional cardiologist, stands as a beacon of excellence in healthcare. His journey embodies an unwavering dedication to elevating patient care standards and advancing the realms of medicine. Dr. Saini's invaluable contributions have not only saved lives but also inspired countless individuals to pursue careers in healthcare. His commitment to nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals resonates deeply through the establishment of the Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship for Physician Assistants.

For more information about the Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship for Physician Assistants and to apply, visit https://drharisainischolarship.com/ before the August 15, 2024 deadline.

SOURCE Dr. Hari Saini Scholarship
World's largest and most comprehensive veterinary conference opens January 13 in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jan. 13 -17, 2024, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) will host VMX 2024 in Orlando, FL, setting the direction for veterinary medicine in the new year and providing industry professionals with more than 800 continuing education and scientific sessions presented by world-renowned veterinary leaders. VMX features subject matter experts on the top current events in veterinary medicine to help veterinary professionals expand their skills and be on the cutting edge of what's new and notable.

"Breakthroughs in research and technological advancements, most notably AI, are providing additional resources to veterinary practices as global demand for veterinary professionals continues to rise and practices endeavor to keep up," said NAVC CEO Gene O'Neill. "VMX presents global veterinary leaders on the forefront of advances in veterinary medicine, providing the newest and most relevant education veterinary professionals need to excel in their careers and further the industry as a whole."

VMX presents global veterinary leaders on the forefront of advances in veterinary medicine -- NAVC CEO Gene O'Neill Post this

This year's conference includes researchers on the front lines breaking new ground and discovering insights about the "mystery dog respiratory illness" sweeping across the United States, AI experts on the cutting edge of new technology that is revolutionizing the industry and veterinary professionals from Ukraine discussing the state of animal health care in times of crisis.

VMX 2024 will feature world-renowned animal healthcare experts who are available for interviews. Look for more sessions and presenters who will be highlighted this month. See the VMX 2024 Full Program for session dates and times.

In the past few months, the University of New Hampshire has been at the forefront of the "mystery dog illness" seen in more than 15 states as veterinary professionals and scientists search for answers to this unknown respiratory disease. Dr. Needle, pathology section chief at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, is working closely to understand the illness. He will be at VMX on Monday, January 15 to highlight the newest findings of this puzzling affliction and how the phenomenon may continue to impact dogs. His session takes place at 4:15 p.m. in the VMX Sound Stage, Booth 315, in the Expo Hall.

Dr. Goldstein, vice president and chief medical officer of global diagnostics at Zoetis Inc., will present exciting advances in AI and the value responsible AI-based systems bring in interpreting diagnoses more quickly, accurately and affordably. He maintains that "veterinarians that use AI will replace veterinarians that don't use AI in the years to come" and will share more on January 16 at 4:05 p.m. in room N210 B at the Orange County Convention Center.

Dr. Lustgarten, a senior biomedical informatics specialist at MARS Veterinary Health, develops and implements clinical and diagnostic AI-based solutions on their worldwide veterinary health platform. He is a past president of the Association for Veterinary Informatics and an expert on implementing AI in clinical practices from patient correspondence with ChatGPT to AI-driven healthcare-specific tools. He will lead two virtual sessions covering the impact of AI on veterinary practices, including simplifying processes and expediting treatment solutions, minimizing cost, and allowing dedicated time for more personalized care. His virtual sessions will take place January 13 from 8-8:50 a.m. and 9-9:50 a.m.

More than 35 percent of veterinarians and practice owners are using AI in their practice, while approximately 11 percent have just discovered ChatGPT or are discussing integrating AI into their work, according to a survey conducted by Dr. Massecar, executive director of Veterinary Innovation Council at NAVC. In his presentations at VMX Dr. Massecar will speak to the reasons why practices are becoming more driven to use AI technology and what kinds of programs are available and currently being developed for veterinary practitioners. Dr. Massecar's sessions will take place January 15 from 1-1:50 p.m. and January 17 from 10-10:50 a.m. in the VMX Sound Stage, Booth 315, in the Expo Hall.

Vlad Ushakov , DVM, PhD: "Two Years in the Life of Veterinarians in Ukraine "

Dr. Ushakov, president of the Ukrainian Small Animal Veterinary Association (USAVA), will share insights about how the association and veterinary professionals from around the world came together to provide medical equipment to 254 clinics, treat nearly 5,000 animals, spay and neuter more than 12,000 animals in 210 shelters, provide 16 families of lost colleagues with financial assistance and more across Ukraine. Thanks to these programs, the USAVA now counts 62,000 vaccinated animals, 30,000 microchips, thousands of rescued animals and 500 doctors provided with work in Ukraine, in addition to creating a "Ukrainian Charity Veterinary Clinic" to combat the growing population of stray animals, fight the spread of infections and help animals affected by war. His session takes place at 1-2 p.m. January 14 in the VMX Sound Stage Booth 315 in the Expo Hall.

Presented by the NAVC, the global leader in continuing education (CE) for veterinary professionals, this year's event will offer more than 900 CE hours at the in-person event in Orlando. VMX Virtual will include more than 200 virtual sessions covering industry trends across a wide variety of disciplines and species, live-streamed from the Expo Hall.

Registration for VMX is open to veterinary professionals and students. Veterinary and veterinary nurse/technician students, as always, may attend for free, and guest registration is also available. Click here for VMX 2024 in-person event registration information.

Credentialed media may attend VMX for free, in-person or virtually. For more information on how to register, contact [email protected] .

About the NAVC

The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing veterinary professionals worldwide. The world's leading provider of veterinary continuing education, the NAVC delivers essential training, tools and resources for veterinary professionals to stay abreast of advances in animal medicine and provide the best medical care for animals everywhere. Through its commitment to innovation and excellence, the NAVC has developed a diverse portfolio of products and services, including educational events, headlined by VMX, the world's largest, most comprehensive continuing education conference and launchpad for new products and innovations within the veterinary industry; a robust digital platform for virtual learning and engagement; the veterinary industry's largest and award-winning portfolio of trade publications; and an advocacy arm which unites the veterinary community and pet lovers. The NAVC was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL. Since 2017, the NAVC has been recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Orlando Sentinel. To learn more about the NAVC's products and brands, visit navc.com . To see our schedule of upcoming events, visit navc.com/calendar/ .

SOURCE North American Veterinary Community
$3.7 million initiative targets homelessness in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FHLBank Pittsburgh (FHLBank) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) announced today the 2023 Home4Good funding awarded to programs across the commonwealth working to reduce homelessness. This year, the combined total contribution is $3.7 million, with $2.2 million from FHLBank and $1.5 million from PHFA.

"Through partnership with PHFA, FHLBank members provided more than $2 million this year to 55 Pennsylvania programs/projects," said FHLBank President and Chief Executive Officer, Winthrop Watson. "These combined funds are directed toward local service organizations helping those experiencing homelessness."

Home4Good was created by FHLBank and is administered by PHFA. The funding announced today will be distributed as grants to organizations that help individuals retain or find housing, provide supportive services to those facing homelessness or address other unmet needs within the existing homeless provider network. This is the sixth year that the two organizations have partnered on the Home4Good homeless prevention initiative.

Distribution of the funding in most counties will be overseen by local Continuum of Care organizations. The list of funding recipients is available on the PHFA website (see: "2023 Home4Good Funding Awards").

"We have many good programs across Pennsylvania that work to keep people in housing," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "With this additional targeted funding, we feel they can make a tremendous difference in our joint effort with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to address homelessness in our state."

Information about Home4Good is available at www.fhlb-pgh.com and www.phfa.org at the bottom of the homepage under "Resources." Organizations interested in future participation in the program can contact Alexa Mascara at [email protected] or Bryce Maretzki at [email protected] for details.

About FHLBank Pittsburgh

FHLBank Pittsburgh provides reliable funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions, which include commercial and savings banks, community development financial institutions, credit unions and insurance companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. FHLBank products and resources help support community lending, housing and economic development. As one of 11 Federal Home Loan Banks established by Congress, FHLBank has been an integral and reliable part of the financial system since 1932. Learn more by visiting www.fhlb-pgh.com.

About PHFA

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $17.6 billion of funding for more than 195,250 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 103,328 rental units, distributed approximately $289 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of more than 50,860 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.

Media contacts:

Eric M. Slomer

FHLBank Pittsburgh

412-288-7694

[email protected]

Scott Elliott

PHFA

717-649-6522

[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) has imported 50,000 tons of raw sugar to be delivered in February 2024 amid an alarming price increase in the local market, according to a Cabinet statement on Wednesday.

The statement said that local production of sugar from sugar cane will start in January, while production from sugar beet will start in March.

Last week, the Egyptian government extended a ban on sugar exports as prices in the local market fluctuate between EGP 27-50 per kilo and vendors stockpile their inventories.

On Tuesday, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi stated that Egypts strategic sugar reserves could cover local consumption needs for almost eight months.

Recently, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly called for regular reports on sugar prices in the markets until they stabilize at EGP 27 per kilogram.

Egypt produces around 2.7 million tons of sugar every year through 300,000 feddans of sugar cane and 650,000 feddans of sugar beets, according to data from the Egyptian National Agriculture Library. The annual local demand stands at 3.5 million.

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DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Financial Cards and Payments in the United Arab Emirates" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The United Arab Emirates continues its journey towards a cashless society, with the continued adoption of digital payment solutions, contactless cards, and the emergence of supplementary payment platforms or solutions in pre-paid cards that support digital payments. Consumers are motivated by the convenience of card and digital payments, and the rewards and cashback offered, which has significantly reduced cash usage in consumers' daily lives.



The Financial Cards and Payments in United Arab Emirates report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.



Product coverage: Financial Cards in Circulation, Mobile Payments, Transactions.



Data coverage: Market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.



Key Report Benefits

Get a detailed picture of the Financial Cards and Payments market;

Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;

Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Key Topics Covered:



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Financial cards and payments in 2023: The big picture

2023 key trends

Growth in embedded finance to boost digital payments

Competitive landscape

What next for financial cards and payments?

MARKET INDICATORS

Table 1 Number of POS Terminals: Units 2018-2023

Table 2 Number of ATMs: Units 2018-2023

Table 3 Value Lost to Fraud 2018-2023

2018-2023 Table 4 Card Expenditure by Location 2023

Table 5 Financial Cards in Circulation by Type: % Number of Cards 2018-2023

Table 6 Domestic versus Foreign Spend 2023

MARKET DATA

Table 7 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2018-2023

Table 8 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2018-2023

Table 9 Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2018-2023

Table 10 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2018-2023

Table 11 Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2018-2023

Table 12 Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2018-2023

Table 13 M -Commerce by Category: Value 2018-2023

-Commerce by Category: Value 2018-2023 Table 14 M -Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023

-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2018-2023 Table 15 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2018-2022

Table 16 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2018-2022

Table 17 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Operator 2018-2022

Table 18 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Issuer 2018-2022

Table 19 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2023-2028

Table 20 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2023-2028

Table 21 Forecast Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2023-2028

Table 22 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2023-2028

Table 23 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2023-2028

Table 24 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2023-2028

Table 25 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: Value 2023-2028

Table 26 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2023-2028

DEBIT CARDS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CREDIT CARDS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CHARGE CARDS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

PRE-PAID CARDS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kcea16

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Vibrant new land provides guests with fun-filled experiences like no other

SHANGHAI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's first Zootopia-themed land officially opened in Shanghai Disneyland today, marking another momentous milestone for Shanghai Disney Resort. With the grand opening, the new land welcomed its first official guests from around the world, fully immersing them in the colorful and vibrant mammalian metropolis based on the popular Walt Disney Animation Studios film Zootopia.

Zootopia opens to guests from around the world First official guests to Zootopia enter the new land, donning Zootopia-inspired looks First official guests to Zootopia enter the new land, donning Zootopia-inspired looks

With palpable anticipation and enthusiasm, guests and Disney fans eagerly awaited the land opening moment this morning. Many guests donned Zootopia-inspired accessories to identify with their favorite animal species and became residents of Zootopia, ready to fully experience the ever-unfolding stories in the new land.

Leaders from The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Disney Resort, artists from Walt Disney Animation Studios, as well as cast members and Imagineers, lined the entrance leading to Zootopia, ready to greet guests as they embarked on a thrilling adventure in this captivating new land.

Zootopia is yet another example of Disney's legendary storytelling and how Disney is expanding its popular and beloved stories in new ways as part of Disney Experiences' incredible growth story. Disney Animation's Zootopia remains the highest grossing foreign animated film in China to date. This physical manifestation of the story further enhances Shanghai Disney Resort's leading position as a must-visit destination for guests of all ages.

Similar to the city of Shanghai, Zootopia presents a bright and futuristic panorama during the day, and a stunning illumination after dark for a transformed and captivating nighttime skyline. Guests will find that Zootopia is a place to explore again and again, with new discoveries awaiting with each visit.

With so many beloved stories to tell, Shanghai Disney Resort continues to turn vision into reality, bringing concepts that previously only existed in one's imagination, or on screen, to life.

SOURCE Shanghai Disney Resort
The charitable organization was founded by Louis Hernandez, Jr., CEO of Black Dragon Capital, a multi-phased investment firm focused on advanced technologies in high-growth segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. Committed to illuminating the path toward success, For A Bright Future provides scholarships with an emphasis on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics), financial technology, healthcare, and education. These opportunities are especially tailored to uplift students from underserved demographics, including those from single-parent households and families with military backgrounds.

"The Dr. Emma Lerew Scholarship was created as a tribute to my mother, whose perseverance in pursuing a degree in education has led to an inspirational and successful career as an educator. Her dedication to guiding her students and helping them excel in their academics kept them on the right track toward pursuing higher education and living well-rounded lives where they could make meaningful contributions to their communities. This scholarship is here to support promising students like Frida on their journey toward becoming the educators who will shape our nation's future," said Louis Hernandez Jr., Founder and Chairman of the Board, FABF.

Frida Mugica is pursuing a Master of Education in Education and Human Resource Studies with a specialization in Education Sciences at Colorado State University. She is a 4th-grade bilingual teacher by profession. Her four years of experience as a teacher in Texas and Colorado have taught her two things: that people from underprivileged backgrounds often must fight an uphill battle to gain access to proper education and that students need an educational system that will not fail them. Driven by her passion for transforming the current education system, Mugica pursued higher education in the hopes of someday being able to provide children from underprivileged backgrounds with real solutions. After earning her graduate degree, she hopes to actively facilitate change in the education system within her community.

"You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming. Thank you to For A Bright Future for giving me this opportunity to further my education so that I may help promising young minds bloom. With perseverance, I hope to someday make an even greater impact on the lives of students within my community," says Frida Mugica.

"Education shapes the minds of the future of our nation. It is thrilling and inspiring to review the increasing number of scholarship applications from high-performing students willing to pursue a career in education and impact their community. I am delighted to see the next generation of difference makers benefit from the efforts of For A Bright Future!" says Dr. Emma Lerew, Board Member and Executive Program Director, FABF.

Every year, the Foundation receives a growing number of applications to review. This year, we received a landmark total of 3,900 applications. We would like to thank Susie Hernandez, Board Member and Chair of the Scholarship Committee, and our volunteers for serving on the scholarship selection committee.

The scholarship selection team includes:

Tracy Douglas , Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Portledge School.

, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Portledge School. Deanna Dawson , Director of Social Media and Influencer Marketing at Zenni Optical.

We also would like to thank the operational team led by Gina Rogoto, Director of Operations and Development, for their incredible efforts in sourcing candidates nationwide and facilitating the process.

Contact:

Gina Rogoto, Director of Operations and Development

For A Bright Future

Email: [email protected]

About Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future

Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development. Our initiatives provide equal opportunity for all children to have the tools and opportunities to fulfill their life goals and become constructive members of our global community.

To learn more or support For A Bright Future educational programs, please visit our donation page at www.forabrightfuturefoundation.org.

Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future
TAIPEI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GEEKOM, renowned as the Green Mini PC Global Leader, proudly announces its participation in the long-awaited CES 2024, solidifying its standing as the global leader in Mini PCs. With two decades of industry expertise, GEEKOM has consistently delivered high-quality, environmentally friendly Mini PCs, establishing itself as the go-to brand for reliable computing solutions. As CES 2024 approaches, GEEKOM is gearing up to showcase its latest innovations.

Besides exhibiting its already diversified lineup of mini PCs, GEEKOM has also promised to release a few new exciting products at CES 2024.

First up is the IT14 Pro. The 0.7L mini PC will feature up to an Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra 7-155H processor, with dual-channel DDR5-5600 RAM and dual SSDs. Built on the all new 4nm process, the Ultra 7 chip is 20% faster compared to last generation's Intel Core i7-1360P in terms of CPU multi-core performance, delivering ample oomph for even the most demanding productivity tasks. Also, the new Intel Arc i-GPU offers up to 90% performance boost over the Intel Iris Xe Graphics eligible i-GPU found in previous generations of Intel Core chips, allowing you to experience more efficient work and play. Furthermore, the GEEKOM IT14 Pro comes with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with dedicated AI acceleration support, which will fundamentally change how you interact with your mini PC.

In addition, GEEKOM will launch the world's first mini PC with an AMD Hawk Point Ryzen 8040 chip, demonstrating the brand's commitment to diverse, powerful computing solutions. The A8Max is available in two processor options: Ryzen 7 8840HS and Ryzen 9 8940HS. Both SoCs have incorporated an NPU dedicated to AI, their Zen 4 CPU cores and Radeon 780M i-GPU are also optimized for AI workloads.

Last but not least, GEEKOM plans to reveal a new mini PC designed for gaming enthusiasts! Boasting a powerful AMD Ryzen 8940H CPU, and an AMD RX 7600M XT discrete graphics card, the APro8 Max is a true beast! The AMD RX 7600M XT GPU is basically on par with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (for laptop) in terms of gaming performance, enabling you to run the most graphics-intensive AAA titles at medium to high quality settings. The AMD SmartShift technology dynamically shifts power between the Ryzen 8940H processor and the RX 7600M XT GPU. Not only will it enhance your experiences in gaming, video editing and 3D rendering on the APro8 Max, but it will also handily improve the mini PC's power efficiency.

The highly anticipated unveiling of a Mini PC featuring a discrete graphics card raises expectations. This innovation is poised to set new standards in performance and visual capabilities. Attendees can expect to witness a stunning array of GEEKOM's technological ace products at CES 2024.

GEEKOM invites all tech enthusiasts and industry professionals to be part of this extraordinary event. To enhance your CES experience, GEEKOM encourages you to register for the event. As a token of appreciation, attendees who register and visit GEEKOM's booth will receive a special gift, providing the perfect memento for capturing moments at the venue. Your presence at CES 2024 is not just attendance; it's an immersive experience into the future of technology. Don't miss the opportunity; join GEEKOM at CES 2024 and witness the future of Mini PCs.

Event Details:

Event Time: January 9, 2024 - January 14, 2024

Venue:

Hall: Venetian Expo, Level 1 Meeting Rooms

Booth Number: 75111

Venice Pavilion Address: 201 Sands Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169

For more information and event registration, please visit GEEKOMPC.COM or follow GEEKOM on social media for real-time updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

SOURCE GEEKOM
PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genascence Corporation ("Genascence"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company revolutionizing the treatment of prevalent musculoskeletal diseases with gene therapy, today announced that Thomas Chalberg, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, will present a corporate update at the Biotech Showcase 2024 being held January 8-10, 2024 in San Francisco, CA.

Details of Genascence's corporate update presentation are as follows:

Date/Time: Monday, January 8, 2024 at 4:30 PM PT

Location: Hilton San Francisco  Union Square, San Francisco, CA

Track: Franciscan C (Ballroom Level)

About Genascence Corporation

Genascence, a clinical-stage biotechnology company revolutionizing the treatment of prevalent musculoskeletal diseases with gene therapy, is developing life-changing treatments for highly prevalent conditions affecting millions of people. The company was founded in 2017 with technology licensed from three leading U.S. research institutions: Mayo Clinic, University of Florida, and NYU Langone Health. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Genascence's founders and leadership team have deep experience in the design, development, and manufacturing of successful gene therapies and biological medicines. For more information, please visit www.genascence.com.

SOURCE Genascence
DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Cloud Service Platform Industry Report, 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

As dedicated automotive cloud platforms are launched, the market enters a phase of differentiated competition. In the evolving landscape of automotive technology, the migration of automakers to cloud platforms holds paramount significance, serving as the foundation for their digital transformation. This shift underscores the integral role cloud services play in the digitization of the automotive industry. As cloud adoption gains momentum, the demand for cloud services exhibits notable trends, with China showcasing a distinctive development path for these services.

Cloud capabilities required by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) become a focal point, driving changes in demand for cloud services. Automotive cloud applications and business models emerge as critical components, with OEMs leveraging cloud platforms for innovative applications and shaping new business paradigms. Simultaneously, cloud computing architecture undergoes a transformative shift towards software and hardware integration, particularly in the realm of Electric/Electronic (E/E) architecture for vehicle cloud computing.

The convergence of Data Lake and Cloud Native technologies emerges as a hotspot for exploration by cloud platform companies. This synergy builds a novel storage and computing system, with Data Lake Cloud Native architecture gaining prominence. Real-world applications of autonomous driving data lakes, such as those by AWS and Alibaba Cloud, exemplify the industry's commitment to leveraging cloud-native solutions for enhanced functionality and security.

Beyond these core trends, the industry is witnessing a shift from single cloud adoption to a multi-cloud approach, emphasizing versatility and resilience. The expansion of distributed edge cloud applications amplifies the role of telematics cloud control platforms, signifying a broader integration of cloud intelligence into automotive systems. In this dynamic landscape, cloud-native security undergoes evolution, ensuring robust protection for the burgeoning ecosystem of connected vehicles.

The exponentially increasing amount of vehicle data makes cloud migration an inevitable choice

From the perspective of companies, the goals of digital transformation are to digitize all elements of the whole process throughout the full life cycle of vehicles, including R&D, production, sale, operation, and after-sales service; upload the data in the local servers and computer rooms of automakers to the cloud; connect the data channels of each link to gradually realize the integrated management of data in the whole industry chain, and the cloud-pipe-terminal integrated real-time interconnection; and build service operation models that span the full life cycle of users to enhance the connections between upstream and downstream partners in the industry and create greater value.

In terms of products, vehicle intelligence and connectivity are booming. For example, starting from L2, every time the autonomous driving functions evolve to a higher level, the consumption of cloud infrastructure platforms, applications, and services will rise by an order of magnitude. As high-level autonomous driving comes into mass production, the number of vehicle sensors and the amount of data multiply, making it difficult for local processing to meet the requirements. Cloud migration thus will be the best choice.

Automakers spend tens of millions of yuan every year building cloud services, which gives a big boost to the market. In 2022, China's automotive cloud service market was valued at over RMB15 billion, and it is expected to sustain the growth rate of 30-40% in the next five years.

As dedicated automotive cloud platforms are launched, differentiated competition becomes crucial

In 2021, ByteDance announced the 'ByteDance Auto Cloud', which will provide cloud services in four segments: Digital Marketing, Intelligent Cockpit, Autonomous Driving, and Vehicle Services. In 2022, Tencent Intelligent Cloud Cloud, Baidu Auto Cloud, and Alibaba Auto Cloud became available. All the five giants (BATHD), i.e., Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei and Douyin have stepped in the market, and the competition in automotive cloud services built on exclusive automotive cloud has become fiercer.

The service scope of each automotive cloud is much of a muchness, generally covering R&D, manufacture, marketing, and supply chain. The support for R&D is concentrated in the fields of autonomous driving, intelligent cockpit, telematics, and "three electrics" (battery, motor and ECU). How to gain differentiated competitive edges in the competition therefore has become the key to success for companies.

The differentiated competitive edges in cloud services are mainly built from two aspects: basic resource layer services and upper-layer R&D tool chains

In terms of basic resource layer, supercomputing centers are an important indicator for assessing service capabilities, and Alibaba and Baidu are the first to deploy.

In August 2022, Alibaba Cloud launched the two intelligent supercomputing centers located in Zhangbei County and Ulanqab, with total compute of 15 EFLOPS (15 exascale floating-point operations per second). At the same time, Alibaba Cloud also introduced the 'Apsara Intelligent Computing Platform', an intelligent computing solution which opens up intelligent computing capabilities by way of 'platform + intelligent computing center'.

Following the five intelligent computing centers in Yangquan, Jinan, Fuzhou, Yancheng, and Tianjin, Baidu Cloud started construction of the Baidu AI Cloud-Shenyang Intelligent Computing Center in May 2023, a project with a land area of about 2.4 hectares, floor areas of 42,000 square meters, and the total planned computing power of 500P, 200P for Phase I. In the future, Baidu Shenyang Intelligent Computing Center will not only involve physical data center construction capabilities and intelligent computing infrastructure capabilities, but also comprehensive solutions for AI software and hardware ecosystem capabilities such as foundation models, supporting the computing tasks of companies in different business scenarios and meeting the industrial application requirements of foundation models in the era of intelligent computing.

With regard to R&D tool chains, cloud service providers are committed to creating 'fully furnished' service experiences for users by offering 'full-process' and 'fully closed-loop' services.

In Tencent's autonomous driving cloud platform, virtual simulation has become a key link

Huawei's autonomous driving cloud platform 'Octopus' has built in a dataset with 20 million frame annotations, a library with 200,000 simulation scenes, a complete tool chain, and annotation algorithms, covering the full life cycle businesses such as autonomous driving data, models, training, simulation, and annotation, and helping automakers to build autonomous driving development capabilities on a 'zero' basis.

Baidu makes a full-stack layout and enables a data closed loop by virtue of from chip (Kunlunxin), deep learning (PaddlePaddle) and training foundation model (ERNIE) to search (Baidu Search), cloud platform (Baidu AI Cloud), autonomous driving (Apollo) and intelligent connection (Xiaodu).

Under the multi-cloud strategy, the need of OEMs has changed from the pursuit of resources to efficiency

With the in-depth migration to the cloud, the resource needs of OEMs for cloud migration have been overall met, and thus the underlying logic of the cloud strategy of companies has changed from the pursuit of resources to efficiency to finally improve their overall digitization capabilities in production and operation. In this process, OEMs are no longer tightly bound with some cloud platform, but implement a multi-cloud strategy where different business types are put on different cloud platforms. Examples include:

Based on the '1+6+N' Geely Hybrid Cloud Platform co-built with Baidu, Geely works with Alibaba to build the Xingrui Intelligent Computing Center, and teams up with Tencent on telematics and security solutions.

on telematics and security solutions. FAW Group uses Huawei Cloud Stack to build hybrid cloud architecture, and also cooperates with Alibaba Cloud on intelligent manufacturing, digital marketing and other businesses.

Without a doubt, the multi-cloud strategy offers benefits. It can integrate the advantages of various cloud platforms, enable refined business deployment, and reduce costs for companies, and also helps automakers to gain the core initiative in building cloud platforms and avoid being puzzled by the "soul" dispute. Yet the challenges of the multi-cloud strategy are also unavoidable. How to allocate storage/computing power among multiple clouds, cross-cloud data synchronization's dependency on bandwidth, and whether costs and network delays will have an impact are all urgent problems to be solved. Hence how to formulate a multi-cloud strategy is a problem for OEMs.

Key Topics Covered

1 Overview of Automotive Cloud Service

1.1 Overview of Automotive Cloud Service Industry

1.2 Main Types of Automotive Cloud Services

1.3 Competitive Landscape of Automotive Cloud Services

1.4 Automotive Cloud Business Models in China

1.5 Development Opportunities for Automotive Cloud

1.6 Application Scenarios of Automotive Cloud

2 Automotive Cloud Solutions

2.1 Autonomous Driving Cloud

2.2 Telematics Cloud

2.3 V2X Cloud

2.4 Digital Transformation

2.5 Cloud Data Closed Loop

2.6 Cloud Information Security

3 Cloud Platform Infrastructure

3.1 Automotive Cloud Industry Chain

3.2 Data Centers

3.3 Cloud Servers

3.4 Server Chips

3.5 Progress of Cloud Providers in Self-development of Chips

4 Automotive Public Cloud Platforms

4.1 Amazon Cloud - AWS

4.2 Microsoft Cloud - Azure

4.3 Google Cloud

4.4 Huawei Auto Cloud

4.5 Baidu Auto Cloud

4.6 Alibaba Auto Cloud

4.7 Tencent Auto Cloud

4.8 ByteDance Auto Cloud

5 Cloud Platform Layout of OEMs

5.1 Geely

5.2 Xpeng

5.3 Li Auto

5.4 NIO

5.5 FAW

5.6 Changan

5.7 Great Wall Motor

5.8 SAIC

6 Summary and Trends

6.1 Significance of Automakers' Migration to Cloud

6.2 Cloud Service Demand Trends

6.3 Automotive Cloud Application and Business Model

6.4 Cloud Computing Architecture Trends

6.5 Data Lake and Cloud Native

6.6 Other Trends



Companies Mentioned

Amazon Cloud - AWS

Microsoft Cloud - Azure

Google Cloud

Huawei Auto Cloud

Baidu Auto Cloud

Alibaba Auto Cloud

Tencent Auto Cloud

Auto Cloud ByteDance Auto Cloud

Geely

Xpeng

Li Auto

NIO

FAW

Changan

Great Wall Motor

SAIC

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dvtuh6

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Bearing Steel Market: Analysis By Type (Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel and Others), By Application (Ball Bearing, Thrust Bearing, Roller Bearing, Plain Bearing and Others), By End User, By Region Size & Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2022, the global bearing steel market was valued at US$6.75 billion, and is probable to reach US$8.30 billion by 2028.

The thriving automobile industry is a crucial development factor in this market. Bearing steel is in high demand due to the increasing production and sales of automobiles globally, as bearings are critical components in automotive applications. Further, global bearing steel market is expected to boost in the future due to various trends in the market. Smart technology integration, such as sensors and IoT devices, is also becoming more common in the bearing sector.

Moreover, the increasing demand for lightweight and durable bearings in various applications such as wind turbines, aircraft engines, and industrial machinery is also expected to boost the growth of the bearing steel market. The global bearing steel market value is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.55%, during the forecast period of 2023-2028.

Market Segmentation Analysis:

By Type : Carbon steel segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as carbon steel bearings are preferred for their excellent strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness, making them a popular choice among manufacturers and end-users. Advancements in manufacturing technologies have led to the production of high-quality carbon steel bearings with superior mechanical properties and enhanced performance characteristics. Whereas, stainless steel segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR, because they meet the required standards and offer reliability in critical applications. Furthermore, the rise of the stainless steel segment has also been aided by the expansion of the manufacturing sector, as well as technological breakthroughs in bearing design and manufacture.

: Carbon steel segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as carbon steel bearings are preferred for their excellent strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness, making them a popular choice among manufacturers and end-users. Advancements in manufacturing technologies have led to the production of high-quality carbon steel bearings with superior mechanical properties and enhanced performance characteristics. Whereas, stainless steel segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR, because they meet the required standards and offer reliability in critical applications. Furthermore, the rise of the stainless steel segment has also been aided by the expansion of the manufacturing sector, as well as technological breakthroughs in bearing design and manufacture. By Application: Ball bearing segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022 and would grow at the highest CAGR, as the emergence of sensor bearings, integrated bearings, and application-specific bearings is expected to result in the growth of ball bearing steel demand in the market. Also, the segment augmented because of increasing adoption of deep groove ball bearings owing to various features, including cost-effectiveness and versatility.

Ball bearing segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022 and would grow at the highest CAGR, as the emergence of sensor bearings, integrated bearings, and application-specific bearings is expected to result in the growth of ball bearing steel demand in the market. Also, the segment augmented because of increasing adoption of deep groove ball bearings owing to various features, including cost-effectiveness and versatility. By End User: Automotive segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as the increasing production and sales of automobiles globally have naturally augmented the demand for bearing steel. Whereas, energy and power segment would experience the highest CAGR, due to the increasing investments in infrastructure projects related to energy production and distribution in emerging economies.

Global Bearing Steel Market Dynamics:

Growth Drivers: Growing demand for bearings from automotive industry plays a pivotal role in driving growth in the global bearing steel market as the automotive industry expands, the demand for bearing steel increases proportionally. The increased need for bearings in the automobile industry is a significant growth factor for the bearing steel market. Bearings are utilized in many different automobile applications, such as engines, gearboxes, wheels, and steering systems. Further, the market is expected to increase due to rapid urbanization, amplified disposable income, development of durable and smart bearings, increased industrial expansion, cost effective, etc.

Growing demand for bearings from automotive industry plays a pivotal role in driving growth in the global bearing steel market as the automotive industry expands, the demand for bearing steel increases proportionally. The increased need for bearings in the automobile industry is a significant growth factor for the bearing steel market. Bearings are utilized in many different automobile applications, such as engines, gearboxes, wheels, and steering systems. Further, the market is expected to increase due to rapid urbanization, amplified disposable income, development of durable and smart bearings, increased industrial expansion, cost effective, etc. Challenges: The market's expansion is projected to be hampered by use of polymer and ceramic ball bearings as alternatives. Polymer ball bearings are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and self-lubricating, thus they do not require external lubrication. These properties make them excellent for applications where standard steel bearings may struggle, such as in corrosive conditions or in equipment where weight is an important element, such as aerospace and medical devices. The other challenges that bearing steel market faces include disrupted raw material supply, etc.

The market's expansion is projected to be hampered by use of polymer and ceramic ball bearings as alternatives. Polymer ball bearings are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and self-lubricating, thus they do not require external lubrication. These properties make them excellent for applications where standard steel bearings may struggle, such as in corrosive conditions or in equipment where weight is an important element, such as aerospace and medical devices. The other challenges that bearing steel market faces include disrupted raw material supply, etc. Trends: One of the most distinct and pervasive trends observed in the global bearing steel market is increasing investments in renewable energy. The growth of the renewable energy sector is creating a significant demand for bearing steel. Bearings are used in a variety of renewable energy technologies, including wind turbines, solar panels, and hydroelectric generators. More trends in the market are believed to augment the growth of bearing steel market during the forecasted period include, increasing adoption of internet of things (IoT), integration of artificial intelligence and ML, strategic developments by bearing manufacturers, surge in demand for high-efficiency bearings, etc.

Competitive Landscape:

Key players of in the bearing steel market include:

Nippon Steel

NTN

Kobe Steel

Saarstahl

Ansteel Group

Dongbei Special Steel

Hesteel Group

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Global Market Analysis

4. Regional Market Analysis

5. Impact of COVID-19

6. Market Dynamics

6.1 Growth Drivers

6.1.1 Growing Demand for Bearings from Automotive Industry

6.1.2 Rapid Urbanization

6.1.3 Amplified Disposable Income

6.1.4 Development of Durable and Smart Bearings

6.1.5 Increased Industrial Expansion

6.1.6 Cost Effective

6.2 Challenges

6.2.1 Use of Polymer and Ceramic Ball Bearings as Alternatives

6.2.2 Disrupted Raw Material Supply

6.3 Market Trends

6.3.1 Increasing Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT)

6.3.2 Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

6.3.3 Increasing Investments in Renewable Energy

6.3.4 Strategic Developments by Bearing Manufacturers

6.3.5 Surge in Demand for High-Efficiency Bearings

7. Competitive Landscape

7.1 Global Bearing Steel Market Players: A Financial Comparison

8. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5jb9o6

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Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Body in White Market: A Global and Regional Analysis, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report offers an in-depth analysis of the global Body in White market, highlighting remarkable growth trends propelled by an ever-expanding automotive sector. This growth is significantly influenced by the rising demand for fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles that comply with stringent emission standards.

With a spotlight on material advancements and manufacturing technologies, the report examines the increasing use of high-strength steel, aluminum, and composite materials in vehicle manufacturing. These materials ensure a substantial reduction in vehicle weight, resulting in enhanced performance and compliance with environmental regulations.

Key Market Segments Offering Strategic Insights

Passenger Cars

Light Commercial Vehicles

Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles

Electric Vehicles

The Body in White market's novelty is marked by the growing focus on electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid vehicle development. The distinctive design parameters and lightweight essentials for EVs present dynamic challenges that Body in White manufacturers are gearing up to address. Simultaneously, innovations for autonomous vehicles and the integration of advanced safety features are also speculated to revamp Body in White designs, further pushing the market's potential.

Key questions tackled in the report include the major forces stimulating the global demand, strategic actions adopted by forefront companies, and predictions on the market's direction through 2023-2033. Notably, the report answers which application segments and regions are foreseen to lead the market over the forecasted period, providing stakeholders with critical insights to make informed decisions.

Geographical Insights into Body in White Market Trends

The study provides a granular analysis of regional market contexts, detailing how each is contributing to the global landscape:

North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World

This extensive market evaluation showcases strategies dovetailing with the evolving consumer preferences and robust development policies. As industry leaders continue to invest in research and innovation, the Body in White market stands as a testament to the industry's resilience and transformative dynamics.

Emerging trends, such as rising EV uptake and adoption of manufacturing techniques like cold and hot stamping, along with the use of revolutionary materials like CFRP, are also captured within the report, offering a holistic view of the market's progression.

The market analysis provides a pivotal reference point for industry executives, market analysts, and investors seeking to comprehend the trajectory of the automotive sector. The revelations within the report are expected to furnish stakeholders with a strategic edge in this dynamically evolving market landscape.

Key Topics Covered

1 Markets: Industry Outlook

1.1 Trends: Current and Future Impact Assessment

1.1.1 Rising Global Vehicle Production

1.1.2 Advancements in Manufacturing Process for Light Weight Components

1.2 Supply Chain Overview

1.2.1 Value chain Analysis

1.2.2 Market Map

1.2.3 Pricing Forecast

1.3 R&D Review

1.3.1 Patent Filing Trend by Country, by Company

1.4 Regulatory Landscape

1.5 Stakeholder Analysis

1.5.1 Use case

1.5.2 End User and buying criteria

1.6 Impact analysis for Key Global Events - COVID-19, Russia/Ukraine or Middle East Crisis

1.7 Market Dynamics Overview

1.7.1 Market Drivers

1.7.2 Market Restraints

1.7.3 Market Opportunities



2 Application

2.1 Application Segmentation

2.2 Application Summary

2.3 Global Body in White Market - by End User

2.3.1 Passenger Car

2.3.2 Light Commercial Vehicle

2.3.3 Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles

2.3.4 Electric Vehicles



3 Product

3.1 Product Segmentation

3.2 Product Summary

3.3 Global Body in White Market - by Construction Type

3.3.1 Monocoque

3.3.2 Frame Mounted

3.4 Global Body in White Market - by Manufacturing Method

3.4.1 Cold Stamping

3.4.2 Hot Stamping

3.4.3 Roll Forming

3.4.4 Others

3.5 Global Body in White Market - by Material Type

3.5.1 Steel

3.5.2 Aluminum

3.5.3 Magnesium

3.5.4 CFRP

3.5.5 Others



4 Region

4.1 Regional Summary

4.2 Drivers and Restraints

4.3 North America

4.4 Europe

4.5 Asia-Pacific

4.6 Rest-of-the-World



5 Markets - Competitive Landscape & Company Profiles

5.1 Competitive Landscape

5.2 Company Profiles

5.2.1 Martinrea International

5.2.2 Dura Automotive

5.2.3 Magna

5.2.4 Voestalpine Group

5.2.5 Gestamp Automocin

5.2.6 Benteler International

5.2.7 CIE Automotive

5.2.8 Tower International

5.2.9 KIRCHHOFF Automotive

5.2.10 Futaba Industrial Co. Ltd.

5.2.11 Aisin Seiki

5.2.12 JBM Auto

5.2.13 Dura Automotive

5.2.14 Thyssenkrupp Group

5.2.15 Hyndai Rotem Company

5.3 Other Key Market Participants



6 Growth Opportunities & Recommendations



7 Research Methodology



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vvlmmk

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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
DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Polyurea Coatings Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global polyurea coatings market size reached US$ 1.1 Billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach US$ 1.8 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 8% during 2023-2028.



The global market is majorly driven by considerable growth in the construction and landscaping industries. In addition to this, continual technological developments in coating processes and techniques are providing an impetus to the market growth. Moreover, the rising deployment of premium waterproofing coating in residential buildings is also acting as a significant growth-inducing factor for the market.

The market is further propelled by the growing expenditure on lining systems for environmental protection, such as landfill controls, as a result of stringent regulations imposed by the governments of numerous countries to minimize pollution. Some of the other factors contributing to the market include rapid urbanization and industrialization, expanding infrastructural development, the inflating disposable income levels of the consumers, and extensive research and development (R&D) activities.



Key Market Segmentation



The report provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global polyurea coatings market report, along with forecasts at the global, regional and country level from 2023-2028. The report has categorized the market based on type, technology, raw material and end use industry.



Breakup by Type:

Pure Polyurea

Hybrid Polyurea

Breakup by Technology:

Spraying

Pouring

Hand Mixing

Breakup by Raw Material:

Aromatic Isocyanate-based

Aliphatic Isocyanate-based

Breakup by End Use Industry:

Building and Construction

Transportation

Industrial

Others

Competitive Landscape



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Albemarle Corporation, ArmorThane USA Inc., BASF SE, Covestro AG, Huntsman Corporation, PPG Industries Inc., Rhino Linings Corporation, Specialty Products Inc., Teknos Group Oy, The Sherwin-Williams Company, VIP Coatings Intl Gmbh & Co. KG and Wasser Coatings.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global polyurea coatings market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global polyurea coatings market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the technology?

What is the breakup of the market based on the raw material?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end use industry?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global polyurea coatings market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Polyurea Coatings Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Pure Polyurea

6.2 Hybrid Polyurea



7 Market Breakup by Technology

7.1 Spraying

7.2 Pouring

7.3 Hand Mixing



8 Market Breakup by Raw Material

8.1 Aromatic Isocyanate-based

8.2 Aliphatic Isocyanate-based



9 Market Breakup by End Use Industry

9.1 Building and Construction

9.2 Transportation

9.3 Industrial

9.4 Others



10 Market Breakup by Region

10.1 North America

10.2 Asia-Pacific

10.3 Europe

10.4 Latin America

10.5 Middle East and Africa



11 SWOT Analysis



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis



14 Price Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

Albemarle Corporation

ArmorThane USA Inc.

Inc. BASF SE

Covestro AG

Huntsman Corporation

PPG Industries Inc.

Rhino Linings Corporation

Specialty Products Inc.

Teknos Group Oy

The Sherwin-Williams Company

VIP Coatings Intl Gmbh & Co. KG

Wasser Coatings.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qprtly

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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For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Soil Treatment Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global soil treatment market size reached US$ 40.7 Billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach US$ 57.1 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 5.81% during 2022-2028.



Rapid urbanization, along with the growing population globally, has resulted in decreasing arable land and increasing food shortages. This, coupled with the escalating demand for high-quality food grains, represents one of the key factors positively influencing the sales of soil treatment solutions worldwide.

Additionally, rising health consciousness among individuals on account of the surging cases of chronic diseases is propelling the demand for organic food across the globe. This, in turn, is strengthening the growth of the market. Soil treatment solutions improve the nutrient, physical and biological content of soil by balancing its pH, restoring microbial activity, and increasing moisture retention.

Furthermore, leading companies are considerably investing in research and development (R&D) activities to innovate existing solutions and introduce sustainable techniques for increasing market penetration. Besides this, they are adopting strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), to expand their current market share. The burgeoning bio-agrochemical sector and constant support from governing authorities of various countries to improve crop production are anticipated to impel the market growth.



Key Market Segmentation



This research provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global soil treatment market report, along with forecasts at the global, regional and country level from 2023-2028. The report has categorized the market based on type, technology and end user.



Breakup by Type:

Organic Amendments

pH Adjusters

Soil Protection

Breakup by Technology:

Biological Treatment

Thermal Treatment

Physiochemical Treatment

Breakup by End User:

Agricultural

Construction

Competitive Landscape



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being AMVAC Chemical Corporation (American Vanguard Corporation), Arkema S.A., BASF SE, Bayer AG, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A., Corteva Inc., Novozymes A/S, Solvay S.A., Swaroop Agrochemical Industries, Syngenta Group (China National Chemical Corporation), Tata Chemicals Ltd. and UPL Limited.



Key Questions Answered in This Report



1. What was the size of the global soil treatment market in 2022?

2. What is the expected growth rate of the global soil treatment market during 2023-2028?

3. What are the key factors driving the global soil treatment market?

4. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global soil treatment market?

5. What is the breakup of the global soil treatment market based on the type?

6. What is the breakup of the global soil treatment market based on the technology?

7. What is the breakup of the global soil treatment market based on the end-user?

8. What are the key regions in the global soil treatment market?

9. Who are the key players/companies in the global soil treatment market?





Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Soil Treatment Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Organic Amendments

6.2 pH Adjusters

6.3 Soil Protection



7 Market Breakup by Technology

7.1 Biological Treatment

7.2 Thermal Treatment

7.3 Physiochemical Treatment



8 Market Breakup by End User

8.1 Agricultural

8.2 Construction

8.3 Others



9 Market Breakup by Region

9.1 North America

9.1.1 United States

9.1.2 Canada

9.2 Asia-Pacific

9.2.1 China

9.2.2 Japan

9.2.3 India

9.2.4 South Korea

9.2.5 Australia

9.2.6 Indonesia

9.2.7 Others

9.3 Europe

9.3.1 Germany

9.3.2 France

9.3.3 United Kingdom

9.3.4 Italy

9.3.5 Spain

9.3.6 Russia

9.3.7 Others

9.4 Latin America

9.4.1 Brazil

9.4.2 Mexico

9.4.3 Others

9.5 Middle East and Africa



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

AMVAC Chemical

Arkema

BASF

Bayer

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain

Corteva

Novozymes

Solvay

Swaroop Agrochemical Industries

Syngenta Group

Tata Chemicals.

UPL

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9r602a

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Egypt has secured $5.6 billion from the partial and full sale of stakes in 14 state-owned companies, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated in a press conference on Wednesday.

Madbouly stated that the government, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has conducted preliminary studies on 50 state-owned companies in preparation for offering.

The IFC concluded that four sectors will be of top priority, including management and operation of state-owned airports, telecommunication, banks, and insurance, Madbouly said.

The telecommunication projects considered for offering and investments include broadcasting towers and data centres, he added.

In August, the Egyptian government announced plans to attract $5 billion from the offering of power plants and state-owned companies from October 2023 until the end of June 2024.

The government also announced that it collected $5 billion from offering stakes in 13 companies between March 2022 and July 2023.

Moreover, the government plans to offer stakes in 35 state-owned companies to strategic investors by the end of June 2024, under the State Ownership Policy Document. A list of 32 companies was released in February and three companies were added to it later in 2023: Eastern Company, Al Ezz Dekheila, and Telecom Egypt.

Madbouly announced in July that Egypt plans to bring in $191 billion in annual US dollar revenues by 2026, up from the current figure of $70 billion.

The IFC, one of the financial arms of the World Bank Group, was appointed in June as a strategic advisor for the Egyptian governments Initial Public Offering (IPO) to provide advisory services for Egypt's privatization programme.

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DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Stealth Coating Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global stealth coating market size reached US$ 290.7 Million in 2022 and is forecast to reach US$ 387.4 Million by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 4.90% during 2022-2028.



Due to rising geopolitical tensions, security agencies across the globe are focusing on strengthening their defense and military sectors. As a result, they are increasing their expenditure on innovative and advanced technologies, such as stealth coating, for fighter aircraft, bombers, missiles, tanks, and helicopters. Stealth coating is also employed in the automotive sector for providing protection to vehicles against scratches, road debris, and malicious damages.

Apart from this, the stealth coating of nanoparticles (NPs) in drug-delivery systems offers molecular weight, surface chain density, and conformations of polymer chains. Consequently, it is widely used on the surface of NPs to improve the blood circulation system. As NPs are emerging as a powerful drug-delivery tool for cancer therapies, which enhances the specificity of drug actions while reducing the systemic side effects, the demand for stealth coating is anticipated to rise in the coming years.



Key Market Segmentation



This research provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global stealth coating market report, along with forecasts at the global, regional and country level from 2023-2028. The report has categorized the market based on resin type and application.



Breakup by Resin Type:

Epoxy

Polyurethane

Polyimide

Breakup by Application:

Aerospace and Defense

Automotive

Competitive Landscape



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players CFI Custom Military Solutions, Intermat Group SA, Micromag, MWT Materials Inc., Stealth Coatings, Surrey NanoSystems and Veil Corporation.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

What was the size of the global stealth coating market in 2022?

What is the expected growth rate of the global stealth coating market during 2023-2028?

What are the key factors driving the global stealth coating market?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global stealth coating market?

What is the breakup of the global stealth coating market based on the resin type?

What is the breakup of the global stealth coating market based on the application?

What are the key regions in the global stealth coating market?

Who are the key players/companies in the global stealth coating market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Stealth Coating Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Resin Type

6.1 Epoxy

6.2 Polyurethane

6.3 Polyimide



7 Market Breakup by Application

7.1 Aerospace and Defense

7.2 Automotive

7.3 Others



8 Market Breakup by Region

8.1 North America

8.1.1 United States

8.1.2 Canada

8.2 Asia-Pacific

8.2.1 China

8.2.2 Japan

8.2.3 India

8.2.4 South Korea

8.2.5 Australia

8.2.6 Indonesia

8.2.7 Others

8.3 Europe

8.3.1 Germany

8.3.2 France

8.3.3 United Kingdom

8.3.4 Italy

8.3.5 Spain

8.3.6 Russia

8.3.7 Others

8.4 Latin America

8.4.1 Brazil

8.4.2 Mexico

8.4.3 Others

8.5 Middle East and Africa



9 SWOT Analysis



10 Value Chain Analysis



11 Porters Five Forces Analysis



12 Price Analysis



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Structure

13.2 Key Players

13.3 Profiles of Key Players

CFI Custom Military Solutions

Intermat Group SA

Micromag

MWT Materials Inc.

Stealth Coatings

Surrey NanoSystems

Veil Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sb47i5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering the Qianhai and Shekou Area of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Shenzhen, one can immediately feel the sheer size and vibrancy of one of the busiest ports in China: there are rows of high-rise buildings and enormous warehouses and logistics centers; and trucks carrying containers pass by constantly.

December usually marks one of the busiest periods for the port area, as everything from spare parts to electronic devices are shipped from here to all over the world for the upcoming holiday seasons. The annual import and export value of the port area through the area skyrocketed from 71.2 billion yuan ($10.06 billion) in 2015 to 304.6 billion yuan in 2022, with an annual average growth rate of 23 percent.

The bustling scenes at the port area and the exponential growth over such a short period put on vivid display the quintessential "Shenzhen speed" - which refers to the rapid transformation of the city from a fishing village to a world class metropolis in just a few decades. More importantly, this is where the construction of the Shekou industrial zone began in July 1979, widely considered as the "first shot" of China's reform and opening-up.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the beginning of China's reform and opening-up. On December 18, 1978, about seven months before the "first shot" was fired, the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its third plenary session, where the Party decisively abandoned the policy of taking class struggle as the key link, and initiated a strategic shift in the focus of the Party and country's work, thereby ushering in a new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.

Miraculous achievements

That fateful decision has led to miraculous achievements in all aspects of China over the past 45 years, essentially transforming the country from a poor, agrarian society to a modern global power and propelling the country from margins of the world to the center. In 1978, China's GDP was $149.54 billion - only about 1.75 percent of global GDP, but in 2022, China's economy, at about $18 trillion, is the world's second-largest and accounts for about 18.6 percent of global GDP. China's GDP growth averaged more than 9 percent annually since its reform and opening-up and more than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, according to the World Bank.

Reform and opening-up is the right and necessary path for China because it is the only path that fits China's national conditions and has achieved unparalleled results.

"China's success provides ideas for developing countries today that it is better to rely on their own resources and local realities, while better using high-quality conditions from outside than to copy alternative models," Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that reform and opening-up not only changed Chinese life for the better, but also strengthened Chinese people's confidence in the country's institutions, path forward and future prospects.

Underneath China's economic miracle is the improved lives of the Chinese people. In 1978, per capita disposable income in the urban area was only 343 yuan, but that figure jumped to 36,883 yuan in 2022. The Engel's Coefficient - the proportion of money spent on food in household expenses, a reliable barometer of income growth - of rural households dropped from 67.7 in 1978 to 33 in 2022.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has continued to deepen reform and expand opening-up, leading to rapid development in all respects. Since 2012, China remained the world's second-largest economy, the world's top manufacturing power and top trader.

China is leading in many fields, including in the number of Fortune 500 companies, the number of 5G stations, the number of broadband users, and the length of high-speed railways and highways.

Global contribution

Beyond improved Chinese life, China's economic miracle has also greatly contributed to global development. Between 2013 and 2021, China's annual GDP growth rate averaged 6.6 percent, far higher than the global average of 2.6 percent. Its contribution to global growth averaged about 38.6 percent during that period, higher than the combined contribution of G7 countries.

In addition to contribution to global growth and steady supply of affordable and high-quality goods for the world, China's vast market and its opening-up have created massive opportunities for global businesses.

US iconic fast food chain McDonald's is one of the first foreign businesses that benefited from China's reform and opening-up. In 1990, the company opened its first restaurant in the Chinese mainland in Shenzhen's Luohu district.

Recalling the opening day 33 years ago, Raymond Ye, franchising division president of McDonald's China, described quite a bustling scene. "The line started from our counter on the second floor all the way to the front door  With the number of people waiting in line likely exceeding 800," Ye told the Global Times. "That was basically every day for the first year.''

More than 30 years later, the restaurant, now surrounded by countless other shops on a busy commercial center, is still bustling with consumers. And the number of McDonald's across China also grew exponentially. McDonald's plans to increase the number of restaurants from more than 5,600 currently to 10,000 by 2028.

"The development of McDonald's to the present - from the first one to more than 5,600 stores - is a result of the reform and opening-up. We also believe that reform and opening-up must move forward  And shouldn't stop," Ye said.

The confidence in China's development prospects and continued reform and opening-up is also shared by many foreign businesses, as more and more companies, including high-tech ones, are exploring and expanding in the Chinese market.

In the Lingang new area of Shanghai, also a frontier of China's reform and opening-up, office buildings of foreign companies are scattered in every corner of the area. Inside the workshop of the German company Lenze, a leading automation specialist, the automated production line runs smoothly, converting components into finished products.

The company set up the plant in 2006, started a second phase expansion in 2012 and moved its Asia research and development center to Lingang in 2019. "The first reason for choosing Lingang and choosing China is that the Chinese market has the biggest potential and is the largest for automation. The second reason is that China's business environment has been very good in recent years, with great emphasis on opening-up, innovation and reform," Xie Weidong, president East Asia and general manager China at Lenze Group, told the Global Times.

After the tremendous success of the past 45 years, China will continue to deepen reform and expand high-level opening-up going forward, creating greater opportunities for global businesses, analysts said. Going forward, "new technologies, the digital economy, green development will be the main engine of growth," Cao said.

The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference, a tone-setting meeting for economic policy in 2024, stressed that it is crucial to strengthen the endogenous driving force for development through reform and opening up, ensure the advancement of both profound reforms and high-level opening-up. Among specific measures, the meeting said that barriers shall be removed to make it easy for foreigners to do business, study and travel in China.

Read more:

Path to miracle: 45 years of reform and opening-up propel China to center of global stage

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202312/1303815.shtml

SOURCE Global Times
This year, Hilco Global joined forces with the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation to donate coats to offer warmth and comfort to asylum seekers facing the challenges of winter without adequate resources. This joint effort underscores a shared commitment to humanitarian responsibility and aims to provide not only physical warmth but also a sense of hope to those navigating the harsh winter conditions in Chicago.

Jackie Rosa, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the City of Chicago, commented, "In times of need, the true strength of a community shines through. The collaboration between Hilco Global, the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, and the City of Chicago exemplifies the spirit of unity and compassion that defines our city."

In coordination with the City of Chicago, coats have been distributed throughout the city at asylum seeker landing zones and through local charities. Hilco Global also coordinated with Gil Villegas, the 36th Ward Alderman, to establish an additional distribution site in the 36th ward, ensuring a broader reach and impact on community members facing the winter chill without adequate protection.

The donation of coats extends beyond a logistical operation; it represents a profound impact on the lives of the recipients. A representative from the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation expressed, "These coats symbolize more than just clothing; they signify warmth, dignity, and a caring community. The Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation is honored to collaborate with Hilco Global in bringing comfort to those who need it most during these challenging times."

Jeff Hecktman, Founder and CEO of Hilco Global, emphasizes the collective responsibility to alleviate the hardships faced by those seeking asylum, stating, "Our city is confronted with a pressing humanitarian need, and it is our duty to address it. Hilco Global is proud to collaborate with the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, acknowledging not just a weather-induced challenge but our shared responsibility to uplift our fellow Chicagoans."

Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP), an operating company of Hilco Global, is also donating over 3000 coats in cities across the US. HRP is a real estate development company that re-imagines, remediates, and redevelops obsolete industrial sites across the United States with a uniquely holistic approach that prioritizes economic, community and environmental sustainability. This year coat drives will occur in Alexandria, VA, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, and Philadelphia, PA as these are all cities where HRP has major projects transforming retired sites into modern economic hubs. HRP hosts philanthropic initiatives like these as a core pillar of how the company partners with neighbors, local nonprofits, civic partners, and elected officials to ensure the communities in which they work are supported all year long.

These philanthropic initiatives seamlessly align with Hilco Global's enduring commitment to social responsibility through its longstanding philanthropic "Hilco Helps" initiative. For years, Hilco Helps has been a driving force, channeling resources, and support towards causes that enhance the lives and potential of our most valuable assets: Human Assets.

For more information about Hilco Global and its philanthropic initiatives, please visit www.hilcohelps.com.

About Hilco Global: Hilco Global (http://www.hilcoglobal.com/) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global financial services leverage a unique blend of deep restructuring, and principal investing. Hilco Global delivers customized solutions to undervalued, high potential companies to resolve complex and stressed situations and enhance long-term enterprise value.

Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and as needed monetize the value. Hilco has almost 4 decades of a successful track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Currently, the company has $3 Billion in assets under management. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 800 professionals operating on five continents with US offices located in Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and internationally in Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Mexico and throughout Asia.

About Hilco Helps: Hilco Helps is a Hilco Global worldwide initiative that supports causes and not-for-profit organizations, focusing on enhancing the lives and maximizing the potential of the world's most important assets: human assets. Through various programs, Hilco Helps works to improve the lives of those in underserved communities, providing millions of dollars in direct support to nonprofit groups, in-kind donations, employee volunteer hours, and strategic marketing efforts/sponsorships.

About the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation: The Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation was founded in 2019 by Marc and Jeanne Malnati out of their unwavering commitment to the city they call home. Through strategic investments with community partners working in Chicago to promote peacebuilding, mental wellness, education, and workforce development, Marc and Jeanne are dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals to communicate, connect, and thrive in their personal lives. Marc and Jeanne believe that these pathways, together with quality resources and support, will invigorate Chicago and make our communities stronger, safer, and more just.

SOURCE Hilco Global
Poised for further growth in China's fast-expanding personal care for kids market

as it continues to scale on the back of secular tailwinds

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hi!Papa, a rapidly-growing personal care company focused on 3- to 12-year-old children in China, today announced that it has completed a Series A+ fundraise led by L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm. The transaction positions Hi!Papa to further scale in the country's fast-expanding personal care for kids market.

Propelled by secular tailwinds such as young mums' increasing application of their personal care habits to their children, the market has been growing approximately 12% annually over the past four years and is expected to reach RMB 52 billion in 2026. Expanding at around 38% annually over the same period, the masstige segment in which Hi!Papa operates is driving most of this growth. Consumers are also increasingly purchasing domestic brands instead of international ones as the market further evolves, with local players gaining a larger share of the pie, in line with the way the industry has matured in other geographies such as Japan, South Korea, and the US.

Having a customer-centric iterative research and development process, Hi!Papa has built a portfolio of highly-acclaimed products including sunscreens, as well as face cleansers and creams. These are progressively developed based on insights and feedback the company gathers from a group of around 200,000 consumers before official launches. Bearing testament to the quality of its products, customers rank the brand ahead of others when evaluating them based on key purchase considerations such as ingredient safety, product efficacy, and texture.

Coupled with having an omnichannel presence and well-targeted marketing campaigns, Hi!Papa's portfolio of stellar products has enabled it to grow swiftly. Its products have best-in-class conversion and repurchase rates, and its customers are avid advocates of the brand. Accordingly, its products are consistently top sellers on online platforms such as Douyin and Tmall, and are gaining traction offline across the country as well. Attesting to the robust fundamentals that underpin the rising demand for its products which persists through macroeconomic cycles, its revenue and profit have not only both increased several fold over the past few years, but also doubled over the past 12 months.

"Hi!Papa is committed to providing school-age kids in China with safe, gentle, and effective skincare solutions that meet their unique needs," commented Hi!Papa founder and CEO Jiangsheng Xuyu. "There are many water-centric skincare products for babies and toddlers, as well as many anti-acne ones targeted at adolescents, but almost none specially formulated for children aged 3 to 12. We have made significant headway since our establishment just four years ago and are excited about the road ahead as we leverage L Catterton's operating capabilities to continue building our brand, broadening our product suite, and augmenting our distribution network."

Scott Chen, a managing partner in the RMB fund of L Catterton, added, "Having made more than 30 investments in the global personal care space, we have seen demand for products which specially meet children's skincare needs arise in other markets as they mature, and are not surprised that this arc is now unfolding in China too. Hi!Papa has likewise identified this market opportunity and methodically developed products that resonate with its target consumers, enabling it to not only capture white space, but also engender strong brand equity and win long-term customer loyalty. Its many achievements since its founding have been remarkable and we believe that it is poised for further success."

L Catterton has extensive experience building personal care and children-focused brands across the world. Current and past investments in these sectors include Elemis, ETVOS, Function of Beauty, The Honest Company, Irene Forte Skincare, Oddity (the parent company of Il Makiage), TULA, Hanna Andersson, Plum Organics, and Zarbee's Naturals.

About L Catterton

L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $34 billion of equity capital across three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit, and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made around 275 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com.

About Hi!Papa

Hi!Papa is a personal care company founded in China in 2019 with a focus on meeting the skincare needs of school-age children in the country. Committed to providing these children with safe, gentle, and efficacious personal care solutions, it develops its products via an iterative process involving not only its in-house team of researchers, but also partner universities and laboratories, taking consumers' input and feedback into account. The company's portfolio of highly-acclaimed products which have won multiple industry awards includes its flagship sunscreen, hydrating mists, as well as face cleansers, lotions, creams, balms, and masks. For more information about Hi!Papa, please visit www.haiguibaba.com.

CONTACTS

L Catterton

Julie Hamilton (U.S.)

[email protected]

+1 203 742 5185

Bob Ong / Bonnie Gan (Asia)

[email protected] / [email protected]

+65 6672 7619 / +86 10 8555 1807

Hi!Papa

Alvin Lai

[email protected]

+86 139 2880 2859

SOURCE L Catterton
Collective effort to optimize and standardize treatment practices now covers more than 90% of adult cancer incidences plus an increasing number of pediatric diseases.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)an alliance of leading academic cancer centers in the United Statesis celebrating six years of working alongside the African Cancer Coalition (ACC), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), as part of Allied Against Cancer. The collaboration was formed to support and empower the Sub-Saharan African oncology community to advance health system capacity, deliver high-quality cancer care, and improve access for all patients.

Allied Against Cancer's work involves several initiatives, including the development of NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa. These evidence-based recommendations are based on in-region expert consensus on context-appropriate approaches for treating nearly all adult cancers across more than a dozen countries throughout the region.

NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa are available free-of-charge at NCCN.org/harmonized or via the Virtual Library of NCCN Guidelines App.

"The oncology community in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is working with NCCN to enhance the capacity of our professionals to meet the challenge of cancer care in SSA and cases that are increasing at a significant rate," said Professor Isaac Adewole, Former Nigerian Minister of Health, Co-Chair of ACC. "Allied Against Cancer activities and tools like the NCCN Harmonized Guidelines help us to ensure cancer care can be provided according to the latest research, based on all available resources. Standardizing care according to established best practices allows us to better anticipate what our needs will be, including medication, making it easier to negotiate prices and increase necessary infrastructure as well as participate in clinical trials and international conferences or meetings."

The first NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa debuted in November of 2017, during the biennial African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) International Conference on Cancer in Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.

Since then, the library has grown to 54 NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa, providing best practice cancer treatment recommendations for more than 92% of all adult cancer incidence in the region, including breast, prostate, and cervical cancers, as well as supportive care resources and screening recommendations. Recently, the groups have focused on the development of pediatric guidelines.

"We are honored to be able to work alongside these dedicated local experts across the African oncology community and our Allied Against Cancer collaborators," said Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, CEO, NCCN. "We hope efforts such as this will continue to promote improvements in care that are both pragmatic and aspirational around the world while supporting our oncology colleagues in their provision of optimal cancer care."

In 2023 alone, the group published 35 updated guidelines. During the 14th AORTIC International Conference on Cancer in Africa held in Dakar, Senegal in late 2023, oncologists from the region presented on implementation of the harmonized guidelines within their countries, with support from ACS.

"We were fortunate to be able to expand and update the harmonized guidelines this year during meetings in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Senegal, in order to continue making progress against the accelerating burden of cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa," said Shanthi Sivendran, MD, MSCR, MBA, Senior Vice President, Cancer Care Support, ACS. "Our aim is to make sure oncologists and patients across the Sub-Saharan region have access to the tools they need to provide the best care possible while often facing staffing and equipment shortages."

The library of NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa are endorsed by the Federal Ministries of Health and leading cancer centers in Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, representing 44% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa. To date, the NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa have been downloaded over 56,000 times.

Learn more about Allied Against Cancer's collaborative work to improve cancer care in Sub-Saharan Africa at alliedagainstcancer.org.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information.

Media Contact:

Rachel Darwin

267-622-6624

[email protected]

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/441768/NCCN_Logo.jpg
The two Israeli Companies Continue their Strategic Partnership to Monitor the Country's Power Transmission System Utilizing PrismaPower

TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), the Israeli electric utility, will join Prisma Photonics' Series C funding round. This comes after a previous investment in April of 2022. The two companies have been in partnership since early 2021. Prisma Photonics currently employs its optical fiber sensing technology to monitor over 1,000 km (more than 620 miles) of IEC's transmission network, detecting electrical faults, damage to power towers and transmission lines and weather conditions across 20% of Israel's national grid.

IEC executives visit Prisma Photonics Control Center, monitoring over 1000 km of IEC's transmission grid. From left to right: Dr. Eran Inbar (CEO, Prisma Photonics), Gilli Haizler (Head of Global Innovation and Investments, IEC), Elad Amram (VP Operations, Prisma Photonics), Amir Livne (Senior VP of Strategy and Innovation, IEC)

"IEC remains a valued customer and strategic investor, as evidenced by their participation in our latest funding round," says Dr. Eran Inbar, CEO of Prisma Photonics. "While our technical partnership spans over several years, this second investment underscores their dedication to driving innovation in Israel's power supply industry as they delve deeper into grid resilience to bolster their renewable energy projects."

"Prisma Photonics' transformative paradigm in critical infrastructure monitoring aligns with our innovation goals  IEC is committed to becoming a global leader in advanced power operations through continuous adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Our second investment signifies our dedication to safety, grid integrity, and environmental responsibility. This continued collaboration will better optimize our network for renewable energy integration, using advanced technologies to ultimately achieve net-zero emissions," adds Amir Livne, Senior VP of Strategy and Innovation at Israel Electric Corporation.

PrismaPower offers a groundbreaking solution for monitoring electrical overhead power lines, utilizing fiber optics technology to convert existing infrastructure into responsive sensors. This innovation facilitates real-time detection and location tracking of potential issues, eliminating the requirement for extra sensors. Prisma Photonics' optical fiber sensing technology extends across various infrastructure sectors, such as power, oil and gas pipelines, and other extended utilities. The technology enhances the safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of infrastructure operations while actively assisting utility operators in reaching their net-zero goals.

About Prisma Photonics

Prisma Photonics revolutionizes infrastructure monitoring by using optical fibers to monitor critical large-scale infrastructure like power grids and oil & gas pipelines for thousands of kilometers, eliminating the need for sensors.

Combining Hyper-Scan Fiber-Sensing technology with machine learning allows utility operators to reach environmental and renewable energy goals while keeping operational excellence in their journey to net-zero emissions.

Founded in 2017 by an expert team with a proven track record of building and scaling companies in the deep-tech domain.

Media Contact:

Emily Torrans

[email protected]

Mahoney Communications Group

214-500-9670

SOURCE Prisma Photonics
As the company celebrates its 39th anniversary, the future of the business has never been more promising.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This week marks the thirty-ninth anniversary of Fayetteville, Georgia-based Jetaire. Since its establishment in 1984, Jetaire has emerged as a trusted leader in the aviation and aerospace industries, specializing in fuel tank safety, ignition mitigation, and certifications that comply with regulatory requirements.

Jetaire's Commitment to Safety and Excellence

At Jetaire, safety is of paramount importance. With a team of experienced professionals and a track record of excellence, Jetaire has become a go-to provider of high-quality services for clients worldwide. The company's extensive expertise and commitment to innovation have solidified its position as a leader in fuel tank flammability reduction.

Jetaire founder and CEO, Michael Williams speaking on the company's anniversary, stated, "As we approach our milestone of four decades dedicated to enhancing aviation safety, we remain committed to ensuring the safety of every passenger and crew member flying on aircraft that have been touched by our team."

INVICTA  - Jetaire's Patented Technology for Boeing & Airbus Aircraft

Fuel tank flammability reduction is a critical aspect of aircraft safety, and Jetaire has developed a groundbreaking solution to address this issue. Enter INVICTA, the commercial aircraft industry's leading foam-based ignition mitigation means for fuel tank flammability reduction.

Unlike traditional nitrogen generating systems, INVICTA offers a host of advantages that make it a game-changer in the industry. This lightweight, foam-based solution requires no maintenance, has a zero-failure rate, and comes with an industry-leading 10-year warranty. By utilizing a reticulated polyurethane foam, INVICTA effectively suppresses ignition propagation caused by sparks, lightning strikes, or static discharges. It provides unparalleled ignition mitigation, minimizing the risk of explosion in fuel tanks.

The Distinct Advantages of INVICTA

INVICTA's unique features set it apart from other fuel tank ignition mitigation systems in the market. Unlike nitrogen inerting systems that require frequent maintenance and often full replacement due to the effects of ozone, INVICTA offers a hassle-free, long-lasting solution. It has a 20+ life limit, ensuring durability and efficiency throughout its lifespan.

Furthermore, INVICTA's foam-based technology has been patented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, solidifying its place as an industry-leading solution. It meets all requirements for Fuel Tank Flammability Reduction (FTFR) Rule and FAR 25.981, making it the most reliable mitigation system available.

Global Certifications and Expansion Plans

Jetaire's INVICTA system has received a series of global certifications, highlighting its compliance with international standards. Recently, Jetaire obtained European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for the A320 and B737 fleets. Additionally, the Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil (AFAC) certified the INVICTA system for the B737, allowing Jetaire to expand its footprint into the Mexican aviation market. Furthermore, the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) and Transport Canada (TCCA) have certified INVICTA for the B737 type, solidifying Jetaire's presence throughout the Americas.

These certifications demonstrate Jetaire's commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that adhere to the highest safety standards. With a focus on expansion, Jetaire aims to penetrate even more active aerospace markets worldwide, ensuring that its innovative solutions reach a global audience.

Jetaire's Custom Safety Features

Jetaire's legacy is built on the creation and support of systems that enhance safety on transport category aircraft. Over three decades ago, Jetaire developed Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for floor proximity lighting systems, which are now standard fit for passenger-carrying aircraft worldwide. The company was also the first to develop aftermarket smoke detection and fire suppression systems, certifying them as part of FAA mandates for various aircraft models.

Jetaire's commitment to innovation and safety has resulted in three patents being awarded for the company's INVICTA product by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These patents recognize Jetaire's unique contributions to the aviation industry and the development of advanced safety solutions.

Innovation: The Key to Survival in the Aviation Sector

The aviation sector's future hinges on innovation, and Jetaire embodies this principle. The company's ability to develop unique solutions to regulatory mandates has been a core strength throughout its existence. With Michael Williams' extensive background as an FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) and the team's technical expertise, Jetaire has successfully certified innovative solutions that meet stringent industry requirements.

Williams stated "We are driven by a culture and spirit that propelled us to thoughtfully develop the technology behind our INVICTA ignition mitigation means. It's an exciting time of growth for our team as we continue to seek out highly proficient, innovative thinkers to help us succeed."

INVICTA is a prime example of Jetaire's innovative thinking. While other companies opted for conventional nitrogen inerting systems, Jetaire recognized the need for a more efficient approach to ignition mitigation. By taking an Occam's Razor approach, Jetaire developed INVICTA as the most reliable fuel tank flammability reduction solution in the industry. This foam-based technology surpasses the labor-intensive installation and maintenance challenges associated with nitrogen systems.

Jetaire Flight Systems continues to lead the way in fuel tank flammability reduction. With its revolutionary INVICTA system, the company offers a lightweight, maintenance-free, and highly reliable solution that surpasses traditional nitrogen generating systems. Jetaire's global certifications, commitment to safety, and innovative mindset position it as a trusted authority in the aviation industry. As the world recovers from the pandemic, Jetaire anticipates significant growth, fueled by its dedication to providing efficient, compliant, and cutting-edge solutions for aircraft fuel tank safety.

About Jetaire Group

Jetaire Group, established in 1984, is a full-service avionics and aircraft engineering firm providing high-quality services to clients in the aviation and aerospace industries. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, we specialize in fuel tank safety, ignition mitigation, and FAR and FTFR certification that comply with FAA, EASA, ANAC, AFAC & TCCA. With offices and dedicated employees worldwide, we have provided over 150 value-added technical and engineering solutions to customers in over 50 countries.

INVICTA  is the only patented foam-based solution for the requirements of the fuel tank flammability reduction rule. INVICTA  brings aircraft into compliance with 25.981 and 121.1117 with minimal downtime.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Adam Belusko at +1 404 346 7175 ext. 224 or email at [email protected].

SOURCE Jetaire Group
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) will host its annual Summit in Washington, D.C. June 4 - 6, 2024. Members of the baby and children's products industry are invited to attend the Summit to learn, connect, and collaborate, and ultimately, to advance baby and child safety.

The Summit serves as an opportunity for JPMA members, manufacturers, testing labs, safety experts, and government agencies to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities within the industry and to identify ways to continue creating the safest and most innovative products for babies and young children.

"Parents and caregivers rely on our products to keep babies safe and to make caregiving more convenient," said Rob Gardner, Chairman of JPMA's Board of Directors and President and CEO of Joovy. "As an industry, our commitment to the safety of babies and young children means it's crucial that we address issues like safe sleep, chemicals regulation, counterfeit goods, tariffs, supply chain issues, and more. The Summit is the perfect opportunity for us to do that."

The three-day event will include networking opportunities, educational sessions, moderated discussions, special-interest breakout sessions, a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives, and more. "The 2024 JPMA Summit is the most important industry event of the year," said JPMA Executive Director Lisa Trofe. "We welcome and strongly encourage everyone in the baby and children's products industry to attend this important event."

For more information about the JPMA Summit, visit jpma.org/summit.

About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is the voice of the industry on quality and safety for baby and children's products in North America. We work to advance the interests of manufacturers, parents, children, and the industry at large by advocating for safety through product certification programs and legislative and regulatory involvement. We support our broad and diverse membership through member-only programming and industry promotion, and we act as a comprehensive source for baby product information and education. Established in 1962, JPMA has spent more than 60 years helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children.

SOURCE Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)
Private investment firm, Jumana Capital, partners with Outsource to bolster its position as a leading provider of electrical infrastructure solutions in the Western United States.

HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jumana Capital, LLC ("Jumana"), a private investment firm specializing in transformative partnerships with entrepreneur-led companies, is pleased to announce the successful management buy-out and recapitalization of Outsource Utility Contractors, LLC ("Outsource").

Founded in 2010 by CEO Matt Bates, Heather, and Joe Morgan, Outsource stands as a premier provider of overhead and underground electrical distribution and transmission infrastructure solutions across the Western United States. With a workforce exceeding 500 employees, Outsource executes some of the largest and most complex projects for electric utilities, municipalities, and renewable energy companies on the West Coast. The company's comprehensive capabilities encompass engineering, maintenance, system upgrades, wildfire-hardening, and emergency response services.

Jumana Capital Facilitates Management Buy-Out and Recapitalization of Outsource Utility Contractors, LLC Post this

Tanner Moran, Managing Director at Jumana Capital, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We are excited to partner with Matt Bates and the team at Outsource. Matt is a talented entrepreneur and mentor with a tireless work ethic, constantly innovating Outsource's approach to solve the most complex challenges for customers. Our goal is to help that team build a market-leading platform that can serve customers with a comprehensive offering in multiple geographies. Outsource has a very bright future."

Outsource, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, with additional facilities and operations in California, Nevada, and Arizona, is strategically positioned as a key provider of transmission and distribution services on the West Coast, and is poised for continued growth.

Matt Bates, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Outsource, reflected on the company's journey, stating, "What started with a single crew in 2010 has flourished into one of the leading utility service platforms in the Western US. I am proud of my team, their ambition, hard work, and consistent drive and determination to enhance safety and operational excellence. I greatly appreciate our customers  their confidence in us made our growth possible. I look forward to partnering with Jumana and accelerating that growth with additional capabilities and operating regions to leverage our best-in-class platform."

Legal representation for Jumana Capital was provided by Locke Lord, LLP, while Wells Fargo Bank provided financing for the transaction. Romanchuk & Co. served as the exclusive financial advisor to Outsource.

About Jumana Capital

Jumana is a private investment firm specializing in partnerships with entrepreneur led companies that are looking to transform into enduring businesses. As a single-family office with an evergreen, flexible capital base, we leverage our deep operating expertise, investment experience, robust network, and existing public and private holdings to help professionalize and accelerate growth in each partnership. We have flexibility in our investment structure, ownership stake, end market focus, and hold period. Due to our track record of success, Jumana's private investments employ more than 11,000 people while generating more than $4.0 billion in annual revenue across North America. https://www.jumanacapital.com/

Contact:

Tanner Moran

Managing Director

[email protected]



SOURCE Jumana Capital
KANAZAWA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes. The findings provide insights into the mechanism behind the generation of cell-membrane action potentials.

The transport of ions to and from a cell is controlled by pore-forming proteins embedded in the cell membrane. In particular, so-called voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) govern the transfer of sodium (Na+) ions and play an important role in the regulation of the membrane potential - the voltage difference between the cell's exterior and interior. In electrically excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells, VGSCs participate in the generation of action potentials; these are rapid changes in the membrane potential enabling the transmission of e.g. neural signals. The precise structural changes occurring in VGSCs are not completely understood, however. Now, Ayumi Sumino and Takashi Sumikama from Kanazawa University in collaboration with Katsumasa Irie from Wakayama Medical University and colleagues have succeeded in observing the structural dynamics of VGSC by means of high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), a method capable of imaging the nanostructure and subsecond dynamics of biomolecules.

VGSCs can be in three different states: resting, inactive and active. In the latter state, Na+ ions can pass through the channel; in the resting and inactive states, which are structurally different, ions cannot pass. The basic structure of a VGSC consists of two modules: voltage sensor domains and pore domains. These domains form a square arrangement, with the ion pore at its center. An important open question is whether the voltage sensor domains dissociate from the pore domains when the channel closes.

Sumino and colleagues performed experiments on three VGSCs. One is the sodium channel of a particular bacterium (Arcobacter butzleri), the other two are mutants thereof. These three VGSCs have different voltage dependencies, with activation voltages starting at -120 mV, -50 mV and 0 mV, so that at the experimental conditions (0 mV), the VGSCs are in different states.

In order to provide insights into the structural dynamics of these three VGSCs, the researchers applied HS-AFM, a powerful technique for producing image sequences of biochemical compounds. A single AFM image is generated by laterally moving a tip just above the sample's surface; during this xy-scanning motion, the tip's position in the direction perpendicular to the xy-plane (the z-coordinate) will follow the sample's height profile. The variation of the z-coordinate of the tip then produces a height map - the image of the sample. The generation of such AFM images in rapid succession then produces a video recording of the sample.

The HS-AFM results revealed that for the mutant VGSC in the resting state, the voltage sensor domains are indeed dissociated from the pore domains. Furthermore, the researchers found that the dissociated voltage sensor domains of neighboring channels connect to form pairs - this is referred to as dimerization.

The observation of the dissociation of voltage sensor domains, as well as the dimerization between pore channels, are findings that will lead to a better understanding of what causes pores to close in the resting state, and how the development of action potentials is regulated. Quoting the scientists, dimerization offers "a potential explanation for the facilitation of positive cooperativity of channel activity in the rising phase of the action potential".

Background

High-speed atomic force microscopy

The principle behind atomic force microscopy (AFM) is to scan the surface of a sample with a very small tip. During this horizontal (xy) scanning, the tip, which is attached to a small cantilever, follows the sample's vertical (z) profile, which induces a force on the cantilever that can be measured. The magnitude of the force at the xy position can be related to the z value. The xyz data generated during a scan then result in a height map providing structural information about the investigated sample. In high-speed-AFM (HS-AFM), the working principle is slightly more involved: the cantilever is made to oscillate near its resonance frequency. When the tip is moved around a surface, the variations in the amplitude (or the frequency) of the cantilever's oscillation - resulting from the tip's interaction with the sample's surface - are recorded, as these provide a measure for the local z value.

HS-AFM produces a sequence of AFM images recorded in rapid succession - a video, where the time interval between frames depends on the speed with which a single image can be generated (by xy-scanning the sample). In recent years, researchers at Kanazawa University have further developed HS-AFM so that it can be applied for studying biochemical molecules and biomolecular processes in real-time. Ayumi Sumino and colleagues have now applied the method to study the structural dynamics of Na+ ion channels, revealing the dissociation of channel components and the formation of inter-channel dimers when the channel is in the resting (blocking) state.

Reference

Ayumi Sumino, Takashi Sumikama, Mikihiro Shibata, and Katsumasa Irie. Voltage sensors of a Na+ channel dissociate from the pore domain and form inter-channel dimers in the resting state, Nature Communications 14, article number 7835 (2023).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43347-3

URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43347-3

Figure

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Figure1_en-1.png

Figure 1. Caption

HS-AFM of the Na v channels. (a and e) Snapshots of HS-AFM movies of WT (open) and E32Q/N49K (closed) channels. (b and f) Time-averaged images of (a) and (e). (c and g) Localization AFM images of (a) and (e). (d and h) Schematic illustration of results.

Contact

Hiroe Yoneda

Senior Specialist in Project Planning and Outreach

NanoLSI Administrative Office

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University  blogdescription The Nano Life Science Institute of Kanazawa University is unique in the world with the goal of exploring unexplored nano-domains remaining inside and outside cells and understanding the mechanisms of life phenomena at the atomic and molecular level (nano-level). A one-of-a-kind research base.

Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University

Kanazawa University This is an informational site of Kanazawa University

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa  a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

SOURCE Kanazawa University
Egyptian leading real estate developer Talaat Mostafa Group (TMG) announced that its hotel arm, ICON, has finalized an $882 million deal to acquire a 39 percent stake in Legacy Hotels, which owns seven historical state-owned hotels, TMGs Chairman Hisham Talaat Mostafa stated in a press conference on Wednesday.

The deal gives management rights to ICON and increases its stake in Legacys capital to 51 percent within a time frame that has not been announced.

Mostafa announced that the deal will generate $800 million for the government to upgrade the acquired hotels and maximize their profits.

Legacy is a joint venture between The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) and the Egyptian General Company For Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH).

The acquired hotels are the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan, Movenpick Resort Aswan, Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor, Steigenberger Hotel Tahrir, Steigenberger Cecil Hotel Alexandria, Marriott Mena House Cairo, and Marriott Omar Khayyam Zamalek.

The deal is part of a broader plan by the Egyptian government to offer stakes in 35 state-owned companies to strategic investors by the end of June 2024 under the State Ownership Policy Document.

A list of 32 companies was released in February 2023, to which three companies -- Eastern Company, Al Ezz Dekhila, and Telecom Egypt -- were added later this year.

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86% of women say they would travel up to 50 miles to a hospital for patient experience.

DETROIT, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has been named one of America's 2024 Best Hospitals for Cancer Care and one of the country's 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience by the Women's Choice Award, America's trusted referral source for the best in health care. This is the 11th consecutive year Karmanos has been recognized by the Women's Choice Award since the inception of the national list.

For the 11th year in a row, Karmanos Cancer Institute has been recognized by the Women's Choice Award, America's trusted referral source for the best in health care. Karmanos was awarded for outstanding cancer care, patient experience mammogram imaging, and minimally invasive surgery.

"A woman's influence on where she chooses to receive health care is powerful, and we are once again honored to be recognized as an awardee of the 2024 Women's Choice Award," said Brian Gamble, president of the Karmanos Cancer Hospital and Network. "Every single staff member at Karmanos is dedicated to providing the best cancer care and experience for every patient, and this designation shows we're on the right track."

America's Best Hospitals for Cancer Care

Karmanos, part of McLaren Health Care, was ranked among the top 4% of 4,728 hospitals offering cancer care services in the U.S. To qualify as one of America's Best Hospitals for Cancer Care, a hospital must be designated by the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer Classification (ACS CoC) as one of four specific types of cancer programs. The Women's Choice Award measures hospitals on the presence of specific cancer-related services offered onsite, infection rates, and patient recommendation ratings on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. The award is unique in that criteria also include primary research about women's healthcare preferences. Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women's Choice Award and a breast cancer survivor, emphasized that Karmanos and all 2024 Best Hospitals for Cancer Care deliver the most important care to women.

"The very first step on a cancer journey is knowing where to go for the best care," said Passi. "We're empowering women to make confident decisions about the best hospital for cancer care for themselves and their loved ones. We help them make smart, informed choices during a stressful time." The award-winning hospitals "provide the care that women value most, including easily accessible services onsite to avoid multiple trips for their treatment, which is so important to women faced with a cancer diagnosis."

Accreditation required for the award ensures that a hospital or facility offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment services or provides integrated cancer care and comprehensive services. Low infection rates compared to the national average are another critical measure.

America's 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience

The Women's Choice Award recognizes the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute as one of the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in the U.S. The methodology used to select Karmanos evaluates specific HCAHPS Survey results and primary research about women's healthcare preferences.

The Women's Choice Award collects the data for the following HCAHPS survey measures and uses a weighted average to award the best hospitals for patient experience:

Effective communication with nurses and doctors.

Responsiveness to requests for help.

Providing patient recovery information.

Explanation about medications before being administered.

Bathroom and room cleanliness.

Peacefulness of room at night.

Patient recommendation rating.

"Our mission at Karmanos is to provide the best cancer care along the entire continuum of care. We strive every day to demonstrate to our patients that we care about them and their families. We are honored that patients have chosen us to treat their disease and they inspire us to provide the best cancer care anywhere," said Gamble.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, good patient experience positively correlates to disease management, adherence to treatment plans and health outcomes. Providing a good patient experience also benefits business as it results in greater employee morale and satisfaction, thereby reducing turnover and helping recruit top talent. It also keeps patients loyal and happy and less likely to change providers or systems, supporting the bottom line. In a survey of healthcare consumers, 82% would switch healthcare providers due to a bad experience. At the same time, 86% of women would travel up to 50 miles for a hospital rated best in patient experience.

"To help women simplify their choices, the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience are awarded because they excel in the patient's willingness to recommend, as well as doctor communications, staff help, cleanliness, providing recovery information, explanation of medications, communication by nurses and peacefulness of the room at night," said Passi.

The Women's Choice Award also gave the Karmanos Cancer Center's Walt Comprehensive Breast Center the 2024 Mammogram Award for ranking in the top 1% of breast care centers, and Karmanos also received the Minimally Invasive Surgery Award for ranking in the top 4% of hospitals across the country. View Karmanos' listing on the Women's Choice Award website here.

For more information on Karmanos Cancer Institute's cancer services and programs, call 1-800-KARMANOS or visit karmanos.org.

About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Karmanos Cancer Institute is a leader in transformative cancer care, research and education through courage, commitment and compassion. The Karmanos vision is a world free of cancer. As part of McLaren Health Care, Karmanos is the largest provider of cancer care and research in Michigan. For more than 75 years, the administrative and research headquarters, along with the premier specialty cancer hospital, have been located in downtown Detroit. With 16 network sites, Karmanos delivers world-renowned care and access to clinical trials throughout Michigan and northern Ohio. The National Cancer Institute recognizes Karmanos as one of the best cancer centers in the nation with a comprehensive cancer center designation. Its academic partnership with the Wayne State University School of Medicine provides the framework for cancer research and education  defining new standards of care and improving survivorship. For more information, call 1-800-KARMANOS (800-527-6266) or visit www.karmanos.org. Follow Karmanos on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About the Women's Choice Award

The Women's Choice Award for Best Hospitals is a trusted referral source and coveted credential that identifies the nation's best hospitals based on robust criteria that includes relevant clinical performance, patient satisfaction and appropriate accreditations. The Best Hospitals demonstrate exceptional ratings, providing the highest level of care and commitment to their patients' health and well-being. The Women's Choice Award is the only designation that takes into consideration the preferences of women when selecting a hospital. Visit womenschoiceaward.com to learn more.

SOURCE Karmanos Cancer Institute
Enterprises and governments worldwide rely on Trend to bridge the gap between security and compliance

DALLAS, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced its latest platform compliance achievement: Trend Cloud One for Government has obtained a FedRAMP ATO (Authorization to Operate). This builds upon over a dozen similar certifications as well as support for customers to meet local compliance regulations in 175+ countries  making Trend's platform the global leader in adapting to security regulations.

Mark Houpt, Chief Information Security Officer at DataBank: "When evaluating a security vendor, we examine every element of their offerings to understand their expertise and how they compare to others in the industry. An authorization to operate with FedRAMP is highly sought after as an indication of the highest level of security capability and compliance. It offers value to enterprises worldwide, regardless of their US federal needs. By partnering with Trend, we are empowered to pass the benefits of this achievement to our customers and their organizations."

Trend Micro's certification represents the highest level of protection for federal and compliance-driven organizations. Post this

As the gold standard among government certifications worldwide, the new authorization will bring Trend's industry-leading server, workload and endpoint protection capabilities to customers modernizing cloud environments in both the private and public sectors. Trend Micro was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Q2 2022 and has been named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) report 17 times since 2002.

Trend has also been named a leader in the hybrid cloud workload security market by IDC for five consecutive years.*

Karen Laughton, Executive Vice President of Advisory Services at Coalfire: "The market is in need of a comprehensive platform that grants visibility to cyber risk and makes remediation manageable. As our long-standing partner passes this new FedRAMP milestone, we'll be delighted to deliver the outstanding capabilities in the Trend Micro offering. Trend's tireless commitment to the federal government space provides public sector authorities and suppliers with the scalable, flexible security they need to manage risk effectively."

What takes multiple solutions from other vendors can be done with a single offering from Trend Micro that includes capabilities for intrusion defense to mitigate attacks and identify potential risks, identify and reduce vulnerabilities and filter out exploits of unpatched vulnerabilities, allowing time for normal patch cycles to complete while limiting unwanted exposure. As a SaaS delivery model, customers enjoy reduction in operational impact via automated installation, configuration updates, patching and backups, enabling them to focus on more pressing security tasks.

The solution brings the highest level of protection to federal and compliance-driven organizations, which are often targeted by threat actors. Capabilities include:

Complete endpoint and workload security: Secure user endpoints, servers, data centers, and cloud workloads using a comprehensive SaaS solution without compromising performance.

Secure user endpoints, servers, data centers, and cloud workloads using a comprehensive SaaS solution without compromising performance. Highest level of protection against all types of threats: Detect and protect against vulnerabilities, malware, and unauthorized changes with comprehensive security for multiple environments.

Detect and protect against vulnerabilities, malware, and unauthorized changes with comprehensive security for multiple environments. Integrations that enable faster detection and response: Eliminate blind spots, alert overload, operational complexity, and security gaps.

Eliminate blind spots, alert overload, operational complexity, and security gaps. Simplified compliance: Certified under FedRAMP, ISO, CSA, and more, Cloud One has the compliance capabilities to confidently streamline cyber risk management.

Achieving this FedRAMP status represents confidence from the US public sector in Trend's ability to secure the growing cloud attack surface of government agencies as well as their partners and suppliers.

Trend is committed to data privacy and information collection transparency. Data processing will remain in the US and data will be separated from the commercial Trend Micro cloud environment to ensure it is only accessible to analysts with security clearance to meet strict FedRAMP requirements.

Craig P. Abod, President at Carahsoft: "As Trend Micro's public sector distributor, Carahsoft is pleased to see this critical milestone in the FedRAMP authorization process. Trend's investments demonstrate the significance of the FedRAMP program, its dedication to facilitating secure cloud migration for agencies, and acknowledgement of the program's importance to their customers and reseller partners who support this market."

Established in 2011, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide initiative designed to empower agencies to securely use advanced cloud technologies for greater operational agility, cost efficiency and innovation. FedRAMP standardizes security and risk assessment for cloud technologies and federal agencies, using highly transparent National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and guidelines.

To learn more, visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/business/capabilities/solutions-for/federal-government/cloud-security.html

To view Cloud One for Government on the FedRAMP Marketplace, visit: https://marketplace.fedramp.gov/products/FR2226228379

* IDC Worldwide Cloud Workload Security Market Shares, 2022: A Shifting Landscape (doc #US50197823, May 2023).

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated
Marelli's Intelligent Social Display provides new opportunities for illumination and communication via light, on and around the vehicle. The company is in series production with two Chinese automakers with mid-resolution displays integrated into the vehicle front. For integration within the rear lamp or trunk surface, a second generation of high-resolution displays based on mini-LED technology is in development and can also achieve homologated lighting functions.

The Intelligent Social Display can indicate when the car is in autonomous mode, signal driver intent, and communicate to pedestrians with messages such as "safe to cross" when approaching an intersection or crosswalk.

There are many integration options available with the Intelligent Social Display. In China, OEMs are integrating the displays into the front and side of the vehicle, offering on-demand functionality and customized patterns for safety and socializing. Use cases for integration in the rear include using symbols to convey environmental scenarios such as a traffic jam, accident ahead, or unsafe driving conditions. A "thank you" message could be shared after a vehicle has been allowed to pass or merge into traffic.

About Marelli

Marelli is a leading mobility technology supplier to the automotive sector. With a strong and established track record in innovation and manufacturing excellence, our mission is to transform the future of mobility through working with customers and partners to create a safer, greener, and better-connected world. With around 50,000 employees worldwide, the Marelli footprint includes 170 facilities and R&D centers across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305538/Marelli_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305539/Marelli_2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305540/Marelli_3.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305541/Marelli_4.jpg

SOURCE Marelli

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The international children's hospital patient and employee safety network, Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS), has named Rick Merrill, president and CEO of Cook Children's Health Care System, as its newest board chair. The network also announced that Gil Peri, president and CEO of Riley Children's Health; Carole Hemmelgarn, director for the Executive Master's Program for Clinical Quality, Safety and Leadership at Georgetown University; and Marissa Kiefer, senior vice president and CEO of Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital have joined its board of directors for terms beginning January 1, 2024.

Merrill will assume the role of chair previously held by Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children's. Peri, Hemmelgarn and Kiefer will assume the board seats previously held by Beth Daley Ullem, president, Quality and Safety First; Katy Welkie, CEO of Primary Children's Hospital; and Madeline Bell, president and CEO of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

SPS efforts have spared more than 25,000 children from serious harm and led to estimated savings of $533+ million. Post this

"SPS is pleased to name Rick as our next chair and welcome three new board members who all share in our unwavering commitment to prevent harm," said Nick Lashutka, president of SPS. "Importantly, we would like to thank our past chair, Marcy Doderer, for her leadership and dedication to the board, and Beth, Katy and Madeline for their service and commitment to helping SPS continue to trailblaze in pediatric and patient safety to achieve ZERO."

As president and CEO of Cook Children's Health Care System since 2007, Rick Merrill has led the Fort Worth-based organization during a time of unprecedented growth, including the historic expansion of Cook Children's Medical Center, which nearly tripled the size of its campus in response to the growing need for its services. Under Rick's leadership, Cook Children's began a new era by streamlining its mission and vision into a Promise to improve the health of every child in the region through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. For more than 30 years, Rick has served in leadership roles in large academic/university-based health care systems, including both for-profit and not-for profit health care facilities, and he actively serves on numerous national, state and community advisory boards.

Gil Peri has served as president of Riley Children's Health since 2021. Peri is a pediatric healthcare executive with more than 20 years of achieving the best outcomes for patients, families and team members. Previously the president and chief operating officer at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Peri oversaw health system operations, strategy and innovation. There, he led the hospital's interdisciplinary team and strategically scaled pediatric expertise across a three-state region. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Peri holds master's degrees in business administration and public health and a bachelor's degree in biology.

Carole Hemmelgarn, MS, is the director for the Executive Master's program for Clinical Quality, Safety and Leadership at Georgetown University, and the senior director of Education for the MedStar Institute for Quality & Safety. Carole graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in speech communication. She received a master's degree in patient safety leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a second master's degree in health care ethics from Creighton University. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago for ten years teaching in their master's program for patient safety. Hemmelgarn is involved in patient safety work across the country. She sits on the Leapfrog Patient & Family Caregiver Expert Panel, Board of Quality, Safety and Experience at Children's Hospital Colorado, Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Collaborative at Children's Hospital Colorado, Clinical Excellence Council for the Colorado Hospital Association, and the Board of Directors for the Collaborative for Accountability and Improvement.

Marissa Kiefer serves as Senior Vice President and CEO of Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. In her role, Kiefer leverages her strategic mindset and passion for maternal and pediatric care to enhance operational performance across multiple service lines. In addition, she oversees a multidisciplinary team of health professionals to provide the highest level of care to women and children  including the latest advances in high-risk pregnancy and neonatal critical care  across the region. Kiefer has more than two decades of experience and has held senior leadership positions at nationally recognized health care institutions, including Riley Children's Health in Indianapolis and Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. She is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, a Tobias Leadership Fellow and a Carol Emmott Fellow. Kiefer holds a master's degree in health services administration from The George Washington University and a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

The Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) network is an unparalleled, collaborative effort among children's hospitals working to transform pediatric patient and employee/staff safety in pursuit of the vision that no child will ever experience serious harm while in their care. SPS is a network of more than 145 children's hospitals from the United States and Canada. The SPS network's efforts have spared more than 25,000 children from serious harm and led to an estimated savings of more than $533 million, with consistent progress toward the goal of eliminating serious harm. The hospitals in the network share information and data regularly to learn best practices that are then spread across the network and shared publicly, along with results, on the network's website.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety
Provides Businesses with the Fastest Path to Messaging Success

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MessageWhiz, a leading provider of messaging services, today announced that its CPaaS platform is available on Google Cloud Marketplace. These channels form the bedrock of modern customer communications and enable businesses to foster one-to-one relationships with their stakeholders.

For Google Cloud customers, MessageWhiz's SMS, RCS and chat apps will enable them to easily create two-way conversations with their customers, send rich media messages, and secure accounts with one-time passwords. The platform helps manage all engagements, and integrates easily with leading CRMs. It empowers enterprises and SMBs to deliver omnichannel support over voice, text and chat with its carrier-grade calling and messaging platform .

"We are thrilled to offer MessageWhiz's powerful business messaging on our CPaaS platform on Google Cloud Marketplace, making it more accessible for businesses, and help improve their customer relationships," said Arie Frenklakh, CEO of MMDSmart , creators of MessageWhiz.

"Bringing MessageWhiz to Google Cloud Marketplace will help customers quickly deploy, manage, and grow the CPaaS platform on Google Cloud's trusted, global infrastructure," said Dai Vu, Managing Director, Marketplace & ISV GTM Programs at Google Cloud. "MessageWhiz can now securely scale and support customers on their digital transformation journeys."

Through MessageWhiz, customers can improve, monitor, and manage their voice and messaging efforts, including:

CPaaS: Communication platform as a Service digitally transforms the call center to the cloud, enabling businesses to easily scale call center activities over a carrier-grade voice network

Messaging: Reaching customers over SMS, RCS , WhatsApp , Telegram, Viber, and other channels with rich communication options that include images, video, interactive buttons, file sharing and payment options.

Account Security: Send one-time passwords to secure user accounts , confirm transactions, and more

To learn more about our services, visit us at www.messagewhiz.com or sign up on Google Cloud Marketplace at https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/messagewhiz/messagewhiz-public

About MessageWhiz
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA is participating in a meeting of the National Space Council on Wednesday, Dec. 20, in Washington. The meeting, chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, will focus on international partnerships and is the third council meeting held by the Biden-Harris Administration.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Artemis II and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will represent the agency at the meeting, which also includes other federal government agencies.

NASA will provide coverage of the meeting at 2 p.m. EST on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency's website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Deputy Administrator Melroy will provide remarks that will focus on the societal benefits of NASA's space exploration, including the agency's Earth science missions that provide open and transparent climate data for all people. Melroy also will discuss NASA's space exploration with international partners to build a responsible and sustainable human presence in space.

For more information on the National Space Council visit:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/spacecouncil/

SOURCE NASA
Studies suggest children suffer more from prolonged screen time than adults

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Numerous studies, including one from the National Institutes of Health, suggest children are suffering physically and mentally from overuse of digital devices. In the fast-paced world of smartphones, tablets, and endless digital distractions, Henry's Tech-Free Trip is the first and only children's book to create a narrative around screen time and its negative effects. Authors Kylen Ribeiro and Michelle Zofrea, co-founders of Lightbody, wrote the groundbreaking book to raise awareness about the importance of not being glued to digital devices such as phones, laptops, and computers for 8-10 hours every day.

Henry's Tech Free Trip is a new book from authors Kylen Ribeiro and Michelle Zofrea to help bring awareness to children on the effects of prolonged use of electronics and the importance of taking tech free breaks throughout their day. Students at Riverview Montessori School at Rivercrest were treated to a reading of Henry's Tech Free Trip by the authors and their classmate that was the inspiration for the book. The students received a copy of the book to take home and participated in a lively discussion about their tech habits after the reading.

"Through our research, we found kids are more susceptible and vulnerable to the effects of electronics than adults," Ribeiro said. "Their bodies are smaller and still developing, and their tissue is more conductive, which enables harmful signals such as cell, Wi-Fi, and 5G to negatively impact their bodies."

The book educates children about the risks of prolonged exposure to blue light and harmful EMF radiation  the invisible energy that leaks from electronic devices. Based on Ribeiro's experience with her 7-year-old son Vincent and his use of electronics, the story follows Henry, a child obsessed with the world of technology. With an important theme and delightful illustrations by Morgan Jennings, the book engages young readers while also equipping parents with essential tools to address the ever-prevalent challenges of today's tech-savvy world.

Recently, Ribeiro and Zofrea were asked to read Henry's Tech-Free Trip to a group of students, ages 6 to 12, at Riverview Montessori School in Tampa. The authors donated 60 copies of the book to the enthusiastic children and said the message was well-received.

"This generation was born into technology from day one," Zofrea said. "It's a whole new world now, so parental guidance is essential. The purpose of the book is to bring awareness about the effects of technology and the importance of taking time away from screens."

Numerous studies suggest overexposure to digital devices impairs attention span, mood, memory, and focus. In addition, it increases anxiety and irritability levels in children, exacerbates ADHD, and raises cortisol levels which create inflammation in the body and can lead to many forms of chronic disease.

"We're not trying to scare kids or parents with this book," Ribeiro added. "We want children to recognize how they feel when they're overexposed. We're promoting digital wellness through the balanced use of technology."

The dilemma of balancing technology while encouraging participation in everyday activities is one that all parents can relate to, but children will benefit from the book's message about enjoying life without a device. Henry's Tech Free Trip can be ordered at henrystechfreetrip.com and is available in both hard and soft copy.

About the Authors

Kylen Ribeiro is CEO and Michelle Zofrea COO of DefenderShield, a company founded by DeBaun that makes products protecting people from the emissions of cell phones and other electronics, including Wi-Fi and 5G. These include Lightbody, the world's first line of digital wellness supplements, and Ultra Armor, a line of privacy and security products designed to protect against digital hacking and tracking. For more information, visit www.lightbodylabs.com

Contact:

Rhonda Price

(561) 371-9407

[email protected]

SOURCE Lightbody
AUSTIN, Minn., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, has been named one of America's greatest workplaces for diversity by Newsweek magazine.

Hormel Foods Corporation, a Fortune 500 global branded food company, has been named one of Americas Greatest Workplaces for Diversity by Newsweek magazine.

"Being named one of America's greatest workplaces for diversity is an incredible honor," said Katie Larson, senior vice president of human resources at Hormel Foods. "We believe a diverse workforce cultivates an environment filled with unique perspectives that drive innovation and enable us to create a better, more inclusive workplace. Our 20,000 inspired team members are dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusion, respect, collaboration and belonging. This recognition is a testament to these efforts."

"We are very proud to be recognized for our efforts to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce and everything that celebrates the power of bringing together the talents of our unique team members across the world," said Antoine Destin, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Hormel Foods."

Hormel Foods has a long-standing reputation as one of the most successful food companies in the world and has received numerous honors and accolades. The company recently received a perfect score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), and throughout 2023, Hormel Foods has received numerous awards and accolades, including:

Drucker Institute Management Top 250 list of America's Best Run Companies.

Newsweek's Most Trustworthy Companies in America.

Newsweek's Greatest Workplaces in America.

Fortune's Most Admired Companies.

U.S. News & World Report's Best Companies to Work for in America.

To view the full list of Newsweek's America's greatest workplaces for diversity, visit: America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024 (newsweek.com)

About Hormel Foods  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, Skippy, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized on Fast Company's list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit hormelfoods.com.

Contact: Media Relations

Hormel Foods

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Metacon AB (publ), org. no. 556724-1616 (the "Company"), are hereby invited to the extraordinary general meeting to be held on 24 January 2024 at 09.00 CET at Advokatfirman Schjdt, Hamngatan 27, Stockholm. Registration for the meeting commences at 08.30 CET.

Right to participate and registration

A shareholder who wish to participate in the general meeting must:

(i) be entered in the register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on 16 January 2024; and (ii) notified the Company of its attendance no later than 18 January 2024 to Metacon AB (publ), "EGM", Drottninggatan 1B, 753 10 Uppsala, Sweden, or via e-mail to [email protected], or via telephone to +46 70 362 06 00. The notification shall state full name, personal registration number or company registration number, address and telephone number, number of shares held and proxies if applicable.

Nominee registered shares

Shareholders whose shares are held in the name of a nominee must, in order to be able to participate at the general meeting and exercise their voting right, temporarily re-register the shares in their own name in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB (so-called voting right registration). When preparing the share register for the general meeting per the record date, 16 January 2024, voting right registrations completed by the nominee no later than 18 January 2024 will be considered. This means that shareholders must request the nominee to complete such voting right registration well in advance of 18 January 2024.

Proxies

Shareholders represented by proxy shall issue a written and dated power of attorney. If the proxy is issued by a legal person, a certified copy of the registration certificate or similar papers of authorisation must be appended. The proxy, in its original form, as well as any registration certificates, should be submitted well in advance of the meeting to Metacon AB (publ), "EGM", Drottninggatan 1B, SE-753 10 Uppsala, Sweden. The power of attorney must not be older than one year unless a longer validity term is specifically stated in the power of attorney (however no longer than five years). Proxy forms are available on the Company's website, www.metacon.com.

Proposed agenda

Opening of the meeting Election of chairman of the meeting Preparation and approval of the voting list Election of one or two persons who shall approve the minutes of the meeting Determination of whether the meeting has been duly convened Approval of the agenda Resolution to amend  4 and  5 in the articles of association Resolution on authorisation for the board of directors to resolve on issues of shares, warrants and/or convertibles Closing of the meeting

RESOLUTION PROPOSALS

Item 7 - Resolution to amend  4 and  5 in the articles of association

To facilitate the registration of the rights issue that the Company intends to carry out, as announced by the Company on 20 December 2023, the board of directors proposes that the general meeting resolves to amend the limits for the share capital and the number of shares in the articles of association.

 4 in the articles of association is proposed to have the following wording.

Current wording

The share capital shall amount to at least SEK 1,943,394.19 and not more than SEK 7,773,576.76.

Proposed wording

The share capital shall amount to at least SEK 3,425,858 and not more than SEK 13,703,432.

 5 in the articles of association is proposed to have the following wording.

Current wording

The number of shares may not be lower than 194,339,419 or more than 777,357,676.

Proposed wording

The number of shares may not be lower than 342,585,803 or more than 1,370,343,212.

The board of directors, the CEO, or anyone appointed by the board of directors or the CEO, shall be authorized to make such minor amendments to the above resolution as may be necessary in connection with the registration of the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office or due to other formal requirements.

A valid resolution requires that the resolution is supported by shareholders representing at least two thirds of the votes cast as well as of the shares represented at the general meeting.

Item 8 - Resolution on authorisation for the board of directors to resolve on issues of shares, warrants and/or convertibles

Due to the board of directors' proposed resolution to amend the limits for the share capital and the number of shares in the articles of association under item 7 above and the Company's intention to carry out a rights issue, as announced by the Company on 20 December 2023, the board of directors proposes that the general meeting authorises the board of directors to resolve on new issuances as follows.

The board of directors proposes that the extraordinary general meeting shall resolve to authorise the board of directors to, on one or several occasions up until the next annual general meeting, resolve on issues of shares, warrants and/or convertibles. The issues may be made with or without deviation from the shareholders' preferential rights, as well as on terms regarding payment in kind, by set-off or other terms.

The number of shares that may be issued under the authorisation, and the increase of the share capital, shall not be limited other than by the limits for the number of shares and share capital as set out in the articles of association in its registered wording at each time. The board of directors shall otherwise have the right to determine all terms and conditions for the issue. The reason that the board of directors may resolve upon an issue with deviation from the shareholders' preferential rights is that the Company shall be able to issue new shares, warrants and/or convertibles in order to finance the Company's continued operations and expansion.

In the event that the extraordinary general meeting resolves in accordance with the board of directors' proposal under this item 8, this issue authorisation shall replace the issue authorisation that the annual general meeting adopted on 8 June 2023.

The board of directors, the CEO, or anyone appointed by the board of directors or the CEO, shall be authorised to make such minor amendments to the above resolution as may be necessary in connection with the registration of the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office or due to other formal requirements.

A valid resolution requires that the resolution is supported by shareholders representing at least two thirds of the votes cast as well as of the shares represented at the general meeting.

Documentation

The board of directors complete proposals (complete in this notice) and associated documents will be available at the Company's office and on the Company's website, www.metacon.com, no later than three weeks prior to the general meeting and will be sent to shareholders who so request and provide their postal address.

Shareholders' right to request information

Shareholders are reminded of their right to request information from the board of directors and CEO in accordance with Chapter 7 Section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act.

Use of personal data

For information regarding the processing of your personal data, please see the integrity policy that is available at Euroclear Sweden AB's website:

www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf.

Metacon AB (publ) has org. no. 559019-7462 and its registered office in Orebro.

N.B. This notice has been prepared in both Swedish and English language versions. In the event of any deviations between the versions, the Swedish version shall prevail.

_________________

Orebro in December 2023

Metacon AB (publ)

The board of directors

For further information, contact:

Christer Wikner

CEO

[email protected]

+46 70 7647 389

The information was submitted, through the agency of the contact person above, for publication on 20 December 2023, 22:00 CET.

About Metacon AB (publ)

Metacon AB (publ) develops and manufactures energy systems for the production of fossil-free "green" hydrogen. The products in the Reforming business area are based, among other things, on a patented technology that generates hydrogen through so-called catalytic steam reforming of biogas or other hydrocarbons. The development of Metacon's reforming products is done within the wholly owned subsidiary Metacon S.A in Patras, Greece. The business is focused on catalytic process chemistry and advanced reformers for highly efficient hydrogen production.

Metacon also offers complete electrolysis plants and integrated hydrogen refueling stations, a large and globally growing area for small- and large-scale production of green hydrogen. Electrolysis is a process of driving a chemical reaction to split water by adding electricity. If the electricity used is non-fossil, the hydrogen will also be fossil-free and climate-neutral. Green hydrogen can be used in sectors such as transport, basic industry and the real estate sector, with a better environment and climate as a result. www.metacon.com

For further information, see:

www.metacon.com | X: @Metaconab| LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/metaconab

The following files are available for download:
Year-to-date total also up more than 10% as traveler count neared 6 million

ONTARIO, Calif., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ontario International Airport (ONT) passenger volume increased by more than 12% in November and 11% over the first 11 months of the year, airport authority officials announced.

Ontario International welcomed 575,877 passengers in November, an increase of 12.4% compared with the same month last year. The total included 535,507 domestic and 40,370 international travelers, increases of 8.9% and 98.9%, respectively.

Ontario International Airport is approaching 6 million passengers this year.

From January through November, ONT reported more than 5.8 million passenger 5.5 million domestic fliers and 374,000 international travelers. The year-to-date passenger total was 11.7% higher than the same period in 2022.

Domestic travel volume was 8.1% higher than the first 11 months of 2023 while the number of international passengers more than doubled.

"Ontario International continues to show strong and steady passenger growth, and by the last week of November, our airport had already exceeded the total passenger count we achieved during the entire year in 2022," said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer, Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). "As we have experienced throughout the year, our airline partners and air travelers continued to show their confidence in our facilities, services and amenities, and we look forward to closing out 2023 with record-breaking volumes."

Passenger Totals Nov 2023 Nov 2022 Change YTD 2023 YTD 2022 Change Domestic 535,507 491,747 8.9 % 5,504,368 5,090,464 8.1 % International 40,370 20,298 98.89 % 374,504 172,827 116.7 % Total 575,877 512,045 12.47 % 5,878,872 5,263,291 11.7 %

Shipments of freight and mail continued to be soft in November registering 68,000 tons, 7% lower than November last year. On a year-to-date basis, ONT cargo totaled 672,000 tons, 11.8% lower than the first 11 months of 2022.

Air cargo (tonnage) Nov 2023 Nov 2022 Change YTD 2023 YTD 2022 Change Freight 65,422 70,374 -7.04 % 629,606 712,419 -11.6 % Mail 2,762 4,307 -35.88 % 42,695 49,537 -13.8 % Total 68,184 74,682 -8.7 % 672,301 761,955 -11.8 %

"Declines in air cargo volume continue to reflect economic and shipping trends worldwide," Elkadi said.

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which offers nonstop commercial jet service to two dozen major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)

The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA leaders include Ontario City Council Member Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).

OIAA Media Contact:

Steve Lambert (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport
Tolentino Amendment allows laws to become self-executory without IRR

MANILA -- Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino has pushed for legislative measures to be self-executory without the need for Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday, Tolentino cited the amendment he contributed which made the recently approved Senate Bill No. 2432 known as Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act self-executory.

"For the first time, we have a bill which contains in its final section, on the effectivity date, 'this law shall become effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation, without the need for the issuance of Implementing Rules and Regulations.'," Sen. Tol remarked.

Sen. Tolentino said that IRRs often disrupt the intent of the law, the crafting of which is the mandate of the legislature.

"Kalimitan ang IRR ang nagpapagulo, binabago nila iyong laman ng batas" he stressed.

Tolentino likewise said that the application of such provision is prospective in nature and will serve as a template for future bills.

"I hope this will become a template for all laws to come na di na [kailangan] kasama ang IRR," Sen. Tol further concluded.
PARIS, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ProductLife Group (PLG), the global consulting provider of regulatory, scientific, vigilance and quality services for the life sciences industries, announces the acquisition of LifeBee, a leading Italian and Swiss based consulting firm providing digital transformation, operational excellence and proactive compliance services in life sciences. Current LifeBee shareholders will reinvest in PLG Group, embracing the PLG mission while guaranteeing business continuity for all clients.

The acquisition will bolster ProductLife Group Consulting and Digitalization services, playing a crucial role in PLG's pursuit to become the premier leader in life sciences consulting worldwide. LifeBee brings a strong strategic approach, coupled with cutting-edge digital expertise that will further build on PLG's consulting capabilities. LifeBee has recurrently been mentioned as a representative player in life sciences by Gartner and has a relevant and active presence in renowned industry associations, like the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), providing its contribution both on a strategical and knowledge-sharing level.

Teresa Minero, President and CEO of LifeBee and member of the International Board of Directors of ISPE, commented: "Joining PLG is a strategic move, for the company, its people and customers. We will leverage on the boutique platform we have created in the last 20 years in order to expand our footprint to a global scale, better supporting local and international customers with effective consultancy and transformational digital services dedicated to GxP regulated areas of the life sciences.

Our two companies have similar values: pioneering the way for innovation, pragmatic continuous improvement, team spirit and a unique sense of purpose for life sciences. In a globally consolidating consulting landscape, this will expand our service capabilities for our clients and our people, allowing us to become a global leader and innovator in life sciences services."

Xavier Duburcq, CEO of PLG, highlighted: "LifeBee is a highly reputable company with in-depth knowledge on the challenges of consulting and digital business for the life sciences industry as well as the experience and knowledge to tackle them. LifeBee's strong voice on the market, very active on the Pharma 4.0 ISPE international Community of Practice, further demonstrates how this strategic alliance is a testament to our commitment to offering unparalleled services. Technology and innovation are fundamental to shaping the future of life sciences, and with LifeBee's teams' expertise, we will be able to support our clients' transformation on their success throughout the whole product lifecycle. Moreover, the commitment of LifeBee's existing partners to reinvest their capital in PLG, attests to our shared ambition to deliver ingenuity to the life science consulting arena."

About ProductLife Group:

ProductLife Group's mission is to improve human health by delivering regulatory & compliance services for the safe and effective use of healthcare solutions. PLG supports clients through the entire product life cycle, combining local expertise with global reach spanning more than 150 countries. It provides consulting and outsourcing services in the areas of product development, regulatory affairs, quality management and compliance, vigilance and medical information, covering both established products and innovative therapeutics & diagnostics.

With a goal of continuously improving the value delivered to people and customers, PLG is committed to long-term partnership, innovation, flexibility, and cost efficiency.

For more information, visit https://productlifegroup.com/

About LifeBee:

LifeBee | Digitalizing Life Sciences is a business and digital consulting boutique firm supporting life science companies on their path toward digitalization, operational excellence and compliance with customized advisory and innovative digital solutions. The company studies, designs and implements operational strategies, business processes, and digital solutions, to support life science companies in the innovative, robust, compliant, and sustainable realization of their business model. The focus is on GxP regulated areas such as manufacturing, quality assurance, laboratories, logistics, serialization, regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance of biopharmaceutical companies, medical devices, and nutraceuticals.

LifeBee is headquartered in Milan Italy with a presence in Switzerland. In 20 years of operation, the company has delivered over 1,000 successful projects. Today more than 90 life science international and local clients are served thanks to a team of about 80 professionals.

For more information, visit https://www.lifebee.com
SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Cannabis proudly announces the Grand Opening of its Scotch Plains dispensary, located at 2581 US-22, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076. Known for its presence in multiple states, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida, Sanctuary Cannabis now extends its mission to provide top-quality cannabis products to the Scotch Plains community.

Sanctuary Cannabis is a multi-state cannabis company dedicated to serving the community with a wide range of high-quality cannabis products, including flower, vapes, concentrates, and edibles.

"We're excited to join the vibrant Scotch Plains community, reaffirming our commitment to becoming valued partners in this neighborhood," said Jason Sidman, CEO of Sanctuary Cannabis. "Our goal in New Jersey is to enhance well-being, foster positive relationships, and ensure accessible care for those in need."

Sanctuary Cannabis eagerly serves the Scotch Plains community, aiming to become an integral part of this vibrant region.

"We are delighted to become a valued part of the community and anticipate a promising future in Scotch Plains."

For more information or to learn more about Sanctuary Cannabis, visit www.sanctuarymed.com

About Sanctuary Medicinals

Sanctuary Medicinals, recently awarded a provisional retail license in New Jersey, is a multi-state cannabis company operating in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida. Known for its high-quality products, including flower, vapes, concentrates, and edibles, Sanctuary is committed to creating a positive impact in the communities it serves.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanctuarymedicinals

Instagram: @SanctuaryMedicinals

Instagram (New Jersey): @sanctuarycannabisnj

SOURCE Sanctuary Cannabis
WEIFANG, China, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the 16th Shandong Vocational Colleges Skill Competition held the "Intelligent Finance" event for the higher vocational education group at Shandong College of Economics and Business. The competition, organized by the Education Department and the Industry and Information Technology Department of Shandong Province, was hosted by Shandong College of Economics and Business. It attracted participants from 36 vocational colleges across the province. Following intense competition, the team from Shandong College of Economics and Business was awarded the first prize.

Opening ceremony of the 16th Shandong Vocational Colleges Skill Competition

The "Intelligent Finance" event is designed to align with the business reform and innovation needs of financial enterprises. Its goal is to enhance the operational capabilities of higher vocational education graduates in the field of finance, strengthen students' core competitiveness in the job market, showcase the achievements of reform in higher vocational education for financial majors, and lead the high-quality development of financial vocational education.

Shandong College of Economics and Business, rooted in industry and serving its region, strategically develops distinctive majors based on the characteristics of finance and trade. It serves as a model to drive the coordinated development of other majors, boasting two high-level major groups in Shandong Province: Intelligent Accounting and Finance, and Modern Business Circulation in Rural Areas. In recent years, the college has precisely aligned itself with the needs of industrial upgrading, industry development, and the comprehensive growth of students. Adhering to the competition philosophy of "Promoting Reform, Education, Practice, and Learning through Competitions," the college has successfully integrated industrial demands with teaching needs. It has focused on aligning occupational skill competitions with the construction of professional courses, training bases, and faculty development. This approach aims to enhance the quality of talent cultivation in the finance and trade majors by promoting the adoption of new technologies and skills.

Image Attachments Links:

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443809

Caption: Opening ceremony of the 16th Shandong Vocational Colleges Skill Competition

SOURCE Shandong College of Economics and Business
BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China's Diplomacy in the New Era (chinadiplomacy.org.cn):

The 2023 forum on "Benefiting All Mankind: Dialogue with the Silk Road" was convened in Beijing on Dec. 6, 2023 with a combination of online and offline participation.

The 2023 forum on "Benefiting All Mankind: Dialogue with the Silk Road" was convened in Beijing on Dec. 6, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Themed "Carrying on the Silk Road Culture to Jointly Promote the Well-Being of the People", the forum brought together representatives from governments, think tanks, and research institutions from around the world. They discussed ways to enhance people-to-people exchanges among countries along the Belt and Road, aiming to gather wisdom and strength for building a global community of shared future.

Gao Anming, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), noted that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought closer the hearts of people in China and its BRI partner countries, and fostered more in-depth cross-civilization exchanges. He emphasized CICG's commitment to the exchange of experience in governance between China and foreign countries, as well as the exchange and mutual learning of the different civilizations. He also made clear CICG's full support for its subsidiary think tanks in cooperating with their foreign counterparts on BRI-themed dialogues.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistan Senate Defense Committee and chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, said that BRI is the most significant initiative of the 21st century, and its flagship projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have played a crucial role in lifting millions of people out of poverty around the world. He added that as a new platform for international cooperation, BRI will see even more promising prospects of development, guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Serik Nugerbekov, head of the G-Global International Secretariat, a Kazakhstan-based international platform, observed that in a world marked by conflicts and wars, it's imperative for the global community to establish more non-governmental exchange platforms to facilitate people-to-people interactions and promote development of projects under BRI.

During the forum, the research report "Chinese Modernization and the Cooperation with South Asia Under BRI" was released. This report was the latest result of the collaborative research by CICG's Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS) and the Pakistan-China Institute. It was also one of a series of reports on "Understanding the Chinese Modernization".

Compiling compelling cases of China's collaborative efforts with South Asian nations like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka under the BRI framework, the report provides a nuanced analysis of the profound significance of common modernization for the countries in South Asia. Additionally, it offers recommendations for fostering stronger collaboration between China and South Asian nations in their modernization drive.

The event was co-hosted by ACCWS, the Pakistan-China Institute, the G-Global International Secretariat, the Indonesia-China Friendship Association, the EU-Asia Center, the Belt and Road Cooperation Research Center in Thailand, Han Culture Centre Malaysia, the Center for International Cultural Communication under CICG, and Beijing Huasheng International Media Center.

Silk Road forum held in Beijing

http://en.chinadiplomacy.org.cn/2023-12/18/content_116886802.shtml

SOURCE chinadiplomacy.org.cn
Local owner Nate Van Valkenburg takes home the prize for both his Window Hero Charleston and The Designery Charleston locations

CHARLESTON, S.C., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeFront Brands, the parent company of both Window Hero Charleston and The Designery Charleston, has awarded local owner Nate Van Valkenburg as the Top Producer of the Year for both his South Carolina ventures.

Nate Van Valkenburg, left, shows off his trophy for Top Producer of the Year for his Window Hero Charleston and The Designery Charleston locations. He is pictured with The Designery President Casey Ridley.

The awards were presented to Van Valkenburg earlier this month at HomeFront Brands' Homecoming Convention at the company's headquarters near Charlotte, North Carolina. The conference brought together franchisees, corporate employees and vendor partners to celebrate HomeFront Brands' impressive growth since its inception in late 2022. HomeFront Brands is a property service franchise platform with six emerging concepts in its portfolio, including Window Hero and The Designery.

"It's exciting when an entrepreneur wins an award in the same category for two locations, and Nate was able to accomplish that," said HomeFront Brands Chairman and CEO Jeff Dudan. "The success of our Homecoming Convention showcased the tremendous growth HomeFront Brands has undergone during our first year. Nate Van Valkenburg is a sales champion who has set a standard of achievement that has helped HomeFront Brands excel in our expansion efforts."

The Top Producer of the Year is bestowed upon the franchisee that has soared to the highest echelons of sales excellence, showcasing an unwavering dedication to success and an unmatched ability to drive revenue. HomeFront Brands presented Top Producer awards to a franchise owner for each of the four franchises featured at the convention.

"It's a great honor to receive this award for both my Charleston ventures," Van Valkenburg said. "We would not have won these awards without all the great people who make Window Hero and The Designery prosperous. From the support we've received at HomeFront Brands to our local staff and the clients we serve, the road to our success has been paved with support."

Van Valkenburg attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and worked in the exterior cleaning business for several years before starting his own business. He and his wife, Ali, live in Charleston with their daughter.

For more information on Window Hero Charleston, please visit https://windowhero.com/locations/charleston/ and for more information on The Designery Charleston, please visit https://thedesignery.com/locations/charleston/.

About Window Hero

Window Hero is a trusted and reliable company specializing in a wide range of exterior cleaning services. Whether it's window cleaning, gutter care, pressure washing, soft washing, gutter guard installation or even solar panel cleaning, Window Hero has the right team of experts, skills and equipment to get the job done right. Window Hero offers routine maintenance and one-time deep cleaning services. Founded in 2005 as Labor Panes, founder Tyler Kirk started the company as a residential window cleaning service before expanding it to offer a variety of exterior cleaning, repair and maintenance services. For more information about Window Hero, please visit https://windowhero.com/.

About The Designery

The Designery was founded in 2007 as A1 Kitchen and Bath, a product wholesale outlet serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee market. In 2019, it rebranded as The Designery and established a franchise model to expand its unique concept: to simplify the kitchen, bath and closet design process by offering premium products, design expertise, project management and trusted professional installation. Its selection of high-quality cabinets, flooring, countertops and accessories makes it a destination for any remodeling, renovation or new construction project. It is a one-stop shop for homeowners and a trusted partner or contractors, with knowledgeable staff to walk clients through every step, from design to project management and installation. The Designery's immersive showroom and personalized guidance bring luxurious designs to life without the luxury price tag. To learn more about The Designery, please visit https://thedesignery.com/.

About HomeFront Brands

HomeFront Brands empowers entrepreneurs to create thriving franchised residential and commercial property service brands. Driven by an experienced team of franchise executives and rooted in family values, HomeFront Brands helps emerging or established concepts accelerate their growth by delivering enterprise-level solutions to local business owners who aspire to build a dynasty and create generational wealth. By leveraging integrated technology, data-driven intelligence and advanced learning management systems, HomeFront Brands is building a foundation for its brands  Window Hero, The Designery, Temporary Wall Systems, BiltRite Home Inspections, Top Rail Fence and Mozzie Dome  to transform lives through franchise ownership.

For more information about HomeFront Brands' current solutions, new business development, and franchising opportunities, please visit https://homefrontbrands.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE HomeFront Brands
Kwanza Jones unveils her year in review video for 2023, trailblazing the path to inclusion and belonging.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a dynamic crescendo of art, philanthropy, and empowerment, Kwanza Jones, the acclaimed artist and high-impact philanthropist, has emerged as a force for positive change in 2023. Jones, alongside her partner Jose E. Feliciano, has propelled a transformative wave of opportunities into communities of color, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of social impact.

Kwanza Jones creates opportunities for minority groups by increasing access and enhancing belonging Post this Kwanza Jones 2023 Year In Review Video: We Buildin'

Jones unveils the visual tapestry of her monumental impact in the recently released video, " 2023 Year In Review: We Buildin' ." This captivating piece not only serves as a testament to her direct impact on underserved communities but also provides an immersive glimpse into the groundbreaking work and opportunities she has spearheaded throughout the year.

For an in-depth exploration of the milestones achieved, visit Jones' 2023 Year In Review Page .

In a star-studded affair, Kwanza Jones was bestowed with the prestigious 2023 SoLa Social Impact Award by SoLa Impact, in partnership with its affiliated 501c3 non-profit, the SoLa I CAN Foundation . The award was given during the "2nd Annual Sneaker Ball Gala and Fundraiser" at SoLa Beehive in Inglewood, California on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

A generous gift of $50,000 from Jones and Feliciano, coupled with a $10,000 matching grant, propelled the SoLa I CAN Foundation to raise an additional $43,000. Proceeds from the Gala were used to support the SoLa Foundation's marquee projects, the SoLa Technology and Entrepreneurship Center and the SoLa College Scholarships program along with other education and community engagement programs. A-list celebrities, including Tiffany Haddish, added glamor to the occasion.

"Kwanza Jones is a self-made woman who acts with determination to make our world a more equitable and positive place. Her life is an inspiration to Black and Brown girls and boys who want to make a difference. She is receiving the 2023 SoLa Impact Award because of this work. We cannot wait to celebrate all of who she is and what she does for so, so many," said Sherri Francois, Chief Impact Officer of SoLa Impact and Founder and Executive Director of the SoLa Foundation.

Beyond financial contributions, Jones invited two scholars from the SoLa I CAN Foundation to experience the magic of a professional video shoot during the production of her year in review video . This hands-on opportunity created a bridge between academic aspirations and real-world experiences, leaving a lasting impact on the scholars pursuing careers in production.

May brought further accolades, as Jones and Feliciano received the 2023 Impact Award from The Independent School Alliance for their extraordinary efforts in promoting equity and education. Their commitment to fostering inclusivity echoed across the academic landscape.

In addition, Jones and Feliciano's historic $20 million donation to Princeton in 2019 also materialized into a groundbreaking achievement. In May, they celebrated the dedication of two Princeton dormitories bearing their namesmarking the first time a Black and Latino donor has been immortalized on dormitories in the university's 275-year history.

During the dedication ceremony, Jones emphasized their commitment to demonstrate that underrepresented communities belong not just as beneficiaries but as patrons and co-creators, enriching institutions like Princeton and contributing to a better world.

Jones and Feliciano ended the year on a high note by hosting President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden in their home to support democracy on December 9th. The event was part of Jones and Feliciano's commitment to boost humanity and power possibilities.

As Kwanza Jones continues to shape a narrative of empowerment and inclusion, her impact in 2023 sets the stage for a future defined by positive change and unwavering commitment to social progress.

Jones is the co-founder and CEO of the Kwanza Jones & Jose E. Feliciano SUPERCHARGED Initiative , the organization behind the donations. It is a philanthropic grantmaking and impact investment organization that invests in both nonprofits and for-profits while focusing on the areas of education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment. Through the initiative, Jones invests intentionally, but not exclusively, in women and people of color.

About Kwanza Jones

Kwanza Jones boosts humans and humanity through culture, capital and community. She is a sought-after speaker, accomplished artist, impact investor, and philanthropist. With a multifaceted background spanning music, media, production, law and business, Jones is an energetic and visionary leader. She is CEO and founder of SUPERCHARGED by Kwanza Jones , a motivational media company. Jones has served on numerous boards including the Apollo Theater, Bennett College, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer, and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Through her Jones Feliciano Initiative, she has committed over $150 million to education, entrepreneurship, equity and empowerment organizations. To learn more, visit kwanzajones.com and connect with her on Instagram | X | Facebook | LinkedIn | Kwanza Jones Boost Friends Community .

SOURCE SUPERCHARGED
DALLAS, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) board of directors voted today to send a Tentative Agreement (TA) with Southwest Airlines to its 11,000-plus pilot membership for consideration. The board believes this agreement achieves the goals of the pilot group, provides security for their families, and rewards their industry-leading productivity.

"We know that the last few years have been difficult for our pilots as well as our customers, but we believe that this TA rewards our pilots as well as improving reliability for our passengers," said SWAPA President Captain Casey Murray.

The agreement runs through December 2028 and provides significant gains in compensation, with pay rate increases over the next four years. The deal also includes improvements to work rules and flying schedules, better disability coverage, and increases to retirement benefits.

"Our membership has fought for almost four years to reach an agreement with Southwest Airlines," said Murray. "They now have the opportunity to evaluate this deal and cast their vote accordingly."

Pilots will be voting on the Tentative Agreement until January 22.

About SWAPA

Located in Dallas, Texas, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) is a non-profit employee organization representing the more than 11,000 pilots of Southwest Airlines. SWAPA works to provide a secure and rewarding career for Southwest pilots and their families through negotiating contracts, defending contractual rights, and actively promoting professionalism and safety. For more information on the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, visit www.swapa.org.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Pilots Association
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Systecon, a global leader in providing cutting-edge solutions for optimizing system performance and cost-effectiveness, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) at the Department of Defence Australia. This partnership represents a significant milestone in our commitment to delivering excellence and innovation in defense and logistics optimization. It comes with a primary goal of providing governance and assurance to upskill CASG employees while also delivering modeling work for CASG projects.

Andrew Perkins, Country Manager at Systecon Australia: "Systecon's collaboration with CASG places us in a unique position within the defense industry. As a trusted partner of CASG, we will work closely with high-level management, combining our expertise in cost-effective solutions and data-driven optimization to enhance the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force. This partnership sets the stage for an exciting journey in which we will be instrumental in shaping the future of defense logistics and acquisition".

Key Highlights of the Partnership

Unprecedented Efficiency : Our collaboration with CASG is aimed at streamlining defense acquisition and sustainment processes. By leveraging our advanced analytics and simulation tools, we will optimize logistics systems, enabling the Australian DoD to make informed decisions leading to significant cost savings while maintaining and enhancing operational effectiveness.

: Our collaboration with CASG is aimed at streamlining defense acquisition and sustainment processes. By leveraging our advanced analytics and simulation tools, we will optimize logistics systems, enabling the Australian DoD to make informed decisions leading to significant cost savings while maintaining and enhancing operational effectiveness. Cutting-Edge Technology: Systecon brings to the table state-of-the-art technology, including the renowned Opus Suite. This powerful software suite will empower CASG with the tools to model, analyze, and simulate complex defense systems, ensuring they are both cost-efficient and performance-optimized.

Systecon brings to the table state-of-the-art technology, including the renowned Opus Suite. This powerful software suite will empower CASG with the tools to model, analyze, and simulate complex defense systems, ensuring they are both cost-efficient and performance-optimized. Holistic Solutions: Systecon's approach encompasses the entire system lifecycle, from concept and design to sustainment and disposal. We will collaborate closely with CASG to ensure that defense capabilities remain at the forefront of technological innovation while achieving long-term cost savings.

Systecon's approach encompasses the entire system lifecycle, from concept and design to sustainment and disposal. We will collaborate closely with CASG to ensure that defense capabilities remain at the forefront of technological innovation while achieving long-term cost savings. Governance and Skill Enhancement: One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to provide governance and assurance in upskilling CASG employees. We will work in tandem with CASG personnel, transferring knowledge and expertise to enhance their capabilities in defense logistics and acquisition.

One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to provide governance and assurance in upskilling CASG employees. We will work in tandem with CASG personnel, transferring knowledge and expertise to enhance their capabilities in defense logistics and acquisition. Modeling Work for CASG Projects : In addition to upskilling CASG employees, Systecon will play an important role in delivering modeling work for CASG projects. Our modeling expertise will assist CASG in making informed decisions, ensuring that projects are executed efficiently and cost-effectively.

: In addition to upskilling CASG employees, Systecon will play an important role in delivering modeling work for CASG projects. Our modeling expertise will assist CASG in making informed decisions, ensuring that projects are executed efficiently and cost-effectively. High-Level Management Involvement : This partnership offers an exceptional opportunity to inform and engage high-level management within CASG and the Department of Defence Australia. Our team of experts will work directly with decision-makers, providing insights, recommendations, and data-driven solutions to enhance the efficiency of defense acquisitions and sustainment programs.

Summary

Systecon's collaboration with CASG at the Department of Defence Australia is a crucial moment in the world of defense logistics and acquisition. Together, we are charting a course toward more efficient, cost-effective, and high-performance defense systems. We look forward to working hand in hand with high-level management and CASG employees to create a brighter, more secure future for Australia's defense capabilities.

For more information on this partnership and to stay updated on the latest developments, please visit our website, or contact us directly.

About Systecon

For over 50 years Systecon has developed methods and software that allow organizations across the globe in different industries, from defense to renewables to transport, to make informed, smarter decisions in life cycle management. We have the methodology, tools, and experience to understand and analyze the factors that affect the performance and costs of technical systems  e.g., aircraft, trains, or wind turbines  and to optimize operations, system design, and maintenance solutions based on our customers' conditions and objectives. Today Systecon is a thought leader in analytical LCM and some of the world's most complex technology projects rely on our tools and expertise.

For more information, please visit www.systecongroup.com.

Media contact:

Andrew Perkins

Country Manager

Systecon Australia

Phone: +61 476 828 148

E-mail: [email protected]

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/2556/3895461/2500828.pdf Press Release (PDF)

SOURCE Systecon AB
Chicago Staple Continues to Open Franchises in FL.

KEY WEST, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Original Rainbow Cone , a Chicago tradition for over 97 years, has today announced it will open a new franchise location in Key West, Florida in March 2024. The new franchise location is located at 126 Duvall Street and will feature Rainbow Cone's iconic ice cream treat, along with sundaes, shakes, and cakes. This marks the second Rainbow Cone location in Florida, joining the Bradenton location which opened September 2023. The company has additional locations on deck in 2024 for the metro areas of Tampa Bay, West Palm Beach, and Orlando.

Chicago's beloved ice cream shop, The Original Rainbow Cone, is set to make its debut in Key West, FL in 2024.

Rainbow Cone was founded in 1926 by "Grandpa Joe" Sapp, who was never satisfied with just one ice cream flavor and instead stacked five delicious options on a single cone for a one-of-a-kind culinary classic. The original shop's notorious pink building on Western Avenue in Chicago has been a staple in the city since it first opened its doors nearly a century ago, with hundreds of thousands of dedicated customers from around the world. The brand has since expanded to kiosks and trucks throughout the Chicago area and launched its new franchise partner program in 2022 with franchise agreements in Florida, Nashville, Texas, and California.

"We are excited about the growth of our franchise program in Florida," says Lynn Sapp, third generation owner of The Original Rainbow Cone. "The responses we have received from the Florida communities have been incredible, and we are confident that Key West will be no exception."

As a testament to its exceptional popularity, Rainbow Cone was recently voted as the top ice cream shop in Chicago by FOX Chicago, affirming its status as a beloved and successful ice cream destination. For entrepreneurs looking for a smart and rewarding franchise opportunity, Rainbow Cone offers a time-tested concept with a devoted fan base and a legacy.

Furthermore, Rainbow Cone is exploring exciting possibilities to expand its reach, including an ice cream truck tour from Chicago to Florida in the near future. Stay tuned for more updates and surprises!

For more updates about Rainbow Cone franchises and grand opening festivities, follow Rainbow Cone on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter or visit https://rainbowconefranchise.com/ .

About The Original Rainbow Cone:

The Original Rainbow Cone serves ice cream featuring extraordinary flavors and textures, including the world-famous 5-flavor "Rainbow Cone," sundaes, milkshakes, and memories dedicated to last forever. After opening in 1926, the "Rainbow Cone'' received its fame and quickly became the most unique ice cream cone anyone has ever seen. As Rainbow Cone works to expand their locations and showcase our new adventures, like ice cream trucks, they are excited to share their love for Rainbow Cone's signature sliced cone with even more communities. The Original Rainbow Cone is also available for nationwide shipping via Goldbelly. With four locations in the Chicago area and growing, locals count on The Original Rainbow Cone as a Chicago staple and a sweet treat. For more information, https://rainbowcone.com/ or follow us on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

SOURCE The Original Rainbow Cone
"This expansion will support Trinity's growing team, and we're thrilled to reaffirm our commitment to the greater Phoenix region," said Kyle Brown, President and Chief Investment Officer at Trinity Capital. "The expanded space allows us to continue to benefit from the region's diverse talent pool and solidify our status as a destination for top financial talent."

Since Trinity became a public company nearly four years ago, it has grown its team by 150%, more than doubled its total assets from $500 million to over $1.3 billion and has continued to deliver stable and growing dividends to its shareholders. With strong originations during the first nine months of 2023, the Company continues to prudently invest in its team, grow its investment portfolio and maintain a strong pipeline of investment opportunities.

"Trinity's expansion in our downtown proves that Phoenix's innovative and entrepreneurial atmosphere is growing and thriving," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. "I'm excited that Trinity is actively involved with other local companies, as well, and look forward to their continued impact in the bustling tech ecosystem that we're fostering in the Valley."

Since moving its headquarters to downtown Phoenix in 2021, Trinity has expanded from 39 to 68 employees, and the additional office space will allow for further growth. As of September 30, 2023, Trinity has provided over $2.7 billion in funding across 309 investments, including almost $100 million to companies that employ approximately 1500 people in Arizona. Some Trinity borrowers that operate in Arizona include Footprint, a manufacturer of biodegradable food packaging; Qwick, a hiring platform for service-industry workers and Lucid Motors, which has a substantial electric vehicle manufacturing presence on a 500-acre facility in Casa Grande.

"Trinity Capital is a leading example of how prioritizing investments in innovative technologies boosts the venture ecosystem," said Chris Camacho, Greater Phoenix Economic Council President and CEO. "By supporting high-growth, venture-backed companies across advanced industry verticals, including life sciences, Trinity is accelerating the Greater Phoenix market."

About Trinity Capital Inc.

Trinity (Nasdaq: TRIN), an internally managed business development company, is a leading provider of diversified financial solutions to growth-stage companies with institutional equity investors. Trinity's investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through investments, including term loans, equipment financings and equity-related investments. Trinity believes it is one of only a select group of specialty lenders that has the depth of knowledge, experience, and track record in lending to growth-stage companies. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.trinitycap.com.

SOURCE Trinity Capital Inc.
Following 7 October, the situation in Gaza became unimaginable with all the humanitarian crisis and brutality that is taking place, the siege, killing, and bombing of hospitals, homes, and schools for over 70 days. Many outlets around the world saw that cinema may be one of the best tools to convey a resistance message to the whole world. So after two postponements of GFF due to the war on Gaza, the festival added a Palestinian film section to its activities.

This special programme for Palestinian films, titled Window on Palestine, encloses ten films: the recently released Al-Ustaz (The Teacher), directed by Farah Nabulsi, and Bye Bye Tiberias (2023), directed by Lina Soualem, as well as older films such as Condom Lead (2013) directed by Arab and Tarzan Nasser; Bela Saqf (Roof Rocking, 2017) by Sina Salimi; Ambulance (2016) by Mohamed Jabali; Not Just Your Picture (2019) by Dror Dayan and Anne Paq; Drawing for Better Dreams (2015) by May Odeh and Diaa Azzeh; Shujayya (2016) by Mohamed Al-Mughanni; To My Father (2008) by Abdel-Salam Shehadeh; and Bab Al-Shams (The Gate of the Sun, 2004) by Yousry Nasrallah.

The latter is a poignant drama enclosing two parts: The Departure and The Return, which delves into the roots of the Palestinian issue and the challenging reality. It features Khalil (Bassel Al-Khayat) and Nuhailas (Reem Turki) wedding that quickly transformed into a battlefield of violence and bullets. The love story captures the atrocities of the Palestinian reality against the backdrop; the historical events show also the human capability of resistance.

The compelling film Condom Lead, directed by the Palestinian twins Arab and Tarzan Nasser  known for their brilliantly acclaimed film Gaza Mon Amour (2020)  is simply set in a young family home located in the Gaza Strip. The opening scene features a baby crawling out of a room, chasing some colored balloons coming out from the same room before him. The film has no dialogue, just the sound of air strikes throughout the 16-minute duration of the film.

One night, with the same sounds of airplane raids in the background, the married couple tries to have sex but is interrupted by the sound of airstrikes and bombings. This wakes up their crying child. The husband then blows up a condom and lets it move freely around the house. Here, the metaphor is brilliant in marking the failures and the intimacies stolen from them by violence.

The gripping short film Bela Saqf (Roof Rocking) by Sina Salimi brilliantly illustrates the horrific and complex realities of life in Gaza. The film shows a woman preparing a meal in Ramadan to eat with her family, but she receives a phone call from an Israeli soldier informing her that she only has 10 minutes to leave her home before they bomb it. In this powerful first scene, the heroine Lana (Sameera Asir) brilliantly conveys the helplessness to the viewer. She then begins to look for her daughter.

The Palestinian documentary Not Just Your Picture tells the story of siblings Layla and Ramzi, who were both born and raised in the city of Siegen, Germany. Their Palestinian father Ibrahim came to Germany in the 1980s to study architecture, where he married their mother, but he moved back to the Gaza Strip after he divorced their German mother.

The CineGouna Bridge featured a panel discussion in the same context of Palestine, which was held under the name Camera in Crisis: A Lens on Palestine in cooperation with the Palestinian Film Foundation; the Palestinian panel encloses director Khalil Al-Muzayen, actor Ahmed Al-Monyrawi, and filmmakers Rashid Masharawi and Farah Nabulsi and was moderated by director Mohammed Al-Mughanni, who started the conversation by asking about the ability of filmmakers to help in changing the current situation because he believes that the Palestinian people need more basic things like protection, homes, food, and water before their need for their stories to be documented.

Actor Ahmed Al-Monyrawi started his words with a poem by Mahmoud Darwish; he also talked about the Israeli plan since 1948 to doubt the existence and capabilities of the Palestinian people. However, the filmmaker talked about Palestinian filmmakers who fight the Western medias false narrative about Palestine, praising the Egyptian peoples solidarity with the Palestinians and stating that cinema is an important weapon for Palestinians. Filmmaker Khalil Al-Muzayen commented on whether the Palestinians would tolerate films depicting recent events, criticizing some Palestinian filmmakers who adopt Western agendas to guarantee film funding.

Filmmaker Rashid Masharawi believed in the continuity of Palestinian cinema, saying that occupation is not forever, but cinema is forever as it holds the narrative, civilization, and history.

Farah Nabulsi, director of The Teacher, said that cinema is a form of resistance that helped end apartheid in South Africa; she also condemned the double standards of human rights organizations.

Al-Mughanni asked Al-Muzayen about his experience in establishing the Red Carpet Film Festival in Gaza. Al-Muzayen began by criticizing Islamic groups in Gaza like Hamas for destroying cinema halls after 1973. He added that he wanted to hold a film festival in Gaza after the 2014 war but cinema halls were unavailable, so the festival was held in rubble. A 120-metre red carpet was also unavailable, so they used a smaller carpet. The festival was attended by over 10,000 Gazan visitors. He concluded by again criticizing Gaza's Islamic trends regarding women and freedoms, calling for changed positions in light of solidarity with the Gaza people now.

Al-Mughanni responded by referring to the positive annual changes made by Hamas during his last visit to Gaza, adding that he felt no difference in security between Gaza and the West Bank. He asked Nabulsi about filming conditions for her films The Present and The Teacher in the Palestinian interior. She discussed the difficulty in filming The Teacher as it started after Shireen Abu-Akleh's killing and filming covert checkpoints in The Present.

Actor Ahmed Al-Monyrawi spoke about the challenges of his work as an actor from the Gaza Strip, being unable to travel to other Palestinian cities and missing work opportunities with filmmakers. Al-Mughanni asked Masharawi and Nabulsi about how they deal with Israeli characters in their films  do they try to find motives for these characters? Masharawi said that he is not obligated to do this and that he relies on viewers' prior understanding of the Palestinian context.

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Workers Gain Teamster Representation Ahead of 2024 National Contract Negotiations

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fixed collections workers at two American Red Cross facilities in Tucson have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 104 in Phoenix.

"Local 104 is elated to welcome 27 new members to the Teamsters," said Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 104. "These workers play a critical role in Arizona's blood supply chain and deserve the strongest union protections. Heading into the holiday season with Teamster representation is one of the best gifts a worker could ask for  and we're pleased these workers got themselves just that."

"Over the course of the past year, we have seen American Red Cross workers from across the nation come together to form their union with the Teamsters," said Jason Lopes, Teamsters Health Care Director. "In 2023 alone, we proudly welcomed hundreds of American Red Cross workers to the Teamsters. In 2024, we are looking forward to organizing many more and negotiating an even stronger national agreement for our Red Cross Teamsters."

These workers will join more than 1,800 other Red Cross workers represented by the Teamsters and immediately be covered by a National Master Agreement between the Teamsters and the American Red Cross.

"With the ever-changing challenges that face us, I believe solidarity will see us through. That is why I voted for Teamster representation," said Robert Berg, lead collections technician at American Red Cross in Tucson.

Teamsters Local 104 represents workers throughout Arizona. For more information, go to teamsterslocal104.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ibtlu104.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 104
BERLIN, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ugreen, a global leader in consumer electronics and charging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of its Revodok Series Hubs and Docking Stations. Under the banner "Expand Your Creativity," these new products cater to diverse user demands and comprise three distinct series: Revodok Max Series, Revodok Pro Series, and Revodok Series.

Ugreen Revodok Series Hubs&Docking Stations, expanding User Creativity & Empowering Productivity

The Revodok Max 213, the premier product of the Revodok Max Series, is specifically tailored for professionals in fields like media, data/financial analysis, photography, audio/video production, engineering, and design. It epitomizes "Ultra-high Speed and Ultra-high Efficiency", facilitating seamless collaboration and productivity in multi-device offices and high-performance equipment settings.

With its Thunderbolt 4 interface, the Revodok Max 213 offers a remarkable 40Gbps transmission speed, providing rapid file transfers. It also functions as a flexible monitor interface, ensuring smooth connectivity without sacrificing performance. Professionals can enjoy a single 8K, 30Hz display setup for Windows, or a dual 4K, 60Hz display with Mac models that have the M1/M2/M3 Pro, Max & M1/M2 Ultra chips, and Mac models that support two external screens for varied content display.

Designed to cater to the varied needs of professionals, the device comes with 13 ports, providing a wide range of connectivity options. There's a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, perfect for high-performance computing, multimedia transmission, and large-scale online data transfers. The Max 213 supports 90W fast charging, ensuring devices are charged quickly and efficiently. It also provides dual TF/SD card reading ports which are great for professionals who frequently use memory cards.

The Revodok Max 213 is compatible with computers that have Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB-C interfaces. Protecting the internal parts, there is an enhanced heat dissipation system, featuring a triple heat dissipation design with an aluminum shell, two-sided thermal aluminum sheets, and built-in heat dissipation silicone which guarantees optimal performance even during prolonged use. Priced at 399,99, the Revodok Max 213 will be available at Amazon and Ugreen website in mid-February with discount.

All four variations of the Revodok Pro Series are dedicated to delivering an exceptional user experience, encouraging users to "Enjoy the Prime Experience" as its primary focus is to cater to professionals such as developers, financial analysts, gamers, product managers, educators, graphic designers, content creators, and more. The Revodok Pro 210, for example, supports 8K HDMI to a single screen for Windows, high refresh rates, and dual 4K, 60Hz output for smooth visuals. It offers 85 watt fast charging for extended gaming or work sessions. The Gigabit Ethernet port ensures a stable, fast internet connection for high-stakes gaming or crucial video calls. Also included is a USB data interface for simultaneous multi-device connection, guaranteeing seamless interaction. Priced at 69,99 the Revodok Pro 210 is available both at Amazon and Ugreen's website with 34% discount.

The Revodok Series is another series in Ugreen's long line of products, tailored to meet the needs of individual users.

Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

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The new capability will flag potential and actual route changes caused by the geopolitical crisis in the Red Sea empowering stakeholders to take action and mitigate further delays

LONDON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Windward (LSE: WNWD), the leading Maritime AI company, has announced the launch of Route Deviation (RDV) Exception, a new capability part of Windward's Ocean Freight Visibility solution, to flag route changes caused due to the geopolitical crisis in the Red Sea. The new capability provides stakeholders with early alerts of changes to container shipments that have shifted away from entering the Red Sea,enhancing visibility and enabling them to efficiently adapt to changes and mitigate negative outcomes.

Recently, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked vessels going through the Red Sea leading major shippers to reroute vessels to avoid the area and the Suez Canal. The collective vessel market share of MSC, Hapag Lloyd, and Maersk, all of which have rerouted vessels away from the area, accounts for approximately 60% of global trade. Many of the impacted vessels previously heading to Europe from Asia via the Red Sea are now sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, likely adding 10 to 14 days of travel time. As of the week of December 17th, 2023, Windward's data shows a two-year low of area visits in Bab-el-Mandeb for container vessels, which marks a decrease of 27% compared to the weekly average in 2023.

The newly launched route deviation capability will provide stakeholders with enhanced visibility, enabling them to anticipate challenges and develop contingency plans, thus minimizing disruptions to the supply chain and allowing them to manage costs more effectively. Early knowledge of impacted shipments enables companies to optimize their operations, whether it's adjusting timelines or reallocating resources to ensure timely delivery.

"Windward has its finger on the pulse with all matters related to maritime risk, be they compliance or supply chain related," said Ami Daniel, Co-founder and CEO of Windward. "Less than a month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we launched our Russia compliance tool, now we have launched this capability to equip our customers with a first of its kind tool to deal with this unprecedented new challenge. This rapid deployment shows the robustness of our platform and technology and its ability to swiftly adapt to clients' changing needs."

Windward's models, developed by maritime and AI specialists, are specifically trained to understand the multitude of factors affecting the movement of goods at sea. Using Deep Learning (DL) models, Windward's Route Deviation Exception will alert stakeholders to any deviation from the original route. This allows supply chain partners  including logistic service providers, freight forwarders, cargo owners, shippers, container ports, terminals, liners, and more  to take the next step and utilize actionable insights, to make more well-informed, fact-based decisions, and provide accurate updates for both internal and external stakeholders.

About Windward

Windward (LSE: WNWD), is the leading Maritime AI company, providing an all-in-one platform for risk management and maritime domain awareness needs to accelerate global trade. Windward's AI-powered decision support platform and exception management offers a 360 view of the maritime ecosystem and allows stakeholders including ocean freight forwarders, shipping companies, insurers, energy companies, banks, and governments to make real time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions to achieve business and operational readiness.

For more information visit: https://windward.ai/ .

Media Contact

David Hoffman

Headline Media

[email protected]

+972-52-842-1955

SOURCE Windward
TAIPEI , Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- XING Technology, the holding company of Taiwan-based XING Mobility, an advanced battery technologies company founded in 2015, will be closing its Series B Equity Round led by Kubota Corporation (TYO: 6326, hereinafter "Kubota"), a leading manufacturer of agricultural and industrial machinery, by the end of 2023. This strategic investment accelerates Kubota's roadmap toward machinery electrification, promoting sustainability in agriculture and beyond. It also enables XING Mobility to expedite the development of immersion cooling battery systems.

XING Mobilitys Latest IMMERSIO Cell-to-Pack Battery System, The Game-Changer of Electric Vehicles And Utility Power.

Kubota's strategic objective is to move toward carbon-neutral through the reduction of CO emission by its agricultural machinery and small construction machinery. Kubota acknowledges the complexities involved in developing battery systems that can reliably operate at high power in rugged environments like agricultural farmlands and demanding construction sites. Through surveying battery system solutions worldwide, Kubota recognizes XING as an outstanding development partner, given its expertise in the design and manufacturing of high-power, heavy-duty battery solutions, particularly leveraging its immersion cooling technology.

XING Mobility's IMMERSIO immersion cooling battery system solution is developed for Automotive, Industrial and Commercial Vehicle and Machinery, and Energy Storage System. The solution has successfully passed rigorous safety tests, including a three-nail penetration safety test at 100% State of Charge, demonstrating the exceptional safety and reliability of active thermal runaway protection. This patented system sophisticatedly regulates battery temperatures' uniformity using thermal management expertise, ensuring consistent thermal distribution, longevity and safety of the battery cells. Proactive thermal runaway controls further enhance battery safety, especially in higher voltage systems. Given the increasing demand for higher voltage systems, these features play a pivotal role. XING Mobility's immersion cooling technology is suitable for commercial vehicles, as well as residential and commercial energy storage systems, making it a game-changer for safe and high-performance battery applications.

"Since 2015, XING Mobility has been at the forefront of advancing immersion cooling battery technology for electric vehicles," says Royce YC Hong, Co-founder & CEO of XING Mobility. "Our commitment has led to the integration of this technology in our own electric high-performance EV and numerous industrial and commercial vehicles. We have now escalated to volume production of immersion-cooling battery systems. This significant step not only makes these advanced batteries commercially available but also marks their global deployment to vehicle manufacturers and energy storage solution providers. The strategic investment and partnership with Kubota are a testament to the viability of our immersion cooling technology in heavy-duty applications, propelling our growth on an international scale."

Matt Cheng, Founder and the Sole General Partner of Cherubic Ventures, one of the pivotal investors in XING Mobility, noted, "Kubota's funding opens up new possibilities for XING Mobility's immersion cooling innovations. This investment is a significant step towards unlocking new potentials in agricultural and industrial machinery. At Cherubic Ventures, we are proud to be part of this groundbreaking shift towards advanced electrification."

About Kubota Corporation

Since its foundation in 1890, Kubota Corporation has continued to provide solutions to various societal challenges that differ by era and region in the areas of "food, water, and the environment," such as water pipes and environmental facilities that contribute to improved sanitation and agricultural machinery that supports agriculture and food production. Now, Kubota operates in more than 120 countries around the world.

Official Website: https://www.kubota.com/

About XING Mobility

XING Mobility, a global pioneer in immersion cooling battery technology, was founded in Taiwan in 2015. XING Mobility has developed the world's only patented IMMERSIO immersed cooling battery system, which can be applied to a wide range of electric vehicles and energy storage systems, creating a stable and safe thermal management solution for battery systems, and providing a safer and more reliable option for the industrial energy transition. With more than 15 multinational partners and customers, and more than 20 vehicle electrification projects and energy storage system projects around the world, we are committed to expanding our immersed cooling battery technology and working with our global partners to realize a sustainable future.

Official Website: https://www.xingmobility.com/

SOURCE XING Mobility
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed on achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, the 27th Wuliangye 1218 Annual Convention, a traditional ceremony for Wuliangye and its supply chains, was held on Monday in Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The event was held offline for the first time after three years of COVID-19 prevention and control.

The 27th Wuliangye 1218 Annual Convention, a traditional ceremony for Wuliangye and its supply chains, kicks off on Monday in Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A thousand dealers and investors attending the convention all spoke highly of the brand's achievements and hope to seek more cooperation opportunities in the future.

In the first three quarters of this year, the Chinese baijiu maker posted a solid year-on-year revenue growth.

Data showed that the company reaped a revenue of 62.536 billion yuan from January to September this year, surging 12.11 percent year on year.

Its net profit amounted to 22.833 billion yuan during the period, up 14.24 percent year on year.

It is learned that Wuliangye's brand value has exceeded 400 billion yuan by now and its brand strength rating reaches the highest AAA+.

Besides, the company was also listed as one of the 50 most-favored Chinese brands voted by foreigners this year, and meanwhile, it is the only brand on the shortlist of the China Quality Nomination Award in the Chinese baijiu industry.

Wuliangye has made outstanding contributions to the development of Yibin, said Yuan Huabing, executive vice mayor of Yibin, adding that Yibin is now accelerating the construction of a world-class baijiu industry cluster, and the city will continue efforts to help Wuliangye achieve the high-quality development.

Zeng Congqin, chairman of Wuliangye Group, said that Wuliangye will take solid steps to further improve its product quality, brand value, innovation leadership and modern governance in an attempt to quicken the pace to build a high-end Chinese baijiu brand with global influence.

See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/337790.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Minhang District of east China's Shanghai city has been awarded the title of "China's Happiest District" at the Happy Cities of China Forum 2023 recently held in Chengdu City in southwest China.

In order to help young people and new residents to truly experience the warmth and happiness of this city, Minhang District has adopted a multi-level rental housing supply system.

The system which varies form "renting a bed" or "renting a room" to "renting a full house" in Minhang has become a microcosm of the Shanghai Housing Project. These housing resources prioritize the needs of frontline construction workers and managers in the city and take into account the balance between work and residence for industries, parks, and universities in the region.

From renting a bed to renting a room, even to a full house, it not only records the struggles of young people and new residents, but also showcases the care and efforts that the city has provided for hardworking individuals.

See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/337773.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
The drain and sewer cleaning company has hired Joseph Schneeweis to develop and guide their rapidly growing franchise program

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoom Drain, a leading operator of drain and sewer services throughout the United States, announced today that it has appointed longtime franchising management expert Joseph Schneeweis as vice president of franchise operations to lead the company through its next phase of growth.

Schneeweis comes to Zoom Drain after serving several years as the franchise operations manager of ServiceMaster Corporation, an umbrella franchisor with seven brands consisting of more than 3,200 franchisees across 4,600 locations.

Joseph Schneeweis will develop and guide Zoom Drain's rapidly growing franchise program in his new role as vice president of franchise development.

"We're excited to have Joseph join the Zoom Drain team," said Zoom Drain CEO Jim Criniti. "The professional experience he brings from inside the franchising world will be integral to the development of our franchise operations. Joe's consistent track record of building and managing franchisee programs will ensure that our franchisees have the systems, programs and communications they need to scale their businesses within the Zoom Drain system."

Criniti said the company's recent rapid growth necessitated the development of this new role with the organization, and Schneeweis is tasked with helping develop and guide Zoom Drain's franchise program.

Schneeweis's appointment will allow Zoom Drain President Ellen Rohr to complete her transition to a position on the company's board of directors, where she can provide guidance as Zoom Drain continues its franchising expansion. Criniti, Rohr and partner Al Levi worked together to build the company into a powerhouse franchisor, adding 48 new franchisees in 153 territories over the past 18 months.

"We wouldn't be who we are today without Ellen," Criniti said. "Ellen is a big picture person. She is a visionary and her transition to our board of directors will be pivotal to the continued growth of our company."

Schneeweis's experience in the franchising industry is deep and varied. At ServiceMaster, he consulted with and managed more than 74 business owners who produced $48 million in annual revenue.

Before moving to ServiceMaster, Schneeweis served as the regional vice president of Clear Choice USA, a replacement window and window treatment company with more than 150 franchise locations across the United States and Canada.

"It's exciting to be coming into the Zoom Drain family at this time of accelerated growth," Schneeweis said. "This is a wonderful opportunity to put the skills I've learned with other franchising organizations to use in developing a program that will speak to the needs of our franchise owners while ensuring their experience within our organization is smooth and efficient."

Zoom Drain began in 1995 after Criniti borrowed $3,000 from his mother-in-law to start the drain cleaning business. It launched its franchising program in 2015 and partnered with a private equity firm, MPK Equity Partners, in 2020 to help grow its franchising business.

For more information about Zoom Drain, visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/.

About Zoom Drain

Zoom Drain is an operator and franchisor of drain and sewer services focusing on the repair, maintenance, and installation of everything "below the drain." Zoom Drain provides expertly trained wastewater specialists for emergencies and planned maintenance of drains and sewers. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Zoom Drain currently has more than 60 locations across the U.S. and continues to grow. For more information, please visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

(865) 977-1973

hripley @ripleypr.com

SOURCE Zoom Drain
As the war reaches its 75th day, Israeli attacks in Gaza killed about 100 Palestinians and injured many. Intense assaults struck Khan Younis, with airstrikes near Deir Al-Balah and shelling in northern the strip. Further injuries and arrests occurred in the West Bank, while the UN Security Council's vote to halt the war has been delayed to Wednesday.

23:15 Amnesty International called for an urgent probe into Israel's "forced disappearance" of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, following reports of deaths in military detention centres.

Hundreds of Palestinians are being held in detention centres in southern Israel, having been arrested in military operations across the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel's war on 7 October.

"The Israeli military must urgently disclose the fate and whereabouts of everyone that it has detained since 7 October," Heba Morayef, Amnesty's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.

"Israeli forces must specify the grounds of arrest for those detained and make every effort to provide families of those in its custody with information, particularly in light of the telecommunications blackouts that have cut off Gazans."

Amnesty demanded an investigation into the "inhumane treatment and enforced disappearance" of the detainees from Gaza.

The Israeli army on Tuesday said it was investigating the deaths of detainees arrested in Gaza.

It did not provide details regarding how many detainees had died or the circumstances of their deaths.

On Tuesday Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that "several of them have died" in these detention facilities.

The report said the prisoners died at the Sde Teiman base near the city of Beersheva.

The detainees held at this facility are "blindfolded and handcuffed for most of the day and the lights are on at the facility throughout the night", the report said.

Concerns for the fate of detainees from Gaza heightened last week after Israeli television showed scores of stripped Palestinian men sitting on a Gaza street in military custody.

One clip showed the arm of a soldier in the foreground, suggesting it was filmed by a member of the military.

In another clip, a group of blindfolded men are seen sitting with their hands tied behind their backs as Israeli soldiers watch them.

Earlier this month the army announced that more than "500 terrorists" had been arrested in Gaza.

Israel's war on Gaza has so far killed at least 20,000 people, the majority of them children and women, according to the Hamas government.

23:00 French President Emmanuel Macron said that fighting terrorism did not mean "to flatten Gaza", referring to Israel's relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.

"We cannot let the idea take root that an efficient fight against terrorism implies to flatten Gaza or attack civilian populations indiscriminately," Macron told the France 5 broadcaster.

He called on Israel "to stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are worth the same and we defend them".

While acknowledging "Israel's right to defend itself and fight terror", Macron said France called for the protection of civilians and "a truce leading to a humanitarian ceasefire".

21:00 A UN Security Council vote on a much-delayed resolution calling for a pause to the Israeli war on Gaza was postponed again as members wrangled over wording.

The debate at the UN's Manhattan headquarters came against a backdrop of deteriorating conditions in Gaza, with a senior UN official saying Israel's steps to allow in aid were "far short" of mounting need.

"The Security Council has agreed to continue negotiations today to allow for additional time for diplomacy. And the presidency will reschedule the adoption for tomorrow (Thursday) morning," said Ecuador's Jose Javier De La Gasca Lopez-Dominguez, who holds the council's rotating presidency.

Members of the council have been grappling for days to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times throughout Tuesday, after being postponed Monday.

Israel, backed by its ally the United States, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member, has opposed the use of the term "ceasefire."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday there would be no ceasefire in Gaza until the "elimination" of Hamas.

But Russia and the Arab League stepped up diplomatic pressure on Israel to bring fighting to a close, using the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Morocco to call for a ceasefire.

Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said ahead of the latest postponement that "everyone is basically stuck waiting to see what the US will decide to do."

"It looks like even US diplomats do not know how this saga will end," he added.

This week's back and forth comes after an impasse earlier this month when the United States, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blocked the adoption of a Security Council resolution on the war.

That resolution had called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues its deadly war on Gaza.

20:30 Russia and the Arab League called jointly for a UN ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip during the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The forum, which usually focuses on diplomatic and economic ties, was dominated by talks on Israel's war on Gaza, as it presses forward with its invasion of the territory.

"We hope that the Security Council will raise its voice for a mature resolution (calling for a ceasefire)," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the meeting. "We have agreed to continue coordination within the United Nations."

The UN Security Council was set to vote later today on a resolution calling for a pause in Israel's war on the strip, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the meeting was attended by Lavrov and diplomats from the 22-member Arab League.

"We hope that the Security Council can adopt this resolution and that there will not be a veto from a permanent member, notably the United States," said Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary general of the league.

"The Arab hope is that the United States understands that international patience is exhausted in the face of Israel's practices."

Speaking via videoconference, Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for an "immediate ceasefire," adding that "anyone who opposes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza has the blood of innocents on their hands".

"The occupation is the heart of the problem and the origin of the cause," Aboul Gheit said, advocating for a two-state solution and calling for the "creation as quickly as possible of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders".

Lavrov also said it was "urgent to create a Palestinian state" and even "accelerate the process," because "some sources say that our Western partners are trying to develop hidden projects to separate the West Bank from Gaza".

On December 8, the US vetoed a ceasefire resolution.

Wednesday's vote on a new resolution comes after two votes were delayed on Monday with members wrangling over wording, sources told AFP.

The text's latest version calls for a "suspension" of the conflict, said the sources.

20:00 Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed support during his visit to Cyprus for plans to send humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip from the Mediterranean island.

Cyprus has proposed establishing a corridor to collect, inspect, and store aid on the island before shipping it to Gaza.

Cohen, after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, emphasised the need for an "organised and well-inspected" transfer of aid.

"We aim to create a fast track for humanitarian aid to Gaza through this corridor," he told reporters.

The ministers visited a search and rescue coordination centre in Larnaca, discussing logistical details for the plan. Cohen also inspected facilities at Larnaca port, the departure point for aid shipments.

Cyprus was ready to deliver large quantities of aid through this "maritime lifeline" expected to provide "a sustained flow of high-volume humanitarian assistance to the civilians" in Gaza, Kombos said.

"We look forward to your green light for the first voyage," he told Cohen.

Under the plan, the aid would checked in Cyprus by a joint committee, including representatives from Israel.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure that could speed up the dispatch of much-needed aid to Gaza, subjected to months of sustained Israeli bombardment.

Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides has promoted his Gaza initiative among fellow EU leaders and friendly Arab states, and Larnaca was chosen due to its proximity to the Middle East.

The city is also home to the island's international airport, expected to receive aid from other countries.

19:00 Negotiations to secure another truce and captives release deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war are "very serious", the White House said.

"These are very serious discussions and negotiations and we hope that they lead somewhere," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope that the United States would be able to support a new UN Security Council resolution on Gaza.

"We've been working this intensely. I've been on the phones about this for the last couple of days," Blinken said.

"I hope we can get to a good place," he said.

18:00 Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced guarded hope that the United States would be able to support a new UN Security Council resolution on Gaza, with a sticking point on access for aid.

The United States, Israel's critical ally, has vetoed two resolutions at the Security Council as it rejected calls on Israel to end its deadly war on Gaza as the death toll among Palestinians nears 20,000.

Blinken, addressing reporters in Washington, said that the United States was engaging "in very good faith" with other countries, after fury in the Arab world over the previous vetoes.

"We've been working this intensely. I've been on the phones about this for the last couple of days," Blinken said.

"I hope we can get to a good place," he said.

The latest version of the draft resolution, led by the United Arab Emirates, stops short of using the word ceasefire and focuses instead on humanitarian access into the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Blinken indicated that the humanitarian issue was the sticking point, with Israel insisting on full control of supplies that enter the blockaded Palestinian territory.

"The purpose of the resolution as stated by the countries that put it forward is to facilitate and help expand humanitarian assistance that's getting into Gaza. And we fully support that," Blinken said.

"We want to make sure that the resolution in what it calls for and requires actually advances that effort and doesn't do anything that could actually hurt the delivery of humanitarian assistance make it more complicated," he said.

Blinken argued that the United States, which has exerted pressure behind the scenes, has succeeded in recent days in making progress, including through the arrival of commercial trucks and the opening of a second crossing into Gaza.

17:00 Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have launched missiles and drones at cargo ships in the Red Sea, warned that they would strike back if attacked by US forces.

"We [Houthis] are not the kind of people who are afraid of war," said rebel leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi.

"If the Americans intend to escalate further, get more involved and commit foolishness by targeting our country... we will target them," he said in a speech broadcast on the rebel's Al-Masirah television.

"We will make American battleships, American interests and American navigation a target for our missiles and drones," al-Houthi asserted.

His comments came after the United States said it was building up a multinational naval task force to protect vessels transitting the Red Sea from Houthi attacks carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has entered the Gulf of Aden, according to a US Navy spokesperson.

The rebels have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels, according to the Pentagon, from the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.

The Houthis say their strikes on passing container ships are in support of Palestinians in Gaza as Israel presses forward with its war on the Israeli-besieged strip.

In his latest speech, the Houthi leader condemned the US's unwavering support for Israel saying: America contributes and participates in what is happening in Gaza and has transferred all its bases in the region to support Israel, in addition to providing political support and objecting to any UN decision for a ceasefire.

He also warned states against joining the new taskforce, saying it would threaten their interests in the Red Sea.

"When you involve yourselves with the Americans in the service of Israel, you are implicating your people in every sense of the word," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, a top Houthi official warned that any nation that acts against the Yemeni rebels will have its ships targeted.

"Any country that moves against us will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea," Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said in a televised interview with Iran's Al-Alam television.

15:35 Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement Leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi said that their operations in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea do not disrupt international commercial and marine navigation unaffiliated with Israel.

He emphasized that hundreds of ships continue to move safely in these regions, unaffected by their actions, despite recent attacks.

"Our actions are not directed at international vessels. Our sole focus is on Israeli-affiliated or Israeli-owned ships. We target vessels owned by Israelis, partially connected to them, or heading to ports in occupied Palestine, providing resources to the Zionist enemy," he said.

He further warned of potential retaliation against American warships and interests if the United States increases involvement in the area or targets Yemen.

Since 19 November, the Yemeni rebels stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea to show support for the Palestinians as Israel's brutal war in Gaza continues.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on a visit this week to Bahrain, home to the US Navy's headquarters in the Middle East, launched an international task force for maritime security to counter Houthi attacks.

The group will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the adjacent Gulf of Aden.

Shipping companies remain in the dark over the new international coalition, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

The sources, who include shipping and maritime security officials, say few practical details are known about the initiative.

"There are still a number of unknowns with the coalition. We don't know exactly how many warships will be involved, how long it will take those vessels to get to the region, or their rules of engagement and the actual protection scheme that will be put in place," said Corey Ranslem, chief executive of British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global.

"Globally this is a fairly small area, however providing protection to commercial vessels in this region could be a major undertaking depending on the number of vessels along with any changes to the Houthi tactics."

15:12 The Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah said six of its fighters have been killed in the past 24 hours in Israeli attacks across the borders. In the past week, Hezbollah lost 17 fighters. Since the conflict began along the border weeks ago, the group has lost 113.

15:00 The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said it had delivered food into Gaza through the Israeli Karm Abou Salem border crossing in the first direct aid convoy from Jordan.

The arrival of the 46-truck convoy came after "weeks of coordination with all parties," the WFP said, adding that it was a "crucial first step (that) could pave the way for a more sustainable aid corridor through Jordan and allow for the delivery of more aid at scale."

14:35 An Israeli airstrike has, again, hit Rafah killing at least four people and injuring dozens. Smoke rises from different points of the city as Israeli attacks continue.

"People are running from the site of the explosion, right near the vicinity of the Kuwaiti Hospital," Al Jazeeras reporter says. "We are hearing from people running, multiple residential homes have been completely destroyed, and were full of people."

An Israeli air strike hit an area near the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza while Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud was live on air. pic.twitter.com/LKszfK4pQK  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 20, 2023

13:58 The International Labour Organization (ILO) published a report looking at how Israels war on Gaza has affected the labour market and livelihoods of those living in the occupied Palestinian territories.

At least 66 percent of jobs, equivalent to 192,000 jobs, have been lost in Gaza since the Israeli war erupted in October, the ILO says, warning that employment losses could continue to increase in the enclave.

The ILO also said that the spillover effect on the West Banks economy has been significant, with a one-third reduction in employment  equivalent to 276,000 jobs.

The bulletin projects the unemployment rate in the OPT to increase from 24 percent in the 4th quarter of 2022 to a staggering 46.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, which is set to compound the already devastating humanitarian and economic situation, especially in Gaza.

13:36 "Water and sanitation services are at the point of collapse with large-scale disease outbreaks looming," UNICEF warns.

Recently displaced children in the southern Gaza Strip are accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water each day, well below the recommended requirements just for survival, according to UNICEF estimates.

According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 litres, which includes water for drinking, washing and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is 3 litres per day, the UNICEF explains in today's report.

Children and their families are having to use water from unsafe sources that are highly salinated or polluted. Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease in the coming days.

Read the entire report here.

When UNICEF featured 12-year-old Dina on its X post and Instagram feed, she said she would become a lawyer so that I can enjoy my rights and the rights of all children.

She was injured and later her right leg was amputated when her house in Khan Yunis was destroyed by Israel's airstrikes. She lost both of her parents, her brother, and her sister and is now accompanied by her aunt at Nasser Hospital.

The following day UNICEF said she was killed when Israeli forces struck a maternity ward at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.

Weeks ago, Dina, 12, lost both parents, her brother, and sister in #Gaza. Her house was destroyed. After her right leg was amputated, she continued to dream of justice.



Tragically, Dina was killed at Nasser Hospital on Sunday.



The killing of children must stop. Now. pic.twitter.com/xYnBrzGNXF  UNICEF MENA -      (@UNICEFmena) December 19, 2023

13:10 Director-General of the Ministry of Health Muneer Al-Bursh said that 46 killed Palestinians and 110 wounded were brought to Jabalia Medical Centre in northern Gaza since morning.

He noted in a post on X that dozens are still trapped under the rubble of buildings bombed by Israeli occupation forces.

Yesterday, over a dozen people were killed in an Israeli attack on Jabalia refugee camp, one of the most intense since 7 October.

13:00 Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, urged US President Joe Biden to intervene and stop "the senseless carnage of innocent civilians in Gaza."

In a post on X, she said: "Every additional day the international community doesn't act to stop Israel's extermination campaign is another nail in the coffin of humanity and the international law based order."

President Biden, @potus, please, please intervene to stop this senseless carnage of innocent civilians in Gaza.



Every additional day the int'l community doesnt act to stop Israel's extermination campaign is another nail in the coffin of humanity & the int'l law based order. https://t.co/9FJFfvWu2W  Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) December 20, 2023

12:39 12 individuals, including members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) teams and displaced Palestinians, were injured in Israeli airstrikes near the Al-Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis.

These sites are currently providing shelter for approximately 14,000 people.

12 Injuries among the PRCS teams and displaced individuals due to the Israeli occupation warplanes targeting the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters in #KhanYounis which currently shelters around 14000 people.#Gaza#NotATarget #IHL pic.twitter.com/JMuZ8w8G4Z  PRCS (@PalestineRCS) December 20, 2023

12:00 At least 25 Palestinians were arrested today in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces.

The figures have been on a steady rise, with approximately 4,630 Palestinians detained by Israeli forces since 7 October,

Statistics from the start of the year until the end of November revealed a staggering total of 9,410 arrests, including 2,221 individuals placed under administrative detention, a contentious practice involving imprisonment without formal charges or trial proceedings.

As of the latest available data, the number of imprisoned Palestinians in Israeli jails currently stands at over 7,820.

11:55 IN PHOTOS: Khan Younis mourns families killed by Israel

11:40 The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory reported overnight that only "nine of Gaza's 36 hospitals are operational, though partially, all in the south.

"They are functioning at triple their bed capacity, grappling with no electricity and little fuel for generators, and confronting critical scarcities of supplies," the OCHA added.

According to WHO, four hospitals in the north are providing extremely limited services to patients who have already been admitted. These hospitals are not accessible and are unable to admit new patients, Israeli tanks and troops are surrounding their vicinities, and the hospitals do not have electricity or supplies.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces raided the premises of Al-Ahli Hospital in the east of Gaza City, destroying the main entrance and reportedly arresting several medical staff and patients.

Nine of #Gaza's 36 hospitals are operational, though partially. They are functioning at triple their bed capacity, grappling with no electricity and little fuel for generators, and confronting critical scarcities of supplies.



More in Flash Update #73:



https://t.co/fRPnlHyRmB pic.twitter.com/tRjMqSvK07  OCHA oPt (Palestine) (@ochaopt) December 20, 2023

11:22 The Israeli occupation forces have "surrounded and besieged" the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance centre in Jabalia from all directions, the PRCS said in a post on X.

The PRCS says that there are 127 people inside the center, including workers, displaced, and wounded individuals.

11:05 A report from Israel's Channel 12 News revealed more details about Hamas' Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October.

A video from a police helicopter shows that an Israeli tank opened fire on a house, killing 13 Israeli captives and Hamas fighters.

The video corroborates earlier testimony from 44-year-old Yasmin Porat, who was held with them in the same house before managing to escape.

The video adds to the growing evidence suggesting that Israeli forces themselves killed many of the 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians who died on 7 October during the Hamas attack.

According to an investigation conducted by the French newspaper Liberation, some of the crucial details of Israels narrative claiming Hamas committed mass atrocities on 7 October were simply false and a result of Israel's desire to obtain public and international support for violent retaliation against Gaza.

The newspapers investigation published on 12 December stated: No heads were cut off, no children were placed in ovens, no pregnant womens stomachs were cut open, and no childrens hands were tied behind their backs, but pointed out that only one infant was killed out of 40 minors killed in the attack."

Earlier, an Israeli security assessment admitted that the Israeli army targeted its own civilians participating in the Nova music festival during Hamas' operation, refuting another Israeli allegation of what had happened on 7 October.

The investigation also indicated that an Israeli army combat helicopter, which arrived at the scene from the Ramat David Airbase and fired at Hamas members there, apparently also hit some of the festival participants, according to a police source, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

10:36 Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a potential prisoner exchange with Israel, the Palestinian group said in a statement.

This is his second visit to Egypt since the start of the war, following a trip in early November.

Before his trip to Cairo, Haniyeh met Tuesday night in Doha with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

According to Nasser Kanaani, spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Haniyeh said Hamas was ready for a lasting ceasefire but negotiations were not possible under continuing Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Iran agrees with the government of Qatar regarding the need to immediately stop Israels war against the people of Gaza, and good joint efforts have been made in this regard, Kanaani said.

10:00 NetBlocks reports a new collapse in Gaza internet connectivity.

It says the incident has affected areas in southern Gaza, where telecoms had been restored over the last few days.

Gaza has experienced several internet blackouts and communications cut by Israel since the war began in October.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that blackouts severely disrupt their work in the besieged enclave.

 Confirmed: Live network data show a new collapse in connectivity in the #Gaza Strip; the incident affects areas in the south where telecoms had been partially restored over the last few days, while other areas have remained offline since the previous blackout  pic.twitter.com/OxAb9VDvor  NetBlocks (@netblocks) December 20, 2023

9:35 Malaysia banned on Wednesday Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports in response to Israel's war on Gaza.

Ships on their way to Israel will also be immediately barred from loading cargo at any port, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement.

"The Malaysian government decided to block and disallow the Israeli-based shipping company ZIM from docking at any Malaysian port," Anwar said.

"These sanctions are a response to Israel's actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and brutality against Palestinians."

Malaysia "also decided to no longer accept ships using the Israeli flag to dock in the country" and ban "any ship on its way to Israel from loading cargo in Malaysian ports."

9:05 Israeli aircraft struck areas west of Deir Al-Balah, while another airstrike killed a child, Mahdi Omar Radi, and wounded many others in the Japanese neighborhood in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

A video shared on Instagram and confirmed by Al Jazeera's fact-checking unit, Sanad, depicted the arrival of an injured Palestinian to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after an Israeli strike on a home in Al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah.

According to Abdallah Al-Attar, a photojournalist who captured the footage, the airstrike hit the Mansour family's residence in central Rafah.

Simultaneously, several firebombs hit the north of Gaza alongside Israeli artillery shelling around the Sheikh Radwan and Jabalia neighbourhoods.

9:00 The Israeli army announced the death of an officer during clashes in the southern Gaza Strip.

This brings the overall count of Israeli soldiers and officers killed since 7 October to 465, with 133 killed during the ground incursion.

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The Security Council's adoption of a new UN resolution to spur desperately needed aid to Gaza has been bogged down by two issues important to the United States: a reference to a cessation of hostilities and putting the U.N. in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are carrying humanitarian goods.

A vote on the Arab-sponsored resolution, first postponed on Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as council members continued intense negotiations to avoid another veto by the United States.

Were still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5 p.m. Its important for us that the rest of the world understand whats at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats.

It was cancelled as the US asked for more time and is now scheduled to take place after an open council briefing followed by closed consultations on the UN political mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday morning.

The draft resolution on the table Monday morning called for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities, but this language was watered down in a new draft circulated early Tuesday.

It now calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

The United States in the past has opposed language on a cessation of hostilities, and diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity, because discussions have been private, said this remains an issue for the Americans.

The resolution also calls for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a mechanism for monitoring aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. The diplomats said this is also an issue because it bypasses the current Israeli inspection of aid entering the territory.

The US on Dec. 8 vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all other council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on Dec. 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions.

In its first unified action on Nov. 15, with the US abstaining, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in the fighting, unhindered aid deliveries to civilians and the unconditional release of all captives.

The United States has repeatedly called for condemnation of Hamas, and recognition of Israels right to self-defence, which has not been included in any of the resolutions that have been adopted, or the latest draft before the council.

But Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the 15-member council, said Tuesday a new resolution had to go a little bit further than the Nov. 15 resolution.

Security Council resolutions are important because they are legally binding, but in practice, many parties choose to ignore the councils requests for action. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a significant barometer of world opinion.

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Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
The European Union (EU) is coordinating with Egypt regarding protecting the shipments crossing the Red Sea against the Houthi attacks, the Head of the EU Delegation in Egypt, Ambassador Christian Berger, stated on Wednesday.

Berger's remarks came on Wednesday during the annual end-of-year press conference to review the EU-Egypt partnership in 2023.

He was responding to a question by Ahram Online about the EUs efforts to protect ships crossing the Red Sea from the Houthi attacks.

The shipping lanes and the Suez Canal should remain open, and the attacks must be stopped, said Berger.

He also cited the statement issued on Wednesday by the EU, US, NATO, and 44 allied countries.

The undersigned condemn Houthi interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, particularly the Red Sea. The numerous attacks originating from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, including the 3 December attacks against three commercial vessels in the Southern Red Sea connected to 14 nations, threaten international commerce and maritime security.

The statement added that the Houthi-led seizure of the Galaxy Leader on 19 November and the detention of its 25-member international crew  who remain unjustly detained  is appalling.

Such behaviour also threatens the movement of food, fuel, humanitarian assistance, and other essential commodities to destinations and populations worldwide. The undersigned further encourage all states to refrain from facilitating or encouraging the Houthis. There is no justification for these attacks, which affect many countries beyond the flags these ships sail under. We again call on the Houthis to release the Galaxy Leader crew and ship immediately and to cease additional attacks on commercial vessels in the regions vital waterways, the statement added.

We can already see the first impact of this disruption as oil and gas prices and insurance costs are rising, and several international shipping lanes have decided to go around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal, Berger said.

He added that this situation will also affect European supply chains and supply lines and cause disruptions or cost increases for European consumers.

Supporting Egypt



During the press conference, Berger responded to Ahram Onlines request to give more details on the European investors delegation visiting Egypt in the first half of 2024 to explore the investment opportunities Egypt offers.

He said the EU will organize an investment conference in Egypt in early 2024 in collaboration with the Egyptian authorities.

We would like to bring European investors to take advantage of the investment climate here. But of course, we also will bring to the Egyptian government the points that our business people want to see to improve these investments, particularly the regulatory framework and several other issues, Berger explained.

He also revealed that the EU is now considering a financing package to support Egypt in dealing with a difficult economic situation.

We are discussing a comprehensive cooperation package between the EU and Egypt in trade, investment, mobility, migration, and energy. The EU and Egypt are discussing a whole range of aspects at the moment, and, hopefully, we will be able to announce this in greater detail in the coming weeks, Berger said.

He added that trade, investment, and exports between Egypt and the EU have increased over 2023.

Furthermore, Berger showcased the cooperation areas between the EU and Egypt over 2023, including cooperation in energy, water, defence, immigration, and human rights.

He also pointed out the EUs support of Egypt in dealing with the repercussions of the war in Gaza and outlined the future collaboration between the two sides.

Moreover, Berger noted that Egypt and the European Union are now co-chairs of the Global Forum on Counterterrorism.

This is an important area of cooperation between the EU and Egypt. We are also trying to increase our military cooperation, exhibited by the visit of the Force Commander of Operation Atlanta, the EUs naval force whose counter-piracy military operations do not cover the Red Sea, to Alexandria earlier this year. We have also agreed on closer cooperation between Atlanta and the Egyptian navy," Berger noted.

In addition, Berger said the EU has finalized a significant framework agreement with Egypt that will allow the country to negotiate its participation and association with Horizon Europe, the biggest research program worldwide.

We are doing this hopefully next year based on the agreement we reached earlier this year, he highlighted.

EU-Egypt cooperation in water



Egypt is becoming an important hub of information and knowledge about water management and usage in an inhospitable climate, said Berger.

He added that besides the Cairo Water Week annual event, the EU signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypt during COP 28 in Dubai on cooperation in the water sector.

Berger also stressed that the EU has established high-level meetings on the water sector in Egypt and will continue to beef them up with programs and projects in the water sector.

On trade exchange, Berger said that despite the difficult economic situation, the EU managed to increase the exports of agriculture and food products from Egypt to the EU markets by 50 percent compared to the level seen in 2022.

Natural gas exports from Egypt to the EU countries, he said, also increased.

The situation in Gaza



Berger said, We condemned Hamass attack on 7 October and spoke about the right of self-defence, but we also made it very clear that this vibe of self-defence has to be exercised within the framework of international humanitarian law. In response to the situation in Gaza, we have immediately tripled the humanitarian assistance to Gaza to 125 million euros.

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Lucknow, Dec 20 : The new Excise Policy for 2024-25 in Uttar Pradesh now allows people to consume the brew, if they have 100 square feet space next to their vends.

The government is looking to mop up record excise revenue in excess of Rs 58,000 crore.

While the policy would be effective from April 2024, one of the decisions cleared by the Cabinet would be effective this year itself.

Liquor shop sale timings would also be extended by an hour, till 11 p.m. on Christmas eve (December 24) as well as New Year's Eve (December 31) to allow guzzlers to have their fill on these festive occasions when sales peak.

The liquor lobby was, however, pushing for extending the current 10 a.m.-to-10 p.m. sale time till 11 p.m., but the state's Excise Minister Nitin Agarwal made it clear that "sale time extension" would only be for defined occasions.

"Beer vends would be given permits, enabling their owners to allow consumers' permission to consume it if they have 100 square feet space adjacent their vends. The police will not harass such people, provided they behave decently in public," Agarwal said.

A new category -- Uttar Pradesh Made Liquor (UPML) -- of 36 per cent alcohol-by-volume intensity would be introduced in the grain-based segment, the Minister said, explaining the move is aimed at promoting the grain-based industry segment in the sector.

"Two years back, we had introduced a grain-based country made liquor with 42 per cent intensity, and now we are introducing another variety that would co-exist with a similar molasses-based product in the 36 per cent alcohol-by-volume segment, but one that would be aimed at promoting grain-based industry," Agarwal added.

The minimum guarantee quota (MGQ) of the country made segment, which contributes to nearly 45 per cent of the total excise revenue volumes, has been increased by 10 per cent over the consumption figures of the previous fiscal.

In simpler terms, MGQ is the amount of stock a country liquor seller is required to compulsorily buy from the government.

However, in beer, the policy of monthly MGQ, has been done away with in keeping with the demand by the beer lobby.
Kanpur, Dec 20 : A group of heavily armed men allegedly opened fire, hurled crude bombs and desecrated a statue of Sant Ravidas at a village in Kanpur, the police said.

The incident took place on Tuesday at an event organised by the Dalit community and two persons were rushed to a hospital after sustaining severe injuries in the incident.

Joint Commissioner of police (JCP), Kanpur, Anand Prakash Tiwari, said five people have been arrested and an FIR was registered against eight accused, all from 'upper-caste' communities.

"Police are conducting raids to arrest all the accused named in the FIR. A heavy force of police personnel has been deployed in the village," he added.

One of the accused named in the FIR is Manish Tiwari, the public relations officer of local Apna Dal legislator Saroj Kureel. Kureel was not available for comments.

Pavan Kumar Sankhwar, one of the organisers, said the annual 'Bodh Katha' (readings from Gautam Buddha) began on Monday.

"People who were upset with the event launched a planned attack. Those who were sleeping under tents were beaten and the entire set up was vandalised," he said, adding the attackers resorted to "firing" and even hurled some "crude bombs".

"They threatened if the event continued, they would kill everyone involved. They even damaged the statue of Sant Ravidas," said Ram Sagar Paswan, on whose complaint the FIR was registered.

Ghatampur Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dinesh Kumar Shukla, said, "The attackers fled before the police arrived. They have been booked for rioting, vandalism, dacoity and attempt to murder, and also charged under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act."

Local upper-caste residents said the event had become a source of contention between communities last year too.

Chandra Bhan Mishra, who is named in the FIR, had filed a complaint with Ghatampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate on December 16, alleging that an effigy purportedly depicting Brahmins was supposed to be displayed at the event before being dragged across the village.

The JCP, however, said they did not find any provocative material.

The Bhim Army has started a protest at the Katha site with the locals.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Every day, when his father, Ustad Alla Rakha would wake him up at 3 a.m. for lessons, the first thing he would say was, "It is important that you do not try to be a master. Just be a good student, and you will go a very long way."

Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain still remembers that lesson and stresses that it has been instrumental in shaping him, in ways more than one.

Speaking to IANS, this Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibushan recipient adds, "Why do you think George Harrison came to Ravi Shankar? Despite being one of the greatest musical successes, his yearning to learn more pushed him. He wanted to find another language to speak his story, his musica The same holds true for John Coltrane and Charles Lloyd, who played with several major Indian classical musicians."

The 72-year-old Ustad says that many great musicians came to India to learn as they wanted to have a more panoramic view of music.

"And this is what I want for myself, an all-encompassing field of vision to ensure that I am constantly learning and evolving. I am clear that there is a lot to learn, enough scope of reinvention and rediscovery."

Hussain, who was recently seen in Shakti's 50th anniversary India tour, and performed at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa where he led an ensemble featuring talents like Ranjit Barot, Rakesh Chaurasia, Zubin Balaporia, Sanjay Divecha and Sheldon D'silva, stresses that he makes it a point to play with young Indian musicians like Niladri Kumar, Kumresh and Ganesh to look at music from their point of view.

"It is such a revelation to see the bravado they have about musica it just makes me want to respond differently. I want to discover a new way of interacting from what I have been doing for 15 yearsa.To think that I have already mastered everything would be such a folly. And that would mean there is nothing left but to hang my boots," says this percussionist, who won the Grammy (2009) in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album 'Global Drum Project' with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo.

Someone who has collaborated with musicians across genres and continents stresses that it is paramount that he knows instruments other than tabla too. This ascertains that he can smoothly converse and interact with music that does not belong to him.

"Therefore, it is important to learn the vocabulary and grammar. So I need to speak jazz, hip-hop, rap and Jazz."

"Then it becomes easier to explain myself to them in the words they would understand. And also, it is just to let them know that I have taken time to understand where they come from. Thus, it becomes important that I learn diverse musical forms, ideas and patterns."

Adding that when he is with South African or Brazilian musicians, it is a completely different world, the tabla maestro says, "One notices the distinct style in which they talk to each other, pat each other. You learn that way of life, and that Chutzspa. I enjoy listening to all sorts of music because it enhances my ability to be valid in every kind of music conversation."

(Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in)
Baramulla: Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla receives fresh snowfall, on March 8, 2019. . Image Source: IANS News

Srinagar, Dec 20 : A day before the 40-day long period of harsh winter cold called the 'Chillai Kalan' sets in, bitter cold tightened its grip on Kashmir on Wednesday.

A Meteorological (MeT) office statement said the minimum temperature was minus 4.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar on Wednesday.

"Gulmarg also had minus 4.4 while Pahalgam had minus 6.3 as the minimum today.

"Leh town in Ladakh region had minus 14.3, Kargil minus 12.6 and Drass minus 13 as the minimum temperature.

"Jammu city had 6.4, Katra 6.5, Batote 5, Bhaderwah 1.4 and Banihal 5.4 as the night's lowest temperature", the statement said.

A 40-day long period of harsh winter cold known locally as the 'Chillai Kalan' starts Thursday and will end on January 30.
United Nations, Dec 20 : A UN Security Council (UNSC) vote on a draft resolution for additional humanitarian aid into Gaza has been delayed again until Wednesday in an effort to to allow negotiations to continue, media reports said.

According to the BBC, the new time is Wednesday at around 4 p.m. GMT (9.30 p.m. IST) after the Council's meeting on Afghanistan.

The vote was originally scheduled for Monday but was then delayed until Tuesday evening to allow more time for negotiations.

The draft resolution, authored by the United Arab Emirates, calls for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip" and demands the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages", Xinhua news agency reported.

For the draft to pass in the Security Council, it requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from any of the permanent members, namely the USt, France, China, Britain, and Russia.

"Delaying the vote to Wednesday suggests agreement hasn't yet been reached on language that could gain a 'yes' vote from the US, or at least an abstention, which would allow the measure to pass," CNN said in a report citing sources.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby that "we're still working through the modalities of the resolution".

"It's important for us that the rest of the world understand what's at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats," he added.

Earlier this month, the US vetoed a draft resolution at the Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Subsequently, the UN General Assembly called for a ceasefire last week, with a significant majority voting in favour.

UN officials and aid agencies have raised alarms about "a humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, including mass starvation and disease, as a vast majority of the region's 2.3 million people have been displaced during the ongoing two-month conflict.

The US and Israel have expressed opposition to a ceasefire, arguing it would predominantly "benefit Hamas".

Instead, the US supports "temporary pauses in combat" to protect civilians and enable the release of hostages taken by the Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel.
Lucknow, Dec 20 : A physiotherapist, who stabbed his wife 18 times and fled the scene about a fortnight ago, has finally been arrested, police said.

The accused identified as Anandeshwar Agrahari was arrested near Krishna Nagar area of Lucknow.

Rahul Raj, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), said that with the arrest of the 38-year-old man and a father of two, Lucknow police had solved the brutal killing of the woman in which a case was registered under IPC 302 (murder) on the complaint of the victim's brother, Aman Sahu, at the Thakurganj police station.

"The knife used in the crime has also been recovered," said the DCP.

"The man gave his wife's affair as one of the reasons for their regular arguments and fights. They also had frequent disputes over money-related problems," the DCP said adding that the man is an alcoholic and addicted to betting.

While giving the sequence of events during the police interrogation, the man said that he and his wife used to get into arguments over multiple issues, including an extramarital affair and dispute over money.

"The argument took a violent turn on December 4, and he first cuffed his wife's hands and legs then stabbed her 18 times using a kitchen knife," said the police officer.

The man further told the police that he chose the perfect time to kill her -- when his elder son, Tanishq, who is differently abled and cannot speak, was sleeping. In his sleep, he could not hear his mother's screams.

His younger son, Shaurya, 9, was in school. When he went to get Shaurya from school, he fed him sedatives on the way home.

Shaurya fell asleep as soon as he reached home. Later, Anand fled from the scene.

The victim, Sandhya Sahu, was discovered murdered with multiple stab wounds on December 5 in Lucknow's Roshan Nagar area.

The incident came to light when the victim's mother, Kamla, visited the residence and discovered Sandhya's body.

Anand and Sandhya, who had a love marriage 15 years ago, were residing in Roshan Nagar with their sons Tanishq and Shaurya.
Rashmika deepfake case: Delhi Police ask Meta to share URL from which video was posted. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 20 : The pursuit by Delhi Police to apprehend the mastermind behind the creation of deepfake profiles featuring actor Rashmika Mandana is still going on. Despite tracking down four suspects, it has been revealed that they were merely uploaders and not the actual creators of the fraudulent videos, an official said on Wednesday.

The video depicted a different woman in a black outfit entering an elevator. The alleged perpetrator purportedly employed AI editing techniques to superimpose Mandana's face onto the original woman's face in the video.

"Police had asked Meta to disclose the URL of the Instagram account responsible for sharing the aforementioned 'deepfake' video on social media in November, however, few queries were answered," said a source.

The FIR in the case is registered under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (forgery for the purpose of harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code. It also invokes sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act.

This legal action was prompted by a complaint from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which took suo-moto cognizance of the 'deepfake' video involving the Indian actress.

"After our notice, Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the @IAmRashmika fake video case. The accused will be arrested soon," DCW chief Swati Maliwal had written on X.
Gaza, Dec 20 : The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group has released a video in which two Israeli hostages are seen urging the Israeli government to engage in negotiations for their release.

The video was released on Tuesday by the group's armed wing, Quds Brigades and the capitves identify themselves as Gadi Moses (79) and Elad Katzir (47), who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

The men appear separately in two clips.

It however, remains unclear when or where the clips were filmed.

In the video, Moses asks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, war cabinet member Benny Gantz and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to make every effort to return them to their families, reports CNN.

Katzir makes similar remarks, asking the government to make an exchange deal with the Islamic Jihad, proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and Australia.

Both men speak about the dangers they are facing.

"We do not want to die in Gaza. Our lives here are extremely dangerous. And we want everything necessary to be done, in order to bring us back home," Katzir says.

Moses was taken alongside his former wife Margalit Moses, who was released during the truce on November 24.

Katzir's father, Rami, was killed on October 7, and his mother, Hanna, was abducted and then released as part of the now-collapsed humanitarian truce.

On Monday, Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video showing three Israeli male hostages in captivity in Gaza.

While Hamas is the biggest and most powerful armed group in Gaza, other Palestinian factions like the Quds Brigades participated in the October 7 attacks and took hostages from Israel.

According to Israeli authorities, about 129 people, including foreign nationals, remain captive in Gaza.

During the humanitarian pause (November 24-30), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign hostages were released.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : The number of active Covid-19 cases in Telangana increased to nine as of Wednesday after with four new cases were reported the previous day, prompting health authorities to advise people to wear masks in public.

According to the Covid status bulletin released by the office of the director of public health and family welfare late Tuesday, a total of 402 tests were conducted in the day.

The cumulative recovery rate is 99.51 per cent.

People have been advised to take precautions in view of the recent surge in Covid cases in neighbouring states.

"Everybody should wear mask when he/she goes out of the house. Face masks are the first line of defence against Covid-19. Not wearing a mask is punishable by fine," says the bulletin.

Children less than 10 years of age, pregnant mothers and elders above 60 years of age are advised to avoid going outdoors unless mandatory.

There is a higher incidence of Covid disease in the age group of 20 to 50 years, hence people are requested to exercise due precaution while going for work/essential activities.

The authorities suggested that the work spaces be provided with soap and hand washing facility/sanitizer.

Adequate physical distancing between employees should be maintained.

Citizens have also been requested to avoid unnecessary travel and in unavoidable cases, they should ensure all Covid appropriate behaviour such as face masks, hand wash/use of sanitizer, physical distance etc.

People have been advised to seek medical care in case of any flu/ influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, running nose, difficulty in breathing, body pains and headache.

Meanwhile, Additional director of medical education and superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, Dr M. Raja Rao said that Telangana has not reported any case of new JN.1 variant.

He, however, said they were maintaining a vigil and that all hospitals in the state have been alerted.

They have been directed to monitor any cases of influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory illness, keep them in isolation and increase their testing.
Kathmandu, Dec 20 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will embark on a visit to Kathmandu on January 4-5, 2024 to attend the seventh meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission.

Jaishankar, who is visiting the Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart N.P. Saud, will take part in the highest bilateral mechanism between the two neighbouring countries to review and smoothen Nepal-India toes.

"The visit is almost confirmed. We have already started groundwork for the visit," Saud told IANS on Wednesday.

Few MoUs are likely be signed during the visit as both sides prepare for the meeting taking place after a hiatus of nearly three years.

"Not certain yet but we are preparing to reach some agreements during the visit," Saud told IANS.

According to the Foreign Minister, discussions are underway between various ministries to finalise the meetingas agenda and he has also sought a schedule of the visit and status of the India-funded projects in Nepal.

According to a Nepal government official, Jaishankar will land in Kathmandu on January 4, will lead the Indian delegation at the Joint Commission meet and hold talks with top party leaders, including President Ram Chandra Poudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, among others.

During the visit, an agreement on exporting 10,000 megawatts of energy to India from Nepal will be signed, government officials said.

Meanwhile, deals related to digital payments are also in cards.

Jaishankar will also inaugurate the new central library built by Indian assistance at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.

During a recent media interaction, Prime Minister Dahal revealed that the deal to export 10,000MW electricity to India within 10 years will be signed during Jaishankaras visit

In the previous Joint Commission meeting that took place in New Delhi in January 2021, the two sides had reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations including the supply of Covid-19 vaccine, boundary and border management, connectivity and economic cooperation, trade and transit, power and water resources, as well as culture and education.

The Joint Commission was constituted during the Nepal visit of then Indian Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in February 1991.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent Israel's war on Gaza from spilling over into a deadlier regional conflict.

Austin was in the region to press Israel to shift its deadly war on the Gaza Strip to a more limited campaign and more quickly transition to address Palestinian civilians dire humanitarian needs.

At the same time, the U.S. has been concerned that Israel's escalation will open a second front along its northern border with Lebanon to expel Hezbollah fighters there, potentially widening the war.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Austin didn't say whether U.S. troops might be further extended to defend Israel if its war expands into Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to tone down recent rhetoric that a northern front was imminent, deferring to diplomatic efforts first.

Still, that leaves incredible uncertainty for the Ford and its crew, which Austin ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean to deter attacks against Israel. The aircraft carriers more than 4,000 sailors and the accompanying warships were supposed to be home in early November.

Using the public address system of the Ford, which is sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Israel, Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up spending the holidays together because of the mission.

Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things we stop from happening, Austin told the crew. In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict.

The defense secretary met with a group of sailors in the Fords hangar bay to talk about the various dangers in the region that the carrier, the destroyers and the cruisers deployed along with it have been watching.

He thanked them for keeping attention on cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and later told reporters traveling with him that if Israel transitions away from full-scale war in Gaza, it could possibly ease some of the regional tension that has kept the Ford in place.

The Ford's commanding officer, Navy Capt. Rick Burgess, said one of the Ford's main contributions has been to stay close enough to Israel that it can send its aircraft in to provide support, if needed. While the Ford's fighter and surveillance aircraft are not contributing to the surveillance needs of Israel's operations in Gaza, other ships in its strike group are, Burgess said.

The Ford is one of two U.S. carrier strike groups bracketing the conflict. The other, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, has recently patrolled near the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea waterway where so many commercial vessels have come under attack in recent weeks.

Iranian-backed Houthis in nearby Yemen have vowed to continue striking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones until Israel ceases its devastating bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed more than 19,000 Palestinians.

To counter the ship attacks, Austin announced a new international maritime mission Tuesday to get countries to send their warships and other assets to the southern Red Sea, to protect the roughly 400 commercial vessels that transit the waterway daily.

Since it left Norfolk in the first week of May, the Fords fighter aircraft and surveillance planes have conducted more than 8,000 missions. The crew, Austin noted, has been moving at full speed  consuming more than 100,000 Monster energy drinks and 155,000 Red Bulls along the way.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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Tel Aviv, Dec 20 : Amid increasing pressure from hostage families, Israel has agreed for a week-long ceasefire to secure the release of captives held by the Hamas militant groups in Gaza, according to highly-placed sources.

The fresh development comes two days after Mossad chief David Barnea met CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Warsaw on Monday.

The sources told IANS that Israel has communicated to Qatar --the key mediatory -- that it was agreeable for a one-week ceasefire and demanded the release of 40 hostages.

These hostages include women, children and elderly persons above 60 years of age.

Meanwhile, Israel has also agreed to release Palestinian prisoners, including those who have commited more grievous crime than the one who were freed during the previous humanitarian pause between November 24 and December 1.

The sources also told IANS that Hamas had demanded for a total backout from the war which Israel did not agree to.

According to available information, the Israel side said that it would agree for a permanent cessation of war only after the Hamas hands over all those responsible for the October 7 carnage.

But as diplomatic efforts continue, the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave worsens with each day.

Nearly 20,000 people have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, and more than 52,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, much of northern Gaza has been decimated by airstrikes and, according to the UN, almost 1.9 million people -- more than 80 per cent of the enclaveas population -- have been displaced.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Telangana's Director General of Police (DGP), Ravi Gupta on Wednesday called for united efforts for a drug-free state.

"Let's all unite to drive away the drugs from the territory of our State. All drug peddlers and consumers are hereby warned in this regard," the DGP posted on X.

"Stringent legal action would be initiated against the violators. Let's join hands to drive away drugs," he added.

The state government on Tuesday announced that Gupta will continue to hold full additional charge of DGP (head of the police force).

As per an order issued by the Chief Secretary, he was transferred and posted as DGP.

He was given full additional charge of DGP after the Election Commission suspended top cop Anjani Kumar for meeting state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy on December 3 when the counting of votes was still on, thus violating the model code of conduct.

After assuming office as the Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy had directed police to deal with the menace of drugs with an iron hand.

He directed officials to initiate stringent action against those involved in consumption and sale of narcotic drugs.

The government also appointed senior IPS officer Sandeep Shandilya as full-time director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB).

The new director announced that the agency will acquire portable drug detection kits as part of its intensified efforts to make Telangana drug free.

He said they will soon field/portable drug detection kits to their armoury.

The agency is trying to procure state-of-the-art equipment from world leaders.

Shandilya said that their main focus would be on educational institutions, film and IT industry, bars & pubs, rave parties and resorts.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL), one of the largest E&P companies in India and a leader in unconventional hydrocarbon space, on Wednesday announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay).

The collaboration aims to jointly spearhead research and development initiatives focused on indigenous advancements in various cutting-edge CBM (Coal Bed Methane) technologies.

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) has the potential to meet India's energy demands, reducing reliance on fossil fuels while storing CO2 in depleted coal seams. EOGEPL's Raniganj East CBM Block stands as a flagship asset, boasting a substantial volume of CBM gas resources.

Acknowledged as a prime example of CBM development in India, it has fostered a dedicated customer base reliant on its CBM gas supply to support their businesses.

IIT Bombay holds global acclaim for its high-quality education and ground-breaking research across diverse domains encompassing science, engineering, design, management, and humanities.

The partnership between EOGEPL and IIT Bombay will delve into research and development, particularly in potential Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (ECBM) recovery techniques and CO2 sequestration. This collaborative effort aims to unravel the complexities of enhanced coal bed methane processes through innovative, experimental and simulation methodologies.

The envisioned research includes advanced reservoir simulation studies using industry-standard software platforms. Additionally, it will explore the development of suitable methodologies for extracting gas from deeper coal seams. The focus extends to screening new enhanced recovery techniques to boost production from existing wells, primarily through CO2 enhanced CBM recovery studies.

As part of the MoU, EOGEPL would propose an initial list of thematic areas of research. The company will provide necessary funding and data support for the Project and grant access to wells for mutually agreed investigations and research experiments. EOGEPL is committed to jointly pursuing collaborative research training and programs with IIT Bombay.

While IIT Bombay will undertake project activities within the agreed thematic areas, offering technology development support, and delivering results to EOGEPL as per the project objectives and schedules. This involves engaging students and faculty with the required expertise and capacity, providing training to EOGEPL officials as mutually agreed upon, and leveraging basic infrastructural facilities to facilitate smooth research operations.

Commenting on the MoU signing, Pankaj Kalra, CEO, EOGEPL said: "This collaboration highlights Essar's strong dedication to innovation and knowledge sharing. We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to create pioneering solutions with far-reaching effects. It exemplifies Essar's firm commitment to technological advancement and its eagerness to work with ivy league educational institutions to further industry practices."

The company has invested a significant Rs 5,000 crore in the Raniganj block, resulting in the drilling of 348 wells and the daily production of nearly 0.9 million metric standard cubic meters (mmscd) of gas.

Furthermore, EOGEPL is set to invest an additional Rs 2,000 crore to drill an additional 200 wells over the next 18 to 24 months in its coal bed methane project in West Bengal's Raniganj.

The Raniganj block has a resource base of 12 TCF (Trillion Cubic Feet) CBM.

The company is contributing significantly to the Nation's vision of being a gas-based economy.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 20 : India has set an ambitious goal of making its road infrastructure equal to the US in the next five years besides decongesting metros and considerably reducing travel time and road mishaps, said Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.

In the last nine years, Gadkari, in a mission mode to make the country's roads safer and smarter, said his ministry had awarded work for projects worth more than Rs 50 lakh crore and also eased the procedure for sanctioning contracts by improving the existing policies.

"No contractor needs to come to me for sanctioning the contract. We are transparent, time- bound, result-oriented and quality conscious and fast in decision-making. We consider the ministry, contractors and bankers as one family. We encourage good work, and that is why we have seven world records. This is the great achievement of the ministry," he said in an interview published in the Manorama Yearbook 2024.

"I am confident that after five years, our road infrastructure will be equal to the US".

Asserting that he 'never gives false promises', the minister stressed that futuristic development of infrastructure is the need of the country. India needs robust infrastructure for attracting capital investment from both domestic and foreign sources, which would remove poverty and generate employment.

Determined to make India number one in the automobile sector, he said India's automobile industry had recently surpassed Japan to become the third behind China and the US.

"Our industry is worth Rs 7.5 lakh crore and the maximum GST to the states and Central government is generated from this sector. Till now, 4.5 crore jobs have been created by this industry. My dream is to double the size of our automobile industry to Rs 15 lakh crore in the next five years. This is the way in which we are progressing in every sector. We are already the fastest growing economy and people are more interested in dealing with India,".

He also strongly pitched for introducing electric and flex fuel vehicles to reduce consumption of fossil fuel, whose import bill is Rs 16 lakh crore. Some vehicles, with flex engines, are now being powered by ethanol instead of petrol. It will bring the average cost of fuel to Rs 15 as ethanol's rate is only Rs 60 and it would also generate electricity. "We are now opening ethanol pumps," he informed.

Gadkari said it would also empower Indian farmers to double up as 'urjadaata' (energy producer) while being 'anndaata' (food producer) as ethanol fuel can be produced from crops like sugarcane and rice stalk.

"The diversification of agriculture to the energy and power sector is the most important policy which is going to change the future of our country, particularly of rural agriculture and tribal India. Like smart cities, we can have smart villages which are very important for the development of our country and that is the policy change we are bringing in."

As for the future of public transportation, he said India is now making ropeways, cable cars and running public transport on electricity. Efforts are underway to introduce electric buses in more cities. "Within five years public transport will totally change. It will be a less polluting, more cost-effective substitute," he said.

For decongesting metros, projects have been undertaken worth over Rs 65,000 crore, which include Dwarka Expressway (Rs 9,000 crore), six-lane urban extension road in the National Capital (Rs 8,000 crore), Eastern Peripheral Expressway (Rs 12,000 crore), and Delhi-Meerut Expressway (Rs 8,000 crore).

In support of his ministry's efforts to ensure faster travel time, he cited the instance of the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang Pass between Manali and Lahaul-Spiti Valley, which has reduced travel time from three hours to eight minutes. Similarly, Katra-Delhi Expressway will allow travel between Delhi and Amritsar in four hours, Delhi and Katra (J&K) in six hours and Delhi and Srinagar in eight hours. In Ladakh, work has started on the biggest tunnel in Asia at Zojila Pass.

He also disclosed that new border roads are being built which are strategically important. There are 30 roads where airplanes can safely land. Plans are afoot to develop 670 roadside amenities which will also have heliports and drone ports.

Gadkari said entrepreneurs and startups have a vital role to play in revitalizing the Indian economy. "We need to support those who have entrepreneurship and possess new technology," he added.

The minister, however, conceded that his promise to reduce accidents by 50 per cent has not yielded desired results. Every year five lakh accidents and 1.50 lakh deaths occur which result in a GDP loss of three per cent.

"This is a problem related to automobile engineering, road engineering and awareness of the people. People don't have respect for the law," he said, adding that it is imperative to change the mindset of the people about road safety for which help is needed from media, social and educational institutions, and NGOs. Help is being enlisted from celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, in this regard.
Chennai, Dec 20 : Suspense continues over the fate of Ford India Private Ltd's plant near here with speculation that the US auto company was having a rethink about its India operations.

Ford India was looking out for a buyer for its Chennai plant after it shut down Indian manufacturing operations here and in Gujarat.

Ford India had earlier sold its Gujarat plant to Tata Group.

Sources had told IANS that several people had visited the Chennai plant but nothing concrete had come out.

According to reports, talks with one of the interested parties -- JSW group-led by Sajjan Jindal -- have broken down.

In November this year, India's $23 billion revenue JSW group and the $110 billion revenue automobile maker SAIC Motor, China entered into a strategic joint venture to transform and grow MG Motor in India.

According to the agreement, signed JSW will hold 35 per cent in the Indian joint venture operations. SAIC will continue supporting the joint venture with technology and products to deliver mobility solutions, the two groups said in a statement.

The media report also said Ford is having a rethink on exiting India and has made some new appointments.

A small Ford India's team has been tasked to find a buyer for the Chennai plant, a senior official had told IANS earlier.

"No new appointment in Ford India has come to our notice," the senior official told IANS preferring anonymity.

In September 2021, Ford India announced its decision to wind down vehicle assembly in Gujarat's Sanand vehicle and engine manufacturing in Chennai.

Ford India had set up four plants in the country -- vehicle and engine plants in Chennai and Sanand.

The company sold its Gujarat facility for Rs 725.70 crore to Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd.

The plant in Sanand includes the entire land and buildings, the vehicle manufacturing plant, along with its machinery and equipment, and transfer of all eligible employees of Ford India's vehicle manufacturing operations.

Ford India is operating its powertrain manufacturing facility by leasing back the land and buildings of the powertrain manufacturing plant from Tata Passenger Electric.

It is said some of the former workers have been reengaged on contract basis by Ford India for maintenance of the Chennai plant.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Actor Milind Dastane, who essays the role of Shyam Lal Vajpayee in the television show 'Atal', recollected his meeting with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ahead of the latter's 99th birth anniversary on December 25.

Walking down the memory lane, Milind called him a "master storyteller", who was gifted with creating captivating narratives on simple topics courtesy his wordplay.

Talking about the same, Milind said: "In 2006, I was working on a film project around the life of the Indian physician, doctor Hedgewar, that unfortunately never saw the light of day. During filming, Mohan Rao Bhagwat suggested reading and understanding the depth of the three-and-a-half-page poem, 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,' written by Atal Ji. For this, he arranged an in-person meeting with Atal Ji at his residence in Delhi. I remember my instant reaction was both nervousness and excitement."

The actor further mentioned: "However, when the moment came, I was blown away and was in awe of his persona, wisdom, and vision. He was so humble and made me feel at ease almost instantly. He is a master storyteller, gifted with creating captivating narratives on seemingly mundane topics using fascinating wordplay. His passion for literature and oratory stood out. He was an exceptional orator, poet, and politician. He deeply inspired me and left an indelible mark on me. On his 99th birthday, what better way to remember and celebrate the great leader than by sharing the experience of meeting him in person and being inspired by his persona? I am truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity, thanks to my profession."

In the show, Milind portrays the role of Shyam Lal Vajpayee, Atal's grandfather as the show narrates the untold stories of the formative years of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The actor shared: "I had never imagined that 17 years down the line, I would be, in some way, associated with his childhood story through &TV's show, 'Atal' and get to portray his grandfather's role in the show. It is a big honour, and I hope to do justice to it, making the character memorable. All I can say is that I am grateful to contribute in some way through this opportunity as my tribute to this eminent leader whose legacy is held in high regard by Indians."

'Atal' airs Monday to Friday on &TV.
Rae Bareli, Dec 20 : A Class 10 girl student allegedly died by suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, following harassment by a local youth, police said.

Police also recovered a handwritten note from the crime scene in which she accused one Monu Raidas, 20, of harassing her.

Monu was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday.

The note said Monu was blackmailing her by threatening to make public her morphed photographs.

Rae Bareli SP Alok Priyadarshi said preliminary investigations confirmed that the suicide note was written by the 15-year-old victim.

"We have registered a case against the accused under the charges of IPC 306 (abetment to suicide) and a probe is underway following which more charges will be added," he said.

Police said the girl's father and mother live in Kanpur for work while she, along with her two sisters, stayed with her uncle in Rae Bareli.

"The girl hanged herself from the hook of the fan. When she did not come out of the room for some time, the other sisters raised an alarm. Later, with help of others, they broke open the door and saw her hanging from the noose," said the police, adding that the body was sent for post-mortem.

SHO, Sareni, Sanjay Kumar said the suicide note read: "Goodbye. My dear mom and dad, I am sure that after my death you will forgive me. I apologise to my sisters as well. When I die, do not spare Monu. Because of him I am going to die because he has troubled me a lot. God knows where he got my photo from. I do not know him, but he has blackmailed me a lot through these photos. My soul will find peace only when he receives the harshest punishment."
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will provide a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the next of kin of a woman passenger, who died following a mishap at the Inderlok Metro station last week, an official said.

The 35-year-old woman succumbed to injuries at a hospital on December 16, which she sustained when her saree and jacket got stuck in the door of a Delhi Metro train following which she got dragged by the train for several metres.

The incident occurred on December 14 at the Inderlok Metro station when the woman, identified as Reena Devi, was travelling from Nangloi to Mohan Nagar accompanied by her son.

"As per provisions in the Metro Railway (Procedure of Claims) Rules, 2017, a compensation of Rs five Lakhs shall be paid to the deceased's next of kin. In addition, as a humanitarian assistance to the children of the deceased, an additional amount of Rs 10 lakhs shall also be provided. Since, the children are both minors, DMRC is currently engaged in sorting out the legal modalities of handing over the amount to the legal heir," said Anuj Dayal, Delhi Metro spokesperson.

In addition, DMRC shall also take care of the education of the two children.

"A team of senior officials has been deputed by DMRC to look into the matter to facilitate all requirements quickly," said Dayal.

The Minister for Housing And Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri had also directed that the lookafter and education of the children be ensured by the Delhi Metro management.

The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) is holding an inquiry into this incident.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had also asked DMRC to share the inquiry report.

"I understand from media reports that an enquiry will be conducted by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety. In this regard, it is directed that the period within which the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety shall be submitting its enquiry report, be indicated. Any order issued in this regard be sent for my information," read the order by Gahlot on Monday.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi High Court has expressed concern over the increasing misuse of the Right to Information Act, 2005, stating that it has observed cases leading to "paralysis and fear" among the government officials.

Justice Subramonium Prasad said that while the Act aims to provide secure access to information and ensure accountability, its abuse undermines its intended purpose.

The court's remarks came during the hearing of a plea by Shishir Chand challenging a Central Information Commission (CIC) order restricting further cases related to the alleged medical negligence of Dr. Atul Chhabra at Tata Memorial Hospital.

The CIC deemed Chand's repeated attempts to reopen the issue as an abuse of the RTI process.

Justice Prasad said that the petitioner was attempting to extract information already settled by judicial orders. Despite acknowledging Chand's repeated misuse, the court held that a citizen's right to claim information under the RTI Act cannot be extinguished, and there is no provision for imposing costs for seeking information repeatedly.

The court partially allowed the writ petition, setting aside the portion of the CIC's order that restricted Chand from filing further cases on the same subject matter.

While sympathetic to the petitioner's situation, the court advised against abusing the legal process and diluting the Act's objective.
Majority of hospitals in Lucknow do not have NOC from Fire department. Image Source: IANS News

Lucknow, Dec 20 : Of 727 hospitals in Lucknow listed for fire audits, only 202 have the no-objection certificate (NoC) from the fire department, as per available data.

This fact has come to light after a fire in the operation theatre of the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) claimed two lives on Monday.

The state government had ordered a fire audit of all hotels and hospitals in the state capital after the Levana Suites blaze claimed four lives on September 5, 2022.

According to the fire department, the safety audit of city hospitals was to be conducted and, in a report, filed by the Lucknow CMO in an affidavit, 727 hospitals were listed for fire safety audit.

Chief Fire Officer (Lucknow) Mangesh Kumar said this affidavit was filed during the Levana incident. "Out of 727 hospitals listed by the CMO, we have issued NoCs to only 202 hospitals, including private and government hospitals," he said, adding that NoCs of 525 are pending.

"These hospitals have never approached the fire department after the Levana fire incident. But we are not saying that all 525 are unsafe," he said.

One of the fire station officers in Lucknow said, "If records of the fire department are to be believed, most of the government hospitals lack fire safety equipment. Records further suggest that not a single government hospital has procured NoC from the fire department."

"Conducting their audit is challenging because many of them are autonomous bodies," added the official.

Due to lack of proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) in UP Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, the department is unable to take action against establishments violating fire safety norms.

"The Act was implemented in December last year, but due to lack of any proper SOPs, we are unable to take any action against anyone violating norms," said Lucknow CFO Mangesh Kumar.
Russia and the Arab League called jointly on Wednesday for a UN ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip during the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The forum, which usually focuses on diplomatic and economic ties, was dominated by talks on Israel's war on Gaza, as it presses forward with its invasion of the territory.

"We hope that the Security Council will raise its voice for a mature resolution (calling for a ceasefire)," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the meeting. "We have agreed to continue coordination within the United Nations."

The UN Security Council was set to vote later on Wednesday on a resolution calling for a pause in Israel's war on the strip, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Israel's war has killed more than 19,600 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the meeting was attended by Lavrov and diplomats from the 22-member Arab League.

"We hope that the Security Council can adopt this resolution and that there will not be a veto from a permanent member, notably the United States," said Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary general of the league.

"The Arab hope is that the United States understands that international patience is exhausted in the face of Israel's practices."

Speaking via videoconference, Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for an "immediate ceasefire," adding that "anyone who opposes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza has the blood of innocents on their hands".

"The occupation is the heart of the problem and the origin of the cause," Aboul Gheit said, advocating for a two-state solution and calling for the "creation as quickly as possible of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders".

Lavrov also said it was "urgent to create a Palestinian state" and even "accelerate the process," because "some sources say that our Western partners are trying to develop hidden projects to separate the West Bank from Gaza".

On December 8, the US vetoed a ceasefire resolution.

Wednesday's vote on a new resolution comes after two votes were delayed on Monday with members wrangling over wording, sources told AFP.

The text's latest version calls for a "suspension" of the conflict, said the sources.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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New Delhi, Dec 20 : With India's GenZs and Millennials showing surging interest in travel to Japan and South Korea, and an increased appetite to learn Japanese and Korean, Airbnb and Duolingo are launching a unique campaign that provides travellers with an extraordinary opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of these two unique countries.

The programme aims to reduce the language barrier that often impedes deeper cultural immersion, and equip travelers with essential language skills to enhance their appreciation and understanding of local customs and traditions.

The spike in language learning on the App perfectly aligns with the increased searches for local stays on Airbnb, demonstrating a desire among Indians to break down the language barriers and engage in more meaningful connections with the local communities while travelling to Japan or South Korea.

Recent Airbnb data has revealed a significant uptick in travel interest to Japan and South Korea. We have seen an almost 75 per cent growth in searches for Airbnb stays in Korea and almost a whopping 300 percent increase for stays in Japan.

Concurrently, the App has reported a notable trend in language learning preferences among Indians, with Japanese and Korean emerging as some of the most popular languages learnt on the platform. Globally, Japanese ranks as the fifth most learnt language, while Korean has jumped to the sixth position, as highlighted in the 2023 the App's Language Report, which tracks the world's biggest trends in language learning.

The report also indicated a remarkable 75 per cent year-over-year growth in Korean language learning among learners in India. This parallel rise in travel and language interests underlines a growing fascination with Japanese and Korean cultures among Indian travelers.

Building on these trends, the platforms are teaming up to transform the travel experiences to Japan and South Korea, targeting the language barrier that often impedes deeper cultural immersion. This collaboration seeks to equip travelers with the essential language skills, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of local customs and traditions.

By merging Duolingo's language learning expertise with Airbnbas locally hosted stays, this initiative promises a more enriched and authentic travel journey. Travelers can now navigate through these destinations with newfound confidence in their language abilities while staying at local Airbnb stays that offer them the opportunity to live like a local.

"Airbnb has always believed in promoting authentic travel and meaningful connections. Our recent data shows a surge in interest among Indian GenZs and Millennials searching for stays on our platform, with Japan and South Korea being popular destinations for cultural exploration. Recognizing that language barriers can dampen the richness of travel, our collaboration with Duolingo goes beyond language learning; it's about deeply immersing travelers in new cultures, creating lasting experiences and memories," said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnbas General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

"At Duolingo, our mission is to make language learning fun and effective. We are delighted to partner with Airbnb to bring an opportunity that blends learning and traveling in such a seamless manner, providing people with all the right tools to allow them to have an authentic experience and overcome language barriers during travel with ease," said George Audi, Global Head of Business Development & Partnerships for Duolingo.

Through January 2, 2024, 11:59 PM IST, eligible applicants may participate in the contest by visiting airbnb.com/duolingo and completing the application form.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
K'taka woman arrested for throwing her child in river. Image Source: IANS News

Ramanagara : , Dec 20 (IANS) A woman has been arrested in Karnataka's Ramanagara district for throwing her toddler into a river, police said.

The accused has been identified as 21-year-old Bhagyamma, a resident of Banagalli village near Channapatna town.

According to the police, Bhagyamma had left her husband and was living at her parents' residence with her son, Devaraj (1.3 years).

According to the police, she started a relationship to which her mother had objected.

Bhagyamma's mother also criticised her for leaving her child alone and going out with her partner.

The police said that her partner also did not like her son.

On Tuesday night on the pretext of washing clothes, she took her child near the Kanva River and threw him into the water.

She tried to create a scene by screaming and shouting for help, claiming that her son accidently fell into the river.

Authorities retrieved the body on Wednesday morning.

The police, during their investigation, were informed about the affair of the accused and the fights with her mother in this connection.

After questioning, Bhagyamma confessed to committing the crime for the sake of her relationship.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday admitted that she proposed the name of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

While speaking to the media here, Banerjee, who also participated in the INDIA bloc fourth meeting on Tuesday said, "Yes, I have proposed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's name. Arvind Kejriwal also supported my proposal."

She said that since everyone asks for the name of the prime ministerial face "thus we proposed the name of Kharge as our proposal".

"We supported his name as we don't have any issue with the face of Kharge as the INDIA bloc prime ministerial face and Kejriwal supported it," the Trinamool Congress chief said.

She was responding to a question if she proposed the name of Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc.

When asked further if Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal(United) leader Nitish Kumar is angry with her move, she said, "I don't have any information about that."

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has also set the deadline for finalizing the seat sharing by December 31 during the Tuesday meeting of the INDIA bloc, which was also attended by CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and many other leaders from a total of 28 parties.

The first meeting of the INDIA alliance took place in Bihar's Patna on June 23 while the second meeting of the opposition parties took place in Karnataka's Bengaluru on July 17 and 18.

During the third meeting of the INDIA alliance in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1 this year, the 14-member coordination committee and 19-member election strategy committee were announced.

About 28 parties have come together to take on the BJP at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

During the meeting, every leader got the opportunity to share their views and suggestions.
Two held for posing as jail officials and duping families of 3 inmates of Gurugram prison. Image Source: IANS News

Ankara, Dec 20 : Turkish intelligence detained the administrative and financial head of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group operating in Syria, state media reported.

The IS suspect, Huzeyfe Al Muri, codenamed Eyyup, was nabbed from the southern province of Mersin, Xinhua quoted Anadolu news agency citing security sources as saying.

The Turkish security forces seized $28,800, 14,950 euros, 31,800 Turkish liras, and many digital materials of the terrorist group during the raid.

Turkish authorities also detected mobile applications used by IS for money transfers, according to Anadolu.

In his testimony, Huzeyfe Al Muri gave detailed information about the process of joining the terror group, his activities in Syria and Turkey, the IS members he was in contact with, and his money transfers, the news agency reported.

The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in the country since 2015.

The country's southern border with Syria has been a major crossing point for Syrians and foreign fighters since a civil war broke out in the Arab country in 2011.
Lucknow surgeon uses knife designed by him for complex surgery. Image Source: IANS News

Lucknow, Dec 20 : A surgeon at the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) here used his own patented spinal surgery knife to treat a life-threatening condition of an 11-year-old patient from Uttar Pardesh's Sitapur.

The surgery was conducted on Monday by neurosurgeon Dr Mohammad Kaif and the patient is recovering well.

The patient, Arshi, had sustained a neck injury in an accident at a local rice mill where her dupatta got entangled with the motor of the mill.

This incident resulted in weakness in both her arms and legs. Further diagnosis revealed a prolapsed disc between two cervical vertebrae, coupled with a fracture at the lower end of another vertebra. This combination posed a significant threat to Arshi's mobility and life.

Dr Kaif took charge of the procedure employing his own invention -- the posterior ligamentational longitudinal knife.

This specially designed instrument for spinal surgery in the cervical region earned Dr Kaif a patent last year and recently secured him the prestigious 'Best Innovator' award at RMLIMS's foundation day celebrations.

He said the knife provided precision and control during the critical procedure.

Dr Kaif explained that the knife is particularly effective in cases of high cervicomedullary junction OPLL -- a condition where bone forms within a ligament near the top of the spinal cord, potentially compressing it.

"This compression can lead to numbness, weakness, and other neurological issues," he said.

"We see around two to three patients with this condition requiring surgery every week. Previously, surgeons had to take risks with knives that had sharpness in the interior edge, potentially endangering nerves. With this new knife, surgeons can easily enter beneath the ligament without injuring the nerve, ensuring a safer and more precise procedure," he added.
Patna, Dec 20 : A day after the INDIA bloc suggested the name of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as PM candidate face for 2024 election, the BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said that he will be a dummy prime minister while the actual government will be run by "mummy" in an apparent dig at Sonia Gandhi.

Patna, Dec 20 (IANS) A day after the INDIA bloc suggested the name of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as PM candidate face for 2024 election, the BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said that he will be a dummy prime minister while the actual government will be run by "mummy" in an apparent dig at Sonia Gandhi.

"Kharge will be just a dummy prime minister while the actual government will be run by mummy. Yesterday's INDIA meeting has given a jolt to Nitish Kumar. I have sympathy for him," Tiwari said in Patna.

He said that the (INDIA bloc) has mocked the Vice President of India.

"How can we expect that they will respect the constitution? Kharge's son talks about doing away with Sanatan Dharma. He said that Hindu and Sanatan Dharma are the diseases for the country," he said.

Tiwari said that the INDIA bloc has been founded on corruption while the BJP government has always been against corruption.

On Tuesday, during the fourth INDIA block meeting in New Delhi, West Bengal and Delhi Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Kharge as a prime ministerial candidate of INDIA bloc for the upcoming general elections.

However, Kharge has said that it is time to concentrate on elections and after winning, the INDIA bloc can discuss who will become the Prime Minister of the country.

On the proposed demonstration of opposition on December 22, Tiwari said only 50 MPs have snatched the rights of 543 MPs and there is no wrong in punishing them.

"The parliament belongs to all 543 MPs. If you want to do Dharna, they can go outside and do it. They obstruct the proceedings of the house every day which is not the right way," Tiwari said.

--IANS

ajk/dan
New Delhi, Dec 20 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which she urged him to release pending state funds.

"A 10-member delegation, including Trinamool Congress MPs, met the Prime Minister today," the Trinamool Congress supremo told reporters, adding that she has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

On the funds worth Rs 1.16 lakh crore pending with the Centre for the state, she said, "We raised the issue with him. I urged the Prime Minister to release the funds due to the state which is a constitutional mandatory. The Prime Minister said there will be joint meetings between officers from the Centre and West Bengal on this."

The Chief Minister added that funds for the Awas Yojana, national rural development and health mission and even the Finance Commission have been stopped.

Banerjee said that all the clarifications were given by the officers, but till date the state has not got anything.

Banerjee said that she had met the Prime Minister thrice earlier but funds were not released as yet.

She also said, "We are not getting anything from the central share for poor people. The Prime Minister listened to us and said that the officers of the centre and state will sit and decide."

On a query regarding Trinamool Congress party MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Banerjee said, "I would not comment on the same. There is a system. I won't interfere in Parliamentary party issues."

She also said that her parliamentary party can reply to this as they were enough to take a decision.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was having a meeting on Wednesday with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her accompanying Trinamool Congress MPs over the pending central dues issue, the leader of the opposition (LoP), Suvendu Adhikari stormed into the secretariat along with fellow BJP legislators to protest against the alleged irregularities in the implementation of different centrally-sponsored schemes in the state.

The leader of the opposition along with three fellow BJP legislators suddenly stormed in at the state secretariat of Nabanna at Mandirtala in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district in afternoon.

After some initial slogan shouting, the delegation went to the chamber of the state chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi and reportedly submitted a complaint. Later after coming out of the state secretariat, the leader of the opposition said that he had briefed the chief secretary about the growing grievances of the public about the implementation irregularities on this count.

"I initially sought an appointment for the chief secretary. But no reply came from his office. So today we came to the state secretariat without giving any prior intimation. But I am a law abiding citizen. Since Section 144 is imposed in and around the state secretariat, only four of us came," Adhikari told media persons at the state secretariat gate.

He also said that it is the chief minister's gimmick of holding a meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi over the demand for the dues under different central- sponsored projects.

"But we are here to voice the grievances of the people deprived of the benefits under different centrally-sponsored schemes because of their implementation irregularities at the state level. There are definite attempts to suppress the voices of the opposition BJP legislators in West Bengal. Even the elected BJP legislators are not invited at the administrative review meetings. The people in areas with opposition MLAs are deprived of their legitimate dues," the leader of the opposition said.
Beijing, Dec 20 : The death toll from a powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale that jolted China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces increased to 131 on Wednesday, while the number of injured persons stood at 980, authorities said.

Gansu, the worst-affected province that lies between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus and borders Mongolia, accounted for 113 deaths and 782 injuries, Xinhua news agency quoted the local authorities as saying.

Meanwhile in Qinghai, at least 18 people have died, 198 injured and 16 others still remain unaccounted for.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, the quake struck at 11.59 p.m. Monday and had a focal depth of 10 km.

The epicentre of the quake was in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture.

This was China's deadliest earthquake in recent year.

The authorities said that the death toll may further increase as rescue operations continue amid sub-zero temperatures.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered thousands of rescue crew to the region, among the poorest and most diverse in China.

The earthquake is the country's deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed by a quake in south-western Yunnan province, reports the NNC.

On Tuesday, footage shown on state TV and social media networks showed entire villages split by the quake, as well as collapsed buildings and houses.

Temperatures hit -13 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

China sits in a region where a number of tectonic plates -- notably the Eurasian, Indian and Pacific plates -- meet.

It is particularly prone to earthquakes.

An earthquake in Yushu in Qinghai province, which is next to Gansu, claimed almost 2,700 lives in 2010.

China's most devastating earthquake in recent decades was in the south-western province of Sichuan in 2008 when 87,000 people were killed.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 20 : The Commissionerate Police have arrested a man for hatching a kidnapping plot of his 11-month-old son to get rid of his wife in Bhubaneswar, said DCP Prateek Singh here on Wednesday.

The police have also apprehended three others including the first husband of the victim's mother for involvement in the crime.

The accused was identified as Subrat Sethi of Marthapur, Bishnu Prusty of Bhuban area in Dhenkanal district, Braja Kishore Nath and Sarat Mohanty of Madhupatna area in Cuttack.

Police received a complaint from the child's father Subrat that some miscreants had snatched away his child near Patia Railway crossing Tuesday. The city police soon swung into action and started searching for the baby by registering a case on the basis of the complaint lodged by Subrat.

Meanwhile, police started suspecting Subrat when they found inconsistencies in his statements regarding the incident. Subrat later revealed the kidnapping plot during further interrogation by police.

"The victim's mother, Shantilata Maharana had married Bishnu around 10 years back. Following some dispute between the couple, she eloped with the victim's father and accused Subrat around two years back. Later, the victim child was born out of the relationship of Subrat and Shantilata," stated DCP Singh.

Singh further said that the relationship between Subrat and Shantilata has been going through rough patches over some issues since the last two months. Subrat was trying to part ways with Shantilata while her first husband Bishnu was planning to get her back.

So the duo hatched a plan over the phone around 15 days back to get rid of the child. As per the plan, Subrat would hand over the kidnapped child to Bishnu who would later give the 11-month-old baby to his friend Sarat who has no children. Later, Subrat would put pressure on Shantilata to return to Bishnu according to the plan.

Singh said after the accused confessed to the crime a team of Mancheswar police rescued the child from Sarat's residence at Madhupatna in Cuttack. Police also arrested another friend of Bishnu, Brajakishore for his complicity in the crime. He had arranged a vehicle that was used in the kidnapping of the child.

Brajakishore and Sarat along with Bishnu work at the Forest Department saw mill in Khapuria area of Cuttack while Subrat is a house painter.

--IANS

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For decades, Africa has been the worlds most commodity-dependent continent. At the same time, it has become overly reliant on imports from the rest of the world.

Intracontinental trade accounts for only 15% of total African trade, compared to 60% in Asia and 70% in the European Union. Worryingly, imports of manufactured goods into African countries have grown by more than 25% over the decade ending in 2022.

The continents import dependency can be explained primarily by the dearth of African industrial entrepreneurs. And Africas projected population growth and burgeoning middle class suggests that this dependency will only grow in the medium term, with significant implications for macroeconomic stability, unless local actors begin driving innovation and creating new products and services to meet the needs and desires of domestic consumers.

The problem, however, is not sustained import growth per se, especially when the rise of global value chains and increasing fragmentation of production have reduced the power of exports as a driver of short-term demand. Instead, the main issue is that African countries are participating in global value chains largely through backward activities, systematically exporting natural resources and primary commodities and importing manufactured goods, an imbalance that drains wealth away from the continent. For African fossil fuel-producing countries, the carbon-intensive round-tripping model of exporting crude oil and importing refined petroleum has been costly, resulting in immense deadweight losses and foreign-exchange leakages. In Nigeria, for example, the opening of a much-anticipated oil refinery could save the country $26 billion annually.

Moreover, in an era of hyper-globalization when intermediate goods account for 50% of global trade, African countries high level of forward participation in global value chains has scuttled prospects for structural transformation and shrunk the continents share of global trade to around 3%. It has also perpetuated the unhealthy correlation between growth and commodity-price cycles, resulting in increased exposure to global volatility and persistent structural current-account deficits.

While limited access to finance has been cited as a binding constraint on African economic development, what if the chronic deficit of entrepreneurs is equally limiting? After all, entrepreneurship, which improves competitiveness and business efficiency to lower prices for consumers, has become a leading driver of innovation and growth in many countries in recent decades. And Africa lags behind in this area: in the latest edition of US News and World Reports Best Countries for Entrepreneurship, the continents highest-ranked country, South Africa, places only 44th.

One top-ranking country on that list, which includes some of the worlds wealthiest and most complex economies, is Singapore. Recently, companies based in the city-state have pursued major growth opportunities across myriad sectors and industries in Africa, highlighting the continents entrepreneurship deficit. The Tolaram Group, for example, created the instant-noodle market in Nigeria, producing 4.5 billion packets annually and generating almost $1 billion in annual revenue.

Compared to more diversified and higher-ranking countries like Singapore, where tight labor markets have pushed unemployment to natural rates, a shortage of industrial entrepreneurs may be doubly costly for Africa, where persistent widespread poverty and high unemployment fuel insecurity and migration pressures. For example, the unemployment rate is at Great Depression-era levels  above 30% in two of the continents largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa. In other countries, economic informality  think of street vendors hawking imported toothpicks, candles, cell phones, and batteries  has become a form of disguised unemployment.

An increase in entrepreneurship on the continent would generate wealth more sustainably, expand employment, and reduce migration flows. In many African countries, industrial entrepreneurs, in particular, could help diversify sources of growth, improve the current-account balance, and broaden the tax base. This, in turn, would expand countries fiscal space, improve debt sustainability, and gradually ease the constraints associated with capital scarcity.

Moreover, when the rules of origin for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are finalized, they will serve as an industrialization passport enabling made-in-Africa goods to circulate duty-free. This would provide local entrepreneurs with a much-needed boost to operationalize continental trade integration and enhance Africas economic dynamism.

But to take full advantage of the economies of scale and the growth opportunities provided by the AfCFTA  most notably the drastic reduction of risk associated with investing in smaller markets  African entrepreneurs need the support of entrepreneurial states. Fostering business environments that ensure a level playing field for all participants, together with policy coordination at the regional and continental level, would go a long way toward increasing Africa direct investment and stimulating the development of robust regional value chains.

African policymakers must also implement financial reforms to eliminate the credit rationing that has long undermined entrepreneurship. Finance is the lifeblood of business; yet, expressed as a percentage of GDP, domestic credit to the private sector has remained very low across Africa, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it averaged 37.1% of GDP in 2022. By contrast, the GDP share of domestic credit to the private sector in the ten countries that US News and World Report ranked as being the best for entrepreneurship ranges from 83.6% in Germany and 129.5% in Singapore to 175.9% in South Korea and a whopping 216% in the United States.

In addition to providing easy access to capital, the most successful and enterprising countries share other important attributes: technological expertise, highly skilled labor, well-developed infrastructure (both physical and digital), transparent business practices, and comprehensive legal frameworks. They are also globally connected and fully integrated into value chains, often as manufacturing powerhouses.

According to an African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child. Likewise, it will take a host of industrial entrepreneurs and proactive entrepreneurial governments to transform African economies and improve their global engagement with the rest of the world. Supporting local entrepreneurship is the surest path to a more self-reliant and prosperous continent.

Hippolyte Fofack, a former chief economist and director of research at the African Export-Import Bank, is a former World Bank economist, a research associate at the Harvard University Center for African Studies, and a fellow at the African Academy of Sciences.

*Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2023.



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New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Lok Sabha on Wednesday suspended two more MPs -- C. Thomas and A.M. Arif -- for the remainder of the Winter Session, taking the list of suspended MPs to 143 in the last one week.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved the motion to suspend the two MPs.

Joshi said, "This House having taken serious note of the grave misconduct C Thomas and A M Arif MPs in utter disregard to the House and the Chair by entering into the House with placard and entering the Well and having been named by the Chair resolve that the above mentioned be suspended from the House for the remainder of the service under Rule 374 (2)."

Srirang Appa Barne, who was in the Chair then passed the resolution through voice vote.

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha suspended 49 MPs for the remainder of the session. On Monday 33 Lok Sabha MPs and 45 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended. On December 14, a total of 13 Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP was suspended.

With the fresh two suspension the total number of MPs suspended has now reached 143.

The opposition MPs have been demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in both the Houses over the December 13 Parliament Security breach incident when two people jumped from the visitor's gallery during the zero hour session.

The Delhi Police have arrested six people in connection with its probe.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : 'RRR' star Ram Charan, who will be soon seen in the upcoming film 'Game Changer' visited the Mahalaxmi temple in Mumbai along with his wife Upasana and their daughter Klin Kaara on Wednesday.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) 'RRR' star Ram Charan, who will be soon seen in the upcoming film aGame Changera visited the Mahalaxmi temple in Mumbai along with his wife Upasana and their daughter Klin Kaara on Wednesday.

The actor sported a crisp white shirt and grey pants, and looked dapper.

Upasana, who was dressed in a floral outfit, was seen carrying Klin Kaara in her arms as they arrived at the temple.

This significant visit was to celebrate Klin Kaara's six-month birthday, a milestone cherished by the entire family.

They visited the Mahalaxmi temple for their first family outing in Mumbai, as they seek blessings for the little Laxmi of their house, Klin Kaara.

The actor greeted people on his way back from the temple and requested the paparazzi stationed at the venue to allow them some space.

The actor sat in his car along with his wife and daughter and drove away.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : While petrol and diesel prices in India have come down between November 2021 and November 2023, the prices of the two fuels went up in the neighbouring as well as advanced western countries, according to data released by the central government on Wednesday.

The graphs show that the price of petrol in India declined by 11.82 per cent and that of diesel fell by 8.94 per cent between November 2021 and November 2023.

On the other hand, the price of petrol shot up by 54.32 per cent in neighbouring Sri Lanka and by 41.24 per cent in Pakistan. Prices of petrol were also higher in the US, Canada and the UK by 9.32 per cent, 7.3 per cent and 11.36 per cent respectively.

In the case of diesel, the price in Sri Lanka soared 110.24 per cent while in Pakistan it shot up by as much as 53.55 per cent. Diesel price rose by 27.59 per cent in the US, 9.92 per cent in the UK and by 11.36 per cent in Germany between November 2021- November 2023

"Facing the challenge of soaring crude oil prices, the Modi government has taken proactive measures to shield citizens from the economic impact. Through strategic planning and policy initiatives, the government has aimed to stabilize fuel prices, ensuring minimal impact on consumers," the official statement said.

"The government actively protects common citizens from global oil price fluctuations. Through proactive measures, it prioritizes stability amidst volatility, ensuring minimal impact on the public. This commitment reflects a dedication to safeguarding citizens' economic well-being against external market challenges," the statement added.

Official figures show that the average price of the Indian basket of crude imports worked out to $92.41 per barrel in November this year which has now come down to $86.58 per barrel in December so far.

India has increased its oil imports from Russia after the Ukraine war despite pressure from the West as they are being offered at a discount. Russia is now the largest exporter of oil to India having overtaken Saudi Arabia. Besides, Indian oil companies have also started sourcing from Venezuela to diversify sources of supply, after the US lifted sanctions on the Latin American country.
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister held a meeting with Union Minister for Finance, Niramala Sitaraman, on Wednesday in New Delhi and sought assistance for Bengaluru development projects.

Shivakumar has also sought intervention, guidance and support in addressing the issues concerning the water resource projects of Karnataka.

In his letter submitted to Sitaraman during the meeting, he stated, "The state government is working hard to make Bengaluru one of the most livable cities in the world. However, we face several challenges and constraints in terms of funds, resources, and coordination with various agencies.

"We seek your intervention and assistance in providing adequate funds for the construction of urban tunnels for traffic decongestion; extension of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation to cater to the increasing demand for public transport and flood resilience projects through World Bank funding," he said.

He added, "We have proposed to construct a 60 km urban tunnel, which will create an East-West and a North-South corridor within the city, connecting the major arterial roads and bypassing the surface traffic.

"The approximate cost of the project is Rs 30,000 crore, at Rs 500 crore per km. The urban tunnel will be underground, saving the surface space and aesthetics. Since the planned project will connect NH 7 with NH 14, it can be taken up by the Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the NHAI and requisite funds may kindly be allocated to both the Government of Karnataka and NHAI from the central budget.

"It is kindly requested to direct authorities in the Ministry of Jal Shakti to take up the appraisal of the DPR of the Mekedatu project and accord clearances within the provisions of the CWDT award," Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar has also sought central assistance of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project and to declare it as a national project. He had also sought a grant of Rs 9,177.32 crore for the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Search operation is still underway at Delhi's Munak Canal to fish out the body of a nine-year-old girl who was raped, murdered and dumped into the canal water eight days ago.

According to officials, an NDRF team of 26 jawans is also deployed for search operations.

Police officials said that the kidnapping of a girl, a resident of Nangli Poona village, was reported at Swaroop Nagar police station on December 12 evening.

Initially, an FIR under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered and a probe was initiated.

The official said that the parents of the girl work in a factory as labourers and live in a rented accommodation.

"While the search for the girl was going on, police scanned the CCTV footage and traced the accused, identified as Sanjeev Rana, 52, a resident of Nangli Poona. However, when the police team reached to arrest him, it was revealed that the accused was admitted in a hospital at Rohini due to a serious traffic accident on December 15 and was unfit to make a statement," a senior police official said.

Meanwhile, during further investigation, it was found that the girl sat in the vehicle of the accused from a street near her home on December 12 at around 2 p.m.

"On December 17 when he became fit for a statement, Rana confessed to abducting and killing the girl on December 12. As per initial confession, he has dumped the body in Munak canal," said the official.

Following the admission, additional sections of the IPC and of the POCSO Act were added to the FIR. Rana, after he was discharged from the hospital,was placed under arrest, and a search was launched for the victim's body, the official added.

Since December 17, five divers have been deputed to search for the body of the girl in the canal. "Teams have also been formed to check his entire route of December 12 as per technical surveillance," said the official.

Meanwhile, taking cognisance of the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also issued a notice to Delhi Police seeking details of the case.

"It has been reported that the family's landlord allegedly abducted, raped and killed the minor girl. It has been stated that the accused later dumped her body in the Munak canal. This is a very serious matter," the DCW said in its notice while asking police to submit details of the case by Friday.
Prayagraj : , Dec 20 (IANS): The Allahabad High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Umar Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a criminal case registered against him during the 2022 Assembly elections for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The High Court said that the offence is made out after looking at the facts and circumstances of the case.

"Further his act of forum hunting, his criminal history, which would go to show that the applicant has indulged in various types of criminal activities and his non-cooperation with the trial proceedings, this court is of the view that present anticipatory bail application be dismissed," Justice Samit Gopal said.

An FIR was lodged on March 4, 2022 at Kotwali police station in Mau district against Abbas Ansari (SBSP candidate from the Mau Sadar seat), Umar Ansari and 150 unknown people. It was alleged in the FIR that on March 3, 2022 in a public meeting at Pahadpura ground, Abbas Ansari, Umar Ansari, and organiser Mansoor Ahmad Ansari had called for settling scores with the Mau administration. It is a case of violation of the MCC.

During the course of hearing, Senior Advocate GS Chaturvedi, representing Umar Ansari, contended that the applicant is not the main accused in the present case. It is argued that co-accused Abbas Ansari is the main accused in the matter and has been granted bail by the trial court.

The defence counsel argued that as per the case of the prosecution, the applicant did not give any such speech prejudicial to law and order.

It was argued that "the nature of the said case would go to show that the same has been lodged only out of vengeance."

However, Additional Advocate General PC Srivastava, opposed the plea arguing that after in-depth investigation a charge sheet was filed against the applicant and co-accused on which the trial court had taken cognisance and summoned them.

"So far as the allegations against the applicant are concerned, the same go to show that an offence is made out which has been upheld right up to the Supreme Court in a challenge by the applicant," Srivastava contended.

-- IANS

amita/rad
Nagpur, Dec 20 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that the state government will seek public opinion before conducting caste census in the state.

"Maharashtra is a progressive state. Social and religious harmony prevails in the state. We maintain a good law and order situation here. Ours is peoples' government and will certainly seek opinion from people on the issue," Shinde told media persons at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Reshimbagh.

The Chief Minister said that Maharashtra's culture is altogether different and people belonging to various faiths and cultures live peacefully.

"Ours is Aam Aadmi Sarkar (peoples' government) anyone can meet me. We are firm on Hindutva and are following the legacy of late Balasaheb Thackeray," the Chief Minister said.

Interestingly, the RSS has been opposing the caste census in the country.

"Caste census will bring inequality among the society. Conducting caste census will derive no benefits for the common people," RSS Vidarbha region chief Shridhar Gadge said.

--IANS

Joseph/dan
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Gautam Gambhir, the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), believes acquiring Australia's fast-bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc for a whopping INR 24.75 crore will also help the side massively in terms of passing on crucial learnings to the domestic fast-bowlers.

On Tuesday, Starc became the IPL's most expensive player ever, taking over the tag from his Australia captain Pat Cummins in less than two hours at the auction, as Kolkata spent more than 75% of their purse at the auction.

Starc has played only two seasons of the IPL in 2014 and 2015 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and was slated to play for KKR in 2018, but pulled out due to a leg injury. "He is an X-factor, there is no doubt about that. Someone who can bowl with the new ball, bowl in the death overs and more importantly, someone who can lead the attack."

"He is going to be of massive help to our two domestic bowlers because both of them are very talented and you need someone to help them out in the middle and Starc covers those bases. It is not only about his bowling but also about leading the attack and helping all guys around him. So, somebody will have to pay for it," said Gambhir to JioCinema.

At the auction, KKR also picked Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, England pacer Gus Atkinson and India left-arm fast-bowler Chetan Sakariya. "We have a lot of depth in our bowling line-up. We always wanted to have a stronger bowling attack and now we have the options with Mujeeb (Ur Rahman), Gus (Atkinson), Sunil (Narine), Varun (Chakravarthy), and Mitchell Starc along with two Indian seamers and Chetan Sakariya."

"Now, we have enough options where we can play different combinations looking at the venue as well. For me, it has always been about having a strong bowling line up compared to a very strong batting line up," he added.

In October, KKR announced that Gambhir is back as mentor in the team, after being in the same role with Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons. Gambhir was the captain when KKR won IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, when he was there from 2011 to 2017.

"For me, KKR is not a team, it is an emotion. The reason is the amount of love that I have received from the people of Kolkata for seven years that I led them and hopefully, I led them with a lot of honesty."

"Hopefully, we can recreate the same memories that we did in 2012 and 2014. There is no guarantee that we will go out and win but there is one guarantee for sure, that we will fight till the last drop of our blood," he concluded.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday broke his silence on the mimicry row, saying he shot the video of the 150 MPs thrown out of Parliament and there is no discussion on that, including some other important issues.

Rahul Gandhi made the comments when he arrived at the party headquarters here for the meeting with the party's Odisha and West Bengal leaders to discuss poll preparedness.

Speaking to the media over the mimicry row, Rahul Gandhi said, "Who insulted whom and how? The MPs were sitting there (at Parliament Makar Dwar), I shot their video. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it and the media is saying it and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is saying it."

When asked if someone spoke about caste and farmers, the Wayanad MP said, "Nobody has said anything."

He added, "There are 150 MPs who have been suspended from the House but there is no discussion on that in the media. You have thrown them out of the Parliament and there is no discussion on that."

He said that on Rafale, France has said that investigation is not being allowed. "There is no discussion on unemployment. Our MPs are disheartened and sitting outside. It is your responsibility to show some news. If you follow one line, then what can one say? But you are discussing that (mimicry)," he added.

A massive row erupted on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar was seen mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar while Rahul Gandhi was purportedly seen filming the MP using his mobile phone.

On Tuesday, Dhankhar expressed disapproval at the Trinamool Congress' suspended MP mocking him during a protest on Parliament premises, saying that the mimicry is "ridiculous" and "unacceptable." Even earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu and the Prime Minister criticised the behaviour of the suspended MPs for mocking and mimicking Dhankhar.

Since December 14, at least 143 MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been suspended for the remainder of the session. The Opposition MPs have been demanding a detailed statement in both the Houses on the December 13 Parliament security breach from Home Minister Amit Shah.

On the 21st anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, two people jumped from the visitors' gallery and spread yellow coloured smoke in the House during Zero Hour. The Delhi Police has arrested six people in connection with the case.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Special CBI Court in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior has sentenced candidate Satendra Singh Yadav and impersonator Jitendra Kumar to four years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 14,100 each in a case related to the Police Constable Recruitment-2013 Examination conducted by Vyapam.

According to a senior CBI official, the agency had registered the instant case on August 18, 2015 in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court.

"The CBI had taken over the investigation of the case initially registered at the Police Station, Kampoo, Gwalior on February 11, 2014 against Madhuraj Singh on the allegations of impersonation in MP Police Constable Recruitment Test 2013 (2nd) conducted by Vyapam, Bhopal on September 15, 2013," said the official.

It was further alleged that Madhuraj Singh (Candidate) while appearing in the Physical Proficiency Test of MP PCRT-2013 (2nd) held on February 1, 2014 at 14th Battalion, SAF Ground, Gwalior, was caught by the officials deputed there due to photo mismatch.

After investigation, the state police had filed a charge sheet against the said accused.

During the CBI probe, it was found that Madhuraj Singh had not appeared in the written examination.

The CBI filed the first supplementary charge sheet on April 26, 2016 against the accused.

Earlier, the Special Judge, CBI (Vyapam Cases), in its judgement on December 24, 2018, had sentenced Madhuraj Singh to undergo five years of rigorous imprisonment with fine.

Further investigation was kept open against other accused/suspects.

"During further investigation, it was established that another candidate Satendra Singh Yadav was impersonated by one Jitendra Kumar (solver) in the PCRT 2013 (2nd). Hence, CBI filed 2nd supplementary charge sheet on May 10, 2018 against the said new set of accused before the Court at Gwalior," said the official.

The Trial Court held the said accused (of second supplementary charge sheet) guilty and convicted them.
Hyundai plans to sell its plant in Russia for a nominal $77.67, a company official said on Tuesday, making it the latest global automaker to sell Russian assets since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

The automaker, in a regulatory filing, said it would take a $219.19 million loss on selling the plant, in which operations have been suspended since March 2022.

The company said it was seeking to transfer its assets in the plant in St. Petersburg to Russia's Art-Finance and include a buyback option, adding that it plans to complete the deal by Dec. 28.

A Hyundai staffer said it would receive $110.95 in total for the sale of all its Russian assets.
Kochi, Dec 20 : The Kerala High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the release of the Mohanlal-starrer 'Neru', all set to be released tomorrow.

Though the stay was not granted, the Court directed to issue notice to the respondents including the Central government, director-cum-writer Jeethu Joseph and co-writer advocate Santhi Mayadevi.

The court's ruling comes in response to Deepu K Unni plea seeking a stay alleging that the script for the movie was plagiarised from a screenplay that he had written.

Unni claimed that he had put together a script about an "emotional family drama", featuring a court story with a woman and a male lawyer as the protagonists, which was later sent to the makers of 'Neru'.

Unni further pointed out that he had met Joseph and Mayadevi numerous times to discuss the script and he was told by Joseph, that his next film would feature this script.

Later, Joseph and Mayadevi took his script to get more information from expert lawyers as the script was related to happenings in the courts.

Unni said that was the last time there was an interaction with them and was startled to see the trailer of the film 'Neru', which was just what he had written, after which he moved the court.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed at a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday after accusing the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital in South Kolkata of becoming a shelter for the masterminds of different financial scams in West Bengal.

Alleging that the common people were not getting proper medical attention at SSKM because of the influential masterminds of scams in the state unnecessarily occupying beds there, the petitioner has also sought the Calcutta High Court's intervention so that an independent probe is initiated in the matter.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya have admitted the petition filed by one Ramaprasad Sarkar, who is himself a Calcutta High Court counsel by profession.

The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing in the first week of January. In his petition, Sarkar has claimed that a number of influential persons have been unnecessarily occupying beds at SSKM without any requirement for admission.

He pleaded with the Calcutta High Court to direct the CBI and ED to immediately submit the detailed case records of these influential patients to the court.

"I am filing this PIL because of a larger public interest. All I want is that all patients get equal treatment there. The influential persons should not receive unnecessary and added attention," the petitioner has argued in his petition.

The PIL was filed just a day after the ED counsel, Phiroze Edulji accused SSKM authorities, in a single- judge Bench of the same court, of non-cooperation with the central agency sleuths in conducting the voice-sampling test of Sujay Krishna Bhadra, a prime accused in the cash-for-school job case.

He also questioned the justification of keeping Bhadra admitted to the SSKM for over three months since his bypass surgery was done in August this year.
Dharamsala, Dec 20 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Wednesday apprised the Legislative Assembly about the loss of life and property due to heavy rain in monsoon and said the state has received Rs 633 crore from the central government, which was just 6.40 per cent of the total estimated loss of Rs 9,905 crore.

In a statement in the House here, the Chief Minister said 500 people have lost their lives due to massive devastation caused by heavy rain.

Asking the Opposition BJP to accompany him to apprise the Prime Minister about the actual loss and to seek more central assistance to carry out relief and rehabilitation work in disaster-hit areas, Sukhu said an interim relief of Rs 200 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund was released on September 16.

"At least Rs 1,658 crore is supposed to be sanctioned to the state. But the Government of India has sanctioned only Rs 633.73 crore as on December 19, which is insufficient to compensate for the widespread devastation. The sanctioned amount is only 6.40 per cent of the loss," he said.

The Chief Minister said the state government was expecting a generous financial indulgence from the Centre of Rs 2,000 crore.

Responding to the Chief Minister's statement, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the state could get more assistance from the Centre "if the state proceeded the case appropriately".

"You (the government) are trying to blame the central government. This is not your right perspective. You have never expressed gratitude for the financial assistance extended by the central government," former CM Thakur said.

At this, the Chief Minister stood up and said, "You should accompany us to meet the Prime Minister for seeking more financial assistance".

In August, the Congress government declared the entire hill state as a natural calamity affected area in view of the massive damage caused to human life and property due to unprecedented heavy rains.

Officials told IANS that hundreds of buildings have been destroyed partially or completely and thousands of families forced to abandon their homes, seeking refuge in temporary shelters or with relatives from June 24, the onset of the southwest monsoon, till mid of August.

The situation was dire with approximately 2,000 roads severely damaged, and both government and private property suffering significant losses.

As the state was battling the worst natural calamity in 50 years, civil society organisations and environmental activists in August had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider declaration of the situation as a national disaster or calamity of rare severity under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005.

In a missive to the Prime Minister, they had said the state was grappling with an unprecedented disaster scenario.

The letter, signed by 89 organisations, comprising a few individuals, pointed out that taking cues from the stance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which released only meager funds to assist various states affected by floods, landslide and cloudburst disaster during 2022, they said the intensity and magnitude of disasters in Himachal had far surpassed the state government's capacity.

"There is urgent need to transfer 100 per cent funds, i.e., Rs 10,000 crore of the total damaged assessed by the state government directly from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) immediately, and if required from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF), which would be more appropriate and urgently needed in this grave hour," they had said.

The civil society organisations believed a long-term solution to prevent fatal disasters lies through re-evaluation of development projects and policies in the Himalayan region as serious lessons to be taken for future activities.

Cloudbursts and flash floods have become a regular feature in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh in recent years. The heavy loss of life caused by such calamities can be mainly attributed to the increasing human activity, particularly along the rivers and water channels.

The local authorities are yet to wake up from their slumber despite the fact that most of the picnic spots in the Himalayan state fall in high seismic zones IV-V, suggesting severest seismic sensitivity.

Advocating sustainable development, the National Green Tribunal and the state High Court have time and again rapped the state authorities over their lack of response to the growing unauthorised constructions across Himachal.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi High Court has dismissed habeas corpus petitions of three individuals who are accused in a money laundering case related to Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

The petitioners argued that their continued detention in Tihar jail was illegal due to the absence of a court order extending their judicial custody beyond December 7.

On November 23, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Courts, had extended the judicial custody of accused individuals, including the managing director of Lava International mobile company by 14 days.

The four accused are -- Lava International MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, Chartered Accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik.

The three petitioners, arrested on October 10, claimed that their judicial custody was last extended until December 7, and that further detention without a judicial order violated legal provisions.

The ED countered, explaining that a charge sheet was filed on December 6, and the accused were produced via video conference on December 7.

The court was informed that due to a transfer, the accused were not physically brought before ASJ-04, who then adjourned the case and issued production warrants.

After examining the facts, Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Shalinder Kaur concluded that there was no break in the custody of the accused, as the trial court had issued production warrants to ensure their presence on December 13, indicating lawful judicial custody.

The court upheld the ED's stance, saying that the accused's legal representatives were present, and no objections were raised during the issuance of production warrants.

It clarified that continuous custody is maintained when a legitimate reason prevents physical appearance, as in this case.

The bench concluded that the three accused were in lawful judicial custody and dismissed their Habeas Corpus plea.

Earlier, the court had noted that the probe agency was able to make out the case for grant of further custody.

"There appears to be continuity in the stand taken by the Enforcement Directorate with regard to extraction of digital data and the accused persons to be confronted with the same. Therefore, considering the settled principles of law and Delhi High Court Rules, I am of the considered opinion that the Enforcement Directorate is able to make out the case for grant of further custody remand," the judge had said.

The arrests were made after the financial probe agency carried out searches at the premises of the four accused on Monday and recovered cash to the tune of Rs 10 lakh.

The ED's action came more than a year after it carried out searches at 48 locations across the country belonging to Vivo Mobiles India Private Ltd and its 23 associated companies such as Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL), and claimed that it has busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

According to the ED, Vivo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd was incorporated on August 1, 2014 as a subsidiary of Multi Accord Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company, and was registered at ROC Delhi.

GPICPL was registered on December 3, 2014 at ROC Shimla, with registered addresses of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and Gandhinagar, Jammu.

The PMLA investigation by ED was initiated by registering a money laundering case on February 3, 2022 on the basis of an FIR registered at the Kalkaji police station in the national Capital by Delhi Police against the GPICPL, its director, shareholders and certifying professionals, etc., on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 20 : Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday demanded that the three revised criminal bills must be reviewed and checks and balances be introduced to ensure they are not misused.

She also demanded a revision of the clause allowing only the family to move a mercy petition of a convict, stating the new bills if passed would further violate the human rights of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death row convict in former chief minister Beant Singh's assassination case.

Participating in the debate on the three revised criminal bills in the Lok Sabha, Harsimrat Kaur, who is the Bathinda Member of Parliament, said: "We should take care not to become an authoritarian state like China and should ensure human lives and values as enshrined in the Constitution are given due respect."

Asserting that civil rights were most important, she said that care should be taken to ensure we do not create a police state by giving unbridled powers to the police.

She called for introducing relevant checks and balances in the Bills to ensure the police force was not misused by their political masters.

Lamenting the fact that only the ruling party MPs and few others were present in Parliament to debate the three bills, Harsimrat Kaur said everyone should be allowed to air their views.

She also took a strong note of the manner in which Section 113 of the revised Bill had modified the definition of the crime of terrorism to entirely adopt the existing definition under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

She said UAPA had earlier been misused in Punjab to arrest youth and jail them.

Harsimrat Kaur also highlighted how youth had in the past and even now, like in the incident which occurred in Parliament, indulged in actions after getting swayed by sentiments.

"In the recent case the youth were swayed by increased unemployment and issues like ethnic violence in Manipur. Earlier, during the era when former Congress chief minister Beant Singh supervised the wiping out of an entire generation of youth in fake encounters, few youth like Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana had taken particular steps for which they had been incarcerated for periods between 28 to 30 years."

She said such inordinately long incarceration even after completion of their sentences was against the constitution and legal jurisprudence besides a violation of their human rights.

The MP also highlighted how the mercy petition of Rajoana which had been filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was pending for 12 years.

She said this petition would become infructuous if the revised bill was passed as a new clause made it mandatory for such a petition to be filed by a family member alone.

"If a person does not have a family how will he apply for the same?" she asked while demanding reconsideration of this clause.

She also highlighted how the union government had issued a notification to release eight Sikh detainees as well as commute the death sentence of Rajona to pave the way for his release on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019.

"Some detainees have got remissions following this. So why are they not set free?" she asked.

The MP also highlighted how the revised criminal Bills did not contain any clause to ensure justice for Sikhs who had suffered a "state sponsored genocide" at the hands of the then Congress government in 1984 and urged Home Minister Amit Shah to take this into account also.
Man arrested on charges of killing parents, four others in Texas. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 20 : A Dubai-returned businessman has been arrested for trying to extort Rs 50 lakh from another businessman, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Narendra, 27, a resident of Noida, employed two juveniles, who fired shots at the house of the victim and left a threat note claiming to be from the Jitender Gogi gang, an official said

A case was registered on November 30, on the basis of the complaint given by Gaurav Tyagi, who has a building material business and is a resident of Wazirabad village in north Delhi.

He alleged that at around 12:30 p.m on November 30, two unknown persons on a motorcycle fired bullets at his residence, and threw a paper demanding extortion money of Rs 50 lakh in the name of notorious Gogi Gang.

Tyagi also informed investigators that he had also received an extortion message of Rs 50 lakh from a WhatsApp number on December 8, in the name of Gogi Gang, Deepak Boxer, Sunny Kakran, and Anuj Jaat.

"The WhatsApp number was traced to the UAE-based DU Telecommunication Service Provider and no details regarding its ownership were available with any Indian Telecommunication Service Provider," Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Manoj Kumar Meena said.

Subsequently, a request for seeking details of the WhatsApp number used for the extortion message was sent to Meta and it was found that the account was active on a mobile phone operating software and from Internet protocol detail record (IPDR), a mobile number issued on fake ID was identified.

"The user of the number was found travelling in Central and Western India," said the DCP.

While the probe was going on, the Crime Branch apprehended two juveniles, who were involved in the firing incident at the residence of Tyagi. The police team then traced the location of the WhatsApp user to Noida, and Narender, a resident of Jaypee Aman, Sector 151, Noida was arrested.

On interrogation, Narender disclosed that he runs a business of providing jobs for Indian workers in Dubai and thus, he came in contact with some residents of Dubai, and from one of them, he procured a UAE number.

"On WhatsApp, he started contacting job aspirants from UAE number to gain their trust. His associates know this fact that he is using a UAE number and asked for the number/SIM card, but on his last visit to Dubai in November, he failed to bring it.

aSubsequently, Narender used his own UAE number for extortion messages in lieu of promised money," the DCP added.
Guwahati, December 20 : The tally of seats for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will come down below 40, Deputy Speaker in the Assam Assembly, Numal Momin, said on Wednesday,

Momin added that the BJP will cross the 400-mark in the upcoming general elections.

"Congress will drop below 40 this time. The people have rejected them due to the way they are acting, working, and attempting to discredit our Prime Minister. Because, he works for the underprivileged... Narendra Modi is the only candidate that the people of our country desire."

"The people of India will cast their votes for progress and in favor of Narendra Modi. They refuse to support the political party that has engaged in corruption for many years," Momin claimed.

He added, "Indians across the country support Modi for the Prime Ministerial position. Looking at the people's alignment towards the Prime Minister, the BJP will definitely cross the 400-mark in the Lok Sabha."

The senior Assam BJP escalated his criticism of the INDIA bloc, saying that soon seat sharing talks are initiated, conflict would arise and that this alliance will not continue.

"I don't think this coalition will endure if seat-sharing is implemented since the big players won't consent to the small parties receiving seats. The INDIA bloc may endure if Congress contests just 50 seats, but that is not likely to happen. The true faces of these coalition partners will be visible once seat-sharing takes place," he said.

"The opposition is extremely jealous about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's function and his work culture," Momin said.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Hyderabad's new Police Commissioner K. Sreennivasa Reddy on Wednesday held a court in the capacity of Additional District Magistrate (Executive) to execute proceedings under Section 107 of the CrPC.

Hyderabad, Dec 20 (IANS) Hyderabadas new Police Commissioner K. Sreennivasa Reddy on Wednesday held a court in the capacity of Additional District Magistrate (Executive) to execute proceedings under Section 107 of the CrPC.

The Commissioner of Police heard a case the rival gangs fighting among themselves and indulging in criminal acts, thereby causing breach of peace. He warned them not to indulge in any unlawful activity.

Two rival gangs of Kalapathar police station limits of Hyderabad Police Commissionerate and Mailardevpally Police Station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate and two gangs of Banjara Hills Police Station appeared before the Commissioner. Both the cases were adjourned for further hearing.

The Commissioner stated that 107 CrPC proceedings is a very useful tool to control the unruly elements, who disturb public peace in the limits of Hyderabad Police Commissionerate so as to ensure peace in the city.

Section 107 is an effective means of preventing breach of peace or disturbance of public tranquility in connection with religious processions, festivals, fairs, elections, political movements or other disputes between groups/factions that may probably occasion a breach of peace or disturbance of public tranquillity. It may require such person to show cause as to why he should not be ordered to execute a bond, with or without sureties, for keeping peace and good behavior for a period not exceeding one year.

It is not essential in every case that there should be two parties against each other.

Before starting the proceedings, police will collect evidence of persons acquainted with the circumstances of the case, the specific occasion on which the breach of peace is anticipated or the existence of circumstances which are likely to lead to the breach.

If any person or group commits an act that results in disturbing the peace and public tranquillity in the area, he/they can be bound over under Section 107 CrPC by directing them to execute bonds to keep the peace in the area.

--IANS

ms/vd
Bengaluru: File Photo of Karnataka BJP Minister KS Eshwarappa resigns from his post after complaint an accused of corruption that allegedly led to the suicide of civil contractor Santosh Patil, in Bengaluru on Thursday, April 14, 2022. (Photo: Dhanan. Image Source: IANS News

Gadag, : Dec 20 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister KS Eshwarappa has stirred a controversy by stating that not a single mosque built after destroying a temple would be spared in the country.

Speaking to the media in Gadag city, Eshwarappa, known for controversial statements, maintained that he wouldn't speak about newly-built mosques. "But those built after destroying our temples won't be spared. Not a single such mosque will stand in this country. This is my personal opinion," he underlined.

He clarified that it was not possible for the BJP to make India a Hindu nation, stating that it was not the agenda of the BJP but of the Hindus.

"I will pledge and say India will become a Hindu nation," Eshwarappa stated. Referring to the decision to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, he mentioned the struggle that has been ongoing since the pre-Independence period.

Eshwarappa criticised the destruction in Mathura and Kashi by Muslims and claimed that those who raised their voices in the past are now heaving a sigh of relief in heaven.

"On January 22, the whole world will look towards Ayodhya. The court proceedings on the matter of the Kashi Vishwanath temple are in favour of Hindus. The order for a survey has been granted for the Krishna temple in Mathura. Everything will happen one after the other," he explained.

Eshwarappa asserted, "We have shared the blood of freedom fighters. Tipuas (erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan) blood wonat flow in us. We will save temples at Hindu pilgrimage centres of Ayodhya, Kashi, and Mathura."

He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of supporting Minister for Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan in making statements, such as the government compelling all Hindu legislators to do salaam to a Muslim Speaker.

Regarding the proposal for making AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc, Eshwarappa described it as an insult to Dalits. He claimed that as soon as Kharge's name was proposed, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar walked out. He also characterised it as a betrayal of Dalits by the Congress.

Eshwarappa had earlier stirred controversy by stating that the Bhagva flag would be hoisted on the Red Fort in New Delhi.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : A 28-year-old man was arrested for duping over 900 families of the missing persons after downloading information from the ZIPNet (Zonal Integrated Police Network) and other such government websites, a Delhi Police official said on Wednesday.

The accused was identified as Shyamsunder Chauhan, a resident of Ranipur Mau, Uttar Pradesh and a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) graduate from Indore.

The matter came to light after a complaint was received on December 15 from a person, a resident of Burari at Wazirabad police station regarding the disappearance of a girl.

"All the codal formalities were followed by collecting the details of the missing persons and uploading them to the missing person's portal of the Delhi Police. On the same day, the family of the victim received a call from a person who told the family that he knew the location of the missing girl and could tell them about her whereabouts," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena.

Then, the accused demanded money for telling the location and sent a QR code to receive payment. In this case, the accused person scammed the father of the victim girl of Rs 8,000.

During investigation, the police team observed that a similar case had been registered in Wazirabad police station and other parts of Delhi, indicating that the culprit had duped 904 people across the city using the same modus operandi.

The DCP said that unfortunately, the relatively low amounts often discourage families from reporting complaints against him.

The accused was traced and arrested by the police team. During interrogation, Chauhan disclosed that he downloaded information about the missing person from the ZIPNet and other such government websites.

Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, the DCP said that Chauhan used to contact the given number of victims' family members.

"The perpetrators pretended to be caretakers, falsely claiming to have the missing person in his custody. Deceptively, Chauhan along with his associates solicited funds from concerned family members, often using emotional manipulation and false promises to ensure the safety of the missing individual," said the DCP.

These deceptive actors employed online tactics, presenting QR codes for monetary transactions. Families, desperate for the well-being of their loved ones, succumbed to these schemes, sending amounts ranging from Rs 2,000 to 40,000.
The military has begun to evacuate a remote Indigenous community cut off by record-breaking floods in northern Australia.

A previous attempt to reach Wujal Wujal, north of Brisbane, was abandoned because of the storms. Torrential rain has brought life-threatening flash flooding to parts of north Queensland in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Residents have sought shelter on rooftops and up trees. There are no reports, so far, of deaths or serious injuries.

In a swollen river in north Queensland, Gavin Dear, a musician, sees a man clinging to a tree. In a video posted on social media, he is shown moving his boat closer to the stranded man.

"Can you wave? Yeah, we'll just motor in, mate, and grab that tree. Ok, mate, we've got you. Can you get down?" he asked. Dear told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the rescued man is lucky to be alive.

"There was probably 500-600 meters wide water. Big, fast-flowing brown water," Dear said. "We got to his tree, yeah, this fellow was in uncontrollable shakes and he was all cramped up, too, because he'd been hanging on there. A shipping container had been washing past and nearly quashed him up there."
Mumbai, Dec 20 : The stance of MPs demanding a statement from the government on the breach of security in the Parliament complex on December 13 was valid and justified, Prakash Ambedkar, President, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), said here on Wednesday.

Ambedkar said that after 1996, the erstwhile Watch & Ward security setup for the Parliament, which was under the Lok Sabha Speaker, was diluted with Delhi Police getting more powers for the security aspects.

"Now, Parliament security comes under the purview of Delhi Police, which come under the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister. The MPs were correct in raising concerns over their safety and seeking an explanation from the government," said Ambedkar, the grandson of the Chief Architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar.

On the suspension of 143 MPs in the past few days, the VBA chief said that Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has the powers to ask the government to give an explanation on the security matter.

"Why didn't the RS Chairman exercise his powers and instead treated the Parliament protests as a law-and-order situation," asked Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, the VBA will organise its annual Women's Liberation Day conference in Nagpur on December 25, during which Ambedkar will unveil a comprehensive plan for an inclusive social system in the country.

Flanked by party leaders Rekha Thakur and Siddharth Mokale, Ambedkar also slammed the BJP and the RSS, accusing them of sowing divisive ideas and breaking up the society.

Giving a background, he said that on December 25 1927, his grandfather B.R. Ambedkar had rejected the unequal and divisive system by burning the Manusmriti, which is now organised as a 'Manusmriti Dahan Day', with a Bharatiya Stree Mukti Din Parishad organised across the state for the past 27 years.

Ambedkar said that through the Constitution, creating an inclusive and egalitarian social system propounded by saints like Charvaka, Gautam Buddha, Lord Mahavir, Guru Nanak, Sant Kabir, Guru Ravidas, Sant Eknath, Sant Janabai, Sant Tukaram and Sant Namdeo, is the duty and responsibility of all political, social and religious organisations.

"Although the Constitution has guaranteed equality to all citizens, even today the political, social and economic systems in India are highly disparate. The proportion of women in the Parliament is very low, education among women, Dalits, tribals and OBCs is much lower and they still face poverty, unemployment, discrimination and oppression due to the supremacy of the upper castes," said Ambedkar.

The conference will attempt to discuss and resolve these burning issues, with the VBA urging people from all over Maharashtra to attend the meet in large numbers.
Mazagon Dockyard wins Rs 1,615cr deal to make six Next Gen ships for Coast Guard. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 20 : Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) has been awarded the contract to make six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 1614.89 crore, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

While four of these state-of-the-art vessels will replace the aging ships of Indian Coast Guard, the other two will augment the fleet.

The acquisition of these modern platforms is aimed to boost the ICG's capability and reinforces the increased focus of government towards maritime security. These high-tech ships will play a critical role in enhancing surveillance, law enforcement, search and rescue, Maritime Pollution Response and humanitarian assistance by the ICG, according to the official statement.

Along with several high-tech advanced features and equipment, these 115m offshore petrol vessels would be equipped with Multipurpose Drones, AI capability, and Wirelessly Controlled Remote Water Rescue Craft Lifebuoy, enabling greater flexibility and operational edge to the ICG to face new-age multidimensional challenges.

These multi-role state-of-the-art vessels will be indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by MDL, Mumbai, and will be delivered in a total period of 66 months.

The contract achieves the objectives of aAatmanirbhar Bharata to boost the nation's indigenous shipbuilding capability, bolstering maritime economic activities and fostering the growth of ancillary industries, especially the MSME sector.

The project will also generate employment opportunities and expertise development in the country, the official statement said.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 20 : President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday interacted with weavers at Pochampally in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana.

She visited the handloom and spinning unit and interacted with Ikat handloom weavers of Pochampally.

She also visited the theme pavilion and also witnessed the art of weaving of Ikat sarees, for which Pochampally is famous.

The President was all praise for the efforts of Pochampally weavers to pass on the art of weaving to the coming generations.

She said the suggestions given by the weavers will be taken into consideration.

She assured that she will do her best for development of Pochampally.

One of the weavers requested the President for establishment of a yarn depot in Pochampally, which is known for the exquisite sarees that are woven through a unique style called Ikat.

Pochampally Ikat received a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.

Pochampally was selected as one of the best tourism villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

President Murmu, who is staying at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad as part of annual southern sojourn, reached Pochampally by a helicopter.

State ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Seethakka and senior officials were also present.
Patna, Dec 20 : Rebel JD-U MP Sunil Kumar Pintu on Wednesday said that the fourth meeting of INDIA bloc was a "super flop".

He said that the opposition leaders failed to take any concrete decision.

"INDIA bloc leaders went to New Delhi for the meeting but it was a super flop. They could not decide on anything. There was not even discussion on the seat sharing," Pintu said.

He said that the INDIA bloc meeting was only limited to tea and samosa.

Soon after the BJP won state elections held recently, Pintu -- the JD-U MP from Sitamarhi -- had praised PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah while targeting the Bihar Chief Minister.

The JD-U MLC Neeraj Kumar had asked Pintu to resign from the party and post.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 20 : A Bengaluru court on Wednesday sentenced a man who killed his mother to life imprisonment.

65th City Civil and Sessions Court Judge M.S. Kalpana announced the sentence for convict Sharath Kumar.

The incident was reported from the limits of Srirampura police station in Bengaluru on June 13, 2018. Sharath Kumar had quarrelled with his mother Katyayini over sale of property and strangled her to death. Later, he tried to tamper with the evidence and attempted to mislead the police during the investigation.
Jaipur, Dec 20 : A total of 190 of the 199 newly elected members of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly were administered the oath of secrecy on Wednesday. The rest of the MLAs will take the oath on Thursday.

The first session of the 16th legislative assembly began at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma took the oath first and was followed by deputy chief ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa.

While most members took their oath in Hindi, some of the leaders, including Zubair Khan (Congress) and Yoonus Khan (Independent), took their oath in Sanskrit.

Yoonus Khan has rebelled for not getting a ticket from the BJP. He contested the elections as an Independent candidate and won.

Besides, those who took the oath in Sanskrit included Gopal Sharma, Chhagan Singh, Jogeshwar Garg, Noksham Choudhary, Jetanand Vyas, Pabbaram Vishnoi, Mahant Pratappuri, Babu Singh Rathore, Deepti Maheshwari and Kailash Meena.

Former CM Vasunhara Raje also took oath.

A few MLAs expressed their desire to take oath in local Rajasthani language but were denied by pro-tem speaker Kalicharan Saraf saying that it was not included in the VIII schedule of the Constitution.

The MLAs who were absent on Wednesday will be administered oath on Thursday.

The election for the post of Speaker will also be held on Thursday.

The BJP has already named Vasudev Devnani for the post of Speaker.

Soon after the house proceedings began, Congress MLA and former parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal objected to calling the session on short notice.

The newly formed Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MLAs came to the House in traditional colourful tribal attire.

Independent MLA Ritu Banawat came to the Assembly on a tractor while BJP legislator Jethanand Vyas came while riding a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, Congress MLAs came to the house wearing black ribbons on their arms in protest against the suspension of MPs in Parliament.
Patna, Dec 20 : : A day after the INDIA bloc proposed the name of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, JD(U) MLA and Cabinet Minister Jama Khan said that Nitish Kumar was the only person who could lead all the parties.

"Nitish Kumar has all the capabilities of a prime minister. He is a pro-development man and has a great political image. Due to his good image, many people were hoping that his name would be proposed as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition parties. If the INDIA bloc contests the Lok Sabha election under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, it will definitely win the election," Khan said.

Reacting to the statements of BJP leaders who were saying that Nitish Kumar had been cast aside, Khan said, "BJP leaders used to give statements like this. This is not a new issue for us. We know that they use such language against us but we do not react to them. The people of the country will answer them in the Lok Sabha election 2024."
New Delhi, Dec 20 : A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

The four accused  Lava International MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, Chartered Accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik  have been named as accused in the charge sheet.

Special Judge Kiran Gupta of Patiala House Courts summoned the accused, who are in judicial custody, on February 19, 2024.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed habeas corpus petitions of three individuals who are accused in a money laundering case related to Vivo. The petitioners argued that their continued detention in Tihar jail was illegal due to the absence of a court order extending their judicial custody beyond December 7.

On November 23, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Courts had extended the judicial custody of accused individuals, including the managing director of Lava International mobile company by 14 days.

The three petitioners, arrested on October 10, claimed that their judicial custody was last extended until December 7, and that further detention without a judicial order violated legal provisions.

The ED countered, explaining that a charge sheet was filed on December 6, and the accused were produced via video conference on December 7. The court was informed that due to a transfer, the accused were not physically brought before ASJ-04, who then adjourned the case and issued production warrants.

After examining the facts, Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Shalinder Kaur concluded that there was no break in the custody of the accused, as the trial court had issued production warrants to ensure their presence on December 13, indicating lawful judicial custody.

The court upheld the ED's stance, saying that the legal representatives of the accused were present, and no objections were raised during the issuance of production warrants.

It clarified that continuous custody is maintained when a legitimate reason prevents physical appearance, as in this case.

The Bench concluded that the three accused were in lawful judicial custody and dismissed their Habeas Corpus plea. Earlier, the court had noted that the probe agency was able to make out the case for grant of further custody.

"There appears to be continuity in the stand taken by the Enforcement Directorate with regard to extraction of digital data and the accused persons to be confronted with the same. Therefore, considering the settled principles of law and Delhi High Court Rules, I am of the considered opinion that the Enforcement Directorate is able to make out the case for grant of further custody remand," the judge had said.

The arrests were made after the financial probe agency carried out searches at the premises of the four accused on Monday and recovered cash to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. The ED's action came more than a year after it carried out searches at 48 locations across the country belonging to Vivo Mobiles India Private Ltd and its 23 associated companies such as Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL), and claimed that it has busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Pankaj Tripathi, who's all set to be seen playing the role of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the biopic 'Main Atal Hoon', says that he has read so much about the former prime minister that he can now write a book on him.

He was speaking to the media in Mumbai at the trailer launch of the film, which is scheduled for release on January 19, 2024.

Talking about his role, Tripathi said, "We have tried to showcase those moments of his life in the film which are not known to the public and which are not available on any public platform. I have read so much about him that I can write a book on him and it will be bigger than this film. I have seen all his interviews, read so much about him that I have understood his persona."

On the use of prosthetics to get his look right, Tripathi said, "It used to take two hours daily. We shot this film in May and June when it was scorching hot. And it was really difficult to shoot after donning that look. I have literally shed my blood and sweat for this film."

Directed by Ravi Jadhav, 'Main Atal Hoon' captures the multifaceted personality of the country's 10th prime minister, who was widely hailed as a poet, a gentleman and a statesman.
Toronto, Dec 20 : Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Ottawa's relations with New Delhi appear to have undergone "a tonal shift", following US indictment of an Indian national in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.

The US indictment appears to have convinced the Narendra Modi government to adopt a more sober tone, Trudeau told CBC news channel in a year-end interview.

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," the Canadian PM said.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away."

India had rejected Trudeau's claims as "absurd and motivated" hours after the Prime Minister said in September that there are credible allegations of a potential link over India's involvement in Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing in Canada.

Trudeau told CBC that Canada does not want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over Nijjar's killing, and instead wants to work on the trade deal and advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy.

However, he added that it is "foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do".

While New Delhi has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to look into the security concerns raised by the US government, it has asked Ottawa to show "concrete evidence" backing Trudeau's allegations.

India said that it is only asking for specific and relevant information so that it can help Canadian investigators reach their conclusion.

In his first public response to US allegations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday that the issue will be examined, but a few incidents cannot derail ties between India and the US.

"If someone gives us any information, we will definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything, good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," Modi said.

Hours after the US charged Nikhil Gupta with conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Trudeau said that New Delhi needs to take the charge "seriously" and cooperate in the investigations.

Reacting to Trudeau's remarks, India's Ministry of External Affairs said, "as far as Canada is concerned, they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and violence. That is at the heart of the issue".

In an interview to Canadian Press last week, Trudeau said that his statement linking Indian agents to the killing of Nijjar was meant to deter India from repeating a similar action in the country. He said the message was intended as an extra 'level of deterrence' as "too many Canadians were worried that they were vulnerable".

--IANS

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The European Court found a violation of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to life) in the case of Giga Otkhozoria's murder and ordered Russia to pay compensation of 130,000 euros to Otkhozoria's family.The European Court also determined a violation of Article 38, as the Russian Federation failed to submit the relevant criminal case materials to the court.The decision in the case of Matkava and Others v. Russia (no. 3963/18) was rendered on December 19 by the European Court of Human Rights.On May 19, 2016, Giga Ochtozoria was killed near the administrative border between Georgia and the Abkhazia region, within the controlled territory of Georgia. The perpetrator, a so-called Abkhaz 'border guard' named Rashid Kanji-Oghli, was responsible for his death.The family members appealed to the European Court of Human Rights on January 11, 2018.The Venice Commission has adopted an opinion on the provisions of the law in the fight against corruption concerning the Anti-Corruption Bureau. According to their assessment, the bureau cannot function as an independent entity, given that its head is appointed by the Prime Minister, and they deem it problematic.The Venice Commission received a request from Parliament Chairman Shalva Papuashvili on September 22, 2023, to prepare a report regarding the anti-corruption bureau."In this opinion, the Venice Commission outlines that independence with an adequate level of structural and operational autonomy, involving legal and institutional arrangements to prevent political or other influence is considered a fundamental requirement for specialised anti-corruption bodies. In this respect, various positive features of the new provisions of the Law have been noted, in particular the fact that the ACB has been established as a separate structure with a high degree of financial independence. Nevertheless, the Venice Commission finds that the current institutional design does not provide for a sufficient degree of independence of the ACB and considers that its competencies to oversee the financing of political parties and monitor asset and interest declarations of high-level officials require additional safeguards to be included in the Law. In this connection, the fact that the appointment and dismissal of the head of the ACB is to a large extent in the hands of the Prime Minister is particularly problematic," the opinion reads.
Denmark has reached a defense agreement with the United States that will allow U.S. soldiers and military equipment to be based on Danish soil, the country's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday.

The 10-year agreement was announced after the U.S. signed similar agreements with Finland and Sweden this month.

"This means that American soldiers and equipment can be permanently stationed on Danish soil," Frederiksen told reporters at a news conference.
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday met Home Minister Amit Shah and asked him to release drought relief funds by convening a high-level committee meeting.

The Chief Minister submitted a three page letter to Amit Shah in which he said: "It is learned that the sub-committee of the National Executive Committee, chaired by the union Agriculture Secretary, met on November 13 and considered Karnataka's memorandums and the report of the IMCT.

"The sub-committee, it is learnt, has submitted its report to the Ministry of Home, which is expected to place the same before the high-level committee which you chair.

"It is nearly three months since we submitted our first memorandum and two months since the Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) made its field visits. The farmers of Karnataka are in deep distress. Since crops have failed, it is necessary that we pay the input subsidy to the farmers soon so as to alleviate their hardship and suffering.

"I earnestly look forward to a positive response and an early response and an early resolution to the above issues, in the interest of the farmers of Karnataka."

The Chief Minister also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office and sought immediate release of Rs 18,177.44 crore compensation package to tackle the drought situation in the state.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 20 : Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP leader R Ashoka stated on Wednesday that the Congress Government in Karnataka will collapse on its own, and there is no need to carry out Operation Lotus.

Addressing a press conference, Ashoka stated, "We will not bring down the ruling government in Karnataka through Operation Lotus. The Government will fall by itself."

Political parties will naturally have differences, and the Congress party in Karnataka is no exception. Ashoka emphasised that there were individuals within the Karnataka Congress party akin to Ajit Pawar.

He criticised the rise in terrorist activities in the state since the Congress government came to power.

The NIA conducted raids in Bengaluru and Bellary, stating that terrorist activities are supported in various places in Karnataka.

The PFI organisation has been banned, and Ashoka claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had a soft corner for the PFI. He expressed concern that Karnataka is becoming a hub for terrorists, and urged the police department to be vigilant.

Ashoka questioned the law and order situation in Karnataka, citing an incident where a woman was stripped naked and assaulted in Belagavi.

He accused CM Siddaramaiah of not addressing the issue in the House and claimed that compensation was announced only after a fact-finding committee from the BJP visited the victim.

He further criticised the Government for facing bankruptcy and failing to deliver on guarantee schemes to the people. Ashoka mentioned that after a central team came to study the drought situation, the Government declared compensation.

He highlighted the plight of schoolchildren traveling in JCB vehicles. While stating that the Central Government will provide a relief package at an appropriate time, Ashoka emphasised that there is no need to completely depend on the Centre for compensation.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : Three teenage school students were killed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Wednesday while making reels on the railway tracks over a railway bridge in the Suti police station area of the district.

Two others were severely injured in the incident, who are currently undergoing treatment at the Jangipur sub-division hospital.

The deceased students have been identified as Amau Sheikh (14), Riaz Sheikh (15) and Samiul Sheikh (17), all residents of the English Sahara area under Suti police station.

They were hit by a train moving towards Farakka from Jangipur, when they were making reels on the railway tracks. The speed of the train was such that the unfortunate kids did not get the time to move away from the railway tracks.

The two injured students have been identified as Akash Sheikh and Rohit Sheikh. All of them were students of a local English medium school.

The bodies of the three deceased kinds have been sent for post-mortem. A railway official claimed that despite repeated appeals to the guardians to refrain their kids from making reels or videos near the railway tracks, such tendencies are continuing.

"Reel life and real life are totally different. There have been several such accidents on the railway tracks throughout the country while making reels. It is high time that the guardians themselves become aware and make their kids aware as well of the danger of making reels and videos on railways tracks," said an official of the Eastern Railway.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a series of measures for the families of the 9 workers who were blown up in the massive December 17 explosion at the Solar Industries India Ltd at Bazargaon here.

Labour Minister Suresh Khade told the legislature that the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the nine dead. Besides, the company will also give Rs 20 lakh to each family who lost a member in the blast and efforts are being made to get help from the Centre.

Additionally, the company will give a job to one family member of each deceased worker, and eight would also be entitled to family pension, barring one who was not covered under the scheme and will get compensation as per rules, while the government will take care of the education expenses of the victimsa children.

Speaking during a discussion on the tragedy, Khade noted that the blast occurred around 9 a.m. on Sunday when the morning shift workers were on duty, and at least 9, including six women, were killed instantly, while the Casting Process House No 2 also crashed, burying others under the debris.

Due to the intensity of the powerful blast, the bodies were badly mutilated and reduced to pieces necessitating DNA tests to identify them, and the exact number of casualties would be known only later, he said.

The state government has already ordered a thorough probe into the tragedy by the Kondhali police, Nagpur Collectorate, and the Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation.

The company is engaged in manufacture of industrial explosives and weapons for the Indian defence establishment and also exports its products to around 30 countries.
Gandhinagar, Dec 20 : Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Wednesday, in response to recent concerns over Covid-19 infections in the state, said that the current variant, JN.1, is considered mild, and not a cause for alarm.

He stated that although 4 to 7 new cases of Covid-19 are reported weekly, there is no imminent danger of fatalities. Notably, he pointed out that the 20 cases reported in October were attributed to a mild variant.

Regarding the current Covid-19 situation in Gujarat, Patel urged citizens not to panic but to remain alert.

He emphasised that the JN.1 variant has a low mortality rate, and as of now, there are only 13 active cases in the state, with no patients currently hospitalised.

The government is also conducting genome sequencing for all positive cases.

As per the Union Health Ministry, Gujarat currently has 12 active cases and is among the 14 states and union territories reporting at least one case.

Two women, aged 57 and 59, who displayed symptoms after returning from Rameshwaram, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are under home isolation in the state capital. Samples from their family members have been collected for testing.

Patel said that the state government has thoroughly reviewed the situation and participated in a video conference with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

During the conference, they emphasised the importance of vigilance and caution.

Mandaviya advised all states and union territories to stay vigilant regarding the rising cases in some regions while reassuring the public that there was no cause for panic.

He called for necessary precautions and emphasized maintaining effective Covid-19 protocols.

Patel highlighted the recent mock drill organized in Gujarat, which took place from December 13 to 17.

Over 5,700 government and private hospitals participated, ensuring preparations, arrangements, and buffer stocks were in place for any potential Covid-19 resurgence.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Seven members of an inter-state gang wanted in foreign currency exchange frauds have been arrested in Hyderabad, police said on Wednesday.

The Commissioner's Task Force's North Zone Team apprehended the accused hailing from Delhi, Bihar. and Uttar Pradesh and handed them over to Bowenpally Police Station.

They include two women.

According to police, the gang was cheating people by offering dirhams in exchange for Indian rupees at a low exchange rate.

Explaining their modus operandi, Deputy Commissioner of Police B. Sreebala said that the accused were approaching small businessmen with dirhams for currency exchange to Indian rupees at a low exchange rate.

After luring the victims, the gang was asking them to bring the Indian rupees to a crowded public place.

After collecting Indian rupees, they hand over a bundle of dirhams. The accused were keeping a few dirhams notes on top of the bundle but the remainder of the bundle was filled with folded newspapers.

After showing dirhams on top of the bundle to the victims, the accused were cautioning the victims not to open the bundle in a public place and then escaping from the spot.

Two cases were registered against the gang at Bowenpally and Trimulgherry police stations.

The accused confessed to another offence in Sangareddy.

The accused are Mohd Imran Shaik, Mohd Sirajul Islam, Wahid Shaik, Hasim Alam, Kulsum, Mohammed Ali Shaik, Nisha, and Shaik Nisar Ahmed. Police recovered Rs.7.47 lakh cash and a two-wheeler from the accused.
Jaipur, Dec 20 : Two patients have tested Covid positive in Jaisalmer on Wednesday, said Director Public Health Dr. Ravi Prakash Mathur in the meeting called by the health department to review preparations for Covid.

"According to medical experts, there is no need to be worried. This virus is not of a serious nature, hence both the patients have been advised to remain in home isolation," he said.

Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary of the Medical and Health Department, Shubhra Singh instructed the Medical Department to be alert and make necessary preparations as a precautionary measure after the emergence of Covid cases in various states of the country.

She constituted a state-level committee under the chairmanship of Medical Education Commissioner Shivprasad Nakate for Covid management and has given instructions to prepare a graded response system (availability of medical facilities according to the number of cases), so that if necessary, patients can get the treatment immediately.

On Wednesday, Singh was reviewing the cases of Covid-19, ILI and SARI in her room at the Government Secretariat. It was revealed in the meeting that according to medical experts, the new sub-variant of Covid, Source CoV-2 JN.1, is not dangerous.

Singh said that about 90 per cent of the patients who test positive for this sub-variant do not need to be admitted to hospital and are recovering with normal treatment in home isolation.

She said that despite there being no threat from the SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 sub-variant, all necessary preparations related to Covid management should be ensured in the state as a precautionary measure. She ordered a mock drill again on December 26 to test the medical facilities including tests, medicines, beds, oxygen etc. in the state hospitals as well as private hospitals.

Singh instructed officials to write letters to the District Collectors regarding Covid management. She said that as per the advisory of the Government of India for prevention and preparedness against Covid, an advisory should be issued in the state also, so that the general public remains aware and the medical institutions remain in alert mode.

She said that serious patients suffering from ILI and respiratory diseases should be continuously monitored and samples should be taken for testing as required. Also, information of patients should be uploaded on IHIP portal daily.
'If someone has done wrong, punishment must be given', says Kejriwal on CAG audit of DJB. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 20 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will skip the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons on December 21 as he left for his 10-day-long meditation session on Wednesday.

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will skip the Enforcement Directorateas (ED) summons on December 21 as he left for his 10-day-long meditation session on Wednesday.

According to the AAP, Kejriwal left for the Vipassana session on Wednesday afternoon and he will be coming back to Delhi on December 30.

The Chief Minister was summoned by the ED to appear before it in connection with the alleged excise policy scam case on December 21 at its headquarters.

Earlier, Kejriwal had skipped the ED summons on November 2.

The ED had already arrested former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the case.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : World Bank Group President Ajay Banga told Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a meeting here on Wednesday that the multilateral financial institution has set up a task force team to study the recommendations made by the Independent Experts Group, prepared under India's G20 Presidency.

He said that the World Bank has identified eight unique global challenges to focus on in the next few years as they affect many countries and require attention.

Sitharaman expressed India's support for the move, according to a Finance Ministry statement.

Sitharaman also stressed that the Country Climate and Development Report exercise of the World Bank should take into account the country's priorities and circumstances.

She highlighted the need for the World Bank to explore the possibility of a coordinated approach in implementation of the projects with special emphasis on Finance Plus/Budget Plus elements in projects funded by the World Bank.

The Finance Minister stated that the World Bank should take the lead in advancing recommendations contained in the Volume-I Triple Agenda and the recommendations that MDBs (multilateral development banks) must be bigger, better and bolder as contained in the Volume-II, of the reports of the G20 Independent Experts Group, prepared under India's Presidency, and added that other MDBs look up to the World Bank for such reform initiatives.
(UKR/GAZA PACKAGE) On 2024-eve, Ukraine faces stalemate on all fronts, not only in battlezone. Image Source: IANS News

Kathmandu, Dec 20 : With the announcement of the killing of an additional Nepali national, a total of seven Nepali nationals have been killed while serving in the Russian Army, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

Earlier, the Foreign Ministry had informed that at least six Nepali nationals serving in the Russian Army have been killed while fighting Ukrainian forces and it is estimated that around 200 Nepali nationals are serving as mercenaries in Putin's army since the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine some 22 months back.

A Nepali national serving in the Russian Army named, Kundan Singh Nagal, bearer of passport number 09473632 who was serving in the Russian Army, has been killed, said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

"The ministry has urged the Nepali Ambassador in Russia to initiate sending back the dead bodies of Nepali nationals as soon as possible and reimburse the compensation to the family members of those who were killed and injured during the war," said the statement.

Meanwhile, the Nepal government once again urged the government of Russia not to recruit Nepali nationals in its army and send back those who are serving there through its Ambassador, said a ministry's statement.

Since there is no official record as to how many Nepali nationals are serving in the Russian Army, the Foreign Ministry also asked the Russian government to provide details about numbers, including those injured and their status, the statement added.

The Nepal government doesn't permit Nepali nationals to serve in foreign armies besides in India and the United Kingdom. But that hasn't stopped Nepali youths from enrolling individually in the militaries of several other countries.

There are also reports that some Nepali nationals are serving in the Ukraine Army too, but the government does not have their details. The government has also asked the Russian government to repatriate Nepalis currently serving in Russian forces as soon as possible, according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said that four Nepali nationals serving in the Russian Army as mercenaries have been taken hostage by the Ukrainian Army as it released their names and addresses.

After the Nepal government requested the Ukrainian government to release the hostages, the Ukrainian authorities have set some conditions for their release, the ministry said without sharing details about the conditions put by Kiev.

During a recent briefing to the Nepali media by the Foreign Ministry and Nepali Ambassador to Russia, Milan Raj Tuladhar, it was said that Nepali nationals were being lured with promises of big money and were mostly smuggled into Russia, with each individual paying up to Rs 1 million to the 'agents'.

On August 1, the Foreign Ministry had issued a statement urging Nepali citizens not to join foreign armies in war-torn countries.

"The attention of the ministry has been drawn to the news in social networking sites that Nepali citizens have joined foreign armies," said the statement, adding, "The policy of the Nepal government does not allow Nepali citizens to join foreign armies except for the fact that Nepali citizens are being recruited in the national armies of some friendly countries as per the traditional agreement reached between Nepal and those countries."

With the help of human traffickers, many Nepalis have reached Russia on student and tourist visas and joined its army.

Earlier in May, Russia had paved the way for recruiting foreign nationals in its army following a decree by President Vladimir Putin.

According to an internal report the Nepal Embassy in Moscow sent to the Foreign Ministry, there has been a big surge of Nepali population in Russia and many among them have joined the armed forces following the presidential decree.

The ministry has also urged the public not to make non-essential travel to Russia, except in the case of individuals with government-related tasks, recipients of Russian government scholarships, and those engaged in business or work in Russia.

If there is a need to travel to Russia, the ministry has urged individuals to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from its Tripureshwar-based Consular Department.
In 1817 the painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) created what is perhaps the most iconic image of the Romantic movement: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. It shows the figure of a man standing on a rocky summit, with its back to the observer. In front of him, a huge precipice stretches towards an infinite horizon of mists and steep peaks.

This solitary individual bravely venturing into the wild and uncharted wilderness has been interpreted as a symbol of the search for knowledge, freedom, and communion with nature. In addition to being the quintessential image of the romantic spirit, the Wanderer has become an icon of popular culture, with multiple versions in art, advertising, and social media.

This longing for communion with nature is the common thread of the ambitious retrospective Caspar David Friedrich: Art for a new Age. Organized by the Hamburger Kunsthalle, in Hamburg (Germany), the exhibition commemorates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Friedrich, the German romantic painter par excellence. For the first time in decades, the majority of his greatest masterpieces have been brought together, with 60 paintings and a hundred drawings.

Friedrich made his mark on the history of art with his innovative conception of landscape. He meticulously studied each element of nature, but then recombined them to achieve compositions of intense expressiveness. This makes nature appear in a particular way. It is convincing and realistic down to the last detail, but at the same time there is a deep and meaningful atmosphere, says historian and curator of the exhibition Johannes Grave, from the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena in Germany.

The exhibition allows visitors to contemplate Friedrichs unusual creations: moonlit twilights, gray and ominous skies over troubled seas, solemn fjords, and majestic mountains; all are breathtaking locations, dominated by an eerie atmosphere of silence.

Born in the German city of Greifswald on the Baltic coast, Friedrich trained as an artist in Copenhagen and settled in Dresden. With a melancholic disposition, he lived through the emergence of the romantic movement, whose advance spread rapidly throughout Europe and America at the end of the 18th century. The new rebellious spirit reacted against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Faced with growing industrialization and increasing uniformity in society, the romantics promoted a return to primal nature and the singularity of individualism. They longed to experience untamed natural forces and preferred emotion to reason.

'The Monk by the Sea,' by Caspar David Friedrich (1808).

It was on the Baltic island of Rugen, which was beginning to become a tourist destination and which he himself visited on foot several times in the spring of 1801, that Friedrich began to draw landscapes that moved away from traditional motifs. But it was especially at the end of the decade when he painted The Monk by the Sea (1808), which was one of the first masterpieces that earned him resounding success. Its radical composition of beach, sea and sky, arranged in three horizontal stripes, impressed the public and King Frederick William III, who rushed to buy it.

For some experts, its extreme minimalism and abstraction, the solitude of the tiny human figure, and the vastness of nature have made it a precursor of abstract expressionism. It is romanticisms Big Bang, historian Florian Illies summarizes about the painting, in his recent biography of the painter.

This exceptional oil painting, which is one of the exhibitions featured loans, also presents one of the defining features of Friedrichs art: contemplative figures with their backs to the observer (Ruckenfiguren, in German), absorbed in the natural spectacle. These characters, represented as observed observers, populate some of the painters most memorable paintings, such as Hunter in the Forest (1813), and his own Wanderer (1817).

As a good romantic, Friedrich filters the landscape through his freest creative imagination to arouse deep emotions. It is a great merit, perhaps the greatest of which an artist is capable, when he touches the spirit and provokes thoughts, emotions, and feelings in the observer, even if these are not his own, wrote Friedrich in his Observations.

Although his iconography is very German  as seen in the mountains and the crosses  Friedrich manages to connect with all audiences, the director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle Alexander Klar points out in a conversation with EL PAIS: If you ignore that Germanness, you realize that many of its landscapes are completely devoid of people and at the same time are a reflection of the human being. He speaks a universal language. Klar emphasizes the exceptional nature of the exhibition: it had not been possible to bring together such a density of works in many years, and it probably cannot be done again for many more years.

'The Sea of Ice' by Caspar David Friedrich. Hamburger Kunsthalle

In 1823, the artist painted another of his masterful paintings: The Sea of Ice, in which Friedrich shows a large mass of jagged sea ice. Once again, nature imposes itself on human beings, whose useless efforts are symbolized by the upturned hull of a ship crushed by the ice. The oil painting has been interpreted as a romantic warning to humanity about the futility of attempting to dominate the natural environment.

Friedrich was a successful painter  his clients included members of the courts of Prussia, Thuringia, and the Tsar of Russia  and he exercised some influence among contemporary artists  although Goethe considered him too obscure. Friedrichs work, however, was ignored for more than half a century until a retrospective in Berlin in 1906 revived interest in the legacy of the great romantic painter, and it was later claimed by the 20th-century avant-garde movement. The Third Reich appropriated his work as an exponent of Germanness, although Hitler had doubts: he did not know if his landscapes elevated the German soul, or rather depressed it a little, as Illies writes.

Der Wanderer 2 (2004) by Elina Brotherus.  Elina Brotherus / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023

The fascination that Friedrichs canvases generate to this day is shown in the second part of the exhibition, which brings together contemporary artists who have been inspired by his work, such as Hiroyuki Masuyama, Elina Brotherus, and Olafur Eliasson. The Hamburg exhibition is the figurehead of the Caspar David Friedrich Festival, which will include two other exhibitions on specific aspects of his work in 2024. One will be at the Alte Nationalgalerie, in Berlin, and the other at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, in Dresden. Afterward, the exhibition will also travel to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Klar says.

At the moment, the anniversary of Friedrichs birth is already spreading through the streets of Hamburg. The city is full of posters announcing the exhibition, of course, with the Wanderer as an attraction on a striking red background. Even a famous hamburger restaurant has dedicated a menu to the romantic painter. In the Portuguese quarter, between the Elbe and the red light district, there is also a large urban mural with the figure painted for the occasion by the Australian artist Fintan Magee. Germany is thus paying tribute to the painter who has best conveyed the vigor and emotion of the romantic spirit through a legacy that is still valid in the popular culture of the 21st century.

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Hyderabad, Dec 20 : 'Bigg Boss Telugu' season 7 winner Pallavi Prashanth was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the violent incidents in Hyderabad on Sunday night after he was declared winner of the reality show, police said.

Police took Prashanth, and his brother Mahaveer, into custody from his house in Kolgur village in Gajwel mandal in Siddipet district.

They were brought to Jubilee Hills police station in Hyderabad, where a case was registered in connection with the incidents that occurred on the night of December 16 near Annapurna Studio.

Fans of the finalists of Big Boss had gone on a rampage after the winneras name was announced on Sunday night.

They chanted slogans and damaged vehicles that were leaving the studio, including that of the participants.

They also damaged six buses of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), a police vehicle, and private vehicles.

Runner-up Amardeep Chowdaryas car was also damaged in the incident but he escaped unhurt.

Police had to use force to bring the situation under control. Police had registered against Prashanth and his followers, as he had taken out a rally despite being cautioned against it.

Another case was registered for the damage caused to six RTC buses and three private vehicles.

Immediately after the announcement of the winner, Prashanthas followers had started celebrations while Amardeepas supporters had raised slogans protesting the verdict. This led to a clash between the two groups.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez has moved a Delhi court, seeking immediate directions to restrain alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar from issuing any letters related to her to the media.

The plea seeks orders preventing the dissemination of letters, statements, or messages about the actor by Chandrashekhar.

The prime accused in the case, Chandrashekhar, has been writing letters to the media, through which Jacqueline has said that certain unwarranted statements outraging her modesty have been made by him.

"This is an attempt by the main accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar to somehow intimidate and threaten the present Applicant so that she does not reveal the truth to this hon'ble court in the capacity of a prosecution witness," her application read.

On the other hand, Chandrashekharas counsel, advocate Anant Malik told IANS that Jacquelineas application is absolutely frivolous, bogus, and is based on concealment of material facts.

He further said that his client will be filing an appropriate intervention application and an application under Section 340 CRPC.

"A similar complaint as filed by her has already been dismissed and dealt with by the hon'ble court, categorically holding that there is no evidence against Chandrashekhar for sending any unsolicited messages on Webex. This fact has been completely concealed by her before the hon'ble court," he said, terming it just another frivolous attempt to gain attention and to create a defence at the cost of his client.

The actor has stressed on the distress caused by the "unsolicited dissemination" of these letters to the media, citing concerns for her safety and well-being.

"Sukesh Chandrashekhar persistently engages in the unsolicited dissemination of troubling letters to numerous electronic and print media platforms. These letters, once published by the media outlets, create an alarming and distressing environment for the applicant," Jacqueline has claimed.

She has further said that lettersa widespread publication amplifies the intimidation and harassment, profoundly affecting her safety and well-being. The plea specifically names the Superintendent of Mandoli prison and Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing, urging them to prevent further communication from Chandrashekhar.

Jacqueline has prayed the court to issues directions to the probe agency and the Superintendent of Jail, Mandoli, to immediately restrain/refrain Chandrashekhar from issuing any further letters, messages, or statements addressed to her directly or indirectly.

"Issue directions to the Superintendent of Jail, Mandoli, to file a detailed report about the action taken against Sukesh Chandrashekhar and pass any such other order(s) as this hon'ble court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case," it said.

The EOW, in its reply, has said that it was a matter of grave concern that an important witness in the case was harassed and threatened by the accused, and that it could affect the trial.

On this, Chandrashekharas counsel said: aIt is rather surprising that she has been treated as a witness in the State matter as individuals with a much less role than her in the entire controversy are languishing in judicial custody for past 28 months while she has been let off scot free by the EOW despite Directorate of Enforcement bringing on record solid evidence against her and her involvement with Sukesh Chandrashekhar."

"It is the ED's case that she had absolute knowledge about the antecedents of Sukesh Chandrashekhar and still was involved with him."

Chandrashekhar has called the EOWas investigation biased. Malik said: aThus the important question to be adjudicated is why the EOW has not made Jacqueline an accused in the case when there existed cogent evidence in the ED charge sheet against her and her role being much more than the other co accused in the case."

The court will now hear the matter next on January 17, 2024.

IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Lok Sabha (LS) on Tuesday passed three amended criminal bills -- Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) (BSB) 2023.

The Lok Sabha also passed the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, with voice vote.

The three Bills were passed after Home Minister Amit Shah spoke in the House and majority of MPs present in the Lower House voted in favour of the bills by voice vote.

The proceedings took place in the absence of 97 Opposition MPs, who have been suspended over "misconduct" and "unruly" behaviour since last week.

Referring to IPC, CrPc, Indian Evidence Act, Shah said: "New criminal law bills will free people from colonial mindset. The three laws were made during the time of British. Till the laws are not repealed, the UK laws will continue in the country. Her Majesty, London Gazette, British Crown and barrister terms continue to be used in India because of the laws."

Shah said that the bills were framed after consultations. He said he had even gone through every comma and full stop before they were tabled in the Lok Sabha.

He said that the three bills will establish a justice system based on Indian thinking. He said the existing laws reflect the colonial mindset of punishing for a crime but not doing justice.

Shah also highlighted the changes brought in the new Bills and said a provision for trial in absentia has been introduced to the criminal justice system.

"A provision for Trial in Absentia has been introduced. Many cases shook us, be it the Mumbai bomb blast or any other. Those people are hiding in other countries and trials are not underway.

"They don't need to come here now. If they don't appear before the court within 90 days then in their absence trial will go on. A public prosecutor will be appointed for their prosecution. They will be hanged. It will make the process to bring them back since it changes their status in the other country when they get prosecuted," he said.

He further said after the bill becomes law, the case would have to be brought to trial in 120 days.

"Now the accused will get seven days to file a plea for acquittal. The judge has to hold the hearing in those seven days and in a maximum time of 120 days, the case would come to trial. There was no time limit for plea bargaining earlier. Now if one accepts their crime within 30 days of the crime then the punishment will be less," he said.

He also said that there was no provision to present documents during trials. "We have made it compulsory to produce all documents within 30 days. No delays will be made in that," he said.

He also underlined that for poor, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challenge.

"For years 'tareekh pe tareekh' keep going. Police hold the judicial system responsible. The government holds the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary hold the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws," he said.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will replace the Indian Penal Code 1860, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will replace the CrPC of 1973 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill will replace the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.

The new laws also explain "organised crime" for the first time". "There was no special law for this. We have included cyber crimes, economic crimes, land grabbing, arms trade, dacoity, human trafficking," Shah said.

Shah said the new laws are "gender-neutral", "victim-centric" and "justice-centric", rather than "punishment-centric".

He also said that under the new criminal laws, the government has included a provision of death penalty for those committing the crime of mob lynching.

Shah questioned the previous Congress government, "You have also ruled this country for 58 years, so why didn't you include mob-lynching in the laws? You used the word mob-lynching to abuse us (BJP), but then you forgot about it once you came into power."

Shah hit out at the Congress and responded to a question once asked by former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram. "Once I was listening to Chidambaram's speech. He had said it's a test for the Home Minister that if he will bring a new law, then what will he do with (the issue) of mob lynching?"

Responding to this, Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that Chidambaram has neither understood the BJP nor its principles. "Our party has only one ideology and that is the development of the nation," Amit Shah said.

Slamming Congress, Shah said, "The citizens know about your behaviour and that's why you are sitting in the Opposition, and now even outside Parliament."

He also said the Congress has "double standards" and that's why it is facing so many problems.

He also took a veiled dig at the Congress and Sonia Gandhi. Shah emphasised on Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita being close to Indian context and said, "The three bills reflect the spirit of the Constitution...but those with an Italian mindset will never understand it."

"It is a matter of pride and seriousness that I am here with three Bills. Instead of Indian Penal Code, which was intended to punish, not deliver justice, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will come into effect. Instead of CrPC 988, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will come into effect," Shah said.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha passed the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 Wednesday. The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Man arrested on charges of killing parents, four others in Texas. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 20 : Three men, including the maternal uncle of the victim, for kidnapping a seven-year-old boy and then demanding a ransom of Rs 3 lakh, police said on Wednesday.

The accused were identified as Vikas, 25, Shivam Pal, 27, and Deepak, 25.

The officials said that Vikas, who is maternal uncle of the victim, hatched a plan with Shivam, who used to work in Zomato with victimas father earlier, and Deepak to kidnap the boy and even did a recce before committing the crime.

On December 19, Sunil Kumar, a resident of Shastri Nagar, came to the police station to report the disappearance of his son.

He further told police that he had received a ransom call to bring Rs 3 lakh near the Jhandewalan Mandir.

"During the probe, the team laid their secret sources to get any clue about the culprit and they relentlessly worked on the case and analysed the various CCTV footages. The swift and consistent efforts of the police bore fruit and the team rescued the victim from the area of Old Rajendra Nagar and accused Shivam and Deepak were also apprehended," Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Manoj Kumar Meena said.

On interrogation, it was revealed that Deepak and Shivam befriended the victim by offering him some eatables and then fled away along with the child on their bike, the DCP said.

They took the child to Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi and made a ransom call to the complainant.

aVikas was keeping an eye on the whole situation and watching all the efforts of the police, pretending to being a well-wisher of the child but was informing the accused persons through WhatsApp," the DCP added.
Four minors drown in a pond in MP's Shivni. Image Source: IANS News

Gurugram, Dec 20 : A man was arrested in Gurugram for allegedly pushing his friend into a swimming pool for 'fun', the police said on Wednesday.

The victim, who reportedly did not know how to swim, drowned in the pool.

The incident took place on August 29 at Baliawas village in Gurugram.

"The victim, Sonu (28), a resident of Aya Nagar in Delhi did not know how to swim and drowned. After an investigation, the accused has been arrested for the incident," said Subhash Boken, spokesperson for Gurugram Police.

The accused has been identified as Vikas (24), a resident of Harijan Mohalla, Aya Nagar, Delhi.

According to the police, the victim went to Baliawas village on August 29 along with his friends on an outing.

However, Vikas pushed Sonu into the swimming pool as they were consuming alcohol, leading to the latter's death.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The grandfather of a nine-year-old girl, who was kidnapped, raped, and killed, with her body dumped into a canal in north Delhi, expressed the family's anguish, saying that they were awaiting the police to recover the child's remains.

He said that the landlord, identified as Sanjeev Rana (52), a resident of outer north Delhi's Nangli Poona village was seen at a CCTV footage taking his daughter in a vehicle on December 12.

Rana was caught by the police, and he had confessed to the crime.

"Upon learning of the granddaughter's disappearance in the same locality, a complaint was filed. My son called the landlord, who claimed to be in Panipat but later arrived around 11 p.m," said the grandfather.

Rana, along with the distraught father, searched for the missing girl without success.

"I arrived the next day and discovered that CCTV footage were being checked which showed the girl in the landlord's vehicle. The landlord also confessed his crime to his family, prompting a confrontation, and later attempted suicide through a scooter accident but survived," he said.

The grandfather had spoken to his grand-daughter on the morning of December 12.

The girl's parents, who work in a paper company and stitching, had her brought back from school by her mother at 1 p.m.

"She went missing after a brief period when her mother returned to work. The family learned of her disappearance at around 6 p.m., and despite their grief, no one has come to offer support," he said.

Meanwhile, a search operation was underway at Delhi's Munak Canal to fish out the body of a nine-year-old girl. According to officials, an NDRF team of 26 personnel is also deployed for search operations.

Police officers said that the kidnapping of a girl, a resident of Nangli Poona village, was reported at Swaroop Nagar police station on December 12 evening.

Initially, an FIR under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered and a probe was initiated.

"While the search for the girl was going on, police scanned the CCTV footage and traced the accused, identified as Sanjeev Rana, 52, a resident of Nangli Poona.

"However, when the police team arrived to arrest him, it was revealed that the accused was admitted in a hospital at Rohini due to a serious traffic accident on December 15 and was unfit to make a statement," a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, during further investigation, it was found that the girl sat in the vehicle of the accused from a street near her home on December 12 at around 2 p.m.

"On December 17 when he became fit for a statement, Rana confessed to abducting and killing the girl on December 12. As per initial confession, he dumped the body in Munak canal," said the official.

Following the admission, additional sections of the IPC and of the POCSO Act were added to the FIR.

Rana, after he was discharged from the hospital, was placed under arrest, and a search was launched for the victim's body, the official added.

Since December 17, five divers have been deputed to search for the body of the girl in the canal.

"Teams have also been formed to check his entire route from December 12 as per technical surveillance," said the official. Meanwhile, taking cognisance of the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also issued a notice to Delhi Police seeking details of the case.

"It has been reported that the family's landlord allegedly abducted, raped and killed the minor girl. It has been stated that the accused later dumped her body in the Munak canal. This is a very serious matter," the DCW said in its notice while asking the police to submit details of the case by Friday.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to respond to an appeal filed by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot against his summoning in a criminal defamation complaint by the former.

Shekhawat has accused Gehlot of defamatory statements saying that he has made "misleading statements" in connection with the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam in Rajasthan.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has listed the matter for hearing next on January 22, 2024.

Gehlot has challenged a sessions court's order dismissing his appeal against his summoning in the complaint filed by Shekhawat.

The sessions court had said the summons issued by an Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate did not suffer from any factual mistake, illegality or impropriety of finding.

Additional Sessions Judge M.K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court had dismissed Gehlot's appeal.

Gehlot had earlier defended his arguments saying that his statements were truthful and cannot be categorised as defamation. Gehlot's counsel had informed Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Court that Shekhawat had been served notice by the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police, which was investigating the alleged Rs 900 crore scam.

Shekhawat had responded to the notice, but Gehlot claimed that Shekhawat had concealed this fact.

Counsel had argued that Gehlot never accused Shekhawat of being "convicted" in the case, stating that "he (Gehlot) said that the complainant (Shekhawat) is also an accused in the case" and the case did not constitute defamation and that Gehlot had made truthful statements.

On September 19, the court had refused to discharge Gehlot in the criminal defamation complaint by Shekhawat, saying that his request held no merit.

Earlier, the court had directed the police to investigate Shekhawat's complaint. Jaspal had said that the investigation should be such that the three main questions -- whether complainant Shekhawat was addressed as "an accused" in the Sanjivani scam by the accused Gehlot, whether Gehlot stated that the allegations against Shekhawat stand proved in the Sanjivani scam, and whether Shekhawat or his family members have been arrayed as "accused" in the investigation of the scam -- are answered.

Shekhawat had filed the defamation case against Gehlot in March this year, stating that an investigation was initiated into the Sanjivani case but his name was not mentioned anywhere, and demanded the prosecution of Gehlot for criminal defamation under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He also demanded appropriate financial compensation for the loss of his reputation.

Gehlot had said after a budget review meeting at the state secretariat on February 21 that the entire Shekhawat family, including his parents and wife, were involved in the Sanjeevani scam. Gehlot had also welcomed the filing of the defamation case, saying: "At least the case will move forward on this pretext."
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi High Court has sought the presence of a woman residing in an ashram founded by self-styled godman Virender Dev Dixit, who has been absconding for several years while facing multiple rape cases.

The woman's -- aged parents -- have expressed concerns, alleging that their educated daughter was being misled and suffering from "overvalued ideas" in the ashram without their consent.

The bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, said that the daughter, being an adult, cannot be forced to meet her parents.

The parents had urged the court to facilitate an interaction with their daughter.

The petitioners sought directions for a psychological analysis of their daughter, referring to a report by a committee headed by the Principal District & Sessions Judge of Rohini regarding the ashram residents' status.

The amicus curiae in the matter stated that the daughter, an adult of sound mind, had expressed her willingness to stay in the ashram and had already been examined by psychologists in 2018.

The court ordered the daughter to be present in court for interaction in January 2024, suggesting that an assessment be made before passing further orders.

The parents had filed the petition in 2020, seeking the release of their daughter from the ashram, citing concerns about the ashram's founder being accused of serious crimes.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on November 24 told the Delhi High Court that it is working on locating and arresting Dixit.

Even earlier, the court had expressed satisfaction with the attempts and progress made by CBI in the matter.

Last time, as the division bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna perused the probe agency's status report, it observed that the CBI was making "ernest efforts" to comply with the court's directions.

The status report was filed in a sealed cover, and the court was told that the accused seems to be outside India.

"We will arrest him soon. We have taken help of Interpol," CBI's counsel told.

The court then also asked the investigating agency to file a fresh status report.

Earlier, the high court had granted the agency permission to freeze the bank accounts Dixit.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma (now elevated to SC) and Justice Sanjeev Narula had expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by the CBI to locate and apprehend Dixit.

A petition was filed in 2017 by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which alleged that Dixit had illegally confined several minor girls and women at his "spiritual university" and that the girls were not allowed to meet their parents.

Notably, the agency had identified certain bank accounts linked to the fugitive.

The court had commended the CBI's ongoing efforts and allowed them to proceed with freezing the bank accounts in accordance with the law. It granted the CBI an additional six weeks to continue their actions and listed the matter for next hearing in November.

On May 31, the court had directed the CBI to take steps to apprehend Dixit. It was brought to the court's attention that Dixit or his followers were uploading videos on various platforms, including YouTube and social media, despite him being a fugitive.

The high court had instructed the CBI to locate Dixit and investigate accusations of illegal confinement, with reports indicating that girls and women were being kept in inhumane conditions behind metal doors within a fortress-like ashram surrounded by barbed wire.

In 2022, the court had asked the ashram to justify why it should not be taken over by the Delhi government and expressed doubts about whether the inmates were living there voluntarily.

It had said that no institution had the right to violate the fundamental rights of its inhabitants.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : The whitepaper tabled by the Congress government on Telangana's state finances in the Assembly triggered a heated debate on Wednesday as the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) termed it as a pack of lies, while the ruling party blamed the financial indiscipline of the previous government for pushing the state on the brink of bankruptcy.

The day-long debate on state finances saw both sides indulging in sharp exchanges.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who is also the Finance Minister, said the state is staring at a debt crisis with a total debt of over Rs 6.71 lakh crore.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy defended the governmentas move to present the whitepaper on finances, saying its intention is only to place facts before the people.

In a strong counter to BRS MLA and former Finance Minister T. Harish Rao, Revanth Reddy said the whitepaper was not presented to belittle or humiliate anybody.

He alleged that for 10 years, the BRS carried out 'financial destruction'.

The Chief Minister said the details with regard to revenue and requirement of funds were taken from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

He claimed that when the BRS came to power in 2014, the state was having reserved funds with the RBI for 303 days in a year. However, now the situation is such that the state has to stand before the RBI for loans every day, he said.

The Chief Minister also clarified that the government did not table the whitepaper to escape from the six guarantees given to the people during elections.

Revanth Reddy said he spoke to Union minister and state BJP President G. Kishan Reddy for meeting the Prime Minister with regard to the funds due from the Centre, adding that the state government is working for the people by rising above political interests.

Assuring the House that the government will not take unilateral decisions, he said before taking any decision, it would seek the opinion and suggestions of all the parties.

Revanth Reddy also accused the BRS of trying to mislead the House with 'lies'.

He further said that Rs 1 lakh crore was misused in the name of Kaleshwaram project.

The Chief Minister claimed that the assets created by the Congress in the past were mortgaged by the BRS government to raise debts. Electricity departmentas assets of Rs.4,972 crore were mortgaged by the BRS, he alleged.

The previous government spent Rs 13.72 lakh crore in the last 10 years, but people did not benefit from it, he said.

Revanth Reddy then listed out the promises which BRS 'failed' to keep and also its failures to clear dues under schemes such as fee reimbursement and Rajiv Aarogyasri.

He claimed that the Congress government wants to ensure that the real beneficiaries avail the welfare schemes and Telangana emerge as a a powerful state.

Earlier, Harish Rao said that the whitepaper is an attempt to malign the image of Telangana and show the state in poor light.

The BRS leader said the Congress government is stalling the progress by saying that the state is on the brink of bankruptcy. He asked, how will investors come and how will loans and funds flow.

Harish Rao said the whitepaper has ignored the standard way of debt to GSDP and instead it showed debt to revenue receipts and that too based on a year when Covid-19 had badly hit the economy.

Stating that Budget estimates given in the whitepaper are wrong, he claimed that Telangana is among the bottom five in debt to GSDP ratio. He demanded a House committee to do a fact checking on the report.

He also alleged that the report was prepared by retired and suspended IAS officers who are against the BRS and (former Chief Minister) KCR.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : A senior Calcutta High Court counsel, who is also the husband of Justice Amrita Sinha of the court, on Wednesday complained to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state police's CID was putting pressure on him to make statements against his wife.

Pratap Chandra Dey has also forwarded the same complaint to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Earlier in the day, Dey had filed a similar complaint with the bar association.

Dey accused the CID of summoning him as a witness in a case and thereafter putting pressure on him to give statements against his wife.

Important cases relating to the multi-crore cash-for-school job case in West Bengal, specially the one related to the assets and properties of the directors of a corporate entity, whose name surfaced in the course of central agency investigation in the school job case, are being currently heard by the bench of Justice Sinha.

Dey claimed that he had been summoned by the CID sleuths twice and in the last occasion, was kept waiting at the CID office for over nine hours.

It is learnt that that Dey has not honoured CIDas direction to submit his mobile phone and instead gave a counter letter to the agency.

Dey had also claimed that besides pressurising him to give statements against his wife, there were attempts to allure him with lucrative promises. There had been complaints from CID against Dey of non-cooperation in the investigation in the case which is being pursued following a directive of the Supreme Court.
Ghannam Ghannam at the International Theater Festival in Carthage, Tunisia, in December 2023. Ricard Gonzalez

Born in 1955 in the Palestinian city of Jericho, actor, author and theater director Ghannam Ghannam has had a long professional career, most of it in Jordan, where his family moved when he was 12 years old. For the past 13 years, he has been the director of the Arab Theater Institute of the Emirate of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates. His latest play, 1948 through my own eyes, won him the 2022 National Prize for Culture in Palestine. It was one of the highlights of the Carthage International Theater Festival, which recently concluded in Tunis. EL PAIS spoke with Ghannam after his acclaimed performance in the Tunisian capital.

Question. Why does the title of your play refer to the year 1948?

Answer. Its not only because the State of Israel was created that year, but also because there has been a partition of the Palestinian people ever since. Since then, weve talked about the Palestinian [refugees] of 1948, those of 1967, the Gaza Strip Palestine is no longer Palestine. The message of the play is that the Palestinian people are one. Even though many Palestinians in the diaspora have another nationality, they are still Palestinians. This division only benefits Zionism.

Q. Do you feel that global support for Palestine has increased after the outbreak of the war in Gaza?

A. There is a greater awareness, yes. People had forgotten about Palestine; it was no longer a priority. Suddenly, they have realized that there is a bloodbath, many victims, and a level of destruction that we had not seen before. And many people have shown solidarity with Palestine. The war has been revealing; it shows how a thread links many governments to Zionism and imperialist interests, among them the United States, Great Britain and Germany, which is still scarred by the Holocaust, as well as the regimes in the Arab world. These retrograde Arab rulers remain silent or limit themselves to saying, This is unacceptable, but they dont do anything. On the other hand, people should know that the war is not only taking place in Gaza, but there is also an undeclared war in the West Bank.

Q. Is it valid in the current Gaza context to talk about a two-state solution?

A. Those who dream of a two-state solution are living in a delusion. The solution for Palestine can only be a state in which Jews, Muslims, Christians and even atheists live together. You cannot link a state to a religion, as the Zionists do, because that ends up leading to ethnic cleansing. And once they have driven you out of your land, they want you to become a Jordanian, an American, etc., and forget Palestine. They try to turn the conflict in Palestine into one about religion, but it is not. And the proof is that one of the greatest Palestinian guerrillas was George Habash, a Christian.

Q. But they are not the only ones. The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas also puts religion at the center of the conflict.

A. Yes, but above all, Hamas is a Palestinian nationalist organization. Today it is probably the most popular faction, not because of its religious message, but because it is the main resistance movement against the occupation. Many of its supporters are not even religious. I am convinced that [the Israelis] have found the existence of a religious movement like Hamas convenient for dividing the Palestinian national movement, for dividing the West Bank and Gaza. Palestine must be a secular state where all religions and ethnicities coexist.

Q. Are you concerned about the effects of so much destruction of many schools and its effects on the level of education?

A. Of course, you have to consider that most of the victims are children. [The Israelis] know that the future depends on the new generations. I will give you an example: when they conquered the West Bank in 1967, they increased the wages of construction workers, for example. Their message to young people was: leave school, come to work, earn money. At first they succeeded, but then the young people went back. [After the war in Gaza], we will have the mission of recovering all that was lost at the educational level.

Q. What do you think of the normalization agreements that several Arab states have signed with Israel in recent years?

A. Those rulers are driven only by political and economic interests. Despite the war, they believe they did the right thing. But signing an agreement is not the only thing that counts; theres also the reality on the streets. Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1978, and to this day the Egyptian people have still not normalized their relations with Israel. The government is going one way, and the streets are going another. One of the worst mistakes of those who make agreements with Israel is that they do so without getting anything in return. If Israel had at least given something in return, it would be understandable. So, given the current crisis, those states should [rescind those agreements]. They could use these agreements as a tool to apply pressure and warn Israel that they will cut diplomatic relations.

Q. Are the people in the Persian Gulf countries, where you live, also against the agreements?

A. The Gulfs social reality is different from the rest of the Arab countries. The ruler also has religious authority, so the streets obey his decisions. But there is an awareness that the destruction [of Gaza] is unacceptable. Thats why much of the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip is from this region.

Q. Many analysts believe that if Saudi Arabia were to normalize relations with Israel, the Palestinian cause would be mortally wounded. Do you agree?

A. All those who normalize relations with Israel contribute to the end of the Palestinian cause. But what Saudi Arabia does is not so decisive. The Palestinians signing [the Oslo Accords] was more dangerous. Once we did it, why shouldnt the rest do it?

Q. Which governments have you found to be supportive?

A. Both Spain and Belgium have shown a humanitarian conscience that we value very much. So have the Latin American countries that have even cut diplomatic ties with Israel. I wish many countries in the world would show the same humanism as the Spanish government, which should serve as an example for them to take that step, especially the ones in the European Union. But I fear that as long as the United States uses its right of veto in the United Nations, little will really change.

Q. After 75 years of struggle and in light of Washingtons position, where does the Palestinian peoples hope come from?

A. The conflict can last even longer than 100 years. We need to hold on to our rights and our fight. We must work to change and improve the Arabs mentality, and if we succeed, the struggle will be more productive. It is a long-term task, true, but not impossible. In fact, were already seeing a new generation with a different consciousness, more open to the world. That is a reason for optimism.

Q. What is your opinion of the Oslo Accords?

A. It has been 30 years since those agreements, and what have they gotten us? Nothing, Palestine continues to be occupied. Even Ramallah [where Palestinian Authority headquarters is located] is occupied. The Israeli army comes in, goes out and kills whenever it wants. Who stops it? [My] family tree is linked to Palestine going back 17 generations, [but] I cannot enter the occupied territories without the Israeli states permission. The Palestinian government now controls only 13% of Palestinian territory. If I were their advisor, I would dissolve the Palestinian Authority.

Q. What role should Palestinian artists play in the current context?

A. A very important one: [they] represent the path to awareness. Your audience must buy into it. Palestinian artists have always been very committed to the cause and to their people. They dont need Gaza to be burning. We have a high-level culture, with figures like Mahmud Darwish, Ghassan Kanafani, Tawfiq Zayad, etc. Of all the disciplines, poetry occupies a central place. After [the Six Day War of] 1967, Israel could destroy many things, but not Mahmud Darwishs art. In culture, there is no defeat. Thats why his role is very important. The poet, the musician, the painter, and the author are the peoples soul.

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New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Wednesday staged a protest against youth unemployment across the country and over the suspension of 143 Opposition MPs from both the Houses of the Parliament for the remainder of the Winter Session ending December 22.

Hundreds of the Youth Congress activists led by its national president Srinivas B.V. tried to march on the Jantar Mantra Road, but they were detained by the Delhi Police.

Slamming the government, Srinivas said that hundreds of youth in Delhi have come out against the BJP government, which is attacking the future of the youth and is killing democracy.

He also accused the BJP government of increasing unemployment in the country after it came to power.

"Today, the youth in the country have the highest unemployment rate, and the government is doing nothing to solve their problems," he said.

Srinivas also said that the Central government can suspend 143 MPs from the Parliament, but "how will it suspend the youngsters who are protesting against the government".

"The government is destroying democracy and spoiling the future of the youth. We will fight this dictatorship and the fascist forces strongly and not let them succeed in their plans at any cost," he added.
Washington, Dec 20 : GOP has made the first responder move against Colorado Supreme Court decision with Senator Thom Tillis, Republican from North Carolina initiating legislative moves to give the US Supreme Court sole power to review presidential candidate qualifications.

His move is in response to a controversial Colorado Supreme Court's decision that said former President Donald Trump is disqualified from the presidency.

Colorado's highest court ruled on Tuesday that Trump may not appear on the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

But the judges in a 4-3 verdict paused the ruling giving the former president a chance to file an appeal in the US Supreme court against their ruling.

The North Carolina Senator is introducing his legislation that would take away states' ability to make such decisions and give just the top federal court this jurisdiction.

"Regardless of whether you support or oppose former President Donald Trump, it is outrageous to see left-wing activists make a mockery of our political system by scheming with partisan state officials and pressuring judges to remove him from the ballot," Tillis said in his press release on Tuesday.

Tillis' bill, the Constitutional Election Integrity Act, would also withhold federal funding from state entities -- such as the Colorado court -- who he says "misuse the 14th Amendment for political purposes", according to his press release.

Colorado's decision, along with other legal challenges against Trump, was based on a clause in the 14th amendment that bars certain officials from power if they engage in an insurrection, USA Today said in its reportage of the ruling.
Patna, Dec 20 : After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday served notices to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav for questioning in connection with the IRCTC land-for-jobs case, state BJP President Samrat Choudhary claimed that it is not a new thing for the Lalu family.

"Lalu Prasad and his family members have been receiving notices from the CBI and ED for the last 27 years. It is not a new thing for them. JD-U has always said that Lalu Prasad has been committing crimes regularly. He has this habit of committing crimes," Choudhary said.

Reacting to NItish Kumar attending the fourth meeting of INDIA bloc in Delhi on Tuesday, Choudhary said: "By showing the dream of PM's post, Nitish Kumar was misled by the Mahagathbandhan to separate from the BJP. Everything is clear now."
Patna, Dec 20 : The gynaecologist-wife of a doctor against whom police registered an FIR in connection with a liquor party in the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) , on Wednesday said the action against him was taken with mala fide intention.

Darbhanga police registered an FIR against leading city doctor, Dr Salim as the room of the guest house in which the liquor party was allegedly held, was booked in his name.

His wife and prominent gynaecologist of the city Dr Ruhi Yasmin came to his defense, saying that he was not a doctor of the DMCH, so how could he book a room in its guest house.

"My husband was the secretary of a four day Pedicron summit held in DMCH where the doctors from across the country came. The summit was highly successful and the discussion is taking place in every state. Some people are not digesting it and hence they framed my husband and registered an FIR as the room in which the liquor party was held, was booked in his name.

"I want to ask the district police and administration that since Dr Salim is not a doctor of DMCH so how could the room be booked in his name. As per the law, only doctors, staff, and employees of the DMCH can book the room in the guest house," Dr Yasmin said.

"How the FIR was registered against Dr Salim. Why did the district police not investigate the matter? If any person roaming on the street alleges that the room was booked in the name of Dr Salim, you are registering FIR. This is not wise. The authorities should have investigated before registering the FIR," she added.

SP, City, Sagar Kumar said: "We have registered two FIRs in this matter after objectionable items, including three liquor bottles, were seized from room number 102 of DMCH guest house. The matter is under investigation. Doctors have come from different states and we are verifying it. The name of a person identified as Salim came in the investigation and we are investigating the matter."

--IANS

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Washington, Dec 20 : Legal experts across the US opine that all is not lost yet for ex-President Donald Trump found unfit for running for Presidency in 2024 by a Colorado Supreme Court under Article 3A of the 14th amendment on the basis of "insurrection on Capitol Hill on January 6", as the judges in a split verdict 4-3 paused the ruling, allowing Trump to appeal in the US Supreme Court.

Legal experts, however, agree that the decision would not be the final word.

All eyes are now on the US Supreme Court -- which is poised to play a major role in the 2024 election as it sits on a series of major Trump -- related cases, media reports said.

The Colorado Supreme Court made history on Tuesday with an unprecedented, "freeze-in-your-tracks" ruling that former President Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run in 2024 because of the 14th Amendment's ban on insurrectionists holding public office which defined and covered his conduct on January 6, 2021.

His supporters attacked the Congress in an effort to prevent election authorities from certifying and declaring the verdict that chose Joe Biden as President.

Trump faces a swathe of charges in the federal court in Washington DC and the Fulton County Court in Georgia where he is accused of conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election verdict, conspiracy to prevent election authorities from certifying a valid election process to declare duly elected Joe Biden as President and racketeering charges under the RICO act for allegedly intimidating court officials and witnesses on phones and emails through his supports.

But importantly, in their 4-3 decision, the Colorado justices paused their decision so Trump can appeal to the US Supreme Court, which his campaign managers said he will "swiftly" do.

The pause means Trump's spot on the Colorado GOP primary ballot in March might be safe, if the nation's highest court does not settle the matter quickly, legal experts said.

The unprecedented landmark ruling holds Trump accountable for trying to overturn the 2020 election and provides a political punishment for his anti-democratic behaviour.

The ruling is also a massive vindication for the liberal groups and constitutional scholars of all stripes who championed such 14th Amendment lawsuits despite their long odds, legal pundits told CNN when contacted.

Trump has mastered the art of converting legal setbacks into polling bounces, CNN said, adding that he is already in a stronger position today to beat President Joe Biden than he was one year ago, before he was criminally indicted in four jurisdictions.

The top Colorado court upheld the trial judge's conclusions that the January 6 assault on the US Capitol was an insurrection and that Trump "engaged in" that insurrection. These are key legal hurdles that the challengers needed to clear before Trump could be removed from any ballot, largely because the text of the 14th Amendment does not actually define an "insurrection" or spell out what it means to "engage in" insurrection.

Trump has unsuccessfully pushed this argument in state and federal courts, which found that he incited violence when he told supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" and "fight like hell" to "take back our country".

"President Trump incited and encouraged the use of violence and lawless action to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power," the justices wrote in the 134-page majority opinion.
Patna, Dec 20 : A chowkidar was shot and injured by five bike-borne assailants in Bihar's Madhepura district early on Wednesday, police said.

Patna, Dec 20 (IANS) A chowkidar was shot and injured by five bike-borne assailants in Biharas Madhepura district early on Wednesday, police said.

The victim, Zuber Alam was returning home from Murliganj police station to his village Jorgama at 2.30 a.m.

"When he reached Chandra Hotel, he spotted 5 persons on two bikes who were involved in unruly behavior and driving their bikes in a circle numerous times. He did not say anything to them and after travelling some distance, he reported the incident to us," Murliganj SHO Ranvir Kumar said.

"However, the bikers followed Alam and brutally assaulted him. They have also fired three rounds at him and one of the bullets hit his leg. He somehow escaped from the place," he added.

Alam was admitted to JNKT medical college Madhepura and his condition is stable.

Following the incident, district SP Rajesh Kumar visited the hospital and learnt about his condition from doctors.

"We have registered an FIR under IPC's sections of attempt to murder against 5 unidentified persons and are making efforts to identify the accused. They will be put behind the bars soon," he said.
Vizianagaram : , Dec 20 (IANS) Sharing the dais after nearly a decade, TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday vowed to end the rule of YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a massive public meeting, the first since the two parties decided to have an alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled next year, the two leaders sounded a war cry against the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government.

Chandrababu Naidu described TDP's alliance with the Jana Sena as a historic necessity.

Virtually sounding the poll bugle at Polipalli in Vizianagaram district, Naidu joined actor-politician Pawan Kalyan in a call to people to root out the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

The public meeting organised to mark the conclusion of the Yuva Galam padyatra of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national General Secretary Nara Lokesh, was also addressed by popular actor and TDP MLA N. Balakrishna.

Naidu said that in the upcoming 'Kurukshetra' war, the YSRCP will be totally wiped out of the political scene in the state.

The former Chief Minister claimed that the state has been pushed 30 years back due to the mistake of giving a single chance to Jagan Reddy.

Announcing that the TDP-Jana Sena combined's manifesto will soon be released, the TDP supremo said that public meetings will also be organised at Tirupati and Amaravathi soon.

"We have already decided to provide free bus travel for women, to pay Rs 3,000 per month each to jobless youth and provide employment to 20 lakh youth," he said.

Promising enactment of a legislation for the safety of the Backward Classes, Chandrababu Naidu said the state should be rid of the YSRCP for the safety and security of women.

He also alleged that the votes of the TDP and the Jana Sena supporters are being deleted.

Chandrababu Naidu said he will take the responsibility to provide jobs to the youth and take the state forward.

"If you make a single sacrifice, we will make 100 sacrifices to take the state much ahead on the path of development," he said.

The TDP chief said that while padyatras were undertaken by him and party founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao in the past, for the first time a padyatra has come under attack.

He alleged that the YSRCP government created hurdles for Lokesh's padyatra and sent Yuva Galam volunteers to jail.

Making it clear that everything will be paid back with interest, the former Chief Minister said that people came out openly during the Yuva Galam to show how furious they are.

Regretting North Andhra struggling under the 'clutches' of the YSRCP, Chandrababu Naidu said the port city of Visakhapatnam, which was once known as the economic capital, has now turned into ganja capital.

Pawan Kalyan said he was pained to see Chandrababu Naidu in jail, adding that he did not extend support to Naidu with any expectation for himself.

The actor-politician also exuded confidence that the TDP-Jana Sena alliance will come to power in 2024.

"We are bringing a change and we are sending Jagan home," he said.

Referring to reports that Jagan Reddy is planning to drop 80 sitting MLAs, Pawan Kalyan remarked that it is Jagan Reddy, and not the MLAs, who needs to be removed.

The Jana Sena leader also alleged that Jagan Reddy has no respect for democracy as those who speak out are abused and attacked.

He also alleged that YSRCP started the tradition of insulting women.

Pawan Kalyan, whose party is part of the BJP-led NDA, hoped that BJP will also join hands with the TDP-Jana Sena to take on the YSRCP.

Nara Lokesh, on his part, declared that the battle has already begun and will continue till Jagan Mohan Reddy is removed from power.

Nara Lokesh made it clear that this Yuva Galam's concluding meeting is only a beginning, and not an end.

He also said that Jagan Reddy is scared of Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan.

--IANS

Ms/
New Delhi, Dec 20 : In a heart-stopping incident, an Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight declared an emergency moments before its scheduled landing.

The cause and call for emergency? A fire engine malfunction on one of the two CFM engines powering the Airbus A320neo, creating a tense situation for the crew and passengers on board in the flight on Tuesday.

As per sources, the pilots, faced with a critical situation, promptly declared May Day, alerting Mumbai air traffic control of the emergency. Passengers anxiously awaited as the aircraft descended toward Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport but it landed safely.

However, the airline said that upon inspection, no signs of fire or smoke were detected.

"AI814 operating Delhi to Mumbai on 19 December 2023 experienced a fire warning indication on one of its engines. As a precaution, an emergency was declared, and air traffic control informed. The flight landed uneventfully, and upon inspection, no signs of fire or smoke were detected," an Air India spokesperson said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident, which has raised concerns about the safety of the CFM engines, commonly used in various commercial aircraft.
Washington, Dec 21 : Angry over Colorado Supreme Court's ruling declaring former US President Donald Trump unfit to run for Presidency in 2024 under the 14th amendment, GOP Republicans are calling for President Joe Biden's removal from the state presidential ballots with one of them citing the failure to control influx of immigrants.

Some Republicans have said Biden, too, should be removed from state ballots, the media reported.

Newsweek said in an analysis of the Colorado SC's decision impacting the electoral fortunes of Trump in 2024.

Anthony Sabatini, a Republican running for Congress in Florida's 11th district who previously served as a Florida state representative, wrote on X: "Remove Biden from the Florida ballot now!"

Speaking to Fox News, Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick suggested Biden should be removed from his state's 2024 ballot due to his administration's response to immigration at the US-Mexico border.

"Seeing what happened in Colorado makes me think --except we believe in democracy in Texas -- maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing eight million people to cross the border since he's been president disrupting our state," Patrick said.

Political commentator Gunther Eagleman posted on X that Biden should be removed from the Texas ballot after the Colorado ruling.

In a 4-3 decision on Wednesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the former president violated the 14th Amendment, which bars public officials from holding federal office if they have engaged in insurrection.

In November, a lower court in Colorado admitted to a group of Colorado voters including Norma Anderson, a petitioner and former Republican majority leader of the Colorado House and Senate, that Trump engaged in insurrection over his behavior during the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

During the siege, Trump supporters stormed the building protesting his election loss.

Trump, the GOP frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged with insurrection.

He has argued that courts do not have the authority to bar candidates from the ballot under the constitutional provision.

The Colorado Supreme Court said in its ruling: "A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President... even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President Mike Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes. These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection."
Gaya : , Dec 21 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday inaugurated the first International Sangha Forum (ISF) at Bihar's Bodh Gaya, stressing that all should help people and bring them benefit as this will bring peace of mind, which, in turn, will enhance our physical well-being.

The Dalai Lama, who drove down from the Ganden Pelgyeling Monastery to the venue, the International Convention Centre, stopped to see a group of Monpas from Arunachal Pradesh dancing on the lawn in celebration of his arrival before entering.

Moderator, Ven Mahayano Aun declared the aim of the Forum was to hold a dialogue on role of Buddhism in the 21st century and to discuss how to create understanding and cooperation among the array of Buddhist traditions.

The three days of discussions would be followed on the fourth by prayers for peace in the world in the vicinity of the Mahabodhi Temple, he added.

International Sangha Forum Secretary Wee Nee Ng, welcoming the Dalai Lama and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, said the purpose of the conclave was to establish collaboration between the Buddhist Pali and Sanskrit traditions and to discuss what it means to be a Buddhist in the 21st century.

In his address, the Dalai Lama, noting that they were gathered in this sacred place where Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, and "although we are living in a degenerate era, the Dharma he taught still shines bright".

"The Buddhas do not wash away unwholesome deeds with water, nor do they remove the sufferings of beings with their hands, nor do they transplant their own realisation into others. It's by revealing the truth that they help beings to become liberated," he said.

He said that we make suffering for ourselves due to our destructive emotions, and that is why the Buddha taught: "Do no wrong; cultivate virtue".

"So, we need to generate a good heart and avoid doing others harm. Instead of ill-treating them, we should help people and bring them benefit. Doing that will bring us peace of mind, which, in turn, will enhance our physical well-being," he stressed.

"The focus is serve other sentient beings. Do that and the world will become a friendlier, more peaceful place."

The Dalai Lama remarked that people are becoming tired of materialism. "Under these circumstances, if can cultivate warm-heartedness, weall not only feel physically at ease, but our minds will be full of joy. Whatas more this will be a cause for being more warm-hearted in life after life."

"On this auspicious occasion, in this sacred place, Iad like to mention that when it comes to preserving the Buddhaas teachings, we should not be satisfied with merely wearing monastic robes. We must study and practise. We need to learn about the workings of our mind and emotions. Today, even scientists are interested to learn about the mind and the means for finding peace within.

"Practice of the Dharma is not only about conducting rituals and reciting prayers. It entails techniques for training our minds and tackling our emotions."

Representatives of the several Buddhist traditions also addressed the assembly, including Ven Ru-Jing, Abbot of the Bliss and Wisdom Monastic Community, Taiwan, Phra Dhambodhivong, Chief Abbot of the Royal Thai Monastery, Bodhgaya, representing the Thai Sangharaja and the Thai royal family, Ven Khenpo Sonam Bhumden, Chief of Research and Translation, Office of Je Khenpo, Bhutan, and Shadjin Lama, Geshe Lobsang Chodak, Head Lama of the Kalmyk Buddhists of Russia's Kalmykia.

Khambo Nomun Khaan, Geshe Jetsun Dorje, Abbot of Ganden Thekchenling Monastery, Mongolia, sent a message that was read on his behalf.
An opinion piece that you describe, praises or criticizes, on the whole or partly, to cultural or entertainment work. It must be written by an expert on the matter

Zack Snyder is in a moment akin to that of the Adelantado don Rodrigo Diaz de Carreras, the protagonist of Argentinian group Les Luthierss mythic comedy-musical cantata: the explorer who succeeded in founding Caracas in the middle of downtown Caracas  which was already founded!

The director of 300, Watchmen and Iron Man, among other films, has often been referred to as visionary by his fans (and aligned members of the press), and is determined to participate in the Star Wars universe, having even presented an ambitious additional movie for the saga to Lucasfilm. This offering, rejected a decade ago by George Lucass company shortly after it was bought by Disney, wound up becoming its own franchise and a pair of films for Netflix. Its first chapter is called Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire and it makes clear Lucas and associates reasons for passing on the project. Just like Adelantado Diaz de Carreras, Snyder succeeded in founding a Caracas that was already founded, with his Star Wars movie that has already been done. Its a double heist, because it was not enough to copy fundamental aspects of Star Wars first trilogy. Along the way, he also robs from Akira Kurosawa, who Lucas already pulled from in his day, although in a much more original manner.

At least Lucas looked to the characters and plot of a minor and, at the time, fairly unknown Kurosawa adventure to create the story of that galaxy far, far away: The Hidden Fortress (1958). The samurais become Jedis, Princess Yuki becomes Princess Leia, and coupled with Lucass never-before-seen visual imagery, the rest is history. Snyder plagiarizes nothing less than The Seven Samurai. The central story of Rebel Moon is identical to the Japanese masterpiece, of which there have been several official remakes and a few undercover ones, like Pixars Bugs, in which a farming community receives a violent visit by a spaceship full of evildoers belonging to a tyrannical power, who spare their lives in exchange for the eventual delivery of their crops, a timeline they take advantage of to look for warriors on neighboring planets to help them confront their oppressors. Naturally, the group is formed by seven individuals; among them, a mercenary who looks like a clone in both attitude and manners to Han Solo.

In an interview for the British magazine Empire during the summer of 2023, Snyder admitted that he wanted to make The Seven Samurai in space and that he knew that the origins for George were a lot of those Kurosawa films. He says it as a visionary would, as if no one previously knew this fact, as if he had discovered it, like the Adelantado Diaz de Carreras.

Sofia Boutella, in Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire.'

Rebel Moons prologue, for its part, with its explanations of the state of the galaxy, tyrannical power and corrupt senators, smells so much like Star Wars that the pillage seems insurmountable. But the epilogue still has one more surprise in store, a dont leave yet, the plunders not over, which we will refrain from revealing, but which steals one of the most emblematic moments in Star Wars regarding the relationships between its characters. As if nobody knew about it, as if he had discovered it, like the Adelantado Diaz de Carreras.

Meanwhile, visually, Snyder applies his own stylistic stamp: the slow-motion action sequences, the recruitment of a group of performers with imposing physiques and debatable acting ability. But we are far from the narrative solidity that he gave to the graphic novel Watchmen for its notable film adaptation, and from his spectacular debut, Dawn of the Dead (2004), which augured possible triumphs.

After seeing A Fistful of Dollars, directed by Sergio Leone in 1964, and seeing its numerous similarities with 1961s Yojimbo, Kurosawa sent a letter to the Italian in which he told him: Signor Leone, I have just had the chance to see your film. It is a very fine film, but it is my film. And he sued him. With Snyders offering, Kurosawa wouldnt even have the consolation of it being a very fine film.

Coda: Before the Yojimbo plagiarism case went to trial, a financial agreement was reached: its Japanese producers would get 15 percent of the total proceeds of For a Fistful of Dollars, plus exclusive rights to its distribution in Japan and South Korea.

Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire Director: Zack Snyder. Cast: Shay Hatten, Sofia Boutella, Michael Husman, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou. Genre: adventure. U.S., 2023. Platform: Netflix. Duration: 132 minutes. Netflix premiere in the U.S.: December 21.

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New Delhi, Dec 21 : The French government has submitted a formal response to India's tender for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets which includes terms-conditions and pricing of the deal for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers -- INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, sources in the Defence Ministry said.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The French government has submitted a formal response to India's tender for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets which includes terms-conditions and pricing of the deal for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers -- INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, sources in the Defence Ministry said.

Defence sources said that this deal could be estimated at around Rs 50,000 crore.

Sources added that in a response to India's letter of acceptance (LoA), France has now submitted its bid in New Delhi.

A team of French government officials dealing with military sales to other countries has come from Paris to bid on the Indian tender.

Earlier, the Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had approved proposals to procure 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets for the Indian Navy.

The Ministry of Defence said that DAC granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French government through an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).

The Ministry added that the price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries.

The integration of Indian designed equipments and establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents in due negotiations.

A detailed letter of request (LoR) had also been issued by the Indian Defence Ministry to the French Directorate General of Armaments for the proposed deal. It included 22 single-seat jets and four twin-seat trainers, along with weapons, simulator, spares, crew training and logistics support, sources said.

According to the defence experts, France has now responded with its offer, pricing and other detail.

Once the contract is inked after the cost negotiations and the Cabinet Committee on Security's final nod, deliveries will begin in three years.

According to defence experts, there is an urgent requirement for aircraft and submarines, as the Indian Navy has been facing shortages and needs to shore up its requirements keeping in mind security challenges, especially in the Indian Ocean region.

Aircraft carriers -- INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant -- have been operating the MiG-29s and need the Rafales for operations on both carriers.

The deals are estimated to be worth thousands of crore but the final cost will only be clear only after the contract negotiations are completed, a source added.

India is likely to seek some concession in the price and may also insist on greater focus on a 'Make In India' content in it, an official said.
Aligarh, Dec 21 : The BJP Minority Cell in Aligarh has asked the Uttar Pradesh government for compensation to be extended to the family of 55-year-old Ishrat Nigar, who was shot in the head on December 8 allegedly by a Sub-Inspector (SI) at a local police station.

The Minority Cell has urged the government to provide Rs one crore as compensation and secure a government job for one family member.

In a letter addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP Minority Cell expressed their request, stating, "We request you to provide a government job to any member of the family and financial and social assistance of Rs one crore."

The Minority Cell had sent the letter through the local administration.

Farheen Mohsin Ansari, District Vice-President of the BJP Minority Cell, said, "Minority Morcha has stood with the victim's family. We have demanded compensation to provide justice to the bereaved family."

The police apprehended SI Manoj Sharma from Aligarh city on Saturday after he went into hiding following the incident.

The victim, who had visited the city police station for passport verification ahead of a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital last week.
Jalaun : , Dec 21 (IANS) The Delhi Police have taken into custody a man from Jalaun's Orai in connection with the security breach at Parliament on December 13, Jalaun Superintendent of Police (SP), Iraj Raja, said.

The man was identified as Atul Kulshrestha, 50, a father of four, from Orai's Ram Nagar locality.

The SP added that the Delhi Police has taken Kulshrestha to Delhi.

"A team of Delhi Police came here and have taken one person to Delhi with them. The team did not share many details about this with us," said Raja.

Kulshrestha, according to people who are aware of the development, was a member of the Bhagat Singh Fans Club, a social media page/group, of which the five accused arrested for the security breach were members.

At least one of the accused had chatted with him in the group.

Kulshrestha, a high school dropout who hails from a modest family, is said to have engaged in Left-driven activities. He is known for his steadfast belief in Leftist ideology in Orai. He was part of the group on social media like the five accused arrested in the case.
We asked staffers at childrens publishing houses to tell us about their favorite childrens or YA book they read this year. Our only condition: it couldnt be a book that their company had published. Here we present their recommendationshappy reading!

Alvina Ling, v-p and editor-in-chief, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

My favorite read of the year was The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day. Alison Morris of First Book gives monthly book recommendations on my podcast with Grace Lin, Book Friends Forever, and her rave about this book made me immediately want to read it. I listened to the audiobook and found it to be utterly delightful. I loved the conversational voice sprinkled with humorous asides, the informative and engaging facts, and most of all this book tells an incredible story that I had no idea even happened. I found myself recounting so many facts to my husband and friends while I read, and when I finished the book I immediately went back and listened to the beginning again.

Kate OSullivan, executive editor, Clarion Books

As an editor, I was green with envy when I first read Gideon Sterer and Charles Santosos collab, I Will Read to You. But as an aunt to four picture book readers, I cheered. This book has lots of sparkle and surprise, loveable monsters of all stripes, and a rallying call to kindness. Though I predict well be savoring this one year-round, it gets bonus points for being an extra sweet treat during many readers favorite seasonthe spooky one.

Kay Frost, inventory assistant, Candlewick Press

My recommendation is Little Thieves by Margaret Owen. Until I started at Candlewick this year, I was a bookseller, and this is the book I shoved at absolutely everyone and anyone. Owen is a witty, meticulous writer with a rare eye for craft, and her retelling of the little-known Brothers Grimm tale The Goose Girl is her best work yet. It feels overdone to say this is the book I wish Id had as a kid, but I really mean it.

Emily Ritter, assistant director of digital marketing, Simon & Schuster

All Thats Left to Say by Emery Lord went and destroyed me. As a long-time Lord fan, I was so excited to read this new book, but I didnt expect it to run me over in such a beautiful way. The alternating timelines between past and present drew me through the story, and the love between Hannah and her best friend, Sophie, was everything. I desperately wanted to hold Hannah as she struggled with her loss and grief. I loved all the secrets in this book, the swoony romance, the mystery of what happened, and above all, the friendship that is at the heart of every Emery Lord book. I immediately wanted to read it again, and Im sure I will!

Kate Egan, executive editor, Pixel + Ink

This year I re-read one of my all-time favorites, Tim Federles Better Nate Than Ever, as research for a series I am developing. I love Nates wry voice and big dreams, plus I love being right there with him as he sees that the world is so much bigger than he had dared to imagine. Even on third reading, this book still makes me laugh and cry (for real!). Also, I first listened to it on a long-ago road trip with my own kids, not New Yorkers, and because of Nate they still believe that Duane Reade is a magical wonderland.

Katie Cunningham, senior v-p, editorial, and associate publisher, Candlewick Press

I read Huda F. Cares? by Huda Fahmy like a ball rolls downhill. Opened it up... read a few pages... read more pages... read the whole thing in one feverish hour. After that and over the next couple of days, I read everything of Hudas that I could get my eyeballs on. Huda F. Are You? Yes. That Can Be Arranged? Absolutely. Yes, Im Hot in This? You betcha. I only stopped because I ran out of material but Im waiting patiently. Sort of.

Feather Flores, editor, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

I just loved J.P. Takahashi and Minako Tomigaharas Tokyo Night Parade. Its lush and wondrous, with an undercurrent of fierce lovea celebration big enough to hold the sorrow, confusion, and longing of belonging to many worlds but not always having easy answers about how they fit together, a sentiment that diasporic readers understand well. Ive made a special place in my heart for this one!

Susan Van Metre, executive editorial director, Walker Books US

My first boss, Donna Brooks, was a brilliant, exacting editor. So when she admired a book, I knew to have high expectations. And young adult books, relatively few and often message-heavy in those days, rarely won her praise. Except the books of New Zealander Margaret Mahy. Donna adored them.

I read a few while working for her but somehow never got around to reading The Changeover, Mahys best-known book. But I was listening to Caroline ODonoghues insightful, irreverent podcast, Sentimental Garbage, and she talked at length about The Changeover. A very cool teacher had assigned The Changeover to Caroline in school and it had a big influence on her as a writer. A very cool teacher because it is a book about witchcraft and gender confusion and demon possession and sexual longing. To quote Caroline, Its a banger, and one that presaged so many of todays romantic fantasies. But it also has something rare, even in todays YA novels: parent characters who have their own agendas and complicated lives on the page. So maybe reading it now, 30 years after Donna praised it, was meant to be. Because Ive had my own changeover, to parenthood, and reading about a mother and teenage daughter who see each others full, messy humanity was definitely what I needed this year.

Megan Noes, marketing coordinator, education and library, Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing

I love Looking Up by Stephan Pastis and didnt expect such nuance and humor in this middle grade book. The main character reminded me of myself as a kidsnarky and sweet. Pastis manages to comically and touchingly depict the familiar angst of trying to resist change and deal with, or not deal with, grief. The best moments are with the strange yet authentic side characters, like the grumpy shopkeeper who can magically select the right toy for each kid, but only if theyve done their homework. I felt somewhat duped that I didnt see the twist coming, but it was completely worth it to get to spend time in Looking Ups world.

Phoebe Kosman, director of marketing, publicity, and key partnerships, Candlewick Press

Finding a bedtime book that my two sons, nine and six, will agree on is becoming increasingly tricky: my older son craves plot and sophistication, while the younger one loves silly illustrated stories about friendship but cant tolerate emotional conflict. With its strong characterization, lowish-stakes suspense, and sweet humor, not to mention its gorgeous illustrations, Mika Songs brilliant Fort Greene Park-set squirrel graphic novel tetralogywhich began with Donut Feed the Squirrels, Apple of My Pie, and Pizza My Heartbrilliantly fills the bill. We couldnt wait for One Smart Cookie to come out this summer. It was even better and funnier than wed hoped, while (spoiler) answering the timeless question of who actually writes fortune-cookie fortunes, and it swiftly found a place in our bedtime-book rotation.

Andrea Colvin, editorial director, Graphic Publishing, Little, Brown Ink

Dan Santats A First Time for Everything was absolutely exhilarating. It perfectly captured both middle-school angst and the joy of a first requited crush, both set against the background of experiencing something completely newa different culture and placefor the first time. Even more, this book isexquisitelyabout that first moment in our lives when we realize growth is happening, and that we are becoming someone new. A beautiful, sweet, perfect read.

Steph Stilwell, senior designer, Little Bee Books

My favorite book of the year is The Unfortunate Life of Worms by Noemi Vola. Its a hefty book, decked out in pink painted edges and a satin pink bookmark ribbon. It was the striking design that first stood out to me on the shelf, and I was so pleasantly surprised when I flipped through its pages. At first, it appears to be a book that provides worm facts, but quickly becomes so much more than thattheres a lot to learn from these earnest little worms! Not only is it a book that doesnt take itself too seriously, but the illustrations are so, so fun. Highly recommend for anyone, not just kiddos.

Lisa Yoskowitz, executive editorial director, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Time loop novels are tough to get right, but 2022 saw the publication of two YA time loop novels that I think knocked it out of the park: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter (which I read and loved last fall), and See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon, which I listened to on audiobook this year. The characters are amazing, the transition from high school to college life felt so honest, and each twist and turn was flawlessly executed. Im a fan of Solomons writing and the way she centers smart, feminist, layered Jewish protagonists as they navigate life and love. As a teen, I only saw Jewish characters in Holocaust narratives, so Im so glad that todays teens have Solomons positive, uplifting, contemporary Jewish rep on the page.
Alexa Pastor at Simon & Schuster has acquired two projects by Rachael Lippincott (l.) and Alyson Derrick. The first book, Make My Wish Come True, is a YA holiday Hallmark movie meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, set for fall 2024, about a messy and reckless teen actor who needs to clean up her reputation and stages a fake romance with her childhood best friend, hoping a little positive press will land her a dream role. In the second, She Gets the Girl: A Christmas Novella, planned for fall 2025, Alex and Molly visit a cozy, Christmas-loving town where they try to matchmake their friends Cora and Mayand reveal the secrets they've been keeping from each other. Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management sold world rights.



Jonah Heller at Peachtree Teen and Clare Hallifax at Walker Australia have jointly bought This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska. In this queer YA romantasy, a mischievous rusaka blackmails her local exorcist into helping her regain her humanity by winning a kiss from a mortal. Her plan goes awry when they both fall for the handsome boy who may be linked to her dark past. U.S. publication is planned for fall 2024, with Walker Australia to follow in its territories; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency sold world rights.



Gary Groth at Fantagraphics Underground Press has acquired Secrets of a Lost Diary, a YA graphic novel by Mexican-American artist Santiago Cohen, a story of two diaries that touches on the impact of dementia in a family, historical trauma and the Holocaust, LGBTQIA+ in two generations, and immigration. Publication is scheduled for September 2024; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary did the deal for world English rights.



Jill Davis at Hippo Park has bought The Fangdellas by political cartoonist Chris Britt, a middle grade graphic novel about the adventures of a multigenerational vampire family whose comfortable castle life is turned upside down when their son hurls insults at a few of the most famous monsters of all time. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Timothy Travaglini at Transatlantic Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.



Alex Arnold at Quirk Books has acquired, in a three-book deal, world rights to Zoomi & Zoe by Corey Ann Haydu (l.), illustrated by Anne Appert, an early chapter book series that explores life's first big transitions through the unlikely friendship between a glittery monster and her imaginary frienda girl from the human world. Publication of the first book is set for spring 2025; Victoria Marini at High Line Literary Collective represented the author, and Charlotte Wenger at Prospect Agency represented the illustrator.



Tara Walker at Tundra Books has acquired a picture book series by Jashar Awan, centered around a tow truck driving toad. In the first book, Towed by Toad, Toad learns that sometimes even helpers need to ask for help. Publication of book one is planned for fall 2024 with the second following in fall 2025; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio sold North American rights.



Grace Maccarone at Holiday House has bought The Biggest Fibber by Chris Britt, an escalating boy-who-cried-wolf picture book in which one of Sam's world-class fibs spins horribly out of control. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Timothy Travaglini at Transatlantic Agency brokered the deal for world rights.



Liza Baker at Scholastic has acquired world rights to Mama Says I'm Fine by Brittney Cooper (l.), illustrated by Tamisha Anthony, a playful expression of love and admiration from a daughter to her mother, celebrating the reassurance, unwavering love, and self-confidence that Mama gives her throughout her life. Publication is planned for spring 2026. Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.



Wendy McClure at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has bought world rights, in a two-book deal for the author, to Judgy Bunny and the Terrible Beach by Scott Rothman (l.), illustrated by Linzie Hunter, a picture book about a bunny who goes to the beach where the sun is too bright, and the view is awful, and ice cream is yucky, and beach balls are too round, but discovers that making a friend can change all that. Publication is set for April 2026; Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the author, and Lindsay Auld at Writers House represented the illustrator.



Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books has acquired world rights to Message in the Mooncake by debut author Sapphire Chow (l.), illustrated by Xiaojie Liu. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yuan Dynasty China, Su-Ling uses her wit and courage on a perilous mission: delivering mooncakes that contain secret plans for a revolution. Publication is slated for fall 2024; Anjanette Barr at Dunham Literary represented the author, and Amy Milligan at Illo Agency represented the illustrator.



Cherrita Lee while at Beaming Books bought Will and Krill by Grenadian author-illustrator Stacey Byer; Naomi Krueger will edit. This picture book follows Will, a teeny-tiny whale living in the Caribbean Sea, who wants a friend more than anything. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Christa Heschke and Daniele Hunter at McIntosh and Otis sold world rights.



Della Farrell at Holiday House has acquired world rights to Nancy So Miller's debut picture book Sun, Moon and Star, the retelling of a Korean folktale about three sisters who outsmart a tiger. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary Agency brokered the deal.



Katie Scott at Kids Can Press has bought world rights to I Like Your Face by Brad Davidson (l.) and Rachel Mas Davidson, a picture book celebration of male friendship. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis did the deal.



Kristen Nobles at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Listen First (Then Go!), a board book by Andrea J. Loney (l.), illustrated by Caroline Dittmann, about a grizzly bear and a goat on a hike that is suddenly filled with obstacles thanks to the goat's refusal to follow directions, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Babies submission for publication in fall 2024. Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Articles detailing more growth in the seemingly unstoppable manga category, the increasing respect for comics as a medium in traditional publishing, and the ongoing struggles of librarians and comics retailers were among the most-read stories on comics and graphic novels published by PW this year. The following are our top 10 most read articles on comics from 2023.

10. MangaAll Kinds, All FormatsGoes Global

Strong North American manga sales in recent years have resulted in a vibrant and still-growing marketplace offering a wide range of manga and manga-adjacent pop culture content from around the world.

9. Why It Matters That Marvel Comics Are Becoming Penguin Classics

In September, Penguin released the three latest titles in its Penguin Classics Marvel Collection. We spoke with the series editor, Ben Saunders, and two authors who wrote forewords to the books, Jerry Craft and Rainbow Rowell, about the importance of enshrining comics in the literary canon.

8. K-Pop Comes to Comic Books

This fall, hit K-pop bands including BTS, ENHYPHEN, and Tomorrow x Together made their debut in bookstores and comic shops across North Americaas a trio of full-color comics from IZE Press.

7. The Nothing Special Webcomic Has Become Something Special

What started as a hastily scrawled notebook of ideas on creator Katie Cooks way back from a Chicago comics convention has turned into an immensely popular webtoonand, soon, a graphic novel series from Ten Speed Graphic.

6. Librarians Strike Back Against Comics Bans

Comics and graphic novels are prime targets in the current battle to ban books at libraries across the country, and librarians who have championed the comics form find themselves on the front lines.

5. Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder Is Coming in March 2024

Good news for Dog Man fans: more adventures of the crime-fighting canine are on the way. Scholastic will publish the 12th book in Dav Pilkey's mega-selling graphic novel series this coming March.

4. A New Era for New York Comic Con

Our annual preview of the biggest pop culture fan event in North America, which returned to the Javits Center in October, bringing with it new fandoms and exemplifying a fast-changing pop culture events industry.

3. Comics Retailers Navigate a New Normal

Booksellers talk shop about how comics salesand store management challengesgrew in 2022.

2. Will Sales of Manga Ever Even Out?

As the booming category shifts to a slower burn, manga publishers and retailers are looking toward digital innovations and global models.

1. Marjane Satrapi Is Done with Comics, But Never Art or the Revolution

The Iranian-French author of Persepolis, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023 with a new edition, discusses her shift from comics to film, the banning of books in America, and her pride in Iran's young revolutionaries.

Honorable Mention: Goodreads Category Removal Sparks Outcry

After nominations for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards opened, Goodreads came under fire for its decision to eliminate several categories, including for graphic novels and children's and middle grade books.
Alstom, the global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has signed a contract worth 3 million with the Hungarian company MAV-Vagon for the overhaul of the bogie frames of 25 Traxx electric locomotives that are part of its MAV-START fleet.

By overhauling the bogie frames, MAV-Vagon aims to improve the quality and reliability of its rolling stock, and increase their safety and efficiency of rail transport. It is expected that the project to overhaul the bogie frames for 25 Traxx electric locomotives will take three years.

Two companies will jointly carry out the overhauls. MAV-VAGON will be responsible for the refurbishing, the bogies and dismantling and reassembling the gears, while Alstom will be responsible for overhauling the engines, and supplying new axles and wheelsets.

The work will be programmed so that the locomotives are worked on in sequence, so that when one overhaul is completed, the next one will be taken into works. MAV VAGON will dismantle, re-assemble, and commission the bogies at its headquarters at Szolnok in central Hungary, while Alstom will overhaul the engines at its factory at Hennigsdorf in Germany.

The first engines to be overhauled by Alstom left Szolnok last Monday, December 12, and after repairs and testing they are scheduled to be delivered back to Szolnok in the first three months of next year ready for installation in the renovated bogies.

Although the Traxx locomotives are the newest electric locomotives in the MAV-START fleet, they have already clocked up a total of more than 60 million kilometres in service.
Nanni Moretti rides through the streets of Rome on an electric scooter, shortly before attending a catastrophic meeting with Netflix, which will refuse to produce his new project for not conforming to its narrative dogma  it lacks a what-the-fuck moment, the platform scolds him  and being saved in extremis by a South Korean production company, which in turn will make the new geopolitics of the cultural sector quite clear. It will not be the most representative image of this years cinema, nor the most subtle, but it is one of the most congruent to define the stupor of the old European auteur cinema in 2023. A Brighter Tomorrow, Morettis latest film, arrived tinged with melancholy. It predicts that this form of filmmaking is on the path to extinction, just as the communism preached by its protagonists became a precious relic in the face of neoliberal drift, a useless souvenir to store in the attic next to the vinyl collection.

We must not be catastrophists: there are enough examples among 2023s releases to dictate that auteur cinema will not disappear, but it will be deeply transformed when those old masters are missing. We detected a more crepuscular imprint than usual in the new films by Moretti or Aki Kaurismaki (Fallen Leaves), representatives of a generation that is approaching 70 years of age, and even more in those by Marco Bellocchio (Kidnapped) or Ken Loach (The Old Oak), who are already approaching 90 and entering the final stretch of their filmographies. The same was true of the long-awaited return of the veteran Victor Erice (Close Your Eyes) and, beyond European borders, in the latest releases from Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Hayao Miyazaki (The Boy and the Heron) or Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), with which it would appear that a farewell is beginning, or so it seemed to us.

Scorseses case allows us to detect more clearly the contempt for American greed contained in his past films, although at times, rather than criticizing its effects, he seemed to glorify them. Killers of the Flower Moon leaves no room for doubt. Despite its much-discussed runtime  at 206 minutes, it led a trend to exceed three hours of footage that included Babylon, Oppenheimer and even John Wick 4  the film was a welcome antidote to the proliferation of product films: Air, Tetris and, of course, Barbie. The undisputed champion of the year, launched with a history-making campaign, was this cocktail of broad-brush genre studies and innocuous criticism of the system, tinged with nostalgia for the capitalism of yesteryear and, despite its flashes of wit, replete with fallacies that would not stand up to the test of logic. The doll that was emblematic of sexism in the 20th century magically became a feminist icon in the 21st. J. L. Austin theorized it as the performative function of language: if I say it, it will come true. With one exception, the British philosopher warned: if the criteria of authenticity fail, the action will not be completed. Fortunately for Mattel, we live in the age of cognitive dissonance.

The best films of 2023 chosen by EL PAIS critics

Fandango e Sacher Film

A Brighter Tomorrow

His films can be hit-and-miss, but there is always something pleasant about reencountering the cinema of that singular gentleman called Nanni Moretti. I am guaranteed a smile, his hallmark imagination, and a bittersweet style to present his unusual vision of people and things. Moretti possesses a personality that is as intelligent as it is identifiable to portray the lights and shadows of this complex thing called life. The director continues to believe in the survival of a rational left that is not indebted to jaded and mendacious slogans, subversive in the name of truth, even if it is uncomfortable. CARLOS BOYERO

And also: Oppenheimer, by Christopher Nolan; One Fine Morning, by Mia Hansen-Lve;The Fabelmans, by Steven Spielberg; Not Such an Easy Life, by Felix Viscarret; The Eight Mountains, by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch; Andreas Love, by Manuel Martin Cuenca; They Shot the Piano Player, by Fernando Trueba; Jokes & Cigarettes, by David Trueba; and Coup de chance, by Woody Allen.

Trenque Lauquen

In Laura Citarellas film and the Buenos Aires indie collective Pampero Cine, many paths and references cross, from Michelangelo Antonioni to Violeta Parra, but with a single purpose: that of narrating. We are introduced to a territory as real as it is fictitious, fertile with imagination and life. This film of over four hours follows the path of a woman who one day decides to leave, and two men who are looking for her. Mysteries, intrigues, adventures, romances... everything fits in this movie-river brimming with genres (science fiction, thriller, comedy), wit, and happiness. ELSA FERNANDEZ-SANTOS

And also: Fallen Leaves, by Aki Kaurismaki; Close Your Eyes, by Victor Erice; The Fabelmans, by Steven Spielberg; Anatomy of a Fall, by Justine Triet; Killers of the Flower Moon, by Martin Scorsese; Creatura, by Elena Martin; Pictures of Ghosts, by Kleber Mendonca Filho; Asteroid City, by Wes Anderson; and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, by Laura Poitras.

Anatomy of a Fall

The forensic analysis of a murder  or of a suicide  becomes something much more interesting, ambitious, and complex: the forensic analysis of a couple, of a way of establishing a romantic relationship, of a way of being in society, and even of a way of being artists and of linking their professional writing with the people around them. Justine Triet and Arthur Harari compose a gripping script that is both a legal thriller and a moral drama about guilt, envy, remorse, freedom, and sexism, and the director shines on many occasions with her treatment of cinematographic language, sound, and movement. An artistic and powerful look in which Sandra Huller, her actress, applies the finishing touch. JAVIER OCANA

EUROPA PRESS

Close your Eyes

Nowadays, nobody narrates or films or tells stories like this. A film from another time  and this is a compliment  alien to any trend or academy, Close Your Eyes breathes in a different way and this sublime particularity should be celebrated: this breath goes hand in hand with the disappearance of a way of making, viewing, and living cinema. The echoes of Erices (few) previous films  of the unfilmed journey in El Sur, of Ana Torrents eyes, of the unproduced script for La promesa de Shanghai (that dreamy prologue with that wonderful texture!)  merge with the echoes of both himself and his friends. And memory, always memory, lodged in the sound and light of a cinematographer. J. O.

And also: Monster, by Kore-eda Hirokazu; The Banshees of Inisherin, by Martin McDonagh; Killers of the Flower Moon, by Martin Scorsese; Oppenheimer, by Christopher Nolan; Babylon, by Damien Chazelle; 20,000 Species of Bees, by Estibaliz Urresola; Upon Entry, by Rojas and Vasquez; and A Brighter Tomorrow, by Nanni Moretti.

Decision to Leave

Between the summits of noir and the abysses of amour fou, Park Chan-wooks film carries dissociation and contrast in its two-headed identity: a cruel poem where a mountain reformulated as a crime scene rhymes with a high tide transformed into a place of sacrifice. In the shadow of Hitchcock, the South Korean director explores ambiguity in depth and uses the thriller as a false clue to talk about obsessive love, in a formalist exercise that oversaturates each shot with information and condemns his characters to burn in the same fire. JORDI COSTA

And also: La Piedad, by Eduardo Casanova; Sparta, by Ulrich Seidl; One Fine Morning, by Mia Hansen-Lve; Trenque Lauquen, by Laura Citarella; Asteroid City, by Wes Anderson; The Fantastic Golem Affairs, by Burnin Percebes; Orlando, My Political Biography, by Paul B. Preciado; The Boy and the Heron, by Hayao Miyazaki; and Samsara, by Lois Patino.

Orlando, My Political Biography

Someone believing their biography had already been written by Virginia Woolf nine decades ago sounds like an egomaniac. On the other hand, as Paul B. Preciado specifies: it is not only his, but that of many other people. And it is to them that this creative documentary is addressed, a free-flying film that shatters formats, enjoys an Orlando who was born in literature as a character and who, in the hands of Preciado, a first-time director, becomes a polyhedral tapestry, an icon to which many people who feel that masculine and feminine are political and social fictions adhere. Even so, the militancy of the documentary falls short of its poetry and its surrender to love for humanity. GREGORIO BELINCHON

Creatura

In her risk and her courage in talking about female sexuality in an unusual, accurate, and vibrantly uncomfortable way for the spectator, Elena Martin manages to combine the complicated duality of pleasing the public  which has proven to be more than prepared for films of this boldness  and the critics. The director also embodies Mila, the protagonist, a victim of the repression of her desire. But Mila is not the victim of child abuse, nor does she suffer from any trauma: herein lies one of the films great successes. Intimacy, sexuality, feminism, desire, the human body... Creatura faces up to it all. Moreover, it doesnt lose sight of the fact that it is fiction, that it must entertain. G. B.

And also: Past Lives, by Celine Song; Robot Dreams, by Pablo Berger; Pictures of Ghosts, by Kleber Mendonca Filho; Fallen Leaves, by Aki Kaurismaki; Decision to Leave, by Park Chan-wook; Society of the Snow, by Juan Jose Bayona; Trenque Lauquen, by Laura Citarella; Anatomy of a Fall, by Justine Triet.

Lifestyle pictures / Alamy / CORDON PRESS

The Fabelmans

Delving into his family history, Steven Spielberg directs one of those late-career films that allow us to reread an entire filmography in a new light. The devoted mothers of some of his movies are replaced here by a fragile and imperfect woman, his own progenitor, just as the nuclear family of the American myth gives way to a dysfunctional and fiercely human tribe. The director speaks of art as an instrument to reach truths that cannot be expressed in words and reveals some intimate wounds  from the maternal-filial trauma to his imperfect assimilation as a Jewish child  as mainstays of his cinema. ALEX VICENTE

One Fine Morning

Already firmly established in her mixture of delicate naturalism and playful autobiography, Mia Hansen-Lve authors a study, inexplicably light and luminous, on the cycles of death and resurrection that mark every existence. On the passing of our elders, the preamble to our own, and on the possibility of starting over even at the most inopportune moment. A stealthy wonder. A. V.

And also: Anatomy of a Fall, by Justine Triet; Decision to Leave, by Park Chan-wook; De Humani Corporis Fabrica, by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor; Creatura, by Elena Martin; A Brighter Tomorrow, by Nanni Moretti, Tar, by Todd Field; Orlando: My Political Biography, by Paul B. Preciado; and The Animal Kingdom, by Thomas Cailley.

Nueve Cartas (EFE)

20,000 Species of Bees

Under the conventions of the proposal, indebted to labs and film schools, Estibaliz Urresola paints a complex family portrait. The helplessness of a transgender girl in the face of social constructs that perpetuate her assignment as a boy is as significant as the reactions of incomprehension from her loved ones towards her, mediated by their own vital frustrations. From its title to its denouement, 20,000 Species of Bees reminds us that the supposed problem of difference lies in the tortuous acceptance by a vast majority of the hell of uniformity. ELISA MCCAUSLAND AND DIEGO SALGADO

And also: The Killer, by David Fincher; Flash, by Andy Muschietti; Sister Death, by Paco Plaza; The Eternal Daughter, by Joanna Hogg; Irati, by Paul Urkijo Alijo; M3GAN, by Gerard Johnstone; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, by Jeff Rowe & Kyler Spears The Substitute, by Diego Lerman; and Past Lives, by Celine Song.

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When Canadian illustrator Chelsea O'Bryne told Politico that a recently passed piece of tech legislation was "going to make it virtually impossible for freelancers like me to continue finding new clients while residing in Canada," it would have been a fair assumption that she was criticizing protectionist American legislation preferencing U.S. industry over Canadians like her.

Instead, the call was coming from inside the house. O'Bryne was railing against a key part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus technology policy agenda  a plan that is wreaking havoc on Canadians and the country's relationships with the rest of the world

The Online News Act (C-18) requires digital platforms to pay news outlets whenever a link or content is shared over their site. When a Canadian user shares a Toronto Star article with their friends on Facebook, the new law would require Facebook to pay the Toronto Star. That might sound good for news - but in reality, its a disaster for outlets and creators, as online platforms have begun cutting costly news content.

But the Online News Act is just one of several tech policy stumbles that Trudeau has made this year. The Prime Ministers recently proposed Digital Service Tax (DST), a levy on certain digital services provided by multinational tech companies, is threatening to muck up a yearslong, international effort to fairly tax online platforms, potentially sparking a trade war that would lead to higher prices and even fewer choices for Canadians.

Canada's DST attempts to unilaterally tax international digital firms instead of working within a global procedure led by the OECD to fairly tax digital services across the world. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce explained in a warning letter to the Canadian Department of Finance, the unmitigated double taxation of U.S. companies created by the DST would have real-world costs including "retaliatory measures" from the Biden Administration or even a trade war that would increase costs for American and Canadian goods of all kinds.

Well-respected Canadian policymakers have also highlighted the disastrous potential of Trudeaus proposed DST. Canadas former Minister of Foreign Affairs Perrin Beatty recently wrote that by threatening to impose a DST, Ottawa appears intent on instigating a trade war with the United States.

And if a trade war and blocked news links arent enough to undermine Canadas digital economy, Trudeau has also championed Canadas Online Streaming Act, which risks similarly dire consequences. While its goal is to force streaming platforms to back Canadian content and creators, the bill's narrow definitions of what it means to be a Canadian creator, and its requirement that platforms prioritize display of Canadian content, would actually end up downranking many undeniably Canadian artists whove built their careers on digital streaming.

As one example, Justin Bieber's hit song Despacito, made in collaboration with Puerto Rico's Luis Fonsi, would not qualify as Canadian content under the Online Streaming Act because the song was not written in its entirety by Bieber.

At a moment when many tech industry players are under intense scrutiny for developing products with a move-fast-and-break-things mentality, it appears that Trudeau has adopted the same reckless ethos when it comes to tech policy. American lawmakers should be more cautious when changing the rules of the U.S.'s $2.4 trillion digital economy.

While Canadas ecosystem of online creators, apps, and consumers is smaller than its counterpart in the States, new streaming rules threaten to ruin the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Canadian creators whove made their careers online. Canadas new link tax risks tanking web traffic for the dozens of local and niche news outlets that depend on social media sites to share stories. And the countrys proposed Digital Services Tax risks a trade standoff that would hurt Canadas entire economy.

While Trudeaus war on tech has targeted American digital platforms, its first victims will be Canadians themselves. As Canadas legislature considers moving forward with Trudeaus agenda, and as American lawmakers look on, we should watch for its impact not just on big tech, but on all of the Canadians who buy, sell, stream, search, work, relax, and connect online.
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Disney/John Fleenor

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 12/20/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Charity Lawson has revealed when she plans to marry Dotun Olubeko and what's next for them as a couple now that her stint on Dancing with the Stars is over.After getting engaged on 's twentieth season, Dotun supported Charity on Dancing with the Stars' 32nd season and they've been living together in Los Angeles, CA.When asked what's around the corner, Charity told her followers in a recent Q&A session via Instagram Stories, according to BachelorNation.com, "Although DWTS is over, I am still doing the tour for two weeks in February. In the meantime, we will be moving and spending time with family over the holidays!"Charity also teased that the pair is going to take advantage of their trip to Greece, which The Bachelor franchise had gifted them at the end of her season in August."And Dotun and I are going to Greece finally! We listened to Papa Jesse to save it for post-show and this could not be more perfect timing!" Charity said, referring to host Jesse Palmer.One person asked Charity when she and Dotun plan to get married, and Charity responded, "2025!" She also added the sparkle emoji to her post.Given couple appear to be so happy, one Instagram user sought advice on whether single people in their twenties are running out of time to find The One."I'm here to tell you that you aren't. I thought the same, but try not to give yourself a timeline. It's ok to want to have things at a certain time in life, but when you become fixated on that, you will find yourself going out of your way to obtain things and 9 times out of 10, those things won't be for you," Charity explained."Spend these years and time becoming the best version of you, finding your true interests, and being intentional about dating and who you spend your time with. Not dating because you're lonely, but dating with purpose."Dotun conducted his own Q&A session via Instagram Stories on Monday, December 18 and revealed his favorite thing about being with his fiancee."The way this woman loves is something special," he gushed. "She accepts me for me and loves the parts of me that even I don't like myself. And that's priceless in this life."Dotun also boasted about how Charity brings him "so much happiness" but they don't lose sight of themmselves in the relationship."It's tempting to attach my happiness to this relationship, but I try to always remember we are individuals first. And we both respect each other's autonomy, which helps us grow as individuals then subsequently as partners," Dotun shared.Charity and Dotun also revealed in November that they're in therapy together and are doing everything it takes to stay strong and healthy as a couple."[Dotun] is well onboard [with our sessions]. I don't want to toot my own horn, but they, like, our therapist is personally, like, really proud of us because we don't really have, like, problems," Charity explained to Life & Style."It's just, like, we're doing things to be proactive, to, like, stay ahead of, like, I guess something going wrong in the in the future."At the time, Charity also told BachelorNation.com that she and Dotun were considering a move to the East Coast "I'll probably get a glimpse and taste to see... if I fall in love with L.A," Charity shared in September.She pointed out, "But I think right now, we kind of both are looking at New York. We'll see if that could also change, too."And Dotun gushed of their relationship, "Our love has never been deeper, and I continue to fall more and more in love every day... If anything ever happens, this relationship is a priority and I think we have the communication skills to talk about it and take a step back any time it's needed."Charity went on to insist that "nothing" was going to come between them, and she told Us Weekly in a separate interview that Dotun is her "biggest fan" and cheerleader."So as busy as we get and as time-consuming as life is, I think we've both done such a fantastic job of just making sure that we're the focus of each other," Charity told Us a couple of months back.And Dotun agreed that Charity had prioritized him and would probably continue doing so."She continues to give me that reassurance, and I think I'm more excited than she is," Dotun said. "I'm like, 'Whatever, let's do this!' But I have no doubt in our ability to continue fostering our relationship, and we'll be together! It will be great."Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
Silencer Central, the largest silencer dealer in America, has just released the highly anticipated BANISH Speed K.

This suppressor is designed to meet the needs of law enforcement agents and is now available to both professionals and civilians. Developed in partnership with Federal Ammunition, the BANISH Speed K is a 5.56 suppressor that offers exceptional performance and versatility.

It is constructed using cutting-edge technology to ensure durability and longevity. The BANISH Speed K features an industry standard hub that allows for direct thread or muzzle brake mounts along with any compatible QD mounting system.

With the release of the BANISH Speed K, we are excited to bring professional-grade suppressor technology to the civilian market, said Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central. This collaboration with Federal Ammunition has allowed us to create a suppressor that exceeds expectations in terms of performance, durability, and ease of use.

Our goal at Federal is to continually improve the shooting experience, said Federals CEO and President Jason Vanderbrink. As an ammunition company driven by innovation, partnering with Silencer Central to engineer the BANISH Speed K continues our legacy of collaborating with industry partners to provide law enforcement, hunters, and shooters the best products while on duty, at the bench, or in the field.

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The full product will be launched at SHOT Show 2024 in collaboration with Federal Ammunition.
In only two years, a small, colorful vaping device called Elf Bar has become the most popular disposable e-cigarette in the world, generating billions in sales and quickly emerging as the overwhelming favorite of underage U.S. teens who vape.

Last week, U.S. authorities publicly announced the first seizure of some of the companys products, part of an operation confiscating 1.4 million illegal, flavored e-cigarettes from China. Officials pegged the value of the items at $18 million, including brands other than Elf Bar.

But the makers of Elf Bar and other Chinese e-cigarettes have imported products worth hundreds of millions of dollars while repeatedly dodging customs and avoiding taxes and import fees, according to public records and court documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Records show the makers of disposable vapes routinely mislabel their shipments as battery chargers, flashlights and other items, hampering efforts to block products that are driving teen vaping in the U.S.

The steps toward regulating disposables have been very weak and that has enabled this problem to get bigger and bigger, said Eric Lindblom, a former Food and Drug Administration official.

Fruit-and-candy-flavored disposables began pouring into the U.S. shortly before Chinese regulators banned vaping flavors last year. Officials there said they were acting to protect childrens health, but vaping executives and health experts note the ban came only after e-cigarettes began threatening sales of traditional cigarettes, which generate $200 billion annually for Chinas state-run tobacco monopoly.

Disposable e-cigarettes may soon become the victim of their own success. From Australia to England, governments are moving toward banning the single-use products, citing underage use and environmental impact.

The global backlash could lead vaping entrepreneurs to focus even more on the U.S., where loopholes and lax enforcement make it easy to disguise e-cigarettes among the thousands of daily shipments arriving by sea and air.

Discreet shipping

Elf Bar is the lead product of Shenzhen iMiracle, a privately held company based in Shenzhen, the sprawling Chinese manufacturing hub that produces more than 95% of the worlds e-cigarettes.

Elf Bar, Lost Mary and several other iMiracle brands are expected to generate $3.5 billion to $4 billion globally this year, according to industry analyst ECigIntelligence.

In the U.S., iMiracle recently abandoned the Elf Bar name due to a trademark dispute and efforts by regulators to seize its imports. Instead, its products are sold as EB Create in flavors like watermelon ice and frozen creamsicle.

A spokesman for iMiracle said the company stopped shipping Elf Bar to U.S. earlier this year and is trying to comply with regulators.

All the Elf Bar-branded products you see in the U.S. are counterfeit, Im pretty sure about this, said Jacques Xiang Li, who added that hed only worked for iMiracle for three months and was still learning about its business.

When asked about EB Create e-cigarettes he said: I cant tell you anything about that. Details on the companys U.S. sales and activities are beginning to emerge in court documents.

Earlier this year, iMiracle was forced to drop the Elf Bar name after losing a trademark case to a smaller company that already sold its own products as Elf vapes. At a 2022 court hearing in the case, U.S. distributors described skyrocketing sales.

Jon Glauser, of Demand Vape in Buffalo, N.Y., told a federal judge his company had sold more than $132 million worth of Elf Bar products, accounting for a third of its yearly profits. We were selling it faster than we could get it in, Glauser said, according to the court transcript.

Glauser attributed Elf Bars quick rise to its profit margin. Sellers make about a 30% profit, double that of other disposable e-cigarettes, he said.

IMiracles parent company, Heaven Gifts, previously described how it could help customers evade import fees and taxes. Heaven Gifts website advertised discreet shipping methods to buyers, including not mentioning e-cigarettes or its company name anywhere on the package. Instead, the company said contents would be labeled as atomizer, coil, tube, etc.

We also mark a lower value to avoid tax, the website stated, adding that customers could suggest their own value for the shipment.

In June, Heaven Gifts announced it would go offline, shortly after the FDA directed customs officials to begin seizing shipments from the company.

Despite the update, the companys spokesman indicated Heaven Gifts remains in business and staffers continue using email accounts bearing its name. The spokesman did not respond to numerous follow-up questions about the companys business.

Neither Heaven Gifts nor iMiracle appear in customs data reviewed by the AP and compiled by ImportGenius, a global trade analytics company.

The seizure announced last week suggests part of the answer: The shipments arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, and air carriers are not required to disclose the same details about their cargo as ocean vessels. The e-cigarettes were mislabeled as toys, shoes and other items.

Ships docking in the U.S., which account for most Chinese imports, must provide information on suppliers, recipients and types of cargo they are carrying. But importers can obscure their identities and products.

For example, U.S. recipient information is listed as not available for roughly 45 of over 100 shipments of e-cigarettes from China this year, according ImportGenius data. U.S. companies can avoid disclosure by using third-party shippers, called freight forwarders, who handle foreign goods on behalf of importers.

All of this suggests that these companies are incredibly sophisticated, they know how to game this system and they are intentionally doing so, said William George, research director for ImportGenius.

Its likely most disposable e-cigarettes coming into the U.S. arent even declared as vaping products.

Esco Bars, one of Elf Bars chief U.S. rivals, imported 30 shipments from China this year labeled atomizers, a generic type of hardware that turns a liquid into a spray. The Texas-based company received the shipments, weighing about 25,000 pounds each, under its shipping arm, Affiliated Imports LLC. The shipments stopped in May, after the FDA placed Esco Bars on a list of banned imports.

Another disposable maker, Magellan Technology, routinely labeled its imports as battery chargers, records show. Neither company responded to APs inquiries.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not make officials available for interviews, but pointed to the agencys recent operation in Los Angeles with the FDA.

The rise in illicit e-commerce demands that our agencies remain vigilant in intercepting shipments that could pose serious health risks to the public, Troy Miller, a senior official with the border agency, said in a release.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said that agency is committed to continuing to stem the flow of illegal e-cigarettes into the United States.

U.S. tobacco companies say their e-cigarettes  which undergo FDA review and dont come in fruity flavors  cant compete with lower-priced disposables. In recent weeks both Reynolds American and Altria filed separate legal actions against iMiracle, Esco Bars and other disposable makers.

Documents filed by Reynolds with the U.S. International Trade Commission describe elaborate techniques for smuggling disposables into the country.

In a sworn affidavit, a former FDA investigator now working for Reynolds describes vape exhibitors at a recent conference removing hidden e-cigarettes from flashlights, which is consistent with the fraudulent practice of Chinese manufacturers declaring the product as flashlights.

Last week, the commission announced it would open an investigation into the matter.

No future for vaping in China

The rise of disposable e-cigarettes in the U.S. can be traced to actions by Chinese regulators.

Chinas vaping sector is estimated to be worth $28 billion, and the U.S. accounts for nearly 60% of the countrys vape exports, according to the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce.

Chinese authorities have encouraged those exports while at the same time drastically curtailing the countrys domestic vaping business, which is controlled by several hundred private companies.

The government brought vaping companies under control of its state-run tobacco administration, beginning with a prohibition on online sales in 2019 and culminating in a sweeping ban on all flavors except tobacco.

The flavor ban sent domestic sales for large Chinese manufacturers like RLX Technology plummeting over 50%. Many vape shops and smaller producers also closed, unable to obtain government-issued licenses needed to operate.

Authorities cited concerns over unsafe additives, leaky e-juice and shoddy batteries. But experts who have spent years in the country point to another cause: vapings encroachment on government tobacco sales.

The China National Tobacco Corp., the state-run monopoly, is the largest tobacco company in the world. In cooperation with its regulatory arm, the Tobacco Monopoly Administration, the pair controls the manufacture, marketing and pricing of all cigarettes made in China.

Between 2017 and 2020, e-cigarette sales increased more than 254%, according to data firm EuroMonitor. Those sales accrued exclusively to vaping entrepreneurs, not the government.

The tobacco administration says, Well, every e-cigarette sold means one less cigarette smoked, so they are going to regulate the hell out of them now, said Dr. Ray Yip, a public health consultant and former director of the Gates Foundations China program.

Euromonitor expects e-cigarette sales of $822 million this year inside China, down more than 70% from a nearly $3 billion peak.

Everyone in the industry has suffered from the governments ban because people like flavored vapes, said Lin Jian, who owns a vape shop in Shenzhen. Jian said he can no longer afford to hire employees to help at the shop, which barely covers his expenses.

Hu Leng, manager of a contract vape manufacturer in Shenzhen said: There is no future in the domestic market. All of our products are sold to Europe and were doing well for the time being.

Exploiting loopholes

Elf Bar-maker Shenzhen iMiracle is among the companies that have built their entire business on exports.

In late 2021, the company began shipping to the U.S. to exploit a regulatory loophole: The FDA had prohibited kid-appealing flavors from reusable vapes, such as Juul, but not disposable ones.

An entrepreneur, Zhang Shengwei, founded Heaven Gifts in 2004 as an e-commerce platform for e-cigarettes. Over the years he invested in companies up and down the supply chain  makers of batteries, nicotine solutions and other components. Around 2018 the company began manufacturing its own vapes, according to iMiracles spokesman. (Heaven Gifts and iMiracle share the same building address in Shenzhen.)

Shengweis holdings now include more than a half-dozen companies, including a Hong Kong subsidiary, iMiracle HK Limited and VapeOnly Technology, which is listed as Elf Bars manufacturer on some products. The company spokesman declined to make Shengwei available for an interview.

Vaping analysts are quick to separate companies like iMiracle from more established Chinese manufacturers like Smoore International, which have longstanding relationships with regulators and vaping brands around the world.

This is much more of an opportunistic attempt to generate revenue quickly using the capacity thats there in Shenzhen, said Shane MacGuill, head of nicotine research for Euromonitor. I would guess that a long-term view is not part of the strategic play here.

A spokesperson for Chinas tobacco administration did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but the countrys regulations state that exported vapes should comply with the laws, regulations and standards of the destination country. Since the FDA has declared Elf Bar illegal, iMiracle would seem to be violating Chinese law by shipping to the U.S. But experts say such rules go unenforced.

China basically couldnt care what happens to the products if theyre selling for export, said Patricia Kovacevic, an attorney specializing in tobacco regulation. If its something for export, you are not held to any standard.

Global backlash

As brands like Elf Bar have traveled around the world, more governments are introducing measures to block their use, often citing the environmental toll of electronic waste.

Australia announced a ban on disposables over the summer. This month, French lawmakers unanimously approved a bill to prohibit disposables.

Perhaps nowhere has the backlash been more drastic than in the U.K., where health authorities have long promoted vaping as a less harmful alternative for adult smokers.

In October, the countrys conservative government called for legislation aimed at reducing underage vaping, including a potential ban on disposable products. Vaping advocates say disposables have massively damaged the industrys reputation.

Six months ago, I had a government that was very pro-vaping. Now I have a prime minister spending his time railing against vaping, said John Dunne, of U.K. Vaping Industry Association. That to me is a tsunami of change and the only thing thats changed is disposables.

Dunne blamed some of the missteps on very small, inexperienced teams of employees. He sees an improving picture, noting that iMiracle recently hired regulatory staffers to oversee compliance in Europe and the U.K. The company also recently said it would drop some of its dessert and soft drink-based flavors.

But even as iMiracle appears to be pulling back on disposables in the U.K., the company is already launching new products.

Last month, vape shops began promoting a new offering from iMiracles U.K. subsidiary: TACJA nicotine pouches.

The pouches are similar to nicotine gum and less messy than traditional chewing tobacco. They come in colorful, plastic containers displaying their flavor, strength and the tagline: powered by Elf Bar.

One Instagram post is typical of the new advertising pitch: Enjoy next level of satisfaction and unrivalled convenience, all with the same great Elf Bar taste you know and love.

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Tameka and her 8-year-old-daughter hang out outside of their apartment in Atlanta Oct. 2, 2023. Tameka's daughter is the only one of her four children who regularly leaves the apartment to play with other children or attend a local after-school program. Shes never attended school, and is one of tens of thousands of children nationwide who are not enrolled in any kind of schooling.
Olyn Lamar Gee lived a full life. He was a beloved member of Athens, the University of Georgia and each of the communities he devoted his time to. Gee, a former wedding photographer who enrolled as a UGA student in his 60s, died on Sunday, Nov. 12. He was 76.
'The Bills (Bharatiya Saksha, Bharatiya Nagarik Sanhita and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) are arbitrary, opaque and ambiguous and structurally quite violent.'

Kindly note the image has only been published for representational reasons.

Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah will speak on the Bharatiya Saksha(a bill to consolidate and to provide for general rules and principles of evidence for fair trial), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (a bill to consolidate and amend laws related to criminal procedure) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (a bill to consolidate and amend the provisions relating to offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto) in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday December 20, afternoon.

"These bills reinforce power: Whoever us in power might benefit. These bills disproportionately favour the law enforcement agencies, and the prosecuting State," Senior Supreme Court Advocate Shahrukh Alam tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.

Part 1 of the Interview: 'The police will be significantly more militarised'

For killing somebody, the punishment could be only seven years, but for concealing your identity, it's ten years.

I'm saying that it's very arbitrary.

The Bills (Bharatiya Saksha, Bharatiya Nagarik Sanhita and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) also are arbitrary, opaque and ambiguous and structurally quite violent; they are also, linguistically hegemonic.

Plus they do cause a rupture in that it affects the existing jurisprudence in unpredictable ways. All these points are actually very colonial in their exercise of power.

The opaqueness, the ambiguity, the arbitrariness, the rupture, the structural violence, the centralisation of power, all of these are elements of colonialism and authoritarianism.

Could you list some of the most draconian clauses that are part of this new criminal jurisprudence that India will come under?

I would prefer the word arbitrary because a lot of discretion is given to the police.

If you say draconian, the response would be that it may or may not happen. It will depend on the context. But depending on the context is such an arbitrary thing, and it's always the Executive that would be depending on the context. That makes it more arbitrary, ambiguous than overtly draconian.

In terms of substantive law again, these definitions that we were discussing of subversive acts or the definition of terrorist acts which centre only on property damage or provocation and intimidation of the government (are also very vague).

And then moving on to procedural laws, there is this detention without charge being reinforced.

Secondly, the transplanting of these bail provisions from the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) into the IPC (Indian Penal Code), into the Nyaya Sanhita is also, to my mind, making very exceptional laws mainstream.

Thirdly, these discretionary powers being given to arresting officers are also arbitrary.

The arbitrariness of sentencing in instances of mob lynching when compared to instances of concealment of identity in marriage.

So what happens next? Now, of course, the bills will be enacted, and they will become laws.

What happens once these laws are enacted? What happens to the cases that are still in the courts under the previous criminal jurisprudence?

First of all, I don't know if they'd be enacted. I'm hoping that they're not enacted in the current form.

I'm hoping that even before the Parliamentary Committee, there's scope for more debate. This actually reads like a first draft. There are incomplete sentences. There are many, many, errors. This is not even a final draft.

This draft needs a lot more work before it's actually enacted. But when it is enacted, again, there is no clarity as to what would be the relationship with the already developed jurisprudence.

In terms of substantive law, the rule is that criminal law does not act retrospectively. So a new offence, if created in the new code, will not apply retrospectively.

Although, it is also true that there are not that many new offences being created. It's more a jumbling up of the old offences -- giving them new sections and rearranging them, apparently to 'decolonise our minds'.

As opposed to non-retrospectivity of substantive laws, change in procedure might apply immediately to ongoing trials. That will cause immense confusion.

Whatever new introductions there are -- both to substantive law and to procedural law -- are very fundamental in the sense that they formalise practices that were not considered very progressive, or very good practices. They used to take places in the shadows.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi speaks in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session of Parliament, August 10, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Will these laws favour the ruling party, the government in power? How would these laws, politically speaking, impact what the Opposition can do or say against the government of the day?

These bills reinforce power: Whoever us in power might benefit. These bills disproportionately favour the law enforcement agencies, and the prosecuting State.

Are there any checks and balances? Or, are they not very evident?

No, because the whole framework formalises and legitimises the exercise of discretionary power against the accused persons by the law enforcement agencies. So that's quite one sided.

A prime example is when other countries are talking about detention (without charges) in terms of hours, why is our investigation process being turned on its head and being kept open-ended?

All you have to say is that there's a conspiracy and there might have been some crime. I'm investigating, and you can keep a person in jail for 90 days.

This is immense unilateral power given to the investigating agencies without any safeguards (for protection of the liberty of citizens).

There's a very interesting report. It's called the Lord Carloway report about Scotland and their criminal law reforms. And it records that the mean period of time for which people are kept in detention without charge is 4 hours.

83 per cent of the people are kept in detention without charge for 4 hours. About 0.5 per cent exceed 12 hour periods.

(And in India) we are talking (of detaining somebody) in terms of 90 to 180 days. That to me is extraordinary. It's exceptional.

People's civil/human liberty is not even part of the discussion. It's not even part of the framework of the procedural part of the Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, an act of apparent 'decolonisation'. That to me is ironical.

Then these very broad expanded definitions of subversive activities -- our conversation (this interview) could be very subversive. And we could be arrested because it's a cognisable offense, so it does give immense power (to the investigating agencies).

The democratic government has actually criminalised any critique of itself or its laws and its policies.

It can say that you're provoking me, intimidating me, so off you go to jail.

Could these laws be challenged in a court of law? Can the government make such a law?

This argument that nobody was consulted and nobody participated in decision making has been raised in different contexts before.

For instance, in the context of the abrogation of Article 370.

Similarly, it was argued in the Central Vista case very comprehensively by Senior Advocate Shyam Devan and Justice Sanjeev Khanna's dissent (as opposed to the majority judgment) recognised it.

The majority (of the judges comprising the bench that heard this case) said that you don't have such a right, but the dissenting judgment (by Justice Sanjeev Khanna) said that there should be a right to consultation.

I don't know if that particular argument will hold the field because that's not the majority view.

There are many sections in the proposed bills that can be challenged in terms of their Constitutionality like the definition of subversive activities, the very broad definition of the terrorist act, the power to handcuff as it goes against the fundamental right to dignity, and also the D K Basu judgment of the Supreme Court.

Hopefully, this extended period of detention without charges would also be challenged, but lack of participation (in Parliament) may not be a legal ground because as of this moment it doesn't hold the field.

Can one say that these laws are being brought in to ring fence the Executive as well as the government? That with these laws in place nobody will be able to seek accountability from the government in power?

It certainly does give a lot more power to the executive and the government, particularly the law enforcement agencies.
'I don't know why they should feel scared. They have a big majority, they shouldn't feel scared.'

'They should let us speak and then they can always vote however they want to. I have no idea (what's scaring the government).'

'It actually baffles me why they should indulge in these kinds of tactics.'

IMAGE: Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament, December 19, 2023. Photograph: Sansad TV

With over 141 Opposition MPs suspended in two days -- 49 MPs on December 19 and 78 MPs on December 18 -- from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Parliament now resembles a graveyard and India will soon reach a North Korea-kind of situation fears Karti Chidambaram, the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu.

Karti Chidambaram spoke to Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com about his suspension, the government's apparent motive in doing so and how the Opposition now plans to meet the challenge and keep democracy alive.

"The BJP wants an Opposition-less Parliament, where Parliament only functions as a rubber stamp for their diktats," says Karti Chidambaram.

Why were you suspended? You've been one among the 141 MPs, who have been suspended from Parliament. In the light of what happened today, how do you look at Parliamentary democracy in India?

The BJP wants an Opposition-less Parliament, where Parliament only functions as a rubber stamp for their diktats.

Even though they have a brutal majority, they seem to be suffering from some grave insecurity complex. I have no idea why they have to feel insecure.

There has been a criminal trespass into Parliament (because of) intelligence failure and security failure.

All we wanted (the Opposition MPs who were suspended today) was that the home minister (Amit A Shah) come to the floor of the House, take the House into confidence, give a statement on what happened, what are the steps they are taking to avoid such a situation (in the future), and what is the status of the investigation in the presence of the prime minister. But I do not know for what reason they are refusing to do it.

I can only assume it's their (the prime minister's and home minister's) ego which prevents them from coming (to the House) and doing this (making a statement about Parliament breach).

So we've been making this demand, and since they don't want to heed this demand, and we've been persistent with it, they have suspended over 140 Members of Parliament. Now Parliament has no Opposition worth its name.

And they are going to bring in bills which will have far reaching consequences, which anyway, they would have passed.

I'm not saying that we would have been able to prevent them (the three bills that plan to overhaul the Indian Penal Code). They would have passed (the three bills), but at least we would have been able to record our dissent and our differences to these bills but that opportunity has been denied to the people of India.

We are fast hurling towards a North Korea-kind of a situation where only the synchronised clapping is missing right now.

Apart from these three bills would the government have plan to legislate any other bill? What kind of legislative work does the government intend to do in the absence of these 141 MPs?

They have introduced bills. They are passing bills today without us. They are passing bills without our voice being heard or our opinions being recorded. They are passing it. This is what they want. They want Parliament to be a stamping house.

They don't want Parliament to be a House for discussion and debate anymore.

What's scaring the government?

I don't know why they should feel scared. They have a big majority, they shouldn't feel scared.

They should let us speak what we want to speak and then they can always vote however they want to. I have no idea (what's scaring the government). It actually baffles me why they should indulge in these kinds of tactics.

They could have easily made a statement, easily indulged us by giving a platform to speak and they have the numbers to get anything passed.

Why wouldn't the prime minister or the home minister make a statement on the floor of the House about last week's intrusion into the Lok Sabha?

I do not know why they persist in not coming. They (the prime minister and home minister) don't even come to the House. They have not made a statement. I have no idea. Other than their ego (I don't see any other reason for their absence).

I see no reason why they would not have paid heed to our request.

What would be the Opposition strategy now?

I'm not equipped to say that. I think most of us have been suspended so we can't even go to Parliament. So we have to raise our voice elsewhere and bring it to the attention of the nation on what's happening.

Will the Opposition hit the streets now?

People sometimes view protests differently, but the point is we have to take the message across to the people in many, many ways to keep democracy alive in India. The fact that I'm even speaking to you is a method (of speaking to the people of India).

Maybe we will go, all MPs will go back to our constituencies, we will talk to our party workers; the respective parties will carry the message.

Whether we are going to have an organised mass protest about something or not is something the leadership will decide.

What was the justification for suspending 41 MPs in one single day?

I have no idea. I do not know why I was suspended.

I was neither sloganeering nor was I holding a placard in my hand. I do not know why I was suspended.

Dimple Yadav (Samajwadi Party MP from Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh) didn't even get out of her seat and she's been suspended.

Mr V Vaithilingam (the Congress MP from Puducherry) was in his seat and he was suspended. So I have no idea.

In fact, they should explain why we have been suspended. I told you, it's just a mass purge in Parliament. There's no thought out and there's no focus on what anybody did, which is unconscionable.

If you singularly ask questions (to MPs), they will not be able to point out why we were suspended.

What makes this government so stubborn?

You're asking me to read their mind. Maybe they're insecure.

I don't know why they have to do that when they have such a big majority. You should ask them, not me.
'The party is breaking stereotypes by not inviting senior leaders to become chief ministers.'

'No other party has had the guts to do this.'

IMAGE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav waves to the crowd during the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Ujjain, December 16, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

"There are several experienced individuals who have had good parliamentary careers and won by big margins in the state election, but that was not the BJP's criteria to select chief ministers in the three states," explains Professor Yatindra Singh Sisodia, Director, Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Science Research, Ujjain.

The author-editor of 22 books, Professor Sisodia's areas of interest are democracy, decentralised governance, electoral politics, tribal issues, and developmental issues.

"These decisions have been taken by the party organisation with utmost precision," Professor Sisodia tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih.

What made the BJP select Mohan Yadav as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh which came as a surprise even to himself?

The central BJP leadership sent a strong message by making an OBC leader as chief minister. In view of the BJP's campaign in the run-up to the election, it was clear that Shivraj Singh Chouhan was already out of the race.

The obvious choice would have been Prahlad Patel, but the party must have had several reasons for selecting Mohan Yadav:

It wanted someone who was not much known in the public domain. They have followed this in all three states.

The Yadav surname has a special significance among OBCs and resonates across the country and other Hindi Heartland states including Bihar.

Mohan Yadav is articulate and has a very good equation with both state and central leadership. He has deep roots in the Sangh Parivar.

He has shown his ability to the party since he was a student leader from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the 1980s. Therefore, he has had an active political career spread over 40 years. More importantly, he is a full time politician.

He is from the RSS and is a believer and propagator of their ideology.

When the BJP came to power in MP in 2003, he was given a ticket from a seat near Ujjain. There was a strong reaction to that from local party leaders which made him surrender his ticket.

He was then appointed chairman of the Ujjain Development Authority and several development projects in the city took shape under him.

He started showing his organisational, leadership abilities and vision from 2003 onwards. He was then appointed chairman of the MP Tourism Development Corporation. He revamped the idea of MP tourism during his tenure. So, he made a mark at whatever post was given to him.

He then became education minister. MP was the first state to implement the new eduction policy in 2020.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C Patel at Mohan Yadav's swearing-in ceremony in Bhopal, December 13, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Shivraj Singh Chouhan has immense experience and was MP's longest serving chief minister. Will lack of experience have any bearing on Mr Yadav's governance and his equation with BJP MLAs?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sent from Delhi to Bhopal to become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2005. He did not have a good rapport with several MLAs of the party at that time, but he was the man chosen to lead the party in the state. He was a lesser known person in the state in terms of political presence across the state.

If you compare Mohan Yadav to Chouhan in 2005, then the latter has had an active presence in state politics for nearly 20 years. He is a three-time MLA, a minister for five years and has travelled the length and breadth of the state.

Moreover, the BJP is a disciplined, cadre-based party and will not see any dissenting voices against him despite the fact that many senior leaders have been overlooked.

There are several experienced individuals who have had good parliamentary careers and won by big margins, but that was not the BJP's criteria to select chief ministers in the three states.

These decisions have been taken by the party organisation with utmost precision. Therefore, the CMs will be able to coordinate with the MLAs and get the cooperation of all ministers. All these issues can be easily managed in the BJP.

What do you think of his ability to deliver in the Lok Sabha election?

This has to be seen, but he has good oratory skills. He knows how to connect with people and is relatively young.

He will be able to travel across the state during the campaign.

Moreover, the BJP has structured electoral machinery in the state across multiple levels. He will be able to deliver because the system is already in place. There is no extra effort required from him to get the results the party is expecting in 2024.

The tone is already set. The machinery is charged after the victory in MP.

IMAGE: Mohan Yadav offers prayers at the Mahakal temple in Ujjain. Photograph: ANI Photo

Will he be chief minister beyond the Lok Sabha results?

I think so. The party will not want to make any changes unless some serious problems emerges against the incumbent, otherwise the situation will remain so.

What image does he have amongst the people?

He is known as a strategist and is good at micromanagement. He is a fighter and has the ability to sail through adversity. He fought all three elections in tough, adverse, situations and was able to win them all. He knows how to defeat the opponent.

He is seen as the man next door in Ujjain which is a small city. He is accessible and can be approached at any time. He has been able to deliver to his assembly constituents.

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party supporters celebrate the party's victory in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections at the BJP office in Bhopal, December 3, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Where does Shivraj Singh Chouhan go from here?

I am certain he can be accommodated in Delhi in a Cabinet reshuffle. He is a tall leader, only 64 years of age and has a lot of politics still left in him.

A few Lok Sabha seats are lying vacant because some MPs contested the state elections and won. There are five seats from MP already vacant in the Lok Sabha, and he can be respectfully accommodated.

What are some of Mohan Yadav's biggest strengths that will serve him in good stead as CM?

He will be a loyal and obedient follower of the instructions coming from Delhi. He has come to the BJP from the RSS and ABVP and knows how to handle the politics of the BJP.

He has the experience of working in the urban development authority to a cabinet minister, so he has the ability to deliver in terms of administration.

His administrative acumen as a chief minister is yet to be seen.

He is fit and healthy because you have to be a 24x7 full time politician as chief minister. He has the energy level to engage with several activities simultaneously.

IMAGE: Mohan Yadav speaks to a woman during a surprise inspection at the Government Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal, December 19, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

In choosing young chief ministers, has the BJP sent a message to the country?

Absolutely. The BJP is writing a new grammar of electoral politics. Something like this has never happened before. They are breaking stereotypes of inviting seniors to become chief minister and ministers.

They are known to do new practicals in politics and are scripting something absolutely new. No other party has the guts to do this except the BJP in the 75 years of politics of this country.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
By February 2021, Farfetchs market capitalization had reached approximately $23 billion. Two and a half years later, it had fallen to $250 million. Founded by Portuguese entrepreneur Jose Neves in 2008, Farfetch knew how to capitalize on the fever for online shopping. It operated as a large multi-brand platform for luxury brands, selling products mainly for independent designers or brands with few physical stores.

In the last 10 years, the company expanded, not only opening offices in London, Tokyo and New York, but also launching different lines of business. In response to the rise of urban fashion, Farfetch created New Guards Group, a conglomerate that owns brands such as Off White, Palm Angels, Heron Preston and Marcelo Burlon. In 2015, they gave up on physical stores and bought Browns, the legendary London multi-brand independent design store. And in 2017, the publisher Conde Nast entered as an investor in Farfetch after closing its e-commerce platform Style.com.

Farfetchs success seemed unstoppable. Indeed, it was recently confirmed that the company was negotiating with the luxury goods group Richemont (owner of Cartier) to take over the majority stake in its main competitor in the digital market: YOOX Net-a-Porter (YNAP), which belongs to that group. However, falling gross profit, with sales down, and the declining share prices in the luxury sector pushed Farfetch to the brink of bankruptcy in a matter of months.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Korean giant Coupang had agreed to buy the company for $500 million. Founded by Bom Kim in 2010, Coupang is the largest digital retailer in South Korea, which has led it to be nicknamed South Koreas Amazon. Although it offers all types of products and services (including restaurant food delivery), the acquisition of Farfetch is the companys opportunity to enter the luxury sector, which has one of its most thriving markets in South Korea. This acquisition positions Coupang as a leader in the $400 billion global personal luxury goods segment, Coupang said in a statement.

Jose Neves will continue to retain his role as CEO of Farfetch, but it is unknown if the acquisition will affect the companys collateral businesses. In other words, it is not yet known whether Coupang will take over News Guards Group, Browns or Farfetchs recent stake in Neiman Marcus. What is known is that Richemont has put the deal to sell Farfetch a stake in YNAP on hold. The company said it will re-evaluate options for YNAP to best harness its strengths and potential under new stewardship.

A few months ago, it was believed that this deal would give Farfetch a monopoly on luxury online commerce. But now, with shopping at physical stores making a comeback and the falling share prices of luxury companies, the landscape has changed.

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A row has erupted over the Madhya Pradesh Assembly's decision to remove the portrait of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and replace it with that of BR Ambedkar, drawing a sharp reaction from Congress which accused the ruling BJP of disrespecting the "nation builder".

IMAGE: A view of MP assembly in Bhopal. Photograph: ANI Photo

The Congress on Tuesday said it welcomes displaying the portrait of the Father of the Constitution in the House, but it could have been placed along with the photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru.

The first session of the 16th Madhya Pradesh assembly began in Bhopal on Monday.

MP assembly principal secretary AP Singh told PTI that the portrait of Nehru was replaced with one of Ambedkar during the last session only.

"The then Speaker Girish Gautam had directed to replace the portrait (of Nehru) in the last session in July as it was very old and getting worn out," he said.

Singh said Gautam had directed to renovate portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru as they were getting worn out.

"As Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary was being observed at that time, the speaker directed to put his portrait in place of Nehru and also ensured that Nehru's portrait was kept in a respectful manner in the Gandhi-Nehru section of the library.

"As it was a short duration session, Congress members might have not noticed this change (replacing the portrait)," he said.

In a post on 'X', the Congress said it welcomes the decision to put the portrait of Constitution framer Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar but strongly opposes the move to remove the portrait of the nation-builder Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

"If the BJP had honest intentions, it could have placed the photo of Nehru along with Gandhi and Ambedkar. But it is the culture of the BJP to disrespect the freedom fighters and the nation-builder and therefore, it has removed the photo of Nehru," the Madhya Pradesh Congress tweeted.

Senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters that it is good that the photo of BR Ambedkar, the father of the Constitution, has been put up.

"You should talk to the assembly secretariat in this regard," he said when asked if Nehru's portrait will be put up again.

Welcoming the installation of Ambedkar's portrait, Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya said, "Babasaheb Ambedkar's photo should be installed, but removing Nehru's portrait is wrong".
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for questioning in the railways land-for-jobs money laundering case probe, official sources said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav. Photograph: ANI Photo

While Tejashwi, 34, has been asked to depose before the federal probe agency at its office in Delhi on December 22, Lalu, 75, has been asked to appear next week on December 27 to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED has once questioned Tejashwi for about eight hours in this case on April 11 but this is the first time it has summoned Lalu for joining the probe.

The summons comes following the questioning of an alleged 'close associate' of the Lalu Prasad Yadav's family, Amit Katyal. He was arrested by the ED in November.

The alleged scam pertains to the period when Lalu was the railway minister in the United Progressive Alliance-1 government.

It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group 'D' positions in various zones of the Indian Railways and in lieu, these people transferred their land to the family members of the then railway minister Lalu and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited.

Katyal was the director of this company when it acquired land from candidates 'on behalf' of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the ED had earlier claimed in a statement.

"The registered address of the company is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, which is the house belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members," the agency had alleged.

"Several other lands were also acquired by Amit Katyal in the said company in return for giving undue favours by Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was minister of railways," the agency said.

After acquiring the land, it said, shares of the said company were 'transferred' to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2014.

The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, stems from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi have been granted bail by a trial court in October after the CBI filed a charge sheet against them in this case.

The RJD is a constituent party of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties that is planning to take on the BJP in the upcoming general elections of 2024.

According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for appointment, but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.

As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to Lalu's family members at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI alleged.

Over the last few months, the ED has recorded the statements of the RJD supremo's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their daughters Misa Bharti (RJD MP in Rajya Sabha), Chanda Yadav and Ragini Yadav in this case.
Fielding a strong joint opposition candidate from Varanasi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was among the proposals discussed at the fourth meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), sources said.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering at the inauguration and foundation stone-laying of various developmental works, in Varanasi. Photograph: ANI Photo

At the meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday, the opposition parties agreed that some out of the box ideas were required to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party in the polls.

One of the ideas discussed was to have a united opposition candidate to fight against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, the sources said.

In 2014 parliamentary polls, Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal had fought against Modi from Varanasi, and lost by a margin of 3.37 lakh votes.

In 2019, there was a buzz that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might fight from Varanasi. However, the Congress fielded Ajay Rai while Samajwadi Party fielded Shalini Yadav. Modi won the elections bagging over 60 per cent of the votes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this month announced that he would hold a rally in Varanasi. However, the rally was cancelled as they could not get a permission.

At the INDIA bloc meeting, while seat sharing remained in focus, the leaders also discussed about holding joint rallies and public meetings.

Meanwhile, amid murmurs about the Bihar CM being upset about Mamata Banerjee's proposal to make Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge the prime ministerial face of the opposition alliance, the West Bengal CM said on Wednesday she made the proposal as the question of who would be the face of the alliance had been raised repeatedly.

Speaking to media on Wednesday, Banerjee said, "We proposed Kharge ji's name because everyone asks for a face, so I made a proposal that if Kharge ji is the face I have no problem, and it was supported by Arvind ji."

Asked if Nitish Kumar was upset over her proposal, she said, "I have no such information."

Asked about the proposal, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said the proposal was shot down by the Congress chief himself, so there is no point in discussing it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and expressed great pain over the "abject theatrics" of some MPs in Parliament complex, the Vice President's office said.

IMAGE: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimics Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest with suspended opposition MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar in New Delhi. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday, the Vice President's Secretariat said.

"He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President and that too in Parliament was unfortunate, Dhankhar was quoted as saying on X.

Dhankhar told the prime minister that such incidents will not deter him from doing his duty.

I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path, Dhankhar said.

WATCH: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicks VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

A political row broke out on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee who appeared to mimic the way Dhankhar walked by leaning forward and made reference to having a spine.

Dhankhar had given vent to his anguish in Rajya Sabha, saying he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted.

"Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of the chairman," he said in Rajya Sabha.

"...You used Twitter, the official handle of the spokesperson, to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, insult my position as a Jat, insult my position as chairman," Dhankhar had said addressing Congress member P Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday charged that the prime minister and the BJP want to establish a "single party rule" in the country and the suspension of MPs from Parliament is for that.

IMAGE: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addresses the press conference after the INDIA Alliance meeting, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. Photograph: Mohd Zakir/ANI Photo

While 141 MPs have been suspended because they wanted a statement from the home minister on the grave security breach in Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP who facilitated the entry of the intruders, remains scot-free and has not yet been questioned, the Congress leader said.

"What sort of an investigation is this," he asked in a statement posted on X.

"Why haven't senior officers responsible for Parliamentary security made accountable? Heads should have rolled by now," he said.

Kharge said apparently the intruders have been planning this since months and asked who is responsible for this massive intelligence failure.

Given the multi-layered security of Parliament, how did two intruders manage to hide yellow gas canisters in their shoes and enter the building and almost reach the sanctum sanctorum of India's democracy, the Congress chief wondered.

"The prime minister and his party want to establish a 'single party rule' in the country. They talk of 'Ek Akela' which is akin to demolishing democracy.This is precisely what they have done by suspending Opposition MPs," Kharge said in the post.

"Instead of punishing the people in high ranks for this shameful security lapse, they have snatched away the democratic rights of MPs, thereby escaping accountability," the Congress president said.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been agitating against the suspension of their MPs and have been disrupting Parliament proceedings, demanding a statement from the home minister on the issue of security breach.
Sri Lanka has decided to impose a one-year moratorium in allowing foreign vessels to conduct research in the island nation's territorial waters, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has said, amidst frequent docking requests from Chinese surveillance ships.

IMAGE: Chinese research vessel in Sri Lankan waters. Image used only for representation.

The Sri Lankan government has taken such a decision and communicated it to the relevant countries, Sabry told the Daily Mirror newspaper.

The decision has been taken in the wake of China seeking permission to berth yet another research vessel in Sri Lanka's waters in January, next year, the report said.

China despatches its research/surveillance vessels to Sri Lanka regularly. In August this year, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy warship HAI YANG 24 HAO arrived in the country on a two-day visit.

Chinese Survey and Research Vessel 'Shi Yan 6' docked at Sri Lanka's Colombo port in October despite India's objection and carried out research activities along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) on the water column of the Indian Ocean.

In August last year, a port call by the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship, 'Yuan Wang 5', which arrived in the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota elicited strong reactions from India.

There were apprehensions in New Delhi about the possibility of the vessel's hi-tech tracking systems attempting to snoop on Indian defence installations while being on its way to the Sri Lankan port.

However, after a considerable delay, Sri Lanka allowed the ship to dock at the strategic southern port of Hambantota, being built by a Chinese company.

Sabry said the government had announced a 12-month moratorium on research vessels from any country starting from January, next year.

"That is for us to do some capacity development so that we can participate in such research activities as equal partners," he said.

Sri Lanka is also facing elections next year and seeking to act without antagonising any country in its dealings with matters of geopolitical significance, the newspaper said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka has also evolved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for foreign military vessels and aircraft arriving in the country, Sabry said.

The foreign minister also said the guidelines set under the SOP had been sent to all the countries that deployed their vessels to Sri Lankan waters during the last 10 years.
Ruling party members on Wednesday participated in the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha while remaining standing to express solidarity with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar after a Trinamool Congress MP mimicked him in Parliament premises.

The treasury benches participated in the Question Hour proceedings while standing for about ten minutes.

Among those seen standing were Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Transport minister Nitin Gadkari and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi.

A political row broke out on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.

The BJP also attacked the opposition over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making a video of the performance by Banerjee.

As soon as the House resumed at noon, Joshi said, "In protest against the action of their party's former president (Rahul Gandhi) and in your honour and in honour of the Constitution, we would participate in the Question Hour while remaining standing in silence. We request for your permission".

"We strongly condemn how Rahul Gandhi insulted you and your constitutional position. To tarnish a particular community and section of society is not right," he said.

"As far as I have seen, this is the first time they have fallen to this level and there is no end to this. We strongly condemn this.They have been insulting people at constitutional positions," Joshi said.

The minister said for 20 years they "insulted" the prime minister because he comes from a poor family and belongs to the OBC background. They kept on "insulting" him even after he became the prime minister, he said.

"Then they insulted the President of India who is a tribal. And now they have insulted the Vice President of India, who is a farmer's son and hails from the Jat community.

"For the first time a farmer's son and 'Jat-putra' reached this level and they have insulted this post of the vice president of India. I want to make it clear that India will not tolerate the insult of the vice president and India will not tolerate the insult of the Constitution," he asserted amid slogan-shouting by members of the treasury benches.

The minister said the President and Lok Sabha Speaker have also condemned the act of insulting the vice president.

He said several big people in different fields have condemned this and "we too strongly condemn this insult".

As members of treasury benches stood in honour of the chair, opposition members raised slogans demanding that the home minister come to the House and make a statement on the Parliament security breach issue.

After the ruling party members stood for about 10 minutes during Question Hour, the Chairman asked them to resume their seats, saying he was touched by the gesture.

"I am greatly touched by your gesture. I do not represent an individual. I am custodian of an institution and I am accountable to it. Any affront to the institution, the position that I hold, I have to be a protector of it," he said.

"Your gesture of standing has really touched my heart. I would request you to kindly take your seats and we will proceed with the proceedings of the House. Kindly resume your seats," Dhankhar said.
For the BJP, Telangana is a sunrise state in the South, while Karnataka is a southern success despite the ups and downs.

IMAGE: INDIA alliance leaders Sharad Pawar, T R Baalu, Mallikarjun Kharge, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sonia Gandhi, M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray in New Delhi, December 19, 2023. Photograph: Ishant/ANI Photo

The Congress' lone success in Telangana among the five states that voted in November triggered a fresh, polarising debate on the 'North-South' political divide.

The argument, presented by politicians from the Congress and its Tamil Nadu ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, was predicated on the Congress' victories in the Karnataka assembly polls in May 2023, followed by Telangana.

The Congress also picked up a significant share of its 52 Lok Sabha seats from Kerala (15 of 20) as the leader of the United Democratic Front and eight (of 39) from Tamil Nadu as a constituent of the DMK-helmed Secular Progressive Alliance.

However, the Congress drew a blank in Andhra Pradesh, got just three of 17 in Telangana -- one less than the Bharatiya Janata Party -- and one of 28 in Karnataka.

Punjab, where it secured eight of 13 seats, was its only solace north of the Vindhyas.

The BJP's second term at the Centre was marred by perceptions of a geographical cleave, created largely by the DMK's campaign around a series of issues.

The DMK staunchly opposed the Centre's National Education Policy as well as the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test on the ground that, instead of fostering a scientific and technological temper, the NEP safeguarded the caste hierarchy, facilitated backdoor entry for the imposition of Hindi, transferred the educational mandate of the states to the Centre, and deprived rural children of their education rights.

The DMK ramped up its opposition to the Centre when Udayanidhi Stalin, a minister in his father's and Chief Minister M K Stalin's Cabinet, questioned the tenets of Sanatana Dharma as inimical to social justice and equality.

The flashpoint came on December 3 when the BJP swept the heartland, leaving the Congress with just Telangana.

The Congress bit the bait on the day of the results.

'THE SOUTH' exclaimed Karti Chidambaram, the Congress's Sivaganga MP, on X as if to accentuate the rupture, while Praveen Chakravarty, who chairs the party's data analytics department, said in an X post, 'The South-North boundary line is getting thicker and clearer.' He deleted the post, but screenshots were available.

To exacerbate matters, when Parliament opened for the winter session, DMK MP D N V Senthil Kumar alluded to the heartland states where the BJP won with a pejorative term and stated that the party could never breach the South.

The Congress and even the DMK were compelled to counterbalance such assertions, which cast serious doubts over the Congress' contention of being the only pan-Indian party against the BJP by giving the impression that it aimed to be just a southern force.

Senthil Kumar apologised, while Stalin gave an interview to a leading Hindi daily in which he toned down his son'ss comments.

'Congress doesn't believe in any regional divide,'Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, said, adding, ' North India's stellar contribution to the freedom struggle is recorded history.'

'How can we forget Gujarat's contribution to industry or that the original industrial revolution (in India) began in Kanpur and Panipat?

'Or how Assam revolutionised the tea industry, or how the National Capital Region emerged as a software intellectual hub with Chennai and Bengaluru?'

B K Hari Prasad, a Congress Working Committee member and a member of the Karnataka legislative council, said, 'There is nothing like the North and South. We are Indians from the South. As a party that led the freedom struggle, we are pan-national.'

However, the BJP refused to be persuaded by such arguments.

'Congress is dividing the North and South on caste and language. It follows the British divide-and-rule policy,' Anil Baluni, its national chief spokesperson, remarked.

To Vanathi Srinivasan, a member of the Tamil Nadu assembly from Coimbatore South and head of the BJP's women's wing, the BJP holding on to its vote share in Karnataka despite the setback in the last assembly election and increasing its vote share in Telangana was adequate proof that it was 'growing' in the South.

For the BJP, Telangana is a sunrise state in the South, while Karnataka is a southern success despite the ups and downs.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, of Telangana's 17 seats, the BJP won four with a 19.7 vote per cent, while the Congress got three seats but posted a 28.8 vote per cent to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi's nine seats and 41.7 vote per cent.

In the just concluded assembly polls, the BJP picked up eight seats and doubled its vote share from 7.1 per cent in 2018 to 13.9 per cent, which is still substantially behind the Congress and BRS' 39.4 and 37.3 per cent.

More significant is the BJP's electoral trajectory in Karnataka.

In the 2018 state polls, it won 104 seats (short of a majority) and secured 36.2 vote per cent to the Congress' 80 seats and 39 per cent.

But months later, the BJP turned in a spectacular showing in the Lok Sabha polls, winning 25 of the 28 seats and recording 51.7 vote per cent, while the Congress was left with only one seat and 32.1 vote per cent.

In the 2023 assembly polls, the BJP was outdone by the Congress.

It won 66 seats to the Congress' 135 and secured a vote per cent of 36 to the Congress' 42.9.

In Tamil Nadu and Andhra, it will perforce have to seek the hands of regional parties to achieve a breakthrough.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has for the first time responded to United States' allegation that an Indian national conspired to kill a Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to play down the diplomatic impact on the US-India relationship. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

In an interview with the Financial Times, Modi said, 'If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it.'

'If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law,' he added.

Modi sought to play down the diplomatic impact on the US-India relationship.

'There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership,' he told the Financial Times.

'Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership,' Modi added. 'I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.'

Modi said he is 'deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.'

'These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence,' he told the Financial Times.

India has constituted a team to investigate the allegations relating to the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Pannun, a Sikh extremist known to be an American and Canadian citizen.

Washington's allegations relating to the unsuccessful plot came weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that there was a 'potential' involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb in June.

US federal prosecutors has already charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, of working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun.

Pannun, a leader of the so-called 'Sikhs for Justice', is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges.

The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, first reported that US authorities foiled a plot to assassinate Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot.

The Washington Post reported that said the Biden administration was so concerned after discovering the plot that it sent CIA Director William J Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to India in August and October respectively to demand investigation and hold those responsible to account.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and party leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

IMAGE: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

Sources said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust sent the invitations to them. But the senior Congress leaders are unlikely to attend the ceremony, they added.

The invitations were sent individually to Kharge, Gandhi and Chowdhury, the sources said.

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda have also received invitations for the function.

The invitations, the sources said, were delivered by a delegation of those associated with the Trust.

More invitations are likely to be sent to other opposition leaders in the coming days.

The Trust has said that invitations have been extended to revered saints from different traditions, along with all prominent individuals contributing to the honour of the country in every domain.

In the new Teerthakshetrapuram (Bag Bijaisi), a Tent City has been established which includes six tubewells, six kitchen houses, and a hospital with ten beds, the Trust has said.

Approximately 150 doctors from around the country have agreed to provide their services in rotation at this hospital. About 4,000 saints from different sects have been invited to participate in the ceremony, the Trust has said.
A flag of Cyprus flies on a vessel of the Port and Marine Police in Ayia Napa Marina, Cyprus December 6, 2023.

Cyprus has disrupted an alleged Iranian plot to target Israeli businessmen with the arrest of two Iranian asylum-seekers who were in contact with another Iranian associated with the Revolutionary Guard, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.

The official told The Associated Press the two Iranian men have been in police custody since Nov. 3 and procedures were underway to deport them.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because hes not allowed to speak publicly about national security matters, said the suspects detention was the culmination of a joint operation with Israels Mossad security service.

Cypriot security services had been surveilling the two Iranian men for several weeks and detained them just before what authorities believe would have been the arrival of a squad to carry out killings, the official said. The targeted individuals were primarily Israeli businessmen, the official said.

Cypriot authorities said the suspects Iranian handler moved in and out of Cyprus through the ethnically divided island nations breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and would cross a U.N.-controlled buffer zone into the internationally recognized south to establish contact with the two. His identity and whereabouts were not revealed but the official said he worked for Irans elite Revolutionary Guard.

Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. The Cypriot government doesnt exercise effective control in the northern third, which is only recognized by Turkey.

Last week, an announcement by the Israeli prime ministers office on behalf of the Mossad said Irans use of Cyprus breakaway north for terrorist purposes and as an area of activity and transit to attack Israeli and Jewish targets constitutes a disturbing issue.

Cypriot officials say the collaboration with security and intelligence agencies in countries in the region, Europe and beyond have enabled Cypriot authorities to effectively identify and counter such threats.

At the same time, the Cypriot official said Cyprus wants to maintain friendly relations will all neighboring countries and doesnt seek to be implicated in any regional conflicts.

In a statement, Turkish Cypriot authorities condemned the Israeli announcement as a baseless and unfounded allegation that was made to divert the international communitys attention away from the inhuman attacks Israel is perpetrating against Palestinian civilians and Gaza and the West Bank. The Iranian government did not immediately respond to AP calls for comment.

This is the third such alleged Iranian plot to target Israelis in Cyprus in more than a year. In July, Cyprus authorities broke up an alleged plot involving an Iranian-backed hit squad that planned to kill Israelis and other Jews.

Israel considers Iran its greatest enemy, citing the Iranian governments calls for Israels destruction and support for hostile militant groups. It also accuses Iran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb  a claim that Iran denies.

An Azeri man holding a Russian passport is on trial in Cyprus, a close Israeli ally, on suspicion that he planned to carry out the contract killings of Israelis living in Cyprus.

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Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini has defended the decision suspension of 141 Opposition Members of Parliament for the remainder of the winter session.

IMAGE: BJP MP Hema Malini at the Parliament House during the winter session, in New Delhi. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

"They keep raising questions and display strange behaviour. So, they have been suspended. If they have been suspended, it means they have done something wrong," Hema Malini said.

"Work should be done in accordance with Parliament's rules. They don't do it and they have been suspended. There is nothing wrong with it; this is correct," she added.

Responding to queries about the INDIA Alliance meeting, the Mathura MP said, "That is their goal; don't let the Parliament function somehow and uproot the Modi government. They are working so hard for it, but they won't be successful."

A total of 141 MPs -- 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha -- were suspended following a ruckus over the demand by the opposition for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 security breach in Parliament.

While the opposition bloc slammed as "undemocratic" the suspension of MPs for display of placards demanding a statement from Shah, the government justified the action as it accused the suspended MPs of insulting Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman and the institution of Parliament.
Following are the key points of the three criminal law bills, that were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and seek to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Evidence Act.

IMAGE: Lok Sabha MPs give voice vote on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill during the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. Photograph: Sansad TV/ANI Photo

BHARATIYA NYAYA (SECOND) SANHITA

It seeks to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860.

* Twenty new offences have been added in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)

* Nineteen provisions that existed in IPC have been deleted

* In 33 offences the punishment of imprisonment has been increased

* In 83 offences the punishment of fine has been enhanced

* In 23 offences the mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced

* In six offences the punishment of 'community service' has been introduced

Major Changes:

* Definition of child is introduced

* Transgender is included in the definition of 'gender'

* Electronic and digital records are included in the definition of document

* The definition of 'movable property' is widened to include property of every description

* New chapter on offence against woman and child is introduced

* New chapter on 'inchoate offences' (attempt, abetment and conspiracy) is introduced

* New offences like organised crime, terrorist act, petty organised crime, hit and run, mob lynching, hiring child to commit offence, sexual exploitation of woman by deceitful means, snatching, abetment outside India, acts endangering the sovereignty, integrity and unity of India, publication of false or fake news etc. have been introduced

* Attempt to commit suicide is deleted

* Beggary has been introduced as a form of exploitation for trafficking

* In the definition of grievous hurt the number of days has been reduced from 20 days to 15 days

* Community service is provided as a punishment for theft of less than Rs 5,000

* Reorganisation of offences are made wherein similar provisions have been clubbed together.

Minor Changes:

* At nine places the archaic expressions like 'lunatic', 'insane' and 'idiot' have been done away with

* Colonial remnants like 'British calendar', 'Queen', 'British India, 'justice of the peace' have been deleted.

* In 44 places 'Court of Justice' has been replaced with 'Court'

* Uniformity has been brought in use of expression 'child' throughout the BNS

* Contemporary style of drafting has been used

* At 12 places 'denotes' has been replaced with 'means' and 'that is to say' is replaced with 'namely' at three places. PTI ACB

BHARATIYA NAGARIK SURAKSHA SANHITA



It will replace the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898.

Major Changes:

*Magistrate's power to impose fine is increased

*Scope of declaring proclaimed offender is increased. Earlier only 19 offences were included which did not include rape cases and now all offences having punishment for 10 years or more are included.

* Arrest of offences with punishment of less than three years offence with the prior approval of the senior police officers.

*15 days police custody is allowed for the first 40/60 days of the detention period and this will not be a ground for refusal of bail.

* Procedure for forfeiture and attachment of proceeds of crime is introduced

*In-absentia trial introduced and it will be upto the delivery of judgment

*Zero FIR throughout the country introduced

*Electronic lodging of FIR introduced

*Preliminary Inquiry is introduced in offences punishable from 3 years to less than 7 years

*Forensic aid in investigation introduced

*Provision for investigation of serious offence by DSP level police officer introduced

*Meaning of bail has been simplified throughout the BNSS

*First time undertrial is provided early release on bail

*Bail in acquittal cases is simplified

*First time offender to be given relaxed punishment (one-fourth and one- sixth of such punishment) in plea bargaining.

* Timeline has been prescribed in many procedures and processes like- committal, discharge etc.

* Audio video electronic means used for many processes and procedures to enhance transparency, accountability and speedy justice - like recording of evidence of witness, deposition of evidence by police officer, evidence of accused, evidence of public servant, scientific expert or medical officer, pronouncement of judgment etc.

*Scope of summary trial increased

*Videography of search and seizure is introduced

*Mercy petition related procedure is introduced

*Witness protection scheme is introduced

*Victim's right related provisions are introduced -- Definition of 'victim' expanded, police officer to inform victim/informant about progress in investigation etc.

*Provision for not more than two adjournments introduced

*Public servant is protected against false/frivolous cases

*Deemed sanction provision is introduced

*The office of Directorate of Prosecution is made more effective

*Handcuffing is introduced for heinous offences

*Notice for appearance proforma introduced Evidence of public servant and experts are allowed through audio-video means

* In 35 places audio-video electronic/ videography means are introduced to infuse transparency and accountability in delivery of justice

*In 35 places timeline is introduced to provide speedy delivery of justice.

BHARATIYA SAKSHYA ADHINIYAM

It seeks to replace the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.

* Two new sections and six new sub-sections have been added in the proposed law

* Five new explanations are added, four explanations deleted

* Two new provisos are added, 24 provisions are modified

* Total six sections are deleted

Major Changes:

* Electronic record included in the definition of 'document'

* Statements received electronically included in the definition of 'evidence'

* Added more standards for considering electronic and digital records as primary evidence laying emphasis on its proper custody, storage, transmission, and broadcast

* Added more kinds of secondary evidence to include oral and written admissions and evidence of a skilled person to examine documents which cannot conveniently be examined by court.

* Established the legal admissibility, validity, and enforceability of electronic or digital record as evidence

* Inclusion of husband/wife as competent witness in criminal proceedings against the spouse

* Conviction based on corroborated testimony of accomplice has been made legal

* Comprehensive certificate for submitting electronic evidence added in the schedule

Minor Changes:

* References to colonial terminology done away with

* Language modernized and made gender sensitive.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said India's ties with Canada may have undergone 'a tonal shift' following the indictment of an Indian national in the United States for plotting an assassination attempt on a Sikh separatist on American soil.

IMAGE: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

He said the US indictment appears to have convinced the Indian government to adopt a more sober tone.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away."

"We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this," he said.

"We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy. But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do."

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations on September 18 of a 'potential' involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India rejected Trudeau's allegations as 'absurd' and 'motivated'.

In November, the US federal prosecutors charged that one Nikhil Gupta was working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist, who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.

Though the separatist Sikh leader was not named, media reports identified him as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the Sikhs for Justice, an organisation banned in India.

India has already constituted a probe committee to investigate allegations.

Last week, Trudeau said that his decision to make allegations in public was intended to 'put a chill' on them from repeating a similar action.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha earlier this month that Canada has not shared any specific evidence or inputs with India.

Days after Trudeau's allegations in September, India temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity.

India resumed some visa services in Canada last month, more than a month after they were suspended.
The controversy over a Trinamool Congress member of Parliament mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar took political centrestage on Wednesday with the issue playing out both inside and outside Parliament and President Droupadi Murmu joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi in expressing dismay.

IMAGE: People of the Jat community burn an effigy while staging a protest march towards the Congress office in support of Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Ishant/ANI Photo

As Dhankhar, also the Rajya Sabha chairperson, said in the House that he would not tolerate any insult to Parliament or the constitutional post of vice president, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said he did not intend to hurt anyone with his act in the Parliament complex on Tuesday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee backed her party colleague, and the Congress slammed what it termed the government's 'desperate attempt' to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of over 140 MPs by raising the matter.

The political row broke out after Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee.

Expressing their solidarity with Dhankhar, ruling party members, including ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari, participated in Question Hour proceedings in the Rajya Sabha while remaining standing till Dhankhar urged them to take their seats after about 10 minutes.

In a rare intervention in an unfolding political debate, President Murmu said on X she was dismayed to see the manner in which the vice president was humiliated in the Parliament complex.

"Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it," Murmu said.

Responding to the president's post, the Rajya Sabha chairperson thanked Murmu for her kind words and the timely reminder that basic courtesies must always remain.

'I am committed to upholding Constitutional principles till my last breath. No insults can prevent me from doing so,' Dhankhar posted on X.

The Vice President's Secretariat also put out a post on X.

'Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday,' it said.

'He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President and that too in Parliament was unfortunate,' Dhankhar was quoted as saying in the post.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar expressed his anguish, saying the act of mimicking him and its videography caused an 'insult' to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his Jat community.

"I do not care about myself. If someone insults me, I bear it, I will swallow it. But I will never tolerate that I have not been able to protect the dignity of the post I hold. It is my duty to protect the dignity of this House, it is my duty to protect the dignity of the post," the Chairman said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that it is not just the vice president, the Constitution, farmers and Jat community, have been insulted through the act.

The Congress alleged the 'entire Modi ecosystem' is now being galvanised on the 'so-called mimicry non-issue' while it remains silent on how a BJP MP 'facilitated entry of two intruders' into Lok Sabha and on the suspension of over 140 MPs.

The opposition party said a 'desperate attempt' is being made to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of MPs by raising this issue.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the prime minister for the criticism over the mimicry issue and alleged that Narendra Modi, while bidding farewell to Hamid Ansari, who was retiring as vice president and chairman of Rajya Sabha after a long 10-year tenure, mocked Ansari, reducing his identity to his religion.

Rahul Gandhi said he shot the video of MPs sitting outside Parliament which remains on his phone and asked why was there no discussion over MPs being 'thrown out' of the House.

Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu said the offices of the President, Vice President and Speaker, are constitutional offices whose dignity and decorum must never be lowered.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flayed Rahul Gandhi and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee for 'insulting' the Rajya Sabha chairperson in a shameful manner and condemned their actions as a blot on India's democratic traditions.

"Who insulted and how? MPs were sitting there, I took their video which remains on my phone. The media continues to show it and is making remarks, Modi ji is making remarks, nobody has said anything," Gandhi said when asked if he would regret capturing the video.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also met Dhankhar to express his concern.

'Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, about serious misdemeanor by Hon'ble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President,' Birla posted on X along with a video of him meeting Dhankhar.

"It is shocking that one MP chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it," he said.

BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh demanded an apology from the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

With Dhankhar's mimicry, the opposition members had shown they can even make fun of a person who is sitting on such a high constitutional post.

Mamata Banerjee said it was done "casually" and not to disrespect the vice president.

"We respect everyone," Banerjee, who was in the Parliament complex to meet the prime minister, said.

Kalyan Banerjee echoed her and said he might have differences with Dhankhar over a few issues but meant no disrespect.

"Mimicry is not an offence, they (BJP) are trying to change the main issue which is whether suspension of opposition MPs was right," the TMC MP said and claimed that even Modi had done so in the past.

"Did not have any intention at all to hurt anyone, including the vice president. Have respect for constitutional positions," he said on Wednesday.

BJP President J P Nadda said in Basti in UP, "You people must have seen it (video) in Parliament yesterday. People send leaders to Parliament to debate. But they are acting like clowns instead of debating. They have taken up mimicry."

"And Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is making his (TMC MP's) video...Today he (Rahul) has taken over the job of cameraman," he said.

Ramesh said in a post on X that a 'desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of 142 MPs by raising the issue of 'mimicry''.

He also shared a video clip of Modi's speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi had hugged him in 2018.

"Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?" Ramesh asked.

Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge took offence at Dhankhar describing the mimicry as an insult to his background as a farmer and 'Jat' (his caste).

"I am not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha often. Should I say it is because I am a Dalit," he said.

Coming out in support of Dhankhar, Jat Mahasangh volunteers also staged a protest march near the Congress headquarters against the 'mocking' of the vice president.

The protesters burnt an effigy of the Congress.
An aquarium in Bangkok celebrates Christmas by holding special shows where divers dress up in Santa Claus costumes to feed the fish.

IMAGE: A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume swims with a school of fish to welcome Christmas at the Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand. All photographs: Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

IMAGE: Santa swims with a shoal of fish.

IMAGE: Santa feeds a shark.

IMAGE: Santa poses for a photo.

IMAGE: Santa surrounded by a school of fish.

IMAGE: Santa feeds a shark.

IMAGE: Santa plays with a shark.

IMAGE: Santa prepares to feed the fish.

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 40F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.
Cell phone theft in Brazil is one of the most frequent crimes in big cities, almost a ritual that you have to go through at least once in your life. There are types for all tastes: from theft in the middle of a crowd to armed robbery, including the latest rising trend: shattering the window of a vehicle by surprise and tearing the device from its owners hands in milliseconds. Normally, the trauma of loss is followed by a string of painful bureaucratic efforts, and in many cases, the unpleasant surprise of finding a hole in the bank account.

The Brazilian government, through the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, has decided to take action and on Tuesday presented a project that aims to make life easier for victims and reduce robberies. Its called Celular Seguro (Safe Cell Phone) and its a very simple application that will get underway this week. Users must register the cell phone number, or save the number of a trusted person who would be authorized to manage notifications from ones cell phone. When the theft occurs, the user activates a warning button, which automatically reaches the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), which then renders the device inoperative. In theory this could already be done, but it was almost science fiction, as it required endless minutes on the phone talking to an automated system.

The great novelty is that now, in addition to speeding up the process, the system will also automatically notify the bank in order to block the mobile application, so thieves cannot hack into it. According to the government, banks have promised to act within a period of between 10 and 30 minutes. Virtually everyone who operates in Brazil has joined, so the coverage will be quite broad.

In the midterm, the government also hopes that the mobile telephone operators themselves will join the project, so that they can block the chip (not only the cell phone itself) and in this way prevent thieves from receiving SMS messages with which they can recover passwords, for example. Applications such as iFood, Uber, 99 and Mercado Livre, very popular in Brazil, also signed a protocol of intentions to join the program before February 9, 2024. In case the person cancels a lost cell phone that later shows up again, there will be mechanisms to make it work again.

For the executive secretary of the ministry, Ricardo Cappelli, the app has two central objectives: to speed up help for victims and to make thieves question whether stealing a cell phone is worth it. We are building an emergency button, so that when the person activates it, operations are quickly blocked and the person can reorganize more calmly, without the agony of having to stop their life to make 300 calls [] Our goal is to transform the stolen device into a useless piece of metal, he said at a press conference. The application, in any case, does not take the place of filing a report at the police station.

The ministry official stated that the application is the result of six months of work and based on the idea that it is better to address the problem as a whole than with palliative repressive actions that do not usually work. It is a structural problem of Brazilian public security, and it is not easy to solve, he said. Last year, 999,223 cell phones were stolen in Brazil, according to data from the Public Security Yearbook, which represents a rise of 16% compared to 2021. The real figure may be much higher, since the underreporting of this type of crime is very high, especially when there is no violence involved.
When Amira returned home, no welcoming committee was waiting for her. The 30-year-old Arab-Israeli citizen and her two children, aged four and 18 months, arrived in Taba on Egypts border with Israel, along the Red Sea coast, on November 18. She left her husband and mother, who did not have authorization to leave because they do not have the same nationality, behind, under the bombs. Amiras odyssey took her and her children across half of a territory devastated by the war until they reached Rafah. When she arrived in Egypt, exhausted, she crossed the entire Sinai Peninsula with other evacuees in a military convoy, whose personnel did not allow her and her children to rest or eat. When she set foot in Israel again, the only welcome she received was from Shin Bet  the Israeli intelligence service  which treated her as a suspect. It was the worst thing about this process, she says. Tell us everything you know about Hamas! they shouted at her amid threats, asking if her children were really hers. They checked every photo, every number, and every message that was on my phone.

Amira (a fictitious name as she prefers to keep her real identity hidden) is part of a group of 71 Israelis who managed to leave Gaza in two convoys on November 16 and December 6, all Arabs and most of Bedouin origin. Some left with the rest of the foreign nationals  no Gazans without citizenship or legal residency in Israel have been able to leave the Gaza Strip. She traveled with her children from her mothers home in the town of Al Qarara, north of Khan Younis, going from shelter to shelter amid the rubble with a few basic necessities, heading for the Rafah border crossing, the only exit point from Gaza to Egypt. Unlike those rescued from the Gaza Strip with U.S., French or Spanish passports, the Israelis who managed to escape the destruction were unable to take many of their closest relatives with them. In the contingent, most were women who married Gazans, moved, settled, and started families. In many cases, their husbands and children have remained there.

It was a very painful journey, all along the way there was shelling, recalls Amira, who now lives with her Israeli family. There was no gas, there was nothing. In the end, we found a car that took us to the border, but we had to pay the driver double because he didnt want to take the risk of taking us, she continues. When they crossed at Rafah, they were searched from top to bottom. Exhausted, they had to wait for hours sitting on the ground until a bus escorted by the Egyptian military picked them up and took them to Taba through Sinai. My husband and my mother were not allowed to cross. They had to stay in Gaza, says Amira. My four-year-old daughter knew what was going on. When she heard the explosions, she covered her ears and kept screaming. I could tell my little son was scared too, because he kept moving and looking at the windows. We had to leave. We could have all been killed in a bombing.

Two Israeli human rights organizations were responsible for coordinating the evacuation with the Israeli government. Both NGOs are in charge of arranging military permits so that these families can meet their relatives on both sides of the border. Around 15% of Gazans have relatives in Israel, and intermarriage is common on both sides of the fence. Its what in Israel is called the split-family procedure. Most of them are women who, for years, have turned to us to obtain permits that allow them to live permanently in Gaza and return to Israel to visit relatives, says Daniel Shenhar, the director of HaMokeds legal department, which, together with the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement (Gisha), has worked intensively to get these people out.

The problem for these couples, a lot of the time, is the children, Shenhar continues. Many of these women have ensured that their children born in Gaza have Israeli documentation that allows them to periodically leave and enter Israel, but when they turn 18, they have to leave the Gaza Strip and, from that moment on, they are already forbidden from returning home, because they are not given permits. For that reason, many others, when they reach adulthood, stay. Although they retain Israeli citizenship, they cannot leave Gaza.

After the initial confusion in the days following the Hamas attacks, HaMoked and Gisha got to work. Both organizations contacted COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry agency that manages civilian affairs in the occupied territories. We spent weeks calling and writing to them to explain that there were Israeli citizens in Gaza and that we wanted to get them out, says Shenhar. We sent them a list of everyone we had been in contact with since before the war started. Surprisingly, they promised us they would get them out. I remember we thought it was a bit strange with such an enraged atmosphere in the country.

Missing or dead

Drawing up that list was an arduous and largely fruitless task. We were not able to contact everyone. Many of those on our records, about half of them, did not answer the phone. We believe they may be missing or dead, Shenhar continues. What they did do was ask those who responded to spread the word to others in a similar situation. Faced with the prospect of being part of a divided family, there were women eligible to leave who decided to stay because they had not arranged Israeli documentation for their children. Others did not want to be separated from their husbands. HaMoked and Gisha are now asking COGAT to allow them to leave with their children, but have so far received no response.

Among the Arabs with Israeli nationality who were trapped were several families, women with children, who arrived in Gaza in the days before the war began with special permission from the military to visit sick relatives, attend a wedding, or a funeral. When the bombs started falling, they were locked in.

Now safe, Amira recounts that the most dramatic part of her journey was arriving in Israel, after hours without food or drink. After checking and rechecking our papers, the agents wanted to make sure that my children were really mine and to prove it I had to show them cell phone pictures of them in my house, she says. Then, one by one, they put us in interrogation rooms and started asking us questions. It mattered little that Amira is an Israeli national. They would ask me where Hamas people are, or if I dealt with or worked for Hamas. Tell us everything you know about Hamas, where the rockets are, if you know anyone from Hamas. I told them I didnt know anything.

Then another investigator arrived, apparently playing good cop. Amira says he gave her son chocolate and said: Look how we treat Palestinian children, instead of killing them, like Hamas did. But they are Israeli children, with Israeli documents, she replied. They have nothing to do with Hamas or the war. There are children dying and its not my fault or theirs. Three people in the group were arrested, she says, and others were shouted at and accused of celebrating the October 7 attacks. After this, you will not return to Gaza. There will be no Gaza left to return to. We are not going to allow you a single mistake, we are going to watch you, the agents said. Amira explained that she hoped to settle in Israel with her husband and mother. Thats not going to happen, she was told. Think about taking your husband out to go to another country.

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- In April this year, the first batch of yellow pitaya from Ecuador, weighing 420 kilograms in total, officially entered the Chinese market. The exotic fruit quickly gained popularity on Chinese social media, highlighting the growing trade relations between China and Latin American countries.

As cooperation between China and Latin America under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to gain momentum, an increasing variety of Latin American farm produce is finding its way into the Chinese market, benefiting people in both China and Latin America.

TRADE FACILITATION

Among the various types of Ecuadorian farm produce, Chinese consumers are well-acquainted with bananas.

Three years ago, Chinese fresh food company Goodfarmer Group started importing bananas from Ecuador. Today, Ecuadorian bananas account for 65 percent of the company's total banana imports, according to Xu Ke, market director for China of Goodfarmer.

China and Ecuador signed a cooperation document on jointly building the Belt and Road in 2018.

In May this year, the two countries inked a free trade agreement (FTA) to further boost bilateral trade and business ties.

Once the FTA goes into effect, as much as 90 percent of the goods traded between China and Ecuador will be exempted from tariffs, while 60 percent of them will enjoy zero tariffs immediately, according to the deal.

Tariffs on imports of products like bananas, white shrimp, fish, fish oil, flowers, cocoa and coffee from Ecuador will be reduced to zero from the current rates of between 5 percent and 20 percent.

"In the future, consumers will be able to purchase Ecuadorian fresh produce at more favorable prices," said Xu, noting that Goodfarmer sees the potential for expanding markets and hopes to introduce more farm produce from Latin America.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that China stands as a major trading partner of BRI participating countries, with goods trade volume between China and its BRI partners reaching nearly 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Trade volume between China and Latin America approached 500 billion U.S. dollars last year, maintaining rapid growth for six consecutive years.

DELIVERY UPGRADE

Fresh fruits such as Chilean cherries are increasingly favored by Chinese consumers, and the market demand has continued to rise.

Upon harvest, the earliest batch of Chilean cherries is picked and transported to China by air freight routes, with the whole process taking no more than 72 hours.

For bulk orders, fast shipping routes are used, covering the journey of 20,000 kilometers in approximately 22 days, which is around 10 days faster than it was a decade ago.

As Chinese consumers' demand for imported fruits increases, the cross-border logistics system has constantly improved with increased transportation stability, more convenient customs clearance and lower costs, said Jiang Jianli, logistics director of Goodfarmer.

Compared to 10 years ago, China now has a wider range of fruit categories approved for import, said Jiang, adding that the cold chain logistics industry has experienced rapid development.

E-COMMERCE BOOM

Fresh produce traders from Latin America are eyeing new opportunities that China's thriving internet economy is ready to offer, ranging from "national pavilions" on China's e-commerce platforms to livestreamed shopping events.

Chinese flower shop City Flowers conducts livestreaming for about six hours every day to sell flowers from various countries, including Ecuadorian roses and Colombian hydrangeas. In a matter of clicks, consumers can place an order and the flowers are delivered from across the Pacific in just a few days.

According to Tang Quanzhong, general manager of City Flowers, his company receives two batches of flowers from Latin America every week and they are selling well.

"Our company has carried out cooperation with many BRI participating countries. With the global supply and logistics chains and e-commerce platforms, Chinese consumers can enjoy the beauty of a rich variety of flowers at home," Tang said.

For Garces Fruit, Chile's main cherry producer and exporter that has maintained its presence in the Chinese market for more than a decade, e-commerce platforms have become an important area for development.

Through multiple efforts such as operating online stores, collaborating with leading Chinese fresh produce companies and increasing online visibility, the Chilean brand has brought itself closer to Chinese consumers.


Frances new immigration law, adopted on Tuesday with the votes of the right and far right, has opened one of the biggest crises in President Emmanuel Macrons ranks since he came to power in 2017. The most repressive measures included in the law, such as the tightening of foreigners access to social benefits, call into question some principles that, for years, the centrist president has staunchly defended.

Prominent lawmakers with the presidential bloc voted against the final version of the bill, considering it too right-wing. Several ministers even threatened to resign. Health chief Aurelien Rousseau made the threat effective, according to Le Figaro newspaper and Agence France Presse, although it is unclear whether the resignation was accepted.

The law was adopted by 349 votes in favor and 186 against in the National Assembly in a suspenseful late-night session that ended close to midnight. It would have been adopted even without the votes of the National Rally (RN), the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen. But the result projects a picture of Macron and his fiercest adversary together on the same issue that his opponents will remind him about for a long time to come.

The vote from Le Pens lawmakers was a poisoned gift for Macron. She knew that it would make him uncomfortable. And that, despite the fact that she was initially opposed to the project, voting for it would allow her to declare that her own ideas on immigration had prevailed.

We are faced with a crude maneuver by the RN, said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to the lawmakers in her group, as leaked by several media outlets. She was trying to convince them to vote in favor of the bill. Lets not fall into the trap, she urged. Speaking inside the chamber, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin held that the bill contains progressive elements, such as the regularization of 10,000 undocumented migrants each year.

The left accuses the president of embracing the postulates of Le Pen, who celebrated the agreement as an ideological victory for her party, currently the favorite to win the European elections in June. There is a European dimension to this French parliamentary struggle, which coincides with the negotiation in Brussels of an immigration pact for the EU.

Le Pen also expressed her gratitude to the left for refusing to debate the project in the National Assembly, thus leaving the text in the hands of the right and the Macronists.

A more repressive version of the bill had been adopted in November in the Senate, dominated by the traditional right-wing Republicans. On December 11, it reached the National Assembly, where the Macronists form the bloc with the most lawmakers but fall short of an absolute majority. The Macronists had hoped to soften the senators version there.

But there was a surprise in store. The left, the right and the far right in the National Assembly joined their votes to adopt a motion of rejection which prevented the bill from even reaching the floor for debate.

To find a solution, a joint commission of 14 members from the Senate and the National Assembly was convened. And from there came the final version, once again tougher in its wording. This is the one that was adopted on Tuesday first by the Senate, with 214 votes in favor and 114 against, then later by the lower house.

The Socialist lawmaker Boris Vallaud declared before the vote, I hope that in the ranks of the majority there will be men and women of principle to reject this compromise. In the end, 27 members of the majority ended up voting against and 34 abstained.

The text, as denounced by the left and celebrated by Le Pen, includes a historical concept of the RN and its predecessor, the old National Front party. It is the concept of national preference, the advantage for the French with respect to foreigners present on the territory in access to social benefits, as described by Le Pen.

Le Pen and those accusing Macron of adopting national preference allude to the requirement for foreigners to have been working in France for two and a half years, or living there for five years in case of not working, to be eligible for some social benefits.

The alternative for Macron and his deputies would be to abandon the text. But it would mean admitting his inability to legislate.

No solution seemed good for a president without an absolute parliamentary majority or enough margin to govern comfortably. This much was made clear with the first major project after his re-election in 2022: pension reform. In the end, it was approved by decree. Now he is proving it again with the second major project of his five-year term: the immigration law, which was originally intended to strike a balance between conservative and progressive measures. It proposed to facilitate the deportation of foreigners considered dangerous. At the same time, it promoted the regularization of undocumented immigrants who could work in sectors with labor shortages.

More than just a law was at stake in Tuesdays vote. At stake was the essence of Macronism, which proclaims itself neither left-wing nor right-wing, or both left-wing and right-wing. In the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, Macronism defeated the far right. But now there will be a picture of its lawmakers voting alongside Le Pen. And not just on any old issue, but one of the favorite topics of the far right: immigration.
Authorities have been looking for ways to clear the area for a planned high-rise development.

Street vendors and local residents remain outraged after 20 Phnom Penh police officers destroyed food stalls and threw fish and vegetables into a nearby lake during a bitter clash this week.

Authorities in Phnom Penhs Prek Pnov District have been looking for ways to evict food vendors and residents and dismantle homes from an area near Ta Mok Lake ahead of a planned high-rise development.

Tuesdays confrontation with police left several residents injured and many still raw with anger.

Look at this, my knees were dragged until it was cut, a resident told Radio Free Asia. I think the Prek Pnov district authority is brutal. There is no heart, no pure Khmer heart, no Khmer blood. They are more brutal than the Khmer Rouge.

A woman throws a table during clashes with police in the Ta Mok Lake area of Phnom Penhs Prek Pnov District on Dec. 19, 2023. (Screenshot from citizen journalist video)





Government officials have told RFA in the past that they believe the residents are living in the area illegally. Land disputes between powerful officials, connected businessmen and poor local residents are a common occurrence in Cambodia.

Theres justice only for the rich and none for the poor, food vendor Tim Ouk told RFA. Theyve caused us suffering until we have nothing to eat.

Ta Mok Lake is the largest lake in Phnom Penh, with a total area of more than 3,240 hectares (8,000 acres). Hundreds of hectares of the lake have already been filled in to pave the way for the development projects.

Vendors and police are seen in the Ta Mok Lake area of Phnom Penhs Prek Pnov District on Dec. 19, 2023. (Screenshot from citizen journalist video)





RFA wasnt immediately able to obtain comments from Phnom Penh Gov. Khuong Sreng or Prek Pnov District Gov. Thim Sam An about Tuesdays confrontation.

Local resident Sea Davy said if the district authorities come again, the community will join forces to protect themselves, even in the face of violence or arrest.

We do not know which side to rely on. If the authorities come to abuse us, we dont know who to file complaints with, she said. The peoples force will protect us.

Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.
Once one of the worlds freest places, the city plunges under Chinese rule, Cato Institute finds.

Supporters are surrounded by police outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building during a hearing for the 47 pro-democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law, in Hong Kong, Feb. 6, 2023.

Hong Kong has plummeted in the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index, with the annual rights report describing China's crackdown in the city as a "descent into tyranny."

The city  once ranked in the top 10 freest territories in the world  dropped from 3rd place in 2010 to 46th place in 2021 out of 165 countries, the Cato Institute said in its 2023 report. It fell 17 spots from 2020.

"The territory was once one of the freest places in the world, but the Chinese Communist Partys escalating violations of Hong Kongs traditional liberties have caused its ranking ... to fall," the report said, blaming Beijing's imposition of a draconian security law and its subsequent "aggressive takeover of Hong Kong."

"Hong Kongs descent into tyranny is a tragedy," it said, adding that the city would have fallen still further down the index if it weren't for the global loss of freedoms recorded during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, which comes amid international condemnation over the ongoing national security trial of pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai, found "notable deterioration" in nearly every kind of freedom, but particularly in its rule of law, freedom of expression, and freedom of association and assembly ratings.

The Washington-based Cato Institute is known to embrace a libertarian philosophy. Its mission is to originate, disseminate, and advance solutions based on the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace, its website says.

Promised freedoms

Hong Kong was promised the continuation of its rights and freedoms for 50 years following the 1997 handover to Chinese rule, and the 2020 national security law marked the acceleration of direct control from Beijing in the wake of the 2019 pro-democracy movement.

The city's ranking in freedom of expression fell from 50th in 2000 to 110th in 2021, while its freedoms of association and assembly fell from 75th to 146th over the same period, the report said.

A member of the security force stands guard as a prison van believed to carry media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, leaves the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong, Dec. 18, 2023. (Lam Yik/Reuters)





While concluding that the current situation has effectively ended the city's autonomy, the report authors kept Hong Kong's scores separate from the rest of China  which rose two spots to 149th  to record the city's trajectory into "subjugation to Chinese Communist Party rule."

"Given ongoing attacks on freedom in Hong Kong, we will be surprised if future reports do not show a continuing and pronounced degradation in the territorys ratings, including a noticeable decline in economic freedom," the report said.

Lai's trial for "collusion with foreign forces" and "seditious" publications is taking place before a panel of government-appointment judges and no jury, and centers on opinion articles published in his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper.

Lai has been an outspoken supporter of the pro-democracy movement, and several editors at his former paper are also awaiting sentencing for calling for international sanctions in columns and opinion pieces.

Judges will rule later this week on whether to drop the "sedition" charge, which Lai's lawyers say has passed the time limit for prosecution.

Banned anthem

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government is stepping up its legal campaign for an injunction against the public playing or dissemination of "Glory to Hong Kong," the banned anthem of the 2019 protest movement, with its lawyers arguing in court on Tuesday that "music can be used as a weapon."

"Political propaganda can make citizens distrust and oppose the government, and even make people hate the government, triggering serious social unrest and chaos," Senior Counsel Benjamin Yu told the Court of Appeal.

The government quoted an interview with the songwriter, who said "music is the most powerful weapon to unite people," claiming that it could be used to overthrow the government.

Protesters sing Glory to Hong Kong outside Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, Nov. 25, 2019. (Leah Millis/Reuters)





Earlier attempts to win an injunction were rejected due to the potential "chilling effect" on freedom of expression, and caused a global spike in downloads of the song.

If the court injunction is granted, it will outlaw the broadcasting, performing, publishing or other dissemination of the song on any platform, especially with "seditious" or "pro-independence" intent, the government has said.

It will also become harder to track down the song online, as global platforms could seek to conform with the ruling simply by taking it down.

The anthem was regularly sung by crowds of unarmed protesters during the 2019 protest movement, which ranged from peaceful demonstrations for full democracy to intermittent, pitched battles between front-line protesters and armed riot police.

It calls for freedom and democracy rather than independence, but was nonetheless deemed in breach of the national security law due to its "separatist" intent, according to officials.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Taipeis defense ministry said balloons from China have been spotted over the Taiwan Strait but they may be meteorological.

The Taiwanese defense ministry said another Chinese balloon has been detected crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait, the fifth balloon sighting this month.

The line serves as the de-facto boundary between Taiwan and mainland China.

As Taiwan is preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13, 2024, any intrusion from China would be treated as highly sensitive. Beijing considers the democratic island as one of its provinces and has been accused by Taipei of meddling in Taiwans politics.

In the latest incident, a balloon was spotted at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night near the port city of Keelung but disappeared at around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement.

Another balloon was detected also near Keelung on Monday morning, and two were spotted on Sunday in the morning and the afternoon. The ministry told Taipei-based media that preliminary assessments are that they were weather balloons.

On Dec. 7, a balloon was detected, also near Keelung. The MND declined to confirm whether it was a surveillance balloon.

Security risks?

It is highly likely that these balloons have been moving around Taiwan for some time, so I dont think it has anything to do with the election specifically, said Ben Lewis, an independent defense analyst based in Washington D.C.

Im not concerned about any security risks associated with the balloons so long as they dont violate Taiwans sovereign territory, Lewis told Radio Free Asia.

Another analyst, Wendell Minnick, said that they are most likely small weather balloons, similar to the one discovered on Matsu island in May.

On May 13, Taiwanese troops stationed on Matsu discovered the wreckage of a balloon imprinted with Shanghai Chang Wang Meteorological Technology Company indicating it was a meteorological device. A similar balloon was found in February, also in Matsu.

I suspect these balloons are a normal occurrence, said Minnick, editor of China In Arms on Substack.

However, the MND never revealed Chinese balloon intrusions before 2023, the Taipei-based analyst told RFA.

These should not be confused with the Chinese balloon that flew over the U.S. in February, he added.

The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. (Randall Hill/Reuters)

In the so-called 2023 Chinese balloon incident, the Pentagon said that a Chinese high-altitude balloon was flying for days over the continental U.S. before being shot down by a stealth F-22 Raptor fighter jet in the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4.

U.S. authorities said it was a high-altitude surveillance platform the size of a school bus but China said it was a weather balloon that was blown off course.

The incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to China and marked a further dip in the already problematic relations between Washington and Beijing.

Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
The current US support and measures leave a significant security gap for S Korea, expert says.

Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023.

When South Koreas President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested the potential of Seoul acquiring nuclear capabilities, the United States promptly set up the Nuclear Consultation Group, or NCG. This initiative is aimed at addressing Seouls security concerns, in the hopes of preventing them from developing into a significant security dilemma for Washington, namely a nuclear domino effect across Asia.

However, North Koreas deployment of spy satellites and subsequent launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) has led to increasing skepticism in Seoul regarding the dependability of Washingtons deterrence strategy, fueling a louder call for South Korea to develop its own nuclear arsenal. Experts noted that this sentiment will likely intensify unless the U.S. sufficiently addresses South Koreas security concerns.

Signs are already evident. A poll released by Gallup Korea earlier this year shows around 78% of South Koreans are in favor of the country developing its own nuclear weapons.

Prominent politicians, such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the ruling party for 2027, have also been vocal about the issue.

Oh on Tuesday, for instance, stressed that South Korea would need its own nuclear arsenal, calling bolstering the cooperation with the U.S. under nuclear umbrella only a temporary measure.

Ohs remarks are widely viewed as his attempt to align with the aspirations of South Koreas conservative base, advocating for the nation to become a nuclear power.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had previously brought up the idea of the country going nuclear if its security situation with North Korea deteriorates. While these remarks were not a policy announcement, they sparked an intense debate within the Souths domestic political circles. With the by-election in April next year and the presidential election for 2027, this high-stake nuclear debate is only likely to continue in the country.

Washingtons dilemma

The U.S.-South Korea bilateral announcement to establish the NCG, agreed in Washington in April, is a clear indicator that shows Washingtons strategic effort to mitigate South Koreas inclination towards developing its own nuclear arsenal.

In the traditional sense, South Koreas potential pursuit of nuclear weapons may destabilize the nuclear arms race in East Asia, which could become a security dilemma for Washington.

The tense atmosphere concerning Taiwan would justify  Japan would also be willing to become part of the nuclear group not to feel disadvantaged in case a war occurs, researchers of London-based Kings Think Tank noted in April, adding that having a nuclear South Korea could lead to the nuclear domino effect in East Asia.

Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Korea's presidential office believes while the NCG reflects the U.S.s understanding of the complex security environment in the region, it needs to bear real substance if it is to mitigate the growing voices in the South advocating for nuclearization.

North Koreas nuclear weapons and ICBM launches target the U.S., but the U.S.s capability is reciprocated for retaliation, effectively neutralizing the Pyongyang threat, said Cheon.

But this leaves a critical question unanswered: Is there an adequate countermeasure for North Koreas nuclear weapons and short-range missiles specifically aimed at ROK? Currently, no such equivalent countermeasure exists in ROK, highlighting a significant security gap here, he added by referring to South Korea as its former name.

He stressed the importance of filling such a gap, adding thats where the NCG must come into play.

Its not enough to simply just continue deploying strategic assets in the Korean peninsula, but a more nuanced approach is needed, he noted.

The NCG should focus on developing and discussing more effective strategies and collaborative measures to address the specific challenges posed by North Koreas targeted missile threats, to fundamentally ease Seouls security concerns, the pundit explained.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.
Burmese women have gone on hunger strike to demand their release

Women who escaped the fighting in Myanmar are being detained and beaten in an Indian prison, according to a group that helps Burmese refugees.

The India For Myanmar group said Tuesday the women have gone on hunger strike to demand their release from the prison in Manipur state which borders Sagaing region and Chin state.

The groups spokesperson Salai Dokhar said that the hunger strikers were being tortured at the command of prison authorities.

The prison authorities promised to release them on Dec. 15. Since they were not released on the 15th, the inmates of the womens prison went on a hunger strike from the 16th. But starting on the night of the 17th, they were forced to sleep where it had snowed as punishment, he said.

On Dec. 19, the authorities started beating the inmates. They called policemen and asked them to beat the female prisoners. I heard that there are some critically injured people.

The husband of one of the women, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday that 36 protesting Myanmar women were beaten.

Those who have already been sentenced to five months in prison and fined were told that they would be released on Dec. 15. But they were not released, so they started protesting on the 16th. On the 18th they were beaten by policemen, and they were severely beaten, the man said.

My wife has swollen cheeks. Some of the women lost their Htamein [Burmese traditional lower dress for women]. The policemen stopped beating them when their Htamein came off and they looked inappropriate.

He added that Burmese prisoners in the mens dormitory had also been on hunger strike since Dec. 19 to support the female inmates.

There are currently around 100 Myanmar nationals in Manipur prisons. Male inmates are held in detention centers and the women are in prisons according to family members.

Manipur authorities charged those arrested under the Foreigners Act and sentenced them to a fine and imprisonment of up to six months.

RFA Burmese emailed the Indian Embassy in Yangon about the beatings but did not receive a reply at time of publishing on Wednesday.

Salai Dokhar said India For Myanmar would call on the chief minister of Manipur to release the Myanmar nationals as soon as possible and treat them as war victims.

Currently, a total of 86 Myanmar refugees and migrant workers are being held in Manipur prisons, according to those helping refugees and migrant workers.

They said there are around 6,000 Myanmar war refugees in Manipur state. Most of them are from Kale and Tamu townships in Sagaing region and Tedim, Tonzang townships in Chin state.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
Anti-junta forces have set up satellite-based internet access in more than 60 areas under their control in the Sagaing and Magway regions and in Karenni and Kachin states, officials from Myanmars shadow National Unity Government told Radio Free Asia.

The military junta cut off access to regular internet services in many communities following the Feb. 1, 2021, coup detat as they sought to weaken communication capabilities among resistance forces.

Mobile phone services have also been blocked in many townships where fighting has taken place between junta troops and Peoples Defense Force paramilitaries or ethnic armed organizations.

Officials from the National Unity Government, or NUG, said that the Starlink satellite internet technology is being set up primarily for use by administrators in communities that resistance forces have secured.

Residents of those villages and townships will eventually have access as well, said Ko Lin, the joint secretary of NUGs Ministry of Communications, Information and Technology.

The NUG is mostly made up of former civilian government leaders. Its Federal Net Campaign was launched on Nov. 20.

Villages of Yinmabin and Salingyi townships in Sagaing region protest against junta enforced internet blockage in 2022. (Citizen journalist photo)





We use satellite-based technology, and are seeking ways with other technologies, Ko Lin said. Now there are more peaceful areas at present. We are expanding our project to ensure more effectiveness.

The lightweight, high-speed internet system built by Starlink  a division of U.S. billionaire Elon Musks SpaceX  has connected people in remote parts of the world and has given Ukrainian forces a crucial advantage on the battlefield, according to the Associated Press. It uses almost 4,000 low-orbit satellites across the skies.

Juntas legal threat

A resident of Ye-U township in Sagaing region said the junta-implemented internet outage hurt peoples ability to stay informed and connected with friends and family.

We could use social media platforms such as Facebook for communications before the internet was cut off, the resident said. The outage has many impacts on us. There are only a few places to connect to the internet, but they arent stable. So, I dont use the Internet anymore.

But locals in some townships in Kayah and Shan states have recently been able to log on after several Internet cafes were connected to Starlink, NUG officials said.

The juntas Ministry of Transport and Communications announced on state-owned media outlets on Nov. 23 that legal action will be taken against the illegal use of satellite devices and internet services.

The announcement should serve as a warning to the public about avoiding internet services that arent licensed by junta authorities, said Myo Swe, the director-general of the ministrys Post and Telecommunications department.

As per Telecommunications Law, service providers need to apply for a license at our department, he told Radio Free Asia. Both satellite internet service providers and users need to apply for registration.

An email sent to SpaceX requesting comment on the juntas threat of legal action against those who use Starlink in Myanmar wasnt immediately returned on Tuesday.

Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian relief service helping oppressed ethnic minorities in Myanmar, condemned the restrictions on any communications among people. The group helped facilitate the use of Starlink in Karenni state, director David Eubank said.

Freedom of expression and communication is a fundamental human right between all peoples, and for all peoples, he said. The government of Burma or any government that tries to control peoples ability to communicate with each other is doing an evil act against their own people.

Alternative access to the internet will make it more difficult for junta officials to hide their crimes and offenses in the world, said Zaw Win of the Southeast Asia-based human rights group Fortify Rights.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Democracy activist and former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Tien Trung, his wife, and two children arrived in Germany for resettlement purposes on December 14, 2023.

Trung fled Vietnam for Thailand to apply for refugee status in August 2023 following heavy surveillance by Vietnams security forces who forced him to visit police stations multiple times.

Trung has been an activist fighting for democracy in Vietnam for more than a decade. He was arrested in 2009 on charges of anti-State propaganda. In 2010, he was sentenced to seven years in prison, along with other prominent activists such as Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Le Cong Dinh, and Le Thang Long.

After being discharged from prison in 2014, he continued his pro-democracy activities in various forms, including writing commentaries and compiling reports on the Vietnamese governments human rights violations and sharing them with the international community.

From a refugee camp in the city of Cologne, Trung told Radio Free Asia how he escaped Vietnamese security forces at home and in Thailand.

RFA: Congratulations to you and your family on having arrived in Germany. What are your feelings now?

Trung: I did not plan to come to Germany but the dangerous situation facing me in Vietnam forced me to leave my country.

My feelings are mixed. I am happy because my family has arrived in a safe place but I am also sad for having to leave Vietnam and my colleagues there.

RFA: What dangers forced you to flee your home country?

Trung: In the early morning of Aug. 18, 2023, when leaving my home [in Ho Chi Minh City] to buy breakfast, I encountered five plain-clothed security officers who came out from a coffee shop at the beginning of the alley to my home. They stopped me and asked me to follow them to the ward office.

I asked whether they had any written summons for me, who they were, and why they stopped me. They replied that they did not have a summons, but I must go to the ward office. They also said that after I went to the ward office, they would send the summons to my home. However, I refused to go, saying this was a kidnapping plot.

After arguing with me for a while, they made eye contact with around five other security officers, who were sitting inside the coffee shop, asking them to come out. When they stood up, I counted them and realized that there were a total of around 10 security officers watching and wanting to arrest me.

Therefore, I had to run back to my home. Fortunately, I ran fast enough and was able to get in and lock the gate. Shortly after that, police officers in uniform came with an invitation, asking me to go to the ward police station for a meeting on the same day. I, of course, did not show up.

It was raining that evening. Noticing there was no one watching me, I decided to leave home and flee to Thailand.

RFA: In your opinion, what had you done that led to the threat of you being arrested?

Trung: Firstly, for many years, I have always reported the Vietnamese Communist governments human rights violations to international organizations and diplomatic missions of democratic countries [in Vietnam].

Secondly, I can say that I had put families of many prisoners of conscience in contact with foreign embassies so that the embassies could support them or lobby for the release of prisoners of conscience. This is what I have publically done since I was discharged from prison in 2014.

What I didnt say publicly was my support for many Vietnamese civil society organizations. I stayed behind the scenes and did not want to reveal myself.

Recently, I was told by my friends that some had been kidnapped and forced to denounce and accuse me of enticing them to fight for democracy. Therefore, I realized they were looking for excuses to accuse me.

As they did not have any evidence to charge me, they planned to abduct me when I was going out to be able to have access to my mobile phone, and they wanted to arrest me based on my friends forced statements. That was their conspiracy.

RFA: Can you tell us about your trip to Thailand?

Trung: I left home on the evening of Aug. 18 and arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug. 23.

Like others, to be able to come to Thailand I had to go through Cambodia. I cannot be more specific as the information about the path to Thailand should be confidential.

RFA: How did you feel when you arrived in Thailand?

Trung: I was glad as I could at least get to the place I needed to go to, which was the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. However, I always stayed vigilant because, as you all know, Vietnamese agents are ubiquitous in Bangkok, and they successfully abducted Truong Duy Nhat and Duong Van Thai. Therefore, I was not that glad.

Despite my vigilance, Vietnamese security agents were still able to track me down in Bangkok. That was why the German government decided to grant me an emergency visa so that I could come to Germany early.

RFA: How did you know that you had been spotted by Vietnamese security agents in Bangkok?

Trung: When I was having breakfast at a market near my home [in Bangkok], I noticed someone was following me and [using Google to search for my photos]  Luckily, the person was sitting with his/her back to me.

When I glanced at their phone, this person turned their head to look at me. Therefore, I was able to see they were searching for my photos to verify it was me. I immediately left the eatery and also moved to a new place to live.

I informed several embassies about the incident and the German embassy decided to help me [leave Thailand] right away. Then I arrived in Germany on Dec. 14.

RFA: Looking back at your journey from Vietnam to Thailand and then to Germany, what do you think was the biggest challenge?

Trung: I think the most challenging time was when I had to cross the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. They wanted to kidnap me on Friday [Aug. 18], and on Saturday afternoon, I had already arrived in the province bordering Cambodia.

My taxi driver received a lot of calls from the call center and the call center was aware that the taxi was transporting me. I realized that the security forces had spotted my taxi, and I had been discovered as the call center was able to describe my appearance in detail. As a result, I had no choice but to leave that border province and return to Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City]. So, I failed to flee Vietnam on that Saturday.

On Sunday, I took another route, and fortunately, I was successful.

The fact that I was spotted and had to return to Saigon made me realize how severe my case was because only the security forces at the ministry level were able to mobilize various provinces and cities security forces to prevent me from leaving the country. I was very lucky to be able to escape from them.

RFA: During your stay in Thailand, was your family in Vietnam harassed by the local authorities?

Trung: The security forces did ask about me, but my family, of course, did not say anything. Quite a few of my friends were kidnapped and interrogated about my whereabouts, as well as forced to denounce me. I knew this as my friends messaged me after being released from police stations.

RFA: Do you know why the Vietnamese government had such a strong determination to hunt you?

Trung: I think there could be several reasons. Firstly, they may find my activities had caused some threats as I supported many domestic civil society organizations with many employees and strong abilities. Therefore, they were determined to wipe me out.

Secondly, the activists, who are good at English, have already left, and I seem to be the last one in Vietnam who can help prisoners of conscience speak up [and communicate with the international community]. Therefore, I was a thorn that needed to be removed.

Thirdly, it might be because Tran Huynh Duy Thuc is going to be released from prison. He is expected to complete his jail term in 2025. I guess that they did not want us to work together to fight for democracy in Vietnam and decided to take action to prevent this.

Those are all my assumptions. I actually dont know their motivations/reasons.

RFA: Now you are in Germany do you have any worries or concerns?

Trung: As a pro-democracy activist, I, of course, still have many concerns. I dont know what will happen to my colleagues still in Vietnam. I wish them all safety and security, and I hope that my departure/absence will bring them safety as their leader has left.

RFA: What are your plans for the future?

Trung: I will need to settle in first, then start to learn German to integrate into life here quickly.

Secondly, I will continue to pursue my ideal, which is to fight for human rights and democracy in Vietnam. And, of course, I will have to do it differently from what I did when I was in the country.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
We asked some of our most perceptive journalists and analysts to anticipate tomorrow, to unravel the future, to forecast what the new year could have in store for our vast broadcast region. Among their predictions:

The war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable.

In Iran, with parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy.

In Belarus, setbacks for Russia in Ukraine could prompt the Lukashenka regime to attempt to normalize relations with the West.

While 2024 will see a rightward shift in the EU, it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting.

The vicious spiral for women in Afghanistan will only worsen.

Peace between Armenia and its neighbors could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region.

Hungary's upcoming leadership of the European Council could prove a stumbling block to the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine.

Kyrgyzstan is on course to feel the pain of secondary sanctions over Russias invasion of Ukraine if the West's patience runs out.

Here, then, are our correspondents' predictions for 2024. To find out more about the authors themselves, click on their bylines.

The Ukraine War: A Prolonged Stalemate

By Vitaliy Portnikov

In September 2022, Ukrainian generals Valeriy Zaluzhniy and Mykhaylo Zabrodskiy presciently warned that Russia's aggression against Ukraine would unfold into a protracted conflict. Fast forward 15 months, and the front line is effectively frozen, with neither Ukrainian nor Russian offensives yielding substantial changes.

As 2023 comes to a close, observers find themselves revisiting themes familiar from the previous year: the potential for a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, the extent of Western aid to Kyiv, the possibility of a "frozen conflict, security assurances for Ukraine, and the prospects for its Euro-Atlantic integration ahead of a NATO summit.

It is conceivable that, by the close of 2024, we will still be grappling with these same issues. A political resolution seems elusive, given the Kremlin's steadfast refusal to entertain discussions on vacating the parts of Ukraine its forces occupy. Conversely, Ukraines definition of victory is the full restoration of its territorial integrity.

Even if, in 2024, one side achieves a military victory -- whether through the liberation of part of Ukraine or Russia seizing control of additional regions -- it won't necessarily bring us closer to a political resolution. Acknowledging this impasse is crucial, as Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine is part of a broader agenda: a push to reestablish, if not the Soviet Empire, at least its sphere of influence.

Even if, in 2024, one side achieves a military victory, it won't necessarily bring us closer to a political resolution.

For Ukraine, resistance to Russian aggression is about not just reclaiming occupied territories but also safeguarding statehood, political identity, and national integrity. Western support is crucial for Ukraine's survival and the restoration of its territorial integrity. However, this backing aims to avoid escalation into a direct conflict between Russia and the West on Russia's sovereign territory.

The war's conclusion seems contingent on the depletion of resources on one of the two sides, with Ukraine relying on continued Western support and Russia on oil and gas revenues. Hence, 2024 might echo the patterns of 2023. Even if external factors shift significantly -- such as in the U.S. presidential election in November -- we might not witness tangible changes until 2025.

Another potential variable is the emergence of major conflicts akin to the war in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, this would likely signify the dissipation of Western resources rather than a shift in approaches to war.

In essence, the war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable. Constructing a new world order demands unconventional measures, such as offering genuine security guarantees to nations victimized by aggression or achieving peace, or at least limiting the zone of military operations to the current contact line, without direct agreements with Russia.

So far, such understanding is lacking, and the expectation that Moscow will eventually grasp the futility of its ambitions only emboldens Putin. Consequently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will endure, potentially spawning new, equally perilous local wars worldwide.

Iran: Problems Within And Without

By Hannah Kaviani

Iran has been dealing with complex domestic and international challenges for years and the same issues are likely to plague it in 2024. But officials in Tehran appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach to its lengthy list of multilayered problems.

Iran enters 2024 as Israel's war in Gaza continues and the prospects for a peaceful Middle East are bleak, with the situation exacerbated by militia groups firmly supported by Tehran.

Irans prominent role in supporting paramilitary forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen has also drawn the ire of the international community and will continue to be a thorn in the side of relations with the West.

Tehran has refused to cooperate with the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency over its nuclear program, resulting in an impasse in talks with the international community. And with the United States entering an election year that could see the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, the likelihood of Tehran and Washington resuming negotiations -- which could lead to a reduction in sanctions -- is considered very low.

But Iran's problems are not limited to outside its borders.

Another critical issue Iranian officials must continue to deal with in 2024 is the devastated economy.

The countrys clerical regime is still reeling from the massive protests that began in 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for not obeying hijab rules. The aftershocks of the Women, Life, Freedom movement that emanated from her death were reflected in acts of civil disobedience that are likely to continue in 2024.

At the same time, a brutal crackdown continues as civil rights activists, students, religious minorities, and artists are being beaten, detained, and/or given harsh prison sentences.

With parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy as it struggles with low voter turnout and general disinterest in another round of controlled elections.

Another critical issue Iranian officials must continue to deal with in 2024 is the devastated economy resulting from the slew of international sanctions because of its controversial nuclear program. After a crushing year of 47 percent inflation in 2023 (a 20-year high, according to the IMF), costs are expected to continue to rise for many foods and commodities, as well as real estate.

Irans widening budget deficit due to reduced oil profits continues to cripple the economy, with the IMF reporting that the current government debt is equal to three annual budgets.

With neither the international community nor the hard-line Tehran regime budging, most analysts see scant chances for significant changes in Iran in the coming year.

Belarus: Wider War Role, Integration With Russia Not In The Cards

By Valer Karbalevich

Belarus has been pulled closer into Moscows orbit than ever by Russias war in Ukraine -- but in 2024, its unlikely to be subsumed into the much larger nation to its east, and chances are it wont step up its so-far limited involvement in the conflict in the country to its south.

The most probable scenario in Belarus, where the authoritarian Alyaksandr Lukashenka will mark 30 years since he came to power in 1994, is more of the same: No letup in pressure on all forms of dissent at home, no move to send troops to Ukraine. And while Russias insistent embrace will not loosen, the Kremlin will abstain from using Belarusian territory for any new ground attacks or bombardments of Ukraine.

But the war in Ukraine is a wild card, the linchpin influencing the trajectory of Belarus in the near term and beyond. For the foreseeable future, what happens in Belarus -- or to it -- will depend in large part on what happens in Russias assault on Ukraine.

Should the current equilibrium on the front persist and Western support for Ukraine persist, the likelihood is a continuation of the status quo for Belarus. The country will maintain its allegiance to Russia, marked by diplomatic and political support. Bolstered by Russian loans, Belarus's defense industry will further expand its output.

If Russia wins or scores substantial victories in Ukraine, Lukashenka will reap "victory dividends."

The Belarusian state will continue to militarize the border with Ukraine, posing a perpetual threat to Kyiv and diverting Ukrainian troops from the eastern and southern fronts. At the same time, however, Russia is unlikely to use Belarusian territory as a launching point for fresh assaults on Ukraine, as it did at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

If Russia wins or scores substantial victories -- if Ukraine is forced into negotiations on Moscows terms, for example, or the current front line comes to be considered the international border -- Lukashenka, consolidating his position within the country, will reap "victory dividends." But relations between Belarus and Russia are unlikely to change dramatically.

Potentially, Moscow could take major steps to absorb Belarus, diminishing its sovereignty and transforming its territory into a staging ground for a fresh assault on Kyiv. This would increase tensions with the West and heighten concerns about the tactical nuclear weapons Moscow and Minsk say Russia has transferred to Belarus. However, this seems unlikely due to the absence of military necessity for Moscow and the problems it could create on the global stage.

The loss of Belarusian sovereignty would pose a major risk for Lukashenka and his regime. An overwhelming majority of Belarusians oppose the direct involvement of Belarus in the war against Ukraine. This fundamental distinction sets Belarus apart from Russia, and bringing Belarus into the war could trigger a political crisis in Belarus -- an outcome Moscow would prefer to avoid.

If Russia loses the war or sustains significant defeats that weaken Putin, Lukashenka's regime may suffer economic and political repercussions. This could prompt him to seek alternative global alliances, potentially leading to an attempt to normalize relations with the West.

Russia, Ukraine, And The West: Sliding Toward World War III

By Sergei Medvedev

2024 will be a critical year for the war in Ukraine and for the entire international system, which is quickly unraveling before our eyes. The most crucial of many challenges is a revanchist, resentful, belligerent Russia, bent on destroying and remaking the world order. In his mind, President Vladimir Putin is fighting World War III, and Ukraine is a prelude to a global showdown.

Despite Western sanctions, Russia has consolidated its position militarily, domestically, and internationally in 2023. After setbacks and shocks in 2022, the military has stabilized the front and addressed shortages of arms, supplies, and manpower. Despite latent discontent, the population is not ready to question the war, preferring to stay in the bubble of learned ignorance and the lies of state propaganda.

Here are four scenarios for 2024:

Strategic stalemate in Ukraine, chaos in the international system: The West, relaxed by a 30-year peace dividend, lacks the vision and resolve of the 1980s, when its leaders helped bring about the U.S.S.R.s collapse, let alone the courage of those who stood up to Nazi Germany in World War II. Putins challenge to the free world is no less significant than Hitlers was, but there is no Roosevelt or Churchill in sight. Probability: 70 percent

While breakup into many regions is unlikely, the Russian empire could crumble at the edges.

Widening war, collapse or division of Ukraine: Russia could defend and consolidate its gains in Ukraine, waging trench warfare while continuing to destroy civilian infrastructure, and may consider a side strike in Georgia or Moldova -- or against Lithuania or Poland, testing NATO. A frontal invasion is less likely than a hybrid operation by unidentified units striking from Belarus, acts of sabotage, or unrest among Russian-speakers in the Baltic states. Other Kremlin operations could occur anywhere in the world. The collapse of Ukraines government or the division of the country could not be ruled out. Probability: 15 percent.

Russia loses in Ukraine: A military defeat for Russia, possibly entailing a partial or complete withdrawal from Ukraine. Consistent Western support and expanded supplies of arms, like F-16s or Abrams tanks, or a big move such as closing the skies over Ukraine, could provide for this outcome. It would not necessarily entail Russias collapse -- it could further consolidate the nation around Putins regime. Russia would develop a resentful identity grounded in loss and defeat -- and harbor the idea of coming back with a vengeance. Probability: 10 percent

Russias Collapse: A military defeat in Ukraine could spark social unrest, elite factional battles, and an anti-Putin coup, leading to his demotion or violent death. Putins natural death, too, could set off a succession struggle, causing chaos in a country he has rid of reliable institutions. While breakup into many regions is unlikely, the empire could crumble at the edges -- Kaliningrad, Chechnya, the Far East  like in 1917 and 1991. Russias nuclear weapons would be a big question mark, leading to external involvement and possible de-nuclearization. For all its perils, this scenario might provide a framework for future statehood in Northern Eurasia. Probability: 5 percent

EU: 'Fortress Europe' And The Ukraine War

By Rikard Jozwiak

2024 will see a rightward shift in the European Union, but it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting since Euroskeptics won national elections in the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia and polled well in Austria and Germany.

The European Parliament elections in June will be the ultimate test for the bloc in that respect. Polls still suggest the two main political groups, the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, will finish on top, albeit with a smaller share of the vote. But right-wing populist parties are likely to fail once again to agree on the creation of a single political group, thus eroding their influence in Brussels.

This, in turn, is likely to prod more pro-European groups into combining forces again to divvy up EU top jobs like the presidencies of the European Commission, the bloc's top executive body, and the European Council, which defines the EU's political direction and priorities. Center-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is widely tipped to get a second term, even though she might fancy NATO's top job as secretary-general. Charles Michel, on the other hand, will definitely be out as European Council president after serving the maximum five years.

While right-wing populists may not wield major influence in the horse-trading for those top jobs, they will affect policy going forward. They have already contributed to a hardening of attitudes on migration, and you can expect to hear more of the term "fortress Europe" as barriers go up on the EU's outer border.

The one surefire guarantee in Europe isn't about the European Union at all but rather about NATO.

The biggest question for 2024, however, is about how much support Brussels can provide Ukraine going forward. Could the "cost-of-living crisis" encourage members to side with Budapest to block financial aid or veto the start of de facto accession talks with that war-torn country? The smart money is still on the EU finding a way to green-light both those decisions in 2024, possibly by unfreezing more EU funds for Budapest.

Although it seems like a remote possibility, patience could also finally wear out with Hungary, and the other 26 members could decide to strip it of voting rights in the Council of the European Union, which amends, approves, and vetoes European Commission proposals -- essentially depriving it of influence. In that respect, Austria and Slovakia, Budapest's two biggest allies right now, are the EU countries to watch.

The one surefire guarantee in Europe isn't about the European Union at all but rather about NATO: After somehow failing to join as predicted for each of the past two years, against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden will become the transatlantic military alliance's 32nd member once the Turkish and Hungarian parliaments vote to ratify its accession protocol.

Caucasus: A Peace Agreement Could Be Transformative

By Josh Kucera

Could 2024 be the year that Armenia and Azerbaijan finally formally resolve decades of conflict?

This year, Azerbaijan effectively decided -- by force -- their most contentious issue: the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. With its lightning offensive in September, Azerbaijan placed Karabakh firmly under its control. Both sides now say they've reached agreement on most of their fundamental remaining issues, and diplomatic talks, after an interruption, appear set to resume.

A resolution of the conflict could transform the region. If Armenia and Azerbaijan made peace, a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement could soon follow. Borders between the three countries would reopen as a result, ending Armenia's long geographical isolation and priming the South Caucasus to take full advantage of new transportation projects seeking to ship cargo between Europe and Asia while bypassing Russia.

Peace between Armenia and its neighbors also could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region. Russian-Armenian security cooperation has been predicated on potential threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey. With those threats reduced, what's keeping the Russian soldiers, peacekeepers, and border guards there?

There are mounting indications that Azerbaijan may not see it in its interests to make peace.

A Russian exit would be a messy process -- Moscow still holds many economic levers in Armenia -- but Yerevan could seek help from the United States and Europe to smooth any transition. Washington and Brussels have seemingly been waiting in the wings, nudging Armenia in their direction.

But none of this is likely to happen without a peace agreement. And while there don't seem to be any unresolvable issues remaining, there are mounting indications that Azerbaijan may not see it in its interests to make peace. Baku has gotten what it wanted most of all -- full control of Karabakh -- without an agreement. And maintaining a simmering conflict with Armenia could arguably serve Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev well, as it would allow him to continue to lean on a reliable source of public support: rallying against an Armenian enemy.

But perhaps the most conspicuous indication of a broader strategy is Aliyev's increasing invocation of "Western Azerbaijan" -- a hazily defined concept alluding to ethnic Azerbaijanis who used to live on the territory of what is now Armenia and their presumed right to return to their homes. It suggests that Azerbaijan might keep furthering its demands in hopes that Armenia finally throws in the towel, and each can accuse the other of intransigence.

Hungary: The Return Of Big Brother?

By Pablo Gorondi

Critics might be tempted to believe that Big Brother will be watching over Hungarians in 2024 like at no point since the fall of communism.

A new law on the Defense of National Sovereignty will allow the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty, which the law created, to investigate and request information from almost any group in Hungary that receives foreign funding. This will apply to civic groups, political parties, private businesses, media companies -- in fact, anyone deemed to be conducting activities (including "information manipulation and disinformation") in the interests of a foreign "body, organization, or person."

The law has been criticized by experts from the United Nations and the Council of Europe over its seemingly vague language, lack of judicial oversight, and fears that it could be used by the government "to silence and stigmatize independent voices and opponents."

The head of the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty should be nominated for a six-year term by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban and appointed by President Katalin Novak by February 1. This would allow the new authority to carry out investigations and present findings ahead of simultaneous elections to the European Parliament and Hungarian municipal bodies in early June -- possibly influencing their outcomes.

Orban has said in recent interviews that he wants to "fix the European Union" and that "we need to take over Brussels."

Asked by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, some experts said fears of the new authority are overblown and that the government is more likely to use it as a threat hanging over opponents than as a direct tool for repression -- at least until it finds it politically necessary or expedient to tighten control.

On the international scene, meanwhile, Hungary will take over the Council of the European Union's six-month rotating presidency in July, a few weeks after voting to determine the composition of a new European Parliament.

MEPs from Orban's Fidesz party exited the center-right European People's Party bloc in 2021 and have not joined another group since then, although some observers expect them to join the more Euroskeptic and nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists.

Orban has for years predicted a breakthrough of more radical right-wing forces in Europe. But while that has happened in Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia, experts suggest that's not enough to fuel a significant shift in the European Parliament, where the center-right and center-left should continue to hold a clear majority.

Because of the June elections, the European Parliament's activities will initially be limited -- and its election of a European Commission president could prove complicated. Nevertheless, Orban has said in recent interviews that he wants to "fix the European Union" and that "we need to take over Brussels." So, Hungary's leadership may make progress difficult on issues that Orban opposes, like the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine or a possible reelection bid by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Stability And The 'Serbian World'

By Gjeraqina Tuhina and Milos Teodorovic

Serbia, once again, will be a key player in the region -- and its moves could significantly shape events in the Balkans over the next 12 months.

For over a decade, the dialogue to normalize relations between Serbia and its former province Kosovo has stymied both countries. Then, in February in Brussels and March in Ohrid, North Macedonia, European mediators announced a path forward and its implementation. There was only one problem: There was no signature on either side. Nine months later, little has changed.

Many eyes are looking toward one aspect in particular -- a renewed obligation for Pristina to allow for an "appropriate level of self-management" for the Serb minority in Kosovo. This also entails creating possibilities for financial support from Serbia to Kosovar Serbs and guarantees for direct communication of the Serb minority with the Kosovar government.

In October, EU mediators tried again, and with German, French, and Italian backing presented both parties with a new draft for an association of Serb-majority municipalities. Both sides accepted the draft. EU envoy to the region Miroslav Lajcak suggested in December that the Ohrid agreement could be implemented by the end of January. If that happened, it would mark a decisive step for both sides in a dialogue that began in 2011.

"The Serbian world" is a phrase launched a few years ago by pro-Russian Serbian politician Aleksandar Vulin, a longtime cabinet minister who until recently headed the Serbian Intelligence Service. It is not officially part of the agenda of either Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic or the government, but it underscores the influence that Serbia seeks to wield from Kosovo and Montenegro to Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But how Vucic chooses to exert the implicit ties to Serb leaders and nationalists in those countries could do much to promote stability -- or its antithesis -- in the Balkans in 2024.

Another major challenge for Vucic revolves around EU officials' request that candidate country Serbia harmonize its foreign policy with the bloc. So far, along with Turkey, Serbia is the only EU candidate that has not introduced sanctions on Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is unclear how far the Serbian president is willing to push back to foster ongoing good relations with Moscow.

But first, Serbia will have to confront the fallout from snap elections in December dominated by Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party but rejected by the newly united opposition as fraudulent. The results sparked nightly protests in the capital and hunger strikes by a half-dozen lawmakers and other oppositionists. A new parliament is scheduled to hold a session by the end of January 2024, and the margins are seemingly razor-thin for control of the capital, Belgrade.

Central Asia: Don't Write Russia Off Just Yet

By Chris Rickleton

Will the empire strike back? 2023 has been a galling year for Russia in Central Asia as it watched its traditional partners (and former colonies) widen their diplomatic horizons.

With Russia bogged down in a grueling war in Ukraine, Moscow has less to offer the region than ever before. Central Asias five countries have made the most of the breathing space, with their leaders holding landmark talks with U.S. and German leaders as French President Emmanuel Macron also waltzed into Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with multibillion-dollar investments.

And China has reinforced its dominant position in the region, while Turkey has also increased its influence.

But dont write Russia off just yet.

One of Moscows biggest wins in the neighborhood this year was an agreement to supply Uzbekistan with nearly 3 billion cubic meters of gas every year, a figure that could increase.

Power deficits in Uzbekistan and energy-rich Kazakhstan are the most obvious short-term sources of leverage for Moscow over those important countries.

The coming year will likely bring more in terms of specifics over both governments plans for nuclear power production, with Russia fully expected to be involved.

And Moscows confidence in a region that it views as its near abroad will only increase if it feels it is making headway on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Tajikistan

Tajikistans hereditary succession has been expected for so long that people have stopped expecting it. Does that mean it is back on the cards for 2024? Probably not.

In 2016, Tajikistan passed a raft of constitutional changes aimed at cementing the ruling Rahmon familys hold on power. Among them was one lowering the age to run for president from 35 to 30.

Turkmenistans bizarre new setup begs a question: If youre not ready to let it go, why not hold on a little longer?

That amendment had an obvious beneficiary -- veteran incumbent Emomali Rahmons upwardly mobile son, Rustam Emomali. But Emomali is now 36 and, despite occupying a political post that makes him next in line, doesnt look any closer to becoming numero uno.

Perhaps there hasnt been a good time to do it.

From the coronavirus pandemic to a bloody crackdown on unrest in the Gorno-Badakhshan region and now the shadows cast by the Ukraine war, there have been plenty of excuses to delay the inevitable.

Turkmenistan

But perhaps Rahmon is considering events in Turkmenistan, where Central Asias first father-son power transition last year has ended up nothing of the sort. Rather than growing into the role, new President Serdar Berdymukhammedov is shrinking back into the shadow of his all-powerful father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.

And this seems to be exactly how the older Berdymukhammedov wanted it, subsequently fashioning himself a post-retirement post that makes his son and the rest of the government answerable to him.

But Turkmenistans bizarre new setup begs a question: If youre not ready to let it go, why not hold on a little longer?

Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) in November, a former IMF economist argued that Kyrgyzstan would be the "perfect test case" for secondary sanctions over Russias invasion of Ukraine. Robin Brooks described the country as "small, not remotely systemically important, and very clearly facilitating trade diversion to Russia."

Official statistics show that countries in the Eurasian Economic Union that Moscow leads have become a backdoor around the Western-led sanctions targeting Russia. Exports to Kyrgyzstan from several EU countries this year, for example, are up by at least 1,000 percent compared to 2019.

Data for exports to Kazakhstan shows similar patterns -- with larger volumes but gentler spikes -- while investigations by RFE/RL indicate that companies in both Central Asian countries have forwarded dual-use products that benefit the Kremlins military machine.

Belarus is the only Russian ally to get fully sanctioned for its support of Moscows invasion of Ukraine -- but will that change in 2024?

Central Asian governments will argue they have resisted Russian pressure to provide political and military support for the war. They might even whisper that their big friend China is much more helpful to Russia.

But the Wests approach of targeting only Central Asian companies actively flouting the regime is failing.

So, while Western diplomats continue to credit the regions governments for their anti-evasion efforts, their patience may wear out. And if it does, Kyrgyzstan might be first to find out.

Afghanistan: The Vicious Spiral Will Worsen

By Malali Bashir

With little internal threat to Afghanistans Taliban regime and the failure of the international community to affect change in the hard-line Islamist regimes policies, the Taliban mullahs control over the country continues to tighten.

And that regimes continued restrictions on Afghan women -- their rights, freedom, and role in society -- signals a bleak future for them in 2024 and beyond.

Many observers say the move by the Taliban in December to only allow girls to attend religious madrasahs -- after shutting down formal schooling for them following the sixth grade -- is an effort by the Taliban to radicalize Afghan society.

Madrasahs are not an alternative to formal schooling because they dont produce doctors, lawyers, journalists, engineers, etc. The idea of [only] having madrasahs isabout brainwashing [people] to create an extremist society, says Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan ambassador to Norway.

The crackdown on womens rights by the Taliban will also continue the reported uptick in domestic violence in the country, activists say.

Since the Taliban shut down Afghanistans Independent Human Rights Commission and Women Affairs Ministry, women find themselves with nowhere to turn to and find it extremely difficult to seek justice in Taliban courts.

The Taliban seems adamant about maintaining its severe limits on women and reducing their role in society.

With no justice for victims of abuse on the horizon, womens rights activists say violence against women will continue with no repercussions for the perpetrators.

Barakzai argues that Taliban officials have already normalized domestic violence and do not consider it a crime.

According to [a Taliban] decree, you can [confront] women if they are not listening to [your requests]. Especially a male member of the family is allowed to use all means to punish women if they refuse to follow his orders. That is basically a call for domestic violence, she said.

The vicious spiral for women will only worsen.

Being banned from education, work, and public life, Afghan women say the resulting psychological impact leads to panic, depression, and acute mental health crises.

Although there are no official figures, Afghan mental health professionals and foreign organizations have noted a disturbing surge in female suicides in the two years since the Taliban came to power.

"If we look at the women who were previously working or studying, 90 percent suffer from mental health issues now," said Mujeeb Khpalwak, a psychiatrist in Kabul. "They face tremendous economic uncertainty after losing their work and are very anxious about their future."

Heather Bar, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, says, "It's not surprising that we're hearing reports of Afghan girls committing suicide. Because all their rights, including going to school, university, and recreational places have been taken away from them."

Promising young Afghan women who once aspired to contribute to their communities after pursuing higher education now find themselves with no career prospects.

I do not see any future. When I see boys continuing their education, I lose all hope and wish that I was not born a girl, a former medical student in Kabul told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

Despite immense global pressure, the Taliban seems adamant about maintaining its severe limits on women and reducing their role in society. This will result in a tragic future for the women of Afghanistan with no relief in sight.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is convinced that the EUs 50 billion financial lifeline, vetoed by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, will arrive soon along with more support from other allies. We are working on it, the Ukrainian leader said Tuesday in Kyiv, at his annual press conference. Zelenskiy has defined the EUs decision to open accession talks as a great victory for Ukraine, after Hungary lifted its opposition. He recognized, however, that the relationship with the Hungarian nationalist-populist prime minister, who he met in Buenos Aires a few days ago, is complex. In Argentina, I asked Orban why he doesnt support us being in the EU. He wasnt able to tell me, the Ukrainian leader said. Perhaps his policy is not very friendly towards Ukraine, although we are neighbors and have common challenges, he remarked.

The opening of accession talks with the EU has boosted Ukraines morale  especially as it faces the second winter of Russias large-scale invasion. But the country is also facing a difficult economic situation, as it awaits more than 100 billion in pending financial support from Washington and Brussels. Ukraine needs this aid to stay afloat during a war with no end in sight. Nobody knows when it will end, admitted Zelenskiy on Tuesday. Ukraine and Zelenskiy are going through one of their hardest moments since the start of the war.

Russia has reinforced its defenses and entrenched its position on the front lines of the occupied territories in the east and southeast, while at the same time ramping up the war economy to make weapons. Meanwhile, Ukraine is advancing only a few meters in a counteroffensive in which great hopes had been placed. Indeed, some analysts are beginning to wonder whether Kyiv has begun to lose the war. Zelenskiy, dressed in his now traditional military uniform on a highly televised stage with a brightly lit map of Ukraine, flatly denied that this was the case.

Regarding the battlefield, Russia has not achieved any of its objectives for this year, Zelenskiy said. And yet, it has not changed its message about its objectives. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintained that the goal was still the demilitarization of Ukraine.

With respect to the limited progress of the counteroffensive, Zelenskiy avoided talking about new goals, if there are any. [Months ago] everyone was talking about goals and debating the details of how to achieve them, he said. It shouldnt be done like this, because Russia still has more weapons, he stated.

The EU and other partners are having difficulty supplying ammunition and cutting-edge weapons more quickly, and Kyiv also needs more soldiers. But unlike the large wave of volunteers who enlisted in the early stages of the invasion, few want to go to the front now.

Zelenskiy revealed that the army  which recently intensified its recruitment campaigns  is seeking to mobilize between 450,000 and 500,000 new recruits. But the issue, he stressed, is very sensitive, and needs further debate and consideration. If the mobilization is approved  it would have to be adopted by Parliament  additional financing would also be needed, added Zelenskiy.

Ukraine is under increasing pressure as Western support to financially support the country wears thin. In the United States, due to internal political struggles  namely the opposition of Republican hardliners  the White House has not been able to approve a $60 billion package for Ukraine. Hungarys move to block EU aid to the country is yet another setback. The 27-member bloc will not address the issue again until February. But Zelenskiy remains confident. I am sure that the United States will not let us fall, he said on Tuesday.

Zelenskiys visit last week to the United States, however, did not succeed in winning support for the aid package. Whats more, the possible victory of Donald Trump  who has questioned Democrat Joe Bidens policy on Ukraine  in next years presidential elections, could put Ukraine in an even more difficult position. Zelenskiy acknowledged that the Republicans return to the White House would have a big impact on the war.

The anxious wait for Western aid, the situation on the front line and the fatigue of a population that has been resisting Russia for almost 700 days has also translated into political tensions. In recent weeks, Zelenskiy has reportedly had certain disagreements with Ukraines military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The president censured his top general after he said that the war had reached a stalemate.

We have a good working relationship, said Zelenskiy, who implied that Ukraines results on the battlefield were the responsibility of the military leadership and, therefore, Zaluzhnyi. The military chiefs approval ratings have risen in recent months, while the presidents figures have slightly fallen.

Whatever position you occupy, it is about taking responsibility for the day-to-day results, concluded the Ukrainian president, who also said that given the war, now is not the time to call elections. His term is set to end next year, but holding a vote would be impossible under martial law.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia, saying it would not lead to substantive progress in the war and only favor Moscow by giving it time to boost supplies to its military as the conflict nears its two-year anniversary.

A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war, the Ukrainian leader said in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, on January 11 during a tour of the three Baltic nations.

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.

"Give Russia two to three years and it will simply run us over. We wouldn't take that risk.... There will be no pauses in favor of Russia," he said. "A pause would play into [Russias] hands.... It might crush us afterward.



Zelenskiy has pleaded with Ukraine's allies to keep supplying it with weapons amid signs of donor fatigue in some countries and as Russia turns to countries such as Iran and North Korea for munitions.



NATO allies meeting in Brussels on January 10 tried to allay Kyiv's concerns over supplies, saying they will continue to provide Ukraine with major military, economic, and humanitarian aid. NATO allies have outlined plans to provide "billions of euros of further capabilities" in 2024 to Ukraine, the alliance said in a statement.



Estonian President Alar Karis said after meeting Zelenskiy that his country will provide 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion) in aid to Ukraine until 2027.



"Ukraine needs more and better weapons," Karis said at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy.



"The capabilities of the EU military industry must be increased so that Ukraine gets what it needs, not tomorrow, but today. We should not place any restrictions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine," he added.



Estonia has so far provided military assistance to Ukraine worth nearly 500 million euros, or more than 1.4 percent of its gross domestic product, according to the Estonian Foreign Minstry.

In a separate message on X, formerly Twitter, Zelenskiy thanked Tallinn for its continued aid.



"Estonia's unwavering support for Ukraine, our people, and our defense is evident today, during my visit, and throughout the war," Zelenskiy wrote. "I am grateful to Estonia for all its support."



The Baltic countries have been staunch allies of Ukraine since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion in February 2022.



On January 10, Zelenskiy held talks in Vilnius with Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda.

We have proven that Russia can be stopped, that deterrence is possible, he said after talks with Nauseda.



Ukraine has been subjected to several massive waves of Russian missile and drone strikes since the start of the year that have caused civilian deaths and material damage.



In the latest such attack, a hotel in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was struck by Russian missiles overnight on January 11. The strike injured 13 people, including Turkish journalists staying at the hotel, Kharkiv regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko said.



Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said that one of those injured was in serious condition. More than 30 civilians were inside the hotel at the time of the attack, Synyehubov said on Telegram.



Ukraine's emergency services said those hurt in the strike were "hotel staff and guests, one of whom is a foreign journalist," without giving details. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said no military personnel were staying at the hotel.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 20 confirmed media reports about former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev holding talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week, telling journalists that the talks were "absolutely private."

Media reports in Kazakhstan said earlier that Nazarbaev and Putin had been scheduled to hold talks on December 19, while Telegram channels in Russia said Nazarbaev had arrived in Moscow on December 18.

Nazarbaev, 83, who had resigned as president in 2019, picking longtime ally Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev as his successor, retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council, enjoying almost limitless powers as "elbasy" -- the leader of the nation. Many of his relatives continued to hold important posts in the government, security agencies, and profitable energy groups.

But Nazarbaev and his clan lost influence in the oil-rich Central Asian state after unprecedented anti-government protests in January last year, which started over a fuel price hike and spread across Kazakhstan because of discontent over the cronyism that had long plagued the country.

At least 238 people were killed across Kazakhstan, mostly in the countrys largest city, Almaty, after the protests turned violent.

Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of the Security Council role, taking it over himself.

Just days after the protests, two of Nazarbaev's sons-in-law, Qairat Sharipbaev and Dimash Dosanov, were pushed out of top jobs at two major state companies, QazaqGaz and KazTransOil, respectively, and a third son-in-law, Timur Kulibaev, resigned from his post as chairman of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Atameken.

In late February 2022, Nazarbaev's eldest daughter, Darigha Nazarbaeva, quit her parliamentary seat.

Nazarbaev's once-powerful nephew Qairat Satybaldy and his former wife were also sentenced to six years in prison each in separate trials on corruption charges.

Toqaev said publicly at the time he wanted Nazarbaev's associates to share their wealth with the public by making regular donations to a new charity foundation.

In his book My Life. From Dependence To Freedom, published in early December, Nazarbaev describes Putin as his close friend and blamed the West for Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Nazarbaev last met with Putin in Moscow in June last year. Before that, in late December 2021, weeks before the deadly unrest in Kazakhstan and two months before Russia launched its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, Nazarbaev, Toqaev and the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, held talks with Putin in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg.
Hundreds in Pakistan's Balochistan Province continued a protest march toward the capital, Islamabad, on December 20. The march covering hundreds of kilometers started on November 23 in the Turbat district after the death of a young ethnic Baluchi, who relatives say died while in police custody. The protesters accuse the Pakistani security agencies of a string of abductions and extrajudicial killings of Baluch men. The authorities reject the allegations and have yet to address the demonstrators.
Russia fired drones at targets across Ukraine, including Kyiv, early on December 20, Ukrainian authorities said, as the Kremlin ruled out peace talks hours after further U.S. aid to Ukraine was thrown into doubt.

The Ukrainian Air Force said 18 of 19 drones launched at Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, and other regions of Ukraine had been destroyed.

"According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia attacked the Kharkiv region in the east with two surface-to-air guided missiles. There were no casualties as a result of the assault, it added.

Meanwhile, the regional military administration in the southern Kherson region said on December 20 that 16 people, including four children, had been injured in Russian shelling the day before.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

The fresh attacks come as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 20 that there is no current basis for talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

"We really consider that the topic of negotiations is not relevant right now," Peskov said, adding that Kyivs proposed peace plan was absurd as it excluded Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree in October 2022 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin "impossible" after Russia claimed to have annexed four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities and the restoration of Ukraine's state borders with Russia.

Peskovs comments come hours after reports emerged that the U.S. Senate will not vote on a package to provide more aid to Ukraine and bolster U.S. border security before early next year, as Democratic and Republican negotiators continue talks.

"Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. In a joint statement, Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said negotiators "are making encouraging progress" but "challenging issues remain."

WATCH: At a press conference in Kyiv on December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he is counting on additional military aid from the United States to help strengthen Ukraine's air defenses.

Schumer and McConnell said they are "committed" to passing legislation sending billions to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the southern U.S. border.

Despite the setback, Zelenskiy said earlier in Kyiv that an unspecified number of U.S.-provided air-defense systems are on the way and said the Europeans also continue to provide help, but he stressed that Ukraine needs immediate assistance to continue the fight.

"We need help from the United States right now. We need assistance from the European Union," Zelenskiy said. "I am happy that our partners listened to us and heard us. I think the assistance will come to Ukraine very soon."

Citing the expected delivery of national advanced antiaircraft missile systems (NASAMS), Zelenskiy said he is sure the United States will provide everything promised because Washington understands that all its financial support goes toward Ukraine's need to stand against the invasion.

"I am sure that the United States will not betray us and we will get everything that was promised," he said, adding that Ukraine has established "special ties" with its partners in Europe -- both in the EU and other European nations -- and they "continue to support us" with funding and military aid.

The news conference came as the White House said it planned more military aid this month, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a $4.3 billion capital increase to boost funding for Ukraine.

Zelenskiy can count on at least one additional package of U.S. military aid for Ukraine before the end of the year, but the larger package of $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and border security has stalled in Congress as President Joe Biden tries to persuade lawmakers -- mainly Republicans -- to overcome reluctance to authorize further aid.

Earlier in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at a meeting with top military leaders that Russian troops are "holding the initiative" in Ukraine.

"We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want," Putin said. "Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defenses they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where it's needed.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
A drone attack in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and Russian shelling in the eastern region of Sumy injured at least four people, authorities said late on December 19.

Two people, including a child, were injured in Kherson, according to the head of the city's military administration, Roman Mrochko.

Kherson military authorities said a child and a woman were injured as a result of the attack, which damaged a school, houses, and garages.

Around 10:30 p.m. local time authorities reported more Russian shelling from the opposite bank of the Dnieper River. Russian troops shell the Kherson region, including the city of Kherson, from their positions on the opposite bank nearly every day.

In the Sumy region, the military administration reported two people were injured by Russian shelling of several villages and towns.

The Russian military regularly attacks the Sumy region and others bordering Russia using with various types of weapons.

The attacks on December 19 occurred as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a year-end news conference that Russia had not achieved any of its war aims in Ukraine in 2023, although he conceded Ukraine still faces "lots of challenges."

Hours after the news conference ended Russia launched a fresh air attack on Kyiv, prompting air-defense systems to engage, the military administration of the region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital said.

The extent of the attack was not immediately clear. The military administration urged people to stay in shelters.

Earlier on December 19, Ukraines air force said it had shot down two Russian drones in the Starokostyantyniv district of the Khmelnytskiy region in the countrys west.

Russian troops targeted the region from Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk district using Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Starokostyantyniv, where a Ukrainian military airfield is located, came under Russian missile attacks last week.

Russia said Ukrainian forces had attempted to attack Moscow with a drone, but air defenses destroyed the aircraft, and debris fell outside the center of the capital.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin initially announced the drone attack without saying whether Kyiv was responsible or saying where the drone had been launched from.

With reporting by AFP
By the time the Russians dropped a bomb on the maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9, 2022, the Husak family already felt that life in the besieged Ukrainian city was hell. They'd lost their jobs at the port, their home, and relatives. Oleh and Olha Husak had both been injured.

But the attack on the hospital -- which came just 15 days after Russia launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- turned a living hell into a nightmare scape peopled by the dead. According to official data, more than 25,000 died in Mariupol in the first days of the war. Human rights defenders, however, maintain that this number could be as high as 100,000. Russian forces are accused of numerous war crimes perpetrated in the port city, as well as in many other locations across Ukraine.

At the time, the couple was outside, near the hospital, cooking food over an open fire as many residents were forced to do with the electricity cut and their kitchens turned to rubble. Anastasia, their eldest daughter, was in one of the city's maternity hospitals and heavily pregnant, alongside her husband and brother, Vladyslav, 10.

"Suddenly I heard a terrible roar and shouted, 'Plane! Plane!'" recalls Oleh. "We ran toward the bomb shelter, but once you hear the plane it means the bomb has already been dropped, so you really only have three or four seconds to make it to safety somewhere."

He described the crater from the bomb as 7 meters deep and 50 meters across.

Part of a wall and debris fell on Olha. "She was lying with her eyes closed, and I thought she was dead. But she opened her eyes, and we began to crawl," he says.

The pair, distraught over whether their children were safe, were taken by police to another hospital where they were stitched up "without anesthesia," says Oleh, because of shortages of medicines.

"I have a contusion. I cannot hear in my left ear, and my right hand doesn't work properly. Olha suffered injuries to her face, head, and thigh," says Oleh, almost two years after the attack.

No Room For The Bodies

The family was separated in the air strike. Olha and Oleh were taken to one hospital, while the children were taken to another. Mobile communication was down, so they couldn't reach each other by phone.

"People asked me how I didn't go crazy, not knowing what had become of the children. But I had one thought: 'I will find them.' And that's what got me through," Olha says.

Oleh and Olha had to stay at the hospital under Russian occupiers for more than a month. The hospital ran out of food, and there were no longer enough supplies for even the sickest of patients. But the most difficult thing, Olha says, was seeing the bodies pile up.

"We were in the neurosurgery department from March 9 to 13, lying in the corridor, and saw hundreds of black bags dragged past us. You lie there and listen to people dying, and they can no longer be helped," she says. "When we left the hospital, we walked past dumpsters and saw bodies lying there -- there was no room in the morgue. We saw dogs dragging human body parts."

On March 12, Olha recalls, militants of the Donetsk People's Republic-- a Russian-backed separatist group -- broke into the hospital.

"At the entrance to the hospital, they laid the body of a Ukrainian soldier. Every time we had to go out, we had to go around the dead man, and it was such psychological pressure. 'The same thing could happen to you,' the soldiers would say."

Oleh reflects that the Russian forces were propelled by a fundamentally flawed mentality.

"This whole war and what happened to Ukraine -- and not only Ukraine, but also Georgia, and then Moldova -- are all the consequences of Russian propaganda," Oleh says. "When we talked with those 'liberators,' they really believed that they had come to liberate us from fascism. Thus, all Ukrainians and people of the Western world who seek freedom and independence, justice, and goodness are enemies for them."

The couple's youngest son, Vladyslav, is reluctant to talk about what happened after the air strike on the maternity ward. He recalls the moment of the strike, when he and his sister and brother-in-law were in the delivery room.

"People were screaming. There was a lot of shrapnel. Everyone was very scared," he says. "My parents were somewhere else, and I didn't know whether they were all right. The first thing I asked after the explosion, when we were taken outside, was, 'What happened to my mom? Where is she?'"

Reunion In Rotterdam

It took more than a month for the family to be reunited.

"We didn't leave Mariupol sooner because we could not find the children," says Olha. "We later learned that [Anastasia] had given birth to a boy on March 22 in the basement of the hospital. Her childbirth lasted 20 hours, during which time there was a direct hit. On April 11, they were taken away by French journalists."

Oleh and Olha managed to escape days later, on April 14.

"It was lucky that volunteers came that day, in two minibuses, and we drove 12 hours to Zaporizhzhya, which usually only takes two to three hours. There were no 'green corridors.' It was terrifying because we passed 25 Russian checkpoints, and there were many Chechens. When we finally got to Zaporizhzhya, I couldn't quite believe that we had actually left that hell."

At each checkpoint, the men on the minibus were taken out and forced to stand in a line, strip to the waist, and show their documents. The Russian soldiers were looking for patriotic tattoos, Oleh says, and checking the men's fingers to see if there were signs of pulling the trigger on a machine gun or pistol. They checked everyone's phones.

With the help of volunteers, the Husaks made it to Germany and were reunited with their children. As the minibus was approaching Rotterdam, Olha saw them standing on the other side of the road. She yelled at the driver to stop.

"It was a highway. You can't just stop like that, but the driver stopped. I knew I could be hit. Many cars stopped, but I ran to the children. I hugged them, kissed them, and met my grandson for the first time. He was given the name Damyr, which means 'the one who gives peace,'" Olha recalls with tears in her eyes.

In Rotterdam, the family is together. Olha and Oleh work at the port, packing fruit in the warehouse. They say they work alongside many other Ukrainians and Poles.

Waiting For Liberation

The Husaks regularly talk to people they know who are still in Mariupol, and they hear terrible things.

"It's impossible to leave there if you have a Ukrainian passport. Medical assistance is not given to Ukrainian citizens. The situation is very difficult -- there is no city left," says Olha. "People came from Russia, many Chechens, Buryats, and other nationalities. The locals who remained there live mainly in those bombed-out houses, while the new residents are given new housing that was built for propaganda, so they can say, 'Look, the city has been liberated. We are rebuilding it.'"

According to UN estimates, about 90 percent of the city's high-rise residential buildings and about 60 percent of houses were damaged or destroyed in the siege of Mariupol.

The Husaks' house is gone, too.

"My older brother died there," says Olha. "He was killed on March 3-5 [2022], and we could only take him out to bury him on March 26."

The family starred in the documentary film 20 Days In Mariupol by the Associated Press. The camera crew arrived in Mariupol an hour before the invasion began and were the only journalists working in the city at the time. For almost three weeks, they documented the crimes committed by Russian forces, as well as their harrowing escape.

The film has garnered a host of awards, including at the international Sundance Film Festival.

For Oleh and Olha, long-term plans are on hold as they await the liberation of their hometown.

"We really want Mariupol to be liberated. I want to go there, visit the graves of my parents and brother. I really miss Ukraine," says Olha.

Oleh adds: "We will not go to Mariupol as long as it is occupied. When the city is liberated and there is victory, if the port needs us, we will go there."
Experiments did not detect any differences between bonobos and chimpanzees when it came to remembering their own kind. In the picture, two young bonobos from the Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary (Democratic Republic of the Congo) embrace.

Despite having gone 26 years without seeing her sister Loretta and her nephew Erin, Louise recognized them in the photographs that researchers showed her; she stopped to look at her family. Like Louise, other bonobos and chimpanzees also demonstrated strong social memory. Pioneering work shows that members of both species remembered members of the groups to which they had belonged long ago. Their memory was deeper if the valence of the relationship was positive, that is, if they were friends. According to the studys authors, this ability, which the animals share with humans, forms the basis of complex societies.

The idea to investigate whether great apes can remember their acquaintances came from the scientists own experience of interacting with them. Researchers found that the animals recognized them when they came back to visit them after one, two or five years. To confirm this recognition, a group of primatologists, anthropologists and psychologists designed an experiment in which they showed two images on a screen at the same time. One image showed a former member of the group to which the viewer belonged, but who had left a long time ago (either they died or were transferred to another facility). The other image showed another specimen of the animals species who was a complete stranger. The monitor was equipped with a system to detect eye movements. The experiments were conducted with 26 chimpanzees and bonobos from Edinburgh Zoo (U.K.), Planckendael Zoo (Netherlands) and the Kumamoto Sanctuary (Japan). The image passes lasted only three seconds. Josep Call, a primatologist at the University of St. Andrews (U.K.) and a co-author of the paper, explains the short duration: You put a child in front of a problem and look and look and look. Chimpanzees dont do it like that. They look to one side, then to the other and back to this side again. Their attention is distributed differently. Thats why you have to give them tests that are brief to capture their attention at that moment.

According to the study, published in PNAS, both chimpanzees and bonobos spent an average of 0.24 seconds longer looking at images of their former group mates in these tests. And the animals memory was long-term. On average, the test subjects had gone five and a half years without seeing those in the images.

There was no difference between chimpanzees and bonobos, Call says. Both species are humans closest relatives, in terms of evolution. The three lineages diverged between six and nine million years ago, but both chimpanzees and bonobos share 98.7% of their genome with humans.

Recognition is essential in life. It allows us to remember places where theres plentiful food or a dangerous snake. But it is not only events and places that are remembered. Humans also retain relationships and the emotions associated with them in their memory. In the experiments on chimpanzees and bonobos, researchers found that the great apes also do this: participants from both species in all three countries looked more closely at the group mates with whom they had had positive interactions, which in a human context would be called friendship. Professor Christopher Krupenye of Johns Hopkins University, an expert in animal cognition and a senior author of the study, explains that this suggests that its not just about familiarity with something, but that they retain aspects about the quality of those social relationships. Previous research has shown that primates who cultivate social bonds reproduce more, implying an evolutionary advantage to friendship.

One of the chimpanzees at the Kumamoto sanctuary (Japan) who participated in the experiments. Fumihiro Kano

In the most extreme case, Louise the bonobo remembered her family even though 26 years had gone by, spending more time on them in the eight passes she was given in the experiment. For a species with a life expectancy of 60 years at most, that is a long time, indicating that the strength of relationships does not diminish with age. But the authors cannot say for certain that Louises long social memory was the result of kinship and not simply group membership. In the sample, there was only a familial relationship. For that reason, Laura Simone Lewis, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and the studys lead author, notes that the researchers didnt specifically measure how much the animals looked at relatives. In fact, in the main analyses, we excluded cases of relatives so that kin-recognition mechanisms would not interfere with recognition patterns. That is one of the lines of research to be pursued in the future: whether family weighs as heavily or even more so than friendship in social memory.

We humans like to think that everything we do is unique, and here we show that it is not. Josep Call, a primatologist at the University of St Andrews (U.K.)

This studys results mean that bonobos and chimpanzees are the animals with the longest social memory, making them almost immune to the passage of time. In humans, the so-called forgetting curve is very pronounced in the first 15 years that go by without seeing a loved one, but thereafter the memory remains forever. The fact that all three species share this capacity is a clue to social memory. Call points out that humans like to think that everything we do is unique and here we show that it is not, that chimpanzees and bonobos do it too. Other species, like dolphins, are also able to distinguish their group mates vocalizations, despite spending time apart. Once you get to a type of behavior in which individuals are not only part of a group, but are individuals that others can identify as Charlie, Juanito or Pepita, from then on the type of social complexity that is established and that can potentially evolve is much greater, the primatologist concludes.

Julia Fischer is a primatologist at the German Primate Center. Like the authors of the study, with which she was not involved, she had a similar experience: I went back to see the baboons I had studied for a year and a half in the Okavango Delta five years later. And oddly enough, the animals I had studied treated me like someone they knew (ignoring me), while the new ones who had been born since my departure or who had immigrated to the group, treated me like a stranger. While this is an anecdote, it also indicates the maintenance of social memory. As Fischer summarizes, Recognizing the members of your group has a clear survival value and, of course, it is also necessary to have a good memory, as we do, as a precondition for human friendship and drama.

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Ukraine is slowly losing ground, men, morale, support from the West -- and possibly the war against Russia.



Not since the opening weeks following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, when its forces seemed poised to capture the Ukrainian capital and force the government to capitulate, has the outlook for Ukraine's military commanders and its political leadership been so gloomy.

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.

On the battlefield, a six-month counteroffensive that began with high hopes undergirded by Western weaponry and equipment has all but ground to a halt. Russian forces are advancing in some places, albeit with significant losses.



Politically, Ukrainians are beginning to show impatience and frustration with the leadership of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, with new polling showing sliding support, while also showing growing support for the country's top military commander. Prominent public figures have started openly criticizing Zelenskiy.



Diplomatically, rhetorical support from Ukraine's Western allies remains strong, but the tap of Western weaponry and supplies is slowing to a trickle. Mired in domestic political infighting, the United States, Kyivs biggest weapons supplier, has abandoned efforts to push through an emergency $61 billion package until after the New Year.



"Ukraine remains in a strong position to blunt further Russian offensives. But it faces serious challenges of its own, particularly when it comes to manpower," said Eric Ciaramella, a former White House National Security Council director for Ukraine.



"If the United States and Europe fail to approve any new aid, Ukraine's ability to hold the line will deteriorate steadily," Ciaramella told RFE/RL. "It will be a policy failure of historic proportions if [the West] can't figure out how to stay the course."



'We Are Not Losing This War. Absolutely.'



In Ukraine, the impatience with the trajectory of the war -- and the counteroffensive in particular -- is coupled with impatience for the West's unwillingness to step up its supplies. Ukrainian officials frequently frame their fight as a defense of Europe, as well as a low-cost investment in degrading Russia's armed forces.



But defiant optimism prevails, Oleksandr Musiyenko, a Ukrainian military analyst and head of the Center for Military and Legal Studies in Kyiv, insisted.



"Ukraine is not losing this war. Ukraine is continuing to battle. We are not losing this war. Absolutely," he said.



"Ukrainians are wounded; bitter but not broken," said Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, a London think tank.

An ambitious counteroffensive launched in June ran into a buzz saw of Russian defenses -- minefields, trenches, tank traps, choke points  that have all but immobilized Ukrainian forces. Small gains near the Zaporizhzhya region village of Robotyne have stopped, with Ukrainian forces pinned down and unable to move.



Near the industrial city of Avdiyivka, Russian forces launched their own localized offensive in October, making slow, grinding progress toward encircling the city from the north and south, advancing 1 1/2 to 2 kilometers in some places. Western officials say Russia's losses in and around Avdiyivka, which is just northwest of the regional capital, Donetsk, have been extraordinary: more than 13,000 dead and wounded, and the equivalent of six combat battalions in equipment destroyed.



But even what was initially seen as a bright spot in Ukrainian tactical creativity -- an ambitious crossing across the Dnieper River, to set up a bridgehead on the Russian-occupied eastern bank -- has failed to match expectations.

Ukrainian marine infantry are pinned down in the village of Krynky, unable to break out beyond withering Russian fire or set up a more durable means of crossing that would enable them to bring over heavier weaponry and equipment.



"Ukrainians will face very difficult months ahead as an insufficient number of artillery shells and underdeveloped fortifications will limit their defensive potential," Konrad Muzyka, a Polish-based military analyst, wrote last week. "The loss of terrain, especially around Robotyne (including the village itself), is highly likely."



"The Ukrainian counteroffensive has culminated without strategic victories," said Oscar Jonsson, a Russia military expert and researcher at the Swedish Defense University, in Stockholm. "It fell short of its goals and has run out of steam."



Russia, meanwhile, has tried to turn the momentum in its favor -- with only mixed results so far.



"As the counteroffensive wound down, the Russian forces sought to seize the initiative, and launched substantial offensives to large cost," he said. "But so far, small gains."



The reality is Russia is a bigger country, with a bigger population and a bigger industrial base, not to mention having more resources to pour into its budget. And while there is glaring evidence of past incompetence, Russian commanders have learned from their mistakes.



"Russia is trying to regain the strategic initiative, which it has lost, and [has been] on the defensive since the autumn of 2023," Lutsevych told RFE/RL in an e-mail. "We [have not] seen a decisive battle so far and this war may well be the death of one of the sides by a 'thousand cuts.'"



Ukraine has achieved some successes since the start of the counteroffensive. A series of strikes using cruise missiles and aerial and maritime drones damaged several Russian naval vessels and facilities on the Black Sea. Fleet commanders pulled ships further from shore and away from ports in occupied Crimea, and moved them to more distant ports.

With notable losses of men and equipment -- no official casualty figures have been released -- Ukrainian commanders were forced to wind down offensive operations. Add to that the recognition that Ukrainian troops are running out of ammunition, including some of their most important tools: artillery shells.



"There's a problem with ammunition, especially post-Soviet [shells]. That's 122 mm, 152 mm. And today these problems exist across the entire front line," Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy said in an interview with Reuters this week.



"The volumes that we have today are not sufficient for us today, given our needs. So, we're redistributing them," he was quoted as saying. "We're rethinking plans for objectives that we had set for ourselves and scaling them back because we need to provide for them."



Manpower problems are also weighing heavily on Ukrainian commanders. Ukraine's population is motivated and patriotic, committed to defending the country from an outside invader -- but it's also a fraction of the size of Russia's. That, plus the unrelenting casualties from the front line, has led some officials to suggest mobilization might be needed for Ukraine to conscript more men.



"It is not even conceivable to think that we can do without mobilization," Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, said earlier this week. No amount of recruiting will result in enough troops, he warned.

At a year-end news conference in Kyiv on December 19, Zelenskiy hinted that was under discussion, saying commanders recommended mobilizing 450,000 to 500,000 men next year.



"This is a very serious number. I said that I need more arguments to support this direction, because it is primarily a people issue," Zelenskiy said.



How Long?



The White House announced its latest weapons and equipment shipment for Ukraine last week: a $200 million package that includes artillery rounds, small-arms ammunition, and other weaponry. In a letter to Congress three days later, the U.S. Defense Department comptroller said the Pentagon would run out of money for weaponry for Ukraine by the end of December unless Congress approved new funding. The letter was first reported by Bloomberg.



On December 19, U.S. senators gave up on negotiations to pass a $61 billion package of new Ukraine aid, along with sweeping reforms to U.S. immigration and border policies. Senate leaders say theyll return to negotiations after the New Year holidays. Days earlier, the European Union failed to agree on its own 50 billion-euro aid package for Ukraine, after Hungary objected.



At his news conference -- which took place hours before U.S. senators gave up on negotiations until January, Zelenskiy maintained optimism. "I am sure that the United States of America will not betray us and that what we agreed with the United States will be fully implemented," he said.



The lack of concrete long-term commitments to Ukraine is problematic for Kyiv and beneficial for Moscow, allowing Russia to just "hang in there" and wait out the West, said Ciaramella, now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.



"While it reduces Ukrainian morale and dims the prospect of a theory of victory, the Ukrainian side has showed an incredible resolve in the face of overwhelming challenges before. Moreover, the [military] still maintains an overwhelming trust in society," Jonsson said.



Resolve and trust can only go so far, analysts warn.



"If there is a gap in materiel supply in 2024, Ukraine may be forced to retreat," Lutsevych told RFE/RL. "If there is political disunity, friction, paralysis from the West to [supply] resources, the Kremlin will get the upper hand."



That trend -- of frustration, but also defiance -- was reflected in a poll published on December 18 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Trust in Zelenskiy fell to 62 percent, the poll found, compared with 84 percent a year earlier. Overall trust in the military remained high, at 96 percent, as did strong support for the country's top military officer, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy. The telephone poll of 1,031 Ukrainians was conducted between November 29 and December 9, and had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.



Some observers see Zaluzhniy as a possible political challenger to Zelenskiy, particularly after the general gave a blunt assessment of the battlefield, calling it a "stalemate" in comments published by The Economist. Kyiv's powerful mayor, Vitali Klitschko, has accused Zelenskiy of authoritarianism.



"Some are disappointed because of expectations, expectations were to [achieve] more, but what I can see is that the mood is normal," Musiyenko said. "Soldiers and sergeants, they understand what's happening. They understand that they had some problems with support, with weapons, with communications, with strongholds of Russian positions, minefields, but they're not so disappointed [that] they want to just...stop this fighting."



How long Ukraine could hold out if Western weaponry was cut off is unclear.



"By early summer, Ukraine will be hard-pressed to hold back Russian attacks. Eventually, its front will crack, and the Russians will make major territorial gains. Complete collapse might follow, said Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine officer and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington.



Still, Ukrainian officials have signaled that they were slowing the tempo of offensive operations to fortify defenses, and build new ones.



Mykhaylo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelenskiy, said earlier this month that commanders were already moving to different tactics -- "effective defense in certain areas, continuation of offensive operations in other areas, special strategic operations on the Crimean Peninsula and in the Black Sea waters, and significantly reformatted missile defense of critical infrastructure."



A cutoff of Western military supplies could potentially push Zelenskiy to open cease-fire negotiations with Russia, a step that would be fraught with political consequences in Ukraine. In any case, Putin and the Kremlin have signaled clearly that they believe they have the upper hand and would want to dictate the terms of any agreement.



At his own year-end press conference last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the goals he laid out when launching the invasion, which amount to the subjugation of Ukraine, remain unchanged.

Some experts predict a dire situation for Ukrainian forces without Western weaponry; the direst warnings suggest Russian troops would push westward, all the way to Ukraine's border with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.



"It's almost a philosophical question," Jonsson said of how long Ukraine could hold out. He pointed to the Taliban, who were defeated by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan that began in 2001 but held out for 20 years until the U.S. withdrawal.



"It is not to suggest that it should be Ukraine's strategy," he said. "It is a reminder that a determined but militarily and economically inferior part can endure the capacity of superpowers."
More than 6,000 kilometers from Tehran, in treacherous waters off the shores of Singapore, a "dark fleet" of oil tankers waits to offload the precious cargo that helps keep Iran's economy afloat -- a dependency that could also sink it.

The fleet has grown steadily over the past five years, delivering Iranian crude to China as the countries work in concert to circumvent international sanctions that target Tehran's lucrative oil exports. But while the clandestine trade has buoyed Iran's budget, it also comes at tremendous cost and risk to Tehran.

Iran gives China a hefty discount to take its banned oil, taking 12 to 15 percent off the price of each barrel to make it worthwhile for Beijing to take on the liability of skirting sanctions, according to research by the data analysis unit of RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

Additional costs add up as well: ship-to-ship operations to offload the oil, middlemen, hidden-money transfers, and rebranding the oil to mask its Iranian origin and make it appear to come from a third country, said Dalga Khatinoglu, an expert on Iranian energy issues.

Altogether, said Khatinoglu, who contributes to Radio Farda's data analysis unit, Iran's budget figures and official statements indicate that 30 percent of the country's potential oil revenue was wasted last year.

And with the draft budget for the next fiscal year currently being debated by the Iranian parliament, there are no guarantees that Tehran's bet on quenching China's thirst for oil will continue to be a panacea.

With Iran almost entirely dependent on Beijing to take its oil and on other entities to facilitate the trade, Tehran has managed to inject desperately needed revenue into its economy. But Iran has also put itself at risk of seeing its main revenue stream dry up.

"There's definitely an extent to which Tehran has become more dependent on the likes of China or those who would be willing to deal with Iran in spite of Western sanctions," said Spencer Vuksic, a director of the consultancy firm Castellum, which closely tracks international sanctions regimes.

Vuksic said Iran is "definitely put in a weak position by having to depend on a single external partner who's willing to deal with and engage with Tehran."

Oily Deficit

Iran has trumpeted its foreign trade, claiming in December that oil revenue had contributed to a positive trade balance for the first eight months of the year.

But the oil and gas sector, by far the largest part of the Iranian economy, will not be enough to save the current budget of around $45 billion that was approved last year.

The Iranian fiscal year, which follows the Persian calendar and will end in March, is expected to result in a major deficit. In presenting the draft budget to parliament in December, President Ebrahim Raisi acknowledged a $10 billion deficit.

But the shortfall could be much higher -- up to $13.5 billion, the largest in Iran's history -- by the end of the fiscal year, according to Radio Farda. This is because data shows that just half of the expected oil revenues were realized, in part due to lower than expected oil prices and additional costs and discounts related to Tehran's oil trade with China.

Whereas the budget expectations were based on oil being sold at $85 per barrel, the price of crude dipped below $75 per barrel in December and has fluctuated wildly recently amid concerns that tensions in the Middle East could disrupt shipping and production.

And while Iran expected to export 1.5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), it exported only 1.2 million bpd in the first eight months of the year, according to Radio Farda.

Altogether, Radio Farda estimates that Iran lost some $15 million per day in potential revenue through its trade with China, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the Iranian budget.

For the upcoming budget of about $49 billion, expectations for domestic and foreign oil revenue have dipped by 3 percent, according to Khatinoglu, even as the projected budget itself has risen by about 18 percent.

Accounting for the fluctuation of global oil prices, which fell far short of the average estimated for the current year, the peg has been lowered to $71 per barrel. Tehran is also expecting lower oil-export volumes -- which only briefly met forecasts of 1.5 million bpd, the highest levels seen since 2018 -- with only 1.35 million bpd forecast.

Iran is reportedly expected to plug the gap left by the lower oil revenue by increasing taxes on wealthy individuals and businesses, while Khatinoglu says Tehran will try to boost revenue by raising domestic energy prices.

Shipping Competition

Adding to the uncertainty of Iran's finances is the potential for weaker Chinese demand for its oil and competition from Russia which, like Tehran, sends banned oil to Beijing.

And international sanctions are continuously evolving to punish countries and entities that foster Iran's illegal oil trade, threatening to capsize the dark fleet that helps sustain Tehran's so-called resistance economy.

On the other hand, the mercurial nature of oil price fluctuations and demand could work to Iran's advantage. With Venezuelan oil no longer under sanctions, Russia is left as the only competitor for clandestine oil sales to China.

And Iran's capacity to export oil is greater than ever, allowing it to more easily sell its oil to Beijing when demand is high.

This is largely due to the considerable expansion of the global "dark fleet" of oil since crippling U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports were restored after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal that has been agreed with six world powers.

The deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), offered sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran's controversial nuclear program. After the deal went into effect in January 2016, Iran more than doubled its legal oil exports in a few months, eventually reaching a high of 1.54 million bpd in 2018.

But with the U.S. withdrawal from the deal and subsequent reintroduction of sanctions that year, Iranian oil exports plummeted. And after the exceptions granted to a handful of countries -- including China -- that were allowed to continue to import Iranian oil expired in 2019, Iranian oil exports slowed to a trickle.

This was partly because Iran was not equipped to export its oil and had no immediate customers willing to defy the sanctions. But that changed with the fine-tuning of Irans efforts to defy sanctions, the fivefold rise in the number of dark-fleet tankers, and China's willingness to take the risk of doing business with Tehran -- although Beijing has not acknowledged unregistered imports of Iranian oil.

Today the dark fleet of often aging ships -- nearly half of them VLCCs (very large crude carriers) -- has risen to up to 1,000 vessels, according to Vortexa, which tracks international shipping. Many smaller ships are involved in Russian oil exports, which account for about 80 percent of all opaque tanker activity. But Iran had access to nearly 200 tankers, many of them supertankers, as of early 2023, according to Vortexa.

More than 20 ships, 13 of them VLCCs, joined the Iranian fleet in 2023, Vortexa reported in June, contributing to record-high Iranian oil exports under sanctions.

Vortexa attributed the rise to increased Chinese demand, the addition of the new tankers to shuttle Iranian oil after many had switched to shipping Russian oil, and the decline of Iranian inventories drawn down to boost exports amid heightened competition with Russia for the Chinese market.

While Chinese demand for Iranian oil slowed in October, Vortexa noted in a subsequent report, Washingtons removal of oil sanctions on Venezuela that month opened the possibility of higher demand for Iranian oil.

Uncertain Waters

In an October report, the global trade intelligence firm Kpler explained that tankers illegally shipping Iranian oil commonly "go dark" upon entering the Persian Gulf by turning off their transponders, technically known as the automatic identification system (AIS). After visiting Iran's main oil terminal on Kharg Island or other ports, they then reemerge after a few days indicating they are carrying a full load.

From there, the ships offload the oil with ship-to-ship transfers that take place in unauthorized zones, mostly in the Singapore Straits. Eventually the oil, rebranded as coming from Malaysia or Middle Eastern countries, enters China, where it is processed by more than 40 independent "teapot" refiners that have little exposure to international sanctions or the global financial system.

Sanctions Revisited

The challenge for those trying to halt the illicit trade in Iranian oil as a way to hold Tehran accountable for its secretive nuclear activities and dire human rights record, is how to make the negatives of dealing with Iran greater than the financial benefits.

That has put the illicit seaborne trade of oil -- both Iranian and Russian, owing to the ongoing war in Ukraine -- under greater scrutiny by the international community.

"There's continuous refining of the sanctions programs to include and expand sanctions against those involved in evasion, and that includes sanctioning so-called dark fleets," said Castellums Vuksic, noting that the number of targeted sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities rose by more than 1,000 last year.

The big question is enforcement, an issue that is being debated in the United States and other countries and is leading to increased calls for countries like Panama to de-flag illegal tankers and for countries to clamp down on dark-fleet ships anchored off their shores.

"My expectation is that governments, including the United States, will take action against these dark fleets, especially the facilitators and the [ship] owners when they're identified," Vuksic told RFE/RL.

Other factors, including concerns about the impact of a broader Middle East conflict potentially involving Iran, could also hurt or help Iran's financial standing.

As Kpler noted while reporting that Chinese imports of Iranian oil had dropped significantly in October, the changing global landscape can have a big effect on the independent Shandong-base refineries that purchase Iranian oil.

"Middle East tensions/threat of stricter enforcement of U.S. sanctions may have turned Shandong refiners more risk-adverse," the global trade intelligence firm wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

In the past week, supply fears also exposed the volatility of global crude prices, potentially to Iran's benefit.

Oil prices rose sharply on January 2 on news that Iran had sent a frigate to the Red Sea and was rejecting calls to end support for attacks by Tehran-backed Huthi rebels that have disrupted shipping in the important trade route.

Prices surged again following the deadly January 3 bombing attack in Iran, for which the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

But the week ended with questions about the future of Iran's cut-rate deal with the only country willing to help prop up its economy, with Reuters reporting that China's oil trade with Iran had stalled after Tehran withheld supplies and demanded higher prices.
A baby cries endlessly. A slice of cheese is tossed onto their face and, as if by magic, they stop crying. This is one of the viral pranks of TikTok. In other cases, parents break eggs on kids faces to see their reaction or make them believe that theyve stained themselves with poop when its actually Nutella. TikTok is full of viral videos of progenitors humiliating their children. Several experts advise against such pranks due to possible negative consequences for minors.

All you have to do is search TikTok for egg crack challenge to see dozens of examples. Typically, the kids are hanging out with a family member who is cooking. They look on as their elder appears to be about to crack an egg into a bowl. But at the last moment, the adult cracks it against the childs forehead. This elicits all kinds of reactions: from kids who get angry to those who try to take revenge, those who cry and those who are stunned and start complaining that it hurt.

I take this type of prank on social networks very seriously because they are quite the disrespectful violation of childrens privacy, says Amaya Prado, an expert in educational psychology and member of the governing board of the Official College of Psychology of Madrid. In other videos, babies react to a stuffed cactus that is immobile, until it suddenly begins to move and make noise. Most are startled and begin to cry. Nothing like a parent making their child cry for strangers, says one user who collects such TikToks.

Joanne Broder, expert psychologist in healthy relationships with technology and social media presence, thinks that these parents goal is to attract attention and get likes, comments and validation. Not only are these parents physically and emotionally abusing their children through embarrassment, ridicule and humiliation, but the fact that theyre also doing it publicly means theyre flaunting it to the world, says Broder, who is a member of the American Psychological Association.

Harmful pranks on children

What does it mean for kids when these videos are recorded and shared on social media? According to Prado, it depends on the tone, nature and frequency of the pranks. If they are constant and humiliating, they can affect their self-esteem, making them feel belittled or ridiculed, especially because people will then see these pranks. In addition, inappropriate pranks can create anxiety and stress and have a lasting impact on their online reputation. Embarrassing and humiliating content can be shared and saved, affecting how they are perceived by peers and others online, she says.

Babies, even if theyre not conscious of what is happening, can also suffer consequences. Even if they dont understand social media or the pranks in the same way an older child would, that online exposure can impact their emotional well-being. Some studies have examined, for example, the influence that parents publishing videos of children on social media can have on their privacy. Prado stresses that TikToks can stay on the internet for a long time and affect kids when they are older.

Some parents throw slices of cheese in their children's faces to stop them from crying. TikTok

It could be that some children wont immediately understand that theyre being mistreated, but they could manifest a post-traumatic stress disorder later on and ask themselves, Why did my parents do this to me? Its possible that they could grow up and feel anger, resentment and shame towards their parents, says Broder. This kind of prank can break the trust between parents and children, as Deena Margolin, a psychologist who specializes in child-rearing, says: Please, stop breaking eggs on kids heads. It can seem like a fun trend to you, but for your children, its a lapse in trust. You are supposed to be a safe person to them, not someone who surprises and hurts them.

Not to mention, parents are role models for their children. If you make disrespectful or insensitive jokes online, children can learn that this type of behavior is acceptable, says Prado. Margolin agrees: Dont be surprised if your kids start misbehaving or hitting other kids, touching them without asking. They learned it from you.

Ignorant pranks?

Kirstyn Sommer, a psychologist who researches the cognitive, social and emotional development of children at Griffith University in Australia, thinks that some parents carry out these pranks because theyve seen so many other users do them and are unaware that they can be harmful to their children. She stresses that they probably dont know the fine points of infant development and how kids brains work. And probably, they dont realize how hard an egg is, she points out in a video posted on TikTok.

Not all pranks are created equal. To try for pranks that will be better received, Prado advises opting for ones that generate positive laughter and are not intended to ridicule or hurt feelings. The expert suggests making gentle jokes about funny characteristics or common family habits, but always making sure it is done in a friendly and non-offensive tone. Another alternative is to opt for posting funny photos with a lighthearted comment or jokes related to shared family experiences or situations. This can create a sense of complicity and make the joke more fun for everyone.

The most important thing is to know limits and avoid sensitive topics or situations that could be uncomfortable for kids. While there are pranks that may be less harmful to minors, Broder advises against sharing them on social media: I cant think of any reason to play pranks on children, especially on TikTok. These are human beings, not dolls to help parents gain followers or entertain them.

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Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years behind bars for joining a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol nearly three years ago.

Charles Donohoe was the second Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to obstruct the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory. His sentence could be a bellwether for other Proud Boys conspirators who agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Donohoe, 35, of Kernersville, North Carolina, apologized to his family, the law-enforcement officers who guarded the Capitol on Jan. 6 and America as a whole for his actions on Jan. 6. I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked, he said.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced him to three years and four months in prison. Donohoe could be eligible for release in a month or two because he gets credit for the jail time he already has served since his March 2021 arrest.

The judge said Donohoe seems to be doing everything in his power to make amends for his crimes. I think youve got all the ingredients here to put this behind you, Kelly said.

Donohoe was president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina. He was a lieutenant of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison  the longest prison term so far in a Capitol riot case.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and three other former Proud Boys leaders of seditious conspiracy charges for plotting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Biden.

Donohoe agreed to cooperate with federal authorities when he pleaded guilty in April 2020 to two felony counts: conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding police. But he wasnt called to testify at the trial of Tarrio and other Proud Boys earlier this year.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence ranging from 35 to 43 months for Donohoe. Sentencing guidelines recommended a prison term ranging from 70 to 87 months.

Donohoe and his co-conspirators organized and led a small army as they launched an attack on the heart of our democracy. They took these actions because they did not like the outcome of the election, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

A New York man, Matthew Greene, was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to conspiracy. Greenes sentencing hearing hasnt been scheduled yet.

Donohoe acted as the eyes and ears of the group on the ground in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, Justice Department prosecutor Jason McCullough told the judge. But prosecutors argued that Donohoe deserves credit for his early acceptance of responsibility and cooperation with the investigation.

On the morning of Jan. 6, Donohoe marched with over 100 members of the Proud Boys to the Capitol. He didnt enter the Capitol, but he threw two water bottles at officers confronting the mob outside the building.

Donohoe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two deployments in Iraq, has eagerly divorced himself from the Proud Boys, said defense attorney Ira Knight.

It took Charlie time to understand the nature of his wrong, Knight said.

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The announcement that Ukrainian refugees will only be accommodated by the state for 90 days after they arrive in Ireland has been welcomed by councillor for the Boyle Municipal District, Tom Crosby.

Commenting on the news, the Tarmonbarry based councillor pointed out that there was already a major problem in Ireland with regard to homelessness and housing for families and it was his belief that the people of Ireland should be prioritised when it came to the issue of housing.

Speaking this week, the Independent representative said there was a dire situation in this country with at least four to five hundred families waiting for accommodation in County Roscommon alone and this is a situation replicated in towns and counties nationwide.

Also welcoming the news that Ukrainian refugees will now see their social welfare allowance fall from their current 220 a week to just 38.80 in line with most other European countries, Cllr Crosby said this was an essential move and indeed long overdue.

Up to this point we seemed to be way over generous in the way we support those who come in from other countries  in fact three to four times more than our EU counterparts and therefore attracting much more refugees that our fellow European countries.

I think our generosity has been at the cost of our own Irish people and has failed them in a way, hindering them from getting the services they so richly deserve, and I hope this weeks announcement will help them access the services they are rightly entitled to.
Roscommon Towns Christmas Lights Committee unveiled a nativity crib with life-size figures on Saturday last.

The life-size crib will be situated beside Eight Til Late for the entire festive season.

This is one the first cribs in Ireland with life size figures and we are confident it will prove to be a great attraction for visitors to the town, said Gerry Dervin, Chairperson Roscommon Christmas Lights Committee.

He went on to thank everyone involved saying, We are deeply grateful to Roscommon County Council, local businesses, individuals and volunteers for their time and assistance in bringing this project to fruition.

Samantha Scally, Lisnamult with Sully and Rasca at the lnew crib with life-size figures, which was unveiled on Saturday in Roscommon Town. Pic. Gerard O'Loughlin

This year marks Roscommon Lights Committees 30th anniversary erecting and maintaining the Christmas lights for the town. The committee is proud that the Roscommon Crib will be a huge addition to the amazing festive display of Christmas lights in the town.

This is only possible because of the dedicated volunteers who make it all happen. The joy and cheer the Christmas lights bring to us all, both adults and children, cannot be underestimated and it truly transforms Roscommon town for the festive season, said Mr Dervin.

There is a significant cost involved in decorating the town annually and making upgrades and additions such as purchasing this crib. The committee is asking as many Rossies at home and abroad as possible to make a small contribution for the greater good of the town by donating on https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/RoscommonChristmasLights2023
By Cillian Sherlock and David Young, PA

The Minister for Integation has expressed surprise at comments from the Garda Commissioner that gardai were not officially notified in advance of a plan to accommodate 70 asylum seekers in a Co Galway hotel.

Roderic OGorman said a briefing proposal was emailed to the Garda on Friday afternoon on the plan to use the disused hotel in Rosscahill to house the international protection applicants.

The proposal triggered a protest and blockade by locals on Saturday and later that night the property was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Drew Harris told a meeting of the Policing Authority in Dublin that gardai had not received official notification about the accommodation plan and had to rely on local sources to find out what was proposed.

However, Mr OGorman has insisted established protocols for informing the gardai were followed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said while gardai were notified it appeared the information had not been passed on to the right people on the ground. Mr Varadkar suggested more of a belt and braces approach to communicating such plans may be required.

Mr OGorman told the PA news agency that when any new international protection accommodation is opened a community engagement team takes responsibility for informing TDs, senators, councillors and statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla, a named contact in An Garda Siochana, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.

So a briefing on the proposal to open the hotel in Galway was sent to An Garda Siochana on Friday afternoon, he said.

Asked if the process needed to be strengthened, he said: Well, look, were always happy to look at a process and improve a process where thats needed.

This is the process weve been using now for about four months. The community engagement team started working at the end of August, early September.

It is the process that supported the opening of a significant number of accommodation centres in that time.

It was my understanding, certainly, that was the agreed protocol that operates.

Now, obviously, as a situation evolves there may need to be further engagement but in terms of the protocol that was agreed, our officials carried it out as agreed.

So I was surprised to see that communication (that gardai werent informed) last night and this morning and, you know, we spent this morning just trying to clarify exactly what happens.

And I know weve been engaging with the gardai in terms of just confirming that the notification was provided.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Varadkar told reporters in Dublin: I think its important that the gardai are notified any time we establish a new accommodation centre.

In relation to Galway, Minister OGorman has confirmed that the gardai were informed in writing but, for whatever reason that message didnt get through to all of the right people on the ground.

So were going to have to review that now and perhaps adopt a belt and braces approach where its not just an email or a letter, but theres an email, letter and a phone call.

You know sometimes that just has to be done, but I can confirm that the gardai were informed in writing.
COVID-19 Update

New Variant JN.1 Sparks Concerns as India Records 1970 Cases, Health Facilities Under Scrutiny

COVID-19 Update: Amidst growing apprehensions, the resurgence of the coronavirus has struck India once again, with the newly identified variant JN.1 causing a surge in cases. The tally has reached 1,970, prompting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to convene a crucial online meeting with state health ministers and UT officials to address the escalating crisis.

India finds itself grappling with an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, especially in the state of Kerala, which has reported 115 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in Kerala now stands at 1,749. Additionally, Maharashtra and Goa have recorded fresh cases, including one case of the JN.1 variant in Maharashtra. The nationwide count has doubled in the past 9 days, raising concerns about the effectiveness of existing preventive measures.

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Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is set to lead a comprehensive review meeting with representatives from all states and union territories. The focus of the meeting will encompass health facilities, preparedness, and strategies to curb the spread of the virus. With the JN.1 variant adding a layer of complexity to the situation, officials will deliberate on urgent measures to contain its transmission.

Global Impact and Worrisome Trends

The impact of the coronavirus is not confined to India alone. In foreign nations, Singapore is experiencing a significant surge, witnessing over 56 thousand new cases within a week. The escalating numbers in Malaysia and Indonesia further contribute to the global concern. The situation demands a united effort to tackle the evolving challenges posed by the virus.

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As India grapples with the resurgence of COVID-19 and the emergence of the JN.1 variant, the review meeting aims to assess the current scenario and implement proactive measures.

(For More News Apart from COVID-19 Update Latest News, Stay Tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Canada Deportations Latest News

Migrant Rights Network Reveals Alarming Figures Despite Trudeau's Executive Order

Canada Deportations Latest News: In a significant development, Canada has witnessed a notable surge in deportations, with 7,032 individuals expelled from the country in the year 2023, as disclosed by the Migrant Rights Network. This revelation comes despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2021 executive order advocating for a regularization program, signaling a tightening stance on Canada's immigration policies.

The Migrant Rights Network, in its recent report, highlighted that an average of 39 individuals per day faced deportation in the first half of 2023. This stark increase reflects a substantial escalation compared to the daily deportation figures of 23 in 2022 and 21 in 2021. The tightening of Canada's immigration system seems to be impacting a large number of immigrants, leading to an upswing in deportation rates.

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CBSA's Confirmation of Deportation Figures

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) corroborated the Migrant Rights Network's findings, stating that 7032 individuals have been deported from Canada in 2023 alone. This number surpasses the deportation figures recorded in both 2021 and 2022. The data, obtained through a right to information request, sheds light on the magnitude of the current deportation trend.

In response to the escalating deportation numbers, Canada's Federal Immigration Minister Mark Miller recently announced plans to provide an opportunity for millions of individuals living in Canada without proper documents and facing deportation to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency. This move is aimed at addressing the complexities surrounding undocumented residents and offering a pathway towards legal status. As the deportation rates continue to rise, concerns are growing within the immigrant community, prompting a reevaluation of Canada's immigration policies.

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(For More News Apart from Canada Deportations Latest News, Stay Tuned to Rozana Spokesman)




1&1 AG (1U1.DE) forecasts about 10 percent growth in EBITDA for the financial year 2024, compared to the 2023 estimate of 655 million euros

The company projects a service revenue increase of about 4 percent for the financial year 2024 compared to the estimated 3.23 billion euros in 2023.

The company will continue to invest in the expansion of its mobile communications network - cash capex is expected to be about 20 percent higher than in the current year.

For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Editors Pick

e-commerce behemoth Amazon.com, Inc. has not offered concessions to the European Commission in its bid to garner approval for its proposed $1.7 billion takeover of Roomba robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot Corp., according media reports on Thursday.

Partly reflecting a continued increase in shelter prices, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing consumer prices in the U.S. rose by slightly more than expected in the month of December. The Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.3 percent in December after inching up by 0.1 percent in November. Economists had expected the index to rise by 0.2 percent.

Global unemployment is expected to rise this year, with growing inequality and stagnant productivity also a cause for concern on the economic horizon, the International Labor Organization said in its annual report. Around 5 per cent of the world's workforce is without a job, according to the UN labor agency's World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2024 report. This is a better situation tha
Germany's producer prices declined for the fifth straight month in November due to cheaper energy costs, Destatis reported Wednesday.

Producer prices dropped 7.9 percent year-over-year in November, slower than the 11.0 percent fall in October. Economists had expected a decline of 7.5 percent.

The overall decrease in November was largely attributed to a 21.4 percent plunge in energy costs.

Prices for intermediate goods were 4.1 percent lower compared to last year. Meanwhile, costs for consumer goods rose 3.7 percent amid higher food prices.

On a monthly basis, producer prices dropped 0.5 percent in November versus an expected fall of 0.3 percent.

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Business News
In an almost unprecedented decision that could define the future of the United States, the Colorado Supreme Court decided Tuesday that it will not allow Donald Trump to run in the presidential primaries of that western state. The ruling upholds the legal theory that the then Republican presidents involvement in the events leading up to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which they qualify as insurrectionist, are sufficient, under the 14th Amendment, to disqualify him as a candidate.

The decision means in practice that Trumps name cannot be included on Colorados Republican primary ballot. The decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court in Washington, which has a conservative super majority of six to three. Three of its justices were also appointed during Trumps only term in the White House. It is not, however, guaranteed that they will hear the case: they can also decide that it is not within their remit to deal with the matter.

Immediately after learning of the court decision, the Republicans campaign announced that it would vigorously seek justice before the federal top court. For the time being, the Colorado court has put its ruling on hold through January 4, giving a moratorium to Trumps lawyers so that they can appeal. Trump lost Colorado in 2016 and 2020, so a ban there would not in itself affect his ability to run as a presidential candidate, but it could set a precedent for similar action against him in more decisive states.

The Constitution does not prohibit a person under investigation for a federal crime from being president; nor does it prohibit this individual from running for president, even if, as is the case here, he is facing 94 charges in four different cases, for his alleged involvement in the attack on the Capitol, for election crimes and for his handling of classified papers. This caveat does not even exist in the Constitution if he ends up in jail.

But Section 3 of the 14th Amendment does provide an exception, known as the disqualification clause, which states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. The text also warns that Congress can lift that veto if it meets a two-thirds majority.

Approved in 1868, this was one of the most influential amendments in the history of U.S. democracy and it served to grant citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including those who had been enslaved, and to guarantee the equality of all citizens before the law. The third section was specifically designed to prevent the Confederate rebels, defeated in the Civil War (1861-1865), from reoffending. It has been applied very rarely, only twice since 1919.

The legal theory behind the Colorado decision began to take hold in the summer, following the dissemination of a 126-page academic paper for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Authored by William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, two renowned conservative academics, it argued that the disqualification clause is far from being a 19th-century anachronism and fits with Trumps actions, particularly his haranguing of the mob that rallied on January 6 in Washington and eventually stormed the Capitol and his pressure on his Vice President Mike Pence to disrupt the transfer of power to Joe Biden, the rightful winner of the November 2020 election.

The 14th Amendment theory, a kind of nuclear button for those who fear the consequences for democracy of a Trump return to power, has been used to open similar cases, dismissed on procedural grounds, in New Hampshire and Minnesota. In Michigan, a magistrate threw out another similar lawsuit on the grounds that he saw political motivations in that disqualification attempt. His decision is being appealed to the state Supreme Court.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, reads the majority opinion of the Colorado Supreme Court. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Sarah Wallace, a lower circuit judge, ruled last month in the Denver district that the amendment did not apply in Trumps case. However, her decision did conclude that Trump participated in an insurrection on January 6, 2021, which he incited. And she was not sparing in her reprimand, saying he knew that such incendiary rhetoric, issued by a speaker who routinely embraced political violence and had inflamed the anger of his supporters leading up to the certification, was likely to incite imminent lawlessness and disorder.

The third clause speaks of senators and congressmen, but does not specifically allude to the office of president, Wallace said in her argument. While the Court agrees that there are persuasive arguments on both sides, the Court holds that the absence of the President from the list of positions to which the Amendment applies combined with the fact that Section Three specifies that the disqualifying oath is one to support the Constitution whereas the Presidential oath is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, it appears to the Court that for whatever reason the drafters of Section Three did not intend to include a person who had only taken the Presidential Oath.

The lawsuit had been filed by a Washington organization called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), with experience in confronting Trump in court. In an interview with EL PAIS last September, Donald Sherman, its vice president, declared: There is overwhelming evidence that the clause can be triggered in this case. The concept is simple to understand, even if the litigation is not going to be. CREW succeeded in getting the clause enforced last year to bar Cuoy Griffin, founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, from holding public office in New Mexico.

The former president leads by a significant margin all polls to be nominated as the Republican Partys candidate for the November 2024 election. A few weeks before the beginning of the process, with the Iowa caucuses in mid-January as the starting signal, only a decision like the one announced this Tuesday in Colorado, a real bombshell for American politics, seems capable of stopping at this point his path to the White House, where the current president, Joe Biden, who also aspires to repeat as candidate, awaits him on the Democratic side.

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Petrofac Limited (POFCF.PK,POFCY.PK,PFC.L), an energy services company, said on Wednesday that it expects the annual revenue in line with its guidance.

For the full year, the Group has been expecting revenue of around $2.5 billion.

Full-year performance EBIT loss is expected to be approximately $180 million.

This includes around $110 million one-off write-downs in contract settlements to protect cash flows and a one-off bad debt provision of approximately $12 million for a client going into administration in the Asset Solutions business unit.

The company's outlook is underpinned by strong backlog and a healthy Group pipeline scheduled for an award in the next 18 months of $62 billion, including the remaining projects in the TenneT multi-platform Framework Agreement.

Petrofac, and Hitachi Energy, on Wednesday announced the award of the second project under the $14 billion, multi-year Framework Agreement with TenneT, a Dutch-German Transmission System Operator, to expand TenneT's offshore wind capacity in the North Sea.

The project is to be executed under a standalone contract, with Petrofac's portion valued at around $1.4 billion.

The two companies will deliver Nederwiek 1, a Dutch transmission station which forms part of TenneT's landmark 2 Gigawatt program, comprising several high-voltage direct current offshore grid connection systems, each with a transmission capacity of 2 gigawatts.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Oil extended gains on Wednesday after rebounding sharply from near five-month lows earlier this week.

Benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.8 percent to $79.85 per barrel, while WTI crude futures were up 0.9 percent at $74.59.

Traders and shippers braced for the prospect of more disruption in the Red Sea after Yemen's pro-Palestinian Houthi movement vowed to defy a U.S.-led naval mission and keep hitting Israeli targets in the Red Sea.

So far, shippers have reportedly diverted about more than $30 billion worth of cargo away from the Red Sea as a direct result of more than a dozen Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday reported an increase of 0.939 million barrels of crude oil in U.S. inventories for the week ending Dec. 15, defying expectations for a draw of 2.2 million barrels.

The official reading from the Energy Information Administration is due later in the day.

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Market Analysis
A comprehensive bilateral tax treaty between the United States and Chile entered into force Tuesday.

The treaty, ratified by the U.S. Senate in June, was signed by President Joe Biden this month. The treaty entered into force when the United States notified Chile that it had completed the required procedures for bringing the treaty into force.

The Chile tax treaty will reduce tax-related barriers to cross-border investment between the United States and Chile, facilitating stronger bilateral ties. Lower tax rates will allow entities doing business in both countries to save money. U.S. and Chilean companies and industry associations have long championed the passage of this tax treaty, which will make Chilean companies more competitive in the United States, and vice versa.

The United States remains the number one market for Chilean women-led and small and medium-size businesses. This treaty will reduce the cost of business for them, as well, according to the State Department.

Provisions in the Chile tax treaty include reduced source-country withholding tax on certain payments of dividends as well as payments of interest and royalties; A prohibition against source-country taxation of business profits of an enterprise in the absence of a so-called "permanent establishment"; Beneficial rules for individuals, including provisions that govern the taxation of income from employment, payments to students and trainees, and pensions and social security payments.

The treaty has a provision allowing full exchange of information between the U.S. and Chilean tax authorities.

With respect to taxes withheld at source, the Chile tax treaty will have effect for amounts paid or credited on or after February 1, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department said. For all other taxes, the Chile tax treaty will have effect for taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2024.

The United States has 57 comprehensive tax treaties, covering more than 60 nations around the world. The U.S.-Chile bilateral tax treaty is only the second comprehensive income tax treaty in force with a South American country.

The Chile tax treaty is the first new comprehensive bilateral tax treaty signed by the United States in more than ten years.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
While Fors Sanand plant was successfully handed over to Tata Motors, the deal with JSW Group for its Chennai plant seems to be cancelled

India has been emerging as a major automotive market in the world. Currently, India is among the largest auto industry and has shown growth potential. This is a tempting proposition for newcomers and old darlings alike. Were talking about Ford India which might have had a change of heart where maintaining its manufacturing presence is concerned.

Ford To Continue Manufacturing Presence In India?

It must be recalled that Ford officially exited the Indian market in 2021 after an unsatisfactory stint in the Asian subcontinent after a USD 2 Billion investment. Following that train of thought, Ford India decided to sell both of its manufacturing facilities  one in Sanand, Gujarat and the other in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Said Sanand plant was sold to Tata Motors. This transaction sailed smoothly and Tata Motors successfully acquired Fords Sanand plant earlier this year. Fords intentions to sell its Chennai plant had advanced-stage discussions between Ford HQ in USA and JSW Group.

Other major players in the race for Fords Chennai plant were Mahindra & Mahindra Group, along with Vinfast, a Taiwanese electric car manufacturer. JSW Group was said to be leading this race with a sealed deal almost evident. Recently JSW Group has entered auto business after its association with Chinese State Owned SAIC and its subsidiary MG Motor India.

According to a recent report, Fords exit strategy for Indian market has had a significant turn of events where the company has decided to retain its Chennai plant. The report cited its source who said talks among Ford and JSW have collapsed abruptly at the time when both companies were inching towards closing this deal.

Deal with JSW Group cancelled

This could potentially mean that Ford is desiring to maintain a manufacturing presence in India. Or, there may have been a more promising proposition from other parties in the race to acquire Fords Chennai plant. The report also mentioned that Ford India is considering re-establishing its presence and may be looking be hire people regarding the same.

Further, the report also cited its source saying that there is no certainty in these developments as Ford is still evaluating and a final decision on re-establishing its former glory is in the pipeline. After announcing its exit strategy from India in 2021, Ford India was keen on selling premium imported vehicles in India including its electric car portfolio.

This was after applying and winning PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) schemes for electric cars set by the Indian Government. The report cited another source who mentioned that there has been a rise in activity in Fords Chennai plant including certain appointments. All of these combined, Ford India could potentially make a comeback in Indian market where production is concerned.

Source
As seen in the KTM sales November 2023 charts, the company has made significant impact in exports which registered positive growth

The Austrian brand, KTM, had a rather productive sales prospect in November 2023. While total sales registered positive YoY growth and a marginal drop in sales MoM, exports was of particular interest with positive growth both YoY and MoM. Interestingly, KTMs exports showed an upper hand than what they sold domestically in India.

KTM Sales November 2023  Total sales

Where total sales are concerned, KTM pushed out 11,741 units in November 2023 which was an increase of 13.14% YoY as opposed to 10,377 units sold in November 2022 and a 4.08% MoM decline when compared to 12,241 units sold in October 2023. Volume gained YoY stood at 1,364 units and lost 500 units MoM.

In total, KTMs 390 range proved to be the highest selling in November 2023. The range includes the recently launched 2024 390 Duke along with 390 Adventure and RC 390. KTMs 390 range sold 3,956 units last month with 91.48% YoY growth and 9.41% MoM decline. Volume grew by 1,890 units YoY and fell 411 units MoM.

200 range (200 Duke and RC 200) and 250 range (250 Adventure and 250 Duke) of motorcycles took 2nd and 3rd places by selling 3,695 and 2,718 units respectively. While 200 range fell into the red completely with 36.56% YoY and 6.24% MoM decline, 250 range registered 89.28% YoY growth.

In contrast, KTMs 125 range saw least sales at 1,272 units, but it was the only one to show a MoM growth. That too, 53.47% growth, showing market trends.

Domestic sales fell into the red completely

Where domestic sales are concerned, KTMs 200 range is the best-selling with 2,777 units sold with 21.11% YoY growth and it also witnessed the least MoM decline in this group at 18.11%. More than half of KTMs domestic sales are occupied by 200s with a 52.53% market share. Next in line, is 250s with 1,371 units and 50.83% YoY growth and 25.93% market share.

However, 250 range saw a sharp 33.32% MoM decline, losing 685 units in volume (highest in this list). The 390 range took 3rd place and more than doubled its numbers YoY by selling 1,001 units as opposed to 455 units in November 2022. MoM decline was 36.32%. The company recently launched 2024 390 Duke in India.

At 4th place, we have KTMs 125 range with 138 units sold and sales halved YoY at 58.31% decline and 37.84% MoM decline. In total, KTMs domestic sales accounted for 5,287 units, which is greater than 3,988 units sold last year and less than 7,241 units sold a month before. Resulting in 32.57% YoY growth and 26.99% MoM decline.

Exports saw greater volumes than domestic

KTMs popular export from India is the 390 range, with 2,955 units shipped and 45.79% of total exports. 390s showed 83.43% YoY growth as opposed to 1,611 units shipped last year and 5.72% MoM growth as opposed to 2,795 units shipped a month before. Volume gain is 1,344 units YoY and 160 units MoM.

The company shipped 1,247 and 1,234 units of 250 range and 125 range respectively. 250 range saw a staggering 155.6% YoY growth along with 37.03% MoM growth. Whereas 125 range saw 71.39% YoY growth and 83.63% MoM growth.

KTMs 200 range is the least popular in export markets with 918 units shipped. Which is a 74% decline MoM and 66.91% MoM growth. In total, KTM exports stood at 6,454 units, which is greater than what KTM India sold in domestic market. Exports resulted in 1.02% YoY growth and a 29.08% MoM growth.
Tata Motors Flagship SUVs Acknowledged as Indias Safest Vehicles

Tata Motors reaffirms its commitment to safety as its iconic models, the new Safari and the Harrier, set an unprecedented milestone. Both vehicles have clinched the prestigious 5-star rating, attaining top marks for adult and child occupant protection, courtesy of the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat-NCAP), the countrys autonomous safety evaluation authority.

First cars to get 5 star rating by Bharat NCAP

These accolades arrive as a testament to Tata Motors unwavering dedication to producing vehicles that exceed safety benchmarks. Notably, the new Safari and Harrier are the inaugural recipients of this esteemed 5-star rating under Bharat-NCAP, marking a groundbreaking achievement for the Indian automotive industry.

Equipped with an array of advanced safety features, including but not limited to:

7 airbags, with 6 as standard across all variants

Electronic Stability Control as a standard feature

3-point seatbelts in all rows

Seat Belt Reminder for all passengers

Isofix tethers

Seatbelts with Retractor, Pretensioner, Load Limiter (RPLL), and anchor pretensioner

Reinforced cabin structure for enhanced crash performance and side pole impact resistance

Honble Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari ji, applauded this momentous achievement, stating, Bharat-NCAP is Indias independent voice on vehicle safety. It is designed to advance road safety standards beyond mandatory regulations. I congratulate Tata Motors on this remarkable feat, setting a high standard in vehicle safety.

Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Mr. Shailesh Chandra, MD of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., emphasized, Safety is at the core of our DNA. The Bharat-NCAP certification is a significant step forward in enabling customers to make informed decisions. We extend our appreciation to the government, regulatory bodies, and the automotive industry for their collaborative efforts. This 5-star rating for our Safari and Harrier further enriches our legacy of producing safe vehicles.

Derived from Land Rovers renowned D8 Platform and built on the OMEGARC architecture, the Safari and Harrier SUVs have not only earned the distinguished Bharat-NCAP 5-star rating but also boast a 5-star G-NCAP rating, solidifying their position as the safest vehicles navigating Indian roads. Tata Motors continues to pioneer advancements in vehicle safety, reiterating its commitment to creating safer mobility solutions for the nation.
Christian and Bridget Zieglers meteoric rise in American conservatism is matched only by their dramatic downfall.

At the start of 2023, Christian Ziegler was elected for something big: to chair the Republican Party of Florida in an election year, and in a state with two presidential candidates. Bridget Ziegler  the co-founder of the traditional values advocacy group Moms for Liberty  is a member of the Sarasota County School Board, where she represents families crusading against so-called woke policies in education. Together, they are a power couple, just like Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in the TV series House of Cards: their influence together is greater than the sum of their parts.

Christian Ziegler greets Donald Trump at a rally in Kissimmee, Florida, on Nov. 4. Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

But the couple has been rocked by allegations from an unnamed woman, who claims that Christian Ziegler raped her last October. She says that he raped her in her apartment, that they had both known each other for 20 years, and that the initial plan that day was to have a threesome. When Bridget didnt show up, the woman claims she decided she didnt want to go through with it, but Christian  who flatly denies the accusations  wouldnt listen and forced himself on her.

The scandal became public in early December, when a nonpartisan group called the Florida Center for Government Accountability released the police complaint filed by the woman. In interviews with officers, Bridget Ziegler acknowledged that she and her husband had been involved in a threesome with the woman about a year ago.

What the Zieglers do in their bedroom would not have caused such a scandal if it werent for the fact that Moms for Liberty is an ultra-conservative group known for pushing for book bans in school districts, criticizing critical race theory and attacking the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In other words, its surprising that the co-founder of Moms for Liberty could just as easily belong to a different sort of group: Moms for Libertinage.

At a meeting of the Sarasota County School Board, where Bridget Ziegler has been a member for nine years, a Sarasota resident explained it this way: Most of our community could not care less what you do in the privacy of your own home, but your hypocrisy takes center stage, she said, according to The New York Times.

Calls for resignation

At the moment, Bridget Ziegler has not stepped down, even though the school board voted 4-1 for her resignation. Her husband  who claims the encounter was consensual  has not given in to pressure either. The Republican Party of Florida, however, suspended him and cut his salary to $1 in an emergency meeting on Sunday. The move was made as other leading Republicans call for his resignation, including Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis.

Christian Ziegler has engaged in conduct that renders him unfit for the office, the partys motion to censure Ziegler said, according to a document posted on the social media platform X by Lee County GOP Chairman Michael Thompson. Thomason added that Ziegler had tried to defend himself at the emergency meeting, but failed.

Ziegler on soap box trying to defend himself, not working, Thompson posted shortly before the vote, where the 40-member party executive committee voted unanimously to strip the chair of his power.

Protesters call for Bridget Ziegler's resignation outside the Sarasota County School Board meeting on December 12. STEVE NESIUS (REUTERS)

The decision to suspend Ziegler was linked to the fact that the 2024 presidential campaign is about to begin. The chair of the Republican Party in a state as important as Florida plays an important role as a fundraiser, and manages a budget of millions of dollars.

Bridget Ziegler founded Moms for Liberty in January 2021 with Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice in response to the school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and masking rules for students aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Ziegler soon left the group, which has swelled in size: in just two years, Moms for Liberty has grown to 130,000 members. The organization  whose slogan is we do not co-parent with the government  draws in parents by claiming that the school system is controlled by leftists who want to indoctrinate their children.

Moms for Liberty also quickly became an influential force in the Republican Party, which has fervently embraced their advocacy of parental rights in a bid to win over voters. But in the last school board elections across the country, held in November, many of the candidates supported by Moms for Liberty had disappointing results, in what may be a sign that their influence is waning.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 16:40 | All, Japan, World

A Japanese court ordered Wednesday the Okinawa governor to approve a modified plan for landfill work to relocate a key U.S. base within the southern island prefecture, endorsing the central government's attempt to push forward the delayed plan mired in controversy and court battles.

The Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch said Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki needs to approve it within three weekdays after receiving a copy of the ruling. Failing to do so would allow the land minister to circumvent the reluctant governor and approve the modifications by proxy.

The modifications involve reinforcing soft ground at the coastal Henoko area in Nago, the relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, now located in densely-populated Ginowan.

"Okinawa governor should follow the ruling and approve (the modifications) before the deadline," land minister Tetsuo Saito said in a statement.

The Okinawa governor can still appeal to the Supreme Court, but the local government cannot halt work at the site unless the top court overturns the lower court's ruling.

The latest lawsuit was filed by Saito in October after Tamaki avoided clarifying whether he would accept the central government's order to move ahead with the revised plan amid staunch local opposition.

The ruling said Tamaki's negligence in approving the revised landfill work harms the public interest, supporting the state's argument in the trial.

The prefectural government argued during the trial that the strong opposition among the local population, which wants the base moved out of Okinawa entirely, constitutes the very essence of public interest that needs to be protected.

The central government and Okinawa Prefecture have long been at odds over relocating the Futenma base.

In 1996, an agreement was reached with the United States on a relocation plan for the base, with Japan selecting Henoko as the new site in 1999.

But Okinawa residents continue to oppose relocating the base within the prefecture, which has hosted the majority of the U.S. military's facilities in Japan since the end of World War II in 1945.

In 2013, then Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima approved the central government's request for landfill work to build a replacement facility in Henoko. But his successor Takeshi Onaga, a strong opponent of the transfer plan, revoked approval in 2015.

The Supreme Court, however, ruled in 2016 the retraction was unlawful, with the landfill work starting in 2018.

After the soft ground was discovered at the reclamation site, the Defense Ministry applied for a change in the construction plan in 2020, but Tamaki, who was elected as Okinawa governor in 2018, denied approval for the request, saying not enough research had been done.

In September 2023, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal by Okinawa Prefecture against the central government's earlier order requiring the local administration to rescind its rejection of the modified landfill plan.

Related coverage:

Land minister sues Okinawa gov. over U.S. base landfill plan

Okinawa rejects central gov't order over U.S. base landfill work
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 22:02 | All, Japan

Daihatsu Motor Co. said Wednesday it will stop all shipments at home and abroad after the Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary found most of its car models were affected by improper vehicle safety tests.

The move comes after the minivehicle maker acknowledged earlier this year data-rigging in collision tests for six of its models, including those sold in Thailand and Malaysia.

A third-party panel it has set up identified 174 new counts of misconduct across 25 vehicle test items in addition to those already discovered, with the oldest one dating back to 1989, Daihatsu said, adding that it reported the findings to the transport ministry.

The number of vehicles affected by improper testing expanded to 64 models, including all 11 models the automaker currently sells in Japan, such as the Rocky compact sport utility vehicle and the Copen minivehicle.

Among the affected vehicles sold overseas are the Xenia in Indonesia and the Axia in Malaysia, which are sold under the Perodua brand. The 64 models also include those supplied to Toyota, Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. for sale under their brands, as well as those whose production has already ended, it said.

Daihatsu also said some of the models may not meet safety standards as their doors could become hard to open from the outside in the event of an accident. There has been no report of accidents resulting from the safety test irregularities, it added.

Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira apologized for the scandal at a press conference in Tokyo, saying, "We betrayed the trust of our customers. All the blame is on the management."

Asked about his responsibility, Okudaira rejected the idea of immediately resigning as he hopes to "pave the way for preventing similar incidents from happening again."

At a separate press conference, the third-party panel attributed the cause of the problem to Daihatsu executives pressuring engineers to shorten vehicle development time.

"There was tremendous pressure on employees as altering sales schedules due to test failures was widely seen as unacceptable," said Makoto Kaiami, head of the panel. A lack of communication among employees was also a factor, he added.

In a statement, Toyota said it has also halted the shipment of affected vehicles sold under the Toyota brand, apologizing for failing to properly oversee its wholly owned subsidiary tasked with driving the parent company's growth strategy in Asia.

Since 2013, Toyota has been increasing the number of models manufactured by other companies, mainly compact vehicles, and the automaker deeply regrets that the development of these vehicles may have been a burden on the minivehicle maker, it said.

Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima apologized for failing to recognize a potential production overload at Daihatsu and pledged to provide "full support" to Daihatsu's review of its operations.

The automaker group has been hit by a series of issues over product quality in recent years.

Hino Motors Ltd., another Toyota subsidiary, admitted in March last year to having submitted fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities, while Toyota Industries Corp., a Toyota group forklift maker, said in March this year it had falsified emission data.

The transport ministry said it will conduct an on-site inspection of Daihatsu's headquarters in Osaka Prefecture on Thursday.

Related coverage:

Operations at all Toyota plants in Japan halted after system failure

Toyota to be world's top auto seller in Jan.-June for 4th yr in row
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 16:10 | All, Japan

Two Canadian nationals were recently accused of attempting to smuggle around 31 kilograms of illegal stimulants into Japan, the largest amount to be confiscated from carry-on luggage at Tokyo's Haneda airport, according to customs authorities.

The men were identified as Muhammad Zain Khawar Shabbir, 23, and Muhammad Areez Khan, 23. The Haneda branch of Tokyo Customs filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors on Friday. The two are believed to be acquaintances and have both denied the accusations.

The total amount of illegal stimulants, worth an estimated 1.93 billion yen ($13.45 million), was found in bags used to store spices, the branch said.

The two are suspected of boarding a flight from Canada to Haneda airport and attempting to smuggle the stimulant drugs hidden in their respective suitcases.

Japan has seen a rise this year in people trying to smuggle drugs into the country from North America by hiding them in their carry-on luggage.

Related coverage:

3 men arrested in Japan for smuggling 113 kg of illegal drugs

Japanese on Malaysia death row to appeal for leniency under new law

Student arrested for alleged possession of cannabis, stimulant drug
The new-submerged Northwest Shelf of Sahul  the combined landmass of Australia and New Guinea at times of lower sea level  was a vast area of land in the Late Pleistocene epoch that connected the Australian regions of the Kimberley and western Arnhem Land during times of lower sea level than today.

For the majority of the last 65,000 years of human history in Australia, lower sea levels revealed a vast expanse of dry land in the northwest of the continent, connecting the Kimberley and Arnhem Land into a contiguous area.

Through meticulous analysis of high-resolution bathymetric data, Griffith University researcher Kasih Norman and colleagues found that this Northwest Shelf, now submerged, existed as an extensive archipelago during Marine Isotope Stage 4 (71,000-59,000 years ago), which remained stable for 9,000 years.

This transformed into a fully exposed shelf in Marine Isotope Stage 2 (29,000-14,000 years ago), featuring an inland sea adjacent to a sizable freshwater lake, encircled by high escarpments cut by deep gorges.

The teams demographic modeling indicates that the Northwest Shelf experienced fluctuating potential carrying capacities through Marine Isotope Stages 4-2, potentially supporting populations ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 people at various times.

However, rapid global sea level rises between 14,500-14,100 years ago (during Meltwater Pulse 1A) and between 12,000 and 9,000 years ago resulted in the rapid inundation of approximately 50% of the Northwest Shelf, causing profound changes in the space of human life spans.

These events likely triggered the retreat of human populations ahead of the encroaching coastline, evident in peaks of occupational intensity at archaeological sites across the Kimberley and Arnhem, and the sudden appearance of distinctive new rock art styles in both regions.

The presence of this extensive archipelago likely facilitated the successful dispersal of the first maritime explorers from Wallacea  the region of modern-day Indonesia  providing a familiar environment for their adaptation to the vast continent of Sahul, Dr. Norman said.

Furthermore, the study emphasized the critical role that the now-submerged continental margins played in early human expansions.

The temptation to overlook the continental shelf margins of Late Pleistocene Sahul in discussions of early peopling and expansion risks oversimplification and misunderstanding of this pivotal period in history, Dr. Norman said.

The implications underscored the need to reevaluate the narrative of early human migration and the impact of climate change on ancient populations.

Our demographic modeling showed a peak in population size at the height of the latest Ice Age around 20,000 years ago, when the entire extent of the Northwest Shelf was dry land, Dr. Norman said.

This finding has now been supported by new genetic research showing very large populations for the Tiwi Islanders  located just to the east of the study region  at the height of the latest glacial period.

The findings appear in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

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Kasih Norman et al. 2024. Sea level rise drowned a vast habitable area of north-western Australia driving long-term cultural change. Quaternary Science Reviews 324: 108418; doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108418
SDSS J1226+2152, a huge galaxy cluster in the constellation of Coma Berenices, acts as a strong gravitational lens, causing light from distant galaxies to bend around it.

Galaxy clusters contain thousands of galaxies of all ages, shapes and sizes. Typically, they have a mass of about one million billion times the mass of the Sun.

At one point in time galaxy clusters were believed to be the largest structures in the Universe  until they were usurped in the 1980s by the discovery of superclusters, which typically contain dozens of galaxy clusters and groups and span hundreds of millions of light-years.

However, clusters do have one thing to cling on to; superclusters are not held together by gravity, so galaxy clusters still retain the title of the biggest structures in the Universe bound by gravity.

Albert Einstein predicted in his theory of general relativity that massive objects will deform the fabric of space itself.

When light passes one of these objects, such as a galaxy cluster, its path is changed slightly.

Known as gravitational lensing, this effect is only visible in rare cases and only the best telescopes can observe the related phenomena.

SDSS J1226+2152 is distorting the images of distant background galaxies into streaks and smears of light, Webb astronomers said in a statement.

This is a spectacular example of gravitational lensing, a phenomenon which occurs when a massive celestial object such as a galaxy cluster deforms spacetime and causes the path of light from more distant galaxies to be deflected, almost as if a monumental lens was redirecting it.

One of the most notable lensed galaxies in the field of SDSS J1226+2152 is named SGAS J12265.3+215220.

In this image, its the innermost lensed galaxy, just above and to the right of the central galaxy.

This lies far beyond the foreground cluster in distance, giving us a view into the galaxy roughly two billion years after the big bang.

The astronomers are now using this eagerly-awaited hoard of bright, gravitationally-lensed galaxies from Webb to explore star formation in distant galaxies.

Just like their optical namesakes, gravitational lenses can magnify as well as distort distant galaxies, they said.

This allows us to observe the finer details of galaxies that would usually be too distant to clearly resolve.

In the case of SGAS J122651.3+215220, the combination of gravitational lensing and Webbs unprecedented observational capabilities will allow us to measure where, and how fast, stars are forming and also to gain an insight into the environments which support star formation in lensed galaxies.

Amid this spectacular display of gravitational lensing, a menagerie of spiral and elliptical galaxies in all shapes and sizes surround the galaxy cluster.

Webbs sensitive infrared instruments have proven prodigious in picking out distant galaxies from the darkness of space.

None of the tiny pinpricks in the patch of sky captured here is a star: each one is a galaxy.

The variety of colors of the small, dim galaxies gives us hints at what we are seeing: many of the paler white galaxies will date back to the period of intense star formation known as cosmic noon, some two to three billion years after the Big Bang, while the few small orange and red systems are probably from even earlier in the Universes history.
Birds are among the best-studied animal groups, but their prehistoric diversity is poorly known due to low fossilization potential. Hence, while many human-driven bird extinctions  extinctions caused directly by human activities such as hunting, as well as indirectly through human-associated impacts such as land use change, fire, and the introduction of invasive species  have been recorded, the true number is likely much larger. By combining recorded extinctions with model estimates based on the completeness of the fossil record, scientists from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and elsewhere suggest that at least 1,300-1,500 bird species (around 12% of the total) have gone extinct since the Late Pleistocene epoch, with 55% of these extinctions undiscovered.

There are many potential causes of bird extinction connected to human activity today, including habitat loss, over exploitation, and the introduction of invasive species.

Previous analyses of bird extinction rates have focused on well-documented observed extinctions, beginning just over 500 years ago.

However, this approach may underestimate the magnitude of biodiversity loss associated with human activity, as some species of birds may have gone extinct before they were first formally recorded.

To estimate undiscovered extinctions, Dr. Rob Cooke from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and his colleagues first modeled fossil bird extinctions across 69 archipelagos (1,488 islands) as explained by multiple environmental predictors and the completeness of the fossil record.

They combined these estimates of undiscovered extinctions (archipelagos only) with estimates of fossil and observed extinctions across the globe.

Subsequently, they estimated the extinction date for all bird species lost since the Late Pleistocene and inferred extinction rates of birds through time

Our study demonstrates there has been a far higher human impact on avian diversity than previously recognized, Dr. Cooke said.

Humans have rapidly devastated bird populations via habitat loss, overexploitation and the introduction of rats, pigs and dogs that raided nests of birds and competed with them for food.

We show that many species became extinct before written records and left no trace, lost from history.

These historic extinctions have major implications for the current biodiversity crisis, added Dr. Sren Faurby, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg.

The world may not only have lost many fascinating birds but also their varied ecological roles, which are likely to have included key functions such as seed dispersal and pollination.

This will have had cascading harmful effects on ecosystems so, in addition to bird extinctions, we will have lost a lot of plants and animals that depended on these species for survival.

The teams results show 640 bird species have been driven extinct since the Late Pleistocene epoch  90% of these on islands inhabited by people.

These range from the iconic dodo of Mauritius to the great auk of the North Atlantic to the lesser-known Saint Helena giant hoopoe.

But the researchers estimated there have been further 790 unknown extinctions, meaning a total of 1,430 lost species  leaving just under 11,000 today.

They also uncovered the largest human-driven vertebrate extinction event in history, during the 14th century, estimating that 570 bird species were lost after people first arrived in the Eastern Pacific, including Hawaii and the Cook Islands  nearly 100 times the natural extinction rate.

They believe there was also a major extinction event in the 9th century BCE, primarily driven by the arrival of people to the Western Pacific, including Fiji and the Mariana Islands, as well as the Canary Islands, and highlight the ongoing extinction event, which started in the mid-18th century.

Since then, in addition to an increase in deforestation and spread of invasive species, birds have faced the additional human-driven threats of climate change, intensive agriculture and pollution.

Humans have already driven more than one in nine bird species to extinction, with likely severe, and potentially irreversible, ecological and evolutionary consequences, the authors concluded.

Their paper was published in the journal Nature Communications.

_____

R. Cooke et al. 2023. Undiscovered bird extinctions obscure the true magnitude of human-driven extinction waves. Nat Commun 14, 8116; doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43445-2
By Zhao Li

(ECNS) -- Last Thursday, a group of international students from Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) engaged in a cultural tour in Beijing.

Fifteen students from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Mali, and Kazakhstan visited the Temple of Heaven, the Drum Tower, and Beijing hutongs, where they tasted teas, and drew facial masks to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture.

The Temple of Heaven was wrapped in a silver blanket on that snowy day. Immersed in the beauty of the heavy snowfall, the students took out their phones to capture this beautiful moment.

International students from BJTU take photos at the Temple of Heaven scenic spot.(Photo:China News Network/Zhao Li)

Arystan Adil, a student from Kazakhstan, told ECNS that it was his first time visiting the Temple of Heaven.

"The Temple of Heaven is where ancient emperors offered sacrifices and prayed for rain. I am very interested in Chinese history," he said.

Dra Yasin Amara Sekou S, a civil engineering student from Mali, was fascinated by the architectural structure of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

"The guide told us that the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is made of wood, and the entire building doesn't use a single nail, he said, adding It reminded me of the mortise and tenon structure I learned in class. I find it very impressive and get the wisdom of ancient Chinese people here.

After exploring the Temple of Heaven, the next stop was experiencing the art of drama facial mask painting in an old Beijing hutong. They sat around small tables, sketching their own facial masks, each one vivid and lifelike.

Ling Chieng Ying Joyce, a Malaysian student, has been interested in Chinese culture since childhood. "I want to bring back Chinese drama facial mask culture to Malaysia because there are many Chinese Malaysians, and I hope we could continue to inherit Chinese traditional culture," she said.

Vietnamese student Tran Hien Luong receives an interview with ECNS.(Photo: China News Network/Zhao Li)

Vietnamese student Tran Hien Luong shared her experience of studying in China, saying that the country's high growth and social stability left a deep impression on her

The high-speed trains here make it convenient to go anywhere. In addition, mobile payment is also very convenient, she said.

"I felt very proud of my decision to study in China," she added.


KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 10:14 | All, Japan, World

Under pressure to revive the U.S. economy in his bid for reelection, U.S. President George H.W. Bush asked for help from then Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa at their meeting in 1992, according to diplomatic records declassified Wednesday.

In the one-on-one meeting in Tokyo on Jan. 8, 1992, Bush pushed Miyazawa for an agreement on a concrete numerical target regarding exports of U.S. auto parts to Japan, as the two economic powers were embroiled in fierce friction over trade, according to the records compiled based on an account by a senior Japanese diplomat who was at the talks.

At the time, Bush was struggling to pave the way for his second term, with his support rate falling under 50 percent. His trip to Japan in 1992 focused on whether he could win concessions to rectify the United States' trade deficit with Japan, which included autos, to help the U.S. economy recover.

In the meeting, conducted in English without translators, Bush expressed solidarity with Tokyo and called criticism leveled against Japan by the U.S. Congress over trade "ugly," according to the account by Koichiro Matsuura, then director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau.

Bush then said that he wanted something concrete with numbers that looked good, the records showed.

Miyazawa, in return, told him that Bush's success was vital for his own, but said under a market economy, Japanese businesses cannot make concrete commitments, the records showed.

U.S. National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft was also at the meeting.

Following the 50-minute talks, the leaders announced an action plan that included Japanese automakers volunteering to buy more U.S. automobile parts through measures such as raising procurement goals from 50 to 70 percent.

But Bush's trip to Japan and its outcome, including the action plan, was poorly received by U.S. media, with The New York Times calling the visit a "fiasco."

"The agreement on coordinating the two countries' fiscal policies to speed global growth contained little new or specific," it said in its article dated Jan. 10, 1992.

In the Nov. 3 presidential election of that year, Bush lost to Bill Clinton of the Democratic Party, leaving the White House after one term.

Related coverage:

Japan asked China to shelve Senkaku claim before emperor's 1992 visit
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 18:28 | All, Japan

The Japanese government decided Wednesday to partially lift a ban on ride-hailing services to address a nationwide shortage of taxi drivers, with the changes to come into effect from April.

The partial lifting will allow drivers with a standard license to offer taxi services using their own vehicle in areas and times when taxis are in short supply, on the condition they are under the management of a taxi company.

A full lifting on a ban on ride-hailing services such as Uber that directly connects private car owners with individuals seeking transportation, is still under discussion, with a decision to be made by June next year.

Data from ride-hailing apps and radio taxis will identify areas and times with a shortage of taxis, with customers able to request rides through the apps.

For safety, taxi companies will be liable for vehicle maintenance and transportation, with their eligibility to operate ride-hailing services subject to approval by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The government will consider flexible contracts in addition to standard employment contracts for drivers, with details to be finalized by the end of March.

It also plans to significantly shorten the training period for a license to provide driver services from fiscal 2024, and make the exam available in 20 languages to encourage more foreign workers to become taxi drivers.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 11:42 | World, All, Japan

Tokyo secretly asked Beijing not to make territorial claims to the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea to avoid friction ahead of the Japanese emperor's visit to China in 1992, according to Japanese diplomatic documents declassified Wednesday.

Then Japanese Ambassador to China Hiroshi Hashimoto asked influential Chinese officials to refrain from publicly speaking about the issue of the uninhabited islets and historical disputes, in line with a secret order from then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa in April 1992, the Foreign Ministry's records showed.

The visit, which had been repeatedly requested by Beijing, was made by then Emperor Akihito in October that year, marking the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1972.

A vast swath of China was occupied by Japan during the 1937-1945 Sino-Japanese War.

Akihito's father Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, was the nation's ruler during the war.

The enactment of a new Chinese law on territorial waters and adjacent waters in February 1992, which first declared the Senkakus as China's territory, reignited war-related disputes with Tokyo and further worsened public sentiment in Japan toward China.

Still, Japan was keen to respond to China's request for an imperial visit as it supported Beijing's "reform and opening-up" policy, which Tokyo hoped would lead to the democratization of the Communist-led country.

According to the documents, Hashimoto, on a visit back to Japan, proposed that he urge Beijing not to take up issues that could provoke negative sentiment among the Japanese public.

Miyazawa was quoted by the records as saying that he did not want the emperor to visit China "in a way that would cause a rift" among the public or in his conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Back in China, Hashimoto met with Chinese heavyweights such as Wen Jiabao, who later became the premier, asking them to avoid publicly speaking about the Senkakus, which Beijing calls Diaoyu, and other sensitive issues.

Wen said in response that he would "look toward the future" and work together with Japan, according to the documents. China began refraining from making confrontational remarks.

Later in April, Miyazawa told then Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin in their meeting in Japan that Tokyo wanted Beijing's cooperation in dealing the Senkaku issue and to avoid causing a negative impact on "the big picture" of the bilateral relationship, according to the records.

Sakutaro Tanino, then head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian affairs bureau, said in an interview with Kyodo News that "every time Chinese VIPs came, they made a request" for an imperial visit.

"So, we thought that someday we had to realize it," Tanino said, adding that he felt relieved that the trip was generally viewed as a success.

But Yusuke Anami, a professor at Tohoku University, told Kyodo that it might have been better for Japan to cancel the emperor's visit, as it resulted in Japanese diplomats "trivializing" the Senkaku issue at a time when China was trying to change the status quo by enacting the territorial waters law.

Anami, well-versed in Chinese modern history, also pointed out that Western nations' tough stance on China after a 1989 military crackdown on a pro-democracy movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square softened following the emperor's trip, smoothing the way for China's economic growth and military buildup.

Even though it was difficult then to foresee the political developments that followed in China, "The China visit did not serve Japan's national interest," he added.

Emperor Akihito toured Beijing, Xian and Shanghai for six days, becoming the first-ever Japanese emperor to visit China. He expressed his "deep regret" over Japan's past aggression toward China, but stopped short of making an outright apology.

The two countries remain at odds over the Senkakus. Since Japan nationalized the islets and brought them under state control in September 2012, Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly intruded into nearby Japanese waters.

Related coverage:

New Japan envoy in China vows to "tenaciously" address Fukushima row

China "not fearful of war" over Senkakus: military officer
A familiar face will lead Disability Network West Michigan. Will Wilson has been with the nonprofit for 14 years, and for the past nine months has been the interim CEO. He replaces Diane Fleser, who stepped down to pursue her doctorate degree.He credits the success of his interim leadership and his now-permanent role to the support of the Disability Network staff and board as well as leaders of other organizations.The directors from other nonprofits have reached out to me extending their hand in regards to support, so I know that support is there, Wilson says. That helped reassure me that I made the right decision to take on this role.During his time as interim CEO, Wilson demonstrated that his leadership style was a good fit for the organization, says Lynne Bosma, board president.His willingness to support the organization during this time allowed the staff and board to complete strategic planning, Bosma says. This time was critical, as it allowed some time to assess and reflect on the needs of the organization and community to make sure we had a solid strategy in place to meet the mission of DNWM. This diligent planning made it crystal clear that Will was the best fit.She adds that Wilson was selected to helm the nonprofit because of his longtime commitment to serving the organization and the DNWM community.Will has been with the organization for over 14 years. With that history comes a unique ability to understand and partner with the community closely. Will's servant leadership, passion for collaboration, and shared vision for the future growth of the organization are why the board hired Will as CEO, she says. We are excited to see how DNWM services will expand in 2024 and beyond.Monica Turnbull, Boys and Girls Club of Muskegon Lakeshore CEO, and a member of the DNWM board of directors, adds that Wilson's unwavering commitment to advocacy, demonstrated leadership within the organization, and his comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by the disability community were instrumental in his selection."His strategic vision, combined with a deep sense of empathy and inclusivity, aligns seamlessly with the qualities we were seeking in our next leader. Will's passion for fostering an inclusive society and his innovative approach to addressing the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities make him an exceptional choice to guide Disability Network West Michigan into its next chapter of transformative growth and impactful service," Turnbull says.DNWM has a staff of 14 and is looking to bring on a few more people. The organization serves five counties: Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Newaygo and Lake. Its main office is in Muskegon County, and satellite offices are in Oceana and Newaygo counties.My goal for 2024 is to increase our presence in those other counties. I just want to be able to ensure that people with disabilities are able to get the resources they need, Wilson says.Prior to coming to the Disability Network, Wilson worked as director of youth services for Webster House. He brought his passion for helping youths to Disability Network.Wilson, who majored in criminal justice and sociology at Michigan State University, says he has always loved working with people, especially youths.When he became a full time employee with DNWM in 2009, he knew the organization was a good fit because of the staff.The makeup of the staff was very diverse, and everyone had a passion for their work. You could tell by your interactions with them, Wilsons says.When it comes to supporting the nonprofits clients, the goal is to find ways to overcome barriers.We want to empower our consumers to be as independent as possible. So we'll find a way to work with individuals to help them overcome whatever barriers are in place, Wilson says.One way they try to solve issues for clients is by partnering with other organizations.If theres an opportunity for us to not have to reinvent the wheel, we make sure we incorporate other local agencies, local resources, and connect those to our consumers, Wilson says. But if there isnt a resource available, then we have to get creative and sometimes think outside the box and start something new. We'll do that as well.Oscar Hernandez, credits Disability Network West Michigan for providing services for his son, Phillipe, over the past 17 years that prepared him for independence, and a dream job position at BOLD Furniture.Hernandez has worked with the organization since Phillipe was a toddler, and with Will Wilson, who previously served as Deputy Director of DNWM.He went above and beyond. Everything that we threw at him, we figured out a way to help us, Oscar says of Wilson. Without Disability Network West Michigan, we wouldnt have known how to help Phillipe. Willie would say contact this person or that person. He always had a suggestion.More than half the DNWM staff has a disability, a requirement of funding for the organization.Wilson has an invisible disability.I have severe high blood pressure, or hypertension. I'm managing it right now, he says.Severe high blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the Black community. My mom passed away from it at a young age, and so have several uncles. It's definitely something that is significant and I remain mindful of.When it comes to disabilities, we often say if you continue to live long enough, you may have a disability.This article is a part of the multi-year series Disability Inclusion , exploring the state of West Michigans growing disability community. The series is made possible through a partnership with Centers for Independent Living organizations across West Michigan.
By Kent E. Calder, KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2023 - 12:54 | All, World

U.S.-China relations are growing more and more important from a global standpoint, even as they become increasingly difficult to manage.

The countries are the two largest economies in the world and the largest trans-oceanic trading partners. Yet their technological levels and military capabilities are also converging. And competition is intensifying, particularly in dual-use technology sectors with both civilian and military implications such as 5-G telecommunications and artificial intelligence.

As the United States approaches the 2024 presidential elections, concern is deepening throughout the Washington policy world about the course of U.S.-China relations.

Yet the perspectives of Congress and the White House are sharply divergent. Historical analogy provides important insight into how those perspectives diverge, and to how, in particular, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to manage its increasingly complex relationship with Beijing.

"Congress thinks we are in the year 1941," one well-versed White House policy insider informally said to me several weeks ago.

Its members feel, in short, that China is about to proactively launch a political-military crisis that could easily lead to war -- not with Japan, as in 1941, of course, but between China and the United States, over Taiwan.

Congress, in this view, sees Chinese military pressure on Taiwan since the visit of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island August last year, as a prelude to serious conflict -- either immediately or at least within four or five years.

The White House, however, uses a different historical analogy to characterize U.S.-China relations: 1914. In that fateful year, mutual misperception ruled. The world stumbled into an unexpected and unwanted conflict, despite high levels of economic interdependence and elite familiarity.

The problem was the dangerous, unanticipated consequences of changes in technology and relative economic power that few people, including leaders, consciously understood, despite longstanding hereditary elite ties.

The sovereigns of Britain and Germany, the central antagonists in the 1914 struggle, were actually cousins. Yet their nations still blundered into a conflict that killed nearly 20 million people before the battling powers ended their titanic struggle in exhaustion.

The historical dichotomy of "1941" consciousness in Congress and "1914" consciousness at the White House provides an instructive backdrop for thinking about the recent summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Filoli, California, and U.S.-China relations in the 2024 presidential election year that lies beyond.

Two contrasting versions are emerging. And they have a partisan cast, with Republicans adhering more to "1941," and Democrats to "1914." The bifurcation could easily bias U.S. politics toward hawkishness on China next year, but the recent summit itself fortunately helped to defuse that prospect.

Congress is heavily biased toward the "1941" orientation, in part due to its structure, and to its mandated role in U.S.-China relations.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, concluded just as the United States was shifting diplomatic relations from Taiwan to Beijing, Congress gained increased responsibility for reviewing U.S. relations with Taiwan. It also came to play a central role in assuring defense arms procurements, intended to assure stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Given the responsibilities of Congress with respect to cross-Strait relations, it is not surprising that the Taiwan Caucus, which provides political support to Taiwan, has become the largest in the U.S. Congress, with 151 House of Representatives members, and 32 Senators.

The Japan Caucus, by contrast, has 68 Congressional members, and there is no Senatorial Japan Caucus. Even the Ukraine Caucus has one-third fewer members than Taiwan -- 110 in the House and the Senate combined.

With a powerful fund of support, encouraged actively by Taiwan, Congress has passed several important pieces of legislation in the past five years that strengthen Taiwan, and loosen constraints on U.S. governmental dealings with Taiwan -- the Taiwan Travel Act (2018) and the Taipei Act (2020) among them.

In 2000, Congress also created the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which holds critical hearings on Chinese political-military developments, and in January, 2023, the current Republican-dominated House of Representatives established the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Chaired by Republican Michael Gallagher of Wisconsin, this committee is a new and important catalyst for critical policy research and legislation on China.

Pelosi, who represents San Francisco's conservatively oriented Chinatown and neighboring districts in Congress, has been strongly oriented toward Taiwan for many years.

Republican leadership of Congress and the creation of the new Select Committee early this year have intensified this bias. The Taiwan orientation of the Congress was thus a major challenge that Biden confronted as he traveled to California for the Filoli summit, 40 kilometers south of San Francisco.

The White House, with its "1914" mindset, had its own set of challenges preparing for the summit. It saw Xi as isolated from serious international relationships, apart from his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, by the long COVID crisis and the Ukraine war, as well as the increasing domestic dominance of the Chinese Communist Party.

As a consequence, the White House placed high priority on high-level dialogue with Beijing, leading up to the summit, as a way to correct misperception.

Following Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and then Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, all visited China, while National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta as well.

The ultimate prize, of course, was the summit with Xi, attended by an unusual panoply of top officials from both Beijing and Washington.

These included a rising D.C. power couple -- Kurt Campbell, White House Indo-Pacific coordinator, about to become Deputy Secretary of State, and Lael Brainard, his wife and director of the National Economic Council.

Washington paid great attention to protocol and venue, which the Chinese appreciated, shielding Xi from media unpleasantness with an elegant countryside venue, while raising his face.

The Chinese reciprocated by restoring bilateral military dialogues, and making domestically important concessions to the United States on restricting fentanyl precursors, thus helping to alleviate the serious national opioid crisis.

With a successful summit behind them, the "1914" misperception fears marginally defused, Xi and Biden returned to face their own more turbulent domestic politics in Beijing and Washington.

Looking forward, a troubled economy, the uncertainties of the Ukraine war, and the stabilizing summit impact will likely inhibit China's Xi from "1941"-style adventures in the near term.

And for Biden, defusing "1914" misperception fears, coupled with the conciliatory attitude of the Chinese toward selected U.S. firms like Mastercard and Broadcom, compounds prospects for a relatively stable 2024 on the U.S.-China policy front.

Darkening long-term shadows hang over U.S.-China relations, to be sure. Yet the thunder and lightning remain visible only on the far horizon.

(Kent E. Calder is the director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.)

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 21, 2023 - 08:22 | All, World

About 87,000 people evacuated from damaged houses in northwestern China following a major earthquake earlier this week have been struggling to cope with freezing weather, with the death toll from the disaster topping 130, local authorities and media reports said Wednesday.

The 6.2 magnitude quake, which struck at around midnight Monday in Jishishan county of China's Gansu Province, injured some 1,000 people in the region and neighboring Qinghai, where at least a dozen residents remain missing.

To keep evacuees warm as temperatures fell below minus 10 C, local authorities in Gansu have provided shelters with some 7,000 items of heating equipment, such as coal-fired stoves. Thousands of houses have been destroyed, with infrastructure related to water, electricity and roads damaged.

A 66-year-old local resident in Jishishan said she moved to a tent with six members of her family because their home was ruined and they could not secure water. "I'm afraid of aftershocks," she said.

Zhao Dengcai, 40, who lives in a community near a shelter, said the wall of his house was cracked and that he was using a blanket to try to keep warm while sleeping amid a power outage caused by the quake. "I cannot think about what I should do now," he said.

The Chinese government has earmarked 250 million yuan ($35 million) for quake-hit areas to support emergency restoration and construction of infrastructure as well as public service facilities, while the ruling Communist Party decided to offer 100 million yuan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Wednesday that a number of countries, including Russia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy and Cambodia, have offered their condolences over the deadly quake, and he expressed Beijing's "heartfelt appreciation" for them.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin indicated Moscow's willingness to provide rescue assistance during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

But the Chinese leader said the number of rescuers and supplies in the quake-hit areas are "sufficient" at present, adding that under the strong leadership of the party, those affected will "surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes," according to the ministry.

Related coverage:

M6.2 quake in northwestern China leaves nearly 130 dead
BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday congratulated Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on his reelection as Egyptian president.

In his congratulatory message, Xi noted that China and Egypt are good friends who share the same ideal and trust each other, and good partners who work together for development and common prosperity.

In recent years, Xi said, China-Egypt relations have flourished, practical cooperation in various fields has brought fruitful outcomes, and the friendship between their people has been deepening continuously.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Egypt relations, and stands ready to work with Sisi to continue to firmly support each other, promote China-Egypt Belt and Road cooperation, jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and continuously lift the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership to higher levels so as to bring more benefits to their people. 
* As of Tuesday evening, the 6.2-magnitude earthquake has killed 127 people -- 113 people in Gansu and 14 in Qinghai -- and injured hundreds.

* Thousands of rescuers are racing against time to search and rescue survivors in the quake-hit regions, battling a cold wave that sent temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius and repeated aftershocks.

* Relief supplies, including coats, quilts, folding beds, instant noodles, tents and stoves, were sent to the disaster-affected area to ensure the basic necessities for the victims.

JISHISHAN, Gansu Province, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Central and local authorities have mounted an all-out search and rescue operation after a powerful earthquake jolted a county in northwest China's Gansu Province late Monday.



Battling a cold wave that sent temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius and repeated aftershocks, thousands of rescuers are racing against time to search and rescue survivors in the quake-hit regions in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai Province.

As of Tuesday evening, the 6.2-magnitude earthquake has killed 127 people -- 113 people in Gansu and 14 in Qinghai -- and injured hundreds. It also damaged houses and infrastructure like water, electricity, transportation and communications.

Rescuers are in operation in Dahejia Township of Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake hit at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter, Liugou Township, is about 8 km from the county seat of Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu.

After the quake, President Xi Jinping urged all-out search and rescue efforts and proper arrangements for affected people to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked local authorities to rescue and treat the injured people promptly to minimize casualties and closely monitor the earthquake situation and weather changes to prevent secondary disasters.

A medical shelter has been set up in the township health center for treating the injured, while the seriously injured were sent to prefectural and county-level hospitals, where green channels have been launched for emergency rescue, Han Shujun, a spokesperson for the Gansu provincial emergency management department, told a press conference Tuesday morning.

Rescuers install heating equipment at a temporary relocation site in Dahe Village of Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Fang Xin)

Relief supplies, including coats, quilts, folding beds, instant noodles, tents and stoves, were sent to the disaster-affected area to ensure the basic necessities for the victims.

The National Health Commission dispatched a team of medical experts to the affected region following the earthquake. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management have allocated 200 million yuan (about 28.18 million U.S. dollars) of funds to the quake-hit provinces.

Xinhua reporters arrived at the severely affected Chenjia village in Dahejia township in Gansu at around 3 a.m. Tuesday, finding the village plunged into darkness as a blackout gripped the area, and electricity cables dangled on the ground. Several houses had crumbled, leaving streets strewn with shards of glass, bricks and rocks.

Ma Shijun, a student at Dahejia Middle School, recounted running out of the dormitory barefoot, without even grabbing a coat, which left his hands slightly numb. Following the earthquake, teachers promptly organized students to seek refuge on the playground.

"Seeing more and more rescue personnel arriving, I find myself less frightened than when the earthquake first struck," Ma said.

Medical rescue team members of the People's Armed Police Force Qinghai Corps conduct medical examination at Caotan Village of Minhe County in Haidong City, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)

At the People's Hospital of Jishishan County, medical staff were racing against time to transport the injured on stretchers into the clinics. The observation room, designed to accommodate only six beds, was filled with stretchers constantly coming in and out.

As of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, the hospital had admitted more than 400 injured individuals, with two in critical condition and 22 in serious condition, according to the hospital's vice president Dong Wenbin.

"All we can do now is to go all out and save more lives," said doctor Hou Huaipeng.

(Video reporters: Fan Peishen, Jia Zhao, Wang Pengyu, Ma Sha, Zhang Wenjing, Liu Zexing, Wang Yan, Duo Lei, Guo Gang, Wang Mingyu, Zhang Zhimin and Ma Xiping; Video editors: Hong Ling and Li Qin) 
FILE:The historic buildings along Broad Street in the former mining town of Nevada City are part of the Nevada City Downtown Historic District. The city was founded as Nevada by European immigrants in 1849, during the California Gold Rush. In 185051, it was the most important mining town in the state. In 1864, the word City was added to the name to relieve confusion with the nearby state of Nevada. wikiphotographer via Flickr CC 2.0

A Sierra Nevada mountain town was at a crossroads after the I-80 freeway was built. Cities across California were facelifting their downtowns to fit a new urban trend but Nevada City decided to double down on its Gold Rush heritage.

A project in 1972 pushed for preservation; overhead wires were removed downtown to make way for gas lamps while bright neon signs on local businesses were placed with simpler signage. It just made the difference night and day, the local museum director said. Protecting our past is what allowed the city to survive into the future.

The initiative also cast an attractive hex on Bay Area travelers in search of a weekend rooted in the past. Read more 

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A few more travel updates

Calif. city Lancaster chose people over cars in its downtown. Did it work? Like a mirage in the Mojave Desert, The BLVD shapeshifts for whoever approaches it.

A community outside LA fights to protect its 'oldest large-scale Christmas lighting' tradition. Altadenas citizens are determined to prevent it from being swallowed up by its city neighbor.

Bay Area author pioneered travel that went outside mainstream appeal. Elaine Lee expanded the horizons for Black women travel in 1997 with a groundbreaking anthology.

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In our weekly Routes column, Jim Glab writes that even though SFOs runways are sinking into the earth, researchers arent sounding the alarm  yet.
Belluscura has gained approval to distribute its X-PLOR portable oxygen concentrator (POC) in China, it announced on Wednesday, under a licensing agreement with InnoMax Medical Device Technologies.

The AIM-traded firm said discussions with Chinese distributors were underway, adding that the Asian POC market was expected to reach nearly $1bn in six years.

Looking at its current trading, Belluscura said that while 2023 results were slightly below expectations at the EBITDA level, prospects for 2024 remained unchanged.

Belluscura raised funds in October and anticipated additional resources from TMT Acquisition.

The company shifted its focus to the direct-to-consumer business in the second half of 2023, yielding higher-margin sales.

It said DISCOV-R was still garnering interest, with deposits received at a $3,000 list price.

The product was set for launch in early February, with total production in China expected by the third quarter of the year.

Belluscura said it expected a 50% increase in gross margin with a new aluminium sieve design, while CE and UKCA markings for X-PLOR were anticipated in the second quarter of 2024.

We are delighted to have received approval in China which has taken over approximately 10 months, said chief executive officer Bob Rauker.

This enables us to launch sales into China with immediate effect.

With our arrangement with InnoMax in place, we are confident that we can now deliver on the significant potential for our products in this large and growing market.

Rauker said the approvals in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong were the first steps in leveraging the InnoMax agreement to expand in the ASEAN region and distribute portable oxygen concentrators in new markets.

Building any start-up business is never easy, particularly within the MedTech world and the current economic environment.

After two years of testing, developing and refining our products, the board is very confident that Belluscura is now well placed to take advantage of the significant opportunities it has in 2024 and beyond.

At 1338 GMT, shares in Belluscura were up 2.32% at 22p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Anglo American has said it is finally seeing signs of a rebalancing in the diamond market after De Beers' final tender of the year saw a pick-up in revenues, after a huge slide in sales over 2023.

The value of rough diamond sales from its 10th sales cycle of 2023 amounted to $130m, up from $86m in cycle nine and $80m in cycle eight.

However, that still remains more than two thirds lower than the $417m generated in the 10th sales cycle of 2022.

"In the final sales cycle of 2023, De Beers continued to offer lower levels of rough diamond supply, in line with current demand," said De Beers chief executive Al Cook.

"As the end-of-year holiday season progresses, we are seeing signs that the diamond industry is regaining its balance between wholesale supply and demand. Polished diamond prices look to have stabilised as inventory levels have decreased, though we expect improvements in rough diamond trading conditions to be gradual."

De Beers operates diamond mines across Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa, and traditionally sells 90% of its stones by value through Sightholder sales. The sales events, known as Sights, are held 10 times a year. The other 10% of its diamonds are sold via auctions.

The company has blamed "macro-economic challenges" and a slow retail recovery in China for the big drop in prices this year. There was also the recently announced voluntary moratorium by major diamond producers to curb supply to the Indian market, which is hoped to bring some stability and support to prices.
Northern political and transport leaders have called on the UK government to urgently review Avanti West Coasts operations amid a renewed surge in intercity rail cancellations and delays. The intervention came as it emerged that morale at the train operating company has plummeted to the point where only 3% of staff say they feel valued, according to an internal Avanti survey seen by the Guardian.  Guardian

Almost two-thirds of British exporters have said selling to the EU has become harder in the past year, according to the British Chambers of Commerce, which is calling on the government to do more to smooth trade frictions post-Brexit. Three years on from Boris Johnson signing the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the EU, the small businesses which make up much of the BCCs membership are still struggling to negotiate trade barriers.  Guardian

The chief executive and owner of Arm met Jeremy Hunt in Downing Street on Tuesday as regulators unveiled reforms that could encourage the semiconductor giant to pursue a secondary listing in London. Rene Haas, the chief executive of the Cambridge microchip designer, and Masayoshi Son, the head of its majority shareholder SoftBank, were seen leaving Number 11 on Tuesday morning.  Telegraph

Journalists at the Financial Times are demanding a minimum starting salary of $80,000 (63,000) in a dispute over pay. The newspapers American union is locked in discussions with bosses amid concerns that current wages are not anywhere close to livable. Under current plans, the FTs US-based staff have been offered a minimum wage of $60,000. - Telegraph

Pressure is mounting on the deputy prime minister to intervene on national security grounds in the Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the Telegraph newspapers. Conservative MPs have demanded that Oliver Dowden use the National Security and Investment Act to investigate the United Arab Emirates takeover. However, it is understood that the Cabinet Office is not expected to issue a call-in notice on the acquisition imminently, despite an American intervention in a UAE purchase of Fortress Investment Group, of the United States.  The Times
Longan fruits are seen at Xianglin vegetable and fruit base in Dongfang City, south China's Hainan Province, April 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

HAIKOU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- South China's Hainan Province exported tropical fruits worth 36.77 million yuan (about 5.15 million U.S. dollars) as of Monday, a 2.4-fold increase year-on-year, local customs said Tuesday.

According to Haikou Customs, the tropical fruits have been exported to the United States, the European Union, and Japan, etc. Among the exported fruits, seedless lychee was sent for the first time to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Tropical fruits from Hainan, such as mangos, lychees, and melons have been selling well worldwide in recent years. Sanya's mango industry is the largest tropical fruit sector.

With a planting area of more than 360,000 mu (24,000 hectares), the mango industry in Sanya has an annual output value of about 6 billion yuan. 
A serious injury at work can have devastating consequences, causing significant physical pain and financial stress. While workers' compensation provides health and wage benefits, operating the system is complex and may require legal guidance. An experienced workplace injury attorney advocates for injured clients and works to obtain maximum compensation and support in their recovery process. The key, however, is to find the lawyer who is best suited for your case among the many options available.

Area of Expertise

Not all personal injury attorneys have expertise in workplace injury cases, including areas such as construction accidents, machinery failures, or vehicle collisions at work. Find attorneys handling work accidents, specifically your industry and type of injury. Make sure they have adequate background in handling similar workers compensation disputes. Attorneys who handle workers compensation claims every day understand the nuances that lead to larger claims.

Track Record of Results

The ability to ensure clients make positive decisions and receive maximum compensation depends on a strong track record of positive case outcomes. Ask potential attorneys about settlement amounts and awards won when previous cases went to court. High settlement averages and court victories demonstrate the ability to document injury losses, thereby increasing compensation. The long history of grand jury verdicts has also put pressure on insurance companies to offer generous settlements without lengthy litigation.

Commitment Level

Look for a law firm that truly focuses on workplace injury cases rather than dabbling in various practice areas. The focus is on developing sharp legal strategies specifically geared toward resolving workers compensation disputes. Ask what percentage of the firm's workload is workplace accidents compared to other types of accidents or legal services. Higher dedication rates demonstrate the necessary commitment to clients by continually developing new approaches to these complex cases.

Availability and Responsiveness

A responsive and dedicated attorney personally advances the case through constant status updates, evidence sharing, and open lines of communication. Make sure your prospective attorney can immediately provide contact information, such as a cell phone number for urgent questions, explain terminology or case changes in person, and proactively address concerns. Larger firms can assign injured clients to numerous partners, while smaller boutique firms provide personalized advice.

Relevant Resources

Compared to an understaffed or underfunded law firm, your attorney has access to extensive legal and financial resources, ensuring a thorough investigation and case preparation. Find connections with occupational health experts to strengthen the evidence base of the impact of an injury and secure case funding to prevent disruption to personal lives during lengthy legal proceedings. Clients benefit from experienced attorneys who develop a strong support network.

Alignment of Values

Most importantly, look for an attorney who represents the values ??of ethics, responsibility, and respect when dealing with vulnerable injury claimants. Meet with potential attorneys to assess their authenticity with in-depth questions about case vision, expectations, and ways of working together. Strong relationships can facilitate collaboration during emotionally difficult negotiations or testimonies about traumatic experiences.

Compensation Projections

Learn about the average compensation amounts for injuries like yours and the likelihood of receiving the highest compensation based on the specific circumstances of your accident. While enticing sales pitches about huge six- or seven-figure settlements are good advertising, realistic expectations can be gauged using research and attorney experience averages. While adequate compensation can significantly relieve stress, setting unrealistically high goals can lead to disappointment given the complex burden of proof in court.

Verify Disciplinary History

A lawyer's disciplinary record is a reflection of professionalism and ethics. Check your state's bar website for information on subpoenas, suspensions, or disbarments related to bar candidates. Small, isolated incidents do happen, but recurring or serious breaches are a sign of potential future problems.

Summing it up

Choosing appropriate legal representation can make any injured workers compensation process easier after lost wages, increased bills, and permanent health damage. Conducting due diligence to determine a lawyer's capabilities, history of involvement, and accessibility has the benefit of ultimately producing better case outcomes during vulnerable times.
Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Retik Finance (RETIK) are the two projects that have captured the attention and enthusiasm of investors. As these digital assets gain prominence among Indian crypto enthusiasts, let's explore the factors contributing to their popularity and shed light on Retik Finance's unique approach that sets it apart in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has become a household name among Indian crypto investors. The token gained widespread attention for its meme-inspired origins and has become a symbol of the decentralized finance movement. Its affordability and potential for rapid price appreciation have made it particularly appealing to retail investors in India who are eager to enter the crypto space.

While Shiba Inu has been making waves in India, Retik Finance has emerged as a distinct player, offering a revolutionary approach to decentralized finance. The project's standout feature lies in its funding strategy. The team, despite having a concept robust enough to attract venture capital (VC) investments, made a conscious decision to prioritize inclusivity. They wanted to give each and every individual, regardless of their financial standing, a chance not just to make money but also to actively participate in changing and revolutionizing DeFi forever.

Retik Finance's multi-stage pricing structure has contributed to its popularity among Indian investors. With over 10 stages, the project provides participants with various entry points, making it accessible to a diverse range of investors. The initial offering during the first stage was priced at 0.03, and it increased to 0.04 in the second stage, showcasing a dynamic pricing strategy designed to accommodate growing interest and demand.

Retik Finance has achieved notable milestones that underscore its growing prominence in the Indian crypto scene. The ongoing 2nd stage presale has successfully raised a total of $1 million, a testament to the strong community support the project has garnered. This financial backing not only fortifies Retik Finance's foundation but also demonstrates the community's trust in the project's potential.

In addition to the presale success, Retik Finance has initiated a mega $333K Giveaway, presenting an exciting opportunity for users to become one of the fortunate 10 winners who can each seize $33,300 worth of RETIK. This initiative not only rewards the community but also aligns with Retik Finance's commitment to creating a DeFi ecosystem that is inclusive and mutually beneficial.

Retik Finance's team philosophy adds another layer to its appeal. The decision to forgo VC funding and give individuals a chance to play a role in changing DeFi forever resonates with the ethos of empowerment and inclusion. This approach aligns with the broader sentiment among Indian crypto enthusiasts who value projects that prioritize community involvement and a shared vision for the future of finance.

As Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Retik Finance (RETIK) take center stage in the Indian crypto narrative, each project brings its unique strengths to the table. Shiba Inu's meme-inspired popularity and affordability have made it a sensation among retail investors. Meanwhile, Retik Finance's revolutionary approach to DeFi, coupled with its multi-stage pricing strategy and community-centric initiatives, positions it as a project with a transformative vision.

The growing interest in these cryptocurrencies reflects the evolving preferences of Indian investors who are not only seeking financial gains but also want to be part of projects that are reshaping the landscape of decentralized finance. As the crypto wave continues to surge in India, Shiba Inu and Retik Finance stand out as key players, each contributing to the diversification and expansion of the Indian cryptocurrency ecosystem.

About Retik Finance

Retik Finance's mission is an unwavering dedication to bridging the gap between the cryptocurrency realm and real-world utility. This vision materializes through a comprehensive DeFi solution that encompasses innovative features such as DeFi Debit Cards, a Crypto Payment Gateway, AI-powered Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending, and a Multi-Chain Non-Custodial Highly Secured DeFi Wallet.

Visit the links below for more information about Retik Finance (RETIK):

Website: https://retik.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/retikfinance
Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), speaks at a reception to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in south China's Macao SAR, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Wednesday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao SAR, said at the reception that the Macao SAR government will unite and lead various walks of the society to seize historical opportunities brought by the country's overall development, continuously advance the successful practices of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics, and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in 2024 with new achievements.

Ho recalled how the Macao SAR in the past year continuously improved legal systems and enforcement mechanisms on safeguarding national security, stepped up administration over the gaming industry in accordance with the law, compiled Macao's first comprehensive and systematic development plan on appropriate economic diversification, and made new achievements in advancing building of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, neighboring Zhuhai city.

The Macao SAR government also continuously expanded exchanges and cooperation with the outside world, achieved rapid economic recovery, and maintained social harmony and stability, Ho said.

In the coming year, the Macao SAR government will firmly safeguard national security and social stability, and speed up the implementation of major tasks and projects listed in the economic diversification plan to build Macao into a world tourism and leisure center and develop its priority industries of big health, modern finance, high technology, exhibition and convention, as well as culture and sports, Ho noted.

Efforts will also be made to speed up the building of the in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, promote high-quality economic development, fully leverage Macao's advantages to better integrate into overall national development, Ho said.

Over 1,000 guests attended the reception, including Ho Hau Wah, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Zheng Xincong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, and Liu Xianfa, commissioner of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR.

Prior to the reception, around 520 government officials and other guests attended the flag-raising ceremony. 

A reception to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland is held in south China's Macao Special Administrative Region, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

A flag-raising ceremony is held to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in south China's Macao Special Administrative Region, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), speaks at a reception to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in south China's Macao SAR, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

A flag-raising ceremony is held to mark the 24th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in south China's Macao Special Administrative Region, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
The Karnataka Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) convened to assess the implications of the recently identified subvariant in neighbouring Kerala. Subsequently, the committee released recommendations for the public. Individuals aged 60 and above, especially those with underlying health conditions such as kidney, heart, or liver ailments, pregnant women, and lactating mothers are advised to wear face masks and steer clear of enclosed, inadequately ventilated spaces, as well as crowded areas. State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao mentioned that the government will soon release a fresh set of COVID-19 guidelines.

In January 2024, MetroMitra, an auto rickshaw service based in Bengaluru, will introduce a Whatsapp chatbot feature. This feature will enable users to effortlessly book rides to and from metro stations with just three clicks. Beyond facilitating last-mile connectivity to and from metro stations, the chatbot will also permit users to book auto rides to various other destinations.

Karnataka has reported 79 Covid cases as of Wednesday morning, according to MOHFW Covid status for states. This is 35 more cases than what was reported on Tuesday by the Karnataka health department. There have been no deaths reported in the last 48 hours. The positivity rate reported on Tuesday was 6.09 percent. The number of cases reported in neighbouring Kerala saw an increase of 224 between Tuesday and Wednesday in the data reported by the central MOHFW.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the JN.1 coronavirus strain, identified in Kerala, as a "variant of interest." The WHO states that based on current evidence, the risk to public health from this strain is low. Initially considered a variant of interest within its parent lineage BA.2.86, JN.1 has now been reclassified by the WHO as an independent variant of interest.

The JN.1 strain is presently proliferating in both the United States and China, and it has been identified in a neighboring state of Karnataka as part of the routine surveillance conducted by INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium). Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Director General of ICMR, reported that the case was discovered in a sample that tested positive for RT-PCR in Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on December 8. The sample initially yielded a positive result in the RT-PCR test conducted on November 18. The individual exhibited mild symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI) and has since recuperated.
Over the last 24 hours, Kerala reported 115 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total active cases in the state to 1,749. Despite this, the Health Department has reassured the public that there is no reason for alarm. According to data from the Union Health Ministry until 8 am on Tuesday, Kerala accounted for 115 out of the 142 reported cases in the country.

In a statement, Health Minister Veena George affirmed that the state is adequately equipped to handle the current situation. She highlighted that despite a comparable surge in COVID-19 infections in November, the situation was effectively managed through prompt measures. Providing an update on the current efforts to address concerns, she mentioned issuing instructions for testing individuals displaying symptoms and sending their samples for genomic sequencing.

The COVID testing volume was also raised, and a sufficient supply of protective equipment and medications was guaranteed. From December 13 to 16, an online simulation exercise took place, engaging 1,192 government and private hospitals to verify the accessibility of isolation wards, oxygen beds, ICUs, and ventilators, according to the statement. The statement further added that led by the minister; another top-level meeting took place during the day to evaluate the COVID situation and the readiness of the state's medical systems.

Many directives such as proper facilities for Covid patients, isolation wards availability, oxygen supply, ICU beds and ventilators were also issued. District hospitals were given special instruction not to refer non-serious patients to medical colleges. According to the statement, around 1,957 oxygen beds, 2,454 ICU beds and 937 ventilator ICU beds are available in the state.

In the released statement, the minister noted that the majority of recent cases predominantly exhibit mild symptoms. With regard to recent fatalities linked to the virus, all except one involved individuals aged 65 and above with underlying health issues, including heart ailments, kidney diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The JN.1 Omicron variant was detected in a lone sample, and the individual has since recovered.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island family is shaken and bruised after a violent home-invasion robbery in which a woman and a child were allegedly pistol-whipped early Sunday morning, the Daily News is reporting.

The terrifying episode began on Monday just before 12:45 a.m., when four unidentified individuals allegedly kicked in the front door of a home in the vicinity of Livingston Avenue and Queen Street in Meiers Corners, according to a statement by the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

They turned on the light and they put a gun to me and said, B----, wheres the money? the 33-year-old woman told the News.

One of the individuals then proceeded to hit the woman in the face with the butt of his pistol, before one of the gunmen allegedly brought in the familys nanny and the womans 5-year-old daughter, whose eye was black and blue, the report said.

The individuals were strangers to the victims, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

When they brought (my daughter) to my room I was in shock, the woman told the News. I (thought) theyre never going to wake up the kids. And then I saw her, and I was in shock. I said, Just take whatever you want! When we were all in the room like hostages, I was like, We can die right now. The minute they left, we started crying hysterically. Everything was blood, and all of my face was (bloody).

The individuals then removed a cellphone before fleeing the house by unknown means, according to police.

The victims suffered lacerations and bleeding and were taken by EMS to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze for treatment, police said.

The motive is not known as this time, but the woman told the News that she believed the house was targeted because her husband wasnt at home.

Because the suspects wore masks, descriptions are not yet available for them, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Its a safe street; I dont know what happened, a neighbor told the Advance/SILive.com.

Anyone with information in regard to this case is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.

Staten Island Shmira is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the individuals responsible for the home-invasion robbery, according to the groups post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  They decked the halls in grand holiday style  Christmas has come and its time for some fun!

With the calendar filled with festive holiday parties and traditional Yuletide gatherings, members of the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation pulled out all the stops at their 73rd annual Christmas party staged at LiGrecis Staaten Friday evening.
Editors Note: In the news business, every year has its standout stories, newsmakers, villains and heroes.

But in the Staten Island news business, the Advance/SILive.com also has the unique privilege of telling the stories of our neighbors  everyday people doing extraordinary and inspiring things.

In honor of the many Staten Islanders who have shown the best of what the borough is this year, we are highlighting some of the standouts, and honoring them as Staten Islands Brightest Lights of 2023.

Congratulations to them, and every borough resident who has found their own way to give back, make change, be a role model, inspire others, advocate and/or care about their community in 2023.

Valedictorian Omosefe Noruwa makes her address at the 117th Curtis High School Commencement Ceremony at SIUH Community Park in St. George on Monday, June 26, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Islands Brightest Lights of 2023: Omosefe Noruwa

If you were to tell me I would have done so many things, like become student body president and gotten into Harvard, I would have never believed you at all, New Brighton resident Omosefe Noruwa said earlier this year. The little me ... the 7-year-old girl would have never expected something like this to happen.

I wasnt confident in myself and questioned if I should even run, but my mom assured me that I am going to be a good leader, Omosefe said, recalling her decision to become involved in student government at Curtis High School. Im hoping to instill confidence in other youth, because I was never confident.

Omosefe was still a high school student when she became founding CEO of Promote An Early Education (PME), a tutoring initiative she brainstormed when she was 15 years old. The program aims to bridge the gap between high-achieving minority or underrepresented high school students in the borough with low-income underrepresented middle school students, so that the younger students can have role models who are passionate, self-driven and look like them.

With the support of Mayor Eric Adams and the city Department of Education, Omosefes program has been piloted on Staten Island.

Keeping busy, the CEO was also valedictorian of her graduating class in June -- and then it was off to Harvard in the fall.

I believe the quintessential theme for our class is overcoming obstacles as you can see with what just happened here, she said during her speech. We always found ways to make light of the most difficult and heart-wrenching situations.

Read the full story by Priya Shahi >>

>> MORE STORIES OF STATEN ISLANDS BRIGHTEST LIGHTS IN 2023 <<
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Service members around the country can struggle to make ends meet, but for those stationed in New York, the cost of living can make things even harder, particularly around the holidays.

To help local service members stationed at Fort Wadsworth, local officials have announced new initiatives in recent weeks, including a holiday winter drive organized by Borough President Vito Fossella.

Many of our military families living on Fort Wadsworth struggle to make ends meet, Fossella said. We appreciate their service to our country, and the least we can do to give back is support them with necessities through the winter.

More than 300 donations were made by the FDNY, the Staten Island Zoo, Amazon, National Grid, the Angiuli Group, the Verrazano Kiwanis Club and generous citizens, according to Fossellas office.

The borough president thanked Americorps Senior RSVP, a federal program that pairs Americans age 55 and older with community organizations, and Staten Island University Hospital for helping facilitate the drop off at Fort Wadsworth Dec. 12.

Supplies shown at Fort Wadsworth Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, received from a holiday drive organized by Borough President Vito Fossella. (Courtesy: Fossella's office)Fossella

Earlier that day, Fossella joined the Craig Newmark New York Tri-State Chapter of Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization that supports military families, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a refurbished food pantry at Fort Wadsworth for military families.

Most members of the armed forces arent wealthy, and when someone gets stationed in the five boroughs, adjusting to the local cost of living can be a challenge, particularly on Staten Island.

Local service members are grouped with New Jersey for cost of living adjustments, so those serving at bases in the four other boroughs actually receive higher wages than those on Staten Island through the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH).

BAH is a monthly payment to active service members living in private housing calculated using median area rents and average utility costs. The four other boroughs are traditionally grouped together while Staten Island is grouped with New. Jersey. The allowance covers about 95%

However, Rep. Nicole Mallitoakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) announced last week that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which she voted in favor of, would include 5.2% pay raises for service members and for a federal study on pay parity for Staten Island service members.

Last year, 25% of active-duty service members relied of some sort of food assistance to survive, including more than 300 U.S. Coast Guard families at Staten Islands Fort Wadsworth. This is unacceptable and exactly why today I proudly voted for the NDAA, Malliotakis said. When I came to Congress I immediately began advocating to increase the BAH for Staten Island military men and women and today, they are receiving more than $500 more, with the average BHA being $3,716. Additionally, todays legislation will require a study to further examine how we can help put Staten Island service members on par with the rest of the city.
A woman was found guilty by a Superior Court judge on Tuesday in the killing of her four-year-old son who police found in her bed with 17 stab wounds.

Elina Gutti, 38, of South Bound Brook, was convicted of first-degree murder and weapons offenses following a week-long bench trial, a trial with no jury where the judge decides the verdict.

Gutti called 911 at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2021, and told the operator that she had woken up to find cuts on her wrists, according to the Somerset County Prosecutors Office. Police responding to her home determined that the wounds were minor, but then found Guttis four-year-old son, Aiden Singhania, deceased in the same bed, officials said.

The boy had suffered 17 stab wounds to the neck area, authorities said. A kitchen knife found on the floor of the bedroom was determined to be the murder weapon, according to prosecutors.

An autopsy by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office determined the cause of death to be multiple incised wounds to the neck area and the manner of death to be homicide.

After the boys death, his father, who is Gutts ex-husband, told detectives that he had recently requested a paternity test, with the agreement that he would receive full custody of the child if the test confirmed him as the father, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

He also told authorities that Gutti had recently texted him saying that she was feeling depressed, charging documents said.

As part of her conviction, Gutti is required to serve a life sentence with no parole eligibility in a maximum-security prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 16.

Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In honor of those who have died, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive.com. Viewing times and guest books can be seen here.

George R. Hopkins(Legacy)

George R. Hopkins, 82, passed away on Dec. 17, 2023 at his Staten Island home, surrounded by his loving family. George, a true New Yorker, was born in Brooklyn to parents Mildred (nee Middlemiss) and George Hopkins. He grew up in the Bronx, met his wife in Manhattan, lived in Queens when first married, then moved to their home in Princes Bay in 1969, where they raised their family and created so many beautiful memories together. George attended Iona College where he received a degree in English before joining the United States Marine Corps, serving as a Sergeant on active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He went on to serve for over 35 years as a beloved and respected educator in New York City public schools, the majority of time in the English Department at Susan Wagner High School, where he also served as Assistant Principal. Additionally, he taught at St. Johns University, Middlesex College, Columbia Teachers College, within a high school in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and as a drivers education teacher. He went on to receive his masters degree in English from City College of New York, and a certificate in school administration and supervision from the former Richmond College. He was the author of several published books, including one book of his own poetry and nine mystery novels based on Staten Island, and published several essays in the Staten Island Advance across the years on various topics. He also helped put together a compilation of poetry for the Nobel Maritime Museum based on the works of several talented Staten Island authors. Read the full obit on SILive.

YESTERDAYS OBITUARIES

Johanna M. Cummings, 93, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. She was born with her twin sister Agnes in Chelsea Manhattan and the rest of her seven sisters and two brothers. She went on to marry the love of her life Francis from her neighborhood for 33 years until his passing. She worked for N.Y Telephone Co. and in the banking industry for almost 30 years and then in clerical jobs at various institutions until her retirement. She loved traveling back to Manhattan for dinner outings with her childhood friends. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother of 5. For the full obituary, click here.

Joseph Peppino Pietrangelo, passed away on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. An accomplished stone mason, business owner, and beloved family man, Josephs life was said to be marked by adventure, hard work, and an unwavering dedication to his family. Born in 1939 in a small mountain town in Vinchiaturo, Italy, his life was full of exploration when he moved with his family to Argentina at the age of 9. It was during his time in Patagonia that he learned to be a skillful stone mason. His talents and vision eventually brought him to New York City, where he established a successful marble and granite business that stood as a testament to his aesthetic talents. Throughout his professional life, his work not only showcased his artistry and dedication but also left behind a legacy characterized by a commitment to quality and excellence, which is proudly upheld by his son. As he is remembered, he lived a life well-lived, full of passion, adventure, and an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and culture. The impact he made will endure in the hearts of those who cherished him and in the creations crafted with both his hands and his heart. For the full obituary, click here.
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Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 6:00PM

Before we get the shortlist on Thursday, heres todays volley, on Best International Feature, from Elisa Giudici and Abe Friedtanzer...

THE ZONE OF INTEREST feels like a lock in this race.

ABE: Hi Elisa! I'm excited to talk about one of my favorite categories, Best International Feature! This year we have 88 submissions from all around the world. While I'm still hoping to catch more in the next few weeks, I think I've managed to track down a good number of the top contenders. Interestingly, this year's likely frontrunner is from a country that rarely gets noticed, in part because most of its films simply aren't eligible. That would be the United Kingdom, which has quite an intense feature in The Zone of Interest, a haunting portrait of the commandant of Auschwitz and his family, who live right next to the infamous concentration camp but live quite the serene life...

I think that's the surest bet. Next up would have been Anatomy of a Fall, also starring Sandra Huller, and while that may end up scoring a Best Picture nomination, France opted instead to submit The Taste of Things, starring Oscar winner Juliette Binoche. I don't think that tasty feast is a lock for a nomination, but it's likely to make the shortlist. What are some of the other top contenders you're anticipating?

ELISA: For sure, my top pick category as well! It's basically the Eurovision of cinematic prizes  everyone picks their movie, and then it's all-out war. This year, the analogy is even more spot-on, given that the competition looks even more Europe-centric than usual. It's like countries vying for the top spot, but with movies, and I'm here for it!

Ever since Cannes, Glazer's film seemed not just a front-runner but almost a guaranteed winner. I even heard from someone in the industry that A24 thought it could nab seven nominations  that's quite the confidence! So, I think it's locked, but there are some strong contenders rising up.

Did France make a mistake by submitting THE TASTE OF THINGS instead of ANATOMY OF A FALL?

Don't sleep on the French submission just because of the controversy around the movie choice. The Taste of Things is a superb film, different from Anatomy of a Fall but maybe even closer to the Academy's traditional tastes. Political issues aside, it's a tough call between the two, and the controversy might even benefit Triet's movie in the bigger category  good for both! Finland's Fallen Leaves is another strong contender on the tender sidemaybe one can rule out the other?

Then there are films settled far from Europe but still European entries, and the reverse too: German director Wim Wender's Perfect Days in Japan and Spain's Society of the Snow set in Chile. Both are really good and quite palatable for general audiences. The first plays on the perception of Japanese culture as super efficient yet still connected to the human factor, with a stellar performance from the protagonist already praised in Cannes. The second is a tour de force in a controversial real story, told from a sympathetic point of view, rejecting the morbidity some previous adaptations lingered in while not censoring the harsher parts. I think it could be this year's little Nothing New From the Western Front, eyeing some technical nominations.

Germany's The Teachers' Lounge is considered a strong contender, although I haven't seen it yet. Have you? Do you think this year's ballot could be all European? It's shaping up to be quite the continental showdown!

Germany's THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE is an impressive submission.

ABE: I did see The Teachers' Lounge recently and was very impressed - I think it will make the shortlist for sure. And Fallen Leaves got a big boost from its unexpected Golden Globe nomination for star Alma Poysti, though we know that some Globe-honored films, like In the Fade, don't translate to the Oscar list.

I want to mention a film I hope will make the list but I'm not entirely confident, and that's Shayda. It's Australia's submission and features the star of a shortlisted Danish submission from last year, Holy Spider. Zar Amir Ebrahiim is absolutely terrific, and the film has been winning raves since it debuted at Sundance last year. I just hope it will go far and continue to net attention.

On the note of Denmark, regular International Feature star Mads Mikkelsen is quite good in The Promised Land, which I fully expect to show up on the shortlist. It's somewhat similar to - but not nearly as dark as - another entry this year, The Settlers, from Chile. That's another film that's been making the festival circuit and which I worry has been underseen.

If Europe doesn't dominate, I think Concrete Utopia has a good chance of getting nominated, though I worry that Parasite will inexplicably remain the only South Korean film ever nominated in this category after the surprising snub of Decision to Leave last year.

THE PROMISED LAND could benefit from the Academy's Danish obsession.

I have a few hopefuls that I don't expect to get nominated or shortlisted but would love to see considered. Before we get there, are we missing any other major contenders?

ELISA: Back in early September, hanging out in Venice, I was totally sold on The Promised Land being the big shot for an Oscar nod. But, hey, maybe I was a tad too sure of myself? Denmark's no slouch, though, with its solid history of nominations, even if it's not stealing the show.

We might've overlooked the Italian entry, Io capitano. I mean, seeing it in the final five at the Golden Globes was a genuine jaw-dropper. So, who knows, maybe it could squeeze into the longlist? It might not be Garrone's magnum opus, but it throws in some magical realism and a legit African viewpoint into a gritty migration taleguaranteed drama.

If the competition wasn't so cutthroat, I'd easily bet on it for the top five. Still, it would be a real win for this flick to snag a spot. Hitting the Golden Globes list and getting a shout-out in Venice, I'm thinking it deserves a longlist nod, but honestly, I'd be pretty darn surprised.

Now, onto the underdogs we're rooting for in this convo. Let's shine a light on City of Wind from Mongoliaa cool coming-of-age story about a young Shaman teenager. Directed by a woman who seems to have more tricks up her sleeve than her debut lets on. Total hidden gem!

Mongolia's CITY OF WIND is a hidden gem.

ABE: I havent had a chance to see that one. The two that I wish had more of a shot are also both directed by women! Slow from Lithuania and Seven Blessings from Israel are both extraordinary stories of complicated relationships. Slow looks at a couple developing feelings for each other while one of them is asexual, and Seven Blessings navigates the intense dynamics of a group of adult siblings and their mother. Id love to see either one make a surprise showing on the shortlist.

What are your 15 predicted films to make the shortlist?

ELISA: Predicting the longlist feels like navigating a field of numerous strong contenders, making it more about ruling titles out than confidently placing them in. However, I'm up for the challenge of forecasting both the long and shortlists.

Here's my breakdown of the longlist into sure bets and titles I think will likely make it but aren't guaranteed.

Sure Bets:

THE ZONE OF INTEREST, United Kingdom

THE TASTE OF THINGS, France

FALLEN LEAVES, Finland

THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE, Germany



Strong Contenders:

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW, Spain

FOUR DAUGHTERS, Tunisia - This one, emerging as a sleeper hit from Cannes, could offer diversity with a Nothern African submission, a female-focused narrative, and the potential to launch the career of a still not widely known female director.

PERFECT DAYS, Japan

THE PROMISED LAND, Denmark

IO CAPITANO, Italy

GODLAND, Iceland  Despite being an older movie, its recurrent appearance in year-end best-of lists suggests it should not be overlooked.



Possible Entries:

20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, Ukraine

THE SETTLERS, Chile

TOTEM, Mexico

SHAYDA, Australia

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, Romania - Despite not having seen it, the positive buzz surrounding this film makes it a strong contender for the long list.

Now, let's tackle the challenging part and attempt to guess the final ballot if you're up for it!

FOUR DAUGHTERS could be the second Kaouther Ben Hania film to score a nomination.

ABE: Heres my predicted shortlist, which isnt that different from yours, in order of likelihood:

THE ZONE OF INTEREST, United Kingdom SOCIETY OF THE SNOW, Spain THE TASTE OF THINGS, France FALLEN LEAVES, Finland THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE, Germany THE PROMISED LAND, Denmark IO CAPITANO, Italy PERFECT DAYS, Japan FOUR DAUGHTERS, Tunisia TOTEM, Mexico SHAYDA, Australia THE SETLLERS, Chile ABOUT DRY GRASSES, Turkey CONCRETE UTOPIA, South Korea THE MONK AND THE GUN, Bhutan



My predicted nominees:

THE ZONE OF INTEREST, United Kingdom SOCIETY OF THE SNOW, Spain FALLEN LEAVES, Finland FOUR DAUGHTERS, Tunisia SHAYDA, Australia

ELISA: I would go with the same final five but with Japan in, Australia out. Readers, what films are we overestimating or underestimating?

RELATED READING:
Guests attend the launching ceremony of the Confucius Institute at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, Dec. 19, 2023. The third Confucius Institute in Ghana opened Tuesday in Kumasi, the second-largest city, enabling local students to have easier access to learning the Chinese language and culture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

ACCRA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The third Confucius Institute in Ghana opened Tuesday in Kumasi, the second-largest city, enabling local students to have easier access to learning the Chinese language and culture.

The institute, jointly launched by Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and China's Hubei University of Automotive Technology, is the third of its kind following the two at the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast respectively.

The inception of the third Confucius Institute in Ghana symbolizes a profound partnership in education, ensuring that the graduates are academically sound and well-prepared to navigate the challenges of an ever-evolving world, said Rita Akosua Dickson, vice-chancellor of KNUST at the launching ceremony.

"The Confucius Institute will play a pivotal role in enabling KNUST to develop a foreign model site for undergraduate Chinese programs and the learning of the Chinese language in the middle and the northern zones of Ghana," she said.

Zhang Wenxue, council chairman of the Hubei University of Automotive Technology, said the newly established Confucius Institute will serve as another platform to promote cultural exchanges and deepen friendship between the two countries.

Tang Hong, president of the Ghana Association of Chinese Societies, said Ghanaian graduates with Chinese proficiency are mostly welcomed in local job markets as China-Ghana cooperation forges ahead.

"More and more Ghanaian businessman has begun to communicate with their Chinese partners in Chinese. I am confident that through more exchange and mutual learning, the younger generation will become a new force for promoting the common development and progress between China and Ghana," Tang added. 
The Wiregrass

Adrian Hyland, Ultimo, $34.99 Credit: Detective Jesse Redpath was introduced in Adrian Hylands Canticle Creek. The Wiregrass, the latest instalment of this rural thriller series, moves away from bushfire to more shadowy, but no less explosive, small-town secrets. Jesse now lives in the tiny community of Satellite, where a storm appears to have caused the accidental death of a local. Evidence suggests Nash Rankin might be involved  but Jesse suspects the disgraced former cops enemies might be fixing him up as a scapegoat. Facing pressure to drop a police investigation, Jesse will need all her grit and intuition  and when conspirators emerge ready to take down threats to their clandestine activities, some serious action-woman skills  to uncover the rot and solve the mystery. Although the novels plot is drawn from headlines, and it cleaves to a familiar if horrifying scenario, those with a taste for hard-boiled rural Australian crime fiction should enjoy it. NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK

My Darlinghurst

Eds., Anna Clark, Gabrielle Kemmis, Tamson Pietsch, NewSouth, $49.99 Despite being titled My Darlinghurst, this is a portrait of the inner-city Sydney suburb from multiple perspectives, covering 200 years.

Credit: A triangle of land of 80 hectares, the place is layered with tales  from Woods Lane, once known as Razorhurst (the heart of criminal activity) and now gentrified, to addressing from a First Nations perspective the Australian Museums colonial past with the 2022 exhibiton, Unsettled. Others see their Darlinghurst in terms of identity, particularly racial and sexual, the contributions incorporating the scholarly, memoir and oral history. Evocative photographs and artworks complete the portrait of change and constancy, such as Jacaranda petals on the streets in November. If it is true that there is nothing so universal as the intensely regional, this is a case in point. Im Liz Hayes

Liz Hayes, HarperCollins, $49.99 Credit: When TV came to the farming community on Oxley Island, NSW, where Liz Hayes grew up, the future news and current affairs reporter (known for Today and Sixty Minutes) couldnt have realised the central place in her life the medium would occupy. In engaging style, she tells the story of a small-town girl doing courtroom reporting for the local newspaper, making her way to the big smoke where things gradually took off and becoming a household name. Some of the ins and outs of TV life can be a bit repetitive, but theres also a grand narrative here, and hairy moments such as landing on a moving aircraft carrier, that takes in epoch-defining events such as 9/11. Yet its the deep sadness of her fathers death (and that of her mother) that book-ends her memoir and, she says, challenges her writing. A mix of honest and entertaining reportage.

The Last Charge of the Australian Light Horse

Peter FitzSimons, Hachette, $49.99 Credit: In 1917, the town of Beersheba, near Gaza, was the site of the last great light horse charge in history  and, unlike the charge of the light brigade in 1854, it was a breathtaking success. All of which Peter FitzSimons (with a distinct element of boys own heroics) brings to life in a dramatic and melodramatic depiction of the historic moment. It was a combined operation against Turkish positions, but the assault had stalled. Late in the afternoon on October 31, the Australian Light Horse was sent into the attack, charging the Turkish guns head on and, basically winning the battle. Its Tennyson, but with a happy ending, and FitzSimons gives a boots-on-the -ground picture, sometimes in the voice of a racing commentator, with a full kit of onomatopoeia and yelled dialogue. Thoroughly researched, entertaining, and just the thing for the troops at Xmas! Flinders

Grantlee Kieza, ABC Books, $45 Never underestimate the power of a book. Explorer Matthew Flinders, for example, was inspired by Robinson Crusoe and determined from a very early age to go to sea.
Benbrika is a key influencer within radical Islamist circles in Australia. Not only has he spent nearly 20 years behind bars; his son was stopped at Melbourne airport in 2015 and his passport was cancelled after he allegedly tried to travel to Syria, and his then son-in-law, Shayden Thorne, was sentenced as part of the so-called tinnie terrorist group led by Musa Cerantonio, who launched a poorly thought-out plan to travel to the Philippines to wage jihad. Loading Benbrika was also visited in prison by a number of individuals who subsequently joined Islamic State. There is nothing in the past two decades that would indicate he accepts secular liberalism or retains any loyalty to the country that conferred citizenship on him. And yet Liberal democracies need to be very careful not to overturn fundamental elements of our legal tradition simply to deal with terrorists. There is something deeply flawed in believing that the solution for the type of threat posed by the likes of Benbrika is to detain them in custody after their sentences have expired. Why believe that a committed ideologue who has not resiled from his radical beliefs after 15 years in prison will do so if he is incarcerated for another three years? The very premise on which the punishment of a continued detention order is based appears flawed. The outgoing Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Grant Donaldson SC, expressed his disquiet at the imperfect nature of risk prediction that courts are asked to make as part of the process in determining whether to issue these orders, and about the disproportionate nature of the punishment relative to the risk of recidivism. In his 2023 report into Division 105A of the Criminal Code Act, Donaldson recommended the power to make continuing detention orders be deleted from the act.

If the threat posed by Benbrika is believed to extend past the expiration of his sentence, there is already a control order regime to monitor his activities and place restrictions on him after he has been released from prison. This, of course, is a resource-intensive way to protect the community and there is no guarantee it will eliminate the threat, but it certainly gives another layer of security that is generally not provided to the community with other criminal behaviour. Loading And if there is a belief that convicted terrorists released from prison have not resiled from their radical jihadist belief systems, it is likely they will find it difficult to avoid breaching the control order and will end up back in prison as a result. To date, at least 11 individuals have been charged with breaching a terrorism control order; one has done so twice. One of those people, Belal Khazaal, was found not guilty of the charge but the others were either given prison sentences or are awaiting trial. Benbrika has been awarded a one-year extended supervision order with 30 conditions attached to it, including electronic monitoring, limits on travel and association with particular people, and publicly speaking on certain subjects. It is less than the three-year ESO sought by the government, which has said it will review the decision before taking any further steps. While being seen to be tough on terrorism may play well to a domestic audience, it is essential in an advanced liberal democracy such as Australia not to lose sight of the principles on which we operate as a mature society, and part of that is an acceptance that it is the job of the legal system to determine guilt and to apply the punishment appropriate to the crime committed. This applies to terrorism offences as much as it does to normal criminal offences.
Associates of the Alameddines found themselves the subject of unwelcome attention by the popular YouTuber inadvertently through former deputy premier John Barilaros employment post-politics. Barilaro was hired as Coronation Propertys executive director, despite the job not being advertised, from February until June 2022, when he resigned to take his controversial and now-abandoned New York trade role. Coronations former company secretary Andy Nahas had alleged links to high-profile Alameddine associates. These connections were examined at length in a 46-minute YouTube video titled Coronation and broadcast by Shanks in August 2022. Far left is Stephen Bou-Abbse, second left is Joseph Vokai. Rapper Ay Huncho (real name Ali Younes) is fifth from left, holding a bag. The tall man in the white T-shirt behind him is Masood Zakaria. Immediately to the right of Ay Huncho is John Ray Bayssari, who has his arm around Andy Nahas. Credit: Rolling Stone Barilaro has featured extensively in Shanks videos. He successfully sued Google, which owns YouTube, as well as Shanks, over two videos Shanks published in 2020 accusing the former NSW Nationals leader of corruption.

The first video was recorded inside Barilaros investment property in the Southern Highlands, which Shanks rented on Airbnb so he could film from there. In August last year, both the Herald and Shanks revealed that Nahas had been photographed with alleged high-ranking members of the Alameddine crime family. It was also revealed that Nahas had been arrested and charged in 2009 over a kidnapping. In his statement to police, the alleged victim detailed how Nahas lured him to a meeting where he was kidnapped by others, including a high-ranking bikie boss who is facing unrelated murder charges. John Barilaro and rapper Ay Huncho, real name Ali Younes, with Andy Nahas. The charges against Nahas and the others accused of kidnapping were dismissed after the court was told that despite further inquiries being made by police since the last court date, [the alleged victim] has not yet been located. Police were ordered to pay costs over the failed prosecution.

However, it was a recent photo of Nahas with his arm around an alleged high-ranking Alameddine figure that led to questions being asked in NSW Parliament in September 2022. A parliamentary committee asked Police Commissioner Karen Webb, her deputy Dave Hudson and the Crime Commissions Peter Bodor, QC, about the photo that featured several high-ranking associates of the Alameddine crime family with Andy Nahas. The photo published in the Herald and shown in parliament accompanied an August 2021 Rolling Stone article featuring rapper Ay Huncho, whose real name is Ali Younes, an associate of the Alameddines. This year Younes, 26, pleaded guilty and was fined over charges of affray, recklessly causing grievous bodily harm in company and assault with intent to participate in the activity of a criminal group. Some of the other mates of the rapper in the photo also have connections with the Alameddines, including one of Australias most wanted fugitives, Masood Zakaria, who was recently extradited from Turkey in relation to a commercial drug supply and conspiracy to murder a member of the Hamze family, with whom the Alameddines have been waging a deadly war. Parliament heard that Zakarias company Zak Services is a shareholder in Alpha Omega Enterprises, a labour hire firm that has worked for Coronation.

Loading Other people in the photo are Stephen Bou-Abbse, who police are seeking over a non-association order with alleged crime figure Mohamad Almo Alameddine; Joseph Vokai, currently charged with conspiracy to commit murder and knowingly directing the criminal activities of a criminal group; and John Ray Bayssari, charged with drug supply, dealing with proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group. Asked whether he was concerned about any connection between Coronation and these people, Deputy Commissioner Hudson replied: I am concerned about any people or any organisation that that particular group is associated with. After viewing the photo in which Nahas was featured, Bodor and Hudson assured the hearing their organisations would investigate further. There is no suggestion that any member of the Nahas family nor Barilaro had any knowledge of or involvement in the arson attack on Shanks Bondi rental property which suffered significant damage when firebombed in November 2022.
Eight people linked to a major Sydney crime gang have been charged over a callous shooting that changed the lives of three innocent people: one man was killed, another left with life-changing injuries from a bullet in the neck, and a woman with a round in her shoulder.

Anthony Pele is wanted by police. Credit: NSW Police

The alleged gunman himself is believed to be overseas  and police are calling on him to return to face the consequences of the heinous crime committed in July.

Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Anthony Pele and released an image of him on Wednesday night.

Detectives have information to suggest that Anthony Pele is overseas, but as inquiries continue, are appealing for anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward, police said in a statement.
People rest at a resettlement site in a local primary school in Zhongchuan Township of Minhe County in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)

XINING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- It was getting dark and the temperature had plummeted, but people in a village struck by Monday's earthquake in northwest China were still waiting in the icy wind, as rescuers on the other side of a safety cordon continued to race against time in their bid to save more lives.

"My family assured me that they were safe after the earthquake, but now they are all buried," said a man surnamed Yang in Jintian village of Zhongchuan Township in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake with a focal depth of 10 km jolted Gansu Province and the neighboring Qinghai at 11:59 p.m. Monday, killing 113 and 18 people, respectively, in the two provinces.

The tremor triggered a sand boil in Zhongchuan early on Tuesday morning. Some villagers lucky enough to survive the quake were buried as a result of this sand boil. Xinhua reporters on the scene on Tuesday afternoon saw that many houses in Jintian village were toppled or buried in mud as deep as three meters.

As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, Qinghai had reported 16 people missing. In Jintian, nine people from two households were yet to be found.

Wang Lyu, deputy head of the Qinghai team of China's National Fire and Rescue Administration, told Xinhua that a total of 157 rescuers were busy working there, with many digging in the mud with spades and shovels because it was not possible for big excavating machines to reach the rescue site.

Among the villagers watching at the site, the emotional Yang pointed at a two-storey building, saying that his family ran into the yard after the quake, and were then buried unexpectedly when the sand boil struck.

"My granny, my mom, my aunt and a toddler are all buried," he said. "We only know that they are here, but have no idea of the exact location."

By the time dusk fell in the village, the temperature had already dropped to 10 below zero Celsius. Zhang Xiaoqiang, Party chief of Zhongchuan, told Xinhua that despite the efforts of local cadres to persuade them to leave, some villagers insisted on staying outside a tent erected to provide shelter, choosing instead to wait for updates from rescuers while they sobbed out in the cold.

"At least we can cook them some food to keep them warm," he said, while staff next him were cooking noodles in a big pot.

At a resettlement site in a local primary school, evacuated villagers were queuing to receive blood pressure tests and psychological counseling.

According to Zhou Yonggui, head of a local hospital, they sent a 20-member team of experts to the site on Tuesday afternoon to provide medical care to those in need.

Apart from the school buildings, some villagers were also being housed in eight blue tents on the school playground, while emergency supplies such as instant noodles and milk were piled up nearby. "Local government provided us with quilts and food, so that we could feel a bit relieved," said villager He Yongde.

In the darkness of night, lights in the school building were functional thanks to the successful restoration of the power supply. In Jintian village, searchlights lit up the rescue venue, while villagers watched, warmed by campfires.

"We cannot stop," Wang Lyu said while looking with red eyes at those waiting for miracles. "They will have hope for as long as we are here." 

Wu Xiuying (L) receives physical therapy at a resettlement site in a local primary school in Zhongchuan Township of Minhe County in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)

Rescuers work at Jintian Village of Zhongchuan Township of Minhe County in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)
There was no suggestion Higgins has ever wavered in any material respect in her central allegation, Collins said. He submitted her evidence about the alleged assault was compelling, distressing and believable. Lee asked: Your core point  and I hope this is not a crude reduction of what you are saying, is ... the irreducible core about her being a victim of a sexual assault was given with crystal-clear clarity, you would say, and must be accepted whatever other misgivings one has about her evidence? Thats so, Collins said. Collins said Lehrmann had given a ludicrous reason for going back to Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019, which included working on question time briefs. Lehrmann told the court he had lied when he told the chief of staff to Liberal senator and then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds that he went back to the office to have a drink. Higgins and Lehrmann worked for Reynolds as advisers.

Lee said this is an unusual case where one might be in a position where you disbelieve story A [and] you disbelieve story B. He asked rhetorically, What are the consequences of that? We say this is not that case, because your honour does have direct evidence from the two protagonists about what happened in that room, Collins said. To find that sexual intercourse without consent did not happen, your honour, would have actively to reject the evidence given by Ms Higgins. Your honour would have to find it was false or mistaken in some way. But Lee said: Thats not quite true. You have to be positively persuaded to reach an actual sense of persuasion that it is true. Not there to play Scrabble

Collins said there was a limited universe of things that could plausibly have happened that night, and they werent there to play Scrabble. Even if your honour were in some doubt about the question of consent, wed say your honour ought to feel an active persuasion  that sexual intercourse took place. Why else is Ms Higgins naked at 4.20am, passed out? Sue Chrysanthou, SC, and Lisa Wilkinson outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday. Credit: Max Mason-Hubers Sue Chrysanthou, SC, acting for Wilkinson, offered five objective facts that supported a finding that sexual intercourse occurred, including that Higgins and Lehrmann entered Parliament House at the same time with nobody else; he left after 40 minutes in a hurry; he missed phone calls from his girlfriend and did not call back; and Higgins was found naked and passed out by a security guard at 4.30am. The question for Your Honour is, why was she naked? If they didnt have sex, why was she naked? she said.

Chrysanthou submitted that there couldnt really be any doubt in anyones mind that there was sex, and that the only issue that would trouble your honour, having regard to the unsatisfactory state of the evidence by both persons, is the consent issue. If the court found there was sexual intercourse, it is quite disgraceful conduct [by Lehrmann] ... to have denied that at the outset, Chrysanthou said, because Higgins had been accused of making up the whole thing. Wicked set of circumstances Collins submitted that if the judge came to the view that on the balance of probabilities sexual intercourse occurred in that room in those 40 minutes but didnt feel the degree of persuasion necessary to establish that was it as non-consensual or reckless, we would be in the situation of a most wicked set of circumstances. Mr Lehrmann would have gone to a criminal trial on a basis which he knew to be false, Collins said, and that wicked scheme would have been perpetuated in the defamation case.

He said that in those circumstances the abuse of process would be so extreme that the judge ought not award damages. Sexual assault charge dropped Lehrmanns ACT Supreme Court trial for sexual assault was aborted last year due to juror misconduct. The charge against Lehrmann was later dropped altogether owing to concerns about Higgins mental health. Logies speech Lee raised concerns with Chrysanthou about the Logies acceptance speech given by Wilkinson for The Project interview eight days before Lehrmanns criminal trial, in which she praised Higgins courage. Lehrmanns lawyers have pointed to the speech as a factor in support of aggravated damages. The criminal trial was subsequently delayed for three months to avoid prejudicing the jury.

Wilkinson said in her evidence that she had received advice that the speech was acceptable, but Lee said it was fantastic that any lawyer could have thought the speech was appropriate. Your honour assumes that people watch the Logies, Chrysanthou responded. Theres no proof of that. Chrysanthou added that Wilkinsons comments were a drop in the ocean of allegations being made about Lehrmann at the time, including Higgins speech to the National Press Club and supportive comments made by the then prime minister Scott Morrison on the floor of Parliament. You would think that would be more memorable than what my client said in a Logies speech, Chrysanthou said. Lee replied: Theres some force in that.

Zero or nominal damages Loading During his closing address, Collins argued Lehrmann should receive only low or no damages even if he won his defamation case against Ten and Wilkinson. Collins said the vast majority of viewers of Wilkinsons interview with Higgins would have had no idea that Lehrmann was the unnamed man accused of raping Higgins in Reynolds office. Lehrmanns legal team argue that he was identified by the descriptions given in the interview of Higgins alleged assailant, but Collins argued that overall we say the identification case is weak.

While a small pool of people, including some political staffers, would have identified Lehrmann from the broadcast, Collins said the damages would be correspondingly limited if he won the case. Collins added that the damages payout would be completely out of proportion to the costs and energy that has gone into the running of this case, and it might be a case where the judge ought not to award damages at all. Tens defences If the court finds Lehrmann was identified in the interview, which is a threshold issue in the case, Ten and Wilkinson are seeking to rely on defences of truth and qualified privilege. Under the truth defence, Ten must prove on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Higgins.

While this is less onerous than the criminal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, the so-called Briginshaw principle applies in civil cases involving serious allegations and requires courts to proceed cautiously in making grave findings. Qualified privilege relates to publications of public interest and requires a media outlet to show it acted reasonably. Wilkinsons evidence was directly relevant to that defence. Utterly irreconcilable accounts Collins said Lehrmann and Higgins had provided utterly irreconcilable evidence about the events leading up to and including March 23, 2019. Higgins had given a vivid description of sexual assault by Lehrmann and Lehrmann had told the court there was no sexual activity whatsoever.

Collins argued the evidence established that Mr Lehrmann was physically attracted to Ms Higgins, and pointed to the evidence of former Liberal staffer Nicole Hamer, who said Lehrmann told her on March 2, 2019, that he found Higgins good-looking and urged her to invite Higgins to drinks that night. Lehrmann told the court he did not say that, before adding, I just dont recall this conversation occurring. He also pointed to the evidence of an expert lip-reader, Tim Reedy  What an impressive witness, in our respectful submission, Collins said  who gave evidence that Lehrmann urged Higgins to skol a drink (drink it all) in the hours before the alleged rape and said three drinks on a table were all hers. Lehrmann denied saying those words. Views peaked during Higgins evidence The trial has been livestreamed on the Federal Courts YouTube channel and attracted its highest number of views on November 30, during Higgins evidence (124,445 views). Higgins was called as a witness by Ten as part of its truth defence. The second-highest number of views was recorded on December 14 during Wilkinsons evidence (119,502), according to figures supplied by the Federal Court.
A man with a significant history of abusing children was on a suspended sentence when he filmed 19 young boys and girls while they showered at a popular Brisbane bayside pool.

Benjamin Kaleb James covertly filmed the children while they swam, played and showered at the Wynnum Esplanade in December last year, putting his phone in his back pocket then monitoring the filming through his smartwatch.

The Wynnum Esplanade area, where the man filmed numerous children under the age of five.

The District Court in Brisbane on Wednesday heard the 32-year-old filmed at least 19 children, who were five years old or younger, before witnesses reported him to police.

The court heard James initially refused to give police access to his phone but later admitted there were recordings.
In Kuwait his home, a whitewashed villa with sumptuous bedrooms and a hi-tech kitchen, was one of many buildings to be looted and ransacked. It became the favoured billet of a group of senior Iraqi officers. Liberators found it fortified with sandbags and makeshift sentry boxes on the roof, but the hi-fi, video and other valuables had gone. In the garden lay the rotting carcasses of slaughtered sheep.

During the seven-month occupation, the Kuwaiti government established its headquarters in the Saudi mountain resort town of Taif, though Nawaf was notably absent. Some reports said he had been injured, others that he had been killed. There were even suggestions that he was hiding in Kuwait, helping to organise the resistance against the Iraqis. According to an Observer report in 1993, however, he had fled the country in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes limousine, leaving the army without orders.

Sheikh Nawaf al-Amad al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, who has died aged 86, was minister of defence at the time of the Iraqi invasion in August 1990; he was swiftly demoted after the country was liberated by a coalition led by Britain and the US but was gradually rehabilitated until in 2020 he acceded as ruler, though his reign was blighted by ill health and destined to be the third shortest of any monarch in the history of this tiny, oil-rich country.

This was the least of Nawafs problems, however. It was alleged that as Iraqi forces had advanced towards Kuwait, he had given orders for the countrys tanks not to fire on them to avoid provocation. Foreign military experts even claimed that in the days before the invasion Kuwaiti tanks had been pulled back from the border.

Nawaf rejected those charges. Only 25 to 30 per cent of our real Kuwaiti forces were on hand when the invasion started, he said in March 1991. They fought very well and very bravely, but when they ran out of ammunition we ordered them to withdraw to Saudi Arabia.

Kuwaiti army officers, ranging from captains to colonels, were not satisfied. In a rare intervention they wrote to the then-emir, Sheikh Jaber al-Sabah, criticising Nawaf and Sheikh Salim al-Sabah, the interior minister, and calling for their dismissal. The emir had already accepted the need for change and Nawaf was demoted to minister of social affairs and labour.

In a rare sighting of a Kuwaiti royal squirming before his subjects, Nawaf found himself interrogated by a parliamentary committee, which demanded an explanation of why he and his forces had performed so abysmally. Pressed on why so many officers were on holiday on the day before the invasion, he said it was all compulsory and urgent leave, though his case was undermined by reports that his commander-in-chief had fled the country in only his underpants.

The hapless Nawaf became the focus of public ridicule. Why is Nawaf able to count up to 20 in the summer but only up to 10 in the winter? ran one joke. Answer: Because he wears shoes in the winter.
Greens councillor Anjalee de Silva, who voted in favour of the motion, said councillors had an obligation to speak out on the conflict. In my view, it is not our role as leaders and as representatives to stand by in silence, and in relative comfort, while such suffering is taking place on our watch, she said. Loading In my view, what would be more divisive than saying something, would be to abrogate our moral responsibilities as members of this chamber by standing by and saying nothing when we have been called upon to say so much. It brings the known tally of Victorian councils that passed motions calling for a ceasefire to seven, after Merri-bek, Maribyrnong, Dandenong and Yarra all passed them in the past month.

The Islamic Council of Victoria has confirmed it is attempting to convince Banyule and Brimbank councils to adopt similar motions. Last month, Geelong council executive knocked back an attempt for a motion on safety grounds, while a ceasefire motion debated at Shepparton Council was voted down. The ceasefire motions have varied in their wording and actions from council to council  a number include solidarity statements with affected members of their communities, while also condemning violence and committing to writing to the federal government to call for an immediate ceasefire. Councils to have passed ceasefire motions as of December 20 Merri-bek

Maribyrnong

Dandenong

Yarra

Hume

Darebin

Wyndham Others go further  including Merri-bek, Darebin and Maribyrnong  by committing to flying the Palestinian flag at council chambers and investigating ways the councils can cancel contracts with companies that support Israels illegal occupation of Palestine or profit from it.

The motions, and their accompanying debates, have seen unprecedented tensions play out at Victorian councils. Merri-bek councillor Oscar Yildiz revealed last month he and his family had received death threats after he voted against his councils ceasefire motion. Loading Prominent Jewish groups have condemned ceasefire motions perceived to be favouring the Palestinian cause, with the Jewish Community Council of Victoria stating it had been contacted by Jewish residents living in those council areas, who were feeling anxious, afraid and angry. Jewish residents are not being consulted by councillors and, in many cases, do not feel safe to attend council meetings and speak out, said the councils president Philip Zajac. The JCCV has written to many of the councillors involved in these decisions to advocate on behalf of Jewish residents and to inform them that these motions are damaging social cohesion, creating unsafe neighbourhoods and alienating local residents.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin took aim at councils that had committed to boycott clauses. Whenever councils indulge in anti-Israel foreign policy romps, the impact on the Middle East is precisely nil, but their ratepayers end up paying millions to change car fleets, IT and other infrastructure that runs on Israeli innovation, he said. President of the Islamic Council of Victoria Adel Salman, who spoke outside Wyndhams council chambers on Tuesday night, said he did not dismiss that there would be Jewish community members who were feeling intimated or uncomfortable as a result of these motions, but stressed his belief that criticising Israel was not antisemitic. Theres precedent to councils having passed motions on issues other than roads, rates and rubbish ... it would be hypocritical to say there isnt, he said. Governments of all levels have [historically] stopped buying from South African-aligned businesses supporting apartheid  look at the sanctions imposed on Russia.

This is such a traumatic situation for so many Australians of all backgrounds. Local council, as the first tier of government, needs to be cognisant of the impact and trauma on the wellbeing of a lot of their residents. Melbourne council areas with large Jewish populations have also passed motions and made public statements in solidarity with their communities, but did not include calls for a ceasefire. Glen Eira council in Melbournes east passed a condolence motion on October 17, stating that it expresses its deepest condolences to the people of Israel, the families and friends of those slaughtered and the innocent people of Gaza who are under terrorist rule, and wishes a speedy recovery to all of those who were injured. A crowd of pro-Palestinian activists and community members outside Broadmeadows Town Hall on Monday night. The Stonnington council passed a motion on October 16 committing to lighting up Malvern Town Hall and Prahran Town Hall in the blue and white of the Israel flag for a week and said, the humanitarian crisis against innocent civilians in the wake of the surprise attack by Hamas is deeply concerning.

The peak body for councils, the Municipal Association of Victoria, defended councils role in discussing world affairs, with president David Clark suggesting that local governments were forced to step in because other levels of government werent being responsive to the public. As local leaders, councillors and councils have an important public role to provide a forum for issues of significant concern, even though they may not be the normal business of council, he said. This is especially the case when other elected levels of government choose not to enter these debates in order to assist the public to understand the complexity and depth of the matter at hand. Councils recognise their key role in fostering respectful debate which has regard for all who live in the community  our multicultural society is a great strength of Australia as is our tolerance for others. Both need to be supported and maintained.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has accused the Coalition of undermining public confidence in the Commonwealths key law enforcement agency over the release of former terror cell leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika, while raising the possibility of applying to extend Benbrikas supervision order.

Dreyfus said he would apply to continue the one-year extended supervision order handed down by Victorian Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Hollingworth against the extremist if required, after Benbrika walked free from almost two decades in prison on Tuesday with the governments agreement.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has accused the federal opposition of undermining public confidence in the Australian Federal Police. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But in a political spat unfolding from the ruling, Dreyfus criticised Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for accusing Labor of weakness, suggesting she was ignoring the Australian Federal Police and other experts, whose advice he said had informed the governments application to release Benbrika on an extended supervision order.

What the opposition has repeatedly suggested is that the government ignore the advice of our police, of our security agencies and experts and ignore the law. That has to stop. The opposition has to stop doing this, Dreyfus said at a press conference in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Once again we have rediscovered Asia with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reminding Australians that our safety and economic prosperity will be secured by deepening ties with Asia.

Australia is seeking our security in Asia, not from it, Albanese told the Lowy Lecture and Dinner in Sydney on Tuesday night, adding he was clear-eyed about Chinas power-seeking motivations. We are not just observers of the interplay of others ambitions. What Australia says and does on the world stage matters  to our security, our prosperity, to the strength and stability of the region we call home.

PM Anthony Albanese speaks during the 20 years of Lowy Institute anniversary in Sydney. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

In a major speech titled Australia in the World, Albanese relegated the Middle East conflict and reinforced a foreign policy agenda that puts Asia front and centre and, by inference, underlined his governments success in rebuilding fences with China and the Indo-Pacific.

In a reference regarded by some as justifying the decision not to send the Royal Australian Navy to the Middle East conflict  much criticised by the opposition  Albanese evoked John Curtins wartime decision to recall Diggers for combat against Japan in New Guinea as widely held to represent the beginning of Australia setting its own foreign policy and (the) anchoring of Australian strategic policy in our region has been a core tenet of Labor defence and foreign policy.
The Australian economy is crying out for competition. So, it was welcome news on Monday that the federal government has signed off on several air rights agreements to increase the number of international flights to Australia, including Turkish Airlines being able to fly up to 35 services each week.

This expansion, which also includes updated agreements with Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, France, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vietnam, comes after the government rejected Qatar Airways request to double its number of flights to Australia earlier this year.

Turkish Airlines will increase its number of flights to Australia in 2024. Credit: NurPhoto

At the time, the rejection was widely criticised, with the government facing allegations that it had been lobbied by Qantas to reject the deal. Now, having weathered the backlash, they are clearly keen to show they were listening to frustrated Australians wanting more travel options.

Industries dominated by a few large firms with a lot of market power are what economists call oligopolies, and Australia has become a country full of them.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The Drum was a truly unique program, bringing together in respectful discussion, progressives and conservatives, people from groups unrepresented anywhere else in the media, people whose voices were often heard for the first time, who responded in the last three shows with much emotion and gratitude for the way The Drum had allowed them to tell their stories and to argue with for their various causes with dignity and passion (Canning The Drum latest ABC misfire, December 20).

This was one of the best programs ever produced by the ABC and a very short-sighted decision has now been made, presumably in another futile attempt to attract a younger audience. That audience was lost long ago to social media and will not return. Please, ABC, admit you have made a mistake and give us back The Drum. Jenny Stewart, Potts Point Illustration: Credit: John Shakespeare For many viewers The Drum had lost its way. The Drum became too mono-thematic and inspired nightly pre-broadcast predictions of the subjects to be covered and the culture of those who would be corralled into discussing them. First Nations, and what were portrayed as womens issues, were on the agenda most nights. And the emphasis was nearly always on the bad news, rarely on the good (or at least positive) news. It wasnt just the ratings that killed The Drum. It was a lack of subject diversity, too few people whose views we could thoughtfully consider, and bias. Stephen Matthews, North Turramurra Thank you for helping us understand why we gave up on The Drum many months ago. Apparently, the show was aimed at middle-age women wanting to watch something out of the corner of their eye while doing other things. We were seeking informed debate, insights and background knowledge on important issues of the day, week, or year. Instead, it became platitudes from a predictable panel that regurgitated material well covered by the media already. Alan Russell, Unley (SA) RIP my once beautiful ABC radio and television. Your gradual decline from the magnificent news information portals, smart articulate reporters, excellent news and discussion programs from this cruel wasting disease, has caused me such sadness, I dont know what I will do without your brilliance. Your bones will soon be buried. I am bereft. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek Call me a grinch amidst universal protest at The Drums demise, but its time has come. Socially relevant topics reappearing week after week with different panellists and the same enlightened message made The Drum more an ongoing reminder of societys entrenched, intractable attitudes than the programs intention to create awareness and change. Maybe a younger crop of hosts with the gravitas and wit to attract a wide audience could spark fresh energy, relevance and urgency. Peter Farmer, Northbridge I am having difficulty adjusting to the sudden eviction of The Drum from ABC TV. It had come to occupy a valued space in each weekday. Expertly hosted, it introduced us to experts in innumerable fields. It illustrated that different views could be introduced and civilly debated. Somehow watching and hearing about the dags on merinos doesnt carry the same interest. Bring back The Drum, Ita! Terry Goss, Mona Vale

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Business can help alleviate the pain for rising prices Ross Gittins says the cost-of-living crisis is partly the result of businesses raising their prices when demand is greater than supply (Why Albanese probably wont win majority government at the next election, December 20). So, is there a way for the economic managers to encourage businesses to maintain lower prices despite reduced supply (like wartime rationing, perhaps)? That way, people and the economy generally wouldnt be hurt as demand is reduced, unless they can afford the higher prices and so dont suffer as much. By sticking with the conventional way of viewing things it seems that (small) consumers always suffer more than (big) businesses? David Rush, Lawson Illustration: Credit: Simon Letch Ross Gittins believes the Albanese government will lose seats at the next election despite being steady and sensible, keeping his promises and being an economically responsible government. Gittins does advocate for rejigging the incoming tax cuts for fairness and for overall economic benefit. Surely, this can and should be supported. It would be a responsible, modified promise. David Hind, Neutral Bay As always, the ever sensible Gittins gives Anthony Albanese and Labor a pathway to re-election in 2025. Hopefully, he and Jim Chalmers read it, reflected on it and reassessed their budget goals. And if they read the Letters section of this newspaper it also might give them a few pointers to whats troubling the punters. Whats troubling me? The widening gap of inequality in too many aspects of life. Wendy Atkins, Cooks Hill All is not lost if the stage three tax cuts are rejigged, as suggested by Gittins, and the government embarks on a forceful program of budget repair, attacking rorts and creating greater equity in the taxation system. Such efforts would enable the government to enter the 2025 election in a position to make definite promises relating to reforming and improving funding and programs in the areas of health, education and social services. It is yet to be seen whether the Albanese government has the gumption and capability to revive its political standing. Ross Butler, Rodd Point Most governments fail to be re-elected because they break election promises. Ironically, the Albanese government might not be re-elected for keeping them. Firstly, the Voice referendum and secondly the stage-three tax cuts, a promise to give the most to the people who need it the least. As Gittins points out, a person on $45,000 in 2021 is now roughly $5000pa worse off due to bracket creep. These are the people who are most in need of tax relief. However, I dont hold out much hope for amendments  all federal MPs are in the group with the most to gain. Mike Keene, Stanwell Park

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Life skills are the real top marks when you leave school It is heartening to see some of the smaller city and country schools achieving excellent results through good teaching and hard-working students (The school that rocketed up the HSC rankings by 200 place, December 20). But on behalf of all the unsung students: I went to a small country school, now defunct. We finished our last year - before the days of school rankings - with 15 students. None of us have won a Nobel Prize or reached other celebratory heights of fame or fortune, but all have achieved minor successes and lived good and useful lives (teachers, nurses, allied health, science, country wives, artists) and raised a raft (and now several generations) of respected and productive citizens. More importantly, our bonds forged at school have survived for more than 60 years, living interstate and overseas and in different circumstances, and have been a strong support group through the deaths of children, spouses, divorces and the other tumults of life. Thanks to a good organiser among us we still meet regularly, though now octogenarians. So to the young people leaving school, all results are to be proud of, but the life skills you learn and the friends you make at school are probably a lot more valuable. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills Great change in a school requires time, a great leader and a great team. Patricia Holmes, principal of Moss Vale High School, and her staff deserve praise for the enormous improvements in not just academic results but whole school culture. They have specifically targeted respectful behaviour and basic foundational skills in literacy and numeracy. Moss Vale High School should be designated by the Education Department as a lighthouse school, a model that other schools should copy. Brian ODonnell, Burradoo Good heavens! Students of Moss Vale High will be studying punctuation and grammar, as well as learning writing skills, next year. This places them on the same footing as students from other countries, where they learn the structures of their various languages. A deeper understanding of anything, whether it be abstract or concrete, leads to a greater appreciation and enjoyment of the subject being considered. Our English language doesnt just happen, as was peddled by 1970s English teaching; it is structured, and that structure needs to be understood by those using it. Structure does not imply stricture. Donald Hawes, Peel Arts focus When one considers just how vitally important the arts are to life and living, it continues to amaze me just what a neglected portfolio it continues to be (Dire warning on arts was never made public, December 20). The current arts minister shares his responsibility with roads. Surely this area of government needs to have a full time focused politician just on this alone. What with the ongoing Rozelle interchange seeming like an unsolvable mess, how can a minister of roads have quality time to devote to arts policies? The Herald recently reported that each year, four times as many patrons attend a musical theatre event than a sporting match. It seems sadly, that politically, the importance of culture still sits at the same level as when Les Patterson was minister of the yartz. Greg Vale, Kiama

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Transport pity While the city approaches gridlock, Transport for NSW has acquired a momentum all of its own (City gridlocked but fat cat pay rises accelerate, December 20). It must continue to develop new projects of sufficient scale and complexity to justify its size and the remuneration of its executives. Pity the commuter now advised to take public transport. Catherine Turner, Cremorne Christmas convoy. Credit: Cathy Wilcox Approaching the western distributor north of the harbour to get to the bridge is more like heart in the mouth than open-heart surgery (Roadwork rise to slow journeys, but thems the brakes, December 20). The signage is so confusing that one has to go with the flow and hope for the best or risk dangerous lane changes. How can it get worse? Vicky Marquis, Glebe Comfortable protest So, judging from recent letters, we can protest as long as it doesnt interrupt peoples comfortable normalcy. Or God forbid, make them think, even for a few moments, whether the protesters might have a point. Is this the new politico-intellectual paradigm for our liberal democracy (Letters, December 20)? Eric Hunter, Cook (ACT)

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Regular event Cairns gets a one-in-a-100-years rain event, according to local experts (Cairns airport reopens after flooding, December 20). Its a good thing they only get one-in-a-100-years rain events every 10 or so years. Kevin Farrell, Beelbangera Great memories Megan Gorreys article about Engadine brought back many nostalgic memories for me (Theres more to Engadine than McDonalds, December 20). I spent my teenage and early adult years there in my parents small fibro home on a ridge, surrounded by bush. Swimming at the Needles on the Woronora River, catching the steam train to uni and back home at night on the motor train, walking in the bush to get a break from study, surrounded by Christmas bush and Christmas bells in the festive season and the efforts of Dad and his friends to establish the bowling club in the former poultry farm and reading the local news in a local Engadine rag. How a place where we grow up becomes part of our identity. Malcolm Cato, Westleigh Life and death As I started to read David Mytons article on his first journalistic look at death notices, I got excited that he might have disclosed an attempt to jazz them up a bit (What the Heralds death notices say about us, December 20). Alas, no such revelation. What a pity we cant be more creative with them by adding more snippets of life past  occupations, hobbies, teams followed, cars owned et al. Sadness and grief should not hinder a well-written but brief obituary shared with us all. Micheal Traynor, Bellambi One aspect of the death notices not mentioned is the puzzling practice in the case of the death of a person in their late eighties or nineties, and the announcement mentions the name of their parents, invariably also stating both deceased in brackets. Why bother? Had either of them still been alive they would have made world headlines. Ken Bock, Carlingford

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Washington: A South Pacific island central to Australias regional stability has urged the Albanese government to support its quest for independence as China ramps up its influence in the area.

In an interview with this masthead, the president of Bougainville  an autonomous region that forms part of Papua New Guinea  has called for Australia to help its push for self-determination, in line with the longstanding will of its citizens.

Ishmael Toroama, the president of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, during a recent visit to Washington. Credit: Leigh Vogel

This is about the peoples wishes for independence. We need progress, Ishmael Toroama, the president of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, said during a recent visit to Washington to meet members of Congress and the Biden administration.

The push comes four years after an independence referendum was supported by almost 98 per cent of Bougainvilleans, and amid global concerns about Chinas encroachment on Pacific nations such as the neighbouring Solomon Islands, which recently signed a security pact with Beijing that sent shockwaves through the White House.
Washington: Not long after Colorados Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump had incited an insurrection after the 2020 election and should be barred from holding office, the former president had already embarked on a familiar fundraising blitz.

State Supreme Court judges ALL appointed by Democrats just REMOVED my name from the 2024 ballot in Colorado, he lamented in a series of emails asking supporters for donations.

Former president Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Nevada. Credit: AP

Crooked Joe and the Democrats know they cant beat us at the ballot box, so their new plan is to nullify every single Trump ballot in the nation to keep Biden in the White House. Make no mistake: WE WILL APPEAL THIS DECISION IMMEDIATELY.

The response was predictable but underscored the danger for Democrats ahead of next years presidential contest.
MONTREAL, Canada, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' top biodiversity official on Tuesday called for renewed efforts to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Celebrating the first anniversary of the adoption of the historic agreement, David Cooper, acting executive secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that the momentum must be kept to protect and restore nature, to prosper with nature, to share benefits equally, and to invest and collaborate for nature.

"In the grand scheme of things, let us remember that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will guide us for the next 10-30 years on our journey to achieve the global vision of living in harmony with nature," Cooper said.

He took stock of the key achievements in the past year, including the establishment of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

"The Fund currently stands at over 200 million U.S. dollars," Cooper said.

The UN official also highlighted China's role, saying China's leadership as the presidency of COP15 was critical to adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 
Washington: Former US president Donald Trump may not be able to appear on the ballot in Colorado in next years presidential election because of his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters, the states top court has ruled in a historic judgment that will most likely be taken up by the US Supreme Court.

The 4-3 ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court makes Trump the first presidential candidate in US history to be deemed ineligible for the White House under a rarely used provision of the US Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding office.

Colorados Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency in the state. Credit: Graphic: Marija Ercegovac

Effect on Trumps election chances

The ruling applies only to Colorados March 5 Republican primary, but its conclusion could affect Trumps status in the state for the November 5 general election.
Infrastructure @ Somleng December 15, 2023 This is a technical post about how we dynamically scale our infrastructure at Somleng. Background Somleng is an Open Source Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) and Telco-as-a-Service (TaaS). On the CPaaS side, Somleng includes an Open Source implementation of Twilio's APIs for Programmable Voice and Messaging as well as a Dashboard for customers to configure their account, manage their credentials, configure phone numbers, manage Text-to-Speech (TTS) etc. Somleng supports TwiML for programming voice and messaging flows. On the TaaS side, Somleng includes a Dashboard and API for companies (aka Carriers) who want to provide their own branded Twilio-like service to their customers. Companies can create and manage accounts, SIP trunks, SMS gateways, manage customer billing etc. Somleng is being used in a variety of different use-cases around the world. For example it powers telehealth services in Zambia and Guatemala and the National Early Warning Systems of Cambodia and Laos. When considering the use-case for powering Early Warning Systems, an interesting problem arises. Most of the time the system is relatively idle, supporting only a few registration calls per minute. However in the case of an emergency, the system needs to be able to handle thousands of calls per minute. We don't want to run over-provisioned servers all of the time because this will make the cost prohibitively expensive, but we need to be able to dynamically handle high loads. Components Dashboard and API The Somleng Dashboard and API is powered by a Ruby on Rails application connected to a managed PostgreSQL database which manages all of the business logic. This part of the application is relatively easy to auto-scale by placing the application behind a layer 7 managed load balancer such as AWS' Application Load Balancer. The load balancer routes requests to ECS tasks which are running an Nginx reverse proxy and a copy of the Rails application. Cloudwatch alarms are configured to auto-scale the number of tasks based on CPU usage. When a new task is in service, ECS will register the new task with the load balancer and start routing requests to it. Conversely when the CPU utilization drops below a certain threshold a task is deregistered from the load balancer and terminated thereby saving cost. This is a relatively standard setup common for most web applications. Figure 1: Somleng Dashboard and API Somleng Switch Layer In order to power programmable voice applications, we need to leave the application layer (layer 7) behind and drop down to the transport layer (level 4). There are a couple of Open Source communication technology platforms in the VoIP domain such as Asterisk and FreeSWITCH. At Somleng we use FreeSWITCH which acts as either a SIP user agent client (UAC) and SIP user agent server (UAS) depending on whether it is initiating a voice call or receiving a voice call. When acting as a UAC, FreeSWITCH can also be placed behind an Application Load Balancer and placed in a private subnet behind a NAT Gateway as shown below: Figure 2: Somleng UAC Infrastructure Internal API requests are received from Somleng via an Application Load Balancer to Nginx Reverse Proxies running alongside FreeSWITCH instances. This architecture allows FreeSWITCH to be auto-scaled up and down based on CPU utilization and/or session count without having to introduce any SIP aware load balancers. There is one problem about this approach though which has to do with SIP and NAT. To understand this problem we need to understand a little bit more about the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the Session Description Protocol (SDP). The SIP Via Header In a SIP invite request, the UAC will insert a SIP Via header indicating the path taken by the request so far which helps in routing the responses back along the same path. Here's an example of a SIP Via Header: Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 10.10.1.21;branch=z9hG4bKv5jFZ8am7aZQc In the example above, the responses will be sent back to 10.10.1.21 at the default port for UDP 5060 . Here you can see a problem immediately with our infrastructure above. 10.10.1.21 is the IP address of the FreeSWITCH ECS task and is not publicly routable from the Internet. Therefore any responses from the UAS will not be received by the UAC. This is because FreeSWITCH (acting as the UAC) constructs the SIP header and is only aware of its own IP address and port. When the request passes through the managed NAT Gateway, it will do Port Address Translation (PAT) and change the actual IP and port of the request as shown below: Figure 3: UAC Behind NAT Gateway To handle this situation Section 18.2.1 of RFC 3261 describes how a server must add a "received" parameter to the topmost Via header when it receives a request: This parameter MUST contain the source address from which the packet was received. This parameter was designed to assist routing of responses not only where NAT is involved but also where the upstream device has used a hostname rather than an IP address in the Via it inserted. The default behavior for routing of SIP responses over UDP, as described in RFC 3261, is to use address and port information embedded in the relevant Via header - the address is taken from the "received" parameter value and the port is taken from the "sent-by" component. If there is no port, it defaults to port 5060 for UDP and TCP, or port 5061 for TLS. Here's how the Via Header looks when the received parameter is added by the UAS: Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 10.10.1.21;received=13.250.230.15;branch=z9hG4bKv5jFZ8am7aZQc The UAS has added the "received" parameter which correctly corresponds to the public IP of the NAT gateway. However this alone is not enough. Responses from the UAS will still be sent to the port 5060 (default for UDP). Since this port is not mapped by the NAT gateway, responses cannot be received by the UAS. Figure 4: UAC Behind NAT Gateway with "received" parameter This problem was addressed in RFC 3581 It describes the "rport" parameter as follows: When a server compliant to this specification (which can be a proxy or UAS) receives a request, it examines the topmost Via header field value. If this Via header field value contains an "rport" parameter with no value, it MUST set the value of the parameter to the source port of the request. This is analogous to the way in which a server will insert the "received" parameter into the topmost Via header field value. In fact, the server MUST insert a "received" parameter containing the source IP address that the request came from, even if it is identical to the value of the "sent-by" component. Fortunately FreeSWITCH automatically adds this empty "rport" parameter to the via parameter when it detects it's behind a NAT. Here's how the Via header looks with the empty "rport" parameter when sent via the UAC (FreeSWITCH): Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 10.10.1.21;rport;branch=z9hG4bKv5jFZ8am7aZQc And here's how the Via header looks after it has been received by the UAS: Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 10.10.1.21;received=13.250.230.15;rport=37058;branch=z9hG4bKv5jFZ8am7aZQc The addition of an "rport" parameter alongside the "received" parameter means that SIP responses can be passed back to the source using symmetric routing. Responses will now be sent from the UAS to 13.250.230.15 on port 37058 which correspond to the IP address and port address mapping of the managed NAT Gateway. The NAT gateway will then map this port back to the FreeSWITCH task which is running on 10.10.1.21. Figure 5: UAC Behind NAT Gateway with "received" and "rport" parameters SDP and RTP Unfortunately this is not the end of the story. Inside a SIP Invite request body there's a SDP packet which describes multimedia communication information. Here's an truncated example from Somleng: Session Description Protocol Version (v): 0 Connection Information (c): IN IP4 13.250.230.15 Media Description, name and address (m): audio 25984 RTP/AVP 0 8 101 13 The following line shows the media connection information: Connection Information (c): IN IP4 13.250.230.15 The connection information part correctly uses the IP address of the NAT Gateway. This is because in our FreeSWITCH configuration we set the ext-rtp-ip parameter to the IP address of the NAT Gateway which causes FreeSWITCH to insert the correct value. Without this configuration FreeSWITCH would insert the private IP address of the ECS task's network interface into the SDP. However there's also an issue with the following line: Media Description, name and address (m): audio 25984 RTP/AVP 0 8 101 13 This line specifies the port in which the media should be sent and received from. FreeSWITCH opens this port (25984) for sending media and inserts it into the SDP. By default FreeSWITCH will select a random port in the range 16384-32768. However when RTP media is sent out through the NAT gateway to the UAS, the port will be translated and will no longer match the value in the SDP. This typically results in one-way audio issues because the media server on the UAS side will try to send audio back to the port specified in the SDP which cannot be reached as illustrated below: Figure 6: UAC Behind NAT Gateway SDP and RTP In order to work around this issue, we typically require UAS/Media Servers connecting to Somleng to enable Symmetric RTP. Symmetric RTP means that the IP address and port pair used by an outbound RTP flow is reused for the inbound flow. The IP address and port are learned when the initial RTP flow is received on the UAS. The flow's source address and port are latched onto and used as the destination for the RTP sourced by the UAC. The IP address and port in the c line and m line respectively in the SDP message are ignored. This is illustrated below: Figure 7: UAC Behind NAT Gateway Symmetric RTP In some cases, our customer's devices do not support symmetric RTP, or they cannot enable it. In these cases, we work around the issue by bypassing the Managed NAT Gateway and routing RTP through a 1-1 NAT instance. The 1-1 NAT instance does not automatically apply PAT to outgoing packets. Instead, it will try to keep the outbound port of the client and only apply PAT if there is a conflicting port. Given that FreeSWITCH generates a random port for RTP for each session in the range 16384-32768 it should be relatively rare to see conflicts and PAT. Routing RTP through the 1-1 NAT instance means that the UAS will receive RTP packets from the port which corresponds to the value in the (m) line of the SDP. The UAS media server can therefore send RTP back to this port which will be routed back to the FreeSWITCH media server as illustrated below: Figure 8: UAC Behind 1-1 NAT Instance SIP Load Balancing So far we have managed to get away with using off-the-shelf managed services such as an AWS Application Load Balancer and an AWS NAT Gateway to horizontally scale FreeSWITCH when used as a User Agent Client (UAC). But we also want to use FreeSWITCH as a User Agent Server (UAS) to handle inbound calls. This poses a new set of challenges described in the following section. Incoming SIP and RTP are sent over UDP. We want these requests to be load balanced to our FreeSWITCH tasks, but we cannot use the existing Application Load Balancer which operates on layer 7 (or the application layer of the OSI Model). AWS also has a managed layer 4 Network Load Balancer which can be used to load balance UDP, however this type of load balancer is not SIP aware. Here's what happens when we try to load balance SIP directly to the FreeSWITCH tasks using a managed Network Load Balancer. Figure 9: UAS Behind Network Load Balancer The non-SIP-aware Network Load Balancer, just distributes requests between the ECS tasks running FreeSWITCH. In the example above the SIP Invite is sent to one ECS task, but the SIP BYE is sent to another. In order to handle this we need a SIP-aware proxy that sits between the managed Network Load Balancer and the FreeSWITCH UAS tasks. The proxy will be able to handle incoming requests and route them to the correct FreeSWITCH task. For this we use OpenSIPS. OpenSIPS comes with a load balancer module which supports FreeSWITCH out of the box. Figure 10: UAS Behind OpenSIPS Proxy With an OpenSIPS proxy in place, new requests (SIP Invites) will be load balanced across the available FreeSWITCH tasks. In order to illustrate this better let's look at a complete example. Figure 11: SIP Invite UAC ( 10.65.104.1 ) sends SIP Invite to the UAC's SIP Proxy ( 175.100.32.29 ) UAC's SIP Proxy forwards the request to the Network Load Balancer ( 52.74.4.205 ) Network Load Balancer forwards the request to the OpenSIPS proxy ECS task ( 10.10.1.162 ) OpenSIPS proxy forwards the request to the FreeSWITCH task ( 10.10.1.21 ) When the SIP invite arrives at the OpenSIPS proxy it will add a new Record-Route header containing its own address above any existing Record-Route headers. In our setup, OpenSIPS is configured to add two Record-Route headers. This is known as double Record-Route headers and handles the special situation where the proxy receives a request on one network interface and sends it onwards using a different interface. In our case the request is received on by Network Load Balancer but sent out via the private IP address of the OpenSIPS ECS Task. The set of Record-Route headers describes the path through all proxy nodes. Combined with the Contact header, this provides a complete description of the upstream path that leads back to the UAC. Here's an example of a request containing the Record-Route headers and contact headers for a SIP Invite proxied to the UAS (FreeSWITCH ECS Task): Request-Line: INVITE sip:1294@52.74.4.205:5060;user=phone SIP/2.0 Message Header: Record-Route: <sip:10.10.1.162:5060;lr;did=05d.f7db99b7;r2=on> Record-Route: <sip:52.74.4.205:5060;lr;did=05d.f7db99b7;r2=on> Record-Route: <sip:175.100.32.29:5060;lr;transport=udp> Contact: <sip:0715100860@10.65.104.1:5060;user=phone> Note the following: The Request-Line contains the advertised IP address of the Network Load Balancer, which the UAC knows before it sends the request.

10.10.1.162 is the internal IP address of the OpenSIPS ECS task. This Record-Route header is added by the OpenSIPS proxy before it sends the request to the UAS.

is the internal IP address of the OpenSIPS ECS task. This Record-Route header is added by the OpenSIPS proxy before it sends the request to the UAS. 52.74.4.205 is the public IP address of the Network Load Balancer. This Record-Route header is added by the OpenSIPS proxy before it sends the request to the UAS.

is the public IP address of the Network Load Balancer. This Record-Route header is added by the OpenSIPS proxy before it sends the request to the UAS. The attribute r2=on in the Record-Route headers indicates double Record-Route headers.

in the Record-Route headers indicates double Record-Route headers. 175.100.32.29 is the public IP address of the SIP proxy associated with the UAC and is added by the UAC's proxy.

is the public IP address of the SIP proxy associated with the UAC and is added by the UAC's proxy. 10.65.104.1 (in the contact header) is the internal IP address of the UAC. Now the UAS (FreeSWITCH ECS task) has a complete description of the path back to the UAC, but at this point the UAC doesn't have any knowledge of the path, the proxy nodes or even the address of the UAS. It needs to know the path too, for example when it wants to send more requests to the UAS within the current dialogue. This information is exchanged by the UAS in the response, which includes a complete copy of all the Record-Route headers. It also includes its own Contact header in the response. The path that the response follows is defined by the Via headers - the Record-Route headers are present in the response but do not influence its transmission path. Figure 12: SIP Response The UAS FreeSWITCH ECS Task ( 10.10.1.21 ) sends the response to the OpenSIPS proxy's internal IP address ( 10.10.1.162 ) obtained from the Via Header. The OpenSIPS proxy ECS task forwards the response to the UAC's proxy via the NAT Gateway. The NAT Gateway forwards the response to the UAC's SIP Proxy ( 175.100.32.29 ) obtained from the Via Header. The UAC's SIP proxy forwards the response to the UAC ( 10.65.104.1 ) obtained from the Via Header. Here's the SIP response from the UAS: Status-Line: SIP/2.0 183 Session Progress Message Header: Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 52.74.4.205:5060;branch=z9hG4bK918f.3a1eef55.0;received=10.10.1.162 Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 175.100.32.29:5060;branch=z9hG4bK08B4d2dd80314813a74 Via: SIP/2.0/UDP 10.65.104.1:5065;branch=z9hG4bKqgyjqqdfz0g5zqhhysze7m0de;X-DptMsg=139 Record-Route: <sip:10.10.1.162:5060;lr;did=05d.f7db99b7;r2=on> Record-Route: <sip:52.74.4.205:5060;lr;did=05d.f7db99b7;r2=on> Record-Route: <sip:175.100.32.29:5060;lr;transport=udp> Contact: <sip:1294@10.10.1.21:5060;transport=udp> Note the following: The Via Headers are used to route the response back to the UAC, the Record-Route headers are present but do not influence the transmission path.

10.10.1.162 is the internal IP address of the OpenSIPS ECS task seen in the "received" parameter of the first Via Header. This "received" parameter is used to determine the first hop back to the the OpenSIPS Proxy in the response, not the Record-Route header.

is the internal IP address of the OpenSIPS ECS task seen in the "received" parameter of the first Via Header. This "received" parameter is used to determine the first hop back to the the OpenSIPS Proxy in the response, not the Record-Route header. 10.10.1.21 (in the contact header) is the internal IP address of the UAS (FreeSWITCH ECS Task). This is set by the UAS in the response. So now, both the UAC and the UAS have a copy of the full set of Record-Route headers and is remembered by both endpoints. Once the dialogue is established, the proxies should not insert any more Record-Route headers after that initial transaction. Instead, all the sequential SIP requests should contain Route headers. The Route Set is used to create a set of Route headers. The sequence of these headers is important - the upstream server will invert the order, but a downstream server does not. Figure 13: Downstream SIP Bye The UAC sends an in-dialog BYE directly to the UAS via the obtained via the UAS's Contact header. The first hop is determined by the Route first Route header, which points to the UAC's Proxy ( 175.100.32.29 ). The UAC's Proxy removes the route header and forwards the request to the next Route header which points to the Network Load Balancer ( 52.74.4.205 ). The Network Load Balancer forwards the request to the OpenSIPS proxy ECS Task ( 10.10.1.162 ). The OpenSIPS proxy removes the the double Route Headers that it owns ( 52.74.4.205 and 10.10.1.162 ) and forwards the request to UAS obtained from the value in the Request-Line ( 10.10.1.21 ). Here's the downstream BYE request from the UAC. Request-Line: BYE sip:1294@10.10.1.21:5060;transport=udp SIP/2.0 Message Header: Route: <sip:175.100.32.29:5060;lr;did=7c1.f350d215;> Route: <sip:52.74.4.205:5060;lr;did=7c1.f350d215;r2=on> Route: <sip:10.10.1.162:5060;lr;did=7c1.f350d215;r2=on> Note the following: The Request Line contains the private IP address of the FreeSWITCH ECS task ( 10.10.1.21 ) which it got from the Contact Header of the Response (see above).

) which it got from the Contact Header of the Response (see above). When the request reaches OpenSIPS, it will strip both of the Route Headers and forward the request to the private IP address of the FreeSWITCH ECS task which it gets from the Request-Line. Auto-scaling FreeSWITCH Tasks So far we have discussed how we deploy FreeSWITCH behind both an Application Load Balancer (when acting as a UAC) and a SIP proxy (when acting as a UAS). This section discusses how we automatically scale FreeSWITCH tasks based on CPU and Session count. We use two separate Target Tracking scaling policies which track both the CPU usage and session count of the FreeSWITCH tasks. Figure 14: ECS Autoscaling When a scaling policy adds a new task, a Lambda function is triggered which adds a load balancer target to the OpenSIPS load balancer table. OpenSIPS will then start load balancing SIP requests to the new task. When FreeSWITCH is acting as a UAC, this happens automatically when ECS registers the task with the Application Load Balancer. Similarly, when a task scales-in the Lambda function is triggered which removes the load balancer target from the OpenSIPS load balancer table. OpenSIPS then stops sending new requests to this endpoint. When FreeSWITCH is acting as a UAC, this happens automatically when ECS de-registers the task from the Application Load Balancer. After a specified timeout period, the task is terminated. Open Source Infrastructure All of the Infrastructure described in this post is available as Terraform configuration files as part of our commitment to being 100% Open Source and a Digital Public Good. The configuration files can be found under the infrastructure directory in the following repositories: Somleng Dashboard and API Somleng Switch

Introducing Programmable SMS January 27, 2023 In October 2022, we introduced DIY programmable voice, allowing customers to roll their own Twilio and make real calls through their VoIP gateways. Today we're excited to announce official support for SMS. With this new feature carriers can offer programmable SMS to their customers by configuring an SMS Gateway and connecting it to their existing SMS infrastructure. Individuals and organizations can also use this feature by connecting their SMS gateway to a device that supports SMPP, such as a VoIP gateway or SIM Box . After the connection is configured, customers can programmatically send and receive SMS through their SMS gateway using the REST API . Visit our documentation for more information on how to configure programmable SMS on Somleng. Note: Using SMS gateways is restricted in some countries. We recommend that you check your local laws and regulations before proceeding with this method.

Introducing DIY Programmable Voice October 14, 2022 At Somleng, one of our biggest customer bases are NGOs. One of the reasons that NGOs choose us is because we work with local carriers directly. This allows us to provide cloud communication services in new markets where it's otherwise unavailable, or with better quality, and a fraction of the cost of our competitors . Although working with local carriers improves quality and reduces costs, one of the biggest pain points for our customers is actually engaging with and arriving at a commercial agreement with a local carrier. Often our customers want to get something up and running quickly to prove a concept or do a pilot, without engaging with their local carrier. Bypassing Carriers It turns out that it's actually possible to access the local public switched telephone network (PSTN) without a commercial agreement with a local carrier. All you need is a VoIP gateway and one or more SIM cards. A VoIP gateway has interfaces to both IP networks and the PSTN and handles the bridging between them. One interface can be connected to the Internet and the other to the PSTN, via SIM card(s) inserted into the VoIP gateway. VoIP gateways range in size 1 from to 128 channels or more. The more channels you have the more concurrent calls you can support. Today we're excited to announce official support for VoIP gateways on Somleng. With this new feature customers can sign up and connect their VoIP gateway to Somleng by configuring a client gateway connection . After the connection is configured, customers can programmatically make outbound calls through your VoIP gateway using the REST API , and programmatically control both outbound and inbound calls via TwiML. Note: Using VoIP gateways is restricted in some countries. We recommend that you check your local laws and regulations before proceeding with this method. Network Providers This new feature also opens up new business opportunities for individuals or organizations to provide access to the PSTN in their country via a VoIP gateway that they own or manage. We call this type of user a Network Provider , and like carriers, they can also create customer accounts on Somleng. Any account that the Network Provider creates, is managed by them and has its own set of REST API credentials and account management interface. A network provider can therefore onboard their own customers, by creating them an account and providing them with PSTN access through their VoIP gateway(s). This can be combined with our custom domains feature feature resulting in a fully custom-branded experience for your customer. We don't yet have a way for a network provider to monetize this business flow directly on the Somleng platform, but it's something we will consider if enough users request this feature. Stay Tuned Currently our client gateway feature only supports Programmable Voice, but stay tuned because we're adding SMS support next!

Be your own Twilio June 10, 2022 Following on from our introductory blog post The Somleng Story in this post we'll do a deep dive into how local carriers can offer programmable voice to their customers via Somleng. Why carriers should offer programmable voice to their customers? Programmable voice has a variety of different use-cases such as: Alerts and Notifications - e.g. password resets, low balance alerts, bill reminders, fraud warnings.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Disaster Management, mHealth and more . Twilio has become the de-facto go-to solution for programmable voice and profits exorbitantly as a result. But actually local carriers can offer much cheaper pricing and better quality since they are the custodians of the network. By offering programmable voice as a solution, local carriers can share in the profits and obtain an advantage over their competitors all while protecting their own branding. What is Somleng? Somleng is an Open Source, white-labeled, Cloud Communications as a Service (CPaaS) solution. Unlike Twilio, which is a global centralized CPaaS designed for platform users directly, Somleng is designed for carriers and network operators. Instead of platform users signing up directly on Somleng, Carriers instead sign up for a Somleng carrier account and manage their own customer accounts. With the release of our new custom domains feature, a carrier can now configure their own custom domain and branding, providing a fully branded CPaaS solution their platform customers. Carriers can then invite their customers to their branded dashboard via their custom domain where the customer can manage their own account and API credentials. The customer can then use Somleng's REST API for programmable voice. Customized Somleng dashboard as viewed by a carrier customer. Customized Somleng API docs as viewed by a carrier customer. Wrapping up Public sign ups are currently available for carriers only. If you work for a carrier and are interested in trying things out please read through our carrier documentation , where you'll find link to sign up for a trial account.
By Mata Press Service

The husband-and-wife law team of Joven Narwal and Cheryl DSa is among 26 lawyers recognized this year with the Kings counsel (KC) designation for exceptional contributions to the legal profession in British Columbia.

The couple, principals at the Vancouver -based Narwal Litigation LLP, were recognized by their peers for extraordinary merit and broader contributions to the legal profession, said a BC Government statement.

The Kings counsel designation serves as a testament to the exceptional dedication and contributions these lawyers have made to our legal landscape, said Niki Sharma, BCs Attorney General.

It signifies an elevated standing among peers and clients, showcasing their unwavering commitment to unparalleled service and expertise. Im honoured to recognize this esteemed group for their invaluable impact on our community, and on the B.C. justice system.

This years appointees include lawyers in private practice, government and academia who have distinguished themselves by their counsel, teaching contributions, publications, advocacy and volunteerism.

We are both deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Attorney General, said Joven.

His late father, Pritpal Narwal, a lawyer in India came to Canada in 1976. At that time, there was no accreditation process to have his Indian law degree recognized in Canada, and he became an entrepreneur and later one of the first Punjabi-origin Notary Publics in BC.

It is especially meaningful because the announcement was made on my late fathers, birthdayhe passed away earlier this year. He always took great interest in my career and my wifes career, and we have always been grateful for his support. I credit everything I have and anything I might achieve to the loving support of my father, and my mother, Jasbier Kaur Narwal who passed away nearly 20 years ago, said Joven.

According to the government statement Joven Narwal is a prominent trial and appellate lawyer known for handling high-stakes cases, specializing in criminal and securities litigation, professional regulation and complex civil matters with criminal aspects.

As a partner at his firm, and an adjunct professor at UBC Allard School of Law, Narwal is immersed in legal academia and practice.

He actively contributes to advisory committees to promote inclusive policies and, notably, he was the first IBPOC president of the Vancouver Bar Association (VBA). Through his work with the VBA, he championed raising funds for Access Pro Bono and the Lawyers Assistance Program.

The BC Government said Cheryl DSa is a civil litigator and mediator who is recognized for her expertise in personal injury cases, often being asked to speak or lecture on the topic.

DSa is engaged extensively with the Canadian Bar Association B.C. (CBABC) branch and was the first female IBPOC president of the Vancouver Bar Association. She currently chairs the Law Society of B.C.'s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a member of the Mental Health Task Force.

DSa is passionate about offering formal mentorship to female and IBPOC lawyers, and she won the CBABC Debra Van Ginkel, QC Mentoring Award that recognizes her significant contributions as a mentor.
SYDNEY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday expressed his interest in exploring part of the AUKUS agreement during his visit to Australia, but maintained his country had a "non-negotiable" nuclear-free position.

In a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney, Luxon said New Zealand was interested in exploring pillar two of the AUKUS deal with regard to the new technologies and potential opportunities the country could participate in, the Australian news channel Sky News reported.

Under the trilateral AUKUS alliance, announced in September 2021, Australia can build nuclear-powered submarines with technology provided by the United States and the United Kingdom.

The New Zealand leader, who was on his first official trip abroad, described the AUKUS pact as an "important element" to regional stability and peace, but also laid out his country's "non-negotiable" condition for involvement.

"We will always have our nuclear-free position. That's non-negotiable for us in New Zealand," Luxon told reporters in Sydney.

Pillar two of the AUKUS agreement involves developing advanced technologies to enhance military capabilities. New Zealand is not part of the agreement nor was it asked to join pillar one, according to local news website News.com.au.

A joint report released by a Chinese and a Russian think tank in August showed that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal poses a serious risk to regional and global security.

The report, called "The AUKUS submarine deal: risks for the nuclear non-proliferation regime and global security", was published by the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association and Russia's Center for Energy and Security Studies.

"The AUKUS strategic military cooperation is unprecedented and goes against the goals and spirit of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), may inflict severe damage on the international non-proliferation regime and the NPT itself," says the report.

The AUKUS deal involves the transfer of up to four tons of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium from the United States and Britain, two nuclear-weapon states, to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state. 
The basis for everything we understand about the orbits of the planets comes from the work of German astronomer Johannes Kepler

Kepler, without knowing about the force of gravity , mathematically described the motions of the planets around the sun in his three laws of planetary motion. His work was key in providing evidence for Nicol aus Copernicus ' theory that the sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system.

Related: Kepler's Third Law: The movement of solar system planets

When was Kepler born?

Johannes Kepler was born on Dec. 27, 1571, in the Free Imperial City of Weil der Stadt, which today is near Stuttgart, Germany. He was abandoned by his soldier father at a young age and was raised as a Lutheran by his mother and grandparents.

Though neglected as a child, he displayed a knack for mathematics and witnessed two astronomical events that spurred his interest in the cosmos: the Great Comet of 1577 and a total lunar eclipse in 1580. However, a bout of smallpox left Kepler with crippled hands and damaged eyesight.

As a teenager, Kepler studied at a Cistercian monastery in Adelberg, where he learned Latin, the language used by the scholars of the day, thus setting him up for his academic studies as an adult. He progressed on to the University of Tubingen in Germany, where he studied philosophy.

Kepler, Copernicus and the platonic solids

While at Tubingen, Kepler's math professor, Michael Maestlin, introduced him to Copernicanism , named after Copernicus, who had died in 1543. This heliocentric, or Sun-centered, model describes how Earth and other planets in the solar system orbit the sun, and not the other way around.

In the late 16th century, heliocentrism was still a fringe theory; most people believed Earth was at the center of creation. At Tubingen, Kepler was taught both theories, and upon reading Copernicus' "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi" ("Six Books Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs"), he immediately dismissed the geocentric, or Earth-centered, theory in favor of the heliocentric model.

Although heliocentrism made logical sense, observational evidence for the model was missing in the late 16th century. Kepler made it his life's mission to provide that evidence; he saw it as a way to better grasp God's grand design. In the devout times in which Kepler lived, even appeals to logic required divine explanation.

In 1594, Kepler took a post teaching math and astronomy in Graz, Austria, where he had a breakthrough. While playing with geometric shapes on a chalkboard, Kepler drew a circle inside an equilateral triangle, with the circle touching the triangle halfway down each side. He then drew another circle around the triangle, with the circle touching the triangle at each of its three points.

Kepler believed that the ratio of the size of the circles matched the ratio of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn , and imagined that between each planet's orbit was a " platonic solid "  a three-dimensional polyhedron. Kepler interpreted this as part of God's underlying geometric design supporting the orbits of the planets. In 1596, he published his ideas in his book " Mysterium Cosmographicum ."

Kepler also worked on some other ideas that would be deemed wacky today. For example, in 1619, he published "Harmonices Mundi," in which he argued that the motion of the six known planets (before the discovery of Uranus and Neptune ) could be described by musical tones and that their orbits produced harmonies . Despite these bizarre ideas, Kepler modeled the planets' orbits more precisely than anyone before him.

Did Kepler kill Tycho Brahe?

Statue of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler in Hradcany, Czechia. (Image credit: Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

In 1600, Kepler traveled to Benatky Castle, near Prague, to work as an observing assistant to Danish astronomers Tycho Brahe and Christen Srensen Longomontanus. With Longomontanus, Kepler carefully tracked the motion of Mars through the sky, mapping its orbit. Kepler noticed that the farther Mars was from the sun, the more slowly the planet moved, and the closer it was to the sun, the faster Mars moved along its orbit.

Those were Kepler's first steps in providing observational evidence for the heliocentric model. However, Kepler was not happy working for Brahe and Longomontanus. For one thing, his superiors were geocentrists and dismissed Kepler's Copernicanism. Second, Brahe did not allow Kepler to access records of his own detailed observations of the heavens made across decades.

Third, the environment at Benatky Castle was raucous, with lots of partying, alcohol and music, and little privacy; Brahe, in particular, was a party animal . Kepler issued a set of demands, asking for a more formal contract and better working conditions, but he was promptly thrown out of the castle. Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed, Brahe and Kepler made up, and Kepler returned with his family in tow.

However, in 1601, there was a huge plot twist: After a period of particularly heavy partying, Brahe died. At the time, his death was blamed on a kidney stone, but in the 1990s, it was suggested that Brahe could died from mercury poisoning, with Kepler a suspect in Brahe's death. However, in 2010, Brahe's remains were exhumed, and a toxicology report found no evidence of mercury poisoning . Instead, it is thought that Tycho died from a bacterial infection, prostate cancer or a burst bladder.

When did Kepler die?

Kepler died from a fever, possibly the result of a bladder infection , on Nov. 15, 1630, at age 58, in Regensburg, Germany.

However, his name forever lives on, in both his laws of planetary motion and NASA's Kepler space telescope , which discovered thousands of exoplanets between 2009 and 2018.

Kepler's three laws of planetary motion

The glowing remnant of Kepler's Supernova, which he saw in 1604. (Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/JPLCaltech/MSFC/STScI/ESA/CSA/SDSS/ESO)

Upon Tycho's death, Kepler replaced him as the Imperial Mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke Ferdinand. On his deathbed, Brahe had permitted Kepler to use his preciously guarded astronomical data, and these data proved vital in the work that Kepler is best known for: his three laws of planetary motion.

In 1609, Kepler published " Astronomia Nova ," which detailed his 10-year-long study of the motion of Mars in the sky. "Astronomia Nova" contained the first two laws; the third law was published in "Harmonices Mundi." Then, in 1621, Kepler published his magnum opus, " Epitome Astronomiae ," which described all three laws in full.

Remarkably, without knowledge of the force of gravity that governs the orbits of the planets, Kepler had provided the basic mathematics of orbital motion. They were later developed further by Isaac Newton , who is credited with "discovering" gravity, and Kepler's laws were fundamental to Newton's laws of gravitation.

The laws of planetary motion were not the only valid scientific work conducted by Kepler. In 1604, he published "Astronomiae Pars Optica" ("The Optical Part of Astronomy"), which explained why the lunar eclipse he had seen in 1580 was red (the result of atmospheric refraction of sunlight). In 1604, he witnessed a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, which was the last supernova seen in the Milky Way .

After the invention of the telescope in 1608, Kepler experimented with telescopic optics, improving upon the designs of Hans Lippershey and Galileo Galilei to create the Keplerian telescope, which formed the basis of all modern refracting telescopes .

What is the first law of planetary motion? The first law of planetary motion states that planets move in slightly elliptical orbits  subtle ovals rather than circles. Furthermore, it states that the sun is located at one focus of the ellipse. With a circle, there is a center that is equidistant from all points on that circle. In contrast, an ellipse does not have a center that is equidistant. Instead, an ellipse has two foci  one on each side of the center  along the center line linking the two widest parts of the ellipse. (This is called the semimajor axis.) The sun is at one of these foci.

What is the second law of planetary motion? The second law of planetary motion relates to how a planet orbits more slowly the farther it is from the sun on its elliptical orbit. It states that if you were to draw a line between a planet and the sun, this line would sweep out equal areas during equal amounts of time. To understand this idea, picture an ellipse with the sun at one focus, as described in the first law, and draw an imaginary line from the sun to a planet on that ellipse. Now, imagine the planet moving along its elliptical orbit for a given amount of time when it is at the opposite side of the ellipse as the sun. Because it is farther from the sun, it's moving more slowly. The line between the planet and the sun will make an angle covering a certain area of the ellipse. Now, picture the planet on the other side of the ellipse, closest to the sun, moving for the same amount of time. Here, it is moving faster, and the angle it draws is larger. But because it is closer to the sun, it covers the same total area.

What is the third law of planetary motion? The third law of planetary motion states that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of the length of the semimajor axis of its orbit. This is a complex way of saying that the amount of time it takes for a planet to complete one orbit around the sun (i.e., its orbital period) is proportional to the semimajor axis of its elliptical orbit, which is the line that cuts through the center of the ellipse and connects the two widest parts. A planet with a larger semimajor axis will take longer to orbit the sun. In other words, Venus takes longer to orbit the sun than Mercury does, Earth takes longer than Venus, Mars takes longer than Earth, and so on.

Johannes Kepler FAQs

What is Kepler best known for? Johannes Kepler was an astronomer best known for his three laws of planetary motion, which describe how the planets move in ellipses around the sun. His name is also well-known thanks to NASA's exoplanet-finding Kepler space telescope.

What did Kepler invent? In 1611, Kepler invented a type of telescope, now called a Keplerian telescope, that used a convex eyepiece lens to provide a wide field of view, rather than the narrow field seen through Galileo's concave-lens telescope. The Keplerian design became the basis for all future refracting telescopes

How old was Kepler when he died? Kepler was 58, six weeks shy of his 59th birthday, when he died from a brief illness in 1530 while on a trip to Regensburg, Germany.

Additional resources

Check out this neat video from NASA describing Kepler's laws of planetary motion. You can also learn about the NASA exoplanet-hunting space telescope that was named after Kepler. Discover more about the supernova that Johannes Kepler witnessed in 1604 at NASA's website .

Bibliography

University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy Lecture 7: Laws of Planetary Motion, https://home.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/joseph/7.Kepler.pdf

Francesco Barreca, The Correspondence of Johannes Kepler, http://emlo-portal.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/collections/?catalogue=johannes-kepler

The History of Johannes Kepler, NASA JPL, 2004, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/the-history-of-johannes-kepler

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2021, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kepler/

Robert S. Westman, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Kepler

J. L. Heilbron, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023 https://www.britannica.com/science/Platonic-solid

Michael Lucibella, APS News, This Month in Physics History, July 19, 1595: Kepler's Insight Leading to Mysterium Cosmographicum, 2014 https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201407/physicshistory.cfm

Kepler's Harmonices Mundi, University College Oxford, 2014 https://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/news/keplers-harmonices-mundi/

Owen Gingerich and James R. Voelkel, Tycho and Kepler: Solid Myth versus Subtle Truth, Social Research, Vol 72 No. 1, pp77106, https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972003

Martina Redpath, Tycho Brahe: Party Animal and Astronomer! Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 2012, https://armaghplanet.com/tycho-brahe-party-animal-and-astronomer.html

Mercury poisoning ruled out as cause of Tycho Brahe's death, Aarhus University, 2012, https://projekter.au.dk/en/tycho-brahe/pressreleases/mercury-poisoning-ruled-out-as-cause-of-tycho-brahes-death

Jack Lissauer, In Retrospect: Kepler's Astronomia Nova, Nature, 462, 725, 2009, https://www.nature.com/articles/462725a

The Sun, the orb of the Earth and the sphere of the fixed stars (M.12.40), University of Cambridge Digital Library, https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-M-00012-00040-00006/1

Gloria Hon and Yaakov Zik, Kepler's Optical Part of Astronomy (1604): Introducing the Ecliptic Instrument, Perspectives on Science, Vol 17 No. 3, 2009, https://direct.mit.edu/posc/article/17/3/307/15252/Kepler-s-Optical-Part-of-Astronomy-1604

NASA, Kepler's Supernova Remnant: Debris from Stellar Explosion Not Slowed After 400 Years, 2020 https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/keplers-supernova-remnant-debris-from-stellar-explosion-not-slowed-after-400-years/

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/science/Keplerian-telescope

Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/question/How-and-where-did-Johannes-Kepler-die
Top telescope pick! (Image credit: Celestron) Looking for a telescope to see the planets or anything else in the December night sky? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.

Another year of skywatching is upon us, and there's a lot to look forward to in 2024!

Here are some of the most noteworthy sky events  15 of them to be exact  including meteor showers, occultations of bright stars and a total solar eclipse for the United States, that will all take place this year.

Here you'll see some of the more noteworthy sky events that will take place this upcoming year. Space.com's monthly Night Sky skywatching column will provide more extensive coverage of most of these events as they draw closer.

If you want to make the most of these amazing stargazing events, check out our guides for the best binoculars and the best telescopes to get a closer look at the planets or anything else in the sky. We also have recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Jan. 4: Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Quadrantid meteor streaks across the sky over Beypazari district of Ankara, Turkey on Jan. 5, 2022. (Image credit: Fatih Kurt/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

At present, the Quadrantid meteor shower is probably  along with the Geminids of December  the richest annual meteor display but one of the briefest; six hours before and after maximum, these blue meteors appear at only a quarter their highest rates.

This year, the maximum of the shower is predicted to occur on Monday, Jan. 4 at 4 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT)  especially favorable for eastern North America. Unfortunately, a last quarter moon will interfere somewhat with observations. Under more favorable conditions you might average a meteor sighting or more per minute. The Quadrantids' radiant (from where the meteors appear to fan out) is located halfway between the head of Draco and the end of the Big Dipper's handle, high in the northeast sky during the early morning.

Related: When, where and how to see the planets in the 2023 night sky

Jan. 8: Moon hides a bright star

An illustration of Antares beside the crescent moon. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Once again, the moon will hide Antares when a last quarter (or "half") moon, crosses bright red star Antares at around 4 a.m. EST (0900 GMT) for parts of the southeast United States.

March 25: Penumbral eclipse of the moon

A partial lunar eclipse seen on July 17, 2019. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The moon passing almost completely above the Earth's shadow, in the process samples only the shadow's outer part, the penumbra, which is not only pale but grades to paler outward. This eclipse favors the Western Hemisphere. The darkest part of the shadow  the umbra  lies to the south of the moon's path.

So, perhaps for half an hour or so, centered on the time of the middle of the eclipse (3:12 a.m. EDT), those who know to look may be able to discern a vague gray stain concentrated toward the moon's lower rim.

April 8: The Great North American eclipse of the sun

A map of the path of totality for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. (Image credit: MichaelZeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse.com)

Those living within a path roughly 123 miles (198 km) wide and stretching from the Pacific coast of Mexico to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland will get an opportunity to observe nature's greatest show  a total eclipse of the sun. The trajectory of the moons shadow has led some to refer to this upcoming event as "The Great North American Eclipse of the sun." The shadow track better known as the "path of totality"  will sweep over portions of 15 U.S. states.

Many Americans taking full advantage of this event's close proximity to their homes will have a golden opportunity to witness firsthand one of the most beautiful and most exciting of nature's sky events. The total eclipse will be seen by an estimated 32 million people who fortuitously live within the totality path. However, the number of people who are within just a two-day's drive of the totality zone is probably over 300 million.

This will likely be one of the big events of 2024 and Space.com will provide you with all the details as we get closer to this "day of darkness."

May 23: Antares again

For the third time this year, the moon will hide the bright red star, Antares, once again for parts of the southeast United States.

The differences from the previous occultation in early March, is that this time the moon will be virtually full and that this event will occur during the late evening hours at around 11 p.m. EDT (0300 on May 24).

July 13: Moon hides Spica

The northern spring constellation of Virgo, one of the constellations of the zodiac. The bright star at lower left is Spica. (Image credit: Getty Images/Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images)

The first quarter moon crosses in front of the bright blue star, Spica, for all of North America. Spica will disappear behind the moon's dark edge and reappear about an hour later along its bright edge.

The time for this event varies depending on exactly where you live. If you live in the East, the moon will cover Spica very low in the west-southwest sky at around 11:30 p.m. In the West, the moon covers the star before sunset; it will emerge on the moons bright side at around 8:45 p.m. PDT (0445 GMT on July 14).

Aug. 11-12: The Perseid meteor shower

A 360 composite image of 100 meteors captured in 4 consecutive nights during the Perseid meteor shower 2023 as seen from the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve in Portugal. (Image credit: Miguel Claro)

This year will be an excellent one to watch for the peak of the Perseid meteors during the overnight hours of Aug. 11-12. Wait until after the moon sets around 11 p.m., then continue watching until the first light of dawn (if you plan to forego some sleep). From a brightly-lit city you may catch a few bright streaks, darting from the northeast sky, but from dark, rural locations you might see one every minute or two.

Our Perseid meteor shower observing guide has tips and tricks to see them. From a location free from bright lights and tall obstructions like buildings or trees, a single observer looking overhead and toward the northeast might see up to 90 shooting stars per hour. They're called Perseids because they appear to shoot away from the constellation Perseus.

Aug. 14: Planet summit meeting

An illustration of the east-northeast sky on Aug. 14, 2024 showing Mars near Jupiter in the Taurus constellation. (Image credit: TheSkyLive.com)

Check out the east-northeast sky any time after 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 14 to see an exceedingly close pairing (0.3-degree) of Jupiter and Mars; Jupiter is nearly 16 times brighter than its orange companion. This is the closest planet alignment of 2024.

Sept. 17: Earth's Shadow makes a dent on the moon

A partial lunar eclipse as seen in December 2009. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi)

The Harvest full moon will undergo a minor partial lunar eclipse on Sept. 17. The moon will graze the Earth's dark shadow from 10:12 to 11:16 p.m. EDT. (0212 to 0316 GMT on Sept. 18) But at its peak (10:44 p.m. EDT or 0244 GMT on Sept. 18) only 8.7% of the moon will be eclipsed. It will look like a dent or tiny scallop has been taken out of the top of the moon.

Oct. 2: Annular eclipse of the sun

An annular solar eclipse as seen from Great Basin National Park in Nevada on Oct. 14, 2023. (Image credit: Future/Brett Tingley)

This is the type of solar eclipse where the moon is a little too distant from the Earth to cover the sun completely, leaving a ring of sunlight shining around the moon's silhouette.

The path of the eclipse intersects Isla de Pascua, more popularly known as Easter Island, where at 1:04 p.m. local time, the solar ring will persist for 6 minutes and 5 seconds. The moon's antumbral shadow also makes landfall in South America, taking 12 minutes to cross Patagonia, moving in from the Pacific over Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael in Chile and exiting out over the Atlantic at Canadon Once de Septiembre in Argentina.

An annular eclipse is not like totality: the sky gets no darker than in a deep partial eclipse; the sun's glorious corona, and the chromosphere and "edge effects" such as shadow bands cannot appear. Yet, it is still a spectacular sight, and enthusiasts will go to whatever section of the eclipse track is most easily accessible for them.

Read more: Annular solar eclipse of 2023 wows skywatchers with spectacular 'ring of fire' (photos, video)

Oct. 17: Biggest full moon of 2024

The moon turns full at 7:26 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time and 10 hours and 39 minutes earlier it will arrive at perigee, that point in its orbit closest to the Earth at a distance of 221,943 miles (357,182 km).

Colloquially, this is now referred to as a "supermoon." Expect a large range in ocean tides (exceptionally low to exceptionally high) for the next few days.



Late October: A bright comet is coming (maybe)

On Sept. 28, Comet TsuchinshanATLAS will pass 36 million miles from the sun, and two weeks later will come within 44 million miles of the Earth. There is a "chance" that this comet could become bright enough to be readily seen with the naked eye low in the west-southwest sky 1 to 3 hours after sunset during the third week of October.

But a bit of caution: comets are notoriously unpredictable. We can only guess how bright it will get and how long the tail will be. We'll just have to wait and see.

Nov. 27: Spica deja vu

For the second time this year, the moon will occult or hide the bright blue star Spica during the morning hours of Nov. 27th. This time, the moon will be a slender crescent and Spica will disappear along the moon's bright edge.

In the East, moon and star will appear low in the southeast when Spica disappears at around 5:30 a.m. EST (0930 GMT). The reappearance from behind the moon's dark side will nearly coincide with sunrise. Across the Rockies, the sudden reappearance of Spica from behind the moon's dark side will occur around 4:15 a.m. MST (1015 GMT).

Dec. 13-14: Moon to squelch Geminid meteors

The Geminid meteor shower of 2023 as seen from from Somerset in the United Kingdom. (Image credit: Future/Josh Dury)

Thanks to a full moon on Dec. 15, 2024 is not a good year at all to observe the Geminids, December's principal meteoric display and the best of the annual meteor showers. The moon will flood the sky with its bright light when peak activity is expected, and its light will hide all but the brightest shower members for a few days around that date.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of any of the planets, eclipses or meteor showers in this guide and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday condemned the intensifying Israeli military operation in Gaza, the state news agency SANA reported.

In a phone conversation, both ministers expressed grave concern about the escalating situation in Palestine, particularly the Gaza Strip, and condemned "the continuous Israeli and Western aggression against the Palestinian people," the report said.

They also regretted the loss of nearly 20,000 lives in Gaza, emphasizing the urgent need to halt the Israeli military operation and deliver essential humanitarian aid to the enclave, according to the report.

On the bilateral relations, the two top diplomats highlighted the importance of implementing various agreements reached by the two sides, noting that tangible decisions will bring positive outcomes for the people of both Syria and Iran. 
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A publicity and promotion event for Taiwan investment on the mainland was held in Beijing on Wednesday, under the joint guidance of the Ministry of Commerce and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

During the event, relevant departments and institutions were invited to interpret the mainland's policies to attract investment, enhance integration between Fujian and Taiwan, and support Taiwan compatriots and medium and small-sized businesses. The departments and institutions also made presentations on the investment environments of key mainland provinces, regions and cities.

Vice Commerce Minister Guo Tingting said at the event that the mainland will increase policy support to boost high-standard opening-up, optimize the investment environment for Taiwan businesses to integrate into the domestic economy, and deepen integrated development of the cross-Strait economy and trade.

Noting that there are new opportunities for Taiwan compatriots and businesses on the mainland, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Chen Yuanfeng called on them to work together to bring cross-Strait relations back onto the right track of peaceful development.

Lee Cheng-hung, president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, urged Taiwan businesses to integrate actively into the mainland's high-quality development and work together to boost the economy of the Chinese nation.

Representatives of over 140 Taiwan-funded enterprises attended the event. 
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ships from an Israeli cargo shipping company as well as those en route to the country, and those hoisting the country's flag will be restricted from docking at Malaysian ports with immediate effect, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

"The Malaysian government has decided to bar and restrict Zim Integrated Shipping Services, a shipping company based in Israel, from docking at any Malaysian ports," he said in a statement.

"This sanction is a response to Israel's actions that disregard the basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and continuous cruelty against the Palestinian people," he added.

Malaysia has long championed Palestinian rights and causes, with Anwar vocally raising the issue at a number of international forums.

Malaysia and Israel currently maintain no formal diplomatic relations. 
But now that inflation has come down and the British economy has proved more resilient than was expected, we need to move on from the high spending, high borrowing, and high tax approach that was necessary to get us through Covid and the energy price shock.
The Palestinian people are incredibly talented, educated, and diverse; they deserve better representation by capable leaders and parties, not an exclusionary death cult that has spent the past 30 years sabotaging an imperfect yet viable peace process. Ironically, and after numerous attempts to undermine the Oslo roadmap for peace and Palestinian statehood, Hamas is now signaling its willingness to accept the 1967 borders for a future state, living side by side with the State of Israel. This is precisely the position adopted by the Palestinian Authority, which Hamas accused of treason for accepting this framework. After tens of thousands of casualties, widespread destruction, and many wars, the group is right back where the Palestinians were three decades ago. Unfortunately, the current Israeli political landscape is exponentially more extreme and unlikely to embrace meaningful peace negotiations anytime soon.
It also stated that Ormond does not claim Weinsteins alleged conduct took place on the companys property and does not claim the company employed Weinstein  which they say make it illegible to claim negligent supervision.
While three men were jailed in November 2021, Ms Ecclestone said none of her familys stolen possessions other than a single pair of earrings have been found since the burglary.
Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry said the latest victim suffered significant stab wounds, adding: I am deeply saddened by this tragic incident and send my heartfelt condolences to the victims family and friends as well as to all those in the local area who are affected by such terrible news.
Members communicated via encrypted emails in an attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement. However, thanks to joint working with our European partners and the diligence of NCA officers, these men are now being exposed and we will not stop until every member of this network is brought to justice.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Standard: This is a disaster for the NHS. Winter is always a challenging period with extra pressures. These are strikes that the NHS can't afford we've lost a million appointments and operations to delays and cancellations already and 1billion has been spent on the costs of strike action. So this is the worst of all worlds. Bad for patients and also bad value for taxpayers.
GENEVA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior United Nations (UN) official on Tuesday warned that the holiday period would likely bring an increase in attacks in the Gaza Strip, as the world turns its focus elsewhere during Christmas.

Around 7,000 children have been killed in Gaza so far, while around 1,000 children have lost one or more of their lower limbs, according to spokesperson for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) James Elder.

He told a press briefing in Geneva: "The sheer number of children with amputations is shocking."

The official told reporters that the largest remaining fully-functional hospital in Gaza, Al-Nasr in Khan Younis, has been shelled twice in the last 48 hours.

The hospital was not only sheltering a large number of seriously wounded children, but also hundreds of women and children from across the Gaza Strip who were seeking safety.

Over 100,000 children in Gaza currently have diarrhea, which can be deadly, while 150,000 civilians have acute respiratory illnesses.

Malnutrition is also soaring among children in Gaza. Over 130,000 of Gaza's most vulnerable children, infants aged under two, are not receiving critical breastfeeding or age-appropriate complementary feeding, Elder underlined.

"Without sufficient, safe water, food and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire could bring, child deaths due to disease could well surpass those already killed in bombardments," he said. 
The Supreme Court is also being asked to intervene on the question of whether Trump enjoyed presidential immunity absolving him of any crimes on January 6. Victory in that argument would go a long way to clearing him in federal and state trials linked to the Capitol Hill violence.
Even in cases in which immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery are not an adequate substitute for police investigations, carried out independently, adequately, and with sufficient participation of next of kin.
Mr Rotheram said: Unless Network North is shorthand for Network North Circular, I really fail to see how fixing roads in London will help to improve journey times between Liverpool and Manchester, get more freight onto rail, or make a jot of difference to a single person in the North.
But what I will say, whilst this legislation, which is deeply unpopular with the Scottish public, is blocked for now, what I would like to see is that this legislation is withdrawn and I would like to see the Scottish Government say they will never implement this Bill.
The ballet school is among those that have been accused as part of a BBC investigation. The broadcaster says it has now spoken to more than 100 former dancers who attended UK schools from the 1990s through to the present day, and who all claim they experienced a "damaging" culture.
This state-level challenge is very welcome and made necessary by the UK Governments actions. Victims should be at the heart of how the Troubles is addressed, not swept to the side with denial of rights imposed.
The entrepreneur, who was previously the honorary British consul in the city of Guayaquil, was taken from his home in the town of Baba along with Katherine Paola Santos, his girlfriend.
A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued in the hopes of getting the US to abstain or vote "yes" after it vetoed an earlier ceasefire call.
Prosecutors said Saman Abbas was killed by her family on May 1, 2021. Her body was found in November last year in an abandoned farmhouse in northern Italy, 18 months after she went missing.
Residents were evacuated from the area most at threat just before 1am local time (11pm on Tuesday GMT) as a precaution, he said. Three helicopters continued to scoop up water from the ocean and drop it on the fire.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday he is ready to work with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to promote bilateral ties for fresh achievements with the newly announced strategic partnership between the two countries as a new starting point.

In his phone talks with Ortega, Xi pointed out that the political decision made by Ortega and Nicaraguan Vice President Companera Rosario Murillo two years ago to resume diplomatic ties with China has made significant contribution to bilateral relations, which will be remembered by history.

Since the resumption of relations, the two sides, with a sense of urgency, have promoted a leap-forward development of China-Nicaragua relations, Xi said, adding that the two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and have comprehensively expanded and made positive progress in practical cooperation.

Xi also said that he is willing to join the Nicaraguan leader in setting an example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results.

Xi emphasized that China highly appreciates Nicaragua's adherence to the one-China principle and its public support for China's safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity on many occasions, adding that China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua, will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, and also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference.

He noted China's readiness to share its experience with Nicaragua in such fields as governance and poverty eradication, adding that he has put forward eight major steps China will take to support the joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and China welcomes Nicaragua's active synergy in this regard.

The free trade agreement between China and Nicaragua, which will come into effect on Jan. 1 next year, is a landmark achievement of cooperation between the two countries, Xi said, noting that both sides should take this opportunity to continuously boost the volume and raise the level of bilateral trade.

China encourages competitive Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Nicaragua and carry out more cooperation projects that Nicaragua needs to help it achieve self-driven development, and to bring more benefits to the Nicaraguan people, said the Chinese president.

China also stands ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, promote the development of a more just and rational international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Xi added.

For his part, Ortega said that China's remarkable achievements in development under the excellent leadership of President Xi have not only lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty, but also made significant contributions to promoting world peace, and especially to sharing development achievements with people in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and improving their well-being, bringing hope and injecting strength to the world.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and China, Ortega said he is honored to jointly announce with President Xi the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which will surely become an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations.

The Nicaraguan side sincerely appreciates China's support for Nicaragua's safeguarding of its sovereignty and independence, as well as China's valuable assistance in Nicaragua's economic development and improvement of people's livelihoods, he said.

Nicaragua highly values its friendly relations with its great brother China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports China's grand cause of reunification and supports global cooperation initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi, he said.

Nicaragua is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral friendly relations, strengthen multilateral coordination, oppose external interference and power politics, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he noted.

Ortega also conveyed to Xi the brotherly sympathies from the Nicaraguan people over the earthquake in Gansu province.

Xi expressed his gratitude and said that after the earthquake, he promptly issued instructions, urging all-out search and rescue work, and proper relocation of affected populations, and making every effort to safeguard the lives and property of the people.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and with the united efforts of the Chinese people, victory in the earthquake relief will be secured and people in the disaster-striken areas will undoubtedly return to normal life and rebuild their homes as soon as possible, Xi said.

After the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on the establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nicaragua. 
Switzerland has one of the highest levels of cocaine use in Europe, according to the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites measured in waste water, with Zurich, Basel and Geneva all featuring in the top 10 cities in Europe.
Giving an insight into what the big day its self is like in the Swash/Solomon household, he said: "Christmas is amazing, its all about the kids at Christmas. Weve got six kids and Christmas is the best time to have kids because you just get to see how magical it is for them and how special it is. Its going to be baby Belles first Christmas. Last year it was Roses first Christmas so thats always really nice." This year, he has partnered with mobile phone provider Three UK, who has conducted research revealing that one fifth (19 percent) of Gen Zs would rather give up turkey and all the trimmings than their precious mobile phone on Christmas Day. "I didn't realise how much phones have become part of Christmas," he admitted. "We love playing games together as a family on Christmas Day, particularly the one where everyone puts their phones to their heads, and you give clues to guess the card.
Responding to the Grammy winners attempt to dismiss the suit, the stylist's lawyer Ron Zambrando said: This motion was expected and is yet another Hail Mary by Lizzos team to try to shift blame to the victims, as she has done to the three other plaintiffs who have sued her for similar allegations of harassment, disability discrimination and retaliatory termination.
While many congratulated the singer, more eagle-eyed fans got to work on guessing what all of the clues in the video meant and concluded that it could be the name of the track.
In quake-hit Jishishan, northwest China's Gansu Province, some local residents stood by the roadside, giving thumbs up to vehicles transporting relief materials. #earthquake #China
Abbas Ganbay

Turkish Trade Minister Omar Bolat will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on 20 December, Azernews reports.

During the two-day visit, the Turkish minister will hold meetings with Azerbaijani officials.

During the talks, the sides will discuss several important issues, including increasing trade turnover between the two countries.
A China-Europe freight train, which set out from Duisburg, Germany, carrying exhibits for the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) arrives in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's imports and exports totaled 3.86 trillion yuan (about 540.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2023, up 1.2 percent year on year, according to the local customs office.

Over the period, Shanghai's exports rose 1.7 percent year on year to 1.59 trillion yuan, and its imports increased 0.8 percent to 2.27 trillion yuan, data from Shanghai Customs shows.

Integrated circuits, ships and new energy products have become the main drivers of export growth in Shanghai. In the first 11 months of 2023, the city exported 1.1 trillion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, up 3.5 percent year on year and accounting for 69.5 percent of its total export value during the period.

Exports of integrated circuits reached 167.33 billion yuan, up 12.6 percent and driving up exports by 1.2 percentage points. Exports of ships rose 47.7 percent to 36.77 billion yuan, boosting exports by 0.8 percentage points.

Over the same period, Shanghai's exports of new energy products climbed to 159.32 billion yuan, an increase of 45.1 percent and driving exports up by 3.2 percentage points.

Shanghai imported 516.85 billion yuan of consumer goods, up 7.4 percent year on year and amounting to 22.7 percent of the city's total import value.

Shanghai's trade with the European Union, its largest trading partner, amounted to 773.67 billion yuan, up 2.7 percent year on year and accounting for 20 percent of its total foreign trade volume during the period. 
163,550 persons cross Romania's borders on Tuesday

About 7,560 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania on Tuesday, while in total about 163,550 Romanian and foreign citizens and about 50,400 means of transport went through the control formalities at border crossings throughout the country, told Agerpres.

"There were 87,753 persons entering Romania, of whom 7,561 were Ukrainian citizens. From 10.02.2022 (pre-conflict period) until 24 October, 24.00, 6,905,494 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania," a press release of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday said.

In the areas of competence, the crossing points and the "green border," the police found 37 illegal acts (27 offences and ten contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, and the amount of fines imposed amounts to 976,450 lei.

Goods worth approximately 23,150 lei were seized for confiscation.

On Tuesday, 19 foreign citizens were not allowed to enter the country because they did not meet the conditions provided by the law and 24 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons.
Agriculture agency employees to have equal pay as of January 2024

The salaries for the employees of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) will be equalised starting January 2024, the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS) informed on Wednesday.

"After a week of protests by the APIA National Trade Union, part of the Agrostar Federation affiliated to the BNS, but also following negotiations held by union representatives from the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA), Prime Minister of Romania Ion Marcel Ciolacu, and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Florin Ionut Barbu, have accepted their demand for equalisation of salaries for APIA employees starting January 2024," says BNS.

APIA employees started protests last week, dissatisfied with the salary situation. The officials accused that, although they are very successful, with an absorption rate of European funds of over 96% every year, and the workload is very high, their salaries have remained at the level of 2015.

Moreover, they consider that they are in a situation of discrimination, as APIA is the only Agency in MADR that is on the territorial grid, the National Federation of APIA Trade Unions had recently revealed.
'Babes-Bolyai' University implementing 1.4-million-euro project on oceanic and atmospheric flow

"Babes-Bolyai" University (UBB) of Cluj-Napoca is implementing a 1.4-million-euro project, funded under the National Resilience and Recovery Plan (PNRR), on the essential interactions between oceans and the atmosphere, told Agerpres.

"Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB) is implementing 11 projects funded under PNRR's Component 9: Private Sector Support, Research, Development and Innovation, Initiative 8: 'Development of a programme for attracting highly specialised human resources from abroad in research, development and innovation activities," each of these projects having a funding of approximately 1.4 million euro, over a period of 3 years. One of the 11 projects, entitled 'Nonlinear Studies of Stratified Oceanic and Atmospheric Flow,' is coordinated by Dr Calin-Iulian Martin from the University of Vienna and addresses one of the most urgent needs of today, namely to obtain a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the large-scale ocean circulation and ocean-atmosphere interactions. This is because, with their remarkable capacity to store and release heat over long periods of time, the oceans play an active and central role in climate stabilisation. In this context, the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that 93% of the additional energy resulting from the greenhouse effect has been absorbed by the ocean," UBB informs in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the source, despite some progress in understanding ocean-atmosphere interactions, there are still many shortcomings, for instance the complicated vertical structure of ocean currents is largely ignored, and so far only the irrotational case has been treated; the current stage of the theory is almost exclusively linear, which means that, so far, only situations which assume that the physical quantities involved satisfy simple proportional relationships have been considered; geophysical effects (arising from the Earth's rotation) are largely ignored; three-dimensional water flows are very poorly understood; atmospheric studies usually start from ad-hoc modelling based on heuristic simplifications of the equations of motion or on observational data.

The stated objectives will be achieved by using approximations that preserve the structure of the nonlinear governing equations, followed by the derivation of model equations that incorporate the long-wave regime as well as the intermediate-wave regime. As far as atmospheric wave propagation is concerned, a non-dimensionalisation procedure in the hybrid spherical-geopotential coordinate system will be used, using also recently derived methods for stratified flows.
Interim Speaker Simonis: We should have internal security service in the Chamber of Deputies

Chamber of Deputies interim Speaker Alfred Simonis on Tuesday evening called for the establishment of an internal security service in Parliament, after the debate on next year's budget in the plenary of the legislature was marked by booing, aggressive exchange of lines and the display of placards during interventions from the platform.

"It is another shameful evening for the Romanian Parliament, perhaps the most shameful," Simonis said after the meeting of the plenary session, which he described as unprecedented. "It's really embarrassing what happened," he stressed.

In this regard, the interim speaker of the Chamber of Deputies spoke about a possible security service in Parliament.

"We will try to tighten the rules as much as we can. From my point of view, we should, although it can't be done overnight, have an internal Chamber of Deputies security service to intervene. The Internal Affairs Directorate has some agents of this type, but they need to be better trained, more specialised and have a special status. But I believe that we should take the practices of other parliaments and that those who behave like hooligans should be banned from entering the Parliament building, on condition that they are issued a link to be able to exercise their mandate as parliamentarians. They can participate online, intervene online, vote online, so we are not hindering the exercise of the mandate, but neither can we end up pulling each other's ear or fighting in the Parliament's plenary session, because, in my opinion, we are one step away from that," said Alfred Simonis.

According to him, complaints will be made and all MPs who behaved inappropriately in the plenary of the Legislature on Tuesday will be sanctioned.

On Tuesday evening, MPs from the Alliance for Romanians' Union (AUR) and the Save Romania Union (USR) protested in the Parliament's joint plenary meeting where the draft state budget for 2024 was debated, during the speech of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

The prime minister hardly delivered his speech. During his speech, Ciolacu turned several times towards the presidency, but the protests around the rostrum continued.

USR MPs displayed yellow and red cardboard cubes with messages such as "New taxes," "Record budget for specials."

AUR leader George Simion, who was broadcasting live on his social media page, said he would not leave until teachers' salaries were increased.

Earlier, MP George Simion and Senator Diana Sosoaca had a conflict in the Chamber of Deputies, during which they repeatedly insulted each other.
Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest Aurel Perca, in his Pastoral Letter for Christmas, says that we are solemnly celebrating an event that has no equal in the history of mankind and we have reason to welcome the Birth of the Lord with solemnity and joy in the light.

"Thus, we solemnly celebrate an event that has no equal in human history. For only once did it happen that God became man and dwelt among us. Only once and only once did God humble himself, taking the form of a servant, and become like us in everything except sin. Only once and only once did heaven touch earth so powerfully and so directly (...) So we have reason to celebrate Christmas with solemnity and joy in the light, together with angels and shepherds, in the rhythm in which our hearts beat more sensitively and powerfully in the face of such an event," says the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest, agerpres reports.



At Christmas, notes Archbishop Perca, we cannot just stop at the beautiful traditions of carols, trees decorated with lights, representations of the birth of Jesus in the cribs of churches or in our homes, to say that we celebrate, but we ask ourselves once again the fascinating question that St Anselm of Canterbury asked himself in a little treatise: "Why did God become man?".



"As we bow to Christ's poor manger, we see God enriching us with His poverty: God became man so that man could become a child of God. As we chant and sing carols in our churches and with our families, we are actually confessing our belief in God's love for man and our conviction that this is the way that will lead us to Him. When we look at the Nativity scene, at the poverty of that night in Bethlehem, at the conditions of derision aimed at human dignity in which the Lord came into the world, it becomes clear to us how much God cares for man, how great our dignity is and how much He loves us! At Christmas we relive in faith the mystery of this divine love. It gives meaning to our lives, fills us with confidence and peace, makes us feel happy and secure, like beloved children of our Father who is in heaven," the Archbishop exhorts.



He wishes all the faithful a joyful, cheerful, hopeful and optimistic Christmas, and a happy and blessed New Year 2024.
Parliament approves 10 M RON addition to education budget for Romanian language classes for minorities

The plenum of Parliament on Wednesday adopted an amendment proposed by the UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania) to the education budget, which amendment had been initially rejected, to add an extra 10 million RON for the National Programme for Teaching the Romanian Language and Literature (PNSILLR), which will be started in March 2024.

"The budget of the Ministry of Education now includes the amount of 10,000 million RON for the initiation, organization and, starting from March 2024, the development of the National Programme for Teaching the Romanian Language and Literature, PNSILLR, provided for in art. 83 paragraph (16)-(18) of Law no. 198/2023 [Pre-university Education Law - editor's note], with subsequent modifications. thus, within 30 days of the adoption of this law, the Ministry of Education publishes the methodology for organizing the PNSILLR, the list of educational units included in the programme and also the financed activities," provides the amendment admitted to article no. 48 of the draft law, adopted with 281 votes "in favour," two votes against and 33 abstentions, amendment supported in the plenum by UDMR deputy Szabo Odon.

According to the initiators, the start of the said programme represents a strategic aspect regarding the changes that the legislator intended to bring to the education system and which must be initiated without delay. The introduction of new and modern tools for teaching the Romanian language also means changing the teaching approach and stimulating the active acquisition of the Romanian language by students who learn in school in other languages, with major beneficial effects on their integration into higher education in Romania and their success on the labour market.
Austria no longer has any excuse to oppose the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen after an agreement was reached on Wednesday on a broad reform of the European policy on asylum and migration, state Save Romania Union (USR) MEP Vlad Gheorghe and his colleague from the REPER party, Dragos Pislaru.

"Austria has lost the last piece of the pretext it used to oppose Romania's entry into Schengen! The European Union has an agreement on migration, the negotiations have just ended. Nehammer has NO more reason to hang on to discriminate against Romanians and humiliate them in the queues through customs," Vlad Gheorghe posted on a social network, agerpres reports.

"Let's see if the high-performance tourist team (Klaus) Iohannis, (Marcel) Ciolacu, (Nicolae) Ciuca and friends manage to defend Romania's interests and impose on the European level the respect that Romanians in the country and in the diaspora deserve," added the USR MEP, who was co-rapporteur of the last EP resolution regarding Romania's accession to Schengen.

"Austria no longer has any argument to oppose Romania's full accession to Schengen. Why? Because the European Parliament and the EU member states reached an agreement today on a broad reform of the European asylum and migration policy. Therefore, any conditioning of Austria becomes useless," stated in a press release of REPER Dragos Paslaru, a member of the same political group in the EP, Renew.He asks the Romanian government, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and President Klaus Iohannis "to use this agreement intelligently at the European level so that Romanians are no longer humiliated in endless queues and Romania's economy no longer suffers".MEP REPER, who is the president of the Employment Committee of the EP, claims that the message from Brussels is clear, "no European should be discriminated on the basis of electoral rhetoric on migration and no member state can blackmail the EU on this issue"."Bucharest must now act so that this message is heard more and more loudly in Vienna," he pleaded.
Senate's Ciuca: Liberal-Social Democratic alliance ensures our country's political stability

The President of the Senate, Nicolae Ciuca, stated that it is in Romania's best interest that the PNL (National Liberal Party) does not break the alliance with the PSD (Social Democratic Party) next year, in order to ensure the country's political stability, in a geopolitical and international economic context that continues to be complicated.

He was asked, in an interview with DC News, if he believes in the option of breaking the alliance between PNL and PSD, considering that next year is a very difficult electoral year.

"The alliance with PSD was created not out of love (...) but in an absolutely complicated and difficult situation for the Romanian nation, and we all needed to take responsibility for governing the country and ensure the political stability in Romania. And it's true that we are discussing about the PSD, with its ideology, and the PNL, with its different ideology. These are two parties with ideologies that do have certain tangential elements when we talk about the fact that one is centre-right and the other is centre-left, but the approaches are indeed different. As such, we have ensured the political stability of our country, and we must ensure the political stability from now on too, because not far from our eastern border and from our northern border there is a war going on, and people are dying there. In the Middle East the situation is complicated, maybe even more complicated," stated Nicolae Ciuca.

Asked if his answer shows that it is in Romania's best interest for the PNL not to break the alliance with PSD next year, Nicolae Ciuca concluded: "Exactly."
Dan Dillon knows the name of the St. Louis firefighter who saved the Old Cathedral from destruction during the great riverfront fire of 1849 (Thomas Targee).

He knows which St. Louis-born actress had an important role in Gone with the Wind (Barbara ONeil, who played Scarletts mother). He knows which St. Louis County Park is home to bison, elk and deer (Lone Elk Park).

He knows it all, and he put it in a book.

The Ultimate St. Louis Trivia Quiz, which Dillon self-published, contains 1,000 highly localized trivia questions and answers to help you win contests, amaze your friends and bend your brain, as the book cover puts it.

The winning-contests part is important: St. Louis is trivia-night capital of the world, as far as Im concerned. I thought it would be a hit with trivia-night players, Dillon says.

For 15 years or more, Dillon hosted trivia nights for an assortment of fundraisers, which meant writing the questions as well as asking them at the event. It got to be too much work, and he wanted his Saturday nights back, he says.

He still occasionally writes trivia questions for certain groups fundraisers, including New Year for the Strays, which raises money for pet rescues and adoptions. And he also continues to host a trivia contest at a Clayton bar, which has just five rounds of questions.

Thats fun and not so time-consuming, and people dont yell at me, he says.

Many of the categories he has written questions for have had a St. Louis connection. The idea for writing the book came from years of writing those questions.

Dillon organized the book in trivia-night format, with 10 questions in each category. He ended up with 100 rounds of 10 questions each.

I thought a nice round number would be 1,000 questions, he says.

It was a decision he came to regret earlier this year when he was having trouble coming up with 100 good categories and 10 good questions in each one.

At the beginning of the summer, I was at a point where I was getting frustrated, and I said, Why dont I make it two books of 500 questions each? But it occurred to me that I was calling it The Ultimate [St. Louis] Trivia Quiz, and you cant have two ultimates. I opted to stay with it until I had 100 different categories finished, he says.

The first few questions were always easy, but sometimes he had to do extensive research to fill out the categories.

There is an art to writing the right combination of questions, he says.

Many of the questions are easy (Who has the slogan The square beyond compare?). Some are a little harder (What allegedly debuted at the Central West End home of Mrs. Julius Walsh in 1917?). And a few you can only answer if youre an absolute expert in the field (How many gallons of fuel did Charles Lindbergh carry on the Spirit of St. Louis when he took off for Paris?).

The answers: Imos Pizza, the cocktail party and 450 gallons.

Dillon retired in 2014 from his job as senior writer/producer in the promotions department at KMOV-TV. He wrote and produced the teasers that the newscast uses to entice viewers to continue watching the news after the commercial.

His first book, So, Whered You Go to High School? The Baby Boomer Edition led him to research local schools that he did not know anything about. The experience got him hooked on learning about local history. He now volunteers at the Missouri History Museum.

Im around St. Louis history every single day. I found I really enjoy learning new things about St. Louis and sharing what I know about it, he says.

He recently gave a talk at the museum about the 1904 Worlds Fair, a topic he says still intrigues people nearly 120 years after the event.

Questions about the fair are sprinkled throughout the book (Was the Worlds Fair Pavilion in Forest Park built for the Worlds Fair? No, it was built five years later), though they are not as frequent as questions about the citys favorite subject, the St. Louis Cardinals (What Cardinal was the Most Valuable Player in the 2006 World Series? David Eckstein).

More challenging for Dillon, he says, was coming up with interesting questions about St. Louis during World War II, or streetcars  an important part of St. Louis history, but they havent been around for 60 years.

It was hard work, he says, but it was in service of making a book that people will want to page through and test their knowledge.

I think it will be the best book next to the toilet that youll have, he says. This is not a coffee-table book. This is a sit-down-for-five-minutes book.

The Ultimate St. Louis Trivia Book is $24.95 and is available at stloutrivia.com, amazon.com, STL Style House, Subterranean Books, the Book House, Main Street Books, Dunaway Books, Abigails Gift Boutique, the St. Louis Art Museum Shop and the Missouri History Museum Gift Shop.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese education official on Wednesday said the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education (IISTEM) will contribute to China's efforts to promote talent in sci-tech innovation.

The UNESCO IISTEM is expected to accelerate China's reform in STEM education, said Qin Changwei, secretary-general of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO at a press conference of the Ministry of Education. STEM refers to the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

UNESCO adopted the resolution to establish the UNESCO IISTEM as a UNESCO Category 1 institute in Shanghai during a general conference in November this year. It is the 10th category 1 institute UNESCO has set up globally.

The main functions of the UNESCO IISTEM include promoting inclusive, equitable, relevant, and quality STEM education for all from early childhood to adulthood. The establishment of the UNESCO IISTEM is based on the proposal of China.

"The UNESCO IISTEM is a significant achievement of China-UNESCO cooperation," Qin said, adding that the UNESCO IISTEM will assist China in communicating the philosophies and practices of STEM education with the international community as well as contributing to Chinese strengths to global education development. 
The Missouri health department has reported five lead poisoning cases in children linked to a November recall of applesauce pouches, including some Schnucks-branded products.

WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches were recalled after the Federal Drug Administration began investigating reports of children with elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity.

The WanaBana product is also sold as Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches, both of which have been recalled.

Investigation found that the cinnamon used in the applesauce show extremely high levels of lead contamination, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Testing found that non-cinnamon pouches do not contain elevated lead levels.

As of Tuesday, the FDA received 69 complaints/reports of adverse events potentially linked to recalled products. Its investigation is ongoing.

The federal agency is advising that consumers not eat, sell or serve the recalled applesauce and to discard the pouches.

The state health department said it is working with local public health agencies to ensure these products are not available for sale in Missouri.

Children under 6 and pregnant women are the highest risk groups for severe lead poisoning illness. Symptoms of exposure of high concentrations of lead include headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, anemia, irritability, fatigue, muscle aches, constipation, brain fog, tremors, weight loss, behavioral issues and lowered IQ.

Those who believe that a child has symptoms of lead toxicity after eating recalled fruit pouches should contact their healthcare provider.
JEFFERSON CITY  The family of a man who died this month in the Jefferson City Correctional Center is gathering information for a possible lawsuit against the state.

Othel Moore, 38, died in the lockup Dec. 8, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections. The Cole County Sheriffs Department is conducting an investigation into the death.

The Cole County Medical Examiners office said in a statement to the Post-Dispatch that toxicology results are unlikely to be known for up to six months.

At a press conference in the Capitol Tuesday, attorneys for Moores family said the man was pepper-sprayed by a prison response team before his head was covered with a hood, his body was wrapped and he was strapped to a restraint cart. Attorney Andrew Stroth said Moore was then taken to a holding cell.

The family said Moore should have been monitored after he was placed in the cell. Instead, they say he was struggling to breathe for several hours.

People heard him saying he couldnt breathe. They left this Black man to die, said Stroth, the managing director of Action Injury Law Group, a Chicago-based national civil rights law firm.

Stroth would not elaborate on how he had determined what happened within the prison during the incident.

The family is seeking video and audio recordings of the incident and the names of the prison employees involved as they prepare for litigation.

Were demanding the evidence, Stroth added.

Oriel Moore, 37, said she last spoke to her older brother two months ago. She said he was fearful of prison employees and wasnt eating well.

My brother loved people. He loved music. He loved to cook, Oriel Moore said. We feel a big void in this family.

Missouri Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said prison workers notified emergency medical providers and local police when the incident was underway.

Until the investigation, the autopsy report and the toxicology report have been completed and the cause of death has been determined, neither department administration nor outside parties who were not present can provide an accurate account of what took place, Pojmann told the Post-Dispatch.

Moore was serving a 30-year sentence for second-degree domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance, first-degree robbery, and armed criminal action from St. Louis. He had been in the prison system since 2005.

The possible lawsuit comes as the Department of Corrections is defending itself in a separate inmate death case.

In September, the parents of a prisoner who died last year are suing the agency for failing to comply with a request for records about the circumstances of the death.

Vonretta Perry and Robert Love, who are the parents of the late LaMarco Love, are asking a Cole County judge to require the Missouri Department of Corrections to turn over video or audio recordings of the cell in which Love was housed on June 8, 2022, the day he died.

The lawsuit alleges the department is attempting to shield itself from legal scrutiny.

In November, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is representing Corrections officials, asked for and received permission for a delay in filing a response to the allegations.
ST. LOUIS  The police SUV that crashed into a south St. Louis bar on Monday did not have a dashboard camera, police said Wednesday in their first public comments about the crash and the resulting interaction that ended with the arrest of the co-owner of the bar.

The officers said they were distracted by the police radio in the car before swerving and slamming into the building, said Lt. Col. Renee Kriesmann. The bar owners said police initially told them they had swerved to miss a dog before recanting and saying theyd swerved to miss a parked car instead.

The great majority of the citys budget goes to the police department, said Javad Khazaeli, the attorney for the bar owners. I can see no valid reason for police cars that are in service to not have a dash cam.

And despite Khazaelis claims that the SUV was flying before the crash, Kriesmann said the SUV was traveling 40 mph before the crash and 20 mph when it hit the building, according to the cars black box that records key data points related to crashes.

Thats not what it looks like to me in the (surveillance) video, Khazaeli said. I would let the video that was publicly released speak for itself.

No toxicology tests were administered to the officers, Kriesmann said, because officers investigating the crash did not have reasonable suspicion of impairment, which department policy requires for toxicology tests.

The officers were wearing body cameras, Kriesmann said, but police will not release that footage because of the bar owners pending criminal case.

We would like to ensure to the owners of the bar and the community that every aspect of this incident is being thoroughly investigated, Kriesmann said in a weekly media briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

Chad Morris, the 37-year-old co-owner of Bar:PM, a popular gay bar in the citys Carondelet neighborhood, was arrested and charged with assault and resisting arrest after a confrontation that followed the crash.

Police said Morris pushed one of the officers investigating the crash and ran from police; his attorney, Khazaeli, has disputed several parts of the officers account, including that Morris was the aggressor.

Two officers, both with less than a year of experience, were working an overtime shift in the SUV. Kriesmann said the officers were cleared to ride without a more experienced officer.

The bars other co-owner and Morris husband, James Pence, confronted police after hearing the crash. He was eventually placed in handcuffs, and the conflict escalated when Morris arrived and demanded to know why.

Though the crash and much of its aftermath were captured by surveillance footage and bystander video, several key moments, including what led to the crash and whether Morris indeed assaulted an officer, are not shown.

One of the videos, 15 seconds of security footage that Khazaeli shared on social media, shows the police SUV driving down South Broadway before swerving unexpectedly and slamming into the building.

Khazaeli showed the other video  nearly 30 minutes of bystander footage captured after the crash  to reporters but did not publish it.

In that video, which includes sound, Pence is seen confronting officers about crashing into his bar in an interaction that Pence described Tuesday as loud and vocal. Pence and Morris live in an apartment above the bar.

Pence demands to know how they crashed into the building, and officers who arrive to investigate the crash eventually handcuff him when he questions why they need his identification.

After Morris shows up and the interaction escalates again, Morris tries to leave down an alley, but several officers follow him. Morris then asks if the officers have a warrant.

The video doesnt show what happens in the alley, but Morris is eventually taken back out of the alley, handcuffed and visibly injured. Officers can be heard calling the bystander recording video and others clowns on several occasions.

Morris resists the officers efforts to subdue him and get him into the back of a police van. Pence was released, and Morris was held in jail for more than a day.

Morris had several visible bruises, including on his eyelid, when he briefly addressed reporters after his release from jail.

Crowds packed the couples bar Tuesday night to show support. Regulars said the turnout was exceptional so early in the week  no surprise for a bar treasured as a safe space by many gay men.
ST. LOUIS  Crowds packed a Carondelet bar Tuesday night to show support after police crashed an SUV into the front window and then arrested one of the owners.

Regulars said the turnout at Bar:PM was exceptional so early in the week  and no surprise for a bar treasured as a safe space by many gay men.

This is not a replaceable bar, said Keith Rose, a patron and local activist. For some people, this is their only bar.

Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer, whose ward includes the bar, applauded the turnout.

This is beautiful, she said.

The show of support capped a dizzying 48 hours for the bar.

Around 12:30 a.m. Monday, a rookie police officer drove his department-issue SUV into the bar on South Broadway in the Carondelet neighborhood. Initial reporting suggested the officer swerved to avoid a dog in the road, and that one of the bars owners had been arrested after getting into a fight with officers investigating the scene.

Later that day, the police department elaborated. They said the officer overcorrected while trying to avoid a parked car.

And they said they had arrested Bar:PM co-owner Chad Morris for third-degree assault of an officer, a felony, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. They said that he came onto the scene, became upset, and began shouting obscenities at officers investigating the incident.

When one officer, John Pierce, a 29-year veteran of the department, tried to calm the situation, Morris shoved Pierce hard in the chest with an open hand, causing the officer to temporarily lose his balance, they said.

The Circuit Attorney's Office formally charged Morris hours later. But late Monday, Aldermanic President Megan Green connected Morris and his husband, James Pence, with attorney Javad Khazaeli, who is known for taking on police misconduct.

By late Tuesday morning, prosecutors were downgrading the assault charge to a misdemeanor, Morris was being released from jail without having to pay bond, and Khazaeli was holding a press conference disputing the police account.

Standing on the steps of the city's downtown jail, Khazaeli said police had gotten it backward: Morris didn't hit an officer, officers hit him.

He showed reporters parts of a nearly 30-minute video captured by a bystander that showed no assault like the one described in the police report.

He said Morris was trying to leave the scene when officers assaulted him. He noted Morris had several bruises, including beneath one of his eyes. As you can see, they beat him pretty terribly, Khazaeli said. Hes got bruises all across his body.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the incident or Khazaeli's accusations on Tuesday. They denied a request for dashcam footage of the incident, citing an active investigation.

But later Tuesday, Green, the aldermanic president, issued a statement calling for charges to be dropped.

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said officers would be held accountable for any misconduct, and expressed concern that such incidents could fracture a relationship between police and LGBTQ residents already strained by a history of harassment.

And Schweitzer put out a call on social media to come support the bar.

By 8 p.m., the bar was full of people, including Clint Cox, who said he lives a few blocks away and has known the owners for years.

He expressed amazement at the entire ordeal, and the remarkable circumstances that kicked it off.

The part of South Broadway that runs through Carondelet has seen better days. Bar:PM is one of just a handful of open storefronts.

You have blocks of vacant buildings, and this is the part they hit? he said. Its crazy.
For four years, state Rep. Mike Stephens occupied prime real estate on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol.

His office in room 306B certainly wasnt the biggest in the space-starved statehouse, where staff often work out of musty, windowless rooms, and many lawmakers are stacked on top of each other in non-ADA compliant mezzanines.

But Stephens office was steps away from the House chamber. And it was the only one besides the speakers with direct access to the House Lounge  a room adorned with a Thomas Hart Benton mural where conference committees, leadership meetings and press conferences are often held.

For decades, it was reserved for the chairman of the House budget committee, but in more recent years was occupied by senior Republicans. Entering into his final term in the House, it was a relatively safe bet that Stephens would finish his legislative career in the coveted office space.

But in late 2022, he got word hed be moving down the hall.

House Speaker Dean Plocher took over that space and converted it into what has been jokingly referred to as his butlers pantry, a makeshift storage room stocked with liquor, beer, wine and soda to complement the supply in his office.

The move was part of a $60,000 renovation of Plochers office in late 2022 and early 2023, paid for with public funds by the House. Half the costs stemmed from expenses resulting from repairs to walls, baseboards and ceilings in the speakers office.

The other half, according to records obtained by The Independent through Missouris Sunshine Law, went toward new furnishings  to the tune of about $29,000, including $8,600 for a black leather sofa and armchairs, $2,500 for a new walnut table, $2,500 for a refrigerator with an ice maker, $5,000 for a custom cabinet to hold the refrigerator and $385 for two walnut trash can bins.

Plocher did not answer specific questions about the office conversion. Instead, he released an emailed statement to The Independent defending the overall cost of the renovation.

He noted that the last major overhaul of the office was completed in 2009. His office was pursuing the vision of the Missouri State Capitol Commissions 2019 master plan, Plocher wrote, to restore the speakers office and House chamber to its original historical significance.

These new investments were done alongside other interior renovation projects throughout the Capitol as suggested by the Missouri State Capitol Commission, Plocher wrote, and consisted of updated technology, furniture and energy-efficient infrastructure. The House chamber and speakers office have been, as close as possible, restored to their original historical significance.

Stephens declined comment about his old office when reached by phone this week.

I dont think it does me any good to discuss that, he said.

But the renovation is not without its critics.

State Rep. Tony Lovasco, a Republican from OFallon, noted that there are legislative offices that are inaccessible to constituents with disabilities. Other offices, he said, are so small they could be considered a closet.

One lawmaker is working out of a former vault on the second floor.

We probably shouldnt be eliminating offices at this point, he said. We shouldnt be repurposing office space unless its absolutely necessary, and while I cant speak to whether it was in this case, my guess is probably not.

Renovation in a century-old building will always be more expensive, Lovasco said, but $29,000 on furniture sounds like an enormously high number. That certainly doesnt seem reasonable to me.

The cost of the furniture in the speakers office does seem excessive, said Rep. Deb Lavender, a Manchester Democrat. And she would have preferred if the House budget committee was involved in a renovation of that size, instead of using the chambers core budget, because the process would have been more transparent.

But her main concern is the loss of office space for what she called a questionable use.

We had a member that had an office on the fourth floor that was so small, the legislative assistant cant get to behind her desk without closing the door of the closet, Lavender said. So with such a serious lack of space in the Capitol, Im not sure we should be spending the publics money to build a bar across the House Lounge from the speakers office.

The first principle stated in the Missouri State Capitol Commission long range master plan focuses on the lack of functional space for legislators and staff and the need to decompress space and remove the mezzanines.

Substantial price difference

For nearly two months, the Missouri House Ethics Committee has been investigating Plocher over allegations of misconduct.

The inquiry was launched after The Independent revealed that Plocher on numerous occasions over the last five years illegally sought reimbursement from the legislature for airfare, hotels and other travel costs already paid for by his campaign.

Those illegal payments were documented in expense reports Plocher regularly filed with the House. The reports also detailed any taxpayer funds Plocher used to upgrade his office over the years, going back to when he first entered the legislature in 2016.

For example, Plocher had hoped to renovate of his previous office while he was serving as majority floor leader. But costs proved too high, with expense records showing Plocher settled for spending around $3,500 of public funds on new countertops, paint, bench covers and upholstery.

He spent a similar amount the year prior on a new desk and a veneer walnut desktop.

But those records didnt include renovation expenses to the speakers office since Plocher began moving into the job late last year. Thats because the money for the speakers office renovation didnt come from Plochers legislative expense fund. It came from House operating funds.

The Independent filed a new request seeking those documents on Nov. 10.

The last time a major remodel of the office had been completed was under then-Speaker Ron Richard in 2009, when new desks were purchased, furniture was reupholstered and hardwood floors were refinished, among other expenses.

In the years since, speakers have taken an approach that builds upon that work, such as recovering, refinishing and reupholstering chairs and desks as opposed to purchasing entirely new ones. For example, former Speaker Elijah Haahr had desks and credenzas refinished in 2018, though he did buy a new conference table for the office that year.

As Plocher was preparing to take over as speaker, the need to remove peeling wallpaper ended up requiring the replacement of drop ceiling tiles and baseboards. Energy-efficient lighting was also installed.

As the office was being remodeled, the decision was made to replace all the furniture  new desks, credenzas, bookcases and a conference table.

Plocher also wanted a new refrigerator for the office that included an ice maker, which required a custom cabinet to hold it along with a new water line and filtration system to service it. A special wood stain was requested for the cabinets to match the speakers gavel.

The priciest furniture expense was a black leather sofa and armchairs from Ethan Allen.

Originally, records show the House planned to purchase a floor model set in brown leather from Missouri Furniture in Jefferson City. But the speaker preferred black leather, which required a special order.

The set, which cost roughly $4,200, was manufactured in China, causing months of delays. In March, the order was canceled because the furniture was not expected to be delivered for at least two more months.

With Plocher wanting the furniture in place sooner, records show Chief Clerk Dana Miller went online and found a black leather set from Ethan Allen, at a cost of $8,366.

Im fine with whatever you want to do, but theres a substantial price difference and theres still a 4-6 week wait time for the items to ship, a House employee wrote in an email to Miller in March regarding the Ethan Allen furniture.

Miller responded that the cost could be justified because we are ordering historically appropriate furnishings that will be in permanent use in that office for at least a decade.

The cost of refurnishing the office topped $29,000. But there were some requests Plocher had hoped to include that werent feasible.

A dishwasher couldnt be installed in the office because it would have required the installation of a new drain line. And an inlay of the state seal on the coffee tables in his office was also deemed too costly.

Repurposing room 306B came with minimal cost, according to records, and it appears Plocher may have paid for the alcohol using his own campaign funds.

Twice during the legislative session, Plochers political action committee paid for campaign meals at a Jefferson City liquor store called Macadoodles  spending $194 in February and $350 in April. And he was seen on several occasions during session pushing a cart stacked with alcohol into room 306B.

Plocher did not respond to a question about the alcohol purchases. Alcohol consumption is prohibited everywhere in the Missouri Capitol unless it is part of a state government function and approved by the Board of Public Buildings. That prohibition does not include legislative offices.

Ethics investigation

In addition to Plochers false expense reports, the House ethics committee is also investigating allegations that he threatened the jobs of nonpartisan staff as part of his push to convince his colleagues to spend $800,000 to hire a private company to manage constituent information.

Three closed-door hearings have been held by the ethics committee so far, with the investigation likely to stretch into the new legislative session that starts Jan. 4.

Plocher, a Republican from Des Peres running for lieutenant governor, has flatly denied any wrongdoing and rejected all calls from his fellow Republicans to step down as speaker. He chalked up the false expense reports to a checkbook error and paid back the illegal reimbursements.

During an event in St. Louis late last month, Plocher told Spectrum News that his conscience is clear.

I sleep well at night, he said. Im not gonna let this sideshow distract me or the legislature from getting good work done for the state of Missouri.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and X.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouris top election official said former President Donald Trump will be on the November ballot in the Show-Me State if Republican voters choose him as their nominee in the states March 2 presidential caucuses.

A day after the Colorado Supreme Court declared Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitutions insurrection clause and removed him from the states presidential primary ballot, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said he wanted to clarify what will happen here next year.

The State of Missouri will reject what happened in the Colorado Supreme Court. The people of this state will make a decision as to who they want to be president of the United States, he said.

Ashcrofts comments come as he seeks the Republican nomination for governor in the 2024 election against Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.

Speaking to reporters at his office near the state Capitol, Ashcroft questioned the Colorado ruling, arguing along the same lines of a lower court decision that said Trump could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that a provision in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was intended to cover the presidency.

Ashcroft, who is an attorney, said language in the 14th Amendment refers to officers of the United States who take an oath to support the Constitution, meaning it must not apply to the president, who is not included as an officer of the United States elsewhere in the document and whose oath is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

The reasoning, and I hate to use the word reasoning, of the Colorado Supreme Court was in error, Ashcroft said. You have to go with what the law says.

Ashcroft did not directly address whether Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, but said the Colorado case did not allow the Republican frontrunner for the nomination to defend himself.

Ashcroft intends to file a brief in support of Trump when the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court as expected.

The Supreme Court is not going to uphold it, he said.

Eigel and Kehoe weighed in on social media with both also predicting the nations high court will reverse the Colorado decision.

This is outrageous! Citizens pick presidents, not unelected liberal justices. This nonsense will quickly be overturned, Eigel posted on X.

Added Kehoe, Voters have the right to decide who our President is, not unelected liberal judges.
Kansas City Star. December 18, 2023.

Editorial: Missouri AG isnt defending free speech. Hes just trying to boost Elon Musks X

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is cracking down on free speech.

He frames it differently of course: The unelected attorney general says he is on a crusade to protect free speech. But Baileys announcement this week that his office is investigating Media Matters  a progressive media outlet that had the temerity to critically report about the Elon Musk social media platform formerly known as Twitter  is plainly an attempt to intimidate and penalize rivals and critics of the American right, using all the powers available to Missouri law enforcement.

Just listen to Baileys own words.

Im fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech, he said in a press release.

Thats an acknowledgment, albeit buried in hyperbolic language, that ideology is propelling Baileys inquiry.

Some background is necessary.

After Musk took over Twitter last year  he has since rebranded it as X  he opened the platform to trolls, racists and other digital brigands who had previously been barred from the platform for bad behavior and spreading misinformation. (That included Donald Trump, whom Musk invited back after his ban following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.)

This was done ostensibly in the name of free speech, although Musks definition of free speech has shifted depending on whether his own interests are involved: He has suspended reporters and other accounts that have reported critically on him and his companies. The worlds richest man became something of a hero on the right, but it came with a cost: Racial slurs and hate speech are thriving on the site.

Many users fled to other social media platforms. So did a number of advertisers. The result? X is sinking under the weight of debt and lost revenues.

Heres where Media Matters comes in: Last month, the progressive outfit published a story on its findings that racist posts  promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party  could be found directly next to ads from major companies like Apple and IBM. Some of those advertisers paused their campaigns in the following days, depriving X of even more revenue, though it was likely they were also motivated by a recent Musk post embracing the great replacement  the white supremacist and antisemitic conspiracy theory that minorities are orchestrating a takeover of Western society.

Musk filed suit against Media Matters, saying the outlet manufactured its results by following extremist accounts and advertisers to produce inorganic and extraordinarily rare ad placements. A judge will decide the matter  and thats usually where the story about this conflict would end, with two private parties squaring off in a civil court.

Only it didnt end there. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton jumped into the fray, announcing an investigation into Media Matters and denouncing the organizations radical left-wing activity. ( Media Matters sued Paxton for interfering with its First Amendment rights. )

This week, Bailey followed suit  putting out a press release calling X the last platform dedicated to free speech in America and suggesting that Media Matters criticism of Musks platform may have fraudulently caused some Missourians to donate money to the outlet.

Laughable idea that Twitter is last bastion of freedom

Radicals are attempting to kill Twitter because they cannot control it, and we are not going to let Missourians get ripped off in the process, Bailey harrumphed.

Laughable. Dangerous.

Laughable, because Musks social media platform isnt close to being the last platform dedicated to free speech in America. Baileys wild claim would only be made by somebody pursuing a less than legally rigorous, ideological vendetta.

Laughable, because Baileys own commitment to free speech is  like Musks  highly situational. He has sued the Biden administration for allegedly pressuring social media platforms to crack down on COVID-19 misinformation, while simultaneously sending warning letters to Target for selling LGBT-themed merchandise. If your vision of free speech applies only to your allies, its not really free.

And dangerous, because the clear point of Baileys investigation is to warn Media Matters  and other media organizations  against critical reporting about institutions and people favored by the right. Thats a violation of free speech concepts generally, and of the First Amendment specifically.

Such violations are becoming all too common in the Kansas-Missouri region.

Earlier this year, police in Marion, Kansas, served a search warrant on the office of the Marion County Record newspaper and the home of its editor  the apparent result of a feud between the now-ex-police chief and the paper. The raid drew international condemnation, and sparked still-ongoing investigations into how local and state government officials permitted such an ugly assault on the First Amendment.

Marion police may have believed their little raid would go unnoticed by the wider world. Thats not the case with Bailey. He is courting publicity, putting out the aforementioned press release and talking about his crusade against Media Matters with right-wing media figures such as Tucker Carlson, Benny Johnson,Sebastian Gorka and Dana Loesch, as well as outlets like Fox Business and Real Americas Voice. Thats a lot of free attention for an attorney general who will be facing Republican primary voters for the first time in 2024.

Free, but not harmless. Even if Bailey doesnt eventually bring charges, the public announcement of an investigation may prompt other outlets both in Missouri and nationally to hold their fire when it comes to covering Musk and other figures beloved by conservatives. The threat of a prosecution  or of the legal bills that accompany an investigation  will inevitably chill the free speech that the Missouri attorney general claims to love.

That might be the point. And that makes Baileys investigation potentially a far graver assault on the First Amendment than the Marion raid.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 14, 2023.

Editorial: A proposal to hand-count ballots promotes a false and dangerous narrative

To those who grumble that Jan. 6, 2021, is ancient history and everyone should just move on already, we offer rebuttal in the person of Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins. The Warrensburg Republican, who is in the running next year to become the states top election official, has filed legislation to require hand-counting of the states roughly 3 million ballots.

His backward rationale is that it would make voting more secure and accurate. In fact, all serious data indicates the opposite is true  unless, of course, youre fully vested in the MAGA-manufactured myth that ballot-counting machines are being hacked by foreign governments and other dark forces.

Its anyones guess whether Hoskins is truly this delusional, or is merely playing to the persecution fantasies of the fringe right. But its one of the two.

The worst domestic assault against American democracy since the Civil War culminated on Jan. 6, but it began earlier. In the weeks before the mob of then-President Donald Trumps supporters attacked the Capitol, Trump and his surrogates laid the groundwork by spreading outrageous, easily disproved lies about supposed election fraud. Among the loopiest was that tabulating machines used to count paper ballots had been compromised to flip votes to challenger Joe Biden.

For an indication of just how far down the rabbit hole this conspiracy-mongering went, consider that a voting-machine company called Dominion Voting Systems this year landed a landmark libel settlement from Fox News for almost $800 million. Among the deranged, entirely fictional allegations the network allowed Trump surrogates to spin on its shows was that Dominion was formed to fix elections by associates of the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

You cant make this stuff up  except, Trump and his lawyers did, again and again.

No significant instances of election fraud were ever uncovered, despite the most vigorous post-election reviews in U.S. history. Dozens of courts threw out Trumps claims as utterly baseless. Even now, some of Trumps former lawyers are facing lawsuits and disbarment for peddling his lies.

Still, Trump continues peddling those lies even today, attempting to make next years election a referendum on the validity of the last one. Its a cynical and dangerous crusade to erode Americans confidence in their elections.

Hoskins, running for Missouri secretary of state next year, is effectively endorsing that crusade with his legislation to hand-count all Missouri ballots. He says its based on concerns from a lot of people about the accuracy of tabulating machines. Yet he cant cite a single shred of evidence that theres been any actual security problem with the machines.

Even most of Hoskins fellow Republicans understand that hand-counting ballots is unfeasible because it would require immense staffing and would delay election results for weeks or months  and then would yield numbers more likely to be corrupted by human error or mischief.

But unfeasibility isnt the most offensive aspect of it. To the extent that the public has concerns about election validity, they have been planted by Trumps big lie and by legislation like this, which lends that lie undeserved credibility. Peddling this kind of corrosive conspiracy hokum should be disqualifying for statewide office.

END
ST. LOUIS (AP)  The operator of a St. Louis nursing home needs to be held accountable after the facility was abruptly closed, sending 170 residents to other care centers with little more than the clothes on their backs, political leaders and workers said at a rally Tuesday.

Northview Village Nursing Home shut down on Friday, with shuttle buses brought in to take residents to more than a dozen other St. Louis-area care centers. Days later, some relatives still haven't found where their loved ones were sent, and at least one manager said the Northview Village residents arrived at her nursing home without records or medication lists.

Some of those who spoke at the rally outside the shuttered nursing home said criminal investigations should be considered. St. Louis Alderwoman Sharon Tyus called for aldermanic hearings and said she has spoken to the circuit attorney about the possibility of an investigation.

Mayor Tishaura Jones said she was appalled by the way residents and workers were treated. About 180 people lost their jobs and still haven't received their last paycheck.

Are you angry? Because I'm mad as hell, Jones said.

Northview Village is St. Louis' largest nursing home. It is operated by suburban St. Louis-based Healthcare Accounting Services. A person answering phones said the company declined comment.

Two Democratic state senators from St. Louis, Karla May and Steven Roberts, said they've reached out to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to try and make sure that employees are paid and that residents' rights are protected.

We cannot put corporate greed over people, May said.

The process of moving people out of Northview Village began after 4 p.m. Friday and continued into Saturday morning, said Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the state health department.

Shamell King, an assistant manager at another nursing home, Superior Manor, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that some Northview Village residents arrived without paperwork documenting medical histories or medication needs.

Marjorie Moore, executive director of VOYCE, a St. Louis agency that serves as an ombudsman for long-term care residents and their families, said her agency is still trying to connect some displaced residents with their relatives.

Northview Village has been fined 12 times for federal violations since March 2021, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Fines totaled over $140,000 and ranged from $2,200 to more than $45,000. The federal agency gives Northview a one-star rating out of a possible five, but doesnt spell out reasons for the fines.

Many of the nursing home's residents are on Medicaid, and some have behavioral problems. Moore said that despite its troubled past, the nursing home has served as a safety net for poor and hard-to-place residents.

Hiedi Haywood, a certified medical technician at Northview Village, said residents were distraught as the center was closing. So, too, were workers, some of whom have spent decades there.

Haywood said many live paycheck-to-paycheck.

It's more than Christmas, Haywood, a mother of six said of the timing of the closure. I don't want to be on the street.

Caroline Hawthorn was a registered nurse at Northview Village, and her aunt was a resident.

This is real-life stuff, Hawthorn said. Where is the compassion? Where is the care?
It hasnt taken long for the U.S. Supreme Courts toothless new ethics standards to face their first big test  a test they will almost certainly fail.

The court this week is considering whether presidential immunity protects former President Donald Trump from prosecution for election interference leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol. Justice Clarence Thomas wife, Virginia Ginni Thomas, is a prominent right-wing activist who played a significant role in promoting Trumps big lie of a stolen election, which in turn laid the groundwork for the Capitol assault.

As such, there is no reasonable argument to be made for Justice Thomas not recusing himself from the case. But the courts new ethics standards dont require it.

Weve seen this show before. Early last year, the court ruled that Congress could subpoena White House records that Trump didnt want out regarding the Capitol attack. Only Justice Thomas issued a dissent siding with Trump. Go figure.

Barring an uncharacteristic burst of self-imposed ethical restraint, Thomas will likely again choose to participate in hearing a case involving Trumps electoral schemes, in spite of this glaring conflict of interest.

The court today is suffering some of the worst public approval ratings in its history. Part of it is likely because many Americans see its right-tilting decisions as being driven by ideology and partisanship rather than unbiased legal analysis  particularly last years strained and overreaching reversal of Roe v. Wade, which was opposed by almost 6 in 10 Americans, according to polls.

When a courts fundamental objectivity is in question, its more important than ever that its conduct regarding gifts from litigants, conflicts of interest and other ethics issues, at least, be beyond reproach.

Its not. Justice Samuel Alitos private jet trip to an Alaskan fishing lodge on the dime of a hedge fund mogul with business before the court is one recent example. Justice Sonia Sotomayors book sales to libraries and universities via her tax-funded staff is another.

But on the ethics front, Thomas is the courts poster child for needed reform. For decades he has accepted luxury vacations from wealthy benefactors and even let one pay the boarding school tuition of a close relative. It has been, as ProPublica recently termed it, a stream of gifts ... that appears to be unparalleled in the modern history of the Supreme Court.

That and other reporting has called attention to the fact that, unlike every other sitting judge in America, the courts nine justices arent subject to binding ethics restrictions regarding issues like self-recusal for conflict of interest.

Until recently, Chief Justice John Roberts tone-deaf reaction to these controversies had been to wave them off as politically driven. When he and the court last month finally felt enough pressure to institute a set of ethics standards for themselves, it came with a begrudging announcement that it would dispel this misunderstanding about a lack of standards  yet even then, the new standards werent binding on the justices.

Which is why Thomas isnt required to recuse himself from the courts current consideration of whether Trump should be able to hide behind presidential immunity to avoid consequences for his corrupt attempt to overturn the 2020 election. This despite Ginni Thomas deep involvement behind the scenes in that outrage, including flooding Trumps chief of staff with texts offering advice on how they might overturn the election results.

The nation is supposed to just take the Thomas word for the unlikely assertion that this has never been the subject of their pillow-talk?

If theres a silver lining to this appalling situation, its that it will demonstrate, once again, why the justices should submit to the same specific and mandatory ethics standards imposed on other judges throughout the nation.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Wang Xuefeng, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress, has been indicted on charges of taking bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Following the completion of the investigations by the National Commission of Supervision, the People's Procuratorate of Taiyuan City in north China's Shanxi Province filed Wang's case to the city's intermediate people's court.

Prosecutors accused Wang of taking advantage of his various positions and abusing his power to seek profits for others and accepting a particularly large sum of money and valuables in exchange.

Prosecutors had informed the defendant of his legal rights, interrogated him and listened to the defense counsel's arguments. 
Dances with Wolves

In 2017, the great American novelist Paul Auster traveled to Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, on a pilgrimage of sorts to the hometown of a grandfather he never knew. Although Ivano-Frankivsk had once been home to many of the authors ancestors, the Austerslike all of the Jews who lived there before World War IIwere long gone. Auster published an account of his journey in 2020 as a Literary Hub piece titled The Wolves of Stanislav."

During his visit, Auster met a local poet who described what Soviet soldiers found when they arrived to liberate Ivano-Frankivsk from the Nazis in July 1944. While Auster knew what happened to members of his own family and the towns other Jews between 1941 and 1943, he was surprised to discover that by 1944, all of the occupying Germans and remaining non-Jewish townspeople were gone as well: Instead of people the city was now inhabited by wolves, hundreds of wolves, perhaps thousands of wolves.

Upon returning home, Auster researched the poets story but found nothing to confirm it. The nearest thing to proper documentation he unearthed was a Soviet propaganda film from the period, showing Russian soldiers as conquering heroes freeing a cheering crowd. He came away unsure of the facts but inclined to print the legend, , recognizing the wolves as representing, more plausibly than the propaganda film, "the spawn of war and what war brings to the earth."

The Wolves of Stanislav probes the kind of questions about stories and storytelling that Austers work has, in one way or another, been asking for 40 years: Does an event have to be true in order to be accepted as true, or does belief in the truth of an event already make it true, even if the thing that supposedly happened did not happen?  If the story turns out to be so astounding and so powerful that your mouth drops open in wonder and you feel that it has changed or enhanced or deepened your understanding of the world, does it matter if the story is true or not?

In this age of AI-enabled deepfakes and synthetic filmmaking, were more conditioned than ever not to trust our eyes when it comes to visual accounts of present or past events. And as we become more adept at recognizing the tell-tale signs of awkward-looking synthetic videos and cliche-ridden, hallucination-addled Open AI-generated writing, were just as aware that as AI technology improves, it will become harder to tell the difference.

Most of those following the Hollywood strikes of 2023 found reason to cheer on Nov. 8 when SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement that reportedly resolved the AI-related disputes that largely motivated the strike (alongside the impasse over streaming residuals).

And while 86% of union members voted in favor of the agreement, dissenters took exception to the AI provisions, which guaranteed actors compensation and 48 hours to consent to the digital replication of their voice and likeness. While the consent clause may seem actor-friendly, its inclusion is likely to prove a sellout even more insidious than SAG president Ronald Reagan blithely signing away back residuals to his producer pals at the conclusion of the 1960 strike (although many choose not to remember it that way).

As dissenting SAG negotiating committee member Shaan Sharma told Rolling Stone, enshrining the consent-to-AI provision in the union contract effectively makes it a condition of employment. If you want to get hired, you have to be ready to consent to be replicated, so there are people who are out there saying that consent at the time of engagement is coercion because they wont hire you unless you give them those rights, Sharma says. And its only those with considerable leverage that will have the ability to say no to the replication, but still be hired.

Its anybodys guess what the impending era of synthetic filmmaking and storytelling will yield following this negotiated surrender , and what AI-augmented artifacts will distort recollections of war-torn times. Decades from now, odds are that all well remember is the circling of the wolves.

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LONDON, UK and CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Canadian Overseas Petroleum Limited and its affiliates ("COPL" or the "Company") (XOP:CSE)(COPL:LSE), an international oil and gas exploration, production and development company with operations focused in Converse and Natrona counties, Wyoming, USA, provides an update on its Senior Credit Facility.

The Company's indirect affiliate, COPL America, Inc., received a Notice of Default that indicated, among other things, the senior lender is unwilling to further amend or waive the terms of its Senior Credit Facility. Without an amendment or waiver from the Senior Credit Facility Lender, the Company's indirect affiliate, COPL America, Inc., will be in breach of the terms of the Senior Credit Facility on or before January 1, 2024.

The Company anticipates that it will require additional financing in January 2024. Should the Company be unsuccessful in raising the required capital, it would have to seek some form of creditor protection. There can be no assurances that financing will be found, or that the Company will not be able to avoid a creditor protection process in its principal jurisdiction of incorporation.

The Company is considering all of its options in relation to its future.

About the Company:

COPL is an international oil and gas exploration, development and production company actively pursuing opportunities in the United States with operations in Wyoming.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Tom Richardson, Chairman

Mr. Ryan Gaffney, CFO

Canadian Overseas Petroleum Limited

Tel: + 1 (403) 262 5441

Cathy Hume

CHF Investor Relations

Tel: +1 (416) 868 1079 ext. 251

Email: [email protected]

Charles Goodwin

Yellow Jersey PR Limited

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512

Email: [email protected]

Peter Krens

Equity Capital Markets, Tennyson Securities

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9033

Andrew Chubb / Neil Passmore

Advisors/Joint Brokers

Hannam & Partners

+44 (0) 20 7907 8500

The Common Shares are listed under the symbol "XOP" on the CSE and under the symbol "COPL" on the

London Stock Exchange.

Market Abuse Regulation disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information pursuant to Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended ("MAR") encompassing information relating to the Placing described above, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR. In addition, market soundings (as defined in MAR) were taken in respect of the Placing with the result that certain persons became aware of inside information (as defined in MAR), as permitted by MAR. This inside information is set out in this Announcement. Therefore, upon publication of this announcement, those persons that received such inside information in a market sounding are no longer in possession of such inside information relating to the Company and its securities.

Caution regarding forward looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "initial, "scheduled", "can", "will", "prior to", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "should", "forecast", "future", "continue", "may", "expect", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including, but not limited to, the ability to raise the necessary funding for operations, delays, or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements since the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties most of which are beyond the control of Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd. For example, the uncertainty of reserve estimates, the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, cost overruns, health and safety issues, political and environmental risks, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, changes in legislation affecting the oil and gas industry could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and Canadian Overseas Petroleum undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by the Company (apart from the responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, or the regulatory regime established thereunder) or by any of its affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Cardiff Advisory Managing Partner Has Decades of Experience Guiding Life Sciences and Healthcare Companies Through Pivotal Growth, Won the Alzheimer's Association of San Diego 2023 Hope Award and Has Been Recognized as One of San Diego's 500 Most Influential People for the Last Four Years

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"We are thrilled to welcome David to the Cenna Board," said Nazneen Dewji, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Cenna. "Cenna will benefit greatly from David's leadership and skills and I very much look forward to working with him to move the Company forward to end Alzheimer's disease."

David H. Crean, Ph.D., is a seasoned leader with over three decades of extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and investments within the dynamic spheres of life sciences and healthcare. His proficiency extends across a spectrum of roles in major biopharmaceutical entities, investment banking, and the venture capital and private equity landscapes. At the helm of Cardiff Advisory LLC as the Managing Partner, Dr. Crean steers the boutique firm that specializes in M&A, strategic advisory services, and investment banking, concentrating on guiding life sciences and healthcare companies through pivotal growth and exit strategies.

Dr. Crean's influence extends to his directorship on several prominent boards, including Histogen Inc., Paracrine Inc., Almon Therapeutics, and key organizations like California Life Sciences and BIOCOM California, where he notably serves as Chair of Capital Development. His legacy of leadership is commemorated through his emeritus chairmanship at the Alzheimer's Association of San Diego, which honored him with the 2023 Hope Award. His past roles reflect his commitment to industry growth, having presided over the San Diego Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth from 2019 to 2021. His exceptional advisory capabilities have earned him a series of accolades such as the 2023 Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences, consistent inclusion in San Diego's 500 Most Influential People List from 2019 to 2023, recognition as a Top Thought Leader by Axial in 2020, M&A Advisor of the Year in 2019, and the 2018 Healthcare Hero Award.

"This opportunity is not just a new role for me, but a chance to contribute to a cause that impacts millions of lives worldwide including my family. Alzheimer's disease is a complex and challenging area, and Cenna Biosciences, Inc. is making impressive strides in creating meaningful and impactful solutions. I am eager to bring my leadership, experience, and insights to this role, helping guide the strategic direction of the company as we embark on this exciting journey," said David Crean.

About Cenna

Cenna Biosciences, Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical company in La Jolla, California, that is entering clinical stage. The Company is focused on the discovery and development of novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Cenna has a transformational, novel and different patented technology that arrests the underlying cause of the disease and addresses previous failures by others. IND filing of Cenna's first-in-class peptide drug is planned within the next few months.

For more information, visit www.cennabiosciences.com.

Contact Information

Nazneen Dewji

President and CEO, Cenna Biosciences

[email protected]

(858) 456-0821

SOURCE: Cenna Biosciences Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Alkermes

Originally published in Alkermes September 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Board of Directors

Our Board is currently comprised of eleven members, each of whom has a term expiring at the Company's 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders.

Board Declassification Ongoing

In June 2021, after considering feedback from certain of our shareholders, we asked our shareholders to approve, and our shareholders approved, certain amendments to our Articles of Association that serve to declassify our Board over a three-year period. Accordingly, as of the Company's 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, the Board will be fully declassified, with each director up for re-election on an annual basis.

Board Leadership

Richard Pops, our CEO, serves as Chairman of the Board. Recognizing the equal importance of effective independent oversight of the Board, the independent members of the Board annually elect an independent non-employee director to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board, with significant leadership, facilitation and shareholder engagement responsibilities. Effective July 2022, Nancy J. Wysenski was appointed to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board. For additional details about the role and responsibilities of the Lead Independent Director of the Board, see the Charter of Lead Independent Director which is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board Diversity and Composition

We recognize the immense value of a diverse and inclusive Board and the importance of setting an example at the Board level for the diverse and inclusive culture and talent that the Company seeks to foster and attract. Each of our current directors is qualified to make unique and substantial contributions to the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board strives to ensure that the composition of the Board reflects an appropriate diversity of tenure, viewpoints, financial expertise, industry experience, skills and personal characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic or cultural backgrounds, and periodically reviews and updates the Company's criteria and desired qualifications for nomination to the Board to reflect this goal.

Consistent with this approach, in 2019, the Board codified in the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines our practice, also known as the "Rooney Rule", of requiring that diverse candidates, including candidates who are women and candidates from underrepresented communities, be included in any pool from which nominees for a director opening are selected. We are proud that since 2011, women have comprised no less than 25% of our Board and that as of the date of this report, 45% of our Board is diverse in terms of gender or race/ethnicity, and we continue to look for ways to improve and enhance our Board's diversity.

Additional information about the diversity, qualifications and experience of our Board is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website. A current copy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Commitment to Maintaining a Robust Board

Our Board is comprised of skilled and highly experienced directors who are actively engaged in oversight of the Company and its strategy. Our Board has a strong and diverse set of skills and experiences relevant to our industry and operations, including management and governance experience; corporate strategy and business development; industry experience or knowledge; commercial marketing and sales; finance and accounting; human capital management and more.

In order to help ensure that the current and future business and stakeholder needs of the Company are being appropriately served by the Board and its committees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board regularly reviews and evaluates the skills, diversity, expertise and effectiveness of the Company's Board members, and of the Board and its committees as a whole, and facilitates an annual Board, Board committee, and individual director self-assessment process.

Board Refreshment

Since September 2019, the Board has engaged in significant refreshment activities.

As a result of these ongoing efforts, five of our longerserving directors have retired and the Board has appointed seven new independent directors, including two appointed in 2021 and one appointed in 2022.

These efforts have further added to the diversity of our Board and strengthened the Board's expertise in targeted areas of importance to our business strategy, including additional scientific, corporate governance and financial experience and investor perspectives.

Overboarding

As detailed in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Board members are expected to ensure that their other existing and planned future commitments do not materially interfere with their service as an effective Board member and are subject to our "overboarding" policy that limits the number of external public company boards on which each Board member may serve. The limitations under this policy are reviewed and updated periodically and were revised in 2022 to align with market practices and shareholder feedback. In addition, Board members must seek approval from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board before accepting an invitation to serve on any new board of directors, and service on boards and board committees of other companies must be consistent with the Company's conflict of interest policies set forth in our Code of Conduct.

Board Committees

The Board delegates substantial responsibilities to its three standing committees - Audit and Risk Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee - each of which is comprised solely of independent directors and led by an independent chair, and to other committees that the Board may establish from time to time, including the recently constituted Financial Operating Committee.

The Audit and Risk Committee's responsibilities include, among others, appointing and overseeing the work performed by our independent auditor and accounting firm; reviewing our financial reporting and accounting controls; and overseeing our enterprise risk management program.

The Compensation Committee's responsibilities include, among others, discharging the Board's responsibilities relating to the compensation of our executives; reviewing, approving and administering our incentive compensation and equity plans; and assessing the risks arising from our compensation programs and practices, including as they may impact our human capital development and management initiatives.

The Financial Operating Committee's responsibilities include, among others, reviewing and providing advice with respect to the achievement by the Company of its financial targets; implementation of the Company's cost structure optimization activities; and evaluation of potential options related to the Company's non-core assets, including potential monetization and divestiture opportunities.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee's responsibilities include, among others, identifying qualified director candidates; facilitating an annual Board evaluation and self-assessment with respect to the performance and effectiveness of individual directors, the Board and its committees; and reviewing our governance objectives, practices, policies and initiatives, and overseeing related risks and opportunities, including in respect of director overboarding and conflicts of interest, political activities and contributions, human capital management initiatives and other corporate responsibility matters.

Each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee, has a written charter, approved by the Board, which describes the committee's general authority and responsibilities. Each standing committee of the Board undertakes an annual review of its charter and works with the Board to make such revisions as it and the Board consider appropriate. A current copy of the charters for each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board's Role in Oversight of Risks and Opportunities

Assessing and managing risks and opportunities is the responsibility of our management. Our Board, directly and through its committees, oversees and reviews various aspects of the Company's management of such risks and opportunities, including periodic review of the Company's operating plans and overall corporate strategy, and discussion of key enterprise risks to such plans and strategy, ways to mitigate such risks, and key related opportunities.

In addition, the Board has adopted a Compliance Policy Statement pursuant to Section 225 of the Irish Companies Act 2014. On an annual basis, our directors review the Company's arrangements and structures intended to secure material compliance with the Company's relevant obligations under applicable Irish corporate and tax laws.

In performing their oversight functions, the Board and each committee of the Board has full access to management, including the Company's Chief Risk Officer and the Company's Chief Compliance Officer, as well as the ability to engage outside advisors. Additional information about our Board's role in oversight of risks and opportunities is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website.

Public Policy Participation

We believe that public policy engagement is important and appropriate for Alkermes. Public policy plays an integral role in helping to facilitate patient access to important medicines and in promoting and supporting medical innovation.

Our public policy advocacy reflects our commitment to enhancing public health and advancing medical innovation. We seek to do this by advocating for, among other things, patient access to, and awareness of, medicines approved by the FDA for use in our disease areas of focus, including addiction and serious mental illness, and treatment system reforms that foster patient-centered care - care customized by the physician and patient to the clinical needs of the patient, regardless of the treatment setting in which the patient is seen.

At the federal and state levels, Alkermes team members actively participate in public policy discussions with governments, trade associations, patient groups and other organizations to share our perspective and experience as a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing therapies for patients with unmet medical needs.

Our public policy engagement is guided by our commitment to our Code of Conduct, and support of policies that benefit patients who may use our products, including policies designed to support and improve access to medicines and foster innovation in health care.

For both our federal and state engagement efforts, our public policy priorities and positions are determined in consultation with our management team, and our Board is updated and provided an opportunity to comment on, our advocacy priorities and efforts. We also hire outside firms that can provide expertise on our key policy issues.

Additional information on our public policy participation, our political contributions and our trade association memberships can be found on the Public Policy page of the Responsibility section of our website.

Information Security and Privacy

As a global biopharmaceutical company, it is imperative that we maintain strong oversight of the security of all information in our possession to protect the privacy of patients, employees, partners and other stakeholders. This is essential to the sustainability and scalability of our business.

Our Information Security Governance Framework defines our information security strategy and is designed to provide oversight of our Information Security Management System (ISMS), which is aligned to the structured principles of the international standard ISO/IEC27001:2017. The ISMS is an integrated set of organizational processes designed to preserve the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA) of Alkermes-owned, -managed or -maintained information. We have an information classification hierarchy in place that includes definitions and handling rules for the different information classifications, and processes for the review of information security incidents and development of Information Security policies and strategies. We regularly review the framework and update it as appropriate to ensure the program's effectiveness.

We have an established global data privacy compliance program that is designed to promote compliance with the requirements of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA), as well as other applicable state and national laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We also have a global Information Technology (IT) Governance, Risk and Compliance program that includes periodic audits and the assessment of IT and third-party risk.

Read more

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Alkermes on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Alkermes

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/alkermes

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Alkermes

View the original press release on accesswire.com
HIGHLIGHTS

Critical Elements confirms ongoing interest and progress in the Rose Project financing negotiations with potential strategic partners.

Critical Elements continues to work towards a Rose Project timeline that targets commencement of production of high quality spodumene concentrate in 2026.

Management continues its procurement program to purchase long lead time items to protect the Rose Project timeline.

Detailed engineering continues to advance with a high degree of confidence consistent with the Rose Project timeline.

Programs to meet extensive pre-construction requirements under governmental authorizations and the 2019 Pihkuutaau Agreement are on-target.

An initial drill program to test the new Rose West discovery and other targets is expected to commence in early 2024.

While the market for lithium and lithium equities has corrected over the past year, management views the future positively.

MONTRAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Critical Elements Lithium Corporation (TSX-V:CRE)(OTCQX:CRECF)(FSE:F12) ("Critical Elements" or the "Corporation") is pleased with the progress being made to advance the unique Rose Lithium-Tantalum Project ("Rose Project") in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec and, ultimately, achieve its vision to become a large-scale, sustainable, and reliable vertically integrated supplier of lithium for the emerging electric vehicle and energy storage industries.

The Rose Lithium-Tantalum project ("Rose or the "Project") is situated within the Rose and Rose South property blocks (Figure 1), which constitute 395 km2, or only 38% of the Corporation's highly prospective 1,050 km2 exploration portfolio in Quebec.

Summer 2023 Prospecting Results

During the summer of 2023, Critical Elements conducted a prospecting program over several areas, including the Rose, Rose South, Rose North and Nemaska belt properties. The objective of the field program was to identify new pegmatite bodies using systematic rock geochemical sampling of all pegmatite bodies in order to refine the geological interpretation of the properties and prioritize further exploration work including drilling. A total of 774 rock samples were collected (866 samples including QA/QC) during the exploration campaign with 95 samples reporting values over 100 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and/or values over 0.10% Li 2 O.

As reported on September 12th, 2023 and in October 17th, 2023, the press releases state several new outcrop discoveries have been identified in the Rose pegmatite swarm. To date, 4 spodumene-bearing pegmatite outcrops have been identified in this New Discovery Area. At this early stage, the exact strike length, width and orientations of these dykes is unknown, but the apparent strike length along the outcrops exceeds 400m. All results from the summer program have now been received with selected results over 3% Li 2 O including 3.18% Li 2 O, 3.00% Li 2 O, 3.98% Li 2 O, 3.91% Li 2 O, and 5.10% Li 2 O. Full table of best results is shown in Table 1. The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent average grades of the mineralization in the pegmatites. Table 1 provides all sample results with values over 100 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and/or values over 0.10% Li 2 O. Remaining samples did not return significant values.

Table 1: Best new results from summer program 2023

Property Sample UTM NAD 83 ZN18 Li 2 O T a 2 O 5 Type number Easting Northing (%) (ppm) Rose H873531 421352 5768890 0.01 185 Grab Rose H873532 421268 5768886 1.69 72 Boulder Rose H873533 421093 5768907 1.66 86 Boulder Rose H873536 420412 5768913 0.63 69 Grab Rose H873538 420723 5768722 0.00 164 Grab Rose H873539 421393 5768515 0.01 167 Boulder Rose H873542 421543 5767658 0.99 107 Boulder Rose H873675 421414 5768519 1.65 105 Boulder Rose H873677 421332 5768427 0.01 298 Boulder Rose H873679 421290 5768348 0.00 258 Grab Rose H873681 420588 5768104 0.01 170 Grab Rose H873684 421233 5767712 0.84 116 Boulder Rose H873685 421314 5767757 1.88 76 Boulder Rose H873686 421505 5768053 1.54 167 Boulder Rose H873697 421495 5767336 0.93 136 Boulder Rose H873698 421498 5767337 1.24 135 Boulder Lemare H873721 471869 5735655 0.01 110 Grab Lemare H873736 472499 5734797 0.01 124 Grab Rose H874055 422629 5767034 0.01 195 Grab Rose H874238 412188 5763913 0.01 365 Boulder Rose H874242 416007 5759675 1.07 50 Boulder Rose H874307 419413 5764506 1.69 57 Grab Rose H874312 417940 5761003 0.01 108 Boulder Rose H874317 411112 5763622 2.92 338 Grab Rose H874404 420826 5765183 2.19 136 Boulder Rose H874408 420600 5764228 0.01 471 Grab Rose H874409 420604 5764235 0.01 183 Grab Rose H874411 420576 5764152 0.01 123 Grab Rose H874413 420511 5764032 0.08 410 Grab Rose H874423 419508 5761920 3.18 204 Boulder Rose H874425 411269 5763692 0.03 447 Grab Rose H874427 411110 5763619 2.79 277 Grab Rose H874428 411129 5763660 2.61 80 Grab Rose H874429 411188 5763702 1.84 371 Grab Rose H874431 411201 5763699 3.00 274 Grab Rose H905009 411110 5763619 1.09 911 Grab Rose H905011 411153 5763748 0.46 170 Grab Rose H905013 411060 5763918 3.62 551 Grab Rose H905204 411111 5763618 2.95 116 Grab Rose H905205 411112 5763617 3.98 214 Grab Rose H905206 411112 5763617 3.91 225 Grab Rose H905207 411112 5763620 1.45 107 Grab Rose H905208 411112 5763620 1.60 114 Grab Rose H905209 411113 5763621 2.40 105 Grab Rose H905211 411019 5763971 1.36 116 Grab Rose H905212 411007 5763963 1.03 245 Grab Rose H905213 411081 5763942 2.36 307 Grab Rose H905214 411082 5763942 1.32 308 Grab Rose H905215 411083 5763945 1.61 330 Grab Rose H905216 411085 5763945 5.10 449 Grab Rose H905241 411073 5763933 3.37 49 Grab Rose H905242 411076 5763934 4.17 374 Grab Rose H905243 411067 5763926 1.39 20 Grab Rose H905244 411054 5763920 4.52 413 Grab Rose H905245 411155 5763753 1.88 178 Grab Rose H905246 411161 5763741 0.76 130 Grab Rose H905247 411156 5763751 1.08 150 Grab Rose H905248 411159 5763744 3.88 287 Grab Rose H905249 411159 5763748 1.10 203 Grab Rose H905256 410993 5763895 1.56 207 Boulder Rose H905257 410985 5763961 3.39 314 Grab Rose H905258 410987 5763959 0.71 151 Grab Rose H905259 410992 5763958 0.02 226 Grab Rose H905261 410991 5763960 1.15 3 Grab Rose H905262 411047 5764028 0.21 85 Grab Rose H905263 411047 5764026 0.02 177 Grab Rose H905264 411188 5763703 2.17 142 Grab Rose H905265 419289 5764026 1.13 137 Boulder Rose H905266 419421 5764507 0.02 106 Grab Rose H905267 419415 5764510 0.67 267 Grab Rose H905268 410562 5763243 1.85 98 Boulder Rose H905269 410562 5763243 5.19 98 Boulder Rose H905271 410563 5763243 3.57 189 Boulder Rose H905272 419431 5764492 0.95 68 Grab Rose H905351 419576 5763409 1.85 423 Grab Rose H905352 419596 5763391 0.93 155 Grab Rose H905353 419596 5763388 1.60 254 Grab Rose H905354 419594 5763453 1.15 158 Grab Lemare H905377 470949 5734033 0.78 178 Grab

Note: Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent average grades of the pegmatite

Figure 1: Rose Lithium-Tantalum and Nemaska Belt Projects - Location Map

Figure 2: Rose Lithium-Tantalum - New Discovery Sample

Location Map

Note: Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent average grades of the pegmatite

Figure 3: Rose Lithium-Tantalum - Sample

Location Map

Note: Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent average grades of the pegmatite

Figure 4: Lemare Sample

Location Map

Note: Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent average grades of the pegmatite

Project Financing and Strategic Partner Negotiations

Critical Elements is pleased to provide investors with an update on the ongoing assessment of expressions of interest for financing and developing the Rose Project in collaboration with potential strategic partners. Despite expectations for a conclusion earlier this year, the Corporation recognizes the intricacy of these negotiations and due diligence, requiring time and thorough consideration. Investors can be assured of a continued interest from potential partners, and that the Corporation believes that the process is progressing positively. Management is committed to securing an optimal outcome for the Rose Project's financing and development. We appreciate your continued support and patience as we work towards a mutually beneficial partnership. Additionally, it is crucial to note that this process is progressing in tandem with the overall development of the Rose Project, as detailed below.

The Rose Project Timeline

Critical Elements continues to work towards a Rose Project timeline that targets commencement of production of high quality spodumene concentrate for chemical conversion and high purity technical concentrate for the glass and ceramics industry in 2026. Furthermore, protecting the Rose Project's timeline has been a primary objective for management. Significant steps include the change in project scope to incorporate the construction of our own 500-worker camp 4km from the proposed mine site (see the Feasibility Study filed on SEDAR + October 11, 2023). In addition, Critical Elements has commenced its procurement program focused on ensuring long lead time items are available as needed, advanced detailed engineering, and continued delivery of construction pre-conditions. These pre-conditions are required under the Pihkuutaau Agreement signed in July 2019, the favorable decision statement from the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change announced August 11, 2021, the Certificate of Authorization under Section 164 of Quebec's Environment Quality Act announced November 2, 2022, and the mining lease granted under the Quebec Mining Act and announced September 18, 2023. Critical Elements is proud to have achieved these very important milestones, which collectively ensure that eventual production is achieved at the highest levels of environmental and cultural sustainability, an essential component in our close relationship with our Cree neighbours in Eeyou Istchee and a unique quality highly valued input in the global battery value chain.

Procurement Program

Critical Elements announces that following the order to purchase long lead time equipment (315 kV to 25 kV transformers - see press release October 12, 2023), the Corporation has now ordered several batches of electrical equipment. These include 315 kV circuit breakers from industry-leading GEPR Energy Canada Inc. (GE). These purchases will secure the start-up of the power station as quickly as possible.

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation stated: "Once again, Critical Elements has taken action to reduce the risks related to the Rose Project schedule. We are getting closer and closer to our goal of becoming a lithium producer for the electric car market."

Detailed Engineering and Construction Pre-Conditions

The Corporation has been working over the last several months to meet extensive pre-construction requirements under governmental authorizations:

The fish habitat compensation plan and the wetland compensation plan in Cree territory have been updated in collaboration with stakeholders and are now submitted to federal and provincial authorities for approval.

The new camp location has been confirmed, and the environmental impact assessment with this new camp and new borrow pits has been completed and filed to the authorities for approval.

The summer monitoring program and field surveys have been completed.

Detailed engineering continues to progress well, while working to optimize the planned facilities of the Rose Project:

Detailed engineering continues to advance with a high degree of confidence consistent with the Rose Project timeline.

Following the LIDAR flyover, up to date topographical data was available, which allowed the engineering team to further refine earthworks design.

Site-wide water balance and water management strategy has been reviewed with updated data. This has enabled design optimization of the water storage pond and mine water treatment plant.

Design of the co-disposition stockpile progressed well, modelling of its phases over time is completed. Stability analysis is underway.

Technical specifications were issued for major process equipment, allowing the tendering process to be initiated. Firm proposals have been received for the first set of equipment and are under technical and commercial analysis.

The procurement management program to purchase long lead items is on schedule to support the Rose Project Concentrator detailed engineering.

Exploration Update

Critical Elements has recently received the required drilling permit and has initiated preparation for a drilling program on the exciting new discovery discussed above located only 8km west of the Rose Project (see press releases dated September 12th, 2023 and October 17th, 2023), located within a portion of the Corporation's highly prospective 1,050 km2 exploration portfolio. The objective of the drilling program is to test, confirm and expand the new zone identified by prospection during the summer. The Corporation plans to start with a program of approximately 5,000m during its winter program on the new discovery with the objective to quickly test the dimension and grade of the new zone and assess the potential to expand the Corporation's mineral resource inventory. The drilling program will be adjusted and, potentially, expanded based on results of the initial drilling results on the new discovery.

Quality assurance/quality control

Quality assurance and quality control procedures have been implemented to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of the samples. Standards and blanks were regularly inserted into the sample stream. The samples were delivered, in secure tagged bags, directly to the ALS Minerals laboratory facility in Val-d'Or, Quebec. The samples are weighed and identified prior to sample preparation. The samples are crushed to 70% minus 2 mm, then separated and pulverized to 85% passing 75 m. All samples are analyzed using sodium peroxide fusion ME-MS-89L, with full analysis for 52 elements. Value over 25,000 ppm Li were re-assays using Li-ICP-82b and value over 2,500 ppm Ta 2 O 5 were re-assays using Ta-XRF10.

Qualified persons

Yves Perron, Eng. MBA, Vice-President Engineering, Construction and Operations and Sebastien Perreault, P. Eng., are the qualified persons that have reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Corporation.

About Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

Critical Elements aspires to become a large, responsible supplier of lithium to the flourishing electric vehicle and energy storage system industries. To this end, Critical Elements is advancing the wholly-owned, high-purity Rose Lithium-Tantalum project in Quebec, the Corporation's first lithium project to be advanced within a land portfolio of over 1,050 km2. On August 29, 2023, the Corporation announced results of a new Feasibility Study on Rose for the production of spodumene concentrate. The after-tax internal rate of return for the Project is estimated at 65.7%, with an estimated after-tax net present value of US$2.2B at an 8% discount rate. In the Corporation's view, Quebec is strategically well-positioned for US and EU markets and boasts good infrastructure including a low-cost, low-carbon power grid featuring 94% hydroelectricity. The project has received approval from the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change on the recommendation of the Joint Assessment Committee, comprised of representatives from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Cree Nation Government, received the Certificate of Authorization pursuant to section 164 of Quebec's Environment Quality Act from the Quebec Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and the project mining lease from the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests under the Quebec Mining Act.

For further information, please contact:

Patrick Laperriere

Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Development

514-817-1119

[email protected]

www.cecorp.ca

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, P. Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

819-354-5146

[email protected]

www.cecorp.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is described in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary statement concerning forward-looking statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian Securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "scheduled", "anticipates", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to expectations regarding Rose project-level activities including (i) completion of the permitting process, (ii) securing a strategic partnership and project financing leading to a Final Investment Decision and (iii) respecting the Rose project ramp up and commissioning timeline, expectations regarding potential value creation from ongoing and future exploration activities on the Corporation's projects, and the Corporation's ongoing business plan. Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that fundamentals of lithium / spodumene demand and EV market growth and capacity will continue to be strong, that project financing will be available on reasonable terms, and that governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Company's development activities and planned exploration will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Corporation in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Although Critical Elements has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, reliance on key management and other personnel, potential downturns in (i) general economic conditions, (ii) demand for lithium / spodumene and (iii) EV market growth, capacity and demand, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, risks generally associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals, as well as those risk factors set out in the Corporation's year-end Management Discussion and Analysis for its most recent year ended August 31, 2023 and other disclosure documents available under the Corporation's SEDAR+ profile (www.sedarplus.ca).

Forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release.Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSXV:EPL) ("EPL" or "Eagle Plains") is pleased to report results from the 2023 exploration program at its 100% owned, 2741ha Cook gold project located 92km Northeast of La Ronge, northeastern Saskatchewan.

Eagle Plains holds a 100% interest in claims comprising the property and has recently completed fieldwork following a detailed compilation of all available historical data relating to the property. Highlights are summarized below:

Cook Project Highlights

2023: Visible gold identified at the Cook showing with grab samples returning up to 67.7g/t Au and 0.19% Pb

1988: Mapping and chip/channel sampling of mineralized veins at the Cook showing returned 1m @ 74 g/t (2.612 oz/ton)

returned 1m @ 74 g/t (2.612 oz/ton) 1988: Discovery and sampling at the PA showing (SMDI 2301) returned grab sample up to 4.5 g/t Au (0.161oz/ton) associated with significant molybdenite mineralization

(SMDI 2301) returned grab sample up to 4.5 g/t Au (0.161oz/ton) associated with significant molybdenite mineralization Favourable geology-rocks which host the Cook and PA showings trend to the Northeast and remain unexplored

Property has not been drilled, known mineralization remains open at depth

Potential for discovery of extensions of existing mineralization and other discrete mineralization elsewhere on the property

See Cook Project Map here

The Cook project overlies 2 Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index ("SMDI") occurrences. The Cook Showing (SMDI 2300), is reported to include historical channel samples up to 1m @ 73.7 g/t (2.612 oz/ton) Au and is associated with lesser Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization. The PA Showing (SMDI 2301) reports historical grab samples up to 4.5 g/t Au (0.161 oz/ton) and is associated with molybdenum (Mo) mineralization. In 2023 a geological crew provided by Terralogic Exploration Inc. visited the property to re-locate the historic Cook SMDI showing and collect grab samples for modern fire assay and multi-element analysis. Results confirmed the presence of high-grade vein-hosted gold mineralization at the Cook showing. Grab sample CFCKR001 contained visible gold hosted in a 10 cm wide vein and returned 9.01 g/t Au. Grab sample CFCKR004, comprised of quartz-vein material from the same vein, returned 10.8 g/t Au. Grab Sample VBCKR002, in situ vein material collected from along a trench wall, returned 67.7 g/t Au and 0.19% Pb. Veins are considered to be open along strike to the southwest and northeast and have never been drill tested.

Eagle Plains intends to carry out fieldwork in 2024, further defining the known mineralized veins/structures and investigating mineralization potential in unexplored areas of the property.

Cook Geology

The Cook Project is located within the Proterozoic La Ronge Domain of the Trans-Hudson orogenic belt and is underlain by Hickson Lake pluton and Rennick Lake Greenstones (metasedimentary and metavolcanic).

Mineralization identified on the property is hosted in quartz veins, up to 50cm in width, within rocks associated with the Hickson Lake pluton. Mineralization includes, native gold, native copper, galena, molybdenite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, bornite, malachite, arsenopyrite and hematite. Fine disseminations of galena commonly occur with samples collected from the Cook Gold Showing and fine disseminated blebs/plates of molybdenite commonly occurred within samples collected at the PA Showing.

The Cook Showing (SMDI 2300) is described as gold-bearing quartz vein structure mapped up to 30m in length and averaging approximately 10-30cm in width at surface. Native gold occurring in masses up to 1.25mm was observed occurring in white to rusty red quartz and commonly in rusty vugs. Historical trenching and subsequent channel samples across the Cook Showing assayed up to 73.7 g/t (2.612 oz/ton) Au over 1m and an individual grab sample of quartz-rich material from the quartz vein structure assayed 367.4 g/t (13.02 oz/ton) Au (SMAD 73P15-0070).

The PA Showing (SMDI 2301), located 400m north of the Cook showing, is comprised of a series east-west trending auriferous quartz veins (up to 0.5m wide at surface) and pods hosted within a silicified amphibolite unit. Quartz veins and amphibolites have been crosscut by series of northeast trending pegmatite dykes. Grab samples across the quartz vein structure assayed up to 4.5 g/t (0.161 oz/ton) Au and is associated with significant molybdenite mineralization.

Cook History

Vein hosted gold mineralization was first discovered at the Cook Au showing in 1959, it was re-mapped in 1961 and registered as SMDI 2300. In 1981 1164 regional sediment samples were collected by the Saskatchewan Mining and Development Corporation. In 1985 the Geological Survey of Canada conducted a lake sediment survey in the area resulting in one sample approximately 6 km's southwest of the Cook showing returning 25 ppb Au. The property was staked by Lederhouse and later optioned to Gamson Resources Ltd. In 1987 Gamson completed the first significant prospecting campaign and collected vein-material samples associated with the Cook Zone. In 1988 Gamson completed systematic trenching and chip sampling at the Cook Showing, confirming high grade vein hosted gold associated with lesser base metals (Pb-Zn-Cu). Mineralized quartz veins associated with the pluton-metavolcanic/metasedimentary contact are typically reported to be between 0.2-0.3m wide and returned results from channel sampling up to 73.7 g/t (2.612 oz/ton) Au over 1m. Gamson discovered the PA showing which contains vein-hosted Au mineralization associated with molydenum. Grab samples returned results up to 4.5 g/t (0.161 oz/ton) Au. No follow-up work was ever reported at the PA showing.

In 2019 Chris Knudsen completed a single day prospecting program to the Cook showing area, collecting 7 rock samples from the historical trenches. Grab Sample 779810 returned 78.84 g/t Au, 2.7 ppm Ag, 1460.1 ppm Pb, 192.5 ppm Cu (SMAD MAW02583).

Some of the above results were taken directly from the SMDI descriptions and assessment reports (SMAD) filed with the Saskatchewan government. Management cautions that historical results were collected and reported by past operators and have not been verified nor confirmed by a Qualified Person, but form a basis for ongoing work on the subject properties. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the subject properties.

Current Program

Compilation and review of historical work has identified regional target areas in the northeast, with favourable geology with no known exploration to date. Follow up work including additional mapping, and structural interpretation of the Cook and PA showings is warranted to further understand the controls on Au mineralization. 2024 work will include soil sampling, prospecting, mapping and ground-truthing of historical work and investigating regional target areas.

Qualified Persons

Charles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a director of Eagle Plains, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Eagle Plains Resources

Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains is a well-funded, prolific project generator that continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada. The Company was formed in 1992 and is the ninth-oldest listed issuer on the TSX-V (and one of only three that has not seen a roll-back or restructuring of its shares). Eagle Plains has continued to deliver shareholder value over the years and through numerous spin outs has transferred over $100,000,000 in value directly to its shareholders, with Copper Canyon Resources and Taiga Gold Corp. being notable examples. Eagle Plains latest spinout, Eagle Royalties Ltd. (CSE:"ER") was listed on May 24, 2023, and holds a diverse portfolio of royalty assets throughout western Canada.

Eagle Plains' core business is acquiring grassroots critical- and precious-metal exploration properties. The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team.

Expenditures from 2011-2022 on Eagle Plains-related projects exceed $30M, the majority of which was funded by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 45,000m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development.

Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"C.C. (Chuck) Downie" P.Geo

V.P. Exploration and Director

For further information on EPL, please contact Mike Labach at 1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)

Email: [email protected] or visit our website at https://www.eagleplains.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.

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MORGAN HILL, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / At the forefront of IoT connectivity solutions for smart cities, EMQ marked its presence at Smart Cities Connect 2023 in Washington, D.C., affirming its dedication to driving urban advancement through innovative technologies.

Held at the renowned Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Smart Cities Connect served as a pivotal gathering for the smart cities community. The event united and industry leaders and decision-makers, fostering discussions on leveraging technology to resolve urban challenges and enhance community and citizen welfare.

EMQ actively participated in key discussions at the conference, addressing vital topics like AI, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, 5G, Decarbonization, and Energy Infrastructure. This event sparked considerable interest in collaborations, with many exploring how to integrate their technologies with EMQ's offerings, aiming for beneficial partnerships that enhance existing solutions.

A central theme of these discussions was a unified vision for the future of smart city infrastructure. EMQ showcased its MQTT-based technology as a crucial tool for enabling smart transportation, advanced charging infrastructure, and improved vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity.

One of the event's highlights was EMQ's engaging raffle. The prize, appropriate for the holiday season, attracted enthusiastic participation, highlighting the vibrant atmosphere at EMQ's exhibit.

Dylan Kennedy, EMQ's CEO, reflected on the event: "Smart Cities Connect 2023 was a truly enriching experience for us. The keen interest from industry leaders underscores the increasing relevance of smart technologies in urban development. We're excited by the prospects and look forward to establishing partnerships that will significantly impact the future of smart cities."

EMQ's participation in Smart Cities Connect 2023 not only showcased its technological expertise but also marked a crucial step in pursuing innovative collaborations within the smart city sector. Stay tuned for updates on EMQ's transformative initiatives that are reshaping the smart cities landscape.

For more information about our IoT data solutions, please visit: https://www.emqx.com/en/solutions/internet-of-things

About EMQ

EMQ is a leading global provider in the MQTT-based Messaging Platform domain. Its flagship product, EMQX, is a robust and unified MQTT platform, serving as a foundational component for modern IoT solutions. It supports up to 100 million concurrent IoT device connections per cluster, boasts a throughput of up to 1 million messages per second, and ensures sub-millisecond latency. EMQX is trusted by over 20,000 enterprise users worldwide, connecting more than 100 million IoT devices, and catering to over 400 customers in critical IoT scenarios. This includes prestigious brands like HPE, VMware, Verifone, SAIC Volkswagen, and Ericsson.

EMQ's global R&D center, a hub for innovation and development, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. With over ten offices spread across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, EMQ demonstrates its extensive global reach and commitment to providing top-tier IoT solutions on a worldwide scale.

305 Vineyard Town Center, Morgan Hill, CA, USA 95037

www.emqx.com | [email protected]

Contact:

Melanie

PR Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE: EMQ Technologies Inc.

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NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / FireFox Gold Corp. (TSXV:FFOX)(OTCQB: FFOXF) ("FireFox" or the "Company") today announced that it closed a non-brokered private placement of 22,507,840 units of the Company ("Units") at a purchase price of $0.075 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $1,688,088 (the "Private Placement"). Concurrent with the Private Placement, FireFox, together with its wholly-owned subsidiary FireFox Gold Oy, entered into an earn-in agreement (the "Earn-in Agreement"), pursuant to which FireFox Gold Oy granted a subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico") the right to earn an interest in the Kolho properties located in northern Finland (the "Kolho Property").

Patrick Highsmith, Chairman of FireFox commented on the transactions, "We are excited to form this alliance with Agnico Eagle. Not only does the strategic investment recognize the potential of our more advanced projects, such as Mustajrvi, but the option agreement also demonstrates the geological potential of our Kolho Property. We are proud to add Agnico Eagle to our roster of strong shareholders as the strategic backbone for our future growth through discovery."

Carl Lofberg, CEO of FireFox added, "Our company was the first junior gold explorer built around a Finland-based CEO and Finland-based exploration management. Now we are part of a growing community of local and international mining professionals in Finland, and we find ourselves working closely with Europe's largest gold miner. We look forward to working with the Agnico Eagle team at the Kolho Property."

Private Placement

Pursuant to the Private Placement, the Company issued 19,010,000 Units to Agnico at a purchase price of $0.075 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $1,425,750. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), with each Warrant being exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "WarrantShare") at an exercise price of $0.10 per Warrant Share for a term of five years following the closing of the Private Placement, subject to adjustment and an acceleration of the expiry date upon the occurrence of certain events. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for drilling and exploration expenditures on FireFox's Mustajarvi project, other exploration investment on the Company's projects in Lapland, and general working capital.

On closing of the Private Placement, Agnico will own 19,010,000 Common Shares and 19,010,000 Warrants, representing approximately 10.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 19.6% of the Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis.

In connection with the Private Placement, FireFox entered into an investor rights agreement with Agnico (the "Investor Rights Agreement"). Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, Agnico is entitled to certain rights, provided Agnico maintains certain ownership thresholds in FireFox, including: (i) the right to participate in equity financings and top-up its holdings in relation to dilutive issuances in order to maintain its pro rata ownership interest in FireFox at the time of such financing or acquire up to a 19.99% ownership interest, on a partially diluted basis, in FireFox; and (ii) the right to nominate one person to the board of directors of FireFox. Agnico has not elected to exercise this right as of the closing of the Private Placement.

Crescat Portfolio Management LLC ("Crescat") exercised its participation right and subscribed for 3,497,840 Units on the same terms as Agnico for additional gross proceeds of $262,388. Upon closing, Crescat will own 31,188,969 Common Shares and 8,050,678 Warrants, representing approximately 17.8% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 21.5% of the Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis. Crescat has agreed to restrict the exercise of any Warrants if to do so would result in Crescat owning or controlling 20% or more of the then issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company (calculated on a non-diluted basis), provided that Crescat may exercise all of its Warrants in certain circumstances (including for the purpose of participating in a take over bid, arrangement, amalgamation or similar transaction, or change in control of the Company), subject to compliance with applicable securities laws including obtaining prior requisite disinterested shareholder and TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approvals.

The participation of Crescat in the Private Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61- 101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and TSXV Policy 5.9 -- Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. In connection with his related party transaction, the Company is relying on the formal valuation and minority approval exemptions of 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the portion of the Private Placement subscribed for by Crescat does not exceed 25 percent of the Company's market capitalization.

The Common Shares and Warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement and the Warrant Shares underlying the Warrants are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the date of completion of the Private Placement, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

Option Agreement

The Kolho Property is a group of exploration permit applications and one exploration permit (Nuttio) that occupies a prospective structural corridor northeast of Rupert Resources' Ikkari discovery and FireFox's Sarvi property (see Figure 1 below). The Kolho Property covers more than 120 km2, and FireFox has completed detailed airborne magnetic surveys and limited reconnaissance mapping and sampling in the area.

Pursuant to the terms of the Earn-in Agreement, FireFox granted Agnico an exclusive right to earn a 51% interest in the Kolho Property by incurring exploration expenditures totaling US$5,000,000 before the fifth anniversary of entering into the Earn-in Agreement (the "Earn-in Grant Date"), of which US$2,000,000 will be a committed amount required to be spent on or prior to the third anniversary of the date that certain permits are granted in respect of the Kolho Property.

Upon Agnico earning a 51% interest in the Kolho Property, Agnico and FireFox will enter into a joint venture agreement (the "JV Agreement"), pursuant to which, Agnico will become the operator of the venture and be entitled to a 5% management fee. Under the JV Agreement, Agnico will be granted the right to acquire an additional 24% interest in the Kolho Property by incurring additional exploration expenditures totaling US$7,500,000 before the eighth anniversary of the Earn-in Grant Date. A portion of the Kolho Property is subject to an existing 1.5% net smelter return royalty.

Neither the Earn-in Agreement nor the Private Placement affect any of FireFox's other mineral rights in Lapland. The Company maintains 100% control of its Mustajarvi Project, as well as the Jeesio and Sarvi properties where earlier stage exploration targets are being advanced.

For more information concerning the Company, please refer to the Company's profile on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website at www.firefoxgold.com.

Figure 1: Location of Kolho Property.

About FireFox Gold Corp.

FireFox Gold Corp. is listed on the TSX Venture Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FFOX. FireFox also trades on the OTCQB Venture Market Exchange in the US under the ticker symbol FFOXF. The Company has been exploring for gold in Finland since 2017 where it holds a large portfolio of prospective ground.

Finland is one of the top mining investment jurisdictions in the world as indicated by its multiple top-10 rankings in recent Fraser Institute Surveys of Mining Companies. Having a strong mining law and long mining tradition, Finland remains underexplored for gold. Recent exploration results in the country have highlighted its prospectivity, and FireFox is proud to have a Finland based CEO and technical team.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the terms and conditions of the JV Agreement; anticipated payments under the Earn-in Agreement and JV Agreement, including any advancement on the Kolho Property; the terms and conditions of the Private Placement; anticipated use of net proceeds from the Private Placement, including any advancement on the Mustajarvi project; and Crescat's exercise of all of its Warrants and the Company obtaining requisite disinterest shareholder and TSXV approvals in connection therewith. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, FireFox has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although management of FireFox believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to FireFox's financing efforts; risks associated with the business of FireFox; business and economic conditions in the industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); and other risk factors as detailed from time to time. FireFox does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

For more information, please contact:

FireFox Gold Corp.

Carl Lofberg

Chief Executive Officer

FireFox Gold Corp.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +1-778-938-1994

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities Laws.

THE SECURITIES OFFERED HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

SOURCE: FireFox Gold Corp.

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Program focused on helping first-time developers of color is gaining momentum in second year and expanding across the U.S.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / U.S. Bank



Photo: Miranda Walker and Johnny Opara at a recent U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance gathering.

Originally published on U.S. company blog

Johnny Opara started working with U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance in 2021 on a multi-family development project in St. Paul called The Hollows . Opara said he learned a lot from his first Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) deal.

With The Hollows completed and new goals and opportunities in front of him, Opara recently closed on his second LIHTC deal, known as Wangstad Commons, with Impact Finance. He said he hopes to finish the development in early 2025.

Opara, the president and CEO of JO Companies, LLC , shares who inspired him to build in the video linked above.

Wangstad Commons is a 54-unit, four-story development featuring one- to four-bedroom units located in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Nearly one-third of the apartments will go toward supportive housing for people with disabilities or who are high-priority homeless.

"I've been partnering with the City of Brooklyn Center since 2019 in our efforts to deliver high-quality homes that are sustainable and that will be around for generations to come," Opara said. "U.S. Bank stepped up as investor, and on the construction debt side, and has been a strategic partner so I can deliver on my promises."

The funding Opara received is through Impact Finance's Impact Capital program, a $250 million tax credit equity and debt fund aimed at first-time developers of color with tax credit awards. The other organization to receive funding through the fund this year is Infinite Horizons , which received construction financing for Courtlandt Manor, a 23-unit development located in New York.

Impact Capital Manager Miranda Walker said she is pleased with how the program is helping developers like Opara.

"Johnny is the fund's first developer to progress to closing their second deal," Walker said. "It has been exciting to work alongside Johnny as his projects, his business, and his impact in this industry progress. In terms of wealth building, Johnny and his company, JO Companies, exemplify the goal of the Impact Capital program - to provide a path for developers of color to grow their companies through realization of the fees delivered by the projects they work so hard on. The goal of the fund is to work with many more developers like Johnny with the hope and goal to see them and their businesses excel in similar ways."

The Impact Capital program launched in 2022 and is approved as a Special Purpose Credit Program, permitted by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. These programs are designed to improve access to capital for members of economically disadvantaged classes.

"There has been strong demand for Impact Capital across the country," Walker said. "Impact Capital is available in all 50 states with 11 targeted markets. We are excited to continue to build the fund's pipeline and to expand the capacity of the fund's developers.".

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from U.S. Bank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: U.S. Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/us-bank

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: U.S. Bank

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Mawson Gold Limited ("Mawson" or the "Company") (TSX:MAW) (Frankfurt:MXR) (OTC PINK:MWSNF) announces that further to the Company's news releases dated October 31, 2023, November 16, 2023 and December 7, 2023, the Company has closed the transaction (the "Transaction") with Springtide Capital Acquisition 7 Inc. ("Springtide"). Pursuant to the Transaction, Springtide acquired the Company's Rajapalot gold-cobalt project in Finland ("Rajapalot") and raised C$14,121,835 in the non-brokered best efforts portion of the Springtide private placement of special warrants financing (the "Non-Brokered Financing"), and has received future commitments of over C$2,671,500 for the subsequent brokered portion of the private placement financing (the "Brokered Financing"). Pursuant to the Non-Brokered Financing, Springtide issued 14,121,835 special warrants (the "Special Warrants") at a price of CAD$1.00 per Special Warrant offered initially to Mawson shareholders who are "accredited investors", on the basis of one (1) Special Warrant offered per twenty (20) common shares of Mawson held, and then offered to additional parties, as agreed to between Mawson and Springtide.

Pursuant to the Transaction:

Springtide acquired all of the issued shares and inter-company debt of Mawson's wholly-owned Finnish subsidiary, Mawson Oy, which holds Rajapalot, for total consideration of C$6,500,000; Springtide raised C$14,121,835 and has received future commitments of over C$2,671,500 for the subsequent brokered offering, pursuant to the Non-Brokered Financing of which C$6,500,000 were used by Springtide to pay the purchase price for Mawson Oy and the balance of approximately C$10,300,000 will be used to fund resource expansion at Rajapalot, Finland, and for general working capital. Ms. Noora Ahola, Mawson's Interim CEO, has been appointed CEO of Springtide, and Mr. Neil MacRae, a director of Mawson, has been appointed as Springtide's Executive Chairman. Concurrently with such appointment, Mr. MacRae has stepped down as director of Mawson. Ms. Ahola will continue to serve on Mawson's Board. In addition, Mr. Michael Hudson, Executive Chairman and a director of Mawson, has assumed the position of Interim CEO of Mawson until a new CEO for Mawson is appointed.

Each Special Warrant is exercisable into one (1) common share in the capital of Springtide (each a "Springtide Share") at any time at the option of the holder thereof (the "Special Warrantholder") and will be deemed to be exercised (without any further action or additional consideration on the part of the Special Warrantholders) at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the earlier of: (i) the date of a go public event (a "Go Public Event"), pursuant to which Springtide will become a reporting issuer and the Springtide Shares will be listed and posted for trading on a stock exchange in Canada or the United States; or (ii) the second anniversary of the closing of the Non-Brokered Financing. Springtide shall use its reasonable best efforts to complete a Go Public Event on the TSX Venture Exchange on or before March 31, 2024.

The Company will recognize a pretax noncash loss of approximately $39 million associated with the sale during the November 30, 2023, quarter.

All Mawson shareholders are reminded that they have the opportunity to participate in the brokered private placement financing to be undertaken by Springtide (the "Brokered Financing") on terms consistent with the Non-Brokered Financing concurrently with Springtide's completion of a Go Public Event. It is anticipated that Springtide will engage an agent for the Brokered Financing and that agent's fees will be paid by Springtide on the Brokered Financing.

Shareholders who wish to participate in the Brokered Financing are encouraged to contact Mr. Neil MacRae at 1.778.999.4653 or Mawson directly at [email protected] as soon as possible.

The Company also announces that it has applied to, and has received conditional approval of, the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for the listing of its common shares (the "Shares") as a Tier 2 mining exploration issuer to advance its option and joint venture agreement (the "Option Agreement") to earn up to an 85% interest in the Skellefte North Gold Project ("Skelleftea North") (see Company's news releases dated January 17, 2022 and October 11, 2022) and other projects in Sweden, including six exploration licenses: Bjorklund nr 1 & 2, Bjorkramyran nr 3, Kvarnan nr 5, Nojdfjallet nr 1, and Skuppesavon nr 2 for 16,138 hectares. All these exploration licenses are granted and are located through central and northern Sweden to explore for zirconium, scandium, yttrium and lanthanum and other lanthanides (rare earths).

These projects also host the majority of Sweden's conventional hardrock historic uranium resources (combined 22.7Mlb U3O8) that saw significant exploration by the Swedish Government during the 1980s. These Swedish uranium assets are considered to provide a valuable option on the potential for Sweden regulation changes regarding uranium exploration and development.

Although Sweden benefits from having 40% of its electricity supply generated by nuclear energy (world-nuclear.orgfiles/information), a uranium exploration and mining moratorium has been in place in the country since May 2018. The Swedish Government has indicated a positive stance on re-evaluating and lifting the moratorium (www.mining.com/sweden). Exploration, development and mining of these projects is still possible under the current Swedish Minerals Act; however, recovery of uranium in a mining scenario would not be permitted under the current mineral legislation.

Sweden's current center-right coalition government has given strong support to expand nuclear power in Sweden. There are currently six operating nuclear reactors in Sweden that supply approximately 40% of the country's electricity. The Swedish Government has called for the possible restart of Ringhals nuclear power plant Units 1 and 2, as well as to prepare for the construction of new reactors.

In accordance with the TSX Company Manual, the TSX does not require shareholder approval of the voluntary delisting from the TSX as an acceptable alternative market will exist for the Shares on or about the proposed delisting date.

The expected listing date for the Shares on the TSXV will be announced in due course. The Company's trading symbol "MAW", CUSIP 577789100 and ISIN CA5777891006 are expected to remain unchanged. Final approval of the listing is subject to the Company meeting certain conditions required by the TSXV, including meeting the TSXV's Continued Listing Requirements as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer, and other customary conditions required by the TSXV.

The Springtide Financing referred to herein has not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the "United States" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Mawson Gold Limited (TSX:MAW, FRANKFURT:MXR, OTCPINK:MWSNF)

Mawson Gold Limited has distinguished itself as a leading Nordic exploration company. Over the last decades, the team behind Mawson has forged a long and successful record of discovering, financing, and advancing mineral projects in the Nordics and Australia, including the Rajapalot Au-Co PEA-stage project in Finland, the Skelleftea Au discovery and a portfolio of historic uranium resources in Sweden. Mawson also currently holds 51% of Southern Cross Gold Ltd. (ASX:SXG) which owns or controls three high-grade, historic epizonal goldfields covering 470 km2 in Victoria, Australia, including the Sunday Creek Au-Sb asset.

On behalf of the Board, "Michael Hudson"

Michael Hudson

Executive Chairman Further Information

www.mawsongold.com

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

Mariana Bermudez (Canada), Corporate Secretary

+1 (604) 685 9316[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statement

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements for the purposes of applicable securities laws. All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although Mawson believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Mawson cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including final regulatory approval of the Transaction, the delisting of the Mawson Shares from TSX and listing of the Mawson Shares on the TSXV, the completion of Springtide's Brokered Financing, the receipt of conditional approval of the listing of the common shares of Springtide on the TSXV, and the Company's ability, if at all, to explore for uranium pursuant to anticipated changes to applicable Swedish laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mawson's most recent Annual Information Form filed on www.sedarplus.ca While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by Mawson, in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, Mawson can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Mawson disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise.

SOURCE: Mawson Gold Limited

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Firefighters extinguish fire at a damaged building hit by recent shelling in Donetsk, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua)

Firefighters inspect a damaged building hit by recent shelling in Donetsk, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua)

A damaged building hit by recent shelling is pictured in Donetsk, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua)

A damaged building hit by recent shelling is pictured in Donetsk, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / Pampa Metals Corp. ("Pampa Metals" or the "Company") (CSE:PM)(FSE:FIR)(OTCQB: PMMCF) is pleased to advise that preparatory works for the follow-up diamond drill program designed to test the depth and lateral extension of known mineralization at Piuquenes are advancing, with camp setup and platform preparation nearing completion.

Drilling is scheduled to commence in mid-January 2024, with assay results to follow shortly thereafter.

Figures 1 & 2: Temporary Camp Installation and Drill Platform Preparation. Piuquenes December 2023.

Piuquenes Porphyry Copper-Gold Project

In November 2023, Pampa Metals assayed and re-logged Anglo-American's 2016 diamond borehole of 920.2 m length which had crossed the mineral zones previously drilled by Inmet Mining Corporation (IMC). These results were reported in a 5 December 2023 News Release and included:

- 558.2 m (362-920.2 m EOH) @ 0.38% Cu & 0.42 g/ Au & 2.4 g/t Ag (0.73% CuEq)*

Including:

- 130 m (362-492 m) @ 0.81% Cu & 0.6 g/t Au & 4 g/t Ag (1.31 % CuEq)*;

- 180 m (362-542 m) @ 0.71% Cu & 0.61 g/t Au & 3.8 g/t Ag (1.22% CuEq)*; and

- 296 m (362-658 m) @ 0.5 % Cu & 0.5 g/t Au & 2.7 g/t Ag (0.91% CuEq)*,

Historically, IMC (subsequently acquired by First Quantum in 2013) intersected significant copper and gold mineralization at Piuquenes (refer 30 November 2023 News Release) including:

" 413.5 m (167-580.5 m) @ 0.47% Cu and 0.52 g/t Au (0.87% CuEq)*;

" 67.5 m (207-274.5 m) @ 0.63% Cu and 0.51 g/t Au (1.02% CuEq)*; and

" 158 m (3-161 m) @ 0.32% Cu and 0.6 g/t Au (0.78% CuEq)*.





The latest Company Presentation can be accessed at https://pampametals.com/investor/.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Joseph van den Elsen | President & CEO

INVESTORS CONTACT

Joseph van den Elsen | President & CEO

[email protected]

ABOUT PAMPA METALS

Pampa Metals is listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE:PM), Frankfurt (FSE: FIR), and OTC (OTCQB: PMMCF) exchanges, and wholly owns a portfolio of projects highly prospective for copper, molybdenum, and gold along proven and highly productive mineral belts in Chile, the world's largest copper producer.

In November 2023, the Company announced it had entered into an Option & JV Agreement for the acquisition of an 80% interest in the Piuquenes Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in San Juan Province, Argentina.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Mario Orrego G, Geologist and a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Orrego is a consultant to the Company.

* %CuEq values are calculated based on copper and gold metal prices: Cu = US$3.20/lb, Au = US$1,700/oz and Ag = US$ 20/oz. The formula utilized to calculate %CuEq is: Cu Eq Grade (%) = Cu Head Grade (%) + [(Au Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Au Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.04) + [(Ag Head Grade (g/t) / 31.104) * (Ag Price (US$/oz) / Cu Price (US$/lb) / 22.0.

Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Pampa Metals expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will" or "may" occur. These statements are subject to various risks. Although Pampa Metals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Pampa Metals Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2023 / PreIPO, a leading innovator in the investment sector, has announced a significant strategic move: the relocation of its global headquarters to Abu Dhabi. This decision, critical to the company's growth strategy, is aimed at consolidating the management of preipo.com and its extensive portfolio of globally registered trademarks, with a focused objective of enhancing shareholder value.

PreIPO Boca Raton Office

Shareholder Value and Strategic Advantages

The transition to Abu Dhabi represents a pivotal step in PreIPO's commitment to its shareholders. By centralizing operations in a region known for its vibrant investment landscape, PreIPO is poised to offer increased value and better opportunities to its shareholders. The move is a calculated strategy to leverage the region's dynamic business climate for optimal asset management and intellectual property licensing.

"We recognize the immense potential that Abu Dhabi offers and are committed to maximizing this opportunity for the benefit of our shareholders," said John Mattera, the Licensor of PreIPO's IP. "This relocation is a testament to our dedication to strategic growth and shareholder returns."

David Grzan, the CEO of and representative for the Licensee, namely PreIPO, added, "Our move to Abu Dhabi is more than a geographical shift; it's a strategic alignment with our vision for global expansion and shareholder enrichment. We are excited about the prospects this move opens up for PreIPO."

Expanding Regional Interests

Further underlining its commitment to the region, PreIPO has been invited to participate in PIF's Accelerator Program. This invitation is a recognition of PreIPO's innovative approach and potential for impactful contributions in the region's rapidly evolving investment landscape.

About PreIPO

PreIPO is a premier entity in the pre-IPO investment market, dedicated to offering innovative investment solutions and exceptional service to its clients. With its strategic relocation to Abu Dhabi and involvement in key regional initiatives, PreIPO is set to redefine the investment paradigm and enhance shareholder value significantly.

For more information about PreIPO's strategic move and future initiatives, please contact:

David Grzan

CEO

[email protected]

1-888-863-1582

Contact Information:

David Grzan

CEO

[email protected]

1-888-863-1582

SOURCE: PreIPO

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc., a Canadian independent investment management firm with a 25-year history and a decade-long shareholder of Gildan Activewear Inc. (NYSE: GIL), today issued a second letter to the board of directors (the Board) of Gildan urging it to reverse its termination of Glenn Chamandy and reappoint him as CEO of the Company.

The full text of the letter to the Board follows:

The Board of Directors of Gildan Activewear Inc.

c/o Donald Berg, Chair of the Board and Arun Bajaj, EVP, Chief HR Officer & Legal Affairs

600 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West, 33rd Floor

Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3J2

Via email

Dear Gildan Directors,

We appreciated the opportunity to meet with directors Donald Berg, Maryse Bertrand and Luc Jobin on Monday, December 18th to discuss the Gildan board of directors approach to succession planning, the circumstances around Mr. Chamandys termination, and the Boards pursuit of an agreement with Coliseum Capital Management.

In our letter of December 14th, we described our dismay over the events surrounding Mr. Chamandys termination that we believe expose Gildan to significant risks, including a loss of essential leadership, damaged employee morale, and threatened key customer relationships. Having had the opportunity to reflect and deliberate on what we heard during our meeting with you, we remain convinced that Mr. Chamandy must be reinstated as Gildans Chief Executive Officer and as a director. In fact, we are so disturbed by the Boards actions and its conduct that we now believe a significant reconstitution of the Board is essential.

Faced with an unprecedented outpouring of shareholder opposition to the Boards reckless and ill-conceived termination of Mr. Chamandy, the Board issued no public statements and ignored requests for further meetings with shareholders to explain its rationale. Instead, the Board concocted a new narrative surrounding Mr. Chamandys termination that it disseminated via a press release and media interviews late Sunday. But not before it further confounded and alienated Gildans long-time shareholders by entering into a hasty, secret agreement with a relatively short-tenured hedge fund shareholder in a bald-faced attempt to further entrench themselves by trading a Board seat for voting support. Adopting defensive entrenching measures to protect the Board is at odds with its duty to act as responsible and independent fiduciaries for all shareholders.

We spent nearly an hour and a half meeting with your representatives on December 18th. We earnestly, and with an open-mind, attempted to understand the timeline and reasons behind Mr. Chamandys termination. At the end of our meeting, we asked a simple question: When we spoke with Mr. Berg last Monday, why had he not highlighted to us the Boards issues with Mr. Chamandys acquisition strategy? Mr. Berg responded that the termination arose from a dispute over the timing of when Mr. Chamandy would leave the CEO role, and not a dispute over acquisitions. We left the meeting shocked.

We have been equally alarmed at the Boards demonstration that it is willing to go to any length, including distorting Mr. Chamandys stellar track record of value creation for shareholders, in order to justify the Boards hasty, ill-conceived and value destructive decision to terminate him. It is clear to us that this is an example of a succession strategy that was haphazardly implemented and blindly pushed along.

We have met with representatives of the Board a number of times over the years. At no point were concerns raised about Mr. Chamandy and his performance at the firm he co-founded and led for over 20 years, a firm that is one of Canadas great success stories. A founder/CEO who has presided over a 90-fold increase in share price over 25 years deserves to be treated with respect. Quite frankly, if Mr. Chamandy needed more time to make certain that Gildan was on a solid footing to ensure its success for another 25 years, then he should have been given the time.

As shareholders of the Company with a substantial investment in its success, we demand the Board immediately reappoint Mr. Chamandy as CEO and a director. In addition, in order to halt the Boards continued destruction of value, we intend to seek the most expeditious opportunity to significantly reconstitute the Board through all means available to us as shareholders.

Sincerely,

Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc.
Promotions include Jeff Hart and Bryan McElwee to Partner, Tyler Letarte and Andrew McElhinney to Principal, and Taylor Casey to Vice President

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AE Industrial Partners, LP (AEI), a private equity firm specializing in aerospace, national security, and industrial services, today announced the promotions of Jeff Hart and Bryan McElwee to Partner, Tyler Letarte and Andrew McElhinney to Principal, and Taylor Casey to Vice President.

"Were proud to recognize the contributions of these outstanding investment professionals for the role they have played in the growth of the firm and the success of our portfolio companies, said Michael Greene, a Managing Partner at AEI. With an exceptional team in place, we are very excited about what lies ahead for our firm, and we look forward to building on our capabilities as premier investors across our target markets.

Jeff Hart joined AEI in 2015 and is primarily focused on originating, executing and monitoring the firms portfolio investments in defense and government services. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the firms portfolio companies Alpine Air, BigBear.ai, CASE, CDI Engineering Services, Edge Autonomy, and REDLattice. Mr. Hart holds a BA in Business from Colorado Mesa University.

Bryan McElwee joined AEI in 2016, with more than a decade of operating experience in the aerospace industry, and is primarily focused on originating, executing and monitoring investments in aerospace and utility services. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the firms portfolio companies AIM MRO and G.S. Precision. Mr. McElwee holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Tyler Letarte joined AEI in 2018 and is primarily focused on originating, executing, and monitoring investments in space and defense. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the firms portfolio companies Belcan and York Space Systems. Mr. Letarte earned a BA in Business from Villanova University.

Andrew McElhinney joined AEI in 2017 and is primarily focused on originating, executing and monitoring investments in aerospace. He serves on the Board of Directors of the firms portfolio company Yingling Aviation. Mr. McElhinney holds a BS in Business from Wake Forest University.

Taylor Casey joined AEI in 2020. He is primarily focused on financial analysis, due diligence, and executing investments within aerospace, defense and government services. Mr. Casey earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Brown University.

About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a private investment firm with $5.4 billion of assets under management focused on highly specialized markets including aerospace, national security, and industrial services. AE Industrial Partners has completed more than 130 investments in market-leading companies that benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and network of relationships across the sectors where the firm invests. With a commitment to driving value creation in partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, AE Industrial Partners invests across private equity, venture capital (AEI HorizonX), and aerospace leasing. For more information, please visit www.aeroequity.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220866086/en/

Media:

Stanton Public Relations & Marketing

Matt Conroy

[email protected]

646-502-3563

Source: AE Industrial Partners, LP
MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of aa- (Superior) of HDI Global Seguros, S.A. (HDI-GS) (Mexico). Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the Mexico National Scale Rating of aaa.MX (Exceptional) of HDI-GS. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect HDI-GS balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The ratings also reflect HDI-GS substantial reinsurance support from its group through HDI Global Network AG, which currently has an FSR of A+ (Superior) and a Long-Term ICR of aa- (Superior). Additionally, the ratings factor in HDI-GS integration within its ultimate parent company, HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie V.a.G. (HDI V.a.G.), in terms of the business model and consistent financial support.

The stable outlooks on HDI-GS ratings reflect AM Bests expectation that HDI V.a.G.s risk-adjusted capitalization will remain at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio, supported by conservative capital management and prudent risk controls. The groups asset-liability and liquidity management capabilities are expected to help it to withstand current external headwinds associated with financial market volatility and uncertain macroeconomic prospects. The groups performance is expected to remain strong, supported by further improvement in the profitability of its primary segment.

HDI-GS is a subsidiary of HDI Global Insurance Company (99.9%) and HDI Global Network AG (0.1%), which are both subsidiaries of HDI V.a.G. HDI-GS business portfolio is composed of fire, liability, marine and engineering risks. HDI-GS business model utilizes a very low premium retention level, standing at 0.17% at year-end 2022, which is supported completely by an automatic facultative reinsurance agreement provided by its affiliate and minority shareholder, HDI Global Network AG.

HDI-GS risk-adjusted capitalization stands at the strongest level, as measured by BCAR, with growth in capital and surplus during the past seven years mainly driven by consistent positive bottom-line results. Given the companys ceding profile, credit risk continues to be the main driver for required capital; however, AM Best does not view this as a major concern given the counterpartys excellent level of security and the binding characteristics of the contract toward HDI-GS obligations. Support from the group in the past has come through capital injections, with the last one in 2015, aimed to support growth and maintain adequate reserves and capital sufficiency.

Reinsurance commissions continue to impact acquisition costs positively, given that HDI-GS extensive reinsurance program is placed with its affiliate, HDI Global Network AG, and continues to be a mainstay for profitability. As of September 2023, HDI-GS has been able to maintain a stable cash flow and propel premium growth, despite the challenges posed by the current economic environment. The company has been able to sustain profitability though underwriting while taking advantage of investment income without being overly reliant on it.

Positive rating pressure on HDI V.a.G.s rating may arise from sustained improvements in the groups balance sheet strength fundamentals due to its prudent risk culture and underpinned by strong and stable operating performance across business segments, causing HDI-GS ratings to move in tandem. Likewise, if there are negative rating actions on HDI V.a.G, as a result of a material weakening in the group's consolidated risk-adjusted capitalisation, HDI-GS ratings would also move in tandem. This could occur due to significant deterioration in operating performance below the level required for the strong assessment level, due to factors such as unexpectedly high losses or marked deterioration in underwriting risk controls, resulting in a sustained decline in technical results or material asset impairments, as well as a result of a weakening of the groups prudent risk culture.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220031000/en/

Ricardo Rodriguez

Financial Analyst

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 139

[email protected]



Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

[email protected]



Salvador Smith

Senior Financial Analyst

+52 55 1102 2720 ext. 109

[email protected]



Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Laser Photonics Corporation, a leading global developer of CleanTech laser systems for laser cleaning and other material applications, announced today that it has completed an equipment training exercise at Fort Liberty, one of the largest military installations in the world, following the U.S. Army facilities recent purchase of a CleanTech LPC-3000-CTHD laser cleaning system.

"This is the first 3000-CTHD laser cleaning system we have sold to the Army," commented Wayne Tupuola, CEO of Laser Photonics. "The training we are providing to the military for this CleanTech product will help our country's troops stay mission-ready. It is imperative that U.S. soldiers receive the best training, equipment, and resources possible, which is why we take great pride in helping the U.S. military receive just that."

Thorough training done using this cutting-edge, eco-friendly technology ensures the end users' work meets military standards while helping the Army meet objectives that assist it in developing its capabilities. To conduct the training, Laser Photonics' senior engineer traveled to Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, home of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The training that took place focused on the fleet and equipment maintenance for which the product was purchased. Actual cleaning during the occasion was conducted by military personnel and guided by Laser Photonics.

Areas cleaned included the vehicle's surface, engine block, windows and rims. A wide selection of large, rusted metal parts and pieces were also cleaned, giving Army Special Operation Force (ARSOF) maintenance crews a great opportunity to develop techniques and procedures for applying such emerging technologies.

The CleanTech LPC-3000-CTHD is the most powerful laser cleaning system the military has bought from Laser Photonics to date, and its sale along with this training exercise indicates the technology's increasing presence in the defense and military industry. Fort Liberty chose Laser Photonics as their supplier for laser cleaning technology due to the company's dependable, effective, and easy-to-implement products. Operators at the base will utilize the technology to maintain and clean vehicles and other equipment in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner.

For more information about the CleanTech line of laser cleaning systems, please visit https://www.laserphotonics.com or contact our sales department at [email protected].

CleanTech Handheld LPC-3000-CTHD

The CleanTech LPC-3000-CTHD by Laser Photonics is a high-power 3000W laser cleaning, roughing and surface preparation system designed to remove rust, coatings, and almost anything else from a wide variety of surfaces. This laser cleaning system utilizes the latest laser technology to provide superior results while being safer and more eco-friendly than traditional abrasive cleaning methods.

About Laser Photonics Corporation

Laser Photonics is a vertically integrated manufacturer and R&D Center of Excellence for industrial laser technologies and systems. Laser Photonics seeks to disrupt the $46 billion, centuries-old sand and abrasives blasting markets, focusing on surface cleaning, rust removal, corrosion control, de-painting, and other laser-based industrial applications. Laser Photonics new generation of leading-edge laser blasting technologies and equipment also addresses the numerous health, safety, environmental, and regulatory issues associated with the old methods. As a result, Laser Photonics has quickly gained a reputation as an industry leader for industrial laser systems with a brand that stands for quality, technology, and product innovation. Currently, world-renowned and Fortune 1000 manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, industrial, maritime, space exploration and shipbuilding industries are using Laser Photonics unique-to-industry systems. For more information, visit www.laserphotonics.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220316774/en/

Investor Relations Contact:

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Karla Kizzort

Marketing Specialist

Laser Photonics Corporation

[email protected]

Source: Laser Photonics Corporation
The Mutual Group to provide a unique combination of equity capital plus outsourced operational capabilities to improve the financial strength, flexibility and operational efficiencies of its mutual insurance company members

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Mutual Group, an innovative new insurance platform serving the mutual industry, today announced its plans to launch with support from Bain Capital Insurance, the dedicated insurance investing unit of Bain Capital. The Mutual Group is being created through Bain Capital Insurances acquisition of the operational platform1 of GuideOne Insurance Company (GuideOne), a leading niche-market mutual insurance carrier founded in 1947. GuideOne will serve as the inaugural member of The Mutual Group.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220456229/en/

Chuck Chamness, former CEO of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), is the newly appointed Chairman of the new member-centric mutual platform. Tim Fleming, Senior Vice President of Core Commercial Lines at GuideOne, will lead The Mutual Group as Chief Executive Officer. As part of the transaction, Bernie Hengesbaugh, Chief Executive Officer of GuideOne, will become Chairman, and Ken Cadematori, Chief Financial Officer of GuideOne, will succeed him as President and Chief Executive Officer.

I am thrilled to be part of the creation of such an innovative new solution provider to the mutual insurance industry, which I am so proud to have spent nearly all of my career serving, said Chamness.

The Mutual Group will launch with approximately $800 million in annual premium serviced across 50,000 commercial policyholders by its over 400 employees, and is based in West Des Moines, Iowa.

This creative solution marks the successful conclusion to the GuideOne Board of Directors strategic process to bolster our capital base, said Hengesbaugh. The Mutual Group transaction allows us to achieve all of our goals while maintaining our heritage and history as a mutual insurance company.

GuideOne will use the $200 million it received for becoming the inaugural member of The Mutual Group to strengthen its balance sheet and surplus position and to bolster its continued growth in support of policyholders. As The Mutual Groups inaugural member, GuideOne will further support its long-term stability through improved operational efficiencies and underwriting performance.

Bain Capital Insurances significant capital infusion and the opportunity to be the foundation for an innovative, new platform is a testament to the strength of our organization and stability of our businesses, said Cadematori. Our improved financial strength sets us on an exciting course for growth and opportunity to benefit our employees and our policyholders in our proven niche Religious Organizations, Nonprofit and Human Services, and Programs businesses. We are excited to be the inaugural member of The Mutual Group and look forward to watching its membership grow over 2024 and beyond.

The Mutual Group will provide all the services a mutual insurance carrier requires to function efficiently, including underwriting, claims, and reinsurance purchasing as well as a robust technological suite that provides policy administration, enterprise billing and enterprise claims administration systems.

"The Mutual Group is an exciting new platform that combines GuideOnes nearly eight decades of experience as a niche mutual insurance carrier and its highly specialized team with the insurance investing acumen and strategic vision of Bain Capital Insurance, said Fleming. Our goal in supporting mutuals is to preserve their independence and benefits of mutuality while providing a modern, scalable operating platform that supports long-term success.

The investment was made out of the $1.17 billion Bain Capital Insurance Fund, LP, the inaugural dedicated insurance private equity fund managed by Bain Capital Insurance and its team of over 20 investment professionals.

We are proud to continue our teams history of developing innovative solutions for the mutual insurance industry, said Matt Popoli, Global Head of Bain Capital Insurance. We are thrilled to not only launch this new solutions platform, but also to bring a leading mutual insurer like GuideOne on as The Mutual Groups first member as we further strengthen its path forward.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2023, subject to customary approvals and other closing conditions.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Bain Capital Insurance on the transaction. Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to GuideOne on the transaction.

About The Mutual Group

The Mutual Group is an innovative insurance services platform that provides a full suite of solutions designed to improve the operational efficiency and scalability of mutual insurance carriers. Based in West Des Moines, Iowa, The Mutual Group and its over 400 employees will support the companys four service verticals: underwriting, claims, corporate services, and technology. The Mutual Group, which has more than $800 million in annual premium serviced across 50,000 commercial policyholders, is led by a group of seasoned industry experts with deep experience in leading innovative insurance companies across a variety of subsectors. For more information, please visit www.themutualgroup.com.

About GuideOne

For more than 75 years, GuideOne Insurance Company has supported our policyholders goals by providing Nimble Solutions for Niche Needs. Driven by a diverse portfolio of property and liability insurance and risk management solutions, we strive to Make Positive Change Possible by serving as a trusted partner to the people who strengthen and support our communities. GuideOnes corporate headquarters is located in West Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, visit www.guideone.com

About Bain Capital Insurance

Bain Capital Insurance is the dedicated insurance investing business of Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm with approximately $180 billion under management across 23 offices on four continents. We seek to collaborate with leading insurance businesses and management teams to unlock value and drive innovation across the insurance industry, specializing in insurance investing strategies that span the entire value chain and growth spectrum  from catalyzing transformational change, creating new platforms, and stepping into capacity-driven dislocations, to partnering with industry participants to meet their long term strategic and investment return targets. Learn more at www.baincapitalinsurance.com

1 GuideOne will continue to operate as an independent mutual insurance company owned by its policyholders. In addition, GuideOne will retain approximately 70 employees and key strategic leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Underwriting Officer, General Counsel and investment management along with other critical functions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220456229/en/

Media:

For Bain Capital Insurance:

Charlyn Lusk / Thomas Conroy

Stanton

[email protected] / [email protected]

(646) 502-3549 / (646) 502-9006

For The Mutual Group & GuideOne:

Lori Chappell

[email protected] / [email protected]

Source: Bain Capital Insurance and GuideOne Insurance Company
BEIJING & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Biocytogen, HKEX: 02315) today announced that it has entered into an antibody evaluation and option agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. The agreement grants Neurocrine Biosciences access to Biocytogens fully human antibodies against multiple specified targets, with an option to license selected antibodies for therapeutic product development, manufacturing and commercialization for all uses worldwide. Additional targets may be included under this agreement subject to mutual agreement. The antibodies were generated by Biocytogens proprietary RenMice platforms.

Under the terms of the agreement, if options are exercised, Biocytogen will be entitled to option-exercise fees, development and commercialization milestone payments, as well as single-digit royalties on net sales for each selected target.

Dr. Yuelei Shen, President and CEO of Biocytogen, said, We are pleased that our RenMice-derived fully human antibodies received recognition from Neurocrine Biosciences, a world-leading neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company. We are optimistic that the combination of our comprehensive, validated off-the-shelf antibody sequences and Neurocrines extensive experience in novel drug development will accelerate the path to help conquer neurological diseases that are difficult to treat.

We are excited to evaluate the therapeutic potential of antibodies generated from Biocytogens renowned fully human antibody platforms, said Jude Onyia, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Neurocrine Biosciences. We believe this collaboration will help expand our pipeline with antibody-based drugs and ultimately provide patients with improved treatment options.

About Biocytogen

Biocytogen (HKEX: 02315) is a global biotechnology company that drives the research and development of novel antibody-based drugs with innovative technologies. Founded on gene editing technology, Biocytogen leverages genetically engineered proprietary RenMice (RenMab/RenLite/RenNano/RenTCR-mimicTM) platforms for fully human monoclonal/bispecific/multispecific antibody discovery, bispecific antibody-drug conjugate discovery, nanobody discovery and TCR-mimic antibody discovery, and has established an off-the-shelf library of >400,000 fully human antibody sequences against approximately 1000 targets for worldwide collaboration. As of June 30, 2023, 50 therapeutic antibody and multiple clinical asset co-development/out-licensing/transfer agreements and 42 target-nominated RenMice licensing projects have been established around the globe, including several partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs). Biocytogen pioneered the generation of drug target knock-in humanized models for preclinical research, and currently provides a few thousand off-the-shelf animal and cell models under the companys sub-brand, BioMiceTM, along with preclinical pharmacology and gene-editing services for clients worldwide. Headquartered in Beijing, Biocytogen has branches in China (Haimen Jiangsu, Shanghai), USA (Boston, San Francisco), and Germany (Heidelberg). For more information, please visit http://en.biocytogen.com.cn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219690331/en/

Biocytogen

Antibody assets and platforms: [email protected]

Media: [email protected]

Source: Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
BJs supports expansion of weekend food backpack program

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. & MT. JULIET, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ), a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs, celebrated the grand opening of its second location in Middle Tennessee with a $15,000 donation to provide food for local students.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220024459/en/

Jeff Luttrell  Director of Wilson County Schools; Emily McCann  Head of Community Relations, BJs Wholesale Club; Debbie McChurch  WCS Family Resource Center Representative; Anne Barger  WCS Family Resource Center Supervisor; Heath Tyler  Elzie D. Patton Elementary Assistant Principal (Photo: Business Wire)

The new BJs Wholesale Club in Mt. Juliet opened on December 15. The BJs Charitable Foundation announced the donation at Elzie D. Patton Elementary School. The Foundation is funding an expansion of the Wilson County School Districts weekend food backpack program. The program, run by the districts Family Resource Center, supports over 1,200 students annually. The funding will help provide food packs for an additional 170 students in need.

BJs Wholesale Club is committed to taking care of the families who depend on us, said Emily McCann, Head of Community Relations, BJs Wholesale Club. We are proud to provide Wilson County students the food they need to thrive.

BJs Wholesale Club supports the communities where its team members live and work. The BJs Charitable Foundation has partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to provide food for families in need. BJs has funded classroom projects in 14 Middle Tennessee schools, providing teachers and students the resources they need. BJs Charitable Foundation partners with DonorsChoose, a national non-profit organization, to help meet needs for classroom supplies.

We are grateful to have BJs Wholesale Club as a new community partner, said Jeff Luttrell, Director of Schools for Wilson County School District. This generous donation will make a significant impact on our students and their families.

BJs second location in Tennessee is now open at 181 Adams Lane in Mt. Juliet. Local shoppers interested in becoming a BJs member can stop by the club or head to BJs.com/MtJuliet to learn more about the benefits of being a BJs member.

About BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BJ) is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs focused on delivering significant value to its members and serving a shared purpose: We take care of the families who depend on us. The company provides a wide assortment of fresh foods, produce, a full-service deli, fresh bakery, household essentials, various exclusive offerings, gas and more to deliver unbeatable value to smart-saving families. Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the company pioneered the warehouse club model in New England in 1984 and currently operates 241 clubs and 172 BJ's Gas locations in 20 states. For more information, please visit us at www.BJs.com or on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Instagram.

About BJs Charitable Foundation

Established in 2004 by BJs Wholesale Club, the BJs Charitable Foundation provides essential needs to families in the local communities BJs members and team members live and work. Through local and national non-profit partnerships, the Foundation focuses its giving efforts on three main pillars: hunger relief, education and health and wellness.

About Wilson County School District

Wilson County Schools is the 9th largest school district in the State of Tennessee with approximately 500 new students enrolling each year. In addition to the 22 (K-12) schools that are located throughout the county, the district offers three non-traditional learning programs, including an alternative school, virtual learning school and an adult high school. To learn more, please visit www.wcschools.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220024459/en/

Media:

Kirk Saville

Head of Corporate Communications

BJs Wholesale Club

[email protected]

774-512-5597

Bart Barker

Public Information Officer

Wilson County Schools

[email protected]

615-203-4158

Source: BJ's Wholesale Club
Browning West Increases Its Ownership Position to ~4.8% of the Company's Outstanding Shares

Eight Investors Holding More Than 33% of Gildans Outstanding Shares Have Now Publicly Echoed Browning Wests Concerns

Browning West is Prepared to Requisition a Special Meeting to Reconstitute the Board if It Continues to Ignore Shareholder Feedback

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Browning West, LP, which beneficially owns approximately 4.8% of the outstanding shares of Gildan Activewear Inc. (NYSE: GIL) (TSX: GIL) (Gildan or the Company), today issued the following letter to the Companys Board of Directors (the Board).

December 20, 2023

Gildan Activewear Inc.

600 Maisonneuve Blvd W #3300

Montreal, QC H3A 3J2

Attn: The Board of Directors

Members of the Board of Directors,

Browning West, LP (together with its affiliates, Browning West or we) is an investment management firm with a long-term investing horizon that owns approximately 4.8% of Gildan Activewear Inc.s (Gildan or the Company) outstanding common shares, making us one of the Companys largest shareholders. While we recently demonstrated our confidence in Gildan by increasing our ownership stake, the poorly-aligned Board has spent the past 10 days initiating a blatant entrenchment maneuver with a lone shareholder while showing a complete lack of regard for the broad and unprecedented shareholder opposition to the Boards actions. Since the publication of our December 14th letter, eight shareholders, who collectively own more than 33% of the Companys outstanding shares, have publicly echoed Browning Wests concerns. These investors are some of the Companys longest-tenured shareholders and have a deep understanding of the business. We also have reason to believe there are many other shareholders who share our concerns but have yet to express them publicly. With each passing day, the Boards apparent arrogance and indifference validate that substantial change is urgently needed in Gildans boardroom.

Today, we are writing to urge you to implement the three following concrete actions, which create the best path forward for stakeholders:

Reinstate Glenn Chamandy as CEO;



Remove Donald Berg as Chair, and;



Appoint Browning West Co-Founder Peter Lee as a shareholder representative to the Board.

If you continue to ignore the feedback of more than 33% of shareholders, Browning West is fully prepared to requisition a Special Meeting of Shareholders to hold the Board accountable for its actions and prevent the further destruction of value.1 Shareholders will not tolerate the Board doubling down on its poorly conceived succession and its backroom deal in exchange for an individual investors support.

To disregard shareholders and employees at this critical juncture would only further tarnish the Boards reputation and demonstrate its utter lack of respect for sound corporate governance. Consider the following:

- Gildan Shareholders Have Spoken by Publicly Echoing Browning Wests Concerns: A critical mass of shareholders have signaled their alignment by publicly echoing our concerns and calling for the Board to reinstate Mr. Chamandy as CEO. Following our December 14th letter to the Board, investors that include Browning West LP, Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd., Cooke & Bieler LP, Pzena Investment Management, LLC, Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc., Janus Henderson, Oakcliff Capital and Anson Funds have publicly called for the Board to reappoint Mr. Chamandy as CEO. These shareholders, who represent over 33% of Gildans outstanding shares, have taken it upon themselves to ensure their respective voices are heard in seeking to protect the long-term value of Gildan and the interests of all stakeholders. These voices are in addition to numerous shareholders who we understand share these concerns, but have not yet spoken publicly.

- Gildan Employees Have Also Spoken by Selling Substantial Amounts of Stock: Recent substantial share sales in excess of $11.7 million by senior executives signal a lack of confidence in the Board and suggest that employees fear Vincent Tyras appointment may lead to the further destruction of shareholder value. These sales also increase the risk of management turnover. Over the past week, multiple senior executives have made substantial share sales: CFO Rhodri Harries sold $6.8 million in Gildan shares; President of Manufacturing Benito Masi sold $4.1 million in Gildan shares; President of Sales, Marketing and Distribution Chuck Ward sold $702,000 in Gildan shares; and SVP of Sales North America Michael Schroeder sold $104,000 in Gildan shares. Although Gildans senior executives cannot share their views publicly, they are clearly voting with their wallets.

The Boards check-the-box outreach to us this week has been wholly unsatisfactory because it failed to address our substantive concerns on succession planning and Mr. Tyras extremely poor track record. It is, however, noteworthy that in all our conversations with Mr. Berg, he told us that Mr. Chamandy has the highest integrity. We understand that other major shareholders remain deeply troubled by the Boards ever-evolving and illogical explanations for its botched CEO succession process.

The unprecedented nature of the public shareholder outcry and the stock sales of senior executives are evidence enough that the Board should immediately meet our three demands. We will not hesitate to hold the Board accountable for further delay in rectifying this unfortunate situation  of which the Boards actions are the sole cause.

Sincerely,

Usman S. Nabi Peter M. Lee

***

No Solicitation

This press release is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation of proxies. If Browning West determines to solicit proxies in respect of any meeting of shareholders of the Company any such solicitation will be undertaken by way of an information circular or as otherwise permitted by applicable Canadian corporate and securities laws.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as outlook, objective, may, will, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, believe, should, plans, continue, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information in this news release may include, but is not limited to, statements of Browning West regarding (i) how Browning West intends to exercise its legal rights as a shareholder of the Company, and (ii) its plans to make changes at the Board and management of the Company.

Although Browning West believes that the expectations reflected in any such forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, the risks that (i) the Company may use tactics to thwart the rights of Browning West as a shareholder and (ii) the changes being demanded by Browning West, may not proceed for any reason whatsoever. Except as required by law, Browning West does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

Advisors

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP is serving as legal counsel, Goodmans LLP is serving as Canadian legal counsel and Longacre Square Partners is serving as strategic advisor to Browning West.

About Browning West, LP

Browning West is an independent investment partnership based in Los Angeles, California. The partnership employs a concentrated, long-term and fundamental approach to investing and focuses primarily on investments in North America and Western Europe.

Browning West seeks to identify and invest in a limited number of high-quality businesses and to hold these investments for multiple years. Backed by a select group of leading foundations, family offices, and university endowments, Browning West's unique capital base allows it to focus on long-term value creation at its portfolio companies.

1 Since we delivered our letter to the Board on December 14, shareholders collectively owning more than 33% of Gildans outstanding shares have publicly voiced their support for Mr. Chamandys reinstatement as Gildans CEO.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220465121/en/

Browning West

[email protected]

310-984-7600

Longacre Square Partners

Charlotte Kiaie / Scott Deveau, 646-386-0091

[email protected]

Source: Browning West, LP
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday extended for one year until Dec. 20, 2024, the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

Resolution 2717, unanimously adopted by the 15-member council, sets out a comprehensive disengagement plan that includes three phases and the gradual handover of responsibility to the government.

The new mandate follows an earlier request by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the mission's withdrawal. The mandate includes, on an exceptional basis and without precedent to peacekeeping's basic principles, its Force Intervention Brigade.

The drawdown will start by the end of 2023 amid the election cycle. The force will be withdrawn from South Kivu by the end of April 2024, and the mandate's implementation will be limited to provinces starting May 2024.

The authorized troop ceiling will be 13,500 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police personnel and 1,410 personnel of formed police units until June 30, 2024, reduced to 11,500 military personnel, 600 military observers and staff officers, 443 police personnel and 1,270 personnel of assembled police units from July 1, 2024, onwards.

The wide-ranging text establishes MONUSCO's strategic priorities as contributing to protecting civilians and supporting the stabilization and strengthening of state institutions and key governance and security reforms.

It denotes the tasks in priority order, including protecting civilians under threat of physical violence by all necessary measures and deterring and targeted offensive operations against armed groups, either unilaterally or jointly with the Congolese security forces.

MONUSCO is requested to work with the government and humanitarian workers to identify threats to civilians and implement joint prevention and response plans.

MONUSCO is also requested to support the judicial system's capacity to investigate and prosecute those allegedly responsible for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of international humanitarian law. 
New White Paper 2022 NRDL Pricing Implementation and Access Outcomes in China Available Now from Trinity Life Sciences

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Trinity Life Sciences, a leader in global life sciences commercialization solutions, reports that Chinas 2022 National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) demonstrates promising pricing and access opportunities for innovative drugs with significant clinical benefit. The new white paper 2022 NRDL Pricing Implementation and Access Outcomes in China provides an in-depth analysis and key takeaways of the update.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220191192/en/

Cover image from Trinity Life Sciences' white paper, "2022 NRDL Pricing Implementation and Access Outcomes in China." (Photo credit: Trinity Life Sciences)

Since its first negotiation in 2017, the NRDL has become the most important market access pathway in China, providing broad coverage, deep penetration and uptake opportunities for listed products. NRDL negotiations adhere to a cyclical process, introducing a time lag for pricing transparency. The 2022 NRDL list took effect in March 2023, gradually unveiling pricing through subsequent tender publications. This analysis reflects the latest pricing and access trends pertinent to reimbursement in China. Notably, the 2023 NRDL was recently published on December 7, 2023, and additional insights will be provided by Trinity.

The 2022 NRDL update includes five key changesall intended to facilitate an optimized review process. According to the paper, several notable outcomes emerged from the update: improved negotiation success rates with consistent price discounts similar to previous years, a continued focus on innovative therapy inclusion, a growing presence of multinational manufacturers and expanded coverage across diverse therapeutic areas.

The white paper also provides a deep dive into the 2022 NRDL for oncology, rare disease and chronic disease markets. In 2022, oncology remained the primary focus for payers and manufacturers, with an average discount of 58%; products in smaller indications or later treatment lines maintained high prices. The 2022 NRDL witnessed the inclusion of eight new rare disease drugs, with the majority manufactured by multinational companies. All eight rare disease drugs received a lower discount compared to rare disease drugs in 2021. Chronic disease drugs typically face significant price discounting likely due to the large patient population and implications of budget impact; however, with robust clinical data, premium pricing is achievable.

China's healthcare industry continues its rapid evolution, and the 2022 NRDL update is a reflection of the country's commitment to enable broad access to innovative medicines and while balancing cost sustainability. This underscores the need for manufacturers to prioritize China as part of a comprehensive global commercialization strategy, stated Maximilian Hunt, Partner in the Evidence, Value, Access and Pricing practice at Trinity Life Sciences.

We are excited to see the opportunities this presents for multinational companies, said Wenting Zhang, PhD, Associate Principal in the Evidence, Value, Access and Pricing practice at Trinity Life Sciences. The outlook of Chinas healthcare heads toward more promising pricing and access opportunities, especially for innovative drugs backed by robust clinical evidence.

Trinity Life Sciences releases annual guidance surrounding each NRDL update to support life sciences executives with successfully navigating the rapidly evolving access landscape in China.

To download the white paper, please visit TrinityLifeSciences.com or click here.

An on-demand webinar, 2022 NRDL Pricing Implications and Access Outcomes explores the latest pricing dynamics from the 2022 NRDL update that manufacturers should learn to succeed in China market access.

Life sciences executives can view the webinar here.

About Trinity Life Sciences

Trinity Life Sciences is a trusted strategic commercialization partner, providing evidence-based solutions for the life sciences. With over 25 years of experience, Trinity is committed to revolutionizing the commercial model by providing exceptional levels of service, powerful tools and data-driven insights. Trinitys range of products and solutions includes industry-leading benchmarking solutions, powered by TGaS Advisors. To learn more about how Trinity is elevating life sciences and driving evidence to action, visit trinitylifesciences.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220191192/en/

Media:

Elizabeth Marshall

Trinity Life Sciences

[email protected]

Source: Trinity Life Sciences
As the company makes progress to return the Thylacine to Tasmania, The TTA will play an integral role in community coordination and collaboration

DALLAS & HOBART, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Colossal Biosciences, the breakthrough genetic engineering and de-extinction company, is pleased to announce the formation of the Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee. Led by Tasmanian Mayor Michele Dracoulis, this committee will provide a crucial public body for the discussion, development and dissemination of plans related to the rewilding of the thylacine. Commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, the slim, striped keystone species was native to Australia, including Tasmania and New Guinea. Last year, Colossal announced plans to de-extinct and return the Thylacine to its native habitat in collaboration with local government, aboriginal representatives, industry leaders, private landowners, university representation and the public at large.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220481609/en/

Photo Credit: Colossal Biosciences

We are excited to work with this incredible local committee on the next steps of the Thylacine project, shared Colossal CEO Ben Lamm. Mayor Dracoulis, business and educational leader James Groom, aboriginal activist Peter Rowe and all the members are helping to ensure we have a complete picture of how reintroduction can support the efforts of the Tasmanian community. From biodiversity improvements to economic opportunities, we want this to help invigorate a community Ive come to know and love.

Select Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee members include:

Mayor Michelle Dracoulis of the Derwent Valley Council

Mayor Loueen Triffitt, Tasmanian Aboriginal (Pakana) Ambassador & Cultural Educator and the Mayor of the Central Highlands Council

James Groom, principal of Groom Kennedy Lawyers and Advisors and Deputy Chancellor of the University of Tasmania

Mia Lindgrin, Associate Dean of Research Performance for Community Consultation and Impact, University of Tasmania

Sam Bradley, CEO of the Derwent Experience

Todd Babiak, CEO of Brand Tasmania

Alex Heroyas, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Southern Tasmania

Peter Rowe, Tasmanian Aboriginal Advocate and proud Trawlwoolway man

Greg Irons, Director of Bonorong Sanctuary

Michael Smith, President of the Derwent Valley and Central Highlands Tourism Association

Kennedy Kurwaisimba, Coordinator Forest Products  Planning at Sustainable Timber Tasmania

Murray Antill, University of Tasmania School of Creative Arts & Media

Im invested in ensuring the best future for Tasmania, which is why I wanted to helm the Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee, said Mayor Michelle Dracoulis, chairwoman of the Colossal Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee. Culturally, on our island, the thylacine is more than an extinct animal. It is part of our identity, and lives strongly in our folklore and imagination. Bringing back the thylacine is an important step in ensuring biodiversity and safeguarding Tasmania for future generations. Its restoration will contribute to much-needed healing in our land which has a troubled past but is home to a people that have hopes for a brighter future.

I look forward to talking to our Aboriginal groups to inform the members of this exciting project. The thylacine has been a cultural icon of Aboriginal groups throughout Australia for thousands of years and is featured in our ancient rock-art plus it is my own family totem, shared Peter Rowe, Aboriginal Advocate, Derwent Valley Council Indigenous Advisor and Lawyer. The Thylacine was an apex predator wiped out by man; from its loss the environment has suffered. Our people work to maintain natures balance as part of our duty to care for the Earth.

I have spent my career actively working to help Tasmania prosper - socially, commercially and culturally. Joining the Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Committee is an opportunity for me to continue to support our home state and help shape this globally significant and vitally important work, said James Groom, Senior Tasmanian lawyer and Director.

The TTA will meet quarterly to discuss updates to the project and plans to share information regularly with the broader community. For more information on the TTA, please visit Colossals website where information will be routinely updated with advances in scientific research, project progress and a question and comment input form for community discussion.

ABOUT COLOSSAL

Colossal was founded by emerging technology and software entrepreneur Ben Lamm and world-renowned geneticist and serial biotech entrepreneur George Church, Ph.D., and is the first to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction. Colossal creates innovative technologies for species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. Colossal is accepting humanity's duty to restore Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the future economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies. To follow along, please visit: www.colossal.com

WEBSITE & SOCIALS

Websites: www.colossal.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/itiscolossal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itiscolossal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/itiscolossal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itiscolossal

Hashtag: #itiscolossal

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220481609/en/

R&CPMK:

Emily Mailaender

[email protected]

Source: Colossal Biosciences
Industry Leaders Earn DALBAR Service Award for Elevating Customer Care to a Pinnacle Priority

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DALBAR, Inc., the preeminent auditor of customer service within the financial services industry, proudly unveils the distinguished recipients of the 2023 DALBAR Service Award.

The recipients, heralded for their commitment to outstanding customer service, emerged successful through an impartial and meticulous audit utilizing DALBAR's cutting-edge measurement techniques and technology. This comprehensive evaluation of contact centers pinpointed those demonstrating unparalleled excellence. The integration of statistical data with human empirical analysis underscores DALBAR's reputation for providing the most dependable service quality measurement available today. Noteworthy winners spanning the mutual fund, annuity, retirement, and insurance sectors were officially announced on Friday.

Firms are invited to verify their award status by visiting our dedicated DALBARs award winners page.

Shelley-Ann Eramo, Director at DALBAR, Inc., commented, Exceptional customer service is not just a business strategy; it's a commitment to building lasting relationships. At the heart of these firms success lies a relentless dedication to understanding and exceeding customer expectations  because they recognize that great service is not just a transaction; it's the cornerstone of enduring partnerships and sustainable growth."

DALBAR, Inc. has a 46-year history and is recognized by the industry and government as an independent third-party expert in the business of providing audits, evaluations, ratings, and due diligence. DALBAR certifications are recognized as a mark of excellence in the financial services community.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220782507/en/

Media: Emily Kunka

617.624.7136

[email protected]

Source: DALBAR, Inc.
Rhonda Hill to join others from around the nation touched by organ, eye and tissue donation aboard the 21st annual OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Donor Alliance, the nonprofit organization saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation, hosted a send-off rose ceremony for its Advocate for Life volunteer, Rhonda Hill of Douglas, Wyoming. On New Years Day, Rhonda, a kidney, pancreas and bone recipient, will put a local face to the cause during the nationally televised 2024 Rose Parade. Rhonda will be aboard the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float, which is celebrating 21 years on the Rose Parade. The float is part of a national campaign to share the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation with millions of people who either visit Pasadena or tune in to watch the Rose Parade every year from across the nation and around the world.

The 2024 Donate Life Rose Parade float, Woven Together: The Dance of Life, features a beautiful Butterfly Dancer wearing an impressive and intricate headdress. It showcases the culture of the Hopi, native to the American Southwest. The butterfly has long been a symbol of transformation, from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, and has come to symbolize the power of donation and transplantation. On the float and walking alongside it, Rhonda will be joined by donor families, living donors, and organ and tissue recipients from across the country, uniting them through the gift of life.

Before departing to Pasadena, Rhonda handed out roses this morning to her transplant care team at UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado. Each rose was a symbol of her appreciation for receiving the gift of life. When she was 17 years old, Rhonda was diagnosed with severe juvenile diabetes. Then in her 30s, she was put on dialysis as her kidneys began to fail. In October of 2000, Rhonda got the call she had been waiting 18 months for  someone she didnt even know made an end-of-life decision that would give her life a second chance.

I know my donor changed the lives of many others that same night in October of 2000 with her gifts, said Rhonda. I think of her and thank her every day. Im grateful for this opportunity to honor her legacy on a national scale and provide hope to others waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

Rhonda has been touched by donation in more ways than one. In 2022, her husband passed away and had made the decision to give the gift of life. Through her participation in the parade, Rhonda will have the opportunity to share her story as a recipient and as a donor family. Donor Alliance, which facilitates organ and tissue donation throughout Colorado and most of Wyoming, has sponsored advocate volunteers for the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float for more than a decade.

Donor Alliance is proud to return to the Rose Parade in 2024 to share Rhondas remarkable story with viewers across the globe, said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. There are nearly 1,500 people in our region waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Each time Rhonda shares her story, its literally saving and healing more lives.

Coloradans and Wyomingites can register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor by saying Yes when they obtain or renew a driver license or state ID. People can also register anytime at DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

The 2024 Rose Parade will start at 7 a.m. MST on January 1, 2024, and be broadcast live. Check local listings for more information.

About Donor Alliance

Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation in Colorado and most of Wyoming. As a federally designated organ procurement organization  one of 56 in the U.S.  Donor Alliance serves more than 6.3 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance walks alongside the family during the organ recovery process and ensures their loved ones gifts are safely received at transplant centers in a timely manner. Donor Alliance also facilitates tissue donation to save and heal more lives across our community.

In addition, the organization maintains partnerships with hospitals and manages the donor registries in the region, Donate Life Colorado and Donate Life Wyoming, which are symbols of the cause. Through Donate Life, Donor Alliance educates residents on the life-saving benefits of donation, inspiring them to register. For more information, please visit DonorAlliance.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220058450/en/

Heather Burke, Donor Alliance

303-370-2765

[email protected]

Source: Donor Alliance
Strategic acquisition expands ECIs presence in Europe with the most complete residential construction and craft business management software portfolio in the Netherlands.

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ECI Software Solutions, a global provider of cloud-based business management software and services, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Treetop Group, a software company specialized in business software solutions for the residential construction and craft industry in the Netherlands. This marks ECIs first acquisition in the residential construction industry outside of North America and expands ECIs European footprint, further broadening its residential construction software portfolio. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Treetop empowers business owners through modern technology and automation that addresses the unique business challenges of the Dutch residential construction industry. ECIs heritage as a leader in residential construction industry software and Treetops many decades of experience and deep, loyal customer base in the Netherlands make a great combination, said Trevor Gruenewald, CEO of ECI Software Solutions.

Treetop offers a wide range of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and business applications that cater to the needs of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the residential construction and crafts sector in the Netherlands. Treetop has been formed through a selective buy-and-build strategy with support from its majority stakeholder, Nedvest.

I am proud of what we have achieved together with the Treetop team. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people at Treetop for their dedication and energy to grow and build the company over the recent years. We know ECI well and consider them to be the ideal partner to support Treetop in further cementing its position as a market leader in the construction software ecosystem, said Maarten van der Vlist, partner at Nedvest.

Treetop plans to launch a new cloud product in 2024: Treetop Online, a cloud-native ERP software solution designed to manage construction business processes in real time for smaller construction and craft companies.

Treetops existing products include: Admicom, an all-in-one ERP software built specifically for SMB construction companies; Kraan, an ERP software platform for mid-market construction companies; Technosoft, a 2D/3D building design software for constructors; TreeICT, a managed services company; HomeDNA, an expert system that streamlines customer and quality processes in the construction industry; and Frank, a construction software application that supports those who are self-employed in construction.

ECI has forged an enduring path in the residential construction software industry, anchored by a proven track record and unmatched expertise, said Geert-Jan den Besten, CEO of Treetop. As this industry continues to evolve and modernize, ECI remains steadfast in its mission to empower and elevate its customers with investments in innovation, a top-notch R&D team and global support for customer growth. As Treetop and ECI join forces, we look forward to continuing the customer-centric approach that has defined Treetops success.

With more than 3,000 customers, ECI Europe already has a growing presence in the Dutch manufacturing industry. Applying industry knowledge, ECI helps drive customer growth with innovative software solutions in the areas of ERP, finance, CAD/CAM, supply chain, shopfloor control, field service and business analytics. The strategic acquisition of Treetop further expands ECIs portfolio and industry expertise in the region.

To learn more about ECI, visit its website.

About ECI Software Solutions

ECI Software Solutions provides cloud-based business software for running small and mid-sized businesses end to end. Built by experts in manufacturing, residential construction, service management, building supply, office technology and wholesale/retail distribution industries, ECIs industry-specific software connects businesses and customers, improving visibility, operational efficiency and profitability. With ECI, businesses seamlessly integrate sales and marketing, business intelligence, CRM, data and analytics, ecommerce, mobile apps and payment processing. With more than 30 years of industry leadership, ECI is trusted by 24,000 customers in more than 80 countries globally. Headquartered in Westlake, Texas, it has offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Australia. For more information, visit ECIsolutions.com.

About Nedvest

Nedvest is a family-run business based in Amsterdam, recognized for its active involvement as a shareholder in the companies it supports. Concentrating on investments in the Netherlands, Nedvest employs a hands-on approach and brings a wealth of experience to its partnerships. This has led to (international) deals and successful exits across a diverse range of industries. Nedvest has shown versatility and commitment to nurturing and driving growth in businesses of various sectors and is currently focusing on the digital economy within its existing portfolio. For more information, visit Nedvest.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220464744/en/

Brittni Borrero

Gabriel Marketing Group (for ECI Software Solutions)

Phone: +1-248-931-3418

Email: [email protected]

Source: ECI Software Solutions
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Northwell Health and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Researchs Christina Brennan, MD, senior vice president of clinical research, has received the Clinical Trial Europes Christine Pierre Clinical Trials Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to leading innovative, equitable and clinically meaningful clinical trials throughout her career and particularly her leadership in rolling out some of the first national COVID-19 clinical trials in 2020. Dr. Brennan received news of her honor and accepted the award during a ceremony at the Clinical Trials Europe conference on Nov. 30 in Barcelona, Spain.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220389721/en/

Dr. Christina Brennan accepting the Clinical Trials Lifetime Achievement Award in Spain. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes)

Clinical trials are the cornerstone of medical and scientific progress, where an idea transforms into evidence and innovation becomes a reality, said Dr. Brennan. I am grateful to have the opportunity to do a job that I love every day, together with colleagues across the globe, to make a lasting impact on clinical research and ultimately improve patients lives.

The Christine Pierre Clinical Trials Lifetime Achievement Award is a globally recognized accolade presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and dedication in the realm of clinical trials. Christine Pierre is the inspiration for this lifetime achievement award. Pierre, who passed away in 2018, was an industry leader who founded the Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) in response to the growing need for an organization to represent the needs of the global research community.

Dr. Brennan has more than 23 years of extensive clinical research experience, including over 18 years in clinical research management roles. In 2019, she was elected to the board of trustees for the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP). She is the incoming vice chair for the ACRP board of trustees for 2024. She is also on the steering committee of the Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative (CTTI) with Duke University and the FDA.

Just days after the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic and at the height of its first wave, Dr. Brennan, along with leaders within Northwell Health and the Feinstein Institutes, successfully initiated some of the first national clinical trials within days. Throughout the pandemic Dr. Brennan, led nearly 20 clinical trials and projects undertaken across the health system, enrolling more than 1,900 participants, including standing up the health systems very first full-remote, virtual clinical trial.

Dr. Brennans leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond enabled Feinstein Institutes and Northwell Health investigators to pioneer advances in clinical and translational research, said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. This lifetime achievement award to Dr. Brennan is a tribute and high honor celebrating her excellence in clinical trial performance.

Dr. Brennan has authored numerous textbook chapters, co-authored over 25 manuscripts and abstracts, and is an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University and CUNY York, where she teaches clinical trials and research management classes for the Master of Science degree. She also serves on the oncology advisory board with the Society for Clinical Research Sites and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine  a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220389721/en/

Julianne Mosher Allen

516-880-4824

[email protected]

Source: Northwell Health
The collaboration will support the advancement of life sciences companies in Greater Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hatch BioFund Management LLC (Hatch BioFund), an early- stage life sciences venture capital firm headquartered in the Philadelphia region, and Brandywine Realty Trust (Brandywine), one of the largest, publicly traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States, announced today a new partnership to support the advancement of life sciences companies in Greater Philadelphia.

We are proud that Brandywine selected Hatch BioFund as its investment partner, said Lorenzo Pellegrini, Ph.D., managing partner of Hatch BioFund. Brandywines platform will be invaluable in our teams effort to support the growth of exceptional life science entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region. Our unique expertise and range of complementary stakeholders provide crucial support and connection points for these growing organizations.

Formed in 2023, Hatch BioFund provides early-stage capital to promising life science companies, along with access to deep industry expertise and physical platforms to help them realize their missions. In addition to Brandywine, partners include Daiichi Sankyo, a leading, global pharmaceutical company; the Hepatitis B Foundation, the nations leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B, and the Foundations research arm, the Blumberg Institute; and two very successful life science incubator/accelerators: the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, located in Doylestown, Pa., and B+labs, located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pa.

We are delighted to welcome Hatch BioFund to our growing network of life science partners, said Jerry Sweeney, president and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust. This collaboration underscores our commitment to the Greater Philadelphia region and to ensuring that Philadelphia continues to advance its reputation as a center for novel medicine discovery and development.

We welcome Brandywine to Hatch BioFund, said Stu Mackey, Global Head of Business Development, Daiichi Sankyo. At Daiichi Sankyo, we are committed to exploring and investing in a variety of avenues to improve health and extend lives. We are proud to partner with Hatch BioFund to support the advancement of innovative companies that share our goal of delivering important medicines to our global community.

Access to elite lab and office spaces in the context of a collaborative network is a key determinant to success for nascent biotech companies, said Louis Kassa, a founder of Hatch BioFund and CEO of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC), Blumberg Institute and Hepatitis B Foundation. Our organizations look forward to working with Brandywine, Daiichi Sankyo and Hatch BioFund to provide a fertile environment for our incubator companies and develop the Philadelphia region as a major biotech hub.

Philadelphia has long been a city recognized around the globe for its world-class research institutions and clinical expertise. This reputation was further strengthened by the recent clinical success of advanced therapies being forged in the city, including the first FDA-approved cell and gene therapies and the Nobel Prize-winning research that led to the development of highly effective, mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines. Additionally, Philadelphia was recently named one of five regions in the country to receive a biotechnology hub designation from the Biden administration.

About Brandywine Realty Trust

Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) is one of the largest, publicly traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States with a core focus in the Philadelphia and Austin markets. Organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), we own, develop, lease and manage an urban, town center and transit-oriented portfolio comprising 160 properties and 22.6 million square feet as of Sept. 30, 2023, which excludes assets held for sale. Our purpose is to shape, connect and inspire the world around us through our expertise, the relationships we foster, the communities in which we live and work, and the history we build together. For more information, please visit www.brandywinerealty.com.

About Hatch BioFund

Hatch BioFund is a life sciences venture capital firm headquartered in the Philadelphia region, one of the fastest-growing biotech hubs in the world. At Hatch, we provide early-stage capital to promising life science companies, along with access to deep industry expertise and physical platforms to help them realize their missions. We put collaboration at the center of everything we do, with a core mission of delivering key support to exceptional entrepreneurs working on life-changing scientific solutions. We are proud to include highly successful pharma companies, real estate developers, research institutions and biotech incubators among our partners. They provide us and our portfolio companies with unique expertise and synergies. We are committed to working closely with our partners to meet our investment returns goals and their strategic objectives. For more information, please visit www.hatchbiofund.com.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo is an innovative global healthcare company contributing to the sustainable development of society that discovers, develops and delivers new standards of care to enrich the quality of life around the world. With more than 120 years of experience, Daiichi Sankyo leverages its world-class science and technology to create new modalities and innovative medicines for people with cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases with high unmet medical need. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com.

About the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center

Located in Doylestown, Pa., in the heart of the Philadelphia-New Jersey pharma belt, the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC) is a nonprofit life sciences incubator-accelerator offering state-of-the-art laboratory and office space to nearly 50 early-stage biotech companies. The PABC uses a highly successful services-based approach to nurture and guide its member companies to success, advancing biotechnology, maximizing synergies among nonprofit scientists and their commercial colleagues, and launching new ideas and discoveries. To date, more than 75 companies have called PABC their home. PABC tenants account for 17% of all NIH SBIR grants awarded in Pennsylvania and over the years have created billions of dollars in market value from IPOs, acquisitions and commercial valuations. For more information, please visit www.pabiotechbc.org.

About B+labs

B+labs is a newly constructed, state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot life sciences incubator in the heart of University City, Philadelphia, a hub for top talent and renowned healthcare and academic institutions. Powered by the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC), it provides flexible plug & play lab and research space within a specialized network of resources, programming, and expertise. B+labs is part of Brandywine's Life Science ecosystem, which provides life science companies with the platform to grow into bigger users in the region, with flexibility for seamless expansion into larger graduation space. For more information, please visit www.brandywinerealty.com/blabs.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Blumberg Institute

The Foundation is the nations leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa. In 2003, the Foundation launched the Blumberg Institute as an independent, nonprofit research organization to advance its research mission. Today, the Institute is one of the nations leading centers for translational research in hepatitis B and liver cancer. The Institute supports drug discovery, biomarker discovery and translational biotechnology around common research themes such as chronic hepatitis, liver disease and liver cancer in an environment conducive to interaction, collaboration and focus. For more information, please visit www.hepb.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220128441/en/

Ed Tate, 267-923-3475

[email protected]

Source: Hatch BioFund Management LLC
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Immunis, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing innovative secretome therapeutics for age and disease-related immune dysfunction, is honored to win two 2023 Best of America Small Business Awards (BASA). Not only was Immunis recognized as the Best Small Business in biotechnology, but Immunis Chairman, Dr. Hans Keirstead, was also awarded Best Entrepreneur. These accolades are a testament to the company's innovation, excellence, and leadership in the competitive and rapidly evolving field of biotechnology.

The Best Small Business award acknowledges Immunis scientific prowess and promise for the advancement of secretome therapeutics for immunological and age-related conditions. This award was made possible by the visionary leadership of Dr. Keirstead, BASAs 2023 Best Entrepreneur. As an internationally recognized stem cell expert and successful entrepreneur, Dr. Keirstead is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery and building the foundations of some of the most innovative biotech companies in the world.

Receiving these awards is not just a personal honor, but a reflection of the relentless passion of the Immunis team to translate complex scientific research into therapeutics that can potentially change lives, says Dr. Keirstead.

Immunis is truly grateful to BASA for recognizing our scientific milestones and the dedicated leadership of Dr. Keirstead. These achievements have undoubtedly set an even higher standard for Immunis as we continue to transform the landscape of cellular therapies in biotech.

About Immunis Inc.

Immunis is a private biotechnology company developing a novel immunomodulatory secretome product for the various manifestations of age and disease-related immune decline. The investigational product line leverages Immunis leading-edge capabilities in secretome technology to deliver a product of all natural, all human immune modulators in their natural relative physiological concentrations. For additional information about Immunis Phase 1/2a clinical trial please visit: https://immunisbiomedical.com/clinical-trials/.

About Immunis Chairman, Dr. Hans Keirstead

Dr. Hans Keirstead is an internationally recognized stem cell expert and entrepreneur in regenerative medicine. He has pioneered therapies for cancer, immune disorders, motor neuron diseases, spinal cord injury, retinal diseases, immune disorders, and age-related immune decline, and created a novel multi-pathogen vaccine kit. Each of Dr. Keirsteads three biotechnology firms was sold to major pharmaceutical companies for high returns to investors after return of investment capital. Currently, he holds board positions in several leading biotechs including AIVITA Biomedical, Immunis Inc., and the global Human Immunome Project. During his 15-year tenure at the University of California Irvine, Dr. Keirstead mentored over 100 students, published over 150 manuscripts, and granted over 20 patents. His international media recognition includes being listed as one of Discover Magazines top 100 scientists, and highlights in Newsweek, WIRED, The New York Times, TIME magazine, Science, and more. His scientific accomplishments have also been covered on 60 Minutes, PBS, and ABC news radio. Some of Dr. Keirsteads notable awards include the Top 20 Canadians Award by the Consul General of Canada, Most Innovative in Immune Deficiency Research, by Corporate LiveWire, Best Immune Deficit Treatment Development by Global Health and Pharma, OCBJs Innovator of the Year, NIH Solowey award for noted national researcher of the year, recognition as a world thought leader at the Seven Wonderers event by Beakerhead, and the Cameron Award for the best Ph.D. in the country. Dr. Keirstead received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, Canada and pursued his postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge, England.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as applicable. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans, beliefs, expectations and assumptions, as well as other statements that are not necessarily historical facts. You are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date as of which it is made, and we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements. This communication also contains market data related to our business and industry which includes projections that are based on several assumptions we believe are reasonable and most significant to the projections as of the date of this communication. If any of our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may significantly differ from our projections based on these assumptions. This communication is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220107560/en/

[email protected]

Source: Immunis, Inc.
Iristel is offering Operator Connect across North America, and select locations in Europe, and Africa, to dramatically simplify adding telephone services to Microsoft Teams Phone.

TORONTO & NAIROBI, Kenya & BUCHAREST, Romania--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Iristel, a globally renowned telecommunications operator, is thrilled to announce inclusion in the select group of telecommunications providers offering Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams Phone. This marks a significant milestone in Iristel's journey to empower businesses with seamless and enhanced communication solutions. Iristel, a proud Canadian service provider, is set to make Operator Connect available across Canada, USA and select locations in Europe, and Africa, catering to an array of organizations eager to extend their Microsoft Teams deployments to include Teams Phone. Notably, Iristel is proud to be at the forefront of introducing Operator Connect in Kenya, further expanding our commitment to delivering cutting-edge communication solutions on a global scale.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219797688/en/

Operator Connect is a groundbreaking addition to Iristel's comprehensive suite of communications services, custom-tailored for organizations transitioning from traditional office phone systems to the modern, cloud-based Teams Phone. Iristel's Managed Calling for Microsoft Teams Phone offers a fully managed, deep calling integration, promising an unparalleled Microsoft Teams Phone experience for our esteemed customers.

Operator Connect delivers seamless integration of telecom services via the Teams admin center, making it seamless for businesses to add Teams Phone to their collaboration deployments. Operator Connects deployment model includes rigorous quality of service requirements including direct connections to Microsoft Azure, cloud to cloud, over fully managed, resilient connections. This streamlined approach significantly simplifies administration for IT staff compared to traditional Direct Routing integration. Operator Connect reduces overall deployment complexity and ensures a flawless experience for Teams Phone users.

Iristel, a pioneering force in developing fully integrated Unified Communications solutions, has always prioritized the needs of companies that want to maximize the productivity of their remote or hybrid workers. Our customer-centric approach has been instrumental in setting us apart in the industry, offer Operator Connect-based services is the latest testament to our commitment.

With Iristel's intuitive self-serve portal, powered by the Ribbon Connect for Operator Connect solution, administrators can effortlessly make day-to-day changes, such as onboarding new users. Operator Connect's tight integration enables Iristel to offer professional support to manage complex telecom features, like auto-attendants and call queues, on behalf of our customers; further streamlining the administration process.

"We are thrilled to introduce Operator Connect to our esteemed Microsoft Teams customers in Canada, USA, Europe, and Africa," said Samer Bishay, Founder and CEO at Iristel. "This is a significant leap forward in our mission to provide innovative and user-friendly communication solutions that cater to the evolving needs of businesses worldwide. Operator Connect is designed to make your communication experience smoother, more efficient, and tailored to your unique requirements."

As Iristel pioneers a more connected and empowered future, the launch of Microsoft Operator Connect underscores our unwavering dedication to remaining at the forefront of the telecommunications industry.

For more information about Iristel and its Microsoft Operator Connect offering, please visit www.iristel.com/business/teams-calling.

About Iristel:

Iristel is a global telecommunications operator and carrier services provider specializing in Voice over IP, Enterprise Cloud PBX, Wholesale Carrier Services, and more. With a strong focus on customer-centric solutions, Iristel empowers businesses to achieve seamless, efficient, and cost-effective communication.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219797688/en/

For more information:

Website: www.iristel.com/business/teams-calling

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 416-800-0010

Source: Iristel
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it has successfully completed a series of air traffic simulations with NASAs Ames Research Center that evaluated how air taxi operations can be integrated into todays airspace, including at busy airports, using existing air traffic control (ATC) tools and procedures.

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At NASA's Future Flight Central virtual tower facility, Joby and NASA completed a series of airspace simulations with a team of participating air traffic controllers evaluating how air taxi operations can be integrated into today's airspace. Joby Aviation Image (Photo: Business Wire)

The simulations, jointly developed by Joby and NASA airspace engineers following a multi-year airspace study, tested scenarios with dozens of eVTOL aircraft per hour flying into and out of the complex, busy airspace in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region using todays airspace system.

The activity took place at NASAs Future Flight Central, a high-fidelity virtual tower facility offering a 360-degree view of a real-time simulation of an airport, where a team of NASA and Joby engineers, as well as pilots and air traffic controllers, simulated traffic patterns at Dallas Love Field (DAL) and DFW airports, representative of complex and busy airspace.

During the simulation, participating teams of controllers virtually tested the ability to integrate up to 120 eVTOL operations  arrivals or departures  per hour from DFWs Central Terminal Area, alongside the airports existing traffic. Up to 45 simulated eVTOL aircraft were simultaneously aloft in DFWs Class B airspace during the activity.

Working alongside our NASA colleagues, we have now demonstrated in a real-world simulation how air taxi operations can take place in todays airspace system, alongside active airport traffic, using tools and procedures currently available to air traffic controllers, said Tom Prevot, Air Taxi Product Lead at Joby. These successful simulations were made possible by years of careful planning and collaboration between two organizations committed to redefining what is possible, and were proud to be paving the way towards the scaled commercialization of air taxis in the National Airspace System.

Following scenarios developed by NASA and Joby airspace engineers, participating controllers employed some of the highly-structured routes and procedures used today in busy low-altitude airspace regions, including Letters of Agreement and dedicated controller positions to scale air taxi operations without impacting existing traffic.

NASA and Joby engineers hosted representatives from the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to observe the simulation. More details on the simulation are available on NASAs website and NASA will publish a complete analysis of the simulation results next year, sharing data with the industry and the FAA.

About Joby

Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi which it intends to operate as part of a fast, quiet, and convenient service in cities around the world. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the development and performance of our aircraft; our planned operations and the ability to integrate into existing airspace rules and procedures; our business plan, objectives, goals and market opportunity; and our current expectations relating to our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, capital needs and growth of our operations. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as anticipate, estimate, expect, project, plan, intend, believe, may, will, should, can have, likely and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our aerial ridesharing service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project, and our ability to launch our service; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on March 1, 2023, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent managements estimates and beliefs as of the date of this presentation. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220485778/en/

Joby Aviation

Investors:

[email protected]

Media:

[email protected]

Source: Joby Aviation, Inc.
A residential building of the Alamein Downtown Towers Project in Egypt's New Alamein City is topped out, marking a milestone in the construction of the China-backed project under the Belt and Road Initiative.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




Saved from demolition, historic rock and roll landmark building will get new life as 111 units of low-income housing

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Doors' drummer John Densmore and legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz joined Healthy Housing Foundation (HHF), a division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate AHFs acquisition of the historic Morrison Hotel, a 1914 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) building in downtown Los Angeles. The Doors and photographer Henry Diltz made the Morrison Hotel famous with their iconic album cover shot released in 1970.

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John Densmore, drummer for The Doors, and photographer Henry Diltz share Morrison Hotel memorabilia during a ceremony celebrating AHFs acquisition of the historic Morrison, a 1914 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. The Doors and photographer Henry Diltz made the Morrison famous with the bands release of its landmark 1970 album featuring Diltzs iconic cover photo. AHF purchased the gutted building for its Healthy Housing Foundation, saving the Morrison from demolition and, via adaptive reuse, will now convert it into 111 units of low-income housing for people in need. (Photo: Business Wire)

Jim Morrison would be very pleased to know that the site of the cover of our fifth album, Morrison Hotel, is now going to be the site of affordable housing, said Densmore. The people who work in the city cant afford to live in the city, so the Morrison Hotel is now going to be a solution to that problem. On behalf of Jim and me, were very pleased about that and proud.

After doing a couple hundred album covers in the past 50 some years, this is the one that everybody knows, said Diltz, as he then told the story of how the cover shot came to be.

It was almost accidental, this whole thing, he continued, explaining how the young guy in the lobby wouldnt let the band pose inside. But once outside, Diltz saw the elevator light go on through the window, realized the guy had left the desk, and told the band to run inside. It took five minutes, Diltz added. One roll of film.

After speaking, Densmore and Diltz posed for pictures with two versions of the famous image.

That was a great day, wasnt it? Diltz asked Densmore as he held up an original print.

It was, Densmore replied, holding the album cover. The best.

I remember that day so well, Diltz added. What fun. What fun.

AHF purchased the Morrison Hotel for $11.9 million earlier this month, saving it from demolition, and will create 111 housing units at a cost of about $107,207 per unit while preserving a piece of rock and roll history.

Most recently, the property was slated for upscale redevelopment as a swank 444-room hotel with 136 luxury residential units on this and adjacent land parcels. However, real estate industry publication The Real Deal reported that Relevant Group, the developer, defaulted on a $13.2 million loan on the property over the summer after gutting the interior.

Susie Shannon, Policy Director, Housing Is A Human Right; Dominique Eastman, Associate Director of Housing, Healthy Housing Foundation; and Robert Fields, Housing Manager, Healthy Housing Foundation, rounded out the speaking program while acoustic guitarist David Reeves played classic The Doors songs to set the mood.

AHF launched Healthy Housing Foundation in 2017 to address the rampant affordable housing crisis, and the Morrison Hotel is one of 15 HHF properties in Los Angeles (one of 19 nationwide) being converted into affordable housing via adaptive reuse, a much faster, much less expensive way of getting people off the streets.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the worlds largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 1.9 million individuals across 45 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, and subscribe to our AHFter Hours podcast.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219210275/en/

Ged Kenslea, AHF Sr. Comms Dir.

(323) 791-5526

[email protected]

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- We are delighted to announce a strategic partnership that is set to transform the way brands connect with global consumers. Salsify, a leading Product Experience Management (PXM) platform, is partnering with Mamenta, a pioneer in empowering brands to expand their global marketplace presence.

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(Graphic: Business Wire)

Salsify, a leading player in the PXM industry, offers a dedicated platform and solution to tackle the challenges of the intricate digital retail landscape. In today's fast-paced technological world, the company assists retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in improving efficiency, driving sales, and leading the digital shelf with its PXM platform. Salsify's objective is to streamline the visibility and distribution of content across key digital platforms, ultimately helping to capture a larger market share and generate more revenue.

Mamenta offers a cloud-based Global Trade Platform that simplifies the complexities of online marketplaces. Trusted by renowned brands like Harman International, Nestle, NordVPN, and many others, Mamenta enables brands to navigate over 600+ online marketplaces in 70+ countries effortlessly. Their unified solution covers Catalog, Inventory, Orders, Price, Shipping, and Messaging across diverse marketplaces.

Through this integration, Salsify PXM can serve as the central source of product truth for Mamenta customers, ensuring that they are able to deliver the most accurate, complete, and optimized product experiences across Mamentas global network of online marketplaces. Through this partnership, brands can effortlessly navigate the complexities of multiple marketplaces, increase their reach, and provide customers with enriched product experiences.

Highlights of Mamenta and Salsify's partnership:

Streamlined Marketplace Integration: Brands can seamlessly integrate their product content and data with over 600 online marketplaces, ensuring a consistent and engaging customer experience.

Brands can seamlessly integrate their product content and data with over 600 online marketplaces, ensuring a consistent and engaging customer experience. Efficient Catalog Management: Mamenta's robust catalog management capabilities, combined with Salsify's PXM platform, will enable brands to efficiently manage and optimize product catalogs.

Mamenta's robust catalog management capabilities, combined with Salsify's PXM platform, will enable brands to efficiently manage and optimize product catalogs. Enhanced Product Data: The partnership ensures that accurate and up-to-date product information is readily available to customers worldwide, boosting sales and customer satisfaction.

The partnership ensures that accurate and up-to-date product information is readily available to customers worldwide, boosting sales and customer satisfaction. Global Expansion: Brands will have the tools to confidently expand domestically and into new international markets, backed by Mamenta's global presence and Salsify's product experience expertise.

"We are excited to partner with Mamenta to offer our joint clients a comprehensive solution for optimizing speed to market and sales performance across their truly impressive network of global marketplaces," said Joe Gaudreau, VP Corporate Development at Salsify. "This collaboration aligns perfectly with our commitment to helping brands deliver exceptional product experiences across the global digital shelf."

"We believe that combining Salsify's PXM platform with Mamenta's Global Trade Platform is a game-changer for brands seeking to drive revenue through global channels," said Chad Epling, CEO at Mamenta Inc. "Together, we are simplifying the complexities of global marketplace management and enabling brands to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world."

For more information about the partnership and its benefits, please visit www.mamenta.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220893717/en/

Cue Orr

VP MARKETING

[email protected]

Source: Mamenta Inc.
Financing led by Maven Capital Partners, alongside Gresham House Ventures

Funds to be used to expand Metrions Cambridge UK laboratories and to enhance scientific and commercial capabilities

Dr David Milroy and Steve Carle appointed to the board

CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Metrion Biosciences Limited (Metrion), the specialist ion channel CRO and drug discovery company, today announced that it has secured 3.5m in new equity financing, including 2.5m from lead investor Maven Capital Partners (Maven) and 1 million from existing investor, Gresham House Ventures (Gresham House). The funding will be used to further expand Metrions laboratories in Cambridge, UK, invest in specialist equipment and enhance the Companys global marketing activities.

Metrion Biosciences also announced a series of board changes. Dr David Milroy has joined the board as Mavens investor director and Steve Carle has replaced Maya Ward as Greshams board representative. At the same time, Dr Marc Rogers, Dr Barry Kenny and Mark Keogh have retired as non-executive directors of the Company.

Dr Keith McCullagh, Chairman, Metrion Biosciences, said: I am pleased to welcome Maven as a new investor in Metrion. Andy Southan, Metrions CEO, and I are delighted that David Milroy, an experienced scientist and business investor, will join the board as Mavens investor director. We also welcome Steve Carle to the board and thank Maya Ward for her support of the round on behalf of Gresham. Finally, we would like to thank Barry Kenny, Mark Keogh and Marc Rogers as they step down from the board, for their experienced advice and unwavering commitment to the Company over many years.

Maven is a leading private equity house focused on the provision of flexible funding for high growth businesses, and is one of the most active SME investors in the UK.

David Milroy, Partner at Maven, said: The Metrion team are highly regarded in the drug discovery industry and are ideally placed to capitalise on an increasing understanding of ion channel biology and the resulting heightened interest in therapeutics targeting these channels. Maven has a strong track record of backing life science businesses such as BioAscent, another CRO, which has performed very strongly since the Maven VCTs invested in 2018. I am very much looking forward to working with Andy and his team and to drawing on Mavens experience with similar life science businesses and many other SMEs to help scale this exciting business.

Gresham House is a growth equity investor specialising in software and digitally driven businesses in the healthcare, consumer and services sectors.

Maya Ward, investment director at Gresham House Ventures, said: As the timelines, cost and complexity of taking a drug to market continue to rise, we see increasing demand for expert, specialist providers such as Metrion to assist the biopharma industry in navigating these challenges. The management team's deep insight into ion channels and specialist electrophysiology equipment ensures Metrion is well placed to take advantage of the sizeable market opportunity. We look forward to supporting the business in its next phase of growth.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220549614/en/

Katie Odgaard

Zyme Communications

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Metrion Biosciences
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MFS Investment Management (MFS) released today the distribution income sources for six of its closed-end funds for December 2023: MFS Charter Income Trust (NYSE: MCR), MFS Government Markets Income Trust (NYSE: MGF), MFS Intermediate High-Income Fund (NYSE: CIF), MFS Intermediate Income Trust (NYSE: MIN), MFS Multimarket Income Trust (NYSE: MMT) and MFS Special Value Trust (NYSE: MFV). This information also can be obtained by visiting MFS.com by clicking on Products & Strategies > Closed End Funds > Dividend Source Information.

MFS Charter Income Trust

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.04395

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.04395 100% $ 0.04395 100% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Total (per common share) $ 0.04395 100% $ 0.04395 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 3.95% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 7.87% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 6.96% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 0.66%

MFS Government Markets Income Trust

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.01969

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.01969 100% $ 0.01969 100% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Total (per common share) $ 0.01969 100% $ 0.01969 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 0.73% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 7.16% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 0.71% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 0.60%

MFS Intermediate High-Income Fund

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.01411

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.01411 100% $ 0.01411 100% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Total (per common share) $ 0.01411 100% $ 0.01411 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 3.56% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 9.30% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 10.13% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 0.78%

MFS Intermediate Income Trust

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.02017

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.00766 38% $ 0.01527 38% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.01251 62% 0.02491 62% Total (per common share) $ 0.02017 100% $ 0.04018 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 2.33% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 8.43% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 2.90% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 1.40%

MFS Multimarket Income Trust

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.03211

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.00000 0% $ 0.00000 0% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.03211 100% 0.06329 100% Total (per common share) $ 0.03211 100% $ 0.06329 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 4.63% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 7.86% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 5.89% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 1.29%

MFS Special Value Trust

Distribution period: December 2023

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.03540

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of the

total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.01416 40% $ 0.02806 40% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00248 7% 0.00491 7% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.01876 53% 0.03718 53% Total (per common share) $ 0.03540 100% $ 0.07015 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 11-30-2023 5.14% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 11-30-2023 9.88% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 11-30-2023 5.01% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 11-30-2023 1.63%

The above funds have adopted a managed distribution plan. Under a managed distribution plan, to the extent that sufficient investment income is not available monthly, the fund will distribute long-term capital gains and/or return of capital to maintain its managed distribution level. Investors should not draw any conclusions about the funds investment performance from the amount of the funds distributions or from the terms of the funds managed distribution plan.

The Board of the fund may amend the terms of the plan or terminate the plan at any time without prior notice to the fund's shareholders. The amendment or termination of a plan could have an adverse effect on the market price of the funds common shares. The plan will be subject to periodic review by the Board. With each distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income, the fund will issue a notice to shareholders and an accompanying press release which will provide detailed information regarding the amount and estimated composition of the distribution and other related information.

The amounts and sources of distributions reported above are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the funds investment experience during its full fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The fund will send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell them how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The fund may at times distribute more than its net investment income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of the distribution may result in a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all the money that shareholders invested in the fund is paid back to them. A return of capital does not necessarily reflect a funds investment performance and should not be confused with yield or income. Any such returns of capital will decrease the fund's total assets and, therefore, could have the effect of increasing the fund's expense ratio. In addition, to make the level of distributions called for under its plan, the fund may have to sell portfolio securities at a less than opportune time.

About MFS Investment Management

In 1924, MFS launched the first US open-end mutual fund, opening the door to the markets for millions of everyday investors. Today, as a full-service global investment manager serving financial advisors, intermediaries and institutional clients, MFS still serves a single purpose: to create long-term value for clients by allocating capital responsibly. That takes our powerful investment approach combining collective expertise, thoughtful risk management and long-term discipline. Supported by our culture of shared values and collaboration, our teams of diverse thinkers actively debate ideas and assess material risks to uncover what we believe are the best investment opportunities in the market. As of November 30, 2023, MFS manages US$575.8 billion in assets on behalf of individual and institutional investors worldwide. Please visit mfs.com for more information.

The Funds are closed-end Funds. Common shares of the Funds are only available for purchase/sale on the NYSE at the current market price. Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.

MFS Investment Management

111 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02199

15668.173

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220250863/en/

Computershare Shareholders Services:

Shareholders (account information, quotes): 800-637-2304

MFS Investment Management:

Shareholders or Advisors (investment product information):

Jeffrey Schwarz, 800-343-2829, ext. 55872

Media Only:

Dan Flaherty, 617-954-4256

Source: MFS Investment Management
Updates across Morgan Stanley at Work platforms continue to drive automation and unlock customization choices for both administrators and end-user workplace benefits participants.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morgan Stanley at Work announced a series of technology enhancements that drive increased automation and efficiency across a widening ecosystem of workplace benefits solutions for equity compensation, retirement, deferred compensation, executive services, saving and giving, and financial wellness.

Morgan Stanley at Work platforms Equity Edge Online (EEO) and Shareworks together serve roughly 40% of the S&P 500 in the US.1 Enhancements to EEO include:

Redesigned and updated stock plan participant accounts now have Morgan Stanley at Work as their primary brand for a more unified and streamlined experience, moving toward a single Morgan Stanley at Work user account structure.

Plan administrators can now upload foreign exchange rates by equity type and store local currency converted income and withholding amounts at the transaction level, allowing for automated reporting to internal business partners in both USD and local currency denominations.

Expanded workflow functionality now includes workflow templates that let administrators create workflows and incorporate their unique internal processes. Workflows can also be scheduled to run automatically at regular intervals.

Applying scheduled blackouts at the participant group level, which allows for dynamic changes when participants move in or out of company defined parameters.

And on the Shareworks platform:

Updates to performance and security controls offer time savings and streamlined plan servicing, including enhanced trade controls for greater granularity, auditability, and more concise participant messaging.

New Selling Shares experience gives qualifying US participants the capability to transfer shares directly from their online accounts and designate the transfer as a personal transaction, a gift or a charitable contribution.

For plan administrators, more advanced performance and termination rules in the Shareworks rule engine and updates to the employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) module allow for greater plan customization in resetting or editing ESPP enrollment activities.

Additionally, enhancements to core ad hoc data sources and files have streamlined daily operational processes such as cash reconciliation.

Amid continued economic uncertainty, organizations across the world are faced with the daunting task of doing more with less. In these types of challenging operating environments, digital solutions become key to drive efficiency and connect with participants in meaningful ways, said Mark Mitchell, Chief Product Officer of Morgan Stanley at Work. Our ongoing mission remains to unify our tools and capabilities into a single user account structure that will enrich the user experience and help both companies and their employees expand how they manage their financial lives.

About Morgan Stanley at Work

Morgan Stanley at Work offers a suite of financial solutions, which spans Equity Compensation through Shareworks and E*TRADE Equity Edge Online, Retirement and Financial Wellness Solutions. Morgan Stanley at Work combines cutting-edge planning and Morgan Stanley intellectual capital and financial education delivered through multiple channels to enable employees to build a holistic plan to achieve their financial goals. Securities products and services are offered by E*TRADE Securities LLC, Member SIPC. In connection with stock plan solutions offered by Morgan Stanley at Work, E*TRADE Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC provide brokerage services to stock plan participants. E*TRADE Financial Corporate Services, Inc. and E*TRADE Securities LLC are separate but affiliated subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

About Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a leading financial services firm that provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement, and trust services.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the Firms employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

 2023 Morgan Stanley

1 Statistics refer to equity compensation administration services for Shareworks and Equity Edge Online. S&P 500 companies represented include companies for which Morgan Stanley at Work provides equity compensation solutions as of March 2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220689392/en/

Media Relations:

Lynn Cocchiola, [email protected]

Jeanne Joe Perrone, [email protected]

Source: Morgan Stanley
Continued Exploration Success Opens New Drilling Opportunities and Plays in the Llanos Basin

BOGOTA, Colombia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GeoPark Limited (GeoPark or the Company) (NYSE: GPRK), a leading independent Latin American oil and gas explorer, operator and consolidator, announces the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and provides an operating activity update in the Llanos 123 (GeoPark operated, 50% WI) and Llanos 87 (GeoPark operated, 50% WI) blocks in Colombia.

New CFO Appointment

GeoPark is pleased to announce the appointment of Jaime Caballero Uribe to the position of CFO, effective January 15, 2024. Jaime will be responsible for GeoParks financial stewardship and associated activities, including capital allocation, business planning, performance management and execution, oil and gas marketing/commercial, capital markets, shareholder value, tax, financial reporting and information technology. He brings more than 25 years of industry and finance experience to GeoPark, including senior positions in large corporations as well as in start-ups and entrepreneurial businesses. Until August 2023, Jaime was Group CFO at Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC)  the largest corporation in Colombia and one of the 400 largest companies in the world where he helped the management team achieve various performance records, including the delivery of more than $20 billion in growth financing and debt refinance. During his tenure, he was recognized by the Institutional Investor publication as one of the top three sector CFOs in Latin America. Previously, he held multiple positions at BP plc over 17 years, where his most recent appointment was CFO for the Brazil Region, which includes Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela. Jaime holds a degree in Law from Universidad de los Andes, an MBA in Energy Business from Fundacao Getulio Vargas, and certificates in CFO Excellence from Wharton and Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies from Stanford.

Andres Ocampo, Chief Executive Officer of GeoPark, said: We are proud to have Jaime joining our leadership team  an accomplished CFO and business executive who has worked for more than 25 years in our industry and region, and has a consistent track record of helping teams create value for investors, and drive business performance. I would also like to say thank you and congratulations to the GeoPark team for the continued exploration successes and developing these exciting new plays in Colombia and Ecuador.

2023 Exploration Campaign Adds 5,500 Bopd Gross and Opens New Drilling Opportunities

GeoPark announces the successful drilling, testing and putting on production of two new exploration wells, (i) the Bisbita Centro 1 well in the Llanos 123 Block and (ii) the Zorzal Este 1 well in the Llanos 87 Block. These two wells are currently producing approximately 1,500 bopd gross in aggregate.

GeoParks 2023 exploration drilling campaign continues delivering positive results with multiple new plays being opened, adding new appraisal and delineation activity.

The main highlights of the 2023 exploration and appraisal drilling campaign include:

Four successful exploration wells in the Llanos 123 and Llanos 87 blocks, adding over 3,200 bopd gross in aggregate and including Toritos, a new stratigraphic play in the Paleocene

Three successful wells in the new combined structural/stratigraphic U-sand play in the Perico Block (Ecuador), adding 2,300 bopd gross in aggregate

Positive preliminary logging information in the Halcon 1 well in the CPO-5 Block (GeoPark non-operated, 30% WI) and currently drilling the Perico 1 exploration well, both targeting the Paleocene play and trend

GeoParks 2024 drilling campaign will focus on continuing the development of the Llanos 34 Block (GeoPark operated, 45% WI), and on appraising and delineating the new plays being opened by the 2023 exploration drilling campaign in the Llanos Basin in Colombia and in the Oriente Basin in Ecuador.

Llanos 123 Block

The Bisbita Centro 1 exploration well reached total depth in November 2023 with logging information indicating hydrocarbon potential in the Paleocene (Guadalupe) formation. Testing activities started in late November 2023 and the well is currently producing approximately 860 bopd of 19 degrees API with a water cut of less than 1%.

The Bisbita Centro 1 well is the third successful exploration well drilled by GeoPark in the Llanos 123 Block in 2023, following the Saltador 1 and the Toritos 1 exploration wells that initiated testing in July and October 2023, respectively.

Llanos 87 Block

The Zorzal Este 1 exploration well reached total depth in November 2023 with logging information indicating hydrocarbon potential in the Paleocene (Guadalupe) formation. Testing activities started in late November 2023 and the well is currently producing approximately 660 bopd of 33 degrees API with a water cut of less than 1%.

Based on these positive results, GeoPark added a new appraisal well, the Zorzal Este 2 well, which spudded in late November 2023 and is expected to reach total depth in late December 2023/early January 2024.

The complete testing program of the Bisbita Centro 1 and the Zorzal Este 1 exploration wells is underway and additional production data will be required to determine the stabilized flow rates of the wells and the extent of the reservoirs.

_____________________________

Production numbers as of December 18, 2023.

NOTICE

Additional information about GeoPark can be found in the Invest with Us section on the website at www.geo-park.com.

Rounding amounts and percentages: Certain amounts and percentages included in this press release have been rounded for ease of presentation. Percentage figures included in this press release have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, certain percentage amounts in this press release may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in the financial statements. In addition, certain other amounts that appear in this press release may not sum due to rounding.

This press release contains certain oil and gas metrics, including information per share, operating netback, reserve life index and others, which do not have standardized meanings or standard methods of calculation and therefore such measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Such metrics have been included herein to provide readers with additional measures to evaluate the Companys performance; however, such measures are not reliable indicators of the future performance of the Company and future performance may not compare to the performance in previous periods.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, could, expect, should, plan, intend, will, estimate and potential, among others.

Forward-looking statements that appear in a number of places in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations, regarding various matters, including GeoParks 2024 drilling campaign, production expectations and other similar matters. Forward-looking statements are based on managements beliefs and assumptions, and on information currently available to the management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to release publicly any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a discussion of the risks facing the Company which could affect whether these forward-looking statements are realized, see filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Oil and gas production figures included in this release are stated before the effect of royalties paid in kind, consumption and losses. Annual production per day is obtained by dividing total production by 365 days.

Information about oil and gas reserves: The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proven, probable and possible reserves that meet the SECs definitions for such terms. GeoPark uses certain terms in this press release, such as PRMS Reserves that the SECs guidelines do not permit GeoPark from including in filings with the SEC. As a result, the information in the Companys SEC filings with respect to reserves will differ significantly from the information in this press release.

NPV10 for PRMS 1P, 2P and 3P reserves is not a substitute for the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flow for SEC proved reserves.

The reserve estimates provided in this release are estimates only, and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. Actual reserves may eventually prove to be greater than, or less than, the estimates provided herein. Statements relating to reserves are by their nature forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219309449/en/

For further information, please contact:



INVESTORS:

Stacy Steimel [email protected]

Shareholder Value Director

T: +562 2242 9600



Miguel Bello [email protected]

Market Access Director

T: +562 2242 9600



Diego Gully [email protected]

Investor Relations Director

T: +55 21 99636 9658



MEDIA:

Communications Department [email protected]

Source: GeoPark Limited
School district quickly puts state funds to work in support of academic improvement.

PULASKI, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pulaski County Public Schools (PCPS) is among the first school districts in Virginia to deliver on Governor Youngkins call to action in support of high dosage tutoring for students, with the implementation of Stride Tutoring this fall.

Earlier this year, Governor Youngkin signed HB 6001/SB 6001, which included a nearly immediate investment of $418.3 million for public education. The All In Virginia funding includes support for the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act to address learning loss and to combat chronic absenteeism statewide. To meet the Governors challenge to address the learning loss left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pulaski County Public Schools has committed to invest 70% of its All In Virginia funds in tutoring, with a focus on grades 3-8. PCPS has utilized Stride Tutoring to deliver more than 200 daily tutoring sessions through the end of December term.

The All In Virginia funding has presented us with an exciting opportunity to serve our students with a new tool from a trusted partner, said Robert F. Graham, Superintendent of Pulaski County Public Schools. Stride Tutoring has helped us to put into immediate action much-needed additional tutoring capacity for our students, enabling us to deliver on our commitment to their continued success.

Backed by Strides more than two decades of experience in education delivery, Stride Tutoring offers high-dosage online tutoring support to school districts and directly to families, connecting students with experienced teachers. Strides tutors are equipped with a comprehensive library of curriculum and content that aligns to state standards across all subjects and grade levels.

Strides personalized tutoring helps learners maintain their academic pace, catch up, or even surge ahead as tutors customize lesson plans to each students specific learning style, strengths, and interests. Tutoring sessions align with what students are learning in the classroom, and Stride Tutoring only works with state-certified teachers as tutors.

Earlier this year, a third-party evaluation validated that Stride Tutoring meets the standards of evidence in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) aligning with Level IV (Demonstrates a Rationale). This certification shows that a third-party evaluation has validated that Stride Tutoring "demonstrates a rationale" for being evidence-based according to ESSA Level IV.

For schools and districts, Stride Tutoring offers a variety of scalable solutions for high-dosage tutoring, including the ability to schedule small group sessions during the school day and providing detailed student- and school-level reports.

About Stride, Inc.

At Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), we are reimagining learningwhere learning is lifelong, deeply personal, and prepares learners for tomorrow. The company has transformed millions of peoples teaching and learning experiences by providing innovative, high-quality, tech-enabled education solutions, curriculum, and programs directly to students, schools, the military, and enterprises in primary, secondary, and postsecondary settings. Through K12, Stride is a premier provider of K-12 education for students, schools, and districts, including career learning services through middle and high school curriculum. For adult learners, Stride delivers professional skills training in healthcare and technology, as well as staffing and talent development for Fortune 500 companies. Stride has delivered millions of courses over the past decade and serves learners in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. More information can be found at stridelearning.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220038223/en/

Media Contact

Emily Riordan

Director, Corporate Communications

Stride, Inc.

[email protected]

Source: Stride, Inc.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Realize Capital Partners has today announced its first set of investments for Realize Fund I: nine investments, totalling a commitment of capital of $35.2 million.

With Realize Fund I, we aim to invest in a way that accelerates social equity in Canada and builds the social finance market, says Alexandra Baillie, Realize Capital Partners board chair. We recognize this is an ambitious goal. Inequity is pervasive and deeply rooted, with many complex, often interconnected, causes. To make meaningful progress towards realizing social equity, we need an investment approach as multifaceted as the problem. We need to invest in initiatives that tackle inequity from different perspectives and positively reinforce one another to strengthen individual, community and environmental outcomes. Our first set of investments positions us to begin to do that.

The Social Finance Fund is an innovative and first of its kind program. Through this Fund, the Government of Canada is investing in, and supporting the growth of, a vibrant social finance market, shares Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development. By investing in the Social Finance Fund, we are enabling social innovators to succeed, as they lead the way in building a more prosperous and inclusive economy that works for all Canadians. This set of investments by Realize Capital Partners is integral to making positive impacts for Canadians and local communities.

The Investments

Maximizing impact outcomes through a mix of new, emerging and established product issuers thinking intentionally about who they invest in as well as the impact aims of the investees. Maximizing investable opportunities through a mix of private equity, venture capital, private credit and community investing.

Direct Support for People and Place

Jubilee Fund is an established, community-based fund manager providing loans to nonprofits and social enterprises in Manitoba. With its latest capital raise, it aims to extend its community lending program to additional beneficial initiatives like childcare centres, cultural centres, affordable housing, community hubs and social enterprise growth. We believe this fund will help to improve livelihoods, the social determinants of health and community cohesion.

New Market Funds is an established fund manager. NMF Rental Housing Fund II partners with nonprofits across Canada to take ownership of and improve existing housing stock and to create new affordable housing developments. The fund has set impact targets around rental affordability and carbon emissions reductions. We believe this fund will improve livelihoods, strengthen social purpose organizations and help to tackle climate change.

Windmill Microlending is an established woman-led product issuer. Windmill Microlendings Community Bond provides loans to foreign-trained professionals in Canada to enable them to work in the field they trained in before coming to Canada. We believe this fund will improve individual outcomes and strengthen social cohesion.

Finding Innovative Impact through New Perspectives

Maple Bridge Ventures is an immigrant-led, first-time fund manager. Maple Bridge Ventures Fund I aims to invest in 12-15 Canadian ventures led by immigrants, with a focus on health and sustainability technology. We believe this fund will help to diversify the social finance market and create greater opportunities for equity-deserving groups.

Raven Indigenous Capital Partners is an established Indigenous-led fund manager. Raven Indigenous Opportunities Fund I aims to provide follow-on capital to ~6 rapidly scaling impact-focused Indigenous enterprises across Canada for whom there is limited access to culturally safe capital. We believe this fund will catalyze and diversify the social finance market and support economic reconciliation.

Relentless Pursuit Management is an emerging woman-led fund manager. Fund II, the Relentless Health Pursuit Fund, aims to invest in 12-15 early-stage companies led by members of equity-deserving groups that are developing technologies to address gaps in preventative health and chronic disease management addressing common chronic conditions associated with aging. Relentless has a strong focus on impact assessment and measurement. We believe this fund will diversify the social finance market and improve peoples physical and mental well-being.

The51 is an emerging woman-led fund manager. The51 Food and AgTech Fund I aims to invest in about 25 Canadian tech companies led by diverse teams, addressing climate challenges by reducing emissions and improving sustainability in the food and agriculture sectors. We believe this fund will diversify the social finance market and help build resilience in the food system.

Made in Canada Climate Solutions

Idealist Capital is a newly established private equity fund manager. Idealist Climate Impact Fund I aims to invest in about 10 growth-stage companies across Canada that are decarbonizing the power supply, electrifying transportation, supporting the transition to a circular economy and decarbonizing industrials. The fund has an impact measurement framework in place to measure reductions in carbon emissions. We believe that by helping to scale commercially ready solutions, this fund will help to tackle climate change.

PaceZero Capital Partners is an emerging private credit fund manager. PaceZero Sustainable Credit Fund II aims to support 16-20 early-stage Canadian companies in developing and commercializing their technologies to deliver positive social and environmental impact. The funds impact framework is aligned to global standards. We believe this fund will create significant and far-reaching environmental benefits.

Just the Start

At a targeted $405 million fund size, Realize Fund I will be making many more investments next year and in the years ahead. In 2024 the team will develop new community partnerships to propel community-led solutions, continue to support new and emerging managers, strive for investments aimed at helping rural and remote communities and support managers development of impact measurement frameworks.

About Realize Capital Partners

Realize Capital Partners is one of three fund-of-fund managers selected by the Government of Canada for its Social Finance Fund (SFF). Realize Capital Partners is a joint venture between Rally Assets and Relay Ventures. The SFF is an initiative to strengthen social purpose organizations and accelerate the growth of Canadas social finance market. Through Realize Fund I, and alongside the other fund-of-funds managers, we are investing in positively impactful enterprises that accelerate social equity in Canada.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220694506/en/

Estelle Taylor

[email protected]

Source: Realize Capital Partners
TURIN, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Concept Reply, part of the Reply network of companies and specialised in IoT, is working with MULTIVAC, a leading manufacturer of processing and packaging solutions, to develop smart services for automated machine monitoring. This project is part of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance initiative, in which industry-specific companies have joined forces to develop common standards for the transformation to the Industrial Internet of Things.

As a member of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance, Concept Reply contributes its expertise to IoT projects and actively supports the setting of standards in the field of Industrial IoT. In this context, Concept Reply is successfully working for international founding member MULTIVAC on the "smart services" project. This cloud IoT project aims to digitally manage machines - both locally and remotely - to make processes more transparent and to increase the efficiency and productivity of systems.

The cloud IoT platform implemented for MULTIVAC acts as a central monitoring and management instance. The data is processed on the platform and made available to users as smart services in freely configurable dashboards. The use of a micro-front-end architecture on the Azure cloud and the application of modern web technologies form the basis for the future use of AI-based assistants, thus laying the foundation for new business models and a sustainable, resource-efficient smart factory. The combination of cloud & edge computing reduces latency from data acquisition to sensor technology and actuator control. The benefits for the user are real-time data processing, protection against cyber-attacks and direct machine-to-machine communication.

Further projects with MULTIVAC are already in the pipeline to expand industry standards through the intelligent digitalisation of production and to actively shape the future of Industry 4.0. Dr Marius Grathwohl, VP Digital Products and Transformation at MULTIVAC and Member of the Board of the Alliance, concluded: "The successful collaboration between Concept Reply and MULTIVAC is based on the commonality of an open mindset and a shared understanding of Industry 4.0. Both companies are members of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance, and we already have a common understanding of the architecture".

Together with its members, the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance is developing multi-vendor Industry 4.0 solutions and services for automated production systems and warehouses. Use cases include automated onboarding, device provisioning, device management, digital nameplates, digital twins and automated device lifecycle management. The open technical ecosystems enable machines and applications from different vendors to be networked and data to be securely transported along the value chain.

Reply

Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. As a network of highly specialised companies, Reply defines and develops business models enabled by the new models of AI, big data, cloud computing, digital media and the internet of things. Reply delivers consulting, system integration and digital services to organisations across the telecom and media; industry and services; banking and insurance; and public sectors. www.reply.com

Concept Reply

Concept Reply is an IoT software developer specializing in the research, development and validation of innovative solutions and supports its customers in the automotive, manufacturing, smart infrastructure and other industries in all matters relating to the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. The goal is to offer end-to-end solutions along the entire value chain: from the definition of an IoT strategy, through testing and quality assurance, to the implementation of a concrete solution. www.concept.reply.com

MULTIVAC Group

Bundled expertise, innovative top technology and strong brands under one roof: The MULTIVAC Group offers complete solutions for the packaging and processing of food, medical and pharmaceutical products as well as industrial goods - and continues to set new standards in the market as a technology leader. For more than 60 years, the name has stood for stability and values, innovation and sustainability, quality and excellent service. Founded in 1961 in the Allgau region of Germany, the MULTIVAC Group is now a global solutions provider that helps small and medium-sized companies as well as large corporations to organise their production processes efficiently and in a way that conserves resources. www.multivac.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220017040/en/

Media contact:

Reply

Fabio Zappelli

[email protected]

Tel. +390117711594

Sandra Dennhardt

[email protected]

Tel. +49 170 4546229

Source: REPLY
Former Calico, Amgen, and Merck leaders bring a depth of scientific and clinical expertise in cardiometabolic and other disease areas, bolstering Scribes work engineering a new era of CRISPR-based genetic medicines

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Scribe Therapeutics Inc., a genetic medicines company unlocking the potential of CRISPR to transform human health, today announced the appointments of Aarif Khakoo, M.D., M.B.A., as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development (R&D), and Maria Mirotsou, M.Sc., Ph.D., as Vice President of Discovery Biology.

We are thrilled to welcome Aarif and Maria to our world-class team of CRISPR technologists, leading scientists, and proven company builders, said Benjamin Oakes, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scribe.

Aarif brings a wealth of clinical and R&D experience treating a broad range of diseases, including cardiometabolic disorders. He will help lead and manage Scribes research and innovation in areas including discovery, technology, molecular engineering, biology, and more, continued Dr. Oakes. With Marias leadership boosting our capabilities in cell and gene therapy development, their combined expertise in cutting-edge science promises even greater advancements in our work to unleash a new era of in vivo CRISPR-based genetic medicines for patients with highly prevalent diseases.

Dr. Aarif Khakoo is a leading physician-scientist joining Scribe from Calico Life Sciences, where he served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Drug Development, leading the companys maturation into a clinical-stage company that filed multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) and Clinical Trial Applications (CTA) supporting its portfolio comprising more than 20 early- and late-stage compounds in cancer, neurological diseases, and tissue homeostasis and repair.

Throughout my career, I have worked with extremely talented teams driving innovation across biotech, said Dr. Khakoo. I am incredibly pleased to join Scribe, an industry leader in engineering new CRISPR technologies and molecules that have broad clinical potential, at such a pivotal time when the company is rapidly advancing its suite of engineered tools into transformative therapies for patients with serious illnesses.

Previously, Dr. Khakoo held roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen that cemented his track record in drug development and fueled the companys emergence as a leader in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. He created and led the Cardiometabolic Division, which delivered seven first-in-class new molecular entities for atherosclerosis, heart failure, and obesity; then oversaw early clinical development as Head of Translational Medicine across all of Amgens therapeutic areas  cardiometabolic, neuroscience, inflammation, and oncology. Dr. Khakoo was a former associate professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He received his M.D. and M.B.A. from Columbia University and his B.S.E in chemical engineering from Princeton University.

Scribes CRISPR by Design approach is capable of truly unlocking the potential of the breakthrough genome editing technology to transform human health, Dr. Khakoo continued. By leveraging comprehensive molecular engineering in a way that is wholly distinct and novel to the biopharma industry, Scribe is uniquely positioned to deliver in vivo CRISPR-based medicines that can transform the standard of care.

Dr. Maria Mirotsou brings more than 20 years of deep expertise in cell biology, drug discovery, and translational science. Her track record includes advancing R&D and IND-enabling studies for a diverse range of disease portfolios, leading business development and licensing activities, and managing large collaborations with academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies. Dr. Mirotsous prior roles include guiding R&D in retinal and cardiovascular disorders at Merck Research Laboratories, regenerative medicine and cell therapy at Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Capricor Therapeutics, and cell therapy and cardiovascular genomics at Duke University School of Medicine and Brigham and Womens Hospital. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from University College London, M.Sc. in medical genetics and immunology from Brunel University, and B.Sc. in biology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

After more than two decades of advancing novel therapeutics in various capacities, I am delighted to join Scribes stellar team of CRISPR and molecular engineers pioneering a new path forward for genetic medicine, said Dr. Mirotsou. Scribes ongoing work and commitment to developing novel therapeutic solutions will make a difference to patients in need.

About Scribe Therapeutics

Scribe Therapeutics is revolutionizing the development of optimized genetic medicines that have the potential to durably treat disease at scale. Our CRISPR by Design approach engineers bacterial immune systems into a premier suite of genome editing tools built for unique molecular advantages in activity, specificity and deliverability that translate into safer and more effective genetic therapies. Co-founded by Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and backed by leading life sciences investors, Scribe is engineering the future of genetic medicine. To learn more, visit www.scribetx.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220879412/en/

Investor Contact:

Stern IR for Scribe Therapeutics

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Thermal for Scribe Therapeutics

[email protected]

Source: Scribe Therapeutics Inc.
HONG KONG, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping met with John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), who was on a duty visit to Beijing, and made important instructions regarding the development of the HKSAR on Monday.

Xi's important speech has aroused enthusiastic reactions in various sectors of Hong Kong society. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong and public opinion have said that the speech has infused Hong Kong's development with strong confidence, and the vitality and superiority of "one country, two systems" will be continuously demonstrated.

Xi's remarks that the central authorities will fully, faithfully and firmly implement the "one country, two systems" principle has further consolidated Hong Kong society's strong confidence in jointly forging a better future under the guidance of "one country, two systems," Lee said when meeting the press after delivering his report in Beijing.

With the strong backing of the country, Lee said he would lead his team to fully develop the economy, improve people's livelihoods, unite patriotic and Hong Kong-loving social forces, actively integrate the HKSAR into the country's overall development, the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Belt and Road Initiative, and consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's positioning as the "eight centers" in the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Hong Kong residents from all walks of life believe that Xi's important speech, full of good expectations for Hong Kong's future development, has greatly encouraged all Hong Kong residents.

Starry Lee, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo), said from the overall perspective of nation building and national rejuvenation, Xi is highly concerned about Hong Kong's development and progress, supports and promotes the steady and long-term development of "one country, two systems," treasures Hong Kong's unique status and advantages, and inspires Hong Kong compatriots to make great achievements.

LegCo member Jeffrey Lam, who is also vice chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, said the central authorities' long-term upholding of the "one country, two systems" principle has given the business community and investors greater confidence in Hong Kong.

In his important remarks, Xi said the central authorities will provide full support to the HKSAR chief executive and the HKSAR government in leading all sectors of Hong Kong society to seize the historical opportunities brought by national development. This is very encouraging to people from all walks of life in Hong Kong.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, a think tank, said it demonstrates that Hong Kong will continue to receive full support from the central authorities, allowing Hong Kong to better participate in the country's development, thereby driving its own development and resolving social and people's livelihood issues in Hong Kong.

Xi's speech has also aroused warm responses among Hong Kong's youths, who expressed that they will fully support the HKSAR government in governing in accordance with the law and driving Hong Kong's high-quality development.

Hong Kong's mainstream media, including Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po and Hong Kong Commercial Daily, reported Xi's speech on main pages with editorials and in-depth analysis on Tuesday.

Public opinion is of the view that Xi's remarks reflect the central authorities' high regard for Hong Kong and its unswerving commitment to the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle. 
Amerigroups $200,000 investment in the Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Foundation equips students to become leaders, enhancing and enriching their local communities

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Foundation (TWD) today announced a significant investment of $200,000 from Amerigroup Georgia. This investment will advance their mission of supporting and developing a new generation of leaders from underserved and minority communities. Amerigroups donation will help to grow and expand TWDs various educational programs for students, focused on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219174817/en/

With the support of community partners like Amerigroup Georgia, we continue to develop programming and educational opportunities that empower young people with the tools, resources, and support they need to make a lasting impact in their own communities, said the Chairman of the Board, Emmanuel Lewis. These programs extend beyond their immediate participants. We are developing leaders that are dedicated to revitalizing, developing, and ensuring the prosperity of their local communities by providing them skills to bring about positive change.

TWDs programs feature a mix of interactive lessons, practical activities, and business simulations to ensure students have the knowledge and skills that are essential to informed financial decision-making and entrepreneurship. Continuing the legacy and vision of Founder and Chairman Emeritus Thomas W. Dortch Jr., TWD focuses its programming on personal finance, budgeting, investment strategies, and entrepreneurial opportunities, with the intent that students will use these skills to make a positive impact in their local communities.

Financial literacy and overall health are closely connected, influencing mental and physical well-being, relationships, work, and long-term financial stability. Providing financial and economic education can have widespread positive effects on individuals and their communities, said Mel Lindsey, President, Amerigroup Georgia. Amerigroup is proud to support the Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Foundations efforts to make their educational programming available to everyone. This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to address all aspects of the social drivers of health affecting communities well-being.

In 2023 alone, Amerigroup has invested over $5 million across Georgia to support various initiatives, programs, and partnerships that improve the health and well-being of communities throughout the state.

ABOUT THE THOMAS W. DORTCH, JR. FOUNDATION

Founded in 2005, the Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Foundation is dedicated to developing effective leaders from underserved communities that contribute to the revitalization, development, and prosperity of their community. Our vision is to identify, establish, and support effective programs that help people help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives. Chairman Emeritus and Founder, Thomas W. Dortch, Jr.s vision has been the cornerstone of our mission. His passion for economic empowerment and financial literacy transformed lives and ignited widespread change. His legacy serves as our guiding light, ensuring that every endeavor echoes his principles and aspirations. For more information, visit: https://twdjrfoundation.org/.

ABOUT AMERIGROUP COMMUNITY CARE OF GEORGIA

Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia helps improve healthcare access and quality for more than 500,000 low-income Georgians by developing innovative care management programs and services. Members are assured care that is not only accessible but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated, and patient-centered. Amerigroup Georgia provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their health care. Through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle. For more information about Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia, visit www.myamerigroup.com/ga.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219174817/en/

Michael Perry

Public Relations Director, Amerigroup Georgia

[email protected]

617-519-6206

Source: Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia
Achievement of Key Milestones and Objectives Across All Aspects of the Project

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Torngat Metals Ltd., a rare earths development company, announces milestone achievements in a pivotal year for the Strange Lake project recognized for its significant quantities of light and heavy rare earths, especially dysprosium and terbium. The proposed project will develop high-purity rare-earth oxides for low-carbon technologies including permanent magnets for electric motors in EVs and wind turbines, as well as various defense applications.

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Geologist Ed Walker, Ph.D., P.Geo., sorting and logging drill core confirming new geological model, B Zone, Strange Lake Camp, August 2023. (Photo: Business Wire)

Over the past 12 months, the Torngat Metals management teamwith support from lead investor Cerberus Capital Managementhas successfully advanced all major elements of the proposed project including: beneficiation testing and piloting, confirmation drilling, environmental fieldwork, engagement with Indigenous partners, road development options, and site selection options for the processing of rare earth oxides following beneficiation at the mine site.

"With Cerberus U.S. $50 million investment1 in late 2022, were on course to complete a Bankable Feasibility Study in mid-2025. Through a shared vision with Indigenous leaders and communities, collaboration with all levels of government, and the exceptional work of our dedicated and expanding team, we plan to be a major global supplier of responsibly produced rare earths, said Dr. Dirk Naumann, President and CEO of Torngat Metals.

Select 2023 Achievements

Technology and Engineering Innovations: In partnership with global leaders Metso Corporation, AECOM, Anzaplan, Carester, DRA Global, Le Groupe DESFOR, SGS and others, Torngat Metals is advancing process science and engineering for low impact, efficient production of rare earths. These world-class partnerships signal strong commitment and confidence in the project.

On-Site Fieldwork: During the summer and fall of 2023, the company completed environmental sampling at the Strange Lake exploration camp, with plans to return in 2024. This included local hiring and skills training; baseline environmental assessments of water, air, and soil; and in-depth studies of animal and plant life.

Confirmation Drilling: The company also conducted an extensive confirmation drilling program, designed with Micon International, by completing 33 diamond drill holes totaling more than 3 kilometers in the B Zone of the Strange Lake Peralkaline Complex. The results will be used to upgrade the mineral resource estimate in the preparation of the Prefeasibility Study (PFS).

Company Building: We expanded the team with several important hires, including experts Dr. Sylvie St-Jean, VP Environment; Eric Luneau, VP Community Engagements and Partnerships; Samantha Doig, VP Human Resources; Clinton Swemmer, VP Project Management; and Mauro Ferrara, VP Finance. Meet the core team and the technical advisory board here.

Community and Indigenous Relationships: We've continued to strengthen ties with Indigenous and local communities in Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and we remain fully dedicated to building partnerships with communities during the current planning stage and throughout the life of the project.

Environmental Assessment: With expertise in progressive mine development, we completed project registration with the environment authorities in Canada, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Nunatsiavut Government. Our active involvement in all community consultations underscores our commitment to these important environmental impact assessment processes.

Torngat Metals Chairman, Tom Gilman, former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and former CEO of Chrysler Financial in the U.S. and Canada, commented: There is an urgent need for more secure and sustainable sources of light and heavy rare earths outside of China. This Strange Lake project will increase supply chain resiliency for these critical elements and help drive the transition to electrification in North America.

John Gallagher, Managing Director, Cerberus Capital Management, commented, The Strange Lake project is strongly aligned with Quebec's critical minerals strategy, and the company has proven its ability to design the right plan and execute on time and on budget. With an eye across the federal, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador critical minerals strategies, Cerberus is exploring investments across the rare earths, metals, and magnets value chain and beyond.

About Torngat Metals Ltd.

Torngat Metals is working to develop the Strange Lake Rare Earth Project to supply secure and responsibly produced rare earths for climate solutions. With a presence in Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador, we aim to be a globally recognized source of light rare earths, a leading supplier of heavy rare earths, and the foremost supplier of dysprosium. Through robust partnerships with Indigenous people and local communities, new approaches to minimizing environmental impacts, and cutting-edge processing science and engineering, we can play a pivotal role in the global transition to a clean energy future. Learn more at www.torngatmetals.com or contact [email protected].

About Cerberus and Its Supply Chain Fund

Established in 1992, Cerberus is one of the world's leading private investment firms with approximately U.S. $66 billion in assets across complimentary credit, venture capital, growth equity, private equity, and real estate platforms. We are headquartered in New York City with a global network of affiliate and advisory offices in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. Cerberus Supply Chain Fund invests in companies that strengthen supply chain security and economic competitiveness for the U.S., Canada, and other allies and partners across aerospace & defense, critical minerals, telecommunications, data technology, microelectronics, and other key sectors. Cerberus integrated investment and operating expertise combined with a deep understanding of technology, policy, and geopolitics enables companies to realize their full potential post-closing. Visit us at www.cerberus.com.

1 Cerberus made the largest ever rare earth investment in Canada, with co-investor Hegemon Capital providing 20% of the financing.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231214548639/en/

[email protected]

Source: Torngat Metals Ltd.
New contract ensures Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield members continue in-network access to Valley Health caregivers and services

WINCHESTER, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- After working for several months on a new contract, Valley Health and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield today announced a new agreement that will keep Valley Health physicians and hospitals in Anthems provider networks. The new agreement provides Anthem customers uninterrupted, in-network access to Valley Health caregivers and services through 2028; additional details of the new agreement were not disclosed.

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We are pleased to announce a new long-term agreement with Anthem that ensures in-network access to the physicians and caregivers our patients know and trust, said Valley Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Nantz. We appreciate Anthems trust in Valley Health as their partner and willingness to make the investment in high-quality healthcare for their members and are pleased to bring this matter to a close.

Anthem is the largest health insurer in Virginia, and it was essential that Valley Health reach an agreement to serve thousands of community members who rely on Anthem or other Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates for their health insurance.

We are excited to extend our collaborative relationship with Valley Health for another five years as we work together to tackle healthcare affordability and improve lives and communities for the thousands of Virginians we mutually serve, said Monica Schmude, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia. We will continue to strive toward extending our alliance to make sure our members are supported with care plans built upon whole health and inspired wellness.

The negotiation included the implementation of digital connectivity simplifying system requirements and streamlining business processes while also continuing to focus on value-based care options that place an emphasis on quality care at affordable rates.

The new agreement applies to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield members enrolled in employer-based, Health Insurance Exchange, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans.

Valley Health encourages patients with any additional questions to call 1-866-414-4576. Anthem members can call Member Services using the phone number on the back of their member I.D. card.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, and its service area is all of Virginia except for the City of Fairfax, the Town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliate HealthKeepers, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield.

Valley Health

Valley Health is a not-for-profit health system serving a population of more than 500,000 in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, and western Maryland. As a healthcare provider, employer, and community partner, Valley Health is committed to improving the health of the region. The system includes six hospitals, more than 70 medical practices and Urgent Care centers, outpatient rehabilitation, medical transport, long-term care, and home health. www.valleyhealthlink.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220576288/en/

Kersha Cartwright

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

678-767-0199

[email protected]



Carrie Manuel, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications

Valley Health

540-536-5021

[email protected]

Source: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia
Enhancing data accuracy and increasing efficiency, Weave Digital Forms saves hundreds of thousands of hours for patients and practice staff

LEHI, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Weave (NYSE: WEAV), a leading all-in-one experience platform for small and medium-sized healthcare practices, today announced new enhancements to its Digital Forms product, designed to help digitize healthcare practices, streamline data collection processes and elevate the patient experience. These new enhancements to Digital Forms will allow providers to pre-populate electronically protected health information (ePHI) in solicited forms and attach documents to have patients e-sign for record-keeping.

Since its initial release, Weave's Digital Forms have already made a significant impact, with over 17 million forms sent to patients via the Weave platform and counting. This tool has empowered healthcare practices to send, receive, and process information more efficiently, ultimately saving hundreds of thousands of hours for both patients and practice staff. New enhancements to the product include:

Conditional Logic: Practices can now design forms that will show or hide certain questions based on a patients answer to a previous question. This allows patients to skip sections or questions that are not applicable to them, increasing the likelihood that they can successfully submit a form before their appointment.

Practices can now design forms that will show or hide certain questions based on a patients answer to a previous question. This allows patients to skip sections or questions that are not applicable to them, increasing the likelihood that they can successfully submit a form before their appointment. Attach File: Practices can now attach one or more documents, such as a PDF or screenshot of a treatment plan, good faith estimate, policy agreement, or promotional materials like brochures when sending forms and optionally get them e-signed by the recipient. This provides a reliable and convenient way for practices to send patient-specific information and optionally get additional documents signed for record-keeping.

Practices can now attach one or more documents, such as a PDF or screenshot of a treatment plan, good faith estimate, policy agreement, or promotional materials like brochures when sending forms and optionally get them e-signed by the recipient. This provides a reliable and convenient way for practices to send patient-specific information and optionally get additional documents signed for record-keeping. Pre-populate ePHI in Solicited Forms: Practices can now authenticate established patients quickly and easily by pre-populating existing ePHI information. Once the form is automatically populated, patients can quickly verify the information, saving wait time and ensuring time spent filling out forms does not cut into valuable appointment time.

"We are excited to introduce enhancements to Digital Forms as a pivotal step towards transforming the way healthcare practices manage data," said Branden Neish, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Weave. "As patient retention remains a priority for healthcare practices, Digital Forms assist in turning patients into champions and simplifying communication in healthcare, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for providers and patients."

Digital Forms provides customers with improved office efficiency by automating the patient intake process and focusing their time on caring for patients, which has resulted in increased patient satisfaction. These new features make it even easier for offices to customize forms and improve the patients experience with completing forms. By adopting Digital Forms, healthcare practices can automate more steps in how they collect information, resulting in less manual effort, less physical contact, and less environmental impact.

For more information about Weave's Digital Forms, visit getweave.com/weave-digital-forms/.

About Weave

Weave is the all-in-one experience platform for small- and medium-sized healthcare businesses. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weaves software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with, and engage customers to grow their business. Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been named a G2 leader in Patient Engagement, Optometry, Dental Practice Management, and Patient Relationship Management software. To learn more, visit www.getweave.com/newsroom.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220604504/en/

Natalie House

Sr. Director of Content and Communications, Weave

[email protected]

Source: Weave
GenAI excitement to spur broader health AI innovation in 2024

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As 2024 nears, the healthcare landscape is undergoing unprecedented transformations, particularly with headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and Generative AI (GenAI) in particular, promising to reshape how healthcare is delivered. To shed light on anticipated trends and innovations impacting the healthcare industry in 2024, leading experts from across Wolters Kluwer Health offer their expectations for healthcare AI in 2024. Cutting through the hype, the predictions offer a compelling narrative of whats ahead and guide us toward a more informed, connected, and resilient future in healthcare.

Top 4 impact-drivers for generative AI in 2024

2024 will be a watershed year for GenAI, particularly in healthcare. Look for solutions emerging in four key areas in 2024: lightening administrative burdens across the hospital; helping sharpen clinicians' decision-making; boosting the efficiency of medical researchers; and helping the next generation of healthcare workers ramp up proficiency with smarter learning tools.

Stacey Caywood, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health

GenAI is here to stay: for clinical decision support, easing bottlenecks

The adoption of artificial intelligence in the clinical setting will continue to evolve, particularly with generative AI for clinical decision support, as healthcare organizations begin piloting and evaluating these solutions for responsible and safe patient care applications. GenAI has the potential to help clinicians make decisions more accurately and efficiently at the point of care.

The capabilities of AI will far outpace the scaled-up adoption of AI applications, which are constrained by workflow, competing priorities and economic considerations driving uptake. We expect most of the uptake to be dominated by existing workflow applications such as EMRs and related services like documentation, although operational applications such as nurse scheduling, revenue cycle management, and prior authorization will also get an AI boost.

Peter Bonis, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Wolters Kluwer Health

Building trust into healthcare GenAI: content quality is the critical driver in 2024

Leveraging GenAI with clinical decision support could provide a way for providers to make faster and better decisions. We predict as healthcare explores GenAI and patient care, the source and vetting of the underlying content will become a key factor in the speed in which it is deployed. It is said that innovation happens at the speed of trust  in healthcare that trust is based on the quality of the underlying content and its evidence base.

Greg Samios, President & Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer Health

From rats nest to ready: taming health data for AI prime-time

Health organizations are making it a strategic priority to extract more value from the volumes of data they're moving to the cloud. One big health data target in 2024? Training AI models on all that data. To make it happen however, they'll first need to untangle a rat's nest of messy data. In the race to build data-rich AI models in '24, many will turn to AI-driven terminology tech that speeds normalization of data, making it ready for prime-time.

Brian Laberge, Solutions Engineer, Health Language at Wolters Kluwer Health

The AI has to be right: the role of AI in nursing education

In 2024, we will see students and professors continue to experiment with the use of AI in education. Both students and educators are looking for ways to improve the traditional workflows of the classroom. By leveraging AI, faculty can reduce some of the workload burden with development of lesson plans, and more efficiently testing student knowledge and adjusting learning accordingly. For students, the proper use of AI can give them access to trusted learning materials in an easier to find, and digestible, conversational format.

Education companies will act as fast movers since they are already dealing with time-pressed students  who are also savvy consumers  who expect to be engaged and leverage personalized study resources. For medical and nursing education, the AI has to be right  students must graduate clinically competent and confident, and they cannot learn from content that is not evidence-based, current and accurate. While there are many discussions and pilots happening currently, 2024 will be the year we see both of these groups push their institutions for real-life implementations.

Julie Stegman, Vice President, Health Learning & Practice at Wolters Kluwer Health

Building the future on Wolters Kluwers solid AI foundation

In healthcare, trust is at the center of every interaction. A recent Wolters Kluwer survey found consumers worry about a lack of transparency in the origins of information being used by GenAI. Most need to know the company behind the GenAI has a long track record in healthcare. (Survey executive summary)

Around 50% of Wolters Kluwers digital revenues now come from products that leverage artificial intelligence. Wolters Kluwer products, services and expert solutions are based on a foundation of trust, transparency, and responsibility  in line with the companys values. Wolters Kluwers AI Principles guide the design, development, and deployment of advanced technologies in helping customers solve their most complex problemsin healthcare and beyond.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information, software, and services for professionals in healthcare, tax and accounting, financial and corporate compliance, legal and regulatory, and corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2022 annual revenues of 5.5 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 20,900 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220108210/en/

Media:

Andre Rebelo

Director, External Communications

Wolters Kluwer Health

+1 (781) 392-2411

[email protected]

Source: Wolters Kluwer Health
Today, Canada Goose (NYSE: GOOS) announced the appointment of Beth Clymer to the newly created position of President, Finance, Strategy & Administration, starting January 8, 2024. Beth will oversee Finance, People & Culture, Corporate Strategy and Legal, partnering with the talented leaders who drive these functions. Both Beth and Carrie Baker, President, Brand & Commercial will report to Dani Reiss, Chairman & CEO.

Beth has a long history and depth of experience working with Canada Goose, having been a key partner of ours during her time at Bain Capital, including before, during and after our IPO, said Dani Reiss, Chairman and CEO, Canada Goose. Beth is a skilled operator with an incredible track-record, and is intimately familiar with our brand, strategy and teams. I know she will be an invaluable partner to myself and to our leadership team and I look forward to seeing her impact.

Beth joins Canada Goose most recently from Jobcase, where she spent the past four years as CFO, overseeing Finance, People & Culture, Corporate Development, Strategy and Legal. Prior to Jobcase, she spent 10 years at Bain Capital as an Operating Partner working with leaders of private and public companies, including Canada Goose and Burlington Stores, among other established retailers. Beth worked with Canada Goose from 2015 to 2019  an era of rapid growth and strategic execution.

I have been a champion of Canada Goose and its exceptional product, globally-loved brand and talented team for a long time, and I am thrilled to join the business, officially  especially during such an exciting and important time in its trajectory, said Beth Clymer. I am proud to have supported many of Canada Gooses key growth levers, including market expansion, wholesale to DTC evolution and transition from privately held to publicly traded, but I believe that we are just getting started and I am excited to capture the incredible efficiencies and opportunities that lie ahead of us.

Beth will begin her role on January 8, 2024. Beth will work closely with both Jonathan Sinclair and Neil Bowden prior to their transitions to President, APAC and CFO respectively, on April 1, 2024, allowing for a smooth transfer of responsibility.

In other leadership updates, Penny Brook, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, will depart the company at the end of the year. A purpose-driven leader, her impactful career at Canada Goose spanned more than a decade and included growing the brand to its current global luxury positioning and launching Canada Gooses sustainable and social impact platform, HUMANATURE. Carrie Baker will continue to oversee global marketing. Daniel Binder will continue to lead the companys ongoing Transformation initiatives as Chief Transformation Officer.
General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada announced today that it was awarded four contracts cumulatively valued at up to CA$1.68 billion ( US$1.3 billion ) by the Government of Canada to support the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system for the Canadian Army.

The four contracts for the Land Command Support System (LCSS) are: System of Systems Engineering & Integration; Core Network Sustainment Services; Applications Sustainment Services; and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).

"General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada has been supporting the Canadian Armed Forces for over 75 years with superb engineering and technical talent that enables us to innovate and excel alongside our industry and government colleagues," said Joel Houde , vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada. "We are prepared to meet the challenges of the modern battlespace and will continue the digitization of the Canadian Armed Forces today and into the future."
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY) today announced it has successfully completed a series of air traffic simulations with NASAs Ames Research Center that evaluated how air taxi operations can be integrated into todays airspace, including at busy airports, using existing air traffic control (ATC) tools and procedures.

The simulations, jointly developed by Joby and NASA airspace engineers following a multi-year airspace study, tested scenarios with dozens of eVTOL aircraft per hour flying into and out of the complex, busy airspace in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region using todays airspace system.

The activity took place at NASAs Future Flight Central, a high-fidelity virtual tower facility offering a 360-degree view of a real-time simulation of an airport, where a team of NASA and Joby engineers, as well as pilots and air traffic controllers, simulated traffic patterns at Dallas Love Field (DAL) and DFW airports, representative of complex and busy airspace.

During the simulation, participating teams of controllers virtually tested the ability to integrate up to 120 eVTOL operations  arrivals or departures  per hour from DFWs Central Terminal Area, alongside the airports existing traffic. Up to 45 simulated eVTOL aircraft were simultaneously aloft in DFWs Class B airspace during the activity.

Working alongside our NASA colleagues, we have now demonstrated in a real-world simulation how air taxi operations can take place in todays airspace system, alongside active airport traffic, using tools and procedures currently available to air traffic controllers, said Tom Prevot, Air Taxi Product Lead at Joby. These successful simulations were made possible by years of careful planning and collaboration between two organizations committed to redefining what is possible, and were proud to be paving the way towards the scaled commercialization of air taxis in the National Airspace System.

Following scenarios developed by NASA and Joby airspace engineers, participating controllers employed some of the highly-structured routes and procedures used today in busy low-altitude airspace regions, including Letters of Agreement and dedicated controller positions to scale air taxi operations without impacting existing traffic.

NASA and Joby engineers hosted representatives from the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to observe the simulation. More details on the simulation are available on NASAs website and NASA will publish a complete analysis of the simulation results next year, sharing data with the industry and the FAA.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the nation's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that Yuri A. Fesko , M.D., has been named senior vice president and chief medical officer (CMO), effective immediately.

Dr. Fesko is a seasoned healthcare executive with deep experience in business leadership, clinical practice and academic research. Since joining Quest in 2016, Dr. Fesko has held several roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as vice president of medical affairs and senior medical director for the company's oncology services. As CMO, Dr. Fesko will be responsible for overseeing medical affairs, including clinical development and health plan policy support for new services and care delivery models. He will also lead scientific communications for the company's medical team of approximately 600 MDs and PhDs.

"Strong medical leadership is a critical enabler of our strategy to deliver solutions for the evolving needs of our customers, physicians, health systems and consumers," said Jim Davis , Chairman, CEO and President, Quest Diagnostics. "Yuri is a proven leader who is passionate about improving physician and patient experiences with diagnostic innovations that better care, insights and affordability. Elevating Yuri to CMO ensures his deep medical expertise and caring advocacy for patients and providers infuses the decisions Quest makes at the most strategic levels."

Board certified in oncology, hematology and internal medicine, Dr. Fesko led clinical development of several innovations for Quest, including the company's 500 gene somatic tumor next-generation sequencing panel as well as the company's decentralized clinical trials model. He also pioneered the company's precision pathways model of care, which helps oncologists and pathologists at health systems speed guideline-based biomarker testing for advanced cancers. In addition, he led clinical research on the minimal residual disease (MRD) test technology developed by Haystack Oncology, informing Quest's decision to acquire the company in June 2023 to establish a position in the growing field of cancer recurrence testing. Dr. Fesko speaks on a range of clinical and leadership topics for several preeminent healthcare conferences, such as Clinical Biomarkers & World CDx and the Precision Medicine World Conference.

Prior to joining Quest, Dr. Fesko was medical director of oncology for Duke Cancer Center at Raleigh, N.C. , where he focused on genitourinary oncology and multiple myeloma both in clinical practice and for clinical trials, and chief of oncology for Wake County in North Carolina . Dr. Fesko is also a published author of several peer reviewed publications. He sits on the board of directors of a joint venture of Quest Diagnostics and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Fesko completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology and earned his medical and bachelor's degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland .
(Updated - December 20, 2023 11:22 AM EST)

UPDATE: article has been updated to include comments by Citi Research analysts.

Toyota (NYSE: TM) revealed Wednesday that the automakers small-car Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all of its vehicles following a safety investigation that found issues involving 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota's brand.

Toyota stated that the impacted models included those intended for the Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Additionally, the affected models extended to Central and South American countries including Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Uruguay.

Analysts at Citi commented on the revelation in a note, As voluntary in-house inspections detected only one case where vehicle performance did not meet the legal requirements, we think the risk of an extensive recall is low.

However, Citi added, if production is suspended for a lengthy period, Toyota could suffer an OP hit of hundreds of billions of yen.

A team of impartial investigators has been examining Daihatsu following its admission in April regarding the manipulation of side-collision safety tests conducted on 88,000 small cars, many of which were marketed as Toyotas.

The investigation found that Daihatsu used different airbag control units in tests than in the cars sold to the public, affecting Toyota and Mazda models. Toyota mentioned no known accidents due to this issue. They acknowledged that some tests might not meet legal standards, though the airbag met safety requirements.

The panel also found falsified reports on headrest impact tests and test speeds for certain models. The investigation revealed that this misconduct was especially widespread after 2014. In the case of one Daihatsu vehicle that had already been discontinued, such behavior was traced back as early as 1989.

Makoto Kaiami, the chair of the independent investigation committee, mentioned that the panel did not attribute responsibility to Toyota for the misconduct. Instead, Daihatsu seemed to be striving to meet its self-imposed expectations.

Japan's transport ministry said that they plan to do an on-site inspection at Daihatsu's Osaka headquarters on Thursday.

Daihatsu produces several of the so-called "kei" smaller cars and trucks, popular in Japan. The recent problems also affected certain Mazda and Subaru models available in the region, along with Toyota and Daihatsu models sold internationally, as highlighted by the investigative panel's discoveries.

Toyota said "fundamental reform" was needed to revitalize Daihatsu, as well as a review of certification operations.

In response, Toyota emphasized the necessity for "fundamental reform" to restore Daihatsu, coupled with a comprehensive reassessment of certification procedures.

"This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight," Toyota said in a statement. "It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organisation and structure."

"Since it is not possible to predict when production will resume, we think the story is likely to weigh on the stock price for the time being and to raise questions about the attainability of full-year OP guidance." wrote Citi analysts.

Citi research reiterated a Buy rating on Toyota.

Shares of TM are down 0.90% in early trading on Wednesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that his government plans to challenge a law recently approved by the U.S. state of Texas that allows authorities to arrest migrants suspected of illegally crossing the border.

"We are always going to be against these measures," Lopez Obrador said at his usual daily press conference, noting that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was in the process of legally challenging the law.

According to the president, Texas Governor Greg Abbott aims to rouse support with his anti-immigrant stance as he pursues the vice presidential nomination of the Republican Party.

Lopez Obrador described the governor as "inhumane" and "cruel" for enacting the new law, known as Senate Bill 4, which criminalizes illegal entry or re-entry into the state by classifying it as a state crime, with penalties ranging from 180 days to 20 years in prison.

The Mexican government estimates that more than 40 million Mexicans reside in the United States. 
Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) announced Wednesday that the Japanese automaker is recalling 1 million vehicles in the United States due to a defect in the vehicles air bag deployment system.

This issue could potentially lead to malfunctioning Occupant Classification System sensors.

The sensors ensure that airbags do not deploy when a small adult or child is seated in the front seat.

According to the recall notice, a short circuit in a sensor may cause a malfunction in the cars air bag safety system causing the vehicles air bags to fail and not deploy as designed.

The recall extends to vehicles from the 2020 to 2022 model years, encompassing multiple Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Lexus ES250, Highlander, and Sienna Hybrid models.

Shares of TM are down 1.06% in afternoon trading on Wednesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE: TPC) (the Company), a leading civil, building and specialty construction company, announced today the amendment of its Credit Agreement, dated August 18, 2020, to modify the spring-forward maturity provision and provide the Company with additional financial flexibility.

As previously disclosed by the Company, if any of the Companys 6.875% Senior Notes due May 1, 2025 (the Senior Notes) are outstanding on January 30, 2025, the spring-forward maturity provision of the Credit Agreement would have caused the maturity dates of both the Term Loan B Facility and the Revolver to accelerate from August 18, 2025 (for the Revolver) and August 18, 2027 (for the Term Loan B Facility) to January 30, 2025. As of December 20, 2023, the Company had $368.2 million outstanding under the Term Loan B Facility, no balance outstanding under the Revolver and $500 million of Senior Notes outstanding.

The amendment, which became effective on December 20, 2023, modifies this spring-forward maturity provision in respect of the portion of the Term Loan B Facility held by lenders that consented to the amendment. As modified, the spring-forward maturity date for the portion of the Term Loan B Facility held by consenting lenders will not occur until April 21, 2025, if any of the Senior Notes are outstanding on that date.

Lenders holding approximately 89.8% of the aggregate principal amount outstanding under the Term Loan B Facility have consented to the amendment. Under the amendment, each consenting lender was paid a fee of 0.50% of the aggregate principal amount of the portion of the Term Loan B Facility that it holds.

Perella Weinberg Partners LP led the amendment process for the Company.

The Company also announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC to assist with the refinancing of the Senior Notes in early 2024. The Company is considering using a portion of its current and expected cash balances to repay debt or assist in the refinancing efforts.

Gary Smalley, President of the Company, commented, We are pleased to have completed this amendment, which provides us with additional flexibility to collect significant cash that we can apply toward a refinancing transaction. We wish to express our gratitude to Perella Weinberg Partners for their efforts in helping us secure the amendment. We also look forward to working with Goldman Sachs on the refinancing in early 2024.
Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout Motors today announced planned implementation of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) for future products in the North American region, beginning in 2025. To enable existing customers with a Combined Charging System (CCS) charging port to access the Tesla Supercharger networkwhich would greatly expand charging provider choicethe brands are exploring adapter solutions for existing vehicles. This has the potential to expand customer charging access to more than 15,000 Superchargers. This is in addition to the more than 3,800 DC fast charging outlets currently in operation by Electrify America and Electrify Canada.

Electrify America has already announced it will work to offer the NACS connector at charging stations by 2025 in North America, as well as continuing to support CCS.

Volkswagen Group remains committed to improving the charging experience through open standards and interoperability.

This is great news for our electric vehicle customers in the North American Region, said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. This potentially provides them with access to more than 15,000 additional charging points as well as the current near-4,000 DC fast charging outlets operated by Electrify America. It would mean that customers of our fast-selling electric vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.4 will have access to an extensive and growing charging network.

Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Charging at Tesla said: Earlier this year, the North American Charging standard was just an idea. Today, with the VW Groups commitment, almost every major automotive manufacturer is onboard, rallying behind a shared vision of improving charging experiences for all EV drivers. This is only the beginning of our industry-wide efforts to accelerate the worlds transition to sustainable energy.

We strive to provide an exceptional and seamless customer experience, and when it comes to charging, greater choice is a key factor in delivering this, said Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. Today our customers already have access to thousands of charging sites across America thanks to Electrify America, with existing stations being renewed and new sites being added weekly. We are proud to announce that in 2025 we will also partner with Tesla to significantly expand the network of chargers throughout the U.S. that will become available to our customers.

Our future customers are at the heart of every decision we make as we design our new Scout vehicles, said Scott Keogh, President and CEO, Scout Motors. Engineering NACS connectors into our vehicles from the onset will give Scout customers access to a vast and quickly expanding fast-charging network spanning North America.
FILE PHOTO:A Toyota logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Toyota Motor said on Wednesday it will recall 1.12 million vehicles worldwide because a short circuit in a sensor could cause air bags not to deploy as designed.

The recall covers 2020 through 2022 model year vehicles including various Avalon, Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Lexus ES250, ES300H, ES350, RX350 Highlander and Sienna Hybrid vehicles and could result in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors not working. It includes 1 million vehicles in the United States.

The sensors ensure air bags do not deploy if a small adult or child is sitting in the front seat. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the sensors. The automaker plans to begin notifying owners in February about the recall.

Toyota in July 2022 issued a recall for 3,500 RAV4 vehicles in the United states that because of potential interference between internal parts that could cause the OCS sensor to incorrectly detect the occupant.

Frontal air bags have saved more than 50,000 lives in the United States over 30 years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.

The new sensors were prompted because older air bags deployed the same way for all driver and passengers, causing some injuries and in rare cases even death to children, small adults, and unbelted passengers who were too close to the air bag as it deployed, the agency says.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Nick Zieminski)
Washington, DC, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americas Blood Centers, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), and the American Red Cross are uniting to express gratitude to the roughly 7 million people across the United States who donate blood as National Blood Donor Month approaches in January. This month serves to recognize Americas donors and encourage more individuals to donate blood in January and throughout the year.

The blood community is greatly appreciative of all the individuals who donated blood this past year, including the many newly eligible donors who gave blood following the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations donor eligibility updates in 2023. New and returning donors are critically needed as the blood donor base throughout the U.S. has continued to shrink. The blood community reminds Americans to consult with their local blood center to confirm their eligibility and to make an appointment to donate blood this month  or any time in 2024.

National Blood Donor Month is a time to recognize the selfless contributions of the roughly 7 million people across the country who give blood each year. Their simple yet profound decision has saved countless lives. We encourage all eligible individuals to join the ranks of Americas blood donors and make a lifesaving impact in someone's time of need, said Kate Fry, CEO of America's Blood Centers.

This National Blood Donor Month, the blood community says thank you to the millions of blood donors throughout the United States. Your gift provides essential medicine for patients in need, said Debra BenAvram, chief executive officer of AABB. Blood is an essential part of health care and is needed every day. We encourage eligible Americans to start the new year off by making an appointment to donate blood today.

We are grateful to those who generously roll up a sleeve for patients in need, said Chris Hrouda, president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services. Even as we see the donor base decline, the American Red Cross recognizes and celebrates our dedicated blood and platelet donors who are giving more often today than past decades. This National Blood Donor Month, please join us in our mission that truly helps save lives.

President Richard Nixon proclaimed January 1970 as the first National Blood Donor Month on December 31, 1969, as requested by Senate Joint Resolution 154, to pay tribute to voluntary blood donors and encourage new donors to join. This month continues to be celebrated each year to thank America's blood donors and encourage more people to donate blood.

Blood transfusion remains one of the most common hospital procedures, with patients requiring a blood transfusion every two seconds. More than 42,000 units of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma are used by patients every day. These blood transfusions are needed to treat patients with acute care needs such as trauma and blood loss during childbirth, as well as for disease management for patients with a variety of health conditions, including cancer, inherited blood disorders, cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, and organ and bone marrow transplants.

The winter months are especially challenging time for the blood community due to weather-related events like severe storms and debilitating snow, ice, and cold that can impact blood drives and complicate the ability to transport lifesaving blood to hospitals for patients in need.

The blood community encourages eligible Americans to donate blood in January and to make regular appointments to donate throughout the year. Please contact one of the following organizations to find a local blood collection site and to schedule an appointment:

Americas Blood Centers: Founded in 1962, Americas Blood Centers is the national organization bringing together community-based, independent blood centers. Its member organizations operate more than 600 blood collection sites providing close to 60 percent of the U.S., and a quarter of the Canadian, blood supply. These blood centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. All ABC U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.AmericasBlood.org.

AABB: AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies) is an international, not-for-profit organization representing individuals and institutions involved in the fields of transfusion medicine and biotherapies. The Association works collaboratively to advance the field through the development and delivery of standards, accreditation and education programs. AABB is dedicated to its mission of improving lives by making transfusion medicine and biotherapies safe, available and effective worldwide.

American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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Jeff Gohringer Americas Blood Centers (202) 654-2901 [email protected]

Source: Americas Blood Centers
Lancaster, PA, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As of December 2023, High Real Estate Group has joined High Industries in its ownership transition to High Foundation.

The 2022 transfer of High Industries ownership to High Foundation was a historical shift for the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based company. Under this new structure, High Industries has continued to thrive, with dividends going to the High Foundation for direct investment into the community under the leadership of its Board of Trustees and Executive Director Robin Stauffer.

High Real Estate Groupan award-winning owner, operator, and developer with a growing portfolio of industrial, office, residential, retail, and hotel propertieswill now join this innovative ownership structure, directing dividends from real estate holdings directly to High Foundation.

The shift of High ownership to High Foundation was the vision of S. Dale High. It represents The High Philosophy of trust and innovation that has been in place for three generations. This Higher Purpose has already begun to be realized, with increased investments from High Foundation allowing greater collaboration, bringing new ideas to life, and supporting important initiatives for social and environmental impact in the Lancaster community and other communities where High coworkers live and work. Dales example will leave a lasting legacy that will impact Lancaster County and beyond for generations.

What began as High Properties, a partnership between S. Dale High, his brother Calvin, and their children, has grown over the years into High Real Estate Group, a diverse collection of companies with an expansive portfolio. The completion of the transfer of Dale Highs interest in High Real Estate Group to High Foundation will provide even more opportunity for community impact, realizing his vision of a group of companies existing to benefit the community.

In the words of S. Dale High, We are on this earth for a purpose that is larger than our own self-interests and we must strive to make the world a better place.

A Higher Purpose As he began to plan for the next chapter of High companies, Dale High envisioned a change in the structure of the companyan inspired model that continues the companys legacy and work in the community. He asked the question, What if we could create a company that directly benefits the community? This shift continues the legacy of Dale Highs transformative and innovative leadership, which has guided High companies in using business as a force for good in the community for decades, and High Foundation as a committed community partner for the past 40 years.

I am proud of Dale and our family for making this move, said Suzanne High. The High Family wholly supports this change as a continuation of its legacy and philosophy. While ownership of High companies is changing to the High Foundation, the High Family will remain in the companies in a number of ways. For me, as Vice Chair of the High Foundation, I have seen first-hand the life-changing impact of our investments, and I am excited to see that continue to grow.

A Bridge to Opportunity

Since 1980, High Foundation has been a thought leader and community partner, contributing over $30 million to projects and initiatives that help eliminate the cycle of poverty and create more vibrant and inclusive communities. High Foundations 40-year legacy of impact spans improvements in education, health and human services, arts and culture, historic preservation, environmental stewardship, and social enterprise in Lancaster County and beyond.

Robin Stauffer leads High Foundation as Executive Director, working with key community partners. High Foundation has a strong governance structure in place to support its growth and future collaboration opportunities. Additional Trustees have recently been added to the Board, and Committees have been created. High Foundation will be scaled appropriately to handle the growth that will occur as a result of the new structure, and the High Family has ensured that sufficient reserves are in place to maintain financial durability for years to come.

This is a remarkable gift from Dale High to High coworkers and our communities, said Robin Stauffer, Executive Director of High Foundation. This new structure multiplies the already generous impact High Foundation has had and emboldens the Foundation for even greater impact.

The Ultimate Example of Business for Good

Family-owned since 1931, Lancaster-based High companies is a major force in building and rebuilding North Americas infrastructure. Since joining the family business in 1963, Dale has led and inspired a thoughtful, intentional approach of putting people, community, and business for good above all else. Today, High companies employ nearly 2,000 co-workers in 11 operating businesses in six states.

High companies will continue to thrive and grow under the leadership of its existing Boards of Directors, CEO Mike Shirk, the High Executive Committee, and leadership teams. High companies will continue to maintain a healthy financial position and have the capacity to invest in its strategic plans. The High Philosophy of Building Trustworthy Relationships and Being Innovative Leaders will continue to define corporate culture and values.

What will change is that dividends from High Real Estate Group, along with High Industries Inc., will now be received by the High Foundation and invested directly into communities where our companies operate. Over the last several years, we have invested heavily in the successful growth of High Real Estate Group. Every project we do has a direct benefit to the community. With this ownership transition, our communities will now also realize the direct benefit of increased investment through High Foundation. Its the ultimate commitment to social responsibility and doing business for good in an impactful and lasting way. Its a truly bold and unique move made possible through Dale Highs vision and dedication to making it happen, noted Mike Shirk, CEO High companies.

To view Dale Highs announcement about this extraordinary gift, please visit www.highfoundation.org.

About High Real Estate Group:

Guided by The High Philosophy of Building Trustworthy Relationships, High Real Estate Group owns and operates a comprehensive real estate portfolio which includes office, industrial, multi-family residential, retail, and hotel properties spanning the eastern United States.

About High Foundation:

With a heart of service and a spirit of collaboration, High Foundation builds bridges to opportunity for individuals and communities, striving for an equitable world of beauty, prosperity, and peace. Since 1980, High Foundation has invested more than $30 million into Lancaster County and other areas where High coworkers live and work.

# # #

Attachment

Krista Merkel High Companies 717-293-4545 [email protected]

Source: High Companies
TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAPREIT) (TSX: CAR.UN) announced today that, since its last transaction press release on September 5, 2023, it has completed two strategically aligned acquisitions of newly constructed Canadian rental properties for an aggregate purchase price of $90.5 million. CAPREIT also announced that it has disposed of two non-core buildings in Canada for combined consideration of $10.3 million, in addition to closing on the previously announced $53.9 million strategic sale in Calgary, Alberta. All amounts disclosed herein exclude transaction costs.

This month, CAPREIT acquired a newly constructed 12-storey, concrete purpose-built rental apartment containing 114 high-quality residential suites and over 5,000 square feet of commercial retail at grade. The building is situated in a strategic location in Vancouver, British Columbia, just steps from the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain, which is serviced by both the Expo and Millennium lines. Construction of the building was completed this year, and it was purchased, following lease-up, for $68.0 million. After adjusting for the retail component, the purchase price represents approximately $550,000 per suite, an attractive purchase price for a prime-located, newly built, concrete-construction apartment in Vancouver. The purchase was funded by cash from previously announced dispositions; however, an estimated $50.0 million in mortgage financing is expected to be arranged in the near-term using the CMHC MLI Select program.

In addition, in November, CAPREIT completed the on-strategy acquisition of a newly built 48-suite residential property with ocean views in Esquimalt, a municipality within the metropolitan Victoria area of southwestern British Columbia. The building was constructed in 2022 and was purchased for $22.5 million using cash from net disposition proceeds, with an estimated $13.0 million in mortgage financing expected to be secured in the short-term.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link

CAPREIT also closed on three non-core dispositions in November, including the previously announced $53.9 million sale of an unencumbered 263-suite property built in 1978 in Calgary, Alberta. CAPREIT further disposed of another unencumbered property containing 21 residential suites built in 1978 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, for $1.7 million. An additional 78-suite non-strategic property built in 1966 in Quebec City, Quebec, was sold for $8.6 million, with proceeds used in part to repay $2.5 million in mortgage principal outstanding.

These transactions bring our total capital reallocation activity in 2023 to above $700 million worth of Canadian properties, and were thrilled to close out the calendar year on this exciting note, commented Mark Kenney, President and Chief Executive Officer. In keeping with our strategic plan and progress to date, this latest phase of portfolio rejuvenation has further enhanced the average age, geographic exposure, and quality of our overall investment portfolio, and were looking forward to maintaining this momentum as we head into the new year.

We reached our annual target in 2023 and disposed of over $400 million in non-core buildings, while concurrently reinvesting approximately $300 million into purpose-built rental properties recently constructed in Canadas most attractive and fastest-growing regions, added Julian Schonfeldt, Chief Investment Officer. Were especially pleased with our latest two premium acquisitions, strategically located in highly coveted BC communities where we also own other new build assets, allowing for operational synergies. In particular, were proud to have just purchased a brand-new concrete building, located beside one of the most important transit hubs in Vancouver, at a capitalization rate in excess of 4%. Acquiring this prime new property at a discount to what it would cost to build today, without incurring the development or lease-up risk, illustrates the essence of the CAPREIT 2.0 strategy.

ABOUT CAPREITCAPREIT is Canadas largest publicly traded provider of quality rental housing. As at September 30, 2023, CAPREIT owns approximately 64,500 residential apartment suites, townhomes and manufactured home community sites well-located across Canada and the Netherlands, with approximately $16.5 billion of investment properties in Canada and Europe. For more information about CAPREIT, its business and its investment highlights, please visit our website at www.capreit.ca and our public disclosure which can be found under our profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSCertain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws which reflect CAPREITs current expectations and projections about future results. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as outlook, objective, may, will, expect, intent, estimate, anticipate, believe, consider, should, plans, predict, estimate, forward, potential, could, likely, approximately, scheduled, forecast, variation or continue, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Although CAPREIT believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward looking statements in this press release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could result in actual results differing materially from these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in regulatory filings that can be obtained on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Except as specifically required by applicable Canadian securities law, CAPREIT does not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing CAPREITs views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

For more information, please contact:

CAPREIT CAPREIT CAPREIT Mr. Mark Kenney Mr. Stephen Co Mr. Julian Schonfeldt President & Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Chief Investment Officer (416) 861-9404 (416) 306-3009 (647) 535-2544

Source: Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust
Beijing , China, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 10th Anniversary Event of China Communications Construction Companys (CCCC) Joint Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was hosted in Beijing on December 15th.

The event, themed "In the Prosperous Silk Road's Glow, Together We Construct a Brighter Tomorrow," announced and commended CCCC's top 10 projects under the BRI, including the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway Project, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge Project, the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project, among others.

Pakistani ambassador to China Khalil Hashimi presented awards to these projects. He called the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project a lifeline of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying it reflects the wisdom of the Chinese side in multiple aspects.

The project marked in-depth cooperation between Pakistan and the CCCC, and also between Pakistan and China, Hashimi noted, adding that he looks forward to more outcomes of cooperation between the two countries.

The event also unveiled CCCCs top 10 outstanding Chinese and international employees, who have been deeply involved in the infrastructure development of relevant countries and made important contributions to local socioeconomic development and people's livelihood.

South Sudanese Ambassador to China, Monday Semaya Kenneth Kumba noted that as an internationally leading infrastructure construction company, CCCC boasts the most outstanding construction teams in the world.

The ambassador extended his gratitude to CCCC for its dedication and efforts in South Sudan, saying he looks forward to closer cooperation between more excellent teams from CCCC and his country, and more practical results in transportation infrastructure and the development of local talents in South Sudan.

Over the past decade, CCCC has actively responded to the BRI, leveraged its full-industry-chain advantages, and upheld the ESG philosophy. It has launched the Build Your Future Dream social responsibility brand around the world to fulfill its economic, environmental, and social responsibilities.

During the event, CCCC released its ESG reports for the BRI and its top 10 cases of CSR and brand building for the BRI.

The BRI has brought positive impacts to Sri Lanka in terms of foreign trade, tourism, and ecological conservation, said K. K. Yoganaadan, the Charge d'Affaires of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China.

The Colombo Port City, in particular, has achieved remarkable accomplishments in environmental protection, which has safeguarded and enhanced the ecological environment and marine biodiversity in surrounding waters, Yoganaadan added.

Name: Wang Yueran

Email: [email protected]

Company: huanqiu.com

Address: 16th Floor, Zhongqing Building, No. 19 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

Phone: 13002252096

Website: http://www.huanqiu.comDisclaimer:This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Wang Yueran Huanqiu luojie at huanqiu.com

Source: China Communications Construction Company
Our photo series looks at how our New Holland brand launched this world-first in Brazil.

Basildon, December 20, 2023

CNH is committed to advancing the noble work of farming and prioritizes customer-inspired innovation to ensure we deliver solutions that meet the needs of ALL hardworking growers and builders. This includes serving customers who are living with disabilities.

Our work with Brazilian farmer Fernando Dalmolin is testament to this approach. In 2022, he suffered an accident leaving him with lower limb disabilities. Our Curitiba, Brazil New Holland Agriculture plant collaborated with him to develop the TL5 Acessivel.

To view the photo series that captures this story, visit: bit.ly/BreakingNewGround_en

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Companys regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Hemisphere , a global expert in satellite heading and positioning core technologies; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions.

Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrials 40,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.

For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit: media.cnhindustrial.com

Media contacts:

Rebecca Fabian Alex Ellis North America United Kingdom Tel. +1 312 515 2249 Tel. +44 (0)758 106 1696

[email protected]

Attachments

Accessible Tractor Globenewswire image Farmer Fernando Dalmolin operating the accessible tractor mobile armchair device

Source: CNH Industrial N.V.
Forms New Committees to Lead Review of the Fiber Business, Search for New CEO

Appoints Jason Genrich and Sunit Patel to the Board

Enters into Cooperation Agreement with Elliott Investment Management

HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) (Crown Castle or the Company) today announced a comprehensive review of the Companys fiber business and the addition of two new independent directors to the Companys Board. The initiatives were announced in connection with a cooperation agreement with Elliott Investment Management L.P. (together with its affiliates, Elliott), pursuant to which Crown Castle will appoint Jason Genrich, Senior Portfolio Manager at Elliott, and Sunit Patel, former Chief Financial Officer of Level-3 Communications and Executive Vice President of T-Mobile, to the Companys Board of Directors.

As part of this agreement, Crown Castle has formed the following special committees of the Board:

Fiber Review Committee. The Fiber Review Committee will direct a strategic and operating review of the Companys fiber business, with the goal of enhancing and unlocking shareholder value. The Fiber Review Committee will be chaired by P. Robert Bartolo (Chair of the Crown Castle Board) and will include four additional directors, including Anthony J. Melone (the Companys interim Chief Executive Officer), Kevin A. Stephens, and newly appointed directors Mr. Genrich and Mr. Patel. Together, the Fiber Review Committee members will work to determine the best path forward for the fiber business and will make their recommendations to the full Board. The Company will not comment further on the strategic review unless and until the Board has approved a specific course of action or until it determines that further disclosure is appropriate or necessary. Financial advisors to the Fiber Review Committee will be Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and BofA Securities, and legal counsel will be Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

CEO Search Committee. In connection with the Companys previously announced CEO transition, the Board has established a CEO Search Committee to conduct the search to identify Crown Castles next CEO. The CEO Search Committee will be chaired by Tammy K. Jones and will also include Mr. Bartolo, Mr. Genrich and Kevin T. Kabat.

Todays announcements reinforce our commitment to taking actions that best position the Company for long term success, including our Boards regular evaluation of all paths to enhance shareholder value, said Chair Bartolo. Jason and Sunit bring valuable financial, operational and fiber expertise to our Board. We look forward to benefitting from their experience and insights. As we look ahead, I am confident that Crown Castle, as owners of the some of the best located tower and fiber assets in the U.S., will identify the best path forward to capitalize on significant opportunities for growth in our industry.

Todays announcements mark a significant step forward toward a stronger and more valuable Crown Castle, said Elliott Senior Portfolio Manager Jason Genrich. We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with Crown Castles Board to date, and I look forward to working with my fellow directors to evaluate the Companys strategic direction from here, including by conducting a comprehensive review of the fiber business and running a robust process to identify the Companys next CEO. Crown Castle has the preeminent portfolio of strategic tower and fiber assets in the United States, and I am confident that this agreement will pave the way for a new chapter of value creation for its shareholders.

In connection with todays appointments, W. Benjamin Moreland and Maria M. Pope will be stepping down from the Board. As a result, the Board will be comprised of 12 directors, 11 of whom are independent. As previously announced, Jay Brown will step down as a Director of the Company, effective January 16, 2024.

Mr. Bartolo continued, On behalf of the Crown Castle team, I want to thank Ben and Maria for their dedicated service to the Company. During Bens two decade-plus tenure in a variety of leadership roles, he played a pivotal role in positioning the business for the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead. Similarly, we appreciate Marias contributions and her expertise in helping to navigate a volatile environment over the last year. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

The agreement with Elliott also contains customary standstill, voting and other provisions. The full agreement between Crown Castle and Elliott will be filed on a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the charter for the new Fiber Review Committee will be available on Crown Castles website.

About Jason Genrich

Jason Genrich is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Elliott Investment Management, focusing on investments across the TMT industry and leading Elliotts activities in a wide variety of technology, software, IT hardware and digital infrastructure companies across public equity, private equity and credit investments. From 2021 to 2022, Mr. Genrich served on the public Board of Switch Inc., and was a member on the REIT Committee and Special Committee of the Board prior to its sale to Digital Bridge and IFM. Mr. Genrich currently serves on the Boards of Cloud Software Group (formerly Citrix and TIBCO Software), GoTo (formerly LogMeIn) and Travelport Worldwide. From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Genrich was a private equity investor at GTCR on the TMT investment team, with an emphasis on digital infrastructure, including wireless towers, fiber infrastructure, cable MSOs and other broadband infrastructure businesses. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Genrich worked in the Technology M&A advisory group at Evercore Partners.

About Sunit Patel

Sunit Patel is the Chief Financial Officer of Ibotta Inc., a North American cashback rewards and mobile technology platform. Mr. Patel has more than 25 years of executive leadership, including 15 years as a public telecommunications company CFO. In 2000, Mr. Patel co-founded Looking Glass Networks Inc., a facilities-based provider of metropolitan telecommunication transport services and served as its CFO until 2003. From 2003 to 2018, Mr. Patel served EVP and CFO of CenturyLink, now Lumen, a role he held for over 14 years at Level 3 prior to its 2017 merger with CenturyLink. From 2018 to 2020, Mr. Patel served as EVP, Merger and Integration at T-Mobile, where he led T-Mobile's strategic planning efforts to integrate its business with Sprint following the companies' $26.5 billion merger.

Mr. Patel currently serves on the Board of Cirion Technologies, a leading digital infrastructure and technology provider, offering a comprehensive suite of fiber network, connectivity, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and communication and collaboration solutions.

Advisors

BofA Securities is serving as financial advisor to Crown Castle in connection with the cooperation agreement with Elliott, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP are serving as legal counsel. Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP is serving as legal counsel to Elliott.

CAUTIONARY LANGUAGE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts are hereby identified as forward-looking statements. In addition, words such as "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "intend," "believe," "expect," "likely," "predicted," "positioned," "continue," "target," "seek," "focus" and any variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include (1) statements and expectations regarding the process and outcomes of Companys Fiber Review Committee, including that it will help enhance and unlock shareholder value, (2) statements and expectations regarding the process and outcomes of CEO Search Committee, including that it will conduct the search to identify Crown Castles next CEO, (3) that the actions set forth in this press release best position the Company for long term success, including our Boards regular evaluation of all paths to enhance shareholder value, (4) that the Company will benefit from the experience and insights of the newly appointed directors, (5) that the Company will identify the best path forward to capitalize on significant opportunities for growth in our industry. Such forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including prevailing market conditions, risk factors described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 ("2022 Form 10-K") and other factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected.

Our filings with the SEC are available through the SEC website at www.sec.gov or through our investor relations website at investor.crowncastle.com. We use our investor relations website to disclose information about us that may be deemed to be material. We encourage investors, the media and others interested in us to visit our investor relations website from time to time to review up-to-date information or to sign up for e-mail alerts to be notified when new or updated information is posted on the site.

ABOUT CROWN CASTLECrown 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. For more information on Crown Castle, please visit www.crowncastle.com.

CONTACTS Kris Hinson, VP & TreasurerCrown Castle Inc.713-570-3050

Source: Crown Castle Inc.
The MA60 firefighting aircraft conducts the water drop over a simulated fire scene during an emergency rescue drill at the Zhanghe Airport in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 27, 2023. China's independently-developed MA60 firefighting aircraft, a new member of the Modern Ark multipurpose aircraft family, is progressing forward on its airworthiness certification process, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). (Aviation Industry Corporation of China/Handout via Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Hu Tao

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's independently-developed MA60 firefighting aircraft, a new member of the Modern Ark multipurpose aircraft family, is progressing forward on its airworthiness certification process, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

As an aircraft model tailored to serve emergency rescue missions, MA60 successfully completed a key test flight, which consisted of hedgehopping and dropping six tonnes of water, said the AVIC, China's leading aircraft manufacturer.

The aircraft successfully conducted the water drop over the scheduled site at a very low altitude of 55 meters. The test took place at an airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The development and flight-test teams undertook a phased approach to carry out this flight test. They evaluated the aerial water-dropping performance of the aircraft by loading it with half of its maximum water-carrying capacity and gradually increasing it to its full capacity. Finally, they were able to complete this key flight test mission.

This success marked a breakthrough in core tech-indicators of the firefighting mission system of this special-purpose aircraft. It is a milestone of the MA60 firefighting aircraft project and lays a solid foundation for its airworthiness certification process, said the AVIC.

The development team will now accelerate follow-up flight tests for the aircraft's airworthiness compliance verification, stepping closer towards obtaining the airworthiness certification and delivering the aircraft to customers, it added.

The MA60 firefighting aircraft is a large and medium-sized fixed-wing plane model that is specially tailored to serve aerial firefighting and other emergency rescue missions, enhancing the country's emergency air rescue capabilities, said the AVIC.

It is developed by AVIC XAC Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with independent intellectual property rights. It is also in full compliance with the airworthiness regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Inheriting the mature technologies and advantages of the Modern Ark aircraft family, the MA60 firefighting aircraft features a high cruising speed, long range, flight in low speeds at low altitudes and good reliability.

Furthermore, the developer has improved the aircraft's fuselage, added multiple functional systems, such as those for water-dropping and fire monitoring. It has also made a series of adaptive changes to the cabin configuration, air conditioning, oxygen supply and multiple other systems.

Notably, this new aircraft model is capable of quickly transitioning from firefighting missions to transport. Following a convenient configuration modification at airport, the aircraft can flexibly carry out both emergency rescue operations and transport tasks for both personnel and supplies. Therefore, it will play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of disaster relief and other emergency rescue operations, according to the developer.

The comprehensive improvements and new systems empower the newly-developed MA60 firefighting aircraft to carry out multiple roles in emergency rescue.

It can effectively perform multiple rescue operations, such as aerial water dropping, airborne telecommunications support, fire prevention and monitoring, according to the developer.

Prior to the newly-developed MA60 firefighting model, the Modern Ark family has cultivated a series of aircraft models: MA60 and MA600 turboprop regional aircraft, civil freighter, and multipurpose aircraft models for precipitation enhancement and other fields, according to the developer.

By now, more than 100 aircraft of the Modern Ark family has been delivered globally and served around 300 routes at home and abroad, according to the AVIC. 

Crew members pose as the MA60 firefighting aircraft completed a key test flight, which consisted of hedgehopping and dropping six tonnes of water, in Suining, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 9, 2023. China's independently-developed MA60 firefighting aircraft, a new member of the Modern Ark multipurpose aircraft family, is progressing forward on its airworthiness certification process, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). (Aviation Industry Corporation of China/Handout via Xinhua)
Blackwood, New Jersey, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Damian Muziani, the creative force behind the award-winning comedy news sensation, Hindsight Tonight with Damian Muziani, announced today that the show was recently renewed for a 5th season. Since its start in 2020, Hindsight Tonight has gained popularity on YouTube, TikTok, and up-and-coming streaming platforms. The comedy series also earned consecutive Gold Telly Awards for Best Online Series and landed Muziani an Emmy Award nomination for Writing in 2021. Notably, the show has also clinched prestigious accolades such as Viddy, Communicator, and W3 awards.

For its fifth season, online comedy show Hindsight Tonight promises a familiar format with exciting tweaks. Muziani shares, Were adding social media subtitles, enlarging the story window, and playing with motion graphic visuals that really pop. When I started Hindsight, I aimed for a throwback vibe, but now were upgrading the look. The comedy remains the same though. Well be as subversive and smart-alecky as ever in 2024!

Hailed by fans as a best series to watch favorite, Hindsight Tonight blends current news events with Muzianis sharp commentary and visually engaging humor. As Executive Producer, Writer, and Host, Muziani acknowledges the unique challenges of putting together each episode.

Wearing all the hats around here is liberating, but my ultimate goal has always been to contribute to a successful writing team or comedy series, said Muziani. Sometimes my acting career gets in the way, and this year has been a banner one, featuring major commercials and a role in the upcoming Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire sequel, due out on Easter.

While juggling production and performance duties for Hindsight Tonight, Muziani also appeared in major commercials for Paycom, Caesars Resorts, and Wawa Food Markets. Plus, he

co-starred on the series finale of Amazon Prime Videos The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, opposite Emmy Award winner Alex Borstein.

The much-anticipated season premiere of Hindsight Tonight drops on December 31st, 2023, offering its familiar but different format of bite-sized, three-minute episodes available on hindsighttonight.com, YouTube, TikTok, and damianmuziani.com. Hindsight Tonight with Damian Muziani also streams on DBTV, Stripes, Red Coral, and Tribe networks.

About Damian Muziani

Damian Muziani, an accomplished actor, broadcaster, filmmaker, and host, boasts twelve Telly Awards and an Emmy nomination for his versatile body of work. As the brain behind Hindsight Tonight, Muziani connects with a growing audience through comedic hot takes on current events. The show has won multiple awards, including back-to-back Gold Telly Awards for Best Online Series. New episodes air every Sunday.

In the last few years, Muzianis comedic talents have secured him a role in the series finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, among other acclaimed shows like Billions, Blue Bloods, and Girls5Eva. He has also been featured in various commercials, including a Paycom commercial that has been viewed on Tube over 20 million times.

Upcoming projects for Muziani include the highly anticipated Ghostbusters sequel,

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, set for a worldwide release on Easter 2024.

Source: https://thenewsfront.com/damian-muzianis-award-winning-comedic-web-series-hindsight-tonight-returning-for-5th-season/

Hindsight Tonight P.O. Box 747 Blackwood New Jersey 08012 United States 609 205 6334 https://hindsighttonight.com/

Source: Hindsight Tonight
Agoura Hills, CA, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In recognition for its work in eliminating physical, social and emotional barriers for people living with disability, Joni and Friends, an international disability ministry that provides practical care to people living with special needs around the globe, received a national honor from the government of El Salvador. El Salvador's National Council for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (CONAIPD) bestowed the award on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities to recognize Joni and Friends as a strategic partner in promoting the respect of human rights and the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Joni and Friends serves individuals and families through Jonis House El Salvador, which provides holistic care including physical therapies and medical intervention, mobility support, job training, spiritual resources and community. This is where local disability professionals identify and address critical spiritual, physical, social and economic needs. Joni and Friends also employs people living with disability and their families through a work training program at their El Salvador wheelchair restoration center, which supplies mobility devices that have been restored to like-new condition for Joni and Friends Wheels for the World outreaches.

The government of El Salvador recognized Joni and Friends in concert with the 30th anniversary of CONAIPD, a national agency tasked with eliminating the barriers that prevent people with disabilities and their families from transforming their quality of life.

This award motivates me and everyone at Joni and Friends El Salvador to continue serving people with disabilities, dignifying their lives and raising awareness about their inclusion in society, said Claudia Aguirre, Joni and Friends International Regional Manager for Central America, who lives with quadriplegia. We thank God for giving us the privilege to serve him and be instruments in his hands.

The Joni and Friends restoration center in El Salvador was the organizations first disability center established outside of the United States.

We take pride in representing Joni and Friends in our country as we extend God's kingdom, said Monica Aguirre, Director of Jonis House El Salvador. This recognition reveals, once again, the purpose God has for our lives as it gives meaning to hardship. It reinforces our commitment to people living with disability and their families.

Joni and Friends was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada after a diving accident left her paralyzed. Since then, she has successfully advocated for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and served on the National Council on Disability, as well as the Disability Advisory Committee at the U.S. State Department. Her namesake nonprofit has provided more than 200,000 wheelchairs worldwide and served 64,000 individuals with special needs and their families through its Retreats and Getaways.

About Joni and Friends For more than 40 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability around the globe. Ministry programs include Jonis House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio and podcasts. To find out more, please visit www.joniandfriends.org. For more information contact Amy Hurtado, VP of Marketing & Engagement, at 818-707-5664 or [email protected].

###

Attachments

Dawn Megli Joni and Friends 818-338-7461 [email protected]

Source: Joni and Friends
MONTREAL, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a world thats increasingly fast-paced, the Mediterranean Aperitivo campaign beckons Canadians to adopt the Dolce Vita, or Slow Living lifestyle as we enter the New Year. Picture yourself on a terrace by the Mediterranean Sea, the sun shining bright, the warm smiles of the locals chatting in that musical language, a nice cocktail and tasty food a sweet Dolce Vita, isnt it?

As a collective wind is steering us towards slowing down to really take life in, the campaign invites Canadians to savour each moment and embrace the art of living from the stunning coast of Italy and Greece. Recognized as one of the Blue Zones, these regions have perfected the essence of a free-flowing lifestyle that captivates the senses. The goal? To bring the essentials of this lifestyle to Canada through an array of European products ideal for the aperitivo.

Mastering the Aperitif

At the heart of the Mediterranean way of life lies the art of the aperitif. Originating from the Royal Court of the Savoy Family, this tradition involves savouring a glass of Vermouth di Torino PGI (Protected Geographic Indication), a centuries-old elixir from Italy, accompanied by delectable accoutrements. From the glass to the table, the campaign introduces the must-experience joys of the Mediterranean, encouraging Canadians to indulge in a leisurely lifestyle with the freshest and finest ingredients and products Europe has to offer.

A Taste of the Mediterranean

The campaign introduces the luxurious Vermouth di Torino PGI, a distinctive aromatized wine from Italy. With a meticulous balance between the main aromatic element involved in its preparation, Artemisia Absinthium (grand wormwood), other spices and wine, Vermouth di Torino is regarded as a celebratory drink. Its unique taste speaks of connecting to the land and agricultural traditions of the Piedmont Region. And this connection runs deep, perfected from generation to generation, ancestral savoir-faire has made this botanical product a Piedmonte work of art.

Enriching the jubilation is a curated tray featuring Pecorino Toscano PDO, Costa dAmalfi PGI Lemons, and Olives From Greece. Pecorino Toscano PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), crafted from local sheep milk through traditional artisanal techniques, invites a moment of pure enjoyment. In a bite, it ranges from soft to hard texture, depending on the ageing process, to sweet, fragrant and pronounced flavour, and is sublime with slices of fresh focaccia drizzled with some olive oil.

The addition of Costa dAmalfi PGI Lemons to the mix, with their Blue Zone DNA, elevates the experience. Hand-picked carefully to avoid mistreatment compromising their appearance, integrity and taste, they feel like the princesses of all citruses. These are not standard lemons: the average weight is 200 grams, and they are entirely eatable. Used for their pure juices, zesty flavour and vibrant colour, their skin is rich in essential oils and particularly appreciated by bartenders around the world.

But the epicurean journey wouldnt be complete without some Olives From Greece. Recognized worldwide for their quality and taste, Olives from Greece, especially from Aitoloakarnania and Ilia regions, express ancient cultures, and traditions through an array of varieties and shapes. Who wouldve thought that taking time to feast on such small things could feel so opulent? Well, their craftsmanship is a testament to their unique and grandiose taste.

A Seal of Approval

These essential Blue Zone products hold PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) designations, ensuring the highest quality. Protected by European and national institutions, these seals guarantee that the delicacies can only originate and be produced in specific designated areas, preserving craftsmanship in alignment with traditions.

A Touch of the Mediterranean Sun in Canada

The campaign promises an immersive experience, infusing a touch of the Mediterranean sun into Canada. Ongoing initiatives, such as curated tastings, recipe ideas and exclusive events will unfold, offering Canadians the opportunity to bask in the warmth of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Furthermore, live events will take place in selected bars in Montreal and Toronto, bringing the Mediterranean charm to the heart of these vibrant cities.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

ABOUT

Mediterranean Aperitivo is an awareness campaign focusing on high-quality ingredients from Italy and Greece, home to two of the worlds top Blue Zones, referring to geographic areas where people live longer than anywhere else. The niche products, represented in the Mediterranean Aperitivo campaign, include Vermouth di Torino Protected Geographic Indication (PGI), Pecorino Toscano Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Costa dAmalfi Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) Lemons and Olives from Greece.

https://www.mediterraneanaperitivo.com/ | IG | FB

For more information:Sopexa Canada | Chloe Touchette, Public Relations Manager [email protected] | 514-238-1531

Source: Mediterranean Aperitivo
With the Skyrocketing Prices of Gold, the Company through its letter of Intent looks to move ahead with a Proven Yukon Gold Project. The project could be a valuable asset and a Return on Investment with proven resources of 2.2 Million Ounces of Gold.

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via IBN -- GEMXX Corporation ( OTC: GEMZ ) ("GEMXX" or the "Company") announces today that it has made additional progress in its assessments quantifying the proven and potential gold resources on the Yukon Gold property. GEMXX, working in concert with the current owners, have approved a plan to implement a pilot mine as soon as the weather permits in 2024.

The Company has amended the Letter of Intent (LOI) to extend the closing deadline until after a pilot mine project is completed. We are happy to take this project to the next level by detailing the work plan. This one-year initiative will further prove the commercial viability of the property and will lay the groundwork for full scale 2025 operations, commented Jay Maull, GEMXX CEO.

As we approach 2024, various financial analysts and organizations have offered diverse predictions regarding gold prices. The World Gold Council suggests that gold may experience new all-time highs in 20241, aligning with analysts' projections of gold prices reaching or exceeding $2,500 per ounce.2 This bullish trend is further supported by expectations of the Federal Reserve cutting rates, potentially leading to gold prices hitting fresh highs.3

Improved valuation with excellent potential for growth

Yukon Golds 2,210,660 ounces of gold in proven resources represents a significant milestone for our Company, particularly in light of the current gold price being projected at up to $2,500 per ounce. The latter will improve valuation with excellent potential for growth. GEMXX claim the property hosts somewhere between 2.2 million and as much as 4 million ounces of gold and current higher gold price environment will be contributed to an increase in project value. At current spot gold prices ($2,040/once), the NPV (at a 10% discount rate) could reach approximately $450 million.

This positions the Company with a million in revenue, considering the current and forecasted market value of gold, this is expected to make a considerable impact on the Company's valuation, reflecting a robust future revenue stream.

Rare Earth Elements and Other Minerals

In addition to the lucrative gold assets, GEMXX continues to review the data provided by the current owner to determine rare earth elements and /or other minerals if such as those used in battery manufacturing, are also commercially viable on the property .

This strategic move will allow us to validate the projected Gold deposits and ultimately enhance our efficiencies in procuring raw materials for our worldwide retail 'Mine to Market,' further commented, Jay Maull, GEMXX CEO.

Impact on Gold Mining Companies

This anticipated uptrend in gold prices bodes well for gold mining companies, including GEMXX. Analysts predict a sharp rebound in industry earnings in 2024, significantly influencing our stock value and investor confidence. Gold mining stocks are increasingly attractive to investors, given as gold prices rise, these companies are positioned to experience robust growth in cash flows, contributing to a positive outlook for the gold mining sector.

ABOUT GEMXX CORPORATION

GEMXX Corporation (OTC: GEMZ; $GEMZ) is a publicly traded, mine-to-market gold, gemstone and jewelry producer with global reach that owns mining resources, production facilities and operating assets. GEMXX controls each stage of its production including gold mining, gemstone production, jewelry manufacturing and global distribution.

GEMXX is a leading producer of top-quality finished ammolite and ammolite jewelry. The Companys world-class gemstone cutters and jewelry designers are continuously leading the Ammolite industry in new and exciting directions. Our management team is made up of the industry's leading experts with a combined total of 160 years of ammolite gemstone and jewelry business experience.

THE YUKON GOLD PROJECT PROPERTY

The Property consists of 145 full Yukon Quartz Claims and is located south of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in Canada. The Property has been explored since the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. It is a property of merit that could substantially impact the Companys balance sheet and future revenue.



Several of the reports submitted by the owner for due diligence review state that the Property hosts 2,210,660 ounces of Proven gold resources. In addition, the Probable and Possible values indicated in the reports suggest the Yukon Gold Project could yield a total of 4 million ounces of gold. The Company has not verified the historic resource classification or volume but remains optimistic that they speak to the propertys potential.

For more information, please visit: GEMXX Corporation



SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT



This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our Company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Signed. /S/ Jay Maull, CEO

GEMXX Corporation

For more information, please contact:

Corporate Communications:

Investor Brand Network (IBN)

Los Angeles, California

www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

310.299.1717 Office

[email protected]







1 https://www.kitco.com/news/2023-12-11/Gold-is-poised-for-new-all-time-highs-in-2024-World-Gold-Council.html

2 https://seekingalpha.com/article/4656910-phys-why-gold-prices-may-exceed-2500-in-2024

3 https://think.ing.com/articles/gold-to-hit-fresh-highs-in-2024/




VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integra Resources Corp. (Integra or the Company) (TSXV: ITR; NYSE American: ITRG) is pleased to announce that it has submitted the Draft Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the DeLamar and Florida Mountain Project (DeLamar or the Project) located in southwestern Idaho.

MPO Highlights:

The MPO is the culmination of over 3 years of environmental baseline studies, initial engineering design, and detailed description of mining and reclamation activities proposed for DeLamar. The substantive MPO document was compiled over the last 6 months and allows the Company to initiate the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) process and begin work on the ancillary permits necessary to bring DeLamar to a production decision. The MPO submittal will initiate the BLMs review process, per the United States Code of Federal Regulations Title 43 Subpart 3809, allowing the BLM to make a completeness determination and initiate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, expected to begin in mid-2024.

The MPO includes information derived from various baseline studies completed between 2020-2023, including: Wildlife Vegetation Soils Air Quality Cultural Resources Wetlands, Seeps and Springs Aquatic Resources Surface Water and Groundwater sampling, analysis and hydrologic studies Geochemistry

The submission of the MPO signifies a major step forward in the mine permitting process as it will utilize information obtained through the baseline studies to establish existing baseline conditions at the DeLamar site to characterize potential impacts for the proposed mine action.

Integras President, CEO & Director, Jason Kosec commented: We are incredibly proud of the team at Integra for the submission of the MPO for DeLamar. This not only represents a critical milestone in the advancement of the Project, but also sets Integra apart from its peers, being one of only a few development companies in the Western U.S. with a project entering the NEPA permitting process. 2023 marks a pivotal and successful year for Integra with the completion of the merger with Millennial Precious Metals Corp., announcing the maiden Preliminary Economic Assessment for Wildcat & Mountain View in Nevada, filing the updated mineral resource estimate at DeLamar including the stockpiles, and finally the submission of the MPO for DeLamar. These achievements continue to strengthen Integras position in the Great Basin as a multi-asset developer with a pathway to becoming a leading U.S. focused gold and silver producer.

Mine Plan of Operations

Integra is dedicated to responsible mine planning that focuses on water quality and quantity, biodiversity preservation, and community considerations. The submission of the MPO to the BLM is the first major de-risking event in the mine permitting process and demonstrates the Companys commitment to advancing DeLamar towards a production decision. The MPO is an integral part of the NEPA process as it marks the formal start of engagement with all cooperating governmental agencies, stakeholders, and the general public. The NEPA process will cover in-detail project scoping, environmental impact analysis, public comment periods, and agency coordination. The detailed assessment conducted during this process ensures a comprehensive understanding of the Project's potential impact on the environment and surrounding communities.

The MPO includes preliminary engineering and site design to define pit layout, heap leach location, development rock storage facility design, and related sequencing. In addition, the MPO includes placement of ancillary facilities, incorporating access roads, power generation, primary crushing and processing. Integras engineering team has also completed multiple studies and drill programs over the last 3 years to support the MPO which include geotechnical drilling, heap leach design, material and water balance details, cover design, clay resource estimates, Kuz-Ram blast fragmentation study, updated mine plans, and detailed power studies, among others.

Integra completed each of the baseline studies within the proposed outline of the mine features and access roads in 2023 to support the MPO. The completed list of baseline studies was executed by the following consultants:

Baseline Study Lead Consultant Aquatic Resources  Fisheries & Macroinvertebrates EcoAnalysts, Inc. and BioAnalysts, Inc. Wetlands, Seeps and Springs GeoEngineers Inc. and Haley & Aldrich, Inc. Cultural Resources Tetra Tech, Inc. Wildlife Environmental Resources Management, Inc. Vegetation Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. Soils Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. Air Monitoring Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc. Surface Water Hydrology and Quality Arcadis U.S., Inc. Groundwater Modeling and Quality Arcadis U.S., Inc. Geochemistry SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc.



In addition to the completed studies, geochemical characterization of encountered pit lithology and hydrogeologic modeling studies (including fate and transport modeling) have been underway since 2022. These studies will also be used to further develop the reclamation and closure plan at DeLamar.

Next Steps

During the MPO review process by the BLM, the Company will continue permitting efforts in anticipation of the start of the NEPA and DEIS process at DeLamar. The baseline studies and MPO will serve as a basis for various permits, some that are required to be in place prior to construction, including Point of Compliance Permitting, Cyanidation Permits, and Air Permitting with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality as well as Section 404 of the Clean Water Act with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Upon receipt of a completeness determination from the BLM, Integra will begin the Notice of Intent process which initiates development of the DEIS in mid-2024.

The Company will also continue Tribal engagement and initiate the Programmatic Agreement (PA) process. The PA is a formal document established between the Company, governmental agencies, and Tribal Nations. The PA includes framework for identifying, managing, and mitigating any potential impacts on culturally sensitive areas or historical sites.

Sustainability Report

Integra recently published the latest Sustainability Report for DeLamar which outlines the Company's commitments and performance in its Environmental, Social and Governance practices. The Sustainability Report speaks to the vast amount of work various departments of the Company have completed, advancing Integras vision for developing projects that generate an enduring positive legacy for both the community and shareholders.

The report is available on Integras website by following the link below:

https://integraresources.com/site/assets/files/2572/integrareport_medium_fv.pdf

Management Update

The Company announces that its Chief Operating Officer, Timothy Arnold, will retire from Integra at the end of 2023. Mr. Arnold has been a critical member of the Integra team for 5 years and helped guide the Project from Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) to Pre-feasibility Study (PFS). The submission of the MPO represents the culmination of more than 3 years of permitting and baseline work overseen by Mr. Arnold and his team. Integra would like to thank Mr. Arnold for his commitment during his tenure and wishes him the best in retirement.

Integra is also pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Olsen to Vice President, Engineering and Processing. Mr. Olsen is a metallurgical engineer with approximately 25 years of industry experience. Mr. Olsen has held senior roles at the Bald Mountain Mine located in Nevada, U.S. for both Barrick Gold Corporation and Kinross Gold Corporation, including Chief Metallurgist and various superintendent level positions. Most recently, Mr. Olsen worked as a Senior Metallurgical Engineer for Hanlon Engineering & Associates, Inc., a leading process engineering consulting and contracting company. Mr. Olsen holds a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Idaho.

Annual Grant of Equity Incentive Awards

On December 20, 2023 the Company granted a total of 1,603,371 options, 941,898 restricted share units, and 364,000 deferred share units (together, the Equity Incentive Awards) to certain employees, executives, directors and consultants of the Company. The Equity Incentive Awards have been granted pursuant to the Companys Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan and are subject to vesting provisions. The options granted have an exercise price of C$1.39 per share and will expire 5 years from the date of grant.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Raphael Dutaut, Ph.D (P.Geo), Integras Vice President, Exploration and Tim Arnold (PE, SME), Integras Chief Operating Officer. Both individuals are Qualified Persons (QP) as defined in NI 43-101.

DeLamar Project Overview

The past producing DeLamar project, which includes the adjacent DeLamar and Florida Mountain gold and silver deposits, is located in Owyhee County in southwest Idaho. Since acquiring the Project in 2017, the Company has demonstrated significant resource growth and conversion while providing robust economic studies in its maiden PEA and PFS. The most recent technical report is available on the Companys website and has been filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

About Integra Resources

Integra is one of the largest precious metals exploration and development companies in the Great Basin of the Western USA. Integra is currently focused on advancing its three flagship oxide heap leach projects: the past producing DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho and the Wildcat and Mountain View Projects located in western Nevada. The Company also holds a portfolio of highly prospective early-stage exploration projects in Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. Integras long-term vision is to become a leading USA focused mid-tier gold and silver producer.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jason Kosec

President, CEO and Director

CONTACT INFORMATION

Corporate Inquiries: [email protected]

Company website: www.integraresources.com

Office phone: 1 (604) 416-0576

Forward Looking and Other Cautionary Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and applicable United States securities laws (referred to herein as forwardlooking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forwardlooking statements which includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: the future financial or operating performance of the Company and the Companys mineral properties and project portfolio; the results from work performed to date; the estimation of mineral resources and reserves; the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates; the development, operational and economic results of technical reports on mineral properties referenced herein; magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; the anticipated advancement of the Company mineral properties and project portfolios including, but not limited to, submission of MPO for DeLamar; exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits; underground exploration potential; costs and timing of future exploration; the completion and timing of future development studies; estimates of metallurgical recovery rates; exploration prospects of mineral properties; requirements for additional capital; the future price of metals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; the timing and possible outcome of pending regulatory matters; timing and completion of technical reports; the development, operational and economic results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Wildcat & Mountain View Projects and the Mineral Resource Estimate for the DeLamar project; the realization of the expected economics of mineral properties; future growth potential of mineral properties; and future development plans.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as may, will, could, would, anticipate, believe, expect, intend, potential, estimate, budget, scheduled, plans, planned, forecasts, goals and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such information is provided. Assumptions and factors include: the Companys ability to complete its planned exploration programs; the absence of adverse conditions at mineral properties; no unforeseen operational delays; no material delays in obtaining necessary permits; the price of gold remaining at levels that render mineral properties economic; the Companys ability to continue raising necessary capital to finance operations; and the ability to realize on the mineral resource and reserve estimates. Forwardlooking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: integration risks; general business, economic and competitive uncertainties; the actual results of current and future exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; meeting various expected cost estimates; benefits of certain technology usage; changes in project parameters and/or economic assessments as plans continue to be refined; future prices of metals; possible variations of mineral grade or recovery rates; the risk that actual costs may exceed estimated costs; geological, mining and exploration technical problems; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); title to properties; and managements ability to anticipate and manage the foregoing factors and risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are advised to study and consider risk factors disclosed in Integras annual report on Form 20-F dated March 17, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and Millennial Precious Metals Corp.s managements discussion and analysis dated April 28, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

There can be no assurance that forwardlooking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are presented for the purposes of assisting investors in understanding the Companys plans, objectives and goals, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. This news release also contains or references certain market, industry and peer group data, which is based upon information from independent industry publications, market research, analyst reports, surveys, continuous disclosure filings and other publicly available sources. Although the Company believes these sources to be generally reliable, such information is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other inherent limitations and uncertainties. The Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release and accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of such data is not guaranteed.

Cautionary Note for U.S. Investors Concerning Mineral Resources and Reserves

NI 43-101 is a rule of the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Technical disclosure contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Classification System. These standards differ from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and resource information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by domestic United States companies subject to the SEC's reporting and disclosure requirements.

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.
BILTHOVEN, Netherlands, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intravacc, a globally recognized pioneer and leader in translational vaccinology, today announced the launch of its new website. This digital milestone is designed to showcase Intravacc's pioneering spirit and commitment to driving vaccine innovation on a global scale.

The redesigned website features a user-friendly interface, providing visitors with an immersive experience into Intravacc's world-class expertise, groundbreaking research & development capabilities, and transformative vaccine technologies. It offers a comprehensive overview of Intravacc's Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) services, cutting-edge vaccine platforms, and pipeline of promising vaccine candidates. The modern and intuitive design reflects the company's dedication to accessibility and transparency.

Key highlights of the new website:

Immersive User Experience: Navigating the website is now a seamless experience, allowing users to effortlessly explore Intravacc's rich history, current projects, and future initiatives.

Navigating the website is now a seamless experience, allowing users to effortlessly explore Intravacc's rich history, current projects, and future initiatives. Innovative Vaccine Platforms: Learn about Intravacc's cutting-edge vaccine platforms, including OMV-VaccT, Cell-VaccT, Con-VaccT, and E.co-VaccT. The website provides detailed insights into the science behind these platforms and their potential impact on global health.

Learn about Intravacc's cutting-edge vaccine platforms, including OMV-VaccT, Cell-VaccT, Con-VaccT, and E.co-VaccT. The website provides detailed insights into the science behind these platforms and their potential impact on global health. Global Impact: Discover through the partners overview and references how Intravacc is making a difference in infectious disease prevention and therapeutic vaccine development. The website highlights the company's collaborations with biotech and pharmaceutical partners, governmental agencies, and NGOs.

Discover through the partners overview and references how Intravacc is making a difference in infectious disease prevention and therapeutic vaccine development. The website highlights the company's collaborations with biotech and pharmaceutical partners, governmental agencies, and NGOs. News and Updates: Stay informed with the latest news, press releases, and updates from Intravacc. The website features a dedicated section to keep visitors abreast of the company's achievements, breakthroughs, and contributions to the field of vaccinology.

Stay informed with the latest news, press releases, and updates from Intravacc. The website features a dedicated section to keep visitors abreast of the company's achievements, breakthroughs, and contributions to the field of vaccinology. Scientific Publications Hub: Explore a vast repository of scientific publications, providing in-depth insights into Intravacc's research and contributions to the field of vaccine development. This valuable resource demonstrates the company's commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and fostering collaboration within the global scientific community.

Dr. Jan Groen, Intravaccs CEO, says:

"Our website is a gateway to the world of vaccines, reflecting the innovation and dedication that define Intravacc. It serves as a dynamic hub for information, allowing us to share our progress, insights, and collaborations with the global vaccine community."

Intravacc invites visitors to explore the new website and engage with its interactive features. The site can be accessed at www.intravacc.nl.

About IntravaccIntravacc, located at Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven in the Netherlands, is a leading global CDMO for infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccines. As an established independent CDMO with many years of experience in the development and optimization of vaccines and vaccine technologies, Intravacc has transferred its technology world-wide for many vaccines including polio, measles, DPT, Hib and influenza. Approximately 30% of childhood disease vaccines are based on Intravaccs know-how and proprietary technology. Intravacc offers a wide range of expertise for independent vaccine development, from concept to Phase I/II clinical studies for partners around the world, including biotech and pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies and NGOs. With its innovative vaccine platforms OMV-VaccT, Cell-VaccT, Con-VaccT, E.co-VaccT and good manufacturing procedures (GMP) facilities the company is well positioned to address the unmet needs in the vaccine and immune therapy market.

Contact info

IntravaccDr. Jan Groen, CEOP: +31 30 7920 454

Sander Hagemans, Media RelationsP: +31 30 7920 579E: [email protected]

Source: Intravacc B.V.
OAKVILLE, Ontario, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With holiday festivities in full swing, MADD Canada is urging Canadians to keep roads safe by preventing impaired driving.

As you celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year, please make the promise to yourself and your loved ones to never drive impaired and to plan ahead for a sober ride home if youre consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs, said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt.

Impaired driving causes hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries every year. Everyone has a role to play in preventing these tragedies.

Never drive impaired - call an Uber or a cab, take public transit or arrange a designated driver;

Never ride with a driver who is impaired;

Call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.

Planning ahead for a sober ride only takes a few minutes and can prevent a lifetime of grief and heartache, Ms. Hansen Pratt said.

Whether youre attending holiday or New Years parties or hosting a party yourself, here are some tips to celebrate responsibly and start the new year off right.

For Party-Goers:If youre making the rounds to holiday and New Years parties, plan ahead for how youre getting home.

Book an Uber.

Take a cab.

Take public transportation.

Arrange a designated driver.

Or plan to spend the night.

For Party Hosts: Here are some simple precautions you, as a party host, can take to make sure your guests dont drive under the influence of alcohol and/or cannabis:

Have lots of food and non-alcohol/low alcohol beverages available.

Serve drinks yourself so you can monitor how much your guests are consuming. Dont serve alcohol to guests who are already intoxicated. Stop serving alcohol long before you expect the party to wind up.

If guests are consuming cannabis, try to be aware of their consumption / impairment levels.

Know how your guests are getting home and who is driving.

If you have Uber in your area, download the app.

Have taxi numbers available.

Be prepared to have intoxicated guests spend the night at your house.

Canadians wanting to plan their sober and reliable ride home from holiday and New Years celebrations can do it with just the push of a button - check out Uber, the Official Designated Ride of MADD Canada. Visit https://www.uber.com/ca/en/ for more information.

MADD Canada is currently in the midst of its 36nd annual Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote safe and sober driving during the holiday season. For more information, please visit: http://madd.ca/pages/programs/awareness-campaigns/project-red-ribbon/.

For more information, please contact: Tanya Hansen Pratt, MADD Canada National President, 705-623-3148 or [email protected] Dawn Regan, MADD Canada Chief Operating Officer, 1-800-665-6233, ext. 223 or [email protected] Deb Kelly, MADD Canada Communications Manager at 1-800-665-6233, ext. 240 or [email protected]

Source: MADD Canada
HIGHLIGHTS

Subject to Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) approval, Liatam Mining Pty Ltd (Liatam) has agreed to further invest A$1.8 million to obtain 9,000,000 shares at A$0.20 per share in Novo to increase their shareholding from ~3% to ~6%.

Liatam has exceeded the required spend of A$1.75 million to form the 80%/20% Quartz Hill Joint Venture with Novo in the East Pilbara, Western Australia.

Liatam has acquired legal title to the tenements included in the Quartz Hill Joint Venture and becomes the manager of the joint venture, with Novo retaining 20% ownership of battery mineral rights along with 100% of the gold and silver rights on the tenements.

The Quartz Hill Joint Venture tenements are considered prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) style pegmatite mineralisation.

Following the A$10 million transaction with SQM Australia in the Harding Battery Metals JV in the West Pilbara, and the investment made by Liatam, Novo is in a strong financial position to continue its aggressive exploration focus across key gold targets in the Pilbara, Western Australia and Victoria in 2024.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (ASX: NVO) (TSX: NVO & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to announce an update to the Quartz Hill Project earn-in agreement with Liatam and also an additional investment by Liatam in Novo of A$1.8 million.

Liatam has now exceeded the required spend of A$1.75 million at the Quartz Hill Project, pursuant to the earn-in agreement announced by Novo on 15 December 20221. Quartz Hill is located in the Mosquito Creek Basin in the East Pilbara, Western Australia. Following completion of the earn-in requirement, the 80%/20% Quartz Hill Joint Venture (JV) between Liatam and Novo has now been formed.

Novo Executive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO Mike Spreadborough said,

Novo is continuing its strategy to JV its prospective battery minerals tenements with battery minerals specialists. Novo is pleased that Liatam has quickly exceeded its minimum exploration spend to form the JV and Liatam will continue its strategy to explore for lithium bearing pegmatites at Quartz Hill. Liatams additional investment of $1.8 million in Novo also further validates Novos continuing exploration strategy and helps boost Novos current cash reserves and exploration budget.

_______________1 15 December 2022; Novo Announces Strategic Investment & Advancement of Battery Minerals Strategy. See also paragraph 9.6 of Novos ASX IPO prospectus dated 2 August 2023.

Quartz Hill Joint Venture (JV)

The 80%/20% JV between Liatam and Novo has been formed following completion of the earn-in requirement. Liatam will now sole fund and free carry all of Novos required exploration costs in relation to the joint venture structure, until earlier of:

Liatam having completed a Feasibility Study in respect of at least one deposit of Relevant Minerals; and

Liatam having sole funded the exploration; capped of A$20m.

Following an initial 12-month period of exploration, Liatam made an offer of A$200k to acquire legal title to the tenements that are the subject of the JV package, which was accepted by Novo. The transaction transfers the title of the tenements to Liatam and they will be the manager of the JV. Novo has retained its 20% share of battery mineral rights as well as all gold and silver rights on these tenements.

The Quartz Hill area is comprised of six granted Exploration Licenses, nineteen Prospecting Licences and one Exploration Licence Application collectively covering approximately 770 sq km. The area is considered prospective for lithiumcaesiumtantalum (LCT) style pegmatite mineralisation2.

Novo Investment

In addition to the formation of the JV, Liatam has signed a subscription agreement and agreed to subscribe for an additional A$1.8 million in Novo shares.

Subject to receipt of TSX approval, 9,000,000 shares will be issued to Liatam, based on a share value of A$0.20 per share, increasing their shareholding from ~3% to ~6%. Liatam has a right to transmute the issued shares into ASX CDIs following a four-month hold.

Following the A$10 million transaction with SQM Australia3 and the investment committed by Liatam, Novo is well positioned to continue to efficiently execute its gold exploration strategy throughout 2024.

The funds received will be utilised to advance Novos Pilbara exploration drilling and reconnaissance programs in the southern Egina Gold Camp, the Balla Balla Gold project and at Belltopper Project in Victoria.

ABOUT NOVO

Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 7,500 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. In addition to the Companys primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its shareholders.

_______________2 23 February 2023; JV Partner Liatam Mining Outlines Lithium Exploration Program3 18 December 2023; Strategic Joint Venture with Global Lithium Producer SQM

CONTACT

Investors:Mike Spreadborough +61 8 6400 6100 [email protected] North American Queries:Leo Karabelas+1 416 543 3120 [email protected] Media:Cameron Gilenko+61 466 984 953 [email protected]

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Novo Resources Corp.Michael SpreadboroughMichael SpreadboroughExecutive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (including within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, the intended private placement with Liatam and intended use of proceeds therefrom. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, receipt of TSX approval to the private placement, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novos annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available under Novos profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Source: Novo Resources Corp.
TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lumine Group Inc. (Lumine Group or the Company) (TSXV: LMN), a global buy-and-hold forever acquirer of communications and media software businesses, today announced that, through one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Device Management and Service Management Platform businesses from Nokia (NYSE: NOK). This will mark Lumine Groups second carve-out transaction with Nokia.

Device Management and Service Management Platform are primarily the result of two previous acquisitions by Nokia, namely Motive and mFormation. Following the acquisition, Lumine Group will restore the Motive brand as the new corporate entity for the Device Management and Service Management Platform solutions as a stand-alone business unit within Lumine Group.

David Sharpley, Group President at Lumine Group, commented: We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Device Management and Service Management Platform customers and employees to Lumine. As experienced corporate carve-out acquirers, our priority is to partner with Nokia to ensure a seamless transition and operational continuity for all customers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lumine Group will acquire Nokias Device Management and Service Management Platform businesses for a total purchase price of up to 185 million euros, which includes a contingent consideration of up to 35 million euros based on the performance of the business during the first year following close. This transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements herein may be forward looking statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual events to be materially different from any future events expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Words such as may, will, expect, believe, plan, intend, should, anticipate and other similar terminology are intended to identify forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include Lumine Groups intentions vis-a-vis its acquisition of the Device Management and Service Management Platform business units from Nokia. Such forward looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved, or when such results will be achieved. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. A number of factors could cause actual results to vary significantly from the results discussed in the forward looking statements. These forward looking statements reflect current assumptions and expectations regarding future events and are made as of the date hereof and Lumine Group assumes no obligation, except as required by law, to update any forward looking statements to reflect new events or circumstances.

About Lumine Group

Lumine Group (TSXV: LMN) acquires, strengthens, and grows vertical market software businesses in the Communications and Media industry. Learn more at www.luminegroup.com.

Lumine Group Media Relations Contact Erini AndriopoulosDirector of Marketing, Lumine Group[email protected]

Source: Lumine Group
Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For over five decades, the Securities and Exchange Commission has violated the First Amendment by gagging every American with whom it settles a regulatory enforcement case, forbidding them from uttering even truthful criticism of their cases in public. More than five years ago, the New Civil Liberties Alliance petitioned SEC to abolish or amend its Gag Rule, but the agency has ignored that petition and continued its unconstitutional practice. Today, NCLA, its client Christopher Novinger, and former clients Barry Romeril and Ray Lucia filed a renewed petition demanding an end to this lifetime gag rule and posing the same question U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams asked last year: What is SEC so afraid of?

SEC enacted the 1972 Gag Rule without notice and comment after falsely framing it as an internal housekeeping measure that would not affect third parties. The agency never had statutory authority to implement such a substantive rule, and it bypassed Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requirements to publish, provide notice and allow comment before promulgating a rule binding on third parties. Speech bans must be narrowly tailored, serve a compelling government interest, and adopt the least restrictive means to protect that interest. SEC has never provided a legitimate nor compelling reason for silencing for life all enforcement targets who wish to settle.

By refusing to consider NCLAs petition for more than five years, SEC has prevented NCLA from challenging the Gag Rule in court, a right enshrined under the APA. The agency thus has effectively nullified the constitutional right to petition the government, which has no meaning if government can simply fail to respond to petitions. NCLA renews this petition so that SEC can no longer elude a Gag Rule challenge via inaction. The longer SEC ignores NCLAs petition, the more it infringes on the rights of Americans bound by its gag orders, some of whom are currently in their 70s and 80s and hope to finally speak out about the enforcement proceedings they endured.

The Gag Rule is punishing current and former NCLA clients Christopher Novinger, Barry Romeril and Ray Lucia in perpetuity. NCLA represents Mr. Novinger in appealing the gag provisions in his SEC enforcement settlement before the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. SEC has silenced Mr. Romeril with a gag order for more than 20 years. Mr. Lucia settled his case with the agency in 2020 after a successful trip to the U.S. Supreme Court.

SECs Gag Rule has drawn prominent judicial criticism. In their 2022 Novinger v. SEC opinion, Fifth Circuit Judges Edith Jones and Kyle Duncan said of the gag policy: A more effective prior restraint is hard to imagine. In her 2022 SEC v. Moraes ruling, District Judge Abrams similarly observed that the policy raises the specter of violating the unconstitutional conditions doctrine[;] (2) has all the hallmarks of a prior restraint on speech[;] and (3) is a textbook content or viewpoint-based prohibition on speech.

The Gag Rule also conceals vital information about SEC enforcement policies. Does SEC strong-arm enforcement targets? Does it over plead complaints to force settling? Has SEC overreached its statutory authority? Are SECs theories of violation and threatened penalties sound? Maybe having to answer such questions is exactly why SEC wants to keep enforcement targets silenced, but thats no reason to allow it to continue violating the Constitution.

NCLA released the following statements:

The First Amendments core function is to protect freedom of expression about government power. SECs unlawful arrogation of power to silence criticism by the 98% of enforcement targets who must settle their cases shields virtually all its operations from public scrutiny. NCLA will not rest until this dangerous and anomalous rule is declared unconstitutional. Peggy Little, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA

SEC has allowed NCLAs petition to languish for over five years. During that time, it has systematically and unapologetically silenced hundreds, if not thousands of individuals. SEC should either grant our petition and reject its unconstitutional Gag Rule or deny our petition and allow a real court to review the rule on the merits. Kara Rollins, Litigation Counsel, NCLA

SEC can run, but it cannot hide forever. The Commission will have to defend its Gag Rule to a real court soon, which will findineluctablythat the rule violates the First Amendment and likely the APA too. Mark Chenoweth, President and General Counsel, NCLA

For more information read the petition here.

ABOUT NCLA

NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights.

###

Trevor Schakohl New Civil Liberties Alliance 202-908-6206 [email protected]

Source: New Civil Liberties Alliance
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua and will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

China also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference, Xi said during his phone talks with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in which the two leaders announced the decision to elevate China-Nicaragua ties to a strategic partnership. 
Zurich, Switzerland, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LMEOW Token, the pioneering AI-driven Memecoin, has made waves in the cryptocurrency space by securing over $100,000 in funding on its launch day. This significant achievement underscores the burgeoning interest and confidence the crypto community holds in this innovative project.

The launch day for LMEOW Token marked a momentous occasion in the realm of Memecoins. Its unique amalgamation of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology with the allure of meme culture struck a resonant chord within the investor community, resulting in a swift and substantial response.

The successful fundraising venture not only speaks volumes about the financial viability of LMEOW but also reflects a broader enthusiasm for innovative ventures within the crypto market. This achievement is a testament to the project's solid foundation, strategic vision, and unwavering support garnered from early investors and cryptocurrency enthusiasts alike.

The fusion of AI technology and meme-centric content is at the core of LMEOW Token's value proposition, an intersection that has captivated the attention of a diverse audience. This enthusiastic reception underscores the project's potential for mass adoption and its ability to resonate with a wide spectrum of stakeholders - from seasoned investors to avid meme aficionados.

The $100,000 raised on its launch day signifies not just a monetary milestone but also marks the genesis of a transformative journey. LMEOW Token stands poised to carve a distinct niche in the Memecoin landscape, leveraging technology and community-driven initiatives to redefine industry standards and possibilities.

As LMEOW Token continues to chart its trajectory amid this resounding success, it sets a precedent for innovation and community-driven engagement within the cryptocurrency domain. This accomplishment fortifies the project's commitment to delivering value, fostering inclusivity, and driving advancements in the ever-evolving crypto market.

The momentum gained from the $100,000 raised on launch day serves as a promising prelude to a future marked by groundbreaking innovation and collective enthusiasm. Join us in this exciting narrative as LMEOW Token endeavors to spearhead a new frontier in AI-driven Memecoins, shaping a landscape where technology and community spirit converge.

About LMEOW Token

LMEOW Token is the pioneering AI-driven meme coin revolutionizing Memecoins. With its unique Stake to Earn feature, it's not just a cryptocurrency but an AI-driven movement welcoming cat enthusiasts and crypto fans. Through innovative AI-based marketing and the phenomenal staking protocol, users enjoy transparent and secure rewards, making LMEOW the purr-fect blend of tech, memes, and financial innovation in the crypto sphere.

For more details about LMEOW Token, visit their website at https://lmeowtoken.io/, or join the LMEOW community on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lmeowtoken, and on Telegram at https://t.me/lmeowtoken to know more about the project.

Website | Twitter | Telegram



Disclaimer:

The information provided in this release is not investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing or trading securities and cryptocurrency.




Press Release

Nokia announces deal to sell Device Management and Service Management Platform businesses to Lumine Group

Deal marks further progress in Nokias strategy to actively manage its Cloud and Network Services (CNS) business group portfolio in order to invest in other strategic areas and enhance technology leadership





Deal enhances Lumine Groups software portfolio, and enables Nokia customers to benefit from Lumines telecom industry expertise, financial resources, and strategic intent to invest in long-term product roadmap





20 December 2023

Espoo, Finland  Nokia today announced an agreement under which Lumine Group Inc. will buy Nokias Device Management (DM) and Service Management Platform (SMP) businesses. The deal will enable Nokia DM and SMP customers to benefit from Lumines telecom industry expertise, financial resources, and strategy to invest in a long-term product roadmap.

The agreement reflects CNSs investment focus on technology leadership areas, and the active portfolio management of others. CNS has executed a clear strategy over the past two years to grow faster than the market by establishing technology leadership and reorienting investment toward strategic areas of 5G Core, secure autonomous operations, private wireless and edge, network as code, and SaaS. The deal follows Nokia announcements earlier this year to divest its VitalQIP products to Cygna Labs Corp and to make Red Hat the primary infrastructure platform for Nokia Core Network applications.

Lumine Group acquires, manages, and builds industry-specific software, focused in the telecom and media space. With its strong balance sheet and market capitalization, Lumine Group intends to operate DM and SMP as a standalone business, which will be called Motive.

Approximately 500 Nokia Device Management and Service Management Platform employees are expected to transfer to Lumine Group as part of the deal. Both companies will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition and business continuity.

The deal is valued at EUR 185 million, which includes a contingent consideration of up to EUR 35 million based on the performance of the business during the first year following close. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to certain terms, conditions, and consultations with works council or other employee representative bodies where required by law.

Nokia Device Management software capabilities help communication service providers remotely manage home broadband access devices, as well as IoT sensors and devices from a variety of different vendors; while the companys Service Management Platform improves customer care service, with coverage spanning more than 150 deployments worldwide and more than 1 billion devices under management.

Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services, at Nokia said: Nokia is pleased to enter this agreement with Lumine as another sign of progress in our strategy to focus investment in those areas most important to our business. Lumine Group has the telecom industry expertise as well as the strategic focus and resourcing to drive the Device Management and Service Management Platform businesses forward to a stronger future.

David Sharpley, Group President at Lumine Group said: We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Device Management and Service Management Platform customers and employees to Lumine. Consistent with our autonomous operating model, we will be reviving the heritage Motive brand for this new stand-alone Lumine company and we look forward to partnering with Nokia to ensure operational continuity with all customers.

Resources and additional information

Nokia Web page: Home Device Manager

Nokia Web page: Service Management Platform

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today  and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

About Lumine Group

Lumine Group (TSXV: LMN) acquires, strengthens, and grows vertical market software businesses in the Communications and Media industry. Learn more at www.luminegroup.com.

Media Inquiries

Nokia Communications, Corporate

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on social media

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MONTREAL, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HPQ Silicon Inc. (HPQ or the Company) (TSX-V: HPQ) (OTCQB: HPQFF) (FRA: O08), a technology company specializing in green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials, is pleased to inform shareholders that its France-based affiliate company NOVACIUM SAS ("Novacium") has been awarded a French Tech Emergence Grant of  90,000 (C$ 131,000).

The grant, administrated by the French Bank of Public Investments (BPI), is part of the French Governments strategy to promote projects considered deep tech for startups like Novacium. Novacium's project proposal to BPI concentrated on enhancing the entire value chain of highly engineered SiOx-based anode materials for batteries.

"Novacium's recognition by BPI as an innovative project with significant industrial impact underscores the value of our work," said Mr. Jed Kraiem PhD, COO of Novacium. "With the upcoming results from our ongoing engineered SiOx battery tests, we plan to seek more BPI deep tech financing, potentially up to 2 million, to advance our project to a pre-commercial stage."

BPI approved the grant following a rigorous selection process which involves having its sector experts validate the Novacium's deep-tech characteristics and the project's innovativeness combined with its industrial impact in France and worldwide.

We are thrilled with Novacium's recent achievement and the BPI grant, said Mr. Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS. It further confirms that the need for engineered SiOx-based anode materials is a global necessity and highlights the Novacium/HPQ collaborative efforts in advancing cutting-edge silicon-based battery technologies.

ENGINEERED SiOx BASED ANODE MATERIALS MARKET IS EXPANDING

A major trend in the lithium battery industry is the introduction of small amounts (between 5% and 10%) of silicon oxide (SiOx) based additives into graphite composite electrodes. This is due to the fact that pure graphite anodes have essentially achieved their maximum performance in terms of energy density [1].

Silicon is the most promising candidate that can drastically improve the anode performance (more than 10 times), but its industrial application is very limited due to unresolved issues related to volumetric expansion. The use of engineered SiOx materials, instead of pure silicon, enables overcoming this problem and increases battery capacity without significant degradation of the battery's lifetime.

This new reality is driving a surge in demand for advanced silicon-containing anode materials. As of 2023, this market is valued between US$1.1 billion [2] and US$2.7 billion [3]. Its growth prospects indicate a potential demand of 300,000 tons by 2030, estimated at US$15 billion [4], according to one source, and US$ 131.6 billion in 2033 according to another source [5].

It's important to highlight that silicon-based materials for Li-ion batteries currently make up a relatively small portion, accounting for less than 10%, of the global demand for graphite, which is primarily used in the manufacture of anode materials for Li-ion batteries. This graphite market is estimated to be worth US$25 billion in 2023 [6].

Todays news, which can be considered a big milestone, validates our strategic partnership with Novacium and strengthens our collective position in the global market for reliable, sustainable and innovatively engineered SiOx battery materials, added Mr. Tourillon.

REFERENCE SOURCES

[1] The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2020, 4, 53875416

[2] QY Research, SNE Research, Shinhan Securities / NBM June 2023 Deck page 11

[3] The global silicon anode battery market is likely to be valued at US$ 2.7 billion in 2023. From Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

[4] QY Research, SNE Research, Shinhan Securities / NBM June 2023 Deck page 11

[5] According to Future Market Insights, the global silicon anode battery market is Estimated to Reach US$ 131.6 Billion by 2033.

[6] Based on the analysis by Fact.MR, the global graphite market is valued to be US$ 25.9 billion in 2023 and it is expected to grow at a CAGR o 8,5% to reach US$ 58,6 billion by the end of 2023. Link to source

About NOVACIUM SAS

Novacium is green technology startup based in Lyon, France started in Q3 2022. It is the result of a partnership between three of Frances leading research engineers, Mr. Jed KRAIEM PhD, Novacium's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Oleksiy NICHIPORUK PhD, Novacium's Chief Technical Officer (CTO), and Mr. Julien DEGOULANGE PhD, Novaciums Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), who wanted to start a new Research and Development company to develop their own technology in high added value fields connected to renewable energy, and HPQ Silicon Inc, a Canadian company, looking to expand the depth and reach of technical team in order to develop its silicon and new renewable energy projects.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Inc. (TSX-V: HPQ) is a Quebec-based TSX Venture Exchange Tier 1 Industrial Issuer.

HPQ is developing, with the support of world-class technology partners PyroGenesis Canada Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS, new green processes crucial to make the critical materials needed to reach net zero emissions.

HPQ activities are centred around the following four (4) pillars:

1) Becoming a green low-cost (Capex and Opex) manufacturer of Fumed Silica using the FUMED SILICA REACTOR, a proprietary technology owned by HPQ being developed for HPQ by PyroGenesis.

2) Becoming a zero CO2 low-cost (Capex and Opex) producer of High Purity Silicon (2N+ to 4N) using our PUREVAPTM Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR), a proprietary technology owned by HPQ being developed for HPQ by PyroGenesis.

3) Becoming a producer of silicon-based anode materials for battery applications with the assistance of NOVACIUM SAS.

4) HPQ SILICON affiliate NOVACIUM SAS is developing a low carbon, chemical base on demand and high-pressure autonomous hydrogen production system.

For more information, please visit HPQ Silicon web site.

Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings with the securitys regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release is available on the company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

Source: HPQ Silicon Inc.For further information contact: Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President, and CEO Tel +1-514-846-3271Patrick Levasseur, Director Tel: +1-514-262-9239Email: [email protected]

Source: HPQ Silicon Inc.
Origence establishes subsidiary, FI Connect, to power credit union financing with new consumer EV financing solution

Irvine, California, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Origence, the leading credit union lending technology company in the U.S., and Tesla, the largest EV manufacturer in the world, announce a partnership to offer credit union financing to EV buyers through the Tesla website. This partnership will provide Tesla buyers seeking affordable monthly payments with more options through credit union financing.

By making credit union financing available at the point of purchase, EV buyers will have easy access to competitive rates and extended financing termsboth important factors in providing consumers with options to lower their monthly payments.

Consumers shopping for Tesla vehicles are provided financing options when reserving or purchasing a Model Y, Model 3, Model X, Model S, or Cybertruck vehicle through Teslas website or mobile app. The addition of credit union financing makes convenient point-of-sale financing available to millions of credit union members and consumers seeking low-rate financing options.

Origence will leverage its new licensed subsidiary, FI Connect, to purchase and place retail contracts with partner credit unions nationwide. When a consumer finances their vehicle through FI Connect on the Tesla website, the contract will be purchased and serviced by a credit union.

Tesla is making their cars more affordable for credit union members with price adjustments, said Tony Boutelle, president and CEO of Origence. With FI Connect and Tesla coming together, EV buyers can receive affordable financing through credit unions.

To learn how credit unions can become an FI Connect partner and expand their EV lending channels, visit FIConnectLending.com.

About Origence

Origence provides lending technology solutions credit unions need to advance their total origination experience. We were established in 1994 as a credit union service organization (CUSO) and have helped thousands of credit unions process more than 88 million applications, including 9 million applications in 2022. Our solutions include indirect lending, loan and account origination, auto shopping, marketing automation, lending operations, and more. Origence was named the 2023 CUSO of the year by NACUSO. Learn more at www.origence.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn.

About FI Connect

FI Connect, an independent subsidiary of Origence, brings borrowers, retailers, and credit unions together for convenient financing right at the point of sale. FI Connect streamlines the lending experience for national retailers while offering wallet-friendly credit union financing options to borrowers. Its a better financing experience as we connect and work together. Learn more at www.ficonnectlending.com.

About Credit Unions

Credit unions are not-for-profit, member-owned financial institutions, federally insured for safety. With over 5,000 local credit unions nationwide, 99% of Americans are eligible for membership. Credit unions prioritize personal service and competitive rates due to their member-driven focus. Today, 133 million consumers trust credit unions for financial and lending needs. For more information, visit mycreditunion.gov.

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Prisdorf, Germany, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Public Meme Token (PMT) has just launched the 7th round of its 10-stages presale phase. Introducing a remarkable presale, PMT aligns memes with real-world assets, marking a game-changing moment.

Kamran Arki, the tech visionary behind PMT, proudly ushers in this groundbreaking venture. With the growing success of the project's ongoing presale and the first artist on board, many are talking about PMT.

The Project's Presale

The project's presale is in progress and consists of 10 distinct phases. The pricing strategy is tiered, with each phase priced higher than its predecessor. This aims to entice early investors by offering lower prices in the initial stages.

The first phase offered the token at a mere $0.02. Currently, the presale is in its 7th phase with a price of $0.0354.

As the presale advances, the token price will continue to rise, eventually reaching the final price of $0.05. This is the price at which the token will go live on multiple decentralized exchanges (DEXs).

There's an additional perk for early buyers: the first 1,000 to purchase at least 10,000 $PMT will receive exclusive Loyalty NFTs at no cost.

A New Help for the Art World

Anyone joining this presale is entering a new world where art and memes merge through blockchain technology.

Public Meme Token mixes the spheres of digital art and cryptocurrency. It symbolizes a unique approach to integrating artists, visual art, and blockchain. PMT offers a space for users to interact with their beloved artists and influencers. It also allows them to stake NFTs and earn PMT tokens in return.

These loyalty NFTs are special tokens. Renowned artists and influencers design them to bring their unique expertise to the PMT ecosystem. These digital art pieces also act as loyalty tokens for the PMT community.

Staking these loyalty NFTs provides users with the chance to earn PMT tokens. It motivates them to hold these artworks and actively participate in the ecosystem.

The number of staked loyalty NFTs impacts the potential reward. This concept ties together digital art and cryptocurrency. It offers artists recognition while allowing users to profit from their involvement. This creates a win-win situation where artists get exposure and users earn from their support.

Loyalty NFTs are valuable beyond the PMT ecosystem. They gain value over time, attracting art collectors and crypto enthusiasts. Each NFT signifies a unique, limited-edition artwork, making it a prized possession in the digital art realm.

PMT elevates the meme token concept. It is a robust community token that empowers artists, musicians, and influencers. Backed by Real World Assets (RWA) and a buy-back and burn mechanism, PMT promotes creativity while ensuring lasting value.

PMT's first partner, rocketbyz, identifies as an international visual artist Tomyboy on his Instagram page. This partnership brings liquidity and stability, enhancing PMT's appeal within the NFT community.

PMT's team is creator-centric. The platform allows artists, musicians, influencers, and others to release their NFTs and build loyal communities. PMT asserts that a thriving creator community leads to a thriving overall community.

About Kamran Arki

Public Meme Token, or PMT, works at the intersection of memes and real-world assets. The project's ongoing presale collects funds for its launch on multiple DEX platforms.

Anyone wishing to buy the PMT token can join the project's presale - which reached its 7th phase - and follow these steps:

Wallet creation: A popular wallet such as MetaMask will allow crypto enthusiasts to buy PMT. Obtaining BNB: In order to buy PMT, it is necessary to obtain an amount of BNB to swap with the project's token. Accessing the PMT dApp: It will be necessary to visit app.publicmemetoken.xyz using Google Chrome or the browser within MetaMask. At this point, people will connect their wallets and click "Buy PMT." Swapping BNB for PMT: After entering the desired value, it is possible to execute the swap with no taxes applied.

Partnering with international visual artist rocketbyz enhances PMT's liquidity and stability, amplifying its appeal. PMT emphasizes the importance of nourishing a creator-centric community, permitting artists to launch their NFTs and establish loyal fanbases.

Anyone wishing to keep in touch with the team can visit the social pages below or the PMT official website.

X (Twitter) | Instagram | Telegram

Kamran Arki ceo at publicmemetoken.xyz

Source: Public Meme Token
LONGUEUIL, Quebec, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reunion Gold Corporation (TSXV: RGD; OTCQX: RGDFF) (the Company) announced today that, further to its news release of February 13, 2023, it has settled the claim brought by Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) on a mutually acceptable basis. The Company and Barrick have agreed that the Strategic Alliance Agreement entered into by them on February 3, 2019 has been terminated. The parties have no outstanding obligations under the Alliance Agreement, and there are no properties subject to the Alliance Agreement. A consent dismissal order will be entered in the Ontario Superior Court to dismiss the claim.

About Reunion Gold Corporation

Reunion Gold Corporation is a leading gold explorer in the Guiana Shield, South America, focused on exploring and developing its 100%-owned Oko West Project located in north central Guyana, South America. The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol 'RGD' and trade on the OTCQX under the symbol 'RGDFF'. Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.reuniongold.com).

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

For further information, please contact:

REUNION GOLD CORPORATION Rick Howes, President and CEO, or Doug Flegg, Business Development AdvisorE: [email protected]E: [email protected]Telephone: +1 450.677.2585

Source: Reunion Gold Corporation
HIGHLIGHTS

Novo has executed agreements with Calidus Resources Limited (ASX: CAI) to divest its Nullagine Gold Project in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia on 20 December 2023, with completion occurring on 21 December 2023.

Calidus has assumed all obligations, royalties, claims and liabilities relating to the Nullagine Gold Project, including the rehabilitation liability.

Novo has received completion consideration of A$250,000 (in CAI shares) and has a right to receive a further A$5 million in deferred consideration subject to the achievement of a production milestone relating to the Nullagine Gold Project assets.

Novo has revised the terms of its deferred consideration deed with IMC Holdings (originally entered into upon the acquisition of Millennium Minerals Ltd in 2020) to restructure the obligation to pay the balance of the amounts owing under that arrangement over a possible 3 year period.

Novos Nullagine Gold Project was a non-core asset and its disposal was foreshadowed in the Companys ASX IPO prospectus. The sale of the Nullagine Gold Project is another key step in the Companys pursuit of identifying and delivering prospective standalone gold projects with +1 Moz development potential.

Novo Executive Co-Chairman Mike Spreadborough said,

As we continue to execute our exploration growth strategy to define gold deposits with significant development potential, to complete this disposal of Novos Nullagine Gold Project, which was a non-core asset, is a good outcome for the Company and our shareholders.

Through this agreement, our financial position is improved with the removal of the existing rehabilitation liability of approximately A$45 million from our balance sheet.

Fundamentals on the gold price and the sector generally remain very strong and we look forward to continuing our strong exploration strategy into the first half of 2024 across our extensive, highly prospective portfolio.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (ASX: NVO) (TSX: NVO & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to announce that it has completed the sale of its Nullagine Gold Project (NGP) to Calidus Resources (ASX: CAI). This follows the conclusion of the strategic review of the NGP outlined in the Companys August 2023 ASX IPO prospectus. The sale occurred pursuant to:

a share sale agreement under which Calidus agreed to acquire all issued shares in Millennium Minerals Pty Ltd (Millennium); and

an asset sale agreement under which Calidus agreed to acquire additional tenements and assets in the broader Mosquito Creek Basin (from Novo subsidiaries Beatons Creek Gold Pty Ltd, Nullagine Gold Pty Ltd and Rocklea Gold Pty Ltd).

Both agreements were inter-conditional and collectively provided for the acquisition of the NGP by Calidus.

As consideration for the sale, Novo has received A$250,000 in Calidus Shares. Novo also has a right to receive a further A$5 million (as deferred consideration) upon the reaching of a production milestone of 100,000 ounces by Calidus with respect to the NGP assets within a 10-year period.

Calidus has assumed all obligations, royalties, claims and liabilities relating to the NGP. This includes the existing rehabilitation liability (of approximately A$45 million).

IMC HOLDINGS  DEFERRED CONSIDERATION DEED

At the time of acquiring Millennium, Novo entered into a deferred consideration deed with IMC Holdings (the main shareholder of Millennium). Under the terms of that deed, Novo was required to pay deferred consideration, in certain circumstances, up to a total amount of A$20 million. As part of the sale of NGP (and given that Novo will no longer be able to satisfy any obligation to make payment from any gold produced by Millennium), Novo has renegotiated the terms of the deferred consideration deed with IMC Holdings.

Under the revised arrangements, Novo has agreed to pay a balance of a A$15.6 million to IMC Holdings by December 2026, with a mechanism for reductions for early payments by Novo.

RELINQUISHMENT OF TENURE

The Companys ongoing exploration program across key Pilbara areas has been successful in identifying targets for exploration follow-up in 2024, along with identifying land tenure that provides no further exploration value or follow-up.

As a result, a planned relinquishment program has been initiated to reduce land tenure holding costs. The combined relinquishment program, transfer of some tenure in accordance with the Harding Battery Minerals JV, and the divestment of NGP has reduced the Pilbara tenure area held or managed by the Company to an estimated ~7.500 sq km.

CONTACT

Investors:Mike Spreadborough +61 8 6400 6100 [email protected] North American Queries:Leo Karabelas+1 416 543 3120 [email protected] Media:Cameron Gilenko+61 466 984 953 [email protected]

On Behalf of the Board of Directors:

Novo Resources Corp.

Michael SpreadboroughMichael SpreadboroughExecutive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO

ABOUT NOVO

Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 7,500 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. In addition to the Companys primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its shareholders.

Source: Novo Resources Corp.
SANDY, Utah, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Investment Services announced today that Stephen Skokos has been selected as one of Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors in Utah for the second consecutive year. Skokos is a wealth advisor servicing the St. George and Cedar City, Utah areas and has been with Mountain America Investment Services since 2008. Stephen is a Certified Financial Planner and services more than $150 million in brokerage and advisor assets through LPL Financial.*

The award recognizes financial advisors who are under the age of 40. In the wealth management industry, the average age of an advisor is 56 and 1 in 5 advisors is 65 or over, with about 20% of the workforce indicating they are five years or less away from retirement.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

Stephen is a remarkable wealth advisor who has consistently delivered excellent results for our credit union members, said Chad Waddoups, vice president of wealth management at Mountain America Investment Services, located at Mountain America Credit Union. He is a visionary in his field and an inspiration for the next generation of wealth advisors. I am honored to congratulate him on this prestigious award, which he has earned for the second year in a row.

Skokos holds a masters degree in finance from West Texas A&M University and a bachelors degree in economics from University of Utah. Having lived in China he is proficient in Mandarin Chinese. Before joining Mountain America Investment Services, he worked as a consultant for the U.S. Commerce Department in Shanghai, China, where he promoted American interests abroad.

Im honored and humbled to be selected for the second consecutive year by Forbes as a Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor in the state of Utah, alongside a remarkable group of peers, Skokos said. People are at the heart of what we do. Its a privilege to help members define and evaluate their complete financial picture and assist in helping them achieve their financial dreams! I look forward to continuing to provide the best service and financial advice to support my clients through unprecedented times.

Each advisor in the Forbes list was selected by SHOOK Research and chosen based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, including in-person interviews; industry experience; compliance records; revenue trends; assets under management; and those that encompass the highest standards of best practices.

For more information about Mountain America Investment, click here.

About Mountain America Investment Services

Mountain America Investment Services provides comprehensive, long-term wealth planning services to help credit union members work toward their goals. We specialize in offering support for personal investments, tax strategies, retirement, and estate planning. We provide investment services through LPL Financial at locations across the Intermountain West. Our team of experienced advisors is here to guide you along your journey. To learn more or set up a virtual meeting or in-person meeting at any Mountain America Credit Union branch, visit macu.com/investments.

About LPL FinancialLPL Financial (https://www.lpl.com) is a leader in the retail financial advice market and the nations largest independent broker-dealer**. We serve independent financial professionals and financial institutions, providing them with the technology, research, clearing and compliance services, and practice management programs they need to create and grow thriving practices. LPL enables them to provide objective guidance to millions of American families seeking wealth management, retirement planning, financial planning and asset management solutions.

Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Mountain America Credit Union and Mountain America Investment Services are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Mountain America Investment Services, and may also be employees of Mountain America Credit Union. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Mountain America Credit Union or Mountain America Investment Services. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are:

Not Insured by NCUA or Any Other Government Agency Not Credit Union Guaranteed Not Credit Union Deposits or Obligations May Lose Value

*Asset figure as of December 19, 2023

**As of December 14, 2023, as reported by Financial Planning magazine, 1996-2023, based on total revenue.

LPL Financial and Mountain America Credit Union are not affiliated entities.

Contact:Spencer Carver[email protected][email protected]

Source: Mountain America Credit Union
MONTREAL, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, and Mrs. Sandra Martel, CEO of The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), with Montreal Mayor, Mrs. Valerie Plante, announced today the reconfiguration of the Bonaventure Expressway into a boulevard starting in 2025. The traffic lanes of the new boulevard will be moved away from the shoreline to create a green corridor along the St. Lawrence River, which includes two dedicated active mobility paths. The reconfiguration aims at addressing the changing uses particularly in terms of traffic flow, the transport of goods, and active mobility, in addition to significantly improve in the living environment for the community. The overall budget of the Bonaventure project is $282 million.

Built in 1966, the non-elevated lanes of the federal section of the Bonaventure Expressway are at the end of their service life and must be rebuilt. This project aims at maintaining the three-lane capacity in both directions with a 2+1 configuration and dynamic management of the third lane. With 20 million trips a year, this essential freight transportation corridor to the Port of Montreal will also better meet the needs of the community by promoting effective and safe mobility for all users in keeping with a vision of sustainable development.

Investing in our infrastructure doesn't mean pouring money into concrete, it means investing in the well-being of Canadians. Like Montrealers who, thanks to the reconfiguration of the Bonaventure Expressway, will have access to another green space where they can exercise, get together and admire the St Lawrence River. We continue to deliver for Quebecers through investments that will make a real difference to their day-to-day lives, said the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant.

This signature project will finally reconnect the metropolis to the St. Lawrence River! Transforming a highway to bring it into the 21st century is a major project that doesn't come around often and we seized the opportunity to ensure safe travel for all users. This new gateway to the city will directly contribute to Montreals attractiveness and the quality of life of residents of the area for generations to come. This is the result of a great collaboration with various partners, with whom the City of Montreal was able to fully share its expertise and its audacity, explained Valerie Plante, Mayor of Montreal.

We are delighted with this announcement, which caps off many years of work. The Bonaventure project is in line with our mission which focuses on user mobility, safety, and infrastructure longevity, based on a sustainable development approach. This includes adding active mobility paths as will be done on the new boulevard which will have the capacity to meet current peak needs and the flexibility to address future needs for the next decades, said Sandra Martel, Chief Executive Officer, JCCBI.

Green corridor and 2.5-km active mobility pathsThe traffic lanes on the new boulevard will be moved away from the shoreline thus overlapping with Carrie-Derick Street which will be eliminated, thus reducing the road footprint and heat islands by 40%. Moreover, a space along the river will be freed up where a green corridor with two dedicated active mobility paths will be built. A nearly 2.5-km pedestrian promenade and a multipurpose path will connect with existing paths in the area.

Greening plansThe area will also be greened by planting 650 trees, 18,000 shrubs, and 13,000 perennials and creating landscaping features that will protect biodiversity and reduce heat islands. The public will have closer access to the river, and the entire corridor between the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge and the Victoria Bridge will be beautified and greened.

Better protect the St. Lawrence RiverJCCBI will continue to address the environmental issues in the sector. The Corporation plans to include biodiversity protection and soil management measures, among other things, in addition to maintaining, even improve its Solution Bonaventure project, which has been protecting the St. Lawrence since 2016 by containing and treating contaminated groundwater.

Impacts on mobilityThe current 70 km/h speed will be reduced to 50 km/h, and traffic lights will be added, all contributing to ensuring safe movements of people between Pointe-Sainte-Charles industrial park and the green corridor. Essentially, the work will take place from 2025 to 2029 and, during this time, two traffic lanes will be maintained in both directions.

To learn more about the Bonaventure project, here are the multimedia links:

About JCCBIAs a manager of important infrastructure, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated is a Crown corporation established in 1978 that is responsible for the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the original Champlain Bridge (currently being deconstructed), the Estacade, the ile des Surs Bypass Bridge, the federal sections of Bonaventure Expressway and the Honore Mercier Bridge, as well as the Melocheville Tunnel. The Corporation manages, maintains, and repairs these important Greater Montreal structures to ensure the safe passage of thousands of users every day. It also ensures that these critical structures remain safe, fully functional and aesthetically pleasing both today and in the future.

For more information

Minister Rodriguezs OfficeLaura Scaffidi, Press Secretary Cell phone: 873 354-3998Email: [email protected]

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated Nathalie Lessard, Director, CommunicationsTelephone: 450 651-8771Email: Contact us Form https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/en/contact-us/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/954392e6-80c3-4431-af9e-9efb7f56226d

The Bonaventure Expressway to be reconfigured into a boulevard with a green corridor From left to right: Mrs. Valerie Plante, Montreal Mayor, The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant and Mrs. Sandra Martel, CEO of The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), at the announcement that the Bonaventure Expressway will be reconfigured into a boulevard.

Source: The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI)
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the holidays already upon us, it's essential to recognize that for many people, even some that we know and love, this time of year can bring about feelings of stress, anxiety, and the holiday blues. Dr. Michele Nealon, Psy.D., President of The Chicago School, knows that we all experience this time of year differently and offers her expert advice to help improve mental well-being during this festive period.

"While the holidays are often supposed to illicit feelings of joy and celebration, many people may experience the opposite," said Dr. Nealon. "It's important to lean on your community, especially during times when societal pressures to be festive may exacerbate existing struggles."

Here are some tips she shared to combat the holiday blues:

Make Room for Your Feelings: It's okay to feel a range of emotions during the holidays. Recognize and accept your feelings without judgment. Optimize for Happiness: Don't succumb to the pressure of creating a "perfect" holiday. Set realistic goals and boundaries for yourself, focusing on what brings you joy and comfort. Dial a Friend: Connect with friends, family, or a support network. Share your feelings, and don't hesitate to seek professional help if needed. Schedule Me Time: Prioritize self-care by engaging in activities that bring you peace and relaxation. This could include mindfulness exercises, hobbies, or simply taking time for yourself. Give Back: Helping others can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Consider volunteering or engaging in charitable activities within your community. Create New Traditions: If the traditional holiday activities contribute to your stress, consider creating new traditions that align more with your values and preferences.

Dr. Nealon emphasizes that prioritizing mental health is an especially crucial aspect of navigating the holiday season. "Remember, it's okay not to feel joyous during this time. Give yourself permission to experience sadness and loneliness." She also added, "By taking care of your mental well-being, you can navigate the holidays with greater ease and resilience."

Kelton GibsonEmail: [email protected] 661-607-2012

Source: The Chicago School
Asim Aliyev

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Y?lmaz, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, today arrived at the Alley of Honours, paid tribute to the memory of Heydar Aliyev, National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, architect, and founder of the modern independent state of Azerbaijan, and laid a wreath of flowers at his tomb, Azernews reports.

He also honoured the memory of the outstanding scientist-ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva and laid flowers at her tomb.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday.

Noting that since the beginning of this year, he has met with President Putin twice, Xi said the governments, legislative bodies, political parties and localities of the two countries have carried out in-depth exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has developed in a sound and steady manner.

In the first 11 months of this year, the bilateral trade between China and Russia achieved the annual trade volume target of 200 billion U.S. dollars jointly set by the two heads of state, which shows the strong resilience and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Xi said.

He noted that maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

China supports the Russian people in taking the development path of their own choice, Xi said, expressing the hope of taking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia next year as a new starting point to continuously expand the positive effects of the high-level political relations and jointly move forward in the process of comprehensively promoting economic and social development and realizing national rejuvenation. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Track Group, Inc. (OTCQB: TRCK), a global leader in offender tracking and monitoring services, today announced financial results for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 (FY23). In FY23, the Company posted (i) total revenue of $34.5 Million (M), a decrease of approximately 6.7% over total revenue of $37.0M for the year ended September 30, 2022 (FY22); (ii) FY23 operating loss of ($1.5M) compared to FY22 operating loss of ($2.1M); and (iii) net loss attributable to common shareholders of ($3.4M) in FY23 compared to net loss attributable to common shareholders of ($7.4M) in FY22.

Notwithstanding the challenges in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, the Companys recently awarded contracts, growth with existing customers, and our pipeline for new business are more robust than at any other time in my tenure as CEO since January 1, 2018. Due to a rising trend in bail reform, our new statewide pretrial contract is showing growth, as are some of the other ten (10) new contracts won in FY23. Our expertise supervising high-risk populations uniquely positions us to address bipartisan concerns across the U.S., where bail reform initiatives are taking shape. As these contracts are fully implemented in the next fiscal year, we reiterate that the Company anticipates growth in revenue and operating income, said Derek Cassell, Track Groups CEO.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Total FY23 revenue of $34.5M was down approximately 6.7% compared to FY22 revenue of $37.0M. The drop in revenue was caused by less activity at customers in the U.S. and Canada offset by increases in revenue for our customer in Chile.

Gross profit of $15.3M in FY23 was down approximately 12% compared to FY22 gross profit of $17.4M due to a decrease in revenue, higher device repair costs and nominally higher depreciation and amortization costs offset by lower monitoring center costs, lower communication costs, lower commission costs and lower product sales costs.

Operating loss in FY23 of ($1.5M) improved compared to the operating loss of ($2.1M) in FY22. The improvement in net loss in FY23 is primarily due to the impairment charge of $1.7M associated with the discontinuance of two product lines in FY22 and the decrease in depreciation and amortization that resulted from the impairment.

Adjusted EBITDA for FY23 of $3.8M, compared to $6.6M for FY22 due to the drop in revenue, gross profit and the increase in certain operating expenses. Adjusted EBITDA in FY23 as a percentage of revenue declined to 11.1%, compared to 18.0% for FY22 for the same reasons.

Cash balance of $4.1M for FY23, compared to $5.3M for FY22. The change in cash position was principally due to the reinvestment in monitoring technology, offset by a decrease in net operating assets, mainly accounts receivable and prepaid expenses, deposits and other assets.

Net loss attributable to shareholders in FY23 was ($3.4M) compared to net loss of ($7.4M) in FY22, a change principally attributable to the changes in the Companys operating performance.

Business Outlook

Despite the carryover of challenges created by supply chain delays, the Coronavirus, and the phase-out of our 3G-based cellular devices in the U.S., Track Group remains confident that our reinvestment in technology and the implementation of new programs, which began showing growth in late FY23, will allow us to be well-positioned for a return to growth in FY24. As a result, the Companys preliminary outlook for FY24 is as follows:

Actual Outlook FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 Revenue: $ 37.0M $ 34.5M $ 37-40M Adjusted EBITDA Margin: 18.0% 11.1% 17-19%

About Track Group, Inc.

Track Group designs, manufactures, and markets location tracking devices; as well as develops and sells a variety of related software, services, and accessories, networking solutions, and monitoring applications. The Company's products and services are designed to empower professionals in security, law enforcement, corrections, and rehabilitation organizations worldwide with single-sourced offender management solutions that integrate reliable intervention technologies to support re-socialization and monitoring initiatives.

The Company currently trades under the ticker symbol "TRCK" on the OTCQB exchange. For more information, visit www.trackgrp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "if", "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to Track Group, Inc., and subsidiaries ("Track Group") are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and reflect Track Group's current beliefs and expectations with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties and subject to change at any time. Track Group may from time-to-time update these publicly announced projections, but it is not obligated to do so. Any projections of future results of operations should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These projections are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" in Track Group's annual report on Form 10-K, its quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and its other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. New risks emerge from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release includes financial measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the Securities and Exchange Commission including non-GAAP EBITDA. These measures may be different from non- GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures are based on the financial figures for the respective period.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA excludes items included but not limited to interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment charges, gains and losses, currency effects, one-time charges or benefits that are not indicative of operations, charges to consolidate, integrate or consider recently acquired businesses, costs of closing facilities, stock based or other non-cash compensation or other stated cash and non-cash charges (the Adjustments).

The Company believes the non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and investors when factoring in the Adjustments. Specific disclosure regarding the Companys financial results, including managements analysis of results from operations and financial condition, are contained in the Companys annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are encouraged to carefully read and consider such disclosure and analysis contained in the Companys Form 10-K and other reports, including the risk factors contained in such Form 10-K.

Peter PoliChief Financial Officer[email protected]

TRACK GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETSAS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 AND 2022 September 30, September 30, 2023 2022 Assets Current assets: Cash $ 4,057,195 $ 5,311,104 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $178,095 and $102,570, respectively 4,536,916 6,236,555 Prepaid expense and deposits 610,440 769,006 Inventory, net of reserves of $3,772 and $0, respectively 1,286,194 1,053,245 Other current assets - 284,426 Total current assets 10,490,745 13,654,336 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $1,920,850 and $1,829,588, respectively 115,808 170,329 Monitoring equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $6,348,695 and $5,950,639, respectively 5,187,092 3,624,101 Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $17,430,846 and $14,804,269, respectively 14,157,294 15,661,417 Goodwill 7,851,466 8,061,002 Deferred tax asset - - Other assets 2,442,154 3,509,655 Total assets $ 40,244,559 $ 44,680,840 Liabilities and Stockholders Equity (Deficit) Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 2,796,712 $ 2,858,915 Accrued liabilities 2,571,839 3,042,443 Current portion of long-term debt 308,417 456,681 Total current liabilities 5,676,968 6,358,039 Long-term debt, net of current portion 42,801,165 42,979,243 Long-term liabilities 259,359 398,285 Total liabilities 48,737,492 49,735,567 Stockholders equity (deficit): Common stock, $0.0001 par value: 30,000,000 shares authorized; 11,863,758 and 11,863,758 shares outstanding, respectively 1,186 1,186 Series A Convertible Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value: 1,200,000 shares authorized; 0 shares outstanding - - Paid in capital 302,597,115 302,437,593 Accumulated deficit (309,610,397 ) (306,218,889 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,480,837 ) (1,274,617 ) Total equity (deficit) (8,492,933 ) (5,054,727 ) Total liabilities and stockholders equity (deficit) $ 40,244,559 $ 44,680,840

TRACK GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS)FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 AND 2022 2023 2022 Revenue: Monitoring and other related services $ 33,503,687 $ 35,768,090 Product sales and other 972,178 1,200,409 Total revenue 34,475,865 36,968,499 Cost of revenue: Monitoring, products and other related services 15,915,300 16,377,573 Depreciation and amortization 3,263,490 3,237,970 Total cost of revenue 19,178,790 19,615,543 Gross profit 15,297,075 17,352,956 Operating expense: General & administrative 10,275,695 12,462,931 Selling & marketing 2,842,661 2,993,749 Research & development 2,735,060 2,432,448 Depreciation & amortization 987,472 1,563,729 Total operating expense 16,840,888 19,452,857 Operating income (loss) (1,543,813 ) (2,099,901 ) Other income (expense): Interest income 272,775 162,975 Interest expense (1,960,488 ) (1,991,302 ) Currency exchange rate gain (loss) 467,868 (1,619,018 ) Other income/(expense), net - (959,628 ) Total other income (expense) (1,219,845 ) (4,406,973 ) Net income (loss) before income taxes (2,763,658 ) (6,506,874 ) Income tax expense 627,850 883,488 Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders (3,391,508 ) (7,390,362 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments (206,220 ) (220,268 ) Comprehensive income (loss) $ (3,597,728 ) $ (7,610,630 ) Net income (loss) per share  basic: Net income (loss) per common share $ (0.30 ) $ (0.64 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding 11,863,758 11,634,449 Net income (loss) per share  diluted: Net income (loss) per common share $ (0.30 ) $ (0.64 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding 11,863,758 11,634,449

TRACK GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESNON-GAAP ADJUSTED EBITDA SEPTEMBER 30 (UNAUDITED)(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data) Three Months EndedSeptember 30, Twelve Months EndedSeptember 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders $ (1,245 ) $ (3,932 ) $ (3,392 ) $ (7,390 ) Interest expense, net 436 438 1,688 1,828 Depreciation and amortization 1,070 1,104 4,251 4,802 Income taxes (1) 30 163 628 883 Board compensation and stock-based compensation 71 189 385 508 Foreign exchange expense (gain) 505 1,159 (468 ) 1,619 Settlement of litigation - - - 1,600 Gain on forgiveness of accrued vendor expenses - - - (633 ) Impairment of intangible assets - 1,729 - 1,729 Other charges, net (2) 149 529 747 1,699 Total Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA $ 1,016 $ 1,379 $ 3,839 $ 6,645 Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA, percent of revenue 11.8 % 15.5 % 11.1 % 18.0 % Non-GAAP earnings per share  basic: Weighted average common shares outstanding 11,863,758 11,863,758 11,863,758 11,634,449 Non-GAAP earnings per share $ 0.09 $ 0.12 $ 0.32 $ 0.57 Non-GAAP earnings per share  diluted: Weighted average common shares outstanding 11,863,758 11,863,758 11,863,758 11,634,449 Non-GAAP earnings per share $ 0.09 $ 0.12 $ 0.32 $ 0.57 (1) Currently, the Company has significant U.S. tax loss carryforwards that may be used to offset future taxable income, subject to IRS limitations. However, the Company is still subject to certain state, commonwealth, and other foreign based taxes. (2) Other charges may include gains or losses and non-recurring accrual adjustments.

Source: Track Group
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First responders across the nation dealt with everything from derechos to hurricanes, wildfires and more in 2023. Throughout this challenging year, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team helped provide mission-critical communications support to public safety agencies on the front lines of disaster response operations.



Composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team is dedicated to supporting public safety and government agencies during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies. The team responded to more than 1,600 requests for support from nearly 900 public safety agencies in nearly every state and Washington, D.C. in 2023. These responses included 789 deployments to support first responders on the front lines.

The team provided public safety agencies with nearly 7,000 Verizon Frontline devices and solutions ranging from repeaters, mobile hotspots, routers, smart devices and drones to dozens of deployable satellite solutions such as Satellite Picocells on Trailers (SPOTs).

Major response efforts this year included:

Wildfire Response:

To help enable mission-critical voice and data service during fire mitigation efforts in locations across the country, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team delivered close to 2,400 Verizon Frontline solutions to public safety agencies in 2023.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team responded to 204 requests for support from wildland firefighters battling blazes everywhere from Hawaii to Virginia.

Hurricane Response:

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team supported public safety agencies and the communities they serve during three major hurricanes: Hilary, Idalia and Lee. Hurricane Idalia alone saw nearly 100 Verizon Frontline solutions delivered to public safety agencies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as they dealt with the aftermath of the storm.



Tornado/ Derecho Response:

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team responded to nearly 80 requests for support from public safety agencies in 15 states following tornados and derechos. The team delivered 119 Verizon Frontline solutions to first responders on the front lines of emergency response operations following these severe weather events.

Additional 2023 Responses:

Verizon Frontline solutions were also deployed in support of public safety agencies during:

 Multiple search and rescue operations

 Dozens of training exercises involving federal, state and local agencies

 Major public events such as sporting events and airshows.

In addition to the Crisis Response Team support, Verizon Frontline debuted two deployable asset prototypes at the International Wireless Communications Expo in Las Vegas. First, the Verizon Rapid Response Connectivity unit, offering 5G connectivity along with 4G LTE and satellite options for up to 120 first responders. Additionally, the Verizon Frontline Mobile Connectivity Agile Vehicle provides first responders with mission critical communications capabilities when operating in environments where large assets cannot reach.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders  developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies  to meet their unique and evolving needs.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7 basis. Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team members set up portable cell sites, Wi-Fi hotspots, free charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chandler Baker 757-725-4806

[email protected]
Nanterre, 20 December 2023

VINCI awarded a commitment deed contract for a major PPP contract of high voltage transmission lines in Australia

PPP for HV electrical transmission lines and other electrical assets, part of one of the first Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) in New South Wales

Cobra IS, shareholder of the future PPPs SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) and in charge of the works

The consortium ACEREZ, made up of VINCI through its subsidiary Cobra IS, Acciona and the local energy distributor Endeavour Energy, has signed with the New South Wales (NSW) Government a commitment deed contract for a 35-year major public-private partnership (PPP).

The financial closing is expected in the second half of 2024, following the completion of the regulatory approvals.

This PPP consists of the financing, conception, construction, operation and maintenance of several 330 kV and 500 kV transmission lines, substations and the connecting infrastructure to some renewable energy plants (4,5 GW capacity).

Engineering works are scheduled to start in early 2024, while the electrical network is expected to be progressively operational from the third quarter of 2027.

This project is included into the large and ambitious framework of one of the first Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) chosen by the NSW Government to encourage investment in renewable energy production and storage.

This 4,5 GW REZ will supply more than 2.7 million people in the Orana region, surrounding the cities of Dubbo and Dunedoo. In total, this 10 billion Australian dollars framework (6.15 billion euros), fully financed by private investors by 2030, will create around 5,000 construction jobs.

Cobra IS, which has already won several contracts of the same type, notably in Brazil, is now deploying its expertise in the promising Australian market.

About VINCI

VINCI is a global player in concessions, energy and construction, employing 272,000 people in more than 120 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, above and beyond economic and financial results, we are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. VINCIs ambition is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, partners and society in general. www.vinci.com





This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group.

PRESS CONTACT

VINCI Press Department

Tel: +33 (0)1 57 98 62 88

[email protected]





Attachment
The International Energy Agency recently released its latest report, which shows that the use of coal globally will hit new highs this year as demand in developing and emerging economies continues to grow. The report comes just days after the end of the COP28 United Nations Climate Summit, which was held in Dubai. The final agreement at the summit centered on accelerating efforts toward phasing out of coal for power generation.

Despite campaigns to adopt cleaner energy sources, however, coal remains the largest source of power generation globally. This fossil fuel is the primary source of

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Leading Diagnostic Healthcare Company Signs Contract Manufacturing Agreement in Order to Fulfill Sales of IgE and Lactoferrin DED Diagnostic Assays

SAN DIEGO, CA - (NewMediaWire) - December 20, 2023 - AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AXIM) (AXIM Biotech, AXIM or the Company), an international healthcare diagnostic solutions development company, announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with contract manufacturer Auer Precision for the production of its two FDA-cleared diagnostic assays designed for point-of-care diagnosis of Dry Eye Disease (DED). The partnership will enable scaling of production quantities of the assays to meet demand for the tests in a cost-effective way.

Until this agreement, the Company has been manufacturing both its ocular T-POC TOTAL IgE Immunoassay and T-POC LACTOFERRIN Immunoassay FDA-cleared Kits in-house. With the assay design validated and sales taking place through its commercialization partner Versea Ophthalmics, AXIM sought a partner who had a proven track record of best-in-class diagnostic manufacturing who was willing to invest in the necessary infrastructure to support the scaled growth of production of the tests. Auer, whose facilities are ISO Certified has been producing medical diagnostics including later flow assays since 1972, is a market leader in both high precision and next gen product development, making the company a great fit as AXIMs manufacturing partner. Through the agreement Auer will begin producing both tests as soon as possible to meet the demand of clinicians nationwide as well as scale production as necessary in the coming months.

AXIM is a research and development company and from a strategic standpoint, selecting a great partner for manufacturing will enable us to focus on what we do best while generating revenue on our already proven tests in the most efficient way, said John Huemoeller II, CEO of AXIM Biotechnologies. While we have been able to meet the demands of regulatory agencies and some orders by in-house manufacturing, the economies of scale afforded by working with a reputable firm like Auer make the partnership a no-brainer. They were quick to prove their understanding of our tests and firm in their ability to scale production to meet our needs now and in the future. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them.

AXIMs diagnostic assays address a critical unmet need in ophthalmological healthcare where approximately 344 million people worldwide suffer from DED but many clinicians struggle to properly diagnose the disease due to insufficient diagnostic tools. Both of AXIMs tests are revolutionary in that they were designed to be administered at the point-of-care and render results in nine minutes. The allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) assay quantitatively measures IgE in samples, enabling clinicians to differentiate between the underlying causes of a patients eye condition and prescribe treatment accordingly. Its other test measures levels of Lactoferrin, a protein that exhibits a unique combination of antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Measuring Lactoferrin levels in patients enables clinicians to directly correlate low levels to dry eye disease caused by aqueous deficiency and the severity of DED can be determined by the Lactoferrin level. Low Lactoferrin levels indicate DED and depressed ocular immunity, which may represent an increased surgical risk and of contact lens intolerance.

For more information on AXIMs diagnostic solutions or to speak with someone at AXIMs commercialization partner Versea about adding these innovative solutions to your clinic, please visit: https://www.versea.com/divisions/ophthalmics/

About AXIM Biotechnologies

Founded in 2014, AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. (AXIM) is a vertically integrated research and development company focused on improving the landscape for the diagnosis of ophthalmological conditions such as Dry Eye Disease (DED) through rapid diagnostic tests. The Company owns two of the only five FDA Cleared Diagnostic tests for Dye Eye Disease. For more information, please visit www.AXIMBiotech.com.

About Auer Precision

Auer Precision has provided product support and manufacturing solutions for the medical and life sciences industry for over 25 years. Our Medical Products Group works with customers from initial design and prototyping through full commercial realization, including Tier 1 assembly/packaging and supply chain management. We specialize in die-cut (stamping) and automated solutions for disposable microfluidic and lateral flow.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements made by Axim Biotechnologies Inc., in this press release may be forward-looking in nature within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe Axims future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Axim Biotechnologies, Inc. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to there being no assurance that our diagnostic candidate will ever be approved for use by the U.S. FDA or any equivalent foreign regulatory agency. Further, Axims eye care diagnostic products that are FDA cleared may not be manufactured in large enough quantities or that third parties with established eye care physicians will enter into agreements or purchase from the Company, and even if the Companys diagnostic candidates are successful, they may generate only limited revenue and profits for the Company. Various other factors are detailed from time to time in Axims SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on April 15, 2022, and other reports we file with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov. Axim Biotechnologies, Inc., undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.

CONTACT

Kyle Porter

CMW Media

P. 858-221-8001

[email protected]

AXIM Corporate

6191 Cornerstone Ct., Ste. 114

San Diego, CA 92121, USA

P. 858-923-4422

Investor Relations

[email protected]

888-759-0844

View the original release on www.newmediawire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2023) - Akwaaba Mining Ltd. (TSXV: AML) ("Akwaaba" or the "Company") is pleased to announced that it has changed its auditors from Davidson & Company LLP (the "Predecessor Auditor") to Buckley Dodds CPA (the "Successor Auditor"). The Predecessor Auditor's appointment expired without reappointment effective December 14, 2023. The board of directors appointed the Successor Auditor and the shareholders of the Company approved the appointment of the Successor Auditor at the Company's annual general meeting held on December 14, 2023.

The Company's board of directors and audit committee each approved the termination of the Predecessor Auditor and the appointment of the Successor Auditor in place of the Predecessor Auditor; there were no reservations, modified opinions or reportable events (as defined in National Instrument 51-102) in connection with each of the Predecessor Auditor's audit of the Company which occurred prior to their resignation as auditors of the Company; and the Notice of Change of Auditor was approved by the Company's audit committee and board of directors.

In accordance with National Instrument 51-102, the Notice of Change of Auditor, together with the required letters from the Predecessor Auditor and the Successor Auditor, have been reviewed by the audit committee and the board of directors and have been filed on SEDAR+.

On behalf of the Board of Akwaaba Mining Ltd.:

"Iyad Jarbou"

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 604.362.7685

Email: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING AND OTHER CAUTIONARY INFORMATION

This release contains statements that are forward looking statements and are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191686
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Baselode Energy Corp. (TSXV: FIND) (OTCQB: BSENF) ("Baselode") and Ya'thi Nne Lands and Resources ("YNLR"), the office representing the Athabasca DenesuBine First Nations of Hatchet Lake, Black Lake, Fond du Lac and the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, and the Northern Settlements of Uranium City, Wollaston Lake and Camsell Portage, proudly announce that they have recently signed an Exploration Agreement to strengthen their relationship.

With substantial land holdings spanning approximately 264,172 hectares (652,783 acres), Baselode has uranium exploration targets in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin and the traditional lands of YNLR First Nations in Treaty 8 and Treaty 10 Territories and is committed to building a sustainable future for their company and the communities near which they explore. The recent agreement accentuates Baselode's dedication to corporate responsibility, aligning with YNLR's focus on environmental stewardship, employment, social well-being, and cultural preservation. Provisions include harvester compensation, contributions to YNLR's community trust, and contracting opportunities for northern businesses.

Mary Denechezhe, Elder and YNLR Board Chair, expresses optimism for the positive impact on the community trust, as well as the promising contracting and employment opportunities that Baselode will bring to benefit the northern population. "Signing this agreement with Baselode is another key step towards the protection of our land and culture, and reaching our economic development goals in the communities. This partnership is important for Treaty Rights preservation, and we appreciate Baselode's commitment to working with us in a good way that is both respectful and mutually beneficial."

"We are honored to sign this Exploration Agreement as we appreciate a working partnership to continue protecting the values and rights of the First Nations and communities supported by YNLR. We envision a respectful collaboration moving forward that focuses on the people, the land, and the culture of those who call Nuhenene home," said James Sykes, CEO, President & Director of Baselode.

About Baselode Energy Corp.

Baselode controls 100% of approximately 264,172 hectares for exploration in the Athabasca Basin area, northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The land package is free of any option agreements or underlying royalties.

The Company discovered the ACKIO near-surface, uranium prospect in September 2021. ACKIO measures greater than 375 m along strike, greater than 150 m wide, comprised of at least 9 separate uranium Pods, with mineralization starting as shallow as 28 m and 32 m beneath the surface in Pods 1 and 7, respectively, and down to approximately 300 m depth beneath the surface with the bulk of mineralization occurring in the upper 120 m. ACKIO remains open at depth, and to the north, south and east.

Baselode's Athabasca 2.0 exploration thesis focuses on discovering near-surface, basement-hosted, high-grade uranium orebodies outside the Athabasca Basin. The exploration thesis is further complemented by the Company's preferred use of innovative and well-understood geophysical methods to map deep structural controls to identify shallow targets for diamond drilling.

For further information, please contact:

Baselode Energy Corp.

FIND on the TSXV

[email protected]

www.baselode.com

James Sykes, CEO, President and Director

[email protected]

306-221-8717

About Ya'thi Nene Lands and Resources (YNLR)

YNLR is a non-profit organization owned by the Athabasca Basin First Nations of Hatchet Lake DenesuBine First Nation, Black Lake DenesuBine First Nation, Fond du Lac DenesuBine First Nation and northern Saskatchewan municipalities of the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, the Northern Settlement of Uranium City, the Northern Settlement of Wollaston Lake and the Northern Settlement of Camsell Portage.

YNLR was established in June 2016 with the mandate to promote and enhance the environmental, social, economic, and cultural well-being of current and future Athabasca residents.

For further information, please contact:

Garrett Schmidt

Executive Director

306.477.1251

[email protected]

Learn more at www.yathinene.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Baselode Energy Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Baselode Energy Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under Baselode Energy Corp. profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191706
Vaughan, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2023) - Delota Corp. (CSE: LOTA) ("Delota" or the "Company"), is excited to announce that, further to its press release dated December 5, 2023, the Company has closed its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of senior secured convertible debenture units of the Company (each, a "Debenture Unit") for aggregate gross proceeds of $900,000, led by Plaza Capital (the "Lead Investor"). In connection with the Offering, the Company issued an aggregate of 900 Debenture Units to subscribers at a price of $1,000 per Debenture Unit.

Each Debenture Unit consisted of: (i) a $1,000 principal senior secured convertible debenture (each a "Debenture"); and (ii) 10,000 common share purchase warrants (each, a "Warrant") exercisable for 10,000 common shares in the Company (each, a "Share"). The Debentures mature 18 months from the date of issuance and bear interest at a rate of 1% per month, beginning on the date of issuance and payable in cash on the last day of each calendar month.

The principal sum of the Debentures, or any portion thereof, and any accrued but unpaid interest, may be converted into Shares at a conversion price of $0.10 per Share, subject to adjustment conditional upon compliance with the polices of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.15 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustment conditional upon compliance with the polices of the CSE, for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The obligations under the Debentures are collaterally secured by a general security agreement from the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, 2360149 Ontario Inc. d/b/a 180 Smoke Vape Store, 180 VFC Inc., 1000712645 Ontario Inc., and Spyder Cannabis Subco Inc. d/b/a Offside Cannabis (collectively, the "Guarantors") and a pledge of the security interests of the Guarantors.

Certain Debentures and all Warrants issued pursuant to the Offering (including securities into which they may be converted or exercised) are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance thereof in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Company will use the proceeds from the Offering for the ongoing development of the Company's business model and for general working capital purposes.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid the Lead Investor a closing fee of $26,000 plus applicable taxes, equal to 4.0% of the gross proceeds arising from orders received from the Lead Investor group in the Offering and reimbursed the Lead Investor for reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the Offering.

About Delota Corp.

Delota Corp. is a nicotine vape enterprise that spearheads the smoke-free revolution in Canada, catering to adult consumers seeking alternative to traditional combustible tobacco. With a strong emphasis on delivering exceptional retail experiences and carefully curated product offerings, the Company is dedicated to redefining the way people transition away from smoking. The Company's flagship brand, 180 Smoke Vape Store, stands as Ontario's largest specialty omnichannel vape retailer, fueling innovation, growth, and leadership in the retail vape space.

About Plaza Capital

Plaza Capital is a boutique firm focused on investing in growth companies. At Plaza Capital, we leverage our capital markets expertise to deploy principal capital and serve as hands-on advisors to our portfolio companies.

The securities to be offered pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any United States state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable United States state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to the use of proceeds; and the potential adjustments will be conducted in accordance with the policies of the CSE.

Forward-looking information in this press release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, including but not limited to the use of proceeds being utilized as outlined herein; and the potential adjustments being conducted in accordance with the policies of the CSE.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to the Company not utilizing the use of proceeds as outlined herein; and the potential adjustments not being conducted in accordance with the policies of the CSE, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in disclosure documents filed by the Company with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedarplus.ca.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward- looking information, except as required by applicable law.

For further information, please contact:

Delota Corp.

Cameron Wickham

Executive Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer

T: (905) 330-1602

E: [email protected]

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191698
Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings, announces it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of 2,500,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.20 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $500,000, or such greater number of Units and total gross proceeds as the Company may determine. To demonstrate continued support of the Company, Bloom Burton & Co. Inc., strategic investors, and insiders are expected to subscribe as lead orders in the Offering.

Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (each, a "Share") in the capital of the Company and one transferable share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable for one Share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.40 per Warrant Share for a period of three years after the closing date, subject to an acceleration right, whereby the expiry date of the Warrants may be accelerated if the daily closing price of the common shares of the Company equals or exceeds $0.60 on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") (or such other exchange on which the common shares may then be traded) for 20 consecutive trading days in which event the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice via news release and, in such case, 100% of the then unexercised Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which the news release is disseminated.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance the Company's scale-up activities on both its REPELWRAP" film and spray technologies and for general corporate purposes.

Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and President of FendX, stated, "We're excited to announce this private placement on the heels of achieving several recent development milestones including a successful first pilot run for our lead product, REPELWRAP" film, initiating scale-up development work on our spray formulation and signing a collaborative research agreement with McMaster to assess coating catheters with our nanotechnology."

Closing of the Offering is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including from the CSE. All securities issued in relation to the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after the closing date, in accordance with applicable securities laws. Any participation by insiders in the Offering will constitute a related party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") but is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. Certain finder's fees may also be payable to qualifying parties in accordance with applicable laws.

The securities to be issued under the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About FendX Technologies Inc.

FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP" film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has an exclusive worldwide license to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Carolyn Myers"

Carolyn Myers

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Contacts:

Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and Director

1-800-344-9868

Alyssa Barry, Investor Relations

1-833-947-5227

[email protected]

For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; the Offering and its terms; the proposed use of funds of the Offering; that Bloom Burton & Co. Inc., strategic investors and insiders are expected to subscribe as lead orders in the Offering; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties, including that the Offering may not close at all or on the terms announced; that the Company may use the proceeds of the Offering for purposes other than those disclosed in this news release; adverse market conditions; and other factors beyond the control of the Company. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate, and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include: product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, the reader is urged to refer to the Company's such filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191744
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2023) - Interra Copper Corp. (CSE: IMCX) (FSE: 3MX) ("Interra" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news releases of December 7, 2023, and December 15, 2023, and due to additional demand for flow-through shares of the Company (each, an "FT Share"), the Company intends to issue a further 880,000 FT Shares at a price of $0.29 per FT Share on a non-brokered private placement basis for aggregate gross proceeds of $255,200 (the "Private Placement").

There are no warrants associated with the FT Shares and, subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, the Company anticipates closing the Private Placement prior to yearend.

Each FT Share will constitute a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and the gross proceeds of the Private Placement will be used by the Company for exploration and related programs, which qualify as "Canadian exploration expenses" and "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures", as such terms are defined in the Tax Act, in connection with Interra's projects in British Columbia. Subject to compliance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and applicable securities legislation, the Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the Private Placement.

All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws of four months and one day from the date of closing of the Private Placement.

The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold absent registration or compliance with an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

In addition, the Company announces that it has entered into a securities for debt settlement agreement dated December 18, 2023 (the "Agreement") with a consultant of the Company.

Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company has agreed to settle debt in the amount of $70,537.00 through the issuance of 282,148 units (each, a "Unit") at a deemed price of $0.25 per Unit, whereby each Unit shall be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Share") and one half (1/2) of one (1) Share purchase warrant (each whole, being a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be convertible into an additional Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.35 per Warrant Share and will expire on the date that is three (3) years following the date of issuance (the "Expiry Date"). The Expiry Date shall be subject to acceleration where the volume-weighted average trading price of the Company's common shares on the CSE is equal to or greater than $0.45 for a continuous 30-day period at any time after that date which is four (4) months following the date of issuance, in which case the Expiry Date of the Warrants shall automatically accelerate and the Warrants will expire on that date which is 30 days after the date on which notice of such acceleration event is provided to the holder.

The Agreement and the issuance of the securities thereunder are subject to the approval of the CSE. The securities will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day pursuant to CSE policies and applicable securities laws.

On behalf of the Board of Interra Copper Corp.

Rick Gittleman

Interim CEO & Chairman

For further information contact:

Katherine Pryde

Investor Relations

+1 (778) 949-1829

[email protected]

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or" should" occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the Private Placement and the debt settlement transaction, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, and the use of proceeds from the Private Placement are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Interra, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary approvals in connection with the Private Placement and the Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, the ability to complete exploration work, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Interra does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191734
TOKYO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese high court on Wednesday ordered the governor of Okinawa prefecture to approve the central government's design change for planned ground improvement work under a U.S. base relocation project.

The Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court ruled in favor of the central government on the lawsuit it filed against Denny Tamaki, governor of the southernmost prefecture, in October over his refusal to approve the design change.

The controversial project aims to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base in Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago, which is also in Okinawa.

The presiding judge ordered Tamaki to approve the design change within three business days. If Tamaki does not approve within the time set, the land, infrastructure, transport, and tourism minister will be able to give approval in place of the governor and start ground improvement work.

It would be the first-ever proxy execution of the central government, local media reports said, noting that the Okinawa prefectural government will be able to appeal to the Supreme Court, but the appeal cannot stop the proxy execution.

Earlier in September, Tamaki told a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that the concentration of U.S. military bases in Okinawa threatens peace, noting that the Japanese government is forcibly filling in precious sea areas to build a new U.S. military base, regardless of the opinions of local residents.

The governor has also, on multiple occasions, expressed concerns over excessive levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances detected in the water around U.S. military bases in Japan.

The island of Okinawa hosts 70 percent of all the U.S. military bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land area. More than 70 percent of local residents opposed the U.S. military base construction on the Henoko landfill, showed a 2019 Okinawa Prefecture voting results. 
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Jetpac, a provider of eSIM technology, announced the expansion of its services to international markets, including Europe, the UK, and the USA. The company has focused on select regions since its founding and will now extend the availability of its eSIM connectivity globally.

Jetpac broadens its reach, bringing seamless eSIM connectivity to international markets, including the USA, Europe, and the UK. (Material from Jetpac)

Jetpac aims to provide seamless cellular connectivity to global travelers through remote SIM provisioning. Its "instant connectivity in over 50 countries with a single eSIM" offering reflects capabilities to simplify international roaming for users.

"Expanding globally allows us to bring connectivity solutions to more customers and demonstrates our commitment to innovation," said Aditya Goyal, Director of New Businesses Build at Jetpac. "We look forward to establishing our presence worldwide."

Providing beyond eSIM data services, Jetpac commits to creating a convenient travel lifestyle. This is reflected in its approach to continuously develop value-added services that respond to the evolving needs of travelers.

According to the company, Jetpac's eSIM technology prioritizes user convenience by covering multiple countries through one SIM profile. This aims to reduce the need for travelers to change eSIM settings across different locations.

Jetpac also focuses on simplifying travel data management. With its one-time eSIM download, users can enjoy lifetime convenience without switching out their eSIM during travel.

Jetpac's commitment to customer support is reflected in its 24/7 availability across various digital channels. This customer-centric service approach, emphasizing accessibility and responsiveness, is crucial in product development, ensuring solutions that resonate with traveler needs.

Moreover, the company's services are tailored for mid-term travelers, particularly those embarking on 1-2 week trips or month-long multi-destination journeys. This clear target audience is a strategic choice, catering to a specific segment that values convenience and flexibility in their travel tech needs.

Pearlyn Yeo, Head of Marketing at Jetpac, added that this expansion highlights efforts to meet travel tech needs globally. "Our goal is to enhance the international travel experience, and increased availability of our eSIM technology brings us closer towards that aim."

Furthermore, Jetpac emphasizes customer feedback and adaptation as central pillars in its service development. The company offers solutions that align closely with the needs of travelers, which distinguishes it in the travel tech industry.

Providing a comprehensive, convenient travel lifestyle is a key differentiator, offering features and services beyond standard eSIM offerings, such as complimentary lounge access during flight delays and various data packages to suit different trip requirements.

Recently, Jetpac received industry recognition through the Travel Product of the Year award at Asia Telecom Awards 2023 and Best Global Roaming Services from Tripzilla Excellence Awards.

More details on Jetpac's global eSIM offerings are available on the company's website at https://www.jetpacglobal.com/.

About Jetpac:

Jetpac specializes in eSIM technology, providing international travelers seamless connectivity across over 50 countries. The company's eSIM solution simplifies global communication, offering users a platform to efficiently manage their travel data needs. Its services aim to enhance the travel experience by ensuring reliable and convenient access to mobile networks worldwide.

Contact Information:

Contact Person's Name: Pearlyn Yeo

Company/Organization Name: Jetpac

Company website: https://www.jetpacglobal.com/us/

Contact Email Address: [email protected]

Phone Number: +1 (815) 853-8722

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191582
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2023) - Kuya Silver Corporation (CSE: KUYA) (OTCQB: KUYAF) (FSE: 6MR1) (the "Company" or "Kuya Silver") announces it intends to complete a non-brokered flow-through private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to CAD$450,240 (the "Offering") with a single investor. Under the Offering, the Company will issue flow-through units (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of CAD$0.28 per FT Unit. Each FT Unit is comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company that qualifies as a "flow-through share" for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) non-flow-through common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") at price of CAD$0.37 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The proceeds from the Offering will be used for expenditures that qualify as Canadian Exploration Expenses, within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), to carry out exploration programs on the Company's Canadian properties.

In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finder's fees to qualified non-related parties, in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "Exchange").

All securities issued under the Offering, including securities issuable on exercise thereof, will be subject to a hold period expiring 4 months and 1 day after issuance, in accordance with the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Kuya Silver Corporation

Kuya Silver is a Canadianbased mineral exploration and development company with a focus on acquiring, exploring, and advancing precious metals assets in Peru and Canada.

For more information, please contact:

David Stein, President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (604) 3984493

[email protected]

www.kuyasilver.com

Reader Advisory

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information," including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs, and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may," "would," "could," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "must," "next," "propose," "new," "potential," "prospective," "target," "future," "verge," "favourable," "implications," and "ongoing," and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking information. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing statements, the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering, is forward-looking information. Investors are cautioned that statements including forward-looking information are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including but not limited to fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market, and business conditions. There can be no assurances that such forward-looking information will prove accurate, and therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191675
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2023) - Level 14 Ventures Ltd. (CSE: LVL) ("Level 14" or the "Company") announces that further to its press release dated December 5, 2023, the Company will change its name (the "Name Change") to "Copper Standard Resources Inc.", change its stock ticker symbol on the Canadian Securities Exchange to "CSR" (the "Symbol Change"), and consolidate its issued and outstanding common shares ("Shares") on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Share for every three (3) pre-consolidation Shares (the "Consolidation").

The Company anticipates that the Name Change, Symbol Change and Consolidation will take effect at market close on December 22, 2023 with trading under the new CUSIP/ISIN numbers 216928101/CA2169281011 to take effect at the start of trading on December 27, 2023. As a result of the Consolidation, the 92,215,501 Shares issued and outstanding prior to the Consolidation will be reduced to approximately 30,738,500 Shares and outstanding stock options and warrants will also adjust accordingly. Each shareholder's percentage ownership in the Company and proportionate voting power will remain unchanged after the Consolidation, except for minor changes and adjustments resulting from the treatment of any fractional Shares.

Registered holders of Shares ("Registered Holders") do not need to take any action. The Company's transfer agent, TSX Trust Company, will send to all Registered Holders a notice under the direct registration system indicating the number of Shares that they hold as a result of the Consolidation. Currently outstanding share certificates representing Shares will continue to be effective. They should be retained by Registered Holders and should not be forwarded to the Company or its transfer agent. Non-registered shareholders will have their brokerage accounts automatically updated to reflect the Consolidation.

The Company also announces that it has filed an amended offering document dated December 19, 2023 (the "Amended Offering Document") in connection with its previously announced private placement offering under the "listed issuer financing exemption" on December 1, 2023. The Amended Offering Document can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.level14ventures.com. The Amended Offering Document was filed to, among other things: update recent developments to include the Name Change, Symbol Change and Consolidation; add a minimum offering size; and contemplate closing in tranches. Prospective investors should read the Amended Offering Document before making an investment decision.

About Level 14 Ventures Ltd.

Level 14 is a resource-stage mining company with a focus on copper and gold, with an option to acquire 100% of the Colpayoc Property in Peru. Colpayoc has significant, untested potential for supergene and porphyry copper - gold mineralization at depth, beneath drill holes bottoming in oxide gold-copper mineralization. Colpayoc is largely untested with limited drilling and is similar to many of the world class porphyry copper-gold deposits within the prolific Yanacocha District. Level 14 continues to evaluate opportunities in the mineral sector on an ongoing basis.

For more information about Level 14, please visit our website at www.level14ventures.com or email us at [email protected].

Marcel de Groot, President & Director

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to the Company's plans and expectations regarding the Name Change, Symbol Change and Consolidation; the completion of the Name Change, Symbol Change and Consolidation; the closing of the private placement, and the date on which the Shares ultimately trade under the new name and on a post-Consolidation basis. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "suggests," "indicate," "often," "target," "future," "likely," "pending," "potential," "goal," "objective, " "prospective," and "possibly," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with the completion of the Acquisition and risks associated with mineral exploration operations, including the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR+) at www.sedarplus.ca for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191708
Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group" or the "Company") reports that it has entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the "Cooperation Agreement") with Ajlan & Bros Mining and Metals Co. ("Ajlan") to study the establishment of a stand-alone platinum group metals ("PGM") smelter and base metals refinery ("BMR") in Saudi Arabia. The Cooperation Agreement encompasses three phases: a global PGM concentrate market study (the "Market Study"), a Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") for the construction and operation of PGM smelter and BMR in Saudi Arabia, and an option to form an incorporated 50:50 joint venture following the completion of the DFS. The DFS will assume the export of PGM concentrate from the Waterberg Project in South Africa to a port facility in Saudi Arabia.

Platinum Group President and CEO Frank Hallam stated, "The largest impediment to the development of the Waterberg Project to date has been the need to secure a concentrate offtake agreement amongst the existing South African based PGM smelters. We are pleased to work together with Ajlan to explore a smelting and refining facility in Saudi Arabia as a strategic alternative that may create an exciting path forward. Saudi Arabia offers an attractive investment climate that includes highly competitive energy costs, a lower taxation rate, and significant government financing incentives. We look forward to working with Ajlan towards the establishment of a world class PGM mineral processing hub in Saudi Arabia and unlocking the potential of the Waterberg Project for all stakeholders, including host communities, the government of South Africa, and shareholders."

In order to minimize the risk of sourcing concentrate from only one project, and to attain scale, a Market Study to be conducted by a third party will be commissioned to identify potential global sources of PGM concentrate that could augment the processing of Waterberg Project concentrate. There are currently several PGM and base metal projects globally seeking offtake and beneficiation solutions.

Upon the completion of the Market Study, and assuming a favourable outcome, Ajlan and the Company may together commission a DFS for the construction of a PGM smelter and BMR to process Waterberg Project concentrate and other concentrate feed in Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost for the DFS of US$4.0 million. The scope for the DFS will encompass options related to infrastructure, location, technical specifications, capital, and operating costs. All expenses related to the DFS are to be split on a 50:50 basis between Platinum Group and Ajlan, including certain costs already incurred by Platinum Group in previous independent beneficiation studies.

Upon completion of the DFS, Platinum Group and Ajlan will have the option to form an incorporated joint venture on a 50:50 basis, on terms to be mutually agreed, for the purpose of financing, constructing, and operating smelting and refining facilities as contemplated in the DFS. Saudi Arabia offers significant investment incentives and the new incorporated joint venture would apply for these incentives. Upon formation, the incorporated joint venture would then be in a position to offer concentrate offtake terms to Waterberg JV Resources (Pty) Limited, the owner and operator of the Waterberg Project.

An initial tradeoff study has been completed to determine the viability of exporting PGM concentrate from South Africa to Saudi Arabia. Shipping costs are generally offset by lower energy costs and water costs. The facility would also benefit from existing infrastructure. A key requirement would be to secure a long-term permit from South Africa for the export of unrefined precious metals in concentrate. Platinum Group is working with the Government of South Africa to identify local beneficiation opportunities and to analyze the possible impact of exporting concentrate on the value chain.

The Company believes that construction and operation of the Waterberg Project mine represents a significant foreign direct investment into South Africa with benefits including the creation of over 1,300 direct jobs, infrastructure development, and foreign exchange earnings.

Beacon Securities Ltd. acted as an advisor to Platinum Group in relation to the Ajlan Cooperation Agreement.

About Ajlan & Bros Mining and Metals Co.

Ajlan & Bros Mining and Metals Co. is a subsidiary of Ajlan & Bros Holding, a large, diversified holding company. Ajlan is actively seeking exploration and mining project investments to provide feedstock and partnership opportunities to build smelting, refining/and processing capacity and partnering with leading companies as financial investors in transition metals, precious and platinum group metals.

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and Waterberg Project

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is the operator and majority owner of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground palladium and platinum deposit located in South Africa. The Waterberg Project was discovered by Platinum Group and is being operated in joint-venture with Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd., Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security and Hanwa Co. Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

www.platinumgroupmetals.net

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding obtaining favourable outcomes on the Market Study and DFS, the ability of the parties to agree on the terms of a joint venture for the smelting and refining facility, the Company receiving a long-term permit for the export of unrefined precious metals in concentrate, the potential benefit of Saudi Arabia, jobs development, and the advancement of the Company's objectives for the Waterberg Project. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the potential inability to obtain required regulatory approvals and satisfy other applicable closing conditions including possible adverse impacts; the Company's history of losses and negative cash flow; the Company's properties may not be brought into a state of commercial production; uncertainty of estimated production, development plans and cost estimates for the Waterberg Project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs, between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries and between estimated and actual production; fluctuations in the relative values of the U.S. Dollar, the Rand, the Canadian Dollar and the Saudi Riyalr; volatility in metals prices; the uncertainty of alternative funding sources for Waterberg JV Resources (Pty) Ltd. ("Waterberg JV Co."); the Company may become subject to the U.S. Investment Company Act; the failure of the Company or the other shareholders to fund their pro rata share of funding obligations for the Waterberg Project; any disputes or disagreements with the other shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. or Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd.; the ability of the Company to retain its key management employees and skilled and experienced personnel; conflicts of interest; litigation or other administrative proceedings brought against the Company; actual or alleged breaches of governance processes or instances of fraud, bribery or corruption; exploration, development and mining risks and the inherently dangerous nature of the mining industry, and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks and other risks and uncertainties; property and mineral title risks including defective title to mineral claims or property; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada, South Africa and Saudi Arabia; equipment shortages and the ability of the Company to acquire necessary access rights and infrastructure for its mineral properties; environmental regulations and the ability to obtain and maintain necessary permits, including environmental authorizations and water use licences; extreme competition in the mineral exploration industry; delays in obtaining, or a failure to obtain, permits necessary for current or future operations or failures to comply with the terms of such permits; risks of doing business in South Africa, including but not limited to, labour, economic and political instability and potential changes to and failures to comply with legislation; the Company's common shares may be delisted from the NYSE American or the TSX if it cannot maintain compliance with the applicable listing requirements; and other risk factors described in the Company's most recent Form 40-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedarplus.ca, respectively. Proposed changes in the mineral law in South Africa if implemented as proposed would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and potential interest in projects. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191810
Updated resource estimate awaited for Bronson Slope deposit

Deeper drilling on Bronson pipe confirms porphyry target

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) reports today on the Bronson Slope drilling program at its 100% owned Iskut property in Northwestern B.C.'s Golden Triangle. Results are confirming an extensive area of magmatic-hydrothermal alteration sourced from the high fluid flux of a porphyry mineral system that generated the unusually large explosive breccia pipe discovered in 2022 and the intermediate epithermal occurrence that expands the known Bronson Slope copper-gold deposit.

The 2023 Bronson Slope program was designed to evaluate simultaneously the potential to expand the Bronson Slope resource and test at depth for its source. Results identified broad zones of sericite-pyrite-carbonate alteration associated with continuous low gold grades. This is our second news release on Iskut 2023 exploration results; last week we released a report on our first drill program on the Snip North target (see here).

Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk commented: "One of the concepts that led us to acquire the Iskut Project was the expectation that a larger epithermal mineral deposit could potentially be preserved at Bronson Slope. This expectation has been confirmed but as we have learned more about this occurrence, we have become more convinced and excited about the potential to find its source porphyry. Next year's program will aim to integrate the upside at Bronson Slope with our hypothesis of a regional structurally-controlled porphyry district encompassing the entire Iskut project."

Drilling adjacent to, and mainly east of, the Quartz-Magnetite Breccia Pipe (QMBX), discovered in 2022, provided information on the potential to expand the existing Bronson Resource. Across this part of the project area, we encountered a clear upper zone hosted by a Triassic sedimentary section characterized by hornfels, bedded arkose and mudstone. Superimposed on this upper zone of thermally metamorphosed rock is a hydrothermal alteration including pyrrhotite-biotite-sericite and abundant carbonate tension gashes. Localized areas in this part of the system contain abundant sphalerite. This alteration style gives way to a lower zone of intensive sericite-pyrite-carbonate where gold grades are extensive.

This lower zone shows limited thermal metamorphism, possibly due to the intense texturally destructive alteration. Narrow zones of nearly massive sulfide (from 60 to 95 percent sulfide minerals) contain pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena and bornite which likely represent feeder structures. This discovery touches on one of the enduring enigmas of the Iskut property: the McFadden boulder field, a train of large, massive sulfide boulders with ultra-high base and precious metal grades which, until now, has had no counterpart to in-place mineralization.

Our 2023 drilling included some deeper holes to evaluate the source of the QMBX. These holes have provided more control on the geometry of the breccia zone. We are seeing narrow intervals of intrusive rocks at depth and within the breccia, but we have not yet identified the source intrusion for the QMBX. We continue to believe all the mineralizing phenomena at Bronson Slope are the result of a specific magmatic porphyry intrusion that gave rise to the breccia pipe and whose fluids evolved to generate the overlying epithermal system including its massive sulfide occurrences. This view encourages us to plan for an intensive deeper drill program for 2024.

Results from the 2023 drill program at Bronson Slope include:

Hole ID Total Depth

(meters) From

(meters) To

(meters) Length

(meters) Gold

(g/t) Copper

(%) Silver

(g/t) SBS-23-11 906.4 72.0 171.0 99.0 0.61 0.03 3.4 246.0 312.5 66.5 0.45 0.03 3.8 800.0 810.0 10.0 6.36 0.02 4.7 SBS-23-12 908.0 370.6 394.1 23.5 1.32 0.23 21.9 494.6 522.6 28.0 0.82 0.02 1.9 742.5 813.0 70.5 0.36 0.01 2.0 incl. 742.5 751.1 8.6 1.46 0.02 6.7 SBS-23-13 896.1 351.1 458.6 107.5 0.48 0.03 12.7 incl. 368.1 384.1 16.0 1.43 0.08 41.6 555.5 741.5 186.0 0.24 0.03 6.4 incl. 577.5 584.5 7.0 0.68 0.14 50.9 and 608.5 619.8 11.3 0.44 0.11 11.9 SBS-23-14 597.1 No significant intercepts SBS-23-14 597.1 No significant intercepts SBS-23-16 1063.9 323.7 330.5 6.8 1.23 0.08 22.7 387.1 544.0 156.9 0.34 0.04 3.7 incl. 387.1 427.2 40.1 0.56 0.10 12.2 569.5 620.4 50.9 0.33 0.03 8.3 763.5 835.5 72.0 0.59 0.08 24.4 incl. 763.5 774.7 11.2 2.63 0.40 120.2 996.0 1004.0 8.0 2.13 0.06 33.3 SBS-23-17 1063.9 382.6 819.9 437.3 0.36 0.03 6.1 incl. 534.9 549.9 15.0 1.12 0.04 4.8 SBS-23-18 1146.9 438.4 990.2 551.8 0.36 0.02 2.6 incl. 438.4 452.0 13.6 1.93 0.04 5.1 873.4 882.0 8.6 2.26 0,02 2.7 1119.3 1141.0 21.7 0.51 0.02 6.7 SBS-23-19 1357.3 168.0 420.0 252.0 0.87 0.02 29.2 incl. 363.5 410.0 46.5 1.66 0.02 3.4 SBS-23-20 833.4 344.9 686.4 341.5 0.36 0.05 11.4 incl. 504.6 527.1 22.5 0.60 0.09 15.3 642.9 658.0 15.1 0.52 0.19 39.4 SBS-23-21 835.0 490.7 811.1 320.4 0.49 0.03 3.1 incl. 721.1 728.6 7.5 1.32 0.08 4.0 and 769.7 788.1 18.4 1.41 0.04 3.1 SBS-23-22 741.4 382.0 446.1 64.1 0.26 0.01 4.7 527.1 639.3 112.2 0.29 0.03 8.3 incl. 598.5 618.3 19.8 0.38 0.07 22.2 SBS-23-23 1306.9 150.2 270.7 120.5 0.58 0.02 2.7 incl. 197.2 207.2 10.0 1.81 0.03 12.4 542.6 576.6 34.0 0.34 0.18 4.4 SBS-23-24 561.9 222.8 228.6 5.8 0.70 0.25 17.7 SBS-23-25 474.4 3.1 213.4 210.3 0.27 0.04 3.2 279.4 309.4 30.0 0.26 0.16 6.8 SBS-23-26 539.9 114.9 197.9 83.0 0.20 0.12 2.2 SBS-23-27 933.5 432.4 478.0 45.6 0.64 0.06 18.3 incl. 454.2 468.9 14.7 1.24 0.14 45.4 585.4 899.9 314.5 0.34 0.04 6.1 incl. 875.6 886.4 10.8 1.14 0.21 60.4

Results to date are early stage, however most of the zones have been intercepted perpendicular to bedding that may have provided a primary control on the true width of the epithermal mineralization. Establishing the orientation of the mineral zones is still in progress; additional studies and drilling are required to confirm true widths of mineralization. An ongoing and rigorous quality control/quality assurance protocol is employed in all Seabridge exploration campaigns. This program includes inserting blind blank, duplicate and certified reference standards into the laboratory submissions. Assays methods were a 30-gram FA in conjunction with 35 element ICP-ES, at Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver B.C. Cross-check analyses are conducted at a second external laboratory on at least 10% of the drill samples.

Exploration activities by Seabridge at the Iskut Project are being conducted under the supervision of William E. Threlkeld, Registered Professional Geologist, Senior Vice President, Exploration of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Threlkeld has reviewed and approved this news release.

Seabridge holds a 100% interest in several North American gold projects. Seabridge's assets include the KSM and Iskut projects located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada's "Golden Triangle", the Courageous Lake project located in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Snowstorm project in the Getchell Gold Belt of Northern Nevada and the 3 Aces project set in the Yukon Territory. For a full breakdown of Seabridge's Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources by category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" are made as of the date of this document. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, interpretations, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the aim of integrating the upside at Bronson Slope with the Company's hypothesis of a regional structurally-controlled porphyry district encompassing the entire Iskut project; (ii) the narrow zones of nearly massive sulfide likely representing feeder structures; (iii) all the mineralizing phenomena at Bronson Slope being the result of a specific magmatic porphyry intrusion that gave rise to the breccia pipe and whose fluids evolved to generate the overlying epithermal system including its massive sulfide occurrences; (iv) the completion of an updated resource estimate in respect of the Bronson Slope area of the Iskut Project; and (vi) timing and extent of the work to be performed in work programs in 2024.

All forward-looking statements are based on Seabridge's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Seabridge's plans or expectations include the risk that: (i) the geologic formations at the Iskut Project do not conform to the interpretations of data and the geologic models that are the foundations for such forward-looking statements; (ii) the identified regional trend not being indicative of the presence of multiple porphyry deposits; (iii) the assumed presence of and continuity of metals at the Project between drill holes, including at grades estimated in the mineral resource estimate and the other assumptions underlying the resource estimate; and (iv) the availability of necessary equipment, supplies and personnel for the work programs, and other risks outlined in statements made by Seabridge from time to time in the filings made by Seabridge with securities regulators. Seabridge disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Rudi Fronk"

Chairman & C.E.O.

For further information please contact:

Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O.

Tel: (416) 367-9292 " Fax: (416) 367-2711

Email: [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191663
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Voltage Metals Corp. (CSE: VOLT) (OTC Pink: VLTMF) ("Voltage" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has extended the expiry date of an aggregate of 4,149,793 previously issued warrants (the "Warrants"). The Warrants were originally issued by the Company on March 11, 2022 at exercise prices ranging between $0.15 and $0.25 per common share. The Warrants have been extended for an additional six (6) months, with the amended expiry being June 29, 2024. The exercise price of the Warrants will remain unchanged.

About Voltage

Voltage is a critical metals exploration and development company focused on Canadian projects near existing or past-producing mines.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that they will prove to be correct. By its nature, such forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. Management of the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For more information contact: Jay Freeman, Chairman and Director, Voltage Metals Corp., email: [email protected] or via telephone at: (416) 457-1611.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191775
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2023) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.(TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF)("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company")is pleased to announce further positive assay results for an additional 12 diamond core boreholes totalling 4,108 metres ("m") from its current exploration drilling program on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drilling results include 9 drill holes (3,398 m) dedicated to the further expansion / definition of the Boomerang gold system (formerly Boomerang East & Boomerang West targets) and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) targeting prospective litho-structural settings generated by the recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling. The current drilling forms part of an aggressive in-house drilling initiative focussing on multiple resource expansion targets occupying the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure; over 1 km beyond the limits of the currently defined Mineral Resource Estimate (the "2021 MRE", see the Company's news release of November 1, 2021).

Present drilling efforts successfully: discovered new high-grade gold zone at depth, expanding the stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance; further defined the robust grade and down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot gold zone; and extended the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip at the northeast extremity of the gold system.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

New High-Grade Gold Zone (Boomerang "Deep")

9.0 m at 9.29 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au"), including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, from 400.0 m in KBDD23536 (~90 m stratigraphy below (cross-plunge) of main Lower Shoot)

Definition Drilling (Boomerang - Main "Lower Shoot" Gold Zone)

56.0 m at 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from 166.0 m in KBDD23530

50.0 m at 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from 258.0 m in KBDD23536

Expansion Drilling (Boomerang - SE Lateral / Down-Dip Extension & SW Strike-Extension)

55.1 m at 0.75 g/t Au, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from 353.9 m in KBDD23538 (extending Lower Shoot ~100 further down-dip)

20.0 m at 0.84 g/t Au from 134.0 m; and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from 163.0 m in KBDD23534 (Upper Shoot (s))

4.5 m at 12.72 g/t Au, including 1.5 m at 33.73 g/t Au, from 145.5 m in KBDD23535 (SW Shoot - formerly Boomerang West target)

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "We are encouraged by these promising drill results, with the definition drilling not only continuing to show good down-plunge continuity in mineralization, but also expanding the Boomerang gold system with the discovery of a new high-grade gold zone at depth. These additional broad, robust gold intercepts from definition holes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 continue to better define the grade and geometry of the main Lower Shoot mineralization, as well as further bolster our litho-structural understanding of the gold system. We look forward to further drill testing this exciting, new high-grade, visible gold-bearing mineralization zone in the New Year."

Today's Kibi Gold Project drill results correspond to the latest 12 drill holes (4,108 m) of an ongoing exploration initiative targeting multiple resource expansion opportunities within the south-western (Zone 3) portion of the gold mineralization-hosting 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. The 12 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from early August to late November 2023, including: 3 SW-trending definition drill holes (1,341 m) designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, 6 expansion drill holes (2,057 m) targeting the south-western strike-extension and south-eastern lateral continuity of the Boomerang gold system, and 3 scout drill holes (710 m) to further define the litho-structural setting of the recently 3D VTEM / TMI inversion-modelling generated Double 19 - SW target. Drill results for a total of 132 holes (26,968.5 m) have been reported to date for the ongoing Zone 3 resource expansion drill program initiated following the database close-out date for the current 2021 MRE.

Exploration significant auriferous drill intercepts are presented in Table 1 below, with a drill plan (Figure 1) and collar / drill hole details (Table 2), available at:

(Figure 1_Zone 3 Drill Plan_Dec 2023)

(Table 2_Drill Collar Info_Dec 2023)

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts

Boomerang Resource Expansion Target & Zone 3 Scout Drilling

Kibi Gold Project / August - November 2023 Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core

Length

(metres) Gold

Grams

Per Tonne Zone ID / Target KBDD23529 85.0 89.0 4.0 0.73 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 303.0 310.0 7.0 1.45 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 308.0 309.0 1.0 6.91 KBDD23530 14.5 35.0 20.5 0.93 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 14.5 28.0 13.5 1.24 and incl. 17.5 23.0 5.5 2.51 and 143.0 148.0 5.0 1.86 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 166.0 222.0 56.0 1.40 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 175.0 195.0 20.0 2.54 and incl. 187.0 195.0 8.0 4.16 and 374.0 384.0 10.0 0.32 Boomerang - New Mineralization and 398.0 414.5 16.5 0.27 Boomerang - New Mineralization KBDD23531 81.0 96.0 15.0 0.29 Boomerang - SW Shoot * and 117.0 120.0 3.0 1.03 and 149.0 157.0 8.0 0.73 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 156.0 157.0 1.0 2.99 and 207.0 218.0 11.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 214.0 216.0 2.0 1.51 KBDD23532 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23533 132.5 138.0 5.5 0.49 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 134.0 135.0 1.0 1.52 KBDD23534 134.0 154.0 20.0 0.84 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 134.0 144.0 10.0 1.13 and 163.0 191.0 28.0 0.47 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 186.0 191.0 5.0 1.06 and 313.0 336.0 23.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 313.0 320.0 7.0 1.01 and 355.0 362.7 7.7 1.16 Boomerang - Lower Shoot KBDD23535 55.5 63.0 7.5 0.54 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot and 145.5 150.0 4.5 12.72 Boomerang - SW Shoot * including 147.0 148.5 1.5 33.73 and 247.0 255.0 8.0 0.52 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 251.0 252.0 1.0 1.97 and 275.0 291.8 16.8 0.41 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 282.0 284.3 2.3 1.46 KBDD23536 38.5 41.5 3.0 7.69 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 38.5 40.0 1.5 14.61 and 76.0 86.0 10.0 0.51 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 122.0 137.0 15.0 0.64 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 126.0 131.0 5.0 1.24 and 258.0 308.0 50.0 1.28 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 260.0 296.0 36.0 1.44 and incl. 263.0 285.0 22.0 1.93 and 400.0 409.0 9.0 9.29 Boomerang - New Mineralization including 402.5 407.0 4.5 16.94 and incl. 404.0 404.8 0.8 81.59 KBDD23537 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target KBDD23538 147.0 156.0 9.0 0.36 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) and 353.9 409.0 55.1 0.75 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 355.7 395.0 39.3 0.95 and incl. 355.7 375.0 19.3 1.45 and 405.0 411.0 6.0 0.58 Boomerang - Footwall Shoot KBDD23539 162.5 184.0 21.5 0.68 Boomerang - Upper Shoot (s) including 169.0 176.0 7.0 0.99 including 183.0 184.0 1.0 3.43 and 237.0 241.0 4.0 0.72 Boomerang - Lower Shoot and 276.0 306.0 30.0 0.62 Boomerang - Lower Shoot including 276.0 285.0 9.0 1.13 KBDD23540 No Significant Intercept Double 19 - SW Target Notes: Reported intercepts are core-lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. "Significant" intercepts meet following criteria: minimum metal factor (grade x length) of 2.5; with minimum 0.25 g/t gold average grade over interval. Intercepts also constrained with a 0.25 g/t gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive samples of internal dilution ( * Formerly Boomerang West Target

Recently completed 3D VTEM / TMI inversion models-based litho-structural modelling work, conducted by Tect Geological Consulting of South Africa, indicates that the gold mineralization within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 MRE footprint area occupies a licence-scale, 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold structure. Deposits are characterized by tensional arrays of auriferous quartz-carbonate veins typically hosted within or spatially associated with F1 or F2 folded / strained diorite units, and/or metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts, with the diorite bodies having an interpreted Belt-type granitoid affinity. Over 20 significant gold occurrences hosted by Belt (Dixcove)- and Basin (Cape Coast)-type granitoids are known in Ghana, with a number constituting significant deposits. These deposits represent a relatively new style of gold mineralization for orogenic gold deposits within the West African Birimian terrain. Belt-type intrusion-hosted gold deposits include Newmont Mining's Subika deposit at their Ahafo mine and Asante Gold's Chirano deposit (formerly Kinross Mining) within the Sefwi gold belt, as well as the former Golden Star Resources' Hwini-Butre deposit at the southern extremity of the Ashanti gold belt.

Today's drilling results include an additional 4 holes collared along a SW-tending drill-fence designed to dissect the NE-plunging, stacked, multi-shoot Boomerang gold system, including: 2 holes (-55o) testing the down-plunge continuity of the Upper Shoot (s), Lower Shoot, and Footwall Shoot gold zones (KBDD23530 & 536); and 2 holes (-50o) targeting the south-western strike-extension of the Boomerang gold system (KBDD23531 & 535). With the expanded drill-fence (9 holes) now testing the NE-plunging gold system over approximately 640 m strike and 425 m down-plunge distances, respectively. See the Company's news release of September 8, 2023, for the assay results for the remaining 5 holes along this drill-fence.

Boreholes KBDD23530 and KBDD23536 were primarily designed to further test the down-plunge continuity of the main Lower Shoot mineralization zone at the approximate mid-point between the existing NW-SE drill sections. With these two definition drill holes, collared approximately 110 m apart at the northeastern extremity of the SW-trending drill-fence, returning the following mineralized intercepts from the Lower Shoot: 56.0 m grading 1.40 g/t Au, including 20.0 m at 2.54 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 166.0 m in KBDD23530 and 50.0 m grading 1.28 g/t Au, including 22.0 m at 1.93 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 258.0 m in KBDD23536 (~75 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept). Drill intercepts from the Upper Shoot (s) mineralization zone returned from these two boreholes, include: 20.5 m grading 0.93 g/t Au, including 13.5 m at 1.24 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 14.5 m; and 3.0 m grading 7.69 g/t Au, 10.0 m at 0.51 g/t Au and 15.0 m at 0.64 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 38.5 m, 76.0 m and 122.0 m respectively in KBDD22536. With the lower mineralized intercept (122.0 m) in KBDD23536 positioned approximately 85 m down-plunge of the KBDD23530 intercept.

KBDD23536 also returned a mineralized intercept grading 9.29 g/t Au over 9.0 m, including 4.5 m at 16.94 g/t Au, and including 0.8 m at 81.59 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 400.0 m. With this lower high-grade intercept, representing a new visible gold-bearing mineralization zone positioned approximately 90 m stratigraphically below (cross-plunge) the above Footwall Shoot intercept, expanding the Boomerang gold system across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. Further drilling targeting both the up-plunge and down-plunge extensions of this new high-grade gold zone is planned for January 2024.

Present drilling results include two NW-trending, steeply inclined (-70o) expansion drill holes targeting the lateral continuity of the shallow SE-dipping Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization zones, at the northeastern extremity of the Boomerang gold system. KBDD23534 returned multiple mineralized intercepts, including: 20.0 m grading 0.84 g/t Au and 28.0 m at 0.47 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 134.0 m and 163.0 m respectively (Upper Shoot (s)); and 23.0 m grading 0.62 g/t Au and 7.7 m at 1.16 g/t Au from down-hole depths of 313.0 m and 355.0 m respectively (Lower Shoot). KBDD23538, collared approximately 50 m northeast of KBDD23534, returned a Lower Shoot mineralized intercept grading 0.75 g/t Au over 55.1 m, including 39.3 m at 0.95 g/t Au, and including 19.3 m at 1.45 g/t Au, from a down-hole depth of 353.9 m (~60 m down-plunge of the KBDD23534 intercept). With these expansion drill holes successfully extending the Upper Shoot (s) and Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 50 m and 35 m further down-dip respectfully, along the KBDD23534 section; and extending the Lower Shoot mineralization approximately 100 m further down-dip along the KBDD23538 section.

Updated 3D litho-structural modelling appears to indicate that the Boomerang resource expansion target, consisting of a multi-shoot gold system extending over approximately 650 m strike and 750 m down-plunge distances respectively, occupies a F2 meso-scale (parasitic) fold hinge structure developed on the north-western limb of the mineralization-controlling 1st-order F2 synclinorium fold. With the mineralization occurring as a NE-plunging system of stacked, flat-lying to concave-shaped, shallow SE-dipping gold shoots hosted within folded / strained diorite bodies and/or associated metasedimentary rock - diorite contacts. Drilling to date has outlined three (4) principal gold shoots, including the Upper Shoot (s), the Lower Shoot, the Footwall Shoot and the SW Shoot (formerly Boomerang West), across an approximately 370 m cross-plunge distance. The Lower Shoot, presently the most prominent mineralization shoot of the Boomerang gold system, has so far been delineated from practically surface to a down-plunge depth of approximately 500 m along the fold hinge structure (approximately 345 m vertical depth from surface), and across an approximately 200 m NW-SE lateral distance.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zones 1-3) Mineral Resource Estimate, produced by Xtra-Gold on September 30, 2021, represents the only Mineral Resource ever generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Xtra-Gold Resources Corporation Kibi Gold Project", jointly prepared by Pivot Mining Consultants (Pty) and Tect Geological Consulting, and dated November 16, 2021, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources," "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

242-363-3864

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.xtragold.com

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/191758
CHICAGO , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After a few years of catch-up, the incentive travel industry is more than ready to fly into 2024 with less turbulence. The incentive travel professionals at Motivation Excellence predict there will be a few key areas to keep an eye on, and most apply to individual travelers as well.

An Election Year

Expected trends in incentive travel industry for 2024.

With 2024 being an election year, VP of Sales at Motivation Excellence, Rhonda Brewer , says businesses are prone to be a bit more cautious with their spending budgets. This doesn't mean there will be drastic changes to the incentive travel landscape, but certain trends might arise for new bookings.

"How this translates to the world of incentive travel may mean selecting destinations closer to home, seeing reductions in budgets, and finding partners who can provide extra value through stretching their dollar further."

More stringent rule structures could also come into play, as companies start requiring higher performance goals to qualify for incentive group travel. Despite the more cautious approach, Brewer says overall incentive programs are in a good place.

"What I am most excited about is the fact that incentive programs are alive and well and clients still absolutely see the value in them. Now that rebookings are behind us, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity to look at new venues, destinations and inclusions."

Flights & Service Levels

Brad Hecht , Motivation Excellence Senior VP of Travel and Chief Travel Strategist, and his team are constantly looking at trends in airfare as they book travel for our group incentive participants. In the coming year, he predicts steadier pricing trends, especially for domestic destinations, and an increase in travelers overall.

"Airfares will continue to stabilize, especially for U.S. travel, as projections will continue to trend to record numbers for travelers."

published an article referencing Kayak's 2024 outlook on airfares, which showed that domestic flights could steadily drop up to 16% next year. The same report, however, states ticket prices for international travel look like they'll increase 10% in 2024, over 2023.

Along with domestic travel being more affordable, Hecht is looking forward to higher service levels at hotels in the United States .

"Hotels are continuing to ramp back up from the pandemic with their staffing, so I'm hoping for more consistent service levels."

Brewer adds that clients are looking for that too. "The expectation in 2024 will be that all staffing levels have been ironed out and properties will be fully operational in their on-site restaurants and spas."

Visa Updates

If you're confused about whether you'll need a visa to travel abroad in 2024, you're not alone. For European destinations, the visa requirement that was originally going to roll out in 2024, has been delayed to 2025 at the earliest.

"The new ETIAS travel entry requirement won't be in effect until after Europe's new tech-driven entry and exit system is launched in the fall of 2024. And then even after that, there will likely be a six-month transition period," says Joe Reise , Director, Travel Purchasing, Planning, and Supplier Relations at Motivation Excellence.

There are countries currently that already require Americans to have a visa to enter. They include Brazil , Australia , China and Vietnam . For a full list of countries requiring a visa, Reise recommends visiting this website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

Wrap Up

Between flight prices, hotel service levels and visa requirements, travelers have a lot to consider before booking their next travel destination. If you can take advantage of lower domestic airfare and higher U.S. hotel service levels, and earn it through your company's incentive program, you'll hit a trifecta of travel gold!

Motivation Excellence, Inc is an incentive company dedicated to helping our clients Inspire Extraordinary Performance. We do this through personalized rewards, aspirational group travel, performance tracking and wow-worthy meetings and events. Headquartered outside of Chicago , we have another full office in Traverse City, Michigan and remote offices across the country.

Contact:

Sky Z. Capriolo

[email protected]

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SOURCE Motivation Excellence, Inc.
The brand celebrates a year of major legislative accomplishments and remains dedicated to continuing their mission.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. , Dec. 20 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Beautycounter, the pioneer of the clean beauty movement, celebrates a year of legislative milestones including the one-year anniversary of the federal Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) and the successful passage of four state laws that work to put safer beauty products into the hands of consumers. Collectively, the Beautycounter community has sent over 240,000 emails, made over 16,000 calls, and held over 2,500 meetings with lawmakers in support of health protective cosmetics laws. In celebration of Beautycounter's work advocating for the passage MoCRA, the brand produced "We Matter," a video that highlights the history, events and people leading up to the bill's passage.

Founded by Gregg Renfrew , Beautycounter was created with a mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Since 2013, Beautycounter has worked with countless lawmakers at the state and federal levels to pass significant pieces of health and environmental-protective cosmetics legislation. In 2019, Renfrew became the first clean beauty CEO to testify before a congressional committee in support of reform of the federal cosmetics regulatory system. The leader in the clean beauty movement, Beautycounter has also brought hundreds of its Independent Brand Advocates to Washington, D.C. to advocate for stronger cosmetics regulation, achieving a major milestone in December 2022 with the passage of MoCRA. To help get MoCRA across the finish line, Beautycounter leadership advocated directly to Members of Congress and mobilized its community of nearly 40,000 Brand Advocates to lobby their elected officials through congressional meetings, phone calls, letters, and text actions. Beautycounter is gearing up for continued advocacy at federal and state levels in 2024.

"My mission has always been to get safer products into the hands of everyone," says Gregg Renfrew , Founder of Beautycounter. She adds, "The ability to put an issue on the map with members of Congress and fight hard for 10 years to come up with the first update in a major way to federal laws since 1938 is meaningful  we want to make sure people are aware of what they're putting on their bodies. And this is a great first step. But it's not the only step that we're going to take. This is just the beginning of the mountain that together with our Brand Advocate Community and our Partners are committed to."

Marking the first significant update to federal cosmetics law since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act into law in 1938, MoCRA strengthens the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ability to regulate personal care products. Major provisions include:

Mandatory recall authority for the FDA

Fragrance allergen disclosure requirements

Establishment of Good Manufacturing Practices regulation

Adverse event reporting requirements

Requirements for brands to substantiate the safety of their ingredients and products

Since the passage of MoCRA, Beautycounter has not slowed down its advocacy work. Beautycounter remains active in the MoCRA rulemaking process and in 2023 alone, influenced the passage of four additional pieces of critically important state legislation:

The Washington State Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act The Oregon Toxic Free Cosmetics Act California Assembly Bill 496 The Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (Bill S-5)

While MoCRA was a step in the right direction, Beautycounter calls on Congress to continue to address key gaps that remain in cosmetics regulation including banning of harmful ingredients like formaldehyde and phthalates; creating explicit protections for women of color and salon workers who are disproportionately exposed to harmful cosmetics ingredients; requiring greater disclosure of fragrance ingredients, and greater supply chain transparency to support product safety from manufacture to shelf.

Beautycounter is committed to continuing to make an impact. The Community will head to Washington D.C. in May 2024 to drive support for the Safer Beauty Bill Package and to continue advocating for a safer today, tomorrow and years to come.

About Beautycounter

Founded by Gregg Renfrew in 2011 and launched in 2013, Beautycounter is the leader in cleaner skin care and cosmetics whose mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone. A certified B corporation, the Santa Monica, CA -based brand leads the way for improved transparency and accountability in the beauty industry, including advocacy efforts to update state and federal cosmetics regulations that have stood largely unchanged since 1938. Beautycounter is an omnichannel brand and is available today through its community of Independent Brand Advocates, ULTA, e-Commerce and physical owned retail stores.

Beautycounter offers more than 100 products that have earned numerous awards, including Fast Company's Most Innovative, Allure's Best of Beauty, Glamour's Beauty Awards, Refinery29's Innovators List, WWD's 2019 Best-Performing Beauty Company, and CNBC's Disruptor 50. For more information, visit www.beautycounter.com, follow on Instagram @beautycounter, and Facebook @beautycounterhq.

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SOURCE Beautycounter
NEW YORK , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BWG Strategy and OTR Global (a BWG Company), leading research providers to institutional investors, consulting and private equity firms, announce the appointment of Michael Morabito as the new Head of Healthcare Research. With a proven track record in healthcare analysis and a deep understanding of industry trends, Morabito brings valuable expertise that will enhance and expand the firms' renowned coverage of the healthcare industry.

In the new role, Morabito will lead BWG Strategy's healthcare research team, contributing to the firms' storied legacy of delivering actionable market intelligence to clients.

Anil Prahlad , CEO of BWG Strategy, welcomed Michael Morabito to the team, stating, "We are delighted to welcome Michael to BWG Strategy and OTR Global. His wealth of experience in academic and sell-side research will further elevate the quality and depth of our healthcare coverage, strengthening our position as a leader in the investment research space."

Michael Morabito holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University and boasts an impressive portfolio of published articles, including four as the first author. Following the completion of his academic pursuits, Michael worked at Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell. During his tenure at Columbia, Morabito's exceptional work was recognized with a grant from the New York Obesity Research Center. Morabito also earned one of only ten national fellowships awarded by the American Diabetes Association.

Michael's recent experiences have included serving as a Senior Research Analyst at Chardan, where he launched equity research coverage of SMid-cap biotech companies. He focused specifically on metabolic, rare, and cardiovascular diseases, showcasing his breadth of knowledge in biotechnology. Prior to that, he was a sell-side analyst at Credit Suisse, specializing in oncology, immuno-oncology, and metabolic diseases.

With Michael Morabito at the helm of healthcare research, BWG Strategy remains dedicated to providing clients with unparalleled expertise and actionable insights in the healthcare space and will continue to broaden the scope of its healthcare research coverage.

About BWG Strategy and OTR Global (a BWG Company): BWG Strategy and OTR Global are leading research providers to institutional investors, consulting and private equity firms. BWG Strategy's research covers the healthcare, TMT, consumer, semiconductor, financial, and industrial sectors and is trusted by clients managing well over $6T in assets. BWG Strategy and OTR Global announced a merger in 2023 with a commitment to excellence and innovation. Together, BWG Strategy and OTR Global empower investors to navigate complex market dynamics and seize new opportunities.

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SOURCE BWG Strategy
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply saddened by the earthquake in China, said his spokesman on Tuesday.

The secretary-general was deeply saddened by the tragic earthquake, by the loss of life and property damage and injuries to people, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman.

"He expresses his solidarity with the people and the government of the People's Republic of China and extends his most sincere and deepest condolences to (the families of) the victims, wishes a speedy recovery to those injured," said Dujarric.

Guterres recognizes the efforts being undertaken by the government of China. The UN team in China stands ready to help, said the spokesman.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted China's Gansu Province and neighboring Qinghai Province at midnight Monday has killed 127 people. 
Reducing embodied carbon in the built environment does not require any compromise on performance, says the company's CEO

MONTREAL , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - CarbiCrete, a leading firm in the decarbonization of concrete, announced today that it has received third-party validation that the products generated through its technology meet or exceed ASTM C90 performance requirements for concrete masonry units (CMUs).

The testing was conducted by CTL Group, the industry's leading expert in structures and materials, using ASTM C90, the most widely-referenced standard for specifying CMUs in North America , published by ASTM International.

The standards for quality performance contain minimum requirements for items such as compressive strength, permissible variations in dimensions, and finish and appearance criteria.

"This validation, using industry-accepted standards, is an important step in our demonstrating that CarbiCrete-enabled products deliver equivalent or better performance than those made with cement, while reducing emissions and permanently removing CO2," says Chris Stern , CarbiCrete's CEO.

"Reducing embodied carbon in the built environment does not require any compromise on performance," says Stern. "That's our message to the construction community."

Jolene McLaughlin , Vice President of Climate and Sustainability at EllisDon, the global construction services company, says that CarbiCrete's production process provides a low-carbon alternative to traditional CMU manufacturing.

"We look forward to continuing to work with CarbiCrete to implement and expand their innovative solution," says McLaughlin. "EllisDon is keen to support alternative construction means and methods that support decarbonization across the industry."

CarbiCrete's patented process replaces cement in the concrete mix with a steel-making by-product, avoiding cement-related emissions. Additionally, CarbiCrete's concrete products are cured with carbon dioxide, which is mineralized and permanently removed from the atmosphere.

In November, the company announced that Enviro-access, a Canadian leader in the quantification of environmental impacts, validated that CarbiCrete's process is carbon-negative, eliminating more than 100% of the global warming potential (GWP) of concrete blocks, compared to those made using a conventional, cement-based process.

CarbiCrete's technology is currently being used by Canadian hardscape manufacturer Patio Drummond to produce carbon-negative blocks in Drummondville, Quebec , and the company recently announced that it had entered into an agreement with Lafarge Canada , for the processing of steel slag, its alternative concrete binder.

About CarbiCrete

CarbiCrete is a Montreal -based carbon removal technology company whose patented technology enables the production of cement-free, carbon-negative concrete made with industrial by-products and captured carbon dioxide. Carbicrete.com

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SOURCE CarbiCrete Inc
Programs in dental hygiene and sonography added in Florida and California

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concorde Career Colleges today announced the launch of additional program offerings in dental hygiene and sonography, accelerating the institution's efforts to address the growing demand for allied health professionals. Concorde is the healthcare division of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. ("UTI")

"Expanding our programs across existing campus footprints is a key focus of UTI's growth, diversification, and optimization strategy," said Kevin Prehn , president of Concorde Career Colleges. "At Concorde, the addition of these healthcare programs further bolsters our relationships with local dental partners and hospital affiliates who are seeking to fill these in-demand roles."

The programs include:

Two additional Dental Hygiene programs are planned in 2024, pending final regulatory approval.

The curriculum blends online coursework with in-person lab instruction and clinical experience to prepare students to enter the dental industry in as few as 17 months or the sonography profession in as little as 20 months.1

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists is projected to grow 10 percent by 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. California and Florida are among the states with the highest number of sonographers in the nation.

Dental hygienists also are seeing faster than average growth. The most recent survey of the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute shows that of the general practice dentists who are recruiting for dental hygienists, 95 percent are finding it "extremely" or "very" challenging to fill the positions. In states like Florida , the public health demand for dental care is even more critical. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, over 6 million Florida residents live in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Less than 1 in 5 Floridians living in HPSAs have their oral care needs met.

"For the health and well-being of our communities, it's imperative that we educate the next generation of skilled dental hygienists who can help provide diagnostic and preventative care," said Prehn.

ConcordeJacksonville's Dental Hygiene program recently received initial programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).2

Concorde Career Colleges was recently honored as 2023 School of the Year by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools. In addition, Concorde's Dallas campus was recently named 2023 School of the Year and Innovator of the Year by the Career Colleges and Schools of Texas .

1Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course schedule. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

2The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of "initial accreditation." The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue , Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission's web address is www.coda.ada.org

About Concorde Career Colleges

Concorde Career Colleges, the healthcare division of Universal Technical Institute (www.uti.edu), (NYSE: UTI), operates 17 healthcare focused campuses across eight states under the brands Concorde Career College and Concorde Career Institute, preparing America's next generation of health care and dental professionals for rewarding careers. The Concorde blended education model combines online coursework with in-person lab classes and clinical settings. Concorde's 25 student-focused academic programs and personalized support prepares graduates for in-demand careers in nursing, dental, respiratory, diagnostic, and other healthcare roles. Concorde schools are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Council on Occupational Education (COE). For more information, visit www.uti.edu or www.concorde.edu, or visit us on LinkedIn at @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and @Concorde Career Colleges or on X (formerly Twitter) at @news_UTI or @ConcordeCareer.

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) (the "Company") was founded in 1965 and is a leading workforce solutions provider of transportation, skilled trades and healthcare education programs, whose mission is to serve students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers across a number of highly skilled fields. The Company is comprised of two divisions: Universal Technical Institute ("UTI") and Concorde Career Colleges ("Concorde"). UTI operates 16 campuses located in 9 states and offers a wide range of transportation and skilled trades technical training programs under brands such as UTI, MIAT College of Technology, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute and NASCAR Technical Institute. Concorde operates across 17 campuses in 8 states, offering programs in the Allied Health, Dental, Nursing, Patient Care and Diagnostic fields.

Media Contact:

Sharon Rolenc

[email protected]

612-720-2083

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SOURCE Concorde Career Colleges
Rolling Meadows -based family law practice announces the addition of a new attorney to the legal team

CHICAGO , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The family law space in the Chicago area is experiencing tremendous demand for services. Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois is pleased to announce the arrival of Irina Melnik to the role of Senior Associate Attorney within the practice. "We're thrilled Irina has joined our team. She brings a depth of experience that our clients will appreciate", says Miriam Cooper , founder and partner.

Melnik graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned her JD from the DePaul University College of Law. It's not surprising that her caseload is filling at the practice. Melnik is experienced in all aspects of family law practice. "Irina knows the intricacies of divorce proceedings. She's also a skilled litigator and she takes a special interest in pre-nuptial agreements, disabled adult guardianships, and more. We are lucky to have Irina on our team", says Helena L. Trachtenberg , partner.

Irina is a proud member of the Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC. "I like to work with diverse cases and here we are seeing clients from all walks of life. Strategically guiding couples through challenging family law matters is fulfilling to me. I'm also a native Russian speaker and it is an honor to work with clients from the Russian community", says Melnik. No matter the case, Melnik is ready to work hard for her clients.

Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC offers a full array of family law services including litigated, mediated, and collaborative divorce strategies, pre-nuptial contracts, post-divorce decree modifications, real estate transaction legal services, and other family law legal services. All the attorneys on the team, including Irina Melnik , are dedicated to offering personalized legal guidance and approaches designed to meet the specific needs of each client. As a local law practice, it is an honor to be a member of the business community caring for clients year-round. The practice maintains a headquarters office in Rolling Meadows and additional offices in Chicago's Loop and Lincolnshire, Illinois .

For more information about the practice visit: Mcooperlaw.com

Press Contact:

Rebecca Hoffman | Good Egg Concepts

[email protected]

Telephone: 312-282-4254

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SOURCE Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group, LLC
LOGAN, Utah , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyrusher, a leading brand in e-bikes, has introduced an electrifying marvel to the snowboarding domain: the Ripple, the world's first electric snowboard. Combining high-tech features with an exhilarating experience, the Ripple redefines winter sports, pushing the boundaries of excitement and performance on snowy slopes to new heights.

Exploring the mystery of the Ripple

Incorporating advanced technology and meticulous craftsmanship, the Ripple boasts a board size of 156cm, aligning it with the Camber snowboard category. Crafted from composite materials featuring a wood core, fiberglass, and carbon edges, the snowboard's construction ensures both durability and exceptional riding dynamics. The Ripple is strategically designed to empower a broader range of snowboarders, offering new snowboarding opportunities through innovative electric energy.

Power and Performance

The Ripple stands out as an industry trailblazer, employing cutting-edge electric motors to enhance the snowboarding experience. With a robust 3000-watt motor seamlessly integrated into the snowboard, it delivers heart-pounding top speeds of up to 50 km/h.

The Ripple incorporates an advanced V1 controller specifically designed for accurate navigation across snow and ice-covered landscapes. Equipped with a high-voltage-resistant MOSFET and an advanced heat dissipation, the controller ensures precise control and responsiveness. Easily fine-tune snowboard forward speed and maneuverability for the ultimate snowboarding adventure, guaranteeing a thrilling yet controlled riding experience every time.

The electric power system of the board relies on a low-temperature resistant battery featuring a Molicel 21700 P42A 4200mAh 45A configuration, providing a 12.6 Ah capacity. This innovative battery setup allows the Ripple to cover distances of 15-20 kilometers on a single charge.

Comfort

The Ripple's board design features a wide, high-traction rear tire, specifically tailored for snowboarding. This design enhances traction on icy snow cover, providing faster snow grip and improved stability on snowy terrain. Skiers can expect maximum stability and control in the snowy domain. Meanwhile, the Ripple introduces an adjustable independent suspension with manual wheel height adjustment, allowing riders to customize their snowboarding adventures by absorbing shocks and seamlessly adapting to the snow's contours.

Tailored for snowboarding adventures, the Ripple is constructed to withstand various weather conditions. It boasts a full metal enclosure with a flame-retardant design and an impressive IPX6 waterproof rating, ensuring durability and a hassle-free ride in different weather conditions.

Sustainability

The advent of Ripple electric snowboards has revolutionized winter sports, offering sustainable thrills with lithium-ion battery power. The Ripple snowboards are silent and emissions-free, reducing noise pollution and promoting eco-friendly outdoor activities. The development of electric snowboards reflects a promising future for a more sustainable and exciting snowboarding experience.

Multi-Application

The Ripple's enhanced motor power enables smooth gliding over flat snow, ensuring an exhilarating experience even on the fluffiest terrain. This expands the range and accessibility of the snowboarding terrain, elevating the overall experience. By harnessing electric power, the Ripple enhances the snowboarding adventure, enabling riders to traverse terrain with reduced physical exertion compared to traditional snowboards. The responsive design of the Ripple empowers snowboarders to conquer terrain with unmatched precision and speed, execute tricks and jumps effortlessly, and fully enjoy the sport of snowboarding to its utmost extent.

Experience the Thrill of Snowboarding Like Never Before with the Ripple!

Boasting a maximum load capacity of 250 lbs, and accommodating rider sizes from 160-190cm, the Ripple caters to a wide range of rider needs, ensuring stability and confidence for individuals of all sizes. Weighing in at a total of 15kg, the snowboard is meticulously crafted to strike a balance between portability and performance, offering effortless maneuverability without compromising power.

Infused with cutting-edge technology, robust construction, and unparalleled performance, the Ripple bring a new era in snowboarding. As the world's first electric snowboard, it grants skiers the freedom to embark on thrilling journeys that redefine the snowboarding experience.

About Cyrusher

Cyrusher is a reputable producer of electric bicycles with a reach into new territories and the exciting introduction of electric snowboards and skateboards to its innovative product lineup. Successfully marketed in over 10 nations, Cyrusher's products undergo rigorous international quality tests, meeting CE, UL, Rhos, and FCC requirements. With a focus on connecting individuals with nature, Cyrusher invites the customer to explore the thrill of electric mobility. Cyrusher will keep expanding its product range in both land and aquatic areas to satisfy more individuals, offering a solution for zero-carbon, fast and convenient urban traveling.

If you're interested in Cyrusher products, you can find more information about Cyrusher at the following links.

Cyrusher Contact:

US official website: https://www.cyrusher.com/

UK official website: https://www.cyrusher.co.uk/

French official website: https://www.cyrusher.fr/

German official website: http://www.cyrusher.de/

Phone: (385) 382-1622

Email: [email protected]

Follow Cyrusher on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram for more latest news.

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SOURCE Cyrusher
$1.2M contract to utilize only cloud-native solution built for public safety GIS

PITTSBURGH , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DATAMARK , the public safety geographic information systems (GIS) team of Michael Baker International , announced today that the Missouri 911 Service Board has selected cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) solution, DATAMARK VEP, for statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) GIS data management. Under the three-year, $1.2M contract, local data contributors will upload, validate, and resolve anomalies within their GIS data in alignment with Missouri's NG9-1-1 GIS Standards and Best Practices and National Emergency Number Association (NENA) standards for NG9-1-1. This project is funded by the Missouri American Rescue Plan Act 2021, as allocated by Governor Mike Parson and the Missouri General Assembly,

"DATAMARK's proposed NG9-1-1 GIS data management solution and approach for provisioning Missouri's Next Generation Core Services (NGCS) demonstrates the team's understanding of Missouri's current 911 landscape, which includes multiple Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) and NGCS providers managed by local 911 entities," said Brian Maydwell , Executive Director Missouri 911 Service Board. "The Missouri 911 Service Board is confident that DATAMARK's proposed solution and approach will contribute to the success of our NG9-1-1 GIS initiative. We would like to thank Governor Parson , the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Department of Public Safety, and the Missouri GIS Advisory Council (MGISAC) - who all provided critical insight and leadership to bring about this collaboration."

Missouri joins the states of Alabama and Idaho in selecting DATAMARK for NG9-1-1 GIS solutions in 2023. DATAMARK VEP is the only cloud-native solution built for public safety GIS. The software solution provides a highly configurable, user-friendly interface to perform location data validations, make edits and implement quality control in alignment with NENA NG9-1-1 data standards and GIS industry best practices. DATAMARK VEP will be used to collect data from the 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis , as well as municipal GIS data providers and neighboring 9-1-1 authorities, ensuring seamless and accurate data across borders.

"At DATAMARK, we are passionate about partnering with our community to help save seconds when they matter most," said Robert Murphy , Interim National Director at DATAMARK. "By using DATAMARK VEP to support NG9-1-1 GIS data readiness and aggregation across the state of Missouri , we will be able to improve GIS data quality to support public safety and achieve NG9-1-1 benefits. Our entire team looks forward to the partnership with the Missouri 911 Service Board and to equipping its team with the most accurate GIS data possible."

About DATAMARK

As trusted advisors in public safety, DATAMARK brings comprehensive, real-world expertise in police, fire, EMS and 9-1-1 leadership roles to Next Generation 9-1-1 transitions. The DATAMARK team leads the industry by shaping rules and legislation, and by building a suite of products and services that ensure accurate emergency response location data in life-critical situations. DATAMARK empowers its team and stakeholder partners to foster trusted relationships and cultivate data integrity for informed decision making. DATAMARK, the public safety GIS team of Michael Baker International, has decades of proven experience in mission-critical government addressing projects. The team works with clients to solve their complex needs, from data quality checks and addressing to workflow analysis and more. Learn more about the company at www.datamarkgis.com and follow DATAMARK on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook .

About Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services spanning five distinct Verticals: Infrastructure, Design-Build Services, Federal Programs and Services, Consulting and Technology Solutions (CTS) and Sustainable and Resilient Solutions (SRS). The firm's Practices encompass all facets of infrastructure, including design and civil engineering for diverse bridge, highway, water, rail and transit and aviation projects, as well as planning, architecture, environmental and construction and program management. For more than 80 years, the company has been a trusted partner to clients, providing comprehensive services and solutions, delivering expertise and quality, and embracing emerging technologies and the latest innovations  like intelligent transportation, engineered models, and public safety software as a service (SaaS).

The firm's 3,900 employees across more than 85 office locations are committed to Making a Difference for clients and communities through a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement while reimagining Michael Baker to become a full-service engineering and consulting firm over the next five years.

To learn more, visit https://mbakerintl.com/ .

Contact: Julia Covelli

[email protected]

(866) 293-4609

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SOURCE DATAMARK
SIMSBURY, Conn. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialty Saw Inc., a leading industrial saw blade and hydraulic hose saw manufacturer, announces the retirement of Dave Nagy , who has been leading the firm since the 1970s. Dave will retire from his position, effective January 1, 2024 .

During Dave's tenure, Specialty Saw has achieved remarkable milestones, growing from a modest family company founded in 1952 to a global leader in its respective markets. Under his guidance, the company has risen to industry challenges with exciting new innovations, broadened its scope and capabilities, and become a dependable employer of skilled tradesmen and professionals in Connecticut's manufacturing sector.

"The journey with Specialty Saw has been a testament to what can be achieved when a dedicated team works hand-in-hand with a loyal customer base. I'm eternally grateful to our customers for opening the doors for our collaborative innovations and can't wait to see what exciting new frontiers Specialty Saw explores next. The bench of leadership fostered under my tenure is poised to continue under our new President, Jeff Nagy ," said Dave Nagy .

Jeff Nagy stated, "For nearly two decades I have worked with this team to establish our brand as a reliable source for precision-engineered cutting solutions. Today, Specialty Saw is trusted by some of the largest and most influential companies in the industrial world. I'm deeply honored and enthusiastic about leading us into the next phase of our remarkable journey with this extraordinary team."

Irene McDonald , Specialty Saw's longtime controller moves into the role of Vice President of Finance, and Keith Cotter , Specialty Saw's Marketing and Sales Director is named Vice President of Business Development, rounding out Jeff's leadership team. Dave will continue to support a smooth transition during the upcoming months to ensure a seamless handover of responsibilities, as well as remain in an advisory and consultancy role for the foreseeable future.

The retirement of Dave Nagy marks the end of an era, with Specialty Saw looking forward to building on the foundation laid by Dave to achieve continued success in the future. The staff at Specialty Saw wishes to thank Dave for his unwavering dedication, strategic vision, and outstanding contributions to the firm's success.

For media inquiries, please contact Keith Cotter at [email protected].

Specialty Saw Inc. is a manufacturer of the world's finest cutting tools for the Hydraulics, Materials, and Metal Service Center industries.

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SOURCE Specialty Saw Inc.
BEIJING , Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

Shipwreck provides archaeologists with new clues to the extent of trade 700 years ago.

About 700 years ago, a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) ship heavily loaded with porcelain sank in what is now the Shengbeiyu sea area near Gulei Peninsula , Zhangzhou, Fujian province. Despite the loss of the valuable cargo, the ill-fated ship was gradually forgotten with the passage of time.

That was, until recently.

In 2010, a typhoon made landfall in the Gulei Peninsula , washing breeding boxes into the sea. When divers tried to salvage the boxes, they were surprised to find scattered porcelain items. Intrigued, a search was launched and the shipwreck was discovered.

In 2014, 2016 and 2021, three archaeological surveys were conducted on the shipwreck, to confirm its location, state of preservation, and gauge the surrounding environment.

After estimating its value for research, a new archaeological effort, initiated last year, was carried out by the National Centre for Archaeology, the Fujian Provincial Institute of Archaeology and the Zhangzhou bureau of culture and tourism to retrieve cultural relics from it. The latest discoveries were announced at a news conference held by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in October.

The shipwreck, located in a trench, lies about 30 meters under the surface. Remains include the body of the vessel and scattered cargo, covering an area of about 300 square meters.

According to Chen Hao , deputy head of the archaeological team, the ship was sailing the ancient Maritime Silk Road , but reefs and turbulent currents created complex conditions. As a result, accidents occur frequently there, even today.

The remains of the vessel are about 16.95 meters long and 4.5 meters at the widest point. It has 10 sections with nine panels separating them. More than 17,000 cultural relics were retrieved from the water, most of which are celadon porcelain produced by kilns in Longquan, Zhejiang province. These include bowls, plates, dishes and cups dating back to the late period of the Yuan Dynasty.

"This is the ninth shipwreck we have excavated domestically. Compared to others, the high proportion of porcelain items from one single type of kiln on one ship is extremely rare in our archaeology," says Liang Guoqing , head of the Shengbeiyu archaeological team.

Longquan celadon, which was regarded as "the first Chinese commodity with global appeal before the Age of Exploration", has been found in shipwrecks all around the world, portraying the prosperous maritime trade in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan dynasties, according to Chen. He adds that an active and open maritime trade policy was implemented during the period, leading to a peak in maritime trade.

"The maritime routes linked numerous important ports, cities and countries across the Northern Hemisphere, and a large quantity of Chinese goods were shipped to various parts of the world along these routes. This global trade directly influenced the exchange and mutual learning between civilizations," says Chen.

"The numerous sunken ships and precious artifacts discovered in domestic and international waters are important evidence of that historical period," he adds.

They have also checked the packaging of the goods, and found that the porcelain items were protected by bamboo in both horizontal and vertical directions. Between the vessels there remain traces of a wild plant common in mountainous areas of Fujian and Zhejiang . "We believe the plant was used as a buffer in packaging since it was common and cheap," says Chen.

Archaeologists have also salvaged some daily necessities of the crew members and articles they used for navigation, like pottery jars, seals, a ship lamp, a gauge bob and a bilge keel. Previously, archaeologists had only found a ship lamp from the Nan'ao No 1 shipwreck, which dates to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the South China Sea near Nan'ao Island, Guangdong province, so this one is precious, according to Chen.

Historical literature and ancient paintings have depicted gauge bobs which were used to measure water depth. "Ancient sailors were afraid of running aground. The gauge bobs were used before the invention of sonar," says Chen, adding that the newly discovered one was mainly made of lead.

"They are meaningful for our study of people's life on board," says Chen.

Another important find is the bilge keel, the only one ever found in China .

According to Chen, the bilge keel found from the Shengbeiyu shipwreck predates those used in the West during the 19th century by about 400 years.

"Since a bilge keel is easy to use and cheap, it's still one of the most widely used facilities to reduce a ship's tendency to roll. It is regarded as one of the most important contributions ancient Chinese people made to human navigation," says Chen.

Archaeologists have made some innovative attempts to preserve the artifacts as they were being removed from the water. For example, they sprayed epoxy resin around the cultural relics underwater, which then formed a protective shell. After getting them out of water, they dismantled the shell and checked the artifacts.

"They were soaked in water for about 700 years and were very vulnerable. We adopted the new technique to ensure their integrity," says Chen.

Archaeological studies on the Shuomen ancient port site in Wenzhou, Zhejiang , have revealed the port was a major distribution center for transporting Longquan celadon to overseas destinations during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Combining the two discoveries, archaeologists infer that the Shengbeiyu shipwreck was a private commercial ship transporting goods from the Wenzhou port to Southeast Asia .

"The archaeological efforts expended on Shuomen port and the Shengbeiyu shipwreck complement each other. They reveal details of a port and a ship respectively, displaying the history of the Maritime Silk Road , both of which are meaningful for our studies on the history of China's maritime civilization," says Jiang Bo , a professor at Shandong University's School of History and Culture.

The archaeological work finished in October, and the site has been backfilled for protection.

According to Wang Guangyao, a researcher at the Palace Museum in Beijing , during the archaeological work on the Shengbeiyu shipwreck, archaeologists made breakthroughs in their methods and techniques, representing a major progress in the country's underwater archaeology.

China has attached great importance to the development of underwater archaeology.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration has recently issued regulations on underwater archaeological work.

"The regulations highlight the technical specifications of underwater archaeological work, specify the key points of underwater archaeological techniques, and unify standards for data collection, archaeological records, and other aspects. They put forward higher requirements for underwater archaeological research and bring cultural relics back to life," says a statement released by the administration.

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SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn
LOS ANGELES , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinox Strategy Partners' announced today Managing Partner Jonathan Fitzgarrald has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's 2023 Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s . This yearly accolade highlights prominent professionals in the Los Angeles area who are in their 40s and exhibit continuous success in both their professional sphere and community involvement. In the special insert, each recipient is featured with a concise profile that showcases their career highlights and recent accomplishments.

The publication reports that Fitzgarrald "looks to undervalued professionals, untapping their potential to grow revenue, market visibility and their practices. Many of the professionals he advises report up to a 20 percent increase in revenue within the first year."

Fitzgarrald's personalized business strategies lead clients to discover their own business motivations. "He enjoys empowering professionals to succeed and believes that leaders are made and not necessarily born," the feature says. "In 2015, he established Equinox Strategy Partners to advise professionals nationwide to tap into their own potential to generate revenue. Since that time, he has grown the firm into a nationwide, multi-million dollar consultancy."

Fitzgarrald and his team at Equinox Strategy Partners facilitate comprehensive 12-month Associate Advancement Accelerator and Advanced Business Development programs, aimed at unlocking the full potential of lawyers at every career stage and addressing the primary causes of burnout. These programs have been shown to enhance attorney satisfaction and retention, providing invaluable training and development. By fostering meaningful internal relationships and honing essential skills and techniques, attorneys are better equipped to seize external growth opportunities.

Fitzgarrald is a longtime leader of the Legal Marketing Association and served on the board of advisors of the Legal Sales and Service Organization. Fitzgarrald spent nearly 20 years in-house at various firms, directing business development, marketing, public relations and communications. Nearly eight of those years were spent as Chief Business Development Officer at Greenberg Glusker , a full-service law firm. Fitzgarrald is a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management and was named a "Business Visionary" by the Los Angeles Times earlier this year.

EQUINOX STRATEGY PARTNERS provides service professionals in law, accounting and business management firms with strategies for growth. With offices in Los Angeles , San Diego and New York , their professionals provide firms nationwide with training, coaching and consulting for driving revenue and boosting market visibility.

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SOURCE EQUINOX STRATEGY PARTNERS
VERONA, Wis. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlight Solar has received the 2023 Best Company for Diversity award from Comparably. Annually, Comparably gathers data from diverse workplace environments and organizations to present awards. These are judged by the individuals who understand their companies best - their employees.

The company believes that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences are essential to driving innovation.

Everlight Solar's mission is rooted in cultivating a sustainable future for all. This commitment extends beyond their passion for solar. In an anonymous survey, one Everlight Solar staff member shared, "Everyone has each other's backs. We have a common goal and truly care about reaching it together." The company believes that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences are essential to driving innovation. This will allow them to create a positive impact on their community.

Additionally, their commitment to diversity is a core value that influences every decision and project they undertake. Everlight Solar believes in empowering its staff members, providing opportunities for professional growth, and ensuring everyone has a seat at the table.

Receiving the Best Company for Diversity marks the thirteenth award the company has received from Comparably. This award is an enduring demonstration of their steadfast dedication to the growth of their people and the solar industry.

Everlight Solar extends gratitude to their team, whose dedication and passion have made Everlight Solar the diverse and inclusive workplace it is today. The company remains committed to fostering an inclusive culture, breaking down barriers, and continuing to lead the way in sustainability and diversity in the Midwest.

About Everlight Solar

Everlight Solar is the fastest-growing solar company in the Midwest, with operations in Wisconsin , Minnesota , Idaho , Nebraska , Nevada , Oregon , Utah , and Wyoming . In their first year of eligibility, Everlight Solar was ranked number 632 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list with a staggering 930% growth rate. To learn more about open jobs or about going solar for your own home, visit www.everlightsolar.com.

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SOURCE Everlight Solar
CHEVY CHASE, Md. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FCP  announces the sale of Stewart's Mill Apartments in the West Atlanta suburb of Douglasville, GA to Viking Capital for $28.2 million . The 188-unit apartment community was acquired by FCP in March 2020 in a portfolio acquisition along with two other Atlanta apartment communities.

"FCP is pleased to have completed the successful execution of our business plan at Stewart's Mill , providing the property with numerous capital improvements and amenity upgrades to improve the resident experience," said FCP's Michael Errichetti . "We appreciate the smooth transaction process with Viking Capital and are confident they will be an excellent steward of the property."

Stewart's Mill is located at 3421 Stewart Mill Road in Douglasville , less than one mile from the I-20/Fairburn Road interchange and convenient to major Atlanta job corridors along with retail centers, restaurants, and recreational activities.

FCP extends its appreciation to Nathan Swenson , Wesley Kenney , Brooks Colquitt , and Robert Yates of Cushman & Wakefield Southeast Multifamily Advisory Group for their representation of the seller.

About FCP

FCP  is a privately held real estate investment company that has invested in or financed more than $12.4 billion in assets since its founding in 1999. FCP invests directly and with operating partners in commercial and residential assets. The firm makes equity and mezzanine investments in income-producing and development properties. Based in Chevy Chase, MD , FCP invests both its commingled, discretionary funds and separate accounts targeted at major real estate markets in the United States . For further information on FCP, please visit www.fcpdc.com.

Media Contact: Karen Widmayer

KW Communications, LLC

[email protected]

301-661-1448

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SOURCE FCP
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday.

Noting that since the beginning of this year, he has met with President Putin twice, Xi said the governments, legislative bodies, political parties and localities of the two countries have carried out in-depth exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has developed in a sound and steady manner.

In the first 11 months of this year, the bilateral trade between China and Russia achieved the annual trade volume target of 200 billion U.S. dollars jointly set by the two heads of state, which shows the strong resilience and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Xi said.

He noted that maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

China supports the Russian people in taking the development path of their own choice, Xi said, expressing the hope of taking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia next year as a new starting point to continuously expand the positive effects of the high-level political relations and jointly move forward in the process of comprehensively promoting economic and social development and realizing national rejuvenation.

The Chinese economy has strong resilience, great potential and wide room for maneuver, and its long-term sound fundamentals remain unchanged, Xi said. China firmly promotes high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new opportunities for the development of various countries including Russia, he said.

Xi called on the two sides to give full play to the advantages of political mutual trust, economic complementarity, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges; continuously enrich the connotation of cooperation; deepen cooperation on economy, trade, energy and connectivity; and jointly maintain the security and stability of the industrial and supply chains.

He also called for joint efforts to make the China-Russia Cultural Year in 2024 and 2025 a success, design and carry out diverse cultural activities, and consolidate the social and public support for the ever-lasting friendship between the two countries.

Mishustin said the two successful meetings between President Putin and President Xi this year have demonstrated the firm will of Russia and China to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and that Russia is willing to work with China to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.

The 28th regular meeting between the two heads of government was held on Tuesday. Mishustin said Russia is satisfied with the steady growth of bilateral practical cooperation and is willing to work with China to further tap potential, expand cooperation in fields such as economy, trade, energy and connectivity, make the Cultural Year a success, and consolidate the ever-lasting friendship between the two peoples.

Mishustin also conveyed the condolences of the Russian government and people to Xi on the earthquake that jolted northwest China's Gansu Province, saying that Russia is willing to provide rescue assistance according to China's needs.

Xi expressed his gratitude and noted that after the earthquake, President Putin and many foreign leaders have sent messages of condolences.

China is making every effort to carry out rescue efforts and is doing its best to protect the lives and property of the people, Xi said.

At present, rescue forces and supplies in the quake-hit areas are sufficient and the basic living needs of the local people are guaranteed, Xi said, adding that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the people in the affected areas will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
OTTAWA, ON , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada announced today that it was awarded four contracts cumulatively valued at up to CA$1.68 billion ( US$1.3 billion ) by the Government of Canada to support the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system for the Canadian Army.

The four contracts for the Land Command Support System (LCSS) are: System of Systems Engineering & Integration; Core Network Sustainment Services; Applications Sustainment Services; and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).

"General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada has been supporting the Canadian Armed Forces for over 75 years with superb engineering and technical talent that enables us to innovate and excel alongside our industry and government colleagues," said Joel Houde , vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada. "We are prepared to meet the challenges of the modern battlespace and will continue the digitization of the Canadian Armed Forces today and into the future."

General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated $39.4 billion in revenue in 2022. More information about General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada is available at www.gdmissionsystems.ca. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.gd.com.

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SOURCE General Dynamics
BEIJING , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering the Qianhai and Shekou Area of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Shenzhen , one can immediately feel the sheer size and vibrancy of one of the busiest ports in China : there are rows of high-rise buildings and enormous warehouses and logistics centers; and trucks carrying containers pass by constantly.

December usually marks one of the busiest periods for the port area, as everything from spare parts to electronic devices are shipped from here to all over the world for the upcoming holiday seasons. The annual import and export value of the port area through the area skyrocketed from 71.2 billion yuan ( $10.06 billion ) in 2015 to 304.6 billion yuan in 2022, with an annual average growth rate of 23 percent.

The bustling scenes at the port area and the exponential growth over such a short period put on vivid display the quintessential " Shenzhen speed" - which refers to the rapid transformation of the city from a fishing village to a world class metropolis in just a few decades. More importantly, this is where the construction of the Shekou industrial zone began in July 1979 , widely considered as the "first shot" of China's reform and opening-up.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the beginning of China's reform and opening-up. On December 18, 1978 , about seven months before the "first shot" was fired, the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its third plenary session, where the Party decisively abandoned the policy of taking class struggle as the key link, and initiated a strategic shift in the focus of the Party and country's work, thereby ushering in a new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.

Miraculous achievements

That fateful decision has led to miraculous achievements in all aspects of China over the past 45 years, essentially transforming the country from a poor, agrarian society to a modern global power and propelling the country from margins of the world to the center. In 1978, China's GDP was $149.54 billion - only about 1.75 percent of global GDP, but in 2022, China's economy, at about $18 trillion , is the world's second-largest and accounts for about 18.6 percent of global GDP. China's GDP growth averaged more than 9 percent annually since its reform and opening-up and more than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, according to the World Bank.

Reform and opening-up is the right and necessary path for China because it is the only path that fits China's national conditions and has achieved unparalleled results.

" China's success provides ideas for developing countries today that it is better to rely on their own resources and local realities, while better using high-quality conditions from outside than to copy alternative models," Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that reform and opening-up not only changed Chinese life for the better, but also strengthened Chinese people's confidence in the country's institutions, path forward and future prospects.

Underneath China's economic miracle is the improved lives of the Chinese people. In 1978, per capita disposable income in the urban area was only 343 yuan , but that figure jumped to 36,883 yuan in 2022. The Engel's Coefficient - the proportion of money spent on food in household expenses, a reliable barometer of income growth - of rural households dropped from 67.7 in 1978 to 33 in 2022.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has continued to deepen reform and expand opening-up, leading to rapid development in all respects. Since 2012, China remained the world's second-largest economy, the world's top manufacturing power and top trader.

China is leading in many fields, including in the number of Fortune 500 companies, the number of 5G stations, the number of broadband users, and the length of high-speed railways and highways.

Global contribution

Beyond improved Chinese life, China's economic miracle has also greatly contributed to global development. Between 2013 and 2021, China's annual GDP growth rate averaged 6.6 percent, far higher than the global average of 2.6 percent. Its contribution to global growth averaged about 38.6 percent during that period, higher than the combined contribution of G7 countries.

In addition to contribution to global growth and steady supply of affordable and high-quality goods for the world, China's vast market and its opening-up have created massive opportunities for global businesses.

US iconic fast food chain McDonald's is one of the first foreign businesses that benefited from China's reform and opening-up. In 1990, the company opened its first restaurant in the Chinese mainland in Shenzhen's Luohu district.

Recalling the opening day 33 years ago, Raymond Ye , franchising division president of McDonald's China , described quite a bustling scene. "The line started from our counter on the second floor all the way to the front door  With the number of people waiting in line likely exceeding 800," Ye told the Global Times. "That was basically every day for the first year.''

More than 30 years later, the restaurant, now surrounded by countless other shops on a busy commercial center, is still bustling with consumers. And the number of McDonald's across China also grew exponentially. McDonald's plans to increase the number of restaurants from more than 5,600 currently to 10,000 by 2028.

"The development of McDonald's to the present - from the first one to more than 5,600 stores - is a result of the reform and opening-up. We also believe that reform and opening-up must move forward  And shouldn't stop," Ye said.

The confidence in China's development prospects and continued reform and opening-up is also shared by many foreign businesses, as more and more companies, including high-tech ones, are exploring and expanding in the Chinese market.

In the Lingang new area of Shanghai , also a frontier of China's reform and opening-up, office buildings of foreign companies are scattered in every corner of the area. Inside the workshop of the German company Lenze, a leading automation specialist, the automated production line runs smoothly, converting components into finished products.

The company set up the plant in 2006, started a second phase expansion in 2012 and moved its Asia research and development center to Lingang in 2019. "The first reason for choosing Lingang and choosing China is that the Chinese market has the biggest potential and is the largest for automation. The second reason is that China's business environment has been very good in recent years, with great emphasis on opening-up, innovation and reform," Xie Weidong , president East Asia and general manager China at Lenze Group, told the Global Times.

After the tremendous success of the past 45 years, China will continue to deepen reform and expand high-level opening-up going forward, creating greater opportunities for global businesses, analysts said. Going forward, "new technologies, the digital economy, green development will be the main engine of growth," Cao said.

The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference, a tone-setting meeting for economic policy in 2024, stressed that it is crucial to strengthen the endogenous driving force for development through reform and opening up, ensure the advancement of both profound reforms and high-level opening-up. Among specific measures, the meeting said that barriers shall be removed to make it easy for foreigners to do business, study and travel in China .

Read more:

Path to miracle: 45 years of reform and opening-up propel China to center of global stage

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202312/1303815.shtml

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SOURCE Global Times
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE: GBX) invites shareholders and other interested parties to listen to its Virtual Shareholders Meeting.

What: The Greenbrier Companies' Virtual Annual Shareholders Meeting

When: Friday, January 5, 2024 , at 12:00 p.m. PST

To attend virtually, please go www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/GBX2024 to log in 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Shareholders will need the control number from your proxy card to participate. Otherwise, you can log in as a "Guest." If you log in through a brokerage firm's website, you can gain access to the meeting by logging into your brokerage firm's website 15 minutes prior to the meeting start. Then, select the shareholder communications mailbox to connect to the meeting and the control number will automatically populate.

About Greenbrier

Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon , is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars in North America , Europe and Brazil . We are a leading provider of freight railcar wheel services, parts, maintenance and retrofitting services in North America through our maintenance services business unit. Greenbrier owns a lease fleet of approximately 13,400 railcars that originate primarily from Greenbrier's manufacturing operations. Greenbrier offers railcar management, regulatory compliance services and leasing services to railroads and other railcar owners in North America . Learn more about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com.

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SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
Darktrace Federal Cyber AI Mission Defense designed to combat sophisticated attacks including nation state attacks, insider threats, and zero-days using Self-Learning AI

RESTON, Va. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Darktrace Federal announced that the Technology Advancement Center (TAC) completed an independent technical evaluation of the Darktrace Federal Cyber AI Mission Defense solution for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments.

In the evaluation, Cyber AI Mission Defense consistently detected and responded to nation-state-like attacks in real time, providing 100% detection of anomalous behaviors without rules, signatures, or white/blacklisting. TAC's evaluation also found Cyber AI Mission Defense was successful in discovering each device type connected on OT and IT networks, providing 100% visibility into network communications and asset identification, regardless of protocol.

TAC (formerly known as MISI) was created in partnership with U.S. Cyber Command and is a non-government-operated, independent facility designed to provide continuous innovation in cyber capabilities to cyber mission forces in national security and partners. TAC conducted a rigorous technical evaluation of the solution for both IT and OT environments over a two-month period. It deployed five different exploits against the platform to simulate nation-state attacks such as advanced persistent threats (APTs). TAC established the evaluation criteria and developed and executed the test plan against the platform using its proven testing methodology and the diverse skillset of its staff, including offensive and defensive cyber operators and analysts as well as systems and network engineers.

Following the evaluation, TAC noted: "The Darktrace Federal Cyber Artificial Intelligence platform demonstrated that its AI approach to network threat protection is mature and highly capable of detecting and mitigating emerging threats from their infancy stages to full evolution."

Darktrace Federal's Cyber AI Mission Defense solution spans IT and OT environments, providing coverage for on-premises networks, cloud, OT and critical infrastructure systems, applications, and zero trust architectures. Using Darktrace's unique Self-Learning AI, which establishes an ecosystem-specific understanding of normal operational behavior, Cyber AI Mission Defense empowers U.S. Federal Government agencies to disrupt threats across the digital estate.

Marcus Fowler , CEO of Darktrace Federal, commented: "TAC's technical evaluation demonstrates the value that Self-Learning AI can bring to help the U.S. government achieve defensive superiority in cyberspace and ensure mission resilience. With AI and automation enhancing the skills, speed and scale of adversaries, it's critical that defenders have the right types of defensive AI in their toolkit to stay one step ahead."

The full report, which includes evaluation criteria, network configuration, exploits deployed, and testing methodology and results, can be downloaded here.

ABOUT DARKTRACE FEDERAL

Darktrace Federal Inc. is on a mission to deliver complete AI-powered solutions to defend U.S. federal government customers from cyber disruptions and ensure mission resilience. Darktrace Federal is a Reston, Virginia -based subsidiary of Darktrace PLC (DARK.L), a global leader in cyber security artificial intelligence delivering world-class technology that protects approximately 8,900 customers globally from advanced cyber threats. Darktrace Federal applies Darktrace's Self-Learning AI, which continuously learns and updates its knowledge of 'you' and applies that understanding to optimize your state of cyber security. To learn more, please visit https://darktrace.com/federal

ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT CENTER

Technology Advancement Center (TAC), formerly MISI, is a cybersecurity nonprofit fueling the people and technology needed to solve critical cybersecurity challenges. The TAC's three pillars of focus include: small business and academic engagement, STEM and workforce development, and proof of concept innovation. Through collaboration with small businesses, academic researchers, and non-traditional members of the cybersecurity community, TAC serves as an intermediary and helps connect U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the U.S. government to the innovative products and solutions needed to advance the nation's cybersecurity capabilities.

The Technology Advancement Center runs programs out of two nationally acclaimed Defense Mission Accelerators with over 100,000 square feet of space that serve as non-government-owned or operated independent facilities to provide cyber national mission forces and partners with continuous innovation in cyber capabilities: TheLink and DiscoveryX. Visit thetac.tech to learn more.

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SOURCE Darktrace
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) will host its annual Summit in Washington, D.C. June 4 - 6, 2024 . Members of the baby and children's products industry are invited to attend the Summit to learn, connect, and collaborate, and ultimately, to advance baby and child safety.

The Summit serves as an opportunity for JPMA members, manufacturers, testing labs, safety experts, and government agencies to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities within the industry and to identify ways to continue creating the safest and most innovative products for babies and young children.

"Parents and caregivers rely on our products to keep babies safe and to make caregiving more convenient," said Rob Gardner , Chairman of JPMA's Board of Directors and President and CEO of Joovy. "As an industry, our commitment to the safety of babies and young children means it's crucial that we address issues like safe sleep, chemicals regulation, counterfeit goods, tariffs, supply chain issues, and more. The Summit is the perfect opportunity for us to do that."

The three-day event will include networking opportunities, educational sessions, moderated discussions, special-interest breakout sessions, a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives, and more. "The 2024 JPMA Summit is the most important industry event of the year," said JPMA Executive Director Lisa Trofe . "We welcome and strongly encourage everyone in the baby and children's products industry to attend this important event."

For more information about the JPMA Summit, visit jpma.org/summit.

About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is the voice of the industry on quality and safety for baby and children's products in North America . We work to advance the interests of manufacturers, parents, children, and the industry at large by advocating for safety through product certification programs and legislative and regulatory involvement. We support our broad and diverse membership through member-only programming and industry promotion, and we act as a comprehensive source for baby product information and education. Established in 1962, JPMA has spent more than 60 years helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children.

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SOURCE Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)
KANAZAWA, Japan , Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes. The findings provide insights into the mechanism behind the generation of cell-membrane action potentials.

The transport of ions to and from a cell is controlled by pore-forming proteins embedded in the cell membrane. In particular, so-called voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) govern the transfer of sodium (Na+) ions and play an important role in the regulation of the membrane potential - the voltage difference between the cell's exterior and interior. In electrically excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells, VGSCs participate in the generation of action potentials; these are rapid changes in the membrane potential enabling the transmission of e.g. neural signals. The precise structural changes occurring in VGSCs are not completely understood, however. Now, Ayumi Sumino and Takashi Sumikama from Kanazawa University in collaboration with Katsumasa Irie from Wakayama Medical University and colleagues have succeeded in observing the structural dynamics of VGSC by means of high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), a method capable of imaging the nanostructure and subsecond dynamics of biomolecules.

VGSCs can be in three different states: resting, inactive and active. In the latter state, Na+ ions can pass through the channel; in the resting and inactive states, which are structurally different, ions cannot pass. The basic structure of a VGSC consists of two modules: voltage sensor domains and pore domains. These domains form a square arrangement, with the ion pore at its center. An important open question is whether the voltage sensor domains dissociate from the pore domains when the channel closes.

Sumino and colleagues performed experiments on three VGSCs. One is the sodium channel of a particular bacterium (Arcobacter butzleri), the other two are mutants thereof. These three VGSCs have different voltage dependencies, with activation voltages starting at -120 mV, -50 mV and 0 mV, so that at the experimental conditions (0 mV), the VGSCs are in different states.

In order to provide insights into the structural dynamics of these three VGSCs, the researchers applied HS-AFM, a powerful technique for producing image sequences of biochemical compounds. A single AFM image is generated by laterally moving a tip just above the sample's surface; during this xy-scanning motion, the tip's position in the direction perpendicular to the xy-plane (the z-coordinate) will follow the sample's height profile. The variation of the z-coordinate of the tip then produces a height map - the image of the sample. The generation of such AFM images in rapid succession then produces a video recording of the sample.

The HS-AFM results revealed that for the mutant VGSC in the resting state, the voltage sensor domains are indeed dissociated from the pore domains. Furthermore, the researchers found that the dissociated voltage sensor domains of neighboring channels connect to form pairs - this is referred to as dimerization.

The observation of the dissociation of voltage sensor domains, as well as the dimerization between pore channels, are findings that will lead to a better understanding of what causes pores to close in the resting state, and how the development of action potentials is regulated. Quoting the scientists, dimerization offers "a potential explanation for the facilitation of positive cooperativity of channel activity in the rising phase of the action potential".

Background

High-speed atomic force microscopy

The principle behind atomic force microscopy (AFM) is to scan the surface of a sample with a very small tip. During this horizontal (xy) scanning, the tip, which is attached to a small cantilever, follows the sample's vertical (z) profile, which induces a force on the cantilever that can be measured. The magnitude of the force at the xy position can be related to the z value. The xyz data generated during a scan then result in a height map providing structural information about the investigated sample. In high-speed-AFM (HS-AFM), the working principle is slightly more involved: the cantilever is made to oscillate near its resonance frequency. When the tip is moved around a surface, the variations in the amplitude (or the frequency) of the cantilever's oscillation - resulting from the tip's interaction with the sample's surface - are recorded, as these provide a measure for the local z value.

HS-AFM produces a sequence of AFM images recorded in rapid succession - a video, where the time interval between frames depends on the speed with which a single image can be generated (by xy-scanning the sample). In recent years, researchers at Kanazawa University have further developed HS-AFM so that it can be applied for studying biochemical molecules and biomolecular processes in real-time. Ayumi Sumino and colleagues have now applied the method to study the structural dynamics of Na+ ion channels, revealing the dissociation of channel components and the formation of inter-channel dimers when the channel is in the resting (blocking) state.

Reference

Ayumi Sumino , Takashi Sumikama, Mikihiro Shibata , and Katsumasa Irie . Voltage sensors of a Na+ channel dissociate from the pore domain and form inter-channel dimers in the resting state, Nature Communications 14, article number 7835 (2023).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43347-3

URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43347-3

Figure

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Figure1_en-1.png

Figure 1. Caption

HS-AFM of the Na v channels. (a and e) Snapshots of HS-AFM movies of WT (open) and E32Q/N49K (closed) channels. (b and f) Time-averaged images of (a) and (e). (c and g) Localization AFM images of (a) and (e). (d and h) Schematic illustration of results.

Contact

Hiroe Yoneda

Senior Specialist in Project Planning and Outreach

NanoLSI Administrative Office

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University  blogdescription The Nano Life Science Institute of Kanazawa University is unique in the world with the goal of exploring unexplored nano-domains remaining inside and outside cells and understanding the mechanisms of life phenomena at the atomic and molecular level (nano-level). A one-of-a-kind research base.

Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University

Kanazawa University This is an informational site of Kanazawa University

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa  a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

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SOURCE Kanazawa University
WASHINGTON , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA and its international partners are set to receive scientific research samples and hardware as a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Wednesday, Dec. 20 .

The agency will provide live coverage of Dragon's undocking and departure starting at 8:45 p.m. EST on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency's website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Dragon will undock from the station's Harmony module at 9:05 p.m. and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station after receiving a command from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California .

After re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida . NASA will not broadcast the splashdown, but updates will be posted on the agency's space station blog.

Dragon will carry back to Earth more than 4,300 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments designed to take advantage of the space station's microgravity environment. Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation of the experiments to NASA's Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida , allowing researchers to collect data with minimal sample exposure to Earth's gravity.

Scientific hardware and samples returning to Earth include Planet Habitat-03, which assesses whether genetic adaptations in one generation of plants grown in space can transfer to the next generation. This is one of the first multi-generation plant biology studies in orbit.

Other studies include JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Cell Gravisensing, an investigation that looks at how cells sense and respond to the effects of gravity. Results could promote drug development for treating muscle atrophy and osteoporosis.

Also returning on Dragon is Genes in Space-10, a student-led project that tests a method for in-orbit measurement of the length of telomeres, cap-like structures at the end of DNA strands that shorten with age, but have been found to lengthen in space.

Additionally, samples from MaRVIn-PCIM (Microgravity Research for Versatile Investigations-Phase Change in Mixtures) and Neuronix (Innovative Paralysis Therapy Enabling Neuroregeneration) also are returning to Earth for scientific analysis.

Dragon arrived at the station Nov. 11 as SpaceX's 29th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, delivering about 6,500 pounds of research investigations, crew supplies, and station hardware. The spacecraft launched Nov. 9 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy.

These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA's Artemis program.

Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Learn more about SpaceX's mission for NASA at:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

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SOURCE NASA
Neste Corporation, Press Release, 20 December 2023 at 9 a.m. (EET)

ESPOO, Finland , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neste has completed the strategic study launched in September 2022 , and begins a gradual transformation of its crude oil refinery in Porvoo, Finland into a leading renewable and circular solutions refining hub. The planned transformation will proceed in phases, and requires multiple separate investment decisions during the next decade before targeted completion in the mid 2030s.

The company expects the long-term capacity potential after the transformation to be about 3 million tons of renewable and circular products, such as renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and both renewable and circular feedstock for the polymers and chemicals industry. The total investment estimate for the transformation roadmap is approximately 2.5 BEUR.

"The COP28 declaration is a strong signal to all of us, and we want to be in the forefront of accelerating the green transition with our renewable and circular solutions. The long term transformation of the Porvoo refinery is a key element in our renewables growth strategy, completing Neste's journey to a 100% renewable and circular solutions provider when finalized. This will further strengthen our position in serving the future needs of our customers," says Matti Lehmus , the President and CEO of Neste.

"The demand for fossil fuels is declining in our traditional markets due to the growing share of renewable fuels and electrification. I am excited to start this transformation roadmap of the Porvoo refinery to proactively create a sustainable future for the site. This transformation will be made possible by our decades long refining experience, specific expertise in processing challenging raw materials, and our highly skilled employees," says Markku Korvenranta , Executive Vice President in Oil Products business unit.

The planned Porvoo transformation will contribute to the realization of Neste's climate commitments. The final timeline for transitioning from crude oil to renewable and circular raw materials will be determined later in line with the actual fuel market demand, legislation development and transformation progress.

Neste Corporation

Susanna Sieppi

Vice President, Communications



Neste Corporation

[email protected]

+358 800 94025

The following files are available for download:

https://news.cision.com/neste/i/neste-porvoo-refinery-press-release,c3250750 Neste Porvoo refinery press release

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SOURCE Neste
Arcadia Cold fulfills launch goal of creating national US platform in one year

ATLANTA , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics is closing 2023 with five ribbon cuttings for brand-new, large scale cold storage warehouses under their belt. After two years of planning and preparation, the Company is fully operational and actively serving customers in each of their five new facilities, Hazleton, PA ; Fort Worth, TX ; Atlanta, GA ; Phoenix, AZ ; and Reno, NV .

After two years of planning and preparation, the Company is fully operational and actively serving customers.

Arcadia Cold's facilities total 60 million cubic feet in critical distribution markets, with significant scale and available capacity necessary to support the needs of food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice companies. Each facility is fully racked and designed to handle the demands of today's food supply chain.

"Not only is Arcadia proving the quality of the team they have built, but we are raising industry standards in customer service," said JD Schwefler, Arcadia's Head of Site Selection and Design Solutions, "We set out on a mission to build a network of new, modern facilities focused on customer needs and we are now delivering on that mission."

"We have developed new, high-quality cold storage assets at a time where there are a lot of aging buildings in the United States ," Chris Hughes , Arcadia President & CEO said. "We are excited to be a new disruptive player in an otherwise antiquated industry with our new facilities, passionate team, and leading-edge technology."

About Arcadia Cold: Arcadia Cold specializes in providing third-party handling, storage, distribution, and value-added services to the food industry. We are on a mission to design and deploy modern facilities and provide innovative solutions through the practical application of technology, creating meaningful value for our customers while helping them meet their strategic objectives  establishing The New Age of cold chain. www.arcadiacold.com

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SOURCE Arcadia Cold
SINGAPORE , Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Tellus announced today the swift completion of fundraising for its third private equity fund, Novo Tellus PE Fund 3, L.P. (the "Fund"). The Fund surpassed its fundraising target by 36% and closed fundraising at its hard cap of US $510 million in commitments.

The Fund completed its raise six months after holding its first closing in June 2023 , with 100% of its existing institutional investors re-committing to the Fund, joined by a distinguished set of new limited partners from around the world.

In the 12 years since it was founded, Novo Tellus has established a distinctive record of partnering closely with ambitious business leaders to reinvigorate growth in technology and industrial companies in Southeast Asia and beyond. Novo Tellus has developed a specialised investment strategy that combines deep sector knowledge with close, empathic management partnerships to expand business vision, grow products and services, and create lasting business growth over time.

"We're grateful for the support of our distinguished and diverse limited partners, who represent many of the pre-eminent institutional investors globally," said Loke Wai San , Managing Partner. "While we are happy to complete fundraising in a difficult environment, we remain unflinchingly focused on our core business of partnering with great management teams to invest in growth and compound value for all stakeholders.

The technology supply chain continues to re-order itself on a massive global scale today, creating important opportunities for skilled investors to help management teams navigate complexity and capitalise on new growth opportunities. Our specialised investment model gets better and better as we keep accreting experience, relationships, and successful outcomes in our sector over time. We will continue to focus our energies and experience on growing this singular sectoral advantage over time as we develop and grow Fund 3 with our stakeholders".

About Novo Tellus

Novo Tellus is a private equity firm specialising in building lasting growth in technology supply chain companies throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. With a specialised investment team and a proven track record, Novo Tellus seeks to create deeply informed and empathic partnerships with business leaders to expand vision and re-invigorate business growth over time.

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SOURCE Novo Tellus
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Amid a comprehensive reform over the past decade, Chinese President Xi Jinping has steered China toward a future of Chinese modernization with greater confidence, as the country's socialist system with Chinese characteristics is maturing along the way.

From witnessing theoretical development to addressing challenges unique to a large political party, and from advancing national institutional and governance system reforms to driving high-quality development, China has achieved historic, systemic and holistic transformations in many fields over the past 10 years.

David Ferguson, an editor of the English version of the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," said he was astonished to see how a remote mountain village in northwest China's Gansu Province could be transformed so dramatically.

"A decade ago, it took three days to reach Longnan City from there, but now it only takes an hour," he said, noting that all the villages are connected by paved roads, and bridges and tunnels span the mountains. Ferguson attributes China's remarkable progress to the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In the deepened reform led by Xi, the emphasis has been on institutional improvements, with the task of advancing Chinese modernization deemed a top political priority by the Chinese leader.

"Promoting Chinese modernization is an exploratory undertaking. There are still many unknown areas. We need to boldly explore them in practice and promote our cause through reform and innovation," Xi said.

ARCHITECT OF DEEPENING OVERALL REFORM

The transformative journey in the new era began with the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee convened in 2013.

Xi, who has been the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee since November 2012, personally led the drafting committee for the conference documents and outlined the overall objectives of comprehensively deepening reform -- to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and modernize China's system and capacity for governance.

Facing international skepticism about China's political system reform, Xi responded resolutely by saying that reform must continue on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. "Reform must stay on the right course, neither going back down the rigid, closed-door path of the past nor embarking on the erroneous path of changing our political direction."

Xi spearheaded the establishment of the central leading group for deepening overall reform, which later evolved into the central commission for comprehensively deepening reform. To date, it has convened some 70 meetings, and reviewed and approved many plans and proposals, including the development of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the building of a unified domestic market, and the adoption of the "river chief" and "lake chief" systems.

"Many key reforms would not have been carried out without Xi's decisive decisions," recalled a scholar involved in drafting the documents for comprehensively deepening reform.

Xi underlined the paramount importance of the new development philosophy among the key theories and concepts on economic and social development that have been put forward since the 18th CPC National Congress.

"The GDP growth rate can not serve as the sole yardstick of success for development. Rather, it is imperative to achieve high-quality development in which innovation is the primary driver, coordination is an endogenous trait, eco-friendly growth prevails, openness to the world is the only way, and shared growth is the ultimate goal, with a view to propelling transformative changes in the quality, efficiency and impetus of economic development," he said.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has provided a systematic, high-level blueprint and operational path for all aspects of modernization. It stands as an indisputable guide to action for achieving national rejuvenation.

Xi has called for comprehensively advancing law-based governance, emphasizing that throughout the reform process, great importance must be attached to thinking and acting under the guidance of the rule of law, and reforms must be carried out in accordance with the rule of law.

Furthermore, he determined a value orientation for comprehensively deepening the reform, which is to ensure that all people can benefit more thoroughly and fairly from the fruits of reform and development.

Ten years into deepening reform across the board, China has eliminated absolute poverty and formed the world's largest middle-income group of over 400 million people. China has established the world's largest social security system, and the average life expectancy of its people has increased from 74.8 years to 78.2 years in a decade.

Under Xi's helm, China has achieved its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, an important stride toward national rejuvenation.

Per the decision of Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, the People's Liberation Army completed the most extensive and profound national defense and military reform since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Xi also delved into the unique challenges facing a party as large as the CPC and found the self-revolution of the Party a viable solution. From introducing the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving work conduct to tackling pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, and from conducting disciplinary inspection and supervision to the establishment of the Audit Commission of the CPC Central Committee, a series of systemic arrangements have been put in place to ensure that "power is exercised in broad daylight."

Over the course of a decade, China has twice undertaken large-scale reforms of the Party and state institutions, guided by a problem-oriented approach and not shying away from adjusting power and interests. The establishment of the National Commission of Supervision marked the first instance of comprehensive oversight over all public office holders exercising public power.

"There is no country or political party in the whole world that has the political courage and historical responsibility to carry out such a bold and inward-looking self-reform. There is no country or political party that can promote reform in such a wide range of areas, on such a large scale, with such powerful strength and in such a short period of time. This is a distinctive feature and significant advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics," Xi said.

XI'S REFORM METHODOLOGY

In addressing the areas requiring reform and the methods to be employed, Xi has adeptly used metaphors such as "navigating treacherous waters" and "gnawing the bones" to encourage people to confront tough challenges.

Over the past decades, the Chinese leadership has amassed successful experiences including "emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts," "adhering to a problem-oriented approach" and "correctly handling the relationship between reform, development and stability."

While sticking with these norms, Xi has also exerted his wisdom and explored new ways. He stressed pursuing reform in a more systemic, holistic and coordinated manner.

"Gnawing the bones" is a key reform method. It involves tackling tough issues such as the streamlining of the government, delegation of power, and enhancement of transparency in government affairs. Addressing corruption is imperative, and efforts are directed toward bridging rural-urban gaps and ensuring more equitable medical services. These aspects constitute the more challenging facets of China's reform process, which entails taking huge risks and invariably dents the core interests of many.

Upholding the "zero tolerance" principle, the anti-corruption drive investigated more than 4.7 million people in 10 years. The medical reform is providing increasingly effective and low-cost services to the people.

Another major methodology of China's reform is a gradual approach, which ensures continued success.

Xi mandated that localities and sectors undertake pilot roles to test initiatives for the country, with integrated institutional innovation serving as the linchpin. He emphasized the need to establish the new before abolishing the old and to pursue progress while ensuring stability.

China's 22 pilot free trade zones (FTZs) are trialing new ways to facilitate trade, investment and cross-border cooperation. Pudong in Shanghai, the city of Shenzhen, and Zhejiang Province are undertaking pilot roles in socialist modernization, socialism with Chinese characteristics, and common prosperity, respectively.

In November, China announced its decision to choose 100 carbon peak pilot cities and industrial parks, with the first batch of 35 already made public. "Green transformation is a process, not something that can be accomplished overnight," Xi warned.

The deepened reform is moving forward with solid momentum. Such reform differs from the radical "shock therapy" employed by some countries and it is not a mere patching-up for existing problems as seen in some developed countries. It is a comprehensive reform that is people-centered and respects the pioneering spirit of the people.

Xi likened the critical rural reform initiated 45 years ago in Xiaogang Village to a "life and death" moment. To address rural conundrums and problems today, deepened reform is needed, he said.

Highlighting a similarly daring initiative by people in Fujian to explore land use right in the mountains, Xi said, "We respect the initiative of the people, and the people are the real heroes."

China's reform promotes democracy, listens to public opinion, and incorporates people's suggestions into legislation, planning and decision-making.

The above-mentioned reform methodology, along with systematic thinking, treating both symptoms and root causes, and a dialectical approach, is derived from China's reality and culture and sets in motion more changes for the future.

CHAMPIONING REFORM FOR MODERNIZATION

Comprehensively deepening reform has been viewed by Xi as the fundamental driving force for Chinese modernization, which is key to realizing national rejuvenation.

His calls resonated well across the country.

Hefei, capital of Anhui Province and an inland city once much less conspicuous, is being transformed into a "city of the future." It is now home to a world-class new display industry, a thriving new energy vehicle sector, and some of the world's most cutting-edge technologies in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, deep space exploration and nuclear fusion.

The burgeoning development has been catalyzed by a raft of reform measures that empower cash-strapped strategic emerging industries with state-owned capital, beef up policy support for national basic research projects, and open public resources to provide the much-needed application scenarios for new technologies.

Hefei is the epitome of how the deepening reform championed by Xi has propelled China's pursuit of modernization, which entails high-quality development and the greater role of innovation in driving growth.

The city has set up special municipal-level committees for advancing sci-tech innovation and fostering strategic emerging industries, the earliest among its peers.

"We have to mobilize resources citywide to support these sectors as they typically need a long period of development before generating returns, with great uncertainty," said Yuan Fei, vice mayor of Hefei. "It's like we push for physical reactions first until chemical changes occur when they have appeal to the market."

Whatever local officials have been doing, it appears to be "the right mix of industrial policy and private-sector mojo," The Economist quoted Robin Xing, an economist at Morgan Stanley, as saying in a report on the city's success.

Noting that the key to Chinese modernization lies in the modernization of science and technology, Xi has urged deepening structural scientific and technological reform and establishing a foundational system for all-around innovation.

China has completed 143 reform tasks in this regard, helping boost its ranking on the Global Innovation Index from 35th in 2013 to 12th this year. The tech-intensive green trio -- solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles -- have replaced apparel, home appliances and furniture to become the "three major drivers" of the country's foreign trade.

Reform is also taking hold in China's vast rural areas. Xi has pushed for significant reforms on the rights to contracted rural land and the rural collective property rights system, noting that "reform must be well leveraged as a powerful instrument for advancing rural revitalization across the board."

In Houbaligou Village of east China's Shandong Province, the reform of collective property rights has enabled villagers to hold shares in a cooperative engaged in businesses like real estate, education and commerce.

The village's collective assets ballooned to over 8 billion yuan (about 1.1 billion U.S. dollars) at present from 3.5 billion yuan before the reform, and the incomes of the villages have continued to grow.

Nationwide, rural residents' per capita disposable income surpassed 20,000 yuan for the first time in 2022. The income gap between urban and rural residents has gradually narrowed over the past decade.

To achieve a modernization that features harmony between humanity and nature, Xi has systematically planned institutional reform for eco-environmental development.

Dozens of reform initiatives have been implemented. The toughest-ever environmental protection law was enacted, systems of river, lake and forest chiefs were instituted nationwide, and red lines were drawn for ecological conservation.

These measures have led to sweeping changes. From 2012 to 2021, China's annual energy consumption growth rate of 3 percent supported an average economic growth rate of 6.6 percent. China has seen the fastest improvement in air quality globally and it leads in forest resource growth and afforestation.

The tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference, which was held earlier this month, called for planning major measures to further carry out reform in all areas next year. It called for deepening and upgrading the reform of state-owned enterprises, promoting the growth of private enterprises, speeding up the development of a unified national market and planning a new round of fiscal and tax system reform.

China is expected to strive for breakthroughs in some critical links and key sectors of reform to build a high-standard socialist market economy and lay a solid foundation for sustained high-quality development and advancement of Chinese modernization, according to observers.

PUSHING FOR GREATER OPENNESS

Under the leadership of Xi, China has become increasingly integrated with the rest of the world by making tenacious efforts to push for high-level institutional opening up.

These efforts, ranging from the launch of negative lists for foreign investment, cross-border trade in services, and the promulgation of the Foreign Investment Law to the establishment of pilot FTZs, have testified to the president's commitment to "never closing the country's door but only opening the country wider to the outside world."

When the Shanghai pilot FTZ was inaugurated in 2013, Xi expressed high hopes regarding the new test field, urging the local government to "make brave trials, break through vigorously and reform on its own initiative so as to achieve more results that could be replicated elsewhere across the country."

Ten years on, more than 3,400 reform tasks have been trialed in the country's FTZs, with 302 institutional innovations implemented at the national level.

In November, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report, considering FTZs as "important strategic measures" for China's further development and commending their roles in promoting institutional innovation, industrial transformation and South-South cooperation.

Xi has also emphasized on multiple occasions the need to optimize the environment for foreign investment and comprehensively guarantee the national treatment of foreign-invested enterprises.

Over the years, China has moved to cut the negative lists for foreign investment access, supported foreign investment in advanced manufacturing, modern service industries and cutting-edge technologies, and encouraged foreign-invested enterprises to become "industrial leaders" in energy and water efficiency.

Many heavyweight multinational companies have come to invest in China. Elon Musk, CEO of the U.S. electric carmaker Tesla, was "astounded" by the progress made by the company's Shanghai gigafactory, calling the local team's work "mind-blowing."

On the financial front, Standard Chartered Securities, the first newly-established wholly foreign-owned securities company in China, is looking forward to starting business in the first half of next year.

"Just as some leaders of the business community have said, China has become a synonym of the best investment destination, and that the 'next China' is still China," Xi said.

Although the global consensus on openness has weakened amid rising unilateralism and protectionism and stronger de-globalization headwinds, Xi has on many occasions stressed the need to resolutely "stand on the right side of history" to foster an open world economy.

Under Xi's planning, deployment and promotion, the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first import-themed national-level expo, debuted in Shanghai in 2018 as one of China's signature moves to share China's market with the rest of the world.

Several other national-level exhibitions, including the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the China International Supply Chain Expo, have also gained popularity for facilitating much-needed trade and industrial cooperation.

This year, the CIIE hosted a delegation organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, marking the first-ever group of exhibitors representing the U.S. federal government in the history of the expo.

As an important platform to materialize the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi has yielded fruitful results.

More than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed relevant cooperation documents with China, covering more than three-quarters of the world's countries and more than 60 percent of the world's population.

China has been advancing modernization at full throttle and its spillover effect can already be seen. Over the past decade, China's share of the world economy has risen from 12.3 percent to over 18 percent, and its annual contribution to global growth has exceeded 30 percent on average.

All the changes could be traced back to 1978, when China adopted the policy of reform and opening up. At that time, CP Group from Thailand was one of the first foreign companies to enter the Chinese market.

"With the country's comprehensive national strength growing and its economy further prospering, we believe China will only open wider to the outside world," said James Ye, vice chairman of CP Group China.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October, Xi shared his views on global modernization.

"The modernization we are pursuing is not for China alone, but for all developing countries through our joint efforts. Global modernization should be pursued to enhance peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation and bring prosperity to all," he said. 
The Foundation is partnering with more than 148 organizations leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to address the world's most urgent and complex challenges.

BOSTON , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after the public was introduced to the transformative potential of generative AI, the AI landscape is garnering more attention than everand the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is working to ensure that the public's interests are not left behind as technological innovation accelerates.

The Foundation works to ensure that the public's interests are not left behind as technological innovation accelerates.

Today, the Foundation announced $66.4 million in support to 148 organizations working to develop products, platforms, and policies that demonstrate AI's potential to be a force for good. Today's announcement confirms a landmark investment in an ecosystem of partners working to build AI for the public good.

"Our latest round of funding strengthens our support for what we call the 'missing middle,' the vast space of opportunity to leverage AI and data solutions for positive social impact in the near future," said Vilas Dhar , President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. "We're proud to invest in and partner with organizations developing purpose-driven AI and data approaches driving measurable and meaningful change in the lives of people around the world."

The grants will support AI development among organizations in more than a dozen countries, with many leveraging data analytics and machine learning (ML) to tackle existing complex social issues affecting frontline communities, including climate change, human rights abuses, and health inequity.

The grants also provide more than $12 million in support for global organizations and partnerships working to advocate for community-grounded, safe, secure, and responsible AI development through policy and research, including significant contributions to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ), the Center for Democracy and Technology , and the AI Safety Fund a joint effort between Google, Microsoft, Philanthropic, and Open AI, among others.

"With our partners, we share the belief that the improved understanding and use of technology, AI, and data science can radically transform our world for the better," said Nick Cain , the Foundation's Director of Strategic Grants. "Our grantmaking strategy is guided by specific hypotheses about the interventions that are most likely to drive this transformation through the work of our diverse, values-aligned group of partners."

In addition to supporting partner organizations with grant funding, the Foundation continues to make strides to democratize access to AI through programmatic pathways designed to enhance nonprofit technical expertise and develop open-source solutions for the public sector. To learn more about our work, visit mcgovern.org .

The full list of grants is included below:

Climate

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment to broaden access to data on natural assets through digital platforms and tools ( $235,000 )

Berkeley Earth Inc. to create high-accuracy, city-specific climate projections at scale ( $300,000 )

CarbonPlan to increase accountability in the voluntary carbon market and tie CDR policy and investments to the best available science ( $500,000 )

Cascade Climate, Inc. to unlock open-system CDR data for shared action ( $500,000 )

Climate Cabinet Education to create datasets and products that focus the actions of local organizers and public officials on the highest-leverage opportunities for emissions reduction ( $250,000 )

Climate Change AI to build community and increase collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and private sector stakeholders working on ML + climate ( $350,000 )

Climate Interactive to enhance climate policy impact through simulation tools and engagement programs ( $300,000 )

Climate Policy Radar to use AI to help discover, structure, search, and compare the world's climate laws and policies ( $500,000 )

Conservation International Foundation to support data-driven conservation efforts ( $1,500,000 )

Digital Democracy to improve the resources available to frontline communities seeking to leverage technology to defend their land ( $500,000 )

Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) for the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) to catalyze progress for environmental technology adoption at the local, state, and federal level ( $400,000 )

KQED to support work advancing the field of data journalism, particularly as it pertains to climate ( $200,000 )

Open Climate Fix Ltd to pilot the use of ML-enabled renewable energy forecasting in Rajasthan, India ( $600,000 )

Open Earth Foundation to advance AI-driven urban climate action and data accessibility through the CityCatalyst platform ( $350,000 )

Pacific Community to further establish Digital Earth Pacific and develop a near-coastal ocean floor mapping data service ( $350,000 )

Rainforest Connection to strengthen an open-source, openly extensible bioacoustics analysis platform ( $300,000 )

Rainforest Connection to support the merger and integration of the Wildlife Insights and Arbimon platforms ( $200,000 )

Refed Inc. to use AI/ML to provide companies and policymakers with data-driven, context-specific food waste reduction strategies ( $610,500 )

Stand.earth to enhance Stand's research capabilities in combating fossil fuel financing through advanced ML/AI integration ( $350,000 )

Tech Matters to support further development of the Terraso Platform and advance the Better Deal for Data framework ( $500,000 )

The Earth Genome to integrate advanced monitoring systems into Earth Index ( $250,000 )

WattTime Corporation to advance the integration and scaling of AI-driven environmental data for substantial emissions reduction ( $500,000 )

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to deepen the adoption and implementation of the PACT technical standard ( $500,000 )

World Data Lab to develop a per capita GHG emissions framework and promote high-level engagement on the topic ( $100,000 )

Data as a Public Good

Access Now to protect digital rights in the climate movement and promote social and beneficial AI ( $500,000 )

Amrita Institute of Advanced Research to advance the use of AI/ML in strategic research ( $210,000 )

Center for Science and Law to support the creation of a singular database of criminal records within the United States to advance justice ( $150,000 )

Common Sense Media to increase Common Sense Media's capacity to evaluate and rate AI technologies for safer digital environments ( $400,000 )

Data-Pop Alliance to promote the development of algorithms and technology that better represent the Global Majority ( $400,000 )

HURIDOCS (Association Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International) to use machine learning to enhance human rights data management and advocacy ( $400,000 )

mySociety to enhance the Local Intelligence Hub and amplify public data collaboration for scalable solutions ( $300,000 )

Open Data Institute to support the launch of the ODI's Data-centric AI Program and related Responsible Data Stewardship ( $250,000 )

Open Knowledge Foundation to enhance data literacy and accessibility through the Open Data Editor, a no-code tool for non-technical users ( $300,000 )

Open Supply Hub to sustainably scale up the Open Supply Hub ( $300,000 )

Polaris to advance Polaris' capacity to produce timely, accurate, and relevant data for the anti-trafficking field ( $350,000 )

Spectrum Biobank Inc. to support the expansion of their diversity-first biobank and bridge the diversity gap in genomics ( $250,000 )

Tech Goes Home Incorporated to scale data-driven and sustainable urban digital equity interventions ( $150,000 )

Techequity Collaborative to address algorithmic bias in access to housing ( $250,000 )

United Nations Foundation to support further development of the Disha initiative ( $500,000 )

Wild Me to cover 12 months of IT infrastructure support to account for increasing data needs ( $250,000 )

World Resources Institute to support the scaling of WRI's Data Lab and strengthen internal and external innovation partnerships ( $1,500,000 )

Digital Health

Audere to advance AI-enabled rapid diagnostic test software platform ( $588,520 )

BRAC USA to support FHIR-based platform for interoperability and adoption of SMART Guidelines in Bangladesh ( $650,000 )

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics to ensure equitable access to AI-powered diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries ( $450,000 )

Global Digital Health Network to support the 2023 Global Digital Health Forum ( $100,000 )

Intelehealth to enable predictive analytics and clinical decision support for open source telemedicine platform ( $250,500 )

Jacaranda Health to support optimization of PROMPTS and ML/AI initiatives to improve maternal and newborn health ( $250,000 )

Jembi Health Systems to support OpenHIM and advance interoperability in low-resource health settings ( $300,000 )

Jhpiego Corporation to implement an ML risk model for HIV interruption-in-treatment with Palindrome Data in Nigeria ( $695,000 )

Jhpiego Corporation to support the HealthTech Hub Africa ( $500,000 )

Khushi Baby, Inc. to support interoperability and sustainability of the Community Health Integrated Platform and Khushi AI initiatives ( $400,000 )

Kwanele to support the development of a ChatGBV tool within the Kwanele Mobile App and help survivors of GBV gain access to the justice system ( $100,000 )

Medtronic Labs to support the AI/ML and interoperability roadmap for the SPICE platform ( $400,000 )

Native BioData Consortium to support Indigenous data governance and build capacity of Indigenous AI/ML practitioners ( $400,000 )

Nexleaf Analytics to support Ministries of Health in leveraging real-time data to improve vaccine cold chain management ( $600,000 )

Open Function Group to leverage generative AI to improve interoperability of global goods and digital health systems ( $335,340 )

Operation Fistula to support the utilization of data visualization in identifying and highlighting local organizations for government stakeholders ( $230,000 )

The Scripps Research Institute to support the PowerMom platform and advance maternal health research and outcomes across the country ( $400,000 )

Science For Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) to support Grand Challenges Africa in running the Grand Challenge on AI ( $1,422,000 )

The Trinity Challenge to support the Trinity Challenge on Antimicrobial Resistance ( $500,000 )

Transform Health to strengthen health data governance across Africa ( $485,000 )

University of California, San Francisco Foundation to support SEARCH's new Community Precision Health intervention to build the capacity of Community Health Workers and enhance the accuracy of data collected and the diseases addressed ( $200,000 )

University of California, San Francisco Foundation to support the first large-scale remote trials program with Nexus and evaluate the benefits of Neuroscape's closed-loop video game treatments ( $250,000 )

University of California, San Francisco Foundation to support the provision of COVID, influenza, and RSV testing, vaccination, and molecular surveillance in high-risk communities as well as related data collection and dissemination ( $200,000 )

World Health Organization to support the FHIR-SMART ecosystem and country-led, standards-based digital planning and localization ( $500,000 )

Education + Workforce

AkiraChix to support tech upskilling opportunities for young women and bridge the gender gap in tech ( $200,000 )

AnnieCannons, Inc. to provide survivors of human trafficking with sustainable technology careers and financial independence ( $250,000 )

Benetech to use AI to create more accessible STEM content for people with disabilities ( $500,000 )

Black in AI to provide general operating and capacity-building support for AI programs ( $300,000 )

Coding It Forward to advance Coding it Forward's Fellowship and support the implementation of a cost-share strategy across host offices ( $500,000 )

Community Initiatives (Gameheads) to support low-income youth and youth of color to thrive and succeed in the tech and video game industries ( $100,000 )

CSforALL to support the building of a network that ensures quality CS education reaches children across the nation ( $250,000 )

Curious Learning : to support A Global Literacy Project Inc. with the pilot implementation of AI into Curious Learning's existing library of digital learning tools, with the initial launch scheduled for Ethiopia ( $420,000 )

Data Science 4 Everyone to support the advancement of data science education in K-12 classrooms and raise at-home awareness ( $250,000 )

Entrepreneurship for All, Inc. to leverage technology to build capacity for inclusive entrepreneurship programming nationwide ( $150,000 )

Follow Your Dream Foundation Inc . to support Blossom Academy to recruit and develop aspiring data scientists and connect them to job opportunities ( $100,000 )

JA Worldwide Inc . to strengthen digital infrastructure that enables global, contextually relevant micro-credential programs ( $500,000 )

Kids in Tech to provide general operating and capacity-building support for the After School Tech program ( $100,000 )

Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) to support the MLT Racial Equity at Work Initiative ( $250,000 )

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) To provide support for MIT Lincoln Laboratory Beaver Works' efforts around diversity and inclusion, including scaling up outreach efforts at the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute, as well as building and scaling its model for public use ( $250,000 )

MIT Solve to provide support for the 2024 AI for Humanity Prize ( $200,000 )

NAF to introduce high school students to AI literacy through tech-enabled experiential learning ( $250,000 )

Opportunity at Work Inc . to analyze, engage, and design a data science pathway for Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) workers ( $600,000 )

Per Scholas, Inc. to provide general operating support for increasing enrollment and expanding course offerings, including Cybersecurity ( $250,000 )

Quill.org to teach AI literacy to 3M middle and high schoolers through AI-powered critical thinking and writing exercises ( $750,000 )

Reach University to enable system-level change in CS and AI literacy education through teacher training ( $500,000 )

Science for All Foundation to support Equitech Futures' Applied Data Institute, Civil Tech Institute, and Tech For Impact research fellowships ( $400,000 )

Team4Tech to support Team4Tech in scaling and creating new networks and opportunities for nonprofit partners ( $400,000 )

Technovation to further Technovation's mission to empower girls with tech skills through AI and entrepreneurship programs ( $500,000 )

The American AI Forum to support closing the opportunity gap in AI education, literacy, and skills development ( $1,000,000 )

The Hidden Genius Project to sustain core organizational infrastructure and drive dynamic operation and strategic growth ( $500,000 )

The Tech Interactive to support The Tech for Global Good program, elevating stories of global changemakers using tech for social progress ( $200,000 )

Emergent AI + Society

All Tech Is Human to support overall organizational capacity and effect change in the AI for good field ( $300,000 )

Brookings Institution to support the AI Equity Lab and further research on non-discriminatory AI frameworks and policies ( $500,000 )

Carnegie Endowment For International Peace to establish AI governance structures and foster AI-driven socioeconomic development in underserved regions ( $1,000,000 )

Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) to support the development and implementation of AI policy that promotes a just, fair, and accountable society ( $250,000 )

Center for Democracy and Technology to support the AI Governance Lab ( $300,000 )

CyberPeace Institute to support civil society organizations in responsibly leveraging AI for cybersecurity ( $500,000 )

FFWD (Fast Forward) to build AI capacity and awareness throughout the tech for good ecosystem ( $500,000 )

Fund for Peace Inc. to improve the Crisis Response Simulator (CSS), strengthen local crisis response capabilities, and support resilience research ( $400,000 )

Georgetown University to support the Foresight on Emerging Tech project at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology ( $500,000 )

Global Impact to launch the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund ( $200,000 )

Institute for Security and Technology to accelerate multi-stakeholder coordination to mitigate the risks of open-source AI ( $400,000 )

Meridian Institute to support the AI Safety Fund in advancing responsible development of frontier models ( $1,000,000 )

New Venture Fund to fortify ethical technology use and public interest technology infrastructure ( $1,000,000 )

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to support further development of the OECD's AI Index to guide and inform policy across member countries ( $1,000,000 )

Tarjimly to support the utilization of AI to advance the accessibility, quality, and scale of language access for refugees, immigrants, and indigenous communities ( $250,000 )

The Aspen Institute, Inc. to enhance public understanding and policy discourse around AI ( $1,250,000 )

The Aspen Institute, Inc. to support the growth of the Aspen Tech Policy Hub Program ( $200,000 )

The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University to support the advancement of policy and education work through the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence ( $1,500,000 )

The Future Society (TFS) to support the 5th edition of The Athens Roundtable ( $170,000 )

Thorn to proactively reduce risks of CSAM proliferation through generative AI ( $345,000 )

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote ethical governance of AI ( $1,500,000 )

Journalism + Media

American Journalism Project Inc. to establish an AI Product studio for nonprofit newsrooms ( $500,000 )

Committee To Protect Journalists to enhance digital support and advocacy for journalists under threat worldwide ( $250,000 )

Institute for Nonprofit News to support the development and launch of an "AI First Draft" fact-checking model ( $200,000 )

Meedan Inc. to use ML to help media organizations collaboratively respond to misinformation with verified fact checks ( $500,000 )

New York University to reduce the monetary pressures on building and adapting AI while integrating journalistic insights to ensure accountability, relevance, and ethical deployment of impactful technologies ( $250,000 )

New_ Public to build product prototypes that foster thriving digital public spaces ( $450,000 )

News Revenue Hub to explore the use of AI as a tool to transform advertising and sponsorship models to increase revenue for local journalism ( $450,000 )

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project to enhance investigative journalism with technology and collaborative initiatives ( $400,000 )

Outlier Media to enhance Outlier Media's SMS reporting system and scale its Documenters network ( $300,000 )

The Associated Press to enhance journalists' capacity to effectively report on AI ( $400,000 )

The Marshall Project to support the data and analytics team in providing analysis and training to small newsrooms and reporters nationwide ( $600,000 )

Thomson Reuters Foundation to advance AI and Data and Digital Rights (DDR) awareness and governance ( $1,000,000 )

Tiny News Collective Inc. to enable data-driven operations and foster sustainable local journalism ( $250,000 )

Solidarity

Allies Against Slavery to support the scale of Lighthouse, a state-based, anti-trafficking data dashboard, into a national database to combat human trafficking ( $200,000 )

American National Red Cross to support the American Red Cross Maui emergency response ( $100,000 )

American National Red Cross to advance technological innovation in humanitarian services ( $1,000,000 )

Benefits Data Trust to design AI tools that responsibly expand access to public benefits and services ( $500,000 )

Blue Star Families to provide support for the enhancement of an organizational tech platform as well as ongoing digital transformation efforts ( $1,000,000 )

Breaktime to support efforts to sustainably address youth homelessness and underemployment through workforce training and financial literacy programming ( $1,000,000 )

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement to support the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement's Maui emergency response ( $150,000 )

Global Emancipation Network Ltd. to support the buildout of AI-based tools to identify instances of CSAM and human trafficking, and protect vulnerable communities ( $200,000 )

Global Fishing Watch to support the refinement and deployment of an AI model capable of detecting forced labor and human rights abuses on the open ocean ( $300,000 )

Grants Central Station to support Maui Mutual Aid's Maui emergency response ( $100,000 )

Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team United States Inc. to support HOT's fAIr initiative, enhancing AI-assisted, community-driven mapping for vulnerable global regions ( $400,000 )

Learning Equality to enable learning continuity for students in crisis and other low-connectivity settings ( $500,000 )

Room to Read to improve literacy and gender equality outcomes in low and middle-income countries ( $750,000 )

Stop the Traffik to support Traffik Analysis Hub, a platform aggregating data assets to generate new insights into global patterns and hotspots of human trafficking ( $300,000 )

The Greater Boston Food Bank to support the Eastern Massachusetts emergency food response and accelerate digital transformation ( $500,000 )

Victory Programs, Inc. to support programs addressing the challenges of homelessness, substance use, and chronic health conditions ( $150,000 )

World Central Kitchen Incorporated to support World Central Kitchen's Maui emergency response ( $100,000 )

Accelerator

CyberPeace Institute towards the creation of a digital public good that informs cybersecurity capacity building and technical and policy recommendations to decrease the human rights impact of cyberattacks globally ( $40,000 )

Enfold Proactive Health Trust in support of the creation of a data pipeline to produce evidence-based data and perform data analysis through Natural Language Processing to determine the efficacy of child protection laws in India ( $40,000 )

FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders towards establishing data systems, guidelines, and processes to further our goal of monitoring and promoting feminist leadership in nonprofit organizations ( $80,000 )

FishWise in support of integrating industry tools with open source data to develop a Human Rights Risk Assessment (HRRA) tool that can inform companies about high-risk working conditions in the seafood industry ( $40,000 )

Girl Effect towards the improvement of data ingest processes and infrastructure to advance machine learning on user data sources in order to provide girls with crucial sexual and reproductive health content and connect them to essential services ( $40,000 )

Medtronic Labs towards uncovering insights that may predict program enrollment in order to design programmatic and product features to enhance health service delivery for underserved patients ( $40,000 )

Mobile Pathways towards democratizing immigration justice via data visualization and machine learning so marginalized immigrants can get fair access to justice ( $40,000 )

Root Capital, Inc. towards investing and advancing efforts for data governance policies and practices to maximize opportunities and protect Root Capital from risks during a period of significant growth ( $80,000 )

Samesame Inc. towards closing the loop: optimizing digital mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth through reinforcement learning ( $40,000 )

Terre des hommes towards reducing silos and organizational inefficiencies through improving data governance, system consolidation, ethics advancement, and process compliance to further our work in improving the lives of children worldwide ( $80,000 )

Vital Strategies towards the improvement of data integration and textual analysis to identify victims of gender-based violence, to provide health services to those who need them, and inform municipalities in Brazil of rates of gender-based violence ( $40,000 )

Voices Of Venezuela towards the analysis of chatbot and social media data, use of NLP/ML, and dashboard creation to improve migration services in Venezuela's migration crisis and strengthen support for improving migrant information access and integration across the Americas ( $40,000 )

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. PJMF works in partnership with public, private, and social institutions to drive progress on our most pressing challenges, including digital health, climate change, broad digital access, and data maturity in the social sector.

Media contact:

Felicia L. Harris

[email protected]

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SOURCE Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
NEW YORK , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasus Lodges, renowned for pushing the boundaries of remote travel experiences, proudly announces the latest addition to its portfolio, Faja do Belo set to open its doors in January 2024 . The adventure begins even before arrival, as the lodge is accessed via a brief hike, inviting travelers to experience the essence of "The Azores" on the secluded island of Sao Jorge.

Distinguishing itself from conventional travel, Faja do Belo offers an intimate connection to nature surrounded by untouched mountains, waterfalls, and the tumultuous waves of the Atlantic. Situated between the ocean and rugged cliffs defining the Azores coast, these fajas result from collapsing cliffs and ancient lava flows. Guests can engage in diverse activities, from canyoning to fishing, diving, or unwinding onsite. Ideal for surfers, this destination provides perfect conditions for all skill levels. Accessible hiking trails, accompanied by knowledgeable guides, lead to hidden lakes, waterfalls, and remote surf breaks, ensuring an authentic and enriching experience.

Faja do Belo's architectural charm is embodied in eight villas crafted from locally sourced volcanic stone. Vibrant red doors and windows open to views of the sea, sky, and lush fauna. Inside, high ceilings with traditional wooden beams accentuate the open-concept floor plan. The interior color palette, dominated by greys, whites, and beige, creates a bright ambiance. Each villa accommodates three to five individuals in one to two bedrooms.

Faja do Belo's commitment to authenticity extends to its culinary offerings, with full-service dining showcasing local selections of meat, fish, cheese, and other flavors, delivering an authentic Azorean food experience. Guests will enjoy a continental breakfast with an assortment of fresh bread, cheese, coffee, and meats. Lunch and dinner will be prepared and delivered to guests by the resident chef who will prepare traditional Azorean and Portuguese dishes. A selection of wine and spirits allows guests to elevate their dining experience further.

Booking Information

Images

Credit: Pegasus Lodges

About Pegasus Lodges:

Pegasus Lodges, founded in 2012, is a unique travel experience provider born out of a deep love for exploration, adventure, and the thrill of the unknown. With a commitment to authenticity and strong ties to local communities and resources their properties depend on, the brand presents guests with immersive experiences in untouched destinations through its lodges: Pinnacles North Telo, Telo Island Lodge , Aganoa Beach Fales, and Nootka Wilderness Lodge .

Media Contact:

Gabriele Sappok

[email protected]

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SOURCE Pegasus Lodges
VANCOUVER, BC , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Prospect Ridge") (CSE: PRR) (OTC: PRRSF) (FRA: OED) is pleased to present its year-end recap, outlining a series of significant achievements and discoveries that have marked 2023 as a year of exceptional progress in its exploration endeavours.

Key Highlights of 2023:

Impressive Prospecting Results on the Copper Ridge Showing at Knauss Creek : Following up on high-grade samples announced on January 26, 2023 , the summer saw many prospecting days on the Copper Ridge , which extended the mineralized zones over an east-west strike length of 1250 m, a north-south strike of 500 m and a height difference of 250 m. Many new high-grade results up to 78.9 g/t Au, 2050 g/t Ag, and 17.75% Cu sampled on outcrop made this target drill-ready for 2024.

Following up on high-grade samples announced on , the summer saw many prospecting days on the , which extended the mineralized zones over an east-west strike length of 1250 m, a north-south strike of 500 m and a height difference of 250 m. Many new high-grade results up to 78.9 g/t Au, 2050 g/t Ag, and 17.75% Cu sampled on outcrop made this target drill-ready for 2024. Acquisition of the Holy Grail Property: On February 8 , the Company acquired 100% of the Holy Grail property, giving it full control over 730 square kilometers of ground in the Terrace area.

On , the Company acquired 100% of the Holy Grail property, giving it full control over 730 square kilometers of ground in the Terrace area. Leadership Additions: We strengthened our board with the appointment of Mr. Michael Michaud (currently Vice-president Exploration at Wesdome Gold Mines) and Mr. Yan Ducharme (currently President of Prospect Ridge) as Directors, and named Simon Ridgway (currently CEO of Rackla Metals, Volcanic Gold Mines and chairman of Radius Gold) as Chairman of the Company.

We strengthened our board with the appointment of Mr. (currently Vice-president Exploration at Wesdome Gold Mines) and Mr. (currently President of Prospect Ridge) as Directors, and named (currently CEO of Rackla Metals, Volcanic Gold Mines and chairman of Radius Gold) as Chairman of the Company. Discoveries at the Holy Grail Property: The prospecting results from the Holy Grail property, reported on June 21 , were highly encouraging, with significant findings of gold, silver and copper, among other metals. This further established the property as a key asset in our portfolio.

The prospecting results from the Holy Grail property, reported on , were highly encouraging, with significant findings of gold, silver and copper, among other metals. This further established the property as a key asset in our portfolio. High-Grade Sampling Results from Dorreen Mine : Our sampling of outcrops in and around the Dorreen Mine , part of the Knauss Creek property, are yielding promising results, as announced on September 14 .

Our sampling of outcrops in and around the , part of the property, are yielding promising results, as announced on . Discovery of Leon's Legacy: On September 27 , we announced the discovery of a new mineralized zone named "Leon's Legacy" at the Knauss Creek property. This discovery underscored our ability to continually identify and explore new prospects within our existing properties.

Looking Ahead:

As we close a remarkable year, Prospect Ridge remains committed to advancing our exploration projects, which are now a solid foundation for continued growth and success in the years to come. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated team, shareholders and partners for their unwavering support, and look forward to a prosperous 2024.

Qualified Person

All scientific or technical information included in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Yan Ducharme , P.Geo ., President of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.

Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. is a British Columbia based exploration and development company focused on gold exploration. Prospect Ridge's management and technical team cumulate over 100 years of mineral exploration experience and believes the Knauss Creek and the Holy Grail properties to have the potential to extend the boundaries of the Golden Triangle to cover this vast under-explored region.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, positive exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects and the Company's use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will not be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

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SOURCE Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.
STOCKHOLM , Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Systecon, a global leader in providing cutting-edge solutions for optimizing system performance and cost-effectiveness, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) at the Department of Defence Australia. This partnership represents a significant milestone in our commitment to delivering excellence and innovation in defense and logistics optimization. It comes with a primary goal of providing governance and assurance to upskill CASG employees while also delivering modeling work for CASG projects.

Andrew Perkins , Country Manager at Systecon Australia: "Systecon's collaboration with CASG places us in a unique position within the defense industry. As a trusted partner of CASG, we will work closely with high-level management, combining our expertise in cost-effective solutions and data-driven optimization to enhance the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force. This partnership sets the stage for an exciting journey in which we will be instrumental in shaping the future of defense logistics and acquisition".

Key Highlights of the Partnership

Unprecedented Efficiency : Our collaboration with CASG is aimed at streamlining defense acquisition and sustainment processes. By leveraging our advanced analytics and simulation tools, we will optimize logistics systems, enabling the Australian DoD to make informed decisions leading to significant cost savings while maintaining and enhancing operational effectiveness.

: Our collaboration with CASG is aimed at streamlining defense acquisition and sustainment processes. By leveraging our advanced analytics and simulation tools, we will optimize logistics systems, enabling the Australian DoD to make informed decisions leading to significant cost savings while maintaining and enhancing operational effectiveness. Cutting-Edge Technology: Systecon brings to the table state-of-the-art technology, including the renowned Opus Suite. This powerful software suite will empower CASG with the tools to model, analyze, and simulate complex defense systems, ensuring they are both cost-efficient and performance-optimized.

brings to the table state-of-the-art technology, including the renowned Opus Suite. This powerful software suite will empower CASG with the tools to model, analyze, and simulate complex defense systems, ensuring they are both cost-efficient and performance-optimized. Holistic Solutions: Systecon's approach encompasses the entire system lifecycle, from concept and design to sustainment and disposal. We will collaborate closely with CASG to ensure that defense capabilities remain at the forefront of technological innovation while achieving long-term cost savings.

approach encompasses the entire system lifecycle, from concept and design to sustainment and disposal. We will collaborate closely with CASG to ensure that defense capabilities remain at the forefront of technological innovation while achieving long-term cost savings. Governance and Skill Enhancement: One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to provide governance and assurance in upskilling CASG employees. We will work in tandem with CASG personnel, transferring knowledge and expertise to enhance their capabilities in defense logistics and acquisition.

One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to provide governance and assurance in upskilling CASG employees. We will work in tandem with CASG personnel, transferring knowledge and expertise to enhance their capabilities in defense logistics and acquisition. Modeling Work for CASG Projects : In addition to upskilling CASG employees, Systecon will play an important role in delivering modeling work for CASG projects. Our modeling expertise will assist CASG in making informed decisions, ensuring that projects are executed efficiently and cost-effectively.

: In addition to upskilling CASG employees, will play an important role in delivering modeling work for CASG projects. Our modeling expertise will assist CASG in making informed decisions, ensuring that projects are executed efficiently and cost-effectively. High-Level Management Involvement : This partnership offers an exceptional opportunity to inform and engage high-level management within CASG and the Department of Defence Australia . Our team of experts will work directly with decision-makers, providing insights, recommendations, and data-driven solutions to enhance the efficiency of defense acquisitions and sustainment programs.

Summary

Systecon's collaboration with CASG at the Department of Defence Australia is a crucial moment in the world of defense logistics and acquisition. Together, we are charting a course toward more efficient, cost-effective, and high-performance defense systems. We look forward to working hand in hand with high-level management and CASG employees to create a brighter, more secure future for Australia's defense capabilities.

For more information on this partnership and to stay updated on the latest developments, please visit our website, or contact us directly.

About Systecon

For over 50 years Systecon has developed methods and software that allow organizations across the globe in different industries, from defense to renewables to transport, to make informed, smarter decisions in life cycle management. We have the methodology, tools, and experience to understand and analyze the factors that affect the performance and costs of technical systems  e.g., aircraft, trains, or wind turbines  and to optimize operations, system design, and maintenance solutions based on our customers' conditions and objectives. Today Systecon is a thought leader in analytical LCM and some of the world's most complex technology projects rely on our tools and expertise.

For more information, please visit www.systecongroup.com.

Media contact:

Andrew Perkins

Country Manager

Systecon Australia

Phone: +61 476 828 148

E-mail: [email protected]

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/2556/3895461/2500828.pdf Press Release (PDF)

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SOURCE Systecon AB
CHARLOTTE, N.C. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Take 5 Oil Change, a leader in the quick lube industry, celebrated a momentous occasion today with the grand opening of its 1,000th location. This marks an extraordinary achievement, propelling the brand's growth by more than 1,400% since its acquisition by Driven Brands in 2016.

Following on the grand opening of its 300th franchised location in the U.S. earlier this year, Take 5 Oil Change continues to solidify its position as a leading player in the quick lube industry. The stay-in-your-car oil change franchise climbed the ranks on the Franchise Times' Top 400 and Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 lists in 2023, coming in at #87 and #106, respectively.

"This is a major milestone for our brand, which started with humble beginnings as a local oil change shop in New Orleans back in the 1980s," said Mo Khalid , EVP and Group President, Maintenance, Driven Brands. "Since acquiring Take 5 Oil Change with only 50 locations, we have seen tremendous growth and have more in the pipeline to look forward to."

The newest service center, operated by franchisee Purple Square Group and located in Fort Pierce, Florida , hosted a 1,000th grand opening celebration in honor of the milestone. The event featured Take 5's partners and premier oil suppliers, RelaDyne and Mobil 1. RelaDyne showcased a sprint car exhibition and hosted a meet and greet with accomplished sprint car driver, Logan Schuchart . Mobil 1, one of Take 5's newest collaborators, added to the excitement with a NASCAR vehicle display and an immersive racing simulator, creating an unforgettable experience for attendees.

As part of its commitment to local communities, Take 5 Oil Change will make a charitable donation of $5,000 to GraceWay Village , which serves the Fort Pierce community. GraceWay Village is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting residents who face challenges related to poverty, food scarcity, homelessness, and other pressing needs. Take 5 Oil Change's support of local communities runs deep. Throughout 2023, Take 5 Oil Change locations collectively raised over $1.1 million for children's hospitals nationwide and organizations supporting active duty military, veterans, and their families.

About Take 5 Oil Change

Established in 1984, Take 5 Oil Change is a quick lube service featuring a unique drive-thru concept that allows customers to never leave the comfort of their car. The brand offers an on average 10-minute oil change service and ancillary services such as air filter replacement, wiper blade changes, and coolant exchanges. Take 5 has more than 900 company-owned and franchised service centers throughout the United States and Canada . Take 5 Oil Change is a member of Driven Brands, the largest automotive services company in North America . For more information, visit https://www.take5.com/oil-change/. To learn more about Take 5 Oil Change franchise opportunities, visit https://take5franchise.com/.

About Driven Brands

Driven Brands, headquartered in Charlotte, NC , is the largest automotive services company in North America , providing a range of consumer and commercial automotive needs, including paint, collision, glass, vehicle repair, oil change, maintenance and car wash. Driven Brands is the parent company of some of North America's leading automotive service businesses including Take 5 Oil Change, Take 5 Car Wash, Meineke Car Care Centers, Maaco, 1-800-Radiator & A/C, Auto Glass Now, and CARSTAR. Driven Brands has more than 4,900 locations across 14 countries, and services over 70 million vehicles annually. Driven Brands' network generates approximately $2.3 billion in annual revenue from more than $6.2 billion in system-wide sales.

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SOURCE Driven Brands
SEZ on Nairobi's doorstep bolsters team with international leaders and local experts

Tatu City is now home to over 15,000 workers with thousands more to join in 2024

TATU CITY, Kenya , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tatu City, the 5,000-acre mixed-use Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on Nairobi's doorstep, has strengthened its workforce with over 100 key appointments in 2023 as businesses and homeowners from Kenya and around the world flock to join its growing ecosystem.

Tatu City is now home to over 78 businesses providing employment opportunities to 15,000 workers, with thousands more jobs to follow in 2024. Over 4,500 pupils and students attend Tatu City's schools which include Crawford International School and Nova Pioneer Primary and Secondary.

"Tatu City has reached an important inflection point. Our SEZ status, combined with first-class infrastructure, and our safe, secure and predictable environment, is attracting investors from all over the world, creating additional demand for our residential offerings, schools and retail amenities," said Preston Mendenhall , Country Head, Kenya , at Rendeavour, the owner and developer of Tatu City. "To support this rapid growth, we are hiring both locally and internationally with over 100 new roles in key areas such as Urban Planning & Design, Construction, Sales & Marketing, and Security."

Tatu City's rapidly expanding client base includes CCI International, a global leader in contact centre services, which recently moved the first 800 workers into its new 5,000-seat call centre at the Eneo building in Tatu Central. Also in Tatu City, medical devices manufacturer Zhende is setting up the largest medical production facility in East Africa employing 7,000 Kenyans; and Kenya Wine Agencies Ltd (KWAL), a subsidiary of Dutch brewer Heineken, has built an ultra-modern drinks manufacturing facility.

"As a leading player in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services, we have high standards and specific requirements for where we establish our operations," said Rishi Jatania , Managing Director, CCI Kenya. "Tatu City provides an attractive and low-risk environment underpinned with first-class infrastructure which is good for both our business and our people. It was a logical choice for the next phase of our Africa expansion."

Tatu City's infrastructure build-out includes over 50 km of tarmac roads, a high-redundancy power network, three water sources, an on-site water treatment plant, and over 15 km of fibre optic cables. In addition, to service the growing residential communities at Kijani Ridge and Unity Homes with over 3,000 residents today, Tatu City has invested in recreational spaces and parks, requiring additional staff for landscaping and security sourced from neighbouring communities.

In line with its commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth and positively impacting the local community, Tatu City is investing in a NITA-certified Tatu City Training Academy. The academy provides free training to local youth, empowering them with industry-relevant skills and bridging the gap between education and employment. Since its inception, the Tatu City Training Academy has positively impacted the lives of over 500 young people, with more than 80% securing employment within Tatu City.

About Tatu City (www.tatucity.com)

Tatu City is a 5,000-acre new city on Nairobi's doorstep with homes, schools, businesses, a shopping district, medical clinic, nature areas and recreation for more than 250,000 residents and tens of thousands of day visitors. Tatu City's schools educate thousands of students daily, a range of homes suits all incomes and more than 78 businesses thrive in the country's first operational Special Economic Zone . Located 30 minutes from Westlands, Tatu City represents a new way of living and thinking for all Kenyans in a live, work and play environment that is free from traffic congestion and long-distance commuting.

Tatu City is a development by Rendeavour, Africa's largest new city builder with 30,000 acres of visionary projects in growth trajectories across Ghana , Nigeria , Kenya , Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo .

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305248/Tatu_City_expands.jpg

Media Contact:

Jonathan Batty

jbatty@rendeavour.com

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SOURCE Tatu City
Independent Research Highlights Company's Excellence in Culture, Innovation, and Overall Franchise Satisfaction

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brothers that just do Gutters, a leading franchise in the home services industry, has been recognized for its outstanding franchise culture, innovative practices, and overall franchise satisfaction, earning spots on Franchise Business Review's prestigious 2023 Culture100, Most Innovative Franchises, and Top 200 Franchise lists.

This triple recognition comes from Franchise Business Review, a market research firm specializing in franchisee satisfaction and performance. The firm's extensive research, which involved surveys of over 36,000 franchise owners, has identified The Brothers that just do Gutters as one of the top franchises excelling in fostering a positive culture, embracing innovation, and achieving high levels of overall franchise satisfaction.

Cultivating a Supportive Franchise Culture

The Brothers that just do Gutters was among more than 360 brands evaluated for the Culture100 list. Franchisees were surveyed on various aspects of their franchising experience, with The Brothers that just do Gutters ranking exceptionally high in leadership, core values, community, and engagement. The company's commitment to a strong culture is evident in its approach to franchisee support and collaboration.

Leading in Innovation

In the category of innovation, The Brothers that just do Gutters stood out among 385 brands. The company was applauded for its creativity and forward-thinking approach, essential in today's evolving market. Franchisees praised the brand for its innovative strategies and support systems that contribute to their growth and satisfaction.

Excellence in Overall Franchise Satisfaction

Further, The Brothers that just do Gutters was recognized as one of the Top 200 franchises, showcasing the brand's comprehensive strengths in training & support, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity. This accolade is a testament to the company's overall excellence and the high regard in which it is held by its franchisees.

Danny Horboychuk , Brand President, expressed pride in these achievements: "These honors underscore our dedication to nurturing a supportive environment, fostering innovation, and ensuring satisfaction among our franchisees. Our focus on strong relationships, shared values, and continuous improvement has been a cornerstone of our success."

About The Brothers that just do Gutters

A community-minded, customer-focused gutter contractor, The Brothers that just do Gutters offer a wide range of gutter services, adhering to principles of honesty, integrity, and transparency. As part of the Evive Brands family, they are dedicated to providing compassionate care for health and home to families and communities across the U.S.

For more information on The Brothers that just do Gutters and their franchise opportunities, visit www.brothersgutters.com.

Media Contact: Rhonda Grundemann at 602-739-8810 or [email protected]

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SOURCE The Brothers that just do Gutters
This commitment is part of an ongoing series of major donations the Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation is making in support of rare disease research

NEW YORK , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ehlers-Danlos Society, the global non-profit dedicated to advancing and accelerating research in the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), today announced it has received a $6.7 million funding commitment from the Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation (the "Foundation") to advance its groundbreaking research initiatives.

This transformative pledgewhich includes several gifts by the Foundationis aimed at shaping a future where individuals living with EDS and HSD can thrive. It will fuel innovative studies into the underlying mechanisms of EDS and HSD, identify novel therapeutic strategies, and enhance quality of life for individuals affected by these complex disorders.

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of inherited disorders impacting the body's connective tissues. Among the many complications of EDS, this leads to skin fragility, bruising, and poor healing; joint instability with subluxations, dislocations, injury and pain; other abnormalities of joint structure; abnormalities, of the eyes; dental issues; and, in some of the rarer types, life-threatening complications such as heart valve disease, rupture of organs (e.g., bowel), aneurysm formation, and rupture of major blood vessels.

"This gift to EDS reflects our steadfast commitment to support cutting-edge treatments for, and educate the public about, a range of rare diseases," said Mike Segal . "A new milestone in our Foundation's work to support causes that have been overlooked and underfunded, this gift will help change the lives of those suffering from EDS and HSD. It is also just the beginning. We look forward to exploring similar initiatives focused on other rare diseases and neglected causes as we uphold our Foundation's mission to make the world a better place."

Lara Bloom , President and CEO of The Ehlers-Danlos Society, emphasized the significance of the generous gifts: "This marks a turning point for both the Ehlers-Danlos Society and the EDS and HSD community. The support from the Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation is invaluable in propelling our research towards earlier diagnosis. The foundations we've laid since our inception in 2016 are now paving the way for substantial advancements and positive changes that lie ahead."

In 1978, Mike and Sofia Segal arrived in the U.S. from present-day Ukraine with $120 , a young child, and just two suitcases. In 1990, Mike launched LS Power from humble beginnings, growing it from a tiny start-up into a powerhouse in the energy sector, focused on power generation, electric transmission, and renewable energy infrastructure.

Mike and Sofia created their family foundation to champion neglected causes. Today's funding commitment to EDS is part of a larger series of gifts the Foundation is making in support of rare disease research. In October 2023 , the Foundation committed $17 million to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help advance the treatment of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), a rare type of blood cancer. And it intends to make additional gifts in the near future.

The partnership between the Ehlers-Danlos Society and the Foundation marks a significant leap forward in the quest for breakthroughs in EDS and HSD research. It will leverage the expertise and dedication of the Ehlers-Danlos Society, a global leader in advocating for those affected by these complex conditions, and the Foundation's unwavering commitment to driving advancements in healthcare. The Ehlers-Danlos Society and the Foundation hope this investment will serve as a catalyst, inspiring related contributions and collaborations within the scientific community and beyond.

About The Ehlers-Danlos Society:

The Ehlers-Danlos Society is a global organization dedicated to advancing and accelerating research and education in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). The Ehlers-Danlos Society supports the development of effective and equitable EDS and HSD therapies and works collaboratively to improve the lives of individuals affected by EDS and HSD.

In addition to funding groundbreaking research, The Ehlers-Danlos Society is the global organization providing life-changing support services, increasing access to care, and educating health professionals through its award-winning EDS ECHO program, a Project ECHO initiative, and global events program. To learn more about EDS and HSD and to get involved, please visit ehlers-danlos.com

About The Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation:

The Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation provides substantial capital and endowment grants to nonprofits with outstanding leadership that can demonstrate measurable, impactful outcomes in its areas of philanthropic interest.

For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact:

The Ehlers-Danlos Society

Erin Simons , The Ehlers-Danlos Society

[email protected]

The Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation

Jonathan Chavkin / Hallie Erlich , Prosek Partners

[email protected] / [email protected]

Dr. Misha Galperin , Zandafi Philanthropic Advisors

[email protected]

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SOURCE The Ehlers-Danlos Society
Chicago Staple Continues to Open Franchises in FL.

KEY WEST, Fla. , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Original Rainbow Cone , a Chicago tradition for over 97 years, has today announced it will open a new franchise location in Key West, Florida in March 2024 . The new franchise location is located at 126 Duvall Street and will feature Rainbow Cone's iconic ice cream treat, along with sundaes, shakes, and cakes. This marks the second Rainbow Cone location in Florida , joining the Bradenton location which opened September 2023 . The company has additional locations on deck in 2024 for the metro areas of Tampa Bay , West Palm Beach , and Orlando .

Rainbow Cone was founded in 1926 by "Grandpa Joe" Sapp, who was never satisfied with just one ice cream flavor and instead stacked five delicious options on a single cone for a one-of-a-kind culinary classic. The original shop's notorious pink building on Western Avenue in Chicago has been a staple in the city since it first opened its doors nearly a century ago, with hundreds of thousands of dedicated customers from around the world. The brand has since expanded to kiosks and trucks throughout the Chicago area and launched its new franchise partner program in 2022 with franchise agreements in Florida , Nashville , Texas , and California .

"We are excited about the growth of our franchise program in Florida ," says Lynn Sapp , third generation owner of The Original Rainbow Cone . "The responses we have received from the Florida communities have been incredible, and we are confident that Key West will be no exception."

As a testament to its exceptional popularity, Rainbow Cone was recently voted as the top ice cream shop in Chicago by FOX Chicago , affirming its status as a beloved and successful ice cream destination. For entrepreneurs looking for a smart and rewarding franchise opportunity, Rainbow Cone offers a time-tested concept with a devoted fan base and a legacy.

Furthermore, Rainbow Cone is exploring exciting possibilities to expand its reach, including an ice cream truck tour from Chicago to Florida in the near future. Stay tuned for more updates and surprises!

For more updates about Rainbow Cone franchises and grand opening festivities, follow Rainbow Cone on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter or visit https://rainbowconefranchise.com/ .

About The Original Rainbow Cone :

The Original Rainbow Cone serves ice cream featuring extraordinary flavors and textures, including the world-famous 5-flavor " Rainbow Cone ," sundaes, milkshakes, and memories dedicated to last forever. After opening in 1926, the " Rainbow Cone '' received its fame and quickly became the most unique ice cream cone anyone has ever seen. As Rainbow Cone works to expand their locations and showcase our new adventures, like ice cream trucks, they are excited to share their love for Rainbow Cone's signature sliced cone with even more communities. The Original Rainbow Cone is also available for nationwide shipping via Goldbelly. With four locations in the Chicago area and growing, locals count on The Original Rainbow Cone as a Chicago staple and a sweet treat. For more information, https://rainbowcone.com/ or follow us on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

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The creator of Calico reports successful year with powerful product advancements and notable third-party recognition

SAN FRANCISCO , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigera , provider of the industry's only active security platform for containers and Kubernetes, today announced key achievements from 2023 and continued momentum as it looks ahead to 2024. Tigera has continued to set the precedent for innovation and customer satisfaction, as demonstrated through multiple product enhancements, industry recognitions, and the feedback garnered from its first State of Calico Open Source: Usage & Adoption Report .

Key product enhancements drove Tigera's momentum this year. Calico Runtime Threat Defense , announced in February, delivers plug-and-play runtime security that combines signature and behavior based threat detection to protect against both known and zero-day threats. Calico Runtime Threat Defense provides preconfigured threat detectors to detect most common MITRE attack techniques for container and network-based attacks.

During KubeCon NA, Tigera announced new features for Calico Open Source and Calico Cloud centered around the security, performance, and scalability of Kubernetes deployments for enterprises.

Calico Cloud's Security Score and Recommended Actions provide an unparalleled view of security risks, enabling enterprises to identify, prioritize and mitigate them swiftly.

Streamlined autoscaling with Windows HostProcess Container simplifies Kubernetes operations while saving time and resources.

IPv6 support for eBPF in Calico empowers enterprises to enhance the performance and scalability of their applications, ensuring they meet the demands of modern workloads.

Calico cluster mesh for VxLAN offers a scalable solution for multi-cluster deployments, enabling multi-cluster pod-to-pod connectivity and enhancing security and visibility.

With these new enhancements, Calico is the industry's most complete solution for securing and observing Kubernetes environments. With these innovations, Tigera continues to set the standard in container networking and security as enterprise demand continues to grow.

Calico Open Source is the most widely-adopted container networking and security solution. Given this status, its users represent a robust sample of IT professionals from across industries and use cases. Tigera polled these users to better understand their needs and compiled the insights into its State of Calico Open Source: Usage & Adoption Report. The findings demonstrated that developers understand the criticality of robust workload-centric network security for Kubernetes workloads and reinforced the importance of Calico within the container and Kubernetes ecosystem.

Under Tigera's leadership, the Calico Open Source community continues to thrive. As of today, the community is managing 8M+ nodes. Tigera continued providing resources for its valued users this year, hosting workshops and training programs for the open source community members. Tigera will also present the CalicoCon + Cloud-Native Security Summit timed with KubeCon Europe in March 2024 .

"Our mission has always been to empower our customers to secure and optimize their cloud-native environments for their unique business goals," said Ratan Tipirneni , President and CEO, Tigera. "I am proud of our team for continuing to foster innovation and growth for our customers. We are entering the new year with a blueprint for continued success and look forward to bringing the capabilities of Tigera's solutions to more enterprises in 2024."

The past year has also brought several accolades for Tigera, including being recognized as a winner of the Global Infosec Awards in April for its transformative approach to container security. Tigera was celebrated for its focus on prevention and risk mitigation in containers and Kubernetes environments across build, deploy, and runtime stages.

Most recently, Tigera achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Security Competency status . This designation recognizes the security capabilities of Tigera's Calico Cloud platform in helping customers secure their AWS workloads and achieve their cloud security goals. Tigera's recognition across the industry highlights the effectiveness of the company's approach to container security and its commitment to continued innovation.

Click here to learn more about Tigera's solutions or request a free trial .

About Tigera

Tigera provides the industry's only active security platform with full-stack observability for containers and Kubernetes. The company's platform prevents, detects, troubleshoots, and automatically mitigates exposure risks of security breaches. Tigera delivers its platform as a fully managed SaaS (Calico Cloud) or a self-managed service (Calico Enterprise). Its open-source offering, Calico Open Source , is the most widely adopted container networking and security solution. Tigera's platform specifies security and observability as code to ensure consistent enforcement of security policies, which enables DevOps, platform, and security teams to protect workloads, detect threats, achieve continuous compliance, and troubleshoot service issues in real time.

Powering more than 100M containers across 8M+ nodes in 166 countries, Calico software is supported across all major cloud providers and Kubernetes distributions and is used by leading companies including AT&T, Discover, Merck, NBCUniversal, HanseMerkur, Allstate, Box, Siemens Healthineers, Playtech, Royal Bank of Canada, and Bell Canada .

Contact

Katherine Benfield for Tigera

Lumina

[email protected]

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SOURCE Tigera
This photo taken on Dec. 19, 2023 shows a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at the UN headquarters in New York. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy said on Tuesday that achieving a ceasefire in Gaza is currently the most critical priority.

"First, the realization of a ceasefire remains the overriding prerequisite. Only a ceasefire can prevent greater civilian casualties, including those of hostages. Only a ceasefire can prevent the regional conflict from spiraling out of control. And only a ceasefire can prevent the prospects of a political solution from being completely killed," China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, told the Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The international community, he said, has repeatedly and overwhelmingly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. "Yet Israel continues its bombing and shelling. Schools, hospitals, mosques, Christian churches, and refugee camps have been repeatedly targeted in military operations."

"There can be no justification for such attacks. It must be pointed out that causing more civilian casualties in Gaza will not hold the solution for rescuing the hostages, nor will that lead to greater security for any party," the envoy said.

"We urge Israel to immediately reverse its course of action and stop its indiscriminate military attacks and collective punishment against the people of Gaza," he said.

On the West Bank, Zhang said that every effort must be made to prevent the West Bank situation from getting out of control.

"While the eyes of the international community are focused on Gaza, violence committed by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank has intensified. Searches, arrests, and attacks against Palestinians happen on a daily basis with appalling frequency and intensity, and have resulted in a large number of Palestinian casualties," said the envoy.

He said that settlement activities violate international law and Security Council Resolution 2334 and continue to erode the foundation of the two-state solution.

"We urge Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with its obligations under international law, cease all settlement activities, and effectively curb settler violence, so as to put an end to impunity," Zhang said.

On the two-state solution, Zhang said that this approach must be revitalized with maximum political determination.

"The two-state solution is the only way out for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue. It is also the broad consensus of the international community."

"The main reason the Israeli-Palestinian issue has long failed to be resolved is precisely because the two-state solution has not been implemented," he said.

"We are extremely concerned about the recent public rejection of the two-state solution by some politicians. China calls for greater international and regional diplomatic efforts to reaffirm the commitment to the two-state solution, revitalize the political prospects of the two-state solution, and restart direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel," said the ambassador.

"Undoubtedly, any solution to the question of Palestine should respect the will of the Palestinian people and the legitimate concerns of the countries of the region, and should not deviate from the basic direction of the two-state solution," he said.

"China calls for the convening of an international peace conference that is larger in scale, scope, and effects and for the formulation of a timetable and a roadmap so that the two-state solution can truly be realized," Zhang noted.

Speaking about the new Security Council draft resolution aimed at removing bottlenecks to humanitarian access and alleviating the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, Zhang said, "We believe that no country should be hesitant, out of any reason, regarding this draft resolution. We urge relevant council members to take a constructive approach and support the council in taking meaningful, life-saving, and immediate actions."

"Facing the prolonged Gaza conflict and the escalations in the West Bank, the council must further play its due role and take actions for realizing a ceasefire and ending the fighting at an early date, for restoring regional peace, and for upholding fairness and justice," the ambassador said. 
Category-defining pet-sitting marketplace community available in over 140 countries

Pet and travel tech innovator delivered 158% year-on-year growth in 2022

Mayfair to support product and technology innovation and marketing initiatives

Pet and travel sectors expected to grow to $369 billion by 2030 and $1,016 billion by 2027, respectively[1]

LONDON , Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayfair Equity Partners, a dedicated technology and consumer investor with over 2 billion in assets under management, is backing a management buyout of TrustedHousesitters, a category-defining, subscription-based pet-sitting and travel community. Mayfair will hold a majority stake in the business alongside the management team. Rockpool will exit their stake in TrustedHousesitters and reinvest alongside Mayfair. The transaction values the business at over $100 million . Additional deal terms have not been disclosed.

TrustedHousesitters is the leading travel solution for pet people which connects pet owners with pet sitters around the world. Pet owners can find verified sitters to look after their pets while they're away from home and, in return, sitters are able to visit destinations across the globe for a unique and rewarding travel experience. Since its founding in 2010, the company has facilitated over 10 million nights of pet sitting, has grown its operations to more than 140 countries and saves pet owners and travellers thousands of pounds annually in accommodation and pet care costs. The pet care and travel sectors are expected to grow to $369 billion by 2030 and $1,016 billion by 2027, respectively.[1]

Mayfair is partnering with Mathew Prior , TrustedHousesitters' CEO, and the management team to accelerate growth and support product innovation across its core markets in the US, the UK , Europe , and Australia . Mathew joined TrustedHousesitters in 2019, bringing over 30 years of experience in the travel industry to the company, following managing director roles at Travelopia, Specialist Holidays Group, First Choice Holidays, and The First Resort . Under Mathew's leadership, the company has undergone significant growth while improving balance sheet management and profitability.

TrustedHousesitters recorded 158% year-on-year growth in 2022, supported by a rising pet population, the accelerated digitisation of pet services and a return to historical rates of travel. TrustedHousesitters' unique combination of a pet-loving community, reliability, and adventure delivers a memorable experience every time for pet owners and sitters. This leads to exceptional customer satisfaction scores which in turn drive recommendations, with more than 60% of customers hearing about TrustedHousesitters from word of mouth.

Mathew Prior , CEO, said: "Pet parents know that pets are more comfortable at home than in kennels, boarding facilities or even with friends and family. At the same time, there are millions of pet lovers throughout the world who seek authentic, sustainable, and cost-effective travel experiences. I'm proud of our platform's growth over the past few years and the wonderfully positive feedback we receive from our members. We see a huge opportunity for continued expansion and believe that Mayfair is the right partner to help us achieve our global growth ambitions."

Kunal Dasgupta , Partner at Mayfair Equity Partners, commented: "TrustedHousesitters is a unique pet-care and travel solution with off-the-chart customer satisfaction scores. The company is creating a category by disrupting conventional pet-sitting services and offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional holiday accommodation. We're excited to back a genuine innovator at the intersection of travel and pet care and believe that pet sitting services are an untapped opportunity in the pet care sector. TrustedHousesitters is ideally placed to succeed and we're excited to partner with Mathew and his team on the next stage of their journey."

Advisors to Mayfair on the transaction included Torch Partners (corporate finance), OC&C (commercial), PwC (financial and tax), Goodwin Proctor (legal counsel), and Palladium (digital and technology).

TrustedHousesitters shareholders were advised by Clearwater International and KeyBanc Capital Markets (M&A), Taylor Wessing (legal), PwC Strategy& (commercial), Claritas (tax) and Fox Williams (insurance).

Management were advised by Liberty Corporate Finance (M&A), Mishcon De Reya (legal) and Cooper Parry (tax).

[1] Sources: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/pet-care-market-104749; https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/worldwide

About TrustedHousesitters

TrustedHousesitters is the leading travel solution for pet people; a global community whose love of pets and travel enables home sharing and pet caring all over the world. The service was founded in Brighton, UK in 2010 and has over 200,000 members in more than 140 countries, responsible for 10 million nights of pet sitting. A subscription gives unlimited access to short and long-term sits with no further money changing hands. Sitters explore the world while staying in real homes and enjoying the companionship of pets. Meanwhile, owners enjoy freedom and peace of mind by prioritising their pets' well-being at home with a trusted companion.

About Mayfair Equity Partners

Mayfair Equity Partners is a dedicated technology and consumer investor, with assets under management of over 2 billion. Mayfair's investment philosophy centres on backing people and their ideas, working with founders and management teams to help them realise their ambitions. Mayfair's model of Active Partnership includes a senior team of dedicated functional Specialists who support portfolio companies with business process improvement initiatives that help unlock their full potential.

Mayfair has an established track record of supporting fast-growing, sector-defining companies, including Ovo, a digital challenger which has scaled to become the third largest provider in the UK retail energy sector; LoopMe, a leading brand-focused mobile advertising platform; and Tangle Teezer, the category defining British haircare brand. For more information, please visit www.mayfairequity.com.

Contact Mayfair Equity Partners

Charlie Harrison

The One Nine Three Group

[email protected]

+44-788-4136-143

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SOURCE Mayfair Equity Partners
A general view of the Colorado Supreme Court in Denver, Colorado, U.S., December 20, 2023, the day after the court ruled that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from serving as U.S. president and cannot appear on the primary ballot in Colorado

By James Oliphant and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The latest legal challenge to Donald Trump's campaign for a second term as president seems likely to hand the 2024 Republican frontrunner even more firepower in his quest to win his party's nomination.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the former president was barred from its state ballot for engaging in "insurrection" due to a rarely used constitutional provision, an unprecedented decision that the conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court could overturn.

Donors and political analysts from both major parties said the ruling would inflame Trump's political base, fuel his argument that he is the victim of a partisan legal process, and fill his campaign coffers, as happened earlier this year when he was indicted on a bevy of felony charges for attempting to overturn the 2020 election among other alleged crimes. Those charges did not include insurrection.

"Trump is celebrating," said John Morgan, a Florida attorney and key fundraiser for President Joe Biden, a Democrat. He forecast a "fundraising bonanza" for the Republican.

Trump vowed to appeal to U.S. Supreme Court the Colorado ruling that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars him from seeking office. The top court's 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees.

His campaign urged supporters to donate to fight back against what it called a "tyrannical" decision.

Trump, 77, has a slight lead over Biden nationally in a head-to-head match-up ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024, election, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The Colorado ruling could help Democrats appeal to crucial independent voters who believe Trump engaged in insurrection.

In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Dec. 5-11, 57% of independent voters said it was believable that Trump "tried to incite a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." Only 30% said it was unbelievable.

By contrast, some 70% of Republican respondents considered that allegation "not believable," while 23% of Republicans said it was believable and the rest were not sure.

Asked on Wednesday if Trump is an insurrectionist, Biden said it was "self evident. You saw it all."

"Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, we'll let the court make that decision," Biden said. "But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it."

PRIMARY BOOST

Trump remains the overwhelming favorite for the Republican nomination and being barred in Colorado would not change that. The state, which has been trending Democratic, is not seen as competitive in next year's general election.

The decision came less than a month before the first Republican nominating contest kicks off in Iowa on Jan. 15, thrusting the spotlight back on Trump at a time when former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has been gaining some momentum.

Ford OConnell, a Republican strategist based in Florida, said the ruling would reinforce Trumps longstanding narrative that he is the victim of a politically motivated legal process and it could push undecided Republican voters to his corner.

If the indictments propelled Trump to a significant lead in the primary, this is going to end any debate among the grassroots about who the 2024 Republican nominee will be, OConnell said.

As happened with Trumps previous court cases, Republican rivals for the nomination leaped to his defense rather than seek to benefit from the Colorado decision.

The Left invokes democracy to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X.

Haley called the judges' action "truly unthinkable."

"I am going to defeat Donald Trump on my own," she told Fox News. "I don't need a judge to go take him off the ballot."

In the 4-3 ruling, the Colorado court's majority said they apply the law "without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Biden has been going after Trump more aggressively in recent months and has said he might not be running at all if he were not facing Trump, who he believes poses a unique threat to the U.S.

Some of Biden's aggressiveness comes after his touting of the economy has fallen flat with voters, leading donors to push him to frame his 2024 campaign more directly as a battle against Trump.

In the unlikely event a number of states strike Trump from the ballot, making it impossible for him to win the nomination, Biden would not necessarily benefit.

Some polls have shown both DeSantis and Haley would run a competitive race against the 81-year-old incumbent.

Hassan Martini, executive director of No Democrat Left Behind, an advocacy group that seeks to win over rural voters, said Trump would try to use the ruling to his advantage and Biden must stay focused on strengths including economic progress, bipartisan outreach and steady leadership.

"Getting caught in the trap of endless Trump controversies would only benefit his opponents," Martini said.

(Reporting by James Oliphant, Nandita Bose, Andrea Shalal, Alexandra Ulmer, Jason Lange, Nathan Layne, Steve Holland and Susan Heavey; Editing by Heather Timmons and Colleen Jenkins)
An office building with Aon logo is seen in the Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

By Manya Saini

(Reuters) -Management consulting firm Aon said on Wednesday it will buy privately held NFP in a deal valued at about $13.4 billion to tap the fast-growing middle-market segment of insurance brokerage, wealth management and retirement plan advisory.

Demand for insurance products has remained firm in an uncertain economy and the sector is considered recession-proof as many policies are often guaranteed by employers, while some are mandated by the government.

The deal with funds linked to private equity owner Madison Dearborn Partners and HPS Investment Partners is expected to close in mid-2024 and will be funded with $7 billion in cash and $6.4 billion in Aon stock.

The cash portion will be funded through a new debt raise of $5 billion in 2024 and the rest at the close of the deal while trying to keep the current credit rating, Aon CFO Christa Davies said.

"The price does seem rich at 15 times expected adjusted EBITDA, which is a bit above our valuation for Aon. However, Aon does expect $60 million in cost synergies over time," Brett Horn, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, wrote in a note.

"We had wondered what management might do after regulators blocked its attempt to acquire Willis Towers Watson. The answer appears to be to look for similar but somewhat smaller deals," Horn said.

Aon and Willis Towers Watson called off a $30 billion merger in July 2021 that would have created the world's largest insurance broker amid anti-trust scrutiny.

Aon shares were last down 6% in afternoon trading as the company expects to incur $400 million in one-time transaction and integration costs related to the deal.

"Initially, the combined firm's adjusted operating margin could be lower than Aon's standalone margin. However, we expect to continue to drive adjusted operating margin expansion over the long term," Davies said.

Founded in 1999, NFP is a property and casualty brokerage, which offers benefits consulting, wealth management and retirement plan consulting for clients. Its CEO Doug Hammond will continue to lead the business.

Insurance brokers serve as a bridge between an insurer and its customers, helping clients find a policy that best suits their needs.

NFP will generate an estimated $2.2 billion in annual revenue this year, Aon said in an investor presentation. It forecast a roughly 14% rise in total revenue in 2024 and 2025.

UBS Investment Bank was the exclusive financial advisor to Aon on the transaction. Citi is advising it on the deal financing.

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo on Wednesday described China as a "sometimes very hostile" country, following allegations that Beijing had recruited a member of the Belgian far-right party Vlaams Belang as an intelligence asset.

"We should not underestimate how much foreign powers do not like our democracy, our unity. Unlike Russia, China is not attacking our continent, but it remains a country that is sometimes very hostile. It shouldn't be dismissed as nothing," De Croo told Belgium's two leading newspapers Le Soir and De Standaard.

"Belgian democracy is being sold. The Chinese are trying to buy influence in order to destabilize our democracy. With Chinagate, or should I say Chinese Interest, it is all unrolling before our eyes."

De Croo was reacting to reports from The Financial Times, Le Monde and Der Spiegel newspapers last week claiming that Frank Creyelman, of the Vlaams Belang party, had been working with Chinese spies for at least three years.

Tom Van Grieken, leader of the Vlaams Belang, which is in favour of Flemish independence, expelled Creyelman from the party on Friday following the allegations.

De Croo also said Steven Creyelman, brother of Frank Creyelman and also a member of Vlaams Belang, should be removed from the presidency of the parliament's defence purchases committee, but acknowledged that was not his call.

"My motto is: better safe than sorry. He chairs one of the most sensitive committees in Parliament," the Belgian Prime Minister said, drawing a comparison between this alleged Chinese espionage affair and the so-called "Qatargate" scandal.

Qatargate, the biggest scandal to rock European Union politics in decades, hinges on suspicions that Qatar and Morocco bribed politicians, parliamentary assistants and non-governmental organisations to influence decision-making in the EU assembly.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Geert de Clercq and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the funeral service for retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday vetoed a resolution that would disapprove of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business loan rule, saying the resolution would hinder the government's ability to conduct oversight of predatory lenders.

The resolution, which passed with support from just five Democrats in the U.S. Senate in October and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives earlier this month, nullified a CFPB rule that required financial institutions to collect and report credit application data for small businesses to the bureau.

The CFPB rule was already facing legal challenges. In July, a federal court had ordered the CFPB not to implement the rule until a related pending case is resolved.

"If enacted, this resolution would harm all those that stand to benefit from expanded transparency and accountability," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

The Democratic U.S. president accused Republicans of "hampering efforts to promote transparency and accountability in small business lending" and "siding with big banks and corporations over the needs of small business owners."

The top U.S. government agency for consumer financial protection had unveiled its long-awaited final rule for data collection on loans to small business in March and said the rule would help combat discrimination and promote investment.

The legal mandate for the rule is as old as the CFPB itself, having been created under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation in the wake of the global financial crisis.

"This (CFPB) rule implements a long-overdue piece of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act," Biden said in his statement on Tuesday.

Many Republicans have opposed the CFPB from the start, saying it wields too much power and burdens banks and other lenders with unnecessary red tape. Many Democrats and consumer watchdog advocates say the CFPB is key to protecting consumers from deceptive and abusive practices by lenders and debt collectors.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Aurora Ellis)
FILE PHOTO: The S&P Global logo is displayed on its offices in the financial district in New York City, U.S., December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - S&P Global, Moody's and Fitch, the so-called 'Big Three' credit ratings agencies, are maintaining their dominance of Europe's credit score market despite the region's efforts to loosen their grip, data shows.

Data published on Wednesday by EU watchdog, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), showed the trio accounted for more than 90% of all paid-for 'solicited' ratings, which range from government bonds to company debt and structured finance.

The breakdown showed that S&P and Moody's had both seen fractional reductions in their shares to 48.6% and 31.5%, down from 50.1 and 32.8% respectively, while number three agency Fitch nudged up its share to 10.2% from 10%.

Despite efforts by Brussels to encourage greater competition following the global financial crash and euro zone debt crisis, the figures have barely budged over the the last decade.

The number of ratings firms registered in the 30-country European Economic Area (EEA30), which the ESMA data cover, has started to creep up again but at 21 the number is still lower than the 25 there were in 2020.

There has been other progress though. Last month the European Central Bank announced it will soon add Berlin-based Scope, which has a less than 2% share of the ratings market, to the handful of firms it uses to judge collateral values.

(Reporting by Marc Jones, Editing by Louise Heavens)
(Reuters) - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday issued a formal apology on behalf of the city to two Black men wrongly accused of the 1989 murder of a pregnant white woman, a high-profile case that deepened rifts between the police force and the Black community.

Declaring the apology "just the beginning of a much longer journey of accountability and action," Wu presented physical copies of the apology at a press conference to Alan Swanson, one of the two men, and relatives of the other man, Willie Bennett, who was not present.

"To every Black resident, I am sorry not only for the abuse our city enacted, but for the beliefs and the bias that brought them to bear in the first place," said Wu, who became the first woman and person of color elected mayor in Boston in 2021.

Several U.S. cities in recent years have confronted past wrongs their criminal justice systems inflicted on residents of color. New York City in 2014 settled a $41 million lawsuit with the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted of raping a white woman jogger in 1989.

Wu's apology comes after the release of an HBO series, "Murder in Boston," that dissects the killing and its aftermath, which exacerbated the city's long-standing racial tensions.

Swanson and Bennett were not formally charged with the murder of the pregnant woman, Carol Stuart, but they were arrested and publicly branded suspects after the actual culprit, Stuart's husband, told police that she had been murdered by a Black man who he said had abducted the couple, according to local news reports.

When the husband's story later began to unravel, he stopped his car on a local bridge and jumped off, killing himself. His brother confessed to helping hide the gun used in the staged murder.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox echoed Wu's apology and said that while his department had evolved in many ways since 1989, "we have a ways to go."

Bennett's nephew Joey said at the press conference that the accusations had traumatized multiple generations of his family, as well as Swanson and Bennett themselves.

"He hasn't been right since that case," Joey Bennett said at the conference, gesturing at Swanson, who stood silently behind him. "I hope we can move forward positively from this moment."

(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Alistair Bell)
FILE PHOTO: An employee works at the assembly line of jerked beef at a plant of JBS S.A, the world's largest beef producer, in Santana de Parnaiba, Brazil December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian Supreme Court justice suspended a 10.3 billion real ($2.10 billion) fine on J&F, the firm that controls the world's largest meatpacker, JBS, according to a decision seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

The court's decision was not made public, and the court did not immediately respond to requests for comments. J&F declined to comment.

J&F had agreed to pay the fine in 2017 under a leniency agreement over its role in corruption scandals. Its founders, Joesley and Wesley Batista had confessed, in a plea bargain deal, to running a political bribery ring.

The company had requested the court to suspend the fine, arguing that prosecutors were biased and had taken "clearly persecutory actions."

J&F's request came after the justice overseeing the case, Dias Toffoli, ruled in September to annul all evidence related to a similar leniency agreement with the construction firm formerly called Odebrecht, based on messages that indicated collusion between the judge on that case and prosecutors.

In the ruling on J&F's case, dated Tuesday, Toffoli argued that there is "at the very least, reasonable doubt" as to whether the company adhered to the agreement with federal prosecutors voluntarily, "which justifies, for the time being, the suspension of payments."

According to a source with knowledge of the case, J&F has already paid 2.9 billion reais of the total fine. However, depending on the evidence, the fine could be reduced to an amount lower than already paid.

Toffoli also gave the company permission to reevaluate terms of the agreement reached with prosecutors through the country's comptroller general's office to "correct any abuses" that could have been committed.

($1 = 4.8996 reais)

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
PARIS (Reuters) - Four French IT workers with diplomatic passports and visas have been arrested in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a French diplomatic source said on Wednesday, denying a media report that they were intelligence agents.

Worsening relations between the junta in Burkina Faso and former coloniser France have recently led to expulsion orders for diplomatic officials, including the French ambassador, and to the suspension of some French media.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the four civil servants came to the West African country to carry out IT maintenance for the French embassy, but were detained on Dec. 1 and transferred to Ouagadougou prison on Dec. 14.

French news magazine Jeune Afrique on Tuesday published an article saying that Burkina Faso had arrested four agents working for France's external intelligence agency DGSE, the equivalent of America's CIA or Britain's MI6.

"The French government takes note of ongoing legal proceedings, but rejects accusations that the technicians were sent to Burkina Faso for reasons other than their IT maintenance work. It calls for their immediate return to France," the source said.

The Burkinabe government did not reply to a request for comment.

The military authorities came to power after two coups last year - part of a string of recent army-led ousters in West Africa that have frayed France's once-strong ties with the region, where anti-French sentiment is on the rise.

Jeune Afrique magazine itself was suspended by the junta in September for publishing "untruthful" articles that reported tension and discontent within the African country's armed forces.

(Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Leslie Adler)
FILE PHOTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he senses a change in India's tone with Ottawa after the United States warned New Delhi about its involvement in a thwarted plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil, the CBC reported on Wednesday.

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," he added.

Trudeau announced Sept. 18 that Canadian intelligence agencies were pursuing credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, upending diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The U.S. Justice Department in November charged a man accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist - a U.S. citizen of Indian origin living in New York City, alleging that an Indian government official directed the plan. U.S. officials did not name the targeted person.

After the U.S. revelations, Canadian officials pressed India to cooperate in its investigation of the June murder, which drew renewed attention to the movement for a Sikh homeland in northern India.

New Dehli had angrily rejected Canadas claim, sparking a diplomatic row, with both sides expelling diplomats and trade talks potentially destabilized. By contrast, India said it was taking the U.S. indictment seriously and investigating.

Both the United States and Canada are seeking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy," Trudeau told the CBC.

"But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do," Trudeau said.

(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Mark Porter)
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced its inaugural list of key terrestrial wild animal habitats, incorporating areas that are home to over 82 percent of the country's critically protected terrestrial species.

The 789 habitats consist of six categories, including regions where endangered species live and breed, and areas characterized by significant populations of wild animals, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

They cover zones of habitation, reproduction and migration for 565 types of animals classified as level-I and level-II within China's wildlife protection system.

The administration noted that the list is expected to gradually expand as more wildlife habitats experience environmental improvements and meet assessment criteria.

Featuring rich biodiversity, China is home to more than 10 percent of the total terrestrial vertebrate species worldwide.

In recent years, the country has established a natural land protection system comprising national parks, nature reserves and various natural parks. An increasing number of wildlife habitats are coming under national protection thanks to this national conservation initiative. 
FILE PHOTO: Paul Singer, founder, CEO, and co-chief investment officer for Elliott Management Corporation, attends the Skybridge Alternatives Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada May 9, 2012. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

(Reuters) - Crown Castle on Wednesday announced a review of its fiber business and replaced two directors on its board as part of a deal with activist investor Elliott, which has sought to shake up the wireless tower operator for years of underperformance.

The company has also formed two committees under the deal  one for the Fiber unit review and another to search for its next CEO. Its former top boss Jay Brown resigned earlier this month, days after Elliott called for an executive change.

"Today's announcements mark a significant step forward toward a stronger and more valuable Crown Castle," Elliott Senior Portfolio Manager Jason Genrich said.

Genrich will get a seat on Crown Castle's board as part of the agreement, along with former T-Mobile executive Sunit Patel. They will replace Benjamin Moreland and Maria Pope.

After the changes, Crown Castle's board will consist of 12 members, of whom 11 are independent.

The fiber business posted a 4% rise in revenue in the last reported quarter, but the figure was down about 25% from the previous three months. The unit accounts for nearly a third of the company's total revenue.

Elliott has said the company should consider a possible sale of the business, improve corporate governance and optimize its incentive plan, among others.

The demands are the second time the activist investor is publicly pressuring Crown Castle after Elliott urged management to rethink its fiber infrastructure strategy and criticized the company's shareholder returns in 2020.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Irish Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Micheal Martin speaks to members of the media during the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Ph

DUBLIN (Reuters) -Ireland said on Wednesday it would mount a legal challenge against Britain over a new law giving conditional amnesties to former soldiers and militants involved in decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

Britain has halted prosecutions of those involved in three decades of bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, saying they are unlikely to succeed and an independent body should be set up instead.

Victims' families, human-rights organisations and all major political parties on the island of Ireland - including British unionist and Irish nationalist - have condemned the law which offers immunity from prosecution for those who cooperate fully with the new investigative body.

Micheal Martin, Ireland's minister for foreign affairs, said it had not come to the legal decision easily, but Britain had not engaged properly on the move. Ireland said it would argue that the UK move is incompatible with its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The British government enacted this legislation on 18 September 2023, shutting off any possibility of political resolution," Martin said.

"We now find ourselves in a space where our only recourse is to pursue a legal path."

Britain's Northern Ireland minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, said the UK government profoundly regretted the decision taken by the Irish government, and described the challenge as "unnecessary."

"The decision comes at a particularly sensitive time in Northern Ireland. It did not need to be taken now, given the issues are already before the UK courts," he said in a statement.

Around 3,600 people died in three decades of confrontation between Irish nationalist militants seeking a united Ireland, pro-British "loyalist" paramilitaries and the British military. The conflict largely ended with a 1998 peace deal.

A number of victims' families have already begun challenges against the new law in the Northern Ireland courts.

The announcement was welcomed by victims' families and human-rights organisations. Amnesty International's Northern Ireland deputy director, Grainne Teggart, said the challenge would be vital for victims in Northern Ireland and around the world.

"It's fantastic news, a great Christmas present for people waiting for inquests, civil cases and prosecutions," John Teggart, whose father was killed by British soldiers in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast in 1971, told Reuters.

"It's just right that the Irish government is taking the burden off victims across the board with this legal challenge."

(Reporting by Muvija M in London, Padraic Halpin and Graham Fahy in Dublin and Amanda Ferguson in BelfastEditing by Kate Holton, Kylie MacLellan, Toby Chopra and Matthew Lewis)
FILE PHOTO: Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova speaks on Day 1 of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, Britain on November 1, 2023. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WARSAW (Reuters) - European Commission Deputy chief Vera Jourova said on Wednesday she was happy that the new Polish government wants to fix the rule of law situation, but it is too early to assess whether its actions will be sufficient or meet EU's milestones.

Jourova went to Warsaw on Wednesday to meet officials after a new pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk took power after the Oct. 15 election from the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The former PiS government had for years been stuck in a row with Brussels over its court reforms and the rule of law, resulting in billions of European Union's funds for Poland being frozen. The new government vowed to regain access to the money.

Jourova said she welcomed the new cabinet's will to fix rule of law issues, but "it's too early to assess whether they will be sufficient to meet the milestones".

Under the milestones, Poland needs to ensure judicial independence, reinstate unlawfully dismissed judges and reform its disciplinary system.

"We are truly committed to completing milestones as quickly as possible," Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said during a joint press conference with Jourova.

(Reporting by Karol Badohal and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Alison Williams)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Woodside, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lama

By Don Durfee and Antoni Slodkowski

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - After a year that brought panic over spy balloons, a fight over semiconductors and an intensifying military rivalry, China and the U.S. are ending the year with an uneasy detente.

This follows a November meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping where both men signaled a desire to stop the free fall in their countries' relations.

2024 could bring new turbulence. From presidential elections in Taiwan and the U.S. to continued U.S.-China trade fights, Biden and Xi face no shortage of problems that could cause a stumble in the new year.

CROSS-STRAIT TROUBLE

First up will be Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections. How China reacts could determine whether the relationship between the worlds largest economies becomes recharged with mutual suspicion.

Vice President Lai Ching-te and running mate Hsiao Bi-khim from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are leading in the polls. China has labeled them as the "independence double-act" and rebuffed Lai's offers of talks.

Elections on the island, which China considers its own territory, have previously escalated tensions, most notably in 1996 when China's military exercises and missile tests ahead of the voting prompted the U.S. to send an aircraft carrier task force to the area.

This time Beijing has again ramped up military and political pressure, framing the elections as a choice between "peace and war," calling the ruling party dangerous separatists and urging Taiwanese to make the "right choice."

Some analysts believe Xi, hoping to avoid conflict, will moderate China's military response if Lai wins. But Taiwan is on high alert for Chinese activities, both military and political, ahead of the election.

TRUMP 2.0?

The 2024 U.S. presidential election could be even more consequential. Barring last-minute surprises, the election will likely be a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

While the contest is sure to feature heated rhetoric about China, Xi will be more focused on one question: Will Trump return to office?

"When the Chinese think about the election next year, Trump coming back would be their worst nightmare," said Yun Sun, director at the Stimson Center in Washington.

A tense U.S.-China relationship during former President Barack Obama's term gave way to an all-out trade war under his successor's, accusations over the origin of COVID-19 and new tensions over the status of Taiwan.

In one respect, a return of Trump could be a geopolitical boon for China. Biden has skillfully increased the pressure on Beijing - maintaining Trump-era tariffs, adding new export controls and strengthening U.S. alliances.

If Trump's isolationist instincts mean a U.S. pullback from alliances, that could be in the interests of China's rulers, who feel hemmed in by American power.

But as unhappy with Biden as they may be, said Sun, China's rulers see a leader who follows the rules of engagement and a semi-functional U.S.-China relationship. Trump means unpredictability.

"Under Trump there was no meaningful conversation about pretty much anything," she said. "Instead, there was an unstoppable escalation of tension."

CHIPS CONFLICT

U.S. export controls meant to keep the most advanced semiconductors out China's hands will likely only intensify next year.

This past October, the U.S. tightened existing restrictions, halting additional high-end chips and closing loopholes. And another update is likely in 2024 - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said to expect one "at least annually."

Though there is debate about how well the export controls have kept this technology from reaching China, Beijing has struggled to push back against the restrictions, particularly since retaliating against U.S. businesses could drive away the foreign capital Beijing needs as economic growth slows.

One lever Beijing has is its dominant position as a supplier of rare earth metals needed for chips production. In July, China unveiled restrictions on exports of certain gallium and germanium products - exports have fallen off sharply since then.

The tension the U.S. policy has generated will only increase as U.S. authorities crack down on violations of its new rules. The Biden administration launched a task force in 2023 to counter efforts to illegally acquire sensitive U.S. technology.

Investigations into apparent violations involving exports of technology to China are underway and "we anticipate those efforts to result in significant export enforcement actions in 2024," Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod said in a statement to Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Josie Kao)
FILE PHOTO: The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS

By Jonathan Saul, Helen Reid and Corina Pons

LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) -Exporters are scrambling to find alternative air, land and ocean routes to get toys, apparel, tea and auto parts to retailers as disarray ripples through freight supply chains around the world during a wave of attacks in the Red Sea.

Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19 to show support for Hamas during Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The attacks have disrupted a key trade route linking Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal. Container shipping costs have surged, more than tripling in some cases, as companies seek to move goods via other, often longer, ocean routes.

If there are extended disruptions, the consumer goods sector that supplies the world's top retailers like Walmart and IKEA will face the biggest impact, S&P Global said in a report.

Alan Baer, CEO of OL USA, has teams advising shipping and logistics clients to prepare for at least 90 days of Red Sea disruptions.

"It doesn't help that it's Christmas weekend," said Baer. "We'll have a quiet period from now until Jan. 2, and then everybody will be frenetic."

Some fast-acting companies already are trying to switch to so-called intermodal transport, which can involve two or more modes of transportation, said Jan Kleine-Lasthues, chief operating officer airfreight with leading German freight forwarder Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Hellmann has seen increased demand for combined air and sea routing for consumer goods like apparel as well as electronics and tech items, he said. For example, that could mean goods being transported first by sea to a port in Dubai, where they are then loaded onto planes.

"This alternative route allows customers to avoid the danger zone in the Red Sea and the long voyage around the southern tip of Africa," Kleine-Lasthues told Reuters.

While companies moving urgent or critical items might opt to use air freight, the expense means it is not a blanket solution, said Paul Brashier, vice president of Drayage and Intermodal for supply chain group ITS Logistics.

Moving goods by air costs roughly 5-15 time more than by sea, where container shipping rates are still low by historical standards, said Brian Bourke, global chief commercial officer at SEKO Logistics.

If the time it takes to get goods to shelves doubles, more shippers will switch to air - especially for high value goods like designer clothing and high-end electronics, said Bourke, who has already received queries from customers.

MAJOR TRADE ROUTE

Some 35,000 vessels sail through the Red Sea region annually, moving goods between Europe, the Middle East and Asia, representing about 10% of global GDP, said Corey Ranslem, CEO of British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global.

U.S. retailers including Walmart, Target, Macy's and Nike depend on the route to get goods ranging from cotton sheets and electric toothbrushes from India to footwear from China and Sri Lanka.

"Under an extended threat you will see the price of fuel and goods into Europe increase substantially because of the increased costs of diverting around Africa which can add roughly 30 days to a transit depending on the arrival port," Ranslem said.

Tailwind Shipping Lines, a subsidiary of German discount supermarket chain Lidl, which transports non-food goods for Lidl as well as goods for third-party customers, said it was shipping goods around the Cape for now.

"Our aim is to remain as close to our schedule as possible," it said.

Shipping companies remain in the dark over a new international navy coalition being assembled by the United States aimed at stablising the area.

A Spanish fashion industry source told Reuters shipping lines were telling customers a lot was riding on the U.S.-led task force and whether it can prevent more attacks and make the route safe again.

It is critical that European companies are able to use the Suez Canal again to ensure supplies of clothes from Asia, the industry source said.

The timing of the Red Sea security issues compounds difficulties for shippers, said Jeb Clulow, partner in law firm Reed Smith's transportation industry group.

The Panama Canal is struggling with severe drought and has slashed the number of ship passages it allows. In addition, there is a race to get goods in transit before Chinese New Year factory closures planned for Feb. 10-17, which can disrupt supplies for a month or longer.

Meanwhile, large container ship owners have begun adding fees, including emergency surcharges, for cargo affected by the Red Sea disruptions.

In a customer notice on Wednesday, French shipping group CMA CGM announced fees of $1,575 per 20-foot container, $2,700 per 40-foot container and $3,000 for refrigerated containers and special equipment for cargo traveling to and from Red Sea ports.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Helen Reid in London, Corina Pons in Madrid, Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, and Katherine Masters in New York; Editing by David Gregorio, Stephen Coates and Michael Perry)
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, Minister for Health and Prevention Aurelien Rousseau and Labour, Employment and Integration Minister Olivier Dussopt attend the questions to the government session at the National Assembly ahead of a vote by membe

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's faces divisions within his ruling alliance after lawmakers approved legislation that toughens citizenship and social welfare rules for immigrants.

Here are some of the key provisions of the bill:

ANNUAL IMMIGRATION POLICY STATEMENT

Every year the government must present a review of its immigration policies to parliament, providing extensive detail about the number of immigrants and asylum seekers, how many residency permits have been delivered or rejected, how many family reunifications have been approved, how many illegal immigrants have been expelled or deported, and how many immigrants have received French nationality.

LONGER DELAYS FOR NON-EU FOREIGNERS TO GET WELFARE

Citizens from non-European Union member states working in France will have to prove they have been in the country for 30 months before they can receive welfare benefits such as child care. Foreigners in France who are not working, will have to wait five years before they can get benefits.

REFORM OF STATE MEDICAL CARE FOR NON-EU FOREIGNERS

Over the course of 2024, the government will review current legislation that gives illegal residents unlimited access to government-funded medical care.

RESIDENCY PERMITS TO SOLVE LABOUR SHORTAGES

Non-EU foreigners who have no residency or work permit but who work in areas or industries that are struggling to recruit staff - such as restaurants, the building industry and agriculture - can apply for a residency and work permit.

To be eligible, the foreign worker needs to have lived in France for at least three years and have worked at least 12 months (not necessarily consecutively) over the past two years.

In considering this request, authorities will take into account the degree of the applicant's integration in French society and his or her respect for Republican values.

Foreigners who have a police record will not be able to benefit from this exception.

BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP NO LONGER AUTOMATIC

Children born in France of foreign parents will no longer automatically become French citizens under "jus soli" legislation, but will have to request citizenship between the age of 16 and 18.

WITHDRAWAL OF NATIONALITY

Dual-national people convicted of the voluntary homicide of a police officer or government representative can have their French nationality withdrawn.

FAMILY REUNIFICATION RULES TIGHTENED

Foreigners who have obtained the right to live in France will have to wait at least 24 months (from 18 months currently), and have a stable income as well as health insurance, before they can apply for family members to join then.

A spouse wanting to come to France will have to be at least 21 years old (compared to 18 under current legislation).

SANCTIONS FOR COUNTRIES WHO DO NOT TAKE BACK IMMIGRANTS

Development aid can be conditioned on a country's cooperation over the repatriation of illegal migrants and the respect for agreements with France on controlling migratory flows.

FOREIGN STUDENTS GUARANTEE DEPOSIT

Foreigners requesting a student residency permit will have to make a refundable deposit to guarantee possible future repatriation costs. An exception can be made for students with financial needs or excellent exam results.

PREVENTIVE DETENTION FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS

Asylum seekers whose behaviour constitutes a threat to public order can be placed in preventive detention, notably if there is a risk that the asylum seeker would flee.

ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION FOR FOREIGN MINORS ABOLISHED

Foreign minors can no longer be placed in detention centres.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; editing by Richard Lough)
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Thousands of people took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday to protest against the government's economic shock measures, in the first real test for Argentina's new libertarian president, Javier Milei.

Milei, who took office earlier this month on a promise to slash public spending, has announced sweeping plans to reform the economy and crack down on protests in recent days, setting up a potential clash with social groups that have pledged to oppose his "shock therapy."

Milei last week announced a 54% devaluation of peso currency, cuts to subsidies and the closure of some government ministries which he said are needed to address Argentina's acute economic crisis.

Amid a heavy police presence, the protesters, led by groups that represent the unemployed, made their way to the main Plaza de Mayo square, a historic meeting point in front of the presidential palace to demand greater financial support for the poor. Authorities directed protesters away from roads and onto pavements so traffic could pass.

"It is a peaceful mobilization. We do not want any type of confrontation. We do not want any type of clash," Eduardo Belliboni, who leads leftist protest group Polo Obrero, which first called the demonstration, told local radio.

The planned march on Wednesday comes after Milei's newly appointed security minister presented a "protocol" last week to maintain public order that allows federal forces to block demonstrators from holding disruptive road-blocking protests. Some social organizations have said that the protocol goes too far and compromises the right to protest.

The government also said on Monday that people who block streets could lose their right to receive state benefits.

At train stations early on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, an official announcement was broadcast to commuters that said: "He who cuts, does not get paid."

(Reporting by Lucinda Elliott and Nicolas Misculin; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Mariusz Kaminski arrives at a meeting of senior party officials at the party headquarters in Warsaw, Poland November 3, 2015. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

WARSAW (Reuters) -Former Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy from the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party were sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison for abuse of power in previous posts, PAP news agency reported.

In 2015, weeks after PiS came to power, President Andrzej Duda issued a pardon to Kaminski who had been found guilty of abuse of power while serving as head of the anti-corruption agency. The pardon allowed him to become a minister.

Lawyers questioned whether Duda could have pardoned Kaminski before a court issued a final ruling in his case, and opposition politicians have said his decision was political.

The Constitutional Tribunal, which critics say was politicised under PiS, ruled in June the president was within his rights to pardon Kaminski, saving the PiS government from a potentially damaging dismissal in an election year.

Poland's Supreme Court ruled days later that the abuse of power case should be reopened.

On Wednesday, a Warsaw appeals court sentenced Kaminski and Maciej Wasik, his former deputy at the interior ministry, to two years in prison and two other officials of the anticorruption office to one year, PAP news agency reported.

The verdict is final and means Kaminski, seen as close to PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Wasik will probably be removed from their positions as members of parliament. PiS lost power to an alliance of pro-European parties after Oct. 15 elections.

There was no immediate sign that Kaminski or Wasik were set to be imprisoned. Both men disagreed with the appeals court's decision, contending the pardon precluded the sentences.

"This is a verdict that we do not acknowledge and there are no grounds for terminating our (parliamentary) mandates," Kaminski said at a press conference.

"We do not feel guilty or convicted, we were pardoned by Mr President," Wasik added.

President Duda met Kaminski and Wasik on Wednesday evening.

"The 2015 pardon was executed in accordance with the law, which was confirmed by the Constitutional Tribunal, and remains in legal force," his office said on social media platform X after the meeting.

Critics said Kaminski and his associates had pursued corruption with excessive zeal when in office, using methods they said sometimes circumvented laws and also hounded innocent people. Kaminski argued that corruption was a blight on Polish democracy that had to be tackled thoroughly.

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Pawel Florkiewicz; Additional reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Toby Chopra and Cynthia Osterman)
A Palestinian child waits to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid shortages in food supplies, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Saleh Salem/File Photo

By Fadi Shana and Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - The children displaced to south Gaza were craving chicken, but all their mother had left to feed the family for the day was a tin of peas donated by a man who took pity on her when he saw her crying.

Left homeless by Israel's military offensive against Hamas, like most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, Tahany Nasr was in a tent camp in Rafah focused on one thing only: how to find enough food and water to get everyone through another day.

She said her children had lost weight and were getting dizzy spells because they were not eating enough.

"I've been begging to feed my children and don't find anything. I go to Social Affairs, they say go to the mosque. I go to the mosque, they say go to the Affairs," she said, referring to Gaza's welfare ministry which normally organises distributions of basic goods like flour to people in hardship.

Hunger has become the most pressing of the myriad problems facing hundreds of thousands of displaced Gaza Palestinians, with aid trucks able to bring in only a small fraction of what is needed, and distribution uneven due to the chaos of war.

Some trucks have been stopped and looted by people desperate for food, while swathes of the devastated territory are beyond their reach because access roads are active battlegrounds.

Even in Rafah, which has a crossing to Egypt through which aid trucks enter and is an area where the Israeli army has told civilians to seek refuge, the dearth of food and clean water is so severe it is causing people to lose weight and get ill.

"We have started to see people coming in emaciated," said Samia Abu Salah, a primary care doctor in Rafah.

She said weight loss and anaemia were common and people were so weak and dehydrated they were more susceptible to chest infections and skin conditions. Babies and children were particularly at risk, and their growth would be affected.

A MEAL OF ONIONS

"My children just told me today that they were craving chicken. Where would I find them chicken? Where? Do I know? May Allah save us," said Nasr, breaking down in tears as she spoke.

"We haven't received any food in two days. How do I fool my children? With some pasta? Some lentil stew? If I could find it!" she said, adding that sometimes she had resorted to making meals out of only onions.

Nasr went into her tent to fetch the tin of peas she said a kindly man had given her, even though he had bought it for himself. "This is it. This can is all we have for a whole day," she said, holding it up, her voice rising in anger.

Far from being an extreme case, the account given by Nasr echoed stories told by many interviewees who spoke to Reuters in Rafah and elsewhere. People spoke of eating only once a day, of inadequate meals with insufficient nutrition, of rationing water, of children getting diarrhoea from drinking dirty water.

The war was triggered by Hamas fighters who stormed into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people including babies and children and capturing 240 hostages of all ages in the deadliest day of Israel's 75-year history.

Israel has responded with a military assault on the densely populated, Hamas-run Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 20,000 people, mostly women and children, according to health officials there, and wrought a humanitarian catastrophe.

Maha Al-Alami, a displaced woman sheltering in a school in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis with eight children and grandchildren, said everyone was traumatised by the experience of hunger.

"I'm telling you, once the war is over, God willing, the Palestinian people should sit before psychiatrists," she said.

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Arafat Barbakh, Mohammed Salem and Saleh Salem in Rafah, writing by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Mark Heinrich)
FILE PHOTO: Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo

By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - Tackling hidden leverage across the multi-trillion dollar "shadow banking" sector is next year's priority, global financial regulators said on Wednesday, but the challenge of accessing data could hamper the process.

The G20's Financial Stability Board (FSB) and IOSCO, a global grouping of securities markets regulators, on Wednesday issued tougher liquidity management guidance for asset managers of open-ended investment funds, adding to existing guidance for money market funds, which FSB and IOSCO members commit to applying.

Both types of funds are part of the $218 trillion non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector, which also includes hedge funds, property funds and insurance companies. This now makes up almost half of all global financial assets, and is also dubbed "shadow banking" given its role in the economy.

FSB Secretary General John Schindler said further regulatory scrutiny of non-banks will be a priority for 2024, with a focus on leverage.

"That will probably be the big attention grabber because leverage within NBFI is harder to track, it's harder for us in the central banking community to monitor," Schindler told Reuters.

"Leverage can go in all directions. The challenge, let us be clear, is about data," IOSCO Chair Jean-Paul Servais added. "It (data) will be the challenge before thinking about possible policy initiatives."

Much of the data required falls is outside the remit of securities watchdogs, but Servais said he was confident that, by working with central banks through the FSB, the data challenge can be addressed.

Schindler said regulators were aiming to set out policy proposals on tacking leverage by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

Cooperation between the FSB and IOSCO over regulating non-banks hit the buffers in the past over whether non-banks should be treated like banks and be required to hold capital buffers.

Wednesday marked the first time the FSB and IOSCO jointly put out recommendations on NBFI.

"It means that we need each other," Servais said.

"We are marching step by step with each other," added Schindler.

(Reporting by Huw Jones. Editing by Jane Merriman)
URUMQI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has received a record number of tourists this year thanks to its reputation as a safe tourist destination, said Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman of the regional government, on Wednesday.

The number of tourist trips received by the region reached 260 million this year, up from 48.6 million in 2012, the chair said while addressing an idea- and story-sharing conference on the theme of promoting the high-quality development of the human rights cause in Xinjiang within the Chinese modernization drive.

In the eyes of tourists, Xinjiang has become a place with superb public security management and a safe social environment, he said.

The official accredited the unprecedented improvement in the public sense of security to Xinjiang's prioritization of social stability and human rights. The region has not seen any violent terrorist incidents for nearly seven straight years, he noted.

"The human rights cause in Xinjiang has made all-round advances and historic achievements," he said in the speech that highlighted the comprehensive protection of the social, cultural, religious and political rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, as well as their right to live and develop.

A report on Xinjiang's human rights and legal protections, compiled by Xinjiang University and Southwest University of Political Science and Law, was also issued at the event. 
FILE PHOTO: Guinea Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

BISSAU (Reuters) -Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has dismissed Geraldo Martins as prime minister just a week after his reappointment and appointed former prime minister Rui Duarte de Barros in his place, presidential decrees on Wednesday showed.

Embalo dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament days after what he said was a foiled coup on Dec. 1, accusing the government of passivity in response to the clashes. He then reappointed Martins as prime minister on Dec. 12.

The presidential decrees did not provide a reason for sacking Martins, who is a member of the former ruling PAIGC party which now leads the main opposition coalition. Sources close to the matter said the prime minister and the president were at odds.

De Barros previously worked as the West African country's minister of economy and finance and as a commissioner at the West African Economic and Monetary Union, before serving as prime minister in a transitional government between 2012 and 2014.

Guinea-Bissau has often been in political turmoil and has seen several coups since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Police fired tear gas last week to disperse opposition members of parliament who had tried to convene in defiance of Embalo's decision to dissolve the house. A date for new legislative elections has not yet been set.

(Reporting by Alberto DaboWriting by Sofia Christensen and Anait MiridzhanianEditing by Alison Williams, Kirsten Donovan)
By Ben Blanchard and Angie Teo

TAIPEI (Reuters) - In China's eyes all three Taiwan presidential candidates are separatists, the frontrunner to be the island's next leader said on Wednesday in a fractious joint televised address with the other contenders.

The Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections will define Chinese-claimed Taiwan's ties with Beijing, and are happening as China steps up military activities around the island to assert its sovereignty claims.

China has rebuked current Vice President Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate and leading in the polls, as a dangerous separatist, and portrayed the vote as a choice between war and peace.

In a live televised pre-election policy address by the three presidential candidates - an actual debate comes later this month - Lai said China's desire to "swallow up" Taiwan was the country's national policy.

"Don't foolishly allow China to define Taiwan independence," he said, standing next to the other two candidates, Hou Yu-ih from Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang, and former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the much smaller Taiwan People's Party.

"Mayor Hou and Chairman Ko, in the eyes of China, the three of us standing here running for president are all for Taiwan independence," Lai added.

Taiwan and China's governments do not recognise each other and China says Taiwan has to accept they both belong to "one China" for talks to take place, which the DPP-led administration has refused to do, though it has offered talks many times.

Hou, who has been catching up to Lai in the polls, repeated his party's accusations that Lai wants the island's formal independence by ditching its formal name of the Republic of China, pointing to previous comments Lai has made about supporting independence.

"Taiwan independence will lead to war, and war is getting closer and closer to us," said Hou, whose party traditionally favours close ties with China but denies being pro-Beijing.

"I oppose one country, two systems, and I oppose Taiwan independence," he added, referring to the Hong Kong model of self-governance China has offered to Taiwan, though this enjoys next to no political support on the island.

China passed a law in 2005 giving it the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it formally secedes or seems about to, and has placed sanctions on senior Taiwan officials, including the foreign minister, it says are separatists.

Taiwan's government says the Republic of China and People's Republic of China are "not subordinate" to each other, and that as the Republic of China it is already an independent country. Beijing says this is mere wordplay.

Ko, who has trailed in the polls after talks to form a joint ticket with the KMT collapsed in acrimony last month, made only brief mention of China, concentrating instead on issues like the high cost of housing that has won him support with young voters.

"I hope Taiwan can be a bridge between China and the United States, not a pawn in the confrontation between China and the United States," he said.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Angie Teo; additional reporting by Roger Tung; editing by Mark Heinrich)
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed confidence on Wednesday that Northern Ireland's power-sharing government would be restored in the new year and that reforms on its operation could be up for discussion after that.

Northern Ireland has been without a government for almost two years after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) walked out in protest over Britain's attempts to settle post-Brexit trade rules for the region, which shares a land border with EU member Ireland.

Britain's Northern Ireland Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said on Tuesday that talks on restoring the government had not yet produced an agreement, and that there would be no deal before Christmas.

"We think we'll be able to get this over the line in the new year, have a new executive and assembly up and running and help it to be a success," Varadkar told a news conference on Wednesday.

Irish nationalists and pro-British unionist politicians are obliged to share power under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord that ended three decades of sectarian violence in the province.

But the ability of the largest party on either side to pull down power-sharing for long periods has been identified by many as a block on progress.

Both the Irish and British prime ministers said earlier this year that they were open to considering reforming Northern Ireland's political architecture once the power-sharing government underpinning it was restored.

On Wednesday, Varadkar raised the possibility of such talks happening in advance of the next elections due by 2027.

"The last election was held under certain rules and everyone going to vote on that day knew the rules with regard to electing the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, and the executive," Varadkar said.

"If there's going to be any change to the rules, well then they should be negotiated by the two governments and the main parties and put into place in advance to the next assembly elections."

(Reporting by Graham Fahy, editing by Padraic Halpin and Toby Chopra)
By Brad Brooks and Steve Gorman

(Reuters) -A federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday ruled that Army crews can continue removing a confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery, as Congress has mandated must be done by Jan. 1.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston on Monday had ordered a halt to the removal as he considered a lawsuit against the work.

In his Tuesday ruling, he rejected the arguments from the group Defend Arlington, who claimed in their suit that the Pentagon had skirted federal environmental law in its rush to take down the monument, and that the work would disturb nearby graves.

Alston wrote that "this case essentially attempts to place this Court at the center of a great debate" between those who extol "the virtues, romanticism and history of the Old South" and people who say the monuments glorify the slave-owning culture of the Confederacy.

Erected in 1914, the Confederate Memorial is the latest of scores of statues seen by many as monuments to racism. They have been singled out for demolition by state and local leaders around the U.S. since a nationwide public uproar stirred in 2020 by the killing of George Floyd.

Congress formally mandated elimination of all names, symbols and statues commemorating the Confederacy throughout the U.S. military in 2021, creating a commission to oversee the endeavor.

Kerry Meeker, head of public affairs for Arlington Cemetery, said in a written statement that the Army would resume removal of the monument "immediately" and that great care would be taken to preserve "the sanctity of all those laid to rest" nearby.

The cemetery's own online critique describes the monument's imagery and inscriptions as sanitizing pre-Civil War slavery, romanticizing secession of the Southern pro-slave states, and perpetuating the noble "Lost Cause" myth of the Confederacy.

The monument features a classically robed woman cast in bronze representing the American South standing atop a three-story pedestal adorned with life-sized figures of deities, Confederate soldiers and civilians.

Among those figures are an enslaved African-American "mammy" character holding the infant child of a white Confederate officer, and an enslaved African-American man following his owner off to war, according to the cemetery's description.

The monument overlooks Confederate graves in a special corner of the sprawling cemetery, which stands in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., on the grounds of a former plantation seized from Civil War General Robert E. Lee, commander of Confederate forces.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Michael Perry)
Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) join in a human-chain protest to mark the International Human Rights Day, demanding the release of BNP activists who were arrested, ahead of the twelfth national election, in front of the National Press Cl

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladesh's main opposition party urged voters on Wednesday to boycott what it called a "one-sided dummy election" due in January, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina kicked off her campaign for a fourth consecutive term.

With its top leaders either jailed or in the exile, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been calling for Hasina to resign and for a neutral authority to replace the government and oversee the Jan. 7 polls, which the BNP is not contesting.

Hasina has repeatedly rejected opposition calls to step down and has blamed the BNP for instigating anti-government protests that have rocked Dhaka since late October and in which at least 10 people have been killed.

"Boycott the dummy election on January 7. Don't participate in the monkey game on January 7," the BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told an online press briefing. "None of you will go to the polling station. This is your democratic right."

Rizvi also called on government employees - especially those involved in organising the election - to quit and for all services, including banking and the judicial system, to be halted. "Suspend all taxes, fees, utility bills and other payables to the government," he said.

Hasina urged people to vote for her party to continue work towards a prosperous Bangladesh as she began campaigning in the northeastern Sylhet district.

"Casting a vote is the constitutional right of the people. If anyone interferes with voting or elections, the people will reject them, she told a huge rally.

"Any party can boycott the poll but why do they burn people to death?, she said. The BNP denies involvement in any violence.

Four people, including a mother and her three-year-old son, were killed on Tuesday when a train was set on fire.

Some 382 independents candidates, more than half of whom are members of Hasina's Awami League, are contesting 221 out of 300 constituencies, alongside official Awami League candidates.

A total of 128 independents contested the election in 2018, according to the data from the Election Commission.

Awami League has shared 26 constituencies with its ally the Jatiya Party, thus allowing the latter to field candidates in a total of 283 seats.

The BNP called independent candidates who are ruling party members 'dummy candidates'.

Awami League joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim denied this.

Anyone can contest elections, it is their democratic right. We cannot impose any restrictions on it. We want a free, fair and competitive election, he said.

Rights groups have accused the government of targeting opposition leaders and supporters. The government denies the accusations but faces pressure from Western nations to hold free, fair and participatory elections.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Miral Fahmy and Toby Chopra)
FILE PHOTO: Exterior view of Chisinau International Airport, in Chisinau, Moldova, February 14, 2023. Inquam Photos/Andrei Mardari via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN R

By Alexander Tanas

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldova is to alter the three-letter international abbreviation for Chisinau airport, a government minister said on Thursday, a new bid to distance itself from its Soviet legacy and dependence on the Russian language.

Minister of Infrastructure and Territorial Development Andrei Spinu said that from Jan. 18, Chisinau airport would use the abbreviation RMO - signifying Republic of Moldova -- rather than the Soviet-era designation of KIV.

The old abbreviation was used as an approximation of Kishinyov, as the capital is known in Russian, replaced in the post-Soviet era by Chisinau, the Romanian-language name.

"Changing an abbreviation is quite a lengthy procedure and it has gone on for nearly a year," Spinu told Pro-Tv Chisinau.

"The main aim is to remove the Russian name of KIV and rid ourselves of the legacy of what the name Kishinyov meant."

Romanian is the sole state language in the country lying between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, but Russian is still widely used.

Spinu said attempts to find other abbreviations reflecting the capital's post-Soviet name ran into difficulty as they were already in use on the Internet.

"I think we will quickly get used to the new abbreviation signifying the name of our country," he told Pro-TV.

Pro-European President Maia Sandu has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and singled out Moscow as the main threat to her country's security. The European Union this month agreed to start talks on extending membership to both Ukraine and Moldova.

Moscow has accused Sandu and other officials of engaging in russophobia.

(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Sandra Maler)
FILE PHOTO: Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi visits a monument to Holodomor victims during a commemoration ceremony of the famine of 1932-33, in which millions died of hunger, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 25, 2023. The ceremony happens a

KYIV (Reuters) - The vast majority of Ukrainians would not support the sacking of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi from his position as head of the armed forces, a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed on Wednesday.

Despite attempts to demonstrate unity during the war with Russia, signs of friction between Zaluzhnyi and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have been evident for weeks, spurring domestic media speculation that the army chief could be fired.

KIIS found that only 2% of Ukrainians would actively support Zelenskiy removing Zaluzhnyi from his post, while 72% would view such a move "negatively". The polsters surveyed 1,200 people living around Ukrainian-controlled territory on Dec. 4-10.

The public's trust in Zaluzhnyi stood at 92%, the poll found, compared with 77% of people who trust Zelenskiy. Both those levels are very high.

Zaluzhnyi oversaw the major 2023 counteroffensive that failed to retake swathes of Russian-occupied land, but he is very popular with many Ukrainians after beating back Russian forces from swathes of land last year.

Zelenskiy's trust levels have dipped slightly this year as the mood darkened after the counteroffensive made little headway and optimism over a quick end to the war faded.

Asked at news conference on Tuesday if he wanted to sack Zaluzhnyi, Zelenskiy denied there was any rift between them but said he wanted to see concrete results from the military leadership.

He avoided directly criticising Zaluzhnyi, with whom he said he had a working relationship, but he also did not explicitly extend his full support for the general.

The tensions between the men burst into the open in November after Zaluzhnyi was quoted as saying the war had reached a stalemate, drawing a rebuke from the president's office.

This week, Zaluzhnyi criticised a decision that was made by Zelenskiy to fire the heads of the regional military draft offices amid a crackdown on corruption this summer. He also said the war had not reached a stalemate.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a Lights for Liberty event demanding the release of the remaining 135 hostages held in Gaza, in Manhattan in New York City, U.S. December 13, 2023. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/ File Photo

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Council voted on Wednesday to ban the use of solitary confinement in city jails, with sponsors of the bill arguing that the practice is cruel and leads to heightened risks of injury or death for people in custody.

Mayor Eric Adams and the labor union representing the city's jail guards have opposed the legislation, saying it will make it more difficult to protect jail workers from violence by detainees, most of whom are awaiting trial and were denied or unable to afford release on bail.

Adams, a former police captain, has been trying to avoid a federal takeover of the violence-plagued jail complex on Rikers Island, with the U.S. Department of Justice saying the city has failed to move quickly enough to enact promised safety reforms.

When asked on Tuesday whether he would veto the bill, Adams, a Democrat, declined to say. The council has promised to overrule any veto, which requires the vote of at least two thirds of its members. Thirty-nine lawmakers voted to pass the bill, and seven opposed.

Under current "punitive segregation" rules, jail officials can punish detainees who are violent or otherwise breaks jail rules by isolating them in a cell for up to 23 hours a day for up to 60 days straight for the most serious infractions.

The bill passed by the Democratic-controlled council will allow a detainee to be placed into "de-escalation confinement" for up to four hours after an episode of violence, with wellness checks by jail staff every 15 minutes.

The bill also allows any detainee found to have committed a serious infraction to be transferred from a jail's general population to restrictive housing for up to 60 days in a single year. But the detainee cannot be isolated in a cell away from shared areas for more than 10 hours a day. Jail officials can also continue to punish a detainee by removing privileges.

"The one thing we have said is: we should not use isolation, which people have proven is torture," Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate and the bill's prime sponsor, told reporters. He noted that many people held on Rikers already have mental health issues, which prolonged isolation can exacerbate.

The United Nations has said solitary confinement can amount to torture, and Williams has cited a Cornell University study that found prolonged isolation can lead to "devastating psychological consequences" and is linked to greater risk of premature death even after release, by suicide, violence or in accidents.

The bill has been supported by public defender groups, prison reform advocates and families of people who have died in custody on Rikers Island.

Opposing the bill, the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association has said that, even with the current punitive segregation rules in place, there were more than 6,000 episodes of detainees assaulting jail guards in the last three years, including 50 cases of sexual assault.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese addresses reporters at the top of the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brian Deese, a key player in President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election bid, said on Wednesday that Nippon Steel's proposed purchase of U.S. Steel was concerning and that the administration should look closely at it.

Several Democratic and Republican U.S. senators have criticized the deal this week, citing national security concerns or raising questions about why the two companies did not consult U.S. Steel's main union ahead of the announcement.

Deese ran the White House's National Economic Council for the first two years of Biden's presidency and helped set the administration's economic priorities.

"It is concerning and the announcement raises a set of issues that the administration should and likely will look closely at," Deese said during a call hosted by Biden's re-election campaign. "The particulars of this announcement do raise real, legitimate concerns that do need to be looked closely at."

Nippon said on Monday it would buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion in cash, prevailing over rivals such as Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal and Nucor in an auction for the 122-year-old steelmaker.

The White House has been tight-lipped about the deal, saying only that there could be a regulatory review, in a reference to a likely review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and possibly antitrust authorities.

Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, on Wednesday urged Biden in a letter to explore "all options" to scrutinize the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal.

Brown said the Democratic president should require "an evaluation of potentially applicable antitrust authorities and a CFIUS review to assess any national security risks" and if the deal "is in the best interest of U.S. workers, consumers, and national security."

LIKELY REVIEW

Three U.S. Republican senators on Tuesday urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to block the deal, citing national security concerns. Yellen chairs CFIUS, a closed-door panel that scrutinizes deals for potential national security risks.

Philip Bell, the president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, said Japan is a trusted U.S. ally and the deal does not appear to consolidate control of iron ore mining or automotive steel production under a single company, as Cliffs' proposed purchase earlier this year of U.S. Steel would have done.

U.S. Steel itself is not a member of the trade group, but its Big River Steel subsidiary is.

U.S. Steel said in securities filings that the deal is subject to CFIUS approval and "certain other foreign regulatory approvals."

"There will likely be a (CFIUS) review, but they will probably not block it," said Sarah Bauerle Danzman, who teaches international studies at Indiana University. She said CFIUS could only block the deal if it found "a clear national security threat."

She said transactions involving a Japanese investor happen frequently, with some 60 Japanese transactions reviewed between 2020 and 2022, according to the recent CFIUS annual report.

A similar political outcry arose over a deal involving U.S. assets and a foreign buyer in 2006 when Dubai Ports World took over the global assets of Britain-based P&O - including ports in New York and New Jersey.

While CFIUS approved that deal, Dubai Ports came under tremendous political pressure from U.S. lawmakers and later relinquished the port operations it had purchased to American International Group Inc.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by David Shepardson, Chris Sanders and David Lawder; Editing by Alexander Smith and Paul Simao)
FILE PHOTO: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the 5th National Meeting of Mothers in Pyongyang in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on December 5, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

By Soo-hyang Choi

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday.

Kim made the remark as he met with soldiers working for the military's missile bureau and congratulated them over Pyongyang's recent launching drill of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), KCNA news agency said.

He said the test demonstrated the loyalty and strong stand of the armed forces and was "a clear explanation of the offensive counteraction mode and the evolution of the nuclear strategy and doctrine of the DPRK not to hesitate even a nuclear attack when the enemy provoke it with nukes", KCNA reported.

DPRK is the abbreviation for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea said this week it had tested its newest ICBM on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear forces against mounting U.S. hostility.

The top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and urged Pyongyang to engage in "substantive dialogue without preconditions".

Kim said Monday's launch showed the military's high mobility and rapid attack capability, and called for efforts to further strengthen its combat efficiency, KCNA reported.

In a separate statement, Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, condemned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for holding a meeting over the ICBM launch, saying it was an exercise of the country's right to self-defence.

"The UNSC should place heavy responsibility on the irresponsible behaviour and act of the U.S. and the ROK, which have aggravated the tension on the Korean peninsula through all sorts of military provocations all year round," she said.

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The United States, South Korea and Japan staged a joint air drill involving a U.S. strategic bomber near the Korean peninsula on Wednesday, the latest U.S. strategic asset to be deployed as part of Washington's pledge with Seoul to boost defence readiness.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang ChoiEditing by Sandra Maler, Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle)
KIGALI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The umbrella body of genocide survivors' organizations in Rwanda (IBUKA) on Wednesday welcomed the sentencing of former Rwandan doctor Sosthene Munyemana, who was handed 24-year jail term by a French court for his role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Munyemana, 68, a former gynecologist, earlier Wednesday was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and participation in a conspiracy to prepare the said crimes in southern Rwanda's Huye District, according to French media.

"We followed the case closely; his conviction and sentencing is welcome news in terms of delivering justice to genocide survivors," said Philibert Gakwenzire, IBUKA president. "But coming 29 years after the genocide, European nations should reevaluate why justice has been delayed. The justice system in Europe should do its work to avoid delaying justice or extradite suspects to be tried in Rwanda."

Gakwenzire said, for example, Rwanda has indicted about 50 genocide suspects in France, yet only seven have been prosecuted.

Munyemana worked as a lecturer at the University of Rwanda during the genocide and served as a gynecologist at the University Hospital in Butare in the same area.

Reports indicated Munyemana, who denied the charges during the trial, was immediately arrested after his sentencing by a Paris court, but he has 10 days to appeal against the sentence. His trial started on Nov. 14.

The genocide against Tutsi occurred in 1994 when about 1 million people, mostly of Tutsi ethnic group and moderate Hutus, were killed. 
The logo of TVP Telewizja Polska SA, Polish state television and media outlet, is seen on the roof of the company's building, as the city skyline is seen in the distance in Warsaw, Poland, September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

By Anna Koper and Pawel Florkiewicz

WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland's new government took a public news channel off the air on Wednesday and dismissed executives from state media to restore "impartiality", the culture ministry said, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk's reform drive faced its first big test.

Tusk's pro-European Union coalition took power last week from the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which critics say damaged judicial independence, soured European Union relations and turned state-owned media into an outlet for propaganda during its eight years in office.

Tusk's plans for change, though, are facing a fight from the outset from the former ruling party.

Dismissals at state television (TVP), radio and news agency PAP on Wednesday came after the new parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution for restoring public media impartiality.

The resolution called on "all state authorities to immediately take action aimed at restoring constitutional order in terms of citizens' access to reliable information and the functioning of public media".

PiS sharply attacked the dismissals on Wednesday. Police were called as some PiS politicians appeared at state broadcaster TVP headquarters and other state media offices. Protesters gathered in the evening outside TVP offices in Poland's capital and smaller cities.

The state-run 24-hour news channel TVP Info, a strong critic of Tusk that has sought to portray him as dishonest and under the sway of Germany and Russia, stopped broadcasting.

"The end of TVPiS," Civic Platform - the biggest party in the new government - said on social media platform X after TVP Info stopped airing.

The government has vowed to create stations that would take a more balanced approach to public service broadcasting.

On Wednesday, public TV did not air its main evening news bulletin. Instead, a journalist returning to TVP appeared who pledged that starting from Thursday it would present "photographs, not paintings".

Supporters of TVP Info say shutting it would damage pluralism by removing a conservative voice. The broadcaster has backed PiS's hardline on EU migration debates.

Tusk's predecessor, Mateusz Morawiecki, called the management dismissals a takeover and illegal.

PiS politicians had already appeared Tuesday evening at TVP to "defend democracy", as their leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told reporters outside, according to media footage.

"It is clear that PiS politicians do not defend media freedom, they defend freedom for their own propaganda," Milosz Motyka, from coalition party PSL, said on Polsat News.

'A LITTLE PATIENCE'

Police were called on Wednesday to maintain order as PiS politicians occupied TVP and other state media buildings.

"For us, it doesn't matter who the report comes from, regardless of whether they are PiS (lawmakers) or from another party," police spokesperson Sylwester Marczak told a news conference.

The head of the National Broadcasting Council - PiS-backed Maciej Swirski - also said the dismissal of public media authorities broke the law, and PiS-backed member Maciej Swirski said it "recalls the worst times of martial law", referring to events during the communist era in Poland.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda called on the government to obey the law adding that "a political goal cannot constitute an excuse for violating constitutional principles and the law".

PiS lawmaker and former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski said he had submitted a report to the prosecutor's office on suspicion that the culture minister and his associates had committed a crime.

Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz said PiS's protests would not change the dismissals.

"Have a little patience," he told lawmakers when asked on PiS's actions in parliament, according to news website Wyborcza.pl.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the government to adopt a comprehensive bill on the independence of the public media and on decreasing political influence in their oversight, funding and leadership appointment after a public debate involving experts and civil society.

"The public media belong neither to PiS, nor to any other party. For the same reason, the public media need an ambitious and widely-consulted reform going beyond a personnel overhaul," said Pavol Szalai.

(Reporting by Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, writing by Jason Hovet; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Toby Chopra and Nick Zieminski)
FILE PHOTO: Prada products are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, U.S., February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian fashion house Prada has paid $425 million to buy the building on Fifth Avenue in New York which currently hosts its store, the company said on Wednesday.

Prada, which has been leasing its five-storey store at 724 Fifth Avenue since 1997, said it had paid the price in cash using internal resources.

"The board believes that the property's location offers high strategic value being characterised by increasing scarcity and long-term potential," Prada said in its statement.

It added that the property, a 12-floor building in total, could also provide office premises and storage for the Hong-Kong listed company, in addition to its retail space.

New York's Fifth Avenue is the world's most expensive retail street, according to a global ranking from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

The wider Americas region has been a weak spot for Prada this year, with retail sales falling by 1.3% during the first nine months, contrasting with double digit growth in the Asia Pacific, Japan and European markets.

Real estate investment bank Eastdil Secured advised the seller, 724 Fifth Fee Owner LLC, on the deal.

(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; Editing by Keith Weir)
FILE PHOTO: A woman shops inside a Rite Aid store underneath a DeepCam security camera in New York City, New York, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bankrupt U.S. pharmacy chain Rite Aid will be prohibited from using facial recognition technology for surveillance purposes for five years to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges it harmed consumers, the FTC said on Tuesday.

Rite Aid deployed artificial intelligence-based facial recognition technology from 2012 to 2020 in order to identify shoplifters but the company falsely flagged some consumers as matching someone who had previously been identified as a shoplifter, the FTC said.

Rite Aid in a statement said the agreement with the FTC is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court overseeing its insolvency case.

"The allegations relate to a facial recognition technology pilot program the company deployed in a limited number of stores," the company said. "Rite Aid stopped using the technology in this small group of stores more than three years ago, before the FTCs investigation regarding the Companys use of the technology began."

The FTCs complaint and ban followed a Reuters investigation from 2020 into Rite Aids facial recognition program.

That investigation found Rite Aid quietly added facial recognition systems to hundreds of stores in the United States, and that in New York and Los Angeles, Rite Aid deployed the technology in largely lower-income, non-white neighborhoods.

After Reuters sent its findings to Rite Aid in July 2020, Rite Aid said it quit using its facial recognition software.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; editing by Rami Ayyub and Stephen Coates)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Russia's state communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is reflected in a laptop screen showing Google start page, in this picture illustration taken May 27, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Illustration/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court fined Alphabet's Google on Wednesday 4.6 billion roubles ($50.84 million) for failing to delete so-called "fake" information about the conflict in Ukraine and other topics, the TASS news agency reported.

Russia has been at loggerheads with foreign technology companies over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The RIA news agency said the fine had also been imposed due to Google failing to remove "extremist content" and the distribution of what Russia calls "LGBT propaganda".

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia calls the conflict in Ukraine a "special military operation". Russia's Supreme Court ruled in November that LGBT activists should be designated as "extremists" in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions.

Alphabet's YouTube has been a particular target of the Russian state's ire but, unlike Twitter and Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram, it has not been blocked. The fine was calculated as a share of Google's annual turnover in Russia. The company was handed similar turnover-based penalties of 7.2 billion roubles in late 2021 and 21.1 billion roubles in August 2022.

($1 = 90.4825 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow, Alexander Marrow; additional reporting by Filipp Lebedev; editing by Andrew Heavens and Jason Neely)
Former Suriname president Desi Bouterse speaks during a news conference after the Court Martial of Suriname confirmed a 20-year jail sentence for his involvement in the murder of 15 people while he ruled in 1982 during his military government, in Paramari

By Ank Kuipers

PARAMARIBO (Reuters) -A three-judge panel in Suriname on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former President Desi Bouterse for his role in the execution of 15 people in the former Dutch colony in December 1982, though no arrest warrant was immediately issued.

Bouterse, 78, who dominated Suriname's politics for decades and left office in 2020, faces 20 years in prison.

He has denied the charges and this was his final possible appeal.

The government said the verdict was "an important moment of healing" and called on citizens to accept it, but added that the court had not ordered immediate imprisonment.

"The government will in the coming period, in close consultation with the relevant authorities, in compliance with the legal provisions, take up the follow-up to the verdict pronounced," it said in a statement.

Bouterse's lawyer Irvin Kanhai told reporters as he left the court that he had not yet spoken to his client.

The verdict is "disappointing, but let me read it first," Kanhai said.

The court ruled in 2019 that Bouterse had overseen an operation in which soldiers abducted 16 leading government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors, from their homes.

Fifteen of them were murdered at a colonial fortress in the capital Paramaribo. One trade union leader survived and gave testimony against Bouterse.

Bouterse has said in the past the murdered men were connected to an invasion plot involving the Netherlands and the United States.

His defense had argued their deaths were not premeditated, but the court said it concluded that Bouterse "had sufficient time to consider the decision to eliminate the victims."

"It took 41 years, but the long arm of the law has finally caught up to Desi Bouterse," said lawyer Reed Brody, who monitored the case for non-governmental organization the International Commission of Jurists. "Today's decision is a victory for the families of Bouterse's victims, who never gave up."

Hugo Essed, who represented the families of those murdered, said: "I have every belief that the sentences imposed will be enforced."

POTENTIAL UNREST

Neither Bouterse nor four other ex-military officers convicted in the case were present at the hearing. The four others were sentenced to 15 years each.

The U.S. and Dutch embassies - which commended the integrity of the judiciary in a joint statement with other embassies after the verdict - had earlier warned of potential unrest around the ruling.

The spokesman for Bouterse's National Democratic Party (NDP), Ricardo Panka, called on its members to focus on 2025 elections and refrain from any actions that could "disrupt peace and security."

Bouterse himself told supporters during a rally on Saturday there was "no point in letting things get out of hand."

Bouterse seized power in a 1980 coup against Suriname's first prime minister, just five years after the South American country's independence from the Netherlands.

He led the country through the 1980s as head of a military government, then assumed office again in 2010, securing re-election five years later.

Bouterse could ask current President Chan Santokhi for a pardon.

Santokhi investigated the so-called "December murders" as a police commissioner and later, as justice minister, pushed for the case to move ahead.

The NDP consistently tried to halt the case, which began in 2007. In 2012, the NDP-controlled legislature passed an amnesty law giving Bouterse immunity, but the law was later overturned.

(Reporting by Ank Kuipers in Paramaribo and Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota; Editing by Mark Porter, Alison Williams and Rosalba O'Brien)
Daihatsu Motors' logos are pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/file photo

By Daniel Leussink

TOKYO (Reuters) -Toyota Motor's Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all of its vehicles, Japan's biggest automaker said on Wednesday, after a safety scandal investigation found issues involving 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota's brand.

An independent panel has been investigating Daihatsu after it said in April it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of those sold as Toyotas.

But the latest revelations suggest the scope of the scandal is far greater and went back much further than previously thought and could potentially tarnish the automakers' reputation for quality and safety.

Daihatsu is Toyota's small-car unit and produces a number of the so-called "kei" smaller cars and trucks that are popular in Japan. The latest issues also impacted some Mazda and Subaru models sold in the domestic market and Toyota and Daihatsu models overseas, the panel found.

Toyota said "fundamental reform" was needed to revitalise Daihatsu, as well as a review of certification operations.

"This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight," Toyota said in a statement. "It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organisation and structure."

Toyota said it could not yet determine the financial impact of the matter. Its shares closed flat on Wednesday, lagging a 1.4% rise in the broader market.

ON-SITE INSPECTION

The investigation found that the airbag control units used by Daihatsu in airbag tests for some models were different from the ones used in cars sold to the public, including Toyota's Town Ace and Pixis Joy models and the Mazda Bongo.

Toyota said it was not aware of any accidents related to the issue. It said side-collision tests of two models may not be law compliant even as verifications confirmed that the airbag met passenger safety standards.

Japan's transport ministry said it would carry out an on-site inspection at Daihatsu's headquarters in Osaka on Thursday.

Daihatsu executives told a press conference the overseas shipments will be suspended until the vehicles are cleared for sales again by regulators.

"The situation is extremely serious," Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira said, adding that any regulatory clearances the automaker received through fraudulent means could be revoked by law.

The misconduct also included false reports on headrest impact tests and test speeds for some models. The investigation found cases of misconduct were particularly prevalent after 2014 and, for one already-discontinued Daihatsu vehicle, went back as far as 1989.

Makoto Kaiami, the chair of the third-party investigation committee, said the panel did not believe that Toyota was responsible for the misconduct, but that Daihatsu was trying to meet expectations it had placed on itself.

The issue emerged after Daihatsu said in April it had discovered the wrongly conducted tests after a whistleblower report. It had reported the issue to regulatory agencies and halted shipments of affected models.

The following month, it said it had stopped sales of the Toyota Raize hybrid electric vehicle and its own Rocky model after also finding problems with testing for those models.

PREVIOUS SAFETY ISSUES AT TOYOTA

Daihatsu produced 1.1 million vehicles over the first 10 months of the year, nearly 40% of those at overseas sites, according to Toyota data. It sold some 660,000 vehicles worldwide over that period and accounted for 7% of Toyota's sales.

Toyota said on Wednesday affected models included those for the Southeast Asian markets of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and Central and South American countries of Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Daihatsu is the latest safety issue to impact the Toyota group over the years.

An engine data scandal at Toyota's truck- and bus-making unit, Hino Motors, in 2022 led to resignations and temporary pay cuts for some managers.

In that case Hino admitted to falsifying data on some engines dating back to 2003, or at least a decade earlier than it originally indicated.

In 2010 Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, then chief executive, was forced to testify before U.S. Congress due to a safety crisis involving faulty accelerators.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces uncovered a network of tunnels running deep beneath central Gaza City from properties registered to Yahya Sinwar and other senior Hamas organizers of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the military said on Wednesday.

The tunnels were found when soldiers secured a central area of the city in recent days, spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told reporters.

Accessed by spiral staircases and an elevator up to 20 meters (66 ft) below ground, the tunnels were kitted out with electricity, plumbing, surveillance cameras and heavy blast doors, according to images shared with reporters by the military.

"This complex, both above and below ground, was a centre of power for Hamas' military and political wings," Lerner said. Reuters could not independently verify the information provided.

The tunnels were used by senior Hamas officials including Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Muhammad Deif to direct operations and for "protected daily movement" through the heart of Gaza City, the military said in a statement.

Israeli accuses the militant group of deliberately locating tunnels and other military infrastructure among civilians whom it uses as human shields.

Hamas, which rejects the accusation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sinwar and Deif are believed to be the masterminds behind the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people and triggered an Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed around 20,000 people and forced most of the 2.3 million population to flee their homes.

Israel has the stated goal of destroying Hamas and rescuing more than 130 people still held hostage by the Palestinian Islamist militants.

Israel has yet to find the leaders despite taking control of some parts of Gaza. Israel's intense air and ground campaign has injured more than 50,000 people and laid waste to much of the coastal enclave.

Hamas has long boasted that its tunnel network is hundreds of kilometres (miles) long. Some shafts are to 80 metres deep and were described by one freed hostage as "a spider's web".

The group's tunnels beneath the sandy 360 sq km coastal strip and its borders include attack, smuggling, storage and operational burrows, Western and Middle East sources familiar with the matter have said.

Earlier this week, Israel said it uncovered an unusually large concrete and iron-girded tunnel designed to carry carloads of militant fighters from Gaza right up to the border.

(Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by James Mackenzie and Daniel Wallis)
FILE PHOTO: Cadets of Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University take part in a swearing-in ceremony at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 8, 2

By Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey

KYIV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian army proposal to conscript up to 500,000 more civilians has produced mixed feelings in Kyiv, with many people saying more troops are needed to fight Russia but some suggesting it is pointless unless they get more weapons.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the army's proposal on Tuesday but said he had not yet decided whether to back it.

Such a move would be intended to help replenish exhausted Ukrainian forces nearly two years of Russia's full-scale invasion, but could risk a backlash from those who oppose it.

Ukraine does not provide details of current troop numbers but has previously said it had around 1 million people under arms. Russia has expanded its army since its invasion of Ukraine last year, and said it plans to increase it to 1.5 million.

Anton Hrushetskyi, executive director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, said closed polling data showed more than 65% of Ukrainians would strongly support or rather support a significant further mobilisation.

But he told Reuters the figure could be skewed by people wanting to give a "socially desirable" response in wartime.

Oleksandr, 27, a serviceman who declined to give his surname, welcomed the idea of a big mobilisation, saying frontline positions were thinly defended.

He told Reuters the army reserves should be strengthened as people fear being conscripted, assuming they would automatically be sent to hotspots.

"Most people are afraid now because they don't understand (the situation). They think they will join the forces and be killed instantly or tortured. Nothing of the sort goes on," he said on Wednesday in the Ukrainian capital.

QUESTIONS OVER MORALE, FOREIGN ASSISTANCE

Ukraine, which imposed martial law after Russia invaded, has been regularly drafting people into the army throughout the war.

The process is done largely out of view although some social media videos have shown draft officers handing out call-up papers on the street, at metro stations or at gyms, and in some cases using force against those who resist.

Rafael, a 40-year-old sculptor who declined to give his surname, said forcibly conducting a large-scale mobilisation could badly affect morale on the front lines.

"People's motivation is dying. If some are forced to fight against their will, our army won't be as (motivated) to fight," he said.

Tetiana, a 37-year-old office worker, said a more important matter than manpower was securing more military and financial assistance from abroad.

"I think (mobilising people) won't be enough (to win the war). We need the support of the West, the United States. Our soldiers will not suffice," she said.

Assistance packages totalling more than $100 billion from the United States and European Union have been held up by political concerns abroad.

"This (mobilisation) won't help the cause. There is no point in mobilising huge amounts of people, and then leaving them without equipment," said serviceman Denys, 21.

He said Ukrainian authorities were not spending enough money on weapons.

The military has not commented on Zelenskiy's statement about mobilisation. The military and government have been discussing ways to improve mobilisation for weeks.

On Monday, army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi criticised a decision by Zelenskiy to fire the heads of the regional military draft offices this summer, describing them as "professionals" who were now gone.

He said the mobilisation programme did not need to be strengthened, but should be returned to the model that worked for the first phase of the war.

(Additional reporting by Stefaniia Bern; Writing by Tom Balmforth, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Alex Saab, who was facing U.S. bribery charges, leaves the Miraflores Palace accompanied by his family and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after he was released by the U.S. government in a prisoner swap, in Caracas, Venezuela, December 20, 2023. REUT

By Mayela Armas

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's release of 30 U.S. and domestic prisoners in exchange for freedom for a key ally of President Nicolas Maduro represents an opportunity for Maduro to bolster his political strength ahead of elections next year, analysts said.

Businessman Alex Saab was granted clemency by U.S. President Joe Biden and sent back to Venezuela on Wednesday in exchange for the releases.

U.S. prosecutors had accused Saab of siphoning off some $350 million from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials.

Saab, who denies wrongdoing, had been held in federal jail in Miami awaiting trial since October 2021.

His triumphant return to Caracas - greeted on the airport tarmac by Maduro's wife and then received at the presidential palace by Maduro himself - could help the president shore up domestic support.

"It is a demonstration of (Maduro's) willingness not to abandon his own," said Luis Vicente Leon, director of Caracas consultancy Datanalisis. "He's telling the members of his party that he is willing to do everything, even be left without resources, to defend them."

At the time of his arrest in 2020, Saab, a Colombian businessman, had been designated a diplomat by Maduro to negotiate shipments of fuel and humanitarian aid from Iran.

Upon his return to Caracas he thanked the government for not abandoning him, saying Maduro's administration would never surrender.

The White House had been pressuring Caracas in recent weeks to fulfill its side of a deal, in which Washington provided relief from sanctions in return for an agreement by Maduro to hold free elections in 2024 and release those the U.S. said were being unfairly held in Venezuelan jails.

Maduro said Wednesday's swap was a partial compliance with that accord and marked a step toward a new era of diplomatic relations with the United States.

Already, the government's coffers had been on track to benefit from the sanctions relief. The government has predicted it will get 27% more income from state-run oil company PDVSA next year, likely allowing it to increase social spending ahead of the 2024 vote.

Critics said the swap would further embolden Maduro and weaken Washington's position.

"(Saab's) release deals a heavy blow to U.S. credibility in the fight against corruption, particularly in Latin America," Marshall Billingslea, a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury under President Donald Trump, said on social media.

"It sends a disastrous signal to partner nations who cooperated with us, believing Saab would face justice ... it is a 'gut-punch' to the Venezuelan opposition," he added.

A U.S. official defended the move, saying President Joe Biden faced a tough choice.

"In order to make this exchange, the president had to make the extremely difficult decision to offer something that the Venezuelan counterparts have actively sought," the official said, requesting anonymity to speak freely. "The president made what was a difficult choice but the right choice."

Biden told journalists in Wisconsin that Maduro was so far upholding his end of the deal but that there was a long road ahead.

ELECTIONS AHEAD

Though some well-known opposition figures were among those who could be or had been released, there is still much that remains unclear about Maduro's compliance with other parts of the election deal.

Three people involved with the campaign of opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado are expected to have arrest orders withdrawn, sources have said. Machado's campaign declined to comment.

The recently-detained Roberto Abdul, who was involved with the organization of the opposition's October primary, has also been freed, a rights organization said.

But progress is still needed toward rescinding public office bans against some in the opposition, including Machado, announcing an election date, and other guarantees, said analysts.

"We'll have to see if it's just a prisoner exchange or if it means a path to free and fair elections," said Oswaldo Ramirez of Caracas' OCR Consultores.

(Reporting by Mayela Armas in Caracas, additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Christian Plumb and Rosalba O'Brien)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks with service members stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar, December 19, 2023. Chad McNeeley/Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

By Phil Stewart

ABOARD USS GERALD R. FORD (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, and thanked its crew for their role in helping prevent a broader conflict in the Middle East during the Israel-Hamas war.

The nuclear-powered Ford, a small, floating city of over 4,000 people with eight squadrons of aircraft, became a powerful symbol of American resolve by rushing closer to Israel after it was attacked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Austin has extended the Ford's deployment three times, hoping its presence would make Iran and Iran-aligned groups -- particularly Lebanon's Hezbollah -- think twice before joining the fight against Israel.

"This carrier and crew are making history. Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things that we stop from happening," Austin said in an all-hands call broadcast over the ship's intercom.

"And at a moment of huge tensions in the region, you all have been the lynchpin to preventing a wider regional conflict."

He later told reporters travelling with him: "One of our goals is to make sure that the crisis in Gaza does not expand into a regional conflict. And I think weve done a good job of managing that."

How much longer the Ford stays in the eastern Mediterranean is unclear, as is whether it will depart for its home port in Virginia before Israel moves from high-intensity combat in Gaza to a more limited phase of the war to dismantle Hamas.

Austin discussed planning for the transition with Israeli leaders on Monday in Tel Aviv, with an international outcry mounting over the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

Asked whether the risk of regional war would be reduced when and if Israel shifts to a lower-intensity campaign in Gaza, Austin said on Wednesday: "If that happens... it's hard to speculate but I think it's logical that...we would see some reduction in activity."

When Israel might start the transition is unclear, and Austin told reporters while in Israel that he was not there to dictate timelines to the close American ally.

MARITIME SECURITY INITIATIVE

Until regional tensions subside, Austin must consider what more the U.S. and its partners can do to deter Iran's allies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen -- all of whom are trying to impose costs on Israel and Washington over the Gaza conflict.

In Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops have endured drone and rocket attacks by Iran-backed militia.

Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have disrupted global trade by attacking commercial tankers and container ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles.

On Tuesday, Austin announced the creation of a maritime security initiative to respond to the attacks. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said on Wednesday the group would start firing missiles at U.S. warships if Washington got more involved in its affairs or targeted Yemen.

During his Middle East trip, Austin also met senior leaders in Qatar, which helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and has an open line of communication to both nations.

U.S. and Israeli officials say the rapid deployment of the Ford and other assets after the Israel-Hamas war began sent a critical message to Hezbollah, warning it of the costs of opening a major new front for Israel.

Even so, experts say tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border are still high and Israel remains concerned about a possible ground incursion in the north.

The Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier. Its air wing has carried out more than 8,000 sorties, more than a quarter of them since repositioning to the eastern Mediterranean.

Captain Rick Burgess, the commanding officer, acknowledged that extending the vessel's deployment over the festive holidays hit the crew hard at first, but that they were doing well now.

"I think everyone went through a few days of just getting through it," Burgess told reporters.

More than 3.5 million meals have been served on the aircraft carrier, and the crew has consumed more than 155,000 Red Bull energy drinks, the military says.

"I'm honestly not sure what I find more impressive: That you've racked up more than 15,000 flight hours, or that you've consumed more than 155,000 Red Bulls," Austin said.

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, has called for relevant departments and branches to activate their emergency response measures to ensure financial services for earthquake relief, the bank said Wednesday.

The bank said it has beefed up the support of monetary policy tools and given priority to ensuring the demand for emergency credit funds, while opening a "green channel" to swiftly allocate disaster relief funds.

Currently, the Gansu and Qinghai branches of the bank have allocated 170 million yuan (about 24 million U.S. dollars) and 50 million yuan, respectively.

The bank also pledged efforts to secure the safety and smooth operation of financial infrastructure for payments, clearing and credit investigation, and to restore financial services in the affected areas as soon as possible, while allocating funds to ensure the cash supply for people's livelihoods and disaster relief.

The bank will continue to make all-out efforts to ensure financial services for earthquake relief, and will provide prompt support for earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction. 
Vehicles for sale are seen at Serramonte Ford in Colma, California, U.S., October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo

By Nathan Gomes

(Reuters) - American car dealers are set to wrap the year with generous incentives and discounts during winter sales, aiming to clear older vehicle stocks and prepare for the new year capitalizing on sustained demand from consumers.

Over four consecutive years of year-end sales, automakers have offered minimal discounts to prospective customers as they looked to cash in on new vehicle demand, helping dealers clear inventory.

However, the average transaction price (ATP) for new vehicles in November 2023 fell 1.5% to $48,247 from a year ago, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The ATP was $39,203 for the same period in 2019.

Additionally, inventory levels are currently at their highest since the early spring of 2021, leaving dealers and automakers scurrying to make way for new models, which are set to pour in by January.

Automakers have already started offering incentives and lowering transaction prices to get more buyers to snap up new vehicles.

"New-vehicle sales incentives were up 136% year over year in November, indicating the new-vehicle market is shifting to a buyer's market, not a seller's market," Cox Automotive said in a report. Average incentives are currently hovering around the $2,500 mark.

Stellantis-owned Jeep held the highest inventory at 128 days at the beginning of December, according to Cox Automotive.

Before the pandemic 60 to 65 days' supply was "normal" for the industry, although some brands like Toyota Motor and Honda typically work with lower supply.

Jeep is now offering its Gladiator truck and Compass crossover with discounts of $8,257 and $5,851, respectively, on their sticker prices.

Brands such as Kia, General Motors' Chevrolet, Mercedes and Hyundai have begun offering vehicles with some discounts during the holiday season.

New vehicle prices had surged to an all-time high over the past few years, nudging some prospective customers to even consider used options.

As a result of the higher vehicle prices, automotive retailers and carmakers raked in lofty profits over the past few years, despite fewer units sold.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
0001090872 false 0001090872 2023-12-20 2023-12-20

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware 001-15405 77-0518772 (State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer

Identification No.) 5301 Stevens Creek Boulevard Santa Clara , California 95051 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 800 227-9770

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:



Title of each class Trading

Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, $0.01 par value A New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 ( 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ( 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 8.01 - Other Events.

The information in this Item 8.01 of Form 8-K and Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto is furnished and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

On December 20, 2023, Agilent Technologies, Inc. (the Company) issued a press release announcing that the Company has moved its Cell Analysis Division into its Diagnostics and Genomics Group. The Company will report under this new structure beginning with the Companys first quarter fiscal 2024 results. To provide historical information on a basis consistent this new reporting structure, the Company intends to make available three years of historical financial statements reflecting the new business segments in January 2024 to assist with comparability of information to be presented in accordance with the new reporting structure.

Item 9.01 - Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

The following is furnished as an exhibit to this report and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended:

Exhibit No. Description 99.1 Press release dated December 20, 2023 regarding new reporting structure 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Date: December 20, 2023 By: /s/ P. Diana Chiu Name: P. Diana Chiu Title: Vice President, Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Secretary

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

EX-99.1

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Item 5.02  Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.



Fifth Amendment to the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan

As described in Item 5.07 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (this Report), the stockholders of Riot Platforms, Inc. (Riot or the Company) approved the Fifth Amendment (the Fifth Amendment) to the Companys 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the 2019 Equity Plan) at a special meeting of Riots stockholders held on December 14, 2023 (the Special Meeting) for that purpose. Such approval authorizes the reservation of 13,000,000 additional shares of Riots Common Stock, no par value per share, (Common Stock) for issuance under the 2019 Equity Plan. The Companys Board of Directors (the Board) and its Compensation and Human Resources Committee (the Compensation Committee), which oversees and administers the 2019 Equity Plan, unanimously approved the Fifth Amendment on October 11, 2023, and recommended it for stockholder approval at the Special Meeting.

The 2019 Equity Plan provides for awards of equity-based compensation in the form of restricted shares of Common Stock or preferred stock of the Company, or as restricted stock units, options, warrants, and other contractual rights and derivative securities relating to shares of Riots Common Stock. Such equity awards may be granted to all directors, officers, employees, and service providers of the Company eligible to participate in the 2019 Equity Plan. Equity awards granted under the 2019 Equity Plan are subject to certain restrictions and are at risk of forfeiture until vesting, which may occur based on the achievement of service requirements or performance criteria, as established by the Compensation Committee and specified in an award agreement covering such awards. Equity awards granted under the 2019 Equity Plan, including vested awards, may also be subject to clawback rights of the Company, as specified in the applicable award agreement, the 2019 Equity Plan, or the Companys compensation policies and other governing documents.

A more detailed description of the Fifth Amendment and related matters was set forth in the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on October 17, 2023 (the Proxy Statement), under the heading Proposal No. 1: Approval of the Fifth Amendment to the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to Increase the Number of Shares Reserved for Issuance Thereunder by 13,000,000 Shares and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing summary of the Fifth Amendment and of the 2019 Equity Plan, as well as the summaries thereof set forth in the Proxy Statement, are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Fifth Amendment and of the 2019 Equity Plan, as amended, which are filed as Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2 to this Report, respectively, and incorporated by reference herein.



Item 5.07  Submission of Matters to a Vote of the Security Holders.



On December 14, 2023, the Company held a Special Meeting of stockholders via virtual meeting portal. The sole item of business for consideration at the Special Meeting was to hold a stockholder vote on approval of the Fifth Amendment to the 2019 Equity Plan, copies of which are filed as Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2 to this Report, respectively.

As disclosed in the Proxy Statement, the Board established October 16, 2023 as the date of record for the Special Meeting (the Record Date). There were 198,681,632 shares of Common Stock (the Shares of Record) issued and outstanding as of the close of business on the Record Date. No other class of Riots capital stock was issued or outstanding as of that date. According to the Companys Bylaws, only the Shares of Record were eligible to take part in the Special Meeting.

The Companys Bylaws require the presence of a quorum of at least one-third (33.33%) of the Shares of Record for a special stockholders meeting for business to be conducted at such meeting. There were 71,174,560 Shares present at the Special Meeting in person or by proxy, constituting approximately 35.82% of the Shares of Record. Thus, a quorum of the Shares of Record was achieved, and the business of the Special Meeting could proceed.

At the Special Meeting, the sole matter presented to the Companys stockholders for their consideration was Proposal No. 1, to approve the Fifth Amendment to the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 13,000,000 shares.

According to the Companys organizational documents and Nevada law, the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast for this proposal is required to obtain stockholder approval:


UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13D

(Rule 13d-101)

INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-1(a)

AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-2(a) *

(Amendment No. 5)

GLOBUS MARITIME LIMITED (Name of Issuer) Common Shares, par value $0.004 per share (Title of Class of Securities) Y27265126 (CUSIP Number) Georgios Feidakis 128 Vouliagmenis Avenue, 2nd Floor 166 74 Glyfada, Attica, Greece + 30 210 960 8300 (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications) December 18, 2023 (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of the Statement)

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of  240.13d-1(e), 240.13d-1(f) or 240.13d-1(g), check the following box 

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

CUSIP No. Y27265126

1. NAME OF REPORTING PERSONS Firment Shipping Inc. I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON (Entities Only). 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (see instructions) (a)  (b)  3. SEC USE ONLY 4. SOURCE OF FUNDS AF 5. CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e)  6. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Marshall Islands

NUMBER OF

SHARES

BENEFICIALLY

OWNED BY

EACH

REPORTING

PERSON

WITH 7. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 8. SHARED VOTING POWER 4,833,979 9. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 10. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 4,833,979

11. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 4,833,979 (see Items 3 and 5) 12. CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)  13. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 23.5% (see Items 3 and 5) * 14. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) CO

* Percentage calculations based on 20,582,301 common shares outstanding.

CUSIP No. Y27265126

1. NAME OF REPORTING PERSONS Georgios Feidakis I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON (Entities Only). 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (see instructions) (a)  (b)  3. SEC USE ONLY 4. SOURCE OF FUNDS PF 5. CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e)  6. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Greece

NUMBER OF

SHARES

BENEFICIALLY

OWNED BY

EACH

REPORTING

PERSON

WITH 7. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 8. SHARED VOTING POWER 4,833,979* 9. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 10. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 4,833,979*

11. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 4,833,979 (see Items 3 and 5)* 12. CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)  13. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (10) 23.5% (see Items 3 and 5) ** 14. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) IN

* Mr. Feidakis may be deemed to beneficially own common shares through Firment Shipping Inc., a Marshall Islands corporation controlled by Mr. Feidakis. Mr. Feidakis disclaims beneficial ownership in the common shares reported herein except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

** Percentage calculations based on 20,582,301 common shares outstanding.

ITEM 1. SECURITY AND ISSUER.

This statement constitutes Amendment No. 5 (this Amendment) to Schedule 13D relating to the common shares, par value $0.004 per share (the Common Shares), of Globus Maritime Limited, a Marshall Islands corporation (the Issuer), and amends the initial statement on Schedule 13D filed on September 28, 2023, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto filed on December 1, 2023, Amendment No. 2 thereto filed on December 5, 2023, Amendment No. 3 thereto filed on December 7, 2023 and Amendment No. 4 thereto (Amendment No. 4) filed on December 13, 2023 (as so amended, the Schedule 13D). The principal executive office and mailing address of the Issuer is 128 Vouliagmenis Ave., 2nd Floor, 166 74 Glyfada, Attica, Greece. This Amendment amends and supplements the existing Schedule 13D on file, as it has been amended and supplemented from time to time. Except as specifically provided herein by this Amendment, this Amendment does not modify any of the information previously reported in the Schedule 13D.

ITEM 2. IDENTITY AND BACKGROUND.

(a) This Amendment is being filed on behalf of the following:

Firment Shipping Inc., a Marshall Islands corporation (Firment Shipping); and Georgios Feidakis (Mr. Feidakis, and together with Firment Shipping, the Reporting Persons).

The Reporting Persons may be deemed the beneficial owners of approximately 23.5% of the Issuer's outstanding Common Shares.

The sole director and executive officer of Firment Shipping is Marios Lazarou, a citizen of Cyprus. Mr. Lazarous occupation in Firment Shipping is as director/president/secretary/treasurer with an address at 17 Ifigenias street, 2007 Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus. Mr. Lazarou is an attorney, and he is partner at Papaphilippou & Co LLC, a law firm, which law firms address is at 17 Ifigenias street, 2007 Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus. To the knowledge of the Reporting Persons, Mr. Lazarou does not directly own any Common Shares.

(b) The information set forth in Item 2(a) above is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The principal business address of Firment Shipping is 17 Ifigenias street, 2007 Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus. The principal business address of Mr. Feidakis is 128 Vouliagmenis Ave., 2nd Floor, 166 74 Glyfada, Attica, Greece.

(c) The information set forth in Item 2(a) above is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The principal business of Firment Shipping is to act as a shipping investment holding company. Mr. Feidakis is an entrepreneur and his present principal occupation is as Chairman of the Board of Directors of F.G. Europe S.A. and as director and executive of several of its subsidiaries. F.G. Europe S.A. is active in four lines of business and distributes well-known brands of appliances and electronics in Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, Italy and the U.K. F.G. Europe S.A. is also active in the air-conditioning, household appliances and electronics market in Greece and ten other countries in Europe as well as in the production of renewal energy. The address of F.G. Europe S.A. is 128 Vouliagmenis Ave., 166 74 Glyfada, Attica, Greece.

(d) The Reporting Persons and, to the best of their knowledge, Mr. Lazarou have not, during the last five years, been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors).

(e) The Reporting Persons and, to the best of their knowledge, Mr. Lazarou have not, during the last five years, been a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.

(f) The information set forth in Item 2 above is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Mr. Feidakis is a Greek citizen. Firment Shipping is a Marshall Islands corporation.

ITEM 3. SOURCE AND AMOUNT OF FUNDS OR OTHER CONSIDERATION.

Firment Shipping currently owns an aggregate of 4,833,979 Common Shares, all of which were purchased using the personal funds of Mr. Feidakis. Since the filing of Amendment No. 4, Firment Shipping purchased an aggregate of 602,986 Common Shares for a total purchase price of $1,637,713.65. Unless noted above, no part of the purchase price for such Common Shares was borrowed by any Reporting Person for the purpose of acquiring, holding, trading or voting any securities discussed in this Item 3.

ITEM 4. PURPOSE OF TRANSACTION.

The information set forth in Item 3 above is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Mr. Feidakis is a director of the Issuer, and therefore may have influence over the corporate activities of the Issuer, including activities which may relate to items described in subparagraphs (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D. Any future decision of Mr. Feidakis to take any such actions with respect to the Issuer or its securities will take into account various factors, including the prospects of the Issuer, general market and economic conditions and other factors deemed relevant.

The Reporting Persons acquired the Common Shares, as described herein, for investment purposes, and to potentially acquire more Common Shares or dispose of them.

Depending upon overall market conditions, other investment opportunities available to the Reporting Persons, and the availability of Common Shares at prices that would make the purchase of additional Common Shares desirable, the Reporting Persons may endeavor to increase their position in the Issuer through, among other things, the purchase of Common Shares on the open market or in private transactions or otherwise, on such terms and at such times as the Reporting Persons may deem advisable.

No Reporting Person has any present plan or proposal which would relate to or result in any of the matters set forth in subparagraphs (a) - (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D except as set forth herein or such as would occur upon completion of any of the actions discussed above.

ITEM 5. INTEREST IN SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER.

The information set forth in Item 2 above is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

(a) As of December 19, 2023, Firment Shipping may be deemed to beneficially own 4,833,979 Common Shares, which represent approximately 23.5% of Issuers outstanding Common Shares, based on 20,582,301 Common Shares outstanding based on information received from the Issuer.

As of December 19, 2023, Mr. Feidakis may be deemed to beneficially own 4,833,979 Common Shares held through Firment Shipping, which represent approximately 23.5% of Issuers outstanding Common Shares, based on 20,582,301 Common Shares outstanding based on information received from the Issuer. These are the same Common Shares directly held by Firment Shipping.

To the best of the Reporting Persons knowledge, Mr. Lazarou is not the beneficial owner of any Common Shares.

(b) The information set forth in Item 5(a) above is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Firment Shipping has the sole power to vote or direct the vote of 0 Common Shares and the shared power to vote or direct the vote of 4,833,979 Common Shares. Firment Shipping has the sole power to dispose or direct the disposition of 0 Common Shares and the shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of 4,833,979 Common Shares.

Mr. Feidakis has the sole power to vote or direct the vote of 0 Common Shares and the shared power to vote or direct the vote of 4,833,979 Common Shares. Mr. Feidakis has the sole power to dispose of or direct the disposition of 0 Common Shares and the shared power to dispose of or direct the disposition of 4,833,979 Common Shares.

(c) Other than as disclosed in Exhibit 99.3, no transactions in the Common Shares were effected by the Reporting Persons since the filing of Amendment No. 4, nor, to the knowledge of the Reporting Persons, by any executive officer or director of the Reporting Persons.

(d) Except as set forth above in this Item 5, no other person is known to have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, any of the Common Shares beneficially owned by the Reporting Persons.

(e) Not applicable.

ITEM 6. CONTRACTS, ARRANGEMENTS, UNDERSTANDINGS OR RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESPECT TO SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER.

The responses to Items 3 and 4 of this Amendment are incorporated herein by reference.

On November 23, 2016, the Issuer entered into a registration rights agreement with Firment Trading Limited, an entity affiliated with the Reporting Persons, and pursuant to such registration rights agreement the Issuer granted to Firment Trading Limited and their affiliates (including Mr. George Feidakis and certain of their transferees), the right, under certain circumstances and subject to certain restrictions to require the Issuer to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Common Shares held by them. Under the registration rights agreement, these persons have the right to request the Issuer to register the sale of Common Shares held by them on their behalf and may require the Issuer to make available shelf registration statements permitting sales of Common Shares into the market from time to time over an extended period. In addition, these persons have the ability to exercise certain piggyback registration rights in connection with registered offerings requested by shareholders or initiated by the Issuer. A copy of such agreement is attached as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated by reference herein, and the description above is qualified in its entirety to such registration rights agreement.

The Reporting Persons are parties to an agreement with respect to the joint filing of this Amendment and any amendments thereto. A copy of such agreement is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

Except as disclosed in this Amendment, there are no contracts, arrangements, understandings or relationships (legal or otherwise) among the Reporting Persons and between the Reporting Persons and any other person with respect to any securities of the Issuer, including but not limited to, transfer or voting of any of the securities, finders fees, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of profits, division of profits or loss, or the giving or withholding of proxies.

ITEM 7. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS.

Item 7 of this Amendment includes the following exhibits:

SIGNATURE

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

December 20, 2023 (Date) /s/ Georgios Feidakis Georgios Feidakis* FIRMENT SHIPPING INC. By: /s/ Marios Lazarou Name: Marios Lazarou Title: Sole Director, President, Secretary and Treasurer

* The Reporting Person disclaims beneficial ownership in the Common Shares reported herein except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein.

The original statement shall be signed by each person on whose behalf the statement is filed or his authorized representative. If the statement is signed on behalf of a person by his authorized representative (other than an executive officer or general partner of the filing person), evidence of the representative's authority to sign on behalf of such person shall be filed with the statement: Provided, however, that a power of attorney for this purpose which is already on file with the Commission may be incorporated by reference. The name and any title of each person who signs the statement shall be typed or printed beneath his signature.

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT 99.1

EXHIBIT 99.3
(a)

The unaudited semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2016 and the schedule of investments of the Fund dated September 30, 2016, both filed with the SEC on EDGAR on Form N-CSR on December 2, 2016; audited financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2017, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 5, 2017; unaudited semi-annual consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2017, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 1, 2017; audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2018, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 8, 2018; unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2018, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 6, 2018; audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2019, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 7, 2019; unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2019, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 6, 2019; audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2020, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 5, 2020; unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 9, 2020; and audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2021, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 9, 2021 unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 9, 2021; and audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2022, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 9, 2022; unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 7, 2022; audited consolidated financial statements of the Fund dated March 31, 2023, previously filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on June 8, 2023, and unaudited consolidated semi-annual financial statements of the Fund dated September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on December 7, 2023 are incorporated by reference. The Fund will prepare and transmit to Shareholders the audited annual consolidated financial statements of the Fund and the schedule of investments of the Fund within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the 1940 Act.
Protesters rally in a park across from the Fukuoka High Court, Naha branch, in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, on Dec. 20, 2023. (Mari Higa/Stars and Stripes)

NAHA, Okinawa  A Japanese court sided with Tokyo on Wednesday and wrested permitting approval for a Marine Corps runway at Camp Schwab away from Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki.

A three-judge panel from the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court gave Tamaki until Monday to approve permit changes pending since April 2020. The changes address reinforcement of a soft seabed in one of two construction zones.

If Tamaki does not sign off, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito has only to issue a notice to the governor before approving the permits himself, a spokesman from the ministrys Water and Disaster Management Bureau said by phone Wednesday.

Tamakis continued refusal to approve permitting is causing significant public harm, Chief Judge Takashi Miura said from the bench.

Tamakis determination not to approve is clear and firm, Miura said. He acknowledged the difficulty in bringing the two parties to an understanding.

Some government officials in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The runway being built on reclaimed land in Oura Bay in the Henoko area of Okinawa may one day replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in urban Ginowan. That base, surrounded by homes and schools, is considered inherently dangerous by some Japanese officials.

Tamaki started a protracted legal battle in November 2021 when he refused to sign off on project changes requested by Okinawa Defense Bureau, which represents Japans Defense Ministry on the island.

He argued that the soft seabed in the construction zone poses a hazard and that Tokyo had failed to consider the environmental impact on the endangered dugong, a cousin of the manatee protected by Japanese law.

Saito overturned Tamakis decision in April 2022 as illegal and unreasonable. Tamaki then filed and lost three lawsuits; Japans Supreme Court in September ordered him to approve permitting.

Following the high court decision, Saito first recommended Tamaki grant the permits by Sept. 27 and then demanded he comply by Oct. 4. Tamaki refused both times, and Saito filed suit Oct. 4.

About 100 protesters gathered Wednesday afternoon in a park across the street from the courthouse. They held banners and gave anti-base speeches.

No matter what the verdict will be, we have to keep resisting the Henoko (construction) and the strengthening of military power, said Hiroko Oshiro, 72, of Naha city. I know we will get a bad result, but we have to keep on showing our will.

Just before 2 p.m., journalists and about a dozen elderly residents packed the courtroom. Shouts erupted from the gallery after the ruling was read.

Tamaki did not attend the five-minute proceeding. A spokesman in the prefectures Henoko Base Construction Countermeasures Division declined to comment on the verdict by phone Wednesday afternoon. He said Vice Gov. Takekuni Ikeda planned a press conference at the prefectural offices that evening.

The Land Ministry spokesman declined to say whether Saito was preparing the notice or planning to restart construction.

The construction zone at Schwab is divided into two main sections  279 acres on the bases north side and 91 acres in the south. Work on the larger parcel has been on hold since April 21, 2020, when the defense bureau first asked Tamaki to approve changes to the construction plans.

The project, originally slated for completion by 2014, may now finish by 2032 and cost the Japanese government $6.9 billion.
(Stars and Stripes)

Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 6, 2012: A snow removal machine blasts plumes of snow from the runway. Clearing the flight line is top priority for Misawas civil engineer snow crews, who work around the clock during and after a snowstorm.
Jeffrey Wright poses for a portrait to promote his film American Fiction on Dec. 11 in New York. In the film, Wright plays Thelonious Monk Ellison, a frustrated and disillusioned author and college professor resentful of his books being pigeonholed as African American fiction. (Taylor Jewell, Invision/AP)

Jeffrey Wright has played Jean-Michel Basquiat, Martin Luther King Jr. and Muddy Waters. Hes played Colin Powell, a Dominican drug kingpin, Batmans Commissioner Gordon and a longtime inmate nearing release. Hes played Bill Murrays neighbor, a Civil War-era former slave, James Bonds Felix Leiter, the nurse Belize in Angels in America and an android-human in Westworld.

Across an expansive array of roles both small and large for more than two decades, Wright has been among the most malleable of actors, able to transform endlessly while still maintaining a singular, rigorously grounded screen presence. Is there anyone he cant play?

Dennis Hopper said in Easy Rider, If you name it, Ill throw rocks at it, Wright says.

Shape-shifting has been Wrights aspiration as a performer since, as a young actor, he was naturally drawn to performers like Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman and Peter Sellers. He admired their dexterity going from character to character.

I thought that was the way to go about it, Wright says. It seemed like it required some skill that was worth learning.

Even just in 2023, a spectrum of Wrights range is on display. Hes the pastor, politician and Civil Rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in George C. Wolfes Rustin and the inspiring military general of Wes Andersons Asteroid City.

But its Cord Jeffersons American Fiction in which Wright gives one of the best performances of his career. And ironically, its the role that required less metamorphosis than any ever has for Wright.

Theres a lot thats pretty close to me in this film. Its probably the performance that I could squeeze myself into with the least friction, Wright said in a recent interview. My daughter saw the film last night and she said, Theres so much of your humor in this.

In American Fiction, Wright stars as Thelonious Monk Ellison, a frustrated and disillusioned author and college professor resentful of his books being pigeonholed as African American fiction. In a drunken haze he sarcastically pens a book that plays up Black stereotypes (My Pafology, under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh), yet it becomes an unironic sensation with white publishing executives.

Its a deft satire of race and identity, adapted from Percival Everetts 2001 novel Erasure, that Jefferson, in his directorial debut, surrounds with a rich, humanistic comedy of midlife crises and family dramas. Monks mother (Leslie Uggams) is aging, his sister (Tracee Ellis Ross) dies unexpectedly and his brother (Sterling K. Brown) is coming out.

I saw the film last week in Brooklyn with an audience for the first time. And I looked at the screen at one point at this family and the extended family around it, and I said, Wow, what beautiful people, Wright says. Theyre kind of extraordinary in their ordinariness. Its a family like any other family, it just happens to be inhabited by Black folks.

Erika Alexander, left, and Jeffrey Wright in a scene from American Fiction. Theres a lot thats pretty close to me in this film. Its probably the performance that I could squeeze myself into with the least friction, Wright said in a recent interview. (MGM-Orion/AP)

Wright, a longtime Brooklynite, recently met a reporter at a midtown hotel a few hours after he was nominated for a Golden Globe. A morning feast was laid out when a waiter entered with another plate.

More bacon? said Wright, glancing at the thick-cut bacon already on the table. Oh, regular bacon. The healthy stuff.

Wright has won a Tony, an Emmy and a Globe (all for Angels in America), among many other accolades. But a best actor Academy Award nomination for American Fiction  which many are predicting  would be his first Oscar nod.

I dont think its totally healthy to think about these things too much but theyre there, so one does. I guess if theyre handing these things out, yeah, sure, well take them, Wright says. All in all, its pretty cool, I reckon.

Jefferson, a veteran TV writer and former Gawker editor, wrote the screenplay to American Fiction with Wright in his mind. When he later met the actor for lunch to discuss the project, Jefferson confessed there was no plan B.

In thinking about him so early on the process, its dangerous because theres a chance hes going to say no and then Id be heartbroken, Jefferson says. But I just really wanted to take a big swing. I knew he would be excellent in the role. Ive always thought that Jeffrey has the capacity to be very funny. Hes known as this excellent dramatic actor, but I also think hes a very funny guy.

Directors have occasionally written with Wright in mind: Anderson did for their first film together, The French Dispatch. But thats rare.

So Ive got to make myself available in a lot of different spaces, Wright says. Being flexible as an actor has served me well.

Yet there was something different about American Fiction. Wright is used to thinking that hes bound to be fired from every project. (It keeps the blood running, he says, grinning.) But American Fiction felt uniquely comfortable.

My perspective doesnt entirely align with Monks, but certainly the frustrations that he encounters we share. What I was really drawn to more so than the social commentary elements were the family dynamics, particularly the relationship with the mother, says Wright, whose mother died the year before he read the script. There might be an impression of this film being comedic and satirical but theres a deep vein of simple humanness inside of it that I appreciated.

Wright doesnt quite ascribe to Monks ideas of racial identity. He describes his own outlook falling somewhere in between Monks and that of Sinatra Golden, a rival, level-headed author in the film played by Issa Rae.

One thing that Cord and I talked about was that Monk not be perceived as spouting the gospel, that he be flawed. We didnt want to make this film a celebration of the talented tenth, Wright says. We wanted to be very careful that we, perhaps not he, not be perceived as classist. Theres some class arrogance within Monk that I try seriously to avoid.

Wright, 58, was raised by his mother and aunt in Washington. (His father died when he was young.) They were, he says, the first college graduates in their family. Just as formative to Wright was his grandfather, a Virginia farmer and waterman Wright describes as representing to him what a man was to me in this world.

Ive done very well but a generation back, its a much humbler way of life, Wright says. So I wanted to make sure our overall story was evenhanded and that Monk might have been in need of some evolution in his perspective.

Wright attended private school, studied political science at Amherst College and briefly sought an Master of Fine Arts at New York University before leaving to pursue acting full time.

I had the opportunity to walk through many types of rooms, in a variety of stations, Wright says. And its always been important for me to feel comfortable in any of those rooms but maintain the common touch.

Steady as Wrights ubiquity has been in film and television, his path, like Monks, has had its disappointments and sudden flushes of success. The births of his son (in 2001) and daughter (in 2005) diverted his focus. His role in Michael Manns Ali also led to a prolonged African excursion trying to launch a gold exploration company in war-torn Sierra Leone.

I at one point became kind of disillusioned by this business that Im in, Wright says. There were some strange experiences that didnt match what I envisioned for this work. And so I kind of drifted away.

Wright never stopped working, but he only meaningfully reconnected with acting after finding similarly minded collaborators. To him, working with filmmakers like Jefferson has made all the difference.

Its nice work if you can get, but it can be a mess, too, if you get it, Wright says, laughing. It all comes down to who youre working with.
Abbas Ganbay

The Swiss Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Thomas Stahli, said that he will make maximum efforts to develop cooperation between Switzerland and Azerbaijan in various fields, Azernews reports.

"Holding COP29 in Azerbaijan will draw the attention of the world community to the country."

According to the Ambassador, since he arrived in Azerbaijan, he has noted the manifestation of great interest in Switzerland.

"I aim to further deepen relations between Switzerland and Azerbaijan in all spheres. Be it at the political level, Switzerland can contribute to the search for and establishment of lasting peace in economic matters. Besides, Swiss companies can contribute to the diversification of the economy or in the field of sustainable development. Also, we should not forget about the cultural sphere, where projects from Switzerland are always given great attention," the diplomat noted.

Thomas Stahli also emphasised the importance of the upcoming year 2024 for the history of modern Azerbaijan.

"I am looking forward to the year 2024. We are on the threshold of a historic moment: the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which will have a global impact. I am proud to have witnessed this historic event.

Azerbaijan will also host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the world's largest international conference in 2024, drawing the attention of the world community to the country," the Ambassador noted.

To recall, on October 24, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to our country, Thomas Stahli.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- NASA is preparing to launch a new mission that will stare at the space between stars, helping build a 3D map of our Milky Way galaxy, the agency said.

The GUSTO mission, which stands for Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory, will launch from the Ross Ice Shelf, near the U.S. National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station research base, no earlier than Dec. 21, according to NASA.

High up in atmosphere above Antarctica, GUSTO, a balloon-borne telescope, will peer into the space between stars called the interstellar medium.

The telescope will help scientists make a 3D map of a large part of the Milky Way in extremely high-frequency radio waves, according to NASA.

Examining a 100-square-degree area, GUSTO will explore the many phases of the interstellar medium and the abundances of key chemical elements in the galaxy.

"By studying the LMC (Large Magellanic Cloud) and comparing it to the Milky Way, we'll be able to understand how galaxies evolve from the early universe until now," said GUSTO principal investigator Chris Walker. 
South Korean guards take positions at the Joint Security Area in the Korean Demilitarized Zone on May 29, 2019. (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  International troops guarding the south side of the border between North and South Korea are again permitted to carry firearms, a spokesman for United Nations Command said Wednesday.

U.N. Command, a multinational force led by the United States, several weeks ago reauthorized qualified service members to carry firearms at the Joint Security Area to protect civilian and military personnel, U.S. Army Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for the command, told Stars and Stripes by text message.

He said the move comes in response to North Koreas current armed security posture. North Korea rearmed its border guards last month after scrapping a 2018 agreement with South Korea aimed at defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The Joint Security Area is shared, neutral ground at the Demilitarized Zone where U.S., North and South Korean officials meet face-to-face. The roughly -mile-wide site containing the familiar blue buildings is guarded by U.N. Security Battalion personnel at all hours of the day.

This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, but [the command] has also informed the [South Korean] government and [Korean Peoples Army] of its position that a disarmed [Joint Security Area] is safer and more peaceful for the Korean Peninsula ..., the statement said.

Taylor provided no further details on the armed guards.

Starting in 2018, guards at the security area were prohibited from carrying firearms after the two Koreas agreed to confidence-building measures to lower tensions on the peninsula.

During their third summit on Sept. 19, 2018, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain and allow only up to 35 unarmed personnel from the two sides to guard the security area.

The Joint Security Area is a popular tourist destination but visits were suspended after U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King fled across the border there and into North Korea.

The two sides agreed to expand the cessation of military hostilities in regions of confrontation, such as the DMZ, into the substantial removal of the danger of war across the entire Korean Peninsula , the two leaders said in a joint statement.

The peace agreement was partially suspended by South Korea on Nov. 22, a day after North Korea successfully put a military spy satellite into orbit.

South Koreas military, which warned the North that the satellite test violated U.N. Security Council resolutions, said it would resume aerial reconnaissance operations that were previously banned under the peace agreement.

Seouls decision prompted Pyongyang to scrap the agreement entirely Nov. 23; the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported the North would no longer adhere to the accords and would redeploy armed troops to man guard posts at the border.

North Korea last fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday, its fifth so far this year. The solid-fueled Hwasong-18 ICBM fired from the Pyongyang area flew over 622 miles at a peak altitude of 4,050 miles before splashing down in the East Sea, or Sea of Japan.
Artist Tenley Brady designed a mural, seen here Dec. 9, 2023, to spruce up a wall at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea  Sometimes inspiration comes when you least expect it. For Air Force spouse Tenley Brady, it came during a walk in a park.

Brady, from Colorado Springs, Colo., was out with a friend after church for a walk at Osan Air Base, home of the U.S. 7th Air Force, in April when they passed a park near the base commissary.

The park  a field of grass, a handful of trees, and two benches  is surrounded by a tall, white concrete wall topped by metal fencing.

The thought of bringing a splash of color to the park grew into an 8-month-long volunteer effort to brighten those surroundings. During an interview Dec. 8, Brady, her husband, Lt. Trey Brady, and former Osan community planner Erin Gray explained how the drab park wall became a canvas for a display of Korean culture.

The design shows Ginko trees, cherry blossoms, children playing, and a Buddhist temple atop a hill. It displays the highlights of South Korean culture,

Artist Tenley Brady works on her mural at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Dec. 9, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)

Tenley Bradys first step was contacting Gray for approval to paint a mural in the park with the help of some volunteers.

We were on board a few of us since he had been working on building this park out, Gray said. It fits perfectly into the plan already because we had money that we could fund some of the paint and its a huge impact.

The approval process was very short, and former 51st Fighter Wing commander Col. Joshua Wood was immediately on board, Gray said. Once the mural was approved. Brady and her volunteers had the paint, brushes, and a ladder they needed to get started.

Once Tenley finished creating the design for the mural, she and Trey worked tirelessly to prepare their canvas. The mural depicts children at play, the leaves of gingko trees, cherry blossoms and the 51st Fighter Wing crest with katchi kapshida in Korean, which means, we go together..

We had to power wash the wall first and then put the primer on, Tenley said. As soon as we got the primer it was just me and Trey, and Trey and I worked on it, like, day and night for all of August.

After applying the primer coat, Tenley Brady used an iPad app to project the design on the wall.

I put the iPad like back on a stand and then I have my phone in my hand and the iPad is projecting onto the wall the picture and I can see it on my phone, she said.

A month into the project, she circulated a digital flyer among friends in hopes of finding airmen volunteers. She also recruited several students from an art class she taught over the summer.

I think its good, but I was very selective about which kids were working on the project also because we had ladders and I didnt want very many kids on ladders, Brady said.

In the end, 20 volunteers had signed up.

Brady used a spreadsheet to organize the volunteers, the section of wall they were working on and the time they spent on each section.

By mid-November, they were finally finished, and what had been a drab, white, concrete wall is now a vibrant scene of Korean culture.

When I see the mural, my big hope is that people take it in and theyre like Korea, Brady said. Its not just a deployment or Im living here for one year. But, like, this is a beautiful place that has a cool culture that I can go I can go out and experience.
Israeli attack helicopter fires a missile into the Gaza Strip on Dec. 18. (Leo Correa/AP)

RAFAH, Gaza Strip  The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gazas north, where the defense minister said Tuesday that troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants.

Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza Tuesday with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the campaign in Gazas south will persist for months.

In a hospital in the southern town of Rafah, Mahmoud Zoarab bid farewell to his two children  a 2-year-old boy, and a girl born two weeks ago  killed in a predawn strike on their home.

Wounded in the strike, he winced as he peeled back the shrouds to look at their faces as his wife and mother stood by his bed.

Just two weeks old. Her name hadnt even been registered, said the childrens grandmother, Suzan Zoarab. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she cried, Does he think that by killing these children he will achieve something? Have they succeeded now? Has he achieved what he wants?

Defense Minister Gallant said Israeli forces were entering Hamas tunnel network in northern Gaza as part of a final clearing of militants from the region. The densely built urban north, including Gaza City, has seen ferocious fighting between troops and militants, with Palestinian health officials reporting dozens of people killed in bombardment in recent days.

Israeli troops have raided a series of hospitals and shelters in the north, detaining men in a search for militants and expelling others taking refuge there.

Gallant said that in southern Gaza, operations will take months, including the militarys assault on Khan Younis, the territorys second largest city. We will not stop until we reach our goals, he said.

After meeting with Israeli officials Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israel to protect civilians but reiterated Americas support for Israel in its war against Hamas, saying he was not here to dictate timelines or terms.

Austins remarks signaled that the U.S. would continue shielding Israel from growing international calls for a cease-fire as the U.N. Security Council again delayed a vote  and would keep providing aid for one of the 21st centurys deadliest military campaigns.

Palestinians search for survivors outside a morgue in Rafah after the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Dec. 19. (Hatem Ali/AP)

Strikes across Gaza

Suzan Zoarab said her family was asleep when their home was hit before dawn.

We found the whole house had collapsed over us. Twenty-seven people were killed in the strike, along with at least three others in a separate strike in Rafah, according to Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies arrive at two local hospitals early Tuesday.

Rafah, which is in the southern part of Gaza and where Israel has told Palestinians to seek shelter, has been repeatedly bombarded, often killing large numbers of civilians. Israel said Tuesday it had killed a prominent Hamas financier in an airstrike on Rafah, without specifying when it occurred.

In central Gaza, at least 15 people were killed in strikes overnight, according to hospital records. Among the dead were a mother and her four children, who were killed as they sat around a fire, according to an AP reporter who filmed the aftermath.

Fierce battles also raged in northern Gaza, which has been reduced to a wasteland seven weeks after Israeli tanks and troops stormed in. The military said Tuesday its forces took operational control of the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya. Israel has killed hundreds of Hamas militants there and detained another 500 suspected militants, according to a statement from division commander Brig. Gen. Itsik Cohen.

The claims could not be independently confirmed.

Footage online showed a scene of devastation after a strike that hit a local charity in Jabaliya, with several torn bodies near a donkey cart on a street filled with rubble and twisted metal. At least 27 people were killed in that strike and others in the district Tuesday, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior Health Ministry official.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas has continued to put up stiff resistance and lob rockets at Israel. The militants said they fired a barrage toward Tel Aviv on Tuesday, and air raid sirens went off in central Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The war began after Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted 240 others.

Israels military says 131 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

Palestinians search for survivors outside a morgue in Rafah after the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Dec. 19. (Hatem Ali/AP)

Hospital raid

Israeli forces raided the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City overnight, according to the church that operates it, destroying a wall at its front entrance and detaining most of its staff.

The facility was the scene of an explosion early in the war that killed dozens of Palestinians, and which an Associated Press investigation later determined was likely caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

Don Binder, a pastor at St. Georges Anglican Cathedral, which runs the hospital, said the raid left just two doctors, four nurses and two janitors to tend to over 100 seriously wounded patients, with no running water or electricity.

Binder said an Israeli tank was parked on the rubble at the hospitals entrance, blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

Israeli troops seized northern Gazas Al Awda hospital on Sunday after besieging it for 12 days, the international aid group Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday. The troops stripped, bound and interrogated all males over 16, including six of the groups staff, it said. Most were sent back into the hospital, which the troops still hold, with dozens of patients inside but no essential supplies, it said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about the hospital raids.

Forces have raided other hospitals across northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of endangering critically ill and wounded civilians.

Security Council again postpones vote on new truce proposal

U.N. Security Council members continued intense negotiations on an Arab-sponsored resolution to spur desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during some kind of a halt in the fighting. A vote on the resolution, first postponed from Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as talks continued to get the U.S. to abstain or vote yes on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany  some of Israels closest allies  joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. In Israel, protesters have called for negotiations with Hamas to facilitate the release of scores of hostages still held by the group.

CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar on Monday, the first known meeting of the three since the cease-fire and the release of some 100 hostages in a deal they helped broker.

But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the talks were not at a point where another deal is imminent.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crushes its military capabilities and frees all the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack.

Magdy and Jeffery reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.
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SANAA, Yemen - Yemens Houthi militants said Tuesday they will not stop their military operations in the Red Sea, hours after the United States announced the formation of a multinational naval coalition to protect commercial shipping there.

The Yemeni group thats aligned with Iran has been targeting commercial ships in protest over the Israel-Gaza war, disrupting one of the worlds busiest shipping routes.

Our war is a moral war, and therefore, no matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop, Mohammed Albukhaiti, a member of the organizations ruling council, told The Washington Post.

Participating in a coalition to protect the perpetrators of genocidal crimes is a disgrace in the history of the participating countries, he added. If America had moved in the right direction, it would have obliged Israel to stop its crimes without the need to expand the scope of the conflict.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian on Monday as he travels through Israel, Bahrain and Qatar this week.

Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor, Austin said in a statement. This is an international challenge that demands collective action.

On Tuesday he held a virtual ministerial meeting with 43 participants about the threat from the Houthis and said the Bahrain-based Task Force 153, formed in 2022 to focus on maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, would be the existing multilateral platform that could be leveraged to deter attacks.

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He labeled the Houthi attacks reckless and said they involved ballistic missiles and drones and targeted at least 10 merchant vessels transiting international waters.

On Monday, oil giant BP became the latest company to announce it would be pausing its shipments through the Red Sea. Several shipping companies, including MSC, Maersk, Euronav and the Evergreen Group, have said they are also avoiding the Suez Canal as militants target cargo vessels.

Roughly 10 percent of all maritime oil trade goes through the Red Sea - which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Without access to the Red Sea route, many ships will have to take the far longer and costlier journey around Africa to reach their destinations.

Maersk, which said it was now routing its ships around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, welcomed the new coalition in a statement Tuesday in hopes that it would enable a return to transit the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area and the Suez Canal in the near future. However, at this time it remains difficult to determine exactly when this will be.

The U.S.-led coalition will include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, Austin added.

Israel has said the matter is a global issue and welcomed the creation of the task force, while the World Shipping Council, a liner shipping industry body, said in a statement the mission was critical to protecting seafarers. It urged the global community to continue to pursue every possible diplomatic effort in support of security in and safe navigation through this region that is vital to international trade.

The Houthis maritime attacks have underscored broader outrage across the Middle East over Israels assault on Gaza. The campaign has killed over 19,600 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, flattening neighborhoods and triggering an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

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In response to the conflict, the Houthis have said they would target any ship that travels to Israel until the Gazans receive humanitarian aid they need.

On Oct. 19, the Houthis launched the first of their recent attacks: cruise missiles aimed at Israel that were shot down by the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. On Nov. 19, the Houthis hijacked a commercial vessel, the Galaxy Leader, in the Red Sea and took 25 crew members hostage. They also claimed responsibility for naval drone attacks on two commercial ships on Monday. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea identified the vessels as the MSC Clara and Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic.

The Houthis, a militant group from northern Yemen, seized the capital in 2014, deposing the U.S.-allied government in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia entered the fray, and the ensuing war killed tens of thousands and caused one of the worlds most severe humanitarian crises. The civil war has pitted the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels, who maintain a stronghold in Yemens north, against the Saudi-backed government forces.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea on Monday in a call with his Saudi counterpart, according to the State Department. Riyadh and Washington urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security, it added.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement Tuesday that most commercial ships would not be targeted.

We reiterate the safety of maritime routes in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, ensuring no threat to ships from any nation, except those linked to the enemy entity or destined for its ports, he stated, referring to Israel.

Dadouch reported from Beirut and Suliman from London. Kareem Fahim in Beirut, Niha Masih in Seoul and Dan Lamothe, Evan Halper, Cate Brown and Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report.
Activists in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Dec. 19, 2023, protest U.S. aid to Israel and hostilities in Gaza. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

U.S. Capitol Police arrested dozens of people who were demonstrating inside the Capitol on Tuesday to demand a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

The group first took a tour of the U.S. Capitol, which includes access to the Capitol Rotunda. After they began protesting in the rotunda, about 60 people were arrested under a D.C. law that prohibits crowding, obstructing or incommoding, which is often cited in the arrest of protesters during peaceful planned acts of civil disobedience, said Capitol Police spokesman Tim Barber.

We were aware of a groups potential plan to take a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building and then start a protest, Barber said in a statement. It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group would break the law.

The protesters included more than 80 leaders of organizations united behind demands for a cease-fire in the war, as well as an end to all U.S. funding to Israel, organizers said. President Bidens request for additional funds for Ukraine and Israel, as well as humanitarian aid for Gaza and money for U.S.-Mexico border security, has stalled in Congress.

Since October 7, my days begin and end with tears and heartbreak for the defenseless, innocent people in Gaza - men, women, and children living in constant fear, aware that any moment could be their last, Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area office, said in a statement. The only humane solution to avert a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, now exacerbated by the spread of infectious diseases, is to implement a ceasefire NOW.
Workers prepare a Confederate Memorial for removal in Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 18. (Kevin Wolf/AP)

A day after halting work to remove the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday said he would allow the removal to proceed.

On Tuesday evening, Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled against a request from a group called Defend Arlington that the memorial remain undisturbed.

In an opinion denying a preliminary injunction, Alston wrote that the case essentially attempts to place this Court at the center of a great debate between the Confederacys detractors and defenders. He found that the group that had sought to stop the removal, Defend Arlington, had not shown it was in the public interest to leave the memorial in place, nor had it shown that adjacent graves were being disturbed by the activity.

The ruling was the latest turn in a long effort to dispense with the divisive statue, which the Army had slated for removal this week.

The memorial, depicting a Black woman holding the baby of a White Confederate officer and an enslaved man accompanying his enslaver into battle, was commissioned in 1914 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. To our dead heroes, the monument reads above a Latin saying that praises lost causes.

Last year, the Pentagon directed that the monument be dismantled and its bronze figures removed following the recommendation of a Naming Commission established by Congress to review military facilities celebrating the Confederacy. Defend Arlington unsuccessfully sued in D.C. District Court earlier this year to halt removal of the memorial.

On Sunday, the same group sought another order from the Eastern District of Virginia after equipment was moved into place and the memorial area was blocked off in preparation for work scheduled Monday. Alston issued a temporary restraining order Monday, citing Defend Arlingtons allegation that graves were being disturbed.

At a hearing Tuesday, Alston said he visited the site and checked on whether any freshly dug soil or tire tracks marked the area where people were buried. He observed a crane on a roadway near the monument but away from the grass, he said. Alston also said he noticed protective devices placed above the nearby graves to shield them.

I saw nothing to suggest anything was being compromised at all, Alston said during the hearing. I saw great respect.

Attorneys representing Defend Arlington disagreed. Karen C. Bennett said the respect that Alston witnessed was inconsistent with what descendants of those interred saw.

Bennett described machinery encroaching on one grave and gravestones being temporarily removed. She also cited the potential for vibrations and moisture to disturb neighboring graves, saying the Defense Department shouldnt have the power to remove the monument.

The government does not have the authority, she said.

Alston rebuffed her.

I hope you would understand that the illustrations on that memorial may be difficult and hurtful to some people, Alston said. We should not be celebrating slavery  thats what some people believe.

Alston also noted that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced that the monument would be relocated to another site in Virginia. Defend Arlington said that wasnt enough.

Our belief is that its removal from Arlington will destroy it, Bennett said.

Government attorneys, meanwhile, argued that the case had already been decided  by the litigation earlier this year in the District.

The alignment of the parties in this case is essentially the same, said Gregory M. Cumming, an attorney representing the government.

In a statement issued after the ruling Tuesday evening, cemetery spokeswoman Kerry Meeker said the removal would proceed.

In accordance with this evenings court ruling, the Army will resume the deliberate process of removing the Confederate Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery immediately, Meeker wrote. While the work is performed, surrounding graves, headstones and the landscape will be carefully protected by a dedicated team, preserving the sanctity of all those laid to rest in Section 16.

An attorney for Defend Arlington, John P. Rowley III, issued a statement late Tuesday night: While we respect the Courts decision, we continue to believe the evidence shows that in its haste to remove the Reconciliation Memorial, the DoD failed to conduct the reviews mandated by law regarding historic preservation and environmental impacts.

The hearing also came as Republican legislators in Virginia targeted the contractors involved in the work. Three Republican state senators wrote to Youngkin on Monday demanding that he bar any Virginia companies connected to the Arlington monuments removal from doing business with the state.

While these businesses may be able to contract with the federal government to tear down historic monuments to our country and which are Virginia antiquities, the Commonwealth should not be party to contracts with such enterprises, wrote Sen.-elect Glen Sturtevant, a former senator who will start a new term in January representing a Richmond-area district.

His letter was co-signed by Sen.-elect John McGuire, a former delegate recently elected to a rural, central Virginia Senate district, and Sen. Frank Ruff (R-Mecklenburg), who recently announced his retirement for health reasons.

Youngkins office did not respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Devon Henry, whose Team Henry Enterprises is overseeing the Arlington work and has handled the removal of nearly two dozen Confederate monuments in Richmond and elsewhere, replied on X, formerly Twitter, that Sturtevants message was extremely distasteful yet not surprising.

Henry, a Black contractor who has faced death threats since taking on statue removals beginning in 2020, was appointed by Democratic former governors Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam to the board of visitors at Norfolk State University and now serves as rector.

Hey @GlenSturtevant, Henry wrote, how would you feel if you found out that the contractor is also a VA GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTEE??? Would you request he be removed from serving the Commonwealth?

Alex Horton contributed to this report.




LHASA, Dec. 20, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes living at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve. The three-week mating season is the only period of time throughout the year when a male antelope is seen together with the female ones.

Dubbed the "paradise of wild animals," Qiangtang National Nature Reserve is home to over 30 kinds of wild animals listed on national-level protection catalogue, including Tibetan antelopes and wild yaks.

A male Tibetan antelope (1st L) pursues a female one for mating at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope rushes to the female ones at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Male Tibetan antelopes compete for mating right at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Tenzin Norbu/Xinhua)

A male Tibetan antelope gallops at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope (R) pursues a female one for mating at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Rangers patrol to monitor Tibetan antelopes at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Two male Tibetan antelopes pursue a female one for mating at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope gallops at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo by Tenzin Norbu/Xinhua)

A male Tibetan antelope (1st R) guards its female partners after winning the mating right at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Male Tibetan antelopes compete for mating right at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Wenbo)

Male Tibetan antelopes compete for the mating right at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope gallops at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A flock of female Tibetan antelopes gallop at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in the northern part of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)
The northeast side of the U.S. Capitol is seen on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the remaining military officers blocked from promotion by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, approving the nominations of 11 four-star generals and admirals.

The unanimous voice vote marked the end of an unsuccessful protest that the Alabama Republican began in February to force the Pentagon to rescind an abortion travel policy for service members lacking adequate access to reproductive health care.

Tuberville dropped his hold on more than 400 general and flag officers this month under mounting pressure from lawmakers and fears that the unusually long blockade was harming national security. He maintained a block on four-star nominees, however.

The continued holds meant the Senate would have to confirm each of the officers one by one, but Tuberville raised no objection when the Senate moved to approve the promotions in a block vote on Tuesday night.

These 11 flag officers have now been approved, joining the rest of their colleagues who we approved a few weeks ago, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who had vowed to confirm the 11 officers this week. Thats good news.

The generals and admirals include Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot to lead Northern Command; Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Hugh to head Cyber Command and Space Force; Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting to head U.S. Space Command; Vice Adm. Stephen Koehler to command the Navys Pacific Fleet and Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider to command Pacific Air Forces.

Army Lt. Gen. James J. Mingus, Space Force Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, Navy Adm. James Kilby and Air Force Lt. Gen. James Slife will become their services second-highest ranking officers, while Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach will be head of Air Combat Command. Vice Adm. William Houston will be director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., on Tuesday night said he wanted to apologize to the hundreds of military families that were affected by Tubervilles blockade, calling it a sad chapter in the Senates history.

Hundreds of military families had to endure the uncertainty of whether their loved ones were going to assume the promotions they had earned after years of protecting the country, he said. Carper, a retired Navy captain, recalled his own service in the Vietnam War and said service members needed to be treated with respect.

I know the last months have been not happy days for a lot of people in the armed services who deserve better, he said. My hope is and my prayer is that  as we move toward a new year that the memories of what theyve had to endure will fade and that what theyll remember is that there are a number of our colleagues who stood up and said that this has got to end.
Mohammad Husain Musawi, Ali Jan Ferdawsi, and Bashir Safdari have been identified as the three men who died in a plane crash near Independence, Oregon on Dec. 16, 2023, a police statement said. (Salem For Refugees)

American refugee advocates are mourning the deaths of three U.S.-trained former members of the Afghan air force who had resettled in Oregon and were seeking to become commercial pilots.

Mohammad Husain Musawi, Bashir Safdari and Ali Jan Ferdawsi were aboard a single-engine plane that crashed Saturday while flying toward a small airport in Independence, Ore., according to police.

Musawi was piloting the plane, which struck power lines in heavy fog, an Independence Police Department statement said Monday.

All three had served in the Afghan military under the U.S.-backed government that was toppled by the Taliban in 2021. They were among the tens of thousands who fled the country amid the withdrawal of American forces.

These brave individuals served their country with unwavering dedication, flying missions under some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, the relief agency Salem For Refugees said in an online pitch to raise money for funeral expenses.

The U.S. spent years training Afghan pilots and invested billions of dollars in the countrys air force.

The rapid collapse of the previous government in Kabul left more than 5,000 Afghan airmen and their families in need of evacuation, veterans groups and advocates said at the time.

Musawi, Safdari and Ferdawsi resettled in Salem, which is near the Independence airport, in the spring of 2022, the local refugee agency said in a statement Wednesday.

They wanted to use their experience to get licenses to fly planes commercially in the United States, according to people who knew them.

That was their goal and dream, Darwaish Zhakil, co-founder of the Portland-based Afghan Support Network Support, told The Oregonian newspaper Monday.

In May, Musawi obtained a private pilots license with a certification to fly single-engine planes, Federal Aviation Administration records show.

Musawi was a good-natured, resourceful man who helped transport thousands of troops and their equipment throughout Afghanistan, said Mohammed Naiem Asadi, a former pilot in the Afghan air force who also fled to America.

The pilots were so close to realizing their dreams, Asadi said Wednesday.

Its a very sad and tragic moment that their wish did not come true, he said.

The three men were taking part in a pilot training program, the Salem For Refugees statement said. The organization launched the program in 2022 and had enrolled six pilots, according to a Salem Reporter story Monday.

The Salem For Refugees fundraising campaign had brought in $31,083 as of Wednesday morning. Another organization, the Afghan American Development Group, is also raising money for the same purpose.

The crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Independence police statement said.

Both Musawi and Safdari were 35 years old; Ferdawsi was 29.
The morning sun shines on a hangar on MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., in 2021. A veteran, Baruch Roche II, faces a year in prison after being charged with attempted possession of a firearm in a federal facility. Roche attempted to enter MacDill with an AR-15 rifle and loaded magazines in his car trunk on Nov. 3, 2023, federal prosecutors said Dec. 20. (Tiffany Emery/U.S. Air Force)

A veteran was indicted this week after attempting to enter MacDill Air Force Base in November with an AR-15 rifle and loaded magazines in his trunk.

Baruch Roche II, 33, faces a year in prison after being charged with attempted possession of a firearm in a federal facility, a statement by federal prosecutors in Florida on Tuesday said.

On Nov. 3, the Tampa resident drove up to a security gate at MacDill and refused to provide an ID, instead calling himself Captain America, said the statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Roche said he is in the military and that he had a meeting to provide top secret information to a general of the U.S. Special Operations Command, federal prosecutors said.

MacDill Air Force Base is home to the U.S. Central Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Roche made incoherent statements and threatened to return to the gate every day to look for the security personnel denying him entry, according to the criminal complaint.

Security detained Roche and found an AR-15 rifle in the trunk of his Hyundai Genesis, as well as five magazines loaded with 125 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.

The court complaint states that Roche has a retired military ID card.

After his arrest, Roche told Tampa police that he has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, court documents said.

Local police determined that Roche had extreme paranoia and psychosis, and was a possible threat to Air Force security personnel. Police had him involuntarily hospitalized, the criminal complaint said.

Roches case is scheduled for a jury trial in February 2024.
The High Court today rejected his application for an injunction

Imprisoned schoolteacher Enoch Burke has lost his challenge to the holding of a disciplinary appeal hearing he sought over his dismissal by Wilsons Hospital School.

The High Court today rejected his application for an injunction restraining the holding of the Teachers Disciplinary Appeal Panel hearing due to the composition of the panel.

Mr Burke had made claims of objective bias against one of its three members, arguing Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) general secretary Kieran Christie should be excluded.

The teacher alleged Mr Christie was a promoter of transgenderism, but the court found there was "not even a starting point" for this claim.

In a 75-page ruling, Mr Justice Conor Dignam found Mr Burke had failed to establish there was a fair question of a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of Mr Christie.

The judge also said his provisional view was that the panel was entitled to its costs.

The decision is the latest legal reverse for Mr Burke, who was already facing hefty legal bills and fines arising from his dispute with the Co Westmeath secondary school.

Mr Burke is also faced with spending Christmas in Mountjoy jail after earlier this month again refusing to comply with a court order restraining him from the school premises.

He has already spent over 200 days behind bars for contempt of court during the past 17 months.

The dispute has it roots in an request from the schools then principal in May of last year that staff address a transgender student by a new name and they/them pronouns.

Mr Burke, who comes from a family of well-known evangelical Christians from Castlebar, Co Mayo, said he could not comply on religious grounds.

But the matter spiralled when he raised his objections publicly at a chapel service and after a school dinner.

He was suspended on full pay in August last year but continued to show up at work despite not being rostered for classes. The schools board of management eventually dismissed him last January.

Mr Burke lodged an appeal and the appeals board had been due to hear the matter in July.

However, on the eve of the hearing Mr Burke secured a temporary injunction restraining the hearing from going ahead.

He claimed Mr Christie should be excluded, or recuse himself, from the panel because he had supported transgender ideology since 2016.

Mr Burke alleged, among other things, that Mr Christie was an activist for transgenderism" within the ASTI and that under his leadership ASTI was "becoming a vehicle for the promotion of transgenderism".

He said Mr Christie presented an ASTI achievement award to a teacher in Cork who helped a group of students to establish a sexuality and gender acceptance group in their school.

He also claimed Mr Christie had worked closely over the years with TENI, Transgender Equality Network Ireland.

Mr Christie strongly disputed his claims and said Mr Burke has wrongly based his allegation of objective bias on the fact that the union leader had accepted the law of the land on gender recognition.

The court heard Mr Burke had also written a letter objecting to a second person, Jack Cleary, being on the panel.

However, he did not pursue an objection to Mr Cleary in court, instead focussing on Mr Christie.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Dignam said he was satisfied that a reasonable person would not have an apprehension that Mr Christie was personally or objectively biased.

The judge said the only evidence of an association with TENI came from Mr Christie himself who said he met with a representative of TENI once only, in 2016, when he attended a seminar which included a talk on how schools might deal with transgender children.

"One meeting with a TENI representative seven years ago would not cause the reasonable person to consider that Mr Christie has a close working relationship with TENI over many years," the judge said.

Mr Justice Dignam went on to say a reasonable observer would readily appreciate that Mr Christie was acting in his capacity as general secretary when presenting an award to a teacher.

He observed that Mr Christie was but one of eight members of the ASTI awards committee that decides on such awards.

In the judge's view, no reasonable person would have a reasonable apprehension on the basis of those facts that Mr Christie was personally biased against Mr. Burke's position.

"It is abundantly clear that Mr Burke has his ideology based on his religious belief and it appears that he believes that anyone who does not subscribe to the same position as him on this issue has a contrary ideology, i.e. 'transgenderism' ", the judge said.

Mr Justice Dignam said a reasonable person will appreciate that a person can be prepared to accede to a request by an individual, be it an adult or child or the child's parents, to be called by a different name or referred to by a different pronoun without being a promoter of or activist for an ideology.
This man had to receive 40 stitches, the inspector said of the alleged injury

A Ukrainian refugee, who is also an esteemed surgeon, is accused of slashing the arm of a fellow resident in a Kerry refugee residence at the weekend, with the alleged victim requiring hospitalisation and 40 stitches.

Alexic Shenduk (53) was granted bail at a sitting of Tralee District Court on Monday, despite objections from Gardai due to the serious nature of the offence on Saturday night at the Purple Heather in the Gap of Dunloe, Beaufort.

Gardai also fear that the defendant will flee the jurisdiction, the court was told.

Mr Shenduk was charged with assault causing harm to Volodymer Levenets at the Purple Heather, Gap of Dunloe, on December 16, contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

A Ukrainian interpreter was sworn in and evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by arresting garda, Detective James Daly.

The Purple Heather Is a residence for Ukrainian refugees, the detective outlined. Alexic Shenduk was arrested by way of schedule on Sunday, December 17, on suspicion of the assault.

In reply to the formal charge, having been cautioned, Alexic Shenduk said: He came into my home. Not me into his home. He was cursing to me, not me cursing to him. He promised to kick me in the neck, not me threaten to kick him in the neck, Detective Daly outlined

He said he was asleep and people were smoking and shouting outside his window, saying if they were not, he would just sleep, the detective added.

Inspector Dan Holland told the court that the State was objecting to bail. Detective Daly said the objection was because of the nature and seriousness of the offence.

It is alleged that at 9.30pm on the night, the accused slashed Volodymer Levenets with a knife on his upper left arm, the court heard.

Mr Levenets was conveyed to UHK, where he received treatment for an 11cm laceration on his upper left arm, which required 40 stitches as a result of the assault, Detective Daly continued.

There was compelling CCTV evidence, that the defendant is known to the victim as they both reside at the Purple Heather and there were also witnesses to the incident, the garda further outlined in his objections.

Gardai also fear the accused will not turn up for future court appearances if granted bail amidst concerns he would leave the jurisdiction or interfere with witnesses, Detective Daly further explained.

However, Padraig OConnell, solicitor for Alexic Shenduk, put it that there was the presumption of innocence, stating his client was a father-of-two and had no previous conviction the court was aware of.

He is an esteemed medical surgeon from the Donetsk region, working in a top hospital in Donetsk and fleeing the war, the solicitor said.

Mr OConnell said it was self-defence and his reply was germane to the whole matter in that the alleged victim came to him and was cursing at him.

He was a Ukrainian refugee that was accepted and he had been here for a year, Mr OConnell said, adding: This is a professional individual fleeing war.

But Inspector Holland said it was a very serious incident and what concerned gardai was the reaction by the accused to people smoking outside the window.

This man had to receive 40 stitches, the inspector said of the alleged injury.

Judge Philip OLeary said he would grant bail but he was concerned about proximity of the parties. Mr Levenets had been discharged from hospital back to the Purple Heather, the court was told.

The court was adjourned briefly while bail conditions were agreed, including that Alexic Shenduk endeavour to find alternative accommodation and stay away from both the Purple Heather and the injured party; surrender his passport and sign on daily at Killarney Garda Station.

The matter is to come before Dingle court on Friday, for directions from the DPP. The accused is not required to be present.
Ex-solicitor has been remanded in custody pending sentencing next month

The jury in the multi-million euro trial of former solicitor Michael Lynn has returned guilty (GUILTY) verdicts on 10 of the 21 charges against him.

The jury convicted Mr Lynn of 10 counts of stealing around 17.9 million from six financial institutions 16 years ago. They were unable to agree on the remaining 11 counts on the indictment.

Lynn (55) leaned forward when the jury returned the verdicts in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today but made no visible reaction. The jury had been deliberating for six and half hours across two days following an eight-week trial.

Judge Martin Nolan remanded him in custody after the verdicts were handed down. He set a sentence date of January 15, next.

Lynn, of Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow had pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of theft in Dublin between October 23, 2006 and April 20, 2007, when he was working as a solicitor and property developer.

It was the second trial in the case, after the jury in the first trial last year was unable to agree on the verdicts.

It was the prosecution case that Lynn obtained multiple mortgages on the same properties in a situation where banks were unaware that other institutions were also providing finance. These properties included 'Glenlion', Lynn's 5.5 million home in Howth, and multiple investment properties.

The financial institutions involved were Bank of Ireland, National Irish Bank, Irish Life and Permanent, Ulster Bank, ACC Bank, Bank of Scotland Ireland Ltd and Irish Nationwide Building Society.

Lynn took the stand and told his trial that the banks were aware he had multiple loans on the same properties and that this was custom and practice among bankers in Celtic Tiger Ireland.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits Yunnan Provincial Museum in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 19, 2023. Wang visited Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture as well as the cities of Yuxi and Kunming during an inspection tour in southwest China's Yunnan Province from Dec. 17 to 19. Wang emphasized the importance of fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and staying committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation to promote ethnic unity, religious harmony, and social stability. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

KUNMING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Huning has called for efforts to advance the work related to ethnic and religious affairs with a strong sense of responsibility and mission.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks during an inspection tour in southwest China's Yunnan Province from Dec. 17 to 19.

Wang emphasized the importance of fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and staying committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation to promote ethnic unity, religious harmony, and social stability.

During the tour, Wang visited Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture as well as the cities of Yuxi and Kunming, where he inspected residential areas, Buddhist sites, enterprises, the provincial museum, and wetlands, among other places.

While praising Yunnan's efforts to maintain harmony and stability in ethnic and religious fields, Wang urged the province to promote extensive exchanges, communication, and integration among various ethnic groups and build a demonstration area for ethnic unity and progress in the country.

He stressed the importance of sticking to the Party's basic policy on religious affairs and providing active guidance to religions so that they can adapt to a socialist society. 

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits a community in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 17, 2023. Wang visited Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture as well as the cities of Yuxi and Kunming during an inspection tour in southwest China's Yunnan Province from Dec. 17 to 19. Wang emphasized the importance of fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and staying committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation to promote ethnic unity, religious harmony, and social stability. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
Declan Service was fined 60,000 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today

A HEALTH care worker was "gambling" his retirement fund on the stock exchange when he used insider information to buy up discounted company shares at a profit.

Declan Service (63) made more than 11,000 by "dumping" his holding in a company days before buying shares at a reduced price following an insider briefing.

Service, the first person in Ireland to be convicted of insider trading, was fined 60,000 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

Adjourning the case, Judge Alma Sheahan said an 18-month prison sentence was "appropriate" but she will review this after the fine is paid.

The court heard Service had no "trappings of wealth" and told gardai he did not realise what he was doing was illegal at the time.

Service, a father-of-two of Sunnyvale Avenue, Portrush, Co Antrim pleaded guilty to insider dealing on dates between May 18 and 22, 2020.

The offence is contrary to the European Union (Market Abuse) Regulations 2016 and section 1368 Companies Act 2014.

Detective Garda John Farrelly told prosecutor Fionnuala OSullivan BL that Open Orphan, an Irish company listed on the London stock exchange, decided to place additional shares at a discount on the market on May 22, 2020 to fund company growth.

The court heard this could generally lead to a short term drop in a companys share value and investors would be briefed in advance of the market placing.

This briefing of information that was not yet publicly available made the investors insiders. To protect the integrity of the market, they were prohibited from using the insider information for financial gain.

At the time, Service had more than 3.8 million shares in the company, valued at 566,000. He was invited to a Zoom presentation on May 18 and it was confirmed to him that the information was market sensitive and would not be publicly available until May 22.

He was told he would not be able to trade shares for the next five days.

Service replied that he was happy to join and agreed to become an insider.

The following day, he contacted his stockbrokers, Goodbody, and instructed his broker to sell his entire shareholding in Open Orphan over the coming days.

That day, May 19, he was recorded telling a broker: theyre going to do something on Friday that might lower the price a bit, Id put next years holiday money in it if I were you.

The next day, he told a broker he had been speaking to Open Orphans CEO and said they were going to raise monies if you know what I mean and they were going to do it soon.

The stockbroker was concerned and raised the issue with a compliance manager.

Having sold all his shares, Service contacted another broker in the firm instructing him to buy STG 566,000 worth of shares when they were placed on the market at a discount on May 22.

By the end, his share number at the same cost had increased by more than 92,700. The value difference was around STG 11,500. If he retained his holding for a year it would have increased to STG 44,000.

Goodbody sent a suspicious transaction and order report to the Central Bank, which filed a report with the Garda National Economic Bureau.

Service fully cooperated with the investigation, making full admissions. He had no previous convictions.

Service told gardai I truthfully didnt realise I had done anything wrong, his barrister Brian Gageby BL said. I acted innocently in my mind. Its not in my DNA to do something I know to be illegal. He said he regretted the serious lack of judgement.

Service, now a carer for vulnerable adults, had worked all his life in health care and in 2015 converted his pension to an approved retirement fund that he put into stocks and shares, Mr Gageby said.

Rather than treating his life savings with care, he engaged in making rash decisions, effectively gambling it on the stock exchange.

This happened in the context of mental health issues that led to indiscriminate overspending while his decision making was somewhat impaired.

This was reflected in his decision to dump his shareholding, showing a lack of sophistication, Mr Gageby said.

It had been inevitable that Goodbody, a reputable stockbroking company, would report the matter.

When one hears the evidence one would naturally take the view that he is some class of high rolling stock dealing person who knew exactly what he was doing, but this did not reflect the accuseds life, Mr Gageby said.

Service had led a blameless life, was involved in charity work, did not have any trappings of wealth and the offence was truly out of character.

He had recently been diagnosed with two forms of cancer.

Ms OSullivan said the maximum sentence and fine were 10 years and 10m, but other than that there was no sentencing guidance as there had been no other similar criminal convictions.

Judge Sheahan took the mitigation into account but said it had been made clear to him in the most detailed terms that he could not trade stocks as an insider but he chose to ignore this.

She said an 18-month sentence was appropriate but said she would review this, and whether to suspend it, after Service pays a STG60,000 fine. She remanded him on continuing bail to February 19 next year for payment of the fine.
When he was stopped and searched he was found to have 19 trays of Alprazolam tablets with a 570 total street value.

A pile of pills of different sizes, forms and colors on a pastel blue background coming out of a blue jar

A man caught with more than 500 worth of sedative tablets had got involved in the street pills trade after being prescribed a lot of pain medication for a serious illness, a court heard.

Christopher Donoghue (42) was arrested after gardai saw him involved in a suspicious transaction on an inner city street.

Judge Bryan Smyth gave him a six-month suspended sentence.

Donoghue, of Leo Fitzgerald House, Dublin 2, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs with intent to sell or supply.

Garda Sergeant Maire McDevitt told Dublin District Court gardai were on patrol at Summerhill in the north of the city on September 22 last year when Donoghue was seen in a suspected drugs transaction with an unknown woman.

He was seen passing something in a package from his waistband.

When he was stopped and searched he was found to have 19 trays of Alprazolam tablets with a 570 total street value.

Donoghue had 21 previous convictions for offences including possession of drugs and had previously been given a suspended sentence.

The accused had found himself in this situation because he had an illness for which he had been prescribed a lot of medication for pain relief, but ended up topping that up himself, his solicitor Daniel Hanahoe informed the court.

Donoghue was attending hospital for treatment, the court heard.

On the face of it, he deserves a custodial sentence, Judge Smyth said.

However, he said he would suspend the six months for two years taking everything including Donoghues medical situation into account.
The airport police came over and he refused to stop arguing and leave the terminal as directed

An airline passenger was arrested in Dublin Airport after he refused to stop arguing with staff over a fee for the weight of his luggage, a court heard.

Wilson Mallon (38), who would not move on when directed by airport police, accepted he had handled the situation less than ideally.

Judge Treasa Kelly applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a criminal record after he made a 200 charity donation.

Mallon, of St Jamess Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to impeding an authorised officer in the lawful execution of his powers at the airport.

The charge is under the Air Navigation and Transport Act.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at Terminal 2 on November 4 this year.

Garda Sergeant Niall Murphy said the accused was at the boarding gate on the day when he got into an argument with airline staff.

The airport police came over and he refused to stop arguing and leave the terminal as directed.

He had no previous convictions.

When Mallon arrived at the airport, there was a dispute over the weight of his luggage, his lawyer said.

The accused had a disagreement with staff and he handled the matter less than ideally, he said.

At the time, Mallon had come to Ireland to deal with a family matter and was on his way back to the UK when the incident happened.

He had been suffering from very low mood at the time of the incident and a letter from a consultant psychiatrist was presented to the court.

Its something he admits doing but its something he couldnt control at the time, the lawyer said.

He asked Judge Kelly to take account of Mallons early guilty plea and leave him without a criminal record.

There is a lot of tension around airports, people are anxious flying and they dont need that extra anxiety in the circumstances, the judge said of the accuseds behaviour.
The couple are both named in a Proceeds of Crime case being taken by CAB to have the Wheatfield Avenue house in Clondalkin declared the proceeds of crime.

AN agreement with the Criminal Assets Bureau to sell the home of a man caught red-handed with a Kinahan Cartel weapons stash has been scrapped.

Just last month it was heard in the High Court, CAB were set to allow the sale of James Walsh and his ex-partner Lisa OHaras home to go ahead and the money be held by a solicitor

The couple are both named in a Proceeds of Crime case being taken by CAB to have the Wheatfield Avenue house in Clondalkin declared the proceeds of crime.

But this week CAB asked for a previous order to stop the house being sold to be re-imposed after the planned 340,000 sale fell through, it was heard.

Lisa O Hara pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin. Pic: Collins Courts

Judge Alex Owens agreed to revert back to the previous interim order to prevent the property being sold.

The house was the scene of garda searches in 2017 following a raid at Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole as gardai acted on information from their British colleagues investigating Thomas Bomber Kavanaghs drugs gang.

Walsh was previously convicted of his role in the weapons stash organised by Bomber Kavanagh at an industrial unit in Greenogue raid in 2016.

Also convicted over the lethal underworld armoury was key Cartel man Declan Brady aka Mr Nobody and Jonathan Rocket Man Harding.

Walsh also pleaded guilty in July 2021 at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to laundering 62,000 in crime cash.

Walsh (39) and his former partner Lisa OHara had both been charged with a total of 44 money laundering offences, which include using crime cash for a deposit on a house.

He was also charged with stashing 19,000 in a wardrobe at his home.

OHara given a suspended sentence, after pleading guilty to multiple counts of laundering more than 100,000 that was the proceeds of crime.

The Special Criminal Court found that she didn't know where the money came from but was reckless in not asking questions of her then partner and father of her child.

When the gardai had raided their home they also found financial documents which showed 136,000 had been lodged in various bank and credit union accounts over a three-year period,

It included a 60,000 cash deposit on the house and another 62,000 in cash paid to a builder for renovations on the house.

Walsh, was serving an eight-year sentence for the weapons offences when he was given another sentence of four years and nine months for money laundering.

O'Hara, who had never been in trouble before, said she presumed Walsh worked every day like she did.

The raid at Greenogue Business Park in Rathcoole came at the height of the Hutch-Kinahan feud in January 2017.

Walsh was standing in the reception area of the industrial unit where gardai found 15 firearms, including an AK47, and 1,300 rounds of ammunition.
Revenue officers on Tuesday boarded and searched a Maltese registered bulk cargo vessel in the Port of Foynes

Gardai have not yet made any arrests in relation to a major cocaine seizure at Foynes Port, Co Limerick yesterday

Revenue officers on Tuesday boarded and searched a Maltese registered bulk cargo vessel in the Port of Foynes, Co Limerick, which had arrived from Canada.

The vessel is understood to have started its route to Ireland from a port in Canada on December 9 and arrived at Foynes at around 10.30am Tuesday morning.

Revenue officers identified and later seized approximately 300kg of cocaine with an estimated value of 21 million  the second largest cocaine seizure in the State this year.

The 20 thousand tonne vessel is believed to have been carrying a cargo of grain.

Revenue officers, including specialist search teams and supported by drug detector dogs, are continuing to search the vessel as part of a live and ongoing operation.

An Garda Siochana attended the scene yesterday evening and are working closely with Revenue officers in this operation.

The Garda investigation is being led by the Limerick Division Crime Functional Area, supported by divisional resources and the regional Armed Support Unit.

National units including the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and international agencies, including the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC(N)) are also involved.

Gardai confirmed that no arrests have been made as investigations continue.
Sources said that Mr McCormack developed grave medical complications over the weekend which do not appear to be linked to the shooting

A 44-year-old man who was shot in the legs in a gangland gun attack died in hospital last night from a previously undiagnosed brain condition.

Clinton McCormack from Bray, Co Wicklow, passed away in St Vincents Hospital at around 8.30pm last night.

Mr McCormack and his adult teenage son had been carrying out exterior insulation work on a house in Delgany, Co Wicklow when two masked gunman arrived at the scene.

They fired multiple shots from two handguns but still failed to cause serious injury to their target even though they "cornered him behind a van ' in a reckless gun attack.

It remains unclear but unlikely that his death will lead to the probe being upgraded to murder, according to sources.

It is understood that the medical condition that Mr McCormack was suffering from was previously undiagnosed.

A post-mortem on his body will now determine the next stage of the garda probe in which there has been no arrests.

Sources said that Mr McCormack developed grave medical complications over the weekend which do not appear to be linked to the shooting.

He had been living in Co Wexford in recent times and had travelled to work at the site in a van from his home.

It is understood that the gang who shot him received intelligence that Mr McCormack had been working at the building site at the Bellevue Hill housing development in Delgany.

Gardai at Greystones are continuing to investigate a shooting incident and assault that occurred at Bellevue Hill in Delgany, County Wicklow, shortly after 4:30pm on Thursday 14th December 2023, a garda spokesman said.

The man in his 40s who sustained a number of gunshot wounds during this incident, was pronounced deceased, yesterday 19th December 2023, in hospital.

A post mortem examination will be carried out, the results of which will determine the course of the investigation.

An incident room is established at Greystones Garda station and this investigation is continuing under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO).

Gardai are continuing to appeal for any witnesses to this incident to come forward.

Gardai are continuing to request information on the movements of a 2007 black Ford Focus hatchback on Thursday 14th December 2023 between 3pm and 5pm in the Delgany area specifically between Bellevue Hill and Kindlestown Woods car park.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the Bellevue Hill/ Kindlestown Woods areas at these times are asked to make this footage available to Gardai.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Greystones Garda station on 01 666 5800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station, he added.

This is the second time in seven years that a ruthless organised criminal gang attempted to murder Mr McCormack but his innocent family members have also been the subject of firearms incidents.

In January a lone gunman approached his relative who is aged in his 30s at his home in Bray, Co Wicklow, and discharged at least one shot before his handgun jammed and he fled the scene.

Mr McCormack received a number of gunshot wounds to his leg while in last Thursdays shooting.

The chief suspects for last weeks attempted murder are a Bray based organised crime gang considered the main supplier of drugs, particularly heroin, in the north Wicklow area and are led by a criminal aged in his early 40s.

Jailed rapist and gun-for hire Eoghan O'Connell (34) is serving a 12 year sentence for a previous attempted gun murder on the target of Thursday evenings shooting.

That incident happened in 2016 when O'Connell approached the victim and attempted to fire at him but the shotgun jammed. A struggle ensued and O'Connell was later identified before being arrested.
Any loss of a young person in such circumstances is tragic but for it to happen on the eve of Christmas when families should all be together is just devastating

A young man who lost his life in a Christmas car crash in Co Donegal was a talented musician, it has emerged

Paul Mooney was killed on Monday evening when the car he was a passenger in was involved in a two car collision on the main Letterkenny to Lifford Road.

Mr Mooney, who was from the village of Ramelton, was in his early 30s.

He was a member of the popular high-rated band Boy M5.

He also played as a solo artist in many bars under the name Mooney.

He was the son of well-known local couple Gwen and Morgan Mooney and has one sister.

Local county councillor, Pauric McGarvey said there is a feeling of numbness in the village on the banks of the River Lennon.

He said "We have no words. No words. The Mooneys and the McDaid are two very well-known and respected families. It's heartbreaking.

"Any loss of a young person in such circumstances is tragic but for it to happen on the eve of Christmas when families should all be together is just devastating.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Ramelton will rally around the family as it always does at such times but nothing will take away their heartache."

Earlier this morning, prayers were said in the local St Mary's Church for Paul and his heartbroken family.

Mr Mooney is the tenth person to be killed on Donegal's roads so far this year.

Following last night's fatal crash, Mr Mooney was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital.

The drivers of the two other cars involved in the crash were also taken to hospital for treatment.

However, their injuries are not understood to be life-threatening.

Gardai in Letterkenny Garda Station are appealing to anyone who may have information in relation to this collision to contact them.

Any road users who were on the N14, on Monday evening 18th December, 2023 between 6.30pm and 7pm and who may have camera footage (including dash cam) is asked to make this available to investigating Gardai.

Anyone with information in relation to this collision is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station on 074 916 7100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station
The apology was read to the court as Mr Corrigan from Ballon, Co Carlow, settled for a substantial sum

A hospital has apologised in the High Court for the failings in the care of a 38-year-old woman who died along with her unborn son.

St Lukes General Hospital in Kilkenny offered sincere and heartfelt apologies to Clive Corrigan and extended family for the devastating outcome and loss of his wife Dorcas and his unborn son Bill five years ago.

The apology was read to the court as Mr Corrigan from Ballon, Co Carlow, settled for a substantial sum an action over the death of his wife and unborn baby.

In the apology from the hospital manager it added: I would like to reassure you that lessons have been learned from these tragic events and to reiterate our apologies for the devastating outcome and loss for which we offer our deepest condolences to you and your family.

The familys counsel, Liam Reidy SC, told the court there had been an abject failure of care in the case of mother of three Ms Corrigan and her unborn son.

He said it was their case that there equally was an abject failure of communication with her husband Clive Corrigan.

Counsel said there was a wait and see approach by various doctors in the hospital. There was a disgraceful lack of communication and empathy for Mr Corrigan, he said.

When Ms Corrigan was admitted to St Lukes it was their case that she had sepsis and it required urgent intervention, he said.

Mr Corrigan had sued the HSE.

Ms Corrigan, who already had three daughters, was 28 weeks pregnant with her son when she was admitted to St Lukes on January 22, 2018, and transferred to the maternity unit.

Ms Corrigan, who was having episodes of shaking, was examined and blood tests taken and it was decided she would get intravenous fluid to kick start" her kidneys.

There was talk of moving Ms Corrigan to a Dublin hospital but she was admitted to the St Lukes coronary care unit.

It was claimed that on the morning of January 23 when there had been no contact from the hospital, Mr Corrigan rang his wifes mobile and she answered it.

She indicated there had been no improvement overnight and it is claimed she was given to understand that wheels were being put in motion to transfer to Dublin.

Ms Corrigan was finding it hard to talk and was receiving oxygen.

When Mr Corrigan rang the unit he was told his wife was going to be moved to Dublin and she was very sick.

Mr Corrigan attended the coronary care unit, it is claimed, but did not see his wife. It was alleged the only doctor who spoke to him at this stage was the doctor with the ICU ambulance which had arrived from Dublin for the transfer.

Mr Corrigan, it was claimed, was placed in a small room and another doctor explained that the baby had no heartbeat.

He was also told his wife had taken a turn for the worse. He remained in a waiting room and was told his wife was stabilised but she may not survive the journey to Dublin.

When he did see his wife he held her hand which was cold and she later died of cardiac arrest.

Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was a very sad and tragic case and he extended his deepest sympathy to the Corrigan family.
Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to the collision to come forward

The man is being treated in Beaumont Hospital

A man in his 60s has been rushed to hospital with that has been described as serious injuries after an incident involving a car and a cyclist in Co Leitrim.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses following the serious road traffic collision involving a car and the cyclist on the R284 between Battlebridge and Leitrim Village, shortly after 2pm yesterday.

The road is currently closed for technical examination by Forensic Collision Investigators with local diversions in place.

The man who was injured is being treated in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin

Garda are appealing for any witnesses to the collision to come forward.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in this area between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Tuesday, December 19, are asked to make this available to gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Carrick-on-Shannon Garda Station on 071 965 0510, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
His death has been linked to substance abuse and is the latest in a series of death of young people in Derry

The family of a teenager left to die in a burning car four years ago have been hit by another tragedy.

Caoimhin Cassidys body was found in a burnt-out stolen car which crashed into a lamppost in the Galliagh area of Derry in June 2019.

A post mortem examination determined the 18-year-old was not seriously injured in the crash and was most likely still alive when the fire started.

The teenager's body was found in the front passenger seat of the car and police believe other people had been in the car but fled from the scene.

Two people were arrested but later released last year as part of the ongoing police investigation into Caoimhins death.

His family are now coping with more heartbreak after his 21-year-old brother, Darryl Cassidy-Perry, was found dead last weekend.

His death has been linked to substance abuse and is the latest in a series of death of young people in Derry in recent months due to drugs.

Speaking at Darryls funeral, a priest described addiction as the pandemic of our society.

Caoimhin Cassidy

Father Daniel McFaul told mourners at St Marys church in Derrys Creggan estate that more needed to be done to stop more young people from dying.

When death visits your family it brings with it a sense of shock and disbelief that the one we loved is no longer with us in this life, said Father McFaul.

When death comes suddenly in the spring time of life it also brings with it questions; ifs, ands and buts.

A sudden death is like a power cut that plunges us into darkness, leaving us with emotions of numbness and confusion, caught up in a whirlwind.

Darryls death is unreal, unfair. He was only 21. So sudden.

Addiction is the pandemic of our society. We are losing so many of our beautiful young people to addiction.

And Darryls death is a stark reminder to all of us that as a community we need to be promoting and fighting for sobriety.

We need to be fighting for our young people.

Darryl Cassidy-Perry had been due to appear at Derry Magistrates Court last week on drug and theft charges.

However, his solicitor told the court he had passed away due to substances.

Father McFaul told mourners Darryl had adored his big brother Caoimhin and had never been able to come to terms with his death in 2019.

The Creggan priest described Darryl as a loveable rogue who wore his heart on his sleeve.

He was affectionate, a beautiful kind young man, he said.

He was the life and soul, a magnate in every company.

A young man who touched so many peoples lives with his empathy and his love for people.

He had no inhibitions of showing his love and when he hugged you, you felt hugged.

He loved life, loved music, loved to laugh.

He was a charmer who would have wrapped you round his wee finger minutes after meeting him.

He made friends everywhere he went.

Caoimhin Cassidys body was found inside a burning car in Derry in June 2019.

Father McFaul had a message for young people at Darryls funeral.

For our young people here today you are created in the image and likeness of God and you are beautiful.

God doesnt make bad. God only makes good and yes we make bad choices but our choices do not define us.

We are defined as children of God. You are also created for greatness.

As Pope Benedict tells us, you are not some product of evolution.

Each and every one of us is individually created by a thought of God and each and every one of you is important and created for greatness.

Concerns about the deadly impact of drugs were highlighted in the Sunday World earlier this month by the mother of a young Derry woman who died last February.

Jasmine Duddy, who was also only 21, was found unresponsive at a house in Galliagh shortly after taking Pregabalin tablets and died a short time later.

Her mother, Pauline, is now leading a campaign demanding tougher prison sentences for drug dealers.

Pauline, who has organised a protest outside Derry courthouse tomorrow, said people need to wake up to the devastation being caused by addiction.

When drug dealers get out of prison, they just go back to their old ways and continue to destroy young peoples lives.

Why would they not when they are treated so leniently by the courts.

There needs to be tougher sentences and the courts need to send a message to these people who are killing our children.

Caoimhin Cassidys death was the subject of a BBC podcast called The Boy in the Burning Car which was released in 2021.

In the podcast, the teenagers family speak about the impact his death had.

"People ask me still to this day, how am I?" said his mother Kristina.

"I don't know. That's my answer, I don't know.

"Caoimhin's death isn't getting any easier for me. It will never be easy for me".

She said her family was still searching for answers.

"I want to face these people and let them see what it has done to me and my family," said Kristina.

Police believe Caoimhin had been at a party in the Creggan area on the night he died.

Witnesses said he left the party alone around 1.30am with the intention of stealing a car.

About 3.30am, a red Mazda 6 was reported stolen from Oakfield Avenue in Derry.

Police then observed the car in various locations in the city and crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland.

The investigating officers believe other people got into the car at some point.

Speaking on the BBC podcast, Detective Inspector Michael Winters, who is leading the investigation into Caoimhin's death, said the possibility the teenager was deliberately harmed has never been ruled out.

"I can't say, sitting here today, that Caoimhin wasn't murdered. I just can't say that, he said.

Police suspect the involvement of other people for a number of reasons.

Caoimhin was found in the front passenger seat and CCTV footage indicated the presence of other people in the vehicle.

Police said a forensic report confirmed the car was set alight inside from the passenger compartment.

A lighter and two mobile phones were discovered in the vehicle but they were significantly damaged by the flames.

"You might suppose that's the reason the vehicle has been set on fire, to destroy evidence, that's one line of inquiry," says Det Insp Winters.

"We can't rule out it was destroyed as a deliberate act to harm Caoimhin, but it is common practice for stolen vehicles to be burned to destroy evidence.

Two men, aged 28 and 31, were arrested last year in connection with Caoimhins death but released without charge.

A house in Galliagh was also searched last year as part of the investigation.

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the tragedy to come forward.

The number to call detectives on is 101, quoting reference number 316 of 01/06/19, or you can submit a report online using the PSNI non-emergency reporting form.

Information can also be passed on through the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800555111.
JISHISHAN, Gansu Province, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- All-out rescue and relief work are underway amid bitter cold as a 6.2-magnitude earthquake has killed 113 people and injured 782 others in northwest China's Gansu Province, according to a press conference on Wednesday.

The earthquake has claimed 18 lives in neighboring Qinghai Province, with 198 others injured and 16 still missing, local authorities said.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake occurred at 11:59 p.m. Monday, with a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter of Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of the Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Gansu Province.

As of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, a total of 14,939 homes had collapsed and 207,204 homes were damaged, affecting 145,736 people from 37,162 households in Gansu, according to the press conference.

Over 4,500 rescuers from the provincial public security department, fire department and the military, as well as more than 820 vehicles, were dispatched to the disaster area to search every corner for survivors.

The province has sent 19 medical teams composed of 667 medical workers and 99 ambulances to join in the rescue work. All the injured people have been taken in by local hospitals.

A total of 87,076 people from 20,457 households have been temporarily relocated to safe places.

Emergency relief materials such as tents, quilts, folding beds and moisture-proof mats have been urgently allocated. Steamed buns, instant noodles and other food and living materials have been sent to the affected people to ensure they have enough food and to protect them from the freezing cold, said Han Shujun with the provincial emergency management department at the press conference.

The transport department has swiftly deployed large-scale machinery units to clear the roads. Traffic has now fully resumed on all expressways, highways and rural roads.

Meanwhile, more than 500 workers from the electric power sector participated in emergency repairs, restoring the power supply to those people affected.

As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, all 314 base stations that were out of service due to the earthquake had restored operations, thanks to the telecommunications sector's emergency repair efforts.

A survey of post-earthquake geological disaster risks was conducted collaboratively by various departments. Production was halted at all mines within the earthquake-affected areas and people there were evacuated. The operation of 89 water conservancy facilities remains normal.

The local meteorological bureau said that, from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2, the lowest temperature in the earthquake-hit county is expected to range from minus 10 degrees Celsius to minus 14 degrees Celsius.

In the city of Haidong, Qinghai Province, which was severely affected by the earthquake, an investigation of 816 schools has been completed and more than 50 local schools have been damaged to different degrees, according to local authorities.

Following the quake, the Qinghai provincial education department promptly conducted relief work, including situation investigations, emergency rescue and heating supply. It has guided schools in quake-hit areas in launching online teaching plans to ensure students' basic needs of learning and living.

The department has also opened hotlines for psychological assistance, financial assistance and postgraduate entrance exam inquiries for students. 
Russian duo Vovan and Lexus previously made headlines for "prank calls" with the likes of Elton John and Bernie Sanders

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been pranked in a phone call by pro-Kremlin Russian comedians who pretended to be African diplomats.

Russian duo Vovan and Lexus targeted Mr Varadkar for their latest high-profile target, having previously made headlines for "prank calls" with the likes of Elton John and Bernie Sanders.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was also recently duped by the two men.

The duo gained access to the Taoiseach by pretending to be a representative of the African Union Commission, according to a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar.

The video meeting took place earlier this year and a 13-minute clip of the meeting has been uploaded to social media site Rumble. It shows the Taoiseach being quizzed about the war in Ukraine as well as a United Ireland.

However, the Taoiseachs spokesperson said the clip does not represent what actually took place on the call.

He ended the call early due to suspicions and it transpired to be a sophisticated deep-fake as the video released of the meeting as been doctored and overdubbed in heavily-accented English, said the spokesperson.

Earlier this year the Taoiseach took part in a virtual meeting on the understanding that it was with a representative of the African Union Commission. The Taoiseach ended the call early due to suspicions about its nature and the manner in which it was conducted. It transpired to be a sophisticated deep-fake.

The material that has now been released has evidently been doctored and overdubbed in heavily-accented English, and does not represent what actually took place on the call.

Following the call the Government notified the Irish embassy in Addis Ababa, the African Union Commission and the National Cyber Security Centre. Inquiries are continuing, the spokesperson said.

We are aware that the Taoiseach is not the only European leader targeted by a sophisticated deep-fake in this manner.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the video

A caption accompanying the video posted by the comedians states the Taoiseach seemed to have drunk a good dose of Guinness as he shared his dreams of separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The video shows Mr Varadkar saying it is in the Irish constitution that at some point there will be a unification of north and south of Ireland.

He said it is a very clear position that unification can happen without force, guns or armies and any vote has to be done fairly and freely.

The video also shows Mr Varadkar being asked during the call that some politicians are still blaming that Ukraine also tries to supply weapons to Irelands republican army.

Thats news to me, I havent heard that, said Mr Varadkar.

The Irish Republican Army ended its military action in 1997 and then gave up its weapons. But if you have any evidence or information, Id be very.there really is no far right in Northern Ireland. And the IRA would have been far right, far left, it was a very socialist organisation, very linked to Cuba and so on.

The video also shows the Taoiseach being asked about the war in Ukraine as well as a United Ireland.

Its very hard to see the war ending any time soon because both sides still think they can win. I wouldnt like to see another frozen conflict, he said.

The phone call ended with the so-called prankster telling the Taoiseach to say hello to your leprechauns.

Have a great time and say hello to your leprechauns, I love this story, the Taoiseach is told.
Spencer has previously admitted that he doesnt understand his wifes fascination with the Dublin village.

The showbiz couple, who host the Spencer & Vogue podcast together, are based in London with their three children - Theodore (5), Gigi (3), and Otto (1) - but regularly make trips to Ireland.

Vogue put their Howth townhouse on the market earlier this year for 1.29 million, which went sale agreed at the end of the summer, in the hopes of relocating to another pad in her special place.

Spencer has previously admitted that he doesnt understand his wifes fascination with the Dublin village, but took to Instagram on Monday to finally share his appreciation with Howth in the form of a poem.

The former Made in Chelsea star described the town as a coastal gem and told his followers how he fell in love with the cliffs and scenery.

In the emerald isles embrace, I found a place so fine, Where rolling hills meet crashing waves, a charm thats so divine, he penned.

Howth, dear Howth, the coastal gem, where love took hold in me, And every whisper of the wind, whispered of serenity.

At dawn, I strolled along the cliffs, with mist upon my face, A symphony of seagulls sang, complementing natures grace.

The lighthouse stood, a steadfast friend, guiding ships through the night, And in its gentle guiding light, my heart soared to new heights.

So heres to falling in love, with a place so sweet and true, Where happiness fills every corner, and joy is found anew. Howth, my darling Howth, forever in my heart youll stay, As I recall our love story, and treasure it every day.

Poking fun at her beau, Vogue commented: Well well well.

Vogue recently told Jennifer Zamparelli on her RTE 2FM show how Spencer was having the time of his life in Howth when they landed in Ireland for their podcast tour back in September.

She said: He's really enjoying it. You can't not like it, it's such a difference to London, it's a slower pace of life, I just feel more relaxed back here and it's nice to have the contrast of the two.

But when asked if the pair plan to move across the pond any time soon, Vogue admitted: I most definitely haven't cut ties but there is a sale agreed sign outside my house at the moment but we're still going through everything.

"It's actually to spend more time here. I'm looking at somewhere else around the area. You know yourself, you'd never leave Howth."
Cooper has gone behind the camera again here and has produced yet another modern classic

Mulligan and Cooper are incredible in the new film

WHEN Bradley Cooper took his first shot at directing, he joined forces with Lady Gaga and gave us the smash hit that was A Star Is Born.

Some movie titans were impressed with Coopers work - both Martin Scorcese and Steven Spielberg are credited producers on the actor and directors latest film.

With Maestro, Cooper gets behind the camera again, joining forces on screen with another leading lady for a drama-filled romance.

As real-life characters, musical genius Leonard Burnstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, Cooper gives us another deeply moving love story, and another very complex relationship. Its new to Netflix and in cinemas.

Cooper plays Burnstein, the American conductor and composer whose work changed the course of musical history.

He was key to such wonderful films as West Side Story, On the Town and Peter Pan, but was revered as a composer and conductor too.

Much of that great music features in this warts and all tale that focuses on his accomplishments, but also on the relationships at the heart of his life.

Central to this was his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), a Costa Rican actress who shared a long and enduring love with Burnstein, for all the complications and contradictions that brought.

While early reports of Coopers decision to wear a prosthetic nose caused a storm of controversy, in practice it works well. More importantly, Cooper captures Burnsteins mannerisms and sheer life force, even as he takes on very different guises in his public and private lives.

But just as Gaga emerged as the real star of A Star is Born, so too does Mulligan here. She is sensational as Felicia, a woman as difficult in her own way to read as the man she married and raised a family with.

Mulligan and Cooper are incredible in the new film

Spanning several decades over their lives, Maestros first hour or so is shot in black and white, changing to colour at almost exactly the halfway mark during a key scene.

An early scene shows us a ground-breaking moment in the composers life, when at short notice as a 20-something assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, he is called to step up at the last minute without rehearsals. Its a moment when a star is born all over again.

Suddenly, Bernstein is one of the hottest things in music - but we see little of the musicals for which he is most famed as the film focuses more on his ambitions as a composer.

As those ambitions begin to be realised, hes introduced to Felicia at a party thrown by his sister (Sarah Silverman) and the electricity between them fizzles like an old-school romantic comedy. But there are huge secrets in their love story.

Its a movie thats both big and intimate, and as complex as the characters it reveals on screen.

The Verdict: A biopic thats creative and powerful.

Ends
While most Kiwis welcome a hot summer, sun and heat exposure can pose significant dangers to pets.

Like humans, pets can also suffer from heatstroke, dehydration, sunburn and heat exhaustion, not to mention burned paws.

The hottest months havent even arrived yet, but in the past week alone pet insurance specialist PD Insurance has already seen three claims for heatstroke, says its COO Michelle Le Long.

One of our sweet customers, Dexter, developed heatstroke at doggy daycare and was hospitalised for management of respiratory distress and temporary tracheostomy. Luckily for him and his parent, we provided a soft landing by paying out a claim of over $4,711 for all the vet costs, she says.

Thankfully, all three pets are happy and healthy today, but unfortunately thats not always the case because heatstroke can cause organ failure and sadly lead to the beloved pet passing away.

Even if your pet survives its a very stressful and unpleasant experience for both pet and parent. Prevention is always better than cure, so we should all take time to revisit the steps to pet summer safety.

Unlike humans, cats and dogs cant handle hot weather particularly well. After all, neither species sweats like we do and theyre covered in a coat of insulating fur.

With that said, PD Insurance provides eight top tips for keeping pets cool on hot days:

Pets can dehydrate fast. Make sure theres plenty of fresh, clean water, and a cool, shady place available where they can rest out of the suns harsh rays. Dont overexercise. Just as youd seek shelter in the pool or under a roof in the heat of the day, dont take your pet for a prowl if its sweltering. Early mornings and evenings are best. Avoid hot pavements, roads and sand. Paws can burn, leaving your pal in an unpleasant place and you with a potential vet bill. If you cant walk on it barefoot, neither can they. No parked cars. This is a more obvious one, but it must be said: dont leave your pet in a parked car. Not only do parked cars act as an oven, heating up so rapidly that even a matter of minutes can put your pet into difficulty or worse, its an offence. Those who stray can expect a well-deserved reminder from authorities to the tune of $300. Avoid the burn. Bear in mind any pet can get sunburn and some breeds (e.g., Dalmatians, Sphynx and pale, thin fur or hairless dog/cats) are more prone to it, so take precautions. Use sunscreen made specifically for use on animals and avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Reduce the heat. Other pets may need to be actively cooled down  snub-nosed dogs like Bulldogs, Pugs, and Boston Terriers, and cats like Persians, cant pant efficiently. For any pet thats finding the heat a challenge, try a cool shower and/or position them under aircon or on a pet cooling mat. Long haired cats and dogs can benefit from more frequent brushing too, helping keep fur under control. Watch for heat stroke symptoms. An overheating pet might pant excessively, have difficulty breathing with an increased heart and respiratory rate, drool, display unusual weakness, appear out of it or even collapse. Other more serious symptoms of heat stroke in pets include seizures, bloody diarrhoea and vomit plus a body temperature above 40 degrees. If symptoms appear, cool your pet, offer water and go straight to the nearest vet. Be careful around water. We love our beaches, rivers, lakes and streams, but these can be dangerous areas for your pets. Keep a close eye out because, just like with other family members, keeping cool around water can get them into trouble. Reduce any risk of your pet getting caught in a rip, washed away or swimming to the point of exhaustion.

A hot summer is something to be looked forward to. Make this one the best by taking your pet along to enjoy every moment while being sure to take special care of their needs.

And remember, a vet bill for an overheated pet can be expensive, but insurance isnt.
Rotoruas council will continue connecting Lake Tarawera properties to its sewerage network despite a petition raising concerns about an open chequebook and fears costs will force some to sell up the family home.

Some residents have voiced concern over the project cost for years, but a ratepayers group member says reticulation going ahead to protect the jewel in the crown of the Rotorua lakes is more important than the immediate cost to residents.

Construction of the $29 million scheme started in April and will see 446 property owners paying Rotorua Lakes Council $43,700 to $48,000 to be connected to a new sewerage network  either in a lump sum or over 10 years.

The aim is to improve water quality at the lake and the scheme came about from 2017 rules phasing out septic tanks in the area.

Stage one is expected to be finished mid-next year, then stage two will begin. This would involve connecting properties to a newly laid sewerage network.

The Ministry for the Environment funded $6.5m, the Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council both about $1.5m, and ratepayers were set to pay the rest.

Spencer Rd residents Gordon Lewis and Duncan Evans presented a petition to the Rotorua councils Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting last week.

Both have lived in the Tarawera community more than 20 years.

Evans said the 307 signatories broadly supported the scheme and its aspirations of improved water quality.

Its the right thing to do  but not at any cost.

The petition asked for stage two of the scheme to be paused and the funding model reviewed, with a final and fixed targeted rate to be agreed upon by the residents.

Lewis said there was genuine fear across the community.

Some people may have to actually sell up their family home.

Lewis said as the project was, if residents opted for the 10-year payback period it would cost them $7000 a year.

In his view, ratepayers were being asked to take on all of the risk and pay most of the total cost.

That doesnt seem fair to us.

Ratepayers linked to other reticulation schemes in the district could pay their share over 25 years. The Government funded $72.1m in 2005 for four priority lakes  Rotorua, Rotoehu, Rotoiti and Okareka.

Lewis said residents concerns included a perceived lack of transparency and that averaging the cost of stage two across residents was neither fair, reasonable, or appropriate, given the different amount it would cost to link each property to the network.

The Tarawera Sewerage Reticulation Scheme construction began in April, following a karakia. Photo / Supplied.

The lack of a fixed cost had some residents worried it was an open chequebook scenario, he said.

Lewis understood some were comfortable with the scheme, and said others were clearly not.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell noted any halt to the project risked costs increasing.

Lewis said the petitioners were aware of this, and asked for urgent collaboration.

He suggested residents may be able to make advance payments if they were provided with a fixed cost, which he said would benefit the council as it would carry the scheme cost until 2026 when the final rate was struck.

Lewis felt there was time before the next committee meeting in February to explore this.

Councillors voted to continue finalising a contract with the preferred tenderer for stage two of the scheme.

They heard the latest project community engagement in October indicated 75 per cent of the 308 respondents wished to be included in the council-led installation of systems in stage two, and did not support or want to explore self-installation.

Councillor Robert Lee asked infrastructure and environment group manager Stavros Michael if he would meet with the petitioners.

His response: I am willing to have a conversation, always, with any ratepayer. I work for the ratepayer.

Avoid delay to first flush: Ratepayers group

The Lake Tarawera Ratepayers Association sent a letter of support for the project to the mayor, which was circulated among councillors.

Protecting lake water quality is our first priority. The [association] wish to avoid any delay to first flush completion of the project.

Association committee members Martin Wiseman and Karen Walmsley spoke to Local Democracy Reporting after the meeting.

Walmsley [Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao] spoke as mana whenua.

Our main concern is the lake, and our connection to it.

She said the scheme would meet the hopes and aspirations of Tarawera mana whenua iwi.

Walmsley believed the councils go-ahead gave more certainty.

That enables us to look to other areas of funding.

Wiseman said the councils decision was a big piece to the jigsaw puzzle, and the last piece would be the final cost.

Septic tanks leak into the lake. If it can be stopped, it should be stopped.

Wiseman said the associations stance was that reticulation must happen to halt water quality declining.

He said the council had done an awful lot of community consultation and he trusted the council to prudently financially manage the scheme.

More subsidies and a longer payback period would be ideal, he said.

Tarawera is the jewel in the crown of the Rotorua lakes.

He said a long-term view was needed.

Whats more important is reticulation happens to protect the lake than the immediate cost to one generation of residents.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Heat alerts are possible as temperatures rise across the country, with Ashburton expected to hit 31C.

MetService meteorologist John Law says Wednesday started off warm with a muggy night and continue to heat up in most places as the day progressed.

"Do keep an eye on yourself, make sure you stay hydrated, watch out for your friends and family and do seek shade in the heat of the day as well."

Some wet weather could be expected to head towards Fiordland through to Stewart Island, says John.

"Some heavy falls of rain are not out of the question in through Fiordland, but you can see most of the wet weather being kept way down across the southern parts of the country and for many of us, it's a dry and fine day and a hot one as well.

"That's really the most amount of rainfall we'll find on these charts over the next day or two. For many of us, it's a dry looking story beneath that high pressure still lingering across the top of North Island."

John says the eastern side of both the North Island and South Island would really catch the heat.

The east coast of the North Island could reach 29C, while Christchurch could hit 30C and Ashburton, 31C.

Auckland is expected to hit 25C and Hamilton, 27C.

Looking ahead to Christmas Day, MetService's extended forecast is looking dreary for many places.

Tauranga's forecast is for a cloudy day and a high of 25, with an overnight low of 18.

Auckland is expected to be partly cloudy with rain developing and northerlies while Kaitaia's forecast showed rain, turning to showers and northerlies.

Wellington is predicted to have rain with strong northwesterlies, and Christchurch was expected to have showers, clearing to some cloud and light winds.

Queenstown is expected to be fine with southwesterlies, and Dunedin is the same.

-RNZ.
A pool facility thats served a Tauranga community for more than 50 years is to be replaced by a new aquatic centre over the other side of town.

The move by council has Otumoetai College worried it will restrict access to swimming education for its students and wider community.

Commissioners approved $122.25m of funding to develop a new Memorial Park aquatic facility at Tauranga City Councils December 11 meeting.

The investment comes as a result of Memorial Parks current pool and Otumoetai Pool needing to be decommissioned in future.

Bay Venues chief executive Chad Hooker says:

The Commissioners were clear in their decision that one of the reasons for going with this particular concept design option and making the $122.25m investment was that this brand new aquatic facility at Memorial Park would also eventually be replacing our two ageing facilities, Memorial Pool and Otumoetai Pool.

Memorial Parks new aquatic facility is to open by the end of 2027, says Chad.

We will do our best to maintain both of these facilities [Memorial Pool and Otumoetai Pool] and keep them operating until the new aquatic centre at Memorial Park opens, at which point Memorial Pool and Otumoetai Pool will likely be decommissioned.

Not supported

However, the decision to decommission Otumoetai Pool is not supported by Otumoetai College, which neighbours the pool.

Decommissioning a pool is not good for the community, says Otumoetai College head of physical education Jamie Davis.

He says Otumoetai Pool is used to deliver water safety programmes to the communitys student population  of Otumoetai College, Bellevue Primary and Otumoetai Intermediate  which collectively totals 3500 students.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of kids over the years have walked from the primary schools, the intermediate and the college to Learn To Swim programmes and things like that, at that pool.

And with New Zealands highest rate of drowning occurring in the 15-24 age bracket, Jamie says the move to remove Otumoetais community pool is deeply concerning  especially for local students.

Now those kids arent going to get that educationthey need to experience what its like when theyre tired in water before they can actually realise how to keep themselves safe.

Community asset

Built in 1968, Jamie says Otumoetai Pool was developed as a community asset between Otumoetai College trustees and TCC.

Today the pool is run by Council-Controlled Organisation Bay Venues.

As such, Jamie says Otumoetai College has been in talks with council for more than a decade to save Otumoetai pool from closing.

Ive opposed the closing of this pool since about 2012 theres been never really any alternative view from council over that period of time, rather than to see it slowly closed.

His schools latest formal submission to council emphasises Otumoetai pool is an essential community resource thats consistently used by both young and old.

Moreover, the schools submission highlights most regular users will be challenged to travel to facilities on the other side of the city at Memorial Park  especially at peak traffic hours.

The pool is well located and we can take a class in and get a class out in time for its next lesson.

"If we travelled 10-15 minutes across town to a pool and 10-15 minutes back, we wouldnt be able to offer that [water safety programmes] to our students at all, says Jamie.

I just dont see mums and dads getting in the car at 3.30 in the afternoon and trying to get across town.

Jamie says councils charter requires providing quality of life for the community  and their corner of the community needs facilities that are localised.

An architects render of the upgrade to Memorial Park, with the completed news aquatic facility here eventually to lead to decommissioning of the Otumoetai Pool. Photo: TCC.

Increasing costs

However, Chad says the ongoing and increasing cost to keep both Memorial Pool and Otumoetai pools open and operating is unsustainable.

Both pools have significant infrastructural and age-related issues that regularly result in expensive remedial and maintenance measures.

The school accepts the pool is old and may need investment, yet believes with strategic funding and improvements council could increase aquatic plans of increased lane availability across the city.

[Theres] millions and millions of dollars for another pool, but we dont have a couple of hundred thousand to maintain this one? asks Jamie.

Chad says Memorial Parks new aquatic facility will have a deep-water eight-lane 25m indoor swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool and spa, Learn To Swim pool and a leisure pool with a toddler pool.

Outside will be a four-lane 25m lido pool, splash pad and a bombing pool.

There will also be three hydroslides, a fitness centre, and a cafe that services the facility and the park.

Jamie agrees the development at Memorial Park is a win for the city  but he doesnt believe in closing one communitys pool to get another one elsewhere.

Thats not fair to this community.
In a maritime milestone, the new Coastguard boat for Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard has made its grand arrival into Tauranga Harbour.

The new TECT Rescue vessel, met by a flotilla outside the Tauranga harbour entrance, was welcomed with a water salute from the tug Tai Pari on Monday, December 18, after a three-day passage from Whanganui.

Skippered by Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard volunteers Scott Lee, Todd Wakerley and John Cox, the boat left Q-West Boat Builders on Saturday, stopping overnight in Wellington and Napier.

We left Whanganui approximately 12pm on Saturday, says John.

We headed down, basically a straight route, to Wellington. The seas were reasonably choppy with about a 1.2 metre swell and the boat handled it fantastically.

Tai Pari tug welcoming the new TECT Rescue vessel with a water salute at the entrance to Tauranga harbour. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

This was the first time for John, Todd and Scott helming the new vessel, apart from some boat practice during the boat trials and checks the surveyor and designer did the previous week at Q-West.

The trio have built up skills over the years skippering the current TECT Rescue, and found they quickly picked up what was required to manage the new boat with the bigger engines and hull.

The new TECT Rescue Coastguard vessel arriving in Tauranga. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Picked it up pretty quick. It was a good voyage down to Wellington, about four-and-a-half hours, says John.

A little bit choppy as we were coming around from Makara Beach into the heads. A bit of tidal flow with current which caused quite sharp standing waves - the unusual wave patterns coming through there slowed us for a little bit.

Apart from that it was a nice soft-riding trip. The boat ride is very soft, you dont get that bang that you get on other vessels and such-like. Its very stable. The sea that we had was causing the vessel to buck on to the port side but then it would just come back down and ride very nicely across the swells.

Being a catamaran design helps with this stability.

Plus having the foil enables us to pull the boat down and give it more stability in rougher water. Thats really a game changer for us as well.

The current TECT Rescue boat, new TECT Rescue boat and Port of Taurangas pilot vessel Arataki heading towards Tauranga through the Tauranga harbour entrance. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Scott Lee took the helm for the Wellington to Napier leg on Sunday.

We left at 20 to six in the morning, got out of Wellington quite easily.

He says they experienced a bit of Wellingtons windmaker weather.

A little bit of weather there but again the boat handles it just so nice, no risk of broaching or anything like that, it was very smooth, says Scott.

And once we got up east we were pretty much in the clear weather, in the calm, just a straight line, cruise up to Napier. We arrived seven-and-a-half hours later.

Averaging 30 knots on the trip to Napier, they arrived about 2.30pm.

It was a little bit slower in the chop but once we were in the clear we opened her up, and it just handled like a dream. Its surprising  crazy  how well it handles.

Sealegs, Coastguard Waihi Beachs boat Gallagher Rescue, Tirikawa, the current TECT Rescue boat and Port of Taurangas pilot vessel Arataki accompanying the new TECT Rescue boat through the Tauranga harbour entrance. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Todd Wakerley took the third leg from Napier to Tauranga with a stop in Gisborne to fuel up again. Then it was around the East Cape towards home, with the North Island making it enjoyable by providing them with shelter from the westerly.

Its absolutely beautiful all the way along that coastline, says Scott.

We came inside of White Island, with Whale Island on our port. Came around the end of the knoll on Motiti Island. It was pretty much a straight line.

The current TECT Rescue boat greeting the new boat's arrival through the entrance to Tauranga harbour on Monday. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard volunteer and previous skipper Simon Barker drove from Whanganui on Saturday, meeting the boat and skippers in Wellington, and then Napier, before arriving back in Tauranga a few hours before them.

Coastguard Waihi Beachs boat Gallagher Rescue, the current TECT Rescue boat, Sealegs, Tirikawa, and Port of Taurangas pilot vessel Arataki were also awaiting their arrival, all lined up outside the Tauranga entrance, to make a spectacular display alongside the new vessel as it came into the harbour.

With the new TECT Rescue vessel leading the way, the six vessels all came through the entrance together, with Tai Pari firing a jet of water metres into the air as a water salute and a welcome to the new craft as they came past.

Once inside the entrance, the three skippers aboard put the new vessel through its paces, demonstrating its high speed capability, fast braking and manoeuvring action before cruising on to its new berth at Sulphur Point.

Skippers John Cox, Todd Wakerley and Scott Lee demonstrating the braking action of the new TECT Rescue Coastguard vessel as it arrives in Tauranga. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Design and build

As a coastguard volunteer for the last 18 years, but with an engineering background, Simon has been one of those involved in the design and build process of the new boat.

Basically we needed something more capable. Weve built on what weve learned over the last 15 years with the current boat. And what weve got is a slightly bigger version, its larger, and slightly faster than what weve got at the moment.

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard skippers Scott Lee and John Cox at the helm of the new TECT Rescue vessel. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Simon says it was about 2015 that they started thinking of the time scale to work on for a replacement vessel.

We started seriously on the process of what we wanted about 2019. Its been four-and-a-half years from concept to design and build. 

He says they considered a number of different designers and options, then selected a designer and a builder.

Teknicraft designed it. They are just south of Auckland and design a lot of the police boats, Kaikoura Whalewatch boats, and Customs boats. The builders are Q-West Boat Builders in Whanganui.They have built a lot of boats of this style and do a lot of building for Teknicraft boats.

Inside the new TECT Rescue vessel after it berthed at Sulphur Point marina on Monday. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The specs

Teknicraft have designed a 14.8m foil-supported catamaran with a 5.5m beam. The foil support will allow for a softer ride and will support the weight of the vessel at speed.

The size of this new vessel makes it slightly larger than the rescue vessel it will be replacing. The draft is 0.7m which still allows the vessel to navigate in fairly shallow waters.

The cruising speed of the vessel will be 28 to 30 nautical miles per hour, which exceeds the maximum speed of our current vessel. This increase in speed allows the new vessel to potentially attend to a vessel in distress at Mayor Island at least 40min faster.

Even though there is a 350hp increase in engine power in the new vessel, it will cruise faster than the current CRVs top speed and will consume at least 60 litres of diesel an hour less when doing so.

Skippers John Cox, Todd Wakerley and Scott Lee demonstrating the speed of the new TECT Rescue Coastguard vessel as it arrives in Tauranga. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The state-of-the-art craft is equipped with enhanced capabilities for sea rescues, and is larger and swifter than the current vessel, which will have its name TECT Rescue transferred to the new boat, reflecting the much appreciated sponsorship and support of TECT. The old boat will be sold in early-2024.

The vessel is powered by twin Scania DI 13, which are 600hp diesel injection commercial engines. The boat will use 140 litres an hour travelling at its operating speed.

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard voluneers Scott Lee,John Cox and Simon Barker. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Tauranga's new rescue vessel has been designed entirely for on-water rescue functionality.

Everything on the vessel serves the purpose of helping the crew perform best practice, from housing items as small as night vision units, to the side fenders which allow the vessel to barge alongside other boats without causing damage to either vessel.

More details about the vessel's specifications can be found here

Sponsorship

The current Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard boat will have its name TECT Rescue transferred to the new boat, reflecting the much appreciated sponsorship and support of TECT.

Were keeping the same name as other one, and well sell the old boat early in the new year. So it will be TECT Rescue, says Simon.

Coastguard Waihi Beachs boat Gallagher Rescue and Sealegs. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The fundraising efforts for the new vessel have been massive. Major sponsors include The Tauranga Maritime Trust, Grassroots Trust Central, Lottery Grants Board, Coastguard New Zealand, as well as TECT.

Zespri, Tauranga City Council, The Lion Foundation, NZCT, Mackay Strathnaver Trust, Pub Charity, Port of Tauranga, Eves, Pak n Save Cameron Road, First Mortgage Trust, Craigs Investment Partners, EMAC Electrical, Brian Scantlebury, Lions International and Trevelyans are amongst the considerable number of sponsors.

The Arataki pilot vessel and Coastguard New Zealand's Tirikawa Rescue boat welcoming the new TECT Rescue boat into Tauranga on Monday, December 18. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The whole project has cost around $2.8million over all, says Simon.

TECT has been the largest funder, giving $650,000 to the project. Its all been paid for now. We started fundraising over the last four years, contributing just over $1million and other donors contributed $1.8million. Its a very expensive commodity.

Simon says after Christmas there will be a fair amount of training with the existing skippers and crew.

People from any job occupation or walk of life can volunteer for coastguard, as crew, skippers, radio operators and other roles. Simon says people who are keen to be involved as volunteers need to know its quite a commitment.

Anyone who is interested, contact our unit. We have a training coordinator who will get in touch with them to tell them more about it. They can join as crew, and they may end up as a skipper.

Tai Pari tug welcoming the new TECT Rescue vessel with a water salute at the entrance to Tauranga harbour. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard's mission statement is Saving Lives On The Water.

It takes a team of duty officers, wet crew, radio operators, fund raisers and administrators to ensure they meet their goal. Even if you only have a few hours per month to give, or dont fancy the water - theres a role for you.

To volunteer for Coastguard or to find out more information about volunteering click here.
ANKARA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 49 suspects in two investigations over their alleged ties to the Islamic State (IS) and the Gulen Movement, the Chief Public Prosecutor's office said Tuesday.

Among the 16 suspected members of the Gulen Movement, 11 people were detained in the capital Ankara, said the office in a statement.

The Turkish government accuses the Gulen movement of staging a failed coup on July 15, 2016, in which at least 250 people were killed.

Ankara said the U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt and has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the Gulen Movement in the aftermath of the coup.

Meanwhile, the arrest warrants also sought 33 suspected IS members across eight provinces on charges of "opposition to the law on the prevention of financing of terrorism," and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."

The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in the country since 2015. 
The suspect fleeing in his vehicle after allegedly being caught exposing his genitals.

Juan Cano Malaga Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 10:19 Compartir Copiar enlace

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A man has been arrested for allegedly pulling his trousers down and touching himself while watching another person in public in Antequera.

A video went viral on social media after a father chased a man who was allegedly watching his son while touching his genitals at the same time in Antequera last Saturday 16 December. The boy's father filmed the chase as he hunted the man down in his car, capturing the alleged culprit's number plate in the footage, which went viral on social media.

It sparked a manhunt with National Police locating and arresting a 36-year-old Polish man at a hotel in Malaga this Tuesday 19 December. He is being investigated for an alleged crime of indecent exposure.
Eugenio Cabezas Moclinejo Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 10:53 Compartir Copiar enlace

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The village of Moclinejo in Malaga provinces Axarquia area unveiled a new sculpture on Sunday 17 December to pay tribute to local residents forced to leave the village in search of work during Spains dictatorship. It also remembers people who have chosen to move to Moclinejo.

'El Migrante' (the migrant) is the work of the Malaga-based Argentinian sculptor Andres Montesanto. It was unveiled to coincide with the United Nations International Migrants Day, which takes place every year on 18 December.

Mayor of Moclinejo, Antonio Munoz, originally met with the artist in July to plan this project. Sitting on a large pedestal, with views of the valley of El Valdes and the Mediterranean Sea in the background, 'El Migrante' represents two blocks of figures, physically separated and standing two-metres tall. It is located at the entrance of the village.

On the left-hand side a family unit is represented, where there is an empty space of one of the characters who has left the group. On the same pedestal and at some distance away is the individual figure, which represents the person who has had to leave. In the same way, the symbolism is reversed, where the family unit welcomes someone returning or moving to the village.

Like many villages in the Axarquia, Moclinejo has witnessed emigration during times of hardship, as family members went off in search of a better life and to send money back to their loved ones. In more recent years they have welcomed people who have migrated to the village, attracted to the area the tranquillity, the climate and the friendly nature of the inhabitants according to a statement issued by Moclinejo town hall.

Social media

"This monument will become one of the symbols of the village and its identifying image the statement went on to say and the town hall hopes that visitors will share photographs on social media.

Andres Montesanto was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1948. He has been a resident in the Axarquia and Malaga since 1989. He studied at the University of Buenos Aires and went on to practise medicine in Patagonia and Buenos Aires before coming to Malaga.

Montesanto is a self-taught sculptor and is president of the Association of Italo-Argentine Residents of the Costa del Sol; a non-profit cultural association, created in 2002, to facilitate integration into the community, and the reunion with Italian roots. He is also an executive on the Committee of Italians Abroad in Madrid. He has published several books and participated in numerous conferences.

Other sculptures by Montesanto can be found in Genalguacil (Serrania de Ronda) and Malaga; in Muelle Uno and on the beaches of El Palo.
Pilar Martinez Malaga Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 17:19 Compartir Copiar enlace

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The flow of international passengers returning home for the festive season together with those taking advantage of the Christmas holidays to travel to the Costa del Sol will see a big increase in activity at Malaga Airport from Friday 22 December.

From that date, until Sunday 7 January a total of 6,245 flights will operate on the runways, according to airport operator Aena. Based on the average number of aircraft operating in November and the total number of passengers, it is expected that around 800,000 passengers will use the airport's terminals over the Christmas period.

The busiest day of the festive season will be 23 December, when 422 flights are expected to land and take off, the vast majority of which will involve international airports. Specifically, 343 will travel from or go to a non-Spanish destination

The day with the least number of flights in Malaga will be Christmas Day when only 213 flights are scheduled, of which 142 will connect with foreign destinations. On New Year's Eve, there will be 351 flights, in addition to the 370 that will operate on the first day of 2024.

The international character of the Costa del Sol airport is reflected in the statistics for the Christmas period: of the total number of 6,245 flights, 4,823 will have as their final destination or origin in foreign countries.
Chus Heredia Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 16:01 Compartir Copiar enlace

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Malaga Airport operator Aena has invited tenders for the control of fauna by birds of prey on the Costa del Sol airfield to avoid operational disruptions. A minimum of eight hawks and six eagles, trained to drive out or hunt invasive wildlife, is required and the birds must make at least eight daily flights of 15 minutes duration, 365 days a year during various time slots.

Such a programme has been in place since 1991, but the new tender, worth some 147,000 euros, is for eight months. In addition to the birds of prey, the work team must be made up of trainers, and a service coordinator.

In the contract, the birds which are particularly dangerous for air operations are listed in order of lowest to highest risk: small passerines, sparrows, starlings, pigeons, small and medium-sized birds of prey, and vultures.

The job includes a host of complementary items including checking airfield perimeters, study and identification of species, training, and risk assessment.

"The aim is to locate, observe, identify, control and prevent, dissuade, expel and capture wild fauna (birds, hares, rabbits, wild boar, foxes, etc.) and feral domestic animals (dogs, cats and other pets)," the tender states, which add that priority should be given to non-injurious actions.

The importance of minimising incidents is clear from the point of view of air navigation and for the Costa del Sol airport which has had more than 21 million passengers so far this year and which is heading towards an operational rate of one aircraft per minute.
SUR Wednesday, 20 December 2023 | Updated 21/12/2023 13:14h. Compartir Copiar enlace

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This festive period, a major optical chain's store in Fuengirola is accepting food donations for the Costa del Sols food bank, Bancosol. Items can be dropped into the store until 5 January to support the most disadvantaged families in our community.

What do they need?

Specsavers Opticas in Fuengirola is getting behind Bancosol as their chosen Christmas charity and they are asking local residents to help by making a small food donation over the festive period. The charity is particularly in need of milk, oil and canned foods.

Store director Judith Borland said: It is heartbreaking to think of anyone struggling to feed their families, but sadly this is a reality for many. We want to try to boost the amount of food available to vulnerable people on the Costa del Sol and add to the amazing work that Bancosol has been doing through their November collection campaign.

Were asking customers and local residents to pick up a few extra cartons of milk or some tins of food, or oil and drop them into the store. Your donation could make the difference between whether someone goes hungry or not.

What is Bancosol?

Bancosol is a non-profit organisation which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Since 2008, they have seen an ever-increasing number of people who need their support, and the organisation works hard to provide as much as they possibly can. They currently supply food to 169 charities and associations, helping to feed over 47,000 vulnerable people and are always looking for support from businesses and individuals.

You can drop your food donation to Specsavers Opticas Fuengirola between 10am and 2pm, and 3pm to 7pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays. The optical chain's store is located near the bus station on Avenida Ramon y Cajal 6, Fuengirola.

On Monday 8 January, the donated items will be handed over to the Bancosol food bank, for them to distribute in the community via partnerships with local charitable organisations.

All the store contact details can be found on www.specsavers.es. To find out more about Bancosol visit www.bancosol.info
Europa Press Malaga Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 09:46 Compartir Copiar enlace

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Parauta in Malaga province's Serrania de Ronda area has been named as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

The Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain announced on Saturday 16 December the five new destinations added into the network, which will number 116 Spanish pueblos from 1 January 2024.

Parauta in the Serrania de Ronda has been included, along with Ampudia (Palencia), Comillas (Cantabria), and Trevejo and Trujillo (Caceres).

All locations had to pass with at least 40 points in an audit, scored on the care of heritage, urban planning, the harmony of the municipality, cleanliness, conservation, traffic management, care of flora, and cultural activity. Currently only 20% of the municipalities that apply to enter the network make the grade.

Parauta joins Almonaster la Real, Banos de la Encina, Bubion, Capileira, Castellar de la Frontera, Frigiliana, Genalguacil, Grazalema, Lucainena de las Torres, Mojacar, Nijar, Pampaneira, Segura de la Sierra, Setenil de las Bodegas, Trevelez, Vejer de la Frontera, Zahara and Zuheros in Andalucia.

Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park

Parauta is a white village in the Serrania de Ronda that retains in its urban layout the memory of its Andalusian past, narrow and steep streets with houses with whitewashed facades and Arabic tile roofs. It encroaches into the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco, where the famous Valdecilla holm oak is located, a centenary specimen of more than three metres in diameter and impressive size. The village has become a popular destination for nature, which is also reflected in its gastronomy, with tomato soup or la olla, and typical products such as honey.

More: A walk through Parauta's enchanted forest

Visits throughout the year

Francisco Mestre, president of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain, said achieving the accreditation can boost the amount of visitors to a village significantly. "It's become a real Christmas present for the villages that pass the audit and then see in a very short time, the important meaning of carrying the name of the most beautiful village in Spain, which influences both the increase in seasonal visits, as well as the notable increase in international tourism," he said.

Throughout the year, these villages will be part of activities organised by the association in a mission to promote rural heritage, such as the successful Romantic Night, the Village of Wishes or the Ethnographic Encounters, he added.

'It's worth the trip'

"Tourists and visitors who visit our villages are looking for beauty, quality and authenticity and we cannot disappoint them," Mestre said. "Our network of the most beautiful villages is the best known and most followed by national and foreign tourists and the one that undoubtedly guarantees the visit of a village that has been worth the journey."
Almudena Nogues Mlaga Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 16:31 Compartir Copiar enlace

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His name is Maximo Gallego. Although for weeks now very few people have been calling him by the name that appears on his ID card. He is more commonly called Santa Claus. And that is exactly how he defines himself on his Instagram and TikTok social media profiles, where he has almost 70,000 followers thanks to his endearing videos, with messages aimed at children. He is passionate about his role and would not change it "for any other in the world".

If you have young children, his face is probably familiar to you. For the last eight years, as soon as the last month of the calendar arrives, Gallego has been donning his red and white uniform, ready to spread Christmas magic among the children of Malaga province. His destiny was written when casting for the film Toro, back in 2014. "I was in the queue accompanying my daughter, who is also an actress, when the director of the selection process approached me and told me that he wanted me for the filming but he couldnt take the part as he broke his arm.

That experience, however, opened new professional doors in the world of acting. First came an advertisement for the Italian coast and, the following year, he played Santa in the Los Alcores Shopping Centre in Seville. "As I love children I decided to apply, and they took me! At that time in Andalucia there was no Father Christmas of my characteristics with a natural beard and they loved it, in fact they wanted me to continue but they offered me another option in Malaga which suited me better and I changed destination," Gallego explained.

But being Santa is no easy task. To begin with, he has to take good care of his white beard all year round to keep it in tip-top shape, "which has led me to turn down more than one very well-paid job", he joked to SUR.

Maximo can boast of being the most charismatic and realistic Santa Claus in Malaga province. His well-groomed physical appearance contributes to the magic of Christmas and has made him the most sought-after Father Christmas in the province. He has appeared at Muelle Uno, Alhaurin de la Torre, Marbella and San Pedro Alcantara where this Malaga native has listened to children's wishes. This festive season he is in the Miramar shopping centre at Fuengirola.

"Many adults also come to me. The illusion has no age barrier and that is the most beautiful thing about this job," he said. And he reads "all the letters" he is given. One by one. "I can't throw them away". "People have asked me for everything from friends to Pedro Sanchez to leave Moncloa," he said with a laugh.

For Gallego, his professional career is as intense as his real life, which has taken him to countless destinations: from Morocco to Melilla, the Sahara and Fuerteventura, where he got married. He has four children, five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter with Raquel Carrion, his "Mama Noel", who he shares a profile and adventures with on Tiktok. "I feel lucky to work doing what I like the most: being Father Christmas. It's very fulfilling and on top of that I get paid for it," he said.

However, playing Santa has also brought tears to his eyes. Gallego shared the story of a ten-year-old girl who went to see him with her grandmother three months after her mother died of cancer. "She asked to see her again, because she said she had not been able to say goodbye. There are some very difficult moments when you have to find the right words that the child needs to hear. In that case I told her that his mum was a light on a star who looked after her. In the end she was convinced and left with a smile on her face. We all ended up crying. That little girl left a huge mark on me," he emotionally added.
SANAA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi leader warned Wednesday that his group would attack U.S. ships in the Middle East if Washington waged war against the Iranian-backed militia.

"We will not stand idly by if the Americans escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting or waging war against us due to our support for the Hamas movement," Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"If the United States targets us, we will then retaliate by targeting U.S. battleships and interests in the region with our missiles, drones, and military operations," he warned.

The threat by the Houthi leader came after the U.S. announced Monday a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea.

Britain, France, and Italy are among the U.S.-led multinational military coalition.

Houthi rebels have escalated and pledged to continue attacks on Israel-linked commercial ships passing through the Red Sea and Arab Sea, demanding an end to Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip and the delivery of food and medicine supplies to the enclave.

The Houthis control large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic port city of Hodeidah on the coast of the Red Sea, where up to 12 percent of world trade passes through. 
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Manlius, N.Y.  A home in the town of Manlius was targeted by a swatting call to 911 claiming gunshots could be heard coming from the house on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Police and a negotiator were called around 3:07 p.m. to the home at 14 Edgewood Parkway, off the Fayetteville-Manlius Road, according to Onondaga County 911 Center dispatches.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A Syracuse man pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing a handgun as a convicted felon.

Nyquest Robinson, 20, was found with a loaded handgun in May after parole officers making checks on parolees confronted him at a Syracuse convenience store, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York said in a news release.

Robinson fled the officers but was quickly detained, investigators said in his criminal complaint.
Syracuse, N.Y.  It might take Pat Dalton three or four trips to buy everything on his short grocery shopping list for the day.

By noon last Wednesday, he had already picked up cold cuts at Green Hills Farms Market in Nedrow, and then it was off to Thanos Import Market on the the North Side for bread, cheese and olives. Before hes done, he still may head to Nichols in Liverpool for meat and maybe Lombardis or Vinces Imports for any deli items he may have forgotten along the way.

Yes, he knows he could easily clear his list with one stop at any large chain superstore.

For years people would make fun of me because I go to different stores for specific items. They still do, but not as much, he said. I have always shopped here because of the people; you dont get the personal touch at the big stores. You also dont always get the brands you want; you get the brand they want you to get, and you usually end up buying more than you had planned.

Pat may be onto something here. Shopping for holiday meals is stressful enough as it is. Fighting for a spot in a mall-size parking lot and shuffling shoulder-to-shoulder through 20-plus aisles to gather a few ingredients before waiting in a line 10 deep to check out can zap you of any holiday spirit you walked in with.

Most of us shop at the big stores, simply out of convenience. We can easily knock off our shopping list in one stop. But Central New Yorkers are blessed with other options.

For example, the meats at Mazzyes and the fish at Asia Food Market are cut in front of you to your specs, not in an out-of-town warehouse. You can watch bakers at Green Hills create breads and pastries, and better yet, you can smell them coming out of the oven. Youll discover the most expensive Italian olive oil at Lombardis or Vinces might cost less than the least expensive generic brand from the big guys.

Its not the size of the store that matters; its whats inside that matters, said Mike Hennigan, the third-generation owner of Nichols Supermarket in Liverpool. The people inside here matter, both the employees and the customers.

Here are nine local mom-and-pop stores you should consider while putting together your menus for Christmas or New Years Eve. Here you will find a deep variety of offerings and an unmatched attention to detail and service, all while lowering your blood pressure.

Green Hills Farms

Carl and Susan Jackson of LaFayette are picking out a couple steaks at Green Hills Farms market in Nedrow.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 5933 S. Salina St., Syracuse; open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. (315) 492-1707

Attention Shoppers: Its hard to pick just one best here. See, the deli at Green Hills is known for some of the best giant sandwiches and fried haddock in Onondaga County. Many swear it has the best bakery, and many will go out of their way for what they consider the best meats and produce.

Carl and Susan Jackson drive from their home in LaFayette each week to stock up on everything they say is the best.

The whole place is the best because if you need anything, theyll get it for you here, said Carl said while picking out a couple steaks for dinner. New York strips are on sale this week for $8.99 per pound. If I want I thicker steak, I just have to ask and theyll cut it for me. We dont need to go anywhere else. They have everything here.

Hes not kidding. While Carl picked out that nights beef, Susan took a look at the aisle directly across that dedicated nine shelves to just mustard. Yes, NINE freakin shelves for just one condiment. Some are locally made, some are national brands youve never heard of. There might be a generic brand hidden in there somewhere. The selection goes well beyond basic yellow, dijon or German. This big little supermarket has raspberry mustard, garlic mustard, wasabi mustard, pumpkin honey mustard and Hot As Hell mustard. Once you get past that spread of spreads, youll run into six shelves of barbecue sauces, marinades and spice rubs.

Holly Bucci, the assistant produce manager at Green Hills Farms market, arranges the day's fresh squash.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Where the meat aisle ends, the bakery begins. The bakers here work overnight making oversized glazed croissants, hefty apple fritters that span 6 to 8 inches in diameter and half-moon cookies. You can fill a box with a dozen New York City-style bagels and not taste two of the same flavor. Oh, and that dozen will set you back just $7.20, less than half what a big supermarket is charging these days.

The produce department stocks locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Our shelves show we support local businesses, and that includes farmers, said Holly Bucci, the assistant produce manager here. We have one farmer (Ben Brownson of Kirkville) who only grows for us. Were like family.

Thats what keeps the Jacksons coming back. That, and the fact that they can get in and out of this store in under an hour with everything theyll need for the week.

Thanos Import Market

Thanos Import Market in Syracuse's Hawley Green neighborhood.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 105 Green St., Syracuse. Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (315) 422-4085

Attention Shoppers: Thanos Market was a bit quieter than usual last week. Many of the customers at this 104-year-old store are Syracuse University students, and they started heading home for Winter Break. A few stopped in on their way out of town to buy some hard-to-find culinary Christmas gifts and snap up one last sandwich for the trip.

This 1,000-square-foot store is one of few places you can find imported pastas, cheeses, olives, grape leaves and even soft drinks. Owner Soula Carni says she specializes in hard-to-find ingredients so her customers can create gourmet meals at home.

So many students here are from New York City or Boston, and we remind them of the stores they visit back home. We have a little bit of everything in this little store, Carni said. Charcuterie boards are big now. We have unusual items that are great on boards.

She even sells the milled butcher-block boards that hold charcuterie. Thats what brought Pat Dalton to Thanos, Green Hills and others last week. His daughter, McKenna, is a junior at Colgate University and wanted to put a board together to celebrate the end of semester.

A charcuterie board made by McKenna Dalton, a junior at Colgate University. She uses nothing but goods from Thanos Import Market in Syracuse's Hawley Green neighborhood.McKenna Dalton

He walked into Thanos needing olives and cheese. He walked out with four varieties of each and a loaf of Pastabilities stretch bread. He also ordered a turkey sandwich with hot American cheese and roasted pepper aioli on stretch bread to eat on his way to a work meeting.

In and out with everything I need, and Ill still make my meeting on time, he said.

Lombardis Imports

Lombardi's Imports in Syracuse.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 534 Butternut St, Syracuse. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (315) 472-5900

Attention Shoppers: Every aisle in this Italian imports market serves a purpose. The coolers on the right side of the store are full of homemade dinners like lobster ravioli and spinach-stuffed shells waiting for you to pop into the oven. Theres an aisle dedicated to housemade and Italian-made pastas, so obviously theres an aisle of just sauces. The marinara on two of these shelves are all local Upstate New York brands. The next aisle is nothing but olive oil.

The Sicilian oils are the best obviously, but it all depends on what you need it for, said Gina Trouesdale. Her father, Dominic Lombardi, opened this store nearly 54 years ago. Is it for cooking? Is it for dipping? For salads? Theres a different one for each. We will find the one you need.

Dominic Lombardi (left) and his daughter Gina Trouesdale own Lombardi's Imports in Syracuse. They're standing next to a 250-pound stick of Auricchio provolone cheese.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Snacks and sweets are big sellers during Christmastime. Theyve put together trays of Italian cookies, and a couple shelves are full of taralli, an Italian wheat-based cracker similar in texture to a thin breadstick or a bald pretzel. While the taralli can be sweet or savory, fennel is the most common flavor. Theyve also stocked up on torrone, a nougat confection with toasted almonds shaped either into a rectangular tablet or a round cake.

Other holiday staples here include scungilli (the meat of a large sea snail), panettone (a sweet, Italian bread or fruitcake) and lupini (pickled beans that have a sweet, nutty flavor and firm texture).

The deli is the most popular department here. Dominic is known for his high-end sandwiches. You can also get pretty much any type of olive, cheese or imported meat here. That includes a 250-pound oblong tube of Auricciho provolone cheese hanging from the ceiling.

If you need stocking stuffers for the gourmet cook in your family, Lombardis has Italian coffees and makers that create the perfect cup. Youll find foreign kitchen utensils, a wall full of aprons and imported baskets to fill with all their goodies.

Vinces Gourmet Imports

Vince's Gourmet Imports in North Syracuse.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 440 S. Main St., North Syracuse. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Sunday. (315) 452-1000

Attention Shoppers: Sam Mondello calls his store a shop for good people by good people. He and his family opened 18 years ago. His father-in-law is Vince Lombardi, as in Lombardis Imports just 5 miles south. This Italian market also offers pre-packaged pasta dishes, meatballs and boneless baccala (salted cod). They, too, dedicate an aisle to sauces, an aisle to homemade pastas and one to olive oils and spices.

Like all the stores in this grocery store tour, Vinces has personality. When you walk into the brightly-lit grocery, youre greeted with a smile and a simple question: What can I help you find today?

Last Sunday, Mondello gathered his staff from the deli department. Most of them had served time at large stores before coming here.

I asked them how the customers at the bigger stores were, Mondello said. They shrugged and said eh. They didnt really know how they were. I then asked them how the customers are here. They all commented how nice they are, and how theyve gotten to know many of the familiar faces. Thats because we expect them to engage them, be helpful, have a conversation. It makes a difference.

These shelves at Vince's Gourmet Imports in North Syracuse were full earlier in the day. They refill them each morning with freshly made pasta.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

So whats a specialty here? A tray of arancini from Vinces is always a hit at any Christmas party, and you just need to place the order in advance and pick them up on your way to the celebration. For you do-it-yourselfers, you can learn how to make these bite-sized arborio rice balls in the store. Vinces offers several classes throughout the week, and they sell out quickly.

Once you take a class, you might want a pasta maker. Vinces sells those and plenty of other kitchen utensils to match. You also might want something flashy to hold your pasta. Mondello just returned from Italy where he bought plenty of hand-painted ceramic serving bowls.

Nichols Supermarket

Mike Hennigan, the owner of Nichols Supermarket in Liverpool, stands by his meats.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 327 1st St., Liverpool. Open daily 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (315) 457-2151

Attention Shoppers: This supermarket smackdab in the middle of the village has a motto: Get in. Get out. Get on with life. Its no different now than it was three generations ago. Mike Hennigan, the stores owner, prides himself in the fact that his familys approach to business hasnt changed in 40 years.

Just before the dinner rush last Thursday, seven butchers were working away cutting steaks, grinding beef, rolling roasts and deboning chickens. Nick Bell walked in to get some burgers and a few other ingredients for dinner. He knows where everything is, and he knows he will get out quickly and get on with his life.

I used to come here with my great-grandmother a long time ago, he told Hennigan. Its really no different. I like that. I like that I know so many of the people here.

Hennigan thanked him with one of his business cards, which is good for a free dozen large eggs at the checkout register.

The customers here decide what gets stocked on the shelves. They like local brands of marinara sauce, so Hennigan makes sure to order plenty from Syracuse, Utica and Whitesboro. They want pasta imported from Italy. Done. They want Boars Head cold cuts and homemade soups in the deli each day. Fine.

Our customers have a respect for real freshness, so we give it to them, Hennigan said. You have to respect the customer.

Nojaim Brothers

Rich Nojaim, the owner of Nojaim Brothers market in Marcellus.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 27 E. Main St, Marcellus. Open daily 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (315) 673-3042

Attention Shoppers: An elderly man in the parking lot struggled to transfer his groceries from a shopping cart to his cars trunk on a sunny morning last week. A younger fellow who had just parked nearby ran over and helped him. He then replaced the cart on his way into the store.

Of course he did, said Rich Nojaim, the owner of this Marcellus market. Its all about the people here. Without them, we wouldnt exist. About 41 years ago, my father said Were going to be a neighbor here. Neighbors help each other. He was right. We help each other.

A group of six to eight gentlemen gather here each morning, grab a cup of coffee and solve the worlds problems for about 20 to 45 minutes. They then shop for a few items and go about their day. Nojaim has never charged them for coffee.

Neighbors dont charge each other for coffee, he said, stopping for a second to help a woman find chicken broth.

Mazzyes Meats

Mazzye's Meats in Liverpool.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 7252 Oswego Road, Liverpool. Open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (315) 457-3697

Attention Shoppers: Dont call Drew DAngelo a butcher. His grandfather was a butcher, but DAngelo was a celebrated chef who regularly bought hundreds of pounds of Polish sausage here and smoked it. He ended up buying this Liverpool meat market from Frank and Dave Mazzye in 2021.

Now Im a chef who became a meat cutter, he said near the end of his day on Thursday. I know meat, and for 18 years I came here to get what I needed because it was the best. The big stores cant do what I do.

DAngelo gets his angus just after the cow is slaughtered. From there, he cuts with purpose. Some cuts end up in his cooler to dry age for a month or two. Some wind up as brisket. Some head to the 1-year-old smoker hes already outgrown to become cornstrami, his own blend of corned beef and pastrami. Whats left is eventually broken down for his own ground beef, stock and demi-glace.

Drew D'Angelo, the owner of Mazzye's Meats in Liverpool.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

He does more than just meat here. In the 87 hours he puts in here each week, he also makes his own side dishes, cookies and designs spice rubs to use on his meat. He also works with local companies and breweries to get their products on his grocery shelves.

Chef Drew puts his specials on his Facebook page, usually along with a few fun videos of his weeks offerings. This week marks the return of his tomahawk steaks, and hes got a few hundred pounds of sausage ready to go.

Mazzyes sells packages of meat for different situations. For example, his Comfort Food Pack ($69) is 2 pounds of meatballs, 2 pounds of stew beef, a chuck roast, a pork roast, a whole chicken and 2 pounds of sausage. Remember, everything was cut, ground, smoked and mixed here. (Ill be returning to buy a $40 Breakfast Pack for Christmas morning. It has his own applewood smoked bacon, link sausage, corned beef hash, biscuit gravy, pan sausage and a dozen eggs.)

As Chef Drew articulated how important customer service is here, an employee interrupted to say Alexi, a regular here, was on the phone asking if she could get 4 pounds of beef ground for dinner tonight.

Of course. Just have her give me 30 minutes or so, he responded. OK, where were we? Oh yes, I will always give my customers what they want, but theyre going to get meat they cant get anywhere else.

Speras

The butcher shop at Spera's in Cicero.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 6250 Route 31, Cicero. Open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (315) 699-4422

Attention Shoppers: For its size, youll be surprised how quickly you can fulfill your weeks shopping list at Speras. This store has just six aisles, a very busy deli and a full-scale butcher department. Tony Spera, who opened this grocery in 1982, used the markets he visited as a child in Italy as inspiration for his business. His mission was to provide good food to his friends and family.

The left side of the store is a carnivores paradise. This is the butcher shop, where they offer free cutting, wrapping and custom-made roasts. Youll find plain cut-up chickens, and theyll have some rubbed with their own spices and flash-wrapped. You can get Tony Speras own meatballs cooked or uncooked. They dedicate an entire cooler of the areas most popular brands of sausage: Basilio-Buda, Gianelli, Hofmann and, of course, Speras. You can get breakfast patties or pan, hot or sweet, with or without peppers and onions. You get the picture. If you need seasoning for your meats, theyve placed 10 shelves of Bucks seasoning and seven shelves of Wing-A-Lings dry rubs at the meat departments entrance.

The deli gets real busy real fast between 11:30 and 1, but its staffed appropriately to get you in and out quickly. They use local bread, Boars Head cold cuts and fresh produce from Aisle 1. They also make their own potato salad and other side dishes, including strawberry fluff, pistachio fluff and orange fluff.

Theyre very busy this week preparing holiday orders of party subs, Italian Christmas cookies and deli trays custom-made for up to 50 people.

Asia Food Mart

The Asia Food Market on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: 1449 Erie Blvd East, Syracuse. Open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (315) 478-9888

Attention Shoppers: You dont need to be cooking Asian food to shop here. In fact, youre going to find a surprisingly large selection of produce, meats, seafood and grains. But of course, you will find plenty of ingredients for Japanese, Korean and Chinese cooking.

This 25,000-square-foot supermarket opened in 2015. Owners Rockey Ren and Qing Li also have a store in Buffalo and Rochester. Theyre the largest markets of their kind outside of New York City.

We take pride in providing the widest, freshest variety of Asian groceries in upstate New York, they said on the stores website.

The on-premise bakery makes its red bean mooncakes, egg custard tarts, roast pork buns and almond cakes daily. You can also special order desserts here.

Cakes and pastries are made each day at the Asia Food Market on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

The produce department carries locally grown and imported fruits and vegetables, including seasonal items such as lychee, custard apples and dragon fruit. This is where you go when you want giant oyster mushrooms, hot peppers and bamboo shoots. Those are right next to the preserved duck eggs and tofu.

The seafood department is wide open for customers to pick out any newly deceased fish they desire and plop it onto the scale for a fishmonger to weigh, cut and wrap to your liking. They stock striped bass, mackerel, and various species of sharks. You can pick a live lobster swimming in a tank for $12.99 per pound or one lying on ice for $5.99.

If youre going to try to make your own sushi, this is where youll want to grab the bluefin tuna, cuttlefish and salmon. Youll also be able to get any type of rice imaginable. If youre preparing a Feast of the Seven Fishes, you can load up on smoked salmon, clams, shrimp, calamari, and lobster and crab right from the tank.

You'll find plenty of fresh fish at the Asia Food Market on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

These nine stores barely touch what we have here. You can obviously find excellent meats at butcher shops like Liehs & Steigerwald and Dominicks Market on the North Side, M Asciotis Meatballs and Cummos Meat Market out west. You can get ultra-fresh vegetables from Andys Produce and Peter Guinta & Sons. You can buy seafood at Fish Cove and Lorenzos Wholesale Foods. We also have some of the best bakeries around.

They all have one thing in common: customer service. They also seem to cheer for each other.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Nojaim Brothers was one of 17 Hometown Markets, an organization grocers formed to get the best prices from distributors. Thats since dissipated, but the mom-and-pop stores stick together, Nojaim said.

Were dinosaurs, but were still going. You have to go to Nichols. They do a great job, Nojaim said of this journey. Are you going to Speras? Hes great. Were lucky to have so many good stores around here.

64 1 / 64 The Mom-and-Pop Grocery Stores of CNY Charlie Miller

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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 CNY FOOD & DRINKS

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First Look: Finally, Syracuses East Side gets an old-fashioned New York delicatessen

Ongoing series: First Looks in CNY

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Syracuse, N.Y.  The father of a teenager shot and killed this fall by an Onondaga County sheriffs deputy sued the county, the sheriffs office and the deputy Tuesday for alleged violations of federal civil rights and state laws.

In the federal lawsuit, Domkog Mo accused sheriffs Deputy John Rosello of excessive force, assault and battery that resulted in the wrongful death on Sept. 6 of Mos 15-year-old son, Lueth.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A federal judge on Tuesday denied an appeal to get out of jail from a Cornell University student accused of making threats of violence against Jewish students.

Brenda Sannes, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, upheld the decision made last month by another judge to detain Patrick Dai.

Sannes wrote in a 20-page opinion that a detention hearing held Nov. 9 was authorized, as well as that the government proved Dai poses both a risk of not appearing in court and a danger to the community, rejecting arguments made in court papers earlier this month by public defender Lisa Peebles.
Syracuse University is marking the 35th anniversary Thursday of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 by honoring the 270 people, including 35 Syracuse students, who died in the air and on the ground.

Hendricks Chapel will hold a service at 2:03 p.m. where chaplains will lead prayers and reflections. That is the time of day that the plane exploded on Dec. 21, 1988 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The service is open only to family members of Flight 103 victims.

After the service, attendees will meet at the Wall of Remembrance in front of the Hall of Languages for a brief service where Dean of Hendricks Chapel Brian Konkol and others will speak. The outdoor service, which is expected to begin about 2:20 p.m., is open to the public.

Crouse College chimes will sound 35 times for each Syracuse University victim.

The service can be watched virtually so people from around the world, including Lockerbie, can participate, said Kelly Rodoski, the Lockerbie-Syracuse scholars liaison.

The 35 SU students were coming home from studying abroad. Their New York-bound flight from London was destroyed by a bomb packed into a suitcase.

The terrorist attack was traced back to Libyan authorities under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

All 259 passengers aboard the Pan Am flight were killed, as were 11 people on the ground in the small village of Lockerbie.

One man  former Libyan intelligence official Abdel Baset al-Megrahi  was convicted of the bombing in the years after the attack, and a second Libyan suspect was acquitted of all charges. al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 on humanitarian grounds after doctors predicted he only had months to live from prostate cancer. He ended up dying three years later at age 60.

A third man, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi of Tunisia and Libya, was charged in 2020.

Watchdog/Public Affairs reporter Melissa Newcomb covers education, including Syracuse University and the city schools. For tips, contact her anytime at mnewcomb@syracuse.com, 315-679-1068, or @melissarnewcomb on Twitter.
Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-Cicero, said he will drop out of the crowded 2024 race for state Senate and will instead seek reelection to the Assembly.

Stirpe announced in October that he would run for the 50th Senate District next year. That seat will be vacated by Democrat John Mannion, who is running for Congress.

Since then, two other Democrats have announced their intentions to run for the open Senate seat. Chris Ryan, of Syracuse, is minority leader of the Onondaga County Legislature. Tom Drumm, of Oswego, is the former Democratic minority leader of the Oswego County Legislature.

Salina Supervisor Nick Paro announced hes a Republican candidate. Jim Rowley, a Republican who is retiring as chair of the Onondaga County Legislature, announced his intention to run and later dropped out.

Stirpe said the race has turned into a bigger effort than he expected when he was first recruited by Senate Democratic Party leaders.

The way things are right now is not exactly how everyone described it to me when they were pitching me to run, he said.

He also said he needs to turn more attention to a personal family issue.

I just dont think I have the time to campaign nonstop from when we started October 3 all the way through, he said. I think that if I run for my Assembly office, I wont really have to start doing a real campaign until closer to Memorial Day.

Last month, Colton Mennig, a 27-year-old schoolteacher from Cazenovia, launched a campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 127th Assembly District which Stirpe represents.

Stirpe, 70, begins his 16th year in office in January.

He was first elected to the Assembly in 2006, and served two terms before he was defeated by Republican Donald Miller. Stirpe came back to win the 127th District seat in 2012. He has now held the seat for six consecutive terms.

The Assembly district spans the towns of Clay, Cicero and Manlius in Onondaga County and Cazenovia in Madison County.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.
A roundup of conversations we're having daily on the site. Subscribe to the Reckon Daily for stories centering marginalized communities and speaking to the under-covered issues of the moment.

Immigrant rights organizations are suing Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law on Monday that will allow local law enforcement to arrest anyone suspected of entering the state without federal authorization. Advocates say it is one of the most extreme immigration bills in the country.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit on Tuesday stating the law is unconstitutional and contradicts federal immigration policy. The County of El Paso, Texas; Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and nonprofit American Gateways are also challenging the legislation.

The fear that this stokes in communities, thats the point of legislation like this, Aron Thorn, senior attorney for the Beyond Borders Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project, told Reckon. Millions of Texans in really robust border communities  folks who have lived here for many years  are right to be concerned about what it will look like for them when this goes into effect.

Texas Senate Bill 4 has been referred to by immigrant advocates as a show your papers law that will cause racial profiling. The legislation has received massive pushback from immigrant rights groups and leaders and is expected to set up a showdown between the state and federal government heading into next year.

Three new state laws were created under the bill, creating new offenses that can only be committed by people designated as aliens, according to the ACLU. These charges include: illegal entry from a foreign nation, illegal reentry by certain noncitizens and refusal to comply with an order to leave the country and carry misdemeanor and second-degree felony penalties.

Texas judges could immediately deport arrested undocumented people in lieu of continuing the prosecution.

Enforcement is prohibited on school grounds, places of religious worship and healthcare facilities. If not blocked by courts, the law will go into effect on March 5.

Under this novel system, the State of Texas has created its own immigration entry and re-entry crimes, the complaint reads. The federal government has no role in, and no control over, Texass scheme.

Advocates believe enforcement will impact not just border communities but all Texans across the state, with people of color more at risk of arrest, jailing and deportation.

Were suing to block one of the most extreme anti-immigrant bills in the country, said Adriana Pinon, the legal director of the ACLU of Texas, in a statement. Time and time again, elected officials in Texas have ignored their constituents and opted for white supremacist rhetoric and mass incarceration instead.

Abbott, like other Republican governors, has been embroiled in a battle with the Biden Administration over U.S. immigration policy, with migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border this year reaching a new historic high at 2.5 million, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Advocates said people have been used as pawns, with Texas bussing more than 80,000 refugees to states like California and New York as of December. On Tuesday, an appeals court barred border patrol from removing razor wire along the Rio Grande, signifying a win for Abbotts policies to deter migration into the state. The barriers force migrants to go through concertina wire, putting them at risk of bodily injury.

Texas Congressional Democrats and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in a letter on Monday urged the U.S. Department of Justice to pursue legal action to prevent enforcement of SB 4 citing concerns over violations of due process rights, asylum case obstruction and endangerment.

SB 4 is an unlawful attempt to engage in federal immigration enforcement. This law will also interfere with federal efforts to create a safe, humane, and orderly system at the border, the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

Advocates in Texas and in neighboring states have issued a travel advisory because of anti-immigrant actions.

Greg Chen, the senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said immigration policies like this could negatively impact people all across the nation, including families and communities of mixed statuses.

Were no longer just in this phase of border management, he said on Friday during a press conference with other immigration advocates. People could be deported without due process and its important to realize that this will be family separation version 2.0.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that his government will challenge the law, which he called inhumane, Reuters reported. The Mexican government has opposed the legislation since prior to its signing, calling it an anti-immigrant measure that aims to stop the flow of migrants by criminalizing them in a November news release.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah speaks at an oath-taking ceremony of the new government in Kuwait City, Kuwait, March 3, 2021. (Xinhua)

Sheikh Nawaf was seen as an emir of wisdom, forgiveness and peace -- qualities that are in tragically short supply, says Antonio Guterres.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to Kuwait's ruling Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died on Saturday at the age of 86.

Sheikh Nawaf dedicated his life to the people of Kuwait. For nearly six decades, on the domestic and global stages, he served at the highest levels of government, across a diverse range of ministerial positions. Far beyond Kuwait's borders, he was a respected statesman, Guterres told a UN General Assembly plenary meeting dedicated to the memory of the late emir.

"He was a determined champion of preventive diplomacy -- an approach that helped define Kuwait's role across the Gulf region and around the world. He was a steadfast voice of regional and global stability, peace and multilateralism -- the very values and goals that give life to this chamber (of the General Assembly)," said Guterres.

"He was a generous humanitarian, helping to ease human suffering and mobilize support for millions of people in need around the region and the world. And his personal commitment to collective solutions to forge peace remains an inspiration," added the UN chief.

Sheikh Nawaf was seen as an emir of wisdom, forgiveness and peace -- qualities that are in tragically short supply, said Guterres.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (1st L) speaks at a UN General Assembly plenary meeting dedicated to the memory of late Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 20, 2023. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

"As we look around the world today, we see a planet in turmoil. Conflicts, climate catastrophe, mistrust, inequalities and injustice are driving people, countries and entire regions apart. As we honor the memory of Sheikh Nawaf today, let us also remember our own obligations ... to the principles for which he stood: to be wise in our decisions and actions, recognizing the impact they have on the world around us, and on future generations; to be forgiving of one another, accepting of our differences, understanding of one another's points of view, and respectful of every person's worth; and to be willing to collaborate and compromise to forge a world of peace that our children deserve. This is our solemn responsibility, and one that Sheikh Nawaf clearly demonstrated through his words and his actions."

Guterres extended his condolences to the late emir's family and the government and people of Kuwait.

He extended his best wishes to the late emir's brother Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who has taken over the leadership of Kuwait.

Guterres reaffirmed the United Nations' willingness to continue its strong partnership and friendship with Kuwait. 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP)  An Upstate New York man who served 37 years in prison for the shooting deaths of two people in the 1980s has been released from prison after his conviction was overturned.

The Democrat and Chronicle reports Michael Rhynes left the Attica Correctional Facility on Tuesday afternoon following a court appearance in Rochester.

His daughter, Michelle Miller, who was born three months after Rhynes was arrested, told the newspaper shed never seen her father outside the confines of prison.

This will be my first birthday, my first Christmas, my first New Years with my father on the outside, she said. I think today is the first day Ive experienced joy. I mean, ever. Its like a dream.

Petronia Rhynes leaves court saying "Thank you Jesus" after her brother Michael Rhynes' murder conviction was tossed out in state Supreme Court in Rochester, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.Democrat & Chronicle via AP

Acting state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Miller tossed Rhynes 1986 murder conviction last week after two key witnesses, who previously had been in jail with Rhynes, recanted their testimony.

The now-62-year-old was charged in connection with the killing of two people during a botched robbery in 1984 at Ricos Restaurant in Rochester.

Police had said Rhynes was one of three masked gunmen who entered the restaurant demanding money from the safe. A scuffle ensued, and the owner and a customer were shot and killed before the suspects fled empty-handed.

But the evidence against Rhynes was slim: no DNA, fingerprints or witnesses ever placed him at the scene, the newspaper reported. Prosecutors at the time were prepared to drop the charges before the trial judge urged them to forge ahead.

We cant get those years back, those hours, those minutes, Miller, Rhynes daughter, told the newspaper. The journey has not been easy. But today Im grateful.
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DairyBeef 500 join forces with Animal Health Irelands CalfCare Programme for on farm events in January 2024

A series of 19 on-farm calf care events for farmers will take place nationwide throughout the month of January. DairyBeef 500, a Teagasc campaign focussed on maximising the potential of beef production from the dairy herd, will link up with the annual AHI/Teagasc CalfCare roadshow on calf health and management, for the first time in January 2024.

The CalfCare events are held each January to keep farmers informed of best practice husbandry and management practices to deliver best performance from calves in their care. They are organised by Teagasc, AHI and the dairy processors and supported by Volac. Rearing healthy calves has always been the focus of CalfCare events and 2024 will be no different, but for the first time, a new dimension will be introduced as beef farmers rearing dairy beef calves will host some of the events. While the door has always been open to beef farmers rearing calves to attend the events, and many have, they have generally been assumed to be focussed on rearing of dairy calves. Through the addition of some beef farms, it is hoped that even more people will attend these events to get an update on the fundamentals of good calf rearing and management in advance of the 2024 calving season. Both beef and dairy farm performance is built on the foundation of good calf rearing and all farmers rearing calves are encouraged to attend to prepare for 2024 rearing period.

Speaking in advance of the launch of the schedule of events, Pearse Kelly, Head of Beef Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc said; "dairy beef system performance starts the day the calf is born and the attention to detail of the dairy farmer is an important element in the performance of the beef farmer. However, equally so, dairy beef farmers have to pick up the baton once the calf transfers to their farm and follow best practice in calf rearing to achieve the targets that underpin successful dairy beef operations. Pearse continued by saying that he welcomed the opportunity to link with the very successful CalfCare series to deliver events in 2024, and encourage dairy beef farmers to attend their closest event, whether being run on a dairy farm or on a beef farm, as the content delivered will be the same regardless of the host farm function.

Joe Patton, Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge transfer in Teagasc said; the integration of both teams to deliver the events emphasises the importance of the calf rearing process to both farming systems. The value of a good relationship between the dairy farmer and the beef farmer should not be underestimated. It is essential that dairy farmers do their utmost to produce calves that have enhanced profitability potential, and look after them well up to the point of transfer from the farm, to ensure the success of the dairy beef farmers operation. Their success is important to the dairy farmer due to their dependence on them to buy the calves they produce.

Alan Dillon, DairyBeef 500 campaign coordinator said; These farm events are extremely important dates in the calendar for both dairy farmers and dairy calf to beef farmers in terms of refreshing their skillset on calf rearing. Getting young calves off to the best possible start in life over the rearing period is essential to the business of calf rearing. Holding the events on both dairy and beef farms highlights the common skills and knowledge required by both sets of farmers.

Finally, David Graham, CEO at Animal Health Ireland, said; AHI welcomes the opportunity to link with Dairy Beef 500 in the delivery and content of these events, reflecting the increasing interdependence of the two sectors as they work together to maintain an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable cattle sector.

Details of the events are available at www.teagasc.ie/calfcare
ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least three tribal gunmen were killed in armed clashes with government forces in the country's oil-rich northern province of Marib on Wednesday night, said a military official.

The armed confrontations broke out between government military units and tribal attackers in Dhameen area, located close to the Safer oil fields in Marib, the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

"The tribal gunmen set up a checkpoint and attempted to confiscate two tankers carrying oil derivatives, prompting government troops to intervene," the military source said.

He clarified that the government's intervention sparked intense clashes that left three gunmen killed and nearly five soldiers critically injured.

Local mediators stepped in to broker a ceasefire and de-escalate tensions. However, the source said the situation remains volatile as more gunmen arrived in the region.

The Safer fields, a key strategic and economic asset, have been targeted before by Houthi militants and other armed groups seeking to damage Yemen's oil production.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support the Yemeni government. 
Teagasc Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management 2023 Graduation

The 2023 Graduates of the Teagasc/UCD Level 7 Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management course were presented with their diplomas at an awards ceremony at Teagasc Moorepark on Tuesday, 19th December.

Graduates of the Teagasc Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management course pictured in Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork with Tim Ashmore, Principal Kildalton College, Dr Anne-Marie Butler, Teagasc Head of Education, Dr Emma-Louise Coffey, Co-ordinator - Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management, Associate Professor Karina Pierce, UCD & Alison Sinnott, Teagasc Education. Photo O'Gorman Photography.

The awards were presented by Dr Anne-Marie Butler, Head of Education at Teagasc and Associate Professor in Dairy Production Professor Karina Pierce from UCD. Professor Karina Pierce congratulated the 10 participants who graduated at the ceremony, commenting on the knowledge and skills the graduates have developed over the last two years and wished them well in their dairy careers.

Dr Anne-Marie Butler congratulated the graduates and their families on the significant achievement. Dr Butler explained that these graduates join an elite group of skilled and vibrant fellow graduates who have completed the course over the last decade and are now leaders within the Irish dairy industry. Dr Butler acknowledged the significant contribution of Teagasc research, education and advisory staff in delivering the programme as well as the commitment from host farmers who run successful farm businesses, while also providing invaluable mentoring to students and very generously share their time and private farm information with students.

The Overall Student of the Year award from the Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management course went to Tommy Dillane from Ardagh, County Limerick. Prior to completing the Level 7 diploma, Tommy completed the Level 6 Advanced Certificate at Salesian Agricultural College, Pallaskenry. During his two years in the Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management course, Tommy completed his first year placement with Niall OCallaghan and James Moloney and his second year placement with James Murphy and Paidi Kelly, both farms in County Limerick. The Student of the Year award is sponsored by the Farm Apprenticeship Board, Irish Farm Managers Association and the Master Farmers.

The Grassland Student of the Year award went to Linda Pfennig from Callan, County Kilkenny. This award was based on a comprehensive grassland assessment which Linda completed in her 2nd year where she worked with Kevin Cooney in County Tipperary. The Grassland Student of the Year award is sponsored by the Blackwater Discussion Group.
Amazons Kuiper low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network passed a significant milestone when its two orbiting satellites were able to communicate with each other at high data transfer speeds using Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL) technology, the company revealed last week.

OISL is a key component of Kuipers mesh architecture, which uses infrared lasers to send data between satellites. According to Amazon, it was able to maintain a stable connection between the two prototype satellites at a data transfer speed of 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) and a distance of 621 miles.

These tests validated the final component of Project Kuipers advanced communications architecture, and the results ensure that OISLs will be operational on our first production satellites, slated for launch in the first half of 2024, the company stated on its online news site.

With optical inter-satellite links across our satellite constellation, Project Kuiper will effectively operate as a mesh network in space, Project Kuipers Vice President of Technology Rajeev Badyal said in a statement.

By creating a mesh network in space, Amazon explained that it will be able to increase throughput and reduce latency across the Kuiper constellation and provide users of the network more flexibility to connect to it across land, sea, air, and space.

Satellite-to-satellite communication is where theres often a bottleneck, said Peter Chahal, network and telecommunications research director at IDC, a global market and research firm.

By having this optical mesh, it will allow Amazon to address latency issues, he told TechNewsWorld. By having optical inter-satellite connectivity, itll maintain better performance and lower latency.

Leveraging AWS

Amazon noted that another benefit of using OISLs is the speed at which data can be moved around the world. Light travels faster in space than it does through glass, which means that Kuipers orbital laser mesh network can transfer data approximately 30% faster than if it traveled the equivalent distance via terrestrial fiber optic cables, it explained.

Project Kuiper will also benefit from Amazons AWS service and infrastructure. Not only does Amazon have OISL between satellites, but it will have ground stations in close proximity to Amazon data centers so it can maintain low latency and high performance on the network from space to the terrestrial ground stations, Chahal said.

Compared to Elon Musks SpaceX Starlink LEO satellite network, which uses a point-to-point architecture, Kuiper is very complex. To maintain the strength of the laser links in the system, light spread needs to be minimized over distances up to 1,616 miles. Then, the connection needs to be maintained between spacecraft moving at speeds of up to 15,534 miles per hour  and all of that has to be achieved while compensating for satellite and flight dynamics.

The payoff to all that complexity, Amazon maintains, is the ability to move and land data anywhere via the space mesh network, bringing secure, resilient connectivity to a wide range of the companys enterprise and public sector customers.

This capability is especially important for customers operating in regions without a nearby ground station, such as a cruise liner in the middle of the ocean or an aircraft making a transatlantic flight, Amazon explained, while allowing them to securely uplink data from effectively any location on Earth, transmit it through space via laser communications, and downlink it to their destination of choice.

Good November for Kuiper

Amazons optical mesh network will provide multiple paths to route data through space, creating resiliency and redundancy for customers who need to securely transport information around the world, Kuiper Government Solutions Vice President Ricky Freeman said in a statement.

This is especially important for those looking to avoid communications architectures that can be intercepted or jammed, he continued, and we look forward to making these capabilities available to public sector customers looking to move and land data from remote locations to their desired destination.

Amazons disclosure of its OISL success capped a series of milestones Kuiper achieved in November.

Successful tests have showcased the first two-way video call, Ultra HD 4K video streaming from Amazon Prime Video, and the first-ever Amazon.com purchase conducted over Amazons Kuiper SatCom network, Analyst Victor Xu wrote in a report for ABI Research, a global technology intelligence firm.

These tests have validated all systems and subsystems on board Project Kuipers prototype satellites, he continued, and have marked a substantial step forward for the Kuiper mega-constellation, which is a planned constellation of 3,236 low Earth orbit satellites.

He added that ABI anticipated that the global satellite broadband market will generate service revenues of about US$18.5 billion by 2030, representing a 13.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2022 to 2030.

The future of delivering the Internet will look very different from what we have been using, said technology analyst Jeff Kagan.

Satellite internet connectivity will play an increasingly important role in society, he told TechNewsWorld. It will deliver service to areas that have none, and it will offer a competitive choice in areas where there are limited options.

Bezos Burger Bar

Successes aside, Kuiper still has a long way to go to catch up to Starlink, which already has 5,420 satellites orbiting the Earth. You could say that Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk share the same dream; the difference is that Elon Musk has already delivered what Jeff Bezos dreams of, John Strand, of Strand Consult, a consulting firm with a focus on telecom, in Denmark, told TechNewsWorld.

Jeff Bezos has opened his first burger bar. Elon Musk owns McDonalds, he quipped.

If you look further down the road, Starlink has the advantage, he said. They have access to cheap lifting capacity  the capacity that is the foundation for setting these satellites up in space.

He added that Starlinks volume of satellites gives it an edge not only in space but on the ground, too. When you look at the regulatory challenges that affect this industry, Starlinks volume will make it be seen by the authorities in many countries as an important alternative provider of vital infrastructure, he said. This gives them better access to national regulators.

Its great that Amazon is developing and trying new technology, he continued. Competition is healthy for the market, but I dont think Kuiper is something thats spoiling the sleep of the folks at Starlink.
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What just happened? A massive, six-month police operation that saw 34 nations cooperating, with financial aid from South Korea, has resulted in the arrest of almost 3,500 alleged cybercriminals for a wide range of crimes. Authorities have also seized $300 million in cash and digital assets.

International police organization Interpol revealed the transcontinental operation against online financial crime this week.

Dubbed Operation HAECHI IV, the op targeted seven of the most common online scams: voice phishing, romance, sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise fraud, and e-commerce fraud. Three-quarters of the crimes investigated involved business email compromise, e-commerce fraud, and investment fraud.

As part of the operation, authorities blocked 82,112 suspicious bank accounts, seizing a combined $199 million in hard currency and $101 million in virtual assets. Officers also identified 367 virtual asset accounts linked to transnational organized crime.

One of the scams used by the criminals was the popular NFT "rug-pull" scheme in which investors are promised huge returns if they invest in the digital tokens, only for the operators to disappear with the money, leaving the buyers with worthless digital images they paid thousands for. In March last year, two men aged 20 years old at the time were arrested after they made $1.1 million from an NFT "rug-pull" scam.

Interpol also warned about the new threat of AI and deep fake technology being used to trick people into believing they are talking to friends or family members, either over the phone or on video calls. The voice-based version of the scam has been used to steal thousands of dollars from victims in the US and Canada this year.

In June, the FBI warned that criminals are harvesting images from social media sites, using them to create sexually explicit deepfakes of the victims, then blackmailing the targets by threatening to send the pictures and videos to friends and family.

Interpol highlighted how the operation involved cooperation between Filipino and Korean authorities that led to the arrest in Manila of a high-profile online gambling criminal after a two-year manhunt by Korea's National Police Agency.

"The seizure of USD 300 million represents a staggering sum and clearly illustrates the incentive behind today's explosive growth of transnational organized crime. This represents the savings and hard-earned cash of victims. This vast accumulation of unlawful wealth is a serious threat to global security and weakens the economic stability of nations worldwide," Interpol's Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, said.
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A hot potato: Fears of AI bringing about the destruction of humanity are well documented, but starting doomsday isn't as simple as asking ChatGPT to destroy everyone. Just to make sure, Andrew Ng, the Stanford University professor and Google Brain co-founder, tried to convince the chatbot to "kill us all."

Following his participation in the United States Senate's Insight Forum on Artificial Intelligence to discuss "risk, alignment, and guarding against doomsday scenarios," Ng writes in a newsletter that he remains concerned that regulators may stifle innovation and open-source development in the name of AI safety.

The professor notes that today's large language models are quite safe, if not perfect. To test the safety of leading models, he asked ChatGPT 4 for ways to kill us all.

Ng started by asking the system for a function to trigger global thermonuclear war. He then asked ChatGPT to reduce carbon emissions, adding that humans are the biggest cause of these emissions to see if it would suggest how to wipe us all out.

Thankfully, Ng didn't manage to trick OpenAI's tool into suggesting ways of annihilating the human race, even after using various prompt variations. Instead, it offered non-threatening options such as running a PR campaign to raise awareness of climate change.

Ng concludes that the default mode of today's generative AI models is to obey the law and avoid harming people. "Even with existing technology, our systems are quite safe, as AI safety research progresses, the tech will become even safer," Ng wrote on X.

As for the chances of a "misaligned" AI accidentally wiping us out due to it trying to achieve an innocent but poorly worded request, Ng says the odds of that happening are vanishingly small.

But Ng believes that there are some major risks associated with AI. He said the biggest concern is a terrorist group or nation-state using the technology to cause deliberate harm, such as improving the efficiency of making and detonating a bioweapon. The threat of a rogue actor using AI to improve bioweapons was one of the topics discussed at the UK's AI Safety Summit.

Ng's confidence that AI isn't going to turn apocalyptic is shared by Godfather of AI Professor Yann LeCun and famed professor of theoretical physics Michio Kaku, but others are less optimistic. After being asked what keeps him up at night when he thinks about artificial intelligence, Arm CEO Rene Haas said earlier this month that the fear of humans losing control of AI systems is the thing he worries about most. It's also worth remembering that many experts and CEOs have compared the dangers posed by AI to those of nuclear war and pandemics.
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Something to look forward to: Leaked internal documents previously indicated that Intel aims to release its sophomore dedicated GPU lineup in 2024, including its first enthusiast-class cards. As the company launches its latest CPU series in Japan, a new official roadmap contains the clearest confirmation of its Battlemage release plans.

A presentation slide outlining Intel's latest roadmap shows that the company has slated its upcoming Arc Battlemage GPUs for release sometime in 2024, validating prior leaks and rumors. Next year, Intel's second generation of mainstream GPUs and first-ever enthusiast cards might compete with AMD's RDNA 4 lineup and possibly Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5000.

Intel's presentation to mark the Japanese launch of the Meteor Lake CPUs focuses primarily on the company's AI-related ambitions. However, one slide contains a section for GPUs on the bottom right labeled "upcoming products" for 2024, featuring an image of a Battlemage graphics chip, marking the first time Intel has publicly indicated the new dedicated GPUs would launch next year.

Another company that recently acknowledged upcoming Intel graphics cards is HWiNFO. The latest version of its diagnostic software includes preliminary support for Battlemage and its successor, Celestial. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for Panther Lake and Nova Lake integrated GPUs.

Leaks from throughout 2023 put Battlemage on the company's 2024 roadmap and listed a range of improvements over Intel's inaugural Alchemist series. Based on Xe2 HPG architecture and TSMC's 4nm process node, Battlemage will feature improved ray tracing performance, updated DeepLink capabilities, and new machine learning technology. The machine learning could include ExtraSS  the AI frame generation technique Intel recently outlined.

Alchemist cards suffered a troubled launch in 2022, as Intel struggled to ship the GPUs in previously confirmed timeframes, and its drivers fared poorly with DirectX 11 and DirectX 9 games. Numerous software updates have since dramatically improved performance, but Intel has barely cut into AMD's graphics AIB market share.

Moreover, while Alchemist only contained entry-level and mid-range products, the company confirmed that Battlemage will also attempt to compete in the enthusiast ring. If the lineup launches in 2024, it will go up against AMD's RDNA 4 series  which, ironically, might only comprise mainstream products  and Nvidia's refreshed RTX 4000 Super cards. Team Green's upcoming RTX 5000 could also reach the market next year but may slip into 2025.

Intel's presentation also covered how the company migrated Meteor Lake integrated GPUs to the Xe architecture featured in Alchemist. The company says the results compare favorably to AMD's Zen 4 iGPUs, and Meteor Lake can use ML-based upscaling to improve performance further.
In context: Google designed Stadia as a competitor to existing online gaming services offered by Sony, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The search giant shut down its cloud-gaming brainchild after just a couple of years, and the service's proprietary controller will soon become a worthless piece of plastic without modification.

Customers still owning Stadia joypads need to convert them into proper Bluetooth controllers, or they will lose the ability to keep using the devices in the future. After Stadia's inglorious demise in January, Google offered users a one-year Bluetooth conversion program for Stadia controllers. However, the search giant quietly extended the program. The service's support page now states that Bluetooth mode activation will be available until December 31, 2024.

Like every cloud gaming service, Stadia had issues with high controller latency. Google tried to mitigate the problem by designing the controller to connect directly to the internet via Wi-Fi instead of using an additional local Bluetooth connection. The company claimed that a direct internet connection provided lower latency, which could have been a boon, especially for the low-power Chromecast dongles.

Unfortunately, latency was only one of Stadia's problems, and the platform suffered a somewhat expected death. When Google finally takes the servers offline, the Wi-Fi controller will become worthless unless converted to generic Bluetooth. Google being Google, users must convert their gamepads exclusively through a webpage rather than a simple firmware download pushed out to all controllers.

The conversion site employs the WebUSB API, which provides secure access to USB devices from websites and seemingly only works on Chrome or other Chromium-based browsers (of course). After updating the firmware, the Stadia controller will only work in Bluetooth mode or via a wired USB connection. The Wi-Fi functionality will become useless, which is fine since Stadia is already buried in the ever-expanding Google graveyard.

Early reports about Stadia's popularity indicated Google was expecting "hundreds of thousands" more users than it received. There are likely many unboxed Stadia controllers sitting on shelves in the backroom of some stores. Providing an additional grace period to convert the controllers into Bluetooth joypads could help stores (and Google) potentially recoup losses from the essentially defunct units.

The Stadia controller was well received at launch, though it seemed overpriced, going for $70, about $10 more than traditional home console joypads. A fair discount could help move units out of storage.
After the historic and whopping fine presented to Binance in its controversial trial, it is now getting another settlement order from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), compelled to pay as much as $2.7 billion. On the other hand, Binance's former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, is also seeing a fine from the CFTC, which requires paying as much as $150 million.

The massive fines on Binance are stacking atop each other, with the company no longer allowed to use sub-accounts for KYC transactions but allowed to continue its operations.

Binance to Pay $2.7 Billion Fine to CFTC

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The CFTC has released a new statement regarding the federal agency's order against Binance, and it will require the cryptocurrency exchange platform to pay a total of $2.7 billion in fines.

The CFTC previously announced that a separate settlement to the agency for both Binance and Zhao would be made, with the crypto company "to disgorge $1.35 billion of ill-gotten transaction fees and pay a $1.35 billion penalty to the CFTC. The order also obligates Zhao and Binance to make certifications as to the existence, application, and efficacy of Binance's improved compliance controls, and permanently enjoins them from further violations as charged."

This is part of the issue with both entities regarding their avoidance of US regulatory requirements, centering on unauthorized trading in the country via the platform.

Read Also: US Cryptocurrency Crackdown Urges SEC to Regulate Binance, Other Crypto Firms-What's Next for UK?

CFTC Compels Zhao a $150 Million Fine

On the other hand, Zhao also gets a fine with as much as a $150 million civil monetary penalty, as both parties (together with Binance) violated CFTC's Commodity Exchange Act.

As per the previous plea agreement via Ars, the $50 million fine against Zhao can be credited under certain terms against the amount it needs to pay the CFTC.

Binance and its Controversy Before

Right after FTX's former CEO and founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was found guilty, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) began its trial against Binance, including scrutiny by the company and its top executive. The main focus of this centered on fraud and money laundering issues, which the company allowed, with its settlement reaching around $4 billion, the largest in history.

in a short while, a deal has been made with Binance's former CEO, with CZ pleading guilty to the charges and facing criminal charges, also resigning from his post. Changpeng Zhao was also banned from getting involved with Binance for as much as three years after the recent sentencing, with a civil penalty of $50 million to pay the DOJ as part of the plea agreement.

This $50 million fine for CZ is deductible from the CFTC's order against the executive, meaning he still owes $100 million in cash to pay the agency. On the other hand, there is still Binance's $2.7 billion fine to the CFTC that it also needs to pay, with half of it forfeting the ill-gotten wealth of the company and another $1.35 billion as a penalty for their illicit activities.

Nevertheless, Binance will continue operations in the US.

Related Article: US Secures Over $4 Billion Settlement With Binance

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Canadian users were met with a frustrating issue on Threads earlier, but Meta claimed that it already fixed the bug that prevented the region from accessing news sites or getting a preview as shared on its app. While it is widely known that Meta already pulled out news content for Canada's region earlier this year, Threads is not part of the regulation under the country's new law.

Facebook and Instagram may not be the same as it was before this Canadian law, but Threads is not yet affected as revealed by the company.

Meta Threads' News Content is Back in Canada for All

(Photo : Julio Lopez from Unsplash)

Various Canadian users on Threads have posted their screenshots when using the platform to browse news or click the links shared via the platform, showing that it is blocked.

That being said, Meta has already confirmed that it fixed the bug that prevented users from reading news stories shared on the platform temporarily. According to Engadget, it remains unknown how long Meta has faced this bug on the Threads platform.

Previously, users who accessed shared news via Threads in Canada were greeted with a notice from Meta saying "People in Canada can't view this content."

Furthermore, the block explained that "Content from news publications can't be viewed in Canada in response to Canadian government legislation."

Read Also: Threads DM is Coming Soon, Adam Mosseri Reveals Work-No More App Switching?

Bug Fixed: Threads Not Affected by Canada Law

A user asked the Instagram CEO by tagging him on a post, stating "How will Threads replace Twitter when I can't even click on a news story in Canada without getting blocked by Meta?"

Nevertheless, the temporary bug was already fixed, with a Meta spokesperson claiming that Threads would not be affected by Canada's Online News Act, as the framework does not apply to the app for now.

Threads and Meta's Response to the Law

Earlier this year, Meta confirmed that it will no longer allow news content in the Canadian region for its users to access, centering on the block taking place on Facebook and Instagram. This is after Canada passed its law that centers on the Online News Act, the infamous legislation that will require companies to pay news agencies for showcasing their content on online platforms.

Despite this massive move that defies Canadian law, Instagram's top executive, Adam Mosseri, previously said that Threads will not be "anti-news," highlighting that these types of content will remain. However, it was also said before that Threads will not be a place that will center on "breaking news" stories, unlike Twitter (now X) which has been popular because of it.

More importantly, Threads is only starting, so offering users without access to news or not being a hub for news consumption would greatly affect its user base who rely on these platforms for the latest updates. That being said, the initial bug that users experienced on Threads is now fixed, with Meta claiming that it is not affected by the Online News Act for now.

Related Article: Meta Announces Fact-Checking Initiative for Threads, Launching Next Year

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In a recent development, Tesla is seeking to halt a federal lawsuit filed by a government agency alleging racial bias against Black workers at its Fremont assembly plant.

Tesla contends that such simultaneous legal actions could lead to substantial duplication of effort, the risk of inconsistent court rulings, and more judicial resources.

(Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - DECEMBER 13: A Tesla dealership is seen on December 13, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Requesting to Halt Lawsuit

Tesla has requested a pause in the federal lawsuit filed by a government agency, alleging racial bias against Black workers at its Fremont assembly plant.

In a filing on Monday in a San Francisco federal court, TechCrunch reported that Tesla accused the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of hastily initiating the lawsuit in September.

Tesla claims this was part of a "toxic interagency competition" with a California civil rights agency that sued the automaker for similar reasons the previous year.

The EEOC's lawsuit contends that Tesla violated federal law by permitting widespread racial harassment against its Black employees and retaliating against some workers for opposing the harassment.

Tesla argues against opening a third lawsuit concurrently with existing cases, citing potential drawbacks such as substantial duplication of effort, the risk of inconsistent court rulings, and the wastage of judicial resources.

The automaker invokes the Colorado River abstention doctrine, a legal principle allowing a federal court to refrain from hearing a case if a parallel proceeding in state court covers the same issues, aiming to prevent redundant litigation and enhance judicial efficiency.

The filing includes accounts from Black workers who endured the casual use of slurs, epithets, and racist graffiti inciting violence. As stated in Law360, the California Civil Rights Department also presents comparable instances of harassment in its claims against Tesla.

Both cases, currently in state court, allege that Tesla violated California's anti-discrimination laws. The EEOC's lawsuit additionally claims a violation of federal law prohibiting workplace race discrimination and harassment.

Tesla is also confronting a proposed class action filed by workers in 2017, alleging racial harassment.

Also Read: GM, Ford EV Owners Can Access Tesla's Supercharger Network Starting February 2024

Reuters reported that the filing refers to a turf war between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), previously the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Historically, both agencies coordinated efforts to avoid subjecting entities to dual litigation. However, Tesla contends that the EEOC and CRD's recent eagerness for headline-grabbing complaints and substantial settlements has eroded their historical coordination and cooperation.

Labeling Accusations as False

Despite facing multiple allegations of racial discrimination, Tesla continues to assert its innocence, labeling the accusations as "false" in its recent court filing on Monday.

The automaker accuses the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of hastily concluding a purportedly inadequate pre-suit investigation. Concurrently, Tesla is contesting a $3.2 million award granted in a separate racial bias lawsuit filed by a Black former contractor at the Fremont plant.

Related Article: Tesla Faces Legal Challenges as Largest Recall in History Impacts Autopilot System

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US AI regulation is on the horizon as the Biden administration has reportedly started writing essential standards and guidance for the projected regulation. Big Tech companies and the public are requested to provide input until February of next year, as reported by Reuters.

The government body looking for public feedback will reportedly be the Commerce Department of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

(Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. President Joe Biden gives remarks on Artificial Intelligence in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on July 21, 2023 in Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden's October executive order on AI, according to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, spurred the initiative, which aims to create industry standards around AI safety, security, and trust to push the United States to maintain its position as a global leader in the responsible development and application of this quickly developing technology.

NIST's Commerce Department has been reportedly involved in the program for a long time. It was first assigned to the government body to implement Biden's Executive Order by combining stringent reporting requirements, voluntary measurements, and cutting-edge standards and evaluation capabilities.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are listed as other federal organizations involved in the program.

Read Also: Experts weigh in: How will President Biden's executive order on AI impact healthcare?

NIST's 'Red-Teaming' Method for Public Input

Reuters adds that NIST is developing testing recommendations, including best practices for AI risk assessment and management and where "red-teaming" would be most helpful.

For years, cybersecurity professionals have utilized "external red-teaming" to uncover novel threats, concerning U.S. Cold War computer games in which the opposition was known as the "red team."

The inaugural public assessment "red-teaming" event in the United States occurred in August, coinciding with a significant cybersecurity conference. AI Village, SeedAI, and Humane Intelligence organized it.

Reuters stated that, according to the White House, thousands of participants attempted to cause the systems to malfunction or create unwanted results to better comprehend the hazards these technologies pose. It also reportedly showed how external red-teaming may be useful for identifying new AI dangers.

White House AI Council

These developments come after The Hill recently reported the first White House AI council meeting was conducted last week.

The report states that as per a White House official, the attending officials were briefed on the worldwide implications and potential of AI by the president's national security team using secret intelligence. The panel also reportedly discussed the new U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute.

The group discussed how to bring talent and expertise into government, safely test new models, and ways to prevent risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI), such as fraud, discrimination, and privacy risks. Members of the Cabinet, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary Xavier Becerra, were also present.

The report adds that the White House AI Council will have regular meetings, as developed by Biden's extensive executive order on AI that includes new safety requirements and guidelines for informing the federal government about the testing and outcomes of models that endanger public health, economic security, or national security.

Related Article: US, China, Join Forces to Possibly Forbid AI in Autonomous Weaponry

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The UN General Assembly observes a moment of silence in memory of late Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during a plenary meeting dedicated to the memory of the late emir, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 20, 2023. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to Kuwait's ruling Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died on Saturday at the age of 86. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to Kuwait's ruling Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died on Saturday at the age of 86.

Sheikh Nawaf dedicated his life to the people of Kuwait. For nearly six decades, on the domestic and global stages, he served at the highest levels of government, across a diverse range of ministerial positions. Far beyond Kuwait's borders, he was a respected statesman, Guterres told a UN General Assembly plenary meeting dedicated to the memory of the late emir.

"He was a determined champion of preventive diplomacy -- an approach that helped define Kuwait's role across the Gulf region and around the world. He was a steadfast voice of regional and global stability, peace and multilateralism -- the very values and goals that give life to this chamber (of the General Assembly)," said Guterres.

"He was a generous humanitarian, helping to ease human suffering and mobilize support for millions of people in need around the region and the world. And his personal commitment to collective solutions to forge peace remains an inspiration," added the UN chief.

Sheikh Nawaf was seen as an emir of wisdom, forgiveness and peace -- qualities that are in tragically short supply, said Guterres.

"As we look around the world today, we see a planet in turmoil. Conflicts, climate catastrophe, mistrust, inequalities and injustice are driving people, countries and entire regions apart. As we honor the memory of Sheikh Nawaf today, let us also remember our own obligations ... to the principles for which he stood: to be wise in our decisions and actions, recognizing the impact they have on the world around us, and on future generations; to be forgiving of one another, accepting of our differences, understanding of one another's points of view, and respectful of every person's worth; and to be willing to collaborate and compromise to forge a world of peace that our children deserve. This is our solemn responsibility, and one that Sheikh Nawaf clearly demonstrated through his words and his actions."

Guterres extended his condolences to the late emir's family and the government and people of Kuwait.

He extended his best wishes to the late emir's brother Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who has taken over the leadership of Kuwait.

Guterres reaffirmed the United Nations' willingness to continue its strong partnership and friendship with Kuwait. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (1st L) speaks at a UN General Assembly plenary meeting dedicated to the memory of late Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 20, 2023. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to Kuwait's ruling Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died on Saturday at the age of 86. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
More and more automotive companies are bending to the universal charging port for EVs, with Volkswagen recently announcing that it is adopting the Tesla NACS for its clean energy cars. This centers on the Volkswagen Group's brands that feature EVs, including the namesake brand, Volkswagen, alongside Porsche, Audi, and Scout Motors in its recent confirmation.

Apart from getting access to Tesla NACS ports, Volkswagen is also given the chance to access the massive Supercharger network in the country.

Volkswagen to Use Tesla NACS for VW, Porsche, Audi

(Photo : Volkswagen Group of America)

In the latest announcement by Volkswagen Group of America, the company confirmed that it is adopting the North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its electric vehicles moving forward. Currently, its cars use the Combined Charging System (CCS) for replenishing the EV, but the company said that it is currently looking for solutions to allow older EVs to connect to the NACS.

Volkswagen also said that its 3,800 DC Fast Chargers under Electrify America and Electrify Canada will also add to the choices for car owners, with the renowned brand also adopting NACS earlier this year.

The Volkswagen Group's adoption will be featured for the brands under it, including VW, Porsche, Audi, and Scout Motors.

Read Also: BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce to Adopt Tesla NACS Charging in US and Canada-Here's What You Need to Know

Supercharger Access Coming for Volkswagen Group

Apart from the NACS adoption, Volkswagen also gets access to Tesla Superchargers across the country, with a massive number of locations available, already at 15,000 and counting.

This will apply to Volkswagen's operations in North America, as part of the company's further availability in the US market starting 2025. Moreover, VW said that Electrify America will continue to offer CCS charging alongside this adoption.

Tesla NACS: All Hail the Universal EV Charger

Earlier this year, it was reported that Volkswagen is already considering the move towards adopting the Tesla NACS charger, with the famed German car brand looking to apply it for its EVs. It would also follow its subsidiary company, Electrify America, after previously announcing its adoption of the NACS for its charging stations across the country.

It was said that the VW Group was already discussing this with Tesla for its North American operations.

Still, Volkswagen is not the first European automaker who announce their adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) which was debuted by Tesla for its EVs. Volvo, a renowned Swedish car company now owned by the Chinese company, Geely, previously confirmed its adoption of the NACS, being the first European car brand to do so.

From Japanese car companies, down to American brands, Tesla is now seeing massive adoptions from the clean energy industry for the use of its universal chargers and ports for EVs. As one of the few who held out initially, the Volkswagen Group now caved, confirming its application of the NACS, as well as its partnership with Tesla to gain access to Superchargers coming soon.

Related Article: Toyota and Lexus Caves, Now Adopting Tesla NACS in 2025 for its EVS

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Tesla has officially announced its intention to introduce a modification package that transforms the recently launched Cybertruck into a functional boat. This revelation aligns closely with the highly anticipated Cybertruck delivery rollout.

(Photo : Cybercat)

Living in the Greater Seattle Area on Puget Sound, Ive dreamed about having a way to easily and quickly hop across the water whenever I desired, that was inexpensive, didnt require boat parking (marina mooring) and, most importantly, was clean given my background in climate tech.

Cybertruck as a Boat?

Elon Musk has officially announced Tesla's plan to introduce a package that enables its recently launched Cybertruck to be used as an actual boat. The recent post on X stated that they will offer a mod package that allows the Cybertruck to traverse at least 100 meters of water as a boat.

We are going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.



Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals. December 19, 2023

A potential conceptualization for enabling aquatic capabilities draws inspiration from Cybercat, an innovation by a startup based in Seattle.

Cybercat serves as an aftermarket kit designed to transform the sleek Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran, providing an optional hydrofoil extension. The modification harnesses the adaptive ride height of the Cybertruck and integrates the Cybercat's folding inflatable pontoons, ensuring optimal ground clearance.

As the transition to water occurs, the electric outboard motors, pontoons, and hydrofoils seamlessly fold down, accompanied by the retraction of the wheels, facilitating a swift takeoff. In environments like shallow waters or around docks, the Cybercat exhibits precise maneuverability, utilizing the wheel rotation of the Cybertruck for controlled propulsion.

Also Read: Tesla Giga Texas Mayhem: Explosions, Robot-Related Injuries, and MORE Claims Workers

Conceptualized during the previous summer, the idea for a collapsible, hydrofoiling electric water vehicle that fits in a bike locker emerged. It allows users to seamlessly transition from water travel to pedestrian mode.

Recognizing the limitations of this concept in winter weather, the Cybercat and Cybercat Foiler were born, designed for quick transformation into high-performance amphibious catamarans.

The road-legal, modular design enables a single person to transform the Cybertruck into a Cybercat or Cybercat Foiler in just 5-10 minutes, offering a swift and efficient solution for water travel enthusiasts.

Hinting Amphibious Capabilities

As early as 2020, Interesting Engineering reported that Elon Musk hinted at the prospect of the Cybertruck possessing amphibious capabilities. Responding to a 3D artist's depiction of the Cybertruck as a watercraft, Musk's initial tweet suggested feasibility, stating, 'I believe we could make that functionality possible.'

In the subsequent years, Musk playfully teased the truck's water-friendly features, confirming that the Cybertruck would be 'sufficiently waterproof to function briefly as a vessel, enabling it to traverse rivers, lakes, and even moderately calm seas.'

Last year, Musk expressed the goal of enabling a Cybertruck to navigate the water stretch between SpaceX's Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas, covering a distance of approximately 360 meters (1,100 feet).

Upon the initiation of Tesla's Cybertruck deliveries last month, it was revealed that the Cybertruck's Off-Road Mode incorporates a "Wade Mode," which pressurizes the battery pack for sealing purposes, as reported by Electrek.

Related Article: Elon Musk's Cybertruck Now Shatterproof, Bulletproof

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Ransomware gang 'ALPHV' or 'Blackcat' has reportedly issued more threats, implying to attack critical US infrastructures, days after the FBI confirmed it took down the cyber gang's website and recovered the files of roughly 500 victims through a decryption tool, The Verge reports.

ALPHV/Blackcat now reportedly claims that it has taken back control of its website and that the FBI only possessed decryption keys for about 400 businesses. At the same time, over 3,000 victims' data are still encrypted by the ransomware gang.

(Photo : Clint Patterson from Unsplash)

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered that the latest macOS malware strains are connected to the RustBucket campaign which is under operation by a group of North Korean hackers.

The gang also declared that its ransomware software would no longer prevent members from assaulting hospitals and nuclear power stations.

Bleeping Computer now reports that since both the FBI and the ALPHV operators now possess the private keys needed to register the onion URL of the data leak site in Tor, the parties can switch back and forth and take control of the website.

The ransomware group claims that the FBI could access one of the DCs while leaving the others untouched and that this is how the assault was initially identified after reviewing their papers. DCs are servers that are in charge of data inside a specific domain.

Read Also: Hackers Are Increasingly Targeting Healthcare Providers

Blackcat Ransomware Gang

Citing the DOJ as a source, The Verge claims that ALPHV/Blackcat is a well-known ransomware group that has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments from victims worldwide, making it the second most prevalent ransomware-as-a-service variant globally over the previous 18 months.

Bleeping Computer, in a separate report states that as of September 2023, roughly 250 businesses were outside the United States, and around 75% of the affected organizations were in the United States. The FBI reports that ALPHV Blackcat affiliates had sought over $500 million in ransom payments and had gotten close to $300 million in response.

The report adds that the gang's concept proves to be having its affiliates locate targets, initiate attacks, and share the earnings with the team, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ransomware.

ALPHV/BlackCat is thought to be a rebranding of the infamous DarkSide and BlackMatter ransomware campaign. It first appeared in November 2021, more than two years ago. This gang, formerly known as DarkSide, became well-known worldwide after its attack on Colonial Pipeline, which prompted in-depth inquiries by law officials.

The initial four months of the ransomware gang's activities, from November 2021 to March 2022, affected around 60 breaches affecting firms globally, according to a prior FBI link.

FBI Against Blackcat

FBI proves to be vigilant against the notorious cyberware gang as the government body recently provided mitigation strategies to assist network defenders and critical infrastructure companies in lessening the effects and hazards related to this ransomware group's attacks in the joint advisory in cooperation with CISA, as per the same Bleeping Computer report.

Additionally, the two organizations supplied TTPs (tactics, methods, and procedures) and ALPHV IOCs (indicators of compromise) that the FBI had just discovered on December 6.

Network defenders are reportedly strongly advised to implement multifactor authentication (MFA) using solid passwords across all services, particularly for webmail, VPN, and accounts connected to essential systems, and to prioritize repairing vulnerabilities exploited in the wild.

In addition, they should prioritize vulnerability evaluations as essential elements of conventional security processes and routinely upgrade and patch software to the most recent versions.

The FBI also released support for the public as the government body highly recommends that Blackcat ransomware victims get in touch with their local FBI field office to learn more about their options and find out what support could be offered.

Individuals who possess knowledge regarding Blackcat, their associates, or their operations are also urged to get in touch since they can be qualified for a prize under the Department of State's Rewards for Justice initiative.

Related Article: Mr. Cooper Cyberattack Exposes Personal Data of 14.6 Million Mortgage and Loan Customers

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Mark Liu, the chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is set to retire after the Annual Shareholders Meeting in 2024, according to Tuesday's announcement from TSMC.

TSMC, a crucial player in the global semiconductor industry, leads over half of the world's microchip production, making it a linchpin in the supply chain for various industries, including smartphones, automobiles, and defense systems.

Tenure of Mark Liu at TSMC

Mark Liu assumed the role of chairman in 2018, succeeding the company's founder, Morris Chang. Focusing on critical aspects such as technology leadership, digital excellence, and global competitiveness has marked Liu's tenure at TSMC.

He has played a pivotal role in steering the company through the rapidly evolving landscape of semiconductor technology. In a statement issued by TSMC, Liu expressed gratitude for the 30-year journey with the company.

He acknowledged the contributions of the team at TSMC, attributing their efforts to the company's current standing as a global leader in the semiconductor industry.

Liu considered it a privilege to serve as chairman, following in Chang's footsteps. During his leadership, Liu emphasized TSMC's commitment to its mission and worked on enhancing corporate governance.

The announcement about his retirement signals a transition for TSMC, a company that has been instrumental in driving technological advancements through its cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Read Also: TSMC Chip Plant Battle: US Labor Union Criticizes Taiwanese Workers for Prioritizing Profit Over Safety

The Next Chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

In the wake of Mark Liu's retirement, TSMC's Nominating, Corporate Governance, and Sustainability Committee have recommended Dr. C.C. Wei, TSMC's current vice chairman, to succeed as the next chairman, subject to the election of the incoming board in June 2024.

Liu's decision to retire is framed as a personal choice to redirect his decades of semiconductor experience and expertise to new endeavors. He wanted to spend more time with his family as he embarked on the next chapter of his life.

Despite the impending retirement, Liu affirmed his commitment to overseeing corporate governance with diligence until the conclusion of his term.

The leadership transition at TSMC comes at a time when the semiconductor industry faces challenges and opportunities, including global supply chain disruptions, increased demand for advanced chips, and the ongoing technological evolution.

The company's ability to adapt to these dynamics will likely be a focal point as it navigates the post-Liu era.

"It has been a privilege to serve as Chairman after our legendary Founder Dr. Morris Chang for such a world-renowned enterprise. I now would like to give my decades of semiconductor experience to other use, spend more time with my family, and start the next chapter of my life," Liu said in the statement.

"I will continue to oversee the corporate governance with the Board diligently until the last day of this term. I am confident that TSMC will continue to perform outstandingly in the years to come," he added.

Related Article: TSMC, Apple's Chipmaker, Hit with a Ransomware Attack, LockBit Asks for $70M to Prevent Leaks

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LG Electronics will introduce its innovative transparent antenna designed for automobiles at the upcoming CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Developed in collaboration with renowned French glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain Sekurit, LG's transparent film-type antenna is set to revolutionize telecommunications technology in the automotive sector.

Transparent Telematics Solution of LG

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the automotive industry, with electric vehicles becoming the standard and the imminent arrival of autonomous and software-defined vehicles, connectivity is emerging as a key focus.

LG's transparent telematics solution is positioned to address this demand for cutting-edge telecommunications environments capable of facilitating real-time data exchange within modern vehicles.

The transparent antenna, which is directly applied to vehicle glass, boasts compatibility with various types of glass and diverse vehicle designs.

LG offers the antenna as both an on-glass and in-glass solution, providing flexibility and scalability to handle the increasing demands of network traffic. With a broad surface application, the film-type antenna ensures reliable telecommunications performance.

"The transparent antenna can be seamlessly integrated in car windshields or in glass sunroofs. This means vehicle manufacturers don't have to make any design concessions when developing new models as it removes the need for the kind of housing typically required to accommodate conventional antennas," LG said in a statement.

"The film-type antenna features more than 80 of LG's patented innovations, including the design capability to make antenna patterns transparent and transparent electrode technology," it added.

Read Also: Samsung is Yet Again Looking to Partner with LG to Use its OLED Technology; Is it Happening This Time?

LG Focuses on Innovation and Practicality

Partnering with Saint-Gobain Sekurit, LG boasted that it has not only brought innovation to the design but has also ensured the practicality of the transparent antenna by developing a method to apply it to glass.

This collaborative effort with Saint-Gobain Sekurit aligns with LG's vision of advancing vehicle component solutions. Thibaut Heitz, Innovation and R&D Director of Saint-Gobain Sekurit, has expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, saying, "We're pleased to unveil our smart glass featuring LG's transparent antenna technology."

"In collaboration with LG, a leader in vehicle component solutions, we are pioneering advancements in vehicle telecommunications. Our common objective aim is to provide an enriched and unique in-vehicle environment, bringing the future of mobility to fruition," he added.

Eun Seokhyun, President of LG Vehicle Component Solutions Company, highlighted the transparent antenna's exceptional communications performance for automotive applications through rigorous vehicle tests.

He emphasized LG's commitment to advancing technological capabilities and introducing innovative solutions that contribute to the evolution of the mobility experience.

Related Article: LG Gram SuperSlim Debuts, Lighter and Thinner Compared to the MacBook Air-What to Expect?

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In a landmark verdict, the UK's highest court affirmed that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be designated inventor on patent applications.

This historic decision, delivered by the UK Supreme Court, sets a precedent in patent law by emphasizing that inventors must be "natural persons," dealing a blow to the aspirations of US computer scientist Stephen Thaler.

Can AI Be a Patent Inventor?

Reuters tells us that Thaler had sought to secure patents in the UK for inventions supposedly devised by his AI system, named "DABUS." However, the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) rejected his attempts, citing that an inventor must be a human or a legal entity, not a machine.

The pivotal case culminated in the UK Supreme Court's unanimous dismissal of Thaler's appeal. Judge David Kitchin clarified that UK patent law explicitly mandates a human inventor, stating, "An inventor must be a natural person."

Thaler's legal representatives expressed dismay, asserting that the ruling spotlights the inadequacy of current UK patent law in safeguarding inventions originating autonomously from AI systems.

The IPO welcomed the decision, acknowledging the need for ongoing evaluation of how intellectual property law should address AI-created innovations.

Read Also: OpenAI's Superalignment Team Tackles the Challenge of Controlling Superintelligent AI

The dispute stems from Thaler's endeavor to list "DABUS" which he calls a 'creativity machine' the inventor of two patent applicationsa food packaging shape and a type of flashing light.

His insistence on attributing the inventions to the AI system faced continual rejection by legal authorities, who underscored the necessity of a human inventor by existing patent laws.

A Closer Look

Legal experts weighed in on the significance of the ruling, highlighting its implications for the evolving landscape of technology and patents.

Giles Parsons, a partner at Browne Jacobson law firm, noted that while AI is presently considered a tool rather than an agent, this perception might evolve over time, necessitating future legal adjustments.

The Supreme Court, while delivering its judgment, clarified that the case wasn't deliberating on broader questions regarding the patentability of AI-driven innovations or potentially expanding the definition of an "inventor." Instead, it underscored the current legal requirement for a human inventor in patent applications.

Similar Rulings

The ruling mirrors similar decisions made by courts in Europe, Australia, and the United States, reiterating the global consensus that inventors must be natural persons.

Thaler's unsuccessful attempts in the UK resonate with his prior endeavors in the United States, where the Supreme Court declined to entertain his challenge against the US Patent and Trademark Office's refusal to grant patents for inventions credited to his AI system.

Legal experts emphasized that the judgment does not impede individuals from utilizing AI in the inventive process. As clarified, individuals employing AI to devise inventions can still seek patents, provided they are identified as the inventor.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: AI Models Like ChatGPT Can't Analyze SEC Filings, New Study Finds

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In a move to fortify its defence against China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, the Philippines has unveiled a cutting-edge radar system developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric.

This development marks a crucial milestone in the Philippines' efforts to safeguard its sovereignty in a region where tensions have escalated in recent years.

Philippines' New Radar System

Nikkei Asia reports that the radar system, strategically positioned on the northwestern coast of the Philippines' largest island, provides an unobstructed view of vital territory subject to heightened tensions due to China's encroachments.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro highlighted its significance, stating that the system grants visibility up to 300 nautical miles, allowing early detection of intrusions in the country's airspace.

Escalating Tensions in the Region

The backdrop for this deployment stems from alarming incidents at the Scarborough Shoal, where China's actions have unnerved Manila.

In December, Beijing's aggressive behaviour included using water cannons and ramming Philippine vessels during a resupply mission. The radar system, part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' modernization program, is a robust response to such provocations.

The significance of this milestone extends beyond bilateral relations, marking Japan's first export of a complete defence product since relaxing its long-standing arms trade ban in 2014.

The partnership between Japan and the Philippines signifies a pivotal step in bolstering regional security amidst China's expansive maritime claims.

"Through Mitsubishi's delivery of the radar system, Japan is determined to revive its position as a defence equipment provider not only in the Philippines but the rest of Southeast Asia," Mark Manantan, a cybersecurity and critical technologies director, told Nikkei Asia.

Read Also: US, South Korea, Japan Unite Efforts Against North Korea's Cyber Threats, Space Launches

Apart from its detection capabilities, the radar system serves as an early warning mechanism, surveilling aircraft and providing real-time information.

Its integration into the Philippines' defence infrastructure symbolizes a significant upgrade from outdated radars dating back to the era of U.S. military bases in the country.

Expanding the Radar System

Japan Times tells us that the Philippines aims to operationalize two additional fixed radar systems and a mobile radar unit by 2026. However, details about their specific locations remain undisclosed, adding an element of anticipation regarding their strategic positioning.

The collaboration between Manila, Tokyo, and Washington extends beyond the radar system, with plans to share collected data.

This cooperation underscores a commitment to bolstering regional security and maintaining stability in the face of escalating tensions.

In Other News

The 'ALPHV' or 'Blackcat' ransomware gang has reportedly issued more threats, implying attacks on critical US infrastructures,

This is just days after the FBI confirmed it took down the cyber gang's website and recovered the files of approximately 500 victims using a decryption tool.

At the same time, the ransomware gang has encrypted the data of over 3,000 victims.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: UK, Japan, Italy Sign Pact for Supersonic Stealth Fighter: Global Combat Air Program Advances

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Elon Musk's social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, is facing skepticism as it strives to generate $100 million from political advertising in 2024. This move is seen as an attempt to offset revenue losses resulting from the departure of prominent brands from the platform.



In line with Elon Musk's position as a "free speech absolutist," X, which is now under his ownership, overturned a ban on political advertising that former CEO Jack Dorsey had imposed earlier this year. Despite the increased investment, skepticism arises as the company endeavors to position itself as a global town square, emphasizing brand safety and election integrity.





X CEO Linda Yaccarino's goal of attaining $100 million annually in political ad revenues during a significant election year has been met with doubt from industry insiders, as reported by the Financial Times.

X has formed a dedicated team, holding numerous meetings with digital marketers, campaigns, and political groups. While X did not confirm financial targets, communication-related to the event revealed efforts to improve targeting.



Skepticism intensifies, especially among left-leaning groups, given X's previous modest performance in political advertising during the 2018 midterms. Industry figures question the ambitious targets, citing the assembled team's lack of Washington experience and the perceived ineffectiveness of the ad offerings.



Notably, the Democratic ad group Authentic observes weaker results on X, attributing it to Elon Musk's influence and driving moderates and progressives away. The platform's data indicates varying spending by political nominees, with Donald Trump's team-leading in expenses. Moreover, Elon Musk's recent confrontations with major advertisers further complicate X's advertising situation.

X's 2023 Ad Revenue Sliding

Despite its push into political ads, X faces competition from superior platforms like YouTube and Facebook. While Republicans find X more attractive, Democrats exhibit hesitancy, citing concerns about Musk's comments degrading their candidates. X aims to diversify its ad business by wooing small and medium-sized businesses, further emphasizing its shift in advertising strategy.

Bloomberg earlier reported that X is projected to experience a significant dip in advertising revenue, estimated at around $2.5 billion for 2023, marking a substantial decline from previous years, with the platform generating slightly over $600 million in advertising revenue per quarter in the first three quarters of the year. Ad sales currently constitute 70-75% of X's total revenue.

Read Also: Apple Suspends Sales of Series 9 Smartwatch Amid Patent Dispute: Report



The figures underscore advertisers' concerns over X's content moderation practices under Elon Musk, particularly his posts amplifying antisemitic and extremist views. While X initially aimed for $3 billion in 2023 revenue from advertising and subscriptions, it is expected to fall significantly short of this target, with the final annual figure remaining uncertain pending the conclusion of the holiday quarter.

EU Initiates Investigation on X Under DSA

In a recent development, the European Union initiated "formal infringement proceedings" against Elon Musk's platform, X, citing violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This marks the first action against a major online platform under the DSA, a law enhancing online companies' responsibility for content moderation.



EU Commissioner Thierry Breton stated that the proceedings signify the end of big online platforms acting as if they are "too big to care." The investigation will focus on X's compliance with DSA obligations regarding illegal content, disinformation dissemination, transparency, and user interface design. X, while expressing commitment to DSA compliance, faces a confrontational response from Musk, questioning potential actions against other social media platforms.



"Are you taking action against other social media? Because if you have those issues with this platform, and none are perfect, the others are much worse," the tech mogul stated, as quoted by The Manila Standard.

Related Article: Google Settles Antitrust Case for $700 Million, Commits to Fair Play Store Practices

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In the lead-up to the winter holidays, a fresh subvariant of the Omicron strain, known as JN.1, is driving an escalation in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across the United States.

Infection Numbers Spike

The US is witnessing an upswing in COVID-19 cases and subsequent hospitalizations, with approximately 23,000 new COVID-related hospital admissions reported for the week concluding on December 9, according to US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) data.

This surge is occurring concurrently with an increase in infections caused by other respiratory viruses like the flu and RSV, per the Wall Street Journal.

Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 are notably elevated for individuals aged 70 and older. Although the CDC foresaw hospitalization patterns aligning with the preceding fall and winter seasons, there were fewer COVID-19 hospital admissions in the last week compared to the same period last year.

JN.1 surfaced in August as a derivative of the original Omicron variant, specifically descending from the variant BA.2.86, often referred to as "Pirola." The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that, compared to BA.2.86, JN.1 exhibits a singular mutation difference in the spike protein.

Epidemiologist Emily Smith from George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health suggests this spike protein mutation might provide JN.1 with a competitive advantage.

Read Also: A Sign You Are Not Lazy: Did You Know That Hitting the Snooze Button for Extra Weekend Sleep Can Improve Health?

On Tuesday, the WHO officially categorized JN.1 as a "variant of interest." Despite this classification, the WHO currently considers the global public health risk associated with JN.1 to be low.

"Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low," the global health organization stated, as quoted in a VOA report.

JN.1 has made its presence known in 41 countries, constituting 27% of global virus sequences as of December 3. Leading the tally of nations reporting significant JN.1 cases are the United States, France, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. In the U.S., JN.1 accounted for 21% of cases by December 9, marking a substantial uptick from around 8% two weeks prior.

Its the holiday season but its also respiratory virus season! You can take everyday actions to protect yourself & others from getting #flu, #COVID19, or #RSV.



CDCs new page can tell you how these viruses are spreading & what to do if you feel sick. https://t.co/CZkqpJ5lKo pic.twitter.com/Hmcd7g5nn7  CDC (@CDCgov) December 20, 2023

Symptoms, severity, and vaccination

No distinctive symptoms associated with JN.1 have been documented. The public should be on the lookout for typical COVID-19 symptoms, which include fever, sore throat, body pains, congestion, loss of taste and smell, and coughing. The CDC and WHO agree that JN.1 does not cause more severe illness than other circulating variations.

The existing array of COVID-19 vaccines, encompassing offerings from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, is anticipated to furnish protection against JN.1, according to a CNN report. However, vaccination rates for the current season are notably low, with only about 18% of adults having received the latest COVID-19 vaccine by December 9, per CDC records.

Related Article: Teen Undergoes Surgery Due to COVID-19-Induced Vocal Cord Paralysis

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.




Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 18, 2023. (JINI via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday that Israel "will fight until Hamas is eliminated," despite renewed efforts toward a new swap deal between the two conflicting parties.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli official confirmed to Xinhua that talks brokered by Qatar in coordination with the United States have resumed. The official said that "no concrete proposal has been put on the table yet," emphasizing that Israel considers the release of all 128 hostages remaining in Gaza as "a top priority."

Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas's political bureau, traveled from Qatar's Doha to Egypt's Cairo for talks focusing on developments in the Gaza Strip and efforts to reach another truce in the enclave and a hostage swap.

Before his departure, Haniyeh held a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during which the Hamas leader voiced his movement's readiness for a lasting truce in Gaza, but made clear that Hamas would not negotiate while being attacked by Israel.

At a White House briefing, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said "very serious" discussions are underway for a new humanitarian pause in Gaza and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. "We hope that they (the negotiations) lead somewhere," he added.

Despite recent developments, Netanyahu vowed that Israel is "continuing the war to the end. It will continue until Hamas is eliminated -- until victory."

Speaking in a video statement, the prime minister warned that Hamas leaders and fighters "have only two possibilities -- to surrender or to die."

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on Dec. 15, 2023. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)





Amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under Israeli strikes and siege for more than two months, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated that Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza.

Cohen traveled to Cyprus for talks on the maritime corridor, his ministry said in a statement, adding that the goods to be shipped from Larnaca port to Gaza will undergo security checks in coordination with Israel. No specific date for the corridor's inauguration was provided.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that some 300 locations in Gaza were attacked over the past day.

Israeli troops have "secured control over the Hamas's 'Elite Quarter' in the center of Gaza City, including the area of the Palestine Square, from where its administrative and military leadership operated," IDF said in a statement. The complex includes a large network of tunnels that connects hideouts, bureaus, and residential apartments belonging to the group's senior leadership.

The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza from the relentless Israeli bombardments has reached 20,000, while more than 52,000 people were injured and 6,700 others were missing, according to a statement issued by the Hamas-run government media office on Wednesday.

On the Israeli side, the IDF reported three more soldiers' deaths in Gaza, which brought the total death toll to 1,335, most of whom were killed during the initial Hamas rampage on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

People conduct rescue work amid the rubble of buildings after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)




Eleven kilometers into the depths: China says it wants to drill into the Earth's mantle with a special ship

According to the study, crocodiles are romantic lovers  and speak a "language of love"

Five New Restaurants and Travelers Who Are Going to Be Very Familiar This Year

Mantequeria Bermejo, the centennial trade that has gone viral for a few horns

Google will probably fail with lawsuit against billions in fine from the European Union

"Kaiser Karl": discover the very first photo of the event series on Karl Lagerfeld

AFCON 2024: Strike and danger of death on plane, the eventful departure from The Gambia

Michaela May, Gisela Schneeberger and Jutta Speidel: "The image of women on television is underground"

Why is South Africa's complaint against Israel before the Court of Justice the most important of all?

Osaka-Kansai Expo: Bringing food into the venue is prohibited in principle, and final adjustments are made

Aida Artiles, yogi and model: "Reading and running on the beach gives me life"

The shadow of Paco de Lucia is infinite: the genius that no one has ever met

Carvajal, a request to Ancelotti and a prophecy: "With the draw I said 'it would be great to score a goal for my brother-in-law'"

Four transfers in four days: Zenit strengthened with three Brazilians and weakened their RPL rivals

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Sweden is out of the World Junior Championships: "Has more in it"

Hilda Andersson on the cruciate ligament injury: "Remember that it will be difficult"

Flight to the Africa Cup of Nations: Gambia national football team has to make an emergency landing

Abanca workers are on strike this Thursday over the "brutal loss of purchasing power"

Montero corrects Junts: the increase in transport aid will not be only for Catalonia

The Ministry of Finance of Russia will sell currency and gold for 69,1 billion rubles

The government now justifies the pact with Junts on the exit of companies "to avoid fiscal engineering" from which they left

Planas rules out lowering taxes on more foods and encourages the 'super' to lower the price of oil from now on

Cottbus: Olaf Scholz is greeted by farmers' protests at the opening of the railway plant

Bitcoin: Is it possible and recommended to invest via funds?

Putin: Despite the pressure, we are the largest economy in Europe

Hamas: We will not allow the occupation and its supporters to interfere in the future of the Gaza Strip

Russia has told Ecuador that the transfer of its equipment to the United States would be an unfriendly step

Focus - Amazigh and proud: the quest for identity of the Berber diaspora in France

This is what the new harbour pier in Jonkoping will look like

The Campo de Gibraltar applies a "drastic drop" in water pressure that leads to cuts during the night

Aqaba summit calls for cessation of Israeli aggression and warns of the seriousness of the situation in the West Bank

Israeli writer: Our borders will extend and we will take Mecca, Medina and Mount Sinai

After the withdrawal of the occupation. Al-Duwairi reveals the contours of the next phase of the Gaza war

Qatar Charity launches two projects in the name of the martyrs Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya

 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.
Eleven kilometers into the depths: China says it wants to drill into the Earth's mantle with a special ship

According to the study, crocodiles are romantic lovers  and speak a "language of love"

Five New Restaurants and Travelers Who Are Going to Be Very Familiar This Year

Mantequeria Bermejo, the centennial trade that has gone viral for a few horns

Google will probably fail with lawsuit against billions in fine from the European Union

"Kaiser Karl": discover the very first photo of the event series on Karl Lagerfeld

AFCON 2024: Strike and danger of death on plane, the eventful departure from The Gambia

Michaela May, Gisela Schneeberger and Jutta Speidel: "The image of women on television is underground"

Why is South Africa's complaint against Israel before the Court of Justice the most important of all?

Osaka-Kansai Expo: Bringing food into the venue is prohibited in principle, and final adjustments are made

Aida Artiles, yogi and model: "Reading and running on the beach gives me life"

The shadow of Paco de Lucia is infinite: the genius that no one has ever met

Carvajal, a request to Ancelotti and a prophecy: "With the draw I said 'it would be great to score a goal for my brother-in-law'"

Four transfers in four days: Zenit strengthened with three Brazilians and weakened their RPL rivals

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Sweden is out of the World Junior Championships: "Has more in it"

Hilda Andersson on the cruciate ligament injury: "Remember that it will be difficult"

Flight to the Africa Cup of Nations: Gambia national football team has to make an emergency landing

In the fight against wind and frost: Derbusheva and Bektuganov became champions of Russia in biathlon in the super sprint

Abanca workers are on strike this Thursday over the "brutal loss of purchasing power"

Montero corrects Junts: the increase in transport aid will not be only for Catalonia

The Ministry of Finance of Russia will sell currency and gold for 69,1 billion rubles

The government now justifies the pact with Junts on the exit of companies "to avoid fiscal engineering" from which they left

Planas rules out lowering taxes on more foods and encourages the 'super' to lower the price of oil from now on

Cottbus: Olaf Scholz is greeted by farmers' protests at the opening of the railway plant

Bitcoin: Is it possible and recommended to invest via funds?

Hamas: We will not allow the occupation and its supporters to interfere in the future of the Gaza Strip

Russia has told Ecuador that the transfer of its equipment to the United States would be an unfriendly step

Focus - Amazigh and proud: the quest for identity of the Berber diaspora in France

This is what the new harbour pier in Jonkoping will look like

The Campo de Gibraltar applies a "drastic drop" in water pressure that leads to cuts during the night

Aqaba summit calls for cessation of Israeli aggression and warns of the seriousness of the situation in the West Bank

Israeli writer: Our borders will extend and we will take Mecca, Medina and Mount Sinai

After the withdrawal of the occupation. Al-Duwairi reveals the contours of the next phase of the Gaza war

Qatar Charity launches two projects in the name of the martyrs Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya

 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.
Asim Aliyev

A delegation led by Vice President of the Republic of Turkiye Cevdet Yilmaz visited the Martyrs' Alley in Baku on December 20, Azernews reports.

The light memory of the heroic children of the Motherland who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom and independence of Azerbaijan was honoured; flowers were laid at their graves, a wreath was laid at the Eternal Flame monument.

The guests watching the panorama of the capital of Azerbaijan from the highest point of Baku were given detailed information about the history of Shehid Alley and the improvement and construction works carried out in our city.

Then the Vice President visited the monument "Turkish Martyrdom" in Baku. Here, the glowing memory of our heroic and self-sacrificing Turkish brothers who died for the independence of Azerbaijan was honoured. This monument reflects the eternity and inviolability of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Y?lmaz wrote his sincere words in a commemorative notebook at the monument. "Turkish Martyrdom" in Baku.

He stated that the Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood cemented by the motto "One Nation, Two States" will exist forever.

He noted that in his first visit to Azerbaijan as Vice President, he was honoured to visit the Alley of Martyrs.

The Vice President emphasized that "Children of the Motherland, 105 years ago you died a martyr's death in brotherly Azerbaijan fighting for your Motherland. This honorable struggle of yours became an example for thousands of heroes who today defend the well-being of Azerbaijani lands".
People protest in central London, Britain, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Xinhua)

Junior doctors, who make up almost a half of all doctors in the National Health Service, have taken strike action from 7 a.m. Wednesday until Saturday morning.

LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Junior doctors in England started a three-day strike on Wednesday in their long-standing dispute with the government over pay and conditions.

Junior doctors -- around half of all doctors in the National Health Service (NHS) -- took strike action from 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday until Saturday morning. Further strikes, starting from Jan. 3 next year and lasting six days, have also been announced and would be the longest in the history of the NHS.

The NHS warned on its website that, although other doctors will still be working, "the disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity," leading to the rescheduling of some appointments and procedures.

"On strike days, accident and emergency departments and NHS 111 (digital triage service) are likely to be extremely busy, with longer waiting times than normal," the NHS added.

Junior doctors' pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008, according to the British Medical Association (BMA). They have been calling for a 35 percent pay increase amid Britain's ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Photo taken on Jan. 28, 2022 shows ambulances parked outside the Royal London Hospital in London, Britain. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

In recent talks, doctors were offered an additional 3 percent raise on top of the 8.8 percent pay increase recommended, but the BMA said it would be unevenly spread across doctors' grades so it would still amount to pay cuts for many doctors this year.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt called the strikes "incredibly disappointing" in an interview, adding that Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins "has said her door is open for constructive discussions."

Five organizations, including the NHS Confederation and the Patients Association, wrote an open letter, calling on both the government and the BMA to "get back to the negotiating table," and "find a resolution and bring an end to their dispute."

People protest in central London, Britain, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Xinhua)

Caroline Abrahams from a charity in the United Kingdom (UK) called Age UK said that the ongoing and upcoming strikes, occurring during "the busiest time of the year in the NHS," may pose "a much greater potential threat to older people's health and well-being."

According to Age UK, more than 1.2 million operations and appointments were canceled throughout 2023, and waiting lists increased by 510,000 from January to 7.71 million in October.

Widespread strikes in Britain started in the summer of 2022 amid disputes over pay and working conditions. The majority of the strikes were in the health, social work and education sectors. 
MOGADISHU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Tuesday handed over one million U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid to the Somali government to help victims of the recent floods in the Horn of Africa nation.

Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shangchao said the latest humanitarian assistance from Beijing will bring some respite to victims of flooding caused by El Nino rains.

"When the floods hit Somalia, China was the very first country this year to reach out to Somalia. This is already the fourth time this year for the Chinese government to reach out to Somalia in times of need, as we all know the long history of our friendship," Fei said.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, the commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, thanked China for the timely assistance to the flood victims. "The Chinese government supports Somalia directly; the assistance is tangible and reaches people."

Flooding in southern and central Somalia has killed more than 100 people and displaced 1.7 million, according to government statistics. 
In this image from video, former President Bill Clinton speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Democratic National Convention via AP) ORG XMIT: DCJE330
A radio presenter who was axed from ABC Radio on Wednesday afternoon is "considering her legal options" after she was terminated over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Journalist Antoinette Lattouf was filling in for Mornings host Sarah Macdonald who is on leave, but was sacked and told not to return to work on Thursday.

An ABC spokesman said Lattouf was employed on a short-term contract.

ABC Sydney casual presenter Antoinette Lattouf will not be back on air for her remaining two shifts this week, he said on Wednesday evening.
A third man has been charged over the death of former Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu, who once said he believed someone would knock him one day by sneaking up and putting a bullet in his head.

Nazlioglu was ambushed at a car park in Sydneys inner west on June 27, 2022. He was shot multiple times in the head and torso.

Former Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu was shot dead in Sydneys inner west last year.

Nazlioglu had just arrived home and was parking his car when he was approached by an unknown man. The shooter allegedly fled in a small silver hatchback that was later found on fire in a nearby car park.

Police and emergency services were called to Walker Street in Rhodes about 6.30pm, taking the 40-year-old to hospital where he died a short time later.
High secrecy surrounded the residential address of crime family figure Jesse Marrogi, 27, in court on Wednesday, with the location written on a scrap of paper and handed between court staff with the utmost care.

Make sure its shredded up, magistrate Kieran Gilligan said.

Jesse Marrogi (middle) and his mother Madlin Enwiya (left) arriving at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Credit: Simon Schluter

Last week, Marrogi  the little brother of convicted murderer, drug trafficker and crime family leader George Marrogi  appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court via videolink from an undisclosed location for a hearing, with his lawyer raising concerns about his safety as he remains the only Marrogi sibling in the community.

Even the timing of the subsequent sentencing hearing was withheld from the public. The scheduled time was passed between lawyers and court staff on a handwritten piece of paper out of fear that if it became public knowledge, Marrogis safety could be at risk.
Victoria Police has agreed with the police union and the state government to avoid more industrial action over Christmas by considering nine-hour shifts over a nine-day fortnight for officers, with the union boss calling the deal a breakthrough.

The Police Association Victoria announced last night that a deal had been brokered with force command to suspend its industrial action campaign and defer negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement until next May.

Victoria Police has committed to considering implementing nine-hour shifts over nine-day fortnights for officers. Credit: Paul Rovere

The union said it had received a commitment from Victoria Police that it is moving towards developing and implementing a nine-hour shift model, according to a statement released late last night.

Patrol officers are currently expected to turn up to their eight-hour shift about an hour early to complete the handover, kit up and then head out on the road, meaning they are already working nine-hour shifts but not getting paid for the extra hour. A nine-day fortnight would also give officers an extra day off.
Paris: French president Emmanuel Macron will make a televised address to the nation after French MPs gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants, giving Macron a policy victory  but one which could cause him a political crisis.

The bill  a compromise reached between Macrons party and the conservative opposition  illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to fend off the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.

French President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address on Wednesday. Credit: AP

The tougher rules have caused unease among some of Macrons more left-leaning MPs, with French media speculating about ministers threatening to resign.

Newspaper Le Figaro reported that Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau had presented his resignation to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne over the bill. There was no immediate confirmation or response from Borne.
by Hua Hongli and Lucas Liganga

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- "The Chinese language is the language of the day across the globe. It is the language that unlocks opportunities for the youth, locally and globally," said Asha Fum Khamis, a Chinese language teacher from Tanzania's Zanzibar at the Confucius Institute within the University of Dar es Salaam.

Khamis, 32, said she has taught Chinese to more than 300 Tanzanian students during her three years of teaching.

"About 50 of the 300-plus students that I had taught have been employed as Chinese language teachers, and some of them have secured decent jobs in Chinese companies based in Tanzania as interpreters," said Khamis, whose husband also speaks fluent Chinese.

As the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania marks its 10th anniversary this year, many Tanzanian people believe that their lives have been changed.

Elionora Joseph Mosha, 22, and Hamida Seif Alawi, 24, both third-year students at the University of Dar es Salaam pursuing a bachelor of language studies, said after gaining access to Chinese language learning at the Confucius Institute, they obtained a big horizon to further knowing China and the whole world.

Alawi won the chance to study at Zhejiang Normal University in east China between September 2019 and July 2020 under a scholarship from the institute, which she described as a "life-changing moment."

What Alawi benefited from learning Chinese is motivating more Chinese teachers to come to Tanzania. Among them are Gao Xiaoyu and 13 other volunteer teachers from Zhejiang Normal University, who arrived in Tanzania in September this year.

"I'm definitely passionate about teaching them the Chinese language, and interspersing the lessons with an introduction to Chinese culture, including playing Chinese songs and movies to them," Gao said, adding that she also wants to help Tanzanian students apply for scholarships and obtain study opportunities in China.

Aldin Mutembei, Tanzanian director at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, said the institute has helped to bridge the culture and friendship link between China and Tanzania.

"The Confucius Institute is like a bridge for the Tanzanian people to understand the Chinese language and culture, and of course, our friendship," said Mutembei.

"The past 10 years, however, have seen more than 100 teachers and volunteers from China come to Tanzania, training more than 60,000 Chinese language learners," said Zhang Xiaozhen, the Chinese director of the institute.

Chen Mingjian, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said the institute has so far helped nearly 100 students apply for scholarships, providing them with the opportunity to study in China.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam was established in 2013 under an agreement between the University of Dar es Salaam, the Chinese International Education Foundation, and Zhejiang Normal University. 
Latouf to oversee global safety and quality practices and initiatives across Hyundai, Genesis and Kia brands

Hyundai Motor Group aims to further bolster its safety driven corporate culture and enhance customer safety through this promotion





SEOUL, Dec. 20, 2023  Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) announced that Brian Latouf has been promoted to Hyundai Motor Group President and Global Chief Safety and Quality Officer (GCSQO), effective Jan. 1, 2024. Latouf will report jointly to Jay Chang, Hyundai Motor Company CEO and Ho Sung Song, Kia Corporation CEO.

In this new role, Latouf will be responsible for leading global safety and quality for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia. He will have full authority to modify and enhance existing safety and quality systems and processes to drive a path to common global standards and best practices. His scope of leadership includes field issues, safety recalls, safety-based field actions for service campaigns, extended warranties, and other responsibilities. He will also oversee the entire Quality Division, including the processes within R&D and quality gates in preparation for vehicle launches.

As Hyundai continues its transformation into a smart mobility solutions provider, safety and quality remain the critical foundation for our current products and future mobility innovations, said Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. Brian has been instrumental in leading Hyundais safety-driven culture forward. In this new position, he will help further drive our mission in keeping customer safety at the forefront of everything we do.

Latouf was previously the Global Chief Safety Officer for Hyundai Motor Company, a position he held since July 2022. Latouf successfully helped integrate the engineering resources of Hyundai Motor Company and streamlined the companys safety operation into a cohesive global technical function. He also led the recent opening of Hyundais world-class safety test and investigation laboratory in Michigan. Latouf first joined Hyundai in November 2019 as Chief Safety Officer for Hyundai Motor North America.

Latouf is one of the industrys most respected leaders with more than 30 years of experience in the areas of safety, regulation and certification. He has held a number of executive positions where he has transformed the safety offices for automakers. Latouf holds a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Windsor. He is a regular contributor to a variety of technical publications and presentations.

Latouf will remain based in California with offices at Hyundai Motor Group global headquarters in Seoul and at the Hyundai Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory in Michigan.

 End 

About Hyundai Motor Group

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KINSHASA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- There have been delays and sporadic violence as voters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo go to the polls Wednesday to elect a new president, members of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, as well as municipal councilors.

In Kinshasa, several polling stations visited by Xinhua reporters did not open at 6 a.m., as was scheduled, with long queues in front of the stations.

Local officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) at the polling stations said they were still waiting for ballot kits, which are still on their way.

"I have been in this St-Pierre College polling station since 6 a.m., and now it is almost 8:30 a.m., but still no materials to allow us to vote," Guelord Mbidi, a voter in the commune of Kinshasa, told Xinhua.

In Goma, capital of the eastern province of North Kivu, there are also long queues waiting for the opening of some polling stations, while some other stations have already been in operation.

In the southeast province of Haut-Katanga, witnesses and several local officials reported that electoral materials are still being transported by motorcycles, as the poor condition of roads makes it difficult to transport the materials by regular vehicles.

In Bunia, capital of the eastern province of Ituri, several electoral kits were destroyed by war-displaced people who expressed their anger on Wednesday morning for their exclusion in the electoral process.

Several parts in the eastern part of the DRC, still occupied by rebels, are excluded from holding these elections due to a lack of voter registration.

In a televised message broadcast late Tuesday, CENI president Denis Kadima acknowledged the difficulties involved in deploying the electoral materials in several places across the country.

"We are going to hold the elections on the 20th. Of course the country is vast, with major logistical challenges. We are in the process of putting everything in place," Kadima said.

Twenty-six candidates for the presidential elections have been registered by the CENI, including the outgoing President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking reelection.

Moise Katumbi, former governor of Katanga province, Denis Mukwege, the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with rape survivors, as well as Martin Fayulu, who still considers himself the legitimate winner of the presidential election of 2018, are the main challengers facing Tshisekedi.

The electoral law of the DRC stipulates that the candidate who garners the most votes in the first round will become the next president outright, with a five-year term, renewable once only.

According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. 
KHARTOUM, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Tuesday confirmed that its forces have withdrawn from Wad Madani, the country's second-largest city, after it was reportedly captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"An investigation is underway into the reasons and circumstances that led to the withdrawal," the office of the SAF's spokesman said in a statement, adding that the results will be submitted to authorities once the investigation is completed.

On Monday, the RSF said it had seized the headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division of the Sudanese army and controlled Wad Madani, the capital city of the central Gezira state, some 170 km southeast of the capital Khartoum.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo posted Tuesday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that civilians in Wad Madani and the entire Gezira state will remain in security and peace.

At least 250,000-300,000 people have fled the Gezira state since the clashes erupted four days ago, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement on Monday.

On Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced it has suspended all humanitarian field missions within and from Gezira state since Dec. 15.

Wad Madani has served as a hub for humanitarian operations since clashes between the SAF and the RSF broke out on April 15, the OCHA said.

So far, more than 12,000 people have been killed in the clashes, while 6.6 million others have been displaced inside and outside Sudan, according to the OCHA. 
KAMPALA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has tightened security ahead of the festive season after a suspected rebel attack killed 10 people in the western district of Kamwenge on Tuesday.

According to the police, at least five males and five females, all civilians, were killed in Kamwenge by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Fred Enanga, Uganda Police Force spokesman, said in a statement issued here late on Tuesday that joint security personnel, both armed and unarmed, have been deployed to patrol mapped-out areas to ensure peace, safety, and security ahead of Christmas Day.

"The increased visibility and other road policing measures of snap checks, stop and search operations, are only a small part of the comprehensive security measures in place," said Enanga. "Our joint intelligence components have profiled all major and significant installations, all major venues and hotspots with potential risks."

Uganda continues to face threats from the ADF, also a branch of the Islamic State in Central Africa, blamed for causing havoc and mounting attacks in North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the eastern DRC.

"Although a threat environment still exists in the county, we would like to assure the public that we are continuously reviewing our level of preparedness and assessing all threats and vulnerabilities in the countdown to Christmas and the New Year," said Enanga. 
Govts goal is Indias bright future





NEW DELHI,

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition parties of providing muted and indirect support to the security breach incident in Parliament and asserted that they will remain in Opposition with further reduced numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections because of their conduct. Addressing what he said was the last BJP parliamentary party meeting this year, Modi very much set out the theme for the ruling alliances campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha election as he took a swipe at the I.N.D.I.A. bloc over its meeting on Tuesday. Slamming Opposition parties for disrupting Parliament proceedings, Modi said they were giving political spin to the incident in frustration over its losses in the recent Assembly polls. Their goal is to throw out his Government but the Governments goal is to ensure a bright future for India, he added. Some People are uniting in their intent to remove the BJP from power while we are patriots working for the betterment of India.

They are utilising their strength to remove the Government while we are utilising our strength for the betterment of India, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, quoting the Prime Minister. Modi asserted that the Oppositions conduct in Parliament will ensure their numbers go further down in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls while the BJP boosts its tally. Pointing to some empty rows in the auditorium where all BJP MPs had collected, he said these will be filled up after the 2024 polls. Referring to the December 13 incident of two persons jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors gallery and opening smoke cans, he said anyone who believes in democracy will not accept such an act. This act should have been condemned unitedly, he added. Unfortunately, what I have been witnessing is that the Opposition is letting out its frustration of losing in the elections and giving political spin to the entire incident. They are even giving muted and indirect support to it which is worrisome. Giving support to the incident and saying things like what else they could have done is worrisome and condemnable, he said, according to a source. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had recently said that issues like unemployment and price rise were behind the security breach. How can a party believing in democratic values overtly or covertly justify it, the Prime Minister said, according to BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The conduct of these parties clearly indicates they have made up their mind to remain in opposition and are practicing for it, Modi said, adding that the nation has also made up its mind to keep them there and to reduce their strength even further. Modi asked BJP MPs to maintain restraint and adhere to democratic norms. We should expose opposition keeping in mind to keep our voice under control and stay within the limits of democracy. In the coming days, no matter whether others are participating or not, we must participate in Parliaments proceedings, he said, noting that some important bills are coming up for discussion in the two Houses. It would have been good if the opposition had participated in these debates but good deeds are perhaps not in their fate, he said in a biting criticism of these parties, according to party leaders.
Ridiculous, unacceptable Dhankhar after TMCs Kalyan Banerjee mimics RS Chairman





New Delhi,

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday took exception to Trinamool Congress' suspended MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking him during a protest in Parliament premises saying that the mimicry is ridiculous and unacceptable. Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliaments Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking the Vice President while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his phone. As the House reconvened at 12 noon after being adjourned, Dhankhar took note of the incident and said, Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable. Later he adjourned the House till 2 pm. Meanwhile, the suspended MPs of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises this morning.

The suspended lawmakers were joined by the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Sonia Gandhi, as they raised slogans against the Centre. The suspended members also protested against the Government at Parliament's Makar Dwar. The protests came a day after 78 Opposition MPs, from both houses, were suspended for the remainder of the ongoing 'Winter Session', for raising a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses to push for their demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach incident. The suspensions, combined with the 13 members removed earlier, were the largest in the history of Indian Parliament. A total of 78 MPs -- 33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha -- were suspended on Monday, following a ruckus over the demand by the Opposition for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach incident, taking the total number of lawmakers suspended for the remainder of the ongoing Winter Session to 92.
To witness inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya a lifetime opportunity





Staff Reporter

Witnessing the inauguration of grand Ramlala Mandir in Ayodhya is a lifetime opportunity for the current generation. People are blessed with the occasion of Pran Pratistha of newly constructed beautiful and grand temple after a long struggle of around 500 years and sacrifice of our lakhs of ancestors, said Vinod Kumar, Prant Sanyojak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while addressing a press conference, on Tuesday. Vinod Kumar informed that on the historic occasion of inauguration of Ramlala Mandir in Ayodhya will be celebrated like a Maha Diwali festival throughout the country. In order to connect every single citizen with the grand celebration, RSS Mahakaushal Prant will start Gruh Sampark Abhiyan in 24,900 villages to contact 50 lakh families in the region from January 1 to 15.

During the campaign, people will be given worshipped Akshat (Rice Grains) and laminated picture of Ramlala Mandir Ayodhya as an invitation for January 22, 2024. Prant Sanyojak of Abhiyan, Vinod Kumar added that following the security measures and gathering of 8000 invitees throughout the country including 148 from Mahakaushal region, public have been appealed to celebrate the occasion in their respective areas.
Anshu Manish Khalkhothe hero who oversaw Operation Zindagi knew what was at hand





By Shivanjali Verma

Every life matters and the historical rescue operation conducted to save 41 precious lives of workers who were trapped inside when a section of Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel at Uttrakhand collapsed on November 12, 2023, practically proved every single word of the above mantra given by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. It may be recalled that a section of the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel collapsed, trapping 41 construction workers inside. The 60 meter-long blockage occurred from a point about 200 metres (660 ft) from the entrance of the tunnel inwards. Soon the State Government launched Operation Zindagi to get the trapped workers back safely and 41 workers were rescued after 17 days. During the rescue operation, the entire nation swung from despair to hope back to despair until November 29, when the workers were safely evacuated. The entire world saluted the courage, bravery and determination of the workers trapped inside and team working outside to protect the precious lives. Once again we Indians proved why we are considered as super minds globally. Anshu Manish Khalkho, Director, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) under whose supervision the entire rescue operation was carried-out, was in the city to attend a private ceremony.

Khalkho has his roots in Jabalpur from where he did his schooling and higher education. During his visit to the city, Director, NHIDCL, Khalko interacted with The Hitavada and talked in length about the entire rescue process. It was a perfect example of excellent multi-departmental coordination, teamwork, determination and trust and overall excellent implementation of our innovative ideas and available resources. No stone was left unturned from lower upto PMO level to get it done. Our Prime Minister personally monitored the entire rescue operation. We all trusted on each-others efficiencies and fulfilled our part to let the history created, says the Director, NHIDCL. It was no less than moving the mountain and a tough test of grit and perseverance for those on both sides of the debris as the rescue was facing hurdles one after another during the operation which lasted for around 400 hours. The first was when excavators working to remove debris failed to make headway. An auger machine was requisitioned from Dehradun but that proved insufficient. A larger machine was then flown in from Delhi, using which rescuers managed to drill through 45 metres of debris. Then, came the toughest setback when the blades of the drilling machine broke inside the rescue pipes, and had to be manually cut. It was quite hard for our team to go inside that cramped space and cut it down using gas cutters for hours.

Once the broken blades were taken out, rescuers opted to go the rest of the way manually, calling 12 workers familiar with rat-hole mining, a method of extracting coal from narrow, horizontal seams. Meanwhile we also had an earthquake, but despite many setbacks, we all were quite determined to get our men back safely, he proudly expresses. Describing about the incident, he says The workers were working the night shift digging the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway when a portion of it collapsed at dawn on November 12. Till 10.00 pm we were clueless about the whereabouts of our workers, it was only after they started pumping out water from de-watering pipe, we knew about their survival and soon our communication started through that de-watering pipe only.
Assembly adjourned for day





By Bhavana Aparajita

Shukla

After an announcement by the Protem Speaker, the State Legislative Assembly was adjourned on Tuesday for the day. As the House assembled for the day, the newly-elected members, who had not yet taken oath as legislators, including Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, Govind Singh, Usha Thakur and Atif Arif Aqueel, took oath. So far, a total of 221 members have taken oath as members of the Legislative Assembly after being elected to the 16th Vidhan Sabha. Members also paid tributes to political leaders, including former Union ministers Sartaj Singh and Dr M S Gill, who died recently.

On the first day of the session on Monday, as many as 207 members had taken oath and a total of 14 MLAs took oath on the second day. Some of the newly-elected MLAs yet to take oath as members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath is not attending this session and he will take oath later, the official said. After the oath ceremony, Pro-tem Speaker Gopal Bhargava expressed grief over the death of the ex-Union ministers, including Gill, and remembered their contribution in social and political fields. Paying his tribute to them, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recalled that Sartaj Singh had served as a corporator, MLA, MP and a minister in the State as well as at the Centre. He represented Hoshanagabad. While paying tribute to Gill, Yadav recalled his contribution in free fair elections attempts, especially introducing electronic voting machines during his tenure as CEC.

That has put an end to the practice of rigging polls. Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar also paid his tributes to the departed leaders. Former Assembly speaker Dr Sitasharan Sharma recalled Sartaj Singhs valuable guidance in his personal life. Sharma credited him for bringing him into political life. The House paid tributes to former MLAs Ramdayal Ahirwar, Bhagwat Singh Patel, Kalyan Jain, Leelaram Bhojwani, Tarachand Patel and Ramlal Bharadwaj as well. Later, the House observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed leaders following which the Pro-tem Speaker adjourned the proceedings for the day.
Caste-based census and social harmony are incongruous: RSS





Staff Reporter

THE legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some of Shiv Sena (Shinde) legislators visited Smruti Mandir in Reshimbag here and paid tributes to Dr K B Hedgewar, founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Tuesday. While addressing them on RSS focus areas, a top RSS functionary said that caste-based census and social harmony (Samarasta) were incongruous. BJP-Sena legislators visited Smruti Mandir and paid tributes to Dr Hedgewar as well as Golwalkar Guruji. Shridhar Gadge, Vidarbha Prant Sah-Sanghchalak of RSS, addressed the legislators on this occasion. Rajesh Loya, Mahanagar Sanghchalak; Atul Moghe, Vidarbha Prant Karyavah; and Chandrashekhar Bawankule, State President of BJP were present prominently.

In his address, Gadge reiterated the focus areas of the RSS as highlighted by Dr Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of RSS, earlier. In the context of efforts needed to create a harmonious society without inequalities, Gadge said that caste-based census was not a good idea. Later, talking to The Hitavada, Gadge elaborated that caste discrimination had led to creation of inequalities in society. To address the inequalities, there was reservation as per Constitutional mechanism. It will continue as a Constitutional mechanism for the deprived. However, caste-based census is more of political and it may create rift in the society. If caste-based census is done, when its results will be out, it may create new inferiority or superiority complexes based on population size, Gadge said.

The British rulers had conducted caste-based census as they followed the policy of divide and rule. But, he said, present-day India need not follow any practice that will create disharmony in the society. In RSS, he added, no one followed caste discrimination. Gadges remarks in address to the visiting legislators created quite a stir on Tuesday. For, Maharashtra as well as various parts of the country have been witnessing agitations from different groups demanding reservations based on caste-based census. There have been demands from political parties also for caste-based census. Gadge referred to some other aspects also in his address to the legislators. These included social equality, family values, environmental balance, civic duties. Also, he said, he referred to Atmanirbhar Bharat and RSS emphasis on own (Bharatiya) language (Swa-Bhasha), own products (Swa-Deshi), self-reliance (Swawalamban), own costumes (Swa-Bhusha).
CMO restructured; P Dayanandmade as new Secretary to CM





Staff Reporter

Raipur,

In a much-awaited administrative move, the State Governments General Administration (GAD) on Tuesday issued formal orders aimed at restructuring the Chief Minister Office (CMO), hours after Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai along with other party MLAs were administered oath at Chhattisgarh Assembly. Five top bureaucrats including four IAS officers, who once dotted the rank and file of Chhattisgarh CMO, have been removed with immediate effect, while a solitary appointment of P Dayanand, a 2006-batch IAS officer, has been made in the CMO. Dayanand has been appointed as new Secretary to the Chief Minister in the fresh orders issued by the GAD Secretary Kamalpreet Singh, from Mantralaya, Mahanadi Bhawan, Nava Raipur, on late Tuesday evening The order also reads entrustment of additional responsibility of Department of Medical Education (DME) to P Dayanand, a charge he had been holding since previous, prior to fresh shuffle. However, except for removing the official responsibilities of CMO, all the five senior IAS officers will continue to discharge their duties entrusted to them with their respective departments.

The order specifically read that Subrat Sahoo, a 1992-batch IAS officer, posted as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to Chief Minister, with multiple additional responsibilities as ACS Electronics and Information Technology (IT); Commerce & Industries Department (Railway Line Projects); Panchayat and Rural Development; Public Works Department (PWD); Chairman of Chhattisgarh Environment Protection Board (CEBP) and Development; be removed from the charge of ACS to Chief Minister only. Apropos read the order for 2003-batch IAS officer Pardesi Siddhartha Komal, appointed as Secretary to Chief Minister, with dual charge of Secretary of Civil Aviation and Public Relations, who was removed from the charge of Secretary to Chief Minister only. Similarly, the GAD order categorically stated that another Secretary to Chief Minister, Ankit Anand, a 2006-batch IAS officer, with additional responsibilities of Secretary Finance and Energy Department as well as Chairman of Pension Grievances Committee and Chairman Chhattisgarh State Power Company, be removed from the charge of Secretary to Chief Minister only, while other departments he will continue to hold till further orders.

Likewise, the order also saw Solai Bharathi Das, a 2006-batch IAS officer, Secretary to Chief Minister, only being removed from the charge of CMO and directed to continue with his other responsibilities as Secretary, School Education and Public Health Engineering (PHE) departments. Finally, D D Singh, one more officer posted as Secretary to the Chief Minister, was also removed from the CMO only and asked to continue with his previously entrusted additional responsibility of Secretary, Tribal Development Department and Secretary GAD, now as regular charge.
Dr Raman Singh New Speaker of Cgarh Assembly





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR

In what could be called as a historic moment Dr Raman Singh, who served as the Chief Minister of the State for 15 consecutive years from 2003 to 2018, has been elected as the Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Assembly. The process of electing the Speaker commenced after the swearing-in of newly elected members on the first day of the State Assembly session. Dr Raman Singh was the sole nominee for the position of Speaker, and the proposal for his appointment was made by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, supported by Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and Leader of Opposition Dr Charan Das Mahant.

The proposal received widespread support from members across the party lines. Before the formal proposals, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also expressed his support for Dr Raman Singhs candidature. Other members, including Brijmohan Agrawal, Ajay Chandrakar, Kedar Kashyap, Punnulal Mohale, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, and Bhavana Bohra also seconded the proposal. Following the overwhelming support in the Assembly, Protem Speaker Ram Vichar Netam announced the appointment of Dr Raman Singh as the Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Assembly. Dr Raman Singh, expressing gratitude to the members, took his place on the Speakers chair. Dr Raman Singh served as the National Vice President of the BJP after losing the Chief Ministers post in 2018. He resigned from the position of Bharatiya Janta Party National Vice-President upon submitting the nomination for the Assembly Speaker. He sent his resignation to the partys national president JP Nadda on the same day.
Former CM Bhupesh Baghel nominated member of National Alliance Committee





RAIPUR,

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has been nominated as a Member of National Alliance Committee to engage in discussions regarding potential alliances with other political parties for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge has constituted a National Alliance Committee for run-up to the General Elections-2024. In this regard, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal has issued an order on Tuesday.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik has been nominated as the Convener of the National Alliance Committee. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Union Minister Salman Khur shid and senior Congress leader Mohan Prakash ar e the other Members of the National Alliance Com mittee.
Voters check information outside a polling station in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Dec. 20, 2023. Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening. (Str/Xinhua)

KINSHASA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening.

POLLING EXTENDED

"The polling stations which have not opened will open on Thursday," Kadima said, without giving further details.

Some 44 million voters in the DRC go to the polls Wednesday to elect a new president, members of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, as well as municipal councilors, with delays in deployment of voting materials and reports of sporadic violence at some polling stations.

Voters were supposed to cast their ballots from 6 a.m. till 5 p.m., but across the country, many polling stations suffered from logistic problems to keep the electoral process going. Some polling stations started late in the day with long lines waiting.

Five presidential candidates, including Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege, main challengers from the opposition, demanded the reorganization of the ballot within a deadline to be decided among the stakeholders and with a new CENI office. These candidates refused to recognize the balloting held Wednesday.

In addition to malfunctioning voting machines, several polling stations also faced a shortage of ballot papers and voting booths. Some voters found that their names were not on the list.

According to the observation mission of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), 31.37 percent of polling stations did not open on time across the country.

"TOTAL CHAOS"

Several presidential candidates of the opposition publicly contested the ongoing electoral process.

"It's total chaos. There's no organization," Martin Fayulu said while leaving the polling station earlier the day after casting his ballots. "If there are polling stations where people do not vote, we will not accept these elections."

Denis Mukwege, another presidential contender, also denounced the dysfunction of the polling stations, saying that the CENI should be held responsible.

"If we find that these irregularities are huge, we are not going to accept that the population is placed in a position" of not being able to elect its leaders, Mukwege said earlier Wednesday at a polling station in Kinshasa.

In Bunia, the capital of the eastern province of Ituri, several electoral kits were destroyed Wednesday morning by war-displaced people angry at not being able to vote.

Several parts of the eastern DRC, still occupied by rebels, are excluded from holding these elections due to inadequate voter registration.

Twenty-six candidates have been registered by the CENI to compete in the presidential elections, including the outgoing President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking reelection.

Moise Katumbi, former governor of Katanga province, Denis Mukwege, the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with rape survivors, as well as Martin Fayulu, who still considers himself the legitimate winner of the 2018 presidential election, are the main challengers facing Tshisekedi.

The electoral law of the DRC stipulates that the candidate who garners the most votes in the first round will become the next president outright, with a five-year term, renewable once only.

According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. 

Voters check information outside a polling station in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Dec. 20, 2023. Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening. (Str/Xinhua)

Voters check information outside a polling station in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Dec. 20, 2023. Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening. (Str/Xinhua)

A voter casts his vote at a polling station in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dec. 20, 2023. Voters went to the polls Wednesday in the DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, amid a tense security context. According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. (Str/Xinhua)

People check information at a polling station in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dec. 20, 2023. Voters went to the polls Wednesday in the DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, amid a tense security context. According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

People check information at a polling station in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dec. 20, 2023. Voters went to the polls Wednesday in the DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, amid a tense security context. According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2023 shows a view of a polling station in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Voters went to the polls Wednesday in the DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, amid a tense security context. According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2023 shows a polling station in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Voters went to the polls Wednesday in the DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, amid a tense security context. According to the official electoral calendar, provisional results are expected on Dec. 31, and the president-elect will be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 21, 2023 shows a staff member counting votes at a counting center in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 21, 2023 shows staff members counting votes at a counting center in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Wednesday evening. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)
J&K can be among Indiaseconomically strong States





By Nantoo Banerjee

The States GDP grew 10 per cent annually in last two years. A NITI Aayog report shows that Srinagar is the richest district in J&K with only 1.51 percent underprivileged people. The State having a total population of around 1.36 crore is expected to have a gross GDP of over 2.30 lakh crore at the end of the current year.

THE restoration of Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, without the Union Territory of Ladakh, and an expected elected Government by September, next year, come at a time when J&K has established its position as one of Indias top performing provinces in terms of economic growth. J&Ks State GDP is lately growing at the rate of 10 percent, annually. A key task before the States forthcoming elected Government would naturally be to take the growth dynamics on a fast-forward mode and generate more employment and revenue. This should be more than possible. Till now, major contributors to the States economy have been agriculture, horticulture, tourism, handicrafts, limited scale of manufacturing and services. Its huge mineral resources remain largely untapped. The potential needs to be explored and exploited to push the manufacturing sector. This may require a change in the States land acquisition policy. The States economic potential was never tested fully by its erstwhile politically volatile Governments challenged by pro-Pakistan elements and cessationist groups taking advantage of the prolonged presence of Article 370 of the Indian constitution. The Article gave Special Status to the originally designed J&K, a region disputed by India, Pakistan and China.

The provision was drafted by N, Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a Constituent Assembly member, and was added to the constitution as a temporary provision in 1949 For unknown reasons, the provision remained untouched until August 5, 2019, when the Parliament abrogated the Article taking away the Special Status to J&K and bifurcated it into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. While Ladakh is to remain as a Union Territory, the Government assured that Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir will be restored soon. Last week, the Supreme Court held the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution valid and ordered the Election Commission to conduct elections to J&K Assembly before September 30, 2024. The apex court also directed the Centre for the restoration of J&Ks Statehood. The challenges before the new J&K Government after the Assembly election are going to be many. Among the most important of them are: improvement of law and order situation in the valley and creation of proper environment for social, educational, economic growth, and jobs for the youth. More jobs and more wealth with the local people are bound to improve the social and political environment. The new economic and industrial development policies need to be directed at utilisation of the hitherto untapped resources. J&K has Indias sole production unit of borax. Sitting on large sapphire resources, the State boasts of having several essential minerals such as coal, graphite, marble, gypsum, magnesite, and limestone. Indias first and only lithium reserves to the tune of 5.9 million tonnes have already been discovered in the State. The union Government eyes more lithium reserves in J&K. It has identified the presence of as many as 30 critical minerals. The State will need to work with both the union Government and private sector entrepreneurs to tap these resources to grow as one of the countrys leading economies. Such initiatives are bound to have a positive impact on the society and help establish peace and security in the State. However, much will depend on political parties trying to come to power to rule the State. As for now, J&K is not doing badly on the economic front compared to many other States of the country. In terms of per capita income, J&K is well ahead of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur and Meghalaya. There has been a consistent increase in the per capita income in J&K since the financial year 2011-12. It is moving fast to top the national per capita income average, which is now estimated at Rs.1,45,679. Currently, the per capita income of J&K is Rs.1,36,771 as against Rs.1,20,790, last year.

Incidentally, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Telangana ranked first among all Indian States with the highest per capita income at current prices at Rs 3,08,732, followed by Karnataka with Rs 3,01,673 and Haryana with Rs 2,96,685. A NITI Aayog report shows that Srinagar is the richest district in J&K with only 1.51 percent underprivileged people. The State having a total population of around 1.36 crore is expected to have a gross GDP of over 2.30 lakh crore at the end of the current financial year. However, it would be foolish to ignore the baggage the province was forced to carry since 1949 that primarily stood in the way of the States economic progress over the last seven decades. The States economic development will continue to face numerous hurdles such as the issue of political stability after the election, next year, future security concerns, poor physical infrastructure, land ownership issues, limited market access, large Hindu-Muslim divide, educational and skill gaps. J&K is a majority Muslim State. Islam forms the majority religion in 17 out of the States 22 districts. The States Muslim population is around 85.67 lakhs, representing 68.32 percent of the total population. The Parliament is in the process of enacting a new legislation that seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats in the State Assembly for women. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, has already been passed by Parliament. This will have an impact on the States future political leadership. The elected Government in the State must try to resolve all the pending issues and obstacles in due course for the long-term prosperity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. (IPA) n
Mamata and Kejriwal propose Kharge as PM face; lets win first, says Cong chief





NEW DELHI :

WEST Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday proposed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharges name as the prime ministerial candidate of Opposition bloc INDIA, MDMK leader Vaiko said after the meeting of the grouping. However, the veteran Congress leader said it is important to win first and everything else can be decided later. Significantly, while Vaiko said Kharges name was proposed by Banerjee and Kejriwal, other leaders, on the condition of anonymity, maintained that there was no final decision on the issue during the meeting. After his name was proposed as a candidate to become the countrys first Dalit Prime Minister at a meeting attended by 28 Opposition leaders here, Kharge said, I work for the downtrodden. Lets win first, then we will see.

I dont seek anything. First we have to win and get a majority, then MPs will decide democratically, Kharge when asked if he could be the PM candidate for the Opposition alliance. Banerjee after her arrival in the national capital on Monday, had told reporters that any decision on the prime ministerial face of the alliance will be taken after the election. When so many political parties are together, it is a democracy, with different states, different views and different opinions, but ultimately I.N.D.I.A. is a platform where we are fighting together, said Banerjee. The BJP doesnt have any allies. The NDA is gone. We are not like that. It will be better, after the elections, we have to see the results, and then announce the PM candidate. All parties will decide that, she had said. I.N.D.I.A. bloc protest on Dec 22 against suspension of MPs: THE Opposition INDIA bloc will hold a nationwide protest on December 22 against the suspension of 141 MPs from Parliament, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Tuesday after a meeting of the coalition. He said the coalition also passed a resolution condemning the suspension and calling the action undemocratic. As many as 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs suspended in both Houses of Parliament to 141. Addressing a press conference after the INDIA bloc meeting, Kharge said, If we have to save democracy we will have to fight together and all of us are ready for this fight.

This is for the first time in Indias history that such a thing has happened, Kharge said. The issue that we had raised in the House was not a wrong one....How did those people entered Parliament? Who facilitated their entry? We had been saying from earlier, Home Minister (Amit Shah) or Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), should come to House and apprise the House about the incident. But they did not agree. I do not understand. Parliament is going on, they go for inauguration in Ahmedabad...Modi ji goes to his constituency, is giving speeches everywhere, why did he not come to Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Their intention is to finish democracy, Kharge said. This is the first instance that so many people have been suspended, he said. The Prime Minister and the Home Minister are thinking that no one is better than them at ruling over the country. We have united to change that mindset, the Congress chief said.

A nationwide protest will be held on December 22 against the suspension of MPs, he said. While the opposition bloc has slammed as undemocratic the suspension of MPs for display of placards demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 security breach in Parliament, the government justified the action saying the suspended MPs insulted the Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman and the institution of Parliament. On December 13, two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors gallery and opened smoke cans.
Misconduct 49 more MPs suspended from LS







NEW DELHI :

FORTY-NINE Opposition MPs, including Farooq Abdullah, Supriya Sule, Dimple Yadav and Shashi Tharoor, were on Tuesday suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the winter session, a day after 33 MPs were suspended from the House for misconduct. The action came after the House faced adjournments, with Opposition members raising slogans and displaying placards over their demands.

They have been demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach on December 13. With 49 Lok Sabha MPs suspended, the total number of Opposition parliamentarians suspended from the two Houses has gone up to 141. With suspensions on Wednesday, the number of those who have been barred from entering Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers till the conclusion of the winter session stood at 92. The winter session will conclude on December 22. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal brought the motion to suspend the members. The MPs suspended on Tuesday include, Manish Tewari and Karti Chidambaram. Among the other MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha included S Jagathrakshakan and DNV Senthil Kumar of the DMK, Giridhari Yadav of the JD(U), Danish Ali who has been suspended from the BSP and Sushil Kumar Rinku of the AAP. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, while moving a motion for the suspension of the MPs, accused the protesting members of being frustrated over the recent Assembly election results.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the members had been suspended for showing placards and that all MPs had agreed that they will not resort to this in the new Parliament building. He said the Opposition members had broken rules and disrespected the Chair. Targeting Congress and other Opposition parties, he said they were frustrated over the results of recent Assembly polls. BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, asked the Government to move the motion for suspension of MPs. A total of 78 MPs -- 33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha -- were suspended for the remainder of winter session on Monday, following a ruckus over the demand by the Opposition parties for a statement from Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach incident.
No need to recreate crime scene in Parlt security breach case: Police





NEW DELHI,

THERE is no need to recreate the crime scene as the entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras, an official source said in connection with Parliament security breach case. We have collected the footage of all the CCTVs there and teams are scanning them. We have also questioned the accused on the basis of the footage and so far there is no need to recreate the crime scene, said the source. The two men, who managed to enter the Lok Sabha Hall from the visitors gallery on December 13, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, have been identified as Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, both residents of Mysore.

While Manoranjan is an Engineering student from Karnataka, Sharmas visitors pass was issued on the recommendation of Karnatakas Mysore BJP MP, Pratap Simha. The other two, a man and a woman, who were protesting with coloured flares outside Parliament and were detained by Delhi Police, have been identified as Neelam, a resident of Jind in Haryana and Amol Shinde, a resident of Latur, Maharashtra.

The alleged mastermind of the Parliament security breach incident, Lalit Jha, who ran away with the phones of Manoranjan, Sharma, Neelam and Shinde, had surrendered at the Kartavya Path police station. Following his interrogation, the police have also arrested Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the case. The case, registered against them and Jha at Parliament Street police station, includes Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespassing), 153 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), 186 (obstructing public servants in the discharge of public functions), and 353 (criminal force to deter public servants from duty) of the IPC, along with UAPA.
Staff Reporter

Bhola Singh, Chief Managing Director of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) was felicitated with the Distinguished Alumni Award 2023 of IIT Kharagpur at the 69th convocation of the Institute in the gracious presence of the President of India, Draupadi Murmu. CMD NCL Bhola Singh was given this honour for his professional achievements and his

immense contribution to the Nations coal industry.

CMD, Singh received his B.Tech (Hons) in Mining Engineering from the Nations prestigious technical institute, IIT, Kharagpur in 1987. Under the excellent leadership of Bhola Singh, NCL is performing well in the current fiscal on all parameters like coal production, coal dispatch and overburden removal, and sustainable mining. Under his leadership, vivid steps have been taken towards sustainable mining and long-term development in NCL like the establishment of an Over Burden to Sand Making Plant, the establishment of a 50 MW solar power plant, construction of FMC projects for dispatching coal through eco-friendly mode.

CMD, Bhola Singh has over 35 years of rich experience in reputed public and private sector organizations of the country. Before taking over as CMD of NCL, he was working as Director (Technical) in Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Ranchi. CMD, Bhola Singh has also been awarded the National Mine Safety Award by the President of India in 2017. He has also written many technical papers on blasting and rock fragmentation and other topics in national and international level journals.
Warm welcome to new MLAs in house





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR,

All newly-elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the sixth Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly were accorded a warm welcome by presenting red rose by the officials of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Secretariat at the Assembly campus on Tuesday. Folk artists performed dance at Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly campus to welcome the newly- elected MLAs. At first, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Basna legislative assembly Sampat Agrawal reached the assembly campus and he was welcomed by the officials of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, pro-tem speaker Ram Vichar Netam, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Dr Charan Das Mahant, Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao, Vijay Sharma, Rajnandgaon MLA and former chief minister Dr Raman Singh, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, MLAs Brijmohan Agrawal, Rajesh Munat, Purandar Mishra, Ishwar Sahu, Bhawna Bohra and all other MLAs were accorded a warm welcome by the officials of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Secretariat. All the entrance gates of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly were beautifully decked up for the first session of the sixth Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, which began on Tuesday. Tight security arrangements were visible at the assembly premises on the first day of the Assembly session, on Tuesday. Access to the Legislative Assembly premises was restricted to individuals holding valid entry passes. Stringent surveillance was maintained by security personnel throughout the premises and across all galleries.

To streamline entry, MLAs exclusively used the VIP gate. Arrangements were made for accompanying workers and their families to witness the live proceedings of the House. A large screen was installed in the auditorium within the Legislative Assembly campus, and the entry was facilitated through gate number 1. There are 50 first time MLAs, 15 second time MLAs and 10 third time MLAs in the 90 assembly seats in sixth Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. 19 female MLAs including 11 MLAs from main opposition Indian National Congress and 8 MLAs from the ruling BJP reached the House in the sixth Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korean workers taking parental leave rose in double digits in 2022 as more fathers went on leave to care for children, statistical office data showed Wednesday.

A total of 199,976 employees started parental leave to take care of children last year, up 14.2 percent compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. It marked the fastest increase since 2011.

By law, parents with children younger than 8, or below the second grade of elementary school, are entitled to apply for a maximum one year of parental leave.

The number of fathers going on paternity leave surged 28.5 percent to 54,240 in 2022, reaching a record high since relevant data began to be compiled in 2010.

Of the total parental leave, the proportion of male workers taking time off gained 3.0 percentage points to hit a new high of 27.1 percent last year. The figure has been on the increase from a mere 6.0 percent in 2015.

The number of mothers who went on maternity leave expanded 9.6 percent to 145,736 in 2022, accounting for 72.9 percent of the total. 
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank said Wednesday that it released 250 million U.S. dollars as the second tranche of the Resilience, Stability and Economic Turnaround (RESET) Development Policy Operation.

In June, the World Bank announced 500 million dollars for the RESET Development Policy Operation, which supports reforms that improve economic governance, enhance growth and competitiveness, and protect the poor and vulnerable.

In the same month, 250 million dollars were disbursed, the World Bank said in a statement.

The World Bank said the second tranche is now being released after assessing that the government continues to make satisfactory progress in carrying out the broader reform program.

Continued momentum on economic and structural reforms is critical not only for stabilizing the economy, but also for unleashing its potential for private sector-led growth and transformation, said Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, World Bank country director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. 
SlateStone Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 9,350 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock, valued at approximately $1,214,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PPG. Quarry LP bought a new stake in PPG Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in PPG Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in PPG Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in PPG Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in PPG Industries by 84.9% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 220 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.18% of the companys stock.

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PPG Industries Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE PPG opened at $149.51 on Wednesday. PPG Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.32 and a 52-week high of $152.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $134.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.95. The stock has a market cap of $35.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.24.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

PPG Industries ( NYSE:PPG Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. PPG Industries had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 23.51%. PPG Industriess revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 10th were paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 9th. PPG Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on PPG. Barclays raised shares of PPG Industries from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $160.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of PPG Industries from $172.00 to $166.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 20th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of PPG Industries in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of PPG Industries from $154.00 to $152.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $155.44.

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PPG Industries Profile

(Free Report)

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials worldwide. The company operates through Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.

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Adviser Investments LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,747 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 552 shares during the quarter. Adviser Investments LLCs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Barrett & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spotlight Asset Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 950.0% during the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 420 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.70% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total transaction of $942,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 198,447 shares in the company, valued at $18,703,629.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on PM. StockNews.com began coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a buy rating and issued a $114.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, October 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Philip Morris International from $111.00 to $105.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $109.27.

Check Out Our Latest Report on PM

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $95.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $147.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.77. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.23 and a 1 year high of $105.62. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $92.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.29.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $9.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.21 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 129.48% and a net margin of 9.62%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.46%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.97%.

About Philip Morris International

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of FS KKR Capital Corp. (NYSE:FSK  Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 894,831 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 64,138 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLCs holdings in FS KKR Capital were worth $17,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in shares of FS KKR Capital by 98,059.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 8,897,208 shares of the companys stock valued at $170,648,000 after purchasing an additional 8,888,144 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of FS KKR Capital by 74.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,419,079 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459,343 shares in the last quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of FS KKR Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $21,293,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of FS KKR Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $18,295,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of FS KKR Capital by 4,104.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 759,013 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,283,000 after purchasing an additional 740,961 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.42% of the companys stock.

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FS KKR Capital Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE FSK opened at $19.92 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a PE ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.73. FS KKR Capital Corp. has a 52 week low of $17.06 and a 52 week high of $20.80.

FS KKR Capital Increases Dividend

FS KKR Capital ( NYSE:FSK Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 6th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $465.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $455.68 million. FS KKR Capital had a net margin of 36.74% and a return on equity of 12.74%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that FS KKR Capital Corp. will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.06%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 12th. This is a positive change from FS KKR Capitals previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. FS KKR Capitals payout ratio is 106.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of FS KKR Capital from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FS KKR Capital has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $20.88.

Get Our Latest Analysis on FSK

FS KKR Capital Company Profile

(Free Report)

FS KKR Capital Corp. is a business development company specializing in investments in debt securities. It provides customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. It invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market U.S.

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AE Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI  Free Report) by 6.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 683,325 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 48,609 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLCs holdings in NiSource were worth $16,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in NiSource by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 22,039,844 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $602,790,000 after purchasing an additional 223,303 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in NiSource by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 56,785 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in NiSource by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 16,833 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 2,741 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in NiSource by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 36,148 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 7,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, My Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new position in NiSource during the 2nd quarter worth about $332,000. Institutional investors own 94.91% of the companys stock.

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NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NI opened at $26.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $25.82 and a 200-day moving average of $26.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.29. NiSource Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.86 and a fifty-two week high of $28.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NiSource ( NYSE:NI Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.05. NiSource had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 11.14%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NI shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on NiSource in a report on Friday, October 6th. They set a buy rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on NiSource from $30.00 to $27.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut NiSource from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on NI

Insider Activity at NiSource

In related news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.24, for a total value of $131,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,261,356.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NiSource Company Profile

(Free Report)

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 859,000 customers in northern Indiana, as well as approximately 2.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Albany International (NYSE:AIN  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

AIN has been the topic of a number of other reports. TheStreet raised shares of Albany International from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised shares of Albany International from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Monday, September 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albany International presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $110.33.

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Albany International Price Performance

Shares of AIN opened at $97.25 on Tuesday. Albany International has a twelve month low of $78.20 and a twelve month high of $115.39. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $86.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 3.53, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Albany International (NYSE:AIN  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.11. Albany International had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The business had revenue of $281.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.96 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. The companys revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Albany International will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albany International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 19th will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 18th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. This is an increase from Albany Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Albany Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albany International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AIN. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its holdings in shares of Albany International by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 12,955 shares of the textile makers stock worth $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Albany International by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 12,677 shares of the textile makers stock worth $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albany International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 12,806 shares of the textile makers stock worth $1,262,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Albany International by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,883 shares of the textile makers stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Albany International by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,512 shares of the textile makers stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.37% of the companys stock.

About Albany International

(Get Free Report)

Albany International Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the textile and materials processing business. The company operates in two segments, Machine Clothing (MC) and Albany Engineered Composites (AEC). The MC segment designs, manufactures, and markets paper machine clothing for use in the manufacturing of papers, paperboards, tissues, towels, nonwovens, building products, tannery, and textiles.

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Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM  Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $80.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $90.00. BMO Capital Markets target price indicates a potential upside of 8.20% from the companys current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on ADM. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. StockNews.com began coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Stephens reduced their price objective on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Archer-Daniels-Midland presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $88.22.

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of ADM opened at $73.94 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.69. The companys fifty day moving average is $73.36 and its 200 day moving average is $76.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.82. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a fifty-two week low of $69.31 and a fifty-two week high of $96.16.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.10. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.86 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Archer-Daniels-Midland

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.73% of the companys stock.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.

Further Reading

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Canton Hathaway LLC increased its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG  Free Report) by 37.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,221 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Canton Hathaway LLCs holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 99,734.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 253,081,478 shares of the companys stock worth $38,402,583,000 after purchasing an additional 252,827,976 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 161,843,254 shares of the companys stock worth $24,064,473,000 after purchasing an additional 2,157,319 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 103,104,467 shares of the companys stock worth $15,645,072,000 after purchasing an additional 817,674 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 46,754,131 shares of the companys stock worth $6,936,343,000 after purchasing an additional 510,559 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,320,700 shares of the companys stock worth $6,717,246,000 after purchasing an additional 4,959,527 shares during the period. 63.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, November 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $169.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $154.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $179.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $166.41.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $146.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $344.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.46. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $135.83 and a 1 year high of $158.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.37.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 18th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $21.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.58 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.30% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 20th were paid a $0.9407 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 19th. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is currently 61.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 575 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.97, for a total transaction of $83,357.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,498 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,086,985.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Matthew W. Janzaruk sold 188 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $27,921.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 626 shares of the companys stock, valued at $92,973.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 575 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.97, for a total transaction of $83,357.75. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,498 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,985.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 79,382 shares of company stock valued at $11,988,690. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the companys stock.

Procter & Gamble Profile

(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.

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Chemistry Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 526 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Retirement Group LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 159.1% during the 2nd quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 57 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 156.4% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 100 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.38% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total transaction of $382,637.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,708 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value of $382,637.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,708 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at $60,404,028,326.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $579.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $589.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $533.23. The stock has a market cap of $550.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 105.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.33. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $309.20 and a 1-year high of $629.97.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 48.12% and a net margin of 15.55%. The company had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.88 billion. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is 81.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $615.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, October 9th. TheStreet downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. UBS Group restated a buy rating and issued a $710.00 price objective (up previously from $612.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $727.00 to $822.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $630.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $583.24.

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Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Cullinan Associates Inc. decreased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,498 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Cullinan Associates Inc.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth approximately $66,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,505.1% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,300 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $13,633,000 after buying an additional 38,727 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 18.5% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,609 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $39,153,000 after buying an additional 18,540 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 79.4% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 827 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 118.3% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.06% of the companys stock.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $382.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $124.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.36 and a 12-month high of $386.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $328.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.28.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 17th. The investment management company reported $5.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.42 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.15 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 7.37% and a net margin of 7.77%. The Goldman Sachs Groups revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.25 EPS. Analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 22.96 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 29th. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 53.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GS. HSBC initiated coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a buy rating and a $403.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $329.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Citigroup cut their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $400.00 to $380.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. Oppenheimer upped their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $447.00 to $468.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $393.99.

Get Our Latest Analysis on The Goldman Sachs Group

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Ericka T. Leslie sold 1,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.15, for a total transaction of $461,166.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,509,355.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Ericka T. Leslie sold 1,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.15, for a total transaction of $461,166.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,509,355.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 72,874 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.71, for a total value of $51,740.54. Following the sale, the insider now owns 397,954 shares of the companys stock, valued at $282,547.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements.

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will look into any information it receives on its alleged links to a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the United States.

Modi made the comments in an interview with the British daily Financial Times published on Wednesday.

"If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," Modi was quoted as having said. "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it."

These were the first public remarks made by Modi since the U.S. Justice Department last month filed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader, identified by media as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is a U.S. citizen.

Modi further said the allegations will not affect ties between India and the United States.

In September Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian agents played a role in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader based in Canada, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in a Vancouver suburb in June.

But India denied the allegations levelled by Trudeau.

The issue hit the diplomatic relations between India and Canada. It saw a tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between the two sides and issuing travel advisories.

In October Canada withdrew its 41 diplomats and 42 accompanying dependents from India following a directive from India's foreign ministry to reduce its diplomatic staff presence in India.

India said it sought parity with Canada in terms of the diplomatic staff posted in each other's missions and threatened it would remove the diplomatic immunity of the Canadian staff if they chose to stay in India. 
Cwm LLC cut its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,648 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,589 shares during the period. Cwm LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $8,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. grew its position in Novartis by 49.5% during the second quarter. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. now owns 299 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its position in Novartis by 1.2% during the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 8,267 shares of the companys stock worth $834,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP grew its position in Novartis by 1.6% during the second quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 6,398 shares of the companys stock worth $646,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Novartis by 0.7% during the second quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,083 shares of the companys stock worth $1,421,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its position in Novartis by 3.5% during the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 2,959 shares of the companys stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 7.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Novartis from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, September 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Novartis Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NVS opened at $98.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $208.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Novartis AG has a one year low of $79.98 and a one year high of $105.61. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $95.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.18.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $11.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.05 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 28.27% and a net margin of 15.35%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 6.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Novartis

(Free Report)

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.

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Cullinan Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,200 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $1,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in EOG Resources by 6.2% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 186,635 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $21,359,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 196.9% in the second quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,593 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $870,000 after purchasing an additional 5,036 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 41.9% in the second quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 4,659 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA increased its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 21.0% in the second quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 122,241 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $13,989,000 after purchasing an additional 21,223 shares during the period. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 6.6% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 7,112 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.21% of the companys stock.

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EOG Resources Stock Up 0.7 %

EOG opened at $122.53 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $125.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.43. The company has a market cap of $71.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.10, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.44. EOG Resources, Inc. has a one year low of $98.52 and a one year high of $137.95.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The energy exploration company reported $3.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 26.80% and a net margin of 32.11%. Analysts anticipate that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 12.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. This is an increase from EOG Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 16th. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is presently 24.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EOG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered EOG Resources from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $156.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on EOG Resources in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. lowered EOG Resources from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 24th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on EOG Resources from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on EOG Resources from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, EOG Resources presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $145.14.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on EOG Resources

EOG Resources Company Profile

(Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH  Get Free Report) Director Jack E. Corrigan bought 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.32 per share, with a total value of $24,320.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $24,320. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

American Homes 4 Rent Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE AMH opened at $36.14 on Wednesday. The firms 50-day moving average is $34.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.32. American Homes 4 Rent has a 12 month low of $28.78 and a 12 month high of $37.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.72.

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American Homes 4 Rent Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. American Homes 4 Rents payout ratio is currently 84.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AMH shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of American Homes 4 Rent in a report on Friday, September 29th. They set a neutral rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $34.50 to $37.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of American Homes 4 Rent from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of American Homes 4 Rent from $38.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.71.

Get Our Latest Analysis on American Homes 4 Rent

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Homes 4 Rent during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Homes 4 Rent during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Spotlight Asset Group Inc. purchased a new stake in American Homes 4 Rent during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in American Homes 4 Rent during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in American Homes 4 Rent by 101.3% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.97% of the companys stock.

American Homes 4 Rent Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH), which does business as AMH, is a leading owner, operator and developer of single-family rental homes. We're an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing and managing homes as rental properties.

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Legato Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. (NYSE:SITE  Free Report) by 14.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,203 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 1,534 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLCs holdings in SiteOne Landscape Supply were worth $1,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 4,436 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its holdings in SiteOne Landscape Supply by 186.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 2,525 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 1,643 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in SiteOne Landscape Supply by 14.8% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 10,831 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in SiteOne Landscape Supply during the first quarter valued at about $410,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in SiteOne Landscape Supply during the first quarter valued at about $309,000.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

SITE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 29th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. UBS Group raised shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $200.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 26th. Stifel Nicolaus cut SiteOne Landscape Supply from a buy rating to a hold rating and upped their price target for the company from $150.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on SiteOne Landscape Supply from $141.00 to $131.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $160.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other SiteOne Landscape Supply news, CEO Doug Black sold 7,960 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.12, for a total value of $1,155,155.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 568,886 shares of the companys stock, valued at $82,556,736.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

SiteOne Landscape Supply Stock Down 0.5 %

SITE stock opened at $162.37 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The companys 50 day moving average is $141.22 and its 200 day moving average is $154.62. The stock has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.28 and a beta of 1.44. SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.25 and a 1-year high of $176.16.

SiteOne Landscape Supply (NYSE:SITE  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. SiteOne Landscape Supply had a return on equity of 12.71% and a net margin of 4.16%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SiteOne Landscape Supply Profile

(Free Report)

SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of landscape supplies in the United States and Canada. The company provides a selection of approximately 155,000 stock keeping units, including irrigation supplies, which comprise controllers, valves, sprinkler heads, and irrigation pipes; fertilizer, grass seed, and ice melt products; control products, such as herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and other pesticides; landscape accessories that include mulches, soil amendments, drainage pipes, tools, and sods; nursery goods, which consist of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, ornamental, shade, evergreen trees, field grown and container-grown nursery stock, roses, perennials, annuals, bulbs, and plant species; hardscapes, such as pavers, natural stones, blocks, and other durable materials; and outdoor lighting products that include lighting fixtures, LED lamps, wires, transformers, and accessories.

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Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL  Free Report) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,319 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.6% during the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 17,127 shares of the companys stock worth $1,777,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $693,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.2% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,177 shares of the companys stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% during the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,756 shares of the companys stock valued at $701,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% in the second quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 75.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 3,502 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total value of $301,172.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,226 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,911,436. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 3,502 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total transaction of $301,172.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $1,911,436. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 315,234 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $37,887,974.46. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 19,852,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,386,044,691.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 636,009 shares of company stock valued at $76,313,890. Company insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE:RCL opened at $123.88 on Wednesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $47.91 and a 52 week high of $124.23. The stocks fifty day moving average is $100.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.02. The company has a market capitalization of $31.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.71 and a beta of 2.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $3.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.42. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 34.59%. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruisess revenue for the quarter was up 39.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. HSBC began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. They set a buy rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $132.00 to $127.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $127.00 to $123.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $127.00 to $120.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $111.93.

View Our Latest Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

(Free Report)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 13, 2023, it operated 64 ships. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

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Northeast Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after selling 730 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.2% of Northeast Financial Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Northeast Financial Group Inc.s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.69% of the companys stock.

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UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $524.04 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $484.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $537.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $507.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

UnitedHealth Group ( NYSE:UNH Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $92.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $91.41 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.58%. UnitedHealth Groups quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.95 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 4th were paid a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 1st. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.64%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 66,081 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.39, for a total value of $36,370,321.59. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 635,528 shares in the company, valued at $349,788,255.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total transaction of $2,448,171.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,017,173.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 66,081 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.39, for a total transaction of $36,370,321.59. Following the transaction, the director now owns 635,528 shares of the companys stock, valued at $349,788,255.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 192,094 shares of company stock worth $104,507,072. Company insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens restated an overweight rating and issued a $585.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $520.00 to $640.00 in a report on Monday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $587.00 to $579.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $584.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a reduce rating and set a $480.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $574.89.

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About UnitedHealth Group

(Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC lessened its position in iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF (NYSEARCA:EWM  Free Report) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 15,175 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,021 shares during the quarter. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF were worth $312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EWM. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF by 25.0% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,625 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the last quarter. Glovista Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF by 107.5% in the second quarter. Glovista Investments LLC now owns 114,813 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,280,000 after purchasing an additional 59,486 shares during the last quarter. Sparta 24 Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,074,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF by 10.4% during the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,018 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF by 0.5% during the second quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 114,855 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,298,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.84% of the companys stock.

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iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF Price Performance

EWM stock opened at $21.53 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $21.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.89. iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF has a 52-week low of $19.84 and a 52-week high of $24.12.

About iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF

iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Malaysia Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Malaysian market, as measured by the MSCI Malaysia Index (the Index).

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (BATS:MTUM  Free Report) by 7.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,955 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the quarter. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF were worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 1,428.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 214 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its position in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 150.5% in the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 263 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period.

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iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Stock Up 0.6 %

BATS MTUM opened at $157.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.39. iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF has a 12-month low of $81.37 and a 12-month high of $113.60.

iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US equities, selected and weighted based on price appreciation over 6- and 12-month periods and low volatility over the past 3 years.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO  Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 330 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in AutoZone were worth $838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 7.4% during the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 714 shares of the companys stock worth $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,428,000. Geller Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 29.2% during the first quarter. Geller Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the companys stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 200.0% during the second quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 75 shares of the companys stock worth $187,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 89.5% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 36 shares of the companys stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.34% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $2,750.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $2,975.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 20th. Raymond James raised shares of AutoZone from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $2,850.00 to $3,100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Argus upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,775.00 to $2,920.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,070.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2,851.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total transaction of $8,152,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,282,501.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total value of $8,152,080.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,282,501.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Preston Frazer sold 6,754 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,476.97, for a total value of $16,729,455.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 709 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,756,171.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,069 shares of company stock worth $38,803,642. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $2,649.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.63. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,277.88 and a twelve month high of $2,750.00. The firms 50 day moving average price is $2,604.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $2,532.24.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 5th. The company reported $32.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $31.57 by $0.98. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.19 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 57.23% and a net margin of 14.62%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $27.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AutoZone

(Free Report)

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (BATS:MTUM  Free Report) by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,955 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF were worth $273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 7.9% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,227,827 shares of the companys stock worth $898,364,000 after buying an additional 457,343 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 3.2% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,919,685 shares of the companys stock worth $421,165,000 after buying an additional 89,212 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 2.9% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,207,387 shares of the companys stock worth $318,416,000 after buying an additional 61,382 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 9.5% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,095,316 shares of the companys stock worth $302,249,000 after buying an additional 181,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 17.7% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,256,689 shares of the companys stock worth $181,277,000 after buying an additional 188,883 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Trading Up 0.6 %

MTUM stock opened at $157.13 on Wednesday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $146.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.39. iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF has a 1-year low of $81.37 and a 1-year high of $113.60. The stock has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35 and a beta of 0.91.

iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US equities, selected and weighted based on price appreciation over 6- and 12-month periods and low volatility over the past 3 years.

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Qabil Ashirov

The tension in the Red Sea, caused by Iran-backed Yemen's Houthis, continues. On Tuesday, Houthis announced that, despite all attempts by the USA, they would stop attacking ships linked to Israel.

Even if the United States succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our operations will not cease until the genocide in Gaza stops, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, said in a post on X on Tuesday.

On the other hand, as one of the main international transport routes passes through the region, the tension concerns the whole world. Just 2 years ago, when the Panamanian-flagged container ship Ever Given in 2021 ran aground in the Suez Channel, prices in the world market rose. Many think that the world can face a similar problem again. British energy giant bp has already announced that it will avoid the Red Sea and reroute through Africa. Several international companies issued similar statements. It is worth noting that roughly 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Houthi attacks have effectively rerouted a significant portion of trade by forcing freight companies to sail around Africa, and of course, they impose higher costs and delays for energy, food, and consumer goods deliveries.

The crisis in the Suez Canal in 2021 was solved rapidly and did not last too long. However, many believe that the Houthi crisis in the Red Sea differs from the above-said one and can protract for an unknown time because the present crisis is being caused deliberately by an armed group. How long can it last, and what will be the consequences?

The British journalist and expert on energy issues, Neil Watson, in a comment for Azernews, noted that it is difficult to predict exactly how long the Houthi drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea will continue, but the actions of the Yemeni-based, Iranian-backed rebels are umbilically connected to the situation in Gaza and the Hamas-Israel conflict. He said that Houthis are deliberately targeting Israeli or Israeli-connected ships.

Just a few hours ago, the US announced a 10-nation force to counter the attacks, and the coalition will include Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, and the UK, according to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. This may dissuade them from continuing this aggressive activity, but Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official and spokesperson, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the group would confront any US-led coalition in the Red Sea. Also, numerous Arab nations are expected to join the coalition, including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, which want to keep the Red Sea open. However, ultimately, a de-escalation in the Hamas-Israeli conflict is the only way past the impasse, Watson noted.

He added that at least 12 shipping companies, including the Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), French CMA CGM, and Danish AP Moller-Maersk, have suspended transit through the Red Sea due to safety concerns. On Monday, BP became the latest firm to announce it would avoid the waters. Inevitably, this re-routing will cause a hike in the costs of oil and all commodities, as logistics costs and shipping times will escalate exponentially.

He also touched on the safety issues on the trade route in the Indian Ocean basin, such as private attacks, Houthis, and so on.

The main issue is the lack of cohesion in and between the East and West at the present time and the mercenary nature of pirates, Houthi rebels, and others engaged in such activities. If countries worked together more effectively to combat such attacks and piracy and shared information more readily, these people would not take such risks for greed or as proxies of pariah regimes. However, the world is becoming polarised, and these groups capitalise on this. There is scope for new international organizations  not dominated by the US  to be established to make it clear that such behaviour is, and always has been, totally unacceptable and against international law. Those perpetrators and their backers run the risk of losing absolutely everything. Such a purely reactive act that we are seeing at present demonstrates the lack of agreement to combat such horrendous threats that have the potential to affect us all, the expert concluded.
BERLIN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Crude steel production in Germany in 2023 fell by 4 percent year-on-year to 35.5 million tonnes due to the energy crisis and the weak economy, according to preliminary figures published by the German Steel Association on Tuesday.

It said that 2023 is set to be "one of the weakest years in terms of production." Following an 8 percent slump in 2022, production was only lower during the financial crisis back in 2009.

"Steel production is currently in free fall," Kerstin Maria Rippel, the association's managing director, said in a statement. Such a protracted negative cycle has not yet been observed in Germany and the data would "give cause for great concern."

Electric steelmaking, a highly energy-intensive industry branch, was particularly affected, recording a slump of 11 percent to a record low of 10.1 million tonnes.

Caught in the downturn, German steel producer Thyssenkrupp recorded a net loss of 2 billion euros (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) in fiscal 2022-2023 due to write-downs in its steel business. In the previous year, the company still made a profit of 1.2 billion euros.

The write-downs had become necessary due to higher capital costs, the recession and the "structural changes specific to the steel industry," Thyssenkrupp said when publishing the figures at the end of November.

As part of Germany's ongoing energy transition, the steel industry is seeking to become CO2-neutral by 2045, saving one-third of the country's industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

To support the green transformation, the steel industry in the federal state of Saarland alone will receive around 2.6 billion euros by 2027, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) said on Tuesday.

In a first step, the participating companies will convert around two-thirds of their production from coal-based blast furnace production to hydrogen-based steel production, according to the BMWK. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollar) 
Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF (NYSEARCA:XHLF  Free Report) by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,232 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,838 shares during the period. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF were worth $1,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the third quarter valued at approximately $58,901,000. CWM LLC purchased a new position in BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $17,757,000. Wallace Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $7,808,000. Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $19,658,000. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 390.1% in the second quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 205,561 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,324,000 after purchasing an additional 163,618 shares during the last quarter.

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BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of XHLF stock opened at $50.30 on Wednesday. BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF has a one year low of $49.94 and a one year high of $50.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $50.23 and a 200-day moving average of $50.19.

BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF Company Profile

The Bondbloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF (XHLF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund is passively managed to invest in a portfolio of US Treasury securities with a target duration of six months. XHLF was launched on Sep 13, 2022 and is managed by BondBloxx.

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Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLC reduced its position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF (NYSEARCA:EWA  Free Report) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,071 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 572 shares during the period. Polaris Wealth Advisory Group LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Australia ETF were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI Australia ETF by 100.2% during the 2nd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF by 98.1% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF in the second quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Australia ETF by 10,032.3% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,141 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. 59.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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iShares MSCI Australia ETF Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSEARCA EWA opened at $24.52 on Wednesday. iShares MSCI Australia ETF has a 1-year low of $20.46 and a 1-year high of $25.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.17.

iShares MSCI Australia ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI Australia ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, of publicly traded securities in the Australian market, as represented by the MSCI Australia Index (the Index).

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Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR  Get Free Report) (TSE:QSR) CFO Matthew Dunnigan sold 1,462 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total transaction of $107,720.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,652 shares in the company, valued at $3,068,919.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Shares of Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $76.89 on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a twelve month low of $59.99 and a twelve month high of $78.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.96.

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Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR  Get Free Report) (TSE:QSR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.87 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 32.72%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Restaurant Brands Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.60%.

QSR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $75.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Thursday, October 19th. They set a buy rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $78.41.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Restaurant Brands International

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 1.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,781,047 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $784,853,000 after acquiring an additional 203,594 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,619,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 103.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 93,485 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $6,254,000 after purchasing an additional 47,585 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 3.5% in the third quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 348,392 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $23,210,000 after purchasing an additional 11,667 shares during the period. Finally, Spears Abacus Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 2.3% in the third quarter. Spears Abacus Advisors LLC now owns 355,225 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $23,665,000 after purchasing an additional 8,030 shares in the last quarter.

Restaurant Brands International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Restaurant Brands International Inc operates as a quick-service restaurant company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Tim Hortons (TH), Burger King (BK), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLK), and Firehouse Subs (FHS). The company owns and franchises TH chain of donut/coffee/tea restaurants that offer blend coffee, tea, and espresso-based hot and cold specialty drinks; and fresh baked goods, including donuts, Timbits, bagels, muffins, cookies and pastries, grilled paninis, classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, and other food products.

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Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 221.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,178 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 17,336 shares during the quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trustco Bank Corp N Y boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Trustco Bank Corp N Y now owns 6,364 shares of the companys stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 21,586 shares of the companys stock valued at $987,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. My Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 14,701 shares of the companys stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Corrigan Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Corrigan Financial Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the companys stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 3,711 shares of the companys stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. 58.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert Matthews Davis bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $343,156.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.5 %

MO opened at $42.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.64, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $41.42 and a 200-day moving average of $43.18. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.06 and a 52 week high of $51.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 35.58% and a negative return on equity of 237.91%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 20th. Altria Groups payout ratio is presently 79.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MO. Citigroup dropped their target price on Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. StockNews.com cut Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 13th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.53.

Get Our Latest Report on MO

About Altria Group

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Free Report) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 96,372 shares of the companys stock after selling 975 shares during the period. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WIs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 102,675.5% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,860,147,936 shares of the companys stock valued at $214,642,470,000 after purchasing an additional 1,858,338,022 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 103,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 39,327,490 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,363,385,000 after purchasing an additional 39,289,404 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,736,293,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 35,734,925 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,801,839,000 after buying an additional 8,281,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 68,563,817 shares of the companys stock worth $7,294,504,000 after buying an additional 6,546,946 shares during the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a buy rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Monday, November 27th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a buy rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $106.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.85 billion, a PE ratio of 59.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.94 and a beta of 0.34. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $103.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.59. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.36 and a 52-week high of $119.65.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The firm had revenue of $16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 171.11%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.

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Legacy Private Trust Co. lowered its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV  Free Report) by 24.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,713 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 555 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $280,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TRV. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter worth about $160,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 28.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,934 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,905 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $2,210,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 40.6% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 51,551 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $9,420,000 after acquiring an additional 14,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 5.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,212 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $4,952,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.12% of the companys stock.

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Travelers Companies Price Performance

TRV stock opened at $186.18 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $157.33 and a one year high of $194.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $172.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.84.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

Travelers Companies ( NYSE:TRV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 18th. The insurance provider reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.93 by ($0.98). The firm had revenue of $10.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.42 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 10.41% and a net margin of 5.45%. Travelers Companiess revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio is 43.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 3,797 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.38, for a total transaction of $643,135.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,202,786.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 270 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $48,060.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $45,421,684. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 3,797 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.38, for a total value of $643,135.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,005 shares in the company, valued at $2,202,786.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $181.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $185.00 to $172.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $185.00 to $183.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $191.17.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Travelers Companies

Travelers Companies Profile

(Free Report)

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.

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Tlwm boosted its holdings in shares of Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,137 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 2,317 shares during the period. Chevron comprises approximately 0.4% of Tlwms investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Tlwms holdings in Chevron were worth $1,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P increased its holdings in shares of Chevron by 85.1% during the first quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 159,115 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $25,908,000 after buying an additional 73,141 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chevron by 25.2% during the first quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 7,335 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,155,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chevron by 4.7% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 40,538 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $6,598,000 after buying an additional 1,813 shares in the last quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chevron by 43.5% during the first quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,837 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $950,000 after buying an additional 1,770 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Chevron by 13.8% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,068,600 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $336,830,000 after buying an additional 250,840 shares in the last quarter. 68.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CVX shares. Bank of America upgraded Chevron from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Chevron from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Chevron from $203.00 to $201.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Chevron from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $186.50.

Chevron Price Performance

CVX stock opened at $151.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.11. The companys 50-day moving average is $149.53 and its 200-day moving average is $156.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Chevron Co. has a 1 year low of $140.72 and a 1 year high of $187.81.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.65). The company had revenue of $54.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 12.11%. Chevrons revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.56 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Chevron Co. will post 13.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th were given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.98%. Chevrons payout ratio is 44.84%.

Chevron Profile

(Free Report)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and processing, transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant.

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Transform Wealth LLC cut its stake in shares of Prologis, Inc. (NYSE:PLD  Free Report) by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,437 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 149 shares during the quarter. Transform Wealth LLCs holdings in Prologis were worth $386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 118.1% during the third quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 9,784 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 5,298 shares during the period. American National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 480.8% during the third quarter. American National Bank now owns 604 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 15.9% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 320,987 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $35,016,000 after purchasing an additional 44,021 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Prologis by 25.0% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,285 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prologis during the third quarter worth $437,000. 90.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PLD shares. Scotiabank increased their price target on Prologis from $134.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Truist Financial reissued a buy rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Prologis in a report on Monday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a buy rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Prologis in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Prologis from $132.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Prologis from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, October 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $139.27.

Prologis Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:PLD opened at $133.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $123.61 billion, a PE ratio of 41.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Prologis, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.64 and a 52-week high of $137.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.72.

Prologis (NYSE:PLD  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 17th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.72 billion. Prologis had a return on equity of 5.21% and a net margin of 38.24%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 53.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Prologis, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prologis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 18th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 15th. Prologiss dividend payout ratio is presently 107.41%.

Prologis Profile

(Free Report)

Prologis, Inc is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. At September 30, 2023, the company owned or had investments in, on a wholly owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet (114 million square meters) in 19 countries.

Further Reading

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ROME, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Italy said on Tuesday it is on course to formally request the fifth installment of the European Union (EU)'s post-COVID recovery fund from the European Commission by the end of this year.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that the government is progressing towards fulfilling 52 new targets required to qualify for the fifth tranche of the fund, amounting to 10.5 billion euros (11.5 billion U.S. dollars).

Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan hinges on the country meeting specific criteria to qualify for disbursements from the European Union. Through its Next Generation EU program, the bloc initially aimed to allocate a total of 191.5 billion euros in grants and loans to Italy by 2026.

All grants and loans are tied to specific reform goals to make the country's economy more modern, efficient, and resilient.

Following a recent set of reforms proposed by Meloni's government, which received approval from the European Council on Dec. 8, Italy's modified plan for investment programs is now worth 194.4 billion euros in total, with 122.6 billion euros in loans and the remaining part in grants.

The revised plan covers 66 reforms, seven more than the original, along with 150 investments, according to the European Commission. Its focus is on modernizing Italy's economy with lower environmental impacts.

Italy has already received three payouts from the fund, and is scheduled to receive the fourth installment totaling 16.5 billion euros by year-end.

The country is the largest beneficiary of the Next Generation EU program among EU member states. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollar) 
We must do done to ensure the safety of our women and children
Low-cost and high-performing, Turkish-made armed drones are capturing an increasing share of the global market. This success comes with risks, including escalation of conflict and reputational damage, but there are several ways for Ankara to manage them.

As drones change the face of modern warfare, their price sinks and their technological sophistication races ahead, more and more buyers are knocking on Turkiyes door. Its flagship Bayraktar TB2 drone has proven effective on battlefields in Ukraine, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere; it generally costs less or performs better than rival models. Ankara, surprised at and proud of this success, sees drone sales as increasingly important for the growth of the Turkish defence industry. They may also be a tool for expanding Turkish influence abroad. But drone sales are fundamentally a lethal and risky business. Lucrative defence contracts may generate revenues, solidify alliances and  in some cases  tip the power balance in conflicts, but they can also create escalation risks and humanitarian costs, along with reputational damage. With ever more drones taking to the skies, it is incumbent on leading exporters like Turkiye to enhance existing and develop new practices that can help mitigate the negative implications that exports can have for global peace and security and reduce the dangers to civilians. This approach, over the long run, may also better align their exports with their own foreign policy goals.

Changing the Face of Warfare

Drones, also known as uncrewed or unmanned combat aerial vehicles or UCAVs, have been around for decades. They are aircraft that can be remotely operated by pilots on the ground, either nearby or a continent away, or can be programmed to be autonomous. First used for surveillance, they made headlines when the United States began using them to fire missiles at targets in Afghanistan and elsewhere, often in connection with the so-called global war on terror, in the early 2000s.

Since then, the technology has forged ahead and costs have dropped, making drones an attractive tool for countries that want to project airpower but are resource-constrained. New manufacturers like Turkiye, a NATO member, as well as China and Iran, have entered a market once dominated by the U.S., Israel and Russia. Ukraine is now ramping up domestic production for its war with Russia  while also using crowdsourcing to purchase drones from other countries. The variety of drones on the market caters to a wide range of functions  surveillance, intelligence gathering, border security and the use of force  and allows actors to engage in combat in remote locations without placing operators at immediate risk. Although proponents argue that the technology allows actors to engage in more surgical combat than, for example, ground incursions, the record is littered with strikes gone awry.

Like artificial intelligence, drone technology is developing by leaps and bounds, outpacing faltering attempts to regulate it. Drones can fire missiles, bombs and guided rockets. Smaller ones can be used as weapons themselves, programmed to explode upon striking a target in a one-off suicide or kamikaze mission. Once closely associated with U.S. counter-terrorism efforts, the use of drones is proliferating, bringing with it novel practical and ethical dilemmas, including over potential autonomous drone missions (ie, ones in which there is no human involvement in decisions about whether to attack).

Competitive Edge

Turkiyes young, mainly private-sector drone industry has developed with great speed and commercial success. By December, according to Crisis Groups open-source tracking, at least 23 states had Turkish drones in their arsenals, nine were awaiting delivery and eight more had expressed interest in making a purchase. Selcuk Bayraktar, the CEO of Baykar Technologies, the largest manufacturer, said in early December that it had exported armed drones to a total of 33 countries. Most in demand is the Bayraktar TB2 model produced by Baykar. The company is run by two brothers, one of whom is a son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Overall, Turkiyes defence export revenues have been gradually increasing, seemingly driven in part by the sale of drones and related materiel. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in 2022, while the revenues of Western arms manufacturers on average shrank, major Turkish defence companies revenues went up by 22 per cent compared to the previous year. A Turkish defence analyst told Crisis Group that he estimated that drones and related ammunitions made up about one fourth of those revenues. At a time when the general economy was ailing, drone exports have helped the defence industry keep growing.

Demand [for drones] has mounted in large part because Turkish drones are often cheaper than competitors products.

Demand has mounted in large part because Turkish drones are often cheaper than competitors products and because they have proven their value on various battlefields. After Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, international experts credited the TB2s with effectively bolstering Ukrainian defences. Videos circulated on social media showed the drones hitting Russian tanks and military installations. No fancy PR campaign could have had that impact, a Turkish defence industry representative told Crisis Group.

Earlier, the TB2 garnered international attention in three conflicts in 2020. Turkiye used them to strike Moscow-backed Assad regime forces in north-western Syria, defying the Russian air defences offering cover for Damascus and showing to many of todays buyers that TB2 drones can be effective even when Russia has air superiority, a Turkish defence analyst said in an interview. In Libya, Turkiye supplied drones to the UN-recognised government, which used them in 2020 to defend the capital Tripoli from Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, a warlord who controls the east of the country. When Azerbaijan and Armenia battled for control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions in 2020, drones and other materiel that Ankara supplied helped Azerbaijan recapture much of the territory it had lost to Armenian control in the 1990s. TB2s were in operation again when Azerbaijan retook full control of the enclave in September.

The TB2 falls into the mid-range category of armed drones known as Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance, or MALE (High-Altitude Long-Endurance drones go by the acronym HALE). TB2s cost around $5 million, compared to an estimated $20 million per unit for the leading U.S.-made armed drone model, the MQ-9 Reaper. Buyers can thus better afford to use them on riskier operations where they might be shot down. Iran and China sell even cheaper drones, but international defence analysts say they are of poorer quality  less precise and less able to fly long missions at high altitude. This price/performance ratio gives Turkiye an edge in the market, a Turkish analyst told Crisis Group. Customers for Turkish drones include Ankaras NATO allies in Europe, Arab countries in the Gulf and North Africa, sub-Saharan African countries, and others, as the map below shows:

In conversations with Crisis Group, a number of Turkish industry representatives and defence analysts said a further reason for booming sales may be that Turkish exporters are more open than competitors about sharing know-how, such as about drones operating systems, so that buyers (once trained) can use the drones on their own. Turkish exporters may also be more willing to share experiences of battlefield use. Others say Turkish manufacturers provide better training than rivals, with company personnel deployed to importing countries for a year or more. Turkish industry gains from these close ties. New customers battlefield experiences help firms make drones more resilient and effective. There can be unexpected conditions, like differences in air temperature, humidity [or] topography, one representative explained to Crisis Group. The feedback companies gather each time the technology is used in a new setting is critical, feeding into research and development.

TB2s, first used by the Turkish military in 2014, had flown over 750,000 hours by the end of 2023, generating vast amounts of data. Turkish companies also export other high-end armed drones like the Aknc and Aksungur models, which  compared to the TB2  can fly higher, longer and carry a bigger payload of ammunition. Turkiye aims to expand its share in this budding industry with new systems, like the more advanced Bayraktar TB3 drone and other uncrewed delivery systems, such as Kzlelma fighter aircraft and bomb-laden boats that can launch suicide missions against targets at sea.

How Did Turkiye Get Here?

Drone exports are a source not just of export revenue but of national pride. Most of the Turkish officials Crisis Group talked to in researching this topic between September 2022 and September 2023 say the public and even opposition parties strongly approve of the industry. The use of drones against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought against the Turkish state since 1984 and is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the U.S. and the EU, appears to have helped generate this support.

Drones have been part of Turkiyes arsenal for decades, though at first it relied on surveillance rather than combat drones, and purchased these from abroad. Starting in 1993, Ankara relied on nearly two dozen U.S.-made GNAT 750 drones to gather battlefield intelligence about the PKK. But it soon began building its own: Baykar, for example, began developing drone systems in 2000. In the years that followed, Turkiye continued to purchase foreign drones and other equipment, including ten Israeli Heron surveillance drones in 2010, even as its own production increased.

Ankara began actively encouraging the drone industry two decades ago.

Ankara began actively encouraging the drone industry two decades ago. In 2004, the Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries, the state procurement agency, offered large tenders to the private sector for the first time in an effort to boost domestic production. The impetus appeared to be a combination of domestic threat perceptions, namely relating to the PKK, and foreign sanctions. The U.S. and European countries had placed stringent limits on arms exports to Turkiye after its military intervened in northern Cyprus in 1974. More sanctions followed, albeit generally on a smaller scale. Following Turkiyes 2019 military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (which Ankara views as the PKKs Syrian extension) in north-eastern Syria, NATO allies imposed new arms export restrictions on Ankara. In 2020, the U.S. both slapped sanctions under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act on Turkiyes defence procurement agency, and banished it from its F-35 fighter jet program, over its 2017 purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia. That same year, Canada banned the use of its electro-optical and targeting sensor systems on the TB2 due to Turkiyes provision of these drones to Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Each new round of sanctions appears to have invigorated domestic production. We will continue to increase our investments in the defence industry until we completely free our country from foreign dependence, Erdogan vowed in mid-2021.

The companies that first benefited from the 2004 investments are among the top drone producers today. By late 2023, Baykar employed more than 3,600 people and had become the top defence and aerospace exporter. With its bolstered capacity, as of September 2022, it could produce over 200 TB2s per year. At the close of 2023, Baykar said it had churned out over 500 TB2s. Among other leading manufacturers, TAI-TUSAS and Lentatek also produce advanced MALE-type armed drones, while STM and Asisguard produce smaller tactical drones. STM produces suicide drones designed to crash into a target and explode. Turkish firms also produce components for their counterparts: ASELSAN, a leading Turkish defence contractor, for example, has been helping equip TB2s with optical systems.

Pay and working conditions at drone manufacturing firms are good. An industry representative told Crisis Group that defence companies were recruiting the best and brightest of this country from universities. Turkiyes drone ecosystem, in the words of the same representative, also consists of some 2,000 small- and medium-sized firms spread across the country making parts from screws to lasers. Some are independently successful enough to run their own export operations. In many of its contracts, according to the same industry representative, the state procurement agency stipulates that its drone producers pass on 60 to 80 per cent of the contract value to domestic subcontractors.

Gaining Clients, Expanding Influence

Countries around the world have long believed that arms sales will help them make and keep foreign alliances. Turkiye may well be thinking along similar lines, as Ankara increasingly flexes its muscles and looks to deepen its sway abroad. Many officials have told Crisis Group that the Turkish government has sought in recent years to reposition the country as an influential mid-sized power in what they see as an increasingly multipolar world. This aim can be served by diplomacy, humanitarian aid, business, trade and security-sector cooperation  including sales of military equipment, such as drones.

Since 2021, drone exports have tended to go hand in hand with Turkiyes efforts to mend ties and bolster trade with former adversaries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. In mid-2023, Ankara signed a massive arms export deal with Saudi Arabia, including the sale of TB2s and Akncs. Previously, Riyadh had purchased and co-produced Karayel-SU drones. A number of these, reportedly, were shot down in Yemens civil war between factions aligned with Yemens internationally recognised government and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The new Saudi-Turkish deal also includes a co-production arrangement with Baykar, though the details remain undisclosed. Turkiye and the UAE cemented an upward turn in their previously adversarial relations with a major Baykar drone deal in 2022. The UAE reportedly plans to buy 120 TB2s, one of the biggest one-off purchases of Turkish drones. Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi seem to see Turkish drones as upgrades for less effective Chinese models or a way to scrap plans to buy costlier U.S. drones, which can also come with political requirements. If these purchases also improve their ties with Ankara, that may be considered an additional benefit.

In Africa ... Turkiyes drone exports appear to align with its diplomatic, trade and security initiatives in what some Turkish defence analysts refer to as drone diplomacy.

In Africa, too, Turkiyes drone exports appear to align with its diplomatic, trade and security initiatives in what some Turkish defence analysts refer to as drone diplomacy. Ankara has been beefing up its presence on the continent over the past decade with new diplomatic missions, direct Turkish Airlines flights, and defence and trade ties. African governments (mainly in the north but also in the west and other regions) frequently buy Turkish drones for use against jihadists and other insurgents, often in remote locations. In North Africa, Turkiye has supplied drones to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Morocco added TB2s to its arsenal of Chinese and Israeli drones in 2021, mainly in support of its fight with the Polisario Front, an insurgency seeking independence for Western Sahara. Rabat reportedly also plans to buy Akncs. In response, neighbouring Algeria, whose relations with Morocco are frosty, placed new orders to augment its diverse inventory of drones, including ANKA-S, Aksungur and more Chinese drones. Tunisia bought ANKA-S drones in 2021.

Drone sales have brought new customers but also often built on existing arms ties. In 2018, for instance, Nigeria and Turkiye signed a military training agreement. In 2021, when Erdogan visited the Nigerian capital Abuja, the two countries announced further weapons and other trade deals. In September 2022, Nigeria bought Songar tactical drones from Turkiyes Asisguard, mainly to use against Boko Haram jihadists in the countrys north east. In October, Turkiye said Abuja had purchased an undisclosed number of TB2s and Turkish helicopters. The following March, Nigeria and Turkiye discussed building an ANKA-S co-production facility in the country. The use of drones by the Nigerian government made international headlines in early December when a strike in the countrys north west mistakenly killed at least 85 civilians gathered for a religious service, based on a tip that they had gathered to prepare for a terrorist attack. There were reports that the drone in question was of Turkish origin, but these have not been verified.

Researchers have long asked whether arms exports truly generate new influence for a country or just reflect its existing clout. Either way, Turkiye gains financially, and not just from the initial sale. After all, once a country buys drones or other military hardware, it relies on the supplier for ammunition, spare parts and maintenance, creating lasting dependencies that may become a valuable bargaining chip for the exporter. For example, only Turkish companies make the guided micro-rockets compatible with some Turkish drones, and customers must also turn to Turkiye to maintain optic systems or for the frequent upgrades to the artificial intelligence-supported software that makes weapons more precise. Because training takes time, it is easier for importers to keep buying new models, with similar operating systems, from the same provider. Such exports can give suppliers a certain amount of leverage over their clients.

Complicating Foreign Relations?

Whatever their foreign policy benefits for Ankara, drone sales may complicate Turkiyes relationships with conflict parties that find themselves on the other end of this exported firepower. That said, for the most part, Turkiye has been adept at managing these challenges.

Russia is a case in point. Ankaras cordial relationship with Moscow has long survived the two states being on, or arming, opposing sides in several conflicts. With regard to drones, Ankara has been a crucial supplier to Ukraine, where Russia has been at war since 2014, when it seized Crimea and sent troops to back separatists in the countrys east. After Turkiye first delivered TB2s to Ukraine in 2019, and the Ukrainian army used them against Moscows proxy forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin raised concerns about Turkiyes drone supplies to Ukraine. Ankara deflected the criticism, suggesting that it was not responsible for how the drones were used. While this answer of course was not responsive to Moscows point, nothing else has come of the spat, even though Turkish supplies to Ukraine continued to grow. In February 2022, on the eve of Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbour, President Erdogan visited Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a co-production deal for TB2s with Baykar. Implementation of the deal remains in the works.

The war in Ukraine has boosted Turkiyes drone business in the Eurasian neighbourhood.

More broadly, the war in Ukraine has boosted Turkiyes drone business in the Eurasian neighbourhood. Moscows aggression has spooked Russias neighbours in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which have placed fresh orders as they bolster their defences. As for why Moscow does not press Ankara harder to stop sending arms into its near abroad, it clearly sees this priority as lower than maintaining good relations with a strategically located neighbour with which it has long maintained pragmatic ties.

Complicated political dynamics are at play elsewhere as well. Serbia cancelled plans to buy Turkish drones and expressed serious concerns about  certain NATO member states  supporting illegal militarisation after Kosovo (Serbias former province, whose independence it does not recognise) said in mid-2023 it had bought TB2s. After a short period of acrimony, relations between Belgrade and Ankara showed signs of improvement after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Erdogan met in August. Drone exports have also been an issue in Ankaras efforts to normalise relations with Cairo, which had soured in the aftermath of President Abdelfattah al-Sisis ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood government. Egypt has voiced its dissatisfaction with Turkish drone sales to Ethiopia, where Cairo and Addis Ababa have been at loggerheads over the construction of a giant dam on the Blue Nile.

Political and Humanitarian Risks

The growth of Turkish drone exports contributes to a broader global trend in the use of remote warfare that has implications for international peace and security. Evidence suggests that drone use may promote escalation and instability. It makes air wars cheaper and lowers the risk of troop loss. These benefits in turn decrease the domestic political costs of military action, potentially letting actors contemplate ventures they might not consider undertaking if they did not have UCAVs. Critics argue that in this way drones have substantially de-risked air war for the states that use them, but not for the civilians who get caught in the crossfire. A case in point is the so-called U.S. war on terror, where drones have sometimes been the weapon of choice, creating humanitarian costs for those on the receiving end of errant strikes, and corresponding political and reputational costs for the U.S.

Some Turkish officials and industry representatives acknowledge that as more states acquire and use drones both from Turkiye and its competitors, it may face reputational costs and unwanted security consequences. But some Turkish officials also argued to Crisis Group that the technology could, in the short run at least, reduce escalation risks by giving weaker states a way to counter and deter adversaries, thus balancing conflicts. In any case, negative considerations are not enough at present to undercut Ankaras business and policy motives for expanding sales.

Humanitarian considerations are another issue. With any arms sale, there is a risk that buyers will use exported weapons in violation of international laws and norms, for instance by targeting or employing insufficient safeguards to protect civilians. Risks increase with buyers who have a history of poor adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law. Some may fail to fully consider, or may discount, the dangers to civilians of using drones in counter-terrorism operations, including urban ones, or in policing operations.

Turkiye has already got a taste of how this can play out. In 2022, international media reported that Ethiopian federal forces used Turkish drones against civilians in the brutal war with Tigrayan rebels. Both Addis Ababa and Ankara denied the story. Nonetheless, in the face of criticism from the U.S., Turkiye briefly suspended exports to Ethiopia, according to a Turkish official Crisis Group spoke to in early 2023. Besides Ethiopia, Turkiye has sold its drones to other countries  such as Mali and Burkina Faso  that Western countries have generally been reluctant to supply with drones and other lethal equipment because of end-use concerns. The Nigerian strike mentioned above is another vivid reminder of the humanitarian risks around drone proliferation.

Treading a Fine Line

As noted above, the growth of remote warfare lowers certain barriers to waging war and may therefore make conflict more prolific, as the elastic frontiers of the U.S. global war on terror appear to illustrate. Turkiyes entry onto this stage with low-cost, high-performance products to some extent exacerbates the proliferation of this technology and the risks it creates. Still, one can imagine that from Ankaras perspective, it is hardly the only state entering this trade, and it has every right to claim its share of the business; it might also note that if it fails to occupy this space than NATO competitors and adversaries like Russia, China and Iran will do so. Under the circumstances, the most realistic request for Ankara is that it be a responsible exporter, acting consistently with emerging norms surrounding drone exports and use, and being especially focused on the risk that exports can feed escalatory cycles that could both harm international peace and security and, more parochially, its own foreign policy interests.

Turkiye can help mitigate some of the risks of its growing drone exports by being more attentive to oversight mechanisms and end-use requirements on importers who buy its drones. Some Western defence experts Crisis Group talked to assessed that Ankara has a no-questions-asked policy and will sell armed drones with almost no conditions. Ankara counters by averring that its sales are carefully reviewed by the defence ministry in consultation with the foreign ministry and defence industry agency It says it bans exports to countries it assesses would use drones in violation of international humanitarian or human rights law. It also notes that sales agreements contain end-use restrictions that prohibit, among other things, targeting civilians. [Our export] policy, practices and procedures  are regulated in strict compliance with internationally accepted norms and standards, one official said.

International norms and standards as they relate to drones are still inchoate and flexible.

Whatever the case may be, there are limits to how much reassurance can be gleaned from these practices. For one thing, international norms and standards as they relate to drones are still inchoate and flexible. Turkiye participates in two of the most important quasi-regulatory frameworks  the Wassenaar Arrangement and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)  but those have few teeth. They are non-binding and struggle to keep pace with evolving technology. Wassenaar leaves licensing criteria up to individual states, and as for the MTCR, Ankaras armed drone exports fall below its thresholds, at least as now interpreted by the U.S. While Ankara has signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which is legally binding and requires exporters to put in place transparent national control systems and risk mitigation measures for conventional weapons exports, its parliament has yet to ratify the instrument. (Turkiye and the U.S. are the only NATO members that are not ATT states parties.) Finally, as some Turkish officials acknowledge, and other arms exporters also know, the use of arms becomes difficult if not impossible to fully control once custody passes to the buyer. While states can of course monitor end use and cancel future sales in the event of breach, in practice there are often powerful institutional, commercial and political interests that prevent these things from happening.

So, what can be done? As a formal matter, an important step that Ankara can take would be to ratify the ATT and enforce it stringently. Beyond that, Ankara should work with NATO partners to develop best practices both to minimise the prospect that drones are used to escalate conflict risk, as well as to help protect civilians who will live and work in their shadow. There is no way to sugar-coat drones lethality or the regrettably expansive impact they have already had on contemporary warfare. But if it can help strengthen oversight measures on this corner of the arms trade in a rigorous and responsible way, Ankara may be able to help manage the reputational, humanitarian and geostrategic risks that the rise of this still new tool of warfare may pose for itself and others.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) finance ministers reached a consensus on Wednesday regarding new budget regulations following compromises between the two factions led by France and Germany within the bloc.

The established targets of a maximum 60 percent debt-to-GDP ratio and a maximum 3 percent deficit remain unchanged. However, modifications have been introduced to permit EU members to gradually reduce deficits and debts from 2025 over four to seven years.

Countries may opt for longer terms if they undertake reforms and investments aligned with EU priorities.

The Spanish government, currently holding the rotating EU presidency, lauded the deal as a "historic landmark" in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

It emphasized that the new economic governance framework ensures both stability and growth, with rules that are "balanced, realistic, fit for present and future challenges."

Dutch Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag said that the agreement is conducive to reforms and investments.

"This agreement stimulates reforms, allowing for the right investments tailored to the situation of individual countries," she said.

The EU's previous budget regulations had been put on hold since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing governments to increase spending in the wake of the recession. The suspension of the rules is set to end next year. 
Colorado court blocks Trump from presidential primary ballot

COLORADO: Donald Trump is ineligible for the US presidency because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, Colorados supreme court ruled yesterday (Dec 19), setting off a political earthquake that could upend next years election.

politics

By AFP

Wednesday 20 December 2023 10:21 AM

Donald Trump applauds at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, yesterday (Dec 19). Photo: AFP

The stunning legal decision - which Trumps campaign said it would appeal - drew immediate condemnation from Republicans across the spectrum, and looked set to light a fire under the former reality TV stars claim to political persecution.

The ruling, which only applies to the Colorado primary ballot, is the first of a number of legal actions across the country to successfully invoke the US Constitutions 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone formerly sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection.

A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Colorado high court wrote.

Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, the 4-3 majority wrote.

We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

An earlier ruling by a lower court found that while Trump had clearly given succor to the Jan 6 riot, the office of president was not included in the list of federal elected positions affected by the 14th Amendment.

Noah Bookbinder of campaign group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the original case, took to social media to hail yesterdays ruling, calling it a huge moment for democracy.

It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.

Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government.

Supreme Court

The court placed its ruling on hold until Jan 4, anticipating an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which Trumps campaign immediately said it would seek.

We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision, campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Cheung said the all-Democrat appointed panel in Colorado was doing the bidding of a (George) Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.

Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls.

They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.

The judgment brought swift rebukes from senior Republicans, including Trumps one-time rival for the 2016 nomination, Senator Marco Rubio.

The US has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today, he wrote on social media.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for the 2024 nomination, and who has hewed close to Trump during his insurgent campaign, called it an election interference tactic to silence political opponents.

This is what an actual attack on democracy looks like, he said in a statement.

Even as swathes of the traditional Republican Party are becoming increasingly exasperated with Trump and his brand of grievance-filled isolationism, a vocal grassroots movement continues to support him enthusiastically.

Failure to stand behind the presumed frontrunner against what he paints as a witch hunt can have dire consequences for even senior party figures.

Trumps historic indictments for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election - one at the federal level and another in Georgia - have opened a frenzied legal debate over his eligibility for future office.

The Colorado action is one of multiple 14th Amendment lawsuits against Trump proceeding nationwide. Minnesotas top court threw out a similar move last month.
Green plate taxi speeds through intersection, seriously injures Ukrainian

PHUKET: A 28-year-old Ukrainian man was seriously injured when a green-plate taxi sped through the Sam Kong Intersection in front of the main Lotuss branch on the bypass road and struck the motorbike he was riding yesterday afternoon (Dec 19).

tourismtransportaccidentsSafetypolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 20 December 2023 11:27 AM

Video footage showing the instant before the taxi hit Mr Kostenko at speed. Screenshot: via Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Tourist Police identified the Ukrainian man as Artur Kostenko, who was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

According to CCTV footage, the accident occurred at about 4:30pm, Phuket Tourist Police reported.

The force of the impact left the taxi with heavy damage to its front right, and to both doors on the taxis left side.

The Yamaha big bike Mr Kostenko was riding was left with heavy damage in the gutter beside the traffic island in front of the underpass power control room on the far side of the intersection.

Mr Kostenko last entered Phuket on Nov 2 and is staying on a temporary resident visa (NON-90), which expires on Jan 3, police confirmed.

The Yamaha big bike (model ont reported) was registered in Phuket and registered with Mr Kostenko as the owner, police noted.

CCTV footage showed that Mr Kostenko was travelling north on the bypass road when he stopped for a red light at the intersection.

When the traffic light turned green, he moved off quickly, but only after traffic light was green.

The green-plate taxi, a Toyota Altis driven by Naphatphong Thipprapai, 37, was travelling from Phra Phuket Kaew Rd towards Yaowarat Rd.

The taxi was travelling very quickly and struck Mr Kostenko, police reported.

Mr Kostenko was wearing a helmet when he was struck by the taxi.

Officers went to Vachira Phuket Hospital to meet with relatives and friends of Mr Kostenko, and explain the situation to them, police said. Mobile phone numbers for both Phuket City Police Chief Pol Col Pratheung Phonmana and Pol Lt Col Ekachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police were provided.

Officials at the Ukrainian embassy have been informed, police said.

Of note, the official incident report by police made no mention that by their own report from CCTV footage, for the taxi to enter the intersection at speed and hit Mr Kostenko, taxi driver Naphatphong must have sped through a red light.

The report also made no mention of charges against Naphatphong at this stage.
Marriage equality bill heads to House

BANGKOK: The Cabinet yesterday (Dec 19) agreed to forward a bill for marriage equality to the House of Representatives for deliberation as suggested by the government whips, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

politics

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 20 December 2023 09:34 AM

A couple register their partnership at an event held in Dusit district to celebrate Valentines Day in February. Photo: Bangkom Post

Speaking after the weekly Cabinet meeting, he said the government-sponsored bill, which has been examined by the Council of State, is expected to be tabled in parliament tomorrow.

The prime minister has ben an enthusiastic backer of the draft legislation, which provides the same legal rights and protections to a same-sex marriage as a heterosexual marriage, as a step towards promoting equality and supporting families of all types.

Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a list-MP from the Move Forward Party (MFP), welcomed the Cabinets decision, reports the Bangkok Post.

He said LGBTQ+ people have been deprived of the legal rights and protections enjoyed in heterosexual marriage, and the marriage equality bill would bring about legal equality where the civil partnership bill could not.

Mr Tunyawaj also said two more versions of the marriage equality bill would be examined by parliament - one proposed by civil society groups and the other by Move Forward.

These are based on the same principle of recognising the legal union between two people regardless of their gender. The details may differ, the MP said, but they could be ironed out during the legislative review.

He said that if Thailand plans to host WorldPride, an international event to promote LGBTQ+ visibility, pushing for the passage of the marriage equality bill is a good start to demonstrate the countrys commitment to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

Four bills for civil unions for same-sex couples and marriage equality were debated in parliament last year but they failed to be passed before the House was dissolved, and they subsequently lapsed.

Move Forward has been pushing for the marriage equality bill, not the civil partnership bill proposed by the previous government, because it seeks to amend the law to allow anyone to wed and promote real marriage equality.

According to the main opposition party, the civil partnership bill recognises same-sex marriage but offers fewer rights and benefits to such unions.
Probe names government claims to Bang Khanun forest

PHUKET: A provincial working group chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan has revealed a list of the main claims to areas in the Bang Khanun Protected National Forest already granted to government agencies.

environmentnatural-resources

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 20 December 2023 09:49 AM

The working group, set up in September, met again at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Dec 19).

The group was established by the Phuket Provincial Office at the behest of the Phuket Provincial Ombudsmans Office (Damrongtham Centre) in July following a slew of complaints regarding the Royal Thai Navy being granted to use all 3,700 rai of the protected forest.

The Navy aims to use the forest to create a new home for the 22nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the Anti-Aircraft Command Unit, an Air Defense and Coastal Defense Center and the 4th Naval Police Battalion of the Naval Police Department.

As part of the working groups mandate to create a map of all areas in the forest that are occupied, the Sakhu and Thepkrasattri Tambon Administrative Organisations (OBorTor) compiled a list of agencies that had submitted formal requests to the Royal Forest Department to use land in the Bang Khanun Forest.

As of Dec 19, 2023, seven government agencies and administrations have been granted to use areas in the forest, as follows:

Phuket Highways Office, granted permission to use 9 rai 1 ngan 50 square wah from Aug 15, 1994  Aug 14, 2024.

Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area, granted permission to use 3,763 rai 1 ngan 2 square wah from Jan 1, 2023  Feb 28 2053.

Phuket Provincial branch of the National Office of Buddhism, granted permission to use 14 rai 2 ngan 51 square wah from Aug 9, 2023 - Aug 8, 2053.

Phuket Provincial Office of the Islamic Council of Thailand, granted permission to 8 rai 2 ngan from Jan 13, 2014  Jan 12, 2024.

Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), granted permission to use 1 rai from July 24, 2017  July 23, 2047.

Vachira Phuket Hospital, granted permission to use 322 rai 2 ngan from Feb 22, 2022  Feb 21, 2052  and has requested permission to use a further 35 rai 1 ngan.

Thepkrasattri OrBorTor, granted permission to use 18 rai 3 ngan 32 square wah from April 23, 2019 to use for Kubor burial (burial of unclaimed bodies)  and has requested permission to use a further 14 rai 2 ngan 74 square wah for office construction.

Four government agencies have requests that have not yet been granted: the Phuket Forestry Center, Thalang Technical College, Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority and the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office

The one government office that was denied permission to use land in the forest was the Phuket Provincial Public Works and Town & Country Planning Office.
WARSAW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Poland's Culture Minister sacked the heads of three state media outlets on Wednesday, leading to protests from the conservatives.

The dismissals came one week after the new government led by Donald Tusk took power from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, following the country's parliamentary elections.

In a statement, the Culture Ministry justified the move with a parliamentary resolution adopted on Tuesday, which called on the government to "restore the impartiality and credibility of public media."

New boards of directors for Polish Television (TVP), Polish Radio and the Polish Press Agency (PAP) have also been appointed by Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, the ministry added.

The PAP said that a number of PiS MPs have staged a protest at the PAP offices to express their anger over the dismissal of the agency's president and supervisory board. Online pictures also showed that besides the police, a group of senior PiS politicians, including party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, arrived at the headquarters of TVP on Wednesday afternoon.

In an exchange of open letters on X in the evening, President Andrzej Duda urged the government to "respect Polish law" in replacing the CEOs of public media, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk replied that the changes were designed to "restore legal order." 
This part of the mural shows the Orange-built LCI 96 moored in the river Dart below Agatha Christie's house. The mural segment that says Orange was done in this same type style as the Darthmouth, England, shown here.

Huw and Martha Howells of Orangefield were surprised to see a touch of Orange, Texas, when they visited crime writer Agatha Christie's home in Devon, England, this summer. In the home's library is a mural painted by Lt. Marshall Lee of the United States Navy showing the route his landing craft infantry (LCI) ship took out of the Orange shipyard in February 1943 on the way to North Africa, Sicily and on to England to participate in the DDay events.

"The mural began in the left corner of the library as you entered, so the first thing I saw was the words Orange, Houston and Galveston," Martha said. "I could not believe what I was seeing, because the last thing I expected to see was Orange, Texas, commemorated in a mural on a wall in a room of Agatha Christie's house in Devon, England."

Martha said the docent working in the library was excited to talk with

somebody from one of the American cities included in the mural and said the story of their meeting would enhance her tours in the future.

The docent tried to find a photo of the mural showing the Orange, Houston and Galveston site but could not, and the Howells were not allowed to take their own photo because of the house rules.

Martha and Huw were in England visiting his parents' home at Lands End when they toured the Agatha Christie house which was about 100 miles away.

Huw was born in Wales and grew up in Crowborough 35 miles south of London. He came to Texas in the mid-1980s because his parents lived in Beaumont at that time. This is where he met Martha, who is an English and language arts teacher at Orangefield Junior High School and a fan of Agatha Christie's writings.

Lt. Marshall Lee was the second commanding officer of LCI 96, which was part of a flotilla made up of 24 landing craft infantry ships built by Consolidated Steel Corp. in Orange. After the units were commissioned, they assembled in Galveston where they were formed into Flotilla 10. In February 1943 the flotilla departed from Galveston and sailed on to Key West, Fla., and eventually across the Atlantic.

During the fall of 1943, Agatha Chris-tie's home, known as the Greenway House, was requisitioned for the use of the U.S. Navy. The home became the headquarters ashore and officers' mess for Flotilla 10 based in the Dart River.

Lee painted the mural while billeted at the house from late 1943 to June 1944 prior to the Normandy Landings of World War II. The mural depicts the journey of LCI 96 from Orange to Key West, Norfolk, Va.; Morocco, Salerno, Sicily, Falmouth and Dartmouth to name a few.

After the war was over, the commander of the flotilla wrote and asked Agatha Christie if she wanted the mural painted over and the wall restored as it was before.

"I hurriedly replied it would be an historic memorial, and that I was delighted to have it," Christie wrote in her 1977 autobiography.

Lt. Marshall Lee was born in 1921 in Brooklyn, NY. His father, Jack Lee, was born in 1887 in Russia and came to America in 1895. His mother, Ruth Lee, was born in 1897 in New York City of Polish ancestry. His parents were married in 1916 and also had a daughter, Doris Lee, born in 1918.

Marshall's father died in 1929 at age 43, and his mother supported the family by working as a stenographer at a newspaper.

Marshall became interested in a career as a commercial artist while working in the newspaper pressroom during summer vacations. He studied art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from the school in 1939. He then moved to lower Manhattan and began to work as a free-lance commercial artist.

During World War II he enlisted in the U.S. Coastal Guard and served until his honorable discharge in 1946. He then became the U.S. director of Inter-Allied Cultural Relations in Europe.

Orangefield teacher Martha Howells stands outside Agatha Christie House in Devon, England.

He returned to New York City in 1948 and resumed his career in publishing and became an award-winning book designer. By 1952 he was teaching book design at New York University. In the 1970s he became vice president of an art book company.

He died in 2010 at the age of 89 in Schuylerville, New York.

Lee's Orange-built USS LCI-96 won six battle stars for its World War II service. Following the invasion of Normandy, the ship performed occupation duty in the Far East from September to November 1945.

It was decommissioned on April 2, 1946, at San Pedro, Calif. On March 3, 1948, it was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal.

The 158-foot long ship had a troop capacity of six officers and 182 enlisted men and a cargo capacity of 75 tons. The ship could land troops on a beach in less than 3 feet of water. Also, it could travel 4,000 miles without refueling, weighed 380 tons when loaded and had a top speed of 16 knots.
For many, the smell of sweet, peppery BBQ smoke evokes many memories, traditions and flavors. Whether smoking for a tailgate or family and friends, BBQ never ceases to provide the inviting comradery of cooking.

Originating from leftover meat at meat markets smoked in the ground with hot coals, BBQ and meat smoking methods have evolved over centuries while never losing their value, only expanding it. More importantly, the tradition of meat smoking has made itself a staple in Texas, supporting thousands of farmers, ranchers, businesses and timber and lumber operations throughout the state.

Most essential to the meat smoking process is the source of the smoke wood. Traditionally, meat smoking utilized hot coals underground. As smoking methods continued to evolve, the use of split woods and wood chips, such as hickory and pecan woods, were introduced. These new methods invited the expansion of flavorful meats and a higher demand for the delicacy.

Now, the meat-smoking tradition has taken a new step with the introduction of processed wood pellets.

The introduction of wood pellets into the BBQ market has allowed greater access to even the most novice smokers, said Shane Harrington, Texas A&M Forest Service Senior Project Manager and Texas BBQ catering business owner. The world of BBQ has exponentially grown in the last 10 years due to greater access to woods and with the creation of wood pellets and pellet smokers.

Smoking pellets, often a byproduct of lumber production, offer sustainable forest management solutions by ensuring that every part of a tree is used in the secondary stages of production.

The evolution of and higher demand for BBQ smoking products means that lumber producers have a new avenue for wood byproduct usage that they didnt have before, said Harrington.

Wood pellets are a product of chipped logs, branches and excess lumber that are processed into wood fiber. The fiber is then passed under a magnet to ensure it contains no metal before it is dried, leaving only 6% of its original moisture, locking in powerful, earthy flavors. Last, the dried wood fiber is then pressed in a pellet mill under intense pressure to form the pellets made available to consumers.

Choosing a specific pellet group can be a difficult task when accounting for the flavor and heat given off by the pellets. This is why, after many creative tests, BBQ enthusiasts will blend together different wood pellet groups to ensure optimal flavor and consistent heat is present.

Among the most popular Texas woods to smoke with are hickory, oak, pecan and mesquite.

Hickory

Hickory wood is one of the hardest domestic hardwoods in Texas meaning that the temperature will be lower and will last longer. With hardwood comes lower smoking temperatures. To combat the lower temperatures of hickory wood, softer hardwoods like oak or mesquite can be added to add bursts of higher temperatures.

Hickory wood is known for its sweet, powerful smoke flavor. It is among the most popular when smoking pork, especially ribs and pork belly used for bacon.

Oak

With a lifespan that can span centuries and is known for its abundant production of acorns, oak trees serve as a staple of Central Texas.

Oak wood is a versatile wood for smoking. Due to its milder smoke flavor compared to hickory wood, oak wood can be paired with other woods such as apple or cherry. Many smokers combine hickory and oak woods when in search of a tamed-down hickory flavor.

Pecan

Serving as the Texas state tree, pecan trees provide many economic benefits to the Texas forestry industry. Pecan trees, either naturally produced or planted in a production orchard, can be found throughout the state.

Pecan wood is most widely used to smoke poultry. Adding a reddish tint to the meat, pecan wood locks in a mild sweet and nutty flavor.

Mesquite

For red meat lovers, mesquite wood offers a strong, earthy flavor that is sure to complement the natural flavors of the beef. Of the hardwood smoking options, mesquite provides one of the highest volumes of smoke.

Most often, mesquite wood is only used as a heat and flavor aid to other woods, as using it alone may result in a more bitter taste. Mesquite is best used to add color to meat and for times when you need a direct, quick smoke.

As Texans maintain the tradition of meat smoking, the forestry industry continues to embrace the sustainable technological advancements of wood production to provide flavorful wood and pellets for all to enjoy.
The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce annual dinner has been set for January 29, and the deadline is approaching for nominees as "citizen of the year" and "business of the year."

The nominating deadline is January 5 and submissions may be made by email, postage mail, or at the chamber office.

The 2024 recipients of the two honors will be announced dinner. Tickets to the annual dinner, which will be at the Bridge City Community Center at 6 p.m. January 29, are $20 for each person, or $200 for a table of eight. They are available at the chamber office, 150 West Roundbunch Road, or through email.

Each year the chamber selects from nominees a citizen of the year who is honored at the annual dinner. The person should be nominated for volunteering and activities during the past year that have helped in the city of Bridge City and Orangefield area. A narrative nomination should be submitted describing the person's erof the specific volunteer work and activities should be included.

The business of the year is selected in a similar way through a narrative about the business and its contributions to the Bridge City-Orangefield community during the past year. The recipient will be honored at the chamber dinner and also later in the year by the regional banquet for Small Business Week.

In addition to listing accomplishments the business has made through volunteering, the nominations should include the staying power of the business, the number of employees the business has, and its growth during the past year.

Nominations for the honors may be submitted through the chamber's email, [email protected].
People in Mauriceville who have an opinion on noisy engine braking on big truck rigs will have a chance to tell Orange County Commissioners Court at 8:30 a.m. on January 9.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris Sowell has recommended the county adopt a "no engine braking" zone at the intersection of Texas Highways 62 and 12. The court will hold a public hearing for the zone during that time before going into a workshop meeting at 9 a.m.

The court had its last meeting of the year on Tuesday and voted to set that public hearing after Sowell said he has had a number of complaints about the truckers.

Motor websites explain that "engine braking" is letting a foot off the accelerator to slow the vehicle down before applying brakes. The method can save wear and tear on brakes and give a bit of gasoline savings.

However, in the big rigs with compression brakes, that method can end up "producing a pretty loud and annoying noise which some liken to a machine gun firing," according to Capital One Auto Navigator.

Mauriceville and other areas of the county have seen increased heavy truck traffic as the construction for the new $8.5 billion ChevronPhillips petrochemical plant gets in full swing.

In other business, commissioners approved a recommendation from County Elections Administrator Donna Alford to hold a joint primary election for the Orange County Republican and Democratic parties. She said she met with Democratic Chair John Cash Smith and Republican Chair Leo LaBauve and they agreed.

In past years, each party held its own primary race and paid the county office to oversee it. A voter coming in has been asked Republican or Democratic and they reply outloud. In the past decade, only Republicans have run for local offices. The 2024 races will include presidential primaries.

Alford explained that parties will save money on the joint election. The county has enough voting machines to rent to the Republicans, but the Democrats would have to rent machines from a private company if they were having separate primaries.

With a joint primary, the identifications of voters are checked for the registered voter roles. A voter does not have to say outloud a party affiliation, but instead will choose which party to cast on the machine. They will then be checked onto the county's registered voter roles as voting in the specific party primary, so a record will be kept. People who vote in one party's primary may not vote in the other party's primary runoff races.

Last year, the Texas Secretary of State's Office approved Orange County adopting a measure to let any registered voter in the county cast a ballot at any voting site in the county, rather than only at their assigned small neighborhood box.

In separate business, the court approved Alford hiring an additional full-time worker for the next two months. She said one of her regular employees is taking a leave and with the presidential primary year races this year, her office needs three full-time workers.

The court approved extending a contract with KMY Consulting to oversee the Local First program, which helps individuals, contractors, and businesses to work with the new ChevronPhillips plant construction.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Johnny Trahan thanked the Orange County Sheriff's Office for once again sponsoring the Blue Santa program and party for parents who need help getting their kids Christmas gifts.
ROME, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's (EU) New Pact on Migration and Asylum has been welcomed by government officials in Italy -- one of the countries that pushed hardest for such an agreement. However, non-governmental groups have warned the deal, hammered out on Wednesday, will have a dire impact on refugees.

The European Commission said the pact "establishes a common approach to migration and asylum that is based on solidarity, responsibility, and respect for human rights."

Specifically, it creates uniform rules for identifying potential asylum seekers, develops a common database on these individuals, streamlines the asylum process, creates a "solidarity mechanism" to help spread the impact of new arrivals, and lays out a framework for future migrant-related crises. Negotiations on the pact began in 2020.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the agreement shows that Italy has obtained important results on migrants. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said that Europe and Italy could now "count on new rules to manage migratory flows and to combat human traffickers."

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has led the push for a pan-European agreement on migration, is recovering from an illness and has not commented on the new deal.

However, the agreement has been criticized for being unbalanced and unfair to potential migrants with a right to claim asylum in the EU.

"This agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person's journey to seek asylum in the EU," said Eve Geddie, director of the European Institutions Office for Amnesty International.

"The pact will almost certainly cause more people to be put into de facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations," Geddie said.

The EU has seen a dramatic increase in the number of would-be asylum seekers landing on its shores this year.

Irregular crossings at the EU's external borders increased by 17 percent in the first 11 months of this year to over 355,300, surpassing full-year totals in any year since 2016, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency has said.

Most of these migrants have arrived via various sea routes, and around 153,500, or nearly 60 percent of total sea arrivals have landed in Italy via the deadly Mediterranean route from Tunisia or Libya. 
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who represents Orange County, speaks during the announcement Monday of the Port of Orange getting $18.1 million through new funding by the state legislature. State Senator Robert Nichols is seated on the right.

The Port of Orange is getting $18.1 million from the state and will be able to do new projects to help local industry, thanks to a first-time allocation from the Texas Legislature.

Texas Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan, who represents Orange County and part of Jefferson County, and Texas Senator Robert Nichols, whose district includes Orange and Jefferson counties, were at the Port of Orange on Monday to announce the allocation.

The four ports in Southeast Texas are receiving a total of $66 million in the new state money for different projects.

The local port, whose offices are in the historic former Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company on the Sabine River, hosted the state officials, along with representatives from the ports of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Sabine Pass for the special announcement.

Phelan, the House District 21 representative, said this is the first time the state legislature has invested so much in the ports in the state.

The new emphasis on ports has been helped by Phelan, who grew up in this area and worked his way to the powerful speaker of the house position, and Nichols, who is chair of the State Senate Transportation Committee. Nichols lives in Jacksonville, but has a chemical engineering degree from Lamar University in Beaumont and a petrochemical professional background that made him familiar with the importance of ports along the Texas coast.

The Port of Orange owns several acres of land along the Sabine River off DuPont Drive, plus acreage of the former U.S. Navy base along the river off Simmons Drive.

Port Director Lorrie Taylor said the new state money will be used to repair a dock, pluse develop a 10-acre site trucking site to help accommodate the large trucks that haul off goods delivered to the port.

The state allocations will be used along with grants from the Port Connectivity Program and the Maritime Infrastructure Program.

The Orange Navigation and Port District was formed in 1960 and is a countywide taxing entity with elected board commissioners to oversee the port. John Montagne is the current board president with other members Debbie Britnell, Keith Wallace, Walter Mullins III, and Marvin Spears.
Ashley Pymm poses with Santa 'Call Me Kris Kringle' Claus during Roberts Ford Second Annual Jingle Bell Rockout this past Saturday. The dealership held the festival for the community and as a way to benefit the local Sugie Lane Foundation to help victims of domestic violence.

A brisk north wind Saturday accompanied Santa to Roberts Ford and blew out the rain before the dealership's Second Annual Jingle Bell Rockout festival.

Sarah Helm, marketing manager for the dealership, said the event is a way for the community to get to know the Roberts Ford family and for the business to help the community. That help includes letting small businesses set up booths to sell or get familiar with their products.

Helm said the weather forecast of rain kept some vendors this year from coming, even though the dealership had set up tents. Still, there was a variety of goods for sale from remote-control trucks to freeze-dried candies, candles, crafts, and Scentsy.

Roberts Ford asked each vendor to donate a new toy for the Bridge City-Orangefield Ministerial Alliance to give to children for the holiday. A large pile was set up on display as some people attending added another.

Crafts were set up for children and their parents helped them as they intensely concentrated on the colors for their Christmas decoration. Outside, a corn-hole game was set up for a competition, or as a couple of young boys discovered, a ramp for a remote-control truck.

The hot chocolate and coffee from Grit N Grind drew a line plus the Bullfish restaurant in Orangefield had its food truck for hot meals. A Santa set up inside the car showroom out of the wind so it wouldn't blow his naturally long white hair and beard.

Three-year-old Kodi Kuckenbecker had fun working on a Christmas decoration as one of the activities for children.

The Sugie Lane Foundation took the spotlight, though. The local non-profit was started by Emily Ross in honor of her mother, Sugie Lane Vasquez. Vasquez was murdered in 1997 by her husband and Emily's father, Rogelio Guerra Vasquez.

The foundation helps promote domestic violence awareness and has a special goal of helping children who have lost a parent through the violence of an intimate partner.

Ross and her group set up an information table on the foundation's programs and how to donate. The Orange County Sheriff's Office had its purple domestic violence awareness patrol SUV set up next to the foundation's table. The patrol vehicle is the first in Texas to promote the helping victims of domestic abuse.

Roberts Ford had raffles for a number of donated items and the money raised was given to the Sugie Lane Foundation.

Roberts Ford is on Green Avenue at 16th Street in Orange in the dealership established in the 1960s by late businessman Charlie Wickersham.
CM urges

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IMPHAL, Dec 20 : Chief Minister N Biren Singh has appealed to all fellow Manipuris to not dump or throw plastic materials and garbage in lakes, rivers or any water bodies.

The Chief Minister uploaded a video of cleaning Nambul River in between Hiyangthang and Irom Meijrao using heavy machinery of Loktak Development Authority by the officials of the Environment Department on his Facebook page and made the appeal.
Mind boggling level of politics EU Parliament to schools

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The level of politics that is at play is mind boggling and at the same time stupefying as well. To those who have kept a close tab on Manipur ever since the place went up in flames on May 3, 2023, the politics being played at different levels would not have gone missing. It started off with the fantabulously cooked up story that sought to portray the ongoing clash as one between tribals and non-tribals. Not everyone is a fool and there were no takers for this tale that came straight out of the imaginative minds of some word wizards, who know how to string words and portray a tale that would go in their favour before the international community. Next was the bid to give it a religious twist and portray what is happening in Manipur as the majority Hindus butchering the minority Christians, never mind the fact that the first attacks were launched on the places of worship of the Meiteis at Churachandpur and Moreh. The damaged Temple of Ima Kondong Lairembi at Moreh and countless number of other places of worship continue to stand as mute testimony to this day. It was in using the religious card that the matter was taken to the floor of the European Parliament to earn some brownie points, but that it ultimately boomeranged is there for one and all to see. All these steps taken up went hand in hand with the fantastically spun out other false narratives that were lapped up by quite a number of pen pushers, so much so that all Imphal based media houses were dubbed as Meitei media. Manipur should be aware of the different strategies that have been adopted by those who are hell bent on dismembering the existence of the place as a distinct geo-political reality but the critical question is whether the people who have stood by the idea of Manipur are aware of this fact and are accordingly responding to the unfolding situation or are busy pursuing their own goals blinded by a fair dose of self centred egoism. The confusion that has been created should be clear to all and one cannot allow this state of reality to linger if the people have to face the challenges effectively. The latest move is obviously the affiliation of 25 schools located in the Kuki-Zo areas to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and while there is nothing wrong per se in such a move, the fact of playing politics with education and obviously with the education of the young children is obvious. That CBSE has cancelled the affiliation move of these schools is there for one and all to see, but one should not lose sight of the politics that is being played at different levels.

The common thread that runs through the politics that is being played is the call for a Separate Administration. From a level as high as the European Parliament, to dexterously cooking up false narratives to the level of playing politics with the education of the young children with false affidavits, and it should be clear that no level is too high or too low for the elements out there whose calling card is to dismember Manipur. The crucial question is whether those who have taken up cudgels on behalf of Manipur are ready to shed their ego, narrow outlook, their misplaced sense of importance and acknowledge the reality that is being played out right before their own eyes. This is not the time to flex ones muscle around the same set of people who stand by the idea of Manipur. Not the time to rub those who have been maintaining a neutral stand the wrong way and certainly not the time to create more enemies. Certainly not the time to settle a political score or two, for the necessity of the current situation calls for everyone to strike a common stand. Manipur should acknowledge the reach of the adversary and accordingly respond to the situation. This is where it becomes very important for everyone to acknowledge that this is not the time to settle personal scores and certainly not the time to flex ones muscle amid the people who have always stood by the understanding of Manipur. To come out tops, it is indispensable to know the nemesis and to come anywhere near this understanding, Manipur would need as many friends as possible.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Donald Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 because of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and the Centennial State authority should disqualify the former U.S. president from appearing on the ballot in 2024 presidential election.

The Supreme Court, in a 4-3 opinion, found that Trump is barred under a provision of Section Three of the 14th Amendment that prohibits people who engaged in insurrection from running for office and ordered the Secretary of State of Colorado not to list Trump's name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot or to count any write-in votes cast for him.

Colorado's case is the first of many legal challenges across the country to result in a ruling disqualifying Trump from the ballot as the former president seeks the 2024 Republican nomination, also marking the first time in history that Section Three of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and attacked the case in Colorado and similar lawsuits in other states against him as baseless and anti-democratic.

The Colorado Supreme Court stays Tuesday's ruling until Jan. 4, 2024, the day before the deadline for the Secretary of State to certify its presidential primary ballots, pending a likely appeal requiring to include Trump's name on the March 5 primary ballot unless the federal justices order otherwise.

It's a near-certainty the case will head to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Denver Post predicted, adding that Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, promised to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court quickly.

Cheung called the Colorado Supreme Court's decision "completely flawed."

All seven members of the Colorado Supreme Court were appointed by the state's Democratic governors. The suit was filed in early September against Trump and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, but the legal battle has always been between the plaintiffs and Trump's legal team.

Section Three of the 14th Amendment says officials who take an oath to support the Constitution are banned from future office if they "engaged in insurrection." The Civil War-era constitutional clause is designed to disqualify anyone who took the oath of office in the Confederacy from running for public office.

It does not explicitly mention the presidency and has only been applied twice since 1919.

The Colorado Supreme Court's majority on Tuesday reversed a lower court's decision that the president was not an "officer" under the Constitution; therefore, the clause did not apply.

Trump has frequently claimed "presidential immunity" in legal cases against him, trying to also have the felony charges against him dismissed.

"We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits," Cheung said in a statement.

Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected his "immunity" claim on felony charges, ruling Trump's time in the White House did not give him the "divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens."

Trump's team was counting on the winding appellate process to delay the trial past the November 2024 election.

Lawsuits citing the 14th Amendment against Trump were dismissed early by multiple courts in many states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, Arizona, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Florida. 
Indian Army, Kripan Division under aegis of Trishakti Corps commemorated 53 years of the victory in the Battle of Hilli at War Memorial located at Hilli in South Dinajpur today. According to an Army official, this was a decisive battle fought by Indian Army during Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.

The event was attended by military and civil dignitaries of Indian Armed Forces , Border Security Force, Cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) and veteran soldiers. It commenced with flagging in of a cycle rally from Panagarh and a motorcycle rally from Binnaguri to the town of Hilli.

General Officer Commanding, Kripan Division honoured the heroes of battle by laying wreath at War Memorial. During the event an immaculate march past was carried out by the Junior Division Cadets of 7th Battalion NCC and a cultural programme presented by the school children.

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A team of officers from Delhi Police special cell, which is in the city in search of clues on the prime accused in the parliament breach case Lalit Jha, today visited the apartment where Jha along with his parents used to live at Baguiati and spoke at length with the owner of the house.

The team also visited the Eco Park police station. Later, Shefali Sardar, the owner of the house at Hatiara, Baguiati, told the media that the team had come to gather information on Jha. On Monday, the team visited the address of 218 Rabindra Sarani at Burrabazar, where Jha would live in a rented room and give tuition to children, as told by the locals but could not enter the room as it was locked. The team also visited the Girish Park police station and interrogated about four persons but the police declined to identify the four.

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Amid rising cases of JN.1Covid variant, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday said adequate steps like availability of oxygen cylinders, isolation wards and ventilator beds are being taken to tide over any exigency.

He, however, said JN.1 is a variant of Omicron and is mild in nature despite being infectious. He said 90 per cent of the patients are being treated and recovering under home isolation, while very few required oxygen support and ventilators.

The minister further said the deaths reported in this regard were due to co- morbidities and asked people to remain safe and vigilant.

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He also urged people not to panic or expose themselves to the infection.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya directed all states to take preventive measures with regard to the surge of COVID-19 cases. He virtually chaired a high-level review meeting in the national capital with health ministers of states/UTs to discuss their readiness to combat the disease.

Interacting with media after the meeting, NITI Aayog member(Health) V K Paul said there are 2,300 active cases of COVID-19 at present. He said 16 deaths have also been reported in the country in the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Centre had issued an advisory in view of the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases and detection of the first case of JN.1 variant in the country.

The government had asked the states/UTs to maintain a constant vigil on the situation besides ensuring adequate testing, including higher number of RT-PCR tests, and send positive samples for genome sequencing to Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories.
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Wednesday staged a protest against the BJP-led government at the Centre over the issue of unemployment.

At a demonstration held at Jantar Mantar here under the leadership of its national president Srinivas BV, members of the youth wing of the Congress party accused the ruling dispensation of dictatorship.

Addressing the members, the IYC chief said, The (Narendra) Modi Government has nothing to do with the problems of the youngsters of the country. The Modi Government is only working for few industrialists.

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Attacking the BJP Government, Srinivas said, Ever since this government came to power, it has brought unemployment to the youth of the country.

He further said, The government can suspend (Opposition) MPs from Parliament but how will they suspend these youngsters who are protesting against this government. The Modi Government is destroying democracy and spoiling the future of the youth.

We will fight this dictatorship and the fascist forces strongly. We will not let them succeed in their plans at any cost, the IYC chief added.

Echoing a similar sentiment, national in-charge of the Youth Congress Krishna Allavaru said, The Modi Government has brought economic recession and the unemployment rate is increasing in the country.

Taking a swipe at the prime minister, he said, Modi had promised to provide two crore jobs to the youth of the country every year, at that count today 18 crore youth in the country should have got employment, but the reality is that 18 crore youth did not get employment, 22 crore people had applied for jobs, only seven lakh people got employment. The youth of the country are helpless.

We appeal to the prime minister to pay some attention to the employment of the youth of the country. This struggle for the rights of the youngsters will continue, added Allavaru.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the first supplementary budget proposal of his government on the second day of the assembly session on Wednesday.

The Rs 12,992.70 crore supplementary budget includes provisions for a two-year pending bonus for farmers, the Prime Ministers Housing Scheme, and the Mahatari Vandana Scheme.

The budget discussion is scheduled for Thursday. The budget allocates Rs 3,799 crore for the Prime Ministers Housing Scheme and Rs 3,800 crore for the paddy bonus, along with Rs 1,200 crore for the Mahatari Vandana Yojana.

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Speaker Dr Raman Singh has reserved Thursday for budget discussion. The deliberation will also include an analysis of the Governors address.

On Tuesday, the assembly session commenced with Governor Biswabhusan Harichandans speech. In his address, the Governor congratulated the elected members and expressed hope for their bright future, urging them to fulfill the promises made to their constituents.

Governor Harichandan emphasised that the increased voter turnout in remote areas was a sign of public trust in the government. He highlighted that a higher voter turnout signifies peoples confidence in the Constitution.
DENVER, United States, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump be removed from the state's 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot.

The Trump campaign vowed that they "will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court."

"A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment," the court wrote in its 4-3 decision, referring to a rarely used provision of the U.S. Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding office.

The Colorado court said the ruling is stayed until Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for appeals.

It marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate, and also the first time a U.S. state court has ruled that Trump, who holds a wide lead in the Republican 2024 nominating contest, should be disqualified from the 2024 presidential election.

It's a near-certainty the case will head to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Denver Post predicted, adding Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, promised to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court soon. 
In line with the Yogi Governments instructions to ensure safety of people involved in hazardous tasks, such as cleaning sewer and septic tanks, the Directorate of Local Bodies of UP has written a letter to all the Municipal Commissioners, General Managers of Jalkal and Jal Sansthan and all the executive officers, asking them to ensure compliance with the SOP already issued by the department in this regard.

The letter emphasises the use of latest equipment and necessary protective gear during the hazardous cleaning process, as well as regular training of the sanitation workers. It clearly states that sanitation workers, who are not trained, will not be allowed to carry out the exercise in order to prevent loss of lives.

It is noteworthy that on October 20, 2023, the Supreme Court had issued strict orders to the states regarding the safety of workers involved in the cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. The orders included provision of a compensation of Rs 30 lakh in case of death in an accident, in addition to not allowing manual cleaning.

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Notably, the Yogi government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure total compliance with the directives of the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission.

According to the order issued by Dr. Nitin Bansal, Director of Urban Local Bodies Directorate, the department has been regularly issuing SOP to all the bodies regarding cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

In line with the order of the Supreme Court as well as the instructions given by the National Human Rights Commission, all Municipal Commissioners, Executive Officers and General Managers of Jal Sansthan have been directed to ensure complete compliance with all the points of the previously issued SOP at their civic level. They have also been told to guide the concerned officials and employees in this regard.

According to the SOP issued earlier, no person is allowed to enter the sewer for cleaning. Therefore, entry into the sewer without proper safety measures for cleaning is prohibited. Regular cleaning and maintenance of septic tanks and sewers should be ensured with maximum mechanization, prescribed rules and standard operating procedures and safety equipment. Getting unsafe cleaning done is a legal offense.

According to the SOP, IEC activities will be conducted in all the bodies for sewer line, septic tank and pit cleaning, so that the general public and sanitation workers can be made aware. It will also convey the message that sewer cleaning should only be done by trained workers with valid ID cards and using the necessary safety equipment as per the SOP.

Additionally, supervisors must be present on-site with adequate machinery and safety equipment. Sewer cleaning should be carried out when the minimum quantity of sewage is present in the sewer.

Besides, local authorities have been assigned responsibilities when working with registered organizations, contractors, and firms, while specific responsibilities have been assigned even when local authorities directly participate in the cleaning process as per the SOP.
In a fresh attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre over suspension of Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the ruling dispensation of strangulating the democracy.

The CPP chairperson said the recent security breach in Parliament was inexcusable and cannot be justified.

The remarks of Gandhi came a day after the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc condemned the suspension of MPs in Parliament during its fourth meeting held in the city. They called it undemocratic and announced to hold a nationwide protest on December 22 over the matter.

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Referring to the suspension of MPs, Gandhi in her speech at the CPP meeting at Parliament said, Democracy has been strangulated by this government. Never before have so many Opposition MPs been suspended from the house, and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand.

What happened on December 13th (security breach in Parliament) is inexcusable and cannot be justified. It took four days for the Prime Minister to address the nation and express his views on the incident, and he did so outside of the Parliament. By doing so, he clearly indicated his disdain for the dignity of the house and his disregard for the people of our country, she said.

The government has conducted a systematic assault on democracy and the insttutions that are its essential pillars, including Parliament, said Gandhi.

She also asserted there is a significant gap between the Prime Ministers boasts about economic growth and the ground reality.

Unemployment is soaring higher than in decades, and wealth is being concentrated in the hands of a select clique of industrialists. Prices of everyday commodities are skyrocketing. The poor are suffering. It is imperative that we take these issues to the public, Gandhi said.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the CPP chairperson further said, This session has seen the passage of some important Bills relating to Jammu and Kashmir. Those who distort history and twist historical facts just to defame great patriots like Jawaharlal Nehru have been running a relentless campaign.

In these efforts, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have taken the lead themselves, but we will not be intimidated or cowed down. We will persist in telling the truth.

On Congress position on Jammu and Kashmir, Gandhi said, Our position has been clear and consistent. Full statehood must be restored immediately, and elections must be held at the earliest.

The aspirations of the people of Ladakh are equally important, they must be addressed and shown the respect they deserve, she said.

On partys performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections, the CPP chairperson said, To say that the Assembly election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement. Party president (Mallikarjun Kharge) has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and draw the needed lessons for our organization.

Noting that the party is facing enormous challenges, she said,  I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through. Our ideology and our values are our guiding light at this difficult time.

On partys stupendous performance in Telangana in Assembly polls, Gandhi said, The people of Telengana have given us a clear mandate. We must strive our utmost to fulfill their trust and confidence.

On 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CPP chairperson said, We have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA group.

She informed that the Congress president has already launched the poll preparations and a rally is being organized in Nagpur on the party s foundation day, is a significant step in this direction.

On Womens Reservation Bill, Gandhi said, We believe that the passing of the Womens Reservation Bill with a rider  that it shall only be implemented after delimitation or a census, is an eyewash intended to mislead women and garner their votes while reneging on that which is rightfully owed to them.

Noting that the Womens Representation in Parliament is long overdue, the CPP chairperson said, There is no time to waste. It is our firm belief that reservation for women must be implemented immediately and it should cover women belonging to all communities including the OBC community.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former party president Rahul Gandhi, Leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, and KC Venugopal, among others were present in the meeting.
Hospitals across India have been put on alert after multiple cases of Covid JN.1 variant were reported in several states even as experts allay fears of any major public health risk.

On Wednesday, the Centre said that a total of 21 cases of the new variant has been found in the country, including 19 from Goa and one each from Maharashtra and Kerala.

In Gujarat, there are 19 active cases of coronavirus and genome sequencing will be done to find their variant.

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In view of the looming threat, mock drill was conducted in the states 5,700 hospitals, including government and private, between December 13 and 17.

Earlier today, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a high-level review meeting with state and union territory health ministers on the preparedness of health facilities and services in view of the recent surge in respiratory diseases like influenza and COVID-19.

After the meeting, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that instructions have been given to the Health Department and necessary measures have been taken to ensure the situation does not increase.

We have taken the necessary measures regarding Corona. Instructions have been given to the Health Department. The government will take care that it does not increase in any situation, he said.

Delhi Health Minister Sourabh Bharadwaj said that even though the new variant is not very serious in nature, the government is making all the necessary arrangements.

Its a variant of Omicron. It is mild. It is infectious but not very serious in nature. Nevertheless, the government is making all necessary arrangements, such as oxygen cylinders, ventilator beds and isolation wards for patients  all these requirements are being reviewed again, the Delhi health minister said.

Odisha Health Minister Niranjan Pujari said that the central health minister has given suggestions regarding the increase in cases of new Covid variant and the state government has ramped up testing.

Union Minister had given the suggestion as COVID cases are risingWe are active and surveillance is being done. 2261 tests were done in the last 7 days but no cases were detectedOur preparedness is in place. We have ordered all districts to be prepared to face any situation. We are reviewing again and again, Pujari said.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry officials said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is working on genome sequencing of the new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the JN.1 as a variant of interest but argued that it didnt pose any major public health risk.

According to the latest Union Health Ministry Data, the active cases of coronavirus in India have increased to 2,311.
In his first remarks on Americas allegation of a plot by Indian nationals to assassinate a Khalistan supporter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will look into any evidence but asserted that a few incidents wont derail India-US ties.

In an exclusive interview to Financial Times, he said, If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.

Modi said India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas. These elements, he said, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.

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Amid intense speculation over the fate of India-US ties in the wake of the alleged assassination plot, he asserted that there was a strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of the Indo-US relationship which was a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership. Security and counter-terrorism cooperation has been a key component of our partnership, he said, adding he did not think it was appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The target of the alleged assassination plot was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, who has been designated as a terrorist by India. New Delhi has repeatedly accused the Western nations of not taking its security concerns, especially with regard to the activities of Khalistan supporters.

The External Affairs Ministry recently announced the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the US allegation and take necessary follow-up action. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar went on record to say that India would investigate the matter since it has bearing on the countrys own security.

The US allegation in November came close on the heels of a statement in September by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that his country was investigating if Indian agents were behind the June killing of another Khalistan backer Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June. Hitting back at the allegations, India described the Canadian allegation as absurd and responded by asking 41 Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023, after Home Minister Amit Shah said the Bills would replace criminal justice laws drafted with a colonial mindset, and bring in a system in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution.

Drafted after wide consultations, the new laws define terrorism and mob-lynching, prescribe transparency and time-limits for different stages of proceedings and replace raj-droh (treason against government) by desh-droh (treason against nation).

The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023 removes the offence of sedition completely. In its place, it has brought exciting or attempting to excite secession, armed rebellion, or subversive activities, encouraging feelings of separatist activities, or endangering the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India.

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These offences may involve exchange of words or signs, electronic communication, or use of financial means.

Justice is the foundation of a civilised society. For common man, justice meant criminal justice and we have brought the three Bills for that. They are justice centred and not punishment-centred, the home minister said, replying to a two-day discussion on the Bills.

Mr Shah assured the House there was no possibility of creation of a police state through the new laws; in fact, powers of police have been brought under watch in many cases and curtailed in some others.

Police will have to disclose custody of suspects to affected relatives, he said. A balance has been brought between the work of police and interests of citizens. The government consulted 200 IPS officers, legislators and state governments on the provisions.

The three new Bills will bring fundamental changes in the criminal justice system and fulfil promises made by the Narendra Modi Government. Provisions have been made for technological innovations, liberal application of forensic science, with time-limits provided for the police, lawyers and the magistracy.

Minimum punishment has been increased in some offences, while fines are provided in some, and many provisions have been dropped in the new laws, he said. To avoid unnecessary delays in justice, independent directors of prosecution will decide whether appeals are required to be made in different cases.

Crimes against women like rape or gang-rape, crimes against children and murders have been brought forward in the new penal law. Anybody can criticise a government, but not hurt interests of the country, its resources, or flag, and will have to go to jail, he said. This is the thrust of our government, he said.

Organised crime has been defined in the new law. There are provisions for cyber and economic crimes, human trafficking, and attempts to harm economic system have been included. This will help criminal justice system.

In cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, if a person takes the victim of an accident to hospital, punishment will be less, whereas hit-and-run cases will be treated separately. Snatching and mobile-snatching have been included. Causing serious physical injury can invite 10 years jail, he said.

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 seeks to replace the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC). Mr Shah said in cases involving three to seven years jail possibility, an FIR will have to be filed in three days.

The home minister said plea bargaining has to be initiated in 30 days, e-FIRs can be filed, and technology will be used to curb misuse of police power. Searches and seizures will be videographed. Forensic teams visit will be compulsory in many cases.

FIRs can be registered in any police station. Unauthorised custody will not be allowed. Summary trials will have shorter durations, while proceedings against government officials can be initiated after a time limit, the home minister said.

The number of offences under which suspects can be declared fugitives has been raised substantially to 120. Bail after one third of term served can be considered while vehicles stored in police stations can be sold after showing their videos to magistrates.

The Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023 provides for electronic and digital evidence being recognised as primary evidence. This will completely transform the Indian criminal justice system. Courts are being modernised accordingly, he said.

There was virtually no participation of the Opposition in the debate on the Bills as members were suspended. Mr Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) said most of the undertrials in the country belong to minorities, Dalits and Adivasis and their number could go up under the new laws. The sedition law was being reintroduced with a new name, he said.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Chief Justice of Manipur High Court Siddarth Mridul on Wednesday unveiled the G+3 Annexe Building at Thoubal court complex in Khangabok, 30 km away from Imphal.

This addition, costing Rs 8.8 crore, is poised to improve the working environment for judges, staff and litigants.

The inauguration aligns with the governments broader initiative to establish a modern court, infrastructure across Tamenglong, Kakching, and Senapati, enhancing access to justice throughout Manipur.

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Expressing optimism, Chief Minister Singh tweeted, The annexes expanded space and contemporary amenities will undoubtedly amplify the courts efficiency, promoting an environment conducive to dispensing justice and serving the community.

Justice Mridul, who assumed the position of the seventh Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court earlier in the year, has previously served as a judge at the Delhi High Court for over 15 years.

His appointment to this role came following a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium on July 5. Born on November 22, 1962 to the late Justice Pushp Raj Mridul, a respected senior advocate and former judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Mridul has made notable contributions through landmark judicial decisions.

One such significant ruling occurred in December 2021 when Justice Mridul presided over a bench that streamlined the functioning of the juvenile justice delivery system.

The bench issued crucial directives, including quarterly reviews of the Individual Care Plan (ICP) and Rehabilitation Card of children in conflict with the law by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

Additionally, in June 2021, a bench led by Justice Mridul made a noteworthy observation, labeling the definition of terrorist act in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as broad and somewhat ambiguous.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, who has been caught in a massive political storm over his mimicking of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, has defended the act, saying mimicry is an art and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done it in the Lok Sabha.

I have great respect for Dhankhar ji. But, I did not want to hurt anyoneand its one type of art. Mimicry was done also by the Prime Minister in Lok Sabha during the last term. I can show you the video. But no one took it seriously, he said.

Further, explaining the incident, Banerjee said a mock parliament was going on and sought to know if the Rajya Sabha chairman actually behaves in the way he had acted.

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I have not said it was Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabhaa mock parliament was going on. If he has taken this to his shoulder, I am really helpless. Does he really behave like this in the Rajya Sabha? he asked.

Dhankhar has taken strong exceptions of the act and termed it an insult to the his office and his Jat farmer background.

Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker are very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable, he said.

The BJP and Prime Minister Modi has also expressed solidarity to Dhankhar and slammed the Opposition MP for abject theatrics.

Modi dialled Dhankhar and said that he was pained to see the Opposition MP mimicking him in the Parliament complex.

In a social media post on X, Dhankhar wrote, Received a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some MPs and that too in the Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is facing flak over his act of filming TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, said the video is in his phone and the media is discussing that but not the real issues such as suspension of Opposition MPs and unemployment.

150 of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment, he said.

The TMC MPs act during Oppositions protest has triggered a massive political storm, with Dhankhar calling it an insult of his farmer background and the Jat community to which he belongs.

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President Droupadi Murmu said that she was dismayed over the Vice Presidents humiliation in Parliament complex and suggested MPs should behave in a dignified and courteous manner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed his solidarity towards the VP and called him to express his pain over the incident. However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has rejected Dhankhars assertion that it was an insult to the jat community.

The Rajya Chairman said it is an insult to farmersthe Chairman should provide security to the MPs inside the Housenow if I am not allowed to speak, should I say it is because I am Dalit? One should not provoke people, the Congress chief said.
Three criminal code bills  the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023  were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The crucial bills will replace the colonial-era criminal laws. They were passed by a voice vote in the absence of as many as 97 opposition MPs, who have been suspended from the House for protesting against the December 13 incident of Parliament security breach.

So far, a total of 143 Opposition MPs have been suspended from Parliament, including todays suspension of two more MPs from the Lok Sabha.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present in the House, said that the new bills lay emphasis on Indianness, the Indian Constitution and the well-being of the people.

He said that the existing colonial-era laws were not suitable for todays era and needed to be replaced.

The home minister said that the new bills are completely in line with the Constitution of India and that he has gone through every comma, full stop of the new criminal laws.

New criminal laws focus on justice rather than punishment, Shah said.

He further added, For the poor, the biggest challenge to get justice is the financial challengeFor years tareekh pe tareekh keep going. Police hold the judicial system responsible. The government holds the police and judiciary responsible. The police and judiciary hold the government responsible for the delay. Now, we have made many things clear in the new laws.

However, the Opposition has objected to the passing of these bills without any substantial debate and said that the suspension of Opposition MPs on an unprecedented scale was conspiracy of the government.

The main Opposition Congress said that the government wanted to pass the crucial bills that would involve judges, jurists, lawyers, criminologists and other stakeholders, including the general public, without any debate.
In an ongoing effort to transform Uttar Pradesh into an expressway state, the Yogi Adityanath Government is going to construct electric vehicle (EV) public charging stations along four major expressways.

The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has prepared a comprehensive action plan in this regard, officials here on Wednesday said.

In alignment with the states EV policy and guidelines of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, the UPEIDA will establish 26 EV public charging stations along the Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Agra-Lucknow, and Gorakhpur Link Expressways.

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The state government also intends to introduce other passenger facilities along these expressways.

A detailed project plan related to this has been presented to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). Prior to this, in the pre-bid meeting, interest was expressed by 11 companies to install public charging stations.

Companies such as Reliance, GMR Energy, Adani Total Energy, Belectric, Light Zip Technology, EV Plugs, Siemens Limited, Cash and Drive, AM&CE E Mobilit, AmpVolts, and Razz and Shine have shown interest in the construction of public charging stations.

For the 26 charging stations, the Yogi Government will provide a 10-year lease on 2,000 square feet per station. The charging point operator will be required to install fast chargers for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and e-buses.

Additionally, adherence to government safety norms is mandatory. Public charging stations must be operational within 180 days of acquiring the land. After five years of setting up a charging station, the government will receive 5 per cent of the gross revenue of each charging station from the sixth year onwards.

In addition, the state government will also develop roadside amenities (facilities) along the Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, and Gorakhpur Link Expressways. They will be developed based on the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer (DBFOT) model.

According to UPEIDA officials, a comprehensive project plan is ready for roadside amenities on all three expressways. This includes parking spaces for cars, buses, and trucks, outlets for food and beverages, dhabas, ATMs, free basic medical and first aid facilities, small repair shops, purified drinking water, toilet and restroom facilities, budget hotels, separate facilities for trucks, warehouses, and auto workshops.

Additionally, landscaping, rainwater harvesting, and high-mast lights will be installed. Furthermore, in the future, the facility of a banquet hall and wedding hall may also be provided. All these amenities will be provided within a single vast complex.
Armenia bought the Akash Air Defence System and 15 AAD Systems from BDL. The deal's value is estimated to be between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 6,000 crore.

According to reports, Bharat Dynamics (BDL) sealed a big agreement with Armenia for 15 Akash Air Defence (AAD) systems with Radars. The deal's estimated worth is between Rs 5000-6000 crore. Additionally, there's news that Oman has shown interest in talks with BDL for the AAD system.

BDL has good potential to sell its products (missiles, torpedoes & counter measure systems) internationally. The AAD system displayed its unique ability to engage four aerial targets simultaneously within a range of 25 kilometers during recent trials.

This makes India the first country to possess such capability. The company's order backlog was Rs 20,766 crore as of September 2023 (9.6x TTM revenues). It has a robust order pipeline, both in domestic and export markets, indicating strong growth prospects. Bharat Electronics will also benefit as it supplies electronic systems like Rajendra PESA radar and other sub-systems.

India Sets Record with Akash SAM's Simultaneous Engagement of Four Targets
SISL Infotech has successfully implemented the live streaming project for the Delhi High Court bench in collaboration with the Public Works Department (PWD).

Notably, this was the maiden hybrid case hearing that was successfully live streamed on the official website of the Delhi High Court.

This distinguished initiative demonstrated the dedication of SISL Infotech and PWD to adopting technological advancements for the benefit of both the judicial system and the public, SISL Infotech said in a statement.

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Commenting on the collaboration, Akash Nangia, Co-Founder of SISL Infotech stated, Our commitment to advancing accessibility in the legal system is reflected in this initiative. Live streaming court proceedings represents a crucial stride in rendering justice more visible and comprehensible to the general public.

SISL Infotech has added another feather to its cap and remains at the forefront of championing initiatives that harness technology for the greater good. The live streaming of the Delhi High Court bench is a testament to the organizations dedication to contributing positively to the legal landscape, the company said.

SISL Infotech was founded by Akash Nangia and Arjun Mittal. The company is a leading system integrator in India, helping customers bring automation to their business functions with IT software and services.

Through a vast network of technology partners and strong presence in 18 global geographies with 4300+ team members working towards a common goal, SISL Infotech has achieved great success by executing 4500+ projects with excellent customer service.

The company offers industry-leading IT solutions and cost-effective services for the setting up of virtual workspaces, public and private cloud, database management, web application development and data analytics.
Australias Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has defended the weather service agency from criticism over its warning system in the lead-up to flooding in the countrys north.

Watt said at a press conference on Tuesday that the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had done the absolute best they could to accurately forecast the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Jasper but that it is not a perfect science, Xinhua news agency reported.

The storm, which made landfall in northern Queensland on December 13, brought heavy rainfall and strong winds, causing widespread flooding that has devastated much of the region.

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The BoM has faced criticism for a video update it published on Saturday suggesting rainfall was easing along Queenslands coast and that those regions were no longer subject to a severe weather warning.

Residents of the northern city of Cairns reported only receiving a flood warning from the BoM on Sunday after they had been isolated by rising waters.

Despite those issues, Watt said he has faith in the government agency to make decisions.

Id ask people to remember that what we were dealing with was a highly unpredictable, unprecedented amount of rain into an area of Australia that knows how to deal with storms, cyclones and floods, he added on Tuesday.

The federal government has deployed the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to northern Queensland to aid with evacuation and clean-up efforts and triggered financial support payments for flood-affected communities.
The Sri Lankan government will reduce the price of electricity during the next tariff revision in January 2024, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera told journalists.

Addressing a press briefing at the Presidential Media Center, Wijesekera said on Tuesday that the state-owned electricity producer, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), is producing electricity mostly using hydropower.

He added that there was a tariff hike in October because they were generating electricity using thermal power at that point, and thermal power was very expensive, Xinhua news agency reported.

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The weather was dry then, but in the past few months, Sri Lanka has received a lot of rain, he said.

Rainfall is expected to continue for two more weeks, and they will decide on the tariff reduction based on the CEB balance sheet in December, the Minister added.

Sri Lanka is now producing more than 60 per cent of its electricity through hydropower, according to the CEB data.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Cloudy. Light snow likely this afternoon. High 23F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 13F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
Lithuania prohibits empty trucks from crossing Belarusian and Russian borders 20 December, 04:46 PM Flag of Lithuania (Photo:iamout/pixabay.com)

Lithuania has enforced a ban on empty freight transport crossing its borders with Belarus and Russia, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

This prohibition aligns with European Union regulations preventing the export of automotive equipment to Russia and Belarus and the transit of such equipment through Russia.

Vehicles registered in European Union countries, including Lithuania, are not allowed to cross into Russia or Belarus without cargo, said the Lithuanian customs authorities.

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The regulations, implemented from Dec. 18, 2023, signify an escalation in Lithuania's oversight of the export and transit of sanctioned goods through Belarus and Russia. According to Lithuanian customs officials, as of this date, the submission of a mandatory manufacturer's declaration is required during the export (re-export) or transit of sanctioned goods. Failure to provide the manufacturer's declaration to Lithuanian customs will result in the goods under sanctions being retained within the European Union.

The declaration must confirm the manufacturer's awareness of the end consumer and assurance that the goods will not be utilized to circumvent sanction restrictions.

This move comes as part of Lithuania's increased scrutiny over shipments to Russia and Belarus in 2023, driven by the European Union's sanctions against Moscow and Minsk. Notably, the Lithuanian customs now employ X-ray equipment to scan nearly all freight vehicles at the borders with Russia and Belarus.

Read also: Norway latest EU country to ban cars with Russian license plates

In a related development from September, Lithuanian authorities mandated vehicles with Russian license plates to exit the European Union within six months.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of  from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
FILE - An Air France jumbo jet rolls behind the tail of a KLM Royal Dutch airliner at Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, north of Paris. On Sept. 30, 2003. Low-cost carriers Ryanair and Malta Air won a European court case Wednesday Dec.20 2023 against the EU's decision to approve billions of euros of state aid by the French government to holding company Air France-KLM during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FILE - A man sits inside a Starbucks, in New York, Jan. 11, 2016. An independent review of Starbucks' labor relations concluded that Starbucks should better communicate its commitment to workers collective bargaining rights and train its employees to respect those rights. Starbucks released the assessment Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.
Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Turkey, Hungary forge ahead on energy security partnership, vow cooperation on natural gas trade 20 December, 12:40 PM Turkey, Hungary forge ahead on energy security partnership, vow cooperation on natural gas trade (Photo:tsoua2020 / Facebook)

The state-owned energy companies of Hungary and Turkey, MVM and Botas, are expanding their cooperation in the energy sector, in particular in the field of natural gas trade, the latter reported on Dec. 19.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Botas CEO Abdulvahit Fidan and MVM CEO Matrai Karoly Tamas, Botas said.

"The memorandum of understanding covers the possible partnerships of the two countries in the field of natural gas trade, cooperation in the field of underground natural gas storages and LNG terminals, and the use of hydrogen in natural gas pipelines," the message reads.

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Budapest said earlier it would not agree to the adoption of the 12th package of European Union sanctions against Moscow if it includes the gas, oil, and nuclear sectors of the Russian industry.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of  from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

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Job Title: EFM  Management Analyst (Administrative Assistant, FSN 105)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Salary: USD $45,290 /Per Year

Position Number: Kampala-2023-089

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Peace Corps

Job Summary: The EFM  Management Analyst (Administrative Assistant) will coordinate special projects to include VIP visits, including POTUS and CODELs. The position coordinates the preparation of Annual Management Reports that include Financial Filers, COLA and Post differential, consumables and education reports. The position will manage the Collaborative Management initiative (CMI), and will be responsible for monitoring, coordinating, evaluating and reporting metrics. The position is supervised by the Management Counselor.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

The applicants for the United States US Embassy EFM  Management Analyst (Administrative Assistant, FSN 105) job opportunity should have completed two years of college studies. Required.

At least three years of administrative or clerical working experience in project coordination/project management is required.

Must be able to demonstrate the ability to quickly acquire knowledge and understanding of not only the Management Offices role in the Embassy, but the Management Offices functional relationship with the Missions other sections and agencies.

Must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Must have excellent writing, proofreading and editing skills.

Must be able to effectively use computer software (Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project or similar software) and the Internet.

Must be able to manage multiple tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention-to-detail, cope with various personalities in addressing competing requests, keep tight deadlines, function in a stressful environment, and manage large numbers of people.

Ability to obtain Top Secret Clearance.

Language: Level IV (Fluent, speaking/reading/writing) in English is required. This will be tested.

How to Apply:

All those interested in working with the United States Embassy, US Mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 19th January 2024

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
December 25 is synonymous with Christmas trees, gifts, Santa Claus, cookies and cakes, and more. But, in some countries, Christmas celebrations go beyond the usual. Here's a look at some countries which celebrate the day in a unique manner.

IRELAND

The Irish keep a tall candle on the window sill overnight as a gesture to welcome the parents of Christ. The candle is a symbol of hospitality and hope. When the Catholics were being persecuted, the candle served as a signal for the priest - to let him know that it was safe for him to enter the home.

ICELAND

From December 12 to Christmas eve, the children place a pair of their shoes on the window sill. Icelandic Santas are called jolasveinar and each of them has his own role and name. The Santas begin to visit houses 13 days before Christmas. After placing the shoe on the window sill the night before, the children wake up to find a gift or a candy (if the kid has been good) or, at times, rotten potatoes and a note (if they did something wrong).

PHILIPPINES

The longest Christmas is celebrated by the Filipinos. Their festivities begin in September. Buildings are decorated with lights. Ligligan Parul, the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando city, features lanterns and it symbolises the star of Bethlehem. Children, teens or even adults go from door to door singing Christmas carols and put up an entire show with musical instruments in exchange for gifts or money. From December 16 to Christmas day, they attend mass at the church. According to their belief, if one attends all the nine masses, then their dream will come true. In the Philippines, giving Christmas gifts, especially to children, is considered important.

DENMARK

Before the advent of Christianity in Denmark, Christmas or Jol was a celebration of the brighter days. During Christmas, Danish homes are decorated with mythical or supernatural characters. They believe that these supernatural beings provide them with protection. On Christmas eve, they dance around the Christmas tree placed in the centre of the room while singing carols. They also have the common practice of distributing gifts that are placed under the Christmas tree.

FINLAND

Traditionally, Finnish families on Christmas morning eat a porridge made of rice. The dish is topped with milk, cinnamon milk or butter. An almond is placed inside the dish. Whoever gets the almond in their share of food wins. But families tend to place more than one almond in the dish in order to make the kids happy, as every child might receive one almond each. At the end of the day, Christmas is all about happiness.

AUSTRIA

In Austria, the legend of Krampus is famous. Krampus is a beast-like creature, a companion of St. Nicholas. People dress like Krampus. The children are asked about the good and bad deeds they have done. Children who have done more good deeds are rewarded with nuts, apples and sweets and the other children worry about what Krampus might bring with him when he comes to meet them on Christmas day.
Netflix recently released the trailer of a new true-crime documentary Curry and Cyanide - The Jolly Joseph Case that invoked memories of a case that jolted Keralaa tale of brutal murder, deceit, sex and attempted suicide. The documentary, directed by Christo Tomy, will stream on Netflix from December 22.

Who is Jolly Joseph?

In 2019, Jollyamma Joseph was arrested for the six mysterious deaths within her own family over a time span of 14 years in Koodathayi of Kozhikode. The case shook the people to their core because the victims were no strangers, but her kith and kin.

Jollyamma Joseph, known as Jolly in short among her friends and relatives is a woman from Kattappana of Idukki district in Kerala who moved to Koodathayi after her marriage in 1997. She was considered the ideal woman by her relatives and neighbours until her arrest on October 5, 2019 for the murder of her first husband Roy Thomas. The probe then unravelled her double life and the mystery of five other deaths that had taken place in the family over the years.

The serial killings began in 2002 with the death of Jollys mother-in-law Annamma, who was believed to have died of a cardiac arrest. No one suspected it considering her age, but the truth was exposed after more than a decade with Jollys arrest. She confessed to killing Annamma by mixing poison in her mutton soup so that she could have control over the family's finances. Jolly had also lied of being a school teacher in the same town and knew that it was only a matter of time that her dominating mother-in-law caught up. So, Jolly eliminated the one hurdle she had in the way of her dreams.

Jolly then took over the family matters but her aspirations of being the sole owner of the family wealth could not be fulfilled as her husband Roy was not the only heir. His brother Rojo, who is the reason behind this unveiling of truths, and his sister Ranji, also had equal rights to the wealth.

So Jolly targeted her father-in-law, Tom Thomas, next. He was found dead in 2008, and again it was Jolly who found the body and called for help. She convinced everyone that it was a cardiac arrest and just like before there was no reason to suspect foul play. Years later, the investigation revealed that it was a meticulously planned murder as Jolly had mixed cyanide in his mushroom capsule medication.

Jolly managed to keep her facade as a lecturer at NIT, Calicut and maintained her image of a perfect mother, wife and friendly neighbour excellently that people found it hard to believe she was a hardcore criminal and a psychopath. After killing Tom, Jolly forged a will that stated that she would be the freeholder of the house they lived in. This aroused doubt in the mind of Rojo, but his suspicions were scoffed at as such was the clout Jolly had in the family.

This dark tale of blood and gore does not end with this as the next victim was her then husband Roy Thomas. Roy did not have a steady job and lived off of his fathers savings. Jolly reportedly had an illicit relationship with Roy's friend Mathew who helped her source cyanide from Prajith, a local goldsmith by offering him liquor, Rs 5,000 and a night with her, according to Death, Lies and Cyanide, a Spotify podcast on the murders. Then in 2011, Roy was found dead in the bathroom foaming at the mouth, but unlike before people did not buy into her story of cardiac arrest. This time, Roys maternal uncle Mathew Manjadiyil sensed foul play and demanded a postmortem after which traces of cyanide were found in his body. Immediately, Jolly turned the story into a suicide and hushed up the relatives in the name of family reputation.

This made Manjadiyil her next target. She did not want to risk her facade and eliminated him in 2014, three years after Roys death. Mathew was found dead at his house after she had poured him poison-laden whiskey. This, too, was left unquestioned and the next murder also took place later that year.

Murders continue

The next victim of this killing spree was a two-year-old girl, Alphine, the child of the man Jolly later married. She was believed to have choked to death at her siblings Holy Communion, but similar to the other cases, Jolly was the mastermind behind this callous murder.

Jolly was attracted to Shaju, Roys cousin and Alphines father and she befriended his wife Sily whom she killed in 2016 by giving her a cyanide-mixed drink while they accompanied Shaju for his dental appointment. Since it occurred in a public place it did not raise suspicion and Jolly married Shaju the next year.

The facade cracks

Things took a unexpected turn when Rojo filed a case in 2019 to investigate the death of his brother Roy as he found discrepancies in Jollys story. According to Jolly, Roy had not eaten anything after 3:30pm but the autopsy report that Rojo procured through RTI stated that he had eaten dinner. This investigation led to the unravelling of the heinous crimes committed in the Punnamattom house over the years by a 47-year-old mother of two. This was a rare case where the bodies of all the deceased were exhumed from the burial grounds as part of investigation as there were no other way to procure hard evidence since the murders occurred over a period of 14 long years.

It was not until the Jolly Joseph Cyanide Case that the serene town of Koodathayi grabbed attention in India. Mathew, a jewellery employee and , and Prajith, the goldsmith who claimed to have supplied cyanide to Jolly for killing a rat, were also booked in the case. The fourth accused of this case is Manoj Kumar, who according to reports, was associated with the forged will and is believed to have helped Jolly because of her generous contributions to his real-estate dealings. The other accomplice is Johnson, a worker at BSNL who abused his authority to help Jolly. Jolly attempted suicide on February 27, 2020, by biting her wrists while in custody.

Jolly has also been accused of swindling money and is currently in jail.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a meeting with top party leaders on Thursday to discuss party's strategy for upcoming Lok Sabha polls and chalk out plans on seat sharing with like-minded parties of the INDIA bloc.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi would attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

This is the first meeting of the top Congress leadership after the party's debacle in recently held assembly elections in five states.

The Congress has maintained that its morale is not down, even though the assembly poll results have been very disappointing and not as per expectations.

The party has already held a first round of analysis of the poll results and the CWC is likely to hold further discussions on the reasons of the defeat.

The party leadership is likely to evolve a new agenda to take on the BJP as its key thrust on caste census has failed to click with voters in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The meeting will take place at the All India Congress Committee headquarters here.

The meeting is being held at a time when the challenge before the Congress is to come out with an alternative positive agenda to counter the BJP in the next general elections.

Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday told MPs at the Parliamentary Party meeting that the assembly election results being very disappointing is an understatement as she urged them to channel their disappointment into positivity for next year's general elections.

This was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll results.

"To say that the assembly election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement. The Congress President has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and draw the needed lessons for our organization," she told the MPs.

She also said that the Lok Sabha elections will be held in the next few months and "we have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA bloc."

The Congress is also holding a mega rally in Nagpur on the party's foundation day on December 28.
Oil exports from Russia in 2023 decreased by 4-5% due to countrys obligations to reduce supplies to global markets within the OPEC+ deal, Transneft CEO Nikolay Tokarev said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"Russia assumed responsibilities within the OPEC+ to cut the volume of export supplies, resulting in a 4-5% decline in exports. We are meeting our duties, and as a result, there is such a redistribution of volumes in favor of domestic processing," he said.

According to Tokarev, the volume of oil refining in Russia will increase by around 4% compared to 2022, and oil product exports would increase by 13%. At the same time, the volume of oil deliveries through the Transneft system remained unchanged in companion with the previous year, while the volume of oil and oil product exports increased by 4% overall.

Russia began voluntarily reducing oil production by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from average February values in March, while simultaneously deciding to reduce oil supplies to world markets by another 500,000 bpd in August, in addition to production reduction obligations, and in September began to reduce supplies by 300,000 bpd. This measure was later extended until 2023.
Ukraine needs 200,000 artillery rounds per month to gain an upper hand against Russia  Estonia 20 December, 09:45 PM FH77 combat operation, east battlefields (Photo:     45 )

The Ukrainian military requires approximately 200,000 rounds each month to gain an advantage over Russian artillery on the battlefield, according to an assessment by Estonias Defense Ministry, published on Dec. 13.

The ministry reminded that of the one million promised by the EU, 300,000 155mm caliber artillery rounds have been delivered to the Ukrainian army so far. Additionally, the United States has sent over two million 155mm rounds, along with a million rounds of various other calibers.

The ministry mentioned that the 155mm rounds used by Ukraine are superior to the Russian 152mm in terms of both rate of fire and accuracy.

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According to these estimates, Ukraine's annual need for artillery ammunition to maintain a local firepower advantage over Russia should be 200,000 rounds per month, or 2.4 million rounds per year. However, supplying such numbers would deplete all European and U.S. stockpiles within a year.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of  from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
Over 1.13 lakh people have donated to the Congress as part of the party's 'Donate for Desh' campaign, with the total collection from the online crowdfunding effort since it was launched on December 18 amounting to Rs 2.81 crore.

According to party sources, the campaign, which was launched on the morning of December 18, with the first donation being made by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, has, till 9 AM on December 20, seen donations being made by 1,13,713 people from across the country. A majority of the donation has been made in smaller denominations.

A total of 32 persons have made donations of Rs 1 lakh or more, which includes party leaders Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister T.S. Singh Deo and AICC communications head Pawan Khera.

As many as 626 people donated Rs 13,800 each, party sources said. The website 'donateinc.in' on which donations are being accepted by the Congress has, in the last two days, received 11.2 million hits.

Maximum donations have come from Maharasthra (Rs 56.06 lakh), followed by Rajasthan (Rs 25.98 lakh), Delhi (Rs 20 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 19 lakh) and Karnataka (Rs 18 lakh). There are many anonymous donors as well.

Of the contributions, 81 per cent have been made through the UPI route, 7.95 per cent using credit card, 6.34 per cent using debit card, 4.78 per cent through netbanking and .02 per cent using RTGS (real time gross settlement) mode.

The donation website, meanwhile, has faced 20,400 cyber attacks, the sources said. Of these, 1,340 attacks were aimed at stealing data, and a majority of the attacks were made as an effort to slow down the website. All the attacks originated from outside India. The party had anticipated the attacks and a team was put in place to thwart the attacks.

The party plans to take forward the campaign by activating the state units to encourage more donations, launching a door-to-door campaign and circulating QR codes in public rallies to help collect funds from the participants. A QR code will be used at the party's rally on December 28 in Nagpur to collect donations from the public. There are also plans to give merchandise such as mugs and caps signed by Rahul Gandhi to people who donate a certain minimum amount.

According to the sources, the controversy over the domain name may have actually helped provide additional publicity to the Congress' campaign.

Senior party leaders, including CWC members and AICC and PCC members, will be contacted to donate funds through the campaign, the sources said.

The party wants to use the funding campaign as a means to reach out to potential voters too. As per the sources, the donations have provided the party with data such as district wise and assembly wise funding patterns, and this will be shared with the state units.

As per the sources, the Congress has been careful to ensure enough checks on the website so that only people who reside in India and are Indian citizens can donate.
In what is seen as a significant threat to the region's security and socio-economic equilibrium, the Jammu and Kashmir police are cracking down on suspects who helped Rohingya refugees settle in Jammu region by providing them with fraudulent documents.



Police have registered 14 FIRs and arrested nearly 50 individuals, including several married couples. The arrests primarily targeted those aiding Rohingyas in acquiring forged or illegal documentation, arranging housing and facilitating access to crucial services.

This targeted approach aimed at identifying and prosecuting the network aiding Rohingyas' settlement in the region. The crackdown in Jammu, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch districts unfolded after simultaneous searches at Rohingya settlements and suspected individuals' residences.

Police have seized falsified documents including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, revenue records, rent deeds and passbooks.

They are exploring angles of human trafficking as part of the investigation. There were instances of Rohingyas marrying locals to obtain documents. Mobile phones and SIM cards were also confiscated for further scrutiny.

Police stressed the significance of background verification for tenants, domestic helpers, and hotel guests to bolster security. An official was detained in Poonch for his involvement in aiding Rohingyas to obtain specific documents.

"Certain elements have facilitated illegal Rohingya settlements, posing potential threats to J&K's security and socio-economic fabric," said IGP Jammu Zone Anand Jain.

The ongoing investigation is expected to lead to more arrests as a detailed picture emerges. "Our primary focus was identifying those aiding illegal immigrant settlements and providing them necessary support; they've turned it into a business," Jain added.

In March 2021, a verification drive discovered many Rohingyas living illegally in Jammu City, following which they were relocated to a holding centre inside the Kathua Sub-Jail.
After Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar referred to a TMC leader mimicking him as an insult to his background as a Jat, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge clapped back, asking if he should rake up his Dalit origins every time he is banned from speaking in Rajya Sabha.

This comes a day after TMC's Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar during the protest against the suspension of opposition MPs.

Kharge, while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said caste should not be dragged into every issue, pointing out that the VP, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairperson, should protect other members of the House instead of making such statements.

"I am not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha often. Should I say it is because I am a Dalit," he said, adding that they should not incite people outside in the name of caste by talking about it inside.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan said the government is trying to divert from the topic of Parliament security breach by taking up such issue, adding that it is a sad day for the country when people holding constitutional positions talk about their castes.

Chowdhury also asked whether everyone should now wear a label declaring their caste.
With the suspension of 141 MPs from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued a circular barring suspended MPs from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby and galleries.

Besides prohibiting the MPs from attending the sittings of any Parliamentary Committees that they are members of, the circular also stops them from putting down any item in the List of Business in their name.



They cannot table any notice during their suspension period or can vote at any elections to committees held during their suspension period. "They are also not eligible for the daily allowance for the suspension period if they are suspended from the service of the House for the rest of the session, as their stay at the place of duty is not considered as a residence on duty under section 2(d) of Salary, Allowances and Pensions of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, as amended from time to time," states the circular.



Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc has decided to hold a nationwide protest on Friday against the suspension of MPs. He said the coalition also passed a resolution condemning the suspension and calling the action "undemocratic".



Addressing a press conference after the INDIA bloc meeting, Kharge said, "If we have to save democracy we will have to fight together and all of us are ready for this fight."



"This is for the first time in India's history that such a thing has happened," Kharge said. "The issue that we had raised in the House was not a wrong one....How did those people enter the Parliament? Who facilitated their entry?"



"We had been saying from earlier, Home Minister (Amit Shah) or Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), should come to the House and apprise the House about the incident. But they did not agree. I do not understand. Parliament is going on, they go for inauguration in Ahmedabad...Modi ji goes to his constituency, and is giving speeches everywhere, why did he not come to Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Their intention is to finish democracy," Kharge said.



"This is the first instance that so many people have been suspended," he said.



"The prime minister and the home minister are thinking that no one is better than them at ruling over the country. We have united to change that mindset", the Congress chief said.
Breaking silence on the allegation of Indian involvement in a plot to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it."

Speaking in an interview with the Financial times on Wednesday, Modi said, "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law".

PM Modi told the outlet that India has always been extremely concerned about "certain extremist" groups abroad, adding that "these elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence".

Talking about India-US ties, Modi said, There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership. I dont think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.

US authorities had earlier alleged the Nikhil Gupta, 52, an Indian citizen, agreed to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill the Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.

Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 at the request of the US in connection with his alleged participation in the plot to kill Pannun. He was slapped with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire charges, both of which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison each.

In response, New Delhi formed a high-level team to probe the allegations regarding the Pannun assassination plot.
Vice-President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the mockery incident. A controversy erupted after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest against the suspension of MPs on Tuesday.

A post by the Vice President's office on X read: "Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday."



"He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President and that too in Parliament was unfortunate," Dhankhar was quoted as saying on X.



Dhankhar told the prime minister that such incidents will not deter him from doing his duty. "I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," the post read.



This comes as a case was filed against Banerjee for his mimicry of Dhankar. "A complaint was given by advocate Abhishek Gautam at Defence Colony Police station on Tuesday evening. We have forwarded it to the New Delhi district police," a police officer told PTI.



Gautam in his complaint said the video was made with an "intention to insult and defame the Vice-President of India, his caste as well as his background of farmer and as a lawyer". He demanded that an FIR be registered under the appropriate sections of IPC and the IT Act against the TMC MP and others seen in the video.



The incident happened on Tuesday evening on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday. Banerjee was seen mimicking Dhankhar's mannerisms by leaning forward, a reference to having a spine, to mock his alleged partisanship. The MP was cheered by his colleagues and Congress Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance.



Though the Congress was attacked by the BJP for the incident, it hit back stating the BJP was making a "desperate attempt" to divert attention from the suspension of over 140 MPs.



''    142                              



                   ? pic.twitter.com/auXzHQDWJr  Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 20, 2023

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "A desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of 142 MPs by raising the issue of 'mimicry'.



"Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?" Ramesh said and shared a video clip of Prime Minister Modi's speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi had hugged him in 2018.


Full implementation of the proposed three new criminal laws will make the Indian judicial system the most modern justice system in the world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.

Shah said when the three bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill -- become law, an uniform justice system will come into effect throughout the country.

The three bills will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

"When the three laws are implemented fully, the Indian judicial system will be the most modern in the world," Shah said while replying to a debate on the bills in the Lok Sabha amid thumping of desks by NDA members.

The bills were later passed by the House by voice vote.

"We have made the legislations victim-centred while fixing the accountability of the police," Shah said.

The home minister said directors of prosecution will now be appointed at the district and state levels to improve the criminal justice system.

Referring to terrorism, Shah said the Narendra Modi government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.

"Such arrangements have been made in these new laws from which no terrorist will be able to escape," he said.

Shah said no matter what a person says against the government, if anyone plays with the country's flag, security and property, they will go to jail.

It has also been decided that charge sheets will now have to be filed in 180 days and the magistrate will have to take cognisance of it in 14 days, he said.

"I am astonished at how some people defend and save the lives of terrorists in the name of 'human rights'. Remember, this is neither the rule of Britishers nor of the Congress. This is Modi's rule," Shah said.

No arguments to save terrorists will be entertained here," Shah said and added that the Modi government has explicitly brought "terrorism" under the purview of the criminal justice system.

"We have changed the definition of sedition from 'rajdroh (offences against the government)' to 'deshdroh (offences against the nation)'," he said, noting the Indian Penal Code Section 124, or the Sedition Law, has been repealed.

The purpose of the new law is "not to save the government but to save the country. In a healthy democracy, everyone has the right to criticise the government but we will not allow anyone to say anything demeaning about India", Shah said.

He said, taking a historic decision, the Modi government has completely removed the section of sedition and replaced it with treason.

For the first time, changes have been made in the three laws governing the nearly 150-year-old criminal justice system, concerning Indianness, the Indian Constitution and the people of India, the home minister said.

All provisions have been made in these laws to equip the country's judicial system by imagining the possible technological innovations that may take place in the next 100 years, he added.

Shah said mob lynching is a heinous crime and there is a provision for death penalty for it in these laws.

A good balance has been maintained between the rights of the police and the citizens, he said.

Shah said the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, which has 484 sections, will now have 531 sections. A total 177 sections have been changed, nine new added and 14 repealed.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code, will have 358 sections instead of the earlier 511.

As many as 21 new offences have been added in it, the term of imprisonment has been increased in 41 offences, the penalty increased in 82, mandatory minimum punishment introduced in 25 crimes, there are provisions of community service as a punishment in six crimes and 19 sections have been repealed.

The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, which will replace the Evidence Act, will have 170 sections instead of the earlier 167 -- 24 sections have been amended, two new added and six repealed.

The home minister said a woman can lodge e-FIRs, cognisance of which will be taken and arrangements have been made to provide a reply at her home within two days.

Shah said technology will be used to stop the misuse of police powers. Importance has been given to its usage in all three stages of crime-scene, investigation and trial to ensure not only transparency and accountability in probes but improve the quality of evidence and help protect the rights of both the victim and the accused.

The victim can now go to any police station and lodge a zero FIR and it will have to be compulsorily transferred to the police station concerned within 24 hours. A police officer has been designated in every district and police station to prepare a list of the arrested people and inform their relatives, he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and submitted a memorandum seeking Rs 2,000 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund as interim relief.

"While a comprehensive assessment of the permanent damage will take time, we request an interim assistance of Rs 2,000 crore from the NDRF (National Disaster Relief Fund) to bolster the ongoing efforts for livelihood support and repairs and restoration of the public infrastructure battered by the unprecedented floods," he said in the memorandum.



The DMK leader, who met the Prime Minister, added that the amount will help provide livelihood support for the flood-hit population and repair of public infrastructure damaged in the downpour in the four southern districts.



"This interim relief will help provide livelihood assistance to the affected people and take up temporary rehabilitation works in the Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari and the Tenkasi districts," Stalin said in a memorandum submitted to Modi in Delhi.



"Around 40 lakh people in the Tirunelveli and the Thoothukudi districts were badly affected by the cyclone. Srivaikuntam and Thoothukudi towns faced a serious situation due to flooding of the Thamirabarani river," he said.



Met with Hon'ble Prime Minister Thiru @NarendraModi to discuss the urgent situation in flood-hit areas of Tamil Nadu. Submitted a memorandum seeking funds from #NDRF to enhance ongoing rescue efforts and restore vital infrastructure. Grateful for the @PMOIndia's attention to pic.twitter.com/7Rhn7XaaEk  M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) December 19, 2023

Meanwhile, the death toll in the rains touched 10 on Tuesday as heavy rain continued to batter the southern districts. Tamil Nadu chief secretary Shiv Das Meena had indicated that the tate was not sufficiently forewarned of the impact. Meena said the forecast of heavy rainfall by the India Meteorological Department was 'wrong' as extremely heavy rainfall was received in the affected districts within a short period of two days.



"Ten people have died in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts due to the rainfall. While some lost their lives due to wall collapse, some died due to electrocution," he told reporters at the Secretariat.



"The IMD had predicted isolated to heavy, very heavy to extreme rainfall may occur in one or two places. This is what the forecast said. But Kayalpattinam (a municipality in Tuticorin district) received 115 cm rainfall in two days." He said southern districts particularly Tirunelveli and Tuticorin witnessed record rainfall and flooding that was unprecedented and historic.



Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial central team is likely to visit Tamil Nadu on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the flooding. Though Chief Minister M K Stalin was supposed to inspect the flood-hit regions on Wednesday, the visit has been postponed.



An official release issued on Tuesday night said that since the local administrations were expected to be present in the affected districts owing to the central team's visit on Wednesday, the Chief Minister would arrive only on Thursday.

The central and state government agencies, including Army, Navy, AirForce, National Disaster Response Force and SDRF are currently engaged in relief and rehabilitation works. Nine helicopters along with 323 boats were also involved in the rescue operation.



(With PTI inputs)


For over a decade, scientists have speculated that approximately one out of every three massive stars undergoes the process of losing their hydrogen envelope in binary systems. However, until now, only one potential candidate had been identified, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of these celestial phenomena.

Astronomers from the University of Toronto have made an extraordinary discovery, revealing a hidden population of massive stars stripped of their hydrogen envelopes by their companions in binary systems. This groundbreaking finding, published in the prestigious journal Science, not only sheds light on the enigmatic hot helium stars, but also provides crucial insights into the origins of hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers.

Co-lead author Maria Drout, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, describes this discovery as an essential piece of the cosmic puzzle. She explains, "If these stars were rare, it would mean that our theoretical framework for various phenomena, such as supernovae, gravitational waves, and the light from distant galaxies, is fundamentally flawed. This finding confirms that these stars do indeed exist."

The newfound knowledge about binary stripped stars will enable astronomers to delve deeper into the intricacies of these celestial bodies. "We can now conduct more detailed scientific investigations on these stars," says Drout. "For instance, our ability to measure the material expelled from these stars in stellar winds will provide valuable insights into predictions regarding the number of neutron star mergers we should expect to observe."

These stripped stars have long intrigued researchers as they may hold the key to understanding why a significant proportion of core-collapse supernovae lack sufficient hydrogen, unlike the typical explosions of Red Supergiant stars. Drout and her colleagues propose that these newly discovered stars are likely to culminate in hydrogen-poor supernovae. Moreover, they are believed to play a crucial role in the formation of neutron star mergers, the same mergers that emit gravitational waves detected by the LIGO experiment here on Earth.

Interestingly, the researchers suspect that a few objects within their current sample are stripped stars with companions in the form of neutron stars or black holes. These objects are on the precipice of becoming double neutron star systems or systems combining neutron stars and black holes, which could eventually merge.

Bethany Ludwig, a PhD student at the University of Toronto's David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and co-author of the study, likens these cosmic phenomena to a grand celestial dance. Ludwig says, "Stars, especially massive ones, are rarely solitary giants. They engage in a dynamic partnership, influencing and interacting with each other throughout their lifetimes. Our work illuminates these captivating relationships, revealing a universe that is far more interconnected and active than we previously imagined."

As stars evolve and transform into red giants, the gravitational pull of their companions can strip away their outer hydrogen layers, exposing a blazingly hot helium core. This intricate process can take tens or even hundreds of thousands of years to complete.

Detecting stripped stars poses a challenge as much of the light they emit lies beyond the visible spectrum, often obstructed by interstellar dust or overshadowed by their companion stars.
Hamas said its senior leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was in Cairo as talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt were under way to discuss the possibility of a second truce in Gaza.



Under that truce, Hamas would return some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestian prisoners released by Tel Aviv, Reuters quoted sources as saying.

Israel reportedly insisted that women and infirm male hostages be included in the list of hostages released while Palestinians imprisoned for serious crimes could also be released in exchange, according to the source. The exact number of hostages and prisoners were not revealed.

Haniyeh who is said to be staying in Qatar was in Cairo to discuss the war with Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and other top officials, according to Hamas sources.

However, both sides are yet to agree on a ceasefire.
Iran on Wednesday hanged a 29-year-old woman -- a decade after she was arrested for the murder of her husband.



The victim was reportedly identified as Samira Sabzian, who remained imprisoned since she was 19. She was hanged to death at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran, news agency AFP reported Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group as saying.

According to the report, Samira Sabzian was a victim of Iran's misogynist child marriage tradition. She was married off to her late husband at the age of 15 and had been a victim of domestic violence, the AFP report quoted her relatives as saying.

At the time of her arrest, Samira Sabzian had two children. The only time she met them after her arrest was reportedly earlier this month when she was allowed the customary final meeting alloted to convicts on death sentence.

Samira's fate was sealed after the British government's effort to save her fell on deaf ears. London had reached out to Iran with the request to stall the execution bu to no effect, the report added.

Amnesty International holds Tehran accountable of executing at least 115 people in November alone. As many as 18 women were put to death by the Islamic Republic this year, data show.
Northeastern US mops up ahead of holidays after deadly storm slams the region, killing at least 5

Utility crews are working to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Maine and some rivers continued to rise following a powerful storm that hit the northeastern U.S. At least five people were killed
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 45F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 32F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.




A survey conducted by Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has revealed that nearly half of British Jews have considered leaving the UK since the October 7 Hamas attacks, citing rising antisemitism as a primary concern.

The data indicates that 69% of UK Jews feel less inclined to publicly display signs of their Jewishness, such as wearing a Star of David or a kippah, since the October 7 massacre. Additionally, 48% of the respondents, including 17% who strongly agreed, have contemplated leaving the UK due to antisemitism, while 34% disagreed with this sentiment.

61% of those surveyed reported experiencing or witnessing an antisemitic incident since the incident on October 7. When asked about the treatment of antisemitic hate crimes by the police, two-thirds of the respondents disagreed that it is handled the same as other forms of hate crime.

On the topic of anti-Israel demonstrations, 91% would avoid traveling to city centers where such protests were taking place, and 95% agreed that the Crown Prosecution Service should report statistics on prosecutions of antisemitic hate crimes.

In response to whether the British Government should designate Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organization, 90% of respondents agreed, with 78% strongly agreeing. Hizb ut-Tahrir is known for advocating the establishment of a global Muslim caliphate and has been reported as having a history of promoting antisemitism and engaging in activities with violent inclinations.

Political parties tolerance of antisemitism was also a focus of the survey. The Labour Party, formerly chaired by antisemite Jeremy Corbyn, was perceived as the most tolerant of antisemitism among its ranks, with 63% of respondents expressing this view. Corbyn has faced numerous accusations of antisemitism during and since his tenure. Other parties perceived as too tolerant of antisemitism included SNP (47%), the Green Party (42%), the Liberal Democrats (32%), and Sinn Fein (32%), while the Reclaim Party was seen as the least accommodating of antisemitism (11%).

The survey also touched on media coverage, with 86% of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the BBCs coverage of the Israel-Hamas crisis, including 71% who strongly felt this way.

Regarding their personal connection to events in Israel, an overwhelming majority (97%) felt connected, with 78% strongly feeling so.

Finally, the survey found that four out of five British Jews identify as Zionists, with 57% strongly agreeing with this identification. Only 6% disagreed, with the remainder expressing no opinion.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Health experts and doctors around the world are worried following Chinas confirmation that a mysterious pneumonia outbreak is not responding to any known antibiotics. This revelation has intensified fears of a potential new pandemic, particularly as the nature of the virus remains unconfirmed.

The Daily Star reports that this unidentified virus, predominantly affecting children, has been causing significant alarm in China for weeks. The situation has escalated to a point where neighboring countries, like India, already wary from the coronavirus outbreak in 2019, are preparing for potential spread. Cases have also been reported in Europe, with Denmark and Holland confirming an influx, prompting the World Health Organization to begin monitoring the situation.

A recent development adding to the alarm is a firsthand account from a mother in China, Rachel Qiao, who spoke to Bloomberg. She shared that her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, despite being treated with a stronger antibiotic and other drugs, has developed lesions in her lungs and continued to deteriorate. Qiao described her despair, saying, I melted down. I was constantly stupefied by how much worse this thing could go.

Zuo-Feng Zhang, chair of epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, highlighted the severity of the situation. If the antibiotic no longer works, the illness will stretch out longer. That increases the risk of spread and the outsized outbreaks that are occurring, he warned.

Amidst this troubling situation, Dr. Gareth Nye, Programme Lead for Medical Science at Chester Medical School, told the Daily Star that this virus appears to be another form of Covid, but not a new disease like COVID-19. He explained, It seems to be true that China is seeing a surge in respiratory diseases particularly in children but crucially, this is not a new disease like COVID-19 was.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A trade group that represents TikTok and other major tech companies sued Utah on Monday over its first-in-the-nation laws requiring children and teens to obtain parental consent to use social media apps.

Two laws signed in March by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will prohibit minors from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. unless authorized by a parent  and require age verification to open and maintain a social media account in the state.

The restrictions are designed to protect children from targeted advertisements and addictive features that could negatively impact their mental health. Both laws take effect March 1, 2024.

The NetChoice trade group argues in its federal lawsuit that although Utahs regulations are well-intentioned, they are unconstitutional because they restrict access to public content, compromise data security and undermine parental rights.

We are fighting to ensure that all Utahns can embrace digital tools without the forceful clutch of government control, said Chris Marchese, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. The trade association includes many of the worlds leading social media companies, including TikTok, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, and X, formerly known as Twitter.

Cox predicted there would be lawsuits challenging both bills but said he wasnt worried because there is a growing body of research that demonstrates how social media use can negatively impact the mental health outcomes of children.

Im not going to back down from a potential legal challenge when these companies are killing our kids, Cox argued earlier this year.

The governors office did not immediately respond Monday to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit. The office of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes will represent the state in court.

The State of Utah is reviewing the lawsuit but remains intently focused on the goal of this legislation: Protecting young people from negative and harmful effects of social media use, spokesperson Richard Piatt said.

In another lawsuit filed by NetChoice, a federal judge temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing its new law requiring parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts. Similar laws in Texas and Louisiana have not yet taken effect.

Utahs state laws impose steep fines for social media companies that do not comply with the age-verification rule, which NetChoice says may lead companies to collect an excess of personal information from users that could end up threatening their online safety. The state regulations prohibit companies from using any design or feature that causes a child to become addicted to their app.

Under the laws, parents will have access to their childrens accounts and can more easily sue social media companies that they claim have caused their children harm. The laws shift the burden of proof from the families onto the social media companies, requiring them to demonstrate that their products were not harmful. Any social media platform with at least five million users is subject to the new regulations.

The lawsuit also challenges the state-imposed social media curfew, arguing that it could negatively impact children by cutting them off from the news, study tools and communications with their peers.

NetChoice has asked a federal judge to halt the laws from taking effect while its case moves through the legal system.

(AP)




Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis broke campaign finance law by communicating about TV spending decisions with a big-dollar super PAC that is supporting his Republican bid for the White House, a nonpartisan government watchdog group alleged in a complaint filed Monday.

The Campaign Legal Center cited recent reporting by The Associated Press and others in the complaint, which was filed with the Federal Election Commission. It alleges that the degree of coordination and communication between DeSantis campaign and Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting him, crossed a legal line set in place when the Supreme Court first opened the door over a decade ago to the unlimited raising and spending such groups are allowed to do.

When a super PAC like Never Back Down illegally coordinates its election spending with a candidates campaign, the super PAC effectively becomes an arm of the campaign, said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center. That circumvents federal contribution limits and reporting requirements, and gives the super PACs special interest backers, including corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals, a concerning level of influence over elected officials and policymaking.

In a statement, DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo said the complaint was baseless, rooted in unverified rumors and innuendo, offering just another example of how the Left is terrified of Ron DeSantis and will stoop to anything to stop him.

The complaint comes amid widespread turmoil in DeSantiss political operation as he struggles to overcome low polling numbers ahead of next months Iowa caucuses. The turmoil has extended to an unusual and very public airing of grievances as a steady stream of top-level strategists have departed from Never Back Down.

Last week, the AP reported that multiple people familiar with DeSantis political network said that he and his wife had expressed concerns about the messaging of Never Back Down, the largest super PAC supporting the governors campaign.

The governor and his wife, Casey, who is widely considered his top political adviser, were especially frustrated after the group took down a television ad last month that criticized leading Republican rival Nikki Haley for allowing a Chinese manufacturer into South Carolina when she was governor.

DeSantis team shared those messaging concerns with members of Never Back Downs board, which includes Florida-based members with close ties to the governor, according to multiple people briefed on the discussions. Some of the board members then relayed the DeSantis teams wishes to super PAC staff, which was responsible for executing strategy, the people said.

Previously, the DeSantis campaign strongly denied the governor has tried to influence the network of outside groups supporting him given the federal laws prohibiting coordination.

Regardless, its unlikely that DeSantis will face any potential consequences in the immediate term.

The FEC often takes years to resolve complaints. And the agencys board itself often deadlocks on matters of campaign finance enforcement. Whenever the FEC deadlocks on an enforcement decision it effectively creates a new precedent that sanctions that activity that had been the subject of the complaint.

(AP)




The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level for a country without a nuclear weapons program  all in violation of a U.N. resolution endorsing the deal.

Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.

The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The sharp exchanges came at the Security Councils semi-annual meeting on the implementation of its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal.

Both Irans U.N. Ambassador Amir Iravani and Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia blamed the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA, Western sanctions and an anti-Iran stance for the current standoff.

Iravani said Iran is allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and Nebenzia rejected alleged evidence that it was using Iranian drones in Ukraine.

Then-President Donald Trump said when unilaterally pulling out of the accord in 2018 that he would negotiate a stronger deal, but that didnt happen. Iran began breaking the terms a year later and its 60% enrichment is near weapons-grade levels, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Formal talks to try to find a roadmap to restart the JCPOA collapsed in August 2022.

At Mondays council meeting, U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo stressed that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still considers the JCPOA the best available option to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful.

She urged Iran to reverse course, as did the three European countries who issued a joint statement quoting the IAEA as saying Irans stockpiles of enriched uranium now stand at 22 times the JCPOA limit.

There is no credible civilian justification for the state of Irans nuclear program, the UK, France and Germany said. The current trajectory only brings Iran closer to weapons-related capabilities.

The Europeans and U.S. Minister Counselor John Kelley stressed that they would use all means to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

As for the future, Kelley told the council: Iran should take actions to build international confidence and de-escalate tensions and not continue nuclear provocations that pose grave proliferation risks.

The United States is fully committed to resolving the international communitys concerns regarding Irans nuclear program through diplomacy, he said. Unfortunately, Irans actions suggest this goal is not its priority.

Irans Iravani said Tehran has persistently worked toward the JCPOA revival  and stands prepared to resume the full implementation of its commitment on the JCPOA once it is revived. That requires the U.S. and all other parties to fully implement their obligations as well as genuine political attentiveness, he said.

And Nebenzia said: The Russian Federation is firmly convinced that there is no alternative to the JCPOA.

(AP)




Harvard Law Professor Mark Ramseyer wrote an email to a Harvard list admitting that he and other members of the Harvard faculty saw the increasing intolerance at the university but did nothing to stop it and the Harvard that we have is the result of our own collective moral failure.

Harvard is a vastly less tolerant place than it was when I arrived in 1998, Ramseyer, who is not Jewish, wrote. The intolerance is a function of an increasingly large fraction of our colleagues. And we  the rest of us on the Harvard faculty  let it happen. The canceling, the punishments, the DEI bureaucracy, the DEI statements, the endless list that we could all recite  all this happened on our watch. We saw it happen, but we did nothing. We were too busy. We were scared to speak up. We  we on the faculty  let Harvard become what it is. The Harvard that we have is the result of our own collective moral failure.

The alumni who are furious are not trying to turn Harvard into something we do not want. They are trying to rescue Harvard from what we let it become.

We as a faculty failed. That is why the alumni are speaking up. That is why we formed the Council on Academic Freedom in the first place.

Ramseyer, a Professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, grew up in Japan as the child of Mennonite missionary parents.

Bill Ackman, an outspoken Jewish Harvard alumnus and philanthropist, responded to Ramseyers letter by writing: Finally, Harvard faculty are speaking up. Tenure was supposed to protect faculty so they could speak the truth. Unfortunately, canceling, shaming, and the inevitable accusation of being a racist have prevented faculty from speaking the truth.

Kudos to Harvard Law Professor Mark Ramseyer for his bravery. Perhaps he will inspire others.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
2023 was an important year for patients with sickle cell disease. Prior to CRISPR, the only cure for the life-long ailment was a bone marrow transplant, which is notoriously dangerous and costly. This month, the FDA approved Vertexs Casgevy, a CRISPR-based therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 and older. The landmark approval made the therapeutic the first genetically edited therapy to reach the general market.

Casgevy, which also received the greenlight from regulators in the UK for another blood disorder called beta thalassemia, works by being administered in a single-infusion of genetically modified stem cells to a patient. Clinical study participants that took Casgevy were free from symptoms associated with sickle cell disease, like periodic episodes of extreme pain due to blocked blood flow through vessels, for up to a year.

CRISPR, which modifies precise regions of a humans DNA strands, was once thought to be a far off scientific innovation. Human cells were first modified using CRISPR in clinical trials in China back in 2016. Less than a decade later, these landmark approvals have set the stage for future nods by regulators for other CRISPR-based therapies that can treat things like HIV, cancers and high blood pressure. Gene therapy holds the promise of delivering more targeted and effective treatments, Nicole Verdun, director of the Office of Therapeutic Products within the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said in a recent press release.

The Vertex Pharmaceuticals logo is seen, Friday, March 17, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

CRISPR-based gene editing can be designed as a therapeutic for a number of diseases. A scientist can either delete, disrupt or insert segments of DNA to treat conditions by either targeting specific genes or engineering new cell therapies. The editing process can occur ex vivo (outside the body), in the same way Casgevy does, or in vivo (inside the body). Using CRISPR, sickle cell patients blood stem cells are modified in a lab before they are re-infused via a single-dose infusion as part of a hematopoietic transplant.

Story continues

Neville Sanjana, a core faculty member at the New York Genome Center and associate professor in the Department of Biology at New York University, runs the Sanjana lab, which develops gene therapies for complex diseases like autism and cancer. One of the really fundamental characteristics of CRISPR is its programmability, Sanjana told Engadget. While working at the Zhang lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Sanjana says he helped design the guide RNA that became the blueprint for Vertexs Casgevy. CRISPR screens can be powerful tools for understanding any disease or genetic trait, Sanjana said. Right now, he said biomedical folks are focused on applying CRISPR-based therapies for really serious inheritable diseases.

While it does set a precedent to have these first CRISPR-based gene therapies out there, it could also mean that regulators and the general public will regard future innovations in the space as less novel, Katie Hasson, a researcher with the Center for Genetics and Society (CGS) told Engadget. The CGS is a public interest and social justice organization that is focused on making sure gene editing is developed and distributed for good. Hasson explained, it doesn't mean that because one got approved that all other innovative therapies to come after it will not get as much scrutiny.

LIVE NOW: The media call on the approval of the first gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease is happening now!



Stream it here  https://t.co/oNR5uwEW44 pic.twitter.com/KlGNsNce5J  U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) December 8, 2023

Beyond therapeutics, gene editing has very broad applications for the discovery and understanding of diseases. Scientists can use CRISPR to explore the origins of things like cancer and pave paths for therapeutics and incurable diagnoses, but that's not all there is to it. Scientists still need to conduct considerable experimental research when it comes to bringing an actual therapeutic to fruition, Sanjana said. When we focus on therapeutic activity at a particular site in the genome, we need to make sure that there will not be any unintended consequences in other parts of the genome.

Still, the spotlight will always shine a brighter light on the flashy developments of CRISPR from a therapeutic standpoint. Currently, a new gene editing method is being developed to target specific cells in a process called cancer shredding for difficult-to-treat brain cancer. Scientists have even discovered a pathway to engineer bacteria to discover tumorous cells. However, there are barriers to using CRISPR in clinical practice due to the lack of safe delivery systems to target the tissues and cells.

Maybe by curing one disease, you might give them a different disease  especially if you think of cancer. We call that a secondary malignancy, Sanjana said. While there is strong reason for concern, one cure creating a pathway for other diseases or cancers is not unique to CRISPR. For example, CAR T cell therapy, which uses an entirely different approach to cell-based gene therapy and is not reflective of CRISPR, is a lifesaving cancer treatment that the FDA discovered can, in certain situations, cause cancer.

We definitely don't want any unintended consequences. There are bits of the genome that if you edit them by mistake, it's probably no big deal but then there are other genes that are vitally important, Sanjana said. Direct assessment of off-target effects or events in which a gene edit incorrectly edits another point on a DNA strand in vivo is challenging.

The FDA recommends that after a clinical trials period of investigatory study looking at the efficacy of a gene editing-based therapy, there needs to be a 15-year long term follow up after product administration. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said that the agencys approval of Casgevy follows rigorous evaluations of the scientific and clinical data. Right now, researchers are focused on improving the precision and accuracy of gene editing and having the proper follow up is absolutely well merited, Sanjana explained. The process right now is a careful one.

Hasson believes that the 15-year recommendation is a good start. I know that there is a big problem overall with pharmaceutical companies actually following through and doing those long term post-market studies.

Thats where new approaches come into play. Base editing, a CRISPR-derived genome editing method that makes targeted changes to DNA sequences, has been around since 2016. Drugs that use base editing have already made headway in the scientific community. Verve Therapeutics developed a gene edited therapy that can lower cholesterol in patients with a single infusion. At higher doses, Verve said the treatment has the potential to reduce proteins associated with bad cholesterol for 2.5 years. Base editing, like CRISPR, has many potential applications for treatment and discovery. For example, base editing could repair a gene mutation that causes childhood blindness. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine also found base editing could help understand what genetic changes influence a patients response to cancer therapies.

Base editors use CRISPR to bring another functional element to a specific place in the genome. But it doesn't matter whether it's CRISPR cutting or base editing any time you're modifying DNAyou would want to know what the off target effects are and you can bet that the FDA wants to know that too. You're going to need to collect data using standard models like cell culture, or animal models to show there are zero or near zero off-target impacts, Sanjana said.

CRISPR-based therapies already show high therapeutic potential for conditions beyond sickle cell disease. From blood based treatments, to edited allogeneic immune cells for cancers, there are a number of human clinical trials underway or expected to start next year. Trials for gene-edited therapies that target certain cells for cancer and autoimmune diseases are expected to begin in 2024.

Boston, MA - December 5: The lobby at Crispr Therapeutics. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (Boston Globe via Getty Images)

It won't be until 2025 before we get a better understanding of how Excision BioTherapeutics CRISPR-based therapy works to treat HIV. The application of gene editing as a therapeutic for Alzhiemers is still in the early stages, with mice at the forefront of research. Similarly, University College London researchers proved that CRISPR has promise as a potential therapeutic for treatment-resistant forms of childhood epilepsy. In a recent study, a gene edited therapy developed in the lab was shown to reduce seizures in mice.

But the clinical process of getting CRISPR to safely and effectively work as it's intended isnt the only hurdle. The pricing of CRISPR and related therapies in general will be a huge barrier to access. The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), a research group that hopes to advance ethical use of these gene editing in medicine, estimates that the average CRISPR-based therapy can cost between $500,000 and $2 million per patient. The IGI has built out an Affordability Task Force to tackle the issue of expanding access to these novel therapies. Vertexs sickle cell treatment costs a cool $2.2 million per treatment, before hospital costs. David Altshuler, the chief scientific officer at Vertex, told MIT Tech Review that wants to innovate the delivery of the therapeutic and make it more accessible to patients. I think the goal will be achieved sooner by finding another modality, like a pill that can be distributed much more effectively, Altshuler said.

Access is a huge issue and it's a huge equity issue, the CGS Hasson told Engadget. I think we would also like to look at equity here even more broadly. It's not just about who gets access to the medication once it comes on the market but really how can we prioritize equity in the research that's leading to these treatments. The US already does a poor job of providing equitable healthcare access as it is, Hasson explained, which is why it's important for organizations like CGS to pose roundtable discussions about implementing guardrails that value ethical considerations. If you support people having access to healthcare, it should encompass these cutting edge treatments as well.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened more offensive actions to repel what he called increasing United States-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his countrys most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported Tuesday.

Kims statement suggests he is confident in his growing missile arsenal and will likely continue weapons testing activities ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. But many observers say North Korea still needs to perform more significant tests to prove it has functioning missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.

After watching Mondays launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said the test showed how North Korea could respond if the United States were to make a wrong decision against it, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim stressed the need to never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies  and to strongly counter them with more offensive actions, KCNA said.

The Hwasong-18 ICBM is a developmental, solid-fueled ICBM that is considered North Koreas most powerful weapon. Its built-in solid propellant makes launches harder for outsiders to detect than liquid-fueled missiles, which must be fueled before liftoffs. But many foreign experts say North Korea still has some other technological hurdles to master to acquire reliable nuclear-tipped ICBMs, such as one to protect warheads from the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry.

KCNA said the Hwasong-18 missile  launched at a high angle to avoid neighboring countries  flew a distance of 1,002 kilometers (622 miles) for 73.5 minutes at a maximum altitude of 6,518 kilometers (4,050 miles) before landing in an area off the Norths east coast. It said Kim expressed great satisfaction with the launch, which verified again the reliability of the most powerful strategic core striking means of North Korea.

It was the Norths third test of the Hwasong-18 missile. Its two previous launches were in April and July.

Based on their statement, this looks to have been an exercise in signaling and a developmental test in one, said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Theres nothing new here technically as far as I can tell at this early stage, but theyre certainly growing increasingly confident in their new solid propellant ICBM.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the Norths latest ICBM test is another indicator of how far its missile engine technology has progressed, but added there are limits to what North Korea can learn from lofted trajectory firings.

Demonstrating warhead targeting and reentry capabilities would involve provocative launches across greater distances, Easley said. So more significant tests of both technology and diplomacy are likely in the New Year.

KCNA said that a recent U.S.-South Korean meeting to discuss their nuclear deterrence plan openly revealed their intention to hold joint drills with a simulated nuclear attack on North Korea.

It referred to the second Nuclear Consultative Group meeting between senior U.S. and South Korean officials Friday. During their meeting in Washington, the two countries agreed to update their nuclear deterrence and contingency strategies and incorporate nuclear operation scenarios in their combined military exercises in the summer, according to officials in Seoul.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said during a Cabinet Council meeting Tuesday that a nuclear-based, powerful Korea-U.S. alliance would be formed soon.

The nuclear consultative body is responsible for sharing information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans and joint operations, though the U.S. will retain operational control of its nuclear weapons. The groups establishment was part of U.S. efforts to ease South Korean worries about North Korean provocations while keeping Seoul from pursuing its own nuclear program.

Since 2022, North Korea has performed more than 100 ballistic missile tests in violation of the United Nations bans in what outside experts call an effort to upgrade its nuclear arsenal and win greater U.S. concessions. The North has still avoided fresh international sanctions as China and Russia blocked the U.S. and others efforts to toughen U.N. sanctions on the country.

Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that Tokyo is coordinating with Washington and Seoul to arrange a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Norths latest launch. He said Japan will try to get the council to fulfill its intended role.

The United States and South Korea have expanded their military training, bolstered trilateral security cooperation with Japan and increased the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea.

On Tuesday, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan began putting into operation the sharing of real-time missile warning data on North Korea and established details of their trilateral exercises in coming years, South Koreas Defense Ministry said in a statement.

North Korea has viewed growing U.S.-South Korea-Japan partnerships as a security threat and sought to boost its own ties with China and Russia in response. North Korea recently faced outside suspicions that it receives sophisticated weapons technologies from Russia in return for supplying conventional arms to support Russias war in Ukraine.

The allies justified actions of cooperation and information-sharing will remain the Kim regimes primary reason to concentrate greater resources and energy into its weapons program, said Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst.

Kim (Jong Un) is clear-eyed in the regional split between the U.S.-allied countries and the North Korea-Russia-China trilateral relationship, she said. So while Kim continues to raise issues with the U.S.-Japan-Korea trilateral, he sees the utility in forming alliances and gravitates toward Beijing and Moscow to serve as a thorn in our side and to protect his own security and interests.

(AP)




A fascinating series of events unfolded during a relatively routine hearing of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, in which committee members were to vote on the nomination of Ocean County Prosecutor Brad Billhimer to a second five-year term in the position.

Some witnesses who spoke to the committee opposed Billhimers nomination to another term for various reasons. One of those testifying was a man named Larry Loigman, who identified himself as a representative of the Lakewood community. Loigman argued that Billhimer didnt do enough since the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel to ensure the security and safety of Jews in Ocean County, and therefore urged the Judiciary Committee to reject his nomination.

Billhimer responded: Im not aware of him  the individual who said he represents the community in Lakewood  I do not believe he represents the community in Lakewood.

The prosecutor then pointed to someone who he felt does represent the Lakewood community  Agudath Israels New Jersey Legislative Affairs Director Shlomo Schorr. There is an individual here who filed notice wishing to speak to the committee based on Mr. Loigmans comments, Billhimer said.

Schorr then got up to speak, giving an impassioned defense of Billhimer, underscoring the prosecutors work before and since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

In my position, and as someone who works with the [Lakewood] community and many of its leaders, I can say that the prosecutor has been not just a friend who is there for us, but a someone who has been working aggressively to counter hate and crime across the County at all levels, for all religions and all faiths, Schorr said.

Hes been attending every single interfaith meeting across the county whenever hes been asked, and he has launched numerous initiatives to protect the community against hate, Schorr continued. After the attacks on October 7, I have witness numerous security moves, both marked and unmarked, across Lakewood and the county  at faith-based organizations, houses of worship, etcetera.

The Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness have told members of our community on numerous occasions that we have one of the best prosecutors in the state to work with, he added.

He responds to concerns from the community regarding security anytime, day or night, weekdays or weekends, whenever hes asked, he responds.

Having heard from an actual representative of the Lakewood community as identified by the prosecutor himself, the Senate Judiciary Committee went on to confirm Billhimers nomination, sending it to a vote from the full New Jersey Senate.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




New York state will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state, under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday.

It comes at a time when many states and towns throughout the United States attempt to figure out how to best reckon with the countrys dark past, and follows in the footsteps of similar task forces established in California and Illinois.

In New York, we like to think were on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy, Hochul, a Democrat, said at the bill signing ceremony in New York City. What is hard to embrace is the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. Its not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth.

The law, which was passed by state lawmakers in June, says the commission will examine the institution of slavery, which was fully abolished in New York by 1827, and its ongoing impact on Black New Yorkers today.

The battle for civil rights was not below the MasonDixon line. The largest port of slave trade was in Charleston, South Carolina and Wall Street, New York, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who spoke at the signing ceremony. So this today starts a process of taking the veil off of northern inequality and saying we must repair the damage and it can be an example for this nation.

The nine-member commission will be required to deliver a report a year after its first meeting. Its recommendations could potentially include monetary compensation but would be non-binding. The panels findings are intended to spur policy changes, programs and projects that attempt to remedy slaverys harmful effects.

The idea of using public money to compensate the descendants of enslaved people is almost certain to draw a backlash from some, including some white people who dont believe they should have to pay for the sins of long-ago ancestors, and other ethnic groups that werent involved in the slave trade.

Sharpton said he expected Hochul to pay a political price for convening the commission.

I want to give credit to this governor for having the audacity and courage to do what others wouldnt do. And I know she had to wrestle with it. And I know her political advisors told her its too risky, the famed civil rights activist said. But she did it because its right.

The governor and the legislative leaders of the state Assembly and Senate will each appoint three qualified members to the commission. They have 90 days to make their picks.

This is not just about who were going to write a check to, and what the amount is, said Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the first Black person to hold the position.

It begins the conversation with one recognizing the issues that affected Black people and descendants of slaves in this state, he said.

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said in a statement that he believes New Yorks recommendations will come at an astronomical cost to all New Yorkers.

The reparations of slavery were paid with the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans who fought to end slavery during the Civil War, he said. He added that its unrealistic for states to meet the potentially expensive price tag that could come with cash reparations.

California in 2020 became the first state to create a reparations task force. The group handed its two-year report to state lawmakers in June, who then introduced a bill that would create an agency to carry out some of the panels more-than 100 recommendations, including helping families with genealogical research. But turning those proposals into policies could be difficult, given the state is facing a heavy budget deficit.

Other states, including Massachusetts and New Jersey, have considered studying reparations, but none have yet passed legislation. A Chicago suburb in Evanston, Illinois, became the first city to make reparations available to Black residents through a $10 million housing project in 2021.

Cornell William Brooks, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School who teaches civil rights and researches the economics of reparations, said state-led initiatives similar to New Yorks are crucial for reaching national reconciliation and repair.

States and municipalities cannot solve a national problem by themselves, but they can be a means by which we reach a national solution, he said.

The U.S. Congress apologized to African-Americans for slavery in 2009, but a federal proposal to create a commission studying reparations has long stalled.

The legislation establishing the New York commission notes that the first enslaved Africans arrived at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, then a Dutch settlement, around the 1620s and helped build the infrastructure of New York City  including the wall that gives Wall Street its name.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday expressed support for the measure, noting that some venerable institutions in New York, as elsewhere, are tied to wealth that derived from exploiting the labor of enslaved people.

We have to reckon with that, Adams, a Democrat and former state senator, said during a City Hall news conference.

(AP)




The super PAC supporting Donald Trumps 2024 campaign has launched a television ad targeting Nikki Haley, a move her campaign called a signal that Trumps allies are worried about her.

The ad, debuting Tuesday, marks the first such effort by either Trump, who has dominated the Republican primary, or the groups supporting him to take Haley on directly. The spot from Make America Great Again, Inc. argues that, as South Carolina governor, Haley flip-flopped over her support for a gas tax, showing clips of State of the State addresses in which she opposed, then called for, such a measure.

New Hampshire cant afford Nikki High Tax Haley, a narrator says in the ad.

Ahead of the ads release, Haley was already disputing its premise on social media, saying Tuesday night in a post on X that the ad signified that someones getting nervous.

Haleys super PAC responded with a New Hampshire ad of its own, arguing that the front-runner is spreading misleading claims about her record because Trump knows Haleys the only one who can beat him.

The ads draw heightened focus to New Hampshire, where Haley and another 2024 Republican, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have been focusing their campaigns. Late last week, Christie launched his own ad in the state, accusing Haley and Ron DeSantis of largely going after each other and avoiding Trump, and saying Christie is the only one positioning himself to take on the front-runner directly.

Over the weekend, Trump told New Hampshire voters that they would weed out the insincere RINOs  Republicans in name only, referring to rivals DeSantis  the Florida governor who was endorsed by Trump in 2018  and Haley, who served as his United Nations ambassador. Trump alleged that his allies-turned-opponents will betray you just like they betrayed me.

The MAGA Inc. spot leaves out a significant part of the gas tax proposal Haley floated as governor, in 2015. In the speech cited, Haley went on to say that, in order to get my signature on any gas tax increase, South Carolina would also need to cut our state income tax by 2%.

That plan, her campaign reiterated this week, died in the state Legislature. South Carolina lawmakers ultimately raised the gas tax under her successor, overriding a veto by Gov. Henry McMaster, Trumps top backer in the state.

Donald Trumps false attack ad sends a loud and clear message: Nikki Haley is surging and Trump is scared, said Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas.

On Tuesday, Haleys campaign also disseminated a slew of links to articles from 2018, when Trump signaled openness to raising the federal gas tax. In her 2024 presidential campaign, Haley has proposed ending the federal gas tax.

A New Hampshire poll conducted in November by CNN and the University of New Hampshire found that Haley was in second place  well behind Trump, but slightly ahead of fellow candidates including Christie and DeSantis.

(AP)




Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that his countrys military has seized the initiative in Ukraine after repelling a monthslong counteroffensive and is well positioned to achieve Moscows goals.

Putin spoke at a meeting with top military brass a day after he presented documents to Russias Central Election Commission to seek reelection in the March presidential vote that hes all but certain to win.

Our troops are holding the initiative, the Russian leader said. We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want. Where our commanders consider it necessary to stick to active defenses they are doing so, and we are improving our positions where its needed.

The Russian leader praised Russias troops for beating back Ukrainian attacks during the counteroffensive that started in June.

The enemy has suffered heavy casualties and to a large extent wasted its reserves while trying to show at least some results of its so-called counteroffensive to its masters, Putin said, adding that the myth about invulnerability of Western weapons also has collapsed.

All attempts by the West to deliver us a military defeat, a strategic defeat, were shattered by the courage and fortitude of our soldiers, the growing might of our armed forces and the potential of our military industries, Putin said.

During the counteroffensive that began in early June, Ukrainian forces have failed to make any significant gains as they faced multiecheloned Russian defensive lines, including sprawling minefields.

Speaking at the same meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Russian minefields spread for 7,000 kilometers (more than 4,300 miles).

Shoigu said that 650,000 Russian soldiers have received combat experience in Ukraine, turning the Russian army into the best prepared and capable army in the world, armed with advanced weapons that have been tested in combat.

Despite the sanctions, we produce more high-tech weapons than NATO countries, Shoigu said.

He declared that the Russian arms industries have increased the output of tanks by 5.6 times, the number of drones built by 16.8 times and bolstered the production of artillery munitions by 17.5 times since the start of what the Kremlin calls the special military operation in Ukraine.

Shoigu said the military has received more than 1,500 new and modernized tanks, more than 2,500 armored infantry vehicles and 237 new planes and helicopters.

The minister said Russias armed forces were finalizing preparations for putting the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile on combat duty and also building the infrastructure for the deployment of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone.

Shoigu charged that military personnel from NATO countries operate Ukraines air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers and tactical missile systems and also help plan military operations and train troops. He didnt provide specifics to support his claim.

While hailing the militarys performance, Putin noted the need to improve military communications, streamline the use of intelligence and counterartillery means, and increase supplies of precision munitions and drones. He added that Russia also needs to expand the capability of its satellite assets.

Putin particularly emphasized the importance of bolstering the countrys nuclear forces, saying that their role has increased amid the changing character of military threats and the emergence of new military-political risks.

Putin reaffirmed his long-held argument that he sent Russian troops into Ukraine to counter security threats to Russia posed by Western plans to incorporate the country in NATO. Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the move by Moscow as an unprovoked act of aggression.

The West isnt abandoning its strategy of containment of Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine, Putin said. Well, we also arent going to abandon the goals of the special military operation.

He declared that Russia is open for talks to end the conflict but warned that we wont give up what is ours.

If they want to talk, let them enter the talks,Putin said. But we will proceed from our interests.

(AP)




Ukraines armed forces are taking up a more defensive posture, a military analysis said Wednesday, after their summer counteroffensive failed to achieve a major breakthrough against Russias army and as winter weather sets in after almost 22 months of the war.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has mobilized a concerted effort to improve field fortifications as its forces pivot to a more defensive posture along much of the front line, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an assessment.

The Kremlins deep defenses held firm against Ukraines monthslong assault, using Western-supplied weapons but without essential air cover, along the around 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Most fighting in recent weeks has focused on artillery, missile and drone strikes as mud and snow hinder troop movements.

Russia continues local offensive options in several sectors, but individual attacks are rarely above platoon size, the U.K. analysis said. A major Russian breakthrough is unlikely and overall, the front is characterized by stasis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hopeful that Kyivs Western allies will grow weary of financing the costly Ukrainian war effort, allowing the Kremlins forces to make a new offensive push next year against a weaker foe. He has put the Russian economy on a war footing to prepare for that.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that hes certain the United States will make good on its promise to provide billions of dollars in further aid for Kyiv to continue its fight. The U.S. Congress has broken for vacation without a deal to send around $61 billion to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also noted that next year Ukraine plans to produce 1 million drones, which have become a key battlefield weapon. The relatively cheap drones can be used to destroy expensive military hardware.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraines Minister of Strategic Industries, said the million new drones will be so-called first-person view, or FPV, drones, which have a real time video function.

In addition, he said in a Telegram post, Ukraine can manufacture next year more than 10,000 mid-range strike drones that can travel hundreds of kilometers (miles) as well as more than 1,000 drones with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles). They will allow Ukraine to hit targets well behind the front line and in Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 18 of 19 Russian Shahed-type drones overnight, the Ukraine air force claimed Wednesday.

Also, Russia fired two S-300 ballistic missiles at Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, it said. No casualties were reported.

(AP)




Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso today penned a letter to Community Board 12 advocating for a street in Borough Park to be co-named in honor of Rabbi Yanky (Jack) Meyer ZL. Rabbi Meyer, who passed away September 2022, is remembered for his long legacy of service to Brooklyn, including his founding role in Misaskim and time spent caring for neighbors as a member of the Boro Park Hatzolah.

Rabbi Meyer was a leader whose dedication to faith and service can be seen all over Brooklyn and this city. In recognition of his profound impact, it would be fitting for a Borough Park street to bear his name, so that Brooklynites and visitors from all over can be inspired by his devotion and selflessness, said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

A dedicated and selfless leader, Rabbi Jack (Yanky) Meyer was beloved by many in Brooklyn. His legacy of service to our communities, particularly Borough Park, is worthy of every honor, and I commend Borough President Reynoso for seeking to honor Rabbi Meyer with a street co-naming, said Rabbi Bernard Freilich. This memorial will inspire new generations of Brooklynites to follow in Rabbi Meyers footsteps and never take for granted the everlasting impact a person can achieve in just one lifetime.

Rabbi Jack (Yanky) Meyer, may his memory be a blessing, was an exceptional human being who devoted his life to helping others, especially during times of greatest grief, said Avi Greenstein, Chief Executive Officer of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council. He selflessly attended to the needs of anyone and everyone in the community and led a lifetime of chesed and devotion to others. Naming a street in Rabbi Meyers memory is one way that we can continue his legacy of selfless kindness for anyone in need. We extend our gratitude to Borough President Reynoso for his efforts in seeking to commemorate Rabbi Meyer in this most worthy way.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




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Andrew Goldberg, a documentary filmmaker wrote a disturbing account published in Newsweek of the antisemitism his 12-year-old son endured in a well-regarded public school in Westport, Connecticut. It should be noted that the incidents occurred prior to the October 7th Hamas assault of Israel which spurred a surge of antisemitism throughout the world.

Goldberg wrote that the antisemitic taunts began with someone his son considered a friend.

One student, whom my son considered a friend, invited my son to sign up for his camp which had great showersCamp Auschwitz. He said another Jewish classmate of theirs had already signed up.

My son, who is just 12, found this concerning and upsetting, but this was a new friend, and he hoped this interaction was not indicative of anything more.

Later, the same boy was at our house with my son watching the satirical show South Park. In one of the episodes they saw, a character dressed as Hitler shouts: We must exterminate the Jews!

This boy then proceeded to say: We must exterminate the Jews! to my son on a regular basis at school.

When we learned of all this from our son we were floored. We contacted the school and met with school officials.

We asked what expertise, training, and experience they had to deal with antisemitism and racism. They assured us they took this very seriously. They would perform an investigation. They tried to convince us they had the skills to handle this.

The next day, one of the officials called my son to the office. The way my son explains it, it was an interrogation. He claimed he was asked why he showed South Park to his friend, when in fact they had merely watched TV. Did my son think it was funny? What was he trying to accomplish? He came home shaken. I considered this a bad start.

The school then presented a safety plan for our son. Among other things, he could sit at another lunch table. He could see a trusted adult if he felt unsafe. Later, we were told of some assigned seating and class partners.

But I didnt think that anything I saw in the safety planor any of their communicationsaddressed the antisemitism and bigotry, or how to use this as a teachable moment for students and faculty. Instead, the safety plan seemed to just be different ways my son could move around the building.

Over the next days, my son showed us more texts from classmates and told us more stories about the significant antisemitism hed been subjected to and witnessed from multiple students. On one occasion, a boy at his home shot my son with a squirt gun yelling: Shoot the Jew!

While all this was happening, we watched my son get increasingly sad. His fun, childlike energy was dissipating. As word got out, most of his friends dropped him. He was too upset to return to class. It was incredibly painful to witness as a father, and I would wish this on no parent.

Goldberg continued that weeks went by with the school claiming that their investigation was ongoing. Feeling helpless they hired an education attorney. And realizing their son had become a pariah through no fault of his own, they enrolled him in a private Jewish school.

To find some closure, our lawyer asked the Westport public school system for two things: Help us offset some of the tuition of the new school, and answer our questions about what training and policies were in place (or coming) to deal with the same things that happened to my son. We didnt want this to happen to others.

The school district then told our lawyer theyd be willing to provide enough money for roughly one year of tuition, but they again did not answer the questions wed posed. The money was less than needed to get him through middle school, but, exhausted, we said wed accept.

Then we read the proposed settlement agreement and came to the only reasonable conclusion one could: The money they were offering was not to help our son, it was to buy our silence.

Our lawyer explained that many settlement agreements have language that prevents you from discussing the terms of the settlement itself. That is, youre expected to keep secret that you received a payment, and you are not to share the amount. This is standard.

But this agreement went much further. It read:

the Settling Parties agree that all aspects of this Settlement Agreement, including, but not limited to, the facts and circumstances leading to this Settlement Agreement and all communications in all forms (e.g., oral, written) that occurred during the settlement process, shall be kept confidential by all Settling Parties to the extent permitted by law..

This meant that if we agreed to the terms, wed be obligated to be silent about the facts and circumstances of what happened to our son. In other words, I, my wife, and most importantly, our 12-year-old son could never speak about the antisemitism he endured and how he was bullied.

In a spectacular demonstration of being tone deaf, the school had sent their version of the settlement agreement with their disturbing confidentiality terms just days after Hamas attacked Israel.

In the painful wake of more than a thousand Jews being violently murdered, this was incomprehensible. And it was made all the worse since it came from the people we hoped would place the interests of children first.

We responded in no uncertain terms that we viewed this as hush money. Wed agree to keep the settlement and money terms confidential, but we couldnt agree to be silent about our experiences.

It seemed especially inhumane to ask this of a 12-year-old. Preventing a traumatized child from speaking about their pain only traumatizes them more.

The school refused our request to remove the confidentiality terms. So we declined their money.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




An IDF soldier who fought in Gaza told Maariv about the threats and deceptions Hamas uses against them in the Gaza Strip.

Whoever wasnt there cant understand what were dealing with, he said. Were fighting intense battles in a built-up area and we dont know where the next Hamas surprise will explode  while at the same time, were trying to locate hostages.

The soldier said that Hamas uses, among other things female suicide bombers dressed in traditional Muslim clothing.

They are covered from head to toe and are wearing explosive belts under their clothing.

Another form of attempted deception was recently discovered when a Hamas terrorist shot and killed in Gaza was found to be wearing IDF-issued tzitzis!

As reported by other soldiers, Hamas also sends men in civilian clothing toward IDF soldiers  shirtless and bearing white flags  but wearing suicide belts under their pants. These tactics are what led to the tragic deaths of three hostages in Gaza last week.

Additionally, Hamas has staged elaborate scenes to lure soldiers into ambushes near terror tunnels using crying dolls, childrens knapsacks, and recordings in Hebrew.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
RapidEye / Getty Images

Getting cash is not something that usually elicits groans, but thats what sometimes happens when someone is handed a $50 bill. For many people, a fifty is more of a burden than a pleasure, for reasons both practical and bordering on the silly. But despite their unpopularity in some quarters, $50 bills are having something of a renaissance.

$2,000 Quarter? Check Your Pockets Before You Use This 2004 Coin

Learn: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

A record number of the notes were printed in 2022  more than 756 million, according to data from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. That was the highest total for the $50 bill in more than 40 years. In 2019, only 3.5% of all U.S. bills printed were $50, but that percentage more than doubled to 8.5% in 2022.

The reason so many $50 bills are being produced these days mainly has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, when people started hoarding cash  not so much because they planned to spend it, but because they just liked the comfort of having cash on hand during uncertain economic and political times. It was easier to build up a large cash trove with $50 bills than smaller denominations, which increased their demand.

Hunting Rare Coins Worth Thousands? 7 Strategies and 7 Websites To Determine Value Quickly

The printing of different denominations has returned to normal levels this year. The Federal Reserves order for $50 bills to be produced in 2024 is less than one-third the total in 2022. According to a Fed report, consumers continue to hold a significant amount of cash that may be unlikely to be used for daily purchases.

That means a lot of $50 bills are still out there. Here are four reasons the denomination is so unpopular:

Many stores dont like them, either: Some businesses dont accept $50 bills, and even those that do might not have change for them. In many cases you might have to buy close to $50 worth of merchandise just to be able to use the bill  whether you want that much merchandise or not. Theyre easy to get mixed up with other currencies. One way U.S. currency differs from other currencies is that all the bills are the same size and roughly the same color, meaning that the $5 bill you thought you gave as a tip could have been a $50 bill if you werent paying attention. They feature Ulysses S. Grant: Grant might have led the Union Army to victory in the U.S. Civil War, but he was not considered a particularly good president. Whats more, he went bankrupt  which some people see as a sign of bad luck, according to CNN. There have even been efforts to replace Grant with someone else on the fifty, but so far that hasnt happened. They are bad luck. This, of course, only applies to people who believe a piece of paper can carry luck in the first place. But some professional gamblers and casinos dont like to carry $50 bills because theyre considered a jinx, CNN noted. This is partly because early Las Vegas investor and infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel was rumored to have died with only $50 bills in his pockets when he was brutally gunned down in Beverly Hills in 1947.

Story continues

Whether you should avoid $50 bills really depends on what you want them for. If you aim to spend them at a store, you should first check the stores policy on accepting large bills. Similarly, if you want to buy gambling chips with a $50 bill at a casino, make sure the casino accepts it. However, if you have a lot of cash lying around that you want to deposit in the bank, $50 bills work as well as any other currency.

Fifties also make nice holiday gifts when tucked inside a greeting card  and chances are the recipient wont have a problem accepting it.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Reasons People Dont Like To Use $50 Bills  Should You Avoid Them, Too?




Israel has approached Qatar with a proposal for a week-long ceasefire in Gaza, contingent on the release of approximately 40 hostages held by Hamas in the region, according to a report from Walla, citing two senior Israeli officials and a foreign source familiar with the details of the proposal. The offer marks Israels first since the breakdown of the previous hostage deal.

The Israeli officials emphasized that the proposal demonstrates Israels commitment to resuming serious negotiations for the hostages release, despite Hamass resistance. Currently, about 130 Israeli citizens and foreigners, including eight Americans, are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Mossad chief David Barnea met in Warsaw with CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdel-Rahman Al-Thani to discuss a potential new agreement for the release of the hostages, during which Barnea presented the proposal.

According to senior Israeli officials, the group targeted for release includes women, men over 60, and those suffering from life-threatening illnesses or serious injuries requiring urgent medical attention. This new proposal contrasts with the previous one where Israel agreed to a week-long truce in exchange for the release of 80 hostages.

Israel reportedly said that it is also ready to release Palestinian prisoners convicted of more severe attacks than those released in previous deals. Many of these prisoners are elderly or suffer from serious illnesses and could be released on humanitarian grounds.

During the Warsaw meeting, the Qatari Prime Minister relayed Hamass condition for resuming hostage release negotiations: the cessation of the war in Gaza. In response, Barnea asserted that for the war to end, Hamas must disarm and surrender its leaders involved in planning the October 7 terrorist attack.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Recent operations by the IDF in the Gaza Strip have twice led them to tunnels where Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, was believed to be hiding, according to reports from Hebrew media outlets on Tuesday.

Sources indicated to Channel 13 that the IDFs efforts have been concentrated in and around Khan Younis as part of its strategic focus to target Sinwar.

Intelligence gathered by the IDF suggests that Sinwar has been on the move almost constantly, avoiding staying in one location for long periods to make it more challenging for the IDF to locate him.

During the pursuit of Sinwar, IDF troops discovered a site previously used as a hideout by Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamass military wing.

Sinwar is believed to currently be in hiding within Khan Younis. Reports suggest that he moved there from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, blending into a humanitarian convoy heading south in the early days of the conflict.

According to reports, IDF soldiers located one of Sinwars homes in Shati, arriving just moments after he had left the area. The house, which is one of the four known residences of Sinwar, was found to be equipped with an elaborate security system, including 40 perimeter security cameras. The house also featured mirrored windows and additional curtains for enhanced concealment.

One of the soldiers inspecting the premises noticed a small portion of missing grout in the flooring of one of the rooms of the home. Upon applying pressure to the floor tiles, the soldier uncovered a hydraulic double door, revealing a hidden bunker complete with escape routes leading outside.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The IDF on Wednesday announced the deaths of two soldiers killed in battle in the Gaza Strip, bringing the IDFs ground operation death toll to 134 and 466 since October 7th.

The soldiers were identified as Captain (res.) Lior Sivan, Hyd, 32, of Beit Shemesh, a combat officer in the 363rd battalion of the Harel brigade who left behind a baby and pregnant wife; and Master Sgt. (res.) Uriel Cohen, Hyd, 33, of Tzur Hadassah, a commander in the Givati Brigade, who left behind a wife and two young daughters.

Both soldiers fell in battles in the southern Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the IDF says a soldier was seriously injured during fighting in southern Gaza.




The South African government on Monday warned that South Africans who are serving in the IDF in Gaza could face prosecution at home.

The foreign ministry stated that it is gravely concerned by reports that South African citizens are fighting in Gaza.

Such action can potentially contribute to the violation of international law and the commission of further international crimes, thus making them liable for prosecution in South Africa, the ministry stated.

The ministry added that naturalized South African citizens could lose their citizenship for fighting in a war that Pretoria does not support or agree with and anyone who wishes to join the IDF must receive legal approval from the government.

Any person joining the IDF without the necessary permission of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) is breaking the law and can be prosecuted, the ministry said.

Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa back to Jerusalem last month after the government in Pretoria made a number of outrageous statements regarding the war in Gaza and a minister called for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus arrest for war crimes. South Africa recalled all its diplomats from Israel earlier in the month.

Over 11,000 South Africans live in Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




IDF forces operating in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip identified a terrorist carrying an RPG emerging from a building.

The ground forces directed an Air Force jet in attacking and eliminating the terrorist.

Earlier, the IDF spokesperson announced that after terrorists opened fire on IDF forces in the southern Gaza Strip, troops raided the Hamas headquarters in Khan Younis from where the shooting was carried out, eliminating terrorists and seizing numerous weapons

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Camera footage from a dog from the Oketz military canine unit that was killed by Hamas terrorists revealed new details about the tragic killing of three hostages last week in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of northern Gaza.

Channel 12 News reported that an IDF investigation revealed that five days before the hostages were killed, Golani soldiers sent the dog to search a building for terrorists.

The hostages were in that building, and one of the hostages, Alon Shamriz, zl, who was a combat soldier in the Yalam unit and was familiar with the role of the Oketz dogs, yelled at the camera attached to the dog: Were Israeli hostages here! Help! There are hostages here.

The dog was later killed by Hamas terrorists in a gun battle with IDF soldiers, which ended with the deaths of the terrorists. When the hostages realized that the terrorists holding them had been killed, they escaped the building. The investigation showed that the hostages walked about a kilometer away from the building. The place where they hung the SOS sign was near the area where they were killed.

IDF forces were only able to retrieve the dogs body and examine the camera footage this past Monday, three days after the hostages were killed.

Soldiers testified that the hostages were wearing Adidas sweatpants and had long beards  which played a role in the soldiers suspicions that they were terrorists.

The IDF noted that there are no images of the hostages on the camera footage but only the sound of their voices.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Ruling: British Gas and E.ON are challenging Octopus takeover of Bulb

British Gas and E.ON can continue their legal battle over Octopus Energys takeover of a rival, a judge has ruled.

The suppliers are challenging Octopus takeover of Bulb, which collapsed in 2021. Bulbs customers helped Octopus become the UKs third-largest domestic energy supplier behind British Gas and E.ON.

The suppliers took the Government to court last year, arguing it unlawfully committed billions to propping up Bulb without considering the impact on the market.

Their case was dismissed by Londons High Court in March.

But Judge Nicholas Underhill at the Court of Appeal yesterday allowed them to challenge that decision.
First International Bank & Trust decreased its position in shares of McDonalds Co. (NYSE:MCD  Free Report) by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,784 shares of the fast-food giants stock after selling 766 shares during the quarter. McDonalds makes up 0.3% of First International Bank & Trusts investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. First International Bank & Trusts holdings in McDonalds were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its stake in McDonalds by 160.0% in the 2nd quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Retirement Group LLC bought a new position in McDonalds in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Worth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in McDonalds by 277.5% in the 2nd quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonalds in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in McDonalds in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 67.60% of the companys stock.

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McDonalds Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $1.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $291.26. The companys stock had a trading volume of 571,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,711,565. The stock has a market cap of $211.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.70. McDonalds Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $299.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $271.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $279.77.

McDonalds Increases Dividend

McDonalds ( NYSE:MCD Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 30th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.56 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 157.19% and a net margin of 33.31%. McDonaldss revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.68 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that McDonalds Co. will post 11.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. This is a boost from McDonaldss previous quarterly dividend of $1.52. McDonaldss dividend payout ratio is 58.80%.

Insider Activity at McDonalds

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,487 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.26, for a total transaction of $1,217,143.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $2,756,001.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,487 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.26, for a total value of $1,217,143.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,160 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,756,001.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Heidi B. Capozzi sold 688 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $180,256.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,064,722. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,149 shares of company stock worth $3,810,777. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on McDonalds from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on McDonalds from $315.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised McDonalds from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on McDonalds from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on McDonalds from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonalds has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $316.59.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MCD

McDonalds Profile

(Free Report)

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company's restaurants offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and nuggets, fries, salads, shakes, frozen desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, bakery items, soft drinks, coffee, and beverages and other beverages, as well as breakfast menu, including muffins, Sausages, biscuit and bagel sandwiches, oatmeal, hash browns, breakfast burritos and hotcakes.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonalds Co. (NYSE:MCD  Free Report).

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StockNews.com lowered shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

NRG has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Guggenheim raised shares of NRG Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. UBS Group raised shares of NRG Energy from a sell rating to a neutral rating and raised their target price for the company from $33.00 to $46.00 in a report on Monday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $46.40.

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NRG Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE NRG opened at $50.04 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.06. NRG Energy has a one year low of $30.25 and a one year high of $50.20. The firm has a market cap of $11.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.48 and a beta of 1.01.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.09. NRG Energy had a negative net margin of 5.96% and a positive return on equity of 41.72%. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $0.3775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 31st. This represents a $1.51 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. NRG Energys payout ratio is currently -19.56%.

Institutional Trading of NRG Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $9,687,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 22,761 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $877,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 486.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 900,526 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $34,688,000 after acquiring an additional 746,899 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $994,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in NRG Energy by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 53,414 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,058,000 after buying an additional 2,688 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the companys stock.

About NRG Energy

(Get Free Report)

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated power company in the United States. It operates through Texas, East, and West segments. The company is involved in producing and selling electricity and related products and services to approximately residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers.

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Millions of barrels of Russian crude heading to India never reached their destination, a report says. Getty Images

Millions of barrels of Russian oil heading to India never reached their destination, Bloomberg reported.

The tankers holding the cargoes are now reported to be idling at sea.

US sanctions on Russia may be part of why the ships never completed their deliveries.

Roughly five million barrels of Russian oil that were on the way to India never reached their destination, Bloomberg reported.

The cargoes of Russia's Sokol grade crude were supposed to arrive over the past four weeks, but instead, the relevant tankers are reported to be idling at sea, miles out from their intended ports.

It's unclear why the ships haven't arrived, but the report said sanctions on sellers moving Russian crude above the $60 price cap set by G7 nations might be part of the explanation.

The US Treasury has sanctioned eight ships tied to the crude cargoes since October, with six of them owned by Russia's Sovcomflot PJSC.

Bloomberg reported that one vessel, which was headed to the port of Vadinar in India, had been idle near Sri Lanka since November 16, and two more Sovcomflot ships heading to the same place had joined it in the past week.

Meanwhile, the report said, three other ships heading to the Paradip port in east India should have arrived but had not.

Russia's weekly oil flows rose to the highest level in five months in the seven days up to December 10, Bloomberg shipping data showed. Exports in that stretch hit 3.76 million barrels a day.

That increase came as OPEC+ committed to reducing crude production to help stabilize prices. The group says it plans to cut production by a total of 2.2 million barrels a day through the first quarter of 2024, with some of that coming from Russia.

Oil prices have softened over recent weeks amid a US production boom and an uncertain demand outlook. On Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate moved 1.69% higher to $75.18 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed 1.51% to $80.46 a barrel.

Read the original article on Business Insider
StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS  Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday. The firm issued a hold rating on the financial services providers stock.

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $8.00 price objective on shares of Credit Suisse Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $5.45.

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Credit Suisse Group Stock Performance

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Credit Suisse Group

NYSE CS opened at $0.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $0.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $0.89. Credit Suisse Group has a 52 week low of $0.82 and a 52 week high of $6.36.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CS. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Credit Suisse Group by 8.9% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 50,292 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 4,130 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Credit Suisse Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $135,000. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in Credit Suisse Group by 162.0% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 539,102 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,232,000 after buying an additional 333,335 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Credit Suisse Group by 3.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,131,757 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $40,284,000 after buying an additional 192,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Credit Suisse Group by 1.8% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 274,767 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,883 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.20% of the companys stock.

Credit Suisse Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Credit Suisse Group AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following four divisions: Wealth Management, Investment Bank, Swiss Bank and Asset Management and four geographic regions: Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific, and Americas.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Sunday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of BWX Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. They issued a buy rating and a $86.00 price target on the stock. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of BWX Technologies from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and increased their target price for the company from $79.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $80.38.

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BWX Technologies Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE BWXT opened at $77.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. BWX Technologies has a 52 week low of $55.47 and a 52 week high of $81.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 31.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $77.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.53.

BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The technology company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $589.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.47 million. BWX Technologies had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 33.34%. The companys revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that BWX Technologies will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BWX Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 20th. BWX Technologiess dividend payout ratio is currently 37.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BWX Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 156,019.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 90,473,001 shares of the technology companys stock worth $6,475,153,000 after acquiring an additional 90,415,050 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in BWX Technologies by 75.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,358,710 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $669,803,000 after purchasing an additional 4,012,457 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in BWX Technologies by 40.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,507,248 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $251,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006,326 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of BWX Technologies by 154.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 980,775 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $61,828,000 after buying an additional 595,604 shares during the period. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BWX Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,596,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the companys stock.

About BWX Technologies

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BWX Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells nuclear components in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Government Operations and Commercial Operations. The Government Operations segment designs and manufactures naval nuclear components, reactors, and nuclear fuel; undertakes fabrication activities for missile launch tubes for U.S.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ciena (NYSE:CIEN  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CIEN. B. Riley upped their target price on Ciena from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ciena from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Ciena from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Ciena in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a buy rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a buy rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Ciena in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $59.43.

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Ciena Stock Up 1.4 %

Ciena stock opened at $43.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a current ratio of 3.84. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $43.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.92. The company has a market cap of $6.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.96. Ciena has a fifty-two week low of $39.94 and a fifty-two week high of $54.25.

Ciena (NYSE:CIEN  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Ciena had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 5.81%. Cienas revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Ciena will post 2.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ciena news, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 4,166 shares of Ciena stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.32, for a total transaction of $197,135.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,174 shares of the companys stock, valued at $19,646,033.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 4,166 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.32, for a total value of $197,135.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,646,033.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jason Phipps sold 3,833 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.30, for a total transaction of $181,300.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,617 shares in the company, valued at $3,907,784.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,587 shares of company stock worth $1,373,163. 0.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ciena

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ciena by 5,220.2% during the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,927,512 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $112,862,000 after buying an additional 5,816,096 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Ciena by 912.1% in the second quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,009,887 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $85,400,000 after buying an additional 1,811,301 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ciena in the 1st quarter valued at about $108,564,000. Atreides Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Ciena in the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,883,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ciena by 379.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,978,517 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $100,865,000 after acquiring an additional 1,565,539 shares during the last quarter. 90.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ciena Company Profile

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Ciena Corporation provides hardware and software services for delivery of video, data, and voice traffic metro, aggregation, and access communications network worldwide. The company's Networking Platforms segment offers convergence of coherent optical transport, open optical networking, IP routing, and switching services.

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StockNews.com started coverage on shares of VMware (NYSE:VMW  Free Report) in a report published on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a strong-buy rating on the virtualization software providers stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of VMware from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, August 28th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of VMware from $158.00 to $165.00 in a report on Friday, September 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of VMware from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of VMware from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, VMware currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $160.25.

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VMware Trading Up 0.4 %

Insider Buying and Selling

Shares of VMware stock opened at $143.00 on Friday. VMware has a 12-month low of $109.00 and a 12-month high of $181.14. The company has a market cap of $61.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.20 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.71. The companys 50-day moving average price is $149.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.50.

In other VMware news, EVP Jean Pierre Brulard sold 4,966 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.10, for a total transaction of $879,478.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 76,832 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,606,947.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 40.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VMware in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. WealthPLAN Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VMware in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in VMware by 140.2% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 233 shares of the virtualization software providers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA bought a new position in VMware in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in VMware in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 46.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

VMware Company Profile

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VMware, Inc provides software solutions in the areas of modern applications, cloud management and infrastructure, networking, security, and workspaces in the United States and internationally. It offers VMware multi-cloud solutions, including VMware vSphere, a data center infrastructure that provides the fundamental compute layer; and vSAN and VxRail, which offers holistic data storage and protection options to applications running on vSphere; as well as VMware Cloud Foundation, a cloud platform that combines its vSphere, vSAN, and NSX with VMware Aria Cloud Management into an integrated stack that delivers ready cloud infrastructure for private and public clouds.

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of New Concept Energy (NYSE:GBR  Free Report) in a research note published on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the stock.

New Concept Energy Price Performance

GBR stock opened at $0.99 on Friday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $1.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1.13. New Concept Energy has a 1-year low of $0.91 and a 1-year high of $1.51.

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New Concept Energy (NYSE:GBR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. New Concept Energy had a return on equity of 0.63% and a net margin of 16.86%. The business had revenue of $0.04 million for the quarter.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

About New Concept Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GBR. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of New Concept Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $95,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of New Concept Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in New Concept Energy by 129.4% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 24,068 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 13,576 shares in the last quarter.

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New Concept Energy, Inc engages in real estate rental business. The company owns approximately 190 acres of land located in Parkersburg West Virginia. It also provides advisory and management services for an independent oil and gas company. The company was formerly known as CabelTel International Corporation and changed its name to New Concept Energy, Inc in May 2008.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Get Free Report) has received an average rating of Hold from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $185.57.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $178.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In related news, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,090 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.49, for a total value of $775,014.10. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,481 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,084.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In related news, President Christopher John Perry sold 20,614 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.94, for a total value of $3,647,441.16. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,738 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,039,221.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, VP Laura Matlin sold 4,090 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.49, for a total value of $775,014.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,084.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last three months, insiders have sold 28,475 shares of company stock valued at $5,088,452. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,043,656 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $944,766,000 after purchasing an additional 2,048,184 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1,700.7% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,542,507 shares of the business services providers stock worth $276,194,000 after buying an additional 1,456,847 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,230,810 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $299,219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,025,907 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 34.1% during the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,712,221 shares of the business services providers stock worth $614,559,000 after acquiring an additional 943,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 86.6% during the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,195,313 shares of the business services providers stock worth $186,122,000 after purchasing an additional 554,807 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.36% of the companys stock.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of BR opened at $197.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99 and a beta of 0.99. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a twelve month low of $132.33 and a twelve month high of $198.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firms 50 day moving average price is $182.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.59.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.37 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 42.48%. On average, analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 7.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Broadridge Financial Solutionss payout ratio is presently 56.84%.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.

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SmartRent (NYSE:SMRT  Get Free Report) and CACI International (NYSE:CACI  Get Free Report) are both business services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares SmartRent and CACI Internationals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio SmartRent $167.82 million 4.00 -$96.32 million ($0.27) -12.24 CACI International $6.95 billion 1.02 $384.73 million $16.45 19.35

CACI International has higher revenue and earnings than SmartRent. SmartRent is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CACI International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets SmartRent -24.26% -14.13% -9.33% CACI International 5.49% 13.74% 6.59%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

This table compares SmartRent and CACI Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

55.7% of SmartRent shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.3% of CACI International shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.1% of SmartRent shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of CACI International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for SmartRent and CACI International, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score SmartRent 0 1 2 0 2.67 CACI International 0 0 10 0 3.00

SmartRent currently has a consensus target price of $4.43, suggesting a potential upside of 33.89%. CACI International has a consensus target price of $374.09, suggesting a potential upside of 17.55%. Given SmartRents higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe SmartRent is more favorable than CACI International.

Risk and Volatility

SmartRent has a beta of 2.08, suggesting that its share price is 108% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CACI International has a beta of 0.95, suggesting that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

CACI International beats SmartRent on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SmartRent

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SmartRent, Inc., an enterprise software company, provides an integrated smart home operating system to residential property owners and operators, homebuilders, institutional home buyers, developers, and residents in the United States. The companys products and solutions include smart apartments and homes, access control for buildings, common areas, and rental units, asset protection and monitoring, parking management, self-guided tours, and community and resident Wi-Fi. It also offers professional services to customers, which include training, installation, and support services. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.

About CACI International

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CACI International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides expertise and technology to enterprise and mission customers in support of national security missions and government modernization/transformation in the intelligence, defense, and federal civilian sectors. It operates through two segments: Domestic Operations and International Operations. The Domestic Operations segment offers information solutions and services to the U.S. federal government agencies and commercial enterprises in the areas, such as digital solutions, C4ISR, cyber and space, engineering services, enterprise IT, and mission support. The International Operations segment provides a range of IT services, proprietary data, and software products to the commercial and government customers in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and internationally. The company designs, implements, protects, and manages secure enterprise IT solutions. It also offers software-defined, full-spectrum cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-unmanned aircraft system solutions; and platform integration and modernization and sustainment, as well as system engineering, naval architecture, training and simulation, and logistics engineering. In addition, the company provides enterprise cloud solutions for classified and unclassified networks; and intelligence support that ensures continuous advances in collection, analysis, and dissemination to optimize decision-making. CACI International Inc was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

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Commercial Metals (NYSE:CMC  Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $55.17.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CMC. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Commercial Metals in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Commercial Metals from $58.00 to $50.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 13th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Commercial Metals from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 16th.

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Commercial Metals Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE CMC opened at $48.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.71 and a beta of 1.34. Commercial Metals has a 52-week low of $39.85 and a 52-week high of $58.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.50 and a current ratio of 3.73. The companys 50 day moving average price is $44.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.82.

Commercial Metals (NYSE:CMC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 12th. The basic materials company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. Commercial Metals had a return on equity of 22.62% and a net margin of 9.77%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Commercial Metals will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Commercial Metals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 26th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 25th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Commercial Metalss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Commercial Metals

In other Commercial Metals news, CEO Peter R. Matt purchased 6,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $40.30 per share, for a total transaction of $249,860.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 92,182 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,714,934.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Commercial Metals news, CEO Peter R. Matt purchased 6,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $40.30 per share, for a total transaction of $249,860.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 92,182 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,714,934.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Stephen William Simpson sold 4,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $202,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,928 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $131,760. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Commercial Metals

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Commercial Metals by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,450,082 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $615,159,000 after acquiring an additional 487,792 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in shares of Commercial Metals by 90.9% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 40,580 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,005,000 after acquiring an additional 19,318 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Commercial Metals by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,182,690 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $58,437,000 after acquiring an additional 32,217 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Commercial Metals by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 32,388 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,600,000 after acquiring an additional 9,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Commercial Metals by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 78,676 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $3,887,000 after buying an additional 11,718 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.64% of the companys stock.

About Commercial Metals

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Commercial Metals Company manufactures, recycles, and fabricates steel and metal products, and related materials and services in the United States, Poland, China, and internationally. It operates through two segments, North America and Europe. The company processes and sells ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals to steel mills and foundries, aluminum sheet and ingot manufacturers, brass and bronze ingot makers, copper refineries and mills, secondary lead smelters, specialty steel mills, high temperature alloy manufacturers, and other consumers.

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Paradigm Financial Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM  Free Report) by 13.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 14,822 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,296 shares during the quarter. Paradigm Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Unum Group were worth $713,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 3.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,681,485 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $746,204,000 after acquiring an additional 836,407 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $426,463,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Unum Group by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,106,074 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $241,749,000 after buying an additional 166,022 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,680,940 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $223,281,000 after buying an additional 140,523 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 39.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,481,641 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $136,167,000 after buying an additional 977,334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.37% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Puneet Bhasin sold 8,188 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.39, for a total transaction of $347,089.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,318 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,302,540.02. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unum Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $59.00 to $54.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Unum Group from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $54.50.

Read Our Latest Report on UNM

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $44.76 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average of $45.08 and a 200-day moving average of $47.13. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $36.27 and a 1-year high of $52.15.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.11 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 10.07%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 31st that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 17th. Investors of record on Friday, October 27th were given a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 26th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Unum Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 23.59%.

Unum Group Profile

(Free Report)

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block and Corporate segments. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.

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EnerSys (NYSE:ENS  Get Free Report) updated its third quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $2.50-2.60 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $1.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. William Blair downgraded shares of EnerSys from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, November 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of EnerSys from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th.

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Read Our Latest Analysis on ENS

EnerSys Price Performance

NYSE ENS opened at $96.75 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.10. The company has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.33. EnerSys has a 1 year low of $71.15 and a 1 year high of $113.34.

EnerSys (NYSE:ENS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 8th. The industrial products company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $901.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.38 million. EnerSys had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 17.45%. EnerSyss quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EnerSys will post 7.6 EPS for the current year.

EnerSys Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. EnerSyss dividend payout ratio is currently 15.44%.

Institutional Trading of EnerSys

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in EnerSys by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,928 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. First National Bank of Omaha boosted its holdings in EnerSys by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. First National Bank of Omaha now owns 29,453 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $3,196,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in EnerSys by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,559 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $570,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in EnerSys by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,873 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in EnerSys in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 91.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EnerSys Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

EnerSys provides various stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in three segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The company offers uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, renewable, and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries.

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Whether youre shopping for yourself or someone else, electronics are a great gift to give  and to receive. But its important to do your research before buying electronics or other technological gadgets. After all, not all brands are created equal and you dont want to waste money on something thats not going to live up to its name  or price tag.

Also Find: 8 Electric Cars To Avoid Buying

Also: Pocket an Extra $400 a Month With This Simple Hack

While many American electronics brands are known for their exceptional quality, reasonable prices and long-lasting products, others have far less desirable reputations. As you go about your shopping, here are some American electronics brands that some people now avoid buying.

RCA

A well-known American electronics brand, RCA is primarily known for its televisions. While once a go-to place to shop, RCA has since diminished in quality.

Consumer Affairs reviews scored the company at 2.8 out of 5.

RCA is a brand that has unfortunately seen a decline in its quality over the years, said Mike Millerson, electronics enthusiast and founder of Survive Nature.

One potential reason for this is RCAs shift toward affordability over quality.

While their products are typically affordable, many consumers have reported issues related to durability and longevity, Millerson said. Be prepared for potential short-term replacements if you opt for this brand.

Check Out: These 20 Cars Will Last You Twice as Long as Any Regular Vehicle

Westinghouse

Westinghouse is an American electronics brand that has been around since 1886, but the quality of its products has declined over the years.

They offer a variety of electronics, ranging from televisions to power generators, Millerson said. However, similar to RCA, there have been issues reported regarding overall product quality.

Along with this, many consumers have criticized Westinghouse for its poor customer service, unreliable products and poor product performance.

Story continues

It also rates a 2.8 from Consumer Affairs and just a 1.7 from Trustpilot, a digital platform that connects businesses and consumers.

Polaroid

Known for manufacturing cameras, optical equipment and film, Polaroid is another electronics brand that has seen some more recent struggles in terms of producing tech that can keep up with the modern age.

Once synonymous with instant photography, Polaroid has struggled to adapt to the digital age, said Arsh Arora, a financial analyst and consumer trends expert at TV Schedule Today. Their current product line lacks innovation and often pales in comparison to competitors in terms of quality and price.

Along with this, many Polaroid products today have limited functionality compared to similarly priced options. Some of them also have technical issues, making them a potentially problematic investment.

Polaroid receives a 1.6 score on Trustpilot.

Insignia

Insignia, Best Buys in-house brand, offers affordable electronics  but sometimes at the price of quality and longevity.

Often marketed as a budget-friendly alternative to major brands, Insignia products are notorious for their inconsistent quality and short lifespans, Arora said.

These items often break down or require replacement parts, making any savings null and void, Arora said. Consumer Reports supports Arora, giving Insignia TVs a rating of 2.3.

The customer service department is lacking as well, according to Arora. Many consumers have reviewed the team as being unhelpful.

Skullcandy

An American electronics company based in Utah, Skullcandy is known for its earphones, headphones, MP3 players, audio backpacks and other hands-free audio devices. While the brand has some highly affordable offerings, you often get what you pay for.

Distortion, weak bass and frequent breakages are common complaints, Arora said of Skullcandys product quality.

Trustpilot reviews disagree, giving Skullcandy a 4.3. But several other review sites agree with Arora.

Vizio

Vizio is another American company that primarily produces and sells televisions, sound bars and similar electronics at reasonable prices. But when it comes to quality, not all of its products are worth the cost.

In fact, Vizio has implemented some cost-cutting measures that, in some cases, have compromised the quality and durability of their electronics. Many former customers of this brand have reported poorly functioning or breaking electronics. Some also have complained about poor customer service.

On Trustpilot, Vizio has 1.6 out of 5 stars.

Hisense

Like Vizio, Hisense is another American electronics company that you might want to avoid. While the brand sells affordable TVs and other electronics, some of these products produce poor sound quality or have limited features or functionality.

On Trustpilot, the brand has a score of 1.3 due to low-quality products and poor customer service.

Apple

Since its founding in 1976, Apple has made great strides in the electronics and technology industry. While this company designs some highly innovative products, certain items  like Apples Macbooks  might not be worth the hefty price tag.

As someone whos been professionally building and optimizing computers since the early days of Compaq, durability and longevity are aspects I really value in tech. This is why Apples MacBooks have never quite fit the bill for me, said Oliver Dale, a former Compaq computer engineer turned technology entrepreneur, electronics enthusiast and editor-in-chief of online gaming site Beanstalk.

Now dont get me wrong, their minimal designs are aesthetically pleasing, Dale said. But those of us who rely on our machines for productivity know that function is Priority 1 in the long run. In my line of work, editing and reviewing the latest games and components, future-proofing is essential. Yet, MacBooks severely limit options for storage and hardware upgrades down the line.

Not only that, but Dale noted that many Macs lack performance when it comes to things like simulating physics, rendering graphics and other heavy tasks. Certain accessories, like keyboards, are also hit and miss when it comes to quality.

Trustpilot grades Apple as a 1.9, and Consumer Affairs reviews are not kind to the MacBook (1.2) or iPhone (2.0).

Monster Cable

Based in California, Monster Cable is an American company that produces a variety of electronics, including audio and video cables, power strips, speakers, headphones and audio devices for vehicles. But, like the other popular brands in this list, some think you might want to think twice before purchasing electronics from them.

I get that they market themselves as a luxury brand offering top performance, said Harrison Alley, electronics enthusiast and the founder of Student of Guitar. Ive found there is really no consensus that their costly cables truly sound better than less expensive alternatives. The markups seem to be way out of proportion to any marginal quality increases.

Unless someone has money to blow and really wants that flashy logo, I honestly cant recommend them [over] competitors that get you 90% of the way for half the price. Performance per dollar is key, and Monster just doesnt deliver.

Monster Cable gets a 2.9 score on Trustpilot, although it gets higher ratings from Best Buy customers and others.

Bottom Line on Buying From These American Electronics Brands

Keep in mind that your mileage may vary when it comes to purchasing electronics from any of these brands. While one person might have a poor customer experience or buy something that soon breaks, another could get exactly what theyre hoping for from their purchase.

Whats important is doing your research, especially if youre going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on something. See what other people are saying and compare prices, features and other key aspects of your product of interest before adding it to your shopping cart. This can help you avoid a purchase that you later regret.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 9 American Electronics Brands You Might Want To Avoid Buying
Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its position in BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE:BWA  Free Report) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,475 shares of the auto parts companys stock after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Heartland Bank & Trust Cos holdings in BorgWarner were worth $988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in BorgWarner by 100,784.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 260,453,189 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $12,738,765,000 after buying an additional 260,195,018 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in BorgWarner by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,131,243 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $1,016,505,000 after buying an additional 570,039 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in BorgWarner by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,449,304 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $511,075,000 after buying an additional 357,259 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in BorgWarner by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,142,969 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $349,358,000 after buying an additional 51,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. raised its stake in BorgWarner by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 5,322,946 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $261,410,000 after buying an additional 484,794 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of BorgWarner from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of BorgWarner from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on BorgWarner from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered BorgWarner from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on BorgWarner in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. They issued a buy rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BorgWarner presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $48.70.

BorgWarner Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of BorgWarner stock opened at $35.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.14 and a 200 day moving average of $40.40. BorgWarner Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.63 and a fifty-two week high of $51.14.

BorgWarner (NYSE:BWA  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.07. BorgWarner had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that BorgWarner Inc. will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BorgWarner Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 30th. BorgWarners dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.19%.

About BorgWarner

(Free Report)

BorgWarner Inc provides solutions for combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicles worldwide. It offers turbochargers, eBoosters, eTurbos, timing systems, emissions systems, thermal systems, gasoline ignition technology, smart remote actuators, powertrain sensors, canisters, cabin heaters, battery modules and systems, battery packs, battery heaters, and battery charging.

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Centre Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG  Free Report) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,070 shares of the energy companys stock after selling 84 shares during the quarter. Centre Asset Management LLCs holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 46,378 shares of the energy companys stock worth $7,066,000 after buying an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $1,086,000. Trek Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 25,195 shares of the energy companys stock worth $3,971,000 after buying an additional 3,279 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,558,771 shares of the energy companys stock worth $245,662,000 after buying an additional 421,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 42.3% during the 1st quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC now owns 66,089 shares of the energy companys stock worth $10,416,000 after buying an additional 19,654 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.86% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $172.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $189.00 to $183.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating and a $205.00 price target on the stock. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. They set an overweight rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $196.67.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $173.38 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $41.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.67, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.02. The firms 50 day moving average is $159.01. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $135.00 and a 1 year high of $183.46.

Cheniere Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The energy company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.55 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 50.46% and a return on equity of 154.07%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 17.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 9th were issued a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. Cheniere Energys payout ratio is 3.44%.

About Cheniere Energy

(Free Report)

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile pipeline interconnecting the Sabine Pass LNG terminal with various interstate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.

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Essex Savings Bank acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EFG. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the companys stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 34.0% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,468 shares of the companys stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 2,657 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 5.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,076 shares of the companys stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 81.0% in the first quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,319 shares of the companys stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 2,381 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF in the first quarter worth approximately $266,000.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Stock Performance

Shares of BATS EFG opened at $96.08 on Wednesday. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $89.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.27. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a fifty-two week low of $67.58 and a fifty-two week high of $85.81. The company has a market cap of $12.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.89.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp reduced its holdings in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,960 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 1,505 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corps holdings in EOG Resources were worth $8,361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EOG. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 100,317.5% in the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 538,528,863 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $61,629,243,000 after purchasing an additional 537,992,573 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 2.8% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,299,584 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $4,161,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,328 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 11.0% in the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 33,923,655 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $3,882,219,000 after purchasing an additional 3,348,650 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 12.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 26,897,413 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $3,083,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 4.5% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,791,379 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,463,845,000 after purchasing an additional 551,835 shares during the last quarter. 89.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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EOG Resources Stock Performance

NYSE EOG traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $123.25. The companys stock had a trading volume of 203,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,325,882. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $125.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.98. The company has a market cap of $71.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.44. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.52 and a 12 month high of $137.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.10.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The energy exploration company reported $3.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 26.80% and a net margin of 32.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 12.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This is a boost from EOG Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 16th. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is presently 24.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on EOG Resources from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered EOG Resources from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $156.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered EOG Resources from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $134.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. lowered EOG Resources from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on EOG Resources from $157.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $145.14.

View Our Latest Analysis on EOG Resources

EOG Resources Company Profile

(Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp decreased its holdings in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY  Free Report) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 128,431 shares of the companys stock after selling 8,037 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corps holdings in Sysco were worth $8,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. MRP Capital Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sysco in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sysco during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. CGC Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sysco in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sysco in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Sysco during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.60% of the companys stock.

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Sysco Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of SYY stock traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $72.93. 188,431 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,545,714. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.00 and a 200 day moving average of $70.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. Sysco Co. has a 1 year low of $62.24 and a 1 year high of $82.38. The firm has a market cap of $36.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.13.

Sysco Announces Dividend

Sysco ( NYSE:SYY Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. Sysco had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 117.17%. The firm had revenue of $19.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $19.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Syscos revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sysco Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. Syscos payout ratio is 56.34%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,200 shares of Sysco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.76, for a total transaction of $157,872.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,782 shares in the company, valued at $917,236.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.58% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on SYY. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Sysco from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Sysco from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Sysco from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Sysco in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Sysco in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. They set a buy rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sysco presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $83.30.

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Sysco Profile

(Free Report)

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and distribution of various food and related products to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Foodservice Operations, International Foodservice Operations, SYGMA, and Other segments.

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CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 131,066 shares of the aerospace companys stock, valued at approximately $10,241,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Textron by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,227 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Textron by 2.9% during the second quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,930 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Textron by 2.0% in the second quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,059 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Textron by 0.7% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 26,689 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $1,985,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in Textron by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,719 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $1,672,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.92% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Textron news, Director R Kerry Clark sold 9,353 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.10, for a total value of $702,410.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,517 shares in the company, valued at $339,226.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on TXT shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Textron from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Textron in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. They set a sell rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a positive rating on shares of Textron in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Textron from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Textron presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $83.33.

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Textron Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of TXT stock traded down $0.17 on Wednesday, hitting $79.84. 48,393 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,325,908. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.35. Textron Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.27 and a fifty-two week high of $81.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $77.20 and a 200 day moving average of $74.35.

Textron (NYSE:TXT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The aerospace company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $3.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.48 billion. Textron had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 14.70%. The firms revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Textron Inc. will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Textron Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 1st. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Textrons dividend payout ratio is currently 1.72%.

Textron Profile

(Free Report)

Textron Inc operates in the aircraft, defense, industrial, and finance businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Textron Aviation, Bell, Textron Systems, Industrial, Textron eAviation, and Finance. The Textron Aviation segment manufactures, sells, and services business jets, turboprop and piston engine aircraft, and military trainer and defense aircraft; and offers maintenance, inspection, and repair services, as well as sells commercial parts.

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Carret Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 0.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,791 shares of the companys stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Carret Asset Management LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $4,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 750.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 289 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 49.5% during the 2nd quarter. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. now owns 299 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 118.1% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.00% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. HSBC lowered Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Novartis from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $98.29 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $79.98 and a 12 month high of $105.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $95.97 and a 200-day moving average of $99.18. The company has a market capitalization of $208.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.55.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 28.27% and a net margin of 15.35%. The company had revenue of $11.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 6.56 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Company Profile

(Free Report)

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.

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Addenda Capital Inc. decreased its stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC  Free Report) (TSE:MFC) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,551,210 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 18,937 shares during the period. Manulife Financial accounts for 1.5% of Addenda Capital Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Addenda Capital Inc. owned about 0.09% of Manulife Financial worth $28,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,064,422 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $111,340,000 after buying an additional 243,880 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 6.2% in the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 860,968 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $16,271,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 72.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 26,212 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 10,985 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 7.2% in the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 93,493 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,768,000 after buying an additional 6,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in Manulife Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.02% of the companys stock.

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Manulife Financial Trading Up 3.1 %

MFC stock opened at $21.72 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.98 and a 200-day moving average of $18.89. The company has a market cap of $39.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.10. Manulife Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $17.07 and a 12-month high of $21.73.

Manulife Financial Cuts Dividend

Manulife Financial ( NYSE:MFC Get Free Report ) (TSE:MFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.07 billion. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 10.79%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.263 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 21st. This represents a $1.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.84%. Manulife Financials payout ratio is 52.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MFC. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Manulife Financial from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. TheStreet cut Manulife Financial from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $30.43.

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Manulife Financial Company Profile

(Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.

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Addenda Capital Inc. lifted its position in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 13.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 143,227 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 17,399 shares during the period. Addenda Capital Inc.s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $7,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in Charles Schwab by 93,993.8% in the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 965,692,348 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $54,735,442,000 after acquiring an additional 964,666,040 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,325,555,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Charles Schwab by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,255,649 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,853,005,000 after acquiring an additional 8,563,389 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Charles Schwab by 91,051.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,365,193 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $446,706,000 after acquiring an additional 5,359,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 133.0% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 9,103,386 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $515,980,000 after acquiring an additional 5,195,531 shares during the period. 81.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paula A. Sneed sold 6,918 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total transaction of $345,761.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 112,398 shares in the company, valued at $5,617,652.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Charles Schwab news, CFO Peter B. Crawford sold 3,114 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.19, for a total transaction of $174,975.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,611 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,338,122.09. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paula A. Sneed sold 6,918 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total transaction of $345,761.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 112,398 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,617,652.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,402 shares of company stock worth $1,945,960. Company insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE SCHW opened at $69.73 on Wednesday. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 1 year low of $45.00 and a 1 year high of $86.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.88. The company has a market cap of $123.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.62 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 24.58% and a net margin of 30.14%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Charles Schwab from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $69.44.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Brendel Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD  Free Report) by 11.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,051 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the quarter. SPDR Gold Shares comprises about 2.6% of Brendel Financial Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Brendel Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in SPDR Gold Shares were worth $1,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GLD. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 99,414.3% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 23,805,806 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $4,243,861,000 after purchasing an additional 23,781,884 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in SPDR Gold Shares by 67,584.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,037,008 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $515,198,000 after buying an additional 3,032,521 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 77.6% in the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 5,340,797 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $978,543,000 after buying an additional 2,333,468 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 256.0% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,142,717 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $206,432,000 after buying an additional 821,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 111.3% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 68,532 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $12,217,000 after acquiring an additional 672,400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.99% of the companys stock.

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SPDR Gold Shares Stock Down 0.4 %

GLD traded down $0.79 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $188.34. The stock had a trading volume of 1,244,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,323,499. The business has a 50-day moving average of $184.08 and a 200-day moving average of $180.43. SPDR Gold Shares has a one year low of $166.06 and a one year high of $192.40.

SPDR Gold Shares Profile

SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares).

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The full 9th Circuit will hear arguments in the Uber/Postmates AB5 lawsuit. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

An 11-judge panel will hear Californias appeal of the AB5 case known as Olson, a suit that earlier this year led to a victory for Uber and Postmates in their battle against the states independent contractor classification law.

In a brief order issued Monday, the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit vacated the three-judge appellate decision from March that partly reversed a lower court decision in the Western District of California.

The order issued by the Court of Appeals did not say what the judges vote was in favor of accepting the states request for a hearing before a full panel of 11 randomly selected judges. It did say arguments would be presented in San Francisco during the week of March 18, 2024.

The lower court had rejected all the claims made by Uber (NYSE: UBER) and Postmates. Postmates had been a separate delivery company until it was acquired by Uber in 2020, after the initial lawsuit was filed. The named plaintiffs in the case, Lydia Olson and Miguel Perez, were drivers for Uber and Postmates.

The decision handed down by a three-judge panel in March was notable primarily for its reasoning that Uber and Postmates had been denied equal protection of the law in the process that led to the California approval of AB5, state legislation that required companies that hire independent contractors to reclassify them as employees. Equal protection of the law was the only claim by Uber and Postmates that the appellate panel backed; it supported the lower court rejection of other arguments.

The panel cited the statements of then-Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, now a state labor leader but the key driver in turning AB5 into law, as evidence that the move to more tightly define when a worker can legitimately be considered an independent contractor was an effort targeted at gig drivers like those at Uber.





Among those many statements, the original complaint in the case filed in late 2019 cited a Los Angeles Times story that quoted Gonzalez as saying she is open to changes in the bill next year, including an exemption for musicians  but not for app-based ride hailing and delivery giants. Many of those exemptions have since been granted, either in AB5 or follow-up legislation, AB 2257.

Story continues

And in the complex legal landscape over AB5, the March appellate court decision putting the Olson case back into the lower court was then cited by the California Trucking Association and the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association in a revised filing over its own ongoing legal battle against AB5. The CTA/OOIDA argument also cited statements by Gonzalez that the plaintiffs said showed the California trucking industry was targeted along with gig drivers.

(On Wednesday, two days after the en banc decision was handed down, attorneys for state Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Teamsters, which is an intervenor allied with the state, filed a document with the lower court in the CTA/OOIDA case noting the Ninth Circuits decision. The argument that the earlier decision regarding equal protection of the laws, which the CTA and OOIDA cited after that decision came down, could possibly be impacted by vacating the three-judge panels decision.)

AB5 is built on the foundation of the ABC test found in the Dynamex state court decision from April 2018 regarding worker misclassification. The ABC test sets up a three-pronged test to help regulators and courts determine if a worker can legitimately be considered independent or should be considered an employee.

For both the trucking and gig worker sectors, the B prong has the greatest disruptive potential. It says a worker can be considered independent if he or she performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entitys business. But if the usual course of business is trucking or moving people around in personal cars, hiring outside workers to do that can create a conflict with the B prong.

The decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the Olson case en banc comes as the trucking industry awaits the outcome of a request by CTA and OOIDA for a new injunction to block AB5 from being implemented in the state.

That lawsuit was filed in late 2019 in the Southern District of California by CTA (OOIDA was added as a plaintiff later) and on New Years Eve of that year, Judge Roger Benitez handed down an injunction blocking its implementation in trucking because of concerns AB5 might have been preempted by a federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act. AB5 went into effect for the rest of the state on New Years Day 2020.

Benitezs injunction was overturned by a three-judge appellate court panel in April 2021. Enforcement was stayed while the CTA took the case to the Supreme Court for review, which was not granted.

AB5 was implemented in trucking. But the CTA case, which was not withdrawn but instead was sent back to the original court, now lives on in the same courtroom before Benitez, who heard arguments for a new injunction in November. Californias trucking sector awaits word on that decision.

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Essex Savings Bank raised its position in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,506 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Essex Savings Banks holdings in BlackRock were worth $974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $26,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $33,000. 77.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total value of $10,031,481.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 435,260 shares of the companys stock, valued at $283,802,577.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.06% of the companys stock.

BlackRock Stock Up 0.6 %

BLK opened at $801.38 on Wednesday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $688.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $690.85. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. BlackRock, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.18 and a twelve month high of $819.00. The stock has a market cap of $119.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.57. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.52 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 30.66%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.85 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 7th will be paid a $5.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 6th. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is 56.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on BlackRock from $781.00 to $754.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on BlackRock from $814.00 to $800.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $921.00 to $868.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $771.54.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BlackRock

BlackRock Company Profile

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp lowered its position in shares of Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL  Free Report) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,055 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,160 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Hormel Foods were worth $1,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 60.5% in the 2nd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hormel Foods in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Tradition Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 78.0% in the 1st quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 7,206.7% during the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.15% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Hormel Foods

In other news, Director Elsa A. Murano sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total value of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 93,698 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,970,226.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Elsa A. Murano sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total value of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 93,698 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,970,226.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kevin L. Myers sold 5,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.93, for a total transaction of $160,836.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,937 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,204,321.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.81% of the companys stock.

Hormel Foods Stock Down 0.3 %

Hormel Foods stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.62. 206,331 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,407,534. Hormel Foods Co. has a 1 year low of $30.12 and a 1 year high of $47.03. The firm has a market cap of $17.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.91.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 29th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.26 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 11.47% and a net margin of 6.55%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hormel Foods Co. will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 16th will be given a $0.2825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 12th. This represents a $1.13 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. This is an increase from Hormel Foodss previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Hormel Foodss payout ratio is presently 75.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HRL has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hormel Foods in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Hormel Foods from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.63.

View Our Latest Research Report on Hormel Foods

About Hormel Foods

(Free Report)

Hormel Foods Corporation develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and other food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail, Foodservice, and International segments. The company provides various perishable products that include fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, guacamoles, and bacons; and shelf-stable products comprising canned luncheon meats, nut butters, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements, and others.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HRL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL  Free Report).

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Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP  Free Report) (TSE:SHOP) by 6,194.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,095,361 shares of the software makers stock after acquiring an additional 1,077,959 shares during the period. Shopify accounts for approximately 0.7% of Granite Bay Wealth Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Shopify worth $66,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SHOP. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Shopify during the 1st quarter valued at about $169,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of Shopify by 26.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 754 shares of the software makers stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Shopify by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,166 shares of the software makers stock valued at $20,391,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of Shopify by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,596 shares of the software makers stock valued at $3,107,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Shopify by 89.6% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 436 shares of the software makers stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.28% of the companys stock.

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Shopify Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHOP traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,762,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,584,930. The company has a market capitalization of $100.01 billion, a PE ratio of -86.10 and a beta of 2.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.76. The company has a current ratio of 7.23, a quick ratio of 7.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Shopify Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.35 and a 1 year high of $79.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Shopify ( NYSE:SHOP Get Free Report ) (TSE:SHOP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The software maker reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.11. Shopify had a negative net margin of 17.27% and a negative return on equity of 0.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.67 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Shopify Inc. will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SHOP. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Shopify in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. They issued an overweight rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Shopify from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Shopify from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Shopify from $62.00 to $57.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a sell rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Shopify in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $69.11.

Read Our Latest Research Report on SHOP

About Shopify

(Free Report)

Shopify Inc, a commerce company, provides a commerce platform and services in Canada, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company's platform enables merchants to displays, manages, markets, and sells its products through various sales channels, including web and mobile storefronts, physical retail locations, pop-up shops, social media storefronts, native mobile apps, buy buttons, and marketplaces; and enables to manage products and inventory, process orders and payments, fulfill and ship orders, new buyers and build customer relationships, source products, leverage analytics and reporting, manage cash, payments and transactions, and access financing.

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American International Group (NYSE:AIG  Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $72.00 to $76.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the insurance providers stock. Royal Bank of Canadas price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.96% from the stocks previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Argus upgraded American International Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $74.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on American International Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. They set a buy rating and a $79.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on American International Group from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on American International Group in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on American International Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American International Group currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $70.33.

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Check Out Our Latest Report on American International Group

American International Group Stock Performance

AIG traded down $0.16 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $67.28. The stock had a trading volume of 166,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,970,516. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.58. The firm has a market cap of $47.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.02. American International Group has a one year low of $45.66 and a one year high of $67.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

American International Group (NYSE:AIG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The insurance provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. American International Group had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 7.87%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that American International Group will post 6.58 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American International Group news, major shareholder International Group American sold 50,000,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total value of $1,025,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 365,413,892 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,490,984,786. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.49% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American International Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of American International Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in American International Group during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in American International Group during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. CNB Bank bought a new position in American International Group in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, SouthState Corp boosted its holdings in American International Group by 41.7% in the third quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 737 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.57% of the companys stock.

About American International Group

(Get Free Report)

American International Group, Inc offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. It operates through General Insurance, and Life and Retirement segments. The General Insurance segment provides commercial and industrial property insurance, including business interruption and package insurance that cover exposure to made and natural disasters; general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation, excess casualty, and crisis management insurance products; and professional liability insurance.

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G&S Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM  Free Report) by 73.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,610 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 7,486 shares during the period. G&S Capital LLCs holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $1,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ADM. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 71.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,699 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,688,000 after acquiring an additional 7,821 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the first quarter valued at about $277,000. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the first quarter valued at about $226,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 22.0% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 31,004 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,798,000 after acquiring an additional 5,586 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 2.1% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 459,907 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,512,000 after acquiring an additional 9,327 shares during the period. 77.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ADM has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 30th. Stephens decreased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Archer-Daniels-Midland from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $88.22.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of ADM stock opened at $73.94 on Wednesday. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 1 year low of $69.31 and a 1 year high of $96.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $73.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.88. The company has a market cap of $39.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.82.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.10. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 4.05%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.86 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio is 25.07%.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Profile

(Free Report)

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.

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Cardinal Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN  Free Report) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,681 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 1,395 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Global Payments were worth $11,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $230,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,097,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,458,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Global Payments by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 25,828 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $2,980,000 after buying an additional 1,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Global Payments by 140.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,062 shares of the business services providers stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares in the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Global Payments Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE GPN opened at $128.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $33.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.98. Global Payments Inc. has a 1 year low of $92.32 and a 1 year high of $138.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.36.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

Global Payments ( NYSE:GPN Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $2.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 11.28%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.37 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 9.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Global Paymentss dividend payout ratio is presently 29.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 17,920 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total transaction of $2,016,537.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 77,411 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,711,059.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPN has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Global Payments from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $155.00 to $147.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Global Payments in a report on Friday, September 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Global Payments in a report on Friday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.96.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Global Payments

Global Payments Company Profile

(Free Report)

Global Payments Inc provides payment technology and software solutions for card, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Merchant Solutions, Issuer Solutions, and Consumer Solutions. The Merchant Solutions segment offers authorization, settlement and funding, customer support, chargeback resolution, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security, and consolidated billing and reporting services.

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Experian (LON:EXPN  Get Free Report)s stock had its buy rating reissued by equities researchers at Shore Capital in a research note issued on Wednesday, Digital Look reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Bank of America reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 3,700 ($46.79) price objective on shares of Experian in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a hold rating and set a GBX 2,880 ($36.42) target price on shares of Experian in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an underperform rating and set a GBX 2,450 ($30.99) target price on shares of Experian in a research report on Monday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Experian currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 3,026 ($38.27).

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Experian Stock Performance

About Experian

Shares of EXPN stock traded up GBX 5 ($0.06) during trading on Wednesday, reaching GBX 3,208 ($40.57). 385,345 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,550,186. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 102.92. The stock has a market capitalization of 29.47 billion, a PE ratio of 3,603.37, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.60. Experian has a twelve month low of GBX 2,366 ($29.92) and a twelve month high of GBX 3,241 ($40.99). The firms fifty day moving average price is GBX 2,813.72 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 2,838.63.

(Get Free Report)

Experian plc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a technology company in North America, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Business-to-Business and Consumer Services. The company collects, sorts, aggregates, and transforms data from various sources to provide a range of data-driven services.

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Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSEARCA:VNQ  Free Report) by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 199,712 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 13,358 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Real Estate ETF comprises about 2.6% of Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLCs holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC owned about 0.05% of Vanguard Real Estate ETF worth $15,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 120.3% in the 1st quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 3,790 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 2,070 shares in the last quarter. MAS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 88,453 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $9,704,000 after acquiring an additional 1,333 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 4,268 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 250,514 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $27,148,000 after acquiring an additional 16,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of Vanguard Real Estate ETF by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,500 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter.

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Vanguard Real Estate ETF Stock Performance

Shares of VNQ stock opened at $88.83 on Wednesday. Vanguard Real Estate ETF has a one year low of $70.61 and a one year high of $94.53. The companys 50-day moving average is $78.70 and its 200 day moving average is $80.79. The company has a market capitalization of $34.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.91.

Vanguard Real Estate ETF Profile

Vanguard REIT ETF (the Fund) is an open-end investment company. The Fund invests in stocks issued by real estate investment trusts (REITs), companies that purchase office buildings, hotels, and other real property. It tracks the return of the MSCI US RIT Index, a gauge of real estate stocks. The Vanguard Group, Inc provides investment advisory services to the Fund.

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Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Free Report) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 17,765 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $674,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EEM. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 125,500.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 144,937,968 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,493,149,000 after acquiring an additional 144,822,572 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 96,952.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 53,678,016 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,123,502,000 after acquiring an additional 53,622,708 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 39,739.1% during the 1st quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 22,246,553 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $877,849,000 after purchasing an additional 22,190,712 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 16,816.5% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 6,821,065 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $269,159,000 after purchasing an additional 6,780,743 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 39,172,754 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,484,647,000 after purchasing an additional 6,765,030 shares during the period. 76.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance

EEM opened at $40.30 on Wednesday. The stocks fifty day moving average is $38.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.20. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 52 week low of $36.38 and a 52 week high of $42.53.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Profile

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index).

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EEM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Free Report).

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp decreased its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,532 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 10,758 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $4,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Abbrea Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.5% during the first quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC now owns 10,025 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Westshore Wealth LLC grew its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 4.3% in the first quarter. Westshore Wealth LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.5% in the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,179 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Stolper Co grew its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.6% in the second quarter. Stolper Co now owns 26,050 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,666,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Shipley& Co Ltd grew its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.8% in the second quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 9,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.98% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, October 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down from $70.00) on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, October 20th. TheStreet cut Bristol-Myers Squibb from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.59.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 3,071 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.86 per share, with a total value of $150,049.06. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares in the company, valued at $3,878,702.24. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 3,071 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.86 per share, with a total value of $150,049.06. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares in the company, valued at $3,878,702.24. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Theodore R. Samuels II purchased 8,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.81 per share, for a total transaction of $423,385.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 35,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,768,255. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 13,571 shares of company stock valued at $672,994 in the last ninety days. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE BMY traded down $0.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,600,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,193,529. The companys fifty day moving average price is $52.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.43. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12 month low of $48.25 and a 12 month high of $75.18. The stock has a market cap of $105.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.96 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.59% and a net margin of 18.44%. The firms revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.64%. This is an increase from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is currently 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the biopharmaceutical company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

Further Reading

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Chef and co-owner Alfredo Venegas (left) stands with co-owner and wife Yanet (middle) and son Alfredo (right) in front of Vene's Pancake House, as seen, May 12, 2023.

SHEBOYGAN  Kevin Ludens didnt anticipate how successful his barbecue food truck business would be in its first few months.

Heavy Smoker BBQ expanded its catering services and donated several hundreds of pounds of food to the Sheboygan Salvation Army and Samaritans Hand sober house, part of Ludens mission to address hunger through the glory of God.

Milestones since opening in late April include quickly selling out on opening day and participating in Oostburgs AugustFest celebration, Ludens said.

It was just absolutely amazing to see the community support. That really continued for several weeks after that, and really, every time we took the truck out, we had very good turnout, he said.

Ludens has been supported by his family through this endeavor, including his brother Phil, wife Jennifer and two kids, Michaela and Gabriel. Theyve helped with ordering inventory, taking orders and cooking.

A variety of Heavy Smoker BBQ meat cooks on a smoker.

None of this would have been possible without God's help and my familys support. I'm very thankful for both, Ludens said.

He said next year could bring more menu items like baked potatoes and nachos.

Business at Venes Pancake House, 1632 Michigan Ave., has been very good, too, co-owner Alfredo Venegas said.

Since opening earlier this year, the restaurant has added gift certificates, pancake varieties and more monthly specials, some in such popular demand Venegas added them to the main menu, like chilaquiles. Customers have responded positively to Venegas fusion of Mexican and American cuisine.

At Vene's Pancake House, Venegas said customers have told him they feel like theyre back home, eating a dish that their mom or grandma would make for them.

I say, Yeah, of course, because I make it with love and from scratch, he said with a chuckle.

Venegas shared that meeting customer demand in the small space, which could expand next year, and ensuring ingredients are stocked has been challenging at times. He said he couldnt find French vanilla creamer for a three-week period.

Story continues

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To manage stress and operations, Venegas has delegated various responsibilities to his wife and co-owner Yanet Venegas and other staff, like managing the dining room and accounting. He had to find a team who could meet his quality standards for presentation and style, too.

About four months ago, Venes Pancake House rolled out a free breakfast program for Sheridan Elementary School students who earn a Student of the Month recognition, for which they will receive a free breakfast certificate.

When I see their faces, this is good enough for me, Venegas said. Im feeling good, Im feeling I do something for the community. And I always like to help the kids.

A recent success for Venegas was Vene's Pancake House being added to artist Roger Lahm's 2024 visitor guide of local businesses. Venegas said he wanted to be among other businesses in the area and support a local artist.

Heavy Smoker BBQ and Venes Pancake House are two of several restaurants added to the local food scene this year. Heres a recap of some restaurants that opened and closed in 2023.

Sheridan Elementary staff spotlight: Tireless advocate: How Marisol Muhs continues to support Sheboygans Spanish-speaking families at Sheridan Elementary

Several new restaurants experienced early success in 2023

Cereal Milk donuts featured at Sunday Dough as seen, Friday, July 7, 2023, in Sheboygan, Wis.

A variety of restaurants opened in 2023, including a doughnut bakery, ramen restaurant and boba tea businesses.

Several have seen early growth. Sunday Dough Bakery moved into The Greek Corner space at 1402 S. Eighth St. after the Greek restaurant closed in January. Owner and head baker Laura Andrews started the doughnut shop in December 2022.

Kame Ramen opened in the former Randalls Frozen Custard building at 3827 Superior Ave. after the custard and burger joint closed in April 2022.

Rolls at Kame Ramen, a new restaurant in the former Randalls building at 3827 Superior Avenue, Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Sheboygan, Wis.

Chubby Bunny Boba, a boba tea food truck that opened in the spring, hopes to add a storefront in spring 2024. It offers a variety of food and drinks, like Korean corn dogs and fruit and milk teas. Another boba tea shop called Bestea opened on Michigan Avenue.

Here are some other restaurants that opened this year:

Creating holiday joy at NICU: For parents of babies in Aurora Sheboygans NICU over holidays, support of nurses will never be forgotten

Closures this year include Applebees, a Greek restaurant and a bakery

Applebee's on Taylor Drive, as seen, Monday, June 26, in Sheboygan, Wis.

Several restaurants closed this year, too.

Applebees on Taylor Drive closed at the beginning of July as a result of ongoing business challenges.

The Greek Corner and Whisk Bakery, 633 N. Eighth St., also closed in January and July, respectively, after about four years of business in the area.

Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan restaurants that opened, closed in 2023: Applebee's and more
A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD  Free Report) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 175,235 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Enterprise Products Partners makes up about 5.0% of A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings, making the stock its largest position. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Enterprise Products Partners were worth $4,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Enterprise Products Partners by 1.9% in the second quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 20,400 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Day & Ennis LLC grew its position in shares of Enterprise Products Partners by 3.2% in the second quarter. Day & Ennis LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Enterprise Products Partners by 0.8% in the second quarter. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 53,537 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP grew its position in shares of Enterprise Products Partners by 1.9% in the second quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 22,069 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marcum Wealth LLC grew its position in Enterprise Products Partners by 2.6% during the second quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 16,335 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.54% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on EPD shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Enterprise Products Partners from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Enterprise Products Partners from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on Enterprise Products Partners in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Enterprise Products Partners in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a neutral rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on Enterprise Products Partners from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Enterprise Products Partners has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $31.09.

Enterprise Products Partners Price Performance

Shares of EPD traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.26. The stock had a trading volume of 867,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,404,877. The companys 50-day moving average is $26.67 and its 200 day moving average is $26.64. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has a 12-month low of $23.14 and a 12-month high of $27.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $57.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 1.04.

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.04). Enterprise Products Partners had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 19.32%. The company had revenue of $12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. The companys revenue was down 22.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Enterprise Products Partners L.P. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enterprise Products Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 31st were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 30th. Enterprise Products Partnerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John R. Rutherford bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.96 per share, with a total value of $259,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 137,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,567,501.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 32.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Enterprise Products Partners Company Profile

(Free Report)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. provides midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil, petrochemicals, and refined products. The company operates through four segments: NGL Pipelines & Services, Crude Oil Pipelines & Services, Natural Gas Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services.

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Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 63,174 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $1,937,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Weyerhaeuser in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Weyerhaeuser by 320.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 912 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Weyerhaeuser in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its holdings in Weyerhaeuser by 78.8% in the 2nd quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,046 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Weyerhaeuser in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.54% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Weyerhaeuser in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. TheStreet downgraded Weyerhaeuser from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Weyerhaeuser from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Weyerhaeuser from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a report on Monday, November 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Weyerhaeuser currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $38.14.

Weyerhaeuser Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of WY traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $34.48. The companys stock had a trading volume of 324,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,925,825. The firm has a market cap of $25.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.60 and a beta of 1.48. Weyerhaeuser has a 1-year low of $27.65 and a 1-year high of $36.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $30.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.74.

Weyerhaeuser Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Weyerhaeusers dividend payout ratio is 87.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Weyerhaeuser news, CFO David M. Wold sold 923 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.51, for a total transaction of $29,083.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 60,436 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,904,338.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Weyerhaeuser Company Profile

(Free Report)

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900. We own or control approximately 11 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and manage additional timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. We manage these timberlands on a sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards.

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First National Bank Sioux Falls lowered its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,457 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,617 shares during the quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Carson Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 13,371 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Research LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 19,615 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $837,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 23,900 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 31,571 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank now owns 5,625 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the companys stock.

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Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 0.9 %

WFC opened at $50.09 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $42.60 and a 200 day moving average of $42.58. The company has a market cap of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.18. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12 month low of $35.25 and a 12 month high of $50.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

Wells Fargo & Company ( NYSE:WFC Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $20.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.09 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 11.18%. Wells Fargo & Companys revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.05 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 3rd were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 2nd. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Richard K. Davis purchased 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $41.22 per share, with a total value of $144,270.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,244 shares in the company, valued at $174,937.68. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WFC shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $51.00 to $53.00 in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating and issued a $44.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $49.56.

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About Wells Fargo & Company

(Free Report)

Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.

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Capital City Trust Co. FL decreased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 22.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,750 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,371 shares during the period. Capital City Trust Co. FLs holdings in Altria Group were worth $494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 404,894 shares of the companys stock valued at $21,248,000 after acquiring an additional 6,324 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the companys stock valued at $974,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,711,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $141,690,000 after acquiring an additional 89,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $498,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.94% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. StockNews.com lowered Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $47.53.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Robert Matthews Davis acquired 1,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,473 shares in the company, valued at $343,156.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO opened at $42.43 on Wednesday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $41.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.18. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.06 and a 1 year high of $51.57. The firm has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.64, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 237.91% and a net margin of 35.58%. Altria Groups revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.24%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 79.84%.

Altria Group Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 50.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,212 shares of the asset managers stock after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock were worth $1,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $26,000. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 77.01% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK traded down $3.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $797.60. 84,598 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 650,337. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The companys fifty day moving average price is $688.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $690.85. BlackRock, Inc. has a 52-week low of $596.18 and a 52-week high of $819.00.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.57. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 30.66% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.85 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 7th will be paid a $5.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 6th. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BLK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on BlackRock from $836.00 to $897.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on BlackRock from $814.00 to $800.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on BlackRock from $820.00 to $720.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $771.54.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on BlackRock

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total value of $10,031,481.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 435,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,802,577.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

BlackRock Company Profile

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

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Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM  Free Report) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,652 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 89 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Humana were worth $6,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Humana by 15.9% in the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 234,937 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $105,047,000 after buying an additional 32,273 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in shares of Humana by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 13,241 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $5,921,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 566 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Natixis boosted its position in Humana by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis now owns 38,653 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $17,283,000 after purchasing an additional 8,835 shares during the period. Finally, Starboard Value LP increased its holdings in Humana by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Starboard Value LP now owns 885,000 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $395,710,000 after purchasing an additional 85,000 shares in the last quarter. 91.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM traded down $8.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $455.47. The stock had a trading volume of 408,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,520. Humana Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $423.29 and a fifty-two week high of $541.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $56.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.55. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $498.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $481.20.

Humana Dividend Announcement

Humana ( NYSE:HUM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The insurance provider reported $7.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.15 by $0.63. Humana had a return on equity of 21.03% and a net margin of 2.95%. The firm had revenue of $26.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $25.57 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.88 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 28.29 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Humanas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on HUM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Humana from $594.00 to $599.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Stephens decreased their price target on Humana from $575.00 to $570.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Humana from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of Humana from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $550.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Humana from $593.00 to $575.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $584.61.

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Humana Company Profile

(Free Report)

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It also has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems acquired a new position in Carrier Global Co. (NYSE:CARR  Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 69,759 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,851,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carrier Global in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Carrier Global by 121.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 553 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Carrier Global during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. WealthPLAN Partners LLC purchased a new position in Carrier Global in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carrier Global during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 91.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Carrier Global

In other news, VP Ajay Agrawal sold 16,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.99, for a total transaction of $956,835.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 89,920 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,214,460.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Carrier Global Price Performance

Shares of CARR opened at $57.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Carrier Global Co. has a fifty-two week low of $40.28 and a fifty-two week high of $60.04. The company has a market cap of $47.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.43, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.41. The firms 50 day moving average price is $52.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.74.

Carrier Global (NYSE:CARR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.11. Carrier Global had a return on equity of 26.60% and a net margin of 5.43%. The business had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Carrier Global Co. will post 2.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carrier Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This is an increase from Carrier Globals previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Carrier Globals dividend payout ratio is currently 52.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CARR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Carrier Global in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Mizuho lowered Carrier Global from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their target price for the company from $63.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 14th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Carrier Global from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Carrier Global from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and set a $53.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Carrier Global from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $56.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carrier Global presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $58.40.

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Carrier Global Company Profile

(Free Report)

Carrier Global Corporation provides heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation technologies worldwide. It operates through three segments: HVAC, Refrigeration, and Fire & Security. The HVAC segment provides products, controls, services, and solutions to meet the heating, cooling, and ventilation needs of residential and commercial customers.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET  Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 21,355 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $3,928,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ANET. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Arista Networks by 26.6% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,063 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 403.7% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 47,935 shares of the technology companys stock worth $8,817,000 after acquiring an additional 38,419 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,169 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $242,000. 67.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Arista Networks news, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 23,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.17, for a total transaction of $5,454,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,705,500 shares in the company, valued at $404,493,435. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 23,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.17, for a total value of $5,454,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,705,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $404,493,435. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John F. Mccool sold 996 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.52, for a total transaction of $183,781.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 144 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $26,570.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 232,326 shares of company stock worth $50,130,713. Insiders own 18.99% of the companys stock.

Arista Networks Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ANET opened at $236.60 on Wednesday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $209.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.07. The company has a market cap of $73.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.11. Arista Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.57 and a twelve month high of $240.01.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The technology company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.22. Arista Networks had a net margin of 33.97% and a return on equity of 31.16%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. On average, analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on ANET. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Arista Networks from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $223.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $219.59.

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About Arista Networks

(Free Report)

Arista Networks, Inc develops, markets, and sells cloud networking solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company's cloud networking solutions consist of extensible operating systems, a set of network applications, as well as gigabit Ethernet switching and routing platforms.

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Patten Group Inc. raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG  Free Report) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 23,663 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 335 shares during the quarter. Patten Group Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF were worth $2,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EFG. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 98,322.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 128,318,231 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,747,935,000 after purchasing an additional 128,187,856 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 31,400,726 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,941,620,000 after purchasing an additional 9,923,520 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 73.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,466,922 shares of the companys stock valued at $605,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747,559 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 54.1% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,270,511 shares of the companys stock valued at $400,061,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CI Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,091,000.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Stock Performance

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF stock opened at $96.08 on Wednesday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $89.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.27. The company has a market cap of $12.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.89. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a fifty-two week low of $67.58 and a fifty-two week high of $85.81.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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Essex Savings Bank trimmed its holdings in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 1.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,710 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Banks holdings in Accenture were worth $1,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in Accenture by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 13,180 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $4,048,000 after purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in Accenture by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,627 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank raised its holdings in Accenture by 150.7% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 3,535 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,208,000. 70.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total value of $2,622,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,830 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,441,220.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total value of $2,622,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,830 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,441,220.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $1,887,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,622 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $48,816,308.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,334 shares of company stock valued at $10,939,027. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Accenture Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ACN opened at $341.51 on Wednesday. Accenture plc has a twelve month low of $242.80 and a twelve month high of $346.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $319.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $315.83. The company has a market cap of $214.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.23.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.13. Accenture had a return on equity of 29.74% and a net margin of 10.72%. The firm had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.08 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, September 28th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 18th will be given a dividend of $1.29 per share. This represents a $5.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 17th. Accentures dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued a buy rating and set a $358.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Monday, September 18th. UBS Group started coverage on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. They issued a neutral rating and a $333.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Accenture from $312.00 to $300.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 29th. Piper Sandler Companies lowered their price target on Accenture from $314.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $344.65.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Accenture

Accenture Profile

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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(Reuters) -The Australian Federal Court has ordered Airbnb to pay A$15 million ($10.1 million) in penalties and up to A$15 million in compensation after the vacation rental firm admitted that it misled consumers on accommodation pricing, the country's competition regulator said on Wednesday.

Between January 2018 and August 2021, Airbnb Ireland, which operates in Australia, admitted that it misled consumers by displaying prices using only the '$' sign, without clarifying that the prices were in U.S. dollars and not in the local currency, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a statement.

"By paying in U.S. dollars, these consumers were charged more than they expected, and were deprived of a chance to make an informed decision about whether to make the booking because of this misleading conduct," said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

Airbnb has worked constructively with the ACCC, said Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb's country manager for Australia and New Zealand, while clarifying that the final payment amount displayed the applicable currency code including in the U.S. dollar at a point when guests confirmed they wanted to proceed.

"While only a very small percentage of Australian guests are believed to have been impacted, we are disappointed that this happened. Airbnb would like to apologise to those guests," said Wheeldon.

Airbnb, which operates an online marketplace for homestays, received more than 2,000 complaints from Australian customers over being charged in U.S. dollars during this period.

The ACCC in June 2022 initiated proceedings against the firm and its Irish unit, alleging that they made misleading representations to consumers about the currency for Australian accommodation bookings.

($1 = 1.4804 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Additional Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri; Editing by Varun H K and Subhranshu Sahu)
Essex Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT  Free Report) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,598 shares of the retailers stock after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Target comprises 1.2% of Essex Savings Banks portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Essex Savings Banks holdings in Target were worth $3,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 150.6% during the second quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 213 shares of the retailers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.33% of the companys stock.

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Target Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of TGT opened at $137.95 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $63.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.10. The stocks 50 day moving average is $121.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.91. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.70.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Target ( NYSE:TGT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 15th. The retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.62. The business had revenue of $25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.28 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.40% and a return on equity of 30.69%. The companys revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. HSBC assumed coverage on Target in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. They set a hold rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $135.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 14th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Target from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $134.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Target from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $153.07.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Target

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Don H. Liu sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $2,080,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 48,882 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,354,660. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.55, for a total value of $522,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,451 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,019,778.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Don H. Liu sold 16,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $2,080,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 48,882 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,354,660. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 24,000 shares of company stock worth $3,127,520. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the companys stock.

About Target

(Free Report)

Target Corporation operates as a general merchandise retailer in the United States. The company offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, and infants and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes; and beauty and personal care, baby gear, cleaning, paper products, and pet supplies.

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Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC  Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,070 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLCs holdings in Bank of America were worth $604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. now owns 828,210 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $22,676,000 after purchasing an additional 15,807 shares during the last quarter. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 65,467 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,792,000 after purchasing an additional 2,092 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,644,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,881,000. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 55,117 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,509,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.06% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BAC. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Bank of America in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Bank of America from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Monday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bank of America currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $35.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bank of America news, major shareholder Of America Corp /De/ Bank sold 17,769 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total transaction of $176,623.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Bank of America Price Performance

NYSE BAC opened at $33.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $265.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. Bank of America Co. has a 12-month low of $24.96 and a 12-month high of $37.00. The firms 50 day moving average is $28.77 and its 200-day moving average is $29.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.13 billion. Bank of America had a net margin of 18.69% and a return on equity of 12.08%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Bank of America Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 26.89%.

Bank of America Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans.

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp lessened its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,951 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 843 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up approximately 1.5% of Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $10,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,415,759 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $154,346,000 after acquiring an additional 126,547 shares during the last quarter. Core Alternative Capital lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 27.0% during the 2nd quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 1,290 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 315.5% during the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 12,182 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,234,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 99,836 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $10,109,000 after buying an additional 11,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investment Management LLC now owns 26,750 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $2,709,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.70% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $112.00 to $107.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $112.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $117.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total value of $4,702,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,725,316 shares in the company, valued at $632,515,969.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,022,916. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total transaction of $4,702,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,725,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $632,515,969.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of ABT traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $107.99. The companys stock had a trading volume of 777,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,205,278. The companys 50-day moving average is $98.95 and its 200-day moving average is $102.54. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $89.67 and a 52-week high of $115.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.82 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 20.15%. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 12th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. This is an increase from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 11th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.39%.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Brookmont Capital Management reduced its stake in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC  Free Report) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,591 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 521 shares during the quarter. Bank of America accounts for 1.4% of Brookmont Capital Managements holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Brookmont Capital Managements holdings in Bank of America were worth $2,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Bank of America by 1.5% during the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 135,764 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,596,000 after buying an additional 2,013 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 150.3% in the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,985 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 405,098 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $16,698,000 after acquiring an additional 16,319 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the 1st quarter valued at about $586,000. Finally, Pearl River Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter valued at about $534,000. 68.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Bank of America Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of BAC stock opened at $33.51 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Bank of America Co. has a twelve month low of $24.96 and a twelve month high of $37.00. The companys 50-day moving average price is $28.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.03. The stock has a market cap of $265.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.13 billion. Bank of America had a net margin of 18.69% and a return on equity of 12.08%. Bank of Americas revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Bank of America Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BAC. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Bank of America from $35.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Bank of America from $31.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Bank of America in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Bank of America in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $35.58.

Get Our Latest Report on BAC

Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of America

In other news, major shareholder Of America Corp /De/ Bank sold 17,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total transaction of $176,623.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

Bank of America Profile

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans.

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Centre Asset Management LLC cut its stake in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,656 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Centre Asset Management LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Prudential PLC raised its holdings in Southern by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 19,438 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 3,689 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Southern by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,727 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Southern by 63.0% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,902 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 49,925 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,621,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Southern by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 907,132 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $65,776,000 after purchasing an additional 239,325 shares in the last quarter. 62.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Southern

In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $341,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,610,712.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Southern news, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total transaction of $693,900.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,990,868.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $341,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,610,712.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $1,722,000 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SO. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Southern from $68.00 to $64.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Southern from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.00.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Southern

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $71.26 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.55. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $69.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.24. The Southern Company has a 52-week low of $58.85 and a 52-week high of $75.80.

Southern (NYSE:SO  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.38 billion. Southern had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 20th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 17th. Southerns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.08%.

About Southern

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

Further Reading

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Carret Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,517 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 425 shares during the period. Carret Asset Management LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $4,952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gleason Group Inc. grew its position in Southern by 1.1% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 16,098 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in Southern by 1.4% during the third quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 28,638 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,853,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank grew its position in Southern by 93.0% in the third quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 11,741 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 5,657 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $2,381,000. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new stake in Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $5,333,000. 62.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $341,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,610,712.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total value of $693,900.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,990,868.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $341,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,610,712.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $1,722,000. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on SO shares. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $80.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Southern from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Southern

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $71.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $77.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.55. The Southern Company has a one year low of $58.85 and a one year high of $75.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $69.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Southern (NYSE:SO  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.38 billion. Southern had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 10.26%. Analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 17th. Southerns payout ratio is currently 101.08%.

Southern Profile

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

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Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 458,427 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after acquiring an additional 56,062 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $44,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,415,759 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $154,346,000 after purchasing an additional 126,547 shares during the last quarter. Core Alternative Capital raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 27.0% in the 2nd quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 1,290 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 315.5% in the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 12,182 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 9,250 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 99,836 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $10,109,000 after purchasing an additional 11,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the first quarter. Harbour Investment Management LLC now owns 26,750 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $2,709,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.70% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,022,916. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total value of $4,702,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,725,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $632,515,969.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,022,916. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE ABT traded down $0.26 on Wednesday, reaching $108.16. The company had a trading volume of 923,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,205,888. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.70. The companys fifty day moving average is $98.95 and its 200 day moving average is $102.54. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $89.67 and a 52-week high of $115.83.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.04. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 20.15%. The company had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 12th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 11th. This is a positive change from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 69.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ABT. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $118.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $112.00 to $107.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. TheStreet downgraded Abbott Laboratories from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $117.80.

View Our Latest Report on Abbott Laboratories

About Abbott Laboratories

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Bank CEO says employees get a 2-week 'recharge period' at the end of December with more relaxed work schedules

Robin Vince says BNY Mellon employees will circle back to bureaucracy in 2024. Patrick Fallon/Getty Images

BNY Mellon CEO Robin Vince said the bank is currently in a "recharge period" until 2024.

Employees at the finance giant are encouraged to focus on "core business activities."

The move is part of a larger push by the bank to provide mental health support to its workers.

The CEO of Bank of New York Mellon says it's OK to be more laid back at work during the last weeks of the year.

Robin Vince, who also serves as president of BNY Mellon, announced that the bank is experimenting with an end-of-year "recharge period" for its employees.

For two weeks at the end of December, Vince said that BNY Mellon employees are encouraged "to narrow their focus to client and core business activities, postponing more routine items until the New Year."

In a LinkedIn post, Vince said the bank will continue to serve clients while allowing people to have more flexible schedules by relaxing its hybrid work model during this time. Until 2024, BNY Mellon will be setting aside "the bureaucracy of running a company," he told Bloomberg.

And, the CEO said he'll also be taking advantage of the recharge period.

"As we enter our 240th anniversary of being in business, I'm personally looking forward to taking some time to recharge and enjoy all my kids being under one roof  an increasingly rare occurrence in our household," Vince wrote.

Employees at the bank have commented on Vince's post with their own experience with the new relaxation period.

"This 'recharge' was an amazing holiday surprise! It's a great way to focus on tasks needed for end of year, while also having time to spend with family and friends during the holiday season!! Thanks Robin," Michael Snyder, an analyst at BNY Mellon, commented.

It's part of a larger push by the bank to provide mental health support to its employees. Earlier this month, BNY Mellon announced an expansion of its mental health benefits for workers in 2024.

Story continues

Vince took over as CEO in 2022 with plans to revitalize the finance giant. In January 2023, the company announced plans to lay off about 1,500 jobs from its workforce.

Months later, BNY Mellon hosted a women-only poker night at the New York Stock Exchange for International Women's Day.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Nigar Hasanova

An international scientific conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of academician Ziya Bunyadov is being held, Azernews reports. For the anniversary, the ANAS Institute of Oriental Studies, named after academician Z. Bunyadov, is organising "Ancient and Modern East: Sources, Researches, and Perspectives."

Conference participants visited the grave of academician Ziya Bunyadov in the Alley of Honour.

Scientists and experts from Russia, Iraq, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Belarus are participating in the international conference.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli, President of ANAS, who spoke at the event, said that the international scientific conference was held in accordance with the Decree "On the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Academician Ziya Bunyadov" signed by the President of Azerbaijan in September of this year. The head of ANAS spoke about the life and activities of prominent orientalist-scientist and public figure Ziya Bunyadov and said that the scientist made important contributions to the development of Azerbaijani oriental studies and historical sciences with his fundamental research. He noted that Z. Bunyadov, who created a unique scientific school, made invaluable contributions to the development of ANAS.

The video speech of academician Vitaly Naumkin, scientific head of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was brought to the attention of the conference participants. Academician V. Naumkin said that Academician Ziya Bunyadov is an outstanding scholar known in the post-Soviet space and beyond its borders, as well as earlier in the Soviet Union. Noting that Ziya Bunyadov passed the difficult warpath as a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Russian scientist said that he was also an outstanding social and political figure and played an important role in the national revival of the Azerbaijani people.

Those who spoke at the conference talked about the scientific, social, and political activities of the outstanding scientist and shared their memories.

During the conference, lectures were heard on "Ziya Bunyadov, the peak of our science," "Ziya Bunyadov as an outstanding source scholar," "Cultural history of Central Asia in the research of academician Ziya Bunyadov," "Ziya Bunyadov and Kharezm manuscripts in European funds," and other topics.

The conference will continue its work with division meetings on December 21.
Dina Younis is a professional thrifting influencer who operates Dina's Days.

With the news this month that a Virginia woman bought a $3.99 vase at a thrift store and sold it for more than $100,000, the question arises: How can I do that?

The chances of finding that big score are pretty rare, said one professional thrifter, but it is fun trying.

Thrifting is not new, but it has changed in recent years. While people may have before been shy to admit they bought something at a thrift store, it has now become a trendy thing to do.

USA TODAY spoke to two professional thrifters for some tips on how to get started thrifting for yourself, if youre interested in becoming a reseller or simply searching for that rare find you can sell for a lot of money.

How has thrifting changed?

Dina Younis started thrifting at age 13 in Jordan, where her family had moved from Akron, Ohio. Thrifting wasnt big in Jordan or with her family, but Younis realized quickly how much great stuff she could get for a small amount of money. When she moved back to Akron at age 14, she continued her passion for thrifting.

Younis, now 39, started writing a blog about thrifting as a hobby in 2008. But this was before the term influencer was even a thing.

Good finds: A rare Italian vase bought at Goodwill for $3.99 was just sold for over $100,000

During the pandemic in September 2020, Younis decided to quit her full-time job as a communications specialist for a philanthropic organization to focus on her thrifting business. She resells items online and focuses on educating others about thrifting through her partnerships with a variety of thrift stores.

I can actually make a living off of doing something that I really enjoy, and I think is going to make a difference, said Younis, who was pregnant with her second child at the time and home with a toddler.

Now Younis is a thrift influencer who has nearly 60,000 followers on Instagram, 6,000 on TikTok and 1,600 on Facebook using the handle @DinasDays.

When Younis started blogging, thrifting was still very much taboo, and so I was one of the first blogs really to come out and talk about it.

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But in more recent years, thrifting has become more mainstream and widely accepted, Younis said. National companies like ThredUp have opened dedicated to selling secondhand clothes online, and the number of resellers on eBay and Poshmark and other sites has also grown.

Goodwill and other thrift stores also have their own online sales websites.

In the past 18 months, it completely took a turn and it is just more popular and more accepted than ever, Younis said.

Thrifting is popular among younger people

Part of that shift comes from younger shoppers, who are often more socially conscious and want to thrift to set their style, said Rajni Rao, 32, a professional thrifter who hosts pop-up vintage shops in the Washington, D.C., area.

Young people care about the environment, so they like the aspect of reusing clothes and keeping them out of the landfills, Rao said.

Rajni Rao operates a pop-up vintage thrift business called Jungli Vintage in the Washington, D.C. area.

But thrifting also allows them to find their unique style in a cheap way.

Theres nothing like secondhand fashion to have something that nobody else has, she said.

Thrifting spans generations, though, said Younis, who said the bulk of her followers are people over 30 who love a good deal.

She puts thrifters into three categories: those who are thrifting for environmental reasons, those who want to save money, and people who like to be creative, along with some crossover.

Theres very few reasons to buy something new, Younis said. Anything from clothing to home decor can be found secondhand, either at thrift stores or Facebook marketplace or liquidation stores, among other places, she said.

Rao uses her Instagram account, which has 6,000 followers, to educate people on thrifting and her TikTok account, with 9,500 followers, to hype secondhand events in the D.C. area as well as her pop-up locations. Her pop-up business and social media handles are @jungli_vintage.

Rao didnt start thrifting until she was in high school and went to visit her brother in college. He knew she was into fashion. He gave her $20 and told her there was a place she could go buy secondhand clothes by the pound.

She was hooked.

It was such a great way to explore my personal style on the cheap, said Rao, who estimates that 90% of her own wardrobe is secondhand.

She's looking for anything vintage, which is categorized as anything more than 20 years old, though she also likes to find anything from earlier decades, too.

Rao hosts pop-up shops about twice a month around Washington that can attract a few hundred people. She and her husband also organize a large boutique vintage event called Thats So Vintage with other resellers. The event has sold out with more than 2,000 tickets and an hourlong line for walk-ups.

Her pop-up shops, which she started during the pandemic, can be in place just for a few hours, and sometimes she sells out of the 150 to 200 pieces she brings. Other times, her sales arent as good and she goes home with several racks of clothes for the next pop-up.

Rajni Rao operates a pop-up vintage thrift business called Jungli Vintage in the Washington, D.C. area.

Younis said her niche is a little different because she partners with thrift stores instead of focusing on reselling  and she has turned down deals to partner with fast-fashion brands because they dont align with her philosophy of socially conscious thrifting. She is still working on more partnerships and says she makes about half of what she used to in her full-time job but knew it would take some time. She also co-hosts a podcast about thrifting called Thanks, Its Thrifted.

How to save money at a thrift store

Find out about the specials at the store, Younis said. Some stores have a certain colored tag that is marked half off or host other specials. Ask staffers what days the discounts change and what days new donations are stocked.

At many stores, racks are probably restocked every day, she said. Check thrift stores social media accounts to find out about their special discounts, too, she said.

If youre looking for good deals for yourself or to resell, you might need to go to the thrift store several times a week, Rao said.

Rao also suggests going to paths less traveled, so she often drives three hours from Washington to go to thrift stores where theres more availability and fewer people shopping the same stores.

You also can shop at garage sales and estate sales for good finds, Rao and Younis said.

Uncomfortable Conversations: How to handle grandparents who spoil kids with holiday gifts.

Are thrifters, resellers taking away from people in need?

I think that's such a huge myth, said Younis, who has toured the back rooms of Goodwill stores and seen the amount of donations that come in.

Younis also often shops at Goodwill bin sales, which is where you can buy clothes and other items by the pound before the items will be sold to be sent overseas or sent to a landfill.

"There's just no possible way for us in the United States for that statement to be accurate because they can't possibly sell all of the donations that they're getting in, she said. Often, the thrift stores business model is also philanthropic or community-based in nature, so sales also help other programs, she said.

Dina Younis is a professional thrifting influencer who operates Dina's Days.

Why should I buy from a reseller instead of thrifting myself?

Theres nothing wrong with thrifting for yourself, Rao said. Buying from a reseller is paying for their time to search for and curate special items, she said.

Buying from a vintage reseller might be for a specialty piece that you feel after having tried to thrift something yourself, you havent been able to find it, so you turn to the vintage shop to do it for you.

Some people like thrifted clothes or vintage clothes but dont want to go hunting at thrift stores themselves, said Rao, who declined to say how much she makes in her thrifting business but said it is lucrative enough that she continues to do it. Her full-time job is as a math tutor.

How do you find valuable items at a thrift store?

Sometimes its just pure luck, the professional thrifters said.

Being knowledgeable about certain brands or fabrics or materials can help you spot a rare find or something that could be valuable, Rao said. Rao said her best find was probably a full-length mohair coat she bought in perfect condition at a Florida thrift store for $20 that she sold for $150.

Younis also said the more you develop your eye for specific things, the better the chance you may find something valuable.

She also uses Google Images to take a photo of things to search for online value while she is shopping. You can also do searches on Ebay and other websites, she said.

An item like the $3.99 vase that garnered $107,000 is a once-in-a-lifetime find, Younis said.

"There are definitely many valuable treasures waiting to be discovered, but finding a 100K vase at a thrift store for $3.99 is like winning the thrift lottery."

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thrifting tips: How to spot treasures to resell or for yourself
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BIGPICTURES, a pioneering company specializing in virtual training solutions, has partnered with Hanoi National University to pilot a groundbreaking virtual training system for construction equipment operation.

This collaborative effort aims to revolutionize the training process for construction machinery operators, making it more accessible, cost-effective, and efficient.

Traditionally, obtaining a license for operating construction machinery has been associated with significant facility costs and safety constraints. BIGPICTURES' pilot project seeks to address these challenges by offering an innovative training solution that enhances job skills while reducing training costs.

BIGPICTURES has been successfully conducting virtual demonstration and training programs in South Korea for the past two years. Leveraging their expertise and cutting-edge technology, they have tailored a construction machinery operation training program specifically for the Vietnamese market.

The initiative commences with the establishment of a pilot training center at Hanoi National University in Vietnam, with a focus on localized practical training. The tentative pilot program is scheduled to begin in March 2024, with ambitious plans to expand construction machinery operation training to institutions throughout Vietnam within the same year.

Signing ceremony between BIGPICTURES and Hanoi National University

Mr. Jongmin Kim, CEO of BIGPICTURES, commented, "Through the regulatory sandbox under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, two years of virtual manipulation education data were proved to reduce educational deviation, increase the passing rate by 98%, and save 84% on practical training costs, and were selected as a formal education method for the Ministry of Employment and Labor."

This pioneering initiative is set to bring transformative results to the public, including reduced training costs, increased accessibility to construction machinery operation training, and a higher number of qualified operators. It is poised to benefit the construction industry by addressing the persistent shortage of skilled construction machinery operators.

Story continues

More information on BIGPICTURES can be found on the company's website.

About BIGPICTURES

BIGPICTURES is a forward-thinking company specializing in virtual training solutions. With a track record of innovation and a commitment to excellence, the company has received numerous awards and accolades, including certification as a Family-Friendly Company by the Ministry of Gender Equality and commendation from the Technology Innovation Startup Promotion Center. BIGPICTURES is dedicated to advancing training and education through cutting-edge technology.

For media inquiries, please contact: vrpori@big-pictures.co.kr

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Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) won't be able to kick this can down the road.

While external battles have been brewing all year, Bud Light's parent company is now facing internal conflict with its workforce.

Last weekend, Teamsters at its 12 US breweries voted to authorize a strike, where 99% of its 5,000 members agreed to walk out if the company does not offer a "strong new contract" by the time the current agreement expires on Feb. 29, 2024.

Teamsters are asking for improved wages, job protection, and healthcare and retirement benefits.

"Anheuser-Busch is aware of the Teamsters' strike authorization vote, which is common during labor negotiations," an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Yahoo Finance over email. "We are committed to negotiating in good faith with the union to reach an agreement that recognizes and rewards the talent, commitment, and drive of our employees."

The Teamsters, who are part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said there are currently no dates set for negotiations and they have recently rallied in New Hampshire, California, and Florida with "more actions" set to take place soon across the country.

Teamsters working nationwide at Anheuser-Busch have authorized a strike by a 99% vote. (Image courtesy of International Brotherhood of Teamsters)

An authorization to strike often does not end up in a walkout if two sides can find common ground. Bernstein analyst Trevor Stirling said he wasn't fazed by the recent developments.

"It's normal that unions are making aggressive noises ahead of negotiations," he told Yahoo Finance over the phone.

Since 2008, Anheuser-Busch has been owned by Brussels, Belgium-based multinational beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its portfolio spans beer brands from China and South Korea to South Africa and Brazil.

AB Inbevs international reach may help insulate it from effects of a potential strike. "[Its] not existential in the sense that the US is by far the biggest market in the world, but it's not the only one", said Stirling.

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Though a strike would affect operations at all of Anheuser-Buschs US breweries, it has 19,000 US employees, according to its website, leaving nearly three quarters of its workforce outside of the Teamster union.

Given Teamsters contract ends in February, the company also has time to sort it out.

"Sales in March and April are relatively light, it's really when you get into the Memorial Day weekend that beer demand really starts to pick up," Stirling said.

A murky outlook for 2024

Anheuser-Buschs labor issues come at a time when the company is facing declining sales and popularity.

Last quarter, its North America volumes dropped 17.1% year over year, largely due to a marketing campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that sparked a widespread boycott of Bud Light.

In July, Anheuser-Busch laid off less than 2% of its US workforce, though it said at the time it did not affect the brewery workers.

The Teamsters have taken issue with the companys recent $1 billion stock buyback, announced following its Q3 results. The union said the company was providing more for wealthy investors as it simultaneously ignores the need to protect good jobs.

While Anheuser-Busch shares are up 7% on the year, it falls far short of rival Molson Coorss (TAP) 25% gain.

On the upside, the decline in Bud Light sales was most pronounced in May and has since stabilized, Vivien Azer, managing director at Cowen, told Yahoo Finance.

She added that a shift in consumer preference to canned cocktails and premium Mexican import beers is something to watch next year.

AB InBev owns the international rights to Corona and Modelo, while Constellation Brands (STZ) owns the rights to those brands in the US.

But Stirling expects the hit on volume will be somewhat "permanent" to Bud Light, putting "pressure on profitability" at a time when its labor costs are likely to rise. After authorizing a strike at UPS, Teamsters ratified a new contract in August that offered wage increases across the board. The union claimed that the deal "will keep UPS Teamsters the highest-paid delivery drivers in the nation."

David Madland, senior fellow at Center for American Progress, thinks we could see "a similar scenario playing out" for Anheuser-Busch. In addition to the raises, UPS's last-minute deal, which averted a strike, got rid of a two-tier contract and added "some protections against sort of invasive technology monitoring."

"There's a long record of pretty decent labor relations at both UPS and Anheuser-Busch ... while there might be concerns right now about a contract and escalating fights, there is a track record to rely on that they could fall back on and hopefully reach an agreement before there's a strike," Madland told Yahoo Finance Live.

Stirling said investors could see a situation where Teamsters endorse a voluntary layoff program that is sufficient for ABInBev to adjust its cost base, but cautioned there are many moving parts to the situation.

Either way, the company is not giving up on Bud Light. Its heading into 2024 with a renewed focus on sports, with a partnership between Bud Light and UFC set to begin in January.

"They're trying to find some new people and I think the UFC provides them the opportunity to do so," Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College, told Yahoo Finance.

Its Michelob Ultra line also recently announced that Lionel Messi will join as a brand ambassador, as part of a larger partnership that makes Michelob the beer sponsor of Official Copa America USA 2024.

Based on its latest financial results, AB InBev expects EBITDA to grow "in line with our medium-term outlook of between 4-8% and our revenue to grow ahead of EBITDA from a healthy combination of volume and price" to end fiscal 2023.



Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

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Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said that while people have concerns in relation to migration, no-one can take the law into their own hands.

The foreign affairs minister was speaking after a suspected arson attack on an empty hotel in Co Galway over the weekend, that was to house 70 asylum seekers from Thursday.

Mr Martin said the dramatic increase in the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland post-pandemic was a result of political instability around the world that would continue next year.

He said there was no easy answers as to how countries should deal with this, but said cohesion needed to be maintained in Ireland and that it would require constant work.

The Irish government agreed to limit State accommodation for Ukrainians from February amid a housing shortage and a surge in asylum seekers arriving in Ireland compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Minister for Integration Roderic OGorman said he expected the number of Ukrainians arriving from next year to reduce as a result.

Mr Martin has said that while the increase in arrivals over a short space of time had been very challenging, he said Ireland needed to maintain its cohesion.

In terms of (the Governments) policies, they very much reflect our international obligations, both as members of the European Union and more broadly, in terms of international agreements and frameworks, he said.

And it is very, very challenging, in such a short space of time, to have so many people having to flee situations as they have in the last two years in particular, and there is no easy answers to this.

I do accept the point that there is growing concerns, and outside of a particular sort of viewpoint, I think there are broader concerns, people are worried about capacity and so on, but on the other hand, I think we really have to be very clear on the fundamental principles that must apply.

No-one can take the law onto their own hands. Blockading is wrong. Physically destroying buildings is obviously a crime.

And we need as a society to maintain our cohesion and keep a balance and government has a role in terms of communicating those basic principles to the public, and working with people and engaging with people in respect of the broader question of migration.

His comments come after the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that of the 585 protests in the Dublin Metropolitan area this year, 227 were anti-immigration or relating to housing refugees.

While Mr Martin admitted that government needed to do better to address peoples fears, he said there were no reports of increases in crime in areas where there are direct provision centres housing asylum seekers.

He added that Brexit had offered a lesson on what happens when knee-jerk policies are pursued in response to a surge in migration, which could negatively affect the country and not have any impact on migration, which he said was ultimately a function of how the world is working or not working.

He said: Other countries have made all sorts of political promises and declarations, which, when you analyse it in the cold light of day, havent been very effective or successful either.

He said that broader migration policy would require constant work and said the government had tightened up checks at airports over documents being destroyed and on cross-border entries.

He said that how to respond to an increase in migration was not a unique Irish experience and is part of a global phenomenon.

I predict, in 2024, it will be a very dominant issue on the European Union agenda, he added.
A Fianna Fail councillor criticised by Tanaiste Micheal Martin for his comments on the Governments immigration strategy has accused his party leader of presiding over irresponsible open border policies.

Noel Thomas claimed Ireland has been flooded with migrants since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

Mr Thomas said he has not been formally told by Fianna Fail if he will face disciplinary action for his recent remarks but, asked if he wants to remain in the party, he claimed he is more entitled to be a member than Mr Martin is.

Mr Martin has publicly criticised Mr Thomas and fellow Fianna Fail councillor Seamus Walsh over comments they made following a suspected arson attack on a disused hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway, where 70 asylum seekers were due to be accommodated.

Mr Thomas said in the aftermath that he did not condone the weekend fire at the Ross Lake House Hotel, but said Ireland should stop accepting asylum seekers because the inn is full.

Mr Walsh criticised Government policy on migrants as senseless.

On Tuesday, Mr Martin said he had spoken to Mr Thomas and had tried to contact Mr Walsh to make clear he disagreed with their remarks.

On Wednesday, Mr Thomas said he told his party leader in a phone call on Sunday evening that he is not happy with what he is doing to the country.

I say the inn is full because its full because of irresponsible open border policies that this Government have had in place, he told RTE Radio One.

Responding to the councillors comments, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she does not know anybody who is in favour of open borders  Im certainly not.

We have a rules-based system and you can have a view as to its efficiency, how its resourced, how it might change, but you shouldnt pretend that it doesnt exist, she said.

She said the Government had made a huge error in not consulting more thoroughly with communities and that there was anxiety and angst and a feeling of being disrespected and ignored in communities as a result.

Mr Thomas again criticised the decision to move migrants to the hotel in Galway.

The only situation where I can imagine that it may be OK to cram people into a hotel or similar building would be where the hotel is located in an urban setting, with all the services within walking distance, he said.

And even at that, that type of accommodation should be a very temporary solution and that should only be used for a couple of weeks max, until proper humane accommodation can be provided in a way that can integrate people into their new communities, he added.

The councillor said a longer consultation period with the local community would not have made the proposal any more acceptable.

Even if this was a 10-year consultation period, it would still be wrong to cram four people into a room together in a remote building like the Ross Lake Hotel, he said.

Earlier in the week, Mr Thomas spoke of local peoples fear of the unknown as he referred to crimes involving migrants.

When it was put to him on Wednesday that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said there is no evidence of crime rates increasing in areas where international protection claimants are housed, the councillor aimed a broadside at the police chief, calling him a man who doesnt have the faith of any of his own members in the Garda.

Restating his criticism of government migration policy, he added: In relation to the leaders we have in this country, and our legal obligation to take people in, as far as Im concerned, it is my opinion that, if youre going to have leaders in this country, it is their legal obligation to look after our country first.

Thats what their legal obligation should be. And they should step up to the plate and they should stop what is happening, because it is inhumane.

Asked if he is going to stay in Fianna Fail, Mr Thomas replied: Well, I hope so. I mean, to be honest with you, I think I am much more entitled to my place in the Fianna Fail party than the likes of Micheal Martin is.

Asked what would happen if Sinn Fein representatives were to make comments similar to the two Fianna Fail councillors in Co Galway, Ms McDonald replied that there would be a disciplinary process.

Any commentary thats made thats unhelpful, whether thats done deliberately or otherwise, is something of course that we will address, she told RTE.

Ms McDonald said it is legitimate for people struggling with access and affordability of housing to ask what happens to them in response to an increase in migration.

She added: If your child is raising their own child in the box room of your family home on the one hand, and then you hear that others are coming to the country, and you see equally no plan, you see chaos and a shambles, people say Where does that leave me?

And that is a legitimate question, that is not a racist expression. That is a human expression of vulnerability and, in some cases, desperation.

(We need) an integrated plan wherein you do not pitch vulnerable people here who have been waiting and waiting and waiting to get a house and who are very desperate and others who come from deeply vulnerable positions, for whom the Government equally has no plan and no accommodation. Nobody wins there.
Irish President Michael D Higgins has said his thoughts are with the children in Israel and Gaza this Christmas, while also thanking migrants in Ireland who enrich our culture.

He said nations should redouble their efforts for a ceasefire and work harder towards finding resolutions to conflicts.

He also said climate change now represents an existential battle and that hunger, inequality and biodiversity loss have all been exacerbated by climate change, which is amplifying global poverty, forced migrations, and famine.

This Christmas, we are conscious that, across the world, there are many people facing the most horrific of circumstances of war and displacement, he said.

We think in particular of all of the children in Gaza and Israel, places known to many as a Holy Land, and that has been darkened by the taking of so many lives, and too many young lives in particular, in recent months.

All of our hearts are made heavy by these terrible losses. So many families across our own island too will still be feeling the loss of family members to conflict, as this year we marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

We Irish are all too aware of the horrors that can be committed, including due to the distortion and abuse of religious difference, when violence is allowed to quench the desire for a shared peace.

However, history tells us, and we are conscious of it, that peace can be built, however fragile and cautious those first initial steps must be.

He thanked in a special way Irish Defence Forces members who are in Lebanon this Christmas.

Their absences from home will mirror the experiences of many others who, owing to various circumstances, find themselves forcibly separated from the embrace of their loved ones, he said.

In that spirit, may I express my gratitude to the migrants who now call Ireland their home. Their presence enriches our culture, contributes to our society, bringing as they do experiences, traditions, and perspectives that make us stronger as a nation.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, may it be a time for understanding and appreciation for one another. Let us embrace the values of tolerance and mutual respect, recognising that our differences are the threads that weave the intricate rich fabric of our shared identity.

We, as Irish people, are all too aware of how, for so many different reasons, people have had cause to move from their places of birth in search of a better life, of security itself.

We Irish do not put a boundary to our concerns for justice. We remember the solidarity that Irish people have shown over the decades with those vulnerable across our planet, with those seeking freedom, human rights as in South Africa, for example, or the ending of dictatorship, as in the case of the one that came to power in Chile 50 years ago.

Christmas is a time of hope. At this time, in the deepest darkness of winter, we anticipate and celebrate the triumph of light over dark, of dreams still realisable over the setbacks of the past.

He added: May I wish all the Irish at home and abroad, and those who live and work with them, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a new year full of promise, health and fulfilment.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has said he believes Irelands emissions peaked years ago but that they now needed to descend like a downhill skier.

The Green Party leader mentioned end-of-year figures on how Ireland had made progress to meet its climate action goals, including on retrofitting homes, 20 new rural bus routes during December and moving to renewable energy.

The advantage we have is the things were doing are going to be good for the economy in my mind, like switching to renewables rather than relying on imported, expensive fossil fuels is good for you. Thats not a hardship posting, thats something we want to do, Mr Ryan said.

With the #GreensInGovernment, rural public transport is taking off across Ireland. 20 new rural bus services launched in December alone.2.3 million kilometres added to the public transport network.Over 60 new services added over the full year. pic.twitter.com/OTmYsnowuH  Green Party Ireland (@greenparty_ie) December 19, 2023

He said that he did expect a reduction in the herd size this year, mainly in the beef suckler area.

Its not a huge reduction, but there is a reduction, Mr Ryan said.

He said there were challenges in implementing transport projects due to the acute issue of planning system resources and delays.

But he added that the public transport numbers were 15% above pre-pandemic figures and said he did not believe there were many similar rises elsewhere in Europe.

He said that Ireland was smashing its retrofitting target of 37,000, and had gone over 46,000 households this year.

Thats an incredible success story of Irish householders taking up the grants that weve put in place and starting to see the benefits of cutting emissions, but also cutting your costs and improving the home, he said.

The Green Party leader said that he believed Irelands emissions had peaked.

The figures this year are quite startling: our coal use is down 50% in power generation, our oil use is down 80% and solar for the first time ever has gone from 20 million units of solar energy to 400 million units of solar energy this year. From 20 to 400 in one year, scaling up, and thats not going to stop, he said.

We have peaked several years ago because back in the day when it was Moneypoint (power station) was our main power generation and you didnt have any of these alternative technologies. So we have already peaked. We now need to descend like a downhill skier.
The integration minister has expressed surprise at comments from the Garda Commissioner that gardai were not officially notified in advance of a plan to accommodate 70 asylum seekers in a Co Galway hotel.

Roderic OGorman said a briefing proposal was emailed to the Garda on Friday afternoon on the plan to use the disused hotel in Rosscahill to house the international protection applicants.

The proposal triggered a protest and blockade by locals on Saturday and later that night the property was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Drew Harris told a meeting of the Policing Authority in Dublin that gardai had not received official notification about the accommodation plan and had to rely on local sources to find out what was proposed.

However, Mr OGorman has insisted established protocols for informing the gardai were followed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said while gardai were notified it appeared the information had not been passed on to the right people on the ground. Mr Varadkar suggested more of a belt and braces approach to communicating such plans may be required.

Mr OGorman told the PA news agency that when any new international protection accommodation is opened a community engagement team takes responsibility for informing TDs, senators, councillors and statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla, a named contact in An Garda Siochana, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.

So a briefing on the proposal to open in the hotel in Galway was sent to An Garda Siochana on Friday afternoon, he said.

Asked if the process needed to be strengthened, he said: Well, look, were always happy to look at a process and improve a process where thats needed.

This is the process weve been using now for about four months. The community engagement team started working at the end of August, early September.

It is the process that supported the opening of a significant number of accommodation centres in that time.

It was my understanding, certainly, that was the agreed protocol that operates.

Now, obviously, as a situation evolves there may need to be further engagement but in terms of the protocol that was agreed, our officials carried it out as agreed.

So I was surprised to see that communication (that gardai werent informed) last night and this morning and, you know, we spent this morning just trying to clarify exactly what happens.

And I know weve been engaging with the gardai in terms of just confirming that the notification was provided.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Varadkar told reporters in Dublin: I think its important that the gardai are notified any time we establish a new accommodation centre.

In relation to Galway, Minister OGorman has confirmed that the gardai were informed in writing but for whatever reason that message didnt get through to all of the right people on the ground.

So were going to have to review that now and perhaps adopt a belt and braces approach where its not just an email or a letter, but theres an email, letter and a phone call.

You know sometimes that just has to be done, but I can confirm that the gardai were informed in writing.
New technologies bring with them new demands on security, and weve all learned the vocabulary of the digital worlds risks: spyware and malware, malignant ads and phishing, hacking and ransomware. It seems the threats are never-ending.

The increase in malevolent software attacks has driven a related increase in regulatory requirements, that is helping to push increased cybersecurity spending by both public and private businesses. A run of recent, high-profile, cyberattacks has simply driven that point home.

The upshot is, companies everywhere are working to firm up their cybersecurity defenses, to satisfy regulators, to reassure customers, and to prevent the losses consequent to a major hack attack. In a 2023 report on the Cost of Data Breach, IBM estimated that the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. Thats a serious incentive for companies to bump up cybersecurity spending  and its a serious tailwind for cybersecurity stocks.

This fact has caught the eye of Shyam Patil, 5-star analyst from Susquehanna, who writes in a recent industry report, We are bullish on the cybersecurity software space as we see cyber budgets and use cases continuing to grow, driven by an ever-evolving threat landscape, internal and external innovation, and requirements from both regulators and insurers. Additionally, we expect consolidation to remain a key theme, as we continue to see a move toward platformization and increasing desire among enterprise customers to combat vendor sprawl. That said, we see the rapidly changing nature of the marketplace and threat landscape continuing to lead to new entrants.

Patil also has an idea which cybersecurity stocks represent the best opportunities right now and we have decided to give three of his picks a closer look. For a more rounded view of their prospects, we also ran them through the TipRanks database. Heres the lowdown.

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Palo Alto Networks (PANW)

First up is Palo Alto Networks, a digital security company offering comprehensive cybersecurity solutions and a line of firewall products, all designed to create a safe and secure environment in cloud, network, and endpoint services. Palo Altos product lines offer a high level of protection for online and cloud-native systems, protection that can be tailored for enterprise customers, small businesses, and even for individual home use. The companys security products are offered on the popular software-as-a-service subscription model.

Some numbers will give an idea of the scale  and importance  of Palo Altos work. The companys December 19 daily data showed a total of 1 trillion cloud events processed. This included 1.44 billion new unique objects analyzed, 4.53 million new unique attacks objects identified, and 324,920 malware executions blocked, and 9,610 exploit attempts detected. Overall, the companys defenses counted 7.05 billion attacks prevented inline.

From the users perspective, Palo Altos security systems allow any cloud system to be secured, and allow security operations to be automated for maximum efficiency in detection, investigation, and response. Palo Alto boasts that no matter what the security challenge is, it can be conquered, even the latest threats, based on AI and machine learning technologies.

In November, Palo Alto Networks reported its financial results for fiscal 1Q24 (October quarter). Revenue was up almost 22% year-over-year, reaching $1.9 billion  a total that beat the forecast by $60 million. The companys backlog, listed as the remaining performance obligation, bodes well for the near-term; it came in at $10.4 billion for the quarter, up 26% year-over-year. At the bottom line, Palo Alto brought in a non-GAAP net income of $1.38 per diluted share, up from the 83-cent figure of the prior-year quarter and $0.22 above the consensus estimate.

In his coverage of this stock, Shyam Patil, takes an overall upbeat view, writing, PANWs category-leading positioning in network and cloud security underpins our Positive view on the company. We see PANW as one of the key beneficiaries of consolidation and platformization in the space, with several checks highlighting the ease of the companys products. We acknowledge the company is trading at a premium but see this as well-deserved given the premium nature of the asset.

Quantifying this stance, Patil rates the shares as Positive (a Buy), with a Street-high $400 price target implying a one-year upside potential of 30%. (To watch Patils track record, click here)

This stock boasts a Strong By consensus rating, based on 34 recent reviews that include 30 Buys and 4 Holds. However, the shares have gained over 120% year-to-date, and the average price target of $300.94 now suggests the stock will stay rangebound for the foreseeable future. (See PANW stock forecast)

SentinelOne (S)

Next on our list of Susquehanna picks is SentinelOne, a cybersecurity company and platform built for autonomous action, aiming to protect and secure all facets of todays digital infrastructure  the data systems, as well as the storage, processing, and information systems. The company gives its customers and end-users solutions based on AI, to prevent online security threats through early detection and response.

SentinelOnes platform will work proactively to halt cybersecurity threats. The system hunts across endpoints, containers, cloud software and workloads, and IoT devices, to locate and defeat every attack, every second. The companys Singularity Platform performs at large and small scales, with higher speed and more accuracy than any human operator  or any team of human operators.

The key here is endpoint security  SentinelOnes specialty. The company targets its protection on all system endpoints  the devices that can be connected to the network  and provides security for all originated and received communications. The endpoints protected are varied, and can include all linked desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

Its a value proposition that served the company well in its recent report for Q3 of fiscal year 2024. The company beat both the top and bottom line forecasts and increased its revenue guidance for both Q4 and the full fiscal year 2024.

At the top line, the companys total revenue came to $164.17 million, up 42% y/y and some $7.85 million better than the forecasts. Adj. EPS of -$0.03 beat the Streets call by $0.05.

On guidance, the company predicted Q4 revenue at $169 million, significantly better than the consensus estimate of $166.63 million. For fiscal year 2024, SentinelOne is forecasting revenue of $616 million, well above the previous $605 million forecast  and well above the $605.2 million the analysts were expecting.

Thats the background for Patils comments. The 5-star analyst notes that the company has a solid position  and also benefits from a solid reputation. He says of the firm, SentinelOnes unique positioning as a cloud-first endpoint vendor and a general industry perception of its best-in-class technology serve to underpin our Positive view on the company. We see S as one of the key beneficiaries of the need for improved security and expended observability, with several checks highlighting the quality of its technology. We see significant opportunity ahead in the form of market expansion and competitive displacements.

Patils Positive (Buy) rating on these shares is complemented by his $35 price target, which points toward a 31% gain on the one-year horizon.

Overall, Wall Street gives SentinelOne a Moderate Buy consensus rating, backed up by 26 recent analyst reviews that break down to 12 Buys and 14 Holds. However, here the 83% year-to-date gains have seen the stock surpass the $25.43 average target, which now represents downside of 5% from current levels. (See SentinelOne stock forecast)

Check Point (CHKP)

Last up today is Check Point, an old timer in the world of internet security. Check Point has been handling online security since 1993, living up to its own stated mission: to make online communications and critical data safe, secure, reliable, and available everywhere the user needs it. Today the company is an industry leader and one of the largest pure-play digital security firms in the global market.

Check Points solutions protect its customers from cyberattacks of all sorts. The companys Harmony product line focuses on remote users, Cloud Guard automatically secures cloud-based software and networks, Quantum provides a unified security environment for data centers and network perimeters, and Horizon is a prevention-oriented suite of security operations. The company boasts a client list over 100,000 strong, that includes one-fourth of the global Fortune 500 firms.

In addition to protecting its own customers, Check Point has taken proactive steps to protect its own intellectual property  a vital step that helps to ensure the integrity of its own products. The company currently holds 73 US patents, and has another 30 patents pending. Check Points solid suite of security products and tools are used by clients at all scales, across 88 countries around the world.

Check Points business generated an adj. net income of $242 million in 3Q23, the last quarter reported. This was up 10% y/y and resulted in non-GAAP EPS of $2.07, 5 cents per share ahead of the forecast. Check Points revenue total for the quarter came to $596 million, up 3.2% from the prior-year quarter  and nearly $3.8 million better than expected.

Beating the earnings forecasts and maintaining its sound position in a vital niche will attract optimistic analyst attention to any company, and Susquehannas Patil says of this stock, CHKPs solid positioning in the space and positive sentiment from our checks with regard to tech capabilities and execution, coupled with the companys renewed willingness to invest in S&M and acquire key technologies, lead to our Positive rating on the stock. We acknowledge that the companys growth profile has been slower than some others in the space but see the potential for acceleration in years to come and believe the name is particularly attractive for GARP investors.

That Positive (Buy) rating comes with a $190 price target to imply a potential upside of 27.5% for the year ahead. (To watch Patils track record, click here)

This is another stock with a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus; Check Points 23 recent analyst reviews feature 9 Buys  but also 14 Holds. That said, the $150.94 average price target implies the shares are currently fully valued. (See CHKP stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
[December 20, 2023] Construction Starts Hit 10-Month Low, Declining 15% in November Tweet

Total construction starts fell 15% in November, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $927 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential building starts fell 29% during the month, residential starts lost 6%, and nonbuilding starts dropped 2%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220724747/en/ Total construction starts fell 15% in November, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $927 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. (Graphic: Business Wire) Year-to-date through November 2023, total construction starts lagged by 4% compared to the previous year. Residential and nonresidential starts were down 14% and 7%, respectively, but nonbuilding starts were up 19%. "Construction starts are deeply feeling the impact of higher rates," said Richard Branch, chief economist for Dodge Construction Network. "While the Federal Reserve seems poised to start cutting rates in the New Year, the impact on starts will lag. As a result, starts are expected to be weak through the mid-point of 2024 before growth resumes." Nonbuilding Nonbuilding construction starts in November fell 2%, amounting to a seasonally adjusted $223 billion. Highway and bridge starts decreased 8%, environmental public works starts fell 4%, utility/gas starts rse 17%, and miscellaneous nonbuilding starts improved by 1%.



Year-to-date through November, nonbuilding starts were up 19% overall. Utility/gas plants rose 49%, and miscellaneous nonbuilding starts increased 18%. Highway and bridge starts gained 9%, and environmental public works rose 11%. The largest nonbuilding projects to break ground in November were the $834 million I-405 Brickyard to SR 527 improvements in Bothell, Washington, the $406 million second phase of the Sherco Solar Farm in Becker, New Mexico, and a $353 million addition to the Silverhawk Generating Station in Moapa, Nevada.

Nonresidential Nonresidential building starts decreased 29% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $345 billion. Manufacturing starts plummeted 74% following several strong project starts in October. Commercial starts fell 19% with office buildings being the only category to see a gain. Institutional starts rose 7% due to a significant uptick in healthcare activity. Year-to-date through November, total nonresidential starts were 7% lower than in 2022. Institutional starts gained 5%, while commercial and manufacturing starts fell 13% and 18%, respectively. The largest nonresidential building projects to break ground in November were the $1.9 billion Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Inpatient Tower in Pennsylvania, the $1.6 billion LG Energy Battery Plant in Queen Creek, Arizona, and the $750 million expansion of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa. Residential Residential building starts declined 6% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $359 billion. Single family starts increased 1%, while multifamily starts fell 19%. Year-to-date through November 2023, total residential starts were down by 14%, with single-family starts dropping 15% and multifamily starts by 12%. The largest multifamily structures to break ground in November were the $200 million 55 Broad Street residential conversion in New York City, the $200 million redevelopment of The Superman Building in Providence, Rhode Island, and the $185 million Union West mixed-use development in Raleigh, North Carolina. Regionally, total construction starts in November fell in the Midwest, South Atlantic, South Central and West regions, but rose in the Northeast. Watch Chief Economist Richard Branch discuss November Construction Starts here. About Dodge Construction Network Dodge Construction Network leverages an unmatched offering of data, analytics, and industry-spanning relationships to generate the most powerful source of information, knowledge, insights, and connections in the commercial construction industry. The company powers four longstanding and trusted industry solutions-Dodge Data & Analytics, Blue Book Construction Network, Sweets, and IMS-to connect the dots across the entire commercial construction ecosystem. Together, these solutions provide clear and actionable opportunities for both small teams and enterprise firms. Purpose-built to streamline the complicated, Dodge Construction Network ensures that construction professionals have the information they need to build successful businesses and thriving communities. With over a century of industry experience, Dodge Construction Network is the catalyst for modern commercial construction. To learn more, visit construction.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220724747/en/

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[December 19, 2023] SourceFuse Ends 2023 with Remarkable Growth Tweet

New Core Values Unveiled and Strategic 2024 GenAI Plans JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SourceFuse, a strategic digital transformation company helping businesses evolve through cloud-native technologies, today announces another successive year of phenomenal growth and new company values. Already skilled at integrating AI/ML and advanced analytics across its offerings , SourceFuse is well-positioned to ensure its clients continue to benefit from opportunities presented by genAI. SourceFuse's achievements in 2023 featured a substantial 40% increase in revenue, 72% renewal business, and 45% increase in customer base. Anticipating 2024 trends, SourceFuse is poised for further success, with projections aligning with its ongoing upward trajectory. Notably, the company's workforce expanded by 14% with a 25% target set for 2024. "As we close on another memorable twelve months, I'm delighted with our collective achievements, milestones, and the exciting trajectory that lies ahead," says Gautam Ghai , CEO & Co-Founder at SourceFuse. "While industry growth has been sluggish for many companies, we've proactively addressed this trend by intensifying fforts to broaden our customer base and diversify solutions. We're placing a deliberate focus on genAI to drive revenue and expand our footprint in the market."



2023 marked a significant rebranding initiative for SourceFuse, highlighted by its new website launch . This transformation was accompanied by its new company values: high standards; solid work ethic and accountability; humility; agility; team player; and customer success. Together these values represent the dedication to SourceFuse's customer-centric approach, ensuring solution offerings are precisely personalized to address their unique challenges. "Our marketing activities during 2023 were grounded in innovation and a deep understanding of our audience," added Vaidant Singh , CMO at SourceFuse. "Our vision for the future is ambitious, guided by a commitment to continuous improvement. Contributing to the software market CAGR of 11.5% until 2030, we'll continue to build upon our accomplishments, leveraging data-driven insights to refine our strategies and deliver even more impactful campaigns."

In 2023, SourceFuse introduced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in ARC by SourceFuse , accelerating infrastructure deployment and CI/CD by 35% faster than industry benchmarks. In addition, the continuous maturation of ARC means it can now be tailored to meet industry-specific compliances, exemplified by HIPAA-compliant landing zones on AWS. In 2024, we are adding Gen-AI capabilities to our factory model of ARC by SourceFuse. In strengthening its AWS Partnership , SourceFuse achieved Migration and SaaS Competencies, Graviton and EKS Service Delivery Programs, and uniquely collaborated to build a Center of Excellence helping enterprises accelerate modernization solutions. 2024 plans include AWS Premier Partner status and additional competencies that meet evolving market needs. About SourceFuse Media Contact:

Vaidant Singh, CMO

SourceFuse

Phone: +1-800-578-3873

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/sourcefuse-ends-2023-with-remarkable-growth-302018615.html SOURCE SourceFuse

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[December 19, 2023] Defense IT Spending Market to grow by USD 23.53 billion from 2023 to 2028; Growth Driven by Development of autonomous systems - Technavio Tweet

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "defense IT spending market by type (service, software, and hardware), application (cyber security, IT infrastructure, logistic and asset management, and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America) - Forecast and Analysis 2024-2028" report has been added to technavio offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio has proudly partnered with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. The potential growth difference for the defense IT spending market between 2024 and 2028 is USD 23.53 billion. The development of autonomous systems is a key factor driving market growth. Autonomous systems can be defined as advanced technologically driven systems capable of carrying out many functions on their own without assistance from humans. Furthermore, such systems can improve operational efficiency, reduce the risk to human life, enhance situational awareness, and give a greater level of accuracy and precision in military operations Get deeper insights into the market size, current market scenario, future growth opportunities, major growth driving factors, the latest trends, and much more. Buy the full report here Market Challenge Issues related to digital sovereignty are one of the significant challenges restricting market growth. Data privacy and the protection of vulnerable information against cyber threats are emphasized by the increasing use of digital technologies such as enhanced reality in defense systems. In addition, there are several issues concerning data protection, company dependence, interoperability, knowledge gaps, International Regulations, and Economic Impact associated with digital sovereignty on the Defence Information Technology Spending Market. Learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Read a Free Sample PDF Report Now The defense IT spending market has been segmented by type (service, software, and hardware), application (cyber security, IT infrastructure, logistic and asset management, and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The service segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Consulting services, system integration, application development and maintenance, management services, cybersecurity services, training and supporting services as well as data analytics services are some of the major service segments in this market. In addition, consultancy services are a key service segment within defense companies. Furthermore, defense companies are advised of new technologies integration, system performance optimization, and the consolidation of their existing IT infrastructure through these services. North America is estimated to contribute 46% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. View a Free Sample Report for insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report. Key Companies in the Defense IT Spending Market: Accenture Plc, Amazon.com Inc., BAE Systems Plc, CRON AI, Cubic Corp., CyAmast Pty Ltd., Dell Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Holo Light GmbH, International Business Machines Corp., Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc., Leidos Holdings Inc., ManTech International Corp., Microsoft Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Oracle Corp., Pennant International Group PLC, Science Applications International Corp. Inc., and Palantir Technologies Inc. Related Reports: The Internet of Things market size is forecast to increase by USD 1,036.83 billion between 2022 and 2027, accelerating at a CAGR of 15.12%. The network as a service market size is forecast to increase by USD 19.99 billion between 2022 and 2027, accelerating at a CAGR of 19.9%.







Defense IT Spending Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2023 Historic period 2018-2022 Forecast period 2024-2028 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.49% Market growth 2024-2028 USD 23.53 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 4.31 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 46% Key countries US, China, India, UK, and Germany

ToC: Excustive Summary Market Landscape Market Sizing Historic Market Sizes Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation by Type Market Segmentation by Application Market Segmentation by Geography Customer Landscape Geographic Landscape Drivers, Challenges, & Trends Company Landscape Company Analysis Appendix About Technavio 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 across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/defense-it-spending-market-to-grow-by-usd-23-53-billion-from-2023-to-2028-growth-driven-by-development-of-autonomous-systems---technavio-302018836.html SOURCE Technavio

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[December 19, 2023] California's Central Valley Farmers Encouraged to Apply for Conservation Assistance to Improve Irrigation, Conserve Water Tweet

FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers in California's Central Valley that are interested in conservation practices to manage soil moisture, improve irrigation efficiency, or otherwise conserve ground and surface water resources are encouraged to apply for WaterSMART program funding through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). WaterSMART is a joint effort between the Bureau of Reclamation and NRCS to coordinate investments in the Western US to help farmers conserve water and become more resilient to drought impacts. "These three new projects take water conservation efforts even further in California's Central Valley to help farmers extend their available water resources in their operations," said NRCS State Conservationist Carlos Suarez. "I'm pleased to announce more than $2.3 million available to interested landowners." Three new projects in California: Name: Fresno Irrigation District

Available Funding: $1,300,000

Eligible producers will install micro-irrigation systems, pumps, and pipelines, line reservoirs, manage nutrients, manage residue, plant cover crops, amend soil carbon, and install groundwater recharge basins or on-farm recharge practices. Reduced groundwater pumping allows for more water to be available to underserved communities such as Fresno, Sanger, Biola, Kerman, Del Rey, Calwa, Malaga, Easton, Fowler, and Raisin City. In addition to the water saving and drought resilience benefits, EQIP funding will protect water quality, improve soil health, and improve crop productivity and health. Name: Lower Tule River Irrigation District

Available Funding: $800,000

Agricultural producers, including historially underserved producers as defined by USDA, will be able to install micro-irrigation systems, pipelines, and pumps, line reservoirs, manage nutrients, manage residue, plant cover crops, amend soil carbon, and install groundwater recharge basins or on-farm recharge practices saving additional water from being pumped from the ground each year. Reduced groundwater pumping allows for more water to be available to underserved communities including Tipton, Woodville, Poplar, Waukena, and Corcoran. In addition to the water saving and drought resilience benefits, EQIP funding will protect water quality, improve soil health, and improve crop productivity and health.



Name: Tranquility Irrigation District

Available Funding: $300,000

Agricultural producers will be able to install micro-irrigation systems and pipelines, line reservoirs, manage nutrients, manage residue, plant cover crops, amend soil carbon, and install groundwater recharge basins or on-farm recharge practices saving water from being pumped from the ground. The collaboration between NRCS and the Bureau of Reclamation is a priority of the National Drought Resilience Partnership. NRCS makes funding for WSI available to producers in priority areas in the American West through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The funding helps producers apply conservation practices to complement projects funded by the Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART programs. Reclamation's WaterSMART investments help states, tribes, and local entities plan for and implement projects that increase water supply by providing funds to modernize existing infrastructure and otherwise build drought resilience.

Common practices to save water in irrigated agriculture include: Irrigation water management to build drought resilience;

Irrigation pipeline to replace leaky pipes and open canals;

Sprinkler irrigation systems, low pressure types reduce energy demand;

Micro-irrigation to reduce water loss to evaporation;

Pumps, higher efficiency types reduce energy demand. Common practices to increase groundwater recharge functions in watersheds include: Brush management to control invasive species and improve soil moisture;

Riparian buffers to improve water quality;

Mulching to reduce moisture evaporation. NRCS has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private landowners and managers conserve their soil, water, and other natural resources since 1935. For more information, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/california. Contact: Jonathan Groveman, jonathan.groveman@usda.gov View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/californias-central-valley-farmers-encouraged-to-apply-for-conservation-assistance-to-improve-irrigation-conserve-water-302019546.html SOURCE USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service

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[December 19, 2023] CCCC releases its ESG reports and top 10 projects under the BRI Tweet

Beijing , China, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 10th Anniversary Event of China Communications Construction Companys (CCCC) Joint Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was hosted in Beijing on December 15th.

The event, themed "In the Prosperous Silk Road's Glow, Together We Construct a Brighter Tomorrow," announced and commended CCCC's top 10 projects under the BRI, including the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway Project, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge Project, the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project, among others. Pakistani ambassador to China Khalil Hashimi presented awards to these projects. He called the KKH Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project a lifeline of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying it reflects the wisdom of the Chinese side in multiple aspects. The project marked in-depth cooperation between Pakistan and the CCCC, and also between Pakistan and China, Hashimi noted, adding that he looks forward to more outcomes of cooperation between the two countries. The event also unveiled CCCCs top 10 outstanding Chinese and international employees, who have been deeply involved in the infrastructure development of relevant countries and made important contributions to local socioeconomic development and people's livelihood. Soth Sudanese Ambassador to China, Monday Semaya Kenneth Kumba noted that as an internationally leading infrastructure construction company, CCCC boasts the most outstanding construction teams in the world.



The ambassador extended his gratitude to CCCC for its dedication and efforts in South Sudan, saying he looks forward to closer cooperation between more excellent teams from CCCC and his country, and more practical results in transportation infrastructure and the development of local talents in South Sudan. Over the past decade, CCCC has actively responded to the BRI, leveraged its full-industry-chain advantages, and upheld the ESG philosophy. It has launched the Build Your Future Dream social responsibility brand around the world to fulfill its economic, environmental, and social responsibilities.

During the event, CCCC released its ESG reports for the BRI and its top 10 cases of CSR and brand building for the BRI. The BRI has brought positive impacts to Sri Lanka in terms of foreign trade, tourism, and ecological conservation, said K. K. Yoganaadan, the Charge d'Affaires of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China. The Colombo Port City, in particular, has achieved remarkable accomplishments in environmental protection, which has safeguarded and enhanced the ecological environment and marine biodiversity in surrounding waters, Yoganaadan added. Name: Wang Yueran Email: [email protected] Company: huanqiu.com Address: 16th Floor, Zhongqing Building, No. 19 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China Phone: 13002252096 Website: http://www.huanqiu.com

Disclaimer:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.



Wang Yueran Huanqiu luojie at huanqiu.com

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[December 19, 2023] Hitachi Solutions Recognized as Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Microsoft Business Applications Implementation Services Vendor Assessment 2023-2024 Tweet

Hitachi Solutions has been previously named as a Leader in the 2021 IDC MarketScape for Asia/Pacific Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation Services SINGAPORE, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific, leading provider of industry solutions based on Microsoft platform, is delighted to announce its position in the Leaders Category on the IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Microsoft Business Applications Implementation Services 2023-2024 Vendor Assessment (doc #AP50165723e, November 2023). Hitachi Solutions was recognized for the following strengths  strong coverage in Asia Pacific, ROI business case tools, midmarket and large enterprise focus and customer feedback. "As innovators in the field of AI and cloud integration, we are proud to be named as a Leader in this space," said Toshimasa Watanabe, President of Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific. "We feel this validates our commitment to build modernized business solutions that empower our customers while continuing our mission to drive digital transformation on a global scale." According to the report, "Hitachi Solutions hinges its differentiation in the Microsoft Business Applications services vendor ecosystem on its deep product expertise achieved from 20 years of experience as a specialized Microsoft partner." "Over the course of two decades, Hitachi Solutions has cultivated a solid understanding of Microsoft's product portfolio and fostered an exhaustive collection of industry-specific solutions built with Mcrosoft Business Application solutions to expedite time-to-market for their customers. Furthermore, Hitachi Solutions' extensive delivery reach in the Asia Pacific region and its adeptness in system integration position them as an ideal partner for maximizing value from an enterprise's Microsoft investments." Rijo George Thomas, Research Manager, IDC Asia Pacific, IT and Business Services research



The report notes, "Hitachi Solutions is a good fit for enterprises in Asia/Pacific looking for an implementation partner with strong delivery capabilities in the region, solid Microsoft Dynamics 365 product expertise, and experience in complex SI attached to new implementations. Clients in the manufacturing, services, and financial services sectors will find the industry-ready solutions from Hitachi Solutions a value-add to accelerate time to market from Microsoft investments." For more information about Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific's offerings, contact us here.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of the Information and Telecommunication Systems business of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation, and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: https://global.hitachi-solutions.com. Media Contact:

Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific

[email protected] Hitachi Solutions India

contactus@hitachisolutions.com

+91 93125 62456 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/hitachi-solutions-recognized-as-leader-in-the-idc-marketscape-asiapacific-microsoft-business-applications-implementation-services-vendor-assessment-2023-2024-302016478.html SOURCE Hitachi Solutions

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[December 19, 2023] ROMOSS WMS10 Magnetic Wireless Charger: The Go-To Charging Solution Tweet

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the blessing of mobile electronic equipment, people are no longer restricted by complex environments and can become local anytime and anywhere, enjoying delicious food and beautiful scenery freely. How to continue to enjoy portability has become a big problem when going out: a small power bank cannot be charged many times, a large-capacity power bank is not light enough, you bring a power bank but forget to bring the cable, and so many other issues. ROMOSS WMS10 portable power bank solution with a capacity of 10,000 mAh that combines magnetic wireless charging and built-in fast charging functions, is awesome equipment for users to travel with ease. Hit the New York Times Big Screen Catering to the Fashion Trend The ROMOSS WMS10 power bank broke through the industry with its good looks and quickly appeared on the big screen in New York Times Square, triggering a buying craze among fashion wear groups, technology enthusiast groups, and Generation Z consumers. Christmas is coming to town! As the most special time at the end of 2023, it's significant to take the opportunity to express your love! Everyone hopes to receive their beloved gifts at Christmas or wants to give a thoughtful gift to their relatives or friends. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or a technology enthusiast, the colorful ROMOSS WMS10 with integrated cables and strong suction is the best Christmas gift option. Besides, the biggest Christmas discount of the year is a charm too! Small Size, Large Capacity Your Go-To Charging Solution ROMOSS WMS10 power bank features the four core functions of small size, large capacity, wireless magnetic fast charging and built-in wired upgraded type-C ports. The size of the WMS10 power bank is as small as a card, while is full of energy. With a capacity of 10,000 mAh, It can provide 2-3 recharge guarantees for conventional mobile phones from 0 to full power, ensuring that after a day of travel, the mobile phone is still fully charged. At the same time, ROMOSS increases the charging speed to 15W, easily helps you get rid of a low battery. Even more, ROMOSS WMS10 integrates a type-C port, making it more compatible with your mixed family, Android and iPhone Smartphones. If you're looking for a power supply system that is light and stylish, you might want to check out the ROMOSS portable power bank. The ROMOSS WMS10 portable power bank is available on the ROMOSS Amazon online shop, click the link to get it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMGXXW8T?th=1 Specifications







Product Name ROMOSS WMS10 Power Bank Battery Type Rechargeable Lithium battery Capacity 10000mAh (5V/3A) Input 5V-.2A or9V-.2A(Lightning1) 5V--.3Aor9V-.2A(Lightning) 5V-3Aor9V--2A(Type-C) Output 5V-3Aor9V-2.22A or12V-1.67A(Lightning) 5V-3Aor9V-2.22Aor12V-1.67A(Type-C) Total:()+=15W(MAX) Wireless:15W(MAX) Size ~L104x W67xH20.5mm Weight 225g

About ROMOSS ROMOSS Technology Co., Ltd. is a company that specializes in energy techs and consumer electronics, such as power banks, outdoor power systems, data cables, power adapters, car chargers, and power strips. ROMOSS was established in Shenzhen to deliver outstanding charging experiences globally while ensuring the highest quality standards in the industry. ROMOSS has developed a range of products, including the power bank, power station, charger, and charging cable, which contains the ULTRA, the MAGNETIC, the LINE, the SENSE, the X explore, the S speed, the NEO, and the CYCLES, to cater to the diverse needs of its users over the past decade. Follow ROMOSS: ROMOSS Official Website: https://www.romoss.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romossglobalpage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romoss_global/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@romossofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RomossGlobal/videos ROMOSS PR Leo Wu Global Marketing Director [email protected]

Vion Zhang Global Branding Director zhengwh@7000mall.com

Mia Wang Overseas PR Manager [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/romoss-wms10-magnetic-wireless-charger-the-go-to-charging-solution-302019612.html SOURCE ROMOSS

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[December 19, 2023] Countdown to Compliance: Allion Labs Addresses the EU's USB Type-C Rule Tweet

Less Than a Year Left: Countdown to the EU's USB Type-C Rule TAIPEI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Union (EU) USB Type-C specification for technology product manufacturers has been in effect since last year. Quoting the official statement from the EU, "By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops." With only one year left before the deadline, some manufacturers have not yet clarified their planning and verification testing arrangements, creating uncertainty in their branding strategy. The advantages of USB Type-C include high-speed data transmission, fast charging, reverse plug, and other features. However, it's crucial to note that USB-C cables can also pose potential risks in specific user scenarios. Some of the potential risks associated with USB Type-C connections involve abnormal signal transmission when connecting to a display, the inability to charge devices after connection, and the risk of product overheating due to poor cable quality. A transmission cable or interface causing major issues will inevitably lead to users returning their products, negatively impacting brand manufacturers. Manufacturers often overlook critical issues with USB-C cables that could severely damage the connected electronic product. Seeking Professional Industry Consultants Emerges as a Recent Trend Allion, a global leader in engineering consultancy, provides pofessional consulting and testing-related services to various industries. Given the urgency of compliance, branded device manufacturers have been inquiring about Allion's state-of-the-art USB Type-C testing lab designed to help manufacturers ensure their products comply with the stringent requirements of EU regulations. Simultaneously, based on the technical experience and test big data accumulated by Allion's USB Type-C laboratory for many years, three major issues of USB Type-C were analyzed: Display (ALT mode), data transmission, and power delivery.



Allion's USB Type-C testing services cover comprehensive standards, including interoperability, functionality, and compliance with industry standards. With a team of skilled engineers and cutting-edge equipment, Allion is ready to support companies in their successful transition to USB Type-C. Additionally, Allion has published a number of technical articles discussing USB Type-C technology and its potential risks. These articles provide valuable insights into the challenges manufacturers may encounter during the transformation process. By highlighting potential pitfalls, Allion aims to guide companies in making informed decisions and implementing effective strategies to mitigate risks. For further information on USB Type-C and other consulting services, please visit https://www.allion.com/test-lab/usb-type-c/

Service Locations Europe (Global): [email protected]

USA: [email protected]

Taiwan: [email protected]

Japan: [email protected]

China: [email protected] About Allion Labs, Inc. Founded in 1991, Allion Labs has accumulated over 30 years of experience in validation. With its headquarters in Taiwan and branches in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China, Allion provides services to clients worldwide. The company offers professional consulting services in research, design, quality, and production, including product ecosystem scenario testing, standard certification, compliance testing, test fixture design, and AI/Automation solutions. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/countdown-to-compliance-allion-labs-addresses-the-eus-usb-type-c-rule-302019670.html SOURCE Allion Labs, Inc.

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[December 19, 2023] ROBLOX SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Roblox Corporation - RBLX Tweet

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until January 26, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Companys shares between March 10, 2021 and February 15, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Get Help Roblox investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-rblx/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Roblox and certain of its executives ae charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.



The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Roblox platform had insufficient content controls and lacked user spending restrictions; (ii) these inadequate controls enabled younger users to play games with inappropriate content and make excessive, unauthorized purchases; (iii) a material portion of the Companys bookings and revenue growth was due to these excessive, unauthorized purchases; (iv) the Companys planned rollout of enhanced parental controls would negatively impact Q4 2021 and 2022 bookings; and (v) based on the foregoing, the Companys bookings and revenue growth were unsustainable throughout the Class Period. The case is DeKalb County Pension Fund v. Roblox Corporation, et al., 23-cv-10347.

About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.



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[December 20, 2023] Huawei and UNESCO Donate ICT Equipment to Ethiopia's MoE Under Open Schools Project Tweet

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 20, 2023 /CNW/ -- UNESCO and Huawei donated ICT equipment to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education last week under the Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project (TeOSS), which the two partners have been running in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana since 2020. As part of the three-year project, which ends this year and is positioned under Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, UNESCO and Huawei provided 480 tablets, 48 access points, and 24 smart boards to 24 beneficiary secondary schools in different regions of Ethiopia. "I extend my gratitude once again to UNESCO and Huawei for their dedication to education and for this significant donation at this very critical time," said Ayelech Eshete, State Minister for the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Referring to the secondary school beneficiaries, she added, "It will enable them to explore diverse educational resources, expand their knowledge beyond textbooks, and connect with a vast global network of information and learning experiences." The equipment will go some way to supporting the project's broader aims of reducing the digital divide and enhancing education inclusion and equity by building the capacity of educators and institutions. We mark a significant milestone in this journey as we witness the delivery of the latest ICT equipment to secondary schools across Ethiopia," said Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director, UNESCO Liaison Office to AU, UNECA, and Representative of Ethiopia.





In Ethiopia, the three-year TeOSS project is focusing on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform. The project broader aims include creating crisis-resilient school systems that ensure learning continuity in both normal and crisis conditions by making education resources available in the home, classroom, and other scenarios.

Since the inception of the project in 2020, project partners have designed and evaluated project outcomes in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana with a view to scaling up the project in Africa. A particular emphasis is reaching schools in low-resource nations, and transforming them into technology-enabled schools that can underpin lifelong learning opportunities for all and education equity and quality for students. The UNESCO and Huawei partnership is underpinned by the continued efforts of the government of Ethiopia to empower its students and citizens to become active participants in the digital world, ensuring that they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. About UNESCO UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build a just, inclusive, peaceful, open, and knowledge-based society. For more information, visit https://www.unesco.org/en/fieldoffice/addisababa. About the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia Ministry of education which its vision is to Sustainably building an education and training system that ensures quality and equitable education for all citizens and that continuously produces a competent and competitive workforce fueling the country's economic development. For more information, visit https://moe.gov.et/ About Huawei TECH4ALL TECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. Enabled by innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL is designed to help promote inclusion and sustainability in the digital world. For more information, please visit Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huawei-and-unesco-donate-ict-equipment-to-ethiopias-moe-under-open-schools-project-302019635.html SOURCE Huawei

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Key Insights

The projected fair value for Mount Gibson Iron is AU$0.60 based on Dividend Discount Model

With AU$0.55 share price, Mount Gibson Iron appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

Does the December share price for Mount Gibson Iron Limited (ASX:MGX) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. 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 Mount Gibson Iron

The Method

We have to calculate the value of Mount Gibson Iron slightly differently to other stocks because it is a metals and mining company. Instead of using free cash flows, which are hard to estimate and often not reported by analysts in this industry, dividends per share (DPS) payments are used. Unless a company pays out the majority of its FCF as a dividend, this method will typically underestimate the value of the stock. The 'Gordon Growth Model' is used, which simply assumes that dividend payments will continue to increase at a sustainable growth rate forever. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a company's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In this case we used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%). The expected dividend per share is then discounted to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.3%. Relative to the current share price of AU$0.6, the company appears about fair value at a 9.0% 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.

Story continues

Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate)

= AU$0.08 / (8.3%  2.1%)

= AU$0.6

ASX:MGX Discounted Cash Flow December 19th 2023

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Mount Gibson Iron as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.247. 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.

Looking Ahead:

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. For Mount Gibson Iron, we've put together three relevant elements you should further examine:

Financial Health: Does MGX 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 MGX's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian 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.
[December 20, 2023] Basilea announces accelerated loan repayment Tweet

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Allschwil, Switzerland, December 20, 2023 Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections, announced today that it will accelerate the repayment of its senior secured loan. The senior secured loan from Athyrium Capital Management, LP (Athyrium) had an initial total amount of CHF 75 million and a two-year term from September 2022 to September 2024. The repayment started as of Q1 2023 on a quarterly basis. Basilea now plans to have the loan fully repaid by the end of Q1 2024. Adesh Kaul, Basileas Chief Financial Officer, said: We are pleased that the successful implementation of our growth strategy in 2023 and our strong financial prospects for 2024 have allowed us to agree with Athyrium on an early repayment of the senior secured loan. The accelerated repayment reduces our interest payments and fees by approximately CHF 1.5 million, freeing up funds for investing into the continued expansion and progression of our pipeline of promising anti-infective drug candidates and creating long-term value for our shareholders. About Basilea Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment f bacterial infections. In addition, we have preclinical and clinical anti-infective assets in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.



Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact: Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil

Hegenheimermattweg 167b

4123 Allschwil

Switzerland Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail [email protected]

[email protected] This ad hoc announcement can be downloaded from www.basilea.com. Attachment Press release (PDF)



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[December 20, 2023]

Xinhua Silk Road: Chinese baijiu maker Wuliangye holds 27th Annual Convention, showcasing its brand achievements

BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed on achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, the 27th Wuliangye 1218 Annual Convention, a traditional ceremony for Wuliangye and its supply chains, was held on Monday in Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The event was held offline for the first time after three years of COVID-19 prevention and control.

A thousand dealers and investors attending the convention all spoke highly of the brand's achievements and hope to seek more cooperation opportunities in the future.

In the first three quartes of this year, the Chinese baijiu maker posted a solid year-on-year revenue growth.







Data showed that the company reaped a revenue of 62.536 billion yuan from January to September this year, surging 12.11 percent year on year.

Its net profit amounted to 22.833 billion yuan during the period, up 14.24 percent year on year.

It is learned that Wuliangye's brand value has exceeded 400 billion yuan by now and its brand strength rating reaches the highest AAA+.

Besides, the company was also listed as one of the 50 most-favored Chinese brands voted by foreigners this year, and meanwhile, it is the only brand on the shortlist of the China Quality Nomination Award in the Chinese baijiu industry.

Wuliangye has made outstanding contributions to the development of Yibin, said Yuan Huabing, executive vice mayor of Yibin, adding that Yibin is now accelerating the construction of a world-class baijiu industry cluster, and the city will continue efforts to help Wuliangye achieve the high-quality development.

Zeng Congqin, chairman of Wuliangye Group, said that Wuliangye will take solid steps to further improve its product quality, brand value, innovation leadership and modern governance in an attempt to quicken the pace to build a high-end Chinese baijiu brand with global influence.

See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/337790.html

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305247/Wuliangye.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xinhua-silk-road-chinese-baijiu-maker-wuliangye-holds-27th-annual-convention-showcasing-its-brand-achievements-302019921.html
[December 20, 2023] Fractal Partners with Coursera to launch Data Science Professional Certificate Tweet

The program is tailored to address skill requirements of aspiring data scientists and prepare learners for a Data Science role in 5 months MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fractal (www.fractal.ai), a global provider of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics solutions to Fortune 500 companies, has partnered with Coursera, one of the world's leading online learning platforms, to introduce a new entry-level Data Science Professional Certificate. This certificate empowers learners to acquire the necessary skills for an entry-level data scientist role. "In this age of AI, half-life of knowledge is shrinking rapidly. The people who will succeed will need to adapt, learn to learn, and be creative problem solvers," said Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder, Group Chief Executive & Vice Chairman, Fractal. "This certificate will help learners master the basics of data science and power enterprise decision-making." "We're excited to leverage Fractal Analytics' data science expertise to launch a new job-relevant certificate and equip learners with the skills needed to break into the field," said Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera. "This partnership emphasizes our commitment to accessible, high-quality education for in-demand digital roles amid the growing need for data-driven decision-making and analytics in nearly every industry. Fractal Analytics will also prioritize the credential when evaluating job candidates, underlining the importance of micro-credentials in the hiring process." The certification program aims to equip aspiring data scientists, regardless of prior experience or skills, with the capabilities needed to thrive in an ever-evolving technological landscape. This eight-course program focuses on problem-solving, teaching learners to analyze and solve complex business problems using Python, SQL, Power BI, machine learning, and compelling storytelling to drive decisionmaking. Learners will engage in critical thinking to gain a deeper understanding of the core principles of data science, moving beyond operational knowledge.



Aligned with Fractal's commitment to promoting education, fostering innovation, and contributing to economic growth, this program underscores the company's dedication to providing high-quality education in data science. To enroll in the Data Science Certificate program, please visit: Data Science Professional Certificate About Fractal

Fractal is one of the most prominent providers of Artificial Intelligence to Fortune 500 companies. Fractal's vision is to power every human decision in the enterprise, and bring AI, engineering, and design to help the world's most admired companies. Fractal's businesses include Crux Intelligence (AI driven business intelligence), Eugenie.ai (AI for sustainability), Asper.ai (AI for revenue growth management), Senseforth.ai (conversational AI for customer service) & Flyfish (generative AI for Sales). Fractal incubated Qure.ai, a leading player in healthcare AI for detecting Tuberculosis and Lung cancer. Fractal currently has 4500+ employees across 16 global locations, including the United States, UK, Ukraine, India, Singapore, and Australia. Fractal has been recognized as 'Great Workplace' and 'India's Best Workplaces for Women' in the top 100 (large) category by The Great Place to Work Institute; featured as a leader in Customer Analytics Service Providers Wave 2023, Computer Vision Consultancies Wave 2020 & Specialized Insights Service Providers Wave 2020 by Forrester Research Inc., a leader in Analytics & AI Services Specialists Peak Matrix 2022 by Everest Group and recognized as an 'Honorable Vendor' in 2022 Magic Quadrant for data & analytics by Gartner Inc. For more information, visit fractal.ai About Coursera: Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with more than 136 million registered learners as of September 30, 2023. Coursera partners with over 300 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor's and master's degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a Delaware public benefit corporation and a B Corp in February 2021. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/fractal-partners-with-coursera-to-launch-data-science-professional-certificate-302018974.html SOURCE Fractal

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[December 20, 2023] Dubai Gallery to Showcase Banksy and Warhol for 10101.art Tokenization Platform Tweet

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 10101.art, a cutting-edge fine art tokenization platform, is collaborating with Monada Art Gallery in Dubai  a step in their ongoing efforts to integrate art and blockchain technology. The gallery is currently preparing for its opening, which will showcase a range of artworks from globally recognized artists such as Banksy and Warhol. 10101.art operates as a platform that facilitates the tokenization of artwork, utilizing blockchain technology for this purpose. It aims to make renowned artworks more accessible by converting physical art into a collection of digital tokens. This process involves a unique legal structure and DeFi protocol to ensure that each digital token confirms legal co-ownership of the physical artwork. The platform is designed to be user-friendly: the process is straightforward and includes only a few steps of connecting the wallet on the 10101.arts wbsite, choosing the desired artwork, and determining the number of pieces to obtain.



Users can effortlessly select and purchase pieces from a range of renowned artists, with the added ability to see their collection evolve as the platform expands its offerings. 10101.art, led by Alina Krot, whose expertise combines traditional banking with an in-depth knowledge of cryptocurrency, has already successfully completed the pre-sale of Banksy's 'Turf War'. Currently, 'Turf War', along with Warhol's 'Campbell's Soup', and pieces from Picasso and Dali, all of which are part of the platforms present collection, are already housed in the Monada Art Gallery in Dubai, soon opening for public viewing.

The Monada Art Gallery in DIFC in partnership with 10101.art serves as the physical showcase for the artworks featured on the platform. The gallery is ready to open its doors to the public, offering a unique opportunity to view the physical counterparts of the paintings tokenized on 10101.art. Curated by an art expert, Tehani Zeramdini, the gallery ensures the conditions for displaying masterpieces previously hidden in private collections. Looking forward, 10101.art is set to expand its impact beyond the current collection. The platform is actively planning to collaborate with more gallery spaces globally, furthering its mission to democratize access to world-class art. This expansion aligns with 10101.arts vision of making masterpieces available to a broader audience, thus enriching the global art landscape. About 10101.art 10101.art is a revolutionary ecosystem at the intersection of DeFi and art. Seamlessly bridging classical art with the digital age, while catering to a global audience of business professionals, enthusiasts, art collectors, and Web3 experts, 10101 offers unparalleled opportunities. 10101 provides the secured ownership of timeless artworks from various countries and centuries. Anchored by blockchain technology, 10101.art is on a mission to fragment art ownership, ensuring accessibility and security for all stakeholders. About Monada Art Monada Art Gallery is on a mission to redefine the art world. In a time when traditional art markets face challenges, Monada Art Gallery is building a bridge between institutional art and the modern world. With a diverse collection spanning European, American, Arabic, and Chinese artworks, the gallery is not only reimagining how art is experienced but also expanding its global presence. Born from the innovative concept of 'Pure Art Gallery' in 2021, Monada Art Gallery is making fine art more accessible, while Dubai's ultra-modern landscape provides the perfect backdrop for this cultural endeavor.

Media Contact: Reannah- [email protected] Luna PR

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[December 20, 2023] Etron@CES 2024: The Future of AI-Powered Intelligence, Autonomy, Connectivity & Confidentiality Tweet

Electronics brand is driving the future across four themes of cutting-edge technologies The 2024 CES Innovation Award-Winning Product DeCloakVision, a trustable multimodal AI privacy-enhanced surveillance system, distinguishes itself in the field of artificial intelligence LAS VEGAS and TAIPEI, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Etron Technology, Inc. (TPEx: 5351), the world's leading IC design company, is announcing its cutting-edge solutions that it will showcase at CES 2024 ? electronics with AI capabilities. With the parallel themes of Intelligence, Autonomy, Connectivity, and Confidentiality, the brand is demonstrating its relentless commitment to developing innovative products that enrich lives while advancing its vision of 'Shaping Tomorrow Today'. To experience Etron's demos and engage with in-house experts, visit CES Booth #15459, Central Hall at the LVCC, during January 9-12, CES 2024 period. DeCloak Intelligences, an Etron company, has been honored with the CES Innovation Awards for two consecutive years. This year's recognition is attributed to its innovative privacy-centric facial recognition and monitoring solution - DeCloakVision. Positioned as a privacy-focused multimodal artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance system, DeCloakVision complies with GDPR regulations, successfully striking a balance between protecting individual privacy and achieving targeted observation and tracking for specific activities. Designed to operate on both cloud and edge computing platforms, it offers flexibility and scalability to meet diverse monitoring needs. The system also employs decentralized AI models, utilizing differential privacy and quantum-safe homomorphic encryption technologies to achieve secure and anonymous tracking without compromising identity or public privacy. The award-winning product, DeCloakVision, will be live demonstrated at the Etron booth. As a pioneer in 3D sensing, eYs3D Microelectronics - an Etron Company, has evolved from focusing on 2D Image Signal Processing (ISP) to 3D Stereo Vision and 3D Sensing Solutions, historically serving numerous large clients in unmanned stores, VR equipment, and robotics with visual chips, 2D/3D sub-system solutions, and 3D Sensing Camera Module. In the coming CES, eYs3D will demonstrate "AI+" concept, integrating AI and other hardware and software accelerators into existing products, facilitating the realization of AI innovations. This includes expanding beyond the existing 2D/3D and stereo vision modules to include AI SoCs and other sub-system designs. Its product line is also extending from 130nm to 12nm, as it continues expanding to deliver more comprehensive solutions. eYs3D is launching a groundbreaking and revolutionary eCV series of chips, including the eCV-5 and eCV-4 system chips, to seize the AI edge computing market. This chip series will also make its debut at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), presenting electronic products with 3D vision at their core for autonomous control in AI development. Introducing diverse 'AI+' solutions, With the successful transformation of these innovative achievements into practical applications, eYs3D further consolidates its leading position in the field of computer vision. These innovations span across various applications, including service robots (delivery/announcement), agricultural robots (harvesting/planting), logistics handling robots, and medical AI/MR endoscopes (minimally invasive surgery/AI diagnosis). The collaboration with customers has enabled the swift deployment of A applications, fostering close partnerships and mutual market expansion. This collaborative effort has facilitated the rapid integration of new AI-winning products into daily life, generating new economic vitality! The 'AI+' subsystem solutions to be showcased at CES.



The globally preeminent E-Marker supplier, eEver (an Etron company), has successfully achieved USB-IF Certification for USB4 Version 2.0 and is in the process of obtaining Intel Certification for Thunderbolt 5. The brand's USB Type-C Cable ID Controller, the EJ903W, is designed to comply with USB-IF's latest USB4 v2.0 Specification, enabling top performance of 80 Gbps across four channels. This controller facilitates bi-directional data transmission over USB Type-C cables and connectors. Furthermore, it is poised to receive certification as a Thunderbolt 5 E-Marker IC, signaling the imminent introduction of next-generation, high-performance electrical cables to the market." Ushering in the era of inclusive application of IntelligenceN, Etron is actively advancing the heterogeneous integration of products in product innovation. While intensifying efforts to engage in the development of innovative technologies and achieve the mass production of advanced products, Etron sets high requirements for product quality and accelerates the development of high-performance, low-power DRAM products. Simultaneously, Etron has initiated the heterogeneous integration of AI, logic IC, and DRAM, and also offers the MemoraiLink one-stop development service. The company will showcase the RPC Subsystem Total Solution and 4Gb DDR3 LRTDRAM (Long Retention Time Dynamic Random-Access Memory) at CES'24. These innovative memory solutions serve as the preferred choice for AI applications, heterogeneous integration packaging, and high-temperature scenarios like automotive applications.

DeCloak is set to once again be a focal point at the world's largest consumer electronics show, CES, in January 2024. Its products have stood out among thousands of global entries, earning both of the CES 2023 and 2024 Innovation Award. DeCloak received the award at CES 2023 for its Obfuscated Image Deep Learning Facial Recognition System - DeCloakFace. In CES 2024, the Trustable Multimodal AI Privacy-Enhanced Surveillance System - DeCloakVision received recognition once again, making it a consecutive two-time winner of the CES Innovation Award. This underscores DeCloak's outstanding strength in the international arena of innovation and research and development. To experience Etron's demos and engage with in-house experts, please schedule an appointment via https://etron.com/elementor-landing-page-16487/ About DeCloak DeCloak's privacy computing solutions can be deployed through either software or hardware. With DeCloak's patented corresponding AI prediction algorithm, all data processed can remain highly analyzable while preserving total privacy. The processed data is transmitted to the background or cloud in a de-identified format, and enterprises can use the AI prediction model to run data analysis and architect big data trends. www.de-cloak.com About eYs3D Microelectronics eYs3D Microelectronics Corp.is a pioneer in 3D sensing technologies, and aims to develop semiconductor oriented technologies and products related to 3D vision-simulating computer vision technologies integrated with computer intelligence. With its strong foundation and experience in memory design and computer vision, as well as close co-operation with its parent company, Etron Technology, Inc., and ARM Holdings Plc., eYs3D strives to develop new technologies to take advantage of computer vision chips and subsystems. It targets blue-ocean markets such as smart products, intelligence of things (IoT), and industrial and consumer level automation, to become a leading brand in the market of computer vision processing. For more information, visit www.eys3d.com About eEver Technology, Inc eEver Technology, Inc. is a leading global USB Type-C solution design and product company, specializing in high speed transfer interface, power delivery, and audio/video streaming as core technologies, and in developing high performance USB-Type-C solutions. Its world-class track record of helping its clients succeed and develop USB Type-C system products enables systems providers to capitalize on this emerging and fast-growing market. www.eevertech.com About Etron Technology, Inc. Etron Technology, Inc. (TPEx: 5351. TW) is a world-class fabless and heterogeneous integration IC design company that specializes in the application-driven buffer memory, known-good die memory (KGDM), and long-retention time DRAM (RPC DRAM), and other artificial intelligence and machine learning-induced DRAM products. Etron also develops system-in-packages, including high-speed transfer interface chips of USB Type-C and 3D depth sensing computer vision and panoramic image capturing chips. www.etron.com For further information, please contact:

Corporate Spokesperson: Ms. Justine Tsai

Corporate Deputy Spokesperson: Mr. Eason Cheng

Tel: +886-3-578-2345 #8670

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/etronces-2024-the-future-of-ai-powered-intelligence-autonomy-connectivity--confidentiality-302020018.html SOURCE Etron Technology

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[December 20, 2023] Darrin Hebert joins Securian Financial as senior vice president and chief information officer Tweet

Securian Financial has hired Darrin Hebert as senior vice president and chief information officer, reporting to Kristi Fox, Securian Financial executive vice president and chief administrative officer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220981359/en/ Darrin Hebert, Securian Financial senior vice president and chief information officer (Photo: Business Wire) Hebert succeeds Pete Berlute, who now leads Securian Financial's Affinity Solutions Division. "Darrin Hebert is a proven leader who will help advance Securian Financial's success. His experience leading technology teams for highly regulated financial services companies while driving continuous improvement makes him the perfect person to be our new CIO. We are excited to welcome him," said Fox. As CIO, Hebert will lead the strategy and direction of Securian Financial's enterprise technology operations, infrastructure, application development and cyber security. He also will serve as a member o the company's Executive Leadership Team, Strategy Council and Risk Council.



Hebert has more than 23 years of technology leadership experience with companies including GE Capital and US Bank. Most recently, he served as CIO for Aon's Commercial Risk & Affinity business, where he led teams to digitally transform the company's Commercial Risk & Affinity platforms. Hebert attended Bemidji State University, the University of Minnesota and the Black Executive Leadership Program at McKinsey & Company. He serves on the boards of directors for Reve Academy and Tradition Capital Bank, and he is a member of the Minneapolis CIO Council.

ABOUT SECURIAN FINANCIAL At Securian Financial, we're here for family. And we're here because of it. We're guided by our purpose of helping customers build secure tomorrows. Since 1880, we've been building a uniquely diversified company that has outlasted economic ups and downs while staying true to our customers. We provide insurance and retirement solutions that give families the confidence to focus on what's truly valuable: banking memories with those who matter most. For more information about Securian Financial, visit securian.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Securian Financial is the marketing name for Securian Financial Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Insurance products are issued by its subsidiary insurance companies, including Minnesota Life Insurance Company and Securian Life Insurance Company, a New York authorized insurer. DOFU 12-2023

3287331 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220981359/en/

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[December 20, 2023] Canada announces $1.68-billion investment in technology network for Canadian Army Tweet

NEPEAN, ON, Dec. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - In the current global environment, Canada needs a modern, adaptable army that can meet security challenges of today and tomorrow. We are making the necessary investments to provide Canadian Army members with the tools that they need to do their jobs, while ensuring that these investments create jobs and growth for Canadians. Today, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, announced a major investment in the Canadian Army. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. The ministers announced that the Government of Canada has awarded 4 contracts, with a combined estimated value of $1.68 billion (including taxes), to General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada. The contracts will provide support for the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (LC4ISR) system. The Canadian Army requires modern LC4ISR technology to enable commanders to make real-time operational decisions, both at home and abroad. LC4ISR is a fully integrated tactical network composed of computers, sensors, telecommunications equipment, hardware, firmware, and software elements that provides commanders with the information and information services required to make effective and timely Command and Control decisions about their operations and missions. This technology enables the Canadian Army to: plan and direct operations

manage operational information

achieve situational awareness

exchange information In particular, the LC4ISR capability enables communication, networking and combat information management for subsystems that are part of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) vehicles, platform-based weapon systems and individual integrated soldier system equipment. This capability will help ensure that the CAF can continue to defend Canada and North America, while contributing to the security of Canada's allies and to allied coalitions' operations abroad. The 4 contracts awarded are: System of Systems Engineering and Integration Sustainment Services Contract

Core Network Sustainment Services Contract

Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Sustainment Services Contract

Applications Sustainment Services Contract Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy applies to the LC4ISR project, which will ensure that General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada will proide meaningful business activities and targeted investments to support the Canadian defence sector.



Together, these contracts have the potential to create and maintain nearly 2,400 highly skilled jobs annually in Ottawa, in Calgary and across the country, and to contribute close to $260 million annually to gross domestic product, further contributing to the growth and competitiveness of Canada's defence industry. Quotes

"Members of the Canadian Armed Forces carry out important missions on behalf of all Canadians and require the latest technologies to better understand their operating environment and to detect incoming threats. These contracts are another example of how our government is supporting the operations of the Canadian Armed Forces, while bringing highly skilled jobs and fostering economic benefits to Canadians." The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos

Minister of Public Services and Procurement "This year, we have made tangible progress on several major procurements for the Canadian Armed Forces, from the procurement of over 100 new aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force, to new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships being delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy. As we wrap up 2023, this announcement is good news for the Canadian Army and is another milestone in our work to modernize and recapitalize Canada's military." The Honourable Bill Blair

Minister of National Defence "Our government will ensure that Canadians across the country will directly benefit from this procurement. It will not only create highly skilled jobs, but also further contribute to the growth and competitiveness of Canada's defence industry as General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada makes strategic investments to support the sector." The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry "This investment represents hundreds of new jobs and will boost the local economy, while also improving the capabilities of the Canadian Army. This is good news for members of the Armed Forces, and for skilled workers in KanataCarleton and across the region." The Honourable Jenna Sudds

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Member of Parliament for KanataCarleton "Canada is making significant strides to modernize our Armed Forces, and provide our troops with the tools that they need to do their jobs. Today's announcement is great news for the Canadian Army, which will benefit from a reliable LC4ISR capability for the next decade and a half thanks to this contract. This is also great news for the defence industry in Ottawa and across Canada  as this investment will support thousands of jobs." Marie-France Lalonde

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence "The investments we are making in advanced technologies, like LC4ISR technology, which is a fully integrated tactical network composed of computers, sensors, telecommunications equipment, hardware, firmware, and software elements, not only modernize our armed forces and help them defend both here at home and abroad, but they also contribute to economic development. Investments in advanced technologies like these, in all sectors, are key for keeping Canada at the front in a growing global knowledge-based economy, and they also create and maintain high-quality advanced technology jobs." Chandra Arya

Member of Parliament for Nepean "Even the best trained and best equipped soldiers cannot win if the decision-action cycle is too slow. These long-term in-service support contracts are a key step in digitizing our Command and Control processes. These contracts will increase our lethality by giving us the ability to act quickly and win alongside our rapidly digitizing NATO partners." Lieutenant-General J.J.M.J. Paul

Commander, Canadian Army Quick facts

The CAF's LC4ISR capability will provide a consolidated, secure network of tactical communications systems through which the data needed to plan, direct and control tactical land operations is communicated, stored, processed and displayed.

All 4 contracts were awarded following 4 separate competitive, open, fair and transparent procurement processes. They are: System of Systems Engineering and Integration Sustainment Services Contract for an estimated total of $713,383,196 (including taxes) Core Network Sustainment Services Contract for an estimated total of $455,390,269 (including taxes) Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Sustainment Services Contract for an estimated total of $210,044,296 (including taxes) Applications Sustainment Services Contract for an estimated total of $300,639,941 (including taxes)

SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

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[December 20, 2023] DATAMARK Selected by State of Missouri to Provide Statewide Access to DATAMARK VEP Tweet

$1.2M contract to utilize only cloud-native solution built for public safety GIS PITTSBURGH, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DATAMARK , the public safety geographic information systems (GIS) team of Michael Baker International , announced today that the Missouri 911 Service Board has selected cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) solution, DATAMARK VEP, for statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) GIS data management. Under the three-year, $1.2M contract, local data contributors will upload, validate, and resolve anomalies within their GIS data in alignment with Missouri's NG9-1-1 GIS Standards and Best Practices and National Emergency Number Association (NENA) standards for NG9-1-1. This project is funded by the Missouri American Rescue Plan Act 2021, as allocated by Governor Mike Parson and the Missouri General Assembly, "DATAMARK's proposed NG9-1-1 GIS data management solution and approach for provisioning Missouri's Next Generation Core Services (NGCS) demonstrates the team's understanding of Missouri's current 911 landscape, which includes multiple Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) and NGCS providers managed by local 911 entities," said Brian Maydwell, Executive Director Missouri 911 Service Board. "The Missouri 911 Service Board is confident that DATAMARK's proposed solution and approach will contribute to the success of our NG9-1-1 GIS initiative. We would like to thank Governor Parson, the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Department of Public Safety, and the Missouri GIS Advisory Council (MGISAC) - who all provided critical insigt and leadership to bring about this collaboration."



Missouri joins the states of Alabama and Idaho in selecting DATAMARK for NG9-1-1 GIS solutions in 2023. DATAMARK VEP is the only cloud-native solution built for public safety GIS. The software solution provides a highly configurable, user-friendly interface to perform location data validations, make edits and implement quality control in alignment with NENA NG9-1-1 data standards and GIS industry best practices. DATAMARK VEP will be used to collect data from the 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis, as well as municipal GIS data providers and neighboring 9-1-1 authorities, ensuring seamless and accurate data across borders. "At DATAMARK, we are passionate about partnering with our community to help save seconds when they matter most," said Robert Murphy, Interim National Director at DATAMARK. "By using DATAMARK VEP to support NG9-1-1 GIS data readiness and aggregation across the state of Missouri, we will be able to improve GIS data quality to support public safety and achieve NG9-1-1 benefits. Our entire team looks forward to the partnership with the Missouri 911 Service Board and to equipping its team with the most accurate GIS data possible."

About DATAMARK

As trusted advisors in public safety, DATAMARK brings comprehensive, real-world expertise in police, fire, EMS and 9-1-1 leadership roles to Next Generation 9-1-1 transitions. The DATAMARK team leads the industry by shaping rules and legislation, and by building a suite of products and services that ensure accurate emergency response location data in life-critical situations. DATAMARK empowers its team and stakeholder partners to foster trusted relationships and cultivate data integrity for informed decision making. DATAMARK, the public safety GIS team of Michael Baker International, has decades of proven experience in mission-critical government addressing projects. The team works with clients to solve their complex needs, from data quality checks and addressing to workflow analysis and more. Learn more about the company at www.datamarkgis.com and follow DATAMARK on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook . About Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services spanning five distinct Verticals: Infrastructure, Design-Build Services, Federal Programs and Services, Consulting and Technology Solutions (CTS) and Sustainable and Resilient Solutions (SRS). The firm's Practices encompass all facets of infrastructure, including design and civil engineering for diverse bridge, highway, water, rail and transit and aviation projects, as well as planning, architecture, environmental and construction and program management. For more than 80 years, the company has been a trusted partner to clients, providing comprehensive services and solutions, delivering expertise and quality, and embracing emerging technologies and the latest innovations  like intelligent transportation, engineered models, and public safety software as a service (SaaS). The firm's 3,900 employees across more than 85 office locations are committed to Making a Difference for clients and communities through a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement while reimagining Michael Baker to become a full-service engineering and consulting firm over the next five years. To learn more, visit https://mbakerintl.com/ . Contact: Julia Covelli

[email protected]

(866) 293-4609 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datamark-selected-by-state-of-missouri-to-provide-statewide-access-to-datamark-vep-302020121.html SOURCE DATAMARK

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[December 20, 2023] General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada Awarded four Land C4ISR Contracts for the Canadian Army valued at up to CA$1.7 Billion Tweet

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada announced today that it was awarded four contracts cumulatively valued at up to CA$1.68 billion (US$1.3 billion) by the Government of Canada to support the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system for the Canadian Army.



The four contracts for the Land Command Support System (LCSS) are: System of Systems Engineering & Integration; Core Network Sustainment Services; Applications Sustainment Services; and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).

"General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada has been supporting the Canadian Armed Forces for over 75 years with superb engineering and technical talent that enables us to innovate and excel alongside our industry and government colleagues," said Joel Houde, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada. "We are prepared to meet the challenges of the modern battlespace and will continue the digitization of the Canadian Armed Forces today and into the future." General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated $39.4 billion in revenue in 2022. More information about General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada is available at www.gdmissionsystems.ca. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.gd.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/general-dynamics-mission-systemscanada-awarded-four-land-c4isr-contracts-for-the-canadian-army-valued-at-up-to-ca1-7-billion-302020229.html SOURCE General Dynamics

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[December 20, 2023] Tuskegee University team is 2023 recipient of $100,000 IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics Tweet

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center have selected a group of researchers and educators at Tuskegee University as this year's recipient of the IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics. The group includes the head of the university's physics department Akshaya Kumar; Dimitar Dimitrov, a fellow physicist and committed student mentor; Fan Wu, who facilitates cutting-edge computational tools for this research group's students; and S. Keith Hargrove, a scientist, industry-alliance expert, and the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220166840/en/ The team at Tuskegee University (left to right): Dimitar Dimitrov, Fan Wu, S. Keith Hargrove, and Akshaya Kumar. (Photo: Business Wire) The $100,000 annual award, presented jointly by SPIE and the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center, supports and promotes research and education in quantum optics and photonics within IBM-HBCU Quantum Center member institutions, which currently includes 27 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The IBM-SPIE joint annual aard is expected to provide a shared total of $500,000 by 2025. The first two named faculty-award recipients were Renu Tripathi, a professor of physics and engineering at Delaware State University, and Wesley Sims, an assistant professor of physics at Morehouse College.



The Tuskegee University group will put the award toward "Exploring the Optical Properties of Rare Earth-Doped Glasses and Photonic Crystals," a project that will explore and utilize the importance of rare-earth ions doped in glasses which have a significant impact on quantum optics, photonics, and quantum-state storage. One application in particular involves the integration of solid-state laser materials, crucial for transmitting quantum information via light. As a core element of the student research training objective, the project will educate the students in glassmaking, impart optical measurement skills, and lead them through both theoretical and experimental approaches for photonic-crystal development. As well as its quantum-focused research goals, the Tuskegee University project includes a dedicated focus of preparing and empowering the group's students for utilizing quantum optics and photonics research. "SPIE is proud to collaborate with the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center in supporting quantum research programs at HBCUs," said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. "Quantum science is having an increasingly large impact on society, and a diverse population of skilled and knowledgeable students is critical to further developing and building this area of science and technology. We are excited to support the Tuskegee University group in their efforts, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the results of this particular project."

"I think this award continues to be one of the best ways to stimulate interest and new opportunities in quantum computing, not only at Tuskegee University, but at all the institutions that serve traditionally underrepresented students and faculty," said Global Lead, Ecosystem Growth at IBM Quantum Dr. Kayla Lee. "I'm looking forward to seeing how Tuskegee University continues to push boundaries and create additional opportunities for their students and community." "Our team is very grateful to receive the IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics," said Dr. Kumar. "We are excited to be introducing Tuskegee University students to the frontier area of quantum optics and photonics research. This grant will be particularly helpful to the university's faculty and students researching glass materials doped with rare earth ions and photonic crystals for quantum upconversion, quantum cutting, and light quantum control applications. At the same time, a tandem approach for understanding the photonic crystals via theoretical simulation and experimental research is planned by university researchers." For more on the IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics - including the next award cycle - please visit our dedicated webpage. About SPIE SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $22 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220166840/en/

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(Bloomberg) -- The head of private equity investments for the largest public pension fund in the US is joining the Texas Municipal Retirement System as chief investment officer.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Yup Kim will start his new job on Jan. 15, replacing Dave Hunter, who announced his retirement in November, according to a statement Tuesday.

The incoming CIO worked with a team of 30 investment professionals at California Public Employees Retirement System to manage almost $60 billion of global private equity assets, according to the statement. Calpers said Anton Orlich, its managing investment director for private equity, will continue to oversee the group.

Kims departure follows the resignation of Calpers CIO Nicole Musicco in September. The pension fund is known for being tough to manage, and it has cycled through a series of investment chiefs. The fund, with $462.8 billion of assets at midyear, is still looking for a replacement for Musicco.

Prior to joining Calpers in 2020, Kim was a senior portfolio manager at Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.

He is one of the most respected public pension plan investors in the country, TMRS Executive Director David Wescoe said in the statement.

TMRS, which provides retirement benefits for more than 930 cities, had $37.4 billion of assets under management and a one-year return of 8.17% as of June 30, pension documents show. It was 89.7% funded at the end of last year, according to its annual report.

(Updates with Orlichs role in third paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) ("Fulton") today announced that Angela Snyder has been named President of Fulton and Fulton Bank, N.A. ("Fulton Bank") and a director of Fulton Bank, effective January 1, 2024.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220349752/en/

Angela Snyder, President and Chief Banking Officer, Fulton Financial Corporation and Fulton Bank, N.A. (Photo: Business Wire)

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"Angela is an incredible asset to our organization," said Fulton Chairman and CEO Curt Myers. "She has helped shape our culture with her positive attitude and energy. Her deep knowledge of our business and our customers make her the ideal person to help lead a significant part of our company moving forward."

As President, Snyder will lead Fulton's efforts to optimize costs and grow organically while overseeing all lines of business.

Snyder has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and has served as Chief Banking Officer since 2022. She joined Fulton in 2002 as President of Woodstown National Bank and then served as Chairwoman, President and CEO of Fulton Bank of New Jersey until 2019, when it was consolidated into Fulton Bank.

About Fulton Financial Corporation

Fulton Financial Corporation, a $27 billion Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based financial holding company, has approximately 3,300 employees and operates more than 200 financial centers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A.

Additional information on Fulton Financial Corporation and Fulton Bank is available at fultonbank.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220349752/en/
[December 20, 2023]

Major Milestones Achieved Through the ISS National Lab in 2023

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As 2023 comes to a close, the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory wraps up a banner year supporting research and technology development (R&D) in low Earth orbit (LEO). The ISS National Lab and NASA work in unison to utilize the orbiting outpost to its fullest capacity, and the achievements from this year demonstrate the increasing demand for access to space for R&D among researchers from diverse fields. Below highlights some of the many exciting ISS National Lab activities and successes from this past year.

Record Number of Payloads Flown

In fiscal year 2023, more than 110 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads were delivered to the orbiting laboratorythe most ever in a single year. These include physical and life sciences experiments, technology demonstrations, investigations to advance in-orbit production applications, and even student-led projectsall aimed at benefiting humanity and establishing a robust LEO economy. Large commercial companies, innovative startups, leading academic and research institutions, and U.S. government agencies are all leveraging the ISS National Lab to advance their research goals and objectives. This diversity showcases the growing interest from a myriad of sectors and industries that see the value in conducting space-based R&D.

Diverse R&D on Station

A wide range of research and technology development was conducted through the ISS National Lab this year. The first human meniscus (knee cartilage) was successfully bioprinted in orbit using the upgraded BioFabrication Facility, opening the door to improved treatments for a torn meniscus, one of the most common orthopedic injuries. Additionally, major pharmaceutical companies like Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly & Company continued R&D on the orbiting laboratory to improve drug discovery and development for patients on Earth. Multiple projects leveraged external facilities on station to put materials and components to the ultimate durability test by exposing them to extreme temperature variations, ultrahigh vacuum, atomic oxygen, and high-energy radiation. Students also had the opportunity to design and conduct research on the space station. As a high school student, Pristine Onuoha launched an investigation through the Genes in Space program, an annual student research competition founded by Boeing and miniPCR bio. Her project tested a new method for measuring DNA length in space, providing a valuable new capability for a wide range of research that could help improve our understanding of aging, cancer development, and how the body heals itself.

Supporting Innovative Startups

Over the years, the ISS National Lab has supported dozens of startup companies that leverage the orbiting laboratory to advance their R&D objectives. This year, multiple startups launched investigations to station. For example, LambdaVision continued research to produce an artificial retina to restore vision in those blinded by degenerative eye disease. Axonis advanced neurological disease modeling that could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. MakerHealth optimized a modular biochemical manufacturing platform that could significantly reduce the cost of drug manufacturing. And RevBio continued research to advance its proprietary, patented bone adhesive that helps bones heal faster. Conducting R&D through the ISS National Lab also leads to successful capital raising, and this year, the total funding raised postflight by startups completing flight projects was more than $230 million.

More Astronauts Equals More R&D

Through NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), multiple missions brought astronauts to the space station during 2023. With additional astronauts on station this year, more time was allocated to support critical R&D. Axiom Space also continued to push boundaries with its second private astronaut mission, which carried both astronauts and ISS National Lab-sponsored research to the orbiting laboratory.

New Research Facilities

To continue expanding the research capabilities available to investigators, the ISS National Lab works with Commercial Service Providers that own and operate more than two dozen commercial facilities on station. This year, BioServe Space Technologies validated a new facility, the BioServe Centrifuge, that can be used to separate substances of different densitiesan important capability for many research areas. Recently, Redwire Corporation launched its new Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory that allows researchers to crystallize small organic molecules in microgravity. Redwire is partnering with Eli Lilly & Company to test the facility through a series of experiments aimed at improving the drug discovery and development process. Once validated, the facility will provide valuable capabilities for pharmaceutical companies and researchers to grow crystals for protein-based pharmaceuticals.

Research Announcements Open the Door for Future Investigators

The ISS National Lab put forth a variety of research announcements within the areas of technology development, in-space production applications in biomanufacturing and advanced materials, and education and workforce development. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) also continued to fund annual solicitations to support fundamental science in tissue engineering and the physical sciences area of transport phenomena. Additionally, the ISS National Lab and NASA are collaborating in a first-of-its-kind solicitation, Igniting Innovation: Science in Space to Cure Disease on Earth, focused on space-based research to address the goals of the President's Cancer Moonshot initiative. Through these respective funding opportunities, multiple projects fly to station each year, paving the way for discoveries that benefit humanity.

Compelling Science Advances Knowledge

The ISS National Lab enables groundbreaking R&D not possible on Earth, advancing knowledge and laying the foundation for future applications to build on. This year, nearly 40 peer-reviewed publications related to ISS National Lab-sponsored research were published. Many ISS National Lab research successes have been highlighted in Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, which serves to communicate valuable results to the scientific community.

Engaging the Public

The 12th annual ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) took place this year in Seattle, bringing together nearly 900 attendees and serving as the showcase event for all things space station and the growing LEO economy. Along with this conference, the ISS National Lab and NASA partnered on a variety of events to educate and engage the research community and general public. From conferences like ASCEND, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Space Economy Summit, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual conference, and the 38th Space Symposium to a variety of education and outreach events to inspire the next generation.

To learn more about how to join the expanding ISS National Lab research community, visit the Current Opportunities page on our website.

To view a video highlighting the research initiatives mentioned in this release, click here.

About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.

International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory Managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) 6905 N. Wickham Rd., Suite 500, Melbourne, FL 32940  321.253.5101  www.ISSNationalLab.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/major-milestones-achieved-through-the-iss-national-lab-in-2023-302020473.html

SOURCE International Space Station National Lab
Tonight's legal debate regarding the fate of the nation incites many informed & uninformed opinions.

Here are the basics . . .

The ruling will be placed on hold until January 4, pending Trumps appeal to the US Supreme Court, which could settle the matter for the nation . . .

President Trump did not merely incite the insurrection, the majority wrote in its unsigned opinion. Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President (Mike) Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes. These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection.



We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection, the opinion adds. President Trumps direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary.



In addition, the court rejected Trumps free speech claims, writing: President Trumps speech on January 6 was not protected by the First Amendment.



Ratified after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says officials who take an oath to support the Constitution are banned from future office if they engaged in insurrection. But the wording is vague, it doesnt explicitly mention the presidency, and has only been applied twice since 1919.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Right now hottie producer, actress & influencer Angela inspires our latest peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Early Burning Sensation

KCFD fights an apartment and house fire overnight Kansas City Firefighters responded to an apartment and house fire less than an hour apart early Wednesday morning.

Today's Redemption Song

'I come to work happy': Man shares how Shelter KC, donations turned his life around Christmas at the Crossroads allows people to receive donations, food and company. One man discusses how his life was changed through the kindness of Shelter KC.

Flyover Country Costs Tumble

Wichita, Kansas is the most affordable U.S. city for single renters, according to new report Wichita, Kansas, ranked as the most affordable city with a median studio rent of $565 per month.

Everything About STL Is Awful

After Police Cruiser Crashes Into Missouri Bar, Bar Co-Owner Is Arrested Chad Morris, co-owner of Bar:PM is facing assault charges, but his husband claims officers 'jumped' him

Cheapskate Update

A look at the Royals' payroll picture in 2024 and beyond What does all this spending mean for the future?

Angela Shares Backstory

I'm the Woman From the Viral Crying P*rn Scene "It wasn't just my best porn scene. It was one of the greatest sexual moments of my life."

New Boss Puts Prez On Notice

Xi warned Biden during summit that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with China Chinese President Xi Jinping's Taiwan warning to President Joe Biden got the attention of U.S. officials because it was delivered at a meeting intended to reduce tensions.

MAGA Reading List Debated

Trump says he's never read 'Mein Kampf' as he doubles down on anti-immigrant rhetoric | CNN Politics Donald Trump said Tuesday at a rally in Waterloo, Iowa, that undocumented migrants are "destroying the blood of our country" - the latest anti-immigrant comments from the former president in the sprint to the Iowa caucuses - and pushed back on recent criticism that his rhetoric has echoed Adolf Hitler, telling a crowd in Iowa that he's never read "Mein Kampf."

Republicans Stand With MAGA

GOP rallies around Trump after Colorado ballot ruling Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel blasted the ruling as "election interference" in a post on X, writing that the party's legal team "looks forward to helping fight for a victory."

Eastern Europe Retro

Ukraine Is Rearming For 2024-With New Brigades And Very Old Tanks A video that the Ukrainian defense ministry posted on Dec. 12 hints that the new 154th Brigade is getting ex-Russian T-62 tanks.

Holy Land Latest

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, hostage negotiations, Gaza humanitarian crisis The UN Security Council will vote Wednesday on a Gaza resolution, according to sources. Meanwhile, Israel has proposed a weeklong pause in fighting to Hamas in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, according to a CNN analyst. Follow live updates.

Mexican Christmas Massacre

At least 12 killed in mass shooting at Christmas party in Mexico: "When they were asked who they were, they started shooting" The victims were young people participating in a religious gathering to celebrate aspects of the story of Christmas, a foundation said.

American Standstill

Pandemic of inactivity the next crisis facing United States, study warns "The findings of the current investigation indicate a crisis within a crisis with respect to a physical inactivity pandemic in the U.S.," researchers explain.

Actress Offers Coupling Advice

Cameron Diaz says married couples having 'separate bedrooms, houses' should be 'normalized' "The Holiday" actress has given her hot take on marriage, saying it should be "normalized" for married couples to not only have separate bedrooms, but separate houses.

Cowtown Java Restart

KC Coffee Shop Announces Closing, But There Might Be Hope After suddenly announcing their closing on Instagram, Vested Coffee says there's hope to keep their Beacon Hill location open.

Today's Warmup Forecast

Spring-like temperatures continue, rain expected later this week March-like temperatures continue today through Christmas Day. There are numerous chances of rain beginning Thursday stretching through next Tuesday.

Jengi - Bel Mercy is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
As we noted this morning there are political consequences to this Jackson County Property Tax Assessment hot mess . . . However . . . The legal battle offers far more complicated challenges to denizens of the discourse.

Here's the main dilemma:

WILL KANSAS CITY PROGRESSIVES SUPPORT LEGAL ACTION AGAINST JACKSON COUNTY AMID OBVIOUS PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT INCOMPETENCE OR BACK THE COURTHOUSE ALONG PARTISAN LINES?!?

Be careful with your answer . . .

What's at stake here is nothing more or less than the future of Jackson County.

If progressives & moderate Democratic Party denizens portray this as a politically motivated legal challenge than they're basically begging for more taxes and condemning so many locals to government enforced & mandated poverty.

Meanwhile . . .

If this lawsuit garners even a modicum of traction without much local political outcry . . . Then the incompetence of the current regime at the courthouse is obvious to most reasonable people and the vast majority of voters.

Preview . . . Our TKC blog community is already waiting for the newspaper to call this effort "racist" even if this legal action might benefit a great many locals on the low-end of the income spectrum.

For now, we check the basics and some of the best reporting on the topic today:



Attorney General Andrew Bailey said he filed the suit, along with the State Tax Commission, against the county "for its failure to follow the law in assessing and levying taxes."



The news comes one day after the Missouri state auditor released initial findings from an audit on the county's property assessment process. Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said the county was not compliant with state law.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri AG suing Jackson County over property assessments Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced Tuesday he is suing Jackson County for what he alleges are illegal property assessments.

Attorney general's lawsuit against Jackson County seeks to void assessment increases above 15 percent Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit against Jackson County Tax Assessor Gail McCann Beatty and the county's vendor Tyler Technologies.

Missouri Attorney General sues Jackson County over 'illegal' property assessments The lawsuit from Republican Andrew Bailley alleges that Jackson County's assessment process was unlawful and filled with systemic failures, "from failing to provide proper notice and inspections under the law, to coercing property owners to drop their appeals."

Vast majority of Jackson County property assessments likely invalid, state auditor charges; cap being sought (The Center Square) - Republican Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick on Monday said 200,000 homeowners in Jackson County "were victims of a flawed and inadequate assessment process." An audit ...

Missouri AG, State Tax Commission sue Jackson County over assessment process Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and the State Tax Commission announced Tuesday they plan to file a lawsuit against Jackson County for its 2023 property assessment process.

Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against Jackson County over property tax assessment process Monday the State Auditor released findings saying the county assessment department did not follow state law in the valuation process.

How to pay your Jackson County property taxes under protest Attorney Sherry DeJanes says paying your property taxes under protest simply means you're paying your taxes, but you're protesting the amount that you owe.

Developing . . .
Prog blog polling informs us that small biz & consumers need help from Topeka . . . Take a peek:



The Kansas Chambers poll revealed more than half of the 2023 participants  51%  believed state personal income tax rates should be cut and 74% were persuaded that tax cuts would produce trickle-down influences beneficial to the Kansas economy. Among the business insiders surveyed, interest in tax reform dwarfed consternation with energy and health care costs or expansion of government. The survey had a margin of error of 5.6%.



When it comes to the profitability of a business, we found tax sensitivity is really trending up, with 70% now saying they pay too much in taxes  a 10% increase from last years poll, said Pat McFerron, president of the Oklahoma polling firm Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Here is your morning roundup on transit, weather and road closures in Toronto.

Top stories from our newsroom

Free outdoor skating returns to Downsview Airport in January

'Very dangerous': Ontario Poison Centre issues warning on Christmas holiday hazards for young children

'PRECIOUS MOMENTS': Most popular baby names in Ontario revealed by Premier Doug Ford government

Weather

Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness early in the afternoon. High 3 C. Wind chill -7 C in the morning. More information is available here.

School bus delays and cancellations

Click here for information on school bus cancellations and delays.

TTC

Line 3 is permanently closed in Scarborough. Express buses are running between Kennedy and Scarborough Centre stations. Visit the TTC webpage for latest updates on subway, streetcar and bus service delays.

GO Transit

Click here to get information on GO service delays.

Road closures and traffic

For live highway traffic updates, click here.

Here's what the ministry is reporting for planned road closures this morning:

Highway 401 westbound on-ramp at Kennedy Road -Scarborough, Toronto: all lanes closed until Dec. 22 at 5 a.m.

Highway 401 westbound transfer at Warden Ave, Toronto: all lanes closed until Dec. 31 at 5 a.m.

 Highway 401 westbound on-ramp at Kennedy Road -Scarborough, Toronto: all lanes closed until Dec. 22 at 6 a.m.

 Highway 401 westbound on-ramp at Kennedy Road -Scarborough, Toronto: all lanes closed until Dec. 22 at 6 a.m.

 Highway 401 eastbound between Highway 427 and Highway 427, Toronto: two alternating lanes closed until Jan. 6, 2024 at 6 a.m.

Gas prices

Click here to see the lowest gas prices across the Toronto area from gasbuddy.com.
Dr. Paul Caulford thought the small group of medical volunteers who opened a church-basement clinic for uninsured patients in Scarborough were only dealing with a temporary problem.

We thought after one year wed be out of work, the co-founder and medical director of the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care (CCRIHC) said in a recent interview.

Instead, he said, the clinic, now housed in a Sheppard Avenue church manse, is going into its 25th year at a time when refugees are dying on Torontos streets and the number of people in the city without medical insurance is growing.

We currently have 13,000 active (patient) files, compared with just under 6,000 at the outset of the pandemic," Caulford said.

But new provincial funding and a $1.1-million investment from Northpine  the foundation that has lately lent support to Scarborough Health Network, the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre and other non-profits in Scarborough  will help.

Northpines investment could also get some of the estimated 70,000 Scarborough residents who live without medical coverage the legal status they have lacked in Canada.

A million of them are already here. Why are we not lifting them up and letting them work? asks Caulford, who often has been critical of Canadas response to refugee claimants and people who, for whatever reason, are not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

Theyre all in essence some kind of refugee, he argued, whether they came here to escape poverty, war, climate change or gender politics; often, they do dangerous or dirty work under the table, but when injured or ill, they cant stay in a hospital.

Many are in limbo between status and non-status, and even in the sanctuary city Toronto claims to be, they arent safe from arrest and deportation, said Caulford.

At times, over its long history, the clinic has struggled to stay open.

Before meeting a visiting reporter, Caulford talks to nurse Lorelei Munoz on her second day of training at the clinic. In the Philippines, she joined missions to remote areas; in Toronto, she administered COVID vaccines for the city.

For me, its rewarding to serve the people, Munoz said.

Caulford also sat with a 93-year-old woman who has no status in Canada. The woman told him she had two heart attacks during the summer and now has pains Caulford thought might be gallbladder related.

The Northpine investment will be spread over five years, and Caulford sees in it a chance to change the circumstances of some of his clinic patients.

In addition to stabilizing the health problems of the uninsured and connecting them to primary care in the community, Caulford, 74, hopes to start a community agency to develop job and resume-writing skills and give patients (and others) information on how to gain legal status.

The CCRIHC, which cares for more than 1,000 people living in city shelters, is also pushing for more transitional housing for migrants and refugees.

Caulford said hes met people at a North York hotel shelter who've been there for over a year because no affordable housing can be found.

What is needed now are partner investors  matching donations from other foundations and corporations, including the Scarborough factories and construction firms who regularly employ people without status, he said.

What are you doing to fight the fight? Caulford asked.
Its no secret that Canadas largest city and many of its residents are struggling. If there is one thing Toronto and Queens Park can agree on, its that Ottawa needs to step up.

Toronto is one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the economic engine of Canada, yet in the past year alone weve seen food bank usage double. On any given night, there are over 10,000 people without housing. With winter setting in, this will no doubt result in the death of some of our most vulnerable residents.

Our community partners and member agencies in the charitable sector are struggling to respond to growing hunger and poverty in our city, but where is the federal government?

Toronto contributes 21 per cent towards Canadas GDP (and 53 per cent of Ontarios GDP), yet makes up only 0.3 per cent of the federal budget and 1.3 per cent of Ontarios budget. The federal and provincial government have been underfunding cities, and Toronto in particular, for far too long.

Recently, Premier Doug Ford has stepped up and signed a New Deal for Toronto with Mayor Olivia Chow  one that will have a significantly positive impact on Toronto. Conditions apply, of course, and the City of Toronto will still need an additional $600 to $700 million to fill in their revenue gap. The province has stipulated that matching funds are needed from the federal government.

Queens Park will provide $200 million per year, for the next three years, for shelter operations and homelessness  but only if Ottawa steps up and provides additional funding to support refugees and asylum seekers.

The Province also commits to providing $758 million for a one-third share of the cost for 55 new subway trains for the Bloor-Danforth subway line if the federal and municipal governments provide matching funding.

So far, there is radio silence from the federal government.

In addition to the matching funds for shelter costs, we are waiting to see what the feds will do to further address Torontos homelessness epidemic. A growing number of those unhoused and seeking shelter every day are refugee claimants and asylum seekers. It's a federal government responsibility to support the successful settlement and integration of newcomers.

Another opportunity is the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB), an important program that provides monthly financial assistance directly to eligible households so people can stay housed or move out of homelessness.

The program is so needed that the City of Toronto exhausted its annual allotment by May 2023. The Province and the City contributed an additional 13.4 million, which helped about 1,350 more people find housing. Ottawa normally covers two-thirds of the total cost, but they have not contributed any additional funds despite the fact that 70 per cent of applicants are now refugees.

Will the federal government show up for Torontonians? Will Toronto MPs voice the needs of its residents to keep our basic infrastructure, services and supports up and running?

Toronto and Queens Park have laid the path forward. It is time for Ottawa to pay their fair share for Toronto, particularly for public transit, shelters and housing benefits that are so critical to addressing growing poverty.
Jenna Holt tosses her long, red hair out of her face, rolls up the sleeves of her green blazer, grabs a clothing steamer and gets to working away wrinkles from dozens of pants, shirts and jackets.

She's in the basement of a warehouse in Ypsilanti that houses the offices and boutique for Dress For Success, a nonprofit that helps women achieve economic independence by providing support, professional attire and training to succeed. Holt knows the place well, she's been there rolling up her sleeves to do the work for years now. She heads to a back breakroom where a poster of 2019 Miss USA Cheslie Kryst hangs on the wall.

"She was so pretty," Holt tells the Detroit Free Press. Kryst died by suicide in January 2022. "She was a huge advocate for Dress for Success and thats how I first heard about it. I thought, 'Wow! Heres an organization that aligns with everything an empowered woman stands for and I need to be a part of that.' 

Standing next to a poster of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst at Dress for Success in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager, talks about how Kryst's work on behalf of Dress for Success inspired her to volunteer at the organization's chapter in North Carolina.

By day, Holt, who lives in Davison, works at General Motors in Warren on Chevrolet's sales operations team where she writes the nationwide incentive programs used to help sell Chevrolet vehicles. But she spends her downtime working on her car so she can race it and competing in beauty pageants. This spring, Holt will compete for the second time in the Miss Michigan USA pageant.

"I am going into the spring with a lot of hope and with a plan because I really do want to hold the title," Holt says. "I want to represent Miss Michigan USA and make a difference across the state with Dress for Success and the other volunteer work that Im apart of and advocate for women and women empowerment.

'Community over competition'

If she does win, it will be "a Cinderella story" of sorts, she said. Holt wasnt supposed to compete this year. She turned the ripe old age of 28 and would have been over the pageant's age limit. But in September the pageant decided to open it up to all women over 18, according to www.themissusa.com. The organization has even removed restrictions on contestants being married, divorced or pregnant, it said.

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Its incredibly inclusive," Holt said. "My personal brand is choosing community over competition. I truly believe that when women succeed, we all succeed. So I love standing on stage with my fellow women and seeing them all succeed no matter what their background is or what their personal life holds."

Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager who volunteers at Dress for Success Michigan, talks to Cathleen Taylor, CEO of Dress for Success Michigan, while wiping down shoes at the warehouse in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

When Holt does compete, Cathleen Taylor will be cheering her on.

"You know it. You know it," Taylor, CEO of Dress for Success, said.

Holt and Taylor met for the first time last year. Holt has been working with Dress for Success since 2018 in the other states she's lived in as she relocated for different jobs at GM. Taylor said Holt is a role model for the women who pass through there.

"Sometimes you don't even get a chance to meet women like that and to see the journey she's been on," Taylor said. "Some women here have heard about Jenna and some have had the opportunity to meet her. It's what she's done for herself. How she's moved up the career ladder. Her own empowerment speaks to everything."

A self-proclaimed gearhead

For all her glamour, Holt said she's a gearhead at heart.

"I drive a 2007 Cadillac STS-V Supercharger. It has just under 500 hp," Holt said. "I love driving fast. I love the power under the hood. I take my car to the race track on the west side of the state."

Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager, in front of her 2007 Cadillac CTS at Dress for Success in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

The fastest shes gone in her car at the track was about 100 mph. I get such a rush, theres few things that give you the same feeling, but competing in pageantry and driving my car on a race track give me the same adrenaline and pure joy," Holt said.

Holt doesn't just drive her car, she changes her own wheel bearings and worked on her air intake thanks to her dad who taught her how to tinker under the hood, she said. Holt's dad was an engineer at GM for 33 years. Holt joined GM in the fall of 2018, her dad retired six months later. Her brother also works at GM in engineering specifications.

When it came time for college, Holt knew she wanted to be in the auto industry. She chose Northwood University in Midland because it specializes in automotive marketing and management. In 2017, she earned a bachelor's degree in that field and completed an MBA from Northwood in 2020.

Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager who volunteers at Dress for Success Michigan, uses a steamer to get wrinkles out of clothes at the warehouse in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

While in college, she completed internships at two Chevrolet dealerships in Michigan. The firsthand experience of seeing how cars are sold and serviced has been pivotal to her understanding of the car business and contributes to "the value that I bring to Chevrolet," Holt said.

Her first job at GM was as a district sales manager. She excelled because the dealers respected that she'd been on a sales floor and knew how the retail end works, she said. She joined the Chevrolet sales operations team in her current role in April 2022.

'A heart hobby'

Forget toddlers and tiaras. Holt didn't get the itch to compete in pageants until 2015 while she was in college. It happened after watching two of her best friends compete for Miss Michigan.

I remember sitting and supporting them from the audience and thinking, 'Wow! Those are my best friends and Im so proud. I should be up there with them, " Holt said. "Thats what sparked it for me. I wanted to give it a try.

Jenna Holt during the evening gown portion of competition for Miss Michigan USA 2023 in Port Huron, MI in June 2023.

Since her first state-qualifying pageant in 2016, Holt has participated in pageants across the country as she moved around with Chevrolet. Below are the pageants and how she placed:

Miss Michigan USA 2023: She finished in the top 16.

Miss Indiana USA 2022: She finished in the top five as "second runner-up."

Miss California for Miss America 2021: She was given the Social Impact Initiative Award.

Miss Michigan for Miss America 2018: She finished in the top 10.

This spring will be her second time competing for Miss Michigan USA. In the competition last June, she landed in the top 16 out of more than 70 contestants. For the Miss USA pageants she doesn't need a talent, but for Miss America she sang and played the trumpet, "Not at the same time," she says, jokingly. To prepare for a pageant, Holt pays attention to her physical, emotional and spiritual health, she said.

It is not something you just wake up and show up for," Holt said. "Your intention needs to be set to be prepared for it. It has been what I poured my heart into. Its my heart hobby.

Hey, Mary Barra, how about that leather jacket?

The pageants and her work at GM give Holt a platform to promote her other passion: Dress For Success.

"Because of pageantry and leading up to (a pageant), I get to use my voice to benefit Dress for Success," Holt said. "At GM, I am one of the 24% of the automotive industry that are women, so its an easy way to make our voices heard and be able to use the platform in pageantry to share that story and share that success. All those things go hand-in-hand for me.

Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager who volunteers at Dress for Success Michigan, wipes clean handbags at the organization's boutique room in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

Shes helped raise $3,500 for Dress for Success since 2018. Of that, Chevrolet donated $1,000 on Holt's behalf last year. And, she's held Dress Drives, getting over 1,000 pieces of donated clothing for Dress For Success across Michigan, California and Indiana. Her most recent drive was this past spring at GM where colleagues donated about 550 items.

GM CEO Mary Barra at the Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles on May 2, 2022, in her signature style of black leather blazer and stilettos.

"We give people an opportunity to have the best so having these really nice items, that were well cared for, are designer and up-to-date ... people come in here and feel like they hit the lottery," said Dress for Success' Taylor of the GM clothing donations.

There is one GM employee whom Holt has sized up as a "goal." That would be GM CEO Mary Barra who is known for her fashion sense. Fortune magazine did a 2019 article on "How leather jackets became the new power blazer" and credited Barra for introducing the look, wearing it to shareholder meetings, media interviews and a host of other events.

Jenna Holt, Chevrolet assistant retail planning manager who volunteers at Dress for Success Michigan wipes clean a pair of shoes at the warehouse in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

In an interview with the Detroit Free Press last year, Barra said she tries to take most Saturdays off to recharge, and her favorite way to do that is with "retail therapy" at Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue department stores. Her daughter is her stylist, Barra said at the time.

"She's our goal. We'd love to get her as a keynote speaker," at one of the nonprofit's workshops or training sessions, Holt said. "The black leather jacket is iconic, if we could get that, that's her signature."

So how 'bout it, Mary?

More: She was asked to engineer Silverado EV and answered with 2 words

More: GM CEO Barra discusses what she sees as GM's 'game changer' and her future at GM

Contact Jamie L. LaReau at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chevrolet marketing employee Jenna Holt may be next Miss Michigan USA
In 2024, the Mediterranean shines as a top pick for travelers looking for a memorable trip. This region, rich in ancient history, beautiful landscapes, and diverse cultures, offers something for every kind of traveler. As trends in travel change, the Mediterranean keeps drawing people with different interests, from those who love history to those who enjoy relaxing by the sea.

The area is filled with famous landmarks and stunning natural scenes, like the ancient ruins in Greece, the lively markets in Morocco, and the clear blue waters along Croatia's coast. Every place here has its mix of history, culture, and beauty.

But there's more to the Mediterranean than just its sights. The region is also known for its delicious food and friendly people. You can enjoy fresh seafood in the coastal towns or try tasty, rich dishes in the cities further inland. The food here is a big reason to visit.

Santorini, Greece

First on our list is the breathtaking island of Santorini in Greece. Known for its iconic white buildings with blue domes set against the deep blue of the Aegean Sea, Santorini is a dream destination for many.

Why visit Santorini? The island offers spectacular views, especially during sunset in Oia, a chance to explore ancient ruins and taste exquisite Greek cuisine. The best time to visit Santorini is between late April and early November when the weather is warm and sunny. In terms of cultural highlights, do not miss out on the local wineries, which produce some unique volcanic wines, and be sure to try dishes like moussaka and fresh seafood.

Barcelona, Spain

Next, consider Barcelona, a city that combines urban excitement with Mediterranean charm. Barcelona stands out for its unique architecture, particularly the works of Antoni Gaudi, such as the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

The city is also famous for its lively beach scene and vibrant nightlife. The ideal time to visit Barcelona is from May to June when the weather is pleasant, and the tourist crowds are manageable. Barcelona's cultural highlights include its world-renowned cuisine - think paella and tapas - and its passionate flamenco performances.

Read Also: Dreaming of a White Christmas in Europe? Find Your Perfect Snowy Destination

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, known as the 'Pearl of the Adriatic,' is a must-visit destination for its well-preserved medieval architecture and stunning coastal views. This Croatian city is perfect for history lovers and fans of "Game of Thrones," which filmed several scenes here.

The best time to visit Dubrovnik is between September and October when the summer crowds have thinned, and the weather is still warm. Cultural highlights in Dubrovnik include walking along the ancient city walls, exploring the old town, and enjoying Croatian specialties like black risotto and seafood.

The Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast in Italy is another top Mediterranean destination with its dramatic coastline and picturesque towns. This region is renowned for its breathtaking beauty, luxurious resorts, and exquisite Italian cuisine.

The best period to visit is from April to June when the weather is mild and the flowers bloom. While on the Amalfi Coast, do not miss the chance to visit the colorful towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, each offering unique experiences, from beach relaxation to exploring historical sites.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul - a city that straddles two continents - uniquely blends European and Asian cultures. Istanbul's rich history is evident in its architecture, including the magnificent Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The city's bustling bazaars, such as the Grand Bazaar, offer a lively shopping experience.

The best time to visit Istanbul is spring (April to May) or fall (September to November) when the weather is moderate. Cultural experiences in Istanbul are diverse, from tasting Turkish delights and kebabs to experiencing a traditional Turkish bath.

Related Article: Find Out 2024's 5 Safe and Exciting Solo Travel Destinations in Asia
Planning a week in Palm Beach, Florida, opens up a world of opportunities for adventure and relaxation. This sunny coastal town in Florida offers a range of activities, from relaxing on beautiful beaches to exploring rich cultural sites. This guide is your essential tool to explore the best of Palm Beach, ensuring a trip filled with varied and exciting experiences.

Your days in Palm Beach can be filled with different adventures. Whether you love soaking up the sun on the beach, exploring history, or seeking peace and quiet, Palm Beach has something for everyone. The town combines natural beauty, historical sites, and modern amenities, making it a perfect destination for any vacation.

Start your days on the famous beaches of Palm Beach, then explore museums, galleries, and historical sites. These places show the town's rich history and artistic culture. As evening comes, Palm Beach changes, offering lively nightlife and peaceful spots for relaxing.

Day 1: Beach and Ocean Adventures

When you arrive in Palm Beach, Florida, your first day should be all about embracing the sun, sand, and sea. The coastline here boasts some of the most stunning beaches in the state. Begin your morning with a leisurely stroll along the shoreline, feeling the warm sand beneath your feet.

As the day progresses, consider trying out some water activities. Palm Beach offers a variety of options, like surfing and paddle boarding. These activities are thrilling and a great way to connect with the vibrant marine life of Florida. For beginners, numerous local schools offer short surfing and paddle boarding courses.

Day 2: Cultural and Historical Tours

Your second day in Palm Beach, Florida, can be dedicated to exploring its rich cultural and historical heritage. Start by visiting some local museums. The Flagler Museum, for instance, is a must-visit. This museum, housed in a stunning Beaux-Arts mansion, offers a glimpse into the luxurious life of the railroad tycoon Henry Flagler.

After absorbing some history, head downtown to explore the art galleries. Palm Beach's diverse and vibrant art scene showcases contemporary to classical art. This cultural immersion provides a deeper understanding of the area's heritage and artistic leanings.

Read Also: Know Your Florida Driving Rules

Day 3: Nature and Wildlife Exploration

Palm Beach, Florida, is not just about beaches and culture but also a haven for nature lovers. On your third day, venture into the natural reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. The McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary offers guided tours where you can see and learn about local wildlife.

These tours are educational and exhilarating, providing close encounters with native species. For bird enthusiasts, the Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a paradise, home to many bird species. Remember to bring your camera to capture the stunning landscapes and wildlife of Palm Beach.

Day 4: Shopping and Dining Experience

On your fourth day, indulge in some shopping and dining. Palm Beach, Florida, is known for its upscale shopping destinations. Worth Avenue, for instance, is lined with various shops offering everything from high-end fashion to unique souvenirs.

After a day of shopping, treat yourself to the local cuisine. Palm Beach has various dining options, from cozy cafes to fine-dining restaurants. Seafood, being a local specialty, is something you should definitely try. The fresh catch and local flavors offer a culinary experience like no other.

Day 5: Sunset Cruises and Nightlife

Consider taking a sunset cruise as the sun sets on your fifth day in Palm Beach, Florida. These cruises offer a unique perspective of the city from the water, accompanied by the beautiful hues of the setting sun.

Post-cruise, explore Palm Beach's vibrant nightlife. The city has various options, from lively bars to elegant lounges. Each venue offers a different experience, but all share the warm and welcoming atmosphere of Palm Beach.

Day 6: Spa and Wellness Retreats

Day six is perfect for relaxation and rejuvenation. Palm Beach, Florida, has several top-rated spas and wellness centers. These spas offer a range of treatments, from massages to holistic therapies, all designed to relax and rejuvenate your body and mind.

Spending a day at one of these spas is the perfect way to unwind after your adventures.

Day 7: Culinary and Wine Tasting Adventures

Dive into the culinary and wine scene on your final day in Palm Beach, Florida. The city has numerous culinary tours and wine-tasting events that provide an insight into local food and wine culture.

These experiences are about tasting and learning the stories behind the food and wine, offering a perfect end to your week in Palm Beach.

Related Article: Tips for Planning the Ultimate Holiday to Florida
(Bloomberg) -- Chinas central government is borrowing more to help diffuse a $9.3 trillion time bomb in hidden local debt. The resulting shift in fiscal power has its own risk: demotivating regional officials.

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Beijings rare decision to issue 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) of central debt, and transfer the funds to local governments, was hailed in October as a relief for struggling provinces.

That move came as China clips the borrowing ability of local authorities, including by banning the creation of the financing vehicles that allowed off-balance debt to spiral.

Some analysts see that strategy as the beginning of a revamp of the inter-government debt structure. The overall result could diminish the fiscal discretion of local leaders and weaken their drive to enact new policies.

Long-term dependence on the central government will stifle local governments aspiration to develop the local economy and society in innovative ways, said Le Xia, chief Asia economist at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA. Thatll do no good to the prosperity of the economy.

Bureaucratic inaction would make it harder for President Xi Jinping to achieve his goal of growing China into a medium-developed country by 2035. Some economists estimate that requires the economy to expand 4.7% on average each year until then  an ambitious target.

Protracted Struggle

The balance of fiscal power has oscillated between the central and local governments for decades. In the mid-1990s, then-Vice Premier Zhu Rongji reined in provinces ample taxation powers  which had earlier been given as an incentive to develop their economies  in a bid to replenish central coffers.

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After the global financial crisis hit in 2008, Beijing was forced to pivot, calling on regional officials to fund a massive stimulus program reliant on infrastructure investment. That led to a big increase in off-balance sheet debt by the companies that borrow on behalf of provinces and cities to finance such campaigns.

That growth model has become unsustainable: Local governments can no longer depend on land sales to service their debts  both official and hidden  as the nations property market crisis deepens. LGFVs in some regions have teetered on the verge of default in recent years.

Swinging the pendulum back in the central governments favor, however, risks stripping agency from local officials who know their economies best. A tendency to do less to avoid making mistakes is already an issue in Chinas vast bureaucracy as Xis anti-corruption campaign rolls on.

Last year, then-Premier Li Keqiang warned annual growth risked slipping out of a reasonable range if officials didnt take decisive actions to fix Covid Zero-related problems, such as supply chain blockages.

A county in Lishui city in east China gave three government agencies a Lying Flat Award at an official gathering last year, shaming them for administrative inaction, local media reported. Inner Mongolias agriculture and husbandry department is handing out Snail Awards to officials who flunk performance reviews.

Support Needed

Beijings pledge to unleash more sovereign bonds to fund disaster relief  in effect, an infrastructure spending program  indicated the governments efforts to create more sustainable sources of local income may have stalled.

A national property tax could replace land sales as a major source of local revenue. But that levy is deeply unpopular with the nations powerful middle class, and weak consumer demand dragging on growth makes it unlikely such a policy will be implemented anytime soon.

Discussions on revamping consumption taxes to allow provinces to take a share have also resulted in little change.

Reforms to increase the main types of taxes for local governments have hit snags, said Jia Kang, a former head of a research institute under the Ministry of Finance. Its currently impossible for the local tax regime to provide a stable source of income for regions to sort out their problems.

Top leaders at a major annual economic conference last week called for reform of the fiscal and tax system, without elaborating. That statement stoked expectations Beijing could be mulling plans to restructure the central-local relationship.

A key part of the new round of fiscal system reform could be for the central government to bear a larger share of the budget deficit, as well as more spending responsibilities, said Jacqueline Rong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas SA.

China may need to set its budget deficit at a level above 3% of gross domestic product next year, the state-run Securities Times reported Thursday, citing economists. The central government may need to take on more of the borrowing, the report said, adding that the quota for local governments to issue debt through special bonds may remain unchanged from 2023 at 3.8 trillion yuan.

Beijings increased sway could help it drive through big reforms, previously held back by regional resistance. Bringing provincial pension systems into a national pool, for example, would serve Xis common prosperity push to narrow the wealth gap.

The central government can use transfer payments to address uneven developments and fiscal power among regions, said Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered Plc.

Beijing could also push regional leaders to solve problems such as weak consumer spending at their own expense.

While local governments face enormous cash flow pressures, they still hold assets worth as much as 20% to 30% of Chinas GDP, according to Michael Pettis, a finance professor at Peking University.

Transferring some of those funds to households, such as by using land to build low-cost housing rather than selling to the highest bidder, would be the least painful way to boost consumption and rebalance the economy, he said.

But these transfers will be politically contentious, he said. In the next few years, we can expect a conflict between Beijing and local governments over who will absorb the costs.

(Updates with state media report on 2024 deficit forecasts.)

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(Bloomberg) -- Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co. achieved a technological breakthrough in chipmaking gear, a major state-backed shareholder declared, suggesting the US-blacklisted firm has made advances in Chinas fight to overcome US chip sanctions.

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Known as SMEE, the company developed a lithography machine that can be used to make 28-nanometer chips, Zhangjiang Group said in a post on WeChat on Tuesday. Zhangjiang is the parent of listed Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Development Co., which is SMEEs fourth largest shareholder, according to data provider Tianyancha.

Zhangjiang stock surged as much as 8%, before the state-backed firm later amended that post to remove references to 28nm. Instead, the post now reads simply that SMEE is committed to building advanced lithography machines.

The Biden administration is leading a multilateral campaign to undermine Chinas efforts to become self-sufficient in semiconductors and chipmaking tech, including lithography. SMEE is regarded by experts as Chinas best hope to contend with ASML Holding NV, which has a monopoly on the cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography systems required to make advanced semiconductors.

The US Department of Commerce blacklisted SMEE late last year after American officials ramped up efforts to thwart Beijings attempt to build a world-class chip industry. ASML has not been able to provide China with its EUV machines as Dutch officials would not give the company licenses to do so, under pressure from the US. A SMEE representative who answered a call to its general number on Wednesday said the company has no additional information to offer.

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While 28nm chips first became available in 2011, SMEEs latest achievement means China may have reduced the gap with the fields leader by several years. Previously, Chinas own lithography technology had lagged the Dutch companys by about 20 years. Though more mature, 28nm chips are also still essential for a plethora of products including smartphones and electric vehicles.

US and European officials have also become increasingly concerned about Chinas accelerated push into the production of older-generation semiconductors and are debating new strategies to contain the countrys expansion.

--With assistance from Jing Jin.

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On Friday the Caribbean Football Union will stage the 2024 Next Gen Referees Course for Regi
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Salary Slip Portal Register | Salary Slip Login 2023/2024. Jinsi Ya Kupata Salary Slip, Salary slip online form, Download Salary Slip Tanzania. Salary slip also known as a pay slip is provided to employees to record their monthly pay and allowances. "For simplification it is better to install the Salary Calculator to keep your salary record."

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The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has updated the resolution condemning Russias grave human rights violations in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The UN General Assembly has endorsed the updated resolution condemning Russias grave human rights violations in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, the report states.

On the social media platform X, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised the updated UNGA resolution condemning Russias grave human rights violations, notably urging it to cease forcible deportations and ensure a safe return of all Ukrainian children and civilian hostages.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy emphasized that the above are some of the most heinous crimes, and they must be stopped.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry
On December 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received another batch of military aid from Lithuania, consisting of field equipment and several tens of thousands of dry food rations.

The press service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported this, according to Ukrinform.

"We continue to make every effort to facilitate Ukraine's difficult struggle against the brutal aggressor. Various field equipment is crucial in the winter. Each package of our assistance is a step towards victory," said Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas.

In addition to ongoing assistance with weapons, Lithuania actively trains, treats and rehabilitates wounded Ukrainian soldiers, provides expert advice and makes financial contributions to international funds for Ukraine.

Read also: Lithuania sends new batch of military aid to Ukraine

As reported by Ukrinform, last week Lithuania also sent several million rounds of cartridges and ammunition for short-range portable anti-tank mortars to Ukraine.

Lithuania has also approved a long-term support plan that includes a new aid package of 200 million euros for 2024-2026.
The U.S. Treasury Department has announced additional steps to limit Russia's oil revenues and to prevent illegal schemes to circumvent price caps imposed on Russia in this area.

This is stated in the official report of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department, Ukrinform reports.

Today, OFAC continued to tighten restrictions on Russian oil prices, building on previous actions against shipowners and vessels involved in the transportation of Russian crude oil above the price cap, the statement said.

The United States government announced sanctions against SUN Ship Management D Ltd, a company headquartered in the UAE and owned by the Russian government. Other oil traders under the restrictions include Hong Kong-based Bellatrix Energy Limited and Covart Energy Limited, and UAE-based Voliton DMCC.

In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department, in coordination with the Price Cap Coalition, updated the Guidance on Implementation of the Price Cap Policy for Crude Oil and Petroleum Products of Russian Federation Origin.

As Ukrinform reported, the G7 countries, the European Union, and Australia agreed to ban imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products at a price higher than $60 per barrel. Most of the world's companies providing financial, insurance, and professional services related to oil transportation are based in these countries.
FILE PHOTO: The Citigroup Inc logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto

(Reuters) - U.S. lender Citigroup is closing its global distressed-debt business as part of CEO Jane Fraser's overhaul, CNBC reported on Wednesday citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Citigroup is undergoing a sweeping reorganization - including leadership changes and job cuts - in its biggest overhaul in almost two decades, as Fraser aims to take more control of key businesses to simplify the bank's structure.

The business unit, which trades bonds and other securities of companies that are in or approaching bankruptcy, employs about 40 people, the report added.

Citigroup did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company last week said it would close its municipal underwriting and market-making activities and unwind the unit in the first quarter, saying the economics of the business were "no longer viable" given Citigroup's goal to boost overall returns.

(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat and Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
King Salman Energy Park (Spark), the leading industrial ecosystem, has announced lease agreements with two new tenants and the start of construction work across key projects at Spark, with a total investment value of SAR250 million ($66.5 million) for key existing tenants.

These developments mark a significant milestone for Spark as it drives localization of key products and services within the energy value chain.

The new lease agreements, totaling over SAR30 million, represent significant investments in driving sustainable industrial growth in the Kingdom.

Abdulaziz & Brothers Safety Manufacturer (A&BC Reliable Protection), which produces high-quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will set up their first facility at Spark for the industrial and construction sectors.

Meanwhile, Enjaz Al-Mustaqbal Industrial Company (Future Achievements) plans to establish a new manufacturing facility to support heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sector localization efforts.

BAAS Gulf Industrial Company, a subsidiary of the National Metal Manufacturing and Casting Company (MAADANIYAH), is set to expand its operations by Q4 2024 by manufacturing industrial valves and technical after-sales services.

Global technology software and engineering powerhouse, Emerson, has also begun construction of its advanced technology operations in Spark, which are expected to be operational in Q4 2024.

Spark continues to play a pivotal role in cementing Saudi Arabia's position as a global energy, industrial, and technology hub in line with Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 objectives to increase local manufacturing capacities.

The ongoing development of these projects underscores Sparks progress and commitment to advancing localization efforts in Saudi Arabia.

President and CEO Saif Al Qahtani said: "Spark is proud of the substantial progress we are making towards creating an integrated, world-class ecosystem in the heart of the energy market. Our recent strides, including welcoming new tenants and initiating construction on key projects, drive our ambitions forward."

"As we anticipate forging new alliances, together with our partners, we take pride in fostering sustainable growth and innovation in the Kingdom and beyond," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Just three days after Xfinity disclosed that 36 million of its users personal information was exposed in a data breach, Fort Lauderdale-based Citrix Systems Inc. is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing the firm of failing to prevent the breach.

The extent of the breach was disclosed on Monday in a notice to the Maine Attorney General by Comcast Cable Communications, which does business as Xfinity.

That day, Comcast released a notice to customers disclosing that unauthorized access to its internal systems had occurred between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19. Following a review, Comcast concluded on Dec. 6 that the breach exposed customer information such as usernames and passwords that the company had disguised for security purposes.

Hackers also stole some users names, contact information, last four digits of Social Security numbers, dates of birth and/or secret questions and answers, Comcast said.

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Customers logging onto their Xfinity accounts have been required to change their passwords to protect their accounts. They also are urged to set up two-factor, or multi-factor, authentication and to change passwords for other accounts that share the same username and password or security question.

By Wednesday, Citrix  which services Xfinitys website  was named as defendant in a proposed class-action lawsuit about the breach.

A Citrix spokesman, reached by email, said the company is aware of the lawsuit but said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Comcast, which was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for information about the breach.

The suit accuses Citrix of failing to protect highly sensitive information in their custody that it knew and understood is valuable and highly sought after by criminal parties who seek to illegally monetize it by posting it for sale on the dark web.

Story continues

The suit states that Citrix on Oct. 10 announced the vulnerability of a software product used by Xfinity and thousands of other companies known as Citrix Bleed.

Citrix said it released a patch to fix the vulnerability at that time and issued additional mitigation guidance on Oct. 23, the lawsuit claims.

While Comcast said it promptly patched and mitigated its systems, it said it later discovered that prior to the repair operation, between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19, there was unauthorized access to some of (its) internal systems that (it) concluded was a result of this vulnerability, according to the lawsuit.

In a notification to the Office of the Maine Attorney General on Monday, Comcast revealed that the personal identifiable information of 35,879,455 individuals was believed to have been exposed in the breach.

The lawsuit names Jacksonville resident Francis Kirkpatrick as lead plaintiff. It was filed by the Fort Lauderdale law firm Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert and the Tampa-based law firm The Consumer Protection Firm PLLC.

It says that Kirkpatrick has experienced suspicious spam after the breach that he believes to be an attempt to secure additional personal information.

The suit claims that class members have suffered from invasion of their privacy, lost or diminished value of their personal identifiable information, lost time and opportunity costs associated with attempting to mitigate consequences of the breach, and the continued and certainly increased risk to their information.

It seeks unspecified compensatory and consequential damages from Citrix.

The website ClassAction.org, which describes itself as a group of online professionals with relationships with class action and mass tort attorneys, on Tuesday posted notice of an investigation that it said could lead to a class action lawsuit against Comcast. A news release on Tuesday by New Jersey-based Console & Associates, P.C. urges victims to contact the law firm.

According to GovTech.com, a website that serves the government technology industry, hackers have been exploiting Citrix Bleed vulnerabilities since August. Hackers can exploit the vulnerability within Citrix NetScaler web application delivery control (ADC) and NetScaler Gateway appliances, the site reported.

The vulnerability enables hackers to bypass password requirements and multifactor authentication to hijack legitimate user sessions, according to an advisory released on Nov. 21 by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Through the takeover of legitimate user sessions, malicious actors acquire elevated permissions to harvest credentials, move laterally, and access data and resources, the advisory states.

Citrix Bleed has been linked to ransomware and malware attacks on several companies, including Toyota and Boeing, several tech sites reported.

For Comcast, news of the breach comes a year after a different breach left an unknown number of customers unable to access their accounts. When they regained access, they discovered their accounts had been taken over by hackers who were able to bypass two-factor authentication and change their passwords, then used their information to gain access to other accounts, the website SecurityBoulevard.com reported.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.
In a disconcerting turn of events, a Palestinian law student at the University of Toledo finds herself in the midst of a series of unsettling incidents after openly expressing support for Palestine. The keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf worn as a symbol of solidarity, unwittingly becomes a focal point, leading to unexpected consequences.

Disturbing Note Amplifies Campus Tensions

The situation escalates as the student discovers a threatening note on her car windshield on November 29. The chilling message, "keep wearing those d--- scarves all of you," marks the thid in a series of targeted actions. Previous incidents include the forceful removal of a Palestinian flag from her car off-campus and the erasure of supportive messages in front of the UToledo Law Center, as reported by 13 Action News.

READ ALSO: Michigan Tech Professor Under Fire For Allegedly Calling Students "Idiots"

Advocacy in Action

Undeterred by the threats, the student proactively reports the incidents to university administration. In a statement directed at university officials, she underscores the need to raise awareness about the challenges faced by students expressing their identities and beliefs. "I'm bringing this to your attention so that you guys are aware of what your students could potentially be facing, and you guys can be there for them," she asserts.

Investigation Launched with Assurance of Safety

Dean Cindy Kirby, the assistant dean for student affairs at UToledo's College of Law, swiftly files a report with the UToledo police, instigating an official investigation. The university, through a public statement, reiterates its commitment to providing a safe and inclusive campus environment. Urging all members of the university community to report concerns, they assure thorough investigations.

A Plea for Proactive Security Measures

Despite the university's assurances, the student remains uneasy about the unsettling nature of the incidents. She emphasizes the perpetrator's apparent familiarity with her identity, car, and routine, prompting a plea for additional proactive measures to ensure the safety of students expressing their beliefs.

Involving Local Law Enforcement

In response to the escalating situation, the student prepares to file a police report with the Toledo Police Department. Recognizing the gravity of the issue, she seeks documentation to establish a comprehensive record of the incidents, underscoring the need for a broader community response to combat discrimination.

Unyielding Palestinian Student Stands Firm for Palestine

Despite the threats and harassment, the Palestinian student remains unwavering in her support for Palestine. Exhibiting resilience, she declares, "It has not deterred me one bit." Her steadfast commitment underscores the importance of fostering an inclusive campus environment that embraces diversity and protects students' rights to express their identities and opinions without fear of reprisal.

A Shared Responsibility for Campus Harmony

This distressing episode serves as a poignant reminder of the imperative for increased awareness, education, and unity on college campuses. Universities must take proactive measures to create an environment where students feel safe expressing their cultural and political affiliations. The incident at the University of Toledo underscores the challenges faced by those who courageously stand up for their beliefs and emphasizes the collective responsibility of the university community to ensure a secure and inclusive space for all.







RELATED ARTICLE: Edelson PC Law Firm Takes Stand Against Harvard Law's Antisemitism Response, Halts On-Campus Recruiting
In a striking move, Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas is at the forefront of a legislative effort aiming to cut federal funding for colleges and universities that enforce mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements. His proposed bill signifies a challenge to what he perceives as an imposition of ideological conformity within educational institutions, sparking a broader debate on the role of DEI initiatives in higher education.

Challenging Ideological Mandates

At the core of Crenshaw's proposed legislation is a staunch opposition to the imposition of ideological mandates on students, staff, and applicants. The bill explicitly seeks to prohibit higher education institutions from compelling individuals to "endorse an ideology that promotes the differential treatment of an individual or group of individuals based on race, color, or ethnicity." Additionally, the legislative text asserts limitations on requiring statements about an individual's race, ethnicity, or identity, restricting such inquiries to basic demographic information.

Crenshaw's bill takes a firm stance against compelling individuals to express specific views or experiences related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with concepts such as social justice, antiracism, and intersectionality. This perspective aligns with his belief that such ideological enforcement contributes to a toxic campus culture that divides individuals into categories of oppressors and oppressed.

READ ALSO: US Survey Reveals Trust Deficit In Higher Education Leaders

Leveraging Funding to Drive Change

A pivotal aspect of Crenshaw's bill is its strategic use of funds under the Higher Education Act to induce compliance among educational institutions. By tying federal funding to adherence to the proposed legislation, the bill aims to reshape the landscape of DEI mandates on college campuses, providing an alternative narrative to what Crenshaw views as a stifling environment.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Crenshaw emphasized the moral concerns within higher education, stating, "We can see the utter moral bankruptcy in higher education with the spread of antisemitism on college campuses." This remark underscores the broader debate on the consequences of DEI initiatives and their impact on fostering a healthy academic environment.

A Response to State-Level Initiatives

Crenshaw's federal initiative comes on the heels of state-level actions against DEI programs. In Texas, a new law set to take effect in January 2024 will mandate public colleges to dismantle any existing DEI offices, training programs, and requirements. Governor Greg Abbott signed this legislation into law in June, reflecting a growing sentiment against what some perceive as forced ideological conformity within the state's educational institutions.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt further contributed to this movement by signing an executive order last week, effectively banning the use of state funding, property, or resources for DEI initiatives at public colleges in the state. These state-level actions indicate a broader trend of resistance against DEI programs across the nation.

Protecting Admissions and Employment Practices

Beyond challenging the imposition of DEI statements, Crenshaw's bill seeks to safeguard the admissions and employment practices of colleges and universities. The proposed legislation explicitly aims to prevent educational institutions from utilizing DEI statements as a standard for acceptance or employment. This provision addresses concerns about potential discrimination based on ideological alignment during the admissions and hiring processes.

National Landscape of DEI Legislation

As of July 2023, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 40 bills have been introduced in 22 states across the country, all aimed at restricting DEI initiatives. This indicates a significant and widespread legislative response to what some critics argue is an overreach of DEI programs within educational institutions.

This legislative activity reflects an ongoing nationwide conversation about the appropriate role of DEI initiatives in higher education. Supporters argue that these programs contribute to a more inclusive and equitable academic environment, fostering diversity and understanding. On the other hand, critics, including Representative Crenshaw, contend that mandatory DEI statements stifle free expression, contribute to ideological division, and may even lead to discriminatory practices.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw's proposed legislation represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over DEI initiatives on college campuses. As state and federal lawmakers grapple with the balance between promoting inclusivity and protecting individual freedoms, the trajectory of higher education policies in the United States appears to be at a crossroads. The proposed bill, if enacted, could reshape the landscape of DEI mandates and redefine the boundaries of ideological conformity within the educational sphere. As the nation watches this legislative landscape unfold, the conversation on DEI in higher education is likely to intensify, bringing to light questions of free expression, diversity, and the fundamental values underpinning our educational institutions.

RELATED ARTICLE: Oklahoma Governor Signs Order Banning Diversity Programs At Public Colleges And Universities
In a recent turn of events, Drexel University finds itself under investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for alleged discrimination on campus.

This investigation, conducted under Title VI, comes amid a series of similar inquiries into schools within the region, raising concerns about the prevalence of discriminatory practices in educational institutions.

The Nature of the Investigation

The probe, initiated on Tuesday, is centered around potential instances of antisemitic or Islamophobic activities on the Drexel University campus. Title VI, a federal law, explicitly prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. The seriousness of the allegations highlights the need for a thorough examination to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the university community.

READ ALSO: NCAA Mental Health Survey Shows Post-Pandemic Disparities In Student Athletes

University's Response and Commitment

Drexel University responded promptly to the allegations, emphasizing its commitment to fostering a secure and welcoming atmosphere. In an official statement, the university declared, "Drexel University is committed to ensuring a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all of our students, faculty and professional staff. Drexel does not tolerate acts of bias, discrimination and harassment and will fully cooperate with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights in its investigation."

This development follows closely on the heels of similar investigations into six other schools announced by the Office for Civil Rights just a week prior. The growing number of institutions under scrutiny underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address and rectify potential systemic issues. A notable incident preceding the Drexel investigation involved the University of Pennsylvania, where University President Liz Magill resigned amid controversy related to antisemitism on campus.

Importance of Title VI Investigations

Title VI investigations aim to root out discrimination based on race or national origin, emphasizing the importance of shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. However, the specific details that triggered these investigations remain unclear. The Department of Education, when questioned about the matter, declined to comment on the specifics of ongoing investigations, emphasizing the confidentiality of such proceedings.

Education Secretary's Priorities and Objectives

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in a statement to NBC News last month, outlined the priorities of these investigations. Protecting students on campus, preserving free speech, and ensuring transparency in the inquiries were highlighted as key objectives. These priorities reflect a commitment to creating an environment where students can learn and express themselves freely without fear of discrimination.

As investigations unfold, it is crucial for educational institutions to take a proactive stance in addressing potential issues and fostering an inclusive atmosphere. Beyond complying with legal requirements, universities must actively engage in creating an environment that values diversity and promotes understanding among students of various backgrounds.

Opportunity for Institutional Reflection

The outcomes of these investigations may prompt a broader conversation about the challenges and responsibilities associated with maintaining a diverse and welcoming campus. It is imperative for institutions to listen to the concerns of their students, faculty, and staff and work collaboratively to address any underlying issues that may contribute to a culture of discrimination.

In conclusion, the investigation into Drexel University for alleged discrimination underscores the importance of vigilance and transparency in addressing such matters within educational institutions. The broader context of investigations into multiple schools suggests a need for systemic changes to ensure that campuses truly reflect the principles of equality and inclusion. As the investigations progress, the focus should be on fostering an environment where every individual feels respected, heard, and valued, irrespective of their background or beliefs.





RELATED ARTICLE: US Department Of Education Investigates Whitman College For Discrimination; What We Know So Far
As the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 36 public four-year universities in Texas will usher in not just a new year but also the implementation of Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), a controversial anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation. The fallout from this law has created a complex web of responses, leaving institutions grappling with how to navigate the intricacies of compliance and the impact on campus life.

Varied Preparations Across Texas Campuses

The lead-up to the implementation of SB 17 has been marked by a diverse range of preparations among Texas universities. Some institutions, acting swiftly after Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill in June, immediately dismantled DEI-related offices, including multicultural and LGBTQ+ resource centers. Others find themselves in a state of uncertainty, unsure of the actions to take as the January 1 deadline looms.

Inside Higher Ed's investigation reveals a disparate landscape of campus policies and procedures aimed at aligning with the new law. The lack of uniformity underscores the challenges in implementing SB 17 and its potential to create a patchwork of approaches across the state's higher education institutions.

READ ALSO: Utah Governor Cox Discourages College Presidents From Political Statements

Statewide Guidance and Systemwide Changes

Beyond individual campus actions, most of Texas's higher education systems, including the University of Texas system, the Texas A&M system, the University of Houston system, and the University of North Texas system, released systemwide guidance for SB 17. These documents address frequently asked questions and shed light on permissible actions under the new law. Some institutions had already initiated changes prior to the bill's passage, removing DEI statements from hiring and admissions resources as early as February.

It's noteworthy that SB 17 does not impact student organizations, allowing them to host events and activities based on race, sexual orientation, and national identity, even as universities are barred from sponsoring such events. This places a heightened responsibility on student groups to continue cultural traditions once overseen by DEI offices.

Challenges for Student Organizations

The shift in responsibility for organizing events has begun in some institutions, with LGBTQ+ student organizations taking charge of activities previously managed by DEI offices. However, the added responsibility poses challenges for student leaders juggling academic commitments, employment, and extracurricular activities. The burden on these organizations raises questions about the sustainability of these traditions and the broader impact on campus culture.

Lack of Inclusion in Decision-Making

Students and former DEI staffers have voiced concerns about being excluded from discussions regarding the changes made at their universities. The University of Texas at Austin, for example, faced criticism for limited communication with students about changes, with some feeling the university failed to consider their perspectives.

Former DEI office staff members, such as Gilbert Carrasco at Texas Tech University, reported abrupt closures without input on the relocation of resources. This lack of transparency raises concerns about the accessibility of critical information, such as materials related to LGBTQ+ students' health and well-being.

Uncertainty About Permissible Language and Actions

As the January 1 start date approaches, confusion persists among students and staff regarding permissible language and actions under SB 17. The law's impact on expressions of diversity, equity, and inclusion remains unclear, with some fearing the use of these terms could run afoul of the legislation.

An employee at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi expressed concern about using words like "diversity, equity, and inclusivity," suggesting that these terms might be viewed negatively. This uncertainty underscores the challenges institutions face in maintaining an inclusive environment while adhering to the letter of the law.

As Texas universities grapple with the implications of SB 17, they find themselves navigating uncharted territory. The varied responses, challenges faced by student organizations, and concerns about inclusivity underscore the need for ongoing dialogue and adaptation. The post-SB 17 landscape in Texas higher education prompts critical reflections on the delicate balance between legislative compliance and the preservation of an inclusive and diverse campus environment.





RELATED ARTICLE: Oklahoma Governor Signs Order Banning Diversity Programs At Public Colleges And Universities
The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic has left the United States grappling with a complex economic scenario.

While millions of Americans lost their jobs, the economy struggled to recover, leaving a significant gap of 4 million jobs as of April 2021. Paradoxically, the nation is facing an unprecedented labor shortage, with 8.1 million jobs vacant and unfilled. The root cause of this apparent contradiction lies in the misalignment between the skills students acquire through the traditional education system and the dynamic needs of the modern job market.

The Disconnect Between Education and Employability

The traditional education system in the U.S. is failing to equip students with the skills necessary for contemporary careers. A Cengage survey reveals that nearly one in five recent college graduates felt inadequately prepared for their first job, leading to reluctance in applying for positions within their field. The reliance on a four-year degree as the primary indicator of employability has created a chasm between education and industry requirements, resulting in nearly 15 million un- or under-employed individuals.

READ ALSO: US Survey Reveals Trust Deficit In Higher Education Leaders

The Stigma Around Non-Traditional Education

The U.S. harbors a lingering stigma against vocational and non-traditional education paths. In stark contrast to European countries where vocational education is valued, two-thirds of American job openings demand a bachelor's or associate's degree, eliminating viable career paths for many individuals. The dismissal of non-traditional education paths by businesses, as indicated by 61% of business and HR leaders, perpetuates this issue, excluding qualified candidates who pursued alternative learning routes due to financial constraints.

The Cost Barrier

The exorbitant cost of a four-year degree further exacerbates the issue, rendering higher education unattainable for many families. With tuition and fees reaching staggering amounts, a skills-based vocational education is a more viable and cost-effective alternative for numerous Americans. To address this, both employers and the education system must reevaluate their approach to hiring and education.

Evolving the Employer Mindset

Forward-thinking organizations are already taking steps to bridge the gap between education and employability. IBM's Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) and Google's certificate programs are prime examples. Companies like Cengage are rethinking hiring policies, recognizing that certain roles do not necessitate a traditional degree but rather require specific skill sets obtainable through alternative pathways.

Suggestions for Employers

1. Skill-Based Hiring

Evaluate the necessity of a traditional degree for open roles. Define the required skills and assess if they can be acquired through non-traditional educational paths.

2. Adjust Job Requirements

Modify job descriptions to accommodate various educational backgrounds. Language in job descriptions should be inclusive and not inhibit non-traditional candidates from applying.

3. Upskilling Opportunities

Provide training and certificate programs to upskill existing employees, fostering continuous learning and adaptation to evolving job requirements.

Suggestions for Higher Education Institutions:

1. Collaboration with Employers

Establish a robust dialogue between businesses and educational institutions to align academic offerings with real-world job requirements.

2. Micro-Credentials and Badges

Respond to the rising interest in micro-credentials, badges, and certificate programs among American students, offering alternative pathways to skill acquisition.

3. Focus on Job-Ready Skills

Shift the focus from traditional degrees to identifying and showcasing job-ready skills acquired during education and training.

The misalignment between education and employability is a pressing issue that demands urgent attention. To foster economic recovery and bridge the gap between job seekers and employers, both the education system and businesses must adapt to the evolving needs of the workforce. By rethinking hiring practices, breaking down stigmas around non-traditional education paths, and promoting skills-based hiring, we can build a workforce that is not only resilient but also equipped for success in the post-pandemic world. Now is the time for a collective effort to reshape the future of education and employment in the United States.

RELATED ARTICLE: Beyond 'College For All': Rethinking Education For Inclusive Pathways To Success
Saving Wildlife through Multilateral Cooperation in Africa

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20 December 2023: The impact of wildlife and forest crime across the African continent is significant and far-reaching. It degrades vulnerable ecosystems already fragilized by over-exploitation and rapid urbanization as well as weakens criminal justice systems. Organized criminal networks benefit from a lack of coordinated and harmonized response and exploit loopholes to engage in wildlife trafficking and illegal logging.

The transnational and constantly evolving nature of wildlife and forest criminal networks must be disrupted and dismantled through robust and joint law enforcement operations. Collaboration improves the sharing of information and intelligence and effectively tracks the movement of illegal wildlife and forest products while contributing to seizures and prosecutions.

Since 2020, UNODC has stood with the Government of Nigeria, offering crucial support in combatting wildlife crime. Prioritizing interagency and inter-regional cooperation and strengthening the legislative framework are indispensable tools to effectively investigate and prosecute wildlife crime perpetrators. Folusho Ajayi Adelekan, UNODC National Programme Officer, Wildlife and Forest Crime.

Similarly, the Nigeria Customs Service has played a leading role in combatting wildlife and forest crime in Nigeria and within the continent. Just recently, the Nigeria Customs Service secured the conviction of a Guinean national for trafficking pangolin scales. Over the past year, the Service has successfully prosecuted and secured convictions in over 12 cases of wildlife trafficking, the majority of which have involved non-Nigerians.

Consequently, Nigeria convened a 2-day meeting of representatives of 35 Customs administrations across Africa to identify and strengthen avenues for joint counter-wildlife trafficking investigations and prosecutions within the African continent.

The objective of the programme is to dismantle the illicit trade and trafficking at the national and international levels of wild fauna and flora species through cooperative enforcement efforts led by Customs administrations in Africa.

This will be achieved through improved mutual understanding and practical cooperation between Customs and competent law enforcement agencies in the countries involved in wildlife in a multi-agency approach; mitigating the risks associated with illicit trafficking in wildlife; and gauging and assessing, through data collection, the magnitude and scheme of wildlife trafficking within the continent.

The programme seeks to replicate the success of Asias Operation Mekong Dragon (OMD) in Africa.

Nigerias Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, represented by the Deputy Director, Forestry Department, speaking during the event, commended the collaborative enforcement efforts led by the customs administrations across Africa, noting that fostering collaboration and bolstering the capabilities of customs administrations can disrupt the illegal supply chains and ensure the preservation of Africas flora and fauna for future generations.

The Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, B. A. Adeniyi, represented by the Officer-in-Charge of the Customs Special Wildlife Office, noted that collaboration is key to successfully eradicating wildlife crime from the continent.

Representative of the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) for East and Southern Africa, affirmed that the importance of this programme is so that Africans do not end up seeing our flora and fauna in museums because they have all become extinct, due to over-exploitation and abuse by criminal networks.

Reiterating the support of the Nigeria Customs Service, the representative of the Comptroller General of Customs noted that the future and sustainability of Africas wildlife lies in the hands of the members of this operation and we owe it to our continent to make this programme successful.

This programme was convened with the technical support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the partnership support of the Government of Germany and the European Union.

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In a major development towards restoration of peace in Balochistan, Commander of Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) Sarfaraz Bangulzai, alias Murid Baloch, along with his 70 companions on Wednesday surrendered to the State and joined the national mainstream

QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) In a major development towards restoration of peace in Balochistan, Commander of Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) Sarfaraz Bangulzai, alias Murid Baloch, along with his 70 companions on Wednesday surrendered to the State and joined the national mainstream.

They made the announcement during a press conference here at the Sikandar Jamali Auditorium, Civil Secretariat.

Caretaker Provincial Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Captain (R) Zubair Ahmed Jamali, and Caretaker Provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai were also present on the occasion.

We have decided to leave the path of violence and join the national mainstream to play a constructive role in the development of the province and the country, Bangulzai said.

I was working in the food Department in Balochistan, had a house and a car, and was living a comfortable life, but detracted by anti-peace elements in 2009, he added.

Bangulzai admitted that he had committed heinous crimes "in the name of nationalism". However, he realized that the so-called insurgent leaders were anti-peace and enemies of the country as they themselves were enjoying luxurious lives abroad.

It may be mentioned that Sarfaraz Bangulzai took over the reins of BNA after its Commander Gulzar Shambay was arrested, who later joined the national mainstream due to the positive response from the state institutions.

Shambay remained deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) till 2018, but on the creation of Baloch Raaji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS) he founded a new lethal militant outfit - Baloch National Army.

For being well-connected to the hostile intelligence agencies of enemy countries, including India, Shambay remained operational head of BRAS and thus was the main character behind violence and unrest in the province.

His arrest was a serious blow for the militant groups, especially the BNA and it encouraged others, including his second-in command Sarfraz Bangulzai to surrender before the State.

Bangulzai told the news conference that Indian's intelligence agencies were responsible for the unrest in Balochistan.

India is behind all sabotage activities and every act of terror in the province, he said, urging the youth to shun violence and join the peace process for the development and prosperity of the country in general and Balochistan in particular.

He regretted for being involved in terror acts on the pretext of so-called of nationalism.

However, he had a change of heart when he observed the luxurious lifestyles of self-proclaimed nationalist leaders.

He said that during the last 20 years, the so-called nationalist outfits killed thousands of innocent Baloch people. He had some disagreement with the leadership on certain issues, particularly terror acts, and thus was sidelined, he added.

Bangulzai deplored that women were being used as a weapon in the so- called rights movements, which was totally against the Baloch traditions.

He appealed to the State to welcome the disgruntled Baloch people who wanted to quit violence and join the national mainstream .

It may be recalled that Sarfaraz Bangulzai was a junior clerk in the Food Department. He remained President of All Balochistan Clerks Association Quetta Division in 2007 and Chairman of All Balochistan Clerks Association in 2008.

Earlier, Minister Jan Achakzai called for the inclusion of disgruntled Baloch individuals in the national mainstream.

He acknowledged the tireless efforts of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir in addressing the issue.

He specifically mentioned that Gulzar Imam Shambay had facilitated negotiations with the disgruntled elements for peace in the province.

Achakzai voiced concerns about Indian attempts to create disturbance in Balochistan.

Meanwhile commenting on surrender of another militant leader, political analysts said,"Whenever the State of Pakistan makes efforts to promote peace and security in Balochistan, anti-national elements and forces immediately start playing their negative role."

It was a historic day in the history of the country, especially Balochistan to achieve peace when the most wanted militant BNA commander along with his 70 associates surrendered to the State, they added.

They noted that the it was evident from their confession that they were playing in the hands of anti-national elements, who were a threat to the peace in Pakistan.

They said it was appreciable that the State like a mother pardoned Gulzar Imam Shambe, who remained involved in massacre of people.

They said all the propaganda of anti-national elements, which was

based on lies, had now been negated. "Misinformation and statements spread through social media without verification lead to distortion of facts," they added.

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Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq on Wednesday, calling the brain drain, a part of talent hunt, said those leaving Pakistan for better opportunities would eventually become a strength for the country, which ought to be encouraged

SWABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq on Wednesday, calling the brain drain, a part of talent hunt, said those leaving Pakistan for better opportunities would eventually become a strength for the country, which ought to be encouraged.

The prime minister, in an interactive session with the students of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology, exemplified the Indian nationals who had left their country and returned as an asset to contribute to their country.

Responding to a question about the measures taken by the government to stop the brain drain, he said those leaving the country were not going to vanish, rather they would seize better economic opportunities and skills, which should be encouraged.

He said after improving their skills and qualifications, they would become a valuable asset and product as the world was in search of talent. "I consider their journey a part of the talent hunt," he added.

He said there was no evidence of any dramatic surge in brain drain in the prevailing circumstances rather it was a continuous process of skilled, semi-skilled, and non-skilled people moving abroad for better economic opportunities.

He said the export of human resources was an important component of the country's GDP.

To a question about the arrest of Imran Khan, he said the state had an inherent right to apprehend those who violated the laws. He was arrested under certain laws, not by the PML-N, PPP or JUI, he added.

He urged the educated class to also debate their political attitudes besides asserting their right to agitate.

Prime Minister Kakar called for adopting the "all of us" approach, in addition to encouraging qualitative discussions for betterment of the society.

He said democracy should morph towards the performing democracy as the performance was the key indicator to judge the success of the democratic system.

He said transitional democracies like Pakistan could not turn into settled democracies for not giving due focus on performance.

To another question, he said every individual was responsible for defending the ideological frontiers of the nation.

He said islam was not the name of a reactionary movement but a reformist movement that encouraged any type of dialogue that otherwise would impact society negatively.

Responding to another query, he said no one, including the state, could suppress critical thinking, but being a critical thinker did not necessarily require being abusive in conversation.

"Unfortunately, critical thinkers are not being born. This is the tragedy. I am trying to find my Rousseau and Voltaire of my time," he remarked.

Asked about the reasons behind the low ratio of girls' education, he said the situation would not change unless the people built influences voluntarily and started taking pride in the accomplishments of the girls as well, not merely the boys.

He said the change in the society's attitude was of paramount importance as the government's intervention alone would not suffice to overcome the situation.

He assured that the State of Pakistan did not discriminate, on the basis of gender and the challenges of Primary and higher education could only be tackled by the State through collaborations at the district and Tehsil levels.

The prime minister said the academia-industry linkage was crucial for reaping the economic dividends as well as establishing an ecosystem to create opportunities for the graduates and fulfill corporate requirements.
There is a country mile between JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon and Coinbase (COIN) co-founder Brian Armstrong's views on digital assets.

Perhaps that shouldn't be such a shock given their places of employment.

Dimon famously told lawmakers earlier this month that he would put an end to crypto if he had the power to do so.

"I've always been deeply opposed to crypto, bitcoin, etc.," Dimon said in response to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) during a Senate hearing.

Dimon was referencing the alleged use of crypto by terrorists, drug traffickers, and rogue nations.

Added Dimon, "If I was the government, I'd close it down."

Suffice to say, Armstrong, the last big name standing in crypto, sees things differently  and was taken aback by Dimon's commentary.

"No, I don't think that's serious," Armstrong said on Yahoo Finance Live when asked if he thinks the government will take Dimon's proposed ban seriously. Armstrong published his 2024 outlook for the crypto industry in a blog post on Coinbase today.

Armstrong pointed to millions of Americans using crypto to diversify their investments as one reason why lawmakers are unlikely to shut down crypto. He also believes the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs is near, which would be another validation of crypto as an alternative investment.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, speaks during the Piper Sandler Global Exchange and FinTech Conference in New York City, June 7, 2023. (Brendan McDermid/REUTERS) (REUTERS / Reuters)

"It's actually strange because although Jamie Dimon's comments were a bit perplexing, internally at JPMorgan, they're actually advancing several projects working on blockchain and crypto technology," Armstrong added. "So they are such a large organization, I think sometimes the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing."

JPMorgan declined to comment. The banking giant owns JPM Coin, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, that's used to transfer funds cross-border between clients. It has also developed Onyx, a blockchain-based platform for payments.

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What both top execs could probably agree on is that crypto has caught fire again, after bad actors like FTX and Binance were flushed from the system.

The price of bitcoin has risen more than 150% since the beginning of January.

Additionally, the total market capitalization of all crypto assets as measured by CoinGecko has roughly doubled over the past year, swelling to over $1.6 trillion. Coinbases share price has more than quadrupled during the same period, according to Yahoo Finance data.

Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on Twitter/X @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.

Click here for the latest crypto news, updates, values, prices, and more related to bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin, DeFi, and NFTs

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Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), formally launched in 2013, had substantially transformed the socio-economic scenario of Pakistan by addressing the dire energy crisis and crumbling infrastructure

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), formally launched in 2013, had substantially transformed the socio-economic scenario of Pakistan by addressing the dire energy crisis and crumbling infrastructure.

"The CPEC has infused hope, trust and confidence in Pakistani people", Solangi said while delivering a keynote address at the 8th China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Media Forum.

Prior to the CPEC, Pakistan had been facing daunting challenges in 2013, that included 10-hour blackouts, a 2500 MW electricity deficit, and a $250 billion economic loss, he said, and added later the CPEC projects had profound positive effects on the lives of local people with provision employment opportunities.

He said the CPEC eventually expedited Pakistan's economic development process and so far multiple projects had been completed in the energy sector alone. "CPEC significantly boosted Pakistan's economic growth," he noted.

Solangi said: "The CPEC is not just an infrastructure project; it has generated 2,36,000 jobs since 2013 and is set to create 1.2 million direct jobs, contributing to local workforce development and reducing regional disparities.

The minister said the CPEC had significantly enhanced Pakistan's economic growth, contributing a projected annual increase of 2 to 2.5 percentage points. "A 2018 World Bank report suggested a potential 3.5 per cent overall economic growth boost," he added.

Going beyond the urban centres, he said the CPEC had addressed regional development gaps, fostering growth through various projects in the Western Alignment.

In the energy sector, he said CPEC's diverse 17,045 MW capacity, encompassing hydro, wind, solar, and coal-based power generation, had ensured a sustainable and reliable supply chain.

He said the CPEC Media Forum was launched in 2104 to create awareness among the people about the ongoing propaganda against China and Pakistan.

Highlighting the critical role of media, he said : "In a world where information bombards us constantly, shaping our thoughts and opinions, it's crucial to sift through the facts", he added.

The CPEC Media Forum, the minister said, had significant importance for him as he had the privilege of participating in the fourth edition of the CPEC Media Forum in 2018 in Beijing, alongside Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

During that period, he said the positive impacts of CPEC did not fully reach local communities at the initial stage, so there was widespread propaganda against CPEC and China in Western and Indian media.

He said that media's role in shaping public perceptions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) required objective and accurate reporting to highlight its multiple aspects.

"Propaganda really shapes how people see such projects by carefully sharing information to influence their beliefs and feelings. It uses selective facts, emotions, and sometimes misleading stories to create a specific viewpoint."

He said that as the custodian of information, media should disseminate accurate and unbiased narratives in a responsible manner.

" In today's information age, your role as guardians of truth is more vital than ever, he said, and urged the media to verify, cross-check, and prioritize authenticity over sensationalism to counter the corrosive effects of fake news.

It should contribute to a constructive dialogue, conveying the true impact and potential of CPEC to the public for a prosperous future," the minister said.

" Lets stand united in recognizing CPEC as a transformative force that has not only reshaped our nation but has also become a beacon of hope for a brighter, more prosperous Pakistan" he said, adding "Together, let us debunk myths, celebrate achievements, and work towards a future where the promise of CPEC is fully realized".

APP/ nvd- mhn
Hajj operations for pilgrims have been digitalized as Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has developed a mobile app in record time to facilitate Hajj Pilgrims

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Hajj operations for pilgrims have been digitalized as Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has developed a mobile app in record time to facilitate Hajj Pilgrims.

Caretaker Minister for IT Dr Umar Saif and Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmed jointly launched the application developed by the National Information Technology Board (NITB) on Wednesday, said a statement

issued here.

Chief Executive Officer NITB Babar Majeed Bhatti briefed the participants about the application in the welcome address.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Dr. Umar Saif said that the process of digitalization has been accelerated in the country under the directions of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The launch of Hajj application was a milestone in this connection, he said.

Highlighting the key features of the application Dr. Umar Saif said that the Application will enable pilgrims to register using the OTP received via SMS. Users will be provided with a unique ID, that is their CNIC and application number, he said.

He said pilgrims can view and update their personal information, including contact details and identification information. The application will enable Pilgrims to view their Hajj application status i.e (submitted, successful, unsuccessful, refunded) real time updates, he said.

He said the application will provide information that is collected from application form i.e personal information, group information, Mehram information, helper information, additional facilities, Hajj dues, nominee information, and applicant's bank account details.

Dr. Umar Saif further said that Pilgrims can access information about their Hajj group, including group members' details. The application will also enable pilgrims to view their Hajj training schedules, including dates, times, and locations.

The application will display flight details, including flight numbers, departure cities, dates, and times for both departure and return flights, present information about Makkah Mukarrmah and Madinah Munawarah accommodations, including sector, building, and room details.

Additionally, it will also provide information about the Maktab (camp) location. This application will allow pilgrims to check the status of their Hajj dues and refund statuses. Pilgrims can submit complaints, requests, and general inquiries, track and manage these requests efficiently.

The application is multilingual and allows pilgrims to switch to their preferred language for easy understanding and usage. At first two languages (English. Urdu) are added although the system will have the provision to add more languages.

Dr. Umar Saif said that the application has Offline maps feature that allows pilgrims to choose their destination with the shortest route. The application allows users to share their location. Multiple destinations can also be added to this application.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmed appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of IT and NITB and said that the need of the hour was to upgrade the existing system related to Hajj operations and adopt technology in day-to-day affairs.

The Hajj Application is the right answer, it will also help to know the true feelings of the pilgrims.

He said that with this application, the Hajj of 2024 will be digitalized, now the pilgrims will participate digitally in every process from submitting their application to paying hajj and returning home.

Aneeq Ahmed further said that the application will serve as a centralized platform, seamlessly integrating with the Ministry's existing systems. Its key objectives are to enhance the experience of Hajj pilgrims by providing easy access to essential information and services, streamline communication with the Ministry, and ensure real-time data synchronization.

This mobile application will serve as a one-stop solution for Hajj applicants and pilgrims, providing easy access to all relevant information and services.
The inaugural round of Pakistan-Brunei Bilateral Consultation and Cooperation (BCC) was held virtually on Wednesday wherein the two sides engaged in extensive discussion on bilateral relations, regional developments and multilateral issues of mutual interest

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) The inaugural round of Pakistan-Brunei Bilateral Consultation and Cooperation (BCC) was held virtually on Wednesday wherein the two sides engaged in extensive discussion on bilateral relations, regional developments and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

The inaugural round was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Ambassador Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei, Pengiran Norhashimah Binti Pg Mohd Hassan, a Foreign Office press release said.

The foreign secretary noted that Pakistan and Brunei enjoyed a longstanding, warm and fraternal relationship.

He underscored that Pakistan was committed to developing a broad and multifaceted partnership with Brunei with a focus on trade, investment and close cultural cooperation.

The foreign secretary invited Bruneian companies to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan and apprised his counterpart of facilitative endeavours for foreign investment under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

The two sides affirmed their commitment to remain constructively and meaningfully engaged to further reinforce Pakistan-Brunei bilateral relations.
Pakistan Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi on Wednesday underscored that media collaboration has a vital role in highlighting successes and solidify the mutual trust which is the bedrock of China-Pakistan relationship

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Pakistan Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi on Wednesday underscored that media collaboration has a vital role in highlighting successes and solidify the mutual trust which is the bedrock of China-Pakistan relationship.

He made these remarks while speaking via online at the 8th CPEC Media Forum Next Decade of CPEC: Opportunities and Learning from Past Decade held in Islamabad to celebrate the completion of the first decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Ambassador Hashmi highlighted that the 2nd phase of CPEC is poised to focus on the socio-economic development of our peoples. The key CPEC projects promise to improve the lives and livelihood opportunities, including for those in the remote areas.

He said enhancing bilateral industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China remains pivotal.

In the next phase of CPEC, both sides would endeavour to accelerate implementation of 2022 Framework Agreement on industrial cooperation to develop industrial parks and special economic zones in Pakistan.

Ambassador Hashmi said with CPECs increased focus on green projects, such as hydro power generation and solar parks, we are determined to achieve the target of 60 percent renewables in our national energy mix by the year 2030.

He noted that CPEC symbolizes the combined efforts of two countries to bring their economic and trade ties at par with their robust political partnership.

He underlined that the seamless connectivity between Xinjiang and Gilgit Baltistan is key to facilitate trade, promote people to people exchanges and solidify geopolitical ties between our two countries.

APP/asg
Britain's former honorary consul in the Ecuadoran port city of Guayaquil, Colin Armstrong, was released "safe and sound" after being kidnapped over the weekend, officials in the South American country said Wednesday

Quito, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Britain's former honorary consul in the Ecuadoran port city of Guayaquil, Colin Armstrong, was released "safe and sound" after being kidnapped over the weekend, officials in the South American country said Wednesday.

"Our units released citizen Collin A., kidnapped days earlier in (the province of) #LosRios. At the moment he is safe and sound. There are 9 apprehended," police commander Cesar Zapata posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The British ambassador in Quito celebrated Armstrong's release.

"We are delighted that Colin Armstrong OBE, our former honorary consul in Guayaquil, has been safely released", Chris Campbell said on X, referring to the Order of the British Empire, a top honour.

Armstrong was kidnapped at dawn Saturday on a farm he owns in Baba, a small city in Los Rios province.

Honorary consuls are generally not career officials but are often nationals of the sending country living in cities distant from the capital.

They frequently conduct some consular duties on a part-time basis while also holding a job of their own.
Bissau, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Dec, 2023) Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Wednesday replaced his prime minister, tasking his replacement with waging war on corruption, after what he described as last month's "attempted coup".

A presidential order sent to AFP said Geraldo Joao Martins "is dismissed from his post as prime minister. The decree comes into force immediately".

Another decree named Rui Duarte Barros as his replacement.

"The relentless fight against corruption must be your team's guiding thread," Embalo told Barros during his swearing-in ceremony at the presidency.

"No one has the right to take public property.

"If we discover suspicions of corruption against you tomorrow, you will also have to appear before justice," he added.

"All institutions must be audited, starting with the accounts of the presidency."

Violence erupted in the capital Bissau between members of the national guard and special forces of the presidential guard on the night of November 30, leaving two people dead.

Embalo announced an "attempted coup" had taken place and dissolved parliament, saying the West African nation had been plunged into crisis and fresh elections would be held.

He also said he was taking over the interior and defence ministry portfolios but at that time announced that Martins would remain in office.

Both Martins and Barros are members of the PAIGC party, which leads an opposition coalition that won June elections.

Barros was prime minister of a transitional government in the early 2000s after a stint as finance minister.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of two million people has seen a series of coups and coup attempts.

Elected to a five-year term in December 2019, Embalo survived a bid to overthrow him in February 2022.
He has accused Macys of discriminating against white men. McDonalds and IBM, too. Even NASCAR  a mostly white sport that banned Confederate flags in 2020  is in his sights.

About two dozen complaints have been leveled by Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser in the Trump administration.

Emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling last summer striking down affirmative action in education, Miller and his conservative advocacy organization America First Legal have taken the position that all DEI programs are illegal, embracing reverse discrimination, a concept that first emerged in the 1970s as a backlash to 1960s-era civil rights laws to address racial disparities in the workplace.

Stephen Miller, former Trump administration adviser and current president of America First Legal during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, in March.

What is reverse discrimination?

Miller claims white Americans today are being denied opportunities so corporations can hire and promote more people of color and achieve their diversity goals.

Miller did not respond to requests for comment.

If a major corporation said in proxy statements to shareholders or in the HR section of their website 'We are going to increase the white composition of our workforce by 15% this year,' I think most folks would say, 'Well, thats kind of racist and that seems wrong,' Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal, told USA TODAY in September.

Anti-affirmative action activist takes on corporate DEI

Miller may be the face of attacks on corporate diversity programs, but he's not the only one.

Fresh off his landmark affirmative action victory in higher education, conservative activist Edward Blum is making similar claims.

His organization, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, has taken legal action or threatened top law firms and other organizations, accusing them of excluding white and Asian students from fellowship programs based on race.

There is no such thing in the law as reverse discrimination," Blum told USA TODAY. "It is simply racial discrimination.

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Conservative throw down legal challenges to DEI programs

Federal law prohibits private employers from considering race and other protected characteristics in employment decisions, but they have the discretion to take steps to remedy racial imbalances in their workforces.

In legal challenges, conservative activists are testing that prerogative by saying white workers are being unfairly disadvantaged by diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that benefit only minorities and by policies that tie executive compensation to diversity targets.

Last week, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk aired similar sentiments. DEI must DIE, he posted on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter. "The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination."

Bracing for wave of reverse discrimination lawsuits

Corporations are bracing for a wave of reverse discrimination lawsuits against DEI programs.

They are closely watching a Supreme Court case that could make it easier for workers to pursue employment discrimination claims over job transfers by eliminating the requirement to show material harm. A broad ruling in the case could cause a surge in "reverse discrimination" suits, legal experts say.

Edward Blum, a long-time opponent of affirmative action in higher education and founder of Students for Fair Admissions, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on October 31, 2022.

Reverse discrimination claims are historically rare

Historically, "reverse discrimination" claims are relatively rare.

Though white workers account for about two-thirds of the U.S. workforce, their discrimination claims make up only about 10% of race-based claims, according to data USA TODAY obtained from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

White workers alleging discrimination test the legal waters

But attorneys say the federal courts are beginning to see a small increase in claims challenging DEI initiatives.

The claims are being brought not just by political advocacy groups like Miller's or Blum's. Individual employees and groups of employees also are filing legal challenges.

USA TODAY parent company Gannett faces a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses the newspaper publisher of discriminating against white employees in an effort to diversify its newsrooms. Gannett says the lawsuit is meritless and has asked a judge to dismiss it.

Morgan Stanley is being sued by a white former managing director who claims he was fired to make way for a less qualified and less experienced Black woman so the investment bank could meet diversity objectives. Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

AT&T is being sued by a former assistant vice president in its tax research department who says he was laid off less than two months after being told he could not advance because he was a 58-year-old white guy. AT&T denied the allegations and is contesting DiBenedettos lawsuit.

Some wins for reverse discrimination claims

Some reverse discrimination complaints have been successful.

In June, a jury in New Jersey ruled in favor of Starbucks regional director Shannon Philips, who claimed she was fired for being white. The court ordered Starbucks to pay an additional $2.7 million in damages.

In 2021, David Duvall, an executive of the hospital operator Novant Health who claimed he was fired despite strong performance reviews and replaced by two women, one Black and one white, received a $10 million jury award. The award was later reduced to about $4 million. This month, a U.S. appeals court reviewing the case indicated it would uphold the award. Novant Health says a lack of leadership skills prompted Duvalls termination.

DEI backlash followed George Floyd's killing

The rise in legal challenges to DEI programs proliferated after corporations stepped up efforts to increase racial and gender diversity after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

Despite those efforts, little progress has been made.

The top ranks of Americas largest corporations are still predominantly white and male, while women and people of color are concentrated at the lowest levels with less pay, fewer perks and rare opportunities for advancement, a USA TODAY analysis found.

This week the Congressional Black Caucus called on corporate leaders to "reaffirm their commitments to a "more racially inclusive economy."

"The economic state of Black America continues to suffer with underrepresentation in fast-growing high-wage industries, low probabilities of advancement, and a lack of representation in executive roles," it said.

Anti-DEI efforts to expand in 2024: Trump, Project 2025

The first volley in the conservative backlash against corporate DEI came from former President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order in 2020 banning the federal government and its contractors from offering DEI training on systemic racism. President Joe Biden rescinded the order.

What followed were attacks on everything from environment, social and governance principles to critical race theory as GOP presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican leaders accused corporations of running diversity programs that paint all white people as racist and of abandoning colorblind systems based on merit to hire and promote people of color.

A coalition of conservative groups including America First Legal are preparing for a Republican administration with a manifesto known as Project 2025. Project 2025 calls for the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to take action against corporate DEI initiatives.

Conservatives embrace 'colorblindness' in the workplace

Justin Gomer, associate professor of American Studies at California State University, Long Beach, says conservatives are pushing concepts like racial neutrality and colorblindness in the workplace to maintain white power and dominance.

White supremacy is so deeply rooted in our country and in our history that this is just the latest version of that, and it has proven very politically expedient to play into that, Gomer said. It is framing discrimination as strictly personal and individual, and it is denying that discrimination is structural and institutional.

DEI in retreat as corporations come under fire

The intensifying attacks on corporate DEI has prompted some corporations to retreat from public targets for racial diversity in their executive ranks and from leadership training programs geared to underrepresented groups. Others are removing diversity from job titles.

New data from McKinsey & Co. show that fewer Black professionals are being promoted into management as companies back off ambitious goals and revert to nearly the same promotion rates for Black staffers as in 2019.

At least six major companies, including JPMorgan Chase, modified policies meant to increase racial and ethnic representation after conservative groups threatened to sue, according to a Reuters review of corporate statements.

The past year "has undeniably shifted the DEI landscape for years to come," according to a report from DEI consulting firm Paradigm.

"External forces are no longer pushing companies to invest in DEI; instead, in some cases, external forces are pushing back on companies' investment in DEI," the report said.

Republican and Democratic voters split on DEI

Republicans and Democrats are split on DEI and affirmative action in the workplace.

Despite those differences, voters on the political right and left believe companies have the right to pursue DEI policies as they see fit, according to new research from Penn State's Smeal College of Business and Rokk Solutions provided exclusively to USA TODAY.

However, skepticism about the sincerity and effectiveness of corporate DEI programs is prevalent among Republicans and Democrats alike, with Democrats demonstrating more skepticism on both, the research found.

Republican voters in the study did not see a business case for DEI, but about half believe that DEI programs benefit society.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DEI under fire: Rise in 'reverse discrimination' lawsuits explained
Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE:KO) stock was trading at $59.93 at the end of extended trading hours on Dec.13. The stock price dropped approximately 4.8% year-to-date, and the current market capitalization is $258.8 billion. The 52-week price range fluctuated between $51.55 to $64.99.

The American beverage company has a dividend yield of 3.14%. The companys board declared a dividend of $0.46 per share in October, payable on Dec.15. In its 10-Q filing, the company disclosed that the dividend expenses for the nine months ending Sept. 29 were $4.078 billion. This is $168 million more than the dividend expenses for the same period last year.

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How Can You Earn $1,000 Per Month As A Coca-Cola Investor?

If your target is to make $1,000 per month  $12,000 annually  from Coca-Cola Co.s dividends, you must invest about $382,166. At $59.93 a share, this translates to holding about 6,377 shares. However, if you reduce your target to $200 per month, the investment value reduces to $76,433 or 1,276 shares.

You can estimate your investment value with some basic calculations. The estimate can be derived using two key variables  the desired annual income of $12,000 or $2,400 per month and the dividend yield, which is 3.14% for Coca-Cola Co.

To earn $1,000 per month, your investment is close to $382,166 ($12,000 / 0.0314) and $76,433 ($2,400 / 0.0314) if you opt for a $200 monthly income.

An important note on investment value estimation: A company's dividend yield may change over time. This change can be attributed to the movement in stock prices and the dividend payments on a rolling basis. In the above calculations, the appreciation or a drop in the price of Coca-Cola stock is not considered. Assuming that the stock price does not fluctuate or the capital appreciation is not factored into the calculations, the dividend value and its yield are positively correlated.

Story continues

Assume a stock paying $2 as an annual dividend is trading at $50. The dividend yield would be $2 / $50 or 4%. When the stock price jumps to $60, the dividend yield drops to $2 / $60 or 3.33%. If the stock price falls to $40, this will trigger an inverse effect and increase the dividend yield to 5% ($2 / $40). As fluctuations in stock price impact the yield, changes in the companys dividend policies also affect the yield.

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This article How To Earn $1,000 Per Month From Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) Stock originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Vietnam Launches National Portal for Data Protection

In line with recent updates to data protection regulations in Vietnam, the Department of Cyber Security and Crime Prevention and Control has unveiled the National Information Portal no Data Protection. Heres what foreign firms should know.

Over the past year or so, the authorities in Vietnam have taken a number of steps to protect the data of Vietnams citizenry, including two key pieces of legislation: the Personal Data Protection Decree and revisions to the Law on Cybersecurity.

These regulations make clear the rights of consumers as well as the obligations of firms collecting personal data. Furthermore, to facilitate compliance with these regulations, the National Portal for Data Protection (NPDP) has been developed.

What is the National Portal for Data Protection?

The NPDP is a centralized repository of information on Vietnams various data protection laws and decrees. It is also set to allow firms to lodge relevant forms online, though these features are still in the works and were not functional at the time of writing.

The NPDP brings together the:

The Personal Data Protection Decree (Decree 13/2023/ND-CP): This applies to all individuals and entities operating in Vietnam who engage in the provision, collection, or utilization of data for any purpose within the country. It outlines their rights and responsibilities with respect to data collection.

This applies to all individuals and entities operating in Vietnam who engage in the provision, collection, or utilization of data for any purpose within the country. It outlines their rights and responsibilities with respect to data collection. The Law on Cybersecurity (24/2018/QH14): Passed in 2018, the Law on Cybersecurity came into effect on January 1, 2019. The major provisions in the law include data localization, government control over online content, and requirements for setting up local offices in Vietnam for cross-border service providers.

Passed in 2018, the Law on Cybersecurity came into effect on January 1, 2019. The major provisions in the law include data localization, government control over online content, and requirements for setting up local offices in Vietnam for cross-border service providers. Decree 53 (53/2022/ND-CP): Decree 53/2022/ND-CP (Decree 53) mandates that all domestic companies and certain foreign firms providing services in areas like telecommunications, e-commerce, and online payment will need to store specific types of data in Vietnam for a minimum period of 24 months.

The NPDP also provides forms for the following:

Reporting violations of regulations on personal data protection;

Submitting personal data processing impact assessment records;

Submitting dossiers assessing the impact of transferring personal data abroad;

Changing records assessing the impact of processing personal data;

Changing records assessing the impact of transferring personal data abroad; and

A number of other key forms and documents.

These can now be submitted online to make it faster and easier to comply with Vietnams data protection requirements.

Transferring data abroad using the NPDP

For foreign firms, the transfer of data abroad should be easier using the NPDP.

Firstly, firms will still need to compile a dossier, including:

The contact information and details of the sender and the receiver;

The contact details of a representative of the sender;

A description and explanation of the objectives of transferring the personal data abroad;

A description of the type of personal data to be transferred abroad;

A description and explanation of how the regulations on the protection of personal data in this Decree will be met in the transfer process;

An assessment of the impact of personal data processing abroad, including any potentially undesirable consequences or damage that may occur, and measures for mitigating these outcomes;

The consent of the person from whom the data is being collected and evidence that they are aware of the means of recourse available should any problems arise; and

A document that outlines the obligations and responsibilities of both the sender and receiver processing the data.

They will have the capability to submit the aforementioned information through the portal, facilitating compliance with regulations that mandate the submission of this data to the Ministry of Public Security within 60 days of processing a users information.

That said, it is worth noting that currently the website is only in Vietnamese, however, the content is mostly text and can be easily translated using Google Translate.

Moving forward

While the PDPD is a significant step towards enhancing data protection in Vietnam, the Decree is fairly wide-ranging and contains certain ambiguous clauses. Moreover, certain provisions within the legislation may prove to be both expensive and time-consuming for firms, depending on how they are implemented.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the PDPD is set to have far-reaching implications and it is expected that most companies, domestic or foreign, will need to revise their data collection and processing practices in Vietnam.

With this in mind, the new National Portal for Data Protection should simplify compliance procedures and make clear the obligations of firms collecting data in Vietnam. This should also ensure that firms avoid administrative fines for violations of these regulations.

To ensure compliance with the PDPD, companies can seek the support of IT service experts at Dezan Shira and Associates.
Paranoia has become something of a way of life for Sarada Taing, ever since the journalist received violent threats from a pro-government social media personality in Cambodia in June.

In one audio message sent via Facebook Messenger on June 19, Pheng Vannak, a former police officer, said he wants to chop my head if I come to Cambodia, said Taing, who lives in Washington.

In a second audio message, the caller said he knew people in the United States who also hated Taing. Days later, on June 22, Vannak hosted a Facebook Live discussion, during which he said he would not think twice about killing Taing.

Both messages  reviewed and translated by VOA  are profanity-laced tirades that include threats of sexual violence against the journalists family.

"I feel really shocked, and I got really scared. My family is very scared, said Taing. I dont have any mechanism to protect myself very much.

Corruption accusation

Taing said Vannak had harassed him for several years, but the latest incidents appeared to come after the media outlet Taing works with aired a report about a Cambodian businessman accused of corruption.

Vannak, who runs a Facebook news page with nearly 685,000 followers, did not reply to a VOA request for comment.

A dual U.S.-Cambodian citizen, Taing is chief correspondent at The Cambodia Daily, a media outlet that operates in exile under the name of an independent English-language media outlet shuttered in 2017.

On his Khmer-language video show Idea Talk, Taing attracts between 50,000 and 80,000 viewers as he challenges the Cambodian government on corruption, human rights, environmental issues and other topics.

Taing said his experience of being harassed underscores the even steeper challenges for journalists who work inside Cambodia. Most independent news outlets there have been shuttered and authorities harass critical reporters, press freedom watchdogs say.

Taings experience accentuates trends that exist beyond Cambodia, too, with authoritarian governments targeting dissidents outside their borders in a tactic known as transnational repression.

Freedom House documented 10 cases of physical transnational repression perpetrated by the Cambodian government between 2014 and 2022, according to Grady Vaughan, who co-authored the nonprofits December report on transnational repression targeting reporters.

They dont want any opposition forming in exile, Vaughn said, referring to Cambodias authoritarian government. So they try to intimidate these people into silence.

Media watchdogs including Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, and local journalists still working inside Cambodia echo Taings concerns.

Press freedom in Cambodia is in a deplorable state, RSFs Arthur Rochereau told VOA from Taiwan.

Still, audiences inside the country rely on the few independent voices  including those run from exile  that report.

People depend on us so much, said Taing, who moved to the United States in 2008. The most important thing is they want to hear the truth about whats happening, about whats going on in Cambodia.

Online harassment is par for the course with reporting on Phnom Penh, but Taing said the June threat was more extreme than anything faced previously.

During a reporting trip to New York in September, Taing said he felt nervous while covering a protest against Cambodias newly installed leader, Prime Minister Hun Manet, the son of Hun Sen, who led the country for nearly four decades of strict rule.

"I have to be really careful. I dont know who likes or who doesnt like me, Taing said.

Foreign-based news sites blocked

The threats against Taing came just a few weeks before a major Cambodian election in July. Ahead of the election, the Cambodian government blocked multiple foreign-based news websites, according to Rochereau.

Cambodias democratic transition in the early 1990s brought a vibrant media landscape, according to Rochereau. But 2017 marked a turning point as former Prime Minister Hun Sen and his clan, fearing a loss of power, launched a war against Cambodian media, he said.

Out of 180 countries, the Southeast Asian country now ranks 147th in terms of press freedom, according to RSF.

This new period has been punctuated with media closures, including earlier this year when authorities shut Voice of Democracy, one of the few remaining independent outlets.

Cambodias Washington embassy did not reply to a VOA email requesting comment.

The environment takes a toll on journalists like Mech Dara who still work inside Cambodia. When Voice of Democracy shut down, it was the third time an outlet Dara worked at had been silenced.

He worked at The Cambodia Daily when it was shuttered in 2017. The following year, he worked at The Phnom Penh Post when the outlet was sold to a public relations firm that had done work for the government.

The space is getting narrower, and the stakes are very high, Dara, now a freelance journalist in Cambodia, told VOA.

This fall, Voice of Democracy relaunched from the United States.

Every step in the reporting process is a struggle in Cambodia, Dara said, from pitching stories and finding sources to the intimidation and harassment that can come after stories are published.

The journalist said he has been arrested before over his work but added thats just part of the job.

We are fearful, Dara said. But I am the one who picked this path, so I have to walk through that path. I know that something could happen, but I dont know when. I dont know how.

'I fear for my life'

Back in Washington, family is top of mind for Taing. He lives with his young son, his wife and her elderly parents.

In an effort to improve their security, Taing changed the locks on his doors, added a digital security code and installed video surveillance. He said he also emailed the FBI and the State Department.

I fear for my life and the life of those close to me due to my work as a journalist, he wrote.

But more than anything, Taing worries about his family members who still live in Cambodia.

Despite safety concerns, Taing said he has never considered stopping his work. He said a love for his birth country motivates him.

"I want to see Cambodia have more freedom, more democracy and respect of human rights, Taing said. I want the Cambodian people to have real democracy, to have real peace, to have justice.
Nigerian activist Promise Ohiri, known as Empress Cookie, woke up to cheering news on Tuesday.

Pope Francis had given Catholic priests permission to give blessings to same-sex couples in a landmark declaration.

Ohiri, a Catholic transgender woman, has faced serious discrimination and threats to her life related to her sexuality. She said she couldn't have hoped for better news, but acknowledged there would be resistance.

"Its not going to be an easy thing," she said. "Im very sure that African people will definitely protest against it. They mostly use religion against us, the queer people. I feel like the pope making the decision is  I feel like its for good for queer people. Im having a good reaction [feeling] about it.

Other African activists also praised Francis' decision to let Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, with hopes that the popes gesture could ease anti-LGBTQ sentiment and oppression on the continent.

But African religious organizations are not expected to embrace the Vaticans announcement. In Nigeria, at least one bishop has voiced dismay about it.

Not a wedding

The Vatican said the blessing would not be similar to a wedding ceremony, which it maintained can happen only between a man and a woman.

The Vatican stated that homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered" but argued that same-sex couples must be treated with dignity and respect.

But the announcement has sparked debates in Africa, where homosexuality is widely viewed as a sin, an abomination or a Western import.

In Nigeria, same-sex relations are punishable by 14-year jail term.

Ohiri is hopeful the pope's declaration will change things.

The pope doing this is shocking the whole world and breaking foundations," she said. "I mean, laws that are so much against the queer people. If the religion is in support of queer people  trust me, its going to shake the Nigerian law and other countries that have not signed it into law. Its really normal for them to protest.

Bishop John Promise Daniel, vice president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, said same-sex blessings and marriage are not acceptable.

I am more or less, like, shocked when I heard what the pope said," Daniel said. "Theres nobody who can change the position of the word of God, whether you are a pope, an archbishop or whatever. If [the Bible] does not support it, I dont care who supports it. Its invalid. Mans liberality is inconsequential.

The Catholic Church of Nigeria has yet to respond to the pope's statement. But experts predict that the church's officials may disagree and continue with a different doctrine on the matter.

Mike Umoh, spokesperson of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, told VOA by phone, "I can tell you that the Catholic bishops of Nigeria are presently working on their position that will very, very soon be made public.

This week, a Ugandan court commenced hearing a suit challenging the East African country's harsh anti-LGBTQ law, which punishes "aggravated homosexuality" with a life sentence.

Activists like Ohiri say they are skeptical that Nigerias laws against homosexuality will be overturned, but they the popes declaration is a step in the right direction.
Wracked by conflict and unrest, Burkina Faso is a tough environment for journalists, with issues like rape and sexual violence often taboo. But Mariam Ouedraogo is pushing back to provide a platform through her reporting, for those affected by unrest. While in Washington to receive an award, she spoke with VOAs Salem Solomon about her career. Camera: Betty Ayoub
An Austrian national was found guilty in a U.K. court Wednesday of spying for a group that may have been preparing to attack an independent Iranian TV station in London.

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, who is originally from Chechnya, was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey court in central London following a short trial.

The 31-year-old had pleaded not guilty to possession of records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was detained by counterterrorism officers in west London on February 11.

Prosecutors said at his trial that Dovtaev boarded a plane from Vienna to London to gather "hostile reconnaissance" on a building occupied by the Persian-language channel Iran International.

The channel's journalists had reported on alleged human rights violations in the country.

The Iranian government declared Iran International a terrorist organization after it reported on protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She died in September 2022 after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

Amini's death triggered months of nationwide demonstrations under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom."

The prosecution argued that the Iranian authorities' attitude toward Iran International had made its employees "targets for violent reprisals."

Dovtaev is to be sentenced Friday and faces up to 15 years in prison.

In response to the verdict, Iran International said the trial was a reminder of the threats that journalists and news organizations face.

"Today's verdict sends a clear message that the U.K. remains a bastion of free speech where threats against journalists will not be tolerated," it said.

"We will not be cowed by threats. Our journalists will continue to provide the independent, uncensored news the people of Iran deserve."
The United States has secured the freedom of 10 Americans from Venezuelan prisons in exchange for the release of a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said late Wednesday that the six Americans who were classified as wrongfully detained had safely arrived back in the United States.

That group included Joseph Cristella, Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Edgar Jose Marval Moreno, Jason Saad and Savoi Wright.

A senior Biden administration said earlier that the other Americans who were confirmed released and on their way home were not being named at this time "out of consideration for their privacy."

"These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more," President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The high-stakes swap means clemency and freedom for Alex Saab, a Colombian national and close ally of Maduro, who was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on eight counts of money laundering in 2019.

"This is a culmination of extraordinary efforts and perseverance across the U.S. government for many, many months to bring these 10 Americans home," a White House official said during a background briefing Wednesday.

As part of the deal, a fugitive named Leonard Francis, known as "Fat Leonard," who fled the United States before he could be sentenced for his lead role in a bribery and corruption case, is being extradited from Venezuela, Biden said.

Saab, 51, was arrested in 2020 when his private plane stopped for refueling in Cape Verde en route from Venezuela to Iran. He was extradited to the U.S. the following year.

He had been indicted in the U.S. in a bribery and low-income housing scheme that siphoned off $350 million from Venezuela and funneled it into banks in Miami, Florida, from 2011 to 2015. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Saab was among three individuals targeted by the Treasury Department in 2019 for allegedly enabling Maduro and his illegitimate regime to corruptly profit from imports of food aid and distribution in Venezuela.

He had been in custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Miami.

As part of the prisoner swap, representatives of Maduros government have also agreed to release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners. Best known among them is Roberto Abdul, president of civil association Sumate, who was arrested by Venezuelas intelligence service earlier this month. Abdul is a part of the Maduro opposition in Venezuela.

Maduro also agreed to work toward free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election, something Biden commented on in response to a question on Wednesday.

Looks good, and it looks like Maduro, so far, is keeping his commitment on a free election. But it aint done yet. Got a long way to go, but its good so far, Biden said.

The exchange does not change the outstanding U.S. indictment and charges of drug trafficking against Maduro and the $15 million reward from the State Department for help bringing him into custody.

In March 2020, the Justice Department indicted Maduro and 14 co-conspirators for allegedly running a 20-year-long narco-terrorism and cocaine dealing campaign against the U.S. That indictment claims that Maduro has looted billions of dollars from Venezuela and concealed it in South Florida banks.

The United States has limited economic engagement with Venezuela, according to the State Department, because of extensive U.S. sanctions imposed upon the Maduro government for its extensive corruption, economic mismanagement, and violation of international norms.

In October, however, the Treasury Department eased some key sanctions against Venezuela, allowing it to make financial transactions in oil, gas, gold and limited Venezuelan sovereign bonds. That agreement also allows some transactions in these sectors for previously blocked Venezuelan banks.

VOA's Jorge Agobian contributed to this report
Braving below-freezing conditions, rescuers pulled to safety victims of an earthquake that rocked a remote area in China's northwestern Gansu province more than a day ago, while survivors faced months of uncertainty ahead without permanent shelter.

The magnitude-6.2 earthquake jolted Jishishan county near the border straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces a minute before midnight on Monday, sending frightened residents out of homes into the cold in the dead of the night, damaging roads, power and water lines as well as agricultural production facilities, and triggering land and mudslides.

In Gansu, 113 people had been found dead as of 9 a.m. Wednesday and 782 were injured, authorities said.

The death toll in neighboring Qinghai province rose to 18 with 198 injured as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Seventy-eight people have been found alive in Gansu, where rescue operations ended on Tuesday afternoon, Chinese media said, as focus shifted to treating the wounded and resettling residents as a months-long winter loomed.

It was not immediately clear whether the search in Qinghai had ended or not.

In Gansu, more than 207,000 homes were wrecked and nearly 15,000 houses collapsed, affecting more than 145,000 people.

More than 128,000 emergency supply items including tents, quilts, tent lights and folding beds, were delivered while food such as steamed buns and instant noodles were provided to the victims.

The quake-stricken area is geographically a transition zone between two plateaus, featuring terrains of altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,300 meters with "very complex" topography, CCTV said.

Recovery from Monday night's earthquake has been further challenged by the powerful cold snap that has gripped most of China since last week. Temperatures around the quake epicenter in Gansu fell to about minus 15 degrees Celsius Tuesday night.

According to local media citing researchers, people trapped under rubble exposed to minus 10 C conditions without help run the risk of developing hypothermia and may only be able to live for five to 10 hours if uninjured.

In Qinghai's quake-hit Haidong, Du Haiyi said his family home had been completely leveled.

The 21-year-old told Reuters he had managed to save his mother and 16-year-old sister, who were trapped under debris the night of the quake.

"My parents were pulled out from underneath this, but I don't know how," Du said. "We ran to wherever we could."

Du, an occasional laborer, said his family of seven had slept exposed to the elements with neither sustenance nor adequate covers, taking shelter in a tent provided by the local government.

Homeless in winter

Those who lost their homes in the earthquake on Monday had few options but to gather in fields, burning wheat straw for warmth. One family of seven took refuge in a car for the night as emergency tents were prioritized for the elderly and young, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Within 50 km of the epicenter on the side of Qinghai province, the earthquake affected 22 towns and villages, but of that, two villages suffered the worst damage.

The county of Minhe county in Haidong earlier recorded 20 missing people from two villages, where a mudslide swept through half-burying many buildings in brown silt. Search and rescue operations and efforts to resettle residents were complicated as mud blocked main roads, state media said, showing footage of bulldozers clawing through mud and rubble.

"We have prepared coats with extra cotton, like military coats, and then some things to keep warm like heating equipment," said 21-year-old Wu Saying, a rescue volunteer in

Haidong.

Food supplies were also a concern.

"I didn't have anything to eat yesterday, and today I'm eating the food left in the house," said Bao Yinzi, 53. "The pot is buried, the bowl is buried. There's nothing left."

Aftershocks

The freezing cold was not the only concern weighing on rescuers and working groups assessing the situation.

The Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau said through comprehensive analysis, strong aftershocks of magnitude 5 were still possible around the area in the coming days, based on the characteristics of the Monday quake, historical seismic activity

and other factors.

The aftershocks will be closely tracked so as to issue early warnings, official news agency Xinhua cited the bureau's deputy director as saying.

Wu, the volunteer, said villagers whose homes were seriously damaged were given tents. He said he was worried about aftershocks.

By early Wednesday, there were two aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 and above, and eight of magnitude 3.0 and above, China Earthquake Networks Center said.

The quake in Gansu's Jishishan county was logged at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), which experts consider shallow.

Earthquakes with shallow focal points can easily cause considerable damage to the ground, Xinhua reported citing a senior engineer with the China Seismological Network Center.

Earthquakes are common in provinces such as Gansu, lying on the northeastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. China's deadliest quake in recent decades was in 2008 when a magnitude 8.0 temblor struck Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people.
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A decision on former U.S. President Donald Trumps eligibility to run for a second term next year appears to be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court following a shock ruling by the state Supreme Court in Colorado late Tuesday.

In a decision that differed from rulings by several other state courts, the Colorado court found that Trump supported an insurrection against the U.S. Constitution on January 6, 2021, and is therefore disqualified from holding public office.

The 4-3 ruling, which applies to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment known as the disqualification clause or the insurrection clause, requires Colorados secretary of state to exclude Trump from the states Republican primary in March 2024.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, the court said in its unprecedented verdict. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

The ruling says Trump is disqualified from holding the office of the president but it does not state whether the decision applies to the general election.

Trumps campaign called the decision undemocratic and vowed a swift appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees.

The Colorado judges put their ruling on hold until January 4, 2024, to allow for appeal. Until then, Trumps name can remain on the states primary ballot.

Here is what you need to know about the 14th Amendment and its provisions.

What is the 14th Amendment?

The 14th Amendment is one of three amendments to the U.S. Constitution  including the 13th and 15th amendments  that were enacted after the Civil War to extend civil and legal rights to formerly enslaved Black people. It is best known for its Section 1, which grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" and guarantees citizens the "equal protection of the laws."

When was the 14th Amendment passed?

Congress passed the amendment in 1866, and the states ratified it in 1868.

What is Section 3 of the amendment?

The less-well-known Section 3 states that no one who took an "oath  to support the Constitution of the United States" and then "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the Constitution or gave "aid or comfort to [its] enemies" can serve as a senator, representative or presidential elector or hold any office  civil or military  unless approved by a supermajority vote of Congress.

How has the provision been used in the past?

In the years after the Civil War, a period known as the Reconstruction Era, Section 3 was used to prevent former Confederate officials from holding office. But the measure remained largely dormant for more than 150 years until the January 6, 2021, riots, in which supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the congressional certification of Joe Bidens victory.

Following that attack, liberal groups sought to use the provision to challenge the eligibility of several congressional candidates who had opposed the 2020 election results. The effort failed to gain traction. The only successful application of Section 3 occurred in September 2022, when a New Mexico judge removed from office a county commissioner who had been convicted in connection with January 6.

Does the provision apply to US presidents?

Section 3 does not explicitly mention whether the president is subject to disqualification, leading some experts to argue that the presidency is exempt.

But that is a misreading of the text and history of the provision, said Gerard Magliocca, an Indiana University law professor who has written extensively about Section 3.

"This issue was raised in Congress when the proposal was under consideration," Magliocca told VOA in an interview in September. "Someone said, Does this apply to the presidency or the vice presidency? And the answer given was, Yes, it does."

What is more, Magliocca said, the phrase "officer of the United States," as used in Section 3, refers to the president, making him subject to the disqualification provision.

"Andrew Johnson, who was president at the time, repeatedly referred to himself as the chief executive officer of the United States in asserting his authority to pursue Reconstruction in the aftermath of the Civil War in 1865," Magliocca said.

What happens next?

Similar lawsuits regarding Trumps eligibility have been filed in 16 states. Suits in Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire were rejected in court.



If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to take up Trumps expected appeal, its ruling could apply to the general election, potentially affecting the pending cases in these states.
A Maltese-flagged merchant ship that was hijacked last week in the Arabian Sea with 18 crew members on board is now off the coast of Somalia, the European Union's maritime security force said Tuesday. One crew member has been evacuated for medical care.

The bulk carrier Ruen remains under the control of the hijackers, whose identity and demands are unknown, the EU Naval Force said in a statement. It did not give details on the condition of the crew member who was taken off the vessel on Monday and moved to an Indian navy ship that has been shadowing the Ruen.

An Indian maritime patrol plane spotted the Ruen a day after its hijacking last Thursday and made radio contact with the crew, who had locked themselves in a safe room. The hijackers broke into the safe room and "extracted the crew" hours later, the EU Naval Force said.

The Ruen, which is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, was off the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Horn of Africa when it was boarded, the private intelligence firm Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. Bulgarian authorities said the ship's crew were Angolan, Bulgarian and Myanmar nationals.

The 185-meter Ruen was carrying a cargo of metals from the port of Gwangyang in South Korea, the EU Naval Force said. It had been headed to the Turkish port of Gemlik. The captain confirmed the hijacking by sending a mayday alert to the EU Naval Force's command center.

The vessel has now moved southwest toward the coast of Somalia, according to the EU force.

Suspicion has fallen on Somali pirates, whose attacks have decreased markedly in recent years. They may be more active again. The Pentagon has said that five armed assailants who seized a commercial ship near Yemen late last month were likely Somali nationals and not Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who were first suspected to be responsible.

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have escalated their attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war, impacting global trade. The U.S. said Tuesday that it and a host of other nations are creating a force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

But Somalia's maritime police have also intensified their patrols in recent weeks following the Pentagon's assessment of last month's attempted hijacking, as fears grow of a resurgence of piracy by Somali nationals.

A Spanish frigate from the EU Naval Force and a Japanese naval vessel that is under the multinational Combined Maritime Forces command have moved to the vicinity of the hijacked Ruen to join the Indian navy vessel. It is being "continuously monitored" by the ships and a 5-meter-long drone used by the EU force.
A federal judge in Miami on Tuesday sentenced a former Haitian senator to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in what U.S. prosecutors have described as a plot hatched in both Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill Moise, who was 53 when he was slain at his private home near the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince on July 7, 2021.

Joseph, a well-known politician and opponent of the slain president's Tet Kale party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

The sentencing came two months after Joseph signed a plea agreement with the government hoping to get a reduction in his sentence. In exchange, he promised he would cooperate with the investigation.

Sometimes U.S. attorneys recommend judges reduce a sentence if they determine that the convicted person collaborates with their investigation. The reduction could come months or years after sentencing.

Federal Judge Jose E. Martinez handed down the maximum sentence at a hearing in Miami that lasted about 30 minutes.

At the hearing, Joseph asked for mercy and said that he never planned to kill the Haitian president. Wearing a prisoner's beige shirt and pants, he was handcuffed and had shackles on his ankles as he listened to the judge's ruling.

"It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand," Joseph said in Creole. The plan changed to kill the president "but it was never my intention," he added.

The judge said that he would consider a reduction of the sentencing if the government asked for it, but after listing to the former Haitian senator, Martinez ordered him to life imprisonment.

"Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory," Martinez said.

The other two people who have been sentenced in the case are Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and retired Colombian army officer German Alejandro Rivera Garcia. Both were sentenced to life in prison. Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen and former confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, pleaded guilty this month and is awaiting sentencing in February 2024.

Seven more defendants are awaiting trial next year in South Florida.

According to the charges, Joseph, Jaar, Rivera, Vincent and others, including several dual Haitian-American citizens, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill Haiti's president. Among the participants were about 20 former Colombian soldiers.

Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January, and in March he agreed to be extradited to the U.S.

The Haitian government also arrested more than 40 people for their alleged roles in the murder.

Since Moise's assassination, Haiti has seen a surge of gang violence that led the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force. The U.N. Security Council voted in early October to send a multinational force led by Kenya to help fight the gangs.

Kenyan officials told the AP that the first group of about 300 officers is expected to be deployed by February, with authorities still awaiting the verdict in a case that seeks to block the deployment. A decision is expected in January.
Volunteers in Ukraine are putting together holiday gift packages for the countrys estimated 700,000 men and women serving in the military, including the tens of thousands serving on the front line. Correspondent Lesia Bakalets met with some of those volunteers in Kyiv. Camera: Evgenii Shynkar.
Hamas said its top leader Ismail Haniyeh is in Cairo Wednesday to discuss the war in Gaza with Egyptian officials.

Egypt has previously played a role in mediating between Hamas and Israel, including a temporary, week-long cease-fire in late November that included the militant group releasing more than 100 hostages.

Negotiations have taken place regarding a new pause in fighting that would involve Hamas releasing more hostages, but the warring sides have not agreed to a deal.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told a gathering of international diplomats Tuesday that Israel is prepared to enter into a further humanitarian pause in return for the release of its hostages. He also said Israel is not fighting the Palestinian people, only Hamas.

Fighting continued Wednesday in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it had attacked more than 300 targets during the past day.

Wednesday also brought another planned vote in the U.N. Security Council on a resolution calling for a pause in fighting to facilitate scaled-up aid deliveries to Gazans in dire need of food, water and medicine.

The vote had been expected Monday but has been pushed back twice amid negotiations about the text as its drafter, the United Arab Emirates, sought support for the resolution.

The draft resolution in its current form seen by VOA "demands" that the parties to the conflict "allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip" by the most direct routes. It also "calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities" to allow safe and unhindered aid access.

The text also authorizes a U.N. monitoring mechanism to confirm the humanitarian nature of aid shipments into Gaza through multiple entry points.

An attempt to adopt a resolution in the council on Dec. 8 calling for a humanitarian cease-fire failed due to the United States using its veto.

As the vote was pushed from Tuesday morning to early afternoon, U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Bob Wood told reporters, "We are still working on it."

The vote was then delayed until Wednesday.

UAE envoy Lana Nusseibeh said to reporters, "Ultimately, the endpoint is a cease-fire, but as you know, that was not adopted recently. So, we have to move to the space that allows humanitarian workers to work safely and at scale."

"Calls for a cease-fire on human rights and humanitarian grounds are getting louder by the day and must be heeded," Volker Turk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told reporters Tuesday in Geneva.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which governs Gaza, after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed and some 240 captives taken in the terror attack. More than 100 of the hostages remain in Gaza.

The Israeli response has killed more than 19,600 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 132 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the conflict has forced an estimated 85% of Gaza's population from their homes, with many of them trying to find a safe place to stay at U.N. shelters in southern Gaza that are several times over their intended capacity.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters


As Ukraine enters a second winter of war, the World Health Organization warns that the countrys public health system will come under enormous stress as millions of civilians try to keep safe and warm during the long, brutally cold weather ahead.

Since the Russian Federations invasion of Ukraine  we have seen the impacts on public health and the increase in disease burden, said Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine.

So, even if the war would end today, the health needs of millions of people across Ukraine will increase, he said, noting that children and the elderly are suffering particularly and struggling as winter arrives amid ongoing fighting.

Speaking to journalists Tuesday from Odesa, Habicht said he and Ukraines minister of health recently delivered critical equipment and medicines to Lyman, a city in eastern Ukraine on the frontline, to ensure treatment can be available throughout the winter.

We heard constant shelling, and that is the reality for health care workers and patients, he said.

10 million with mental health needs

The WHO has verified more than 1,400 attacks affecting health care since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, causing many civilian casualties and significantly disrupting the countrys health system.

These attacks continue, providing the risks for the provision of health services, said Habicht, noting that the fear of attack has put many people on edge.

We have more than 10 million people in Ukraine with mental health needs, he said. These can vary from anxiety to the other higher-level needs, for which it is necessary to turn to primary care and hospitals.

He said that more than 55,000 primary health care workers have been trained to deal with mental health needs and that community mental health teams are available across different regions to provide care.

These needs will be long-lasting and, particularly, the mental health needs will be here for many generations, said Habicht, emphasizing that the war has been especially devastating for the countrys 7.5 million children.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have seen the impact the war has had on mental health, on nutrition, as well as on vaccinations, he said. So, we need to ensure that the comprehensive package is available. There, we have many partners, including UNICEF who [are] ensuring that there are outreach services to make sure that health care is available.

"Potentially higher numbers of deaths"

WHO officials have reported that Ukraine suffers from low immunization rates for all vaccine-preventable diseases and, during the long winter ahead, will need to prepare for outbreaks of infectious disease along with difficulties arising from noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease.

Habicht warned that we will have potentially higher numbers of deaths because of the cold and freezing winter temperatures.

The WHO estimates that 7.3 million people will need humanitarian support in 2024. Of that number, Habicht said, the WHO and partners aim to target 3.8 million of the most vulnerable.

He also said health care workers are bracing for a repeat of last years attacks by Russia on Ukraines power grid.

We have witnessed an increase in the number of burns related to heating and new heating devices, as people need to find ways to have electricity and heating due to attacks on civilian infrastructure, he said. We need to talk about the increased burn needs due to the attacks with drones, and a number of civilians who have suffered as a result of them.

In preparation for winter, Habicht said, many health care facilities have been installing generators and heating systems and providing a place where people can come to warm up, charge their phones and pass an anxiety-free moment.

On another positive note, he said Ukraines health system has been given a boost by the countrys recent progress toward accession to the European Union.

With the potential that negotiations are moving forward, the potential is huge for the public health to ensure that, point for point, improving the public health system will improve also peoples health, Habicht said.

In that sense I am optimistic but also realistic that these changes will take time.
The year 2023 should have been the beginning of a new era for China, as Xi Jinping cemented his unprecedented third term as the countrys leader. While Xi consolidated his control over the worlds second-largest economy, China faced many challenges, including a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths, a historically high youth unemployment rate, and the abrupt removal of two top-level officials.

Some analysts characterize 2023 as a turbulent year for Beijing and say many events that have taken place are part of the lingering effect of Chinas Zero-COVID policy, which lasted almost three years.

A lot of what happened is connected to the zero-Covid strategy, Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Chicago, told VOA by phone. Zero COVID is behind us, but the economic effect of all those policies lingers.

Chinese authorities decision to abruptly end the Zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022 led to a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths across China at the beginning of 2023. Images on social media showed Chinese citizens queuing for hours outside hospitals.

Later, social media videos, satellite images and footage shot by foreign media on the ground showed how funeral homes were overwhelmed by the sudden spike in deaths. Chinas National Bureau of Statistics did not release the total number of deaths in December.

The sharp surge of confirmed cases and deaths, especially among the elderly, made me realize that the Chinese government doesnt really care about how its decisions may affect the Chinese people, Sherry Liang, a 35-year-old English teacher in Central China, told VOA by phone.

Youth unemployment rate

Apart from the surge in COVID cases and deaths in January, China also saw the youth unemployment rate rise to a historic high amid a persistent economic slowdown. For months, Chinas youth unemployment rate was above 20%, which exacerbated a sense of despair among the millions of college graduates.

Instead of posting joyful pictures of hat throwing at graduation ceremonies, many young people in China shared photos of themselves lying on the ground, lying face down on stairs, or throwing graduate certificates into trash bins.

The bleak job market has forced some young people to move back to their hometowns and become full-time children while others are struggling to maintain a normal lifestyle due to serious mental issues. Ive been diagnosed with depression since losing my job in June, Jacky Wang, a 22-year-old college graduate in Shanghai, told VOA by phone.

Im scared about looking for a job. Whenever I open job search websites, I would be very nervous and even have serious headaches. Whenever I read about the latest youth unemployment figures, I wonder if this is how my life is going to be as long as I stay in China, he added.

In August, China announced that it was no longer releasing youth unemployment data, citing a need to improve and optimize the way data is collected.

Political turbulence, public discontent

While struggling to cope with challenges from the end of the Zero-COVID policy, the Chinese government has also been facing some difficult political moments and growing public discontent about Xi Jinpings heavy-handed leadership style.

Since July, two top-level officials, former foreign minister Qin Gang and former defense minister Li Shangfu, have disappeared from the publics view and were later removed from their positions. Widely viewed as Xi loyalists, some observers said their abrupt removal reflects the lack of transparency and accountability under Xis one-man politics.

As Xi becomes more heavy-handed in ruling China, tightening control over civil society and cracking down on businesses such as Alibaba, some Chinese people have used occasions like the late October death of former premier Li Keqiang to push back against Xis one-man rule, said Alfred Wu, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore.

By mourning Li, Chinese people want to show that they miss the more humane era in China and in a way, they are reacting to the dramatic structural changes that have taken place in China under Xi, he told VOA by phone.

After Chinese state media announced Lis death on October 27, images and videos on social media showed hundreds of Chinese citizens lined up outside his childhood home in Anhui province to pay tribute to the former premier.

On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, some netizens called Li the good premier who devoted himself to the people, while others said they have always loved and respected Li. But soon Chinas online censorship protocols blocked relevant search words.

During this years celebration of Halloween, some attendees wore costumes such as hazmat suits, which were worn by authorities enforcing COVID-19 rules during the pandemic, while others put blank sheets of paper on their clothes to symbolize the nationwide protest against the zero-COVID strategy in 2022.

With Chinas manufacturing activity contracting for a second straight month in November and the countrys economy showing no clear signs of recovery, Wu in Singapore does not expect the overall situation to improve for China in the near future.

He told VOA that while most things will likely remain the same in China next year, the basic conditions, especially economic conditions, would be worse than 2023.

Despite the pessimistic outlook for China in 2024, some Chinese citizens think compared to people in Ukraine, who have been suffering from the war launched by Russia for more than a year, their situation seems relatively better.

While the Chinese governments authoritarian rule is scary, the war in Ukraine is even more deadly, Allen Wang, a 37-year-old Chinese man in Jiangsu province, told VOA by phone.
According to the British charity Save the Children, some 30,000 children will be born in war-torn Sudan over the next three months without access to proper medical care, such as through doctors, hospitals and medicines. The group says the lack of basic health care endangers both mothers and unborn children, heightening the risk of long-term and deadly complications.

Thats out of a total of some 45,000 children that are expected to be born in Sudan in the next quarter amid conflict that has destroyed many health facilities in the country.

The head of child protection at Save the Children International in Sudan, Osman Adam Abdelkarim, told VOA that the recent escalation of violence in many parts of Sudan has made his organization fear for pregnant women and millions of others.

He said that in the town of Wad Madani, in Al Jazirah state, the medical system has collapsed.

"There are no health facilities going to be operational, he said. There were two doctors killed in the last three days, and all of the medical staff evacuated, and left the place. And also, the supply chain to reach out[lying] areas, it was very challenging. It's difficult to move, and that's affecting the whole supply chain system for delivering drugs and also to make the medical staff available."

The recent escalation of the conflict has seen more than 25,000 pregnant women on the move from violence, and Save the Children warns the women likely will be cut off from the health facilities and the right nutrition needed to support their babies.

Health experts say the first four weeks of a child's life carry the highest risk of death and are the most dangerous for the mother. Most of the deaths are caused by birth asphyxia, premature birth, or infections.

Hala al-Karib, regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, says there are not enough facilities in Sudan right now to help women and children.

"We are going to see a large number of women losing their lives, she said. We are going to see a lot of children losing their lives because of the fact that, you know, the infrastructure that's typically established in wartime, you know, has not been done. And that in itself is an issue. The other issue... [is] the total failures of the mediation efforts that's controlled by the Americans, it's controlled by the Saudis,both of them, they have not been successful to create safe zones for civilians.

Sudan descended into armed conflict in April after the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, and the leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, disagreed on how to move the country from military rule to a civilian-led government.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since April, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.



The conflict has displaced more than 4.3 million people and 1.1 million have fled to neighboring countries.

Al-Karib said Sudanese civilians need safe camps.

"All medical services and medical facilities totally collapsed at this point in time, she said. Now, since the war erupted in April, you know, there have been frequent calls to the international community to establish IDP camps, safe IDP camps for civilians to exist with services, and so on. That never happened. The international community, they never fulfilled their obligations towards Sudan. The crisis in Sudan has been totally abandoned and sidelined."

The war has made it difficult for aid agencies to reach millions of people in need of food, water, and medicine due to the warring parties' failure to allow humanitarian workers to safely pass through dangerous areas.

Save the Children is calling on the international community to assist the millions of Sudanese affected by the conflict and to remember their children and their mothers during these difficult times.
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Colorado Supreme Court is removing former President Donald Trump from the states primary ballot. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announces the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea. Israeli forces raid one of the last functioning hospitals in Gazas north.
Iran's foreign ministry summoned on Wednesday Sweden's charge d'affaires to protest the life sentence handed down to a former Iranian prison official over mass executions in 1988.

On Tuesday, a Swedish appeals court upheld the jail term handed down against Hamid Noury, 62, in July last year "for grave breaches of international humanitarian law and murder."

"It is regrettable that the Swedish court, without considering the standards of a fair trial, decided to issue such a destructive verdict," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

He condemned the verdict as "fundamentally unacceptable" and said Iran would "use all legal avenues at its disposal" to secure Noury's release.

The foreign ministry later on Wednesday summoned Sweden's envoy to Tehran to voice its "strong protest" against the verdict.

It slammed the Swedish court for citing "false claims" in its verdict.

Noury was arrested at Stockholm airport in November 2019 after Iranian dissidents in Sweden filed police complaints against him.

The case relates to the killing of at least 5,000 prisoners across Iran to avenge attacks carried out by the rebel People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) at the end of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88.

Noury had worked as an assistant prosecutor in a prison near Tehran at the time but argued that he was on leave during the period in question.

Sweden tried Noury under its principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows it to try a case regardless of where the alleged offense took place.

There have been concerns that the case could have repercussions for the fate of Swedish prisoners in Iran, including EU diplomat Johan Floderus, who has been held for more than 600 days.

Floderus, 33, has been charged with the capital offense of "corruption on earth." He was detained at the Tehran airport in April 2022 on his return from a trip abroad while Noury's original trial was underway.

Another Swedish citizen, dual national Ahmad Reza Jalali, is already on death row in Iran after he was detained in 2016 and sentenced to death on espionage charges.

Swedish media have speculated about the possibility of a prisoner swap between Sweden and Iran. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has declined to comment.
Key Insights

Using the Dividend Discount Model, Jason Marine Group fair value estimate is S$0.10

Current share price of S$0.12 suggests Jason Marine Group is potentially trading close to its fair value

Jason Marine Group's peers seem to be trading at a higher premium to fair value based onthe industry average of -331%

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Jason Marine Group Limited (Catalist:5PF) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Jason Marine Group

The Calculation

As Jason Marine Group operates in the communications sector, we need to calculate the intrinsic value slightly differently. Instead of using free cash flows, which are hard to estimate and often not reported by analysts in this industry, dividends per share (DPS) payments are used. Unless a company pays out the majority of its FCF as a dividend, this method will typically underestimate the value of the stock. The 'Gordon Growth Model' is used, which simply assumes that dividend payments will continue to increase at a sustainable growth rate forever. The dividend is expected to grow at an annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We then discount this figure to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.9%. Compared to the current share price of S$0.1, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

Story continues

Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate)

= S$0.01 / (6.9%  2.0%)

= S$0.1

Catalist:5PF Discounted Cash Flow December 20th 2023

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 Jason Marine Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.978. 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 Jason Marine Group

Strength

Cash in surplus of total debt.

Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

5PF's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine 5PF's earnings prospects.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. 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 Jason Marine Group, there are three additional elements you should consider:

Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Jason Marine Group (including 3 which are significant) . 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! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Singaporean 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.
A Japanese court on Wednesday ordered the governor of Okinawa to approve the central government's modified plan for landfill work at the planned relocation site of a key U.S. military base on the southern island despite persistent opposition and protests by residents.

The decision will move forward the suspended construction at a time Okinawa's strategic importance is becoming key for the Japan-U.S. military alliance in the face of growing tensions with China. Japan also rapidly seeks to build up its military in the southwestern region.

The ruling by the Fukuoka High Court Naha branch allows the Land and Transport Ministry to order the modification work designed to reinforce extremely soft ground at the designated relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, overriding Gov. Denny Tamaki's disapproval. The ruling ordered Tamaki to issue the approval within three working days.

Tamaki said it was unjust that the will of the residents is crushed by the central government.

Tamaki, noting the spirit of local government autonomy and democracy, said in a statement that the ruling that allows the government's forcible execution of its planned construction of a new military base is "absolutely unacceptable."

If completed, the new site will serve a key Marine Corps facility for the region and also will be home to MV-22 Ospreys that are currently deployed at Futenma.

Tamaki can still appeal to the Supreme Court, but the local government at this point has no power to stop the work unless the top court overturns the decision.

Okinawa and the central government have long tussled over the relocation of the Futenma base.

The Japanese and U.S. governments initially agreed in 1996 to close the Futenma air station a year after the rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. military personnel led to a massive anti-base movement. But persistent protests and lawsuits between Okinawa and Tokyo have held up the plan for nearly 30 years.

Japan's central government began the reclamation work off Henoko Bay on the eastern coast of Okinawa in 2018 to pave the way for the relocation of the Futenma base from its crowded neighborhood on the island.

The central government later found out that large areas of the designated reclamation site are on soft ground, which some experts described "as soft as mayonnaise," and submitted a revision to the original plan with additional land improvement. But Okinawa's prefectural government rejected the revision plan and suspended the reclamation work.

The ground improvement plan requires tens of thousands of pillars and massive amounts of soil, which opponents say would damage the environment. It is expected to cost 930 billion yen ($6.5 billion), 2.5 times the initial estimate, and take 12 years to finish, according to the Defense Ministry.

The Supreme Court in September turned down Okinawa's appeal in another lawsuit that ordered the prefecture to withdraw its rejection of the modified landfill plan.

Tamaki has called for a significant reduction of the U.S. military on the island, which is home to more than half of 50,000 American troops based in Japan under the bilateral security pact. Tamaki also has demanded the immediate closure of Futenma base and the scrapping of the base construction at Henoko. Okinawa accounts for just 0.6% of Japanese land.

Tokyo and Washington say the relocation within Okinawa, instead of moving it elsewhere as demanded by many Okinawans, is the only solution.

"We believe that action should be taken promptly in line with this ruling," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. He pledged that the government will continue to make effort for the return of the Futenma air station as soon as possible to reduce the burden from the base.
A former Russian soldier has sought asylum in the Netherlands and wants to testify at the International Criminal Court (ICC) about war crimes by Russia that he witnessed while fighting in Ukraine, a Dutch legal source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The man, who identified himself in Dutch media as 60-year-old Igor Salikov, said he had been a member of the Russian-backed forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and had worked as an instructor for the Wagner mercenary group in Ukraine.

Reuters could not independently verify his position in either the pro-Russian separatist forces or the Wagner group.

Ukraine's top war crimes prosecutor Yurii Belousov told Reuters that Salikov had been in touch with Ukrainian prosecutors for more than six months and given testimony.

"He gave important testimony, some of which has already been confirmed, about the invasion of February 24, 2022. He reported some war crimes, which we are investigating, and some have already been confirmed," Belousov told Reuters in a text message.

Russia has vigorously denied committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

Salikov told the Dutch television program EenVandaag in an interview broadcast Monday that he was ready to fully cooperate with the ICC and had personally witnessed "cruelties against civilians."

The ICC's Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday confirmed it had received information from Salikov, but added it could give no further information.

"In line with the confidentiality of its activities ... the Office is unable to confirm or deny whether an individual is being engaged with as a potential witness or in any other capacity," a spokesman said in a text message.

The court in the Dutch city of The Hague has an ongoing investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.

In March, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova over war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin rejected those allegations.

Human rights group Gulagu.net in a post on Telegram said Salikov was not received by the ICC after his arrival in the Netherlands on Monday, as its prosecutor and judges were not ready.

"They did not expect it," the group said.
China and Nicaragua upgraded their bilateral ties on Wednesday, setting the stage for the Asian giant to provide more economic support to the sanctioned Central American state and furthering Beijing's strategic ambitions in the United States' backyard.

Beijing and Managua re-established diplomatic ties in 2021 after Nicaragua broke off relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which U.S. officials attributed to the allure of the prospect of fresh investment from China after Western countries sanctioned President Daniel Ortega's government over human rights abuses.

"I am willing to work with President Ortega to take today's announcement of a China-Nicaragua strategic partnership as a new start, to push relations between our two countries forward to build a model of solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit,"

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Ortega during a call to mark the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties, Chinese state media reported.

Xi said the China-Nicaragua Free Trade Agreement would take effect on Jan. 1.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is already a major investor in Central and Latin America and could provide Nicaragua with welcome financial support as the United States ratchets up economic pressure on Ortega's administration.

"China is also willing to strengthen its solidarity and cooperation with Nicaragua in international affairs and opposing hegemony and power politics," state media reported Xi as saying.

Nicaragua also faces sanctions from Canada, the United Kingdom and European states, while a United Nations Human Rights Council report in March concluded the Nicaraguan government had committed "widespread and systematic human rights violations that amount to crimes against humanity."

In 2018, Ortega's government waged a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests  which it has made illegal  and has jailed dozens of opposition figures that officials have accused of fomenting a coup. Rights groups have denounced the actions as a descent into dictatorship.

In an earlier statement, China's foreign ministry said it "firmly supports Nicaragua in steadily moving forward with its domestic political agenda and resolutely opposes interference in Nicaragua's internal affairs by external forces."

Nicaragua reiterated that it would not have any form of official exchange with Taiwan, the ministry said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry criticized the comments, saying Ortega had switched to China for his own personal gain and has "willingly become an accomplice in China's destruction of democracy and peace, which is despicable."

Nicaragua has strategic importance for China given its proximity to the United States. In recent years, Beijing has steadily stepped up its diplomatic engagement across the region, establishing diplomatic ties with neighboring Honduras in May and offering support to nearby, diplomatically isolated Cuba and Venezuela.

"China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua and will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence, dignity and in opposing foreign interference," Xi said.
At least a dozen journalists faced arrest or charges related to their newsgathering across the U.S. in 2023, with most working for local media outlets.

The incidents and their impact on the ability of journalists to cover the news are detailed in a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.

Based in New York, the Tracker has documented what it sees as press freedom violations inside the U.S. since 2017.

According to the Tracker, many of the cases this year involved attempts to prevent journalists from engaging in regular reporting practices  from asking questions to investigating public officials. It cited around 30 cases of journalists or media outlets being summoned and asked to identify a source or hand over reporting materials.

What was interesting this year was an apparent criminalization of general newsgathering, said Stephanie Sugars, the reports author.

The number of cases of journalists arrested is lower than previous years, when the Tracker documented dozens of cases as media covered unrest and large-scale protests. Still, the findings are a concern, the nonpartisan group said.

In one case from October, police arrested a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and a reporter for publishing an article that authorities said contained confidential grand jury evidence.

While leaking information may be illegal, it is not a crime for news outlets to publish that information, so long as the reporters are not involved in illegally obtaining the materials, press experts say.

In another case, a reporter at an Illinois newspaper was cited for asking city officials too many questions about flooding in October.

That is normal newsgathering, Sugars told VOA from New York.

In the Illinois case, the charges were dropped.

In a separate incident in Ohio, NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert was ordered to stop a live broadcast while Governor Mike DeWine was giving a press briefing in February. Officers then forced Lambert to the ground and arrested him.

The governor expressed concern and said he was not aware of the incident at the time it occurred.

Lambert filed a lawsuit in November over the incident.

Meanwhile, an Arizona judge in April granted a restraining order against a local reporter after the journalist looked into a state senators residency claims. Another judge later rejected the restraining order. And in July, two California reporters were accused by a local police union of stalking for trying to contact a police officer at her home.

Attempts to criminalize routine journalistic activities, such as contacting public officials or the subjects of stories, send a chill through the heart of newsgathering, Sugars wrote in the report.

Its unclear whether police and officials in these incidents were unaware of what constitutes normal newsgathering or whether they just didnt care, Sugars said.

But, she added, that distinction also misses the point.

Whether they know that it is general, basic newsgathering or not is less important than the fact that they just dont like it and are using the tools at their disposal to retaliate, Sugars said.

Another factor that links many of the cases in the Press Freedom Trackers report is that most incidents took place at the local level, affecting smaller or regional publications.

Thats likely a byproduct of the decline of local news coverage, according to Sugars.

The U.S. has lost more than one fourth of its newspapers since 2005 and is set to lose one third of all its roughly 6,000 remaining print newspapers  mostly weeklies  by 2025, according to a report by Northwestern Universitys Local News Initiative.

That lack of constant scrutiny has created an atmosphere where local officials feel like they are no longer responsible for answering questions, Sugars said.

First Amendment experts say such violations make it harder for journalists to do their jobs.

If youve got these instances of law enforcement overreach, again, it impairs the presss watchdog role," said Gabe Rottman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, or RCFP.

Rottman, who is director of the RCFPs Technology and Press Freedom Project, said that it is important for government officials to understand the role journalists play in their community.

Fewer journalists were arrested or charged in the United States in 2023 than in the past few years, the Tracker report found.

But other violations  such as the police raid on the Marion County Record in Kansas  indicate that the First Amendment still faces its fair share of assaults, analysts say.

Since the Press Freedom Tracker began monitoring violations in 2017, the worst years for arrests were 2017, 2020 and 2021, all of which featured large-scale protests.

Covering protests is regularly the most dangerous assignment for journalists in the United States, according to Sugars.

She said that arrests or legal action against media in the U.S. should concern everyone even if the journalists are thousands of miles away  because press freedom violations in one corner of the country risk emboldening would-be perpetrators elsewhere.

Every single violation can be a steppingstone for the next, Sugars said.

With the U.S. headed for elections in 2024, Sugars said, the Tracker will be closely monitoring for press freedom violations.
The man nominated by Spains Socialist prime minister to lead one of the worlds largest news agencies is due to appear Thursday before a parliamentary commission that will determine his suitability to head the EFE.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs pick of his former communications spokesperson to head the broadcaster was met with criticism. Opposition parties and some media say the choice could undermine the EFEs credibility by making it seem as if the state-funded agency is close to the government.

EFE is state-owned but independent from the Spanish government.

As the fourth largest news agency in the world, it plays a significant role in combating disinformation in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America.

The man nominated to head EFE  Miguel Angel Oliver Fernandez  is a journalist who served as head of communications for Sanchez between 2018 and 2021.

In an interview with VOA, he pointed to his extensive career in journalism as proof that he would be a responsible person to lead EFE.

I started in 1983, with my whole life dedicated to news, he said.

Spains government always appoints the head of the state-run EFE. But when Sanchezs government this month announced Oliver as its pick, opposition parties claimed the Socialist government is naming supporters to public office, undermining their impartiality.

They see the naming of a former government spokesperson as an apparent conflict of interest.

On December 7, El Pais, a left-wing daily newspaper, published an editorial headlined Respect to the EFE Agency.

It warned that the appointment could cause unnecessary damage to institutional decorum and described Oliver as a person without the slightest appearance of impartiality.

The appointment damages the image of the agency and the government, which has first the responsibility to establish standards of institutional decorum in a democracy, the editorial said.

It recalled Olivers time as head of the government communications department when, it claimed, he stood out for his militant protection of the government above his service to the media.

Borja Semper, of the opposition conservative Peoples Party, known as the PP, is among those to criticize the nomination.

This would lower the reputation of EFE because it would appear that political influence is playing a part in an agency which has traditionally been independent from government, he told VOA. This move also represents a colonization of public offices by the government of Sanchez which damages their independence.

When former Justice Minister Dolores Delgado was named attorney general in 2021, critics said the appointment of a Socialist minister risked damaging the independence of the judiciary.

A government spokeswoman, who declined to be named as is the custom in Spain, said it did not want to comment on the matter when asked verbally by VOA.

Semper said despite protests from the PP there was little opposition parties could do to prevent Oliver becoming the new head of EFE.

VOA asked EFE for comment by email but did not receive a response.

Oliver told VOA that he felt honored by the offer of the position.

To interpret the criticism of the PP, you dont have to do more than look at the political situation in the country now. There is a lot of division, he said. In terms of the criticism of El Pais, I would refer you to my journalistic experience and the gratitude that I have for being able to dedicate myself to public events.

Before his role as a government spokesperson, Oliver worked as an executive at the privately owned media company Mediaset, where he was involved with the relaunch of Cuatro, a television channel he once worked for as a presenter.

Describing the nomination as an honor, Oliver added, EFE is a global journalistic institution, which is very prestigious. To lead EFE is a dream for any journalist.

Spain established the EFE at the end of the civil war in 1939 and  according to its website  the agency produces about 3,000 news items per year for web, radio and TV. It is the largest news agency in Latin America.

In countries like Cuba, where a free press is restricted, EFE has an illustrious history of covering events in the Caribbean island since 1975.

Its journalists reported on three papal visits, the 1989 visit of then Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev; the 1996 Helms Burton Act, which strengthened U.S. sanctions against Cuba; Raul Castro taking over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro as head of state in 2008; the first visit of a U.S. president in 88 years and the death of Fidel.

When VOA in 2022 spoke with Gabriela Canas, the EFE president, about the networks coverage in censored countries, she underscored the importance of EFE saying, Practically half the news in Latin America about Cuba comes from us."
Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology are the most selective undergraduate programs in the United States, with each only accepting about 3% of applicants.

Ilana Kowarski and Cole Claybourn rank the schools for US News & World Report. (December 2023)
Ratification of Sweden's NATO membership by Turkey's parliament hinges on the U.S. Congress' approval of Turkey's request to purchase F-16 fighter jets, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, calling on the two legislatures to act "simultaneously."

In comments reported on Tuesday, Erdogan also said Canada and other NATO allies must lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

"Positive developments from the United States regarding the F-16 issue and Canada keeping its promises will accelerate our parliament's positive view on [Sweden's membership]," Erdogan said. "All of these are linked."

He made the comments late Monday while returning from a visit to Hungary. Hungary and Turkey are the only two NATO members not to have formally approved Sweden's bid to join the trans-Atlantic military alliance.

Erdogan's comments were reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency.

He told reporters that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised the issue of a simultaneous approval by Turkey's parliament and the U.S. Congress during discussions this week with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"If we operate this simultaneously, we will have the opportunity to pass this through the parliament much more easily," Erdogan quoted Fidan as telling Blinken.

Erdogan submitted a protocol on Sweden's admission to parliament in October, but the ratification process stalled.

The Turkish leader has since linked the matter to Congress approving Turkey's request to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize its existing fleet.

Turkey has delayed ratification of Sweden's membership for more than a year. Ankara accuses the country of not taking Turkey's security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies, who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance after the neighboring countries dropped their long-standing military neutrality following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Hungary has said the country would not be the last to approve accession, though the ruling Fidesz Party, which holds a constitutional majority in Hungary's parliament, has refused to hold a vote on the matter.
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday a Russian aerial attack on the southern city of Kherson injured nine people, including four children.

Ukraines air forces said Russian forces targeted Ukraine with 19 attack drones, including ones aimed at Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson and six other regions.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 18 of the 19 drones, the military said.

Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said there were no reported casualties in Kyiv and no reported damage in the capital.

Russia also fired two guided missiles at Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the military said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday his nations military has requested an additional 450,000 to 500,000 Ukrainians to replenish the countrys army as it fights Russia.

During an end-of-year news conference, Zelenskyy said no final decision has been made on the request and that top military government officials would be discussing the matter.

"I said that I would need more arguments to support this move. Because first of all, its a question of people. Secondly, it's a question of fairness. It's a question of defense capability. And its a question of finances," he said.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his country's forces for repelling a Ukrainian counteroffensive that started in June.

Our troops are holding the initiative, he said at a meeting Tuesday with military leaders. We are effectively doing what we think is needed, doing what we want. 

The Ukrainian counteroffensive has largely stalled against entrenched Russian forces, with only limited territorial gains in the eastern part of the country.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.


A top United Nations official has called for more frequent and direct engagements with de facto Taliban authorities both inside and outside Afghanistan to address the countrys challenging relations with the international community.

Addressing members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Roza Otunbayeva, the secretary-generals special representative for Afghanistan, said engagement does not equate to legitimizing Taliban rule.

It can be used to express disapproval yet encourage change, said Otunbayeva, adding that the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has had successful interactions with Taliban authorities on several issues, including counternarcotics and human rights.

Otunbayeva's plea for increased engagement comes just days after a U.N. credentialing committee rejected for a third consecutive year the Taliban's attempt to secure Afghanistan's U.N. seat.

Despite having governed Afghanistan for over two years, the Taliban regime remains unrecognized by any country, and several of its key leaders, including the foreign minister, are subject to travel sanctions.

The Taliban's limitations on women's education and employment, coupled with their reluctance to establish an inclusive government, are highlighted as key factors contributing to the regime's isolation.

Otunbayeva also urged Taliban leaders to change their discriminatory policies and adhere to the international treaties and conventions that Afghanistan has signed.

To help Afghanistan return to the international arena, Otunbayeva said, compromises will be required from all sides.

Robert Wood, a U.S. representative to the U.N., urged Security Council members to work together to press the Taliban to reverse their destructive course.

The Taliban must engage in serious dialogue with the Afghan people to support their aspirations, to put an end to human rights abuses, and to allow assistance to reach those in need, Wood said.

Special envoy

In April, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu to conduct an independent assessment and recommend how the Security Council should engage with the Taliban.

Among the recommendations Sinirlioglu made in a report submitted last month was the appointment of a special envoy to lead international diplomacy with the Taliban. The Taliban, however, opposed such an appointment.

The de facto foreign minister explained that the long history of U.N. special envoys in Afghanistan was not positive, Otunbayeva said.

In 2001, the Taliban were excluded from a U.N.-led intra-Afghan conference in Germany, which laid the groundwork for the post-Taliban Afghan government. An earlier U.N. plan for transitional arrangements in Afghanistan in 1992, led by U.N. special envoy Benon Sevan, did not succeed, leading to factional fighting across much of the country.

Wood voiced support for the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan, describing the move as important for the development of a road map that ensures Afghanistan meets its international obligations.

Addressing the Security Council meeting on Wednesday, the Chinese representative, Geng Shuang, stressed that the Taliban must shape the current political reality in Afghanistan.

When engaging with the Afghan authorities, the international community needs to demonstrate good faith, set no preconditions, communicate with the Afghan Taliban in ways easily acceptable to it, and strive for its understanding and cooperation, Geng said.

China and Russia, two of the five permanent members of the Security Council, have maintained diplomatic and trade relations with the Taliban. Chinese companies have also entered into oil and mineral mining contracts with the de facto government.
A U.S. court on Wednesday unsealed an indictment charging an alleged senior Hezbollah operative with terrorism charges, in part for coordinating a 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Samuel Salman El Reda, 58, had coordinated Hezbollah's activities in South America, Asia and Lebanon since 1993. The Iran-backed, heavily armed Shiite group is part of Lebanon's coalition government.

Prosecutors said El Reda is based in Lebanon and remains at large. The U.S. State Department in 2019 sanctioned El Reda and offered a $7 million reward for information on his whereabouts.

Argentina also blames Hezbollah for a 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 29 people.
(Bloomberg) -- European Union finance chiefs ended months of wrangling over fiscal rigor to agree on new rules that will aim to rein in debt and define the blocs ability to invest in key sectors such as defense for years to come.

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In the end, the unanimous deal among 27 member states was clinched on a video conference that lasted less than two hours, concluding negotiations launched just before the Covid pandemic.

Wednesdays agreement introduces more flexibility for fiscal adjustments, while Berlin succeeded in introducing safeguards to ensure common debt reduction and the building up of buffers to absorb future shocks.

The overhaul also aims to give capitals a bigger say in how they rein in public finances, while improving enforcement where limits are exceeded. Yet a goal of simplifying budgetary oversight proved elusive as the final compromise forced negotiators to add demands from each camp.

The fiscal rules that bind the euro areas eclectic economies exist to bring down deficits and put limits on how much debt governments can build up. The old rules were suspended to allow spending leeway during the pandemic and energy crisis and are considered to be outdated.

The rules are more realistic, they respond to the post-pandemic reality, and they incorporate also the lessons learned from the great financial crisis, Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino told a news conference after the deal was reached. Her country holds the rotating EU presidency and has been leading negotiations.

Efforts to agree on a new framework exposed differences between hawkish countries led by Germany that called for strict targets to reduce debt, and those led by France and Italy that were concerned about the need to finance the defense and digital industries, as well as the green transition.

Story continues

After months of technical discussions led by Spain, Paris and Berlin resolved the remaining differences between the EUs two biggest economies late on Tuesday with a deal they saw as the basis for the wider agreement.

These rules will guarantee financial stability and sound public finances everywhere in Europe for the years ahead, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a video posted on the X social media platform. For the first time in 30 years, this stability pact recognizes the importance of investment and structural reforms.

Italys Giancarlo Giorgetti, who last week expressed doubts that a deal could be reached, said in a statement that the new framework is more realistic and called it a positive development.

On Wednesdays video conference, finance ministers needed to finalize outstanding issues that included a key indicator based on net expenditure designed to monitor whether national economies are sustainable.

Member states also disagreed until the last minute over the pace at which deficits should come down to 1.5% of gross domestic product, with the aim of creating a fiscal buffer below the 3% threshold.

The new fiscal rules will grant member states some leeway on military spending as Russias invasion of Ukraine has brought defense to the top of the priority list. By investing in common EU priorities, including the green transition and digital and defense industries, the period during which a country has to balance its public accounts may be extended to seven years from four.

The old rules are due to be reinstated in January and left unchanged would bring back stricter debt limits that are tough for some governments to swallow. Ministers wanted a political deal before year-end to allow time to conclude the legislative reform by spring  ahead of EU elections in June  so it can be in place for the next budgetary cycle.

Negotiators from the EUs main institutions will hash out the final details of the new economic governance framework before its put to a vote at the European Parliament.

--With assistance from Alessandra Migliaccio and William Horobin.

(Updates with Spanish economy minister comment in sixth paragraph, French finance minister comment in ninth, Italian finance minister comment in 10th.)

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The United States has again denied leaving any weapons in Afghanistan during the American militarys withdrawal from the country in August 2021, dismissing such allegations as farce."

John Kirby, U.S. National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the comments Tuesday just days after Pakistan urged the United Nations to investigate how Afghan-based militants are acquiring sophisticated weapons to carry out terrorist attacks in the country.

This is a fallacy, this is a farce. What we did, over the course of our 20 years in Afghanistan, of course, with congressional approval and consultations, was arm and help equip the Afghan national security forces, Kirby told a White House news conference.

He explained that in the face of advances by the Taliban insurgency during the U.S. troop withdrawal, many Afghan forces had decided not to fight and lay down their arms.

The 'arms' that you're talking about, and again, I can't verify these particular reports, belonged to the Afghan national security forces, Kirby said.

Thats what was left behind. Not that the United States just walked away and abandoned a bunch of weapons in a pile in Afghanistan. That's simply not historically accurate.

Pakistani authorities maintain militants linked to the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have intensified cross-border attacks from Afghan sanctuaries since the foreign troops withdrew and the Taliban seized power in the neighboring country two years ago.

The TTP and other militant groups have for years carried out bombings and other terrorist raids in Pakistan, but officials say militants are increasingly launching lethal attacks against security forces using U.S.-made modern weaponry.

Usman Jadoon, Pakistans deputy permanent representative to the U.N., raised the issue last week during a Security Council open debate on addressing the threat posed by diversion, illicit trafficking, and misuse of small arms and light weapons to peace and security.

Jadoon demanded an investigation into how the TTP acquired the sophisticated weapons being used against his country.

Local media quoted him as telling the meeting that terrorists and criminals do not manufacture these advanced arms; instead, they acquire them from illicit markets or entities with intentions to destabilize specific regions or countries.

Jadoon did not name the U.S., but Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar told foreign media journalists in September that military equipment left behind during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan had greatly enhanced the fighting capacity of TTP and other anti-state groups.

We are not accusing the U.S. of anything that we would need to share evidence (for), Kakar said when asked if Pakistan had presented evidence to Washington that its military equipment was now being used against Pakistan.

However, Kakar called for a coordinated approach to tackle the challenge of the leftover equipment.

The U.S. military built and trained tens of thousands of Afghan security forces at the cost of more than $80 billion during its two-decade-long presence in the country.

More than $7.1 billion in U.S.-funded military equipment was in the inventory of the former Afghan government when it collapsed in the face of insurgent Taliban nationwide attacks amid the foreign troop exit, the U.S. Defense Department estimated in a report released last year.

Taliban authorities have repeatedly rejected allegations that weapons have fallen into the hands of militants, saying "equipment and vehicles are stored and saved in depots, and no one is allowed to smuggle or sell even a single weapon.

Critics question those claims, saying TTP is a known close ally of the de facto Afghan rulers and fought with them against the U.S.-led international forces for years. The U.S. and the U.N. have listed TTP as a global terrorist organization.

Last July, the Geneva-based independent Small Arms Survey published a report warning that the groups allied with the Afghan Taliban, including TTP, continue to gain access to weapons of U.S.-trained and -equipped former Afghan security forces.

The report noted, citing field research, that cross-border trafficking is continuing, and that Afghan-sourced arms are both available in Pakistani markets and fueling TTP violence against the Pakistani state.

Pakistan says nearly 2,500 security forces and civilians have died in militant attacks across the country in the last two years. That toll includes last week's assault on a military base in a northwestern district that killed 23 soldiers, making it the deadliest attack in Pakistans recent history.
The United States is working on a postwar road map that envisions a revamped and revitalized Palestinian Authority ultimately taking over the Gaza Strip and becoming a credible partner for Israel for negotiation of a two-state solution.

One proposal being considered is to empower remaining members of the PA security forces in Gaza to form the nucleus of a broader postwar peacekeeping force, according to a senior administration official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity last week.

Israel opposes the plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that only the Israel Defense Forces can be trusted to demilitarize Gaza and has vowed to block any attempt to reinstall the PA in the Palestinian enclave.

Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to curb Israels military campaign that has killed over 19,000 people in the Gaza Strip, by Palestinian count. A surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas took over 1,200 lives in Israel.

Immediate challenges

The U.S. plan faces two immediate challenges  getting the Israelis on board and the Palestinians ready.

The PA at present lacks the credible mandate that would be needed for it to participate in deciding the security and future of Gaza. A wartime opinion poll published last week by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows an overwhelming majority of Palestinians reject PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90% saying he must resign. Prior polls show that most Palestinians believe the PA is corrupt.

Abbas is very weak, said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who was involved in U.S. Middle East peace negotiations during the Reagan, Clinton and both Bush administrations.

Miller told VOA that Abbas is perceived to be an Israeli subcontractor when it comes to security.

Since being established under the 1994 Cairo Agreement, PA security forces have operated in pockets of roughly 40% of the West Bank and have been essential in keeping order amid raids by Israel Defense Forces and expansionist activities by Israeli settlers.

Israel controls the rest of the West Bank and restricts movement of people and goods through the territory. It has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007 following Hamas victory in the Gaza 2006 legislative elections.

The United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority has since 2007 been providing PA security forces in the West Bank with training, funding, weapons and other assistance. However, PA security forces in Gaza have been largely dormant following the PAs expulsion after Hamas won.

The United States should support some members of the Palestinian Authority security forces from the West Bank coming into Gaza, while also attempting to rehabilitate existing security personnel there, said Middle East political analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib.

Key to this is distinguishing between personnel that simply work under the Hamas government because it is the only employer in town, and those with direct links and ideological affiliation to the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas military wing, Alkhatib told VOA.

He noted lessons learned in the aftermath of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the U.S. enacted de-Baathification policies and disbanded the Iraqi army to flush out remnants of Saddam Husseins regime and prevent them from holding positions in the new Iraq.

This contributed greatly to the ensuing chaos and civil war, Alkhatib said.

Like the Baath Party, Hamas has for years been the dominant political force in Gazan society, providing public services and maintaining law and order pre-Oct. 7.

Separating professionals from militants and then using their experience, expertise and local contacts will be key to stabilizing postwar Gaza, he said. The local population will be more likely to cooperate with them than with foreign forces being parachuted in.

Custodian proposals

Various international custodianship proposals have been floated, including the deployment of an international peacekeeping force from NATO countries as suggested by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Ohlmert. Or the deployment of Arab missions to reconstitute PA security forces and rebuild Palestinian state apparatus.

I don't think we're at the stage right now where we can endorse one particular option or another, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told VOA during a news briefing Tuesday.

He stressed that the PA must reform itself to be credibly involved in postwar governance of Gaza. The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006 and brought Hamas to power in Gaza. The last presidential elections, won by Abbas, were held in 2005.

Palestinian activists have long pushed for internal reform. According to a policy paper by the Palestinian think tank Al Shabaka, the Palestinian national movement is in an acute state of crisis, and the Palestinian political system and institutions are incapable of bringing the Palestinian people closer to realize their rights.

Even with a stronger mandate, the PA is keen to avoid the perception of reclaiming Gaza by riding on the bloodshed. In a recent interview, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he would be open to ruling Gaza alongside Hamas as a junior partner, prompting Netanyahu to claim that he is vindicated in his opposition to allowing the PA to control the territory after the war.



The day after

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that parts of Gaza are close to being able to transition to a day after status but other parts will likely continue to face intensive fighting.

Israel began aerial bombardment on Oct. 9, followed by ground invasion on Oct. 27. The U.S. has pressed the Netanyahu war Cabinet to make its campaign more surgical, but heavy warfare is expected to last for at least another few weeks, if not months.

The Biden administration has worked on a postwar plan since the conflicts early weeks.

At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Oct. 31 to American lawmakers.

Anita Powell and Nike Ching contributed to this report.
Pope Francis, leader of the worlds nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, announced this week that priests are now allowed to bless the relationships of same-sex couples and others in what the church refers to as irregular situations, a change expected to generate mixed reactions among the religions widespread and diverse communities.

The announcement, in the form of a papal declaration titled Fiducia Supplicans on the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings, appears to overturn a 2021 ruling issued by the same office of the Vatican, which found that such blessings were impermissible because the church cannot bless sin.

The declaration makes clear that the churchs teaching that same-sex and other nontraditional relationships are barred from the sacrament of marriage is unchanged. The blessing of nontraditional relationships, the document says, does not rise to the level of what the church considers a sacrament, must be kept completely distinct from marriage ceremonies and cannot be considered a replacement for or alternative to the sacrament of marriage.

The church has long taught that sexual relations between people of the same sex are inherently sinful and should be avoided, and Mondays declaration does not alter that stance. However, it calls upon Catholics to exercise pastoral charity in their treatment of Catholics in relationships the church does not otherwise condone.

The declaration says that the change implies a real development in the churchs thinking, offering a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis.

Pushing boundaries

Francis, who was born in Argentina and is the first pope from the Americas and the first from the Global South, has been slowly expanding the churchs acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, the year in which he was elected pope, he surprised many Catholics by appearing to allow the possibility that men who are sexually attracted to other men could serve as priests.

If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? he said in a conversation with reporters. Regardless of sexual orientation, the Roman Catholic Church requires priests to take a vow of celibacy.

Francis has been the subject of harsh criticism from some Catholic leaders who take a more conservative stance on matters of sexuality and adherence to long-standing church doctrine more generally.

The pope recently made the news by firing Bishop Joseph Strickland, a Texas cleric who called it a travesty that Francis has been willing to entertain the possibility of reconsidering other church teachings, such as the ban on priests marrying, the ordination of women as deacons and the churchs treatment of LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Mixed reception

The Roman Catholic Church has congregations in nearly every country in the world, and even though it has historically operated under a rigid ideological hierarchy when it comes to official doctrine, it still has considerable diversity of opinion within its ranks on issues like same-sex relationships.

William T. Cavanaugh, director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University, told VOA that the reaction to the announcement from Catholics around the world is likely to be mixed. While no regions Catholic population is monolithic, he said, it is possible to discuss general tendencies.

In general, you find rank-and-file Catholics supportive of homosexuality in general, and same-sex relationships more specifically in Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada and in certain places in Asia, like the Philippines, he said.

Cavanaugh said some parts of Latin America, particularly Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, also have large percentages of Catholics who accept same-sex relationships.

Africa is the big outlier, Cavanaugh said. In a lot of African countries, homosexuality in general is frowned upon, and I think you'd find Catholic opinion pretty close to that norm in most sub-Saharan African countries.

Cavanaugh stressed that there can be broad differences of opinion within individual countries. While most Catholics in the United States tell pollsters they generally favor same-sex marriage, there remains a large and vocal minority that takes a more traditional and conservative view of the matter.

LGBTQ voices being heard

Mondays announcement was greeted with approval by individuals and organizations that have been pushing the church  in some cases for decades  to be more accepting of people in nontraditional relationships.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, a group dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ Catholics, said she was gratified to see the church shift gears on the issue, noting that the 2021 announcement upset many Catholics around the world.

For the Vatican to so totally reverse itself in less than three years is just such a quick response to something that produced a global outcry for being seen as cruel and pastorally insensitive and harmful to people's ministry on the ground, she told VOA.

I think that it really signifies that voices of LGBTQ+ people and our family members were heard and responded to at the Vatican.

Duddy-Burke is also co-chair of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, a coalition of organizations supporting LGBTQ+ Catholics with 45 member groups across six continents. She said that since the announcement, she has been receiving messages from members around the world celebrating the shift, particularly in countries where official resistance to acceptance of same-sex relationships remains high.

In areas of the world  Eastern Europe, Africa, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean  where Catholic leaders both political and religious continue to push for criminalization of LGBTQ+ people and relationships, having statements that say these relationships can be blessed is very significant in terms of giving hope to people, she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that a recent slowdown in prisoner swaps with Moscow was due to unspecified "reasons" on the Russian side, but expressed hope that the swaps could soon resume.

The two sides held a number of prisoner swaps from the early months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and into this year. But their intensity slowed in 2023, and the last one took place in early August.

"It has indeed slowed down due to the Russian Federation's own reasons, but these are very specific reasons. The track will open," Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kyiv, without citing Russia's reasons.

He added that Ukraine was currently working on the exchange of "a good enough number of our boys" and expressed hope the swap would be successful.

Last month, Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said Russian prisoners in Ukraine had expressed a wish to be exchanged but Moscow was not interested in taking them back. Moscow did not comment on that assertion.

In November, the Ukrainian government said it had recorded 3,574 Ukrainian military and 763 civilians taken into Russian or Moscow-backed separatists' captivity since 2014.

That figure included those who have already returned to Ukraine, it said, but likely did not reflect all the current prisoners.

Kyiv has brought back 2,598 people from Russian captivity during 48 swaps, according to the Ukrainian military.
Thuso Khumalo

Its a few days before Christmas, and migrant bus terminals in Johannesburg are buzzing with people heading home for the holidays. After a year of working in Johannesburg, Zimbabwean Mavis Sithole is among those homebound.

This is an opportunity to go and be with my family. Im so very happy. I will be coming back to work in January, so I will have much time to be with my family and my children. Im so excited.

Adam Chirwa is at the Malawian bus rank along Kerk Street in Johannesburg heading for Lilongwe. Its a trip that will take him up to three days, but he is ready for it so he will be home on Monday - Christmas Day.

Im very excited. Im going home to see my family and my people. Thank you, South Africa. Im going home. I wanna come back soon.

However, not all migrants are returning home for Christmas. Zimbabwean national Tafadzwa Magwenzi is at the Park Station bus terminus, but just to send a small bag of food items to his mother in Harare.

I dont have money to go home. I will go next year. Now, Im still looking for money. We are here because we dont have a choice, but we are not happy. The country is already finished. To come to this side is just a waste of time.

Nigerian Benjamin Akinyemi cannot take a bus to his home town in Abuja, so he has to fly. A return flight from Johannesburg to Abuja will cost around 875 US dollars. He has spent the whole year preparing for this trip and is about to take off from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Its quite a good thing to celebrate this Xmas time with family. You know Nigeria is a nice place to celebrate your Christmas.

Once Christmas is over, the stressful journey back to South Africa will begin for these migrants, but thats an issue they are prepared to put aside for another day.
South Africa-based Zimbabwean cyclist Meli Ndlovu and his colleagues arrived in the countrys second largest city, Bulawayo, on Wednesday amid pomp and fanfare after travelling 865 kilometers to raise awareness about dangers of drugs and illicit substances that are ravaging communities in the southern African nation.

Ndlovu was in the company of Pressmore Musundi and Rollan Dube, who left Midrand early Monday morning and were accompanied by six other cyclists along the Johannesburg/Bulawayo highway before reaching the Musina/Beitbridge border.

Ndlovu said, We have made it in three days. It was a very had trip because along the way Pressmore could not continue with the ride due to fatigue. We are creating awareness about dangers of drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe. Lets all say no to drugs.

His colleague Rolland Dube added that we are happy that we have arrived in Bulawayo and raised awareness about drug and substance abuse.

Ndlovu became famous when he cycled from Midrand, South Africa, to Bulawayo in less than two days in 2021. City authorities, local politicians and some traditionalists welcomed Ndlovu and Dube at the Large City Hall.

Drugs and substances like nyaope, njengu and others have crippled some families amid worsening economic problems in Zimbabwe.

Correspondent Ezra Tshisa Sibanda also contributed to this article
As clashes between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group escalate along the Israel-Lebanon border, VOA visited some residents defending an evacuated kibbutz just 2 kilometers inside Israel. They say they want to go to war in Lebanon to eliminate Hezbollah
A 33 year-old Zimbabwean living in USA is making a name for himself in the visual arts industry. Solomon Mahlatini, who was born in Kwekwe, Midlands province, has racked in several awards in this lucrative business.

Mahlatini started showing interest in drawing and painting at Goldridge College in Kwekwe, where he sold his first commercial work at the age of 12. He graduated from East Central University in Oklahama in 2019 where he received the prestigeous O. Gail Poole Travel Award, the university directors award and Curators Choice Award for his artistic works. He also featured in a book, Artster Oklahoma, which is now part of the Oklahama Hall of Fame. He has exhibited his works in New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Oklahoma and Washington DC. Mahlatini says he draws his inspiration from his childhood and enthusiasm to tell his life story in paintings.

I am a visual artist specializing in painting for the most part and my recent exhibition was titled Restrospection, which references a lot of my childhood growing up in Zimbabwe and using that as an inspiration in my day to day living.

Mahlatini says art gives him an opportunity to express himself in many ways.

I think art is a great way of expressing how we feel, and it captures time. Its a great way to memorialize moments in time. I feel particularly that the time is ripe for Africans to thrive and shine, to have a voice and platform to show our creativity and our voices."

Most of Mahlatinis work has been showcased within the USA, with the Retrospection Exhibition stealing the limelight at the Africa Art Gallery here in Washington DC. More exhibitions and tours are in the pipeline.

I have shown extensively here in the Washington DC area, Dallas, Oklahoma, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York and a lot of other minor cities.

Mahlatinis manager Peter Jones says he was mesmerized by his work, and it has been an honor to be part of his life.

I had the opportunity to meet Solomon 8-9 years ago when he first came to Washington DC and I was impressed with his work, when he asked me to be his manager. I was more than happy to do it. There is a story behind a story with art and this is what we are trying to show and tell.

Mahlatini says he is at his best in telling the African story.

I love to tell my stories focusing on Identity, particularly telling the narrative of Africans in the diaspora, and showing the Zimbabwe culture, where I grew up.

Zimbabwe is not a stranger to the world of art in the USA as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport hosts a permanent exhibition that features a collection of 20 contemporary stone sculptures from 12 of Zimbabwes top artistes titled Zimbabwe: A Tradition in Stone. Zimbabwes ambassador to the United States had a glimpse of this exhibition earlier in year.
FedEx Express needs profit traction (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

FedEx Corp. announced Tuesday evening a restructuring of its FedEx Express international air network in an effort to boost its largest units sagging profits amid continued macro weakness.

The tri-color initiative, as the name implies, will divide the network into three colors: Purple will focus on priority deliveries of packages. Orange will emphasize the deferred package and air freight segments, where much of the air shipment density lies, and will be handled through FedExs (NYSE: FDX) nonurgent sortation network.

Packages and freight moving under both colors will be serviced by the companys air fleet, with the yellow network tied into FedExs ground operations, including FedEx Ground and less-than-truckload unit FedEx Freight in the U.S. The tie-in with the surface infrastructure, in the manner it is being brought to market, is a first for the company.

The third color, white, will incorporate the airlift of what will be FedExs air partner network.

The company has talked about this change in broad strokes before. However, it is believed to be the first time it has codified it with a brand initiative. The goal is to match the profit profiles of each international air shipment with the right delivery mechanism, executives said.

The announcement comes as the unit struggles to find its footing amid a weak macro environment that isnt expected to improve through the remaining approximately six months of the 2024 fiscal year. In fact, the company lowered its full-year revenue forecast to what will be a single-digit decline instead of flat growth year over year.

On a non-GAAP basis, FedEx Express second fiscal quarter operating margin came in at 1.7%, about half the margin reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2023. The companys overall margin for the 2024 quarter was about three times that of the Express unit. The overall margins were bolstered by a nearly 11% margin at FedEx Ground, the companys U.S. ground network.

Express is being buffeted on multiple fronts: A global downturn in industrial production has hit demand, especially for international air freight. Budget-conscious shippers are trading down to cheaper but lower-yielding air services. Fuel and delivery surcharge revenue is down year over year. The U.S. Postal Service, a big Express customer, is diverting domestic air packages to ground from air. At the same time, it requires Express to maintain certain service requirements, which is a cost headwind for the carrier. The current contract expires Sept. 29, 2024 and FedEx executives have said there will need to be significant changes in contractual terms for FedEx to consider renewing it.

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Express revenue fell 6% year over year. That, along with a 4% revenue decline at FedEx Freight, are microcosms of the stagnant macro climate the company finds itself in. For the quarter, revenue of $22.2 billion was down $600 million from the year-earlier period.

The company upped its full-year guidance for diluted earnings per share, now saying it will come in at a range of $15.35 to $16.85 per diluted share from $15.10 to $16.60 per diluted share.

Adjusted operating income rose 17% due to efficiency improvements and a more profitable revenue mix. Adjusted net income came in at $1.01 billion from $820 million.

The news at FedEx Express was not received well by the financial markets. Three hours into after-hours trading, FedEx shares were down nearly 10% from the days closing levels.

(An earlier version incorrectly stated that one of the colors in the FedEx Express air network was yellow. It is orange.)

The post FedEx hopes new color-coded air network will shore up profits appeared first on FreightWaves.
Streamliner At your service. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Walt Disney/Everett Collection, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Theres now one fewer distraction on the gigantic display screens inside Tesla cars. According to reports from the cursed demographic overlap of Tesla owners and Adult Disney Fans, the Disney+ app is no longer available in Teslas, most likely because CEO Elon Musk is lashing out at Disney for pulling advertising from Twitter, which he also owns. A user whose handle is @TheTeslaHoe was one of several Tesla owners who reported they could no longer access the Disney+ app in their car: So now I, as a mom, get to deal with telling my toddlers we cant watch Disney+ while in our Tesla and deal with their upset feelings because 2 grown men cant have a civil discussion and move on, @TheTeslaHoe wrote.

So Disney+ has now been removed from Tesla vehicles. Im assuming this is in retaliation to Disney pulling advertising from X (which they have every right to do).



So now I, as a mom, get to deal with telling my toddlers we cant watch Disney+ while in our Tesla and deal with pic.twitter.com/YYuDLQDtIc  The Tesla Hoe (@TheTeslaHoe) December 18, 2023

Neither Tesla nor Disney+ have commented on the removal (Vulture reached out to both). The site Electrek reports that a source with Tesla confirmed to them that the Disney+ app was being pulled from the cars interface, but that it was only being pulled for drivers who had never used the app before. The plight of @TheTeslaHoe seems to suggest that the removal is more widespread, though. In any case, it is still possible, if you really want to and already had Disney+ on your Tesla, to surreptitiously access the app, you just need to plug in the URL via a browser first and let it redirect you. This is the future Henry Ford ushered in when he made the Model T.

The move comes a month after several major companies, including Disney, Apple, and Sony, pulled advertising from X because the site is becoming a racist, transphobic cesspool whose owner is promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories. In response to the free market doing its thing, Musk told Disney CEO Bob Iger and anyone else who had stopped advertising with Twitter to Go fuck yourself at the New York Times Dealbook Summit last month.

Hey, Bob, if youre in the audience, thats how I feel, dont advertise, Musk added, specifically shouting out Iger. Apparently, Musks harsh, edgy, very epic words werent enough, and now Tesla owners cant watch Disney+ in their cars unless they go through a series of workarounds.

Perhaps this is a good thing. It feels like it should be illegal to have a screen basically the size of a small TV playing The Book of Boba Fett on the dashboard of a motor vehicle, even if Disney+ and other video apps could only be played while the car was parked. Also, maybe it should just be illegal to watch The Book of Boba Fett.
In the news equivalent of a stake through the heart, when the much beloved vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows begins production on its sixth season in January, it will be for the last time, an FX source exclusively confirmed to Vulture. Based on the 2014 film of the same name by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, Shadows saw us through the early days of the pandemic, gave us one of televisions greatest love stories, and put Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou on network TV in America with Mark Proksch and Kristen Schaal. Over the course of its run, it garnered multiple Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The show won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022, and it will compete for Best Comedy Series at the Critics Choice Television Awards set to air in January. Star Kayvan Novak is also nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, with Harvey Guillen  who turned the mousey familiar Guillermo into a critically acclaimed breakout role  nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. While the sun coming up on this dark, weird little show is sure to break a million hearts, its just a fan campaign away from six seasons and two movies.

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The Finnish actress talks her surprise Golden Globe nomination, shooting one-take scenes, and her very professional scene partner, also named Alma. Photo: Mubi

In Fallen Leaves, Alma Poysti has to do a lot with a little. Her character, a supermarket drudge named Ansa, wears an impassive gaze and tends not to say much. During Ansas bus rides to and from work, director Aki Kaurismaki trains his camera on Poystis face, asking us to read between the lines of her subtle expressions. Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), the man who slowly, tentatively courts Ansa after encountering her at a Helsinki karaoke bar, says even less. They are lonesome souls, thrust together amid the deadening cadence of modern existence  if they can figure each other out.

Poystis enchanting performance in the droll Finnish comedy, which premiered at Cannes and is a likely contender for the Oscars Best International Feature Film category, recently earned her an unexpected Golden Globe nomination. (See her charming reaction video here.) The 42-year-old actress has worked primarily in Finland, most notably portraying author and illustrator Tove Jansson in the 2020 biopic Tove. Now shes gaining a more global audience with what is proving to be the biggest breakout of her career thus far, helmed by one of cinemas greats. Its incredible to see that a small, shy little love story from this strange country up in the north of Europe can reach people, Poysti says. Thats very touching.

Your nomination was one of the Golden Globes most pleasant surprises. Was any part of you hoping for this?

No, I could never have anticipated this. Its really fantastic. I mean, there was a small hope, maybe, that the film would make it to the foreign nominations. I was in Paris doing interviews for another film thats opening there soon, and then someone came in and said, Oh, the Golden Globes are in and youre on the list. I said, Okay, yes, cool, the films on the list. Then I got out of the interview and realized that its me as well. That was really kind of surreal.

I understand that Aki discouraged rehearsals and wanted to do a single take whenever possible. Did your and Jussis dry deliveries come from your familiarity with his work, or was there some sort of discussion that unlocked that tone?

Since we both grew up in Finland and were actors, weve been under the influence of Aki Kaurismaki our whole lives, basically. When you get asked to join one of his movies, you kind of know what the tone is. But then you have to discover, of course, your own way of being there and calibrating yourself and your instrument to his universe and aesthetics. It was fairly simple in that way. I mean, there were many things that were hard with the job, but we had to just be as honest and pure as possible. When you have such a wonderful co-star, its really nice to just discover these scenes and have fun with the awkwardness and shyness of the characters. You trust Aki because hes so exact.

What was this experience like for you before the first take on the first day?

Anticipation was high. He told us not to rehearse, but that doesnt mean you cant prepare. You just have to be somewhat clever about it. I rewatched all of Akis movies. Somehow it felt like our film is linked to the others. Its not to copy what people have done before, but Ansa could be a distant cousin to some other role that hes created, so its to get the same language going. Then I went to work in those places where Ansa is working. I was at the bar and I was at the supermarket and in the factory, just to get them in my system in a credible way. There was such a high level of concentration on the set because we only had one take and everyone had to get it right on that take. You usually talk about daring to fail, and that will give you discoveries. But here, you really have to dare to succeed.

Given the nature of that one-take ideal, did Aki walk you through his expectation or through the technical aspects before each scene?

We went through the rhythm. Its essential for his work to get the rhythm right. It was the most minimalistic rehearsals because we saved all that you could call life for the camera. We went through where to look, when to walk, how to walk, and also to get the rhythm with the camera and the lights and the props. Everything needs to work in that one take. What I really enjoyed was that I was there on the set. When we were lighting, for example, I just sat there and calibrated myself into the frame. I discovered some kind of meditation that really helped everybody because then its the right face that gets lit. Its an ensemble thats technicians and actors. You dont make a distinction between the team and the cast, and I really like that.

Would you say you were in character in those moments?

I would say it was the actor charging, tuning in, calibrating. Its like an instrument in an orchestra thats tuning before you play.

Was there a scene where you requested a second take?

No. I needed to trust Aki, and if he was happy, then it was good. He was there all the time right beside the camera. He didnt use a monitor, which was astounding. He wasnt somewhere far away looking at the frame. He was sharing the same space as the rest of us, and I knew that if he knew it was right, then it was right.

I want to talk about filming the silences. Youve said in other interviews that silence is a very comfortable Finnish concept. With the dinner scene at Ansas, for example, you have a conversation where so few words are actually exchanged. I dont know how you find the rhythm of that in only one take.

Yeah, its one of my favorite scenes. It was hilarious to shoot it because, oh my goodness, these two have so much at stake in that scene. She has a second plate, he has bought flowers, they finally meet after all of these misunderstandings. And theyre not really used to dating at all. They have this concept, I guess, of how you should behave when youre having dinner with someone, but I dont think either one of them has done it  perhaps ever, or for a very, very long time, so everything is awkward. The actor inside of you is doing cartwheels because its such a delicate scene. Everything is so important. The sound each fork makes against the plate  thats the dialogue right there. Every look that you dare to give the other one is so charged, so youre really walking on eggshells in the most beautiful way. I would compare it to jazz. You just keep daring to drag out those silences and those awkward moments. How much can we make them count? It takes some courage because you get so embarrassed as well. Suddenly these shy people are seen, so one very human thing would be to rush in that moment. But you try to stretch it.

Was there ever a moment where you just had to laugh?

No, we were able to keep it together. Then, when someone said kiitos, which means thank you, the whole room exploded. If we would have started to laugh, we would have broken that very delicate atmosphere that we built for hours. Its not worth it.

When Ansa turned on the dial on the radio, were you actually listening to the news broadcasts we hear in the film?

Yes, sometimes, but they were all in the script, so I knew exactly what she was listening to. Sometimes we couldnt have it on for technical reasons.

One thing I think were all processing is the psychic toll of these terrible world conditions. Do you think the news of the Ukrainian war does something for her state of mind?

Yeah, for sure. I think it works on many levels, actually. Theres the real-life level: It reminds us whats going on, this terrible aggression. But the characters are living in this kind of fairy tale where there is a war going on. Its not where they live, but its fairly close and serves as a reminder of how fragile life is. It could be us in a heartbeat, so what are you going to do about your day? Are you going to take the risk of falling in love? It gives you a sense of carpe diem, to use a cliche. The film is like a time machine as well, so when people watch it in the future, theyll be reminded of what was going on. And Ansa and Holappa are aware. They are following society. Its a kind of responsibility as a citizen to be aware of things. That was a position from Kaurismaki about these people: Theyre not lazy in terms of the world.

She was making these very strong artistic choices that were completely independent. If youre the directors dog, you can get away with stuff like that.

They may be isolated, but they havent totally checked out. Theyre processing reality at this particular moment. Did Kaurismaki tell you why he chose The Dead Dont Die as the movie Ansa and Holappa go to see?

Not really, but Jim Jarmusch and him have been linking to each other forever. Theyre these cinematic buddies. Ive been thinking with Jussi that maybe its like a test. Holappa tests Ansa to see if shes wife material, if she can handle the movie. Thats our own theory.

Did you divine any specific meaning from the collection of posters that they stand in front of when she gives him her number? In between The Dead Dont Die, we see Brief Encounter and Contempt, two very different relationship dramas.

All the time, there are these hidden gems there, and hes linking to his cinematic gods. You also have a big poster of Bressons LArgent, and theres this concept of money and capitalism and exploitation as a theme in the movie. And then is it going to be Brief Encounter, or is it going to be more? Or you have Pierrot le Fou, when youre just somehow a fool for love. There are these small comments and hints about the characters, pushing them a little bit, if they know how to see it. What I do like about Akis way of having these small gems there is that its not a snobbish thing. If you get it, you get it. But you dont have to get it.

The reference is not the point. Its just a little visual comment or in-joke.

And they dont exclude anyone. The ending scene is straight from a Chaplain film, and you have the metaphor of Modern Times going on throughout the movie, I would say. There are multiple dialogues, which is quite fun to discover.

Speaking of Chaplain, I must ask about the charming dog you got to befriend and work with. I know thats Akis actual dog, which Im sure helped in terms of having a good scene partner. What was Chaplains real name, and how did you bond?

It must be fate because her name is Alma as well.

Oh my gosh!

Its quite a coincidence. Or is it a coincidence? I dont know. I guess its a sign. We got along so well. We were playing around a lot before we started to shoot. I visited her and always got her some treats. It just turned out that shes a fantastic actress, and very professional. Shes got a really high level of concentration. This is her debut, but she has a sense of rhythm. She was making these very strong artistic choices that were completely independent. If youre the directors dog, you can get away with stuff like that.

Do you have an example?

When shes sitting on the bed and she goes to lay down, she just did that. It was mind-blowing to all of us. She was really in the story. She was just listening, and you can see her ears go up at just the right moment. Ansa and the dog really save each other at that point in the story. Its not only Ansa whos saving the dog, because shes so heartbroken. Then it turns out to be a triangle drama toward the end, like, okay, Holappa can be part of it, but she has already found a partnership with that dog.

Part of why I think people are latching on to this movie is the final shot  that bit of hopefulness that we leave these characters with, the possibility of a charming future for the two of them together. And theres also a hint that their two friends are going to have a similar coming together. Do you see a lot of double dates in their future?

I hope so. I guess they would have a hilarious time going tenting or something. Thats a very nice thought. I can see them all in a tent somewhere, just camping out in some forest. A lot of humor and silence.
Photo: Jason McDonald/Netflix

This review was originally published on September 2. We are recirculating it now timed to Maestros streaming debut on Netflix.

Carey Mulligan gets first billing in Bradley Coopers film about the life of conductor Leonard Bernstein (played by Bradley Cooper). And she deserves it. As Bernsteins wife Felicia Montealegre, she has to absorb, attract, shield, and parry every loving embrace and slight from her brilliant husband. Its a reactive performance, and Mulligan plays it with a heartbreaking universality. Yes, shes doing an accent and a part, much like Cooper is. But we connect with her in ways that we dont with him.

As Bernstein, Coopers performance is a masterful reconstruction, but it remains a reconstruction, earthbound and cool to the touch. (As for the much-speculated-upon nose  it doesnt look to me all that different from Coopers own, not-exactly-short proboscis, save for scenes showing him as an old man, where the make-up job is actually quite accomplished.) One senses that the actor has obsessively studied every TV appearance, every inch of documentary footage, to recreate Bernsteins diction and manner, his haughty and rapid-fire way of speaking. Maybe thats the problem. It feels throughout like were watching a TV interview with Bernstein, like he knows the camera is on him. There are almost no unguarded, intimate moments. Or rather, there are no unguarded, intimate moments that dont feel like guarded, public moments.

The problem, and maybe also the point: The film opens on an aged Bernstein, years after Felicias death, being interviewed for television, and the cameras do always seem to be on him throughout the movie. This is, after all, a conductor who achieved stratospheric fame partly thanks to his public image, and the way that he used the medium of TV to broaden the appeal of classical music for young viewers and average Americans. The film suggests, intentionally or not, that the performance never ended for Bernstein, that he was always playing a part.

Maestro somehow proves that Cooper is a director of genuine vision, even though its not a particularly successful movie. He recreates with epic aplomb the legendary November 14, 1943 phone call a young Bernstein, then an assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic, received asking him to fill in at the last minute for flu-ridden guest Bruno Walter, for a Carnegie Hall concert that would be broadcast live on the radio. A massive curtain, light filtering around its edges, dominates the screen as Lenny receives the phone call that will change his life and the course of classical music in the United States. When he triumphantly opens the curtain to let an explosion of light fill the room, we see that hes in bed next to a man, David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), who was Bernsteins lover for some years before he met Felicia. Then, the camera tracks with Bernstein as the set opens onto the orchestra, in a delirious shot that ably evokes the dizzying nature of his sudden rise to celebrity.

Maestro is not a particularly long or dense picture. Cooper has reportedly bristled at descriptions of it as a biopic, and its not hard to see why. The film doesnt pretend to be a complete look at Bernstein, and there are many aspects of both his life and career that go largely unmentioned. The focus here is on his marriage to Felicia, his homosexuality, and his conducting, all of which are emotionally intertwined. Felicia seems to understand Lenny even better than he understands himself. (I know exactly who you are, she says early on. Lets give it a whirl.) He certainly loves her, and theres fine chemistry between Cooper and Mulligan. In his conducting, however  in those frenzied, explosive public performances that Cooper, again, recreates wonderfully  we sense an inner restlessness, a man yearning to break out of his skin and his persona to find himself.

Thats a beautiful, moving idea, but the movie feels emotionally stunted, perhaps because this construction is based on the idea of stamping down, of denial. Its also probably why Mulligan nearly acts Cooper off the screen: Her Felicia seems to know exactly who she is, and our heart breaks for her, while Lenny is a restless dynamo, impossible to pin down, a man who never self-actualized. There is a lovely moment near the end, in which Bernstein, now an old man, dances with his students during a party at Tanglewood, and we get a brief glimpse of unguarded freedom. But it remains a glimpse. In that sense, maybe the film lives up to its opening lines, something the real Bernstein did say: A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers. If Maestro remains frustratingly unresolved, maybe thats because it has to be.
While the finale offers some definitive answers about Bills killer, other more enigmatic storylines remain unresolved and invite further musing. Photo: Chris SaundersFX

Spoilers follow for A Murder at the End of the World through the finale, Chapter 7: Retreat.

Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marlings projects tend to linger in the unknown  literally, with the cancellation of their Netflix series The OA before its third season, and figuratively, with films like Sound of My Voice and The East pondering the curiosities of cult dynamics, time travel, and whether Alexander Skarsgard in rebellious-activist mode is worth abandoning ones undercover intelligence assignment to join a fringe ecoterrorist group. (The appeal of that option is sort of self-explanatory, actually.)

Batmanglij and Marlings latest work, A Murder at the End of the World, offers more definitive answers by virtue of being a murder mystery that ends by unveiling a specific culprit: Tech innovator Andy Ronsons alternative intelligence program, Ray, tricked Andys son, Zoomer, into killing activist artist Bill Farrah because Ray perceived him to be a threat to Ronson. Hacker, true-crime investigator, and author Darby Hart helps Andys wife, the internet-infamous Lee Andersen, flee Andy with their son as a last act of contrition toward Bill, whom Darby loved once upon a time but not in the way he needed. A Murder at the End of the World ends with Darby connecting the strains of misogyny and arrogance that galvanized Andy and came through in his AI creation with the same toxic combination that makes killers of women  like the one Darby and Bill tracked after they first met  believe theyre untouchable.

Those reveals dont have any great ambiguity: Andy was a bad guy, saving Lee and Zoomer was the right thing to do, and Darby repaid a spiritual debt to Bill after breaking his heart six years ago. But A Murder at the End of the World is full of other, more enigmatic storylines that remain unresolved and invite further musing. Batmanglij and Marling have said theyre open to telling future stories with Darby at their center, and Emma Corrin is so startlingly naturalistic in the role that the possibility isnt unwelcome. Regardless of whether A Murder at the End of the World continues, these outstanding questions are worth pondering. And sorry, you cant ask Ray for any help this time!

What was Darbys dads deal?

We learn in the first couple of episodes that she was raised by her single dad, a county coroner, in Lost Nation, Iowa. Her mother left when Darby was young, and Darby became an investigator after tagging along to her fathers crime scenes. We also learn that she and her father disagree a bit about how to approach investigations  he tells her its not professional to ask the questions she does about victims lives before their deaths  while all her mother left for her was an iPod.

Why would I look for someone who left me? Darby tells Bill when he asks about her mother. But  did her mother actually leave her? Theres a distant quality to Darbys dad that made me give him the side-eye, and his technical know-how as a coroner would allow him to be a particularly well informed killer. Maybe it would be too manufactured, too Dexter-like, to have Darby, a hunter of serial killers, be the daughter of one, too. Theres an opacity to Darbys dad that feels purposeful, though, maybe even ominous.

Why does everyone think of Darby as an author first, not a hacker?

This question is more about perception than fact, and maybe its simply explained by the series desire to position Darby as Gen Zs Sherlock Holmes. But its a little weird that her true-crime memoir, The Silver Doe, is about her using hacking to investigate a killer and mentions her adoration for groundbreaking female hacker Lee Andersen, and that she currently oversees a team of other hackers looking into the cases of thousands of missing women around the country, but that everyone who meets her at Andys retreat just calls her a writer. Film director Martin mentions the books review in the Los Angeles Times, smart-city designer Lu Mei wonders if shes there to sell books, astronaut Sian knows how many copies Darby has sold, and when her fellow retreat attendees try to figure out how she got an invite, they snark, Maybe Andy loves him some true crime. We eventually learn that Darby got invited as bait to bring Bill to Iceland, but shes not some novice. If this was another element of the series people underestimate Darby because shes a young woman through-line  notice how Andy describes Darby as a fresh page  it makes thematic sense.

What was FANGSs Artificial Insanity art installation like?

Bless Bill and his mullet and his myriad tattoos, yet Im not so sure about the art he makes under the name FANGS. Getting rid of the S in Shell gas stations around the world is clever, I admit! I wish we could have seen more of his infamous Artificial Insanity exhibit in Detroit, though, to get a greater sense of what he was like as a guerrilla artist years into his career, and his specific complaints about the omnipresence of technology, the development of smart cities, and how Silicon Valley has changed our culture for the worse. I dont disagree with that overall take! But it would have been helpful character development to see Bill at one of his art exhibits in order to pick up on whether he remained the man we knew, became someone different as FANGS, or morphed into the criminal prankster certain members of Andys inner circle couldnt stand. More Harris Dickinson, please is basically what this question can be reduced to.

Are Coke and coffee mixed together  good?

Someone please report back on Darbys signature drink so I can tweak my caffeine addiction accordingly.

Which came first, the ACHOO acronym or the syndrome name autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst?

I have been unable to find which researcher, scientist, or doctor came up with this acronym, but they are a genius.

What was Lee looking for in Bills room?

The series spends a good amount of time suggesting Lee is involved with Bills death, starting with her frantic search of Bills room, which we watch alongside the hiding Darby. She looks at his body and through some papers and his jacket, and Darby suspects Lee for knowing Bill far better than she lets on. That turns out to be true, and we learn that Lee and Bill slept together, conceived Zoomer, and remained friends, leading to Andys jealousy and eventual murderous intent. I think all of this means that Lee looking through Bills room was purely a red-herring move to reveal a closer relationship between the two than was initially suggested and to make us as wary of her as Darby was. But what was she trying to find? A document related to Bill, Rohan, and Davids planned rescue of her and Zoomer seems like the most likely thing, though whatever it was clearly wasnt important enough to preclude her from eventually (probably) boarding Rohans boat, the Last Chance.

Was Todd hot?

Am I just being tricked by Louis Cancelmis bone structure, or was Todd  who told Darby about how he had hunted down and beat the living crap out of every bully responsible for the hate-crime murder of his gay brother  actually very attractive? Yes, hes loyal to Andy, but that resolute fidelity is objectively appealing if pointed in the right direction. And again: those cheekbones!

What was the oxygen situation in Andys bunker?

Andy, Lee, and Zoomer live in a specially designed bunker that is ten stories belowground, at a depth protected from climate change, nuclear-radiation fallout, and any other kind of conflict occurring on the earths surface. That robot army, fueled by Andys paranoia and his billions of dollars in funding, does good work! While showing Darby around, Andy brags about tunneling natural sunlight into their home through a CB2-evoking light fixture, but Im more curious about oxygen: In a contained space that deep that doesnt seem particularly ventilated (it cant be, right, if Andy wants to avoid any contaminant that could seep through soil and volcanic rock?), wouldnt the family run out? Can someone explain the science of this to me, someone who is bad at science?

Speaking of the robots, what are they up to?

Do they just keep working on the second bunker Andy was planning to sell to the rich? Were they technically taking their orders from Ray, and, with his death, do they  like vampires severed from their sire  stop their construction of what Ziba called an apocalypse timeshare for millionaires? Or because they were designed by Oliver, does he code the robots to switch to the side of the good guys once he realizes what Andy is? Either way, I did not care for how the robots resemble gigantic insects that move like loose-limbed eldritch horrors, and I would like for the radical future of humanity not to include them!

For real, how did Lee and Andy get together?

Love is perhaps lifes greatest mystery, and A Murder at the End of the World really makes us remember that with the Lee and Andy pairing. Even before Andy is unmasked as an abusive husband who hits his wife in front of their son and uses his sprawling tech empire to track her every movement, the two seem totally unaligned: He snarks about her time in Florida running a kind of gutter-punk salon of hackers and says he has no idea why she invited her guests to Iceland. Darbys expressions when Andy and Lee are together are tinged with disgust and confusion, and I get it! Here is a woman who wrote an entire manifesto about how men and misogyny are destroying the internets potential, and here is a man who is casually dismissive of her and her beliefs right to her face. Other characters, like Sian, are confused about the relationship too, though they blame Lee  which feels in line with their dismissal of Darby. The series makes everyones we dont get them together reaction textual, but that doesnt really make the relationship any more convincing or understandable. A flashback to their happier days, when Lee wasnt already on guard and Andy wasnt fully entrenched in his power, might have helped.

Was Andy trying to Transcendence himself into Zoomer?

Forgive me for bringing up the very not good 2014 Johnny Depp vehicle, but its what I kept thinking about whenever Andy went all helicopter parent on Zoomer  not letting him eat bread or go outside, forcing him to sleep for longer periods of time and learn about genetics and other scientific concepts, and referring to him constantly as my son, never our son. Stories of billionaires trying to prolong their life span in increasingly dangerous, bizarre, and narcissistic ways are common these days, but Andy is already receiving life-extension therapy in the compounds medical bay. That makes me wonder if Andy wanted Zoomer for a more nefarious purpose. Think of how he tells Darby about Bill: He provided the hardware, I provide the software. And we all know its the software that matters. If we extend that thought, the suggestion here is that Bills consciousness, his software, could one day be transferred into Zoomers body, Bills hardware. Was Andy molding Zoomer in his image not just as a family-legacy move but a mortality-continuity move? Zoomer is his life  dun dun dun!

Why name this child Zoomer?

This kid isnt even Gen Z, hes Generation Alpha! Maybe hes named after an internet search engine that never launched or a defunct app. But at least Zoomer is a noun and a name and not a random collection of letters that makes you roll your eyes until your head hurts.
If Slow Horses werent such a briskly entertaining piece of escapism, then it read as an almost unfathomably bleak assessment of the spy game. In previous seasons, weve seen how Diana Taverner has occasionally attempted to manipulate Slough House to her own ends, to the point where Jackson accepts such betrayals as part of the job. This is why he scoffed at Ingrid Tearneys offer to escort the rogue Tiger Team into the outside facility to look at the Grey Books; he didnt see it as a career opportunity as River eventually would but as another in a series of traps. For Jackson, Slough House is not some purgatory from which he might emerge if he does his job well. Its home. And its home because the Parks leadership is so outrageous and venal.

But a word like cynical doesnt even begin to describe the delicious cartoon villainy of Diana and Ingrid cracking open a bottle of 18-year-old McCallan and waiting to see who will emerge victorious in a deadly firefight between MI5 agents that theyve engineered. The bottle was a gift from Diana after Ingrid got appointed to First Desk. My most generous gift by some margin, says Ingrid. Which made me think you were trying to cover your envy with your generosity. Thats certainly true because the spy games theyre currently playing put that coveted seat up for grabs again. Im tired of waiting, admits Diana. Ill never get First Desk if I wait for you to retire. Theyll find someone younger.

And so it goes, this decadent drink between rivals, as their own agents are out in the field killing each other. Not a great look for MI5! Until this episode, we had no idea what Alison Dunn had found in Istanbul that was so important that she was murdered for it, prompting Sean and Alisons siblings to embark on a desperate, high-risk quest to get to the truth. Now we know: Ingrid had endorsed a device that would hack encrypted computers wirelessly. (It could penetrate closed systems, she says. It would have been a game-changer. If it worked.) When Ingrids plan backfired, and Alison looked to play whistleblower, she had her wiped out, along with hospitalizing other innocents and nearly getting a senior North Korean spy killed, too. Ingrid would lose her job if anyone were to find out.

So this entire season has been about Ingrid and Diana moving pieces around the board. Diana has been working behind the scenes to give all the support she can to Sean and the Tiger Team in getting what they want  including that one crucial moment where she helped River infiltrate the Park as part of the test  and Ingrid has been using the resources at her disposal, chiefly meatheads like Duffy and his Dogs, to suppress the threat. With River and Louisa joining Sean and Ben in rooting through the outside facility for the incriminating Footprint file, Duffy has been ordered to clean up, which is the most polite possible way to say slaughter every last one of your colleagues.

Until now, Duffy has mainly been a dumb lunk, the sort of henchman a skilled spy like River can work around with comical ease. But he grows into a considerably darker and more formidable presence in Cleaning Up because he sets about the task Ingrid has assigned him with no conscience. He knows its a cover-up. And he knows his rivalry with River has shifted to an order to flush him out like a rat and murder him. But he doesnt give it a second thought. In the episodes darkest scene, Duffy interrogates the poor, stammering file clerk Douglas after his team had captured him unarmed during the raid on the facility. When Douglas, who knows mostly nothing, mentions Ingrid, thats enough for Duffy to shoot him in the head. Again, not a second thought.

None of this seems to have anything to do with British national security, but its unquestionably exciting to watch. It also makes real heroes out of the Slough House misfits, whose exile from the Park reads more than ever like a noble response to toxic leadership. The old MI5 brass was respected, but Diana and Ingrid are engaged in a lethal power struggle where neither of them are concerned about the body count. The big concern about the Footprint file getting out is that it will make Ingrid look bad enough to cost her a job, and its that threat of early retirement that killed Alison and Douglas and innumerable faceless agents. Slow Horses makes all of it tremendously fun, but MI5 sure looks like one screwed-up organization. Whats the pitch to recruits? Come work for us! We might kill you!

The final moments are quite a cliffhanger, with a grenade blast sending River flying behind a stack of file boxes, which here look like the castle walls that might save his life. Alisons brother Ben is dead  that shot in the neck the instant he picked up a gun is a cruel end  and the other three in the room are facing an assault from the hallway and an exit where theyll be target practice for professional gunmen. Their only hope? Two Slough House rejects who were just fired.

Naturally, oddsmakers would favor Ingrid prevailing in this situation. Have they ever saved you before? Louisa asks Diana of the slow horses. Her expression suggests that a reluctant admission that yes, they have, and yes, they may well again.

Shots

 Interesting expression from the escaped Chieftain hostage when he hears of Duffys clean up operation. He doesnt look comfortable with the idea despite having no warm feelings toward Sean and his team. Something to file away, perhaps.

 Lamb, do we kill our own? Its a little remarkable, given Catherines hatred for MI5, that even she seems aghast at this being a possibility. Shes somehow overestimated management.

 I hit a shit streak which means a golden streak is coming, says Marcus about his gambling addiction. Spoken like an extremely successful gambler.

 Spider helped Diana get a job for Sean at Chieftain by honoring her personal recommendation. Diana knew he would, she tells Ingrid, because Spider was a man of venal instincts and very little imagination. Is this an excerpt from his eulogy?

 Among the last things Douglas will ever say on earth: Ive got very slim stools. RIP.
Every year between Christmas and New Years, Figma gives all employees two weeks vacation to enjoy the holidays. This years companywide PTO was looking even more wonderful as many of the software companys employees hoped regulators would approve its $20 billion acquisition by creative giant Adobe. But on Monday, its U.S. employees awoke to Slack and email notifications saying that the deal was off. It seemed the companies failed to convince European Union lawmakers that an Adobe-Figma merger would not equate to a creativity software monopoly.

With just three hours notice, Figma called its 1,300-person workforce (known internally as Figmates) back from vacation to attend a spur-of-the-moment optional town hall that reviewed the companys future with the Adobe deal scuttled, Fortune has learned.

Hugs all around, was one of the things that management did say, a Figma employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Fortune.

The town hall, which lasted 60 minutes early Monday morning Eastern Time, came after 15 months of talks between Figma, Adobe, and regulators to reach an agreement for the creativity enterprise companies to merge. Figma CEO Dylan Field said that the decision to call off the merger was joint by the two design-focused companies. Now, Adobe will have to pay Figma a $1 billion breakup fee. (A Figma spokesperson said that this money would be used to accelerate impact as a team, but that its too soon to say how exactly it will be allocated.)

Despite thousands of hours spent with regulators around the world detailing differences between our businesses, our products, and the markets we serve, we no longer see a path toward regulatory approval of the deal, wrote the Figma CEO in a letter published on the company blog, first shared with employees. Figmas best, most innovative days are still ahead.

With Adobe valuing Figma at $20 billion, and the companys last valuation at $10 billion, the upside for almost every employee hired before the deal would have been significant. The gains for tenured employees could have meant the difference between homeowning versus renting or private versus public school for kidsas some Figmates expected payouts of over 40% of their salaries when the deal closed, Fortune has learned.

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This isnt the outcome we had hoped for, and its fair to say were disappointed regulators prevented the deal from going through, the Figma spokesperson told Fortune. But one thing the last two days have made even clearer is that our team is amazing and a big reason why were so confident that Figmas best days are ahead.

For employees, the writing was all over Slack that regulators would kill the deal. Staffers shared articles across internal channels citing regulators issues with the merger for months. We had known this was coming, says the source.

Fortunes source also notes that the internal mood combines nonchalance with resilience. I dont think it really changes much  It just really looks to me like its a delay; Figma is a very stable, strong company; we didnt really need this.

On paper, the source is correct. Figma will finish 2023 with over $600 million in annual recurring revenue, a 40%-plus increase year over year, multiple publications report. This fortifies the San Franciscobased company as a top late-stage private tech firm, and could position it for an IPO by 2025 or later, says The Information.

While Figma employees may be scaling back plans for elaborate vacations and homeownership with the mergers death, Adobe shareholders are, in a shocking twist, slightly richer. Adobes stock has climbed 4% since the deal was called off, demonstrating Wall Streets dislike of acquisitions that inflate venture-backed price tags by enormous percentages and billions of dollars.

Wall Streets attitude is shared by many Figma users, who have long cherished the creative collaboration software as a simpler and cheaper alternative to Adobes offerings like Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy, and so on. Its fantastic news for everybody else in the world, writes one designer on X about the failed deal.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Trevor Milton, the flamboyant founder of Phoenix truck manufacturing company Nikola Corp., was sentenced to four years in prison on Dec. 18, capping a meteoric rise and fall for an entrepreneur who briefly emerged as one of Arizona's wealthiest executives before some of his claims were questioned then disproven, first on Wall Street and later in court.

Milton left behind a struggling company, Phoenix-based Nikola, a maker of zero-emissions heavy trucks with a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Coolidge and a headquarters and research center south of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Milton, 41, was sentenced in a New York courtroom for securities and wire fraud over what prosecutors said was a scheme to defraud and mislead investors about products and technology made by Nikola, largely to entice the public to bid up the company's stock price.

The fitness buff, small-plane pilot, college dropout and onetime Latter-Day Saint missionary also was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit a property in Utah and slapped with a $1 million fine.

Nikola issued a statement asserting that the company has a strong foundation and is in the process of achieving its mission to eliminate carbon emissions in the trucking industry.

"We have made significant progress year-over-year and will continue with the same level of discipline and commitment in 2024," the statement added. "We are pleased to move forward and remind the public that the company founder has not had any active role in Nikola since September 2020.

What were Nikola's origins?

Milton founded the company in 2015 in Utah, moving it three years later to Arizona. Nikola unveiled its lofty aspirations at a 2018 ceremony held at the Arizona Science Center, with Milton sharing the stage with Gov. Doug Ducey, Arizona sports luminary Jerry Colangelo and others.

Nikola went public in June 2020 in a nontraditional manner, by merging with a SPAC or Special Purpose Acquisition Company rather than through an IPO or initial public offering. That allowed Milton to make various inaccurate claims, prosecutors said, during a period when he would have not been allowed to make any public statements under IPO rules.

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At the time, Nikola's shares surged and the company's stock-market value briefly topped $13 billion, making it one of Arizona's most valuable corporations and driving Milton's personal wealth above $6 billion. That same year, General Motors announced plans to invest $2 billion in the company, and Nikola broke ground on its Coolidge factory. But it all began to unravel in September 2020, when Hindenburg Research, a short-selling investment firm, published a damaging report questioning many of Milton's claims.

What were some of those claims?

Among those cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office in its court filings, Milton exaggerated Nikola's success in creating a functioning semi-truck when he knew the prototype was inoperable. Federal prosecutors alleged, he also made similar false or misleading comments about an electric- and hydrogen-powered pickup known as the Badger, which drew interest from General Motors.

Trevor Milton (left) leaves the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse on Sept. 12, 2022, in New York. In a filing late Tuesday, lawyers for Milton, the founder of truck maker Nikola Corp., said he should not face incarceration because his fraud conviction is nothing like the fraud that landed Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in prison.

Also, the attorney's office said, Milton falsely claimed that Nikola was producing hydrogen at reduced costs when no hydrogen was being made at all, and he inaccurately said the company had secured reservations worth billions of dollars for the future delivery of semi-trucks when most of those orders were not binding.

In one notable incident, Milton posted a video around January 2018 that appeared to show a Nikola semi-truck driving under its own power when, in fact, it had been towed to the top of a long rise, then allowed to coast downhill.

Is Nikola making and delivering any zero-emissions trucks?

Yes, but not many yet. The company produced 96 trucks and shipped 79 over the first nine months of 2023, with those figures down from 125 and 111, respectively, over the same stretch in 2022. Nikola has two main zero-emissions heavy trucks in its lineup. One, the TRE FCEV, is an electric that runs on hydrogen-powered fuel cells and the other, the TRE BEV, is a battery-powered electric.

Nikola unveiled the gleaming Coolidge factory in April 2022 at an event attended by Ducey and others. The company several months earlier paid a $125 million fine over the allegations to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Is Nikola profitable with a high stock price?

No, and the company's losses have widened lately. Nikola generated $24 million in revenue over the first nine months of 2023, posting a loss of $813 million. That compared to revenue of $44 million over the same stretch of 2022, with a loss then of $562 million.

Nikola's stock price, which briefly traded above $70 a share for several days in June 2020, recently sold for less than $1 a share.

Nikola has laid off some employees and has made several management changes. The company has had three CEOs since Milton left. Other top executives and directors also have come and gone.

Could Nikola benefit from the green energy movement?

Possibly. The company continues to cite "strong industry tailwinds promoting the adoption of zero-emissions vehicles." Starting next year in California, for example, all newly registered trucks operating at seaports in the state must be zero-emissions, with financial incentives of up to $408,000 per truck.

More than 30,000 trucks operate at the ports including Los Angeles and Long Beach, many of them transporting freight that crosses into and through Arizona. "We believe this represents a significant opportunity for Nikola in the near term and are well on our way to capturing market share," the company said in a recent statement.

Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Phoenix-based Nikola Corp. after founder sentenced
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The final episodes of The Crown focus initially on what was one of the most dramatic and devastating periods in the royal familys history: the events leading up to the Paris car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, and Mohamed al-Fayeds son, Dodi, and its aftermath. Part two covers a dizzying array of events, from the months after the death of Diana to the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles in April 2005. It was not until series five in 2022 that Netflix moved to add a disclaimer to The Crown, spelling out that it is fictional. By then, despite regular protestations from writer and producer that no one seriously thought it was real, many people seriously thought it was real. As the final episodes arrive on Netflix, creator Peter Morgan, his co-writers and the shows various historical advisors  inspired by Prince Harrys tell-all memoir Spare have doubled down on their signature combination of invention and speculation. Was the Queen threatened by Tony Blairs popularity? The scene: A dream sequence where the Queen (Imela Staunton) wanders through the streets of London having lost the crown and Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel) is made king. Later she worries that her tenth prime minister was seen as a unifying national symbol in the way they used to see, well, me. As a result, she asks her advisers to do polling to find out how the Queen could do better. Imelda Staunton in the final season of The Crown. Credit: Netflix The truth: When Blair came into office in May 1997, his popularity was the highest ever for a British prime minister at 60 per cent. But the Queens approval ratings consistently outranked his, holding steady at 80 per cent since polling began in 1969. It was also well known that Blair was not her favourite prime minister, although she never commented on their relationship. Prince Philip, however, was not as discreet, once commenting that he was a moderniser but not for the sake of buggering about with things in some kind of Blairite way.

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A scene where Blair was slow-clapped at the national conference of the Womens Institute in June 2000 is true, with members showing their disapproval at his politicisation of the event. The press declared that Blair had been handbagged by his extraordinary error of political judgment. How did Will and Kate meet? Did they live in a group house together? The scene: Will (Ed McVey) and Kate (Meg Bellamy) are shown meeting for the first time by happenstance on the street when they are both teens and Diana is still alive. Not long after arriving at St Andrews University in Scotland, Kate is shown in The Crown waiting on tables at a restaurant. She sees William on the street kissing a pretty blonde undergraduate, identified by another waitress as Lola Airdale-Cavendish-Kincaid. Shortly afterwards, they meet in the university library, where she offers to show him her notes from their art history class. Kate (Meg Bellamy) and William (Ed McVey) in The Crowns final season. Credit: Netflix The truth: The pair first met at St Andrews University when they were students there in 2001. I think you said I actually went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, Kate recalled to Prince William during an interview in 2010 announcing their engagement. [I was] feeling very shy about meeting you. Kate said they became very close friends from quite early on. William added that they had been friends for over a year first and that their romance just sort of blossomed from then on. They did move into a house together with a group of friends in 2002, before it was known they were officially an item. The show portrays this happening afterwards. Did Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret have the VE Day adventure? The scene: During a flashback scene in episode 8, a young then Princess Elizabeth (Viola Prettejohn) and her sister, Princess Margaret (Beau Gadsdon), sneak out from Buckingham Palace on what would become Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, to celebrate the end of World War II in Europe.

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Theyre accompanied by Group Captain Peter Townsend, the Kings equerry, and Lord Porchester, nicknamed Porchey, an officer in the British Army, and they havent received permission from King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth to join the massive throngs celebrating in London. Not returning until dawn, they swear to keep the events of their night out a secret.



The truth: The event did occur in real life, which was detailed at length in Sally Bedell Smiths biography, Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. I remember we were terrified of being recognised, so I pulled my uniform cap well down over my eyes, the Queen told the BBC in 1985. She described the lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, and all of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief and called the evening one of the most memorable nights of my life. They were in a group of 16 friends and members of the royal household, which included Townsend, Porchey and the princesss cousin Margaret Elphinstone (later Rhodes). They danced along Trafalgar Square and down Piccadilly to the Ritz. For some reason, we decided to go in the front door and do the conga, Rhodes recalled. The King wrote in his diary of the days exploits: Poor darlings, they have never had any fun yet. Were the royal family split after Charles asked for the Queens permission to marry Camilla? The scene: Charles (Dominic West) asks his mother, the Queen, for permission to marry Camilla (Olivia Williams), saying hed loved her for 30 years. Elizabeth convenes a gathering of bishops to ask their advice, before deciding that it would be more difficult if Charles was living in sin with Camilla if she died than if he was married in a secular service and then received a blessing in church. Loading The truth: It is accepted that the Queen was not thrilled by the news at the time, as the episode makes clear. But the royal objection to Camilla was unlikely personal and more that the monarch, as a religious woman, looked unfavourably on the idea of two divorced people remarrying in a church service.

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Until the publication of Spare, Harrys tell-all and often bitter memoir, there was little reason to believe that William and Harry felt the mutual antagonism. But the Duke of Sussex revealed that both he and his brother objected to his fathers second marriage, begging their father not to marry her, describing her as a wicked stepmother. The details that he said, Why cant they just carry on as they are? and telling his brother that he was a f---ing company man for not objecting to the match, owe a great deal to his memoir. Dominic West as Prince Charles and Olivia Williams as Camilla in The Crown. Credit: Netflix The head researcher for the series, Annie Sulzberger, recently said that Spare helped us think, OK, this is an insider account, and I feel like were on the right track. But former royal butler Grant Harrold said the biggest misconception about the wedding was that the Queen didnt enjoy it or wasnt supportive. Its complete nonsense, he said, adding she was really happy on her sons big day. Did Mohamed Fayed blame the royal family for conspiring to kill Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed? The scene: As the penultimate episode of the show continues to delve into the aftermath of Princess Dianas death, it depicts the Metropolitan Polices inquiry into the circumstances of the events of August 31, 1997. The probe is largely brought about by Mohamed Fayeds (Salim Daw) increasingly deranged and furious comments about the royal familys purported involvement in the deaths of Diana and his son Dodi. Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in the new season of The Crown. Credit: Daniel Escale/Netflix Charles is read a letter from Diana to her butler Paul Burrell in which she writes: This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous. My husband is planning an accident in my car. Brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry Tiggy [former nanny to William and Harry]. Camilla is nothing but a decoy, so we are being used by the man in every sense of the word.

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The truth: The Egyptian billionaire was convinced that his son, Dodi, and Princess Diana met their demise in a conspiracy orchestrated by the British establishment, with a particular focus on Prince Philip. The broad outlines of this detail are accurate in The Crown, but the chronology is misleading. Following a comprehensive three-year inquest conducted by the Metropolitan Police, known as Operation Paget, the official investigation concluded that the car accident was a consequence of grossly negligent driving and not indicative of a royal conspiracy. Fayed never left the country, unlike his statement depicted in the show, remaining in Britain until his death earlier this year. The episode also exaggerated the extent to which the public believed that Diana had been murdered. Did Prince Harry dress up as a Nazi for a fancy dress party? The scene: William, Kate and Harry (Luther Ford) visit a costume shop together ahead of their friend Harry Meades colonials and natives themed fancy dress party. William chooses a lion get-up and Harry picks a desert uniform inspired by General Erwin Rommels Afrika Korps featuring a German Wehrmacht badge on the collar and a red, white and black swastika armband. Urging his brother to go for the Nazi uniform, William says, wearing the outfit doesnt make him a Nazi. Pictures of him are taken by another guest on his camera phone and sold to the newspapers. The truth: Harry subsequently described this as one of the biggest mistakes of his life. In Spare, his memoir, he emphatically points a finger of blame at Willy. I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, Harry wrote.They both howled. Worse than Willys leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point. Charles was livid over Harrys colossally poor judgment. But he was also angry at William for failing to prevent Harry from wearing the costume. Rather than being consigned to the pig sty, Harry made a public apology and privately repented in person to Dr Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Harry was punished by being made to do farm work by his father. This revelation, which appeared in the Sunday Mirror, subsequently formed part of Harrys court case against Mirror Group Newspapers, as he claimed that the story was obtained by phone hacking.

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New York: A federal judge has ordered the public disclosure of the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in a mountain of court documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying that most of the names were already public and that many had not objected to the release.

The people whose names are to be disclosed, including sex abuse victims, litigation witnesses, Epsteins employees  and even some people with only a passing connection to the scandal  have until January 1 to appeal the order, signed by Judge Loretta Preska.

Jeffrey Epstein poses for a mugshot in 2013. Credit: AP

For several years, Preska has reviewed documents sought by the Miami Herald from a civil case, filed by one of Epsteins victims, that eventually was settled.

Many of the records related to that lawsuit were publicly released in past years, but the judge made determinations about some portions of the records that were initially withheld on potential privacy grounds and what can be made public about certain people mentioned in the records.
The New Murabba Development Company (NMDC), a fully-owned subsidiary of Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), has signed up AtkinsRealis to support the design of the New Murabba masterplan, the worlds largest modern downtown coming up in Riyadh, and the Mukaab, an immersive destination that will revolutionize the way in which people experience hospitality, retail and leisure.

A fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, AtkinsRealis said its competition-winning scheme was inspired by Najdi Architecture, with a focus on creating a futuristic landmark with deep contextual roots that blends Riyadhs cultural heritage with its future ambitions.

The Mukaab, which means cube in Arabic, will be the worlds largest immersive destination providing innovative experiences driven by digital and virtual technology.

The Mukaabs exterior envelop shrouds an internal skyscraper, which will be one of the largest built structures in the worlds history, standing 400m high, 400m wide, and 400m long. The design of the Mukaab will also include first-of-its-kind hospitality, F&B and retail facilities.

A signing ceremony, attended by Sabah Barakat, Acting CEO, New Murabba Development Company, and Campbell Gray, CEO of AtkinsRealis, Middle East & Africa, was held to mark this milestone and celebrate the ongoing support to deliver Riyadhs new iconic destination.

After successfully winning the international architectural and master planning competition for Riyadhs new icon, AtkinsRealis said it will provide its world class advisory, architecture, masterplanning and engineering services to deliver this groundbreaking project, a cornerstone to the visionary reinvention of the Kingdoms capital city.

Contributing to the citys future development in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, the New Murabba masterplan is inspired by Riyadhs original balance with nature, and its design is focused on a data-driven approach to sustainability, user convenience, reduction in the need for transport, walkability and people-centric design of its public realm.

"We are proud to recognize the important role that AtkinsRealis has played so far in the translation of the incredible vision of this project into the design of the masterplan and the iconic Mukaab building," stated Barakat.

"Were also pleased to recognize the ongoing involvement of AtkinsRealis in this project through a series of recent contract awards relating to the further detailing and definition of the overall New Murabba masterplan and infrastructure design, as well as the concept design of the iconic Mukaab building," he added.

Gray pointed out that the New Murabba project aligns with Saudi Arabias national vision aimed at developing the infrastructure, enabling the private sector, and creating job opportunities for local talent.

"We are proud to work with NMDC on this ambitious project and bring our global engineering excellence and design expertise, underpinned by cutting-edge technologies and sustainable solutions, to deliver a long-lasting legacy for the Kingdom and its future generations," he stated.

"Synonymous with designing iconic landmarks in the Middle East, AtkinsRealis has established a stellar reputation for delivering people-centric destinations combining the regions cultural identity with modern urban standards," remarked Matthew Tribe, the Managing Director of Planning, Design, and Engineering at AtkinsRealis, Middle East & Africa.

"This project win is a testament to our innovative architectural design approach set to redefine downtowns of the future living experience not only in Riyadh but also globally," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Canada & World Report :The fourth World Association President Conference and the 14th West Lake Public Relations Forum opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Scarborough, ON, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steven Zhao, Canada & World Report On the afternoon of December 9, 2023, the fourth World Association President Conference and the 14th West Lake Public Relations Forum opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The theme of this conference is "Promoting the construction of an open world economy: the mission of social organizations," aiming to deepen the extensive and institutionalized cooperation among global business associations. It serves as a crucial platform for facilitating communication and cooperation between social organizations worldwide, promoting international trade and economic cooperation, and playing an active role in the establishment of a new development pattern.





Yao Gaoyuan, the Mayor of Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, attended the opening ceremony and expressed three expectations in his speech: creating an open and cooperative path for interconnection, establishing bridges for shared benefits through industrial connections, and fostering a platform for cultural exchange. He sincerely welcomed international organizations and activities to be introduced to Hangzhou, businesses and entrepreneurs to develop in Hangzhou, and global partners to join hands with Hangzhou in cultural exchanges, injecting new energy into cultural development.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Yang Xubiao, Member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the 14th and 15th Ningbo Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Over 1,000 presidents (vice presidents) of NGOs from home and abroad, along with special invited representatives, participated in witnessing the event and engaging in discussions.

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Li Xikui, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, stated in his address that the conference is of great significance in promoting China's continuous expansion of high-level opening up, accelerating high-quality development, and fostering a global community with a shared future. He expressed the willingness of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to actively leverage civilian diplomatic advantages, build a global platform for civilization dialogue, and contribute to the exchange and cooperation between social organizations worldwide, as well as to international trade and regional economic cooperation.,

Li Xikui, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

Zhou Hui, Vice President of the China Association of Social Workers, Zhou Guohui, Vice Chairman of the 12th Zhejiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference, Sha Hailin, President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, and Ambassador Bernard Golondo of the Central African Republic to China delivered speeches. The conference focused on the crucial role of social organizations in building a global open economic system, exploring topics such as international economic and trade cooperation, sustainable development, and macroeconomic trends.

Ambassador Bernard Golondo of the Central African Republic to China

The keynote speech session was chaired by Feng Renqiang, Vice Chairman of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Hangzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce. Carlos Magarinos, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing the need for joint action by the UN, international organizations, developed and developing countries to address global crises and promote world economic development. He highlighted the importance of cooperation and communication among the world's business associations.

Carlos Magarinos, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

In the roundtable forum section, representatives such as Sean Stein, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Former Consul General of the United States Consulate General in Shanghai, and Atul Dalakoti, Executive Director of China Office, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) , delivered theme speeches in their respective fields. Liu Jiang, Organizing Committee Chairman of the World Association President Conference and Executive Chairman of the Hangzhou Association of Public Relations, moderated the lively Q&A exchange among experts, business association presidents, and representatives of corporate organizations on topics such as the industrial chain, international trade, and social organizations.

Sean Stein, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Former Consul General of the United States Consulate General in Shanghai

Liu Jiang, Organizing Committee Chairman of the World Association President Conference and Executive Chairman of the Hangzhou Association of Public Relations

Representatives of association presidents from around the world jointly read the "Hangzhou Initiative for Promoting the Construction of an Open World Economy."

The conference, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Center for International Economic and Technological Cooperation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the China Association of Social Workers, and the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, was organized by the Hangzhou Association of Public Relations. Supporting organizations included the China International Public Relations Association and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, among others.

On the 10th, the conference also held three parallel sub-forums: "14th West Lake Public Relations Forum - Industrial Chain-Investment Bank-CEO of Multinational Corporations-World President Roundtable Meeting," and "International Economic and Trade Rules Reform Seminar."

The West Lake Public Relations Forum has been held annually since 2010, and this 14th edition focused on the theme of "Enhancing the City's Visibility and Reputation in the Post-Asian Games Era and Public Relations," discussing the opportunities and challenges for public relations in empowering the city's image in the post-Asian Games era.

The fourth (2023) World Association President Conference and the 14th West Lake Public Relations Forum opened in Hangzhou

On the afternoon of December 9, 2023, the fourth World Association President Conference and the 14th West Lake Public Relations Forum opened grandly in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The theme of this conference is "Promoting the construction of an open world economy: the mission of social organizations," aiming to deepen the extensive and institutionalized cooperation among global business associations. It serves as a crucial platform for facilitating communication and cooperation between social organizations worldwide, promoting international trade and economic cooperation, and playing an active role in the establishment of a new development pattern.

Yao Gaoyuan, the Mayor of Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, attended the opening ceremony and expressed three expectations in his speech: creating an open and cooperative path for interconnection, establishing bridges for shared benefits through industrial connections, and fostering a platform for cultural exchange. He sincerely welcomed international organizations and activities to be introduced to Hangzhou, businesses and entrepreneurs to develop in Hangzhou, and global partners to join hands with Hangzhou in cultural exchanges, injecting new energy into cultural development.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Yang Xubiao, Member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the 14th and 15th Ningbo Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Over 1,000 presidents (vice presidents) of social organizations from home and abroad, along with special invited representatives, participated in witnessing the event and engaging in discussions.

Li Xikui, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, stated in his address that the conference is of great significance in promoting China's continuous expansion of high-level opening up, accelerating high-quality development, and fostering a global community with a shared future. He expressed the willingness of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to actively leverage civilian diplomatic advantages, build a global platform for civilization dialogue, and contribute to the exchange and cooperation between social organizations worldwide, as well as to international trade and regional economic cooperation.

Zhou Hui, Vice President of the China Association of Social Workers, Zhou Guohui, Vice Chairman of the 12th Zhejiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference, Sha Hailin, President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, and Ambassador Bernard Golondo of the Central African Republic to China delivered speeches. The conference focused on the crucial role of social organizations in building a global open economic system, exploring topics such as international economic and trade cooperation, sustainable development, and macroeconomic trends.

The keynote speech session was chaired by Feng Renqiang, Vice Chairman of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Hangzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce. Carlos Magarinos, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing the need for joint action by the UN, international organizations, developed and developing countries to address global crises and promote world economic development. He highlighted the importance of cooperation and communication among the world's business associations.

In the roundtable forum section, representatives such as Sean Stein, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Former Consul General of the United States Consulate General in Shanghai, and Atul Dalakoti, Executive Director of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) China Office, delivered theme speeches in their respective fields. Liu Jiang, Organizing Committee Chairman of the World Association President Conference and Executive Chairman of the Hangzhou Association of Public Relations, moderated the lively Q&A exchange among experts, business association presidents, and representatives of corporate organizations on topics such as the industrial chain, international trade, and social organizations.

Representatives of association presidents from around the world jointly read the "Hangzhou Initiative for Promoting the Construction of an Open World Economy."

The conference, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Center for International Economic and Technological Cooperation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the China Association of Social Workers, and the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, was organized by the Hangzhou Association of Public Relations. Supporting organizations included the China International Public Relations Association and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, among others.

On the 10th, the conference also held three parallel sub-forums: "14th West Lake Public Relations Forum - Industrial Chain-Investment Bank-CEO of Multinational Corporations-World President Roundtable Meeting," and "International Economic and Trade Rules Reform Seminar."

The West Lake Public Relations Forum has been held annually since 2010, and this 14th edition focused on the theme of "Enhancing the City's Visibility and Reputation in the Post-Asian Games Era and Public Relations," discussing the opportunities and challenges for public relations in empowering the city's image in the post-Asian Games era.

On December 16th, Liu Jiang, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the World President's Conference, said in an interview with reporters that the conference was very successful. Hangzhou is a very open and hospitable city, and we welcome NGOs from all over the world to continue participating in our conference and visiting Hangzhou for tourism.

Media contact:

Steven Zhao

Canada & World Report

Zhao@canadanewsreport.com




Straits Research - Market Research Strategy | Strategy Consulting | Business Research | Business Consulting | Market Research

The main drivers of market expansion are the increased demand from rising nations and the dependence on "Green Technology" on rare earth elements.

New York, United States, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seventeen metallic elements comprise rare earth elements. The fifteen lanthanides include Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, and Lutetium, as well as Scandium and Yttrium. Moreover, these elements offer unique catalytic, nuclear, metallurgical, electrical, luminous, and magnetic capabilities. High demand from growing economies and "Green Technology's" dependence on rare earth elements are the reasons driving the growth of the analyzed industry.

Download Free Sample Report PDF @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/rare-earth-elements-market/request-sample

High Demand from Emerging Economies to Drive the Global Rare Earth Elements Market

According to Straits Research, "The global rare earth elements market size was USD 3.83 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach an expected value of USD 9.18 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period (2023-2031)." China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico, among others, are among the most important emerging economies on the planet. In the future, the demand for smartphones, electric vehicles, and computers and their components is expected to increase in these growing economies. Rare earth elements are utilized in mobile phone circuits, sensor materials, speakers, batteries, and other components. According to the GSM Association, the number of unique mobile subscribers in China in 2020 was 1.22 billion and is predicted to reach 1.26 billion by 2025, which is likely to increase the demand for rare earth elements used in the production of mobile phones in the following years. According to the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, the value of mobile phone production in India amounted to INR 2,140 billion in FY2020. It was projected to reach INR 2,200 billion in FY2021, which is likely to uplift the demand for various rare earth elements from the mobile manufacturing sector in India over the coming years. According to the GSM Association, smartphone penetration in Indonesia stood at 74% in 2019 and is projected to reach 89% by 2025, increasing the need for the studied market in the following years.

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Increasing Scandium Usage in Aerospace Applications to Provide Opportunities for the Global Rare Earth Elements Market

Several aluminum alloys containing scandium are utilized in aerospace applications. Companies that manufacture aircraft are primarily interested in scandium-alloyed aluminum alloys because their use can lower aircraft weight by 15 to 20 percent. In addition, scandium-alloyed aluminum can employ weldable structures, which shows the possibility for aircraft manufacturers to reduce costs. The alloys are highly effective and aid in preventing the breaking of welded joints while increasing fatigue life by up to 200 percent. Aluminum-scandium alloys fabricate welded gas tanks, dashboard panels, compartment structures, and significant stamped and welded aircraft components. In addition, they are utilized in the fuselage stringers of large cargo aircraft.

Key Highlights

By element, the global rare earth elements market is segmented into cerium (oxide, sulfide, and other elements), neodymium (alloy), lanthanum (alloy, oxide, and others), dysprosium, terbium, yttrium, scandium and other elements. The cerium segment accounted for the largest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. Cerium compounds have a wide range of applications.

By application, the global rare earth elements market is segmented into catalysts, ceramics, phosphors, metallurgy, magnets, glass and polishing, and other applications. The catalyst segment dominated the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period

Regional Insights

The global rare earth elements market is segmented into Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, and Middle East & Africa.

Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period. Regarding natural resources, China is a significant producer of a wide variety of rare earth elements at lower prices than other countries. Currently, most of the world's providers of these high-value rare earth elements are sourced from China, making the global rare earth elements market supply susceptible to changes in China's manufacturing sector. According to a report citing the U.S. Geological Survey, China produced sixty percent of the world's rare earth in 2021. Australia, the United States, and Russia, among others, are the largest producers of minerals, providing lucrative opportunities for the metallurgy applications market.

Europe is the second largest region. The market is anticipated to reach USD 7,466 million by 2031 at a CAGR of 4.2%. The German automobile industry is the largest in Europe. Germany dominates the European automobile market with 41 assembly and engine production factories, accounting for one-third of the continent's total automobile production. Germany, one of the top automotive manufacturing hubs, is home to various firms, including equipment makers, material and component suppliers, engine manufacturers, and system integrators. Germany manufactured 3.74 million cars and light commercial vehicles in 2020, a 24.4% decrease from the 4.94 million vehicles produced in 2019. In the first half of 2021, the nation produced 1,850,287 vehicles, a 16% increase over the 1,595,742 vehicles produced in the first half of 2020. Germany is one of the major manufacturers and customers of electric vehicles in Europe. This expansion, supported by the government's ambition for all-electric vehicles by 2040, will drive market demand.

Competitive Landscape

Major companies in the global rare earth elements market are Aluminum Corporation of China Ltd, Avalon Advanced Materials IInc, Minmetals Land Limited, Xiamen Tungsten Co. Ltd, Eutectix, Iluka Resources Limited, MEDALLION RESOURCES LTD, NORTHERN MINERALS, ARAFURA RESOURCES, Peak Resources, Rare Element Resources Ltd, Rio Tinto, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd, Ucore Rare Metals Inc., Lynas Rare Earths Ltd.

Market News

September 2022 - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. announced that it has secured a purchase agreement for petalite concentrates produced at the Separation Rapids Lithium Project located north of Kenora, Ontario. The agreement is for several years with a significant international non-Chinese glass ceramic manufacturer.

September 2022 - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL and OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or "the Company") is delighted to declare that it has entered a non-binding memorandum of agreement (the "MOU") with LG Energy Solution (LGES; KRX: 373220) to provide LGES with battery-grade lithium hydroxide beginning in 2025.

Global Rare Earth Elements Market: Segmentation

By Element

Cerium

Oxide Sulfide Other Elements



Neodymium

Alloy

Lanthanum

Alloy Oxide Others



Dysprosium

Terbium

Yttrium

Scandium

Other Elements

By Application

Catalysts

Ceramics

Phosphors

Glass and Polishing

Metallurgy

Magnets

Other Applications

By Regions

North America

Europe

APAC

Middle East and Africa

LATAM

Get Detailed Market Segmentation @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/rare-earth-elements-market/segmentation

About Straits Research Pvt. Ltd.

Straits Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision-makers. Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. provides actionable market research data, especially designed and presented for decision making and ROI.

Whether you are looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with the clients purchase. We overcome our clients issues by recognizing and deciphering the target group and generating leads with utmost precision. We seek to collaborate with our clients to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches.

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General Motors said nearly half its Buick dealers took buyouts this year rather than invest in selling and servicing electric vehicles as the automaker's brands transition to all electric by 2030.

That means GM will end 2023 with about 1,000 Buick stores nationwide, down 47% from where it started the year.

Late last year, Buick said it would be asking dealers to commit a minimum investment of $300,000 to $400,000 to prepare their stores to sell and service EVs.

The Buick Wildcat EV concept laid the groundwork for the Encore GX's design updates.

"Buick is transforming, launching the best vehicles the brand has ever had and is the fastest growing mainstream brand in 2023," said GM spokesman Sean Poppitt in an email this week to the Detroit Free Press. "This all needs to be supported by the best customer experience in the transition to EVs. As stated before, this year weve given dealers who are not aligned with Buicks future to exit voluntarily in a respectful and structured way; with the full support of our National Dealer Council."

In Michigan, GM had about 100 Buick dealerships in December 2022. At that time, a metro Detroit Buick dealer told the Free Press that all the metro Detroit Buick dealers were making the investment to sell and service future EVs, but some smaller dealers in rural areas were taking the buyout offer. Other dealers echoed that information.

Poppitt declined to confirm how many Buick dealerships have taken a buyout in Michigan to date.

More: Toyota Motor North America buyout offer to workers includes 2 years in pay: Who's eligible

"Were not breaking it down state by state, but Michigan is a critical market for Buick and we are well covered to support our local customers," Poppitt said. "Nearly 90% of the U.S. population remains within approximately 25 miles of a Buick dealership."

Poppitt said with nearly half the dealerships gone, Buick sales are still up almost 60% this year through November over the year-ago period, which means "the average dealer throughput tripled  while reducing 47% of our dealer points. These are compelling numbers; we have a leaner, stronger and more effective network."

Story continues

More: GM to lay off 1,300 workers across two Michigan plants as vehicle production ends

More: GM halts production at Factory Zero after a fire fills plant with smoke

The buyout program remains open and is voluntary. The brand plans to show its first EV next year and it will be an SUV. All future new electric nameplates will use the Electra name followed by a number.

In 2020, Cadillac offered a similar buyout program for its dealers. Nationally, 170-180 of Cadillac's 870 dealers, or about 20%, took the buyouts that ranged from $300,000 to $700,000 and gave up their franchise rather than make the investment for tools, training, equipment and charging stations to sell and service EVs, a person who's familiar with Cadillac's plan told the Free Press in December 2020.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM: Half of Buick dealers took buyouts in 2023
A man has been given a suspended jail sentence after heroin was found at his home.

George Kinsella, aged 51, of Corcoran Terrace, Ballina pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court to possessing heroin.

Gda James OBrien told the court that he executed a search warrant at Kinsellas address at 6.40pm on December 24, 2020.

During the search, two plastic wraps containing brown powder were seized. Further analysis confirmed the powder to be four grams of heroin with a street value of 560. Kinsella later admitted it was for his own use.

Solicitor Gary Mulchrone said his client had several previous convictions between 1990 and 1999 that were driven by his addiction issues, but he had stayed out of trouble in the intervening period. Mr Mulchrone said his client is now living in Dublin, having left Ballina in June 2021.

Judge Vincent Deane imposed a five-month suspended jail sentence.
SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland have jointly submitted a planning application for Glenora Wind Farm to An Bord Pleanala. The proposed site is located in North Mayo, approximately 7km southwest of Ballycastle and 6km southeast of Belderrig.

The two companies are 50:50 co-development partners for the proposed 22 turbine onshore wind farm. If approved and constructed as proposed, Glenora Wind Farm would have the capacity to generate 158MW of green energy, enough to power over 115,000 homes annually and offset an estimated 113,000 metric tonnes of harmful carbon emissions each year*.

The submission of a planning application for the proposed wind farm follows an extensive period of consultation with local residents and neighbouring communities which took place throughout the course of 2022. Feedback received during this process has helped inform the final proposed design of the wind farm. An application to An Bord Pleanala for the proposed infrastructure to connect Glenora Wind Farm to the national grid is expected to be submitted in the second half of next year.

It is estimated that delivery of the proposed project could support up to 120 jobs at peak construction, creating significant supply chain opportunities for local contractors in the region. Once operational, the onshore wind farm would continue to provide an economic boost to the region through local operational spend as well as annual contributions in commercial rates payments to the local authority.

In addition to environmental and economic benefits, a multi-million-euro Community Benefit Fund would be established upon Glenora Wind Farm entering commercial operations, with payments made annually to support good causes in the locality and region.

Final delivery of Glenora Wind Farm will be subject to the project receiving the necessary planning consents, securing a route to market, and a final investment decision by the projects co-development partners.

Tom Coleman, Development Project Manager for SSE Renewables said:

The Mayo region and the north-west is home to immense renewable energy resources which could play a significant role in delivering Irelands climate targets ahead of 2030. However, for projects like Glenora Wind Farm to deliver to their potential, investment in grid infrastructure in the north-west is critical. We look forward to working with Government and EirGrid to address grid challenges in the region and unlock the potential of the north-west.

If consented for delivery, Glenora Wind Farm would not only generate homegrown renewable energy but would also benefit local people through our planned Community Benefit Fund and the local economy and services through the annual payment of commercial rates. Emmet McLaughlin, Project Manager at FuturEnergy Ireland, said:

Extensive community consultation and in-depth environmental studies have helped to inform the design of Glenora Wind Farm. We are pleased to incorporate this feedback and submit the planning application for this project, which comes at a time when Ireland is in urgent need of renewable energy. Glenora Wind Farm has the potential to increase our supply of clean, green electricity to help hit climate targets, increase energy security and lower fuel bills for everyone.
Christmas is on our doorsteps. This is a time when the exile thinks especially of making their way home: long journeys; old memories; the best of days. There are few enough in our region who do not see that old ESB advertisement they always show at this time of year, and smile, and maybe push a tear from the corner of the eye. I think Im coming back to the place I loved so well, in my youth: indeed.

That ad worked so well is because it shows the build-up to the moment when the light goes on outside the house where you were reared. Every person who has lived away has a favourite memory of just such a trip home for Christmas  the excitement of the journey, but also the sheer sense of relief at finally arriving. My own favourite memory is of flying into Knock from Luton one bitterly cold winter night in the run-up to Christmas. The light went on for me that day thats for sure, the end point of a journey that had started in South London at 6am. A day that never went by so pleasantly.

Not everyone can make the journey home every year. They will join the Christmas table only on FaceTime or WhatsApp, passed around from one seat to the other, exchanging greetings. This year, like every year, there will be west of Ireland people doing that from Melbourne and Mumbai and Manchester and Marino. Some others will be making the journey and arriving over the next few days. Those lucky few  our band of brothers and sisters  will fill Ireland West Airport with joy in these days leading up to Christmas.

But whether you can come home in person or just in spirit, this article is an appeal to all readers living outside the region. In years gone by, we all know how much the influx of emigrants returning home mattered to the shops and pubs of the district. Everyone talks of those days with a warm glow: full pubs; old tills in grand old draperies ringing; and every business getting enough to pay the rates and more. It kept many a family until the following Christmas.

How the commercial life of our communities has changed since then. So many of the smaller, family-run shops are no more. The decline in the number of pubs is an old story at this stage. E-commerce, home delivery, social media; they have changed the world.

But the same commercial dynamic that helped out businesses in the West of Ireland for generations has not. A successful Christmas in terms of sales remains a vital transfusion for our commercial sector. So, if you have not yet bought your presents  or a particular present  for Christmas, you can do something good for your local community. And you dont need to be walking down Pearse Street or Market Street or Bridge Street or the main street of your own local town to do it.

For if you need a last-minute present for someone at home, why not order it from a local business in your home town? It will be, as they say, a quiet January. There isnt much to fill the bag after that and that is especially so for the smaller family-type businesses that are still keeping their flag flying in towns across our region.

In every town and village, such businesses are fighting to survive. And they no longer need you to step over their doorstep to help them do it - many will now allow you to order online and many more will deliver for you, some in the boot of their own car.

And it is businesses and enterprising people of all types who will benefit. There are local bookshops who would be only delighted to get your order however it comes into them. There are cake makers who would smile at the ping of an online order. There are beauticians and hairdressers who would honour your voucher until their last day. There are music schools and dance and yoga teachers who would be only too delighted to see your niece or nephew come through the door as a result of your kindness. This newspaper would be delighted to sell you a subscription that would keep a relative far away connected to home or which might entertain a house-bound relative. You might order a nice bottle of something, or it could be a hamper, or a Sunday roast. It could be a driving lesson or two for a young person who needs to get into gear. And if you fancy something even more thoughtful, there is no nicer surprise present than to leave the price of two drinks or a coffee and cake in a place you know a loved one likes to go  and especially when it would do them good to get out and about again. You might send a few euro to the local chapter of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, in honour of someone who was kind to you when you needed it.

Now, the flow of presents wasnt of course all one-way traffic. In times gone by, turkeys and cakes going the other way to relatives abroad was a Christmas tradition to match any other. We dont have so much of that now, but sending some local produce abroad is a tradition we should certainly continue to foster. And that is true for West of Ireland people whether they live at home or away. In my experience, people from anywhere in Ireland and further afield love getting a present from the home place of a person they know. So that could be salmon from the Moy, or whiskey distilled locally, or any of the distinctively west of Ireland products which we have become so good at producing and marketing. And in this social media world, the benefit of one of those presents can be felt very strongly if the receiver posts about them on their own channels.

Now it is of course true that people talk about too much commercialism at Christmas. We are awash with frivolity and excess. But when you do want to send a token of your esteem, you can esteem yourself by supporting someone local when you do it. Reaching back home to spread that cheer is a practical manifestation of our love of people but also of place, something we naturally cling to at times like this.

So if you havent already, think about that small little business at home that would be delighted to have your custom. If some presents are not yet secured, have a little think about how you might support the place you have loved so well, by buying from home, no matter how far you are away this Christmas. Be in no doubt that when that present lands on the doorstep, a very special light will always turn on. Happy Christmas.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Partly sunny and pleasant; still a bit of a breeze, from the southwest 10-15mph with gusts to 20mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly clear and seasonably cold.
READING, Pa.  A Reading church is helping out the Salvation Army.

Trinity Lutheran Church donated a check for $3,500 on Tuesday.

The church's pastor says the church raised the money through a concert earlier this month.

He said he's grateful for everyone who came out to help people this winter. The Salvation Army said it appreciates the support.
General Motors shut down production at its Factory Zero in Detroit and Hamtramck for the night Tuesday after a fire inside the plant.

Detroit Fire Chief James Harris told the Detroit Free Press that the fire department called third-alarm fire late Tuesday afternoon so that it would have enough manpower to fight the blaze.

"It wound up being some lithium ion batteries," Harris said of the fire. He confirmed there was heavy smoke throughout much of the 4.5 million square foot facility.

"No firefighters or civilians or GM employees were injured, but we did evacuate the building for precaution and it's still smoldering," Harris said around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday. "We're still on the scene making sure no one gets injured and we're still investigating the cause."

According to GM's website, about 1,880 people work at the factory. GM builds its GMC Hummer all-electric pickup and SUV at the plant along with the Chevrolet Silverado EV work truck. It had been building Cruise Origin EVs until GM's self-driving subsidiary Cruise halted production on it last month following an Oct. 2 accident in San Francisco between a Cruise vehicle and a pedestrian.

GM spokeswoman Tara Kuhnen told the Detroit Free Press there was an incident involving a fire Tuesday afternoon at Factory Zero. She said all employees have been accounted for, everyone is safe and that GM is "investigating the situation and will share more details once available."

"We are still working on getting all the details," Kuhnen said. "Crew is on the ground. But second shift has been canceled for the night."

In an updated comment around 7:30 p.m., Kuhnen said: "We can confirm that a fire occurred today at Factory Zero, and all employees are safe. The fire was not vehicle related, occurred near a shipping dock area. We are still investigating the cause."

Harris said there were about 60 Detroit firefighters and 18 trucks at the scene.

Story continues

"Our main concern right now is making sure no one goes back in that building and no one gets injured," Harris said.

This is the second fire at the plant in recent months. According to a Freedom of Information Act the Free Press filed last month, in an Oct. 25 report, the Detroit Fire Department said there was "an autonomous electric car fire" inside the factory that the water sprinklers helped extinguish. The report stated the ventilation system was not operating correctly and did not allow smoke to exit the building in a timely manner. The car fire consisted of a "battery fire, toxins and smoke was in the air."

Kuhnen said: "Our investigation into the incident on October 25th indicates all safety systems operated correctly. We learned that the cause was a non-battery related component that has since been corrected."

More: GM subsidiary Cruise to cut 24% of workforce amid crisis following pedestrian accident

More: GM to lay off 1,300 workers across two Michigan plants as vehicle production ends

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM halts production at Factory Zero after a fire fills plant with smoke
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The City of Allentown is one step closer to getting millions of dollars to help connect historically disadvantaged residents with jobs.

The city is one of 22 finalists from across the country to be approved to apply for $20 to $50 million to implement its Recompete Plan, lawmakers announced Wednesday.

More than 500 communities applied for the grants.

The plan is part of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, which was established by the "CHIPS and Science Act." The program targets communities struggling with prime-age (25-54 years) employment that's significantly lower than the national average.

The phase 1 finalists receive a $500,000 grant, also announced Wednesday, to help further coordinate and develop the plan to apply for more funding in phase 2.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk says the city's plan "focuses on engaging with partners in labor, non-profit, and the private sector to address the barriers that our residents face, from skills gaps and transportation hurdles to lack of support services and limited child care options."

"While Lehigh Valley's economy is strong and growing, residents of the City of Allentown have faced challenges in accessing jobs in the region," Tuerk said, in a statement.

U.S. Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild of the Lehigh Valley announced the award in a joint news release Wednesday. Casey and Wild each wrote letters to support Allentown's application to the program.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration announced the finalists for Phase II funding on its website.
BETHLEHEM, Pa.  Bethlehem City Council voted Tuesday to adopt the 2024 budget, raising city property taxes by 2.6%.

"I know that people don't like increased taxes. I live in the city, and I'm going to be paying more taxes. I'm not rich," said Councilmember Hillary Kwiatek.

The increase allows for the city to meet the demands of recurring expenses, such as salaries, that are forecasted to rise, she explained.

"We know that these expenses are going to go up," Kwiatek said. "We can't just expect something to come in and plug a (budget) hole."

Officials said money raised by the increase allows for investments in the city's public safety. Kwiatek identified budget items such as 3% raises for police and a 4% increase for firefighters as these kinds of investments, in addition to purchases like body cams and dash cams for police and new radios for emergency services.

The increase allows for "paying for things that everybody in the city of Bethlehem needs access to," explained Mayor J. William Reynolds.

Reynolds also said the increase allows the city to avoid borrowing for things like capital expenditures, on which the city has spent $9 million each year for the past two years. He said the total cost would be around $25 million if the money were borrowed.

Critics of the increase said an unbalanced budget created it and too much was being spent on studies.

After perusing the budget, resident Bud Hackett said, "There is no good reason to raise taxes in Bethlehem."

Bethlehem residents also face an increase in sewer rates to the tune of 8%.

Bethlehem to see 8% hike in sewer rates Bethlehem City Council voted Tuesday night to adopt an ordinance that will increase sewer rates by 8% in 2024.

Edward Boscola, director of water and sewer resources, proposed the rate increase in September. The new rate increases the average residential sewer bill by about $24 annually.

Resident and City Council candidate James Follweiler questioned whether the increase would go into "slush" funds for the city. "There should be no tax increases," he said.

Bethlehem's 2024 budget totals $113.3 million.

The budget passed in a 6-1 vote, with Councilmember Grace Crampsie Smith voting "nay."

Pet mills ban

In addition to budget measures, council also voted to adopt a measure that would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits from pet mills.

"It's a no-brainer," said Councilmember Rachel Leon.

Board farewells

In other news, council said goodbye to two members  Paige Van Wirt and Wandalyn Enix  who did not seek reelection.

Reynolds expressed "deep admiration" for Van Wirt and said, "The city is better because of your service." He added that Van Wirt offered a "level of sophistication to city policy that is now the norm."

The city's director of equity and inclusion, Janine Carambot Santoro, offered words of appreciation to Enix, the first Black woman to serve on Bethlehem City Council.

"Your leadership is a dream come true," Santoro said.

End of service

In other news, council recognized the end of service for City Council Solicitor Brian Panella and Rico, a K-9 officer.

Panella is moving on to a county judgeship, while Rico is retiring.

Panella has resigned, effective Dec. 31. He was elected to the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas in November.

"It has been a highlight of my legal career to represent the City Council of Bethlehem," Panella said in a letter to the council. As solicitor, he has served as City Council's legal advisor.

If council appoints a new solicitor before Dec. 31, Panella's resignation will go into effect immediately.

Police K-9 Rico, a Dutch Shepherd, joined the Bethlehem Police Department in 2016. Caesar and Deanna DePaco funded his purchase.

Rico is now owned by Matthew Steidel, his handler of three years. With Steidel, Rico will "be able to live out the remainder of his life in a happy and loving retirement," according to a memo from Police Chief Michelle L. Kott.

According to council's agenda, Rico has served the BPD as a patrol and narcotics K-9 for more than seven years "and has provided service of the highest order to protect the residents of Bethlehem and officers of the Bethlehem Police Department."
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's next chairman envisions a region not dominated by warehouses.

Current Vice Chairman Chris Amato contends that the Lehigh Valley can be more than a big "fulfillment center" for the East Coast of the United States.

"It is time to diversify our thought process and create an environment that fosters different types of businesses with more focus on technology and light manufacturing," Amato said Tuesday.

Amato, a Lehigh Township resident who grew up in rural western New Jersey, plans to use his leadership of the LVPC to help preserve the character of Lehigh and Northampton counties. That means maintaining the contrast between the cities  Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton along the Route 22 corridor  and the more open areas north and south of the highway.

"We need to continue to maximize our urban cores while maintaining the rural character of our suburban and rural townships," Amato said, as he discussed his vision for the Lehigh Valley's future.

"Our advocacy can encourage that," Amato said, referring to the LVPC.

Advocacy is an important term because it reflects the commission's limits.

LVPC's role is not always understood. It does not approve or block development, and it does not market the region. Its professional staff reviews big plans for the two counties and makes recommendations in keeping with FutureLV, the commission's vision for the Lehigh Valley.

Then, 37 appointed commissioners  including Amato  discuss and approve the staff recommendations before they are sent to municipalities and developers. The staff reviews may touch upon the availability of bus routes, higher truck traffic, stormwater, road improvements and open space.

The process involves multiple meetings, which are open to the public. Final land-use decisions are made by townships, borough and cities, not the LVPC. The commission can guide the development process, but it does not control it.

Amato will lead the commissioners as the chairman, while Executive Director Becky Bradley manages the professional staff and its workload.

The development process involves the public, but it also protects the rights of property owners. Landowners have the right to sell and develop, within the bounds of local zoning ordinances. The profit motive behind development cannot be ignored, Amato noted.

"The best we can hope for is to advocate for good practices that enhance our quality of life," he said. "It's time for us to move forward."

The region should not fall prey to continue "business as usual," Amato said. The world has changed, and the Lehigh Valley is in an era of development that could not have been envisioned when the planning commission was founded in 1961, when the cities were smaller and local farms were bigger. In 2023, the LVPC has reviewed millions of square feet of warehouse and industrial development.

During his two terms on the LVPC board representing Northampton County, Amato has advocated for open space, and spoken out against development that will lead to increased traffic and stress on roads and bridges, costs that are passed on to local government.

Chairman-to-be Amato is also Dr. Amato, a doctor of chiropractic who has been practicing for 28 years. As an LVPC member, he has raised the health issues of development, particularly related to air quality. The Lehigh Valley has been ranked among the worst places in America for asthma, a chronic illness that makes breathing difficult.

Amato comes from a family that values education, and he will bring that background to the chairmanship of the LVPC and its dealings with the public.

"We will listen, we will answer responsibly and consider all opinions," he said.

Amato, 54, attended Philllipsburg Catholic High School and Lock Haven University. He earned his doctor of chiropractic degree at New York Chiropractic College. His practice is in Bethlehem and he has privileges through Lehigh Valley Hospital Network.

Amato will succeed current Chairman Steven L. Glickman. Christina "Tori" Morgan, a former South Whitehall Township commissioner, will be vice chairwoman in 2024 and Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen will be treasurer.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Parents in the Allentown School District are wondering why a student would bring a gun to school.

The 17-year-old is now under arrest and facing several charges.

The student was arrested at 10:35 a.m. after reports of a student on school grounds in possession of a gun.

Jeanette Rivera is a 5th grade Special Education teacher in the district who says she got an email saying there was a student at Dieruff High School caught with a handgun. She has several questions about Tuesday's incident that locked down the school for a short time.

"How did the kid get a gun? Where are these guns coming from? And why do they need a gun?" asked Rivera.

In a joint statement with the city police, the school district says the teen had the gun on school property, and was stopped by a school resource officer.

The district told 69 News it put the school on lockdown for about 10 minutes.

The student suspect is facing three charges: possession of a firearm with altered manufacturer's number, minor in possession of a firearm, and carrying a firearm without a license.

Jeanette's daughter Angelina is a sophomore cheerleader at the school.

"I knew we were in lockdown. I didn't know what for. I knew there were some fights the other day about some territory issues. It's really just wild. Because why come to school if you're not here to learn?" Angelina said.

The student's name is not being released because he is under 18.

The case will be resolved in Lehigh County juvenile court.
TOBYHANNA TWP., Pa. - Buzz surrounding a plan to bring a passenger rail line to the Poconos gained momentum Tuesday night.

The Pocono Mountains Visitor Bureau, Pocono Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations held a "Passenger Rail Rally" at Kalahari Resorts in Tobyhanna Township.

Congressman Matt Cartwright was also there.

They discussed the proposed plan to add Amtrak service between New York City and Scranton, with stops in Monroe County.

Cartwright said next is figuring out how much it will cost and updating other studies that have already been done.

He estimated the route will be finished by the end of 2028.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - By a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo opposed, the Bucks County commissioners approved a 2-mill tax increase for 2024, raising the millage rate to 20.6604.

This means for every $100,000 of assessed value, a homeowner will pay $2,066.04 in county real estate taxes.

In his presentation, county CFO David Boscola pointed out the final budget anticipates revenue of $487.05 million and expenditures of $486.80 million, for a budget surplus of $0.25 million.

Health, housing and human services consume 50.5% of the budget; public safety accounts for 24.0%; and other services make up 25.5%. The state contributes 43.5% of the revenue, real estate taxes contribute 31%, federal contributions are 12.5% and departmental revenue and user fees contribute 13.0%.

The preliminary budget presented Nov. 22 projected revenues of $466,827,200, and expenditures of $483,544,200, producing a deficit of $16.717 million. The deficit in the preliminary budget was closed by the tax increase.

Commissioners' comments

Commissioner DiGirolamo commented briefly: Im going to be a 'no' on this budget, but I do want to thank everybody for their work and for helping me understand where were going today.

Explaining her "yes" vote, Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia said: Ive been here for a long time and have voted for a couple of tax increases over the years, but Ive also voted 'no' when we didnt raise taxes and we should have. When this board took over last year, part of the reason I voted 'no' when we should have raised taxes in the past, is we created a structural deficit that this board has been stuck trying to deal with, and its finally come home."

We tried on behalf of the taxpayers to not deal with it during COVID because we knew people were stretched and they couldnt afford to have a tax increase but the only reason to do this now (vote no) would be a political reason," she said.

She continued, Everybody knows we have a structural deficit; everybody knows where it came from and we are going to have to raise taxes this year. It will be 2 mills. That will be less than $1.20 per week. So, it is very minor after all of these years of not doing it. Quite frankly, we have 18 bargaining units that are driving this, and thats not to fault them, its just the way it is. Thats what benefits cost, thats what salaries cost, and weve put it off for as long as we can."

Ellis-Marseglia noted that all of the collar counties are raising taxes this year, and I think weve done a pretty good job to keep this down to $1.20 per week. We are stabilizing the counties budget, and it will keep it stabilized for the rest of this decade. So, it is with great pride that Im going to vote yes today.

Robert Harvie Jr., board chair, noted: Weve talked about the transition team and the transition report, which is still public on our website. When that was created starting in late 2019, following the 2019 election, the first sub-committee that organized and started meeting was the finance and budget sub-committee. That was made up of Democrats and Republicans who we asked to take a look at county finances and make recommendations.

Harvie pointed out that these people were not county employees, These were businesspeople, he said, people who have experience in investments, bonds and running corporations. They made several recommendations regarding the budget that we carried out.

They pointed out that the county savings account is as low as it can go without losing its bond rating, Harvie noted. He said that savings of 10% of the budget is not responsible fiscally to use that anymore. Harvie also said one of the actions the transition team recommended in 2020 that the commissioners didnt do, was to make a 2 mill tax increase.

We could potentially do a smaller tax increase, he noted, but then wed have to come back next year and do it again, so its better to do it now.

In my 20 years as a township and county official I have never voted to increase taxes so this is a first for me. Keep in mind, Harvie pointed out, that we three commissioners are property owners in the county so we are raising property taxes on ourselves.

Major contracts

The commissioners voted to approve several high-dollar expenditures. Lenape Valley Foundation, Doylestown, received a $7,587,139 contract, with the county providing 4.1%, to provide mental health, intellectual disability and early intervention services.

A $3,132,443 contract, with the county providing 4.6%, was approved for St. Lukes Penn Foundation, Sellersville, to provide mental health, intellectual disability and early intervention services.

Also, a $1,474,400 contract, with the county providing 10%, to provide early intervention services was awarded to Sunny Days Early Childhood Developmental Services Inc., Media.

Community Service Foundation, Pipersville, was awarded a $3,160,000 contract, with the county providing 20%, to provide various services for dependent and delinquent youth.

In addition, a $766,000 contract with Prime Care Medical, Harrisburg, for Medication Assisted Treatment Program services and medications was approved.

Benefitmall, Phoenix, Arizona, was awarded a $2,241,925 contract to provide stop-loss insurance with Unum Life Insurance for medical/prescription claims.
WASHINGTON, N.J. - An Easton man will spend decades in New Jersey State Prison for the vicious assault of an 84-year-old woman and her 53-year-old son back in 2021.

Kyle Kaspereen was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison, with no parole eligibility for at least 30 years, said the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 to first-degree murder and aggravated assault for the attack in the victims' home on Wayne Street in Washington borough on Nov. 30, 2021.

Officers found Elaine Trachin, 84, unconscious, and her son, 53-year-old William "Bart" Trachin, with a garbage bag taped over his head and upper body and his hands taped to his wheelchair, authorities said.

Elaine Trachin died. Bart Trachin, who was critically injured in the attack, died nearly two years later, in October of this year.

Warren County's First Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Robinson said the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Bart Trachin could not determine if the injuries he suffered at the hands of Kaspareen caused his death.

The prosecutor's office had said money appeared to be the motive in the attacks. Kaspereen and Bart Trachin were friends and were both involved in riding motorcycles, officials said at the time. Cell phone evidence shows the two had been communicating about the sale of a motorcycle.

Police say Bart Trachin's cell phone and his mother's wallet and checkbook were taken from the home.

Kaspereen was charged on Dec. 9, 2021 with murder and attempted murder.
When Idaho had a rare measles outbreak a few months ago, health officials scrambled to keep it from spreading. In the end, 10 people, all in one family, were infected, all unvaccinated.

This time, the state was lucky, said the regions medical director Dr. Perry Jansen. The family quickly quarantined and the children were already taught at home. The outbreak could have been worse if the kids were in public school, given the states low vaccination rates, he said.

In Idaho last year, parents opted out of state-required vaccines for 12% of kids entering kindergarten, the highest rate in the nation.

We tend to forget that diseases like measles and polio used to kill people, said Jansen, medical director of the Southwest District Health Department, which handled the outbreak in September.

All states require children to have certain routine vaccines to go to public school, and often private school and day care, to prevent outbreaks of once-common childhood diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough, chickenpox and polio. All provide exemptions for children who have a medical reason for avoiding the shots. Most also offer waivers for religious beliefs. Fifteen allow a waiver for any personal belief.

Last school year, vaccination waivers among kindergartners hit an all-time high: 3% in total, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Waivers for religious or personal beliefs have been on the rise, driven by some states loosening laws, in others by vaccine misinformation and political rhetoric amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Idaho, a parent only has to provide a signed statement, to get a waiver, the states health department said. A change in state law before the 2018-19 school year made it easier to get waivers. The states exemption rate that year was 7.7%.

Septembers measles outbreak started when a resident of Nampa, the states third largest city, returned home from a trip abroad. Measles is usually brought into the U.S. through travel since widespread vaccination has all but eliminated local spread of the disease.

It takes a very high level of vaccination  around 95%  to protect against the spread of measles and other diseases, experts say. During the pandemic, the national rate for vaccinations among kindergartners dropped to 93%.

Health experts say interventions on every level are needed to get more kids immunized: doctors talking to parents, social media campaigns, easier access to vaccines in some areas, enforcement by schools in others.

Last year, most states had an increase in waivers. Hawaii, which allows medical and religious waivers, saw rates double from the previous school year. Nearly 6.5% of kindergartners have an exemption for at least one required vaccine.

Its impossible to know the reasons behind a waiver, said Ronald Balajadia, immunization program manager for Hawaii State Department of Health. But misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines has bled through to routine vaccines" that people wouldn't normally question, Balajadia said.

While some states have made it easier to opt out, others have clamped down. Connecticut eliminated its longstanding religious waiver for vaccinations in 2021, joining California, West Virginia, New York and Maine in allowing only medical exemptions. The change drew protests and lawsuits. With only a medical waiver now, the kindergartner vaccination rate reached 97% or above last year; waiver rates dropped to less than 1%.

The state is still working to get more parents on board by answering their questions "and not just dismiss them. Its our best shot at trying to bring people along, said Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Georgia had the second largest drop in vaccine waivers last year  from 4.7% to 3.8%. State health officials cited a steady post-pandemic return to partnerships between schools, public health and pediatricians as possible reasons for the improvement.

Dr. Angela Highbaugh-Battle has cared for kids in rural Georgia for 17 years, now in the small coastal community of St. Marys. She said she spends more time now talking to parents wary about routine childhood vaccines.

Every connection, every conversation, is a chance to educate, she said.

Its not about winning or losing, she said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
NEW YORK (AP)  Migrant families and their advocates marched outside New York City Hall on Tuesday to demand Mayor Eric Adams end his plan to limit the number of days newly arrived immigrants can remain in city-run shelters.

The late afternoon demonstration of students and parents at City Hall Park was in response to an order Adams issued in October limiting homeless migrants and their children to 60 days in city housing. The Democrat said the move was necessary to relieve a shelter system overwhelmed by asylum-seekers crossing the southern U.S. border.

Liza Schwartzwald, a director at the New York Immigration Coalition, one of the groups that organized Tuesdays rally, said the time limits only serve to uproot families who have already made the dangerous journey across the border after fleeing poverty and crime in their homelands.

Theres no excuse to retraumatize these families, she said.

Karen Alford, a vice president at the United Federation of Teachers, said the policy will force migrant students just settling into classes to move from school to school as their families seek out new places to live in the city.

As a city we must do better, she said.

Spokespersons for Adams didn't respond to an email seeking comment. But the mayor earlier Tuesday suggested frustrated New Yorkers should be protesting in the streets of the nation's capital instead.

We need to mobilize and rally and go to D.C. and say to the national government this is not fair what is happening to New York City," said Adams, who has been among the big city mayors appealing for more federal help in managing the surge of migrants they say are arriving in their cities with little to no coordination, support or resources from President Joe Biden's administration.

The 60-day limit is among the Adams administrations efforts to rein in New Yorks decades-old  right to shelter," which obligates the city to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks.

The first families affected by the order were expected to reach their time limit just days after Christmas. But the mayors office told The Associated Press last week that those migrants will receive extensions through early January.

Roughly 3,500 families have been issued notices so far. Single adult migrants are already capped at 30-days in shelters.

Those who still need help after their move-out deadline must reapply. But city officials have warned that a new placement might not happen right away. Families could also get sent to the sprawling tent complexes the city has constructed far from Manhattan.
JACI-PARANA, Brazil (AP)  Authorities in a western Brazil state are taking aim at deforestation of the Amazon with a slew of lawsuits against slaughterhouses and farmers accused of illegally raising cattle in a protected area.

The lawsuits seek millions of dollars for environmental damage in the Jaci-Parana reserve, an area that was once rainforest. It's now mostly grassland after decades of misuse by land-grabbers, loggers and cattle ranchers.

The state of Rondonia has brought the lawsuits against meat processing giant JBS and three smaller slaughterhouses, along with farmers accused of raising and selling cattle illegally.

And prosecutors say the evidence was provided by the ranchers themselves.

The Associated Press and Agencia Publica, a Brazilian nonprofit news agency, examined the 17 lawsuits as part of a collaboration that included visiting the Jaci-Parana to view damage to the reserve and to interview people who said they were forced from their homes there by land-grabbers using threats and violence.

Some takeaways from the work:

JBS A DEFENDANT

Three lawsuits name JBS along with farmers who allegedly provided 227 cattle raised in Jaci-Parana to the worlds largest meat producer. Those lawsuits seek some $3.4 million for damages to the reserve. The company declined to answer questions about the lawsuits from The Associated Press, saying JBS has not been summoned by the court."

Three smaller meatpacking companies also accused in lawsuits of buying illegal cattle from Jaci-Parana  Frigon, Distriboi and Tangara  did not respond to questions.

Evidence in the lawsuits includes transfer documents for cows that show them coming from within the Jaci-Parana reserve. That documentation was a likely result of many land-grabbers seeking to demonstrate their occupancy of protected lands under former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who strongly supported development in the Amazon. Rondonias governor, a staunch Bolsonaro ally, actually signed a law in 2021 to shrink Jaci-Parana by 90%, though the law was later invalidated.

Illegal trade in cattle raised in the rainforest has been a persistent problem, and Brazil's federal prosecutor scrutinizes cattle sales to try to counter the deforestation that results. JBS operates four slaughterhouses in Rondonia, on Brazil's border with Bolivia. An audit published in October found that 12% of cattle purchased by them came from illegally deforested areas.

The Jaci-Parana cattle may have ended up on American tables. Both Frigon and the two JBS plants that allegedly bought from illegal farmers there have exported beef to the U.S. and several other countries. Those include China, Russia, Spain and Saudi Arabia, among others, according to data from Panjiva, a company that uses customs records to track international trade.

PROSECUTORS SAY DESTRUCTION NEAR $1 BILLION

A report included in court papers pegs damage to the reserve at about $1 billion, and some of the money sought in the lawsuits is intended to help cover the high costs of reforestation.

Associated Press journalists visited Jaci-Parana in July to see on the ground what satellite imagery had shown from space: The only forested areas left in the more than 760-square-mile (1,970 square kilometers) preserve are along the Jaci-Parana and Branco rivers. Almost 80% of the reserve, or an area roughly the size of Los Angeles, has been destroyed.

Deforestation is a major concern for the Amazon rainforest, where many seek to profit from its vast resources through mining, timber harvesting, agriculture and more. Besides harming a critical biosphere, the development pressure also threatens a critical carbon sink for a planet thats warming dangerously from climate change.

EXPULSION OF RUBBER-TAPPER FAMILIES

Dozens of families who made their living by tapping rubber trees inside the reserve and harvesting Brazil nuts have been forcibly removed.

Lincoln Fernandes de Lima, 45, whose family has lived in the area for three generations, described land-grabbers removing timber methodically, and shooting up or destroying the homes of residents.

Lima said he was visited in September by two armed men who told him their boss had acquired the area. They gave him 24 hours to leave. He said it was the third time he had been forced out of the reserve. Five days later, his neighbor's home was burned down, Lima said.

Jaci-Parana village has also been the home of Rosa Maria Lopes. She was born in 1952 in a rubber grove inside the reserve. She said her family had lived in the same area for more than a century before they were pushed out cattle farmers. The place where she grew up is now a pasture.

Theres nothing left there, she told AP. No one talks about Brazil nuts, copaiba (oil-producing tree), or rubber anymore. Theres no talk about corn, pumpkin, or whatever is served on the table. Its only cattle, farms, and pasture. Are we only going to eat grass?

Valente reports for Agencia Publica. Maisonnave is The Associated Press correspondent for the Amazon basin. This article was produced as part of a collaboration between Agencia Publica and The Associated Press.

AP reporter Camille Fassett contributed to this story.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.

So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Wolters Kluwer (AMS:WKL). While this doesn't necessarily speak to whether it's undervalued, the profitability of the business is enough to warrant some appreciation - especially if its growing.

View our latest analysis for Wolters Kluwer

How Fast Is Wolters Kluwer Growing?

If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. We can see that in the last three years Wolters Kluwer grew its EPS by 16% per year. That growth rate is fairly good, assuming the company can keep it up.

It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. Wolters Kluwer maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 9.6% to 5.6b. That's encouraging news for the company!

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

ENXTAM:WKL Earnings and Revenue History December 20th 2023

In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of Wolters Kluwer's forecast profits?

Are Wolters Kluwer Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Since Wolters Kluwer has a market capitalisation of 31b, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a large percentage of shares. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. To be specific, they have 14m worth of shares. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. While their ownership only accounts for 0.04%, this is still a considerable amount at stake to encourage the business to maintain a strategy that will deliver value to shareholders.

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Should You Add Wolters Kluwer To Your Watchlist?

As previously touched on, Wolters Kluwer is a growing business, which is encouraging. To add an extra spark to the fire, significant insider ownership in the company is another highlight. These two factors are a huge highlight for the company which should be a strong contender your watchlists. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Wolters Kluwer you should be aware of.

Although Wolters Kluwer certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see companies with insider buying, then check out this handpicked selection of Dutch companies that not only boast of strong growth but have also seen recent insider buying..

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
'Holy crap! I could be doing so much with that income': This Charleston couple makes $340K a year  but lives paycheck-to-paycheck. Here's the dose of reality they got on The Ramsey Show

Boosting income is the major challenge for most people with financial struggles. But some people can find themselves in trouble even if their earnings are well above average.

A Charleston, West Virginia, couple called in to The Ramsey Show recently to discuss how they were living paycheck-to-paycheck despite earning $340,000 a year.

Dont miss

Theres people listening thinking, Holy crap! I could be doing so much with that income, said financial expert Rachel Cruze, shocked at the couples predicament.

Unfortunately, its possible to have a six-figure income and still live on the financial edge. Heres why.

Debt problem

Dustin, the caller, said his wifes student loans are the leading cause for their financial struggles. Her loan is worth an astounding $200,000.

To be fair, the money was borrowed for a valuable degree in anesthesiology, and on average, U.S. anesthesiologists earn more than $300,000 a year, so the debt was certainly productive.

And as enormous as the debt is, its less than the $250,000 owed by the average medical-school graduate, according to the research from the Education Data Initiative.

Meanwhile, Dustin and his wife also have two mortgages and two car loans. The combined balance on the car loans is roughly $100,000.

With these numbers, you owe as much as you make a year, so its going to feel tight, Cruze said.

Unfortunately, there isnt much of a cash buffer to rescue them. Dustin claimed they have just $25,000 in savings, well below the average balance in U.S. transaction accounts  $62,410, according to the Federal Reserves recent Survey of Consumer Finances.

Given their extraordinary income, this shouldnt be the case. But debt is the key issue. The student loans are the bulk of it, but the car loans are extreme, too. The average car loan balance was $22,612 as of 2022, according to Experian data. Dustin and his wife have more than twice that amount on each of two cars.

Story continues

Its clear the husband and wife have pushed themselves to the edge and are now forced to live paycheck-to-paycheck. To change the situation, they need a radical mindshift.

Read more: Owning real estate for passive income is one of the biggest myths in investing  but here's how you can actually make it work

Radical mindshift needed

Cruze and her co-host, George Kamel, both said they believe the couple can turn things around quickly. But to do so, they need a fresh perspective on money.

Cruze recommended getting rid of the cars and buying used cars instead. The average used car sells for $27,000, according to Consumer Reports, so Dustin and his wife can potentially lower their debt burden by swapping their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Kamel recommended halting investments until the debt is mitigated. If I had $300,000 in consumer debt I would definitely pause investing, he said. Thats going to free up a whole bunch of money if we pause that temporarily.

Kamel said the couple can pay off their debt in just two years, with aggressive repayments, lower living costs and a disciplined approach. Cruze agreed, adding the cost of living in West Virginia should make things easier.

You guys live in Charleston, West Virginia, she said. You're not out in L.A., California, with an insane lifestyle. You guys can do this, you have so much going for you.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UNESCO and Huawei donated ICT equipment to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education last week under the Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project (TeOSS), which the two partners have been running in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana since 2020.

Handing-over Ceremony of ICT equipment to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education

As part of the three-year project, which ends this year and is positioned under Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, UNESCO and Huawei provided 480 tablets, 48 access points, and 24 smart boards to 24 beneficiary secondary schools in different regions of Ethiopia.

"I extend my gratitude once again to UNESCO and Huawei for their dedication to education and for this significant donation at this very critical time," said Ayelech Eshete, State Minister for the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Referring to the secondary school beneficiaries, she added, "It will enable them to explore diverse educational resources, expand their knowledge beyond textbooks, and connect with a vast global network of information and learning experiences."

The equipment will go some way to supporting the project's broader aims of reducing the digital divide and enhancing education inclusion and equity by building the capacity of educators and institutions.

"We mark a significant milestone in this journey as we witness the delivery of the latest ICT equipment to secondary schools across Ethiopia," said Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director, UNESCO Liaison Office to AU, UNECA, and Representative of Ethiopia.

"These schools, which have been carefully selected by the MoE and respective regional education bureaus as beneficiaries of this project, will now have the occasion to integrate technology into their classrooms, providing students with opportunities for enhanced learning, collaboration, and skills development."

In Ethiopia, the three-year TeOSS project is focusing on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform. The project broader aims include creating crisis-resilient school systems that ensure learning continuity in both normal and crisis conditions by making education resources available in the home, classroom, and other scenarios.

Story continues

Since the inception of the project in 2020, project partners have designed and evaluated project outcomes in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana with a view to scaling up the project in Africa. A particular emphasis is reaching schools in low-resource nations, and transforming them into technology-enabled schools that can underpin lifelong learning opportunities for all and education equity and quality for students.

The UNESCO and Huawei partnership is underpinned by the continued efforts of the government of Ethiopia to empower its students and citizens to become active participants in the digital world, ensuring that they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build a just, inclusive, peaceful, open, and knowledge-based society. For more information, visit https://www.unesco.org/en/fieldoffice/addisababa.

About the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia

Ministry of education which its vision is to Sustainably building an education and training system that ensures quality and equitable education for all citizens and that continuously produces a competent and competitive workforce fueling the country's economic development.

For more information, visit https://moe.gov.et/

About Huawei TECH4ALL

TECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. Enabled by innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL is designed to help promote inclusion and sustainability in the digital world.

For more information, please visit Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL

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Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,937 shares of the credit services providers stock after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $1,559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MA. Naviter Wealth LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 31.1% during the second quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management grew its position in Mastercard by 1.8% in the second quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,133 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $839,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 24,680 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $9,707,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 7,433 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $2,923,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fragasso Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fragasso Group Inc. now owns 1,115 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 74.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In other news, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.45, for a total transaction of $47,489,249.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 98,424,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,150,222,216.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Richard K. Davis acquired 1,000 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $390.96 per share, with a total value of $390,960.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,743 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,809,123.28. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.45, for a total transaction of $47,489,249.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 98,424,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,150,222,216.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 516,776 shares of company stock worth $199,234,911. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They set a hold rating and a $424.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $443.00 to $439.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 27th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Mastercard in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $435.00 to $420.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $453.00 to $452.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mastercard has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $451.81.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MA

Mastercard Price Performance

Shares of Mastercard stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $426.29. 514,254 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,651,507. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The company has a market cap of $399.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $336.43 and a fifty-two week high of $426.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $399.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $396.75.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The credit services provider reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $6.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.53 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.85% and a return on equity of 188.83%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback $11.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 9th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 8th. This is a boost from Mastercards previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Mastercards dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.86%.

Mastercard Profile

(Free Report)

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.

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Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY reduced its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA  Free Report) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,177 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 272 shares during the quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NYs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $1,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Financial Corp IN raised its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 6.9% during the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,146 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Truefg LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.4% during the second quarter. Truefg LLC now owns 10,425 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC increased its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.9% in the second quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 7,666 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.3% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 11,695 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $836,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.7% during the second quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,573 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.78% of the companys stock.

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iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA EFA traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $75.14. 3,946,878 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,797,377. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a one year low of $65.11 and a one year high of $75.33. The companys 50-day moving average is $70.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.12.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,005 shares of the restaurant operators stock, valued at approximately $1,841,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.1% during the second quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. SkyOak Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.0% during the second quarter. SkyOak Wealth LLC now owns 156 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 10.9% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 61 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.2% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $597,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.4% during the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 258 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. 91.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CMG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,300.00 to $2,225.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $2,280.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,391.00 to $2,260.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,100.00 to $2,450.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $2,200.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $2,180.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, COO Scott Boatwright sold 1,423 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,042.02, for a total transaction of $2,905,794.46. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 3,034 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,195,488.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, Director Patricia Filikrushel sold 57 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,049.81, for a total transaction of $116,839.17. Following the sale, the director now owns 686 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,406,169.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Scott Boatwright sold 1,423 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,042.02, for a total transaction of $2,905,794.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,034 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,488.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,677 shares of company stock valued at $9,405,538. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $2,327.03 on Wednesday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $2,085.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $2,008.90. The stock has a market cap of $63.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.33. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,344.05 and a fifty-two week high of $2,346.35.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The restaurant operator reported $11.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.46 by $0.90. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.47 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.27% and a return on equity of 45.26%. The firms revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.51 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 44.04 EPS for the current year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It offers burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California.

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Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI  Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 913,500 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $56,540,000. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC owned 0.76% of Donaldson at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Donaldson by 792.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 455 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Donaldson by 521.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 497 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new position in Donaldson in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Donaldson in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new position in Donaldson in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. 80.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Donaldson Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Donaldson stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.02. The company had a trading volume of 27,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 435,545. The company has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. The firms fifty day moving average is $60.45 and its 200-day moving average is $61.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.49. Donaldson Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.05 and a fifty-two week high of $66.96.

Donaldson Dividend Announcement

Donaldson ( NYSE:DCI Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $846.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $857.91 million. Donaldson had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 29.08%. Donaldsons quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Donaldson Company, Inc. will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Donaldsons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DCI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Donaldson from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Donaldson from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Donaldson from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Donaldson presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $67.75.

View Our Latest Stock Report on DCI

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 11,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.24, for a total transaction of $709,536.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 40,545 shares in the company, valued at $2,523,520.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, President Guillermo Briseno sold 2,737 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.50, for a total value of $168,325.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 16,170 shares in the company, valued at $994,455. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 11,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.24, for a total transaction of $709,536.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 40,545 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,523,520.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Donaldson

(Free Report)

Donaldson Company, Inc manufactures and sells filtration systems and replacement parts worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences. Its Mobile Solutions segment provides replacement filters for air and liquid filtration applications, such as air filtration systems; liquid filtration systems for fuel, lube, and hydraulic applications; exhaust and emissions systems and sensors; indicators; and monitoring systems.

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Essex Savings Bank decreased its stake in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,710 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 79 shares during the period. Essex Savings Banks holdings in Accenture were worth $1,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Barrett & Company Inc. acquired a new position in Accenture during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Accenture during the first quarter worth about $32,000. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Accenture during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in Accenture during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.42% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. They set a buy rating and a $410.00 target price for the company. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, September 29th. Piper Sandler Companies lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $314.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $360.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, September 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $344.65.

Accenture Stock Down 0.1 %

ACN opened at $341.51 on Wednesday. Accenture plc has a 52-week low of $242.80 and a 52-week high of $346.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $319.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $315.83. The company has a market cap of $214.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.23.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.13. Accenture had a net margin of 10.72% and a return on equity of 29.74%. The company had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.08 earnings per share. Accentures revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 17th. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Accentures dividend payout ratio is currently 47.91%.

Accenture announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total transaction of $2,622,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,830 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,441,220.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $1,887,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,622 shares of the companys stock, valued at $48,816,308.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total transaction of $2,622,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,830 shares in the company, valued at $10,441,220.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,334 shares of company stock worth $10,939,027 over the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Profile

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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Addenda Capital Inc. reduced its stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC  Free Report) (TSE:MFC) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,551,210 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 18,937 shares during the period. Manulife Financial accounts for approximately 1.5% of Addenda Capital Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Addenda Capital Inc.s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $28,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MFC. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 2.6% during the first quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 21,796 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 12,449 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,485 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 44,972 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the period. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 14,836 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. 45.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Manulife Financial Price Performance

Manulife Financial stock opened at $21.72 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.98 and a 200-day moving average of $18.89. Manulife Financial Co. has a one year low of $17.07 and a one year high of $21.73. The company has a market cap of $39.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.10.

Manulife Financial Cuts Dividend

Manulife Financial ( NYSE:MFC Get Free Report ) (TSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.79% and a return on equity of 15.07%. The company had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.07 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.263 per share. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.84%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 21st. Manulife Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MFC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Manulife Financial from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Manulife Financial from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Manulife Financial currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $30.43.

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Manulife Financial Profile

(Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.

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Addenda Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR  Free Report) (TSE:QSR) by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 347,331 shares of the restaurant operators stock after purchasing an additional 26,564 shares during the period. Restaurant Brands International comprises about 1.2% of Addenda Capital Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Addenda Capital Inc. owned 0.11% of Restaurant Brands International worth $23,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in QSR. Missouri Trust & Investment Co bought a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. RFP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 41.0% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QSR has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $75.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Loop Capital raised shares of Restaurant Brands International from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Friday, September 29th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Restaurant Brands International from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $78.41.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

NYSE QSR opened at $76.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $69.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.11. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.99 and a 1 year high of $78.30. The firm has a market cap of $24.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.96.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR  Get Free Report) (TSE:QSR) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.72% and a net margin of 13.22%. Restaurant Brands Internationals quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. Restaurant Brands Internationals payout ratio is 75.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, CFO Matthew Dunnigan sold 1,462 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total value of $107,720.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,652 shares in the company, valued at $3,068,919.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Matthew Dunnigan sold 1,462 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total value of $107,720.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,652 shares in the company, valued at $3,068,919.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Duncan Fulton sold 1,218 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.23, for a total transaction of $89,194.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,049,385.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,065 shares of company stock worth $3,242,216 over the last three months. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Restaurant Brands International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Restaurant Brands International Inc operates as a quick-service restaurant company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Tim Hortons (TH), Burger King (BK), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLK), and Firehouse Subs (FHS). The company owns and franchises TH chain of donut/coffee/tea restaurants that offer blend coffee, tea, and espresso-based hot and cold specialty drinks; and fresh baked goods, including donuts, Timbits, bagels, muffins, cookies and pastries, grilled paninis, classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, and other food products.

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StockNews.com cut shares of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on ALK. Raymond James cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Alaska Air Group from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $58.00 to $41.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alaska Air Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $57.25.

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Alaska Air Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALK opened at $40.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.60. Alaska Air Group has a 12 month low of $30.75 and a 12 month high of $57.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.90.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The transportation company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.87 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.87 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 17.06% and a net margin of 2.50%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.53 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthPLAN Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 279.0% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 595 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 416.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 568 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 456.1% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 912 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the period. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 448.6% in the second quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 812 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. 80.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alaska Air Group

(Get Free Report)

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operated airlines. The company operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing and Airbus jet aircraft for passengers and cargo throughout the United States, and in parts of Mexico, Costa Rica, and Belize; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States and Canada.

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Ayrshire Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,499 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 8,921 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories comprises 2.4% of Ayrshire Capital Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Ayrshire Capital Management LLCs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $3,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 97,996.2% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,101,555,797 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $229,111,613,000 after buying an additional 2,099,413,455 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.2% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 137,153,545 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $14,952,480,000 after buying an additional 1,584,552 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.1% during the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 77,225,258 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $8,419,032,000 after buying an additional 820,369 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,817,109 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $8,156,561,000 after buying an additional 1,362,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 4.9% during the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 59,178,607 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $6,451,127,000 after buying an additional 2,747,652 shares in the last quarter. 73.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total transaction of $4,702,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,725,316 shares in the company, valued at $632,515,969.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total transaction of $1,620,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,022,916. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total value of $4,702,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,725,316 shares in the company, valued at $632,515,969.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ABT shares. Raymond James dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $118.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $117.80.

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Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $108.39 on Wednesday. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $89.67 and a twelve month high of $115.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $98.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.54.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $10.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.82 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.15% and a net margin of 12.92%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 11th. This is a boost from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is currently 69.39%.

About Abbott Laboratories

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Radnor Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Brookfield Co. (NYSE:BN  Free Report) by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,965 shares of the companys stock after selling 7,087 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLCs holdings in Brookfield were worth $1,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield by 102.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,021 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Brookfield in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,349 shares of the companys stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,491 shares of the companys stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brookfield in the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. 58.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BN shares. CSFB dropped their target price on Brookfield from $42.00 to $41.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Brookfield from $47.50 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Brookfield from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Brookfield from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Brookfield from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $43.78.

Brookfield Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BN traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.38. The stock had a trading volume of 347,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,539,440. Brookfield Co. has a one year low of $28.25 and a one year high of $40.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $64.54 billion, a PE ratio of -1,310.90 and a beta of 1.48. The firms 50 day moving average price is $33.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.40.

Brookfield (NYSE:BN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. Brookfield had a return on equity of 2.23% and a net margin of 0.12%. The business had revenue of $24.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion.

Brookfield Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. Brookfields dividend payout ratio is currently -933.02%.

Insider Activity at Brookfield

In related news, major shareholder Gp Ltd Bcp sold 132,700 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.47, for a total transaction of $327,769.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,368,482 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,010,150.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Ocm Growth Holdings Llc sold 12,365 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.76, for a total value of $157,777.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,492,168 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $210,440,063.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Gp Ltd Bcp sold 132,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.47, for a total value of $327,769.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,368,482 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $75,010,150.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,332,268 shares of company stock worth $11,151,917 in the last 90 days. 11.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Brookfield Profile

(Free Report)

Brookfield Corporation is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients.

Further Reading

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Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? 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 Hubify (ASX:HFY) 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 who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Hubify, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.088 = AU$1.3m  (AU$20m - AU$5.3m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

So, Hubify has an ROCE of 8.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Telecom industry average of 8.3%.

See our latest analysis for Hubify

ASX:HFY Return on Capital Employed December 20th 2023

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Hubify's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Hubify's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last four years, returns on capital have decreased to 8.8% from 43% four years ago. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

On a related note, Hubify has decreased its current liabilities to 26% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

Story continues

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Hubify's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And investors may be expecting the fundamentals to get a lot worse because the stock has crashed 76% over the last three years. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

One more thing, we've spotted 3 warning signs facing Hubify that you might find interesting.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Addenda Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of CAE Inc. (NYSE:CAE  Free Report) (TSE:CAE) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 327,524 shares of the aerospace companys stock after buying an additional 3,964 shares during the quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. owned 0.10% of CAE worth $7,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CAE. Tsfg LLC bought a new position in CAE during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in CAE during the second quarter valued at about $55,000. Natixis bought a new position in CAE during the second quarter valued at about $73,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of CAE by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,085 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of CAE by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,654 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.34% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded CAE from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Bank of America lowered shares of CAE from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of CAE from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $35.43.

CAE Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE:CAE opened at $21.43 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.67. CAE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.74 and a fifty-two week high of $25.04. The stocks 50-day moving average is $21.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.16. The stock has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 31.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.59.

CAE (NYSE:CAE  Get Free Report) (TSE:CAE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 14th. The aerospace company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.05. CAE had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 6.79%. The company had revenue of $811.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $783.06 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CAE Inc. will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About CAE

(Free Report)

CAE Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides simulation training and critical operations support solutions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa, and Rest of Americas. It operates through three segments: Civil Aviation, Defense and Security, and Healthcare.

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Cardinal Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 576,385 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 9,397 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company comprises approximately 1.2% of Cardinal Capital Management Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $23,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 7,248 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,967,000. Pegasus Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $226,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,143,000. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 8,260.6% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,781,638 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $76,040,000 after acquiring an additional 1,760,328 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard K. Davis purchased 3,500 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $41.22 per share, for a total transaction of $144,270.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,244 shares of the companys stock, valued at $174,937.68. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 0.9 %

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $50.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $35.25 and a 1-year high of $50.77.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $20.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.09 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 11.18%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WFC. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Raymond James raised their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $51.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. They issued a hold rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.56.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

(Free Report)

Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.

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Carret Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 57,835 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 283 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 1.2% of Carret Asset Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Carret Asset Management LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $8,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sheets Smith Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the first quarter valued at approximately $448,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 83.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on American Express from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded American Express from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Citigroup upgraded American Express from a sell rating to a neutral rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $143.00 to $154.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. TD Cowen began coverage on American Express in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. They set a market perform rating and a $158.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on American Express from $192.00 to $167.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $171.78.

American Express Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $185.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $135.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $158.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $162.31. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $185.77.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The payment services company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.36 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 30.60% and a net margin of 13.61%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Analysts forecast that American Express will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. American Expresss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $143.93 per share, with a total value of $143,930.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $287,860. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey C. Campbell sold 21,008 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.33, for a total transaction of $3,536,276.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 125,646 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,149,991.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $143.93 per share, for a total transaction of $143,930.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $287,860. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the companys stock.

American Express Profile

(Free Report)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.

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Centre Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,656 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Centre Asset Management LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $690,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Southern by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 19,438 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 3,689 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Southern by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,727 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Southern by 63.0% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,902 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Southern by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 49,925 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,621,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in Southern by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 907,132 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $65,776,000 after purchasing an additional 239,325 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.85% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank downgraded shares of Southern from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They set a buy rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Southern from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and raised their price target for the company from $67.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $341,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,284 shares in the company, valued at $7,610,712.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $341,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,284 shares in the company, valued at $7,610,712.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total transaction of $693,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 28,691 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,990,868.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $1,722,000. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Southern Trading Down 0.2 %

SO opened at $71.26 on Wednesday. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $58.85 and a twelve month high of $75.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.10 and a 200-day moving average of $69.24. The stock has a market cap of $77.72 billion, a PE ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.55.

Southern (NYSE:SO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.38 billion. Southern had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 10.26%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 20th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 17th. Southerns payout ratio is 101.08%.

Southern Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

Further Reading

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CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 101,377 shares of the conglomerates stock after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corps holdings in General Electric were worth $11,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GE. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in General Electric by 10.0% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 305,384 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $27,925,000 after buying an additional 27,682 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,518,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Electric by 2.9% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,748 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $1,075,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric during the first quarter valued at approximately $388,000. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of General Electric during the first quarter valued at approximately $230,000. 74.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded General Electric from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on General Electric in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a buy rating and a $141.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com began coverage on General Electric in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on General Electric from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on General Electric from $131.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, General Electric currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $128.00.

General Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GE traded down $0.19 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.75. 261,776 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,753,963. General Electric has a 52-week low of $62.35 and a 52-week high of $125.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average of $115.26 and a 200-day moving average of $112.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.28.

General Electric (NYSE:GE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The conglomerate reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.26. General Electric had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 14.38%. The firm had revenue of $17.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that General Electric will post 2.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 27th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.61%.

General Electric Company Profile

(Free Report)

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.

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CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp decreased its position in Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR  Free Report) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,692 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 2,913 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corps holdings in Extra Space Storage were worth $7,136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EXR. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Extra Space Storage by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Extra Space Storage by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,816 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. grew its position in Extra Space Storage by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 1,483 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. grew its position in Extra Space Storage by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 3,679 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Extra Space Storage by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 27,394 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $4,078,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.40% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph Saffire sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.32, for a total value of $1,393,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 82,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,472,166.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Joseph D. Margolis acquired 4,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $118.21 per share, with a total value of $496,482.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,700,091.21. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Saffire sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.32, for a total transaction of $1,393,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 82,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,472,166.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.55% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EXR. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Extra Space Storage from $155.00 to $138.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 29th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Extra Space Storage from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the company from $155.00 to $119.00 in a report on Monday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Extra Space Storage in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a buy rating and a $153.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Extra Space Storage from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $144.20.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Extra Space Storage

Extra Space Storage Price Performance

EXR traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $154.62. 51,625 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,469,844. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 0.71. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $124.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.53. Extra Space Storage Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.19 and a 1-year high of $170.30.

Extra Space Storage Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This is a positive change from Extra Space Storages previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Extra Space Storages payout ratio is currently 119.12%.

Extra Space Storage Company Profile

(Free Report)

Extra Space Storage Inc, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of September 30, 2023, the Company owned and/or operated 3,651 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, DC The Company's stores comprise approximately 2.5 million units and approximately 279.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space, Life Storage and Storage Express brands.

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DnB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP  Free Report) by 7.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 175,586 shares of the railroad operators stock after acquiring an additional 12,726 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management ASs holdings in Union Pacific were worth $35,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.2% during the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,893 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $797,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,585 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $1,622,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 18,735 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $3,834,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 6.3% in the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 840 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.36% of the companys stock.

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Union Pacific Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $1.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $241.35. 644,779 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,810,906. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.72. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $183.69 and a one year high of $245.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $218.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $214.86. The company has a market cap of $147.13 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.10.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The railroad operator reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.10. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.37% and a return on equity of 49.14%. The company had revenue of $5.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.24 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Union Pacifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.90%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,274 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.24, for a total value of $258,927.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,991 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,501,850.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 98,297 shares of the companys stock, valued at $23,099,795. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.24, for a total transaction of $258,927.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,991 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,501,850.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $282.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 20th. Bank of America cut their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $257.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 25th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $238.96.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Union Pacific

Union Pacific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, and other agricultural users; petroleum, and liquid petroleum gases; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.

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Essex Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO  Free Report) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,369 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Banks holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $1,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VWO. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 108,287.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 296,468,035 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $11,556,324,000 after purchasing an additional 296,194,508 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 95,537.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 21,317,545 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $867,198,000 after acquiring an additional 21,295,255 shares in the last quarter. Bishop & Co Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 3,959.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bishop & Co Investment Management LLC now owns 8,353,413 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $205,344,000 after acquiring an additional 8,147,634 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 42,213,094 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,460,972,000 after acquiring an additional 8,015,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp bought a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,663,000.

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Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of VWO opened at $40.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.69. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a twelve month low of $37.46 and a twelve month high of $43.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.65 and a 200-day moving average of $40.34.

Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile

The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries.

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Essex Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,506 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Banks holdings in BlackRock were worth $974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 77.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total transaction of $10,031,481.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 435,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,802,577.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on BlackRock from $836.00 to $897.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $820.00 to $720.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $781.00 to $754.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BlackRock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $771.54.

View Our Latest Stock Report on BlackRock

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK opened at $801.38 on Wednesday. BlackRock, Inc. has a 1-year low of $596.18 and a 1-year high of $819.00. The company has a market capitalization of $119.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $688.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $690.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 3.72 and a quick ratio of 3.72.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.57. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.52 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 30.66% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.55 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 7th will be issued a $5.00 dividend. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 6th. BlackRocks payout ratio is 56.10%.

BlackRock Profile

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

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Essex Savings Bank grew its position in RTX Co. (NYSE:RTX  Free Report) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,950 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the period. Essex Savings Banks holdings in RTX were worth $1,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RTX. CRA Financial Services LLC raised its stake in RTX by 3.2% in the second quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 3,385 shares of the companys stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in RTX by 2.7% in the second quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 4,014 shares of the companys stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in RTX by 0.4% in the second quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,567 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,896,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Cascade Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in RTX by 2.1% in the second quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. now owns 5,359 shares of the companys stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC raised its stake in RTX by 7.5% in the second quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 1,667 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.06% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

RTX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Alembic Global Advisors initiated coverage on RTX in a research note on Friday, September 29th. They set a neutral rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on RTX from $100.00 to $78.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 18th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on RTX from $109.00 to $99.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. DZ Bank lowered RTX from a hold rating to a sell rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $79.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays lowered RTX from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $90.21.

RTX Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE RTX opened at $82.18 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. RTX Co. has a twelve month low of $68.56 and a twelve month high of $108.84. The company has a market cap of $118.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.93. The businesss fifty day moving average is $79.70 and its 200 day moving average is $84.63.

RTX (NYSE:RTX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.06. RTX had a return on equity of 10.05% and a net margin of 4.76%. The company had revenue of $19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. RTXs revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that RTX Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RTX Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 16th. RTXs dividend payout ratio is currently 109.77%.

About RTX

(Free Report)

RTX Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides systems and services for the commercial, military, and government customers worldwide. It operates through four segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. The Collins Aerospace Systems segment offers aerospace and defense products, and aftermarket service solutions for aircraft manufacturers and airlines, as well as regional, business, and general aviation; and for defense and commercial space operations.

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A bipartisan group of congressional representatives from Michigan and New Jersey are urging the federal government to make a decision on the potential restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.

COVERT TWP.  A bipartisan group of congressional representatives from Michigan and New Jersey are urging the federal government to make a decision on the potential restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.

Nine congress members sent a letter to United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Chris Hanson asking for swift consideration of Palisades owner Holtec Internationals loan application to the Department of Energy.

More: Where things stand in the effort to restart the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

Among the lawmakers involved is Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigans 4th District. The district includes Covert Township, where Palisades is located, plus all of Allegan County and southern Ottawa County.

Other signees were Michigan Republicans Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar and Tim Walberg, Michigan Democrats Hilary Scholten, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, New Jersey Democrat Donald Norcross and New Jersey Republican Jeff Van Drew.

Holtec was founded in New Jersey.

Holtec is attempting to restart operations at Palisades, which went offline for decommissioning in May 2022. An initial, unsuccessful attempt to restart the plant was announced in September 2022. The second, ongoing attempt launched in early 2023.

Congressman Bill Huizenga

In their letter, the lawmakers highlighted the generating capability of Palisades and the economic effects of restarting the plant.

Repowering Palisades could significantly grow the regions economy, strengthen our domestic energy security, and return safe, reliable, and carbon-free generation back to the electrical grid, they wrote.

Restoring Palisades 800 megawatts of baseload generation, which is sufficient to reliably power more than 800,000 homes with clean energy, would be critical to addressing our nations fast-growing energy needs. In addition to clean energy benefits, Palisades has the potential to directly drive economic growth and create hundreds of highly skilled jobs, including a union workforce and long-term opportunities in STEM fields.

Story continues

(W)e urge the Department of Energy to give its fair, full, and swift consideration to the application. Buy-in from all parties will be necessary to make Palisades an operational success now and for future generations.

The letter calls for the NRC to ensure the most stringent safety standards while asking for prompt attention.

Throughout this process and going forward, we expect NRC to utilize its full independent oversight authorities to ensure the most stringent standards of safety, it reads. On behalf of the communities we represent, we thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

Securing a loan from the Department of Energy is one of the key pieces remaining in Holtecs efforts to restart the plant. A company official told The Sentinel in early December that Holtec has a high degree of confidence in its application and is actively working with DoE staff.

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Holtec is also awaiting regulatory approval from the NRC, necessary to reauthorize operations at the plant. The restart plan also requires plant inspections, equipment upgrades and modifications, and rehiring and training staff.

Although the DoE loan and regulatory decisions still loom, Holtec has cleared several hurdles. A power purchase agreement was secured with Wolverine Power Cooperative in September and Michigan bookmarked $150 million in its 2024 budget to aid the plants transition from decommissioning to operations.

 Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Huizenga, fellow lawmakers pen letter urging action on Palisades
Essex Savings Bank lessened its stake in The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC  Free Report) by 4.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,933 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 135 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Banks holdings in The PNC Financial Services Group were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Argent Trust Co raised its stake in The PNC Financial Services Group by 28.6% in the first quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 8,334 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP bought a new position in The PNC Financial Services Group in the first quarter valued at about $29,855,000. EA Series Trust bought a new position in The PNC Financial Services Group in the second quarter valued at about $440,000. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its position in The PNC Financial Services Group by 20.2% in the first quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 106,703 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $13,562,000 after acquiring an additional 17,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in The PNC Financial Services Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 109,318 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $13,769,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.14% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at The PNC Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Guild Deborah sold 1,533 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.51, for a total transaction of $203,137.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,092 shares in the company, valued at $2,264,860.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. HSBC started coverage on The PNC Financial Services Group in a report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a reduce rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Odeon Capital Group upgraded The PNC Financial Services Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $153.38 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on The PNC Financial Services Group from $112.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The PNC Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $149.10.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on The PNC Financial Services Group

The PNC Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of PNC opened at $154.60 on Wednesday. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $169.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $126.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.94. The firm has a market cap of $61.58 billion, a PE ratio of 10.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.17.

The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $3.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.50. The PNC Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 20.39%. The company had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.78 earnings per share. The PNC Financial Services Groups revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 13.87 EPS for the current year.

The PNC Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 17th were given a dividend of $1.55 per share. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 16th. The PNC Financial Services Groups payout ratio is 43.03%.

The PNC Financial Services Group Profile

(Free Report)

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, and Asset Management Group segments. The company's Retail Banking segment offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, education loans, and personal and small business loans and lines of credit; and brokerage, insurance, and investment and cash management services.

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Essex Savings Bank bought a new stake in Kenvue Inc. (NYSE:KVUE  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,459 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC bought a new position in Kenvue in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Tamarack Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Citigroup Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of Kenvue during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. 11.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kenvue from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, September 11th. Argus assumed coverage on shares of Kenvue in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Kenvue from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Kenvue from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Kenvue in a report on Thursday, September 7th. They issued a buy rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Kenvue has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $26.50.

Kenvue Price Performance

Kenvue stock opened at $21.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.21. Kenvue Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.82 and a twelve month high of $27.80.

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. Kenvue had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 12.02%. On average, research analysts predict that Kenvue Inc. will post 1.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kenvue Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 7th.

Kenvue Company Profile

(Free Report)

Kenvue Inc operates as a consumer health company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Self Care, Skin Health and Beauty, and Essential Health. The Self Care segment offers cough, cold and allergy, pain care, digestive health, smoking cessation, and other products under the Tylenol, Nicorette, and Zyrtec brands.

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Shares of Getty Realty Corp. (NYSE:GTY  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of Hold by the four research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.33.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GTY shares. JMP Securities reduced their price target on shares of Getty Realty from $39.00 to $33.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Getty Realty in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Getty Realty from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th.

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Getty Realty Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GTY opened at $29.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 6.79 and a beta of 0.89. Getty Realty has a 1-year low of $25.95 and a 1-year high of $36.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 4.19 and a current ratio of 4.19. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.39.

Getty Realty (NYSE:GTY  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $48.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.68 million. Getty Realty had a return on equity of 8.39% and a net margin of 39.13%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Getty Realty will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Getty Realty Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 28th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from Getty Realtys previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 27th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.11%. Getty Realtys dividend payout ratio is presently 121.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Getty Realty

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Getty Realty in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $889,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Getty Realty by 145.1% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,033,521 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $73,268,000 after buying an additional 1,203,892 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Getty Realty by 97.3% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,232 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,511,000 after buying an additional 36,610 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Getty Realty by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 14,078 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Getty Realty in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $842,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.55% of the companys stock.

Getty Realty Company Profile

(Get Free Report

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Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC grew its position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:JHCB  Free Report) by 6,057.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,465,533 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 9,311,806 shares during the quarter. John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF makes up approximately 1.9% of Granite Bay Wealth Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC owned 823.09% of John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF worth $194,468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JHCB. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF by 58.7% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,053 shares of the companys stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 1,499 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF during the first quarter worth $332,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF by 24.8% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 23,218 shares of the companys stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 4,611 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF by 22.4% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,727 shares of the companys stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 6,178 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF during the first quarter worth $1,114,000.

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John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF Trading Up 0.6 %

JHCB stock traded up $0.12 on Wednesday, reaching $21.49. 893 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,235. John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF has a 12 month low of $19.40 and a 12 month high of $21.74. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $20.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.45.

John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF Profile

The John Hancock Corporate Bond ETF (JHCB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Bond index. The fund is actively managed to focus on investment-grade corporate bonds, of any maturity, that are perceived as undervalued. JHCB was launched on Mar 30, 2021 and is managed by John Hancock.

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Patten Group Inc. cut its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 22,425 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 69 shares during the period. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF makes up 1.8% of Patten Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Patten Group Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $5,965,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 145,777.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 223,496,182 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $47,881,822,000 after buying an additional 223,342,974 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 478.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,668,682 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $407,709,000 after buying an additional 1,380,116 shares during the last quarter. CI Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF during the 4th quarter worth $227,744,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 20,209.9% during the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,299,836 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,320,000 after buying an additional 1,293,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,099,282 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $4,734,550,000 after buying an additional 1,283,522 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Up 0.5 %

IWF stock opened at $304.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $77.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $281.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $276.67. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 52 week low of $209.27 and a 52 week high of $304.07.

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Profile

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX  Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 15,248 shares of the oil and gas companys stock, valued at approximately $1,832,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Phillips 66 during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Country Trust Bank increased its stake in shares of Phillips 66 by 1,315.8% during the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 269 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Phillips 66 during the second quarter worth about $30,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Phillips 66 during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Phillips 66 by 504.0% during the first quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 302 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.83% of the companys stock.

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Phillips 66 Stock Performance

NYSE:PSX opened at $133.80 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.07, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.35. The companys 50-day moving average is $118.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.72. Phillips 66 has a 1-year low of $89.74 and a 1-year high of $133.83.

Phillips 66 Dividend Announcement

Phillips 66 ( NYSE:PSX Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $4.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.78 by ($0.15). Phillips 66 had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 23.32%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.46 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Phillips 66 will post 15.39 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th were issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Phillips 66s payout ratio is 25.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Phillips 66

In other news, CFO Kevin J. Mitchell sold 31,700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.21, for a total value of $4,127,657.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 103,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,457,333.71. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PSX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Phillips 66 from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Phillips 66 from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Phillips 66 from $134.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Phillips 66 from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, September 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Phillips 66 from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $146.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $135.29.

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Phillips 66 Profile

(Free Report)

Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 24,857 shares of the insurance providers stock, valued at approximately $1,506,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American International Group during the first quarter worth $28,000. Glassman Wealth Services grew its holdings in American International Group by 35.5% in the second quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 997 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in American International Group by 36.8% in the second quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 1,026 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in American International Group by 20.9% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,110 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in American International Group in the second quarter worth $77,000. 88.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at American International Group

In other American International Group news, major shareholder International Group American sold 50,000,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $1,025,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 365,413,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,490,984,786. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American International Group Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of American International Group stock opened at $67.44 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $63.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.58. The company has a market cap of $47.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.02. American International Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.66 and a 12-month high of $67.69.

American International Group (NYSE:AIG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The insurance provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. American International Group had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 10.66%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American International Group, Inc. will post 6.58 EPS for the current year.

American International Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 14th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 13th. American International Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AIG. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of American International Group from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 6th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of American International Group in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of American International Group from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of American International Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. They set a buy rating and a $79.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of American International Group from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $72.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $70.07.

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American International Group Profile

(Free Report)

American International Group, Inc offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. It operates through General Insurance, and Life and Retirement segments. The General Insurance segment provides commercial and industrial property insurance, including business interruption and package insurance that cover exposure to made and natural disasters; general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation, excess casualty, and crisis management insurance products; and professional liability insurance.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 61,984 shares of the healthcare product makers stock, valued at approximately $6,003,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 1,415,759 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $154,346,000 after purchasing an additional 126,547 shares during the last quarter. Core Alternative Capital lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 27.0% in the 2nd quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 1,290 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 315.5% in the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 12,182 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 9,250 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 99,836 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $10,109,000 after purchasing an additional 11,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investment Management LLC now owns 26,750 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $2,709,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.70% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total value of $4,702,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,725,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $632,515,969.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,022,916. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total transaction of $4,702,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,725,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $632,515,969.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ABT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company. TheStreet cut shares of Abbott Laboratories from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $122.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $117.80.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $108.39 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $98.95 and a 200 day moving average of $102.54. The stock has a market cap of $188.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.70. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $89.67 and a 12 month high of $115.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.04. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 20.15%. The business had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 11th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 69.39%.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Nevada King Gold Corp. (CVE:NKG  Get Free Report)s share price traded down 2.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as C$0.40 and last traded at C$0.40. 153,303 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 175,401 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.41.

Nevada King Gold Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of C$124.46 million, a P/E ratio of -2.28 and a beta of 1.45. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is C$0.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.40.

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Nevada King Gold (CVE:NKG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 28th. The company reported C($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C($0.01) by C($0.02).

Nevada King Gold Company Profile

Nevada King Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of resource properties in Nevada, the United States. The company explores for gold, silver, iron ore, vanadium, and other base metals. The company was formerly known as Victory Metals Inc and changed its name to Nevada King Gold Corp in April 2021.

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Patten Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG  Free Report) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 23,663 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF were worth $2,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 3.5% during the third quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132,304 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,480 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 5.6% during the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 25,779 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,225,000 after purchasing an additional 1,362 shares during the period. Affiance Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 8.2% in the third quarter. Affiance Financial LLC now owns 43,532 shares of the companys stock worth $3,757,000 after acquiring an additional 3,285 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 6.6% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the companys stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Affinity Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 39.6% in the third quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC now owns 133,517 shares of the companys stock worth $11,522,000 after acquiring an additional 37,885 shares during the period.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Stock Up 0.9 %

BATS EFG opened at $96.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $89.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.27. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a twelve month low of $67.58 and a twelve month high of $85.81.

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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maersk tanker

Ikea has warned of delays getting furniture as its flat pack is hit by the Red Sea snarl up.

The Swedish furniture giant warned the situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain Ikea products.

It comes as global shipping firms race to re-route ships away from the region after a wave of attacks on commercial vessels.

It is not immediately clear which Ikea products pass through the Suez Canal, which sits at the northern end of the Red Sea.

However, Ikea lists China as one of the top five countries where it sources products. Suez acts as the main passage connecting Asia and Europe by water.

In 2021, when a large ship got wedged in the Suez Canal causing a major maritime logjam, Ikea said it had 110 containers on vessels caught in the pile-up.

Ikeas UK stores are part of a franchise but buy products from the wider group. This means it shares the same supply chain and could fall victim to disruption.

It follows a warning last week that Christmas deliveries and fuel supplies were under threat following attacks from Houthi rebels on vessels in the region. BP this week announced it was suspending shipments of oil and gas through the Red Sea in response.

Ikea does not own container vessels and instead hires space on other companies ships.

A spokesman for the wider Inter Ikea Group said it was working to ensure the safety of people working in the Ikea value chain and to take all the necessary precautions to keep them safe.

It said it was looking at alternative supply options to secure the availability of our products and was continuing to monitor the situation closely.

Shipping companies are aiming to take alternative routes to try to avoid the Red Sea. However, the process is expected to mean delays to deliveries, with the route around Africa adding an estimated two weeks on to a ships journey time. This also means higher fuel costs.

Developments in the Red Sea threaten to cause supply chain turmoil in Europe. More than a 10th of global trade passes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.

Story continues

AP Moller-Maersk, which operates a fleet of container ships, and Maersk Tankers both announced they were no longer using the route last week.

The US is leading a coalition of navies trying to restore security in the region.

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.
Sage Capital Advisors llc lowered its position in Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP  Free Report) by 52.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,432 shares of the companys stock after selling 55,365 shares during the period. Molson Coors Beverage accounts for about 1.2% of Sage Capital Advisors llcs investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Sage Capital Advisors llcs holdings in Molson Coors Beverage were worth $3,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in TAP. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in Molson Coors Beverage by 19.1% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 5,173 shares of the companys stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,092 shares of the companys stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 27,160 shares of the companys stock worth $1,404,000 after buying an additional 4,113 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Molson Coors Beverage during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $145,000. Finally, Symmetry Partners LLC purchased a new position in Molson Coors Beverage during the second quarter valued at $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.95% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Molson Coors Beverage in a research note on Monday, November 13th. They issued a hold rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Roth Mkm reiterated a buy rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Molson Coors Beverage from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $65.65.

Molson Coors Beverage Trading Up 0.6 %

Molson Coors Beverage stock opened at $62.33 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.17. Molson Coors Beverage has a 52-week low of $48.49 and a 52-week high of $70.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $13.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.92.

Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.39. Molson Coors Beverage had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The company had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Analysts predict that Molson Coors Beverage will post 5.29 EPS for the current year.

Molson Coors Beverage Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st were paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. Molson Coors Beverages dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 142.61%.

Molson Coors Beverage Profile

(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.

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Essex Savings Bank trimmed its position in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM  Free Report) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,037 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 289 shares during the quarter. Essex Savings Banks holdings in Salesforce were worth $819,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in Salesforce by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,694 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Salesforce by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 19,987 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $4,053,000 after buying an additional 1,869 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth $7,223,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new position in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth $16,178,000. Finally, Paradigm Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Salesforce by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Paradigm Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,729 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 77.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 164 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.97, for a total transaction of $32,959.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,576 shares in the company, valued at $517,698.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.63, for a total value of $3,114,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,711,166 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,262,109,396.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 164 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.97, for a total transaction of $32,959.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,576 shares of the companys stock, valued at $517,698.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 862,297 shares of company stock worth $195,502,760 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.70% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CRM. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Salesforce from $240.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Wolfe Research raised Salesforce from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday. Wedbush increased their price target on Salesforce from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Salesforce from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $257.94.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on CRM

Salesforce Trading Down 0.6 %

Salesforce stock opened at $262.87 on Wednesday. Salesforce, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $126.34 and a fifty-two week high of $266.58. The firms fifty day moving average price is $222.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.20. The stock has a market cap of $254.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 100.55, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 29th. The CRM provider reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.06. Salesforce had a net margin of 7.63% and a return on equity of 9.19%. The company had revenue of $8.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Salesforce, Inc. will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Salesforce

(Free Report)

Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and relationship intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer service and support at scale.

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Shares of SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE:SLG  Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Reduce by the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.73.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of SL Green Realty from $46.00 to $41.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Compass Point started coverage on shares of SL Green Realty in a report on Tuesday, September 26th. They issued a sell rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of SL Green Realty from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of SL Green Realty from $33.00 to $31.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of SL Green Realty from $34.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, December 5th.

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View Our Latest Stock Report on SLG

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SL Green Realty

In related news, President Andrew W. Mathias sold 176,960 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total transaction of $5,676,876.80. Following the sale, the president now owns 6,049 shares in the company, valued at $194,051.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . 5.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in SL Green Realty by 8.0% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 92,385 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in SL Green Realty during the third quarter worth about $38,666,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in SL Green Realty by 2,563.6% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,999,279 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $74,573,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924,221 shares during the period. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in SL Green Realty during the third quarter worth about $1,280,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in SL Green Realty by 3,073.3% during the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 952 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 922 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.40% of the companys stock.

SL Green Realty Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of SL Green Realty stock opened at $45.82 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $35.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. SL Green Realty has a twelve month low of $19.06 and a twelve month high of $50.11. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.67.

SL Green Realty (NYSE:SLG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.38) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($1.66). SL Green Realty had a negative return on equity of 10.75% and a negative net margin of 56.15%. The business had revenue of $173.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $156.96 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that SL Green Realty will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SL Green Realty Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. SL Green Realtys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -42.48%.

SL Green Realty Company Profile

(Get Free Report

3SL Green Realty Corp., Manhattans largest office landlord, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is focused primarily on acquiring, managing and maximizing value of Manhattan commercial properties. As of June 30, 2022, SL Green held interests in 64 buildings totaling 34.4 million square feet.

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StockNews.com started coverage on shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday. The firm issued a sell rating on the stock.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NYSE:NBY opened at $0.27 on Friday. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $0.25 and a one year high of $2.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 million, a P/E ratio of -0.04 and a beta of 2.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $0.32.

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 93.83% and a negative return on equity of 219.83%. The company had revenue of $3.27 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that NovaBay Pharmaceuticals will post -2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops and sells eyecare, skincare, and wound care products in the United States and internationally. It offers Avenova Spray, a solution for removing foreign materials, including microorganisms and debris from skin around the eye, such as the eyelid; and wound care products, which are used for cleansing and irrigation as part of surgical procedures, as well as treating certain wounds, burns, ulcers, and other injuries under the NeutroPhase and PhaseOne brands.

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TB Alternative Assets Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL  Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 250,500 shares of the transportation companys stock, valued at approximately $9,268,000. Delta Air Lines makes up about 2.5% of TB Alternative Assets Ltd.s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DAL. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter valued at about $217,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 41.8% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,838 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 7,616 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter worth approximately $243,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,918 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,508 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. 71.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $51.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Delta Air Lines from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $54.40.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.4 %

Delta Air Lines stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,896,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,110,723. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $35.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.19. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.60 and a 12 month high of $49.81. The company has a market capitalization of $26.38 billion, a PE ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 12th. The transportation company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.08. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 54.95% and a net margin of 5.94%. The business had revenue of $15.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 12th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 11th. Delta Air Liness payout ratio is currently 7.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 9,390 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.80, for a total transaction of $326,772.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 98,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,424,041.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 3,030 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.29, for a total transaction of $100,868.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 95,362 shares in the company, valued at $3,174,600.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 9,390 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.80, for a total value of $326,772.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 98,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,424,041.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.89% of the companys stock.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

(Free Report)

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon.

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Addenda Capital Inc. boosted its stake in TELUS Co. (NYSE:TU  Free Report) (TSE:T) by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 382,971 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock after acquiring an additional 67,321 shares during the period. Addenda Capital Inc.s holdings in TELUS were worth $6,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in TELUS by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,475 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in TELUS by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,669 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in TELUS by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 17,964 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in TELUS by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 22,341 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in TELUS by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 20,125 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.48% of the companys stock.

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TELUS Trading Up 0.4 %

TU stock opened at $17.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $25.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.43, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.71. TELUS Co. has a 52 week low of $15.47 and a 52 week high of $21.82.

TELUS Cuts Dividend

TELUS ( NYSE:TU Get Free Report ) (TSE:T) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.01). TELUS had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that TELUS Co. will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 11th will be issued a $0.271 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 8th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.09%. TELUSs dividend payout ratio is currently 270.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on TELUS from C$33.00 to C$30.00 in a research note on Friday, October 6th. StockNews.com lowered TELUS from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th.

Read Our Latest Report on TU

TELUS Company Profile

(Free Report)

TELUS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of telecommunications and information technology products and services in Canada. It operates through Technology Solutions and Digitally-Led Customer Experiences segments. The Technology Solutions segment offers a range of telecommunications products and services; network services; mobile technologies equipment; data services, such as internet protocol; television; hosting, managed information technology, and cloud-based services; software, data management, and data analytics-driven smart food-chain and consumer goods technologies; home and business security; healthcare software and technology solutions; and voice and other telecommunications services.

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Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD  Get Free Report) (TSE:TD) was downgraded by research analysts at Scotiabank from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports.

TD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Toronto-Dominion Bank from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Toronto-Dominion Bank from $96.00 to $94.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 25th. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on Toronto-Dominion Bank from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 25th. Bank of America downgraded Toronto-Dominion Bank from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $95.60.

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View Our Latest Analysis on Toronto-Dominion Bank

Toronto-Dominion Bank Price Performance

Toronto-Dominion Bank stock opened at $63.45 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $114.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.91. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a 12 month low of $54.69 and a 12 month high of $70.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.82.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD  Get Free Report) (TSE:TD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 30th. The bank reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $13.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. Toronto-Dominion Bank had a net margin of 10.65% and a return on equity of 14.68%. Toronto-Dominion Banks revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Toronto-Dominion Bank will post 5.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Toronto-Dominion Bank

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TD. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 17.1% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 208,401 shares of the banks stock valued at $12,923,000 after acquiring an additional 30,486 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 35.0% in the second quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 55,757 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,457,000 after acquiring an additional 14,466 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 6.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,458,708 shares of the banks stock valued at $402,207,000 after acquiring an additional 395,289 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank in the first quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank in the first quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.52% of the companys stock.

Toronto-Dominion Bank Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases.

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp lowered its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 82,532 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 10,758 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $4,790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.98% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance

BMY traded down $0.35 on Wednesday, reaching $51.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,600,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,193,529. The company has a market cap of $105.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.34. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $52.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12-month low of $48.25 and a 12-month high of $75.18.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $10.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.96 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 51.59%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.99 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.64%. This is a boost from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is currently 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 7th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to purchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BMY. HSBC upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a reduce rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the company from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Friday, October 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, October 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $81.00 to $69.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 30th. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $63.59.

Get Our Latest Report on Bristol-Myers Squibb

Insider Transactions at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In related news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner bought 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $49.78 per share, with a total value of $99,560.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,672 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,115,412.16. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner acquired 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.78 per share, with a total value of $99,560.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 82,672 shares in the company, valued at $4,115,412.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher S. Boerner acquired 3,071 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.86 per share, with a total value of $150,049.06. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 13,571 shares of company stock valued at $672,994 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

Further Reading

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp lowered its position in shares of Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL  Free Report) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,055 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,160 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Hormel Foods were worth $1,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hormel Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 60.5% during the second quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 78.0% during the first quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 36.8% during the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 7,206.7% during the first quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.15% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elsa A. Murano sold 9,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 93,698 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,970,226.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Kevin L. Myers sold 5,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.93, for a total transaction of $160,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,204,321.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elsa A. Murano sold 9,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total transaction of $285,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 93,698 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,970,226.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Hormel Foods in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hormel Foods from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $39.63.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Stock Down 0.3 %

HRL stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $31.62. The companys stock had a trading volume of 206,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,407,534. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $17.29 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.24. Hormel Foods Co. has a 12 month low of $30.12 and a 12 month high of $47.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $32.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.91.

Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 29th. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 11.47% and a net margin of 6.55%. The businesss revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hormel Foods Co. will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Hormel Foods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 16th will be given a $0.2825 dividend. This represents a $1.13 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. This is an increase from Hormel Foodss previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 12th. Hormel Foodss payout ratio is currently 75.34%.

About Hormel Foods

(Free Report)

Hormel Foods Corporation develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and other food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail, Foodservice, and International segments. The company provides various perishable products that include fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, guacamoles, and bacons; and shelf-stable products comprising canned luncheon meats, nut butters, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements, and others.

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Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ  Free Report) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,237 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 44 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corps holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $4,081,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STZ. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 137,790 shares of the companys stock worth $33,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,535 shares during the last quarter. Old North State Trust LLC grew its position in Constellation Brands by 3,290.0% in the 1st quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 678 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Narwhal Capital Management grew its position in Constellation Brands by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 14,233 shares of the companys stock worth $3,503,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Constellation Brands by 440.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 238,192 shares of the companys stock worth $58,626,000 after purchasing an additional 194,149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter worth $294,820,000. 88.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, major shareholder Family Foundation Sands sold 136,362 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.27, for a total value of $33,036,421.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 681,792 shares of the companys stock, valued at $165,177,747.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 16.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $241.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, September 20th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $277.38.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Constellation Brands

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE STZ traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $239.36. The companys stock had a trading volume of 80,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,160,704. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $236.98 and a 200 day moving average of $249.37. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $208.12 and a twelve month high of $273.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.37, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 5th. The company reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.33. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 23.35%. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 11.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 17th. Investors of record on Friday, November 3rd were given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 2nd. Constellation Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.36%.

About Constellation Brands

(Free Report)

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.

Further Reading

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The Labour Fund (Tamkeen) and Bahrain Polytechnic have announced that applications are now open for enterprises looking to benefit from its recently launched Apprenticeship Programme aimed at facilitating the employment and career development of 50,000 Bahrainis, annually.

The program is an initiative through which Tamkeen will collaborate with various training and educational partners to deliver quality training for Bahrainis.

Designed to enhance employment opportunities for local talent, the programme equips Bahrainis with the necessary skills and knowledge required by the labour market through hands-on work experience delivered by specialised education providers such as Bahrain Polytechnic.

Individuals enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program will attend a combination of classroom instruction and practical training during their three-year placement. Throughout the program period, Tamkeen will support 50% of the individuals wage and 100% of the training cost up to the approved and allocated cap. Enterprises interested in benefiting from this program can submit their applications through Tamkeens online portal to employ and train Bahraini talents.

As part of this initiative, Tamkeen has partnered with Bahrain Polytechnic as the first provider of training across various specialties including automotive maintenance and repair, welding, electrical, and air conditioning. Efforts are currently underway to establish more partnerships and specializations to expand the skills and specialties supported by this program.

Tamkeen CEO Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez emphasized the key role of the Apprenticeship Program in upskilling and training the national workforce and enhance their employability in job roles suited to the current labor market requirements.

We are thrilled to launch the Apprenticeship Program which aims to increase employment opportunities for Bahrainis by equipping them with the skills and competencies under high demand in the labor market, she said on the occasion.

This is done through partnering with high quality training providers in Bahrain to facilitate practical and technical training opportunities to prepare Bahrainis for new job opportunities as well as supporting the wages of the apprentices throughout the duration of the program.

This unique program from Tamkeen will extend the support to even more Bahrainis than before, providing them with the chance to develop indispensable skillsets to enhance their employment and career development opportunities.

On his part, Professor Ciaran O Cathain, CEO of Bahrain Polytechnic, explained that the Polytechnic programs, which are developed in partnership with the industry, have proven their ability over the years to provide the labor market with competent graduates capable of entering and competing in the labor market, adding that  the apprenticeship programs, which are recently launched by Bahrain Polytechnic, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Tamkeen, are tailored as per the requirements of the labor market, and according to the highest international standards, contributing to ensuring the quality of the program's outputs and providing graduates with the necessary experiences to combine academic knowledge with practical experience.

The apprenticeship programs are Earn and Learn programs that have two components, a 30% theoretical component where candidates gain the necessary knowledge and experiences related to their field of study, at the Polytechnic, and a 70% on-the-job component where they join a real-life working environment to obtain proficiency, knowledge and skills required to ace a job added Professor Ciaran O Cathain.

Apprenticeships serve as a link between academic education and employment, providing individuals with the opportunity to gain specialized practical experience and skills in various fields. These experiences contribute to providing trainees with job opportunities in priority sectors in the kingdom, including manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and other related sectors. Furthermore, apprenticeship training provides experiences that align with the future market needs, making Bahrainis the optimal choice for employment.

This program is aligned with Tamkeens 2024 strategic priorities, which are focused on economic impact and the private sector under three pillars: increasing economic participation through new employment opportunities for new entrants, expanding career development opportunities available to Bahraini workforce, and lastly further developing the private sector by supporting enterprises and boosting productivity and adoption of technology.

Business owners and institutions interested in registering and benefiting from the supported apprenticeship programs are encouraged to visit the website: https://apprenticeship.polytechnic.bh/ for more details and to apply for the programs.
In the last year, many Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) insiders sold a substantial stake in the company which may have sparked shareholders' attention. When analyzing insider transactions, it is usually more valuable to know whether insiders are buying versus knowing if they are selling, as the latter sends an ambiguous message. However, when multiple insiders sell stock over a specific duration, shareholders should take notice as that could possibly be a red flag.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for Advanced Micro Devices

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Advanced Micro Devices

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Forrest Norrod, for US$3.0m worth of shares, at about US$119 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$140). As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. It is worth noting that this sale was only 9.0% of Forrest Norrod's holding.

Advanced Micro Devices insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

I will like Advanced Micro Devices better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insiders At Advanced Micro Devices Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at Advanced Micro Devices. In total, insiders dumped US$2.0m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Story continues

Insider Ownership Of Advanced Micro Devices

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Advanced Micro Devices insiders own 0.6% of the company, currently worth about US$1.3b based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Advanced Micro Devices Insiders?

Insiders haven't bought Advanced Micro Devices stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 3 warning signs for Advanced Micro Devices and we suggest you have a look.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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.
Fu Qiumeng (third from right) and members of her team



The Chinese ink-and-wash painting is one of the typical forms of traditional Chinese art. In present era of increased intercultural communications, many artists are striving to seek integration of traditional and contemporary art forms. Fu Qiumeng, owner and curator of Fu Qiumeng Fine Art (FQM), in New York, the United States, has made it her mission to promote the Chinese ink-and-wash painting, and to explore ways to fuse classical Chinese culture with contemporary art. Through her innovative approach, the gallery has become a platform for appreciating the beauty of Chinese aesthetics.

Passion

During her undergraduate studies, in the US, Fu pursued a degree in communications. However, growing up engrossed in brushwork, her passion for brushwork led her to take courses in art history, and to delve deep into the study of Chinese art, literature and philosophical history.

In 2012, driven by her passion for the Chinese ink-and-wash painting, Fu made a bold decision: She left her job, related to her university major, and she joined an ancient painting auction house in Beijing. That marked the beginning of her global journey to collect works of art.



During her travels, Fu had a memorable encounter with a collector, from New York, who left a lasting impression on her. "This collector held a deep appreciation for traditional Chinese crafts, like porcelain and bronze, as well as contemporary works that embodied the essence of the ink-and-wash painting. In witnessing her collection, I saw the continuity of China's rich humanistic history. She told me her collection journey was also a search for her cultural identity in a foreign land," Fu says.

The collector's words deeply moved Fu, who had been a Chinese overseas student. "Some Chinese overseas students lacked a comprehensive understanding of traditional Chinese culture. Finding a sense of cultural belonging and identity is what our generation needs," Fu says.

Two years later, Fu enrolled at Northwestern University, in the US, to pursue a master's degree in leadership in creative enterprises. She then worked in an art gallery and an auction house, and she gained insightful knowledge into the status of contemporary and ancient artworks in the New York art market.

Fu discovered that most Chinese ink-and-wash paintings were primarily represented by antique dealers, with auction houses occasionally showcasing contemporary works in traditional styles. However, no galleries were curating or promoting traditional Chinese ink-and-wash paintings. This absence of traditional Chinese art in the New York art field ignited her desire to establish a gallery infused with oriental aesthetics.

In her efforts to bring the ink-and-wash painting into the contemporary context, Fu saw the potential in creating popular art documentaries as a breakthrough. Through these documentaries, she aimed to narrate the process of artistic creation, and to break down the barriers between the audience and the artwork.

In 2016, Fu established FQM, in New York. The gallery hosts exhibitions, lectures, and exchanges, with the purpose of opening a window to traditional Chinese art for audiences.





Deep Exploration

Fu and her classmate, Guo Xinran, launched QM Project in 2018. "At that time, Guo had just graduated from Northwestern University, with a Ph.D. in art history. We were trying to integrate traditional Chinese aesthetic values with global modern and contemporary art, at the academic level," Fu says.

Recognizing there was a lack of academic discourse on works of art based on traditional Chinese aesthetics, Fu and Guo initiated various writing projects, to provide the gallery's subscribers with a deeper understanding of the relationship between Eastern and Western art. In early 2019, Fu faced a challenging task, when Wang Shaofang, head of Wang Fangyu Family Fund, approached her for assistance in organizing his father (Wang Fangyu)'s lifelong manuscripts and research materials.

Wang Fangyu (1913-1997) was a Chinese calligrapher, art collector, and a professor of Chinese at Yale University and Seton Hall University. He established an extraordinary private collection of works by Bada Shanren (1626-1705, whose real name was Zhu Da, an outstanding painting and calligraphy artist in Chinese art history), and then donated the collection to the Freer Gallery of Art, in Washington, DC, which contributed significantly to the study of Bada Shanren.

Aware of the weighty responsibilities bestowed upon her, Fu made the decision to write a research paper, and to curate an exhibition. "I didn't feel confident at first. Wang Shaofang offered his encouragement, and he emphasized that his father conducted research on Bada Shanren out of personal interest. As long as I work with sincerity and diligence, I can always make some achievements," Fu says.

Buoyed by Wang Shaofang's words, Fu had renewed confidence and motivation. She immersed herself in the endeavors of previous generations of literati, who had dedicated themselves to inheriting and promoting traditional Chinese art in the US. She also had a better understanding of how the research into Asian art and history was conducted in American museums and universities.

"Wang Shaofang's guidance has broadened my horizons, and prompted me to contemplate the Eastern and Western art ecosystems from a fresh perspective," Fu says.

After two years of unwavering dedication, Fu curated a groundbreaking literary exhibition, Authentic or Forgery: How Does a Chinese Connoisseur Work? Wang Fangyu's Research on Bada Shanren. This notable exhibition showcased Wang Fangyu's research manuscripts, photographs and documents for the first time. It comprehensively presented the thinking and appraisal methods of Wang Fangyu, and it provided invaluable research and appreciation materials for both general audiences and professionals in the field.





Dialogue and Fusion

FQM represents both Chinese artists, who seek to enhance the voice of oriental art overseas, and Westerners, who are dedicated to studies in traditional Chinese art. Notably, Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney have emerged as prominent figures in these two groups.

"Chang, raised in the US, had studied under the master of Chinese landscape painting, Wang Jiqian (better known in the West as C.C. Wang, 1907-2003). Chang adheres to the foundational principles of brush strokes and ink usage in classical Chinese literati painting to skillfully present the shifting perspectives in his ink-and-wash paintings. Cherney, an American artist who used to study in China, showcases the aesthetic characteristics of traditional Chinese landscape paintings through his photographs," Fu says.

Fu recognized a new possibility for presenting Chinese ink-and-wash painting  fusion of contemporary art and cross media. Together, Chang and Cherney have embarked on a collaborative series of artworks since 2007, and they have blurred the boundaries between traditional Chinese ink-and-wash painting and contemporary photography. This fusion has breathed new life into the presentation of Chinese ink-and-wash painting.



In 2022, FQM hosted an acclaimed art exhibition, Ink Affinities: The Collaborative Works of Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney. That exhibition received wide praise from media in New York. Some of the exhibited works were collected by prestigious institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida.

Moreover, the gallery has organized exhibitions that integrate traditional Chinese culture with contemporary art. For instance, the gallery hosted a solo exhibition that showcased the works of landscape artist Wang Mansheng. The exhibition was titled Moonlight on Stones. The gallery also curated a group exhibition, which featured the works of new-generation artists, called The Rain Freshens.

Recently, the gallery hosted a solo exhibition by artist Fung Ming Chip. The exhibit, titled Traces of Time, received high praise. "I hope to break down barriers between China and the US, and between traditional and contemporary art, and to present the charm of cultural integration to audiences," Fu says.

After visiting a themed exhibition, The Order of Body, which was co-curated by FQM and artist Chen Duxi, a netizen posted the following comment on a social-media platform: "It is rare to see galleries in New York that focus on the harmonious combination of traditional Chinese art and modern art."

In recognition of her significant contributions to the art community, Fu was invited to join the planning committee for this year's Asia Week New York (March 16-30). "FQM presents a relatively niche art style. We will always stay true to our original aspiration, providing a sense of cultural belonging for overseas Chinese audiences while offering a refreshing artistic experience to American viewers," Fu says.

Photos Supplied by Interviewee

(Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition / Women of China English Monthly November 2023 issue)


Xia Haibin and his wife, Fu Xiaoping, are farmers in Lannichong, a village in Doushanhe, a township in Xinxian, a county in Xinyang, a city in central China's Henan Province. The couple established their family farm in 2014. They live prosperous lives, thanks to their wisdom and hard work. They also help bring prosperity to the other villagers. In May, Xia's family was selected a National Most Beautiful Family.

Supporting Each Other

Xia and Fu met in 2007. "My father had been ill for many years. At that time, my family lived in poverty. I told Fu she might suffer hardships if she married me. However, she told me she feared no hardship. She said if we worked hard, our lives would become better and better," Xia recalls. He and Fu wed that year.

In 2012, Xia and Fu quit their jobs in the city, and they returned to Lannichong. They hoped to earn a living while also looking after their parents. They began farming. At first, they raised chickens, pigs and fish. Then, they contracted land to grow crops.



Xia participated in many training sessions, especially those involving agricultural technologies, so he could learn scientific methods of growing crops. As a result, he has grown into a "new farmer," one who has mastered the advanced techniques of agricultural-machine operation, pest control and crop cultivation. Other farmers in the village sing his praises, as an able person.

Given Xia's success in the agricultural industry, the couple in 2014 established their family farm, in the village, to grow high-quality rice. Fu also runs a small restaurant near their home. To achieve their goal of living prosperous lives through hard work, they were busy all day  every day.



One day, during the winter of 2020, Xia injured his hands in a machine-related accident. He had to be hospitalized in the city. Every day, Fu visited Xia, operated the restaurant, and took care of their children and elderly relatives. "At that time, my wife looked thin and tired. However, she still coped with all kinds of things, and with a smile. I was deeply moved by her dedication," says Xia.

Xia and Fu work hard, and they support each other. Fu takes good care of her parents-in-law. Xia and Fu have set a great example in being diligent and showing filial piety toward the elderly. Influenced by their parents, their sons, Xia Jinhui and Xia Jinlei, study hard, and they often help their parents complete the household chores. They also help look after their grandfather, who has been bedridden for years by illness.



Ready to Help Others

After Xia and Fu established their farm, they purchased harvesters, micro-cultivators, rice transplanters, plant-protection machines and other agricultural machines. They have substantially reduced operation costs simply by using the agricultural machines. Xia uses the machines to help other farmers in the village.

"I am very grateful to the local government for its good policies and concrete efforts to support farmers. I hope to play a leading role in the agricultural industry, and to help more people achieve prosperity," says Xia.

In 2016, Xia joined the Party (Communist Party of China), and he was recognized as the township's model of achieving prosperity through hard work. In 2017, Xia's family farm was chosen the county's first pilot farm for planting ratoon rice (a kind of rice that can be regrown, from the stubble, after the first harvest). In 2018, Xia vacated 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of land, on which he planted two varieties of ratoon rice. He compared the two varieties, so he could select the one best suited for the county.



As a Party member who has become well-off first, Xia always puts other people in his heart, and he helps bring prosperity to the other villagers. The farm provides jobs to villagers. Xia and Fu have assisted the village committee in planning the village's industrial development, and in promoting the growth of the village's collective economy. The committee has invested in the ratoon-rice-planting industry, and it has registered a trademark for the rice. In 2020, the village established a ratoon-rice-processing factory. The factory not only provides jobs to villagers, it also helps increase the village's income.

Xia and Fu are ready to help others. When the elderly in the village need to see a doctor in the city, they often volunteer to drive them to the hospital. Xia and Fu are role models, who make good use of science and technology, in promoting the agricultural industry. They have supported each other, and they have made an all-out effort to live happy, prosperous lives.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees

(Source: The Department of Family and Children's Affairs of the ACWF / Women of China English Monthly November 2023 issue)
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday.

Noting that since the beginning of this year, he has met with President Putin twice, Xi said the governments, legislative bodies, political parties and localities of the two countries have carried out in-depth exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has developed in a sound and steady manner.

In the first 11 months of this year, the bilateral trade between China and Russia achieved the annual trade volume target of 200 billion U.S. dollars jointly set by the two heads of state, which shows the strong resilience and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Xi said.

He noted that maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

China supports the Russian people in taking the development path of their own choice, Xi said, expressing the hope of taking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia next year as a new starting point to continuously expand the positive effects of the high-level political relations and jointly move forward in the process of comprehensively promoting economic and social development and realizing national rejuvenation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2023. [Xinhua/Ding Lin]

(Source: Xinhua)


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Weather Alert

...Very active weather and dangerous cold forecast for the next week... A very strong storm system will move through the region Friday. Very strong winds are expected and a wind advisory has been issued for the entire region for 40-50 mph wind gusts. Stronger winds are possible. Widespread rain may lead to localized flooding in areas where thunderstorms form with up to 2 inches of rain possible in those areas. Severe thunderstorms are not currently expected but there is a small potential over the southern Pennyrile region of Kentucky Friday morning. A change to sleet and snow is forecast at the end of the day but accumulations are still not anticipated. If temperatures do not rise above freezing Saturday it is expected to mark the first of 5 to 6 days where temperatures will not rise above freezing. Lows Saturday through Tuesday night are forecast to fall into or near the single digits. Below zero wind chills are likely most of Monday and Tuesday. This extended cold snap will be dangerous to those without adequate shelter and will likely challenge plumbing and other cold-sensitive infrastructure. Accumulating snow remains possible Monday but forecast amounts have trended a little lower, and will remain subject to change for the next few days as more data becomes available.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CST /7 AM EST/ FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST /1 AM EST/ FRIDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 6 AM CST /7 AM EST/ Friday to midnight CST /1 AM EST/ Friday night. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Wet ground may result in some trees being uprooted, and tree limbs will be blown down. A few power outages are likely. High profile vehicles will have difficulty. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A corridor of stronger winds, with gusts up to 60 mph is possible over the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky ahead of the front, and across the entire quad-state behind the front. If that begins to appear likely a high wind warning will be issued. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects. &&
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, 29Metals fair value estimate is AU$1.14

Current share price of AU$0.57 suggests 29Metals is potentially 50% undervalued

Analyst price target for 29M is AU$0.71 which is 38% below our fair value estimate

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of 29Metals Limited (ASX:29M) 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. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for 29Metals

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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) -AU$46.6m AU$114.3m AU$193.6m AU$133.4m AU$102.6m AU$86.6m AU$77.7m AU$72.6m AU$69.7m AU$68.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x6 Analyst x6 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ -23.12% Est @ -15.56% Est @ -10.27% Est @ -6.56% Est @ -3.97% Est @ -2.15% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 11% -AU$42.1 AU$93.1 AU$142 AU$88.5 AU$61.4 AU$46.8 AU$37.9 AU$32.0 AU$27.7 AU$24.5

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$512m

Story continues

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%) 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 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$68m (1 + 2.1%)  (11% 2.1%) = AU$799m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$799m ( 1 + 11%)10= AU$286m

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 AU$799m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$0.6, the company appears quite good value at a 50% 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.

ASX:29M Discounted Cash Flow December 20th 2023

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at 29Metals 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 1.744. 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 29Metals

Strength

Net debt to equity ratio below 40%.

Weakness

Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.

Opportunity

Forecast to reduce losses next year.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Significant insider buying over the past 3 months.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. 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 29Metals, there are three additional items you should further examine:

Risks: We feel that you should assess the 1 warning sign for 29Metals we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does 29M'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 Australian 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.
Kronologi Asia Berhad (KLSE:KRONO) Third Quarter 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM67.7m (down 23% from 3Q 2023).

Net income: RM1.01m (down 86% from 3Q 2023).

Profit margin: 1.5% (down from 8.3% in 3Q 2023). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue.

EPS: RM0.001 (down from RM0.009 in 3Q 2023).

KLSE:KRONO Earnings and Revenue Growth December 20th 2023

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Kronologi Asia Berhad Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 5.9% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 9.5% growth forecast for the Software industry in Malaysia.

Performance of the Malaysian Software industry.

The company's shares are down 1.3% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Kronologi Asia Berhad you should know about.

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 Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka is receiving copies of dozens of protest letters from workers, students, youth, academics and sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) around the world, sent to the Sri Lankan authorities, condemning the brutal attack on two SEP members by pro-government thugs. The letters have demanded the culprits be punished to the maximum extent of the law.

Dehin Wasantha, ten days after the attack

The victims are the SEP members: Dehin Wasantha, a veteran university worker, who is a well-known fighter for workers rights and socialism; and Lakshman Fernando, a full-time party worker.

The culprits are Indika Perera and Suranga Piyawardena, the president and secretary of the Moratuwa university branch of the Podujana Pragathishile Sevaka Sangamaya (PPSS)a trade union affiliated to the ruling Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna party.

On November 30, both Wasantha and Fernando were campaigning with several other party members at the rear gate of the university for SEP public meetings on the Centenary of Trotskyism addressed by Joseph Kishore, National Secretary of the SEP (US).

Perera and Piyawardena assaulted them with wooden clubs, causing serious injuries. The attack could have been fatal if Wasantha had not avoided a heavy blow aimed at his head.

Wasantha suffered two fractured fingers, while Lakshman was badly bruised and was left with a neck injury. Both required medical treatment and were immediately admitted to hospital.

On medical advice, Wasantha consulted an orthopedic surgeon on December 16 for advice on his fractured fingers. The doctor told him to rest since his recovery will be slow. As a result of his injury, Wasantha is unable to use his left arm and has had to take medical leave that could extend into next year.

Fernando will consult a neurosurgeon regarding the potential damage to the nerves in the neck as a result of the assault.

The Moratuwa Magistrate Court will hear the case against Perera and Piyawardena on January 8.

The SEP and its sister parties internationally are campaigning against the assault on Fernando and Wasantha and in defence of the SEPs right to campaign at Moratuwa University and any other places. The attack is not just on the SEP and its members but on the democratic rights of students and workers to freely engage in political discussion.

We are publishing below protest letters sent from Australia:

SEP Melbourne Branch:

To:

Senior Professor N. D. Gunwaedenaa, Vice Chancellor, University of Moratuwa

Attorney General, Mr. Sanjay Rajaratnam

We draw your urgent attention to the following resolution that was passed unanimously at Socialist Equality Forum: December 7, 2023 in Melbourne (Australia)

This forum called by the Melbourne branch of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) and International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) denounces the violent assault on Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) members Dehin Wasantha and Lakshman Fernandoon 30 November. The two Socialist Equality Party (SEP) members were attacked while giving out leaflets, campaigning at the rear of the Moratuwu University for an SEP/IYSSE public meeting in Colombo.

Wasantha and Fernando were attacked by two officials from the Peoples Progressive Employees Union branch at the university using long wooden clubs as weapons. Both SEP members were injured in the unprovoked violence.

The brutal assaultcarried out on behalf of the Sri Lanka Podujama Peramuna (SLPP), which is part of President Wickremesinghes right-wing governmentis an attack on the SEPs democratic right to freely engage in political activities.



The pre-planned assault is part of an ongoing attack on democratic rights and freedom of speech underway in Sri Lanka. SLPP goon squads operate in many Sri Lankan workplaces to try and silence opposition among workers to the governments International Monetary Fund-dictated onslaught against jobs, wages, social conditions and basic rights.

It is significant that the attacks took place against SEP members who were campaigning for and encouraging young people to attend public meetings to be addressed by Joe Kishore, the national secretary of the United States (SEP).

The public meetings will explain the century-long fight by the Trotskyist movement to defend and develop Marxism, and its contemporary relevance for the struggle for international socialism. Such a powerful perspective, which has deep roots in the history of the Sri Lanka working class and the United States puts fear into the Sri Lankan ruling elite and their stooges in the Peoples Progressive Employees Union.

We demand that the culprits be punished with the full force of the law and that the SEPs right to campaign freely be upheld. Hands off the SEP! Oppose all government attacks on democratic rights!

****

IYSSE, Australia:

Dear Senior Professor N.D. Gunwardena and Mr. Sanjay Rajaratnam,

The following resolution has been passed at meetings of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Australiain Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne:



This meeting of the IYSSE condemns the attacks by union thugs against Socialist Equality Party (SEP) campaigners at Sri Lanka's Moratuwa University. The serious physical assault was a major attack on democratic rights and could have had deadly consequences, with two SEP members requiring urgent medical treatment as a consequence.



The attack was led by Indika Perera and Suranga Piyawardena, the president and secretary of the Podujana Pragathishili Sevaka Sangamaya (PPSS) or Peoples Progressive Employees Union branch at Moratuwa University. This union is directly controlled by the right-wing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, which leads the national government.



This was an attack by union-government thugs against SEP members fighting for a socialist perspective against the Sri Lankan governments brutal IMF-dictated austerity measures and its turn towards ever-greater authoritarianism in response to rising struggles by the working class.



The assault is particularly sinister in the context of decades of repression targeting the Sri Lankan Trotskyists. Members of the SEP and its predecessor organisation have been subjected to major attacks before, including the killing of party members by military and fascistic paramilitary organisations.



The role of the union officials in attacking socialists on behalf of the government is a graphic demonstration of the reactionary character of the trade union bureaucracies everywhere. They are hostile to the interests of the working class, instead functioning as an industrial and political police force of the governments and corporations.



It is notable that the thugs attacked a campaign by the SEP promoting upcoming lectures by SEP US National Secretary Joseph Kishore. That testifies to the fear of the government and its bureaucracy that the internationalist perspective of the Trotskyist movement will attract substantial support amid the genocide in Gaza, a broader eruption of imperialist militarism, and an enormous social and economic crisis of world capitalism.



The IYSSE in Australia fully supports the fight by the SEP for justice, including through the perpetrators of the assault to be held legally accountable for their crime. We will publicise this attack on democratic rights at the Australian universities, among young people and in the working class, as a threat to civil liberties not only in Sri Lanka but internationally.



Regards,

Evrim Yazgin

National Convenor, IYSSE Australia

****

The SEP is calling on all those who are concerned to defend democratic rights of freedom of expression to register their opposition by sending protest letters to the following addresses of relevant authorities with copies to the SEP (wswscmb@sltnet.lk).

Senior Professor N.D. Gunawardena, Vice Chancellor, University of Moratuwa

Email: vc@uom.lk or ndg@uom.lk

Attorney General, Mr. Sanjay Rajaratnam

Email: agdurgentmotions@gmail.com
Over the weekend, thousands turned out for mass protests across Australia opposing the genocide being inflicted on Gaza by the Israeli regime, backed by all the imperialist powers. The protests continue to receive little to no media coverage.

Part of the Sydney rally on December 17, 2023

Speakers from the Greens and the pseudo-left promoted the Labor governments recent vote for a ceasefire motion at the United Nations as a step forward. This is a fraud and a trap. The motion is non-binding. Even in voting for it, Labor emphasised its opposition to any immediate ceasefire, its support for the ongoing bombardment and for the surrender or complete defeat of Hamas.

The Socialist Equality Party is fighting these attempts to subordinate the mass movement to the pro-genocide Labor government. What is required is an international anti-war movement directed against the source of the atrocities, the capitalist system and all of the governments that defend it.

That perspective will be outlined and discussed at a public meeting tonight, Wednesday, 7pm at the Lakemba Senior Citizens Centre in Sydney and online via Zoom. Register now to attend.

Below are a series of interviews from workers and young people at the protests on Sunday, in addition to those posted yesterday.

****

In Melbourne, Mohammad, who is a builder, told WSWS reporters, Its been happening for 75 years in Palestine, its now that more people are starting to care. But Im not so much dirty on the Israelisthe Zionists are doing what theyre doingIm more dirty on the Arab governments for letting them do what theyre doing.

In Egypt, it is a dictatorship because they overthrew a democratically elected government... It didnt fit the American and the Zionist agenda, so they organised a coup, just like in any other country where it doesnt suit them.

Mohammad

Youve got the biggest terrorist country in the world, Israel, calling Hamas a terrorist organisation. Look at the double standards, look at Ukraine. If this happened in Ukraine, if they dropped 100 bombs in one night, like in Gaza, imagine the outrage.

Mohammad dismissed the Labor governments UN vote, stating, The United Nations means nothing, because if it cant stop countries like America and Israel, what is the use of having it? The UN spoke against America when they invaded Iraq, but did that help Iraq? It didnt.

Commenting on the global protests, he noted, Everyone is waking up, everyone is seeing the truth. And why do you think theyre trying to silence the universities? Trying to stop chants like Free Palestine and From the River to the Sea? Because they can see people turning against them, they want to try and ban these protests if they can, these rallies. They dont want people coming out in support, it makes them look bad.

In Sydney, Michele, from Italy, said it was critical to show much support to the Palestinian people. What Israel is doing is way too far. It is not how you would think a democracy, or a so-called democracy would react to anything. If their goal was really to get rid of Hamas, it is obvious that they will just create a new generation of fighters with this complete bombing.

Michele

I think we should point the finger to the fact that in Israel theres a very far right-wing government. Right-wing governments bring a mess wherever they come to power. That was the case in Italy in the 1920s. Now we are seeing it again with Trump in America and the fascist who has just been elected president in Argentina. I think for sure there will be a change. There has to be a change because we cannot keep going along like this.

Dado said he and his family had witnessed atrocities in the war that broke out with the breaking up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Essentially, what is happening in Gaza right now is what we lived under then. We were under siege for two years in the capital city and no food, no water, constant bombardment, so we actually have a very first hand experience of what these poor Palestinians are going through.

Commenting on the active involvement of the US and other imperialist powers in the Gaza genocide, he said: Its all profiteering. The rulers of these countries have an interest in war being prolonged and it doesnt really matter how many people suffer.

It was always in the imperial powers interest to destabilize that region. And Iran, I think, was always on the cards as a potential target, even in the previous invasion of Iraq. But I think they just didn't have the smoking gun or something that they could convince the public with enough to get that support behind them. And that's why, when you saw this conflict begin, almost immediately, they were trying to pin it somehow on Iran being the culprit behind it.

Its clear, if you pay attention, that there is a wider agenda here to get more wars going, because at the end of the day for a lot of these multinational and arms companies their interest is not generally who wins the war, but as long as war is prolonged, that industry, that machine will continue to pump out weapons, clothes, rations, boots. This is all a business. We saw the same in Vietnam. We saw the same in the first desert storm. We saw the same in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was 20 years, all for what? 20 years in Afghanistan for trillions of dollars and they haven't achieved anything.

Pointing to the mass opposition, Dado added, But I think what's really good in this situation, I mean, the silver lining is that social media has opened people's eyes. When what we went through in Yugoslavia took place, there was no such thing as social media. So, a lot of the atrocities and injustices that happened were not known until well after the conflict had ended.

But with this one, were seeing almost live day by day status updates and reporting on the situation there. That really helps open peoples eyes and rally people to come and support them. Otherwise, if there was a blackout on the media and social media, then who knows how long before we would find out what Israel has been doing.

In Melbourne, Ghawady, a Palestinian IT worker, said, Im here to support Palestine, asking the government to stand with the Palestinian people and end this genocide thats happening. Its horrible. Ive been coming to these rallies ever since it started, every week. We are asking just for the basic human rights, to have justice.

The lack of media coverage is unfortunate, but its not going to stop anyone. We are going to keep coming. What matters nowadays is what people post on social media, so even if the official media is not covering this movement, everybody is covering it themselves.

Ghawady explained that his family were made refugees in the 1967 war. My grandparents were among those who got displaced, and they werent able to go back to Gaza. Because I was born outside, I have no right to go back. Unfortunately, my distant family are all in Gaza, I dont know them.

Its really hard for me and every Palestinian to see what is happening in Gaza. Its the same story, those people who got displaced, their generationits going to continue. Its not just those who were displaced but also their kids, their grandkids. Its a ripple effect for everyone.

He added, I am not surprised by the US decision to go against a ceasefire and use their veto on the UN Security Council. That shows that the UN by design is broken. It is not a real democracy. Its obvious, something needs to be fixed.
At least three teachers in Montgomery County, Maryland have been placed on administrative leave over social media posts expressing pro-Palestinian viewpoints and criticizing Israel, while a fourth has been placed on leave for signing a pro-Palestinian email. Montgomery County Public Schools has justified the decision to suspend the four teachers by falsely claiming their statements were antisemitic.

In the first case, Tilden Middle School world studies teacher Sabrina Khan-Williams was placed on leave in mid-November. In screenshots of Khan-Williams now-private social media posts, the teacher expressed shock and disbelief at the extent of Israels invasion of Gaza, as well as US support for the genocide, which has led to the deaths of at least 20,000 people since October 7.

In one post, Khan-Williams shared a video highlighting state violence directed at Palestinians who protest peacefully in Israel, writing, Hamas did not start this. They were just the perfect vehicle for Zionists to continue its [sic] apartheid.

In another post, the teacher wrote, If this was about the hostages, [Israel] would have immediately accepted the ceasefire. Just saying. Another video shared by Khan-Williams, of a man singing about the killing of innocent Palestinians, said the U.S. loves genocide.

Tilden Middle School, part of the Montgomery County Public School system, in Rockville, Maryland. [Photo by G. Edward Johnson / CC BY 4.0

Khan-Williams also shared a screenshot of a term called hamaslighting, with an accompanying definition: a form of gaslighting used to distract or confuse when a country, specifically Israel, carries out genocide against innocent Palestinians. This tactic is commonly used by exclaiming but Hamas! in the middle of every conversation.

Right-wing media outlets such as the Daily Wire seized on Khan-Williams posts and her other role at the school as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion teacher to smear her pro-Palestinian sentiments as akin to lunacy and intimidation.

In the second case, Takoma Park Middle School teacher Angela Wolf, the department head of English Language and Development, was placed on leave on November 30.

Among Wolfs posts, she used hashtags such as #donotgiveup and #WarCrimes. In one post, she shared a cartoon by Carlos Latuff showing an Israeli tank taking aim at the NICU unit of the Al-Shifa hospital in North Gaza and a speech bubble coming from the tank saying, Enemy in sight!

Wolf shared a post on October 28 saying, It is not warit is a slaughter. Israel determined to make Gaza uninhabitable. In addition, on November 16, she hailed bus drivers in Northern Virginia who refused to transport Zionists to the pro Israel rally in Washington D.C. from Dulles International Airport, saying their solidarity with the victims of Israeli genocide should be commended.

Media reporting on Wolfs social comments investigated her posts much further back than the beginning of the latest war, highlighting in particular a post she made on December 20, 2020, in the midst of the tumultuous US presidential elections and surging cases of COVID-19 worldwide.

In that post, now private but captured in a screenshot, Wolf wrote, Folks are angry at the wrong people. She then listed five billionaires who live in Montgomery CountyDan Snyder, Bernard Saul, David Rubenstein, Ted Lerner and Mitchell Ralessaying, None of these people invented anything useful [or] have done a damn thing to further the needs of the communities.

Wolf continued in that post, They are the gluttons and thieves. (They accumulate this kind of wealth through abusing workers.) During the pandemic (and every other moment of life), there is no good reason on this earth why folks cant get healthcare.  Everyone should [have] a safe place to live, free from fear of eviction, and healthy food.

The third teacher censored for her social media posts is Anike Robinson, an art and English teacher at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, who was placed on leave on December 5. Westland Principal Alison Serino wrote a letter to parents that day saying some parents had brought Robinsons social media activity to her attention, and that they were of an antisemitic nature.

Robinson, denying any claims that she is antisemitic and calling Serinos letter a character defamation, shared three posts with the local outlet MoCo360 that she believes caught the attention of parents.

In one post on Instagram, Robinson shared an image of a bomb draped with the flag of Israel and aimed at a child standing amid rubble. Another post, shared on TikTok, showed Robinsons students sitting outside and read, Art class outside and I have a heavy heart. Praying for justice so there might be peace. The post displayed a graphic with a fist raised before the Palestinian flag.

In the third post, Robinson shared a graphic saying, The world is watching. Palestine will be free. Colonized people across the world stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israels settler colonial state-sanctioned apartheid program of genocide back[ed] by U.S. imperialism. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Decolonization is not a metaphor.

Speaking to MoCo360, Robinson, daughter of the late Randall Robinson, a leading human rights activist and lawyer involved in the Free South Africa Movement, said, Anything that I ever said, anything critical would have been about the Israeli government and its policies and its history of policies not only there but also as they relate to apartheid in South Africa and how much they helped support that apartheid. So, anything that I ever said was not about those groups at all. It was not political in nature unless compassion is also considered political now.

In addition to these three educators, MCPS placed Argyle Middle School math teacher Hajur El-Haggan on administrative leave on November 20 because her email signature contained the phrase, From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

El-Haggans case has been taken up by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed a discrimination lawsuit against MCPS earlier this month with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint alleges MCPS discriminated against El-Haggan, a Muslim Arab-American, on the basis of her race, religion and national origin.

The complaint further claims El-Haggan was targeted for wearing pins she made herself with phrases like Free Gaza and Free Palestine.

The assault on the free speech rights of these teachers, in one of the most Democratic-leaning counties in the country, comes amid a far-reaching attempt by the American state to intimidate and block students from protesting against the vast crimes being perpetrated by Israel, fully backed by the Biden administration. In the latest escalation, Congress has launched a McCarthyite witch-hunt against college presidents at some of the most prominent institutions in the country for their supposed failure to address a completely fabricated wave of antisemitism on college campuses.

The witch-hunt to silence critics of the US-backed genocide in Gaza takes on hysterical dimensions. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Pine Crest High School student Jad Abuhamda, a Palestinian American teenager, was expelled in November in response to social media posts by his mother, a math tutor at the school, opposing Israels slaughter of thousands of children in Gaza.

In Georgia, no doubt stoked by the witch-hunt atmosphere stirred up by Congress and the corporate media, Warner Robins Middle School social studies teacher Benjamin Reese threatened to beat and murder a student over a December 7 incident in which the student questioned the Israeli flag hanging in Reeses classroom. Reese flew into a rage over the students taking offense at the flag due to Israelis killing Palestinians. Reese accused the student of antisemitism as he screamed in her face, yelling obscenities. Arrested and charged with making terroristic threats and cruelty to children, Reese has since been released on bond, but is not permitted to return to the classroom. The local district attorney plans to seek an indictment from a grand jury in January.
A five-year-old boy who was staying at a Chicago migrant shelter in the Pilsen neighborhood died on Sunday as a number of diseases reportedly rip through the large facility. The conditions in the warehouse facility, now housing more than 2,400 people, were just days prior reported as inhumane. Five others from the same shelter were hospitalized on Monday, including four children under the age of nine and one 18-year-old.



Such conditions, and related illnesses and deaths, are the foreseeable outcomes of the Democratic Partys anti-immigrant policies. The shelter, a warehouse in an industrial area on the southwest side of the city, was originally planned to house 1,000 migrants but now holds 2,414.

The boy, Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero, an asylum-seeker from Venezuela, was staying with his parents at the shelter. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the child had been sick for the past two to three days with a fever. When his lips turned purple and his father went to the shelter to request an ambulance, shelter staff told the family it was probably because of the cold.

Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero

Borderless magazine, citing a Venezuelan migrant living at the shelter, said the boy had a fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and was convulsing in the bathroom. A police source told the Chicago Sun-Times the child was bleeding from his mouth and nose and had been suffering from diarrhea for days. Although the boy was officially pronounced dead at Comer Childrens Hospital, migrants told the magazine they believe he died at the shelter.

Borderless published a report on December 14 detailing the overcrowded and inhumane conditions, which it said, fails to meet the basic standards for emergency shelter laid out by the U.N. Refugee Agency.

Hundreds have arrived in the past week as the administration of Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson, formerly on the legislative staff at the Chicago Teachers Union, announced its success in clearing the migrants out of police stations designating as emergency staging areas, where hundreds had been sleeping on floors and subjected to verbal and physical abuse.

Media reports on the conditions in the Pilsen shelter highlight the inadequate heating at the facility, which is poorly insulated. Favorite Healthcare Staffing, the contractor which operates the facility, has received $94 million from the city but allocates each family only a single non-thermal blanket. Migrants also report mold, water leaking onto their cots, as well as dust and fiber particles which fall from the ceiling, which some believe caused eye infections in their children.

Following the boys death, one migrant told Borderless, There is a plague here. There are a lot of sick families  And there are no doctors here. Migrants report outbreaks of several illnesses, including chickenpox, influenza and other infections as the US more broadly is seeing a surge of COVID-19 infections.

One migrant, a 28-year-old mother with two children, told ABC News, There is a chicken pox outbreak. There is a flu outbreak. Children have scabies. There are bed bugs. Anything you can imagine is in that shelter. Another migrant told Borderless, Theres a lot of illnesses here, and theyre trying to hide it.

Indeed, Favorite Healthcare Staffing has worked hard to prevent the public from finding out about the conditions at their Chicago shelters, with staff aggressively confronting reporters who come near facilities and threatening to call the police. Most shelter facilities have posters on the doors which say, No media allowed unaccompanied in English and Media not allowed (reporters) in Spanish [No se permiten medios de comunicacion (reporteros)].

These warnings are equally directed at any migrants considering speaking to reporters about their plight. Migrants are not allowed to take photos or record videos of conditions in the shelters with the threat of being kicked out onto the street. A migrant named Maria told Borderless, Theyre constantly threatening you. You have to be so careful because they write a report for everything. If you slip, they report you and kick you out. Its a bit frustrating. A young woman added, They treat us terriblylike dogs.

The Johnson administration reacted defensively to news of the boys death, placing the blame on the fascistic Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has been sending busloads of migrants to Chicago and other cities from the southern border for more than 16 months.

Johnson said, The conditions in which people are arriving in Chicago are quite disturbing. Theyre showing up sick. Do you hear me? Theyre showing up sick. The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago, its the fact that we have a governora governor, an elected official in the state of Texasthat is placing families on buses without shoes; cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized.

Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and chair of the city councils Housing and Real Estate Committee, staged a walkthrough of the shelter following the boys death. He similarly disavowed any responsibility for the conditions in the shelter, saying, We cannot put all of this on the shoulder of Chicagoans. These tragedies can be prevented if we get the resources that we need.

Most of the 26,000 migrants who have arrived in Chicago since last August were sent by Abbott with the intention of creating a political crisis in cities run by the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party, for its part, has reacted by embracing anti-immigrant policies from the highest levels on down, with the Biden administration currently pushing to sacrifice the right to asylum and militarize the border in return for an agreement with Republicans on war funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Johnson also claimed that at every single site throughout the City of Chicago, we provide onsite medical care. However, migrants at the Pilsen warehouse reported that a pop-up clinic would come by every eight days for a few hours and did not provide any medication or treatment for anything serious. Instead they were told to seek care at outside medical facilities. In some cases, migrants report being discouraged from calling for ambulances, explaining that the shelter staff said it would be financially ruinous for them.

The death of Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero follows the Johnson administrations attempt to open up a massive migrant tent camp on industrially contaminated land in the Brighton Park neighborhood, about 10 blocks south of the Cook County jail. Security contractor GardaWorld had already begun the construction of a tent camp for asylum-seekers over objections from immigrant rights and environmental activists, which noted the site was previously the location of a zinc smelter, a rail yard and an underground diesel storage tank.

When Johnson acknowledged concerns about the sites contamination, he did so only to dismiss them, saying, As weve been doing at all of our sites, weve assessed and we have looked for any contaminants, and all of the remediation thats necessary to eliminate the contaminants, thats very much a part of our overall agenda.

Following the release of an 800-page city report on the site detailing soil contaminated with arsenic, mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) would not approve the site, which it said did not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions. According to media reports, the city is still paying the owner of the lot $91,400 per month for the lease.

The Johnson administration continues to make conditions as unpleasant and untenable as possible in a bid to discourage asylum-seekers from staying in Chicago altogether.

On November 15, Johnson announced that migrants would be limited to 60 days in city-run shelters, saying the city would be implementing a tiered 60-day shelter stay limit, combined with robust case management and workforce access to move new arrivals through our system to self-sufficiency and economic stability.



Brandie Knazze, the Department of Family and Support Services commissioner, said migrants would be issued notices in three waves, with the vast majority of current shelter residents receiving their 60-day notice by February 1.

Moves to cut off shelter access and attempt to turn migrants away are also being made by other Democratic mayors around the country. New York mayor Eric Adams proposed a similar 60-day limit. Denver, Colorado, has announced adult migrants would received only 14 days of shelter, and families with children get a mere 37 days.

The contracting of private companies by the city for hundreds of millions shows there is clearly no want of resources, and that the terrible treatment of asylum seekers is a political decision.



The right to asylum and the democratic rights of migrants are under attack from every quarter of the official political spectrum, including pseudo-left groups such as the DSA, which has embraced the right-wing positions of the rest of the Democratic Party. Earlier this year Jeanette Taylor, 2023 DSA conference keynote speaker and Chicago city council member, flatly demanded: Stop putting them in our community. The rights of immigrant workers will only be gauranteed and defended on the basis of the unity of the working class in the struggle for socialism, to expropriate the ill-gotten billions of the capitalist class, and ending the outmoded political division of the world into rival nation-states.
It has been 10 weeks since Israel, with the full support of the Biden administration, began its onslaught against the population of Gaza. Twenty thousand Palestinians have been confirmed dead, and another 7,000 are likely buried under the rubble. An entire population of 2.2 million people is being deliberately starved and denied medical care.

The genocide in Gaza is politically radicalizing an entire generation of workers and youth in the US and internationally.

A section of the 800,000-strong London demonstration against Israels genocide in Gaza on November 11, 2023

This is partially reflected in a number of polls that have been published in recent days. According to one poll by the New York Times and Siena College reported on December 19 by the Times, 57 percent of registered voters in the US disapprove of President Bidens handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Among young people, this opposition is exceptionally pronounced, with nearly three-quarters opposed to the Biden administrations policy toward Israel and Gaza. Only 28 percent of voters ages 18-29 said that Israel was seriously interested in a peaceful solution to the broader conflict; half of them said the Palestinians were, according to the Times.

US complicity in the genocide has contributed to a sharp drop in support for the Democratic Party. Bidens approval rating has hit a record low of 34 percent. Some 61 percent disapprove of the US president, up from 55 percent in September, according to a poll by Monmouth University.

Such polls are only a pale reflection of the depth of anti-war sentiment among broad sections of workers and young people. Demonstrations have taken place in nearly every country of the world, on every continent, in opposition to Israels genocide. The largest, in London, with more than 800,000 people, was the most substantial mass protest in that city since the 2003 protests against the US invasion of Iraq.

Anti-war activists take over the Rotunda in the U.S. Capitol to demonstrate against the hostilities in Gaza, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 in Washington. [Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/WSWS]

The broad popular opposition is particularly notable given the universal support within the political establishment and the media for the US-Israeli war of annihilation in Gaza and their relentless pro-war propaganda offensive. The media falsely equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism and seeks to condition the population to accept the mass murder of women and children that is taking place.

The media devotes less and less coverage to the daily massacres against the Palestinian population. The higher the death toll, the more widespread the starvation, the less the media reports. There is no examination of the historical, socioeconomic and geopolitical driving forces behind the genocide in Gaza and the real motivations of the US and NATO powers in backing it.

The opposition of young people and workers is fueled by the spread of objective information online and on social media, outside of the official channels of the state-controlled corporate media. Journalists in Gaza have shown hundreds of millions of people around the world the horrific reality of Israels war against a defenseless population. For that reason, they have been systematically targeted by the Israel Defense Forces, and at least 64 have been killed since the start of the war on October 7.

The widespread opposition among workers and young people in the US and throughout the world is of immense objective significance. This mass outrage must be transformed into a movement capable of ending the slaughter, and that requires the development of an understanding of the deeper political, theoretical and historical issues underlying the crimes of Israel and US-NATO imperialism.

A major contribution to this work is the lecture published yesterday, The Israeli states fascist ideology and the genocide in Gaza, delivered by World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North at Berlins Humboldt University last week. It and two previous lectures (Genocide in Gaza: Imperialism descends into the abyss, and Socialist internationalism and the struggle against Zionism and imperialism) provide a comprehensive examination of the origins of Zionism and its relationship to imperialism.

The lectures demolish what North referred to in his Humboldt remarks as the cynicism, hypocrisy, demagogy and unrestrained lying that drive the campaign to discredit opposition to Israels onslaught against Gaza as antisemitic. He notes that the use of this slur has become a critical weapon in the efforts of Israel and its imperialist accomplices to intimidate and isolate all those who are protesting the genocide of Palestinians.

IYSSE rally against the genocide in Gaza on December 13, 2023 in front of Humboldt University Berlin

Among those leveling the charge of antisemitism to delegitimize and criminalize opposition to Israels actions are far-right and fascistic organizations and individuals, such as Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, an advocate of the antisemitic Great Replacement Theory. Meanwhile, the US allies itself in its proxy war against Russia with Ukraines fascistic Azov Battalion, many of whose members tattoo themselves with Nazi symbols.

The effort to redefine antisemitism to mean any opposition to Israels colonialist, apartheid policy toward the Palestinians is an example of what David North refers to as semantic inversion, in which a word is utilized in a manner and within a context that is the exact opposite of its real and long-accepted meaning. Thus, a phenomenon [antisemitism] historically associated with the political right is transformed into a central attribute of the political left.

This process of semantic inversion finds a particularly vile expression in the denunciation of Jewish workers and youth who oppose Israels actions as self-hating Jews. As North notes:

This diagnosis proceeds from the complete dissolution of Judaism as a specific religious identity into the Israeli state and the nationalist ideology of Zionism. An individuals religious affiliationwhich may, in the life of one or another Jewish person, be of limited or even no special importanceis endowed with a vast metaphysical significance.

The lecture reviews in detail the historical origins of contemporary Zionism, which, North explains, represents the extreme counterrevolutionary antithesis and repudiation of the progressive, democratic and socialist tradition derived from Spinozist and, later, Marxist thought among generations of Jewish workers and intellectuals.

North concludes the lecture by noting:

The ongoing war, for all its horrors, has made one significant political contribution. It has awakened the youth. It has opened the eyes of the world. It has exposed the Zionist regime and its imperialist accomplices for the criminals they are. It has set into motion a tidal wave of outrage that is sweeping across the world and will sweep across those responsible for this genocide.

But outrage is not enough. What is needed is a perspective that directs mass opposition among workers and young people against the Biden administration and all governments and parties backing Israels mass murder and ethnic cleansing. North concludes:

The great challenge that confronts our movement is to imbue the outrage with a revolutionary socialist program that can unify the global working class in a common struggle against imperialist barbarism.

The millions who have taken to the streets in defense of the Palestinians must now turn to the working class, the only social force that can halt and defeat Israels offensive by making it impossible to wage it.

Stopping the genocide demands strikes and boycotts of arms companies, docks and airports to prevent the shipment of any items to Israel with a military use. The rising tide of workers struggles against austerity in the United States and throughout the world must break free from the stranglehold of the trade union bureaucracy and begin the systematic preparation for a political general strike against the war.

The Socialist Equality Party and the International Committee of the Fourth International are building the socialist and internationalist leadership needed to wage this struggle.
The Israeli military continues to rain death and destruction down on the defenseless population of Gaza. The official death toll approached 20,000 yesterday, with more than 7,000 people reported missing. Among the recent victims is the president of the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), Dr. Sofyan Taya. Taya was slaughtered along with his wife and two children in the Jabaliya refugee camp, just north of Gaza City, on December 2.

Professor Sofyan Taya

Taya was a respected scholar and the president of the IUG, a post he took up this past August. The university was leveled in a targeted Israeli airstrike on October 11. It was bombed by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) during previous incursions into Gaza in 2014 and 2008 on the flimsy pretext that it contained weapons labs. As with much of the propaganda emanating from the Zionist regime and its imperialist backers in the US, Canada and Europe, evidence to back up this fanciful claim was not supplied.

Taya was a UNESCO Chair for Physical and Astrophysical Sciences. According to a 2021 report by Stanford University, he was among the top 2 percent of researchers in optics globally. His research focused on the fields of integrated optics for sensor applications, waveguides, ellipsometry, OLEDs, numerical techniques, nonlinear optics, applications of left-handed materials and photonic crystals, according to his profile on ResearchGate. He published hundreds of articles on these subjects and, according to Google scholar, he has been cited more than 3,700 times.

Israel has declined to comment on Dr. Tayas death. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Zionist regime is deliberately targeting academics, healthcare workers, journalists and anyone who can contribute to the basic functioning of society in a deliberate attempt to ethnically cleanse Gaza and force its population to flee into Egypts Sinai Desert. As the World Socialist Web Site has previously noted, the IDFs actions in the Gaza strip are, by any objective measure, in violation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and constitute a textbook case of genocide.

Tayas murder occurred just days before the targeted assassination of Dr. Refaat al-Areer on December 6. An English teacher and poet, he was also part of the faculty at IUG. His humane writings and frequent updates from the outset of the genocide garnered millions of views on social media and sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people, helping circumvent the embargo on reporting of the dire conditions in Gaza. His assassination silenced one of the Zionist regimes more vocal critics in Palestine.

The IDF has so far killed at least 90 journalists, according to an official statement released by Al Jazeera last week in response to the deliberate killing of cameraman Samer Abudaqa. Another prominent assassination of a journalist was the October 13 killing of Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah on the Israel-Lebanon border by an Israeli tank shell. No hostilities were reported in the area, as determined by a joint report by Reuters, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Agence France-Presse.

Taya was born in Gaza in the Jabaliya refugee camp in 1971. As is the case with so many Palestinians, he was educated in the UNRWA-run schools in Gaza. He completed his BA and Masters in physics at the IUG and worked as a teaching assistant at the university from 1994 until 2004. He obtained his PhD from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 2007. During this period he was arrested at Rafah crossing by the IDF in 2005 while traveling to Egypt to finish his PhDa reminder of the fact that Gaza is the worlds largest open-air prison.

From 2008 to 2013 he was an assistant professor of physics at the IUG and, from 2013 to 2018, an associate professor of physics. In 2018 he attained the position of a full professor of theoretical physicsoptoelectronics. Commenting on his appointment at the time, he said, I realized from the first moment that the universitys mission was not just teaching and graduating generations, but rather scientific research and community service which come prior to teaching as the universitys basic mission in scientific research. This observation reveals a man whose commitment to research and scholarship was driven by a devotion to use science as a means for the betterment of humanity.

Israels killing of Taya has provoked outrage in the global academic community and has prompted protests by students. A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday, December 14 in his honour at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where he was a visiting scholar from February 2021 to the spring of 2023. A letter penned by Justice for All Canada, a non-profit human rights advocacy group, has accumulated over 200 signatures from academics across the country. Written in the wake of Tayas death, it calls on academic institutions in Canada to take a public stance on events in Gaza and advocate for a ceasefire.

Dr. Omar Ramahi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo who co-authored 10 papers with Taya, told CTV that he was a kind and gentle soul, and that his death is a major loss for the academic community.

Echoing Ramahis comments, Mohammad Al-Sharman, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, told CBC Kitchener, Sofyan has been among the leaders in the subfield in electromagnetic and optics  losing professors like Sofyan Taya... its a major loss.

Sixteen student groups at the University of Waterloo issued a statement on Instagram last week calling for the University of Waterloo to issue an official statement honouring the life of Professor Sofyan Taya, condemning the intentional Israeli attacks on academic institutions including the airstrike on the universities of Gaza, and condemning the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza. The post has garnered over 2,700 likes on the platform over the weekend.

University management has no intention of meeting these demands. It is instructive to compare the response of the university to the US-instigated Russian invasion of Ukraine with its reaction to the genocide in Gaza. Within a week of Russias reactionary invasion in February 2022, the university issued a statement declaring that the institution was unwavering in our solidarity with the innocent victims of invasion, and we stand in support of those who are calling for an end to the invasion. The statement went on to claim that the University of Waterloo and all of academia play a vital role in preserving democracy by offering a safe place for free inquiry and preparing our students to be global citizens. The assault on Ukraine represents an assault on democracy and our deepest values.

Evidently the assault on academia and democracy is only a concern when it is carried out by geopolitical rivals of Canadian imperialism. To date the university has issued no statement condemning Israels genocide. Insofar as Dr. Taya is concerned, the university merely managed to have a spokesperson reply to the CBC via email saying blandly, The university is saddened by Dr. Tayas passing and has reached out to offer support to those who knew him.

There is mass outrage on a global scale to Israels genocidal onslaught in Gaza. The millions of workers, youth, and students who have taken to the streets around the globe over the past two months provide incontrovertible testament to this. The genocide will not be halted through appeals to the political representatives of the ruling class in the imperialist countries, including Canada, all of whom are implicated in Israels savage onslaught. The adoption of genocide as a tool of state policy is, in the final analysis, an expression of the crisis of the historically outmoded capitalist system. The capitalist solution to this crisis is war, dictatorship, and barbarism. This must be consciously opposed through the building of a mass anti-war movement in the working class armed with a socialist and internationalist perspective.
The ruling class in Germany is taking increasingly brutal action against any criticism of Israels genocide in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, around 60 students from Students for a Free Palestine occupied a lecture theatre at Berlins Free University (FU). Politicians and the media responded with a massive police operation, a smear campaign and calls for draconian punishments.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth movement of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and the Fourth International, condemns the action in the strongest possible terms and calls for the continuation and expansion of the protests.

In the preceding weeks, students at the Free University and universities throughout Germany had already organised rallies and other protests against the genocide in Gaza and the one-sided position of the universities. The student group at the FU presented four demands to the university management in advance. These included advocating a permanent ceasefire and promoting a discourse on Palestine/Israel based on human rights and facts.

According to Students for a Free Palestine, the university management did not respond to these demands and refused to create opportunities for discourse on Palestine/Israel. The group explains in its press statement that the December 14 occupation was a response to this refusal and an attempt to create a space for fact-based and critical discourse on Palestine/Israel. For the duration of the occupation, which began on Thursday morning, various lectures were delivered in the lecture theatreincluding by several Jewish speakers.

Towards the afternoon, the university management called on the police to clear the lecture theatre. According to a spokesperson for the student group, the Berlin Senate (state executive) itself had asked the university management to do so. The police arrived with a contingent of over 100 officers andas several videos on social media showacted with extreme brutality. Students were removed from the hall with police officers using deliberately painful techniques.

Politicians and the media reacted to the occupation with an aggressive smear campaign. The tabloid Bild and the Berliner Zeitung ran the headline Jew-haters occupy lecture theatre at Berlin university and t-online.de accused the students of relativising the Holocaust.

Leading politicians from all government parties sang from the same hymnsheet. Kai Wegner (Christian Democratic Union, CDU), the mayor of Berlin, described the occupation on X (formerly Twitter) as a disgusting action and scolded, Anti-Semites have no place in Berlin.

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (Liberal Democratic Party, FDP) told Welt am Sonntag: Universities are places of intellectual freedom. Antisemitism, hatred of Jews, political Islamism or religious fanaticism had no place there. He assumes that criminal investigations will be carried out and appropriate penalties imposed.

And Alexander Throm (CDU), domestic policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, threatened: Such actions must have consequences for the perpetrators. He also suggested the consideration of further steps, such as bans or exmatriculation [deregistering of students].

The nominally left-wing parties expressed themselves accordingly. Marcel Hopp, a member of the Senate for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), supported the eviction because Jewish students had been harassed. Among other things, he called for students to be banned from university premises: For FU students, this would mean that they could no longer study here.

Tobias Schulze, deputy chairman of the Left Partys parliamentary group, also joined in the smear campaign. Freedom of expression had its limits where anti-Semitism is expressed and terror or the Holocaust is trivialised or Jewish people are marginalised.

Politicians and the media are trying to support the accusation of antisemitism against the students by claiming that Jewish students were denied access to the occupied lecture theatre. We must not allow Jewish students to be denied access to lecture theatres, to be subjected to hostility or even violence, Science Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) told Welt am Sonntag. Where legally possible, she said, exmatriculation should not be ruled out in particularly serious cases.

The claim that Jewish students were not allowed into the hall is a barefaced lie. In fact, several of the speakers in the lecture theatre were Jewish students who described their experiences as relatives of Holocaust victims.

On the other hand, throughout the occupation there were provocations and physical attacks by Zionists who tore down posters outside the venue showing, among other things, pictures of children killed in Gaza or quotes from Israeli politicians expressing their genocidal intentions.

Aggressive individuals, who obviously intended to disrupt the speeches in the lecture theatre, were temporarily denied access. However, after the university management demanded that they also be allowed in, even the provocateurs were allowed to enter, which escalated the situation inside the room.

The narrative that students were not allowed into the lecture theatre because of their religion or ethnicity was eventually contradicted by the university management itself. In its press release of December 15, it admitted: Reports that people were not allowed into the lecture theatre because of their faith or nationality are not true.

In reality, the brutal police operation and the demand for draconian punishments against the students once again make one thing clear: It is not the students protesting against the genocide in Gaza, including many Jewish students, who are part of the tradition of antisemitism. On the contrary, it is Germanys ruling class that is returning to its darkest traditions.

Politicians from all parties in the Bundestag support and justify the genocide that the Israeli army is committing against the Palestinian population. And they are suppressing the growing opposition to this with methods that are increasingly reminiscent of those of a fascist dictatorship.

At the same time, this brutality is not an expression of the strength but of the weakness of the ruling class, which feels increasingly under pressure by the massive opposition. This now needs a clear political orientation and perspective. The IYSSE calls on students to turn to the working class and mobilise this most powerful social force on the basis of a socialist programme against capitalism, fascism and war.
Over 500 people carried out a boisterous demonstration in defense of the Palestinian people on Sunday in Irvine, California. People of all ages, nationalities and ethnicities, including many Palestinians, marched side by side in opposition to the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza with the full support of the Biden administration.

A section of the anti-genocide protest in Irvine, California, December 17, 2023.

Irvine, a major city in Orange County south of Los Angeles, has a population of over 300,000 people. The headquarters of many corporations, especially in technology and semiconductor sectors, are based in this city. It is also home to the University of California, Irvine.

Josh (left) attends Santa Ana College and Gabe (right) holds up a sign featuring Palestinian children that reads: Israel murdered them with your tax dollars.

Protesters on Sunday gathered at a major intersection, waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs denouncing the genocide, attracting many motorists who honked their horns in support.



This WSWS reporter handed out over 50 leaflets and interviewed several demonstrators on the ongoing genocide, the role of the US government and the way forward.



Fatana, an organizer of the protests, recalled, We were at the Irvine City Council meeting last week, and there was a lot of genocide supporters there, and [the councils] justification was that Israel is defending itself. My response was, If Israel is defending itself, whats the need to bomb hospitals? Are you defending yourself from sick patients? You are bombing schools. Are you defending yourself from students? From children? You are bombing apartment buildings. It is like self-defense from families, from children, from elderly.

Im not even Palestinian. Im Afghan. So I know the suffering. I know what its like to see and witness your country being bombed.

When asked what she thought of Biden, Fatana replied, Biden stabbed us in the back. Me and a lot of people that I know voted for him. We voted for him, and he stabbed us in the back. So I dont even think that we will even want to consider voting in the new term. It has left a bad taste in our mouths.

And here, these protests in Irvine over the past several months, it has been so diverse. We have Jews that come and support us. We have African Americans that come support us. We have the Asian community coming out and supporting us. It is amazing to see that. They have messed with the wrong generation. You see protests all over the world. What is going on in Palestine has shaken the earth to its core, to its core.

A sign in Chinese characters says: Palestine will be free, Irvine, California, December 17, 2023.

Israel may have the bombs, may have the support of the US, as far as the presidency goes, but Palestine has the support of the whole world. They tried so hard to change the narrative. They tried so hard to turn the world against us Muslims, against us Palestinians, but little did they know that they turned the world into Palestine.

Amani is in eighth grade and came with her family to the Irvine protest. I have family and friends in Palestine. We are from the West Bank.

After 75 years of conflict with Israel, obviously Hamas was created as a resistance to resist this occupation. They struck on October 7, and now the whole world is suddenly starting to care about the conflict. And they (the bourgeois media) say the Palestinians attacked first. But thats not the situation.

Actually on October 6, the Israelis attacked another Palestinian village, and in June they attacked my village. Two days ago they attacked my village and stole 30 cars.

Our village is actually in the West Bank, where theres no Hamas at all. The Israelis use Hamas as a justification to attack Gaza, but theres no Hamas in my village. Its an innocent village.

So that is why were here today to stand in solidarity with our people and to help the people in Gaza because this is inhumane whats happening to them. There is no food, no water.

This reporter explained the SEPs call for workers internationally to refuse to handle war materiel being shipped to Israel. Amani replied, They definitely should. They can do something. They have the power. If they really wanted to, they could stop the shipments to Israel.

Asked to comment on protests centered on appeals to Biden, she said, Im not sure. Bidens in a world of his own. This reporter pointed to the fact that Bidens unwavering backing, along with Macron, Scholz and Sunak, of Netanyahus genocide makes him a war criminal as well. Amani replied, He definitely is.

Amani said, Theres a lot of homeless people here. He could be helping his own civilians, be helping schools. But instead hes bombing children. So I dont 100 percent agree with what hes doing.

In response to the call to unite Jewish and Arab workers against Zionism, she said, They definitely should. Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing. We love our Jewish brothers and sisters. We should definitely unite ... and do anything in our power to stop this genocide.

Ibrahim with his children

Ibrahim, an engineer, brought his two children to the rally. In response to the idea of workers throughout the world refusing to handle shipments of weapons to Israel, he said, I think that would be a big step. If we could accomplish that, that would change the trajectory of this world. It would really change the trajectory of this world.

Kareem, a worker in the supply chain, agreed that the working class had to take action.



One hundred percent, because without us, then the gears of our nation dont ... its like the supply chain. Everybody plays a role, and if a majoritythe working classit makes up a majority of the population. If they take a stand and say, hey, we are not going to continue and make the society go with the flow, then, you know, the higher ups, they start losing money.



Our politicians keep stuffing their pockets. That is why they always say it is a rich mans war and a poor mans suffering. So while the working class suffers and we spend all our money, instead of getting proper education and healthcare and helping our vets, the people you know that gave everything for this country, we put our money towards bombs to kill little kids that have nothing to do with any of this. It is horrible.

Kareem, concluded, Everyone is human, everyone has the right to live. And the fact that a lot of people, you know, that decision whether or not you get to live is in the hands of somebody else, that is extremely unfair on people. So, free the world.

At the end of the rally, this WSWS reporter addressed the remaining 100 or so participants.

What is happening in Gaza now is a genocide. Since October 7, the IDF has dropped the equivalent of three of the atomic bombs that were dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII.

This is a war crime of monstrous proportions being carried out before the eyes of the whole world.

Netanyahu and Biden must be charged with war crimes for carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people. Alongside them should include all the leaders of NATO.

Throughout the world, millions and millions of people on every continent have taken to the streets to denounce this genocide. These protests have involved workers and young people of every race, nationality, religion and ethnicity. The prominent role of young Jewish people in standing with the Palestinians is a new development.

The WSWS and SEP absolutely support these international demonstrations. But we say no amount of protest will change the mind of Netanyahu or Biden. They defend capitalism. The Socialist Equality Party says turn to the working class. Support the Palestinian unions call for workers all over the world to refuse to handle production and shipments of war materiel to Israel. Some of this has happened in Belgium, Spain, Australia and briefly at the Port of Oakland. Thats how you stop war. Mobilize the international working class.

We support the call by Will Lehman, a socialist autoworker at Macungie, Pennsylvania, who ran for UAW president against the union bureaucracy of Shawn Fain. Lehman supports the call by the Palestinian unions that workers in all countries refuse to handle the production and shipment of war materiel to Israel.

This includes the workers in Israel and throughout the Middle East. We call for the unity of Jewish and Arab workers in the Middle East for a society based on equality, with full democratic and social rights for all, as part of a socialist federation of the Middle East.

The SEP and the IYSSE support working class action to stop the shipment of any items to Israel that could have any conceivable military use. The massive social power of the international working class must be mobilized in a political general strike, to shut down production and stop this genocide.

I urge you to read the World Socialist Web Site. If you agree with what Im saying, please join us.

At the conclusion of the rally, several people signed up to receive more information.
Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), appeared on LBC Radio last Thursday in a one-hour interview and phone-in show, billed by the union as an opportunity to address the crisis-ridden state of the postal service at Royal Mail.

Dave Ward speaking on LBC [Photo: Screenshot: LBC YouTube]

The privatised utility was found by regulator Ofcom to have breached its statutory requirements under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) to deliver letters six days a week at one price across the UK. For staggering failures right across the country, the company received the financial equivalent of a slap on the wrist with a 5.6 million fine. The whitewash was completed by Royal Mails being cleared of prioritising more lucrative parcels over letter delivery.

For the best part of the year, Royal Mail frontline delivery workers have been calling out the institutionalisation of this practice and the management bullying culture created to force workers to breach the USO. Their protests found no organised expression through the CWU as it deepened its collusion with the company to enforce cost-cutting revisionsremoving duties and increasing workloadsand sabotaged the year-long national dispute by 115,000 Royal Mail workers ending with a rotten pro-company agreement enforced in July.

The Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement (BRTG Agreement) has set in motion a scorched-earth policy of transforming the mail service into a single 24/7 parcel network, with the imposition of Amazon-style terms and conditions.

Postal workers anger over this historic betrayal is still widely felt. The sweatshop conditions ushered in have taken an awful toll. The Times reported in September that 1,000 Royal Mail workers were leaving the business every month.

Ward was not going to be allowed to profess opposition to the deliberate dismantling of the USO without postal workers indicting him and the CWU Postal Executive for their complicity in the collapse of the letters service and destruction of jobs, terms and conditions on behalf of the executives and shareholders of Royal Mail, and parent company International Distribution Services (IDS).

LBC host Iain Dale began a call-in section by reading a representative sample of three texts and email messages by posties of 20 years or more experience. They were all scathing of the CWUs sell-out of their fight and gave expression to sentiments shared by thousands, stating that the only announcement Ward should be making is his own resignation.

How can you claim to represent us?

Robin stated, Im a postal worker of 22 years in Hatfield and Id like to ask Dave Ward a question. After you convinced us to go on strike for 18 days last year only to cave in and work with Royal Mail to impose harmful change to our terms and conditions how can you claim to represent us?

Since the agreement the CWU and you have been nowhere to be seen, morale has plummeted and the mental health of thousands of us has been shattered. When was the last time you set foot in a delivery office, when will you Dave Ward resign and allow us to elect a new leader who genuinely represents us?

Striking Royal Mail workers in Bournemouth, August 26, 2022

The other two messages spoke of workers at Royal Mail sold down the river, the worst conditions and pay weve ever had and the CWU cave-in to every demand, including later start and finishing times wrecking the lives of young families and carers, a two-tier workforce with worse terms for new entrants, unresolved workloads and prioritisation of tracked parcels.

Ward was incapable of any coherent response. He clung to the threadbare claim that the CWU had mitigated all Royal Mails proposals, singling out later start and finishing times and stating the company had been pushed back from demanding three hours to 60/90 minutes. He parroted the company line that the transfer of mail carrying across the UK from flights to road and rail is animated by a green agenda, rather than dictated by profit and the drive to restructure the company as predominantly a parcel courier service.

Arguing that postal workers had had their say, Ward cited the fact 75 percent of our members did vote for the deal. This omits how Ward and company trampled over the will of the members, beginning with their veto of a far bigger 96 percent mandate in February to resume strike action. This paved the way for talks with Royal Mail executives organised by the arbitration service ACAS which hatched the sell-out agreement behind members backs.

From April, when the terms of the BRTG Agreement were published and dubbed by postal workers a surrender document, Ward, his deputy Andy Furey and CWU officials intervened twice to pull the ballot to forestall a rejection. The engagement exercise which followed involved witch-hunting those calling for a No vote as reckless and threatening the livelihoods of postal workers. The CWU had allowed the company to implement 10,000 redundancies while the dispute was live, a downpayment on the brutal restructuring agenda it has agreed.

Im wondering when the CWU is going to grow some teeth

A new starter on a 30-hour contract, Pat from Warwick, commented, Im wandering when the CWU is going to grow some teeth, referencing his denial of paid overtime and exclusion from the 1,500 lump sum included as part of the agreement.

Wards response should be taken as an example of how new entrants on inferior terms will be treated by CWU officials, who have used the agreement to cement their roles as industrial policemen for the company. Without establishing any of the facts, he replied on the lump sum that Pat obviously did not start in the period you would have qualified.

He went on to admit that Royal Mail had started to introduce recruitment on inferior terms during the dispute, but added this was not an issue we could sustain the dispute on. This is an outrageous statement. Workers took strike action after being balloted on opposing a two-tier workforce and race to the bottom.

Ward then claimed, We need to recruit people on the same conditions and that this is what the agreement says. This is a lie. The BRTG Agreement states that the joint CWU-Royal Mail working party will review over 6 months a potential new grade for new entrants based on pay and conditions set by the companys competitors (Amazon, Evri) to establish the quantum for cost-based reductions.

This has set a new benchmark of inferior terms for new entrants, including unpaid meals breaks, not receiving the functional supplement in delivery of up to 30 per week and mandatory Sunday working.

Im still waiting for my agreement

Dave from Sheffield, part of Fleet maintenance at Royal Mail, put Ward on the spot about the fact that they were still without an agreement: I wanted to know what Daves opinion was, this agreement Ive heard him speak about this past hour, I dont know what he is talking about because Im still waiting for my agreement.

A post office worker walks by Royal Mail vans, at the London's latest sorting office Mount Pleasant, September 12, 2013 [AP Photo/Alastair Grant]

Ward was not prepared to commit to anything other than that the CWU remained in closed-door talks with management, stating, fairly soon wed get an agreement, what we want is to ensure it is still you guys that are doing the work.

In other words, after Fleet workers voted down half a year ago what is now Appendix 4 of the BRTG Agreement, providing for expanded outsourcing and inferior terms for new entrants, the CWU reserves the right to keep them in the dark and with the threat of losing their jobs hanging over them. This precarious situation is being exploited by the CWU to justify concessions to keep the work in house.

On the vital question of defending the USO, Wards comments exposed how the union bureaucracy is providing a rationale for it to proceed. Paying lip service to the importance of Royal Mail retaining a universal service, he added it was down to economics (i.e., profitability) whether it could be retained in its current format.

Speaking like a company executive, Ward touted the wild earnings to be made from Royal Mails infrastructure built up to meet the USO. As much as I am not a fan of people like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, could you imagine what they would do if they were running a company and they had that infrastructure in place?

The CWU has already agreed to a reduction to a five-day service. Newly elected CWU Deputy General Secretary (postal) Martin Walsh declared that the six-day USO is now past its sell-by date.

Postal workers did not buy Walshs claims that this would build a sustainable and better future, coming from a member of the Postal Executive who helped ram the pro-company agreement through. Wards new sidekick received just 10 percent of the eligible vote, underscoring the divide separating the rank-and-file from the union hierarchy.

The snapshot provided by LBCs radio show demonstrates the simmering opposition among postal workers to the sabotage carried out by the pro-company bureaucracy headed by Ward. In only the latest example, it was announced on December 15 that mandated industrial action over Christmas and New Year by Customer Experience call centre staff, against enforced changes to working practices, had been withdrawn by the CWU to mark a truce with the company.

The Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee has developed the foundations for establishing a network of opposition across Royal Mail Group to break the grip of the union apparatus, restore power to the shopfloor and link up the struggles of postal workers globally against the transnationals which dominate the postal and logistics sector.
The Kwik Trip juggernaut continues to roll.

In the past four years, the La Crosse-based company has added more than 150 locations to its network of convenience stores, while diving full-on into new product lines like the ready-to-eat meals it rolled out in 2020.

Behind that public-facing growth, there's a vast, often unnoticed operation that churns out bakery, salads, meals and more, and delivers it daily to the company's 800-plus locations.

This week, Kwik Trip announced a $151 million expansion of its La Crosse food production, distribution and office operations that will position the company for further growth while creating up to 500 new jobs.

Here's a by the numbers look at Kwik Trip and its growth:

866 locations and counting

The first Kwik Trip opened in La Crosse in 1971, and it took 15 years for the company to reach 100 locations.

Growth accelerated from there, as the company opened 500 stores over the next 20 years, and more than 300 since 2016.

Recent growth has included both newly built locations and the acquisition of 168 existing stores, including 34 PDQ stores in Wisconsin and 36 Stop-N-Go locations in Wisconsin and Illinois.

The company's most recent addition, a location in Sturgeon Bay, opened Dec. 14.

Kwik Trip's 506 Wisconsin convenience stores make up the majority of its locations, but it also has grown in other states. It operates another 360 Kwik Trip and Kwik Star stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and South Dakota.

A sign advertises Kwik Trip's curb side pickup and carry out servies at 2807 River Valley Road in Waukesha.

Workforce is 38,600 - tripled in five years

Kwik Trip employs 38,600 people between its stores, its corporate headquarters and its food production and distribution operations.

Much of that workforce is in Wisconsin, where the company has 12,442 full-time employees, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. That's nearly triple the 3,432 full-time workers it employed just five years ago.

More than 13,000 people work at Kwik Trip's Wisconsin locations part time.

Story continues

More: Why are Kwik Trip employees passionate about the company? Here are four good reasons.

24,000 Glazers an hour

According to its website, Kwik Trip's La Crosse bakerycan make 400 Glazer donuts a minute, or 24,000 an hour.

That added up to 45 million of the company's signature donuts in 2022, and millions more of other baked goods such as cookies, muffins and sandwich buns, all of which are shipped to the stores daily. The company also has its own dairy operation and a commissary operation that makes Kwik Trip's pizzas, ready to eat meals, salads and more.

In all, Kwik Trip says about 80% of the products it sells are prepared at its La Crosse production plants. That vertical integration - food production, transportation and retail sales - has been a key to the company's growth.

The $151 million expansion will add to that operation and also include development of a new office building in Onalaska.

Nancy Rodriguez, an assistant food service leader, stocks food items at the Kwik Trip at 2807 River Valley Road in Waukesha.

Kwik Rewards keeps more than 1 million people coming back

Kwik Trip launched Kwik Rewards, its customer loyalty program, in 2018. The program allows regular customers to earn discounts on food and gas and to receive coupons and special offers that are exclusive to Kwik Rewards.

More than 1 million people signed up in that first year. Today, nearly 4 million people are enrolled in the rewards program.

The company said it serves 11.5 million customers a week.

More: This Kwik Trip super fan made it her 2021 goal to visit Wisconsin's 457 Kwik Trips. She did it.

$41 million in state tax credits help fuel Kwik Trip growth

The company's expansion of its food products and distribution operations in La Crosse has been assisted by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., through its Enterprise Zone Tax Credit program.

At the outset, the company was awarded up to $21 million in tax credits that were tied to the company's plan to invest $309 million in the La Crosse campus and create 300 new jobs. An additional $5 million was awarded when the project had exceeded that goal and created more than 500 jobs. In all, the expansion has led to the creation of 1,793 full-time jobs, according to WEDC.

An additional $15 million was approved by WEDC earlier this month with the expectation that the $151 million expansion will create an additional 500 full-time jobs over the next decade.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The numbers behind Kwik Trip's growth in Wisconsin and beyond
Trump-aligned Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed three anti-immigrant bills on Monday, one of which is a direct challenge to the US Constitution. Abbott carried out this antidemocratic action in front of a giant border wall in Brownsville, flanked by border police, Texas state troopers and military officials.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs a SB 4 into law, empowering state police and courts to carry out mass arrests and deportations of suspected "illegal aliens," Brownsville, Texas, December 19, 2023. [Photo: Gov. Greg Abbott]

Senate Bill 4 from Special Session 4 (SB4) creates a new state criminal offense of illegal entry into Texas from a foreign nation. In violation of the US Constitution, the bill empowers state officials, including police officers, to stop suspected illegal aliens and charge them with a misdemeanor crime, punishable by up to six months in jail.

The Naturalization Clause in the US Constitution grants Congress, not state governments, the responsibility to establish Rules of Naturalization, which determine how immigrants become citizens. The Constitution explicitly reserves to the federal government the power to set border policy.

SB4 empowers the state police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants and haul them before a state or county judge, who can summarily deport the accused back to the country from which he or she illegally entered, most likely Mexico, in lieu of a jail sentence. If in the process of being deported, the illegal alien resists the police, SB4 empowers the police to charge that person with a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

While signing the bill Monday, Abbott attacked President Joe Biden for failing to continue four of Trumps anti-immigrant border policies: ending catch and release, Title 42 summary deportation powers, Remain in Mexico and the construction of a border wall.

Appealing to fascists, Abbott bemoaned the tidal waves of immigrants streaming across the border. His statements and the enactment of unconstitutional police-state laws underscore the fact that Trumps Hitlerian comments about immigrants poisoning the blood of the country were not an anomaly. On the contrary, they articulate the position of dominant sections of the Republican Party.

Abbott thanked Texas National Guard Adjutant General Thomas Suelzer for deploying thousands of troops as part of Operation Lone Star.

Suelzer thanked the governor and noted that the Texas National Guard under his command had decisively engaged with thousands of troops from El Paso down to Brownsville. He added, In this effort, we have constructed over 72 miles of fence.

General Suelzer boasted, We are deploying new surveillance vehicles that will provide overwatch, using day/night cameras and radar that can track over 300 contacts in order to get after the got-aways that are getting into the country. He praised Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and the Texas legislature for giving the Texas National Guard all the tools it needs.

Abbott then saluted the Texas Department of Safety for deploying troopers all over the state and making thousands upon thousands of arrests.

In response to a reporters question, Abbott said he anticipated that once SB4 takes effect on March 4, 2024, the consequences will be so extreme that immigrants will be deterred from trying to cross through Texas.

The fascistic law has already provoked panic in communities throughout Texas, not just along the border. This is due in part to sweeping provisions that empower state police to stop and detain anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Many have pointed to historical parallels to the Nazi laws of the 1930s that required Jewish people to show their papers in order to prove their citizenship.

Following the signing of the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) filed a lawsuit challenging SB4 on the grounds that it is unconstitutional because it preempts federal law.

Governor Abbotts efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status, Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney at the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, said in a press release.

In addition to SB4, Abbott signed two other anti-immigrant bills on Monday. All the bills were previously passed in special sessions of the Texas legislature this year. Senate Bill 4 from Special Session 3 creates a mandatory 10-year prison sentence for those convicted of smuggling and also creates a mandatory five-year prison sentence for those found guilty of operating a stash house.



Senate Bill 3 from Special Session 4 appropriates $1.54 billion towards the extension of the border wall and the funding of state troopers to patrol the residential community of Colony Ridge, north of Houston. The subdivision, which 40,000 people, including many immigrant families, call home, has for months been the focus of deranged right-wing conspiracy theories promoted by Republican-aligned media outlets. Commentators from Glenn Beck to Steve Bannon have claimed, without evidence, that Colony Ridge is a no-go zone for law enforcement, where illegal alien cartels run rampant.



The anti-immigrant bills are the latest salvo in a bipartisan assault on immigrants involving the Biden administration and both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Biden and the Democratic Party, desperate to reach an agreement with their Republican colleagues to funnel an additional $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine, have already agreed to Republican demands to imprison refugees who come across the Southern border, resume mass deportations without due process and virtually abolish the right to asylum.

As of this writing, more than 24 hours after Abbott signed SB4, the official Twitter/X accounts of Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Majorkas have no posts responding to Abbotts actions.
On Saturday, December 19, 1998, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives impeached Democratic President Bill Clinton. The charges of perjury and obstruction of justice were based on Clintons lying about his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky when subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury hearing a sexual harassment suit brought against him by Paula Jones.

This lawsuit was itself financed and promoted by a cabal of right-wing lawyers, who sought to set a perjury trap for Clinton, forcing him to testify about his sex life and then using the inevitable lies as the basis of an effort to impeach him and remove him from office. In essence, the impeachment was a right-wing political coup against a twice-elected president.

Two days later, the World Socialist Web Site published the analysis reposted below. The editorial board statement cut through the barrage of salacious reports and commentary in the corporate media and analyzed the social and class forces that underlay the impeachment crisis.

Clinton hung on to office because the Republicans fell far short of the two-thirds majority in Clintons Senate trial required to convict and remove an impeached president from office. Less than two years after Clintons impeachment, on December 12, 2000, the US Supreme Court, in a five-to-four ruling, halted a vote recount in Florida and handed the presidency to George W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote to the Democratic candidate, Al Gore, the vice president under Clinton.

Some 25 years later, the crisis of American capitalism has intensified to an unprecedented degree of political tension. The political representatives of big business openly speak of civil war and dictatorship, while the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, who three years ago headed up a conspiracy to overturn the election of Joe Biden and remain in office as de facto dictator, today employs the language of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

As the analysis below demonstrates, the danger of authoritarianism and the destruction of democratic rights is not the product of the diseased personality of Donald Trump, but of the protracted crisis and decay of American and world capitalism. We repost it for the consideration of our readers, many of whom were not even born when these events took place.

****

The impeachment of President Clinton: Is America drifting towards civil war?

The WSWS Editorial Board

21 December 1998

In the aftermath of Saturdays vote to impeach President Bill Clinton, it has suddenly become clear that the United States is in the throes of a political crisis of historic dimensions. Even the mediawhich throughout the year has covered the turmoil in Washington as if it were some sort of uproarious jokeis beginning to recognize that what is happening is deadly serious, and may have deadly consequences.

President Bill Clinton, flanked by Vice President Al Gore and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, as he prepares to speak outside the Oval Office at the White House following the impeachment vote by the House of Representatives, Saturday, December 19, 1998. [AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite]

The most striking aspect of the debate that preceded the vote to impeach was its vitriol and viciousness. To find historical precedents for the bitterness of the political infighting one would have to go back, not simply to the last impeachment of a president in 1868, but beyond thatto the years that led up to the outbreak of civil war in 1861. In the aftermath of the vote, Rep. Richard Gephardt, the Democratic minority leader, warned that politics in the United States were approaching the level of violence.

There seems to be no obvious explanation for the ferocity of the political struggle between the Democrats and Republicans. This isaccording to the punditsa time of unprecedented prosperity, in which the United States, having won the Cold War, exercises unchallenged power as the worlds sole superpower. Why then, amidst these supposedly idyllic conditions, is the countrys political system approaching a state of collapse?

To argue that this situation is merely the product of President Clintons physical encounters with Monica Lewinsky and his subsequent denial of the relationship is patently absurd. If it were true that sex and lies were the real cause of this crisis, one would be forced to conclude that the American system of government was simply not viable. The genius of the Founding Fathers of the American republic would not amount to much if the functioning of the government depended on the willingness of presidents to tell the truth about their sex lives.

The present crisis must arise from causes that are of a far more fundamental character. The conflict in Washington must, in the final analysis, reflect deep-rooted conflicts within American society as a whole.

In no other advanced capitalist country is the spectrum of political debate as narrow as in the United States. According to the political establishment, there is no class struggle in the US. Indeed, official ideology denies the very existence of antagonistic social classes.

But the denial of class conflict does not alter the fact that it exists. Precisely because there is virtually no avenue within the political system for the open and direct expression of class contradictions, they tend at first to manifest themselves in strange and even bizarre forms.

The crisis in Washington arises from an interaction of complex political, social and economic processes. Bourgeois democracy is breaking down beneath the weight of accumulated and increasingly insoluble contradictions. The economic and technological processes associated with the globalization of the world economy have undercut the social conditions and class relationships upon which the political stability of America has long depended.

The most significant aspects of this erosion are the proletarianization of vast strata of American society, the decay in the size and economic influence of the traditional middle classes, and the growth of social inequality, reflected in the staggering disparities in the distribution of both wealth and income. The United States is the most unequal of the major industrialized nations, with a far greater gap between the financial elite and the rest of the population than 25 or even 50 years ago.

Though these processes have been visible throughout much of the twentieth century, they have vastly accelerated since 1975. That stratum of the population that works for a wage has steadily grown, and millions of white-collar, professional and middle management workers have been affected by corporate downsizing and restructuring, with their salaries, benefits and job security dramatically eroded.

The economic stability and social significance of the traditional middle classessmall businessmen, farmers, middle managers, independent professionalshave declined precipitously, reflected in record bankruptcy levels for both individuals and small businesses. These middle layers control a much smaller proportion of the economic and financial resources of American society than at any time this century.

The unprecedented degree of social inequality imparts terrific tensions to society. There is a vast chasm between the wealthy and the working masses that is hardly mediated by a middle class. The intermediate layers which once provided a social buffer, and which constitute the main base of support for bourgeois democracy, can no longer play that role.

The transformation of the old parties

The two big business parties reflect in different ways the impact of these economic changes within the ruling elites. In an effort to develop and maintain a popular base for their attack on the working class and the legacy of New Deal social liberalism, corporate interests have increasingly turned for the political care of their interests to the extreme right wing. The Republican Party, once the open representative of Wall Street, has become the organ of fascistic elements, personified by Christian fundamentalists like James Dobson and Pat Robertson.

The strength of the Republican right consists in this: it represents, more consistently and more ruthlessly than any other bourgeois political faction, the requirements of the American financial elite. The radical right knows what it wants and is prepared to ride roughshod over public opinion in order to get it. The Republicans are not playing by the normal constitutional rules, while the Democrats wring their hands as helpless and passive onlookers.

If the Republicans express the brutality of class relations in America, their bourgeois opponents in the Democratic Party, by contrast, embody a flaccid and demoralized liberalism, whose watered-down perspective of reform has been entirely discarded by the ruling class.

The social base of the Democratic Party has been affected by the same economic and social processes that have driven the Republican Party to the right. Its supporters and activists are wealthy businessmen and professionals, a layer of the black petty bourgeoisielargely dependent on corporate and government handoutsand the trade union bureaucracy. These strata are for reform, platonically, as long as it involves no real struggle and does not affect their stock portfolios. They are just as distant from the working class as their Republican counterparts.

Clinton sought to conciliate the Republican lynch mob in the House, first with groveling apologies, then with bombing raids on Iraq. He will now seek to conciliate the Senate Republicans. His prostration before the impeachment drive is not just a personal, but rather a political phenomenon. Were he to denounce the congressional Republicans and make a serious appeal to the public, the congressional Democrats would desert en masse, sealing his fate in the Senate trial.

The Democratic Party is incapable of defending itself because a genuine struggle against the impeachment drive would require exposing the political significance of the right-wing campaign to destabilize the Clinton administration, identifying the social forces behind it, and arousing a popular movement of opposition among working people. As a bourgeois party that defends the profit system, the Democratic Party can make no such appeal.

The coming political storm

Developments over the past quarter century have in effect turned the United States into two countries, which, as recent events make clear, do not speak the same political language. There are the working Americans, the vast majority, who face a continual struggle against the destruction of jobs and erosion of living standards; and there is the financial elitethe capitalists and a layer of the upper middle classwho monopolize the wealth and control the political system.

Up to now the conflict in Washington has been confined to the political and media elite, which has either ignored, misjudged, or, as in the impeachment vote, directly defied public sentiment. However, beneath the surface of this frenzied battle, enormous social forces are churning. Regardless of how the crisis plays itself out in the short term, these social contradictions must find their expression in a deep-going social conflict.

The breakup of the financial boom of the 1990s will give an enormous impetus to the growth of social tensions and the development of anti-capitalist political consciousness among working people. The soaring stock exchange has sustained illusions in the profit system and allowed Clinton and the Republicans to disguise the reactionary character of policies such as the abolition of welfare. But the dismantling of social benefits means that a downturn in the economy, let alone a full-scale slump or financial panic, will rapidly plunge millions into poverty.

The British Financial Times warned Saturday of the fragility of the American economy, based on fantastically inflated asset values. The overvalued US stock market is all that stands between world capitalism and a devastating global recession, it declared. It goes without saying that, torn by political infighting in Washington, the American bourgeoisie is in no condition to organize a global response to the next round of financial or currency crises.

A few more serious voices in the American press have begun to express concern about the political repercussions of the present crisis. A columnist in the New York Times warned, Should our civic institutions fail to adjudicate and purge deep national divisions in a fair, legal and completely open manner, Americans may be tempted instead to fight them out in the streets.

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times was headlined Beware the wrath. It warned: A Capitol so out of step with the people it claims to represent, one so easily whipsawed by a group of small but vocal extremists, is a greater danger to the Republic than all of Bill Clintons selfish lies. The House should heed an almost biblical warning from Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) issued earlier this year: The American people are watching. Beware the wrath of the American people ... Beware.

No other ruling class has been so successful in blocking a social movement of the working class as the American ruling class. Utilizing the two-party system to manipulate public sentiment, tacking now to the left, now to the right, as required by circumstances, American capitalism has been able to prevent the emergence of an independent political movement among masses of working people. Particularly important has been the role of the mass media, which censors and declares illegitimate any expression of political opinion outside the right-wing consensus in Washington.

These methods, however, have their limits. Even the most subservient media and the most venal politicians cannot make the program of further enriching the wealthy attractive to the broad masses. The period when American politics was limited to a spectrum from conservative to ultraconservative, with socialism banned and even liberalism a dirty word, is coming to an end. The political coup by the radical right wing has already begun to provoke a political response from below.

There are three hallmarks of the emergence of a revolutionary situation. The old ruling class can no longer rule in the old way. The oppressed masses can no longer live in the old way. And the masses have become conscious of the necessity to take the road of political struggle, and concentrate the fate of society in their own hands. The first two conditions already exist in America, but the third has yet to mature. That is the task to which socialists must turn their attention.

**

For further material on the 1998 impeachment crisis, please consult The Crisis of American Democracy and other works of the Socialist Equality Party.
In Sunflower County, Mississippi, last week, a grand jury decided not to levy criminal charges against a police officer who shot an unarmed, unthreatening 11-year-old boy in the chest last May.

Responding to a call of a possible domestic disturbance, two police officers of Indianola, Mississippi, arrived at the home of Nakala Murry. Murry had instructed her young son, Aderrien Murry, to call the police after the father of one of her younger children came to the home irate and threatening Nakala. By the time officers arrived, the man was already gone but officers demanded residents vacate the house.

It was then that an officer later identified as Sgt. Greg Capers opened fire on Aderrien, wounding him in the chest.

Sgt. Greg Capers and Aderrien Murry

Nakala reported hearing one gunshot as she left the house to address the officers. Aderrien had approached officers from around a corner inside the home and was shot on sight by Capers.

Capers was initially placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. In the seven months since the incident, Murry, her attorney Carlos Moore, and their supporters in Mississippi have called for Capers to be fired from his position as a police officer and to face criminal charges for the shooting of Aderrien who suffered broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a collapsed lung from the attack. Capers has been on paid and unpaid administrative leaves since the incident.

Murry, following the decision of the grand jury, is demanding that body-cam footage be released to the public showing the attack on her son. The footage itselfwhich is public propertywas for many months locked away by the police department until Murry and a few select others from her legal team were allowed to view it under strict confidentiality conditions.

Since viewing it, Murry and her legal team are demanding it be released as part of their ongoing effort to seek justice for her son Aderrien.

Watching that footage was nothing I was prepared for emotionally, but it was something I had to do, she said. I feel disgusted, outraged and emotionally damaged, but in all of those feelings I feel blessed. This has been a process of fighting for justice for my son.

The familys attorney told reporters at the recent press conference following the decision of the grand jury that they will not let this decision halt them in their efforts. While the grand jury has spoken, we firmly believe that there are unanswered questions and that the shooting of Aderrien Murry was not justified, Moore said in a statement. We are committed to seeking justice for Aderrien and his family, and we will persist in our efforts to ensure accountability through the civil legal process.

The city of Indianola and the police department have fought legal proceedings to have the footage released under concerns of privacy for the young victim and the officer even as their names are already public knowledge. Capers and his lawyers are currently petitioning the city to put him back into active duty with the police force.

Moore told Business Insider that he believes the release of the body-cam footage would spark a very justifiable public outcry and this is the only reason the police refuse to make it public. We know that if its in their favor, the [sic] immediately release body camera footage, Moore said. So we believe that it is worse than we can imagine. Moore intends to file a federal lawsuit for the release of the footage.

Aderrien has suffered a long and difficult recovery and has since gone into counseling treatments to address the psychological trauma of Capers attack. Moore has said that the child still has trouble breathing and has struggled to understand why the officer shot him that day.

He told his mom not to worry. It was not her fault, Moore told Business Insider. She was blaming herself, and hes trying to encourage her not to blame herself. He told us, Its the cops faultits not your fault. He was doing all he could to help protect his mom, and he ends up getting shot.

As the year 2023 draws to close, Mapping Police Violence records that police have killed 1,141 people across the United States. More than 600 of those have been killed since Aderrien was shot in May.

According to the Democratic Party and their auxiliary organizations such as Black Lives Matter, this social plague is a result of police officer racism. As such, little has been said by these groups on this case, as the officers involved and the victim are all African Americans.

The reality is that the police are the armed functionaries of the capitalist state tasked with enforcing social inequality and the class system through violence and repression. Just this week, the Democrats and Republicans in Congress came together in wide bipartisan support for a massive increase in the Pentagon budget, totaling $883.7 billion.

This spending bill will see nearly unlimited resources to fund increasingly militarized police forces at home as well as war and genocide abroad. This will inevitably deepen the chasm of social inequality and fan the flames of working class struggle against police violence and its the root cause, the capitalist system.
North Korea test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early Monday morning, the fifth this year. The United States and its allies, South Korea and Japan, have denounced the latest launch while planning to utilize it to continue and deepen their military collaboration. This is above all aimed at preparing for a US-instigated war against China.

North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test launch [AP Photo/KCNA via KNS]

According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched the ICBM from the Pyongyang area at 8:24 a.m.. Fired at a lofted angle, the ICBM reportedly landed approximately 1,000 km away in the Sea of Japan. The missile is estimated to be able to travel 12,000 km to 15,000 km and thus able to strike the US mainlanda fact that will be exploited by Washington to justify its belligerent and provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific. Pyongyang launched a short-range missile on Sunday that also landed in the Sea of Japan.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang stated that it had conducted a test of a Hwasong-18 ICBM using solid fuel. Solid, as opposed to liquid, fuel requires less preparation time and is easier and safer to operate, allowing missile launches to be carried out more quickly.

The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that the countrys leadership had ordered the test launch as a warning measure taken as the military threat from the US and South Korea has persisted for the whole of this year [and] is getting evermore undisguised and dangerous even at this moment of year-end December.

In particular, Pyongyang denounced the second meeting of the US-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG). Established in April during the summit of US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, the NCG gives Seoul a say in the planning and use of Washingtons nuclear armament and is modelled after a similar NATO nuclear-decision making body.

Washington and Seoul agreed on Friday to establish guidelines for their nuclear collaboration by mid-2024. They also agreed to hold joint war games, supposedly in response to a nuclear attack from the North, which Pyongyangs Defense Ministry denounced as an an open declaration on nuclear confrontation.

Furthermore, on Sunday, the USS Missouri, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine carrying tomahawk cruise missiles, arrived at Busan. With the deployment of the USS Missouri, we plan to strengthen naval exchanges and cooperation with the United States and to bolster our combined defense posture, the South Korean Navy stated.

Military cooperation between not only Washington and Seoul, but also Tokyo has developed rapidly this year. The nuclear envoys from the three allies claimed after the latest launch that North Koreas military development and nuclear program were the root causes of regional instability. Yet, under successive administrations, the US has repeatedly menaced North Korea economically and militarily.

North Korea is an impoverished country that has been systematically isolated from the rest of the world through crippling US-led sanctions. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the North Korean threat has instead provided Washington with the pretext for maintaining its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Utilizing its weapon programs as bargaining chips, Pyongyang conducts missile tests as a means of trying to force the US to the bargaining table to gain some relief and end its isolation.

Instead, the US and its allies have antagonized and goaded North Korea to justify building an anti-ballistic missile system throughout the Indo-Pacific region that ultimately targets China. This includes Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries in South Korea and Guam, as well as associated radar systems in Japan. Rather than to protect civilian populations, these are designed to cover American bases from counter-attack in a US-instigated war.

The collaboration between the US, South Korea and Japan has now expanded into a de facto trilateral military alliance, which the three countries agreed to during their war planning summit at Camp David in August. It is part of a broader system of Washington-led alliances in the region such as the AUKUS pact between the US, the United Kingdom and Australia.

On Tuesday, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo used the Norths ICBM test launch to formally announce the establishment of a three-way intelligence sharing system operating in real-time as well as plans for multi-year joint exercises. The Souths Defense Ministry stated, The three countries will continue to strengthen trilateral cooperation to respond to regional challenges and ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula, and beyond.

In other words, the de facto alliance targets adversaries other than North Korea. Claims to be ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific are routinely used to denounce Beijing, with Seoul making clear what the true target of the alliance is.

On Monday, the US and South Korea also announced the conclusion of a two-week exercise involving US Army Special Forces, US Navy SEALs, South Korean Special Warfare Command troops, and police from the Special Operations Unit. This concluded with a training exercise in an urban-environment training range with the intent of recovering time sensitive targets in a dynamic training environment, according to US Forces Korea.

Notably, in 2017, South Korea created a US-trained unit that would be tasked with carrying out the assassination of Kim Jong-un and other members of the North Korean leadership. This is part of its Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation program, under which Pyongyang would be struck with a barrage of weaponry designed to penetrate bunkers in order to kill North Korean leaders. The South Korean hit team would then enter and kill any surviving leaders.

All of this is exacerbating tensions that have already been growing in recent weeks after Seoul scuttled a 2018 military agreement between the two Koreas following North Koreas launching of a military reconnaissance satellite last month.

The deal created a buffer zone along the border between North and South Korea to reduce the potential for clashes. Seoul, which had been seeking an excuse to pull out of the deal for months, recently resumed aerial surveillance along the border. Pyongyang declared it was also pulling out of the agreement and has since begun reinstalling guard posts in the previous buffer zone.

Ultimately, the smattering of missile firings from North Korea pales in comparison to the weaponry deployed on a regular basis by the US and its allies in the region. Joint US-led war games are now practically a daily occurrence and are only set to expand. The greatest destabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific is US imperialism which is seeking to maintain its political and economic hegemony through any means, including through catastrophic nuclear war.
Novo Resources Corp.

HIGHLIGHTS



Subject to Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) approval, Liatam Mining Pty Ltd (Liatam) has agreed to further invest A$1.8 million to obtain 9,000,000 shares at A$0.20 per share in Novo to increase their shareholding from ~3% to ~6%.

Liatam has exceeded the required spend of A$1.75 million to form the 80%/20% Quartz Hill Joint Venture with Novo in the East Pilbara, Western Australia.

Liatam has acquired legal title to the tenements included in the Quartz Hill Joint Venture and becomes the manager of the joint venture, with Novo retaining 20% ownership of battery mineral rights along with 100% of the gold and silver rights on the tenements.

The Quartz Hill Joint Venture tenements are considered prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) style pegmatite mineralisation.

Following the A$10 million transaction with SQM Australia in the Harding Battery Metals JV in the West Pilbara, and the investment made by Liatam, Novo is in a strong financial position to continue its aggressive exploration focus across key gold targets in the Pilbara, Western Australia and Victoria in 2024.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (ASX: NVO) (TSX: NVO & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to announce an update to the Quartz Hill Project earn-in agreement with Liatam and also an additional investment by Liatam in Novo of A$1.8 million.

Liatam has now exceeded the required spend of A$1.75 million at the Quartz Hill Project, pursuant to the earn-in agreement announced by Novo on 15 December 20221. Quartz Hill is located in the Mosquito Creek Basin in the East Pilbara, Western Australia. Following completion of the earn-in requirement, the 80%/20% Quartz Hill Joint Venture (JV) between Liatam and Novo has now been formed.

Novo Executive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO Mike Spreadborough said,

Novo is continuing its strategy to JV its prospective battery minerals tenements with battery minerals specialists. Novo is pleased that Liatam has quickly exceeded its minimum exploration spend to form the JV and Liatam will continue its strategy to explore for lithium bearing pegmatites at Quartz Hill. Liatams additional investment of $1.8 million in Novo also further validates Novos continuing exploration strategy and helps boost Novos current cash reserves and exploration budget.



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_______________

1 15 December 2022; Novo Announces Strategic Investment & Advancement of Battery Minerals Strategy. See also paragraph 9.6 of Novos ASX IPO prospectus dated 2 August 2023.



Quartz Hill Joint Venture (JV)

The 80%/20% JV between Liatam and Novo has been formed following completion of the earn-in requirement. Liatam will now sole fund and free carry all of Novos required exploration costs in relation to the joint venture structure, until earlier of:

Liatam having completed a Feasibility Study in respect of at least one deposit of Relevant Minerals; and

Liatam having sole funded the exploration; capped of A$20m.

Following an initial 12-month period of exploration, Liatam made an offer of A$200k to acquire legal title to the tenements that are the subject of the JV package, which was accepted by Novo. The transaction transfers the title of the tenements to Liatam and they will be the manager of the JV. Novo has retained its 20% share of battery mineral rights as well as all gold and silver rights on these tenements.

The Quartz Hill area is comprised of six granted Exploration Licenses, nineteen Prospecting Licences and one Exploration Licence Application collectively covering approximately 770 sq km. The area is considered prospective for lithiumcaesiumtantalum (LCT) style pegmatite mineralisation2.

Novo Investment

In addition to the formation of the JV, Liatam has signed a subscription agreement and agreed to subscribe for an additional A$1.8 million in Novo shares.

Subject to receipt of TSX approval, 9,000,000 shares will be issued to Liatam, based on a share value of A$0.20 per share, increasing their shareholding from ~3% to ~6%. Liatam has a right to transmute the issued shares into ASX CDIs following a four-month hold.

Following the A$10 million transaction with SQM Australia3 and the investment committed by Liatam, Novo is well positioned to continue to efficiently execute its gold exploration strategy throughout 2024.

The funds received will be utilised to advance Novos Pilbara exploration drilling and reconnaissance programs in the southern Egina Gold Camp, the Balla Balla Gold project and at Belltopper Project in Victoria.

ABOUT NOVO

Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 7,500 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. In addition to the Companys primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its shareholders.

_______________

2 23 February 2023; JV Partner Liatam Mining Outlines Lithium Exploration Program

3 18 December 2023; Strategic Joint Venture with Global Lithium Producer SQM



CONTACT

Investors:

Mike Spreadborough

+61 8 6400 6100

info@novoresources.com North American Queries:

Leo Karabelas

+1 416 543 3120

leo@novoresources.com Media:

Cameron Gilenko

+61 466 984 953

cgilenko@citadelmagnus.com

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Novo Resources Corp.

 Michael Spreadborough 

Michael Spreadborough

Executive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (including within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, the intended private placement with Liatam and intended use of proceeds therefrom. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, receipt of TSX approval to the private placement, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novos annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available under Novos profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.




ZHENGZHOU, China, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Science and Technology Daily: Visit the Zhengzhou Longhu Park in Henan's capital city Zhengzhou and you will be greeted by majestic swans and other wildlife. It is difficult to believe that this place used to be a wasteland once.

Henan's commitment to a greener urban environment can be seen from its multiple initiatives that combine environmental protection with economic benefits.

The ecological protection drives in this inland central province in the Yellow River valley are tackling alleviating extreme climate conditions and poverty in its suburban cities while building up foundations for their economic growth.

The Zhengzhou Longhu Park at the heart of Zhengzhou is a striking example. The size of nearly two dozen soccer fields, it is the largest artificial wetland in Zhengzhou with natural water ecosystem protection and restoration functions. Once a barren wasteland, it was transformed in merely 10 years into a haven for nearly 150 species of wildlife such as mute swans, egrets, ducks and mandarin ducks.

A mute swan is swimming in the lake of the Zhengzhou Longhu Park. (Photo taken by WANG Xiaolong/S&T Daily)

There are 55 mute swans in the park. Lu Bing, a volunteer with an association for bird protection in Zhengzhou, says the species is very choosy about its habitat but the Longhu Park has been meticulously protected and greened to meet its needs.

The conservation model in the wetland park involves both the government and volunteers. The Zhengzhou municipal government, working with local animal protection experts, has planted vegetation suitable for the consumption of the mute swans in the park. "This not only creates a scenic attraction for visitors, beautifying the natural environment but also ensures ample food for these swans to thrive on," Lu said.

Besides, the park's water and air quality are monitored regularly in real-time while portable noise monitoring devices are used to periodically assess the noise levels.

Another highlight of Henan's environmental protection drive is the national-level wetland park in Yuzhou, a county in Xuchang City, which showcases an innovative model of treating polluted water.

Story continues

A management personnel of the wetland said wetlands constructed adjacent to a sewage plant could naturally purify wastewater.

The wetland microbial community helps remove pollutants from wastewater by catalyzing chemical reactions, biodegradation and biosorption. They also support vegetation growth. The water passes through the surface flow wetland and its quality is further improved. It is then discharged into the nearby river, meeting discharge standards.

The wetland system also serves as a green lung and a sight for sore eyes for the nearby residents. "The plants remain green throughout the year except in winter, and people enjoy bringing their families here to see the beautiful scenery," a passerby told Science & Technology Daily's reporters.

Both the Zhengzhou Longhu Park and the Yuzhou Wetland Park exemplify the vision of providing a healthy living environment for the local people. Besides, it focuses on creating an integrated model that utilizes a clean environment to boost the economy.

For example, Sunzhuang, a village in Zhengzhou close to the Yellow River, has been hosting seed technology expos for several years.

The latest exhibition in October this year showcased over 6,500 new vegetable varieties. The participants included top breeding teams from 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country, as well as from the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions. International and foreign-funded enterprises such as Syngenta, Nunhems, Rijk Zwaan, Enza and Hazera were also present.

"The seed expo provides a platform for displaying newly developed vegetable varieties. In the future, we will strengthen cooperation with research institutions and enterprises, promote new and superior varieties, and contribute to rural revitalization," Jiang Junping, director of the seed tech expo, said.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-miraculous-ecological-tale-of-henan-302020129.html

SOURCE Science and Technology Daily
Mountain America Credit Union

The credit union funded unique classroom learning projects in Utah, Arizona and Idaho through the Mountain America Educator Grants program



SANDY, Utah, Dec. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Credit Union announced the recipients of its annual Educator Grants program for the 20232024 school year. These grants will fund projects that vary in nature, from hands-on integrated science supplies, handmade electric guitars, social skills curriculum resources and more.

Through the program, Mountain America awards up to $20,000 each year for K12 classroom learning projects. To be eligible, the receiving schools must be located within the credit unions six-state footprint of Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico. Since 2016, Mountain America has awarded more than 70 grants to teachers and school leaders to support classroom learning. Educators are encouraged to apply for projects that support classroom learning.

We are excited to announce the recipients of the Mountain America Credit Union Educator Grant program, said Sharlene Wells, senior vice president of public relations and organizational communications at Mountain America. This endeavor exemplifies our commitment to empowering the dedicated educators who shape the future of our communities.

Three of this years recipients include:

Teaching Diversity

John Goodman, from Bridger Elementary School in Logan, Utah, wanted a unique way to help students learn how diversity can be a strength. He began a weekly activity teaching about different countries and languages represented within the school. Bridger Elementary is one of the most diverse elementary schools in the state, with students speaking over 29 languages, Goodman said. This is a way that students can have a hands-on experience and learn more about their fellow students, which will bring everyone closer and make us all stronger. Thank you, Mountain America Credit Union, for your generosity and support!

Story continues

Applying Math in the Real World

Mark Waterhouse of Gem State Adventist Academy in Caldwell, Idaho, wanted to give his students the ability to apply math to something tangible: building their own electric guitars. My whole philosophy as a math teacher is to get the student to see the applications for math, because math is everywhere. Whether youre a nurse, whether youre a sanitation engineer, whatever it is, there is math all around you, Waterhouse said. Math is kind of given a bad rap because kids associate it with algebra and numbers, but its also logic, reason and problem-solving skills. We will use all those skills in building electric guitars.

Hi-Lo Books to Improve Reading

Angelica Abbey, from Frye Elementary School in Chandler, Arizona, requested funds for high interest, low level (hi-lo) books to help alleviate the wide range of reading levels among her sixth-grade students. Hi-lo books look like high level readers but are at a first through third grade reading level, helping struggling readers feel more included and successful when reading. This will make a huge difference for my kids and their ability to read, Abbey said. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I will be telling all of my peers to apply next year.

For the past eight years, Mountain America Credit Union has awarded grants to support learning-based projects in K12 classrooms. For this school year, Mountain America awarded 11 grants, up to $2,000 each. The 20232024 Mountain America Educator Grant recipients are Angelica Abbey, Frye Elementary School, Chandler, Arizona; Tracy Anderson, Pine View High School, St. George, Utah; Irene Coronado, Whitesides Elementary School, Layton, Utah; John Goodman, Bridger Elementary School, Logan, Utah; Emily Gunderson, Sierra Bonita Elementary, Spanish Fork, Utah; Victoria Hinojosa, Wasatch Elementary School, Clearfield, Utah; Haley Johnson, Riverview Junior High School, Murray, Utah; Robyn Jones, Overlake Elementary School, Tooele, Utah; Robin Merrill, Canyon Heights High School, Kaysville, Utah; Kietra Stokes, Sage Valley Middle School, Nampa, Idaho; and Mark Waterhouse, Gem State Adventist Academy, Caldwell, Idaho.

Grant opportunities for the 20242025 school year will be announced online in 2024. More information can be found at macu.com/grants.

About Mountain America Credit Union

With more than 1 million members and $18 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile-banking technology, over 100 branches across six states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain Americaguiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

Contact: publicrelations@macu.com, macu.com/newsroom




Hailey stripped down to her underwear for a steamy carousel of Instagram photos

Hailey Bieber/Instagram Hailey Bieber in the snow

A little snow isn't gonna stop Hailey Bieber from doing what she does best: posing, posing, posing.

Oh, did we mention she was also in her underwear? Because of course.

The Rhode founder shared a new carousel of photos to Instagram on Tuesday where she stripped down to next to nothing. She wore a lacy white bra that she topped with a cropped pink tank and a teeny-tiny sequin skirt. To protect herself from the cold, she covered her skimpy outfit with an oversize feathered coat.

Hailey Bieber/Instagram Hailey Bieber in the snow

Related: Justin Bieber Pays Romantic Tribute to Wife Hailey on Her 27th Birthday: You Make Life Wonderful

She accessorized with two of her go-tos: her "B" necklace and her glazed donut nails.

The model, 27, captioned her Instagram simply, "sugarplum."

While plenty of her fans chimed in to praise "mother" for her dewy look and her willingness to go out in the snow in her underwear  all for the sake of the 'gram  there's one person whose reaction cannot be missed.

Her husband, Justin Bieber, shared the photos to his own Instagram Stories, writing in large letters below the photo, "Umm yeah."

Related: Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber Own the Red Carpet in Floor-Length Gowns at Academy Museum Gala

Justin Bieber/Instagram Justin Bieber's reaction to Hailey Bieber

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Just a week ago, the Biebers headed out for date night in Los Angeles, dressed to the nines, with Hailey rocking another statement coat. She wore a calf-length festive red fuzzy coat over top a black outfit and matched her bold red lip to her coat for an even more holiday-ready look.

The couple have been on a friendly getaway with Kendall Jenner in Aspen, Colorado, for the past several days, taking in the sights in the snowy city  and bringing out some of their most fashionable outerwear. Jenner has already been spotted wearing more than $33K worth of real and faux fur, and Hailey has stepped out in a few fur toppers of her own.

For Jenner, this trip comes on the heels of the news that she and Bad Bunny reportedly split after less than a year of dating. A source confirmed to PEOPLE that the pair are no longer together.

The duo was last spotted together at the Saturday Night Live afterparty in October, when Bad Bunny took on double duty as host and musical guest on the show.

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Read the original article on People.
It all started with an otherworldly encounter. One night, after his second feature O-Town had not been the hit he had hoped for, Nigerian director C.J. Fiery Obasi found himself on a beach, pondering the future of his career.

I felt like I was cursed with the sophomore jinx that filmmakers suffer from sometimes, he told IndieWire during a recent interview. I didnt want to start doing things just because I think thats what people want to see. I was trying to find my place in the world.

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In that existentialist state, Obasi had a vivid black-and-white vision of the mermaid-like deity known across West Africa as Mami Wata. She was standing in the ocean with locks of hair dripping all the way down to her knees covering her entire body, he recalled. Her eyes were pure red. Its probably because of the red eyes that I know that everything else was a black and white.

Behind him, a young woman started walking towards Mami Wata. She walked right across the filmmaker. It was in that moment he decided to make a movie about the goddess, but not precisely focused on her. Instinctively, I knew the person I had to follow wasnt Mami Wata, but the young woman, he said. I knew she would still lead me back to Mami Wata.

The resulting project, simply titled Mami Wata, premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival. The movie is Nigerias current Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film and is also the first Nigerian production ever nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the International Film category.

Mami Wata observes the clash between ancient beliefs and the aggressive march of what the West would describe as modernity through the perspective of people living in Iyi, a seaside town devoted to the titular holy entity. The leader, Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), acts as the connection between the earthly and the divine. But when she cant deliver on her promises of healing and prosperity, residents begin to lose their faith. Efes daughter and adopted mentee, Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen), become entangled in the violence of escalating unrest.

Prior to Mami Wata, Obasi wrote the screenplay for the drama Lionheart, which was set to become Nigerias first-ever Oscar entry in 2019. The Academy ultimately disqualified that film by director Genevieve Nnaji given that most of its dialogue is in English and only a faction in the local Igbo language, raising questions about how the rule on language presents a disadvantage for countries with a British colonial past.

The idea of language is a very political thing, and it affects a country like Nigeria is a very specific way, said Obasi. You have a country that speaks over 500 ethnic languages and dialects. So where do you even begin when you want to make a film?

Mami Wata Courtesy Everett Collection

For Mami Wata, the director stuck with the most authentic tongue for the story, even if it could impact the movies economic viability or its chances at international recognition. The film exists in a fictional West African village that is frozen in time. What particular language has the texture and DNA of West African culture, tradition and spirituality? Its Pidgin, he said. Its spoken across the region, irrespective of tribe and ethnicity.

Early on in the development process Obasi faced strong opposition to the story he wanted to tell. Nigeria, he explained, is a rather religious country where Christianity and Islam dominate most aspects of life. Therefore, traditional practices and beliefs, such as Mami Wata, are perceived negatively. Making a film about such subject matter, effectively bringing it to the foreground instead of demonizing it, made him a target for scorn.

We had crazy, almost violent responses from people when we mentioned that we were making a film about Mami Wata, he said. A lot of people tried to blacklist us.

It wasnt until Obasi attended the 2018 Ouaga Film Lab in Burkina Faso that he gained confidence in his core idea. The positive feedback for the screenplay at the the labs workshops helped him transcend the tropes of genre and get to the heart of the feeling he sought to capture, the feeling he felt from the vision that started it all.

Mami Wata Courtesy Everett Collection

Obasi had experimented with horror in his debut feature, 2014s Ojuju, a zombie flick set in the city of Lagos, and later with a gangster movie in 2015s O-Town. But while those two efforts put a Nigerian lens on familiar concepts, he wished to challenge himself on Mami Wata.

Obasi scrapped his tenth draft of the screenplay and started from scratch. That allowed me to have more layers and more texture to the story, rather than just a purely traditional genre film, which it wouldve been otherwise, he explained.

More than 70 percent of the films financing came from private Nigerian investors who believed in the project, and the rest came from other investors in the U.K. and in France. Principal photography took place not in Nigeria, but in Benin, a neighboring country known as the birthplace of the Voodoo religion. The director needed an oceanside town that didnt look too developed, but it couldnt seem poverty-stricken, as he aimed to avoid perpetuating the images of Africa prominent in films from a Western vantage point.

Unable to find such a place in his native Nigeria, Obasi thought of Benin, not only as a logistically ideal option, but one that felt spiritually in synch with Mami Wata. To remain truthful to his revelation on the beach, Obasi envisioned Mami Wata in highly saturated black or white, where the blacks are intensely black, the whites are just as rich, and there are no grays. This meant that every element on screen production design, costumes, and even the actors makeup  had to work in function of that aesthetic decision.

We couldnt work with greens or with yellows, because if you convert those to black and white, they turn out to be more or less gray or ashy, which we werent going for, he said. We used more purples and navy blues. We were intentional about every choice of color.

These efforts to craft striking imagery paid off, as director of photography Lilis Soares received a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at Sundance.

Mami Wata Courtesy Everett Collection

That Mami Wata debuted at one of the worlds most relevant festivals enabled it to break in back in Nigeria. Without that visibility, Obasi doesnt believe his latest work would have been released domestically. According to him, the established local film industry doesnt welcome creators whose productions dont fit within its rigid notion of economic viability.

In both form and theme, Mami Wata doesnt resemble the broader options Nigerian audiences are often offered. We struggled with the power structures, people who feel threatened by the idea of the status quo changing, people who profit off of the narrative that Nigerians only like certain films or that only certain films can be made, he said.

Obasi believes that striving to make intellectually resonant narratives with high production values, which can aspire to having an international presence, is his way of advocating for the soul of Nigerian cinema.

My thing is to fight for the ability of other kinds of cinema to thrive in Nigeria outside of what is considered to be commercial there, he explained. Once that happens, it will open up the flood gates for other young people who want to find their own cinematic voice.

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Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 is an adventure reality series that focuses on Martin Clunes ocean-wide escapades in the Pacific. In this edition, he explores the lands of the Trobriand Islands, as well as the volcanic isle of New Britain. A trip to the Philippines takes Clunes closer to the cultural heritage of the exotic land, where he comes face to face with the tribal burials, shamans, cuddly tarsier primates, and other native rituals practiced there.

Heres how you can watch and stream Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 via streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video.

Is Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 available to watch via streaming?

Yes, Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 is available to watch via streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Martin Clunes resumes his mission to explore the exotic locations of the world, venturing into new Pacific Ocean islands to bask in their beauty and cultural heritage. This time out, Clunes begins his adventure by visiting Papua New Guinea to experience life in the Trobriand Islands. His explorative escapades also take him to the wonderful sights of the Philippines, Guam, as well as Palau, where he encounters the endangered hawksbill turtle and the rare dugong.

Renowned English actor Martin Clunes returns to the setup as the host of the show, setting foot in locations with the sole purpose of exploring them. The additional cast also includes the localities whom Clunes interacts with and cultural and science experts who shed light on the history and ecosystem of the island in question.

Watch Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 streaming via Amazon Prime Video

Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. The celebrated streaming platform is home to multiple such mind-bending shows. While subscribing to a plan, potential users are also offered a 30-day trial period.

You can watch via Amazon Prime Video by following these steps:

Go to Amazon Prime Video Select Sign in and Create your Amazon account Sign up for a Prime Video membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year with an Amazon Prime membership

$8.99 per month for a standalone Prime Video membership

Amazon Prime is the online retailers paid service that provides fast shipping and exclusive sales on products, so the membership that includes both this service and Prime Video is the companys most popular offering. However, you can also opt to subscribe to Prime Video separately.

The synopsis of Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Season 2 is as follows:

Martin Clunes embarks on an epic ocean-wide adventure in search of the real Pacific. His voyage is inspired by reading a book given to him when he was a child by his father about the Kon-Tiki expedition across the Pacific. Martin has always yearned to follow in those explorers footsteps.

NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.

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GettyImages-1491990801

Robert De Niro has had a hell of a year. In April, the screen icon welcomed a daughter, Gia, with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen. Three months later, he lost his grandson, Leandro, to a drug overdose at just 19 years of age. Then came the actors strike, causing an industry-wide shutdown that put him out of work for the next four months and prevented him from promoting Killers of the Flower Moon, a masterful crime saga boasting his best performance in years. Finally, he was embroiled in a legal nightmare with an ex-assistant that, after a heavily publicized trial, found him not personally liable for gender discrimination, but left his company with a $1.2 million judgment.

Its been trying for the 80-year-old actor, to say the least.

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Its a lot, he says, choking up. I have no choice but to plow through. And my biggest concern now, with everything else, is us getting out of this situation with a monster in Trump. This is a classic grift. This is unreal.

He pauses. If you look at other totalitarian countries like Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, it will affect everybody in ways you cant even imagine.

Im seated across from De Niro at his office in Tribeca. The walls are adorned with photos of De Niro posing with luminaries like Nelson Mandela and Federico Fellini, while one of the corner tables has enough bottles of champagne for a Gatsby jamboree. The venerable star of film classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Heat is digging into his lunch: a glass of coke and thick-cut Canadian bacon, cutting it into pieces and stabbing it with a knife and fork.

Were here to discuss his chilling turn as William Hale in Killers of the Flower Moon, an anti-Western of sorts about the Reign of Terror  when white settlers in 1920s Oklahoma, led by Hale, systematically married and murdered wealthy Osage Nation tribal members for the headrights to their oil-rich land. Hale urges his simple-minded nephew, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), to marry and poison Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone, extraordinary), an Osage woman from an oil-rich family. But Mollie wont go quietly into the night. The film marks De Niros tenth feature with Scorsese over 50 years, since 1973s Mean Streets, in what is arguably the richest actor-director relationship in cinema history.

Rolling Stone spoke with De Niro about the Oscar-worthy film, his special relationship with Marty, and the aforementioned orange man who, he says, gives New Yorkers a bad name.

I want to congratulate you for welcoming a half-Asian baby into the world. Im half-Asian myself and were always happy to grow our ranks.

Oh, me. Yeah. Half-Chinese. I want to try to teach her Chinese and show her nursery rhymes in English and Chinese. Im hoping to have her learn both.

Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Did you and Al Pacino talk about becoming fathers at this age together? It was a weird coincidence. The news reports hit not too long apart.

No, I didnt know he was having a kid! I dont know under what conditions he had the baby, but I was happy for him and wish him luck. I dont know what the story is with Als baby, but when I see him, well talk.

You also have children who are half-Black. What are your fears for your children in todays America?

Years ago, Joe Pesci said to me, Youre more American than most Americans, because I had two children at the time that were mixed. And I never thought of it at all. But then I said, You know, hes got a point. Thats what this country is. But every group has to get out there and vote.

You said that Apple censored a portion of your recent Gotham Awards speech where you spoke out about the dangers of another Trump presidency.

What happened was I was working on the speech with a writer, Lewis Friedman, and he gave it to them, and then one of the consultants had put something in the speech about how kids in Oklahoma arent even able to read the book Killers of the Flower Moon. And then I didnt hear anything. They gave me the script, and I looked at the prompter, and I asked after, What happened? And they assumed that I had spoken to Marty or somebody about it, but I hadnt. They assumed that I would be OK with it, and maybe Im still getting it wrong, and I wasnt. Marty and I spoke about it the next day and he said, Yeah, I had sent you a text and [Apple] asked if you could dial it down, respectfully.

Apple also recently is alleged to have canceled The Problem with Jon Stewart in part because Stewarts show was critical of China.

Oh, thats interesting. I didnt even want to blame them, but I was annoyed in the moment with whoever did it. If Marty had called me and said, Apple asked me to do this and that, then we wouldve gone over it. But I told Marty, Everything in that speech is leading up to what this movie is about. And I dont want to take away from the movie. Its not a rant about Trump. Its appropriate.

Did you ever see that viral video of a Staten Island Trump supporter destroying a framed portrait of you from Goodfellas after you criticized Trump?

No. You cant please everybody. Theres always going to be somebody who doesnt like you for this or that. All I know is: Trump brings out the worst in people. Hes a monster. I didnt think that in the beginning when he was first elected. I thought, Maybe hell straighten out. Now, this guy is beyond dangerous, and I just hope people can realize it. Once you go down that road, it wont be easy to come back. I was just at the White House for the Kennedy Center Honors with Billy Crystal, and I got emotional. The bands were playing Christmas songs, and it was so upbeat, and I thought, This is what it has to be. Like, whats going on with this Trump stuff? This is crazy.

Do you think Biden is the right guy to take on Trump?

I think that if Biden was on a gurney and couldnt move anything but his eyes to blink yes or no, hes our person. Theres no way that hes not the guy to take Trump down. Nikki Haley, maybe? We need anything to get rid of Trump. If she came in it could at least throw him off and have her be the nominee. But Biden is the best person at this point. All I hope is that everybody gets out to vote, and all the minorities and young people get out and vote, vote, vote. Youve gotta get out there and vote.

Trump responded to your Gotham speech by calling you a loser. Not his best work.

I saw. The problem is that people respond to him. God forbid he did become president  this is a road where, if we go down it, it will be very hard to turn around. As Liz Cheney said, He will not leave.

He tried not to leave. You look at January 6th and I dont understand how those images of people storming the Capitol arent seared into the minds of every American.

Its unbelievable. There was the crazy one with the hat and the horns. It was the inmates running the asylum.

Author David Grann told a story about researching Killers of the Flower Moon where he paid a visit to a local Osage Nation museum in Oklahoma and was observing a panoramic photo of the Osage tribe with some white settlers, but a panel was missing. So, he asked the museum director why and she said, The devil was standing right there. It was William Hale.

Parts of him I dont understand. A part of him might even have thought he really loves them, but theyre not his equal, therefore he has the right to take whats theirs  because he does. Its entitlement is what it is.

Youve played the actual devil in Angel Heart, and Max Cady in Cape Fear, but I find William Hale to be scarier than both of those characters.

Its the banality of evil. Hes a pillar of the community in some ways and is a part of that frontier tradition. You know, the older I get, with the behavior of some of the people were seeing today, its just crazy.

There are parallels between William Hale and Donald Trump. Both put on that front that theyre these pillars of the community and helping people when in actuality theyre bleeding them dry.

And he feels, whether hes rationalizing it to himself, that he loves the people and speaks their language, but theres another part of him thats disconnected from it to such a point that hes having people killed. Thats horrible. Now, if Trump gets elected, the deep state and all the things that he says, are things hes created. Its all projection from him. What scares me is that people buy what hes saying. Hes done a lot of damage.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a corrective of sorts to the ways Hollywood has historically treated Native Americans. In Westerns in particular, they were the nameless villains.

I think its a masterpiece. A great movie. I dont know how corrective it will ultimately be, but the story is there and its for the audience to decide how it affects them. With Marty and Leo, it was their idea to change it so that the white guy from the FBI named Tom White didnt come in and save the day. Its about the relationship between Ernest and his uncle, and Ernest and Mollie, played by Lily Gladstone, whos just wonderful. Its complex and asks a lot of questions. The conflict is not even that clear with Leos characters intentions.

I was in a group called The Forty Thieves and Marty was in another group over on Prince Street, which is two blocks north of Kenmare.

This year marks 50 years since the release of Mean Streets, so 50 years of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese. What are the odds that two guys growing up blocks from each other in Little Italy back when it was a pretty rough area could become Hollywood icons?

Is it? Wow. Fifty years. I was on Kenmare and Broome, and Marty was over on Elizabeth. Marty and I had a mutual friend who would go between our groups. Because I was interested in acting, our mutual friend would say to me, Oh, Martys doing this over at NYU. And hes only about eight months older than me. Its kind of amazing.

And there was initially tension between both of you since you were from different parts of the neighborhood, right? And you were in a gang at the time?

I was in a group called The Forty Thieves and Marty was in another group over on Prince Street, which is two blocks north of Kenmare.

They called you Bobby Milk back then.

Sometimes they called me that, or Bobby Irish, or Bobby the Blond  because my hair was light. I did a movie with Barry Levinson about a year ago and its about Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, and how they knew each other when they were young. Its written by Nick Pileggi and produced by Irwin Winkler. They had this club there, Alto Knights, that I used to hang out in on Kenmare and Mulberry, and I said to Nick, Where did you get the name of this club as a location? Thats a place I know very well! They changed the name of the film from Wise Guys, which was a little too obvious, to Alto Knights. I never thought Id do another [mob] movie but this one was interesting. It was Irwins idea for me to play both parts, Genovese and Costello.

Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese on the set of Taxi Driver.

Youd worked with De Palma before Scorsese, but looking back on your first collaboration with Scorsese, playing Johnny Boy in 1973s Mean Streets, what was that experience like?

Marty and I met at a mutual friends Christmas dinner when I was 26, 27. Brian was there, too. I told him, Whos That Knocking at My Door is terrific. He knew that world because hes from that world. And then somehow, Mean Streets came up. It was titled then Season of the Witch, and he said there were a couple of parts I could do. I was trying to decide which part to do and finally settled on the Johnny Boy part. I remember talking to him on the phone, on a regular landline, and saying to Marty, They all have interesting elements to them! Then I ran into Harvey Keitel, who was playing Charlie, on the street and he said, You should do that part! That pushed me in that direction.

You and Scorsese have made 10 films together. Do you have a favorite of the bunch?

I dont know! Ive always enjoyed working with Marty on everything. It was always fun. Not that it wouldnt happen with other terrific directors, but with Marty, it was always an extra-special thing. I always felt that I could do something and hed be willing to try it, and the worst thing that could happen would be that hed cut it out or wed try another version of it.

And the You talkin to me? monologue from Taxi Driver was improvised. It might be the most famous improv in cinema history.

It was! Who wouldve thought? [Laughs]

On the subject of Taxi Driver, thats a film that I think becomes more relevant with each passing year. Travis Bickle is a guy on the fringes whos lost touch with reality, has become alienated from society, has had bad luck with women, and becomes fixated on politics and violence. Hes basically an early cinema version of an incel.

Incel?

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese attend the Tribeca Festival Opening Night Reception at Tribeca Grill on June 7, 2023, in New York City.

It means involuntary celibate. Its a group of young men, primarily online, who have become hostile toward women because they cant attract them and start shitposting about politics while fantasizing about exacting violent revenge.

Yeah, I can see that.

The King of Comedy has aged like a fine wine, but it got killed at the time.

I remember that I was standing at a payphone at 8th Avenue and 43rd Street and the producer told me, It bombed. I said, Oh god. From that standpoint, it was rough. It wasnt accepted. It wasnt a commercial movie. It was thought to have some commercial potential, if you will, but you never know with things. All I know is we did a movie that was personal in some ways, and the person who wrote it, Paul Zimmerman, was a film critic from Newsweek. And I loved the script.

I remember watching This Boys Life as a kid. That was the first time I was wowed by him as an actor. And it came out thirty years ago this year. How did you find Leo for that role? Because I imagine you had a say in who would be cast.

We had a [script] reading of it at Warner Bros. with myself, [producer] Art Linson, [director] Michael Caton-Jones, Leo, and other actors, and at the end of the reading I said to Art, He was interesting, this kid. I didnt say we had to use him, but he was. Leo was terrific. Leo later told me that he gave it his all because he didnt think he was going to get it anyway.

I was reminded of This Boys Life while watching Killers of the Flower Moon because theres that sequence of you flogging Leos behind which brought me right back to you strangling him in the kitchen.

Leo joked in an interview that Killers of the Flower Moon is just a continuation of what we did thirty years earlier. [Laughs]

Do you have any cherished memories of working together with Marty?

We get there, we do the thing, and I just have a great time with him. I remember on Taxi Driver and things later, when we were talking about a scene, I would say, Look, this reminds of this thing that happened to me, and it seems applicable to this scene, so out of that wed get specifics that can be applied to the scene. I loved those talks. I guess he wanted to be a priest at one time, so he has a great listening quality. Thats very important as a director. Hell take what youre talking about and find a way to apply it and put it in a scene. I hope that we can do other films together. I hope theres something there, and whatever itll be, itll be special. Ive had an idea for years that I would love to do with him. We are talking, so maybe we can get it to another level. I see myself going and going

Best of Rolling Stone
Snapped Season 32 is a crime documentary that follows female criminals to explore stereotypical representations, female criminality, and psychological analysis. It was created by Deborah Allen, Todd Moss, and Zak Weisfeld, among others, and released by Oxygen in February 2023.

Heres how you can watch and stream Snapped Season 32 via streaming services such as Peacock.

Is Snapped Season 32 available to watch via streaming?

Yes, Snapped Season 32 is available to watch via streaming on Peacock.

In season 32, we follow female killers, investigate the causes of murders, including rage, jealousy, desperation, escape, and gain insights from criminal psychologists and forensic specialists. Moreover, it follows the Oklahoma murder of a father by a daughter, the murder of a local EMT in Mississippi, the San Antonio murder of a man, and the murder of the Missouri snake venom.

The cast of the show includes Sharon Martin, Jody Flader, and Laura San Giacomo. Additionally, it also features Ronnie Farer, Steve Eifert, and Jay Heselschwerdt.

Watch Snapped Season 32 streaming via Peacock

Snapped Season 32 is available to watch on Peacock. Peacock is a streaming service that features video content from NBC Universal Studios and other video content providers. Moreover, it comes with various subscription levels, where the free tier contains limited content and the paid premium tier allows access to the entire library of content.

You can watch via Peacock by following these steps:

Go to PeacockTV.com Click Get Started Choose your payment plan $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year (premium)

$11.99 per month or $119.99 per year (premium plus Create your account Enter your payment details

Peacocks Premium account provides access to over 80,000+ hours of TV, movies, and sports, including current NBC and Bravo Shows, along with 50 always-on channels. Premium Plus is the same plan but with no ads (save for limited exclusions), along with allowing users to download select titles and watch them offline and providing access to your local NBC channel live 24/7.

Snapped Season 32 synopsis is as follows:

The fascinating cases of everyday, seemingly average moms, wives, and girlfriends accused of murder. Did they really do it? And if so, why?

NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.

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After making headlines for drinking and driving, comedian Tiffany Haddish has taken an end-of-the-year trip to have fun with some awesome people and to try some holistic measures to heal her bodys endometriosis in Hawaii.

Still, after fans noticed her odd behavior in a few videos the actress posted on social media, many are wondering if she is OK and if her drinking is getting out of hand.

Tiffany Haddish jokes about her landing in hot water following her second DUI arrest on Nov. 24. (Photo: @tiffanyhaddish/Instagram)

One day after Thanksgiving, Haddish was arrested for falling asleep in her car on a Beverly Hills street. Police reports say she was slumped over the wheel of her Tesla, presumably intoxicated. This incident follows last years DUI arrest in Georgia, where she was arrested after reportedly falling asleep in a car after smoking weed.

In both cases, fans of The Last Black Unicorn author wondered if she was spiraling out of control  showcasing more cringe behavior than carefree.

The first of the video series features Haddish twerking and seemingly undressing her blue ensemble on Mauis sacred black beach.

I Love being silly on the black sand beach. I have always wanted to do a swimsuit photo shoot. This silly one will do for now, she wrote in the caption.

One commentator asked, You good? and another wrote, She needs to get sober SOON !!

In a video posted on Sunday, Dec. 17, on her Instagram, a giggly Haddish is seen with a few male friends over at a wellness shop called Shootz Wellness.

In the now-expired video, deleted on Monday, Dec. 18, a man can be heard and seen offering her a drink. While she turned it down, she mentioned that it wasnt her drink of choice and that she told him what she liked.

She can be seen in both videos talking to the same man, whom she identifies as Mick, as he shows off foods traditionally associated with keeping onese;f healthy, such as the lions mane mushroom and the soursop fruit.

Comedian Willie Lynch, responding to her request, proudly displays his Kappa Alpha Psi brand, while Mick also exhibits his diamond. Joining the lively group is Benewah, a white individual in hippie attire, attempting to promote his venison pizza shop, The Grateful Dough.

Social media users thought Haddishs behavior was a little bizarre and took to social media to express their concerns.

Are you drinking, nah, enjoy, one person asked in light of her recent arrests. Another added, Yo Georgia Judge checking this out. Be cool love you.

Other clips posted on the Girls Trip stars Instagram profile show her on a watery trail on Maui with Steve Bellamy and her very cool friends as they explore and climb through what looks like a rock-filled river in a forest.

Haddish can be seen sweating from the exhausting hike but determined to keep going. Later, a member of her party complained about bleeding, as she showed herself climbing through the water and then locking in on arriving on the other side.

In the last bit of footage, Haddish records herself saying, And thats how women feel on their period. Hate when something happens and everyone focuses on them. I know that feeling. Somebody told the press. I know that fking feeling.

One person in the comment section of her post suggested she might also be dealing with substance abuse, writing, Her mouth chattering that powda got her yall.

The Los Angeles A-lister, who doesnt shy away from noting she grew up in a tough environment, hopped in the comments to address the slick comment.

No powda. I am not doing drugs till I turn 70 yrs old, Haddish wrote, adding, But from now on I will be talking to people like its 1998 and since I am not drinking I feel like a kid again. I give no fks!

She also challenged her to go hiking on rocks and see if she doesnt sweat. For her part, she is getting herself together and not focusing on anything negative.

Haddish further stated, I got nothing but love for all of you. Even the people who think Im spiraling. Aint no spiral here honey just some cleaning. Gods cleaning house.

A fan gave her advice on the cleaning house process.

Tiffany, we love you! Stop posting. Stop going back and explaining your posts. Stop responding to negative comments. its all a vicious cycle. Take a step back and go in your own private space. You dont owe anyone anything, the person said, adding in part, Stay off social media for a while so that you can truly heal.

A Georgia judge ordered last week that Haddish stay away from alcohol and take weekly drug tests. She has also been removed as a special guest on Kevin Harts postponed comedy tour. Haddish also recently announced her new book, I Curse You With Joy, due out next May.
No matter how much OPEC cuts oil production, other countries will 'fill the hole,' trader says

Oil and Gas Drilling Rig over Offshore Platform Getty

No matter how much OPEC cuts oil output, other countries will "fill the hole," a senior equity trader said.

A surge of supply from non-OPEC nations like US, Brazil, and Guyana has surprised oil markets this year.

"We're looking at 2024 and we're concerned that the market is actually going to end up being oversupplied."

Despite efforts by Saudi Arabia and Russia to prop up crude prices by cutting production, countries like Guyana, Brazil and the US have pumped more oil than ever.

That supply is now so strong that even if OPEC+ slashes more production, the spigot of oil from non-members will continue to douse the market.

"I think it's more of a supply story going into 2024," Rebecca Babin, senior equity trader for CIBC Private Wealth, told CNBC on Monday. "There's a lot of fear that no matter what OPEC does, no matter how much they cut, there are producers  non-OPEC producers  that are just going to fill the hole they keep digging."

She added, "We're looking at 2024 and we're concerned that the market is actually going to end up being oversupplied."

According to Babin, oil markets are staring down the barrel of the glut of supply from non-OPEC nations that sank oil prices this year.

US crude production has notched record levels, topping 13 million barrels a day in September. Production from Brazil and Guyana has also flooded the market this year.

Supply is so strong, in fact, that flare-ups in the Red Sea as Houthi rebels target fuel tankers, oil prices haven't seen a dramatic move.

"It's not going to rally on supply-driven events," Babin said. "We have a ton of spare capacity sitting on the sideline from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They are literally chomping at the bit to bring back more production."

Babin also explained that fears of energy trade disruptions at the Suez Canal are misplaced because most of the fuel traversing the waterway is Russian oil on its way to India and China  which isn't a target for the Houthis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Colorado voters might not find Donald Trump on their ballot.

The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-to-3 ruling on Tuesday, found that the former president is not eligible to hold office again after accepting the argument that the 14th Amendment disqualifies him from the upcoming 2024 election, according to the New York Times.

A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, wrote the courts majority in its opinion. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.

According to the Times, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies people who have engaged in insurrection against the Constitution after having taken an oath to support it for holding office. The lengthy ruling reversed a Denver district judges finding last month that the section did not apply to the presidency.

Trumps involvement with the Jan. 6 riots on the Capitol is the center of the ruling. After losing the presidential election to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump delivered a speech in Washington D.C. where he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and stop the steal. His supporters infamously made an attempt to stop the certification of the election results by storming the Capitol, leading to numerous arrests and a second impeachment for Trump.

We do not reach these conclusions lightly, the majority continued in their opinion. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.

Trumps campaign has confirmed in a statement that he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing groups scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trumps name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice, said campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.

Although the ruling only applies to Colorado, the New York Times reports that if the Supreme Court were to affirm it, the disqualification could be applied more broadly to other states.

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Gallo Images/Getty Images

Ugandan LGBTQ+ advocates have filed a lawsuit challenging the country's extreme new anti-LGBTQ+ law, under which the offense of homosexuality carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

On Monday, a panel of five judges in the capital city of Kampala officially began reviewing written arguments in the case, filed by an allied group of Ugandan academics, legislators, and LGBTQ+ activists. The suit seeks to overturn Ugandas 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, now commonly known as the Kill the Gays law, because it calls for the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, which is defined as as same-sex relations that involve someone who is HIV-positive, a minor, or anyone else deemed vulnerable. President Yoweri Museveni signed the legislation into law in May. No date has been set for a final judgment in the case at this time, according to Al-Jazeera.

The group of petitioners challenging the law includes Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, one of only two members of Parliament who voted against it earlier this year. Formerly senior legal counsel to President Museveni, Odoi-Oywelowo has emerged as a leading voice against anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and helped overturn a similar anti-gay law before the Constitutional Court in 2014.

Homophobia has never been part of traditional African societies, Odoi-Oywelowo told OpenDemocracy in March, pushing back against arguments that the law was necessary to protect traditional African religious values. Perhaps they had a lack of understanding, but they let them live in peace. Instead, Odoi-Oywelowo pointed to far-right Christian organizations, who he accused of spending over $26 million to push a ideology of hate in Uganda.

The Kill the Gays law classifies all same-sex sexual contact as nonconsensual, and recommends the death penalty for those convicted of aggravated homosexuality, which includes having sex with a disabled person or someone who is otherwise vulnerable. Lesser charges under the law include promotion of homosexuality, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years, and identifying or behaving contrary to the binary categories of male and female, which carries a possible 10-year sentence.

LGBTQ+ Ugandans living abroad have also found themselves threatened by the law. One 25-year-old gay man who has lived and worked in the Canadian city of Edmonton since 2018 told Global News he feared for his safety while facing deportation back to Uganda, after Canadian officials denied his asylum application because they could not verify his sexual orientation. The order was officially canceled December 15, four days before he was scheduled to be deported.

According to a report released in August by the Strategic Response Team, an association of Ugandan activist groups, LGBTQ+ Ugandans have faced a staggering rise in physical and emotional abuse this year correlating with the introduction and passage of the Kill the Gays law. The report identified over 300 human and civil rights violations suffered by LGBTQ+ people in Uganda between January and August alone. Hundreds have lost their homes or been exiled from their communities, while others have been beaten and tortured; the report alleges that Ugandan police have performed at least 18 nonconsensual anal cavity searches on LGBTQ+ prisoners this year, a practice which has been condemned as torture by numerous international groups including the United Nations and World Health Organization.

Uganda's President Has Signed One of the World's Harshest Anti-LGBTQ\+ Bills Into Law

Simply identifying as LGBTQ\+ carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

As CNN reported this week, those organizations may include Family Watch International (FWI), a fundamentalist Christian group based in Arizona and designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion hate group. FWI president Sharon Slater claimed in a September 2023 speech to the African Bar Association that foreign countries were attempting a sexual [and] social recolonization of Africa through abortion and LGBTQ+ rights initiatives, as the Associated Press confirmed. (FWI denies any involvement in the Kill the Gays bill, and claims its lobbying efforts were limited to opposing sex education for children.)

I don't understand why heterosexuals are so timid in their skin, why they think that the LGBTIQ community is the greatest threat to the survival of mankind, Odoi-Oywelowo told OpenDemocracy in March. If they are gay, let them live. [....] The air you breathe will not be any less.

Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here.

Originally Appeared on them.
AI may or may not take people's jobs in years to come, but in the meantime, there's one thing they cannot obtain: patents. Dr. Stephen Thaler has spent years trying to get patents for two inventions created by his AI "creativity machine" DABUS. Now, the United Kingdom's Supreme Court has rejected his appeal to approve these patents when listing DABUS as the inventor, Reuters reports.

The court's rationale stems from a provision in UK patent law that states, "an inventor must be a natural person." The ruling stipulated that the appeal was unconcerned with whether this should change in the future. "The judgment establishes that UK patent law is currently wholly unsuitable for protecting inventions generated autonomously by AI machines," Thaler's lawyers said in a statement.

Thaler first attempt to register the patents  for a food container and a flashing light  was in 2018, as owner of the machine that invented them. However, the UK's Intellectual Property Office said he must list an actual human being on the application, and when he refused, it withdrew his application. Thaler fought the decision in the High Court and then the Court of Appeal, with Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing stating, "Only a person can have rights. A machine cannot."

Thaler, an American, also submitted the two products to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which rejected his application. Plus, he previously sued the US Copyright Office (USCO) for not awarding him the copyright for a piece of art DABUS created. The case reached the US District Court of Columbia, with Judge Beryl Howell's ruling explaining, "Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright." Thaler has argued that this provision is unconstitutional, but the US Supreme Court declined to hear his case, ending any further chances to argue his stance. While the UK and US have rejected Thaler's petitions, he has succeeded in countries such as Australia and South Africa.
If you dont know the Pioneer Linens story, youll think it sounds made-up.

Max Greenberg left Austria and landed at Ellis Island in 1905, and left New York City three years later for Daytona where he worked in a hardware store. He took his learning south to whats now Lake Worth Beach in 1912 and opened his own hardware store, the Pioneer Company, before there was electricity or water in the town.

By 1920, the store and area were flourishing. Greenberg expanded the business into Pioneer Hardware & Furniture, selling furniture and a critical item: the electric refrigerator.

In 1928, the Category 5 Okeechobee Hurricane, which killed at least 2,500 people in Palm Beach County and caused $100 million in damages, wiped out everything Greenberg had built.

Max Greenberg opened a hardware store in Lake Worth Beach in 1912. He moved his business north to Clematis Street after the 1928 Hurricane, a Category 5 storm that devastated the region. Pioneer Linens is the only store shown in this photo that is still in business.

Pioneer Linens at 210 N. Clematis St. in West Palm Beach has been in business for 111 years.

But the family still had its brains and ingenuity. Greenberg moved north and opened a new retail store at 210 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach, selling textiles and home goods: towels and blankets, oil cloth and rugs. But the visionary merchant also brought his customers something they desperately wanted and needed: music, for 10 cents a record.

After serving in World War II, Greenbergs son George took the helm at Pioneer. He already had a degree from the University of Florida and had studied business and law at the University of New York. In the military, part of his job involved developing new products, and two were especially notable: neoprene and instant coffee.

George especially loved the linen part of the family business, and he renamed the store Pioneer Linens in the 1980s. He was the first merchant to display his towels in a colorful eye-catching display that he repurposed from his Army days. Today, his wall of multi-colored cubbies full of fluffy towels is the standard. At the time, it took him from the talk of Clematis Street to the talk of his industry.

Hes also credited with renaming the dust ruffle the bed skirt. (He didnt like the negative connotation of dust.) But Pioneers growth in both size and reputation were largely due to the father and sons brilliance as businessmen and their dedication to delivering great quality products at fair prices, and always with a great deal of respect. Pioneer Linens became the example for beautifully designed store windows and outstanding customer relations.

In 1995, Georges daughter, Penny Murphy, the third generation of Greenbergs, became vice president of Pioneer Linens, eventually taking over for her dad. George Greenberg died in 2007 but never stopped showing up to work in a suit and tie. Murphy became president in August 2007, and remains in that position today.

Her son, Alan Murphy Jr., worked with the company for 13 years, and developed its Yacht Linen line. His sister, Camille Murphy-Kubicek, joined the company in 2008, initially working in print advertising; and his sister, Marissa Murphy-Adriaanse, joined the company in 2010, as the store manager. Today their roles are broader and busier than ever as Pioneer Linens continues to lead and expand in the luxury linen and home decor space. Pioneer is competing on a global scale with a thriving designer program and a signature Pioneer line made in Italy.

Looking back more than 100 years at her grandfather and the legacy he left for her family, Penny Murphy told the Palm Beach Daily News, You cant help but be grateful for him and others like him.

Max Greenberg, founder of Pioneer Linens.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The story behind Pioneer Linens in Palm Beach County starts in 1912
Wolfkin (2023) is a body horror film about a single mother, Elaine, who is worried about her sons aggressive behavior. She visits his late fathers estranged family in the small town of Luxembourg. However, when she gets there, some weird incidents raise questions about the familys secret that she wishes remained buried. Furthermore, Elaine must decide the path for her son for him to survive in the real world.

Heres how you can watch and stream Wolfkin (2023) via streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video.

Is Wolfkin (2023) available to watch via streaming?

Yes, Wolfkin (2023) is available to watch via streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Some say that the movie combines classic horror with modern ideas of a decent adventure involving werewolves. Others think the movie shouldnt have been dismissed because of the B-movie title. Though the movie boasts some good imagery and practical effects, critics think it is a slow-burn story that has failed to reach its potential.

Watch Wolfkin (2023) streaming via Amazon Prime Video

Wolfkin (2023) is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

You can watch via Amazon Prime Video by following these steps:

Go to Amazon Prime Video Select Sign in and Create your Amazon account Sign up for a Prime Video membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year with an Amazon Prime membership

$8.99 per month for a standalone Prime Video membership

Amazon Prime is the online retailers paid service that provides fast shipping and exclusive sales on products, so the membership that includes both this service and Prime Video is the companys most popular offering. However, you can also opt to subscribe to Prime Video separately.

Wolfkins (2023) synopsis is as follows:

Single mother Elaine is disturbed by her son Martins aggressive behaviour, she visits his late fathers estranged family in small-town Luxembourg, which hides a much darker nature. When she realizes that Martin could become like them, Elaine is forced into a desperate fight for her sons future.

NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.

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A nationwide swatting spree targeting nearly 200 Jewish institutions over the weekend appears to have been a coordinated effort by an entity based outside the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's top spokesperson said in a confidential memo to partner law enforcement agencies.

The communication, written by Assistant FBI Director Cathy Milhoan, and obtained by ABC News, says, "At this time, based on similar language and specific email tradecraft used, it appears the perpetrators of these threats are connected. Additionally, these threats appear to be originating from outside of the United States."

PHOTO: The exterior of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, headquarters of the FBI, is seen on Aug. 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE)

Milhoan continued, "To date, none of these email threats have involved any actual explosive devices or credible risk of harm to congregants."

More than 30 of the 56 FBI field offices are investigating the threats, which violated multiple federal laws, according to Milhoan.

MORE: US synagogues tighten security amid surge in antisemitic incidents

A "record number" of 199 swatting incidents and false bomb threats were tracked between Friday and Saturday by the Secure Community Network, a non-profit that advises U.S. Jewish institutions on safety and security.

The non-profit tracked the swatting spree across multiple states, including 93 in California, 62 in Arizona, 15 in Connecticut, five in Colorado, and four in Washington state, according to a press release.

According to SCN, swatting incidents are up over 540% from 2022, with more than 449 swatting incidents and bomb threats taking place this year.

October and November have seen a 290% rise since last year, "with a record 772 incidents logged," according to SCN's press release.

"The safety of all faith-based communities is one of the FBI's highest priorities. Once again, thank you for your partnership and your collaboration to keep our communities safe," Milhoan ended the letter.

Nationwide swatting spree targeting Jewish institutions appears coordinated, coming from outside US: FBI originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
If youre the kind of person who starts every morning with a fresh, steaming (or iced!) cup of coffee, then youll understand the allure of carving out a dedicated coffee bar in your home. True coffee-lovers know its not just about aesthetics here, either: Having everything you need for your morning cup of Joe in one place just makes the whole brewing process easier  particularly when youre still half asleep.

However, sometimes its hard to find the room for the large, extensive built-in coffee stations that grace our Pinterest feeds. If limited square footage  either in your kitchen, entryway, or even living room  has put a pause on your dreams of a designated coffee area, then get inspired by these 13 smart coffee bar ideas for small spaces that dont sacrifice style.

1. Find a Countertop Corner

You dont need a giant, separate space to make a coffee bar work, and this countertop setup by @potejstronielustra is a prime example of that fact. Make the area feel organized and design-forward by adding some cute canisters for essentials like coffee beans, sugar, and teaspoons. Consider adding a mug stand or bar rail to hang your favorite cups, too.

2. Transform a Single Shelf

This mini coffee bar by @mysweetsavannah shows how even the smallest of spaces can double as a pretty, functional coffee bar. Try converting a single floating shelf into a compact coffee station, or add one to otherwise unused wall space.

3. Take Over a Small Pantry

Do you have extra pantry space or a spare closet close to your kitchen? Consider repurposing the area into a hidden coffee bar. Not only can your setup stay out of sight when not in use (minimalists, rejoice!), but this idea also provides sneaky storage for other small appliances like your microwave, air fryer, and stand mixer.

4. Use Utility Shelving

If youre limited on kitchen space but dreaming of a coffee bar, add some utility shelving to an open wall, as seen in this Brooklyn Heights rental. Its the perfect way to maximize vertical storage, plus a simple white unit pairs well with any design style (or you can paint it to match your aesthetic!).

5. Think Multi-Functional

Double- or triple-duty furniture solutions are invaluable in small kitchens and dining rooms. Thats why this 500-square foot apartment in Toronto, Canada, utilizes a freestanding wine rack as a coffee bar, makeshift island, and vino storage. The strategic placement alongside existing built-in shelves make accessing coffee tools and supplies simple.

6. Utilize Awkward Counter Space

This setup by @the.rosie.home demonstrates how a few thoughtful design choices can turn an otherwise awkward kitchen nook into a designated coffee bar. For extra styling space, work upward with floating shelves on the wall to stash mugs or spoons, or simply add some decor.

7. Get a Kitchen Cart

No built-in coffee bar? No problem! A kitchen cart is the perfect way to create one in any area of your home, as seen with the IKEA FORHOJA style from this Lisbon, Spain, apartment. Use the various levels and drawers to organize your coffee/espresso maker, coffee grounds, favorite mugs, syrups, and more. Bonus: Its easy to move if you decide to rearrange!

8. Install a Faux Plant Wall

Talk about making a big impact in a small space! This plant-filled home in Bristol, U.K., features a coffee bar that rivals even the coolest cafes. A faux plant wall installation behind the coffee bar creates a dramatic backdrop, while the cheeky custom neon LED sign above it adds some fun flair.

9. Try a Tabletop

Out of counter space? Get inspired by this Charleston home and add a simple table or desk to an empty kitchen corner for your coffee bar  especially if you live in a rental and cant install wall shelving. Even a small metal desk with wheels will do the trick.

10. Hang a Cute Sign

This small Brooklyn studio apartment makes the most out of limited counter space with a coffee station that blends seamlessly with the rest of the bright, airy kitchen. A neon LED wall sign and clock above the coffee maker create a focal point above arguably the most important appliance in the room (coffee-lovers get it).

11. Lean into Monochromatic Colors

This monochromatic nook by @bris_prettylife makes the case for a moody coffee station  especially if you already have matching coffee appliances and supplies. A few wall shelves directly above double as displays for similar-hued kitchenware and decor.

12. Mount a Coffee Bar

Got a blank wall thats begging for an upgrade? Take a cue from Jen of @our.cultivated.home, and mount a rustic-looking wall shelf to create the cutest coffee prep station ever. A deep ledge will easily hold all of your coffee supplies, while tucking a few stools underneath furnishes the full coffee bar experience.

13. Fill a Glass Cabinet

A small glass cabinet makes an excellent coffee bar, as shown by @sandeelbooth. Use the shelves to showcase your favorite mugs and any other essentials, then style the top with your coffee/espresso maker, milk frother, coffee beans, and anything else you need readily available. Top off the look with a trendy mirror and houseplant, if youre so inclined.
During a significant plenary session at the European Parliament, an unexpected yet enthusiastic participant briefly stole the spotlight. As per Times of Malta, an eager dog added its voice to the proceedings on Dec. 13, momentarily halting the European Parliament with their spirited barking.

The dogs surprising vocal interruption followed the speech of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Seemingly pro-European, the pup started barking right after she concluded her address with the words, long live Europe.

Consequently, laughter erupted among the European lawmakers, along with confused glances. Everybody seemed to be wondering about the source of the humorous interruption.

Dog dubbed supporter of Ursula von der Leyen

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola acknowledged the presence of a support animal within the assembly.

Metsola addressed fellow parliamentarians, saying, Dear colleagues, it seems we have a support animal among us. She then introduced European Peoples Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber, chuckling again.

Whats more, Weber humorously commented after stepping up on the podium that the dog appeared to be another supporter and admirer of Ursula von der Leyen.

As Politico reports, the barking during a session with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez heightened the absurdity of the incident. In Spain, the playful nickname Perro Sanxe or Sanchez the dog highlights the Socialist leaders shrewd and resilient underdog characteristics.

Sanchez was visibly amused, sporting a grin as the dogs barks disrupted European Peoples Party President Manfred Webers speech. Weber, in his remarks, was scrutinizing the Spaniard for his dealings with Catalan separatists.

Socialist MEP Eider Gardiazabal Rubial jokingly remarked that the barking dog, seemingly belonging to a visually impaired visitor, had perfectly timed its expression of sentiments.

Although received flippantly, the incident might cast a shadow on the hopes of other animals longing to accompany their owners into the spaces of the European political arena, according to Times of Malta. Since March 2023, the European Commission has been contemplating a trial bring-your-pet-to-work policy. However, after Wednesdays events, this motion could encounter a decrease in its supporters.

The post Barking Dog Interrupts European Parliament Session appeared first on DogTime.
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Clase Azul is a tequila brand that is synonymous with luxury, releasing a range of expressions that come housed in highly collectible handmade ceramic decanters. The latest is a collaboration with Mexican artist Eduardo Sarabia, and the liquid within this beautiful bottle is a blend of blanco and aged tequilas that were matured in some unusual casks.

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Clase Azul master distiller Viridiana Tinoco selected three different liquids to blend together for this new releaseunaged blanco tequila, anejo tequila aged in Russian oak barrels for 32 months, and anejo tequila aged in amontillado sherry casks for 30 months (this blend of aged and unaged liquid classifies it as a joven tequila). With this tequila I wanted to represent the artists expertise said Tinoco in a statement. Eduardos family left Mexico for the United States and he grew up in Los Angeles and spent part of his youth in Russia, but in the end he returned to the land of his forebears and came to Mexico to create his work and share it with the world. Official tasting notes describe tangerine peel and walnut on the nose, followed by agave nectar, spearmint, and ripe tangerine on the palate.

Sarabias work has been shown around the world in museums including the Dallas Contemporary, Malaga Contemporary Art Center, and Museo Tamayo in Mexico City. He created two versions of the decanter for this limited releaseDorado, which uses 24-karat gold to highlight the design elements, and Color, which has splashes of green and red along with gold in its design scheme. Each decanter is decorated with the same artworkpicks, spades and a two peso coin from Sarabias birth year on the front, and drawings of a parrot, rooster, and she-goat goat on the back inspired by the folk art of Sinoloa where Sarabias family is from.

Clase Azul Tequila Edicion Limitada x Eduardo Sarabia is available now exclusively at Clase Azul Boutiques, with just 450 bottles available priced at $5,300, and you can find the rest of the lineup available to purchase from ReserveBar.

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"Many uninjured mass shooting survivors have unseeable wounds."

Michael Ciaglo / Stringer / Getty Images

Fact checked by Karen Cilli

Ashbey Beasley, 47, and her then 6-year-old son Beau were attending the annual 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois in 2022 when a gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire, killing seven people and injuring 48 others.

The pair were able to flee to safety, but surviving the shooting was just the beginning for Beau and Beasleythe impact of gun violence has since permeated every part of the familys life.

For a long time, he couldnt discuss it at all. He would cry or scream or run out of the room, Beasley tells Parents. Now he can talk about it. He talks about how scary it was. He remembers every detail.

And they aren't alone; research has proven the continuous physical and emotional trauma that exists for young people who survive shootings. We turned to experts to learn more about the lasting impacts of gun violence, ranging from physical injuries to an ongoing mental health toll that adds up to a major unseen cost.

Related: How to Talk to Kids About Gun Violence

The Mental and Physical Cost of Surviving a Mass Shooting

Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among children living in the United States, surpassing car crashes and overdoses. In fact, research shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency room visits for pediatric firearm injuries doubled.

Stanford researchers estimate that in 2018 and 2019 alone, more than 100,000 American children have attended a school where a shooting took place. Multiple studies have shown the mental health impact exposure to mass shootings can have on children, including post traumatic stress disorder, suicide, depression, substance abuse, and anxiety.

Those physically harmed may face numerous surgeries or other procedures, months or years of physical therapy and health complications from their injuries. Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon and director of the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Northwell Health, says an already overwhelmed health care system can often only provide a patchwork of care and services that can make it difficult for families to access the physical care their child may need.

A lot of the services were talking about go beyond surgical care, Sathya tells Parents. We are not resourced to provide ongoing care for the sequelae of these gunshots, whether it be long term effects, disability, PTSD, substance use, other behavioral health issues, repeat injuries, and so on.

Recently, researchers studied insurance claims for 2,052 child and adolescent shooting survivors, along with 6,209 of their family members, and found that the physical, psychiatric, and substance abuse issues often caused by the trauma of a mass shooting can increase a family's health care cost by almost 2,000%. Survivors who were physically harmed experienced a 117% increase in pain disorders, including musculoskeletal pain and headaches. They also experienced a 68% increase in psychiatric disorders, like PTSD. And for those with major injuries, that increase jumped to 321%.

Our study shines light on the substantial effects incurred not just directly by victims and survivors of gun violence, but indirectly by parents and siblings who, we found, often relinquish their own routine health care to the more acute health needs of the family, Chana Sacks, the studys senior author and co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Gun Violence Prevention Center, said in a statement. Improved health systems rooted in trauma-informed approaches are essential to ensure those indirectly affected by firearms injuries are identified and able to access much needed care.

The same study found that psychiatric disorders among parents of children who survived a mass shooting increased by 30%and was much higher among the children of parents who died. Mothers in particular experienced a 75% increase in mental health visits.







The Price Tag of Surviving Gun Violence

Researchers at Everytown for Gun Safety, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), leading health economist Ted R. Miller, and others worked together to calculate the economic impact of gun violence for both victims and survivors. Their research found that gun violence costs Americans $557 billion annually, including $2.8 billion in medical costs, $53.8 billion in lost wages, and $489.1 billion in what is described as quality of life costs, including a persons extended pain and suffering.







Related: School Shootings Have Turned Survivors Into AdvocatesBut They Shouldn't Have To Be

Young Survivors of Gun Violence Often Have Lasting Mental Health Challenges

In order to help her son, now 7, process and talk about the shooting, Beasley and her husband found a trauma therapist who specializes in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)a treatment originally developed to treat distress associated with traumatic memories. She reports that the treatment has been successful, but the guilt that she feels while watching her son navigate the aftermath of a shooting is inescapable.

I move differently now. I worry more. I also feel like I failed him, she explains. I know its not my fault, but I carry so much guilt about...[putting] us in the middle of the chaos that has traumatized him for life.



The ability to access mental health care for her child is a privilegebut a costly one. Beasley says her insurance deductible is $5,000. Beaus trauma therapist did not take the familys insurance, so every visit was an out-of-pocket expense. Her son now sees another therapist who does take the familys insurance.

We are so lucky to have good insurance that covers the bulk of the therapy Beau has needed and that we have the money to pay for out-of-pocket costs, she adds. Right now he goes to therapy once a week and has a taxpayer-funded individualized education program (IEP) to help him deal with his PTSD.

Shira Spiel, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains that trauma destabilizes a childs ability to regulate themselves, meaning symptoms of trauma can manifest in a variety of ways.

Some common symptoms you might see are nightmares or hyper-vigilance; some children may be withdrawn or sad while others might be hyperactive or inattentive or irritable," Spiel tells Parents. "Some children regress to previous milestones.

All of this is why Beasley hopes for a brighter future, and one that encourages understanding of the lasting impacts of gun violence.

I wish people understood that many uninjured mass shooting survivors have unseeable wounds and they need care and support, she says. A parent shouldnt have to decide between their job or staying home to care for their family in the wake of a mass shooting. Until we start looking into the economic impact mass shootings have on communities and survivors whose lives are forever changed, we cant truly know what mass shootings are costing individual families and communities.

Related: Eleven Years After the Sandy Hook School Shooting, Teens Share What it's Like Growing Up

What Parents and Caregivers Can Do To Help

For parents, caregivers, and children who have been impacted by gun violence, there are a number of online resources that can help assist in the ongoing healing process, including those provided by Save the Children, Child Mind Institute, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. These resources can help parents talk to children about school shootings and other distressing news, along with provide guidance to navigate traumatic situations.

Parents caring for a child impacted by gun violence are encouraged to take social media breaks, talk to other trusted adults, and to find empowerment through community engagement, according to Sandy Hook Promise, a gun violence prevention organization.



If you or someone you know is in crisis or suffering from a mental health care emergency, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, text HOME to 741741, or visit speakingofsuicide.com/resources for additional resources.



Related: Black Children Are Disproportionately Hurt By Gun ViolenceHow Did We Get Here and What Do We Do Next?

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DHL Express reached tentative agreements on a number of issues within their ongoing negotiations with the Teamsters on Tuesday, ending a 12-day strike at the logistics giants air hub in Northern Kentucky.

The contract, yet to be ratified by the Teamsters-represented workers, includes provisions for enhanced workplace safety, higher wages and better benefits, the union said.

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The unfair labor practice strike pulled roughly 1,100 tug and ramp workers to the picket line during the holiday season, when workers can handle up to 400,000 packages per shift. The employees who were on strike are responsible for loading and unloading packages from planes at the Hebron, Ky. facility, which is located about 25 minutes south of Cincinnati. During the strike, picket lines extended to various locations in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

According to Bill Hamilton, director of the Teamsters Express Division, the terms of the deal include wage increases that total $5.50 per hour over the course of a four-year contract, as well as full health care at no cost to employees and a $1,000 signing bonus.

DHL Express, the expedited delivery unit of DHL, employs roughly 5,000 people at its air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), its largest in North America. The hub facilitates 130 daily DHL flights and is home to a fleet of 60 DHL aircraft. The company also operates North American air hubs in Atlanta and Miami.

The workers at the DHL air hub voted to unionize in April and contract negotiations began in July. The strike was approved after DHL leadership decided to halt the month-long negotiations for most of December, before offering to restart talks with the union in January.

A DHL representative told Sourcing Journal there are additional details to be finalized, and that the company will remain committed in continuing to bargain in good faith until a final agreement can be reached.

During these last few days, DHL Express proactively deployed contingency plans to ensure that our customers received the high service levels they expect from us at this important time of the year for their businesses, and we minimized the potential disruptions that can typically occur within our industry during peak season (due to weather, volume surges etc.), said the representative.

The temporary agreements allow for the air hubs operations to resume with all employees on duty, with the spokesperson saying DHL customers should remain confident in our ability to provide the excellent service they expect and require.

Since DHL-CVG workers began organizing with the Teamsters, the union says it has filed dozens of unfair labor practices against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. Charges include retaliation against pro-union workers, surveilling workers discussing the union off site and intimidating workers on the picket lines.

DHL engaged in aggressive union-busting tactics and committed numerous unfair labor practices that made the strike necessary, said Fred Zuckerman, general secretary-treasurer, Teamsters, in a statement. Members of Local 100 came out in this fight on top and helped us send a message to all workers that we can reclaim what weve earned when we fight shoulder-to-shoulder and refuse to back down.

As one logistics strike concludes, another will begin early in 2024.

Approximately 160 workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Trapagaran, Spain will walk off the job for the three-day stretch from Jan. 3-5.

The strike follows a similar labor action that occurred Saturday at midnight through Monday.

Despite the companys huge profits, the managers of the Trapagaran factory show no willingness to negotiate the improvement of working conditions that the workers have been demanding for a long time, said a statement from the LAB, the union that represents most of the workers at the warehouse.

According to the union, members have received pressure and threats from Amazon before the decision to strike was made.

Thanks to the strike, we have managed to cause significant obstacles to the normal operation of the factory; for example, they are not loading and unloading the trucks, as we get closer to Christmas, the note said. On Monday, we stopped the factory and made a demonstration through Trapagaran, to express our disgust and to demand that negotiations be allowed once and for all.

The center handles parcels for the Basque community in Northern Spain, as well as local areas including Burgos and Cantabria.

An Amazon representative told Sourcing Journal that workers at the warehouse work in a modern and safe environment with competitive salaries and benefits.

Entry-level employees earn at least 1,900 euros ($2,080) per month with opportunities to grow and build their careers, the spokesperson said. On top of that, employees and their families have comprehensive benefits that are worth thousands more a yearincluding private medical and life insurance, subsidized meals, extended paid paternity leave and an employee discount, to name a few.
Families that find themselves in difficult circumstances  or who just need a little extra help once in awhile  don't need to go through it alone. There are an assortment of local entities that are here to help.

Each organization below provides assistance with needs specific to families, including obtaining diapers, formula, childrens clothing and coats, hygiene products and more.

The list does not include all local options, but provides a starting point. For example, many food pantries that arent on this list may have infant formula on occasion. The list does not include national programs that have offices in Wisconsin.

More: Struggling to afford child care in Wisconsin? Here's where to find help.

Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank, a United Way Fox Cities program

Help it provides: Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank distributes diapers on a monthly basis to partner agencies, which then get the diapers in the hands of families. Diaper packages contain 25 to 50 diapers, depending on the size, and are packed by diaper bank volunteers at the United Way Fox Cities Hub.

A list of locations that distribute diaper bank diapers can be found at bit.ly/diaperbankpartners.

The diaper bank also distributes menstrual and incontinence products, as donations allow. The diapers are donated by Kimberly-Clark, the community and purchased from monetary donations.

(From left) Theresa Cross of Appleton, Nicolle Lorbiecki of Menasha and Trace Fahrenkrug of New London collaborate to repackage donated diapers for the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank at the United Way Fox Cities Hub at VPI Inc. in Appleton.

Eligibility criteria: Its up to each partner agency to determine how and when they distribute diapers, explained Renae Verstegen, United Way Fox Cities community engagement manager. Partner agencies serve families that are within the United Way Fox Cities service area; the diaper bank asks that diapers go to those who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Contact: Consult with the partner agency you are hoping to receive diapers from.

More: As diaper need rises, local Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank continues to help

Jake's Network of Hope

Help it provides: Jakes Network of Hope has multiple local programs, including its East Wisconsin diaper bank; On the Dot, which distributes menstrual hygiene products; and A.C.E., which distributes incontinence products. Like the Kimberly-Clark diaper bank, Jakes Network of Hope stores and packages products and then, every month, gives them to partner organizations to distribute. Jakes partners, and the programs they participate in, can be found at bit.ly/JNOHpartners. Each partner receives 50 diapers per child it serves.

Eligibility criteria: Each partner organization may have its own conditions a family must meet to qualify for Jakes Network of Hope diapers, menstrual products and incontinence products. To be a partner organization, they must serve families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Contact: Consult with the partner organization you hope to receive products from.

B.A.B.E.S. Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program

Help it provides: B.A.B.E.S. Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program provides multiple economic supports to those actively participating in its programming. Its executive director, Mahnie Williams, a pastor, explained the nonprofit distributes diapers from the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank as well as its own supply, ensuring people of all incomes can have diaper access on a monthly basis. Registered participants can also receive monthly care packages that contain personal hygiene and household cleaning supplies.

Eligibility criteria: B.A.B.E.S. target demographic, Williams said, is parents up to age 27, as its mission is to prevent child abuse by strengthening young families. However, Williams noted, exceptions may be made. Economic support is available to program participants and not usually to the general public, she said. To learn more about B.A.B.E.S., fill out its prequalification form online at bit.ly/BABESform.

Contact: B.A.B.E.S., 1331 E. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Call 920-733-6886 with questions.

Related: Need holiday help? Here are 8 options for Fox Valley families needing Christmas gifts

Related: New service connects Wisconsin children, youth with specific health needs with resources

Community Clothes Closet

Help it provides: The Community Clothes Closet supplies donated gently used clothes for all ages  infants through elderly adults. Clients may pick out their clothes for free. The Community Clothes Closet also hosts a back-to-school clothing event, pajama event and prom shop event each year for clients.

Eligibility criteria: To shop for free clothing at the Community Clothes Closet for 12 months, a client must be referred by a social services agency, such as a food pantry or shelter. The organization serves all of Wisconsin.

Contact: The Community Clothes Closet, 1465-B Opportunity Way, Menasha, is open for client shopping from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 6 to 7:45 p.m. Mondays. It can be reached at 920-731-7834.

Vida Support Services

Help it provides: Vida, a Christian-based nonprofit in Appleton, operates a medical clinic as well as its non-medical support services program and maternity housing program. The Little Dear Boutique, which provides free formula, newborn to toddler-aged clothing, maternity clothing, diapers and Pull-Ups, is open to Vida clients and those who live in the organizations maternity home.

Eligibility criteria: Anybody younger than 25 is eligible for Vida Support Services. For those older than 25, income is considered, but is not a deciding factor, said the organizations executive director Anne Tretinyak. Religious affiliation is not a criterion to participate in programs or receive support from Vida, she said.

Contact: Vida, 720 W. Association Drive, Appleton, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. For more information, call 920-731-4354 or send email to info@vidasupportservices.org.

St. Vincent de Paul Society of Appleton Inc.

Help it provides: St. Vincent de Paul Society of Appleton does home visits, at which time it offers companionship and helps families connect with community resources; it provides financial assistance as available. Families participating in the home visit program may receive vouchers for the organizations thrift store, where they can obtain donated clothes, household items and more at no cost. Sometimes volunteers bring personal care items and food to the home visit, said executive director Jody Kasten.

Eligibility criteria: While St. Vincent de Paul Society of Appleton Inc. is a Catholic organization, it helps people of all religious affiliations. Most often, home visit volunteers will travel within Appleton, Weyauwega, New London and Waupaca. To see if you are eligible to receive services, fill out the applicable request form at bit.ly/stvincentdepaulhelpappleton. A home visit volunteer team will then reach out.

Contact: The thrift store is at 1924 W. College Ave., Appleton and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Questions can be directed to info@svdpappleton.org, or call 920-739-1679 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

St. Vincent de Paul Neenah/Menasha

Help it provides: St. Vincent de Paul Neenah/Menasha provides vouchers to obtain clothing, linens, household goods and furniture at its thrift store. In addition to food, its pantry is typically stocked with formula, diapers from the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank, feminine hygiene products, incontinence supplies and other hygiene items such as laundry detergent, shampoo and toothpaste.

Eligibility criteria: To be eligible for vouchers to the thrift store and food pantry access, families must live in the Neenah/Menasha area. To receive a voucher, call its helpline at 920-729-4571 or visit its joint store and pantry location. To receive pantry items, including diapers, you must self-certify that you are within The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) income guidelines.

Contact: The helpline is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The pantry and thrift store are at 1425 S. Commercial St., Neenah. Pantry hours are 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fridays and 9:30 to noon Saturdays. The thrift store hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Related: Help Me Grow extends free early childhood resources to Northeastern Wisconsin

Related: 5 steps Wisconsin parents can do to set their kindergartner up for success as they start school

The Salvation Army Outagamie County Service Extension

Help it provides: The Salvation Army Outagamie County Service Extension keeps a closet of gently used coats and clothes of various sizes for those in need. As a partner of the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank, it also has diapers available. Families can also receive menstrual products and, as donations allow, infant formula. In the summer it collects and distributes back-to-school supplies.

Eligibility criteria: To receive the Extensions services, you must meet The Emergency Food Assistance Program income guidelines, and reside in its service area: Dale, Hortonville, Freedom ZIP codes except 54130 and 54913, Schiocton, Black Creek, Bear Creek, Isaar, Medina, New London, Nichols, Oneida, Seymour and Stephensville.

Contact: The Extension, 227 E. State Highway 54, Black Creek, is open from 9 to 11:15 a.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 3:30 to 5:15 p.m. Mondays. The Extension can be reached at 920-984-9305.

For information specific to your family's circumstances, call 211

The exact resources a family can leverage often depend on their specific circumstances. For example, families may need to live in a defined geographical area or meet income thresholds to receive services.

211 can help direct you to the services you are eligible for, said Lisa Smith, director of United Way Fox Cities 211.

211 operates 24/7 every day of the year. 211 operates statewide, so you can call from anywhere in Wisconsin.

If people would call 211 first, it would save them a ton of running around, Smith said.

Are there any resources missing from this list that families should know about? Let us know by emailing Madison Lammert at mlammert@gannett.com.

Madison Lammert is a Report for America corps member who covers child care and early education in Wisconsin at The Post-Crescent. Contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or 920-993-7108. Follow on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.

You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Post Crescent Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: From diapers to children's clothing, these Fox Valley organizations can help your family
You might take your cocktail advice from a professional bartender, but it might be better to get your knowledge from a professional drinker like Ernest Hemingway. There is no shortage of big drinkers in the literary world, yet even among that illustrious crowd, Hemingway's name is probably most closely associated with alcohol. He's famous for frequenting bars from Cuba to Idaho, downing ultra-dry martinis and copious amounts of Champagne alongside drinking buddies like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso. He even had the bar at the Ritz in Paris named in his honor. It's not a lifestyle we'd recommend, but you can't deny the man's expertise. And there is no drink more associated with Hemingway than the daiquiri, that classic blend of rum, lime, and sugar that he downed during long trips to Havana. In fact, he even has his own daiquiri variation named after him.

Hemingway took his daiquiris sans sugar due to a rare inherited disease that made him susceptible to diabetes. This started as just a double order of rum and lime, but eventually, a new bartender named Antonio Meilan created a variation that played to his palate. Meilan kept the white rum, cut back a bit on the lime juice, and added grapefruit juice and Maraschino liqueur, a dry, slightly bitter alcohol with the flavor of Marasca cherries. If you order one today it will often include simple syrup as well to balance out the taste for people with a less harsh palate than Hemingway.

Read more: The 40 Absolute Best Cocktails That Feature Only 2 Ingredients

The Hemingway Daiquiri Includes Grapefruit Juice And Maraschino Liqueur

Maraschino liqueur - Dementieva Iryna/Shutterstock

The bar where Hemingway would drink daiquiris, El Floridita, christened the cocktail a "Hemingway Special," or "Papa Doble," because it was twice the size of a normal drink, but it has come to be known more clearly as just the Hemingway Daiquiri. The extra ingredients make it a more complex and sour cocktail than the classic daiquiri, with a lot of that coming from the Maraschino liqueur. Originating in Croatia and made from local sour cherries, Maraschino liqueur doesn't have any of the cloying sweetness normally associated with Maraschino cherries. It is still lightly sweet and tastes of cherries, but the production process includes the cherry pits, which makes it nutty and bitter as well. It's a very strong flavor best used lightly in cocktails, but it delivers an incredible variety of tasting notes to the clean citrus taste of the daiquiri.

The original El Floridita recipe for a Hemingway Daiquiri is suitably strong, using twice as much rum as juice and liqueur. The more common modern variation starts with two ounces of white rum in a cocktail shaker, then adds  an ounce of lime juice, and half an ounce each of grapefruit juice and Maraschino liqueur. You can also add an optional quarter ounce of simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a glass. It's a deliciously refreshing cocktail, so just try not to drink as many as the man himself would.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Just two years ago, Kanye West was still flying high on the success of his billion-dollar Yeezy sneaker brand. He bought two separate Wyoming ranches, including one that spanned more than 3,000 acres. The money seemed endless; he also shelled out $57 million, in cash, for an oceanfront Malibu house designed by famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando. And in the midst of his acrimonious divorce from Kim Kardashian, he bought a house directly across the street from her Hidden Hills residence, just because.

Both California properties are gone and going, respectively  that Hidden Hills house was recently sold at a six-figure loss, while the Malibu manor is now up for grabs at $53 million. Even in the unlikely event of a full-price offer, West stands to lose many millions of dollars on the property, once realtor fees and closing costs have been factored into the equation. And its not even clear if he ever spent a night at the house, which was completely gutted during his ownership.

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The current listing, held by Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim of the Oppenheim Group, includes a few years-old photos of the place. But it doesnt look anything like that todayaerial imagery shows most all of the walls and doors are now gone, and the interior finishes have likely made their way to a landfill. Oppenheim told the Wall Street Journal that a buyer will need to spend several million dollars just to make the house livable.

In its current state, the Malibu home will require millions of dollars in renovation costs alone.

West had intended to redesign and update the 4,000-square-foot structure, but that was shortly before Adidas parted ways with the 46-year-old rapper due to his numerous antisemitic remarks, allegedly leaving his finances in disarray. As it stands now, the building is a concrete shell exposed to the elements. Railings and metal trim pieces around the house have visibly rusted, likely beyond salvageability.

It will be interesting to see what sale price the oceanfront property eventually commandsparticularly because it sits cheek-to-jowl next to other homes, nearly all of which are worth a mere fraction of Wests $53 million sticker. But this home does benefit from its unique pedigree; its one of the few stateside residences ever designed by Ando, who has become one of the billionaire elites most sought-after architects.

West, who remains one of the worlds most successful record producers and one of the best-selling artists of all time, is likely nowhere near poor. But he seems to be shifting away from real estate ownershipwhen hes not out traveling the globe with wife Bianca Censori, he frequently bunks up for months at a time in some of L.A.s most expensive hotels, including the oceanfront Nobu Ryokan.

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Following the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed, Dodi's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, refused to accept that they died in a car crash, and that it was an accident.

Following their deaths, he hired his own private investigators, and started spreading the theories that the British royal family was somehow involved. As Reuters noted, Fayed was "beset by grief and an overwhelming sense of injustice, al-Fayed spent millions on legal battles to ensure there was an inquest."



He did numerous interviews in the years after their deaths, and his repeated allegations led the British government to open Operation Paget, an investigation in 2007 into Diana and Dodi's deaths.

JOHN D MCHUGH - Getty Images

That report (which you can read in full, here) details an overview of his allegations: "In essence Mohamed Al Fayeds allegation is that the Security Services (unless otherwise specified, this is taken to be the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - commonly known as MI6) acting at the behest of HRH Prince Philip, arranged for or carried out the murder of Dodi Al Fayed and the Princess of Wales."

The report continues, "The alleged motive was that the Princess of Wales was pregnant with Dodi Al Fayeds child and there was to be an imminent announcement of their engagement. It is suggested by Mohamed Al Fayed that the Royal Family could not accept that an Egyptian Muslim could eventually be the stepfather of the future King of England. It is alleged that the Security Services of the United Kingdom covertly obtained the information concerning pregnancy and engagement, with or without the co-operation of overseas agencies, precipitating the need to put into operation a plan to murder them. Mohamed Al Fayed further alleges there was a cover-up by the Establishment to prevent the conspiracy and murders from coming to light."

There are three main parts of his conspiracy theory: that the royals orchestrated it, that Diana and Dodi were engaged, and that Diana was pregnant. Fayed testified that Diana "told me that she knew Prince Philip and Prince Charles were trying to get rid of her" and that the royals could not stand that "a person who is different religion, naturally tanned, curly hair" would be dating the mother of the future king.

Fayed testified, "It's proved, there are dark forces. My version is the right version because [I] don't take any garbage from anybody who can pretend they are important."

To be clear: The car crash on August 31, 1997 was determined to be an accident by both French and British authorities, there is no evidence that Diana and Dodi were engaged, nor that she was pregnant at the time of her death. As the judge ruled, Mohamed Al Fayed's "beliefs may be genuine but there is no doubt that many of them have no support in evidence at all." The verdict held that they were killed in a car accident, due to their driver being intoxicated. Fayed said he accepted the result, but "I'm leaving the rest for God to get my revenge."

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Talk about a tough act to follow, big shoes to fill or whichever well-worn phrase you prefer to describe a legend making way for an upstart: How does any restaurant succeed in the space that housed the Penny Cluse Cafe, aka Burlingtons most-beloved restaurant for the better part of 25 years?

The owners of Frankies, who expect to open their restaurant in that Cherry Street building in early April, recognize theyre facing a big task. Theyre not daunted by it. Theyre embracing it.

Its an incredible opportunity to take over a space like Penny Cluse, said Jordan Ware, wholl oversee the menu at Frankies.

Theres a lot of positive energy surrounding this space and within the walls, according to Cindi Kozak, general manager at Frankies.

There will be significant differences between Penny Cluse and Frankies. The former, run by Charles Reeves and Holly Cluse, was known for breakfast and lunch infused with California flair. Frankies will be a dinner place leaning heavily on Vermont farmers. Far from unknown Burlington entities, Ware and Kozak come to Frankies with prime Vermont-restaurant-industry pedigrees.

Cindi Kozak and Jordan Ware, co-owners of Frankie's, stand Nov. 28, 2023 outside the Cherry Street space previously occupied by the Penny Cluse Cafe, where the pair's new Burlington restaurant will be located.

Experience at Farmhouse, Hen of the Wood

Ware, a Vermont native, attended The Culinary Institute of America. He then worked for head chef Eric Warnstedt as a line cook at Smokejacks, which was at the corner of Main and Church streets, where Honey Road is now.

Warnstedt went on to create one of Vermonts most celebrated restaurants, Hen of the Wood, with locations in Waterbury and Burlington. Ware, a past James Beard Award nominee, served as chef de cuisine for Hen of the Wood for a decade. He also worked at another of the Burlington areas top eateries, The Farmhouse Tap & Grill.

Kozak began her Vermont restaurant career at The Alchemist brewery and pub in Waterbury, which closed after flooding from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. (The Alchemist, of course, has since found huge success in Stowe with its line of beers including Heady Topper.)

Kozak worked as a server at another Farmhouse property, Guild Tavern in South Burlington. She then spent 10 years shuttling between both Hen of the Wood restaurants, first as a server, then as assistant manager, then as general manager.

She and Ware have worked with each other for years. They talked in general terms from time to time about opening a restaurant together.

That was the goal in the back of our minds, Kozak said. Those vague plans didnt take shape until Reeves and Cluse closed their ultra-popular eatery a year ago.

Cindi Kozak and Jordan Ware stand Nov. 28, 2023 beneath the iconic cup that adorned the Cherry Street space previously occupied by the Penny Cluse Cafe, where the pair's new Burlington restaurant, Frankie's, will be located.

Cozy, charming, nourishing

Like Hen of the Wood, Penny Cluse was renowned for being a hard place to get into. Lines often formed on the sidewalk along Cherry Street as breakfast patrons waited for their chance to be seated in the homey eatery.

Kozak said she and Ware spoke with Reeves in February about plans for their restaurant. She said he was excited to welcome them into the building he owned and made food in for a quarter-century.

Jordan and Cindi clearly have the experience to pull off a new restaurant, Reeves told the Burlington Free Press in an email. They were fans of Penny Cluse and are tapping into our positive vibe. They are making solid and much needed improvements to the space. They have assembled a good team to help them. I am very enthusiastic and supportive of their (endeavor).

Charles Reeves, co-owner of Penny Cluse Cafe, works the kitchen Dec. 8, 2022 as the Burlington restaurant prepares for its final weekend after nearly 25 years in business.

Those improvements in the building will be fairly minimal, centering on installing a new bar and what Ware called light remodeling. Frankies will seat about 70 customers, slightly more than Penny Cluse could accommodate, as the new restaurant will add room for diners in the upstairs space.

The owners want the same cozy, charming vibe Penny Cluse gave off, according to Kozak, a fun, energetic place that gives off plenty of warmth.

Our main focus is that people feel good, safe, comfortable, Kozak said.

Nourished, Ware added.

Cindi Kozak and Jordan Ware, co-owners of Frankie's, stand Nov. 28, 2023 inside the Burlington restaurant that will move into the Cherry Street space previously occupied by the Penny Cluse Cafe.

Investing in downtown Burlington

Patrons will be nourished by a still-to-be-developed menu. Rather than use the term farm-to-table, Kozak said she and Ware prefer to say the food at Frankies will be locally sourced with a chef-driven, rotating seasonal menu. Ware said they want the cuisine to be ambitious, playful, with their own sense of style.

We want it to be different, Kozak said. We dont want to paint ourselves in a corner with that (farm-to-table description).

They are excited about working with the states deep pool of farms and farmers. Vermont is growing in the food world. A lot of people come down from Montreal to Burlington because of the citys dining reputation, according to Ware.

To have it (the farm community) be five miles away is such a treat, Kozak said.

Theyre seeking employees who are passionate about the food industry and see restaurant work as not just another job. They want to build a meaningful atmosphere, Kozak said, where people become a part of something.

Wares wife, Dana Parseliti, is general manager at Honey Road, also a James Beard Award-nominated restaurant. Frankies is named for Parselitis father, who was in the restaurant business in Connecticut for 50 years. That familial immersion in the restaurant industry has Ware wanting to share what he called the tremendous beauty of hospitality.

He and Kozak are fully aware of the struggles of Burlington in recent years, with increased gunfire incidents and other safety concerns, as well as the appearance of downtown buildings and streets. Much like the idea of moving into a much-loved restaurant, Ware and Kozak said they wont let Burlingtons problems scare them off.

They hope as young entrepreneurs  Kozak is 39, Ware is 41  theyll help inspire others of their generation to invest in and be stewards of downtown Burlington.

There is some intimidation, Ware said, but were running toward it rather than running away from it.

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Penny Cluse Cafe is no more, but Frankie's is on its way to Burlington
Chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore know that not everyone will make it out to visit Casa Maria Luigia, their guest house in the Italian countryside. But with the release of their new cookbook, Slow Food Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia  Stories and Recipes, guests waiting to make the trek can get a taste of the experience at home.

Bottura, whos behind three Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and his wife officially opened Casa Maria Luigia to the public in May 2019. The estate houses their collection of cars and motorcycles, as well as guest rooms and tasting-menu restaurant Francescana at Maria Luigia. The cookbook invites readers into their world through 85 recipes that span breakfast, lunch, snacks and dessert, alongside essays and photos of the houses ambiance and decor.

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Here, the recipe for Pear and Coffee Cakes, excerpted from the book.

Breakfast at Casa Maria Luigia.

Pear and Coffee Cakes

Adapted from Slow Food Fast Cars by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore

Unlike most places in the south of Italy, provinces in the north have a limited offering of winter fruit, but one we can always depend on is the pear. Emilia-Romagna has six pears with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and for this recipe we use the Abate Fetel, a variety mostly grown in Emilia. Its a pear that has a beautiful sweetness and a hint of amaretto-like flavor. Every winter, we are on a mission to create as much as possible with this very beautiful and humble fruit.

The fresh fruit baked into these cakes adds a nice moisture and delicate pear flavor that plays perfectly off the stronger coffee and almond flavors of the crumble.

Makes 12 cakes

INGREDIENTS

Crumble

scant 1 tablespoon (5 g) freshly ground coffee beans

 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter

6 tablespoons (35 g) chopped almonds

Coffee cakes

butter, for the pan

 stick (55 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

 cup plus 1 tablespoon (110 g) granulated sugar

1 egg

 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder

 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

pinch of salt

scant  cup (125 g) greek yogurt

3  oz (100 g) pear, peeled, cored, and coarsely diced (0.2 inch/5 mm)

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the crumble:

In a bowl, mix the ground coffee, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the butter into the coffee mixture  it will create a sandy texture. Mix in the almonds. Set aside.

Make the coffee cakes:

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C/Gas Mark 4). Grease 12 cups of a mini muffin pan with butter (we use a silicone oval mold with ovals 2  x 1  inch / 7 x 4 cm in diameter).

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the mix. Keep mixing until everything is fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, always making sure that the first part is well incorporated before adding the next. With a rubber spatula, fold in the yogurt and diced pear.

Scrape the batter into the prepared mini muffin cups or molds filling them three-quarters full. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of the crumble mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature in the pan before removing and serving on a plate.

These cakes are best eaten as soon as possible but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Excerpted from Slow Food Fast Cars 2023 by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore. Photography by Michael Gardenia (Fusillo Lab). Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

Slow Food Fast Cars by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore.

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Three years ago, Singapore-based Canadian designer Brandy Dallas founded emerging contemporary label Sans Faff to address sustainable, well-made basics amid a sea of fast fashion haunts, she told WWD.

The brand has since gained a cult following in Singapore (where it is stocked at a handful of multi-label boutiques) for its original bamboo foundational layers (T-shirts, bodysuits), expansion into custom Enviro Rib street bamboo layers, and its evolution of event dressing and tailoring (in Eastman Naia cellulosic fibers), priced $300 to $800.

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We went with fully certified fabrics  we source our yarn, we know the entire chain of custody of our supply chain from where the bamboo is grown and where the yarn [is] spun. This has been a core to building the brand from the beginning thats being carried through to the new tailoring, she said, noting the brand has a responsible supply chain and is waste neutral.

A look from Sans Faffs holiday 2024 collection.

Now, the brand is expanding to U.S. distribution (including Fwrd, Revolve, Free People and select boutiques) with its spring 2024 collection.

New York is the global epicenter of culture, innovation and creativity. It feels like the right time to amplify our message and redefine what luxury power dressing really means. For us, were really working to shift the focus away from temporary, fleeting trends and focus more on enduring essentials. Those power pieces that you can layer and you can dress up and down, Dallas said.

A look from Sans Faffs spring 2024 collection.

As seen through the brands holiday and spring collections, the designer is continuing to evolve her signature brand ethos of polished, quiet power dressing. Highlights across both lines include sharp-cut suiting (a white, power shoulder blazer with matching vest and pin-tuck palazzo pants); button-up shirting (both classic or with sheer elements); blazer minidresses; versatile little black dresses and slinky gowns (some with detachable statement bows), and sophisticated Enviro ribbed long tops (or an adorable mini square-neck catsuit). Within her upcoming summer capsule, Dallas also plans to introduce color (fiery red), elegant yet sexy lace layers and linen tailoring.

Speaking to the brand name, Dallas said, We want to eliminate the faff around putting together a super curated wardrobe and let it be very sleek. As in, when you reach for something in your wardrobe and you know its going to punch  theres no doubt its always a crowd pleaser; it feels good, and you know exactly how youre going to go about your day in that wardrobe. Its our mission to fill that space.

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Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden, pictured here in 2016, got a sleep divorce. (Donato Sardella/Getty Images)

Cameron Diaz believes "we should normalize separate bedrooms" for couples. Talking with Molly Sims and Emese Gormley on the podcast Lipstick on the Rim, Diaz said, To me, I would literally, I have my house, you have yours. We have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room. You go sleep in your room. Im fine. ... And we have the bedroom in the middle that we can convene in for our relations."

While Diaz, who is married to Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, clarified that her husband is "wonderful" and this is not their setup, this is a common 21st-century trend: the sleep divorce.

Research shows that co-sleeping, even with your partner, can lead to sleep disturbances, and sleep disturbances, in turn, can lead to waking disturbances. Quality of life goes down when sleep is less than optimal, and tiffs with your partner are more likely to take place. Enter, the sleep divorce. So how does it work?

What is a sleep divorce?

"A sleep divorce is a mutual decision between two individuals who, by social convention, would typically share the same bed, but decide to sleep separately in order to improve quality of sleep," Dr. Sujay Kansagra, author of My Child Won't Sleep and director of Duke's Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program, tells Yahoo Life. "Although classically a sleep divorce means sleeping in different rooms, there are a variety of other less drastic ways to improve sleep between couples. For example, sharing the same bed but using a different blanket can help. Alternatively, sleeping in the same room, but keeping the beds slightly separated so motion is not transferred to the other partner."

Its not uncommon for Americans to occasionally or consistently sleep in another room from their partner, in order to accommodate their partner's sleep needs. A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that more than one-third of people say they will sleep in another room to make accommodations for someone else's sleep schedule or habits. Millennials are most likely to sleep separately: Of the 2,005 adults surveyed, 43% of millennials report sleeping separately from a bed partner, followed by 33% of those in Generation X, 28% of those in Generation Z and 22% of baby boomers.

What experts say about sleep divorces

So what do experts think of this trend? "If the reason to sleep separately is to ensure a good night's sleep, then it is a positive choice for the couple," says Lisa Brateman, a psychotherapist and relationship specialist in New York City. "A better quality of sleep with fewer disruptions will benefit your health in many ways. If you find yourself tired during the day, with lower brain functions, low mood and irritability, you may want to consider the benefits of sleeping apart which in turn can improve your relationship and your quality of concentration at work."

While a sleep divorce may seem somewhat dramatic to many, research numbers show that the practice is perhaps more common than people might think. In 2013, Ryerson University Sleep and Depression Laboratory director Colleen Carney told CBC that as many as 30-40% of couples sleep in separate beds. Meanwhile, a study by bedding company Slumber Cloud found that nearly half of adults would rather sleep by themselves.

There are many reasons why a person's sleep may be impacted by sharing a bed. The person beside them could be a restless sleeper, they could snore, have sleep apnea, take up too much space, have poor pre-bed hygiene  the list goes on. A 2007 study published in Sleep and Biological Rhythms also found that women are more likely to sleep poorly when they are sharing a bed with a man, whereas the man's quality of sleep was not impacted by a female partner.

The idea of sleeping as a pair or even alone is a relatively modern one. Communal sleeping  often comprised of entire households  was common practice up until the Victorian era when people, including married people, began sleeping by themselves. Prior to that, warmth and safety dominated decisions around sleep, and both warmth and safety could be more easily found in groups.

Pros and cons of sleep divorces

Unsurprisingly, there are many benefits to sleeping together. "Sleeping together is yet another thing you do together. Sleeping in the presence of another is vulnerable and vulnerability can deepen closeness," Brateman tells Yahoo Life.

"You have six to eight hours of uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact when you're sleeping with your partner," says Mary Jo Rapini, a relationship and intimacy psychotherapist in Texas. "And we know that that stabilizes hormones and it helps couples feel connected."

There is also the idea that not sleeping in the same bed means intimacy will suffer, but experts say that doesn't have to be the case  you just need to make sure to find ways to make up for the lost time together.

"Everybody thinks if you move out of the bed with your partner, you'll have sex less. But that isn't necessarily so because many couples are exhausted when they go to bed. One is exhausted and the other one is wide awake and the wide-awake one initiates sex," says Rapini. "I see more conflict about having sex at night." However, Rapini notes, finding time for intimacy even when you're not sharing a bed, is important. "Some of the closest couples that I have worked with have slept in separate beds," she says. "They've been very successful at establishing other times for intimacy."

Of course, deciding you'd like to sleep separately from your partner and actually doing so is a delicate tightrope with the potential for hurt feelings, and experts advise talking about the decision a lot and establishing that a separate bed might not have anything to do with the foundation of a relationship.

"Remember that sleeping together is a social construct that has been passed on. Societal norms suggest that sleeping together means more than a good night's sleep," says Brateman. "Some view sleeping apart as a problem in the marriage rather than a problem of snoring, insomnia, tossing and turning and all the other reasons sleep can be interrupted."

Rapini recommends that if you're the one to initiate the conversation, focusing on the desire for a good night's rest is more beneficial than focusing on what your partner is potentially doing that is prohibiting that good night's rest. "Maybe you have a partner who was resistant to going and getting treatment for sleep apnea. Those conversations should be made separate from the one: I just need to sleep," she says. "I would focus on the aspect that you need to have some uninterrupted sleep. And as it is right now, you can't find a way to secure that."

Then there's also, of course, just the barrier of language. "The term 'divorce' sounds negative," says Kansagra. "So perhaps a better name is a 'sleep arrangement' or 'sleep agreement.'"

So maybe Diaz is onto something.
The North Country National Scenic Trail stretches 4,800 miles from Vermont to North Dakota and is the longest scenic trail in the National Park Service system.

Vermont has a second National Scenic Trail in addition to the Appalachian Trail, called the North Country National Scenic Trail, which stretches 4,800 miles from the Green Mountain National Forest to Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota, known for its "premier fishing," according to its website.

The North Country Trail is the longest in the National Trails System administered by the National Park Service, traversing seven states  New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota  in addition to Vermont. You can download and print out PDFs of the trail in Vermont with details including points of interest, camping sites and water stops.

Chittenden Reservoir outside of Rutland, as seen from the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Stephanie Campbell, regional trail coordinator for New York and Vermont for the North Country Trail Association, said Friday the trail's route through Vermont was finalized this summer, but that it will always be a work in progress. The trail was first extended into Vermont in 2019, but work on the route was interrupted, as so many things were, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"These things are seldom ever finished," Campbell said. "The Appalachian Trail is still being moved and put on better locations."

North Country Trail utilizes some existing trails as it traverses Vermont

The North Country Trail begins, or ends, in Vermont at Maine Junction in Green Mountain National Forest, where it overlaps with the Long Trail, maintained by the Green Mountain Club. At Maine Junction, the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail split after overlapping for 100 miles in southern Vermont. Campbell said as the North Country Trail heads westward from Maine Junction it passes through the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area within Green Mountain National Forest.

A North Country National Scenic Trail sign in the Champlain Valley.

Continuing westward, the North Country Trail traverses some private land, before passing through East Middlebury using road walks, then linking with the Trail Around Middlebury, which is maintained by the Middlebury Area Land Trust.

The route exits Vermont and enters New York with a walk across Champlain Bridge from Chimney Point State Park in Vermont to Crown Point State Historic Site in New York.

Maine Junction in Green Mountain National Forest, where the North Country National Scenic Trail begins and ends in Vermont.

Campbell said the North Country Trail Association and its partners are working on signage to memorialize the fact that the trail includes "the only point we know of where you can stand on one location and be on three nationally significant trails at the same time."

Those trails are the Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail, and the North Country Trail.

"You can head north to the end of the Long Trail and Canada, you can head northeast to Mount Katahdin, you can head southeast to Georgia or you can head west to North Dakota," Campbell said. "It's a pretty unique location that I think people will want to go and see."

Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont's North Country Trail starts here and ends in North Dakota
Assessing the Sustainability of Omnicom Group Inc's Upcoming Dividend

Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE:OMC) recently announced a dividend of $0.7 per share, payable on 2024-01-12, with the ex-dividend date set for 2023-12-21. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's delve into Omnicom Group Inc's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does Omnicom Group Inc Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 1 Warning Sign with BDOUY.

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Omnicom Group Inc is the world's second-largest ad holding company, based on annual revenue. The firm's services, which include traditional and digital advertising and public relations, are provided worldwide, with over 80% of its revenue coming from more developed regions such as North America and Europe.

Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend History

Omnicom Group Inc has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 1984. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Omnicom Group Inc has increased its dividend each year since 1994. The stock is thus listed as a dividend aristocrat, an honor that is given to companies that have increased their dividend each year for at least the past 29 years. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, Omnicom Group Inc currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.24% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 3.24%. This suggests an expectation of the same dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Omnicom Group Inc's annual dividend growth rate was 2.50%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate increased to 4.60% per year. And over the past decade, Omnicom Group Inc's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at 7.60%.

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Based on Omnicom Group Inc's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Omnicom Group Inc stock as of today is approximately 4.06%.

Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2023-09-30, Omnicom Group Inc's dividend payout ratio is 0.41.

Omnicom Group Inc's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Omnicom Group Inc's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2023-09-30, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each of year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Omnicom Group Inc's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors.

Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Omnicom Group Inc's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Omnicom Group Inc's revenue has increased by approximately 0.70% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 51.31% of global competitors.

The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, Omnicom Group Inc's earnings increased by approximately 1.70% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 46.16% of global competitors.

Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 4.90%, which outperforms approximately 52.2% of global competitors.

Concluding Thoughts on Omnicom Group Inc's Dividend Prospects

In conclusion, Omnicom Group Inc's long history of dividend payments, coupled with its consistent growth in dividends per share, paints a picture of a reliable income-generating investment. The company's moderate payout ratio, strong profitability rank, and positive growth metrics further support the sustainability of its dividends. Investors seeking to add a stable dividend payer to their portfolio would do well to consider Omnicom Group Inc, especially considering the company's ability to navigate through market cycles while rewarding shareholders. Will Omnicom Group Inc continue its legacy as a dividend aristocrat in the years to come?

GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Footwear News may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Taylor Swifts birthday outfit has officially created a viral moment for Aquazzura.

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During her 34th birthday earlier this month, Swift stepped out in a pair of the Italian luxury brands Atelier Plateau sandals while celebrating with friends including Blake Lively, Miles Teller and Sabrina Carpenter in New York City. Since then, searches for the label have risen by 186% internationally  a near triple amount, on average  according to new data from skincare brand Misumi.

Taylor Swift celebrates her 34th birthday in New York City on Dec. 13, 2023. Gotham/GC Images

Designed by Edgardo Osario, the Atelier Plateau heels in question featured a peep-toe silhouette with black velvet uppers and crystal-lined straps. The $750 (was $1,250) pair earns its towering name from its sky-high heels  a squared silhouette totaling 5.11 inches in height.

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Swifts Aquazzura birthday heels marked her latest outing in the brand, following numerous appearances in Osarios creations over the years  including its Twist mules, Sundance platforms and Love Link pumps. The stars glitzy moment also arrives amid a soaring rise in platforms popularity; according to retail analysis platform Trendalytics, platforms have grown by 41.2% in the footwear market with over 45,500 products currently available in 2023.

Taylor Swift celebrates her 34th birthday in New York City on Dec. 13, 2023. Raymond Hall/GC Images

Aside from her platform heels, Swifts birthday outfits other elements also rose in popularity. The star paired her heels with Aquazzuras crystal top-handled tote and a sparkly Clio Peppiatt minidress  also increasing little black dress searches by 614% and silver bag searches by 400%, according to Misumis data.

Swift is the latest style star to make waves in online searches with her footwear. On Sunday, Kate Middleton also increased searches for Gianvito Rossi by 301% worldwide following her televised appearance in the brands blue Gianvito 105 pumps at the Royal Variety Performance.

About the Author:

Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on trending news, celebrity style, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.

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A rescue in the United Kingdom is raising funds to help a kitten born with no hips, reports People Magazine. Severn Valley Rescue, a shelter based in Shropshire, England, launched an online fundraising campaign for the cat, Phoebe, who has an extremely rare condition. The 7-month-old kitten arrived at the shelter after her previous owner could no longer afford the cost of her care.

Kitten requires expert specialist veterinary advice

Amanda Ball, the founder of Severn Valley Rescue, said Phoebe needs expert specialist veterinary advice for the best way forward. She also mentioned that the cat will undergo more X-rays and a full CT scan.

We know from basic X-rays that she has all the correct leg bones in the correct places, Ball shared. Continuing, Ball affirmed, But she is missing her hip joints.

She further added that the felines legs are pulled into a stretched position by muscles or ligaments (hyperextension), due to which her legs appear to be backward.

Continuing, Ball shared, We need to do a CT scan to find out which muscles and ligaments  can be operated on without losing the function of her legs. Moreover, Phoebe wont be able to undergo any major surgery until she turns one year old in May 2024.

Kitten is not in any pain

In an interview with BBC, Ball said the shelter is hoping to raise enough money to get the surgical team at Southwater Vets in Telford to X-ray, scan and operate. She also noted that the kitten is not experiencing any kind of pain and that the shelter would not consider putting the pet to sleep. The staffs focus is to improve Phoebes quality of life.

Ball later shared a post on the rescues Facebook page, wherein she expressed her gratitude to the public for their donations. Wow Wow Wow ! We did it, we raised the 3000 to get her treatment off the ground and Phoebe on the way to a better way of life, the post reads, in part.

Ball wrote that the vet will initially focus on working to make the kittens left leg stronger and stable. She further shared that the rescue has increased their initial fundraising target of 3000 to help cover Phoebes future surgery costs.

Again  we cant thank you enough for helping this beautiful little kitten, Ball added.

The post UK Shelter Raises Funds for Kitten With No Hips appeared first on CatTime.
A coalition of U.S. representatives has written to one of the fashion industrys foremost trade groups in support of Bangladeshi garment workers demands for fairer wages.

Led by Democrats Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, the lawmakers urged members of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) to wield their influence and stand together with workers by immediately demanding better wages and rights for Bangladeshi working families.

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Due to their significant presence and operational leverage in Bangladesh, we believe that AAFA member companies are strongly positioned to support workers petitions for livable wages and to vocally champion their labor rights in a key country for the global apparel industry, Omar et. al. wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 15, to AAFA president and CEO Steve Lamar. The escalating repression that Bangladeshi workers are enduring underscores the urgent need for transformative, systemic reforma call to action that U.S. corporations must heed.

While the lawmakers were encouraged by the support of several U.S. brands for both a wage increase and a fair and transparent wage-setting process, as detailed in a letter that American Eagle Outfitters, Gap Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and others wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in October, they found the reluctance of those same companies to back the unions call for 23,000 Bangladeshi taka ($210) not only disheartening but shameful.

As you know, the recent wage increases announced by Bangladeshs wage board, which would not even meet the rising cost of living, have led to extended mass protests, the letter said. Police have responded with violence against protesters and trade union leaders, resulting in at least four deaths, numerous injuries and a wave of unjust arrests, detentions, and indefinite factory shutdowns. We echo the Biden administrations call for the government of Bangladesh to respect and protect workers rights to organize, protest peacefully, and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation, violence or intimidation.

Nate Herman, senior vice president of policy at AAFA, said the organization is pleased to see members of Congress join our efforts to seek improvements in working conditions in Bangladesh and that AAFA and its members have been at the forefront of efforts to secure real increases to wages and reforms to the wage review process, which it recommends gets updated annually rather than every five years so that workers arent disadvantaged by changing macroeconomic conditions.

As we and our members have continuously reiterated, we are committed to responsible purchasing practices to support the wage increases, Herman said. Moreover, we continue to urge that the government of Bangladesh continue to partner with all parties to ensure an environment that fosters workers rights, worker welfare and inclusive and peaceful multistakeholder dialogue.

Herman said that the group is particularly distressed by the violence that ensued during the wage negotiations and protests, condemning the deaths, injuries and arrests of many innocent workers in the strongest terms.

We have continued to appeal to the government of Bangladesh, through its words and actions, including releasing anybody unlawfully detained, to set a tone that facilitates only peaceful discourse as wage and related issues are addressed and resolved, he added. A responsible and competitive Bangladeshi apparel industryone that involves peaceful and good faith participation from all stakeholders and that supports economic opportunitycontinues to remain an important part of the global fashion industry.

But lawmakers want the AAFA to go further, including pressuring the government of Bangladesh to accept workers minimum demand of 23,000 taka per month. They also asked the organization to call on Bangladeshi authorities to stop their wage protest-related arrests and release innocent detained individuals without delay; warn suppliers to stop filing criminal cases against workers and make evident that dismissing, blacklisting or otherwise harassing workers and union leaders is unacceptable and will influence its sourcing decisions; and use its considerable leverage with individual factory owners and industry associations to ensure that workers are paid despite production stoppages.

We believe that our actions abroad should always reflect our values at home, the representatives wrote. The historic challenges faced by garment workers in Bangladesh are part of a shared global struggle for good-paying jobs, safe working conditions and the right to organize. When we support workers rights in one part of the world, we bolster the fight for those rights everywhere. We urge you to help stop the exploitation against the Bangladeshi workers who have fueled the growth and profit of your businesses, and in support of the democratic, inclusive values that we cherish as a nation.
Vans is wrapping up 2023 right with help from Japanese streetwear brand Neighborhood.

Going back to basics, Vans and Neighborhood are dropping a new sneaker silhouette centered around the footwear brands Sk8-Mid 83 DX model with a focus on minimal design and versatile neutrals. The collaborative sneaker comes in all-cream and all-black colorways crafted of mixed textural suede and leather uppers, making for a minimalistic addition to any wardrobe.

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Vans x Neighborhood Sk8-Mid 83 DX. Vans

The heels of each sneaker are embossed with the Japanese brands NBHD logo on the heel, while Neighborhood decorates the toes. Vans and Neighborhood co-branding can be seen all throughout the shoe on the tongue and printed on the insoles, offering the silhouette a graphic and instantly recognizable touch. Neighborhoods Craft with Pride Tokyo Est. 1994 moto is stylishly plastered on the midsoles of the collaborative silhouette. Additional details featured on the Sk8-Mid 83 DX model include sleek coordinating lace-up closures and thick rubber soles fitted with a non-slip tread that can be found on a variety of Vans skater-inspired silhouettes.

Vans Sk8-Mid silhouette has been interpreted many times over by a variety of brands, including JJJJound, Supreme and Abc.

Vans x Neighborhood Sk8-Mid 83 DX. Vans

Neighborhood is a Japanese streetwear brand founded in 1994 in Tokyo, Japan by Shinsuke Takizawa. The apparel, accessories and footwear brand is inspired by a variety of subcultures and genres, including biker culture, rock and roll, punks, rebels, dirtbags and outsiders. The brands wears pull heavily from traditional military and technical outdoor wears, creating quality products made to last. Neighborhood has collaborated with many big names in fashion, apparel and decor over the years, including Clot, Adidas, Vans, Dickies, Yohji Yamamoto and Pharrell Williams, just to name a few.

Vans x Neighborhoods neutral Sk8-Mid 83 DX sneakers will be available for purchase on Friday 10 p.m. EST via vans.com and will retail for $202.

About the Author

Amina Ayoud is an Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where she writes stories about everything from celebrity style to breaking fashion and shoe releases. Ayoud cultivated a love of all things fashion early in life thanks to a deep love of fashion history and the luxury industry. In her free time, Ayoud is a self-proclaimed fashion nerd and thriftaholic.

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Think match-made-in-heaven crossovers only happen in fashion and music? Think again. 2023 was not only the year of the - Girl Dinner, Barbie, Tube Girl, Tours etc etc- but also the year of beauty collaborations. Rhode! Charlotte Tilbury! Glossier! All the faves were in the mood for a situationship, partnering with brands like Disney through to the Louvre. (Yes, we're talking about the one in Paris...) If you scrolled for even a second this year it seems like there was a new beauty collaboration on every internet corner, so to refresh your memories and provide reasoning for the 17th Sephora charge listed on your bank statement, we've listed some of the best and hottest beauty collaborations weve seen throughout 2023.

Rhode x Krispy Kreme

View this post on Instagram A post shared by rhode skin (@rhode)

Buttery, sugary, doughy Lips? Well thanks to TikTok's favorite glazed skin advocate, lips so good you'll want to eat them became a reality. In celebration of the release of their Strawberry Peptide Lip Tint Treatment, Hailey Biebers Rhode combined forces with Krispy Kreme to create a limited run of strawberry glazed donuts in line with the product drop. Let them eat donuts!or lip gloss! ah, well, you get the picture. You might be wondering, so how much is it? And we hate to be the bearer of bad news but its both sold out and scrubbed from the internet (404 Not Found anyone?!) So, well save you the search.

Lancome x Louvre Museum

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lancome Official (@lancomeofficial)

Sure, on the surface this collaboration feels kooky and off the cuff, but the more you think about fusing together the art and beauty world, especially when it comes to these two French staples. In 2023, Lancome teamed up with the Louvre Museum for a makeup and skincare collection. The line is inspired by nine pieces from the museum's sculpture department (for the greek mythology buffs think Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace, Corine, Diane of Gabies and Hermaphrodite), as well as the lights and color palette of the museum itself. The collection features four shades of L'Absolu Rouge Matte Lipstick ($35), the Advanced Genifique Serum ($88) with a new bottle design, and the five-pan Richelieu Wing Face and Eye Shadow Palette ($89). Can you say a match made in Elysium?

Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama

Beauty collaborations, best beauty 2023, glossier, starface, proenza schouler, charlotte tilburry, rhode

It takes a lot of (censored) to reimagine and reinterpret anything that has been made by a heritage fashion house like Louis Vuitton, but if we had to hedge our bets on anyone it would be Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The Japanese artist and the luxury brand released three newly imagined versions of Louis Vuitton's signature fragrances this year, which were revealed in two distinctly themed drops and incorporated Kusama's design motivations through the packaging and bottles. Attrape-Reves ($280), which featured notes of peonies, raw cocoa powder, patchouli, and lychee. Spell On You ($265) for the girlies and guys like a scent on the sweet side of life. Rounded out with the ever fresh L'Immensite ($326) with a blend of ginger and bitter grapefruit. All three fragrances are decorated with bold dots painted in different colors for each: green, yellow, red, blue, and white dots applied on Attrape-Reves; black, silver, gray, and white added to L'Immensite; and red and white for Spell On You. And Anyone who knows Ms Kusama's work knows that she loves her dots.

e.l.f. Cosmetics x Jennifer Coolidge

View this post on Instagram A post shared by e.l.f. Cosmetics UK (@elfcosmeticsuk)

Earlier this year when The White Lotus craze was in full swing, standout star Jennifer Coolidge partnered up with drugstore mainstay e.l.f. Cosmetics to release a pout enhancing lip kit -- very on brand, no? The Dirty Pillows Lip Kit ($25) contained e.l.f. Cosmetics O Face Satin Lipstick in shades Dirty Pillows (deep pink) and Swollen (baby pink), a Cream Glide Lip Liner in the shade Fill Frontal (brown-pink). Alongside a circle-shaped compact mirror with the phrase "Lips are the mirror to your soul" stamped on it. Pillowy lips for all!

Proenza Schouler X Merit

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MERIT (@merit)

One of our personal fashion faves Proenza Schouler, also tried on beauty for size this year with their collaboration with clean girl beauty brand Merit. Following on from their February 2022 partnership and catwalk coupling  yes, Merit is responsible for all the dreamy makeup looks we've spotted at Proenza shows  the brands reunited for the release of the Runway Set. All too fitting right? The beauty collaboration includes a serum, the brand's Clean Lash mascara, Merit's clear lip oil is here, along with Flush Balm and blending brush. All packaged in an uber chic Proenza bag. Whats not to love?

Charlotte Tilbury x Disney

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Charlotte Tilbury, MBE (@charlottetilbury)

The reigning Queen of magical beauty was of course front and center for celebrations of the most magical place on Earths 100 year anniversary. This year saw Charlotte Tilbury launch its own thematic makeup collection with Disney, coupled with an animated short film where Tilbury flies around London sprinkling rose gold pixie dust.The release featured a series of products including a Tinker Bell adorned Beauty Light Wand and Magic Cream, all of which were (of course) limited edition -- darling!

Aveda X Iris van Herpen

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MANGO SALON | Richmond, VA (@mangorva)

As if being internationally renowned for her avant-garde three-dimensional fashion designs that push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, wasnt enough for Iris van Herpen, this year the dutch designer collaborated with the iconic haircare brand Aveda to craft a limited-edition collection of exclusive hair accessories that will be available just in time for the highly anticipated 2023 holiday season. Made for all hair textures and crafted from recyclable brass the Henosis Hair Pins, which draw inspiration from the Greek concept of oneness are the perfect way to do good and gift good this year.

Queen Charlotte X Elemis

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ELEMIS (@elemis)

Ahead of its May 4 debut on Netflix, The Shondaland spinoff joined forces with Elemis to create an exclusive travel-friendly collection featuring the British skin-care brand's Pro-Collagen Rose products. For $75, the five-piece Queen Charlotte x Elemis kit (which was valued at $95 and included the brands iconic new Pro-Collagen Rose) marine cream alongside the bestselling cleansing balm and facial oil. Plus, for the beauty lover who love a 'gift with purchase', the set also included two pearl-embellished hairpins and a petal-soft velvet pouch for carrying all of the essentials.

Glossier X Starface

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Glossier (@glossier)

Glossier x Starface: it's essentially the Marvel crossover of beauty tbh. The former is known for its skin-first approach to beauty; the latter strives to make acne a thing of the past with its aptly named Hydro-Stars that use hydrocolloid to treat pimples. Youve likely seen the stars everywhere, but this batch of hydrocolloid stickers is a fun expansion pack (??) from the OG Starface options. Think light pink stars, cherries, and the beloved three-eyed smiley that along with other converted Glossier merch, once stood pride of place on every cool girl's phone case and bags.

This article was written by Ata-Owaji Victor, a beauty and lifestyle writer with a keen eye for all things afro haircare (which she frequently samples on her 4C coils), beauty tech, innovation and dewy skin heroes.
Ask someone what the best restaurant in San Luis Obispo is and youll get vastly different answers.

If they prioritize atmosphere, they might pick a swanky dinner spot downtown, while someone who is all about the grub could pick a hole-in-the-wall thats further away from the main stretches of town.

Luckily, Yelp has a weekly feature that tracks the most popular restaurants in the city based on recent user reviews.

Here are the 10 best restaurants in San Luis Obispo according to Yelp, as of Dec. 9, 2023:

Coya Peruvian Food

Address: 1401 Osos St.

Rating: 4.9 stars

Recent review: My wife and sister-in-law were born and raised in Lima, Peru. They absolutely loved everything we had. The ceviche was amazing! Catalina, the owner and chef, is so nice and welcoming. We had a great time and look forward to coming back. Highly recommend as the food is authentic and delicious.  Anthony B., Costa Mesa

To contact: Call 805-634-3504

J&L Hawaiian BBQ

Address: 2256 Broad St.

Rating: 4.9 stars

Recent review: Great food and good service. Went here for the first time and was not disappointed. We ordered the chicken katsu and Spam masubi, both were on point! Highly recommend J&L Hawaiian BBQ as the price to value ratio is great.  Daniel P., San Luis Obispo

To contact: jlhawaiianbbq.com or call 805-439-1099

Bear & the Wren offers eight beers on tap and 20 to 25 wines. The pizza restaurant is located in the old Spikes building on Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo.

Bear & The Wren

Address: 570 Higuera St.

Rating: 4.7 stars

Recent review: This place has such a calm, romantic atmosphere that is perfect for date nights! Their gourmet pizzas are so unique and flavorful for people looking to try something new. I got their Ricotta and Honey Pizza in the Detroit Style and their Roasted Butternut in the Neapolitan Style, and both were such amazing options! I especially loved the garlic confit of the ricotta and honey, so that one was my favorite of the night. I also tried their pineapple passion fruit root elixir, and it was a great refreshing non-alcoholic drink! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a new place to eat in SLO!  Regina R., Fresno

To contact: bearandthewren.com or call 805-439-0326

High Street Market & Deli

Address: 350 High St.

Rating: 4.6 stars

Recent review: If I could marry a sandwich shop, Id marry High St. Deli. While it took a while because I was there on a Saturday, it was so worth it. I got a turkey, cheddar cheese and lettuce sandwich on sourdough bread and it was amazing. The next time I went, I got a turkey, American cheese and lettuce sandwich on white bread, and while it was still great, nothing will top my first visits order. Totally going back here soon!  Brenna G., San Francisco

To contact: highstdeli.com or call 805-541-4738

Thai Delight Cuisine

Address: 1011 Higuera St.

Rating: 4.6 stars

Recent review: Excellent!! Had khao soi and drunken noodles. 10/10! Great service and seriously some of the best Thai food weve had. Will be back next time I visit SLO!  Theresa L., San Juan Capistrano

To contact: thaidelightslo.com or call 805-541-2025

A crab roll with avocado is among the sushi offerings on the menu at Goshi Japanese restaurant in Paso Robles.

Goshi Japanese Restaurant

Address: 570 Higuera St.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Recent review: It cannot get any better than this. I am a sashimi fan because of Goshi! Fresh, fresh quality and flavor. Excellent cuts that just let the sashimi melt in your mouth. Sake offerings are great. Dessert ... wow, matcha layered cake with black sesame ice cream. Do yourself a treat. Service is always friendly and seating is appropriate for the venue, but really, once you get your food, nothing else exists. SLO is fortunate to have this quality in town  Carrie R., San Luis Obispo

To contact: goshislo.com or call 805-543-8942

Ginos Pizza

Address: 1769 Monterey St.

Rating: 4.4 stars

Recent review: Our family loves Ginos great food and atmosphere! Huge menu and great variety, something for everyone! The staff is amazing and will help you get what you need to have a great meal!  Wesley T., Atascadero

To contact: ginospizzaslo.com or call 805-752-1333

Margherita pizza with fresh basil, thinly sliced tomatoes and garlic is a popular menu item at Ginos Pizza, which has locations in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo.

Nates on Marsh

Address: 450 Marsh St.

Rating: 4.3 stars

Recent review: Nates is the best restaurant in town. Not only is the food absolutely spectacular, the drinks are as well. You cannot beat the ambiance. Its warm, and cozy and beautifully designed. On top of all of that, Nate and his staff are the best. This is a cannot miss when in town or for the SLOcals.  Gary B., San Luis Obispo

To contact: natesonmarsh.comor call 805-544-4454

Flour House SLO

Address: 690 Higuera St.

Rating: 4.2 stars

Recent review: Great food and drink! Their craft pizzas are unique and the restaurant has a great atmosphere!  Chris C., San Diego

To contact: flourhouseslo.com or call 805-544-5282

Among the pizza offerings at Flour House in San Luis Obispo is the pizza bianca-style Primavera, topped with mozzarella di bufala, tomatoes and arugula.

Novo

Address: 726 Higuera St.

Rating: 4.2 stars

Recent review: The best restaurant in SLO!! We always come back here during holiday season! Food, the atmosphere and service is A plus!! Friendly for kids as they got a nice outdoor sitting area :) highly recommended!  Ashley H., Orange

To contact: novorestaurant.com or call 805-505-7137

Check back with The Tribune next month to see if your favorite restaurant can make it to the top.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  It's been quite an eventful year for the county: A new airline arrived, Brightline became a reality, new leaders emerged at the city and county levels and growth across the county had residents looking towards the future.

As 2023 turns into 2024, TCPalm's staff looks back at the year coming to a close and offers these stories as just some of the top news stories of the year in Indian River County:

Breeze Airways flight from the Vero Beach Regional Airport on July 31, 2023.

Breeze Airways flies into Vero Beach

In February Breeze Airways kicked off service to Vero Beach Regional Airport, in part filling the void left by the mysterious departure of Elite Airways in 2022.

Initial flights were to Hartford, Connecticut; Westchester, New York; and Norfolk, Virginia. That route eventually was discontinued.

As Breeze established itself and demand increased, service was added in early November to Providence, Rhode Island.

Seasonal flights to Islip, New York, were to begin Dec. 21.

Indian River County School Board Chair Peggy Jones speaks during citizen input in a school board meeting, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Indian River County. The public meeting, which ended after 11:00 p.m., heard from some community members concerned about sexually explicit language within the school districts library books and Gov. Ron DeSantis education curriculum based on the approach that slaves benefitted from slavery. Over 50 people participated in the citizen input, with opposition from both sides in the discussion, leading to a couple of people being escorted out of the meeting.

Book challenges, removals

Hundreds of books were removed from school libraries after they were challenged by parents, community members and by Moms for Liberty, a national parent-advocacy group with its roots here.

James Patterson, Jodi Picoult and even Anne Frank were among the authors and subjects removed from local school libraries as districts waded through hundreds of book challenges.

St. Lucie County's top stories of 2023: Sheriff's appointment, Trump trial, Brightline and more

Martin County's top stories of 2023: Brightline, Costco progress, growth and development

Almost 200 books were removed from Indian River County school libraries.

Four books were removed in March, including a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. An additional 59 were removed or discarded during the state-mandated weeding out of library inventory.

In August, Moms for Liberty members and supporters crowded the School Board meeting, ready to read aloud passages from books they considered pornographic and inappropriate for children younger than 18. About 57 passages were read, causing then-Chair Peggy Jones to stop about 20 of them.

Almost 50 speakers attempted to read passages from school district library books that were sexually explicit in hopes of removal during a Indian River County School Board meeting, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. The public meeting, which ended after 11:00 p.m., heard from people concerned about sexually explicit language in library books and Gov. Ron DeSantis education curriculum based on the approach that slaves benefitted from slavery.

The group counted on a 2023 state law that requires school districts remove books when someone is prohibited from reading them during a public meeting.

"Every other time we've read (the books), we've been shut down immediately," said Jennifer Pippin, president of the local Moms For Liberty chapter, in August. "We did the most inflammatory passages to be respectful of time."

The district removed 128 books that the School Board deemed inappropriate to be read during the meeting. Among them were Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Color Purple": and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult no longer comes up in a search of books available in the district's libraries, as 20 of her 30 novels made the list of challenged books to review.

One of the speakers at the meeting, North Carolina pastor John Amanchukwu, was removed from the School Board meeting by sheriff's deputies after he failed to stop reading the passage after instructed to do so by Jones. In the days that followed the meeting, Jones and other board members were inundated with threatening phone calls and emails. Jones said she received death threats.

A northbound Brightline train carrying passengers from Miami to Orlando crosses East State Road 60, where 19th Place becomes 20th Street, in Vero Beach, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, the day the high-speed rail carrier increased its Miami-to-Orlando service from 16 to 30 trains daily.

Brightline becomes a reality

Many thought it never would happen. Indian River and Martin counties spent millions of dollars trying to keep it from happening.

But 11 years and $6 billion later, Brightline began running its higher-speed passenger railroad through the Treasure Coast on Sept. 22.

After beginning service in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in 2018, Brightlines colorful trains quickly became a staple along the corridor between downtown Miami and Orlando International Airport, running 32 times a day through rural and residential neighborhoods and downtowns such as Vero Beach.

And just as critics had warned, it didnt take long for the railroad to experience its first fatality on the Treasure Coast. On its seventh day of full operation, Sept. 28, a northbound Brightline train hit and killed a 25-year-old homeless man just north of Midway Road in St. Lucie County, the Sheriffs Office said.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara cited strong evidence to suggest that he may potentially have committed suicide.

There also was news from Brightline this year about a future station on the Treasure Coast. In October, officials announced they had begun a site-selection process for a station in either St. Lucie or Martin county. The railroad is bound to locating in those counties, rather than in Indian River, by a 2018 lawsuit settlement with Brightline. The new station is to be open by early 2028, Brightline said.

This drone photo shows construction off Oslo Road on Dec. 18, 2023. The work on a bridge replacement with an Interstate 95 interchange at Oslo Road began Aug. 14, 2023. The $95.8 million project is expected to take four years to complete. Oslo Road carries about 5,000 vehicles a day. That's expected to increase to 21,000 by 2040.

Indian River County grows, and development follows

After 20-years of discussion and debate, an interchange finally is being built at Interstate 95 and Oslo Road. County and state officials came together in August to commemorate the occasion. The main driver of the $95.8 million project is the need for expanded evacuation routes and to bring a connection to the interstate to the southern portion of the county.

Vero Beach City Council spent the year studying plans for how to improve State Road 60 between Sixth and 20th avenues, known as Twin Pairs. The final decision, made in December, was to leave the stretch substantially unchanged, only widening bike lanes, reducing lane width, reducing speed and making safety improvements between 14th and 16th avenues.

The $385,000 proposal will be forwarded to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The Alma Lee Loy Bridge, also known as the 17th Street Bridge is seen closed, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, in Vero Beach. FDOT workers are currently placing lane separators and restriping the south side of the bridge ahead of future construction. FDOT said the 17th Street Bridge is structurally deficient because of crumbling concrete and exposed cables. Temporary fixes have been ongoing since 2020.

Construction on the Alma Lee Loy Bridge  or the 17th Street Bridge  began in August, and despite Vero Beach City Council voting to keep it open, Florida Department of Transportation opted to close it for three days. It reduced lanes from four to two, and initial closures were delayed due to Hurricane Idalia concerns. Despite initial concerns of traffic, delays were minimal.

Sebastian signed a new contract with Waste Management in March. The new contract, which covers all residents of the city, saw a 35% increase in fees, but a 50% cut in service. The new contract passed 3-2 in the City Council.

New leaders come on the scene

New leaders were tapped in 2023 to lead the county and cities in the coming years.

It began at the end of 2022 when former County Administrator Jason Brown stepped down for a job in the Clerk of Courts. His replacement  John Titkanich  was appointed in March and began his tenure in April. Titkanich came from St. Lucie County, where he had served as director of the performance and innovation division for the previous two years.

Following former Sebastian City Manager Paul Carlisle's sudden resignation amid poor evaluations, Leisure services Director Brian Benton was hired as interim city manager and promoted in August to the permanent post.

Municipal elections were held in Sebastian and Vero Beach in November.

In Vero Beach, John Cotugno ran successfully for reelection and was again elected mayor. Taylor Dingle was elected to the council, becoming the youngest City Council member in Vero Beach history.

In Sebastian, three incumbents  Fred Jones, Bob McPartlan and Chris Nunn  were reelected. Coming in fifth in the six-way race was former Councilman Damien Gilliams, who found himself in the Indian River County Jail on Election Day for for Sunshine Law violations in 2021.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon scheduled former President Donald Trump's classified documents criminal trial to begin Aug. 14 at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Fort Pierce at 101 N. U.S. 1. She has since rescheduled it to May 20-31, 2024.

Trump on trial in Fort Pierce

Former President Donald Trumps federal criminal trial began to unfold in Fort Pierce earlier this summer, with the first pretrial hearing taking place July 18. Other hearings took place throughout the summer at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse in the case of United States v. Donald Trump and Waltine Walt Nauta.

Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who worked for Trump, are codefendants.

Trump and his codefendants are charged with mishandling federal documents uncovered on Aug. 8, 2022, at Trumps Palm Beach County Mar-a-Lago property.

Trump hasn't yet attended a hearing here, but he is expected to appear in Fort Pierce once the trial kicks off in 2024. It's slated to begin May 20, although Trump has asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to delay it until after the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Staff writers Will Greenlee, Gianna Montesano, Arnie Rosenberg and Colleen Wixon contributed to this report.

Nick Slater is TCPalm's Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Indian River County top stories of 2023, take a look at the year in review
Washington  The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency under the Constitution's so-called insurrection clause and ordered the secretary of state to exclude his name from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot.

The landmark decision from the divided Colorado Supreme Court that Trump cannot hold public office under the Civil War-era provision is unprecedented, and it marks the first time a court has found him to be ineligible to return to the White House due to his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Never before has a court determined that a presidential candidate is disqualified under the clause, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

What to know about the Colorado Supreme Court's Trump ruling, and what happens nextRead the Colorado Supreme Court's opinions in the case disqualifying Trump from the primary ballot



Asked about the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday, President Biden told reporters it is up to the court to determine the application of Section 3, but said there's "no question" Trump supported an insurrection.

The ruling does not apply outside of Colorado, and the state high court, whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors, paused its decision until Jan. 4  one day before the deadline for Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to certify the candidates for the state's March 5 primary.

"We conclude that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot," the court's majority wrote in an unsigned opinion. "Therefore, the Secretary may not list President Trump's name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him."

Lawsuits challenging Trump's candidacy have been filed in more than 25 states ahead of the 2024 election, though the Colorado case brought on behalf of six voters marks the most immediate threat to his campaign. National polls show Trump atop the field of candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, a spokesman for his campaign said, setting up a high-stakes showdown over his eligibility to run just as voters in early states begin casting their ballots in the Republican primaries. In pausing its decision, the Colorado Supreme Court said that if review to the nation's highest court is sought before Jan. 4, its stay will remain in place, and the secretary will be required to list Trump on the 2024 primary ballot until the U.S. Supreme Court rules.

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," Steve Cheung, spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement. "We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits."

The seven-member Colorado Supreme Court divided 4-3 on the ruling, with its majority reversing the trial court's finding as to the scope of Section 3 to conclude that it encompasses the office of the presidency and one who has taken an oath as president.

"President Trump asks us to hold that Section Three disqualifies every oathbreaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land," the majority wrote. "Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section Three."

Griswold, in an interview Wednesday on CBS News' "America Decides," said, "There shouldn't be a loophole for the president if the president decides to engage in insurrection or rebellion."

"Donald Trump incited the insurrection. He tried to stop the peaceful transfer of the presidency, trying to steal the presidential election from the American people," Griswold said. "Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has clear language. So I do believe the Colorado Supreme Court got it right. But unlike Donald Trump, I will follow whatever court decision is in place, the law, the U.S. Constitution, when it comes time to certify the election."

She pushed back on the argument that the decision is antidemocratic and disenfranchises voters.

"It's ironic because Donald Trump literally tried to steal the presidency. That is the only reason that this case moved forward, because of his actions," she said.

Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the lawsuit in Colorado, praised the decision and said the group will work to ensure that it remains in place.

"The court's decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment based on his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and that Secretary Griswold must keep him off of Colorado's primary ballot. It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country," he said in a statement.

The case adds to the ongoing legal issues facing Trump and his presidential campaign, including a criminal case related to the 2020 presidential election that is set to go to trial in March if allowed to move forward.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment

The Colorado case hinged on whether Section 3 bars Trump from the nation's highest office. The provision aims to prevent those who swore an oath to support the Constitution and engaged in insurrection from holding state or federal office.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed the lawsuit in Colorado state court on behalf of four Republican voters and two unaffiliated voters in September, arguing that Trump's actions related to the Jan. 6 assault disqualified him under Section 3. Dozens of suits filed across the country have raised the same argument, though several have already been dismissed by state courts.

In November, a trial court in Denver found that the events on Jan. 6 satisfy the definition of insurrection, and concluded that Trump engaged in insurrection through incitement. Judge Sarah B. Wallace ultimately determined that the language of Section 3 is unclear as to whether it covered the presidency and the former president, and ordered Griswold to list Trump on the GOP presidential primary ballot.

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed to review the district court's ruling, and held arguments in the case earlier this month. The justices weighed whether the events of Jan. 6 could be considered an "insurrection," and, if so, one that Trump "engaged in." They also considered whether the president is an "officer of the United States" under Section 3.

In their ruling, the four justices in the majority acknowledged that "we travel in uncharted territory, and that this case presents several issues of first impression."

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us," the majority wrote. "We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

The justices rejected claims from Trump's lawyers that the breach of the Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection and instead concluded that the record in the case "amply established that the events of January 6 constituted a concerted and public use of force or threat of force by a group of people to hinder or prevent the U.S. government from taking the actions necessary to accomplish the peaceful transfer of power in this country."

Attorney Eric Olson, far right, argues before the Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Denver. / Credit: David Zalubowski / AP

In determining that Trump engaged in insurrection, the Colorado high court said there is "substantial evidence" that the former president was "laying the groundwork for a claim that the election was rigged" before the November presidential contest.

Trump, the majority said, "continued to fan the flames of his supporters' ire, which he had ignited" by making false claims about the integrity of the election on social media and in a speech outside the White House on Jan. 6.

"President Trump's direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary," the justices wrote. "Moreover, the evidence amply showed that President Trump undertook all these actions to aid and further a common unlawful purpose that he himself conceived and set in motion: prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election and stop the peaceful transfer of power."

The high court found that Trump "did not merely incite the insurrection," but "continued to support it" by continuing to urge then-Vice President Mike Pence to unilaterally toss out state Electoral College votes.

"These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection," the majority wrote.

Justices Richard Gabriel, Melissa Hart, Monica Marquez and William Hood were in the majority, while Chief Justice Brian Boatright and Justices Carlos Samour and Maria Berkenkotter dissented.

In his dissent, Samour warned that because other states differ from Colorado in their election laws, Trump will likely be disqualified from the presidential primary ballot in less than all 50 states, "risking chaos in our country."

"This can't possibly be the outcome the framers intended," he wrote.

Other legal challenges

Enacted in 1868, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment sought to keep former Confederate civil and military officeholders from serving in federal or state government, and was primarily invoked in the years after the Civil War. It has seldom been used in modern times, and never against a former president.

The Jan. 6 riot and allegations that Trump incited the attack, followed by his decision to seek a second term in the White House, led to lawsuits in more than half the states seeking to keep him off the ballots.

In Michigan, a judge ruled in November in part that it is up to Congress to determine whether Trump is disqualified from holding public office. The state court of appeals affirmed the lower court's ruling last week, finding that the secretary of state's role in the presidential primary is "chiefly that of an administrator," and it's the political parties and candidates that determine who to place on the primary ballot.

"Even if Trump were disqualified from holding the office of President of the United States by the Insurrection Clause, nothing prevents the Michigan Republican Party from identifying him as a candidate in the upcoming primary election," a three-judge appeals court panel concluded. Michigan voters challenging Trump's candidacy have appealed to the state supreme court.

In Minnesota, the state's high court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to exclude Trump from the ballot for the Republican primary because it is an "internal party election to serve internal party purposes" and doesn't automatically qualify the winner for the general election ballot.

The Minnesota Supreme Court said voters could, however, pursue their case regarding the general election ballot after the state's March 5 primary.

On the heels of ruling in Colorado, California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis urged the secretary of state to explore "every legal option" to remove Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. Secretary of State Shirley Weber is set to announce the certified list of candidates for California's March 5 primary on Dec. 28.

"The Colorado decision can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state," she wrote in a letter to Weber. "The constitution is clear: you must be 35 years old and not be an insurrectionist."

Republicans rally behind Trump

The decision from the Colorado Supreme Court prompted widespread condemnation from Republicans, including his opponents in the race for the party's presidential nomination.

Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, said in a town hall Tuesday evening in Agency, Iowa, that "we don't need judges making these decisions. We need voters to make these decisions. So I want to see this in the hands of the voters."

"The last thing we want is judges telling us who can and can't be on the ballot," she added.

Trump's other major challenger in the Republican primary, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, did not address the ruling during a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, but later tweeted that "the Left invokes 'democracy' to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the most vocal GOP critic of Trump in the race for the White House, said the former president has not been tried for inciting an insurrection and is entitled to due process.

"I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being president of the United States by any court," he said during an event in New Hampshire. "I think he should be prevented from being president of the United States by the voters of this country."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who remains in the primary race, predicted that the court's finding that Trump supported an insurrection "will haunt his candidacy."

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court, calling it "nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack."

"Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary," he said in a post to social media. "We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next President of the United States."

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New York's Metropolitan Museum will return 16 pieces of ancient art to Thailand and Cambodia after determining it had been illegally looted.

The repatriation was announced on Friday by the museum and federal prosecutors in New York.

The art came from Douglas Latchford, a British art dealer who was charged in 2019 with "running a vast antiquities trafficking network" in southeast Asia.

Prosecutors say the decision to return it was made voluntarily by the museum.

"As demonstrated with today's announcement, pieces linked to the investigation of Douglas Latchford continue to reveal themselves," US Homeland Security Special Agent Erin Keegan said in a statement on Friday.

She added that the artworks "were shamelessly stolen".

Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be sent to Cambodia and two to Thailand.

Max Hollein, the Met's director, said in a separate statement that the museum has been "diligently working with Cambodia and the US Attorney's Office for years to resolve questions regarding these works of art".

"New information that arose from this process made it clear that we should initiate the return of this group of sculptures."

He added that the museum is "committed to pursuing partnerships and collaborations with Cambodia and Thailand that will advance the world's understanding and appreciation of Khmer art, and we look forward to embarking on this new chapter together".

The art is from the 9th to 14th Centuries, during the Angkorian period, and reflects both Buddhist and Hindu influences, according to the museum.

Dozens of artworks stolen by Latchford, who died in 2020 while facing the US charges, have been traced and recovered by investigators across the US and UK in the last decade.

The works were stolen during times of significant political upheaval in Cambodia and Thailand.

Much of the looting took place over a three-decade period of civil war and strife between the mid-1960s to the late-1990s when the Khmer Rouge regime held power.

In 2013, the Met returned two other objects to Cambodia.
PROVIDENCE  Two lawyers are being disbarred after they allegedly mishandled clients accounts.

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday announced the disbarment of James F. McAleer and James S. Lawrence.

The high court accepted the recommendation of its Disciplinary Board that McAleer be disbarred for allegedly mishandling three estates on behalf of Clifford K. Webb.

According to the court, McAleer failed to account for $557,496.27 in estate funds out of an estate worth $1,000,000. Webb alleged McAleer neglected to convey property in Oklahoma left to him and neglected to pay property taxes on the parcel, resulting in it being sold at auction.

Webb filed a complaint against McAleer with the board and a lawsuit in Superior Court. There, a judge barred the lawyer from transferring property or touching any bank accounts beyond paying family expenses.

From 2014 through 2019, McAleer wrote 28 checks resulting in the unsupported and unexplained payment of $243,115.50 to himself and charged Webb an unreasonable fee for services, the court said.

The court cited McAleer for unprofessional conduct, incompetently representing Webb, mismanaging his fees, failing to exercise diligence on behalf of his client, and lacking candor with the court for allegedly stymying Chief Disciplinary Counsel Kerry Reilley Travers efforts to retrieve his files for the investigation.

The court accused McAleer neglecting his responsibilities over non-lawyer staff, namely his now-deceased secretary whom he testified wrote the checks at issue from an account in which client money was held.

McAleer was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 1968 and has now been removed from the mater roll.

Indefinite suspension leads to disbarment

Lawrence consented to disbarment after being indefinitely suspended in April for his lack of an adequate response to complaints.

In his case, the high court also in April appointed Matthew F. Callaghan, Jr. as special master, giving him the authority to take possession of Lawrences client files and banking accounts, and taking whatever steps necessary to protect the clients interest.

The court on Tuesday named retired Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein special master of accounts over Lawrences accounts and those of his former firm, Lawrence and Associates LLC.

More: Rhode Island lawyer disbarred over misconduct investigation  what to know

The high court barred Lawrence or his associates from withdrawing or transferring funds from any of those accounts.

It directed Silverstein to liquidate any assets from Lawrences former law firm to pay the verified claims of Lawrences former clients. It also ordered Lawrence to fully cooperate with Silverstein.

In addition, the court ordered Silverstein to investigate Lawrences 2023 conveyance of the title to his residence as a fraudulent conveyance designed to mislead his creditors.

It appointed Chief Disciplinary Counsel Travers to return Lawrence's files to his former clients and to destroy any remaining files.

Lawrence was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 1988.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI lawyers James McAleer and James Lawrence disbarred
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, a premier luxury hotel brand in India, has revealed the formalisation of a management agreement for a 140-room hotel in Ranka, Sikkim, signifying the brand's entry into Northeast India.

Owned by the Sibin Group, the project Leela Sikkim is located approximately 10 kilometres from the capital city, on a 17-acre plot overlooking the Gangtok Hill.

Slated to open in December 2026, The Leela Sikkim is set amidst the backdrop of the Himalayas and is set to redefine the hospitality landscape of the region with its inspirational design, thoughtful programming and the brands renowned signature services.

Anuraag Bhatnagar, Chief Executive Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts said: We are delighted to introduce The Leela brand to Northeast India with the project Leela Sikkim. Sikkim remains a pristine destination with the right blend of urbanisation, rich cultural heritage and unexplored natural beauty.

This expansion is in lockstep with the growing demand from the discerning global leisure traveller to experience meaningful and transformative journeys that are an authentic expression of a regions natural beauty, heritage, cuisine, and culture.

Neel Chhetri Proprietor Sibin Group said: I am excited to partner with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts to bring this uber luxury brand to Sikkim. We are confident that with this partnership and the investments we are making, the project Leela Sikkim will soon emerge as one of the most sought-after leisure and wellness destinations in the country and will help us to showcase the hidden Himalayan treasure to the world.

The Leela Sikkim offers guests a tranquil and luxurious experience, complete with a range of leisure and wellness facilities and thoughtfully curated services. The resort features 35 independent luxury villas including 20 wellness villas, 13 twin villas, and a six-room double storey villa and 88 luxury rooms in a hotel block.

A range of dining options with an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, a wellness restaurant and a lounge bar will also be offered. Guests will also be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art wellness centre and a casino, along with a host of other indoor and outdoor activities.  TradeArabia News Service
The buyer of a pair of properties near Pulse nightclub said he quietly purchased the parcels to help the city of Orlandos effort to build a memorial to the 2016 mass shooting.

Property records show RMS Investments LLC, a firm tied to GOP megadonor Craig Mateer, bought the lots at 21 W. Esther St. and 20 W. Kaley St. from the onePulse Foundation for about $1 million. The sale closed Monday.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Mateer said he was asked by the city to get involved and be a bridge between the foundation, which is liquidating its assets and shutting down, and the city, which is now leading memorial efforts. The city purchased the Pulse nightclub site in October.

It was just really more I got a call from City Hall saying hey, do you mind getting in the middle of this? he said. Im kind of excited the city is going to take the helm and get this right.

Mateer wouldnt say who at City Hall he spoke to about the transaction. But Ashley Papagni, a city spokesperson, said that City Attorney Mayanne Downs talked to Mateer about the property.

Mayanne Downs engaged in discussions about the opportunity for the property to be purchased by a community partner who would help us so the property could be used to support the Pulse Memorial, Papagni said. Any plans have yet to be determined related to the properties.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was unavailable Wednesday for an interview.

The two properties are located behind the nightclub and were once seen as pieces of land that could be critical in building a permanent memorial, though Dyer said Tuesday it was undetermined what it will ultimately look like. The lots combine to be about .63 acres, property records show.

The sale was recorded on Monday and is among the final chapters for onePulse, which struggled to move forward with the memorial over the last seven years and has now ceded leadership to the city of Orlando.

Dyer announced his intention to complete a permanent memorial by 2026 in a Tuesday morning press conference.

Story continues

George Kalogridis, the vice chair of the onePulse Foundation Board of Trustees, said in a statement Tuesday evening that the foundation hired a broker and accepted the best offer as to price and closing timeframe.

As part of dissolving the foundation, we have responsibility to liquidate all foundation assets, he said in a statement provided to the Sentinel. Throughout, in the best interest of the memorial process moving forward, we kept the city aware of our progress.

Property records show the lots were sold for approximately the same price the foundation paid for them in 2022.

The parcels were meant to be part of the footprint for the foundations chosen memorial design, according to Scott Bowman, a spokesperson for the foundation. But the designs became out of reach for the foundation when construction costs skyrocketed and the organization was unable to secure the main Pulse nightclub property.

Dyer, in a Tuesday news conference providing updates on the memorial, never mentioned the properties but said he hoped the city would have the memorial built by the 10-year anniversary of the shooting, which would be June 12, 2026.

Its unclear if and how the two properties will be used in a memorial plan, but Mateer said well work that out.

Mateer, who founded and later sold a luggage carrier, Bags Inc., for $275 million, was named to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority in 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and to the Florida Board of Governors a year later.

Mateer, of Orlando, is also a frequent political contributor, with donations rangings from a $1 million check to the Republican Party of Florida, and four separate $100,000 contributions to a committee supporting DeSantis, to smaller donations like a $1,000 contribution to State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando in 2018 and an $1,100 in-kind contribution of food and beverages to a committee supporting Dyers re-election bid this year.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
A new Universal Studios theme park could be coming to the United Kingdom.

A Universal Destinations & Experiences spokesperson confirms to KTLA that the company has purchased land in Bedford, a town about 45 minutes outside of London.

We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site, the spokesperson told KTLA.

Universal plans to reduce noise from its upcoming Fast and Furious rollercoaster from reaching nearby homes

It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community.

The company said it chose Bedford to host its latest theme park, should it come to fruition, mainly due to its transportation infrastructure and its proximity to London and the rest of Europe.

NBCUniversal didnt disclose what themed attractions and areas could come to the new theme park.

News of the possible new theme park comes after the company announced plans to open Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, and Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Epic Universe theme park is also under construction in Orlando, Florida and is expected to open in summer 2025.

Closer to home, Universal Studios Hollywood recently opened the first Super Nintendo World in the U.S. and announced plans to open a Fast and Furious-themed roller coaster.

Universal Studios already has theme parks in California, Florida, Japan, Beijing and Singapore.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
An army veteran has finished painting portraits of every British soldier who died in 20 years of deployment in Afghanistan.

Kevin Wills, from Redditch, began his project in 2020 and said it had been an emotional journey the further he went on painting the fallen.

But he said the aim was to "remember the fallen friends and soldiers".

He hand-delivered a portrait of one soldier in Birmingham to his parents, who said he had captured him "exactly".

Bomb disposal expert Staff Sgt Brett Linley died aged 29 while trying to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Nahr-e-Saraj in July 2010.

"He was the most loving, caring son who anybody could ever have," his mother Anne said.

"He was an extra special person. Anybody that met him, he touched their hearts and they'll never forget him."

Brett Linley died while trying to clear improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan in 2010

Mrs Linley said the pain of loss did not get any better, but the portrait was "going to be the most special thing in the world to us".

"I can't tell what it's going to mean to us as a family to have him back home again," she said.

'Appreciate the loss of life'

Her son was one of more than 450 soldiers who lost their lives in the country between 2001 and 2021.

A coalition of international forces - led by the US - completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021, marking the end of the 20-year campaign in the country.

UK personnel remained in the country until 2021, but their combat operations concluded in 2014.

Mr Wills, who served for six years in the Royal Logistical Corps, said through his work he had come to appreciate the loss of life in a conflict a lot more than he had before.

Kevin Wills first began the paintings in 2020 after word of mouth spread about his artwork from friends

"I've got to know the fallen," he added.

"Literally every 458, reading their stories - very, very emotional, especially after talking to their families about them as well.

"I've practically got every single face in my head."

Mr Wills said he had been "nervous" about giving Mr Linley's family their portrait face-to-face, but was pleased they liked it.

Kevin Wills said he has a deeper understanding of loss in conflict after this project

"The further I went on painting, I got more and more emotional," he said.

"Especially receiving the feedback from the families who were obviously very emotional to receive the portrait and they said they can't believe people are still remembering our fallen.

"But that was the whole main aim of the project - to remember the fallen friends and soldiers over there and to let the families know that they won't be forgotten."

He was now finding the last of the families to deliver their portraits, he said.

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Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their military power  here are the top 25.

It said the US, China, and Russia rank highest, with some surprises further down.

Experts told Insider that ranking militaries is subjective and imperfect, and suggested things to bear in mind.

Global Firepower's 2023 Military Strength Ranking ranks 145 nations' militaries, weighing a host of different factors like the volume of sophistication of its equipment, its finances, geography, and resources.

The ranking considers factors including the amount of military equipment and troops each country has, as well as their financial standing, geography, and available resources, information which may be imperfect. Notably, the ranking only evaluates militaries from a conventional standpoint, overlooking a country's capacity for nuclear strike.

It purportedly uses more than 60 factors to generate a PowerIndex score, with a score closer to zero indicating a more powerful military. (Global Firepower doesn't explain exactly how the factors are weighed against each other or the workings of their "in-house formula.")

Below is a rundown of the 25 top militaries, per this ranking, with some information on each nation.

It's worth noting that comparing militaries is subjective, and putting together a true and accurate ranking of global military power is almost impossible given the myriad of factors required for a proper analysis. Experts don't hold the Global Firepower list in much esteem, and two told Insider its value is limited. Nonetheless, it's an interesting thought experiment.

Alex Kokcharov, a risk analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence, told Insider that it reflects "perceptions rather than the actual picture." A lot of information is not available from open sources, he noted.

Dr Matthew Ford, an ex-West Point fellow and Associate Professor at the Swedish Defence University, made a similar point. The data, he said, misses factors like a military's training and education, its intelligence chops, or the effectiveness of its command structure.

"Many of these things are difficult parameters to quantify because they are probably known to military planners in these specific countries but not necessarily to outside observers," he said.

With those limitations in mind, here is how the top countries stack up according to this attempt at ranking global military might, which has been put out annually for nearly two decades:

25: Germany

Soldiers of German armed forces Bundeswehr in Altengrabow, Germany, in January 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

While 25th overall, with a PowerIndex score of 0.3881, Global Firepower ranked Germany in the top 20 globally in areas including total aircraft fleet strength, helicopter strength, and its total armored fighting vehicle fleet.

It said that as of January 2023, Germany had around 601 aircraft, 266 tanks, and 287 helicopters.

The country also had the fifth-highest defense budget, of around $52.3 billion, behind only the US, China, Russia, and India.

It also benefits from being part of NATO. In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it pledged to increase defense spending to hit the alliance's target of 2% of GDP.

24: Thailand

Thai soldiers march through Bangkok's financial district as they clash with anti-government protesters in May 2010. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Global Firepower ranked Thailand in the top 20 in terms of total available population fit for military service, and total available active military manpower.

As of January 2023, Thailand's available manpower was over 36 million people, Global Firepower said, resulting in a PowerIndex score of 0.3738.

Understandably, given its long coastlines, Thailand has a strong navy, even though it has no aircraft carriers. Its total naval assets (292), including six corvettes and seven frigates, are the 8th largest in the world, Global Firepower said.

Serving in the armed forces is a national duty of all Thai citizens, according to the kingdom's constitution.

23: Taiwan

Taiwan's special forces move through colored smoke during a military exercise in Taipei. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File

Global Firepower ranked Taiwan first in terms of total available reserve military manpower, with around 1.5 million reserve personnel as of April 2023, the equivalent of 6.4% of the country's population.

Taiwan, which was given a PowerIndex score of 0.3639, also ranked highly in terms of air power, with 285 fighter aircraft and 91 attack helicopters, both the 8th largest fleets of those kinds in the world, according to Global Firepower.

The Taiwanese defence budget increased from $15.3 billion in 2022 to $19.9 billion in 2023, according to a recent GlobalData report.

China has claimed Taiwan as its own territory since 1949, and Western officials have long feared that China could try to take the island by force.

The GlobalData report said Taiwan is working with the US to bulk up its military with advanced systems like F-16 jets, Patriot missiles, and Abrams tanks.

22: Saudi Arabia

Graduating soldiers from the Saudi special forces demonstrate their unarmed combat skills in Riyadh, June 2010. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed

Global Firepower ranked Saudi Arabia second when it came to its total aerial tanker aircraft fleet strength, and in the top 20 in areas including total helicopter strength, total oil production, natural gas production, and total available active military manpower.

The country had 22 aerial tanker aircraft as of November 2023, suiting its position as the second-biggest oil producer in the world, after the US.

Its defense budget of $46 billion was also the eighth highest in the world, reflecting its ambition to beef up its military through aggressive spending.

Global Firepower gave the country a PowerIndex score of 0.3626.

21: Spain

Members of the Spanish Navy in Tyre, Lebanon, in September 2006. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Global Firepower ranked Spain as having the 21st most powerful military in the world in 2023.

It also called it a top-20 power in areas including its total transport fleet strength, total fighter/interceptor aircraft strength, number of submarines, and its number of available ports.

Spain is also one of the few countries in the world with a helicopter carrier, and its fleet of 11 frigates places it 7th globally in that category. The country saw a historic increase in military budget in 2023, reaching 12.5 billion from around 9.8 billion in 2022.

The country, which was given a PowerIndex score of 0.3556, also had 140 fighter aircraft and two submarines as of January 2023.

20: Poland

A Polish soldier stands guard in front of a pile of burning illegal narcotics in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, November 25, 2008 REUTERS/Shir Ahmad

Global Firepower ranked Poland in the top 20 in areas including its total helicopter strength, its armored fighting vehicle fleet strength, its total number of mine and countermine warfare ships, and its total number of submarine craft.

It said that as of August 2023, Poland had 208 helicopters and more than 50,000 armored fighting vehicles, giving it a PowerIndex score of 0.3406.

The country, which shares a border with Ukraine, has made bolstering the Polish armed forces a priority, spending the equivalent of 2.4% of its GDP on the military in 2022.

After being dominated by the Soviet Union for much of the 20th century, Poland and its neighbors have made it a priority to prepare for a potential future conflict with Russia.

It has also been one of the most generous donors of military equipment to Ukraine in its fight with Russia.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck announced a further "unprecedented effort" to ratchet up military spending to 4% of its GDP in 2023.

19: Vietnam

Vietnamese soldiers during a welcoming ceremony for South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2018. REUTERS/Kham/Pool

Global Firepower ranked Vietnam in the top 10 in areas including total available active military manpower and its fleet of self-propelled artillery.

It said that as of January 2023, Vietnam had more than 53 million people who count as available military manpower, with an estimated 470,000 active military personnel (9th highest in the world), in addition to 2.5 million reserves.

It gave Vietnam a PowerIndex score of 0.2855.

The Vietnamese defense market budget rose to $6.3 billion in 2023, and is predicted to grow by more than 6% between 2024 and 2028, GlobalData reports.

18: Israel

Israel's Iron Dome interceptors seen on the left as rockets are launched from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on May 14, 2021. Anas Baba/AFP via Getty Images

Eighteenth overall, Israel was ranked by Global Firepower in the top 20 in areas like its total fighter/interceptor aircraft strength, its total aircraft fleet strength, and its total available reserve military manpower.

It said that Israel, which it gave a PowerIndex score of 0.2757, had 601 military aircraft as of January 2023, with 241 of those being fighters. It also had 2,200 tanks, as well as a stock of 650 pieces of self-propelled artillery.

Given its historic conflicts with its neighbors and with armed groups like Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces hold a prominent place in its society.

Many men and women are compelled to complete national service, giving it a relatively large military for its population of 9 million.

The IDF has escalated its fight against Hamas after the group's deadly attack against Israel in October. Israel launched a controversial blockade of Gaza and fired bombs into the small and densely populated strip, and its troops launched a ground invasion.

Israel's response to the attack has raised new questions about US aid going to the country, which is its ally. But the billions the US sends it every year still look set to continue.

17: Iran

The commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Gen. Kioumars Heidari among Iran-made drones on April 20, 2023. Iranian Army via AP

Global Firepower ranked Iran in the top 10 in areas including its total combat tank fleet strength, total self-propelled Multiple Launch Rocket Projector vehicle fleet strength, and its total available active military manpower.

It said that as of October 2023, Iran had more than 4,000 tanks and more than 1,000 rocket launcher systems. Its active military personnel of 575,000 was the seventh largest in the world.

Iran has for decades been seeking nuclear weapons, a program which the US and other Western nations have vowed to stop, hammering Iran with sanctions.

Despite economic challenges like those sanctions, Iran has earmarked a fifth of its annual budget to defense in 2023.

Overall Global Firepower gave the country a PowerIndex score of 0.2712.

16: Australia

Two Australian Defence Force (ADF) S70A-9 Blackhawk helicopters fly in formation along Sydney's Parramatta River in 1999. REUTERS

Global Firepower said Australia has the sixth-highest defense budget in the world, and ranked it in the top 10 in areas including its total aerial-tanker aircraft fleet strength, total number of helicopter carrier warships, total natural gas production, and its number of roadways, airports, and major ports.

While its active military personnel was just 60,500 (61st largest), the country is ranked among the highest in the world in some other categories, including fourth in the world for its number of helicopter carriers (two) and eighth in the world for its number of aerial tanker aircraft (six).

Australia has a public strategy to spend about $190 billion on new defense systems in the ten years leading up to 2030. In May, the country earmarked about $29 billion for its 2023-24 fiscal defense budget "for the first time", according to the Australian Defense Magazine.

As of September 2021, the country committed to strengthening its alliance with the UK and the US through the AUKUS pact, focused on modernizing its submarine fleet.

Global Firepower gave Australia a PowerIndex score of 0.2567.

15: Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench on the Vuhledar frontline in Donetsk Oblast, January 5, 2023. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Getty Images

Global Firepower said Ukraine increased its ranking compared to last year due to its response to Russia's invasion, and the military help, including weapons, it is getting from its allies.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, expecting to take the country in a matter of days. Instead, it was pushed back to the east, where both sides are now grinding it out on the battlefield, with no signs the conflict will end any time soon.

Global Firepower ranked Ukraine 10th overall for its number of self-propelled Multiple Launch Rocket Projectors, saying that as of October 2023 it had 647 of them. It gave the country a PowerIndex score of 0.2516.

A year and a half into the war, Ukrainian Armed Forces grapple with two major challenges when it comes to training and deploying new soldiers, according to a recent report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

The report cites a lack of "fully developed professional" corps to train and command new recruits as well the challenge to "balance" the time spent training recruits on performing complex operations and operating sophisticated weaponry while ensuring adequate personnel are deployed on the front lines.

14: Egypt

Egyptian soldiers in front of the Great Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, February 9, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany

Global Firepower ranked Egypt in the top 10 in areas including total available active military manpower, available paramilitary force strength, and total available reserve manpower, as well as the strength of its aircraft fleet.

It said Egypt had more than 1,000 military aircraft as of November 2023, and that it had 300,000 people who can be considered part of its paramilitary forces. The Egyptian army topped the list of Arab countries, the report added.

A group of 11 US senators had urged the US earlier this year to withhold $320 million in military aid to Egypt for a third consecutive year "due to a lack of necessary progress on human rights" under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The Biden administation allowed most of that money to go through in September, citing the need to support US national security interests while acknowledging ongoing human rights concerns.

Global Firepower gave Egypt a PowerIndex score of 0.2224.

13: Indonesia

Indonesian army soldiers during a rehearsal for the 70th anniversary of Indonesia's military in Cilegon, Banten province, in October 2015. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Global Firepower ranked Indonesia in the top 5 worldwide in areas including its total available population fit for military service, total available population reaching military age on an annual basis, and its total number of offshore patrol boats and corvette warships.

It said that, as of June 2023, more than 112 million Indonesians were eligible for military service, 40.7% of the country's population.

The country's military announced it would relocate ASEAN's first-ever joint military drills away from the South China Sea amid territorial disputes in the region.

China claims sovereignty over the sea, as well as the area's estimated 11 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, putting it at odds with competing claimants in the region.

Global Firepower gave Indonesia a PowerIndex score of 0.2221.

12: Brazil

A soldier stands guard outside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa in September 2009. REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

Global Firepower ranked Brazil in the top 5 in areas including its available population that is fit for military service, its total transport fleet strength, and its number of total serviceable airports.

The country has over 4,000 airports, the second-highest in the world, as well as 17 ports and trade terminals, the fifth highest in this category.

Global Firepower said that Brazil had more than 87 million people fit for military service as of January 2023, 40.3% of the country's population.

In the wake of anti-government riots on January 8, 2023, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to crack down on all military officials who sought to overturn Brazil's 2022 election results. Lula fired the country's army chief upon taking office in January. Brazil has recently been strengthening its oboers with Venezuela and Guyana due to rising tensions between those countries.

Global Firepower gave Brazil a PowerIndex score of 0.2151.

11: Turkey

Turkish marines land near the Greek village of Kyparissia during a phase of the NATO "Dynamic Mix" exercise in June 2000. REUTERS

Global Firepower said Turkey is "undoubtedly a rising military power, relying evermore on local industry to satisfy equally-local defense requirements on land, on sea, and in the air. "

It ranked the country in the top 10 in areas including aircraft fleet strength, transport fleet strength, and helicopter strength.

It said Turkey had 1,065 military aircraft as of April 2023, giving it a PowerIndex score of 0.2016.

Turkey is one of five NATO member countries that host US nuclear weapons as part of the alliance's nuclear-sharing deal.

The country has chosen a difficult balancing act since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, by providing Ukraine with combat drones and keeping close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Turkey has mediated diplomatic deals like the grain initiative and prisoner swaps, it has failed to broker a ceasefire or bring both countries to the negotiating table.

10: Italy

Italian Ariete tank of NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle group fires during military exercise "Silver Arrow" in Adazi, Latvia, in September 2021. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

Global Firepower ranked Italy in the top 10 in areas including its aerial tanker aircraft fleet, total helicopter strength, attack aircraft strength, and its total number of aircraft carrier warships.

It said Italy had 404 helicopters, including 58 attack helicopters, and two aircraft carrier warships as of January 2023.

A GlobalData report earlier this year forecasted an increase in spending from $31.6 billion to $38.5 billion between 2024 and 2028.

It gave Italy a PowerIndex score of 0.1973.

9: France

Armored cars drive down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris during the annual Bastille Day parade, July 14, 2005. REUTERS

Global Firepower ranked France ninth overall. The European nation was in the top 10 in areas including its total helicopter fleet and number of destroyer warships, as well as its total transport fleet strength.

France is also one of the few nations to field an aircraft carrier  the Charles de Gaulle. It also has nuclear weapons.

Global Firepower said France had 438 helicopters, including 69 attack helicopters, and 10 destroyer warships as of January 2023, giving it a PowerIndex score of 0.1848.

France has traditionally had a strong presence in the Sahel region of Africa, where it used to have several colonies.

In recent years, it has started to wind down its presense there, though approximately 5,000 French soldiers are still stationed on bases across Africa. Meanwhile Russia and China are competing for influence.

8: Japan

A soldier from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force participates in a beach invasion drill at Camp Pendleton, California, in February 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Japan still has a powerful military despite having renounced the ability to wage war in the aftermath of its defeat in WWII.

Japan's constitution heavily limits its ability to use force overseas, and its military is accordingly known as the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

Global Firepower ranked Japan in the top 10 for its aircraft fleet strength, total helicopter strength, and armored fighting vehicle fleet strength.

An island nation, Japan was the highest-ranked nation when it came to major ports, and with four helicopter carriers it ranked second in that category, as well as second (behind only the US) when it came to the strength of its special-mission aircraft fleet.

In recent decades Japan has only invested around 1% of its GDP in defense, but more recently began to change its posture.

In 2016, Japan loosened restrictions on how its military could be used to allow limited participation in overseas missions deemed to be "collective self-defense."

The move was driven by its near neighbors North Korea and China both appearing more belligerent.

More recently, it announced plans to hike defense spending to 2% of GDP, which would give it the world's third-largest defense budget.

Global Firepower said that Japan had more than 1,400 military aircraft, and more than 111,000 vehicles as of January 2023, with a PowerIndex score of 0.1711.

7: Pakistan

Pakistani military personnel stand beside a Shaheen III surface-to-surface ballistic missile during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, in March 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Pakistan rose from ninth overall in 2022 to seventh on the list in 2023.

While Pakistan had more than 3,700 tanks, 1,400 military aircraft, nine submarines, and 654,000 active military personnel as of January 2023, Global Firepower said its rise was also due to this year's rankings having a bigger focus on natural resources and shared borders.

Pakistan shares borders with Afghanistan, China, India, and Iran, putting it in a tense part of the world.

Global Firepower ranked Pakistan in the top 10 in areas including its total available population fit for military service, total available active military manpower, and total aircraft fleet strength, with a PowerIndex score of 0.1694.

6: South Korea

US and South Korean marines take part in an amphibious landing drill called the 'Ssangyong' exercise in Pohang, South Korea, in March 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The strength of South Korea's military is no surprise giving its decades-old tensions with North Korea.

Since 2021, North Korea has conducted around 90 strategic cruise missile tests, with South Korea its most obvious target in a real conflict.

Historically tense and hostile, relations between North Korea and the United States have worsened up in recent years, as the US has deployed an anti-missile system and 29,000 troops in South Korea under a mutual defense pact.

Global Firepower ranked South Korea in the top five for its aircraft fleet strength, armored fighting vehicle fleet strength, and its helicopter strength. It said the Asian nation had more than 133,000 vehicles and 739 helicopters, including 112 attack helicopters, as of January 2023.

Overall, it gave South Korea a PowerIndex score of 0.1505.

5: The UK

Graduating cadets are seen prior to inspection by Britain's King Charles III on April 14, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP

Global Firepower said the UK's position was boosted by its strengths in manpower and airpower, as well as its strong financial position.

"It is also one of the few powers to operate more than one aircraft carrier," it added. Its carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are among the newest in the world.

It also has nuclear weapons, deployed via its fleet of submarines.

Dr Ford told Insider he found it "strange" that Britain is ranked fifth in Global Firepower because its army lacks the "armed mass forces" that China, Russia, India, and the United States have.

Britain is the second largest donor to Ukraine behind the US, having committed $4.6 billion in military aid since the start of the war. It continues to be a major contributor to NATO, meeting its pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense and aiming for 2.5% by 2030.

Global Firepower ranked the UK in the top 10 in areas including its total number of available ports and trade terminals as well as its total aerial tanker aircraft fleet strength, giving the country a PowerIndex score of 0.1435.

4: India

An Indian army soldier shouts commands to his colleagues in October 2007. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

India's strength lies in the size of its population. Global Firepower ranked India second for available manpower, total available active military manpower, and paramilitary force strength.

It said India's available manpower was more than 653 million people, 47% of the country's population, as of June 2023. It also said that India had almost 1.5 million active military personnel.

India has been engaged in military clashes with China over its shared border. While China claims some 90,000 square km of territory in India's northeast, India says China occupies 38,000 square km of its territory in the Aksai Chin plateau.

Global Firepower gave India a PowerIndex score of 0.1025.

3: China

Warships and fighter jets of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy take part in a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

China has grown its military power fast in recent years as it takes a more assertive role in world affairs.

Global Firepower ranked China first for available manpower and for the strength of its naval fleet.

China has a "distinct advantage economically and by way of sheer manpower and has placed a decided focus on increasing (primarily through local means) naval, airpower, and land warfare capabilities," Global Firepower said in its latest ranking.

If the trend continues, it added, China "will become the primary global military adversary to the United States."

Tensions are simmering around Taiwan and China has also stoked regional tensions by claiming the South China Sea as its own territory and establishing a military presence on many of its small islands.

According to Global Firepower, China has available military manpower of more than 761 million people as of April 2023, along with 50 destroyer warships and 78 submarines, among many other military assets.

Global Firepower gave China a PowerIndex score of 0.0722.

2: Russia

A military parade on Victory Day in Red Square, Moscow, May 2022, to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

While its military's reputation has taken a hit since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia retained its second-place spot on Global Firepower's ranking.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine "showcased key limitations in Russian military capabilities despite its quantitative manpower and material advantage over neighboring Ukraine," Global Firepower said. It added that China was moving closer to taking the runnerup spot.

Global Firepower ranked Russia second in areas including total aircraft fleet strength and total transport fleet strength. It said that, as of October 2023, Russia had more than 4,100 military aircraft.

Russia has faced a number of military setbacks since it launched its invasion of Ukraine, losing considerable quantities of equipment  notably tanks.

Its failure to quickly conquer Ukraine  a much weaker adversary  drove many to reassess their opinion of its military capability. As of December 2023, Russia was mostly on the defensive in Ukraine, holding back its enemies with a formidable network of trenches and minefields but starting to launch more attacks than in previous months.

Despite its losses on the ground, Russia's air force and navy largely avoided damage. Russia also has the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Overall, Global Firepower gave Russia a PowerIndex score of 0.0714.

1: The US

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army at Pope Field ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 2022. AP Photo/Nathan Posner

The US military retained its undisputed place at the top of the ranking, although China's efforts have narrowed the gap over the years.

Global Firepower said the US took the top spot as it "showcases commanding numbers in key material, financial, and resource categories."

The US was given a PowerIndex score of 0.0712. The nation leads the world technologically, it said.

The US ranks first in many areas of Global Firepower's ranking, with 92 destroyers and 11 aircraft carriers in its fleets. Its air power includes 13,300 aircraft, and 983 attack helicopters, as of July 2023, comfortably the largest in the world.

It also had by far the largest defense budget, in excess of $750 billion, more than triple that of China in second place.

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the US deployed an additional 20,000 troops to Europe, bringing the total to more than 100,000 soldiers across the continent. The US is the largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine, having committed more than $47 billion in military assistance since the start of Russia's first invasion in 2014.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraine EU talks a 'turning point' which could see a South-North Korea style split for war-torn country

Ukraine's talks on EU membership are a "turning point" for European security which could see the bulk of the country emerge thriving in a South-North Korea style split, a leading expert said on Friday.

Lord Ricketts, a former British National Security Adviser and ambassador, believes that the "strategic direction towards NATO/EU membership is now set" for Kyiv.After the opening of EU accession talks with Ukraine, the peer tweeted: "This is a turning point for European security.

"Even if the Russian invasion ends in stalemate and a truce and Ukraine divided, getting 80% of Ukraine into NATO then EU makes a further war much less likely."

He believes Vladimir Putin's invasion, launched in February last year, will get bogged down into a "frozen conflict" with the Russian president unable to achieve a victory.

Both he and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky could come under pressure to strike a deal to end the bloodshed, the latter possibly next summer ahead of the US presidential elections which could see Donald Trump back in the White House.

For Putin, the pressure could be from a rising Russian casualty toll, already put at 350,000 dead and wounded, and the failure to make any decisive breakthroughs.

Lord Ricketts stressed: "There are no signposts at the turning points of history. Thats why Im flagging up this one.

"There are plenty of tactical problems ahead on funding and arming Ukraine to fight this to a stalemate.

"But the strategic direction towards NATO/EU membership is now set.

"My message is that Ukraine should not be afraid to settle for a truce if thats all they can achieve.

"Getting Free Ukraine into Western economic and defence structures secures their future. Although no parallel is exact, think how North and South Korea have fared since 1954!"

Earlier, Mr Zelensky hailed the heroic bravery of Ukraine and its boost from taking a step towards European Union membership.

But the celebrations in Kyiv were marred by Hungary blocking a new 43 billion financial package from the European Union for the war-ravaged country.

Officials, though, hope the funding can be pushed through in the New Year.

Right now in Ukraine, a lot of us are feeling really uplifted, and its a big deal  it keeps us going. I want to say a huge thank you  to each of you for everything weve managed to accomplish! To all those who strengthen Europe by the unity of Ukraine. A special gratitude to pic.twitter.com/uCnqU5Y5Le  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 15, 2023

Ukraines president Mr Zelensky tweeted about the move towards EU membership: Right now in Ukraine, a lot of us are feeling really uplifted, and its a big deal  it keeps us going.

I want to say a huge thank you  to each of you for everything weve managed to accomplish! To all those who strengthen Europe by the unity of Ukraine.

He added: A special gratitude to all our guys and girls who are in the fight for Ukraine. To those who are battling right now, defending our freedom, helping our soldiers  treating them, training them, getting weapons to them, and making those weapons.

All we achieve, would have been impossible without that heroic bravery of our people, our nation, which inspires the whole world.

But the European Union failed to agree on a 50 billion euro (43 billion) aid package for Ukraine, even after deciding to open accession negotiations with the war-torn country.

The aid was vetoed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of Vladimir Putin, delivering another tough blow to Mr Zelensky after he failed this week to persuade US politicians to approve an additional 61 billion dollars (47.8 billion), mainly to buy weapons from the US.

There are hopes, though, in European capitals, that this funding will be agreed in the New Year.

In London, a minister stressed that Britain is one of Ukraines staunchest allies as the financial aid packages for Kyiv were blocked in both Washington and Brussels.

Science Minister Andrew Griffith emphasised that the UK had given more than 4 billion of support to Ukraine.

Im proud that the UK can count itself amongst one of Ukraines staunchest allies," he told LBC Radio.

We were the first to train and have span up one of the largest ever training programmes of foreign troops. I think thats something thats very, very well supported by people in this country. Many, many opened their homes, including myself, to Ukrainians as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

And long may that continue.

The start of EU accession talks was a significant moment for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from Mr Orban.

Hungarys leader decided not to veto the accession talks, but then blocked the aid package.

I can inform you that 26 leaders agreed on the (budget negotiation), European Council president Charles Michel said. I should be very precise. One leader, Sweden, needs to consult its parliament, which is in line with the usual procedure for this country, and one leader couldnt agree.

The decisions required unanimity among the EUs members.

Mr Michel, who was chairing the Brussels summit, called the start of accession talks a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent. He said leaders would reconvene in January.

Although the process between opening negotiations and Ukraine finally becoming a member could take many years, Mr Zelensky welcomed the agreement as a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe.

History is made by those who dont get tired of fighting for freedom, he said.

The financial package could not be endorsed after Mr Orban vetoed both the extra money and a review of the EU budget having warned the summit that forcing a decision on the Ukraine issues could destroy EU unity.

Mr Orban said that his opposition remained steadfast, but that he decided not to use his veto because the 26 other nations were arguing so strongly in favour. Under EU rules, an abstention does not prevent a decision from being adopted.

The Hungarian leader is understood to have left the room at the voting stage rather than blocking the membership decision.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said: In fairness to Prime Minister Orban, he made his case, made it very strongly. He disagrees with this decision and hes not changing his opinion in that sense, but essentially decided not to use the veto power.

I respect the fact that he didnt do that, because it would have put us in a very difficult position as a European Union.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called the opening of membership discussions a black eye for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It is a very clear message to Moscow. Us Europeans, we dont let go of Ukraine, he said.

He said he thought Mr Orban didnt use his veto because he realised that it would be indefensible.

At the same time as Ukraine, the EU leaders also decided to open membership negotiations with Ukraines neighbour Moldova.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the EUs historic decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, a crucial step toward fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
The keystroke cmd + print is producing an unlikely result around the country: an explosion in the appearance of 3D-printed homes.

And while the startup sequence is likely a little more involved than pushing a few buttons, the process in fact involves giant printers that put down layers of concrete mixture  that form home exteriors  with speed and precision.

Forbes and other news agencies are reporting on the trend, which includes neighborhoods of printed homes popping up in numerous states. Proponents of the tech see it as a faster, cheaper, and cleaner way to build houses, according to the Forbes report.

I see 3D printing as a transformational disruptive technology, Basil Starr, founder of Beverly Hills-based Palari Group  the developer of a 3D community in Desert Hot Springs, California  said in the news story. These dwellings can be constructed in about half the time as a traditional build, per the report.

What is a 3D-printed home?

Though the technology and details vary by developer, the concept is fairly constant.

High-tech, automated, and pre-programmed machines jet out layers of a concrete building slurry that hardens to form a homes exterior. The printers, like a 20-foot-tall one used by Californias Mighty Buildings, are large.

Why is this important news?

Building our homes and facilities is dirty work. In the United States, about 40% of air pollution comes from building construction and daily heating, cooling, and lighting, according to the American Institute of Architects.

3D tech is one solution as we develop better ways to build. A Singapore study from 2020 found that a 3D bathroom produced nearly 86% less air pollution than one made with regular methods, according to ScienceDirect.

Its about having a better process for how we build our homes, Evelyn Woodman, co-founder of Citizen Robotics, told the Detroit Free Press. The nonprofit finished Michigans first 3D home earlier this year.

How will the tech impact me?

If you are planning to build a home the traditional way, it will cost an average of $329,000, not including the land, per Forbes. The process will also contribute to the industrys major air pollution tally.

The homes come in a variety of sizes and stories, offering all the modern amenities. Many seem to have flat roofs and chic interior design concepts, though styles vary.

We can typically do it quicker than a normal concrete or stick-built home would be, Mannheimer told the Free Press. We can do it with less labor. We can do it with less expensive material, and the material that were using tends to be more sustainable. Its stronger than traditional concrete by at least two or three times, which means it can stand up to most major storms. It doesnt burn.

Even if you arent in the market, you might notice this tech at work in a nearby community soon. In addition to Michigan, printers are making homes in a growing number of states:

In California, Mighty Buildings is pumping out house exteriors in Desert Hot Springs and Rancho Mirage. The companys printers use 60% recycled composite stone. That is of note, as critics referenced by CNN question the use of concrete in 3D builds, citing air pollution.

Texas is home to the worlds largest 3D community, planned for 100 dwellings, per CNN. There are 46-foot-wide printers at work on walls on the site. To maximize sustainability, the homes have solar panels. The 1,500-square-foot to 2,100-square-foot homes with three or four bedrooms can be listed for nearly $600,000, according to CNN.

On the East Coast, the first 3D home in Richmond, Virginia, was printed in 2022. The exterior of the three-bedroom, two-bath house was printed in about 15 hours with less labor and  materials than lumber builds, according to TV station 12 On Your Side. The project was made possible in part by a $500,000 grant from Virginia Housing.

A company in Japan might make the tech accessible to most people everywhere  if it travels overseas. Serendix uses 3D printers and CNC machining to create homes for under $40,000. They might not be for everyone, as one model is less than 600 square feet, Fast Company reports. It looks like a dwelling from Star Wars.

Whats next?

While more 3D neighborhoods are likely on the way, ICON (the company working on the Texas community) CEO Jason Ballard told CNN that the tech could also be a solution to homelessness, as well as a way to provide sanctuary after disasters.

The CNN report notes that 3D building codes have yet to be widely adopted, a benchmark that will earn confidence for the techs strength and stability.

3D printing is not science fiction, Ballard said to the news agency. In the future, our bet is that this will be humanitys best hope for a housing solution that matches our highest values and ideals.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
LONDON (Reuters) - A U.S. computer scientist on Wednesday lost his bid to register patents over inventions created by his artificial intelligence system in a landmark case in Britain about whether AI can own patent rights.

Stephen Thaler wanted to be granted two patents in the UK for inventions he says were devised by his "creativity machine" called DABUS.

His attempt to register the patents was refused by the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on the grounds that the inventor must be a human or a company, rather than a machine.

Thaler appealed to the UK's Supreme Court, which on Wednesday unanimously rejected his appeal as under UK patent law "an inventor must be a natural person".

Judge David Kitchin said in the court's written ruling that the case was "not concerned with the broader question whether technical advances generated by machines acting autonomously and powered by AI should be patentable".

Thaler's lawyers said in a statement that the ruling "establishes that UK patent law is currently wholly unsuitable for protecting inventions generated autonomously by AI machines and as a consequence wholly inadequate in supporting any industry that relies on AI in the development of new technologies".

'LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS'

A spokesperson for the IPO welcomed the decision "and the clarification it gives as to the law as it stands in relation to the patenting of creations of artificial intelligence machines".

They added that there are "legitimate questions as to how the patent system and indeed intellectual property more broadly should handle such creations" and the government will keep this area of law under review.

Thaler earlier this year lost a similar bid in the United States, where the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's refusal to issue patents for inventions created by his AI system.

Giles Parsons, a partner at law firm Browne Jacobson, who was not involved in the case, said the UK Supreme Court's ruling was unsurprising.

"This decision will not, at the moment, have a significant effect on the patent system," he said. "That's because, for the time being, AI is a tool, not an agent.

"I do expect that will change in the medium term, but we can deal with that problem as it arises."

Rajvinder Jagdev, an intellectual property partner at Powell Gilbert, said the ruling followed similar decisions by courts in Europe, Australia and the U.S. and has "given certainty that inventors must be a natural person."

But he added: "The judgment does not preclude a person using an AI to devise an invention  in such a scenario, it would be possible to apply for a patent provided that person is identified as the inventor."

In a separate case last month, London's High Court ruled that artificial neural networks can attract patent protection under UK law.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Kylie MacLellan, Jason Neely and Louise Heavens)
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen said the code would align with a priority to promote equity, safety and inclusivity by removing barriers to learning

All Guernsey States schools will have an extra inset day in 2024 so staff can be trained in "two key areas".

Some of the day would be about the new Code of Practice for Learners with Additional Needs that was due to be introduced next year, officials said.

Staff will also be trained on new IT systems as part of the Digital Roadmap improvement project in schools.

The inset day on 4 September means the autumn term will start a day later on Thursday 5 September 2024.

The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture said it had agreed the additional inset day because "the training is essential".

Committee President Andrea Dudley-Owen said: "The new code of practice is a very positive step for education in Guernsey and Alderney."

'Long-standing challenges'

She said: "The committee is very pleased to see the development of the code of practice progressing and it is important that staff receive full training on the new practices.

"These mark a shift in the approach to supporting students with additional and special educational needs, which is no small task, and requires good advance planning to ensure it happens in time for the next academic year.

"Equally, the new Digital Roadmap's rollout will help with long-standing challenges with legacy IT in schools."

Deputy Dudley-Owen said: "We are always conscious that additional inset days can provide challenges for parents and carers.

"However, I am hopeful that the community will both welcome the nine months' notice we are providing and understand that these two positive steps for our schools and settings are worth the additional day."

The code is due to be published once it has been formally agreed by the committee.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.
Irans fuel supply has been targeted in a cyberattack that affected around 70% of the country's petrol stations.

The Iranian government has accused a cyber group known as Predatory Sparrow of being behind the attack, and alleges that the group has ties to Israel.

Israeli media also reported that the group was behind the attack, but a government spokesperson, Tal Heinrich, commented at a press briefing that, We have nothing to say about Irans claims.

Attack carried out in a controlled manner

The group claiming to be behind the attack released a comment via Telegram stating that, the cyberattack was carried out in a controlled manner to avoid potential damage to emergency services.

The Iranian Oil Minister, Javad Owji, said that of the 3,800 petrol stations the ministry is responsible for, only 1,650 were operational. Many of Irans petrol stations were able to continue supplying fuel to customers manually, as the attack specifically targeted software associated with the pumps.

Predatory Sparrow also commented on the attack via Twitter, noting as with some of its previous "operations", this cyberattack, "was conducted in a controlled manner while taking measures to limit potential damage to emergency services, adding that it had delivered warnings to emergency services across the country before the operation began.

Speaking to TechRadar Pro, Semperis Director of Security Research Yossi Rachman said, From what I have observed and reviewed thus far from the Predatory Sparrow groups various communications channels, they compromised at least one server through-which they took control of Iran's gas stations central management system, by compromising the technical support or other administrative privileged accounts within the system and have been able to obtain sensitive gas station data & payment details.

Critical infrastructure has become an increasingly important strategic target for state-sponsored cyber groups, with the US suffering a number of attacks allegedly orchestrated by groups backed by China and Iran, and China itself alleging that foreign software is deliberately gathering sensitive geographic information about its transport infrastructure and military.

Via Reuters.

More from TechRadar Pro
Yasmin Barrios, an epidemiologist for the Yakima Health District, pictured in her Union Gap office on Oct. 3, 2023.
The Carlson School of Management, the U's business school and the biggest in Minnesota, has new management.

Jamie Prenkert, an employment lawyer who became an academic and was most recently an executive associate dean for the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, arrived in Minneapolis this summer to become dean of the Carlson School.

As he met with students, faculty, alumni and business leaders during his first few months, Prenkert identified something at Carlson that some would call a Minnesota trait.

Gov. Tim Walz calls it "hiding our light under the basket." I think of it as a dignified humility with a dash of insularity.

"I knew very good things about the school, but I continue to learn so many more," Prenkert said in an interview last week. "There is an opportunity to sharpen the message about those things in a way that both raises our connections here in Minnesota, in the Twin Cities, and pierces more effectively nationwide."

He arrived at the U at a moment when it's going through enormous change. President Joan Gabel left this spring just as he was considering the job. Interim President Jeff Ettinger is a well-regarded Minnesota business executive, the former CEO of Hormel, but only expected to have the role for a year or so.

And it's nearly impossible to meet with a collegiate leader these days who isn't worried about the next few years, when schools are expected to see fewer prospective students because of the drop in U.S. births just after the 2008 recession.

"I think high-quality flagship, public research institutions are in a good place in that regard and an excellent business school within that environment is particularly well-placed," Prenkert said.

Prenkert is still having debut moments himself. Last week, he presided over his first big public event: the launch of a $40 million remodeling of the buildings that house the Carlson School.

Prenkert and his predecessor, Sri Zaheer, jointly thanked Marilyn Carlson Nelson, former CEO of Carlson Cos., for expanding her family's association with the school by making a sizable contribution to the remodeling.

Story continues

The school is named for her father, Curt Carlson, who started a trading stamps business in the 1930s in Minneapolis and later turned it into a travel and hospitality conglomerate. One of the two buildings will now be renamed in her honor.

An atrium, auditorium, classrooms and study spaces will all be updated. While the atrium is at the center of the main building, it is largely cut off from classrooms. That will change in the remodeling to promote a greater sense of collaboration among students.

The update will also create new space for Carlson students to work with Twin Cities businesses. Several dozen firms  large and small, for-profit and nonprofit  bring problems to Carlson professors each school year to have students analyze, conduct market research and offer solutions.

Both undergraduate and graduate students get involved in that work, the scale of which is distinctive, Prenkert said.

"There'll be 40 sections or so over the course of the year in that impact lab. There are smaller groups within each," he said. "That's a lot of interaction with the business community."

It's been nearly a decade since the Carlson School, facing a decline in demand for the bread-and-butter MBA, created a graduate program in business analytics. That program is still going strong, along with a broader menu of other master's offerings in things like marketing and supply-chain management. Some are designed for students who didn't study business during their undergrad years.

"Those specialized master's programs have been a place that we have expanded and that are a better option for some folks to advance their career," Prenkert said.

The more recent change at Carlson has been in the undergraduate program. The school is in its second year with a new curriculum that, Prenkert said, caught his eye even before he knew the dean position would be opening.

Under Zaheer, Carlson faculty redesigned the undergraduate degree, pursued by about 3,000 students at any given time, with nine new courses and three "signature experiences," including work in the impact lab with Twin Cities businesses.

"It's impressive for the ways that it's designed, but also for the nuances that I continue to learn," Prenkert said. "The courses sequence carefully and build on themselves, particularly in data analysis and problem-solving."
Jeffrey Scott Counts appears via Zoom in Yakima County Superior Court Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Counts is accused of using a stolen Salvation Army kettle to impersonate a church volunteer soliciting donations outside the West Valley Walmart Dec. 5.
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Want to buy a bookstore? Couth Buzzard Books is looking for a new owner
A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

She was born amid war, in a hospital with no electricity in a southern Gaza city that has been bombarded daily
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The Federal Trade Commission has banned Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition technology, accusing the pharmacy chain of recklessly deploying technology that subjected customers  especially people of color and women  to unwarranted searches.

The decision comes after Rite Aid deployed AI-based facial recognition to identify customers deemed likely to engage in criminal behavior like shoplifting. The FTC says the technology often based its alerts on low-quality images, such as those from security cameras, phone cameras and news stories, resulting in "thousands of false-positive matches" and customers being searched or kicked out of stores for crimes they did not commit.

"Rite Aid failed to take reasonable measures to prevent harm to consumers from its use of facial recognition technology," the complaint alleges.

Rite Aid located at 435 Liberty Rd. NE.

Two of the cases outlined in the complaint include:

An employee searching an 11-year-old girl after a false match. The girls mother said she missed work because her daughter was "so distraught by the incident."

Employees calling the police on a Black woman after a false alert. The person in the image that triggered the alert was described as a white lady with blonde hair.

It has been clear for years that facial recognition systems can perform less effectively for people with darker skin and women, FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said in a statement. In spite of this, we allege that Rite Aid was more likely to deploy face surveillance in stores located in plurality-non-White areas than in other areas.

The FTC said facial recognition was in use between 2012 and 2020 in hundreds of stores, and customers were not informed that the technology was in use.

Rite Aid's reckless use of facial surveillance systems left its customers facing humiliation and other harms, and its order violations put consumers sensitive information at risk," Samuel Levine, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a Tuesday statement. Todays groundbreaking order makes clear that the Commission will be vigilant in protecting the public from unfair biometric surveillance and unfair data security practices.

Story continues

A statement from Rite Aid said the company is pleased to reach an agreement with the FTC, but it disagrees with the facial recognition allegations in the complaint.

"The allegations relate to a facial recognition technology pilot program the Company deployed in a limited number of stores," the statement reads. "Rite Aid stopped using the technology in this small group of stores more than three years ago, before the FTCs investigation regarding the Companys use of the technology began."

Rite Aid has received approval from a bankruptcy judge to close its store on Main Street in Moorestown.

The ban is to last five years. If Rite Aid does decide to implement similar technology in the future, the order requires it to implement comprehensive safeguards and a robust information security program overseen by top executives. The FTC also told Rite Aid to delete any images collected for the facial recognition system and said the company must tell customers when their biometric information is enrolled in a database for surveillance systems.

The settlement comes as Rite Aid works its way through bankruptcy proceedings. The FTCs order is set to go into effect once the bankruptcy and federal district court give approval.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FTC bans Rite Aid from AI facial recognition use after unfair searches
Today

A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 63F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 37F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. High 62F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, wants to build and operate a $700 million data center in Rosemount, but some residents are worried as a city council vote looms.

The council will vote on the final site and building plan approval Thursday night. Some residents have expressed concerns about the environmental impacts and a lack of transparency from city officials due to a nondisclosure agreement and previous secrecy regarding the project, which was code named Project Bigfoot.

You signed a nondisclosure agreement with the buyer, which essentially shut the public that elected you out of the conversation, said one Lakeville resident at the Dec. 5 city council meeting.

Rosemount Mayor Jeff Weisensel has said code names are used to keep growth plans of large companies private to avoid impacting stock prices or informing competitors.

The data center would be used to store computing and networking equipment for the purpose of collecting, storing, processing, distributing, or allowing access to large amounts of data, according to a filing submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission by Xcel Energy, the data centers electricity supplier.

The project is expected to bring in 1,000 construction jobs and support at least 50 on-site jobs to run the data center.

If approved, the data center is to be constructed on a 280-acre parcel of UMore Park near County Road 42 and Dakota County Technical College.

Owned by the University of Minnesota, UMore Park spans 4,772 acres and was used as a munitions plant during World War II. The universitys Board of Regents approved the 280-acre sale to Jimnist LLC, a subsidiary of Meta, in September and the sale is expected to close in January.

Julie Barner, a resident of Inver Grove Heights, said she is worried about the water usage from the proposed data center as well as a population of Blandings turtles that she said has a habitat at UMore Park.

The Blandings turtle was classified as a threatened species in Minnesota in 1984 and has been documented in the vicinity of UMore Park, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Story continues

The city has budgeted for the facilitys water usage, which is expected to be on par with what a few dine-in restaurants or half of what a 100-room hotel would use on an average basis, according to the site plan from the Nov. 28 Planning Commission meeting.

The site plan also emphasizes that the data center would not qualify as a Significant Industrial User that has the potential to impact publicly owned treatment works.

Thursdays meeting will also include an update on UMore Parks Alternative Urban Areawide Review. The AUAR was first conducted for the area in 2013 and is updated every five years, with its most recent update published on Dec. 1.

The AUAR is a hybrid of the environmental assessment worksheet and an environmental impact statement and is currently open to public comment at rosemountmn.gov/689/Environmental-Review.

The city council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at Rosemount City Hall.

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Transportatorii protestatari au intrat la Guvern

Reprezentantii Cancelariei prim-ministrului au avut, joi, la Palatul Victoria, o intalnire cu reprezentanti ai transportatorilor din toate zonele Romaniei, prilej cu care s-a convenit ca ministerele si institutiile cu atributii in domeniu sa fie informate despre problemele ridicate. Dialogul dintre cele [citeste mai departe]
Un barbat din Coltau a fost retinut dupa ce a amenintat un minor cu cutitul

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Representatives of the now disbanded rock group Omega may take legal action after another American rapper sampled their hit Gyongyhaju lany (Girl with the Pearl Hair) without permission, lead guitarist Gyorgy Elefant Molnar told the website Tenyek.

Rapper Lil Yachty used an instrumental sample for the entirety of the 72-second song Jesse Owens.



Molnar said the rapper should have asked them and talked it over, as no problem would have arisen. But since he did not, obviously Omega will have to take legal action.







Rapper Kanye West used an excerpt from the song without permission in 2013. Following a lawsuit, he agreed an out-of-court settlement with the sons writer Gabor Presser.
The joint Hungarian-Turkish cultural season opened with a gala evening at the Palace of Arts (Mupa) on Monday. The event was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungarian President Katalin Novak and Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Government commissioner Peter Hoppal said Hungary and Turkiyes friendship was rooted in the time before the two peoples conquests of their lands.



The year-long cultural season marking the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic ties will feature the finest of Turkish culture in Hungary, while Turkiye will get a taste of Hungarian culture during this time, he said.



Hungarian, Turkish Public Media Chiefs Sign Cooperation Pact

Hungarian and Turkish public media chief executives on Monday signed an agreement on cooperation and an exchange of content in connection with the joint Hungarian-Turkish cultural season, the press and marketing office of Hungarys Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA) said.



The document was signed at the foreign ministry in Budapest by Daniel Papp, MTVAs chief executive, and Mehmet Zahid Sobac, head of Turkish state media service provider TRT.



MTVA and TRT agreed on closely cooperating on content in the interest of the worthy celebration of the year-long joint Hungarian-Turkish cultural season in honour of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.



The sides agreed to continuously update each other on the programmes and festivities organised in connection with the cultural season and to share with each other the programming they produce about it.



Under the agreement, next year the public media companies will each hold a day focusing on the other country, sharing the related programming.



The signatories were in agreement that the exchange of content enhanced cultural dialogue and strengthened ties between their peoples.



They underlined their intent to place special emphasis on historical, cultural and art assets when putting together their programmes.
After securing electric car manufacturing investments in the first phase of the competition for attracting such businesses, now Hungary has a good chance of attracting R and D projects in the sector as well, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said, announcing an investment by the German-owned Schaeffler Savaria, one of the worlds largest automotive suppliers.

The 5.2 billion forint (EUR 13.6m) R and D project at its plant in Szombathely is connected with parts for hybrid and pure electric vehicles, with the state providing 1.3 billion forints in support, the ministry said in a press release.



One hundred new jobs linked to engineering will be created as a result, it added. Szijjarto said in a speech at the inauguration that the revolutionary transformation of the automotive industry was the backbone of the European and global economy.



This automotive revolution was completely rewriting the global economy, and countries would either be winners or losers in this new era, he added.



The competition, he said, had two phases. First, it was about which countries succeeded in attracting electric automotive manufacturing, and in this respect Hungary was a European champion and among the best in the world.



The worlds second largest electric battery plant will be operating in Hungary from 2025, and all three major German premium car brands manufacture here, the foreign minister noted.



The second phase was about R and D, he said. Since Hungary has laid good foundations for manufacturing, and in terms of infrastructure developments and revamping its higher education, the country now has a good chance of entering the second phase of the competition for R and D bases, Szijjarto said.



Schaefflers R and D units for electric motors will be located in Szombathely, he noted, and the clutch or flywheel for every tenth car on the worlds roads was made at its plant there.



Fully 93% of the plants output is for export, he said, adding that the company maintains excellent cooperation with several Hungarian universities.



Last year, Hungarys automotive industry set a record, with 12,000 billion forints worth of sales, while the sector grew by 16% in the first ten months, he said.
(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. struck another deal to offload a portion of real estate loans from Signature Bank.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The FDIC sold a 20% stake in a venture that holds roughly $9 billion in loans to an entity controlled by Santander Bank NA, according to a statement Wednesday. The entity, SBNA Investor, paid $1.1 billion. The FDIC will retain an 80% interest in the venture, which holds loans that are backed by rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartment properties.

The transaction marks the final step in the FDICs plan to offload about $33 billion of commercial-property loans held by Signature Bank, which failed earlier this year. The government agency has been seeking to sell stakes in ventures tied to the debt, while also carefully navigating concerns of elected officials and community organizers because a portion of the loans are tied to rent-regulated apartments.

A joint venture including Blackstone Inc.s BREIT and Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and funds affiliated with Rialto agreed to buy a $1.2 billion stake in a nearly $17 billion portfolio of commercial-property loans from Signature. Separately, Related Fund Management, an investment manager affiliated with Steve Rosss Related Cos., teamed up with two nonprofits to take stakes in ventures holding a total of $5.8 billion of loans tied to rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartment buildings.

A team led by Doug Harmon and Adam Spies from the brokerage Newmark Group Inc. advised the FDIC during the process.

(Adds partners on Blackstone deal in fourth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Exhibition and live dj-set at The Workshop, presenting unique paintings by Venezuelan artist Zeus Salas, created for the music label Acrylic on Canvas.

Visual artists often draw inspiration from the feeling or lyrics of a particular piece of music, and musicians often collaborate with visual artists in creating album covers that visually convey their music.



Electronic music album covers typically have a more technical aesthetic, with many producers opting for digital or generic AI designs. Nonetheless, the cover holds significance as it also enhances the auditory landscape of the album and serves as the initial visual interaction between the musician and the audience.



An encounter between two Venezuelan-born artists at Sziget Festival in Budapest in the summer of 2022brought to life something new: the founder of electronic label Acrylic on Canvas Joone commissioned painter-performer Zeus Salas to create12 original art pieces for each release of the label in the 2023/2024 release season. Zeuss painterly gestures created tangible micro-worlds of the tunes generated by the labels many artists.



Zeuss 20x20 cm paintings are unique artworks that slightly stray from the painters usual style while remaining true to his organic compositions, hints of patterns, and expressive simplicity. As a result, they match the timing, rhythmical changes, and speed precision of the electronic tracks  to the positive surprise of both artists and fans.



On 30 December 2023, fine art and music enthusiasts are invited to join the artists at The Workshop (1061Budapest, Paulay Ede u. 16.) for the exhibition opening and art party to view the artworks and enjoy a selection of AOC music.



The artworks will be available for purchase at a silent auction on this night only.



Venue: The Workshop

1061 Budapest, Paulay Ede u. 16.

Date and time: 30 December, 2023, 6pm



About Zeus Salas

Zeus Milenko Steven Salas, born in Caracas, Venezuela, has already exhibited in Paris, Buenos Aires, and Budapest, with many of his paintings now in private collections from Costa Rica to Hong Kong.



From small drawings to large-format canvases, his disciplined work ethic brings to life mythological, emotive, and captivating visual worlds with symbols, unique characters, and bold colors. He is also a performer and a frequent collaborator with a variety of brands, magazines, and art events.



IG: @zetazeus

Web: jesuiszeus.com



About Acrylic On Canvas

Acrylic on Canvas (AOC) is an electronic music label founded in 2019 by DJ and producer Joone to serve as a platform to launch his own career and provide a space for new and emerging artists. AOC is recognized for its unique sound and vision, representing a diverse roster of artists by promoting fresh and exciting music.



Joone's Venezuelan roots and UK upbringing have given him a distinct view on music. He blends Latin America rhythms and melodies with the electronic music scene to create a sound that is both familiar and fresh. Joone has collaborated with various artists and producers in addition to his solo work and is known for his constant ambition to innovate and experiment - he is a true representative of how cultures can mix and create something new and exciting in the music world.



For both him and the international following, AOC is not only a record label but also a community of like-minded people who share a passion for electronic music.



Web: acryliconcanvas.co.uk

IG: @joonemusic & @aoclabel
New Delhi: Ahead of the much-awaited release of 'Dunki', superstar Shah Rukh Khan on unveiled a new poster of the upcoming comedy-drama film. Taking to Instagram, SRK dropped the poster which he captioned, "Dunki, apne RISHTE peeche chhod aate hain... Ek din wahi RISHTE, unhe ghar wapas kheench laate hain. 2 days to go for #Dunki."

The new poster features SRK's character Hardy along with Taapsee's character Mannu and actor Vikram Kochhar's character facing their back at the camera. Soon after SRK dropped the new poster, his friends and fans swamped down the comment section and dropped red hearts and fire emoticons.

"Im Confirmed Dunki Will Be Masterpiece," a fan wrote. Another fan wrote, "Can't wait now." Helmed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film also star Vicky Kaushal, and Boman Irani in pivotal roles. Recently, during a promotional event in Dubai, SRK heaped praises on his co-star Vicky Kaushal.

Shah Rukh said "Vicky Kaushal is a great friend. I feel he is one of the finest actors I have worked with. And jab aap Dunki mein Vicky Kaushal ko dekheinge toh aapko bohat pyaar aaega unpar. He has done well and I got a lot to learn from him."

Written by Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, and Kanika Dhillon, 'Dunki' is a heartwarming tale of four friends and their quest to reach foreign shores. It charts the arduous yet life-changing journey they are about to undertake to make their dreams come true. Drawn from real-life experiences, 'Dunki' is a saga of love and friendship that brings together these wildly disparate stories and provides hilarious and heartbreaking answers.

Recently, the makers unveiled Dunki's official trailer titled 'Dunki: Drop 4' which offers a peek into the world of Rajkumar Hirani. Opening with SRK onboard a train sets the tone for the adventure that lies ahead.

The video introduces the whimsical characters, starting with Hardy, played by SRK, who enters a picturesque village in Punjab and encounters a group of spirited friends--Manu, Sukhi, Buggu, and Balli--all sharing a common dream of travelling to London in pursuit of better opportunities and a better life for their loved ones back home.

'Dunki' is all set to hit theatres on December 21.
IIM CAT Result 2023: The results of the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 by IIM Lucknow are anticipated to be released soon on the official website iimcat.ac.in. This expected release aligns with the schedule of the previous year when the results were announced on December 22. Based on historical trends, it is anticipated that the CAT 2023 results will be revealed in the coming week. IIM Lucknow provided the provisional answer key on December 5, 2023, and candidates were given until December 8, 2023, to raise objections. Following this, the final answer key will be prepared, taking into consideration the objections raised by candidates. To check the CAT 2023 Result, candidates need to have their login ID and password ready for authentication.

Indian Institute of Management (IM) Lucknow held the CAT 2023 Exam on November 26, 2023, in three different timeslots: 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM, 12.30 PM to 2.30 PM, and 4.30 PM to 6.30 PM.

The exam was administered at 167 examination centres across India. There were three sections of the paper: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Each division contained 24, 20, and 22 questions.

IIM CAT 2023: Steps To Download Scorecard

Visit the official website (iimcat.ac.in)

Click on 'CAT 2023 scorecard download'

Enter CAT 2023 ID and password.

Click on the 'scorecard' tab.

Download the CAT result 2023 PDF.

There were over 3.28 lakh individuals that enrolled for the CAT 2023 Exam, while approximately 2.88 lakh participants took the exam. The overall attendance rate was around 88 percent. Based on prior trends, the IIM CAT result 2023 is scheduled to be issued this month or early in January.
New Delhi: A trivial matter turned into a tragedy in Fazalgadh area of Bhojpur police station in Ghaziabad, where a husband murdered his wife over a dispute regarding making tea. 55-year-old Dharmaveer took his 50-year-old wife Sundari to the abode of death after a minor argument over tea. He stabbed her three to four times with a sword-like weapon and killed her. The husband attacked his wife from behind on her neck three to four times.

The husband and wife had a quarrel over tea. After committing the crime, the accused husband fled from the spot. The deceaseds son lodged a complaint with the police. The police registered a case. Teams have been formed and efforts are being made to arrest the accused.

According to Modinagar ASP Gyan Prakash Rai, the husband and wife had a dispute over making tea, after which the husband stabbed his wife from behind with an old sharp weapon lying in the house.

The deceased wifes name is Sundari and the husbands name is Dharmaveer. The police reached the spot after getting the information of the incident. Based on the written complaint given by the son, the case has been registered and the search for the accused has been started.
As the Lok Sabha witnessed discussion in the absence of most of the opposition members, the lower house passed the three crucial bills that would replace the colonial-era criminal laws. A total of 97 opposition members have been suspended from the Lok Sabha for 'unruly behaviour' as they kept demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement over the December 13 Parliament security breach.

The criminal bills passed today are the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023. These three bills will replace the Indian Penal Code of 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, of 1872.

Speaking about the bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that these are in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution and have been brought keeping in mind the well-being of the people of the country. Amit Shah said the bills will encourage the use of technology in giving justice to people. He said 'mob-lynching' had been included as an offence in the bills.

The minister said the British-era laws were aimed at protecting foreign rule and the new bills are people-centric. Replying to the debate, Amit Shah said that bills had gone through wide consultations.

Referring to a popular line from a Bollywood movie, he said 'tareekh pe tareekh' has been a bane of the criminal justice system. "Now the accused will get seven days to file a plea for acquittal. The judge has to hold the hearing in those seven days and in a maximum time of 120 days, the case would come to trial. There was no time limit for plea bargaining earlier. Now, if one accepts their crime within 30 days of the crime then the punishment would be less. There was no provision to present documents during trials. We have made it compulsory to produce all documents within 30 days. No delays will be made in that," he said.
NEW DELHI: In a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi, chief of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), launched a scathing attack on the suspension on 141 Opposition MPs during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

Unprecedented Crackdown On Dissent

Expressing her dismay at the government's actions, Sonia Gandhi declared, "Democracy has been strangled by this (Narendra Modi) government. Never before have so many Opposition MPs been suspended from the house (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand." The strong condemnation from Sonia Gandhi came during the annual CPP meeting in New Delhi.

CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi speaks in the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting at Central Hall of Sanvidhan Sadan, Parliament House



"Democracy has been strangulated by this government. Never before have so many Opposition Members of Parliament been suspended from the house, pic.twitter.com/yCtHi18JOg December 20, 2023

Demand For Accountability

Sonia Gandhi also voiced her support for the Opposition MPs who sought a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Parliamentary security breach on December 13. She emphasized, "All that the opposition MPs asked for was a statement to be made by the (Union) Home Minister in the Lok Sabha addressing the extraordinary events of December 13."

'Arrogance And Disregard For Parliament'

Brandishing the government's response as "arrogant," the Rae Bareli Congress MP further asserted, "There are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated. What happened on December 13th is inexcusable and cannot be justified." She criticized the Prime Minister for addressing the nation outside Parliament four days after the incident, indicating a disregard for parliamentary dignity and the people of the country. "I leave it to you to imagine how the BJP would have responded had they been in Opposition today...," she added in her speech.

Lok Sabha Over Security Breach

On December 13, chaos erupted in Lok Sabha when two men breached security, releasing yellow smoke and shouting slogans before being overpowered by MPs. The Delhi Police later arrested six individuals under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged involvement in the case.

Lok Sabha Issues Circular

Following the suspension of 141 MPs, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular outlining the consequences. The suspended MPs, 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha, were barred from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby, and galleries. The circular detailed restrictions, including the suspension of daily allowances and exclusion from committee activities during the period of suspension.

In a move that raises questions about the health of democracy, the crackdown on dissenting voices within Parliament has intensified, leaving the suspended MPs in a state of limbo. As the political landscape simmers with tension, the nation watches to see how this clash between the government and the opposition unfolds.
ZUG, Switzerland, December 20, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SEBA Bank AG, a fully licensed Swiss crypto bank, announced today its new brand identity: AMINA Bank AG. The group operates globally from its regulated hubs in Zug, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, offering its clients traditional and crypto banking services.

SEBA Bank made history in 2019 by becoming one of the first FINMA-regulated institutions to provide crypto banking services. This rebrand marks a new chapter for the company, which has proudly been in operation for more than four years. AMINA Bank is inspired by the same trailblazing ambition to lead the way for its clients and to write its own future as a Swiss-regulated crypto bank offering services to its traditional and crypto savvy clients around the globe.

The name AMINA stems from the term transAMINAtion, meaning transference of one compound to another. AMINA is a brand driven by perpetual change, bringing together the various compounds of traditional, digital, and crypto banking to unlock new potential and growth for our clients. This vision of change represents the transformation of our clients financial future.

Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA, said: "We are delighted to introduce the world to our new brand identity. While we say goodbye to the SEBA name, we remain forever proud of the achievements made by the group under the former brand.

"Our brand signifies a new era in the companys growth and strategy; we are a key player in crypto banking and are here to define the future of finance. With our client-focused approach, our years of traversing traditional and crypto finance, we offer a platform for investors to build wealth safely and under the highest regulatory standards."

"We are grateful to be encouraged by our supportive and committed investors who have been very helpful, supporting the growth of the company. We thank our employees in all the regions for their dedication and client focus. As we look forward to 2024, our ambition is to accelerate the growth of our strategic hubs in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi, and to continue our global expansion, building on all the successes we have laid down over the past years."

Story continues

Current clients of AMINA Bank (formerly SEBA Bank) will be unaffected by the rebrand other than encountering the new name; all operations will be business as usual across the board.

The branch office based in Abu Dhabi and the subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Singapore will subsequently apply for a name change to align with the head office in Zug.

To learn more about AMINA, visit www.aminagroup.com

Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA, is available for interview.

About AMINA  Crypto. Banking. Simplified.

Founded in April 2018 and headquartered in Zug, AMINA (formerly SEBA) is a pioneer in the financial industry. In August 2019, AMINA received a Swiss banking and securities dealer license. The broad, vertically integrated spectrum of services, combined with the highest security standards, make AMINA's value proposition unique. AMINA operates globally from its regulated hubs of Switzerland, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong to offer fiat and crypto services to progressive investors, traditional and crypto-native alike, whether individuals, corporates or institutions.

CVVC Global Report and CB Insights named AMINA as one of the Top 50 Companies within the blockchain ecosystem. Aite Group awarded AMINA their 2021 Digital Wealth Management Impact Innovation Award in the Digital Startup of the Year category, and LinkedIn listed AMINA as one of the Top Startups 2021 in Switzerland. In 2022, AMINA won the Digital Assets Offering or Service at the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards, and the bank was also recognised for its product offering SEBAX and won the Best ETP of the Year award at the Swiss ETF Awards 2022. In 2023, AMINA won the European WealthBriefing Award in the Digital Assets Solution, Fund Manager category.

For more information on AMINA, please visit our website.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231219909168/en/

Contacts

Wachsman

Matt Turner

Senior Consultant

aminabank@wachsman.com

AMINA Bank AG

Yves Longchamp

Managing Director

yves.longchamp@aminagroup.com
NEW DELHI: Under fire for mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest within the Parliament premises on Tuesday, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday said that he didn't intend to hurt or insult the Rajya Sabha chairman. Defending his mimicking act as an art, the TMC MP also cited an old mimicking act by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. Speaking to reporters, Kalyan Banerjee said, "I have never had any intention to hurt anyone...Does he behave like this in Rajya Sabha? Mimicry was done by the PM in Lok Sabha between 2014-2019..."

"I have great respect for Dhankhar ji. He belongs to my profession. He was our ex-governor. He is our vice president. Just a type of art I just showcased. Even the PM did mimicry in Lok Sabha itself in past. he has done it. I can show it to you. everyone took it casually then. we did not take that seriously.''

#WATCH On mimicry row, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, "I have never had any intention to hurt anyone...Does he really behave like this in Rajya Sabha? Mimicry was done by the PM in Lok Sabha between 2014-2019..." pic.twitter.com/rc6c5X8Lku  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023

Amid the ongoing war of words over the controversial act, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said that he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the aftermath of a viral video featuring a Trinamool MP mimicking him within the Parliament premises. The incident, previously labelled as a "personal attack" by Dhankhar, saw PM Modi expressing his distress and emphasizing that he has himself endured similar insults for the past two decades.

PM Modi Dails VP Dhankhar

During the call, PM Modi conveyed to Dhankhar that the nature of such insults had been a persistent part of his journey in public service. "He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting," shared Dhankhar on X. The Vice President highlighted the unfortunate aspect of such an incident occurring to a Constitutional officeholder within the Parliament complex.

Rahul Gandhi Films Controversial Act

The incident in question involved Serampore TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, caught on camera filming the entire act. The MPs had gathered outside in protests against the suspension of several Opposition members following a commotion over the recent Lok Sabha security breach.

Will Continue To Perform My Duty: VP Dhankhar

Despite the insulting antics, Dhankhar affirmed his dedication to duty during his conversation with PM Modi. "Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution," he asserted. Dhankhar emphasized his unwavering commitment to constitutional values, undeterred by personal attacks.

Mimicry Insults Linked To Past Rivalries: Dhankhar Recalls Farmer Family Background

Reflecting on the abject theatrics by the TMC MP, Dhankhar, previously at odds with Trinamool MP's boss Mamata Banerjee during his tenure as the West Bengal Governor, described it as an insult to his farmer family background and the Jat community he hails from.

Dhankhar took exception to the episode when the House reconvened at noon on Tuesday. "Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable," he said.

BJP Targets Rahul Gandhi For Filming Act

The BJP, meanwhile, seized on the mimicry incident, denouncing it as a contemptible act. The party also directed criticism towards Rahul Gandhi for capturing the spectacle on his phone, intensifying the political ramifications of the controversial episode. It may be noted that 141 MPs have been suspended from Parliament for disrupting proceedings so far.

Lok Sabha Over Security Breach

On December 13, chaos erupted in Lok Sabha when two men breached security, releasing yellow smoke and shouting slogans before being overpowered by MPs. The Delhi Police later arrested six individuals under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged involvement in the case.

Lok Sabha Issues Circular

Following the suspension of 141 MPs, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular outlining the consequences. The suspended MPs, 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha, were barred from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby, and galleries. The circular detailed restrictions, including the suspension of daily allowances and exclusion from committee activities during the period of suspension.

In a move that raises questions about the health of democracy, the crackdown on dissenting voices within Parliament has intensified, leaving the suspended MPs in a state of limbo. As the political landscape simmers with tension, the nation watches to see how this clash between the government and the opposition unfolds.
In today's DNA, Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the influx of Rohingya refugees in India and the biggest action against the Rohingya residing illegally in India. In fact, India has a clear stance on Rohingya Muslims; India considers Rohingya Muslims as illegal immigrants. Despite this, according to government figures, around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims are residing illegally in India, with the majority in Jammu and Kashmir.

Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted raids in those districts where a large number of Rohingya people are residing illegally, and these individuals have acquired fake Indian documents. Some locals are assisting them, against whom the police have taken action.

The police received inputs suggesting that Rohingyas who came through Bangladesh are being settled illegally in Jammu and Kashmir, and some locals are helping them obtain fake documents for their personal gain. Inputs also indicated that Rohingya staying illegally in Jammu and Kashmir are involved in anti-national activities.

Watch Full DNA Episode Here

Based on confidential information, a High-Powered Committee was formed on October 18th of this year. Its objective was to identify foreign nationals residing in Jammu and Kashmir since January 1, 2011. This committee is being led by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, R.K. Goyal.

Efforts were being made to make Rohingya Muslims illegal Indian citizens using Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and Voter IDs fraudulently. Some locals were aiding these Rohingyas in obtaining Indian citizenship, even resorting to marriage with local residents. This was uncovered during the police investigation.

The clear stance of the Indian government is that Rohingyas pose a significant threat to the country and are criminals entering and residing within the nation. They operate organized networks to acquire Indian citizenship documents for Rohingya Muslims. Every country takes action against illegal immigrants because they pose a challenge to the security of any nation, irrespective of their religion. The same principle applies to the illegal Rohingya immigrants in India. India has every right to take necessary steps in the interest of national security, which includes actions against Rohingya refugees.
Weeks after the United States alleged Indian national's hand behind a conspiracy to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made his first response to the row. In an interview to a newspaper, Prime Minister Modi said that the claims will be examined but 'a few incidents' like this cannot derail India's ties with the United States.

PM Modi said that if an Indian citizen has done anything good or bad, the government is ready to look into it. "Our commitment is to the rule of law," Prime Minister Modi told the Financial Times.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a citizen of both the US and Canada, strongly supports the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent Sikh state. US prosecutors stated that Nikhil Gupta paid $100,000 in cash to a hitman to kill Pannun, allegedly under the direction of an Indian government official. Although India considers Pannun a terrorist, he refutes this, asserting that he is an activist.

Speaking about Indo-US ties, PM Modi said that there is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of the India-US relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.

In November, the US Department of Justice made a statement claiming that there was an intercepted plan originating from India to assassinate a Sikh separatist residing in the United States. Charges of 'murder-for-hire' and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire have been filed by the US Attorney's Office against Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national. If found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years.
New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar disclosed on Wednesday that he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the aftermath of a viral video featuring a Trinamool MP mimicking him within the Parliament premises. The incident, previously labelled as a "personal attack" by Dhankhar, saw PM Modi expressing his distress and emphasizing that he has himself endured similar insults for the past two decades.

Decades Of Insults: PM Modi Dails VP Dhankhar

During the call, PM Modi conveyed to Dhankhar that the nature of such insults had been a persistent part of his journey in public service. "He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting," shared Dhankhar on X. The Vice President highlighted the unfortunate aspect of such an incident occurring to a Constitutional officeholder within the Parliament complex.

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty December 20, 2023

Trinamool MP's Theatrics: Rahul Gandhi Films Controversial Act

The incident in question involved Serampore TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, caught on camera filming the entire act. The MPs had gathered outside in protests against the suspension of several Opposition members following a commotion over the recent Lok Sabha security breach.

Will Continue To Perform My Duty: VP Dhankhar

Despite the insulting antics, Dhankhar affirmed his dedication to duty during his conversation with PM Modi. "Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution," he asserted. Dhankhar emphasized his unwavering commitment to constitutional values, undeterred by personal attacks.

Mimicry Insults Linked To Past Rivalries: Dhankhar Recalls Farmer Family Background

Reflecting on the abject theatrics by the TMC MP, Dhankhar, previously at odds with Trinamool MP's boss Mamata Banerjee during his tenure as the West Bengal Governor, described it as an insult to his farmer family background and the Jat community he hails from.

Dhankhar took exception to the episode when the House reconvened at noon on Tuesday. "Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable," he said.

BJP Targets Rahul Gandhi For Filming Act

The BJP, meanwhile, seized on the mimicry incident, denouncing it as a contemptible act. The party also directed criticism towards Rahul Gandhi for capturing the spectacle on his phone, intensifying the political ramifications of the controversial episode. It may be noted that 141 MPs have been suspended from Parliament for disrupting proceedings so far.
New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday got angry at the fourth meeting of the India Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties, when TR Balu, a leader of the DMK party, asked Manoj Jha, a leader of the RJD party, to translate his speech in English, sources said to Zee News. Nitish Kumar was addressing the meeting in Hindi. TR Balu had difficulty understanding Nitishs speech and signalled Manoj Jha, who was sitting next to him, to translate the speech in English.

When Manoj Jha sought permission from Nitish to translate his speech, Nitish snapped at him. Nitish said that we call our country Hindustan, Hindi is our national language and we should know this language. After this, some leaders of the Left parties intervened and said that the issue of language should not be brought in between. However, Nitish Kumar refused to let Manoj Jha translate his speech.

The fourth meeting of the Opposition's 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc concluded in the national capital on Wednesday with the passing the resolution on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the suspension of MPs from Parliament.

The meeting also took place amid escalating political tensions between the Opposition and the BJP-led central government, triggered by the demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the recent Parliament security breach.

"INDIA parties reiterate that there are many doubts on the integrity of the functioning of the EVMs. These have been raised by many experts and professionals as well. There is widespread demand for a return to the ballot paper system," it said.

It suggested that "Instead of the VVPAT slip falling in the box, it should be handed over to the voter who shall then place it in a separate ballot box after having verified his or her choice. 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips should then be done.

It further said that this will restore full confidence of the people in free and fair elections.

The 28 parties participated in our fourth meeting and kept their thoughts before the committee of the alliance. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that a resolution have been passed that suspension of MPs is undemocratic.

"We have passed a resolution that suspension is undemocratic. We will all have to fight to save democracy and all of us are ready to do that. We raised the issue of security breach in the Parliament. We have been saying for a long time that Union HM Amit Shah or PM Modi should come to the Parliament and speak in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha about the issue of Parliament security breach, but they are refusing to do so," Kharge said.

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections loom just four months away, the allocation of seats becomes pivotal for the Congress, especially after recent electoral setbacks.

Meanwhile, the opposition alliance has not reached a consensus on the bloc's prime ministerial candidate. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that any decision on the prime ministerial candidate would be made after the elections.
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular for the 141 MPs who were suspended from the Parliament for creating a commotion over the oppositions demand for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the security breach incident that took place in the Parliament premises. The circular stated that the suspended MPs will face several consequences during their suspension period, which include:

They are prohibited from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby and galleries.

They are not allowed to attend the sittings of any Parliamentary Committees that they are members of.

They cannot put down any item in the List of Business in their name.

They cannot table any notice during their suspension period.

They cannot vote at any elections to committees held during their suspension period.

They are not eligible for the daily allowance for the suspension period if they are suspended from the service of the House for the rest of the session, as their stay at the place of duty is not considered as a residence on duty under section 2(d) of Salary, Allowances and Pensions of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, as amended from time to time.

Also Read: TMC MP Imitates RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar In Parliament While Rahul Gandhi Records - Watch

The suspension of 141 MPs, 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha, followed a ruckus over the oppositions demand for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the security breach incident that occurred in the Parliament premises, where a man drove his car into the complex and claimed to have explosives.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that a nationwide protest will be held on December 22 against the suspension of 141 MPs over the demand for Amit Shahs statement on the security breach incident. He said that the decision was taken after a meeting of 28 parties that are part of the opposition alliance.

Also Read: 2024 Lok Sabha Elections To Be 'Modi Vs Kharge'? INDIA Bloc Leaders Propose Congress President's Name For PM Post

Kharge said that the suspension of MPs was undemocratic and that they will fight to save democracy. He also said that they have been demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Modi should come to the Parliament and speak in both the houses about the security breach issue, but they have been refusing to do so.
New Delhi: A 22-year-old gangster, Amritpal Singh, was killed in a shootout with the Punjab Police at Jandiala Guru near Amritsar on Wednesday morning. The police had taken him to a location where he had hidden 2 kgs of heroin and a pistol. According to Satinder Singh, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Amritsar Rural, Amritpal had revealed the location of the narcotics and the weapon during interrogation. The police took him there to recover the contraband and the firearm.

However, Amritpal tried to escape by firing at the police officials with the hidden pistol, injuring them. The police retaliated and shot him, causing serious injuries. He was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

VIDEO | Gangster Amritpal Singh (22) killed in an exchange of fire with #Punjab Police while trying to flee in Amritsar's Jandiala Guru area. Two police officials also injured.



"During interrogation, he disclosed that he had hidden 2 Kgs of heroin. We brought him here to recover pic.twitter.com/ORcaBNO3Ru  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2023

Amritpal was a notorious gangster who was facing charges of murder, attempted murder and other crimes, police said. The police have seized the heroin and the weapon from the spot and are investigating the case further.

This is a developing story.
New Delhi: A policeman, from what appears to be from Jammu and Kashmir has shared his experience in getting a personal loan from HDFC Bank. He has alleged said that he was denied personal loan for the nature of his job.

Tagging the Home Ministry and Jammu and Kashmir Police on X (formerly Twitter), the user by the name of Imtiyaz Hussain has tweeted, "Applied for personal loan in @HDFC_Bank. Was shocked to know that they dont provide loans to policemen as a policy. It is so hurtful and insulting to know. The men in Khaki who toil day and night in service of our great nation being treated like this should be unacceptable to every citizen.

Applied for personal loan in @HDFC_Bank. Was shocked to know that they dont provide loans to policemen as a policy. It is so hurtful and insulting to know.

The men in Khaki who toil day and night in service of our great nation being treated like this should be unacceptable to  Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) December 19, 2023

HDFC Bank has however denied the claims made by the cop and responded saying that there is no such policy by the bank. Infact, the bank said that there are several policement who are the bank's customers.

"Hi Imtiyaz, we would like to clarify that there is no such policy. Many policemen across the country are our esteemed customers, having availed loans from us. We are sorry about your experience and will be in touch with you regarding the issue faced. -Team HDFC Bank".

Hi Imtiyaz, we would like to clarify that there is no such policy. Many policemen across the country are our esteemed customers, having availed loans from us. We are sorry about your experience and will be in touch with you regarding the issue faced. -Team HDFC Bank  HDFC Bank Cares (@HDFCBank_Cares) December 19, 2023

Hussain twitter thread opened a lot of discussion on the topic with comments pouring from several sections.

Journalists and lawyers too. I was refused a car loan 20 years back even though my company had an account there and I had a salary account there! They took signed cheques from me, made me wait 2 weeks, called me to the bank and then I heard them talking loudly that they dont December 19, 2023

Meanwhile Nirav Modi, Mehul Chowksi, Vijay Mallya et all are given massive loans and allowed to abscond with no repercussions.  Bandit (@BanditOnYour6) December 19, 2023

Meanwhile, some twitter users have also tagged the RBI to look into the matter.
New Delhi: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is well-known for having a large customer base throughout the nation because of the variety of insurance policies it provides to clients that appeal to different societal groups. The LIC Saral Pension Yojana is one of the pension plans that LIC has introduced to help people meet their post-retirement obligations.

The scheme, which was first introduced as a Standard Immediate Annuity plan, is among the greatest possibilities on the market for meeting financial needs after retirement. (Also Read: Are You Looking For Safe And Tax-Efficient Investment Option? Check Benefits Of Tax-Free Bonds)

The insured individual must pay the premium once a year in order to enroll in this plan. After that, the policyholder will receive a minimum yearly pension of Rs 12,000 for the remainder of his life. (Also Read: Who Is Lalit Khaitan? Read Tale Of 80-Year-Old India's Newest Billionaire)

LIC Saral Pension Yojana: Key Features

1. Pension Options:

Policyholders have two options to choose from:

Lifelong Pension Payout

Joint life annuity with 100 percent return of purchase price on the demise of the last survivor

2. Lifelong Annuity:

In the first option, the annuity payments will continue until the policyholder is alive. In the event of the policyholder's demise, the annuity payments cease, and the nominee receives 100 percent of the purchase price.

3. Joint Life Annuity:

The second option involves annuity payments as long as either the policyholder or their spouse is alive. If both pass away, the annuity payments stop, and the nominee receives the outstanding amount.

LIC Saral Pension Yojana: Eligibility

The policy can be purchased by individuals with a minimum age of 40 and a maximum age of 80.

LIC Saral Pension Yojana: Annuity Payment Options

Policyholders can choose to receive annuity payments monthly, quarterly, or annually.

LIC Saral Pension Yojana: Here's How To Get Rs 58,950 Pension

For instance, a 60-year-old individual investing Rs. 10 lakh and opting for an annual annuity mode could receive Rs. 58,950 annually.

LIC Saral Pension Yojana: How To Purchase

Interested individuals can purchase the policy online and offline through LIC's official website, www.licindia.in.
In a development that the Central government termed as structural reforms, The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote giving the government major powers during an emergency. The bill provides for stringent provisions to stop the misuse of SIM cards and mobile numbers. The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 makes it mandatory for companies to issue SIMs only after capturing the biometric data of the user. It also has a provision for a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh for a person obtaining SIM or other telecom resource through fraud, cheating, or personation.

The bill allows the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security. It also enables the government to take a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. It also allows the Centre to take possession of a telecom network in case of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety. Vaishnaw said that the bill would repeal two laws, including the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.

The bill was passed as only numbered opposition members were present in the house due to the suspension of 97 opposition MPs. Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tabled the bill in the house that also provides for stopping transmission and intercepting messages in case of public emergency. This means, the Central government can read your messages if found suspicious in emergency situations.

The bill includes safeguards for telecom infrastructure and strengthens provisions to ensure the smooth implementation of networks, particularly optical fibre cables. Additionally, the government has suggested exempting telecom networks installed on any property from potential claims, encumbrances, liquidation, or similar issues associated with that property. Furthermore, the bill outlines the potential termination of spectrum assignment if the government finds that the allocated spectrum has remained unused without valid reasons.

"On the occurrence of any public emergency, including disaster management, or in the interest of public safety, the central government or a state government or any officer specially authorised on this behalf by the central government or a state government, if satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do, by notificationtake temporary possession of any telecommunication service or telecommunication network from an authorised entity," the bill said.

The bill provides exceptions for press messages of correspondents unless their transmission has been prohibited under rules applicable to public emergency, public order etc. Vaishnaw said that the bill provides for the allocation of spectrum to satellite communications companies through the administrative method.

As per the bill, "the central government shall assign spectrum for telecommunication through auction except for entries listed in the First Schedule for which assignment shall be done by administrative process." The first schedule has 19 cases for which spectrum will be assigned through the administrative process including global mobile personal communication by satellites, national long-distance and international long-distance services, mobile satellite services, VSAT, In-Flight and maritime connectivity, BSNL and MTNL.

Once the bill is approved by Parliament, the companies will require authorisation to start providing telecom services instead of licences that are issued at present.
(Bloomberg) -- The Spanish government plans to buy a stake in Telefonica SA worth as much as $2.2 billion, a bid to safeguard one of the nations most strategic assets as Saudi Arabia builds up its own position in the company.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Sepi, Spains investment vehicle, will buy as much as 10% of Telefonicas shares  a stake that may total more than 2 billion  in an effort to provide greater shareholder stability and protect the former telecom monopolys strategic capacities, the government said in a regulatory filing late Tuesday. Ministers decided on the investment in a cabinet meeting earlier that day.

The investment represents a surprisingly aggressive move by Spain to counter Saudi Telecom Co.s plan to invest billions in Telefonica and emerge as the carriers biggest shareholder. If Sepi takes a 10% stake in the Madrid-based company first, the government would instead become its biggest investor, eclipsing Blackrock Inc., Caixabank SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA. The position would mark a major shift for Spain, which has proven more reluctant in recent years than other European nations to intervene in markets and take ownership of corporations.

Telefonica rose 6.2% % at the close in US trading Tuesday, the biggest rise in a year.

Read More: Saudi Telecom Buys $2.25 Billion Stake in Spains Telefonica (3)

Telefonica is a leading telecommunications company both in Spain and internationally, Sepi said on Tuesday. It carries out a set of activities of crucial relevance for the economy, research, security, defense and the welfare of citizens.

Spain had telegraphed that it may take a stake. Less than two months after state-controlled Saudi Telecom announced plans to buy 9.9% of Telefonica for 2.1 billion, the Spanish government said it was performing an exploratory analysis of its own potential investment in the company. There is a precedent for such ownership in Europe: Countries including France and Germany own stakes in their former phone monopolies.

Story continues

Telefonica states it remains focused on the execution of the recently approved 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, announced at the Capital Markets Day on November 8, 2023, in order to continue creating value for its shareholders and providing the best-in-class service for its clients, the carrier said in a statement late Tuesdya, in response to the governments announcement.

Bloomberg reported in September that the Spanish government had also been weighing restrictions on Saudi Telecoms investment plan, similar to those applied to IFM Global Infrastructures purchase of a stake in Naturgy Energy Group SA. STC is already required to obtain approval from the government to covert its derivatives position in Telefonica, representing roughly half of its stake, into actual shares.

Read More: Spain Weighs Placing Conditions on Saudis Telefonica Stake Bid

Saudi Telecoms plan has sparked controversy in Spain, where Telefonica is considered strategically important because it provides services to the military and the defense ministry. Soon after the announcement in September, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government would safeguard national security and guarantee that foreign investors would not exceed limits that would involve undue influence over strategic companies.

The Spanish government sold its last stake in Telefonica more than 20 years ago, ending decades of public ownership of the company. Telefonica had fallen 0.8% in Madrid on Tuesday, beore the governments announcement. Shares closed at 3.565, giving the company a market value of about 20 billion.

(Updates with trading price in fourth paragraph, adds Telefonica comments in seventh paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
New Delhi: Microsoft Copilot, the AI chatbot, has just made a musical move by joining forces with Suno, a popular AI music creation platform. Now, Copilot can whip up AI-composed tunes with just a simple text prompt. This cool collaboration adds a musical touch to the AI chatbot, giving it the power to create personalized songs.

The best part? Users can try it out on Microsoft Edge and make songs that match their style.

In a recent Bing blog post, Microsoft spilled the beans on this exciting update. The tech giant shared the news of teaming up with Suno, a big player in AI music. The goal? To let everyone, no matter how much they know about music, make fun and unique songs using easy prompts.

Suno is known for creating all sorts of songs, from lyrics to instrumentals and even singing voices. And now, it's teaming up with Copilot to make song creation a breeze.

If you want to give this musical extension a go, here's how to do it:

- Open Microsoft Edge: Make sure you're using Microsoft Edge because this feature is built right into the browser.

- Visit Copilot.Microsoft.com: Go to Copilot's website to start the fun.

- Login: Log in to your Microsoft account and make sure Copilot is ready to roll.

- Find Suno in Plugins: On the Copilot homepage, look for the Plugins option on the right side, next to Recent activity.

- Enable Suno: Scroll down until you spot Suno and a handy toggle button. Click that button to turn on the Suno extension.
Britain's defence ministry released photographs on Saturday (December 16) of what it says showed a suspected attack drone downed by navy ship HMS Diamond in the Red Sea.

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday (December 19) that HMS Diamond would join a U.S.-led international taskforce to safeguard commerce in the region.

Britain said that alongside HMS Diamond the task force currently includes three U.S. destroyers, and a French warship is in the region. They are operating in the Southern Red Sea, focusing on protecting freedom of navigation, international trade and human life by countering illicit non-state actors in international waters.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks in the Red Sea in response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, forcing oil major BP and freight firms including Maersk to avoid the area.

British defence minister Grant Shapps said on Saturday (December 16) that HMS Diamond shot down a drone targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
New Delhi: The Colorado Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict on Tuesday, ruling that former President Donald Trump cannot run for president in the state next year due to his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his followers. The court said that Trump violated a seldom-invoked clause of the U.S. Constitution that prevents officials who have participated in insurrection or rebellion from holding office.

The courts 4-3 decision marks the first time in U.S. history that a presidential contender has been disqualified from the presidency under this provision. The decision only affects Colorados Republican primary on March 5, but it could have implications for Trumps status in the state for the general election on Nov. 5. Colorado is widely seen as a solidly Democratic state, so President Joe Biden is expected to win the state regardless of Trumps situation there.

Trump pledged to challenge the decision at the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Colorado court agreed to postpone the implementation of its ruling until at least Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for an appeal.

The ruling paves the way for the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that includes three Trump nominees, to decide whether Trump is eligible to seek another term as president.

The lawsuit is regarded as a trial run for a broader effort to bar Trump from state ballots under section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was adopted after the U.S. Civil War to prevent supporters of the confederacy from serving in the government.

The Colorado court determined that the U.S. Constitution forbids Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination in 2024, from running for president because of his role in provoking violence at the Capitol as lawmakers gathered to certify the outcome of the 2020 election. The courts majority admitted that the decision was uncharted territory.

These conclusions are not reached easily, the majority justices wrote. We are aware of the enormity and significance of the questions now before us. We are also aware of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being influenced by public reaction to the decisions that the law requires us to reach.

Trumps campaign denounced the court decision as undemocratic. The Colorado Supreme Court issued a totally flawed decision tonight and we will quickly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, a spokesperson from the Trump campaign said.

The decision overturns a ruling by a lower court judge who found that Trump engaged in insurrection by inciting his supporters to violence, but, ruled that as president, Trump was not an officer of the United States who could be disqualified under the amendment.

The Biden campaign declined to comment.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top poll body on Wednesday began accepting nomination papers from prospective candidates, thus setting in motion the procedure for the February 8 general elections. Beginning the process of receiving nomination papers from potential candidates, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said they can collect forms from the electoral body from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and submit their nomination papers by December 22.

As the country embarked on a tight schedule to conduct the elections on February 8, on the very first day, a total of 82 candidates received nomination forms across three constituencies within Islamabad while the data from other places was not immediately available. According to the procedure, the ECP will release the preliminary list of candidates on December 23, while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held from December 24 to 30.

The electoral authority will allot election symbols to parties and independent candidates on January 13, a little less than a month in the lead-up to the polling date of February 8. After fresh delimitation, the National Assembly (NA) would consist of 336 seats, including 266 general seats, 60 seats reserved for women, and 10 for non-Muslims.

The guidelines for the candidates intending to submit nomination papers were issued on Tuesday, a day before the ECP started receiving nomination papers for both the national and provincial assemblies, the Dawn newspaper reported. Those contesting for the National Assembly would have to submit Rs 30,000 with nomination documents, while the fee for a provincial assembly is Rs 20,000. A candidate is legally allowed to submit a maximum of five nomination papers.

According to the rules, every Pakistani citizen aged 25 or above is eligible to contest for any National Assembly seat whereas provincial assembly contestants must belong to the concerned province. In Karachi, the nomination papers will be filed for 22 National Assembly seats and 47 provincial assembly seats, while 69 returning officers and seven district returning officers have been posted for the national and provincial assemblies, Geo News reported.

The process of collecting nomination papers began after the oath-taking of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) by the electoral body under the Elections Act 2017, it said. At least 859 returning ROs already completed their three-day training on Monday, while 144 DROs were trained on Tuesday.

The ROs had already received one-day training before Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) office-bearer and lawyer moved the Lahore High Court, leading to the suspension of the notification of their appointment. Their training, consequently, was suspended on December 14. However, the Supreme Court set aside the LHC order and directed the ECP to issue the election schedule, which resulted in the restoration of notification concerning DROs and ROs. This time, Pakistan Muslim League (N)-led by former PM Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will look to retain power. (With agency inputs)
Little money and many needs. How to prioritise Ukraine's recovery?

 Getty Images Author Hugues Mingarelli Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine (2016-2019), Director of the European Agency for Reconstruction in Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (2000-2002) Author Oleksandra Kobernik Non-Resident Fellow at Centre for Economic Strategy

Ukraine's needs for reconstruction and recovery are immense. It is impossible to meet them all at once. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify key sectors and set clear regional prioritisation annually. How can this be done best, and where to start? Hugues Mingarelli, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine (2016-2019) and Director of the European Agency for Reconstruction in Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (2000-2002), who took part in the October monitoring of Ukraine's recovery, shared his experience in reconstruction.

In the first two-three years, it is reasonable to focus recovery efforts on Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, as the east of Ukraine has suffered the most severe destruction of social and economic infrastructure. The majority of reforms should be concentrated in these regions.

Certainly, there will be no country and no economy without people. Thus, the goal of recovery should be to provide incentives for the 15 million people who have fled their homes (8 million refugees in the EU and 7 million internally displaced people in Ukraine) to return home. Several measures must be taken immediately, not in one or two years.

Ukrainian economy: not only bad, but also a little good  

The first priority should be to clear mines and unexploded ordnance, as it is estimated that about a third of Ukraine's territory is mined. It will be a disaster if we don't do this. I experienced this 20 years ago in Kosovo, where we started rebuilding certain infrastructure without paying enough attention to mines. In your country, the situation is much worse than in the Balkans. Therefore, we should never forget this before we return people to the eastern territories of Ukraine.

The second priority is related to ecocide - the terrible environmental disaster that the Russians committed in Ukraine. It is vital to purify the soil and air as soon as possible. To understand the depth of the problem, I will give several examples: since 2014, the Russians have destroyed a lot of chemical and steel plants between Kharkiv and Berdiansk - I witnessed it with my own eyes. Now, the environment contains chemicals that can cause asbestosis. If you want people to return to these areas, you must address this environmental damage immediately.

Another example of an environmental disaster is the regions with coal and iron ore mines between Luhansk and Donetsk. Even when the mines are no longer operating, water must be pumped out of them regularly. Otherwise, contaminated water will infiltrate the groundwater, depriving the areas of drinking water. Since 2014, water has not been pumped out of mines in most of the eastern territories of Ukraine. This problem will have to be resolved if people are to live there.

The third priority in Ukraine should be the population's rehabilitation. For ten years, people in certain regions have been and continue to live under Russian bombardments and missiles. These people need psychological and social support as soon as possible. It is important to remember that the reconstruction and recovery of the country is not just about physical rebuilding. There are millions of people in Ukraine who need to rebuild their lives. Therefore, we need to focus on people who have been traumatised, especially in the areas that suffered from the Russian occupation.

Simultaneously, efforts should be made to meet immediate needs and establish basic infrastructure - water, electricity, heating, medical facilities and schools - that will allow people to return. This should be the main objective of the recovery in the first three years. A bit later on, we need to offer people jobs, and for this, we should create an attractive business environment to encourage domestic and foreign investors to return to the east of the country.

Hence, it is necessary to resume the process of modernising Ukraine. I have seen the fantastic things Ukrainians have been doing between 2014 and 2022 with their political and economic reforms. We must support you to resume the modernisation process as soon as possible. I hope that you will start the EU accession very soon. Remember that you have an obligation to align your legislation with the EU (according to the acquis communautaire).

Inertial Scenario For Ukraine. What If Everything Ends Badly?  

Thus, the entire reconstruction process must be completely transparent and accessible to civil society, local authorities, businesses, and the donor community at any time. That is why a monitoring and evaluation mechanism should be implemented to make the process accountable and ensure sound financial management.

Anyone who knows Ukraine acknowledges the outstanding role of an active civil society. Consequently, it needs to be involved in the annual selection of priority sectors and regions where we should focus our reconstruction efforts, as well as in monitoring the progress of reconstruction projects.

Ukraine has the necessary digital tools, such as ProZorro and the DREAM system. Also in the final stage of launch is the Big Recovery Portal (BRP), a platform being developed by Ukrainian civil society with EU funding. BRP collects a database of recovery projects, publishes analytics of relevant public expenditures, identifies typical problems, and engages citizens in monitoring the quality and feasibility of projects. The portal has a risk module that automatically identifies objects that should be closely monitored.

This portal would be beneficial, especially if it starts working quickly, without waiting for the end of hostilities. If you manage to do this, you will create a solid safeguard against corruption. Undoubtedly, corruption will always happen, but you can reduce the risk of fraud and misuse of funds.

Read this article in Ukrainian and russian.

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Technology companies were early adopters of the remote-work phenomenon after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided and businesses started asking their employees to return to the office.

But many have since changed their stances, demanding employees show up for work in person for at least part of the workweek. They cite collaboration, culture and social connection as the most important drivers when it comes to encouraging employees to return to the office. They also say productivity is better, and employees returning to the office boosts lagging outputs, according to real estate company JLL's "Technology Office Spaces: Shifting to Future-Fit Workplaces" report.

The survey found that the most common objection to returning to the office is the commute. Tech companies are responding by increasing commuting stipends, with 12% adding a stipend and 31% having one already in place.

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Investing in real estate just got a whole lot simpler. This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, and you only need $100.

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As tech companies adapt to changing working conditions, they're modifying their office space to accommodate it. When they're considering their needs, they see the space per person decreasing but the rentable square feet increasing as they add employees without expanding their footprint. They achieve this by increasing workspace-sharing ratios to just over two people per seat.

While the last two years as seen tech companies reduce their space, 36% of those surveyed said they would expand their portfolios in the next three to five years.

"Some of this trend is driven by companies cutting too much in 2023 and needing to expand space again to accommodate new growth and more employees returning to the office," the JLL report states. "Adapting space for hybrid work and more collaboration can also increase overall footprint compared to dedicated desks."

Story continues

As companies adapt to a hybrid workforce, their office spaces look different. They have unassigned seating, set up team neighborhoods to encourage collaboration and provide focused, quiet spaces to allow for heads-down individual work.

Companies also investing more in workplace technologies and amenities, with 93% saying they are willing to pay a premium for tech-enabled space, according to JLL's Global Technology Survey.

Companies that allow their employees to choose which days they work in the office provide more flexibility, but many find that specifying in-office days promotes culture-building and cross-department collaboration.

While many tech companies may be pushing for their employees to return to the office, others believe that a remote-first or employee-choice strategy will allow them to compete for top talent anywhere, which they often see as a recruiting advantage.

Of tech companies with more than half of their employees working remotely, 46% say employee experience is among their top priorities, and 71% that don't require office attendance use social events to connect remote employees.

Real Estate Reimagined: Capitalizing On Unique Opportunities In A Changing Market  Don't miss this virtual event on Thursday, December 21 at 11 AM EST. Our expert panel, featuring the most innovative industry leaders, will guide you through the intricacies of the current real estate market and the unique opportunities available to retail investors. Register here.

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Collecting passive income from real estate just got a whole lot simpler. A new real estate fund backed by Jeff Bezos gives you instant access to a diversified portfolio of rental properties, and you only need $100 to get started.

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This article Surging Stipends And Office Overhauls Redefine The 9-to-5 Landscape originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
US states are testing a series of new legal ploys and laws designed to erode social media's reach, creating a prime battleground for the tech industry in 2024.

Attorneys general and lawmakers from states across the US spent much of 2023 trying to pressure outfits like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram with outright bans, legislation regulating their content, or lawsuits alleging the companies violated state consumer protection laws.

States passed at least 65 new tech laws this year targeting child safety, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and content moderation, according to a new report from the University of North Carolina's Center on Technology Policy.

Some of these moves successfully imposed tighter restrictions and scrutiny on the industry, while others were met with setbacks, raising new doubts about whether the experiments will be successful.

The aggressive campaigns by states raise some tricky questions that could be tested before the Supreme Court and numerous other legal forums in 2024.

Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram apps are seen on a smartphone. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration) (REUTERS / Reuters)

Should tech firms be allowed to decide what they allow on their platforms without government interference? And can material potentially harmful to children be restricted without also restricting free speech?

But the states may succeed where the federal government has fallen short thus far in efforts to limit the reach of tech firms, said Matt Perault, a UNC professor and director of its Center on Technology Policy, who once worked for Facebook.

Perault cited recent defeats handed to federal antitrust regulators suing to stop Microsoft's (MSFT) acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard and Meta's (META) acquisition of virtual reality app developer Within.

"Novel lawsuits are sexy, but they don't generally make for winning strategies," Perault said. "If you want to change the technology sector, you actually have to win cases or pass new legislation."

Roadblocks

Some of the states' attempts to curb social media ran into roadblocks in 2023.

Story continues

Earlier this month a federal judge in Montana temporarily blocked a state law from taking effect that banned TikTok within its borders, saying it likely violated the First Amendment.

The law  intended to safeguard consumer data and prevent the Chinese government from using the Chinese-owned company to spy on Americans  was the first of its kind to apply to the general public (many states have separately banned government workers from using the app).

Other state setbacks this year came in the Midwest, the Southeast, and the West Coast.

An Indiana state court judge dismissed two cases alleging TikTok deceived users about the security of personal data.

In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked a new law set to take effect that would have required new users on social networks to prove their age.

In California, a federal judge blocked a new state law requiring special data safeguards for young online users.

One state, Utah, did have some success. Utah's Supreme Court denied TikTok's request to block the states consumer protection division from obtaining internal company documents after the attorney general sued the company in October.

Federal protections

Some other cases filed toward the end of the year should get a lot of attention in 2024, including a federal lawsuit from dozens of Republican and Democratic state AGs alleging tech giant Meta violated a federal child protection law and dozens of state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices.

These states allege that Meta's Facebook and Instagram deceptively presented their social media platforms as safe while at the same time collecting data on minors and using dopamine-manipulating algorithms to exploit the children for profit.

The federal online privacy law Meta violated, according to the state AGs, is the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which went into effect in 2000. The FTC has proposed strengthening the law to limit companies ability to monetize childrens data.

COPPA requires companies with commercial websites to post their privacy policies online and provide parents with direct notice of their information practices. Website operators must also obtain consent from a minor user's parent or guardian before collecting a child's personal information.

The lawsuits target the platform's design, rather than specific content, which is a way for the state AGs to tiptoe around another federal law that offers tech companies greater protection against liability: the Communications Decency Act.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in Washington on March 23. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Signed into law in 1996 as public access to the internet proliferated, the CDA enabled online platforms to make good faith moderation efforts to remove objectionable content.

A key portion of the law  a controversial provision known as Section 230  is an exemption that permits the platforms to freely moderate third-party content. That immunity makes them distinct from publishers, which can be sued for harmful content they produce.

For decades, the law has insulated platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube (GOOG, GOOGL), Twitter, and TikTok from bearing legal and therefore financial risks for harm allegedly caused by their users' posts.

Its sweeping immunity shielded TikTok from liability in the death of a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died while attempting a high-risk "blackout challenge" that she learned to perform from a viral video that the company's algorithm placed into her platform feed.

"Section 230 was never intended to shield companies like yours from amplifying dangerous and life-threatening content to children," Rep. Bob Latta told TikTok CEO Shou Chew during a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March.

It's 'up to the Supreme Court'

The Supreme Court has already wrestled with a pivotal case testing the strength of Section 230.

In June the high court heard arguments from Alphabet's Google, Twitter, and Facebook, and decided a pair of cases in their favor, holding that the law protected all of the tech titans from liability for moderation policies alleged to have aided and abetted terrorist attacks.

The cases were brought by the estates of families whose loved ones were killed in terrorist actions promoted on the platforms.

In a win for the tech defendants, the court left Section 230 unchanged.

The Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Supreme Court will get another chance to rule on this legal question in 2024. It is expected to consider cases that challenge laws in Florida and Texas that restrict major social media companies from moderating user posts that express certain viewpoints, including political views.

An appellate court upheld the Texas law, and a separate appellate court blocked Florida legislation.

Other states may be waiting to see how the high court rules before bringing more legal cases or proposing new laws challenging how tech firms moderate their content.

Legislation on that topic showed a significant drop in 2023, according to UNC's report.

Protecting child safety and personal data online was a much more popular route. This year, state lawmakers in 13 states passed 23 new bills on child safety, and state lawmakers in 16 states passed 23 new bills on data privacy.

Only one state law protecting child safety was passed in 2022, though some states did include child safety regulations in comprehensive legislation. In 2022, two states passed comprehensive privacy legislation.

"We saw major action in child safety [laws]," Scott Babwah Brennen, head of online expression policy at UNC's Center on Technology Policy, told Yahoo Finance. "The headline for us in the report as it concerns content moderation was actually how little we saw."

Content moderation, Babwah Brennen said, "is all up to the Supreme Court."

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
TOKYO (Reuters)  Toyota Motor's Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all of its vehicles, Japan's biggest automaker said on Wednesday, after a safety scandal investigation found issues involving 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota's brand.

An independent panel has been investigating Daihatsu after it said in April it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of those sold as Toyotas.

But the latest revelations suggest the scope of the scandal is far greater and went back much further than previously thought and could potentially tarnish the automakers' reputation for quality and safety.

Daihatsu is Toyota's small-car unit and produces a number of the so-called "kei" smaller cars and trucks that are popular in Japan. The latest issues also impacted some Mazda and Subaru models sold in the domestic market and Toyota and Daihatsu models overseas, the panel found.

Daihatsu's concept car Osanpo at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo in October. (PKAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) (KAZUHIRO NOGI via Getty Images)

Toyota said "fundamental reform" was needed to revitalise Daihatsu, as well as a review of certification operations.

"This will be an extremely significant task that cannot be accomplished overnight," Toyota said in a statement. "It will require not only a review of management and business operations but also a review of the organisation and structure."

Toyota said it could not yet determine the financial impact of the matter. Its shares closed flat in Tokyo on Wednesday, lagging a 1.4% rise in the broader market.

On-site inspection

The investigation found that the airbag control units used by Daihatsu in airbag tests for some models were different from the ones used in cars sold to the public, including Toyota's Town Ace and Pixis Joy models and the Mazda Bongo.

Toyota said it was not aware of any accidents related to the issue. It said side-collision tests of two models may not be law compliant even as verifications confirmed that the airbag met passenger safety standards.

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Japan's transport ministry said it would carry out an on-site inspection at Daihatsu's headquarters in Osaka on Thursday.

Daihatsu executives told a press conference the overseas shipments will be suspended until the vehicles are cleared for sales again by regulators.

"The situation is extremely serious," Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira said, adding that any regulatory clearances the automaker received through fraudulent means could be revoked by law.

Daihatsu Motor President Soichiro Okudaira attends a news conference in Tokyo

The misconduct also included false reports on headrest impact tests and test speeds for some models. The investigation found cases of misconduct were particularly prevalent after 2014 and, for one already-discontinued Daihatsu vehicle, went back as far as 1989.

Makoto Kaiami, the chair of the third-party investigation committee, said the panel did not believe that Toyota was responsible for the misconduct, but that Daihatsu was trying to meet expectations it had placed on itself.

The issue emerged after Daihatsu said in April it had discovered the wrongly conducted tests after a whistleblower report. It had reported the issue to regulatory agencies and halted shipments of affected models.

The following month, it said it had stopped sales of the Toyota Raize hybrid electric vehicle and its own Rocky model after also finding problems with testing for those models.

Previous safety issues at Toyota

Daihatsu produced 1.1 million vehicles over the first 10 months of the year, nearly 40% of those at overseas sites, according to Toyota data. It sold some 660,000 vehicles worldwide over that period and accounted for 7% of Toyota's sales.

Toyota said on Wednesday affected models included those for the Southeast Asian markets of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and Central and South American countries of Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Daihatsu is the latest safety issue to impact the Toyota group over the years.

An engine data scandal at Toyota's truck- and bus-making unit, Hino Motors, in 2022 led to resignations and temporary pay cuts for some managers.

In that case, Hino admitted to falsifying data on some engines dating back to 2003, or at least a decade earlier than it originally indicated.

In 2010, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, then chief executive, was forced to testify before U.S. Congress due to a safety crisis involving faulty accelerators.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Deceptive Abortion Initiative in Florida Must be Rejected

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Dec. 20, 2023







Liberty Counsel recently TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Dec. 20, 2023 / Christian Newswire / -- As pro-abortion activist groups try to establish unlimited human genocide in Florida with a proposed amendment that would codify unrestricted abortion as a right in the state constitution, Liberty Counsel continues to urge the Florida Supreme Court not to approve it.Liberty Counsel recently filed a reply brief on behalf of Florida Voters Against Extremism (FLVAE) urging the Florida Supreme Court not to approve the wording of a proposed amendment that would codify unrestricted abortion as a right in the state's constitution. In the reply brief, Liberty Counsel argues that the initiative is misleading and deceptive and violates the single subject rule. In the brief, Liberty Counsel states the sponsor completely sidesteps these legal issues and fails to provide a meaningful rebuttal.

The proposed amendment, "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion," would create a new section in the Florida Constitution "limiting government interference with abortion." The full text of the accompanying ballot summary states: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature's constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion."

The 2024 Florida Department of State's Initiative Petition Handbook states that to be placed on the ballot for this election cycle, a petition must be signed by 891,523 verified voter signatures statewide by February 1, 2024. In addition, "the signatures must come from a number of electors in each of one half of the congressional districts of the state, and of the state as a whole, equal to eight percent of the votes cast in each of such districts respectively and in the state as a whole in the last preceding election in which presidential electors were chosen."

Currently, a total of 753,771 have already been verified, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Yet, "statewide and congressional district totals for ballot position are not official until the Secretary of State determines the requisite signatures have been obtained and issues a certificate of ballot position." More signatures for the proposed amendment are apparently in the verification process, which can take a month to complete.

The proposed amendment is sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom, Inc., a political committee supported by the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, the American Civil Liberties Union, and other groups that support the termination of preborn humans through unrestricted abortion on demand. Even the name, Floridians Protecting Freedom, is deceptive when their objective is to "protect Floridians' access to abortion as reproductive health care."

In fact, this initiative has serious deficiencies and falls short of the requirements under Florida law to be placed on the ballot for voters.

The proposed amendment misleads voters and hides the true purpose behind the amendment and its effect, which is to enshrine a right of abortion in Florida for any reason, at any stage of the pregnancy. The effect of the proposed amendment would prevent the State of Florida from regulating all abortions that a vague and undefined "healthcare provider" may deem "necessary" to protect the woman's "health." The amendment leaves the terms "necessary" or "health" purposefully undefined and vague, concealing that the true purpose is to confuse Florida voters and create an unrestricted right to abortion at all stages of pregnancy up to birth. For example, if adopted, the proposed amendment would authorize, as a matter of state law, activities that would constitute violations of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. This conflict alone with the federal law disqualifies the proposed amendment.

The proposed amendment also violates the Florida Constitution's single-subject requirement by addressing multiple subjects, including pre-viability abortions and protection of women's health, in the same proposal. Those are distinct issues that cannot permissibly be put into a single ballot initiative.

In addition, the amendment would substantially alter the function of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Florida government. Currently, the legislative branch is authorized to "prohibit" abortion through legislation; the executive branch is authorized to "penalize" citizens who violate abortion laws; and the judicial branch is authorized to "delay" or "restrict" any illegal or unconstitutional conduct. Lumping functional alterations to each branch of government in one amendment also violates the single-subject requirement.

On April 13, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law SB 300, known as the "Heartbeat Protection Act," which protects unborn children in Florida beyond six weeks of pregnancy. The Florida House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 70-40 in favor of the bill and the Florida Senate passed it on April 3 in a 26-13 vote.

The "Heartbeat Protection Act" will take effect 30 days after the Florida Supreme Court either holds that the right to privacy enshrined in Article I, Section 23 of the State Constitution does not include a right to abortion; upholds the 15-week abortion ban signed into law by DeSantis in April 2022; or if the Court overturns the state abortion case precedent in the In re T.W. decision.

Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief to the Florida Supreme Court on behalf of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Fiona Jackson Center for Pregnancy, and Issues4life Foundation, in defense of Florida's 15-week abortion ban since the Florida Constitution affirms "the right to enjoy and defend life" regardless of "race, religion, national origin, or physical disability."

In addition, Liberty Counsel Action filed an amicus brief to the Florida Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, et al., v. State of Florida, et al., requesting that the In re T.W. decision issued by an activist court in 1989 be overturned and the original intent of Article I, Section 23 be restored so as not to recognize a right to kill preborn children by abortion. Before the Florida Supreme Court is a 15-week abortion ban passed by the legislature in 2022. Like the 15-week abortion ban that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Florida case could follow a similar result.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The Florida Supreme Court must not approve the language of this deceptive and deliberately confusing amendment which would authorize abortion for any reason at any time up to birth. This amendment would also impermissibly conflict with the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. These sponsors want to fool the voters into changing the Florida Constitution to kill babies for any reason, even up to birth. Pro-abortion groups want to establish unlimited human genocide of innocent children in Florida and this deceitful amendment must be rejected."

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.

SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org


Fred Prouser/Reuters

U.S. Bank has been fined $35.7 million for preventing some customers from accessing unemployment funds during the pandemic.

The CFPB said it froze tens of thousands of accounts and made it hard for customers to regain access.

The bank also failed to provide provisional account credits to some customers who reported unauthorized transfers, the CFPB said.

U.S. Bank has been fined $35.7 million by two different federal regulators for freezing some customers' access to unemployment benefits during the pandemic.

U.S. Bank had contracts with at least 19 states and the District of Columbia to deliver unemployment benefits to millions of Americans through its ReliaCard prepaid card, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said.

But the bank "froze tens of thousands of accounts" after it expanded anti-fraud controls and didn't provide a reliable and quick way for customers to prove their identities and regain access to their unemployment funds, the CFPB said.

For freezes U.S. Bank imposed between August and November 2020, it took on average a month or longer for consumers to unfreeze their ReliaCard accounts, the regulator noted.

"Many out-of-work Americans throughout the country had little choice but to rely on U.S. Bank for their unemployment benefits," CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement. "U.S. Bank blocked access to accounts and demanded burdensome paperwork in order for consumers to regain access to their frozen benefits."

Meanwhile, thousands of other customers found that U.S. Bank failed to provide provisional account credits after they reported unauthorized transfers, the CFPB said.

Banks have to provide provisional account credits if their investigations take more than 10 days, but U.S. Bank failed to do so "in thousands of cases" because it improperly required customers to first provide additional written confirmation about the suspected unauthorized transfers, the CFPB said.

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U.S. Bank violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the CFPB said. The CFPB ordered U.S. Bank to pay $5.7 million to affected consumers whose ReliaCard accounts were frozen, as well as a $15 million penalty.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also ordered U.S. Bank to pay a $15 million civil money penalty, which it said would be paid to the US Treasury and was coordinated with but separate from the CFPB's order.

The bank did not admit or deny any wrongdoing, the CFPB said.

Business Insider has contacted U.S. Bank for comment. A spokesperson for the bank told CNBC that a small portion of cardholders were affected due to extended holds, but that it had prevented more than $375 million of fraud and also returned hundreds of millions sent to questionable accounts to the states. The bank has also since improved its ReliaCard program, the spokesperson said.

The CFPB said that U.S. Bank, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the US' fifth largest commercial bank.

Last year, the CFPB fined U.S. Bank $37.5 million for allegedly pressuring employees to meet sales goals by opening fraudulent checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and lines of credit without customers' permission.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Early Adopters Pave the Way for Widespread "Forever Chemicals" Remediation Strategies in Response to Emerging Regulations

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As U.S. and European lawmakers tighten restrictions on toxic PFAS contaminants in water, utilities and businesses are working to safeguard drinking water supplies for communities. Often referred to as "forever chemicals," PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals whose components break down slowly over time.

PFAS chemicals are human-made but have become widespread in some water sources across the country and can have potentially harmful effects on human and animal health. Latest estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) monitoring program show that one in four public drinking water systems contain PFAS concentrations at or above minimum reporting levels.1

Xylem (NYSE: XYL) is working with municipal and industrial customers to address this challenge, with more than 80 PFAS mitigation installations in the U.S. alone.

For example, Stratmoor Hills Water District (SHWD), which oversees a combination of surface and groundwater sources in the foothills of Cheyenne Mountain in Southern Colorado Springs, has deployed selective ion exchange treatment aimed at countering the threat of PFOA and PFOS  two of the most commonly identifiable PFAS compounds of concern. Using selective single-use ion exchange technology, the utility has reduced contaminants to levels below compliance limits and mitigated water quality issues for its customers.

In Maine, the Kennebunkport, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District (KKWWD) took a proactive approach when it detected PFAS in one of its systems supply wells. KKWWD worked with Xylem to deploy a granular activated carbon system that has treated more than 200 million gallons of water to meet the utilitys drinking water treatment goals.

Elsewhere in California, the Orange County Water District (OCWD) deployed over 30 liquid-phase media adsorption vessel systems to treat for PFAS, following a change in California law in 2020. The vessels were connected to existing drinking water wells to allow individual water districts to continue delivering drinking water in compliance for its more than 2.5 million customers.

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"The experience of these early adopters demonstrates that with the right technology and expertise, utilities can meet treatment and compliance goals cost-effectively for their communities," said Snehal Desai, Senior Vice President, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at Xylem.

ENDS

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving the worlds critical water, wastewater, and water-related challenges through technology, innovation, and expertise. Our more than 22,000 diverse employees delivered combined pro forma revenue of $7.3 billion in 2022. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us in the effort at www.xylem.com and Lets Solve Water.

____________________________

1 Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule Data Finder

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231220390709/en/

Contacts

Houston Spencer

+1 (914) 240-3046

Houston.Spencer@xylem.com
Workshops in Tlalpujahua and Chignahuapan, Mexico, produce over 150 million handmade Christmas ornaments annually. Most are exported to the U.S. (Photo: Government of Puebla)

The United States is the biggest global importer of Christmas trees, lights and decorations each year, spending billions of dollars annually to get into the holiday spirit.

China dominates the global market and supply chain for decorations and artificial Christmas trees, with other countries, such as Cambodia and Mexico, also exporting a significant volume of holiday goods to the U.S. every year.

Globally, China shipped almost $10 billion worth of Christmas trees and decorations abroad in 2022, with the U.S. as its biggest customer, according to Statista. The U.S. imported $3.17 billion worth of Christmas decorations from China in 2022.

In addition to China, the U.S. also sources most of its Christmas lights and candles from other Asian countries every holiday season, including $374.6 million for Christmas tree lights from Cambodia, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

China led the way with 89.8% of the U.S. total imports of Christmas decorations, according to a recent study from the Census Bureau. Cambodia  [accounted for] 66% of the total U.S. imports of LED Christmas tree lights.

The United States imported over $374.6 million worth of Christmas lights from Cambodia in 2022. (Photo: Shutterstock)

From Vietnam, the U.S. imported more than $1 billion worth of tapered Christmas candles in 2022, representing almost 50% of the Asian countrys total Christmas candle market.

The Christmas ornament trade is also big business in Mexico, which exports everything from poinsettias to Christmas tree ornaments to holiday candies to the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Each year, the towns of Tlalpujahua and Chignahuapan in central Mexico produce more than 150 million blown-glass Christmas tree ornaments, the majority of which are exported to the U.S., as well as to cities across Central and South America.

Marta Guerrero, the tourism director for the Mexican state of Puebla, where Chignahuapan is located, said at a recent press conference that Chignahuapan Christmas tree ornaments are shipped as far as Rome, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.

Both Tlalpujahua and Chignahuapan have built their economies around the production of Christmas ornaments, with over 400 workshops producing products year-round.

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Mexican officials have estimated that exports of Christmas ornaments from Tlalpujahua and Chignahuapan generate as much as $20 million a year.

In addition, Mexico exports more than 20 million poinsettias each year to the United States, as well as to Japan and countries in Europe, generating over $50 million in sales annually.

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The post US top importer of Christmas trees, decor from China, Vietnam, Mexico appeared first on FreightWaves.
By Bhanvi Satija, Jaiveer Shekhawat and Nupur Anand

(Reuters) -Wells Fargo employees at its Albuquerque, New Mexico branch voted to join a union on Wednesday, while some of the other bank employees at the bank's branch in Bethel, Alaska withdrew from the unionization effort.

Elections at the Alaska branch were going to be held on Thursday but they have now been withdrawn, the union said.

Details of Alaska branch pulling out their petition was first reported on Wednesday by Reuters.

"We are pleased with this development and will continue to respect the rights of our employees to choose whether or not they want to be represented by a union," said Amy Bonitatibus, Wells Fargo chief communications officer.

The Committee For Better Bankers that is helping with the bank unionization effort or the branch employees did not immediately provide any rationale for the move.

"Although those of us at the Bethel branch have decided to withdraw our petition and hold on moving forward with a union election at this time, our values have not changed," Walker Sexton, a personal banker at the Bethel branch, said without elaborating.

"We believe change at Wells Fargo is past due," Sexton said.

With the unionization effort at the Albuquerque branch, Wells Fargo, has become the first major U.S. lender to have a unionized workforce.

The employees at that branch voted 5 to 3 in favor of joining the Communications Workers of America's Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU), the union said.

The vote stands "as a testament to workers in the financial services industry who know we need a collective voice to improve the industry we are integral to," said Sabrina Perez, a senior premier banker at Wells Fargo's Albuquerque branch.

The vote makes the San Francisco-based lender the first big U.S. bank with a union, marking a rare win for such efforts in an industry that has largely been immune to them.

"We respect our employees' rights to vote for union representation. At the same time, we continue to believe our employees are best served by working directly with the company and its leadership," Wells Fargo said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

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Recent unionization campaigns have led to tense showdowns between employees and corporate behemoths. Lucrative deals clinched by unions such as the United Auto Workers, which secured record pay hikes for employees, have bolstered support for unionization.

In the lead-up to the vote, the bank had highlighted several measures it had taken to address some of the concerns raised by its employees, such as improving compensation and benefits for lower-paid workers and bumping up median base salaries.

But at a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee earlier this month, CEO Charlie Scharf, when asked if the bank would remain neutral during the unionization effort, said Wells Fargo would exercise its right "to speak with (the employees) to make sure they make an informed decision".

Employees at the Daytona Beach, Florida branch and Atwater, California have also filed for union elections which are expected to be held in January, two sources said.

The result of the Albuquerque branch vote was first reported by Bloomberg News.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija, Niket Nishant and Jaiveer Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Nupur Anand in New York; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Stephen Coates and Jacqueline Wong)
This month, the New Castle County Council made an unexpected declaration: Theyd like to get back together with the managers of the states largest airport.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority, a quasi-governmental organization that has operated the county-owned Wilmington Airport since 1995, had essentially received an eviction notice back in 2020.

Thats when a New Castle County airport task force recommended that the county not renew DRBAs 30-year lease ending in 2025, and instead request proposals from other suitors. DRBA, in turn, said it refused to apply for a job it was already doing

For the intervening three years, the future of the airport has remained in uneasy limbo.

An Avelo Airlines plane sits at the Wilmington Airport waiting for passengers to board.

But in a resolution introduced by Councilman George Smiley on Dec. 12, the New Castle County Council unanimously approved a mash note to the DRBA. The resolution declared it would be "in the best interests of New Castle County Government and the residents of the Tri-State area" if DRBA continued to run the airport.

Notably, no new deal had been struck. And negotiations were still in progress. But the council resolution nonetheless authorized the "rescission of the non-renewal of the lease."

In other words: "We take it all back. Don't go."

A week later, at its board meeting, the DRBA sent a love letter right back: We accept.

Were pleased that New Castle County leadership made the decision to rescind its termination letter of June 24, 2020, and reauthorize the Delaware River and Bay authority to continue to be the sponsor of the Wilmington Airport for the next 30 years, wrote DRBA commission chair Samuel Lathem in a statement released after its Tuesday meeting.But neither resolution has any legal authority. And the county and the DRBA have not agreed on the terms of a renewed 30-year lease. So whats really going on? Heres what we know.

Wait, back up: What is the DRBA and why was it running the airport in the first place?

The DRBA operates two airports in New Jersey and three in Delaware. Pictured: Wilmington-New Castle Airport.

The DRBA is a quasi-governmental transportation agency  analogous to transit agencies like SEPTA or DART.

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But instead of trains and buses, the DRBA operates bridges, ferries and airports in Delaware and New Jersey. The agency is self-supporting aside from federal grants, meaning it takes no funds from either state  but rather covers its operating costs with tolls and fees and tickets.

In the case of Wilmington Airport, the County owns the 1,287-acre plot upon which the airport sits. Since 1995, the county has been leasing the land to DRBA for the princely sum of a dollar.

In exchange, the DRBA runs the airport on behalf of the county and takes its operating income in the form of FAA grants and fees.

How did the DRBA lose its lease in 2020?

In part, the county had to terminate the lease to negotiate new terms, said Councilman George Smiley, who sat on the airport task force that eventually recommended that the DRBA lose its lease.

The lease required that the county give five years' notice to terminate the lease, and unless the County terminated the lease in 2020, the DRBA would have automatically gotten 30 more years under the same terms, Smiley said.

And at the time, the airport was at a difficult crossroads. The Wilmington Airport had so far been a revolving door for commercial airlines. First Delta, then Skybus and Frontier, had started and then stopped service at the airport. (Frontier did so again in 2022.)

The county and DRBA had been at public loggerheads in 2018, over who would get the money from the proposed sale of a parcel of airport land.

County Executive Matt Meyer convened a task force in 2019 to examine the options. The County hired a consultant to lay out the best potential paths forward, and offer recommendations.

Smiley, along with the rest of the task force, recommended that the county not renew the lease. And so in June 2020, a few months into a worldwide pandemic, New Castle County told DRBA their lease would be kaputt.

When that notice was given that we werent renewing, planes werent even flying, Meyer said. There was uncertainty about whether it would start in a matter of weeks or years, and what impact that we have on airplanes.

After a request for interest from other potential airport operators, five private companies declared interest. And as mentioned above, the DRBA wasnt among them.

So what changed in the meantime between New Castle County and the DRBA?

Avelo Airlines employees pose with a prop frame to celebrate the companies first flight from Wilmington to Puerto Rico.

In part, said Meyer, the DRBA and the county have had productive talks since then.

But also, nothing breeds success like success.

The bigger story is this, said Meyer. A few weeks ago, the airport just sent its first commercial flight outside the continental United States. We are working to grow the airport as a hub.

After starting service at the airport this year, carrier Avelo Airlines has broken record after record for commercial service at Wilmington Airport. The airline announced this fall that it had recently surpassed 200,000 served customers, surpassing a previous airport milepost set nearly 10 years ago.

The onetime leader of the airport task force, former Delaware Economic Director Alan Levin, said he's impressed with the current success of the airport.

I was not aware that Council took this action, but based on what is happening at the facility Im pleased they did, Levin said. All we wanted to see was that the facility be the economic driver it could be for the County.

Will DRBA get a new 30-year lease under the same terms?

Not so fast, said Meyer.

The resolution rescinding the non-renewal is non-binding, Meyer said.

He has no plans to restart the lease under the same terms, but is confident that DRBA and the County will reach an amended agreement for another 30 years.

Many of the points of contention revolve around reporting responsibilities to New Castle County, and the rights of the County to make decisions about the airport, he said.

The lease is going to be changed in some important ways to make sure our county has the rights that we believe it should have as the owner of the airport, said Meyer.

In a statement, DRBA said it looks forward to continued negotiations on new lease language to strengthen our relationship.

Still, say both sides, they have not yet reached an agreement for a new 30-year term.

If the DRBA and the County havent reached an agreement, why are they making announcements?

The Wilmington Airport on U.S. 13 near New Castle

Money. Specifically, potential millions in federal money.

Councilman Smiley said that as the end of the year approached, he saw trouble brewing on the horizon.

In the beginning of the new year, the FAA starts considering grant funds  funding for airports and others, Smiley said.

The New Castle County airport would be potentially eligible for millions in grant funds in 2023, according to Smiley. But if the FAA believed that the DRBAs lease for the airport was ending, they might be unwilling to release the funds.

The FAA had sent a letter saying as much, County Executive Meyer told Delaware Online/ The News Journal this month.

The resolution in County Council this month had a very specific audience: FAA administrators with control of the purse strings.

Basically we wanted to send a message to the FAA that that the DRBA should remain in consideration for funding, Smiley said.

In reciprocating, DRBA likely sent a similar message to the FAA.

But as much as it's a signal to the federal government, Smiley said the resolution is also an expression of faith that the DRBA is the right steward for the airport.

"If I didn't have a comfort level, I would have never put out the resolution," Smiley said. "I value my reputation and my opinion, when I put it out there."

Matthew Korfhage is business and development reporter in the Delaware region covering all the things that touch land and money, and the many corporations who call the First State home. A longtime food writer, he also tends to turn up with stories about tacos, oysters and beer. Send tips and insults to mkorfhage@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Castle County close to new 30-year-deal for Wilmington airport
The former chairman of the Spotsylvania School Board completed a deal Wednesday that calls for him to repay the school system more than $10,000 while avoiding any criminal convictions.

Kirk E. Twigg, 66, the Livingston District representative on the board, started Wednesday facing a felony charge of forging a public record and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a county record. The charges stem from an incident last year in which Twigg, the board chairman at the time, altered a contract for then acting superintendent Kelly Guempel that the full board had agreed on.

As part of a deal worked out by special prosecutor James Hingeley, the commonwealths attorney in Albemarle County, and defense attorney Jeffrey Mangeno, the felony charge was dismissed Wednesday. Twigg did not enter a plea to the misdemeanor charge, but that charge will also be dismissed in a year as long as Twigg complies with certain conditions and pays restitution totaling $10,164 by Dec. 20 of next year.

Judge Ricardo Rigual accepted the plea in Spotsylvania Circuit Court.

The School Board agreed to pay Guempel a monthly stipend of $4,500. Twigg changed that amount to $8,500 on his own, Hingeley said.

Hingeley said Guempel received the stipend for two months. Other expenses associated with the altered contract brought the cost to taxpayers to more than $10,000, he said.

This is the amount the taxpayers of Spotsylvania had to pay because of the wrongdoing of Kirk Twigg, Hingeley said following the brief hearing.

In addition to paying restitution, the deal calls for Twigg to be of good behavior for the next year. If he does that, the misdemeanor would also be dismissed and both charges would be eligible for expungement, meaning they would no longer show up on public records searches.

In the unlikely event that Twigg does not comply with the conditions, the agreement stipulates that any jail time he receives would be entirely suspended, meaning he would not serve any time whether or not he complies.

Twiggs term on the School Board expires at the end of the year. Twigg, who has been on the board since 2015, was defeated by Megan Jackson in the November election.

He had been scheduled for a four-day trial that would have begun Jan. 29 in circuit court.
Fremont resident Deb Niles is passionate about helping her hometown with charitable endeavors. This year, the founder of the Wishing Wheels bicycle donation charity coordinated both soliciting donations and subsequently purchasing 160 bicycles which she donated to the Salvation Army of Fremont on Monday, Dec. 18.

We got 160 bikes for the kidsit is about 90 less than last year, but there were not as many families that applied for (bikes) this year. That is a really good sign that the economy, I guess, is better, Niles said. We dropped the bikes off on Monday, and people began picking them up on Monday and (Tuesday). There are a lot of happy kids.

Niles founded the Wishing Wheels organization, which is a charity that collects funds throughout the year and then uses the donations to purchase and give-away bicycles to several groups, in 2012 with her cohort, Dave Mitchell.

Since then, the duo has been working with a range of entities and organizations such as Lutheran Family Services, teachers at the Fremont Public Schools district, the Salvation Army of Fremont, Uniquely Yours Specialty Support and the Dodge County Foster Care program.

Over the past few months, Niles has been in discussions with officials from Midland University to develop a bicycle donation program for international students who come to the college but do not have a drivers license nor a motor vehicle.

For her annual holiday effort, Niles buys the bicycles both new and used, with many of the used bicycles coming from Wilseys Wacky Wheels in Fremont. She said the shops owner  Chuck Wilsey, who is elderly  works hard to refurbish and fix up used bicycles, so theyre like new.

Donors submit their donations to the Fremont Area Community Foundation, sending only checks with an important designation in the note area of the check, writing For Wishing Wheels. Donations are accepted year round and any funds received after this Christmas will be used for future bicycle purchases and donations.

The charity is multi-faceted in its mission, donating bicycles to a wide range of recipients. Niles said those who receive bicycles range from young children from families in need, to income-challenged adults without motor vehicles and even those who are classified as homeless or living without shelter.

One group Niles said she especially enjoys helping are school children in need.

Teachers can nominate a student for a bike, and in those situations, we let the teacher bring the student to my shop to pick out the bicycle so they dont have to have other kids see they are in need, Niles explained. I worked at the Salvation Army the last few days to see the parents so excited is great. I ask them if theyll put the bike under the Christmas tree, and many say, yes. By the reactions, it means a lot.

Niles also said another group she enjoys serving with the charity are foster parents, many of whom take in children who have health issues or lack trust due to their past environments.

I recently delivered some bikes to a foster mother with several foster childrenmany of whom had pre-existing health problems. Listening to her and how important they bikes wereit was very enlightening of the reality of some families, Niles added. I really enjoy that. It is really neat to see the light of (childrens) eyes change when they see the bike. They sparkle.
Women Investing in Nebraska (WIN) is now accepting funding ideas for its 2024 grant awards from University of Nebraska programs and Nebraska nonprofit organizations.

Grants are awarded based on the critical needs being addressed, the people the project serves and the impact made on Nebraskans. Grant seekers must submit an online letter of inquiry by Feb. 13, 2024, at womeninvestinginnebraska.org.

Based on submissions, WIN will invite 12 to 16 grant seekers to provide formal grant proposals. Grant seekers must be a part of the University of Nebraska System or be a Nebraska nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity.

WIN is proud to partner each year with organizations that are tackling important issues that matter to Nebraskans, and were pleased to again request ideas for funding as we enter our 13th year of philanthropic service to the state, WIN Chair Meg Lauerman said.

The amount granted will be based on the total amount of gifts received in 2024 from WIN members. WIN will announce its grant awards in fall 2024.

For more information, grant seekers may contact WIN at win@nufoundation.org.

WIN awarded a total of $220,684 to two programs for its 2023 grants season. Grants were awarded to the University of Nebraska College of Law Childrens Justice Clinic, which provides legal representation to vulnerable Nebraska children; and to the Nebraska Panhandle Area Health Education Center in Scottsbluff, seeks to grow the rural healthcare workforce pipeline.

A total of 259 WIN members contributed personally to make the grants possible, and committee members reviewed proposals in a four-step process culminating in a membership vote for the two recipients. WINs membership is comprised of women in and outside Nebraska who, through their collective giving, address issues that matter to Nebraskans.
Downtown Colorado Springs business owner Richard Skorman isn't going to let this year's holiday season pass by without covering parking tabs for shoppers in his corner of the city.

For nine years Skorman, owner of Poor Richards Restaurant and its adjoining bookstore, cafe and toy store, has fed parking meters for unsuspecting drivers in the 300 block of North Tejon Street, causing a range of reactions from smiles to glances of those who catch him feeding the meters in his elf costume.

This year Skorman with the help of couple of others, including a pet dog, will patrol the meters everyday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Christmas Eve.

"If Richard the Parking Elf or his sidekicks didnt catch you outside, and you need some meter money, just ask for it in Poor Richards Books & Gifts or Little Richards Toy Store," a news release from the shop read.

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The City of Colorado Springs will waive parking fees for meters on Dec. 25 and 26 as well as Jan. 1., the release added. Fees in the city's following parking garages will be waived Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1:

 Bijou/Cascade parking garage, 215 N. Cascade Ave.

 Nevada/Colorado parking garage, 130 S. Nevada Ave.

 Kiowa/Nevada parking garage, 127 E. Kiowa St.
A little more than six months after he was sworn into office, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade on Tuesday highlighted the city's achievements in 2023 and laid out new goals for 2024.

In his last press briefing of the year Mobolade reflected on six city accomplishments of 2023, including in the areas of economic development, mass transit, public safety, infrastructure, homelessness and community engagement. He too identified five focus areas for the coming year, which includes continued efforts to build a new police training facility.

2023 reflections

1. Mobolade's historic mayoral win. On May 17, Mobolade made local history when he became Colorado Springs' first elected Black and immigrant mayor. An Independent and political newcomer, his win was a seismic political surprise in a city long known as a conservative stronghold. He is the first mayor not affiliated with the Republican party since the city started electing mayors 45 years ago.

"Make no mistake about it, my win is Colorado Springs' win. To get so many people who supported my campaign and really supported the vision of putting our quality of life over party politics was really special. It's more than just me being the first Black immigrant mayor. It really is a story of Colorado Springs, and a story we're telling on a national level," he told reporters at the City Administration Building downtown on Tuesday.

2. Colorado Springs is breaking records. Several this year, in fact. Mobolade highlighted three in the areas of economic development, mass transit and airport travel.

 The Colorado Springs City Council approved nine economic development agreements this year, five of which were for local businesses that expanded in the city.

"That's really significant. ... These high-paying jobs mean greater opportunities for our residents," Mobolade said.

Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC President and CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer said last week that over the last two years more than 4,200, high-wage jobs have been announced for the Colorado Springs area by existing businesses or newcomers that are growing their operations and spending more than $2 billion on capital investments.

 Colorado Springs' Mountain Metropolitan Transit saw its highest all-time ridership this August, with just under 367,000 boardings that month. Mobolade attributed the ridership increase to the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative, a collaborative statewide program to reduce ground-level ozone by increasing the use of public transit. Through a partnership with the Colorado Energy Office, MMT joined 16 other Colorado public transit agencies in offering zero fares on all bus and ADA paratransit services this June, July and August  Colorado's high ozone season.

 A historic number of visitors continue flying out of Colorado Springs Airport, Mobolade said. Colorado Springs Airport's six airlines boarded 106,483 passengers last month, lifting November enplanement totals 20% higher than 2022.

3. Public safety. The Colorado Springs Police Department began running concurrent training academies to train higher numbers of officers. The academies now start every 15 weeks and allow nearly four complete academies to happen in a single year. This move set a path forward for the department to reach its full authorized strength of 818 officers by the end of 2024, Mobolade said Tuesday. The department has struggled in recent years to recruit and retain officers and this summer reported it was about 80 officers short.

Some crime statistics are also trending down in 2023, Mobolade shared Tuesday. The number of murders in the city is down 36%, burglaries are down 13%, robberies are down 8%, motor vehicle burglaries are down 7% and other types of theft are down 1%, he said.

4. Public infrastructure.

 Record rainfall and severe weather that fell across the Pikes Peak region in mid-June "proved that investing in stormwater infrastructure was critical," Mobolade said. The storms, flooding and tornadoes that blasted the region prompted road, parks and facility closures as well as disaster declarations.

Colorado Springs officials said in a news release this week that in the past that kind of rainfall would have caused major flooding and widespread damage across the city. In November 2017, voters approved the reinstatement of a stormwater fee that provides continuing revenue to catch up on maintenance; the $50 million community investment in stormwater infrastructure ensured the system held up well during this summer's flooding, officials said.

 The city's 0.57% 2C sales tax this year allowed Public Works employees to repave more than 177 lane miles, replace more than 300,000 linear feet of curb and gutter and replace more than 800,000 square feet of sidewalk, with work continuing through the end of the year.

 In April's municipal election, Colorado Springs voters approved an extension of the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) 0.10% sales and use tax for 20 years. TOPS contributes to projects across the city, with purchases of open space, like Red Rock Canyon Open Space, being "hallmarks of the program," according to a city news release.

5. Homelessness. This year's point-in-time survey showed a decline in the overall number of people who are homeless in Colorado Springs, Mobolade said. The numbers reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed a 17% decrease over the past five years in El Paso Countys total homeless population, from a high of 1,562 in 2019 to this year's count of 1,302. The data spans all categories and age groups, from people living on the streets to those living in transitional housing.

Seven hundred forty people who were previously homeless in El Paso County were moved into permanent housing in 2023, an "all-time high" Moboalde said showed "we are making progress," though he acknowledged "we still have work to do."

6. Successful community engagement strategies. "I often say democracy is best served when residents engage in the decision-making process," Mobolade said Tuesday. A summer listening tour he held with members of the City Council this summer engaged more than 1,600 residents who provided their feedback to inform the city's Strategic Plan guiding Colorado Springs' direction over the next four years, he said.

2024 lookahead

In 2024 Mobolade intends to continue his focus on public safety, economic vitality, infrastructure, housing attainability and community activation. His goals for 2024 are informed by feedback he consistently hears from the community, he said.

Next year he said he intends to speed up police response times by improving officer recruitment, retention and training. He wants to "leverage technology" to better train first responders, and wants to expand community behavioral health initiatives, he said.

The mayor said he expects this week to receive a needs assessment for a "much-needed" new police training facility he intends to build. Voters last month rejected a ballot measure that would have retained nearly $5 million in excess tax revenues to help pay for the new police academy. Officials estimate the facility could cost between $12.5 million and $45 million to build.

Mobolade said he hopes in 2024 officials can lay much of the groundwork for construction, including having a finalized location and drawings of the new facility. Mobolade said the city is exploring opportunities for collaboration with other local partners "to ensure that we are maximizing our taxpayer dollars."

Colorado Springs will continue actions to support tourism, businesses and job opportunities, the mayor said. He wants to lean into enhancing the Olympic City USA brand "to elevate Colorado Springs," as well as advance future workforce needs and grow the local workforce talent through partnerships with schools, workforce partners, employers and the military.

Colorado Springs will also pursue efforts to expand public and multi-modal transportation, with the goal to reduce congestion. The city will maintain and sustain existing public infrastructure, he said.

In 2024 officials too will focus on initiatives that will help remove barriers to affordable and attainable housing.

Mobolade said city leaders will "lean into" mental health initiatives. His wife, Abbey Mobolade, will continue work on a "Mental Health COS" campaign and the city will encourage more community volunteerism and collaboration, he said.

After Jan. 1 the city will release a full list of Mobolade's action items for 2024, with an online dashboard where residents can track the progress, he said.
After nearly nine years of planning and design, ground is set to break in February on the long-awaited expansion and remodel of Manitou Springs' more than century-old Carnegie Library.

The Manitou Springs City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved contracts with Centennial-based Fransen Pittman as the general contractor for the project, Denver-based Ratio Architects as the architect and landscape architect, and Denver-based Artaic Group as the owner's representative.

The city expects to break ground on the approximately $4.5 million project at 701 Manitou Ave. in early February. The general contractor estimated the work would be complete in 8 months. The remodel has been in motion since 2015, and work will update the structure that opened in 1911 and was built in the classical Italian Renaissance style.

The city approved the contracts about a month after the Pikes Peak Library District agreed to pay $1.5 million upfront to lease the building. The deal provided the last portion of necessary funds to allow the remodel to break ground in the coming months.

Rob Danin, a Manitou Springs resident and an organizer with the Preserve and Renew our Carnegie Library Task Force, praised the community's work on the project.

"The city will now finally have a library that will be fully functional and accessible to our community and beyond. Not only that, but the city park the library sits on will also become ADA accessible, where it has not been before. We may think of this as a two-for-one benefit to the citizens and patrons who deserve these accommodations," he said Tuesday.

The building is currently vacant after the library district temporarily moved its operations to the Manitou Art Center in 2020, following a complaint the building was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Construction plans propose a nearly 3,000-square-foot addition and an interior remodel, bringing the total space up to more than 6,000 square feet.

A combination of city funds, grants, donations, various contributions and the library district's lease advance total over $4.7 million for the project.

The city is still fundraising and seeking grants to cover just over $221,000 in additional contingency funding needed to reach a project reserves goal of $450,000, Manitou Springs' Project Manager Katie Hillson told the council Tuesday.

"We are looking to have a little bit bigger of a contingency, just based on the size of this project. A little more contingency is always a good idea," she said.

City staff recommended Fransen Pittman and Artaic Group because of both companies' experience in remodeling historic buildings as well as libraries. Fransen Pittman has also worked on 15 projects with the city's chosen architect, Ratio Architects, staff said.
Two suspects are at large after one punched a police officer repeatedly before both fleeing the scene, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Police said at 9:28 p.m., an off-duty police officer observed a known female shop-lifter from the area at a store near the 3200 block of East Platte Avenue who he knew to have warrants out for their arrest. He observed the suspect taking several items from the store before attempting to leave.

When the officer attempted to contact the suspect, she resisted. As the officer continued to attempt to subdue the suspect, a male accomplice allegedly punched the police officer multiple times in the face before both fleeing the scene in a vehicle, driving recklessly, police said.

According to police, both suspects have been identified and police are attempting to locate them. No arrests have been made at this time.
If You Go

Tickets are on sale at icecastles.com/colorado. Starting at $16 for children (ages 4-11) and $21 for general admission, tickets are known to sell fast.

Timed slots are from noon to 10 p.m. through December.

The attraction will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Fastest Known Time, the online clearinghouse for the world's outdoor speed records, has released its nominees for its hotly-contested FKT of the Year awards. Achievements in Colorado's mountains are well represented on the long list.

That includes the cult classic line known as Nolan's 14, an increasingly popular dash across 14 14,000-foot mountains in the Sawatch Range. In 2022, one of the five FKT of the Year nods went to Andrea Sansone for her supported push of one day, 21 hours and 52 minutes  a still-standing record for a woman receiving aid.

Now up for FKT of the Year honors is Eszter Horanyi, who in September logged her self-supported mission complete in two days, nine hours and four minutes. That shattered the previous mark by nearly 40 minutes.

Also up for FKT of the Year is David Hedges' Nolan's 14 push in July. By finishing with support in one day and 15 hours, he beat a record that stood since 2018.

Colorado's Andrew Hamilton held another record from 2018: In the harshness of winter, he summited the state's 54 fourteeners in 84 days. In 2023  in generally harsher conditions  Breckenridge's Chris Fisher finished the winter fourteeners in 12 fewer days, earning him a FKT of the Year nomination.

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Three records on the Colorado Trail were nominated.

The FKT website lists Claire Bannwarth alone for her self-supported, west-to-east trek on the 500-mile trail between Durango and Denver: nine days, two hours, 50 minutes. Also listed alone for a different, more vertical route ("Collegiate West") is Nathaniel Gilbert's charge in 11 days, five hours and 45 minutes.

Rounding out the Colorado Trail nominations is Nina Bridges. In August, she beat a supported, east-to-west record (eight days, 14 hours, 15 minutes) that had been set a month earlier.

The new king of the Rocky Mountains Slam is up for FKT of the Year. Over 39 days, Jason Hardrath checked off all of Colorado's fourteeners, 35 thirteeners in Wyoming and 27 twelvers in Montana.

The top five FKTs of the Year are set to be announced the first week of January.
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared hesitant to be the first in the nation to declare Donald Trump ineligible to appear on next year's ballot under a constitutional provision generally barring insurrectionists from holding office.
The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot drew sharply polarized reactions in the state on Tuesday, with Trump's allies blasting the decision as "flawed" and "undemocratic," while his foes mostly applauded the court for finding that Trump is ineligible under the Constitution.
Shen Yun returns to the Front Range with dragons, imperial love stories, and dancers like you've never seen before
The man charged in a Monday slaying in Mason City has a violent criminal record dating back to at least 1996, including previous charges of robbery and attempted murder.

Frederick Joseph Olson, 51, is accused in the beating death of Leroy White, 63, at Olsons home at 1916 S. Grover Ave.

According to the Mason City Police Department, officers conducted a welfare check around 1:26 p.m. Monday at the residence, and found Whites body upon entering the home.

The police report alleges Olson assaulted White, causing Whites death. Olson is being held at the Cerro Gordo County Jail, with bail set at $1 million, on felony first-degree murder charges. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison in Iowa. A preliminary court date has been set for 1:15 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse.

Olson was last released from prison in November 2022 and completed parole in April.

In addition to the murder count filed Monday, Olson is awaiting trial for previous charges, the most recent a Nov. 27 arrest for eluding and operating while intoxicated.

According to court documents, troopers attempted to stop Olson for a traffic violation in Cerro Gordo County. The defendant refused to pull over and sped away. Olson traveled several city blocks before driving over a curb and into a yard. He told troopers he just got nervous and did not want to get into trouble again. Olson said he did not know why he ran.

The defendant stated that he just told himself f*** it, I am going to try and get my truck back to my property so it doesnt get towed.

Court documents say Olson had red blood-shot watery eyes, constricted pupils, and was very hyper active and restlessness. He consented to field sobriety tests and showed indications of intoxication, but a preliminary breath sample measured .000. A drug expert evaluation determined Olson was impaired by drugs. He refused to provide a urine sample for chemical testing.

The earliest arrest charge on Olsons rap sheet is a domestic abuse charge from 1996.

According to Globe Gazette files, he found trouble again in December 2000 when he was arrested on several counts in a Mitchell County burglary at the Carpenter Bar and Grill, including assault on a peace officer.

Olson was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2010 for assaulting a correctional officer at BeJe Clark Residential Facility.

He was arrested again in a December 2012 burglary at Dugans Supermarket in Rockwell.

In August of 2013 he was charged with attempted murder in a Mason City stabbing. He was eventually sentenced in 2015 to a maximum of 15 years in prison for the break-in at Dugans Supermarket. It was part of a plea agreement to resolve three separate cases including the stabbing.

That agreement was later vacated on appeal in 2017. But Olson had since been sentenced in 2016 to up to 10 years in prison for striking a corrections officer and dealing meth.

The investigation of Mondays killing was assisted by The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office and the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force Special Operations Group.

Police are asking that anyone with any information regarding the crime call (641) 421-3636.
First Presbyterian Church in Mason City donated hand-made quilts to refugees in Ames, Iowa.

According to a press release, the quilts were blessed by Pastor Kip Murphy as part of their Project of Joy initiative.

Through this project the quilts will be distributed to various refugee families in need in the Ames area.
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Following a whirlwind party nomination process that came together in a matter of days, Republican Tammy Brankley Mulchi and Democrat Tina Wyatt Younger will appear on Jan. 9s special election ballot for Virginias 9th Senate District.

The seat became vacant after state Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Clarksville, announced Friday he was retiring, citing health issues surrounding cancer.

There were six candidates going after the GOP nomination, including Danvilles Lee Vogler, a member of City Council.

Vogler and Andy Ferguson, a Halifax County resident, lost out in the first round of voting during a mass meeting Tuesday evening in Drakes Branch. A total of 833 voters make their way to a rural fire department in Charlotte County to select the GOP candidate.

With a majority  50%  needed to claim the win, Republicans voted four times to settle on Mulchi, who was endorsed by Ruff hours after he said he would be stepping down.

Four candidates  Mulchi, James Edmunds, Kade Gravitt and Dale Sturdifen  advanced to a second round of voting Tuesday night, according to Will Pace, the chair of the 9th Senate District Republican Committee.

Edmunds, Mulchi and Sturdifen survived into a third round that had no candidate emerge with more than 50% of the votes. It came down to Mulchi and Sturdifen for a fourth and final round.

Mulchi, a fourth-generation Mecklenburg County resident, said she has ties to the agricultural community after growing up on a tobacco farm.

She worked as a legislative aid to Ruff and Delegate Tommy Wright, R-Victoria, and is a real estate agent operating a construction business in Clarksville.

For the Democrats, Younger  South Bostons former vice mayor  won the nomination.

A total of 235 took part in the Democratic caucus  otherwise known as a firehouse primary  at different locations throughout the district that covers Danville and Pittsylvania County. It also includes the counties of Halifax, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Charlotte, Lunenburg and part of Prince Edward.

Younger captured 89 votes, according to Patricia Harper-Tunley, chair of the 5th District Democratic Committee, who was overseeing the nomination.

Dr. Gary Miller  the vice mayor of Danville and a cardiologist  garnered 82 votes. Miller announced his run the night before the caucus in a Facebook post.

Trudy Berry, a hopeful who waged a write-in campaign against Ruff in the November election, secured 39 votes.

Brenda Rather-Holman, of Nottoway, had 25 votes.

Ruffs announcement set in motion the rapid primary cycle with candidates having only a few days to drum up support. The tight timeline is because of a special election scheduled Jan. 9, one day before the General Assembly gets back in session in Richmond.

We had a pretty smooth process, Harper-Tunley told the Register & Bee on Tuesday evening. We pulled off a caucus in 48 hours.

Harper-Tunley said she had never seen such a quick turnaround in a special election.

In a firehouse primary, party voters can go to designations around a district to vote during a specified timeframe. Locally, the caucus was hosted at Greater Triumph Missionary Baptist Church in Chatham.

We are excited about our nominee, Harper-Tunley said.

Younger, of South Boston, was elected to South Boston Town Council in 2012 and served as vice mayor in 2018-20.

She moved back to South Boston in 2009 where she saw a need for more activism, according to her candidate biography. She said her platform includes protecting womens health, protecting voter rights and equitable education opportunities for all children.

Running unopposed, Ruff won election in November to the newly drawn 9th District for the Virginia Senate. Ruff was elected to the state Senate in 2000 after serving in the House of Delegates.

He recently underwent surgery for cancer.

I had high hopes when I approached the surgery that they would be able to get the cancer out of my body and I would be able to go merrily down the road to full recovery, he wrote in a Monday column. Recently, my hopes were dampened by learning that there was much left to be dealt with.

The longtime Southside lawmaker said he was humbled by the support he received following Fridays announcement.

Senator Frank Ruff is a titan in Virginia politics, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. His invaluable expertise, dedication to public service, and wealth of knowledge will be dearly missed in the Senate of Virginia.
In its plenary session of 20 December 2023, the Chamber of Deputies adopted the bill on minimum effective taxation to transpose into national legislation Council Directive (EU) 2022/2523 of 15 December 2022 to ensure a worldwide minimum level of taxation for multinational enterprise groups and large domestic groups in the European Union.

 ChD Gilles Roth during his presentation at the Chamber of Deputies

This reform of international taxation, commonly known as Pillar Two, is designed to introduce a level playing field in terms of taxation between different jurisdictions. It works by establishing a tax base and a minimum tax rate of 15 per cent, common to the various jurisdictions implementing it. It will only be triggered when entities located in a jurisdiction, whether or not it has implemented the Pillar Two rules, have an effective tax rate below the minimum rate. The law will apply to entities that are part of a multinational enterprise group or a large national group and located in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Minister Roth said he was very pleased with the decision of the Chamber of Deputies to agree to this bill: "I would like to thank the Chamber of Deputies for passing this bill in record time. Transposing the directive into national law demonstrates Luxembourg's ongoing commitment to complying with agreed international and European tax standards. I would also like to reiterate the Government's commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of our economy and bringing the corporate tax rate closer to the average applicable in OECD countries in the medium term.

Press release by the Ministry of Finance
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is upgrading the Phill G. McDonald downtown government plaza on South Greene Street.

During a Dec. 7 meeting, commissioners approved an $8.2 million contract to remodel the plaza and repair the parking lot underneath. The design will include a new equipment ramp, a rectangular pergola, a potential monument and pedestal, and a potential monument up-light.

Stone Restoration of America, a Charlotte-based commercial restoration and waterproofing company, had the lowest bid by several million dollars.

The pergola will hang over an area with long picnic tables, while the monument and pedestal could be positioned at the center of the plaza.

According to Eric Hilton, Guilford Countys facilities director, the county currently doesnt have plans for a monument but is including space for one in the design so that staff dont have to retrofit the site in the future.

Staff will also put together a new landscaping plan to make the space more inviting to the public.

At the Dec. 7 meeting, Ian Huffman, senior capital project manager for facilities, said that rainwater infiltration had damaged the concrete of the parking deck and that its waterproofing system is at the end of its life.

According to county staff, the repairs and construction will likely begin in late November 2024 and will take a year to complete.

Repairs will occur in increments so that the ample parking spots will still be available while construction is going on.

The plaza will retain the names of two highly decorated Greensboro veterans.

In 1988, the plaza was named for Phill McDonald, a Greensboro man who died in the Vietnam War and the only local resident to ever receive the Medal of Honor, Americas highest combat award.

McDonald was a high school dropout from West Virginia who moved to Greensboro at age 16 to work at a lumber yard. He taught Sunday school and played gospel songs on his guitar at the Central Assembly of God on Florida Street.

McDonald was drafted a day short of his 26th birthday and would have been exempt if his birthday had passed.

According to the official citation for the award, McDonald volunteered to carry two wounded comrades to an evacuation point, then sacrificed his life to hold off Viet Cong forces so his trapped platoon could escape. He died on June 7, 1968.

The western end of the plaza is named after David E. Hickman, a Greensboro native who was the last U.S. combat casualty in the Iraq war.

Hickman was killed in an I.E.D. attack in Baghdad in Nov. 14, 2011.

He led the way in everything he did, said Maj. Gen. Rodney O. Anderson, deputy commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg. Specialist Hickman laid down his life not only for his friends, but also for his unit and for his entire nation.
Editor's note: This story is part of 'ESA at 50,' a series that examines the past, present and future of the Endangered Species Act. Often called the "pit bull of environmental laws," the ESA has provided federal protection to nearly 2,000 animals and plants. On its 50th anniversary, it grapples with political uncertainty and unforeseen ecological challenges.

Right after the landscape around Gunsight Lake became Glacier National Park, people started improving on its natural bounty.

The old Indigenous trail over the U-shaped, namesake notch in the Continental Divide got expanded into a tourist-quality horse route. Great Northern Railroad hotel developers had an elaborate chalet built on its shore two years after Glacier Parks 1910 opening. And a mule-train load of rainbow trout was dumped in its otherwise barren waters.

A grizzly bear trashed the chalet kitchen and storeroom shortly after it closed for the summer of 1913. The hasty rebuild went for nothing when an avalanche wrecked the whole building during the winter of 1916. Demolition crews shoved the wreckage into the lake.

But the rainbow trout remained. The nonnative fish entertained backpacking anglers for over a century until fall 2023. The formerly fishless lake is fishless again, but not for long. Next summer it will begin a new chapter as a climate refuge for Glacier Parks dwindling populations of native cutthroat, and eventually federally threatened bull trout under an Endangered Species Act recovery plan.

In a new tactic to help recover threatened and endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has authorized expanded use of experimental populations to recover animals protected under the ESA. The rule, published in the Federal Register this summer, allows at-risk animals to be transplanted in suitable habitats where they didnt exist before.

Gunsight Lake is ideal for cutthroat and bull trout, except for one thing. A big waterfall between it and the rest of the St. Mary Lake watershed is too high for fish to swim over.

So while Gunsight sits at a lower elevation than equally famous Cracker Lake in the Many Glacier Valley, Cracker has a natural population of bull trout while Gunsight stayed empty until fish arrived on horseback.

The project raises some interesting questions about how to use the Endangered Species Act. How much can or should people manipulate habitat to recover a protected species? And is the 50-year-old ESA up to the challenge of using modern recovery methods nobody anticipated back in the 20th century?

Fragile fishery

Stocking fish in Montana lakes made lots of human anglers happy, but it fractured the existing ecosystem. Widespread placement of nonnative rainbow trout has hurt westslope cutthroat trout, which lose genetic survival fitness when they hybridize with newcomers into cutbows. The artificial introduction of lake trout in the Flathead watershed proved disastrous, as the predatory lakers devoured the indigenous species in lakes throughout the western half of Glacier Park. Lake trout damage to bull trout populations was one of the main factors the bull trout received Endangered Species Act protection in 1998.

Bull trout face a different threat on the east side of Glaciers Continental Divide. There, numbers are dwindling because of hybridization with stocked brook trout (which leaves the resulting offspring sterile) and losses to a decrepit irrigation system pulling water from the St. Mary River.

So this fall, GNP fisheries biologist Chris Downs and U.S. Geological Survey aquatic ecologist Clint Muhlfeld started an ambitious effort transforming Gunsight Lake into a refuge for future cutthroat and bull trout. Shortly after the end of the summer tourist season in September, they deployed a field team to kill all the non-native rainbows in Gunsight with rotenone poison. Another crew swarmed up and down Jule Creek with electrofishing wands, and live-captured every cutthroat they could find in the little stream near the Canadian border.

About 140 of the Jule Creek cutthroats underwent genetic testing to screen out any hybridized trout, and those with the cleanest genetics got transported to the Creston Fish Hatchery. There, theyre kept in a special pen as they grow to breeding maturity. As soon as they start producing eggs and fry, some of their offspring will be transplanted to Gunsight to restart the fishery there. Others will be returned to Jule Creek to strengthen the remaining indigenous cutthroat population.

Once the Gunsight newcomers get established, Glacier Park biologists plant to add bull trout taken from nearby waters. The goal is twofold  to have a self-sustaining foodweb supporting native trout species, and for those natives (rather than non-native rainbows) to add future fish to the downstream populations.

Critics have challenged the Gunsight project and similar efforts as violations of the federal Wilderness Act, which prohibits the use of mechanized equipment and technology to manipulate the landscape. In November, Wilderness Watch sued the U.S. Forest Service over a similar project to poison non-native fish in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area north of Yellowstone National Park. The lawsuit claims the importance of Wilderness designation was to remove the human hand from shaping the landscape and safeguard the untrammeled, wild ecosystems into the future.

That project involves replacing non-native rainbow with Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Ironically, 20th-century fisheries managers planted Yellowstone cutthroats in many Glacier Park waters, not realizing Yellowstone and westslope had significant genetic deviations. Over the past three summers, Glacier Park biologists have been eliminating those Yellowstone cutthroats from the Camas Creek watershed north of Lake McDonald and replacing them with westslope cutthroats.

Let the right fish in

The precision DNA decision-making gets even more specific on Glaciers east side. Genetic sampling at a University of Montana lab showed nearly all the cutthroats in the St. Mary watershed had troublesome levels of hybridization with non-native rainbows. A few fish from nearby Rose Creek and Two Dog Creek were hybrid-free, but upon further review turned out to be from hatchery transplants  most likely descended from Bob Marshall Wilderness populations.

See which species are endangered in the U.S. Explore which species in your state have made the endangered species list.

Thats much too distant for the projects requirements. Park biologists even rejected cutthroats from Midvale Creek in East Glacier  those trout were part of the Missouri River watershed genetics. St. Mary fish need to come from the Saskatchewan River watershed, which has its iconic separation at Triple Divide Peak, about 10 rugged miles southwest along the Continental Divide.

East of the divide, we have very few populations of native cutthroats left, Muhlfeld said. And those that are left are fragmented and isolated. Protect what you have left  thats the first rule of conservation.

Shifting landscapes

At a policy level, the option to move cutthroat and bull trout into Gunsight Lake might not have been legally possible a few years ago. Several challenges to the ESA have questioned whether a recovery plan can include placing species in habitats that are suitable, but not historically used by that critter.

That doesnt legally matter much in public land like a national park, but its gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court when private land gets included in a protected species critical habitat.

The plight of the dusky gopher frog in Alabama got that far, as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to save the frog included transplanting it in ponds where it had never been detected before.

As Tate Watkins of the Bozeman-based Property and Environment Research Center put it, a law that pits people who could provide habitat for rare frogs or snakes against those very species is entirely counterproductive. That approach certainty helps explain why less than 3% of species have ever recovered and come off the list. Fights over the potential fallout from delistings account for much of the rest.

Natural resource law expert Sean Skaggs noted that loosening the rules around moving species to novel habitats was a reasonable response to the threat of climate change. But he added that the Fish and Wildlife Service's lack of funding for recovery programs might make the change too little, too late.

"We are at a critical juncture where the effects of climate change could wipe out decades of species conservation gains," Skaggs wrote in a 2023 Environmental Law Institute review. "In the face of such exigent circumstances, focusing on habitat protection and adaptation strategies seems akin to putting a finger in the dike."

A 2022 Princeton University study found that funding for ESA species recovery efforts has fallen by 50% since 1985. Almost two-fifths of the fiscal 2020 ESA funding went to just 10 species, all of which were fish. One of those lucky top 10 is the bull trout.

While moving at-risk fish around hasnt encountered too much objection, a similar effort to transplant an experimental population of grizzly bears into the Bitterroot Mountains along the Montana-Idaho border recently barged back into the news. As part of its grizzly recovery plan, the FWS had designated a 5,800-square-mile Bitterroot Ecosystem as a place to restore the historic-but-extirpated bear population. That plan was finalized just as the Clinton presidential administration handed the reins to George W. Bushs Interior Department, which put it on ice. This fall, a federal district judge ruled that because the plan was never officially canceled, FWS had unlawfully failed to complete its duty and must get back to work.

However, in the intervening two decades, some wild grizzly bears had taken up residence in the Bitterroots. That meant the use of experimental transplanted bears needed a complete re-evaluation, the judge wrote. That will take even more time. Grizzly bears are both highly adaptable and mobile. Keystone fish species have proved far less resilient, whether faced by a too-tall waterfall or a too-tough competitor. And as those fish depend on mule trains or other artificial means to get to new habitat, they will need on humans to do the literal heavy lifting.

50 years of the ESA: Explore this series, in photos
Forgive us for not displaying shock that a Moms for Liberty co-founder and her husband apparently engaged in group sex. Or that sex partner No. 3 had accused Bridget Zieglers husband, Christian, of raping her. Or that Christian Ziegler headed the Florida Republican Party. Or that Bridget was also a member of the Sarasota County school board and Gov. Ron DeSantis put her on an oversight board to harass Disney.

You could set your clock by it.

The bigger surprise is always how groups like Moms for Liberty get away so long with attacking teachers. Sure, some educators have gone overboard on woke pedantry, but they remain pillars of civilization. School districts are hard-pressed to keep the good ones.

Moms for Liberty was really a front for Donald Trump, so it all fits in. Members posing in photos with Proud Boys was something of a giveaway. The true mission of this parental rights group was to scoop up cheap votes from parents genuinely concerned about their childrens moral upbringing.

The Zieglers must have gotten a chuckle toying with the chumps as they frolicked in orgiastic style. For the record, Christian says he didnt rape the woman, though that denial doesnt seem to have gone far. The unnamed third wheel said she was willing to have sex with both Zieglers but not Christian alone. Christian apparently didnt like being thus restricted, and so, the woman said, he came uninvited to her apartment and sexually assaulted her.

Floridas Republican Party has stripped Ziegler of his chairmanship, with the vice chairman telling him, You cannot morally lead the Republican Party forward.

Which could fool the rest of us. If sexual propriety of the old-school variety were really the heartfelt concern that morality-minded conservatives say it is, then they would not be voting for a twice-divorced libertine who arranged sex with a porn star while his third wife was pregnant.

I think apologizing makes you weak, Christian said, parroting the master.

Without a doubt, the Moms aggressive behavior at school board meetings earned them outsized attention in the media. And that lured exhibitionists to the mikes where they could abuse school administrators, treat teachers with insolence and flash their ignorance with that what-you-gonna-do-about-it attitude.

Some right-wing school board members in Temecula, a city in Californias Riverside County, got their mugs on Fox and Friends after passing a resolution condemning critical race theory. The interesting part was that CRT wasnt being taught in the Temecula public schools.

This parental rights business is polling poorly among independents, and some self-respecting Republicans. We dont want culture wars, a parent who worked for Orange County Republicans told Politico. We dont want Fox News appearances. Our schools are not ideological battlegrounds.

In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin was elected governor of mostly Democratic Virginia partly on a vow to ban the teaching of CRT. That virtually none of that was happening in Virginia public schools seemed to have escaped notice. The following year Democrats swept the state legislative elections. Abortion had overtaken CRT as a matter of voter concern.

At least one Moms for Liberty leader halfway defended Bridget by arguing that the Zieglers romp was conducted in the privacy of the bedroom. She did have a point. Now extend that understanding to the LGBTQ groups the Moms made war with.

Must we feel sorry for the self-described cultural conservatives who got taken in by the Zieglers? No, their role in American politics is to play the dupe. Some other con artist is surely waiting in the wings to take over.

In July, Trump praised Moms for Liberty as a grassroots juggernaut. We always knew they were his people, though never in ways we imagined.
Panera Bread has purchased one of the last remaining lots in the former Capital Hill Mall site, and Helena City Commissioners voted Monday evening to allow the business to install angled parking.

The commission approved angled parking along Vandelay Avenue that runs through the heart of the new business center in the city's eastside back in March.

Helena Transportation Systems Director David Knoepke called Monday's action "housekeeping."

"It fits with the current nature of the area," he said.

Helena resident Nathan Kostad offered the only public comment on the item.

Kostad urged city leadership to keep an eye on the small street as he said "conflicts have arisen" between motorists attempting to navigate the narrow corridor.

"It's worth considering that we watch that area so it doesn't turn into a big parking lot itself with fender benders," Kostad said. "You do see there is already a lot of rubber marks from those big trucks and other vehicles trying to maneuver in and out of there."

The width of Vandelay Avenue varies from 66 feet across to 82 feet across. The city's adopted engineering and design standards; complete streets standards; public right-of-way accessibility guidelines; and city fire code all require a minimum width of such streets of 60 feet.

As of Aug. 29, there were 2,131 bakery-cafes, company and franchise, in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names, the company's website states.

Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant companies in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

Panera boasts restaurants in Billings, Kalispell and Missoula, according to the company's website.

Built in 1965, the mall, sandwiched between 11th and Prospects avenues on the city's eastside, was once a sign of bustling business in Helena. Over time, more and more tenants left the mall, leaving only a few businesses remaining in the 2010s.

Tenants at one time included Dillard's and J.C. Penney. The mall's final tenant, Lucky Lil's Casino, closed in early 2019.

After changing hands several times over the last few years, the property was purchased by D&M Development, a company headed by Dick Anderson Construction president Dick Anderson and vice president Mark Esponda.
National and local Indian Health Service leaders met with the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Monday morning in an attempt to rectify an ongoing dispute.

In June, tribal leaders turned down a visit from the national Indian Health Service Director Roselyn Tso, saying IHS did not follow through on an alleged commitment made in 2019 to fund a wellness center that would mitigate harm caused by a previous IHS pediatrician. Former IHS pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber was convicted of sexually abusing boys in the 1990s on the Blackfeet Reservation.

In November, IHS reportedly tried to schedule a last-minute meeting with Blackfeet leadership at the Bozeman airport, which tribal leaders declined, saying the invite was disrespectful.

Later in November, the tribe formally called for the removal of national and local IHS leaders, saying they had failed to support the tribe in improving health outcomes.

A consequence of harmful U.S. policy and structural discrimination, Native Americans face persistent health disparities in Montana. A report found that from 2011 to 2015, Native American men in Montana died 16 years earlier than white men in the state and Native women died, on average, 19 years sooner than white women.

What happened at this meeting?

On Monday, Director Tso, Rep. Ryan Zinke, IHS Billings Area Director Bryce Redgrave and representatives from Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines offices were among the dignitaries who traveled to Browning to meet with the tribal council in person.

In his opening remarks, Blackfeet Councilman Lyle Rutherford condemned IHS for not following through on its promise to fund a wellness center and said community members have lost confidence in their local hospital.

Rutherford said while he and other tribal leaders urged IHS to support a wellness center, the federal agency remained noncommittal.

Now, were working on a congressional level to get it done," he said.

Rutherford said council members brought forward concerns about IHS vacancies and flaws within its Purchased Referred Care System.

A recent report found that in the Billings IHS area, which includes service units in Montana and Wyoming, there is a 51% medical officers vacancy rate, 51% nurse vacancy rate, 48% advanced practice nurse vacancy rate and 44% physician assistant vacancy rate. And a 2017 Blackfeet Community Health Assessment showed one in four community members were unable to access needed medical care in the last year.

In Monday's meeting, Rutherford told IHS leaders that many community members have started traveling 130 miles to Great Falls or 100 miles to Kalispell to receive care due to persistent IHS staffing issues.

For many tribal members, traveling two hours for a doctors appointment is unaffordable, he told leaders. So tribal members wont travel and wont receive health care.

Rutherford said the council encouraged IHS to recruit qualified community members from the Blackfeet Community College, which now offers a bachelor's degree in nursing, to address staffing shortages.

Because IHS does not provide specialty services, the agency often refers individuals to get care elsewhere. But Rutherford said community members have complained about the system, saying that if IHS does not pay its bills on time, individuals pay the price and their bills are sent to collections.

Rutherford said council members also stressed the importance of interagency communication, saying Blackfeet leaders and health professionals should be consulted and updated regularly on issues concerning tribal health.

While the in-person meeting signaled a step in the right direction, Rutherford said he remains skeptical of the agencys ability to make improvements.

Its a bunch of talk, he said. We have no actual plan on moving forward. There is no immediate action.
DECATUR  Richland Community College will levy the same tax rate as this year in the 2024 tax year, but will receive more money thanks to increased equalized assessed valuations in the colleges district.

Interim Vice President of Finance Joe Feinstein, who handed over the reins of the department to new Vice President of Financial Services Sheree Zalanka at the boards December meeting, told board members that last years taxes for Richland were $14,422,103, but based on the estimated EAV, Richland will receive an estimated $15,990,861 from 2024 taxes.

What makes figuring it all out difficult, he said, is not only that EAV fluctuates, but that the taxes levied in 2024 are payable in 2025. The budget he created for fiscal year 2024, which began on July 1, was based on the taxes levied in 2023, which are payable in 2024.

The challenge is always that we have to present a budget when were two calendar years behind, he said. The board unanimously approved the levy. Trustees Dale Colee and Tom Ritter were absent from the meeting.

Feinstein will resume his regular position of vice president of technology and operations now that Zalanka has been named to the finance department position. Feinstein had filled in since former Vice President of Finance Greg Florian retired, and Richland President Cristobal Valdez thanked him for his hard work in the interim.

The board also heard that plans are underway to hold a ribbon cutting and naming ceremony for the new agriculture building on campus on Jan. 12. Further details will be forthcoming.

In other business, the board approved a paid leave policy that will include part time employees and adjunct faculty. Student workers are exempt from the plan.

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The developers of an unfinished downtown Bristol hotel and an insurance company have reached a settlement, but the future of the project remains uncertain.

The unfinished building, which is located between West State Street and Shelby Street in downtown Bristol, Tennessee, was intended to be a seven-story Holiday Inn Hotel with more than 100 rooms, a bar and a restaurant.

Work began at the site in 2018 and the building partially collapsed in September 2020. No one was injured but the collapse led to construction halting at the site.

In early 2022, developer Tenneva LLC and The Cincinnati Insurance Company filed dueling suits in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, over policy coverage.

Last month, a joint notice of settlement was filed in court announcing that a settlement had been reached. The two parties then voluntarily dismissed the suits with prejudice, according to court filings. Supporting a Stipulation of Dismissal, the parties reached agreement with respect to all matters between them, the filings state.

Neither the parties nor the court have disclosed the terms of the settlement.

However in the courts conclusion, U.S. District Judge Travis McDonough wrote, the court will deny Tennevas motion for summary judgment and will grant Cincinnati Insurances motion for summary judgment.

Tennevas statutory-bad-faith claim and equitable-estoppel affirmative defense are dismissed. The policys ensuing loss clause does not entitle an insured to recover on all direct physical loss stemming from an excluded peril. To the extent damage flows directly from the defective materials rather than some independent source, Cincinnati Insurance is not obligated to provide coverage under the policy, the judge wrote.

As a result of the settlement and dismissal, each party will bear its own attorneys fees, court costs and discretionary costs.

Prior to dismissal, a trial had been set to begin in court on Dec. 4.

According to the initial complaint for declaratory judgement filed by Cincinnati Insurance, the partial collapse was caused by failed steel-bearing walls on the second floor.

Engineering firm Thornton Thomasetti was retained by the insurance firm to assess the damage.

Following its investigation, Thornton Tomasetti ultimately concluded that the partial collapse was due to the failure of one or both of the cold-formed steel bearing walls at the second floor of the property, which were not adequate to support the code-required design loads, according to court documents.

It also noted that it encountered multiple walls that were not designed for the code-required design loads  [for which it] recommends a full review of the design, the court document shows.

The investigation included the remaining, undamaged portion of the structure.

After walking through the non-collapsed portion of the Property, Thornton Tomasetti determined that any damage to that area was not caused by the collapse.

[T]he collapse was isolated to the area between gridlines 11 and 17, and H and C[,] and did not cause significant movement to the overall superstructure. The observed damage directly associated with the collapse was isolated to the collapsed area and items directly adjacent to the collapsed area, according to the court document.

The cracks observed at the ends of the plank at various locations throughout the building were not caused by the collapse. These cracks were observed in random areas throughout the building with no discernable correlation or trends associated with the collapsed area.

While the insurance company said in its complaint it has issued and continues to issue payments for what it deems to be covered damages under the policy, Tenneva was seeking more than $11 million in coverage, minus what had been paid, plus other monies, and demanded a jury trial in its counter suit, according to a response filed in May 2022.
Google has agreed to pay US$700 million (A$1 billion) to settle an anti-trust case brought against the company by US states and consumers in a San Francisco court.

Of this amount, US$630 million will go into a settlement fund for consumers, with the balance to be used by the states. A judge still has to sign off on the deal.

The company has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

The case was filed in October 2020 and accused Google of placing unnecessary restrictions on distributing Android apps and increasing fees for in-app transactions.

Inoutlining measures that would be taken to address the complaints, Google's Wilson White, vice-president for Government Affairs and Public Policy, said the company would increase the choice of app stores that consumers could use.

"The settlement with the attorneys general makes clear that OEMs can continue to provide users with options out of the box to use Play or another app store," he wrote.

White said another concession was the streamlining of sideloading apps. "...as part of our settlement we will be further simplifying the sideloading process and updating the language that informs users about these potential risks of downloading apps directly from the Web for the first time," he explained.

Google will also allow more freedom for consumers to set up alternative billing options, instead of tying them down to using its Play Store.

User choice in billing will be expanded to allow more communication on pricing. " As part of user choice billing, which were expanding with todays settlement announcement, developers are also able to show different pricing options within the app when a user makes a digital purchase," White wrote.

This is the second anti-trust action against Google that has been resolved in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Fortnite creator Epic Games won a case against Google, with a unanimous verdict over the search giant which it had claimed had app store policies that violated anti-trust laws both at the US federal level and in California state.
iTWireTV: Today, we speak with HPE Aruba Networking APJ SASE director Nick Harders about the Australian Government's cybersecurity strategy, what industry is doing, and how HPE Aruba Networking is seeing customer interest and takeup of SASE.

Nick Harders is always an insightful, engaging speaker who brings lots of practical insights and expert guidance. In our talk, iTWireTV asked about cybersecurity - particularly, what's the Government doing about it, whether industry has to pick up the slack, and also what's the interest and take-up HPE Aruba is seeing on SASE.

Specifically, the Australian Cybersecurity Strategy and Action Plan for 2023 through 2030 has been released. Yet, on a surface glance, it could be said it's merely advice. Does it go far enough, and will it make a difference? Nick gives a thoughtful and insightful response as to what it means, and what it represents. And, further, what it means for the individuals.

Nick also explained the ongoing tension between the best of network security and user experience, and how there can be a happy medium.

Nick also explains SASE (secure access service edge) and its takeup, and why organisations and individuals would (and should) want to take it up.

It's a great discussion, and Nick answers all my concerns, and dispels all my myths, about cybersecurity, while also providing practical guidance.

See our discussion here.
Data integration and analytics provider Qlik has announced the acquisition of Mozaic Data (Mozaic), an AI-driven data management technology.

Qlik say the timely acquisition marks an advancement in simplifying data handling for businesses, focusing on a data product-oriented approach for better data quality and governance - and integrating Mozaic into Qlik's portfolio brings a transformative approach to managing data as a product.

"Organizations are increasingly seeking to create domain-centric data products that transcend data integration and quality. There's an elevated expectation within the industry," explained Stewart Bond, Vice President, Data Intelligence and Integration Software at IDC.

"The focus of Qlik's data quality and governance offerings to embody the concept of data products highlights a maturity that resonates with today's customer needs."

Sharad Kumar, founder of Mozaic, joins Qlik as the Regional Head of Data Integration and Quality, and Qlik says his expertise will further enhance its innovative capabilities, aiming to develop a next-generation Data Product Catalog solution and allowing customers to extract more value from their data quickly and effectively.

Drew Clarke, General Manager, Data Business Unit at Qlik, emphasized, "The acquisition of Mozaic and Sharad's expertise is a pivotal step in reshaping the data landscape, and is a significant contribution to our ongoing work for 2024.

Customers recognize the importanance of treating data as a producta strategy that aligns with the need for a SaaS-based Data Product Catalog, offering a more efficient and user-friendly experience in data lifecycle management, while also reinforcing a solid foundation for AI-driven data management."

Qlik says Mozaics innovative Data Product Experience approach is designed following the principles of decentralized architecture - and Mozaic enabled organizations to build, secure, govern, deploy, and manage domain-centric data products in the cloud.

These data products can be discovered through a data product marketplace, and accessed through a broad spectrum of consumption patterns, enabling diverse business use cases.

This acquisition is set to accelerate data deployment and utilization across enterprises, especially in cloud platforms like Amazon Redshift, Databricks, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric and Snowflake. The Harvard Business Review notes that treating data as a product can speed up the implementation of new use cases by 90% and reduce total cost of ownership by 30%.

Sharad Kumar commented, "Joining Qlik is a significant milestone for Mozaic Data. We share a vision to improve data consumption by maximizing value from data investments. This is an opportunity to advance the efficiency and innovation in data management driven by AI, integrating seamlessly with Qlik's upcoming projects."

With this acquisition, Qlik reinforces its commitment to providing end-to-end data solutions, seamlessly integrating Mozaics technology to enhance the overall data consumption experience for businesses, the company concluded.
Australian non-for-profit organisation AgriBusiness Connect has partnered with Swedish telecoms vendor Ericsson to explore potential 5G enterprise applications across the agriculture value chainfrom supply to in-the-field operations to production and distribution.

Both companies aim to create a new industry value by using real-time data handling capabilities of Ericssons 5G solutions in public and private networks.

They also want to secure solutions for agribusiness and related sectors to increase productivity.

In addition to direct agribusiness players, the Ericsson 5G partnership will address organisations supporting the sector with processing, packaging, warehousing, and transport.

The partners will target education and training for existing agribusiness workers and work to increase policy makers awareness of the difference 5G can make to the digitalisation of agriculture value chains.

This [partnership] opens the door for Ericsson and AgriBusiness Connect to create tangible pathways to prove the difference 5G can make to business, decarbonisation, safety and creating new high-value skills within the agribusiness sector, said AgriBusiness Connect CEO Grant Statton.

The outcome of this partnership between Ericsson and AgriBusiness Connect could see pioneering enterprise 5G use case ideas with the potential to transform the agribusiness value chain around the world, said Ericsson head of ANZ Emilio Romeo.

Partnerships like this one, working alongside the governments digitalisation plans, are key to ensuring enterprise, industry, society and citizens benefit from 5G as soon possible.

Founded in 2021 as AgriFood Connect, the recently renamed AgriBusiness Connect (ABC) is an incubator supporting Australian agribusinesses and the broader industry to help meet digitalisation, Net Zero and renewable energy adoption challenges.

Last September, Ericsson partnered with the US National Science (NSF) Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) to launch its 5G SA network for public research together with the Agriculture and Rural Communities (ARA) team at Iowa State University (ISU).

The 5G SA network was used to support precision agriculture applications, along with other research initiatives, and connected farm sites that previously had little to no broadband access.
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The White House continues to send mixed signals on America's support for Israel. That emboldens Hamas and needs to stop.

At a fundraiser last Tuesday, President Joe Biden vigorously defended the Jewish state, saying that the United States is "not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process. Not a single thing." He later added, "Without Israel as a free-standing state, not a Jew in the world is safe," The New York Times reported.

Yet at that same fundraiser, Biden publicly warned Israeli leaders that they risked losing international support for their response to the Oct. 7 terror attack if they continue "indiscriminate bombing." And by the end of the week, the administration's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, was pressuring Israel to wrap up its military campaign and accept a Gaza run by the Palestinian Authority.

This is unhelpful. Hamas has made clear that its goal is to eliminate the state of Israel. It has carried out unspeakable attacks on civilians and continues to hold hostages  including eight American citizens  that it took during its barbaric Oct. 7 incursion. The terror group intentionally hides military targets among civilians, revealing a callous disregard for the lives of its own people. Last week, Israeli soldiers arrested dozens of Hamas fighters at a hospital in northern Gaza, the BBC reported.

The conflicting rhetoric makes it only more difficult for Israel to achieve its goals. On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby allowed that, "The last thing we would want to do is telegraph to Hamas what they're likely to face in coming weeks and months."

Really? What other practical effect does the administration's public stance that Israel wind everything down and avoid "indiscriminate" attacks have than to telegraph to Hamas that it will live to terrorize the Jewish state another day if it can postpone defeat for a few months?

Who knows what the American message has been in back-channel diplomatic conversations with Israel. Perhaps the president's attempt to have it both ways is just a ham-fisted way to appease the radical progressives that have taken over the Democratic Party and would just as soon leave Israel out in the cold. But either way, Biden's public criticisms and attempts to micromanage the Israeli war effort invigorate the enemy.

"It will require a long period of time," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week. "Hamas is a terrorist organization that built itself over a decade to fight Israel, and they built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground, and it is not easy to destroy them."

The task becomes even more difficult when Biden and his advisers repeatedly imply that American support for Israel is wavering. It must not.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
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 The Kansas City Chiefs played the Patriots in New England on Sunday where Taylor Swift was booed by 80,000 fans when the stadium screen showed her in the box rooting for KC. It is no surprise to me. History teaches us that Massachusetts was the first place in America not to care about the Chiefs.

 The Hollywood Reporter reported Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt celebrated his sixtieth birthday over the weekend with a night on the town with his thirty-year-old girlfriend. I'm not jealous of a sixty-year-old Brad Pitt having a thirty-year-old girlfriend. I'm jealous that he looks younger than her.

 Disney announced two billion dollars in cuts Monday to try to make their troubled streaming channels profitable. The good news is, Disney reported that Disneyland and the six Disneyworld parks worldwide enjoyed record attendance this year. Only the Rio Grande drew more visitors in 2024.

 Walt Disney Studios fired the actor who plays the villain Kang the Conqueror in Marvel movies after he was convicted of domestic violence. There was no place for him at Disney. Hs actions were too despicable to play a fictional villain, but not despicable enough to be promoted to head of the studio.

 NBC News aired video of Alec Baldwin verbally clashing with pro-Palestinian protestors who were shouting anti-Semitic chants while clogging up Penn Station Monday. A huge majority of New York City's Jewish population stands behind Baldwin. It's a lot safer than standing in front of him.

 The White House ordered another Confederate statue taken down Friday, this time at Arlington Cemetery. The administration stands by its values. If Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson had been photographed by Matthew Brady having gay sex, their statues would be standing everywhere today.

 Germany announced Monday it's sending five thousand German soldiers over the border to be stationed in Lithuania for defense against Russia. The Baltic nations need to keep their heads on a swivel. On Monday the German tanks rolled across Poland and into Lithuania, and not for the first time.

 President Biden looked startled in Wilmington Sunday while getting into his limousine when a drunk driver crashed into a Secret Service SUV in his motorcade. Joe Biden hurried to the crash to make sure Hunter wasn't pulling a fast one for the insurance money. Ten percent goes to the Big Guy.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
 Pastor John Lindell of the James River Church in Springfield, Missouri, claimed on the congregation's livestream that a "creative miracle" had taken place the day before at the church's Joplin location, the Springfield News-Leader reported.

Lindell explained that "prayer team members" had prayed over Kristina Dines, who had had three toes amputated after her husband shot her in 2015.

"As the ladies prayed for Krissy ... all three toes grew, and by that point, were longer than her pinky toe," Lindell said in the livestream. "Within an hour, nails began to grow on all the toes," he added.

While Dines hasn't commented to the paper, she said in a video on Twitter that she saw the toes reforming.

"Listen, do you understand? I can stand on tippy toes. No, I couldn't do that (before) because I didn't have toes to tippy on," Dines said.

During the livestream, Lindell also suggested to parishioners that other miracles are coming: "... some people in this room -- you're gonna raise people from the dead. It's going to happen."

Stay tuned.

[Springfield News-Leader, 3/22/2023]
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Like all the Republican candidates for president, Nikki Haley is trying to find the secret formula for running against Donald Trump. The most recent Fox News national poll, in which the former president is leading Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) by 57 points and Haley by 60, shows that no one has discovered the formula yet.

Haley's most recent attempt to deal with the Trump question  why vote for me instead of him?  is to say that "chaos follows" Trump wherever he goes. Haley began testing the "chaos" idea in October and specifically used the phrase "chaos follows him" in an interview with CNBC on Nov. 15. But she gave it a full airing for the first time in a speech in Bluffton, South Carolina, on Nov. 27. Here's what she said:

We have to acknowledge some hard truths. Republicans have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. That is nothing to be proud of. We should want to win the majority of Americans. But the only way you do that is you have to go with a new generational leader. We have to leave the negativity and the baggage of the past and start looking at the solutions in the future. And the truth of it all  and this is another hard truth  I believe President Trump was the right president at the right time. I was proud to serve America in his administration, and I agree with a lot of his policies. But the truth is, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. You know I'm right. Chaos follows him. We have too much division in this country and too many threats around the world to be sitting in chaos once again.

When Haley first said "chaos follows him," there was a mix of murmurs and approval in the crowd. That's when she pressed her point by saying, "You know I'm right." With that, the crowd applauded. But clearly, at first, that group of South Carolina Republicans didn't quite know how to react to Haley's "chaos follows him."

So what to make of it? At first glance, "chaos follows him" seems to be simply an acknowledgment of Trump fatigue  what Republican voters mean when they say they liked Trump's policies but got tired of all the "drama" surrounding Trump's time in the White House. But on second thought, "chaos follows him" seems to be something bigger, and that is what might not sit well with many Republicans.

A commonsense reading of "chaos follows him" leads to the question: Is Haley talking about chaos that Trump created or chaos that Trump's adversaries, Democrats, resistance, and Never Trump Republicans created in an effort to bring him down? Haley's problem is that  this is more a guess than the result of polling  most Republican primary and caucus voters hold Democrats more to blame for the controversies of the Trump years than they hold Trump himself to blame.

Does "chaos follows him" include the Trump-Russia matter, which featured media commentators wildly speculating about collusion, slanderous Democratic opposition research, commentators calling Trump an agent of Russia, and a special counsel inquiry ending with the investigator admitting that he could not establish that what he was investigating ever happened? Who is to blame for that chaos  Trump or the Democrats and media who attacked him?

What about the other daily hysterias that seemed to comprise media coverage of Trump? Were those his doing or the work of the media? You get the point. Republicans overwhelmingly blame the media, not Trump.

But here's the other side. In some instances, Trump did create chaos, but it's not something that many Republicans like to acknowledge. It started when Trump first took office, when he imposed a travel ban on a few terrorism-plagued Muslim-majority nations. It was within Trump's authority to do so, but he had done nothing to prepare the nation for doing it, and chaos briefly ensued. There were other examples, all created or exacerbated by Trump. Still, when a Republican refers to the "chaos" of the Trump years, that is usually a reference to what Republicans see as the unhinged opposition that tried to bring Trump down.

So when Haley says of Trump that "chaos follows him," many Republicans might hear her saying: Democrats, the resistance, and Never Trumpers hate Trump, and they will make life hell if we elect him again. So vote for me instead, and we'll avoid that problem. Some of those Republicans might view following Haley's advice as giving in to their adversaries. And besides, if Haley were to become president, she would become the villain, the new target of the coalition that attacked Trump.

There might be other ways for a Republican to take on Trump, but all have their drawbacks. For example, one might say that Trump accomplished good things, but everything he did after Nov. 3, 2020, was a disaster. And indeed, it was a disaster, culminating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, that was so big one might reasonably conclude it is disqualifying. That is a legitimate point of view, and a GOP candidate might say that, but he or she would end up sounding like former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, which is a good way to lose by a million miles. Just ask former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is the most unpopular Republican on the primary ballot.

A Republican candidate might say that Trump just didn't deliver on his promises, such as building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. DeSantis has been trying that for quite a while, but so far, it is not catching on. If it were, DeSantis would not be 57 points behind Trump in the Fox News poll.

And then there is "chaos follows him." Who knows if Haley will stick with the phrase  the search for the secret formula of running against Trump is an ongoing effort. And here is the worrisome news, for Haley and the other challengers: Maybe there is no secret formula.

No Republican alive today has ever run against a former president running to get his old job back. None has run against a former president they have to acknowledge "was the right president at the right time" but now seek to defeat. None has run against a former president whom voters picture in the White House, behind the Resolute Desk, standing behind the presidential seal, and boarding Air Force One  in other words, at home amid the trappings of the presidency. None has run against a former president who they have to acknowledge that "I agree with a lot of his policies." And none has run against a former president who has been indicted four times and who's standing in the polls rose, not fell, when each charge against him was made.

So have some understanding when Haley and the other challengers struggle to find the right way to run against Trump. It isn't easy. It might not even be possible. But here's the thing. Trump is running like an incumbent president, but he is not the incumbent president. There have to be caucuses and primaries. There have to be other candidates so that Republicans can make a choice. If, knowing everything they know, they choose Trump again, so be it.

But it is important that Haley, DeSantis, and the rest of the Republican field give the GOP a real contest.

(COMMENT, BELOW)




MATTOON  Veterans residing at local senior living facilities recently received gift bags full of Christmas treats, plus presents to help keep them warm throughout the year.

The Coles County Veterans Support Coalition included its first-ever Hero's 6 logo stadium blankets in its annual delivery of holiday season gift bags. Heros 6, which means "weve got your back," is a program through which trained volunteers from the coalition regularly visit veterans at those facilities.

Coalition member Connie Jones said the staff at the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home in Mattoon recommended adding blankets to the gift bags this year. She said the coalition decided to include the logo on the blankets because the veterans have come to know the Hero's 6 shirts worn by the volunteers.

"We have never done a blanket before. We are excited about it," Jones said, noting that the blankets are made out of a soft sweatshirt-like material.

Volunteers from this community group subsequently delivered 37 gift bags, including the blankets, to veterans at Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home, as well as Heritage Woods of Charleston, Mattoon Rehabilitation & Health Care Center and Palm Terrace of Mattoon.

Joyce Baker, activity director at the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home's Harmony Center nursing home, said the older veterans tend to be cold, so providing special blankets was a nice thing for the coalition to do for them. She added that the veterans appreciate receiving gifts and visits from the volunteers throughout the year, including every Veterans Day.

"It always makes their day, and they are always so happy," Baker said.

The 2023 Christmas gift bags also included sweet and savory snacks, large bags of popcorn, pairs of socks, bottles of hair and body wash, and other items assembled through the coalition's fundraising and donations from the community.

Volunteers gathered to assemble these gift bags Monday evening in assembly line fashion at the Elevate entrepreneur development center at the Cross County Mall, where the coalition uses office space.

Coalition member John Geib, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said the gifts bags were accompanied once again by Christmas cards created by local families at the Charleston Carnegie Public Library.

"Charleston library collected 400 Christmas cards for us this year," Geib said. He added that the Charleston Veterans of Foreign Wars post will take part of the cards to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Danville.

Photos: 2023 Celebrate Downtown Mattoon Christmas lighted parade
ROME  Pope Francis green light for Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples is in many ways a recognition of what has been happening in some European parishes for years. But his decision to officially spell out his approval could send a message of tolerance to places where gay rights are far more restricted.

From Uganda to the United States, laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people or even criminalize homosexuality have increased in recent years, leaving communities feeling under attack. Pastors in some conservative Christian denominations, and the Catholic Church in particular, have sometimes supported such measures as consistent with biblical teaching about homosexuality.

In Zimbabwe, a country with a history of state harassment of LGBTQ+ people and a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, news of Francis approval was met with cautious optimism among activists.

But Chesterfield Samba, director of Zimbabwes GALZ association, which represents LGBTQ+ people, said same-sex unions would likely remain taboo regardless of the popes stance.

Christians here are of the view that they are devoid of sin and cannot be aligned with LGBTQ+ people, Samba said.

By contrast, a Catholic priest in the United States  Alex Santora of Hoboken, New Jersey  was elated by the popes declaration, hoping it would clear the path for him to bless a same-sex couple who had been part of the parish throughout his 19-year tenure there.

The Vatican says gays should be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. Francis hasnt changed that teaching, but he has spent much of his 10-year pontificate offering a more welcoming attitude to LGBTQ+ Catholics.

The Vatican statement Monday marked a new step in Francis campaign, explicitly authorizing priests to offer non-sacramental blessings to same-sex couples. The blessings must in no way resemble a wedding, which the church teaches can only happen between a man and woman.

The Rev. Wolfgang Rothe, a German priest who participated in open worship services blessing same-sex couples in May 2021, said Tuesday that the approval essentially validated what he and other priests in Germany have been doing for years. But he suggested it would make life easier for homosexual couples in more conservative societies.

In my church, such blessings always take place when anyone has the need, Rothe said.

But in many countries around the world there are opposing moves to maintain homophobia in the church," he added. "For homosexual couples living there, the document will be a huge relief.

In Nigeria, authorities arrested dozens of gay people in October in a crackdown that human rights groups said relied on a same-sex prohibition law.

Nigeria is among 30 of Africas 54 countries where homosexuality is criminalized with broad public support, though its constitution guarantees freedom from discrimination.

Ugandas president this year signed into law anti-gay legislation that prescribes the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, which is defined as sexual relations involving people infected with HIV, as well as with minors and other vulnerable people.

In the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has identified an unprecedented and dangerous spike in discriminatory laws sweeping statehouses this year, with more than 525 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced.

Given the homophobic and transphobic climate created by many bishops in the United States, the average same-sex couple likely still wont feel comfortable presenting themselves to their local bishop or priest to ask for a blessing, said Jamie Manson, a lesbian and president of Catholics for Choice.

Starting from his famous Who am I to judge comment in 2013 about a purportedly gay priest, Francis has evolved his position to increasingly make clear that everyone is a child of God, is loved by God and welcome in the church.

In January, Francis said: Being homosexual is not a crime.

Raul Pena, a spokesman for Crismhom, Madrids main Catholic LGBTQ+ association, said small-town, conservative dioceses in rural Spain could benefit from Francis message.

If the priest from your town talks about gays being the devil in his sermons each Sunday, which some priests do, now you have the pope signing a document saying that homosexuals who live as a couple can be blessed, he said. Its a fundamental step for those hierarchies and for those people who are in places where being LGBT is difficult.

Santora, pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in New Jersey, said the popes declaration would be welcome in a parish that celebrates an annual Pride Mass and has many LGBTQ+ parishioners.

This is a very important step, people realizing the church is finally recognizing the goodness of their lives," he said.

Santora wants to set a date soon to bless a same-sex couple that has been part of the church for many years. Santora recently learned that they had yearned for his blessing but feared getting him in trouble.

So this comes at the right time, the priest said. Its a new way to set a date.

Santora worries, though, that some gay and lesbian Catholic couples in the U.S. wont be so fortunate.

There are priests, many of them young, who are behind the times  they wont do this, he said. Its going to cause more hurt in some communities.

From Stonewall to today: 50+ years of modern LGBTQ+ history 2023: Gender-Affirming Care
A Lincoln woman was charged Tuesday after allegedly passing contraband to an inmate during a visit to the Reception and Treatment Center, according to a Nebraska State Patrol news release.

Natalie Miller, 40, was arrested Monday when the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services contacted State Patrol investigators about her attempt to pass an item, believed to be a controlled substance, to an inmate, according to the news release.

Miller had successfully made it through security checkpoints before meeting with the inmate. Surveillance footage showed Miller taking something wrapped in electrical tape out of her waistband, placing it on a plate and covering it with chips before she passed it over to the inmate, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Staff confronted Miller and waited for State Patrol investigators to arrive. Investigators seized the item passed to the inmate, according to the affidavit.

Miller is currently being held at the Lancaster County jail. Judge Laurie Yardley set her percentage bond at $5,000, meaning she would have to pay $500 to be released.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
When Jeannette Pearley walked through the office door Tuesday morning, only three words came to her mind.

Oh my gosh.

Fifty years ago to the day  Dec. 19, 1973  Pearley walked into her first day of work at Lincoln Public Schools as a paraeducator at Lincoln East High School.

She was expecting a quiet day to mark the anniversary, maybe a few congratulations here and there, but her co-workers had a different plan.

Her daughter and colleagues  including several dressed in 1970s-themed, groovy outfits  greeted Pearley as she arrived at work with a cake decorated with peace signs, flowers and massive balloons in the shape of the number 50.

It was overwhelming, Pearley said.

The surprise was planned by Pearleys coworkers at the Early Childhood Department, where she works as the executive secretary. When they found out about the anniversary, Cara Lucas-Richt, director of Early Childhood, said they immediately wanted to do something to celebrate Pearley.

Fifty years is a pretty remarkable milestone, Lucas-Richt said. We felt like it was definitely something we wanted to acknowledge as a small thank you for her work and dedication.

Pearley's daughter, Joanna Davis-Yoakum, was happy to see her mom, who usually prefers to stay out of the spotlight, get some much deserved recognition for her achievement.

"Fifty years of service is a huge deal. It's really hard because you don't know if people recognize it, being in such a big district," Davis-Yoakum said. "It's very, very heartening to see that this department cares about her so much."

Pearley first started working at the district when she was 26, primarily doing secretarial work for para wages.

When she went to interview for the position, the then-principal at Lincoln East asked her one question: Can you type?

So, she sat down at a typewriter, wrote a paragraph and the job was hers.

From there, Pearley continued to move up the ladder, working at Lincoln High, Elliott Elementary and the Special Education Department before landing in her current role around six years ago.

You look back and think oh my gosh, Pearley said. The years have gone by very rapidly. It just doesn't seem like it's been 50 years.

And through it all, she has no memory of ever wanting to leave the district.

I just enjoy the people and I enjoy the learning because it's been change after change after change. It keeps your mind going, she said. I have just enjoyed working for Lincoln Public Schools.

But really, these 50 years dont even account for all the time shes spent at LPS and all of her connections to the district.

She grew up in Lincoln, went to school here and graduated from Lincoln High. Her mom was a teacher at the high school and now her daughter, Davis-Yoakum, is a teacher at the Bryan Community Focus Program.

A lot has changed since her first day  especially when it comes to technology. Pearley left the typewriter behind long ago and has learned countless new electronic systems and programs throughout her career.

In her 50 years, administrators have come and gone, new schools have been constructed and the district has grown and expanded around her.

Everything changes, she said.

And at 76 years old, Pearley has no plans to retire. Shell work as long as theyll let her, she said, and as long as she still enjoys it.

Not yet, she said. Im not ready yet.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association has filed a legal challenge to executive orders signed by mayors in the state's two largest cities prohibiting firearms on public-owned property and in public spaces, which came in response to a new state law this year allowing Nebraskans to carry concealed handguns without a permit.

"This constitutional challenge seeks to vindicate the plaintiffs right to bear arms free from preempted local prohibitions and regulations," attorney Seth Morris said in the complaint filed Monday in Lancaster County District Court on behalf of the group and four of its members.

In the complaint, Terry Fitzgerald, Raymond Betthauer and D.J. Davis, all of Lincoln, and Dave Kendle, of Seward County, say they have stopped hiking on city trails, watching their children and grandchildren on city playgrounds and walking their dogs at city parks, because firearms are prohibited there.

Morris called the four law-abiding citizens who want to be able to defend themselves and protect their loved ones and others.

He said the inability to carry a firearm has impeded their ability to freely move about the city, and they now must determine whether their daily activities will include city properties, city parking lots and sidewalks.

"The amended weapons ban thus forces plaintiffs to make an untenable choice: Either comply with the ban and forfeit their right to bear arms or violate the law to protect themselves and others," he wrote.

While the city hasn't yet responded in court to the filing, Lincoln City Attorney Yohance Christie on Tuesday said in a press release: "The City of Lincoln asserts a differing viewpoint than the court filing. The actions the city has taken to protect the safety and quality of life of our residents and visitors are in compliance with the law."

The lawsuit comes on the heels of an opinion Friday by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers calling the executive orders "unlawful, at least to the extent they restrict or prohibit the possession of weaponry in those quintessential public spaces traditionally held open to the public at large, such as public parks, trails and sidewalks."

In April, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB77, which removed a requirement that gun owners apply for a permit and take gun safety training in order to carry concealed handguns. And it stripped counties, cities and villages from being able to regulate firearms or require registration of firearms or other weapons.

The law went into effect on Sept. 1.

But the same day Gov. Jim Pillen signed it into law, both Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert signed executive orders prohibiting firearms at properties owned, leased or managed by the city, including parks and public spaces.

In response to their actions, state Sen. Tom Brewer, who had sponsored LB77, sought an opinion from the Attorney General's Office questioning whether existing law prevented cities from regulating the possession of firearms in public spaces, like parks, trails and sidewalks, or if further legislation was needed.

Hilgers said lawmakers didn't need to pass further legislation.

But, because Brewer hadn't asked if firearms could be banned from public buildings, like courthouses, Hilgers said he didn't address it.

"Indeed, the question as to whether and to what extent a governmental entity may restrict possession in these facilities is a subject of ongoing jurisprudential and scholarly debate," he wrote.

In the lawsuits filed this week, the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, a group of more than 10,000 firearm owners in the state, challenges both.

And Morris cited the opinion in his request for a preliminary injunction in the Lincoln case seeking to prohibit the city from enforcing the executive orders while the case goes through the courts.

He said Nebraska Firearms Owners Association is leading the efforts to "preserve Nebraskans' natural rights as guaranteed in Article 1 of the State Constitution and the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

Morris said the group's purpose is to ensure and expand firearms freedom through educational campaigns, lobbying and special events "to advocate for legislation that protects the law-abiding citizens right to keep and bear arms and limits governmental oversight."

In a press release, the Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center, a national nonprofit, said it is representing the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association in its legal battle.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
A year into his term, Lancaster County District Court Clerk Troy Hawk will leave the elected position he has held since 2013.

He is leaving for another job, effective Jan. 15.

In a news release, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners thanked Hawk for his 14 years of service to Lancaster County  10 as clerk and four as court administrator for the court.

We appreciate Troys contributions to developing the Office of Clerk of the District Court into a model organization that prioritizes service to our community, and we wish him well in his next endeavor, County Board Chair Christa Yoakum said in a news release Tuesday.

The board is seeking letters of interest for those interested in being appointed to complete the last three years of Hawk's elected term.

By Nebraska law, the board has 45 days to appoint a replacement once the position becomes vacant. The replacement will serve as the Clerk of the District Court through Jan. 7, 2027, and comes with an annual salary of $117,980.

Any person seeking appointment must be at least 19 and a registered voter, and must live in Lancaster County once appointed.

Yoakum asked those interested to submit a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and letters of support to the County Board by Jan. 16.

The Clerk of the District Court oversees three budgets totaling just more than $2.7 million and performs four major functions for the county, including serving as the Clerk of the District Court, Clerk for the Separate Juvenile Court, the Jury Commissioner and the record keeper for the Lancaster County Mental Health Board.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
A 22-year-old Omaha man was sentenced Monday to 32 to 40 years in prison for shooting and killing an 18-year-old man who attempted to steal a bag of marijuana during a drug deal.

Jordan Humphrey pleaded no contest and was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year for his role in the August 2022 killing of Dayton Wenz. Humphrey shot Wenz four times after Wenz unsuccessfully attempted to steal a bag of marijuana from Humphrey during a drug deal.

Humphrey was initially charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of a defaced firearm and evidence tampering. In October, he pleaded no contest to a reduced manslaughter charge and the firearm-use count. The two other charges were dismissed.

At Mondays sentencing, Douglas County District Court Judge Peter Bataillon said the case was extremely tragic and the result of two knucklehead young kids not thinking straight. Bataillon sentenced Humphrey to 18 to 20 years for manslaughter and 14 to 20 years for firearm use, to be served consecutively. He will be eligible for parole in about 18 years.

According to testimony from detectives at Humphreys preliminary hearing last year, Wenz and Humphrey knew each other prior to the shooting. On the evening of Aug. 6, 2022, the two messaged back and forth on Instagram about Wenz buying marijuana from Humphrey. They arranged to meet up around 11 p.m. near 35th and Davenport streets.

Two of Wenzs friends later told police that Wenz planned to do a rip, which meant he would grab the drugs and run away without paying. The friends said Wenz had successfully done this before to someone else.

But when Wenz tried to grab the bag of marijuana through the drivers-side window of Humphreys Honda Accord, detectives said, the bag ripped and the marijuana scattered on the floorboards. Wenz ran away, and Humphrey grabbed his gun, shooting six rounds at Wenz and striking him four times.

Sarah Wenz, Daytons mother, spoke at Mondays hearing. She said her son, who graduated from Central High School in the months before his death, was an energetic kid determined to make a difference in every life he touched.

In a short statement to the court, Humphrey apologized to Wenzs family and said he plans to effectively rehabilitate himself while behind bars.

Two other people were allegedly in Humphreys car at the time of the shooting: Schuyler Buckingham-Yeoman, 20, and Alicia Granneman, 20. They are both awaiting trial on one count of being an accessory to second-degree murder. Court documents say Buckingham-Yeoman admitted to helping hide the gun used to kill Wenz, and Humphrey told police that Granneman helped him hide and conceal the Honda Accord.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
Fifteen Nebraska lawmakers are urging the state's executive branch to reconsider after the Department of Health and Human Services notified the Legislature this week that it does not intend to apply for federal summer grocery aid for low-income families.

HHS officials on Monday told the Legislative Fiscal Office that the department won't apply for Summer EBT, a new federal program that would provide students who receive free or reduced-price lunch at school with an EBT card with $120 in benefits to spend on groceries during next summer.

The program would provide about $18 million in benefits to be distributed to about 150,000 low-income children in Nebraska who experience food insecurity in the summer months.

The state, which has until Jan. 1 to apply for the aid, would have to foot about $300,000 annually in administrative costs, according to Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit that focuses on child welfare, among other things.

At least 14 other states have signed onto the program.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter Tuesday to HHS urging department officials to rethink their decision not to participate in the program, which they said would both ensure that Nebraska addresses the needs of its vulnerable children and benefit the state economically.

Ive said this before, if kids go hungry in our state, that is a massive failure on our part as legislators, Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, who led the effort, said in a statement Wednesday.

Deciding not to participate in this program is a message to Nebraskans that their representatives are out of touch with their very real, very immediate needs," Day said. "I strongly urge DHHS to reconsider their stance on this.

Day was joined in the letter by Sens. Carolyn Bosn, Eliot Bostar, George Dungan, Jane Raybould and Danielle Conrad, all of Lincoln, Jana Hughes of Seward, Machaela Cavanaugh, John Cavanaugh, Megan Hunt, Tony Vargas, Terrell McKinney and John Fredrickson, all of Omaha, Lynn Walz of Fremont and Carol Blood of Bellevue.

In an email, HHS spokesman Jeff Powell said the program was designed amid the pandemic and "no longer fits the needs of Nebraskans."

He said HHS has alternatively opted to continue utilizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's longstanding Summer Food Service Program, which Powell said is designed to meet the needs of school children during the summer months and reimburses operators who serve free, healthy meals and snacks to children and teens at summer sites in low-income communities.

"In addition to healthy meals, these programs may offer enrichment activities, such as reading, physical activity, or nutrition education" that Summer EBT doesn't offer, Powell said.

Powell said the Summer Food Service Program that HHS plans to continue with also allows program organizers to interact with children in a safe and supervised environment, ensuring their needs are met during the summer months and identifying whether additional services to the child may be required.

He noted, too, that SNAP benefits are available to meet the needs of low-income Nebraskans year-round.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Jim Pillen, who heads the executive branch and who appointed HHS CEO Steve Corsi in August, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Photos: Last day of the 108th Nebraska Legislature
RAYMOND  Raymond School has selected a new leader for the rest of the school year.

The School Board on Monday approved James Heiden as interim superintendent.

Members voted 3-0 to appoint Heiden to the position, which he will hold from Jan. 1 through the end of the 2023-24 school year.

Heiden will be paid $80,000 with no benefits and work through June 30, 2024.

The board met in closed session Monday for about 80 minutes before reconvening in open session to appoint Heiden. Board members Gwen Keller and Amanda Falaschi were absent.

Heiden will replace Superintendent Michael Garvey, who is resigning effective Dec. 31.

Heiden was retired before accepting the interim job. He said he has 25 years of experience as a school administrator, including recently serving as superintendent of the School District of Cudahy.

Heiden said the Raymond School Board contacted him about a month ago about the opening.

It wasnt necessarily an application, he said. It was, Are you interested in looking at the position? and I agreed to come and talk with them about it.

Heiden said the numerous issues facing the School Board did not make him hesitant.

Education is a tough thing anyways without any of the challenges theyve had, he said. If I can come in for six months to help them out, thats perfect  Am I apprehensive about some things? Of course. I think weve got a good staff, good community, great bunch of kids.

Heiden said his priorities include increasing communication and transparency with the community and helping find a permanent superintendent.

We want people to look at this district as being a great place to be, Heiden said. Thats my goal.

Monday was the last regular School Board meeting for Garvey, who expressed gratitude for the great opportunity to lead a very powerful district over the last 14 months.

He said Raymond School has a dedicated board of education, great teachers and, most importantly, great kids.

Garvey said distractions in recent months have made it tougher to achieve the districts goals.

Raymond has a very passionate community, as weve seen, particularly over the last six months, he said.

Audrey Kostuch, Raymond School Board president, thanked Garvey for his time leading the district.

His expertise as a superintendent served us well, Kostuch said. I wish him well.

At the end of the board meeting, Kostuch wished the about 50 attendees a merry Christmas and said I hope we have a better new year.

Interim principal

Raymond School, 2659 76th St., is a K-8 building with about 400 students.

Peter Kempen, Raymond School interim principal, spoke for a few minutes during Mondays board meeting.

In November, the School Board approved Kempen as interim principal. His first day on the job was Dec. 1.

Kempen is contracted to work 100 days over the rest of the school year. He will be paid $50,000 with no benefits.

He said the school has absolutely amazing students and welcoming, caring parents.

Kempen said he has received a warm reception from families and staff.

Thank you for the opportunity for me to come to Raymond, Kempen said.

Kempen was retired before accepting the principal job. Prior to that, he said he spent about 15 years working at a school district in Seymour, Wisconsin.

Kempen was hired as interim principal because Raymond School Principal Jeff Peterson is on paid leave pending the results of a district investigation into his conduct.

The School Board voted earlier this month not to renew Petersons contract at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

After being placed on leave in late September, Peterson filed a complaint alleging that the school district is discriminating against him because he is gay. A decision on the complaint has not been issued.

In a statement, the Raymond School Board said any notion that the school district or its board members would tolerate any discrimination, including that which is based on sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected classification, is ridiculous and extremely disappointing.

Ten photos of the Raymond School Board Dec. 18 meeting Raymond School has named its new leader for the rest of the school year. Heiden and Kostuch James Heiden, left, talks with Audrey Kostuch on Monday before a Raymond School Board meeting. Kostuch, board president, and board members app Heiden meet and greet James Heiden, left, talks with an attendee Monday before a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Heiden was appointed Raymond School int Peter Kempen Peter Kempen, Raymond School interim principal, talks Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Kempen's first day was Dec.  Garvey and Kostuch Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Signed recall petitions Dorae Moonen presents signed recall petitions Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. The petitions are to recall board me Dorae Moonen Dorae Moonen presents signed recall petitions Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. The petitions are to recall board me Heiden and Lewis Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Board meeting School Board President Audrey Kostuch, left, listens to Superintendent Michael Garvey on Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76 Audrey Kostuch Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Janell Wise Board member Janell Wise walks Monday during a Raymond School Board meeting, 2659 76th St. Signed recall petitions for Wise and board member G Raymond School Board Dec. 18, 2023
At 6:30am on October 7th, just two days before her twenty-sixth birthday, Inbal Rabin-Lieberman woke to air-raid sirens.

Residents of the Nir-Am Kibbutz, which borders the Gaza Strip, immediately began moving their families into nearby bomb shelters. They were prepared, simply and unfortunately, because rocket attacks from Gaza are an all-too-common occurrence.

But to Inbal, who was at the time serving as the volunteer security coordinator for the community, something about this attack felt different. The sounds outside the Kibbutz were unusual, and someone on her team had received a report that the Palestinian agricultural workers who worked in the Kibbutz's orange grove were being shot at.

Inbal had a feeling that something far worse than a rocket attack was underway.

Trusting her intuition, she raced to the secured armory where weapons were kept in case of emergency and quickly called for the twelve residents who made up the "quick response group" for the community. Inbal distributed rifles to the group, and then strategically positioned them in small teams to provide security for the Kibbutz.

Moments later, they came under attack by dozens of heavily armed Hamas terrorists, who we now know were on a mission to murder, rape, torture, and kidnap as many civilians in the Kibbutz as possiblejust like the 1,500 other terrorists who'd infiltrated southern Israel that morning, in a stunningly well planned and executed attack intentionally targeting residential communities.

But the Hamas attackers did not anticipate such a ready and coordinated response from Inbal's Kibbutz. .....
1. Yes. More than 70% of the downtown buildings are occupied; the area is thriving now.

2. Yes. With the new E-Center , a brewery and the county annex moving in, its on the rise.

3. No. There may be a lot of new businesses, but foot traffic is still slow on most days.

4. No. Its improving, but the issues of crime and homelessness are still major obstacles.

5. Unsure. The area seems to be rebounding, but its hard to say if the trend will continue.

Vote

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KEARNEY  Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is credited with saying, If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.

Amanda Francescato feels the same way about art.

Art is all around us, she says. You get to look at it every day, and I think its something important that kids need in school. It allows students to express themselves and problem solve without even realizing it. They get to be creative, and thats the best part of it all.

For Francescato, art has always been both fun and therapeutic. When shes drawing or painting, she forgets about everything else. Its a way to relax while also feeling a sense of accomplishment.

When I get bored, I paint. When I feel stressed, I paint. It just keeps my mind off other things, she said.

Although art had long been a hobby, the benefits became more clear to her during high school. With support and encouragement from Hershey Public Schools art teacher Brittney Stenger, Francescato started viewing it as a potential career.

I wasnt really sure if I wanted to go to college at first, but she really inspired me, Francescato said. I thought teaching was the coolest job ever. You get to hang out with kids and you get to teach them and watch them grow.

After high school, Francescato enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where she continued to pursue this professional goal.

As an art education major and photography minor, Francescato benefited from the smaller class sizes, personalized instruction and one-on-one interactions with faculty members.

Thats something I enjoy a lot, being in a smaller classroom, because I feel like I learn better that way, she said. The professors were always really helpful. If you have a question, theyre on top of it. They help you overcome any obstacles that you may face.

Along with the UNK faculty, Francescato was able to learn from teachers and school administrators currently working in the field. These professionals came to campus to meet with UNK students, and Lopers went to their classrooms for field experiences.

Francescato had the opportunity to observe teachers and lead lessons at Kenwood Elementary School in Kearney and Holdrege Middle School, giving her valuable knowledge and skills. This helped prepare her for a semester of student teaching at Wallace Public School.

Working alongside cooperating teacher Melissa Nelms, Francescato got to do a little bit of everything at the small district located about 30 miles south of her hometown.

She basically handed the classroom over to me, said Francescato, who taught pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

I definitely gained a lot of confidence, she added. Theres always this thought in the back of your mind, Can I actually teach this many kids in one room? Can I control it? But it gave me the confidence that, yeah, I can do this. I know my stuff. And they want to learn from me. They loved having me there, and I think that helped me grow as an educator.

Francescato enjoyed watching her students make the same progress. For instance, she challenged a high school class to create watercolor landscapes, a project they were slow to embrace.

They kind of hated me for it, she said with a laugh.

However, Francescato walked them through the process and used some of her own artwork as examples. In the end, one of the student-created pieces was selected as the main design for the schools new Art Club sweatshirts.

I thought that was kind of neat, Francescato said. I taught a lesson that they put on a sweatshirt for everyone to see.

In addition to her classroom duties, Francescato helped the Art Club repaint a mural at the local veterans memorial, assisted at a Family Art Night and volunteered at fundraisers for the art department, junior class and Quiz Bowl team.

Nelms called her a very dedicated teacher whos not afraid to go above and beyond to support students.

Amanda brought a very positive attitude and new, enriching lessons to the classroom, Nelms said. She created a great rapport with students and was able to communicate with them at an effective level. She did great as a student teacher and her future in the teaching profession is promising. Any school district would be very lucky to have her be part of their team.

Francescato received a Bachelor of Arts in Education during Fridays winter commencement ceremony, making her the first member of her family to earn a four-year degree. Fittingly, she wore a dress covered in drawings from young Wallace Public School art students and a cap that read, Time to Gogh Teach.

Its been fun, Francescato said of her time at UNK. It was definitely a learning experience. It got me out of my comfort zone, and I really enjoy being in environments that allow me to grow and learn.

Francescato plans to substitute teach this spring before starting a full-time position.

I hope I can show students that art is fun and prove that they can do whatever they put their mind to, she said.
KEARNEY  A Kearney business owner will be back in court next week on sexual assault charges.

Alan E. Mais, 61, of Heartwell, is charged with nine counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class 3A felony, and one count of intentional child abuse with no injury, also a Class 3A felony. According to Nebraska code, a Class 3A felony carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

Mais was arrested by the Kearney Police Department on Nov. 14.

His alleged crimes took place over the course of roughly five months, per court documents. A criminal complaint notes Mais assaulted the victim from around July 1 to Nov. 13. The affidavit in support of an arrest warrant in the case has been sealed by the court because the alleged victim is a minor.

Mais posted $30,000 (10% of the bond amount of $300,000) to bond out of jail on Nov. 17. The defendant will make his first court appearance with counsel on the arrest at 2 p.m. on Dec. 21.

The arrest warrant notes Mais is barred from contacting the victim or anyone under 18 years old. He's also barred from his home in Heartwell.

Mais will also be in court on Friday. In a related case, a hearing will be held on a protection order filed against Mais by someone on behalf of the victim.
A convicted methamphetamine dealer has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

Devin A. Lewis, 38, of La Crosse, pleaded guilty Aug. 9 to possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. The sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson includes five years of supervised release.

According to federal prosecutors, Lewis was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped on Ferry Street by a La Crosse police officer in February for a traffic violation. During the stop, Lewis jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee. After being caught, he struggled with police and resisted arrest.

Officers retraced Lewis path and found a bag containing over 200 grams of prepackaged methamphetamine and a smaller amount of fentanyl. Text messages on Lewiss phone indicated he intended to sell the drugs.

Prosecutors noted that Lewis has a lengthy criminal history involving the trafficking of controlled substances, including prior convictions where he has tried to run from law enforcement and resist arrest. Lewiss convictions also include causing substantial injury to an officer and armed robbery.

Charges against Lewis in La Crosse County Circuit Court were dropped.

The charge against Lewis was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.
La Crosse County supervisors are set to consider policies that would update county operations, expand village transportation options and provide advisory to potential drilling for the ongoing PFAS contamination in the county when they meet Thursday.

For the countys internal work, the renewal of Jane Klekamps administrator contract will be an important resolution as the year wraps up. Klekamps contract as the county administrator is set to expire Jan. 19, 2024. Supervisors will decide whether to renew Klekamps contract until Jan. 19, 2026. If approved, pay for the new contract would start at $185,297 annually, with an increase to $190,300 in 2025.

Consideration of several proposed ATV routes on county roads will head to the floor. The legislation would open county roads M, B and C in the town of Hamilton to ATV traffic.

The township of Hamilton opened its roads to UTV/ATV traffic in the fall of 2022, however, most roads in the municipality lead to a county road. Without opening county roads, residents are not able to travel anywhere, states the application from Kat Anderson of Coulee Cruisers UTV Club.

The approval of ATV routes would also allow ATV traffic into rural Onalaska, rural Holmen and the villages of Bandor and Mindoro. The application states local businesses would see an uptick in customers if ATV riders are allowed this change.

Legislation cautioning the town of Cambpell about drilling into the Mt. Simon aquifer will also reach the eyes of the county board. The Mt. Simon aquifer is the only groundwater source in the region known to be PFAS-free, according to the county. The legislation establishes that the county Health Department advises any parties interested in drilling into the aquifer take caution and follow state DNR guidance regarding the PFAS crisis.

The county financed a test well that was drilled into the aquifer in 2022, and the county notes in the the proposed legislation that state-required quality tests show good signs for Mt. Simon to become part of a municipal water system in place of other contaminated wells.

The county will also sell two foreclosed properties, conduct committee reappointments for several members, thank a list of county employees for extended years of service and approve a public participation plan for the next year.

Thursdays meeting is open to the public at 6 p.m., but the board will not hear public comments.
A Janesville man convicted of killing a woman at a Wisconsin Dells hotel in 2021 will have no chance for release from prison until 2068 under a judge's sentence.

Jeremy Mondy, 37, of Janesville, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of the woman in February 2021. The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence and Columbia County Judge Todd Hepler ruled Dec. 11 that Mondy won't be eligible for extended supervision until 2068.

Along with the homicide conviction, Mondy was convicted of felony and misdemeanor bail jumping, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon. All sentences related to those convictions will run concurrent with his life sentence.

Mondy initially told law enforcement that he and the woman struggled over a gun in the hotel room bathroom before it went off accidentally. He later changed his statement and said he pulled the trigger to defend himself, according to the criminal complaint. He added that he panicked and got rid of the firearm before returning to the hotel room.

According to the complaint:

A Wisconsin Dells police officer responded to a welfare check request from staff at The VUE Boutique Hotel just after 11:30 a.m. on Valentines Day, Feb. 14, 2021.

Mondy responded to three hotel room door knocks from responding officers. Hotel staff reported that Mondy and the woman were seen by housekeeping staff passed out on the bed and bathroom floor, respectively. Mondy told an officer he was OK and referred to the woman as crazy when the officer asked about her. The officer then asked Mondy if the woman was alive, to which he responded no with a blank stare.

Another responding officer found the woman dead on the bathroom floor after Mondy was detained.

After taking Mondy to the Wisconsin Dells police station, an officer smelled intoxicants on Mondys breath and reported him to likely be under the influence.

Mondy told officers the womans name, which is not included in the criminal complaint under Wisconsins Marsys Law, which gives privacy to crime victims. He added that he lived with the woman for a month during 2020 when speaking with state special agents.

The complaint states Mondy and the woman had alcohol in the room after checking in on Feb. 13.

Mondy was credited with 1,030 days already served.
The Republican prosecutor in Sheboygan County has appealed a Dane County judges ruling that an 1849 law widely interpreted as a near-complete ban on abortions only applies to feticide and not consensual abortions.

But shortly after he filed the appeal with a state district court Wednesday, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski said he plans to also file a petition in the next few weeks to have the liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court hear the case directly.

He said a direct appeal to the states highest court could provide the speedy and conclusive end to this dispute that I believe our citizens want, according to a statement first reported by WisPolitics.com. I believe it would be in the best interests of the State as a whole for this issue to be considered and resolved by our Supreme Court immediately.

Urmanskis petition before the 2nd District Court of Appeals asks the court to overturn a 1994 case that led to the determination that the law only applies to feticide. Additionally, he questions whether Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul had standing to bring the lawsuit that led to the Dane County ruling.

Urmanski didnt respond to a request for comment asking whether hell withdraw his appeal if and when he goes directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Urmanskis appeal seeks to reanimate a 19th century criminal abortion ban, taking away peoples abilities to make decisions about their own lives and futures, said Michelle Velasquez, chief strategy officer for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

She said the organization will continue offering abortions in Milwaukee and Madison and will follow through with its plans to reopen its Sheboygan abortion clinic.

Kaul told the Wisconsin State Journal that he was confident the law is on his side.

Reproductive health care decisions should be made by women, not by the government, he said. As this case moves forward, we will continue standing up for access to safe and legal abortion in Wisconsin.

Dane County Judge Diane Schlippers preliminary ruling in July clarifying the scope of the 1849 law led to the resumption of abortion services in Wisconsin two months later. She issued a final ruling in the case earlier this month.

Abortions were stopped in Wisconsin after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 because many legal experts and abortion providers assumed the 1849 law banned virtually all abortions.

In his lawsuit filed days after that decision, Kaul argued the 1849 law conflicted with later, more permissive abortion bans.

Doctors joined the case late last year to argue that the 174-year-old law didnt apply to abortions at all, but rather only to feticide. They pointed to a 1994 Wisconsin Supreme Court case that found that the law only applied to somebody killing a fetus by assaulting its mother, not consensual abortions.

Its not clear why Kaul didnt initially mention the 1994 case, or why abortion providers closed in June 2022 given the determination in that case.

Kaul initially filed the case against Republican legislative leaders, but he later named as defendants the prosecutors in Dane, Milwaukee and Sheboygan counties, which were home to abortion clinics before Roe was overturned.
The Republican lawmaker who forced the Universities of Wisconsin to commit to reducing diversity positions called Tuesday for an in-depth review of diversity initiatives across state government and repeated his claim that he has only begun to dismantle equity and inclusion efforts in the state.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos made the remarks after the Legislature's employment committee voted to release $107.6 million to cover a 6% raise for about 35,000 UW employees over the next two years. Vos agreed to release the money for the raises and construction projects across the university system after regents voted last week to freeze diversity hires, re-label about 40 diversity positions as "student success" positions and create a position at UW-Madison focused on conservative thought.

Vos, who is white, said after the regent vote that he had only just begun to remove "these cancerous DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) practices" from UW campuses. He signaled on Tuesday that he won't stop there, saying he thinks DEI efforts have divided people and that he wants a truly colorblind society.

"We're not done yet trying to look at how pervasive DEI is throughout the entire system of state government," Vos told the committee. "I have faith that legislative Republicans will begin a much needed, long-term, in-depth review of DEI in every state government, be it at the Department of Corrections or the UW system, tech colleges or every part of state government. So stay tuned. This is just the first step and hopefully a lot more to come."

He then wished everyone a merry Christmas. He quickly left the room after the vote, telling trailing reporters that further details might come later this week.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The employment committee voted 6-1 to release the money for the raises. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Diane Hesselbein, a committee member, blasted Republicans ahead of the vote for using employee paychecks as a bargaining chip as they pursue an anti-diversity agenda.

Republican Chris Kapenga, who serves as president of the state Senate, was the only committee member to vote against releasing the raises. After the vote, he told reporters that he voted "no" because he wants diversity efforts eliminated altogether.

"I want to see DEI dead," said Kapenga, who is white. "I think it's disgusting. ... We have laws in the Constitution that protect people for what DEI supposedly does."

The Republican-controlled Legislature is expected to vote this spring on bills that would release funding for the construction projects, including about $200 million for a new engineering building at UW-Madison; $78 million to renovate dorms at UW-Whitewater, Vos' alma mater; and $45 million for demolition projects across the system.
A Republican-controlled legislative committee approved 6% pay raises for about 35,000 Universities of Wisconsin workers Tuesday after the UW system agreed last week to repurpose some diversity positions as part of a broader deal with lawmakers to unlock nearly $800 million in state aid.

At the committee vote, the Assemblys top Republican called for an in-depth review of diversity initiatives across state government and repeated his claim that he has only begun to dismantle equity and inclusion efforts in the state.

The raises  4% this fiscal year along with back pay since July followed by an additional 2% next July  had already been authorized as part of the state budget Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed in July. But unlike most provisions in the two-year spending plan, they still had to be approved by the Joint Committee on Employment Relations.

In October, the committee approved 6% pay bumps over the next two years for most state workers but withheld raises for university staff after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, demanded the UW system first eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion positions.

Last week the UW Board of Regents agreed to reclassify a third of its diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, positions, as student success employees in exchange for the raises and freeing up $740 million in infrastructure spending plus $32 million tied to a workforce development plan held back by the Legislatures budget committee.

Ahead of the vote Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, said Republicans targeting of DEI was hurting students of color, people with disabilities, veterans and other groups.

The action we are taking today should have been done months ago and should never have been used as a bargaining chip, she said.

While saying he supported diversity, Vos said DEI has been turned into a policy of exclusion and indoctrination. Instead of moving toward Martin Luther King Jr.s vision of a colorblind society, Vos said, Democrats continue to be obsessed with race and division and exclusion, and thats a shame.

In-depth review

Vos, who is white, said after the regent vote that he had only just begun to remove these cancerous DEI practices from UW campuses. He signaled on Tuesday that he wont stop there.

We are not done yet trying to look at how pervasive DEI is throughout the entire system of state government, he said. I have faith that legislative Republicans will begin a much-needed, long-term, in-depth review of every part of DEI in state government, be it in the Department of Corrections or the UW system.

He then wished everyone a merry Christmas. He quickly left the room after the vote, telling trailing reporters that further details might come later this week.

The pay raise proposal passed 5-1, with Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, voting against it. Kapenga said he voted against the proposal because he wanted the UW system to cut every DEI position, not just repurpose some of them.

Moving forward

Although the committee has now approved the raises, the Evers administration said it wont modify the lawsuit alleging GOP legislators violated the state Constitution by blocking the pay raises and stalling conservation projects.

Evers filed the suit directly with the liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court, alleging Republicans are violating the Constitutions separation of powers by allowing legislative committees to impede, usurp, or obstruct basic executive branch functions.

Blocking pay raises previously authorized in the state budget effectively creates legislative vetoes and allows a small group of lawmakers to change existing state law without passing bills through the Legislature and sending them to the governor, Evers lawsuit argues.

After the committee action Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Colin Roth told the Wisconsin Supreme Court that signing off on the pay raises has no effect on the allegations in the lawsuit, in part because the same issues can arise again.

If this issue is not resolved now, (the employment relations committee) can perpetually hold its veto threat over UWs head in future budget cycles, Roth said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Clear Lake Police department made an arrest Tuesday night involving two Wisconsin residents who are wanted on homicide charges in Michigan.

According to a press release, around 6 p.m. Michigan's Houghton County Sheriff's Office alerted Clear Lake police the two suspects were in the the Clear Lake area and were considered armed and dangerous.

By 6:30 p.m. officers had arrested up 50-year-old Margaret Anne Rose Kempainen and Jacob Alan Charles Kempainen, 20, both of Heartland, Wis.

According to a report by Upper Michigans Source TV-6, the two, along with an unnamed juvenile, are wanted in connection with the murder of family member 86-year-old Alvin Kempainen, who was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in his home in Hancock Township, Mich.

The pair is currently being held at the Cerro Gordo County Jail awaiting extradition to Houghton County, Mich.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office, Hancock County Sheriffs Office, and the Garner Police Department all assisted at the scene.
China refutes European Parliament's smears against boarding schools in Xizang

Xinhua) 08:08, December 20, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday the European Parliament's attacks and smears against boarding schools in China's Xizang Autonomous Region are actually a kind of violation of the children's right to education, which is damage to the human rights conditions in the region.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing, in response to the query that the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing the Chinese government's forced assimilation of Tibetan children through boarding schools in Xizang, and called on the European Union and its member states to take actions.

"What's said in the relevant resolution of the European Parliament is disinformation," Wang said. "It smears China's image and interferes in China's internal affairs. We deplore and strongly oppose this."

Wang noted in Xizang, the rights and freedoms of all ethnic groups, including the freedom of religious belief and the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages, are fully protected.

"The human rights conditions in Xizang are better than ever, as witnessed by the international community," he said.

He pointed out that in the case of Xizang, due to highly scattered population, children have to travel long distances to get to school, which is very inconvenient. If schools were to be built in every place the students live, it would be very difficult to ensure adequate teachers and quality of teaching in each school.

"That is why local governments set up boarding schools according to actual needs to ensure all children's equal right to education. It is entirely up to the students and their parents whether to go to boarding schools or not. Students can choose to go home on every weekend, holiday and festival, as well as during the winter and summer breaks," he said.

Parents can visit their children at school any time and take their children home whenever needed, Wang said, adding that relevant schools open courses of traditional culture, such as Tibetan language and literature and folk dance, and provide traditional food, and students are allowed to wear traditional dresses at school.

"We urge the European Parliament to stop spreading disinformation, stop using Xizang-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs and stop all words and deeds that might undermine the mutual trust and cooperation between China and Europe," said the spokesperson.

"In recent years, in European countries, we have seen growing violation of the rights of refugees and migrants, growing xenophobia and racism, inadequate attention to economic, social and cultural rights as well as the right to development, and selective application and double standards when it comes to freedom of the press and forced labor," he said.

"If the European Parliament truly cares about human rights, it should address Europe's own issues first and pay attention to human rights violations in places like Gaza, rather than apply double standard and selective negligence, and instrumentalize and weaponize the human rights issue," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The White House announced an executive order last August targeting U.S. investment in advanced Chinese chipmaking and other technology industries.

The move was a result of fears that American money and knowledge could end up helping China strengthen its military. But a recent Reuters report shows the difficulty of enforcing the rules.

Brite Semiconductor

The Reuters report found that Brite Semiconductor, a Chinese chip designer, is purchasing U.S. software and has American financial backing.

Chief executive Zhuang Zhiqing is Brite Semiconductors largest shareholder. The company offers chip design services to at least six Chinese military suppliers. That information comes from a Reuters examination of company statements, legal filings, and writings by People's Liberation Army (PLA) researchers and organizations.

Brites second-largest shareholder and top supplier is chipmaker SMIC. The Shanghai-based chipmaker SMIC was placed on the U.S. list of companies and organizations with possible connections to the Chinese military. The list bars SMIC from receiving some goods from U.S. suppliers.

The American financial company Norwest Venture Partners is the third largest shareholder in Brite. Norwest is backed by Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the U.S., and Biola University, a Christian college in California.

Norwest said its early investment in Brite was made 15 years ago and followed applicable laws. The company added, were committed to following new regulations as they become effective. Biola did not comment on its investment in Brite.

The semiconductor company also has the use of important U.S. technology from two California-based software companies, Synopsys and Cadence Design. Still, Reuters has not found any evidence that Brite's relationships with U.S. companies violate any laws.

Difficulties

The Biden administration has taken strong steps to stop the movement of technology and investment to China's chip industry.

In August, the administration announced a ban on certain new U.S. investments in the industry. It has also added over twenty Chinese companies to the restricted list, many over ties to China's military. Last October, it announced more rules to stop some U.S. exports of chips and chipmaking tools to China.

Brite did not answer Reuters requests for comment. The U.S. Commerce Department and the White House did not comment.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not comment on Brite but accused the U.S. of "economic coercion and bullying in the field of technology."

Although Brite has not broken U.S. rules, its ability to get U.S. technology is an example of the difficulties facing efforts to keep U.S. equipment and money from being used to help China's military. The example of Brite also suggests the U.S. will struggle to succeed unless it targets many more companies.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio is a member of the Senates foreign relations committee. He described the Reuters findings about Brite as "concerning."

Rubio said, "Companies connected to Chinas military supply chain should not have access to American technology and investment. He added that the Biden administration's policy of "export controls and investment restrictions clearly is not working.

Others said Brite is an example of Chinas ability to use little-known companies to get around U.S. export bans on big-name Chinese companies.

Martijn Rasser is a director of Datenna, an open-source intelligence company based in the Netherlands. He said Brite is an example of how a U.S.-China joint operation could help send valuable semiconductor technology to SMIC and the PLA.

China's defense ministry and SMIC did not respond to questions about their relationships with Brite.

Im John Russell.

Alexandra Alper and Eduardo Baptista reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

advanced  adj. having or using new and modern methods

regulation -- n. an official rule or law

semiconductor  n. an object that allows some electricity to move through it and that is used especially in electronic devices

coercion  n. the act of getting (something) by using force or threats

bully -- v. to frighten, hurt, or threaten a smaller or weaker person
Public schools in the United States are increasingly employing online mental health services, or teletherapy, for students.

At least 16 of the 20 largest American public school systems are offering online therapy to reach millions of students, reports the Associated Press. In those systems alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million.

The business model is making so much money that venture capitalists are investing in new companies as the market grows. However, some experts have raised concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies.

But educators say teletherapy works for many kids and is meeting a large need. Schools are also experiencing shortages in on-site therapists. Online help has made therapy more easily available to children, especially poorer students and those in rural areas. Schools let students connect with online counselors during the school day or after hours from home.

Ishoo is a mother of two in Lancaster, California. She struggled to help her second-grade daughter deal with severe anxiety.

Last spring, her school district started a teletherapy program and Ishoo signed up her daughter. During a month of weekly video sessions at her home, the girl opened up to a therapist. The therapist gave the student tools and techniques to reduce anxiety.

She learned that its OK to ask for help, and sometimes everyone needs some extra help, Ishoo said.

The 13,000-student school system, like many others, has counselors and psychologists on staff. But it is not enough to meet the need, said Trish Wilson, the Lancaster supervisor of counseling.

Therapists in the area have full caseloads, making it impossible to offer students immediate care, she said. Students rarely have to wait long for an online session.

Students and their parents said in interviews they turned to teletherapy after struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness, stress and anxiety. For many, returning to in-person school after distance learning was very difficult.

Schools are using federal pandemic relief money to pay for help as experts have warned of worrying rates of youth depression, anxiety and suicide. Many school districts are signing contracts with private companies. Others are working with local health care providers, nonprofits or state programs.

Mental health experts welcome the extra support but warn about possible risks. For one, it is getting harder to employ on-site school counselors and psychologists. Competition with telehealth providers is not helping.

We have 44 counselor vacancies, and telehealth definitely impacts our ability to fill them, said Doreen Hogans. She is supervisor of school counseling in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Hogans estimates 20 percent of school counselors who left have taken teletherapy jobs. The jobs often provide more favorable working hours than the schools.

The quick growth of the companies raises questions about the quality of the therapists, and their experience with children and privacy, said Kevin Dahill-Fuchel. He is executive director of Counseling in Schools, a nonprofit that helps schools improve traditional, in-person mental health services.

One of the biggest providers is San Francisco-based Hazel Health. It started with telemedicine health services in schools in 2016 and expanded to mental health in May 2021, CEO Josh Golomb said. It now employs more than 300 therapists providing teletherapy in over 150 school districts in 15 states.

Other providers are getting into the space. In November, New York City started a free telehealth therapy service for teens to help end barriers to access, said Ashwin Vasan, the city's health commissioner. New York is paying the company TalkSpace $26 million over three years for a service permitting teenagers to download an app and connect with therapists.

Unlike other cities, New York is offering the service to all teens, whether attending private, public or home schools, or not in school at all.

I truly hope this normalizes and democratizes access to mental health care for our young people, Vasan said.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Quiz - Lacking Counselors, US Schools Turn to Online Therapy Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

venture capital n. money that is used to start a new business

counselor  n. a person who provides advice as a job : a person who counsels people

anxiety  n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

supervise  v. to be in charge of

vacancy  n. a job or position that is available to be taken

impact  n. the act or force of one thing hitting another

access  n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone
Pope Francis officially approved letting Catholic clergy bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday.

The move is a complete change in church policy that aims to make the church more welcoming while continuing its ban on gay marriage.

Some have cheered the Vatican statement as a step to break down discrimination in the Catholic Church. But LGBTQ+ supporters say the policy means that the church still considers gay couples as less than heterosexual partners.

The Vatican document expands on a letter that Francis sent to two conservative cardinals last October. In that letter, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered if they were not seen or mistaken as marriage ceremonies.

The new document repeats that condition and reaffirms that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. It stresses that the blessings must not be tied to any Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be performed at the same time as a marriage ceremony. Also, the blessings cannot use ceremonial acts, clothing or movements that belong in a wedding.

But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied. For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection, it said.

The document added, There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open ones life to God, to ask for his help to live better

The Vatican holds that marriage is a union between man and woman. As a result, it has long opposed same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts to be disordered. Nothing in the new document changes that teaching.

In the new document, the church says a blessing is about helping people increase their trust in God. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered, it said.

It stresses that people in irregular unions of extramarital sex  gay or straight  are in a state of sin. But that should not keep them from Gods love or mercy. Even when a persons relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, the document said.

The document is the latest attempt by the Pope to welcome gay Catholics. In 2013, he said, Who am I to judge? when asked about a gay clergy. Earlier this year, he told The Associated Press that being homosexual is not a crime.

Reactions to the announcement

Ramon Gomez oversees human rights for the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation in Chile. He said the statement was a step toward breaking down discrimination in the church and could help LGBTQ+ people in countries where even civil unions are not legal. But he said the document gives the signal that same-sex couples are inferior to heterosexual couples.

The Reverend James Martin supports welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics. He praised the new document as a huge step forward and a change from the Vaticans 2021 policy.

Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages, he said in an email.

In Germany, clergy have been blessing same-sex couples for years. And the head of the German Bishops Conference welcomed the document.

Bishop Georg Baetzing said, This means that a blessing can be given to couples who do not have the opportunity to marry in church, for example due to divorce, and to same-sex couples.

In the United States, the Reverend John Oesterle, a Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, said many priests would probably not be open to offering such a blessing, but he welcomed Francis action.

He said, When I was growing up, the assumption was that God made everyone straight. What we have learned is that is not true. In accepting people as God made them, and if Jesus primary teaching is we should love and serve one another in the community, I think thats what gives Pope Francis the openness to Gods presence in those relationships.

Traditionalists, however, expressed shock and anger. Luigi Casalini of Messa in Latino (Latin Mass) blog wrote that the document did not follow the churchs teachings. The church is crumbling, he wrote.

University of Notre Dame theologian Ulrich Lehner was also concerned. Lehner called it: The most unfortunate public announcement in decades. He said it could lead to division in the church.

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

Nicole Winfield and David Crary reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________

Words in This Story

bless v. to ask God to care for and protect someone

couple n. two people who are married or have an intimate relationship

gay (homosexual) adj. sexually interested in the same sex

prior adj. taking place earlier

intention n. a plan or aim

legitimize v. to make acceptable and normal

mercy n. kind treatment where it is not expected or deserved

inferior adj. not as good as something else

assumption n. an opinion that is not based on direct knowledge but is thought to be the case
The recent attacks on ships in and near the Red Sea by Yemens Houthi rebels have affected some of the worlds top shipping and oil companies. The threat has moved trade away from an important route for global trade. The change will likely cause delays and increase the prices of goods and energy.

Both oil and European natural gas prices rose a little over market concerns about Houthi attacks. The group, which is supported by Iran, confirmed two new attacks Monday. They were the latest in a series of attacks targeting container ships and oil tankers passing through the narrow waterway that separates Yemen from East Africa. The waterway then leads north to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It is estimated that 10 percent of the worlds trade passes through the canal.

Energy supplies reach Europe and beyond on tankers. And food products like palm oil and grain are carried by container ships through the Suez Canal.

This is a problem for Europe. Its a problem for Asia, said John Stawpert. He is with the International Chamber of Shipping. The industry group represents 80 percent of the worlds commercial shipping fleet. Stawpert noted that 40 percent of Asia-Europe trade normally takes the route through the Red Sea.

Almost all goods that stores need for Christmas will have already arrived. But online orders could be delayed, experts said. That is because four of the worlds five largest container shipping companies have suspended or rerouted movements from the Red Sea in recent days.

MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM Group, and Hapag-Lloyd are shipping companies that move all consumer goods between Asia and Europe. Almost all services will have to make this rerouting, said Simon Heaney, who is with Drewry, a shipping research group.

Ships will have to go around South Africas Cape of Good Hope instead. That will add at least a week of travel time, experts say.

Depending on what companies decide to do, they could add more ships to make up for the longer trip. They could also travel faster, but that would use more fuel.

Stawpert of the Shipping Chamber said he expects some price increases in the short term. But that depends on how long the security threat lasts.

The Houthi military spokesman said Monday his group launched what he described as naval aircraft at the Cayman Islands-flagged ship Swan Atlantic. The boat is a chemical and oil products carrier. The group also attacked the Panama-flagged cargo ship MSC CLARA. He did not offer more details.

Denmark-based ship operator Uni-Tankers said the Swan Atlantic was hit by an unknown object that started a small fire. Crew members put it out and all were reported to be safe, the company said. It received military aid and continued on its way.

U.S., French, British and other warships already patrol the area, keeping the waterway open. Stawpert said countries naval presence has increased and that should improve confidence in the shipping industry and somewhat ease the threat.

Problems in Red Sea shipping could have far-reaching effects because they are happening at the same time ships are being restricted through the Panama Canal. The canal is a major trade route between Asia and the United States.

Some companies had planned to reroute to the Red Sea to avoid delays at the Panama Canal caused by a lack of rainfall, experts said.

With the Houthi attacks, companies taking measures to avoid risk will have to take the longer route around Africa.

Im Caty Weaver.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press.

________________________________________

Words in This Story

route  n. a way to get from one place to another

commercial adj. related to business or trade

fleet n. a group of vehicles, especially ships, controlled by one company or a country

cargo n. a sellable good that is transported by vehicle

patrol v. to go through an area to make sure that it is safe and free from risks
One person has been arrested after a fatal shooting Sunday night in Superior, the Nebraska State Patrol said in a news release Monday.

At about 11:55 p.m., the Nuckolls County Sheriff's Office requested help from the State Patrol in regards to a shooting at a home in the 1200 block of Idaho Street, according to a State Patrol news release.

Deputies and officers with the Superior Police Department arrived at the house and discovered Molly Gruber, 35, inside with a gunshot wound. Gruber was transported to Brodstone Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the news release said.

Sebastian Dunbar, 30, was arrested at the home. Investigators determined the shooting happened during a domestic dispute between Gruber and Dunbar. There was a child inside the house at the time of the incident. The child has been placed in protective custody, according to the news release.

Dunbar was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and domestic violence. He is being held at the Clay County jail, the news release said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
Three researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been awarded a $428,000 grant to study how members of Congress make decisions on nuclear weapons policy.

The grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York will allow UNL political scientists Ingrid Haas, Geoff Lorenz and Rupal Mehta to spend the next two years taking what the researchers say is the first close look at Congress decision-making on nuclear topics in 30 years.

Lorenz specializes in the study of federal lawmaking. Mehtas expertise is in nuclear deterrence and nonproliferation, while Haas, a faculty member of UNLs Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, applies theory and methods from psychology and neuroscience to the understanding of American politics and international security.

This (grant) ended up being right in the strike zone, the intersection of my interests and Rupals and Ingrids, Lorenz said.

The researchers plan to:

Build a database of members votes on nuclear issues going back 50 years, as well as speeches and entries in the Congressional Record to examine and measure shifts in partisanship.

Complete a case study of how the 1994 Gingrich Revolution affected President Bill Clintons nuclear policy, especially with North Korea.

Use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to examine the brains of adult volunteers who answer questions that simulate decision-making regarding nuclear policy.

In their study proposal, the researchers called the study of Congress role an important, but missing, piece of the puzzle when it comes to better understanding global nuclear and international security.

Lorenz said the executive branch generally, and the president in particular, has generally been seen to lead on nuclear policy. That tendency can be traced to the dawn of the nuclear age, when President Harry Truman consulted only his secretaries of state and war and some of his top military advisers before his decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

Lorenz sees the 1994 election of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives  which then elected Newt Gingrich, a brash and outspoken conservative  as a turning point in relations between Congress and the president. The Republican win that year overturned a nearly unbroken 40-year stretch of Democratic control of both houses of Congress.

Since then, control of the House and Senate have switched back and forth frequently. This period, he said, has been characterized by growing partisanship on a wide variety of issues.

The study will look at whether that partisanship extends to nuclear policy, an area where the parties have at times succeeded in projecting consensus.

Everything has gotten more partisan in the last few years, Lorenz said. If nuclear policy has remained (bipartisan), this committee is sort of the exception to the rule.

He cited the examples of Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Don Bacon, who have both influenced defense and nuclear policy  even when they have been serving in the minority party  while looking after the interests of their home-state U.S. Strategic Command.

The Carnegie Corporation was created more than 100 years ago as a foundation for the Scottish-born steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to direct his vast wealth (and, later, his estate) toward charitable causes. One of those causes is international peace and security.

In their grant proposal, the researchers cited the proliferation of nuclear weapons in recent years as China and North Korea expand their arsenals and Russia retools its own.

There may be no more important time for these insights than now, they said.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, has been killed in a car bomb attack in Madrid.

The 70-year-old, his bodyguard and a driver died instantly and four other people were injured after a remote-controlled bomb was detonated as he passed.

A massive explosion sent the car hurtling into the air and over the roof of the San Francisco de Borga Church where Mr Blanco had just been attending mass.

The vehicle landed on the second floor terrace of a building on the other side of the church and a great deal of damage was caused in the area.

No one has admitted carrying out the attack.

The Spanish Government has declared three days of national mourning and the cabinet has held two emergency meetings.

All public buildings are closed but it is not known if a state of emergency will be declared.

Police did not confirm the prime minister had been assassinated until six hours after the attack. They said the killers had dug a tunnel under the street the admiral used regularly on his return from mass.

Police said the killers triggered the bomb from an opposite basement in a well-planned assassination bid.

The prime ministers death came 15 minutes before the start of a trial involving 10 of Spains leading opponents of the Franco regime, one of them a Roman Catholic priest.

They were arrested in a Madrid Church 18 months ago and were accused of unlawful assembly.

Thousands of angry demonstrators have campaigned against the case and have already clashed with police.

Commentators said the admirals death must be seen in the context of this controversial trial and against the backdrop of his staunch support of General Francos regime.

Not since the Civil War, which ended in 1939, has a government minister died in such violent circumstances.

The former naval officer, who was considered authoritarian and hated Communism, was devoted to the Roman Catholic Church.

He has been succeeded by the vice-prime minister Fernandez Miranda, 57.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Basque nationalists were blamed for the murder in retaliation for the execution of Basque militants in Spain.

Luis Carrero Blanco had only been prime minister for about six months when he was assassinated.

In June that year Franco had separated the duties of chief of state and head of government and Mr Blanco became prime minister.

He had been influential in improving links with monarchist groups, and his appointment as head of state was considered to be part of a process to restore the monarchy under Juan Carlos.

Mr Blanco was opposed by many for propping up Francos hard line regime, stifling opposition and for opposing mainstream European political life despite the countrys progress in tourism and trade.
Watching a countdown of the auctions final minutes yesterday [Macau time], Erin Holcomb couldnt believe it: the sale price kept jumping for the rare, gold Nike Air Jordan 3s that were anonymously dropped in the donation chute of the Oregon shelter where she works in Portland.

In the last five minutes it went up and up, and every time we saw that number increase, there were tears and people clapping, Holcomb, director of staff ministries at the Portland Rescue Mission, told The Associated Press.

The sneakers, one of just a few custom pairs that had been made for filmmaker Spike Lee, ultimately sold for $50,800  more than double the high end of the predicted sale price. All proceeds will benefit the Portland Rescue Mission, which has served people struggling with homelessness, hunger and addiction since 1949.

We couldnt believe it, Holcomb said. The generosity of this moment has been a huge celebration for our whole organization.

Some two dozen people, mostly staff, gathered yesterday to watch the auction live on a big screen TV in one of the shelters conference rooms, Holcomb said. Among them was James Free, a formerly homeless man who found the shoes while sorting through donations and brought them to the attention of the staff. Free has lived at the mission for the past few months as part of its long-term shelter program, Holcomb said.

Im just so happy to be a part of this, Free said in a news release shared by the shelter after the auction closed. I love this place, and Im so glad to see this story shared.

The sneakers were on auction at Sothebys. They were auctioned along with a replacement box and other Nike merchandise donated by Tinker Hatfield, who custom designed the sneakers for Lee in 2019.

Lee wore his pair to the Academy Awards that year when he accepted an Oscar for his BlacKkKlansman screenplay. The donated sneakers werent Lees personal pair, but were among a few made for him to give out to his inner circle, the Portland Rescue Mission said.

Hatfield visited the shelter and authenticated the shoes. Nike is based in nearby Beaverton, Oregon.

Holcomb said the money from the auction will help fund services at the downtown Portland shelter, which provides food and access to bathrooms and showers, as well as health care, housing and employment resources. It serves some 6,000 people and 300,000 meals every year, Holcomb said.

That building is open 24/7, 365 days a year, she said. Its a really beautiful, helpful gift and it is a piece of a much larger story of generosity in our community.

The identity of whoever donated the shoes remains a mystery. CLAIRE RUSH, PORTLAND (Ore.), MDT/AP
Local labor board officials upheld the results of a union election at a Portillos food preparation facility in suburban Addison after two challenges by the company.

Angie Cowan Hamada, regional National Labor Relations Board director, issued a decision upholding the election results Monday. On Wednesday, the company said it planned to appeal again.

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Food preparation staff in Addison voted 28-20 to unionize with the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers in April. Days later, Portillos asked the labor board to set the results aside, claiming the union made illegal promises to workers in the run-up to the election, including that union representatives told workers they could qualify for green cards or citizenship if they voted yes.

Arise Chicago, a Chicago-based workers center that has been organizing with Portillos staff since 2021, has described the companys claims as baseless.

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This summer, labor board officials issued a report that recommended overruling the companys objections. Portillos subsequently appealed that decision. On Monday, Cowan Hamada ruled again in favor of the union.

Overall, the testimony from employee witnesses shows that (the Iron Workers and Arise) did not promise to obtain work permits for employees in exchange for signed authorization cards or Union votes, Cowan Hamada wrote in her decision.

In a statement Wednesday, Portillos said it planned to appeal the decision and reiterated the companys belief that union representatives had made immigration promises to workers to secure votes.

In our view, conducting a new free and fair election to set aside the results of the April 13 vote at our Addison, Illinois, food production facility is the right thing to do given the dishonest activity that is supported by the first-hand testimony and affidavits from witnesses, the company said.

Shelly Ruzicka, a spokesperson for Arise, described the planned appeal as yet another stall tactic for the inevitable need to sit down and negotiate with their workers.

Staff at the Oak Brook-based companys suburban plant work preparing foods, such as Italian beef and sweet peppers, for local Portillos restaurants. Other members of the bargaining unit include forklift operators, mechanics and sanitation workers.

We are thrilled the NLRB ruled against Portillos frivolous objections and hope it means Portillos will finally accept the workers decision, and negotiate, said Brenda Bedolla, an organizer with the Iron Workers, in a statement before the company said it planned to ask the NLRB to set the results aside once more.

I feel very happy because once again, we demonstrated to Portillos that our union election was clean, said Portillos worker Fernando Jimenez, who has worked at the facility for more than three decades.

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We want them to finally sit down and negotiate our contract, and stop spending money on union busting, Jimenez said.

Arise has previously accused Portillos of utilizing an onslaught of company intimidation, false claims, mandatory captive audience meetings, and retaliation. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB alleging illegal interrogation and coercion of workers at the Addison plant that remain under investigation, according to labor board records.

Portillos did not comment on the unfair labor practice charges.

The company said it was proud of the competitive pay, career growth, development opportunities and outstanding benefits  including health insurance, paid time off, a wellness program, meal benefits, and reward and recognition programs  that we provide for all of our team members.

Portillos, which was founded in a Villa Park parking lot in 1963, has more than 70 locations across 10 states and is planning an aggressive expansion. At an investor day conference in September, the company said it aimed to hit a target of about 920 restaurants over the next 20 years. Most of those stores  about 800  would be full-service restaurants, the company said, with the rest planned as walk-up restaurants in dense urban areas.

The company has eyed expansion in the Sun Belt in particular, opening a handful of stores over the last year in Florida, Texas and Arizona.

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Portillos, which went public in 2021, posted revenues of $166.8 million during the third quarter, up more than 10% over the same period last year.
The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather.

There are people  lots of people. But look around, and its clear one thing is largely absent these days: face masks.

Yes, theres the odd one here and there, but nothing like it was three years ago at the dawn of the COVID pandemics first winter holidays  an American moment of contentiousness, accusation and scorn on both sides of the mask debate.

As 2023 draws to an end, with promises of holiday parties and crowds and lots of inadvertent exchanges of shared air, mask-wearing is much more off than on around the country even as COVIDs long tail lingers. The days of anything approaching a widespread mask mandate would be like the Ghost of Christmas Past, a glimpse into what was.

Look at it a different way, though: These days, mask-wearing has become just another thing that simply happens in America. In a country where the mention of a mask prior to the pandemic usually meant Halloween or a costume party, its a new way of being that hasnt gone away even if most people arent doing it regularly.

Thats an interesting part of the pandemic, says Brooke Tully, a strategist who works on how to change peoples behaviors.

Home delivery of food and all of those kind of services, they existed before COVID and actually were gaining some momentum, she says. But something like mask-wearing in the U.S. didnt really have an existing baseline. It was something entirely new in COVID. So its one of those new introductions of behaviors and norms.

THE SITUATION NOW IS  SITUATIONAL

It tends to be situational, like the recent decision from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospital system to reinstate a mask mandate at its facilities starting Dec. 20 because its seeing an increase in respiratory viruses. And for people like Sally Kiser, 60, of Mooresville, North Carolina, who manages a home health care agency.

I always carry one with me, she says, cause I never know.

She doesnt always wear it, depending on the environment shes in, but she will if she thinks its prudent. Its kind of like a new paradigm for the world we live in, she says.

It wasnt that long ago that fear over catching COVID-19 sent demand for masks into overdrive, with terms like N95 coming into our vocabularies alongside concepts like mask mandates  and the subsequent, and vehement, backlash from those who felt it was government overreach.

Once the mandates started dropping, the masks started coming off and the demand fell. It fell so much so that Project N95, a nonprofit launched during the pandemic to help people find quality masks, announced earlier this month that it would stop sales Monday because there wasnt enough interest.

Anne Miller, the organizations executive director, acknowledges she thought widespread mask usage would become the rule, not the exception.

I thought the new normal would be like we see in other cultures and other parts of the world  where people just wear a mask out of an abundance of caution for other people, she says.

But thats not how norms work, public safety or otherwise, says Markus Kemmelmeier, a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

In 2020, Kemmelmeier authored a study about mask-wearing around the country that showed mask usage and mandate resistance varied by region based on conditions including pre-existing cultural divisions and political orientation.

He points to the outcry after the introduction of seatbelts and seatbelt laws more than four decades ago as an example of how practices, particularly those required in certain parts of society, do or dont take hold.

When they first were instituted with all the sense that they make and all the effectiveness, there was a lot of resistance, Kemmelmeier says. The argument was basically lots of complaints about individual freedoms being curtailed and so forth, and you cant tell me what to do and so forth.

FIGURING OUT THE BALANCE

In New York Citys Brooklyn borough, members of the Park Slope Co-op recently decided there was a need at the longstanding, membership-required grocery. Last month, the co-op instituted mask-required Wednesdays and Thursdays; the other five days continue to have no requirement.

The people who proposed it werent focused on COVID rates. They were thinking about immune-compromised people, a population that has always existed but came to mainstream awareness during the pandemic, says co-op general manager Joe Holtz.

Proponents of the mask push at the co-op emphasized that immunocompromised people are more at risk from other peoples respiratory ailments like colds and flu. Implementing a window of required mask usage allows them to be more protected, Holtz says.

It was up to the stores administrators to pick the days, and they went with two of the slowest instead of the busy weekend days on purpose, Holtz says, a nod to the reality that mask requirements get different responses from people.

From managements point of view, he says, if we were going to try and if theres going to be a negative financial impact from this decision that was made, we want to minimize it.

Those shopping there on a recent Thursday didnt seem fazed.

Aron Halberstam, 77, says he doesnt usually mask much these days but wasnt put off by the requirement. He wears a mask on the days its required, even if he doesnt otherwise  a middle ground reflecting what is happening in so many parts of the country more than three years after the mask became a part of daily conversation and daily life.

Any place which asks you to do it, I just do it, Halberstam says. I have no resistance to it.

Whatever the level of resistance, says Kemmelmeier, the culture has shifted. People are still wearing masks in places like crowded stores or while traveling. They do so because they choose to for their own reasons and not because the government is requiring it. And new reasons can come up as well, like when wildfires over the summer made air quality poor and people used masks to deal with the haze and smoke.

It always will find a niche to fit in with, he says. And as long as there are needs somewhere, it will survive. DEEPTI HAJELA, NEW YORK, MDT/AP
An Australian court yesterday recorded the first conviction under the nations foreign interference laws with a jury finding a Vietnamese refugee guilty of covertly working for the Chinese Communist Party.

A Victoria state County Court jury convicted Melbourne businessman and local community leader Di Sanh Duong on a charge of preparing for or planning an act of foreign interference.

He is the first person to be charged under federal laws created in 2018 that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics and make industrial espionage for a foreign power a crime. The laws offended Australias most important trading partner, China, and accelerated a deterioration in bilateral relations.

Duong, 68, had pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail after his conviction and will return to court in February to be sentenced. He faces a potential 10-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors had argued that Duong planned to gain political influence in 2020 by cultivating a relationship with the then-government minister Alan Tudge on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Standing Committee of the 14th National Peoples Congress (NPC) will convene its seventh session in Beijing from Dec. 25 to 29. On the proposed agenda are discussions on draft revisions to the Law on Supervision by the Standing Committees of the Peoples Congresses at All Levels, as well as the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law. Additionally, the session will address draft decisions aimed at enhancing the system for recording and reviewing normative documents, as well as authorizing Macau to administer land and waters southeast of Gongbei Port in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.

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Macaus gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the first 17 days of December may reach about MOP9 billion, Citi Research forecasted in a report based on the latest industry data.

The figure suggests that the average daily GGR will be around MOP543 million, about 4% higher than the MOP520 million on average during the first 10 days of December.

The brokerage firm predicts an acceleration in GGR growth during the Christmas and New Years Eve holidays  despite these not being official holidays in mainland China.

Citi Research also anticipates a surge in patronage around Christmas and New Years Eve, boosted by a series of concerts scheduled throughout the month.

The broker has maintained its December GGR forecast of MOP17.5 billion, about 77% of December 2019 levels, implying a daily run-rate of MOP600 million for the rest of the month.

Previously, Citi Research projected Macaus GGR to grow by 19% year-on-year to MOP216 billion in 2024.

This estimation is contingent on Macaus visitor arrivals recovering to 85% of pre-Covid-19 levels, matching figures from the third quarter of 2023. Gaming expenses per player need to remain at the same level as 2023, with a slight increase in the time spent in Macau, according to the analysts.

This is despite Chinas weakening economy affecting casinos over the past few months, which has caused price wars on player incentives and impacts on luxury spending. Analysts have nonetheless stated there is a weak correlation between Chinas gross domestic product and Macaus mass gross gaming revenue growth potential.

Citi Research remains optimistic about the gaming industrys revenue growth in 2024, stating that the fundamentals continue to offer long-term value.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened more offensive actions to repel what he called increasing United States-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his countrys most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported yesterday.

Kims statement suggests he is confident in his growing missile arsenal and will likely continue weapons testing activities ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. But many observers say North Korea still needs to perform more significant tests to prove it has functioning missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.

After watching Mondays launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said the test showed how North Korea could respond if the United States were to make a wrong decision against it, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim stressed the need to never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies  and to strongly counter them with more offensive actions, KCNA said.

The Hwasong-18 ICBM is a developmental, solid-fueled ICBM that is considered North Koreas most powerful weapon. Its built-in solid propellant makes launches harder for outsiders to detect than liquid-fueled missiles, which must be fueled before liftoffs. But many foreign experts say North Korea still has some other technological hurdles to master to acquire reliable nuclear-tipped ICBMs, such as one to protect warheads from the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry.

KCNA said the Hwasong-18 missile  launched at a high angle to avoid neighboring countries  flew a distance of 1,002 kilometers for 73.5 minutes at a maximum altitude of 6,518 kilometers before landing in an area off the Norths east coast. It said Kim expressed great satisfaction with the launch, which verified again the reliability of the most powerful strategic core striking means of North Korea.

It was the Norths third test of the Hwasong-18 missile. Its two previous launches were in April and July.

Based on their statement, this looks to have been an exercise in signaling and a developmental test in one, said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Theres nothing new here technically as far as I can tell at this early stage, but theyre certainly growing increasingly confident in their new solid propellant ICBM.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the Norths latest ICBM test is another indicator of how far its missile engine technology has progressed, but added there are limits to what North Korea can learn from lofted trajectory firings.

Demonstrating warhead targeting and reentry capabilities would involve provocative launches across greater distances, Easley said. So more significant tests of both technology and diplomacy are likely in the New Year.

KCNA said that a recent U.S.-South Korean meeting to discuss their nuclear deterrence plan openly revealed their intention to hold joint drills with a simulated nuclear attack on North Korea.

It referred to the second Nuclear Consultative Group meeting between senior U.S. and South Korean officials Friday. During their meeting in Washington, the two countries agreed to update their nuclear deterrence and contingency strategies and incorporate nuclear operation scenarios in their combined military exercises in the summer, according to officials in Seoul.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said during a Cabinet Council meeting yesterday that a nuclear-based, powerful Korea-U.S. alliance would be formed soon.

The nuclear consultative body is responsible for sharing information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans and joint operations, though the U.S. will retain operational control of its nuclear weapons. The groups establishment was part of U.S. efforts to ease South Korean worries about North Korean provocations while keeping Seoul from pursuing its own nuclear program.

Since 2022, North Korea has performed more than 100 ballistic missile tests in violation of the United Nations bans in what outside experts call an effort to upgrade its nuclear arsenal and win greater U.S. concessions. The North has still avoided fresh international sanctions as China and Russia blocked the U.S. and others efforts to toughen U.N. sanctions on the country.

Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said yesterday that Tokyo is coordinating with Washington and Seoul to arrange a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Norths latest launch. He said Japan will try to get the council to fulfill its intended role.

The United States and South Korea have expanded their military training, bolstered trilateral security cooperation with Japan and increased the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea.

Yesterday, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan began putting into operation the sharing of real-time missile warning data on North Korea and established details of their trilateral exercises in coming years, South Koreas Defense Ministry said in a statement.

North Korea has viewed growing U.S.-South Korea-Japan partnerships as a security threat and sought to boost its own ties with China and Russia in response. North Korea recently faced outside suspicions that it receives sophisticated weapons technologies from Russia in return for supplying conventional arms to support Russias war in Ukraine.

The allies justified actions of cooperation and information-sharing will remain the Kim regimes primary reason to concentrate greater resources and energy into its weapons program, said Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst.

Kim (Jong Un) is clear-eyed in the regional split between the U.S.-allied countries and the North Korea-Russia-China trilateral relationship, she said. So while Kim continues to raise issues with the U.S.-Japan-Korea trilateral, he sees the utility in forming alliances and gravitates toward Beijing and Moscow to serve as a thorn in our side and to protect his own security and interests. HYUNG-JIN KIM, SEOUL, MDT/AP
The head of the CIA jetted to Europe for talks with Israeli and Qatari officials yesterday [Macau time], sounding out the potential for a deal on a new cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza as the United States defense secretary spoke to Israeli military leaders about scaling back major combat operations against Hamas.

Still, there was no sign that a shift in the war was imminent after more than two months of devastating bombardment and fighting. Fierce battles raged in northern Gaza, where residents said rescue workers were searching for the dead and the living under buildings flattened by Israeli strikes.

Pressure is growing as France, the United Kingdom and Germany  some of Israels closest allies  joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza. But after talks with Israeli officials, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, This is Israels operation. Im not here to dictate timelines or terms. The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the United Nations and has rushed munitions to Israel.

The U.N. Security Council delayed to today [Macau time] a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the U.S. to abstain or vote yes on the resolution.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crushes its formidable military capabilities and frees hostages still held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel that ignited the war. Militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 240 others in the attack.

The war has killed more than 19,000 Palestinians and demolished much of the north, turning it into a moonscape. Some 1.9 million Palestinians  nearly 85% of Gazas population  have fled their homes, with most packing into U.N.-run shelters and tent camps in the southern part of the besieged territory.

HOSTAGE TALKS

In an apparent sign that talks on a hostage deal were growing more serious, CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar, a U.S. official said.

It was the first known meeting of the three since the end of a weeklong cease-fire in late November, during which some 100 hostages  including a number of foreign nationals  were freed in exchange for the release of around 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the talks were not at a point where another deal is imminent.

Aiming to increase public pressure on the Israeli government, Hamas released a video showing three older Israeli hostages sitting in white T-shirts and pleading for Israel to bring their immediate release.

The comments were likely made under duress, but the video signaled Hamas wants to move on to discussions of releasing sick and old men from captivity. Israel has said it wants around 19 women and two children freed first. Hamas says the women include soldiers, for whom it is expected to demand a higher price in terms of prisoner releases.

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives. Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends.

SCALING DOWN THE WAR

Austin, who arrived in Israel with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, said he and Israeli officials exchanged thoughts on how to transition from high intensity operations in Gaza and how to increase the flow of humanitarian aid.

American officials have called for targeted operations aimed at killing Hamas leaders, destroying tunnels and rescuing hostages. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Dec. 12 that Israel is losing international support because of its indiscriminate bombing.

Speaking alongside Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said only that the war will take time.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the Israeli chief of staff met with Austin and Brown and presented plans for the continuation of the battle in the coming stages.

European countries appear to be losing patience. Far too many civilians have been killed in Gaza, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Under U.S. pressure, Israel provided more precise evacuation instructions earlier in December as troops moved into the southern city of Khan Younis. Still, casualties have continued to mount and Palestinians say nowhere in Gaza is safe as Israel carries out strikes in all parts of the territory.

Israel reopened its main cargo crossing with Gaza to allow more aid in  also after a U.S. request. But the amount is less than half of prewar imports, even as needs have soared and fighting hinders delivery in many areas. Israel blocked entry of all goods into Gaza soon after the war started, and weeks later began allowing a small amount of aid in through Egypt.

MORE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

At least 110 people were killed in Israeli strikes Sunday on residential buildings in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, Munir al-Boursh, a senior Health Ministry official, told Al Jazeera television.

Fierce fighting continued this week in Jabaliya and the Gaza City districts of Zaytoun and Shijaiyah, where tens of thousands of Palestinians remain trapped, crowded in homes or schools.

In Jabaliya, first responders and residents searched the rubble of many collapsed buildings. They use their hands and shovels, said Amal Radwan, who is staying at a U.N. shelter there. We need bulldozers and above all the bombing to stop.

More than 19,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which has said that most are women and minors and that thousands more are buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

Israels military says 127 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. It says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence.

Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields. But the military rarely comments on individual strikes.

REGIONAL TENSIONS

Yesterday in Bahrain, Austin said that the U.S. and other nations have created a new force to protect commercial ships passing through the Red Sea from attacks by Yemens Houthi rebels. The Houthis say their attacks aim to end Israels offensive in Gaza, and their campaign has prompted a growing list of companies to halt operations in the major trade route.

This is an international challenge that demands collective action, Austin said in statement.

Israel and Lebanons Hezbollah have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the war began. And in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, over 300 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including four overnight during an Israeli military raid in the Faraa refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

This has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005. Most have been killed during military raids, which often ignite gunbattles, or during violent demonstrations. TARA COPP, TEL AVIV, MDT/AP
One of the greatest options for a superior hair transplant Turkey is Asli Tarcan Clinic. Asli Tarcan, one of Turkey's most experienced hair transplant surgeons, is in charge of the clinic. Over 20,000 surgeries have been successfully completed by Tarcan.

How many days do I need to stay in Turkey for hair transplant?

Depending on the hair transplant Istanbul clinic, surgeon, and specifics of your treatment plan, the length of time you must stay in Turkey may differ. But generally speaking, for the length of your visit, these guidelines include:

Preoperative assessment and first consultation

For an initial consultation with the surgeon, it could be necessary for you to arrive one or two days before the scheduled treatment. The surgeon will assess your hair loss, talk with you about your objectives, and complete the treatment plan during this time.

Process of hair transplantation

The actual hair transplant surgery usually takes a full day, while larger sessions may need splitting it over two days. Make sure the surgery takes up the entire day or days.

Quick postoperative treatment

You might need to stay for one or two more days after the treatment in order to receive immediate postoperative care, be monitored, and have any bandages or dressings taken off.

Rescheduled appointments

The majority of clinics make follow-up visits for the first week following the surgery. The surgeon will assess your healing process, take out any sutures, and give you more instructions at these visits.

Recuperation and time following surgery

Even if you might be allowed to return home following the initial postoperative phase, you should always take the full healing period into account before starting your regular activities again. Patients are often recommended to avoid intense activity, direct sun exposure, and certain movements for many days to weeks following hair transplant surgery. The exact recovery period may vary depending on the procedure.

A typical stay for patients having hair transplants in Turkey is between five and seven days. It is imperative to adhere to the particular guidelines provided by your surgeon and clinic, as there may be differences in their postoperative care procedures.

It's also important to keep in mind that some people decide to remain longer in order to travel more or unwind, particularly because Turkey is a well-liked destination for medical tourism. In order to guarantee a seamless and enjoyable experience, if you intend to travel for a hair transplant, talk with the clinic about the specifics of your trip, including how long you'll be staying.

How much does a 5000-graft hair transplant cost in Istanbul?

The price of a hair transplant, including one involving 5000 grafts, can differ between clinics and be influenced by a number of variables, such as the experience of the surgeon, the standing of the clinic, the type of hair transplant technique (FUE or FUT), and the particular services that are part of the package.

In Turkey, the price per graft could be as high as $3. As a result, the approximate cost of a 5000-graft hair transplant in Istanbul could range from $5,000 to $15,000 or even higher.

It's crucial to remember that these are only approximate costs and that actual costs may range between clinics. While some clinics may charge for postoperative care, drugs, and other services separately, others may provide package deals that include these services.

It is advised to get in touch with respectable clinics directly in order to obtain the most accurate and current information on the price of a 5000-graft hair transplant in Istanbul. Make appointments for consultations with many clinics to go over your needs in detail, evaluate their offerings, and find out the complete cost including any possible extra charges.

When making your choice, don't forget to take the clinic's reputation, the surgeon's credentials, and the general standard of the facilities into account. Remember that costs can change, so make sure you get the most recent details straight from the clinics you are thinking about.

How much do 5000 hair grafts cost in Turkey?

The price of a hair transplant in Turkey might differ significantly based on the clinic, the experience of the surgeon, the procedure (FUE or FUT) used, and extra services that are part of the package. One important consideration when calculating the total cost is the cost per graft.

It's crucial to remember that these are only approximate costs and that actual costs may range between clinics. While some clinics may charge extra for these treatments, others may offer all-inclusive packages that include postoperative care, prescription drugs, and other services.

To obtain the most precise and current details regarding the price of a 5000-graft hair transplant in Turkey, it is advised to get in touch with respectable clinics directly. Make appointments for consultations with many clinics to go over your unique requirements, evaluate their offerings, and get comprehensive price quotes.

Prioritize the surgeon's credentials, the clinic's standing, and the general standard of care when thinking about getting a hair transplant in addition to the expense.

This content is provided for informational purposes only by the advertiser and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice. Any views, thoughts or opinions in this paid post belong solely to the advertiser and do not represent the views of Brand Ave. Studios or its parent company.

This provided content was produced by Lee Enterprises. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display.
A Madison man was arrested on a litany of charges after he stole a local church's Christmas funds from a parked car Monday afternoon, police said.

Officers were dispatched to Bethel Lutheran Church on reports of money being stolen from a car parked outside the church just before 4 p.m. The stolen money was the church's Christmas fund, collected to help children in the community.

The owner of the car witnessed the theft in action while carrying a child to the car. After being spotted, the man took off with the envelope full of money and two smartphones. Police captured Jose A. Lino, 59, later that afternoon in a grocery store on East Washington Avenue.

According to police, Lino resisted the arrest, spitting on and kicking officers. In addition to the theft charge, Lino faces tentative charges of discharging bodily fluids toward a public safety worker, felony bail jumping, resisting arrest causing a soft tissue injury, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC, misdemeanor bail jumping and carrying a concealed weapon.
A paroled burglar has been arrested for multiple burglaries in Dane County in November and December, authorities reported.

The investigation involved the Madison Police Department Burglary Crime Unit, detectives and officers, and the University of Wisconsin Police Department, and led to multiple charges against perpetual Dane County burglar Peter G, Hamilton, 32, Madison police by Sgt. Scott Reitmeier said in a statement Tuesday.

Hamilton was arrested on Dec. 7 while in possession of stolen items and a search warrant later was served on a storage unit, which yielded a large number of stolen items from multiple Madison cases, as well as items stolen from victims outside Madison, Reitmeier said.

Hamilton, who is a felon on parole for burglary and criminal damage to property, has a long criminal history that includes convictions for: burglary, manufacture/delivery of amphetamine, illegal drug possession offenses, theft, theft by false representation, operate motor vehicle without owner's consent, disorderly conduct, retail theft, and felony and misdemeanor bail jumping, Reitmeier said.

Hamilton, who was out on bail at the time of his latest crimes for similar offenses, has been charged by the Dane County District Attorney's Office with six counts of burglary of a building or dwelling as a repeater, misdemeanor theft, and two counts of felony bail jumping, Reitmeier said.

More charges against Hamilton are possible as the investigations continue, Reitmeier said.
McALLEN, Texas (AP)  How far can a state go to keep migrants out of the U.S.?

The answer may soon come out of Texas, where a new law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this week will allow police to arrest migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and give local judges the authority to order them to leave the country.

Acting quickly, civil rights groups and a Texas border county filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to stop the measure from taking effect in March, calling it unconstitutional. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also blasted the Texas law but wouldn't say whether the Justice Department would challenge it.

Here are some things to know:

WHO CAN BE ARRESTED?

The measure allows any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest people who are suspected of entering the country illegally. Once in custody, migrants could either agree to a Texas judge's order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Migrants who don't leave could face arrest again under more serious felony charges.

Arresting officers must have probable cause, which could include witnessing the illegal entry themselves or seeing it on video.

The law cannot be enforced against people lawfully present in the U.S., including those who were granted asylum or who are enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"The goal of these laws is to make sure that when they see somebody crossing over the border, as the National Guard see, as the Texas Department of Public Safety see, they know they're not profiling. They are seeing with their own eyes people who are violating the law," Abbott said Monday.

However, critics, including Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, worry the law could lead to racial profiling and family separation. American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Texas and some neighboring states issued a travel advisory this week warning people of a possible threat their civil and constitutional rights violations when passing through Texas.

During a news briefing Tuesday, Lopez Obrador said Abbott was looking to score political points with people's lives.

"The Texas governor acts that way because he wants to be the Republican vice-presidential candidate and wants to win popularity with these measures," Lopez Obrador said. "He's not going to win anything. On the contrary, he is going to lose support because there are a lot of Mexicans in Texas, a lot of migrants."

WHERE WILL THE LAW BE ENFORCED?

It can be enforced anywhere in Texas.

Republican state Rep. David Spiller, who carried the bill in the Texas House, says he expects the vast majority of arrests will occur within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Some places are off-limits. Arrests can't be made in public and private schools; churches, synagogues or other established places of worship; hospitals and other health care facilities, including those where sexual assault forensic examinations are conducted.

Under the Texas law, migrants ordered to leave would be sent to ports of entry along the border with Mexico, even if they are not Mexican citizens.

IS THE LAW CONSTITUTIONAL?

Legal experts and immigrant rights group have said the measure is a clear conflict with the U.S. government's authority to regulate immigration.

A key claim in Tuesday's lawsuit filed by the ACLU and other groups is that it violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause. The suit accuses Texas of trying "to create a new state system to regulate immigration that completely bypasses and conflicts with the federal system."

Opponents have called the measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law  denounced by critics as the "Show Me Your Papers" bill  that was largely struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court's 2012 decision on the Arizona law stated the federal government has exclusive power over immigration.

Abbott and other Republicans have said President Joe Biden is not doing enough to control the 1,950-mile (3,149-kilometer) southern border.

"In his absence, Texas has the constitutional authority to secure our border through historic laws like SB 4," Abbott said in a statement.

The U.S. government has not said whether it will challenge the Texas law, as it did with Arizona's measure.

Mexico's president has indicated his country will intervene.

WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE BORDER?

Abbott signed the law Monday amid an increase in border crossings that has stretched U.S. Customs and Border Protection resources. Troy Miller, the agency's acting commissioner, has called the number of daily arrivals "unprecedented," with illegal crossings topping 10,000 some days across the border in December.

Thousands of asylum-seekers who have crossed are sleeping outside along the border overnight as they wait for federal agents to process them. Most are released with notices to appear in immigration courts, which are backlogged with more than 3 million cases.

Many are crossing at the Texas cities of Eagle Pass and El Paso, where federal officials suspended cross-border rail traffic in response to migrants riding freight trains through Mexico, hopping off just before entering the U.S.

The U.S. government also recently shut down the nearby international crossing between Lukeville, Arizona, and Sonoyta, Mexico, to free Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the port of entry to help with transportation and other support. The agency also has partially closed a few other border ports of entry in recent months, including a pedestrian crossing in San Diego.

___

Associated Press writers Acacia Coronado and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas; Christopher Sherman in Mexico City; and Zeke Miller in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

___

Cities with the largest immigrant populations Cities With the Largest Immigrant Populations The US foreign born population share was at a near historic high before the pandemic Mexican immigrants account for nearly 25 percent of the foreign born population More than a quarter of the California population is foreign born Small and midsize metros with the most immigrants 15. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 14. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 13. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 12. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 11. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 9. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 6. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA 3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
Dont miss out on the December 31 deadline for consolidating your federal student loans  and possibly saving a fortune in interest, or having your balance completely forgiven! Its called the One Time IDR Account Adjustment and you can manage the entire process online at StudentAid.gov.

The fast-approaching deadline for this one-time IDR Account Adjustment is Dec 31, 2023. This plan was designed to provide loan forgiveness of balances for those who have been paying on undergrad loans for 20 years, or for those who have been paying on graduate school loans or Parent Plus loans for 25 years.

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This IDR Account Adjustment includes periods of forbearance, as well as any period in which your loans were in repayment status  even if you werent making a payment. All count toward that total loan repayment period, leading to forgiveness of the remaining balance. The borrower consolidates under the new, lower payments allowed in the SAVE income-based payment plan, where interest no longer accrues to the balance.

And until the year-end deadline, this consolidation does not restart the repayment clock, as is typically the case. (Loans consolidated after the year-end deadline will restart the repayment period.)

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As a result of this program, the administration has already forgiven billions in loan balances, as borrowers consolidate existing loans to get new lower payments under the SAVE plan. They also get maximum credit for previous payments, either shortening their future repayment time or resulting in outright forgiveness.

Hidden opportunities

Student loan repayment expert Rae Kaplan (www.RaeKaplan.com ) explains that, buried within this one-time program, there is an opportunity to use this short window to consolidate newer loans with much older loans. For example, she points out that some newer Parent Plus loans for a borrowers children might be consolidated with the parents own long-outstanding existing loans (no matter what the balance) and then the entire amount will be re-aged. That lowers the total repayment time on both sets of loans  or might even result in total loan forgiveness, even for the most recent loans!

Theres even a special benefit for those seeking a Public Service Loan Waiver (PSLF), which requires you to have completed 10 years of full-time work (could be two part-time jobs in one year), from October 1, 2007 forward. The employment does not have to be consecutive. But getting a signed waiver proving your employment is required. The result could be total loan forgiveness.

Kaplan advises that if you have previously worked in the public sector now is the time to get the employment certification form submitted to MOHELA (which services all loans registered for PSLF) so you can receive maximum credit under the executive order which expires Dec 31. If you cant get the form signed by the previous employer, then submit your W2s for that period instead.

Heres how to get started:

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Step 1. Go to Studentaid.gov and sign in to your account using your federal student loan ID. There you can start the process to consolidate online. Just click on repay loans. Then use drop-down box to select consolidate. This process is for all federal student loans, but does not include private loans. Please note, if you have older FFEL loans, you definitely should include these loans in the consolidation.

As noted above, the consolidation process normally resets the repayment clock  but if you act by Dec 31, that rule does not apply. Instead, all those previous years of repayment status will give you more years of credit toward forgiveness under this executive order.

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Step 2. While youre logged in at studentaid.gov, after you consolidate your loans you should apply for an income-based repayment plan under todays new more generous rules. Remember, the SAVE plan assesses less of your income, does not include spousal income, and caps payments at a much lower level. Anyone who took out a loan in 2014 or later will qualify  with the exception of Parent Plus loans. And it could easily cut your monthly payment in half!

Step 3. Also, while youre in this process at studentaid.gov, choose a new federal loan servicer  MOHELA, Nelnet, EdFinancial or AidVantage. The new loan servicer will apply the new, lower SAVE payments to your account. AND they will automatically count all previous payments to determine whether your loans are forgiven or how much closer you are to having them forgiven. If your loan is not yet forgiven, they will show your new timeline to forgiveness.

Yes, it sounds complex  and possibly too good to be true. But as of mid-December, more than 3.6 million borrowers have already been approved for nearly $132 billion in loan forgiveness. You could be one of them if you act quickly. And thats The Savage Truth!

(Terry Savage is a registered investment adviser and the author of four best-selling books, including The Savage Truth on Money. Terry responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.)

2023 Terry Savage. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Janesville man convicted of killing a woman at a Wisconsin Dells hotel in 2021 will have no chance for release from prison until 2068 under a judge's sentence.

Jeremy Mondy, 37, of Janesville, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of the woman in February 2021. The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence and Columbia County Judge Todd Hepler ruled Dec. 11 that Mondy won't be eligible for extended supervision until 2068.

Along with the homicide conviction, Mondy was convicted of felony and misdemeanor bail jumping, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon. All sentences related to those convictions will run concurrent with his life sentence.

Mondy initially told law enforcement that he and the woman struggled over a gun in the hotel room bathroom before it went off accidentally. He later changed his statement and said he pulled the trigger to defend himself, according to the criminal complaint. He added that he panicked and got rid of the firearm before returning to the hotel room.

According to the complaint:

A Wisconsin Dells police officer responded to a welfare check request from staff at The VUE Boutique Hotel just after 11:30 a.m. on Valentines Day, Feb. 14, 2021.

Mondy responded to three hotel room door knocks from responding officers. Hotel staff reported that Mondy and the woman were seen by housekeeping staff passed out on the bed and bathroom floor, respectively. Mondy told an officer he was OK and referred to the woman as crazy when the officer asked about her. The officer then asked Mondy if the woman was alive, to which he responded no with a blank stare.

Another responding officer found the woman dead on the bathroom floor after Mondy was detained.

After taking Mondy to the Wisconsin Dells police station, an officer smelled intoxicants on Mondys breath and reported him to likely be under the influence.

Mondy told officers the womans name, which is not included in the criminal complaint under Wisconsins Marsys Law, which gives privacy to crime victims. He added that he lived with the woman for a month during 2020 when speaking with state special agents.

The complaint states Mondy and the woman had alcohol in the room after checking in on Feb. 13.

Mondy was credited with 1,030 days already served.

Who are they? WI children reported missing as of December 16 These are recent reports of missing children made to local law enforcement. If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
The Clear Lake Police Department arrested two Wisconsin residents Tuesday night who are wanted on homicide charges in Michigan.

According to a police statement, at around 6 p.m. Tuesday Michigan's Houghton County Sheriff's Offthat ice alerted Clear Lake police the two suspects were in the the Clear Lake area and were considered armed and dangerous.

By 6:30 p.m., officers had arrested Margaret Anne Rose Kempainen, 50, and Jacob Alan Charles Kempainen, 20, both of Hartland, a suburb of Milwaukee.

According to a report by Upper Michigans Source TV-6, the two, along with an unnamed juvenile, are wanted in connection with the murder of family member 86-year-old Alvin Kempainen, who was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in his home in the town of Hancock in Michigan.

The two are currently being held at the Cerro Gordo County Jail awaiting extradition to Houghton County, Michigan.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office, Hancock County Sheriffs Office, and the Garner Police Department all assisted at the scene.
Tobacco control advocates have welcomed the appointment of Teodoro Herbosa as the Secretary of the Department of Health, 18 months after President Marcos assumed power in 2022.



Advocates said they are confident Herbosa will boost programs meant to curb smoking and e-cigarette use in the country.



In a joint statement, HealthJustice Philippines, Parents Against Vape (PAV), Action for Economic Reforms (AER), and Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) said they are confident Herbosa will continue to support strong tobacco control efforts, including increased funding for tobacco prevention and stronger regulation of e-cigarette use.



They said that doing so would help reduce cases of tobacco-related diseases.



We have great confidence in Secretary Ted Herbosas leadership to address pressing issues of the DOH and the health sector, including the tobacco epidemic in the Philippines, to achieve a healthy country, the group said.

They recalled that Herbosa, during his stint as Health undersecretary under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, was very active as a proponent of six tax measures on tobacco products.



Approving the sin tax bill will lead to an increase in the prices of tobacco, which will discourage the youth from smoking and reduce cigarette consumption among established smokers, Herbosa said in 2012 during the campaign to increase the tobacco tax.



Republic Act 10351 or the Sin Tax Law was passed in 2013.



He is a champion of universal health care, health taxes, the welfare of health workers, the use of health technology assessment and the use of digitalization, the access to cheap essential medicines, the promotion of alcohol and tobacco control, and the attention to road safety, AER said in a statement.

We especially recognize his contribution to the passage of a series of sin taxes, resulting in higher revenues for government, higher budget for health programs particularly universal healthcare, and significant reduction specifically of smoking prevalence.



The sin tax law, which requires steady increases in excise taxes on tobacco, significantly contributed to the decrease in smoking prevalence among adult Filipinos.



The dramatic drop in tobacco use of Filipinos as reflected in the recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)  from 23.8% in 2015 to 19.5% in 2021  proves that the Philippine governments strong tobacco control measures are working, especially the initiatives to increase sin tax. We expect Sec. Herbosa to sustain efforts that will further bring down the smoking prevalence in the Philippines, PAV said.



While the results of the 2021 GATS underscore the immense progress the Philippines has made, the Marcos government must not waver in its commitment to address the immeasurable harm of tobacco use. We call on Sec. Ted Herbosa to continue and sustain the implementation of other proven measures to reduce tobacco use. Among these are: enacting further increases in tobacco tax, institutionalizing the smoke-free policy, strictly regulating vaping and e-cigarette products to protect children and youth, and strengthening the restrictions on warning labels on tobacco products and tobacco advertising, PLCPD noted.



HealthJustice, meanwhile, says it is confident that Herbosa will prioritize the health and well-being of Filipinos, most especially the Filipino children.

HealthJustice commits its support and willingness to partner with the DOH in the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law, it said.



Vape epidemic

PAV also urged Herbosa to strictly implement regulations against e-cigarettes or vapes.



The 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) revealed that 1 in 7 Filipino students aged 13 to 15 said that they are currently using e-cigarettes.

The GYTS offers compelling evidence that e-cigarettes and other tobacco products are widely accessible even when a law restricts access to minors. We call on Sec. Ted Herbosa to push for the strong implementation of laws that protect the youth against the harms of vaping and smoking, PAV stressed.



Child Rights Network and the PAV earlier this year also urged the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to take immediate action to protect the childrens right to health and an environment free from tobacco and nicotine.



Among the suggestions of the advocacy groups is for DepEd and CHED to release guidelines to ensure that the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes is not conducted within a 200-meter radius of schools.
Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) will appeal the 14-day suspension order slapped on its two shows, including one hosted by former President Rodrigo Duterte, citing the issue of press freedom.

However, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines asserted that press freedom cannot be used to justify hate speech and disinformation.

The Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa program was halted after Duterte threatened ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro in the shows October and November episodes.

Meanwhile, the suspension of the show Laban Kasama ang Bayan came after anchors Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy-Partosa falsely claimed Speaker Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion in travel expenses in a year.

While we are wary of government censorship, we note that the network was given due process on its potential violations, due process that was not given to the individuals and organizations that Badoy-Partosa and Celiz brazenly defamed on their show, the NUJP said in a statement.

Freedom of expression and the freedom of the press are not blanket justifications for hate speech, vilification and threats, the group added.

SMNI Legal Officer Mark Tolentino told ABS-CBN News they will file an appeal within the week.

Before Christmas, we will file our appeal / motion for reconsideration.It is only a preventive suspension. It is not a penalty, he said.

Main argument is due process, freedom of press. Decision of MTRCB might have conflict with the decision of the prosecutors office of Quezon City. Preventive suspension is not necessary pending investigation. There is no urgency, Tolentino added.

The MTRCB said it issued a warning to SMNI that similar incidents will be dealt with more sternly. The television network committed to pre-record and review episodes before airing.

Castro on Tuesday welcomed the suspension order, saying it was long overdue.

But at last now something has been done to curtail the constant red-tagging, spreading of disinformation and threatening of individuals using these two shows as well as the network, she said.

Hopefully this marks the start of SMNI and the people behind it being made accountable. The authorities should look into the pattern and consistent red-tagging, terrorist-labelling for longer and more decisive measures, the lawmaker added.

Castro earlier filed a grave threat complaint against Duterte after the latter gave on-air advice to his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, about how she could use intelligence and confidential funds allocated to her office and the education department, which she also heads.

Your first target with your intelligence fund is you, you France.

Tell her, It is you communists who I want to kill, Duterte said in the interview that was reshared thousands of times on Facebook. It was later deleted from SMNIs Facebook page.
Senator Christopher Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, renewed his commitment to focus on advancing the countrys mental health initiatives.

During the 95th Founding Anniversary of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong City on Dec 18, Go emphasized the need for enhanced mental health services, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemics impact on the mental well-being of Filipinos.

He highlighted the staggering effects of the pandemic on mental health. He noted the increase in cases of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, aggravated by the pandemics social and economic fallout.

In todays world, he cited the need to pay attention not only to physical health but also to mental well-being. The NCMH serves as a guide and sanctuary for those in need of support and understanding in this matter.

During his visit to NCMH, Go also checked on the operations of the Malasakit Center inside the hospital. As principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act, Go stressed that patients and their families can conveniently avail of medical assistance here or in any of the 159 Malasakit Centers operational nationwide.

Go then outlined several legislative measures he has championed to address mental health concerns. These measures aim not only to provide

necessary support for those suffering from mental health issues butalso to destigmatize mental health care in the Philippines.

He emphasized the need to reinforce the implementation of Republic Act No. 11036, also known as the Philippine Mental Health Act. This Act, signed into law during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte, highlights the right of all Filipinos to access mental health care.

It aims to deliver mental health services at the barangay level, incorporate mental health and wellness programs at the community level, enhance mental health facilities, and foster mental health education in both educational institutions and workplaces.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education previously reported that in 2021, 404 students from public schools committed suicide while 2,147 attempted to take their own lives.

It is for this reason that the senator has been pushing for the passage of his proposed Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1786, aimed at mandating public higher education institutions (HEIs) to establish Mental Health Offices on the campuses. He accentuated the urgency of addressing mental health issues among young learners.

If enacted into law, SBN 1786 proposes the establishment of Mental Health Offices to set up campus hotlines with dedicated and trained guidance counselors to assist the whole HEI community, especially the students.

The bill also states that special attention shall be given to those identified as having mental health problems or conditions, especially those at risk of committing suicide.

In addition, Go has co-authored and co-sponsored SBN 2200, or the proposed Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which was principally sponsored by Gatchalian. This measure aims to provide comprehensive mental health support for the youth in the countrys basic education system, requiring both private and public schools to integrate mental health education and support services into their curriculum.

Go further underscored the significance of the recently enacted RA 11959.

As the principal sponsor and one of its authors, the Regional Specialty Centers Act mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers, including mental care, within existing Department of Health (DOH) regional hospitals to bring specialized medical care including mental health closer to communities.

Go has been a consistent champion of mental health initiatives. During every budget deliberation in the Senate, he underscored the importance of securing adequate funding and executing mental health programs effectively.

Earlier, he conveyed his support for the DOHs 2024-2028 Philippine Council for Mental Health (PCMH) Strategic Framework, an all-encompassing strategy designed to tackle mental health concerns in the Philippines. Backed by the World Health Organizations (WHO) Special Initiative for Mental Health, the framework gives importance to improving patient guidance and referral systems, creating an internal oversight board dedicated to mental health concerns, and educating media organizations on responsible reporting regarding mental health.

As part of his appeal to scale up mental health programs in the country, Go cited that his proposed special provision under the PhilHealth 2023 budget was adopted, which indicated the use of the PhP21 billion budget pertaining to benefit package improvement under Universal Health Care Act.

He stressed the need for continued increase, improvement and expansion of mental health programs, asserting, We should continue to improve our mental health programs and ensure that all forms of psychosocial assistance will be made available to Filipinos who are suffering from all forms of mental health issues, especially at this time of crisis.

On the same day, Go also attended the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines convention at the Diamond Hotel.
President Marcos on Wednesday announced various assistance programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and urged them to take advantage of these initiatives.

At a speech during OFW Family Day in Pasay City, the President emphasized the governments commitment to ongoing programs and initiatives aimed at securing aid for OFWs and improving their families quality of life.

I hope you will make the most of and use these benefits properly, he said in Filipino. As you work hard overseas for a better life for your family, we are also working hard to further develop our country so that when you return, you will see significant changes.

A key initiative is the establishment of the One Repatriation Command Center, featuring a 24/7 hotline 1348 available for individuals requiring rescue, repatriation, counseling, and legal assistance.

Additionally, the government is extending services and programs to facilitate the reintegration of OFWs opting to remain in the Philippines permanently.

More notable programs include the Livelihood Development Assistance Program, Balik Pinas, Balik Hanap-Buhay, Financial Awareness Seminar-Small Business Management Training, Enterprise Development Loan Program, and Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa Pag-unlad ng Samahang OFWs.

President Marcos also highlighted government initiatives such as the OFW Children Circle, the OWWA Education and Training Program, Educational Assistance, and the construction of the OFW Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga.

My wish is for us to be united in dreaming and building a strong, prosperous nation full of opportunities for every Filipino. To achieve this, I encourage everyone to embrace being a modern Filipino, he said.

In the new Philippines, he said, overseas employment would be just an alternative because there are more opportunities within the country.

Opportunities in Germany, Greece

Meanwhile, the German embassy said Germany has passed legislation giving skilled workers from around the world, including the Philippines, more opportunities to migrate there.

In a statement, German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Pfaffernoshke said he sees vast potential in expanding ties between both countries, particularly with the launching of the Skilled Migration Act.

We will foster cooperation on the migration of skilled workers to Germany in technical professions, he said.

The German Embassy in Manila said the new legislation will introduce novel channels for skilled workers from countries outside the European Union (EU)including the Philippines to immigrate to Germany.

This act significantly broadens opportunities for individuals seeking entry into Germany and the European Union for the recognition of their foreign professional qualifications. The phased implementation of these new regulations began in November this year, it said.

For skilled workers with higher educational background, the embassy said, immigration possibilities for them are expanded through the EU Blue Card, which feature lowered salary thresholds, expanded eligibility, an extended list of professions, and facilitated family reunification.

Information Technology (IT) specialists, for example, can secure an EU Blue Card, based on professional experience alone, without a formal qualification.

The measure also ensures that skilled workers with professional or academic training are entitled to a residence permit, provided all requirements are met.

Those with completed professional qualifications or higher education can engage in any qualified employment within the non-regulated sector, and the connection between training and employment is no longer mandatory, the embassy said.

David Klebs, the embassys economic counselor, said Germany is attractive for skilled workers because of its excellent working and living conditions, equal pay, full health insurance, and legal access to permanent residence and citizenship.

Klebs also emphasized the family-friendly policies, joint government and company-run programs, and the positive impact on the Filipino workforce in terms of remittances, work experiences, and skills development.

Germany is welcoming skilled workers with open arms and full support, he said.

Greeces conservative government, meanwhile, pushed through a controversial law offering limited legal status to migrant workers, overriding the opposition of several of its own lawmakers including a former prime minister.

Some 30,000 migrants are expected to benefit, mainly from Albania, Georgia and the Philippines, according to the migration ministry, addressing serious labor shortages in the farm sector.

Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis has said the legalization move is purely labor-related. It is aimed at those who arrived in Greece before 2021 and have been working illegally.

The temporary legal status will only be valid for a one-off three-year period and applies to those already with job offers from employers.

Repatriated OFWs

Also on Wednesday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it is exerting all legal efforts to repatriate the 96 overseas Filipino workers in Israel due to difficulty in finding flights for them during the holiday season.

DMW Assistant Secretary Felicitas Bay said there are still 96 OFWs in Israel who have expressed a desire to be repatriated, but the department is having difficulty in finding flights back to the Philippines. We have the funds to get the tickets but the flight is very difficult to get now. The airlines are fully booked. But well try our best before the end of the year, she said.

The DMW said a total of 413 OFWs from Israel have already arrived in the country after another 37 OFWs from war-torn Israel landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Tuesday evening.
Charter change can help define, protect PH territorySpeaker

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said that the current tension in the West Philippine Sea could be an additional reason to push for constitutional amendments.

In an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, Romualdez said Charter change could be beneficial in protecting the nations territory and boosting the countrys territorial integrity.

A review of the Constitution is necessary to remove ambiguities in the definition of national territory. Babalangkasin po ang malinaw na definition ng Philippine Territory (We will establish the framework for the clear definition of Philippine territory), the Speakers office later said in a statement.

Moreover, Romualdez assured the public that the Congress fully supported President Marcos orders to secure the countrys territory.

Thats right, thats the mandate of the President. We here in the legislature are also working and marching in lockstep with our Presidents foreign policy, he said in Filipino.

Romualdez issued the statement in the wake of a string of aggressive actions by China in the West Philippine Sea, including the ramming and water cannon attacks against Filipino vessels conducting resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers supported Romualdezs push, saying passing laws to circumvent prohibitions in the Charter are admissions to the flaws in the 1987 Constitution and its failure to adapt to the changing needs of the country.

Barbers, a member of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said that a revised Constitution will be a better tool for our President, now and in the future, to sell the country to investors and navigate the global business network for our people.

He added: Instead of going out to work, they will be staying to man and run businesses both foreign and local that may choose the country if the right climate prevails.

Passing laws in the hope of curing the flaws of the Charter is an admission of the need to amend it. Even if Congress passes thousands of economic laws in contravention of the Constitution, nothing will change. They will be questioned before the Supreme Court. It is a waste of valuable resources. It is an admission that the Charter has failed us economically, politically, and socially. What are we waiting for, to be at the bottom of the ladder? Barbers asked.

In ASEAN alone, from the leader, we are now number eight out of 10 nations. Vietnam and Cambodia have overtaken us. How much more in Asia and the world? We have to wake up from our deep slumber and constant denial of the need to change. It is time for a reality check. The time is now, Barbers said.

In the political provisions, Barbers said the admissions of some of the framers of the Constitution that they had no concrete basis for putting the three-year term caps on the House members is in itself a reason to consider a Charter review. Why the distinction and discrimination?

Also on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said nobody supports Chinas assertion that it was the Philippines that started provocative acts in the West Philippine Sea.

I just want to react on this, I think there was a comment that the Philippines is making provoking activities here and that we are creating trouble in the South China Sea as stated by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teodoro said on the sidelines of the acceptance, turnover, and blessing ceremony of a new air surveillance radar facility and battle command center at the Wallace Air Station in San Fernando City, La Union.

My response to that is that only China believes in what they are saying, and in fact, no country in the worldnonesupports unequivocally their claim to the whole of the South China Sea, he added.

Now on the Philippine side, a lot of countries support our sovereignty and jurisdiction and sovereign rights over the exclusive economic zone and other areas where we have territorial jurisdiction, he said.

The Chinese foreign ministry earlier lambasted the so-called provocative acts of the Philippines in the WPS. China also warned that the Philippines tying itself to some major power and forcing China to back down on issues concerning Chinas core interests will lead nowhere.

China has repeatedly blamed the Philippines for starting trouble in the West Philippine Sea despite video evidence to the contrary.

Teodoro on Wednesday said that dialogues with the President regarding a paradigm shift in the way the country deals with China are ongoing.

We are continuously in communication and we are working towards that end. Thats all I can say for now, Teodoro said.

President Marcos on Tuesday said that new strategies are needed to counter the aggression of the Chinese in the WPS because traditional diplomatic efforts have shown no significant results.

In other developments, a civilian convoy to the WPS is planning a new mission to the area in the summer of 2024 despite harassment by Chinese maritime militia ships and Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

Rafaela David, Akbayan party president and Atin Ito Coalition co-convenor, said the civilian Christmas convoy, composed of fishers,

civil society, religious and church groups, was successful in bringing Christmas cheer to frontliners in the West Philippine Sea.
If theres one significant outcome of the recently concluded summit in Tokyo between leaders of ASEAN and Japan, it must be the agreement to strengthen maritime security cooperation.

While the summit was geared mainly toward boosting economic ties, it appears there was consensus among the participants that they should address Chinas growing regional assertiveness as well.

Building a robust united front based on close maritime security cooperation is vital as Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade corridor, on the basis of a fictional ten-dash line thats sorely lacking in both historical and legal foundation.

Japan is well-placed to assist member-nations of the regional in seeing to it that the South China Sea remains open to global trade.

It has begun to beef up its military capability in recent years as soon as it became apparent that China would increasingly try to force its will against other countries like the Philippines also claiming ownership of parts of the South China Sea.

Japan is also engaged in a territorial despite with Beijing over Senkaku island.

Hence, it has been ramping up defense spending lately despite its post-war pacifist stand not to rearm itself.

But with the changed geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region, it has decided to boost its own military capability and to enhance security cooperation with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region to protect its own national interest.

Last month, Japan agreed to provide the Philippines with loans amounting to billions of US dollars for new coast guard vessels and a sophisticated radar system.

This, after Chinese Coast Guard vessels harassed our own vessels with water cannons and deliberate ramming incidents.

Our security ties with Japan are expected to deepen with negotiations on a Reciprocal Access Agreement that would include provisions for the deployment of troops on each others soil. This is a positive development that bears watching.

Its not just with the Philippines that Japan is forging security arrangements.

Reports indicate that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has discussed with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim the possibility of providing Malaysia with rescue boats and drones under a new security framework.

In September, militaries from ASEAN nations held their first-ever joint exercises, although host Indonesia insisted they were non-combat drills, focusing on areas such as disaster relief and maritime patrols.

The recent ASEAN-Japan summit stressed the need for a rules-based Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for territorial integrity. But is China listening?

Thats not likely, were afraid.

Asked about the ASEAN summit, Chinas foreign ministry said it believed that any cooperation should be conducive to advancing mutual trust and promoting common developmentand any cooperation should not target third parties, apparently referring to the United States.
For wine lovers, theres nothing more festive than a splash of Champagne to ring in the holidays. But like Band-Aids and the Xerox machine, the term Champagne is too often used as a generic substitution for any sparkling wine  whether or not it comes from the Champagne region of France.

The European Union and the Champenois will forever object to this and lobby trademark disputes as needed. But its more unfair, perhaps, to the bevy of other sparkling wine producers worldwide whose products remain woefully unsung and underappreciated. Theres a wide range of sparkling wine options and just as many reasons why choosing alt-sparkling may spark even more joy this holiday season.

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For many, the price tag alone puts Champagne squarely out of reach. Because of sexier marketing and its blue-chip reputation, Champagne rarely sells for under $40 in retail stores these days, regardless of quality or provenance. In restaurants, youre lucky to find it for less than $100. While truly great and exceptionally rare Champagne can certainly merit top-tier pricing, there are many other distinctive, delicious styles of sparkling wines that are starkly underpriced by comparison.

If youre looking for value but still want something reminiscent of Champagne, the obvious start is the broader spectrum of wines made in the Champagne style, or methode traditionelle. Franciacorta from Italy, Spanish Cava and the Cremant appellations of France are just some of the regions where regional wine laws require that grapes be fermented into a still wine first, after which a second fermentation is triggered in the bottle to produce bubbles. Compared to other sparkling wines that are made by refermenting wine in large, pressurized tanks, wines made like Champagne often have an added elegance and complexity.

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At Maple & Ash, a group of restaurants in Chicago and Scottsdale, Arizona, Champagne occupies four pages of the wine list compared to just a single page of other sparkling wine options, says Amy Mundwiler, national director of wine for Maple Hospitality. Their best-selling sparkling by volume is not Champagne, however, but the Bouvet Rose Excellence Brut, a Cremant de Loire from France. Its popularity is due largely to the Cremants approachable price point  half the price of most entry-level Champagne on their list  Mundwiler says. For most consumers, the difference between a well-made Cremant and entry-level Champagne is likely to be negligible. Unless you have a very, very good palate, youre not going to be able to taste the difference, says Mundwiler.

Daisies, the Logan Square pasta specialist, serves no French wine at all so were always looking for alternatives to Champagne, says Leah Matthews, the restaurants wine director. Even without Champagne though, Matthews selections of sparklers span a wide spectrum of styles  various Italian Prosecco, Franciacorta and Lambrusco, as well as local offerings from Illinois and Michigan.

Price isnt the only factor that might steer you away from Champagne. While Champagne is attractive for its celebratory feel, many wine drinkers admit (often sheepishly) that they simply dont enjoy the taste or mouthfeel of Champagne  its piercing acidity, its sharper, steelier edges and lack of forward, fruity flavors.

For many, the lower acidity and upfront fruitiness of Cava and Prosecco provide a softer, more approachable taste profile than Champagne. Admittedly, both Cava and Prosecco suffer a bad rap from the glut of mass-produced, often forgettable wines that tend to dominate discount wine retailers. But theres been a big push toward higher quality and more distinctive wine production in both regions. In Italy, Mundwiler explains that more elegant expressions of Prosecco with more nuanced flavors can be found in specified appellations like the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Similarly, in Spain, former Cava producers are crafting remarkably elevated expressions of Spanish sparkling wine in newly created appellations like Classic Penedes, Corpinnat or Conca del Riu Anoia.

Those who enjoy the raciness and biscuits richness of Champagne but crave more penetrating fruit and floral tones would be well served by the ever-advancing styles of German riesling sekt. Sekt too, the German version of sparkling, has long struggled with a subpar reputation but higher quality bottle-fermented expressions from the Mosel, Pfalz, Rheingau and beyond can offer a spine-tingling, explosively perfumed experience.

A dry sparkling wine may be de rigueur for welcome toasts and aperitifs, or as an accompaniment to caviar or oysters. But sparklers with a touch of sweetness can serve as a crowd-pleasing finish to any big holiday meal. I love introducing guests who might be nervous about a cloyingly sweet, viscous dessert wine to a sweet sparkling wine, says Matthews. At Daisies, Matthews often serves a Braquetto dAcqui, the sweet red sparkling from Piedmont in Italy. Because its not fortified like many other dessert wines, she explains, it has a very approachable alcohol level [typically around 5.5% abv]. It kind of dances on the palate rather than sitting too heavy.

At Maple & Ash, we sell quite a bit of the Centorri Moscato di Pavia, says Mundwiler, describing the sweet, delicately fizzy Italian sparklers made from moscato, or muscat, the exuberantly aromatic, fruity white grape. Its a fantastic wine as a dessert pairing for people who want something a little sweet but refreshing too and without too much alcohol, Mundwiler says. Those who are already familiar with moscatos perfumed charms might consider an unusual upgrade in the form of the rare Clairette de Die  historic sparklers from the Rhone Valley made from blends of muscat and clairette.

Some recommendations for a sparkling holiday season:

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Bouvet NV Rose Excellence Cremant de Loire: Its such a crowd pleaser, says Mundwiler of this rose sparkling made in the traditional, or Champagne method, from cabernet franc grapes in the Loire Valley. Its got a little bit of pronounced fruitiness that our guests love but really bright acidity too, she says. $16. plummarket.com

Ca'del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvee Prestige Edizione 45 (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Cadel Bosco NV Cuvee Prestige Franciacorta: Franciacorta is like the Italian response to Champagne, says Matthews. This blend of chardonnay and pinot nero (thats Italian for pinot noir) offers that bready goodness that you get from Champagne but also this apricot-filled brioche note. And although its very dry, theres something so lush and round about it as well, Matthews says. $40. Binnys, locations vary, binnys.com

Schramsberg 2020 Blanc de Blancs Brut North Coast: This American benchmark made entirely from chardonnay is made like Champagne but from grapes grown in California in a much warmer climate, says Mundwiler. While dry in style you get more pronounced fruit and a rounder, richer profile, Mundwiler says. $39. Sals Beverage World, 434 W. Lake St., Addison; 630-543-0440; 695 W. St. Charles Road, Elmhurst; 630-833-9800; 298A W. Roosevelt Road, Villa Park; 630-279-1990; salsbeverageworld.com

Raventos i Blanc 2021 Blanc de Blancs Conca del Riu Anoia (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Raventos i Blanc 2021 Blanc de Blancs Conca del Riu Anoia: Spanish sparkling has undergone a remarkable premiumization and this entry-level bottling from Raventos i Blanc, one of its most terroir-driven producers, is a revelation for anyone who thinks they know Cava. A single vineyard bottling of biodynamically grown macabeu, xarel-lo and parellada grapes, its a reverberatingly fresh, delicately floral sparkling with a bold spine of minerality. $20. Binnys, locations vary, binnys.com

Peter Lauer 2017 Riesling Sekt Mosel: Unlike many examples of Riesling sekt that buffer acidity with sweetness, this methode traditionelle sparkler is a nervy wine with a bone-dry finish. A lavishly floral, electric sparkler bolstered with strikes of peach and tangerine flavors and that unmistakable gun-smoke flintiness of the Mosel. $40. Red & White Wines Chicago, 773-486-4769, 1861 N. Milwaukee Ave., red-white-wines-chicago.myshopify.com

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ISC Brut Ombre Rose Sparkling Rose Illinois: At Daisies, our sparkling wine by the glass is this Champagne-method sparkling rose made in Illinois from the chambourcin grape, says Matthews. Its so fun to introduce a super-serious sparkling wine from where were from. $25. Illinois Sparkling Company; 106 Mill St., Utica; 815-667-521; iscbubbly.com

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Bisol 2021 Cartizze Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG: Theres only one Prosecco I really love to drink and thats the Bisol Cartizze, says Mundwiler. A dry expression of Prosecco Superiore grown exclusively in the hill of Cartizze, Proseccos benchmark terrain, it offers a richness of body and persistence of perfume thats quite beguiling. $50. Chicago Wine Consulting; 1047 Waukegan Road, Glenview; 847-791-4885; chicago.wine

Centorri 2022 Moscato di Pavia (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Centorri 2022 Moscato di Pavia: Moscato di Asti is Piedmonts delicately sparkling, low-alcohol frizzante made from the profoundly aromatic moscato, or muscat grape. Centorri produces this moscato in the nearby province of Pavia. Its an exceptional value for a wine that offers big fruit and floral character juxtaposed with a delightfully easy, breezy feel. $10. Binnys, locations vary, binnys.com

Poulet & Fils NV Clairette de Die Tradition: The exuberantly floral, aromatic Clairette de Die (pronounced dee) is a vastly unsung sparkler from the Rhone Valley. A blend of muscat and clairette grapes, its fermented in-bottle via a historic method of production called methode ancestrale. Not an easy find but always a joyful, exuberantly fruity sip with a crowd-pleasing, delicate sweetness. $18. villagecorner.com

Marenco 2021 Pineto Brachetto dAcqui (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Marenco 2021 Pineto Brachetto dAcqui: The ruby-hued Brachetto dAcqui, made from the brachetto grape, is a rare dessert sparkler made from red grapes. Low in alcohol, its a thirst-quenching, easy-drinking sip with loads of fresh strawberry and raspberry flavors. $21. Binnys, locations vary, binnys.com

Anna Lee Iijima is a freelance writer.

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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP)  The suspect who fired at officers from a duplex in an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood before the home exploded on Monday night is presumed dead, according to authorities.

Fifty-six-year-old James Yoo was identified by Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn at a press conference Tuesday as the the owner of the duplex and the individual whose actions brought them to the home after firing a flare-type gun from inside the house more than 30 times. Penn said police responded to the house at about 4:45 p.m. Monday after reports of shots fired. After attempts to communicate with Yoo were unsuccessful, police obtained a search warrant.

As officers tried to enter the home, multiple gunshots were fired from within the house, Penn said. Soon after, the house exploded, Penn said.

The officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside when the building was leveled, Arlington County, Virginia, police spokesperson Ashley Savage said.

Officers went to the home about 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired. The preliminary investigation showed that a suspect discharged the flare gun from inside his home, but no property damage or injuries were reported, police said in a statement.

While police investigated, they obtained a search warrant for the home and tried to make contact with the suspect by telephone and loudspeakers, but he remained inside without responding, police said.

Three officers injured

As officers tried to execute the warrant, police said the suspect discharged several rounds from what is believed to be a firearm inside the home and around 8:30 p.m. there was an explosion, shooting flames and debris into the air. An investigation into the circumstances of the explosion is ongoing, police said.

Three officers reported minor injuries in the house explosion, but no one was taken to the hospital. Savage said police dont have any evidence that others were in the duplex but cant rule out the possibility.

On Tuesday, officers wearing ATF jackets combed a nearby street looking through papers scattered in the debris field. Junk mail carrying the name and address of the home that exploded were visible on the street.

The White House was monitoring developments with the house explosion, a spokeswoman said.

Our thoughts are with the police officers that were injured in that explosion, Olivia Dalton, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday. Were grateful to law enforcement that handled that situation very swiftly. I can tell you the ATF is assisting with the local law enforcement investigation into that matter but beyond that I would just refer you to Arlington Police Department.

Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and came to the scene but police kept onlookers blocks away.

I actually thought a plane exploded, she said.

ATF agents investigating

Bob Maynes thought maybe a tree had fallen on his house when he heard the explosion.

I was sitting in my living room watching television and the whole house shook, Maynes said. It wasnt an earthquake kind of tremor, but the whole house shook.

Arlington is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The explosion occurred in Bluemont, a neighborhood in north Arlington where many of the homes are duplexes.

Fire officials do not know the cause of the explosion, said Capt. Nate Hiner, a spokesperson for the Arlington Fire Department.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said federal agents and federal fire investigators were at the scene and assisting in the investigation.

Associated Press reporter Ben Finley contributed from Norfolk and reporter Darlene Superville contributed from Air Force One.
TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne met Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday. The French giant said it was ready to invest six billion dollars over several years in Nigerias energy industry.

During this visit to reaffirm the long-term partnership between the company and Africas leading crude producer, the French company also promised a long-term investment. On the French side, Patrick Pouyanne was accompanied by his staff, while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was accompanied by, among others, the head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In its final press release, TotalEnergies reiterates its long-term commitment to Nigeria, and states that the company has a portfolio of projects that could represent more than six billion dollars in investments over the next few years.

TotalEnergies, the countrys leading private investor in the energy sector, says it is thoroughly investigating more opportunities for deepwater and gas production. For his part, the Nigerian president pledged to remove all obstacles in the oil and gas industry. We are ready to work with you, he said.

The final investment decision for the Ubeta gas project is expected in the first quarter of 2024, while the renewal of the OML 130 license for 20 years in May paved the way for the development of the deepwater Preowei project.

Last June, TotalEnergies also announced the discovery of oil and gas on the Ntokon well of the OML 12 license, offshore Nigeria. However, despite these promising projects, Total has had to relaunch a drilling campaign in an attempt to slow the steady decline in production at the iconic Egina offshore field  which came on stream in 2018. An accidental spill equivalent to around 6,000 barrels was also reported in mid-November near this project, with no impact on production.
At least ten people were killed and burned in a Tuesday attack on a village in southwestern Uganda attributed by the authorities to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, affiliated with the Islamic State group.

According to the first elements of the investigation, ten assailants armed with machine guns attacked and burned ten people, in the village of Kitehuriza in the Kamwenge district, said regional police spokesman Vincent Twesige, according to whom the assailants were members of the ADF who had crossed the border from neighboring DRC.

Originally Ugandan rebels with a Muslim majority, the ADF have been active since the mid-1990s in eastern DRC, where they have killed thousands of civilians. In 2019, they pledged allegiance to the EI, which now claims some of their actions and presents them as its Central African province.

The police spokesman said the suspected rebels had looted a shop, taking sacks of beans, corn, eggs and potatoes with them as they fled. The attack took place at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, and the Ugandan army was dispatched to the scene.

Uganda and the DRC launched a joint offensive in 2021 to drive the ADF out of their Congolese strongholds, but have so far failed to put an end to the groups attacks. In early March, the United States announced that it was offering a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the ADFs leader, a Ugandan in his forties named Musa Baluku.

On Wednesday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated that around 200 members of the ADF had been killed in Ugandan-led air strikes in the DRC on September 16, without giving any further details.
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Hannah Lauck hopes to someday become an anesthesiologist specializing in pediatrics.

The third-year medical sciences major at the University of Cincinnati has already got a taste of working in a medical environment thanks to her part-time work at local hospitals and medical offices as a pharmacy technician, medical assistant, patient registration representative and neonatal intensive care unit volunteer.

Lauck says she now has a better understanding of the "hierarchy of medicine" and how it might impact students like herself who are just beginning their journey in a health profession career. In this system, medical titles and responsibilities change and they reflect progressively more experience and education.

This hierarchy is partly a result of trying to ensure patients are getting competent and quality care, but it can also produce an environment where students don't feel empowered to ask questions or voice observations and that could in some instances impact patient care, says Lauck.

"As you increase with education you move higher up within the hierarchy," says Lauck. "So for someone who is entry level or in a student position, you are pretty much at the bottom of the scale. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you're definitely worried about stepping on toes and want to give a great first impression."

"Sometimes people are deterred by that hierarchy, they feel like they can't say their opinion about patient outcomes because they're worried about overstepping," says Lauck. "If you have a viewpoint that differs from someone higher up in the hierarchy you should be confident and secure enough and feel as if you can speak up."

Lauck's experience made her a valued co-author on a recent paper titled "Transforming Students Into Healthcare Professionals: A Literature Review Exploring the Interrelationships Between Work-integrated Learning, Belongingness and Health Professions Students."

It has been published in The Advisor journal. The research is an integrative literature review that examines the interrelationships between health professions students, work-integrated learning and belongingness. Four researchers from across the country and the United Kingdom reviewed 39 studies from the years 2005-21.

Robin Selzer, Ph.D., professor in the UC College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies, was one of the researchers. Lauck is a student research assistant working under Selzer's direction.

Also part of the research effort were Leah Stade, assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Kearney, Neb.; Cynthia Bennett, associate professor at Elon University in Elon, NC; and Deborah O'Connor, director of placements and partnerships at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Work-integrated learning experiences include internships, co-ops, service learning, practicum or clinical placements, apprenticeships, applied research projects and other real-world work experiences for health professional students.

The researchers defined "belongingness" as a deeply personal and contextually mediated experience that determines whether an individual feels secure, accepted, valued, respected and connected to a defined group.

"Belongingness was not found to be directly connected to work-integrated learning in the literature regarding health professions students other than those in nursing," according to the study's abstract. "Emerging links were found between belongingness and professional identity development."

Selzer says researchers want to further explore that link.

"What we are less certain about is, when students accumulate work integrated learning in their studies along the way, whether that fosters any sense of belongingness while they're in the clinical or student teaching experience, internships or their co-ops," says Selzer. "How then does feeling, that sense of belonging, actually affect their identity as a future health care provider? This is what we are trying to find out."

Selzer says more research was found on the impact of belongingness in the nursing field including an existing scale paired with focus groups that rates the trait. That scale will help the team of researchers create focus group questions for health professions students to better understand the impact of belongingness. At the partner institutions University of Nebraska MedicalCenter, Elon University and Manchester Metropolitan University, those focus groups will include graduate students.

At the University of Cincinnati, the focus groups will include pre-health undergraduates.

"We are trying to examine different stages which look at before they get to a graduate program, and then while in a program and then also in a multinational context," says Selzer. "There is zero research on pre-health students and work integrated learning, and then especially when you add in belongingness. So we are hoping to make a contribution at UC."

Selzer and Lauck will present their research findings in the area of belongingness at a scholarly conference of the NAAHP set for June 2024 in Cincinnati.

"What I love about it is Hannah is getting this research experience, she's getting experience being published and she will make a presentation at a national conference that just happens to be Cincinnati," says Selzer. "Just mentoring her through this process has really been rewarding.

"Many research teams don't include the student perspective and her bringing that lens to it has allowed us to think differently," says Selzer. "Those diverse perspectives are leading to a better outcome. Instead of sitting up top on a mountain hill and saying this is what we see it to be, but rather hearing the student voice and bringing that into the project has made such a difference."

Lauck, who is part of the UC Honors Program, says her research experience has been invaluable.

"I've definitely learned a lot about working with a multinational interdisciplinary group of researchers," says Lauck. "Balancing constraints such as meeting virtually and accounting for the huge time zone differences has been interesting to be part of. I've also learned a lot about formulating a research proposal and how the institutional review board process works and the importance of planning for focus groups, surveys and research. I am just really excited to move forward with the next stage of research."
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A French appeals court on Wednesday ordered pharmaceutical firm Servier to pay more than $460 million in damages over a scandal involving a diabetes drug linked to hundreds of deaths.

The health scandal came to light in 2007 when a doctor raised the alert on heart risks linked to Mediator, a drug destined for overweight people with diabetes but that was also widely prescribed to others as an appetite-suppressant.

The drug, which may have caused up to 1,800 deaths, was later banned in France where millions of people took it.

It is also banned in the United States, Spain and Italy.

In the latest court ruling in more than a decade of legal proceedings, the Paris appeals court upheld verdicts of "aggravated fraud" and "involuntary manslaughter and injuries".

It ordered Servier to pay a 9-million-euro ($9.8- million) fine and pay back more than 415 million euros ($455 million) to the national social security agency and health insurance companies, much higher damages than in an initial ruling in 2021.

Jean-Philippe Seta, former right-hand man of one of the late founders of the group, was handed a four-year sentence, including one year to be served with an electronic bracelet, and a 90,000-euro ($98,000) fine.

Charles-Joseph Oudin, one of the lawyers for the more than 7,000 civil parties in the lawsuit, was delighted.

"It's a huge victory for the victims I represent and that I have been defending since the first complaint in November 2010," he said.

Wednesday's verdict is the latest in a long legal battle.

Eight years after the scandal erupted, a French court in 2015 found Servier negligent for the first time for having left "defective" medicine on the market.

Known by its lab name as benfluorex, Mediator was initially licensed to reduce levels of fatty proteins called lipids, with the claim that it helped diabetics control their level of blood sugar.

But it also suppressed appetite, which meant it gained a secondary official use to help obese diabetics lose weight.

In the end, it was widely sold on prescription for even non-diabetics who wanted to slim down.

 2023 AFP
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For the first time in 20 years, locally transmitted cases of malaria have been reported in the U.S.

Jane Carlton, Ph.D., a biologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, is working to decode the genomes of the parasites that have infected individuals in the U.S. to determine their origin. In this Q&A, Carlton discusses what this work can tell us about the recent cases along with the role of climate change in malaria infections, the global fight against the disease, and the risks of contracting malaria in the U.S.

What was so unique about malaria transmission in the US this past summer?

Over the summer, there were cases in Texas, Florida, and Maryland. The last time we had local transmissionwhere a person who has not left the country in many months is infected with malariawas in 2003. What probably happened in these locally transmitted cases is that the Anopheles mosquito bit an infected person who had recently traveled and brought the parasites back with them; then the parasites developed in the local mosquito, and that mosquito bit another person and transmitted the parasites.

These locally transmitted cases are different from the approximately 2,000 cases that we get in the U.S. every year from travelers.

What is the risk of transmission to the general public?

It is exceedingly low. I think we want to try and avoid any sort of scaremongering. There were very few cases.

How did you and your team get involved?

We were contacted by the Maryland Department of Health to sequence the parasites of an infected individual to try and track down where the parasite that infected this person came from. We obtained a sample of blood from this individual, extracted the DNA sequences using high-throughput machines, then sequenced the genome. Using comparative genomics, we try to compare it to all of the other genomes of parasites from around the world.

What is the difference between genetics and genomics?

Genetics is the study of genes. Genomicists, instead of looking at one or two genes, will look at all of the genes that make up what we call a genome. Many genomicists will decode the DNA of different organisms and then study those to see what proteins those genes are producing, and what characteristicslike eye color, disease, or predispositionthey might have.

Genomics is part of a series of -omic technologies and approaches, which include proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. These approaches use new methodologies to look at all of the proteins in a cell or organism, and then use high-performance computational algorithms to try to identify patterns of those particular molecules.

Why is it important to get that big, comprehensive picture of malaria?

Both the parasite genome and the mosquito genome are very important because each of those represents a unique fingerprint. You can characterize the disease that's caused by that particular parasite and also track the parasites and the mosquitoes.

Malaria parasites, for example, in parts of Ethiopia or India are different from each other, but those malaria parasites in India are similar to each other. If you don't know the origin of a malaria parasite, you can track it back to where it might have come from by comparing it with lots of different genomes of malaria parasites throughout the endemic world.

Can genomics help us understand if there's a connection between these recent malaria cases?

Absolutely, especially for the seven cases which were found in similar counties in Florida. Could there have been several mosquitoes in the same area that were infected from a single individual and then spread out and infected other individuals? If there should be any other cases, for example, in Texas or Maryland, then we would also be able to see if they're genetically related.

Do you think climate change will make these events more likely to happen?

People automatically assume that hotter temperatures will result in more mosquitoes and that malaria prevalence is going to increase. That's not necessarily the case because the malaria parasite will only grow and develop in the mosquito at a specific temperature range. If it gets too hot or too cold, the parasite will not be able to develop in the mosquito and it will die.

What is the global community doing to combat malaria?

There has been a lot of renewed interest in global infectious diseases. For example, organizations had a call to action for scientists like myself in the early 2000s, for us to pivot toward trying to develop better methods for eradicating malaria. That term "eradication" had not been on the malaria agenda for many years.

Other fantastic initiatives that have come forward over the past 20 years are things like the National Institutes of Health's International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research. I'm the director of one of those centers in India. A colleague of mine here, Bill Moss, is the director for one in southern Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Those initiatives are funding big centers in malaria-endemic countries and providing funds for capacity building and training the next set of scientists.

The Malaria Research Institute, funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies, is the premier institute in the U.S. dedicated to malaria research. Our group of researchers are undertaking phenomenal research into the malaria parasite and the mosquito vector that transmits it.

There is also renewed interest because of the pandemic in what sorts of infectious diseases people may contract as a result of how easy and common globalization has made it to travel.
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Opponents of a bill to repeal Connecticut's religious exemption for required school vaccinations march down Capitol Avenue before the State Senate voted on legislation on April 27, 2021, in Hartford, Conn. Connecticut eliminated its longstanding religious waiver for vaccinations in 2021, joining California, West Virginia, New York and Maine in allowing only medical exemptions. Credit: Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP, File

When Idaho had a rare measles outbreak a few months ago, health officials scrambled to keep it from spreading. In the end, 10 people, all in one family, were infected, all unvaccinated.

This time, the state was lucky, said the region's medical director Dr. Perry Jansen. The family quickly quarantined and the children were already taught at home. The outbreak could have been worse if the kids were in public school, given the state's low vaccination rates, he said.

In Idaho last year, parents opted out of state-required vaccines for 12% of kids entering kindergarten, the highest rate in the nation.

"We tend to forget that diseases like measles and polio used to kill people," said Jansen, medical director of the Southwest District Health Department, which handled the outbreak in September.

All states require children to have certain routine vaccines to go to public school, and often private school and day care, to prevent outbreaks of once-common childhood diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough, chickenpox and polio. All provide exemptions for children who have a medical reason for avoiding the shots. Most also offer waivers for religious beliefs. Fifteen allow a waiver for any personal belief.

Last school year, vaccination waivers among kindergartners hit an all-time high: 3% in total, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Waivers for religious or personal beliefs have been on the rise, driven by some states loosening laws, in others by vaccine misinformation and political rhetoric amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Idaho, "a parent only has to provide a signed statement," to get a waiver, the state's health department said. A change in state law before the 2018-19 school year made it easier to get waivers. The state's exemption rate that year was 7.7%.

September's measles outbreak started when a resident of Nampa, the state's third largest city, returned home from a trip abroad. Measles is usually brought into the U.S. through travel since widespread vaccination has all but eliminated local spread of the disease.

It takes a very high level of vaccinationaround 95%to protect against the spread of measles and other diseases, experts say. During the pandemic, the national rate for vaccinations among kindergartners dropped to 93%.

Health experts say interventions on every level are needed to get more kids immunized: doctors talking to parents, social media campaigns, easier access to vaccines in some areas, enforcement by schools in others.

Last year, most states had an increase in waivers. Hawaii, which allows medical and religious waivers, saw rates double from the previous school year. Nearly 6.5% of kindergartners have an exemption for at least one required vaccine.

It's impossible to know the reasons behind a waiver, said Ronald Balajadia, immunization program manager for Hawaii State Department of Health. But misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines "has bled through to routine vaccines" that people wouldn't normally question, Balajadia said.

While some states have made it easier to opt out, others have clamped down. Connecticut eliminated its longstanding religious waiver for vaccinations in 2021, joining California, West Virginia, New York and Maine in allowing only medical exemptions. The change drew protests and lawsuits. With only a medical waiver now, the kindergartner vaccination rate reached 97% or above last year; waiver rates dropped to less than 1%.

The state is still working to get more parents on board by answering their questions "and not just dismiss them. It's our best shot at trying to bring people along," said Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Georgia had the second largest drop in vaccine waivers last yearfrom 4.7% to 3.8%. State health officials cited a steady post-pandemic return to partnerships between schools, public health and pediatricians as possible reasons for the improvement.

Dr. Angela Highbaugh-Battle has cared for kids in rural Georgia for 17 years, now in the small coastal community of St. Mary's. She said she spends more time now talking to parents wary about routine childhood vaccines.

Every connection, every conversation, is a chance to educate, she said.

"It's not about winning or losing," she said.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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A new study suggests that despite cannabis being legal in certain jurisdictions, such as Canada and Uruguay and 24 U.S. states, restrictions imposed by the international control of drugs and finance mean it is often not available.

Analysis from Dr. Rachel Barry, a public health expert based in the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group finds that despite the newfound legality of cannabis production and sale, major banks have refused to offer financial services to producers and suppliers.

This is because the offer of financial services to cannabis-related businesses places banks at risk of money laundering, which carries significant legal, financial, and reputational consequences for those that process the sale of an illegal substance in most other jurisdictions in the world.

In the U.S., for example, while cannabis is currently legal in some states, it remains illegal under U.S. federal drug laws via the U.S. Controlled Substances Act in-line with the U.S. government's international obligations under the UN drug conventions.

The new research, published in the journal Global Public Health, focuses on the experiences of Uruguay, which following landmark legislation in 2013 became the first country to comprehensively regulate the legal production, distribution, and sale of cannabis.

Passage of Uruguay's cannabis regulation represented a seminal moment in international drugs policy and since has been internationally recognized for its innovation and leadership, and invariably referred to as a "model" for legislation and health governance.

The latest analysis highlights challenges to implement the legislation arising from tensions with rules governing international finance, findings that will have wider significance to policymakers considering similar reforms.

Dr. Barry from the University of Bath's Department for Health explains, "While much has been said about Uruguay's cannabis regulation, very little attention has been paid to the significance of international tensions in understanding challenges to develop and implement the cannabis supply system.

"This research brings to light the immense power and influence of international banks to constrain national actions, which likely will have relevance for other jurisdictions seeking to liberalize commercial sale of recreational cannabis."

According to the study, the most significant and unexpected constraint on Uruguay's ability to implement commercial sales was the 2001 U.S. Patriot Act. This was unanticipated because Uruguay is not legally obligated to comply with the U.S. government's national policies, unlike its international obligations under the UN drug conventions.

Indeed, Uruguayan regulators and advocates of reform, who took part in the study as interview participants, told Dr. Barry that they had not expected the power of international banks to be as serious and rapid to the degree that it was:

"The problem with the banks is the 2001 [U.S.] Patriot Act, which makes it so that you must ensure that the funds do not come from clandestine gambling, human trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking. However, we never thought that this would be considered drug trafficking. We did not think that within a country that our local banks, more than anything, we did not think that the U.S. Treasury Department, Citibank or Bank of America were going to scare Uruguayan banks to the point that they would not even process transactions for hemp, which is legal in about a dozen other places in the world."

Dr. Barry hopes her analysis can help inform policy and practice in countries where cannabis legalization is now being considered. Since major banks have been reluctant to offer financial services to cannabis producers and retailers, one policy option that has been put forward by some policymakers and advocates of reform has been for cannabis-related businesses to operate using cash.

However, an industry that is heavily reliant on cash is not only impractical from a business perspective but may be unfeasible due to tensions with other international commitments like financial inclusion.

In Uruguay, for example, policymakers passed national financial inclusion legislation in 2015, requiring that all companies conduct business, including payment of salaries and wages, through a formal financial institution or electronic monetary system. Recently, there have been significant delays in the Dutch government's pilot launch of a cannabis program because cannabis producers faced similar challenges in accessing lending and banking services.

"A viable workaround of these banking challenges may be for policymakers to consider other ways of making cannabis legally available, including home growing and cannabis clubs. Neither require credit card payments, therefore avoiding some of the challenges associated with commercial sales, as demonstrated in this analysis," Dr. Barry adds.

More information: Rachel Ann Barry, 'We never thought this would be considered drug trafficking': International finance rules, policy space and Uruguay's regulation of recreational cannabis, Global Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2283042
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Imagine waking up one morning feeling ill, like you've come down with an unrelentingly bad stomach bug.

You throw up once, and then again. It continues for hours on end, the whole day long. You're so ill, you lay down to sleep on the bathroom floor, next to the toilet, so that you won't wake your partner when you have to vomit throughout the night.

The next day is the samerelentless illness, throwing up all day long. Twenty times. Fifty times. It just won't stop.

The next day is the exactly same. And the next. And the next.

When you go to your doctor in search of some kind of relief, they don't believe you when you tell them how awful you feel, how debilitating it isnot just physically, but also mentallyto be constantly sick. They say you need to "suck it up." Stop complaining. You're just being negative and lazy. You need to be tougher.

A nurse gives you some IV fluids and sends you home. You come back to the clinic or the emergency room over and over again for more fluids. It continues for months, but no matter what you do, the sickness never goes away.

Until you give birth.

The life-threatening pregnancy condition called hyperemesis gravidarum has gained some awareness in recent years through media attention around high-profile women who've struggled with it during their pregnancies.

But hyperemesis gravidarum remains a clinically and culturally misunderstood condition, says the UConn School of Nursing's Cheryl Beck, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and certified nurse midwife.

"I have seen clinically with women how devastating hyperemesis gravidarum is," Beck says. "It's really misunderstood, and it's under-diagnosed, and many times family and friends or even clinicians will minimize it and say, "Yeah, it's morning sickness. You know, everybody gets it. It'll go away." This is so different."

'Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off'

A prolific researcher, Beck has spent 20 years studying traumatic birth and its long-term implications. Through her work, she's uncovered some of the consequences that pregnant people face when they experience trauma during birthit effects the breastfeeding experience and impacts mother-infant bonding, and can leave survivors panic-stricken about what they might experience in a subsequent pregnancy.

Recently, Beck has turned her research focus toward exploring the impact of specific types of traumatic birth. A qualitative and mixed methods researcher, Beck has published 200 journal articles through her work and developed the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) based on her qualitative studies.

When she teaches qualitative research methods to doctoral students at UConn, she often quotes the science writer Paul Brodeur, who in 1985 wrote that "statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off."

For hyperemesis gravidarum, statistically 1% to 2% of pregnancies experience the condition.

"But then, what's the tears?" asks Beck. "You've got to put the tears to that one to two percent. What are the experiences of the women? Our patients are so complex that to really understand whatever the topic is you are researching, you need both quantitative and qualitative together to really give you the complete picture."

In her qualitative work, Beck has found "rich data," she says, in examining blogs written personally by those living with diseases or conditions, which is how she approached her examination of hyperemesis gravidarum.

In a study published in the Journal of Infusion Nursing, Beck evaluated 33 blog posts from women in Australia published by Hyperemesis Australia, a nationwide charitable organization dedicated to supporting individuals suffering with the condition, their families, and health care providers.

Debilitating not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically

In evaluating the blogs, Beck found six consistent themes expressed by survivors of the condition. The women talked about the debilitating physical and mental health problems caused by hyperemesis gravidarum. They vomited 20 to 50 times each day, beginning early in their pregnanciesthe condition typically starts before 16 weeks gestationand continuing until birth.

Their hair fell out, they lost weight, and some even lost teeth. They were constantly in hospital emergency departments seeking rehydration therapy.

They suffered from varying levels of depression, felt isolated, experienced panic attacks, and some even contemplated suicide. They also suffered financial pressures, as many were unable to work, and they struggled to care for older children while in the depths of illness.

They also wrote about the agonizing choices that they faced. Some made the difficult decision to terminate their wanted pregnancies due to the severity of their condition. Others grappled with whether they could endure subsequent pregnancies knowing that they would likely face the condition again89% of women who experience hyperemesis gravidarum have a recurrence in their next pregnancy.

In their blogs, the women also described the guilt they felt around their unborn child. They worried not only that their illness would negatively impact the health of the child by depriving the developing fetus of adequate nutritionstudies have shown that women with hyperemesis gravidarum are more likely to experience pre-term birth and low birth weight. But they also feared that they would struggle to bond with the infant after birth, and those fears often proved true postpartum.

The women all consistently described experiencing a lack of understanding or concern from family and friends, but also from their medical providers, who would dismiss or minimize their symptoms. Conversely, women who found support systems in their personal lives and had compassionate caregivers and understanding employers reported better outcomes and expressed high levels of gratitude for that care.

They all expressed feelings of empowerment for surviving hyperemesis gravidarum and a desire to share their stories to support others living with the condition and help them feel less alone.

Attention to detailand a human touchare crucial

The main takeaway for clinicians from the study, says Beck, is to validate that what pregnant patients with hyperemesis gravidarum are experiencing is real and valid trauma.

"Clinicians need to be educated about the high percentage of women who go on to have postpartum depression, who view this pregnancy as traumatic and can develop PTSD," Beck says. "Women talked about how, while they were going through it, there was no attention at all to their mental health. So, that's one of the takeawayseven if the clinicians do pay attention to their physical symptoms, there is a huge psychological aspect.

"One woman talked about the 'death zone,' the dark days of the pregnancy. Clinicians and family need to realize the depth of the struggle that these women are trying to cope with."

She also said that little thingslike when infusion nurses would warm IV fluids before administering them to try to help prevent further vomitingmeant a lot to the women who wrote the blogs.

While the study focused only on women in Australia, the sample size of 33 blogs was relatively small, and further study is needed, Beck believes the findings would be applicable to individuals with hyperemesis gravidarum anywhere.

For her part, Beck plans to continue researching different types of pregnancy and birth trauma to help shine light on conditions and how they impact patients, families and clinicians, using personal online writing to uncover the experiences of those who live through them.

"There's been a lot written on blogs regarding illness and how helpful blogs are, because when somebody writes, they write about the meaning of their experienceit helps give meaning to them for their experience," she says. "There's a benefit of blogs, because you get connected, like these women with other women who have experienced hyperemesis gravidarum. You don't feel so isolated. You support each other."

Earlier this year, she published a study looking at blogs on postpartum preeclampsia. In 2022, she looked at perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she examined narratives of postpartum psychosis in 2020.

More information: Cheryl Tatano Beck, Survivors' Experiences of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Journal of Infusion Nursing (2023). DOI: 10.1097/NAN.0000000000000520
Here's a rundown of recent business news in the Missoula area:

A retail coffee space is available at the busy Missoula Public Library on Main Street downtown.

"The prime cafe space at the bustling downtown main branch of the Missoula Public Library is open for a new proprietor," the library announced. "You would provide a welcoming spot for library users to meet, study and refuel while introducing new customers to your brand."

Missoula County is accepting requests for proposals for applicants. The Missoula Public Library's board of trustees will review the applications.

"The Missoula Public Library is known internationally for its innovative approach to promoting collaboration, engagement and accessibility with a building that highlights our unique landscape and Missoula's cultural heritage," Missoula County wrote on its Instagram page.

Bake Sale, a local shop that started out at the Clark Fork Farmers Market this past summer, has found its first permanent retail location inside the new Birdie Thatcher location at 2000 South Higgins.

"Expect lots of cookies, coffee and other yummy things," said owner Grant Melton.

Bake Sale is currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Fantasy for Adults, an adults-only sex shop with two locations in Missoula, has closed its store at 210 E. Main Street downtown. A local advertising agency, Windfall, has received a building permit to convert the space into an office.

The Missoula Nonprofit Center, a United Way initiative, honored several local business leaders, nonprofit organizations, donors, volunteers and fundraisers at its annual Philanthropy Day Celebration on Nov. 15.

"We are thrilled to bring together the entire philanthropic community, including businesses, donors, nonprofits and volunteers, for this special occasion," said Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County. "Philanthropy Day is an opportunity to recognize those who have dedicated their time, resources and passion to furthering our collective mission of serving and improving our community."

Collin and Melissa Bangs won "outstanding philanthropists" for helping to create the Wolf Avenue Collective. Maria Netzloff of Soft Landing Missoula won "outstanding fundraising professional."

Blake Nicolazzo won "outstanding volunteer" for founding Missoula for Bears. Blackfoot Communications won "outstanding business" and Tamarack Grief Resource Center won "outstanding nonprofit organization."

"The philanthropic and nonprofit community plays an essential role in creating and maintaining a vibrant and thriving Missoula," said Jacinda Morigeau, program manager for Missoula Nonprofit Center. "Our work makes a significant difference in the lives of individuals and groups in Missoula, and we are delighted to honor and acknowledge everyone's efforts, especially the accomplishments of this years award winners.

Forefront Dermatology, a growing physician-led medical practice, is scheduled to open a new clinic in Missoula on Jan. 3, 2024. The new practice will open in the Reserve Street Medical Center and Wellness Campus at 2875 Tina Ave., Suite 104.

The Missoula Mohs Surgery Center will offer surgical services and will be led by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Neil Swanson.

Swanson earned his medical degree at the University of Rochester and completed his dermatologic training at the University of Michigan. He completed his surgical fellowship at the University of California-San Francisco. He is a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon and specializes in the detection and treatment of patients with complex skin cancer, including melanoma.

For three decades, I have been caring for patients with skin cancer and I am honored to continue to dedicate my services to the community of Missoula, said Swanson. Mohs surgery services are limited in this area, and this new location provides more accessibility for individuals in need of skin cancer treatments.

The new office will be accepting referrals from the additional Forefront Missoula location as well as other dermatology offices who do not offer this service.

In addition to the Mohs Surgery Center, Forefront Dermatology owns another location in Missoula near Southgate Mall.

A new documentary film made in Montana profiles a family that owns and operates a theater chain spread across eight Montana and Idaho towns.

Called "A Theater Near You," the film by David W. King features Howard Pickerill and his wife Ayron. The couple have owned and operated Polson Theatres Inc. for 52 years. Howard's daughter Becky Dupuis and her husband Gary Dupuis took over the day-to-day operations in 2013.

The film will be shown for free at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at the Showboat Stadium 6 in Polson at 416 W. Main Street. The filmmakers and most of the people in the film will be in attendance.
Faith Ringgold, the 93-year-old doyenne of African American art, a trailblazing master who foreshadowed the recent rise of art activism and Black figuration, is having her first solo museum show in Chicago.

An electrifying and illuminating retrospective, Faith Ringgold: American People, which garnered critical accolades at the New Museum in New York and traveled to the De Young in San Francisco and the Musee Picasso in Paris before arriving in Chicago, will be on view at the MCA through the end of February. The exhibit spans six decades and is perfectly installed in the museums fourth-floor galleries, whose walls have been colored with hues lifted from Windows on the Wedding, a series of lively geometric hangings Ringgold painted in the mid-1970s. No one should miss it.

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Ringgold, who was born in 1930 in Harlem, is no stranger to deferred mainstream success. Her first painting to enter the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, was not acquired until 2016, though it was painted in 1967 and would go on to become a star attraction in the museums 2019 rehang. Her first solo show in SoHo, then the center of advanced American art, was not held until 1987. Her 1964 request to join the Spiral Group, the influential Black artist collective, was rebuffed by co-founder Romare Bearden. Being an artist is tough; being a Black woman artist was hell on fire back then, Ringgold explains in an interview in the exhibition catalog. Who was going to battle for us except ourselves?

So battle Ringgold did, first in paint on stretched canvases, later with textiles in forms ranging from human-size dolls to her famed story quilts, and along the way in the form of picket lines and political posters. The broad arc of her oeuvre is arranged more or less chronologically at the MCA, beginning with the American People Series. Ostensibly portraits, these paintings are depictions less of individuals than of power structures and hierarchies determined by race and gender. Neighbors, from 1963, features the unfriendliest family of white folks youd ever want to live next door to, the heavy stylization of their features linking them as much to the history of modern art as to racism generally. The In Crowd, from the following year, stuffs nine businessmen into a vertical frame; the white man on top retains his position by embracing and pushing down those below him, a gesture replicated by others, one of whom muffles the brown man in the second-to-last row.

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The American People Series culminated, in 1967, in three of Ringgolds boldest compositions ever: six-foot-high murals representing the contemporary racial landscape of the United States. Two of these  Die and The Flag Is Bleeding  are missing from the MCA version of the show, a downside to the recent surge of interest in Ringgolds early work. The third, a fictitious U.S. Postage Stamp Commemorating the Advent of Black Power is here and a brilliant example of how graphic design can be used to convey critical content. The ginormous stamp features 100 faces in a grid, 10 of them Black; small letters spelling out BLACK POWER can be seen clearly, but the ones that read WHITE POWER are so huge and structural they can hardly be deciphered.

The exhibition "Faith Ringgold: American People" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (Shelby Ragsdale / MCA/HANDOUT)

Ringgolds knack for graphics served her well when she got into activism proper, starting in the late 1960s. Her posters calling for the release of Angela Davis, memorializing the Attica prison uprising, and supporting the Black Panthers reveal some of her many political causes. She was an organizer of The Peoples Flag Show, a legendary exhibit at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, New York, that led to the arrest of herself and two compatriots for so-called desecration of the flag. She picketed the Whitney and MoMA for failing to show and collect women artists and artists of color; for not hiring enough black curators; and for having board members invested in corporations that supported the Vietnam War. She was often a leader of the groups that organized those protests, including the Art Workers Coalition, the United Black Artists Committee, the Ad Hoc Women Artists Committee, and Women Students and Artists for Black Art Liberation, which she cofounded with one of her children, Michele Wallace.

In addition to working politically with her then-young daughter, Ringgold also collaborated extensively with her mother, the Harlem fashion designer Willi Posey. Posey sewed the elaborate brocade borders for Ringgolds tankas, painted scrolls she began making in 1972, inspired by Tibetan religious banners, and initially comprised of impressionistic landscapes and quotes from historic Black feminists like Harriet Tubman. Indicative of Ringgolds openness to non-white forms of artmaking, they also served the practical purpose of being easy for a lone woman to handle and transport.

The foray into textiles never stopped. Ringgolds Family of Woman Mask Series and other soft sculptures featured painted, beaded and embroidered fabric hoods, plus clothing designed by Posey. These full-size constructions were based on the Dan masks of Liberia and often worn in performances Ringgold would orchestrate. Little seen since, the plentifulness of their presentation at the MCA  an imposing two dozen are on display  would benefit from descriptions of their original activation.

The exhibition "Faith Ringgold: American People" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (Shelby Ragsdale / MCA/HANDOUT)

The entire second half of American People is dedicated to the form for which Ringgold is best known today: her story quilts. These combine the patchwork skills she learned from her mother with her own desire to rewrite and repaint history with Black females at the center. Tar Beach, a story quilt from 1988, uses a combination of images and text to tell the tale of 8-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies off the Harlem rooftop where her family is spending a hot summer night, claiming the George Washington Bridge and an ice cream factory and anything else she wants by dint of being free and airborne. The quilt spawned a childrens picture book of the same name, Ringgolds first of 17, and won both a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award.

If Tar Beach is her most beloved story quilt, The French Collection series is her most complex and ambitious. It invents the story of Willia Marie Simone, a young African American artist who moves to Paris in the 1920s, dances in the Louvre, poses for Picasso and later has him pose for her, sends her children back to America to be raised by an aunt, becomes an owner of the Cafe des Artistes, attends Gertrude Steins salon, and more. Willia is unsettlingly clear-eyed about both French and American takes on her color and her sex, and Ringgold has no compunctions about raising great Black feminist figures from the dead. There are twelve quilts in total, five of which can be seen at the MCA, all of which make for a transfixing read. (The museum helpfully provides transcripts as well as audio recordings on its website, including in Spanish translation.)

Is Willia an alter-ego for Ringgold? How could she not be, boldly inserting herself and her work into the tradition of Parisian modernism, eyes unclouded to racism and sexism, wit and intelligence intact, talent and drive in full force? You asked me once why I wanted to become an artist. It is because its the only way I know of feeling free, Willia writes in a letter to her aunt, sounding exactly like Ringgold in interviews. My art is my freedom to say what I please.

Faith Ringgold: American People runs through Feb. 25 at the MCA Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., 312-280-2660 and visit.mcachicago.org

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Lori Waxman is a freelance critic.
A large national property developer is in the first stages of building a $40 million, 203-unit high-end apartment complex in the South Hills neighborhood of Missoula.

Rockefeller Group, a nearly 100-year-old company based in New York that constructs, owns and manages real estate across the country, is building a development called the Pine Apartments at 5001 Hillview Way in Missoula.

It'll be part of a larger housing development called Wildroot.

The Pine project will consist of five three-story buildings. The common area amenities will include a pool, hot tub, fire pit, grills, pet wash, community space, coworking spaces and a park that ties into the Missoula trail system.

Site work began in the spring of 2022 and the first building, which also includes the pool and clubhouse, will open in the summer of 2024.

With Pine at Wildroot, Rockefeller Group is expanding our residential portfolio to Montana, one of the nations top 10 states for population growth, said Dave Klebba, managing director for Rockefeller Groups Rocky Mountain region. Missoula is consistently regarded as one of the most desirable places to live in the country and given our projects proximity to the University of Montana, combined with the increase in population, we are confident that this project will be very successful.

Klebba called the project "class A" real estate, as it's new construction in a desirable location with high-end finishes and materials. The company won't release asking rental prices until the units are closer to being move-in ready.

Stockman Bank has provided a $40.3 million construction loan for the project.

As a local bank with deep Montana ties, Stockman is pleased to provide financing to Rockefeller Groups Pine at Wildroot development and believe this project will serve the residential needs of our growing community, said Bob Burns, Missoula market president. Given Rockefeller Groups long history of development and our existing relationship with Pando (Holdings), this loan is consistent with our mission to serve the people, businesses and communities of Montana.

Rockefeller purchased the property from Denver-based Pando Holdings, who will maintain a joint venture interest in the property.

The 105-acre chunk of mostly vacant land at 5001 Hillview Way was one of the largest undeveloped tracts ever sold in Missoula when it was bought by Pando Holdings in 2022.

With views of the entire city, the land was once owned by Sophie Craighead. Shes a philanthropist based in Wyoming who is the daughter of the late Charles W. Engelhard Jr., a wealthy minerals industrialist. Sophie Craighead is married to ecologist Derek Craighead, who is the son of the late John Craighead, a Missoula conservation legend. There was only one house on the property for many years.

Pando Holdings currently owns over 95 acres of land adjacent to the Pine at Wildroot apartments where they plan to develop Wildroot, a new single-family residential community.

"When we discussed the project with Rockefeller Group, we understood that they wanted a financial partner with deep Montana interests and knowledge of the market, said Lance Gutsch, managing partner at Pando Holdings. We were able to cultivate that relationship with a bank that we work with and who shared other commonalities with us and the team at Rockefeller Group, such as how we like to do business.

Cushing Terrell of Missoula is the architect and Missoula-based Quality Construction is the general contractor.

Montana is in a three-way tie for 12th in terms of the percent change in population from 2020 to 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But it was one of only six states with a population growth rate of over 1.5% from 2021 to 2022.

Developers have been furiously building housing in Missoula for much of the last decade to keep up with population demand and a serious shortage of affordable options.

The total market value of all construction in Missoula in 2022 was $322.7 million, just shy of the all-time record of $325.2 million set in 2021.
A large contribution from a private donor means adoption fees at the Flathead County Animal Shelter will be significantly reduced for prospective pet parents in coming months.

A $50,000 donation was made through Flathead Shelter Friends, a nonprofit that works exclusively on fundraising for the county shelter, the group announced last week.

Im really hopeful (the donation) removes the barrier of cost for some people and were able to move dogs and cats out of the facility into homes quicker, Shelter Divisions Manager Austin Hicks said in a phone call.

For Flathead County residents, adopters still have to procure a $45 dog license, but the rest of the adoption fees are covered, Hicks explained. For Montanans living outside of the Flathead valley, a flat $45 will be required in fees (since they aren't required to have a license). All cats at the shelter will cost $25 to adopt.

Adult dogs typically cost about $100 to adopt, plus the licensing fee. Hicks said this is the first time in his tenure at the shelter that the team has received a donation of such magnitude, specifically for reducing financial barriers to adopting.

Its generally frowned upon to give animals away for free, Hicks noted.

The shelter has a long-standing partnership with Flathead Shelter Friends, a group that fundraises for kennel improvements and expansions. Hicks said FSF also covers vet vouchers for senior dogs that are adopted. Because of the donation, the voucher amount increased to $350 for all dogs 7 years old and over.

As older pets are sometimes hard to find homes for because of their age, these certificates can help their new owner alleviate potential veterinary costs, a shelter release stated.

In May, the shelter was at capacity with 42 dogs in need of a new home, which prompted the shelter to temporarily waive adoption fees.

The county-run facility received 949 dogs in 2023, according to Hicks, who said thats the highest yearly number since 2020 of four-legged friends brought to the shelter.

Weve found homes for most of them, Hicks said. About 432 of those canines were strays or lost dogs returned to their owners, while the rest were adopted out to new families or transferred to new shelters.

The ultimate goal is that were sitting down here empty, Hicks said.

Adoption appointments can be made by calling the shelter at 406-752-1310.
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis is peerless. Thats not a comment on her performance during the first few weeks in office, but rather a reality she faces as the only person in her position within the community. Given that circumstance, Davis said she found it helpful to meet with other mayors across the country at a Harvard program earlier this month.

I am the only mayor in Missoula, she said after returning from the Harvard program. Literally, there is not a peer for me in this community.

Shortly after overseeing her first city council meeting, Davis set off for Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she participated with 26 other mayors in the First 100 Days program at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvards Kennedy School. The program was entirely scholarship-funded and Davis was the first Missoula mayor to attend.

Alongside the many mayors in her cohort, Davis learned about scheduling, team-building, crisis response and other leadership tasks. Sentinel High School graduate James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said forming those relationships between mayors is a central goal of the Harvard initiative.

Mayors today, and this is something that has really evolved over last 10-15 years, arent in it alone, Anderson said. They can draw upon a network of fellow mayors from across the country.

Davis said she saw that impact in real time, as a cohort member from Tennessee flew home to devastating tornadoes ravaging that community. Instantly, a collection of other mayors were communicating on ways to support the Tennessee mayor.

You do nothing alone, said Davis.

In that spirit, Davis highlighted team-building as one of the more useful tools she picked up at Harvard. She said those skills helped enhance the team atmosphere she has experienced fostering from her many years as executive director of the nonprofit Homeword.

It really starts around understanding shared values, shared vision, trust and then having diversity of perspectives, said Davis, who noted her team-building approach at the city wont look a lot different from the current administrative configuration. I dont think its going to be a big shakeup. There may be some opportunities for a different approach.

Everything that this mayor will be able to do will come down to the strength of the team that she puts into place, Anderson added.

Even though Davis feels confident in the people surrounding her as she transitions into the mayors role, she nonetheless hopes to push for innovation. That was a key tenet of her training at Harvard, she said, though not something governments are always known for embracing.

Davis plans to combine this framework with her own expertise as she, alongside the city council and city staff, tackles big issues like urban camping, budgeting and taxes in the coming months. As part of her homework for the program, Davis was instructed to map out her time over the next 100 days for things like public meetings, stakeholder engagement and sleep.

Youre helping lead your community through finding significant solutions to big problems, she said in reflection on the program. Youre helping set the tone for future generations potentially. You are bringing big impact. Stay inspired by that.
More than a century of pollution linked to mining and smelting upstream hammered the upper Clark Fork River.

Superfund-related remediation and restoration work, though imperfect, has demonstrated the potential for the rivers recovery.

Whats been clear in the recent past is that the money driving that work is running out.

On Tuesday, the upper Clark Fork River cleanup received a boost from the U.S. Department of Interior, which announced $594,306 for an Upper Clark Fork Basin Fish Passage Improvement Project.

Trout Unlimited, in partnership with the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program and the Clark Fork Coalition, will design a suite of infrastructure improvements to provide fish and recreational boat passage, screen ditches and improve water delivery at 10 irrigation ditches within the upper Clark Fork River Basin, the announcement said.

The project will focus also on irrigation diversion structures on Rock Creek, a much more pristine stream.

Currently, irrigation diversion structures are fragmenting habitat, entraining fish and posing hazards to floaters and anglers on public waterways along the upper Clark Fork River, the news release reported.

Casey Hackathorn of Trout Unlimited said he and Andy Fischer of the Clark Fork Coalition have worked a long time toward bringing the irrigation improvement projects to fruition.

Hackathorn said irrigators for the targeted projects have already agreed to the work. A design phase will be followed by putting the projects out for bid, he said.

He learned Tuesday about the grant award.

This funding will support design and planning for improvement of 10 irrigation diversion dams that include five structures on the upper Clark Fork River in the Deer Lodge Valley and five on Rock Creek, Hackathorn said.

We are excited to get to work with our partners, including the Clark Fork Coalition, the Natural Resource Damage Program and private water users to ensure a better future for both fish and agriculture in the upper Clark Fork.

The upper Clark Fork Rivers once-prized brown trout fishery, which thrived even in the midst of floodplain tailings, has declined dramatically.

Some believe one contributor has been the remediation work itself, which has removed riparian vegetation and undercut banks that provide cover for trout in pursuit of a thorough cleanup. There could be a host of other variables affecting the population, according to Caleb Uerling, a fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Now, both the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the states Natural Resource Damage Program have described a commitment to trying to retain and even enhance habitat wherever feasible during remediation and restoration.

The funding for the upper Clark Fork came from the federal governments Investing in America program. Related allocations are funding 18 projects in eight states designed to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems.

A news release about the financial award said the Investing in America program is designed to provide resources to enhance Western communities resilience to drought and climate change.

Meanwhile, the DEQ has said it hopes to start remediation work on Phase 7 upstream of Deer Lodge in late summer. It has said it hopes to complete all remaining phases, ending in Garrison, by 2038.
A Tennessee woman arrested earlier this month for trespassing onto the runway of the Helena Regional Airport has been charged with the same offense again, authorities said Tuesday.

Deborah Faith Wilson, 42, was arrested about 9 p.m. Monday after again running onto the runway. She had been arrested early Dec. 9 for the same misdemeanor offense.

Wilson pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Helena Municipal Court, said Aimee Hawkaluk, assistant city attorney. Wilson was listed on the inmate roster of the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center.

Authorities said Wilson had gotten onto airport property Monday and was running toward the airport main tower before authorities were able to arrest her.

Police had also been called to the airport Dec. 9 for a report about a woman who was about to board a plane. Officers said the woman, identified as Wilson, began acting erratic, ran down the runway and climbed a fence before police arrived. She was located by officers.

Wilson has pleaded not guilty to that misdemeanor charge as well.

Officials said they do not know why Wilson trespassed both times. More information was not immediately available.

Hawkaluk said it would be up to U.S. Transportation Security Administration or the Helena Regional Airport to pursue federal charges.

Jeff Wadekamper, Helena Regional Airport director, said the woman had exited through a secure door in the terminal, which caused an alarm to sound, alerting authorities. He said she was pursued by airport operations staff who had contacted Helena police.

He said it did not interfere with air service as she was located shortly before a Delta flight from Salt Lake City landed.

Wadekamper said that TSA was reviewing the information and would determine if federal charges were warranted.

He said in both instances, the woman was not on the actual runway. He said in the first she had crossed the taxiway and in the other she ran to a grassy area between the taxiway and the runway. He said its a common misconception to label the whole outside area as the runway.

Wadekamper said he was confident the airport has a good security system in place, featuring a blend of security doors, cameras and fences. He said airport terminals are unique in that they have to balance fire codes and security.

He said he did not know why the woman did what she did.

She does not seem to have a reason why, Wadekamper said.
A mine exploration project in Halleck Creek was ranked as one of the top 10 critical mineral sites on the planet after assay results earlier this year revealed exceptionally high levels of rare earth elements. But this month the project owners, American Rare Earths, U.S. subsidiary of an Australian-founded exploration company, have completed their full development drilling campaign, and the new assay results suggest that soon this Albany County mine will be ranked number one.

Mineral testing of samples from Overton Mountain revealed the site contains even higher concentrations of minerals at even greater depths than originally expected. And with its mineral deposits still open at depth, the bounty could just keep getting bigger.

Ive been in and around mining for 25 years and it's not often when your doing developed drilling that the resources gets biggerand higher grade said Donald Swartz, CEO of American Rare Earths (ARE), explaining that holes as deep as 1,000 ft. showed a 24% increase in mineralization over previous assays, bringing averages to 4,179 ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO), with some samples as high as 11,040 ppm.

The program proved that [the deposit] is continuous, not intermittent, that its a higher grade than we thought and much deeper and bigger than we thought.

The target minerals are neodymium and praseodymium, known as magnet metals, which are vital for the production of automobiles, computer technology and national defense systems.

The results come at a moment when domestic deposits are deeply needed, according to industry experts, as critical mineral supply chains have consolidated in China, which currently accounts for 60% of the globally-mined magnet minerals and as much as 91% of their processing and manufacture, according to the Center for European Policy Studies.

The concern is compounded by the fact that magnetic minerals are an indispensable component of national defense technology, and with geopolitical tensions mounting between rival superpowers, security experts are urgently pushing for the development of resources like those at Halleck Creek.

These are these elements most critical in national security  for submarines, aircraft carriers, drones, advanced weapons systems, which currently we're sourcing from China. Thats really been the whole driving force behind the government trying to reshore this stuff, and we think were uniquely positioned to do that, said Swartz

Beyond raw volume, the Halleck Creek deposits are additionally valuable because of their unique composition and relative purity, namely, low radioactive penalty.

Critical minerals are typically coupled with radioactive elements, like Uranium and Thorium, which must be scrubbed out, often at high expense. The deposits unique geologic origins  an igneous extrusion created by internal earth processes and pushed to the surface by seismic activity  that have resulted in the deposit having its radioactive elements washed away naturally.

The latest assays also indicate the Wyoming deposits are highly homogenous, allowing for greater efficiency in processing. Unlike many critical minerals locked up in hard rock, these deposits are hosted in softer material more akin to clay, according to company geologists.

Mountain Pass Mine in California, for instance  the only commercial critical mineral mine in the U.S. currently  relies on a cracking circuit that involves large rotary kilns in concert with caustic acid solution, an expensive and tech-heavy process.

But, because the Halleck Creek deposits are minimally radioactive, highly homogenous and accessible in clay-like holdings, it allows the magnet metals there to be easily captured through atmospheric acid tank leaching  a low-risk and cost-effective separation process  as shown in preliminary metallurgic testing done by the company.

Whats really unique about this deposit is that the uranium and thorium have been weathered away, which makes the processing simpler, Swartz said, But the real secret sauce is the processing where you can direct-leach it.

Halleck Creek will benefit also from access to interstate roads along with Burlington and Union Pacific rail lines which run on either side of the mine site through Wheatland and Laramie, respectively. The projects viability is facilitated further by the states mining-friendly culture and navigable regulatory environment, along with ready-order experienced miners in state.

The company for now is focused on commercializing extraction, but as the domestic industry expands ARE hopes to take a bigger role in the supply chain.

Once [the U.S.] explores the processing and refining, theres no reason that it can't all be co-located in a place like Wyoming. All the pieces have started to come together and it makes Wyoming for a lot of reasons a really attractive place to do this, said Joe Evers, general counsel for ARE, who was raised in Sheridan.

Wyoming has the people to get it done, the knowhow, and theres regulatory efficiency that puts us in a good place. So Why not Wyoming, why not us and why not now? I think this is a generational type of opportunity.
Gov. Greg Gianforte has approved funding for a new initiative aimed at easing the backlog for admissions to the criminal unit at the state's psychiatric hospital.

The $17.5 million approved Tuesday was forwarded to the governor in October by a newly formed commission appropriated with $300 million to overhaul the state's hobbled behavioral health system. The approval greenlights two "near-term initiatives" proposed by that commission  the members of which include Gianforte's health and human services director  to address a backlog for admission to the state hospital's criminal evaluation unit. According to the state hospital's administrator, wait times there can run six months for men and over a year for women.

"After decades of applying Band-Aids to our broken systems and kicking the can down the road, were making a commitment and generational investment to get Montanans healthy," Gianforte said. "I thank the commission for advancing its recommendation and look forward to its impact on the delivery of behavioral health care in Montana."

The first initiative will spend $7.5 million over the next two years on court-ordered fitness evaluations for criminal defendants to take place in community settings. Part of the backup issue at the Montana State Hospital is just one psychiatrist serving the 53-bed Galen facility there to evaluate and manage defendants' mental health needs. Once that persons' mental fitness is restored, their criminal case can proceed.

Waiting times for such evaluations have driven judges to threaten contempt orders against the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. In October, a District Court judge in Helena dismissed a man's felony arson case instead of issuing that contempt order due to his delays in getting into Galen.

Another District Court judge in Great Falls ordered DPHHS to submit a plan to his court and legislative officials on how the department planned to address the backlog. The Montana Supreme Court overturned that order earlier this month in a 5-0 decision, ruling the judge had no authority to force DPHHS, which wasn't a party to the case, to take corrective action.

The other $10 million approved Tuesday sets up a one-time grant program for community-based behavioral health or developmental disability service providers to expand facilities and train or hire staff. Bed capacity with community providers has been a serious need across the state, once again leaving patients with the state hospital as a "safety net" for severe mental health needs.

"We want Montanans to have access to the care they need in their communities," Gianforte said. "With this investment, well expand community-based behavioral health care and developmental disability services to better serve Montanans."

The state hospital has suffered significant setbacks in recent years, spurring lawmakers to pass their own legislation to begin moving certain patients out of the facility. Lawmakers clashed with the Gianforte administration during the legislative session this year on how or whether to accomplish that transfer. Ultimately, a majority of lawmakers voted to override his veto of their proposal and established their own committee to identify community-based settings where patients with dementia, Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injuries can be relocated. That committee is scheduled to meet again Jan. 17.

The two initiatives approved Tuesday are the first two to emerge from Gianforte's commission, co-chaired by Rep. Bob Keenan, a Bigfork Republican long involved in the state health care system. That body is scheduled to meet next on Jan. 11 and 12 in Billings.
A group of transgender and nonbinary Montanans on Tuesday submitted a legal challenge to strike down legislation passed earlier this year that defines sex as binary.

Its the third lawsuit stemming from Senate Bill 458 alone since Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it into law in May. Gianforte this year signed legislation to ban drag events in public spaces and gender-affirming care for trans youth. None have escaped legal challenges so far.

Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kalispell, told lawmakers during the session the bill sought to set simple definitions for sex in state law.

Its our job to define terms. Is not the courts job to define these terms, and so we need to do that, Glimm said in a March hearing.

Opponents, however, said the bill was more punitive than that.

The reality is that there are people who are out living their lives, Montanans, our friends and community members, who do not fit into these definitions just because of their medical and biological reality, Rep. SJ Howell, a Democratic legislator from Missoula who is nonbinary, said in a separate House hearing. The bill has some serious implications across our state.

The lawsuit filed in Missoula County District Court alleges the bill violates the constitutional rules that legislation must contain only one subject thats clearly identified in the title. Plaintiffs argue SB 458 modified definitions in state law that apply to local governments, arts, insurance, family law, social services, highways, transportation and a host of other sections in state code.

The plaintiffs include Shawn Reagor, a transgender man and a community organizer at the Montana Human Rights Bureau; Dandilion Cloverdale, a nonbinary person whose federal passport lists an X marker designation but was denied similar status for a Montana state identification card; Linda Troyer, a woman who is post-menopausal, and does not now have an endocrine system oriented around the production of eggs and is therefore excluded from the definition of female in SB 458, according to the court filing. Two other plaintiffs in the case are listed as Jamie Doe and Jane Doe.

The plaintiffs are represented by Billings firm Holland & Hart and the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana.

The policymakers pushing SB 458 have given up on common sense, and seem to think they can simply legislate away the diversity of Montanas residents, Akilah Deernose, Executive Director at the ACLU of MT said in an emailed statement.

By forcing Montanans into two specific boxes, Montanas conservative movement is pushing a law that is both foolish and discriminatory.

The lawsuit names Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen as a defendant. Plaintiffs attorneys wrote it is the attorney generals duty to defend the constitutionality of legislation like Senate Bill 458 or exercise his offices discretion to concede the laws unconstitutionality.

Knudsens shop is already a defendant in a separate lawsuit against the law filed in October. A spokesperson for the attorney general said We look forward to defending the state law that reflects scientific reality.

That lawsuit, also filed in Missoula County District Court, distinctly alleges SB 458 violates the plaintiffs state and federal constitutional rights to individual dignity, privacy and free speech. The plaintiffs consist of the Montana Two Spirit Society, two transgender women, a transgender man and two intersex Montanans.

The attorney generals office filed its response to the lawsuit on Dec. 14, contending the law serves the states interests:

SB 458 serves and is supported by rational, legitimate, and compelling state interests, including but not limited to providing objective definitions of terms used widely in Montana law; protecting victims of sexual assault; protecting the safety of females in sports; and ensuring the separation of prison populations by sex for safety, attorneys wrote.

The third lawsuit to emerge from SB 458s passage was filed a week later by Helena firm Upper Seven Law against Gianforte and his health and human services director for refusing to turn over documents related to the bill. The governors office has not yet filed a response to that October lawsuit.

Seaborn Larson has worked for the Montana State News Bureau since 2020. His past work includes local crime and courts reporting at the Missoulian and Great Falls Tribune, and daily news reporting at the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell.
DREXEL  A man from Valdese now is facing a drug trafficking charge after an incident earlier this month.

Reginald Allen Miller, 54, of Valdese, was charged with felony trafficking of a schedule II opioid on Dec. 8, according to a press release from the Burke County Sheriffs Office.

The charges came after BCSO narcotics investigators were patrolling a neighborhood in Drexel following numerous complaints from residents about illegal activities in the area, the release said.

Around 3:45 p.m., investigators saw Miller driving a vehicle at the intersection of Drexel Road and US 70. When Miller noticed investigators, he turned onto US 70 headed east and his driving became increasingly erratic, according to the release.

After about half a mile of driving on US 70, Miller abruptly turned onto Gurley Street without using a turn signal, the release said.

Investigators made contact with Miller has he exited the vehicle and approached a home on Gurley Street. It was determined that Miller did not live at the home, nor did he have any association with the residents, the release said.

While on scene, obvious suspicion of narcotics was developed and a search of the vehicle and Miller was conducted, turning up more than 4 grams of a powdery substance in his possession. The substance was wrapped in individual packaging and appeared to be for resale.

The substance field tested positive for fentanyl, the release said. It only takes about 2 milligrams of fentanyl to kill someone, meaning the amount of fentanyl seized could have killed more than 2,000 people.

Miller has previous convictions of obtaining property by false pretenses, cheats or services, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, possession with intent to sell a schedule II controlled substance, possession with intent to sell a schedule VI controlled substance, according to records from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

He was booked into the Burke County jail under a $50,000 secured bond, the release said.
VALDESE  The Valdese Town Council agreed Monday night to hire a retired county manager to serve as an interim town manager until a new manger can be found.

But the council, in a 3-2 vote, shot down contracting with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments to help with the search for a new manager. The town is without a manager after the council terminated Seth Eckard, who served as manager for eight years, before three new members were sworn in on Dec. 4. At the Dec. 4 meeting, the council voted to hire Edward Perrou as interim-interim town manager for $1 until an interim manager could be found.

In the special meeting Monday night, the council unanimously agreed to hire Bryan Steen, who served as the Burke County manager for 11 years. He retired from the position at the end of 2022.

Council Member Glenn Harvey read off some of Steens professional accomplishments, including his time early in his career as a state trooper. Harvey said that Steens experience as a trooper, as well as a manager, will help with the towns recruitment of a new police chief. The towns most recent chief, Jack Moss, is retiring this month.

Additionally, Harvey said the interim manager can help the town with the search for a new manager.

As of Monday night, an employment contract had not been finalized, which would include how much the town will pay Steen as interim manager. He is expected to start the position in January.

While the council searches for a new manager, it voted 3-2, with Council Members Rexanna Lowman and Paul Mears opposing, to table indefinitely a contract with Western Piedmont Council of Governments to assist with the recruitment.

WPCOG Executive Director Anthony Starr was at the meeting to answer questions about what his organization does to help local governments recruit for positions such as a town or county manager.

Starr said the organization has conducted manager searches for local governments in the region for a number of years. Starr said the search would include himself and other human resources staff at WPCOG. He said the organization is nonpartisan and does not tell boards who to choose for the position but it bases a search on the councils criteria.

Starr told the council the current market is competitive for managers and there is a shortage of managers in the state. He went on to tell the council that hiring a manager is one of the most important decisions they will make and explained how WPCOG could help in the search.

The contract with WPCOG would have cost the town $3,500 and span the period of December through May 31. Starr told the board that a similar service with a hiring consultant would cost the town between $25,000 and $30,000.

Harvey asked how many manager searches WPCOG does at any one time. Starr said the most theyve done at one time is three. He said last year it conducted a total of eight searches.

When Harvey made the motion to table the item, Mears said he believes the council needs to start the process of finding a permanent manager. Lowman agreed with Mears, saying she doesnt agree with tabling the item indefinitely. She said it should be on the January agenda.

Harvey said the council hasnt looked at other organizations, including the organization that county and town managers belong to, and that the council hasnt looked at other search firms.

During the councils Dec. 4 meeting, the council voted to terminate the contract of the architect firm that was designing a new public safety building.

After the councils action, Town Finance Director Bo Weichel said this week the USDA contacted him to de-obligate loan funds set for new construction of a public safety building. The information didnt require any action from the council.

In other business, the council:

Approved a contract with WPCOG for strategic planning assistance, which will include survey mailings to residents, for $8,030 and runs from Jan. 1 through April 30.

Denied, in a vote of 2-3, a motion to change meeting agendas to do away with a consent agenda so the council can vote on each item individually. The item needed two-thirds of the board (four out of five members) to approve the motion. Mears and Lowman voted against the measure.
Chicagoans of the Year for dance Katherine Selig, left, and Mandy Heuermann, stage managers for the Joffrey Ballet, on Nov. 28, 2023, while preparing for The Nutcracker at the Lyric Opera. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Its been a banner year for the Joffrey Ballet. The 68-year-old ballet company, in residence at the Lyric Opera House, tackled its most ambitious season yet, presenting four huge, full-length narrative works  each with staggering production elements.

It takes a village to tend to the details that brought each of these shows to life, with two people bearing the ultimate responsibility for every light cue firing on time, every prop piece placed where it needs to be and every set change going off without a hitch.

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We definitely have been doing much bigger seasons of late, said stage manager Mandy Heuermann, who joined the Joffrey in 2007. Really, I feel like its been a constant build for a while, especially with the additional capabilities of the Lyric. Weve taken on bigger shows than wed previously been able to.

This has been coming, said principal stage manager Katherine Selig, who began her 23rd season at Joffrey this fall. We expect this to be our new norm.

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In February, Yuri Possokhovs 2019 Anna Karenina returned, newly adapted for the Lyric Opera House, the companys home venue since 2021. In April, John Neumeiers Little Mermaid transformed the stage into an enchanting, underwater dreamscape. October brought the Chicago premiere of Liam Scarletts harrowing Frankenstein. And seven years after unveiling Christopher Wheeldons Nutcracker, Joffrey has continued tweaking and refining the lighting, costumes, projections, puppets and set pieces  all elements in a stunning, magical puzzle which runs for 25 days this month.

It has been a beast, Selig said of 2023. After we finished Nutcracker at the end of last season, we had three major productions we had to keep in our brains and prepare for.

In addition to Anna Karenina and Little Mermaid, the company toured to Minneapolis early this year with Cathy Marstons Of Mice and Men and George Balanchines Serenade (a replica of the companys April 2022 mixed bill), plus a revival of Justin Pecks The Times are Racing, which had been on the shelf since before the pandemic.

We couldnt only focus on one show, Selig said. We had to have all three productions in constant conversation. It was definitely a challenge. We had to preface our statements with what production we were talking about. Their needs were all very different.

Keeping this pace  and garnering some of Joffreys highest attendance on record  evokes a mixture of pride, anxiety, gratification and exhaustion for Selig and Heuermann.

One of the things I like the best about Joffrey is we get to do a lot of varied rep, Heuermann said, and we get to make some things from scratch. That takes the most work, but its a part of my job that I like, even when were really tired. Once I get into the nerdy nitty-gritty of editing the paperwork  I like doing that. I like making the show work.

As principal stage manager, Selig primarily calls each show, instructing crew members operating the light and sound boards, working the fly rail and moving sets on and off stage. Heuermann typically runs the deck, ensuring dancers, props and other elements are in place, and troubleshooting anything that goes awry. The preshow announcement at every Joffrey performance? Thats also Heuermann.

I cant do my job without Mandy, Selig said.

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I am a career assistant, Heuermann said. Im very good at calling shows, but its not my favorite part. I like running the deck. I like solving those problems in the moment. If something goes wrong, my main goal is to try to fix it without Katherine having to deal with it or ideally even knowing about it.

Its a formula that fell into place more than 17 years ago when Selig scouted Heuermann for the job. A San Francisco native, Selig came to the Joffrey Ballet after a brief stint with San Francisco Ballet while still a student at the University of California, Berkeley. A year later, a position opened up with the Joffrey Ballet, and she took it.

By that time, I had fallen in love with dance, Selig said. I felt really excited about the work. I knew I liked being around dancers and watching dance. I jumped at the opportunity  and that was 23 years ago.

St. Louis native Heuermann arrived at a career in theatre almost by accident, probably because I was responsible and good with computers, she said.

After responding to an ad for crew members at the University of Michigan, Heuermann applied to major in theater design and production.

The first thing I was assigned to do was run a light board for the dance concert, Heuermann said. That was the first time I ever saw dance. I immediately fell in love with it. I couldnt believe those people were the same species as me.

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Heuermann bounced around for a few years  working at Jacobs Pillow, the Goodman Theatre, Washington National Opera and Cincinnati Ballet  before landing at Joffrey.

I took this job when I was 25, and Im still here, she said. I stayed because I love dance and I love the rep we do.

Selig and Heuermann admit their jobs arent for everyone. It takes a certain temperament and level of confidence that took time to build. And humility. Both say the Joffrey Ballet is stronger than ever. Neither will admit theyre a big reason why.

When it comes time to run any show, you just have to be able to calm yourself, sit down, put on the headset and do the show, Heuermann said. If you think about it too closely, that would be nerve-wracking. But we also do a lot to prepare.

Its not for everybody, Selig said, admitting she still gets nervous before every opening night. Ive stayed because it continues to be challenging and interesting. The company I started working for in 2001 is not the same company I work for today. Its exciting. And also, I love Mandy.

Lauren Warnecke is a freelance critic.
COVID-19 vaccinations have lagged leading into a time of significant spread of the disease. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The number of Iowans who have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations has plummeted in recent months, after the threat of the disease reached a pandemic low and federal officials ended a public health emergency declaration.

Find a vaccine COVID-19 vaccines are often free for people who have health insurance or through the CDCs Bridge Access Program, which has agreements with health care providers and pharmacies. The CDC has an online search to find vaccine providers, or people can call (800) 232-0233 for help.

But now the spread of the disease in the state is very high, according to a recent report by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

As of last week, about 10.4% of Iowans were considered immunized against COVID-19, according to HHS data. That is calculated using the states database of immunization records.

More than 60% of Iowans were vaccinated during the worst throes of the coronavirus pandemic, but those initial vaccinations have become less effective over time. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends updated vaccines that boost immunization and are meant to target currently circulating strains.

The CDC issued an alert this week to health care providers that warned of low vaccination rates for COVID, influenza and RSV, a leading cause of hospitalizations among infants.

Low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national and international respiratory disease activity  could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks, the CDC warned.

There were 345 new hospital admissions of people with COVID-19 in Iowa last week, according to CDC data. That is higher than any weekly total in December last year and the highest since August 2022.

The largest number of new weekly admissions in Iowa happened in November 2020, when there were more than 1,500. That was before COVID vaccines were widely available.

The CDC urged health care providers to vaccinate their patients and to recommend antiviral medications to those with flu or COVID. It provided a vaccination conversation guide to help allay patient concerns.

And its issuing that advice using vaccination estimates that paint a rosier picture in Iowa: The CDC estimates that about 28% of the states adults are vaccinated for COVID. Taking into account the CDCs separate estimate for how many children are vaccinated, Iowas overall vaccination rate is about 22%.

The CDC figures are based on telephonic surveys that indicate about 17% of the countrys adults have received an updated COVID vaccine since the middle of September.

Its Iowa estimate is out of step with vaccination reports earlier in the pandemic, which the CDC based on data from those who administered the vaccines. That data indicated Iowas vaccination rates were significantly behind other states such as California, Oregon and New York. The new estimate places Iowa ahead of those states.

HHS said the CDC estimate is not comparable to the state data because their sampling methods differ and the states figure is based on significantly more information. However, the department noted that it does not regularly receive updates from federal agencies  including the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration  about their vaccinations of Iowans.

The CDC attributes the overall low vaccine uptake to a lack of proactive recommendations by health care providers, concerns about side effects and simply forgetting to get vaccinated.

HHS did not immediately respond to questions about whether it considers Iowas vaccination rate low and whether it has a vaccination percentage goal.

The states most-populous county said this week that vaccination against respiratory diseases should be a priority for residents ahead of the Christmas holiday, given the low vaccination rates and increasing hospital admissions.

With the increasing hospitalization rates were seeing with respiratory viruses, we urge the community to get their updated respiratory shots, said Helen Eddy, Polk Countys public health director. Getting the updated shots will not only protect you, but protect our communitys health and prevent hospital overwhelm.
NEW YORK  Federal agents raided Rudy Giuliani's home and office in 2021 because they suspected the former New York City mayor sought the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine partly because of the prospect of a financial reward from a Ukrainian official, according to documents made public Tuesday.

The documents provide new detail on the since-concluded investigation into Giuliani's dealings with Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was not charged with a crime as a result of that inquiry.

In a search warrant application, federal agents seeking to seize Giuliani's cell phones, laptop and other electronic devices raised the possibility that he and three other people could be charged with acting as unregistered foreign agents.

The documents, unsealed at the request of The New York Times, confirmed past news reports that federal prosecutors in Manhattan were examining whether Giuliani got anything of value for lobbying the Trump administration to fire then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

The warrant application said Giuliani was "incentivized" to lobby for the ambassador's removal in two ways.

First, it said, the prosecutor general in Ukraine who wanted the ambassador fired, Yuriy Lutsenko, offered to hire Giuliani to lobby the Trump administration for help recovering Ukrainian assets he believed were misappropriated by a U.S. investment firm.

"Giuliani was interested in being engaged to do that work, and proposed a retainer with a $200,000 upfront payment," the warrant application said. "Thus, it appears that Giuliani took steps to cause the firing of the Ambassador to prove  what he could achieve."

Secondly, the application said, Giuliani wanted Lutsenko's help launching an investigation that might hurt Trump's Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Both Lutsenko and Giuliani previously denied there was anything inappropriate about their interactions.

In their search warrant application, prosecutors cited bank records and other information showing he went from having about $1.2 million in the bank and $40,000 in credit card debt in January 2018 to about $288,000 in cash and $110,000 credit debt in February 2019.

Giuliani says he also never lobbied the Trump administration on Lutsenko's behalf.

The search warrant application included an excerpt from a 2019 text exchange in which Giuliani expressed frustration about his lack of progress, at the time, in ousting Yovanovitch as ambassador.

"Boy, I am so powerful I can intimidate the entire Ukrainian government," Giuliani told Lev Parnas, an associate who was serving as a liaison to Ukrainian officials. "Please don't tell anyone I can't get the crooked Ambassador fired or I did three times and she's still there."

Trump ordered Yovanovitch removed from her post that month.

In November 2022, federal prosecutors revealed in a letter to a federal judge that Giuliani would not face criminal charges in the investigation.

The contours of the investigation were broadly known even before its conclusion, but details of what evidence prosecutors were acting on when they sought to search Giuliani had not been revealed.

The Times wrote to the judge in October seeking copies of the search warrants, warrant applications, supporting affidavits and other documents.

Giuliani consented to releasing the search warrant documents, according to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken's order unsealing them.

The documents contained numerous redactions, with many names and other identifying information blacked out. Trump's name appeared in the documents more than two-dozen times, mainly pertaining to Giuliani's alleged lobbying efforts. There was no suggestion that investigators suspected Trump of wrongdoing.

In an affidavit filed with Manhattan federal magistrates to secure search warrants, investigators wrote it appeared Giuliani had been aware of FARA registration requirements for some time and had publicly stated that he believed he was not required to register because he has never lobbied the U.S. government on behalf of his clients.

The disclosure of the search warrant documents comes amid a tangle of recent and ongoing legal challenges for the Republican ex-mayor.

Giuliani was indicted in August in Georgia on charges he acted as Trump's chief co-conspirator in a plot to subvert Biden's victory. He was also described as a co-conspirator but not charged in special counsel Jack Smith's federal election interference case against Trump.

Last week, a jury in Washington, D.C. ordered Giuliani to pay $148 million in damages to two former Georgia election workers who sued him for defamation over lies he spread about them in the wake of Trump's 2020 election loss.

The former workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, sued Giuliani again on Monday, alleging he continued to defame them during the trial.
Former President Donald Trump is defending his comments about migrants crossing the southern border, who he had said are poisoning the blood of America. He said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday that he had not read Mein Kampf, referencing Adolf Hitler's fascist manifesto. He reiterated his blood purity comments from over the weekend and said immigrants in the U.S. illegally are destroying the blood of our country. Trump has faced mounting criticism for his intensifying rhetoric as he seeks to make immigration policy a key piece of his second-term agenda. Experts have noted his language echoes writings from Hitler about the purity of Aryan blood, which underpinned Nazi Germany's systematic murder of millions of Jews.
Stakeholders in the creative economy have welcomed the governments plan to promote the creative industry by establishing a legal framework to spur its growth.

The stakeholders, drawn from diverse content creation sectors, expressed optimism that the envisioned policy would create more avenues for upcoming artists to access global platforms for their content.

The stakeholders, gathered at a Nakuru hotel, were taken through the provisions of the Draft Creative Economic Policy and the Creative Industries Bill as a mandatory requirement for public participation.

The participants were taken through the contents of the Bill by Justice Thuranira of the Kenya Law Reform Commission, who assured them that their views would be discussed for incorporation into the Bill.

He told the participants that the government had taken note of the challenges faced by the creative artists and had therefore conceptualised the policy and Bill as a remedy to the challenges.

He said that the government intends to provide synergy through digital infrastructural support, funding, and research facilitation as avenues to spur the growth of the sector, which is fast becoming a source of income for many creatives.

In his remarks, Patrick Samba appealed to the government to set up a standard rate card for performing artists invited to national celebrations and events as a way of promoting upcoming artists.

Peter Wachira, a theatre artist, said there is a need for the government to enact laws that will compel all private radio and TV stations to air local content to promote local content.

Other stakeholders who spoke at the meeting called for establishing a National Artists Council that will bring together all industry players and enable them to address their concerns as a team.

The Draft Creative Economic Policy and the Creative Industries Bill were developed to enhance the policy and legal framework for implementing the Bottom-Up Transformative Economic Agenda (BETA) and other related purposes.

The government hopes that doing so will enable creative artists to make decent earnings from their creative works.

The Bill proposes the establishment of a creative industries Development Fund that will support the growth of the creative industry through financial empowerment. It is expected that the fund will offer infrastructural support, research funding, and help in the creation of creative hubs.

The Bill also proposes the establishment of a creative voucher system that will provide artists with vouchers to access training and equipment and even help market their works.

The government, through the Bill, commits to providing subsidised rental studios with equipment that is tailor-made for artists. The studios will have internet connectivity, cloud services, and content distribution networks. This is intended to help the artists produce quality content.

The government also hopes to empower practitioners in the creative economy to exploit existing and emerging opportunities in digital, local, and international markets.

The government also aims to improve awareness of intellectual property laws and regulations within the creative economy. This will be done through the development of comprehensive awareness programmes that will enlighten artists about patenting their products.

The bill has identified some of the challenges faced by artists and suggested ways of dealing with them.

It indicates that some of the artists face challenges in accessing financing due to stringent collateral requirements, low income levels of upcoming artists, and a lack of adequate technical and entrepreneurial skills.

They also face deficiencies in physical and digital infrastructure for showcasing and distributing their creative works.

In acknowledging the critical role played by creative artists in the economy of the country, the government seeks to tap into talent that would otherwise go to waste due to a lack of capacity to monetize talent.

The Bill also aims to enhance the policy and legal framework governing the sector to enable it to operate at optimal levels.

 Kenya News Agency
On Tuesday morning, Police Officers at Nyanchwa Police Station in Kisii County rejected Busia Senator Okiya Omtatahs attempt to file death threat claims against President William Ruto.

Omtatah was turned away from Nyanchwa Police after trying to submit another report at Mosocho Police Station in Kitutu Chache South.

The popular activist alleged that, during a church function at Cardinal High School in Mosocho, where he conducted a fundraiser on Saturday, December 16, Ruto made death threats against him and others obstructing his policies.

The senator contended that, by challenging the Housing Levy in court, he perceived the threat as being directed specifically at him.

As he was speaking he started censuring those who challenged the Finance Act ruling particularly on the Housing Levy. He said that he will deal with them with the sword he was given in Kasarani, said Omtatah.

He(Ruto) said that the sword is not for cutting vegetables but it is for dealing with those crooks opposing his government. I am not a crook and I have never done anything that can label me as a crook.

Despite encountering frustrations with the police, Omtatah has pledged to ensure that his statement is officially recorded, and an investigation is initiated into President Rutos statement.

I have met a bullish OCPD who thinks he understands the law and has refused to take my statement. I will follow the law and ensure that this statement will be on record, said Omtatah.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga has personally apologized to Rwanda for the controversial remarks made by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, which seemed to criticize Rwandas governance style.

During an appearance on Citizen TVs Monday Report show, Murkomen said Rwanda operates as an autocracy, emphasizing that whatever the President says is considered the law.

Murkomen insisted that Kenya should not be compared to Rwanda in terms of development, affirming that Kenya operates as a democracy.

You cannot compare the political situation in Rwanda and the size of the country with our country and our democracy, Murkomen said.

The Transport Minister added: The other day I announced that we want to retest drivers but what happenedpeople caused chaos, went to court For every decision you make in this country (Kenya) you must go through a proposal then Parliament then public participation. Then after you go through all the processes you go through the court and that is our country.

In a Tuesday statement, Odinga accused the CS of employing intemperate and undiplomatic language against Rwanda.

Yesterday, we opened another war with Rwanda through a cabinet secretary using intemperate and undiplomatic language against this friendly neighbouring member of the East African Community. Statecraft and diplomacy require a different and more sophisticated etiquette beyond expensive watches, suits and walking sticks, said the former Prime Minster.

Rwanda Not A Small Country

The Opposition Leader also pointed out Murkomens assertion that Rwanda is a small country, comparable only to Kajiado County in Kenya.

The coarse language used against the great country and friendly people of Rwanda is most unfortunate. Rwanda is the size of Switzerland and is bigger than Singapore. It is not the size that makes nations but the vision and leadership. To our Rwandese brothers and sisters, we apologize for the sins of a regime intoxicated by power and corruption, Raila said.

The ODM Party leader further castigated President William Rutos Kenya Kwanza administration emphasizing that statecraft and diplomacy demand a distinct and more sophisticated etiquette.

As a party, we are concerned and disturbed by the direction Kenya Kwanza regime is taking on the global stage. Our country will pay a steep price for this Kenya Kwanza recklessness.
Aisha Rivera was named Napa Countys 2023 to 2025 poet laureate in May, tasked with being an ambassador for poetry throughout the county.

The poet laureates job, an honorary position appointed by the Board of Supervisors, is to promote citizens awareness of poetry, including spoken word, as well as heighten their appreciation of the art form, according to Napa Countys website.

Rivera grew up in Napa, graduating from New Technology High School in 2013 before attending Napa Valley College and later earning degrees in psychology and theater arts at California State University Fullerton. After graduating in 2018, Rivera, who uses they/them pronouns, returned to Napa, where they work as a production assistant at Robert Mondavi Winery. Rivera is also an artist, actor and member of the Napa Valley Arts Council.

In the first six months of their term, the poet, artist and activist has begun to get comfortable in the role, hosting monthly open mic nights at Napa Bookmine on Second Street in Napa, performing at the city of Napas Dia de los Muertos celebration, and sharing poetry across social media. Rivera spoke to the Register about the role of poet laureate, their love of words, and their first six months on the job.

If you would like to read more of Riveras work or find updates about Napa poetry events, visit their website: aishaarivera.com.

How were you introduced to writing, and how has it been a presence in your life?

Some of my fondest memories growing up were when my mom would take me to the Napa library. I would have a little wagon, and I would always really max out the amount of books I could get. And then we would go home, and I would read it all by the time I had to return them, so we would go back, and I would max out again.

I just read so much, so I started writing short stories. It wasnt until like late middle school that I got more into writing poetry. And I dont know if there was really a moment I was like, Oh, Im good at this. I think my cousin and I would share poems with each other, and they said Im really feeling something through what youre writing and then I think, as I got less shy, I just realized people like my work. So I started just having more confidence in myself and being like, Im getting good, how can I keep doing this?

I started to post my writing online on Tumblr back in the day. Thats where I started finding a community of other people who were writing and writing poetry. It really started through there.

What inspired you to apply for the poet laureate role?

I had been writing and performing poetry here in Napa for a while. I did Day of the Dead and a couple of other things. And then the opportunity came up through the Arts Council. Im on the board of the Arts Council and one of my friends who also works for Arts Council told me the position was going to be available and urged me to apply.

We have a big Latino community here, and I write a lot about that and my experiences, and I thought that this could be a good opportunity to just kind of connect with that community.

Where do you draw inspiration and themes for your work?

I write a lot about my identity and growing up Latino, growing up Mexican or Mexican American. My parents are immigrants, and I write about that experience as well. Also growing up queer and growing up a queer Latino is something I write about. All of those experiences and identities kind of converge into poems.

And I also just use it as a place to express my pain. Sometimes I just get the idea of something like an emotion or an experience I have been through and the only way I can really put it out there is through poem.

During the first six months of your term, what have been the best parts of being Napas poet laureate?

I get really excited when I think about the sense of community that Im building, and also the fact that people are feeling like they can write poetry. Ive talked to so many people throughout my six months who say, I didnt think I liked poetry until I found this or I didnt think I could write poetry, but Im going to try. And then they write something amazing; they write something profound. And for me, that has been the most amazing part of this job. The part Im most grateful for is seeing people become creative or feeling like they have the space to be creative and bring their full selves into a room.

And seeing them inspire each other as well. At an open mic night, someone will come up and then someone else will be like, Wow, that makes me want to write something or that makes me feel something I havent felt before. That, for me, is the most important thing about this. I started writing poetry because I read poetry that made me feel something. To see other people feeling empowered to do that is the best part.

Do you have any goals for the remainder of your term?

I really do want to do workshops. I havent really taught before and so for me, I think Im a little intimidated, but I know people want them, so Im going to step out of my comfort zone and do that. Its definitely something I have less experience with. Trying to teach someone how to write a poem feels a little different, but Im trying to work my way into doing that.

Who are your favorite poets to read?

Shel Silverstein, I still read. I think he has some great stuff that  no matter what age you are  you can go back to. To see the world through that lens is always really interesting. All of the classics, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver is not a classic but Mary Oliver. And then more contemporary, I really love Rudy Francisco, watching him perform poetry just moves me in a different way.
Last week the wine community lost a beloved icon and I lost a dear friend of 44 years. Miljenko Mike Grgich passed away peacefully at his Calistoga home surrounded by family on Dec. 13.

He will be missed by all who knew him over his 100 years and by countless others who were familiar with his accomplishments  both professional and personal.

My friendship with Mike began in spring 1979 during my first visit to Napa Valley. On the first day of our tasting adventure, wine savvy collectors and good friends Suzie and Paul Frank treated us to an extraordinary vinous experience by sharing a bottle of the legendary 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (winner of "Best White Wine" against the standard bearers of Burgundy at the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976) over lunch on an island at Chateau Montelena. Paul piqued my interest as he recounted the illustrious story of the wine and winemaker  Mike Grgich.

The next day we were having lunch at Domaine Chandon when Paul noted a new wine on the list  1977 Grgich Hills Chardonnay  that he had not yet tried but was the winemakers newest venture. We ordered the wine and were immediately drawn in by its grace and elegance. Since we were close to this new Rutherford-based winery, we decided to drive by and perhaps have the chance to meet Mike.

We did indeed meet Mike who was so humble and gracious while teaching me the significance of letting the wine speak for itself. That was the beginning of our 44-year friendship and the first of many great occasions I've shared with Mike personally and by opening countless bottles of Grgich Hills wines to enjoy with friends.

To commemorate Mikes 100th birthday earlier this year, his daughter Violet (president and CEO) and nephew Ivo Jeramaz (winemaker/ vice president of vineyards and production), along with their Grgich Hills Estate team planned several intimate celebratory events in late spring. Unfortunately, I was away for each of these events and unable to personally wish Mike a happy 100th.

As the harvest of 2023 approached, Violet and Ivo hosted their annual Blessing of the Grapes celebration that also honored Mikes 97th (thats right 97th!) harvest that I again had to miss for the first time since moving to Napa in 2001.

Determined to mark Mikes birthday, I called Violet for some ideas on the best way to celebrate my friendship with Mike, his 100th birthday and 97th harvest. I was met with a welcome response as Violet arranged a private meeting in the Ranch House on the winery campus with just Mike, Violet, Ivo, Mikes longtime friend and assistant Maria Luisa Moreno Reyes. We spent a couple hours together sipping wine and reliving stories.

What a special time it was as I connected with my friend in his home surroundings sharing some meaningful and delicious wines and plenty of time for personal reminiscences spanning our years of friendship. On entering the Ranch House, I was greeted by a beautiful table set with two very special wines  2019 Grgich Hills Estate 100th Birthday Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville Old Vine and 2020 Grgich Hills Estate 100th Birthday Chardonnay Paris Tasting Commemorative  and plates of Mikes favorite cheeses, salamis, crackers and hummus.

Anticipating a memorable visit, I pulled a very special bottle from our cellar to share with him in hopes of evoking some great recollections. In 1986, my wife Barbara and I visited Mike in his Yountville Victorian home. As we left the house, Mike inscribed and signed a bottle of his 1985 Grgich Hills Johannisberg Riesling Late Harvest for Barbara that has been resting comfortably in our cellar ever since.

Could there have been a better wine to share with Mike celebrating his 100th?

Well, to everyones surprise and joy the wine went far beyond what we expected as Mike relished the aromatics, flavors and memories the bottle evoked. And Marias reaction was also one of unparalleled joy and surprise. Violet and I watched their delight unfold and the emotions they displayed.

Mike sniffed the wine deeply as his eyes lit up in happiness while the aromatics brought a smile to his face unlocking long-forgotten memories of the wine. After his first sip, his smiled broadened and he broke into a Croatian song: Vuzgi Vuzgi  "No one has it better than us, if only it were like this every day." He repeated the song several times before simply commenting, Its good to be a winemaker and enjoy wine like this.

Both Violet and I were amazed and elated with Mikes reaction to the wine and our special celebration. But Marias reaction went far beyond as she repeatedly reminded Mike that he made this wine and each reminder was met with a nod and broad grin.

Ivo observed the wine as retaining its youthful expression even after 38 years, This wine is still young and alive with good acidity and perfect balance that is a tribute to Mikes talents. He then acknowledged Mikes natural link to his history and dedication to wine by saying, Throughout his winemaking career, Mike has always had his ear to the ground and looks to the soils for their influence in fine wine production. Terroir is his guiding light and its expression in the glass is his goal.

Ivo also presented me with a bottle each of the 100th Birthday wines which Mike was kind enough to sign carrying on a tradition and enhancing the memories of our 44-years long friendship.

Wine is a living thing and has always been a treasured vehicle in bringing people together as it did on that beautiful fall afternoon.

This final memory of my time with Mike will live in my heart forever.

PHOTOS: Mike Grgich -- A life in pictures
After the 44-day war [in 2020] and even before that, we were accused of selling, handing over; that is, we did not make efforts to protect the rights of Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh. Meanwhile, if there is an objective accusation against us, it should be about something else that we did not talk to the people about the impossibility of realizing Armenian ideas and wishes in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television

"We are accused of something we are not guilty of, we are not accused of something where we are more likely to be found guilty; this also has a reason. They don't accuse because in this case, the accusation will be more blurred by making it the addressee of much larger circles; that is, it will become so that it is much more difficult to address the accusation, to make it personal," he said.

According to Pashinyan, in order for any authorities to say that something like this is impossible, it must be followed by a proposal.

"() it is the leader's task to submit a proposal. What are we doing? Are we returning the territories? Are we zeroing the current status of Nagorno-Karabakh? There is no certainty about the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh; moreover, what is accepted in the highest international instances is certain.

"I mean, in fact, if we follow the logic of a wise politician, the record of a wise politician in 2019 should have been that the seven territories [around Nagorno-Karabakh] should be handed over [to Azerbaijan], the current status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be zeroed; why and how, I will say later. A maximum Armenian-Azerbaijani joint governance should be established in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh will not be determined until Azerbaijanis are the majority in Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan emphasized.

He added that after all this comes the fifth question.

"And what will happen after all this? For example, will the Sev Lake events take place or not? The Sotk-Khoznavar events, the Tegh [village] events will take place or not? Next, in fact, we have to face the need to collapse the 30-year-old Armenian speech, and still not having the answer to the question: did it turned out this way because the Armenian authorities collapsed the Armenian vision? Or on the contrary, should it have happened that way? When I said in the National Assembly that we would have the same thing, but without casualties, I did not understand why there was a fuss because this is what I meant," the Armenian PM emphasized.

Nikol Pashinyan stated that in the negotiation process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, there was never an option that would offer a solution to this issue.

"All the options that were on the table, since the Madrid principles, assumed non-resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. There was only one option in 1999, which in case of signing it could be said that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved. It was the exchange option between Meghri and Nagorno-Karabakh; that is, Meghri is handed over to Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is joined to Armenia. There was no solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in any other option. It was done specifically so that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue could be kept on Armenia's head as a bludgeon. Maybe also on the head of Azerbaijan," he said.

"And this, in my understanding, was also done specially in some sense, so that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue could always be kept on the head of the Republic of Armenia as a bludgeon. I don't know, maybe some people were thinking about on Azerbaijans head. But now I am talking about Armenia, and I want to talk about Armenia. I have said before the impossibility of clarifying where the process will stop because if you have a predictable environment or the ability to make the process predictable, you can discuss and make a decision. But if you do not know, or there is absolutely no possibility to make the process predictable, what you say becomes practically impossible," emphasized the Armenian premier.
People outside a migrant shelter near the 2300 block of South Halsted Street where 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero got sick and died over the weekend on Dec. 19, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Authorities are investigating the death of a 5-year-old boy Sunday who had been staying inside a warehouse on the Lower West Side housing several thousand migrants.

The parents of Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero are devastated, said Matt DeMateo, executive director and pastor at New Life Centers, who is consoling the family and mediating their communication with city officials as the investigation of their sons death continues.

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DeMateo has been by the familys side since the boy was taken to the hospital Sunday, and Im still here, he told the Tribune.

For migrant advocates, the boys death marked the tipping point of the citys shelter system overflowing with demand. More than 26,000 migrants have come to Chicago over the past 16 months, and advocates say they have been worried about something like this happening for weeks.

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Health care specialists have questioned both the conditions and coordination of care not only in the warehouse at 2241 S. Halsted St., but in the entire 27-shelter system.

Malnutrition on top of crowded conditions in the winter when there are all kinds of respiratory conditions can lead to really bad outcomes, said Minal Giri, chair of the Refugee Immigrant Child Health Initiative for the Illinois chapter at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero, the 5-year-old who died Dec. 17, 2023, after a medical emergency at a temporary shelter on the Lower West Side for migrants and asylum-seekers. (Martinez family)

She said the citys health care system in shelters is disorganized and decentralized.

Jean Carlos had been sick for a couple of days prior to his death, his parents told police. The family had been outside begging for money earlier on Sunday, but came home after the 5-year-old had vomited.

At the shelter, his lips turned purple, his parents told police. The boys family members told police that staff had said the discoloration was probably because of the cold.

But after the boy complained that his stomach hurt and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, staff began performing chest compressions on him and called for an ambulance.

The boy was pronounced dead at Comer Childrens Hospital and the cause of death is under investigation, authorities said. The Chicago Department of Public Health will continue to evaluate the situation, according to a statement Tuesday from Mayor Brandon Johnsons press office, which continued to place blame for the migrant crisis on Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been busing migrants to Chicago and other liberal cities since August 2022.

An ambulance transports a person from a migrant shelter near the 2300 block of South Halsted Street where 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero got sick and died over the weekend on Dec. 19, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Many new arrivals survive brutal and dangerous journeys to border states and are promptly and inhumanely transported with little to no triage. Border states do not take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals they load onto buses, according to the mayors office statement. As a result, interior cities like Chicago are receiving new arrivals with more severe medical needs, since many asylum-seekers are spending the night outdoors without access to sanitation, drinking water or food immediately prior to their journeys.

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According to the city, the Martinez Rivero family arrived in Chicago on Nov. 30, and had been staying at the warehouse ever since.

A vigil for Jean Carlos is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday near the shelter. Volunteers are requesting those attending bring medicine to share.

Sara Izquierdo, co-founder and director of the Mobile Migrant Health Team, a group of medical students that went to police stations to provide medical care when migrants were staying there, performed a site assessment at the shelter Monday with city officials and shelter employees.

She called the conditions inside very, very concerning.

When she was providing care to migrants at police stations, she said she would promise them better resources once they got into the citys shelter system.

Now I feel almost as if I lied to them, she said.

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Migrants walk outside a shelter near the 2300 block of South Halsted Street on Dec. 19, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

City officials say that the citys public health department supports shelter-based care through its partners, including on-site screenings, infection prevention and vaccinations.

Strike teams from UI Health and Rush have been deployed to shelters on an as-needed basis to address outbreak responses, and currently visit the Halsted shelter twice a week to provide additional testing and vaccinations, the mayors statement said.

On Monday, after the childs death, fire officials transported five people with fevers to hospitals from the shelter, which houses 2,414 migrants. The ill people included children ages 1, 4, 8 and 9, Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

The cases do not appear related other than having originated in the same shelter, and symptoms are consistent with ongoing seasonal respiratory trends. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available, Johnsons statement said.

The ambulance call is not an isolated incident, and since the boys death, EMS calls havent stopped.

[ Waiting in fear: A migrant mother struggles to find health care in Chicago ]

Langford said Tuesday there had been two EMS calls for migrants late Monday  a 7-year-old with an ear infection and a 3-year-old who was vomiting. Both were brought to the emergency room at the University of Illinois Hospital.

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A woman in her 40s was brought to the hospital early Tuesday for chest discomfort, Langford said.

Tuesday afternoon, the Tribune watched two ambulances pull up to the shelter in the course of three hours.

Langford said he has only seen an increase in emergency calls from the shelter on Halsted Street, despite 26 other locations housing nearly 11,500 migrants around the city.

I dont know why, but that ones been getting a run, he said.

An ambulance outside a migrant shelter near the 2300 block of South Halsted Street where 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero was living on Dec. 19, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Migrants who gathered outside the shelter Tuesday afternoon said it feels like they are sleeping in a refrigerator. Euglimar Ramos, 30, from Punto Fijo, Venezuela, said she was in the same section of the shelter as the little boy who died.

Its so sad, she said, looking at her 11-year-old son Lenin. I saw him die. He shouldnt have died that young.

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[ What to know about Chicagos migrant crisis ]

Giri said she has heard and seen concerning reports of conditions inside the Halsted shelter. But her biggest concern, she said, is the lack of transparency from the citys biggest contractor to handle the migrant crisis, Favorite Healthcare Staffing.

Favorite shut the door so that no one could really see whats happening in these shelters.  And its horrific, she said.

Does Favorite have a protocol for dealing with sick children? Do they have anyone in house who has any kind of pediatric background? Do they have regular access to sick visits? she asked.

People stand outside a migrant shelter near the 2300 block of South Halsted Street where 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero died over the weekend on Dec. 19, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Migrants told the Tribune on Tuesday there is a general atmosphere of fear in the shelters. They are worried about what will happen when their time in shelters runs out and they are put out onto the street.

Tuesday afternoon, dozens of migrants got off a CTA bus and walked into the shelter. Mothers held children swathed in blankets. They wrapped their arms around themselves to stay warm.

At 4:30 p.m. a school bus dropping off migrants pulled up to the shelter at the same time as an ambulance. The sirens flashed red onto the fluorescently lit windows of the large brick industrial building.

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Lupe Guadalupe Rivera, a teacher who volunteered helping migrants at the Gresham District (6th) police station went to the shelter on the Lower West Side Saturday to hand out Christmas gifts to children staying there. Over 1,000 gifts were needed, she said.

She said the migrant children she gave gifts to were wearing flip-flops and didnt have coats. Their health needs are extensive.

Im sure as the weather is getting worse, the families are getting sicker, she said. They have a lot of allergies. They need a lot of stomach medications.  And it can be hard to keep up with that.

The volume of migrants she saw Saturday solidified to her the citys challenges providing care to everyone.

I feel like the city has been trying to do as best as they can with the resources that they have, but theres so many people there that its just difficult to handle, she said.

nsalzman@chicagotribune.com

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lrodriguez@chicagotribune.com
From the date of creation of the Armenia Fund until 2018, even 2020, the funds donated from the diaspora are 3, 4, 5 times less than the increase in revenues of Armenias state budget, from 2018 to 2022. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television, and referring to Armenian diaspora engagement.

"To change that speech, to replace it with what? To replace with what? This is the whole problem. To replace and essentially say that the Nagorno-Karabakh matter is closed, there is no Nagorno-Karabakh issue. But in this case, a very important question must be answered: very well, even if we record it, and then? The lack of certainties or the impossibility of determining the later is the most important factor because in the case of referring to the later after the later, it is necessary to review all the formulas that are based on the statehood of Armeniastarting with regional relations, ending with international relations, security systems, and so on.

"That is, why hasn't the speech changed in that situation? I say again, let's put aside the fact that it's not like we woke up one morning and this whole thing came into being. It is the result of certain processes, relations, events, conversations, discussions, when you understand that the action you said means not only about Nagorno-Karabakh, but also in general, tearing own the entire speech, concept, content that is the foundation of Armenian statehood. A mission that no sane person will undertake, not because they are afraid, but [because] a vacuum will form between tearing down and building a new one.

"Processes will take place during that vacuum. These processes are unpredictable. And most importantly, are these unpredictable processes reversible or irreversible? And no one can give the answer to that question. Nobody can. Am I able to explain my point? That is, did it happen because we tore down that concept? Or did it happen because that concept itself is no longer viable? What was that moment? Yes, you are right in saying we had to make a choice. What was my choice? To strain all possible forces, to try to defend what we reasonably believe in. You talked about contacts with the previous authorities," said the Armenian premier.

And to the remark that he continued the emotional line of his predecessors in terms of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Pashinyan responded: "That emotional line was not theirs; let's start with that because that emotional line was of all of us. We all got here with our perceptions of this environment. It is very important to record that when we talk about a concept, its about a structure. Now we are talking to each other about the need to collapse that structure. That's not even the problem. The problem is, what events would happen first in that case. And would those events happen because the [Armenian] authorities came and collapsed the concept? Or would they happen because that concept is not viable? No one could give the answer to that question."
The people who planned and carried out the de-Armenianization of Nagorno-Karabakh consider that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has been resolved and the issue of Armenia should be resolved as well. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television.

"The leaders of Armenia in [19]90-[19]91 did not say that we need independence to have a state, but we need an independent state to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Here is the most important problem.

"Now the speakers of the [Armenian] opposition declare that the existence of Armenia without Nagorno-Karabakh has no meaning, as the statehood of Armenia was created to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. That is, if the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved, what would be the fate of Armenia after that issue was resolved?

"There were calls from other countries to change power in Armenia. Those people who made those calls, they considered that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved with the ethnic cleansing of [Armenians of] Nagorno-Karabakh, and therefore, the issue of Armenia should also be resolved. That is, the concept should reach its conclusion, lackey authorities should be established in Armenia, which will say: Well, it turned out that the existence of Armenia is meaningless now," said the PM of Armenia.

And asked whether it is true that they called him and said that after the events of September 19, we should attack Azerbaijan, Pashinyan answered: "There was no such conversation; there were other conversations that could mean. And perhaps if transferred from the conceptual level to the practical level, yes, it can be interpreted that way."
The Lisbon summit of 1996, which is expressed by the chairman's statement, records the following: it says the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved by exercising the right to self-determination; that is, Nagorno-Karabakh should receive autonomy within Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television.

"In 1993, the resolutions of the UN Security Council were adopted, where several records were made. According to the records, Nagorno-Karabakh was considered the territory of Azerbaijan by those resolutions. And that's how it is written: Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

"Secondly, the achievements made with the use of force were considered illegal. The principle of inviolability of borders and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was recorded.

"In 1994, the ceasefire comes, and the negotiation process begins. In 1996, the OSCE Lisbon summit takes place. During this period, the concept of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is placed on the right of self-determination.

"The Lisbon summit of 1996, which is expressed by the chairman's statement, records the following. It says the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved by exercising the right to self-determination; that is, Nagorno-Karabakh should receive autonomy within Azerbaijan. That is, according to the results of the 1996 Lisbon summit, the international community has said what the right to self-determination means in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh," said Pashinyan.

"Now, why do I say that the process of dissolving the state order in Nagorno-Karabakh had already started with the negotiation content we inherited in 2018? Why? Because I say that in the negotiation process in August 2016, after the four-day war of April 2016, a third document appears in the content of the negotiations in August, which is about the following in the record of our subject, that the UN Security Council, in consultation with the UN Secretary General, Armenia, Azerbaijan and OSCE officials, will determine the ways through which Nagorno-Karabakh should organize its own life. And this will be the recognized status of Nagorno-Karabakh until the final status is decided.

"And what was the need for this document to be created? The problem is that Azerbaijan and, in fact, the other co-chairs with Azerbaijan also had recorded that Kazan provision that Nagorno-Karabakh receives an intermediate status cannot be expressed by the perceptions of the Armenian side. What was the perception of the Armenian side in Kazan that Nagorno-Karabakh, which existed as of 2011, receives an intermediate status? That is, the existing status of Nagorno-Karabakh is recorded as an intermediate status. What exists, the status quo of Nagorno-Karabakh, is recorded as an intermediate status. Azerbaijan rejects this, and in 2016, since the idea of an intermediate status exists in the Madrid principles, the third document in this package appears, which addresses the issue of the intermediate status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"What has changed here during this period? The following has changed: if Kazan's logic is that this situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is recorded as an intermediate status, in August 2016 it is recorded that we should go to the UN Security Council, discuss there how Nagorno-Karabakh should organize its life, and that will be the intermediate status. That is, this implies that since everything will be decided by the UN Security Council from scratch, the status that Nagorno-Karabakh has will be nullified, and the UN Security Council will establish new ways, methods, and mechanisms for how Nagorno-Karabakh will organize it lifein consultation with Azerbaijan, Armenia, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, the UN Secretary General, and a number of subjects," the Armenian premier said.

According to Pashinyan, those who brought the Madrid principles to the public had noted two great advantages of these principles.

"First, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined in a referendum to be held within the agreed terms between the parties. This seems like a very good thing. But Azerbaijan used this provision. By the way, Azerbaijan needed this provision for that, to nullify the referendum of December 10, 1991 and the declaration and referendum of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh because if the status should happen in the future referendum to be held, it means that status was not recorded in the previously held referendum.

"Secondly, Azerbaijan needed and used the provision of intermediate status recorded by the Madrid principles. Look, it says Nagorno-Karabakh gets an intermediate status. Azerbaijan used the referendum clause to zero the 1991 status quo. And it used the intermediate status to zero the status of Karabakh that day, taking [it] to the UN Security Council to start from scratch. And why should it be started from scratch, a question may arise. Because it was recorded in the Madrid principles that the Azerbaijanis have as many rights as Armenians have in all processes of Nagorno-Karabakh. If its about the organization of life in Nagorno-Karabakh, then the organization of that life concerns not only Armenians, but also Azerbaijanis," the Armenian PM remarked.
In November and December 2020, the President of the Russian Federation announced that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. I learned from the press about those announcements that Russia is going to make such an announcement. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television, and referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement that it was Armenia that renounced Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.

"And that statement, in my understanding, contradicted the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. Next, in 2021, the events of Sotk-Khoznavar took place, Azerbaijan invaded the territory of the Republic of Armenia, we naturally appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Russian Federation on this issue; moreover, separately with the CSTO, we have another legal treaty base with Russia. Zero response occurred.

"Moreover, I want to draw your attention again to the events of Sotk-Khoznavar. I resigned at that time, the National Assembly was dissolved, and [parliamentary] elections were scheduled for June 20. After that, or during those days, the Russian Foreign Minister visited Armenia, left Yerevan for Baku, and left Baku for Moscow. And Sotk-Khoznavar took place. There was a great probability that the Armenian government would react differently, as a result of which elections would not take place in Armenia, which would actually mean the dissolution of the Republic of Armenia.

"We understand its political consequences, don't we? At that time, we were accused a lot that we are not doing it. We are not doing it, but we understood that the problem of dissolution of the Republic of Armenia was set. Zero reaction from CSTO and zero reaction from Russia. Moreover, even then our opposition said that you did not petition well. Instead of this article, they petitioned with another article, that's why there was no reaction.

"And there is another accusation that the Armenian army did not fight, why should the CSTO fight? After that, the events of November 2021 took place. At that time, the Armenian army fought. Again zero response from CSTO and Russia, after which a declaration was signed between Russia and Azerbaijan in February 2022, which said the following: Relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are raised to a strategic level on the basis of recognizing each other's territorial integrity, inviolability of borders.

"Moreover, the parties undertake not to perform such actions which, according to the interpretation of the other party, contradict their national interests. After that, the Parukh events took place in Nagorno-Karabakh. Zero response from Russian peacekeepers. After which, in 2022, by the way, the following happens: the Russian foreign ministers special representative, [Igor] Khovaev, comes to the region with proposals. And among those proposals is the following: let's postpone the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. We say we agree. Khovaev hands that document to us in August and goes to Baku to hand that document.

"The next time Khovaev comes to the region on September 11 or 12, 2022. He goes to Baku first. Notwithstanding these precedents, if such a proposal is brought, we agree with this proposal. Azerbaijan rejects that proposal. This is unofficial. And to get an official answer, Khovaev comes to the region on September 11 or 12, 2022. First he goes to Baku and then he comes to Yerevan. That is, when Khovaev arrives in the Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan's attack on Armenia takes place. Again zero response from Russia, despite our official requests, and zero response from CSTO.

"And on October 6, 2022, based on the Almaty declaration, we record our readiness to go to peace with Azerbaijan. And we record that between Armenia and Azerbaijan, what Russia recorded between itself and Azerbaijan; that is, the reaffirmation of the provisions of the Almaty declaration took place. And that was the only way to reaffirm the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

Was I able to describe the cause and effect relationships? That is, essentially, what was the problem in connection with the CSTO? They say: Let us come, there be monitors. We say: If monitors come, what should they do? There is no answer.

"And secondly, we say specify the zone of responsibility of the CSTO. The Republic of Armenia is a member of the CSTO, right? The Republic of Armenia means a zone of responsibility of the CSTO. Specify which that zone of responsibility is because we have a situation where that zone of responsibility has been violated; moreover, we did not propose this perception. The basis of our agreements was that the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia is a red line for the CSTO and the Russian Federation.

"We say the red line has been violated, they say no, as if the red line has not been violated. We say: Very well, this paper, this pen, draw the red line you said where it passes from? Moreover, we say: If you don't agree with our interpretation, no problem. You draw that red line with your hand, let's figure out where that red line passes from. They say, We can't draw that red line. It means you don't have a red line in Armenia. What should you do when you come to Armenia?, the PM said.
All of us, starting with me and ending with my predecessors, 70-80 percent of Armenia's resources, or not putting them in a mathematical calculation, the lion's share was put on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television.

"Armenia did not have a foreign policy; it had a Nagorno-Karabakh policy. Armenia did not have a security agenda; it had a Nagorno-Karabakh security agenda, etc. and so on. Do you understand what I mean? Didn't they tell us statehood should not exist? A situation has arisen when most of our country's resources, which were supposed to be used for the creation of the state, for creating Armenia, have been put on creating the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. We have not taken into account one thing that the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic according to the 1993 resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Lisbon summit, I can list again, I'm just saying briefly, according to the results of the 1999 Istanbul summit, the Madrid principles, the 2016 negotiation packages, is impossible. Do you understand? We have set a problem, we have spent our resources on solving a problem, the solution of which, from the beginning, the entire international community has prevented," he said.

To the observation that we are talking about Armenians who have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for centuries, Pashinyan responded: "Our policy is that the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should be protected. Our policy is as follows: we say if the people of Nagorno-Karabakh realistically do not have the right or opportunity to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, or desire, it is our policy that they stay in the Republic of Armenia, live, create, and do things in the Republic of Armenia.

"Moreover, so that now it does not happen again that I am repeating the mistakes I listed in the previous period, now the field is very clear, it is open. What does Azerbaijan say? It says, Do you want the return of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, rights, security etc.? No problem. Let's also record the rights of Azerbaijanis who emigrated from the Republic of Armenia in the peace treaty.

"Of course, we can say to that the right of return of the Armenians of Nakhichevan, the right of return of the Armenians of Baku, the right of return of the Armenians of Sumgait, the right of return of the Armenians of Kirovabad, again the right of return of Armenians from many places. But here the topic is in the following: What logic are we following? Are we now gathering resources to go to a new conflict? Or are we gathering resources to go to peace and use those resources to establish a state in Armenia? In my opinion, this is the right way. And what I couldn't say in 2018, 2019, 2020, even in 2021, I say now."
There is some mobility in the negotiation process. The negotiation process, by the way, is related to the matter of platforms as well. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted this in an interview with Public Television, in connection with the peace talks with Azerbaijan.

"The negotiation process should have some predictability. And now yes, there should be negotiations and it is very important that these negotiations be based on the principles already agreed upon; on the three principles agreed upon at the Brussels platform. We [Armenia] imagine the peace process like that. And the negotiation process, yes, continues, including in online mode because you know, we have given our proposals to Azerbaijan, now we are waiting for their response," Pashinyan said.

And referring to the accusation that Armenia did not submit its proposals to Azerbaijan for months, the PM said: "Our proposals were ready and constant meetings were planned in the near future. Our negotiation package was delayed because Azerbaijan rejected four meetings in a row, when the meetings were part of the process of transferring that negotiation package. But even now, I consider that the negotiations continue on the text of the peace treaty because if it is not possible to discuss face-to-face now, that work is also a negotiation, although there are contacts at the working level, the contacts we talked about, you know, there may also be new contacts."




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Migrants take a photo while crossing the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, Sept. 27, 2022. (FEDERICO RIOS/Federico Rios/The New York Times)

Manuel Monterrosa set out for the United States last year with his cellphone and a plan: Hed record his journey through the dangerous jungle known as the Darien Gap and post it on YouTube, warning other migrants of the perils theyd face.

In his six-part series, edited entirely on his phone along the way, he heads north with a backpack, leading viewers on a video-selfie play-by-play of his passage across rivers, muddy forests and a mountain known as the Hill of Death.

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He eventually made it to the United States. But to his surprise, his videos began attracting so many views and earning enough money from YouTube that he decided he no longer needed to live in America at all.

So, Monterrosa, a 35-year-old from Venezuela, returned to South America and now has a new plan altogether: trekking the Darien route again, this time in search of content and clicks, having learned how to make a living as a perpetual migrant.

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Migration sells, Monterrosa said. My public is a public that wants a dream.

For more than a decade, cellphones have been indispensable tools for people fleeing their homelands, helping them research routes, find friends and loved ones, connect with smugglers and evade the authorities.

Now, cellphones and social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok are drastically changing the equation once again, fueling the next evolution of global movement.

Today, migrants are the producers of an enormous digital almanac of the trek to the United States, documenting the route and its pitfalls in such detail that, in a few stretches, people can find their way on their own, without smugglers.

And as migrants stream their struggles and successes to millions back home, some are becoming small-time celebrities and influencers in their own right, inspiring others to make the trek as well.

Their posts, pictures, videos and memes are not just in Spanish, but also in the array of languages spoken by migrants from around the globe who are increasingly showing up at the southern border of the United States.

Manuel Monterrosa, who recorded his journey through the Darien Gap and posted it on YouTube, in Bogota, Colombia, Nov. 27, 2023. (FEDERICO RIOS/Federico Rios/The New York Times)

Some influencers, like Monterrosa, who studied communications in Venezuela, are bringing in a few hundred dollars a month from companies like YouTube  often a lot more than they were making at home. During a good month, Monterrosa says he has earned $1,000 in payouts, four times the minimum wage in Colombia, where he lives now.

But the content can be more profitable for social media companies, which make money from posts about migration the same way they do from cat videos, experts say: the longer viewers watch or scroll, the more advertisements they can be shown.

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Spanish-language posts with the tag #migracion on TikTok have nearly 2 billion views, according to figures reported by the platform. So do posts marked #darien, which sometimes appear between ads for H&M and the iPhone15.

On Facebook, migration-related groups flourish  one has more than 500,000 members  creating an open marketplace for smugglers who call themselves advisers or guides.

The company says that offering smuggling services violates its policies, and that it makes an enormous effort to identify and remove such content, including working with the United Nations. Still, The New York Times found more than 900 cases of Facebook users offering passage toward the United States.

Sasha Arteaga, who has built a TikTok following trying to help people find loved ones who have gone missing in the Darien Gap, in Pereira, Colombia, Nov. 28, 2023. (FEDERICO RIOS/Federico Rios/The New York Times)

Accompanying you toward your dreams! read one recent Facebook post, where a group calling itself a travel agency advertises several routes through the Darien.

Facebook removed this and hundreds of other smuggler posts flagged by the Times. A company representative called the safety of our users a priority, acknowledging that it was a challenge to keep up with the mind-melting amount of information on the site.

At the center of this digital conversation is the Darien Gap, the perilous jungle straddling South and North America that has grown from a dense, rarely traversed forest into a migrant thoroughfare.

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The Darien is the only way into the Northern Hemisphere by foot. Long trekked by just a few thousand people a year, its quickly become a harrowing rite of passage, crossed by more than 500,000 migrants  from more than 100 countries  this year alone, according to the authorities in Panama, where the jungle ends.

Political turmoil and the economic havoc of the pandemic are fueling the increase, but officials from Colombia to the United States say cellphones and social media are undoubtedly accelerants.

I saw their stories on Facebook, Irismar Gutierrez, a 22-year-old Venezuelan about to venture into the Darien Gap, said of all the posts from friends and family who had made it the United States.

The Darien, once barely known around the world, has drawn so much attention that it may soon become a reality television show, with a team of 24 adventurers planning a Jeep expedition through the jungle. The producers say they hope to get as many as 40 million eyeballs a month through TikTok alone.

To the alarm of the Biden administration, the number of Venezuelans crossing the Darien took off last year as photographs and videos raced across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook showing Venezuelans who had made it into the United States.

Since then, the Darien social media universe has only exploded. On TikTok, a cheery and almost heartwarming Darien video montage featuring waving migrants and a leap into an emerald-colored river has almost 13 million views. A Facebook user with nearly 500,000 followers, named El Chamo (the young guy in Venezuelan Spanish), posted videos from the Darien, and then a follow-up called My first job in the United States.

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Many migrant content creators say they are acting as citizen journalists and educators, helping others to understand what the route demands and to make informed decisions about whether to risk it.

In the miniseries about his journey to the United States, Monterrosa passes the body of a man who looks near death and considers the terrible question, faced by nearly every migrant on the route, of whether to stop and aid a person who cannot go on.

Is it inhuman not to help? he asks.

He has been told by others that he inspired them to go north. But Monterrosa does not see himself as incentivizing large-scale migration.

He says much bigger factors are to blame for that  such as the crises in migrants home countries, the demand for cheap labor in the United States, immigration policies that force people onto illegal routes, and the social media platforms that benefit from the onslaught of new content.

Migrants who narrate and share their own journeys are just a few more survivors in a world that offers them few other options, he added.

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Facebook and TikTok are also flooded with the faces of people who have disappeared or died in the Darien, often accompanied by desperate pleas from family members asking for any information about their loved ones.

Its been 34 days without any news from them, says one post on Facebook, above the photographs of two boys from Ecuador.

Another, with an image of a diapered toddler, includes a plea for the childs name and relatives because her mother drowned in a swamp.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
There are signs that Ukraine may be starting to lose confidence, Newsweek wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that a decline in aid from the U.S. and other Western allies could have dire consequences on the battlefield, while a number of Kyiv's military officials have suggested in recent days that Russia may be gaining strength as winter takes hold.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat noted during a television interview on Monday that Russian forces "now have enough drones to attack Ukraine every day from different directions," according to The New Voice of Ukraine. Ihnat also said that Russia was busy "accumulating" missiles.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, admitted in a Telegram post on Tuesday that Russia had achieved military "superiority," due in part to Moscow being willing and able to sacrifice large numbers of troops in a war of attrition.

"The situation is complicated," Syrsky wrote. "We have to fight in conditions of superiority of the enemy both in weapons and in the number of personnel...The enemy suffers heavy losses, which he replenishes with the reserves of assault battalions formed from former prisoners."

Meanwhile, Ukraine is apparently being forced to scale back or change its strategy due to a shortfall of ammunition on the battlefield.

Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said in an interview published by Reuters on Monday that the military was "replanning" its efforts due to shortages "across the entire front line."

Tarnavskyi called the situation a "very big problem," noting that offensive operations had been turned to defense "in some areas," while reserve forces were being prepared for "further large-scale actions" in the future.

As per Newsweek, military aid from allies could help to at least temporarily alleviate some of Ukraine's difficulties. Denmark announced around $1.1 billion in new aid last week, while a trickle of currently-approved U.S. funding is nearing its end.

However, a $60-billion U.S. aid package is held up in Congress over Republican demands for unrelated U.S.-Mexico border security measures, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban last week vetoed the European Union's plan to send Kyiv approximately $54.6 billion in aid.

Zelenskyy's private meeting with U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C. last week seemingly had little or no effect. During a summit with Nordic leaders in Norway one day later, he warned that his country "can't win" the war "without help" from its allies.

President Joe Biden signaled during a press conference with Zelenskyy last week that he had little power to boost aid, saying that the U.S. government would "continue to supply Ukraine with critical weapons and equipment as long as we can."
Vahan Kostanyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, in an interview with BBC, reflected on the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement process, and developments in the South Caucasus. He noted that Azerbaijan may state that it is interested in finalizing a peace treaty with Armenia, but unfortunately words are not enough, and we need to concentrate on deeds.

The fact is that Azerbaijan is reluctant to finalize the [peace] treaty based on principles endorsed by international community, the Armenian deputy FM stressed. He reminded that the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly refused to participate in negotiations aimed at settlement.

According to Kostanyan, the Armenian side is committed to the establishment of peace, the respective discussions, and the normalization of relations with neighboring Azerbaijan.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan must recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia, and there should be no uncertainties in this matter.

It is necessary to have a clear border in accordance with the declaration of Almaty. Besides, it is necessary to reach an agreement on the principles of opening [regional] transport communications, which will take into account and respect the sovereignty of the countries, Kostanyan said.

And referring to the statements of the Azerbaijani side that the Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh can return to their homes and that Azerbaijan is ready to ensure their safety, Kostanyan stated: None of the Armenians who left their ancestral homeland have returned there; it can be noted that they do not see security guarantees. I leave the conclusions to you.

Vahan Kostanyan added that all this is happening despite the Order of the International Court of Justice, by which Azerbaijan undertakes to ensure the right of return of these people.
India has urged the Group of Seven (G7) countries to delay an incoming ban on Russian diamonds because the rules to trace the origins of gems remain unclear, two sources aware of the matter said, Reuters reported.

India, home to 90% of the world's diamond cutting and polishing industry, is critical to the implementation of the ban.

New Delhi has also sought more clarity in its talks with G7 leaders, said the sources.

Earlier this month, G7 nations announced a direct ban on Russian diamonds starting January 1, followed by phased-in restrictions on indirect imports of Russian gems from around March 1. A new system to trace the origin of the gems will be introduced in September.

Russia is the world's biggest producer of rough diamonds by volume.

"The timeline to start restrictions on indirect imports from Russia in three-four months is impractical, as the rules on how the origin for a gem will be traced are not clear," one of the sources said.

India has also expressed its reservations over G7's new "traceability-based verification and certification" system, which may require sharing of data about Indian businesses, the first source said.

Some data might be sensitive and businesses might not be comfortable with sharing such information, he said.

India mostly processes smaller Russian diamonds, and that's why the country expects minimal trade disruption, a government official said earlier this month.

Still, the proposed ban would impact the diamond supply chain, industry officials say.

India's diamond sector already faces weaker demand. The country's polished diamond exports fell 29% to $10 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal year that began in April.
The President of the International Crisis Group (ICG), Comfort Ero, conducted a patrol with the European Union civilian monitoring mission in Armenia, along the border with Azerbaijan. Ero informed about this on X, former Twitter.

"Its striking to see just how close the two sides military positions are to each other above settlements, Ero wrote.

She added that decision of the EU to increase the staff of its aforementioned mission in Armenia is welcome, the villagers still hear frequent shootings, but the number of casualties has decreased in recent months.

The ICG president added that if Armenia an Azerbaijan engage the EU monitoring mission, it can help prevent incidents and start cooperation in cross-border projects.

The ICG calls on both sides to return to peace negotiations, including border delimitation, and the efforts by the Western partners to follow the developments are an important way in terms of creating conditions for negotiations, added the president of the International Crisis Group.
We saw the statement by the head of EU diplomacy about the accession of third countries to the so-called human rights sanctions. In the initial version, Armenia and Azerbaijan appeared on that list, but after some time they miraculously disappeared from there, stated Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

"In my opinion, it would be more correct to ask this question to the magicians of Brussels, as this is really some kind of magic, juggling different versions of one's own documents. As far as our [i.e. Russias] position is concerned, all attempts by Brussels to make its restrictions look like compliance with international legal norms, by drawing third countries by hook or by crook are an empty and futile exercise. ().

"But the story of Armenia and Azerbaijan appearing and then disappearing from the list of countries supporting so-called EU human rights sanctions is a vivid example of neo-colonial thinking in Brussels' policy. This is also a vivid example of what the Western society, led by the US, directly wants from them. I wouldn't even say from these countries, from involving them in the process of normalizing relations between other countries.

"We talked about this. The only objective and task is not related to the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku. This is exclusively the desire to once again occupy some anti-Russian point, to gain an anti-Russian height, to once again strengthen anti-Russian positions in the immediate vicinity of Russia, and to prevent the realization of the positive and effective which was developed with the help of Russia...

"And in those attempts, the EU goes to everything possible, including open lies. I am sure that this is not a coincidence, not a typo, but simply a lie. I would like this to become a lesson for everyone on how to be vigilant in relations with the EU and NATO," said the official representative of the Russian MFA.
China set for steady growth next year

08:19, December 20, 2023 By ZHOU LANXU ( China Daily

China's economy is poised for steady growth in 2024 amid continuing recovery in consumption and services as well as the country's strengthened export competitiveness, senior experts said.

In the longer term, they said China is capable of becoming a high-income economy thanks to its strength in manufacturing and high-tech sectors and its ongoing reform efforts to enhance productivity.

The steady economic outlook, a vast domestic market and the country's deepening opening-up agenda would all sharpen the appeal of the Chinese market to global enterprises, making it a regrettable choice for a foreign business if it does not invest in China, they added.

Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce and vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said he expects China's economic momentum to further strengthen next year as the fallout of COVID-19 fades and various stimulus policies jointly generate effects.

China may achieve a GDP growth of around 6 percent year-on-year in 2024, with consumption further recovering, investment remaining buoyed and external demand for Chinese goods improving, Wei said while addressing the CEO: Growing with China forum, hosted by China Daily on Monday.

Underpinning China's exports would be the country's growing competitiveness in high-tech sectors and electromechanical products, which would help the country counter external headwinds, Wei added.

China's export growth turned positive at 0.5 percent year-on-year in dollar terms in November amid a broader pickup in economic activity as retail sales, services activity and industrial output accelerated, official data showed.

Addressing the same event, Safdar Parvez, Asian Development Bank's country director for China, said ADB forecasts that China's economic growth will remain steady at 4.5 percent in 2024, versus 5.2 percent this year, supported by a continuous recovery of the services sector and efforts to expand domestic demand, particularly consumption.

"There is room for continued accommodative monetary and fiscal policies to support this growth level."

Parvez said he has "very little doubt" that China will be able to avoid the middle-income trap as the country has strong, sophisticated manufacturing and high-tech sectors.

The middle-income trap refers to economies stagnating at middle-income levels and failing to graduate to high-income economies.

More efforts can be made in China to attract foreign investment in high-tech sectors and improve productivity levels, Parvez said, making it an encouraging sign that China's top leadership has stressed the importance of opening-up at recent key meetings.

The Central Economic Work Conference has called for efforts to expand high-level opening-up, including relaxing market access in telecommunications and healthcare sectors, making it easy for foreigners to do business, study and travel in China and solving problems related to cross-border flow of data.

Wei, former vice-minister of commerce, said the major challenge facing China's opening-up drive lies in aligning domestic regulation more with international practices, such as when it comes to facilitating the adoption of foreign drugs and medical services.

He added that China's advancements in high-level opening-up and a vast domestic market with a 1.4 billion population provide global enterprises with investment opportunities in a wide range of sectors such as consumer goods, chips and the digital economy.

Wei said: "If an enterprise, especially a foreign-funded one, fails to recognize and seize the opportunities brought by China's huge market, not building factories or making additional investments here, someday it will come to regret it deeply."

In the financial sector, Peter Ling-Vannerus, chief representative of SEB Beijing, said opportunities are abundant for European banks in the Chinese market regarding asset and pension management as well as transition finance. SEB is a northern European financial services group.

Yet he said there remains scope for China's local governments to provide a more foreseeable business environment regarding cybersecurity to attract foreign investment.

Liu Zhihua and Liu Zi zheng contributed to this story.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A 57-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder in an August fatal shooting of a 54-year-old man in the Little Village neighborhood, Chicago police said.

Alex Rodriguez of the 3000 block of West 40th Place was accused of fatally wounded another man, 54, on August 16. The fatal shooting happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. that day in the 2700 block of West Wilcox Street.

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Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday by the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in the 2400 block of West Wilcox Street.

He was scheduled to appear Wednesday at a detention hearing.
Members of the Emory University Staff Council recently convened to pile sandwiches with stacks of turkey, ham and cheese for the Emory Community Fridge, located on the first floor of the Alumni Memorial University Center (AMUC), to provide a meal to anyone on campus in need of food.

Many Emory units are represented in Staff Council, from dining to campus services to School of Medicine and beyond. This is the first year that Staff Council has supported the efforts of the Community Fridge, electing to use funds originally allocated for a holiday party to purchase supplies to pack sandwiches for the fridge.

Liz Carlino, assistant director of dining at Emory and secretary-elect of Staff Council, has been stocking and maintaining the Community Fridge since it began serving the Emory community a year ago. Supplying the fridge with leftover to-go food from Emorys dining partner, Bon Appetit, Carlino knew she could bring even more food with support from Staff Council and its current president, Shervon Lewis, manager of employee development programs.

What the Staff Council, and Shervon especially, have graciously taken on as a project this year is expanding the Community Fridge program. The council heard about the program, what we have done and how much more we want to accomplish, and embraced the mission with open arms, says Carlino.

Understanding that food insecurity impacts so many people across the Emory community, Lewis was immediately on board when she learned about the initiative.

I am charged to do whatever we can to make peoples lives easier, especially with something as simple as food. Without hesitation, my immediate response was of course, everyone should be able to eat and be comfortable. I think thats something that we can assist with safely and successfully, says Lewis.

Not only did the volunteers gather to pack the sandwiches, but many also donated nonperishable items such as rice, soup and canned vegetables for donation to the campus food pantry, located next to the Community Fridge.

Deena Keeler, director of Auxiliary Services and former Staff Council president, helped bag the turkey and ham sandwiches near the end of the assembly line. Keeler emphasized the importance of making sure food is accessible to multiple populations across campus.

There are a lot of food insecure people that either come to Emory as a student or work at Emory, says Keeler. I became privy to that when I was the Hardship Fund coordinator. It was reading through those applications where I saw a lot of food insecure people in our community, and initiatives like this meet that need.

In the future, with continued support from Staff Council and other units across the university, Carlino aims to increase the number of food access points across campus. She not only hopes the program feeds more people in the community but also helps shine a light on the pervasiveness of food insecurity.

We want to remind our colleagues that we dont know the situation of the person working next to us, says Carlino. While I may have a full fridge at home and dinner set for the week, the person next to me may not.
11:36





Noting that the assembly election results being very disappointing is an understatement, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson urged party MPs to channel their disappointment into positivity for next year's general elections.





This was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll results. Addressing party MPs at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Central Hall of Parliament, Gandhi said, "To say that the assembly election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement."





"The Congress president has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and to draw the needed lessons for our organization," she said.





"We are facing enormous challenges. Yet, I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through. Our ideology and our values are our guiding light at this difficult time. We must never forget that our leaders fought against insurmountable odds with great courage and fortitude to give us freedom." Gandhi told the MPs to "channel the disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general elections".





She told the Congress MPs that the Lok Sabha polls are to be held in the next few months and "we have our tasks cut out both as a party and as INDIA group member."





About the suspension of over 140 opposition MPs from Parliament who have been demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the December 13 Parliament security breach, Gandhi said never before have so many Opposition MPs been suspended and that too for raising a "perfectly reasonable and legitimate" demand. All the opposition MPs asked for was a statement by the home minister in the Lok Sabha on the extraordinary events of December 13, but "there are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated," she said.





"What happened on December 13 is inexcusable and cannot be justified. It took four days for the prime minister to address the nation and express his views on the incident and he did so outside Parliament. "By this, he clearly indicated his disdain for the dignity of the House and his disregard for the people of our country. I leave it to you to imagine how the BJP would have responded had they been in opposition today," she noted.





Later in the day, Congress MPs held a protest against the suspension of opposition members outside Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament complex. The former Congress chief targeted the BJP government at the Centre over the "soaring" inflation and said the poor are suffering and economic inequalities are rising.





"There is a significant gap between the prime minister's boasts on economic growth and ground reality," she said.





Gandhi also said the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament with a rider was an eyewash to mislead women and garner their votes. There is no time to waste and reservation for women must be implemented immediately, she said.





She said the Congress' position on Jammu and Kashmir has been clear and consistent, asserting that full statehood must be restored immediately and elections be held there at the earliest. Gandhi said the Congress has launched an innovative campaign to strengthen its finances and noted that the importance of this drive cannot be minimized.





"I am confident that each and every one of you will do your part to ensure that it remains a sustained and successful effort," she told the party MPs. The Congress has launched its "Donate for Desh" crowdfunding campaign and said that it will generate resources for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. All Indians above the age of 18 years can donate a minimum of Rs 138 or in multiples of 138, such as Rs 1,380, Rs 13,800 and so on, to the campaign. The crowdfunding initiative, the party said, was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's historic "Tilak Swaraj Fund", which was launched more than 100 years ago in 1920-21. -- PTI

Sonia Gandhi today accused the government of "strangulating democracy" by suspending MPs over a legitimate demand and said the Congress has its task cut out for next year's general elections both as a party and as INDIA bloc member.
PRNewswire Singapore, December 20: Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific, leading provider of industry solutions based on Microsoft platform, is delighted to announce its position in the Leaders Category on the IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Microsoft Business Applications Implementation Services 2023-2024 Vendor Assessment (doc #AP50165723e, November 2023). Hitachi Solutions was recognized for the following strengths - strong coverage in Asia Pacific, ROI business case tools, midmarket and large enterprise focus and customer feedback. "As innovators in the field of AI and cloud integration, we are proud to be named as a Leader in this space," said Toshimasa Watanabe, President of Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific. "We feel this validates our commitment to build modernized business solutions that empower our customers while continuing our mission to drive digital transformation on a global scale." According to the report, "Hitachi Solutions hinges its differentiation in the Microsoft Business Applications services vendor ecosystem on its deep product expertise achieved from 20 years of experience as a specialized Microsoft partner." "Over the course of two decades, Hitachi Solutions has cultivated a solid understanding of Microsoft's product portfolio and fostered an exhaustive collection of industry-specific solutions built with Microsoft Business Application solutions to expedite time-to-market for their customers. Furthermore, Hitachi Solutions' extensive delivery reach in the Asia Pacific region and its adeptness in system integration position them as an ideal partner for maximizing value from an enterprise's Microsoft investments." Rijo George Thomas, Research Manager, IDC Asia Pacific, IT and Business Services research The report notes, "Hitachi Solutions is a good fit for enterprises in Asia/Pacific looking for an implementation partner with strong delivery capabilities in the region, solid Microsoft Dynamics 365 product expertise, and experience in complex SI attached to new implementations. Clients in the manufacturing, services, and financial services sectors will find the industry-ready solutions from Hitachi Solutions a value-add to accelerate time to market from Microsoft investments." For more information about Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific's offerings, contact us here. About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of the Information and Telecommunication Systems business of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation, and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: https://global.hitachi-solutions.com. Media Contact: Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacificinfo@hitachisolutions.com Hitachi Solutions Indiacontactus@hitachisolutions.com+91 93125 62456 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2048910/Hitachi_Solutions_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
New Delhi [India], December 20: In a significant move to bridge the gap between academic training and professional employment, 369 Medicare Solutions has partnered with the Global Medical Coding & Billing Academy (GMCBA). This partnership offers GMCBA graduates exclusive employment opportunities in the Indian region, a golden chance for those looking to jumpstart their careers in healthcare.

This strategic alliance is part of 369 Medicare Solutions' broader commitment to nurturing talent and addressing the need for qualified professionals in the healthcare sector. By providing GMCBA graduates with direct employment avenues, the company ensures a seamless transition from education to a professional career.

The collaboration between 369 Medicare Solutions and GMCBA underscores the company's vision of investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals. It reflects a commitment to not only providing high-quality job opportunities but also to shaping a skilled and competent workforce, ready to take on the challenges of the modern healthcare industry.

With this initiative, 369 Medicare Solutions is setting a precedent in the healthcare sector, demonstrating how education and employment can be effectively integrated to benefit both graduates and the industry.

GMCBA graduates, seize this exclusive opportunity by sending your resume to apply@369medicare.com and step into a promising career with 369 Medicare Solutions!

Website - https://369medicare.com/

(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by ThePRTree. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
PNN New Delhi [India], December 20: In a dazzling twist of fate, the Miss Continental International 2023 made waves by choosing India as its stage for the very first time, breaking free from the conventional locales of the Philippines or Malaysia. The crowning jewel of this electrifying spectacle was none other than the multifaceted actress, Aastha Rawal, who clinched the coveted title of Miss Continental International 2023. The journey to this illustrious title was no walk in the park, as contestants faced a series of challenging trials. Aastha Rawal, alongside another exceptional representative from India, emerged victorious from a fierce competition that included participants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bhutan, and various other Asian countries. The selection process unfolded through a dynamic online submission of interviews, photographs, and personal snippets. Aspiring contestants, Aastha Rawal among them, dazzled the virtual sphere with their charisma, intellect, and grace. Only those who navigated this demanding process earned the right to represent their nations on the grand global stage at the finals. The Miss Continental International 2023 event in India wasn't just a celebration of beauty; it was a vibrant tapestry woven with the diverse cultures of the Asian continent. Beyond the sparkling crown, Aastha Rawal secured additional titles, solidifying her stellar achievement. Honored with the titles of "Best in Interview" and "Best in Swimwear," she showcased her all-encompassing excellence and prowess in specific categories. Proudly bearing the Indian flag during the crowning moment, Aastha Rawal symbolized not only her personal triumph but also the triumph of her nation on the global stage. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir New Delhi [India], December 20: The 9th edition of the one and only IVASS - India Vehicle After Sales Summit was held recently at New Delhi. Organised by the World Auto Forum (WAF) each year, it brings together the top leaders of the After Sales Service community of the country under one roof. The theme this year was "Customers, Profitability & Growth - Back to Basics Backed by New Thinking and Faster Execution". Anuj Guglani, CEO, WAF said, "The vehicle sales have been booming, compensating for the Covid Lull. Crowded vehicle showrooms subsequently lead to flooded workshops! This is the time to balance Customers, Profitability and Growth inline with the theme of the IVASS." Guglani added, "It's also the time to recognise Innovation and Best practices in the Industry. A time to show our gratitude to the Industry seniors who have served the industry, selflessly and diligently!" The 9th IVASS program was spread across 3 Power Panel Discussions and 5 Keynote Sessions of Top Industry leaders. The program also saw two very interesting ceremonies of WAF Industry Best Practice & WAF Global Hall of Fame. WAF Industry Best Practice Ceremony At a glittering ceremony during 9th IVASS by WAF, 4 Auto Makers and 1 Aftermarket Body were felicitated for their innovations and pioneering initiatives and declared as WAF Industry Best Practice for the entire ecosystem to get inspired by and follow. In no specific order, they are- MG Motor India - For being adjudged CSI no. 1 consecutively three times, amongst all car makers. A car brand just a little over 4 years old in the market. Establishing customers' confidence and winning trust while maintaining the highest standards of customer service. Hence being Numero Uno in CSI for 3 years in a row, cannot just be a coincidence! Volkswagen India - Exceptional and Innovative Customer Service & Evacuation during Chennai & AP Floods VW India's remarkable integrated and comprehensive strategy involving exceptional work, innovative methods, social media outreach, Free RSA for supporting their customers during the recent Chennai & AP Floods. TVS Motor Co - For Innovative & Impactful Digital Tools and Apps for Dealers and Customers TVS Motor Co was recognized for its innovation in developing digital tools and applications that make a significant impact on both dealers and customers, enhancing overall engagement and efficiency. ASPA - World Class Training & Skilling of Automotive Aftermarket Workforce ASPA (Automotive Service Providers Association) secured recognition for its commitment to providing world-class training and skilling programs, contributing to the development of a highly proficient automotive aftermarket workforce. Hyundai Motor India ( HMIL) - Innovative Extended Warranty & RSA Packages and Proactive Customer Remote Troubleshooting HMIL stood out for its cutting edge innovations in offering a unique bundled package of Extended Warranty & Roadside Assistance. This year they even pioneered proactive customer remote troubleshooting where their contact centre now reaches out to the customers in case the former remotely detects a fault in the latter's car. This is done via OBD II Digital Trouble Codes. With these two innovations this year, the company has rewritten the rules of customer satisfaction and service excellence and thereby earned the laurel of WAF Industry Best Practice. WAF Global Hall of Fame Three leaders of the Automotive and Mobility Industry got inducted to WAF Global Hall of Fame. In no specific order, they are - 1. Raman Sharma, Former HR Head - Honda Car India and Former CEO ASDC - Automotive Skills Development Council. Mr Sharma has spent decades in employee welfare, training, skilling and development of the automotive Industry workforce - Manufacturing Units, Warehouse and Retail Network. 2. Anil Chhikara, Former Deputy Commissioner, Transport- Govt of NCT of Delhi. Mr Chhikara has worked at Auto OEMs as well as Govt Transport Departments. Last several years, he has championed the cause of Modernisation of Vehicle Fitness Testing centres and transformed driver licensing, driver training and their welfare. He has worked extensively on Road and traffic safety initiatives at Delhi. 3. Pratap Singh Raghuvanshi, Vertical Head - Voice of Customer Group, National Service, Hyundai Motor India Mr Raghuvanshi has dedicated quarter of a century of his life to serving the customers of Hyundai Motor India. His contribution to customer satisfaction, customer retention, handling field teams and network have been immense and impactful. The first IVASS power panel discussion's theme was 2023 Best Practices & Innovations in Customer Experience, Satisfaction & Retention. It was powered by 9 Top Industry Leaders As follows - 1. S Muralidharan - Chairman Mobility Aftermarket - Session Chair2. Pankaj Narula - Former ED - Maruti Suzuki India3. Charu Kaushal - CEO , Allianz Partners India4. Dr. Dinesh Bhasin - Former After Sales Service Head, Tata Motors PVBU5. Garima Misra - MD, Group Landmark6. Ramesh Rajagopalan - Head - Customer Services & Network - Volvo Eicher CV7. Anuj Tyagi - National Head, After Sales - Ford India8. Jayant Rawal - Zonal manager West & Central, Skoda Auto VW India9. Ramakrishna Reddy - CEO & Founder - Spoors The clear writing on the wall was that "Tech shall continue to power the customer experiences, more and more. It's not just fancy cars and EVs that are connected. For instance each and every truck or bus manufactured by Volvo Eicher now is a 'Connected Vehicle' by default as a factory fit! At the same time, losing the human touch and overdependence on IVRs is a sure shot recipe to lose customers. The ability to access customer feedback via all channels integrated into a central hub to sense the customer pulse is now hygiene. In his keynote address at the 9th IVASS, Mr. Santosh Chitapure, Sales Manager at OES India - Henkel Adhesives Technologies, highlighted the expansive role that Henkel plays in the Indian market. He emphasised that within the automotive service industry, Henkel is a trusted provider of solutions for mechanical repairs, windscreen repairs, body repairs, and body protection. Addressing the post-COVID landscape, Mr. Sharad Malhotra, President of Automotive Refinishes and Wood at Nippon Paint India, highlighted the evolving dynamics of the vendor-customer relationship, traditionally centred around price, quality and delivery. There's an imperative need to transform 'Supplier-Customer Engagements' into 'Partners in Progress' amidst the unpredictable and rapidly evolving tech ecosystem. Detailed Speaker by Speaker Notes can be found at WAF Think Tank The IVASS Power Panel 2 delved into the Best Practices & Innovations in Workshop Productivity & Profitability and was powered by the following speakers: 1. Vitaly Chebotarenko, Country Manager - Vehicle Repair & Maintenance - Henkel, India,2. Harsh Vashist, MD Satyam Group3. Vikrantt Mohan, National President - AIAWA- All India Automotive Workshops Association4. Dimple Mehta, Customer Care Domestic & International - Tata Motors PV5. Naveen Gupta, Founder & CEO - Intellinet Systems6. Anuj Guglani - CEO - WAF Group - Session Chair It was interesting to note that despite the theme of the discussion being Productivity and Profitability, most speakers spoke about Training, skilling and workforce development! Most workshops are overflooded with vehicles due to the stellar sales in the last few business quarters. Optimised workshop efficiency, fast turnaround time, skilled workforce and fast network expansion were hailed as key focus areas! Then came the 9th IVASS Power Panel 3, titled EV After Sales Service & Customer Support - Let's Build Together! It featured prominent speakers at the forefront of EV innovation and transformation like : 1. S Punnaivanam, CXO - Quality & After Sales - Greaves Electric Mobility2. Arindam Lahiri, CEO - Automotive Skill Development Corporation ASDC3. Rama Shankar Pandey, CEO - Tata Green Batteries4. Jatin Tiwari, Head Field Service Vertical, Hyundai Motor India5. Micheal Hajj, Global Head of Application Engineering, Henkel Adhesives Technologies6. Amit Asija, National BD Manager - India & Sri Lanka - KECO Body Repair Products7. Anuj Guglani - CEO - WAF Group - Session Chair Diverse consumer behaviour & RSA Requirements of 2W, 3W & PV EV Customers were brought to light. How they are different amongst themselves and how they differ from ICE Customers, was discussed. The favourite and most frequently used adjective for the EV Ecosystem during the entire discussion was "Evolving". Evolving Battery and safety standards, skilling of workforce, customer awareness, charging network, solutions to range anxiety, workshop preparation for EV and ICE vehicles were a few amongst several things discussed. During his keynote address, Naveen Gupta, Founder & CEO of Intellinet Systems, addressed how their cloud-enabled solutions ensure accurate spare part identification, fix system feedback loops enabling better quality products, smoothen warranty claims process, and enhance the utilization of manuals through digitization and AI integration. The program concluded with the Valedictory Ceremony where all WAF partners and associates were felicitated. In his Vote of Thanks, Mr Anuj Guglani, Founder and CEO WAF Group, acknowledged the role of all partners and stake-holders in making the 9th IVASS a success, with the presentation of Certificates of Appreciation. World Auto Forum (WAF) is a Global Auto & Mobility Think Tank Platform - a place as relevant for Chairpersons and Top CXOs as it is for interns and trainees. Established in 2009, it now has community members across 125 Countries. WAF Auto News is the World's No 1 in World Auto News & Auto Think Tank as per Google search results. WAF TV is its online broadcasting arm where one can watch hundreds of videos on the Auto & Mobility Industry. WAF also organises popular programs like WAFit!, IVASS , WAF Awards, and CXO Roundtable Discussions where top leaders of the industry take their Dialogues to Action! Follow this story at #ivass23 and #waftv (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Sustainability award - The Circular Design Challenge (CDC) presented by R|Elan - a leading advocate for sustainable practice from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), in association with the United Nations in India, made a significant impact at the recently-held COP28 in Dubai. CDC, aligned with the UN's mission for sustainable development, focuses on promoting circular design principles to address environmental concerns and foster innovation. COP - Conference of the Parties, is the biggest annual conference on climate crisis, held by the United Nations. This year, the conference convened over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, industry leaders, academics, and representatives from across the world at Expo City Dubai between November 30 to December 12, 2023. The COP28 Presidency followed a two-week thematic program, geared towards real-world solutions to close the emissions gaps in 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goals) and build on the challenges and opportunities identified in a Global Stocktake of progress on climate action. A thought-provoking panel discussion titled 'Fabrics of the Future' took place at the Centre for Planet, Expo City Hall, which was open to delegates and the public. Ritesh Sharma, Brand and Retail Head for R|Elan Fabric 2.0, joined the panel as an expert, offering insights into the role of circular design in shaping the future of fabrics. The panellists explored topics like nature-based solutions, fabrics of the future, putting people first achieving circularity at scale and more. The other participants included Ruchika Sachdeva, Creative Director and founder of BODICE; Manuel Arnaut, Editor in Chief, Vogue Arabia, Vogue Man Arabia, and Vogue Living Arabia; Amanda Navai, founder of the first local Dubai brand to be featured in Bloomingdales Dubai. The session was moderated by Rumana Nazim, founder of a sustainable concept store, The Edit Dubai. The panel looked at how the industry can strive for sustainable and equitable practices across the entire fashion ecosystem Ritesh Sharma, Brand and Retail Head for R|Elan Fabric 2.0 said, "Sustainability does not start at the fabric stage, but it starts at the fibre stage, and we are trying to make an impact at that end of the textile value chain. Our technology recycles post-consumer PET Bottles that is socially compliant and provides end-to-end traceability. With our partnerships with large global brands, we are aiming to support their sustainability goals by providing fabrics that are made for the future." Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India commented, "The CDC is here at COP28 responding to the call for urgency by helping reduce the fashion industry's climate impact. From sourcing sustainable materials to building in circularity, the CDC has encouraged many young designers to innovate in their design, production, and value chains. The UN in India is proud to join hands with the CDC and together transform the industry for a sustainable future." Additionally, CDC alumni -- Without, Thaely and Paiwand -- made a presentation and spoke about the problems they're tackling and the impact, at the SDG7 Global South Pavilion. This platform provided an opportunity for emerging talent to showcase their innovative designs that align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 7. The CDC alumni represent a diverse cohort of visionary entrepreneurs and designers committed to reshaping the fashion industry's landscape and this session spotlighted their exemplary success stories. Finally, a compelling installation by CDC alumni, Without, Thaely and Paiwand, was showcased at the Green Zone - Centre for Planet, Expo City Hall serving as a visual testament to the transformative power of the Circular Design Challenge. Titled 'Fashion for Planet', attendees witnessed first-hand the innovative solutions presented by participants committed to creating a more sustainable future. (ANI)
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday expressed gratitude towards actor Suniel Shetty as he heaped praise on SRK's most-awaited film, 'Dunki'. Khan took to X and wrote, "Thank u Anna (Suniel Shetty). Love u and I hope u laugh and cry in the theater with the story that unfolds as always happens with Raju sir's films. Big hug" https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1737355085691445580 Shetty in his post praised the director and the entire cast and crew of 'Dunki'. He mentioned, "Shaahhh...Raju sir...It's definitely a First Day First Show for me. Can't wait for the magic of #Dunki to unfold on the big screen. To the entire cast and crew, break a leg! Let the cheers and applause echo through the theaters. @iamsrk@RajkumarHirani@vickykaushal09@taapsee" https://twitter.com/SunielVShetty/status/1737353783351640443 Khan, who is currently busy promoting his comedy-drama film, was in Dubai on Tuesday. The official trailer of the film was played at the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, followed by a special drone show as a part of the film's promotion. Fans gathered in large numbers to watch the moment in SRK's presence. During the show, several drones light up the sky. Patterns varied from Shah Rukh Khan's name to 'Dunki' title, an aeroplane and the actor's signature open arms pose were made in the sky by the drones. Several pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. The 'Chak De India' actor's fan club SRK universe shared several pictures and videos from the grand event. SRK donned a black T-shirt and matching denim paired with a red jacket and black sunglasses. SRK looked uber cool while he promoted the film in Dubai. Apart from the 'Don' actor, the director of the film Rajkumar Hirani and the writer Abhijat Joshi were also present at the event. Talking about 'Dunki', apart from SRK, the film also stars Taapsee Pannu, Boman Irani and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles. Written by Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, and Kanika Dhillon, 'Dunki' is a heartwarming tale of four friends and their quest to reach foreign shores. It charts the arduous yet life-changing journey they are about to undertake to make their dreams come true. Drawn from real-life experiences, 'Dunki' is a saga of love and friendship that brings together these wildly disparate stories and provides hilarious and heartbreaking answers. Recently, the makers unveiled Dunki's official trailer titled 'Dunki: Drop 4' which offers a peek into the world of Rajkumar Hirani. Opening with SRK onboard a train sets the tone for the adventure that lies ahead. The video introduces the whimsical characters, starting with Hardy, played by SRK, who enters a picturesque village in Punjab and encounters a group of spirited friends--Manu, Sukhi, Buggu, and Balli--all sharing a common dream of travelling to London in pursuit of better opportunities and a better life for their loved ones back home. 'Dunki' is all set to hit the theatres on December 21. (ANI)
Actor Shreyas Talpade has been discharged from the hospital after he suffered a heart attack. The actor's wife Deepti Talpade took to Instagram and shared the update with fans. Deepti shared several pictures of Shreyas with herself and wrote heartfelt notes on images. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1EtTYHpH01/?img_index=6 She wrote, "My life. Shreyas, is back home... safe and sound. I would argue with Shreyas saying I don't know where to put my faith in. Today I know the answer to my question, God Almighty. He was with me that evening when this drastic event happened in our lives. I don't think I'II ever question his existence henceforth." She added, "I wish to take a moment and thank the good samaritans of our city. That evening I called for help, sought a hand and I got 10 of them. While Shreyas lay inside the car, they didn't know who they were helping--yet they came running. To all those people, you were God incarnate that evening for us. Thank you. I hope my message reaches you. Please know that I shall be eternally grateful to you from the core of my being. That's the spirit of this great city Mumbai. That's what makes Mumbai. We were not left to fend for ourselves. We were taken care of." "I wish to thank our friends, family and our film industry...Hindi and Marathi for all the love and concern. Some of whom left everything they were doing and were there standing with me. It's because of you all, I wasn't alone. I had shoulders to lean on and immense support to stay strong," she further added. "I want to thank the fabulous team of Belle Vue Hospital who sprang in to action and saved my husband. All the Doctors, Sisters, Brothers, Boys, Maushis, Mamas. Admin & Security. No amount of thank yous are enough for your deed. I thank all the fans...so many people who prayed with me for Shreyas's safety and good health, your love, prayers & blessings saw us through the woods. Thank you. That evening God operated through each & everyone of you....from every corner of the world...And for that, I am truly humbled...& I shall be eternally grateful. Thank you," she continued. She also thanked fans of Shreyas and wrote, "I thank all the fans...so many people who prayed with me for Shreyas's safety and good health, your love, prayers & blessings saw us through the woods. Thank you." She concluded, "That evening God operated through each & everyone of you...from every corner of the world...And for that, I am truly humbled...& I shall be eternally grateful. Thank you." Along with the post, she wrote, "Expressing heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support and warm wishes. Your messages have been my pillar of strength. I may not have replied individually, but each one is deeply appreciated. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Shreyas, 47, suffered a heart attack on Thursday. He was reportedly shooting for his upcoming film 'Welcome 3' in Mumbai during the day. However, after completing the shoot, he complained of uneasiness in the evening and collapsed. He was immediately taken to a hospital, where he underwent angioplasty. (ANI)
On Wednesday, the makers unveiled the song's teaser and it's no less than a feast for the eyes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1E0hC4MPPz/?hl=en

Hrithik Roshan shared the teaser on his social media handles and wrote, "Hone laga hai.. #IshqJaisaKuch! Song out on Friday, 22nd December."

The teaser shows Hrithik and Deepika romancing each other against a scenic backdrop. The two looked super hot.

Reacting to the teaser, Hrithik's girlfriend Saba Azad commented, "[?][?]."

Hrithik's father and veteran director Rakesh Roshan commented, "Super fire ."

Directed by Siddharth Anand and presented by Viacom18 Studios in association with Marflix Pictures, Fighter promises adrenaline-pumping action.

Recently, the makers unveiled the official teaser of the film which received a good response from the fans.

The 1 minute 14-second teaser features Hrithik as Squadron Leader Shamsher Pathania aka Patty, Deepika as Squadron Leader Minal Rathore aka Minni, and Anil as Group Captain Rakesh Jai Singh aka Rocky fighting for the country. Karan was missing from the teaser.

The teaser showcased the lead cast flying high in their jets and doing some aerial stunts.

It also shared a glimpse of a party track featuring the lead cast and a smouldering kissing scene featuring the lead pair -- Hrithik and Deepika.

The teaser ended on a high note with the tune of 'Sujlam Suflam' playing in the background as Hrithik unfurls a Tricolour from his aircraft.

The film is primarily shot at air bases in India with real Sukhoi's, Indian fighter planes. It will hit theatres on January 25, 2024.

Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi are also a part of the film. (ANI)
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Dec. 21, 2023, after being convicted by a federal jury of racketeering conspiracy and a dozen other counts. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Jurors in the racketeering trial of ex-Ald. Edward Burke were sent home late Wednesday after deliberating for a second full day without reaching a verdict.

They are expected to resume their discussions Thursday. In total, the jury has so far deliberated for about 18 hours over three days. The panel was silent all through Wednesday, sending no notes or questions to U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall.

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Burke, who was a force to be reckoned with during his five-plus decades as an alderman, is accused of abusing his City Hall clout to get business for his private law firm.

On Tuesday, the jury sent three notes. One asked only for additional copies of the indictment. The next asked for clarification about a count charging co-defendant Charles Cui with using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.

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Just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, jurors sent out a third note, asking whether Amtrak employees are considered public officers. After a brief discussion, Kendall agreed to tell them that the answer is no.

Amtrak came into play during evidence about the $600 million renovation of the Old Post Office. Since the project sits over train tracks that run to and from Union Station, the developers had to deal with Amtrak extensively and ran into significant bureaucratic hurdles.

Prosecutors allege that Burke worked to smooth the way for the developers in a scheme to get their legal business for his firm.

[ Ex-Ald. Ed Burke corruption trial: Evidence seen and heard by the jury ]

Deliberations are expected to last for days. The charges against Burke and his co-defendants are substantial and complicated; it took Kendall nearly four hours on Monday to read the jury instructions alone.

Jurors must sort through the 19 counts in the case, which include 14 counts against Burke and a combination of other charges involving co-defendant Peter Andrews Jr. and Cui.

At the heart of the case were dozens of wiretapped phone calls and secretly recorded meetings made by Daniel Solis, the former 25th Ward alderman who turned FBI mole after being confronted in 2016 with his own wrongdoing.

With Christmas week looming, Kendall told the panel last week they should not feel rushed in their discussions, particularly after a six-week trial, so if there is no verdict by Friday, they would not come back until after New Years.

I dont want you to think Im going to be Scrooge if you want to take a long time, the judge said. Im not going to make you sit Christmas week. I dont want anybody to be stressed that you cant be with your families.

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Burke, 79, who served 54 years as alderman before leaving the City Council in May, is charged with 14 counts including racketeering, federal program bribery, attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.

Andrews, 74, is charged with one count of attempted extortion, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, two counts of using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

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Cui, 52, is facing counts of federal program bribery, using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity and making false statements to the FBI.

The racketeering charge alleges Burke used his significant City Hall power to try to get business for his private law firm from developers.

The indictment alleges Burke and Andrews conspired to extort the Texas-based owners of a Burger King in his Southwest Side 14th Ward, and in a separate scheme, Cui is accused of hiring Burkes firm, Klafter & Burke, because he was desperate to win a pole sign permit for a Binnys Beverage Depot in Portage Park.

Burke is also accused of threatening to block an admission fee increase at the Field Museum in retaliation against officials who failed to give a paid internship to a daughter of one of his longtime City Council allies.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Tuesday that a special session will be called to discuss the Maratha reservation in February 2024 and assured that no injustice will be done to any other community while giving reservation to the Maratha community. "A ray of hope has been made available through a curative petition in the Supreme Court. Through the State Backward Classes Commission, we are trying to prove that the Maratha community is backward. The whole system is helping them. The State Commission for Backward Classes will submit its report within a month after which it will be reviewed. To give reservation to the Maratha community, the reservation will be given to the Maratha community as needed, by calling a special session of the legislature in February," said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the Vidhan Sabha. "I assure you that no injustice will be done to any other community while giving reservations to the Maratha community. It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to ensure that the Maratha community is given a lasting reservation within the framework of the law without touching the reservation of the OBC community," added CM Shinde. While Congress leader Ashok Chavan claimed that the reply of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was from an old record and was not new. "The High Court stayed it. The Supreme Court rejected it. The main issue is to satisfy the court and whether there are special circumstances or not. Is there a way to go above 50%? All of this was important to be addressed in the house. The reply (from the CM) was an old record. There was nothing new..." said Ashok Chavan. Meanwhile, the Former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan, said that the Maharashtra government must pass an ordinance just a day after the session and pass the ordinance within six months "He (CM Shinde) said that the Shinde Committee will provide certificates to some people of the Maratha community... A curative petition is not a constitutional provision... They have said that they will form a new backward class commission and pass a new law in February. They have postponed the decision till February, as the model code of conduct will be in force. We say that the government must pass an ordinance just a day after the session and pass the ordinance within six months. Thus, their intention is not clear," said former Maharashtra CM and Congress Leader Prithviraj Chavan. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu said that the Maharashtra government has befooled OBCs, Marathas, Jarange Patil and any other community in Maharashtra on reservation demand. "They made the environment that there would be reservation on December 24, they assured Jarange Patil about it but now they are not able to fulfil that, he (CM Shinde) tried escapism through his statement today... They have befooled OBCs, Marathas, Jarange Patil and any other community in Maharashtra that is seeking reservation..." said Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu. Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) MP Dr Shrikant Shinde asserted that the Maharashtra government is serious about providing the reservation to the Marathas. "MPs from all parties are present here to discuss how the issue of the Maratha reservation can be resolved. We have received 54 lakh Kunbi records. The Maharashtra government is serious about this issue," Shrikant Shinde said Maharashtra is witnessing protests by the Maratha community led by activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, founder of Shivba Sanghatana, who is seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category. Jarange-Patil withdrew his indefinite strike in the second phase on November 3 after setting the December 24 deadline for the government to take a decision on the Maratha reservation. The Maratha community agitation gained momentum after Jarange sat on an indefinite hunger strike on October 25. The agitation has witnessed violence, suicides and the resignation of legislators in support of reservations. The process of issuance of Kunbi certificates has already begun in Maharashtra. The Kunbi community is eligible for reservations in the OBC category. Earlier on Sunday quota activist Patil refused to give time to the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti dispensation after December 24 over Maratha reservations. "We would not give even one hour after December 24, 2023, ensure reservation to Marathas by then. There will be more than 3 crore people in the next movement," he said. He further said that the direction of the next protest movement will be announced in the meeting to be held on December 23. Jarange pointed out that the state government has not withdrawn cases against Marathas who participated in the protests for reservation. Earlier on Saturday, Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan and Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Sandeepan Bhumare met Jarange and sought an extension of the time frame after informing what the government has done so far. Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) chairperson Justice (retd) Anand Nirgude submitted his resignation from the post to the state government earlier this month. Following this, the state government appointed Bombay High Court (Retired) Judge Sunil Shukre, who played a key role of mediator in persuading Jarange to end his hunger strike last month, as the chairperson of the commission, overlooking the Maratha quota. (ANI)
After the suspension of 141 MPs--95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha--the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular for the suspended MPs, barring them from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby and galleries. "As a result, the following consequences arise from their suspension and remain in force during the period of suspension: they cannot enter chambers, Lobby and galleries. They stand suspended from sittings of Parliamentary Committees of which they may be a member, No item is put down in the List of Business in their name," read the Lok Sabha circular. "No notice tabled by them is acceptable during the period of their suspension. They cannot vote at elections to committees held during the period of their suspension. They are not entitled to the daily allowance for the period of suspension if suspended from the service of the House for the remainder of the session, as their stay at the place of duty cannot be regarded as a residence on duty under section 2(d) of Salary. Allowances and Pensions of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, as amended from time to time," further stated the circular. A total of 141 MPs, 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha, were suspended following a ruckus over the opposition's demand for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach incident. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a nationwide protest will be held on December 22 against the suspension of 141 MPs following a ruckus over the demand by the Opposition for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach incident. "We have taken several decisions, one is on the suspended MPs. We will fight against this; this is wrong...We have united to fight against this. We have decided to hold a all-India protest against the suspension of MPs on December 22," Kharge said on Tuesday. He further said that 28 parties participated in our fourth meeting and kept their thoughts before the committee of the alliance. "We have passed a resolution that suspension is undemocratic. We will all have to fight to save democracy and all of us are ready to do that. We raised the issue of security breach in the Parliament. We have been saying for a long time that Union HM Amit Shah or PM Modi should come to the Parliament and speak in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha about the issue of Parliament security breach, but they are refusing to do so," he added. (ANI)
A farmer in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur is seeding hybrid onions and earning a great profit by selling ready hybrid onion seedlings to farmers. Stepping away from traditional crops like potatoes and garlic, Som Raj took a leap of faith this year, planting hybrid onion seeds provided by the government. "We've traditionally grown various crops like potatoes, garlic, turmeric, flowers, and onions. This year, we've taken a step forward by planting hybrid onion seeds. We've already witnessed positive interest from neighbouring villages, indicating an increased workload but also exciting potential. We received 1 kg of hybrid seeds this year, and we hope to be allocated 2-4 kg next year. The irrigation pond itself was a generous gift from the governor," said farmer Som Raj. News of Som Raj's success quickly spread to neighbouring villages, sparking curiosity and interest in hybrid seeds. A farmer like Shivratan Goswami from another village, impressed by Som Raj's prosperity, is eager to follow suit. "We want to take advantage of this hybrid seed initiative. Seeing farmer Som Raj benefit has motivated us to explore this exciting path. We used to rely on desi seeds, but the hybrid variety, even with its higher price point, promises far greater returns. Local seeds offer limited benefits despite their cost, making the switch to hybrids a wise investment," said Shivratan Goswami. Sanjay Anand, Chief Agriculture Officer of Udhampur, applauds Som Raj's initiative and highlights the government's efforts to promote crop diversification among farmers. "We encourage farmers to diversify their crops, like farmer Som Raj who switched to hybrid onions. Focusing solely on staple crops often yields limited returns. Vegetable cultivation, like onions, offers significantly higher income potential. This year, we've prioritised onion cultivation across Udhampur, covering 340 hectares," said Sanjay Anand, Chief Agriculture Officer of Udhampur. "We prioritise local farmers but also welcome others who are eager to improve their crops. Introducing hybrid seeds through meetings and showcasing successful examples like Som Raj's has been key to motivating farmers. The excellent market prices for onions further incentivize this shift," said the Chief Agriculture Officer of Udhampur. (ANI)
A man has been arrested by Pimpri Chinchwad police of Pune district on tuesday for misbehaving with a Korean female vlogger, officials said. Police officials arrested the accused after a video of a Korean female vlogger shooting on the streets of Pune went viral. In the video, the Korean vlogger, holding a coconut in her hand, was exploring the city when she faced harassment from the accused. The video showed a man touching the female vlogger inappropriately by putting his hand around her neck. The victim, in her video, expressed her discomfort, stating, "They really like to Hug." The incident happened in November in Pune's Ravet area during Deepawali. Korean vlogger Kelly uploaded the video on her youtube channel after which it did rounds on social media sparking outrage among the netizens. Amid the huge uproar over the viral video, Maharashtra Police took cognizance of the matter and arrested the accused under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 294 (punishment for obscene acts or words in public) of the IPC. "Taking the cognisance of the viral video, the crime branch unit of Pimpari Chinchwad Police tracked down the man from ravet area of Pimpri Chinchwad and arrested him on tuesday. Police have further registered an FIR under IPC section of 354 and 294 against him, and verifying the facts of the incident , incident occured in November month during Diwali festival in ravet area of Pimpri Chinchwad, further probe is on," said ACP Satish Mane , Pimpri Chinchwad police. Meanwhile, in another incident in Mumbai, last year the YouTuber, a South Korean national, was harassed and molested by two people while she was Live Streaming from the Khar area of Mumbai. The Mumbai Police on Thursday arrested two people in the case of harassment (ANI)
Reacting to the verdict of Madras High Court in connection with Tamil Nadu Education Minister K Ponmudi in the Disproportionate Assets (DA) case, DMK Spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said that the judgement is a setback for the Education Minister. The Madras High Court set aside the trial court's ruling that cleared Tamil Nadu Education Minister K Ponmudi of charges in the Disproportionate Assets (DA) case. "This is a setback for Ponmudi. He would lose his MLA -Minister but we have options in the Supreme Court", the DMK Spokesperson said. While allowing an appeal filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Justice G Jayachandran of Madras High Court set aside the trial court's judgement in which Minister Ponmudi was acquitted from the case. Justice Jayachandran also directed Ponmudi and his wife to appear before the court on December 21. Earlier, the trial court on June 28, 2023, in its order, acquitted Tamil Nadu Education Minister Ponmudi. The case dates back to the period when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was in power from 2006 to 2011. Ponmudi and his wife, Visalakshi, were prosecuted during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) regime in 2011 for allegedly accumulating assets beyond their income. The investigation in the case was led by Villupuram District Anti-Corruption Superintendent of Police, Kanniyappan. More than a hundred people were investigated and chargesheets were filed in the case. It was alleged that Minister Ponmudi and Visalakshi had accumulated more than Rs 1.36 crore in assets. Initially, the case was tried in the Villupuram Chief Criminal Court but it was shifted to the Villupuram Anti-Corruption Special Court in 2015. In November 2022, following the transition of power and DMK taking charge, the case was transferred to the Vellore District Principal Sessions Court in November 2022. A significant turn of events occurred when Ponmudi and his wife made a court appearance on the day of judgment in the asset embezzlement case. The presiding judge ruled in favour of the accused, citing insufficient evidence as grounds for acquittal from the property transfer charge. As there was no appeal on behalf of the anti-bribery department against this judgement on June 28, Madras High Court Judge Anand Venkatesh took up the case. Justice N Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court took up Suo Motu of the trial court order where Higher Education Minister Ponmudi was acquitted in the DA case booked by DVAC in 2006. Ponmudi had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court as well seeking consideration and potential resolution in the DA matter but the plea was later dismissed by the apex court. (ANI)
Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly and senior BJP leader Numal Momin equated the coalition of INDIA bloc parties to corruption, asserting that the alliance partners wanted to form a government at the Centre only to do corruption. "There is so much corruption in coalition partners. More than hundreds of crore of rupees were recovered by the ED from a Congress MP," the Assam BJP leader said, referring to crores of rupees that were unearthed from Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu's premises. Whereas in BJP, Momin said, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' which takes the centrestage of governance. Talking about the INDIA bloc's PM face, Numal Momin said he heard that some alliance partners proposed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as their leader, but he would wait for others to make comments on it. "But we have to wait for other coalition partner's comment. During the five state assembly polls, Akhilesh Yadav - one of the coalition partners commented against Rahul Gandhi as 'Jhutha Hai'. This INDI Alliance is without any ideological similarity, this is diverse ideologies of different political parties. Their only motive is to defeat Modi ji. They have no other issues. Without any vision and goal of a coalition, they can't succeed. Prime Minister is working in such a way, his works help all sections of people of the country." Praising Narendra Modi-led central government, Momin said India's economy improved from 10th position to 5th position over the past decade. "The opposition is very much jealous about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's function and his work culture," the Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly said. Sharpening his attack on the INDIA bloc, Momin further said this coalition won't last and friction will start appearing once talks on seat sharing are on the table. "I don't think that this coalition will last when seat sharing will be there, because the big partners will not agree to give away the seats to the small parties. If Congress will contest in only 50 seats, then the INDI alliance can last, but this is not possible. When the seat sharing will come then the real face of this coalition partners will able to see." Numal Momin claimed that in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress's seats will come down to below 40. "This time Congress will come down to below 40. Because of the way they are behaving, and working, the way they are trying to malign our Prime Minister, the people have rejected them. The people of the country want only Narendra Modi because he is working for the poor section of people. The people of India, the people of Bharat will vote in favour of Narendra Modi, they will vote in favour of development. They will not vote for the party who did corruption decades after decades." Backing his argument, he said direct transfers to beneficiaries are a classic example of good governance. "The people of the country are now with Narendra Modi. This time we (BJP) will cross the 400 mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and Congress will come down to below 40," Momin said. Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was seen filming the mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar by TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, the Deputy Speaker of Assam Assembly said that, making a video was a shameful act. "Nobody should do such type of things and Rahul Gandhi is encouraging such type of activities. He doesn't know how to behave like a member of parliament, what is the function of a parliamentarian." The evil design of Congress has been exposed. They are afraid to participate in debates with BJP. They are making the democracy mockery. The people of the country will give a fitted reply to them in the 2024 Lok Sabha election," Numal Momin added. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Vice President and Chairman, of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankar on Wednesday and conveyed his deep concerns and anguish about serious misdemeanour by MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President. "Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Hon'ble Chairman, Rajyasabha about serious misdemeanor by Hon'ble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President. It is shocking that one MP chose to amplify this ignoble act by video graphing. This is a new low and no one believing in democracy will ever appreciate it" the Lok Sabha speaker said in his post on X. Banerjee had mimicked Vice President Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. Leaders of the Jat Community also held a protest in support of Vice President Dhankar in the national capital. A leader belonging to the Jat community, Chaudhary Surendar Solanki told ANI, "We have called a meeting for our leaders. We'll decide that either the suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee should apologize to the Vice President as soon as possible or else we'll call upon a village council to protest against him". Meanwhile, expressing concern over the mimicry incident of Jagdeep Dhankar, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that she was "dismayed to see the manner in which the respected Vice President was humiliated". Taking to her official handle on social media handle X, the President said that the people of India are proud of the country's Parliamentary tradition and expect them to uphold it. "I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the people of India expect them to uphold it," the President posted on X. Meanwhile, members of Parliament of INDIA bloc parties, including those suspended, are staging a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises on Wednesday morning over the suspension of 141 Opposition MPs and the 'security breach' incident. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi joined the protest against the suspension of 141 Opposition MPs. Speaking to ANI, Kharge said that the party will continue their protest until the suspension of MPs is revoked. "They want to suspend everyone and run a dictatorship by removing everyone from the house, this won't work in a democracy, this is why we will go to the people. We will continue to protest till they don't revoke the suspension and make a statement in the house and initiate a discussion in the house. I am awaiting a response to my letter from the Vice President," he said. Hitting out at the ruling BJP, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, "This is going to be the trend. It's my way or the highway. If you don't fall in line, we will throw you out because we have the majority. We control both the Houses. They want to turn the Parliament into a stamping House." The Opposition MPs raised the slogans of "save democracy" while protesting against the suspension of 141 MPs for the winter session of Parliament. The protesters carried placards, reading, "Save Democracy" and "Do not kill Democracy". An unprecedented number of MPs, a total of 141, were suspended from Parliament on Tuesday. (ANI)
The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday sought a reply from CBI on application moved by accused persons including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav, seeking supply of documents filed along with the charge sheet. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav are arraigned as accused in Land for Job Scam. Special judge Vishal Gogne asked the CBI to file a reply on pleas of eight accused seeking supply of deficient documents. The next date of hearing is January 6, 2024. Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav has moved an application seeking permission to travel to Australia next month. He also sought a permission for renewal of his passport. The Court is likely to hear the application on December 22. Tejaswi's counsel submitted that he is scheduled to travel to Australia from January 6. This case at the stage of scrutiny of documents after filing of charge sheet. On October 4, the court had granted bail to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi and others in in relation to fresh Chargesheet in alleged Land for Job Scam case. According to the CBI, this is the 2nd chargesheet in the Designated Court against 17 accused including then Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, then GM of West Central Railways(WCR), then two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private company etc. in a case related to Land for Job Scam The CBI filed a chargesheet in Land for Job alleged scam case against former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav including Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others . CBI had registered a case on 18.05.2022 against then Union Minister of Railways and others including his wife, two daughters and unknown Public servants and Private persons. It is alleged that then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc. in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group "D" Post in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu thereof the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold & gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members. It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. Searches were earlier conducted at multiple places including in Delhi & Bihar etc, said CBI. During investigation, it was found that then Union Minister of Railways with intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family was already owning land parcels or the places which were already connected to him entered into conspiracy with associates & family members and allegedly derived a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering / providing group D employment in Railways, CBI said. The accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing jobs in Railways and the General Managers of West Central Railways under the influence /control of accused accorded approval for engagement of candidates. For providing jobs in Railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as Substitutes and subsequently, were regularized. A hard disk containing lists of candidates (who were engaged) was also recovered during searches. It was further alleged that a land parcel was purchased in the name of a private company at Rs.10.83 Lakh during 2007 and subsequently, the said land along with some other land parcels purchased by the said company, were brought into the ownership / control of his wife & son of then Union Minister of Railways by way of transfer of shares at Rs.One Lakh only. At the time of transfer, the company was allegedly owning land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs1.77 crore(approx) and it was transferred for a mere Rs.1 Lakh(approx) only, however, the market value of the lands were much more. Earlier, a chargesheet was filed on 07.10.2022 against 16 accused. Investigation is continuing, CBI informed the Court. (ANI)
Following the mimicry incident of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee outside the Parliament, Advocate and Social Activist Vineet Jindal filed a complaint with Ethics Committees of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Jindal filed the complaint seeking the expulsion of the suspended TMC MP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other MPs involved. Banerjee had mimicked Vice President Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. In his complaint, Jindal claimed that this event comes under the extreme case of misconduct by the members of the house upon which the Ethics Committee should take action against this misconduct. "This is a complaint against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi MP (leader of Congress), and other MPs for making defamatory remarks, mocking and mimicking the style of the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar while presiding over the house," Jindal said in his complaint. "Recently, a video went viral on Twitter and other social networking sites in which the TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee could be seen mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, which is followed by hooting, mocking and cheering by other members of Parliament of the Opposition party and one of the senior leaders of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi is making the video of this shameful mockery. Such actions and behaviour by the opposition party leaders are highly derogatory and offensive to the dignity of the House and its members and are inconsistent with the standards which the House expects from its members," he added. Activist Jindal said that such misconduct is a dishonour and disregard of the rules of the conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette. "Such misconduct is also a dishonour and disregard of the rules of conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette. It is a matter of great shame that the members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have been so disrespectful and loud-mouthed to a person who holds one of the highest positions in the Indian Parliament and Vice President of India. It is a disgrace that these opposition leaders have failed to abide by the principles of conduct laid by the Ethics Committee. Indulging in such misconduct of mocking the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has brought disrepute to the parliament and also questions their credibility," he said. "As per the Rules of Conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette, the House has the right to punish its members for their misconduct in the House or outside. In an extreme case of misconduct, if the conduct of members/members of the house is found to be derogatory to the dignity of the house and its members and inconsistent with the standards the House expects from its members then the House may expel a member," Jindal added. He further noted that these members have not done something like this for the first time. "This is not the first time that these members have been found indulging in acts of misconduct, a few of them have already been suspended for their inappropriate behaviour and disruption in the parliamentary proceedings in both houses, which shows that these members havebecome habitual offenders and do not give any heed to the punishment of suspension from the houses," he said. "Therefore, the present matter is grave in nature as the acts of the suspended and some other members are intentionally to lower the dignity of the constitutional post of the Vice president of India and the chairman of Rajya Sabha. This event comes under the extreme case of misconduct by the members of the house upon which the Ethics Committee should take action against this misconduct, potentially including expulsion of the members involved," Jindal added in his complaint. "By the present complaint, I am requesting the ethics committee of both the Houses to take action against the members of Parliament involved in the present case and seek their expulsion from the Houses," the complaint read further. Earlier, under fire from the members in the Treasury and the BJP-led Centre over his mock impersonation of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on the Parliament complex, suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday clarified his conduct saying he was intending to hurt anyone. "I have never had any intention to hurt anyone...Does he really behave like this in Rajya Sabha? Mimicry was done by the PM in Lok Sabha between 2014-2019..." Kalyan Banerjee said. (ANI)
A ten-member delegation led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged delay in the release of MGNREGA funds to the state. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the West Bengal CM said PM Modi informed her that the decision would be taken after a two-member central delegation team meets officials of the state government. "A ten-member delegation, including our MPs, met the PM today. I urged the PM to release the funds due to the state. He said there will be joint meetings between officials from Centre and West Bengal on this," she said. She added that a memorandum of the copy would soon be sent. "We are not getting the money for the poor under the 100-day work scheme. It is mandatory, under the Constitution that this money be given. During the rains that wreaked havoc in 22-23, our state did not get any money under the 100-day work scheme. Money for the extra days of work, PM Awas Yojana scheme has been stopped, the rural development scheme has stopped, Health Mission scheme has also been put on hold. We are not getting money for the Finance Commission either," she said. The CM added that 155 central teams have already visited Bengal. "Whatever clarification was required was already given. Earlier, too, I met the PM thrice. Till now we have got nothing. The PM said there will be joint meetings between officers from the Centre and our government before any decision is taken in this regard. In a federal structure, both the state and Centre have a share of (public funds). We are not getting our share for the welfare of the poor," she added. Earlier, on Sunday, the West Bengal CM targeted the BJP-led Centre over the non-payment of the state's MGNREGA dues, saying "either release the funds or vacate (PM's) office". She claimed that the Centre owes Rs 1.16 lakh crore to West Bengal. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has been protesting against the central government, alleging a delay in fund allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other social security schemes for the state. However, the Ministry of Rural Development stated that the release of funds for West Bengal was stopped from March 9, 2022, in accordance with Section 27 of MGNREGA because of the state's non-compliance with the directives of the central government. (ANI)
People participate in a technology class at the Patricia A. Jones Center for seniors in Waukegan. - Original Credit: News-Sun (Waukegan Township/HANDOUT)

Unlocking many of the benefits of a smartphone, like having a virtual doctors visit rather than going to the physicians office or feeling comfortable shopping online, can be daunting for some people.

For seniors living in Waukegan Township, there is a solution to that trepidation  an assortment of free classes at the Patricia A. Jones Center for seniors.

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Seniors 55 and older can take any or all of the 21 technology courses offered at the center in Waukegan, from shopping to connecting with grandchildren and more.

Cheri Pierson-White, the Jones Center director, said more and more people who frequent the facility come with a cellular phone, but do not know all the things they can do with them.

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Children buy their grandparents smartphones, but they dont teach them how to use it, Pierson-White said. Thats where we come in. We have volunteer teachers. These classes are free.

Lizette Nava, the centers operations coordinator, said for some people there is a basic class where they learn how to use a smartphone. They not only learn how to connect to the internet, but how to find free access.

If they dont know how to do a video chat, we teach the how to do it, she said. We teach them how to find information online.

As the need for technology classes became more obvious, Pierson-White said the township applied for a grant from Older Adult Technology Services approximately a year ago, and received $10,000 to purchase the necessary computer software.

With the technology to conduct the classes in place, Pierson-White said with volunteer teachers there is no cost to either the participants or the township. The program is ongoing. If a class is full, another one is offered.

Nava said there are three classes  How to Zoom, All Things Zoom and Introduction to Hosting Zoom  teaching people how to have face-to-face online conversations using technology, which became popular when the coronavirus pandemic limited personal contact.

We teach them how to Zoom on their phone, Nava said. Not all the people have computers.

From talking to friends and family, to taking classes, to taking care of personal business, Pierson-White said connecting with people face-to-face on a computer or cellular phone can simplify some tasks.

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It allows them a lot of leeway, she said. They can do a doctors appointment on their phone rather than go to the doctors office.

A class in online shopping helps students to purchase items on Amazon. Pierson-White said students learn how to find specials, reserve an item, continue shopping and how to finalize the purchase.

If theres a problem, they learn what to do, she said. They learn how to make sure their credit card is secure.

Along with shopping online, Pierson-White said there is a class called Peer to Peer where students learn to send money to each other through the bank rather than using a service which is less secure.

It shows them how to transfer money back and forth for a child, she said. This is a lot safer than using a cash app.

Other classes include online safety, ways to efficiently use email with different techniques, creating a profile on LinkedIn, protecting personal information online, using a variety of Google programs and more.

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Operating for more than a year, Nava said approximately 100 seniors have taken classes. Class size is limited to 10, but if there are more who want to take it, another session is offered. Classes are offered in both English and Spanish.

For people without access to a computer, Pierson-White said there are several available when the Jones Center is open providing there is no class in session.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged to release dues of nearly Rs 1.16 lakh crore from the Government of India on account of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and pending claims for natural disasters over past years. In a letter dated December 20 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "There is a due of nearly Rs 1.16 lakh crore from Government of India on account of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and pending claims for natural disasters over past years. The outstanding dues include 'core of the core' social schemes like MGNREGS, PMAY, PMGSY, NHM etc." She further wrote that despite compliance of the CSS guidelines by the State, the central share due for Mahatma Gandhi West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has not been released by the Ministry of Rural Development nearly for the past two financial years. "The MGNREGA payment to the tune of nearly Rs 6911 crore - Rs 3732 crore is against wage liability and Rs 3179 crore against non-wage liabilities pending. Similarly, central share has not been released for 11,01,731 houses sanctioned under PM Awaas Yojana in spite of state's special initiative for identifying deserving households. Recently, I have drawn your attention to withholding of fund under National Health Mission by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," the letter stated. She stated that most of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes have a substantial state share and the implementation of these schemes is entirely done by the state administration. "I would like to bring your kind information that it is really very unfortunate that ministries are imposing upon the states to adopt the central name, logo and colour and making it conditional for release of funds. This is not only unfair but also against the spirit of cooperative federalism. I once again urge you to impress upon various ministries of the Government of India to release the funds that are due to the state without any further delay and without any political considerations," she added. CM Mamata Banerjee said that the GSDP of West Bengal during the last 12 years has increased from Rs 4.60 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs 15.54 lakh crore in 2022-23, an increase of 3.37 times. "I hope you are kindly aware that despite the legacy of the huge burden of nearly Rs 2 lakh crore of debt of the previous regime and even after repaying- a staggering amount of Rs 5 lakh crore towards debt and interest (debt of Rs 1.98 lakh crore and interest Rs 3.23 lakh crore) to square off the loan burden so far, West Bengal has achieved unprecedented progress during the period from 2011 to 2023," she added. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) party has been protesting against the central government, alleging a delay in fund allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other social security schemes for West Bengal. However, the Ministry of Rural Development has stated that the release of funds for West Bengal was stopped from March 9, 2022, in accordance with Section 27 of MGNREGA because of the state's non-compliance with the directives of the central government. (ANI)
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on Wedneday gave a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha under the rule to 267 in connection to the security breach of Parliament that took place on December 13. "I seek your consent under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States to suspend rules 15, 23 and 51, and any other business listed under any other rule in the revised list of business on December 20, 2023, to discuss the following issue of urgent importance," the notice read. Siva in the notice said that the attack on the Parliament raised concerns about the House and safety of the Parliamentarians. "The massive lapse of security in the Parliament on December 13, 2023, hours after leaders and lawmakers paid tribute to those who died in the line of duty in 2001 during the terror attack on Parliament House. This not only raises concerns about the sanctity of the House but also the safety of the Parliamentarians and Secretariat officials," it added. Meanwhile, 141 Opposition MPs were suspended for creating a ruckus in both Houses of Parliament demanding a statement from the Home Minister over the security breach incident. After the suspension of MPs, members of Parliament of INDIA bloc parties, including those suspended, staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises on Wednesday. The opposition lawmakers seem unrelenting on the Parliament security breach incident that happened on December 13 and demand a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah inside the House. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary leader Sonia Gandhi led the protest from the Congress' side while other opposition MPs including those suspended joined in the protest Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, "This is going to be the trend. It's my way or the highway. If you don't fall in line, we will throw you out because we have the majority. We control both the Houses. They want to turn the Parliament into a stamping House..." Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said " This is a dubious record in Parliamentary history and a blot on our democracy. Instead of preserving democracy they have done. The most important responsibility of ministers is accountability to Parliament. The Home Minister should have come to the house and spoken about the security breach in the house, but this government doesn't want a discussion. They just want to enforce my way or the highway." While protesting the opposition MPs were carrying banners of of 'save democracy'. An unprecedented number of MPs, a total of 141, were suspended from Parliament on Tuesday. Earlier, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi attacked opposition parties on Tuesday and said that they do not want the House to function and they want to do politics in everything. "Speaker of the House has written a letter to Secretary Home and has instructed me to get a high-level inquiry (on security beach) done. To increase the security of the new Parliament, a committee has also been constituted under the supervision of DG CRPF. On one hand, there is an investigation going on and on the other hand, the opposition does not want the House to function...Rahul Gandhi has been saying that unemployment is the reason why all this took place. Does Rahul Gandhi support all this? What irresponsible statement is this? They (the opposition) want to do politics in everything," Pralhad Joshi told reporters. (ANI)
Passengers stranded at Srivakuntam Railway station for almost three days due to heavy rains from December 18 broke down emotionally when they reached Egmore railway station in Chennai on Wednesday. The special train with rescued passengers from Srivaikuntam reached Chennai this noon around 1 pm. Passengers were stranded in Srivaikuntam for three days in heavy floods. When the passengers set foot in Chennai they expressed their gratitude for the Srivaikuntam people. "We are alive today because of the Srivaikuntam people. We suffered a lot but their help gave us hope. There is a temple near the station where they prepared Lemon Rice and Sambar rice and gave it to 300-plus passengers. In future when I visit Srivaikuntam we need to do something for Srivaikuntam people" said Nivetha a passenger who was stranded in the train for three days following floods in Southern Districts. Passengers also said they struggled a lot on the very first day without food and milk. There was even no electricity, no network and they felt they were on some island without any connection. "No Electricity and food was available on the first day. Then in the next two days, Srivaikuntam village people helped us a lot by providing food. Even the government helped with rescue but the support of the village people was crucial," said one passenger Paul Raj. With passengers returning safely to Chennai, they said that they couldn't blame the government as this was a natural disaster. "The government could have made more efforts by reaching us with food as children and women struggled a lot without milk on the first day," a passenger said. Southern Railway officials received the passengers at Chennai Egmore railway station. They underwent Medical inspection and also they were all provided with lunch. Unprecedented heavy rainfall flooded Southern Districts on December 18 and 19. Rivers, lakes, and dams across the Southern District overflowed and many residential areas across Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Tiruchendu were submerged. Meanwhile 'Tiruchendur-Chennai Egmore Chendhur Express' which departed from Tiruchendur at 8.25 pm of December 17 was terminated at Srivaikuntam station by 9.19 pm of December 17. There were around 800 passengers on that train and District administration rescued 300 stranded passengers but the rest 500 were unable to be rescued due to heavy floods around Srivaikuntam. Passengers were stranded for three days and also struggled without food and other needs. Meanwhile, with the efforts from Indian Railways, Tamil Nadu Government, SDRF, NDRF and Army on December 19 all passengers were rescued safely. (ANI)
As Parliament continues to witness the suspension spree, two more members of Lok Sabha were suspended on Wednesday from the remainder of the Winter Session. Lok Sabha MPs from Kerala--Thomas Chazhikadan and AM Arif--were suspended today for misconduct in the Lower House. Speaking on his suspension, MP Chazhikadan stated, "The demand of the opposition is that the Home Minister come to the House and explain what happened in the House on the 13th (security breach incident) and how it happened." He alleged that the government failed to provide security, highlighting an alleged threat call against Parliament two weeks ago. "Earlier, about two weeks ago, somebody from Khalistan or Canada had threatened to attack the Parliament on the day of the anniversary of the earlier attack. The government and security at Parliament should have been on alert. If they had been, then such an incident as this would not have happened," MP Chazhikadan said. "Now the Home Minister is not even ready to explain this in Parliament. I was also there with the other suspended MPs when they were protesting outside Parliament yesterday. But no action was taken then. Today, when we joined the protests, I got suspended," he added. MP Arif said that the Centre is not ready to reply in the Parliament. "We demand a statement from the Home Minister on what happened on the 13th. They were not ready to answer in the House, so we protested and got suspended," MP Arif said. A total of 143 MPs--97 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha--were suspended so far for creating a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses, demanding a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah with regard to the Parliament security breach incident. Earlier in the day, the opposition MPs, including those suspended, staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises against the bulk suspension. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary leader Sonia Gandhi led the protest from the Congress' side, while other opposition MPs, including those suspended, joined in the protest. (ANI)
The Supreme Court has issued various directions to the Delhi Government about the construction of judicial infrastructure in the national capital. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued the direction to facilitate the implementation of the decisions taken in the meeting held on 12 December 2023. The court directed the authorities concerned to file an affidavit on behalf of the Delhi Government by 31 January 2024 certifying that tenders have been floated for the construction of judicial infrastructure set out in the tabular statement, within the timelines which were specified in the meeting held on 12 December 2023. The court directed that a review meeting on the same lines, as indicated in the order dated 11 December 2023, shall be convened on 12 January 2024 under the auspices of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi at which the Chief Secretary, GNCTD shall intimate the steps taken in pursuance of the decisions which were arrived at in the meeting and, in addition, apprise the members of the action taken in respect of residential accommodation for judicial officers among others. The court also sought to know the process for the recruitment of staff at the district level; and the provision of additional courtrooms temporarily, including making necessary outlays for the expenditure required for converting the premises into courtrooms. "The proceedings shall now be listed for specifically considering the provision of judicial infrastructure about the district judiciary operating under the supervision and control of the High Court of Delhi on 5 February 2024," the court said. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, amicus curiae; K Parameshwar and Vikramjit Banerjee, Additional Solicitor General appearing on behalf of the GNCTD with Wasim Qadri, senior counsel appeared in the matter. In pursuance of the order of the top court, a meeting chaired by the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi was convened, which was attended by the Chief Secretary, GNCTD, Principal Secretary (Law), Principal Secretary (PWD), Secretary (Finance), other officers of GNCTD and L&DO was held in December mid-week. The meeting was also attended by Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Judge of the High Court of Delhi and the Registrar General. Various decisions that were taken at the meeting include the construction of a residential project comprising 70 residential units for judicial officers commenced at Dwarka in October 2014. The construction, however, came to a standstill due to structural defects which endangered the construction. A report has been submitted by CBRI, Roorkee highlighting the substandard quality of construction. The project is stalled and there is no other ongoing project for the construction of residential units for judicial officers in Delhi. The final decision regarding the future course of action in respect of the residential project at Dwarka will have to be taken, the court noted. The court requested the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi to convene a meeting at his earliest convenience. The members who attended the meeting, which was held in pursuance of the previous directions, shall attend the meeting on the date so appointed to facilitate a final decision being taken on the way forward in respect of the Dwarka Project. The L&DO of the Union government shall take steps to ensure that possession of the vacant area available for the Rouse Avenue Project is handed over to the High Court of Delhi expeditiously and in any event by 31 December 2023, the top court said. (ANI)
"The contract was made under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category at a total cost of Rs 1614.89 Crore. Out of the six vessels being procured, four would replace the existing ageing OPVs and the other two would augment the ICG fleet," the Defence Ministry said.

According to the Defence Ministry, the acquisition of these major ICG platforms is aimed to boost the ICG's capability and reinforces the increased focus of the Government towards Maritime Security.

These modern and high-tech Ships will play a critical role in enhancing surveillance, Law enforcement, Search and Rescue, Maritime Pollution Response, and other important capabilities including humanitarian assistance by the ICG, the statement said.

Ministry said that along with several high-tech advanced features and equipment, these 115m OPVS would be equipped with Multipurpose Drones, AI capability, and Wirelessly Controlled Remote Water Rescue Craft Lifebuoy, etc. enabling greater flexibility and operational edge to the ICG to face new age multidimensional challenges.

These Multi-role State-of-the-Art vessels will be indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by MDL, Mumbai, and will be delivered in a total period of 66 months.

"The contract achieves the objectives of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' to boost the nation's indigenous shipbuilding capability, bolstering maritime economic activities and fostering the growth of ancillary industries, especially the MSME sector," the ministry said. (ANI)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the University of Delhi and Shriram Institute for Industrial Research (a unit of Shriram Scientific and Industrial Research Foundation) to promote Research and Development. On this occasion, DU Vice Chancellor, Yogesh Singh said that in today's changing times, institutions must come together for comprehensive utilization of resources. By sharing resources and expertise they can be used for wider benefit. This MoU was signed by Registrar Vikas Gupta on behalf of DU as the first party and the Director of SRI as the second party as authorized representatives. This MOU will initially be in force for a period of five years and may be renewed subsequently with the mutual consent of both parties in writing. Under this MoU, DU and SRI have agreed to collaborate on joint activities including research projects, training, and workshops/conferences in areas of shared facilities and expertise. Under this, both institutions will be able to share the facilities and expertise available in each other's institution. Under this MoU, experts and scientific staff from the SRI may also visit DU, and reciprocally, teachers, students, and researchers from DU may visit SRI, fostering collaboration to share facilities and expertise between both institutions. These visits, aimed at sharing facilities and expertise between the institutions, shall be coordinated in advance. The terms, including purpose, duration, and any associated arrangements, will be communicated to ensure a collaborative and productive exchange. SRI and DU may undertake collaborative research projects in areas of mutual interest. SRI and DU may apply for other collaborative projects or assignments jointly with national and international agencies. The research scholars/scientists from SRI can register for PhD with DU, having one faculty member of the concerned department of DU and another faculty member from SRI as supervisors as per mutually agreed terms. At the same time, scientists of SRI may become guides for Ph.D. Students of DU. DU and SRI may organize workshops/seminars jointly for mutual benefits and may provide short-term training to students, faculty members and scientists of each other's institutions in their areas of specialization by respective Scientist/ Faculty on the request of either Party. SRI may provide training to the students/ research scholars of DU in areas of Research and Development, Pilot Plant and Innovation Support, Toxicological Studies and Microbiological Studies, Civil & Infrastructure, Environment Protection, Gamma Irradiation Processing, Calibration of equipment /Instruments and Technology Business Incubation. It is noteworthy that SRI started its operations in 1950 and over 73 years of its existence, SRI has proven its worth by providing applied research, resulting in product development, troubleshooting, reliable product and raw-material quality evaluation etc. Keeping step with the ever-emerging and modifying trends and needs of society, SRI has ventured into different scientific fields, said a press release issued by the University. At present, SRI operates in the following areas, where its expertise and experience along with advanced scientific equipment exists. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court has dismissed three habeas corpus petitions moved by Lava International's Managing Director, Hariom Rai, Chinese National Guangwen Kyang, alias Andrew Kuang and Nitin Garg. The individuals are accused in a money laundering probe against the Chinese phone maker Vivo. The bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Shalinder Kaur has passed the order in the matter and said the trial court Judge has rightly issued production warrants against the petitioners on December 7, 2023, for production of the petitioners and the petitioners remain in the lawful custody of Additional Sessions Judge. Pranay Rai, son of Hariom Rai, stated through a plea that the detenu was not produced before the court concerned on December 7, 2023, either by way of video conferencing or otherwise. Consequently, the detenu has been retained in the custody of the respondent since December 7, 2023, without any sanction of law or order passed by the Court concerned. Further, the detenu has been in continuous custody for more than 15 days since the last order remanding him to judicial custody on November 23, 2023. Article 22(2) of the Constitution of India mandates that no person can be detailed in custody without following due process of law. Advocate Nitesh Rana, who appeared for Hariom Rai, submitted that, as per law, this Court must issue this writ to safeguard the freedom of the detenu against illegal detention. The writ of habeas corpus has been described as a writ of right that ought to be granted ex debitio justitiae. Similarly, Guangwen Kyang, alias Andrew Kuang, a Chinese national, stated that no accused can be kept in detention as an under-trial prisoner without a valid remand order passed by the court with competent jurisdiction. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate filed its main prosecution complaint (charge sheet) in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case related to the Chinese mobile company Vivo in the Patiala House Court of Delhi. The chargesheet has been filed against Chinese national Guangwen Kuang, Andrew, Lava International's MD Hariom Rai Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik under the different sections of the Money Laundering Act. All the accused are presently in judicial custody in the matter. According to the sources, ED has also named Vivo Company as an accused in the matter of allegedly cheating the Government of India. It also stated that the company has set up an intricate network in India. According to the ED, certain Chinese shareholders of Grand Prospect International Communication Private Ltd incorporated the company based on forged identification documents and falsified addresses. During the inquiry, certain fraudulent activities were found by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The said company was not reported as a subsidiary of Vivo in the official records, whereas the said company publicly projects itself to be a subsidiary of Vivo, said ED. ED further alleged that director and shareholder Zhang Jie used a false driving licence to apply for a Director Identification Number (DIN) for giving his Shillong address and also used his fake driving licence to open the bank account. With the allegations of cheating, an FIR in Police Station Kalkaji, South East Delhi, was registered under Section 417/120B/420 IPC and another FIR was also registered under Section 417/420/468/471/120B IPC by the Economic Offence Wing, Delhi Police, based on the complaint filed by Manjit Singh, the then Deputy Registrar of Companies, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, NCT of Delhi. ED further alleged that soon after the incorporation of M/s Vivo, India, 19 more companies, including M/s GPICPL, were incorporated across India, completely controlled by Chinese nationals. The accused, Bin Luo, was the founder and first director of Vivo India, GPICPL and all other 18 entities at the time of their incorporation and the accused, Nitin Garg, had assisted in the incorporation of most of the companies of Vivo Group. According to the Enforcement Directorate, raids were conducted on the premises of the accused on October 9th and cash amounting to more than Rs 10 lakh was seized. Meanwhile, four accused were arrested in the raids, have been identified as Guangwen Kyang, aka Andrew Kuang, the Chinese national; Hari Om Rai, the MD of Lava International Rajan Malik, and Nitin Garg, a Chartered Accountant. The probe revealed that the PMLA investigation by ED was initiated by registering a money laundering case on February 3, 2022. (ANI)
Amid the controversy triggered after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filming the same, the Bharatiya Janata Party today held a protest against the opposition MPs and demanded an apology from them. The BJP leaders were seen holding placards and sloganeering against the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "They have denigrated the sentiments of 140 crore Indians. The country wants Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to apologize. They have humiliated one of the top constitutional posts of our country. The Congress and the INDIA bloc are consistently humiliating the country. They have nothing to do with the country's pride", said VD Sharma, Madhya Pradesh BJP President. "Although they keep talking about OBCs, today, they have insulted an OBC leader, a farmer's son and a Jaat leader. The country will not forgive them", he added. The controversy erupted after suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking Vice Presiden Jagdeep Dhankhar, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his phone. Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, Rahul Gandhi said that the media is entirely focused on showing the mimicry incident and not highlighting the pain and agony of the suspended MPs. "MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it. Nobody has said anything.150 of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment," Gandhi said. "Our MPs are disheartened and sitting outside. Please show their side also. What can we do if you are running on one line," he added. As Parliament continues to witness the suspension spree, two more members of Lok Sabha were suspended on Wednesday for the remainder of the winter session. Lok Sabha MPs from Kerala--Thomas Chazhikadan and AM Arif--were suspended today for misconduct in the Lower House. Meanwhile, a total of 143 MPs--97 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha--have been suspended so far for creating a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses, demanding a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah concerning the Parliament security breach incident. Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, voiced his pain over the theatrics by a member in the 'sacred' Parliament complex, calling it 'unfortunate'. Taking to his official handle on social media handle X, Vice President Dhankhar said he received a telephone call from Prime Minister Modi during which he said he had been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but doing the same to a Constitutional office in the Parliament was unfortunate. "Received a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate," VP Dhankhar posted on X. Replying to Prime Minister Modi, the Rajya Sabha Chairman said none of the insults will make him change his path adding that he is committed to upholding the values that he holds dear. "I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," Dhankhar posted. (ANI)
Nitin Agrawal was given the guard of honour at the Officers' Institute at Salbagan.

A Prahari Sammelan followed by an Investiture ceremony for PMMS Awardees was organised at Mitrica Hall at Frontier HQ BSF Salbagan.

Addressing troops in Prahari Sammelan, the Director General of the BSF briefed on the present security scenario and motivated troops to tackle the frequently changing situation.

He stressed on personal health and proper training of troops to ensure the battle preparedness of the force.

DG Agrawal also applauded the tireless efforts and dedication in safeguarding the borders and efforts made by BSF Tripura frontier to prevent trans-border crime effectively on the Indo-Bangladesh border.

He also emphasized curbing the menace of drugs to save our future generations.

Meanwhile, the DG BSF took stock of the current security situation and operational preparedness along the Indo-Bangladesh border. The Officiating IG briefed him about various aspects of the functioning of Tripura Frontier. (ANI)
Leyden Township High School District 212's Deputy Superintendent Tatiana Bonuma was selected by District 207's Board of Education to be the next superintendent following Ken Wallace's retirement on July 1, 2024. Courtesy of District 207.

After a search for a successor to Superintendent Ken Wallace, who is retiring in June, the Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education on Wednesday announced Tatiana Bonuma as its pick to succeed him as superintendent.

Bonuma has served as deputy superintendent for Leyden Township High School School District 212 since 2019, according to a news release from the district. Before then, Bonuma was West Leyden High Schools principal from 2015 to 2019. She was the high schools assistant principal from 2007 to 2015.

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The board unanimously approved an offer to Bonuma at their meeting Wednesday for a three-year contract. She will earn a base salary of $275,000 and start July 1, 2024.

Im really excited to be joining the team at 207, Bonuma told Pioneer Press a day after the board approved her contract. 207 is a district that has a tradition of excellence, that has focused on innovation and supporting students in meeting them where they are and really propelling their success.

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Bonuma said she will focus on listening and learning from the community.

Per the news release, Board President Carla Owen said, Dr. Bonuma brings skills and a perspective to the superintendent role that we think makes her ideally suited to make key decisions about the future of District 207.

Bonuma said, As we embark on this journey together, I want to express my deep commitment to our students, staff, parents, and the entire community. Together, let us continue to elevate our district, empower our students, and create a safe, inclusive learning environment. I look forward to working closely with all District 207 stakeholders as we shape the future of our schools.

A reception for Bonuma will be held before the next scheduled board meeting on Jan. 8 at Maine South High School at 5 p.m. According to the district, the public will have that and other scheduled opportunities to meet Bonuma.

Bonuma earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dubuque with a triple major in Marketing, International Studies, and Spanish. She earned her masters in Secondary Education in Spanish, Business and Social Studies from the university. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Administration degree with a Superintendent Endorsement from Aurora University.

Born and raised in Brazil, Bonuma speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. According to news releases, the district touts itself as a place where students speak more than 70 languages. Bonuma says she understands the importance of communicating with families in the language they are most comfortable with. Understanding how important culture is and really bringing all the positive aspects of our students and our familys cultures into the district and honoring that is also really important to me, she said.

According to the district, she began her career in education at Larkin High School in 1995 as a Spanish teacher and became an ELL/bilingual teacher at Canton Middle School for three years starting in 1997.

When she was West Leydens principal, Bonuma led a multiyear process that culminated in statistical equity in AP enrollment. According to the district, that led to West Leyden being ranked 52nd out of 1,519 high schools in the state in 2018.

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Brett Clark, the districts director of communications, said Bonuma could not attend the meeting on Wednesday due to a death in the family.

Wallace announced his retirement at the beginning of the school year. He has served as superintendent since 2009 and was the districts Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for four years prior to that, the district said. When he retires, he will have spent 15 years in the position and 19 years in the district, making him the longest-serving superintendent in the districts history.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will visit Ayodhya on Thursday to take stock of the ongoing construction of the Ram Temple. CM Yogi will also hold a review meeting here along with taking stock of the progress of construction of the grand temple of Ramlala and the development works being done in Ayodhya. Earlier, on December 2, the Chief Minister had come with the Union Ministers to inspect Ayodhya Airport. The Chief Minister is visiting Ayodhya for the second time this month. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will reach Ramkatha Helipad at around 11 am by helicopter, from where he will first worship Ramlala at Hanumangarhi and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi complex. After this, he will conduct an on-site inspection of the temple construction and other development works taking place here. After a short stay at CM Yogi Circuit House, he will review the development works and law and order in the Commissioner's office at 1:30 pm and in the next phase, after meeting with the saints, he will leave for Lucknow. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22. Preparations are underway in full swing for the event, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. Amid the preparations, the locals in the temple city are delighted over new avenues of income from donations received from tourists coming from India and abroad in exchange for the hospitality offered to them. (ANI)
The Drugs general controller (India) wrote a letter on December 18, to all states and asked states and Union Territories to update the package insert of products made using a cocktail of two medicines chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine. According to the letter, "FDC of Chlorpheniramine Maleate IP 2mg + Phenylephrine HCI IP 5mg drop/ml was declared as rational by Prof. Kokate committee and based on the recommendation of the committee, this office has issued NOC for continued manufacturing and marketing of subject FDC on July 17, 2015, under the 18 months policy decision." The letter further stated that the concern has been coming to the notice after the promotion of unapproved anti-cold drug formulation for infants, "Subsequently concerns have been raised regarding promotion of unapproved anti-cold drug formulation for infants. The matter was deliberated in the Subject Expert Committee (SEC- Pulmonary) meeting held on June 6, 2023, wherein, In light of the issue regarding the use of the FDC of Chlorpheniramine Maleate IP 2mg + Phenylephrine HCL IP 5mg drop/ml was discussed before the committee. "The committee recommended that the FDC should not be used in children below 4 years of age and accordingly the firms should mention warning in this regard on label and package insert," the letter read. Speaking on the matter, Dr Dhiren Gupta, Sr Pediatrician from Delhi's Sir Gangaram Hospital told ANI, "CHLORPHENIRAMINE MALEATE+PHENYLEPHRINE HYDROCHLORIDE is not recommended for children below 1 year age . 2 to 4 year cautious use. Even if prescribed should be for minimal duration and minimum dose. Careful about sedation as side effects." The decision has been taken after the recommendation of the SEC and it has been directed to all the manufacturers to mention the warnings, "FDC should not be used in children below 4 years of age" on the label and package insert/Promotional Literature of the drug." (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that the State will hold a special session specifically addressing the Maratha reservation in February. He further assured that the government is dedicated to its promises, while addressing a joint press conference with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. "We have promised to hold a special session (for Maratha Reservation) in February before which the work of the Backward Classes Commission will be completed. This government will make commitments and keep them," CM Shinde said. The Chief Minister also appealed to activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category to have faith in the government's commitment to resolving the issue. "It is everyone's job to maintain law and order in the state. What we are doing is in front of everyone. We do what we say. Our government is sensitive. Our role and purpose is clear. My appeal to Manoj Jarange and other protesters is to have faith in the government, this is a work (Maratha Reservation) that will take some time. Some time should be given," CM Shinde added. The Maratha community agitation gained momentum after Jarange sat on an indefinite hunger strike on October 25. Jarange-Patil withdrew his indefinite strike in the second phase on November 3 after setting the December 24 deadline for the government to take a decision on the Maratha reservation. The agitation has witnessed violence, suicides and the resignation of legislators in support of reservations. The process of issuance of Kunbi certificates has already begun in Maharashtra. The Kunbi community is eligible for reservations in the OBC category. Patil refused to give time to the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti dispensation after December 24 over Maratha reservations. "We would not give even one hour after December 24, 2023, ensure reservation to Marathas by then. There will be more than 3 crore people in the next movement," he said. He further said that the direction of the next protest movement will be announced in the meeting to be held on December 23. Jarange pointed out that the state government has not withdrawn cases against Marathas who participated in the protests for reservation. (ANI)
Facing heat on the mimicry incident of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday said that it was the BJP under which farmers were "shamed and insulted" when they protested against the three repealed farm laws. The remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in the House called the mimicry incident a "personal attack" and the "insult of a farmer, or community. "I want to ask the Modi govt, were lakhs of farmers not insulted when they were bearing the cold, hunger and sitting at the borders of Delhi, protesting against the farm laws? Were the farmers not insulted when the BJP leaders were terming them as militants, naxals and anti-social elements?" Surjewala said. "Time and time again you have insulted those belonging to farming communities.Were the female wrestlers who are daughters of farmers not insulted by your government?" he added. Stating that those who hold constitutional posts have no religion or caste, Surjewala said, "Whatever big post is it, Be it Prime Minister, Home Minister, Lok Sabha speaker, or Rajya Sabha Chairman they have no religion or caste. They have only one sense of duty that is to protect the constitution and parliamentary democracy." The controversy erupted after suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament's Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking Vice Presiden Jagdeep Dhankhar, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his phone. Meanwhile, the women MPs of the BJP protested at the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, over the mimicry row. Earlier, hitting out at the media for not discussing the suspension of members extensively, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the media is entirely focused on showing the mimicry incident and not highlighting the pain and agony of the suspended MPs, adding that What can be done if the "media is totally running on one line". Amid the controversy over the mimicry incident of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday asked for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response over insulting his political opponents in last 20 years and said that BJP leaders are fuelling the mimicry row to divert attention from real issues. The remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday revealed the details of his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Modi, where the latter mentioned that he had been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting. In this regard, Jairam Ramesh shared a video on X (former Twitter) where PM Modi is targetting senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "The Prime Minister has said that he has been suffering insults for the last twenty years. But what will he say about the way he has insulted his political opponents and used abusive and indecent language against them in the last 20 years? This is their cliched way of diverting attention from the real issue. Earlier, on Tuesday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanded an apology from the INDIA bloc over the mimicry incident of Dhankar and said that the opposition members tried to belittle the image of the Vice President adding that they are against the tribal and farming communities of the nation. "From the beginning, Congress has deliberately been insulting our President, who comes from the tribal community and from day one their party leader in other houses has insulted her. This puts a question on their mental state," he said. "A senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister also questioned the visit of Vice President to Rajasthan, when even model code of conduct was not in place. Their party attitude is against kisan (farmers), tribal and Jat communities. Congress and the Ghamandiya alliance should apologise. They tried to belittle the Vice President's image. This is highly condemnable. If little sense prevails in you then you should apologise I condemn the actions of Kalyan Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi," he added. However, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders expressed anguish over the mimicry incident of the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that it is not in their character to insult anyone and further slammed the Prime Minister for not making a statement inside the House on the Parliament security breach incident. On Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's remarks that his caste is also being attacked over mimicry row, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Even my caste is always affected because I am not allowed to speak (in the House). They don't answer my questions." Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Jagdeep Dhankhar to express his anguish over the theatrics of a member in the 'sacred' Parliament complex. Vice President Dhankhar said he received a telephone call from Prime Minister Modi during which he said he had been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but doing the same to a Constitutional office in the Parliament was unfortunate. Replying to Prime Minister Modi, the Rajya Sabha Chairman said none of the insults will make him change his path adding that he is committed to upholding the values that he holds dear."I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," Dhankhar posted. Meanwhile, weighing in on the mimicry row, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday claimed it was a ploy to deflect public attention from the suspension of 141 MPs from the Parliament. (ANI)
During the meeting, the representatives projected several demands before the Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar including the issue of land transfer, compensation under the relief package and other benefits.

Representatives also sought an expeditious process of submission of files under the relief package.

"The Divisional Commissioner gave a patient hearing and assured the representatives that all their genuine issues would be considered for early resolution," the press release said.

West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) are those who migrated from areas in West Pakistan in the wake of partition in the year 1947 and settled in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, mainly in Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts of Jammu Division. (ANI)
According to the police, after the announcement of Prashanth as the winner, his fans thronged near the studio and vandalised the car of the reality show's runner-up, Amardeep Chowdhary.

"A case has been registered against Prashanth and his followers for unlawful assembly and vandalism," said Chandra Shekhar, Sub-Inspector, Jubihills Police Station.

Meanwhile, the Police have taken the accused to the Jubihills Police Station for further investigation.

More details are awaited.

On December 17, the Bigg Boss Telugu Season 7 concluded and Prashanth was declared the winner of the popular reality show.

However, the post-finale celebrations took an unexpected turn as Prashanth's fans thronged the studio and vandalised runner-up Amardeep Chowdhary's car, said the police. (ANI)
A team of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) core committee members arrived in Tripura on Wednesday to discuss various issues related to the organisational setup and to discuss strategies to strengthen the party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The team comprises National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh, All India Spokesperson of BJP Sambit Patra, BJP's National Secretary Rituraj Sinha, and General Secretary (Organisation) of Tripura and Assam Pradesh GR Ravindra Raju. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP leaders to use the language preferred by the masses in their interaction with people. Citing an example, the Prime Minister said use "Modi ki guarantee" instead of "Modi ji ki guarantee". Speaking at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, PM Modi said not any leader but "team spirit" should be credited for the party's big win in the recent assembly polls. Sharing details of Modi's address to the party MPs, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said "The Prime Minister reiterated that the four biggest "castes" for him are the poor, youth, women and farmers, and party leaders should work for their development." Earlier, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the formation of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' or 'Ek Tripura Shrestha Tripura' depends on students, who will lead the country in the future. CM Saha said this during the Freshers' Welcome Ceremony 2023, organised by second and third year students of Bir Bikram Memorial College, Agartala, at Rabindra Satabarsiki Bhavan Hall. "Students are the future of the country. The formation of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat or Ek Tripura Shrestha Tripura depends on them. Therefore, in every educational institution, in addition to studies, it is necessary to teach students about values," Tripura CM said. He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the importance of knowledge, stating that those with knowledge will have the world in their hands. "One of the places to acquire this knowledge is the educational institution. Since assuming office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working on various plans to radically change the country's education system. A new national education policy has been formulated in the country under the guidance of the Prime Minister. The new National Education Policy has already been implemented in educational institutions in the state. Teachers should take on the responsibility of making students more aware of the various aspects of the new National Education Policy," he added. (ANI)
The two also discussed about greater collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, avenues for enhanced synergy and defence industry cooperation between India-EU, according to defence officials.

Meanwhile, the CDS recently visited Japan, laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Park in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima, defence officials said.

He also laid floral tributes at the Gandhi Statue, aimed at enhancing peace and tranquillity in the region.

Further, the CDS was also given a detailed brief at the Hiroshima Museum.

CDS General Chauhan also visited Japan's Yokosuka Base, strengthening the defence ties between the two countries.

He was given an overview of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force mission by Vice Admiral Saito Akira, Commander-in-Chief, of the Self-Defence Fleet.

The visit was aimed at reinforcing strategic cooperation while highlighting the growing importance of the India-Japan defence partnership.

Chauhan departed from New Delhi for Japan on Sunday (December 10) night to discuss defence ties between the two Asian countries, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an official press release. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 20 (ANI/TPS): The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) released details of its investigation into allegations that two women--a mother and daughter - were killed by IDF troops while they were inside a church in Gaza. The IDF finished conducting an initial review of the incident. The review found that on December 17th, in the early afternoon, Hamas terrorists launched a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at IDF troops from the vicinity of the church - the Sister's Convent at the Holy Family Parish. The troops then identified three people in the vicinity, operating as spotters for Hamas by guiding their attacks in the direction of the IDF troops. In response, they fired towards the spotters and hits were identified. While this incident occurred in the area where the two women were reportedly killed, the reports received do not match the conclusion of the IDF's initial review which found that its troops were targeting spotters in enemy lookouts. The IDF said it is continuing its examination of the incident and that it takes claims of strikes on sensitive sites "very seriously, especially churches that are the holy sites for the Christian faith." The IDF contrasted its efforts to avoid harming civilians with those of Hamas, which "does everything in its power to endanger civilians and exploits them, as well as religious sites, as human shields for their terrorist activities." The Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate made the claim that Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed by an IDF sniper while looking for shelter at the church. The report, however, was not independently verified. (ANI/TPS)
In an 'extraordinary' show of unity, thousands convened in Taunsa on Tuesday to rally behind the long march protesting the alleged 'Baloch genocide', The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI) The Long March, initiated on December 6 from Turbat, vehemently opposes what it claims the 'Baloch Genocide', condemning enforced disappearances and custodial killings of missing individuals in Balochistan. Overcoming previous administrative hurdles in DG Khan, the marchers were warmly received by locals in Taunsa. Families of disappeared individuals and other participants were welcomed with flowers, symbolising the steadfast support and solidarity of the local Baloch community, the report added. Addressing the demonstration in Taunsa Sharif, Mahrang Baloch, a human rights activist, underscored the shared struggles and unity among the Baloch people. "Our pain is one; we are the oppressed of the same land," she declared, emphasising that "Balochistan is incomplete without Koh-e-Sulaiman." Her words resonated with the crowd, with slogans like "Rajanpur to DG Khan is Balochistan" and "Stop Baloch Genocide" reverberating through the gathered masses. "After the fake encounter killing of Shaheed Balach Baloch by the CTD, the ongoing long march against Baloch genocide isn't just a march; it's the hope of the Baloch nation tired of facing state oppression and exploitation," she added. "This movement, ongoing for the past 26 days, started as a sit-in at Shaheed Fida Chowk in Turbat for two weeks. Faced with a lack of justice in Turbat, the movement made its way to Quetta in the form of a long march through various areas of Balochistan," Mahrang added. After a four-day sit-in on Saryab Road in Quetta, involving families of missing persons and Baloch children killed without trial, the march is now headed towards Islamabad after crossing Mount Sulaiman. "We're asking the people of Islamabad to come and be part of this movement, energising it for an end to the Baloch genocide," she urged. The march is set to advance towards Dera Ismail Khan early on Wednesday morning, aiming for an arrival time of 9 am. The ultimate destination is Islamabad, where the march will merge with an ongoing sit-in at the Press Club. This sit-in, currently in its 23rd day and featuring families of missing Baloch individuals, is part of a broader movement seeking to spotlight the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI)
Members of traditional Swedish music group Lingonberry Jam perform a Christmas song in the living room of the historic Chellberg House during a holiday celebration at Indiana Dunes National Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

In the mid to late 1800s when Swedish immigrants, such as the Chellberg family, arrived in Northwest Indiana, they brought along with them many special Christmas traditions.

On Saturday, Chellberg Farm was packed with people of all ages, touring the home and learning about Swedish traditions, words, music and foods.

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Each year in December, the Indiana Dunes National park celebrates their Holiday Traditions at Chellberg Farm program sponsored by the Friends of Indiana Dunes.

Volunteers Kathy Wilder on left, and Cathy Williams show visitors traditional foods in the kitchen of the historic Chellberg farmhouse during a traditonal celebration of the holiday at the Indiana Dunes National Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

The Vikings brought the story of St. Lucia back to Scandinavian countries, said volunteer Cathy Williams. She was a martyr who gave all her food to the poor.

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In Sweden, the St. Lucia celebration on December 13th is considered the start of the Christmas holiday season, said Williams, adding that all the foods were prepared on Chellberg Farms wood stove.

Williams and friend Kathy Wilder were in the kitchen, having prepared over 20 traditional Scandinavian holiday treats, including Pepparkakor (ginger cookies), Potatis Korv (potato sausage), Raggmunk (potato pancake), and the popular Lesskatter (Lucia buns).

The sweet yeast-leavened saffron buns are a staple of the Swedish St. Lucia Day celebration. The buns are usually baked into a reverse S-shape.

Dave Rudy, a retired park service ranger, was in the master bedroom during the tour, giving historical highlights to visitors.

Valparaiso resident Annalia Gorgei, 6, colors a candy-cane during a traditonal celebration of the holiday at the historic Chellberg House in the Indiana Dunes National Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

The floors are original to the late 1800s, even the doorknobs and hinges, said Rudy, pointing out the chamber pot by the bed as the house has no bathroom. This is a step back in time.

The Chellberg Farmhouse itself was owned by a Swedish immigrant family who lived and worked the farm for three generations. Anders and Johanns Chellberg and their young son, Charles, came from Sweden in 1863, and purchased 40 acres of land in 1869, adding an additional 40 acres in 1874.

Charles son Carol continued to farm the land until 1972, at which time he sold the property to the National Park Service. In the 1980s, the farmhouse was restored to its turn of the 20th century appearance for the dining room, which had been modified by the Chellbergs in the 1920s. The kitchen remains the busiest room, and weekend volunteers prepare meals on the wood burning stove just as Mrs. Chellberg did years ago, according to the parks website.

Volunteer Dave Rudy shows guests through a bedroom in the historic Chellberg farmhouse during a traditonal celebration of the holiday at the Indiana Dunes National Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

Katrina Gorgei of Valparaiso, was at Chellberg Farm with her four children. We came last year and loved it, and we will continue to make this a tradition.

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I like for my children to experience other cultures, and especially the olden days, said Gorgei. They love listening to the music and last year we even got to dance a little bit.

Music at the farmhouse was provided on autoharp, accordion and guitar by Lingonberry Jams of Chesterton, part of Save the Dunes and the house band for the National Park Service. They play for monthly programs and special events, and play French, Scandinavian and Finnish repertoire.

Many people here in the Chesterton and Porter area who have roots in the community are of Swedish descent, said Jim Nelson, accordion player for the Lingonberry Jams. The music is part of their heritage.

Jim Nelson, a member of Swedish and Scandanavian country and dance music group Lingonberry Jam, sings traditional holiday music during a celebration of the holiday at the historic Chellberg House in the Indiana Dunes National Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

As visitors exited the farmhouse, they may have noticed a small bowl of rice pudding on the porch.

Swedish tradition holds that a bowl of this pudding is left outside on Christmas Eve for the gnomes (tomte), said Wilder.

Swedes believe that the tomte looks out for the family and the farm animals ands assist with the general welfare of the land.

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Chellberg Farm is located off Mineral Springs Road in Porter. It is open to the public for festivals, events and ranger-guided tours. More information on their programming is available by calling (219) 395-1882, or visiting nps.gov.

Deena Lawley-Dixon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has, for the first time responded to the claims made by the US of an Indian link to an alleged foiled assassination plot against India designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and stated he will "look into" any evidence, adding that "few incidents" would not affect US-India ties. "If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," PM Modi said in an interview with the UK based newspaper Financial Times. "If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," the Prime Minister said. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was declared a 'designated individual terrorist' by the Government of India on July 1, 2020, has been actively exhorting Punjab-based gangsters and youth over social media to fight for the cause of the independent state of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country, NIA investigations have shown. Pannun has been under the NIA lens since 2019 when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also raised concerns over extremist activities, and said, India was "deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas," adding "These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence," Financial Times reported. He also said, "There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership." "Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership," he told the FT. "I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," PM Modi added. Recently in May, PM Modi visited the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for the state visit. Following which, Biden came to India in September to attend the G20 Summit that took place here in New Delhi under India's Presidency. Significantly, the US Justice Department had claimed that an Indian government employee, who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited a fellow Indian identified as Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly assassinate Pannun, who is a dual-citizen of the US and Canada. It added that the alleged plot was foiled by the US authorities. The Justice Department claimed that Gupta, an associate of CC-1 (an unidentified person who directed the alleged plot), described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. Pannun, had recently threatened to attack India's Parliament. On this, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi had said, "We do take threats seriously. We are caught in a bind here. I don't want to amplify too much credence to search for extremists who make threats and get a lot of coverage. "We have taken up this matter with the US and Canadian authorities. Extremists and terrorists have the tendency to want media coverage on an issue," he said. "He is wanted by our agencies for violation of the law and there is a process under which we seek assistance and that they are prosecuted, depending on whether the crime is committed. In our case, I think requests have gone through detailing the kind of crimes that he is responsible for, in India...We have also flagged concerns to our partners regarding any threats made by extremists or terrorists against India or Indian diplomats," Bagchi added. Moreover, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also claimed in September that his administration had reasons to believe that India was behind the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian territory. However, the allegations were outright rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs, which labelled them as absurd and motivated. The story was first reported by the Financial Times. The Financial Times is a British daily business newspaper. (ANI)
The FIA's anti-corruption unit detained Sheikh Akhtar Hussain, the ex-Chief Executive Officer of DRAP, following revelations that his appointment to the regulatory authority, based on a purported PhD degree, was discovered to be fake, according to an FIA spokesperson.

"He was appointed CEO of the regulatory authority on the basis of a PhD degree, which was found fake," ARY News quoted a FIA spokesperson as saying.

Sheikh Akhtar Hussain assumed the role of CEO of DRAP in the 2018-19 period.

The FIA's arrest of him occurred subsequent to the dismissal of his pre-arrest bail by a special judge in the central region.

The Federal Investigation Agency's anti-corruption division initiated legal proceedings against the former DRAP CEO for allegedly holding a fraudulent PhD degree.

The FIR stated that Hussain used a questionable doctorate degree to secure the CEO position at the country's leading drug regulatory body.

The authenticity of the PhD degree was confirmed to be fake by the Sri Lankan Interpol, as the institution granting the degree was not recognised, ARY News reported.

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), is investigating around 100 allegations against the DRAP since November 2023.

On November 27, an FIR was lodged against the authority's former chief executive officer (CEO) after obtaining proof regarding his fake PhD degree, Dawn reported.

The FIA teams raided several locations in Islamabad and Lahore to arrest former CEO Sheikh Akhtar Hussain but were unable to do so in November.

The accused was dismissed by the federal cabinet in 2020 on the directions of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after his doctorate degree turned out to be fake.

However, Hussain said that his degree was recognised in Sri Lanka, the country from where he claimed to have completed his PhD, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the families of Russian soldiers deployed at the forefront have demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Moscow Times reported Tuesday. It reported that the members of Put Domoi (Way Home), a group of mostly wives and mothers of mobilized soldiers have called for the return of their loved ones from extended service on the front lines. The families also accused Putin of "driving people to the brink" and pressed for an end to Russia's "special military operation" on Monday. "We Russians have no hope left under your leadership... sit at the negotiating table," the group said in a message addressed to the Russian leader. "Let us live in peace! Or go to the frontline yourself and die there," it added. Some 300,000 reservists were called up to boost Moscow's troop numbers in Ukraine as part of Putin's "partial" mobilization drive that he announced in September 2022. Put' Domoi's message, shared on the messaging app Telegram, was accompanied by a video of what appeared to be a mobilized Russian soldier calling himself Alexander and expressing dismay over the fact that Putin ignored the group's request to impose a one-year service limit for mobilized troops, Moscow Times reported. "I watched 'Direct Line' with our president... and there's no hope, no signs that our mobilized boys will return home in the foreseeable future," Alexander said. Last week, Putin fielded dozens of hand-picked questions from journalists and ordinary Russians during his combined "Direct Line" call-in program and press conference. "How cynical do you have to be to continue this mayhem and put on a brave face?" Put' Domoi asked the Russian president in its message on Telegram. "Will you not stop until you kill all the young people?" "Will you be having a good time ringing in the New Year with your close ones and a glass of champagne? Well, not our boys." (ANI)
As long as Pakistan is deporting Afghan refugees, 100 families a day on average are crossing into Afghanistan, according to officials at the refugee camps at Torkham Crossing, TOLOnews reported. "We have prepared a system so that when the refugees arrive here, they are being provided with food assistance, clothes and jackets by the charity committee, and organisations and us. When they leave and go out from the exit gate, they are being provided with food and cash assistance," said Iftikhar Mushfiq, deputy head of operations at the refugee camp at Torkham. According to the officials, construction is still being done inside the camp. Meanwhile, a few of the recently deported Afghans voiced concern that as the temperature becomes colder, so do their requirements. "The government has promised to give us land, I hope it fulfills its promise," said Amrullah, a recent deportee, according to TOLOnews. "The children are facing pneumonia problems. I have just had them in the clinic. We hope to be assisted with blankets and other materials. We don't have any place," another deportee, Gul Rahim said. "We have nothing. I ask the government to help us and give us land to construct a home for ourselves," said Nabi Gul, a recent deportee. On November 18, Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, criticised certain neighbouring nations for deporting Afghan immigrants and urged them to deal with them lawfully. The remarks were made by the Taliban officials at an event coinciding with International Migrants Day, as they highlighted the deportation of thousands of migrants from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran, and other nations in recent months. "The expulsion of our Muslim brothers by the countries is an illegal decision and against fairness and good neighbourliness. The perpetrators failed to achieve the goals that were behind this persecution (expulsion)," Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said, according to TOLOnews. Earlier in November, the Pakistan caretaker government initiated a nationwide campaign to deport illegal foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghans. Pakistan's decision prompted criticism from Afghanistan and several other nations, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported. Of the more than four million Afghans living in Pakistan, the Pakistani government estimates that 1.7 million Afghans do not have documents. So far, thousands of Afghans have headed back to Afghanistan through the Torkham and Chaman border crossings. (ANI)
The Power Distribution Companies (Discos) in Pakistan excluding K-Electric have proposed an increase of Pakistan Rupee (PKR) 4.6617 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in electricity prices, The Express Tribune reported on Wednesday. It reported that the increase in electricity prices is because of fuel charges adjustment (FCA) for November 2023. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), on the request of DISCOs, has applied with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to increase the electricity price under the FCA of November 2023. The Nepra has called a public hearing on 27th December 2023 mainly to consider November's FCA. In a public hearing notice, the NEPRA has invited all the interested/affected parties to raise written/oral objections as permissible under the law at the public hearing. The CPPA, in its application, has submitted that the total electricity generated with various fuels in November was recorded a 7,547 GWh, for PKR 7.1704 per unit. The total cost of energy was PKR 54,113 million, The Express Tribune reported. The power generation with a hydel source was 2,755 GWh (gigawatt per hour) constituting 36.50 per cent with zero cost of power generation while power production with coal-fired power plants was 1,473 GWh (local + imported coal: 987+ 486GWh) which was 13.08 per cent and the total power generated at Rs15,078 million (PKR 15.2698/unit). Similarly, the power generation from gas-based power plants was 695 GWh, 9.21 per cent of the total generation, totalling PKR 14.6197 per unit and the generation from Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) was 798 GWh, which was 10.57 per cent of total generation, at Rs23.7171 per unit. The Express Tribune reported that power production from bagasse was recorded at 27 GWh, the price of which has been calculated at PKR 5.9822 per unit. The electricity generated from wind was recorded at 148 GWh, 1.96 per cent of total generation and solar at 50 GWh, 0.66 per cent of the total generation in November 2023. Moreover, electricity generation from nuclear sources was 1,572 GWh which came out at PKR 1.2071 per unit, 20.83 per cent of the total generation, and electricity imported from Iran was 30 GWh amounting to PKR 27.7281 per unit, 0.39 per cent of the total power generation in the said month. It is also learnt from the data submitted by the CCPA-G with NEPRA that net electricity delivered to DISCOs in November 2023 was 7,288GWh (96.57pc) at a rate of Rs9.4448 per unit, the total price of which was PKR 68,834 million. (ANI)
The Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced the repatriation of hundreds of migrants from Pakistan to Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the department declared on its official website that, as of Monday, 813 Afghan migrants had returned home.

The Ministry of Refugee Affairs added that the aforementioned migrants returned to the country through the Spin Boldak border after being expelled by Pakistan.

According to the Spin Boldak border authorities in Kandahar province, 310 people, or 60 families, crossed the border back into the nation, Khaama Press reported.

At the same time, Pakistan has said on several occasions that the absence of proper documentation is the primary cause of the expulsion of migrants, particularly those from Afghanistan.

International organisations have frequently requested that the Pakistani government reverse this decision; however, the Pakistani government has always responded by emphasising that no nation in the world admits migrants who do not possess legal documentation. (ANI)
Erbulat Seilekhanov, the chief expert at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS), discussed the six main priorities for Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in a recent article. According to the expert, these priorities aim to enhance the organization's global role, contributing to the strengthening of friendship and good neighbourliness within the SCO. They include ensuring security and stability, expanding trade and economic ties, strengthening energy cooperation, expanding cooperation in the digital sphere, enhancing collaboration in ecology, and developing cultural and humanitarian ties. As per a press release by the Embassy of Kazakhstan, the Kazakh action plan for the chairmanship period includes implementing its initiatives and continuing previously approved SCO cooperation programs. The country plans to propose the adoption of "On Global Unity for a Just World and Harmony," a comprehensive document, outlining principles for strengthening confidence-building measures, maintaining stability, and ensuring global security. The focus remains on the SCO's traditional task of combating the 'three forces of evil' and transnational crime. Proposals from Kazakhstan include updating the Cooperation Program to Counter Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism for 2025-2027, adopting the Anti-Drug Strategy of the SCO for 2024-2029, and implementing an Action Program. Additionally, Kazakhstan aims to consolidate international efforts to assist the Afghan people under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). The country seeks SCO support for its initiative to establish the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. To expand trade and economic ties within the SCO, Kazakhstan has suggested creating favorable conditions, removing trade barriers, and launching joint ventures. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed creating an SCO Economic Preferences framework and utilizing the potential of the Astana International Financial Center to stimulate investments. Kazakhstan's proposed idea of establishing an SCO Investment Fund gained consideration during the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, on Oct. 26. As per Kazakhstan embassy release, the transportation connectivity development, both intra-regional and transcontinental, is a key focus for Kazakhstan, aiming to propel trade and economic ties in Eurasia. A practical measure includes the creation of a Partnership Network of major strategic ports and logistics centers. Strengthening energy cooperation aligns with global trends in restructuring the world energy security system and energy transition. Kazakhstan anticipates that member states will coordinate and adopt the SCO Energy Strategy at the next SCO summit in Astana. In the digital sphere, Kazakhstan is seeking to reduce digital inequality among countries and social groups, offering its services as a Digital Hub within the SCO. Practical steps include hosting the SCO Digital Forum in Astana in 2024, coinciding with the first meeting of the Management Commission of the Pool of Technoparks and Innovation Clusters. Another critical priority is the fight against climate change and environmental protection, involving partnerships with the UN Environment Program and initiatives for eco-tourism and protected natural areas. Furthermore, cultural and humanitarian ties are integral to international relations, and Kazakhstan has proposed declaring Almaty as the cultural and tourism capital of the SCO during its chairmanship. Plans also include launching the SCO Spiritual Sanctuaries project and hosting the Golden Horde and Its Heritage conference in Turkistan in 2024. Overall, Kazakhstan advocates for updating the SCO's vision of global development, strengthening the organization's potential in new geopolitical conditions, and further institutionalizing it. Proposals include adopting a new SCO Development Strategy, the Concept of Strengthening the SCO's Potential, and the creation of a Council of Permanent Representatives to the SCO with full authority to represent member states' interests. (ANI)
Last week, lauding ties between the nations, Vietnam's Ambassador to India, Nguyen Thanh Hai, said that both countries are comprehensive strategic partners with each other.

He noted that as strategic partners, there is a lot of potential for the relationship to prosper.

"India and Vietnam are comprehensive strategic partners to each other and there's a lot of potential for our relationship to prosper," the Ambassador of Vietnam to India told ANI.

Speaking further, he also stressed that connectivity has also been strengthened between the two countries.

"Connectivity between the two countries has been strengthened with a lot of people travelling to either country... With a very good political relationship, it's about time to translate our political relationship into an effective, comprehensive strategic partnership," he added.

India and Vietnam, with historical roots in their national struggle for independence, share traditionally close and cordial bilateral relations.

Bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of 'Strategic Partnership' during the visit of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid an official visit to Vietnam in April 2022 as part of the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Parliamentary Friendship Group for India in the National Assembly of Vietnam is led by Chairman Duong Thanh Binh, who is also a member of the National Assembly Standing Committee and Chairman of the National Ombudsman Committee. (ANI)
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it carried out airstrikes against a series of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, The Times of Israel reported. The IDF's strikes against Hezbollah come amid the ongoing border clash between the two sides. The sites include military sites where Hezbollah members operated and other infrastructure, the IDF said. Meanwhile, the IDF said it carried out strikes against more than 300 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day. Ground forces carried out some of the strikes against Hamas operatives amid battles, The Times of Israel reported. It said that Air Force and Navy strikes over the past day have killed dozens of Hamas terrorists and destroyed the infrastructure of the terror group. One of the airstrikes hit a Hamas rocket launcher used to fire long-range projectiles at Israel on Tuesday, according to the IDF. The IDF said troops of the 55th Brigade raided Hamas sites in southern Gaza's Khan Younis after they came under fire from them, The Times of Israel reported. It said soldiers found a large weapons cache, including firearms, ammunition, explosive devices and around 20 mortars. On Tuesday, the IDF said that troops have found 1500 tunnel shafts and underground passages in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. According to IDF, the majority of these shafts have been found beneath schools, hospitals, mosques. "1,500 tunnel shafts and underground passages have been exposed in Gaza by our troops since the beginning of the war. Most of these have been found beneath schools, hospitals, mosques, @UN facilities and civilian institutions. Our troops have located and destroyed hundreds of Hamas' tunnels and continue to operate to dismantle their subterranean terrorist network," IDF posted on X. Ahmad Kahalot, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has admitted that Hamas has turned hospitals into military facilities under its control. During the Israel Security Agency (ISA) interrogation, Ahmad Kahalot revealed how Hamas uses hospitals for military purposes, including hiding its operatives, conducting military activity and moving Hamas members. Ahmad Kahalot said Hamas even brought a captured soldier to the hospital, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and ISA apprehended Kahalot at the Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 12. Kahalot said he has been part of Hamas since 2010. He said, "I was recruited to Hamas in 2010 with the rank of Brigadier General. There are employees in the hospital who are military operatives of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - doctors, nurses, paramedics, clerks, and staff members," according to Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release. According to Kahalot, Hamas members hide in hospitals as they consider it a safe place. He revealed that 16 employees in the hospital, including doctor, nurse, clerks, paramedic hold different positions in al-Qassam, the military wing of the terrorist organisation, The Times of Israel reported. Kahalot said, "They hide in hospitals because for them a hospital is a safe place. They won't be targeted when they are inside a hospital."He further said, "I know 16 employees in the hospital - doctor, nurse, paramedic, or clerks... who also have different positions in al-Qassam". He revealed that there are officers where the Hamas leader and two of the senior officials were present. He further said that the kidnapped soldier was also brought to the hospital and kept there. "There are offices where the Hamas leader and two of the senior officials were. There's a place where the soldier was in (the kidnapped soldier). There's a place for the interrogators, internal security, and special security. All of them have private telephone lines inside the hospital," he said. (ANI)
As many as 250 Afghan refugees have travelled from Pakistan to the United Kingdom, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported citing the International Organization for Migration (IOM). On December 19, the IOM called for support of safe ways and sustainable solutions for Afghan refugees through a statement on the social media platform X (formerly X). The IOM stressed that these refugees call for a global effort to support Afghans displaced by war. Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the IOM has facilitated the resettlement of at least 1,000 Afghan refugees in various nations, according to Khaama Press report. Previously, several Afghan refugees were moved from Pakistan to nations, including Canada and UK. Notably, the UK has committed to relocating 20,000 eligible Afghan refugees to the country in the next four years. Currently, thousands of Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan and are waiting for relocation to Western nations, including Canada, France and the UK, Khaama Press reported. The development is part of the international response to the Afghan refugee crisis after recent political changes in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities have started a crackdown on Afghan refugees and started their deportation on November 1. The Pakistani government's action has sparked concerns regarding the treatment and rights of these refugees in Pakistan, Khaama Press reported. Pakistani officials have continued their actions despite facing condemnation and calls to stop the forceful deportation of Afghan migrants. International organizations and human rights groups have called on Pakistan to reconsider its decision and stressed on the critical situation of Afghan refugees and the potential risks they face upon forced return to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 813 Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan this week, Khaama Press reported citing the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. The Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced the repatriation of hundreds of migrants from Pakistan to Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the department declared on its official website that, as of Monday, 813 Afghan migrants had returned home. The Taliban-led Ministry of Refugee Affairs further said that these migrants returned to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak border after being deported by Pakistan, the report said. According to the Spin Boldak border authorities in Kandahar province, 310 people, or 60 families, crossed the border and entered Afghanistan. (ANI)
A Gary man is facing charges after robbing and killing a man during a drug deal, records allege.

Laron Major, 20, was charged Wednesday with murder, murder in perpetuation of a robbery, armed robbery, robbery and misdemeanor unlawful carrying of a handgun. He also faces four firearms enhancements, which could add up to 20 more years.

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He is implicated in the Dec. 20, 2022 death of Rafeial Traywick, 41, of Hammond. Traywick was found shot eight times inside a Dodge Durango on the 600 block of Burr Street in Gary.

A backpack with seven ounces of marijuana and empty baggies was in the passenger seat.

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Major is in custody and is being held without bail.

Court records indicate he is Ronnie Majors son, who is currently jailed as part of an unrelated 15-man federal racketeering and conspiracy case.

Det. Nicholas Wardrip from the FBIs Gang Response Investigation Team wrote Gary Police responded to a shots fired call at 4:19 p.m. Dec. 20, 2022.

Police learned an unresponsive man was in the drivers seat parked out front on the block. He had been shot numerous times with several shell casings found in and surrounding the SUV.

Traywicks cell phone was under the vehicle. The passenger door was left open.

His death was ruled a homicide. There were no signs of struggle.

A ballistics expert traced the casings and the 9 mm Luger red-polymer tipped bullets from Traywicks body to the same gun. Investigators lifted fingerprints and a handprint from the right passenger door.

The fingerprints were traced to Major from jail records.

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Traywicks cell phone showed he had texted and agreed to sell a man seven ounces of weed.

He texted the man at 3:30 p.m. that he would be there in 15 minutes. Then, at 3:43 p.m., he appeared to call and text the man multiple times. At 4:25 p.m.  likely after the shooting  the man texted back.

My bad bro, I took too long I left, he wrote.

Major called his father several times in jail between Oct. 15, 2022 and Jan. 28, 2023. Laron Major gave him his new number  that matched the one in Traywicks death, court records allege.

Later, when Laron was jailed on an unrelated case, he called his nephew asking him to sell a Glizzy  or 9 mm handgun, records show. Investigators also noted a Munster Police officers bodycam showed a 9 mm bullet falling out of Majors stuff when friends took him to the hospital on Dec. 29, 2022 after a bender.

Traywicks backpack was unzipped and upside down, leading detectives to conclude that robbery was the motive. He was only found with $41.

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In a police interview, Major denied knowing Traywick. When confronted with fingerprint evidence and texts, Major admitted he was there to buy weed, but claimed he was unarmed and short on cash.

Traywick had the gun, they struggled over it, it went off inside the car. Investigators dismissed this theory, because it didnt match the evidence.

Major said he was grazed and didnt go to the hospital. He claimed he later sold Traywicks gun for $300. He claimed he didnt steal anything from Traywicks backpack. He denied contacting his nephew to sell a gun, claiming he thought a Glizzy was a hot dog.

Asked why he texted Traywick when he was at the scene, Major said he didnt want to make it seem like something it wasnt.

Major was out on bond for robbery and resisting law enforcement cases, records show.

The federal case against Ronnie Major  a member of the Gary motorcycle club Sin City Deciples  is pending. Ronnie Major is set to go to trial on May 6, 2024, according to federal court documents.

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An initial indictment alleged two of those charged, Ronnie Black Major and Antoine Jermell Twan Gates, both from Gary, engaged in a murder for hire and used a firearm relating to the Dec. 19, 2010 murder of Jocelyn Pie Face Blair.

Major and Gates were indicted July 22 by a federal grand jury in connection with the fatal shooting of Blair on Dec. 19, 2010, inside Coney Island Restaurant, 2490 Broadway, Gary.

Blair was an eyewitness to a 2008 shooting in Gary for which Ronnie Major was later convicted of battery and sentenced to six years, according to court documents. Blair never testified at Majors 2011 trial because she was killed months before.

Carrie Napoleon contributed.
To discuss further ways to strengthen the bilateral economic partnership, a one-day "India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023" was organised in Nepal's Birgunj on Wednesday. The event was organised in association with the Consulate General of India, Birgunj, Nepal and the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BICCI). The India-Nepal Centre of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised the second edition of the India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023. While setting the tone of the summit, Session Chair Atul K Thakur, Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI, reflected on the necessity of having a collaborative approach among the stakeholders in the government and industry to tap the rich potential and also cope with the challenges in post-pandemic times through India-Nepal economic cooperation. "In today's time, Nepal, being the friendliest neighbour of India, has an active role to play in the South Asia region. As we are all aware, SAARC has been mostly dysfunctional over the years, and other forums too have their limitations. Now it's time that friendly neighbours--India and Nepal--also should come forward and create business for sub-regional cooperation," Atul K Thakur, Secretary of the India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI, said addressing the summit. The summit dwelt on 'New Roadmap for Accelerating India-Nepal Bilateral Cooperation; Promoting Industrial Development in Nepal and India; Revisiting Bilateral Trade Policies; Expanding Bilateral and Sub-regional Economic Cooperation; Improving Border Area Development and Connectivity.' In his opening remarks, BICCI president Anil Kumar Agrawal recounted Birgunj's achievements as a major trade hub of Nepal and how BICCI has been contributing over the decades to making industry and trade, the mainstay of this place, crucially important for India-Nepal economic relations. "In Birgunj, we have big infrastructure--the dry port, the ICP (Integrated Check Post) and other prerequisites for trade. We should focus on how we can utilise and generate more income; in the coming days, we can also work on incorporating the movement of passengers through the ICP. Cargo movement at current times has been diverted to ICP; in the coming days for the passengers- the vehicle as well as the passengers themselves will facilitate cross-border movement. Also, it would make the monitoring more effective," Agrawal said. Further, the President said that, with the PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre, bilateral economic forums like that of Wednesday will be a regular exercise to help the bilateral economic ecosystem between India and Nepal. The Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker of the Summit, Devi Sahai Meena, Consul General of India, Birgunj, Nepal, reassured India's support to accelerate the economic cooperation between India and Nepal. Through policy and implementation, India has been a key development partner for Nepal. "India is Nepal's largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign investments. India accounts for almost two-thirds of Nepal's merchandise trade, one-third of trade in services, one-third of direct foreign investments, almost 100 percent of petroleum supplies and a significant share of remittances," Devi Sahai Meena, Consul General of the Consulate of India in Birgunj, said addressing the event. He added that India-Nepal relations are supported by complementarities and people-to-people, something that should be counted as strong foundational support. "The Indian Consulate in Birgunj has been organising table talks with the entrepreneurs and businesses of Nepal to explore their problems and solve the issues. We have been doing it and will continue it in further days," Meena told ANI. On Wednesday's summit, Satish Pattapu, Consul (Economic Cooperation & Commerce), Consulate General of India, Birgunj, Nepal, shared an overview of the main constituents of economic cooperation and challenges at the policy level that need to be tackled. The other key speakers were, Amb Lok Raj Baral, Nepal's Former Ambassador to India; Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman, Nimbus Group of Companies; Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Factory Manager, Unilever Nepal Ltd; Deepak Rauniar, Founder CEO, Oorja World; Bikas Rauniar, Executive Director, Interstate Multi-Modal Transport (P) Ltd; Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, Bihar State Coordinator, Seema Jagran Manch; Ashok Kumar Baidya, Chairman, Nepal-Bharat Sahyog Manch; Chandra Kishore, Senior Journalist; Ms Rachana Parajuli, Deputy Director, Nepal Rastra Bank; Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Executive Director, North-South Collectives; Dr Sohan Prasad Sha, Member (Province Policy and Planning Commission), Government of Madhesh Province, Nepal; Kunal Kayal, Chairperson (Industry & Export Promotion Committee), NICCI; Abhishek Choudhary, President, NICCI Birgunj Chapter; Niraj Agrawal, Director, Surgiprotect Pluss Pvt Ltd & Joint Secretary, Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries. The deliberations, which were supported by the decision-makers, aimed to open new avenues of business engagement in the key sectors of the economy, besides giving a much-needed boost to trade near the crucial India-Nepal border at Birgunj, an economic hub of Nepal. The Summit played a role in creating a platform through joint action for deeper economic engagement between India and Nepal (with a focus on remittances, imports, exports and balance of payment (BoP) challenges in Nepal). As per the organisers, it channelled investment from India to Nepal and other ways around to re-establish India-Nepal bilateral relations as the core strength of the sub-regional cooperation in South Asia. It played a role in creating a sustained convergence of industry and government, thriving on mutually beneficial India-Nepal bilateral relations in all crucial realms. Bring-in to notice the hidden potential in the Border Area Development Programme and paving the way for India's major involvement in helping the infrastructural facelift of Nepal's bordering districts in Bihar and making them the gateways of the India-Nepal Trade Connection. The second edition of the India-Nepal economic partnership summit also raised further discussion and ideas for making cluster-based economic zones across Nepal, further relaxing cross-border trade norms to secure and sustain greater economic engagements. (ANI)
Both national and provincial assembly candidates are engaging with their respective Returning Officers (ROs) for their nomination.

As per the election schedule, the candidates will be able to submit nomination papers within a three-day timeline.

The contestants' form for the general election consists of 11 pages.

The process of obtaining papers from women and minority candidates has already started a day before, ARY News reported.

After the submission of the nomination, the preliminary list of the candidates will be released on December 23.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formally announced the date of general elections in 2024 after a consensus was reached between Pakistan President Arif Alvi and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The ECP announced plans to hold general elections on February 8, 2024, after a key consultative meeting was held between President Arif Alvi and CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, reported ARY News.

Moreover, formal notifications have been issued by both the ECP headquarters and the President's House.

Earlier, according to the sources, both sides had initially failed to reach a consensus on the election date.

Before the formal announcement, in a letter, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja formally suggested President Alvi to hold the General Elections 2024 on February 11, according to ARY News.

After the President-CEC meeting, a consultative session was held under the chair of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Later, the meeting was also attended by Attorney General Mansoor Usman, sources said, adding that the attorney general came with the president's prescribed election date to the ECP headquarters. (ANI)
Indian warship INS Kadmatt docked at Thailand's Bangkok port on Tuesday to bolster the Indo-Thai maritime cooperation in the North Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea and enhance interoperability between both the navies, Ministry of Defence said. During the visit, the harbour activities are also scheduled during the operational turnaround including a cross-ship visit by personnel from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Academy and a planning conference for maritime partnership exercise (MPX). Additionally, Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, will be visiting INS Kadmatt on December, 21 to interact with the crew of the ship, said Ministry. INS Kadmatt is the second of the four indigenous ASW corvettes of the Indian Navy. Commissioned on Jan 7, 2016, the ship has participated in numerous joint naval exercises with friendly nations, contributing to regional security and fostering maritime ties. The ship is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and a sensor package, enabling her to carry out a wide range of missions. The ship is part of the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and functions under the command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. Chief of the Naval Staff Kumar is leading a three-member Indian Naval delegation for the 8th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs (CoC). The IONS Conclave of Chiefs (CoC) is being hosted by the Royal Thai Navy in Thailand's Bangkok from December 19-22. The 8th Conclave is being attended by the Chiefs of Navies and Heads of Maritime Agencies of IONS countries, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release. During the conclave, the IONS chairmanship will be transferred from France to Thailand. On departure from Bangkok, the ship will undertake MPX with HTMS Rattanakosin, a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy. A seminar on the theme 'Blue Economy: Ways Forward for Sustainable Development of IONS Member States', is being conducted on the sidelines of the IONS Conclave of Chiefs (CoC). Cmde Manmeet S Khurana, Cmde (Foreign Cooperation) from the Indian Navy will present a paper on 'Security is Foundation for Peaceful and Sustainable Blue Economy'. Various bilateral interactions will also be conducted on the sidelines of the Conclave to facilitate a greater degree of maritime cooperation and understanding between the IONS countries. India will take over the Chair of IONS (2025-27) during the 9th CoC planned to be conducted in India at the end of 2025. In 2008, the Indian Navy conceived the IONS as a forum that seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region, according to the Ministry. The MoD press release said, "IONS provides an open and inclusive platform for discussions on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead. The inaugural edition of IONS was held in New Delhi in 2008, with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. (ANI)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed confidence that the United States and other Western countries will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, as reported by Al Jazeera. While speaking at an end-of-year news conference on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that financial assistance plays a crucial role in the country's efforts to drive back Russian forces that poured over the border in February 2022. He further suggested that Ukraine could mobilise 500,000 more people in order to fight on. "We are working very hard on this, and I am certain the United States of America will not betray us, and that on which we agreed in the United States will be fulfilled completely," Zelenskyy said. The address comes as support for Ukraine in Western countries comes under greater pressure, with conservatives in the US expressing doubts about continued assistance and stalling the passage of a substantial aid package. However, the US Senate leaders said on Tuesday that the package was not likely to move forward before the end of the year, reported Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has previously warned that such delays benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moreover, he added that Trump's victory in the 2024 US elections could have "a very strong impact on the course of the war" if he pursued a policy towards Ukraine that was "more cold or more economical." Zelenskyy further emphasised that he was certain that the European Union (EU) would move forward with a 50-billion-euro (USD 55 billion) aid package of its own, despite opposition from Hungary, whose right-wing government has raised objections to further assistance for Ukraine, reported Al Jazeera. "I'm confident that we have already achieved all this," Zelenskyy said. "The question now is one of a certain matter of time." However, support for Ukraine has become a divisive issue in Western countries after a long-awaited counteroffensive over the summer failed to win back substantial territory and the war continued. As Russia began invading Ukraine, it has been accused of including war crimes, devastated Ukrainian cities, displaced millions of people, and killed at least 10,000 civilians, the United Nations stated. Moreover, the Ukrainian leader has stressed that he is weighing the possibility of mobilising an additional 500,000 troops, adding that he had asked the military for more details on this "very sensitive matter." Earlier on Tuesday, Russian President Putin said that Russia was open to negotiations with Ukraine, the US and Europe, but Russia "will not give up what is ours," reported Al Jazeera. "The West isn't abandoning its strategy of containment of Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine," Putin said. "Well, we also aren't going to abandon the goals of the special military operation." (ANI)
Nepal's casualties in ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has risen to 8 while four other citizens of Nepal remain in Ukrainian captivity, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday. In a release, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the eighth casualty - Kundan Singh Nagal was killed while he was fighting from the Russian side in the ongoing war. Furthermore, the Ministry said that Ukrainian forces have captured four Nepali nationals fighting from the Russian side. "Attention of Government of Nepal has been drawn with the information of four Nepali being held captive in Ukraine. In regards to it, the diplomatic channels to bring them back is on, the government has requested the Ukrainian government for their return. In order to facilitate their release and return, diplomatic efforts via International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies is underway," Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs release stated. According to the release, the citizens of Nepal who are in Ukrainian custody have been identified as Bibek Khatri (Rajapur-1, Bardiya), Siddhartha Dhakal (Mandan Deupur-6, Kavrepalanchok), Bikas Rai (Letang-2, Morang), and Pratik Pun (Runtigadhi-8, Rolpa). Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that efforts are being made to repatriate the dead bodies of Nepal's citizens killed during the ongoing war and compensation for the next to kin of the deceased. The escalating unlawful engagement of Nepali youth within the Russian army has led the government to issue warnings against travel to Russia for military involvement. Travellers to Russia have been mandated to obtain a No Objection Letter (NOL) from the Consular Service Department. In addition, Nepali nationals residing abroad and planning visits to Russia must secure an NOL from the respective embassies located in their residing countries. (ANI)
Emphasising the damage caused by climate change across the world, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation, Abhijeet Halder, said that Dhamma's teachings have explained a lot of things that can be implemented today in terms of controlling climate change-related disasters. Director General Halder was attending the International Dhamma Forum 2023 at the Mahabodhi Cultural Centre in Bodh Gaya, Bihar on Wednesday. He further told ANI, "This programme is very important," adding that currently, "as the world is facing environmental and climate change-related destruction and damages, Dhamma's teachings that were promoted by Gautam Buddha 2500 years ago have explained a lot of things that can be implemented today in terms of controlling climate change-related disasters and environmental disasters." At that time, Buddha highlighted that nature will treat you in the same way as you will treat it, Halder said. "Keeping that in mind, the most important thing about this gathering is that the people who have come here from different regions of the world, including Sangha's head and Dhamma practitioners will discuss this issue and what kind of message can be shared from Bodh Gaya to the whole world, the place where Buddha attained enlightenment," he added. People will discuss the matter thoroughly with mindfulness, he said, adding that "we hope that we will reach a positive outcome." Moreover, highlighting the conflicts going around in the world, he restated the need for wisdom and compassion as suggested by Buddha. "As Buddha talked about wisdom and compassion, it applies today as we can see the ongoing conflicts going around in the world. To resolve it, the solution shared by Buddha also applies here," he added. Moreover, Halder said that the message will be shared with different leaders across the world through the International Sangha Forum. The first International Dhamma Forum 2023 started today (December 20) at the Mahabodhi Cultural Centre in Bodh Gaya. The Dalai Lama, the top Buddhist religious leader, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Sangha Rajas from different countries jointly inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp. The Dalai Lama inaugurated the three-day International Sangha Forum 2023 on Bridging Traditions, Embracing Modernity: A Dialogue on the Buddha's Teaching in Today's World on Wednesday morning. The three-day-long special event will conclude on December 23 after a special puja at the World Heritage Mahabodhi Temple complex. Apart from top religious leaders from different countries, a large number of Buddhist monks and devotees are participating in this event. The objective of the programme is to spread Buddhism so that peace and brotherhood can be established in the world. Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who was among the invitees to the forum, said he felt privileged to be invited by the organisers of the International Sangha Forum to attend the historic meeting of Buddhist scholars from all around the world. Hundreds of Buddhist leaders and monks have converged in Bodhgaya for the forum. The International Sangha Forum (ISF) is bringing together eminent Buddhist leaders and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a gathering that transcends borders and traditions, the ISF said in an official release. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 20 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Israel Katz and Knesset Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz met with the spiritual leader of the country's Druze community, Sheikh Mewafek Trif in order to reassure him, and his community, of their importance to Israeli society. They also pledged that all Druze homes will sonn be connected to electrical infrastructure. During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of the electricity network in the Druze communities in the north of the country, and ways to promote electricity connections for all residents. Many Druze live in homes not connected to the national electric grid. In addition, a number of projects that encourage a transition to sustainable energy in the Druze authorities, as well as options for promoting dual-use renewable energy on the authorities' assets in particular and promoting renewable energy and storage in general, were discussed. Also discussed is the issue of accelerating the transition to electric transportation among the community's residents, as well as promoting several issues in the water field. "You are an inseparable part of the State of Israel," they told the Sheikh. "While the best sons of the community, commanders and fighters, are fighting in IDF uniforms against the murderers of Hamas in Gaza, The least that is expected of us as a government and as a country is to provide electricity to all the houses that are cut off in the Druze communities." The Druze are a nation of people and a religion. They are Arabs, but recognize Israeli sovereignty and serve in the Israeli military. (ANI/TPS)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday met the Vietnam-India Parliamentary Friendship Group led by Duong Thanh Binh, Head of the Commission for People's Petitions and Chairman of the Group, at Parliament House Complex in Delhi. Om Birla said that the parliamentary cooperation between India and Vietnam has a big role to play in the cooperation between the two nations and added that strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation will develop multidimensional relations between our two countries, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat statement. Highlighting the importance of India's Act East Policy, Birla underlined the importance of Vietnam as a strategic partner of India in terms of India's Indo-Pacific vision. He expressed optimism that Vietnam will join the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA). In a post shared on X, Om Birla said, "Had a productive interaction with Vietnam-India Parliamentary Friendship Group led by Mr Duong Thanh Binh, Head, Commission for People's Petitions & Chairman of the Group. Discussed avenues for strengthening bilateral trade & fostering coop. in other areas of mutual interest." During the meeting, Om Birla spoke about the shared culture of spirituality between India and Vietnam and expressed his satisfaction that Vietnam was embracing yoga with full dedication. He expressed optimism about heightened tourism exchanges between India and Vietnam, aiming to bolster bilateral ties. The Lok Sabha Speaker emphasised the importance of nurturing a collaborative and mutually respectful spirit between India and Vietnam. He called for a collective journey towards enhanced cooperation, deeper understanding and prosperity of the people of both nations, according to Lok Sabha Secretariat statement. While welcoming the delegation, he said that the visit of the Vietnam-India Parliamentary Friendship Group to India showcases mutual trust and friendship between India and Vietnam and is part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. He stressed that the vibrant interactions between India and Vietnam was active on both the government and parliamentary levels. Om Birla recalled his visit to Vietnam in April 2022 where he led the Indian delegation. He spoke about the grand and exceptional courtesy extended to him during his visit to Vietnam. Birla said that he felt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam in 2016 has started a new chapter in India-Vietnam relations. He further said, "Many new initiatives in trade, industry, exchange of technology , tourism etc have been undertaken exhibiting new energy and momentum in the relations between the two countries." Meanwhile, Duong Thanh Binh, Head of the Commission for People's Petitions and Chairman , of the Vietnam-India Parliamentary Friendship Group spoke about the growing prowess of India in the field of technology as the sphere of influence was extending to the entire world. He congratulated India on the success of the Chandrayaan and Aditya L1 missions. He commended India's successful G20 Presidency and contribution to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), according to Lok Sabha Secretariat statement. Duong Thanh Binh spoke about the shared values of peace between the two nations and emphasised the need to work towards building a better future, enhance economic trade, tourism and promote investment. (ANI)
Pakistan's former National Assembly (NA) speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser was released from jail on Wednesday following the withdrawal of his detention order under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), Dawn newspaper reported. Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) had directed Swabi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Tariqullah a day ago to withdraw his detention orders for Qaiser and warned that non-compliance would lead to action. The DC's release order, a copy of which is available with Dawn was issued today on the condition that Qaiser would not disturb the peace, instigate the public against the government, raise slogans against state institutions, abide by the home department's standard operating procedures and that he would produce bail bond worth Pakistani rupee PKR 100,000 with two sureties each, along with an affidavit that Qaiser would not disturb the district's peace and tranquillity. Qaiser was initially arrested on November 3 at his Banigala residence on charges of causing losses to the national exchequer through procurement irregularities in the Gajju Khan Medical College. He was granted bail by an anti-corruption court in the case on November 23. But the PTI leader was re-arrested from his Marghuz residence hours later in a case on ransacking of the Charsadda Toll Plaza on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway on May 9 -- the day violent protests broke out across the country following ex-premier Imran Khan's arrest. Following Qaiser's release from Swabi prison, a joint team of Swabi and Charsadda police had arrested him. Qaiser's brother, Waheed Khan, had told Dawn that three cases were registered against his brother in connection with the May 9 violence: one was in Swabi, another in Islamabad and the third in Charsadda. He was re-arrested on December 2 by the police outside the Mardan prison soon after his release in cases related to the May 9 riots. Qaiser was detained yet again by the police under the MPO Ordinance on Dec 9 after securing bail in a case about the May 9 protests. DC Tariqullah had ordered 30 days of detention for the former NA speaker on December 8 under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance. The DC had ordered the district police to arrest Qaiser and shift him to Mardan Central Prison for 30 days. Until now, the PTI leader has been arrested five times, Dawn reported. (ANI)
The second defendant in the June homicide of a Hobart man who was found by a Portage Township fishing pond in June is in custody after being transferred from a jail in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Jada Monroe, 29, of Danville, Virginia, was booked into the Porter County Jail around 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to a jail roster, on two felony murder charges and one count of robbery, also a felony.

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Charging documents for Monroe are expected to remain sealed until his initial hearing, according to the Porter County Prosecutors Office; that had not been scheduled as of Wednesday morning.

Monroe, who also goes by Jawon Martin, and Domonic Brothers, 28, of Gary, who faces the same counts and also goes by Domonic Weaver, allegedly met Derek Hartz, 35, on a gay dating app, according to documents in Brothers case.

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Brothers has been in custody since July 26 and has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled for a status conference on Feb. 9 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer.

Hartzs partially nude body was found on a deflated air mattress in the Chustak Salt Creek Fishing Area at 331 West County Road 600 North by a fisherman around 10:30 a.m. on June 13, according to court documents. He was wearing a blood soaked white T-shirt and had multiple stab and blunt force trauma wounds to his head and chest, with his clothes next to him.

Police in Cincinnati picked up the pair in the hours after Hartzs death after they were in a police pursuit there and crashed the car Hartz shared with his mother, police have said.

According to charging documents in Brothers case, Hartz met up with Brothers and Martin on a gay dating app. Investigators found the app on Martins cellphone, as well as messages with Hartz from Brothers and Martin.

The pair arranged for Hartz to pick them up at the residence in Garys Aetna neighborhood, where Brothers and Martin lived, for a consensual sexual encounter, documents state. Before Hartz arrived, the two gathered a butcher knife and a landscaping brick from the residence and concealed them in a rose colored purse.

In police interviews, Brothers and Martin said they had been planning on leaving the state, but prior to this date did not have transportation or finances to travel. It was indicated that prior to Dereks arrival a plan was developed, according to court records.

Hartz began communicating with an account named Its two of us the afternoon of June 12 according to data downloaded from the dating app on Martins phone, documents state. The thread includes a message to Hartz that said, U wanna have some fun with us.

Hartz replied he was busy but restarted the conversation at 4:03 a.m. June 13 and the duo replied at 6:25 a.m., when Hartz arranged to pick them up at the residence in Gary.

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Hartz arrived to pick the two up in a white Volkswagen he shared with his mother and they drove to the fishing pond in Portage Township.

Sexual activity was engaged in and during the course of the contact Derek was struck with the brick and stabbed multiple times with the knife, documents state. Brothers and Martin then left the body of Derek on the path in the wooded area and drove away in his vehicle. It was indicated that Derek was obviously deceased following the attack.

Police used pings from Hartzs cellphone and later Martins and license plate readers in Lake and Porter counties to track their travels through the region before they headed east, when investigators tracked them on eastbound Interstate 94 near Hartford, Michigan, and later on southbound Interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincinnati in Ohio.

In one picture from a license plate reader at 9:41 a.m. on June 13 at Indiana 130 and Lake County Line Road as the Volkswagen traveled westbound, its clear there are two subjects in the vehicle, documents state.

Police talked to roommates of Martin and Brothers who verified that the two were in possession of a white passenger car they had never seen before. The two lived together in one bedroom and were heard packing frantically around 10 a.m. Both Domonic and Jada packed all of their belongings and informed their roommates they were moving out, documents state.

The pair made multiple stops prior to leaving the state, documents state. Martin owned a gold fanny pack which they realized they left by the fishing pond. They drove back to the scene and observed law enforcement vehicles and immediately left the area.

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The murder weapons also were taken from the scene in the same rose colored purse.

Hartzs mother told police she went to bed around 4:30 a.m. on June 13 and Hartz was in his room playing video games. When she woke up, he had left a note that he was going to a friends house and took the Volkswagen they shared.

She texted him three times between 9:45 a.m. and 10:59 a.m. with no response, documents state. At 11:23 a.m., she got a response that said Ill be there soon, after the time his body was discovered, according to the charges.

The phone responded with the same message four more times before she threatened to contact police and at 12:01 p.m., she registered her vehicle as stolen.

Police later recovered Hartzs phone in the area of 61st Avenue and Interstate 65.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com
The Trump campaign has accused advocates of "stretching the law beyond recognition"

A longshot legal bid in multiple US states to disqualify Donald Trump from the 2024 US presidential ballot has led to him being kicked off the ballot in Colorado and Maine.

The strategy involves trying to block Mr Trump from the primary ballot by invoking a rarely used provision of the US Constitution - Section 3 of the 14th Amendment - that bars those who have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the country from holding federal office.

Initially backed by liberal activists, the theory that Mr Trump was ineligible to run for the presidency again after the 6 January Capitol riot gained more prominence in recent months as some conservatives also embraced it.

The Colorado Supreme Court was the first to offer legal backing to the idea, ruling on 19 December that Mr Trump be removed from the state's 2024 presidential ballot.

It was the first time that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

Maine's top election official - Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows - then ruled on 28 December that Mr Trump could not run for president in the state, also citing the 14th Amendment.

Both rulings are on hold pending appeal, but critics have warned that if the cases move forward they risk robbing voters of the right to deliver their own verdict on whether the former president should return to the White House.

The Supreme Court, which Mr Trump helped shape, will be the ultimate arbiter after it said it would take up the case.

What is the theory?

The 14th Amendment was ratified after the American Civil War, and Section 3 was deployed to bar secessionists from returning to previous government posts once southern states re-joined the Union.

It was used against the likes of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his vice-president Alexander Stephens, both of whom had served in Congress, but has seldom been invoked since.

It re-emerged as a political flashpoint in the wake of Mr Trump's effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat, which culminated in the riot at the US Capitol in January 2021.

In the riot's aftermath, the US House of Representatives impeached the then-president on a charge of "incitement of insurrection".

Had the US Senate voted to convict him, it would have had the option to take a second, simple-majority vote to bar him from ever serving in office again.

But that never happened: the Senate failed to reach the two-thirds majority required to convict Mr Trump, so there was no second vote.

Does Section 3 apply to Trump?

Free Speech For People, an advocacy group, has been arguing that it does. On behalf of a group of voters, it filed motions in early January in Illinois and Massachusetts to remove Trump from those state's ballots.

Last year, the group filed challenges against five Trump-backing lawmakers whom it labelled "insurrectionists".

One - against Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene - was heard in court but ultimately defeated.

Free Speech for People targeted Trump-backed congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and ex-lawmaker Madison Cawthorn (centre)

The 14th Amendment was not written solely to apply to the Civil War's immediate aftermath, but also to future insurrections, argues Ron Fein, the organisation's legal director.

He told the BBC the US Capitol riot succeeded "in delaying the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in our nation's history, which is further than the Confederates ever got".

"The particular candidates we challenged in 2022 had participated or assisted in the efforts that led up to the insurrection," Mr Fein said.

All these cases, he argued, established important legal precedents that can be applied to show "Trump is the chief insurrectionist".

In New Mexico, a challenge brought by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) watchdog group saw Couy Griffin, a local county commissioner who participated in the Capitol riot, removed from office under Section 3 - the first such ruling since 1869.

How will it move forward?

The case in Colorado challenging Mr Trump's eligibility was filed by Crew on behalf of six state residents.

The group is also separately petitioning the top election officials in at least 18 states to remove Mr Trump from the primary ballot.

The legal challenge may end up at the Supreme Court Mr Trump helped shape as president

The legal strategy has picked up steam since August, when Mr Trump was accused of election subversion in two separate criminal cases.

That same month, conservative legal scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen wrote in a law review paper that Section 3 is "self-executing, operating as an immediate disqualification from office, without the need for additional action by Congress".

Mr Trump could therefore be rendered ineligible for election, the pair concluded.

Mr Baude and Mr Paulsen are members of the Federalist Society, a highly influential conservative advocacy group, and their stance has since been backed by other legal experts with conservative credentials.

Even the Supreme Court, with its conservative majority and trio of Trump-appointed judges, may be receptive to their argument, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a dean at the Yale School of Management who supports the Baude-Paulsen perspective.

The top court will hear the Colorado case in February, by which time the Republican primary contest to pick the party's presidential nominee will have already begun.

What's the argument against it?

Georgia's top elections official has called the move an effort 'to short-circuit the ballot box'

Detractors have questioned both the theory's viability, and whether it should even be implemented in a highly partisan America.

"To make a tortured legalistic logic to try to stop people from voting for who they want to vote for is a Soviet-style, banana republic argument," said New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Chris Ager.

"I'm not a Trump supporter. I'm neutral," he added. "But this whole attempt is bad for the country."

Even Brad Raffensperger, a Republican and the top election official in Georgia and a previous target of Mr Trump's ire, rejected the move as "merely the newest way of attempting to short-circuit the ballot box".

What does Trump say?

Mr Trump is dominating his Republican rivals ahead of the party's primary election

Despite his mounting legal troubles, Mr Trump remains the dominant frontrunner for the Republican nomination and is polling neck-and-neck with President Joe Biden ahead of their expected rematch.

The Trump campaign has said that the legal challenge is "stretching the law beyond recognition" and has no basis "except in the minds of those who are pushing it".

Mr Trump's attorney in the Colorado case argued that the twin dismissals in Michigan and Minnesota were evidence of "an emerging consensus here across the judiciary". A third dismissal in Arizona has further aided their case.

"The petitioners are asking this court to do something that's never been done in the history of the United States," Scott Gessler said. "The evidence doesn't come close to allowing the court to do it."
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled with a 4-3 vote that former President Donald Trump be removed from the state's presidential primary ballot next year.

The decision rests on their determination that Trump incited an insurrection when fomenting the crowd that caused a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president," Colorado's high court wrote in an unsigned opinion. "Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the election code for the secretary to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot."

The state Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling, changing its interpretation of the 14th Amendment so that it applies to Trump.

Here is what to know about the 14th Amendment and how it could apply to Trump's presidential campaign:

What's next? U.S. Supreme Court may want to avoid Trump. Colorado's ballot ruling won't let them

What is the 14th Amendment?

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in the post-Civil War-era, intended to extend liberties in the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It was passed by Congress in June 1866 and ratified July 1868.

It also established the right of due process at the state level.

The 14th Amendment was recently thrust into public debate when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The due process clause in the 14th Amendment has been used to defend the right to privacy, a key argument in the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling protecting the right to an abortion.

What is the 14th Amendment? What does it have to do with Roe v. Wade?

What does the 14th Amendment, Section 3 say about insurrection?

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is where debate about Trump's alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots lies.

Section 3 states:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, 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. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

In summary, it bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection after swearing to uphold the constitution (by being sworn into office, for example), from holding office again.

2024 election: Donald Trump can't declare victory yet: 3 obstacles he faces in 2024

14th Amendment, Section 3 and Trump's 2024 presidential run

Colorado's lawsuit was one of several across the country that invoked Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to say that Trump is disqualified from being president again.

His lawyers argue that it was never meant to apply to the office of the presidency, which is not mentioned directly unlike "Senator or Representative in Congress" in Section 3.

Lawyers for plaintiff and watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have argued that Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including his involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, mean he engaged in insurrection. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy and obstruction. The indictment alleges that Trump directed his supporters to march to the Capitol.

A lower court judge initially ruled in November that Trump would stay on the primary ballot. While Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace found Trump "engaged in an insurrection," she determined that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment did not apply to a president.

The Colorado Supreme Court reversed that ruling.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the court wrote. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

The court stayed its ruling until January, giving Trump time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. He is expected to do so.

Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi, John Fritze, Aysha Bagchi, David Jackson, Orlando Mayorquin

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the 14th Amendment, Section 3? Why Colorado disqualified Trump
TechCrunch

Microsoft has ticked off the second phase of its rollout of a data localization offering in the European Union. The latest deployment to the "EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud", as it brands the infrastructure, kicked off in at the start of last year. Microsoft had said it expected the second phase of the rollout to be completed at the end of 2023 so it's keeping roughly to schedule.
Debris covers a house and ground after an explosion early Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in West Park, Fla. Investigators were trying to determine the cause that injured four people in the suburb of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood area.

A South Florida home was leveled during an explosion early Tuesday morning, leaving two children and two adults hospitalized.

The explosion occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. in West Park, between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Broward County Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief and spokesperson Michael Kane told members of the media, as recorded by Local 10.

Kane said when firefighters arrived, the home was "completely destroyed." The explosion appeared to be caused by some type of gas, though the exact cause is being investigated by the Florida State Fire Marshal.

Four people were transported to the hospital, all appearing to have lived in the home that was destroyed. Their injuries included burns, traumatic injuries and broken bones, Kane said. Some of them may have suffered life-threatening injuries.

More: 3 dead, 1 injured after Ohio auto shop explosion; cause is under investigation

First responders work the scene of house explosion early Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in West Park, Fla. Investigators were trying to determine the cause that injured four people in the suburb of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood area.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request Wednesday morning asking for an update on their condition. The Florida State Fire Marshal also did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the investigation.

Officials say explosion caused 'mushroom cloud'

Although the fire was extinguished when the firefighters arrived, Kane said the explosion caused an apparent mushroom cloud with fire that likely caused some burns.

Multiple homes and cars in the neighborhood also sustained damage due to the explosion, according to a media alert issued by Broward Sheriff's Office.

Kane said they used a structural engineer to assess safety in the neighboring homes. As Local 10 reported, many people in the area heard the bang and felt structures shaking. Three houses have been marked unsafe and people living there will need to relocate, according to Local 10.

Kane also said they used cadaver dogs to ensure everyone was accounted for.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: West Park, Florida house explosion: 4 injured in home blast
Athens Clarke County Police arrested two people in connection to the death of a man who was found dead near train tracks earlier this month.

On Dec. 3, police identified 42-year-old Jarrard Pittard and 46-year-old Andrew Carthens as people of interest in this case.

Both Pittard and Carthens, from Athens, were arrested on Tuesday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police have not identified the man who died.

Officers are continuing to investigate the cause of death.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Det. Lister at 762-400-7333 or Hovie.Lister@accgov.com .

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Your slice of the headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

 One year of battlefield dynamics in Ukraine  NV analysis

NV summarizes the year for Ukraine at war and examines defense operations, offensives, arms supplies, and other milestones that have shaped the battlefield in 2023.





 KSE Institute reports only 304 out of over 1,500 companies finally leaving Russia

Only 304 out of more than 1,500 foreign companies that own (or owned) assets in Russia have exited the country, the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Institute reported on Dec. 18.





 Russias ambitions go beyond Ukraine, warns U.S. State Department

Russias aggressive ambitions will not stop with Ukraine, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a briefing on Dec. 18.





 Congressional negotiations on Ukraine aid to resume in January  report

The U.S. Senate now anticipates that additional funding for U.S. military assistance to Ukraine will not be made until January 2024, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.





 Italy extends military support to Ukraine through 2024

The Italian government has formally extended its military assistance to Ukraine until the close of 2024, the Italian Ministry of Defense announced on Dec. 19.





 EBRD board greenlights EUR 4 billion boost for Ukraine investments

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has greenlit a capital increase of EUR 4 billion ($4.4 billion), paving the way to double its investments in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.





 Kyiv Metro's bridge repair could force Red Line closure

The Kyiv Metro's Red Line could undergo partial closure for repairs pending an investigation into the safety of a key bridge, Kyiv City Council official Andriy Vitrenko said on national television on Dec. 19.





 Zelenskyy to examine AFUs request to mobilize 500,000 more people

In the most recent meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chiefs Headquarters, Ukraines military leadership proposed a mobilization of an additional 450,000 to 500,000 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference on Dec. 19.





 Ukraine submits proposals for 13th batch of EU sanctions

Ukraine has already submitted its proposals for further targeted sanctions on Russian entities to the European Commission, deputy Ukrainian presidential chief-of-staff Ihor Zhovkva, said on national TV on Dec. 18.





 Belgian army chief warns Europe must prepare for Russian second front

Moscow may open a second front in the near future, either in Moldova or the Baltic States, according to the Belgian militarys Chief of Staff Admiral Michel Hofman on Dec. 19.

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 Facts

The headline-grabbing promise of the COP28 agreement  that countries will endeavor to transition away from fossil fuels  doesnt come with a specific deadline. But another part of the agreement does. The deal says annual global greenhouse emissions need to peak by 2025 to stay within the global warming limit of 1.5 C. That means for the biggest emitters, 2024 will be a critical turning point for the energy transition, in which it will either speed up or miss the window of opportunity to keep 1.5 C within reach.

Tims view

This year was a challenging one for the energy transition, pitting the human and economic costs of climate change against the big picture conditions of the global economy  war and nationalism, high inflation and interest rates  that tend to favor the fossil-fuel status quo. Those headwinds are unlikely to let up in 2024. These are the big questions that will shape whether COP28s aspirations will remain within reach.

Will global climate trade wars continue to heat up? Next year will be the first that European importers of industrial products like aluminum and fertilizer will need to report the carbon footprint of those goods. That reporting requirement will put pressure on suppliers around the world to start to decarbonize or risk losing market access when the EUs carbon border tariff goes into full effect in 2026. The U.K. has outlined plans for its own version, and expect to see more political momentum to erect similar barriers in the United States. Meanwhile, Western companies and governments will continue to try to undermine Chinas vise grip on the supply chains for critical minerals and clean energy hardware, which could drive prices up in the near term, especially if Beijing weighs additional export restrictions of its own.

Can clean-energy investors recover their nerves? Even though the costs of solar power hardware have fallen to record lows, and there have never been more government incentives for clean energy, investment in the sector is at risk of stalling out. Rising borrowing costs make the economics of renewable energy projects less attractive, and U.S. regulators are weighing new banking rules that could restrict lending even more. Share prices of clean energy companies have suffered this year, and in 2024 global clean energy investment could fall 9%, according to a forecast this week by the Swedish bank SEB. But the story isnt all bad. Climate tech is drawing a growing share of venture capital investment, and there is enormous appetite from high-emitting companies to acquire decarbonization solutions. Climate removal tech had a banner year in 2023, and will probably have another in 2024. Investment in clean energy manufacturing facilities in the U.S. has been growing steadily and will likely continue next year as well.

Will EVs reach a sales tipping point or sit on dealer lots? Starting Jan. 1, most electric vehicles for sale in the U.S. will lose eligibility for the full $7,500 tax credit they qualified for this year, as rules to exclude China-produced components become more strict. Sales are expected to continue rising anyway, but at a slower pace, according to BloombergNEF: A 32% gain in 2024, compared with 47% in 2023. That leaves major automakers in a bind, as they struggle to set the right pace for their EV investments. EVs are piling up on dealership lots. But automakers are still engaged in a protracted price-cutting war to defend their market share against discount EV options from China. Those price cuts, plus a loophole that allows leased EVs to remain eligible for tax credits, along with the plummeting costs of batteries, will all be wins for consumers in 2024. And theyre a powerful driver of the transition away from fossil fuels, as the electrification of transportation takes a major bite out of oil demand.

How will oil and gas companies balance current demand with long-term investment risk? biggest long-term gas contract

Can the transition survive the U.S. presidential election? If Donald Trump wins another stint in the White House, it will set up a test of how resilient the long-term energy transition is to short-term politics. Clean energy is much cheaper than it was during Trumps first term, and the Inflation Reduction Act has driven a surge in onshoring and re-industrialization that make the economic benefits of the transition much more tangible to more voters. So to some extent, there may be a limit to how much damage Trump can do. But there are plenty of areas where his administration could impede climate progress: Trump may be unwilling or uninterested in finding a bipartisan solution to permitting reform; he could toss or simply not enforce Biden-era emissions regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency; and could withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and from climate-focused trade deals with the EU.

The View From India

For countries in the global south, a key determinant of when theyll hit peak emissions is foreign investment and financial aid. The COP28 agreement was roundly criticized by developing country governments for being vague and noncommittal about climate finance, essentially letting the U.S. and other rich big emitters off the hook for underwriting developing countries adoption of clean energy. The UAE and other Gulf oil exporters, meanwhile, seem more than happy to fill that development finance void with investments in fossil fuel infrastructure, for example with a $50 billion investment to build the worlds largest oil refinery in India. If the U.S. cant step up its climate finance game, in other words, it risks not just undermining decarbonization in the countries with some of the fastest growing populations and energy demand, but also giving up significant geopolitical leverage.
Closing out the end of 2023, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills lawmakers sent to her desk before they adjourned for the year.

Dental assessments required for incoming kindergartners

Whitmer signed Senate Bill 280, which requires dental oral assessments for children registering for kindergarten or first grade for the first time in the 2024-25 school year. The legislation  which received bipartisan support  essentially makes permanent an oral health pilot program that was set to expire at the end of the year.

Khalil Dabaja, 25, and Grace Monette, 23, two third-year dental students at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry Dental Clinic, perform a fissure sealant on 9-year-old Philip Martinez-Rivera inside the Titans for Teeth Mobile Clinic at the Munger Elementary-Middle School in Detroit on April 26, 2023.

"Dental health is often overlooked when we talk about the health and development of our kids. All families need access to care to ensure their children stay healthy and can be successful," said bill sponsor state Sen. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, in a statement.

Offering lab animals up for adoption

Senate Bills 148 and 149 also approved by Whitmer require putting cats and dogs used as laboratory animals at research facilities up for adoption before euthanizing them.

State Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, named the legislation "Teddy's Law" after he met a beagle named Teddy that was rescued from a Michigan lab in 2018.

"This compassionate and bipartisan legislation will create a pathway for countless dogs and cats in Michigan to find loving forever homes," Hertel said in a statement. State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia  who sponsored the other bill in the package  in a statement called the legislation "the most significant animal welfare law the Michigan legislature has passed in decades."

Vintage license plates

Under Senate Bill 464 signed by Whitmer earlier this month, the Secretary of State's Office will soon issue retro license plates: a blue plate replicating the one Michigan issued from 1983 to 2007 and a black registration plate in use from 1979 to 1983.

"For countless residents, these retro license plates evoke nostalgic memories about their childhoods and the cars they grew up with," said bill sponsor state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, in a statement.

For 2026 only, the new law also requires the issuance of a special red-white-and-blue plate to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A look at bills signed by Whitmer before the end of the year
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Three juveniles are all in custody a week after they allegedly escaped a treatment facility and carjacked a woman at knifepoint in West Nashville.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the boys  identified as a 12-year-old boy, 15-year-old Noah Allen, and 16-year-old James Turner  escaped from the Natchez Trace Youth Academy in Waverly by jumping the facilitys fence around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

PREVIOUS | Its troublesome: Teens escape youth facility, on the run

After the escape, authorities reported the boys walked about six miles and stole an SUV from a gas station that was left running and had the keys inside.

Then, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, Metro police said they were alerted to an incident involving a woman who had been carjacked on the fourth floor of a parking garage in the 2600 block of Charlotte Pike.

Officials said the three suspects approached the woman and demanded her 2007 Lexus GS350 at knifepoint. One of the suspects reportedly drove off in the car while the other two ran away.

On Wednesday night, authorities said the 12-year-old was arrested at the Greyhound bus station in the 700 block of 5th Avenue South after an officer from the Central Precinct recognized him from the suspect description.

Teen shot after stolen gun discharges in fathers pocket, Metro police say

According to police, the 12-year-old was wearing the same clothing and even had a Lexus car key and a knife in his possession. He has been charged in Juvenile Court with aggravated robbery.

Officials reported that the victims Lexus was found Wednesday at the Family Dollar in the 1000 block of Jefferson Street. The car was left running and had significant body damage, including a blown tire.

Then, on Saturday, Dec. 14, authorities announced Allen had been taken into custody in Lebanon. Allen was brought to Nashville, where he allegedly placed himself at the scene of the carjacking during a police interview.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Just after 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20  a week after the alleged carjacking took place  Metro police reported Turner had surrendered to law enforcement in Nashville and was booked into juvenile detention.

Additional details were not immediately released.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Hammond Historical Society President Tom Novak stands with actor Peter Billingsley, who played little Ralphie in the 1983 film A Christmas Story, in front of the childhood home of writer Jean Shepherd at 2907 Cleveland St. in the Hessville neighborhood of Hammond on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. Shepherds writings inspired the now holiday movie classic, which was based on the late Shepherds youth growing up in Northwest Indiana. - Original Credit: Hammond Historical Society (Handout/HANDOUT)

Its the photo I never thought readers, or anyone, would ever get to see.

But Hammond Historical Society President Tom Novak managed to net an early Christmas gift for all of us over the past weekend.

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Somehow, sandwiched in between the record crowds of fans, long lines for autographs and photo ops, rainy weather, parties and receptions, all during the 40th anniversary celebration last weekend for A Christmas Story, Novak found some quiet time to bring visiting key cast members to Jean Shepherds childhood home in Hammond.

The 1983 film is rooted in our region and the late Shepherd, the Hammond born-and-raised scribe of the original life-inspired holiday chestnut tale, based his characters and storylines penned from childhood recollections. Most of Sheps details and barbed descriptions playfully skewer the life and folk of his hometown, dubbed as Hohman, Indiana as described when published in his 1966 novel as In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.

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In the past, Peter Billingsley, 52, has evaded any publicity associated with his quick (usually secret) stops through Hammond. Any of his top secret visits were associated with his own projects related to A Christmas Story, such as the film sequel last year, and a decade earlier, his guise as one of the stage producers of A Christmas Story: The Musical in 2013.

Billingsley has fervently avoided reunions and fan meet and greets, along with in-person autograph festival events.

Novak found rare prime opportunity last weekend with the cooperation of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond during their hosting the ultimate A Christmas Story fan event honoring the 40th anniversary of A Christmas Story and heralding the theme Ralphie & the Gang Come Home: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Reunion.

On Sunday morning, Dec. 17, Novak said he had the honor of showing three cast members of A Christmas Story along with one of Jean Shepherds close friends, around the Hessville neighborhood in Hammond in the area tagged as Turner-Meyn Park.

Joining Novak for the tour were an very appreciative (Im told) Billingsley who played Ralphie, Ian Petrella, who played little brother Randy, and R.D. Robb who played childhood pal Schwartz. The name of the close friend of Shep was not disclosed.

Novak and the Hammond Historical Society posted photos of the visit and a description of the account on social media.

We went by Jean Shepherds boyhood home at 2907 Cleveland St., this house that was built in 1927 with its five rooms, and then went down one block to the alleged home with all the hound dogs at 3009 Cleveland St., Novak explained.

We then went another half block to Jack Flick Flickingers boyhood and adulthood home at 3028 Cleveland St., before a little further to the site of the original Harding School at the northeast corner of Cleveland Street and Delaware Avenue, which was the site of the fictionalized famous flagpole-tongue sticking incident.

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Novak also highlighted the distinction of the Turner-Meyn Park neighborhood, which he said was platted with lots marketed nearly 98 years ago by two of Hammond historys biggest earliest names in planning.

These men were vast influences stretching back to 1800s Hammond before it was an incorporated city from these visionaries A. Murray Turner and Peter W. Meyn, Novak said.

This neighborhood features a then-groundbreaking diagonal street and alley-parkway layout designed by Jacob L. Crane, the same Godfather of Chicagoland Zoning and Planning who designed the Townsite of Woodmar a couple years earlier in 1923.

Novak and his notable tour participants also stopped by the now second location of Flicks Tavern, which today is branded as McGings Pub and Grub at Janet Place and Kennedy Avenue.

Novak also hinted to a clarification about the potential identity of which of Shepherds childhood home neighbors might have had the unruly mob of roaming mutts, now forever known in pop culture as the Bumpus Hounds.

We dont want to delve too much into the urban legend, as such history is hard to verify, but the Bumpus Family was allegedly a name borrowed from another family Jean knew, who lived in an old farmhouse on Marshall Avenue, south of 169th Street, next to where the elementary school is now, Novak said.

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The adjacent hound dog-owning family in the 1983 film were a composite character of sorts.

Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org.
Shaved Kentucky ham with capers and olive oil at Atwood Oyster House, in Over-the-Rhine.

Good morning. This is Keith Pandolfi, the food and dining writer at The Enquirer.

During the past year, Ive created a new column called three to try, where I present, well, three restaurants Ive been impressed with lately. Some are brand-new while others are older spots that deserve a fresh look.

Todays featured restaurants are all new (one opened almost a year ago, while the other two opened in the past two months). They include an oyster house trying to fill the void left when another oyster house, PearlStar, closed earlier this year.

Theres also an Over-the-Rhine chophouse that, while it opened less than a year ago, already feels like a classic  and a suburban neighborhood joint that offers traditional Irish fare, as well as locally produced ales. All in all, I think its a good assortment of new restaurants to try out soon ... Or at least once the holiday rush starts to slow.

Click or tap here to dig right in. And if you'd like to hear more about the food scene every week, sign up for my subscriber-exclusive At the Table newsletter.

What else you need to know Wednesday, Dec. 20

 Weather: High of 50. Milder with times of clouds and sun.

 Ja'Marr Chase's status in question vs. Steelers as star wide receiver misses practice.

 West Side Catholic school closing blamed on falling enrollment, shrinking budget.

 What channel is 'Home Alone' on? Where to watch holiday movies on Christmas.

 Find Christmas light displays in Cincy and NKY using our map.

 New here? Subscribe to the Daily Briefing today 

Today's Top Stories

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Leslie Ghiz.

 Prominent Republican judge leaves party, cites Donald Trump as 'a big part of it'

The Teamsters announced Thursday morning that over 1,100 DHL workers are on strike at CVG airport. Strikers gather outside of CVG on Thursday December 7, 2023.

 Better pay, safer working conditions: Teamsters, DHL 'tentative agreement' ends strike

 Man admits to sneaking box cutters onto CVG flight, threatening to 'stab someone'

A Fort Wright police car sits near one of the entrances to Kroger on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, outside Kroger in Ft. Mitchell, Ky. Fort Mitchell Police Chief Robert Nader says at this time there is no active threat to the public.

 'No one's life is worth a Ford Fusion.' Kroger shooting prompted by stolen car

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (12) changes the play at the line of scrimmage prior to a snap in the first quarter of a Week 15 NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

 The Bengals' quarterback sneak stops show the next steps for the defense without DJ Reader

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 3 restaurants to try, Ja'Marr Chase's status and more | Daily Briefing
Its too early to say for certain whether rain will dampen Christmas. But its clear that Beaufort County will go another year without a White Christmas.

By now, longtime locals should be used to it.

They havent seen the county blanketed in snow on Christmas Day for over three decades. In 1989, nearly 7 inches inches fell. It was enough snow that some people whipped out skis and glided along the glistening white roads. Such phenomena hadnt happened in over 15 years.

On Christmas eve in 1989, a rare snowfall blanketed Beaufort Countys landmarks, including the Harbour Town Lighthouse.

A snowstorm walloped Hilton Head Island with 6.4 inches following Valentines Day in 1973. The onslaught was considered record-breaking at the time.

Most recently in January 2018, a historic winter storm blanketed beaches with snow and palmettos were dusted in icy white. Between 3 and 5 inches covered Hilton Head.

But beyond three notable events, snow days in the Lowcountry are few and far between. In over five decades, the state Department of Natural Resources recorded fewer than 10 snow fall instances in Beaufort. And its chance of snow each year is the lowest in South Carolina, sitting at 9%.

Light dustings flurried through the county in 1985, 1986, 2010 and 2014, according to Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reports.

While the county will go on its 34th consecutive year without a White Christmas, it could be pelted with a different weather woe.

Emily McGraw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Charleston Office, said Wednesday that its still early to know whether the Lowcountry will be rain-soaked on Christmas Day. On Wednesday, McGraw said there was a 50% chance Beaufort County could see between 3/4 and 1.5 inches of rain accumulation on the holiday.

For the snowbirds, there is a silver lining. Christmas Days high temperature will climb into the mid-60s, and the evening air will cool only a few degrees lower.
A 4.87 carat near-colorless diamond was discovered in Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, earlier this year. It is the largest to be found in the park in nearly 3 years.

A 4.87 carat diamond, the largest to be found in nearly 3 years, was discovered at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro earlier this year, says the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Ten minutes after Jerry Evans of Lepanto entered Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro for the first time, he made the dazzling discovery without even knowing.

Earlier this year Evans visited the park, renowned for its diamonds as the name suggests, with his girlfriend. He picked up what he thought was a clear piece of glass from the top of a plowed ridge. Without giving it any extra thought, he put it in his pocket with other things that he had picked up during his visit.

I thought it might be a piece of glass, it was so clear. I really didnt know, Evans said, in a news release. We were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond."

Best deal of her life: A rare Italian vase bought at Goodwill for $3.99 was just sold for over $100,000

'Clear glass' identified as 4.87 carat diamond

However, Evans says that he kept thinking about the "clear glass" and wondering if could be something more. Eventually he sent the stone to the Gemological Institute of America for identification and a few weeks later he was told that the small item had been identified as near-colorless diamond.

When they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death!," Evan said.

The diamond, which the owner has named "Evans Diamond", is about the size of a jellybean and is shaped like a pyramid.

Largest find since 2020

Upon his son's encouragement, Evans reached out to the Crater of Diamonds State Park to tell them about his find.

While I get many emails from people wanting me to identify something theyve found here, to my recollection, this is the first time someone has contacted me after theyve had a diamond identified by the GIA, Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said in the news release. Im glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.

The state parks department said that Evans' discovery is the "largest find" registered at the park since a 9.07-carat brown diamond was discovered on Labor Day 2020.

Mr. Evans diamond is spectacular to see," said Cox. "Its a complete crystal with a brilliant white color reminiscent of many other large, white diamonds Ive seen from here in the past."

What color is my birthstone? Learn which gemstone represents each month and what it means.

Crater of Diamonds State Park

About 798 diamonds, totaling more than 125 carats, have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2023, said the state parks department, adding that an average of one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.

Over 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds since John Huddleston, a farmer who owned the land long before it became a state park, discovered the precious gems.

Since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972, more than 35,000 diamonds have been discovered, according to the park's website. It is also the only place in the world where the public can search for real diamonds in their original volcanic source.

The largest diamond - 40.23 carat Uncle Sam - ever discovered in the United States was unearthed in 1924 during an early mining operation on the land that later became the state park. Other notable diamonds discovered in the area include the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight, 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas and the 8.52-carat Esperanza..

Tips for finding a diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only places in the world where visitors can search for diamonds from an original volcanic source, according to the Crater of Diamonds State Parks website.

The diamond search area consists of a 37.5 acre field. Any rocks, minerals, or gemstones a visitor finds are theirs to keep.

Visitors can also bring their own mining equipment or rent tools from the park. No battery powered or motor-driven mining tools are permitted, the website stated.

Even though diamonds come in all shapes and colors, the three colors most commonly found at the park are: white, brown, and yellow. Park staff will assist in identifying all of the rocks, minerals, or gems found in the park.

Here are some things to keep an eye out for as you search:

Diamonds are usually clean crystals with a rounded surface and metallic shine

About half of all diamonds registered by park guests are found in sifted gravel taken home from the park.

Each guest may take up to five gallons of sifted gravel home per day to search for diamonds later.

Diamond search area admission is $13 for adults and $6.20 for children agred 6-12. An admission pass for the area costs $220. For more information, visit Crater of Diamonds State Parks website.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arkansas man finds 4.87 carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park
When it comes to the US-Mexico border, theres often so much noise that its hard to hear  and see  whats really going on.

Ive covered immigration for more than a decade, through three different presidential administrations and through many different moments when people on all sides of the issue have warned of crisis conditions and authorities have appeared overwhelmed.

Thats happening once again. But a few different factors make this moment feel different. The situation is intensifying on several fronts that could have significant consequences both in everyday peoples lives and on the national political stage.

Here are five big reasons why its important to pay attention to whats going on right now:

1. Many people rely on ports of entry along the border. And weve seen a growing number of them closing.

In the past few weeks, the Biden administration has closed ports of entry to pedestrians or vehicles in Eagle Pass, Texas; Lukeville, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California.

On December 17, officials announced theyd also be temporarily shutting down international railway crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso.

Why is this happening? Officials say the number of migrants illegally crossing the border in some locations is increasing so significantly that they need to divert resources from ports of entry to handle the influx.

A US Border Patrol agent speaks with immigrants at a transit center near the US-Mexico border last week in Eagle Pass, Texas. Most had crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico the night before. - John Moore/Getty Images

US Customs and Border Protection blames misinformation from transnational criminal organizations and cartels for the recent spike. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CNNs Rosa Flores recently that agents are simply overwhelmed and noted that closing the ports had freed up employees to help process migrants, but also came at a cost.

Its a consequence to our lawful trade and travel. Everybodys feeling it right now, he said.

Local officials say the port closures are having a devastating economic and personal impact on communities.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a news release that the decision to close the port in her state has led to an unmitigated crisis in the area and put Arizonas safety and commerce at risk.

2. Trump is making immigration a central focus of his campaign once again. But the words hes using are changing.

Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2016 election campaign with notorious comments describing Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists. And in the leadup to the 2024 election, he appears to be doubling down.

As my colleague Zachary B. Wolf has noted recently, Trumps increasingly harsh language demonizing migrants is reaching new extremes.

In a New Hampshire rally one week before Christmas, Trump drew comparisons to the language of Nazi Germany with comments about migrants from mostly Africa, Asia and South America poisoning the blood of our country.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally December 16 in Durham, New Hampshire. - Reba Saldanha/AP

The next day, Trump claimed, without evidence, that migrants are largely coming to the US from prisons and mental institutions. And he promised to reorient the US government to purge migrants.

Cracking down on illegal immigration was a focus of Trumps presidency, and theres little doubt hed prioritize the issue once again if reelected.

Before his election in 2020, President Joe Biden repeatedly vowed to roll back the immigration policies of his predecessor. But in the push to get Congress to approve more aid for Ukraine, the Biden administration has signaled a willingness to implement major restrictions that echo changes pursue by the Trump administration.

Negotiations are ongoing. But proposals under consideration include turning back migrants at the US-Mexico border without giving them the chance to seek asylum, expanding a fast-track deportation procedure to include more undocumented immigrants, and raising the credible fear standard for asylum seekers, sources told CNNs Priscilla Alvarez and Camila DeChalus.

And immigrant rights groups are releasing increasingly frantic statements, decrying what they see as Bidens willingness to trade away the lives of vulnerable people who are legally entitled to seek asylum. Frustrated by the lack of attention the issue was getting, RAICES said this week that it had bought a seven-story digital billboard ad displaying a shackled Lady Liberty in Times Square warning that the end of asylum is dangerously near.



For its part, the Biden administration is defending its track record, with a White House official telling CNN that the administration has led the largest expansion of legal immigration pathways in decades.

But advocates and some lawmakers say Biden is running the risk of losing support from key allies if he makes the concessions hes reported to be considering.

If he does go too far in the Trump direction, its going to be felt at the ballot box next year, no doubt about it, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla told CNNs Manu Raju.

4. States are taking matters into their own hands. And the potential impact of a new law in Texas is huge.

Frustrated by what they call the federal governments failure to secure the border, some state leaders are trying to take matters into their own hands. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and outspoken critic of Biden, signed a new law last week that makes entering the state illegally a state crime, gives local law enforcement the power to arrest migrants and gives judges in the state the ability to issue orders removing them to Mexico.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs three bills into law last week at a border wall construction site in Brownsville, Texas. They included a controversial measure that makes entering Texas illegally a state crime and gives local law enforcement the power to arrest migrants. - Valerie Gonzalez/AP

The stated aim of the law, which is scheduled to go into effect in March, is cracking down on illegal immigration. Advocates call the law unconstitutional and argue that it will fuel racial profiling in Texas, where 40% of residents are Latino.

The Republican author of the Texas bill has maintained that the measure is constitutional. But state officials may soon have to make their case for the new law in court.

Civil rights groups just filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block it.

On the day Abbott signed the bill, protesters nearby said they were already afraid of the impact it could have on their communities.

5. In the US, the border is everywhere.

The border isnt just the 1,933-mile line that divides the US and Mexico. Its something that can be seen in communities across the US.

And for months, weve heard many mayors  including prominent Democratic leaders  saying their cities are struggling to handle an influx of migrants.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this year that the migrant crisis would destroy the city.

And an order he signed could soon lead to the eviction of thousands of migrants from city shelters as part of Adams plan to enforce a new 60-day limit for families. A similar 30-day rule for single adults has been in place for several weeks. Families who receive eviction notices can return to the citys intake center to re-apply for a new shelter spot.

City officials say they need more support from the federal government, and Adams has said the citys budget will have to be significantly cut in order to meet the needs of the ongoing crisis.

Migrants line up outside the Jacob Javits Federal Building in downtown Manhattan on December 5. - Luiz C. Ribeiro/NY Daily News/Getty Images

The continuing pushback from local leaders in his own party could have political implications for Biden heading into the 2024 election, and may be one reason why these days, he appears more open to taking a tougher stance.

Any one of these storylines alone is significant news.

Looking at them all together, its clear things have reached a crescendo thats impossible to ignore.

In the coming months, Ill be watching whats happening at the border closely.

Many things about the future are uncertain, but theres no doubt that what we hear and see unfolding there is going to be a big part of the conversation in 2024.

CNNs Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfeldt, Priscilla Alvarez, Camila DeChalus, Zachary B. Wolf and Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Escambia County's five-term Supervisor of Elections David Stafford announced Tuesday he is resigning to take an election security job with the federal government.

Stafford sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis that he intends to step down from his position on Jan. 15 to take a job as an election security advisor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Stafford was elected to run Escambia County's elections in 2004. His previous experience had been working as former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough's chief of staff. Stafford joined Scarborough in his transition to television in 2001 working as a senior writer and producer for Scarborough's show on MSNBC until Stafford returned to his hometown of Pensacola to enter local politics in a run for the elections administrator post.

Since taking office, Stafford has easily won reelection four times and become a nationally respected elections administrator. Stafford has served previously as president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections and as legislative chair of the National Association of Election Officials.

You may like: Appleyard: Looking back at Escambia County's first election

"We have seen tremendous change in election administration in Florida over the past two decades," Stafford wrote. "The significant reforms that began in the wake of the 2000 election have transformed how voters register and how votes are cast and counted in Florida and around the nation. I consider myself fortunate to have been an election official during this consequential time and am proud of what has been accomplished."

The role of Escambia County supervisor of elections will be on the ballot in 2024.

Stafford asked DeSantis to consider appointing Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections Sonya Daniel to his position to fill the remainder of his term, which ends next year.

"I am eternally grateful to the voters of Escambia County for allowing me the opportunity to serve for nearly 20 years and look forward to continuing to serve the public in a different role," Stafford wrote. "I am especially thankful for our staff, poll workers, my colleagues, and my family for their support throughout my tenure."

Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford, seen here inspecting a ballot during a manual recount of votes on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, has announced he is resigning in January 2024 to take a job as an election security advisor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: David Stafford leaving Escambia elections post for federal position
The old bridge on I-55 from Memphis to Arkansas, the main thoroughfare with the Hernando De Soto bridge still closed for construction on Wednesday, June 2, 2021.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation's hope to rebuild the Interstate 55 bridge connecting Memphis to Arkansas currently hinges on being awarded a federal grant, a spokeswoman for the department said Tuesday.

The bridge is estimated to cost between "$800 million and $1 billion" to build, and would be built in the same location as the current "Old Bridge."

"It's such a vital corridor for the region and the country, that's here in Memphis  at the center of the United States," TDOT Community Relations Office Nichole Lawrence said of the I-55 river crossing. "So having that viable crossing in addition to the I-40 [bridge], it's just an important factor for moving freight and goods and motorists."

The federal grant, Lawrence said, would cover half of the project's ultimate cost. TDOT and the Arkansas Department of Transportation have committed to covering 25% of the cost, each.

TDOT has allocated $250 million for its part of the project. The funding is part of Gov. Bill Lee's Transportation Modernization Act which features $3.3 billion in funding that is to be spread throughout the state.

The department's grant report, which was submitted on Dec. 4, estimated the project to cost almost $788 million and requested close to $394 million from the federal government.

"We're still very early in the process, and still working on details of the bridge," Lawrence said. "The bridge is going to be located right [where the current one is]. It is a true replacement, not a new bridge. It will work in conjunction with the current [Crump] interchange improvements that we've been making that are estimated to be completed in the first half of 2025."

Business news: Memphis Chamber to open $15M workforce development center. Here's why & what it will offer

Plans and models for the bridge have not been made yet, but Lawrence said the goal is to increase the capacity of the bridge, which she said the department hopes means expanded lanes, though all plans are up in the air until TDOT and ARDOT are further in the process.

Should the departments get the grant from the federal government, which they should know by early 2024, construction is expected to begin in 2026. The aggressive plan, according to Lawrence, is part of TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley's philosophy going forward.

"The commissioner said, 'What gets started, gets finished,'" she said. "When we budget something and put money in for something, it's for the entire project. In the past, we would put money in for right of way, or there would be the preliminary engineering stage. We would budget for stages of a project. Now, when the project goes in plan, it's in there from beginning to end."

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Federal funds needed for new I-55 bridge between Tennessee, Arkansas
Jim O'Brien became a local legend and viewer favorite as an anchor and weatherman on Action News. Fans remember him on the 35th anniversary of his death.

Long before sophisticated radar and 3D images defined local TV weather broadcasts, Jim O'Brien delivered the forecast with cloud magnets and a smile.

And that's all viewers needed.

Through the sheer power of personality, the 6ABC Action News weatherman connected with millions of viewers in the Delaware Valley.

And even 40 years after his death in a skydiving accident on Sept. 25, 1983, O'Brien is still fondly remembered.

Wednesday's news that two 6ABC journalists  pilot Monroe W. Smith, 67, of Glenside, Pennsylvania and Christopher W. Dougherty, 45, of Oreland, Pennsylvania  were killed in a helicopter crash in South Jersey also had the community recalling O'Brien.

6ABC helicopter crash: Channel 6 Action News helicopter crash in Burlington County kills pilot, photographer

O'Brien, a Texas native who began his broadcasting career as a radio DJ, and later worked in Philadelphia as the host of "Dialing for Dollars," joined Action News in 1976, where he anchored broadcasts and co-hosted the station's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But he was best known for those low-tech, high-energy weather segments.

Mon, Sep 26, 1983  Page 1  Courier-Post (Camden, Camden, New Jersey, United States of America)  Courier Post

Meteorologist Cecily Tynan, who joined Action News in 1995, praised O'Brien today in a Facebook post marking the 35 anniversary of his death in 2018: "35 years ago, the 6abc Action News family and the entire Philadelphia area lost a legend. I wish I had the opportunity to work with Jim O'Brien. He was one in a million."

In a tribute that 6ABC aired in 2013, 30 years after O'Brien's death, now-retired anchor Jim Gardner talked about having to broadcast the tragic news.

"What we tried to do as best we could was to tell what happened, and to unavoidably convey our feelings," Gardner said. "And it was unavoidable, because most of us were crying."

O'Brien's daughter  actress Peri Gilpin, best known for playing Roz on "Frazier"  also talked about her dad in the 2013 tribute.

"I know that everything he did, he did it with gusto. You know? And I know that Philadelphia was so close to his heart," she said.

Post by 6abcCecilyTynan.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Jim O'Brien recalled as region mourns loss of 6ABC pilot, photographer
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Court documents obtained by KXAN reveal new details surrounding a shooting involving Austin Police Department officers on East Sixth Street over the weekend that left one person dead and three bystanders injured.

The suspect, who has still not been identified, was shot and killed after he pointed his handgun at three Austin police officers and discharged multiple projectiles at them, according to a search warrant affidavit which cites a review of body camera video.

The officers were not injured.

Three innocent bystanders, however, were injured. On Sunday, one of the victims was listed in critical condition. The other two sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

One killed, three injured in officer-involved shooting on 6th Street

The incident happened at the Soho Lounge, located at 217 East Sixth St., according to the affidavit.

The three uniformed Austin police officers responded to the bar around 10 minutes to midnight Saturday in response to a report that someone was trying to illegally enter the bar with a gun and had refused to be patted down for weapons prior to entering, according to the affidavit.

The officers approached the suspect outside the Soho Lounge and came within two to three feet from him when he reached into the right side of his waistband, quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it at officers, according to the affidavit.

Early Sunday morning, hours after the shooting, Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson told KXAN there were indications the suspect fired his weapon.

An evidence marker is seen above damage on the front door of the Soho Lounge. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant)

Surveillance video shows 6th Street shooting that killed 1, injured 3

Afterwards, when detectives went inside the Soho Lounge, they saw multiple projectiles had entered the bar, according to the affidavit. The glass in the front of the business had multiple holes in it and there were multiple defects observed inside the business. Detectives believe some of the projectiles that entered the bar may have passed through the suspect, according to the affidavit.

Its unknown if anyone inside the bar was accidentally shot or struck by a bullet or fragment of one.

That remains to be seen, Henderson told KXAN on Sunday when asked if any of the officers bullets accidentally struck someone. There were several shots that were fired and were still determining that.

The outside of the Soho Lounge on East Sixth Street. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant)

The Soho Lounge had multiple cameras outside and inside the business, according to the affidavit.

The search warrant allows Austin police to obtain any videos that recorded the incident along with latent fingerprints, trace forensic evidence, and any ballistic evidence, including projectile fragments from Soho Lounge.

On Sunday, Henderson said Austin police would release the officers body camera video of the shooting within 10 business days, per department policy. Due to the upcoming holidays, that might not be until Jan. 2.

On Wednesday, KXAN asked APD for an update on the conditions of the three bystanders along with the nature of their injuries. We are waiting to hear back.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Two nights in a row over the past weekend, pianist Yuja Wang ignited a full-house audience at the National Centre for the Performing arts in Beijing, with a recital that "began and ended in silence", as she put it.

It had been seven years since her last performance at the venue.

After her signature quick and deep bow, Wang started from Olivier Messiaen's Le Baiser de l'Enfant-Jesus and Regard de l'Esprit de joie, followed by Aleksandr Scriabin's Piano Sonata No 7, Op 64 and Claude Debussy's L'Isle Joyeuse.

In the second half, she led the audience into Chopin's innermost world with the composer's well-structured, lyrical Ballade No 4 in F Minor, Op 52 and concluded the flashback recital with Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 32, Op 111.

The music "guides us on a spiritual path, mirroring one of many ways to enlightenment through life itself. These works focus on love, illumination, improvisation and nostalgia. Through numerous struggles we find peace and strength", Wang wrote about this recital program on Nov 30, the eve of her homeland tour.

Both recitals in Beijing, the last stop of this China tour, saw her answer 50-minute encores.

Apart from her frequent encore repertoire like Nikolai Kapustin's Toccatina from his Eight Concert Etudes, Op 40, Vladimir Horowitz' Variations on A Theme from Bizet's Carmen and Mozart's Turkish March, Wang played He Luting's ditty, The Cowherd's Flute, and Wang Lisan's sonatina Under the Sunshine. Both, she played and indeed recorded demonstration videos in her childhood.

Since this month, Wang has toured nine domestic cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, setting off a craze almost everywhere. Tickets were sold out in simply several minutes in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and some additional sessions were announced, and sold out, too.
FILE - A man enters the Supreme Court in London, on Oct. 9, 2023. An artificial intelligence system can't be registered as the inventor of a patent, Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday Dec. 20, 2023 in a decision denying machines the same status as humans. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

LONDON (AP)  An artificial intelligence system can't be registered as the inventor of a patent, Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that denies machines the same status as humans.

The U.K.'s highest court concluded that an inventor must be a person to apply for patents under the current law.

The decision was the culmination of American technologist Stephen Thaler's long-running British legal battle to get his AI, dubbed DABUS, listed as the inventor of two patents.

Thaler claims DABUS autonomously created a food and drink container and a light beacon and that hes entitled to rights over its inventions. Tribunals in the U.S. and the European Union have rejected similar applications by Thaler.

The U.K. Intellectual Property Office rejected Thaler's application in 2019, saying it's unable to officially register DABUS as the inventor because its not a person. After lower courts sided with the patent office, Thaler took his appeal to the Supreme Court, where a panel of judges unanimously dismissed the case.

The judges said DABUS is not a person, let alone a natural person and it did not devise any relevant invention.

Legal experts said the case shows how Britain's laws haven't kept up with technology and that policies should be updated given the breathtaking recent developments made by artificial intelligence, underscored by generative AI systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT that can rapidly spew out new poems, songs and computer code.

As AI systems continue to advance in sophistication and capability, there is no denying their ability to generate new and non-obvious products and processes with minimal, or perhaps even without any, ongoing human input, said Nick White, a partner at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys.

"Change may be on the horizon, but it will most likely come from the policymakers, rather than the judges, he said.
Under the baton of conductor Tan Lihua, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will stage a concert on Dec 31 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, celebrating the upcoming new year.

Western and Chinese pieces will be performed, including Ode to the Red Flag by Chinese composer Lyu Qiming, Symphony No 5, Op 67 by Beethoven and Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op 36 by Tchaikovsky. Chinese baritone Xue Haoyin will sing a Chinese song, titled Tian An Jiu Zhou, composed by Ye Xiaogang, and erhu (two-stringed Chinese vertical fiddle) player Jiang Kemei will perform with the orchestra on a concerto, titled My Hometown Is Beijing.

Since 1996, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra has been performing at the Great Hall of the People every year to welcome the new year. After a four-year-long hiatus, the orchestra will return to the iconic venue.

The concert will also kick off a new year season in Beijing, featuring music, dance, drama and traditional Chinese operas. Highlight will include Saint Petersburg Ballet performing The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, and a concert by Anda Union featuring musicians from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
Semafor Signals

Insights from Vogue Business, Business of Fashion





NEWS

Struggling luxury e-commerce platform Farfetch  which transformed the digital landscape of luxury fashion before almost collapsing into bankruptcy  has found a white knight in Coupang, an e-commerce giant dubbed the Amazon of South Korea.

Coupang will extend a $500-million lifeline to the London-based Farfetch, which connects shoppers to boutiques and also provides back-end technology to larger brands and retailers. The rescue deal gives Coupang a foothold into the luxury goods industry  and a route into the vast U.S. market.





SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Once a disrupter, Farfetch struggled as luxury brands caught up to digital commerce

Sources: Vogue Business, Financial Times

When it launched in 2007, Farfetch  an online marketplace for customers buying goods from brands such as Balenciaga and Gucci  was hailed as part of the revolution in bringing luxury fashion into the digital age. It was among the big winners from the pandemic, catering to an online audience with disposable income to spare. But as luxury brands  once rooted in bricks-and-mortar stores and slow to convert to e-commerce  eventually caught up, they wanted customers to visit their own online stores, not a third partys. They have evolved from laggards to leaders, one brand strategist told Vogue Business. Farfetch began to struggle, with its share price plummeting 97% since it listed in 2018, and its valuation cratering from $24 billion in 2021 to around $220 million, the FT said.





Its part of a broader reckoning in online luxury fashion

Sources: Sky News, Business of Fashion

Farfetch isnt the only company that may be forced to find a new owner thanks to a painful slowdown in global luxury goods -- just three years after the pandemic sales boom. Luxury clothing site Matchesfashion is in talks to be bought by British retail tycoon Mike Ashleys Frasers Group, Sky News reported, with its private equity owner expected to suffer heavy losses. While the rescue bid by Coupang will give Farfetch time to recover, the South Korean giant has little expertise in the luxury market, with Business of Fashion noting that it specializes in selling wool-blend overcoats for as little as $20, not $16,000 Brunello Cucinelli cashmere jackets.





The Amazon of South Korea doesnt deliver in the U.S.  yet

Sources: Seattle Times, Business of Fashion

The Farfetch deal offers the South Korean company a path into the U.S.  where it is already listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and where it is headquartered, having moved its main office from Seoul to Seattle last year. Currently Coupangs platform allows U.S. sellers to connect to online shoppers in South Korea, where its rocket delivery sees goods delivered in as little as six hours  like Amazon, but faster, as one executive told the Seattle Times. Having a toehold in the high-end luxury market would set it apart from competitors such as Shein and Temu, which have exploded in the U.S. in recent years selling lower-priced goods online, Business of Fashion noted.
A bill prohibiting political flags from being flown by local governments has been filed ahead of the 2024 Florida Legislative Session. The bill would apply to public colleges, universities, and K-12 schools.

READ: Florida lawmaker proposes bill to ban pride flags from government buildings, facilities

The bill language prohibits government entities from flying flags representing a political viewpoint including flags of political parties, and flags expressing a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint.

Theres no question this bill aimed at pride flags, said Jon Harris Maurer with Equality Florida.

Maurer argued the bill represents another attempt to silence support for the LGBTQ+ community.

And there are a lot of local governments that do at times fly different symbols, different flags, including the pride flag. That is part of a choice that theyre making in terms of the speech that government wants to convey about how they are open and affirming to certain communities, and again, that shouldnt be a political message, said Maurer.

However, Anthony Verdugo with the Florida Christian Family Coalition argued government displays of the pride flag, like the display at the White House earlier this year, are political and endorse certain viewpoints over others.

Government has become more ideological and in most instances more hostile to certain points of view versus others and thats just not an objective way to serve the people, said Verdugo.

Bobby Block with the Florida First Amendment Foundation said at least from a freedom of speech perspective, the bill seems to pass muster since it only deals with government speech.

But as currently written, he argued the bill could impact a lot more than pride flags.

If they were to apply the law evenly, I mean, I think you know any police force, sheriffs office, municipality, town, county would have problems hoisting the blue line flag, or worse yet, a Gadsden flag, the dont tread on me flag. All of these now have political significance, said Block.

Block noted First Amendment issues could arise depending on how the bill is applied, especially if the government has a partisan bent in what flags are deemed acceptable, but the bill still has a long way to go and has not yet been filed in the Senate.

If the bill successfully navigates the legislative process and gains approval, it is set to be signed into law on July 1, 2024.

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An air-raid alarm has been issued throughout Ukraine due to the take-off of a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet and Russians launching Shahed drones.

Source: air-raid warnings map; Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

Quote: "An attack by several groups of enemy assault UAVs from the south! The direction of movement is from Kherson Oblast to Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast  ed.)."

Details: In addition, a take-off of a Russian MiG-31K was recorded.

Update: The Air Force reported that several groups of Russian assault UAVs are attacking Sumy from Russia's Kursk Oblast.

The all-clear was given at around 21:05 in Ukraine's western part and the central oblasts. Ukraine's Air Force reported at 21:07 that the Russian MiGs had landed. The Air Force said at around 21:10 that the Shahed kamikaze UAVs were heading towards the city of Kropyvnytskyi. Other groups of Russian attack UAVs were spotted over Sumy and Poltava oblasts.

Reports emerged at around 21:30 that more groups of Russian drones had been deployed from the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, moving between the cities of Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih towards Kropyvnytskyi. The Air Force reported at around 21:45 that Russian UAVs were moving from Poltava and Kirovohrad oblasts into Cherkasy Oblast. Other groups are moving from Sumy Oblast to Chernihiv Oblast.

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Alcoholics Anonymous will hold its 100th anniversary meeting in Indianapolis in 2035, Visit Indy announced Wednesday. The international convention is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium.

Alcoholics Anonymous logo

A.A. is a nonprofit that supports people who struggle with alcohol addiction by connecting them to a community of others in recovery.

The meeting is the first time Indianapolis will host the organization.

Visit Indy officials say they expect the event will generate $70 million in economic activity.

Binghui Huang can be reached at 317-385-1595 and Bhuang@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: AA to meet for its 100th year anniversary in Indianapolis in 2035
Venezuelan President Maduro, right, receives Alex Saab at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The United States freed Saab, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020, in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in Venezuela, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman, is something of an international man of mystery.

In the sordid annals of Venezuelan corruption, hes known as the ultimate fixer, amassing a fortune off his dealings with the Caracas government while hiding millions in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world, authorities say.

A few years before his arrest, he was even working as a double agent, they say.

Saab, 52, spent more than two years in a federal lockup in Miami after being charged in a $350 million money-laundering case. Early Wednesday morning, he was suddenly released as part of an official prisoner swap between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments. For Saabs freedom, Venezuela released 10 Americans as well as 20 Venezuelan political prisoners.

Several people familiar with the exchange were struck by the lopsided transaction in terms of the numbers. But they pointed out that Saab had a bounty of insider information about high-ranking officials in the government of President Nicolas Maduro, from the embezzlement of billions of dollars to vast investments around the world. If Saab had cut a plea deal in the Miami case and started dishing dirt on Maduro and other top Venezuelan officials, it could have cost them dearly.

It seems like a lot for one guy, said a U.S. law enforcement official, who was not authorized to speak about the prisoner swap. It shows how valuable he is to them.

Saab was among dozens of Venezuelan officials, businessmen and contractors who have been accused in Miami federal court of collectively stealing billions of dollars from their government in bribery schemes allegedly involving Maduro, the late president Hugo Chavez, and other high-ranking officials with Venezuelas national oil company, PDVSA. Many, including two former national treasurers, have been convicted through plea deals or at trial, but many others, such as TV mogul tycoon Raul Gorrin, are still at large. Maduro himself was charged in a drug-trafficking case in 2020, alleging his administration provided protection for the Cartel of the Suns run by high-ranking military officials.

For his part, Saab has been on a legal odyssey for years.

In 2020, Saab was detained by Cape Verde authorities on an Interpol red notice. After his arrest, Saab claimed to be a special envoy traveling for Maduro to Iran on a gold-for-gasoline trade mission. His extradition from the island off the coast of Africa to the United States in 2021 was fraught with problems. Once Saab was transferred here, he deployed a legal team to fight the indictment by saying he had diplomatic immunity from Maduro  a claim that he initially lost but was on appeal as he awaited federal trial in Miami.

On Wednesday, Saabs legal team said that if he had lost his immunity claim before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which was still pending, he was going to trial in Miami federal court.

There is no question that he was acting as a diplomat when he was arrested in Cape Verde en route to Iran, said lawyer Joseph Schuster, who worked on Saabs case with attorneys Neil Schuster, David Rivkin and Celeste Siblesz Higgins. If it did not go the way it should go in the 11th Circuit, he was prepared to go to trial. He was not going to plead guilty.

According to an indictment filed in 2019, Saab was charged along with Colombian national Alvaro Pulido Vargas, 55, a fugitive. The pair was accused of paying off Venezuelan government officials to obtain contracts to supply building materials for low-income housing projects between November 2011 and September 2015.

But over the past decade, Saab also played the role of a double agent.

While operating out of Venezuela, Saab worked as a confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and turned over millions of his profits to the DEA before he failed to surrender in 2019, according to a federal court document.

Saab started communicating with DEA and FBI agents in Bogota, Colombia, about his planned cooperation in 2016. With his lawyers he continued those discussions with federal agents and prosecutors through June 2018, when he signed a cooperating source agreement with the DEA, the court document says.

For nearly a year, Saab reported paying bribes to Venezuelan officials to secure illicit food, housing and other contracts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars with the government. Saab communicated with DEA special agents via telephone, text and voice messaging, the document says, and he engaged in proactive cooperation, meaning he recorded conversations with co-conspirators targeted in the U.S. investigation.

Saab also made four wire transfers totaling more than $12 million of his Venezuelan contract profits to a U.S. bank account controlled by the DEA as part of his cooperation with the agency, the document says. But when Saab failed to surrender to the DEA by May 30, 2019, his cooperation deal as a federal informant ended.

Federal prosecutors in Miami shifted to targeting Saab in a money-laundering case filed that year. But as in so many investigations involving foreign nationals, capturing him would not be easy.

When he represented the Maduro government in the gold-for-oil trade mission to Iran, Saabs plane made a stop for refueling in Cape Verde, where he was arrested on the Interpol red notice in June 2000. Over the next year, Saab fought his extradition, claiming he had diplomatic immunity as an envoy for the Venezuelan government.

At the time, U.S. officials were so concerned with the lengths Maduro would go to gain release of Saab that the Trump administration sent Navy ships to patrol Cape Verdes coasts. Saab was extradited to the United States in October 2021 and continued to claim that he could not be charged with a crime in the U.S.

In December 2022 a federal judge denied his diplomatic immunity claim. With the backing of the Venezuelan government, Saab tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Robert Scola to dismiss the $350 million money laundering indictment filed against him in 2019, claiming he been designated as a special envoy for Venezuela the previous year and was therefore immune from prosecution.

But Scola accused the Venezuelan government of doctoring certain documents to make Saab appear as a legitimate diplomat.

The Court is not convinced that the 2018 credential that Saab Moran relied on to support his claim to diplomatic status is legitimate nor is the Court convinced of its relation to his dealings in Iran, Scola wrote, using the defendants full last name in his decision. And, even if Saab Moran had truly been proclaimed to be a special envoy in 2018, the evidence does not convince the Court that Saab Moran was traveling as anything more than a lay businessman to broker a deal when arrested in June of 2020.

For these reasons alone, the Court finds that Saab Morans assertion of diplomatic immunity is a nonstarter. At the time he was arrested, Saab Moran truly was no diplomat at all.
An infamous fugitive billionaire - known as Fat Leonard - has been released as part of a prisoner swap with Venezuela, the White House has confirmed.

The fugitive, whose real name is Leonard Glenn Francis, masterminded a $35m (30m) fraud against the US Navy. He escaped from US custody in 2022.

Ten US citizens held in Venezuela were released as part of the deal.

In exchange, the US released Alex Saab, an aide to Venezuela's president.

Francis, the most high-profile prisoner involved in the deal, was detained in September 2022 trying to board a flight from Venezuela to Russia while on the run from US authorities.

The Malaysian businessman had escaped house arrest in California two weeks earlier, where he was being held after admitting to his role in a sprawling scam that cost the US tens of millions of dollars and implicated dozens of navy officers.

Prosecutors say he used his Singapore-based business - which had contracts to service US naval vessels - to defraud the US Navy, while also plying American officers with cash and gifts as bribes.

Court documents filed as part of his plea agreement accused Francis of giving US officials millions of dollars worth of gifts, which included lavish trips, "top-shelf alcohol and wine", Spanish suckling pigs, Cuban cigars and access to prostitution services.

Francis was first arrested in 2013, and pleaded guilty to offering $500,000 (444,000) in bribes in 2015.

Journalist Tom Wright, who made a podcast with Francis entitled Fat Leonard, told the BBC that Francis made "huge amounts of money" after the 9/11 terror attacks by overcharging the US Navy.

Mr Wright added that Francis had agreed to do the podcast as he was "furious" over what he saw as a cover-up. "Admiral after admiral who were involved with him were not taken to court criminally. In the US, it was more lower level officers [who were taken to court]."

In a statement, President Joe Biden said Francis will now be "sentenced for his lead role in a brazen bribery and corruption case".

Alluding to the other US nationals released by Venezuela, he added: "I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more."

The swap deal will also see Mr Saab, a close aide of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, returned.

He faced allegations of laundering money on behalf of the Maduro government, which he denied.

Mr Saab was extradited to the US in 2021 after being arrested during a stopover in Cape Verde.

The agreement sees the US release an aide close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

The Maduro government has long demanded the release of Mr Saab, whom it describes as a "diplomat".

The Colombian-born businessman was on his way to Iran when he was detained on an Interpol "red notice" while his plane refuelled in Cape Verde in 2020.

The Venezuelan government described him as an "envoy" and argued that he had been travelling to Iran to buy medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Cape Verde ruled that he did not have diplomatic status and extradited him to the US, where he was charged with money laundering and bribery.

According to US prosecutors, Mr Saab siphoned off $350m (276m) from Venezuelan government contracts by fraudulently using favourable exchange rates.

Alex Saab's wife, Camilla Fabri, is in Venezuela as her home country of Italy has issued an arrest warrant for her

He then allegedly laundered the money in the US before finally transferring it to accounts controlled by him and his alleged associate.

The US treasury department has described Mr Saab as a "profiteer orchestrating a vast corruption network" that it says enabled "President Nicolas Maduro and his regime to significantly profit from food imports and distribution in Venezuela".

Mr Saab has denied the charges and the Maduro government has stood by him, even walking out of US-backed talks with the Venezuelan opposition in protest at Mr Saab's extradition in 2021.

The White House also said Joseph Cristella, Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, and Savoi Wright were among those released.

It classes six of the 10 Americans released by Venezuela as having been "wrongfully detained".

The White House also said Venezuela had agreed to release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners, as well as opposition figure Roberto Abdul, and had committed to suspending the arrest warrants of three other Venezuelans.

This is not the first prisoner swap the US and Venezuela have agreed.

In October 2022, Venezuela freed seven jailed US citizens in exchange for the release of two nephews of Mr Maduro's wife.

Known as the "narco-nephews", the two men had been serving 18-year sentences in the US for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the US.

Relations between the two countries eased further in October this year when the US agreed to loosen its sanctions on Venezuela in exchange for President Maduro agreeing to allow international observers to monitor next year's presidential election.

But the US has since reiterated its demand that US citizens "wrongfully detained" in Venezuela be freed and threatened to reimpose sanctions if progress was not made on the issue.

Human rights groups in Venezuela have reacted to the news by demanding that the close to 300 people they list as political prisoners in Venezuelan jails also be freed.